SEARCHING THE TUNNELS

RELIC HUNTER: SEARCH FOR THE TUNNELS KA-BOOM! This would be the first sound, that locals would hear, prior to the following rumble. In coastal area's, such as this one, explosions were as commonplace as the boats, which cruised, just off the shore. In fact, many times, such explosions were the result of the old, war-surplus, boats exploding, for various reasons. Fact is, various war-lords armed themselves with the cheap, old, boats, which could be bought, for "pennies", at salvage sales. The boats were not in "prime" condition, but they were good enough to give an early warning, should invasion troops try to land. Lately, there had been more such explosions, than usual, since no less than three war-lords were vying for control of a single area. I.E.D.'s were becoming just as popular, in this region, as they were, in the Middle East. Simple, cheap, and easy to make, the explosives did jobs, which, otherwise, might have cost thousands of dollars. The problem, which caused many, recent, explosions, was that the cheap explosives were, highly un-stable. Combine this with lack of training, for handlers, and the practice, of grave-digging was becoming most profitable, indeed. There was something different about this explosion, though. It was more suppressed, more booming, than most were. This is why locals gathered, to find out its source. Many feared the worst as the local churches entrance began to "belch" dense smoke, like a coughing beast, yet, by the time the dust began to clear, there was another, deeper, rumbling, sound, which seemed to grow stronger, not dissipate, as it traveled to the surface. Some of the more religious folk crossed themselves, and whispered "Diablo", since they thought the rumbling was the Devil coming awake, and rising to the surface. This was dispelled, moments later, when a wave burst forth, from the church, sending ocean water bursting, as though from a fire-hose, shooting from the church, and flooding the small market plaza, of the village. The water pressure would kill ten people, as it crashed into them ike a car hitting a wall. By the time the torrent would die down, water was draining froom almost every part, of the plaza, and heading back out to sea. The church, itself, had been blown to bits, ripped apart, by the onslaught of water. Erosion times 1,000, or more. Locals were left wondering about the fate of the priest, assigned to this church, as wel as the soldiers, who had marched in, carrying bags, and boxes, hours before, and had not come out. While the villagers were caring for their dead, and injured, thousands of miles away, Amanda Fox was dealing with a "disaster" of her own. She had warned the military that this might happen, and she had been promised "full support", regardless of outcome. For some reason, the U.S. Congress did not seem to place as much importance on this project as the military had. Rumor had it that, if Amanda Fox did not come up with tangible evidence, and SOON, the project would be cancelled. This rumor was circulating despite the fact that Profesor Sydney Fox, Nigel Bailey, Mr. Fox, and Amanda Fox, herself, had cautioned the military, at the start, that this project, codenamed: "Tunnels", could take a very long time to complete. The military had seemed most ambitious, about the project, ever since alternative routes, into the ancient bunker, had been discovered, via land, and sea, routes. The original plan, just sealing off the surface shaft, had met with dismal failure, after yet another war-Lord had decided to claim the bunker, and its "arsenal", for himself, had been deemed a failure, after first Amanda Fox, then Sydney Fox, had discovered other entrances, leading to the bunker. When Syd's military escort had reported back, that the "plug" only reached a couple of hundred feet, before being stopped, by some tunnel sections, and that the bunker remained accessable, by other tunnels, the military had asked, and was told how many "branch" tunnels had been found, on this trip, alone. Realizing that there might be a real danger of "weapons" actualy being found, and recovered, the Pentagon had ordered that Operation Tunnels be put into effect. The goal being that the Foxes, along with the military escort, would be the perfect group to search out any remaining tunnels, so that all access, to the bunker could be sealed, permanently. The Foxes had TRIED to tell the military that, with the age, of the bunker, there could be a limitless number, of potential entrances. It could take decades to search for all of the tunnels. Still, the military had authorized the project, and Amanda, and her team, were on their way. The first problem Amanda had to deal with was that, un-like in the movies, where tunnel entrances are, always, elaborately, marked, the real tunnel systems were not featured, in any visitors guide, nor marked, by large crosses, or angels. Even using the very best, of the ancient drawings, Amanda's team spent months digging through overgrowth, and prying open ancient gates, which groaned loud enough to wake the dead. Other passages, fortunately, were blocked, by simple rocks, of various sizes. What really began to annoy the soldiers, after just a couple of months of searching, was how often the team would spend days just clearing an entrance, only to walk a few miles, and end at yet another collapsed tunnel. When a soldier asked about the Roman tunnels, Amanda Fox would say "I agree that the Romans built the best, which is why I am saving them for later. We need to see if anyone else built good tunnels, as well". Thirty-eight collapsed tunnels, later, and Amanda announced "That was the last of the pre-Roman tunnels. Now, we can move on, with the excitement, of following in the Romans footsteps". This was no joke, either, since nearly all modern civilization is based upon Roman concepts, and practices. Modern contractors were actually studying how the Romans did things, so as to avoid obvious mistakes. Amanda was pretty sure her team was onto something, when, under an acient forts foundation, the team found a massive gate, AND sentry posts, made of protective stone. When Amanda tried to use a key, which she had copied, out of an old book, the key fit the lock, but the rust was so great that the soldiers said it would take a bulldozer, to open the lock. This left just one, other, option. Since the mission was supposed to be "covert", Amanda took this to mean "as SILENT as possible". This is why, after the blocks, of C-4, were placed around the gate, Amanda had the soldiers find anything they could, to blanket down the sound. This is why, when the detonator went off, the exlosion sounded like a hunting rifle, instead of demolition charges. In an area, where hunting is common, no one would pay attention to a gun shot. After the explosion, the massive gate fell, with a loud thud, on the ground, and the soldiers looked on, for a moment, at how thick the gate was. It wasn't just decorative. This thing was strong enough that, in its early days, it might have been strong enough to lift a full-size battletank. This left the soldiers to wonder just what this gate was protecting. What lay beyond the entrance? The answer, to this question, lay about two miles beyond the entrance, as the soldiers followed what looked like feeder canals, which lined the walls, and seemed to be carved out of the stone of the Earth. Surprisingly, after who knows how many centuries, the canals stil carried water. One thing was for sure, and that was that this unit wa getting plenty of exercise. What they found, two miles in, would have impressed even many modern builders. It was a massive, multi-level, holding tank, with what looked like walkways, at various levels. Massive, carved, columns, held up sections of the roof, yet left plenty of room for water to gather, at the base. When asked what this could be Amanda Fox could only say "Probably a water storage facility. Maybe, to furnish a town, or a garrison, maybe even a "general store" type. Furnish water to travelers." When a soldier asked "I thought that the Romans only drank wine", there was a muted chuckle, from the others, even as a soldier said "You have been watching too much Hollywood stuff". Amanda agreed. After all, how could a column of soldiers be expected to march when they were boozed up. No, it just made sense that columns carried supplies, of fresh water, to quench thirst. The idea, that the empire spent all its time drinking wine was ridiculous. Using a laser range-finder, a soldier calculated the size of the chamber, then showed the results to Amanda. To this, she said "No wonder that gate was so massive. In time of war, such a supply, of water, could keep an entire army base supplied, for over a year". Moving beyond the storage chamber, the team was just exploring some side-passages, when the call came in. This meant that the search was off, atleast for the moment. The journey could continue once the team knew what headquarters wanted. Un-fortunately, once back on the surface, the news was bad. The team was being re-called, for another project. When Amanda asked when she could have them back, command said "We need you, as well, on this one. Operation Tunnels is only being postponed, not canceled, until this, current crisis is dealt with. Back at the military base, the team was filled in on the details. According to reports, Amanda's team was not the only group, in possession of sub-surface maps. It seems that another group had their own maps, yet their purpose was much different. Allegedly, this other group had maps which showed deposits, of ancient weapons. Weapons which, allegedy, could fend off base ships, or wipe out land based forces. When Amanda said "Everyone, on Earth, had heard such stories, since childhood. What makes these stories any different?" The base commander said "It is the people, who have the maps, which are different. Sources say that, if these people get the weapons, first, that they will use the weapons to attack us, and our allies". When Amanda added "IF there are weapons, that is". The commander said "IF there are weapons, we need to get to them, FIRST". To emphasize the urgency, the base commander added "We know these groups are operational. They have, already, attacked a number of coastal churches, and used high explosives, underground." When a soldier said "But thats insane! They could be trapped, with any finds they might make", the base commander said "No one said they were sane. All we know is that they seem to be targetting churches, along the Atlantic Ocean, and more than a few people have died, as a result". As soon as she heard the word "Atlantic", Amanda knew what weapons the militants would be searching for. The so-called, crystal-powered, "super" weapons, of Atlantis. How many people had died, over the centuries, searching for the lost city, and its super-technology? Did any of it even exist, or had Homer just made the whole thing up, to keep an audience interested, with a wild tale? For centuries, rich and poor, young and old, had sought the lost riches, of the fabled city. How many fortunes had been spent on this quest? How many people had devoted their entire lives, even to their death beds, trying to find the lost city? Amanda realized what made this case different from the previous ones. Unlike previous groups, which had used picks, and shovels, and had only a few deaths, on each journey, this, new, group, was using powerful explosives, and taking more lives, than usual, in their quest. The question was "WHY?" When Amanda's team was tasked with finding, and, if possible, stopping, the radicals, she knew where their search would, most certainly, lead. This is why Amanda requested some very special ordinance. In addition to the normal allotment, of a few crates, of blocks of C-4, Amanda requested some special packs. She asked that some of the explosive be "shaved" into sticks the size of chewing gum. Others, she asked be rolled into balls, and some shaped like shafts. The team thought her request bizzarre, but they did as instructed, then re-loaded the "modified" explosive back into the crates. An additional sign was stencilled on the crate, cantaining the bizzarre shapes: "NOT chewing Gum". Like anyone would be dumb enough to try to chew a stick of C-4. Using more ancient maps, Amanda would try to choose the best place, to "penetrate" the sub-ocean tunnels. Unlike the tunnels, which they had been searching, for months, Amandas team got lucky, on this one. Someone had thought that the tunnels were important enough to mark, in a way which would ensure the marker survival. Amanda found that each, of the sub-surface tunnels, had a Catholic church covering its entrance. She hoped the church she chose would be one which the militants had not already chosen. Airlifting into the sleepy village, Amanda, and her team, entered the church, to find the priest tied up, and gagged. The man freaked, until he saw the U.S. Army patches, on the uniforms. Once he calmed, and Amanda whispered "How many?", the priests first words were "A woman?". When a male soldier repeated the question "How many?", the priest whispered "Maybe a dozen, maybe less". Ofcourse, being Catholic, the priest was not accustomed to seeing women in command of anything. This is why he stared at Amanda, for a moment, before telling the soldiers "They went down about an hour ago. They had BIG boxes, with them". When Amanda looked suspicious, a soldier said "Explosives, probably". When Amandas team went off, to follow the militants, they left a soldier to try and cut off the priests binds. Not long after departing the church, the team came upon the militants, who were placing pound-sized blocks, of C-4 around a large stone, which had fallen into the chamber. When a soldier looked at the ceiling, and whispered "Do you think?", the unit commander nodded, then gave a hand-gesture for "Move out, the way we came". With that, the unit double-timed it back to the church, where the soldier was, still, cutting, at the priests binds, when the muffed boom sounded. At that, the unit leader said "No time. Pick him up!", then the unit RAN for the front door, and away from the front of the church. Just after the group, priest bundled between them, hit the ground, a surge, of water, exploded from the church, washing several people away, before subsiding. When locals found the priest still tied, the man could see his people were about to defend him, until he called out "These are friends. They just saved my life". With that, all hostility died away, and the team was welcomed to the village. Amanda knew that her next choice would have to be better, or, next time, lives might be lost. For her next choice, Amanda chose a much older church. Hopefuy, a place which the militants would think too old to house ancient weapons. To her relief, the base commander woud say that the militants were targetting a church which was being used, by a war-lord, and which was protected by heavy machine-guns. This meant that the old church woud be left alone, for awhile, atleast. When the team entered the village, they found the place so quiet that every sound was amplified. Un-like the militants, though, when the soldiers entered the church, and took the priest, the unit leader made sure to show his U.S. patch, then whispered, to the man "No harm will come to you. We just want a look at your basement. Understand?" When the priest nodded, the soldiers let him go, then headed for the lower levels. Past the crypts, the team found an old gate. When the priest saw the team wanted to go past the gate, he said "It is forbidden". When a soldier asked "WHY?", the priest would only say "It is forbidden". At this point, the team leader gave the priest a choice: "If you want to keep your gate in one piece, just open the lock, and we will move on. Otherwise", the soldier said, removing some C-4 from his uniform. The priest realized his choice, and stepped forward, to un-lock the gate. He realized that these soldiers would damage nothing, unless they had to. The team walked, for about seven miles, until they were sure they were we under the Atlantic Ocean. They could hear the waves, overhead, and the humidity had risen, a bit. By the way they had been walking downhill, for awhile, Amanda hoped that there was plenty of rock between them, and the ocean. If not, this could become a very watery grave. When they came to their first obstacle, a large stone, blocking the tunnel, a soldier asked "If we use C-4, like those other fools, we blow ourselves up, as well". This is when Amanda said "That is why I asked for some cut-up explosives." The team watched as Amanda took several sticks, of the chewing-gum sized explosive out of her pack, and placed the pieces in cracks, in the rock surface. She then motioned the team to stand back. When they did, and Amanda gave the signal, the soldier pressed the detonator, yet there was no earth-rattling KA-BOOM. Instead, it was more a light thud, followed by a thin cloud, of dust. When the dust settled, the team came forward to see that the rock was not moved, but that it WAS broken into move-able pieces. As they moved the pieces, they found that the tunnel stretchedd for miles, ahead of them. What impressed the soldiers, though, was how well Amandas plan had worked. Her plan, to shatter the rock, rather than blowing it up, had worked so well that the tunnel was, virtually, un-damaged. Amanda Fox had, again, shown her knowledge, and skill, proving she was worthy of being considered a "relic hunter". What the soldiers never expected to find, beyond the collapsed rock, was that whole sections, of the tunnell, were, actually, painted, with frescoes. Some depicted life, on the land, while others depicted things like sea harvests. Ofcourse, a soldier asked "How in the world did they see, down here? I mean, without our lights, this place would be pitch back". Amanda did not want to speculate, on this, anymore than she wanted to speculate on how, and why, the air, down here, was so fresh. There was no mustiness, at all. A few miles beyond the exploded stone, the team found the first of what appearred to be ventilation shafts, all leading upwards. The odd thing was that these were not the regular, modern, version, big enough to carry air, but far too small to carry a person. No, these shafts were of adequate siize to allow two people to climb to the surface. When the unit leader sent two scouts up the shaft, they would return to report that the shaft did, in fact, lead to the surface. The shaft cover, though, was hidden, from view, by plants, which grew all around it. What made the whole team want to curse, another ten miles down the tunnel, was when they came upon more of that blasted, ancient, language, painted on the wall. The soldiers only cursed this find, since it was even more proof that the ancients were not the "ooga-booga" cavemen, which evolutionists claimed that man had been. No way could cavemen have carved out this tunnel, painted it, and left signs on the walls. Whoever had been on Earth, before modern man, they had knowledge of science, art, and so on. Amanda knew that this is what scared the Pentagon, Kremlin, and London, more than anything else. The fact that ancient people had knowledge, and skills, atleast compatable with our own. This fact left a terrible question, in peoples minds. The question of "If these people were ateast as advanced, as we are, what happened to them? How do we prevent the same from happening, to us?" This, Amanda knew, was the real reason why her team was searching out these tunnels, all over the world. Leaders wanted to know if ancient legend was true. As the team proceeded, they pushed aside several rocks, which did not need demolition charges, to be moved. About five miles beyond this, though, the team ran into not one, but three, rocks, which blocked their way. When a soldier looked beyond the rock, and saw two more, saying they looked as though placed, to block the passage, Amanda took a look, then asked "With the age, of this tunnel, how can we know that these rocks did not fall in, centuries apart?" No one had an answer, to this. When more C-4 was shaved down, and placed into cracks, in the stone, one by one, the stones gave way, and could be moved aside, with almost no damage to the tunnel. Maybe another five miles beyond this, the team found another, much wider, shaft, leading to the surface. This one was wide enough, though, to allow almost the whole team to climb, at once. Amanda chose to stay in the tunnel, until the report came in. When a scout returned to say "You wont believe this but some idiot built some double doors, up there." When Amanda asked "Whats so stupid about that?", the scout said "The idiot placed the double doors facing a tree! A sucker about three feet in diameter". When Amanda said "Show me", the scout leader the way back up the shaft, to where the other team members were waiting. When Amanda realized that the team was waiting, on a level, ABOVE the doors, at a section which resembled a window ledge, she looked at the double doors, then up at the team. When she looked at them, a soldier pointed to the ceiling, where Amanda saw what looked like the remains of a block and tackle. When the soldiers pulled open the aged doors, Amanda found they were right, about one thing. The tree DID stand right in front of the opening, as if intentionally planted there. The question of "why", Amanda would speculate at, as the soldiers enjoyed coming out of the tunnel, for the first time in days. It wasn't until Amanda examined the door, and the block and tackle, that she formed a hypothesis about this place. A hypothesis she seemed to confirm, when the soldiers found the remains of a pier. What made the pier seem odd was that it was not made of wood, or metal, as most piers are. This one was made of stone, but of such an age that its sides were worn smooth, by water erosion. If given about another 900 years, and the pier would dissolve into the ocean. This is when Amanda realized that the engineer, of the shaft had not been stupid, building the shaft up, in front of a tree. She proposed that, at the time of construction, there had been no tree, at the location. This, she surmised when the soldiers found the ancient remains of what looked like a supplies trail. At some point, in history, this place had been a supply depot. The supplies would be un-loaded, from various ships, then taken to the shaft, and sent on their way. Since the tree had, no-doubt, been in place, for centuries, it must have been long ago that this place was a thriving port. But for who? And where? When the unit callled in, for re-supply, the U.S. Navy would respond that some supply ships were loading a drop-package, and that the unit might as well rest, until the package was ready. Amandas team was told they had about two days before supplies arrived. This, it was suggested, could be some "R-and-R" for the soldiers. A couple of days of sunlight, before returning to the bowels of the Earth. During the rest, a soldier made a chance discovery, which left even Amanda baffled. Inside the shhaft, and off, to the side of the opening, was a lever. When the soldier moved the lever, there was an annoyingly loud groaning sound, as stone ground against stone. Still, the stone tower rotated, moving the double doors away from the tree. When the unit commander asked Amanda, she said "No doubt, back in its day, the hinges were well-lubricated, and the tower moved, virtualy silently." When re-supply arrived, the officer in charge would not believe what was found, until shown the tower, and the remains of the block and tackle. The officer then ordered that his own team would move supplies to the tunnel, while the soldiers rested. Once the supplies were off-loaded, the rest would be up to Amanda's team. With clothes, and bodies, washed, and fresh, the team spent an extra day, on the surface, turning pound blocks, of C-4, into small sticks, and wafers, the size of chewing gum. Maybe twenty miles beyond the tower, the unit came upon a gas pocket, and had to be very careful, in detonating it. When it was found to originate from a volcano, far below, the decision was made NOT to blow the vent, but just to seal it.. About four, to six, slices, of C-4 were enough to seal the crack, and divert the gas, elsewhere. Then came the real problem. This time, it was not a fallen rock. This time, the way was blocked, as though sealed, clear across, by intent. Whoever had done the sealing had made sure to leave no cracks. No place to pack explosives. While checking the tunnel for other ways in, the soldiers were annoyed to find more of that ancient language, as well as art, on the walls, of the tunnel.. Although no one, present, could read the language, Amanda knew who could. It would mean a 36 hour detour, back to the depot, and a contact, with the mainland. Amanda would go since it was her cousin, Sydney Fox, whom the contact would be made through. When the call came, Professor Sydney Fox, and Nigel Bailey, were busy, trying to reason out what civilization had created the language, and why the ancients had travelled so far, and wide. Neither Syd, nor Nigel, bothered to ask why modern history had all but erased the former travellers. The answer was obvious. The question was: How to track a civilization, and a language, which modern scholars were so determined to bury. Sure, there were Professor Johnstons theories, about Atlantis being a space-port, but this left the question of "If these were just legends, why bother trying to erase them? After all, no one was trying to erase the Easter Bunny, or Santa Claus, from history. Why was it so important to erase a civilization?" When Amandas call came in, Syd and Amanda exchanged the usual family greetings, then Amanda made her request, while e-mailling Syd some pictures, of the area, around the sealed entrance. Amanda would only ask "Syd, would you just ask Professor Johnston to take a look at this material. There is no need, for him to come on-site. We just need a translation." Syd said "Ofcourse, I will talk to him, after his next class". What amazed Syd was how quickly Wellington worked out the translation. It was as though the man spent all of his time reading the language. When Syd asked about the art, painted on the walls, Wellington would say "That was just the author expressing themselves, in a way which only the learned, of the day, would understand. Here, for example." he said, pointing at a spot, on a mural. "If anyone not of the learned sector, were to look at this, they would see only a colorful drawing. To a learned person, though, this is a set of directions, for operating the door. The door at which the soldiers are stuck at." When Syd asked "What does it say?", Wellington said "Loosely translated, it says "Pay heed to the Devils Breath, lest one pays the price"" When Syd asked "The Devils Breath?, what does that mean?" Professor Johnston would inquire "I understand that this unit is looking for some ancient weapons? Possibly under volcanic islands?" Syd said "Yes, they are checking on some old rumors, that some militants are checking, as well." When Professor Johnston asked "Have they reported any volcanic activity, so far?", Syd said that, yes, the team had reported a fissure, which they had, temporarily, sealed, to continue down the tunnel. Wellington would suggest "If they have enountered volcanic fissures, then I might suggest that this "Devils Breath" might be a trap, comprised of steam vents. I would, also, recommend that they proceed with caution. After all, considering how security-crazy many modern companies, and the military, are, I would suggest that this is NOT the only trap, which might await tresspassers". When Syd would ask "How do they get past the trap?", Wellington would suggest "Have then look for this picture", he said, as he pointed at some of the photos "then, follow this line, to this point, where it looks like a game of Tic-Tac-Toe, and enter the following numbers", which he wrote down, on a slip of paper. "If they do it right" he would caution, "the first trap will be deactivated". When Syd asked "If they do it wrong?", Wellington would say "Dont expect further radio contact". Just as Syd was about to report, to Amanda, Syd received an e-mail, from a contact, in the intelligence community. Contained within were two videos, of churches, where explosions had resulted in villages being flooded. The message read "Caution: These maniacs obviously dont know what they are doing. Either that, or they just dont care". Syd made a point of copying both the message, and the video, into her own message, to Amanda. When it seemed to take "forever" for Amanda to answer, Syd thought the worst, before Amanda quiried "Have they found "our" church, yet?" Syd would respond "No word, yet". Amanda then replied "Thanks, signing off, for the time being". Syd whispered "Goood Luck", to the screen, before signing off. Inside the tunnel, Amanda went over the instructions, for herself, atlleast five times, before she felt sure she understood how to open the door, and not become a steamed lobster. Carefully, with the patience of a brain surgeon, or a Buddhist, Amanda followed the directions, along the wall, until she came to the Tic-Tac-Toe pattern, which none had paid attention to, until now. When a soldier asked "How did we miss something so obvious? It even looks like a keypad", Amanda would say "Once we know what to look for, discovery is easy." When she pressed the stone, of the wall, with the code, Amanda was surpised at how pliable that section, of the stone was (IF it was stone, at all). When she entered the code, mouths fell agape as the door slid aside, like a door, in a science fiction movie. No wonder there was no place to mount explosives. This was a sliding door, much like hospitals, and nursing homes, used. As the door slide open, though, one of the soldiers heard a sound, which the others heard, on their approach. It sounded like something either being opened, or closed. But which one? Was a trap being activated, or was the trap being safetied? As a precaution, two soldiers removed their packs, then slid, on their stomachs, through the entrance. They would whisper back, to the unit "We can see the vents", yet, when the commander asked "Status?", the soldiers said "Vents just seem to be leaking small puffs". A moment later, the soldiers said "We're through", and the others, including Amanda Fox followed, still cautious, and wary. What none of them could shake was the feeling that they had stepped into another world. A world as different from ours as ours is, from the animal world. The unit remained wary, and alert, for the rest of the traps Professor Johnston had warned them about. These soldiers knew that, although Wellington Johnston might have a deep passion, for Atlantis, he never let his passion get in the way of others safety. If he said there were traps, there were traps. As the team proceeded, they discovered the other traps. Traps of a mechanical nature, and traps which had fallen prey, to corrosion, millenia ago. The reason they knew the traps were ancient is because parts, made of iron, and other metals, had corroded into powder, and now lay on the floor. Beyond the ancient traps, the team had come prepared to find a grotto, maybe a chamber, full of weapons, or records, or other finds. What they were not prepared for was what they found. When they emerged from the tunnel, Amandas team found themselves staring out, into a cavern, which was so large, that they could not see its boundaries. All they could see was buidings, covered in dust, yet looking like the occupants had just stepped away, for a moment, and would be returning. With digital cameras, extra batteries, and memory chips, on hand, the unit began filming the interior of the place. When a soldier brushed a wall, though, to get a better look, at some writing, he called the commander over, and, with Amanda in attendance, the soldiers brushed off the wall section. This wall was neither stone, nor rock. The dust was covering a material which looked as modern as cast marble. There, under the dust, was that blasted language, again. When other buildings were dusted off, more of the language became visible. What amazed the soldiers, though was that these were not just single story buildings. Not most of them, atleast. This was a city. But a city hidden under the ocean? Why? When the unit commander shown his light overhead, he noticed how high the "ceiling" was. He then suggested that, at one time, this place was on the surface. Amanda was not about to rule out that possibility. While most of the team went scouting this place, a soldier was sent to the surface to report on their progress. When the soldier reported, the Pentagon reminded them to tell the team to focus on finding any weapons, which might have been left behind. The soldier agreed to forward the message. Over the next week, the unit broke off into sub-units, with each member taking a different "avenue". The problem, with this, was that, no matter how far each person walked, the chamber just seemed to go on and on. Since the team had reported the approximate size of the place, command wanted to be sure that it was not just an illusion. This is why, with the next weeks supply shipment, there was radar equipment, and some battlefield vehicles. The accompanying instructions, from command, said "Use this to help speed up your reconaissance. We need to know what to prepare for, in case the militants find the weapons, first". Amanda, and the unit, just shook their heads, at this. After all, they HAD found several weapons lockers, but, with the amount of dust, which was present, it was obvious that the weapons had been gone, for a very long time. By the style, of the various racks, though, the soldiers could make out that some of the racks were for side arms, while others were full-size, for rifles, maybe even machine guns. Al that was left, though, were dusty holders, and more of that language. The commander would speculate that these had been unit, or weapons, designation plaques. The same used by the modern military, to store weapons. Although the radar was not much help, beyond reminding the explorers of how enormous this place was, what really helped the patrol were the vehicles. Once the units had been assembled, inside the cavern, travel time was, greaty, reduced with the cell-powered vehicles. Although Amanda Fox would have hoped to be the first, to make a major discovery, this "honor" would fall to one of the soldiers. A soldier who found something which bore much closer inspection. When the unit converged on the soldiers position, they found the soldier standing in what appearred to be the base of something. All they could make out, from what was left, was that this had been the base of something very large. By comparison of size, the "platform" made the soldier seem like a doll, by comparison. The base was about ten feet wide, and each side rose atleast twenty feet into the air. When the soldiers examined the construction material, they were surprised when the material turned out to be yet another example of the man-made marble, which they had seen, at other locations. Whoever these builders were, they knew how to work with stone. This left the question of just WHAT this thing had, once, supported. When examined, the sides, and bottom, turned out to be atleast a foot in thickness. This thing had not only been large, but it had supported something, either large, or heavy. As the team examined the base, contemplating its potential uses, one of the soldiers found what looked like power conduits. The conduits seemed to run underneath the base. After this came the discovery of some kind of mechanism. It seemed to be a crank wheel. The question this left was what the wheel was doing attached to this base. Then, one of the soldiers had an idea. They went out, looking for where the conduits originated. Un-fortunately, the conduits only travelled a couple of blocks, before terminating at what Amanda would suggest might resemble a power-generating station. The problem was that this station, if it was for power generation, was too small to power much of anything. By comparison, if an eighteen wheeler size would have powered a sub-station, then this sub-compact size would only be useful, in powering a single residence. While doing additional recon, on the place, nearly all reports would suggest that the constructors, of this place, had used modern materials. What made the soldiers nervous, though, was how unusual that hallways, and stairwells felt, under foot. There was no way to expplain it, except to say that the material, although strong enough to hold people up, seemed to be soft, almost massaging, under foot. When a soldier opened a air, of double doors, they found the first elevator shaft. The odd thing was that there were no cars, or support cables, to be seen. If this were an elevator shaft, where were the support cables? What it was suggested "Maybe, they took them with them?", even Amanda Fox wondered why people would take elevator cars, and cables? It just didn't make sense. In fact, no much, about this place did make sense. So much evidence, of modern technology, in evidence, yet all of it covered in centuries of dust. It just didn't make sense. With no weapons being reported found, during their initial surveys, the team would, no-sooner be recalled, for re-assignment, when the militants finally showed up. They were, ofcourse, none-too-happy that the U.S. Army had beat them to the colony. The reason why the soldiers knew that the militants were not well-trained was because the militants used their weapons, on full-automatic, and the "aim", of their bazooka's, was off, by enough, that the soldiers felt safest in the gunners cross-hairs. With just a few, short, measured, bursts, of gun-fire, the soldiers took out the militants, then bagged the bodies, for collection. No sense leaving corpses lying about. When the team was evac'd, to England, Amanda went on a side-bar trip, while the soldiers put in their reports, to the military. Not surprisingly, the military had a hard time accepting that there was a huge, abandoned, colony, under the Atlantic sea-floor. This is why the soldiers, and command, agreed that, while the team had found a deserted vilage, no one was willing to make the "wild leap", and claim to have found Atlantis. There was no proof that the team had found anything more than an abandoned village. Who knew what peoples might have lived there. On the flight, to England, even Amanda Fox had agreed that this was the truth. Even Amanda was not prepared to proclaim that Atlantis had been found. Without PROOF, she would lose her creditionals faster than she had earned them. No, Amanda agreed that all they knew was that the unit had followed a tunnel, from under a church, and found an abandoned village. As to why the militants thought it was something more, this was chalked up to nothing more than personal belief. In England, Amanda Fox went to visit an effects wizzard, who specialized in helping production companies create special effects, which audiences could not tell from the real thing. In fact, his work, on recent documentaries, had lead the pubblic to wonder if certain things were in fact possible. This is why Amanda went to him. She knew that, if anyone could figure out a real use, for the base unit, this man could. Athough she asked him to come up with a variety, of possible uses, the man, mistakenly, turned to science fiction, for his guidance. What he came up with was a combination of Star Trek, Stargate: Atlantis, and classic sci-fi movies. He super-sized a cannon, giving it enough power to blast a spacecraft, larger than an aircraft carrier, out of space. When Amanda asked if this was realitsic, the man promised that, given the dimensions, this was the most realistic size. This left the question of how such an enormous weapon could be powered, or targetted. Amanda Fox figured that it would take up to a dozen reactors, all putting out full power, to operate this thing. Still, she thanked the man for trying, then returned to the base. Once on the base, she submitted a report, identical to the others. All the team had found was an abandoned colony, and the base, for something, very large. As for the who, and what, this was left to the imagination. The problem, which the navy had, with al of this, was that modern submarines had used powerful radar, on the ocean floor, yet had never discovered this place. This left the question of what other mysteries the ocean floor still hid. The one thing Amanda Fox was, now, sure of was that there were no weapons, space ships, etc, left behind, by ANY race. If Earth had, once, been a colony world, the colonists had taken their "toys" with them, when they left. As for the question, of WHY the militants were so determined to control the undersea colony, th best guess was either weapons, or a potential base, to operate from. Problem is, now that the military knew of the colony, it would be useless, as a base. When Amanda Fox learned that the navy planned to depth charge the colony, to make sure no one could, ever, use it, as a base, she knew this plan would fail, long before it was implemented. The military should have known, as we. It was science, at its simplest level. The colony had survived, for so long, under millions of tons, of water pressure, since the crust was so thick. It had to be very thick, to hold back the Atlantic Ocean. If Amanda had to hazzard a guess, she would suggest, that, at one time, there had been some kind of a dome, over the colony. Whether it was glass, stone, or energy, based, was anyones guess. Amanda guessed that, over time, sediment had built up, on the cover, forming a crust, which was strong enough to protect the colony, once the original cover failed. This crust was thick enough to hold back an ocean. As a result, it would just "laugh at" depth charges, or torpedoes. Explosives, inside the dome were ruled out, since the dome would take too much to do the job. No, only one way to make sure the job was done. The tunnel would be cosed off, with rebbar, then concrete would be pumped in, sealing the tunnel, forever. Amanda Fox pointed out the one problem, with this plan. Like the ancient bunker, thhis place had multiple entry points. Like the bunker, just sealing off one entry point would be like stopping just one leak, in a leaky boat. The only, prudent, action, would be to map the colonies boundaries, locate ALL access points, then seal them ALL. (Just as her own team had been working on, with the bunker tunnels, for months). When the base commander asked how soon Amanda, and her team could start working on the colony, Amanda reminded the commander that her team was busy, charting the bunker. They might not be available, to do this chore, for years to come. When the base commander asked which was more important: an ancient bunker, which had not been in use, for thousands of years, OR an ancient villlage, which had not been in use, for thousands of years Amanda really had to think on that one. Both were history, yet both were about as much a "threat", to humanity, as the animal kingdom. In her final report, on the undersea colony, Amanda Fox would point out that legend had built a civilization, which some believed still maintained an active, military, presense, and used super-advanced computers, to track humanity's progress. Legend even told that the colony was powered by crystal pyramids, which acted as some sort of solar collectors. The legends, which, always, made Amanda laugh, were those which said that a fleet, of battlestars, or starships, sat in wait, for the return of the ancients. People could imagine anything they wanted, based upon Homers tale, of a fantasy civilization. Simple truth was, there was no PROOF to substantiate any of it. Homer never even produced any titles, for land usage, nor did he leave detailed drawings, for the fleets of ships. Fact is, based upon Homers "description", Atlantis could have been anything, at any time, anywhere. A good relic hunter, Amanda Fox knew, follows evidence, and clues, but says nothing, without PROOF to back any claims. Evidence was the key word, in the modern world. Without evidence, any story is just a work of fiction. To Amanda Foxes point of view, the military had nothing to worry about. The colony was just another abandoned village, just as the bunker was. When Amanda reported her findings to Syd, Nigel was first to ask "You dont suppose there was any truth, to the old legends, do you?" All Syd would say was "Hard to say what is truth, and what isn't. Especially when evidence is thousands of years old."