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    The Babylon Effect (The Apocrypha Book 3)
    The Babylon Effect (The Apocrypha Book 3)
    The Babylon Effect (The Apocrypha Book 3)
    Ebook302 pages4 hours

    The Babylon Effect (The Apocrypha Book 3)

    By Rob Shelsky

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    About this ebook

    A sealed vault discovered in the ruins of ancient Babylon reveals the knowledge of Eridu, “the First City of Mankind.” But what are the records doing in Babylon? Then, two archaeologists discover a terrible secret there. Before they can communicate their findings to anyone, they pay the ultimate price for this discovery with their lives. First, graduate student Harvey Keynes dies, stabbed to death, and then Professor Gregory Pitt is brutally murdered soon after.

    DARPA sends agents Kyle Fortnum and Jenna Blakely of the Department of Defense to investigate. However, this is not by choice. Someone, or “something” is blackmailing the agency and Vera Bennington, Kyle and Jenna’s boss, has no choice but to give in to the demands. Now, Kyle is under suspicion, thought to be in collusion with the unknown blackmailer, and so a possible traitor.
    Arriving in Iraq, the two agents struggle to solve the riddles of the murders and try to unlock the key to the secrets of the underground chamber. But powerful foes are at work. Kyle and Jenna, along with their friend, “Ant,” a private detective, fight to achieve their goals while trying to stay alive, because someone wants them dead.

    All around them dark forces gather, arrayed against them. The world trembles on the brink of a terrible crisis. Then, when an otherworldly Artificial Intelligence alerts them a secret cabal plans to trigger a nuclear war, the two DARPA agents become desperate to stop this.

    Theirs is a race against time.

    What is the secret that caused the deaths of the two archaeologists? When discovered, Kyle learns it is an earthshaking one. But can the agents keep the clock from ticking down to nuclear Armageddon for all humanity?

    Or is the Babylon Effect unstoppable and all their efforts in vain?

    The Babylon Effect, by bestseller author Rob Shelsky, is a science fiction suspense novel with all the answers. With the introduction of agents Kyle Fortnum and Jenna Blakely as the protagonists, the thriller world will never be the same again.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPermuted
    Release dateDec 2, 2014
    ISBN9781618684158
    The Babylon Effect (The Apocrypha Book 3)
    Author

    Rob Shelsky

    Rob Shelsky is an avid and eclectic writer, and averages about 4,000 words a day. He has several novels to his credit and two anthologies, with two romances out now, a Regency romance, Verity, along with the sequel, Faith, and soon to come, a time-travel romance.Rob has written science fiction articles for such magazines as The Internet Review of Science Fiction, numerous articles for AlienSkin Magazine, Neometropolis, Midnight Street (UK), Doorways, and other publications. Rob has had short stories published with Jim Baen’s Universe, Aberrant Dreams, AlienSkin, Gateway SF, Fifth Dimension, Continuum SF, Sonar4, Uncial Press, Planetary Stories, Pulp Spirit Magazine, Sex & Murder, and many more. He has a novella coming out in early 2010 with Aberrant Dreams Magazine’s first hardcover edition anthology, The Awakening. Rob’s novella, Avenger Of The People, will appear there alongside the works of such sci-fi greats as Alastair Reynolds, Ian Watson, Jana Oliver, Robert Madle, and just so many others. There is even an introduction by Jack McDevitt.Rob has a short story, Green Waters, now out with Sonar4’s Phase Shift anthology, and a paranormal story, Light On The Moor, coming out with Smashwords and Amazon.com.Now, Rob Shelsky is not only a writer, but a contributing editor for Currate.com travel articles, as well as being a reviewer for Novelspot. He is also a resident science fiction columnist for AlienSkin Magazine.Although widely traveled and continuing to travel, Rob now lives in North Carolina. He enjoys contemplating ideas for new stories while watching the sunsets over the mountains and sipping a glass of red wine, preferably a decent Merlot.Oh and check out this site for my Smashword books:Ebookswelove.com

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      The Babylon Effect (The Apocrypha Book 3) - Rob Shelsky

      DEDICATED IN MEMORIAM

      TO

      GEORGE A. KEMPLAND

      Author, Friend, And So Very Much More

      1929 — 2013

      Wherever You Are Now, George,

      May You Always Be Happy, At Peace, And Enjoy Yourself.

      Wherever You Are,

      I Hope I May Get To See You Again… Somewhen.

      CONTENTS

      DEDICATION

      PROLOGUE

      CHAPTER 1

      CHAPTER 2

      CHAPTER 3

      CHAPTER 4

      CHAPTER 5

      CHAPTER 6

      CHAPTER 7

      CHAPTER 8

      CHAPTER 9

      CHAPTER 10

      CHAPTER 11

      CHAPTER 12

      CHAPTER 13

      CHAPTER 14

      CHAPTER 15

      CHAPTER 16

      CHAPTER 17

      CHAPTER 18

      CHAPTER 19

      CHAPTER 20

      CHAPTER 21

      CHAPTER 22

      CHAPTER 23

      CHAPTER 24

      CHAPTER 25

      CHAPTER 26

      CHAPTER 27

      CHAPTER 28

      CHAPTER 29

      CHAPTER 30

      CHAPTER 31

      CHAPTER 32

      CHAPTER 33

      CHAPTER 34

      EPILOGUE

      ACKNOWLEDGMENT

      ABOUT THE AUTHOR

      PROLOGUE

      [nam]-lugal an-ta èd-dè-a-ba [eri]duki nam-lugal-la

      "When kingship from heaven was lowered, the kingship was in Eridu."

      —The Sumerian King List, referencing the City of Eridu,

      First City of Mankind

      Good God! Professor Gregory Pitt exclaimed. He stared with amazement into the dim interior of the unsealed chamber. A cloud of ancient dust motes drifted in the air before him. This obscured his view of the tomb-like and deeper, shadowy confines. The dust also formed a hazy mist of a memorial to the efforts of the workers, those who had toiled to remove the final stones sealing the vault.

      However, just as God had denied Moses entrance into Jericho, the archaeologists had denied the laborers leave to enter the room. The Promised Land of this chamber was not for the likes of the common, even if they had done all the work.

      I think it’s intact, undisturbed. If that’s so, this is a hell of a find! His assistant, graduate student, Harvey Keynes, played his flashlight about the interior of the once-hidden space. Close to where the two stood at the unblocked entrance, his light was strong. The beam stabbed into the room, flitted about, and dispelled the shadowy vagueness of the immediate area.

      Everything here was in a stark black and white contrast. Aged carved stones stood out in glaring rough relief. Shadows were well-defined pools of unfathomable darkness. Farther away, there was little middle ground between brilliant exposure and hidden inky depths. It was there, in the dim recesses, across an open space of dust-carpeted, stone flooring, the light revealed stacked gray bricks.

      These piles were taller than the average person’s height. They were in long straight rows. These seemed to stretch away forever into the distance, for when Keynes shone the light farther into the room, the blackness of the massive space seemed to swallow his illumination, engulf his feeble light to the vanishing point.

      Professor, it’s incredible. What a find! This is huge. What is it for, do you suppose?

      Pitt’s response was immediate. I’d say, judging by all those stacks of cuneiform tablets, this is a hall of records, or perhaps a library of some sort. It looks undisturbed. Doesn’t it?

      Now the younger man turned to the older one. By the reflected glow of his flashlight, Pitt could see the harsh glint of unbridled eagerness in his assistant’s blue eyes.

      If it is a library, it’s on the order of the one in Alexandria in size, only much older.

      Pitt nodded. "Judging by how deep we’ve dug and this being situated at the bottom of a ziggurat’s foundation, I’d say it’s a good deal older than Alexandria. This place must predate that library by at least a couple of thousand years, or more. Think what might lie hidden here, what secrets, what lost history."

      He pointed. There, Keynes, that engraving on the monolith next to the first stack of tablets. Can you make it out? Your eyes are younger than mine.

      Keynes trained his light on where the professor indicated, but he didn’t venture into the room. Bound by the stringent requirements of modern archaeology, he knew all too well nothing could be disturbed in any way until they had taken all proper precautions. No contamination before controlled investigation. This was a basic maxim of modern archaeology.

      Pitt saw him squinting, the better to try to make out the carving on the stone there, he supposed.

      It’s writing, Keynes said, cuneiform, of course.

      Can you make out what it says? Pitt, the taller of the two, had leaned forward, but it was as if an invisible shield barred him, too, from entering the room.

      Let me see… Keynes hesitated as he concentrated on the strange hatch-like marks. "I think it reads, Herein dwell the sacred works of the mighty place, or maybe it says guidance place, I can’t be sure—a bit vague on that, I’m afraid." Now he turned to the professor with an apologetic look.

      Go on, Pitt ordered, knowing he must sound impatient, and even by the weak illumination, probably looked it, as well. Is there more?

      Yeah. Keynes turned back to stare at the monument again, played the glow of his flashlight over the stone surface. Once again squinting, this time to the point of almost having his eyes closed, he said, "Let’s see…then it says, Dwells within this place the secrets of the holy mysteries of the Lord of Earth, the Champion of Mankind, the Giver of Knowledge, he of the Dread Anunnaki. Then below there’s an image of a caduceus, a double helix snake, I think it is."

      Is that it? Pitt asked in a strained voice.

      "Well, let me see. It also says near the very bottom something—can’t quite make it out—it’s faded too much to read from here, about being …the repository of knowledge of the reign of the most august King Alulim, Ruler of the Mighty Place for 28,800 years, and of King Alalngar, he who ruled for 36,000 years. There’s more, but I can’t make it out."

      My God! Pitt exclaimed. "That’s straight from the King’s List. He leaned against the left stone jamb of the entrance, pressed his back against the rough rock there. Oh, my God, he whispered. It’s a complete library about the first city of mankind, Eridu."

      And the God, Enki, Keynes added, in an awed tone of voice, the Lord of the Earth. But in Babylon? What’s it doing here, miles from the site of Eridu’s ruins?

      It seems, one of the early kings of Babylon felt the need to preserve the records of Eridu, and had them moved here for some reason. And why not, Keynes? Pitt asked, as he stared down at his younger companion, his dark eyes glittering like gleaming anthracite in the lamp light. After all, they were important. Do you realize we may just have stumbled on the oldest written records of humanity, the world’s most ancient library, and it’s full of detailed accounts of the times of the very first city on Earth?

      Keynes didn’t say anything. Instead, he nodded.

      Now Pitt hit his stride. Who knows what secrets are in these tablets? And we’ll be the first to find out. He stared into the dim recesses of the ‘library,’ as he said this. We’ll have to work at this day and night, Keynes. Time is of the absolute essence. We have to get as much done before word leaks out.

      Professor, word always leaks out, Keynes protested. You know how hard it is to contain something like this in the academic community.

      I don’t expect to contain it, Pitt countered. I expect to manage it, if only for a while. We’ll pass the word around we’ve discovered an archive of invoices and accounts, which we think will give us valuable insight into the average life of an Eridu citizen, but nothing more.

      But, Professor Pitt, that’s a lie.

      Now Pitt’s dark eyes, like twin orbs of obsidian, turned on his assistant.

      Is it? he asked, in a quiet voice. How do you know? How do either of us know what’s on those tablets until we’ve begun reading them?

      Yes…yes, Professor Pitt, Keynes stammered. I understand.

      Do you?

      Yes, sir.

      "Good. Then you will issue a preliminary report based on what I’ve just said. After that, get the rest of the personnel down here. I want a safe path to the first row of tablets made. Have all the other areas caution-taped off.

      Oh, and Keynes, he added, as his assistant started to head back along the subterranean corridor.

      He turned back. Yes, Professor?

      For your press release, play down the size of this place, too. After all, we haven’t measured it yet. Have we? Pitt gave him a conspiratorial wink.

      Keynes shook his head. No, sir, he said. Then he left, heading for the vertical shaft and the ladder located there.

      As if already forgotten by him, Professor Pitt once more turned to survey the gloomy chamber, made much more so by the lack of Keynes’ flashlight. The thoughtless lad had taken it with him. Pitt stared into a dimness that seemed almost palpable.

      Now we’ll know, at last, he said in a low voice. The answer to the ancient mystery may well lie here.

      * * *

      Keynes made his way through the glaring heat and beneath the blazing sun of a brilliant Iraqi day. He strode toward the work tent he shared with the professor. He had to draft the press release. He hated doing such administrative tasks, would far prefer to be working with brush in hand, using care to uncover some artifact.

      Working for Professor Pitt in the pits is the pits, he said aloud. Then he smiled at his poor witticism. Others seldom laughed at them, but Keynes didn’t care. The important thing to him was he did.

      CHAPTER 1

      The phone call from Vera Bennington, his liaison and nominal boss at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA had been terse. In fact, so abrupt had her communication been, so imperious in nature, Kyle Fortnum figured something major had to be up.

      Vera had summoned him, and in every sense of the word. In response, he’d made his way to Arlington Virginia, to the glass-fronted edifice that towered there on Randolph Street. The building was the headquarters, or as he often thought of it, the citadel of DARPA.

      Now he sat in an uncomfortable chair in Vera’s office. The thing was of modern design, all chrome with thin blue cushions. The chair was placed right in front of her desk, aligned with it to a military precision.

      The hot seat, he thought, as he sat down. One never felt comfortable in this chair and the problem wasn’t just the thin cushions, but Vera, as well.

      She wasn’t there yet. He had suspected this would be the case, so he waited for her to make her appearance. Kyle knew Vera was good at making one cool their heels. He was no fool. He knew the reason. The Department of Defense agent knew this was to heighten the interviewee’s anxiety, make them more nervous. Vera was good at using whatever psychological ploys she could to gain the advantage.

      Being of such a small physical stature, she had somehow to compensate for her lack of height, he supposed. Even so, in Kyle’s opinion she came close at times to manifesting a full-blown Napoleon Complex. That is, if women could even be accused of having such a thing.

      He was pondering this idea when a door off to his right opened. Kyle always wondered where the door led. Was it to some secret inner sanctum of Vera’s, some private suite, or did it just lead to the toilet?

      Kyle wouldn’t put it past Vera to pretend the door led to something grander than just a cubbyhole of a bathroom. She’d do this, if only to further impress her intended victims, leave them even more in doubt and apprehension about just what was going on.

      Yes, putting people off their guard, making them feel ill at ease, was a Vera Bennington hallmark. She excelled at it.

      Well, Vera said, as she swept into the room like an irate munchkin. You’re looking good. Have you been working out?

      This surprised Kyle. Vera was one who preferred to get right down to business.

      Uh, not really, he said.

      She appeared to examine him with a critical eye. Kyle wondered why.

      Well, no matter, she said, at last. In any case, it would seem you have some serious explaining to do, Agent Fortnum.

      Agent Fortnum? Whenever Vera used such formalities, Kyle knew he was in hot water.

      He gave her a practiced smile, one reminiscent of a plaster saint’s, meaning a placid and serene one, but without any real depth to it.

      Then he said in as calm a tone as he could manage, Well, hello, Vera.

      Don’t you hello me, she snapped, almost before he’d finished. I want to know just what is going on. Her eyes glared at him with a look that went far beyond penetrating. To Kyle, it was as if Vera was looking into his very soul, had judged it, and had found it wanting.

      Now, despite himself and like a child, he felt the urge to squirm in his seat. A great deal of effort on his part was required not to do this.

      He attempted a wan smile, before saying, I have no idea what you’re talking about, Vera.

      She rolled her eyes toward the ceiling in a blatant gesture of disbelief, before saying, Don’t even try that with me, Kyle. I damn well know better.

      Maybe, if you could explain to me a little, just what you’re talking about?

      Again, she rolled her eyes heavenward, this time, as if in exasperation. As if you didn’t already know. Very well, she said, as she dropped into the chair behind the desk, one too large for her small figure. She leaned forward, folded her hands and rested them on the center of the desk’s surface.

      Now Vera gave him an intent look, as she said, "Somebody has requested, and I use that word guardedly, that you be assigned to an archaeological dig, and in of all places, Iraq. Now, the question is, Kyle, do you have any idea who this someone might be? We’d very much like to know"

      We?

      Don’t be deliberately obtuse, she said. It doesn’t play well with you. And you know damn well ‘we’ refers to DARPA, the DOD, as well as the NSA, FBI, and most of the other government services. This matter has stirred up a real hornet’s nest, and Kyle, you may well be the one to get stung, if you get my drift.

      Although Kyle was beginning to have an inkling, he was still about to shake his head, when Vera said, Perhaps, I should add that when objected to being told, or rather ordered as to where to send our agents, this unknown someone threatened us.

      I beg your pardon?

      Vera gave a faint nod of her head. You heard me. We were told if we didn’t comply, do as he asked, then we would suffer consequences.

      He?

      She gave an impatient shake of her head. We have no idea if it is a man or a woman, which in itself is strange. Usually, our analysts can determine the probable gender by the way messages are stated and delivered. Not in this case. So it’s just an expression, a euphemism, if you will. We have no idea of the gender of the person. But the threat was real enough. I believe the exact word used was ‘disruptions’ in our ongoing operations, if we didn’t do as asked.

      Disruptions?

      Either there is a bad echo in here or you’re turning into a parrot, Kyle. Yes, I said disruptions.

      So that’s why you’ve called me here, to send me out on an assignment to Iraq?

      Now Vera’s eyes seem to bore into his, as if she was attempting to drill into his mind through such a metaphysical method.

      You know, she said, it’s very odd. I notice you didn’t ask certain things one might have supposed you would. For instance, one would have thought you’d have asked right off if we attempted to resist the request, or tried to find out who was behind it.

      Oh…yes. Did you?

      Did we what, Kyle?

      Feeling he was on very unstable ground now, Kyle said, Well, did you resist the request? Did you manage to get some idea of who was behind it?

      "Ah, now there are some interesting questions, at last. A little late in coming, perhaps, but interesting, nevertheless. Yes, Kyle, we did resist and for as long as we could. And as predicted, we suffered disruptions. They were tiny at first, slight glitches in computer programs, that sort of thing, just minor stuff. But when we continued to refuse, things became worse. Someone altered various important schedules. Appointments vanished from online calendars. Messages didn’t get through, just disappeared. Phone calls failed. Emails vanished. And so it continued.

      The longer we held out, the more these things worsened over several days. Of course, we tried our best to find out the source of all of these acts of sabotage, but it was amazing how difficult that was.

      Alarm bells went off in Kyle’s head. Had she found the source?

      Aloud, he said, And did you? Did you find out who was behind it?

      She unclasped her hands and leaned back in her seat. She sighed, and then said, Too difficult. Despite using our best hackers, we couldn’t trace the problems to one particular point of origin, which is odd in itself, because our people are the best. And as I’ve told you; we don’t even know if the perpetrator is male or female.

      Kyle mentally relaxed…some. She didn’t know.

      We were rather hoping you might be able to enlighten us in that regard. Can you? she asked.

      No, she doesn’t know, but she suspects something, he thought. Kyle felt trapped now, like some poor field mouse staring at a hawk soaring down out of the sky toward him. And worse, he was a mouse with no place to run. He knew denial would only take him so far. Still, he had no other option.

      Uh, no, I don’t think so, Vera, he said, trying to convey as much innocence, however patently false, as he could in his short disavowal.

      Now she leaned forward across her desk again. You don’t think so? And what does that mean? You have no idea? Or do you maybe have someone in mind? And while we’re playing a game of Twenty-Questions here, you might tell me why they requested you and nobody else. Any ideas on that?

      Me? he squeaked.

      Yes, you!

      He gave a small shake of his head. Then he licked dry lips, before saying, No, I have no idea. Kyle was lying through his teeth again and was afraid Vera could tell. Feeling the need to distract her, he asked, Just me? I was the only one requested?

      Vera’s eyes narrowed at this question. As a matter of fact, Kyle, there was one other person mentioned. The option of whether you included the agent so named, they left up to you to decide. Any ideas as to whom we’re talking about here?

      Ah, was all Kyle could think to say.

      Ah, indeed, Agent Fortnum. So you do have an idea?

      Agent Blakely? Kyle almost whispered this. Now he winced, waiting for the hammer to fall.

      It did.

      Ding-ding-ding! And there we have it, folks! Agent Fortnum wins the grand prize! What a surprise, ladies and gentlemen!

      You needn’t be so caustic about it, he said, knowing he sounded defensive. After all, it’s not a secret I like working with Jenna and have several times now.

      No, apparently it isn’t, not a secret at all, and not if an unknown person or persons with the power to bring DARPA to its knees, let alone the DOD, knows that fact. Kyle, I want some straight answers here from you, and I want them now. Just what is going on? And don’t tell me you don’t have a clue. I’m not buying that for a second! And before you start, let me just add, your career, and even your freedom, may be at stake here. Get that?

      CHAPTER 2

      Hi there. So how’s it going up at the dig?

      Harvey Keynes turned to regard one of the support staff who had just come out of the men’s latrine. He was a short, squirrely looking man by the name of Melvin Caruthers.

      Harvey would run into him and just as he was coming back from the dig, when he was at his most tired and dirty. This meant he was at his lowest ebb when it came to coping with this character. Most of the time, he managed to avoid the fellow. Still, now they were face to face, there was no help for it. He had to respond.

      Harvey summoned up a perfunctory smile. This was the best he could manage under the circumstances, not just because he was exhausted, but because of his natural aversion to this unkempt-appearing man.

      Oh, hello, Mel, he said. I suppose I’m doing well enough. We’re able to access some of the tablets, at last. I thought we’d never get to that point. It’s been a hard slog, but things are looking up.

      Melvin’s expression underwent a subtle change. His look became almost sly, as he asked, Anything interesting discovered?

      Harvey hesitated, but remembering Professor Pitt’s warning, he just gave a noncommittal shrug.

      Not much yet, I’m afraid. We’ve just opened the chamber, of course. Besides, the place appears to be some ancient bureaucrat’s idea of a vault for accounting records. So far, it’s all been tariff invoices, bills of laden, tax payments, and such. You know the sort of thing, general bookkeeping stuff.

      Melvin chewed at his lower lip, before saying, Sounds like boring crap.

      Again, Harvey shrugged. I guess it just depends on what you consider boring. It does give us a close look into the daily goings on of people who lived in the first city ever built.

      You believe Eridu was the first city?

      The Babylonians did, and since there seems to have been no other civilizations we can find predating Eridu that had cities, it’s a distinct possibility.

      Melvin looked as if he were about to say something else, so Harvey moved to cut him off.

      Well, I’m beat, he said, as he glanced down as his dusty and disheveled clothing. I’m for a shower before our daily ration of water runs out. So I best be getting to the hut before the others beat me there.

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