**Doctor Cecil Simon**
**24 September 2016**
**It has been sixty-six days since the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Park archaeology dig began. Unfortunately, it has been raining heavily for the past two days. The excavation has slowed as a result, though perhaps not slow enough. Doctor Hazel Blair told me that one of our workers was taken by government agents, perhaps the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Apparently, he had snuck out the previous night and was spotted in Salt Lake City. I only wished he was the last one taken.**
**More evidence of a civilization that once lived here revealed themselves to us throughout the dig. We even found some surviving writings, though they only brought us more questions. They were taken to the Saquu Elohi labs to check for authenticity, and I hoped they were fake since I was scared of the implications if they were not. Yet, the labs kept on giving a positive, causing a chill to go down my spine. Yet, the worst of it began by a discovery this morning. . . .**
# # #
The rain hit the tents within the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Park. The trees around the tents grew high, yet none was sprouted or uprooted within the dig site, as though the soil was too poor to grow in. Several workers, each having a plastic poncho over their tan clothing and hat, either checked on what remained of a dug-up wall or were digging, the dirt soft enough to dig it out with care. A few of them stumbled on the very edge of the dig site, and, with an excited cry, they began digging.
A blond-haired man leaned forward to his desk within a tent, magnifying glass in one hand and an old piece of paper on the desk, contained in a plastic bag. He saw the letters repeatedly, burning with questions with no answers coming to him. Soon, he set the magnifying glass down next to an ink bottle and grunted, tugging his yellow beard.
“Don’t strain yourself too much, Dr. Simon,” a voice said behind him, and Dr. Simon rolled his yellow eyes.
“Dr. Blair,” Dr. Simon said, turning around even as the sandy-colored folding chair squeaked in response. “I’m simply baffled by this.”
“Believe me, I am as well,” Dr. Blair said, stepping around and adjusting his hat, set upon his thin black hair. “It’s something that should be impossible to find on this side of the globe.”
Dr. Simon nodded, taking off his hat while keeping his eye on the protected paper. “If it weren’t for the labs authenticating them, I would’ve thought that it’s just a joke by the US government. An expensive joke, but a joke, nonetheless. After all, how else would there writing in Hebrew here in all places?”
“Indeed. Though, for what reason?” Dr. Blair asked, sitting down across the desk before picking up some paperwork from it, skimming through them with his orange eyes. “Why would the US government prepare buildings and scraps, treated so that they fooled even the Saquu Elohi labs, buried them within a national forest, and gather us all to dig them back up again?” Dr. Simon shrugged before shaking his head, rubbing his brow. “Not to mention how serious they’re taking it. Several of our workers disappeared for sneaking out, and I’m not sure what they did to that family that stumbled to the dig site.” Dr. Simon grimaced, turning away while readjusting his glasses. “I think this is legitimate.”
But Dr. Simon sighed, taking his glasses off. “It makes no sense. How can there be ancient Hebrew writings here, of all places, when Israel is on the other side of the world?” He got up just long enough to tap at once of the papers that Dr. Blair held. “I would believe it if this paper and several others were only a hundred years old.” Dr. Blair flipped the pages so that he read it, and his eyebrows rose. “That would’ve vindicated my beliefs. But, yet, the tests said that they are around two thousand years old.”
Dr. Blair rubbed his chin, leaning back. “There are the Ten Lost Tribes. Some say they came here to the New World and became Native American ancestors. Perhaps what we have is proof that this is what happened.”
Dr. Simon rolled his eyes. “Even if that was the case, the invasion from the Neo-Assyrian Empire that displaced them happened around 722 BC. I find it hard to believe that they maintained the Hebrew language so well that, even after seven and a half centuries, they would be identical to the ones from Israel by the time Jesus walked on this earth.”
“You never know. They proved themselves to be resilient people.” Dr. Blair leaned forward as Dr. Simon rubbed his head temples. “Remember the Dead Sea Scrolls? That’s proof that they maintained their writings and accuracy even centuries later.”
“Right.” Dr. Simon sighed, putting his glasses back on even as Dr. Blair put the paperwork back on the desk. They sat in silence, with the rain landing on their tent breaking it. He tugged his beard a bit before leaning back on his desk. “I still don’t believe this relates to the Ten Lost Tribes. Even if they somehow did get to the New World, there would be archaeological evidence. There are only so many ways to get here, such as going eastward and upwards through Asia until they get to the New World through boats, low tides, or even frozen landscapes. The massive amount of people traveling, whether through walking or sailing, would’ve left proof even millenniums later.”
“In the Bible, it’s said that Moses led the Hebrew people through the wilderness for forty years.” Dr. Blair took his hat off and set it on his lap even as Dr. Simon shrugged. “And no archaeological evidence was ever found of that travel. So perhaps it is God’s will that no evidence was left behind, and perhaps it was because of God that the same happened with the Ten Lost Tribes.”
“Once we put God into the equation, anything is possible,” Dr. Simon said, shaking his head before setting his hat on the desk. “But since you brought it up, why do you think God led them here? And why did their little civilization disappear? And, strangely, it seems to happen around or at the time of Jesus’s death and resurrection. So, why did God do all of this?”
“No one said that this civilization died by that time.” Yet, Dr. Blair turned away, rubbing the back of his head. “Still, you have a point. I just can’t think of any other reason.”
“Considering that you were born here, in Utah, that shouldn’t be surprising,” Dr. Simon said dryly, and Dr. Blair chuckled. Some wind blew in, fabric rubbing against each other as a lady stepped in, wearing a plastic poncho over her tan clothes. A red bandanna, covered in dirt, wrapped around her neck as her green eyes shined. “Dr. Cole, you’re late.”
Dr. Cole pulled off her plastic poncho and hung it against a stool with two others, with it dripping rainwater, before she sat down next to Dr. Blair, rubbing her orange hair a bit. “Apologies,” she said in a pronounced British accent. “My daughter was acting a tad wonky, and my son and I calmed her down for the past hour.”
Dr. Simon sighed, wiping his brow. “You shouldn’t have brought your children.”
Dr. Cole’s cheeks turned red. “I need to be there for them.”
“Indeed, after your husband’s unfortunate death, which you told us many times,” Dr. Blair said, and she glared at him. “We all wanted to be there for our kids if that happened to us. But this isn’t a safe place, especially because of whoever in the government overseeing this. You know what happened to one of our workers this morning, correct?”
“You tosser! Of course, I do!” Dr. Cole’s eyes flared up. “It just has been only a week after his death when your government agents came to my door and demanded that I work on this with you folks. I couldn’t disappear during my kids’ toughest times, which is why I begged for them to come with me.”
“It would be much wiser to leave them with the grandparents than bring them here.” Dr. Simon leaned upwards, an electric lantern shining down upon them. “Much less fuss. I still remember your son complaining about a lack of a TV since he ‘needs’ to watch those cartoons.”
Dr. Cole clenched her fists, with the knuckles turning white. “That was only a one-off, he is more into anime, and I brought him some manga and video games to keep him and my daughter distracted. So, are you going to lecture about my family some more, or will we talk about business?”
Dr. Simon grunted before picking up the paper, still within a plastic bag. “Both Dr. Blair and I discussed the report we got back from the Saquu Elohi labs. They say that this and others we brought to them are authentic and go back two thousand years.”
Dr. Cole blinked, and Dr. Simon put it down once more. “That’s impossible. How could there be Hebrew writing here when the Hebrew people were on the other side of the world during that time? That’s dodgy.”
“That’s what Dr. Simon and I noted,” Dr. Blair said. “What I think—”
“He thinks this was an act of God,” Dr. Simon said even as Dr. Blair rolled his eyes.
“I was suggesting that this might prove that one or more of the Ten Lost Tribes managed to get to the New World,” Dr. Blair said even as Dr. Simon gave a dry chuckle. “But he is doubtful.”
Dr. Cole rubbed her orange hair for a bit, her eyes shining. “Did they translate it along with the other writings we found?” Dr. Simon nodded, picking up a couple sheets of paper. “What do they say?”
“Nothing much, I’m afraid,” Dr. Simon admitted, flipping between the two pages. “They mentioned a lightless orb that grants visions in dreams.” He scratched his beard a bit. “However, they’re not sure if it came from YHWH or not. In fact, they seemed terrified by it. They also mentioned some kind of platform. I asked the workers to see if they could find what remains of it. It also said that they need to offer ‘black blood.’”
“Black blood?” Dr. Blair blinked. “What do they mean by that?”
“I am certain that they meant ink, though why they referred to it as ‘black blood’ is beyond me.” Dr. Simon tapped on the ink bottle on the desk. “Brought this along in case we need some spare ink, but it looks like we can—” he stopped, Dr. Cole turning away to her left. “Anything wrong?”
“Just feeling a tad dodgy about some discoveries the last couple of days.” Dr. Cole pulled out a small notebook and flipped through it. “I did a basic sketch on what remained of the buildings, specifically to see how big they are. From what I can gather, only a couple of them could count as a house, the rest being some kind of temple or palace. I would assume that this is a place for nobles or rulers, yet there’s no evidence of any treasure sorted here. No gold, silver, gems, or anything valuable.”
“Perhaps an invasion?” Dr. Blair suggested with a shrug. “They do happen, especially in those days.”
“Normally, I would believe that. But there would be smashed down walls, gashes by weapons like spears or arrows, or even fire damages.” Dr. Cole shook her head. “But there’s nothing. It’s like the people working on this just up and left, letting this place rot.”
Dr. Blair blinked. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“I swear.” Dr. Simon removed his glasses to rub his head temples again. “If it turns out this is nothing but a prank by the government, I will donate every cent I have to overthrow it.”
“Excuse me,” a flat, emotionless voice said, and both Dr. Cole and Dr. Blair twisted around.
Standing there, with a pair of arms behind his back, was a man whose face was as emotionless as his voice. He tilted his head a bit, his fiery orange eyes reflecting bright against the electric light, though the lantern flickered slightly. Dr. Simon turned up to the lamp for a bit, and when he turned to the newcomer, he already stood between Dr. Blair and Dr. Cole.
“Ah, sorry there,” Dr. Simon said, standing up and extending his arm. “We didn’t notice that you came, um—”
“Jonas, sir,” Jonas said, taking his arm out but only to readjust his tie, the only thing black on his white clothes other than his black shoes. “Assistant from Saquu Elohi.”
“That’s plain to see,” Dr. Blair said, with Jonas wearing a white lab coat over his suit.
Dr. Simon kept his arm raised until Jonas pulled his arm back behind his back, and he lowered his own. “So, Jonas, any reason why you came?”
“Just earlier,” Jonas answered, squeezing his left hand over his right, “the rain washed out a stone platform. There is a circular cavity on it, as described in the works that survived the ages.”
Dr. Simon blinked before putting on his hat. “That sounds like it. Show it to us.”
Jonas nodded and turned around, facing where the three plastic ponchos hung by the tent opening. Dr. Simon picked up the ink bottle before walking to them with the other two doctors. Soon, they wore the ponchos over their shoulders, their hats on their heads, and stepped outside. Rain landed on their hats and ponchos even as Jonas led them.
They went by multiple tents; many were smaller than the one they stepped out from, enough to fit at least two people. Several workers stood by the ruins, either digging them up or examining them, before they noticed the four walking by, and they paused. A young teenager with orange hair and green eyes poked his head out from one of the smaller tents, tilting his head at the four. But Dr. Cole shook her head at him, and he pulled himself back in.
Dr. Simon sighed, rolling his eyes even as they came to the stone platform itself, at the very edge of the dig site. A slight rift surrounded it, with it and the platform once covered in mud before its discovery. The surface was flat, though they spotted some carvings on it, and Dr. Simon gestured for a worker with an umbrella to come, and the worker unfolded it and held it over the center. He then put on a pair of plastic gloves before bending down and rubbing the surface.
At the center was, as Jonas described, a circular cavity, perfectly round and a few centimeters deep. Its edges raised up a centimeter higher before evening out with the rest of the platform, with nine lines coming out from the circle’s three sides. The lines, three each, meet with an equilateral triangle, each one pointing in the same direction, upwards. Dr. Simon leaned up, tilting his head at the triangles.
“I swear,” Dr. Simon said, blinking. “If we were in Israel, this would’ve made more sense.” Dr. Blair leaned over Dr. Simon’s shoulders, just as confused. “Still think your theory holds water?”
“Honestly, I’m not sure,” Dr. Blair admitted, standing up straight while shaking his head. “I heard that Jesus, the Messiah, came to the New World Himself, but to see a possible proof?” He inhaled for a few seconds. “First Hebrew, and now three of the Trinity symbols.”
“Ain’t I gobsmacked?” Dr. Cole said, squeezing Dr. Simon’s shoulder from the other side. “Though, it looks a tad wonky. In fact, it looks more like the three Trinity symbols are like seals to that circle rather than the circle being a part of them.”
Dr. Simon hummed, squeezing the ink bottle slightly before lifting it up. He then unscrewed the cap before tipping it into the cavity. The ink poured into it, and as soon as it became full, he tilted the bottle up and screwed the cap on.
A couple of seconds passed, and darkness spread onto the lines, pouring out from the crevice. Yet, when the ink reached each of the three triangles, they turned blue. Dr. Simon’s jaw dropped, rubbing one of the lines, but no ink stuck onto his glove when he lifted his hand up.
The symbol glowed as the ground shook, as first a low rumble. But it soon became worse, and Dr. Cole twisted around even as tents fell down. She gasped, her face turning pale before a young teenager stepped out from one of the tents, carrying a little girl with just as orange hair and green eyes, just as the tent fell down. She sighed a bit before holding her hand at them, and he nodded back.
A few makeshift platforms collapsed as the shaking became more intense, with a few trees falling out. Dr. Simon and Dr. Blair fell back; their faces were white as stone towers ripped out from the ground, white with glowing blue lines. All three doctor’s jaws dropped, their eyes widened, and their hats were blown off as more towers pierced through the ground, with more trees falling down. But Dr. Cole steadied herself and squeezed against the two men’s shoulders, the towers making some kind of pathway.
Soon, the shaking slowed to a low rumble even as a small white pyramid with blue lines poked out from the ground, no more than a meter tall. Multiple workers yelled out even as Dr. Cole helped the other two doctors back up, with them shaking their heads a bit. They soon stepped to the very edge of the stone platform, jaws lowered and eyes filled with wonder. Dr. Cole glanced back a bit before turning around in total, with Jonas just as unemotional as ever and with arms behind his back, no mark on his clothes.
The pyramid glowed brightly for a moment before a sphere formed above it. Its black surface was without a shine, as though looking through pure darkness, even as it expanded in size. Soon, it fully formed, floating 50 centimeters off the pyramid and 1.7 meters in diameter. Yet, Dr. Simon thought it must be some kind of illusion, though he couldn’t tell why.
The rain stopped, and the clouds parted, almost as circular and away from the floating orb. The rising sun shined upon the sphere, but it cast no shadow. It was pure black as possible, with no light reflecting.
Light’s Death.
# # #
**A strange object appeared before us, one that I think the government was after the entire time. How they knew it was here, I cannot tell. Yet, the events of the day didn’t end there.**
**When Doctor Jenny Cole touched the Spherical Abnormal Matter [SAM] two hours after it appeared, her body glowed and changed drastically. When she stopped glowing, her body changed into an anthropomorphic vulpine, her clothes already adapted to her new form. We couldn’t believe it was her until she proved her identity to us, though she couldn’t tell us why that had happened. But then, some government agents came and took her in along with several Saquu Elohi researchers not too long after.**
**They demanded that we be silent about everything that happened, and soon the SAM was taken to one of the Saquu Elohi labs. I then searched for Doctor Jenny Cole’s children, with her son unconscious and no way to wake him up, her daughter confused and asking for mummy. I couldn’t tell her the truth, so I asked a couple of agents to take them back to England. They agreed and said to me that the cover story regarding their mother was that she was murdered.**
**One final event that happened that curious day. After the children were taken away by sunset, I spotted a child where the SAM once floated at. I approached the child, who couldn’t be more than ten, a boy with dirty blond hair. When he turned to face me, his eyes, which were sea blue, went up to my own.**
**I asked him how he got here, but he asked if I felt happy. I didn’t know what he was talking about, so I grabbed the kid’s hand. He refused to move from his spot, instead asking if my personal happiness was worth any tragedies that may come. He gave me a necklace, an upward-pointed equilateral triangle, when I answered no. I only looked away for a moment, but when I turned back, he disappeared. When I asked Doctor Hazel Blair if he saw that kid, he told me he didn’t. To this day, I still don’t know what happened.**