I heard Jennifer enter the front door of the office and rapidly began stroking keys, desperately trying to shut down the first-person shooter I was playing and bring up the boring archeology research I was supposed to be assimilating. I wasn’t quick enough, which was about par for the course in the game itself.
Getting my ass kicked by a bunch of thirteen-year-olds, now about to get my ass kicked by Jennifer.
“What are you doing? Are you playing that stupid game?”
Show apparent innocence…no proof…give up nothing.
“What? What do you mean? I’m studying. Just like when you left.”
Jennifer leaned against the door and shook her head, giving me her “disapproving teacher” face. I would never tell her this, because it would only encourage her, but the look really worked. I felt a little ashamed before she even opened her mouth.
“Pike, come on. This is our one shot at a real archeological expedition. You need to know this stuff, if for no other reason than to protect the cover. There won’t be any Taskforce oversight helping us out here. You need to look and sound like you know what you’re doing on this dig.”
Jennifer and I were partners in a cover company called Grolier Recovery Services, which camouflaged Taskforce activity. Ostensibly, we specialized in facilitating archeological work around the world. In reality, we used the company to let us penetrate denied areas so we could put some terrorist’s head on a spike. The cover had worked well so far, because it gave us a plausible reason to travel anywhere that had something of historical significance, which was basically any place on the planet with solid ground-and a few places underwater.
The difference was that we’d really been hired for this job. No Taskforce paycheck on this one, although it was the Taskforce that had linked-up our company with the project. Jennifer was really, really looking forward to the trip, because she was a pencil-neck at heart. A scientist torn between being a plant-eater and a meat-eater.
I said, “Jennifer, we aren’t leaving for at least three months. The Syrians aren’t going to approve a visa for either of us until they’re convinced we aren’t some secret James Bond organization. I’ve got plenty of time to study this boring shit.”
I saw her eyes cloud and knew I’d blurted too much from the heart.
“Wait…wait…that didn’t come out right-”
“Boring shit? Is that what you think? Well how about you do it because I asked for a change? I’ve done everything you’ve asked for the Taskforce. Don’t mess this up for me. All you have to do is a little studying. I promise, you’ll like it. Bloodshed and death. Right up your alley.”
We’d been asked by an American university to help reestablish archeological work at a place called Hamoukar in northern Syria, right near the border with Iraq. The site had been discovered in 1999, with digs conducted every year since then. In 2011, with the upheavals in Syria, the digs had been discontinued. Now, the university was headed back to reopen the dig and had hired us to provide the coordination and on-site security for the work.
The find was apparently one of the oldest cities ever discovered, a treasure trove of artifacts that sent shivers down my spine. I couldn’t wait to see the broken pottery shards and old bricks. Okay, that’s a little uncharitable, I suppose. There was one cool thing about the place: The city itself had apparently been destroyed in the first recorded occurrence of urban warfare.
I spread my hands, attempting to salvage the night. “Okay, okay. I’ll study it. I promise. I get it’s important. We still going out tonight? Or am I grounded?”
She squinted for a second, then said, “Maybe I should have you take a test. If you pass, we’ll go out.”
I smiled. “Fire away. I know more than you think.”
“Oh, please. You’ll just make up something and claim I’m wrong. Let’s go. Where’d you decide?”
Tonight was the one-year anniversary of the establishment of our business. We’d tossed a coin to see who’d get to pick and I had won. Which meant we weren’t going to some wine bar.
“Blind Tiger. On Broad Street.”
“Do they serve anything besides hamburgers?”
“Yeah. You’ll like it. I promise.”