1: archeology

1: archeology

Unremarkable desert. That was the first thing I saw as I got off the plane. And it was also the reason I was here, near Lisan, on the Dead Sea. In the distance I saw her, Serena Quinn, the leading archeologist for this expedition.

48 hours ago she had called me, and, it had sounded urgent with a capital U. I was on the next plane to Israel and from thereon a quick hop to Lisan. On the runway there were a couple of jeeps waiting for us. But that didn't bother me, Serena Quinn did. She was distressed. Distressed in a way I had never seen before.

I had a chance to talk to her as one of her assistents took my bags and put them in the jeep.
" Good to see you again, digger." She nodded " Thank you for getting here so fast, Will." Now I had a reason to smile. " Hey, no problem. Now mind telling me what's going on." Quinn put on her serious face again. " You remember why I'm out here, right?"

I nodded. It wasn't a real big secret that Serena Quinn and her team had been looking for the bible code object. Since Lisan was located in Jordan, it had been difficult to obtain permission but luckily the university of Amman had been more then willing to allow a dig to be held in their name.

It was no surprise to me that Serena Quinn was named to head the expedition.

She continued " The reason I called you is metal, we found fully preserved metal that we can't date." I frowned. Current archeology science knows how to date most if not anything dug up. I told Serena just that.

" I know that too Will, but there's something more going on around here. I don't know why, much less am I able to tell it." Our discussion was interupted by a satellite phone going off.

It was one of Serena's assistents. She suddenly turned to me " Uncover enough of it to allow people to enter. Other then that don't disturb anything untill we're back."

" Entry point?" I asked. She nodded " The only thing Thomas told me that it looked like a hatch to him." I sat in quiet contemplation for the rest of the journey. This was the land of the bible. What could something looking like a metal hatch mean here ?

45 minutes later, I found myself staring down into the pit near where the hatch had been uncovered. A metal hatch, here, in the middle of the desert? My curiosity got the better of me as I began to descend into the pit, with Serena Quinn close behind.
The dig site itsself was as a whole unremarkable. We were in a bowl with something that resembled a pyramid and some ruins which also looked relatively intact nearby.

" What about those other ruins?" I asked as we walked upwards. " We've been into some of them, but there's nothing that's anything like the metal we found."

The assistent named Thomas was waiting for us near the hatch itsself. Serena introduced him to me. He didn't look the part of Indiana Jones that much was certain. But, his arab assistent... let just say it would have been quite a match. Anyway, back to the uncovered hatch. It was a sloped affair. It almost looked like one of those shutters you sometimes see covering shop entrances.

As I looked around i couldn't help but notice we were standing on somekind of dais. Then I also noticed how far down we were.

And the shape of the pit. Square, all square. There was nothing on either side of the hatch. I decided to walk around. Studying the ground carefully, I didn't notice much else. Except for one thing. The entire area around the hatch was smooth.

I looked questioning at Serena who in turn looked at her assistent " We found it that way, mr Adams."

"Look Will, it's getting late, we might as well call it a day and have a go at it again tomorrow." I looked at the sky and nodded.

The following morning

Out of a habit, I got up early and walked through the camp to the dig site. Again I made the long descend into the pit. And again I circled the non descriptive hatch. The work men would soon be here to clear the rest of the area. It would either help my investigation, or it would mean an even bigger mess.

I started to look to where I had been standing yesterday. It felt as if I were standing at the base of one of the world tallest buildings.

" Morning, William." Serena came to stand beside me.

" What the hell is this, Serena?"

" Will, you remember stuff like the bible code, right?"

I nodded " the Sea of Lisan, the dead sea here, is mentioned as one location of an object of some sort. Noone really knows what kind of object."

Then she sprung her own trap on me. " What if it isn't there, but here"

By then the phone rang again.

We got to the hatch out of breath, having run the entire way. " It just opened, just like that." Jennifer, one of Serena's other assistents explained. " Anything peculiar happen when it opened?" I asked. " No sir, not even an air hish."

" equal pressure, interesting. I take it the air has been checked for anything lethal to us?"

Again thomas nodded. " Right, get some lamps up here, we're going in." Famous last words someone would later call them.

A brief examination with a robot found nothing remotely dangerous to us farther inside so we went in.

Our entry way was still boxshaped and open, with sunlight streaming in behind us. With my lamp I checked the way in front of me, only to find nothing but a cold grey wall. I touched it with my hand.

" metal?" At least that's what it felt like to me.

Serena came over to me and touched the place I had touched.

" Yeah that's odd. I never thoughed we'd find metal in a tomb." I glanced apprehensively.

" What ever this is, it's not a tomb."

The entrance fellt shut behind us once I finished the sentence.

Two of the others and Thomas rushed towards it and started banging. I didn't join them and instead started examining what I could see from where we now where. Serena however, beat me too it.

"I found something here," I held the light closer so I could see. There's somethings that are universal, whereever you are, and one of thme is measuring device, now just cresting a green zone.

And with yet another hiss of air, another hatch opened. There were a few audible gulps within the team. With the exception of computers, nothing ran by itsself. " Bill, I'm glad I called you." Serena all of a sudden admitted to me.

" Glad I could help out." I muttered as we walked down the corridor.

With the light the lamps the light provided I checked the surroundings as we went deeper in. It was a straight metal build corridor, There looked to be no halls or anything else yet leading in any other direction.

" I'm starting to wonder what this really is?" I said to noone in particular.

" Bill?"

" I'm starting to wonder what this really is? You haven't found any kind tomb, there's way too much metal here for that."
Serena stayed quiet. It was almost as if she was afraid of something. "I know. It feels like I've bitten off more then I can handle."

" Just try to relax, the egyptians or whoever it was that build these things were known for dealing rather harshly with grave robbers. We'll all need to be on our toes here." She nodded and gave the others the same warning.

We stopped at the first intersection to leave a marker so we would find our way back. Again I examined the walls. All of a sudden I got a laughing fit. And no matter how I tried, I just couldn't stop laughing. For whatever it was we had entered, it had been using regular lockers!

A voice came from behind me " locker room, this is getting weird."

I nodded. " Got anything with you that we can use to open it with."

" Why?" This came from Serena.

" This is not your regular grave, tomb or anything Egyptian. This is way, way out of your league, and way out of mine too."

" However, we're stuck here, so we're going to have to deal with it."

We went onward and picked one direction we would all walk in. We past more lockers in assorted shapes and sizes as we went deeper from our point of departure. The more I saw the more I started to worry, conviced that we weren't in nay kind of Egyptian or other thing. This was so far out of this world that it scared me.

Again we halted, this time near a bank of elevators. I found myself working with Jim Hayden, Serena her expert on old languages. He too looked baffled by what he was seeing. I walked over to him. " Hey Bill, sorry we couldn't talk earlier."

" I don't mind, just tell me what you found."

" Not much, standard elevator with markings only, no language, but the numbers are in our standard format."

I frowned as he said that. " Odd."

" Very odd. Got any ideas on where you want to go from here?"

Now I studied the panel for myself. " Yeah, I have something in mind." The others assembled with me here. We left Jim Hayden and someone I didn't know behind and took the elevator down to what looked like a central level to me.
An erily dark hue met us as we left the elevator. " Mark it." This time Serena threw down another lightstick and I heard sounds of something being scrabbled down. " I'll go on ahead. Watch your step everyone."

This time we went a bit slower, with everybody watching where they put their feet. However, our luck held and nothing happened. The next corridor we came to was far more spacious then anything I had ever seen. At least from what we saw through the light of the torches.

Whilst progressing I noticed several doors that were slightly ajar. I filed that away for later examination. We finally reached the end of the corridor. Part of it seemed to be made up of larger sections. Peering through one of the doors, I noticed something that could best be described as living quarters. Was this some kind of room where someone... my thoughts trailed off as another door hissed open.

" Bill over here." Serena called out to me. It didn't sound all that urgent, yet rather surprised.

When I got to where Serena was I wistled to my own surprise.

" Looks like we struck gold, Serena."

" We sure did."

We were standing on the edge of something that for all practical purposes reminded me of a CIC. I saw but a few blinking lights in the distance, indicating that were at least some things still in working order.

I looked at the daise that rose above everything else and started out for it.

The others began looking at the instrument panels below me.

By now, unease was starting to settle in. I was missing something in this picture but I hadn't yet grasped what I was missing. From the corner of my eye I caught Serena working one of the computers. I began to rush over as more lights came on.
But fortunately, nothing else more serious happened.

"looks like we have power to what you call the CIC." She remarked as I got there. I didn't curse her. I was just happy nothing else had happened. For my own security, I looked around again.

It seemed as if more and more systems were going active as I again began walking around to inspect the surroundings. Some systems were already active, and others began to come on line.

I directed as many people as possible to monitor available stations, but it soon proved to be an impossible task. I already knew we were going to need more people.

Before we would start back however, I did a check of the instruments as far as I could understand them. The entire board was green. Nothing the matter, yet.

On the way back, I already was replaying in my mind what I was going to have to tell Serena. It wasn't going to be pretty, that much was certain.

Later that night I picked up my satelite Phone and dialed the number I had been given years ago.

" Central Command, how may I help you?"

" This is Bill Adams, please patch me through to Admiral Schultz."
A few days of explorative undertakings passed without much happening. With my help, Serena and her team managed to produce a rather detailed map of what we had found so far. As a private project of sorts, I spend some time in the cabins near the bridge, learning all there was to learn about what ever it was that was semi buried here in the desert.

What I learned, opened up a whole new and very frightening world for me. Everything I knew was going to change, radically.

And it began on the sixth day after my phone call.

The introduction to said change consisted of two F18 Hornet fighter jets buzzing the camp and the digsite at high speed. A few moments later, in came three Ospreys.

They landed in an inverted V formation. I knew from experience the Gooney's to the left and right would be carrying either Seals or Marines. From the center Gooney however emerged a figure dressed in white pants, wearing a tan jacket and sun glasses.

As he noticed me and the others the group started to come over. As the dust started to settle, I noticed Jerry Schultz himself that was heading straight for me. The Admiral must really think this is important to come here himself.

" Hey Bill, long time no see." Jerry pumped my hand in with a very warm greeting. " Times must really be desperate if they made you admiral, Jerry." I replied, returning the handshake. Schultz laughed. " Right, Bill, what's so urgent you had to bring me down here?"

We walked to the edge of the pit and I pointed out the first details to him.

" You struck gold Bill." It was his first reaction.

" that's what I told Doctor Quin over here, sir."

" i do indeed remember the good doctor Quinn. How are you miss?" Serena smiled as Jerry also pumped her hand.

" I'm fine, thank you, admiral." She gave a polite nod to him in reply. I realised this must be hard on her, having one of her pet projects janked out from under her, just like that.

" Allright Bill, what do you want from us?"

" Manpower." I blurted it out. " We never had anything like this before so we're going to need manpower."
Schultz nodded and directed one of his adjudants to make a note of it. Then he started down towards the site., the rest of his group and us in tow.

For the next couple of hours, we showed him everything that we already knew, some of the things we suspected, and some of the things we didn't quite yet have a clue about.

It was around midday when we got out of our find and went back to the basecamp. A conference would be set up inside Serena her tent. Here we were going to have to detail our request for manpower, and a few other things as well.

It didn't take long for the admiral to make his point. " Quite frankly, the odds of any us disassembling that thing down there and reassembling it some place else are astronomical. There's no way in hell we can do that."

He paused, clearly collecting his thoughts. " So, we're going to have to move her, under her own power."

I looked at the admiral, aghast. " Sir, we have no idea whatsoever if she'll fly, float or anything else for that matter. I'd rather have the object stay here so we can study it further. Perhaps it'll allow us to come up with some safe options."

" Given the circumstances, I'd agree with you wholeheartedly Bill, but there's two things here that work against you. One: the area of the world you're in. Two: the consequences of what you've found here."

" I know, we're not alone anymore."

" Exactly, and I'd rather not see this ship destroyed, or in the wrong hands for that matter."

" So now what?" This came from one of the assistents. For some reason, as yet beyond me, the admiral looked directly at me beofre clearing his throat.

" First of all, someone's comission here gets reactivated, along with a promotion." I nearly choked at the tought of getting pulled back in by the Navy.

I noticed Serena Quinn looking a little sullen but soon, Jerry Schultz turned his attention to her. " Why so sullen Doctor Quinn? There's no way in hell we're taking this project away from you! We're only going to relocate it to somewhere safe. And this where you'll have unlimited acess to the entire thing!"

At that she looked up " Besides, I want someone who knows what she's doing to find out how that thing got here in the first place."

" That leaves just one rather interesting thing." I pointed out. " If we're going to get her someplace 'safe' we're going to need a crew, and a big one at that!"

It wasn't often you shut up an admiral, and I had one of the opportunitys to actually do it. To my surprise however, Admiral Schulz started to smile. " Bill, What do you remember about the Nimitz and theEisenhower?"

I told some of the things I remembered about serving on them and concluded with " both of these ships are nearing their retirement age if I remember correctly."

" Correct. And since the Super carriers are again running behind..." I finished the sentence for him.

" Two full carrier crews with nothing to do, up til now." I couldn't believe it either. " That might help, but in the long run, people are going to start asking questions."

" I guess then it all depends on one thing. How long can we run with this." Serena Quinn mutered.

" Hopefully long enough." I muttered in reply.