The Origin

By Joey Dipierro

The Origin is the story of a quest for new discoveries within Egypt's Great Pyramid by four archaeologist-adventurers. What they find is beyond their wildest imagination. Their unexpected discovery has the potential to rewrite history, and it catapults them into unseen danger as they plan the best way to reveal to the world what they have found.

Journey into a tale of action and new-found powers to find out what happens when these four brave souls fight to protect their rare treasure and each other.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jan 4, 2023
• ISBN: 9781669855101

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The Origin

JOEY DIPIERRO

Copyright © 2022 by Joey Dipierro.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 11/07/2022

Xlibris

844-714-8691

www.Xlibris.com

848548

Dedicated to

MY FAMILY

CONTENTS

Chapter 1:    An Unexpected Adventure

Chapter 2:    Inception

Chapter 3:    The Last Frontier

Chapter 4:    Radiation Detected

Chapter 5:    Uncharted Territory

Chapter 6:    Divine Intervention

Chapter 7:    Leap of Faith

Chapter 8:    No Rest For The Weary

Chapter 9:    Gifted Abilities

Chapter 10:  Emergency Rescue

Chapter 11:  Trail Blazers

Chapter 12:  Rough Waters

Chapter 13:  Integrity Restored

Epilogue: A Heroes Ceremony

CHAPTER 1

An Unexpected Adventure

The walls are dimly lit with the one sole high-powered battery lamp that we brought to the site. Our words reverberate against the stone walls adding a layer of thickness to the hot air around my face. The four of us are silent in anticipation to the sizable task which lies ahead.

The night sounds of the jungle unhinge my senses. Suffice it to say that a pyramid in Guatemala, resembling the Chi’chen I’tza Mayan pyramid, is not a professional meeting place. Being so far from even the nearest town, we maintain vigilance. My deep awareness for the danger involved in this type of transaction elevates my sense of uncertainty. Until now—over the last four years—we have been unsuccessful in interesting a buyer for our current collection of ancient artifacts, despite their excellence.

Derek stands in front of us, as leader of our group. His movements are swift and concise. His confidence is, and has always been, a great model for the rest of us. Charles and Leah appear calm, but I have a sixth sense for danger.

Some may say we are frivolous for deserting other options, but this is to our advantage at the moment.

Intrigued, Derek runs his fingers along engraved inscriptions on the wall, his eyes widened with wonder, contemplating the spirituality intended for its construction of this place.

Have you ever just marveled at its brilliance, its mystery? I ponder the intelligence of these ancients during its creation. A message is being told here, something of which, to this day, science does not understand. All the intelligence in the world today cannot fully decode its messages.

Leah emerges from the shadowy background on the far side of the room. Her presence is fiery and her expression seems to govern her persona. Her lips are silent but her face is telling another story. Moving towards Derek she wipes her sweaty palms to her thighs and takes a deep breath. Derek notices her nervous behavior.

Don’t be so anxious, Leah. Just because our customer is someone new, there’s no reason to be nervous.

Leah turns sharply, gathering her nerves. She purses her lips while shifting her eyes first toward Charles and me and then back toward Derek. In my book, he’s not authenticated. I’m uneasy with new faces. We know very little about this supposedly high- caliber contact. Frankly, he’s already giving me the creeps.

Derek smiles and slowly raises his head signaling to trust his judgment.

The chamber has an eerie presence as if the souls of the past were listening in on our conversations. The high humidity of the jungle makes me weary. I know it won’t be long now until I need to assess our new contact. I hear the seconds ticking from my wristwatch, as though a bomb could go off at any time.

Suddenly from outside, low in the jungle, a bustling noise approaches the ancient structure. A large midnight- blue, hemi-engine pickup truck emerges. It is traveling down the narrow dirt road leading to the pyramid. The headlights swish back and forth across the path. The truck pulls up and the engine comes to a rough stop, and only the clicking from under the hood can be heard. The lights flick off and the last fumes from the tail pipe slither up through dusty, foggy, air and dissipate.

A man steps out wearing a black suit. He stands five feet, four inches tall, with a stocky build, dark complexion, rough facial features and a clean-cut beard. He seems to display a Napoleon complex. He walks up the long stairway to the top of the pyramid where we await his arrival.

We remain several yards inside the entrance. The man walks closer as his fancy shoes click and tap on the hard surface of the floor. The artifacts that our team intends to sell are sealed and lined up meticulously against the stone wall.

As he approaches he reaches out to shake Derek’s hand. Hello I’m Mr. Arnez.

Yes, I’m Mr. Lousanti, these are my associates. I trust that you didn’t have trouble finding the place. Derek smiles.

Arnez slowly raises one corner of his lips, followed awkwardly by the other and gives the rest of us a head-bob.

"Not at all. Please, excuse my lack of humor,