Over 8,000 years later, and Atlantis has been lost from history as people viewed no more as a myth. And it was now the early 20th Century in October as recently a few months ago, the world has entered a great war.

WASHINGTON, D.C. 1914

"Good afternoon, gentlemen. First off, I'd like to thank this board for taking the time to hear my proposal."

A model car drove as inside the Smithsonian Museum, many guests wandered around looking at it's many exhibits. Like a life-size model of the largest land mammal, the African Elephant, and several skeletons of the fossil remains of dinosaurs, creatures that ruled the greatest dynasty the world has ever seen. Some of the skeletons were those of Stegosaurus, and another skeleton of a dinosaur discovered in Montana back in 1902, which were the remains of one of Earth's most legendary monsters. And on 1905, Henry Fairland Osborn named this ferocious predator: Tyrannosaurus Rex, meaning Tyrant Lizard King. And the biggest land predator to date.

"Now, we've all heard of the legend of Atlantis...

"... a continent somewhere in the mid-Atlantic that was home to an advanced civilization possessing technology far beyond our own that, according to our friend Plato here was suddenly struck by some cataclysmic event that sank it beneath the sea." A man with glasses named Milo James Thatch, light brown hair, brown eyes, in his early 30's said doing a presentation on the legend of Atlantis and gestured to a fish bowl with a goldfish and a small ancient structure model. "Now, some of you mask ask, why Atlantis?" He brought out some files. "It's just a myth, isn't it? Pure fantasy. Well, that is where you'd be wrong." He then showed the files. "10,000 years before the Egyptians built the pyramids, Atlantis had electricity, advanced medicine even the power of flight. Impossible, you say? Well, no. No, not for them. Numerous ancient cultures all over the globe agree that Atlantis possessed a power source of some kind more powerful than steam, than... than coal. More powerful than our modern internal combustion engines. Gentlemen, I propose that we find Atlantis, find that power source, and bring it back to the surface." He then showed a file showing a page from an old book. "Now, this is a page from an illuminated text that describes a book called the Shepard's Journal... said to have been a first-hand account of Atlantis and its exact whereabouts." He then moves over to a chalkboard. "Now, based on a centuries-old translation of a Norse text historians have believed the Journal resides in Ireland." He then grabs an old shield and holds it up. "But after comparing the text to the runes on this Viking shield... I found that one of the letters had been mistranslated. So, by changing this letter and inserting the correct one..." He used his left sleeve to erase the R on Ireland. "...we find that the Shepard's Journal the key to Atlantis lies not in Ireland, gentlemen... but in Iceland." He wrote a C. "Uhh!" He fixies his hold on the shield. "Pause for effect." He said softly to himself. "Gentlemen, uh, I'll take your questions now."

Then a telephone was heard ringing.

"Uh, would you gentlemen please excuse me for a moment?" Milo asked.

The phone continues ringing as he got on the chalkboard as it tips over and he lands on a desk and grabs the phone.

"Cartography and Linguistics, Milo Thatch speaking." Milo answered the phone.

Indistinct angry ranting was heard through the phone as Milo's smiled turned to a frown.

"Yeah." Milo said. "Uh, just... just a second."

He hangs up and pushed himself off the board as he pulls a cord turning the light revealing his whole presentation was a rehearsal for the real one with models and masks. He then walks over to a boiler behind them.

"Pardon me, Mr. Hickenbottom." Milo said.

He then turns a few values as hissing was heard, and then he grabs a wrench and whacks the boiler as it starts up again.

He then quickly got back to the phone.

"How's that?" Milo asked. "Is that better?"

More indistinct angry ranting was heard.

"Uh-huh. Yeah." Milo said. "You're welcome."

"And don't let it happen again!"

"All right, bye." Milo said and hangs up.

He then got off the chalkboard showing the other side with a map drawing of Iceland.

"Now, as you can see by th..." He then saw part of the map was on his shirt. "...by this, um, map... map, uh, that... that... ahem..." He then stood where the gap was. "...that I've drawn, I plotted the route that will take myself and a crew to the southern coast of Iceland to retrieve the Journal."

Then a cuckoo clock rang 4 time as it was now 4 P.M.

"Ah, showtime." Milo said brushing the chalk off his shirt and grabs some charts. "Well, this is it. I am finally getting out of the dungeon."

He then walks over to a desk and grabs a photo frame showing a photograph of Milo when he was a boy, and with his grandfather, Thaddeus. And Milo stared at the photo and smiled remembering that day the photo was taken.

When Milo was a kid, his parents were killed in a train accident back in 1885, and Thaddeus took him in afterwards, and raised him as his own son.

As a boy, Milo tapped his grandfather's hand as Thaddeus lifts him up and placed him on his lap. Milo then reaches for his grandfather's explorer's hat as Thaddeus removes it and placed it on his grandson's head as Milo smiled. But then the hat slipped a bit with a thunk covering his eyes as Milo's smile fades to a frown as Thaddeus chuckled.

Milo smiled at the memory, and placed the frame aside and open a frame holding his grandfather's old hat. He grabs the hat and placed it on, and it fit perfectly on, but then slipped a bit with a thunk as Milo's smiled faded to a frown like when he was a boy.

Then, a message container whooshed from a old tiki mask as Milo fixies the hat. He opens it and looks through the letter.

"'Dear, Mr. Thatch, this is to inform you that your meeting today has been moved up from 4:30 P.M. To 3:30 P.M.'" Milo read the letter and turns to his clock.

And saw it was almost 4:05.

"What?" Milo stared.

Then another container appeared as Milo grabs it and looks through another letter.

"'Dear, Mr. Thatch, due to your absence the board has voted to reject your proposal. Have a nice weekend. Mr. Harcourt's office.'" Milo read the letter. "They can't do this to me!" He angrily said.

Elsewhere in the museum, Fenton Harcourt and his co-workers left a room.

"I swear, that young Thatch gets crazier every year." One of his workers said.

"If I ever hear the word "Atlantis" again I'll step in front of a bus!" Another said.

"Ha, ha, ha!" The first worker laughed. "I'll push you!" he nudged them and laughed.

"Mr. Harcourt!" Milo suddenly called out.

They then panicked.

"Good Lord!" One of the workers cried.

They saw Milo with his charts and hat, and an umbrella rushing through the hall towards them.

"There he is!" The worker cried.

"Members of the board... uh, wait!" Milo said rushing to them.

"How did you find us?!" Harcourt said.

The co-workers quickly flee.

"Mr. Harcourt, wait!" Milo yelled.

One co-worker rushed into a room and closed the door as Harcourt was locked out.

"Head for the hills!" Another co-worker cried rushing into another room.

The 3 workers rushed into 2 rooms as Harcourt was locked on again.

"Where is a guard when you need him?" Harcourt asked as the 3 co-workers rushed between rooms.

"Mr. Harcourt, you gotta listen to me, sir!" Milo yelled.

Harcourt saw another co-worker rushing as he rushed to him, but was quickly locked out. Out of desperation, he then hid behind a plant.

"Uh, sir?" Milo said and moves the plant aside.

Harcourt innocently smiled, and then points his umbrella at Milo and opens it as Milo was pushed back. And then Harcourt made a run for it as fast as he legs could carry him with Milo right behind him.

"Wait! Mr. Harcourt!" Milo yelled as they ran across the museum entrance and quickly got outside. "Sir, I-I have new evidence that... Please, Mr. Harcourt!"

Harcourt quickly got to his waiting car as his driver closed the door.

"Stop!" Milo yelled almost hitting the side of the car. "Sir, if you... Could you hold..." He hands Harcourt his charts. "Thank you very much. Look at..."

"This museum funds scientific expeditions based on facts, not legends and folklore." Harcourt firmly stated handing Milo back his charts. "Besides, we need you here. We depend on you."

"You do?" Milo smiled.

"Yes!" Harcourt nodded. "What with winter coming that boiler's going to need a lot of attention."

"Boiler?" Milo frowned.

"Onward, Heinz!" Harcourt ordered.

Heinz then drives off as Milo quickly chased after them.

"But there... there's a journal!" Milo said holding a map. "It's in Iceland! I'm sure of it this time!"

Harcourt pulls a rope as curtains covered the window, and then suddenly a thud hits the car as Harcourt's eyes widen as Milo had jumped on the hood of the car.

"Sir, I really hoped it wouldn't come to this but this is..." Milo reached into his coat and brought a letter. "...uhh... a letter of resignation. If you reject my proposal, I'll... Whoa!" Heinz then quickly turns the car as Milo slid off as the windshield wipers cleared off a bit of drool left on it.

"I'LL QUIT!" Milo yelled.

The car then halts to a stop, and then backs up back to Milo as the curtains open as Harcourt leans out.

"I mean it, sir." Milo said. "If you refuse to fund my proposal..."

"You'll what?" Harcourt questioned. "Flush your career down the toilet just like your grandfather?" He made a cuckoo gesture. "You have a lot of potential, Milo. Don't throw it all away chasing fairy tales."

"But I can prove Atlantis exists!" Milo declared.

"You want to go on an expedition?" Harcourt reached into a pocket. "Here." He tossed a dime to Milo. "Take a trolley to the Potomac and jump in! Maybe the cold water will clear your head. Heinz!" He closed the curtains.

The car drives off as water from a puddle hits Milo as the car horn honks, and Milo held the wet sheet up as thunder was heard.

Author's Note:

Now, I know that Spinosaurus is the real record holder, but T. Rex did own that title of biggest land predator before it was found. And Spinosaurus was found 2 years before at that time.

And today, I have finally, saw Godzilla vs Kong in theaters. It was honestly worth the long wait since it came out, and was my first trip to a movie theater since November 2019.