his arms came closer to his body, the speed of his flight increased. As they went farther from his body, he slowed. Nothing was propelling him: there was no gas or combustion coming out of his boots or back. He was simply lifted up into the air as if he’d become wind itself.
He spun around, going higher and higher, coming in front of the full moon that was out, the suit lighting up to a powerful shade of indigo, before he tumbled back down and came close to the ground before zooming back up. It was like walking: he did the action first by thinking about it but once he was in the middle of it, he didn’t have to think.
Spinning like a top, he grew a little dizzy. He felt himself lose concentration and his altitude began to dec line. “Whoa. Whoa! Suit, suit! Stop…stop!”
He slammed into the earth like a crashing building. It shook the ground and tore up ice and rock. His body was imbedded into the frozen soil. Slowly, he pushed himself up. He felt pain but not as much as he should have. He looked back to camp and saw everyone standing outside their tents.
“Um, hey guys. So I found something kinda cool.”
16
James was the first to snap out of shock. He walked over to Dillon and stood silent a while before touching the suit.
“I went back to the city,” Dillon said.
“So I see.”
“This was in that tower. In a chamber underneath the city. ”
“You just put on a strange…artifact?”
“It’s probably more accurate to say it put me on.”
George was walking up now. “What the hell! I told you no one gets anything without me. This trip is over!”
He went to grab Dillon and instinctively, Dillon raised his hand. Without a single touch, George was thrown off his feet, flying back and tumbling head over heels.
“George!” James said, running over to him.
“Oh crap , is he okay?”
James bent over the man, checking his head for wounds. He was fine, though in shock.
“How did you do that?” James said. “You didn’t touch him.”
Dillon shook his head. “I don’t know. I just thought about pushing him back.”
When George was on his feet, he glared at Dillon and then turned away and headed back to camp.
James stood. “He knows what it is.”
“What?”
“That wasn’t a normal reaction to what we just saw, Dillon. He knew about it.”
Dillon walked to the tent just behind James. Inside, George was packing up his gear.
“You knew about this,” James said.
“Yeah, I knew.”
“But you couldn’t find it.”
“No.”
“What is it?” Dillon asked, his voice echoing in the tent.
“It’s how they mapped the coastline. It’s a weapon. At least I think it’s a weapon.”
“How did you know about it?”
George sat down on a small cot. “My grandf ather was one of the first Norwegian explorers to this part of Queen Maude Land. He found the city. He called it Atlantis, mistakenly I think, but who knows. He thought the earth had shifted and Atlantis had been buried here, under a mile of ice. He never published his findings. My father and he spent their entire lives exploring that city, and they didn’t find anything. Where did you find it?”
“In the tower. Underneath the city.”
“We searched everywhere, including the tower. There’re no entrances.”
“It… allowed me in. I don’t know why.”
George was quiet a moment. “That suit was in some of their writings. Reformed Minoan, that’s what my grandfather called their language. He disappeared here shortly after. My father abandoned it after that. He said something was inside the city and he wasn’t ever going to bring me here. But I found it without him.”
James said, “Do you know how it works?”
“Magnetic putty, that’s what my grandfather called it in his journals. The closest translation. It creates a magnetic field around the wearer. You’re not really flying so much as pushing against the magnetic field of the earth, maneuvering around inside it. But these were
He spun around, going higher and higher, coming in front of the full moon that was out, the suit lighting up to a powerful shade of indigo, before he tumbled back down and came close to the ground before zooming back up. It was like walking: he did the action first by thinking about it but once he was in the middle of it, he didn’t have to think.
Spinning like a top, he grew a little dizzy. He felt himself lose concentration and his altitude began to dec line. “Whoa. Whoa! Suit, suit! Stop…stop!”
He slammed into the earth like a crashing building. It shook the ground and tore up ice and rock. His body was imbedded into the frozen soil. Slowly, he pushed himself up. He felt pain but not as much as he should have. He looked back to camp and saw everyone standing outside their tents.
“Um, hey guys. So I found something kinda cool.”
16
James was the first to snap out of shock. He walked over to Dillon and stood silent a while before touching the suit.
“I went back to the city,” Dillon said.
“So I see.”
“This was in that tower. In a chamber underneath the city. ”
“You just put on a strange…artifact?”
“It’s probably more accurate to say it put me on.”
George was walking up now. “What the hell! I told you no one gets anything without me. This trip is over!”
He went to grab Dillon and instinctively, Dillon raised his hand. Without a single touch, George was thrown off his feet, flying back and tumbling head over heels.
“George!” James said, running over to him.
“Oh crap , is he okay?”
James bent over the man, checking his head for wounds. He was fine, though in shock.
“How did you do that?” James said. “You didn’t touch him.”
Dillon shook his head. “I don’t know. I just thought about pushing him back.”
When George was on his feet, he glared at Dillon and then turned away and headed back to camp.
James stood. “He knows what it is.”
“What?”
“That wasn’t a normal reaction to what we just saw, Dillon. He knew about it.”
Dillon walked to the tent just behind James. Inside, George was packing up his gear.
“You knew about this,” James said.
“Yeah, I knew.”
“But you couldn’t find it.”
“No.”
“What is it?” Dillon asked, his voice echoing in the tent.
“It’s how they mapped the coastline. It’s a weapon. At least I think it’s a weapon.”
“How did you know about it?”
George sat down on a small cot. “My grandf ather was one of the first Norwegian explorers to this part of Queen Maude Land. He found the city. He called it Atlantis, mistakenly I think, but who knows. He thought the earth had shifted and Atlantis had been buried here, under a mile of ice. He never published his findings. My father and he spent their entire lives exploring that city, and they didn’t find anything. Where did you find it?”
“In the tower. Underneath the city.”
“We searched everywhere, including the tower. There’re no entrances.”
“It… allowed me in. I don’t know why.”
George was quiet a moment. “That suit was in some of their writings. Reformed Minoan, that’s what my grandfather called their language. He disappeared here shortly after. My father abandoned it after that. He said something was inside the city and he wasn’t ever going to bring me here. But I found it without him.”
James said, “Do you know how it works?”
“Magnetic putty, that’s what my grandfather called it in his journals. The closest translation. It creates a magnetic field around the wearer. You’re not really flying so much as pushing against the magnetic field of the earth, maneuvering around inside it. But these were
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