MOBIUS INSIGHT ©
By Allen D. Furford
What the general public failed to realize was the fact the president of the country was not privy to every deep and sometimes dark government secret. He also, like many others, was isolated and notified of certain problems only on a need to know basis. This was a built in safeguard, for the president and his staff could change every four years.
The heads of the various agencies, such as Hoover of the FBI and Dulles of the CIA in their time, were in a different position. At first opportunity, they had compiled files on all the politicians and top government officials heading the other various departments. They began to rule by blackmail. The military had its own government and internal security, responsible only to a president and another appointee, The Secretary of Defense.
Realizing the problem and the power infighting, the National Security Agency was formed. Before long, it also joined the clandestine club. Each agency guarded its own secrets, many on previous presidential order from men long dead... This power structure was severely damaged by the Kennedy administration with the replacement of Allen Dulles and J. Edgar Hoover. Some still speculate this is what really caused the death of John and Robert Kennedy.
The after result of the clean-up was a general feeling of relief from most long term members of congress, at least for awhile. Then old secrets began to come back to haunt all parties in every facet of government...
"Mr. Horn, you once had a top secret clearance according to the government files. You realize, of course, being a federal officer makes your life a non-private one."
"You might be surprised what you don't know about me, but to this day I have not divulged any information on any project I worked on and you are talking about something that occurred over 25 years ago."
"Do you mind if I call you Miles?"
"Suit yourself, sir. I have been called much worse."
"The president grinned. "We have a lot in common then..."
Miles took out another stick of gum. "It was fire that gave us something to think about and got us on the right track, Mr. President."
"Who gave man fire, I mean to actually make it from nothing but dry sticks and tinder?"
The President reflected for a minute. "Greek
mythology said Prometheus was the culprit..."
Eve had gone to gather the rations for the day, supplementing the earth produce with the supply ship's nutrition they were to draw upon.
As she walked around the supply ship to the outside vending slot, the woman glanced toward the flying lab. They were not supposed to take anything from it. It did not give any food that they could find anyway. She wondered what the forbidden food it had was supposed to look like.
They had looked many times around the lab for a food spot, just to satisfy their curiosity and the results had always been negative.
Eve reached into the special spot for the opening tool and inserted the triangle shaped head into the orifice designed for it. Just as she had been shown and had done for thousands of times, the woman pushed the button on the end of what Enki had called a "key".
The slot opened and the food containers were warm to the touch as she took them out. The hatch automatically closed. She had left her hand in once just to see what would happen, and the door stayed open until she got tired of the game. Putting the key back, she took the rations back to the shelter where Adama was minding the young.
Adama watched as the woman returned with the food. He and the boys had been working with plants all day, separating the good from the bad as they had been shown years before, and were hungry.
Cain and Able were playing and their sister was trying to keep up with them, which was impossible under the circumstances. Adam loved his children and the family unit was extremely close, as it had to be to survive.
He still remembered dimly what life had been like before the garden, and he did not treat his young or his mate as harshly as he had been brought up. He did not beat on them for not understanding his wants, but if he stopped to think about it, he didn't have that for a reason because he could talk. Instead of roaring out to warn others to leave him alone, he merely asked them to. He looked at it as a quiet roar. Adama missed the ones who could fly. Life was boring without them.
Above all, Adama wondered about the other world, the one that only he could remember, because he was the only one of the family that had seen it, lived it for that matter. The Other Ones of his old clan could touch minds, Adama had been retarded to them in that respect.
Both he and Eve spent hours gazing into the night watching the stars, waiting for Those that Fly to come back. He did not miss fire, they had no need of it and it was dangerous. Someone always had to guard it and feed it, or it would die.
He did not miss the lions and others that always threatened them. Adama grimly warned his family of the outside world. The Light had saved him from that, and he couldn't forget that either. All he had felt was tremendous love, and it worked both ways.
When Those that Flew departed, Adam watched their trail of fire disappear into the lights they called stars, and wondered just how big his world really was. He was asking two questions, how and why? The night before they had seen a streak cross the sky and it disappeared behind one of the distant hills. There had been very little sound...
A tree had started from a seedling and through the years grew tall along side the flying lab. The next day Eve climbed it to get the fruit and noticed a place on the hull plates that looked like the same shape as the key hole on the supply vessel. They were not supposed to eat the "fruit" of the lab, but they were not told they could not look at it, and she wondered what color it was.
When she came down with the fruit, she had the shock of her life. A helmeted being in a strange looking lizard skin Offworld garb was standing before her, and it had something strapped to its back that looked like what Enki had called a ME. It used a funny sounding machine to talk to her.
"Who are you?", she asked.
"I am a scout."
Eve had never heard that word before. "What is that?"
The being looked up and down very carefully now, then spoke. "I check out new things and areas to look at to learn about them."
Now Eve knew what he was... "Then you are a Serpent, a Seeker of Knowledge like the Mother Biologist and doctors!"
From that point it was question after question, and Eve delighted in the conversation. Adama was too quiet most of the time and unlike her mate, Eve loved to talk...
She finally watched him use the ME to fly away and looked at the fruit above her, deciding to get some more. Sitting on a limb and dropping fruit into the soft grass below until she was tired of the game, she began to actually deeply think for the first time in her life.
On impulse she climbed down the tree and ran to the supply vessel for the object called "key". In moments she was back and inserting the end of the electronic device into the hole, pushed the button.
In the lab's central computer a signal was noted and the ship sent out an maintenance probe with a scanner on it.
Eve saw what looked like the dreaded snake Adama always told them about and almost fell from the tree. Then it spoke, "What is the nature of the problem?"
She only understood "What is?" What is blank? She pointed to herself and simply stated "Eve".
The scanner was relaying all data to the central computer which had quite a file on Eve. Her last programing had been when she was two. Education for children was mandatory, she was required to go to school.
The snake was talking to her! "Eve see fruit?"
"The food is on the supply ship, there is nothing to eat here."
"No pretty fruit of knowledge?"
The computer suddenly began to draw more power from it's small reactor, calling for more random access memory. It had to deal with the woman own Eve's own level, about three years old verbally speaking. She had to learn the language before she could be properly evaluated. "Eve want to see pretty colors?"
Eve grew excited. She would get to see the fruit. "Yes! Yes!"
"Come down to door. I will open it for you."
"Can I bring Adama and the children?"
"Bring all of your people for a educational check."
Using memory implants, the lab taught them full command of the language, and that meant visual and audio implants as well to cover the building of concepts, creation being one of them, the atom being another. The machine assured man that this was not going to kill them, that they would not be harmed in any way.
Adama was not so sure. Had they not been told to stay away, as well as not to eat anything there? Before long they eagerly awaited each day after the work was done. There was light at night, the light of knowledge and it was brighter than fire.
Then the ships came back and the world they had come to know was gone forever with the rage of the Off Worlders...
This time they were completely removed from
the facility, and given more tools and different clothing, phase
three had begun.
Cain felt a hand on his back and turned to see Enki. He had aged slightly and Cain had not aged at all. One of the benefits of being underground was the food. He regretted killing Able, he regretted the break with God even more, the spiritual voice that spoke inside him. His family lived down underground with him, but his children were not banished completely from the surface, a fact that worried him greatly.
Adama had been put back to sleep and worked over again. This time when he awake, he was given a new name. They called him Adam now, and Eve had been cloned over and over for breeding purposes...
Centuries had passed and more humans were banished to the mines to mine metal for the gods. That is what some were calling them, but Cain knew better. They had taken away the food from the tree of life and discovered an unusual thing. Man's sex drive went out of sight.
Enki looked at him."Cain, the food from the tree of life is not good for you. It affects differently then us. As a protein supplement, we are now cooking meat for your men."
"I understand. Our numbers are many now. Enki, we have a problem that could get serious. Your new people are taking our women and there is complaining. Work on the ore is slowing down."
"Some of my men want to stay here. They are more comfortable in the ground because they have had to live that way so long. Breeding is a natural thing, and one of the many changes the council has decided on. We are going to cease mining, also. My people will have to move to the surface and raise their families there."
Cain looked away. He knew what a powerful emotion jealousy was. These people from the other world regret what they have done some day. Taking women without their acceptance of conditions was not right. The Spirit inside told him that. " How are my father and mother?"
"They are growing old fast now. Your father even flew to the home planet itself and met the full council, but he refused to take treatment for full longevity. You will out live them for a long time. Enlil is letting you out of here if you want. He said you have spent your time."
"How is my sister..."
"She was never the same after the encounter with Able, but was happy until an accident a year ago. She was on the ship that went down into the rings of Saturn. Cain, you could have stopped Able without killing him..."
"What about the Dark Haired Ones, you know they are not ready for the surface, and Enlil resents those of us who are white sometimes. What about those of my color mining below the equator in the Ab.Zu? I don't like this and I feel safe here. This is my home, now," Cain asked, changing the subject.
"Just for a few more weeks. Then all earth men have to leave the area, except those women who chose to stay with us. I will personally release the light species and bring them to you. We color coded you so we could keep track of your movements. The world is a big place, and you should claim it. Just think of what you know now about minerals and metal."
"Will you let me use Promo this evening?
"My computer? Sure."
"Thank you, Enki. I have yet so much to learn."
Enki watched Cain climb into the ore car. He
wondered what his people's destiny would be.
Miles looked out over the lake, trying to visualize it as a possible mining center or base camp. If the off-worlders were mining in Africa, who would be mining here? He thought of the Sumerian/Assyrian texts...
The Lord of the AB.ZU, the king Enki...
Built his house of silver and lapis-lazuli;
Its silver and lapis-lazuli, like sparkling light,
The Father fashioned fittingly in the AB.ZU.
The Creatures of bright countenance,
Coming forth from the AB.ZU,
Stood all about the Lord Enki...
Enlil looked tired as he stared into the window sized monitor that filled the bridge. Fleet command, or what was left of it, had evaluated all the data and issued it's orders.
Those that wished to stay at base camp could, the rest were to come home to either go into stasis or work on the mother ships being assembled in orbit out past Earth, Mars, and Jupiter.
The natives were to be dispersed for future use due to their intense reproduction factor. The supply ship was to return, the lab ship was to return, and those who stayed would have to adapt to Earth. They would be checked on, of course. The earthlings in this location would be exited to the east and the pass closed. This would give those who stayed room for westward expansion.
All were to be warned of impending climate changes due to the approach of the mother planet...
He needed more workers in the lower delta area to finish his work and thought of the new Dark Haired breed in the Ab.Zu mines below the equator. It might be Enki's territory, but Enlil decide to cut all communications and dig them out. By the time Anu found out, it would be too late.
Enki thought of Cain. His people, white skinned for the lack of sun supplied vitamin D, had left to the east five days before with the milk stock that had been specially bred for them to supplement their underground vitamin deficiency. The new genetic implants had worked.
One thing bothered him, Cain's wife was aging. Something was wrong...
Cain had wanted to go west because the land was better and was upset when his request was refused. Cain knew the land to the east was poor, desert to the south and ice to the north. This much the maps showed him. The computer supplied him with two copies, one of which he gave his father and mother. The off world humans did not know they had them. He also had a star chart, and knew why and when they were coming back. They called their duration of time a "Shar."
The trade trails of the Other Ones would still be intact according to his father. They were somewhere to the west according to Enki. Adam had told him what to expect from their habits. Cain knew his people had much to learn from them if they were going to survive. There would be flooding again and so they would have to head for the colder and higher plateaus.
Cain knew of the four settlement areas, one
of which was the Anatola area, and he skirted them heading north
where the climate and the game would get better. They were a mix
of half breeds and Eve stock and leaned heavily into technology
because of their mining practice training. Their years of living
in the underground mining cities had prepared their skin for the
north country. They had even given him and his people new eyes
so they could stand the sunlight.
George threw his hat on the bed. "It's no go on the drilling. Diving, fine. Drilling no. The Turkish government does not want any religious problems at the moment."
Miles was seated facing the window and swiveled his chair toward the other two men. "What now? We know this is the most probable site for Eden."
Doc looked up."Anything high tech, if it was down there, has been cooking in corrosive wet salt for thousands of years. It would have to be made out of some very good materials to survive. Such as gold."
George sat down and noted to the others at that point, "The knowledge got out. We had good calendars 35,000 years ago. Man was watching the stars constantly. We had a knowledge explosion with the Sumerians and the Hellenic Greeks, who looked at the world very differently, indeed. This is where it started but were did it end?"
"It hadn't ended 3190 years ago. Someone was very upset about something. How about a wiped out colony?" Miles mused.
Doc looked at him. "Any guesses whom?"
"How about Nimrod? What about the Dark
Haired Ones mentioned in Sumerian script. Remember the translation...?
The Lord, that which is appropriate he caused to come about.
The Lord Enlil, whose decisions are unalterable,
verily did speed to separate Heaven from Earth so that the Created
Ones could come forth; verily did speed to separate Earth from
Do you remember that passage, George? Do you know what that passage means to me? It means someone purposely turned off the radio to get what he wanted. How long did the gods take their women? Why is the tower of Babel out of place in the Bible? Who knows?"
George laughed. "The Tower of Babel was placed where it was because there was no other place that fit. There is one thing to keep in mind. There was no tower like that without a city, man was supposed to be dispersed but quit working on the structure only when he lost interest. The first city we have found after the flood was Catal Huyuk, located just east of the pass into Eden. It was also high enough not to get totally destroyed in the last flood. Cain's people built the first city, and lineage handed down kept track until Tubal-Cain. The first city was supposedly named after his son, Enoch. It had to be during this time period Babel occurred, and after the death of Cain, I am betting."
Miles looked thoughtful. "Maybe not after his death. Maybe the original manuscripts were confusing and instead of two disbursements, there was only one long one. They had no other way to explain the separation of language. They well may have been dispersed twice, sonics or white noise may have been used."
Doc turned around. "We know what the result was. Cain disappeared again, before the thaw, and after Babel."
"The easiest material to build with, even cities, is wood. Fire is dangerous. Only foundations would have been left in case of fire, and that is if the foundations were of stone instead of wood. How many times has man had to learn this the hard way?" George stated.
"It seems hard to believe that Cain walks out of the Garden of Eden and lo and behold, one city called "Enoch". It would be the life spans, if they are correct, because all of the evidence found so far gives the Neanderthal a forty year average, and modern man fifty during the same time period. That does not take into account infant mortality, accidental death, unprotected bodies from wild life, and a thousand things more," Doc commented.
George nodded in agreement. "I think the life span of Methuselah is accurate. He had been made note of many times by many people. The inaccuracy seems to start in the obvious place, Adam and Cain. Methuselah would be the passing of the last mutant longevity gene, in that sense. Another way to look at it is the lunar year that ancient man used at first. Methuselah would have died at the ripe old age of 78 which would be reasonable. Muddy water, gentlemen. Here is some more to think about. In 1991 the United States government quietly applied for patent rights on 300 genes not known to be found yet. Now who would want to live forever?"
"Just people who are afraid to die, George.
There are a lot of us out here like that. Some of us are rich
and powerful, some of us are poor as mice. Isn't that what some
man said?" Doc leaned back." It is just another reason
to keep looking. The quality of the map speaks for itself."
More files were brought to the President and Miles. Files that the president would not have seen because he didn't know they were in existence. They were known as top secret by request only files.
The President looked up from the current paper he was reading. "So you reached a conclusion about the Tower of Babel?"
Miles put his file down. "Yes we did. We felt is was located in Babylon as others had, but was far older then estimated. It was my own opinion at the time there was another disbursement, using high tech to scramble brain signals or something chemical to that effect. "How" does not really matter. Which deity did it and when does matter. What also matters is there is a good possibility that the tribe of Cain did not have a thing to do with it."
"Why do say that, Miles?"
"Everything points to the fact Cain went north west. He went around what was known as the Caspian Lake at that time. This had to be over 40,000 years ago, sir."
"Then the tower would have been by Adam's lineage."
"It appears to be that way. Remember, we are trying to put together pieces that have to have been obscured twice, the one time by a flash flood at least 2000 feet high that traveled right through history."
"Don't forget 3190 years ago, Miles."
It was the same everywhere. People were flooding inland and urging others to flee with them. Some fought until they realized this was not an invasion but an evacuation, the Mycenaens, the Sea Peoples, grimly protecting their own while in full retreat and heading inland from the coast.
Man had already found out those who did not run were incinerated. There were reports of trading cities as far away as the Isle of Tin engulfed in fire. The wooden cities in the secret north were ablaze, anything flammable consumed by awful fire that couldn't be seen.
Man was driven back into Persia and back down the Nile into Africa. Some said the fire came from the sky, that they had seen it at night. Some said it came from the mouth of sea snakes. Few knew what the real story was, and they were very quiet about it. They had lost records once before and protected certain knowledge.
This time the metal smiths had been dispersed well. The secrets were out, but not all of them. Everyone now had iron, but who had steel? Who ultimately ended up on the top of the heap after the fighting was done? The Sea People and the Hebrews. In fact they had a very close relationship, Solomon's Red Sea Shipping under management of the now Phoenicians who operated remarkably like the Mycenaens.
The base trading language was fragmented and scattered again, but the roots still remained. Each time this happened, more was retained. Man started to learn to hide things. Every library of size felt the intense heat. Clay records fragmented, metal melted, inflammables flashed. Any place two maps might be kept with other records was hit.
Because the supply lines were cut, famine followed and with famine, war. He who could get food and metal through the ensuing chaos could name his own price. Not all the ships were lost. Some had been scuttled in shallow water to protect them from fire. Some were on the sea at the time and somehow missed.
Pottery was a good shipping commodity example. With less competition and more mass production by the guilds, basic form was kept but quality went down. Mankind was not really into luxury items at the time, it just wanted plates and bowls that were not broken. They did not have to be elaborate to sell.
And then there was the wine. Amphora went for a premium price. Beer was cheaper and also in high demand. Disaster or no disaster, man was in business to stay.
The supply lines which once stayed disrupted for thousands of years, were back after slightly over 100 years passed. Everyone was rebuilding the concept of empire, and with it would come universal language again, Greek.
As soon as they were able, the Mycenaen / Hellens would take their top men in the guilds and professions, and form an educational system that would be copied from that time forward. It was compulsory for the higher classes, almost secret to the lowest. Knowledge was and always had been a commodity as well.
It would no longer be in the hands of the religious leaders. Religion had it's own controls and so did the Creator. Human sacrifice was on it's way out. In fact, every civilization that practiced it violently failed. This is not to be confused with genocide. Baal, and all who practiced this religion which the Roman deplored, namely the Sea People who founded Carthage, suddenly discovered how weak their god really was.
The Mycenaens had been very pragmatic about
religion, one of the reasons for their attitudes was trade purposes.
Baal, the golden calf, was embraced by most countries and this
fact gave people a common base to work from. Why was the cow such
a sacred symbol? It provided the best total diet in a package
that man had, for one thing. The other fact was the cow had been
used extensively by the gods for their diet.
George looked out the windshield of the all terrain vehicle, trying to gauge the next teeth rattling jar. "Miles, If you were my engineer and I told you had just a few hours or days at most to pack up civilization and leave, that mass destruction by fire is on it's way, what would you advise me?"
"There is 24 times more output in a day then there is in an hour, George. With days lead time emergency structure could be instituted, records moved or protected as well as key personal. Hours means take enough to stay warm and sustain you until you get to protection. Anything too large to be moved or protected would be history."
"What about the populace?"
"You would be communications systems limited. If you were using runners, he who received the first information would be in the best position to decide who left by what means. The decision would have to be local. You can bet those in a high social position would have an advantage. The same thing holds true today."
"If it were a ship going down?"
"Personal items that would not hinder. Most likely the log book if I had the time to get it."
"How would you protect it?"
"Keep it dry."
"In a fire?"
"Keep it cool or as a last resort, wet."
"Why the log instead of a Bible?"
"To tell others what happened. The log is a history."
"I rest my case. Ararat is the next stop, hopefully before my kidneys fail. They call this thing a Hummer and it sure it all of that."
Doc grinned."There was no way we could convince the Dept of Antiquities we were not looking for the wood of Noah's Ark."
Miles looked into the rear view mirror and mumbled under his breath. Granted there were other vehicles on the road and they kept changing but the distance between their machine and the others was almost mathematically the same. Some would roar by them, honking their horns and waving as they passed. These had to be local traffic. The machines he was concerned about always seemed to be basically the same, once in a while passing, only to pull back in the short line a few kilometers down the road.
"We are being followed by some sort of a team, gentlemen."
George glanced up from the seat into the mirror." Your right, Miles, but we have been under observation since we left the U.S. Maybe it is just the Turkish government escorting us and clearing out the bandits ahead."
Doc arched his eyebrow upward while rolling his eyes back into his head. " Maybe they have wood from the original Ark to sell. History tells us we had at least one vessel to supply wood."
"Long gone, Doc. Charcoal and worm food is all that is left by now. Just why Ararat, George?"
"Miles, it is the best place in the world to drop off the face of the earth. We are looking for baked clay, Gilgamesh's mark on time. Those who are watching us will get complacent in a week's time, and then we will drop out of sight."
"I take it you have made arrangements for this?" Miles inquired.
"You will see in due time. Our help have
set up a base camp for us, also."
Five days later while climbing around the rugged base they spotted what they were looking for. The same symbols the map had on it scratched in stone. That was not all they found.
"That is far enough, gentlemen," David softly directed.
George turned around and smiled from ear to ear. "What took you so long? I expected you people yesterday."
David looked at the three grinning specimens before him and felt that little shudder of dread again. They obviously didn't know that three dead men left quite a trail. The Mossad did not like loosing their personal for any reason.
"This is hardly the time for levity. Just carefully put your arms down on the ground, please."
Miles slowly lowered the pistol to the ground and then looked up at the six grim men that had moved in on them. They had the cold look of professionals and that was good. Professionals did not accidentally kill anyone.
Doc was clean so he merely watched the others disarm. One of the Mossad agents was apparently wounded and Doc motioned him over after asking David permission with his eyes. It was a gunshot injury.
George sat down on a rock under the symbols and leaned back against the canyon wall. "You know what I am most likely sitting on, don't you David?"
"A grave, Dr.Landau. Old, but still a grave of one of our people. We want the map."
"We only have copies with us, David. The original would be of little service to you anyway, as no computer in the world can decipher it for you. The Israeli government can petition for it and I am sure it will be returned if you can prove ownership, which is doubtful until we finish our quest. From the wounds you people have collected, I must gather we have other interested parties also."
"We thought it was your people."
"We have no people, at least to our knowledge..."
David leaned back. The old man had the game reasoned out very well."You want to make a deal?"
"Your protection for joint disclosure, if we should all decide that it is prudent. We might even find the Ark, the real one, before this is over, though most likely it will not be in this spot. My leanings are more toward the Koran location. It is too bad the Turkish government suddenly shut that excavation down.You would be national and historic heroes forever if we got that lucky, the chosen people with their proof of Covenant before the world. Then again, if something happens to us the story becomes quite opposite in nature and the peace talks fail...well..."
"You set the entire scenario up, didn't you?"
"Of course! I am not interested in religion or politics, merely knowledge. We are all children of the book, the problem is which one?"
David motioned to his men to stand down and fan out for protection. The men he had stationed on the high ground were scanning for unwanted visitors also. Interruptions he did not need.
Miles picked up the shovel and started for George.
"What are you going to do, Mr. Horn?"
"Sometimes action speaks louder than words, chum. George's butt is covering history and while you guys are discussing the facts as you would like to believe them, I am going to seek the truth."
David got nervous. A shovel in the wrong hands could destroy valuable evidence."Do you know how to dig properly?"
"I could use some help..."
The soft cold light of the solar lamp shined down on the baked clay tablet, completely intact which was more than the rest of the objects careful exhumed. Working intolerably fast by archaeology standards, it had taken days.The tablet was a Rosetta type stone, only the languages were the next volume back.
David looked up at the rest. "Crete...?"
"It is Minoan script of some kind," one of the Israelis commented.
George shook his head. "The Minoans used it. They formed their base with it, but it is not the same. What we have here is writing before writing was invented. It goes from symbols, to pictographic script, and then to Sumerian and Assyrian cuneiform. It is not progressive."
David looked at him in a funny way. This was not supposed to be, he thought. "We regressed?"
"The language did. The world civilization did. Dispersement did that as we broke down into families again. Families that migrated to the Steppes and came back to haunt the area as barbarian tribes. The Huns and the Mongols just to name two. What were the Minoans known for, David?"
The Israeli answered without giving it much thought." The Minotoar and the Labyrinth."
"They were Semitic, and a mix of all sea people of the time. We now feel they were the true Mycenaens, not the Achaean Greeks. They civilized the Achaeans, who had come down from the Balkans, and between the two cultures they came up with a third we called the Mycenaens. A real blend of aggressive people. They worshiped the Bull and Zeus was supposed to have been born and died there. The mixing of Baal and the Greek gods started at that time. They also were flamed out in 1190 B.C."
Doc moved over and stared at the tablet. "I thought Crete was not settled until 4000 years ago, well after Sumeria."
"That may still be valid, but where did they get the language? The woman and the snake? The White Bull, or albino buffalo if you would like an analogy? The form in which Zeus took mother Europa in, the woman of serpents and fertility? Those were northern concepts in place before the Achaeans arrived. Those concepts could have only come from Cain's line, to match Adam's line through the Hebrew and others."
Doc looked quickly up at the men. "What about this train of thought..If someone named Zeus symbolically conquered a land named for a female, Europa, and did it with cattle, could not that have given rise to the worship of the cow or bull?"
"In that case the name might not be Zeus, but Teshub, the Hurrian name. They were a non-semitic tribe located it seems in the mountains of northern Iraq, due south from here. Abraham spent his time with them. Now you explain to me why their influence would be manifest on Crete, "David flatly stated.
Miles broke the silence. "Maybe they just had one thing in common with the northern influence. They had all seen beings fly."
David looked at the chief. "Are you serious?"
"You should read your own book sometime," Miles dryly replied. "Anyone located on the fortieth parallel in that area was well entertained. At least from Mt. Olympus in Greece, to Mt. Olympus in Turkey, and on to Mt. Ararat where we are located at the moment. The other glide path from the Indian Ocean was also extensively used."
David thoughtfully mused after that one, the insult rolling off his back. After all this time, Miles still did not realize the difference between the Christian Genesis and the detail of the complete Torah. Genesis gave no hint of a problem to the west and yet that was the easiest way into Anatola. This engineer suspected something and had a hunch where to look. "Where would you look, Mr. Horn?"
"Where one sonic broad beam or an aimed array of them could effectively seal of the west entrance to Eden. Where the sounds of the Sirens kept men from sailing into the Black Sea, until wax was used to plug the ears. The highest point in west Turkey, Mt. Olympus, most likely the real one."
David shuddered. The poor fool is insane, he thought. An old man on a quest for ancient and forbidden knowledge, an insane engineer, and some sort of ex-Jewish philosopher doctor that was in search for himself? This is what three good men had died for, not to count the bad guys? God worked in strange ways...
"Miles is serious, David. We are at a dead end here. You saw our copies of the map, and I even gave you two. Where would your people have hidden the rest of Gilgamesh's library? Minoa? With the help of the Hurrians? It was pre-flood from this. Two ships or barges did reach the same spot, didn't they. Maybe not at the same time, though. Somehow the tribe of Noah received some of the Akkadian records, priceless records they could not understand. They felt God had flattened them 3190 years ago and were trying to find out why, their sins against the Creator not withstanding, and they came back for those records, didn't they."
David felt helpless. He decided then and there
to tell these men everything. "It started a very long time
ago. When each tribe got larger and men started fighting over
food, scouts were always out in front gathering intelligence.
We found some very old records three years ago, intelligence records
Joshua listened to his scout report. There would be no additional records from the Ararat area for Moses to transcribe. The key record was missing and they were at a standstill.
The story Noah's tribe had handed down was accurate about the cache, only it had been robbed years before. Three scouts were missing and that meant one of them was carrying the last key, the only records they could find left from the flood and the robbery.
The gold and jewels that were left and recovered would go far to pay for the arms the Sea People were supplying them, but Moses would be crushed to learn of the record loss. Joshua sighed. He would tell him in the morning when he handed in his monthly report. His men had always been on the lookout for messages angels, and it had been that way ever since the exodus from Egypt.
Now they were reporting flying creatures north, deep in Assyrian country. Lights in the sky, noises inside the head that would drive a man mad, what else would they bring home to entertain the tribes with?
Then there was the problem of Moses and Aaron. They alone maintained contact with Yahweh and his angels, and Joshua knew he would not be privy to much information, as the secret priesthood was rapidly coming into its own. Moses was putting members of his family and tribe in total control, but was very careful about who knew the full story of the meetings on the mountain. It was obvious to all the priesthood would be the real power.
Joshua looked out upon the barren hills and then toward the green valley across the river. It was whispered that the reason Moses had kept them on the Sinai side was the problem he knew it would be the children of Abraham against the children of Abraham, a fact that was hard to justify since they had received the Commandments. He wondered what his friend Milos and his son Spiro were up to. The Hebrew business with the Sea people was brisk now, as that family could be trusted. It was rumored they were the wealthiest and most powerful family in the Aegean. The next shipment of arms was due in within the month and as commanding general he would be ready when the time came to take the land they could not purchase. The long arm of Egypt had seen to that.
A runner was passing through the encampment
and heading toward his tent. As Joshua strode forward to meet
him, the man cried out, "Aron is dead! He died on the mountain!"
and with those words ringing in his ears, Joshua knew his time
had come. As old as Moses was, he had outlived the crafty powerful
priest with the silver tongue, and Joshua would be the one he
would lean on...
It was hot and dusty as the small convoy of vehicles headed through old washes and trails which were hardly more than footpaths until they could travel by vehicle no farther.
Gathering their gear into comfortable packs, slinging assault rifles over their shoulders, and checking their maps once more, the mercenaries started in to the area known as Mt. Olympus, Turkish version. Somewhere ahead of them were Israelis and the three expedition members who were still at large.
The orders from the company were very simple. Let the quarry find what they were looking for, then move in on them. If they resisted, kill the troublemakers. They wanted the location, not the men.
Under the guise of petroleum experts who were doing survey work, it had been a smooth operation to this point, but Jon Andersen, the designated leader, knew the peacefulness of the mountain walk was just a temporary illusion. The last squad suffered 50% casualties trying to take out the Mossad boys.
Andersen watched his point men move out and
checked his bearings again just to make sure they had a full day
and a half before trouble started. The expedition had been sighted
by air only two days before, and how it had gotten from Ararat
across Turkey without being seen was still a mystery to be solved.
Dead men did not talk very well and most of the mercenaries that
had been chasing the Israeli guarded group could no longer speak...
David looked at Miles and wryly smiled."You got your wish, my friend. Why do you pick this area?"
"Seemed logical, the garden being placed to the east of God, the only way out of Eden would be to the east if the highest points west were part of a fencing system. Mt. Ulu Dag is 8343 feet above sea level and commands the view to the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles. It has also been disputed to be the real Mt Olympus. South from us is another peak, Mt. Murat at 7313 ft, and south of that is Mt. Honaz with an elevation of 8435 feet ."
"They make a very even line on the map."
"Yes they do. Now if you were going to fence something off the size of Anatola, what would you use for posts, and what would you use for fencing material?"
"You really are serious about this, aren't you?"
"David, I did not care much for you at first but I have come to know you and trust you. If I were in your position, I would most likely do the same thing. You are serious and so am I. Now I look at things from an engineering standpoint. The practicalities, so to speak. For man to suddenly explode from this region, he had to be constrained in an area until his population got to the point it was expedient to go for it and find new land. In those days one could walk around the coast of Turkey right up the Danube river basin. I am talking 40-45 thousand years ago and before, ice age time."
"The Mesopotamian valley was a desert."
"That's what they say. The land south of Eden was hard luck country until after the ice age. This area became arid then. It was most likely one of the nicest spots around for man 80 thousand years back.
He had lions and gazelle in Europe, as well as the bison populating the Steppes, huge bears and mountain lions roaming the country and the Neanderthal, who was totally in harmony with the land, to show him what to do."
"We know something happened..."
"Yeah, Someone opened the gate.
As Miles continued his telling his adventure, the President shuffled through the files before him, suddenly stopping as his eye caught one he had not noticed at first glance.
Miles stopped speaking as he saw the President hesitate and then stuff one file under the rest. "What's wrong?"
"Wrong file. Sensitive stuff that we did not call for. It happens...Now, you did not know others were moving in on you at this time?"
Miles shrugged his shoulders. He could take
a hint and if the head man wanted to change the subject back to
the business at hand, it was O.K. by him. "We thought we
had lost them...."
The wind was eddying around the mountain, but it was not a cooling breeze at the lower altitudes, it was hot and carried dust into everything that was not sealed tight, including the eyes .
Doc wiped the sweat from his forehead and gazed again up the wash that hopefully led to something worth while, if only an easier route up the mountain. They had split up after discovering the original wash they were in separated into two distinct passages. Miles maintained anything they were looking for would be at lower altitude, and the lower elevations were a complex maze of old and new water drainage paths.
The surgeon waved to the body guards that flanked him, the prearranged signal noted and acknowledged by the Israeli squad. As they continued forward, he wondered how Miles and George were doing.
Miles was reading a map in the shade of a huge boulder when he heard the commotion behind him. Turning, he saw David and George coming his direction, and they were walking faster than the sun would allow for any great distance.
That could mean good news. After four days of examining the barren country, any news would be welcome. He waited until they were finally upon him."Well?"
"We found something. Look at this." George tossed to Miles what appeared at distance to be a sharp rock sliver.
"An arrow head?"
David smiled and took the metal piece from the engineer's hand. "Not just an arrow head, my friend, but one that should not be where we found it. There was some kind of battle back there, off to the side and up the hill from this wash."
"David, this country is full of old battle fields..."
George put his hand on Miles shoulder. "That is right, Miles. There seems to be some sort of cave that recent winter rains partially uncovered. The opening at the moment is no larger than a badger hole, but a little shovel work and who knows what else lies inside."
David handed the piece of bronze back to Miles and signaled his men to return to the group.
Miles felt the metal and noted just how well it had been preserved. Good bronze would last thousands of years under the right conditions, and the conditions for this quality piece had not been bad at all. "It has a small indentation on the side, like it was embossed or something."
"We have seen the like many times before, Miles. Call it the Sea Peoples signature, if you wish. After we clean it, we will find it came from Mycenae." George held out his hand for the piece.
"You should know," Miles softly stated as he gave the trophy up. "Shall we make camp here? Someone has to find Doc and the others if we are going to do any excavating."
"David's men are doing that now. Tomorrow
we dig into history."
The first flight of arrows bounced harmlessly of the rocks around the Mycenaens and then there was quiet again. The Arzawa were slower to advance, this time. How many had they killed on the last attack, Chronos wondered. Twenty? Thirty? Maybe more and that would mean the loss of over one hundred men in as many days for the enemy.
What the Arzawa did not know was they were being flanked at the moment by the other half of the Sea Peoples party. There could be no survivors from this outcome, no one must know they had penetrated the outside defenses.
Chronos heard the singing bow strings and ducked behind the rocks again as another flight of arrows fell into the sheltered area. Keep wasting your arrows, he thought. That would make it all the better in the morning when the surprise struck from behind.
The map had gotten them far enough inland and now they had heard and seen enough. The Song of the Sirens had not kept them out this time. Bees wax made it possible to get through the protected area. It was so simple. Plug the ears and go for it...
The Mycenaen counted his own arrows, noting he had twenty bronze and sixteen steel left. The enemy had not shaved the shafts on their arrows so the heads would break off, the way his own people had. Soon they would just be using enemy ammunition, gathered after every skirmish...
With the dawn came the main attack, and the
men Chronos had positioned behind the enemy timed their ambush
perfectly. A flurry of arrows and a little sword and knife work
and there were no survivors from the enemy camp. Now all of the
bodies had to be hidden, and they found a suitable cave. It was
a shame some of his own casualties had to be buried also, instead
of having a fitting funeral pyre for fallen heroes, but that was
the way of the Fates.
Doc looked around at the litter of Mycenaen armor scattered about and noted the occasional skull and other bone remnants in the dirt. "Buried alive, I would say. Some person shut the door with a big rock."
Miles was examining a sword and touched his small pocket magnet to it. "Hey! This is steel!"
George looked around the cave and back at Miles. "Only important people carried that special metal during the Bronze Age. From the looks of things here, there was more than one special person evolved."
David was quiet as his men went to work, carefully searching the ground for other objects, not wanting to disturb a thing if at all possible. "They were not buried alive. This is a mass grave of some kind, and some one has been here before us. Look at this."
The party noted the Roman coin he was holding up and began to search the area more diligently. Nothing else was found out of the ordinary. How the coin had gotten there would remain a mystery for most of them.
Miles was excited. He knew his suspicions were correct or at the very least, on the right track. Why hadn't the steel weapons be taken? They were far more precious than gold. It could only be the weight factor. Someone had planned to come back someday.
Telling the others his suspicions, he started counting armor and came up short in several categories. David mentioned the fact the coin could have been dropped by a grave robber, but Miles did not think so. When they found the gold, he knew no one had robbed the cache. Adding to the storage was a distinct possibility, but stealing from it was out of the question.
"George, if I were a Mycenaen and wanted to get word written down about my present circumstances, how would I do it?"
"Bees Wax or clay tablet. They used to carry wooden books that opened to a wax tablet they could take notes on. After they were done with the notes, they could smooth the tablet over and start again, or transfer the contents to clay. The wax was special and had some sulfur in it."
It was at this time Doc found markings scratched into the soft limestone above their heads. Again the man's height and a good flashlight had paid off. Next to the writing was what could only be a map.
They all came to the same basic conclusion. The map was where to go, not where the Mycenaens had come from. It was too bad most of the land marks had changed, but the mountain was still intact, and the mountain was close to their destination. They were a few miles too far to the west. Taking GPS and loran bearings, they closed the hole up to protect the find and returned to base camp.
The next morning they were hiking into destiny...
Tri-Omega was electronically working at full scream, trying to find requested information which was filed some where before the super computer's time. It had to be a paper dead end, was the final conclusion. What was in that genetic paper the U.S. government had filed patents on in 1991? That was the question and the big machine could not really answer it as it was proposed.
Hesphaes did not think to ask the computer about the probabilities gene by gene. With 50,000 to chose from, what was the point? Transplanting genes in the egg was easier then working with the sperm, but what about changing specific genes once the candidate was past the embryo stage? Certain genetic vaccines worked as long as they were kept up, but at best until every cell in the body renewed itself with the new programing, any short term measure was temporary.
As far as clones went, the one secret human that over a billion dollars was spent producing, functioned beautifully except for one detail. The clone had no concept of right or wrong. There literally were no emotions such as love or hate. That was not all, conditioning only held up under certain specific situations and fell apart in new environments.
As a joke, one of the researchers had the number 666 tattooed on the subjects forehead with waterproof ink. That was not good enough for the bright boys, who modified the genes again so the number would naturally appear as raised skin. They had cloned the clone.
Clone number one was killed by clone number two the day they were placed in the same room, this occurring as the first synthetic human tried to eat the food from the plate of the second experiment.
Something obviously was missed in the engineering details...
The artificial womb was highly suspected, along with the blood supply equipment and the accelerated aging tank. They were going to have to use female volunteers if they were to progress any farther. The word was put out and a surprising number of young female techs responded. After all, wasn't this what science was really all about? There was only one slight problem, and that was the instincts of motherhood after the births...
The problems just had to disappear. Accidents
Miles scanned the country before him with the field glasses and then looked back at the mountain. He had a feeling about the terrain he was dealing with and was trying to build a photograph in his mind of the country as it appeared thousands of years back. He shook his head. It was no good that way.
They had already made connections with certain people who were going to land with high altitude helicopters on all the mountain tops the engineer suspected of being part of the fence line. Miles was looking for anchoring bolt holes or hardware of some variety to hold anything like the sonic array he had pictured in his mind. If he was right, the arrays would have to withstand severe climactic conditions for thousands of years, and that meant an anchoring method of some type into the bedrock of the tops.
David was the one who was handling that problem. As much as Miles hated to admit it, he was beginning to really like the man and the members of the team.
He was not so blind as to completely trust David, not as long as the Israeli was in government employment, but he enjoyed hitting him with far out ideas on the past, present and future. It just cracked Doc and George up when they watched David's reactions, and Miles delighted in entertaining his friends.
David watched Miles scanning the country with the field glasses and then turned to see how the others were doing. The Israeli wondered when the choppers were going to show up. He had other things for them to do besides investigating mountain tops with high tech equipment.
It no longer mattered if the engineer was as mad as a Hatter. The line between genius and insanity was a very fine one in some cases, and Miles was either the craziest man he had ever met, or was so bright he was manipulating all of them at the same time.
Whatever the case was, at least they felt real progress had been made. That was why the government was reaching into it's sock and footing the bill, and a large one at that, when it agreed to send the aircraft.
David's reasons for wanting air support were
much more simple. His scouts reported enemy activity heading their
way. Helicopters could buy them some much needed time...
Andersen's men were tucked out of sight as the choppers circled the mountain, and he cursed for the tenth time that day. He was sure they had been spotted. They had been caught in the open, at least two of them had, and nothing could be left to chance. They were warned of the aircraft by their own people after the fact.
Then there was another little detail they had to contend with. The Turkish army was going to snoop around also. The Turks were getting upset with one strange request after another from the supposedly scientific community, the last being a mountain shifting survey, supposedly monitoring crust vibrations for possible earthquake alerts. That even sounded like crap to him, and he was far from being a scientist.
The company had been frustrated severely by
the quarry, who had some how even managed to find and destroy
the planted micro bugs that had been liberally placed throughout
their supplies before they left the city. It was amazing...
The President chuckled. "You mean you took all of your new gear and traded it for old surplus clothing and camping equipment?"
Miles grinned. "Just think of the amazing conversations they listened to, sir. I kept some articles just to keep the enemy happy, and traded them after we parked the vehicle to a caravan traveling into Iraq. We did this at Ararat."
"I would have liked to seen the look on some people's faces when they finally solved the problem you gave back to them."
Miles glanced at his watch, and then grinned again. "It was one of my better moments, Mr. President."
"This is a very entertaining story, chief.
Miles scanned the country once more, then leaned back against a rock to think about his surroundings. What would he do if he were heading the project called, for the lack of anything else, Eden.
He went down his mental list again. It should be simple. What did a good camping spot require? Water and protection, right? Wrong! Air, water and protection, if light were even generated. Air was the key. This place was below ground, if the Bible and other stories were correct, and that meant ventilation of some type. Keeping in mind the ignorance of man at the time, when the facility was first established, it would not have to be hidden in any way. That would come later.
Ventilation shafts had to be free of water from floods or mountain drainage areas. Prevailing winds and pressure areas caused by the geology of the area would have to be taken into account. Last but not least, it had to have air transport access for the ones involved.
There was one other glaring fact, and that was one of expansion. A lot of material had to be moved. If they were mining for minerals, that meant tailing piles. There was some quantity of lignite coal in the area. What would high tech want coal for? Pharmaceuticals and plastics? If a planet blew up, minerals would be easy access in space...except coal and oil. What was coal and oil? Dead life rendered down into hydrocarbons. That was the one thing the outer planets could not provide, with the exception possibly of the one that fragmented out past Mars, and those commodities would have been lost during planet wide explosion.
Whoever had chosen the site had a list of priority items that were required in space. The asteroid belt was felt to contain ice, so water most likely would not be the key. What did space not have? Life and air...
"Do you want to see me get to David?"
Doc grinned. "Let me get George. He will not want to miss this."
David heard the three men arguing and wondered over. "Am I intruding?"
Miles looked at him. "No, in fact you can mediate. What do you remember of vampire stories and what area did they originate from?"
"The living dead who would live forever so long as they had a blood source. Anything bitten would become like them, leaving one to believe something was exchanged in the process. A Transylvanian story right out of the Danube river delta, which is located very close from here."
"Very good! Now what do you know about cattle found either drained of blood or blood composition changed into something unknown?"
"It has been reported time to time, in fact, right in your country. That is about it."
Miles turned to Doc and George. He got a wild look in his eyes. "They were after blood, Doc. Blood and jaw sections were removed, as well as the udders. The cow was considered a life giver and worshiped, and still is considered sacred in some countries. At the same time there were bad things in the ground and God told Noah he was going to take care of the problem, which he surely tried to do in no uncertain terms. Blood suckers, Doc. Genetically they had really screwed themselves up. We have to be on guard for bloodsuckers!" Then he began to chuckle lightly and giggle. Miles turned and walked off, leaving David with his mouth hanging open.
Doc sadly shook his head. "He has been like this ever since he went through that engine base explosion."
George looked at the Israeli and nodded in
agreement. " He's not dangerous though..."
The satellite up link was functioning perfectly and David was astounded. In the first three locations checked out by helicopter, two were positive. That crazy man was correct! David suddenly began to wonder about the vampire story and the cattle being drained of their blood. No, he thought to himself, they were just playing a joke, weren't they? But they were so serious...
George warmed his hands over the fire. It was
chilly that night in the mountains, if for no other reason they
were acclimatized for the 80 and 90 degree daytime temperatures.
Coal gave off heat and very little smoke, once it got going. Who
would know about the effect of coal for smelting metal, other
than Cain? Miles was on to something, he reflected. He wondered
what the Mycenaens knew about coal.
Chronos wanted to build a fire so bad he would have traded his steel sword for one, but that would have been shear folly. The fight was over and the Arzawa from Troy were no longer any threat. The signs had been covered up and they even managed to keep the bodies separate by luckily finding two caves.
It was not the fitting funeral the men deserved on either side, but what had to be had to be. They should have had a hero's cremation. Fire attracted things at night, things one did not want to come calling. He had to set an example for the rest of his men, regardless of their grumbling.
The black stone was scattered here and there and made good fuel, which made it even more depressing. There would be no warm armor for the sentries this night. They were far too close to their goal now. One of the metal smiths had explained in detail what they were looking for to the group, while they were preparing to leave Mycenae. Just where he had gotten the information would not be revealed, but the information chain led into the northern mountains. The country of the Hellens. The black stone that burned was one of the necessary items.
More and more Mycenaens were marrying the fair haired northern women. There was no conflict to speak of between Mycenae and these people, as least not yet, he thought. He knew the mountain people fought quite a bit among themselves, the various tribes being what they were. For such a backward people, they surely knew a considerable amount about metal.
One of the reasons they did get along was the fact both societies had more or less a free wheeling style, in comparison to Assyria or Egypt, of course. In Mycenae, one did not have to be born into power, money talked and was spread out over a strong middle class. It was not unusual for even slaves to buy their freedom, money exchanged with no questions asked.
Chronos grinned to himself. It was difficult for many of the other countries to understand the Mycenaen cultural outlook, namely they really did not have one. They were a trading society, a melting pot of all cultures, the misfits consigned to the sea by the gods.
He missed the sea. He wanted to make one last voyage to the beautiful green Isle of Tin. They had the black stone, and used it to smelt their ore. Those were summer trips, however. The sailing weather would be questionable at best this time of the year. The white cliffs would be shrouded with fog and treacherous.
He sighed and wondered how many of his men
were ever going to set their eyes on the ocean again. He grimly
thought of the ones he buried. He wondered if they would ever
For three days Miles held them in the area, then they went back to Bursa for an attitude adjustment. This is what Miles called it, normal people called it a rest.
The results of the chopper survey were available and they spent two days going over the findings, cleaning up their gear, and waiting for the enemy to clear out of the search area. Bursa had all the amenities and the expedition took advantage of them.
George petitioned the Turkish government again about drilling into lake Tuz, just to keep the authorities confused.
David was worried about Miles and had two agents unknown to the engineer assigned to shadow and protect him. He needed to know more about the chief engineer and waited for the moment to get Doc off to the side and pump him for information. It was not long before the time came.
"Doc, I am worried about Miles. To put it in his words, I don't think he is firing on all of his cylinders."
Doc grinned. "You have just come to that conclusion?"
"I am trying to hold a serious conversation with you, a professional one, Dr. Goldstein."
"Do I bill you or the Israeli government?"
"I find it hard to work with you people under these circumstances. I am the one who is concerned, not the Israeli government. He might do something to get us all killed."
Doc quit smiling. "He knows exactly what he is doing. You just do not understand the way he thinks. It took me some time to get used to it myself."
"What do you mean?"
"The average person has a tendency to become very linear in his thinking. He will focus in one area, make himself a mental fence, and beat the hell out of the area details. They call this specialization and it has it's place. I am a specialist and surgery is my game. I could even become more specialized in my chosen field by just working on hearts, as an example."
" Why didn't you?"
"Too boring. Now in Miles case, he has many interests and stores away the oddest details, items that surface as inter-relationships sometimes years down the road. We think on a plane and he works like a matrix, to sum it up."
David just looked at the surgeon and shook his head. "When people start talking about vampires..."
"I can explain that. First of all, it was somewhat of a joke."
"I wasn't sure."
"Believe me, David. We were all in on it and it was totally planned before it even happened. There is some sustenance in the story, however."