Silas and Celeste followed Miles out to the adjoining space where Miles kept his desk. It was a far cry from the cluttered mess of his boss.
Unlike Silas’s, he kept his notes and books in neat piles, arranged on shelves. And there was an electric kettle of water boiling in the windowsill, with a half-drained cup of tea on his desk. He was the Yin to Silas’s more messy, absent-minded professor Yang.
“What do you mean he’s found the Ark of the Covenant?” Silas questioned as they shuffled over to Miles’s desk.
“Well, not found, per se. More on the verge of finding. Just take a look.” Miles angled his computer monitor so that Silas and Celeste could read the breaking-news article on CNN.com.
And what a fascinating read it was. Silas scrolled quickly as the two took in the almost surreal developments in biblical archaeology, undoubtedly one of the most monumental events of the millennia. As the article explained, Dr. Lucas Pryce was able to get the Imam of al-Aqsa Mosque and caretaker of the Dome of the Rock, and the Sephardic Chief Rabbi of the Jewish contingent of the ancient, holy city of Jerusalem to come together to open a new exploration for the Ark under the holy Temple Mount.
“This is unbelievable,” Silas muttered as he continued reading, while Celeste looked on with less surprise.
The article continued to explain how Pryce had lobbied the two separately for nearly two years, outlining a case for the two religions to come together in the interest of peace and the world community to help unearth one of the most important relics for both religions. He apparently had offered new evidence for the location of the artifact and the genuine possibility of its unearthing, though Pryce withheld details for the sake of confidentiality.
“Did you know about this development?” Silas asked, looking up at Celeste while still leaning over Miles’s desk.
Celeste folded her arms and hesitated. “We didn't know that it had come to this, to an impending unearthing of the most sought-after religious relic ever. Not to mention the forging of a bond between arguably two of the most important religious leaders in Islam and Judaism. But a SEPIO operative brought us intelligence indicating Pryce was on the verge of a major archaeological exploration of biblical proportions. Literally.”
“I’d say. This is huge! And what’s this ecumenical kumbaya? Doesn’t make sense! Each of them has far more to lose than gain in joining forces. Something’s not right.”
“Sorry to interject,” Miles said, “but there appears to be a live stream video attached to the article.” Silas and Celeste broke off their conversation, looking on as Miles brought up the live feed.
“…of historic proportions, Kai. You couldn't have scripted a better, more surprising reversal than the heads of two of the predominant religions in the world's most holy city coming together in this monumental show of solidarity and cooperation in order to explore, and, hopefully, discover, the world's most popular religious artifact.”
“Indeed you couldn’t!” Kai Renolds responded enthusiastically. “This is on the scale of James Rollins or Clive Cussler, isn’t, Mara?”
Mara Mitchell chuckled. “Yes, it is, exactly. A made-for-blockbuster twist, that’s for sure. But hopefully not in the Dan Brown, religious conspiracy vein, Kai.”
“Hopefully not!” The man with thick, gray hair and round glasses pivoted from the reporter to the viewing public. “If you’re just joining us, we are live from the Western Wall of the Temple Mount in Old City Jerusalem as there has been a stunning development in Israeli-Palestinian relations, or more specifically Jewish-Muslim relations as the head rabbi and imam in the Holy City have announced their partnership to, hopefully, discover the fabled Ark of the Covenant. Yes, you heard that right. And, no, such a partnership wasn’t arranged by Dr. Jones, but rather a Dr. Lucas Pryce, chair of the Archaeology Department at Harvard University. Take a listen to a recap of a news conference that ended earlier today.”
“Unreal,” Miles said, voicing the collective sentiment in the room as the feed faded to a scene from earlier in the morning. It was a tight shot of Pryce, a tall, trim man in a loose-fitting, stone-colored linen suit sporting a scraggly, salt-and-pepper beard and bronzed skin from a lifetime of digs. Joining him was Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar and Imam Muhammad Ahmad Hussein walking onto a stage, flanked by guards and surrounded by news cameras bearing all of the symbols of the world's news agencies.
The feed flashed again, forward to Pryce’s announcement, given in a thick, but pleasant, Southern drawl: “Several years ago, I was on a dig in the heart of the West Bank, where I discovered an ancient manuscript from a forgotten civilization that stirred in me a passion for finding an ancient, religious artifact that has bedeviled archaeologists and historians for centuries.”
“Hey, that was my dig!” Silas exclaimed.
“Shh,” Celeste reprimanded. “Listen.”
“And it sparked in me the possibility of not only finding the long-fabled Ark of the Covenant. But using the search to bring about a lasting peace between two interested parties who hold this artifact, this relic of the past, to be immensely important for their respective faiths. So, after hounding my new-found friends for several months,” Pryce chuckled, turning to either side to acknowledge the rabbi and imam. They smiled in agreement. “After hounding them for nearly two years, imploring them to let me dig and explore a new passageway beneath the Temple Mount that runs through both Jewish and Muslim quarters, in the interest of peace and mutual, cultural understanding, they've agreed. And I must say, I couldn't be more pleased with the level of interest and empathy offered by both parties, Rabbi Amar and Imam Hussein.”
Pryce turned in outstretched arms to acknowledge his new partners on either side, the audience clapping in recognition.
As Silas looked on, envy began creeping up his spine. For what Silas hadn't told Celeste was that he was the one who found the jars with the scrolls. It should have been his academic win. But since he was being supervised as a PhD student, legally and professionally, Lucas Pryce could claim it as his own. And since Pryce was the one who translated the royal court notations on the processions of the Israelites around the city of Jericho, perhaps he should be the one taking credit anyhow.
But, man…what he wouldn't have done to have been the one on that stage, getting credit for the original find. And for the Ark. What an achievement that would have been! Perhaps it would have compelled his Princeton colleagues to take him more seriously. Perhaps it would have compelled his brother to take his faith more seriously.
As Silas silently stewed, Pryce continued his press conference: “One hopes this new partnership in search of this lost, ancient relic that means a great deal to both religions will help build a bridge toward lasting peace in a way where others have tried and failed. I look forward to showing the world our findings very soon, resurrecting the Ark of the Covenant from hiding these many centuries.”
The feed cut away from the press conference in Jerusalem and back to Kai Renolds at CNN’s breaking-news headquarters. “That was Dr. Lucas Pryce of Harvard University announcing a stunning, monumental breakthrough between Israelis and Palestinians, Jews and Muslims. He announced earlier today a new effort to unearth the fabled Ark of the Covenant from apparently a recently discovered, hidden chamber using a passage that extends through both Jewish and Muslim territories in the holy city. We’ll be sure to share further breaking developments in this fascinating story in the coming days.”
The feed ended, then launched a commercial for the newest model of a Mercedes. The room was silent as it played its full thirty-seconds until cycling into an archived news item on the presidential campaigns.
Miles closed the laptop and looked at Silas for guidance. Silas broke eye contact and looked at Celeste.
“Miles, cancel my classes for the rest of the day. It seems Ms. Bourne and I need to have ourselves an extended conversation about my old professor.”