by B. Michaels
“There’s no way Judah had enough gold, during the time of Jeremiah, to build this cave. That was 500 years later than Solomon. By that time, Judah was weak and poor. And remember, the copper scroll says that the tunnels were Solomon’s. Digging the original tunnels, hollowing out this cave, smoothing the walls, laying the gold, hermetically sealing it—this was a monumental effort. Solomon must have used slaves, just like he used for his copper mines.”
The golden floor of the cave was 75 feet long. At its highest point, the ceiling of the semi-egg-shaped chamber was 20 feet tall. To the immediate left of the stone entry, Josh saw a wooden chest. El Minero and all four excavators quickly extended the ventilation system into the golden cave and rushed to position portable lanterns. Light danced in the chasm. It reflected off the gold, like a house of mirrors. Two large, covered objects stood in front of the archeological team. Beyond the obstacles, a long rectangular tent was visible—at the far end of the cave.
As McMillan looked in the direction of the tent, he said, “Oh, my Lord. That’s the Tabernacle. God instructed Moses to build the Tabernacle in painstaking detail. He spent two chapters of the Bible describing the creation of the world, and over 50 chapters detailing the requirements of the Tabernacle. Before there was a Temple, the Tabernacle housed the Ark. It was instituted right after the Exodus. That Tabernacle could be 1500 years older than Jesus.”
“Why would Solomon go through all this trouble to protect the Tabernacle?” asked Becca.
The Professor thoughtfully considered his answer. “Solomon built God a permanent house, the Temple. Maybe he wanted to take care of his temporary house, too? Or, maybe he foresaw a time like King Hezekiah’s or King Jehoiakim’s, and he desired to protect the Ark? I’m just guessing.”
Josh ran to the wooden container. It came up to his naval. “Professor, do you think the Ark is in here?”
“I don’t think so,” replied McMillan.
Josh lifted the top off the box. This unveiled another chest, coated in silver. “Help me remove this.”
Becca could now see white and blue linen robes, a turban, and a purple apron. The Hebrews called the kilt-like apron, an ephod. The ephod was fringed in gold and decorated with an elaborate blue and scarlet pattern.
A golden square, the size of a 10-inch picture frame, lay on top of the ephod. The adornment contained embedded, polished stones and jewels. Each gem was set in a grid-like pattern. It was three stones across, by four rows—for a total of 12 distinct jewels. Two black stones, in settings of gold, were secured to each shoulder of the purple ephod.
“Ahh,” said the Professor. “This box contains the high priest’s garments. The most famous—or rather, the most notorious—high priest in the Bible was Caiaphas.”
“He worked to persuade Pontius Pilate to crucify Jesus,” said Josh
Becca looked at her boyfriend, astonished. Eight months ago, he’d mocked her and called her a Bible thumper.
The Professor continued, “This golden square was known as the high priest’s breastplate. The chains at its top, connected to the golden settings of those two onyx stones. That enabled the breastplate to hang, like a huge necklace. The breastplate covered the high priest’s heart. Each stone represents one of the 12 tribes of Israel. Jesus came from the tribe of Judah.” McMillan pointed to the red gem, at the breastplate’s top right quadrant. “That’s a ruby.”
“It’s so beautiful,” said Becca. “What tribe is signified by the diamond?”
“Well, blow me down, Becca. You think all I do is study Bible trivia? The Professor laughed. “But, I’ll take a guess. I believe that it’s Zebulun.”
“I want to be from the tribe of Zebulun,” she exclaimed.
The Professor chuckled. “Look at this.” He pointed to the Hebrew script etched on the two black stones. “This writing lists the names of the 12 tribes of Israel; six on each onyx stone.”
“Let’s close this up and keep searching,” urged Becca.
El Minero’s crew had removed the two tarps from the objects immediately in front of the Tabernacle.
“Hey mates, slow down,” said McMillan.
“Alright,” answered El Minero. “Juans, fork the ventilation system. The air in here is still too thin.”
McMillan walked toward the bronze object, closest to him. Becca and Josh followed. “This is the bronze altar. This platform was used to burn the animal and grain offerings.” The altar was eight feet square. It stood waist high.
The Professor continued to the next object. It was closer to the tent. It looked like a fountain or bird bath. “This is the Bronze Laver. The priests used it to wash their feet and purify themselves before entering the Tabernacle.”
As the explorers got closer to the Tabernacle, the colors of the outer curtain became visible. There were intricate patterns of blue, purple, and red, intertwined in the fabric. Golden cherubim were also woven into the veil. McMillan walked to the center of the 45-foot long, by a 15-foot tall curtain. He peeled it to the left.
“We’re about to walk into the Holy Place. Only the priests could enter this area. Because of the people's sin, they weren’t allowed into the Tabernacle. I’ve got goosebumps.”
“Should I go in?” asked Josh. “I mean I’m Jewish, but I’m certainly no priest.”
“Your call,” replied McMillan. “If I were you, I’d take Baruch’s scroll seriously. God gave you the wisdom to create the AI. I’ll respect you, no matter your choice. However, I’m reasonably sure that if you want to see the Ark, you’re going to have to enter this Tabernacle.”
Josh stopped hesitating. “Let’s go.”
Josh, the Professor, and Becca nearly tip-toed into the Tabernacle’s Holy Place.
Their lanterns and the illumination from their helmets, sparkled across the golden objects in the room. A golden table was to their immediate right. In front of them, at a distance, was something that resembled a golden podium. A seven-branched menorah was on their left-hand side.
“That’s the table of showbread,” said the Professor, pointing to the right. “Every Sabbath, the priests would eat 12 loaves of bread, signifying the 12 tribes of Israel. When Jesus said he was the ‘bread of life,’ the showbread may have been on his mind.”
McMillan pointed to the left. “That’s the golden lampstand. It’s the Tabernacle’s only interior source of light. They didn’t have miner’s helmets back them.” He laughed. Like a lot of Brits, the Professor laughed at his own jokes.
The golden lampstand—also known as the menorah—was a seven-branched candelabra. Candle-like flames would burn on the tips of its seven branches. It was the height of one man. The span of its branches was two men. Hanukkah was a celebration of the Temple menorah that miraculously produced light during the Maccabean Revolt. The Maccabees warred against the Syrian ruler, Antiochus Epiphanes in 165 BC.
“When Jesus said, ‘I am the light of the world,’’ continued the Professor, “many Bible scholars think he was looking at a giant menorah in the Temple courtyard, while celebrating Hanukkah.”
“And what’s that, in front of that other curtain?” asked Becca.
“That’s the golden altar of incense,” replied McMillan. The Professor led the team closer. The incense altar was the width of a skinny man and three feet tall. “As the incense burned, smoke wafted into the air. The smoke symbolized prayers ascending before God.
“What amazes me most, now that I’m standing in the Tabernacle, is that God said that everything in here is an exact replica of His throne room in heaven. In other words, if you die and go to heaven, you’ll see all this again. If you read the Christian Bible’s last book—Revelation—you’ll find references to almost all these artifacts.”
As the intrepid excavators walked past the altar of incense, they stood in front of another curtain. It was similar to the first curtain they passed when they entered the Tabernacle.
The Professor took a deep breath. “Beyond this partition is the Holy of Holies. If the Ark of the Covenant is anywhere, it’s on the other side of this veil.
“Be careful. Don’t touch it. There are stories in the Bible of people that touched the Ark. They died on the spot. Let me be frank. I’m very nervous. And, I’m very excited. All at the same time. Only the high priest—and in all of Israel, there was only one—was allowed to go past this curtain. And he could only enter on one day of the year.”
“Yom Kippur, right?” asked Becca.
“Yes, Yom Kippur—the Day of Atonement. The high priest sprinkled sacrificial blood, from the bronze altar, on the Ark’s Mercy Seat. If God accepted the sacrifice, the high priest would live. If not, he died—right then and there. He wore bells and a rope around his waist, so the other priests and worshippers could listen. If the bells went silent, they used the rope to remove the dead high priest.”
“Yikes,” said Becca. “Now, I understand why my dad preached so often that Jesus became our High Priest.”
“Alright, alright. Enough about Jesus. Let’s see the Ark,” said Josh.
“Josh, God picked you for this job. You do the honors. Remove the veil,” said Professor McMillan.
Josh opened the curtain that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies.
There it was.
The Ark of the Covenant.
Becca’s eyes immediately focussed on the two golden cherubim. According to the Hebrew Bible, the spot underneath their mingled wings was where the God of Israel would talk to Moses—the Mercy Seat. The Shekinah glory of God, as the Rabbis called it; the God the Israelites believed created the heavens and the earth, dwelt on the Mercy Seat of the Ark to be near His people.
Becca, Josh, and the Professor stood in awe. Not a word was uttered. Every moment of their lives led to the very second.
At the height of this mystical encounter, grenade-like explosions ripped through the cave. Concussive waves reverberated through the Tabernacle. Becca heard screams and pops outside the Tent. Then, the screams stopped. Josh, Becca, and the Professor turned around. They saw Muhammad Rahmati. He stood at the entrance to the Holy Place. An Immortal was at his side, pointing his silenced AK in their direction.
“Hello—Josh, Becca, Professor MacMillan. Thank you for finding the Prophet Musa’s artifacts. They now belong to me. This is Babylon’s rightful property. The conniving Jews—Jews with the same treacherous spirit that allied with the Quraysh—unlawfully hid them from their conqueror, Nebuchadnezzar.”
“How do you know who we are? How’d you find us?” asked Becca.
“All good questions, my dear. I regret to inform you that answers no longer have any meaning for you. I can’t have any witnesses to this event. I’m sorry. Release the Remora,” commanded Rahmati, through his radio. He said the order in Farsi, but Remora in English.
Within a few seconds, Becca heard a buzzing noise. Professor MacMillan gasped and gurgled. Then, he grabbed his heart and fell face first onto the Tabernacle floor.
“You bastard,” shrieked Becca. “Why are you doing this?” The Immortal pointed the AK directly at Becca’s head.
Rahmati’s radio crackled, as a voice said in Persian, “That’s it. All the Swarmbots have either exploded, or their comm-links are down.” Becca recognized the word, Swarmbot.
“Roger,” replied Rahmati. “We’ll just have to execute them the old fashioned way. Josh, Becca; follow me. After I deal with you, I’ll examine our Prophet Musa’s Ark, in all its glory.”
The couple looked into each other’s eyes. Josh mouthed the words, “I love you.” They joined their hands and slowly walked forward.
Just then, as if someone whispered into Becca’s ear, the last line of the copper scroll came to Becca’s mind. With your last breath, grasp the light. As Becca passed the seven-branched lampstand, she reached out. With trembling hands, she clutched the branch nearest to her. “Save us,” she whispered.
Immediately, a trapdoor—directly underneath the couple—swung open. Still holding hands, Becca and Josh fell through the floor in the middle of the Holy Place. They screamed in surprise. The Immortal ran to the pitch black opening and fired his AK.
Becca and Josh dropped 15 feet before they crashed onto an angled, polished stone surface. It felt like quartz. Becca landed on top of Josh, driving his shoulder hard into the rock. They began sliding down, faster and faster, at close to a 45-degree angle. After a terrifying minute, they were dumped into an underground pool of icy water. They both popped up quickly, gasping for air. Fortunately, the lights on their helmets were still operational.
Rahmati cursed in frustration. “I hope that was a bottomless pit, and those two are dead.”
After briefly surveying the Ark, he exited the Tabernacle. Rahmati gathered his force in the golden cave, including Hadi Hadari. “We need to dispose of all these bodies. Wipe down this mess of blood and guts. Make sure to no DNA remains. Double-check that the bindings are still firm on the Arabs above. Don’t hurt them; they are fellow Muslims. The Swarmbot’s explosive capability was stronger than their technical documentation described. We need to get the Ark and the artifacts packed. Then, we can transfer them through the Gaza tunnels. All of Musa’s relics belong in their proper place—Babylon.”
Becca and Josh exited the water. “That slide, or whatever you call it, must have dumped us into the Gihon Spring system,” said Josh. “Do you hear the water dripping? Let’s follow that sound and see if we can get out of here.”
Within a few minutes, the shell-shocked couple could see some faint light. After walking further, they came to a portion of the Gihon Spring that tourists visit. There was little ambient light from the quarter moon. Thick clouds afforded even more cover for the couple. Becca and Josh secretly made their way to the Jerusalem safe house, looking over their shoulder for Rahmati or Israeli security forces. With traumatized psyches and unraveled hearts they struggled to make sense of the events.
Chapter 36 – Immunity
01:15 a.m. (EST), Thursday, February 18, 2021 – Columbia, MD
SWARM Op Center, Sixth-Floor SCIF, Defense Innovations Accelerator
General Shields dialed Josh’s father.
Adler groggily answered his mobile. “Jared, this is General Bernard Shields. Your son and his girlfriend are in grave danger. We know you’re aware of where they are, and what they’re doing.”
Before Rahmati seized control of the Swarmbots and ended the surveillance feeds to the op center; two Swarmbots recorded grainy images of—what looked to be—Muhammad Rahmati. The ramifications of the pictures rocked Shields to his core, but he couldn’t make a 100% positive match.
He needed confirmation from Josh and Becca. If they were still alive. Shields did know that a number of Swarmbots exploded and that a Jumbo had released its Remora. NSA assets would later gather the remaining Swarmbots and ship them back to the Fort.
Jared processed the information with a sleepy mind. This is a trick, he thought. “General, I don’t have anything to say. I’ll let Josh know you called. If he wants to talk to you, he will.”
“Look, Jared. I’m not going to reveal all the evidence we’ve compiled. We both know that Josh and Becca have fled the country. They accomplished this feat in spite of their presence on the no-fly list.”
Jared’s pulse slightly quickened.
Shields continued, “I can tell you that we found Josh and Becca’s A-Car at the Grand Canyon. We know that Becca hacked into a motel computer system. We tracked them to Jerusalem, where they’ve been digging to find an ancient historical object. I warned them this object impaired their safety and was dangerous for our nation.
“We ran a title on the property, near the Temple Mount, that’s concealing the excavation. With the help of four forensic accountants, we’ve tracked the recent purchase of that real estate to entities’ affiliated with you.”
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br /> Jared’s stomach did flip flops.
“I’m not sure how Josh and Becca got out of the country, but I believe you know how. When I add all this up, there’s been a lot of state, federal, and international laws broken.”
Jared was now fully alert. “General Shields, perhaps we can all go to jail together. And how’s visitation day going to be for you? How will your wife avoid running into your mistress? At the very least, if you don’t go to jail; you’ll be forced to resign.”
The General’s tone softened. “I’m sure we both have things we’d like to keep hidden. This isn’t a pissing match. The bottom line is that your son and his girlfriend’s life are in serious jeopardy. Despite what you may have been told, my actions were designed to protect Josh, Becca, and interests of the United States. If they’re alive, we’ve got to get them out of Israel and back to the States. NSA needs to debrief them. They possess vital intelligence, with global implications. We must carefully determine our next steps. And, I’ve got to ascertain if there’s a mole in my organization or the Intelligence Community.
“I’ll help you get Josh and Becca out of Israel. I’ll remove them from the no-fly list. And, I’ll get the Justice Department to write up an immunity deal. Our nation has a serious problem. I need Josh and Becca’s knowledge and talents.”
Jared’s burner cell phone started ringing. It was either Josh or Becca. Now, Adler’s heart thumped. His knees weakened. He fully realized that Shields was neither bluffing, nor trying to deceive him.
Jared rushed through remaining deal points. “I’ve got a lot of connections in Israel. I’ll work on getting them out. I’ll need your help getting them through customs. Once they get home, we’ll fly to Dulles on my jet. I’m going to bring my lawyers. Not only do they need an immunity deal, but we’ll need additional ones for me, my CTO, Becca’s father, and the archeologist.”