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     7.

.    Tom Drew, Head of Security and known affectionately as �Conan�, was already at the airport by 03.00 am.
     He�d overseen the loading of the O.S.I.R.�s technical equipment and supplies and now, almost two hours
     later, he was greeting his colleagues as they arrived for the 2 hour check-in. Tom could never have
     imagined himself working for an organisation like the O.S.I.R., he was an athlete, even qualifying for the
     Olympic Trials, but the bills needed paying. His wife and children supported whatever he decided to do and
     that turned out to be a stint in the LAPD followed by recruitment to the S.W.A.T. team. His marksmanship
     was outstanding and he found his skills being sought after by many Agencies in the constant battle against
     terrorism.

     He thought it was a joke when he was first approached about joining the O.S.I.R., yet there was something
     appealing about �chasing ghosts and little green men� and there was a great camaraderie within the
     organisation.

     Miles, Carradine and Donaldson arrived together; they�d shared a cab as they all lived in the same part
     of town. Diana Miles was a chemist of the highest order, passionate about her field; she was often teased
     by Axon who declared Chemistry to be merely a side branch of Physics. Letitia Carradine, Anthropologist
     and Linguist, her skills were invaluable on any overseas trip, and Dr Carrie Donaldson, professional and
     cool in the morgue, she had a wicked sense of humour and was the practical joker of the team.

     Dr Henderson arrived next with Max and Lucia hot on his heels. There was no sign of Axon. Tom led the
     team over to the check-in and went to look for Axon. He spotted him just by the entrance, Sally had just
     dropped him off and he was walking towards the automatic doors with Tim Winkler, another Physicist
     who often assisted Axon and was joining them on this case.

     �Peter, Tim� Tom beckoned them over.
     They acknowledged him with a wave and headed in his direction. �Okay guys?�
     �Er�yeah, sure� Peter moved past Tom and towards the check-in desk.

     �Peter!� Lucia greeted him with a joke �We thought you weren�t joining us� She frowned, Peter looked
     tired �Are you okay, Peter?�
     He smiled reassuringly, �Don�t fuss, I�ll be fine, just didn�t sleep too well�
     �Sit next to me on the plane and tell me all about it� she smiled back.

     8.

     The flight took off exactly on time, the huge engines screeching as the 747 lifted off the runway.

     Peter looked out of the window and watched the runway and buildings shrink away, the plane passed
     through the cloud and it spread below them like a cotton wool ocean. The Great Lakes were somewhere
     below and so was Sally. He had a sudden pang of regret at leaving her behind. She�d told him she�d found
     happiness for the first time in her life being with him, he wished he�d told her just how happy she made 
     him too. The marriage hadn�t gone down too well with his father. Peter had taken Sally to Bell Island to
     meet him and it had been a disaster. Ray Axon had always assumed his �wayward� son would return to the
     Island and settle down with him former fianc�e, Annie. There was an acrimonious scene and Peter and
     Sally had caught the ferry back to Newfoundland the next morning.

     �Peter?� He was startled out of his daydreams, �So, Peter, tell me about it?�
     �Excuse me?� Peter looked at Lucia not sure what she was asking
     �You were saying you haven�t been sleeping too well. Have you spoken to James?� she rested her hand
     on Peter�s in a gesture of genuine concern. Lucia had an empathy with those who were troubled and her
     soothing manner comforted even the most wary.
     Peter was grateful he could confide in her. She nodded as he described the troubling nightmare, �It�s
     more than a dream, more of a premonition� he sat back in the seat, resting his head back and stared
     straight ahead.
     �Have you ever been tested for Psi ability?� Lucia asked.
     Peter shook his head.� I may investigate it but I have no Psi abilities myself�
     �I wouldn�t be so sure, Peter. You know, probably we all have some latent Psi ability but it takes a
     dramatic event or a disruption in our lives to make it manifest itself. Not that I�m saying marrying Sally
     was a disruption,� she smiled �but it was a major change to your life, it could have been the trigger�
     Peter thought about it,� Maybe, but whatever it is I wish it would stop�
     �You�re not the first person to experience a premonition or precognitive dream who�s said that. You
     should try and rest now, Peter, it�s a long flight and Max will want you sharp when we arrive�
     Peter laughed, that was his old Case Manager Connor Doyle�s favourite saying ��stay sharp..�.

     Israel

     9.

     The plane taxied to the disembarkation gate and the passengers began to gather their belongings from
     under seats and the overhead lockers while the airport staff and cabin crew prepared for everyone to leave.   

     The team cleared immigration and headed for the carousel to reclaim their luggage. Tom was busy talking
     to the head of airport security in order to expedite the retrieval of the O.S.I.R. equipment from the cargo
     hold.

     Peter stood watching the endless stream of suitcases and holdalls on the carousel. Suddenly something
     caught his eye. He saw a robed figure on the far side of the carousel, there was something familiar about
     it, he turned to ask his colleagues if they saw it too when he was gripped by almighty pain in his head, it
     felt like a million red hot needles shooting through his brain, he dropped his passport and the paperwork
     he was carrying to reach up to his head, the pain intensified and Peter felt the world fade out.

     When he opened his eyes again he was in a hospital bed, Max was looking down at him �Gave us quite a
     scare there Peter. How are you feeling?�
     Peter looked around the room �Okay, I guess. What happened?�
     �You passed out, but the doctor�s haven�t been able to find a pathological cause. Remember anything?�
     �I remember standing by the luggage carousel�. I saw a figure�then the pain�and I woke up here.�
     Peter tried to sit up and grimaced at the way his head throbbed when he lifted it.
     �Take it easy, Peter� Max rushed forward �You need to rest up a while, James will be in to see you�
     Peter flopped back on the pillow, tired from the momentary exertion.

     10.

     The rest of the team were at the hotel. The mood was sombre as they sat in the dining area, nobody was
     really hungry and they picked and poked at the food before them much to the dismay of the Maitre d�
     �Peter is in good hands at the hospital. We�ll leave for the archaeological site early tomorrow as planned. 
     Has the equipment been sent on ahead Tom?�
     Tom nodded, �It was transported straight from the airport �
     �Good� Max continued, �We�ll be accompanied by Dr Avram Levi, our contact here. He�ll fill us in with on
     the finer details on the drive� Max looked round the table and saw that his colleagues� enthusiasm had
     waned due to their concern for Peter. �C�mon, we�re here to do a job. Peter is strong. He�ll be fine�
     �Has anyone called Sally?� Diana asked 
     Lucia looked up, �I was going to, but I don�t know if I should worry her until the hospital have finished
     doing all their tests�
     �Call her� Max said, �She has a right to know if her husband is unwell�

     11.

     By 08.00 am the next morning the team had assembled in front of the hotel and were waiting for Dr Levi
     and their transport to the archaeological site.
     �How did Sally take the news?� Max asked his wife
     �She was upset, of course, but calm. She wants to be kept informed. I�m just going to call the hospital and
     check on Peter before we leave� Lucia went back into the hotel lobby. As she disappeared back inside a cab
     pulled up next to the waiting team, a door opened and Peter Axon climbed out.
     �Peter!� Max moved towards him �What�s going on, what are you doing here?�
     �Don�t fuss. I�m fine� Peter smiled sheepishly �I was just tired. Can we get on with the investigation?�
     Max looked hard at Peter�s face. He certainly looked refreshed and nowhere near as languid as he�d last
     seen him at the hospital. �Any more symptoms and you�re straight back to the hospital, okay?�

     �Shalom! Hallo!� A man was striding towards Max � Avram Levi� he announced thrusting out his hand.
     �Hello..er, shalom Dr Levi. I�m Max Donizetti, Case Manager� they shook hands and Max continued with
     the formal introductions.
     �Let�s get going, we should make the journey before the heat becomes unbearable� He ushered everyone
     towards a bus further along the road. Lucia rejoined them and they climbed aboard the bus.

     The road out of Jerusalem wound it�s way past burnt out tanks, relics of the 6-Day War of 1967, and
     Bedouin tents pitched on the grainy scrubland. Children ran barefoot after the sheep and goats and waved
     at the bus as it passed. Soon they were on a long blacktop road that seemed to stretch as far as the eye could
     see. The air shimmered with the heat. The further they travelled from Jerusalem the fewer vehicles passed
     by. Soon they seemed to be the only vehicle on the road.

     �Dr Levi, you were going to brief us on the findings at the dig� Max prompted their contact.
     �Ah yes, strange business� he stroked his chin, shaking his head as he did so. �You probably know the basic
     details already. Three years ago, two British Professors were working at a site called Avdat. It�s been
     excavated many times so our Government were happy to give them access. What they didn�t count on was
     the discovery of a stone tablet. The inscription wasn�t very clear, almost indecipherable, but eventually they
     realised it was cuneiform script�
     �How did a tablet with cuneiform script find it�s way here?� Lucia interrupted �It�s Babylonian� she
     explained to the puzzled team.
     �Now that is only one mystery you have to deal with� Dr Levi laughed �Who knows, merchants, wandering
     tribes, prophets, it could have made its way here by any number of routes.�
     �So what did the tablet say� Anthropologist Letitia Carradine was eager to hear more.
     �In the first section, not a lot that we didn�t know already. It was the Babylonian story of creation. Apsu, the
     primeval begetter and the ocean mother Tiamat mingled and bore other gods including Ea, god of water,
     earth and wisdom. He eventually killed Apsu. Tiamat bore many monstrous offspring headed by Kingu, to
     wreak vengeance on the world. Ea�s son Marduk defeated them and killed Tiamat by slicing her in two.
     One half he used to create the firmament, the other half he used to create the heavenly bodies. Then he
     created man from clay and the blood of Kingu�
     Peter was frowning and shaking his head � What has all this to do with anything?� As a Scientist, he had
     little time for myths and legends.
     �Kingu was a bloodthirsty god. Not just in the sense of murder and mayhem, he was truly evil. His blood
     was used to create man, therefore, man was instilled with the same evil� Levi continued
     �But not all of mankind is evil� Carradine offered, �I know it�s just a myth but logically every person
     would be inherently evil according to the story�
     �True, but the stone tablet continued the story. Man was truly evil at that time, so Ea decided to destroy
     his own creation. Ishtar, queen of the heavens stopped him. Instead she gave Ea a device to capture the evil
     spirit of Kingu from all of mankind and to send it back to the �time of chaos� where it could do no more
     harm�
     �Hmmm� Max was still taking in the details and trying to get the story straight in his head �So Mankind
     gets all it�s evilness drawn out and sent back to the time of the big bang, so why haven�t we all lived in
     harmony ever since?�
     �At first we did, but Kingu�s evilness began to filter back through the portal, back from chaos and it seeped
     back into this world. That�s when Ishtar gave Ea another device so that the place where Kingu�s evilness
     had been despatched back in time was sealed to prevent any more of it returning �
     �I think it�s been leaking again� Tom commented sardonically.
     �Actually, you could be right� Levi continued with the story, �The final part of the stone tablet gave the
     location to the site where Kingu�s evilness had been despatched and then sealed�
     �The dig run by Hetherington and Kramer� Peter looked round at his colleagues in realisation of what
     they were about to encounter.
     �Precisely� said Levi.

     12.

     Sally had been dreaming about the honeymoon. She was thrilled when Peter suggested Hawaii, it was a
     world so far removed from the rainy climate of the British Isles she agreed immediately. Besides, her
     colleague Mark McGregor had left for Hawaii in 1998 to work on the British Gemini Observatory project,
     he had called and invited her over numerous times but she�d always declined.

     The Observatories, perched on the 4,200m summit of Mauna Kea, were a 34-mile drive from Kona Airport.
     Mark had arranged a VIP visit for Peter and Sally, which they made during their second week in the Islands.
     Sally remembered how she and Peter stood outside the Observatory on that freezing mountain top in the
     middle of the Pacific Ocean gazing up into the vast, clear skies that night. Peter held her close, and at that
     moment she knew she�d found heaven on earth with him. In the distance she could hear a bell�..and was
     jolted from soft warmth of that memory by the call from Lucia.

     Before she even answered, Sally knew it was bad news; there was no way anybody phoned so late unless it
     was urgent.  She didn�t know how she stayed so calm as Lucia told her about Peter�s collapse and his
     admission to the hospital. She hoped Lucia hadn�t detected the tremor in her voice as she calmly asked to
     be kept informed. Her heart was thumping wildly, her hands shaking uncontrollably as she dialled the
     departures desk at the airport to book herself on the next available flight to Israel. Her mind was reeling
     from the news about Peter; she had to be with him as soon as possible.

     It was after midnight in Toronto and the only flight available left at 04.00 am. It had a two-hour stopover in
     London, but that was okay, all being well she�d get to Jerusalem in the early hours of the following day. So 
     much for a shrinking planet.

     When the flight touched down at Heathrow, Sally left the plane along with most of the other passengers to
     stretch her legs and find a phone in the transit lounge. Lucia had given her the number for the hospital and
     she used her credit card to make the call. She thought the receptionist had misunderstood when she was
     told Mr.Axon had released himself from their care. Passengers were starting to head back to the plane as 
     Sally desperately called the hotel in Jerusalem. She felt a sense of panic rise within when the receptionist
     there told her the �Science Team� had already left for Beer Sheba.

     A young man had been standing nearby; he was studying Sally intently as she headed back to the plane.
     He�d been within earshot of the telephone call and he�d caught the names �Axon� and �OSIR�. David Doyle
     quickened his pace to catch up with the woman but she was already walking down the covered gangway into
     the plane. As he entered the plane he saw her settling back into her seat over on the right hand side next to
     the window. The seat next to her remained unoccupied and once they were airborne Doyle made his way
     along the aisle and sat down beside her. Sally was startled; to Doyle she looked exactly like the proverbial
     deer caught in a car�s headlights.
     �Sorry, I didn�t mean to creep up on you�
     �Can I help you?� Sally asked
     �Maybe we can be of help to each other? My name is David Doyle; I�m a friend of Max Donizetti. I believe
     your husband works with him?�
     Sally relaxed slightly, the young man was quite a looker, and she was drawn to the warmth in his eyes and
     nodded, �How do you know who I am?�
     �Er..I overheard you on the phone earlier, sorry..� Doyle looked down and shuffled his feet.
     �So, tell me, how we can help each other?� Sally shook her head in confusion �What are you doing on this
     plane?�
     Doyle began to relate the events of the last two weeks, glancing furtively round the plane and periodically
     lowering his voice although the drone of the plane effectively stopped anyone from eavesdropping. 
     �The CDC were called in after the workers on the dig east of Avdat began dropping like flies� he explained
     �At first they thought it was just a virus, but the blood work came up negative. The symptoms actually
     sound more like classical possession than any viral symptoms I�ve heard of�.
     �So have the victims of this �virus� now recovered?� asked Sally
     �Actually� Doyle stared past Sally out of the Cabin window at the approaching night, �They�ve all been
     locked up in a Mental Institution. I�ve got to warn the team before it�s too late�

     Continued on the next page.........

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