Man From Atlantis: Revelations Of Home

Chapter 4

Mr. Schubert squirmed listless and steepled his meaty fingers under his chin to keep his head from nodding down. He yawned rudely as his assistant Brent stammered his explanation for yet another failed assignment. Schubert's round blue eyes followed the harried scientist as he paced and fumbled with papers and maps over the drafting table.

"…And that is exactly what happened, Mr. Schubert. Mark Harris destroyed the electric prod. He wasn't even affected by the currents! He forced Sylvester and Milo to retreat. I…I wanted to tell you last night, but you always say you don't want…want your sleep disturbed."

Schubert hefted his corpulent body forward and banged the table. "Indeed I don't! Why should my vital rest be interrupted for you to tell me something I knew was bound to happen! Do you think I don't know that Marky boy has the strength of ten men once he's exposed to water? There is no other diversion that works greater on him than a cry for help at sea! Especially the cry of a maiden in distress. That noble fish stick! I purposely had Syl and Milo chase her in that direction. I know Mark's movements and the times he leaves for the ocean. It was all carefully calculated, Brent. Either way, we have that little mermaid right where I want her."

"At the Foundation, sir?"

"With Mark Harris you dolt! He's the one I'm really after. Remember that."

Brent nodded fast and pointed shakily at the map tacked on the marker board.

"What about Atlantis, sir? I've pinpointed the time frame and I am positive that the gateway is due to make an appearance sometime this week. It's almost like a…a fluke, since the gateway appeared two years ago when Mark Harris washed ashore."

Schubert stood up and stretched out his arms in serpentine fashion. "Our mermaid may have something to do with that, though I can't be sure how anything is conceived and carried out from another dimension, can I?"

"N…n…no, sir!"

"Who knows, maybe the two were mates in Atlantis and she returned to find her lost love! All we know is that she's here now, and the gateway to Atlantis will only open again on the eve she's due back."

"And even then, sir, it only stays open for a limited amount of time, by my calculations I'd say you must enter it within ten minutes!"

Schubert stared contemplatively at the ocean. "Brent, my boy, this is history in the making. If I don't get through it, there is no telling where in the stream of time that Portal will appear. We missed our last chance thanks to that freak storm! But at least it coughed up a treasure like Mark."

Brent chewed his inner cheeks and sucked in a deep breath. "Well, Mr. Schubert, that could be part of the problem, you see, every time the portal appears, there's a storm, or a severe weather disturbance. I've traced the history of capsized ships and mermaid sightings going back centuries. They all coincide with each other, and the most recent was the appearance of Mark Harris in 1977."

Schubert nodded gleefully. "It looks like Neptune has decided to give us another chance!" He put an arm around Brent and waved his hand around. "Make no mistake, it is my calling to conjoin the earth and sea. I am going to merge our world with that of the Lost City of Atlantis! Mark Harris is the chosen vessel by which to accomplish this! He could very well be the next King of Atlantis!"

"Yes, sir. But what about the mermaid?"

Schubert grinned wickedly. "Oh, I have plans for her, perhaps I will keep her on as Mark's mate. I've always wanted to be a grandfather, and at the rate my daughter Juliet is going, I may not live to see the day. Mark and the pretty fish can make quite a handsome brood of little webbed fingered guppies!" He guffawed until he choked and Brent patted his back. Schubert reached for his wine glass and chugged the last of it down.

"There! All better! Ehh, never mind about her for now. I just need her to lead me to the exact location of the gateway. She will make a very beautiful fish for my new exotic tank, don't you think? I could make millions off an attraction like her."

"The tank has grown beautifully sir. And people do love the mystique of mermaids. Um…what do I tell Sylvester and Milo?"

"Brent, I will not strike just yet. Let the two fishies make nice and dive into a false sense of security, then the boys can grab her when least expected."

Brent smiled ecstatic. "You mean I can test my new inventions?"

Schubert rolled his eyes and shoved him off. "Fine, fine! Though I'd hardly call them new. Spielberg came up with that some time ago. You should have stuck with the giant squid. It's more fun to watch the victims squirm out of their tentacles, not as messy."

"They won't fail, Mr. Schubert."

"You just make sure no harm comes to my water breathing man, or else I will crack you open like a crab and feed your innards to piranhas!"

Brent recoiled at his employer's threat. "Of course not, sir!"

"Perfect! Have my engineers fixed the little kinks in my submersible?"

"Almost, the laser is working at full power now."

"Good! If that tin-can doesn't get me through this portal, nothing will!"

~Oo~

With CW's absence and no pressing missions for the Cetacean, Mark found himself with a lot of free time on his hands. He spent it acquainting Nautica with the ways of humans, or Land Dwellers, as she referred to them. Nautica wanted to know all the aspects of the work he and Elizabeth did at the Foundation, though he could tell Elizabeth's job assignments in the lab bored her.

At Elizabeth's urging, and possibly just to get the mermaid out of her hair, Mark showed Nautica around the village. Nautica pranced around like a kid in the candy store. Mark had not seen anyone so full of joy and curiosity since he met the mysterious Imp a few months back. However, spending time with Nautica was not likely to get anyone hurt or killed as it sadly occurred with the Imp. Nautica ran from shop to shop, tinkering with everything and insisting on trying on dresses to model for him.

As she posed before the mirrors in stylish hats and shoes, Mark patted his jacket pocket gratefully. He was glad Elizabeth convinced him to take at least two of the payments the Foundation owed him. They always kept his money on reserve for certain situations, but otherwise, he had little to no use for currency. Mark was greatly saddened by the condition he saw the poor people in. Money was a land necessity so he asked Elizabeth to give his payments to them. She was touched by his benevolence and set up a monthly donation fund through the Foundation. He still needed to keep some for himself. As Mark sat back and watched Nautica's gaze sparkle at item after item, he now understood why so many land dwellers wound up in what they called, the poorhouse.

Nautica begged Mark to let her go on a few rides in the amusement park, and though she loved the merry-go-round, she was terrified by the height of the Ferris Wheel. She barely raised her head from Mark's chest until the ride ended. Afterward, she danced along the boardwalk with a street band and caught on to playing a few of their instruments. Mark never had so much fun on land, but a thought nagged him. Throughout the day he kept imagining what time spent with Elizabeth would be like.

On a number of occasions he saw Elizabeth relaxed, with her luxurious hair down and singing prettily to herself. He admired her laugh and observed her fine dancing at Foundation office parties. She jogged, swam and played games on the beach. Like Nautica, when Elizabeth was worry-free, she shone as brightly as the sun. He put a hand to his chest, wondering why his thoughts prickled his heart.

A few hours later, Mark and Nautica trekked back to the Foundation to drop off her packages, then stopped by the food stand along the beach. Nautica ordered fish and chips and Mark spread out a blanket for them near the shore.

"Mmmm! This stuff is delicious! Who would have thought that putting fishes to a flame would be so tasty! And what are these chip things?" She crunched on them loud.

"I believe they are made from land grown vegetation called potatoes. The Land Dwellers have many variations for preparing them as food."

"What's this white sauce? It's great!"

"It is called tartar sauce, made with a combination of mayonnaise, pickle relish and lemon juice. That is the basic recipe."

"Ooh, I don't know much about those ingredients, but Land Dwellers create such wondrous meals with edible things. I'd love to try them all!" She offered him some but he declined. "Okay, more for me! But Mark, do you really only eat plankton and seaweed?"

"You forgot kelp, algae, and sea grass."

Nautica playfully shoved him. "Oh big difference! There is so much variety of seafood, never mind the scores of fish! There are crabs, mussels, scallops, clams, shrimps, and one of my favorites delicacies is a nice giant lobster. Have you ever cracked into a good lobster tail, Mark?"

A bemused smile flickered across his face as he imagined her doing just that, only without the delicacies of utensils, lemons, and butter. "I have eaten those things on occasion, but I do not suffer without them."

Nautica peered at his lithe form and patted his muscular arm with a nod of approval. "You're right about that, you are very healthy."

She pushed his sunglasses on top of his head. "Wow, you have such handsome eyes and long dark lashes. Sometimes they look so sad, but right now they are content."

"Thank you, Nautica. I feel that way. Perhaps the sadness comes from missing home." He drew his gaze closer to her. "I think your eyes are serenely beautiful, like swirling pools of blue crystals with hints of lush green around the rims."

"I did not know you were an artist. Or as they say on land, a poet." She stroked his cheek.

"No, but I have a deep appreciation for colors and beauty. I find it in all things."

Nautica hung back and stared at him with adoration. She touched his sunglasses. "Tell me what these are called again?"

"They are called dichroic lenses. They filter and reflect light in certain ways that protect my sensitive vision. I suppose when you turn human on land, it changes your vision too. I must be careful with them, they are very expensive to produce."

Nautica shrugged and crossed her arms. "Everything on this land costs something. It's like you cannot touch anything around here. It is not like that in the sea."

"No, there is no greed, only survival."

"Among the sea-creatures anyway. Atlantis might be a different story. They adopted the Land Dweller ways more than they care to admit." Nautica rose up sprightly and grabbed Mark's hand. "Why don't we go for a swim and I can tell you about Atlantis. You've done so much for me today, and that is all you want in return. Besides, you're starting to look like a dried out sea-sponge in the sun."

"I did not want to push you for information so soon. Thank you. I agree, I do feel like a dried sponge. It is time to replenish myself." Mark stood up and put his sunglasses in the small pouch on the back of his shorts.

"Last one there is a rotten Sea-Trow egg!" Nautica kicked sand at him and took a running head start.

They raced into the surf and dove beneath the largest oncoming wave. As they swam deeper Nautica stared blissfully at Mark. The slight awkwardness and stilted manner he had on land disappeared. His skin became firm and supple and his eye color altered from hazel to the dazzling green she remembered when he rescued her. He swam in circles around her and flipped over and under her tail like a happy dolphin. He laughed and engaged her in games of hide-and-seek, but she lost because her tail fin always betrayed her hiding spots.

"This was a wonderful idea, Nautica. I am glad you are willing to be in the water again." Mark said.

"I was starting to feel dehydrated too, and that dark sugary drink I had made me even more so."

"Ahh, you drank the cola, no wonder you are in such high spirits! It is something Elizabeth calls a sugar rush."

"Mark, let's go very deep. Grab the bottom of my fin and hang on!"

"Lead the way, Nautica!"

Nautica led him on a dizzying swim to the ocean floor. She curled her body backwards and forwards and whirled in all directions. She teased him every time he lost his grip. She finally settled herself down and Mark straddled a rock across from her. He gave her his rapt attention.

"Now, Mark, close your eyes and try to imagine the world I'm about to describe, and maybe your memories will return…"