"I cannot believe my eyes!" Mr. Fenton Q. Harcourt muttered under his breath.
He had, of course, heard the rumours which claimed that the Lost Empire of Atlantis had risen again and he had not liked them a bit. It had to be a terrible mistake! Atlantis was a myth, some sort of a childish fairy-tale Plato had purely invented to depict what he thought was the perfect society. Atlantis was not real! It was not unreal either. It just wasn't, and couldn't be. But the rumours had spread, and with them, a gigantic enthusiasm had made itself known. People talked, people prayed, people rejoiced. The fantastic power of hope had been enough to enable the formidable machine of imagination to turn busily. The old, arrogant members of the Board of the Smithsonian Institute had had no other choice than to check by themselves if those blasted rumours hold a tiny amount of truth. During their journey aboard the Descartes, they had come to an agreement on the following point: if, an only if, Atlantis had once really existed, sunk into the depths of the ocean and surfaced again almost 9000 years afterwards, then it could not be anything but a crumbling city, nothing more than a ruined empire, doomed to be ignored and quickly forgotten.
"Indeed", Mr. Harcourt had pointed out while they were gorging themselves on outrageously expensive seafood, "what enabled Atlantis to 'survive', so to speak, throughout the ages is precisely its mystical aspect. Take that away, and the mighty empire is reduced to ashes, a fading dream which has turned into an illusion. And as we know it, gentlemen, people do not like to be deceived by their own stupid dreams! Take Thaddeus Thatch and his silly grandson, for instance: they chased this rainbow so much they both died because of it! "
"Yes", another member of the Board added, "Preston Whitmore wasted his money for nothing, like always! It is too bad the boy sank with the submarine. I would have written an epitaph for his tomb. Something like 'Rest in Peace in a non-existing place called Atlantis'."
They all laughed.
"To conclude", Mr. Harcourt said after having cooled off, "we have nothing to be worried about: supposing Atlantis truly existed and still exists, which I doubt deeply, it would have lost all its attraction upon mankind. It will be forgotten."
He sniggered.
"Just like the fools who kept looking for it!" he quickly added.
Yet, all their hopes had brutally shattered into pieces the second they had laid their eyes upon the magnificent city and its glorious radiance. Staring in disbelief to the spectacle they were witnessing while the Descartes was anchoring, the members of the Board felt like they were crushed by a reality they had never considered to be true. The monuments themselves were pure perfection. The sky was filled with flying machines they had never seen: Martags, Ketaks and Aktiraks, ridden by muscular men or women. Their skin was dark, their hair white, their eyes as blue as the sea, a crystal hanging around their neck. They didn't seem to be ashamed of exposing their bodies like they did, which disgusted Mr. Harcourt. Slightly groaning that they had no modesty at all, he let his gaze fall upon a strange bright light. A gigantic crystal floated in the air while eleven impressive stones slowly turned round it. Mr. Harcourt gasped at the implications.
Could it be…the power source Thatch was blabbering about?
But neither him nor his colleagues were given the time to recover from the shock they had just been stricken by. An old man had come to meet them.
"Greetings, outsiders! In the name of the King and Queen, welcome to the city of Atlantis! My name is Magoreshehb, Royal Advisor. To what do we owe the honour of your visit?"
"…"
"Gentlemen? Surely you came here for some reason, didn't you? What may we call you?"
"We…I am afraid that this is none of your business, old man. We want to be granted an audience with your…King and Queen, whoever they are."
"You want? I am sorry, but if you really would like to meet our King and Queen, you will have to show a little more respect." Magoreshehb snarled, frowning. "You shall remain here while I am going to see if their highnesses agree to see you. This is an order."
[…]
"Is everything clear? Do you have any questions?" Milo asked, after having explained his plan to his wife and Magoreshehb.
"No." they simply answered.
"Okay. You know what you have to do. Now go!"
Kida and Magoreshehb sprinted away, heading for the docks while Milo jumped onto a Ketak. He flew at full speed until he reached the public loudspeaker and leapt on the ground. Knowing that the members of the Board would not understand a single word of the Atlantean language, Milo ordered his people not to mention his name in front of the outsiders, no matter what. In the meantime, Kida and Magoreshehb had arrived and were now preparing themselves to deal with Mr. Fenton Q. Harcourt and the others. The moment she saw them, bursting with pride, Kida knew what Magoreshehb had meant when he had told her he did not like them. She could feel that, behind their apparent amazement, the most sordid self-interest was lurking. She did not know at all what Milo could possibly have at the back of his mind but she had guessed it was very important to him, and was thus determined to carry out his instructions to the letter. She walked at a slow pace before she faced Mr. Harcourt. Kida was astonished to see how he behaved: in spite of his diminished height, he acted as if he considered himself better than anybody else. The both of them looked each other up and down before Kida spoke.
"Why have you come here?"
"I have already said we would not speak with anyone but the King and Queen of Atlantis, lady. Step aside and do not bother us anymore."
Kida gasped, slightly taken aback. No one had ever dared to show her such little respect, even less talked to her in that manner, safe Rourke and his mercenaries. At first, she wanted to make him swallow his words and thoughtfully tightened her grip on the knife she hold behind her back but finally decided it would be much, much better and much more enjoyable to play along with him.
"Follow me, then, outsiders. I will lead you to the Throne Room, where you will meet Queen Kidagakash. By the way, mispronouncing her name is considered as a crime." She smirked wickedly.
"But", she continued, "I shall probably warn you: if you intend to harm the city of Atlantis or any of its citizen, be sure my spear will pierce your bodies before you know it. Magoreshehb, please let the King know we are on our way. Ant let his friends know it too."
"Yes, my…"Magoreshehb stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the glare Kida was giving him, "friend."
The Royal Advisor left Kida with the outsiders, looking forward to their reaction when they would understand they had actually been disrespectful towards the Queen. Magoreshehb knew perfectly how mischievous Kida could be, and he laughed softly at the remembrance of some old memories. When she was a child, Kida spent her life playing tricks on him. Once, because he had told King Kashekim Nedack she did not behave properly, Kida had managed to sneak in his room and hide all his clothes the Gods knew where. Of course, he had had to apologize to her in order to get his outfits back, although he didn't think he had anything to apologize for. That was why Kida, even now, teased him whenever he apologized to her, always ringing a bell.
The Royal Advisor sighed, smiled and shook his head thoughtfully. Kida would never change: the child she had once been still lived inside of her. Magoreshehb was glad she had changed her target, now preferring to play tricks on Milo instead of him, although those tricks always ended with an embrace between the two. Again, Magoreshehb shook his head vigorously, brain managing to shake back into place. He had been given orders. Glancing shortly at the Mother Crystal, he ran towards the palace and headed for the guest rooms where Mr. Whitmore and the rest of Milo's companions were living.
[…]
The members of the Board followed the huntress through the crowded streets of Atlantis, frantically looking all around them, trying to take it all in. When they entered the palace, Kida watched them out of the corner of her eye and remained silent. She tried to figure out why they seemed to be so angry at themselves: what more than a thriving city did they expect to find in Atlantis? Were they disappointed, or simply astonished? She did not understand. Still, she said nothing but listened intently to the words they were mumbling into their beards, apparently thinking they could not be heard.
"What on earth are those people jabbering on about? What's this gibberish they talk?"
"Yes, I can't understand a single word. Their technology might be advanced but look at them! Half-naked, speaking a 'language' no one understands and completely decadent! How outrageous!"
"If you ask me, Harcourt, one may think those people and their barbaric customs –those horrible tattoos for instance- should have remained engulfed by the floods."
It took all of Kida's self-control not to pour out her wrath on them and make them humble their pride.
Gibberish?! Decadent?! Outrageous?! Barbaric?!? How do they dare?!
"Yes, I agree." Mr Harcourt added. "At least, Thatch is not here anymore to harp us on about it! I suppose the sharks were not happy to feed on him. The poor creatures must have been hoping for more than bones!"
He gave a wicked little laugh. Kida froze instantly, clenching her teeth.
Thatch?!? They know Milo? How could this be…wait! Yahd-lu Goh Nickh!! The Smithsonian Institute! Harcourt! I remember now! Milo told me about these people and how they turned him down...And…And they're still scoffing at him now that they believe he's dead!
"If I were you, I would not make fun of the dead. It is very out of place, here in Atlantis." Kida retorted, her back still turned on them, conspicuously joining the conversation to make them understand she had heard everything. The old men did not seem to care.
Laugh while you can, outsiders. He who laughs last laughs longest.
"Here is the Throne Room. The King and Queen agreed to grant you an audience but, considering your impudent behaviour, it will be public." Kida informed them while she opened the heavy doors and threw out an arm in showy gesture and prevented them from retorting anything.
The five men passed past her and entered the grandiose room under the impassive watch of the Old King which had resumed shedding any tears. Some Atlanteans stood in there, waiting for the audience to begin. Among them stood Magoreshehb, Mr. Harcourt noticed, and several guards who kept their hands clutched onto the handle of their spears. And beside them...
No! It cannot be! Preston Whitmore!! And the resting members of the crew he had hired to find Atlantis! But…but he claimed they did not find anything! Or did they? Oh, this is a nightmare! Wake up, Fenton, wake up!
All were staring at them. The members of the Board stopped brutally before the three little stairs that led to the throne: it was empty. Turning round in anger, feeling like he had been toyed around with, Mr Harcourt shouted at Kida, who stood calmly behind them, her spear in her left hand while her right one rested on a cocked hip.
"You tricked us! I demand to speak to your rulers, woman!"
The gathering gasped. Magoreshehb chuckled, as did Kida. Completely at ease, she walked past them, climbed up the three little steps and sat on the throne. The look on their faces was priceless.
"Outsiders, you are speaking to Kidagakash, daughter of King Kashekim Nedahk and Queen of Atlantis! I shall no longer tolerate the inadmissible behaviour you have adopted since you have arrived here, and I hereby order you to apologize for the insults you have uttered against my people and myself."
Her dangerously flashing eyes were enough to make Fenton Q. Harcourt and his four colleagues obey instantly.
"Very well. Now that this is settled, who are you and what have you come to Atlantis for?"
"Uh…We are the directors members of a very famous museum which is located in Washington D.C. and which name is The Smithsonian Institute. My name is Fenton Q. Harcourt. We have come here to…to…to make sure the rumours spoke the truth."
"Which rumours?"
"The ones that said Atlantis had risen from the depths of the Ocean."
"Well, then yes, they spoke the truth, as you can see it by yourself. Have you something else to ask me, or are you just making me waste my time?"
"As a matter of fact, now that we are here…We would be glad to learn more about your civilization, your highness, and particularly about the…the crystal that is floating above our heads."
Kida frowned, the tattoos on her face enhancing her expression.
"I am afraid you and your colleagues will have to discuss this with my husband, Mr. Harcourt. The King of Atlantis is the only one who is entitled to give such information to outsiders."
"But-
"All the same, Mr. Harcourt, the answer's 'no'!" another voice, loud and clear, interrupted from behind them.
Kida smiled mischievously while the five members of the Board turned round and looked in horror to the man who had spoken. He was wearing owl glasses and a blue toga that left him half bare-chested. His dirty-blonde hair had not changed one bit. Several cerulean tattoos had been applied on his light skin. He was thin, but not scrawny anymore. And his eyes were the same as old Thaddeus's had been.
Mr Harcourt heard himself and his colleagues shout the only words that came to their minds.
"MILO THATCH?!?"