Free Zero Point by Tim Fairchild Page A

the sealed burial tomb.
    Couldn’t have planned it any better , Eli thought smugly as he tapped his extinguished pipe onto his boot heel and emptied its contents before entering the tent.
    Opening the canvas tent flap, he saw Maria sitting at a metal table preoccupied with her computer. She was unaware of his arrival amidst the drone of the portable generator, some twenty feet distant, providing the power to the camp.
    “Why don’t you take a break, Maria?” Eli said as she quickly turned, startled by his sudden appearance.
    “Oh, Dr. Turner, I didn’t notice you come in. I’m just finishing uploading the digital photos to the computer along with my documentation on each artifact,” she said with a smile that revealed to Eli a distinct weariness in her eyes after the many long days working on this project.
    “The last bus just left for the university,” Eli said, pulling up a chair and sitting down next to her. “This has been quite an extraordinary find, wouldn’t you say, Maria?”
    “This has to be the best quality Guanche artifacts and remains found to date, Dr. Turner. I’d go as far as saying this was the burial site for an important Guanche Chieftain, most likely a tribal leader, and his family. The anthropology department is going to have a field day with the nearly perfect mummified remains we have found,” Maria said as she saved the last remaining file. “Even the cloth remnants are in pristine condition, which must be due to the tomb being sealed off from the climate for so many centuries. Absolutely, a marvelous find,” she repeated softly as she slipped the backup CD into a sleeve and shut down her laptop.
    “Tonight looks like a go for us to begin work on the remaining sealed tomb where you found the parchment,” Eli said with a mischievous smile. “I had a feeling the crowds would get bored after a few days of nothing spectacular to report, and, with rain in the forecast tonight, we won’t be bothered with people looking over our shoulders. That way we can take our time doing a thorough study and documentation.”
    “It will be good to see Josh again, Dr. Turner. I‘m glad he and Samuel are finished on Grand Canaria. When will they be here?” Maria asked, carefully placing her laptop into its shock-proof metal case.
    “They should get here later this evening. I sent Paulo to the ferry landing in Santa Cruz to pick them up.”
    “Sure, he gets here after all the grunt work is done,” Maria said with mock indignation.
    “I’ll be glad to see him,” Eli said. “I look forward to working with him on this phase of the project.”
    They rose from their seats and were walking to the entrance of the tent, when they were met by one of the National Guardsmen coming in.
    Captain Rafael Saune was a hulking figure of a man possessing a no-nonsense persona. Normally stationed at the Guardia Civil barracks located near Santa Cruz, he and his three men had been assigned to the dig to maintain security at the site. His gruff attitude the past days failed to mask his pleasure at getting such a light duty assignment for a week or two, saving him from the daily grind of inspections and the constant reports he had to file. As a twenty year veteran, he had risen up among the ranks and become a trusted adviser to the Island administration. He also served now and then as helicopter pilot, providing tours to the many dignitaries that came to Tenerife from time to time.
    “Dr. Turner, there’s a man here to see you,” the Captain reported. “I told him to wait in the parking area below. He demands to speak with you. Shall I send him away?”
    “Demands to see me, huh? No, Captain, I’ll see him now. Probably a reporter,” Eli said exhaling wearily. “I’ll bore him to death with more monotonous details. I’m sure he’ll soon find an excuse to leave.”
    The three exited the tent and started down the dry and dusty path of crumbling basalt rock, ever mindful of their steps. At the base of the path