Europa Conspiracy (Babylon Rising 3) (32 page)

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a ball of flame, and a pillar of black smoke. The Hummer stopped abruptly. The Buffalo at the head of the convoy was bouncing up and down.

Soldiers were piling out of their vehicles with their weapons ready. There was yelling, and vehicles were repositioned in case of a firefight.

Captain Drake was the first to speak. "Well, that was a good example of what the Buffalo can do. There must have been a bomb in the car up ahead."

He spoke as if it were a casual, everyday event. The Buffalo backed out of the blazing inferno, stopped for a moment, then drove forward and lifted the car off the ground. It set the burning car to the side of the road then continued on toward Babylon.

Soldiers climbed back in their Hummers and the convey continued.

"It must take some special type of soldier to drive one of those Buffalos," Murphy said.

"Yes, sir. Those are very special Marines. They love their jobs and look forward to each day's new adventure. The rest of us consider them heroes. They're risking their lives to save ours."

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FIFTY-SIX

ONE OF THE LIONS rolled over and dropped a paw onto Daniel's leg. He woke up instantly. It took a moment for him to gather his thoughts. He had almost forgotten he was in a den of lions. The weight of the paw on his leg brought him back to reality.

Slowly and gently he removed the paw and smiled. No one would believe this story. No one had ever been thrown to the lions and lived to tell the tale.

He thought back to another time when he was startled awake. It was when the great city of Baby Ion fell to the armies of Azzam and Jawhar. He had arrived home and fallen into a restless sleep after interpreting the Handwriting on the Wall for Belshaigar.

Suddenly soldiers broke into his home carrying torches, their swords drawn. They rushed toward his bed as he sat up. The tip of one sword touched his chest. A soldier held a torch to his face. He made some comment, and the other soldier withdrew the sword. Then they searched the house and left as quickly as they had come.
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Daniel had no idea what they were looking for. Obviously they thought he was too old to present any danger.

"Kasim, did you taste the wine for the king this evening?" Tamir asked.

"No, he went to bed without any wine or food. He ordered everyone out, even the entertainers. He looked very ill."

"Is the king sick?"

"No, I don't mean that type of ill look. He seemed both sad and angry at the same time. For a while I stayed outside of his door and listened. I could hear him moaning and groaning and talking to himself."

"What's wrong?"

"I think he's angry over a decision to throw the old Hebrew into the lion's pit. He seemed very agitated. Watch it, Tamir. Don't make any mistakes in your baking. He might take it out on you."

At the sound of the large stone being removed from the hole in the ceiling, all the lions jumped up. Light glared down from the hole.

Daniel put his hand up to shade his eyes. He could see the lions looking up, saliva dripping from their mouths. Was it time to be fed? Only their tails twitched back and forth. They didn't seem to pay any attention to him as he rose.

"O Daniel, servant of the living God, was your God, whom you worship continually, able to deliver you from the lions?" a voice called down from above.

Daniel recognized the voice of Darius. He could tell from the king's tone that he did not expect an answer.

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"Your Majesty, life forever! My God has sent His angel to shut the lions' mouths. They did not touch me or harm me. It is proof of my innocence and faithfulness to you."

Daniel could hear the king dancing around and shouting for joy. Then the guards lowered a rope and pulled Daniel from the den. Just before he reached the opening, Daniel took one last look at the wild animals that had been gentle with him. He smiled and thanked God.

Darius had his physicians examine Daniel for any injuries. None were found. Soon Darius's joy turned to anger. He was outraged that he had been tricked into putting Daniel in the den. Darius summoned the general of his army.

"I want you to round up all of the satraps and governors Abu Bakar and Husam al Din. Bring their wives and children with them. The lions are hungry and need to be fed. I want you to put in a new family every three days. Make sure that Abu Bakar and Husam al Din are last. I want them to have time to think about their failed attempt to kill Daniel.

"Now I want to make a decree to all of the people of the kingdom. It should read that everyone in the empire shall tremble and fear before the God of Daniel. He is the living, unchanging God whose kingdom shall never be destroyed and whose power shall never end. He delivers His people, preserving them from harm; He does great miracles in heaven and earth; it is He who delivered Daniel from the power of the lions."

The first family did not touch the floor before the lions tore them apart.

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FIFTY-SEVEN

"IT'S KIND OF BARREN out here," Bingman said as they drove farther out of Baghdad.

"You're right about that," Murphy responded. "There're some grass and weeds and palm trees, and a lot of open space. If it weren't for the Euphrates River running through Babylon, it would be more like a desert--more like the rest of the country."

They were silent as they watched the shepherds, a few roadside stands, and people moving in and out of small adobe homes near the river. Every now and then they could see fishermen in boats casting their nets.

"What are those buildings up ahead?" Bingman asked.

"That's Al Hillah," Captain Drake replied. "It's a small town right next to the site of the original Babylon. The Marines have set up a base there and send out daily patrols. We've also been instructed to guard and prevent any looting that might go on at local archaeological sites."

Murphy spoke up. "I've heard that there's been massive

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looting of museums and archaeological relics. Many of them are being sold on the black market."

"Yes, sir, that's true. It's a quick way for poor Iraqis to make some big money. We've done a good job at discouraging the theft, but occasionally they get away with something. Now we only allow those with archaeological permits, like yourselves, to get near any of the sites."

"The town has certainly grown since we were last here," Murphy said, looking around.

"Yes, sir. For some reason we've had a lot of dignitaries come and visit Babylon. A new hotel is being built, and businesses are moving in. I've even heard talk of investors coming into the area and buying up land."

"Why do you think that is happening?" Isis asked.

"I don't know for sure, ma'am. I have heard there might be a possibility of the United Nations moving here. But I can't for the life of me see why. This is not the hottest attraction in Iraq, in my opinion."

"Yet Babylon does have a long and glorious history," Isis said. "It was the home of the great King Nebuchadnezzar and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the Seven Wonders of the World."

"Yes, ma'am. And maybe it will have a glorious future if enough people get excited about it. In fact, there's a group of a dozen UN representatives in town now. We've been taking them all around. They've been looking at water supplies, building sites, and meeting with Iraqi businessmen and government leaders. It looks like they might be serious."

Bingman turned to Murphy and pointed. "What's that in the distance?"

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"That's part of the ancient structures near where we'll be exploring. Look over to your left. You can see the buildings that Saddam was in the process of reconstructing. Some of the arches are forty feet tall. Tomorrow you may get a chance to see the ancient roadway that leads to Babylon. It has a fence on either side to preserve the pavement, which dates back to 400 B.C."

"Michael, when you were here last, did you have a chance to explore the ruins?" Bingman asked eagerly.

"A little," Murphy replied. "Most of our efforts were directed at finding Nebuchadnezzar's golden head."

"Did you see any of the bricks that had Nebuchadnezzar's name on them? I've read that he had his name on most of the exposed brick surfaces."

"Yes, I did see his name on many of the bricks. But listen to this. Saddam had
his
name put on the new bricks that were added to the original foundation. He wanted to get the credit for rebuilding Babylon."

"Will Colonel Davis be on hand to meet us?" Amram asked the captain.

"No, sir. He's out on a mission and won't arrive back until late this evening. He'll meet you in the morning. Is there something I can help you with?"

"I was just wondering if he received my message about borrowing the sonar sled. We used it when we were here last time to find the hollow opening into the chamber where the golden head was found."

"I believe he did, sir. I know that I saw our men checking it out before I went to Baghdad to pick you up."

"That's good news, Captain. That will save us a lot of unnecessary digging."

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FIFTY-EIGHT

ISIS WAS LOOKING forward to an exciting day. She was eager to get started in the hunt for the Handwriting on the Wall.

She was halfway through the mess line for breakfast when she had the eerie feeling that she was being watched. Murphy smiled as he noticed her discomfort.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked, grinning.

"I feel like I'm being stared at."

"Of course you are. Turn around."

About two hundred Marines were looking her direction. They smiled in unison when they noticed her looking into the room. It took her a moment to gain composure, she then smiled, waved, and turned around, grabbing her tray.

After getting their food, they turned and looked for a place to sit. Immediately six Marines jumped to their feet, grabbed their trays, and stepped back, waving their

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arms for them to sit down. Isis flushed but acknowledged their compliment and sat down with the team.

"That's embarrassing," she said.

The men laughed.

Murphy, Isis, Bingman, and Amram were deep in conversation about the expedition when all of a sudden the Marines jumped up.

A deep voice shouted, "Attention."

"At ease, men. Continue eating."

They turned to see the tanned, rugged face of Colonel Davis. Beneath his aviator shades, his steel blue eyes were sparkling and alert. The muscles on his forearm rippled as he shook hands with everyone, his grip like steel. He was the type of soldier you'd want on your side in a battle.

"Welcome to Babylon," Davis said. "I'm happy to see that you all arrived safely. I have your sonar sled ready, and I've assigned Captain Drake to assist you. He has a platoon of men at your disposal. Please do not hesitate to call on them for any assistance. They'll instantly respond. These are some of the best Marines in Iraq."

Murphy was drawn to the colonel's command presence. He could tell that Davis's men would follow wherever he led.

"Thank you, sir, we appreciate all that you're doing to make our expedition a success. When we were here last time, you assisted us with a bulldozer. Would that be available this time?" Murphy asked.

"By all means... except we'll have to be very careful as we use it. We have strict orders not to damage any ancient

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artifacts. I'm sorry that I won't be able to be with you today. I'm scheduled for some meetings with a group from the United Nations."

"Of course," Murphy said. "Thank you again for all of your help, Colonel."

"If Methuselah's directions are accurate, it shouldn't be too difficult to find the Handwriting on the Wall," Murphy said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the three-by-five card that Methuselah had left for him. He read aloud to the group, which now included Marines with shovels who were waiting for orders.

BABYLON-375 METERS DIRECTLY

NORTHEAST OF THE HEAD

Jassim Amram was looking around for the site where they found Nebuchadnezzar's golden head. "It looks like it's been covered over since we were last here. I think it is in this general area, We'll have to use the sonar sled to find the spot."

Captain Drake had the men sweep the area. It took almost two hours before they found the spot.

"Michael, I will use my compass and pace off three hundred seventy-five meters toward the northeast. Look over there," Amram said, pointing. "I'll bet it is very close to those old ruins."

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"Captain Drake, if you and your men could follow Mr. Amram, I think he'll need some help," Murphy said.

After several hours of looking, a spot was located and the sonar sled was turned on. The Marines dragged the sled back and forth until it registered a void in the ground. They then dragged the sled in a crisscross fashion to pinpoint the void.

"Dr. Murphy, I think we can use the bulldozer to remove some of this sand. We won't drive over the void in case it collapses on us. We'll just drag the sand away."

"Fine, Captain. I think that's the safest way to operate."

The sonar sled estimated the depth of the sand to the point of the void at about eighteen inches. Marines with shovels were brought in to do the more careful digging.

Soon a sound of metal scraping on rock could be heard. Another fifteen minutes of digging exposed the top of a square capstone with a large metal ring on each corner.

Bingman stepped forward. "I'll bet they put poles through the rings and sets of men lifted it into place," he exclaimed. "It's got to be the covering of some type of chamber."

Murphy called for the backhoe, and chains were attached to the four rings. "This will be a little easier than having teams of men trying to lift it," he explained, smiling.

Soon the backhoe was lifting the stone. There was a slight hiss, then a musty smell escaped from the opening. Murphy and the team brought their flashlights and shined them down.