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  Natalia said, “As it is, it simply lay underground for millennia, undisturbed and intact?”

  Sloan nodded, “You are correct.”

  “So,” she said, “what it is and what it tells us about ancient man is nothing short of astounding.”

  “Exactly,” Sloan said. “Göbekli Tepe was not constructed by ‘people a stone’s throw away from Cavemen.’ The superior stone work and reliefs show that master stonemasons were at work here. One example of the carved pillars and monuments is decorated with human hands in what could be interpreted as a prayer gesture with a simple stole or surplice engraved above; this may be intended to signify a temple priest. Few humanoid figures have surfaced at Göbekli Tepe, but they include the engraving of a naked woman posed frontally in a crouched position similar to figures found in Neolithic North Africa. Some of the T-shaped pillars picture human arms which indicate they represent the bodies of stylized humans or anthropomorphic gods. But, this is what I wanted you to see.”

  He handed Natalia a single piece of paper. Zima continued, “Two days ago, I received a transmission from the team leader at Göbekli Tepe. Here is a photo and a new inscription just uncovered.” Natalia sat stunned, unsure of what to say but knowing what she had to do.

  “Here’s another interesting part of the puzzle,” Sloan continued. “When this report came out, I started digging. It is entirely too early to do anything but offer a hypothesis. I believe similar, if not the same inscription has been found before at other sites. However, due to degradation due to age, partial obliteration, or simply not realizing the significance; this symbol has been overlooked, not reported, or simply reclassified as idiomatic drawings no one understood.”

  Natalia said, “Dr. Sloan, you do not know this, but there was no record, at least in the Western world, of this image prior to the Night of the War that survived. In fact, there is only one person living who can testify it was ever seen prior to a few weeks ago. John Thomas Rourke saw this image on the buckle of an extraterrestrial pilot that had been killed in the crash of his UFO ship several years before the Night of the War. Records that survived from the U.S. don’t mention it, and no other governments have acknowledged any reports on their side. However, I know of one other government that had and, therefore, probably still has a record of this image. I saw this in the archives of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. I know for a fact that Russia still retains those archives and has knowledge of this image. Where else do you think it has been found?”

  Sloan said, “I don’t know, but I have started a search.”

  “Dr. Sloan,” Natalia said, “this may tie into something really sinister and may answer some very serious questions. This is something I want to coordinate with you. When could you mount an expedition to the area with an archaeological team?”

  “I don’t know if another expedition is even possible because of the political situations right now,” Sloan said. “It may be easier to secure an expansion of the current one.”

  “Work your end and find out,” Natalia said. “I have some things to do on my end before we lock anything in. Make sure your people are volunteers; I’ve got a hunch we will be moving into harm’s way on this one.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Michael Rourke, after the morning security briefings and now dressed in a Marine flight suit for a photo op, was headed to the Kaneohe Marine Air Base. He was scheduled to arrive at 2:00 p.m. Three heavy armored black SUVs negotiated Honolulu noontime traffic before heading east out of town.

  Michael, in the second vehicle, was receiving a briefing from the head of his security detail when a green energy blast flashed from a hidden source and vaporized the right front quarter panel of the lead vehicle. The blast alone was sufficient to slam the vehicle a dozen feet to the left causing it to careen through the guardrail and down the steep incline. It was a miracle the vehicle did not roll over.

  The official report would state, “The passenger in the right front passenger seat had died as a result of the greenish energy bolt’s impact. The driver and the two agents in the back seat were slammed violently to the left, and the side air bags deployed. Those in the back seat were knocked unconscious. The vehicle’s front end collided with a tree in the exact dead center of the hood. The impact crumpled the remainder of the front end beyond recognition. While the puncture proof gas tanks held, gas line connections to the vehicle’s motor ripped loose, and the smell of gasoline permeated the vehicle. It took only seconds for ignition.”

  Michael’s driver instinctively jammed the accelerator to the floor, and the heavy vehicle lunged forward; Rourke himself was shoved rather unceremoniously to the floor in the back seat. The third vehicle slowed only momentarily as it passed the gap in the guardrail before accelerating to close on the President.

  The first radio communications simply said, “Attack, attack, attack… POTUS is under attack on Highway 63 headed east toward Kaneohe Marine Air Base. We are three miles into the Ko’olau Mountain Range. One vehicle disabled, unknown causalities. Scramble alert force, over.” No sooner had that gone out than all of the radio frequencies used by the convoy were jammed by an unknown source, and contact with the convoy was lost.

  Chapter Thirteen

  John Thomas had recently established a ritual of sipping coffee on the patio and watching the blue ocean waves rolling, breaking, and spewing a white cloud as they crashed. It had become one of his favorite pastimes, and sharing these times with Emma had become a comfortable peaceful habit.

  When Emma refilled his cup from the stainless carafe, it broke his silent reverie. Rourke looked up and smiled, “Emma, we humans don’t have any surviving records of the Great War between the KI and the aliens or, for that matter, of the KI themselves. All traces of the KI’s advanced civilization simply disappeared with the passing of time. Survivors of that last great battle were probably etched in history simply as the basis for our legends.”

  “Mankind, who was just emerging, was almost totally destroyed, and the rest of humanity were just learning the use of stone tools, clothing themselves in animal skins, and seeking shelter in caves. The few KI who survived here after the battle obviously retained the possessed knowledge of their destroyed civilization’s wisdom, passing tantalizing bits and pieces of knowledge, at least for a few generations. Their tales of great exploits down through the ages appear as legend, myth, and alchemy.”

  Emma asked, “What was the war about, do we even know?”

  “The Keeper told me,” John nodded seriously. “Are you ready for this? It’s about chlorophyll—that green pigment found in algae and plants. It is an extremely important biomolecule, critical in photosynthesis, which allows plants to absorb energy from light.”

  “On this planet, chlorophyll is everywhere. Every plant uses it; it is abundant here on this planet, but apparently it is a rare, very rare, commodity elsewhere. Evidently, it is essential for the alien race; apparently, they have evolved to the point that food, as you and I think of food, is irrelevant to them. Chlorophyll, however, is an essential part of their dietary needs; it allows for them to break down other compounds that keep them alive.”

  The Keeper said, “The KI offered to share Earth’s chlorophyll with them, but coexistence was not the alien’s plan; they wanted to dominate mankind and reduce humans to virtual slaves who functioned totally at their ‘new master’s’ direction. The KI did not like slavery as an acceptable option. As it turned out, the alien force was driven away by the same global catastrophes they were escaping.”

  “Coincidently, the KI had already been preparing for a series of other types of disaster. Their scientists had been warning for generations the planet was approaching a series of natural events that would have catastrophic results for the KI civilization. Great geological upheavals were expected along with probable shifts of the magnetic poles and climatic changes that would affect all life on the planet. The KI evacuation was interrupted when the enemy appeared without warning.”

  She asked, “Th
at’s where you believe our ‘legends’ came from, those that remained?”

  “Yes,” he said. “Emma, here is the rest of the problem. Now that the KI have returned, at least according to The Keeper, many of the KI consider that the Earth was theirs, and they wish to reclaim it. They have no wish to destroy humanity, but there are elements within the KI that are far from benevolent. They consider the Earth to be their inheritance and view modern man as interlopers, little more than what you would call squatters. They remember our ancestors as primitive, and there exists certain... biases against all things that are not KI.”

  John’s cell phone jingled unexpectedly; Rourke looked at the screen before saying to Emma, “Strange that Michael would be calling this early.” Answering, Rourke said, “Good morning Michael...” Rourke listened for a moment before straightening in his chair. Slowly, his eyes hardened, and he asked, “How long ago?”

  Emma could see that concern was now etched in John’s face. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  Rourke ignored her, staying focused on what was being said on the other end of the phone, “Any contact with the convoy?” Then, he said, “How soon?” followed by “I understand; keep me posted please,” before closing the phone and standing and turning toward the ocean. Unconsciously, he pulled the double Alessi holster rig from the table and slipped it and the twin CombatMasters on; he shrugged his shoulders, settling the rig into its proper position. He slowly lit one of his black cigars. When it was going to his satisfaction, he flipped the Zippo shut and turned to Emma.

  “Michael’s in trouble. His convoy was hit while they were enroute to the Kaneohe Marine Air Base.” Emma’s hand flew to her mouth.

  “All contact has been lost with his team; that’s all we know right now. We have no idea about casualties.” Taking another draw on the cigar, he said through clenched teeth, “The fear is it’s a hit on Michael which could mean a hit on the entire Rourke clan, so the Secret Service has security details dispatched to cover us.”

  “When they get here, I want you to follow their instructions closely. I’m taking one of them with me to the site of the attack. I need you to contact the rest of the family and advise them.”

  “Do you want me to call Sarah?”

  Rourke shook his head. “Not yet. We need more information; let’s hold off until we have more facts.” The screeching of tires out front announced the Secret Service’s arrival, “Make sure we have all of the kids accounted for and keep them safe,” Rourke said and turned, pausing just long enough to again settle the double Alessi holster rig in place and throw on his brown leather bomber jacket. Then, he left.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The smoke was now billowing around the crumpled SUV. Michael Rourke’s vehicle and the remaining security vehicle were accelerating around the curves. Radio communications were being jammed; they had only gotten one message out. It seemed they had slipped the ambush and were now racing at breakneck speed toward the air base after crossing the Pearl Bridge just south of Mount Puu Keahiakahoa’s 838 meter peak.

  Rourke’s driver, Hank Johnson, signaled for the trailing vehicle to pull alongside. They needed to communicate and get a plan; slowing to 50 and shouting over the wind and road noise, Johnson told the other driver to “Take the lead and clear the road ahead of us. Run Code Three to the air base. Keep trying to make contact, and let someone know where we are.”

  The second driver nodded, flashed the “thumbs up” sign, and accelerated to take the lead. Ten seconds later, a fusillade of energy blasts hit both SUVs; this second stage of the ambush lasted five seconds but had effectively destroyed both vehicles and apparently all passengers.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Vice President, Jason Darkwater, was just returning from Mid-Wake when he received the first notice of the attack moments before he landed in the capital. With President Rourke unaccounted for and possibly captured or dead, the Vice President found himself in a most unusual situation; he could not tell whether or not he was now the President.

  Arriving at the Capital, Darkwater was ushered to the Situation Room where Jim Nixon, Director of the Secret Service Special Officers and Technical Division, was in intense conversation with Tim Shaw, Director of The U.S. Secret Service’s Office of Research, Intelligence, and Operations. Representatives from the military, Emergency Services, law enforcement and every investigative agency in the government were clustered around live feed big screens trying to determine what had happened, how it had happened, and where the hell the President was.

  Darkwater cleared his throat; the gathering grew quiet. “Ladies and Gentlemen, our primary focus right now is to locate President Rourke, determine his status, and bring this threat to an immediate and conclusive end. I want everyone cooperating; we can’t afford the normal interagency bureaucracy. I want the Press Secretary to prepare a news release for immediate dissemination to the media. I want it truthful but guarded; we don’t know yet what we’re dealing with. I want the Speaker of the House and the Chief Justice brought here immediately; we’re going to have to get ahead of these circumstances, and we have to do it now. Now, who can tell me what happened?”

  Jim Nixon spoke first, “First of all Mr. Vice President, we’re still trying to determine that. What I do know right now is that President Rourke and his protection detail were in a three vehicle convoy on their way to the Kaneohe Marine Air Base to welcome the fleet home from deployment when they came under attack by unknown forces. The lead vehicle was hit by an energy weapon and blasted off the highway. Of the six Secret Service personnel in that vehicle, two died.”

  “Agent Derrick Daniels was killed by the initial blast, and Agent Frank Wilson, the driver, was killed on impact. Wilson was able to keep the vehicle upright but not from impacting a tree after leaving the road. The other personnel have a variety of serious injuries, but at this time, they are expected to recover.”

  The Vice President said, “What about President Rourke?”

  “Sir, we just don’t know,” Nixon said. “The second vehicle containing the President and the trailing vehicle both escaped the kill zone. We have aerial and ground searches in place and are monitoring all radio frequencies in the area. Unfortunately Sir, we just don’t know yet. We have protection details dispatched to all senior leaders as well as the members of the Rourke family.”

  *****

  Special Supervisory Agent in Charge John Anders, commander of the Secret Service’s Special Response Unit, said, “Satellite surveillance is being blocked. We know roughly where the attack took place, and air craft have been dispatched; two jet fighters and four combat helicopters are enroute from the Marine Air Base. The jets should be over the area...” Anders checked his watch, “right now. Copters should be there in another 10 minutes, then we’ll have some eyes in the sky. Additional ground troops are also enroute and should be on station shortly.”

  Anders, 42 years old, red-headed and wiry, stood in front of his team leaders. The OSS Special Response Unit members were seasoned veterans with specialized training and weaponry; in the vernacular of the “business,” they were “high-speed, low drag.” Broken into three nine-man teams, they had launched from Honolulu at the first report of the attack. Their armored all-terrain vehicles, well-known as AATVs, were equipped with the latest armament and communications gear; the members themselves were dedicated and focused. The mission was simple, locate and recover the President of the United States.

  *****

  Robert Johns, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, shook his head. “Mr. Vice President, right now we simply don’t have enough information to proceed. Let me explain, Article I, Section 3, of the Constitution says, ‘The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate but shall have no vote unless they be equally divided. The Senate shall choose their other officers and also a President pro tempore in the absence of the Vice President or when he shall exercise the office of President of the United States.’”

  “Article II, Section 1, of the Unit
ed States Constitution provides that, ‘In case of the removal of the President from office, or of his death, resignation, or inability to discharge the powers and duties of the said office, the same shall devolve on the Vice President ... until the disability be removed or a President elected.’”

  “The 25th Amendment establishes procedures both for filling a vacancy in the office of the President and, subsequently, the Vice President as well as responding to Presidential disabilities. Here are the specifics: Section 1 says that ‘in case of the removal of the President from office or of his death or resignation, the Vice President shall become President. Section 2 deals with similar situation for the Vice President; whenever there is a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, the President shall nominate a Vice President who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority vote of both Houses of Congress.’”

  “Section 3 says that ‘whenever the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that he is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, and until he transmits to them a written declaration to the contrary, such powers and duties shall be discharged by the Vice President as Acting President.’”

  “Section 4 does say, ‘Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.’ We’re not there yet.”