Jamie Childress - GALACTIC TREASURE HUNT II: Lost City of Atlantis

Galactic Treasure Hunt The Lost City of Atlantis
Written by Jamie Childress
Illustrated by Chris Braun

ISBN: 1-931882-62-2

Text Copyright 2006 by Jamie Childress
Cover and Illustrations Copyright 2006 by Chris Braun

All Rights Reserved

Printed in the United States of America

First Printing July 2006

Published by

Adventures Unlimited Press
One Adventure Place
Kempton, Illinois 60946 USA
auphq@frontiernet.net
www.adventuresunlimitedpress.com

For: Cameron, Finn, Kira and Hatcher

for reminding us that every day can be an adventure.

Special thanks to all of our friends and family who helped edit this book and to everyone who bought enough copies of our first book to encourage us to try another.

A final thanks to our friends at Island Park School: Jacob Sandager, Eric Kim, Paige Robertson, Shannon Cavenaugh, and Isabel Jamerson

About the Author Jamie Childress: When hes not writing stories Jamie Childress is an aerospace engineer who works for Boeings Phantom Works research and development division. If he could go back in time he would definitely want to visit Atlantis.

About the Illustrator Chris Braun: Chris works as a graphic illustrator for the Boeings Commercial Airplane Training Division. When hes not doing that he enjoys playing with his kids, karate, drawing and computer games.

Prologue

It had started out as a typical lazy summer on Stone Circle Court. Jake and his little brother Scott were enjoying their summer vacation, having just graduated from fourth and first grades. Fortunately for Jake and Scott, their donothing summer blasted off into adventure when a space alien named Nojo landed in the woods behind their house.

Nojo is a space archeologist from a planet in the distant constellation of Orion. He is searching for lost Delphian treasure. The Delphians were an alien race that vanished thousands of years ago. They left behind fantastic riches all over the galaxy. Nojo is searching for a great treasure called the Pillar of Knowledge. The Pillar of Knowledge is the ancient computer library of the Delphians. It contains answers to mysteries of the universe and fabulous inventions that could help humans and Orions alike.

When Jake and Scott first met Nojo, they accidentally touched a spherical key he had found. The computer codes in the key were transferred into Jake and Scott. Now they are the key keepers, and their heads hold the computer keys to unlock the waypoints to the Pillar of Knowledge. A waypoint is like a road sign along the path to the Delphians long lost treasure. To find the treasure they have to find the next waypoint. Nojo needs Jake and Scott to open the waypoints, so now he takes them on his adventures to far away places. The two brothers last adventure took them to the moon and now their next adventure awaits.

1 Nojo Returns

Several days after Jake and Scott got back from the moon, they were playing catch in the backyard when a humming started coming from their pockets. Each boy pulled out of his pocket a metal disk that looked like one half of a ball. When they put the two pieces together it turned into the radio that Nojo had given them at the end of their last adventure.

Nojos British accented voice came out of the radio at once. Hey-ho lads, hows your summer?

Aaah, just fine, Nojo. How about you? replied Jake, thrilled to hear from the little alien.

Good, good, said Nojo quickly. I missed you boys though, and I think Ive figured out where the next waypoint is. I dont suppose youre up for another trip are you? he inquired.

Are you kidding? they responded in unison. Yeaahh!

Where are we going? asked Scott, excitedly.

Well, thats the tricky bit, isnt it? replied Nojo. Its not so much a where, as it is a when. Were going back in time... way back.

Will we get to see dinosaurs? exclaimed Scott, while making a growling sound in anticipation of seeing a T-Rex in action.

Maybe not that far back, said Nojo. Were going to the lost city of Atlantis.

Atlantis? questioned Jake. I thought that was just a legend.

Oh no, replied Nojo. Atlantis was very real. Unfortunately, their home island sunk into the ocean thousands of years ago.

Okay, so Atlantis was real, agreed Jake. Why would the waypoint say to go there?

Ahhh, thats the interesting part, said Nojo. It turns out that the Delphians used to visit Atlantis and they gave the Atlantians a waypoint. So, were going to go back in time to visit Atlantis before it was destroyed and get a look at that waypoint.

Is this going to take long? asked Scott. Ive got a baseball game this afternoon and coach Johnson gets really mad if were late.

Nojo laughed. Well, we wouldnt want that. I promise to have you home in time or Ill eat a Dyrillian lobster.

Whats a Dyrillian lobster? asked Jake.

Its about the ugliest and nastiest thing in the universe, replied Nojo. Now, meet me in the meadow where we landed last time. Ill be there in just a few minutes.

You got it, Nojo! the boys replied.

2 Blast Off

Jake ran to the back door of the kitchen and called to his mom, who was making an apple pie for dessert. Mom, can Scott and I go into the woods to see our space alien friend, Nojo? His spaceship is going to be landing real soon.

That sounds like fun, his mom replied. Just be back before Scotts ball game. She paused for a second and then offered a motherly suggestion, If you go back to the moon, be sure to wear a helmet.

Thanks mom, but were going to Atlantis this time! yelled Jake, already running across the yard after Scott, whod started down the trail.