Contract With God Part 15

'I think this is the turn-off,' Tommy said, pointing to the GPS on the dashboard. We only have about two miles to go, but it'll take us a while to cover the distance. These dunes are going to be tough on the trucks.'

When the dust began to settle, Andrea spied an enormous dune of rose-coloured sand. Behind it was Claw Canyon, the place, according to Forrester, where the Ark of the Covenant had lain hidden for over two thousand years. Small whirlwinds chased each other up the side of the dune, beckoning Andrea to join them.

'Do you think I could walk the rest of the way? I'd like to take a few photos of the expedition as it arrives. I'll get there before the trucks do, by the look of it.'

Tommy regarded her with concern. 'Well, I don't think that's a good idea. Climbing that hill isn't going to be easy. It's cool inside the truck. Out there it's 104 degrees.'

'I'll be careful. Anyway, we'll stay in visual contact all the time. Nothing will happen to me.'

'I don't think you should do it, either, Ms Otero,' said David Pappas.

'Come on, Eichberg. Let her go. She's a big girl,' Stowe said, more for the fun of going against Pappas than to back up Andrea.

'I'll have to consult Mr Russell.'

'Then go ahead.'

Against his better judgement Tommy grabbed the walkie-talkie.

Twenty minutes later Andrea was regretting her decision. Before beginning the climb to the top of the dune, she first had to descend some eighty feet from the road, and then stagger slowly up another 2,500 feet, the last fifty of which were at an incline of 25 degrees. The top of the dune seemed deceptively close; the sand, deceptively smooth.

Andrea had taken with her a backpack containing a large bottle of water. Before she had reached the top of the dune she had drunk every drop. She had a headache, even though she was wearing a hat, and her nose and throat hurt. She was wearing only a short-sleeved s.h.i.+rt, shorts and boots and despite the fact she had put on a high factor sunscreen before getting out of the Hummer, the skin on her arms was starting to sting.

Less than a half an hour and I'm ready for the burns unit. Let's hope nothing goes wrong with the trucks or we'll have to walk back, she thought.

That didn't seem likely. Tommy personally drove each truck to the top of the dune, a task that required experience to avoid the risk of overturning the vehicle. First he took care of the two Kamaz supply trucks, leaving them parked on the hill just below the steepest part of the climb. Then he dealt with the two water trucks while the rest of his team watched from the shade of the H3s.

Meanwhile Andrea was observing the whole operation through her telephoto lens. Each time Tommy got out of a vehicle, he waved to the reporter at the top of the dune and Andrea returned the gesture. Tommy then took the H3s to the edge of the final ascent since he was going to use them to tow the heavier vehicles, which, despite their large wheels, did not have enough traction for such a steep sandy climb.

Andrea took a few photos of the first of the trucks as it made its way up to the summit. One of Dekker's soldiers was now driving the all-terrain vehicle, which was connected to the Kamaz via a cable. She observed the enormous effort required to get the truck to the top of the dune but after it rolled past her, Andrea lost interest in the procedure. Instead, she turned her attention to Claw Canyon.

At first the huge rocky gorge looked no different to any other in the desert. Andrea could see two walls about 150 feet apart that stretched out into the distance then split off. On the way there, Eichberg had shown her an aerial photograph of their destination. The canyon looked like the triple talon of a giant hawk.

Both walls were 100 to 130 feet high. Andrea aimed her telephoto lens at the top of the rocky wall, searching for a higher vantage point she could use to shoot from.

That's when she saw him.

It was only for a second. A man dressed in khaki, watching her.

Surprised, she looked up from the lens but the spot was too far away. She aimed the camera at the rim of the canyon once more.

Nothing.

Switching her position, she scanned the wall again, but it was useless. Whoever had seen her had quickly hidden himself, which was not a good sign. She tried to work out what to do.

The most intelligent thing would be to wait and discuss it with Fowler and Harel . . .

She went and stood in the shade of the first truck, which was shortly joined by the second. An hour later the whole expedition had arrived at the top of the dune and was ready to enter Claw Canyon.

27.

MP3 File Recovered by the Jordanian Desert Police from Andrea Otero's Digital Recorder after the Moses Expedition Disaster t.i.tle, all caps. The Ark Recovered The Ark Recovered. No, wait, delete that. t.i.tle . . . Treasure in the Desert Treasure in the Desert. No, that's no good. I have to refer to the Ark in the t.i.tle - that will sell papers. All right, let's leave the t.i.tle until I've finished writing the article. Lead sentence: To mention its name is to invoke one of the most prevalent myths of all humanity. The history of Western civilisation began with it, and today it is the object most coveted by archaeologists the world over. We are accompanying the Moses Expedition on its secret journey across the southern Jordanian desert into Claw Canyon, the place where almost two thousand years ago a group of faithful hid the Ark during the destruction of the second Temple of Solomon . . To mention its name is to invoke one of the most prevalent myths of all humanity. The history of Western civilisation began with it, and today it is the object most coveted by archaeologists the world over. We are accompanying the Moses Expedition on its secret journey across the southern Jordanian desert into Claw Canyon, the place where almost two thousand years ago a group of faithful hid the Ark during the destruction of the second Temple of Solomon . . . .

This is all too dry. I'd better write it out first. Let's start with the Forrester interview . . . f.u.c.k, that old guy gives me the creeps with his wheezing voice. They say it's because of his illness. Note: Look up on the Internet how to spell pneumoconiosis.

QUESTION: Professor Forrester, the Ark of the Covenant has been firing the human imagination from time immemorial. To what do you attribute this interest?

ANSWER: Look, if you want me to give you an introduction, you don't need to go round in circles and tell me what I already know. Just say what you want and I'll talk.

Q: Do you give a lot of interviews?

A: Dozens. So you're not going to ask me anything original, anything I haven't already heard or answered before. If we had an Internet connection on the dig, I'd tell you to look some of them up and copy the answers.

Q: What's the problem? Are you worried about repeating yourself?

A: I'm worried about wasting time. I'm seventy-seven years old. I've spent forty-three of those years searching for the Ark. It's now or never.

Q: Well, I'm sure you've never answered like that before.

A: What is this? An originality contest?

Q: Professor, please. You're an intelligent and pa.s.sionate man. Why don't you try to reach out to the public and transmit some of your pa.s.sion to them?

A: (a brief pause) You want a master of ceremonies? I'll do what I can.

Q: Thank you. The Ark . . . ?

A: The most powerful object in history. This is no mere coincidence, especially considering it was the beginning of Western Civilisation.

Q: Wouldn't historians say that civilisation began in Ancient Greece?

A: Nonsense. Human beings spent thousands of years wors.h.i.+pping sooty stains in dark caves. Stains they called G.o.ds. Time went by and the stains changed in size, shape and colour, but they continued to be stains. We didn't know about the existence of a single deity until it was revealed to Abraham only four thousand years ago. What do you know about Abraham, young lady?

Q: He's the father of the Israelites.

A: Correct. And of the Arabs. Two apples that fell from the same tree, right next to one another. And straight away, the two little apples learned to hate each other.

Q: What has this to do with the Ark?

A: Five hundred years after G.o.d revealed himself to Abraham, the Almighty became sick and tired of the fact that people kept turning their backs on Him. When Moses led the Jews out of Egypt, G.o.d once again revealed Himself to His people. Only one hundred and forty-five miles from this spot. And it was there that they signed a contract. On the one hand, humanity agrees to comply with ten simple clauses.

Q: The Ten Commandments.

A: On the other, G.o.d agrees to give man eternal life. It is the single most important moment in history - the moment at which life acquired its significance. Three thousand five hundred years later, every human being carries that contract somewhere in his consciousness. Some call it natural law, others dispute its existence or meaning and they'll kill and die to defend their interpretation. But the moment Moses received the Tablets of the Law from the hands of G.o.d: that is when our civilisation began.

Q: And then Moses puts the tablets in the Ark of the Covenant.

A: Together with other objects. The Ark is the safe that holds the contract with G.o.d.

Q: Some say that the Ark has supernatural powers.