THE HAUNTING PAST MYSTERY OF THE EGYPTIAN ARTIFACT

THE HAUNTING PAST: MYSTERY OF THE EGYPTIAN ARTIFACT Although our pilots were, totally, devoted, to the care, and maintenance, of our new plane, it was once we touched down, in an abandoned field, that the air force veterans would come to Tami and I, reporting that not only was air traffic control un-happy, with the planes temporary identification, but, it seems, neither were the fans of televisions "Star Trek". Our pilot would inform us "I have been in contact, with my family, and, from the reports, I have been informed that my grand-children are being disciplined, in elementary school". When Tami asked "For what reason?" The pilot would say "For telling class-mates that grandpa is the pilot, of the NCC-1701". The pilot would add "Although the words were meant, in good humor, since our previous plane was nicknamed "Ghost Ship One",even I know about the sarcasm, each time I speak to air traffic control. Especially having to use the code number NCC-1701". When I would inquire "Just how LONG does the air force take, to issue proper codes, to aircraft?" The pilot would say "Who knows?" Then the co-pilot would inform us "Some plane are code-designated, even while still on the drawing boards. Others are only designated, AFTER flight tests have been completed." When I would inquire "What is the longest time that a plane has waited?" The pilots would look at one another, then say "Sorry, that is classified. All that we can tell you is that SOME craft have not been designated, for DECADES". When I would add "Let us HOPE that it is not THAT long" The pilot would say "You and me, both". At this point, Tami proposed another of her remarkably simple solutions. "Since the first plane was nicknamed "Ghost Ship One", despite its official, air force, designation, Why dont we just refer to this ship as "Ghost Ship Two"?" It would seem that our pilots were all in favor of this, but only on the condition that the U.S. Air Force agreed. This was when I remembered that the Air Force Chief of Staff had given permission, for the previous, cargo carrier, to be re-named. Hopefully, the Chief of Staff would be just as accomodating, with the new ship. To our surprise, Tami and I were just setting up shop, inside the plane, and assigning tasks, when th co-pilot brought us the news, while on his way to the supply area. As he passed us, the co-pilot would announce "Good news. The Chief of Staff approved the name change. We are, now, officially, "Ghost Ship Two". Now, where did I store those cleaning supplies?" With the pride, of a mother, shown to a favorite child, the four of us set about removing the temporary NCC-1701 decals, from the hull. I am just not certain if we "washed them off", or "covered them up", since the white lettering did not smudge as much as "vanish", under the coat, of that spray on, wipe off, stuff. The chemical did not even SMELL like any cleaner, which I knew of. Aftre the "deed" was done, and the four of us stood before our beautiful, black, airplane, Tami and I asked the pilots what the black stuff was. All that the pilots would say was "Who cares! So long as that logo is gone". Tami and I could agree with that. When the case of the Egyptian artifact came to the Brown Agency, the question of "Is it REAL?" became the highest priority, in the case. As the case file read, the problem, at hand, was not so much verifying that a vessel was present, but, rather, that the vessel had come from southern Europe? Ofcourse, even Tami and I knew that, as more evidence, of pre-Columbian travel, was being exposed, the two sides, of the debate, were taking to "howling like banshee's", over whether NON-Christians could have travelled the worlds oceans, in the days prior to Christian travel. Since neither Tami nor I, were "overly religious", we really could not care, LESS, about who did what, in history. All that we cared about was doing our job, and reaping the rewards, from generous benefactors. Rewards which included our second, deluxe, airplane, as well as expense accounts, whose balances we could not deplete, in the remainder of our lifetimes. This, and the fact that the benefactor, of a previous case, had connections, with the air force, and that this meant that fuel would never been a problem. Another benefactor had arranged for our open-ended contract, for all of the military rations, which our plane could carry. Despite all of this, Tami and I knew the reason why people were so good to us. Tami and I had aided so many spirits, in finding peace. As to just HOW we had gone from aiding the deceased, to aiding the living (See Mystery of the Werewolves), neither Tami nor I had any clue how this change had come about. Now, we were being asked to expand our experience, even more, by verifying, or denouncing, if a boat had, actually, come from Egypt, or whether someone was just trying to pull a trick. Once the plane was ready, and we were on our way, to who-knows-what, Tami agreed to tackle the interviews, while I accepted the assignment, of surveying the landscape, for signs of past rivers. Add to this was the equally "bizzare" task, of being instructed to search for signs of Egyptian jewelry, pots, and so on. I was just wondering what I would tell the curious, when locals might wonder what I was doing, in this traditionally southern area, of the United States. HOW should I ask "Have you seen any Egyptian pots, pans, etc (outside of t.v., movies, museums, etc.?) Upon arrival, at the site, I mounted my bicycle, to begin my task, even as Tami borrowed my Jeep, for the trip into town. After all, G.S.2 had been approved for landing, in a meadow. While Tami was surprised to find the archeologist team working out of a bed-and-breakfast, instead of the local historical society, Tami, soon, learned the reason, for the unusual accomodations. When Tami spotted the leader, of the science group, she noticed that he looked all around the dining room, and even "Shhh" Tami, even as she tried to introduce herself. When the man "secreted" my partner a card, which showed that a certain doctor was a project researcher, and Tami asked for I.D., the man flashed his I.D. at my partner, so FAST, that my partner could, barely, report having seen the color of the I.D. Tami would, also report that, when she had tried to show the man her detective badge, Tami had, barely, opened the cover, when the man slapped it shut, then looked around, nervously, before whispering "Not here". When the man hustled Tami out, of the dining room, and towards the stairs, Tami hoped she would not have to hurt the man. When the man lead Tami PAST the stairs, and out the back, of the building, through the kitchen, Tami would report that the man seemed troubled, like he was, truly afraid of being watched. When the man hustled Tami to a waiting Jeep, and, hurredly, belted her into the passenger seat, Tami made a show, of adjusting her hair, and clothes (While, actually, activating some tiny homing devices, which Mr. Blue had us field-testing, for future use). On the way to wherever they were going, the man drove the road only a fraction of the distance. The remainder, of the drive, the man insisted upon going off-road. His rationale: "It will deter our pursuers". Tami would, later, report, that she would have used one of the "psycho drugs" tests, with which we were, also, suplied, except that she, and her driver, were outdoors. Even Tami knew how easily drug tests can become contaminated. Tami would, also, report how greatful/relieved she had been, when the Jeep stopped, at an overhang. Still, Tami was glad she brought her bag along, since the man seemed in a terrible rush, to move beyond the overhang, and down the slope, to the cavern. As the two entered the cavern, Tami was not sure what it was, that she smelled, from just inside the entrance. She just thought it suspicious when she only scented the odor, just inside the entrance of the cavern. When the man seemed to run ahead, of Tami, while calling "Come on! Its this way", Tami decided it was prudent to find out exactly WHAT she had smelled. When Tami opened one of the hand-held, test-kits, supplied by the Brown Agency, to test for hazzardous materials, Tami was alarmed by the rapid pace, with which the test kit turned bright RED. Just a moment after this, one of Tami's transponders, which was equiped with a built in, electronic, "sniffer", sent off another alarm. With these two verifications, Tami wasted not one second pulling out the plastic bag, which contained another Brown Agency development. A combination of air filter, and protective eye-wear, as well as a built in comm set. Back at the agencies offices, while supplying Tami with a box, of these devices, Mr. Black had teased "You know, on the black market, these components should cost you $1,000, in total. You receive these, free of charge, for field tests. Just dont die, while using the devices, okay?" Now, Tami would have to report that she hadn't noticed, until she applied the filter, to her face, that her tongue had tasted "different", for a moment. Oddly enough, once the filter cleaned her air intake, Tami would report that the taste vanished. When Tami entered the chamber, which the man had wanted her to see, she made note of how much, visibly calmer the man was. Tami would wonder if it was the calm, of an addict, who had been in withdrawal, yet had, now, received his latest "fix". Although the find stood right in front of her, Tami did not notice it, at all. Instead, she found the other team members, huddled, a distance away, in a corner, like frightened children. Tami would include a notation, in her report, stating that she understood exactly how the workers had felt, due to Tamis own past, with drugs, and with all of the medically-presicribed drugs she had been taking, since her "suicide attempt". (Drugs, which she was glad to be free of, now). When Tami turned, to leave, she told the man "I am going to find my partner. He will want to see this, for himself" It was at that moment when the man grabbed a gun, from behind a rock, saying "You aint going anywhere". even as he pointed the gun, at my partner. The part I hated, about some of our assignments, was not so much looking at historical drawings, which contained wildly in-accurate depictions, of various places, but the problem, of viewing a modern landscape, and trying for a mental picture, of the view, from centuries ago. True, at places, such as the corporate lodge, locals had made a pretty decent attempt, to disguise waterways, over the past two centuries, however, that was different from the current case. If the report, in the file, was accurate, the waterway, in question, was thousands, if not tens of thousands, of years old. If the waterway had, at some, previous time, flowed near this location, it was very LONG ago. HOW was I supposed to find a 5,000 year old creek/river, anyway? I had been searching, for hours, without any success, when a local nun came to see me. (I dont know why it was, but, I was so amazed at how often young women were turning to the church. Especially women who COULD be fashion models. For some reason, some of these beauties chose to don "habits", instead). When the sister introduced herself, the one thing I was NOT surprised about was to hear that "Mother Superior" had sent the young woman, to me. (I would make a repeated point of reminding my libido that the woman was a nun. Dont even CONSIDER it). Still, the sister had brought forth information, including scrolls (Which I had to ask her to translate). My English is bad enough. Forget foreign languages, such as Latin. When I removed an electronic pad, from my own kit, I will admit that we snuggled, close. I have no doubt, though, that the Lord would condone our "snuggling", though, since the nun was helping me to identify markers, in the landscape (NOT making out). When I asked the nun about a word, which resembled "seeds", or "plenty", the nun informed me that the "seeds" were from a rare plant. Its source was unknown, however, legend said the "seeds" made paint, and ink, more durable. It was right about the moment, when the nun was trying to describe, for me, what a group, or clump, of tree's, had looked like, centuries ago, when a living Mother Superior would join us, asking "WHATS going on, here?" It was only when I would say "Zip it", to the woman, then asked the young nun "The stone, stick, and granite. Do you think they will be there. I mean, after ALL this time?" Mother Superior would say "The stone, and the granite, were moved, centuries ago. They, now, reside within church grounds" The woman seemed surprised, though, when I asked "Were the original sites marked, after the removal?" It was not until after Mother Superior mentioned it, that I noticed that my appearance, next to the young nun, might appear to be snuggling, to the un-aware. When Mother Superior said "Un-hand her", I gave the young nun my apologies, then the young nun departed our presense, leaving only Mother Superior to address my questions. First, though Mother Superior reminded me "YOUNG man, may I remind you that the sisters are NOT your playthings. These (indicating her habit) are NOT costumes. We are serious, about our convictions". Mother Superior seemed surprised when I responded with "I hope your conviction, to history, is as firm as your religious convictions" The ONLY reason why I snuggled up, to Mother Superior, was the same reason why I had snuggled up to the nun. Mother Superior noticed this, when I looked over her shoulder, while she pointed landmarks out, in the landscape. Mother Superior even showed me where the previous Mother Superior had shown her, that the markers had been placed, originally. Since even Mother Superior admitted that she could not find the waterway, Mother Superior invited me to join her, and the younger nun, in the churches records room. In all honesty, I really dont know how LONG we poured over the records, but I must have fallen asleep, since the nuns nudged me awake, so that Mother Superior could provide me a slip, of paper, containing the most likely positions, of the ancient waterway. By the time I returned, to Ghost Ship Two, the pilots were already packing their weapons away, while Tami was preparing her report, to the Brown Agency. It would seem that our "experimental gear" had worked far better than anticipated. According to her report, when Tami had turned, to leave the cavern, the man had fired a series, of shots, and even Tami had run for cover. On-board Ghost Ship Two, the recorded gun-fire had our pilots springing into action, within minutes. Locating Tami's tracker was easy. Un-loading the hovercraft was a bit tougher. As the pilots had un-loaded, and powered the thing up, the co-pilot then set to arming their weapons, while the pilot drove the thing, as though preparing to enter battle. By the time the hovercraft arrived, outside of the cavern, and the pilots called out, to Tami, she had been grazed, by three, stray, bullets. When the pilot called "Sitrep?" Tami would respond "We are in an enclosed cavern. The air is polluted, with a lethal compound. The research team has been significantly affected. Use caution. Non-lethal force, if possible". Moments later, the co-pilot would call to Tami "Your signal is distorted by the rock. Any chance you can move to an exterior wall?" Although Tami gave no verbal response, she and I had decided, long ago "If we are going to die, let it be quick". What Tami had forgotten was that, due to exposure, to the "drug", in the cavern, the man could not focus his aim. Not even as Tami ran to an outer wall. It was only when the mans shots went WAY WILD, that Tami realized that the man was having vision problems. Still, when she found what she THOUGHT was an outer wall, the co-pilot called "Locked on, DOWN!" Tami did not need to be told, twice. Whatever the gadget was, which the hovercraft had used, it had not acted like any projectile Tami knew of. In fact, instead of blowing the wall into the cavern, and toward the relic, the black-ops device had PULLED the wall OUT, from the surviving rock. When the rock face gave way, Tami would find herself pelted with small roccks, even as the bigger rocks were pulled away. What no one could be certain of was the reason why the scientist had, suddenly, stopped shooting. Was it really the automatic weapons fire, from the hovercraft, or could it have been the fact that the gap, in the wall, let a "flood" of fesh air, into the cavern? All that Tami knew was that, after the shooting stopped, and Tami opened another test strip, she found that this test strip took five minutes to glow, yellow. It would seem that, while I was dozing, at the church, the Centers for Disease Control were placing the archeologists into bio-hazzard units, which were, then, helicoptered to the nearest hospital, which was equipped with an isolation ward. By the time I had returned, to G.S.2, Tami had returned to the plane, showered, and changed clothes. When Tami uploaded our progress report, to the Brown Agency, Mr. Blue would appear, on the video-link, asking "I thought Tami was the researcher, and YOU were the "get dirty" one." Both Tami and I agreed that we had not forseen these circumstances. Well, we thought that a nights rest would make the world seem brighter. Boy! were we in for a surprise. Actually, neither Tami, nor I, was surprised, by the C.D.C. update, which reported that the toxin was "unknown". The reason why this did not surprise us was because, even a preliminary scan, of the find, in the cavern, registered an age, which pre-dated America, by centuries, atleast. It would seem that, before the researchers were affected, by the contagion, the workers had done an extensive survey, of the find. Tami would have been the first to rule the find a "hoax", except for the accumulated dust, on the vessel, and the unknown, chemical, composition, of the paint, used on the boat. That, and the fact that the wood, which made up the body, of the ship, was native to Egypt, NOT North America. As for the research team, the C.D.C. concluded that, until the contagion could be identified, ALL that the Centers could do was keep patients comfortable, and in drug induced coma's. When Mr. Brown came on the line, Tami and I saw what was coming, even before the boss said "New directive. Until further notice: i.e. a solution, to the contagion, is found, all other research, into the find, is terminated. Am I clear? Priority One is to find an antidote, for this virus. Understood?" When Tami and I would say "Understood", Mr. Brown would add "Good Luck". When Tami checked over my notes, from the visit, with the nuns, she suggested "Maybe there is more, in the records, than meets the eye". When I reminded her "I am pretty certain that Mother Superior would not enjoy my return", Tami would say "That is because you are a man. A man is "temptation", to a convent, full of nuns. Since I am one of them, a woman, I mean, maybe Mother Superior will be more open, with me". I told her "Good Luck with that. In the mean time, I will check out our so-called Egyptian Yacht. Maybe I can figure out just HOW the ship got there". Tami would say "Good luck with that, as well. That thing appears to be ancient". While Tami spent the next few days scouring old records, for a lead, I would spend those same days assisting the hazmat teams, as they vacuumed up what appeared to be dust, from the boat. About the only news, which the C.D.C. had, was the fact that, when the dust was exposed, to water, the molecules showed a high concentration, of lead. That, and some kind of seed. Something now extinct enough that, it was not recorded, in the C.D.C.'s databanks. This is where Tami, and the nuns came in. Tami would admit that, in times like this, she wished she COULD just call on the spirit, of Mother Superior. Under Immortal Law, though, Tami was not allowed to just ASK for the woman. As Mother Superior had informed us, during a visit "I am NOT your personal answering service. You must THINK for yourselves. Think of me as your Earthly mother." As a result, Tami, and about a dozen nuns, combed the ancient records, about the ship, its crew, or even the kind of lead-based paint, used on the boat. After a few days of searching, a nun brought forth a volume, of not-un-expected, hand-written, notes. When the nun placed the volume before Mother Superior, and Tami, pointing to what appeared like a boat drawing, the women were hesitant. The reason was simple. The drawing looked like a golden sun, shining above the vessel, while the nun asked "Is this of some use?" When Tami would say "I really dont know", and Mother Superior would suggest "Perhaps, that orb is the "light, of the Lords wisdom". It is guiding the ship, along its journey". Although Tami felt that this was a bit far-fetched, Tami remembered our agreement, with the church. We would seek counsel, and suggestions, however, we would NOT, directly, CHALLENGE the word of God, nor his servants, inside the church. When night came, though, and Tami saw lights, which appeared to be floating, on the local waters, Tami had to call one of the nuns, since Mother Superior was at her prayers. When Tami pointed out the lights, to the nun, who was of local birth, the nun took one look, shrugged, and said "Boat lights". As though being asked to identify a local train, or mass transit bus. When Tami asked the nun "What are "Boat lights?" the nun would say "My father use to tell us that ALL boats, which sail, by night, on the river, have these lights. Its just for navigation safety. Small, on-board, lights, to prevent boats from colliding". This is when Tami returned to the records room, then wrote Mother Superior a quick note. "Is it possible that this "orb" represents a boat light, for the night time, river, navigation?" When a nun offered to walk Tami back, to our plane, Tami suggested that a GROUP, of nuns, would be safer. "Safety, in numbers", Tami would mention. By the time Tami returned to the plane, I had my few notes ready to join her daily report. (The Brown Agency had not been joking when they had informed Tami's overseers that ALL agents reports in, daily, even if just to say "No leads, today"). It would seem that, although we were not aware of it, there was, now, a race on, to find out what the seeds were, and where they came from. A "race" where the dominant clue would come from Cairo, itself. Acually, the Museum of Antiquities. This museum would verify that the seeds had been used, in the distant past, to make different paint colors, as well as to make ink, and paint, more durable. It would seem that the C.D.C. agreed with the Egyptians. When various colors, of paint, were tested, the amount, of seeds, in each color, seemed to control the final, paint, color. Less seeds, in the lead paint, to produce darker colors. More seeds, to produce lighter colors. When asked HOW the scientists could have ingested the lead, since, after all, only children comsume lead, by biting things, it would turn out that Tami's hunch had been correct. Due to the confines, of the cavern, the air WAS trapped and, the more that workers moved around the find, the more lead was sent airborne, in the form of dust. This is the reason why, when Tami used her test, it turned bright red, almost immediately. The air had been thick with lead dust. Tami had been fortunate that she had applied her filter, when she did. Her own medical, tests had shown "Slightly elevated", but not dangerous, levels of lead. As long as she stayed away from the cavern, and drank plenty of fluids, as well as resting, she would be fine. By the time Cairo had collected the necessary information, and transmitted it, to the C.D.C., three patients hade become "critical", and one had died. For the survivors, Cairo cautioned that each dose should be tailored to the patient. Just as the priests, of ancient times, had done. It was not until the church received a copy, of Cairo's mesage, that the nuns concluded that, part of a journal, now, made sense. Something about locals taking ill, after drinking water, left in the ships wake. The drinkers had become mildly ill, for as long as four days. After that, the people recovered. Reason: unknown. Tami surmised, as did the church, and C.D.C., had concluded. With the high levels, of lead, in the ships paint, its wake would be like a crop-duster, spreading cyanide. When a copy, of the report, was sent to Homeland Security, the very FIRST question, which Homeland asked was "Was this a terrorist attack?" If the preliminary data were correct, the answer would be "NO". Reason: Until the mid-twentieth century, when lead was, clinically, proven, to be hazzardous, to humans, American homes were painted with lead based paint. Many home appliances, also, contained lead, as well. If the pre-Columbian ship was being accused, of poisoning the water, would that not make paint makers guilty, as well, for producing, and distributing, lead-based paint? Another fact, which pointed AWAY from "terrorism" was the fact that the best, and closest, matches, for the ships wood content, of the boats body parts, were that these were early dynastic wood, harvested during the earliest days, of the pharoahs. (America did not even exist, at that time). Also, thanks to the black-ops "wonder weapon", not only had the relic been spared destruction, but, once the cavern was opened up, the level, of toxic gases, measured very low, and even dropped to "trace" amounts. It seems that the fresh air had diluted the chemical into a form about as "deadly", as chewing on a number two, lead, pencil. The victims, of the lead poisoning, were a different task. Since each dose had to be created, for each patient, some recovered more rapidly than others. Still, it would be DAYS before the team was even coherent. The worst news was that almost none of the workers, not even the shooter, had any memory, of the past several days. When the project leader was infomed "You contacted the agency, for verification, of the find", the man asked "When?" When the doctors asked about the shooting, inside the cavern, they were not surprised when the project leader would say "We didn't find any guns, that I remember. WHERE did we get the guns?" When Tami visited the man, he seemed honest, when he introduced himself, informing Tami "Whatever I can do, to help". When Tami and I inquired, of hospital staff, all that staff could tell us was that the lead was washing out of the victims bodies. Given time, and treatment, either all, or partial, memory MIGHT return. Tami would report, to the Brown Agency, that, once visual records were taken, via camera crews, dressed in bio-hazzard suits, of the craft, inside the cavern, a state-licensed, lead/asbestos removal team was sent in, to remove as much of the lead, as possible. (Without destroying the find). Tami would report that the team did a GREAT job, as well. When the worst, of the lead, was removed, the true beauty, of the ships art work, was revealled. By the time the lead content was declared "safe", even Tami and I were impressed with the ships craftsmanship. This boat, ship, whatever, must have been used either by royalty, or by priests. The ship was too well decorated, for the use of "average people". Still, this left the question of "HOW did it come to be in America?" After all, the Christians were adamant that Columbus was the first Christian to sail to the "new world". While I was left to ponder HOW a large boat could have travelled, to this land, and the cavern, without a listed river, to sail upon, Tami was busy, not just with church records, but with municipal records, and with interviewing locals. Tami was just thankful that the local newspaper had placed both current, and back, issues, on the internet. Still, between interviews, and searching files, Tami found not one, but dozens, of stories, about an "elegant", or "fancy" boat, which had passed by the area, in the distant past. The problem, with almost all of the stories, was that most were told, and re-told, so many times, over the years, that various stories placed the waters, in a wide variety of locations. For example, some stories had the river WAY out of town, while others claimed that the river coiled, like a snake, around the town. Tami's favorite, though, was the legend, of the town being built INSIDE a river bed. When the living Mother Superior verified this, the living woman reminded Tami "No one built anything, INSIDE the river, itself. The waterway was diverted, first." Although Tami found evidence, of brooks, and streams, in the records, there was nothing to show a waterway, near the cavern. As for "descriptions", of the boat, talk about "artistic license". The sheer variety, of shapes, and designs, were a cross-section of every ships design, from A-to-Z. Tami never failed to find the laughter, in the sketches, which depicted couples, having sex, on the ships main deck. Although Tami never mentioned it, I DID inquire, at one point, as to how comfortable sex could be, on an open ships deck. When Tami had given the vague answer of "Depends on the womans love, for her man", I had to dis-agree that any sex, no matter how "romantic", could be comfortable, under those conditions. Back in our real world, what Tami found totally hilarious was how the drawings always portrayed the couples, surrounded by four, or five, torches, and with an audience, as well. Sure, Tami remembered men offering her up to $10,000, to "put on a show". Tami had told the men what they could do, with their money. Ofcourse, beyond the sexual, some of the drawings portrayed the ship as up to fifty stories tall, while others claimed the boat was as wide as a city. Personally, I think it was a race, between the Christian church, and the Egyptians, to figure out each piece, of the puzzle. What neither Tami, nor I, could figure out, was the reason WHY the Christians were willing to declare a "jihad", over the issue, of WHO crossed the Atlantic, first. While the Christians INSISTED that Christopher Columbus was the first, to reach America, there remained the problem of dating the materials, which the boat was constructed of. This included wood which had been harvested, milled, shaped, and assembled, LONG before Columbus's grand-parents were, even, born. Then, there was the problem, of fossilized, marine, life, on the ships hull. Based upon the various layers, of European, and North American, sediments, the marine biologists concluded that this boat had travelled the shipping lanes, for decades. Then, there was the problem, of the papyrus scrolls, which had been sealed, in clay pots. The pots, which were found behind a fake wall, yet which was so fake, it might as well have had a sign on it, saying "Secret hiding place". When the archeologists began sorting through the pots, the teams found not only scrolls, but maps, of the American East Coast. When the nearest museum, with staff, which could interpret ancient Egyptian writing, sent these staff, to the site, it was not long before these consultants were dividing scrolls into piles, such as "personal journals" versus "ships logs". The interpreters would, eventually, begin yawning, as they went, from one scroll, to another, saying "Ships manifest", "Cargo listing", "point of departure", etc. After the interpreters looked at enough scrolls, they uttered what we thought was an Egyptian curse word, as they said "No gold, jewels, or mummies. This was just a cargo ship. A freighter, if you will". When Tami asked "Then, why was it so elaborately decorated?" The interpreters would agree "That was, merely, to show the owners pride, in the ship". When Tami showed the interpreters the drawings, of the deck, the interpreters would agree "Back in the day, freighter crews, also, paid homage, to the gods, PRIOR to sailing. They never had the reserve man power, nor the cargo space, for such things. These were working ships". When Tami suggested "So, all of these drawings are just peoples imaginations?" The interpreters would agree "Most true. These records say that the Egyptians brought goods for trade, with locals. The ship sailed up, and down, the coast, collecting cargo. Once the hold was full, the ship set sail, for Egypt." When Tami asked "Just how far back did these freight runs take place?" The interpreters would speak, among themselves, then agree "A rough guess would be 10,000, to 15,000 B.C.E. We wont know, for certain, until the computers crunch the numbers". This is when Tami would call me aside, whispering "No wonder the Christians are "Up in arms". This ship is proof that not only the Vikings, but the Egyptians, sailed the oceans, centuries before the Christians set sail". I would sum up "World history, and parts, of the Bible, would have to be re-written." As far as religion went, Tami and I ignored this angle, in all of our work. Just as the interpreters, and scientists, were doing, now. Everyone, present, at the site, was working either to verify, or deny, this ships history. All that Tami could tell the Brown Agency, for over two weeks, was "The tests are on-going. Carbon-dating is in the works. At present, the ships condition has made for easier sample-taking. The problem is th extreme AGE, of the samples". When the secretary would ask "You are certain that this ship was not built, from parts, purchased at a home improvement center?" Tami would respond with "The one thing we ARE certain of is that this ship pre-dates not only home improvement centers, but the nation, as well.". The next, obvious, question was "What happened to the crew? Did they "blend in", to the local populations? Were they killed, for some reason?" If they died, with their ship, WHERE were the bones? Although Tami found many records, of the SHIP, transporting supplies, she could not discover one word, about the fate of the crew. All that she found was that, for decades, the ship had sailed, at regular intervals, then, as if "overnight", the ship just vanished. As for the lab analysis, all this could tell us, about the ships past, was that it was from Egypt, and was, probably, manufactured around 12,000, to 18,000 years ago. The ships design dated almost that far back, and over the centuries, the design had passed from one generation to the next. While the site workers continued to send reports, to the Brown Agency, Tami and I could understand the reason why vast amounts, of the reports, were never released, to the public. It would seem that some Christian bishops, and even ministers, were so determined, to preserve the Christian Christopher Columbus, as the Christain discoverer, of America, that the church would stop, at NOTHING, to preserve ITS VERSION, of history. By this point, in the investigation, though, Tami realized that no spirits remained, with the ship, to seek an "audience" with us. Normally, spirits could not wait, to contact us. Why was it different, this time? While science worked on the boat, and the scrolls, Tami suggested that the two of us take a walk. When Tami would say nothing more, until we were away from the cavern, I noticed how my partner peered around us, as though looking for something. When I suggested "Okay, whats up?" Tami asked "What do you mean?" I would remind her "Based upon your original reports, to the Brown Agency, of the team leaders behavior, I am wondering about your own behavior. Especially as you seem concerned that we might have been followed." It was only when she was satisifed, that we were alone, that Tami told me of her concerns. "Doesn't it seem odd, to you, that the first time we have discovered a mystery, yet none, of the deceased, have come forward, yet?" Okay, so Tami had a point. Especially in the time since Heaven, and Hell, had recognized our abilities, spirits had, at times, sought us out. Sometimes, practically lining up, for us. This left the question of "Why weren't the spirits, of the sailors, coming forth?" When I suggested "Maybe, they blended in, enough, with the locals, so that no one remembered them" Tami would say "Doubtful. Bak in those days, when women were married, husbands occupations were listed, on the documents. I have, yet, to find a single, marriage, certificate, from those days, which lists the husbands occupation as "sailor". When I asked "You are not suggesting murder, are you?" Tami would say "Either that, OR a bizzarre rash, of suicides, or even accidents". When I would ask "Why kill the men? The Christians were not even due, in the America's, for centuries. The land was wild." Tami would caution "As far as we know." When I said "Let me guess, you are about to suggest that the history books left something ELSE out". When Tami would ask "Why not? After all, history has all but wiped out the Gargoyles, Atlantis, and so many other events. How hard can it be to wipe out a few dozen sailors?" This is when a new voice joined us, saying "Very intelligent question, my dear" even as a man, dressed as a sailor, materialized, then kissed Tami's hand. After the kiss, the spirit would say "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Jean Claude Pierre. Mate, first class, of the Sterling Albatross". When Tami would do a resemblance, of a curtsey, saying "Thank you, kindly" Jean Claude would turn to me, asking "Are you interested, truly interested, in learning of our fate?" When I would say "Yes", Jean Claude would say "Then, I will lead you to the truth. Be cautious, though, since there are traps, for both humans, and for spirits." Thankfully, Tami and I had G.P.S., since Jean Claude lead us over hills, and into ditches. When Jean Claude halted, and said "We are here". When Tami and I asked "What is this place?", All Jean Claude would say was "This place is cursed". When Tami would ask "HOW is it cursed?" Jean Claude would pass his hand through the air and, as if by magic, old symbols, on several tree's, would begin to glow. From our own, past, cases, Tami and I knew the ancient symbols, which, if legends are to be believed, "kept "evil" in its place". When Tami would, cautiously, ask "WHO is buried, here?" Jean Claude would half-whisper "My brothers, from the sea". Tami was about to ask "Why do they not come forth?", when she realized that the tree markings were not just to ward off "evil". Each marking was designed to keep supposed demons, witches, zombies, and so on, in place. It was only when Jean Claude asked "Can you not hear them?" That Tami and I heard the all-too-familiar sound. Th sound of souls, wailing for escape. Not to terrorize the world, but to past to the next world. When Tami would ask Jean Claude "How many Egyptians are buried, here?" Jean Claude seemed confused, by the reference. When I suggested "How many, of the "desert people", are buried, here?" Jean Claude would say "Many". When Tami would ask "Jean Claude, I presume, by your name, that you are French". Jean Claude would say "Oui, madamoiselle. My body belongs to the sea, but my heart belongs to France". This is when Tami would ask "How do you know of the Egyptians?" Jean Claude would chuckle as he said "Young lady, Frenchmen, Egyptians, Englishmen, Norsemen. For centuries, we have sailed the seven seas, on boats which we hoped would bring profit. On the sea, we are all brothers". When Tami would ask "Why are they buried here?" Jean Claude would say "On the ships final voyage, its crew had only been in port some three hours, when a young woman was attacked. Naturally, since the attack happened, after the ship put into port..." Tami would conclude, saying "The crew were declared GUILTY" Jean Claude would whisper "Oui". When Tami would ask "What can we do, after all this time?" Jean Claude would suggest "Have the people remove those symbols, from the tree's, so that the deceased may find peace". Moments later, the spirit, of a deceased priest, would appear, saying "NEVER!" When Tami would ask the priest his reason, the priest would say "My child, these un-holy barbarians defiled a child. As a result, no man would want her. These criminals must dwell, with their sins, forever". When Tami went into "investigator" mode, asking the priest "So, you have PROOF, as in witnesses, who SAW the sailor "defile" the child?" When the priest would say "I have the word of GOD!" Tami would ask "No, I mean people. Someone who SAW the attack". The priest would only say "She was a clean, decent, proper member, of God's house. Her testimony will not be challenged". When Tami asked "What evidence was used, to convict the sailors?" The priest would say "The child was not attacked until after that ship arrived. What more did we need?" Although I could see that my partner was about to go "off", on the deceased priest, I noticed how she made a visible effort, to calm herself, before summarizing the situation. "So, you are saying that, just because an attack took place, within hours of a ship, docking, and that the ships sailors were in your community, the sailors were responsible for an attack, on a local girl?" The priest would say "My child, do not forget that these "heathens" did not worship the one, true, God. They worshipped a variety, of "false" gods". When Tami said "And, that made them "evil" enough to attack a child". The priest would say "Correct". When Tami and I returned to Ghost Ship Two, Tami seemed more than a little annoyed, at how the situation had turned. After all, we had been dispatched, to verify if a boat was as old as was claimed. Now, this investigation had lead us into one of the coldest "cold cases", in human history. A priest, guarding the condemned souls, accused of an act, from who-knows-how-long-ago. Talk about "Capital Punishment". And the nature, of the alleged "crime", against a young woman, in a remote village, who comes to town, a few hours after a ship docks. She tells locals that she is late, due to one of the sailors attacking her. Since the girl is a local, while the sailors are only in town, to load supplies, the crew is convicted, on the girls word, alone. The "evidence". The girl points to some randomly chosen sailor and, before the men know what is happening, they are tried, and convicted, of attacking the girl. The church even has a plan, to make an example, of the ship. The entire crew is to be hanged, and the ship made to "vanish". If anyone raises questions, they will be told "It was Gods justice, on the un-holy, for defiling the young woman". Tami would no-sooner remark "This case is so old, and so "cold", that even Mother Superior could not crack it", when the spirit nuns familiar voice would say "This is true, my child. At this point, in time, though, would you not say that "justice" has been served"?" When Tami would say "Many times over", Mother Superior would caution, "Do you think that the young womans family would, also, agree?" Tami would ask "Whats the point?" Mother Superior would point out "Child, you do not know the complete story, do you" When Tami asked "What more is there?" Mother Superior would say "Because th woman was "defiled", PRIOR to marriage, she was cast out, of her village, and ordered never to return. A form of a Life Sentence, in your world". When Tami asked "One question: WAS she raped?" The way Mother Superior would look, as she considered the word, even gave Tami pause to reflect. When Tami would ask "Is it possible that the woman was jusy "out", with another man, lost track of time, then needed an excuse, to "cover her tracks"?" The way Mother Superior would say "IT is possible. Yet the girl was, in fact, a respected member, of the holy church, and this carried real weight, in any community". Tami would say "So, IF th woman SAID "That man raped me", her fellow villagers would not question her statement, since she had a long history with the village, and the church?" When I interrupted both women asking "So, what? Even IF the man was framed, that was centuries ago. What do the deceased expect us to do? Go back, in time, and right the wrong?" When Mother Superior, and Tami, looked at me, and smiled, I was firm, as I said "No WAY! I am sick of time travel." When Tami asked "Wont you come along, and assist me in correcting history?" I told her "I will be glad to aid you, from this current century. Besides, even if we DID return, to the past, what good would it do?" Twelve hours later, and with the permission, of the Chairman of the Board, of Heaven, Tami and I were fitted out, and "transported" back, in time. One of Tami's main conditions, for this trip, was that she and I be able to fully understand whatever language locals spoke. Heaven had even approved Tami's plan. A plan to interrupt the lovers, in time for the woman to return home, before being suspected. That was the plan, anyway. Back in time, once Tami and I were in position, and the couple arrived at the location, where the seduction (not rape), was to take place, Tami and I observed both the couple, and the elapsing time. The only thing, which our modern day senses, had forgotten, was that, back in this time period, humans were taught to "listen", to the world, about them. This is why, even though I whispered, into Tami's ear "How LONG do we let this go on?" The man was just about to open the womans dress, when the woman was first to call out "Who's there?" When Tami came forth, before the couple, asking "Who is there, indeed. For shame". Moments later, the couple grabbed their belongings, and ran off, for home. Tami and I stayed in this time period just long enough to ensure that the sailors were NOT un-justly, accused. It was only after this information was verified that Tami and I heard Mother Superiors voice, behind us, asking "Shall we depart?" When Tami and I stepped back, into the present, and returned to the "pit", we found the spirit, of the priest, on his ghostly knee's, Rosary in his hands, praying for forgiveness. Even as the priest prayed, though, something, totally un-expected, happened. The symbols, carved into the tree's, glowed, like lights, then "fell" from the tree's, as though attached, by broken necklaces. Once the symbols fell away, the spirit forms, of the sailors, came into shape, from a ground mist. As a group, the men turned, to face Tami, then the men gave a very regal bow. Slow, subtle, and with genuine purpose. When my partner responded, with a slow, deliberate, respectful, curtsey, the spirits faded into the mist. All except Jean Claude, who remained long enough to inform us "My friends, I just want you to know that, although my ship-mates never committed the crime, for which we were accused, I do not wish you to think that we were angels, either. In life, even I perfomed some actions, for which I take no pride. Farewell." With that, Jean Claude dissolved. When the spirit priest rose, to his feet, saying "I have no idea what to do, next. My whole after-life, so far, has been devoted to this". Mother Superior would be the voice, of reason, as she came forth, and told the priest "First, you will appear, before the arch-angel, Gabriel, THEN the Lord will decide your fate". When Tami would ask Mother Superior "Doesn't the fact, that this man was a priest, almost guarantee him a place, in Heaven?" Mother Superior would respond with "My child, how many times must I remind you. It is not WHAT you are, in life. It is what you do, WITH your life, which matters". I, too, remember the nun, telling other spirits that it was not the "grandiose" gestures, which mattered. It is how each of us lives our lives, which really matters, in the "final tally book". With that, Tami stood by my side, as we watched as the nun, and priest, turned to mist, then dissolved. When Tami and I returned, to the cavern, the only change, which we found, was that, now, the ships history had changed. Now the boats "history" was more than a century, of freight-hauling, before, finally, being retired, with honor. Now, the researchers were working to prove WHO had captained the vessel, and if the vessel should be moved to a museum. In her more-or-less "final report", to the Brown Agency, Tami would include the documentation, verifying the validity, of the find. An Egyptian boat, which had cruised America's Eastern Coast line, when not hauling supplies across the Atlantic Ocean. All of this thousands of years before Columbus set sail. Although the case was, officially, concluded, Mr. Blue would ask Tami and I a "favor", Since we were "in the area". "A client has a package, which they are willing to PAY the agency, handsomely, to transport, and store. All you have to do is pick the package up, on your way back to base, and deliver the package to our headquarters." When Tami called the cockpit, the pilot said "Got it. Adjusted coordinates locked in. Adjusted E.T.A. will be two hours later than planned." Well, if all this was just a U.P.S. type, of pick up, and delivery, what was the harm? Famous last words....