Showing results by author "Barbara Goldstein PhD" in All Categories

An atypical rainmaking machine is investigated, picked by a new General to the NSC. But the General fails to arrive. The Colonel and Irina go to Minnesota to follow up on the defrosted child and find themselves on a rollercoaster. The Colonel leaves aging hippie Mike in charge to deal with the NSC Chiefs. A premature visit from the head of Mike and Cynthia’s national professional body becomes a nightmare, as orthodoxy meets outliers.

Just as the Colonel gets his new bio-med lab, Cynthia, Mandy, and Rick fall ill. The Colonel then learns that the SEALs they dove with in the Atlantic are also sick. However, one of the SEALs got ill in public, and when he dies, the CDC tries to take over the Institute, and a conflict ensues between Admiral Cutworth and the chief CDC medical investigator who is a bit of an ass. And in the end, it's not an illness!

Virgil's pick from the warehouse sends the Institute of Antiquities group to Egypt. He picked what look like giant pool tiles and a small figurine. However, the liaison in Egypt is Rick's estranged father, Field General Nels Lundgren, and the person sent on behalf of the Egyptian Department of Antiquities is Dr. Carruthers, the original group member who walked away.

The Colonel makes the first pick from the secret warehouse, “something from the Southwest”. In response, a large, strange wire contraption wrapped in an old “Indian blanket” arrives. Because of his Native American/Latino heritage, the Colonel is interested in identifying the old blanket. Virgil and Mandy test the wire contraption to an unexpected conclusion. Irina and Cynthia investigate the 18,000 year old book from the Marsala expedition and reveal some of its secrets. Cynthia’s drunk mother meddles into her work life, intent on Cynthia returning to Brandeis and more prestige.

Recently, in reality, archeologists found evidence of writing 9,000 years ago. If there was an Atlantis 10-12,000 years ago, it would be highly likely that it would have links to writing that came after it. Similar to a "Mad Max" scenario, when Atlantis fell, the population would end up mostly illiterate, losing most of the written language with it. But certain symbols and letters would persist, leading to the simple bills of laden 9,000 years ago.

The Institute team gets it's first item from the secret warehouse, another crystal ball, and the team discovers the secret of the crystal balls.