Chapter 4

Miriam stared blankly at the screen where the news of Williams’s death was being talked about. She could not believe her eyes. It was how many hours since she last spoke to him? Three? How come there was news of a crash involving him? The loud sound of her phone ringing jolted her out of her thoughts. She blinked and turned to stare at the phone on the table. Lazily, she dragged her legs to her bed and settled on it.

She picked up her phone from her bedside table and turned it in her hand, thinking about what to do. It was a call from the headquarters, and she knew they had seen the news just like she had. Perhaps, they were calling to inform her or to ask questions? She was not sure which.

After letting her fingers dance on the screen for a while, she accepted the call and placed the phone against her ear. The familiar gruff voice of the chairman, the board of committee of the archeology department in the school, came from the other end of the phone, confirming her thoughts. They had heard.

“Miriam, are you there?” He repeated when she was silent. She cleared her throat softly, pushed her black her, sucked in a deep breath, and nodded.

“I am, Mr. Simon. Good morning,” she said in a small voice.

“I presume you heard the news,” he said, going straight to the point. Couldn’t he be more empathic? This was one of the reasons she did not like him.

“It is quite unfortunate,” she responded, keeping her voice as flat as she could.

“Did you know about his return?” He asked. She blinked rapidly. He was trying to box her into a corner.

“Yes, I did.” Her reply was monotone. She was not going to throw Williams under the bus, especially not when he was dead.

“I presume then that you know about the artifact he was conveyed back to the country. I want you in the laboratory in one hour!” He commanded, then hung up the phone. Miriam bit hard on her bottom lip, stared up at the ceiling, and let the tears she had been keeping fall.

She was heartbroken. To her, Williams was not just another professor in the department. He was a friend, one she looked up to. His death only reminded her about her fickle life. One second, you could be talking to someone, and the next second, the person was gone. Slowly, she pushed herself up from the bed and began making her way to the bathroom.

She stripped off her clothes, got under the shower, and turned it on, letting the hot water blast on her skin. As the water cascaded down her body, tears dropped from her eyes, clouding her vision. She clutched her chest tightly, bit on her bottom lip, and gently fell to her knees. Her agony was extreme. After spending more than ten minutes in the bathroom, she dragged her feet out of the bathroom and walked to her closet.

Her eyes fell on the black gown that she detested and always referred to as a dress for funerals. It seemed fitting for the occasion now. She picked it from the closet and threw it on, then threw her hair up in a ponytail. Without casting a glance at the mirror, she turned and walked out of the room.

The sun was just rising. The faint orange glow which caressed the blue sky, running its fingers along with the clouds, made the day seem cheery. Couldn’t the sun at least have some respect? Some hours ago, the sky threw over thirty people out of its territory, resulting in their deaths. Couldn’t the sun do better than to smile on a day like this?

As if hearing her thoughts, the sun became dim. She flagged down a taxi, told the driver her destination, and settled in. She did not miss the look of confusion that the driver shot her way, but she chose to ignore it. She could not blame him. She would think she had gone crazy if she were in his shoes.

“We are here,” the driver alerted her. She blinked softly, then stared up at him. Her head turned in the direction of the building as she stared. The atmosphere looked gloomy, or maybe it was all in her head. She pulled some crisp notes out of her purse, paid the driver, and got out of the car.

She stared up at the letters at the top of the university gate and sucked on her bottom lip before making her way into the university environment. She passed many students along her way, some of whom gave her small nods, but she had her focus on getting to Simon’s office. Perhaps after then, she would be able to think clearly.

She heard his voice before she saw him. He was talking to his staff, shouting commands as usual. She pushed the door open, making all eyes turn in her direction. She sucked in a breath and nodded at them before turning her focus to Simon.

“You are early,” he said. Her eyes crinkled by the corner as she stared at him, trying hard not to show her disdain. She should not be mad at him. She had no reason to be. He did not kill Williams, after all.

“Why did you ask me to come?” She asked, making her way into the heart of the room. Salome, one of the scientists in the room, rose from her chair and offered it to Miriam. Gratefully, Miriam accepted the seat, settled in it, and stared up at Simon in question.

“We discovered that there was an artifact in the plane with Williams. Did you know about that?” He asked. It was no news that she and the late professor had been best of friends, so it was also not a surprise that she was being asked such questions.

“The Crystallon? Yes. He wanted to bring it back for experiments to be carried on it,” she responded. Simon hummed in response. He stroked his chin lightly and turned to Salome.

“You and Jamie will come with me to see the president. Miriam...” He turned to her. She lifted an eyebrow in question. “…you will wait right here for me. No excuses,” he commanded. She wanted to protest, but realizing that there would be no need, she snapped her mouth shut and nodded in agreement.

Simon, alongside Salome and Jamie, walked out of the school environment and got into his car. Salome shot a smile at Jamie, took his hand in hers, and gave it a light squeeze during the drive. Jamie was also affected by the death of the professor since he was someone Jamie looked up to, and Salome wanted to console him as much as she could.

The car stopped in front of the White House, and Salome stared up at it in awe. Despite that they came here at least twice every week, the sight of the magnificent house never failed to marvel her. It was the biggest building she had ever seen. Simon drove the car in, when the gate parted open, and offered the guards greetings.

The driveway was long, and the path was lined with neatly trimmed flowers. Their scent filled the place, leaving its sweet smell everywhere. Simon drove the car into the garage as directed by the security guard. As soon as he parked the car, they jumped out and turned to the security guard.

“Welcome, Mr. Simon“ The guard greeted. He had Raymond written on his tag. Salome was not surprised that a security guard at the presidential villa knew Simon’s name. He was famous, after all.

“Thank you.”

“The president asked that you be taken to the conference room. This way, please.” He led them into the villa and toward the massive staircase. As if reconsidering, he ushered them toward the elevator and let them get in before going in behind them. He pressed the button for the top floor and shut the doors.

The silence in the elevator as they rode up was deafening as each person thought about what the matter could be. They guessed that they were to be deployed to the site of the plane crash, but they were not scientists unless… The door dinged before sliding open. They all trooped out. Raymond took them down the hallway where a huge door stood. He pushed it open, revealing a huge room with a massive table in the middle.

Sitting around the table were delegates from the US Army and other forces, which Salome could not recognize.

“This way, please,” Raymond said, urging them into the room. Jamie took Salome’s hand in his and led her toward the table while Simon went to the opposite side of the table. They offered their greetings to the men and women who were already sitting around before settling at the table. There was an officer and a soldier seated at the table, three scientists, whom Salome recognized as scientists from Harvard, two officers from the Air Force, and the Minister for Internal Affairs.

Salome pushed, adjusted her hair which was falling to her face, and let her blue eyes dart around the room inquisitively. She had no idea what the meeting was for, but she guessed that it had to do with the crash and the professor in it. Perhaps it was about the staff? The large doors were pushed open, and the president walked in along with his security agents. Everyone seated around the table stood up and waited till the president had settled into his seat before sitting down.

“Greetings to you all,” Storm, the president, greeted after clearing his throat.

“Greetings, Mr. President,” echoed around the table in response. He crossed his hand on the table and looked from one person to the other before resting his back and chewing on his bottom lip.

“We heard really sad news this morning. A professor of the archeology department was involved in a plane crash. We are still waiting to know the cause of the crash, but...” He paused his speech and took a look at everyone in the room before continuing. “There was a staff made from a rare gem onboard the plane. The staff was believed to have been transported by Professor Williams. We have to get it before the Egyptian government claims it,” Storm declared.

“How are we certain that it was being transported by the professor? It could have been carried by anybody else,” one of the officers sitting close to the president asked. On his tag was written Freeman. Salome recognized him as the general who was always in charge of major operations in the country. She twisted her fingers and looked from Storm to Freeman. It was rumored that Freeman was rigid when it came to making decisions.

“The flight was coming back to the US. We have rights toward anything and everything that was on the plane. Besides, Williams was a citizen of the US,” Storm responded sternly.

“What do we do then?” Simon asked. He looked like he was meditating as he stared from one person to the other.

“We have to get there before the Egyptians do. The plane crashed approximately five hours ago. We need to do something and do it fast. We will lose rights if they get there before us,” Storm said.

“But...”

“No buts, Freeman.” He cut in quickly. “We need a team of two archaeologists, some soldiers from the US Army and Air Force. The team will be led by General Freeman...” Salome’s shoulders tensed at the announcement. She stared from one person to the other, and at that moment, she knew they were all thinking the same thing.

It was certain now that Storm was trying to spite Freeman. He could have chosen anybody else. Regardless, his orders had to be obeyed. He was president, after all.

“…and two scientists alongside a team of doctors. You all have the responsibility of checking the Crystallon and bringing it safely to the US. You leave in an hour. Get everything set,” Storm commanded, pushed his chair back, and began making his way out of the room. Quickly, chairs were pushed backward, and people began trooping out of the room, each wanting to be ready before the stipulated time.

“Salome...” Simon called when they got out of the building. Salome and Jamie were walking in the opposite direction to catch a cab that would take them to their apartment. She turned in his direction and lifted one eyebrow. “Get into the car. I’ll drop both of you off. Besides, you are our best bet for this journey, so both of you have to be ready on time. You will go to Egypt,” he declared.

She stared warily at Jamie, confused about if to accept the offer or not. Simon had a thing for her, but she and Jamie were in love with each other. She had been doing her best to stay away from Simon, but he seemed to always be in the way, saying and doing everything possible to get her. His offer was pleasant since they were trying to save time, but she wasn’t so sure. Before she could make a decision, she heard Jamie’s voice as he accepted the offer.

Her shoulders slumped, and she made her way toward the car with Jamie’s hand placed on her waist. Simon got into the car and waited for both of them to settle in before driving out of the environment.