《The Mormon Agenda》 The Guatemala Incident A few months ago, Francisco Alvarez, my longtime friend, and colleague requested my assistance on a new archeological survey near Lake Atitl¨¢n in Guatemala. Lake Atitl¨¢n is an endorheic caldron lake, meaning there is no outflow from the volcano crater. The rich volcanic soil and wet climate made this area beautiful, lush and ideal for farming. It also made it hell on archeologist who toiled in the mud during the rainy season. The terrain was steep, wet, muddy and thick with vines. My machete was a must, and it seemed we had to beat back the forest on a daily basis. The oppressive heat didn¡¯t bother me as much as being away from my daughter. Having a child was the best thing that ever happened to my wife and I. Losing my wife to breast cancer two years ago was the worst thing ever to happen to me. Being one of the foremost experts on Mesoamerican languages and a tenured professor at Colorado University meant that periodically my assistance was requested on digs from time to time. Although I tried to avoid extended trips, my sister-in-law, was a champ and would step up to watch her when I had to leave. Unlike, Indiana Jones films, being an archeologist and linguist was rarely exciting, and the locations were far from glamorous. Snakes, bugs, and other critters were a way of life and couldn¡¯t be avoided when working in Central or South America. Golden idols with booby traps? Not so much. Most of the artifacts found were from broken pieces of pottery or burial jewelry. I loved my job, and when Ruth and I decided to start a family, I never expected to become a single parent in a profession which required extensive travel. I¡¯ve done my best to limit my trips since my wife¡¯s death by taking on more classwork. However, even being tenured didn¡¯t eliminate the expectation to publish. Now that my daughter was in high school, I felt this short expedition wouldn¡¯t be too great of a burden on both my daughter and sister-in-law. However, not finding anything significant has gotten me thinking more about home than I¡¯d like. I worried about Crystal frequently, and although I called her every night, I still felt like I was failing her as a father. Ruth was so much better at parenting than I was. ¡°Se?or Haws,¡± yelled one of the assistants running up the dirt path to my location. ¡°Se?or, Francisco found something. He requests your translation expertise.¡± I climbed out of my muddy pit and wiped my hands on my shorts. ¡°Francisco speaks Mayan as well as I do.¡± ¡°Se?or, it¡¯s true, but this isn¡¯t Mayan. It¡¯s¡ªsomething else. Please se?or. I think you¡¯ll be happy.¡± I cracked my neck and began climbing down the volcano to where Francisco and his team were currently excavating. The dig site was spread out over a kilometer, not your typical project, but while I worked a burial site, Francisco dug around what we thought was a monolith of some sort. To the casual observer, the monolith looked likea moss and mushroom covered rock. It wasn¡¯t until some local farmer saw a small rune of Kukulcan inscribed on the backside that we even found these ruins. It would have been nice to locate a long lost village, but thus far, only a half-dozen artifacts were discovered. A total waste of my time. Coming upon Francisco¡¯s team, I called out to my friend. ¡°I sure hope you found the holy grail because I¡¯m not looking forward to climbing back up the mountain today.¡± Francisco laughed while climbing out of the monolith pit. He held a crumpled, dirty rag and offered it out to me after giving me a bear hug. I cocked my eyebrow at the embrace and looked down at the cloth in my hand. ¡°You gave me your handkerchief? How kind?¡± Francisco was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet. ¡°Open it up, you donkey!¡± Chuckling, I unwrapped the cloth and looked down at a golden orb with strange symbols etched over the entire surface. The sphere was roughly the size of a baseball and gold in color but not gold. It was too lightweight. ¡°Well, that¡¯s different.¡± "Different, Pendejo?¡± Francisco snatched the orb from my hand and held it up to the light and rotated it slowly. ¡°Have you seen the symbols before? What language is it?¡± I leaned closer to the orb. ¡°Hold it still, idiot. How can I read it while you¡¯re twirling it around?¡± The symbols were hieroglyphic but not in any language I¡¯d seen before. ¡°Well, it could be a form of Egyptian but¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s not Egyptian.¡± ¡°No, but it¡¯s not Mayan or Mesoamerican either. Have you taken pictures of it?¡± ¡°Of course. I¡¯ve documented everything before removing it from the ground. I¡¯ll take more pictures when we get back to camp.¡± ¡°Well, I can start copying down the hieroglyphs tonight and send some pictures off to a few friends in Cairo.¡± ¡°You¡¯re loco, my friend. What makes you think they¡¯d have a clue?¡± I laughed and put my arm around his shoulders. ¡°Francisco, I teach this stuff, and I haven¡¯t seen it before. It may be nothing and symbolic like tribal tattoos. The more people who see it, the faster we can translate it. I¡¯ll send it off tonight and see if anyone has an idea where to start.¡±Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°No John, tonight we celebrate! It¡¯s the first real discovery this crap dig as given us. My treat. I¡¯m pretty sure I just got some Cusque?a brought in. It¡¯s time you drink some real beer.¡± ### I was finishing off my third bottle of Cusque?a when I heard the first volley of gunfire. The alcohol didn¡¯t slow my reaction time as I yanked Francisco down moments before his tent was riddled with bullets. Grave robbers have increasingly become a problem in Central America, but this was the first time I¡¯d heard of them shooting first and robbing later. Shouting and yelling sounded throughout our small camp and I knew it was best to keep down and shut up. They¡¯ll take what they want and be on their way. Most thieves were stupid and didn¡¯t know an artifact versus a dumb rock. I should have felt more anxiety and perhaps the alcohol gave me more courage than it should have but we both laid on the floor with our hands over our heads waiting for them to come. Sure enough, the tent flaps were thrown open, and three thugs with AR-15 rifles yelled at us to come out with our hands up. I knew the drill. I swear this was the fifth or sixth time I¡¯d been robbed in the last twenty years of fieldwork. We came out, followed their instructions and made our way to the center of the camp. We were forced to kneel down as a group with our fingers interlocked behind our heads. A large Hispanic man in his late thirties with a long scar down his face slowly walked over and pressed the warm barrel of his rifle against my forehead. ¡°Where is it?¡± ¡°Where is what?¡± Apparently, that was the wrong answer as my head exploded in pain when the butt of his rifle swung around and struck me in the face. I fell over, and rough hands pulled me back to my knees. I gave the thug a look of disgust then spat a glob of blood at his feet. ¡°I¡¯ll ask one more time, Se?or. Where is the egg?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡ª¡± He pulled the trigger, and a young male assistant beside me was shot in the head. The seriousness of the situation finally made it past my addled mind, and I became sober instantly. I barely knew the kid who¡¯s brains were now spilled on the ground. The sight and smell of the situation, along with the beers recently consumed conspired together until the contents of my stomach added to the scene. A young female grad assistant jumped to her feet and sprinted away from our group. With a nod from the man, I heard rather than saw the others open fire on the fleeing woman. I was still throwing up and didn¡¯t witness her death, but soon others lost their stomachs as well. After more yelling, I was hauled back up and stared down the barrel of the rifle. I decided at that moment not to give him anything. ¡°Last chance, Jefe. Where is the¡ª¡± ¡°I have it!¡± Francisco yelled. ¡°I have it in my tent.¡± I shot a glance at Francisco but didn¡¯t say anything. Two minutes later, the murderer was tossing the orb like a baseball between his hands. ¡°Kill them all!¡± ¡°No, WAIT!¡± Francisco yelled. ¡°You need us! We can help you translate the writing. We can help.¡± The last sentence came out in half a sob as he gestured between himself and me. ¡°Keep those two. Kill the rest,¡± Scarface yelled over his shoulder after he turned away. I screamed as I fought with the men holding me down and watched them execute seven more young college students. A cloth bag covered my head, and my arms were bound, then my head exploded in pain, and everything went black. ### I woke and found myself in a muddy pit with a wooden grate over the hole. After a dozen beatings, I finally gave up trying to escape. Nobody interrogated me and the only time I saw people was when they either threw food and water down or urinated on me. The days passed in a haze. I caught bits and pieces of conversation periodically and guessed either a drug cartel or local militia held me captive. I realized I¡¯d probably never see my daughter ever again. I woke up one morning with a persistent cough and high fever. Considering my living arrangements and the frequent public urination, I wasn¡¯t surprised I¡¯d finally fallen ill. My condition deteriorated quickly, and I knew my time was short. I began hallucinating and had frequent visits from my deceased wife. I don¡¯t remember much after I fell ill, but I remember Ruth telling me to hold on and take care of our daughter. We spoke for hours, and she would wake me up if I fell asleep. Luckily, my captors took pity on me one day. I opened my eyes when the grate was thrown off from my pit, and the ugly man with the scar threw down a hood. ¡°Put the hood on! We¡¯re leaving.¡± I wasn¡¯t complying quickly enough, so he ordered another man to jump in and put the hood on me. After complaining about the smell and receiving a punch to the face, a young Hispanic male jumped down and assisted with the hood. I blacked out when they pulled me from the pit and only recall waking to hear one final warning from my captors. ¡°Leave Guatemala and never come back. If we meet again, I¡¯ll kill you.¡± I felt myself being lifted and then thrown. My nose broke when I hit the road, and I found blessed relief when the darkness claimed me once again. ### ¡°Too bright¡­,¡± my scratchy voice said as I started to wake. I held my eyes closed against a light, hoping it would go away. I breathed a sigh of relief when the brightness suddenly faded. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°Se?or,¡± a young woman said from nearby. ¡°Se?or, do you know where you are?¡± Her English was horrible, and her accent was latin. I struggle and then succeeded to open my tired eyes. I felt like I¡¯d been run over by a truck and someone had poured sand in my eyes. I blinked and focused on a young Hispanic woman who looked to be approximately in her late teens, early twenties. The walls were bare and in earnest need of paint. A single lightbulb swung from a ceiling fan in the center of the room, and an IV bag hung from a wall hook. ¡°Se?or, do you know your name?¡± ¡°J¡ªJohn. John Haws. Can I have some water please?¡± ¡°That¡¯s good, John. Un momento.¡± She grabbed a picture of water that was next to the bed and poured me a cup. After, drinking a little and nearly choking to death, she withdrew the cup and sat on the edge of my bed again. ¡°Se?or Haws, do you know where you are?¡± ¡°Guatemala.¡± ¡°No Se?or. You¡¯re in Honduras.¡± ¡°Honduras?¡± I tried to figure out how I got to Honduras but came up blank. Lake Atitl¨¢n was closer to Mexico than Honduras. ¡°You are very sick. Are you American?¡± I nodded. ¡°Okay. We¡¯ll contact your embassy. Do you have anyone who¡¯ll want to know you¡¯re alive?¡± ¡°Alive?¡± ¡°Si, Se?or. You¡¯ve been in a coma for over a month.¡± Not Dead Yet Three Years Later Boulder, Colorado The morning started out sunny and pleasant, but as I gazed out my office window, I saw snow falling once again. Winter semester began a few weeks ago, and I''d rather be up at Eldora Mountain Resort skiing than working. The snow was too wet for fine powder ending up on the ski slopes, so I had no desire to run out the door right now. Young students trekked through my office all morning begging for extra credit since they either were too drunk or lazy to study for their first examination. There were times I liked teaching but teaching first-year students ruined any love I found in the classroom. For some unfathomable reason, CU required me to teach one freshman level class every year. My attention was snapped back to my office when my office phone rang. I sighed and picked up the receiver. ¡°Dr. Haws, how can I help you.¡± ¡°Hello, John?¡± The world froze as I recognized a voice from the grave. I hesitated at first, but with barely a whisper I asked, ¡°Francisco?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a few years.¡± ¡°You think? I thought you were dead.¡± ¡°They let me go after you.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t call? Your wife never answered my calls, never responded to my emails. What the hell, Francisco? I thought you were dead!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s been hard.¡± Memories of the imprisonment flooded my mind and panic rose up before I regained control over my emotions. If his experience was anything like mine, I could understand. ¡°John?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here. Sorry. Got lost in thought for a few seconds.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad you¡¯re alright. Even if I think you¡¯re an ass for not calling.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Neither of us spoke for a few minutes. ¡°Francisco?¡± ¡°Si.¡± ¡°Why are you calling?¡± ¡°Right. I have a job I¡¯m working, and we need a linguist.¡± ¡°I can give you a few names. You looking for anything specific?¡± ¡°John, I¡¯m looking for you. I¡¯d like to offer you a job. We¡¯ve already spoken with CU and gotten their permission to fly you down here.¡± ¡°Whoa! Wait. I don¡¯t do the field any longer. I¡¯ve got a kid.¡± ¡°I know. Hear me out.¡± ¡°Forget it. I went missing for three months. Three months, Francisco.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not the only one, John! I know what you went through.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have a damn clue what I went through. I almost died and left my daughter an orphan!¡± ¡°I know. I read the file.¡± ¡°What file?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the issue here John. The issue is that we have a need for your expertise and we¡¯re privately funded this time.¡± I started to laugh. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s just great. Congratulations, Francisco. Maybe now you can buy some decent coffee.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like that. We¡¯re talking serious money. They¡¯ve offered your university one million if we can get you to come.¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. That stopped me cold. ¡°A million?¡± ¡°And you¡¯ll be paid a hundred thousand if you can work for six months. I¡¯m telling you, John, it¡¯s different this time. I¡¯ve hired security, and you¡¯ll be glamping not camping.¡± ¡°Francisco¡ª¡± ¡°John, you¡¯re daughter graduates from high school soon, yes?¡± ¡°Yeah¡ª¡± ¡°Bring her down as soon as she¡¯s done. Give her an internship.¡± ¡°Francisco¡ªI¡ªI¡¯ll think about it.¡± ¡°What¡¯s to think about? It¡¯s a win-win.¡± ¡°Send over the proposal.¡± ¡°Already did. Check your email. Is five days enough time to get everything together?¡± ¡°I never said I¡¯d do this.¡± ¡°Stop being a calabaza! You agreed on the second you asked for the proposal.¡± He started laughing. ¡°It¡¯ll be good to work with you again. Sorry about not calling sooner. I¡¯m glad you made it out.¡± ¡°Um. Yeah. I¡¯ll think about it. I still have to talk to my kid.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be thrilled to work in the Jungle.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­Where is this project?¡± ¡°Yucatan. You¡¯ll be safe. Trust me.¡± The line disconnected before I could point out he used that same phrase on me three years ago. What the hell has he been doing for the last three years? I unlocked my computer and pulled up Google and searched in vain for any mention, work, papers, or mentions of Francisco. Nothing. I thought I was a recluse after Guatemala, but apparently, he did a better job at disappearing. His email arrived, so I sat at my desk and reviewed a proposal from The National Autonomous University of Mexico or UNAM, on the project in the jungles of Mexico. A 12-year-old kid from Canada spending far too much time looking at Google Earth had convinced others of a Mayan temple buried at this site. The odds of a temple being at the location were slim, but for reasons beyond my comprehension, UNAM received a large anonymous donation to excavate. My longtime friend, Dr. Francisco Alvarez, presented my name to the board, and the rest was history, as the saying goes. Colorado University¡¯s compensation was high enough they didn¡¯t even bat an eye, to get rid of me. It seems awful for the students who signed up for my classes, but they''ll live through the disappoint of not having to continue listening to my drivel. My cell phone buzzed, and I glanced down and saw the picture of my daughter on the screen. Crystal will attend here next fall, but she registered as an art major, thus dashing my hopes she''d follow in my steps. The phone buzzed a couple more times before I answered it. "Hello, Gorgeous. I tell you how much I love you yet?" ¡°Dad, you¡¯re so awkward.¡± I could practically hear her eyes roll. ¡°Only the best for my daughter. What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°I got the scholarship!¡± ¡°In art?¡± Crystal screamed in my ear, and I could see her bouncing up and down. ¡°Yes! Yes! It¡¯s only two grand a semester, but it¡¯ll cover the books and fees.¡± ¡°I¡¯m happy for you.¡± I worked at CU and it tuition costs were not one of our greatest concerns, but she was happy she accomplished something on her own. We spoke for a few minutes, and before she could get off the phone, I brought up that Francisco called. ¡°I thought¡ª¡± ¡°Me too.¡± ¡°But¡ªyou can¡¯t go. I graduate in June.¡± ¡±Who said I''d take it?" ¡°Dad, I know you. If Francisco asks for you to take out his trash, you will fly to his house to do it.¡± I shook my head at her over exaggeration. "Only if his garbage contained a few artifacts in it. Do you think so little of me? I have my standards. I''m hurt." "Whatever." She was right about my willingness to help Francisco with anything he asked, but this was a different situation. I may have done that three years ago, but the bastards been dead all this time. Well, I guess not as dead as I thought. ¡°It¡¯s for six months.¡± ¡°Dad¡ª¡± ¡°I know, but we¡¯ll have professional security this time. They¡¯re throwing a lot of money at doing it right. Plus¡­,¡± I let the rest of the sentence trail off. ¡°Plus what?¡± ¡°He said we could hire you on as an intern once you¡¯re done with school.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to be an archeologist,¡± Crystal whined. ¡°I know, but what if you worked as an artist? I usually draw all my sketches, but on bigger projects, they grab graduate assistants. If they¡¯re spending the kind of money, Francisco hinted at¡­I¡¯m sure I could justify the expense.¡± ¡°Auntie won¡¯t be happy you¡¯re going back out in the field.¡± I sighed. ¡°Look kiddo. They¡¯re paying CU a lot of money for my help. Our budget needs every nickel we can scrap up. You¡¯re practically an adult. Come out for spring break. If you like it, come back for the summer.¡± ¡°And if I don¡¯t like it?¡± ¡°Then you¡¯ve lost a week and gained resume material.¡± ¡°How much?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°How much will I get paid?¡± I smiled and glanced up at my wall clock. I had class in a few minutes. ¡°I don¡¯t know how much we¡¯re budgeted for, but I¡¯ll pay you $1,000 out of my own pocket for a week of your time.¡± ¡°Gee, Dad. That¡¯s cheap labor.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get greedy, kiddo. It¡¯s more than you make in a month.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have a job, Dad.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± I chuckled and looked at the time again. ¡°Look, Squirrel. I gotta get to class. Think about it. We¡¯ll talk tonight. I love you.¡± ¡°Love you too, Dad. I¡¯ll do it. But, only for a week.¡± ¡°Great. Gotta go!¡± ¡°Bye.¡± Spring Break My grad assistant, Hector, and I flew into Valladolid several hours earlier and rented a Jeep so we could do a little shopping before Crystal landed. Our anonymous benefactor gave UNAM enough money that we had weekly use of a helicopter for supply runs. Most of the nonlocal staff flew into the international airport, so we timed Crystal''s arrival for a special supply run. Hector requested a PIXIE to be shipped in, so this trip wasn¡¯t a waste of resources. The PIXIE analyzed materials otherwise too difficult to move from its current location. By the time we completed our shopping, it was time to wait for Crystal''s flight. My daughter and I spent several weekends a year camping in the Rocky Mountains, and although the Yucatan Jungle was not Colorado, it was rugged in its own way. We were far enough away from civilization that we relied on satellite communication for both voice and data. The river north of camp was too congested and too shallow to boat our supplies in. I heard snippets of a conversation with Dr. Banuelos saying they were planning on clearing a road, but we were months away from that happening. The camp was, unfortunately, smack dab in the middle of nowhere. After buying some supplies and picking up Hector¡¯s PIXIE, we arrived at Crystals gate with plenty of time to spare. Unfortunately, the flight was delayed and that left me pacing back and forth. Although it was warm here in Mexico, inclimate weather in Colorado in March is not unheard of, and so I tried to be patient. "You will wear out the floor if you keep it up, boss." "Hector, her idea of Mexico is Cancun. I just hope she doesn¡¯t judge it too harshly.¡± "I''m sure she''ll love it." I didn''t share the same sentiment but hoped she''d give it a chance. The last thing we needed was a whiny teenager complaining about the weather every few minutes. I wouldn''t worry about it any longer as she was escorted through customs. Since she was a minor, the airline helped her through the process. She saw me and broke for me. "Welcome to Mexico, kiddo." Crystal ran up and threw her arms around my neck. "I''ve missed you, Dad. You don''t call; you don''t write..." "Oh stop it, I email daily. I can¡¯t call you on the satellite phone every day. Damn thing is expensive." "What? How am I going to call Jamal every day?¡± ¡°You two are still dating?" "Yup." "Well, he¡¯ll have to wait for you to get back home.¡± I liked Jamal, but he was more into sports than he was into my daughter. It¡¯s too bad she didn¡¯t realize it. ¡°How''s your Spanish coming?" "I can''t learn Spanish in two months, Dad. I can say, ''hello'' and ''Where is the restroom,'' that''s it." ¡°Please tell me you can say it in Spanish and not the English you just said.¡± Crystal slapped my arm. ¡°Si, Papi.¡± I smiled. ¡°Honey, this is Hector. He¡¯s my grad from San Antonio.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you, Crystal,¡± Hector said while holding out his hand. Crystal eyed him up and down and then winked. ¡°I¡¯m Crystal. If all the guys are as hot as you, I might like it here.¡± I groaned and shoved Hector down and silently prayed he¡¯d close his mouth soon. ¡°Crystal, please don¡¯t cause me any trouble. You¡¯re still seventeen.¡± ¡°God, Dad. He¡¯s cute, but he¡¯s not getting into my pants.¡± Hector started laughing so hard he chocked, so I cuffed him and grabbed Crystal¡¯s bag. ¡°Let¡¯s keep it that way,¡± I mumbled under my breath. Yup. My daughter¡¯s barely in Mexico and within three minutes was making my life hard again. They exchanged niceties while waiting at baggage claim. I was glad she brought her Air Force Academy duffle bag. My brother, Allan, gave my daughter a duffle bag for Christmas one year. The bag had her name embroidered underneath the Academy logo and was easy to locate. We exited the airport and stepped into the sauna-like weather of the Yucatan Peninsula. I could tell that Crystal will struggle with the humidity. She had straightened her hair this morning, and that would never hold. I should have warned her that moisture and natural curls are best friends. Jungles don''t care if you like straight hair or not. ¡°It¡¯s worse than Atlanta in August. Is it always so humid?¡± "Crystal, the humidity isn''t even that high, wait until we get to camp.¡± Hector should have learned not to talk to Crystal earlier, but he decided to open his mouth again. ¡±When I first got here, I had to shower twice a day. Now, I go days without anyone noticing." "Is that what I smell? Thought I stepped in rotten cabbage!¡± "I''ve been trying to decide how to let Hector know he smelled,¡± I said with a smirk. ¡°Thank you for saving me the trouble." We laughed for a few minutes while we made our way to the Jeep. Hector took her duffel bag and stowed it next to him in the back while Crystal jumped in front with me. The drive to the small airfield with the helicopter wasn''t that long, and before you knew it, we¡¯d loaded up and flying to camp. ### Crystal had never been in a helicopter and spent the entire ride pointing out landmarks, ruins, villages, and pretty much anything that caught her eye. I was smiling like a little boy in a candy store because she was enjoying herself. Even with the headphones, you had to yell over the noise, so I spent my time watching her. She reminds me so much of my late wife it hurts. I find myself seeing my wife in her mannerism, especially when she smiled. It¡¯s the little things she says or does that nails home how much I miss my wife. It¡¯s been over five years since Ruth died from cancer and I wish she could see how amazing our daughter has turned out. All too soon I saw the camp as we circled so Crystal could see the temple walls on the north end of camp. The temple was buried under eight feet of soil as if buried intentionally. There is a lot we don¡¯t know about the Mayan culture, and we¡¯re still finding ancient cities and temples in the Americas, but this temple kept surprising me. "That was fun!¡± Crystal exclaimed once she doffed her headset. ¡°Do you fly in helicopters every week? I might change my mind about archeology. I can''t believe how dense the jungle is." Her questions and statements rattled off one after another without waiting for either Hector or me to respond. Hector chuckled at her behavior and ducked away to unload our supplies before I could say anything. The landing pad sat on an elevated flat mound overlooking the temple and camp. The area had been cleared away, so it gave a semi-unobstructed view of our home away from home. It was a jungle, and we had plenty of trees, but at least you could see the tents and temple from up here.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Our camp was laid out in a rotary design with our research tent set in the middle. The infirmary sat closest, and I noticed that Doctors Marler and Landry were making their way up to meet my daughter. Dr. Marler had become a close friend over the past couple months. He had a family practice in the middle of Nowhere, South Dakota before retiring, but his wife died a few years back, so worked with archeologist as a way to escape. I understood all too well what it was like to be a widower and was glad Doc signed on for this project. He looked liked he wore a Santa suit each Christmas and was as friendly as Saint Nick. Dr. Landry was an enigma. She had a movie star look to her if you could get past her personality. I¡¯m not talking the pin-up girl, but Dr. Landry defiantly had the girl next door look working for her. She had chestnut brown hair and if you ever caught her smiling, dimples. However, ¡®personable¡¯ is a description you¡¯d never assign Dr. Landry. You called her Dr. Landry, or she''d lecture about respecting the degree. Don¡¯t get me wrong, she has a hell of a pedigree and deserves all the respect she demands. However, when you''re in a camp with six Ph.D.''s or in Doc''s case, an MD, the protocol gets tiresome. She taught at a well-respected university in Louisiana and was smarter than anyone else in camp, but her attitude was off-putting. Crystals once semi-straight hair transformed into a curly disaster. Crystal kept messing with it, but her hair ties were still in her duffel, so nothing she tried seemed to help. Dr. Landry noticed her plight and offered her a hair tie that magically appeared in her hand. I introduced everyone, but Crystal was too excited to pay much attention, and so I apologized for cutting our greetings short and took Crystal on a campus tour. "I guess you could say we''re on the southern spoke. This building here is where Dr. Marler reigns in all things medical. He''s fortunate enough to have an outhouse between here and the research tent since he¡¯s so full of shit.¡± Crystal laughed at my dumb joke, but I knew she was rolling her eyes. We took a left at the research tent, and I showed her the mess, communication and supply tents. I gestured to the berm behind us where we deposited the debris from the excavation of the temple. ¡°The temple was buried under a lot of soil. It¡¯s taken us a long time to clear away the dirt and haul it over here. Francisco is still trying to uncover the entrance; I expect we¡¯ll do that in the next day or so.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been here for two months.¡± ¡°It takes time. You can¡¯t just use a backhoe. We¡¯ve been finding jewelry, pottery, stone carvings and signs that this area used to be populated fairly heavily. Unfortunately, no human remains have been found, but we¡¯re still looking for the village or city that would have been built around it.¡± ¡°There are no homes?¡± ¡°Not yet, but we¡¯ll find support structures sooner or later. Now that we know how deep to dig, it¡¯s a matter of time.¡± We walked back past the research tent towards our housing section. Our living area occupied the majority of the east side of the campsite and I, like the other Ph.D.¡¯S, had a private tent. ''Tent'' is used loosely. When Francisco said ¡°glamping¡± he meant it. Glamorous camping has its advantages. All I needed now was plumbing and a kitchen to make my life pure comfort. Earlier, I''d arranged for Francisco, who acted as our quartermaster, to set up a bed for my daughter. He provided a small footlocker that contained bathroom supplies a woman will need and I came close to slapping myself for not thinking of it. He was smarter than me as well. Crystal dropped her bag near the entrance forcing me to step over it. "This is a big tent, does everyone get a tent for themselves?" ¡°The brains do.¡± Crystal ignored my response and sat down at my desk and started to rifle through my drawers. She found an Inca necklace I was working with and held it up to her neckline. "Put that back. Honey, please don''t mess with my stuff.¡± "Relax, Dad. I won¡¯t break anything. This necklace is cute, did you find it here?" Crystal held up the jade and copper necklace to me. I walked over and took the neckless. "Yes, it''s old, and I''m translating the hieroglyphs found on these copper pieces. Please don¡¯t touch.¡± She got up from the desk and moved her duffle to her cot. "You''re far too uptight. Why do you have it in your tent if you don''t want it stolen?" "We need not worry about theft here. Plus, nobody would know it''s inside my desk drawer. It get''s dark early here, so I spend a lot of time working at night. I forgot it was still there. Why don''t we take it back to the research tent and I''ll show you where I work?" "I didn''t know why you kept skipping the building on our tour." "I didn''t want to go inside and discover a massive pile of work." "What do you do every day?" "My job is to categorize, tag, translate, and try to guess the age of every artifact found. It''s not bad, but it''s time-consuming, and Dr. Landry''s team keep finding Incan and Aztec artifacts." "I thought this was a Mayan temple?" "So did I." When the prospectus landed on my desk, several months ago, I doubted we''d unearth anything. It didn''t take long for Francisco to prove me wrong. By the time my plane landed they''d already cleared away part of the southern face of the temple. The temple wall appears to made of black granite rather than the limestone found with most Mayan temples. Limestone if plentiful and quarried from local sources. You can''t find granite in this jungle, but yet it was here. My grad assistant came a week later once they noticed the anomaly. Hector''s specialty was Mesoamerican architecture with a minor in geology. He couldn''t break away a sample of the stone and had a PIXI system shipped to Valladolid. He hoped it¡¯d give him a better idea where it was quarried. "If it''s not a Mayan temple, is it Aztec?" "Unlikely. It could be Olmec, but we don''t know. I''m still waiting until we find the temple entrance before I speculate." "Did the Olmec use granite in their construction?" ¡°No. Only a couple civilizations occupied this area, so I guess one of them did. As I was saying, I''ll hold off speculating until we find the entrance. It would have been helpful finding adornments since they''re unique to the culture who built them." "This temple isn''t adorned?" "Crystal¡ª,¡± I paused, ¡°no, it''s one massive slick slab of granite. Let''s take this neckless back, and if we have an opportunity, I''ll show you the temple wall." Gathering up my notes and necklace, we left for my office. I''d forgotten I left an artifact in my drawer and shouldn''t have left it unsecured. I downplayed it to Crystal, but it violated a policy I set. If Dr. Landry found out I had left it in my tent unattended she''d lecture me for hours. It was a rookie move. ### That night the staff threw a nice party for my daughter. A young graduate assistant, Michael, took a particular interest in Crystal. Micheal was a prodigy, 19 years old, and working on his Ph.D. under Dr. Landry''s tutelage. Once he discovered she planned on attending to CU as an art major, they were inseparable. During one of the few moments Micheal had to use the restroom, Dr. Landry approached and introduced herself. "Welcome to the jungle, Crystal. You are lucky Dr. Haws allowed your visit to the middle of nowhere. My name is Dr. Samantha Landry; we met on the helipad this afternoon." "Right, You were with Dr., um. Marley?" "Marler." "Oh yeah, that''s his name. I doubt it''s luck why I''m here. To be honest, I thought my aunt was just trying to get rid of me for a week." We laughed together. "I¡¯m so excited that Dad''s allowing me to sketch the of the artifacts for his research paper." Crystal said. ¡°Oh?¡± Dr. Landry looked at me with a raised eyebrow. ¡°You are fortunate then. Have you had much experience drawing?¡± I rolled my eyes but caught myself before Dr. Landry noticed. ¡°I¡¯ve been drawing since I was a toddler. Dad has many artifacts in the house from his different projects, and I¡¯ve been drawing them since I can remember.¡± Dr. Landry turned to me, "I bet her skills are excellent if you''re allowing her to do your job. You must be proud.¡° ¡°Oh, I am. Crystal¡¯s better at art than I am, I couldn¡¯t be prouder. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll do well.¡± Dr. Landry will be a major pain in my butt if those sketches aren''t 100% accurate. If it¡¯s not up to our standards, I¡¯ll just have Michael redraw them again after she leaves. ¡°Well, once again, welcome to the dig, I look forward to working with you over the next week.¡± Sam hugged Crystal and rejoined her assistants. ¡°Dad, was she being mean or nice?¡± ¡°Well, she was nice and snarky. Don''t let it bother you too much, at this point in our careers, those of us with Ph.D.''s are snarky from time to time.¡± Discovery The symphony of pre-dawn birdsong, chirps, and buzzing that filled the early morning hours woke me to a new day. I awoke and sat at my desk admiring Crystals tenacity to stay asleep through the sounds of the world waking up. Just as the first morning rays pierced the tent, all pretense of sleep led Crystal to pull the pillow over her head and mumble something about turning off the light. I smiled and started brewing coffee. The sounds and the smell of the coffee being squeezed into a cup finally convinced Crystal it was better to wake up than sleep her day away. ¡°What time is it?¡± ¡°Colorado time or camp?¡± ¡°UGH.¡± ¡°Close to six. Here, this should help you wake up. It¡¯s around four in Colorado, but you¡¯ll sleep like a baby tonight.¡± ¡°Is it always so loud?¡± ¡°You''ll get used to it if you''re here long enough and eventually find it relaxing.¡± She gave me a dubious look but didn''t outright question my opinion. ¡°Why don¡¯t you get ready for the day? Do you remember how to get to the women¡¯s shower?¡± Crystal nodded her head and sipped on her coffee while I made me a cup. Once done, I sat at my desk and let out a sigh as I took in my morning elixir. We sat in silence for a few minutes before she cleared her throat. ¡°Dad? What¡¯s the plan for today? More drawing?¡± ¡°Well¡­breakfast first, then back to the drawing board. Until Francisco and his crew find anything new, we keep documenting what we have. However, don¡¯t discount your importance. Illustrating our find will help not only us but others who are not able to see the pieces in person.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t they just look at the pictures?¡± ¡°Sure, but there are things you see when illustrating that are hard to notice if there are shadows or slight impressions. It¡¯s nice to have the illustrators perspective.¡± ¡°I guess.¡± I finished off my coffee and rinsed both cups out from the water jug. ¡°Ready to get some breakfast?¡± Crystal sighed and gathered her things. ¡°Give me a few minutes to shower and get ready.¡± "Don''t worry too much about your hair since there''s a reason we wear hats and scarves in the jungle. If you want to use one of my hats, you can." I couldn''t help laughing as Crystal grumbled on her way to the showers. I hit the showers myself and wasn''t surprised Crystal hadn''t returned by the time I came back. Ruth and I were married for nearly 20 years ago, and I never figured out why women took so long showering. My sister-in-law emailed last night asking if Crystal arrived. With plenty of time to kill, I shot off a quick response letting her know all was well. I knew the email wouldn''t go out until later, but the server would store it until they connected to the satellite. I closed my laptop as Crystal returned sporting a ponytail and more bobby pins than necessary. She walked over to my ball cap collection and grabbed my Buff''s hat. I considered protesting since I loved my CU Buffalo''s hat, but bit back my complaints. She hadn''t cried about the humidity yet, so I kept the peace. An early morning fog rose from the damp ground as we walked towards the mess tent. I turned my head when I heard a nearby tent door slam shut and hurried footfalls. Michael must have been waiting half the morning for a chance to see Crystal and me leave for breakfast. I knew everyone''s routine, Michael never got out of bed this early. "Hi, Crystal, I didn¡¯t expect to see you this early.¡± I glared at Michael, but he didn''t seem to notice my annoyance. "Oh hello, Michael.¡± I placed my hand on the small of Crystals back and pushed her along with me. ¡°Are you having breakfast with us?" ¡°I don¡¯t usually eat this early but if you insist I¡¯ll make the exception for you." I came close to throwing up in my mouth. ¡°Oh, that would be wonderful. Wouldn¡¯t it Dad?¡± ¡°Sure. I¡¯m positive we can find room in the mess hall for one more,¡± I said while rolling my eyes. My daughter was either oblivious to the obvious ruse or pleased to see him. I''d have to remind Michael that my daughter is still a minor for a few more months. ### Michael and Crystal didn''t pause long enough for me to talk during breakfast. Michael spoke with his mouth full, and I''d lost my appetite after only five minutes. I would have left them alone if it wasn''t considered bad parenting abandoning your daughter on her first day. Instead, I bit my cheek and suffered in silence while I counted the particles of food flying from Michaels'' mouth. If he took a breath, I might have told him to swallow his food. It didn''t matter since Crystal was oblivious to his poor manners and enthralled with every word he said.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. At around seven in the morning, we arrived in my office. It was still too early for Dr. Landry to be here, so her lost puppy continued following us. I showed Crystal a few of the artifacts I had locked up and gave her guidelines on how I expected the sketches to look. I suppose it was handy having Michael there since he was our in-house illustrator and provided better guidance than I would have. They walked away from my workstation to an empty table on the far side of the room. Crystal drew while Michael gushed over every stroke she made. I considered throwing a paperweight at the back of Michaels'' head but contained my violent urges. Instead of doing anything about his stupidity, I focused on the new artifacts lying in my Inbox. I couldn''t understand why we were finding so many pieces of jewelry and broken pottery that didn''t fit with the area. The Mayan peoples fought many wars and looted often, but when Dr. Landry''s team found a necklace from the Incan Empire, I knew something was wrong. I considered calling this whole project an elaborate hoax. If they brought me any more surprises, I''d talk to UNAM''s board of directors and walk away. Such an intricate hoax would ruin my career if my name got associated with it. A tapping sounded from my office door, and I watched as Dr. Banuelos and two of her graduate students walked in. Michael stopped kissing my daughter''s rear end and joined Esmeralda¡¯s entourage. ¡°You wouldn''t be trying to steal students from Dr. Landry would you?¡± ¡°Esmerelda, I¡¯d love to steal Michael since Hector sleeps until noon, but I¡¯ll let Dr. Landry keep him for now.¡± I gestured to Crystal. ¡°Michael joined us for an early breakfast and was helping Crystal understand what we expect from her work.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Crystal, this is Dr. Esmeralda Banuelos. She¡¯s an archeologist from UNAM in Mexico City. These are her two grad assistants, Luis Espinoza and Rosa Sanchez.¡± Dr. Banuelos was a renown genetic anthropologist who up to this point hasn¡¯t had any bodies to study and has taken charge of the overall project. Her assistants worked more with the business side of archeology than fieldwork. I guess with all the Inca, and Aztec artifacts found thus far, Esmerelda felt it necessary to have two assistants. ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± Crystal held out her hand, and Dr. Banuelos shook it in one quick jerk. Dr. Landry entered my ever-shrinking office at this moment so I felt I''d introduce her again. ¡°You met Dr. Landry last night, and Michael is her assistant.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you, Michael.¡± ¡°Please, call me Mike. Your Dad is formal. It seems to be a disease of the Ph.D. types.¡± ### After introductions and veiled insults were exchanged, my office emptied out quickly, and Crystal and I were able to work for four hours without interruptions. ¡±Dr. Haws they found the entrance!" We were just preparing to head out for lunch when Juan interrupted us with the news. Juan has worked for Francisco as his foreman on several projects over the years. Juan wasn¡¯t with Francisco in Guatemala, but I knew him for many years. The news of the entrance excited me and I wanted to run out the door, but it''d be amateurish and make me look silly in front of my daughter. Crystal looked at me in anticipation and rushed to clean up once I started putting my pottery shards away. "I didn''t get a chanced to take you to the temple yesterday. You want to see it?" "Are you kidding? Hurry!" Laughing, I moved a little faster as she put her charcoals away and wiped her hands clean. Juan smiled at me since he knew I was dying to get inside of the temple. He patiently waited for us and then escorted us to the temple. Laborers lined the path and looked afraid to approach. Something was wrong and I couldn¡¯t put my finger on it. "Don''t tell me they''re superstitious, Juan?" "I won''t say it." He chuckled, and I joined in after a moment. Dr. Francisco Alvarez stood a few feet away from a pit, and I could see a rather large opening in the wall just below ground level. Dr. Alvarez was from Peru, and I''ve worked on at least six different projects with him over the years. Ruth and I flew down to Peru some years ago and stayed at his home. Our wives hit it off, and we''ve stayed close ever since that vacation. Well, until my wife¡¯s death and then the Guatemala Incident, as I started to refer to my time in captivity. "Guess what we found?" I leaned my head to the side to catch a better look. "It looks clean from this angle. How long ago did you uncover it?" "Ten minutes." I raised my eyebrow at him. "Why do I believe you''re meeting me outside the entrance for a reason? You seem like my dog waiting for me to throw the ball. What gives?" Francisco laughed. "Well, inside the antechamber we found strange writings over a remarkable cover stone. I asked everyone to leave once I entered. I didn''t want to disturb it or take any photographs until you examined the stone." "You kicked everyone out of the chamber?" "Well, a couple ran." I laughed. "You said ''strange writing,'' do you mean strange markings instead? You read Mayan better than most here." "No. I meant what I said. It¡¯s a written language; you remember Guatemala? I guess you¡¯ll earn your pay now." I felt a mixture of fear and excitement run through me. It''s rare a linguist can discover a new language, and if Francisco were correct, I''d be the first to translate it. Dr. Alvarez and I had a running joke he does all the work while I sit in a chair and take all the credit. It¡¯s not accurate, but when we¡¯re asked to attend conferences, I¡¯m the one who fields most the questions. After I recovered and got back to work, I sent out some feelers regarding the Orb we¡¯d found. I didn¡¯t have the opportunity to study the writing for more than a few minutes in Guatemala, so I didn¡¯t have any sample hieroglyphs to ask about. The whole incident caused the details to slip from me. However, nobody had seen anything like I tried to explain. I searched archive images and finally gave up my search. If this was like that orb¡­ I¡¯d fallen behind and quickened my pace to catch up with Francisco. While walking through the entrance, a shiver ran down my back. The walls of the passage were smooth and unadorned like the outer wall. Matter of fact, I couldn''t even identify any seams in the stone. The tunnel appeared to be three meters thick which explained the ground-penetrating radar images or lack thereof. ¡°Was this entrance carved out of solid granite? I don''t see tool marks.¡± "Dr. Haws stop staring at the tunnel walls and look in front of you." "What¡ª¡° My words caught in my throat as my jaw popped open. Crystal gasped from somewhere behind me. Temple There are few moments in most people¡¯s lives when their breath fails to escape their lungs. The first time I saw my wife in her wedding dress was the only other time I¡¯ve been this breathless. I¡¯m no poet and have no words to illustrate the view before me, but I¡¯ll try. The doorway opened to a room approximately 50x30 feet with walls as black and the granite on the exterior. The ceiling was only about thirteen feet high but also the same slab like granite as outside. However, the feature that captured my and Crystals attention wasn¡¯t the shape of the room but the singular feature along the back wall. Directly center of the thirty foot back wall sat an 8x5 cover stone that projected a view of the solar system and galaxy beyond. Even trying to describe this wall failed to capture the magnificence of it. The resolution and detail were beyond anything I¡¯d ever seen or experienced in my life. We stood together in the presence of art so profound it rendered me speechless for minutes. ¡°Francisco, you¡ªyou could have given me a heads up.¡± ¡°Would you have believed me if I told you?¡± ¡°No,¡± I paused, ¡°I guess I wouldn¡¯t have.¡± I¡¯ve taken part in many archeology projects over the years and had a feel for what I¡¯d find. I expected to see dirt, and I expected darkness. The antechamber was as clean as any room I¡¯ve ever seen and the... and the ¡®Galaxy Wall¡¯ bathed the room in a soft shimmering glow. The lack of imperfections of the walls or seams complimented the beauty of the Galaxy Wall at center. After a few minutes of hesitation, I walked up to the Galaxy Wall. Anxiety caused my knees to quiver as I stood less than two feet away. The light from the cover stone reflected off the walls. Upon closer inspection, this cover stone was not granite. The material had a glass-like quality to it. I felt like I could reach out and touch the planets and stars that hung in the distance. Our sun shone in the middle of the slab and upon closer inspection could see the flames and flares. The planets appeared to rotate slowly, and I fought off the urge to reach out and touch Earth. It was beautiful beyond description. The strange language Dr. Alvarez spoke of earlier was superimposed under the moving backdrop like a watermark on paper. I¡¯d seen the language before, but the hieroglyphs gave off the same familiar feeling to them as the ones in Guatemala. I don¡¯t know why, but I felt like I should understand the language. ¡°They¡¯re moving, Francisco.¡± I hadn¡¯t seen him walk up, but he stood behind my left shoulder. ¡°You noticed that, did you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m confused. Is this a bad joke? It¡¯s artificial. The Mayans didn¡¯t build this!¡± My voice raised the more I spoke. ¡°Francisco, we¡¯ve been friends for a long time, if you pulled a practical joke on me...¡± ¡°It¡¯s real, my friend.¡± ¡°THE HELL IT IS!¡± Francisco closed his mouth and met my eyes, and I felt silly yelling at him like that. ¡°Dad, what it is?¡± I started when I heard Crystal¡¯s voice, and I¡¯d forgotten she was here. ¡°Why are you so upset, Dad? I think it¡¯s the most beautiful thing I¡¯ve ever seen.¡± I looked at my daughter for the first since entering the antechamber. Tears streamed down her face as the glow of the Galaxy Wall reflected off her eyes. These were no simple tears of sadness but tears I¡¯d expect when coming face to face with a God. I took a calming breath. ¡°I¡¯m upset because what you¡¯re seeing can¡¯t exist. It¡¯s obvious it¡¯s not made by the Mayans. It is artificial, and only industrialized nations produce things like this.¡± I stared at it for a few more moments. We stood in silence as Earth slowly turned on its axis. I had so many questions and needed answers. But, I didn¡¯t even know where I¡¯d find those answers. I only knew one thing for certain; we were the wrong experts needed to solve this riddle. ### "Francisco, how do we continue?" "I''m not sure, John. We don''t want this leaking out." "Think we''ll have another Guatemala incident?" Francisco rubbed the back of his neck while considering my question. "It''s possible we could be in more danger." I''ve suspected since Guatemala that a drug cartel stood responsible for the incident. Later investigation of the site showed looting and massive excavation. Looting robs all the people of Guatemala of their history. They found a submerged city in Lake Atitlan a year later but who know''s what they lost at our site?Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. "Who''s been in here besides ourselves?" "Juan and a few laborers who punched through the dirt. Pedro came to get me after its discovery." "Pedro?" "Oh, he''s one of the camp guards." I didn''t remember Pedro, but it didn''t matter. I didn''t recognize half of Francisco''s team this year. The number of staff we had here was insane and will probably cost our benefactor millions by the time we¡¯re done here. Francisco and I made our way around the interior walls looking for any irregularities in the surface. Since I first laid eyes on the Galaxy wall, I couldn''t shake off the sense something was wrong. The whole project seemed shady. The money spent on this excavation exceeded any job I''ve ever worked. Most projects receive funds from known donors, but the money spent here was off the charts. The prospectus I reviewed in January gave no sign of anything this monumental. What about this location convinced someone to sink so much money into it? "I can''t vouch for your guards but keeping something like this a secret isn''t wise, we need to take precautions." "What do you have in mind?" "My brother works for the US government in security. We should check if he can bring his team down for a while." "John, I''m not allowing your government to take this project away from me." "Me? Francisco, I''m not suggesting they steal the project but if a drug cartel comes at us again who will stop them?" "We''re guarded this time." I couldn''t believe Francisco was fighting me on this. After spending weeks being starved and treated like we were, you''d think he''d jump at the chance for better protection. If a drug cartel came after this site, how could his guards protect those working here? "Francisco, are you trying to tell me that if an armed militia attacked, your five-man team could protect four dozen people and the artifacts?" Francisco continued rubbing the back of his head and paced back and forth. "Um. I don''t know John. You''d need to run it by Esmeralda and see if we can afford extra security." "Is there a budget for this project? I''ve yet to see evidence a budget existed. Can we afford not to bring in more security?" "It''s not that easy." "What''s hard? Don''t you remember what we went through in Guatemala?" "It''s just... Fine. You''re right. We can''t risk losing everything, but I¡¯d rather hire guards myself." "How can you be sure anyone you bring in won''t betray us in the first five minutes? Give me a break. You and I both know drug cartels infiltrated every aspect of the Mexican government and most of the local villages. I bet half your laborers are trying to figure out how to contact them as we speak." "Fine. We''ll ask Esmeralda to get the funds, but I keep control." And there it was again, ¡®I.¡¯ ### Dr''s Landry and Banuelos joined Francisco and me in the antechamber for an impromptu meeting. I sent Crystal back with Juan to work with Michael for a few hours while we sorted out our plan of action. Allan just might save our lives. "I can''t allow bringing your brother here,¡± Esmeralda said emphatically. Dr. Banuelos was against involving anyone with US government ties. I raised my voice in protest to her stupid logic. "Our guards aren''t skilled enough, and can¡¯t trust the locals for security. If a cartel attacks us, we''re as good as dead." "It doesn''t change my answer, Dr. Haws. I don''t trust your government any more than the cartels." "We''re not talking about my government. We are talking about my brother and his team. They''ve been providing security services around the globe for years." "What guarantees can you give me your government won''t try to take over?" Dr. Landry cleared her throat. "Dr. Banuelos, what guarantee do any of us have against government involvement from Mexico? I agree with Dr. Haws. We need to increase the security. It''s clear this isn''t a Mayan temple. We need to protect the artifacts and the site?" Esmerelda ground her teeth in frustration and glared at Francisco. "And you signed off on this?" Francisco said nothing, so I answered for him. "He agrees we need professional help. I''m not the only one who realizes this is alien." Esmeralda chuckled and gave me a look to belittle me. "Oh, give me a break. I can''t be the only one here who realizes there isn''t an industrialized nation on Earth who could produce that wall." Nobody spoke for a few minutes while my words sank into their overstuffed minds. When your intelligence exceeds the vast majority on earth, you often miss seeing the nose on your face. We all knew this Galaxy Wall wasn¡¯t from the Olmec, Aztec, Inca or Mayan''s. I doubt it''d be possible with today''s technology to duplicate it either. "OK." "Okay? "Call your brother, but I agree with Francisco''s concern. We are not giving control up. If they try to take charge, I''m kicking them out of camp and call UNAM for more security." A breath I hadn''t realized I was holding escaped and the tension I felt moment before fled. I wanted Allan here because my daughter Crystal would be his number one concern. His best friend, Kenny Morris, was Crystal''s adopted Uncle. I knew Kenny would move heaven or hell to protect her. Our meeting moved on to other topics, and after a half hour we broke up. Michael and Crystal would work with me on the translation first thing in the morning. Since I had help tomorrow, I asked Francisco if he''d make sure we had workbenches and lighting brought in.