THE HAUNTING PAST MYSTERY OF THE STADIUM

THE HAUNTING PAST: MYSTERY OF THE STADIUM What a CROCK! Mental health professionals were DEMANDING that Tami be returned to "Suicide Watch", all because Tami had taken time, to sit on a girder, at a construction site, in order to assess a "haunting". Sure, the girder was ten stories above the ground, but THAT IS where the spirit was being reported. According to the case-file, the "haunting" had begun after a nineteenth century building was demolished, to make way for the "soon-to-come", luxury, condominiums. According to the contents, of the file, some-one, or some-thing, was sabotaging construction tools and supplies. Since the case was right in our hometown, Tami had asked to investigate, herself. This, after Mr. Brown, and Mr. Blue, both, promised my co-worker that the danger would be minimal, since only materials, not people, were being targetted. When Tami agreed to investigate, she not only noticed that damage was being done, during the day, as well as at night, but that there was a growing clarity, to the case. Although, in the 1880's, buildings were built, not only decorative, but, also, to LAST. Builders took PRIDE, in a job well done. In fact, the file stated that the 1880's biulding, which had been removed, to make way for the condo's, had taken longer, to demolish, than even the buildings, on a nearby military base (now de-commissioned), had taken. According to the demolition report, the contractor had been forced to withdraw their written guarantee, of no damage, to neighboring structures, in order to demolish the 1880's building. Tami's primary thought had been "The demolition, of its home, would be a GREAT reason, for a spirit to become active." The report stated that the incidents had started out small, and barely noticable, however, as the new buildings skeleton rose, into the sky, so had the intensity of the "haunting". When Tami checked on the history, of the demolished building, she found that a worker had been seen, on an exposed ledge, and that the workers fall, to his death, had been ruled a "suicide". This rationale seemed to "fit", since the worker WAS a TRAINED, and CERTIFIED, construction worker. The summary, of his death, indicated that the worker was "Not in his right mind, at the time of death". Still, Tami had to wonder. By the time Tami was on-scene, she was "armed" with as much personal information, as was available, about the worker. Once on-site, Tami had workers show her where the most "activity" was going on. THIS is the reason why Tami sat out, on an iron beam, took out pad, and paper, and began speaking to the thin air, calling the mans name, and so on. Construction workers did not know WHAT to think, as Tami sat there, apparently talking to herself. All that the crew knew was that construction was falling WEEKS behind schedule, and this needed to be ended, soon. It would seem that, at about the same time as the spirit appearred, to caution Tami that this building was NOT being constructed, safely, and that danger, to lives, and property, was a very real concern, when Someone, from a nearby building, shot video footage, of Tami, seemingly just sitting out, over thin air, talking to herself. Then, without any attempt, at "verification", the person posted the footage, on-line. The caption: "What kind of whacko is she?" While the person was posting the video footage, Tami was negotiating a deal, with the spirit, of the construction worker. The deal: If the man agreed to halt all vandalism, to the site, Tami would agree to speak to those in charge, and try to reach a compromise. When the spirit agreed, Tami just smiled, when the spirit tried to shake her hand. Tami then rose, from the girder, cautiously, and returned to the buildings interior, where the crew seemed relieved at her safety. Tami did, ofcourse, ask to visit the site foreman. Back at "ground level", Tami gave the foreman the spirits message, and, although the foreman agreed to forward the message, to the owner, the foreman said "No promises". By the time Tami had returned, to the Brown Agency offices, prepared to file her report, the secretary would caution my partner "Low profile. Stay clear, until they are finished." When Tami asked "Whats up?" indicating Mr. Brown, and Mr. Blue, who were on the phone, and sounding angry. The secretary would say "I have posted some video, to your desk. You should take a look, BEFORE you see Mr. Brown". When Tami took her seat, at her little-used desk, then watched the video, she understood the mens anger, as well as the publics, stupid, reaction. In the comments section, under the video, most of the content was about the "whacko dame", who was sitting, on a girder, in mid-air, talking to herself. Not one, listed, comment, hinted at anything except "potential suicide". NOW, Tami knew what she was walking into. When Mr. Brown called Tami into his office, Tami noticed how hard Mr. Brown was working, to control his anger, even as he said "Stupid fools! So, someone shoots some camera-phone footage. Big Deal! Like you are supposed to "control" the publics use, of camera-phones?" Once Mr. Brown had vented his rage, he turned, more calmly, to Tami, saying "I am very sorry to have to put you through this, since I know the REAL reason why you were out there, on that beam". What Tami asked "But", Mr. Brown would say "The state took one look, at the footage, and they are ordering the courts to provide them with a "Suicide Risk" order". When Tami said "Let me guess. Another mental health assessment". Mr. Brown would say "I am, already, working on it, with our lawyers. It will just take us some time.". Tami knew what this meant. For the next week, maybe longer, Tami would be bound, in a straight-jacket, and pumped so full, of medications, that she would not even remember her own name. And ALL because of someones camera-phone. By the time security personnel arrived, to collect Tami, Mr. Brown, and Mr. Blue, had prepared a written protest, of the action, handing one copy to the security personnel, and a second copy, which was, then, e-mailled, to the psychiatric review panel. As for myself, at this time, I was off, on another, "local" case, assigned to figure out if a local dig site were, really, "haunted", or just being scavenged. Shortly after Tami was taken away, the psychiatric review panel had Mr. Brown on video-conference and, right before Mr. Browns eyes, the psychiatric review "director" tore to pieces, Mr. Browns summary, of Tami's actions. The director would tell Mr. Brown "This panel could not care, LESS, about your "justification". We have evidence, on video, of the patient, attempting suicide, from a high rise girder. And while having a hallucination. We MUST act ONLY upon THIS information, and nothing else". The problem, which the state would encounter, this time, was that the Brown Agencies financiers were ready for just this kind of trouble. Aftre the torture, inflicted upon Tami, in Richmond, the financiers kept a "more active" watch, on our activities. Not actual "snooping", but just enough information to KNOW WHAT we were doing, when, and why. The summary, of Tami's actions, at the construction site, were not even looked at, from the printers, when phones began to ring. At the psychiatric facility, staff were surprised when Tami was escorted in, with her guard still holding the straight-jacket, over his arm. When a nurse called, over a speaker "Why is she not restrained?" The guards would ask "What for? She came, willingly. No resistance. WHY use the jacket on a compliant patient?" The nurse gave no response. What baffled staff, though, was how, after being given initial orders, to give Tami "heavy sedation", another call had come through, followed by a fax, and nurses being told "By the order of Judge ******, Tami is NOT to be sedated, unless shown to be "out of control"." When a nurse had asked "Define "Out of control", the aid read further down the fax "Out of control" shall be defined as "violent behavior", towards others". Tami was shocked by how easily the nurse set aside the needle, then told orderlies "Take her to her room". Within hours, of this, a "heated" knock-down, drag-out, verbal "fight" was in high gear, between the state, and the Brown Agency, and agency financiers. It seem that, no matter how often the Brown Agency repeated "She was WORKING! With the endorsement of our firm, and permission, of the site owner". When the psychiatric panels "director" would bark "Irrelevant! All that matters is that a potential suicide was out, on a ledge, talking to herself". When Mr. Blue barked, back "It was NOT a "ledge", it was a construction I-beam". The psychiatric "director" would bark back "Irrelevent!" What made both the Brown Agency, and its supporters, suspicious, of the boards intentions, was when the agency wanted to allow the construction foreman to tesify, and the psychiatric panel director did nothing more than bark "Irrelevent!", again. While the state sat, smugly, in their "power" position, what the board had no concept of was the fact of what was going on, at the federal level. It would not be until the psychiatric panel was about to issue its own verdict, that Tami be "hospitalized", that an aide brought forth a message, before the panel. When the look, of smug calmness, vanished, from the panel directors face, as they said "SO! Did a federal end-run did you? Well, you might "win" THIS round, but the next..." and let the comment stand, even as cold hatred, for the Brown Agency, filled the directors voice. In her holding cell, Tami was surprised when, "out-of-the-blue", a nurse came in, saying "I am here to escort you to the exit. Your papers came through. You are free to go". When Tami asked "What about my belongings?" The nurse would say "I have been instructed to inform you that your belongings have been sent to your employer". At that point, Tami was not certain of what to do. All she was allowed time for was to apply her street clothes, then pressed into leaving hospital grounds. It was only while Tami was wondering HOW to contact the Brown Agency, that she remembered something.... Backk, at the Brown Agency, Mr. Brown, Mr. Blue, and the agencies staff, were working on finding out what Tami's current situation was. For hours, all that the agency had been told, by the psychiatric hospital, was that "Tami is being processed". When this, suddenly, changed into "Tami is no-longer on the property", the very first thing the secretary did was locate Tami's registered cell-phone. The main problem, with this, was that, when the locator was activated, the tracker indicated that Tami (Or, atleast her phone), was, still, in the hands of the hospital staff. It ws only when Mr. Brown realized what must be going on that he would state "Activate her tracker" This is when progress began to happen. After walking along the roadside, for what atleast FELT like hours, Tami would be spotted, by a state police cruiser. When the cruiser pulled up, alongside her, Tami realized that the troopers had her picture, on their monitor, since the officers called her, by name. Once the cruiser picked her up, Tami listened as the officers reported in, and Mr. Brown verified that Tami was alright. Within two hours, Tami was back, at the Brown offices, and Mr. Blue verified that, at present, the state was making every conceivable effort, to erase its "mistaken prosecution". When the latest round, of package deliveries, arrived, and were checked, for Tami's equipment, nothing was found. Not even her purse. As a result, Mr. Blue, and the company secretary, would set about locating replacement equipment, for Tami's use, even as Tami's confiscated equipment was deactivated. While this was, all, going on, Mr. Brown would provide Tami and I with our latest assignment. And, oh, yes. I would report, to the agency, that the scavenger had been caught, at the local dig, trying to remove more evidence. SHE was facing prosecution, for felony theft. If only she had kept her thefts small, and easily hidden. Her mistake was to try and steal an object, which was large enough, almost, to carry HER. According to the latest file, public opinion was split, 50/50 on the issue of a "haunting". The source said that the issue began when a local sports team owner had decided that he was no-longer satisfied with the city's current stadium. This, despite the fact that the current stadium had cost tax-payers $45 million, to build, and was under ten years old. Still, the sports team owner was DEMANDING that a brand new stadium be built, at a cost of $500 million. The team owner was, also demanding that the new stadium be constructed on land, of the team owners choosing. It would seem that one of the team owners primary objections, to the current, $45 million stadium, was that the stadium was designed to be a multi-purpose facility. When sports were not being played, under its roof, the stadium could be, easily, transformed into a play-house, movie theater, flea market, etc. The stadium could be used, year round, and for a wide variety of reasons. For some reason, which only the team owner knew, the team owner was insisting that the city build the new, sports-dedicated, stadium. As for public reaction, it seems that only the "sports nuts" sided with the team owner. The remainder, of the community, was ready, and willing, to tell the team owner to "Take a hike!". For some reason, the local community felt that what the city needed were more manufacturing jobs. NOT a brand new, sports, stadium. There was even a petition drive, under way, atleast until the city council ordered this drive "suppressed". Tami and I figured that the reason, for the suppression, was that the petition raised the question of "If government is able to afford to build a $45 million stadium, and now, a new, $500 million stadium, then HOW is it that the government can say that there is no money, to build factories, and place the un-employed back to work?" According to the file, though, it was not politics, which was delaying the projects construction. The delays were being caused by problems, with the site, of the future, brand new, stadium. According to an "ancient", 1930's, land survey, the construction site had been farm land, growing crops, until the mid-1850's. Since that time, however, the land had sat, bascially un-used. Abandoned. Now that construction excavators had been delivered, to the site, and digging had started, it would seem that the problem, with the site, was when the shovels found the remains of building foundations. And, that was just the beginning. The file said that, ever since the buried place had been located, that someone had begun tampering with construction equipment. In some cases, human tampering was, pretty much, the case, since no one could want, or use, the construction grade equipment, consisting of starters, distributors, and so on. When Tami would ask "Why not just steal batteries? Or pour sugar, flour, or sand, into the gas tanks?" I would remind Tami "Batteries may be purchased, practically anywhere, and neither sugar, flour, sand, or other pollutants, would affect heavy diesel engines, since these machines use thick, heavy, diesel, fuel. No, the vandals were thoughful enough to understand that the engines components are the hardest things, to find replacements for." Still, this left the other component, of the problem. The file claimed that, every time a new section, of the ruins, was exposed, the excavation equipment would just stop operating. No defects had been found, other than burned out electronics. As a result, it seems that manual labor was being employed, for the digging, and the Brown Agency was being asked to make quiet inquiries. The file did emphasize that, in this matter, there were two, openly opposing, sides, involved. On the one side was the city council, the team owner, and the "sports nuts", all of whom wanted HUMAN vandalism to be proven, once and for all. While, on the other side, which consisted of those, who either opposed the new stadium, or those who wanted the REAL truth, and not some flimsy excuse. This group, also, wanted to kknow if the vandalism was HUMAN, or something else. Tami and I would only agree to investigate on the condition that a temporary "cease-fire" was called. Neither Tami nor I, were about to risk Ghost Ship One, being vandalized, for no other reason than being in the wrong "camp". When Mr. Brown presented our conditions, to the opposing parties, it seems that it was only a few hours before all parties had signed off, on the deal. No party would take any action, including against us, or our plane, until after we had finished the investigation, and were clear, of the "war-zone". After the agreement was signed, by all parties, and, for reasons, which Tami and I could only guess at, even our pilots seemed thrilled to be active, again. A new case, and everyone was thrilled to be on it. Tami and I speculated that, maybe, our pilots found "retirement" just as boring as seniors, and disabled people, found life. Whatever the reason, all four of us were glad to be off, on yet another case. What just did not add up, for Tami and I, as we reviewed the case, while enroute, was the variety of vandalism, which was being done. Stolen parts? Yes. Sabotage? Yes. But how were machines being rigged to break down, shortly after cranking up to power? By the time Ghost Ship One made a vertical descent, to the location site, Tami had run computer searches, of the area, and come up with no "modern" answers. Whatever was on this land, and making the machines malfunction, was not from the 20th century. By the time we were "wheels down", and the dust settled, from our exhaust vents, the construction sites Ground Penetrating Radar team would come aboard our plane, with data on what types, of resistence we might find. According to Ground Penetrating gear, the exposed sections were showing just the very top, of something, which extended, deep, underground. I would have considered asking why anyone would bother to dig underground, however, when I considered NORAD, and similar places, I decided not to address this question. In this case, the question was NOT "Who built this place, and for what reason", but rather, the question of "HOW was this thing affecting the construction machinery, and process?" For some reason, though, despite the "cease fire", it seems that the team owner was not willing to wait for our investigation to move forward. The man was, already, seeking a court order, to allow construction to proceed. This, even as human diggers were left puzzled as to the reason why they were finding both Viking, and Egyptian, relics, in the soil. In fact, in one section, which teams had decided was just a "trash dump", it seems that markers, bearing both Viking Runes, as well as stones, bearing Egyptian markings, lay side-by-side. While I worked with the diggers, cleaning debris, and scanning all available markings, Tami had started the interview process, while hoping to find evidence, which had not yet been offically catalogued. The problem, Tami, soon, learned, was that the construction site ruins were old enough that even the senior population had no idea the ruins were even there. As a result, Tami would end up visiting nearby, Catholic, churches. Although Tami never agreed with church teachings, including the rigid rules, by which church members were required to live, Tami, like myself, had learned, over past missions, how to be respectful, towards the church, as well as how to play DOWN the "politics", while focusing on historical data. The only times, when Tami had, really, become annoyed, with the church, were the times when, while attempting to access church records, Tami had various members, of the clergy, reminding her that a "womans duty", in life, was her husband, and her family. Tami had learned, early on, NOT to challenge the church. Especially after being physically expelled, from three churches, for "non-Christian" thinking. Tami's "problem" was that she believed that each person, including women, should make their OWN life's decisions. Tami felt that NO church had the right to ORDER members life decisions. Fortunately, after reviewing our own copies, of movies, such as "Da Vinci Code", and "Angels & Demons", Tami and I had decided to employ the "Robert Langdon" approach, to investigations. Be either as evasive, or as gentle, as possible. IF, and when, pushed/forced into a "confrontation", simply say "I respect the churches views". In the time, since adopting this approach, Tami had been expelled, from only one more church. As it would turn out, in this particular church, STRICT OBEDIENCE, with church doctrine, was mandatory. By the time Tami was "ejected", from this church, though, the local arch-bishop was reviewing the church, to find the reason why so many, of the faithful, were being "ex-communicated". While the arch-bishop held court, over the churches operations, Tami was given access to the churches records, by the direct orders of the arch-bishop. The arch-bishop even provided a translator, to assist the woman research. Despite the arch-bishops goodwill, whenever Tami entered a church, she decided to honor the clergy, by atleast wearing womens dress clothing (Tami decided that the church did not need to know how many pockets her dress had). On more recent cases, when the church had informed Tami of, due to the fragility, of the records, that Tami needed an escort, whereever she went, including the records section, Tami's only condition was "I want someone who can translate, as well". Sure enough, Tami was right, to ask both for translations, and knowledge, of the areas past history. In the case of the stadium, Tami received the aid of both a priest, and a nun. Sure, both of these aides were on the high side, of seventy, but, to Tami, this was a BONUS, since it meant that these people had a lifetime, of experience. Okay, so the priest had "only" been in residence, for forty years. The nun, however, was a life-long resident, of the area. What the group found, though was that, although "Official church records" only dated back, to the 1600's, the three researchers found some old, wooden, cases, which looked pre-Columbian. When the priest would say "I wonder", then left the ladies alone, for a moment, with the locked boxes, then the priest returned, moments later, with a set of very old keys. The priest would say "I have, always, wondered what these keys were for. The keys dont fit any door, that I have tried, on the property." It would be after trying three, of the keys, that the priest found the correct key. Even with the correct key, in the lock, the lock groaned, loudly, as it released its clasp. This is when the sister would say "May I suggest that we move this box to the work table, before examining its contents." With unanimous agreement, the three people moved each, of the dusty boxes, to the work table, where the priest produced some tools, which looked like burglar tools. When the ladies gave the priest a questioning look, the priest would say "Do not be concerned. The church approved the use, of these tools, 175 years ago. The rationale I was told was so as to avoid additional damage, from relics, whenever possible." After the nun lubricated the edges, and hinges, of each box, the priest drew open each case, moved the internal cover aside, and found a cloth, covered in Christian symbols. When Tami asked what the symbols spelled out, the priest would say "Literally, they say "Works of Satan. Cast not thy view upon these contents, lest ye be ex-communicated". When Tami would say "So, basically, it says that the contents are "evil", and that anyone, viewing the contents, is thrown out of the church?" The priest would say "Basically true. A form of "No Trespassing, under penalty of law". After invoking a prayer, of protection, for the three people, the priest removed the warning drape, and the three researchers found what should have been impossible. Although the documents were faded, they remained legible enough to see that some, of the documents were street plans, while other sheets were building plans. When the nun looked at a symbol, showing what appearred to be a naked woman, holding two animals, and the nun asked "What can that mean?" It would seem that the priest was a bit of an astronomer, since he said "I know that it appears to be a naked woman, holding two animals, however, as an astronomer, I think it means more like something is alligned, when the constellations, described, as the animals, are located, or targetted, inside the constellation of Venus." Tami was just amazed at how similar these drawings were, to modern day blue-prints. Granted, these were drawn, on animal skins, and the three people had no reference points, for the symbols, on the pages, however, in this case, the skins seemed to show pre-Christian city plans. When the nun asked the priest "Father, I thought that, prior to Christian influence, that the people, of this area, were nomadic barbarians". The priest would say "Yes, good sister. That is what we are TAUGHT, in seminary school. As for what the truth really is, I can only say "Who knows?" In another box, the three people found complex, navigational, charts, for the night sky, as well as land, and water, ways. When the nun said "I have visited some of these places, and these routes do not exist. Was this just "artistic license"?" The priest would correct the nun, saying "These routes may not exist, today, as in our time, or "the present", however, WHO is to say what was here, 500, to 1,000 years ago?" After Tami took enough pictures, to load up multiple flash drives, Tami bid the priest, and nun, a "Thank You", then departed, for our plane. After Tami's departure, the nun asked the priest "Do you REALLY think this palce was settled, a millenia, or more, BEFORE the Christians arrived?" The priest would embrace the sister, then whisper "We shall speak of none of this, ever again, undeerstood?" When the sister nodded, the priest said "Then, let us return to performing God's work". What spooked Tami and I, at the plane, was how near, to indentical, the buried structures were, to the drawings, even as Tami worked to enhance the drawings, on our planes computer. IF, and I caution IF the drawings, and formations, were accurate, then the excavation was NOT the ritual place, for sacrifice, which some versions of history claimed. It was, in fact, a city. Buildings, and a large, open, area, for public gatherings. While Bible, and science, scholars, would "jump to conclusions", including that this place had, in fact, been a place, of ritual sacrifice, Tami and I showed more caution, by leaving th question open. More important, though, was the fact that, when the anncient city copies were overlayed, with the construction blue-prints, it would seem that the stadium was to be built, directly over a section of the ruins. When Tami asked the G.P.R. team to run scans, on a next door piece, of land, (owned by another person), it would seem that the ancient city maps were accurate. Beyond the dig site, it would seem that there was nothing, underground, except dirt, and rocks. When the team owner submitted the idea, of just dynamiting the section, of the ruins, which would lay under the stadium, local historic preservationists rose to the challenge, saying this action would be un-ethical. When the team owner suggested "Then have the city pick a spot, and move the ruins there. I need a new stadium, for next season". The problem, which historic preservation faced, was the problem that the new stadium was located over approximately 10% of the ruins. When the team owner was informed of this, and asked "How LONG is all of this going to take?", the Archeologists could not provide a definitive time line. Not that they did not want to. The problem was that Archeology is the study of centuries, and even millenia. Not the months, which the team owner wanted to allow. As a result, the team owner would be offered the suggestion, of moving the stadium elsewhere. WHY this suggestion infuriated the team owner was anyones guess. All that Tami and I could report, to the Brown Agency, was that there were, in fact, ruins, built maybe half as deep as the new stadiums foundations would be cast. Foundations which would trample a size-able portion of the ruins. Tami and I also had to report the news, that the team owner was going to court, for both a "Cease and Desist" order, against the preservationists, and an order, giving the owner "Permission to demolish rubble". While the administrative people awaited the courts response, to the requests, I would continue to aid the diggers, while Tami was invited on a raiding "party", at the stadiums opponents headquarters. From what Tami had been told, both by locals, and the police, locals had overheard some drunken stadium opponents talking, at a local bar, about how the police would, never, find the stolen parts, from the stadiums construction equipment. Tami was informed that the drunks had been, quietly, taken into custody, while a search warrant was secured, for the stadium opponents headquarters. With a video documentation team on-hand, to film the entire raid, Tami was impreessed when, instead of the old, police, habit, of "kicking doors in", as television and movies, show cops doing, These police took a more "lock pick" approach, to entry. Reason: From what the police had told Tami, prior to the raid, the practice, of kicking in doors, might seem "macho", even "dramatic", on television, however, property owners had begun billing the police, for property damage. Raid, or not. Warrants, or not. Doors, and jambs, cost MONEY. Although police might seize a half million dollars worth of contraband, courts were beginning to decide that "Destruction of Property" warranted the police department paying for un-necessary damages. As a result, the police were shifting away from kicking, to picking. After all, a replacement door might cost $500.00, to $1,000.00, while a picked lock cost only $50.00 to repair. Sure enough, the drunks had been correct. The stadiums opponents headquarters looked more like an auto parts store, than a meeting hall. What police just could not figure out was HOW some of the equipment, which must have weighed hundreds of pounds, per item, had been removed, both from the excavators, and from the construction site, all without anyone noticing? And, what about the owners security camera's? WHY hadn't the team owner reported whose faces were caught, on security footage? While the stadiums opponents were being processed, for criminal theft, Tami would accompany the police, again. This time, to the team owners home. Tami just thought it hilarious that the team owner used a version of "The dog ate it", when the man told police "I swear! I dont know why the camera's choose those moments to fail! All I know is that, from time to time, the camera's just shut off, for awhile. After that, the camera's re-boot." When a police detective would say "Mighty convenient that the cameras choose the times, of the thefts, to go off-line". When the team owner would rage "What are you saying? That I booby-trapped my own equipment?" The police detective would say "Why not?" When the team owner would say "You're crazy." The detective would say "Lets look at the facts" "First, you, adamantly, insist that your team will not use the current, all-purpose, stadium Second, you DEMAND that a brand new stadium be built, at more than ten times the price, of the current stadium Third, the site, where you DEMAND that the new stadium be built "just happens" to be on land, which YOU have purchased, and at "pennies on the dollar", at foreclosure. Forth, once ruins are discovered, on-site, machinery parts begin to go missing Fifth, during robbberies, your security camera's "just happen" to "malfunction"? When the team owner would say "Boy, you have me tried, and convicted. So, when is the execution?" The detective would ask "Just tell me this. Did you, in fact, KNOW, in advance, that those ruins were down there?" When the team owner would reply "How the hell should I know what is down there? I am owner of a sports team, not a damned Archeologist!" When the detective would ask "Then, WHY did you buy THAT particular piece of land?" The team owner would say "The price was right. The depression is driving down land prices, you know." When the detective would say "Land prices are down, all over America. WHY did you choose this spot?" The team owner remained adamant "The PRICE!" When the detective would ask "So you are really telling me that money was your only motive? That you had no idea what was under the ground?" When the team owner would growl "Yes!" The detective would ask "Then why have you applied for permission, to demolish the ruins? What is down there, which is so important that you wont risk people seeing it?" Tami was not sure of why, but she half-way believed the team owner was telling the truth. However, if that were the case, and the team owner WAS only interested in sports, WHY demolish the ruins? Why not just sell the land, and move the stadium to another location? Some, possible, answers were dug up, by atleast one group, at the excavation site. Now, granted, this place was no Atlantis, but there were plenty of evidence that this place was planned, and not just "thrown together", willy-nilly. No, there were definite patterns, here. The shapes, of window openings, and doorways, water ducts, and so on. The problem was the equipment, which the team had brought down, to scan the place. Since it was the same as what the construction workers had used, it had the same problems, down here, as it had, top-side. When my own teams equipment was operating, we received energy readings which, barely, matched any modern types of energy. Whatever cased the excavators to fail, was down here, with us, underground. Even worse, it seemed to be active. When the team broke through what we thought was a wall, of solid Earth, we found ourselves looking at stairs which, ofcourse, lead down, into the dark, below. Two, LONG, flights, of stairs, later, and the team found what the team owner was trying to demolish. According to some of the team members, at one time, this village would have been on the surface. For some reason, though, the Earth had "consumed" the village. Now, for who-knows-how-long, the village had been preserved, underground. What surprised our team was how, even as we entered the "village", and our other electronics failed, our flashlights continued to operate. When one of our team members panicked, and wanted to leave, our group leader would say "Fine, report in, to the surface, that we are proceeding, until we find real danger". When another team member would ask "Why do our flashlights still work, if our other devices do not?" The team leader would suggest "Different types of batteries. The batteries, in the flashlights, seem to be immune to whatever is down here". When the team member would ask "But, what is down here?" After a bit of searching, our team was pretty much in agreement, to have found the source, of the energy disturbances. It was when we gave a "collective" "What is it?", that the remains, of some sort of projection, came to life, behind us. Even from the degraded image, we could tell it was a massive being, broad-shouldered, tall, real pionneer stock. It seemed to wear an animal skin coat, over what appearred to be a uniform. As for the audio portion, either the recording was so badly degraded, due to the passage of time, or the language was un-like anything, on Earth. Even our teams linguist could not understand the words. The recorded words were "lost", in the anals, of time. When another team member would say "Great! All this work, for an abandoned village, and a broken holgram. What next?" This is when another "man", this one not a hologram, would speak, from behind us, asking "And, what else would one expect, having been asked to guard this dreary place, for so very long?" When my team leader would ask "And, your name would be?" The "man" would say "Pardon my manners. In life, I was an emissary, of their royal majesties, and the empire". When the team leader would ask "You mean, the British Empire?" The "man" would ask "British Empire? Who are the British?" The team leader would say "The British. They formed villages, we believe, as early as 700 A.D., then formed Great Briain, around 1200 A.D." When the "man" would ask "What is this A.D., which you speak of?" The team leader would say "A.D. means After Death" When the "man" would ask "Whose death?" The team leader would say "The death of Jesus Christ". When the "man" would ask "And, this Jesus Christ, that you speak of. Who is he?" A team member would ask the "man" "How LONG have you been down here?" The "man" would say "Longer than we have imagined, I dare to say". Based upon what we could understand, of what this "man" was saying, it seems that the "man" was a desecndant of one of the Atlantean captains, who had ferried supplies, and survivors, from the doomed land. After that, the family had continued operating the vessel, for centuries. The ship was that well-built. Eventually, as trade routes spread, around the globe, the man, and his crew, were ordered to investigate reports, of a village, which had been spotted, by another team. The village had, at the time, been close to a river and, if previous reports were correct, the place was abandoned. If this turned out to be true, the crew was directed to take control of the place, and send the ship back, to report. When our team leader asked the "man" "What was the NAME of your home port?" The "man" produced a name, which none of us recognized. When the "man" waived his hand, in the air, saying "Perhaps this will help", and a mist formed, showing a section, of Europe, a team member asked "HOW are you able to do this?" Thje "man" would say "I am un-certain. I just waved my hand..." The problem, with the image, was that all of the markings were in a language, which none of us understood. Still, we knew it was somewhere, on the Eastern continent, between Germany, and France, to the west, and China, and Japan, to the east. When our team member asked the "man" "If you are from pre-Comumbian Europe, then HOW is it that you speak English?" The "man" would ask "What is English?" When the team meber would say "OUR language. If you are who you say you are, then HOW can you speak with us?" The "man" would only say "I have no idea". When our team leader would say "Okay, so you were sent to investigate this place. What did you find?" The "man" would say "Nothing. The place was deserted LONG before we arrived". When our team leader would ask "Did you find ANY kind of records?" The "man" would say "That is what we found most puzzling. There were no bodies, nor signs of a struggle. It was as if the occupants just decided to leave". When our team leader would ask "Do you think they left, when they knew you were coming?" The "man" would say "Hardly. Our best guess was that this place had been abandoned LONG before our first ships did their surveys". When the team leader would ask "And that projection? What did it tell you?" The "man" would give a small laugh, as he said "Nothing more than it told you. By the time we found it, that thing was so far beyond our understanding that we just left the thing alone. I have no more idea, of what that thing is saying, than you do". When our team leader asked the "man" "Just curious, but I have to ask. Just how OLD did your crew THINK this place was?" The "man" would say "Oh, my Geographer had some crazy notion, that this place existed long before Atlantis was built. Probleem is, we never could prove it. Like I said, no records left behind. These people, whoever they were, took EVRYTHING with them. Even dishes, pots, and pans." When our team leader would ask "What about those energy readings? What are they?" The "man" would say "Our finest minds were un-able to deduce the answer, to that. The most we could do was guess that it is a dormant power source." When the team leader would ask "Dormant? How powerful would it be, if active?" The "man" would say "Impossible to tell. We never figured out how to move it to the "active" mode." When a team member would ask "All these millenia, and you dont even know where the "on" button is?" The "man' would retort "Our DUTY was to find, and secure, this place. We followed orders. My crew were not, I believe your word is "scientists". When our team leader asked "What happened to your ship, and crew?" The "man" would say "We never learned th ships, or crews, fate. Last we saw, of them, they sailed for home. We, never, saw them again. We lived out our lives, here. Eventually we built some housing, however, our support never arrived. Eventually, our team had to excuse ourselves, and use the last, of our flashlights battery life, to return to the surface. On the surface, my first thought was "Incredible! Ghostly sentries, guarding an abandoned village, since a time, long before the time of Christ. Most ironic is that the sentries were guarding a place, which had been vacant since LONG before the sentries had arrived. And on top of all of this, there was a hologram, whose message was lost, to the ages. Ofcourse, when Tami joined the dig, she did what none of us had thought of doing. Using the newest, in digital camera's (This one shielded), and which had been supplied, by Mr. Brown, as well as plenty of U.S.B. flash drives, Tami rested, on a seat, while the camera recorded the image, who-knows-how-many-times, before Tami was satisfied that she had as much as she was going to get. Once back, on the surface, Tami tied up ALL of our on-board, computing, power, for a full day, while the machines pieced together what the hologram was saying. The main problem was that the spoken message was in bits-and-pieces. Some parts seemed to be in English, while other parts were in Russian, Greman, French, and so on. Just not enough, of each language, to make any sense. On the other hand, there was success, with the visual, though. The hologram man was, definitely, stocky. Even in virtual reality, his mass was impressive. He must have been either a security guard, or a construction worker. Although his features were, almost, chiselled, his eyes bore an intellect, and wisdom. This man might be built, like a building, but he had brains, as well. After Tami used the virtual program, to remove the animal skin coat, we found it left the man wearing a uniform, similar to that, worn in science fiction movies. We guessed his age at about 35-40. As to who was he? and How had his race crated a hologram, which had lasted, for thousands of years? Tami would say that "All I have found, in local records, is that the land where the village sits, has been in foreclosure, for longer than the word was in use. Records say that people TRIED to live there, but, to a "man", they fled. Claims of ghosts, and so on. This is why the team owner could buy the land, so very cheap. No one else would go near it. Oh, and the records state that, any children found near the land, were, severely, disciplined' When I asked Tami "Do you, really, think that an entire village could go, un-discovered, for thousands of years?" Tami then reminded me of an Archeology special, where a team was sent in, to investigate a small hill, where rumor held that "virgin sacrifice" was held, monthly, to satisfy some demon. By the time the Archeologisrts were finished, with the site, the team had destroyed the hill, but discovered what most believed was one of the oldest monasteries, ever built. Problem was that the age was so extreme that carbon-dating was useless. "Best Guess", and the elements, had eroded any signs, of who had LIVED in the place. As for why the monastery was built, in tower form, that was anyones guess, as well. As a result, Tami was no-longer surprised at anything we found, under the ground. When the city council asked Tami, and I, for recommendations, for the site, including if it should be dug up, we only recommended CAUTION. Especially with a battallion of spirits, standing "guard duty". That, and a power source, which no one, alive, or dead, seemed able to comprehend. As for the team owner, once his request, for demolition, was turned down, the man made the mistake, of DEMANDING to swap the "haunted" land, for some real PRIME land, and that he be allowed to pay ONLY two cents, on the dollar, for the land. Between this demand, and the demand, that the city approve construction, of the $500 million stadium, Neither Tami, nor I, were amazed when locals told the team owner to "hit the road". The city might like its sports, but not enough to replace a $45 million stadium, with a $500 million one. And, besides, the city only had fifty years to find the $45 million, to pay off the ccurrent stadium. With its factories gone, and "new jobs" swelling welfare ranks, with the "working poor", who wages were so low that almost no payroll taxes could be withheld, as well as creating more food-stamp households, many locals were laying ever larger bets, in gambling, that the $45 million would never be raised. Tami, ofcourse, did some of her usual negotiating, along with several Wiccans, from a local coven, and the group negotiated a deal, which released the spirits from their "eternal duty". The "man" had insisted that part, of the deal, had to be the villages preservation. With the deal made, the Wiccans would "release" the souls, to their eternal rest. Collection, of the remains, would be impossible, since the men had died so long before even Christ was born, that there was nothing left, to bury. Still, a generic marker would be erected, near the site, reminding visitors that some people had felt that this place was worth protecting. When replacement excavators were brought to the site, these units were shielded, by the very same material which lines nuclear reactors. Once the village was re-exposed, to daylight, the "power source" sent out a column, of dazzling light, which even deep space radar would record, far from Earth. Then, somethhing "spooky" happened. In an instant, after the shaft, of light, beamed into space, the ancient hologram would switch its language, to perfect English, as the "man" would say "Brothers and sisters. We have been distant, for far too long. A message has been sent, saying that the time, of reunion, has come. Please make ready for our arrival". When Tami would ask me "Do you think he knows how much time has passed, since he was recorded?" I would say "Doubtful. It is just a recording". When Tami reported in, to the Brown Agency, the secretary would say "Our sources, at both N.A.S.A., and Deep Space Command, agree. The message was useless. IF anything WAS "out there", its gone now". Tami would respond "Wow, all that time has passed, and, now, there is no one to recieve the message." This is when, to our amazement, a deep, barritone, voice would say "I wouldn't say that". When Tami and I turned our heads, to the source, of the voice, we saw the man, from the hologram. Only, now, he was flesh-and--blood. When Tami asked "How? The message was just sent" The man smiled as he said "We have been here longer than you can understand" When Tami asked "The village?" The man said "A research outpost. One, of many" When Tami asked "Why did you abandon it? Especially if you never left?" The man would say "After a point, we evolved beyond the need, for such things. When we no-longer needed the village, we left it behind. Understand that I dont mean that we, all, left, at once. But, a few at a time". When Tami would ask "What happened to your furnishings?" The man woukld say "Scavengers. After we evolved, they came, and took what they wanted.. A few groups tried to move into the village, but most fled since they had no knowledge of how to use our power, to heat their spaces. Once the village got cold enough, they sought shelter, elsewhere. When Tami would ask "So, you had heat, and light?" The man smiled as he said "Yes. Yours is not the first evolution, on this planet, to have heat, and light, and music. You are only the most recent evolution." When Tami asked "How MANY of you are there here, now?" The man would smile as he said "Not to worry. Only a dozen, or so, of us, at any given time. We visit the planet, regularly, to check on the progress of lower life-forms." When Tami would ask "What should we expect, when your ships come?" The man would laugh, out loud, as he said "You have watched too many science fiction horror movies. The higher species, who travel the galaxy, have no need, or desire, to consume your people, or the planets resources. Besides, as I said, we come, and go, regularly". When Tami would ask "What will happen, to this town, now that the village is discovered, and the sports team is gone?" The man would say "Such knowledge is forbidden. We may not interfere. We may only observe". Final case notes: The village has been un-covered, from the soil, and covered in a new material, similar to lead, yet transparent. Researchers are "pouring over the place", trying to understand the power core, and the villages other "secrets". To date, the best equipment cannot identify the power source. If we could, we could duplicate it. All that our "visitor" would say was that, in time, and when mankind matures, all will become known. As for the vandals/thieves, it seems that the local judge decided to be lenient. Since all of the construction parts were recovered, and the machines were, never, wrecked, the judge decided to "beef up" the citys cleaning squads. For the next year, the sports opponents would spend all free time picking up trash, hosing off sidewalks, and any other duties, which the city needed done. The sports teams multi-millionairre owner, reportedly, settled his team in another city. One which was willing to meet his demands. With the spirits at rest, and the town at peace, Tami and I would pack up Ghost Ship One, and our pilots would receive launch clearance, then we were off, for home. Back at the Brown Agency, though, the boss was all smiles, which meant only one thing.. This was especially true, when the man said "Good work! Very good work. Well done. Now, if you would just have a look at this file, and give me your thoughts." Well, to me, this was better than just sitting around the house. For Tami, it was better than being ordered to be "drugged up, to the gills".