"A projector?" Sara asked.
"Not only have we a projector but also video disk inside the projector, dear Sarah. And not only that--I believe, rudimentarily speaking, of course people who invented this were using a rough form of electrical power."
Several people started saying things like impossible and no way, but Pete only smiled while looking around the room.
"Can we also bring the portable laser over, please," he asked the mechanical engineers, who did as he asked. "Europa, remove the current images from the screen, please." The images of the plate vanished. "Could we dim the lights? I really don't know how efficient this will be."
The lights lowered and Pete attached the two electrical leads to the sides of the large plate. "What we are doing is supplying electricity to the conduit of the device--in this case, bronze, highly conductive and efficient, more so than our small battery. By doing this, I believe, we are exciting something that was placed on what we thought were small scratches or flaws on each of the crystal plates that are meshed together. Now we will place the laser and shine it through the aperture of the centerline crystal, or what the Ancients used as a lens."
Pete turned on the electrical power and then maneuvered the laser head close to the plate and centered it on the lens. On the other side, a very blurry light appeared on the screen. Pete first pulled the laser back from the hole and the projection worsened. Then he adjusted again, this time bringing the laser head up until it almost touched the crystal protrusion. Suddenly the image cleared and about twenty schematic drawings appeared. Map locations and what looked like numbers and more symbols. However, as the images solidified, they could clearly see that the center of the picture was an exact duplicate of the ancient map recovered from Westchester, New York. The Mediterranean was there, and located in its exact center were the ringed islands of Atlantis.
"Can we bring up the electrical power, please, by say, oh, five thousand volts?"
Suddenly they heard a low swishing sound and the lens turned in its plate, swirling outward and simultaneously becoming more concave. Then the green and blue images rounded and the pictures seemed to leave the projector screen altogether and form a three-dimensional hologram. The gathered scientists were stunned as locations in Africa, Spain, and then Atlantis itself floated in front of their eyes. They could even make out a huge aqueduct that rose a thousand feet above the sands of the Nile Delta and stretched across the Mediterranean to the island.
"The billions of microscopic scratches inside the sandwiched crystals--when put together, they form these holographic images. When separate, they are flat and meaningless. The lens must be layered in differing thicknesses to create the hologram. The mathematics involved in that alone are purely in the realm of Einstein. Their crafting of crystals is one of the keys to their civilization."
One of the four mathematicians clapped once and actually stepped inside the huge hologram.
"What do you see, Professor Stein?" Virginia asked.
"When Pete mentioned Einstein, it struck me. These symbols at the bottom of the hologram--I believe it is a key to their mathematics system. It's very close to the system we have today. You won't believe this, but I think these here ..." He pointed to the symbols in the center of the floating hologram and then suddenly pulled back as he felt foolish thinking that he could touch the image. "Anyway, I will swear on my PhD that these symbols are their prime numbers. The same as ours as demonstrated by Euclid in 300 BCE--two, three, five, seven, eleven, thirteen, seventeen, nineteen, twenty-three, twenty-nine, and so on."
"And these numbers dead center of the map in the Med, and these two sets, one in Egypt, one in Ethiopia, and one other on the outermost eastern ring of Atlantis ... this is where Crete would be today?" Pete asked.
"I don't know yet, but I think we can figure this out rather quickly. These were brilliant and advanced people, but now that we know they used the same prime numbers as us, we can crack this thing rather quickly."
Virginia walked up to the hologram and ran her hand through the green and blue images. Then she focused on two areas of the Atlantis map.
"This area looks like it could be the only remaining part of Atlantis above water; you're right, it could only be Crete." Then she moved her hand and indicated the area that Stein had indicated in Egypt. "I'm sure--no, positive that these are coordinates. Moreover, Professor, you are right, they do use the same prime-numbers system as our own. These are longitude and latitude."
"You're right, young Virginia. If I read this right, it's 25.44 north and 32.40 south. Europa, can you verify location of coordinates, please."
"The indicated coordinates 25.44 N, 32.40 S, is location in southern valley in the nation of Egypt, valley is named on local and world maps as Valley of the Kings, named so for the--"
"The Valley of the Kings," Martha said from her chair, cutting short Europa's lengthy answer.
With so many images emanating from the ancient disk, the one that took up the largest space was the giant depiction of the ringed continent. The great center of it was the capital, and far below it--miles down, it looked to be--were great caverns with a multitude of tunnels and passages.
Sarah saw something that caught her attention.
She put her hand through the projected image of Egypt, then stepped to her left and looked at the symbols surrounding modern-day Crete and the Valley of the Kings. Another image showed what looked like giant stairways spiraling down into the earth, and at the bottom of these, one in Crete, one in Egypt, were great tunnels running to the centermost island of Atlantis. No, she corrected herself, running under Atlantis.
"What in the hell are we looking at here, Sarah?" Pete asked.
"From the scrolls that we've deciphered thus far, we have learned that slaves were abducted in many countries, mysteriously disappearing from time to time. Now look at this, the Valley of the Kings, where the pharaohs were laid to rest before their trip to the underworld. Now, I think we may have found the front and back door to that underworld--doors to a city and civilization that sank almost fifteen thousand years ago."
Virginia was not listening. She once more ran her hand through the floating hologram, this time through the terrain of Africa.
"For the moment, everything outside of the scrolls must be placed on hold. I need the exact coordinates for this location here. My guess is it's Ethiopia," Virginia said as she turned to face the others. "Pete, thank you for leading us through this. You can poke your nose in anywhere you want from now on."
Pete reddened as he nodded his thanks.
"I will now alert the president and Director Compton in Washington that I am officially calling an Event alert." She turned to Pete once again. "You will have to do without Sarah for the time being. Get with the Cartography Department and Europa and get me those exact coordinates in Ethiopia ASAP, I mean right now!"
Men and women started to move and Pete shot through the door as Virginia picked up the phone and pushed the Intercom button.
"Attention to all departments: an Event alert has just been called. I need Colonel Collins and his discovery team to report for briefing in ten minutes. This is no drill."
The Event Group went into action on all levels of the complex. Alice would get the official guidelines for the discovery team to Europa, and then orders would be sent out to be displayed on departmental computers for whatever actions their divisions had to take.
Most of the people left the room, but Sarah stayed where she was, looking at a strange pattern of lines that were grouped into fours. One of them was shaped roughly like the North American continent, while the other groupings were unfamiliar. For some reason, that same flickering thought entered and then left her memory just as fast. She decided that it was nothing of value at the moment and moved off.
Down in security, Jack heard the announcement of the alert and looked at Carl from over his desk.
"Only sixteen hours; not bad," Jack said.
"So, you expect to meet our blond-haired friend in Ethio
pia, huh?"
Jack had stood and started for the door, but he stopped at Carl's words and turned, and his look was intense.
"I'm banking on it, swabby."
Five minutes later, Collins and his discovery team were in logistics, drawing supplies for the dig in Ethiopia, when the next announcement went out.
"Attention, Event Order has been canceled; Discovery Team Phoenix security element is to stand down. Dig team will continue to prep. Colonel Collins and Captain Everett, report to the main conference room."
Everett looked at Jack. "What kind of happy horseshit is this?"
Virginia was pacing in front of the large monitor on the far left side of the conference table as Jack and Carl entered the room. Alice was jotting down notes and looked small as the only one sitting at the large table.
"Niles, Jack and Carl are here. You explain this to them."
Collins looked at Virginia as he took up position in front of the high-definition screen.
"Niles, what's going on? We have to be on a plane in about twenty minutes," Jack said, looking at Niles's tired face.
"Jack, you and your team have been ordered to stand down by the president. He feels that the importance of getting to that device dictates that this be a military recovery operation."
"What in the hell are we, rent-a-cops?" Everett asked angrily.
"Captain, you are not aware of the pressures we have building here. I was not about to add to the president's burden by arguing the point any more than I have." They saw Niles force himself to calm down. "Look, he knows what kind of a job you two did at Pearl; if it wasn't for that, he would never have fully realized the importance of this device the Coalition seeks. The Security Council would feel better having a Special Operations team sent in with Professor Leekie."
Jack knew there was no use in trying to argue the point. He took a deep breath to calm himself because he thought that Niles had more than likely fought hard and lost the argument with the president.
"Jack, have you heard of a Major Marshall Dutton?"
"Jesus," was all Jack said as he lowered his head.
"Who is he, Jack?" Carl asked.
"A career officer who's by the book and very, very, predictable. Niles, didn't they learn anything by having the FBI blown to hell and watching a SEAL team get decimated by these people? We're dealing with an element that knows how to do one thing particularly well, and that's killing."
"I know, but I can't sit here and argue with the Security Council about the classified details of our Group's security element and their prowess."
"The woman in Hawaii--she's not going to let us just waltz into Ethiopia and take the item they desperately need," Jack said as he looked around him and then back at Niles, on the monitor. "She's going to be there, Niles. Ethiopia isn't large enough to hide a bunch of Americans out digging in the sand."
"Colonel, this Major Dutton is being briefed on enemy capabilities. The situation outside of the actual dig is out of our hands." Niles looked around him as if he were a conspirator in a grand scheme. Then he faced the camera and raised his left eyebrow.
Alice smiled from her place at the table. "Pay attention here. I know that look," she whispered.
"Colonel Collins, during the formal request for the dig, the president spoke to Vice President Salinka of Ethiopia, who granted our request on the spot. He cited the deed you and your vacationing revelers pulled off by saving those students on the Blue Nile. He requested during the meeting that you come back to Ethiopia and receive his personal thanks for saving the life of his only daughter, Hallie. So, I am ordering a forty-eight-hour stand-down period for rest and recuperation for Captain Everett, Mr. Ryan, Mendenhall, and you. I figure you could go fishing again. Perhaps the same spot where you caught your last big one."
Collins and Everett turned away from the monitor and left the conference room without another word.
Virginia crossed her arms and looked at the screen. "I'm beginning to think you're picking up bad habits from those two."
"I haven't a clue as to what you're referring to. Now, I have to go, the North Koreans have just sent five more divisions south from Pyongyang."
With those words the monitor went dark, and with it the good feeling Virginia had about Niles and his subterfuge. Time was in short supply and the Coalition and North Koreans controlled the clock.
AMERICAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE BAKER-ABLE
FOUR MILES EAST OF ADDIS ABBA, ETHIOPIA
FIFTEEN HOURS LATER
Dr. Leekie and her team of four Event Group specialists guessed the age of the ruined mosque at close to twenty-three hundred years. The once-great minaret and tower were but a ghost of the former structure, having fallen into the sands many hundreds of years before the founding of America. The foundations and walls that remained upright allowed the wind to howl through them with soft moaning sounds.
There were aspects of the mosque that confused the professor. The surviving walls had been constructed around the time of Christ, plus or minus a few hundred years, she estimated. However, the foundations were much older. Leekie could not say how old they were because they were built in a style she had never seen before. They were not Roman or Greek and certainly not Egyptian.
"Not much to look at, is it?" Ryan asked, lying prone between Jack and Carl as they watched through binoculars from a rise of sand.
"Not much," Everett mumbled in answer, gazing at the professor down below, about a quarter of a mile away.
Professor Leekie was taking measurements inside the ancient mosque with the help of two of her archaeology team and Will Mendenhall, whom Jack had snuck onto the team as an archaeological assistant. The Ethiopian laborers hired by the professor for the dig stood watching from under a date tree
"I have to tell you, Jack, I sure hope you're wrong on this one. The way that Major Dutton has his men deployed, they're very exposed. Mendenhall keeps looking around and he doesn't look too happy."
Collins lowered his binoculars and glanced at Everett, but hesitated as he noticed Ryan in his new desert wear, complete with zinc oxide on his nose and a blue baseball cap with a white kerchief attached to the back to protect his neck from the sun. Jack shook his head and then raised the binoculars again.
"Mr. Ryan, since you're dressed for it, go a thousand yards to our rear and watch the desert to our back. If Dutton won't deploy his men properly, we will."
Ryan turned and looked at the vastness of the wasteland behind him with a frown. "What desert?" he joked.
Leekie was just rolling up a tape measure when Major Dutton and his platoon leader approached.
"The laborers are going to have one hell of a time digging through this sand. I would have expected better soil for a burial spot," Leekie said as she shaded her eyes and looked at the stern countenance of Major Dutton. "Are you sure you have the coordinates my people gave you correct?"
"In my line of work, miss, reading a map is fundamental," answered Dutton as he looked away.
"It's Professor, or, if you prefer, just Leekie."
"Ma'am, I would appreciate it if you would get on with your survey. This was not supposed to take as long as it has."
"I won't go into a long and boring speech about the dangers of ancient burial sites, Major. One wrong move and we could have the entire area collapse under our feet."
"Well, have you anything to report?"
"Not yet," she answered, and then she waved the diggers over and used the interpreter to order several pilot holes dug in the sand for her equipment to take readings.
"Major, we will be placing portable ultrasound units at the base of what's left of the foundations and inside the remains of the prayer tower. If there's something buried here, that should tell us."
Jack had moved away from Everett and stood watching the eastern part of the desert. The midday sun was a killer as he stood still and listened. He had that old prickly feeling in his stomach that told him they were not alone in the desert. For the life of him, he could not tell where a
potential enemy could hide. There was very little cover, just scrub and sand. The Blue Nile was more than a kilometer away, and any force coming from there would have given ample warning to the op team at the mosque site.
He shook his head as he started to turn, and as he did so he saw a mark in the sand. It was only a track, but it was one with which he was familiar. He did not want to lean down and examine it in case eyes were on him, so he removed his sunglasses and stretched, and as he did so he eyed the track more closely. It was a track in the literal sense: padded and linked; the sort of track used on a bulldozer or a backhoe. It had been brushed over but not completely wiped from the desert floor.
He replaced his glasses and turned back to the mosque. He had just confirmed that the dig team was not alone in the desert. Jack also knew that they had arrived too late.
As he casually walked back to where Everett was watching the camp and mosque, he reached into his pocket and felt the reassuring touch of his panic button.
Professor Leekie was getting frustrated with her equipment. She slapped at the laptop computer she had perched on the broken wall and cursed.
"This damn sand is so thick, it's almost impenetrable."
Dutton was just returning from the perimeter of the encampment, where he had checked on the positions of his twenty-five-man team. He shook his head after hearing Leekie curse her equipment. He saw her assistants return from laying their last remote ultrasound probe in the ruined tower of the mosque.
"Fifteen thousand years ago this area was forest land with compacted soil good for trees and plants. This equipment should have no trouble penetrating a few lousy feet of sand to reach the old earth beneath."
"What's the matter, Professor Leekie, modern science failing you?" Dutton asked with a smile, masking his ire.
Ancients (event group thriller) Page 30