“It’s Atlantis,” said Nina. “It must be. It matches Plato’s description too closely for it to be anything else. The three rings of water around the citadel, the canal heading southwards…” She tapped a finger on the dark rectangle. “And this-it’s the Temple of Poseidon, the original. There’s nothing else it can be!”

“How did it end up so deep?” wondered Chase. “Eight hundred feet’s a long way down.”

“A major tectonic shift or the collapse of a subsurface volcanic caldera could easily cause part of the continental shelf to subside over a very short period. It’d cause massive tsunamis as well, which would account for the cataclysmic sinking of the island that Plato described-and over time, it would continue to settle and sink deeper. Also, global sea levels have risen since the end of the last ice age, about ten thousand years ago-after the sinking of Atlantis. Combine the two events and you have something that nobody would ever find-unless they knew exactly where to look.”

“Which you did.” Kari beamed at her. “My God, Nina, you did it! You found something that people thought was just a legend!”

“Yeah, they did, didn’t they?” said Nina, with a pointed glance at Philby.

“Yes, yes,” he harrumphed, “obviously I was mistaken.” He extended a hand. “Congratulations, Dr. Wilde.”

“Thank you, Professor,” she replied, shaking it. After a moment, he leaned forward and put an arm around her.

“Well done, Nina,” he said. “Outstanding work.” She smiled, filled with pride.

“Well, I don’t want to interrupt this archaeological orgy,” cut in Chase, “but we still actually have to get to the place. Eight hundred feet of water, remember?”

“I can take care of that,” said Frost. “I’ll tell the captain of the Evenor to set sail as soon as possible. He has already made all the preparations-you can catch up by helicopter tomorrow.” He smiled. “Once again, Dr. Wilde, congratulations are in order. You’ve made another incredible discovery. I just wish I could be there to see it for myself.”

“So do I, Far,” said Kari.

“The next time we speak…” Frost smiled again, more broadly, “you will have discovered Atlantis. I am certain of it. Good-bye… and good luck.” The screen went dark.

“I second that,” said Kari. “Congratulations, Nina!” She went to the minibar, taking out a bottle of Bollinger champagne. “We should celebrate!”

“Out of the minibar?” laughed Chase. “Christ, that’ll probably cost you more than you’ve spent on the whole expedition!”

“I think it’s worth it. Here, Nina.” She handed over the bottle. “You deserve the honors.”

“And you haven’t just won a Grand Prix, so don’t shake it up!” Chase added. “Don’t want to waste any booze.”

Nina tore away the foil and unwound the wire cap as Castille handed out glasses. She twisted the cork. “Oh, I always hate this bit. I’m scared that I’m going to take somebody’s eye out.”

“Like Jason Starkman’s?” said Chase with a cruel smirk.

“That’s not funny-aah!” The cork popped free, Chase swooping in to catch the overflowing froth. “Thanks.”

“No problem. Go on, fill it right up. It’s yours.”

“Trying to get me drunk?”

“Yeah, I bet you’re a right raver when you’re pissed! Here.” He took the bottle from her and handed her the full glass in return, pouring drinks for everyone else.

“To Nina,” said Kari, raising her glass. Everyone else echoed the toast.

Nina paused. “Thank you… but I think we should remember the people who got hurt, or… or didn’t make it this far with us. Hafez, Agnaldo, Julio, Hamilton, Captain Perez…”

The others solemnly repeated the names before sipping their drinks. “That was very thoughtful,” said Philby.

“It just seemed appropriate. I hope whatever we find is worth it…”

“It will be,” Kari assured her. “It will be.”

NINETEEN

The Gulf of Cádiz

There she is!” said Kari, pointing ahead through the helicopter’s windscreen.

The deep blue of the Gulf of Cádiz stretched out before them, sunlight glinting off its surface. They were ninety miles from the Portuguese coast, a hundred from Gibraltar, and their destination was itself in motion, making a steady twelve knots into the Atlantic. The RV Evenor stood out against the endless blue as a slice of gleaming white, a 260-foot oceanographic survey vessel representing the state of the art in undersea exploration. As with all his other concerns, Kristian Frost had not cut any corners.

“Ah, finally!” said Castille. The Belgian had been extremely nervous throughout the flight, to the amusement of the other passengers. “I can’t wait to get my feet back on solid ground.” He considered this. “Solid deck. Rocking deck. Ah, so long as it’s not a helicopter, I don’t care!”

“You got any idea how hard it is to land a helicopter on a moving ship?” Chase asked mischievously. Castille gave him a sour look, then took a green apple from a pocket and crunched deeply into it.

“That won’t be a problem, sir,” the pilot assured him as the Bell 407 began its descent. “I’ve done this a hundred times.”

“It’s number hundred and one I’m worried about,” Castille muttered through a mouthful of apple. Even Philby joined in the jovial mockery that followed.

Nina looked over Kari’s shoulder as they approached the Evenor. The research vessel had an ultramodern and, to her admittedly inexperienced eyes, somewhat odd design. The hull was normal enough, but the superstructure seemed almost top-heavy, a tall, tapered block squeezed into the midsection of the ship with a radar mast towering above it.

The reason for the unusual design became obvious as they got closer. At the stern, protruding out above the propellers on a fantail, was a helicopter pad, while most of the deck area at the bow was devoted to heavy cranes and winches to support the Evenor’s two submersibles. The people had to fit in the space between their machines.

“Only a year old,” Kari said as they approached. “Three thousand two hundred metric tons, with five officers, nineteen crew and able to support up to thirty scientists for two months. My father’s pride and joy.”

“After you, I hope,” said Nina.

“Mmm… sometimes I wonder,” joked Kari.

As the pilot had promised, the landing was performed quickly and safely. Castille practically leapt from the cabin as crewmen secured the aircraft to the deck. “Safe at last!” he proclaimed.

“Just don’t throw up your hands in joy,” Nina told him, indicating the still-spinning rotor blades above him. “Remember what happened to Ajar!”

“Least you’ll be safe from choppers down there,” said Chase, looking overboard. The sea was calm, the gentle waves the perfect disguise for what lay beneath.

Kari led the group into the superstructure and up to the pilot house on level four, where they were met by the Evenor’s commander, Captain Leo Matthews, a tall Canadian in a spotless white uniform. Once the introductions were made, he updated them on the situation. “We’ll reach the target area in about three hours. Are you sure you want to send both subs down on the first descent, ma’am?” he asked Kari. “It might be better just to send the Atragon to inspect the seabed first.”

Kari shook her head. “I’m afraid time is a factor. Qobras already has a ship at sea-it’s looking in the wrong place, but he must know by now that we’ve set sail. Sooner or later he’s going to investigate, and I suspect it will be sooner.”

“Are you worried about an attack?”

“Wouldn’t be the first one,” Chase pointed out.

Matthews smiled. “Well, the Evenor might not be a warship, but… let’s just say we can look after ourselves.” He turned to Kari. “Your father sent some, ah, special equipment. We’ll be ready for any trouble, ma’am.”