The 13th Tablet

‘Calm down Jack,’ said Mina, ‘what’s going on?’

‘Listen,’ Jack shouted down the phone, ‘I’m deadly serious. I need to speak to your director, right now!’

The line went dead.

‘He cut me off!’ Jack said, ‘that asshole of a pen-pusher cut me off.’ He re-dialled the number but this time no-one picked up the phone.

‘Will you try again?’

‘I don’t know. After all, we’re trying to convince scientists, their eyes glued to the most sophisticated seismic detection instruments in the world, that a three thousand year old Mesopotamian tablet has foretold a devastating earthquake in two days time. I can see why they’d think we’re crazy.’

‘I guess so,’ said Mina.

‘I’ll try again, but first we need to get flights out of here pronto!’

Same day. Mumbai, India.

Oberon Wheatley was sitting at his desk, in his brand new offices in Mumbai, reviewing recent operations on his multiscreen, state-of-the-art computers. He smiled to himself, thinking that from the moment he had outsourced his computerised weather forecasting systems to India and to a number of other emerging countries, his company shares had skyrocketed. He had thousands of experts all over the world striving towards one goal, that of updating and calculating every possible change in the weather, even in the most remote regions of the world. His client list kept growing. In some areas, even the military needed his updates. Most weather channels used his systems, indirectly of course. They had no idea how he produced his results. Using his dedicated staff, together with his massively powerful supercomputers, it was certainly not qualitative research, but number crunching beyond what one could dream of. He had brought sweatshops into the modern digital era.

His thoughts drifted as he fantasised about what he could achieve if he recovered the Mesopotamian tablet. With a proper translation and some serious thinking, he’d surely manage to decrypt its untapped knowledge. And once that happened, the sky was the limit! He’d know when natural events would take place, and where. He’d buy up entire regions. The price of land and property would quadruple after a disaster struck nearby. Complex money-spinning schemes kept unfolding before his hungry eyes. He had to get his hands on the tablet at all costs.

Wheatley’s phone rang. He checked the caller ID, and recognised his secretary’s number in New York.

‘Yes, Miss Dawson?’ said Oberon.

‘Sir, you have a call from a Mr Wilde. Should I put him through?’

‘Yes please,’ he said.

‘Mr Wheatley? Wilde here.’

‘Is this line secure?’ asked Oberon.

‘Yes, sir.’

‘What’s going on?’

‘We’re not sure, but you asked us to listen in on any unusual calls to all major weather centres. It seems that Major Hillcliff just called NOAA in Hawaii from a mobile phone in Phuket, Thailand.’

‘Jack Hillcliff?’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘What was the call about?’

‘We’re not absolutely sure, as the line was very bad, but it seems he was trying to warn NOAA of a pending emergency, some earthquake, but they didn’t take him seriously and finally hung up on him.’

‘I want you to track his mobile phone immediately and find out exactly where he is staying in Phuket. Call Natasha as soon as you have results,’ said Oberon, before smashing the phone down in its cradle.

‘Damn!’. He dialled Natasha’s number.

‘Yes, sir?’

‘Prepare the jet for Phuket, Thailand. We’re leaving right away. Find us a yacht and get me the number of that Bangkok thug I did business with a few years ago.’

‘Do you mean Ong-Tha, the lunatic guy with the cut-up face?’

‘Yes. I’ll explain everything when we’re in the air. Meet me at the jet in half an hour.’

Two hours later. Phuket, Thailand.

Jack was still trying to reach NOAA, but nobody picked up anymore. He had even tried calling from a local phone box, but to no avail.

‘Any luck with booking flights?’ he asked Mina.

‘There’s nothing before tomorrow, late morning.’

‘OK, let’s take them.’

‘Why don’t we leave Phuket now and stay overnight in Bangkok?’

‘No, we’re better off staying here tonight. Let’s go back to the hotel,’ said Jack.

Mina needed a walk on the beach front. She wanted to hear the sound of the waves hitting the shore, it would help her calm down and gather her thoughts. Jack decided to accompany her and they walked for about an hour.

‘I can’t believe it’s going to happen so soon,’ she said.

‘I know exactly what you mean. Until this evening and since leaving the Bamarts actually, I’ve felt almost no pressure. We had a decade to prepare and compare our notes with all sorts of specialists, agencies, either to confirm or deny our worst fears.’

‘It just doesn’t feel real. I mean, look at this beautiful beach! How can anything change this?’

‘Don’t forget that according to your and Daniel’s assessment, the earthquake is going to occur somewhere in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Thailand may be completely safe.’

‘Then why are we getting on the first flight out of here? Who are you trying to convince, Jack?’