November 24, 2060 - Tel Aviv, Israel
After getting their luggage and a quick stop at the car rental booth, the trio from Colorado were on their way out of the airport in a fire-engine red Volvo.
“Thank you for your efforts and the money you’re spending on this trip. I’m a little behind the times and with what things cost these days. When I was kid, a 2-liter bottle of pop was two bucks,” said Billy.
Ballard laughed, “What’s ‘pop’?”
Greg helped Billy out, “That’s what Ohioans call soda.”
The drive to the Sadot Hotel was short. The men washed up, and headed to the conference room for the prearranged meeting with the hired Israeli team. When they arrived, three men and one woman were already waiting for them.
Billy eyed the Israeli team with caution. He assumed they thought he was crazy, and in this case, he was right. The leader of the crew stood six feet, four inches tall. His body fat index was under ten, and he wore casual attire. The blonde hair was a misfit in the heart of the Mediterranean. His Israeli accent was slight and he glanced at the Millers, but barely gave Billy a glimpse.
“My name is Jacob Epstein. You can call me Jake. I’m the man in charge of this expedition and I expect you to understand my role. If I say it’s time to head in, we go. If I tell you to drink more water, you drink. If you bother me while I’m working, I’ll send you to the car, like a parent would send a child to their room. I may be half your ages, or more than that in the case of you two older gentlemen, but this is how I work. Ballard knows my reputation and he respects how I work. Any questions?”
Three heads nodded in unison, Jake continued his instructions.
“Good, that’s settled. My people will be doing the physical labor. We don’t want anyone to have a heart attack in the middle of the Negev. Let me introduce the rest of the team. The man in the grey sweater is Mochmar. He was born in Turkey, trained as an engineer, speaks several languages fluently, and knows people that can cut through government red tape. The man next to him is Lincoln. He’s a former Israeli military commander and our electrical equipment technician. I’m glad we have him on our team, and of course, we have Giza. She’s from Beersheba. A town located not too far from our destination. She knows the people from the surrounding area. She knows all the local customs and that may come in handy if we bump into trouble.”
The room fell silent as Jake unfolded a map and placed it on the table.
“I don’t believe in wasting your time or your money, Mr. Miller. I made a dry run to the dig site yesterday. Our equipment will be there tomorrow morning. The documents are in order. Mr. Miller, I’ve spoken to your old pal from Mossad Robbie Wachter. He spoke highly of you.”
Ballard interrupted, “What’s he got to do with this dad?”
Greg stammered a bit, and then said, “I felt enough time has gone by that the two of you should patch things up, become friends again.”
“It’s not your place to do that. This trip is about Billy!” shouted Ballard.
Jake continued, “Forgive me gentleman. It’s clear you have other issues at hand, but as I was saying, get a good night’s rest. Tomorrow will be a long day. Goodbye for now.”
Ballard closed the door and verbally went after his father, “I can’t believe you dragged me all the way from Colorado to Israel to see Robbie. I’m too pissed off to even discuss that with you. Was this your plan all along?”
Greg tried to reason with his son, “Forget about it. Let’s try to focus on why we’re here. I hired Jake because but he’s proficient at what he does. If I wanted bedside manner, I’d have chosen another guide. He’s organized and he’ll keep us safe. Try to overlook the exterior and trust his acute skills.”
Billy nodded his approval. “Let’s get out of this place and check out the sights. My dad and I never got the chance to see the country. We drove to Marrick’s house immediately after we bought our supplies, and then we went to the Negev, and you know the rest.”