November 16, 2011

Atlantis 11

          In a split second, an area of five miles in diameter, lit up like the surface of the sun. Every single living thing within this area, whether it was man, animal or plant, was incinerated in one gigantic ball of fire. The enormous heat could be felt from miles away. The land outside this inferno could feel the tremendous force of the explosion. The whole area was flattened by the powerful stormwinds that followed. People and animals ran as hard as they could, but there was no escaping. Trees and houses were uprooted from the ground and just blown away. Only those that were far enough were safe. They could see the huge mushroom that rose up miles into the skies. All that remained of the soldiers of Kano were their shadows on the ground.  
          Although he was many miles away, Sunder had seen the tremendous explosion that had destroyed his enemy. He was absolutely thrilled at what he had seen. “It worked!” Sunder said with joy. “It actually worked!”  Sunder had known all along that his four adversaries did not thrust each other. He knew that those greedy despots would never want to share with each other. The soldiers of Atlantis all began to celebrate.
          “Akula is not the only one that knows how to use deception,”  they said. “Sunder is also skilled in the art of deception.”  The siege that held them paralyzed was finally over. 
          “Now everything has changed,”  Sunder said. “I have the upperhand.”  He ordered more bombs to be made ready. “Akula has to surrender to me,”  Sunder said, “or I will bury him!”
          For many years, scientists in Atlantis had done research on how to use the unlimited power that was hidden within the “Stone of the Gods”. that was given to them by the Gods. They had learned that while its invisible rays were extremely hazardous, it could be used to provide light, heat and energy to the cities of Atlantis. They also discovered that its vast powers had some other use and that was in war. Unbeknown to outsiders, Atlantis had been conducting secret tests in a remote location. It was shown that if the process, through which the energy was harnessed, was left uncontrolled, an explosion would result unlike the world had ever seen before. Nonetheless, Atlantis had reaped great benefits from the “Stone of the Gods”. It was therefore considered benevolent knowledge that had to be protected at all costs. That is why they had persistently refused to share its secrets with Akula, Kano, Klamath and Liu Tzu.
          Akula was absolutely stunned when he learned what had happened to Kano. At first, he didn’t believe the news. But after a while and much confirmation, he knew that it was true. In just a fraction of a section, Kano and his entire army had been completely wiped out. The Atlanteans had managed to break through and end the siege. It was a huge setback that dampened his earlier enthusiasm. But there was something that frightened him even more. Now that the Atlanteans had proven that their new weapon worked, they could easily destroy their enemies, including Akula, and win the war. This new challenge had put Akula’s plans in serious jeopardy. If he still wanted to achieve his goals, he would have to find a solution and quick.
          The gods were extremely angry at the Atlanteans. They felt that the Atlanteans had misused their gift. The Gods had intended the “Stone of the Gods” to be used for peaceful purposes and certainly not for war. An angry Wotan demanded that they stop using these weapons. But the Atlanteans refused to these demands and instead demanded to know why the Gods had not shown similar interest when the army of Atlantis was surrounded by the combined armies of the outer realms and in danger of being totally annihilated. The council confidently proclaimed: “Let one thing be clear to all. Atlantis will not lose the war. We will do whatever it takes to win. If that means that we have to continue using these weapons and destroy all the other continents.........then so be it!”
          Meanwhile Akula was still wrestling with the problem of finding a solution to his problems. But he could not think of anything that had even the slightest chance of success. How could he, or anyone else for that matter, stop such an incredible weapon? For the very first time, this was one problem for which he had no answer. The only one who could possibly have an answer were the all-knowing Gods. “The Gods gave the “Stone of the Gods” to the Atlanteans,”  Akula said. “They must also know how to stop it.”  But he knew the Gods would never help him achieve his wicked goals. “The Gods have to help me. But how can I get the Gods to help me?”  Akula said to Hokum. “Think!”  Akula said. “There has to be a way.”

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 Click on Part 12 for what happens next in this series.

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