Atlantis: Gate by Robert Doherty Read Free Book Online Page B

importance, resupply it. An army of a quarter million troops, along with their beasts, consumed vast quantities of supplies each day. Xerxes’ generals counted on finding little food or supplies as they marched into Greece as it was customary for retreating armies to scorch the earth, even if it were their own land, as they fell back.
    Of course, an army taking the pass had to practically pass through the proverbial eye of the needle as the track narrowed to only fifty feet wide, between the mountain and a cliff overlooking the sea. Xerxes’ generals had assured him, though, that the pass would not be a place for defense as the heavy Greek infantry would not be able to deploy in their beloved phalanxes to fight in such a tight space.
    There were spas with hot springs in the area just to the north of the pass that in more peaceful times were visited by people from all over Greece. But with the storm cloud of war to the east and north, the mountains were empty of people. The ruins of a defensive wall, known as the Middle Gate, and built by an unknown people against an unknown enemy sometime in the far past cut across the pass.
    The pass itself was used only by travelers who hastened through, usually early in the morning after camping at the springs to the north, or just before the pass to the south. No one took extra time traversing the pass because there was a strange feel about the place and those who lived north or south told strange tales of the mountains and pass. Animals would have to be forced through, then almost break their reins galloping down after getting through. Dogs howled and snarled when they were in the narrowest part. There were rumors of demons and other strange creatures and the place was avoided if at all possible.
    This morning, as lightning cut through the sky and hit the mountain high above, and the strong wind churned up the water in the sea below, the pass was empty of travelers. Thus there was no one to witness as just to the north of the ruined wall a pure black circle appeared, consuming the scant light.
    As another bolt of lightning illuminated the land, a hand, skin red and blistered, could be seen extending out of the black circle about five feet above the ground. The fingers were stretched wide, grasping, as if searching for a handhold out of the darkness. The hand disappeared back into the darkness for several moments, then re-appeared, the skin peeling back. Still it groped and reached. And once more was gone.
    The third time the hand appeared the flesh was gone and there was just the bone with the tendons stretched tight and burned raw. Still the fingers moved, reaching bones clattering together as they closed on themselves empty-handed.
    When the next bolt lit the scene, there was just the black circle and no hand. And with the third strike, the circle itself was gone.
    CHAPTER 3 THE PRESENT
    Since the dramatic events of 26 April, 1986, the Russians had monitored the remains of Reactor Four of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Although encased in a thick layer of concrete and stone, the interior of Reactor Four had remained clear since the disaster, protected by a shield generated by the gate that had opened inside it and caused the tragic accident that evening.
    The core of the reactor, the rods that provided the power, had been tapped by the Shadow. Above the core, a black triangle fifteen feet on each side and ten feet in height had appeared and remained through all the years, drawing energy from the decaying rods. It was a gate, not as large as the others, but a gate nonetheless. A probe, carried by a dying volunteer, had been sent through the gate just two days ago and helped provide information about the make-up of the gates and the connections among the portals that existed inside the gates. It had been discovered that the gates were like foyers established on Earth by the Shadow, and inside the gates were the actual doorways—portals—that led to other places.
    The rods were