The Prodigal Sun: A Novel

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The Prodigal Sun: A Novel Page 39

by S. E. Meyer


  Dennis gently set the ark onto the polished white tile floor. Hosea was eagerly rubbing his hands together as Lucas walked behind a table and began flipping switches on a large piece of electronic equipment. “Okay, let’s see what this thing is doing,” Lucas said quietly as he pressed several buttons in front of him. Dennis moved closer to where Lucas was standing and they all stared at the computer screen in front of them.

  “Now try an electromagnetic pulse,” instructed Dennis.

  “I’m not sure what kind of signal we should throw at it,” Lucas said apprehensively as he shook his head.

  “Here, let me in there,” Dennis said as he moved past Lucas and sat down at the main control panel. “First we need to find out if it’s emitting anything on it’s own. Dennis clacked away at a few of the keys on the keyboard and the screen in front of them changed. “Hmm, that’s interesting,” said Dennis with a raised eyebrow.

  “What is?” Lucas and Hosea both asked in unison.

  “It’s not really emitting or sending any kind of signal,” explained Dennis.

  Lucas moved to a different machine and turned on a switch. “Maybe it needs to re-charge like a battery. That discharge yesterday might have drained most of its energy,” Lucas said.

  “Can we charge it somehow with static electricity?” Hosea asked. “I have read that the Ark’s configuration was designed to collect static electricity and there have been replicas made of the Ark that proved this theory.

  “I think we can,” Lucas answered and then he pushed a few more buttons. There was a whine from the machine next to him that rose in pitch and within a few minutes a long, blue finger of electricity stretched out across the room. It struck the Ark between the two angels and a shower of sparks flew in every direction. The arc of electricity continued to flow into the small box on the floor while the lights dimmed and flickered.

  “Shut it off,” yelled Dennis as he waved his arms frantically. Lucas quickly threw a switch and the lights returned to a normal bright white. There was a loud popping sound as one of the bulbs above them exploded into a shower of tiny glass fragments. “Lucky we didn’t blow it up,” Dennis said as he once again began hitting the keys on the keyboard in front of him.

  Hosea stood up from behind the long desk he had hid himself under when the fireworks started. “Is it over?” he asked. He held a worried expression and was waving his hand in front of his face as though wafting imaginary smoke. “That was close. It could have killed us all,” Hosea stammered.

  “Is it doing anything?” asked Lucas as he walked back toward Dennis. His eyebrow was raised and he had a hopeful expression on his face.

  “No, not really,” answered Dennis. He let out a sigh of frustration then stopped short. “Wait a minute, I might have something here.” Dennis hit several more keys and then turned the screen slightly so they could all see what he was looking at. “You see this?” Dennis asked, pointing at the screen. “It’s not sending a signal at all, no, it’s receiving one.”

  Lucas leaned over to stare more intently at the screen. “What do you mean receiving one? From where?” Lucas asked. He then noticed a small smoldering ember on a pile of papers next to the monitor and patted it out with his hand. “Wow, that really sent a few sparks flying,” he said with a smile. Dennis continued to focus on the screen as he typed more instructions into the computer.

  “Here Lucas, look. The signal that the Ark is receiving is coming from right here in this area of the solar system.” Dennis pointed to a small area on the monitor while he spoke.

  “Hmm, well that is very interesting,” said Lucas as he rubbed his chin.

  Hosea was walking around the Ark. He was making sure he kept his distance but was focused on the two angels at the top. He continued to stare at the gold statuettes as he responded to Lucas. “What’s interesting?” he asked.

  “The signal is coming from the same place as the one we have been trying to figure out for weeks. It’s coming from the other planetary system. What’s so interesting, is it looks like the exact same signal,” Lucas explained. He turned towards Dennis. “Can you clean it up a little and get the exact frequency modulation?”

  “I think so,” Dennis answered him and made a few adjustments to the program with the keyboard. “There. That’s the best I can do,” Dennis said and leaned back in his chair.

  Lucas moved in front of the monitor and peered at it closely. “Yes, it is the exact same signal,” he said. Hosea was still staring at the Ark. He yelled over his shoulder to Dennis.

  “Hey Dennis, is there any way you can scan this thing and get dimensions? I need to know its exact size. I need to be sure,” Hosea asked. He moved a little closer to the Ark.

  “Be careful there Hosea,” Lucas warned. “Static electricity can jump several feet if the charge is strong enough,” he explained. Hosea took a step back as he thought of the dead guard from the day before.

  “So it’s receiving the same signal we’ve been working on?” asked Hosea. He finally broke his gaze from the Ark and looked at Lucas with his face turned up in deep thought.

  “Yes. Why? Where are you going with this Hosea?” Lucas asked. He could see that Hosea was pondering something. Dennis was setting up a laser machine that was used for taking exact measurements. He set the pointer onto the tripod about five feet away from the Ark and started scanning the gold box.

  “Well I’m just thinking about some of the old stories about the Ark, but first we have to be sure that it is the Ark,” Hosea explained. “Dennis, how are you coming with the measurements?”

  “It is fifty-two inches long,” Dennis replied and then moved the tripod to the opposite end of the Ark. He reset the machine and measured again. Hosea took a pen and a piece of paper from the desk and began writing.

  “Okay, and the next measurement?” Hosea asked excitedly, not moving his gaze from the paper he was writing on.

  “Thirty-one inches high. I’m rounding to the nearest inch here, I hope that’s okay, and it looks square to me so the depth should be the same as the height,” explained Dennis.

  “Yes, yes that’s fine,” said Hosea as he continued to scribble. “Oh no,” he said in a disappointed tone. “Well I guess that answers that. It can’t be the actual Ark of the Covenant,” he explained. Lucas moved closer to Hosea and bent over to see what he was writing.

  “How can you be sure?” asked Lucas. He was squinting at the paper and trying to read Hosea’s handwriting.

  “Because the Ark is supposed to be exactly two and a half, by one and a half, by one and a half cubits. The math isn’t coming out right,” explained Hosea. Lucas took the pen from him.

  “Let me see that. What calculations are you using? The English cubit or the ancient Egyptian?” Lucas asked as he began to scribble his own notes on the paper. “The English cubit is about eighteen inches, but the Egyptian is closer to twenty. You see?” Lucas showed the paper to Hosea.

  “Ah yes, I see. Based on that then it would be the right size,” answered Hosea. His voice cracked in excitement as he finished speaking.

  Lucas turned to face him and looked into his eyes. “Okay Hosea, so if this really is the Ark, then what were you tossing around in your head a few minutes ago?”

  “Wait. Do you hear that?” asked Hosea. They all stared at the gold box as the angels on top began to glow an electric blue. As the light became brighter they could hear a faint whisper. Hosea stood up and moved closer to the Ark. He pointed at the two angels at the top. “You see the small space there in between the two angels?”

  “Yes, what about it?” asked Lucas. He stood up and moved next to Hosea.

  “In the old texts it’s called the mercy seat. It was said that the high priests and Moses himself talked to God through the Ark. It is written that God’s own voice came from the mercy seat; that little space between the two angels. After what Dennis said yesterday about the Ark talking to him it made me think. Maybe the Ark is an ancient communication device,” explained Hosea.

&
nbsp; Lucas raised his brow inquisitively. “So what are you saying, that the Annunaki figured out a way to utilize the Ark and are somehow using it to communicate with us?” he asked.

  Hosea looked at Lucas with a wide-eyed expression. Lucas could see that he was in the middle of pondering something big. Hosea let out a deep breath and then looked back towards the ark before answering him. “No Lucas. What I’m saying is that maybe the Annunaki are using the Ark to communicate with us, again.

  “What do you mean by ‘again’, exactly?” asked Lucas.

  “Well, it kind of makes one wonder doesn’t it? I mean, who was Moses really talking to?”

  Traedon confidently burst through the large doors at the end of the glowing orange hallway. The meeting room he entered was lavishly adorned with art along its walls and held several gold statues in its corners. In the middle of the room was a large table where over a dozen figures sat. Traedon made his way to the table with his shoulders pulled back and his head held high. He glanced around the table of Elders until his gaze came to rest on Enki. “Where is Braedon, Uncle?” asked Traedon.

  “Close the door,” Enki replied and gestured with his hand. Traedon closed the door and turned back around with a confused look on his face.

  “We’re going to start without my brother?” he asked the room.

  Enki stood up and motioned Traedon to take the seat next to him at the table. “Come and sit nephew,” said Enki in a commanding tone. Traedon followed his instruction and sat next to his Uncle. He still had a confused look on his face as he waited for Enki to be seated next to him. Instead, Enki walked around to the head of the table; the seat usually reserved for Braedon. Enki placed his scaly hands on the back of the chair and faced the group of seated attendees. He then turned his gaze to Traedon before speaking. “Traedon your brother will not be joining us for this meeting for reasons I am about to explain. This is a secret meeting of the Elders and you are not to mention this meeting to anyone. Understood? This meeting never happened so remove it from your mind so that it may not slip from your thoughts and land carelessly into another’s,” instructed Enki.

  “Yes of course Uncle, you can trust me. Your secret is safe,” answered Traedon.

  “And that is exactly the reason we have called you here Traedon. Trust.” Enki paused while he glanced around the table and examined the group. “Trust is something we no longer have in your brother. Braedon is weak and the council of Elders feel he will not be able to complete the task at hand,” explained Enki.

  Traedon leaned in closer and cocked his head to one side. “What exactly are you saying here Uncle?” breathed Traedon nervously.

  Enki continued in a hushed tone. “What I am saying is that your brother believes he is in love with a human. That human female has left the city and most likely has left for good. It is our belief that he will not see reason and that your brother will not carry out the plan, unless he has found her, and brought her back here where she will be safe.”

  One of the elders from across the table wrinkled his leathery, olive colored brow as he spoke. “He believes the human female is his wife, Ningal, reincarnated.”

  “He believes she is his wife,” Enki added. “This is a risk we cannot accept. If for some reason he is not able to save her, then we are certain he will not leave her here to die with the rest of them. This plan cannot fail. We have worked too hard and for too long to leave anything to chance. Do you understand Traedon?”

  “Yes Uncle, I understand, but what is to be done about it? Do you want me to go and retrieve her?” asked Traedon.

  “No, it is too late for that now. We have lost all faith in your brother’s ability to rule. What we are saying is that the Council of Elders will support you in every way. You must do whatever it takes to ensure the plan does not fail,” explained Enki. He pressed his fingers together as he finished in a whisper. “Even if it means taking your brother’s life.”

  “And how do you suppose I do that? At the first sign of my intentions he will invoke the birthright. He is the current heir. You know I have no power over that! It would be suicide,” responded Traedon in an excited and elevated tone. Enki walked around the table to where Traedon was seated. He rested his hand on his nephew’s shoulder and quietly nodded.

  “Yes, Traedon, I realize that. What I am saying is that you have the full support of the Elders so when the opportunity arises, we are telling you to kill him and take his place as heir. It must be done for the sake of all of us,” explained Enki.

  “I cannot fight my brother and win,” pleaded Traedon. He turned around in his seat to face his Uncle. Enki stared down into Traedon’s eyes as he answered him.

  “What I am telling you Traedon is that when the time comes, you won’t have to.”

  The Sun of God

  No one stirred at James’ compound until morning, but it was still just as dark as when they went to bed. John went up above to get some fresh air and have a look around outside. He found an old wood crate to lean up against and yawned as he looked up at the coal-black sky. The stars were still visible and it seemed like an average night sky if it hadn’t been eight thirty in the morning. The slight hint of light made it appear as though it was early dawn. John noticed an enormous space in the sky where there were no stars at all. It appeared to be a void, a black hole rising in the east. The perfect circle of nothing, where Nibiru blocked out everything beyond, made the hair on the back of John’s neck tingle. It was a foreboding sight of hopelessness that sank into the pit of his stomach. The wailing of the tormented souls from the Shi Habannatu continued to crowd his mind, haunting his every thought. Their cries penetrated deep into his skull, but the worst wailing of all was Jake’s. John could feel Jake’s pain deep in his bones. I have to find a way to save them all, John thought. He let out a deep breath. “So you’re going to save the world and all of them along with it John,” he whispered to himself then thought. Yeah right, how the hell am I supposed to do that? He took one last disgusted look at the black sphere and went back inside.

  Everyone was seated at several long tables in the dining area. There was food set up, buffet style, along the wall. John grabbed a plate from one end of the table and absentmindedly scanned the choices before settling on eggs and bacon. When he turned around he almost bumped into James. “Whoa there brother,” he said to John.

  “Sorry, my mind is elsewhere this morning,” John replied. He shook his head briefly and then looked for a place to sit at the table.

  “Sorry, all we have is powdered eggs, but enjoy the bacon,” James called after him. “It’s the last of it I’m afraid,” said James with a sorrowful look. “I’m going to miss bacon,” he finished, speaking more to himself than John. James took several steps closer to John and then bent over where he was seated at the table. He whispered into his ear. “John, we’re going to have a quick meeting after breakfast. We’ll need to take some inventory and plan a supply run for later this morning.” John just nodded with a mouthful of eggs.

  Everyone finished eating breakfast, but couldn’t seem to get the sleep out of their eyes. Waking up was more difficult when it was still dark outside. It interrupted everyone’s circadian rhythm and they all just wanted to go back to bed. James found some coffee, surprisingly enough for everyone. The warm drink and caffeine seemed to help, but the room remained quiet as the somber mood clung to the damp underground air and hovered over the group gathered there.

  James walked over to the front of the room so he could face everyone and began speaking. “Good morning everyone!” he started and then paused for a response. He didn’t receive any except for a few weak smiles around the room. “We need to split up into groups and take inventory of what we have here. That will be the easy part. What is going to prove to be more difficult is obtaining fresh supplies. Most of what we have scavenged has been consumed and we’re finding it harder, and harder, to get more supplies. We have had to continue to wander farther from the protection of our home here, and that has made supply r
uns much more difficult, and dangerous. I want to do a little brainstorming here this morning to see if there are any new ideas we can come up with. We need new places to look for food, water and fuel for the generators.” James held out his hands in a welcoming gesture then shrugged his shoulders before continuing. “There is no such thing as a dumb idea here everyone. Our supplies are running dangerously low and I am willing to entertain any thought that any of you may have.” James paused and looked around the room while he waited for a response. After several minutes he finally added, “Anyone?”

  It took several more minutes of silence before a younger man from the back spoke up. He was dressed in jeans and a plaid button up shirt with a baseball cap on his head. “What about the Cicero rail yard?” he asked. “I know it’s quite a hike and we’ve already brought back a lot of fuel from there, but I don’t think anyone checked the train engines did they? My brother used to work for the railroad and those engines have a fuel capacity of three to five thousand gallons. Even if we found a few that were low on fuel, we could manage to get several hundred I’m sure. Who knows? Maybe we could get lucky and find one that’s almost full,” the man explained.

 

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