“First we need to isolate the Godstone, so that no one else is infected. Ideally we should seal it in a glass jar, but even wrapping it in a couple of layers of plastic will do. While you do that, I need to call my mother. It will have to be by radio – I don’t want to draw attention to us now. She is the one we need, no one has more experience with the God sickness then she.”
“I think I’ll go with you.” David decided. “I need some more information.”
Marianne got some Ziploc sample bags from her kit.
“We will take care of this end Dianna, you make your call, then maybe you can give us some idea of what’s going on.”
Michael and Joe carefully packed the stone into the bag she was holding. They also gathered all the loose fragments they could find and added them. Then they sealed the bag, and put it into another, and sealed that, until the specimen was wrapped in six layers of plastic.
Meanwhile Dianna and David went back to the camp to use the phone.
“I didn’t know that your mother was in medicine, Dianna.” David remarked.
“I’m afraid there is a lot about me that you don’t know, David. Now is not realty the best time to discuss them. Once this crisis is past, I will tell you everything, and you will understand the reasons I kept them from you.
For now accept that my mother is not the woman you know. And my true mother is the one we need right now.
For, difficult as it may be for you to accept, you four have been under sentence of death ever since the moment you touched that stone.”
“Why? And why us – surely you have to worry as well?
How do you know that we will get this disease?
And how do you know about it if no one has contracted it for thousands of years?”
“Firstly, that stone contains a powerful infective agent of alien origin. It is part of a meteorite which fell about twenty seven thousand years ago. Anyone who touches it will be infected, although it is not infectious in any other circumstance. And it can be deadly if not treated correctly.
I will not get the disease because I have immunity earned the hard way.
That is why I know about the disease and that my mother can cure it. She cured me when I contracted it.
Please just trust me for now, I haven’t gone crazy yet – and once we are through this, you will understand everything.”
“But who is your real mother?” David asked.
“Her name is Athena, but she is mostly known as Tina.”
David
Dianna is very special.
I don’t know why latest find has disturbed her so much, and nothing seems to be making sense, but she seems sure that she knows something we don’t.
There’s a lot I don’t understand. I suppose she must be adopted, I wonder what her real mother is like.
Apparently there’s a whole lot I don’t know about her.
She seems to be very sure that we will get sick. But how could she know?
And if it’s true, shouldn’t we be going to hospital. She doesn’t seem to want us to go to a local hospital.
She is probably right at that – if we have some weird disease we should probably try to get to South Africa – they have a number of world class hospitals there which specialize in strange diseases.
My mind seems to be wandering; I suppose I am trying to distract myself. I hope she is wrong about this plague thing.
What is the commotion now? All the workers are leaving. I suppose Dianna has given them leave. I wonder what excuse she used to cover our problem. If the authorities hear about plague, we will be quarantined forever.
Here are the others now. They are looking tense and worried.
I wonder who this Athena is that Dianna is calling.
Michael
I wish I had paid more attention to the fact that the niche in the pedestal was closed, but one expects the important thing to be on top of the pedestal, not inside.
I wish I knew how Dianna fits into it all. There’s a lot more to that girl than is visible at first sight.
At least she has given me the clue I needed to complete my translation of the plaque. If what she said about the Godstone is correct, the segment about the disease and the sleep of the dead starts making sense.
The infected person goes into a coma, and wakes up changed. Could it be some form of symbiote which modifies the genetic structure while the victim is in a coma?
That means that we are not just dealing with another (if older) version of the classical spring myth. This is actually the original source – the beloved going into death and coming back to become the god.
I wonder what kind of changes they are talking about. Maybe if I read the writing on the walls, I will get more of an idea. Once all this is resolved, I need to have a long talk with Dianna.
Marianne
I got into archeology to find adventure, but this is more than I ever expected.
Why does everybody seem so calm? I feel like screaming my head off – but I suppose it wouldn’t be professional.
Dianna seems to believe that this stupid stone represents a death sentence to all of us.
I don’t understand why, since I have never heard of anything like that. Surely that kind of thing would have received a lot of coverage. And if she says it hasn’t happened for thousands of years, how can she know about it?
I wonder who her real mother is? I never knew that she was adopted!
I just wish this was all settled, so that life can go back to normal.
And I need to have a long talk with Dianna – there’s a lot she needs to explain!
Joseph
I’m not quite sure I understand exactly what’s going on here. The change in Dianna is incredible. She has taken command as if she has never done anything else in her life..
I wonder what this godstone is about. Never in all my years in archeology have I heard of anything like that. How can a stone make us sick?
Strange, but I believe Michael knew what she was talking about almost before Dianna spoke up. He was definitely reading the plaque before he opened it, and I could see the revelation in his face after Dianna spoke up. I know he is a language specialist, but none of us have seen a script like this before.
Unless Dianna has…
At least I am in good company; Marianne and David seem as lost as I am.
This Temple (as Dianna calls it) is totally out of context with Great Zimbabwe. It is definitely not African, and I as far as I can see it even older than great Zimbabwe.
Somehow I get the impression that it is a lot older than the rest of the site. Maybe it was the reason Great Zimbabwe came into existence, as well as the obvious prosperity it enjoyed.
I wonder what kind of people built it?
Marianne called the pottery Jomon. If I remember correctly that is Japanese. But the writing is not Japanese or even Chinese. I would place that closer to a very ancient form of Egyptian. That would make the temple in the region of two to four thousand years older than great Zimbabwe.
If that is true, this is the most important find of the millennium.
I hope Dianna is wrong about our getting sick – but somehow I can’t believe that.
I sincerely pray that I may survive to explore this site myself. The implications are staggering.
Dianna
I admit I was taken totally by surprise.
We knew there should be a temple at Great Zimbabwe, but no one expected the Godstone. We all believed it would be another empty nest, like Michael and Marianne found in India.
The priests must have been preparing for an induction when they were captured and killed. I suppose it was either some faction fight, or a new invader who had heard about the powers of the priests.
I believe the last was probably true, that would also explain why the temple was sealed off so carefully – the conqueror would want to cut off the source of their enemy’s power.
If only I known that the temple contained a live godstone. I hope Athena comes in tim
e.
Strange, after all these years I’ve found someone I can really love, and now I have a good chance of losing him.
I wish I could call Athena mentally, but I can’t take a chance to alert the enemy.
They wouldn’t know what we were talking about, but Ares is sure to suspect something unusual if I call from here.
I will feel a lot safer when we have a team here. We need at least a couple of enforcers, with maybe some telekinetics and a detector to ensure that we are not infiltrated.
I would like to explore this site more thoroughly, but I’m afraid our plans have been changed for us. I wonder how Tina wants to handle the situation. Maybe she should bring in doubles for the five of us; I would prefer the enemy to stay in the dark until we have all of them safe
I know that the godstone sickness can be controlled and the mortality rate is almost nothing compared to the past, but I would hate to lose any one of these people. Any one of them would be an asset to our cause; even with just the talents they were born with.
But to me more important – they are my friends…
Interlude
Ethiopian Highlands, North Africa ca. 17000 BC
Centuries had elapsed since the godstone thrust itself into the lives of Awaki, Anzashi and their fellow tribesmen.
Over the years the village had stratified, and the immortals had learned to move about to minimize the impact they had on the local population.
As the population grew, they were able to hide their numbers more easily.
They developed the temple system, which allowed them to recruit and train those they thought worthy and induct them into their ranks if they were suitable. The temples also allowed them to move about unnoticed.
By changing their names and moving to other towns, at times changing hair color, they managed to move amongst the people without them noticing that there were some amongst them who didn’t age like everyone else.
Where it became impossible to disguise, the exposed person could disappear.
In this way the immortals permeated the population of the fertile Ethiopian highlands. It was inevitable that they should control the government, both because of their natural capabilities, and the experience they were able to call upon.
Auf the wise ruled the land under the name Ra. He was renowned for his wisdom, and all people knew that he was favored by the gods.
In time the population became too large for even the fertile plateau to support. The hunters had to go further with each hunt, and the acres were becoming depleted by overgrazing and over cropping.
Discontent was growing, especially amongst the poor, skillfully fomented by the queen of Southern Ethiopia.
She was one of those who had been initiated and failed, although thanks to the leach craft of the immortals she lived.
She knew about the immortals, and resented them and the civilization they were building, so she delighted in flouting them whenever the opportunity presented itself.
Awaki the Wanderer, who was at this time known as Osiris was the chieftain of one of the semi-nomadic tribes living on the northern regions of the plateau.
As the unrest grew he requested an audience with the king.
“O wise and mighty Ra, your people have grown as numerous as the gazelle of the plains. Under your wise and benevolent leadership we have grown into a great and powerful people.
Know then, O Ra, that like the gazelle we have grown too many for the land to bear.
Mighty Lord, your children are fighting over hunting grounds and our farmlands are growing poor.
Thy subject has come to request my Lord’s help.”
“Speak then Osiris, how can your king alleviate his children’s lot?”
“Know mighty Ra that to the north of us there is a great valley, watered by the Nile, which is currently only used by a few tribes of wandering barbarians. If my lord would grant us permission, I will lead my tribe with as many volunteers as will join us to start a colony in that land.”
“Do you think it would be that easy to find volunteers, Osiris? I know things are getting hard, especially for the farmers.”
“Isis and I have been canvassing a number of people we think would do well, and we have had very good response. We believe that we would have no problem finding enough people from all professions. Also, once the colony is established we could accommodate a large number of the poor in the new lands.”
“Well then old friend, I believe your plan is feasible. If you can find the people you need, I will give you my blessings, and will be pleased to greet you as brother and ruler of the new land.
I will have my messengers proclaim my blessing on the colony throughout the land. If there is anything I can do, or you need anything, let me know. Go in peace”
“Thank you O King.”
Over the next couple of months the new tribe started assembling at the designated meeting place. Equipment and weapons were assembled and checked and supplies gathered.
On the first day of spring Osiris led forth the tribe headed for their new home. Ahead of them lay a long and violent road, for the small tribes in the valley didn’t take quietly to the invaders.
Ahead of the daily advance moved a screen of priests, declaiming Osiris’s rank and quality. They would enter the villages and proclaim: "Now hath come the lord of all things."
This was taken up by some of the local wise men like Pamyles who proclaimed “A good and wise king had appeared among us.”
Many of the smaller tribes decided to join the invaders. They knew that even if they resisted they would only be destroyed by the other tribes in the valley.
The strongest tribes would have nothing to do with the Egyptians and gathered at the third waterfall to stop them. They had accurate information on the invaders movements from someone in the troupe. They drew up in ambush in overpowering numbers led by the three strongest war leaders.
Just after noon the fastest runners in the defeated army entered their village. Chief Zindashe managed to stop one of the fleeing warriors.
“Denoshe, what happened? Why are you all running?”
“O great chief” Denoshe panted. “Our great army has been overthrown and our war chiefs slain. You know o chief that I have never run from a battle, but these people are not human.”
“Denoshe, I have known you for a long time, and as you say you have never run from an enemy, or exaggerated more than most, but are you sure we have been defeated? “
“My Chief, when dawn was breaking, a falcon flew over our lines. The next moment it gave a cry, and our leaders and the greatest of our warriors were struck down by bolts of lightning. Then we were taken from behind just where we were concentrated to overpower the enemy as they passed between our forces.”
“I saw war chief Kawashe lead a charge against the chief of the enemy, he they call Osiris. The next moment he was struck down as with a fighting stick, and taken prisoner by the enemy’s men.”
“That was when I took to my heels, because I realised we had no chance to prevail, and someone had to carry word back.”
“What do you suggest we do my friend?” Zindashe asked.
“My chief, I believe the best thing to do, would be to approach the man Osiris, and ask for peace. From what I have heard, he will be willing to listen to you.”
As Gods Above Page 8
