Chapter 2 Atlantis

Chapter 2

As I slowly regained my consciousness the very first thing that popped into my mind is am I dead?

I could not feel, hear, or see anything. It was like my whole body was numb. I could not open my eyes or move my body, but my ears were ringing.

I remember the moment that the plane hit the surface of the water and the passengers erupted into chaos. Voices rose in curses and screams of panic. Mothers pulling their kids closer to them as the fathers place their protective arms to their family. I remember us descending deeper into the ocean. My chest tightening at the pressure from the depth. The metals folding like a tin can as we descended deeper. I remember my head being squeezed harder and harder until I finally lost consciousness.

The ringing finally stopped as I started to hear hushed voices. I was starting to get my hearings back.

"..........be certain." My ears were ringing.Someone was talking and I don't know who. My hearing was still a little weak so I could not point out if it is a girl or a boy.

"I am. Atlas's stone was glowing brighter than the others. It is not a mistake." Said another voice.

"...haver never seen a surface dweller with that much concentration."

My other senses were starting to come back. My sense of smell came next. A putrid smell entered my nostrils. It was the stench of blood. And it was strong.

My body began to stir at the unwanted smell that was suffocating me. I started to cough. I was aching all over my body as if I were covered in bruises.

"She's waking up."

I started to open my eyes and wish I hadn't. What I saw before me was a nightmare. The plane's surface was like a wrinkled aluminum foil, lights dangled and flickered like those in horror movies, tv and speaker's crashed and cracked on the floor, wires hanged from the ceiling like jungle vines.

But that was not the worse of it.

Along the walls were splatters of blood and - dare I say it - guts and things that makes a human. Their heads were crushed like cans, their chest pressed tightly to their rib cage so tightly you can see the bones poking out. You can hear their moans of anguish and chokes as life was taken away from them.

My hands flew to my mouth to cover my nose. I tried to lean down but was held back because of the seat belt. My fingers fumbled over the belt blindly as I tried to locate the release button. My breath quickened the longer I fumbled with the belt. I feel like drowning.

Bile rose up from my throat and I lean down again to throw up.

I wiped my mouth and then started to check up on myself. Arms, legs, body, and my head was covered in sprays of blood that I was sure wasn't mine, but I was alright save for some bruises and a few scratches. I still have my body and it doesn't seem crumpled like the other unfortunate passengers. Guilt started to wash over me at the sudden sensation of relief at being alive and not ending up like the others.

A faint whimper at my side made me look up. Rachel sat beside me, she too was alive and not looking like a prune. I saw her hands fly to her belly and she began to sob harder and harder until I realize something; the bump on her belly was gone and blood was oozing between her legs.

In that moment, I momentarily forgot my disgust and nausea as I reached out for her as much as I could with trembling arms. "R-Rachel?" My voice was in a hushed whisper.

Rachel turned her head to me. Her face smeared with blood as she cries. "I-I can't feel him. I can feel him anymore..." She said in between sobs and then she started to weep again.

I let out a curse and grabbed her hand, squeezing it tightly as I called for help. "Someone?! Anyone please help!!" I know it was useless. Everyone in this place seemed dead or are far too hurt to move.

No one seemed to answer my cries for help as I gripped onto Rachel, but after a few more moments blinding blue light shone at Rachel's other side. I could not see the person standing before us because of the light, but he started to reach out and release us from our seat belts.

"Duncan, I need help here!" The man called and suddenly, I could see another figure joining him.

One of them reached for Rachel and the other to me. They helped us on our feet and steadied us. They started to lead us somewhere in which I desperately hope is an exit. Rachel and the other guy, Duncan, was walking ahead of us. I could just make out her shivering figure from the blue light.

My foot stepped on something soft and sluggish. It popped the moment I pressed my full weight on it. I was about to look down to see what I must have stepped on when hands covered my line of sight. "Don't look." The man whispered in my ear and for some reason I didn't argue.

His hands were still covering my eyes as we walked in a slow pace. My nose picked up stronger scent of blood and I was glad that my eyes were covered. I felt small puddled as we walked and couldn't help but wonder if it's water or blood that I'm stepping on.

Soon, the man took off his hands from my eyes and I was blinded by white light. I squinted my eyes to adjust and could just make out a few figures lying on the floor in a sitting position.

When my eyes finally adjusted, I could see that we were out of the plane and into some sort of white room. Just outside of the wrecked plane lies a few of the survivors who all mirrored shock, horror, and grieve faces; all bloodied from top to toe and smearing the white floor with red.

Standing before the grieving passenger are men and women in gray fitted suits. All have white hairs and alert postures as they brought survivors out of the wreckage.

"There's another one!" I heard someone yelled.

"I have one too." The man beside me announced.

I saw Rachel sitting a few meters from me. With weak knees I was able to make my way to her. She was shaking. One of the men in suit handed us towels to wipe ourselves off. I took it and started to wipe myself and Rachel clean, but it wasn't enough to drive off the smell.

I was slightly surprise were I got the strength to move as I am doing now despite the things I have seen a while back. Perhaps seeing the same look on Rachel must have driven me on auto pilot.

"This isn't happening!!" Someone yelled from the survivors at the people in gray. A man in his thirties with a bloodied face was embracing little girl as they cried. "My wife.....she's......she's......" He wasn't able to continue. I suddenly remember the things I've seen back at the plane and felt another wave of nausea.

I quickly shook my head at the thought. I don't want to be reminded of what I could have been back there.

Footsteps echoed in the room and I looked up to see a woman standing in front of all the other survivors. My blood ran cold when I realized it was Jessica, the stewardess of the plane, but she somehow looked different. Instead of her uniform, she was wearing the same gray. Her eyes remained the same shade of ruby but her hair, instead of black, is now white which is now tied into a high pony tail. There was a smirk on her lips as she watch the survivors before her.

"Everyone, may I please have your attention?" She called out. All lifeless eyes trained on her as she continued. "I know all of you must be scared and traumatized for what you have seen. There are only twenty-three of you here who survived and I am guessing some of you may be wondering why you're here, alive, while the others are dead. Others might also wonder where you are and why you are here." A pause. Her eyes looking at all of us before she continued. "Well, for starters, we are deep in the pacific ocean more than ten thousand meters under. But if you would like us to be specific, we are in Atlantis."

Atlantis.

A fictional island mentioned within an allegory on the hubris of nations in Plato's works Timaeus and Critead's. I remember my father telling me stories about the lost city of Atlantis when I was little. Telling me how a Utopian island once existed and somehow sank and was lost into the ocean hundreds - may thousands - of years ago.

Surely my father had been joking when he said that story to me.

"Impossible." I murmured but apparently it was heard by all since Jessica glance at me and smiled.

"No it's not, darling." She smiled making my stomach churn. "It's real and you are all it's people. You are all descendants of the people of Atlantis a long time ago when it stood above ground. You all survived because your Atlantean blood - mixed with the blue vile injected to your blood - that protected your body from the intense atmospheric pressure that would have killed you."

Silence fell in the room as we all took in the her words. Blood of an Atlantean? It's their blood that made me - us - survive? My fingers unconsciously touched the white strand of hair at the side of my head.

I'm an Atlantean?

A movement to my right suddenly broke my thoughts. Rachel rose to her feat and started to charge at Jessica with her hands like claws as she reached for her. Just as she was about to make contact, a man stood between her and Jessica, and grabbed he by the wrist. Rachel flail and fought against the grip of the man as she glared at Jessica with pure hatred.

"You monster!! You brought us here knowing that only a few of us would live, didn't you? You murdered those people! You took away their family and loved ones. How can you stand there looking like it doesn't bother you?" screamed Rachel. I looked at her with new found admiration as I realize that she was not only speaking for herself or her lost child, but she was also speaking on behalf of us.

Jessica raised an eyebrow at her as if she was crazy. "Do you really think we don't know that? And they would have diead either way. We merely saved you from your own people. The land dwellers' government became aware of your existence and that people with Atlantean blood in them. Haven't you all realize why some got a chance to win free tickets or discounts?" She looked at each and every one of us. By the reaction of the others, I assume that they were all questing it as well. Even I, who receive the ticket from my aunt, am starting to doubt everything.

How did my aunt pay for my ticket?

"It was all part of their plan. They know your heritage and are planning on using your blood for experimentation. Sadly, my people and I can only save those who cross the pacific ocean. Your plane was headed to one of their research facilities in Japan. If we had not intercepted it then you could be tortured and experimented on like animals." Then her eyes seeped over Rachel's stomach and her bloodied legs. "I see that you were carrying a child. My deepest regret. The rescue mission came so suddenly that we weren't able to prepare."

In that moment, I saw Rachel's face turn red in anger and frustration. Jessica came and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "It may not be much, but we are apologize for not being able to be of much more help." Rachel was still trembling and crying. She's a mother who was mourning the death of her unborn child. I saw her raising her fist in the air and almost slammed it to the ground when a hand stopped her.

And that hand was mine.

Jessica looked at me in surprise before it turned into a small and thankful smile. "How can they do that? Experiment on people? We are still humans just like them!"

Jessica stared at me. "Like them? We are far more intellectual than the earthlings. The time they have bows and arrows as weapons? We already have lasers. Our minds are far more superior than you could ever imagine. Who do you think are the people who brought machines to your world? It is us. For years we disguise ourselves among the earth walkers. Teaching them medicine and about technology. Everything that they have now they owe to the Atlanteans! You should be thankful to have a bit of our blood."

"How can we be thankful for that when we were being targeted?" My hands balled into fist and I looked back at the wrecked plane behind me. It's shape barely recognizable and haunted especially with the cracked glasses, peeled paint, and oozed blood.

Rachel started to cough, still being held by Jessica.

I looked back up to the female Atlantean. Eyes cold as I said the next words. "How is this to be thankful of!?"

Jessica opened her mouth to answer, but a man stopped her. It was the same man who injected the blue vile.

His yellow eyes were emotionless and his lips were on a thin line as he looked at Jessica. "Enough." He said. "We're wasting time here." Then his eyes locked into mine for a second before it looked up at the other survivors. "All of you here are will have the chance to live with us since the land isn't safe for you anymore. Should you decide to do so, we will give you homes and even provide for you, on the exchange that you lend us your support and assistance to help others like you."

"But-" Someone started but was quickly cut off by him.

"If you have families be sure to tell us. We will send reinforcements for them. Either for protection or to bring them here if they are eligible."

"You are forcing us to work for you?"

"You will be citizens of Atlantis. You are not slaves. And as I have said, you are to be paid with full accomodations. It is simply up to you to accept or not. But remember, if they came after you once, who's the say they won't come back for you?"

The man's eyes narrowed and leaned his face until it was inches from mine. "You will either work or return to death. That's the real world that we are living in." I could hear the warning in his voice not to defy him. And I knew better. I was already standing on a thin line as we speak.

I gritted my teeth and closed my eyes. The frustration that I felt at being powerless in this sort of situation is unbearable that I could feel my eyes sting as tears threatened to spill but I willed them back.

When I opened them back, I saw Jessica having a grim on her face as she faced the people. "For those who want to live and serve Atlantis please follow us. For those who don't, I hope you'll do well in the surface world."

I can see the hesitation in everyone's eyes as they started to move towards Jessica and the other Atlanteans's side. I don't really blame them for going, because if we don't then we'll be thrown out into the surface to who knows what's awaiting us.

Either way we have no choice if we want to survive.

Then I noticed that everyone left except Rachel and I. I heard Rachel let out a whimper of pain and clutched her stomach and I immediately went to her side. She was still bleeding and the dead baby was still inside of her.

"Rachel, hey. Stay with me." I told her.

"Do you need some assistance?" Jessica said. "We can fully help you recover back in the city." She gestured at Rachel. I felt Rachel's hand on my arm. I looked at her to see her shaking her head.

I heard Jessica sigh. "As you wish. I hope you two won't end up like the previous ones."

The previous ones.

Wait, does she mean that there were others who were brought here before us? Could it be that they were also the ones responsible for the disappearance of the plane that my father was in?

"Everyone, move out!" The man called and a few seconds later, I heard their footsteps getting farther and farther away.

"Wait!" I got up and turned to them.

They all paused and Jessica turned to me. "Yes?"

I looked at Rachel sitting on the floor in agony before turning my gaze back to her. "Take us with you." I said.

"N-No.." Rachel said weakly. She was obviously fighting the pain and looked like she was on the verge of having a blackout.

I went back to her side to talk to her. "Rachel, we need to come with them. They can help you."

"What's the point of even tring to live?" She muttered and rubbed her belly.

She sounded dead serious about not coming, but I don't want to go there to the other side and leave her. I grabbed her shoulder and talked to her in a hushed voice. "Listen to me, Rachel. Yes, they hundreds of people back there are dead and so is your unborn child, but they somehow mean well. If what they say is true then should'nt we make the real enemies pay? If not then at least help others like us."

I was feeling guilty for lying to her. Revenge was not my reason. I only want to find some answers about my dad.

Rachel blink at me with droopy eyes and I was afraid that she would faint right then and there. "Should I agree to come with them, you promise we can have our revenge?" She said tiredly.

I nodded. "Yes, I promise, so please come with me. I can't do this alone."

Rachel looked me in the eyes for a moment before she nodded weakly. "Alright." She said and she finally used up all her strength and she passed out.

I laid her on the floor as I turned towards Jessica. "We're coming with you to Atlatis."