Disclaimer:
This is a fan fiction and as such is completely fictitious. Any likeness to names, characters, real persons, living or dead, and events are purely coincidental.
ONE
100 miles northwest from Cape Town South Africa, the crew of the Infinite Discovery are preparing their Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV), the Kirin, for its deep sea excavation. At 100 feet long and 276.78 tons, the Infinite Discovery is a research vessel equipped with scientific devices necessary for deep sea explorations. The vessel employs a SWATH (Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull) system with twin diesel engines allowing it to reach 20 knots out in open water by reducing wave disturbance and maximizing vessel stability. The semi large vessel accommodates a capacity of seven people, the captain, three crew members, and three scientists.
Dr. Yuji Shinta and his team of researchers are ecstatic for their unbelievable luck. They have been combing the oceans of the South Atlantic for the last three weeks hopeful of a discovery. Their expedition has been a dead end and morale was low when a peculiar object was sighted on the ocean floor. Lying on its side covered with plankton and algae is an oddly shape slab about 30" long and 13" wide. The object has been worn by time and blends in almost perfectly in the ocean depths. Elizabeth Rooke, Dr. Shinta's assistance was the one who noticed the object while the Kirin was maintaining its scheduled sonar scans.
Yuji turns to Jay, the Kirin's engineer to ask, "Is everything set?"
"Yes, I'm making all necessary preliminaries before we set her down. Don't want anything to happen at the last minute and leave empty handed do we?"
"No Jay, we certainly do not," Yuji responds as he turns to Elizabeth.
"Do you think this is what we've been searching for," Elizabeth asks.
"I hope so," is all Yuji can say as he stares at the Kirin.
The Kirin is a rectangular ROV, with a 200 feet tether linked to the ship. It has two arms to gather samples from the sea floor, cameras, sonar, and six thrusters for mobility. It is the brain child of Jay Rogers the team's oceanic engineer as well as the Kirin's pilot. He named her the Kirin, a mythical Chinese chimera representing good fortune, for its operational versatility and success rate. She is his lucky charm. The ROV is operated on board and strictly supervised by Jay and assisted by Elizabeth.
All preparations are ready as the Kirin is sent into the sea. Locating the slab in the murky depths of the ocean is sorely based on the Kirin's sonar. Light doesn't penetrate the depths of the ocean as the Kirin maneuver through complete inky darkness. Everyone is gathered around the small rectangular screen as she reaches her destination far below the surface. The green algae slab is carefully lifted into the Kirin's two robotic arms ready to ascend to the surface. Retrieving the slab will require all of Jay's piloting expertise as any obstacle, especially ocean currents, can knock it out of the Kirin's arms. If the slab falls back to the ocean floor it will be an arduous task locating and retrieving it again.
Everyone cheers when the Kirin returns with the slab, firmly in both arms. Yuji releases his breath and quickly gathers everyone to examine the object. With a little cleaning, the crew is joyous as they stare at an ancient artifact with glyphs eerily similar to hieroglyphics.
"This is it doctor, this is what we've been looking for all along. A piece of history unknown to the world, and we've found it!" Elizabeth exclaims.
Yuji looks and smiles at his team. This is in fact the sole purpose of this expedition. Since age 10 Yuji Shinta has always been fascinated with lost cultures and ancient civilization. These megalithic architectures intrigued Yuji as modern scholars are unable to provide concrete explanations to their existence. Why were these structures built, how were they built, what were their purpose, and why were they abandoned? Those were some of the questions circling on his mind whenever he read about Puma Punku, the Nazca landing strip and its lines, the many Moai Heads, and other ancient relics of the past. But the most intriguing of all is his attachment to the lost continent Atlantis. No scientific evidence has ever been produce from Atlantis. No scholar, explorer, and adventurer have ever brought back a piece of its mysterious history. All mentions of Atlantis are derived from tales passed down from word of mouth or briefly told through literature. Atlantis has been deemed fiction. Yuji Shinta never thought so. He always believed there existed a civilization that began all other civilizations. And so, he spent his adulthood pursuing his dreams. He studied to become an archeologist at the top university in Japan. He received his masters in archeology at the age of 24 and spent an additional 10 years around the world studying for his doctoral. At 34, Yuji was able to procure a grant to search the seas for ancient artifacts when an eccentric billionaire surprised him at one of his lectures. Yuji briefly addressed Atlantis when one of his students asked if he believed in any civilization older than Mesopotamia. Everyone in class laughed as they thought it was a joke. When his lecture was over, a gentleman casually approached him.
"Hello Dr. Shinta, I'm glad to have finally made your acquaintance," he gestured to shake Yuji's hands.
"I am sorry, have we met?" as Yuji began shaking his hand.
"No, but I have been following your research for quite some time. Let me introduce myself. William Bishop. See, I've been particularly interested in your unravel commitment to Atlantis. You seem to be the only Scholar who believes in its existence. And like you, I also believe in its existence."
"Mr. Bishop, I am happy to see you share my sentiment, but Atlantis does not exist."
"Please, just William. Do you honestly believe Atlantis doesn't exist? I've read all your research papers and you always sneak in brief mentions of Atlantis. Please don't be coy with me, there is no need. How would you like a chance to prove the world wrong? You see, I've come to some interesting materials and I would like you, and a team of your choosing of course, to charter an expedition. Don't worry about funds, you'll be fully covered, all I ask is you take this opportunity and prove to the world Atlantis is not a myth. Most importantly, I want to satiate my appetite, as I am sure you would yours."
Meeting William Bishop was the chance encounter Yuji was hoping for. He knew no one would ever support and fund an expedition to find Atlantis; it would be career suicide from the scientific community. No organization or sponsor would even think about funding what is believed to be a wild goose chase. Bishop was right though, he has been hungry for Atlantis since his childhood and this opportunity will be his grand buffet. With that, Yuji quickly called upon his trusted friends and colleagues for the expedition of the life time.
Yuji returned to the ships cabin to use the satellite phone. He dialed a sequence of number and waited for a response. The phone was answered on the third ring.
"Hello Dr. Shinta, and how are we progressing so far?" Bishop answered.
"Very well William, we have made a discovery. It is too early to provide an adequate assessment. I will have to bring it back to my lab for further analysis, but I am certain we have found a piece of history. "
"That's wondrous news. Take all the necessary time you need, and please do let me know the moment your analysis proves conclusive."
They ended their conservation as Yuji returned to his team. Everyone declares their final cheers before the Infinite Discovery prepares to return to shore with their new prize.