When it stopped being dark again... it was still kinda dark. Suddenly a light flicked on, bringing my surroundings into relief, which turned out to be me surrounded by chairs and various props that would... kinda? Look like people in the dark.

"Hello?" asked a timid male voice, "Uh, who are you?"

I turned to look, and my eyes widened as I took in the sight of a young man in glasses standing in front of a chalkboard with a map and a viking shield sitting at his feet, and part of the chalk map covering the front of his shirt.

"You're Milo Thatch." I said, in disbelief.

"Um... yes? And you are?..." he trailed off, looking half concerned, partly scared, and the slightest bit indignant.

I sighed, "My name is Matthew." I answered off handedly as I thought aloud to myself, "Crap, I would end up someplace where it'd be better for me to blend in rather than be loaded for bear..."

Suddenly the ringing of an old rotary phone pierced the air. I turned and watched as Milo slowly went towards the phone, stumbling a little over the shield as he kept his eyes on me. He picked up the phone, listening to the other end which sounded like someone shouting. He sighed silently before walking towards me. I silently moved out of the way as he went around me, him shooting looks my way, but heading for the boiler I recognized from this same scene as he turned the dials, and as the whine of steam filled the pipes, he gave it a smack, and the machine suddenly started to chug along healthily again. He then dived back to the phone.

"How is that? Better? Yeah... yeah... ok." he then hung up and turned back to me, looking lost like he wasn't sure what to do.

I grinned at him. "Milo Thatch. The Milo Thatch. Let me tell you, it's an honor to meet you."

Milo now just looked bewildered. "Um... Thank you? Uh, how do you know who I am?"

"Well, the answer to that is actually pretty simple, but only if you're able to keep an open mind about it. You able to do that?" I asked.

Milo smiled lopsidedly, glancing at the chalkboard behind him, then hoisted himself to sit on his desk. "Yeah, I think I could do that."

I nodded, "Great! I had a feeling you of all people could. You see, I'm not from this world. Or more accurately, I'm from an alternate version of this world that's farther along the timeline than this one, namely the year 2016. To be honest, this armor I've got is from yet another world I went to before this one, which is even farther along in the future that that just so you know."

Milo nodded interestedly.

I continued, "So yeah, from my original world... Um, have you ever heard of a movie, er... the Cinema?"

Milo nodded, "Yeah, I haven't gone to see any though. Much too busy with my work and research here..."

"Ok good. That'll make this easier then. By my time, movies can be made in full color to the point where it looks like you're watching an honest to goodness stage play from just about anywhere you can imagine. literally, since some of the movies have their pictures hand drawn. One of them was a story about you, Milo."

"Me?" Milo asked, flabbergasted, "Why would there be a movie about me?"

"I'll give you a hint," I said, grinning, "The movie is called 'Atlantis: The Lost Empire'"

Milo's jaw dropped and if he looked more shocked, I think he'd faint. "You... you mean I find it? I actually do find it? Atlantis?"

I nodded, smiling now, "Yup. And it's better than you could ever dream. There are some hiccups along the way, but you do find it. By the way, you're about to get a tube message soon. Don't bother responding to it. These idiots at the museum aren't the ones who are going to fund your expedition."

Almost as if it were perfectly timed, a scroll message shot out of a pneumatic tube at the side of the room. Milo blinked and went over to pick it up, reading it silently this time. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he looked up at the clock piece on the wall. Another tube message immediately came after. He picked it up and read it and a flash of anger came over his face, before he glanced back at me, and then took a deep breath to calm himself and promptly tore the message in half. I rose an eyebrow at this gesture.

"What happens now?" Milo asked.

I nodded, "Tonight, you'll go to your apartment to find the lights won't turn on. There will be a woman there to take you to see a Mr. Whitmore, an old friend of your grandfathers. While there, he's going to test you, namely your resolve to find Atlantis no matter what it takes. He'll also have a bit of a surprise for you as well."

Milo nodded distractedly, "Ok, ok... um... what about you?"

I sighed and shrugged. "Honestly, I would love to come along, but I'm going to stick out like a sore thumb, even if I change my clothes. I kinda got sucked into this whole world hopping business without my input, so I'm trying to make the best of it that I can. I'd love to help, and I would dearly love to see Atlantis. I've only got a week though before I'm plucked up and transported to yet another world, and there are a lot of timeskips involved in your journey to get there, so I'm pretty sure I won't actually get to see Atlantis for myself. Still... if you want me along, I'd gladly watch your back. I just... I suppose... maybe I could stay here hidden in the basement until tonight? You could ask Mr. Whitmore to come pick me up if you want me along once he's sure you're the right man for the job."

Milo nodded distractedly, "Yeah... yeah, that would work. No one really comes down here anyway, even during the night shift. It's how I usually stay in after to continue my research."

I nodded, "Alright then. How much longer is your shift?" I asked, as I stripped off my backpack and started the process of unstrapping my armor and weapons.

"A few- a few more hours... uh... that's a lot of... guns..." Milo said, gulping as he eyed the pistol, assault rifle, and shotgun I laid out on the desk nearby.

I nodded, "Yeah, the world I just came from was embroiled in an intergalactic war between humanity, an alliance of alien races called the Covenant, and a galactic plague given sentience called The Flood. I ended up appearing near one of humanity's best soldiers, and after informing him of what I knew of the situation, thus helping him out a lot and inevitably saving a lot of lives with that information, he kinda took me under his wing and trained me a bit. Considering he was a super soldier, I like to think I'm a bit better now than your run of the mill soldier. They even used their tech to fix a couple of medical problems I never thought I'd actually be rid of in my life, which is nice."

"W-wow..." Milo said.

Thus ensued a conversation about where I came from and I ended up giving him the gist of the Halo series, and some of the battles I remembered from the game. The hours passed like this, with Milo only occasionally needing to get up to look at the boiler, and I changed into the clothes I'd gotten from the start of all this and I worked to collapse my armor and weapons to fit into the backpack in place of my clothes. I found I'd have to empty it of a few things though in order to do it, but I eventually got it all in, minus a few odds and ends like my extra umbrella and a few snacks I decided to eat while I waited. In the meantime, Milo and I talked to pass the time, though I didn't mention much about what would be found at Atlantis. When he asked, I said it's probably better if the surprise was maintained.

Eventually, Milo glanced at the time and swallowed, "Well, it looks like it's time for me to go. Will- Will everything turn out ok?"

I thought for a moment, then answered, "The future is what we make of it. The original story didn't involve me showing up, so things could change, maybe for the better, maybe for the worse. When it comes to your interview with Mr. Whitmore though? I'm confident you can prove to him your resolve in finding Atlantis."

Milo nodded as he gathered up his things and put on his coat. "Ok. And... thank you. You've eased my mind a lot about all this."

I smiled and nodded back, "Hey, what are friends for? That is, I'd like to think we're friends by now... if you don't mind?"

"No, not at all!" Milo said, smiling widely, "And I'll definitely make sure someone is sent around to pick you up, ok?"

"Cool, thanks. I appreciate it." I said, smiling.

"No problem at all." he answered, then as he gathered his stuff, he hesitated, then opened a special box holding what I knew to be his grandfather's helmet. He reverently placed it on his head... where it promptly slipped down and covered his eyes.

Milo lifted it up and grinned embarrassedly in my direction. I smiled and waved him off, understanding.

"See you later," I said as he made for the stairs, having gathered his things.

"See you later," he offered back with a smile, then left.

I then sighed, and settled in for the wait. Just as I thought, Milo seemed to flourish when someone actually paid attention to him and took him seriously. His self confidence was flagging bad, since everyone around him would see fit to use him as a verbal punching bag or ostracize him. I hate that part about humanity...

Several hours passed as I kicked back and passed the time, snacking on the foods I couldn't fit back into the backpack and occasionally tapping my hand against the pistol I'd placed in my pocket, having left the glock back in Master Chief's time seeing as I wouldn't need it anymore. I still wish I could've used a Sniper Rifle, but turns out the rounds in that thing were styled more for anti tank warfare, which means any marine wanting to use it while it wasn't anchored would need some serious training and strength enhancements to not have the weapon fly out of their hands every time they fired. I couldn't get enhancements like that in less than a week, let alone the training needed, so I had to stick with the pistol, shotgun, and assault rifle. Ah well, still a good compliment of weapons if you ask me. The only unfortunate thing is that while my pockets were loaded with as much ammo as possible, it's still finite, so I'd have to be careful not to run out.

Finally, after midnight, I heard feet on the stairs. I didn't move but just settled my hand in my pocket and around the grip of the gun. I may trust Milo and maybe Mr. Whitmore and the other big names of the cast, but these are still technically the bad guys.

A non descript man not seen in the movie appeared, wearing what looked like the standard coat tails of a private driver. "Are you Matthew?"

I stood up and nodded, keeping my hand in my pocket as I slung my backpack on, grunting slightly at the weight of the armor and guns inside it. "Yeah, that's me."

The driver beckoned for me to follow him. We ended up in a car much like the one Milo was driven in, and after a few hours, I watched in curiosity as we pulled up to the docks. Were we not going to the Whitmore estate first? Getting out, the driver offered to take my backpack. I shook my head, "No thanks, I'd rather keep it with me." The man nodded, and another man, this time with a gun and looking like private security, came forward and escorted me into the building in front of us.

The door opened, and after a short trip down a hall, we ended up in a great room revealing a large metal ship enclosed in the docks, with the door to the open ocean wide open. All around the ship were numerous men and cargo moving around like ants all over the dock. My escort lead me expertly through the organized chaos towards an open ramp into the ship.

"Hey, Matthew! You made it!" I heard Milo call out from the bottom of the ramp. Next to him stood who I recognized to be Mr. Whitmore along with Commander Rorrick standing at a sharp stance that looked like a cross between standing at attention and parade rest.

"So!" Mr. Whitmore said jovially, "This is the enigmatic Matthew that Milo mentioned. I must say, he certainly didn't do you justice my boy!"

I smiled as I shook the hand of the eccentric millionaire, "Good to meet you Mr. Whitmore. If you don't mind, I'd like to be permanently attached to Mr. Thatch as his bodyguard for the duration of this trip."

"Oh you don't have to-" Milo began to say.

"Good idea, my boy!" Mr. Whitmore said agreeably, "I certainly hope you can keep this young man safe on his journey! Milo spoke very highly of you."

I smiled, even as I congratulated the old man in my head on the crafty way he'd said things. I could almost hear the 'or else' and 'you'd better be legit' hidden behind the kind veneer. I shook his hand again, "Don't worry, Mr. Whitmore. I give you my assurance that I will do everything in my power to see to it Milo makes it to Atlantis, safe and sound."

"Good to hear! Well I best be off, the sub should be launching soon after all!" Mr. Whitmore replied, "Milo, Matthew, Rorrick," he said, nodding to each of us. We each said goodbye as he left.

"So, Matthew was it?" Rorrick said in his suave gentleman voice, that would normally sound quite professional, but knowing what I do about the guy, just made him sound oily. I nodded to the man. "So, how do you know Mr. Thatch here?"

"Met him today actually." I responded, "We hit it off surprisingly well, and I'm glad he extended the offer to let me come with him on this expedition with him."

"Yes, as his bodyguard," Rorrick said, nodding, "You have training, Mr...?"

I shrugged, "Yeah. Some of the best I'd like to think. And I apologize, I don't really have a last name anymore."

Rorrick nodded agreeably, "Very well. Good to have you aboard, and I look forward to speaking with you." he said, holding his hand out. I shook it, hiding the wince and matching his very firm handshake with one of my own. It was a subtle dominance play, but I wasn't going to act subservient to this man, but nor was I going to try and usurp his role in all this. He's good at what he does, and all throughout the movie, he pretty much always has an army at his beck and call. No, I would have to be wary of Commander Rorrick, and make sure to watch my step so I'm not offed in an 'accident'. My dogging Milo's heels as his bodyguard is going to be as much for my protection as it is his.

I followed Milo on board, and after some directions and him getting lost, I helped him find the way to where his and my bunk is supposed to be. He checked for an empty one, and just as he was about to set his stuff down, I called, "Hang on Milo. Let me check something."

He paused and watched as I lifted the blanket and we found little piles of dirt with tiny toothpick flags out of them. Immediately in the bunk overhead, a head popped out to look at us, and the goggles he was wearing zoomed in on our faces.

"You have disturbed the dirt..." he said, his eyes in the windows of his goggles narrowing as he regarded us.

"Uh, what?" Milo asked, eyes widening.

"You have disturbed the dirt!" He leapt down from the top bunk and knocked my hand away, as he muttered to himself, using small tools to place the dirt back exactly so before I uncovered it.

"Why do you have dirt in that bed?!" Milo asked, in disbelief.

The little man known as Mole abruptly turned to Milo, demanding, "I ask the questions! Who are you! Who sent you! Speak up!"

"Uh..." Milo said, trying to process the rapid fire questions.

"Eh, I will know soon enough." Mole then abruptly grabbed Milo's hand, plucked a piece of dirt out from under his nail and examined it under a headlamp attached to his goggles while zooming in on it with said goggles, muttering under his breath in what could have been rapid fire french for all I could understand it.

Milo turned his gaze to me, his eyes begging me to do something. I shook my head, and mouthed 'just wait,' Milo grimaced but nodded.

"This has all the markings of ze map maker..." I finally heard Mole mutter to himself. Then his gaze fixed on me and his eyes narrowed. "And who iz this?"

I slowly pulled my pistol out and tapped it against my side, his eyes falling to it and sneering. "Grab me like you did Milo, I won't hesitate to hit you." I warned him, before holding out my hand.

"Hmph." he said, reaching for my hand. I cleared my throat and tapped the pistol against my side once more. Mole rolled his eyes and slowly, gently took my hand and used the same tool to pluck a bit of dirt from under one of my nails. Again he examined it just like Milo's, speaking again in rapid fire mutterings that were as much french as english to me. This time though, he hunched down in a corner for far longer as he examined this one.

"I see you met Mole," a large man said as he came in through the door behind Milo. He stepped forward and shook Milo's and then my hand. "Name's Sweet. Joshua Sweet. Medical officer."

"Oh I'm Milo Thatch, and this is my friend, and bodyguard," he added reluctantly, "Matthew."

"Nice to meet you," he said to us both, then turned to Milo, "You say your name is Milo Thatch? You're my three o'clock!"

Sweet then put on a stethoscope and some kind of headband with a round metal disc on it that I've never understood the purpose for nor seen outside of movies. While Sweet was checking over Milo, Mole came up to me, his eyes narrowing as he looked me up and down, before settling on my face. "Thiz dirt iz foreign of Earth." he said accusingly.

I nodded, and sat down on the bunk behind me, and nodded. "Correct," I said quietly, "And in exchange for your silence on that, I will tell you about where the dirt came from and allow you to collect more samples from my hands and clothes," I held up a hand to forestall whatever he was about to say, "Ah! I will let you collect those samples, so long as you are as gentle as you were when taking the first one, and avoid getting any of your own dirt on my person. Agreed?"

Mole seemed to think about it for a moment, looking down with his eyes narrowed as he muttered to himself, finally he looked up. "Agreed," he said, grudgingly.

I nodded, and held out my hands. Carefully he took hold to hold my hand still, but avoided getting any of the dirt on himself directly on me as he gently extracted bit after bit of dirt from under my nails. It was a touch uncomfortable, especially considering the fact this man smelled, but it'd be worth it to get this out of the way rather than have him take a sample in my sleep and end up reporting to Rorrick without my knowing. He still might, but at least I know for sure of what he knows now. And hopefully I'll be able to earn at least a little loyalty with the added information of where the dirt came from, since I'm pretty sure it came from Halo, otherwise he would've just recognized it as Florida dirt, where I lived originally. Mole is a bit gross in more ways than one, but at least he's not inherently a bad guy. None of the main cast are considering they all ended up siding with Milo out of morality, rather than stick with greed.

"This has the markingz of sand particulate from ze United States Peninsula known as Florida, but... iz an enigma. Markings are off." Mole muttered, gazing up at me in curiosity and suspicion. Before I could answer though, Sweet interrupted. "Hold on now, is Mole bothering you?" he asked me.

I shook my head. "No actually. I agreed to let him take some samples so long as he was gentle."

"And he agreed?" Sweet said, astonishment clear on his face. "No wait, you agreed?" now almost even more astonished.

I nodded, "I don't mind, especially since Mole here looks the type to get a sample one way or another, and I'd rather work with him and know when he's getting samples, rather than worry about him getting them in my sleep."

Joshua shuddered slightly. "Never thought of it that way. Smart move."

He then reached into his bag and pulled out two glass measuring containers and turned to Milo. "Alright, I'm gonna need you to fill both of these."

Milo spit out the thermometer in his mouth in shock, "With what?!"

Before he could answer, the intercom clicked and the voice of a completely apathetic old woman came over the speaker. "Milo Thatch to the bridge, Milo Thatch to the bridge."

"Ah! Showtime!" he said grinning, then looked around before spotting a crate underneath a nearby bed. "Ah!" He then pulled it out and opened it, revealing a number of paper rolls and who knows what else. He attempted to lift it and failed. He rubbed his back, wincing.

"Pain in your back?" Sweet said, to which Milo nodded.

"Here," Sweet said, stepping behind Milo and practically lifting him up by his head and giving it a twist back and forth which caused practically his entire spine to follow the movement, which looked and sounded painful. "Ah, AH!" Milo said, wincing in pain.

"Better?" Sweet asked.

"Yeah, where'd you learn to do that?" Milo asked, surprised.

"From my Dad. Father was a medicine man out in the west." he said, holding out a picture he pulled out of his pocket. "That's him with my mother. Can't wait to get out back and visit them again..."

Again the intercom came up, "Milo Thatch to the bridge."

Milo nodded, "Right, uh... I gotta..." He looked down at the crate, then turned to me, "Do you think you could help me?..."

I nodded, "Sure." I went to one side of the crate, and between us we hefted it up and made our way out the door. "It was nice meeting you!"

"Uh huh! It was nice meeting you too!" Joshua called back before we rounded the corner.

It took a bit of maneuvering before we made it to the bridge. Once there, we set the crate down. Milo walked over to Rorrick, and I settled for following, seeing as Rorrick was beckoning us over.

"Ah, Mr. Thatch. Have you had time to look over that journal your grandfather left you?" Rorrick asked.

"A little bit," Milo answered, "It's really fascinating."

Milo looked like he was going to continue but Rorrick interrupted, "Yes, I'm sure it's fascinating, but right now, we need a heading, and our only lead is that book. So, do you have anything, Mr. Thatch."

"Um, yes, hold on..." Milo said, pulling out the book from his coat, and displacing a number of rolls of paper to a nearby desk, much to the annoyance of the nearby personnel using it. I lifted up the rolls and placed them back into the crate, mouthing 'Sorry' to him. The guy just shook his head and turned back to what he was doing.

After a moment, Milo spoke up, "We need to head for a trench. One of the deepest in the ocean. According to the journal, there we'll find an opening that'll lead to an ancient highway, that'll lead us to Atlantis."

"There are several deep trenches in the ocean Mr. Thatch. Can you be more specific?" Rorrick asked, his voice carefully veiled to hide any annoyance, but I still caught the narrowing of his eyes.

"Ummm..." Milo said, pouring over the book. Glancing over his shoulder, I followed his finger as he poured over the text, which included as much writing as it did numerous pictograms of things. One in particular gave me an idea. "Hey, is that the trench in question we need to look for?" I asked.

Milo turned to find where I was looking, then turned to the picture of the jagged line and nodded. "Alright then, all we need to do is make a side by side comparison to the known underwater trenches on a map, preferably starting with the deepest ones and working our way down from there."

After a few moments, Rorrick called out, "Well? What are you waiting for? Bring out the nautical maps of the known trenches. I want that heading yesterday!"

The bridge became a flurry of activity, and soon, maps were laid out at a table and Milo was then comparing the markings on the journal to the maps available.

Finally, after some effort, Milo exclaimed, "Found it!" he said, emphasizing by jabbing his finger at the map. "This spot also corresponds with the star chart I found that would've lead us over the water to the area!"

Rorrick leant over, humming. "The Puerto Rican trench. Interesting..."

He then turned to someone and said, "Navigation, do you have our heading?"

"Aye sir!" The man called.

"Then let's get moving." Rorrick ordered. "Packard, give me ship wide." he called over the railing to the old woman who'd ended up calling Milo over the intercom in the first place. Rorrick then activated a nearby comm system and proceeded to give a surprisingly rousing speech as the ship began to pull out of dock. Milo groaned slightly, and I turned to pat him gently on the back. "You want to go up top, and see us making way?" I asked.

Milo nodded weakly, looking a touch pale. "That, might be a good idea..."

So we made our way to the deck of the ship. Milo recovered slightly, enough to wave goodbye to Mr. Whitmore from his place on the dock. I waved as well, and the man waved back.

After the shore was out of sight, I leaned back on the railing while Milo leaned over the edge.

"I don't feel so good..." Milo moaned.

"Being sea sick is normal for some people. Don't worry about it." I responded.

We were both silent for a few minutes, just watching the waves or the people around us. I stopped one of the passing seamen when I called out, "Excuse me, sailor?"

The man stopped and turned while Milo looked over his shoulder at me.

"Yes?" The man asked.

"How long would it take to get from here to the Puerto Rico area?"

The man paused to think for a moment, then responded, "About 4 to 5 days."

I nodded, "Thanks."

"No problem," The man responded, then continued on.

I sighed. "No way am I gonna be able to see Atlantis then..."

"What will you do?" Milo asked.

I shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe I'll be able to come back and see it later. Maybe not. This world hopping thing is completely random. Bigger question is, how are we going to cover my disappearance so you're not left with awkward questions?..."

Milo didn't answer. I doubt he had an answer. I'm not really sure I have an answer either.

After a few minutes I smiled, "Well... At least I'll be able to see Leviathan... That'll be pretty cool..."

"Leviathan?" Milo asked.

"It's in the journal. Mythical sea serpent that guards the area. Probably part of the whole Bermuda Triangle myth too since that's near the area as well. Actually, from what I know about it all, I suppose that would mean it's entirely possible Atlantis used to be situated in the Gulf of Mexico. I always thought that entire area looked suspiciously like a crater." I thought aloud.

"Uh... Getting back to before... Leviathan? Are we going to run into trouble with that?" Milo asked.

I nodded, "Yeah. Atlanteans didn't do things by halves. It's a giant war machine shaped like a lobster that's roughly... at least ten times the size of this ship."

"WHAT?!" Milo asked, shocked, "How could something like that still exist?! A war machine that size?! This is an ancient civilization! They shouldn't have even been able to build machines!"

I turned to Milo and raised my eyebrow, "Seriously? You're a student of history aren't you? An archeologist? History is full of ancient technologies that were lost over the ages. Greek fire... Aristotle's death laser... Look at it from the opposite perspective. If some cataclysmic event wiped us out right now, someday in the far future, people like us are going to finally discover our tech and freak that we had machines more advanced than theirs in some ways." Milo looked pale, so I reassured him, "Don't worry though. I don't know of any cataclysmic event that we're gonna go through. I AM aware however of the cataclysmic event that the Atlanteans went through though. It was purely by accident, but a group of their warriors ported in too close to sea level. Where they ported in from is up to debate, but as it is, their appearance so close to sea level kicked up a wave so huge it would wash over the entirety of Atlantis. Luckily they had a fail safe that would take the city center down underground in the event of an emergency. That's what they did, and that's where we're... YOU'RE headed." I amended at the last moment, not without some sadness.

"My gosh..." Milo said, at a loss for words.

"Yeah. Used to be they had many Leviathans. And plenty of flying vehicles shaped like different fish of the sea that would fly through the air. No idea as to the method of flight. Just be glad the Leviathan doesn't seem to be able to fly anymore, or humanity would probably still be in the stone age. Atlanteans used their power for war, and they reaped their own hubris. Well, that's what they think anyway. I personally think accidents are just that, accidents. Still, it's always good to be humble, no matter how powerful you get."

Milo still had nothing to say, and after a few moments, I sighed and straightened up. "Well, that's it for me. No more spoilers. I'll do what I can to help give you an in with the other guys, so you can be friends earlier. Dunno how much good it'll do, but it'll be something at least."

"How many are going to die?"

I stopped and turned to look at Milo. "What?"

"To the Leviathan. How many are going to die?" Milo asked, looking solemn.

I sighed. "Many. Only about 4 escape pods make it."

Milo looked down and didn't say anything.

"Milo... Don't make me regret telling you that much." I said, causing him to look up.

"Don't they mean anything to you? That many lives... And it's like you don't even care?" he asked.

I frowned. "Of course I care. I just don't view death the same way you do. Most see death as an end. I can understand that. I used to see it like that too. But quite frankly, all death is is a sudden abrupt 'see you later'. I know it's not the same thing, but technically, the way I disappeared from my world... is exactly the way death works. It's sad they have to go, but at least... at least most people see their family again later when they die too. Me? I'm on a whole other world. I may never see my family again, even when I die... If I die... For all I know, I really DID die, and this is the next life for me..." I trailed off, looking down.

Feeling a hand on my arm, I looked up to see Milo looking sadly at me. "I'm sorry. I didn't... I didn't know. I'm sorry..."

I sighed and gripped his shoulder. "It's alright. Just... do me a favor? Since I won't be here for when you go down there, I want you to keep in mind a few things."

Milo looked at me, paying close attention as I continued, "Don't. Don't weep for the men who go down there. These are adventurerers, and life is not always safe. They know what they're getting into. And... I promised no more spoilers, but trust me. It's better for you all in the end that this happens. I guarantee you won't like it, and you may even hate me for not telling you, but if I do tell you, it could turn out far... far worse. There are two things I will tell you though. Remember what I said about humility? There's nothing wrong in knowing your limitations and admitting to them. If you can't drive a truck, you can't drive a truck. There's nothing wrong with that. People will just get annoyed at you if you say you can do something and you really can't. Second, always check your maps to make sure they're turned right side up. Always. Especially when at a fork in the road. Ok?"

Milo nodded. "Ok. I'll remember."

I nodded. "Good. Oh, and one last thing, acting prideful about something isn't so bad in some cases, but when it's done over something that could be seen as showing someone else up at their job, that also just annoys people. Ok?"

Milo nodded, before clutching his stomach and hurling over the side. I patted his back sympathetically.

For the rest of the voyage, everything was mostly routine. Being on a private paramilitary ship is interesting. Got to run a few drills to practice if we need to bail off the ship or out of the sub via the escape pods.

True to my word, I did my best to help Milo and the others be more friendly. As for myself, I'm pretty sure they all don't know exactly what to make of me, but already knowing and liking them for my part certainly helped in establishing friendly relations. Didn't take nearly as long before Milo was more a part of the crew, especially since he seemed to have taken my words to heart and just laughed it off if he acted clumsy or admitted he couldn't do something.

I also ended up telling Mole a lot about the situation I was in and the Halo ring I was on the week before. I wasn't too worried about him outting me to be honest. No one really wants to hang out with him, which I can understand, so he's actually a pretty decent confidante so long as there's a set of established ground rules. I also gave him a heads up on the issue he's been running into with the boiler on his Digger and that Milo would be able to help. Subsequently I wasn't surprised to see Milo, Mole, and Audrey the mechanic talking shop later.

When we started getting close to the trench in question, I could see Milo getting more and more nervous. I hope he doesn't crack. This time period just doesn't have the kind of tech to take on an Atlantean Leviathan and win, and without more technical knowhow on how the tech even works, the chances of commanding it to stand down are slim. I can completely understand where he's coming from though. I shouldn't have told him about it first, I see that now. It's eating him up inside, and I can only hope he can hold out.

Finally came the time. The majority of the crew left the ship to man the extremely impressive submarine down to the ocean floor. Milo gave his presentation, and was even more nervous than before. Luckily he didn't end up showing off baby pictures since I was helping him and removed those from the batch he was using.

Things did turn out slightly different than I expected though...

"Legend tells of a Leviathan guarding the entrance to the highway, some kind of mystical sea serpent," Milo began, "However... after studying the text of the book, I can tell you it's very much real and extremely dangerous."

"How dangerous?" Rorrick asked, eyes narrowing.

"Dangerous enough to destroy the sub. Going off what the records say, it's at least ten times the size of most ships..."

Meanwhile in the background, Ms. Packard had been trying to get Rorrick's attention by repeating his rank over and over. Finally Rorrick turned around and said, "Yes Packard?"

"I've got something over the hydrophone I think you should hear." she said, with her deadpan apathetic voice.

"Put it on speaker," Rorrick said.

Ms. Packard flipped a switch, and suddenly we were inundated by an unearthly mechanical howl.

"What is that, a pod of whales?" Rorrick asked, going to Ms. Packard's desk, followed by me, Milo, and Agatha, Rorrick's second in command.

"Uh uh. Bigger." Packard said.

"Sounds mechanical. Could be an echo off the rocks, let me try and..." Agatha said, playing with the dials of the Hydrophone, to which Ms. Packard responded, "Honey, if you want to do my job, be my guest."

In the meantime, Milo asked me loud enough to be heard over the sound of the howl, only for the sound to drop right as he finished, "That's the Leviathan, isn't it."

Having heard the question, everyone turned to me as I answered in the stillness, "Yeah."

"And how would you know that-" Rorrick asked, only for a great crash to send nearly everyone sprawling.

Suddenly it became very clear we were under attack. Rorrick ordered small attack subs to deploy and attack the thing to no avail, especially when it shot out a beam of light like a lightning bolt that speared several of the pods at once.

"We need to evacuate!" I called out.

Rorrick evidently agreed because he quickly ordered the evacuation to happen. I dogged Milo's heels as we headed over to the bigger evac subs designated for the main team. What ensued was a terrifying death defying escape as Milo pointed out the tunnel we needed to enter and just barely escaped the claws of the Leviathan.

Once we breached the water and located the start of the ancient highway, we got out and started unloading the gear. Near a stopping point, a eulogy was announced, and the group was passed around candles, which were lit and put out in the water to honor the dead.

"Is there really nothing we could have done?" Milo asked quietly.

"Short of abandoning the entire venture? No. I'm just a soldier. I don't have the kind of power or knowledge to take out a Leviathan." I answered back quietly.

After some time passed, the moment was over. Everyone started getting back to work getting ready to go. While I was standing by Milo while he was playing with the rubber horn of one of the trucks, Rorrick came up to me. "Can I talk to you?"

Judging by his tone, it wasn't really a question, but a command. I nodded neutrally and followed him a ways away from the group. Finally after turning a corner, I stopped so that I wouldn't be entirely out of sight of the group. No way was I following this man to a spot hidden from everyone completely.

Rorrick heard and stopped too, his eyes shifting to notice the group, before looking back at me. I could see him calculating behind his eyes.

Finally he faced me head on and said, "You knew."

"About the Leviathan, yeah." I said, simply.

"And you didn't think to warn anyone." Rorrick half asked/half stated.

I shrugged. "I warned Milo. But you saw that thing. There was nothing anyone could have done against it. We just don't have the technology. All that would work was a distraction to try to get as many through as possible while the Leviathan was going for the sub. And lo and behold, the best of your team are here."

Rorrick's eyes, if anything, became even more calculating. "Surprisingly cold of you."

I shrugged, not really having anything to say to that. I mean, I probably could, but I don't want to give too much away to this man.

Rorrick clenched his fists. "I don't know who you are, or who you're with. But over half of my men are dead. I'll be watching you. One wrong move, and I'll have you executed for jeopardizing this mission. Do you understand me?"

"Perfectly." I answered.

I stayed still as Rorrick walked past. I could see a minute tremor in his arms, and I'm guessing it was taking a lot for him to not slug me right here or try to kill me and be done with it. Once he was out of earshot, I sighed and slumped against the rock. Master Chief might be scarier, but that was still scary, plus coming straight after that near death by Leviathan... I waited for a bit for my adrenaline to taper off and calm down.

I heard the horn Milo was playing with abruptly cut off, and I walked around the corner to catch the last of Rorrick saying, "...can you drive a truck?"

I saw Milo's eyes flick to me, before he sighed and shook his head. "No, I never learned how."

Rorrick nodded, then turned around as I came up. "Can you drive a truck?"

I shook my head. "I'm not familiar with this class of vehicle, no."

Rorrick frowned. "I don't have any drivers to spare. We'll just have to tie this one to the Digger then."

I nodded and Rorrick walked off to get everything finalized for the trip. The truck was moved to behind the digger, tied to the back of it, and we were soon underway.

While we were moving, Milo turned and asked, "How much time do you have left?"

I glanced at my watch and did a little bit of mental math. "It's been five days, so a little under two."

Milo nodded and we lapsed into silence. It wasn't a long one though before Milo asked, "Are there any other big dangers to worry about?"

"Just two," I answered. "The first one can be completely avoided if you remember my words about making sure your map is right side up at forks in the road."

Milo nodded, "And the other?"

"It's... not a danger, persay. Or at least, it doesn't have to be... I'll probably be gone by then, but eventually you'll come across a chamber with a stalactite that somehow glows. That's because it's actually a hollow nest for a particular type of glow bug native to Atlantis. Not dangerous in the least... Unless you shine an electric light, like a flashlight, over it. Then they become... fiery."

"Fiery?" Milo asked, sounding worried.

I nodded, "Literally. Just about anything they touch that's cloth will catch aflame. Nasty stuff. But so long as you don't point lights at the nest or the bugs, you should be fine. Only..."

"What?" Milo asked.

"Well, the thing is, if you don't do that, the bridge you gotta cross that's under the hive won't collapse on accident. You won't slip down to the bottom of the dip only to discover that it's the base of a dormant volcano, which is eventually your way out of there later. And on top of that, you won't get a small injury that would normally get healed in a way that's kind of a surprise I don't want to spoil for you, but trust me, it's quite a treat for you." I finished.

"I... see?" Milo said, though it was clear he really didn't. "Any dangers after we actually get to Atlantis?"

I bit my lip and shook my head. "Any dangers after that point that I know of are brought about from within the group itself."

"What?" Milo asked.

"I..." I started, only to lapse off. I wasn't really sure what to tell him. Beware Rorrick? Milo's kind of the naive straightforward sort. If I warn him of Rorrick, Milo won't be able to hide that wariness, and that could spell trouble for Milo before it actually happens. And if I end up somehow countering Rorrick entirely, what then? As bad as it is for Kida's dad to die, he's kind of the symbol of the stagnation of Atlantis. Without him, Kida and Milo are finally able to start bringing Atlantis to the road of recovery. And let's say I somehow am able to manipulate things so Milo is able to stop Rorrick AND save Kida's father without Milo somehow giving it away he's on to Rorrick too early, what's to say everything will turn out better? Pops could force Milo to leave with the other outsiders and I like the kid too much to get him stiffed out of what happened in the movie in the end. Atlantis could then be stuck once more in stagnation.

Then again, Milo in his naivety, and Kida in her own brand of said naivety despite being thousands of years old, decide that they should reveal Atlantis later, even after the episode with Rorrick and making it obvious that someone is going to try and war with Atlantis to steal the heart crystal. It might not have been so bad if they'd spent some time building up their defenses so they could stand on the world stage without any major issues... But they don't. They just pop out, go here we are, and then the movie ends, but quite frankly, I don't see how things can end well for them at that point.

I ended up chasing the problem around in my head again and again for the rest of my time on the expedition. I got to try Cookie's cooking, and it was just as bad as they made it out to be. I think he literally takes beans, bacon, whiskey, and lard and throws it in a pot in different amounts each time and serves the slop to us. I like to think I have an iron stomach, but I had to be driven to extreme hunger before the mess smelled appetizing at all. Thankfully since the majority of the trip was just sitting around, it wasn't like I was burning too many calories anyway. Plus we had plenty of water thankfully.

Eventually though, the week was up. When it soon came time, I sought out Dr. Sweet and handed him a letter. "Listen. I'm trusting you here. This is extremely important, ok?"

Sweet nodded, "Sure what's up?"

"I need you to give this to Milo after..." I trailed off, trying to figure out how to word this without giving anything away.

"After what?" Sweet asked, frowning slightly.

"Just... just before you leave Atlantis. When everything is ok again. Can you do that for me?" I asked.

"Is everything ok?" Sweet asked, concerned.

I nodded, "Yeah. Can you do that for me?"

After a moment, Sweet nodded and tucked the letter into a pocket inside his shirt. "I will."

"Thanks Sweet. I appreciate it." I smiled, before turning to walk back over to find Milo again.

Once I found him, I told him, "It's almost time."

Milo swallowed and nodded. "You're going to head off now then?"

I nodded, "Yeah. I've refilled my camelpack and packed away a few of the rations. I should hopefully be ok for wherever I'm going next... But man I envy you. I really wish I could get to see it for myself..."

Milo nodded, "When I lay eyes on it, I'll make sure to look at it for you too."

I smiled, "Thanks. I appreciate the sentiment. Well... This is goodbye then. See you around Milo."

"See you Matthew." Milo called back, and I waved my hand over my shoulder before slipping around the corner. I continued walking for a bit, then stopped to check my watch. Any moment now...

I nodded and sighed as things faded to black.