Elsewhere, Milo and Kida were at a temple ruin by a lake as fireflies flew around.
"You know, Kida the most we ever hoped to find was some crumbling buildings, maybe some broken pottery." Milo said catching a firefly. "Instead, we find a living, thriving society." He lets the firefly crawl on his hand. "Heh, heh. These guys are kinda cute when they're not, you know... formed into a fiery column of death."
"We are not thriving." Kida sadly said opening a lantern as Milo placed the firefly in it. "True, our people live... but our culture is dying. We are like a stone the ocean beats against. With each passing year, a little more of us is worn away."
"I wish there was something I could do." Milo said feeling sorry.
"I have brought you to this place to ask you for your help." Kida said. "There is a mural here, with writings all around the pictures."
"Yeah, well, you came to the right guy." Milo said grabbing the staff with the lantern. "OK, let me see." He reads the writing on the face of a column. "Let's start with this column right there. Uh, well, this, uh, uh, Kida? Uh, heh, what are you doin'?"
For an odd reason Kida has removed her sarong.
"You do swim, do you not?" Kida said turning to him.
"Oh, I swim pretty girl." Milo said slightly distracted. "Pr-pretty good! Pretty good. Sw... Good, swim good. Pretty good. I swim pretty good."
"Good." Kida said stepping into the water and Milo removed his shirt and pants. "It is a fair distance to where we are going."
"Hey, you are talkin' to the belly flop champ at Camp Runamuck." Milo said climbing into the water.
As soon as Milo was in the water, his shorts bulged from trapped air as Kida giggled. And Milo sheepishly fixed them.
"Come on, we're... we're wasting time." Milo said trying to save himself from the embarrassing moment.
He then held his nose, and dives under as Kida stood there. And Milo soon rose up gasping.
"Why don't you lead the way, because I have no idea where we're going." Milo said.
Kida rolled her eyes, and then took a breath dove under the water, and Milo went under as well.
Underwater, Kida dove further down as her crystal lit up as Milo followed her as they swam by some stairs.
And soon reached near some columns as eventually, they near a temple.
Once inside it, Kida started to swim up as Milo followed.
Soon, Kida reaches an air pocket and gasped. Milo then rose up quickly, and ends up banging his head against the ceiling.
"Are you all right?" Kida asked.
"Well, I didn't drown, so..." Milo said rubbing the sore spot on his head.
"Good. Follow me." Kida said and quickly went under.
They dove back down as Milo followed her, and soon they went over to a wall with an old image of a 6-pointed star. And Milo soon saw a writing as she gesturing to, and he reads it as Kida's crystal gave light. Soon, Milo pointed upward as they swam up.
Milo gasped as they reach the air pocket.
"This is amazing!" Milo said. "A complete history of Atlantis! I-I-It's just like Plato described it. Well, he was off on a few details, but..."
"The light I saw." Kida said getting him back on the subject. "The star in the middle of the city. What does the writing say about that?"
"I don't know yet?" Milo said. "But we're gonna find out. Come on."
Milo took a breath went under.
They soon swam over to a wall showing an image of 2 giant statues with a group of 7 people with a star-like image near them. They then swam over a bit and saw what looked like Roman ships, and Milo looked over and saw the star-like image as a writing was seen as Kida held her crystal out. They then swam over and saw an image showing 7 people by the star-like image and a line connecting it to each other the people.
It was then that Milo noticed something and turns to Kida's crystal, he then gestured to it and pointed up as they swam up.
Milo then reached the air pocket gasping as Kida followed.
"The heart of Atlantis!" Milo said.
"What?" Kida said.
"It's the heart of Atlantis!" Milo said. "That's what the shepherd w-was talking about. It wasn't a star, it was... it was some kind of crystal, uh, like these!" He held out Kida's crystal. "Don't you get it? The power source I've been looking for, the bright light you remember, they're the same thing!"
"That cannot be." Kida said.
"It's what's keeping all these things, you, all of Atlantis alive." Milo said.
"Then where is it now?" Kida asked.
"I don't know, I don't know." Milo said unsure. "You'd think something this important would have been in the Journal, but... Unless... The missing page." He thought of something.
At the shore of the lake, Milo rose out of the water gasping and held onto a step.
But then he saw Rourke in front of him as if he was waiting for him.
"You have a nice swim?" Rourke asked with a casually smile.
Strangely, everyone else was there and for an odd reason they all had guns minus Audrey who held a large wrench. Though Chris, Martin, Aviva, Koki and Jimmy had looks of sorrow.
"Hey, guys, what's going on?" Milo asked. "What's... what's with all the guns? Guys?"
Mole with an assault rifle then had an evil grin.
Milo then uneasily exhaled.
"I am such an idiot." Milo said banging his fist. "This is just another treasure hunt for you. "You're after the crystal."
"Milo, I swear, we didn't know." Chris said.
"Oh, you mean this?" Rourke said pulling out a hidden page from his boot and revealed the missing page of the Journal of the heart of Atlantis.
"The heart of Atlantis." Milo said.
"Y-You that page the whole page?!" Aviva exclaimed.
"Yeah. About that, I would've told you sooner but it was a strictly on a need-to-know basis and, well, now you know." Rourke said. "I had to be sure you were one of us. Welcome to the club, son." He placed his gun in it's holster and reached his hand out.
"I'm no mercenary." Milo said.
Then Kida rose up, but then one of the masked membered grabbed her by the hair as she gasped and was pulled out of the water. Milo attempts to help but rifles were then aimed at him. Kida then grabbed the masked member by the head, and then throws him over her.
"Whoa!" He yelled and hits the water.
Kida then makes a break for it as another masked member blocked her. She then grapples his rifle and knees him hard in the gut, a third masked member rushed in as Kida whacks the rifle in his face knocking him back. Kida then wrestled the masked member to the ground and brought out a hidden dagger attempting to finish him, but then a fired bullet knocks it out of her grip from a gunshot as Kida turns to Rourke with his gun out.
2 masked members then grabbed Kida as she kicks the down member hard.
"Uhh!" The masked member grunted in pain.
"Mercenary?" Rourke said turning back to Milo. "I prefer the term "adventure capitalist". Besides, you're the one who got us here. You led us right to the treasure chest."
"You don't know what you're tampering with, Rourke." Milo said climbing out of the water.
"What's to know?" Rourke inquired. "It's big. It's shiny. It's gonna make us all rich."
"You think it's some kind of a diamond, I thought it was some kind of a battery, but we're both wrong." Milo said. "It's their life force. That crystal is the only thing keeping these people alive. You take that away, and they'll die."
"Well, that changes things." Rourke said as Helga took the page. "Helga, what do you think?"
"Knowing that, I'd double the price." Helga said handing the page back to him.
"I was thinking triple." Rourke said.
"Oh, you can't be serious." Martin said.
"Rourke, don't do this." Milo said as Vinny held him back.
"Academics." Rourke said dismissively. "You never want to get your hands dirty." He tucked the page in his belt. "Think about it. If you gave back every stolen artifact from a museum, you'd be left with a empty building. We're just providing a necessary service to the archeological community."
"Not interested." Milo said.
"I gotta admit, I'm disappointed." Rourke said. "You're an idealist, just like your grandfather. Do yourself a favor, Milo. Don't be like him. For once, do the smart thing."
Milo glared at him.
"I really hate when negotiations go sour." Rourke said and then snapped his fingers.
Kida was then pushed to the ground as a masked member then aimed his rifle at her and cocks it.
Milo turned to her as Rourke went up to him with the page out.
"Let's try this again." Rourke said.
An explosion struck the stone doors to the throne room leaving a large gap, and the smoke cleared revealing the group.
"Knock, knock." Vinny said tossing a dynamite stick in his hand.
"Room service." Cookie said aiming his shotgun.
The 2 guards took defensive stances.
"Tell them to drop their weapons... now!" Helga demanded pressing her pistol to Kida's back.
Kashekim then spoke in Atlantean, and the guards dropped their spears.
"Spread out!" Helga ordered as the group started combing the place. "Search everywhere!"
"You're not applying yourself, son." Rourke said to Milo. "There's gotta be something else."
"Well, there isn't." Milo said. "It just says, "The heart of Atlantis lies in the eyes of her king"."
"Well, then maybe Old King Cole here can help us fill in the blanks." Rourke said tossing Milo aside and went up to Kashekim. "How about it, chief? Where's the crystal chamber?"
"You will destroy yourselves." Kashekim said.
"Maybe I'm not being clear." Rourke said.
Rourke then suddenly punched Kashekim hard.
"Ohh!" Kida cried as Helga held her back.
Kashekim then drops to the floor.
Kida then angrily spoke in Atlantean.
"Rourke this was not a part of the plan." Sweet said by Kashekim's side.
"Plan's changed, doc." Rourke said. "I'd suggest you put a bandage on that bleeding heart of yours. It doesn't suit a mercenary." He then sat on Kashekim's throne and rested his right foot on a table knocking a bowl of fruit aside. "Well, as usual, diplomacy has failed us. Now I'm going to count to 10... and you're going to tell me where the crystal is."
2 masked members held Kashekim up.
"1..." Rourke started counted and cocked his pistol.
Everyone then got nervous.
"2... 9... t..." Rourke then noticed something and looks at the Journal.
He then lowers it and noticed some stones in the water in the shape of an Atlantean A.
"The heart of Atlantis lies in the eyes of her king." Rourke said.
Kashekim then limped his head.
"This is it." Rourke said stepping into the water and tossed the Journal to Milo. "We're in."
"Rourke, for the last time you've gotta listen to me." Milo said. "You don't have the slightest idea what this power this capable of."
"He's right, Rourke." Chris said. "This is far from being an average crystal."
"True, but I can think of a few countries who'd pay anything to find out." Helga said.
"If this gets in the hands of the Germans, who knows what would happen." Martin whispered to his brother.
Rourke then steps on a circular shape just under the surface and got on it. And then rumbling occurred as it started to lower down.
"Hurry. Get on." Rourke said pulling Milo on it as Helga, Kida, Chris, Martin and Aviva followed.
The rock tower descends further down into a cavern, and soon hovering large stones were seen with carved faces. They saw them as they the stones circling a blue ball of energy.
"Jackpot." Rourke grinned.
They stared at the circling stones as they surrounded the ball of energy.
"You sure that's a crystal?" Aviva frowned. "Seems more of a orb of energy."
"Ohh." Kida stared at the stoned faces as if she remembered them. "The kings of our past." Her eyes became watery as a tear dropped.
Kida then kneels down and spoke softly in Atlantean as they turn to her.
"Thatch, tell her to wrap it up." Rourke said. "We got a schedule to meet."
Milo narrowed his eyes and turns to Helga, and she then turns back to Kida as she continued chanting. Milo kneels down to her and gently placed his right hand on her.
"Um..." Kida lifted her head up.
"Kida... I'm sorry." Milo said helping her up.
Rourke nears the edge of an underground pond staring at the circling stones gently spinning around the crystal. He then looked down at a small pebble, and kicks it into the water. But it was then that the blue glow of the crystal suddenly changes into a red as voices were heard murmuring.
"Uh... either this is good, or really bad." Chris said.
"I take bad." Martin said.
"Come on, let's get this over with." Helga said. "I don't like this place."
"What? Are you scared?" Aviva said almost taunting her.
"All right, Thatch, what's next?" Rourke asked.
"OK, there's a giant crystal hovering 150 feet above our heads over a bottomless pit of water." Milo said.
The beams of red light continued circling as then one beam shines over Kida as then her crystal suddenly lifts up.
"Doesn't anything surprise you?" Milo inquired.
"The only thing that surprises me..." Rourke said.
"Mahtim." Kida said.
Then Kida's eyes shined blue.
"That thing's not on the truck yet." Rourke said. "Now move it!"
"I don't know how to move it." Milo said. "I don't even know what's holding it up there."
They then saw Kida walking pass them almost as if she was in a trance.
"Ahh." Milo was held back by Rourke.
"Kida?" Aviva said.
They watched as she took a few more steps.
"Kida, can you hear us?" Chris asked.
"Talk to me, Thatch." Rourke said. "What's happening?"
"Look, all it says here is that the crystal is alive somehow." Milo said gesturing to a page in the Journal. "It... I don't know how to explain it. It's their deity. It's their power source."
"Speak English, professor." Rourke said.
"They're a part of it." Milo said. "It's a part of them. L... I'm doing the best I can here."
"Well, do better." Rourke said reaching his gun.
"Oh, I know." Milo said growing irritated. "Why don't you translated and I'll wave the gun around."
"All will be fine, Milo Thatch." Kida said in Atlantean. "Be not afraid." She turns to them.
"What did she say?" Rourke asked.
"I don't know." Milo said. "L... I didn't catch it."
Kida then turns back to the crystal, and then Kida took a step on the water surface and started walking on it as if it was solid. They watched as Kida slowly walks further out over the pond, and soon walked directly underneath the crystal as then the stones rumbled as they made an open motion as they watched. And then beams of light swirled around, and soon joined the one over Kida and it grew thinner. And then it created a bright flash as Kida's eyes closed and the beam of light opens, and then Kida was levitated slowly up as thunder was heard. And she spun slowly around as she nears the crystal as the group watched. Kida then went through the orb as thunder was heard, and the stones enclosed and started spinning again, and the crystal flashed brightly as the stones spun starting to pick up speed creating a rumbling. The crystal seemed to have shrunken in size as the group as the stones spun around creating a low humming. Soon, the stones slowed as the light fades and the crystal was seen as it released an energy blast and takes a shape of a human. And the noise stops as the shape soon turns back to Kida's. Kida's figure then releases an energy blast as the large stones circled around her.
Everyone remained silent as they watched.
Then, Kida's figure slowly descends down and nears the water surface as a disc-shape formed under her and gently rests on the water.
"What just happened?" Chris asked.
Milo then attempts to move forward.
"Hold your horses, lover boy." Rourke said stopping him.
Kida's figure stood at the pond's center.
"Kida." Milo said.
Kida's form remained still and silent.
And then her eyes opened.
"Kida." Milo said.
Kida's form then started to walk forward, then rumbling began as suddenly one of the stones drops down into the water near her. And then another and another, and one by one all the other stones hit the water as the splashes rose but drip down an unseen dome around Kida as the rumbling stops. Kida's figures continues forward as she nears the group, and Rourke reaches his hand out.
"No, don't." Milo said stopping him. "Don't touch her."
They watched as Kida's form continues off as they remained silent.
Later, Kida's form was brought out and placed in a crate, and Audrey tightens a bolt on the roof of it as Milo glare and Audrey turns away as murmuring was heard nearby from people.
Audrey soon hops off the crate.
"All right, step back." A sergeant said.
Then Kida's figure closed her eyes as the glass viewing port crystalizes.
"Sergeant, keep those people back." A squad leader said.
"You heard him." A masked member said forcing Milo back. "Step back."
Mole then turns a handle pulling the crate onto the truck with a tow wrench.
"I'm warning you." The sergeant said.
"So... I guess this is how it ends, huh?" Milo said flatly. "Fine. You win. You're wiping out entire civilization but, hey... you'll be rich. Congratulations, Audrey. Guess you and your dad will be able to open up that second garage after all."
Audrey climbed into the truck and closed the door and Cookie looked back.
"And, Vinny, y-you can start a whole chain of flower shops." Milo said. "I'm sure your family's gonna be very proud. But that's what it's all about, right? Money."
"Get off your soapbox, Thatch." Rourke said climbing out of a truck. "You've read Darwin. It's called natural selection. We're just helping it along."
"Commander, we're ready." Helga said.
"Yeah, give me a minute." Rourke said. "I know I'm forgetting something. I got the cargo, the crystal, the crew... Oh, yeah."
He then suddenly punched Milo back off his feet and hits the ground as the Atlanteans gasped and the picture of him and his grandfather was knocked out of his satchel.
"Look at it this way, son." Rourke said catching Milo's glasses in his hand.
He then stepped over the frame as the glass broke.
"You're the man who discovered Atlantis, and now you're part of the exhibit." Rourke said cleaning a lens and toss them to Milo.
Milo glared at him and wiped his bleeding lip.
The others looked back at him.
Milo removes a glass piece, and pulls the photo out and stares at it.
"Let's move, people." Rourke said heading to a truck.
Audrey looked back to Milo.
"That was an order, not a suggestion." Helga said. "Let's go!"
Audrey then closed the door, but after a few moments, she then sighed giving out. And then she kicks the door open and got out of the truck and then walks off as they watched her. And Audrey went over to Milo and helped him up as Milo rubbed a sore spot on his face and then turned to the others. Vinny, Chris, Martin, Aviva, Koki and Jimmy then went over to them, then Cookie got out of the truck and he and Mole turn to Packard as she inhales through a cigarette. And then they went over to the group as Packard then blows a cloud of smoke.
"We're all gonna die." Packard said.
She then climbed out of the truck and joins them.
"Oh, you can't be serious." Rourke said turning to them.
"This is wrong, and you know it." Audrey said.
"We're this close to our biggest payment ever and you pick now of all times to grow a conscience." Rourke said.
"We still don't know what that crystal is truly capable of, Rourke." Martin said.
"We've do a lot of things we're not proud of, robbing graves, plundering tombs, double parking, but nobody got hurt." Vinny said. "Well, maybe somebody got hurt but nobody we knew."
"Well, if that's the way you want it, fine." Rourke said and heads to the truck and got in. "P.T. Barnum was right."
The truck's engine backfires and they drove off as the group watched them go.
The 2 trucks drove over the bridge as the waterfalls suddenly stopped flowing.
They then turned to the Atlanteans as the light from their crystals fades away.
"We can't let him do this!" Milo said rushing after them.
"Wait a second." Vinny said stopping him.
The 2 trucks drove to the other side of the bridge, and a hidden rack of dynamites were tied underneath. Once over it, Rourke grabs a detonator and sets it off.
The bridge explodes as the crowd gasped, and then Milo and Vinny jumped back as the last of the bridge explodes as pieces of it fell into the pool of lava below.
A few pieces rained down as Milo soon lifted his head up as well as Vinny.
"OK, now you can go." Vinny said.
"Milo, you better get up here." Sweet's voice called out.
Milo and Vinny looked back.
Author's Note:
I apologize for the long wait.
Boy, if Walt Disney was alive and had a chance to see that transformation himself, I'm sure he might have be completely amazed.
I slightly wonder why P.T. Barnum was mentioned. And that has to be one of Disney's biggest twists.