Epilogue #2
Tonight marked the kickoff of the world tour, with the first stop being the Louvre, where the collection would remain for several months before moving on.
Nate had an open invitation, as the artifacts came from his excavation, and he extended the invite to the rest of the group.
And it just so happened that they were all able to make it.
The event was held in the Hall Napoléon, which was the main entrance to the museum directly under the glass pyramid called the Pyramide du Louvre, the iconic symbol of Paris created by the famous architect I.
M. Pei in 1989. It was a major affair, and special display cases had been brought in to ring the perimeter, with tables set up in the interior, all surrounding a specially built podium.
The guest list matched the fanfare and included the French prime minister as well as the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia and several other heads of state and royalty, the President-Director of the Louvre itself, and the heads of the British Museum, the Met, and the Grand Egyptian Museum of Cairo, as well as several ultrawealthy billionaire donors. Needless to say, security was tight.
Nate and Ana walked among the glass cases containing golden masks, ancient coins, and large gemstones.
He never tired of looking at the artifacts and contemplating their place in history, but tonight his attention was elsewhere.
The grand opening of the collection was a black-tie affair, and Nate wore a newly purchased Hugo Boss tuxedo.
Ana, who hung on his arm as they walked and twirled the stem of a champagne glass with her free hand, wore a slim black Tom Ford backless gown.
With her black hair pinned up, gold jewelry, and dark features, she was easily the most stunning woman in the room.
“You know,” he said, getting close to her ear, “none of the treasures in this room hold a candle to you.”
She leaned over and kissed him. “You’re sweet,” she said. “But you’re also full of it.” He shrugged.
“It’s good to get out of the desert,” Ana said.
“And into high society?” he asked with a raised eyebrow. It was clear Nate was not comfortable among the high-profile individuals in the room, many who had personally sought him out already. This time Ana shrugged.
“I’m not the one who’s the world’s newest celebrity sensation,” she said, framing him in a box with her thumb and forefinger. “Nathan Wilde, ruggedly handsome adventurer-slash-explorer.”
“I don’t know about all that,” he said, blushing and looking away.
“Well, you do clean up nicely, anyway,” Ana said, straightening his bow tie.
“Yeah, he does,” a voice came from behind. They turned to see Tim, smiling in a tuxedo.
“Tim!” Ana said and rushed over in her heels to give him a big hug.
“You trimmed your beard,” Nate noted.
“Hey, I’m a respectable businessman now,” Tim said, feigning insult.
“And I want to hear all about it,” Ana said, putting her arm through his.
“Sure, but we’ll have to shake those two ugly bastards first.” Tim pointed to the other end of the aisle of curio cases.
Nate and Ana both turned and saw Wally, who also wore a classic tuxedo, and Shane, who sported a fully white, over-the-top tux.
“Is there a doctor in the house?” Shane asked, his big arms spread open.
“There is,” Nate replied, “but unfortunately, I’m pretty useless unless you’ve already been dead for a thousand years.”
“Cheers, mate,” Wally said and smiled.
“I’m surprised security let you two in,” Tim commented with a grin.
“Oh, they wouldn’t.” Wally smiled at Ana. “Had to sneak in through the Tuileries.”
The five of them exchanged hugs and handshakes. It was great to catch up, and they found a quiet corner of the hall to sit, talk, and drink. Nate explained many of the displays around them, and they recalled their adventure locating the lost city.
“Hang on a minute,” Shane said after a while. “I picked up something special just for this occasion.”
He left briefly and then returned to the table with a bottle of Horse Soldier Commanders Select V bourbon.
The premium whiskey was named in honor of the 5th Special Forces Group teams that invaded Afghanistan after the September 11th attacks and rode on horseback during their defeat of the Taliban.
As Nate, Tim, and Shane had all served in 5th Group, it was a perfect symbol of their adventure together and their bonds of brotherhood, and a great way to cap off the evening.
Shane poured glasses for each of them and handed them out.
Wally raised his glass for a toast. “To Ubar,” he said.
“To Ubar,” they all agreed, clanking glasses and taking a sip.
“And hey,” Shane said, “aside from getting shot and banned from Saudi Arabia, this whole Ubar thing didn’t wind up too bad. Maybe we should start a company.”
“Wilde Expeditions,” Ana joked with a nudge. Nate rolled his eyes.
Tim held his glass out. “You know, six months ago I thought you were crazy. The whole idea of a lost city, really. And I don’t think I ever really believed until we fell on top of it.”
“Then why’d you come?” Nate asked.
“Because you believed in it. I knew you were going regardless, and I wasn’t about to let you do it alone.” Wally and Shane murmured in agreement.
“So, here’s to the brotherhood,” Tim said and raised his glass. He winked at Ana. “And sisterhood.”
They toasted, and Nate felt it was his time to say something. Expressing his emotions was not his strong suit, but he’d had a few drinks and it worked to loosen his tongue.
“It means a lot that you guys came with me, and I couldn’t have done it without you. And while the last few months of exploring a lost city has been like fulfilling a lifelong dream, I think the adventure we took together to find it means significantly more to me. So, thank you.”
He raised his glass and they toasted.
“So what’s next for you?” Tim asked.
“Well, there’s a whole world of history down there to explore,” Nate answered. “But the deeper I go, the more it’s becoming apparent that we’ve forgotten some pretty significant parts of our own past.”
“What do you mean?” Ana asked.
“I mean that humanity has forgotten its beginnings. Our story doesn’t begin where the textbooks say it does.
Maybe the ancient civilizations that we know, the Mesopotamians, the Egyptians, the ancient Chinese…
maybe they’re not the first civilizations, just what remains of what came before.
The remnants of something much older, and much more advanced. ”
“That’s pretty heavy,” Shane said.
“You really think that’s the case?” Wally asked.
“I do,” Nate said. “There’s a lost history out there. And I’m just scratching the surface of it with Ubar. But if I’m right, there’s a lot more to discover.”
“So what’s your plan?” Tim asked.
“Simple,” Nate said. “I’m going to find it.”