Collins looked at the screen, paused a moment, then glanced back at the senator. Then, slowly his eyes were drawn back to the large monitor.
'In short, Major, the president didn't really believe they would find anything of value. To his way of thinking, just the effort of two warring factions to come together would help in reuniting the North and the South after the war. There was one thing Mr. Lincoln overlooked, and that was the tenacity of the men involved. They brought back to this country, at the loss of three-quarters of the men and four warships, a relic that had sat atop a mountain in eastern Turkey for over ten thousand years. A lot of good American boys were left on that summit and in the slopes and valleys of that harsh and desolate place. And what they brought back, to what turned out to be for a murdered president and a country still divided, where hatred reigned unchecked, was the artifact you see before you. Some think it the Ark of the great flood, the ship that was supposedly built by Noah himself.'
Collins saw it as soon as it was said out loud by the senator. All the pictures he had seen in Sunday school, the stories he was told as a child, the ridiculous tales and movies of his adulthood, they all rushed in as if a dam had burst inside his mind.
'You mean to say this... this thing is
'As near as we can determine, the vessel is of pre-Sumerian origin, basically the cradle of civilization found between the Tigris and Euphrates river basins. The size, shape, and material of which it is made are a precise match to all biblical detail. Carbon-14 dating places it at some eleven thousand six hundred years in age, give or take a century,' the senator said in a more technical tone. 'We haven't any firm belief from science who built it; we have the legends of Gilgamesh and the Noah accounts, but that's not the approach we take here. Science says it's an ancient wooden vessel that's so old it petrified after it somehow landed on top of a mountain.'
Collins turned and walked back to his chair in front of the senator and sat heavily.
The senator smiled over at Jack. Every time he had shown this for the first time, he had seen it in their faces: amazement, awe, and fear wrapped up into one thought.
The senator stood and limped to a cabinet next to the credenza with the coffee on it. He reached down, took out a glass, and poured the major a glass of water. He limped back and placed it in Collins's hand. Jack quickly drained it and was glad for the break in conversation. It had been a long time since he could remember being caught totally unaware. This was more than just a little unnerving, yet extraordinary at the same time. The senator started talking again while adjusting himself into his chair.
'Now, do we here at Group live in awe of this one artifact, or do we learn from it? We have gathered so much data it's coming out of every file cabinet we have. The reason this is so important to this country, Jack, is the mere fact that we have learned that the dangers are there and are very real that we could be hit by similar floods in the future. This report has gone up the chain and plans have been made on how to deal with a similar Event if it happens. Before I let you catch your breath, Jack, I must tell you that the finding of the Ark, or vessel, was the first file in the Event Group's long and wondrous history. Altogether there are more than 106,200 files, from everything religion-oriented to possible werewolf attacks in France during the time of the black death, from possible sightings of electrically powered submarines during the American Civil War to a major conflict between Viking clans in Minnesota involving Sioux Indians seven hundred years before Columbus.'
Collins held Lee's gaze without comment.
'But that's just history; we study, we learn, we file it. But sometimes there is that golden nugget that can alter our government's way of thinking; for instance, the report detailing the history of the empire of Japan delivered from us to Roosevelt in 1933 by my predecessor warning of the historical tendencies of the Japanese. It was all there to see for anyone willing to dig a little deeper, dig like only the Event Group can. Our Group informed the president six full years before December of '41 that the United States was on a collision course with Japan, and we also gave him options on how to avoid a conflict. You see, we report, but in the end what the president does with the information is learn from it.' Lee smiled at Collins. 'Maybe he decided that what he learned from our report was that Japan would indeed attack us, and that would be enough to get us involved in a far more dangerous game in Europe with the Nazis. What do you think?'
'I believe I understand the need for secrecy; this information would unnerve a lot of people, and I believe I know why you need me.'
'No, Jack, you don't know just yet. We've lost a lot of people, good people, and we are sick and tired of it. The president has ordered Director Compton to take the gloves off. My killing days are far passed; I daresay I was almost as good as you at taking life for the right cause. But I'm an old man and my next big adventure is death. Niles here needs a man that is capable of defending the people he sends into the field, and so I started digging on his behalf and you are what I unearthed. I hope I have stated our case clearly.'
'I believe you have,' Collins answered.
'By that, I guess you see some of what we are about here and that you accept the task before you, that you are here to train and equip our security teams and make them a viable protective force. Niles and I are concerned over the recent escalation of deadly force against our people.'
'We are being pushed around by outside elements, and to put it bluntly and more succinctly, Major, you're here to push back, and push back hard,' Compton said, with the emphasis on the last four words.
'I believe I grasp the concept of the Group, but the times dictate how you react to certain situations. For reasons I've tried to explain, and have been banished from the troops I respect and care about for doing so, countries and people smell a weakness in the United States. To protect the people under you, Mr. Director, are you prepared to be offensive in nature?'
'Prepared? I'm ordering it, Major Collins.'
'Then you're halfway to really giving your people a fighting chance. Our current world is one based on speed. Everything is moving faster, and to protect your own you have to move even faster than your enemies, and sometimes sadly to say, preemptively.'
Niles nodded. 'But there is something you must know, Major Collins. There are those here in our own country that believe as you, only they are taking matters to the extreme. It seems there may be a group of superpatriots with highly placed sources that are attacking others and us with impunity. You are right, it's a world of speed and we are lagging behind. Whoever they are, they are killing my people and taking our finds, and I must stress, Major Collins'-- Compton clenched his fist--'that will be our undoing. Our knowledge is being stolen, by either outside sources for political gain, or factors from inside our borders for monetary or political reasons, and I want it stopped. The president says to start offensive operations to root these factions out. Get a light on them and bring them out into the open. And that is what you are here to do.' Niles paced and continued, 'When the senator brought you to my attention, I thought you might be just a thug, but reading your file and making a few calls of my own, I have found out you are quite intelligent and are constantly thinking outside of the box. MIT, UCLA, and numerous other institutions say you are worthy of being far more than you are. But I believe you were right where you wanted to be, protecting your men. That's why all the higher education--you learned so you could care for your people. I care about mine also, Major, but I can't do what you do.' Niles turned and faced Collins. 'Protect my people and I don't care how you do it.'
Collins looked from Dr. Compton to the senator. He sensed their sincerity about how important they considered the job they had offered him. He felt their sorrow and anger at the loss of their people, but he knew that regardless of the intent, he was out of his element.
'I am a soldier,' he started, looking from one man to the other, 'one who is still a career officer, even if the army has no more use for me. I will still have to get used to that fact. It's a new position for me you see, being an embarrassment, being one they have to brush under the rug, it makes it hard to look in the mirror. So if you wouldn't mind, I would like to reserve my answer for any permanent assignment until I can evaluate my options. But it would be my duty to start training your Group as best I can while I do that, is that acceptable?'
Lee looked at the floor a moment. He knew this was where Jack Collins would remain. The Joint Chiefs would never allow him to return to active duty. But how do you get rid of a Medal of Honor recipient without CNN crucifying you in the press? You hide him in the darkest closet in the American house, the Event Group. In the end Lee decided to let Jack have the illusion his fate was still controlled by himself, because without the Event Group the major's military career was done.
'Then tentatively speaking, Jack, welcome to the Event Group,' the senator said slowly, standing and limping around the desk with his hand extended. 'Your second-in-command, Lieutenant Commander Everett, will shed some more light on your duties here. He's good, Jack, real good. He's Navy, a SEAL, and he's been there, and it was he
