"You can see what's happening. It's a perfect opportunity for the vultures in Congress who hate the idea that they can't control what we do. The president won't tell them what they want to know about our operations. They want to take down two birds with one stone, if you'll pardon the cliché. This picture is an excuse to start the hue and cry."
"Those assholes on the hill don't understand that we're fighting a war," Lamont said.
"They don't have to do the fighting," Ronnie said. "For them, it's a game they talk about in committees and watch on TV."
"This subpoena will cause problems," Elizabeth said. "I don't think any of you will get dragged in, but it's always possible. Meanwhile you deserve some time off. Enjoy it while you can. We're still in business and something's bound to come up."
"Are you and Hood seeing each other?" Selena asked.
Elizabeth blushed. Nick hadn't ever seen her do that before.
"He's only a friend," Elizabeth said.
CHAPTER 56
That night Nick and Selena lay in bed, resting after making love. It was a pleasant evening in Washington, the humidity low, the temperature hovering in the 70s. A breeze brought the smell of the Potomac through the open windows of the loft, cooling their overheated bodies. Somewhere on the river a boat horn sounded.
"I wish those ruins were still there to be explored," Selena said.
"At least we have pictures."
"It's not the same. Pictures will never be enough proof for people who don't want to believe Atlantis ever existed. All they have to do is claim they were faked."
"The French have that tablet. That should be enough to make people want to follow up."
"Everyone thinks that tablet is a hoax."
"How do they explain the fact that it weighs a lot less than it should?"
"They haven't, yet. I suppose they'll analyze it and come up with something. But with nothing to back it up it will end up being dismissed as an oddity. Like I said, a hoax."
"What about the Egyptians?" Nick asked. "There could be something left in that room. Fragments of the stone. Something that could be studied, analyzed."
"They'll never look for it," Selena said. "Even if there is something there, it's crushed under tons of rock. Besides, they don't want to find anything that threatens their interpretation of history. No one will ever be able to prove Atlantis was real."
"We know it was real. I guess that has to be enough. Why don't you blow up one of those pictures and frame it? Put it on the wall. Maybe that stone face. Or that picture you took in Paris of the tablet."
"Like another piece of art?"
"Why not?"
"One thing that bothers me is that no one is taking the language on that tablet seriously. It's a precursor of Linear A. It should be studied."
"Write a paper about it."
"It won't do any good. Once something is identified as a hoax, everything about it is dismissed."
"Even with your credentials?"
She was silent.
After a few minutes Nick said, "Are you still thinking about that tablet?"
"I was thinking about Valentina. I wonder how she's doing."
"Oh."
"What am I supposed to do about her?"
"There isn't anything to do. She's loyal to her country. She's a lot like you, really."
"You think so?"
"I do. You even look sort of the same. Something in the way you both move. The way you do the same things sometimes."
"Like what?"
"Haven't you seen her brush her hair away from her forehead? Just like you do."
"Now that you mention it. I wonder how she really feels about me?"
"She tried to get her gun to you. That tells you something."
"I wonder if I'll see her again."
"You keep crossing paths," Nick said.
"We can't seem to get the Russians out of our lives."
"We won't, as long as we're working for Harker."
"That's another thing. I've thought a lot about quitting. But I can't do it now, not when Elizabeth is under attack. It wouldn't be right. Besides, if I quit I'll never see Valentina again."
"We'll both know when it's time."
"Would you quit if I did?"
"I don't know."
"At least you're honest about it."
"I'd be lying if I said I never think about it."
"Every time we go out on a mission, I'm not sure we're coming back. I feel like we're tempting fate."
"Nobody lives forever," Nick said.
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The Project Series:
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The Nostradamus File
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The Atlantis Stone
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NOTES
I always backup my stories with facts and elements of truth. When it comes to Atlantis and the history of Egypt there are many possible truths, speculations and theories to choose from.
For example, reliable scientific examination of the Sphinx reveals patterns of wear on the stone that could only have been caused by exposure to years of heavy rains. It has been many thousands of years since Egypt had that kind of rainfall. It would have ended long before the various dates given for construction of the Sphinx and the pyramids.
The Sphinx is supposed to have been constructed by Khufu at the same time as the great pyramid. The story of finding a commentary saying the Sphinx was buried in sand up to its head before the great pyramid was built comes from the nineteenth century. It has been dismissed as historical revisionism, but that may be part of a consistent pattern of denial by the Egyptian Ministry of antiquities when it comes to any challenge of the accepted timeline.
No one can really trust records left by the pharaohs. It was common practice to erase the achievements of their predecessors and take credit for themselves. Is it inconceivable that one of them claimed credit for the Sphinx even if he had nothing to do with its construction? In fact there are unresolved arguments about which Pharaoh may have been responsible.
There are many unexplained mysteries about the pyramids. The case can be made that they were never originally built as tombs. If the pyramids were not tombs, what were they for? If the dating of the Sphinx is called into question, so is the timeline for the pyramids. If they are much earlier than supposed, who built them?
How were the elaborate hieroglyphic decorations created inside the pyramids done without leaving smoke stains on the walls? What did the artists use for light? Some believe the pyramids generated energy and that this energy was used to power light for the painters.
There are indeed hidden chambers in and near the Sphinx. New sonar scan technology recently revealed a sealed entrance to a tunnel in the great pyramid. There are many known underground tunnels in the Giza complex. Most have been sealed since they were built and have not been opened. The ones that are open cannot be toured by the public.
An opening was discovered in the left hind quarter of the Sphinx years ago during an early restoration. It led to a tunnel ending in a wall. The tunnel was then blocked off with an iron gate. Photos still exist. The opening in the side of the Sphinx was sealed.