Lost City

"Or Maybe an Alien"

F*cking h*ll.

F*cking! H*ll! With all the f*cking capitals and all the f*cking exclamation points.

The idiot I call my best friend and brother had to pull some stupid stunt and now there's the f*cking alarm going off. There's never been an alarm before! And only six months before the last patrol. We would have been in the clear if whatever the f*ck set off the alarm waited another hundred years on their side.

And now I have to go with the sh*thead to see if there's a threat or if it's just a wandering animal. In the middle of the night too. The G*ds he better pray it's an animal. I won't be responsible for my actions if the Terra city is found because of him.

"Gabe, hurry up. Mr. B is gonna be pissed if we aren't through the gateway like yesterday." Luke yells over his shoulder as he passes my door.

I growl at him as I sprint to catch up. "Why does it have to be us. Why couldn't it be North and Silas. Maybe even Nate. They could scare the intruder out."

Luke just laughs and I roll my eyes. I get why Blackbourne is sending us, but honestly, the three of them are a much better choice. I'd be able to sleep in and get my beauty rest. Actually never mind. North's ugly mug needs it more.

I smirk, feelling much more confident about myself and rush in front of Luke. "What do you want to bet it's just a fish that tripped the alarm?" I ask, looking over my shoulder as we climb into the boat.

"Nah man," Luke says with a far off look as he climbs in behind me, "it's going to be a beautiful girl. Or maybe an alien. I mean how else would they have found it. We all know it was buried under the water. We were the only civilization advanced enough to explore that part of Terra."

With a snort, I turn away and guide the ship in the direction of planet Earth's gateway. "It's been centuries dude. Who the h*ll knows what they've created since then."

"But it's in the middle of the ocean. Why would the Terrans search the middle of nowhere for no reason." Luke leans forward to push the crystal for protection as we breach the waterfall. "That's why it has to be aliens. They're most likely to search every part of a planet."

"With your logic Luke, we were the aliens when Atlantis was there."

He laughs before becoming still. The water glides over the top of the protective dome afforded to us by the crystal. No light can be seen as we slide through the slipstream to Terra. Luke touches my arm and I know exactly what he's telling me to do. With a quick twist of rough, grey stone around my neck my vision clears into black and white tones. When we run patrol we usually use lights, but we didn't want to chance it if some person found the cave by accident.

"We'll have to be silent once we go through the portal. Do you have the rings?" Luke whispers, just in case the passage is closer than we think.

I give him a look and pass over one of the bands on my fingers. Of course I wouldn't forget the communication rings. What kind of idiot does he take me for? Well he is my best friend so he may have a point.

"Thanks." I hear his voice in my mind.

I nod before grimacing at the tell-tell signs of the exit. Light rushes down down in streaks, following the same path as the water. Bright blues and greens mean there's life near the other side. It's gorgeous, especially compared to the faded shades that slid down like mud down the portal the last time we were here. Whatever is on the other side is making the G*ds happy. The colors are practically dancing.

I hear Luke suck in a breath to match mine as we pass under it, both in awe and in fear. Neither of us have any idea what's waiting for us, and it looks like the G*ds are on it's side.