Legacy of Atlantis, Act 1
CRIMSON TOWER, DOWNTOWN CENTRAL CITY, 8:54PM
A small crowd of paparazzi and curious on-lookers gather at the base of the Crimson Tower, a modern 57-story skyscraper of steel and glass. Limos drop off their fashionable guests and flashbulbs fire whenever a minor celebrity is spotted. A black H2 pulls up and Long Duc Dong, dressed in a matador’s cut tuxedo with a sequined dragon on the back, hops out to greet his fans. He escorts his assistant through the throng, pausing frequently for pictures, handshakes, and autographs.
As the exercise guru steps into one of the pair of glass express elevators to the roof, a stretch limo pulls up and a young man, Max Coffee, steps out. It’s clear from his bewildered expression and restaurant staff tux that he’s a nobody. Right behind him, secret agent Stu Nodd hops out of his late model rental car (this assignment didn’t justify a fully tricked out spy car). Stu is dressed in tweed, trying to play up his cover as a professor of geology from the University of Winnipeg. The pair, both dateless, shares an elevator to the roof.
STU (sagely)
What’s a young man such as yourself doing at a party without a pretty little thing hanging on your arm?
MAX
She cancelled last minute. Root canal.
Stu notes the bloated look of his elevator companion. However, he doesn’t realize just how much the young man had to eat as the Bisquick Bake-off judge just a few hours earlier.
Below, another car pulls up to the Crimson Tower – a black Crown Victoria LTD with tinted windows. A valet helps Dr. Vixen Love out of the passenger side while John walks around to join her. Vixen is dressed in a glittery blue gown and has her hair pulled up. John is smartly outfitted in his Govetti dinner jacket, custom tailored to help conceal a pair of handguns…just in case. The pair catches the next express elevator.
VIXEN
I’m really glad you could join me for this party. I hope it’s not too dull for you.
JOHN (distant, but charming)
My pleasure, really.
VIXEN
Ordinarily, I wouldn’t have even gone to something like this, but there are work related reasons for wanting to come.
JOHN
Oh, what line of work are you in? I don’t think I asked the first time we met.
VIXEN
I’m an associate professor of archaeology at Central City U. I’ve spent the last two years focused on studying the new finds of Atlantis.
JOHN
Fascinating.
VIXEN
The guy hosting this party is also an Atlantis researcher, but not with any public affiliation. He privately funds his own exploration company and is conducting many digs simultaneously. His methods grate on me a bit because he keeps many of his finds private, away from the ability of other researchers to analyze.
John watches the ground recede and the Central City skyline come alive as the express elevator nears the roof. The downtown area is particularly active this Saturday night, with Superbowl eve revelers spending the night on the town. He glances over at his date and nods for her to continue.
VIXEN
So anyway, this Mr. Strong has found the Siphu-belin, the single-most sought after religious artifact of the Atlantean Empire. So far, he’s kept it completely out of public view. Tonight, he’s supposed to be unveiling it. No media, though, so I’m forced to come just to see the thing.
JOHN
How did you get invited?
VIXEN
I’ve met Mr. Strong before. I think he sent me a pity invitation…probably wanted to rub my nose in the fact that he found the Siphu-belin first.
JOHN
I hope seeing this artifact is worth the trip for you, then.
The elevator reaches the top and opens upon a large patio, the lower half of a split-level roof. A large fountain dominates the center and intricately pruned shrubs line the sides. Mosaic tiles further enhance the impression of opulent wealth. Ahead, glass doors lead into a combination art studio/museum chock full of Atlantean artifacts and mingling guests. The greater portion of the guests seems to be congregating on the upper split of the roof, above the gallery. Here musicians play on reproductions of authentic Atlantean instruments, an extravagant buffet table is laden with exotic delicacies, and an open bar is doing a brisk business. Wait staff glide through the masses, dispensing and retrieving drinks and finger foods.
Vixen leads John through the displays, giving him a layman’s description of the culture, history, and ultimate, spectacular demise of the ancient civilization. John, for his part, tries to maintain an interest. He notes that the style of the Atlantean’s art has some similarities with ancient South American, Middle Eastern, and Asian cultures. As another nod toward extravagant opulence, a couple dozen models (male and female) have been body-painted with Atlantean motifs and are wandering throughout the displays.
Max, bored and out of his element at this party, heads for the bar and strikes up a conversation with Todd, one of the tenders. He starts feeling out Todd for employment possibilities.
Stu determines that the big artifact he’s here to photograph is probably inside the large, locked metal case sitting on a roped-off podium in the center of the upper roof. While waiting for the unveiling, he helps himself to some hors d’oeuvres and surveys the partygoers in his guise as a geology professor. He immediately recognizes the unique cut (even the specific tailor!!) of John’s dinner jacket and makes it a point to keep an eye on him throughout the evening.
Dong, along with his assistant trainer Jill, schmooze the crowds with an air of familiarity. Minor celebrities are their primarily targets, but Mr. Ritter is their ultimate goal. Eventually, Jill spots the television icon and moves in to assert her charms (not to mention her muscle-mag physique). Dong continues his whirlwind tour and eventually finds himself before the buffet only minutes before the big unveiling is to begin.
Word sweeps through the party that the host is ready to show the Siphu-belin. Once a critical mass of guests is crowded around the podium, Mr. Bernard Strong makes his entrance. He is middle-aged, yet clearly strong and imposing with dark brown hair, trimmed mustache, and charcoal gray suit. His eyes twinkle and everyone is favored with a warm smile as he hops over the velvet rope and ascends the podium.
STRONG
Welcome everyone! I’m glad so many of you could make it to my party. Hope you’re all having a wonderful time.
Strong pauses for the polite applause.
STRONG
I hate to keep you waiting, so let’s get right to the centerpiece of the night’s festivities – the first unveiling of the greatest of all Atlantean artifacts, the Siphu-belin. The name Siphu-belin loosely translates into “Gate of God.” Research suggests that the highest-ranking members of their clergy used it to directly contact God and through it perform miracles.
Strong’s introduction rambles on for a few minutes. He’s clearly passionate about his research into Atlantis, but it’s also obvious that much of the crowd is bored. Vixen urges John to push through the crowd to get the best possible vantage point. Stu, likewise, stands up against the velvet rope barrier and slips on his spy-camera glasses. Dong watches halfheartedly from the buffet where he is chomping on a couple spicy pheasant wings. Max is oblivious to the proceedings while pounding beers and swapping stories with the bartender.
STRONG (sensing the crowd’s waning attention)
And now for the moment you’ve all been waiting for…
Strong unlocks the metal container and flips up the lid. All four sides fold down to reveal an ornate, gold box no bigger than a small microwave. The Siphu-belin is stylized in much the same manner as many of the other artifacts on display, but is covered in a good many more glittering gemstones. The crowd claps politely.
As Strong turns to soak in the moment, several loud metallic clanks sound from around the crowd, followed immediately by hissing. John and Stu, training taking over, have already taken deep breaths before white clouds of gas start engulfing the crowd. The guests panic and start shouting, but almost immediately most fall to the ground unconscious. Yet another gas grenade goes off right on the podium.
John covers Vixen’s mouth and rushes her clear of the falling bodies. Once out of the cloud, he pushes her toward a stairwell and tells her to run. He, meanwhile, runs behind the bar that Max is sitting at and pulls his red-anodized IMI Eagle .50. He looks for someone with a gas mask, but doesn’t find anyone.
Stu, in the epicenter of the gas attack, holds his breath and drops to the ground. He quickly works his spy camera, getting as many shots of the artifact as he can. He decides not to draw his weapon in favor of maintaining his cover identity. Stu also hopes to get some good shots of the perpetrators, who are obviously here for the Siphu-belin.
Max and Dong, while not in the gas cloud, are soon aware of the problem. Like John, they look around for perpetrators and don’t immediately recognize them. Within a few moments, however, they become apparent: Twenty of the body-painted models are slowly closing in on the podium from every edge of the roof except the downwind side.
DONG (licking his fingers)
Naked art thieves, eh? What’ll they think of next?
