The Atlantis Stone

ATLANTIS NO MORE They gathered on a desolate, sandy beach, at the mouth of a river that flowed south into the pristine and crystal clear waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The storms had abated and the ground had stopped shaking only to reveal a land no longer recognizable by the few survivors. Those that had survived the destructive forces unleashed on their culture by the Great Mother were divided into four groups. The main group was to stay on the Island and protect the secret location of the blue stone. The other three groups would sail to the three known directions carrying warning tablets to all known civilizations. One group would attempt to cross the Atlantic to the east and meet with the jungle dwellers of the Dark Continent. Another would sail south and meet with the Indians that ruled the mountainous regions of the large landmass just southwest of the island. The third would travel northeast to meet with the sea faring bearded ones in the Lands of the White Powder and the rough seas. The stone tablets detailed the fall of an empire and issued a strong warning to all who may pass by the Island from now through eternity. You see, the Atlantians mined precious stones, metals and ores. On occasion they would find a small pebble, chip or flake of the blue stone floating in the river. These stones were valued more than any precious metal due to their incredible magical properties. People who wore the stone close to their heart suffered no ailment, and those that kept the stone close to them gained power and influence in their society. Intoxicated by the prospect of mining the stone and harnessing more of its apparent magical properties, King Hamulteclupec ordered the source of the blue stone found and mined for the good of the empire – and for the enrichment of his family line. While digging deep into the Earth, they unearthed a vein of their most treasured and sought after dark blue stone. Unbeknownst to them, they had started chipping away at one of the main veins leading to the Heart Nexus. No longer were they harvesting the gifts released to the surface by the Great Mother; they were taking that which had not been granted. Great Mother retaliated, and in an effort to stop the mining, she unleashed a series of escalating natural disasters, bringing to bear her healing wrath of destruction to the Atlantians. To fix what had been undone, she would have to destroy and renew. What was once a vast empire built upon a chain of islands connecting East and West was decimated. Volcanoes, dormant for millions of years, awoke and spewed forth superheated ash, poisonous gas, and rock in mighty pyroclastic displays. From the air, Mother Earth unleashed a series of spiraling storms never before seen or recorded in the annals of human history, with winds so strong, stone foundations were dislodged, toppling architectural marvels to the ground. The siege continued from the sea, in the form of towering tidal waves, large enough to engulf whole islands. And finally, from far beneath the surface of the ocean, tectonic plates shifted and tore the very foundation of the island nation, sending the greatest civilization the earth had ever known, into the deep, swirling waters of the unforgiving Atlantic Ocean. Islands once rich in human culture, architecture and technology, were forever immersed under the cold waters of the Atlantic. The survivors chronicled the fall of Atlantis and warned those who would mine the blue stone, for they had finally made the connection. The ground around the blue stone was sacred, warned the message, and mining the blue stone was forbidden. Beware the wrath of the Living Earth. The stone is only found in one place on Earth because He made it so. One heart, placed in a remote Island, where peace and serenity would help calm the Earth as it evolved through the millennia. The Great Mother had protected herself often and as needed during her evolution and she would do so again until balance and harmony were restored to the Living Earth. THE PURSUIT Alex ran to his gate and handed the attendant his boarding pass. Looking down at his watch, he swore under his breath. Damn it. He had hustled out of the headquarters building in Albuquerque and rushed to the airport, barely making his flight to Berkeley. As he placed his back pack underneath the first class seat in front of him, he pulled out his cell phone to give Linda a call only to find the phone broken. Must have happened during his altercation at NanoTech, he thought. I owe this guy, and next time we meet I’ll make him pay. Not wanting to waste any more time after the plane landed, he hailed a taxi instead of renting a vehicle. He would just have to explain things to her and hope his lie would be good enough to earn him a second chance. “To the Yoshu-San Japanese Restaurant just south of the Berkeley campus, please.” He instructed the limo driver. The ride there was uneventful and it gave Alex time to practice his lines. The cabbie had seen this many times before. His customer was probably in for a lonely night tonight. He eyed Alex through the rearview mirror and slowly shook his head. He kept quiet, not wanting to dishearten the passenger. These things always ended up the same - rejection. It was the way of the world, reasoned the cabbie. He could never figure out why the woman always walked out. Shit, if he were a gal he would at least get a free meal before kissing the fool goodnight. Twenty minutes later Alex exited the limo, paid the driver and out of habit, surveyed his surroundings. He crossed Dwight Way toward the front entrance of the restaurant and looked up and down the street. He caught a glimpse of Linda rounding the corner two blocks away off Telegraph. There was no mistaking her walk. Damn. She’s probably totally pissed at me. The smell of sake and sushi clinging to the stringy notes of a Japanese five string Chikuzen Biwa dissipated as he began his pursuit, hoping to catch her before she reached her apartment. The promise of romantic evening with Linda also waned in the breeze. His right thigh started throbbing as he picked up the pace, his wound still fresh with synthetic sutures. Linda lived close by, but he had never visited. He resisted the urge to call out to her, hoping instead to catch up and ease into an apology. Her choice of neighborhoods peaked his interest. The streets here were dotted with bold oaks and characteristic shops and restaurants normally buzzing with activity. The busy, party atmosphere contrasted with her low key personality. Maybe this is where she found balance? Even book worms needed a release of some type. This was definitely the side of her he wanted to get to know better. He hurried after her, wanting to catch up before she disappeared into one of the many brownstones lining the streets. Focusing on the street corner where Linda had turned, he noticed a man looking in Linda’s direction. The man had taken a long, hard look at Linda and quickly, no, deliberately crossed the street toward her. The man’s calculated and measured pace seemed out of place. Alex’s instincts pushed him to follow. Maybe the events of the past few days had him on edge, he thought. But there was no harm in making sure Linda was safe. His pulse started racing and his muscles tensed as he began following the stranger. As he rounded the corner he spied Linda crossing the street a block ahead. Her head was down and she was obviously not paying close attention to her surroundings, familiarity dulling the natural self preservation instinct that is innate in all members of the human species. She was definitely being followed – the man had crossed the street after her and held the door she had gone through open as he looked left and right up and down the street. Alex was hidden behind a pickup truck but had a good eye view of the situation. An instant later he saw the man dash through the doorway.