The Lost and Found Collection Page 8

Ruben took a quick look through the gap in the tunnel wall. Seeing nothing, he stepped out into the last section of tunnel leading to the cave. Lorenzo followed closely on his heels, his assault rifle pointed back into the tunnel.

  Upon reaching the cave Ruben and Lorenzo knelt, signaling Jake to join them. David came through the gap in the wall right behind him.

  When all four of them were assembled, Ruben said, “I’ll take a quick look outside to see if it’s safe to go to the truck. If it is, we’re getting out of here.

  Ruben, ducked low in the cave opening, could see the truck backed up to the very edge of the level ground. It was only about forty meters away at the base of the hill, inside the barricade. The parking area beyond it wasn’t well lit, but inside the barricade he could see the fork lift and a couple of men talking and pointing off in the distance. He figured those would be the security guards from the university.

  In the near distance he saw a burning car and farther away occasional muzzle flashes punctuated by the rattle of automatic gunfire. Evidently there was some sort of street fighting going on out there.

  Ruben waived the other men forward.

  “Ok, here’s the plan. We walk quickly but casually down to the truck. The security guards will probably want to know who we are, but they’ve been expecting us to come back out at some point. We climb in the truck and drive away. Any questions?”

  “Should we conceal our weapons?” David asked.

  “No, there’s some kind of riot or other street violence going on out there. I’d rather be safe than sorry. We’re better armed than the security guys. I don’t think they’ll give us any trouble. Anything else? No? Ok. Here we go.”

  The four of them emerged from the mouth of the cave and began a swift scramble down the hillside. At about the mid-point down, the entire area was lit up brighter than daylight and an amplified voice boomed from all around them.

  “FREEZE, DROP YOUR WEAPONS! THIS IS THE IDF. DROP YOUR WEAPONS!”

  Everyone stiffened where they stood. After so long underground operating only by the meager light of tactical flashlights, they were blinded by the high powered spotlights. Ruben lowered his assault rifle to the ground and the others followed his lead.

  “WHICH OF YOU IS DR. JACOB WALKER?”

  Jake held up his hands.

  “I am.”

  From nearby a voice spoke in a normal tone.

  “Dr. Walker, I’m Colonel Siegfried with the Israeli Defense Force. Are you OK?”

  Shielding his eyes from the intense light, Jake could see an indistinct figure approaching along the edge of the hillside.

  “Yes, Colonel, I’m fine.”

  “Let’s shut down some of those spotlights.” The colonel yelled.

  In a moment the five men were able to look at each other in the reduced glare.

  “Are you sure you’re not injured, Dr. Walker?”

  Jake realized that he, Ruben, Lorenzo, and David looked like they’d been buried alive, which they almost were. He couldn’t tell at a glance which of them looked worse.

  “No, we’re all unhurt.”

  “That’s good news. We were expecting you to be carrying a package. Is it still inside the cave?”

  “No. What’s going on here, Colonel?

  “Right, I understand. Let’s walk down to the parking area and I’ll tell you why we’re here. Then, you can tell me where the package is.”

  When they reached the parking area, they found themselves surrounded by heavily armed and armored soldiers of the IDF.

  “I’ll get right to the point. There’s been an incident on the Temple Mount. A couple hours ago there was some kind of underground collapse and the Al Aqsa Mosque sustained serious damage. Evidently a number of people were killed. Immediately following that news, all hell broke loose. There are heavily armed militants attempting to seize the city and at the same time, Hezbollah rocket attacks commenced on Tel Aviv. In Iran the Ayatollah has called for the annihilation of Israel. Troops are massing on our borders.”

  Jake was stunned by the news, but it was typical of the current state of affairs.

  “All that coming together in two hours’ time? How could it be spontaneous?”

  Ruben said, “It never is. They knew something would be happening tonight at the Temple Mount.”

  Colonel Siegfried gave a fatalistic nod.

  “The army has been called up. My unit was tasked with providing security for you and your men as you move the package. Where is it, Dr. Walker?”

  Jake shook his head.

  “We don’t have it.”

  “How’s that again?”

  “It’s not here.”

  “Well, where is it?”

  Ruben stepped up.

  “Colonel, I’m Agent Ruben di Nero, Special Security Services. We were unable to locate the item in question, Sir.”

  “You failed to complete your mission?”

  “No, Sir. We completed the mission. The artifact wasn’t where it was supposed to be. All we found was an empty tomb. I mean room. I expect it’s a tomb now, though.”

  Lorenzo snorted.

  The colonel shot him a quick scowl.

  “Agent di Nero, are you telling me you failed to find the object and you caused catastrophic damage to the Al Aqsa Mosque?”

  “No, Sir. We had nothing to do with any damage to the mosque. Once we determined the artifact could not be found, and hostile forces were converging on our location, we ex-filtrated. Shortly after that, there was some incident behind us that caused a cave in. We don’t know exactly what happened in there. We barely made it out alive.”

  “I can see that.”

  The colonel turned to Jake.

  “Is this man’s story correct, Dr. Walker?”

  “Yes it is. Like he said, we determined the artifact was not where it was supposed to be. There was nowhere else to look. Unknown hostiles were approaching, so we bugged out. We didn’t cause any damage to the mosque. Colonel Siegfried, it is imperative I speak to Professor Mordechai Horowitz immediately. Is there some way you can get in touch with him.”

  The colonel sighed.

  “No there isn’t. I’m sorry to inform you his airplane crashed in the Sinai. Everyone on board was killed. Initial reports indicate it was caused by some sort of explosive. Terrorism is suspected.”

  Jake closed his eyes and drew in a long slow breath.

  “Of course it is. Are you certain he was on that airplane?”

  “I’m afraid so. Is there someone else you’d like to speak to?”

  “No, Colonel Siegfried. I’m all out of words.”

  “Very well, my orders are to get you and the package to the airport. You don’t have the package, but my orders stand. Let’s move out.”

  Jake walked down the hall of the South African hospital with some concern for what the reunion with Adrienne might be like. How would she be changed? Her memory was damaged. Would she even recognize him?

  He paused outside the closed door of her room. He reminded himself that everything that happens is for the good of those who love God and are called to be His servants.

  The thought was in direct conflict with his raw emotions.

  How was getting killed a good thing for his friends Phillipe and Morty? How was an airplane full of people being blown out of the sky something that could work for good? Was traumatic brain injury going to be good for Adrienne? Would any of the recent events be good for anyone?

  He would just have to take it on faith.

  Jake knocked on the door.

  Postscript

  The Ark Approach, is a work of fiction. Where the Ark of the Covenant is now has not been known to the world since it disappeared when Nebuchadnezzar II’s army sacked the city of Jerusalem and destroyed the 1st Temple in about 587 BC.

  It is one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in the history of the world.

  The original Temple complex sat on a raised square that only encompassed about seventeen acres. This raised square was form
ed by building high walls, and then filling in the interior to create a man-made plateau or mesa, level with the summit of Mount Moriah.

  The original Temple was quite small. It was styled after the tent (tabernacle) Moses and his followers used in the desert after their escape from Egypt.

  The dimensions of the Temple building were in cubits. A cubit is about 18 inches. It was sixty cubits in length, twenty cubits in width, and thirty cubits in height. So, only about ninety feet long, thirty feet wide and forty five feet high. That’s roughly a footprint of only 2,700 square feet.

  The basic design included three sections; the porch, the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies.

  The Ark of the Covenant was housed in the Holy of Holies.

  After the 2nd Temple was built, the Ark was still missing. In his time, King Herod more than doubled the size of the Temple Mount to about thirty seven acres and added on to the Temple building.

  Before the destruction of this Temple by the Romans in 70 A.D., the Holy of Holies had remained entirely empty for five hundred years. It was empty when Jesus was crucified. The Bible says that at the time of Jesus’ death, the curtain that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Temple, and the world, was torn from the top down.

  The theories about the current location of the Ark are even more varied than they were described by Jake in Chapter 4.

  For example, in 1982, Rabbi Getz, the Chief Rabbi for the Temple Mount, claimed to have been within forty feet of the Ark, seeing it with his own eyes. He said it was directly under the Temple Mount beneath the location where the Holy of Holies was in the original Temple at the time of Solomon.

  In 1986, an explorer named Ron Wyatt claimed he found it directly under Golgotha. According to his story he got close enough to it to see the dried blood of Jesus which had flowed down the cross, seeped through a fissure in the earth, dripping onto the Mercy Seat on the day of the crucifixion.

  In both of these stories the men who claimed to have found the Ark said they left it where they found it. The idea is that the world is not yet ready for it to be placed into the 3rd Temple, as yet unbuilt.

  Today, the Dome of the Rock and its grounds occupies the space where the Temple once stood, and the entire Temple Mount is under the control of the Supreme Muslim Council.

  Where is the Ark of the Covenant and when will it reappear?

  Many Christians believe it probably never will be seen again on earth, because its purpose was long ago fulfilled. Through the atoning work of Jesus, we now have the ability to boldly approach the very throne of God, and as His precious children call out to Him as our abba, our Father in heaven.

  Others believe the Ark will once again be found one day in the Holy of Holies, when the Temple is restored in Jerusalem. There are those who say it was destroyed thousands of years ago. Which belief is most valid?

  As Jake said, “That’s the age old question, isn’t it?”

  Circles of Stone

  Prologue

  The high priest, Mbulu Njoribe spoke his judgment. His voice was low and resonated with dire warning.

  “Do not force the cave dwellers to delve too deeply into the earth. The spirits of the earth will not forget the wounds we inflict, or the things we steal. We are given what we need upon the surface. With this we should be satisfied.”

  The King, Karib-ilu, nodded his understanding.

  “But, the shining people of the north and the sea folk desire the stone with golden flakes. They will come here in search of more. If we have it, we can trade with them. If they come and find we have it, but won’t dig it out, they will enslave us and force us to dig. It is true, the vein runs deeper than we have ever dug before, but it must be done.”

  “The penalty for assaulting the hidden places will be severe. Do not anger the gods. The Anunnaki will punish us. I say let the sea folk and the people of the north find their rocks somewhere else.”

  “They seek the gold wherever it lies. They say this is the place with the greatest abundance of the golden flakes. We will find it for them and make good trades.”

  “If you will not heed my warning, standing before you today, I pronounce this curse; let the spirits of the earth devour all who dig too deep. May greed suck dry those who desire wealth and power. May they be enslaved by strangers even as we have enslaved the cave people. Let the spirits of disease and decay walk among them. I call upon the demon, Gotu-Noingo, to take the greedy and powerful, twisting them to his pleasure, now and in each subsequent generation. I have spoken. It is so.”

  “No, Mbulu. Do not say this. You will bring destruction on us all.”

  The high priest turned on him.

  “I bring nothing. It is you who choose this path. Let it begin with you.” He pulled his stone knife so quickly the king’s body guards struck too late. The high priest’s blade slit the king’s throat, severing both jugular veins, even as the spears of the guards drove into him.

  His last thought was, “I have spoken. It is so.” He was horrified to find Gotu-Noingo waiting for him.

  One

  Pretoria, new findings, old things

  “A Doctor Jacob Walker to see you, sir.”

  The Minister of Antiquities for the Republic of South Africa looked up from his desk.

  “Walker? Oh, yes, the American anthropologist. Show him in, Vasil.”

  Jake Walker made a different impression in person than he did in his Emails and text messages. Even the photograph on his book jacket didn’t represent the man himself. The scientist with two doctorates was almost two meters in height, with wavy dark hair and an olive complexion. The laugh wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were the chief clue to his age, putting him somewhere in his forties. His casual dress and the cowboy hat didn’t exactly fit the image of a typical academic.

  Dr. Stefan Aleksander found himself sucking in his somewhat ample belly as he stood up to shake the tall American’s hand.

  Once the formalities were addressed, Dr. Aleksander got down to business.

  “Dr. Walker, your interest in the so called “Adam’s Calendar” site affords us an opportunity to gain better understanding of what’s up there. The site itself is just a bunch of stones standing in a rough circle of about 30 meters in diameter. Although there is no actual evidence, some claim it’s more than 75,000 years old. Because we’ve heard conflicting opinions as to its origins, there’s been no official recognition of the site. Some of your peers have said it appears to be nothing more than an ancient kraal. These are very common in South Africa. Others have noted there seems to be some alignment of the pillars with celestial objects. This would be consistent with any number of ancient temples. If the pillars themselves were in fact erected by humans, no one can tell us with any certainty, who set them there, when, or why they did. I hope you can shed some light on the subject.”

  “Please call me Jake, Dr. Aleksander. I understand your concerns. I’ve read that the stone itself has been identified to be dolomite, possibly the oldest known sedimentary rock on earth. While that’s interesting, it tells us nothing about when the structure was built. If I’m not mistaken there’s a rock outcropping of the same type of dolomite only a couple of kilometres from the site. Is that correct?”

  “Yes, Jake. Most of those who’ve visited the site agree that the outcrop is the source of the pillars. The stone is used commonly in the region. Many of the old kraals were built using dolomite. By the way, the oldest known caves on earth are near there. Have you ever heard of the Sudwala Caves?”

  “No, I haven’t.”

  “They’re especially notable because they’re dolomite caverns.”

  “I’m not entirely familiar with the term ‘kraal’, Dr. Aleksander. I believe it refers to a circular cattle pen. It would be similar to what we in Arizona call a corral. Is that correct?”

  Dr. Aleksander nodded.

  “Please call me Stefan, Jake. Actually, the term refers to any type of fence or wall that is roughly circular. Kraals are usually brush fences or coul
d be stone walls. They might surround a village, or just be temporary livestock pens. Here in South Africa the word has also been used historically to describe any native settlement. The Bantu people introduced them to the region. Kraals are built of whatever materials are abundant at the location. Some of them have been used for centuries and the landscape is dotted with the ruins of tens of thousands of ancient stone kraals.”

  “The images I’ve seen of kraals didn’t incorporate tall stone pillars.”

  “True. As I said, some have suggested the possibility the pillars are erected with astronomical or celestial alignment. That could be consistant with sites like Stonehenge in England, the temples in Central and South America, the Pyramids of Giza and so on. If that proves to be the case, then we have to determine who built the structure and when. South Africa has many ancient cave paintings and other archological sites, but nothing quite like this, if it is in fact some sort of ancient temple.”

  “You mentioned the Bantu people. We anthropologists believe they migrated here from the Niger River country about three thousand years ago. We base that primarily on the linguistic and cultural evidence. But if the structure we’re discussing is demonstrably older than that, it would be very significant. If the site is part of an ancient civilization previously unknown, it would be an extaordinary find.”

  “I doubt that will be the case. I’m familiar with your work. I’d really like to hear about what happened on that expedition in Australia. The news stories were senational, but vague on details. I understand several people died.”

  Jake nodded.

  “That’s right. We encountered something new to science, yet ancient on the earth. That’s why I love my work. Everything new we discover is ancient in its origins. How soon can I visit the site?”

  “We’ll go up there first thing tomorrow. Can I pick you up at your hotel, say eight o’clock? I’ve arranged for a helicopter. It will get us there faster, and from the air you can better see the structure and the surrounding landscape.”