By the Rivers of Babylon

Author:Nelson DeMille
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: shipwrecks, Peace treaties, Political, Arab-Israeli conflict, Aircraft accidents, Fiction, etc, Bombings, Mystery fiction, Adventure fiction, Thrillers, Suspense, Terrorism, Survival after airplane accidents, Espionage, Middle East
ISBN: 9780446358590
Publisher: Warner Books
Published: 1990-06-01T08:24:54+00:00

• • •

Dobkin was standing near a large, round black ball that came up to his chest.

Hausner, walking back from McClure and Richardson’s position, saw him examining it under the tip of the port-side delta. He walked up to him. “Where the hell did that come from?”

Dobkin looked up. “It was thrown out of the tail section when it blew. It was lying there on the southern ridge, hidden by the terrain. Leiber found it when he was looking for stores. I had it brought here.”

“That’s nice. What the hell is it?”

Dobkin patted it. “Kahn says it’s the compressed-nitrogen bottle.”

Hausner nodded. The bottle was a backup to the hydraulic system. The compressed gas performed hydraulic functions in an emergency, until it ran out. “Can we use it?”

“I think so. It’s a muscle. Energy waiting to do something.”

“Is it full?”

“Kahn says it is. There’s a lot of raw energy here if we can tap it. It has a valve, see?”

Hausner tapped on it with his knuckles. “Put the word out that I want some inspired thinking on this. Another little problem to keep our group of super-achievers busy. Idle minds are the playthings of the Devil. . . . Which reminds me . . .” Hausner held up the winged demon, “What’s this?”

Dobkin took it carefully and held it cradled in his hands. He looked at its face for a long time before he spoke. “It’s Pazuzu.”

“I beg your pardon?” He smiled, but Dobkin did not smile back.

Dobkin scratched some dirt away from the enlarged penis with his thumbnail. “The wind demon. It brings sickness and death.”

Hausner watched Dobkin examining it for a minute. “Is it . . . valuable?”

Dobkin looked up. “Not as such. It’s terra cotta. And it’s not an unusual example, but it’s in good condition. Who found it?”

“Becker. He’s digging a grave for Hess.”

“Appropriate.” He cleaned off the face with a bit of saliva. “I really didn’t expect to find much here. This was the top of the citadel. The battlements and watchtowers. There must be meters of dust piled on top of them. Strange to find anything in so shallow a hole.” He looked up at Hausner. “Thank you.”

“Thank the rabbi. He overcame an irrational urge to smash it.”

Dobkin nodded. “I wonder if it was irrational.”

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