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Authors: Alex Lukeman
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him? He can't stay here, he's a Tom. Once he recovers he won't be happy inside like this."
She was right. In California, Burps had been king of the woods around Nick's cabin. He'd lived in the open all his life.
"I couldn't leave him in California, he would have died. I was thinking he could live at the Project. Lots of room outside, mice to chase, a fence to keep the dogs away. Trees to climb, if he wants. Kind of a perfect cat retirement home, if you ask me. We owe him. It's why I brought him back East."
As if he knew what they were thinking, the cat looked up at Selena with half-open eyes and gave a loud, contented belch.
"That would work." She looked at him. "What's the matter? You've got that serious look you get sometimes."
"I've been thinking about what you said. About seeing someone. I made an appointment with a counselor for tomorrow afternoon."
"You did?" She was surprised. She hadn't thought he'd do it.
"He's on a list of people with security clearance. He specializes in PTSD and he was in Afghanistan. That's one reason I picked him. I couldn't talk to someone who hasn't been through it. They wouldn't understand."
As Selena petted the cat, she felt uncertainty twist in her gut. Things are going to change. If he goes to the first appointment. If he keeps going. She wanted him to go. Things couldn't go on like they had been, she was certain of that. But no one could predict what it would stir up.
She'd have to wait and see.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
A spiral staircase behind a three inch steel door led down into the Project operations center. Except for the lack of windows and the absence of external noises, the room could have been anywhere in the normal world. The walls were painted a light peach color. Soothing landscapes hung on the walls, Selena's doing. The ceiling was high and light, painted off white. The room felt comfortable and spacious. In essence, it was a luxury cave.
Nick, Ronnie, Selena, Lamont and Stephanie sat at a table facing a wall monitor displaying a large map of Saudi Arabia. Stephanie had a keyboard and laptop in front of her, linked to the Crays in the other room.
North of Saudi Arabia lay Iraq and Kuwait. The northwest was bordered by Jordan and the tip of Israel. West was the Sinai Peninsula and Egypt. South was Yemen. After Yemen came Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. On the west lay the Red Sea and on the east, the Persian Gulf. Iran was not far away.
Nothing but trouble , Nick thought.
"Here's the problem," he said. "All we've got is speculation and guesses. People have been looking for the Ark for a long time. Some of them looked in Saudi Arabia and no one's ever found anything that matters. We can pick a volcano, but we might as well throw darts at the map. It's a waste of time without knowing more. Any ideas how we should proceed?"
"If we knew the route Moses took, we might be able to pin down the mountain where he got the Commandments," Ronnie said. "He didn't have the Ark before that."
"You're assuming the story in Exodus is true, or at least based on facts."
"We have to start somewhere."
Selena said, "No one knows the route, just that the Exodus started in Egypt. The Israelites head east and God parts the waters of the Red Sea."
"How come this mountain is supposed to be in the Sinai?" Lamont asked. "They wouldn't need to cross the Red Sea to go there."
"Depends on where they started from," Selena said. "If they started in the south of Egypt, they might have crossed it. It's possible they started from an area northeast of modern Cairo. If that's true, they wouldn't need to cross the water. The story about the Red Sea could be just that, a story to illustrate God's power and protection."
"You know," Nick said, "the more I look at this map, the less I buy the idea the Ark is in Saudi Arabia. Put yourself in Moses' shoes."
"Moses didn't wear shoes," Lamont said. "He wore sandals."
Selena rolled her eyes. "What are you thinking,
She was right. In California, Burps had been king of the woods around Nick's cabin. He'd lived in the open all his life.
"I couldn't leave him in California, he would have died. I was thinking he could live at the Project. Lots of room outside, mice to chase, a fence to keep the dogs away. Trees to climb, if he wants. Kind of a perfect cat retirement home, if you ask me. We owe him. It's why I brought him back East."
As if he knew what they were thinking, the cat looked up at Selena with half-open eyes and gave a loud, contented belch.
"That would work." She looked at him. "What's the matter? You've got that serious look you get sometimes."
"I've been thinking about what you said. About seeing someone. I made an appointment with a counselor for tomorrow afternoon."
"You did?" She was surprised. She hadn't thought he'd do it.
"He's on a list of people with security clearance. He specializes in PTSD and he was in Afghanistan. That's one reason I picked him. I couldn't talk to someone who hasn't been through it. They wouldn't understand."
As Selena petted the cat, she felt uncertainty twist in her gut. Things are going to change. If he goes to the first appointment. If he keeps going. She wanted him to go. Things couldn't go on like they had been, she was certain of that. But no one could predict what it would stir up.
She'd have to wait and see.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
A spiral staircase behind a three inch steel door led down into the Project operations center. Except for the lack of windows and the absence of external noises, the room could have been anywhere in the normal world. The walls were painted a light peach color. Soothing landscapes hung on the walls, Selena's doing. The ceiling was high and light, painted off white. The room felt comfortable and spacious. In essence, it was a luxury cave.
Nick, Ronnie, Selena, Lamont and Stephanie sat at a table facing a wall monitor displaying a large map of Saudi Arabia. Stephanie had a keyboard and laptop in front of her, linked to the Crays in the other room.
North of Saudi Arabia lay Iraq and Kuwait. The northwest was bordered by Jordan and the tip of Israel. West was the Sinai Peninsula and Egypt. South was Yemen. After Yemen came Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. On the west lay the Red Sea and on the east, the Persian Gulf. Iran was not far away.
Nothing but trouble , Nick thought.
"Here's the problem," he said. "All we've got is speculation and guesses. People have been looking for the Ark for a long time. Some of them looked in Saudi Arabia and no one's ever found anything that matters. We can pick a volcano, but we might as well throw darts at the map. It's a waste of time without knowing more. Any ideas how we should proceed?"
"If we knew the route Moses took, we might be able to pin down the mountain where he got the Commandments," Ronnie said. "He didn't have the Ark before that."
"You're assuming the story in Exodus is true, or at least based on facts."
"We have to start somewhere."
Selena said, "No one knows the route, just that the Exodus started in Egypt. The Israelites head east and God parts the waters of the Red Sea."
"How come this mountain is supposed to be in the Sinai?" Lamont asked. "They wouldn't need to cross the Red Sea to go there."
"Depends on where they started from," Selena said. "If they started in the south of Egypt, they might have crossed it. It's possible they started from an area northeast of modern Cairo. If that's true, they wouldn't need to cross the water. The story about the Red Sea could be just that, a story to illustrate God's power and protection."
"You know," Nick said, "the more I look at this map, the less I buy the idea the Ark is in Saudi Arabia. Put yourself in Moses' shoes."
"Moses didn't wear shoes," Lamont said. "He wore sandals."
Selena rolled her eyes. "What are you thinking,
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