THE HAUNTING PAST MYSTERY OF THE ORB

THE HAUNTING PAST MYSTERY OF THE ORB By the time Ghost Ship 2 had returned to our base, and Tami and I sat before Mr. Brown's desk, I found it ironic that Tami was the one, arguing, in my behalf. According to Mr. Brown "Word has reached this office that you (I) have exceeded work parameters, and indulged in some "pleasures". Worst of all, these pleasures were with a subordinate, of our source. If what I am hearing is correct, you are in for one major "board of review". I was about ready to ask, until Tami beat me to the question "Just which case are you referring to, sir?" Mr. Brown would say "Dont play, dumb, with me. Word has it that a client is six months pregnant, with YOUR (my)child" Okay, so now I was, really, confused. I thought the problem was concerning Tracey. But that was impossible, since I had only met her a month before. It seems that Tami had the same thought, since we looked at one another, then, at once, asked Mr. Brown "WHAT are you talking about?" When Mr. Brown spelled it out "Okay, play dumb. The womans name is Tracey, and she is a grad student, working the excavation, at Lanse Au Meadow" This is when Tami inquired "Ah, sir? HOW could this Tracey woman be six months pregnant, by my partner, when we only met her a few weeks ago?" Mr. Brown had to stop, and THINK about that one. When Mr. Brown re-checked the case-file, then looked confused as he said "Thats right. The woman could NOT be six months pregnant, since you have known her only one month." When Tami asked "Sir, WHAT is your source, of information?" Mr. Brown would say "It says here "university faculty"" Tami would say "That explains it all" When Mr. Brown would say "I dont follow", Tami would look at me, saying "Remember what Magda told us, after her public address, at the excavation? Remember how Magda told us she had been too late, to stop some e-mail?" I said "Thats right! Magda told us that, before she could stop the pregnancy rumor, that someone had e-mailled other parties." Tami would say "That is why Tracey was recalled, to university. The faculty wanted to know if grant money was being used to fund illicit affairs" This is when Mr. Brown would ask "So, all of this TALK, about a pregnancy?" I would add "Started when the Viking spirit, Ingvar, sent Tracey and I off, looking for a Viking Temple. A Fertility Temple. Tracey was panicked, since she remembered legends, rumors, and gossip, which suggested, or implied, that, women, who enter the temple, WITH men, the women exit the temple, pregnant, with that mans child." Tami would say "Someone overheard the part, of the conversation, about Tracey saying that, IF she was pregnant, she would get even with Ingvar. Even though he has been dead, for atleast two millenia. Just HOW Tracey would have planned revenge, on a dead man, we, still, do not know." Mr. Brown would relax, as he said "So, someone overhears PART, of a conversation, and spreads the word. Like gossip". Tami would say "Precisely. Thats all it was. Just gossip, and innuendo". When Mr. Brown would say "So, this Tracey woman. She isn't pregnant." Tami would say "Not that we know of" (I noticed that Tami made a point of NOT mentioning anything, about Traceys sorrow, over NOT being pregnant. I admired my partners discretion.) When Mr. Brown would look visibly relieved, by this news, while saying "I can call OFF the Board of Review, then" Tami would say "No reason, for the board, if no harm has been done. Besides, HOW would you discipline rumors, and gossip?" Mr. Brown was just relaxing, in the knowledge that he would not be required to discipline a workers actions, when his secretary would come into the office. When the secretary would announce "The file is ready, when they are" Mr. Brown would thank the woman, for her efforts. Mr. Brown would, then ask Tami and I "While you are here, would you just review a case, which has come to our attention. It MIGHT be right up your alley". When Tami would ask "What is it, THIS time?" The secretary would respond with "I really think you should review this information", Mr. Brown would say "Alright. Leave it here." The secretary would say "Yes, sir", then depart the office. When Tami would ask "Trouble, sir?" Mr. Brown would run his fingers through his hair, as he would say "Its more of unusual, actually." When Tami would ask "More unusual than werewolves, dragons, demons, and spectral nuns?" Mr. Brown would say "Point taken. Nothing so dramatic, though. In a nut-shell, some rich person offered a museum an endowment, of $500 million. The "price", of the endowment? The benefactor wanted to place an "art-work", of some kind, on display, in the museum." When Tami would ask "Whats so strange, about that?" Mr. Brown would say "In this case, it seems that we are dealing with something which none of us can explain." When Tami would say "Sounds right UP our alley. When do you need our initial review?" Mr. Brown would say "Two months ago would have been an appropriate time. Since neither you, nor this agency, knew about the case, until now, however, I would suggest As soon as you are able to finish an appropriate review." After Tami and I departed Mr. Browns office, and headed for the conference room, I asked Tami "Why did you get me "off the hook", in one case, just to dive into another case?" Tami would ask my own question "Got anything better to do?" Alright, so I remember what being disabled is like. Days flowing into weeks, then months, and years. Meals, drugs, books, and television. Not exactly the life of action/adventure. As for the file, which the secretary provided us, inside the conference room, it was about as hard to believe as the Egyptian artifact was. According to the file, the object, in question, was an orb. A ball, presumably made of metal, yet an orb which defied metal analysis. Speculation held that the orb was made of either copper, or bronze, yet, if this were true, then HOW could the orb have passed through museum metal detectors, without setting the devices off? According to the files enclosed photo's, it would seem that the orb was engraved, with remarkable precision, showing the approximate positions, of Earth's continents, from sometime in the past. The accompanying note would suggest: "Historians have attempted to date the find, based upon the carving. What historians fail to understand is that the orb was, allegedly, carved, long before modern drills were created. Unless hoax proves correct, data would suggest that orb gives continental placement somewhere around 150,000 years, previous". And now, ladies and gentlemen, comes the part, which lead to the Brown Agency being called in. Based upon witness reports, it would seem that, when certain persons view the orb, it is claimed that the witnesses view an angel, hovering above the globe. These claims, however, remain in doubt, due to lack of supporting evidence. What is known is that, to date, all testing techniques, applied, to the orb, suggest an alien technology, and material. This is when Tami would ask "Why is it that, every time something is not, readily, identifiable, that people just jump on the "outer space" band-wagon?" I would suggest "Maybe because it is easier to blame aliens, who cannot defend themselves, than to have to take the time to search through old, dusty, records". When Tami and I would depart agency offices, the secretary would say "I KNEW you would take this one." By the time we would arrive, at the airport, our pilots were just finishing Ghost Ship 2's most recent, post-flight, inspection. Man! Did the U.S. Air Force keep track of its planes. While Tami and I entered the plane, to begin our review, it would seem that the pilots were involved with the labor-intensive process, of verifying exactly how many rounds, of ammunition, which the guns fired, on any given mission. The odd thing was that, at Lanse Au Meadows, not a shot was fired. It would seem this was the problem. Someone had entered a report, stating that G.S.2 had requested two, additional, cases, of thirty-calibur ammunition. When our pilots denied ordering ammunition, saying that we were "full-up", the maintenance officer showed our pilots the supplies request list. While orders, for food, and fuel, were correct, our pilots denied ordering replacement ammo. A few minutes later, when an airman brought forth another supply request, the maintenance officer asked our pilots "Just WHERE do you get off, ordering military ordinance, for a civilian plane?" When the pilots asked "WHAT are you TALKING about?" The maintenance officer would say "It says, right here. Request for Tomahawks, Side-Winders, and cluster-bombs. Just WHO do you plan to attack?" The pilots would ask "WHY would we order heavy ordinance? We are flying our passengers to an American town." Then, the pilots would remind the maintenance officer "In case you have forgotten, we are retired. Neither of us has authorized access, to ANY, ballistic, ordinance". The maintenance officer would say "Thats right. You two are "retired". You could not order this ordinance, even if you wanted to. Just whats this all about?" Our pilots would say "We wish we knew". While the maintenance officer went to check for system hacking, the fuel, and provisions, officers were ordered to finish our flight-prep. While this was going on, Tami was busy, surfing the internet, searching for any, and all, signs, that someone would produce a fake orb, and try to pass it off, as genuine. Un-fortunately, Tami found page-after-page, of references, to orb's being created. Some orbs were gifts, while others were pranks. A few hits contained video, showing how orb's could be faked. In fact, according to one video's creator, all that a person needed, to produce a fake orb, was a deposit, of very OLD material. The creator made a point of saying that Earth contained many such deposits. As to the question of "Why bother?" This was answered as "PROFIT". People were ready to pay incredible sums, of money, for what they BELIEVED were rare artifacts. By the time G.S.2 skimmed down the runway, and was airborne, Tami was so busy, with the internet, that I decided to check out our latest supply, of rations. How our sponsor was able to provide so much, of what we enjoyed eating, was one mystery which I was told to avoid. Still, our hold was full of the foods which we liked, best, and plenty of it. Ofcourse, it would take a few hours, to reach our destination, since we cruised, to save fuel. Besides, there were no lives, in danger. We were just going to check out some sphere, that someone had donated to a museum. No reason to burn extra fuel, for a "harmless" artifact. Since we would be operating inside a city, this time, Ghost Ship 2 would be required to use the local airport, during our stay. This meant that Tami and I would be driving to the museum. The drive was not bad, though. Plenty of tree-lined streets, and majestic homes. Plenty of old buildings, containing modern shops. As to how OLD the museum was, I would have wagered a months salary, that the museum was built in the days of kerosene lamps. No doubt indoor plumbing, and electricity, were added, many years AFTER this place was built. Tami would agree, especially after we viewed the bathrooms. Since the people, who built this place, did not want it torn apart, for such "new fangled gadgets", as plumbing, and wiring, everyting was ATTACHED to the walls, NOT secreted, behind the walls. When a tour guide found us wandering about, the guide seemed happy, to show us about the place, but only until Tami provided her identification. Once Tami showed this, the guide would say "You are here, about the reports, aren't you". When Tami would say "Why, yes. What can you tell us?" The guide said "Nothing. You need to ask the director about those crack-pots". When the guide showed Tami and I into the directors office, the space turned out to be exactly what I would expect a historians office to look like. Historians always seemed to LOVE old stuff. Glass cabinets, filled with antiques. Some historians placed objects in alphabetical order, while others ranked, using various types of "importance" ratio's. THIS historian seemed to LOVE blown-glass objects. They had dozens of examples, of the craft, on hand. Some of it I just could not take my eyes off of. While a dragon caught my eye, due to its sparkle, the one, which amazed me, was a glass sculpture, which seemed to depict a couple making love. It was the detail, not the act, which enchanted me. The detail was so exquisite, in making the glass people look so real. I had to wonder how much time, and effort, went into the design. When the director approached, asking "Amazing, isn't it. Such attention to the craft". I would agree. No question, the craftsman was an artist, of the truest caliber. Ofcourse, being a woman, Tami dismissed the piece, after asking "Who would create such a piece?" The director would say "Do not worry. The artist is in prison. Public obscentity was the conviction." When Tami would say "I can see why", the director would say "Some people just do not appreciate fine art". When Tami would say "Eye of the beholder", I would ask "If the artist is in prison, over this, HOW did you acquire the piece?" The director would say "The museum, routinely, serves as "overseers", in criminal cases, involving art-works. As part of the deal, wherein the museum locates each pieces true owners, of art-works, the museum is allowed primary "pick", of any art work which is not used in felonies, including rape, arson, or murder. Since the artist, in question, is "guilty" of no more than "self-expression", I made the artist an offer. Reduced jail-time, in return for both the donation, of this piece, to the museum, as well as employment, upon the artists release from prison." When Tami would ask "You made a deal, over THAT?!" The director would say "It is obvious that your tastes run toward more classical art." When I asked the director "Has this artist many MORE creations?" The director would say "Why, yes, they have. In fact, I have made a bid, to provide storage, for the artists remaining works, until their release." When Tami would ask "How much more of this does that person have?" The director would say "You must not be an artist, to ask that question". This is when I would remind my partner that TRUE artists rarely copy the same work, more than once. I would remind Tami "The CHALLENGE is in the creation. Once the challenge has been achieved, no reason to go back." I would, then, turn to the director, asking "Might we review some of the artists other works?" The director would say "Certainly", yet, before the director could lead us from their office, a scream was heard, from the display area, and the director muttered "Not again". For Tami and I, our "introduction", to the orb, was in the presense of a woman, who was lying in the floor, crying out "It LOOKED at me! I swear! It looked right at me". Even as the director would made false excuses, such as "play of the lights", and so on, to the victim, Tami and I would give the orb a thorough looking at. I just wondered how an orb, made of metal, could LOOK at a person? Could it be nothing more than an over-active imagination? As to why the orb was not set on a rotating display case, Tami and I would have to wait until the director had finished with the crowd, of museum goers, before they were "free" to answer our questions. When the director joined Tami and I, and Tami asked about a rotating display case, the director would say "One of many mysteries. We DID TRY to place the orb, on as many as five rotational units, in order to showcase ALL of the orbs splender, however, there was a problem". When Tami would ask "Let me guess. No rotational units are available." The director would say "Wrong. We have twelve, such, display cases, in the storeroom." When Tami would ask "Why not use one, then?" The director would say "Understand that we check equipment, regularly, and, also, before display. In the storeroom, and in the display area, the displays work fine. For reasons we cannot comprehend, though, each time the orb is placed inside a unit, the units motor ceases to function." When Tami asked "How many units have you tried?" The director would say "We ceased attempts at number five". When Tami asked "Why was that?" The director would say "Once the orb was removed, and the units were re-inspected, everything worked, fine. The units just wont operate, with the orb inside. Like I said, we cannot explain this". Tami would say "I am beginning to understand WHY we are here." While Tami and I were required to wait, until the museum closed, before beginning our own investigation, atleast two more visitors claimed that a spirit had been hovering over the orb, and LOOKING at the visitors. The visitors were so scared that, after giving statements, both women fled the museum. When Tami would ask "Have any MEN seen this spirit? Or is it just after women". The director would say "No MEN have made reports, so I cannot report on this." What I could not understand is how a piece, of plain metal, rolled into a ball, could scare the public. When Tami made her primary report, to the Brown Agency, Tami included my suggestion that we have our own forgers create a similar sphere, and replace the original, without telling the public. Then observe reactions. Find out if people really are seeing things, or if someone is just after free publicity. What would surprise Tami, though, was what happened, when she tried to trace the artist, who created the sphere. Sure, the provenance claimed that the piece was centuries old, atleast, however, even computer scan failed too find any reference to the artist. For some reason, the artist did not WANT to be identified. When three more women were scared, by the sphere, with one woman going into hysterics, Mr. Brown gave approval to my "plan". Mr. Black, and his technicians, would have a sphere ready, in 72 hours. THEN, we would find out the truth. While the entire process was video-taped, as per agency regulations, and the recording was sent along with the fake, Tami and I agreed, with Mr. Brown, that we would not tell even the museum director about the switch. All that anyone would know is that we took the orb out of the case, one evening, and replaced it, the next day. When, over the next eight days, there were no other "incidents", Tami and I were just beginning to make our minds up when the director would ask "Wont you stay around, for just a few more days?" When Tami would ask "What for? Nothing is happening". The director would say "I know this will sound bizzarre but the orb has been known to "behave itself", for as long as two weeks. This, along with the malfunctioning motors, is why the museum called for your help." When Tami asked Mr. Brown, the man would say "Why not? There are no pressing cases, at the moment. If they say "Give it another week, lets give them another week." Tami would say "Roger that". Tami and I were on location, for three weeks, before we, discreetly, replaced the orb. Our "copy" was, safely, packed away, for transport. The very next day, both Tami and myself, saw something, inside the display case. What we could not figure out was the reason why the "vision" scared others. All that it was, was an angel, wings out stretched, head bowed, hands in praying position. Anyone, who would consider this "scary" would be frightened, to death, if they saw the pope. As to the reason why a woman screamed "Oh, my God! It is a sign, from God!", Tami and I just looked at one another, then at the panicked woman. When we looked back at the case, the angel was gone. That day, Tami would have to make another, bizzarrre, report, to the Brown Agency. This time, however, it would not be about instrument readings. In a previous report, Tami had to report that, although the orb was not giving off any energy, which we could detect, when we tried everything from x-ray, to M.R.I., all we received, from the machines, was the shells outline. Nothing seemed to penetrate the outer layer. Now, Tami would report seeing a vision, of an angel, praying over the orb. Tami would add a side-note: Anyone, who is "freaked out", by seeing this, would go nuts, inside a religious hospital. Rationale: Religious hospitals are "covered" in Crucifixes. As to what the "praying angel" could mean? I admit that even I have no clue. And, yes, I know what this meant. Another trip, to the convent, and Mother Superior. I would allow Tami to handle this since I would prefer digging into the orb's past, and find out just WHO created the object. I dont know who ran into the most "walls", on this "hunt". While Tami spent WEEKS, going over ancient, church, records, I was kept just as busy, trying to find out WHICH "leads", from the art community, were in reference to OUR orb. I really had no idea that so many orb's existed. This is not even to mention the wide variety, of USES, which the orbs were made, or used, for. In fact, there seemed to be orb's available, for everything from love, and fertility, to charting weather patterns. Some orbs even marked the planetary position, of "important" landmarks, showing how the places would appear, from beyond Earth orbit. All that the director would say was "It was either a series, of very lucky guesses, OR the artist hitched a ride, on a space craft. " When I asked "What leads you to believe that some orb's were carved, by space travellers?" The director would, only, say "Of the orb's, which have passed through these walls, in more recent years, only satellite imagery shows the locations, as they are depicted, on the orb's." When I would "I thought you said these orbs pre-dated space flight, by centuries, or even millenia?" The director would say "Officially correct. The "space race" is less than a century old, yet the orbs seemed to be 500, to 2,500 years old". I would have to agree that this left room, both for skepticism, and, possible, fraud. Not surprising, as well, would be Tami's daily reports, to the Brown Agency. She would list what YEARS the sisters had covered, on a particular day. Tami's main problem, with most of the orbs was that, those pre-dating 150 years ago, were nothing more than drawings. That, and journal entries. I WOULD have suggested placing photo's, of the orb, on the internet, in the hope of drawing out information. This, however, would be useless since, it would seem, the owner had done this, some years ago, and with devastating results. While even the museum director was, reasonably, certain that the orb was atleast 200, to 300 years old, when the pictures had been posted, over 100 present day artists had claimed the work was theirs. Since ALL of these artists were on the low side of eighty years old, their claims were discounted. I can understand why Tami decided that she needed a break, after a couple of weeks, in the OLD records. After all, my partner had sifted through 3,500 years worth of history. She was having trouble making out wording, on ancient scrolls. It was not, however, until AFTER a church group visited the museum, for a "private" show, that Tami noticed what even I had over-looked. While none, of the visitors wore nun's habits, when members, of the group, saw the "vision", Tami made note of the fact that some of the women wore crosses, on necklaces, while others wore crosses, on earrings. When Tami asked to check the museums "guest registery", for the dates, when the visions were seen, the director would point out, certain dates, saying "Yes, on this date, the ladies auxilliary was discussing setting up a donation display." then, on another date, it was "Yes, that was the day when the sisters brought some retiree's, from a nursing home, to view a display, of Victorian drresses. Some of the women actually said they remembered wearing the dresses, during their youth". When Tami pointed out another date, the director said "Yes, that was the day when a priest brought some church members by, to view how we set up our displays". When Tami asked about a date, when there were more than seventy "reports", the director said "The ministers never made official reports. Whatever they saw, the ministers just crossed themselves, and left the museum". When Tami would ask "Do you have any additional, church groups, scheduled, for visits?" The director would check their schedule, saying "Here it is. Two days from now. Some Pentacostals are visiting, for some sort of conference. They are scheduled to visit between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m." When, two days later, and during the ministers visit, several people made very discreet "reports" (ALL on the condition that the incident be kept from the public), Tami would, also, make note that, while the religious were present, the image, over the orb, was never more clearly defined. Even I could make out the shape, of the angels fingers, and the ruffles, of the wings. The image was as clear as broadcast television. In her report, to the Brown Agency, when Tami enclosed her thoughts, and opinions, including asking HOW the orb, a piece, of simple metal, could KNOW who was near? Mr. Brown would suggest that we bring a local, Methodist, priest in, as consultant. The goal being that, with the orb removed from the museum, in the presence, of clergy, Mr. Brown wanted a report on how the orb acted, outside of the museum. Thankfully, a member, of the local United Methodist church, was doing some research, on "classic art", and was prepared to oversee our test, since he, too, wanted to know how the orb would react. When the three of us removed the orb, from the museum, later, I cannot explain it but I felt some sort of energetic tingling. When Tami said she left it, as well, the priest would, only, say "Just the Lord watching over our journey." Tami would say "Good. If we run into trouble, the chairman can call for help, especially if we are in a "no service" zone". Strange thing was, though, that, even though the priest said the car had just been tuned up, and his car had the service sticker to prove the woirk had been done, we were, maybe, a mile, from the Methodist church, when the cars motor die, thwn all of the electronics died, as well. Moments later, and from out of a cloudless sky, lightning, yet no rain, began began barraging the area. In fact, the three of us were just preparring to "abandon ship", as the lightning came, ever, closer, when a light seemed to surround the car. It was so bright that, not only could we NOT see out of the windows, but we had to cover our eyes. And, NO, there were no animal sounds, or machine sounds. In fact, the ONLY sounds we heard were our own breathing. (For the record, though, the priest grabbed his cross, so hard, that he bent the thick metal). When the light faded, the three of us noticed that we were not on the road, anylonger. It was odd since none of us had any memory, of leaving the road. In fact, even the priest rememberred pulling to the side of the road, as the car coasted to a stop. When we, carefully, opened our car doors, and looked beneath the car, we did not see a ditch, or anything else. In fact, we seemed to be on a stretch, or plain, of grass. Something like an overgrown lawn. This left the question of "WHERE did the road go?" When the priest looked ahead, to where we had seen the church, rising above the tree's, before the light came, we saw no evidence, of the church, anywhere. When the priest seemed to look to us, for suggestions, Tami would suggest "I think we were about a mile, from the church. Am I correct?" The priest would say "About that, I would say." This is when Tami would suggest "In order to avoid getting stuck, or running out of fuel, I recommend we WALK to the church, and find out what they know". Tami, then, turned to the priest, saying "I would suggest that you leave a note, just in case the police come by. They will know that this was NOT purposeful". TThe priest left the note, including the telephone number, of the church, on the note, under the drivers side windshield wiper. After that, the three of us struck out, for the tree's, and the church. Along the way, though, the priest would mention "Something seems to be different". When Tami would ask "What is different?" The priest would say "I might just be imagining it, but I would swear that these tree's were taller, just yesterday." When Tami would suggest "Maybe the church had the tree's pruned, while you were with us". The priest would, only say "Maybe" (Knowing it was church policy, to inform staff of all landscaping). When the three of us passed between the tree's, the priest would say "I must be imagining things. I would swear that these tree's had much thicker trunks, just yesterday." Tami would suggest "Maybe, you just did not notice the tree's, before. After all, we had just invited you, to the museum, to look at the orb". When we cleared the tree's, to the churches location, no one was more surprised, than the priest, when he looked at the lot, asking "Where is the church?" Tami and I had the very same question, especially since, on the approach, even WE had seen the church, as we approached. While Tami spoke to the priest, I checked the location, for evidence of what might have happened to the church. The odd thing was that, as I reviewed the entire clearing, there was no evidence, of ANY construction, at all, in the area. When I returned to Tami, and the priest, to report, Tami would say "I THINK I MIGHT have an answer. The problem is, neither of you are ging to like my suggestion." While I stayed silent, the priest would say "Proceed". Tami would suggest As the church is not where we, last, saw it, I am suggesting that the light, which we saw, sent us back, in time. In short, we are at the position where the church will, one day, be built". When the priest would say "Impossible! The church had stood, at this location, for 375 years, give or take a year, or two." When Tami would ask "Would you remind me of just HOW you know this?" The priest would say "As I said, before, I have been studying the churches history, for months, now. The Methodist Ministry, is planning to celebrate the churches longevity. I volunteered to verify things such as the date, of construction, as well as the date, of the first mass." When Tami would ask "Were you thinking about this, when we left the museum, with the orb?" The priest would admit "It has been consuming my thoughts, for months, now". When Tami would ask "Remind me of the reason". The priest would say "The church wants exact DATES, in order to ensure celebration accuracy". When I would suggest "Tami, you are not considering?" Tami would ask "Why not? We have seen such things, before. Why not an "Orb of Time"?" When the priest would say "I am, most, humbly, sorry, for this. If I had known..." Tami would say "If WE had known, WE would not be here". When I would suggest "Back to the car?" Tami would add "And, try to figure this out". The priest would say "Ladies first". Then came problem number two. When we arrived, where we were sure we parked the car, we found the lawn vacant. When the priest would ask "What do we do, NOW?" Tami would say "We find some shade, rest, and consider our options." Maybe five hours later, as we were pondering HOW to make contact, the black ops hovercraft would appear, within the bright, white, light. Even as our pilot took off his sunglasses, and looked at us, he would say "Well, would you look at that. Both of you, just sitting around, resting, while there is work to be done". (Ofcourse, the man wore a bright smile, as he said this). Whhen Tami asked "HOW did you find us?" The pilot said "You wont believe this, but..." The pilot went on, to describe how, when we did not arrive, at the church, another priest had been sent, to find out what had become of the primary minister. When the second minister had found the note, under the wipers, then sat in the car, wondering where we had gone, the minister no sooner mentioned the Holy Crusades, when the car vanished, then re-appearred, moments later, the priest scared out of his wits. When asked what had happened "The priest would say "You wont believe this, but, for a moment, I thought I was in thhe middle of an indian camp-ground, with armed indians, pointing spears at me. When I thought "I wish I were home", the indians vanished, and I was back here". This is when the pilots decided to do an experiment. Instead of the car, however, the pilots would load up the hovercraft, and, along with the orb, return to the cars location, and see what happened, when the pilots thought of "Where is our team?" "The next thing we know, there is that light, and here we are." When Tami asked "Any idea of WHEN we are?" The pilots would say "We were hoping you could tell us". When the three of us climbed into the hovercraft, we, all, closed our eyes, and focused on the museum. Although the enerrgy did not return us to the museum, it did return us to our time. We knew this was true, since we saw the aging, church, steeple, ahead of us. When the hovercraft delivered us, to the churches doors, the pilots agreed to wait, in the parking lot, while Tami and I entered the church, with the priest, and the orb. Tami and I, also, agreed that it was no "freak", or "chance" thing, that the pilots were able to activate the orb's power. After all, the pilots had spent YEARS, in various, combat, zones, annd NO one, who has, actually, been in combat, and under enemy fire, comes out, without some sort of religious belief. Church records were of slightly more use, than convent records had been. If the churches records were correct, the orb had been some kind of donation. Made centuries ago. The problem was that the donor wanted to remain anonymous. The problem, with the record, was that its "calendar" system was NOT the Roman calendar. It was some other calendar. When Tami asked if the record showed any one trying to OPEN the orb, the priest would say "The record appears to contain the names, of two monks, who planned to open the orb." When I would ask "Does it say what happened to the men?" The priest would say "All it says is that the men were, never, heard from, again." When Tami would ask "Did the church transfer the men, to another area?" The priest would say "No, the men were not tranferred", then the priest would check the volumes following pages, and add "Thats odd. The volume does not say WHAT became of the men. They were here, then they were gone." When Tami would say "You dont suppose". I would ask "Why not? After all, we never planned for our trip, either". When Tami would look at the orb, wondering "I wish there were a way to send a message, into the past, to a place, of our choosing, then see what happens". When I would ask "Just HOW would you plan to do that?" Tami would say "Too bad this thing does not have a portal switch. Something, to open a hole, which we could pitch a note through." Shortly thereafter, and while Tami must have been considering the port idea, the angel appearrred, above the orb. This time, however, her hands were not in prayer position. This time, the hands were raised, wide, above the angels head, and, in between the hands, a circle, of light, appearred. When Tami would say "I wonder", and myself, and the pilots, would keep my partner, from getting too close, to the circle, Tami would say "You are right. Too close." With this, Tami wrote her name, and Social Security number, on a sheet of paper, then made this into a "plane", and shot it through the circle. This left only the question of "WHERE did it go?" What we were, totally, un-prepared for was what happened, a few days later. While everyone involved was trying to figure out how, and why, the orb, went active, yet only in the presense, of people, of deep faith, we received an un-expected guest. From out of a time portal stepped none other than Archeologist Donald West. Our associate, from the distant future. When Donald West produced Tami's sheet of paper, he would mention "Next time you tamper, with time travel, try setting the date more precisely." When Tami would ask "WHERE did it wind up?" Donald West would say "I am authorized to inform you that the "message" came through, near a Viking village. Thankfully, our research team found the paper before the warriors did." When Tami would ask "Would YOU show us how to use the orb?" Donald West would say "Tami, You remember what I told you, last time". When Tami would ask "You mean, about us needing to learn, in our own way, and time?" Donald West would say "Correct". When I would ask "Then, WHY bother returning the paper, to us?" Donald West would say "If I hadn't, you would have followed the message, and, MAYBE, have become stranded in the past. Sort of like I was. Remember, there is important work to be done, in the future. Your story has only just begun". With that, Donald West would step through the portal, and return to his own time. The next day, Tami and I would find a message, in a place, where no one else would have thought to leave us a message. The message would say: Keep this quiet. BIG trouble, if council learns. Orb not of your time. Material wont exist for 75,000 years. Internal mechanism wont exist for 95,000 years. Orb is genetically keyed. Only activates in the presense of "true faith", in the divine". Remember, HUSH! Donald West I would think "Lousy scientist. He did not even tell us how to display the orb, safely." When the museum director would ask Tami's suggestion, for the orb, Tami would suggest "Why not close the exhibition, for a few weeks. Claim you are making alterations. When you re-open the exhibit, tell staff to pretend that the angel is laser gimmick. To boost tourism". When the museum director would agree, Tami and I would collect our notes, and make a final report, to the Brown Agency. The report was simple: "Please note: Orb sent from future. Most likely just another "test", of our intelligence. This is primary reason why orb never documented, in the past. Our "contact" suggests that whole matter be kept quiet, maybe for as short as 75,000 years. No, real, danger, as long as humans keep away from case. Mr. Brown would add a note, himself. "I wonder if time travel would, in fact, be a possible answer for why no one has seen the benefactor, in recent months. Question: Could benefactor, themselves, have used the orb, leaving a note behind, about the endowment?" Tami would add a notation, saying "Anything is possible". Ghost Ship 2 was just preparing to depart this case when Mr. Brown would ask "If you are up for another one, I have one which might be of interest". Oh, well, as Tami would say "Do we have anything better to do?"