“You were saying a few days ago that a ship that big in ancient times would have collapsed as soon as it was floated onto water. This explains why it could be so big.”
Locke saw the irony of arguing for the case of Noah’s Ark being a boat, when before he had been the one arguing against it.
“And the window and door?”
“I don’t know,” Dilara said. “Openings in the cave? What I do know is that this text clearly states that Noah’s Ark is a cave inside Mt. Ararat.”
“It does explain why no one has ever found it. New caves are still being discovered all the time. The problem is that Mt. Ararat is a shield volcano, which don’t typically contain caverns.”
“Why not?”
“Caves are usually carved out by water over millions of years, and Mt. Ararat is too young for that to happen. Most large caves in the world are found in limestone, which is soluble and can be dissolved by slightly acidic water.” Locke had learned that little tidbit when consulting on a sinkhole collapse in Florida that destroyed an entire mall.
“But remember those big lava tubes that we explored in Hawaii?” Grant said.
“I didn’t say it was impossible. How does the flood fit into all of this?”
“The flood was the disease,” Dilara said. “Garrett told me that he had to modify the prion from its original form. Waterborne diseases were virulent and common in the ancient world. Still are. Typhoid contaminates drinking water in many countries. But when the original translators misinterpreted the ark as a ship instead of a container, they must have assumed the references to the waters meant a flood, not a plague.”
“A flood of waters upon the earth,” Locke said, “to destroy all flesh.”
“What if the prion disease in the amulet attacked any animal matter, not just humans?” Dilara said. “If this prion disease was released into rivers and lakes, it would wipe out every living thing in that watershed. The only trace would be bones. No flesh. To people who rarely ventured 30 miles from where they were born, it would seem like God had cleansed the earth.”
“And Noah would have had to take all the animals he wanted to save with him. Once the disease destroyed everything, the remaining prions would die out or reach the ocean, where the salt water would kill them.”
“If Noah didn’t know how long it would take for the disease to subside, he might have built a huge ark, enough to feed him, his family, and his animals for months.”
“So when the Bible talks about the waters of the flood,” Locke said, “it means that the waters
“And if it was a particularly rainy season,” Dilara said, “it would look to Noah like the rains were the harbinger of doom. It even fits sending out the raven and the dove to see if the waters had abated. The raven never returned because it was killed by the prions. With some reinterpretation of dates and wording, everything seems to fit.”
“But it doesn’t explain how the prions were related to the amulets. Everything we’ve found implies that the prions are
“We’ll have to find the last amulet to know for sure, and to do that, we have to find the Ark.”
Chirnian had been interpreting the conversation as it proceeded, and Father Tatilian had listened attentively without comment. But at this point, he exclaimed through the interpreter, “No, it would be best if you did not find the Ark.”
“Why not?” Locke asked.
“Because if true, this information will cause much distress and confusion. We consider the Bible to be the inspired word of God, carefully compiled over hundreds of years, so a fundamental challenge to something as important as the story of the Flood is very serious. It would undermine our confidence in our understanding of much of the Old Testament.”
“We have to find it,” Locke said. “If we don’t, there will be no one left to debate the point.”
“God will not let the earth be destroyed again. His covenant with Noah was clear. ‘Neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of the flood.’ He would not let this happen.”
“But we’re not dismissing that promise,” Dilara said. “First, ‘all flesh’ is an important phrase. Sebastian Garrett just wants to wipe out the human race, not all flesh. That’s why he spent so long modifying the disease in his lab. He specifically designed it so that it wouldn’t affect animals. Second, what if we’re the ones who have to stop him from wiping out all flesh? We could be God’s soldiers who will prevent it and preserve God’s covenant.”
“God helps those who help themselves,” Locke said.
“The Bible doesn’t say that,” Father Tatilian said.
“I know. Benjamin Franklin’s words, not mine. But I think they ring true.”
“The Bible is infallible. This story about the cave cannot be true!”
“If we find the Ark,” Dilara said, “it will support the Bible, not hurt it. It will finally provide physical proof that the book of Genesis has an historical basis, that it’s not just a book of faith or literature. And the people who want to believe it is literally correct can continue to do so. It’s the human translators who were fallible, not the words themselves. With just a few changes to the text, the story is still accurate. So the King James version needs a little tweaking? So what?”
The priest scowled, but he didn’t object. “I will have to pray for guidance on this.”
“It’s up to you how you want to reveal this chamber,” Locke said, “but you’re going to have to bring the local police down here to retrieve these remains.”
Father Tatilian nodded. “This discovery will change everything about Khor Virap.”
Dilara stared at her father’s prone body, but her eyes held no more tears.
“They’ll take care of him, Dilara,” Locke said.
“I know. At least he died knowing he was right.”
“He would want you to finish his work.”
“And I will,” she said with conviction. “Let’s go find Noah’s Ark.”
SIXTY-THREE
The word would get out quickly that a map to Noah’s Ark had been found, either through the priest or the interpreter. Translating the map and text would take longer for the Armenians because they’d need to get someone with Dilara’s expertise, but Locke wasn’t worried about them. He had to assume Sebastian Garrett was on his way to the Ark, and Locke had to move fast to get to the site first.
Locke returned to Yerevan with Grant and Dilara, where they reboarded the Gordian jet to fly the short distance to an airport in Van, Turkey. Using the plane’s satellite phone, Locke updated Miles Benson on their progress.
Locke kept his father out of the loop, knowing the military would take over the search and try to secure the prion for itself. Not only that, but if the Turkish government got any hint that they had discovered Noah’s Ark, their access to Mt. Ararat would be denied. They had to keep their expedition quiet if they wanted any chance of stopping Garrett without creating a major international incident and handing over the prions to another party.
By the time they arrived in Van, it was already dark, too late to attempt to find the Ark cave. They would have to wait until morning, which gave Locke time to gather some of the supplies he needed for the expedition. He had some mining contacts in western Turkey who could provide him with what he required. While he did that, Dilara, who spoke fluent Turkish, chartered a helicopter for the 100-mile flight to Mt. Ararat.
The final job was to acquire some muscle to add to their ranks. Garrett had at least Svetlana Petrova, Cutter, and the two guards who had been with him when he escaped. Locke didn’t like the idea of being outnumbered five to three. Grant, using his military contacts, found three mercenaries who could make it to Van from Istanbul before dawn. Locke had outfitted the jet with enough weapons to arm himself, Grant, and Dilara for the trip. The mercenaries would supply their own weapons.
Then it was a matter of waiting for daylight. Locke told the pilots to find a hotel in town, but he, Grant, and Dilara stayed with the plane, sleeping in the cabin. Even with the comfortable furniture, they slept fitfully.
