Sitnalta Page 14

{Rus arranged it so that Howie Hayes and his daughter Natalina could be with their mother who remained in a strange state of neuro suspension; a coma. Ellen had somewhat stabilized and the elder Jason moved her to one of his compounds that was more near to the Hayes' compound so that Howie would be less fearful of a Fougere plot. The younger Jason remained a prisoner of Howie Hayes. }

{Michelle visits the compound and sits with Rus as he looks over books in the compound's library.}

Rus: In my time many people consider Atlantis like a fable. Many educated people doubt there was such a place or think that it was just a small island and hardly worth much consideration. Some people even mistakenly think that if it existed, it must have existed in the Mediterranean region. How I got back in time, here, was through a portal of some kind off the Bahamas Islands. A road had been discovered in the ocean and I was scuba diving in the area where there was supposed to be the road.

Michelle: It is eerie that in the future we should be so near forgotten. Yet it is not so strange. There are many tales regarding early Atlantis. Even the families who are in charge of the various halls of records are sketchy about what life was like before the great upheaval when the land became broken into islands. They say some knowledge is forbidden except to the privileged. I wonder if even the privileged really know as much as they pretend.

Rus: Civilizations rise and fall. Even if nothing else is destined, that seems to be the fate of the world. No matter how advanced civilization becomes. No matter how much knowledge is gained. Like Adam and Eve were kicked from the Garden of Eden, mankind is kicked from the world of the enlightened back into the darkness of ignorance over and over again. Civilization seems always destined to pay a price for its misuse of knowledge.

{Michelle's brother, Johnathan Midici enters the library without Rus and Michelle realizing it. He listens and then joins in the conversation.}

Johnathan: Knowledge is power and those with power are protective of it. They seem to hoard it even to the ends of their Family and then it is lost for a time as their Houses crumbles. I wonder if the power game between the Fougeres and Howie Hayes with our family being caught in the middle is going to destroy our world or if somehow it can be prevented.

Rus: Jason has been doing his best to stop the destruction of this world.

Johnathan: But even if Atlantis should be saved, what shall become of my family.

Michelle: Is any world really destroyed? Does any civilization really disappear back into the primitive state of ignorance? The souls who knew those worlds are eternal. The loss of time or time itself is just an illusion. Rus being here is proof of that. Jason's struggle to change history is proof of that. {Michelle reached up and lovingly touches her brother's face.} In simpler terms, our family is a strong community of souls and we shall endure. Just as the Fougere's have managed to keep their community together through the ancient ages, in times of dark and light, we too shall persevere. We may not always agree with father but we will not be divided. We will not allow our House to be destroyed. Even if we die tomorrow, when we return to this world we will return as a family and as a House that can not, that will not, be divided.

Johnathan: I don't know. Do you remember your soul's first journey to planet earth? I don't.

Rus: In time, memories from an entire year can be reduced to a few fleeting thoughts. Most events aren't very important or worth remembering. I'm not sure I believe in reincarnation, but even if say I've lived before I can't imagine remembering that life.

Johnathan: We do remember some of our past lives. {Johnathan stares at Michelle.} And we have not always been a House undivided.

Michelle: {Looks at Rus.} If something is important to you in the present and it was important to you in the past, if something happens that you associate with whatever, it can cause a flood of memories. I can't remember my first journey into this world, but there have been times that I have been flooded with memories from when I was Anna May Belle LaCross.

Johnathan: Yes, back then we were a House divided. I've told you before that I'm sorry my troops and I invaded your village back then. I'm so sorry we burned your village to the ground.

Rus: What village?

Johnathan: Some weird place called Atlanta. We can't figure out where the hell it was or when it existed. Michelle thought she remembered it was in some place called Georgia, but we can't find that mentioned in any of the history books either. It must have been in the old Atlantis before the destruction.

Michelle: The old Atlantis must have been a grand world. We refer to the Garden of Eden as the Garden of Knowledge and the cradle of the old Atlantis. God didn't destroy the garden, but he hid it away from us. Perhaps, I guess, it is hidden in the past just as all of Atlantis is hidden from your time. I hope that isn't what the ancient text means though. I'd like to think that it exist hidden in the present so that someone might discover it. God removed Adam and Eve and everyone from the garden, but if it should be found would God forbid us from returning to it? I'd like to think not. Perhaps though, it exist only in past. Still, just like you Rus were able to travel back here to Atlantis, there must be a way to travel back to the old Atlantis, to the place where time began. That is if God's gatekeepers do not forbid such a journey. Oh, I would love to make that journey and perhaps shake hands with myself. {Michelle notices that Rus is staring strangely at her.} I must be talking like a nut.

Rus: {Begins scratching his head and rolling his eyes upward toward the ceiling.} God, if things get any more confusing I think I will go insane. I don't know whether Atlanta, Georgia ever existed in the past of Atlantis. I do know that it exist in the future in a country called the United States of America.

Johnathan: In the future. Our memory is of the future. I know that the soul travels faster than the speed of light several times over again. There is no way to measure how fast. Thousands of years in the physical world are less than second in the metaphysical world. Course it would have to be for anyone to be able to travel through time. Souls do not have to be born in a chronological time line. What a concept!

Rus: Yeah, really! I'm still trying to come to terms with the concept of reincarnation. As far as I know, I'm just dreaming. I hope I'm dreaming. But…

Michelle: {Michelle looks at Rus and speaks in a harsh tone.} But what! But if you aren't dreaming! If we aren't dreaming! What we thought was a House divided in the past will instead be a House divided in the future. Not only is our Atlantis destined to be destroyed, so is my family. {Michelle manages to hold back her tears.}

Rus: I'm sorry. {Laughs and tries to break the tension.} That is not what I was going to say. Look, I kind of know I'm not dreaming. I have traveled back in time. I have got to accept that. I'm on the verge of almost accepting that. After all, some scientist think time travel is possible. But to also accept the idea of reincarnation? You've got to understand that most religions in Western Civilization do not accept the notion or the concept of reincarnation. People tend to think of those religions as primitive.

Michelle: {Still thinking of her own memories from the future she points her finger at Rus as if about to give a stern lecture, but then smiles.} Sounds like to me so called Western Civilization is kind of screwed up. {Laughs.}

Rus: After the fall of the Roman Empire, much knowledge was lost. Civilization, if you might even call it that, forgot the ability to reason. Lead poisoning was mostly to blame. Then there was the problem of rich nobles using the corrupt clergy to keep the people ignorant and under control. If it wasn't for the Christian Crusades and the crusaders invading the Middle East civilization would probably still be in darkness. They discovered the works of the old Greek and Roman philosophers. If they hadn't discovered the ancient text we probably still wouldn't have the ability to reason.

Johnathan: According to the Fougeres the first beings who manifested themselves from the metaphysical into the physical were primitive and ignorant in many ways. They knew how to use the recipes from the tree of knowledge to play God, but they in no way understood what they were doing. I mean what kind of souls would create serpents and dinosaurs as their bodies of choice and then to become trapped in those bodies.

Rus: Dinosaurs had souls and were intelligent?

Johnathan: They had souls but the souls were a dumb lot. There was no way they could properly reason within those bodies. {Then Johnathan blushes.} I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply that just because you have a goat head that you can't properly reason. From what Jason once told me, I was among that dumb lot.

Rus: Well, lots of things can cause someone to have a problem doing simple reasoning. I mean the main reason the Roman Empire crumbled was because of lead poisoning. The people weren't to blame. It just happened because they didn't know what was happening to them. I didn't choose to travel back in time. I didn't choose to have a goat head.

Johnathan: {Johnathan nods in agreement and then looks at his watch.} Michelle, father wants us both back at the lab. Rus, I do hope that somehow you can change the future of the world. From what I've heard you are a very smart man. God chose you to change the time-scape for a reason.

Michelle: Can't Barnicle wait.

Johnathan: He wants you to help set the ground work to test the laser fusion. Don't tell him, but I want you to delay it.

Michelle: Let me finish reading this. Okay?

{In less than ten minutes, 5 security agents stormed the library along with Barnicle Midici. Barnicle stood with a gun pointed at his head.}

Michelle: What is going on? {Michelle stares at the handcuffs on her father's wrist.} Are we being arrested?

Barnicle: Johnathan, you kind of forgot something before you came here.

Johnathan: Oh hell, I've been being recorded. Did I say something that would cause the Queen problems?

Barnicle: What didn't you say?

Johnathan: Okay, so I said something that offended the Queen, though I can't imagine what? Why would you be under arrest?

Barnicle: Lord Quickfire is the one who happened to be the one who heard you talking. He considered what you were saying a direct attack on the Sons of Belial and a hate crime.

Johnathan: What did I say? I don't think I said anything like that. But anyway, besides, it has never been a secret that I hate the Sons of Belial.

Michelle: Lord Quickfire has wanted to take control of the Laser Fusion project ever since we began it.

{Jason and Howie Hayes hear the commotion and exit the chamber where they have been with Ellen.}

Jason: What is going on?

Security Agent: We have orders to put the Midici family and the Goat Dude under arrest.

Rus: You are putting me under arrest.

Security Agent: I'm pretty sure Lord Quickfire meant Howie Hayes when he said Goat Dude.