The Final Reality (Alex Pella, #3)

by Stephen Martino

  “Please,” Marissa said, noting Christine’s face growing pale and sweat forming on her brow. “Let me take you back to the lounge area. Sit down.”

  Christine brushed off Marissa’s advice and walked over to the shield as if hypnotized. Dropping her blanket, she reached out and touched the surface of this ancient object. “I saw it all. The argument. The betrayal. The flood. It’s like I was there, and it just happened.”

  Alex and Marissa walked to her side. Without pressuring her, they listened to the entirety of the vision she saw in the cave. Once Christine started speaking, the story flowed effortlessly, as if she had told it a thousand times in the past.

  Tears ran down Christine’s face as she finished the story. “They could have stopped the flood.” She looked at both Alex and Marissa. “If they had just turned off the cradle.”

  Terzin stood with her hand on her mouth. Almost in shock, she now understood her purpose and the purpose of all the Keepers around the world. It suddenly made sense. “The cradle’s still active,” she concluded. “They never turned it off.”

  “We must turn off the cradle before the planet is destroyed,” Terzin said, with some persistence to her voice. “What you saw was just a prelude to something even more catastrophic. We must get the key to the cradle before it’s too late.”

  “Christine,” Alex asked with some urgency, “can you tell us more about Dilmun and where the cradle is located? Think of everything you saw.”

  Christine’s eyes widened as a smile crept onto her hardened façade. “It was beautiful, utterly beautiful. The cradle was located in the center of a tropical paradise. There were stunning gardens, flowering plants, trees overflowing with fruit, spectacular fountains, and a magnificent white, shining dome at its center.”

  “The dome?” Terzin asked. “Can you tell us anything about the dome?” Remembering legends told by her relatives, she recalled vague inferences to a white beacon representing both hope and death. However, most of the story was lost over the generations, and it was spoken only with a whispered tongue, as if taboo.

  Christine turned back to the shield and pointed at the V-shaped star cluster in the constellation Taurus. “Engraved on the dome’s door was a depiction of a young woman with glowing hair who appeared to be expecting a child. In her womb was this same V-shaped design overlying a door.”

  “I bet that’s where the key went to enter the dome,” Alex concluded, pulling everything together. “Was the dome what they called the cradle?”

  “Yes,” Christine answered.

  “Were they attempting to turn off something in the cradle?” Terzin asked.

  “Yes,” she nodded.

  “Can you recall anything particular to the Dilmun’s geography or anything you noted that stood out in the area?” Alex asked. Grasping for straws, he realized the question was most likely not going to yield any viable information—especially after the Earth had already undergone enormous geographic changes as a result of the previous crustal slippage and subsequent flooding.

  “There were four rivers flowing into Dilmun,” Christine recalled, “providing this magnificent land with an abundance of water.”

  “The Pishon, Gihon, Tigris, and Euphrates,” Marissa quickly concluded. She looked at everyone with excitement. “I know the place Christine is describing.”

  Alex skeptically glanced over to his fiancée, knowing what she was about to say.

  “Don’t give me that look, Alex,” Marissa noted with a smirk. “I know it sounds crazy. But the pregnant woman on the dome, the V-shaped star cluster, the four rivers, and the magnificence of Dilmun. It can only mean one thing.”

  “Say it,” Alex responded, not wanting to steal her thunder.

  “The cradle is located in Eden,” Marissa concluded. “It all makes sense. In the Bible, the Garden of Eden was located at the head of four great rivers. And the picture on the dome most likely represented Eve while the V-shaped star cluster signified her pregnant womb.”

  “And whatever is in this dome may still be causing the tectonic shifts,” Terzin added. “But the Garden of Eden has been lost for millennium.”

  “What’d I miss?” asked William with his mouth full and a bulbous sandwich in his hand.

  “Come on in,” Alex invited sarcastically. “Join the party.”

  “But seriously,” Samantha said. “Isn’t the Garden of Eden just some sort of myth or fable written about in the Bible? I always thought of it metaphorically and never really believed it existed.”

  “No,” Terzin disagreed. “Other cultures tell stories of this place. In fact, Eden originates from the Mesopotamian word meaning fertile plains. There is definite validity to the biblical account.”

  “Let’s think of this logically,” Alex interrupted. “Do any of you recall who Heinrich Schliemann was?”

  Blank faces confirmed his suspicion.

  “He was the gentleman who discovered the lost city of Troy in 1870,” Alex said, answering his own question. “Most people up to that time thought the ancient Greek poem, The Iliad, was pure fiction, and that he was a madman for attempting to undertake such a futile expedition.”

  “And do you know how he discovered the lost city?” Alex asked before again answering his own question. “He used The Iliad as his source. Now, I’m not saying I’m completely convinced with Marissa’s conclusion, but I do believe it’s something we need to think about.”

  William raised up his sandwich. “And it’s the only lead we have.”

  Alex gave his good friend a smile. “True. Marissa, can you recall exactly what it says in the Bible about the rivers?”

  Marissa shook her head. “Not verbatim, but I do know the exact passage is located in the book of Genesis.”

  Alex held up his hand. Marissa read the passage, which holographically appeared above:

  A river rises in Eden to water the garden; beyond there it divides and becomes four branches. The name of the first is the Pishon; it is the one that winds through the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. The gold of that land is excellent; bdellium and lapis lazuli are also there. The name of the second river is the Gihon; it is the one that winds through the land of Cush. The name of the third river is the Tigris; it is the one that flows east of Ashur. The fourth river is the Euphrates.

  A holographic map of the Middle East appeared next to the words.

  Alex walked over to it and pointed. “As you can all see, the rivers Tigris and Euphrates flow down Iraq and meet at this exact point here before unifying and flowing as one into the Persian Gulf.”

  The rivers turned red on the map as he mentioned them.

  “Which leaves the biggest mystery unsolved,” Marissa said. “Where are the Pishon and Gihon rivers?”

  “And did they even exist?” Samantha noted.

  “Let’s step back and start with the River Pishon,” Alex noted, thinking aloud. “Where is Havilah, and is it abundant in gold?”

  “Further on in Genesis,” Marissa commented, “in the Table of Nations there is a reference that people of Havilah as being Arabian in origin.”

  The map of Saudi Arabia grew brighter than the surrounding area.

  “By the records I’m accessing,” Alex agreed, “gold, bdellium, and lapis lazuli are all prevalent in this peninsula.”

  “But where’s the river that flows through there now?” William inquired.

  “Maybe not now,” Alex said, “but possibly over 12,000 years ago there once was one.”

  A new holographic image appeared replacing the map. “This is a satellite view of the area as it appeared before the recent seismic shifts.” Spectral analysis blinked one by one, each in different colors until a single brown image remained.

  “Wow,” Marissa commented, examining this particular spectral topographical display. “It looks like Saudi Arabia was once filled with rivers which have long dried up.” She then ran her hand along one particularly long river, which ran eastward and ended just south of where the Tigris and Euphrates j
oined. “Did this old river ever exist in modern times?”

  The words Wadi Al-Rummah appeared above it.

  “It appears as if this river dried up over the last few centuries,” Alex commented. “Now only trickles of water in sporadic places remain. You know what is more interesting,” he then commented, accessing more information about the former river, “is that it is referred to by locals as the navel of the Earth.”

  “But the story in Genesis distinctly says the rivers divided into four branches,” Samantha pointed out. “And it clearly does not explain what Christine saw—navel or not.”

  “Bear with me,” Alex said. “I have an idea. But first let’s explore the last river, the Gihon flowing through the land of Cush.”

  “Which now leaves an even bigger problem,” Marissa noted. “The Kingdom of Cush is believed to be modern day Ethiopia.”

  The satellite image widened to incorporate this country. Few remnants of any ancient waterways could be identified on the spectral display. Those that once existed terminated far from the other three rivers or ended in the Nile.

  “Could Cush represent possibly a different kingdom or land?” Alex asked aloud, “or could it have been mistranslated through the years to mean Ethiopia?”

  “Maybe Cush represented the land conquered by the ancient Kassites,” Terzin surmised. “They were in control of at least part of Babylonia when the nation of Israel was founded.”

  “Overlay this map with that of the land believed to have been owned by the Kassites,” Marissa asked.

  A yellow area highlighted on the satellite image. Encompassing northern Saudi Arabia and leading up to southern Iraq and southwestern Iran, a single river soon became evident as the spectral analysis changed colors in order to enhance it.

  Above the riverbed, the words Karun River appeared. Its path went southwestward through the Kassite Empire and joined just below to where Wadi Al-Rummah intersected the Tigris and Euphrates.

  “The Karun River,” Alex pointed out, “has been dammed for many years, leaving its previous paths almost unrecognizable.”

  “Did the flow of these rivers in your vision look anything like this picture?” Marissa asked.

  Christine shook her head no. “I remember what I saw. It was as clear as day, and that’s not it.”

  “I think we need to go back to the drawing board,” Samantha concluded. “This is a dead end.”

  “Don’t give up yet,” Alex said. “What I showed you all was a satellite picture of the area taken over a year ago. While we’ve been talking, I’ve been able to obtain a current satellite view of the area.”

  “How recent?” Samantha asked.

  “It’s a live feed,” Alex said. “Neurono-Tek placed multiple mini-satellites into space for different scientific purposes.” He pointed to his contacts. “It’s what my vedere lens links to when I’m receiving images of a particular area.”

  A new picture of the Middle East appeared, replacing the old one. Though the hologram was vivid in nature, its geography appeared completely foreign.

  Samantha gasped at the sight. Over two-thirds of Africa was now underwater. Plus, the former lands of Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Iran were also mostly inundated.

  “It seems as if more of this area is being lost to the sea each minute,” Marissa noted, comparing this image to that recently seen on the Maternal Mark. “Where’s the Persian Gulf?”

  “Let me overlay this picture onto a faint image of the area before the tectonic shifts,” Alex commented.

  A new image appeared showing the entire Persian Gulf now devoid of any water, with the Saudi peninsula currently connected directly to Iraq.

  A tear ran down Terzin’s cheek. What have I done? she lamented, still blaming herself for the catastrophe.

  “Humor me on this,” Alex said. “You see the locations of the four rivers highlighted here in red. What if I run the same spectral analysis profile on this current satellite image as I did on the previous one. Take a look.”

  The image changed color and contour until a brown hue overtook the entirety of the holograph.

  “I’m going to enhance this image and take into account every contour abnormality on the Earth’s topography, searching for any discernable pattern,” Alex said, while making a few calculations.

  After about a minute, a new image appeared. Intricate waterways lost for millennium suddenly relinquished their secrets.

  Christine walked up to the map and ran her hand in the direction of the four previous rivers. What was not obvious on the preceding image became apparent on this one. Lost waterways no longer present from these ancient rivers suddenly emerged. As she followed them one by one, Christine noted how they now all converged on one spot that was once inundated by the former Persian Gulf.

  “That’s how it looked!” Christine said enthusiastically. “This is exactly what I remember.”

  “The great flood along with the massive tectonic shifts must have made these ancient rivers either change directions or completely cease to flow,” Alex noted. “No wonder it was never discovered before. The evidence had been hidden for millennium.”

  “Eden,” Marissa said in awe.

  Chapter 29

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  “When they all left, this whole ceiling was dark,” Murph explained. “Then, about an hour later, it lit up like a flashlight.”

  They all gazed at the dome above them. Brilliant stars forming constellations were set on a backdrop of an ancient but familiar planet. Hundreds of thousands of small, tiny crystals created the amazing picture. The vividness of the image made it appear to be more of a crisp picture than any type of etched drawing.

  Each constellation was directly superimposed on a different continent.

  Drew took a pen-like device from his pocket and held it up towards the ceiling. He shook it a few times as if the sudden motion would somehow activate it.

  “I told you nothing works down here,” Murph said. Moron.

  “Excuse me?” Drew exclaimed. “Did you just call me a moron?”

  “Ah, sorry,” Murph said, slightly embarrassed about the thought.

  “He did mention that this cave fosters one’s telepathic abilities,” Jules said, looking over towards Drew. As a warning, he added, “One must therefore control what one thinks, especially if it is towards another individual currently present.”

  Yes, sir, Drew thought.

  “Very good then,” Jules replied.

  “If this picture is supposed to be the Earth.” Drew noted, while pointing at the dome, “it’s nothing like I’ve seen before.”

  “I think it’s the old Earth before the great flood,” Murph said.

  He then pointed over to one of the crystals and began to relay in great detail the story that unfolded in front of his eyes after he grabbed it. Jules and Drew listened intently, not stopping to question or interrupt him.

  “And that point right there,” Murph finished, “looks like where the cradle was located.”

  “Middle East?” Drew commented.

  “Persian Gulf area,” Jules agreed. Turning to their guest, Jules said, “So you say this presumptive key that looks like a shield is the only thing that can nullify the cradle’s effect on the planet.”

  “You got it, Mr. Windsor,” Murph responded. “That’s about as much as I can remember from what I saw.”

  “Did anyone else happen to stumble upon this cave other than those you mentioned?” Jules asked.

  “Nope.”

  “Did you happen to tell any other soul about what happened here?” Jules again inquired.

  “You guys were the first people I spoke with since Christine left this place with that guy Alex and his friends,” Murph answered.

  “Well then,” Jules concluded. “I guess our work is complete down here except for one little thing I must tend to.” He then looked over to one of the crystals levitating above the pedestal. “Let me ask you Murphy, was it that crystal that provided you with such an amazing vision?”

>   He turned away from them and pointed at a different one in the opposite direction. “Like I said,” Murph noted, “It was that—”

  His words were abruptly curtailed as he coughed up blood and fell to his knees. Turning around, he noted Jules with a bloody dagger in hand and a matter-of-fact look on his face.

  “We certainly cannot leave any loose ends lying around here Murphy,” Jules said as he sliced the man’s throat. “I do hope you understand.”

  Murph reached out his hand as if to beg for mercy, but the rapid blood loss made him quickly lose consciousness and fall face down.

  Taking a white rag from his pocket, Jules cleaned the knife and threw the rag on the dying body.

  “Well then,” Jules finally said after inspecting his weapon for cleanliness and placing it back into one of the jacket’s side pockets. “I think we both know where we should be headed.”

  Drew was appalled at such a senseless act of violence. However, showing Jules any sign of disagreement, especially now, would mean both the termination of his career and possibly even his life.

  Doing his best to act as if nothing unusual had just occurred, Drew pointed at the dome. “But this is so vague. Where exactly do we need to go? With the electromagnetic instability only getting worse, it’s not like we’ll have the luxury of scouring the entire Persian Gulf area without significant interference.”

  “Don’t worry,” Jules assured. “My dear friend Alexander will lead the way. Now let us cover up this place and hide it from any pesky trespassers while I’m gone.” He stared at the dome one last time. “Let’s be off before the grid lines shift and strand us in this God-awful city.”

  Chapter 30

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  “Stay still,” Marissa said, holding William’s neck. “I can’t place this anti-nausea chip if you’re moving all around.”

  She held him by the shoulder and steadied a syringe-like device along the nape of his neck. After giving it a little press, she removed the compact medical gadget and placed in in the black bag she wore around the shoulder.

  “It’s not me,” William said, “it’s Tom’s flying and these jet engines. They keep going on and off every few minutes. I’d feel safer in front of a firing squad than having to fly another minute on this stratoskimmer.”