The crew honked the horn in front of the hotel. Three jet-lagged travelers staggered out of the front door and climbed inside the minibus. Ballard was pressing Greg about why he brought Robbie into this expedition in the desert.
“If we find anything, don’t you want your friend to get some credit?”
“We’re not friends anymore, dad.”
“Oh, but you are. You have too much history to write each other off without one last attempt. Maybe seeing him will do the both of you good?”
“You’re speaking like a matchmaker.”
“I’m not playing matchmaker, maybe match-saver. Robbie and you were close. He stood by you after your divorce. You were best man at his wedding. You can’t throw all that away over a foolish argument.”
“I don’t think allowing his brother to take credit for my discovery is a ‘foolish argument.’ He stole it right from under me.”
“I think his argument was that the Israeli’s stole it.”
Ballard threw his hands in the air. “Whatever dad, we’re not going to find anything there so we won’t have to deal with anymore heroics from Robbie, if he even shows up.”
Jake interrupted the discussion, “Welcome aboard, gentlemen.”
Ballard’s vision moved to the rear of the vehicle, where thousands of dollars of electronic equipment filled the last ten feet of the truck.
“What do you have back there? He asked.
Jake kept his answer brief, “Enough electronics to find whatever we’re searching for. You name it, we’ve got it.”
“How about a metal detector?” asked Billy.
“What century are you from?” asked Jake, “Today the catch phrase is DPI, or depth penetrating imagery. We use this technology to get hi-resolution images of alloys, bones, pottery… whatever is there. We’ve advanced past the point of spending ten hours with a shovel, pushing piles of dirt around. This technology saves us time, which saves the customer money.”
Billy was dumbfounded, “I’m anxious to get going. How long until we get there?”
“A couple of hours. I have a saying…nothing is too far from Jerusalem, except peace.”
Billy thought, “My father was right, they’re still fighting.”
The men spent the rest of the ride talking about politics, sports, and women. Those three staples could carry a conversation from any century, even the ones that Billy witnessed long ago. When they approached the end of the ride, Jake turned to Billy.
“Does any of this look familiar? The maps indicate this is the vicinity of where your father’s vehicle was found.”
Billy scanned to his left, and to the right.
“All I see is sand. I don’t recall this area specifically.”
“That’s okay, we have to start somewhere. This is as good as place as any. Billy and Greg, stay in the vehicle, I’ll keep the air conditioning running while Ballard and I, and the rest of the team set up shop.”
“Works for us,” said Greg.
One hour later Jake returned to the vehicle. “Come on out. Let me show what we did.”
He wiped the sweat from his forehead with his t-shirt.
Billy slowly exited the truck and walked to the makeshift camp the crew had established.
The rest of the crew had been working alongside Jake. They stopped their work briefly to greet Greg and Billy, and resumed their assignments.
“Love to chat, Mr. Callahan, but you know Jake, the slave master. He thinks we’re in Egypt, twenty years before Moses came to set us free,” declared Lincoln.
“Can you focus on the cables, please? Daylight is going to limit our efforts. Hurry up,” said Jake.
Greg cocked his head to one side and eyeballed Billy, “Hey, did you ever have sex while you were in that other earth?”
“Come on, you said I was lying on the bed, remember?”
“How convenient. Did you see Hargudus having sex?”
“That’s what you want to know? I have the most amazing, historical experience in the entire world, and you want to know if I saw two people fooling around?”
“I never said I was a history buff.”
Jake said, “I hate to break up this fascinating conversation, but it’s time we talk about this site. Billy, come over to the desk and check out these pictures.”
Billy made his way over and grabbed the black and white pictures that his father showed him the last time he stood in this area. He turned the pictures to and fro, getting his bearings on his position today compared to the picture.
Jake took his arm and moved him east.
“I think you’ll find the rise in the field to the east matches the one on the picture. Anything recognizable?”
“Sure, we examined a bunch of them.”
Billy pointed due south.
“Let’s go,” said Jake. “Mooch, Linc, grab the gear. Giza will stay here and keep an eye on things. The rest of you, check your remote sensors. I don’t want anybody getting separated out here.”
Each participant on the site was fitted with a remote GPS finder. They scaled back the sensitivity to a ten foot range.
“No reason to soak up battery power tapping into the ultra-high channel band width on the satellites. Ten feet will do. If we can’t find each other with that rating, you’ve likely been consumed by the desert monster.”
“Stick close to the group and we’ll be fine. Nobody is going to kill a group of researchers in the middle of the desert. We’re not military and we’re not building settlements,” said Mochmar.
Greg raised his hand to block the sun. “It’s a desert. How long are we going to walk around?”
Jake wasn’t a happy camper, “Till we find something or the money runs out, whichever comes first. Billy, take a peek at this one.”
Billy strode to the front of the line and took the snapshot from Jake.
“Water lines,” said Billy. “I remember something about that. I can’t put my finger on it, but we’re close.”
Greg tapped him on the shoulder. “Can you sense it?”
“No, it doesn’t work like that,” said Billy.
Greg peeked at the sky. “I was thinking if that orb still had a little hold on you, maybe if you wandered close enough to it, I don’t know, maybe you’d get a weird feeling inside or something?”
Billy shook his head in amazement at his friend.
Jake interrupted the argument, “Can you two knock it off and stick to the plan.
“What’s that?” asked Lincoln. He was pointing to the west. A trail of sand rose into the air.
“It appears we have company,” said Jake. “Let Mochmar handle the talking.”
Billy wiped the perspiration from his face. “We’re screwed. Terrorists. Not how I wanted to die.”
Jake took a swig of water from the canteen. “Trained assassins? Or Jeep rental customers who strayed too far from the route? We’ll know in less than two minutes. Stay calm. There’s no reason to assume we’re in danger.”
As the car approached, Ballard’s nerves eased. It was an official Mossad vehicle.
The truck continued to move toward their current location. A short man exited the vehicle. He stood no taller than five feet, six inches. His belly tested the limits of his uniform. If the buttons popped, someone might lose an eye.
Ballard recognized the man at once. It was Robbie.
“I’ve got this,” said Ballard, staring at Mochmar.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. You don’t want to piss off a man from Mossad. He can make you vanish into thin air.”
Ballard’s voice was firm. “I said, I’ve got it!” And he walked to meet his childhood pal.
“What brings you to the middle of desert, Robbie? Are you hoping we find something you can claim for yourself?”
Robbie extended his hand in a gesture of goodwill, but withdrew it as he measured Ballard’s heated tone.
“You look good, Ballard. It’s a shame you don’t understand the Peruvian thing.”
“The Israeli’s had no reason to be snooping in the Andes Mountains.”
“I didn’t come here to discuss Pacaipampa. We can talk about that another day,” said Robbie. “Hello Mr. Miller, good to see you. It doesn’t appear that you’re plan is going to work. I think Ballard is still pretty angry.”
Greg stepped forward and the two embraced. Ballard burned.
Robbie eyed the other old man in the group.
“You must be Billy Callahan. The one I’ve heard so much about. It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.”
Ballard joined the sociable chat, “You learned your manners, but you have a lot to learn about ‘respect.’ You know, basic concepts like ‘respecting other people’s accomplishments’ and not taking credit for them yourself.”
Jake jumped into the fray. “Your disagreements should be settled on someone else’s dime. I think I speak on behalf of all of us and ask what are you doing here? I appreciated your help over the phone, but why are you here?”
“I’m an old friend of the Miller family. Let me explain.”
“Please”, said Ballard, “this ought to be good.”
Robbie shifted the envelope in his left hand and handed it to Billy.
“Open it,” he said.
Billy took the envelope and withdrew three pictures.
“This is it. This is the picture that my dad showed me.”
Robbie interjected. “You’re a half mile off target. Study the next picture.”
Billy moistened his fingers so he could separate the second picture. It had “Official Israeli Recon” stamped on the back. It was a picture of the soldier who rescued Billy.
“Is that me being pulled out of the hole? I’m covered in dirt.”
“It’s you. I promise. I didn’t drive all this way to give you a phony image. Take a peek at the last one.”
Billy slid the second photo behind the first one and exposed the photograph.
“I don’t see anything. All I see is dirt and rocks.”
“Keep looking,” said Robbie, “look close, near the top of the page. You should move your gear over there.”
“What is it?” asked Ballard.
Jake fumed at the sight. “I didn’t authorize this. Mr. Miller, you are not responsible for paying for these machines. You don’t have to do this. It will cost thousands of dollars.”
Robbie stopped him short.
“Mr. Miller is not paying for this, Mr. Epstein. The Israeli government and the United States Military are working on a joint effort here today.”
Ballard’s voice in anger, “So you’re ready to fuck me over again? This is charming. And my father gave you a hug two minutes ago. Dad, what do you think of Mr. Wachter now?”
“I have to admit Robbie, I’m a little confused. Could you please explain what’s going on?” said Greg.
“Gladly. It’s no secret that Billy all but died in this spot in 2012. Billy, I’m sorry that your father perished that fateful day. The army returned your personal items to the hospital after they lifted you out of the hole. The hole was completely covered by tons of rocks during the aftershocks that followed a day or two later. The country was devastated by the damage and the last thing on anyone’s mind was the possible failure to retrieve a few personal items from the surviving American tourist, even if that tourist was the son of the great Jack Callahan.”
Ballard grew weary of the story. “Get to the point. Please, I can’t wait for the other shoe to drop.”
Robbie ignored Ballard and continued, “As I was saying, the last picture was taken as evidence that the area where Billy was located was cleared. The captain, a man named ‘Itzal’, forwarded the photograph to his superiors. He failed to achieve notoriety in his life, but the fact that he slid this picture into the report was the single wisest decision he ever made. That report sat idle for years in the back of Prime Minister Uhuda’s private documents. You may recall he was the man who took money from Marrick Kon to help his re-election campaign in 2012. His son sent you a box, years later.”
Greg asked, “How did you know about that box?”
“Mr. Miller, it’s our job to know what enters and leaves the state of Israel. We made sure there was no security risk with the items that found their way back to their rightful owner. The picture that helps identify the correct area to return to was the one exception. We would have made sure you never found the right spot if we didn’t want you to know where it was.”
“What about the picture of the hole?” asked Jake.
“First, I must tell you how these pictures came to light. The State sealed the Prime Ministers memoirs for security reasons when he died in 2030. You have to understand the times that we were living in. Mistrust of government officials was rampant. Political leaders were shamed out of office. War with Iran, social unrest, a failing economy. It was a miracle that Israel survived. Substantial changes followed quickly. Among those changes was something similar to the United States Freedom of Information Act that passed in the 1960s. President Johnson hated it, but it passed, and in turn, our country put in place the Israeli Independent Council for Secret Documents many years ago. It gives an independent council, appointed by the government, the rights to scan old documents and forage for worthwhile material. Despite his intentions, Prime Minister Uhuda didn’t leave much of a legacy. The significant event that happened in his time was the earthquake that brings us here today.”
“It’s not getting any cooler out here,” said Ballard.
“You never did have any patience, did you? I had the responsibility to review Uhuda’s files after he died. When I found the photographs, I kept one in the special folder I had about the Negev Monster, which included the report from Captain Itzal. Two months ago I became involved in the final testing of a new hi-tech military grade radar imaging device. Simply put, it blows the door off what we’ve had. It’s too powerful to disclose to the general public and as you can imagine, with our enemies surrounding us, we don’t want to tip our hand to the device unless it means our survival. Those around the world that seek our destruction and assume that placing their bomb making facilities deep underground will be unpleasantly surprised if we decide to make a preemptive strike on their soil. I mentioned earlier a deal with the United States. The USA and the Israeli government have reached an agreement to share all information related to any artifacts found at ‘Loch Ness.’ That is the code name for this area.”
“What’s Loch Ness?” asked Ballard.
“It’s an old tale about a monster that swims in the Scottish Highlands. It’s a crock of shit of course, but it makes for good copy and periodically, some fellow makes news claiming he’s found the monster swimming in the water,” said Lincoln.
Robbie signaled his approval. “Billy, what if I told you that there are officials at the highest levels of both the United States and Israeli governments that think your story might be true.”
“I’d say that would surprise me. I find it hard to believe you’d trust President Dodge.”
“My boss trusts him. Unfortunately, we can never validate your story, even if it is true…especially if it’s true. If the general public thought aliens were coming to kill us, we’d have to declare Martial Law until doomsday occurred. Nobody would respect authority. However, I felt I owed it to you to be here for the effort to see if anything remained in that hole. I’ve spoken to Mr. Miller often since he became your guardian and I’m glad we finally met. He’s a true friend, I hope you appreciate the lengths he went to make this day happen.”
“I do. But tell me, why did you do this for me if you aren’t going to clear my name? The world thinks I’m a nut,” asked Billy.
“Mr. Miller thought he could show an old chum a bit of gratitude. Maybe show him that there are occasions when people don’t have choices when they work in the daunting world of the Mossad, but at other times they do…and this is one of those times.”
Ballard turned white, despite the burning Israeli sun that beat down on him.
“You don’t have to say anything…not yet,” said Robbie, pointing to his former friend Ballard.
Robbie’s speech ended with the reverberations of giant earthmovers skipping over the sand and approaching the area where they were to dig. A group of scientists holding small computers stood next to a pop -up tent near the enormous machines. They spoke Hebrew, and talked in hushed tones, keeping their conversation private. The top of the lead Caterpillar machine paused. The hydraulic posts came to rest. One of the technicians placed a small box on top of the machine and attached two wires to the posts. He pressed two more buttons and the machine headed for the target.
“Let’s stand back, please. I don’t like to fill out injury reports on my watch. It’s bad for morale and my yearly bonus,” said Robbie.
The Mossad crew escorted Jake and his team to a secure spot away from the machines and told them to take their equipment and leave the area immediately.
“I’m in charge of this group. Mr. Miller and his guests are my responsibility,” demanded Jake.
“I understand your position, but I’m afraid I have to pull rank on you today. Our department is in charge now. I’ve got the papers in the truck if you need to see them,” said Robbie.
Jake seethed. “I don’t think you’d come all the way out here if you didn’t have the proper documentation, even if it isn’t from the department of antiquities, I know how this is going to end. Take care of my guests. My secretary will be sending your department an invoice for my costs and expenses.”
“Of course,” said Robbie.
Robbie’s team took over the search efforts and continued digging up rocks and dirt. A second machine did the same thing from thirty feet away on the other side. The machines slowly dropped below eye-level. Hours passed. They filled their buckets with earth and piled them high on the side of the ground. The sun baked the crew and Jake instructed them to keep hydrated. They perspired as much as they consumed. The crew’s digging lasted long into the day.
Robbie talked with the scientist, and walked briskly over to Billy.
“Billy, I’d like you to come with me.”
Billy followed Robbie to a bank of computer monitors that showed infrared images of sand, dirt, or rocks underneath the surface. The monitor filled with small red dots.
“What’s that!” shouted Billy.
Robbie cupped his hands around his mouth. The machines ferocious noise made it tough to hear anything less than a shout.
“That’s nothing but small pieces of iron. There’s zilch to get excited about. We’ve spent hours with all this fancy new equipment, and I’m sure we’re near the spot you were rescued in.”
Four hours went by as heavy machinery and hi-tech ground penetrating equipment searched in the spot Robbie showed them on the picture. There was plenty of sweat, lots of sand, but no orb.
Billy’s head drooped in disappointment. He was so confident that the world of public opinion would redeem him. His newfound facts would convince the Dodge’s of this world that aliens had been here, and they had done the terrible things he said he’s seen and heard. If people believed him, the world would unite and force their governments to fight against pollution and the continued onslaught of man’s abuse of the planet. Now, there was nothing to go on, other than faith. Society would not change and the aliens would return to earth and destroy it.
Robbie and Ballard stood nearby and chatted. Greg wasn’t positive, but the meeting offered renewed hope for their friendship. The trip that Billy hoped would give him redemption fizzled into a daylong journey of sweating, digging sand out of their shoes, and staring at old rocks.
Billy walked back toward Greg, his ego bruised from the failed attempts to find the orb.
“I’m going to have to stick to my story, Greg. It’s in my head. I swear it was true. For all the living things in the world, I remember touching that thing.”
Greg wrapped his arm around his friend and gave him a comforting hug.
“I know this is disheartening for you. You can still fight the good fight. You said the teacher wanted you to spread the word, so go spread the word like you did before the election. Nothing has to change. It would have been fantastic to find the orb, but your message goes deeper than what may, or may not have happened here ten million, or a hundred million years ago. What matters is that our world is in a heap of trouble, and you can be a smart, shining voice in a world of darkness to help us. If you imagined the teacher, and the aliens, and the destruction, and the wars, and the digging into the earth, I’d say you have a fertile imagination, but perhaps the time you spent in your condition was necessary for you to speak to the world now. If this never happened to you, perhaps you’d have been an ordinary person, gone to school, got married, two kids, the job, the house in the burbs, the dog, all that, but you wouldn’t be here today ready to shout to the world to fix our ecological mistakes.”
Billy wiped away a tear and offered his opinion, “If you’re right, that’s a hell of a price to pay.”
“Yes it is my friend, yes it is. A hell of a price, indeed.”
While Jake’s crew was back at the hotel bar letting off steam about their day, Robbie Wachter wasn’t giving up on his efforts to find any old artifacts from Billy’s tumble into oblivion in 2012.
His crew was tired and running low on water. Wachter pushed them for more. “I’ve got the real coordinates and GPS location. I know you’re exhausted, but we’ve got to keep trying. You’re all getting a big bonus for this. Follow me in the other trucks. Bring the cameras and the GBR’s another fifty feet closer to the trucks. Maybe we’re off target a little? I see a fault line up ahead, or something that might be the edges of an old circular ridge. I hope I can make this up to Ballard. He doesn’t understand the concept of ‘orders are orders.’ ”
Two hours later, and a quarter of a mile away from where Billy stood hoping for salvation earlier in the day, a shout of voices came from the scientists hovering over their laptop computers. They hugged each other and one of the men cried.
Robbie’s computer monitor was third in a line of connected systems. The delay was brief, just seconds, but something was happening… an image popped up on the monitor that took his breath away.
“Guys!” said Robbie.
“We see it!”
“Do you know what this means?”
Robbie peered closer at the monitor. “Nobody of a sound mind is going to believe this. Things like this don’t exist. We should leave it in the damn ground where it belongs.”
“Our job was to find it, not decide what to do with it,” said Robbie’s chief electrical engineer, Beth Lohr.
The enormous dirt diggers retreated from the hole. Robbie exchanged them for a smaller unit that provided more dexterity and less risk of damaging the treasured find.
Thirty minutes passed while the machines changed places. The smaller unit, called “Little Moose,” removed dirt from near the orb.
“You want to get a closer look?” asked Robbie.
Lohr turned to him. “Like my parents used to say…look, but don’t touch.”
“It’s tempting. It could take decades to get the information out of that thing. Maybe we never will. None of us can talk about what we’ve found here today. That’s part of the arrangement with the United States. We’re sworn to secrecy.”
The entire group nodded their heads in agreement. Scattered mutters of “okay” and “yes” followed. Robbie turned his attention back to Billy.
“Thanks to you, we’re on the precipice of the greatest archaeological find in history.”
“The most excellent one ever,” said Billy.