Alex listened intently as Matt Fletcher and his team explained the mission. Archaeology was and always would be in her blood, and the longer the brief continued, the harder it was for Alex to deny that his proposal excited her beyond measure. Opportunities to have a hand at finding a missing puzzle piece to the human origin family tree were rare. However, as good as she was at her job, and as much as this project enthused her, she sensed there was much more to the quest than what she was being told.
Desperate for solitude to digest the information, Alex escaped Matt’s powerful gaze and took her turn looking at the city view from the window. Conscious of the team’s piercing stares on her back in anticipation of her acceptance, she broke the silence and turned to address the men at the table behind her.
“Gentlemen, it’s tempting, I confess, but I don’t quite understand. If the remains of Homo naledi were already discovered and excavated, it seems you merely need to send one of your teams to Johannesburg and retrieve it yourself. I don’t understand why you need me. If it’s a mere case of getting down into the cave to excavate the fossil in question, why not just get a team to go down and get it?”
No one spoke as her question hung thick in the air.
“We already tried, Alex. We can’t find it. What’s more is that we now have reason to believe the head of the excavation team already retrieved and hid it somewhere.”
“So why not just ask the man where it is?” Alex continued.
“He’s dead, Alex. Professor Graham was found bludgeoned to death in his office. We suspect whoever did this was after the fossil and Professor Graham must have intentionally concealed its location to protect it from landing up in the wrong hands. Problem is, he never told anyone else where he hid it.”
A moment later the short stocky man with the outlandish accent spoke for the first time.
“Miss Hunt, given the sensitive nature of this assignment it would be our duty to support you throughout the entire mission. Your safety is of primary concern to us”.
“Safety! You haven’t the foggiest idea who killed the professor and if they found whatever they killed him for or not? How in heaven’s name do you intend keeping me safe Mr—”
“Jean-Pierre DuPont, official representative for UNESCO,” the French man introduced himself.
Stunned with his introduction, Alex went silent.
“That’s United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization; headquartered in Paris.” DuPont added assuming her silence meant she didn’t know what UNESCO was. “We are largely responsible for building global peace and security. We’re also the ones who appointed ICCRU to intervene and handle this particular mission for us.”
“I know what UNESCO is Mr. DuPont.” Alex paced the room as she listened to the French delegate ramble on about his agency. Mr. DuPont’s accent was too heavy for Alex to fully understand his every word, but when the United Nations was involved in anything it usually meant serious business. Alex rubbed her fingers over her brows.
“Mr. DuPont, why would this mission require the UN to intervene? A man was killed over a human fossil that’s now presumed stolen. Seems it’s a simple case of solving a murder, that’s all.”
The group of men shuffled uncomfortably around the table. It was the scientist in his crisp white lab coat’s turn to speak for the first time.
“It’s not just any fossil, Miss Hunt. We’re talking about an extremely unique hominin species we believe can prove ancestral heritage dating back to Adam and Eve. Our recent genetic research suggests that all females are descended from a single female and all males from a single male, which is consistent with the Biblical portrayal of Adam and Eve. We believe the missing fossil piece contains, what we refer to as the mitochondrial gene that will link humanity all the way back to the Garden of Eden! I think it goes without saying what an immense impact it will have on the entire world if our human lineage traces us back to Eve itself. But if it gets destroyed or buried forever, we might never have another opportunity to prove the primary biblical concept the entire world thinks is just a myth. We’re pinning science against religion, Miss Hunt!”
Matt cleared his throat signaling a man with a well decorated uniform seated at the other end of the table to speak.
“General Willie Dreyer, South African Air Force Ma’am,” the man in a blue uniform with a strong South African accent introduced himself. “Unfortunately there are additional strenuous circumstances complicating the situation even further, Miss Hunt. The political climate in South Africa has taken a turn for the worse. The opposing political parties have created much division across the nation and civilians have taken things into their own hands. The South African people have overthrown the presidency and we now find ourselves in the throngs of a civil war. The country has quite literally gone haywire and the excessive violence and public uproar is making it nearly impossible to get any archaeology teams on the ground. We will provide safe entry and exit into our country with the help of the South African Defense Force and the UN, but the rest is up to you. We already have a dedicated special task force to accompany you at all times on standby awaiting our ‘go’.”
The Air Force general’s words left Alex cold.
“Civil war? Have you all lost your minds? I’m in no way equipped to fight in a war. Caving for fossils, sure, but being thrust in the middle of a war with a faceless murderer after the same thing? That’s preposterous!”
Matt met up with Alex where she was still pacing the length of the window.
“We’re not looking for bones, Alex. We’ve successfully managed to rescue all one-thousand-five-hundred-and-fifty bones that had been excavated from the cave back in 2013. We’re looking for the molars; or at least one and at this stage we’re not sure if it’s still in the cave. Fact is, Alex, we have lost all contact with our previously deployed team and new Intel suggests they might have never made it to the check-in point in the first place. If there was anyone else we thought equipped enough to handle this mission, we would have sent them. There isn’t. You’re the best at tracking down relics, and your proven combat skills make you the ideal candidate to retrieve possibly the biggest piece of history yet. The professor had some eccentric methods. He was known to be very fond of encrypting anything he thought was of value and this is one of those things. It’s so deeply hidden not even his closest colleagues are able to find it and all the leads we had up to this point ran dead. We’re missing something and I’m told you have a knack for cracking these things. You’re our only hope at finding the molar and bringing it home.”
“So let me get this straight. You’re asking me to somehow figure out where the professor hid the teeth in the midst of a full blown civil war, run the risk of getting killed all the while not knowing who I’m up against?”
Matt nodded. “The world needs you, Alex.”
Alex paused as Matt Fletcher’s eyes conveyed the seriousness of the situation. But, beyond the distinguished layer of power and business, his eyes revealed a tenderness she didn’t think existed. One that contradicted his all-about-business exterior, and instead, revealed a heart filled with passion for a cause she too shared. The risks were enormous, but proving biblical maternal lineage would rewrite history. Her archaeological expertise was superior, and her survival and combat capabilities sharpened by the best instructors the British army offered. If ever she were ready for an assignment of this magnitude, this would be it. Once again she turned away from him and stared at the city through the window. Her heart pounded hard against her chest as she heard herself reply.
“I’m going to need my colleague on this too; that’s a non-negotiable.”
Alex heard several sighs of relief coming from the men at the table as Matt replied.
“I expected as much. Arrangements have already been made to include Dr. Quinn.” Matt smiled in victory and slapped his palms together as he motioned the dismissal of the meeting.
“Let’s make it happen, gentlemen. We reconvene tomorrow morning to finalize the logistics.”
Matt hurried across the room and summoned his assistant from the phone on his desk before looking up at Alex again.
“You’re doing the right thing, Alex. This is your chance to show the world how far you’ve come. We’ll make sure you’re properly prepared. I’ll have Duncan drop you off at your apartment so you can get your affairs in order. Your boss has already been informed, so no need to go into the office. Someone in my team will pop by your apartment over the next twenty-four hours to deliver your gear and brief you on the details of your departure. I’ll leave it up to you to bring Dr. Quinn up to speed on the matter.”
Alone at her apartment Alex pulled her duffle bag from her closet and started to pack. The events of her day was a blur, as if she was in a deep sleep she might not have woken up from yet. Thinking about it now she realized she never had a snowball’s chance in a heatwave of not agreeing to the assignment. That much was evident when she phoned her boss who confirmed Matt had already been in touch with him and that her work was taken care of. Matthew Fletcher was a man who got what, and who, he wanted, no matter what.
It was almost dinner time and Sam was due to arrive any moment. She silently prayed he’d be as enthused about the mission as she was. It was after all any archaeologist’s dream. She tried not to let her mind ponder on the dangers involved and allowed the thrill of discovering the world’s first evidence of mitochondrial Eve smother her fears.
An hour later, Sam arrived and spotted her bag on the floor at the front door. “Going somewhere, sweetheart?” planting a passionate kiss on her lips. “Hope you were planning on a decent goodbye before you upped and left?” he playfully nuzzled her neck.
“What makes you think I’m going anywhere without you?” She flirted back and walked to the kitchen to pour him a glass of wine.
“Oh, so you planned a little dirty weekend away for us somewhere? Then why pack anything at all?”
“You have such a wicked mind, Sam Quinn. But as it happens, it might very well get a little dirty, and actually, it would be a tad longer than just a weekend”.
Alex carried the bowl of pasta to the dining table as Sam followed sporting a sheepish smile across his face. She loved how close they have become in their relationship.
“Anything significant happening at the Uni at the moment? Think you can clear your schedule?” Alex asked.
“For a dirty weekend away with you, any day! Why? What’s up?”
Sam tucked into his dinner as Alex tried to find the best way of getting him on board.
“How would you like to help me find out if Adam and Eve and the whole Garden of Eden hypothesis is fact or fiction?”
Sam put his fork down and took a large sip of wine. “That big, huh? You don’t play around with your expeditions lately do you, Alex, my love? Is the Pope Catholic?” He mocked sarcastically. “Of course, you know I wholeheartedly believe in the truth of the Holy Bible, so digging up evidence to prove it — why not? What evidence are we looking for here, though?”
Relieved she had him hooked she quietly deliberated whether to let him in on the dangers of the mission or to just leave it be. Deciding she’d amplify the archaeological significance first, she ignored his question and spent their entire dinner telling him all about Homo naledi and what she’d managed to Google on the subject so far.
“I’m expecting the full brief to come through tomorrow, so we’ll know more then, but what do you say? Can I count you in? I can’t do this one without you, Sam.”
Noticing the hint of fear in Alex’s voice, Sam raised his glass. “Here’s to making history, my beloved. To you, me and Africa; once again! Now, when do we leave? I will let Professor Keating know first thing tomorrow. He’ll be thrilled to have the University involved.”
“Not going to be possible, Sam. He can’t know anything. No one can. Not even your mother. This assignment is top-secret. As in, you, me and these four walls ‘top-secret’. Understand?”
“Gee woman! You sound serious. What’s the big deal?”
Alex rose and walked across to the kitchen to get another bottle of wine. Her heart pounded heavily under the knowledge of needing to declare the full mission to Sam.
“The mission is a tad more complicated than anything we’ve attempted before, Sam. It’s an ICCRU mission and…well, the United Nations is behind it. Our conditions will be somewhat of a challenge”.
“Go on.” Sam urged her as he pulled the cork from the wine bottle.
Alex cleared her throat and took a deep breath. “South Africa is at war, Sam. A massive politically charged one at that. As far as I know it’s racially motivated and goes back to apartheid.”
“So what you’re saying is we’d be dropped in a war zone.”
“Yup.”
“How violent is it?”
“Don’t know. Apparently it’s really bad. The previous team never made it to the check-in point. The conditions aren’t clear at the moment, but I have the assurance of the South African air and military forces that they will be taking every measure to ensure our safety. We’re expected to leave in forty-eight hours. Our full briefing is tomorrow.”
Sam downed his glass of wine. “And what exactly do we need to retrieve?”
“Teeth, the molars to be exact. It’s been proven the molars are most effective in DNA testing.”
“Teeth! You might as well tell me we need to find that proverbial needle in a haystack on Old MacDonald’s farm. Where would we even start?”
“I don’t think I’m equipped to handle this one without you, Sam. I need someone I trust to have my back, and well, you’re him. I know it’s going to be a bit of a challenge, but with the army protecting us, we just follow the clues. Nothing we haven’t done before. ”
Sam sat back in his chair and marveled at the excitement in Alex’s eyes. “Let’s do it! We have nothing to lose and everything to gain, my love. The way I see it, we have the opportunity of a lifetime!”