Date: Wed, 26 Nov 2014 13:13:32 -0800
From: John Black <blackhunk33@gmail.com>
Subject: Library of Alexandria, Chapter 3

Library of Alexandria

Chapter 3


	Michael and John spent a relaxing weekend together.  Jetlag slowly
faded into the past, but their ardor for each other didn't.  Now that they
were more rested, they resumed their married life with spontaneous romps in
the bed.  Anyone watching them would be hard pressed to figure out which
one was the top and which was the bottom.  These men were the poster boys
for versatile.

	Clearly, their lives together weren't only about the sex.  They
obviously loved each other and the work they were doing with their
benefactor, Mr. Asquith.  Enjoying one another's company was one of the
reasons they were together.  A love of ancient languages and artifacts kept
them intellectually challenged.  Of course, hot sex on a daily basis helped
cement their bond, too.

	The sorting, cataloguing, and photographing of the great horde of
manuscripts, books, clay tablets, and scrolls took much longer than was
anticipated.  The graduate students had dropped out of their classes to
spend full time on their new tasks at the Asquith estate.  He paid all of
them handsomely to forego their advanced education for a little longer.  A
little longer was five months of arduous cataloguing before they had
finished.  Now began the more difficult task of translating and publishing.
A few of the more accomplished linguists among them remained.  The rest
returned to graduate school.

	Mr. Asquith had tantalized his colleagues in academia and in
museums about his find.  He drew to him all the renowned experts on ancient
civilizations to assist him in translating the find.  They didn't need to
be asked twice, especially when he offered them accommodations and a daily
stipend.  When they had all gathered at the estate, Mr. Asquith alerted the
media to the treasure trove of ancient writings that he'd uncovered.
However, he first had asked Michael and John to assist him in translating
some of the most ancient documents and their stories about the oldest
civilizations, far older than Egypt and Mesopotamia.

	The young men could hardly contain their excitement over what
they'd discovered.  The Latin texts had told a tale of the gods and early
civilizations that no one in the modern era had ever heard about.  A few of
those texts that were translated into Latin also contained the original
script of the earliest language.  The text said that the gods had taught
the people how to read and write and told those people to record their
important events and the details of their civilization as it grew under the
tutelage of the gods.  It was an astonishing epic.  And this was only one
of the texts that they'd translated; many others waited translation, too.
That was one of the reasons Mr. Asquith had invited his colleagues.  There
weren't enough people in the local area with the requisite skills to
accomplish this.  Hence, the need to bring in other learned men and women
from around the world.

	As an afterthought, John suggested that a linguist who was also
well versed in symbol recognition software would be a necessary addition to
the cadre of experts gathering.  That would prove to be the best idea
anyone had come up with.  Some of the ancient texts were so difficult that
even the brilliant scribes at the Library of Alexandria couldn't translate
them.  The Egyptians and Babylonians were said to have tried, too, but they
had also failed.  Admitting that their task was impossible, the scribes at
Alexandria dutifully transcribed the texts as they saw them for future
generations to solve.

	However, that was still a few months into the future.  Today, the
media was presented to an august panel of language and history experts who
unanimously pronounced the find as genuine.  After a few minutes of
questions about that, the podium was turned over to Mr. Asquith.  He
thanked them for coming, explained how the artifacts had been discovered
and the subsequent translation of the bibliography.  He had supplied all of
them with that listing.  Numerous questions came up about some of the lands
and people that weren't familiar to any of them.  "Those ancient people
aren't known to us either.  However, we do have the texts and are
endeavoring to translate them.  Mention has been made of these very ancient
people in a few of the texts we have translated."  He gave Michael and John
credit for translating the bibliography and the first working translation
of the first full text.  It had already been verified, with a couple of
suggested word substitutions by other experts.

	"Ladies and gentlemen, you are all able to read, so I'm not going
to stand up here and read the text to you.  That translation is available
to you now.  My assistants will pass it out to you.  Meanwhile, I'll
summarize what the text indicates," he said.  "But first, I need to set the
stage for what the earth was experiencing at the time this ancient
civilization flourished.  The earth had just gone through the last ice age.
The ice had moved down to cover about half of the United States and about
half of Europe.  South of that frigid glacial mass was a very dry area, but
south of that were temperate plains and forests.  Most experts will tell
you that there were three major flood events: between 15,000 and 14,000
years ago, a second one between 12,000 and 11,000 years ago, and a final
one about 8,000 to 7,000 years ago.  As the glaciers receded each time, the
earth rebounded from the incredible weight of a thick mile of ice.  This
caused earthquakes on a regular and violent basis.  It was probably just
before the second inundation that the civilization of Atlantis arose."
There was a stir among the reporters, clearly questioning the very
existence of Atlantis.  "The historical record contained in these scrolls,
clay tablets, books, and other preserved writings are very clear on this.
Although the name associated with the civilization and subsequent cataclysm
wasn't exactly Atlantis, but it was phonetically the equivalent.  However,
the first civilization that I'm talking about was before the time of
Atlantis."  Once more the room erupted in disbelief.

       "It makes no difference to us whether you believe us or not.  The
texts are very clear as to what transpired those many thousands of years
ago.  You may bring in your own experts to examine and translate the same
texts that we have.  However, you'll find that nearly all of those experts
sit here on this panel with me today."  He looked sternly down on the
assembled media and frowned.  Immediately, they went silent.  A few people
in the print media summoned underlings to take the translated text and get
it to their editors immediately.  If all this was true, this was the scoop
of the century!  Television and the internet continued to train their
cameras on Mr. Asquith.  Occasionally they would pan the camera across the
stage to point out the experts behind him.

       He looked down at his notes and resumed.  "Again, this is a summary.
You already have the full translation in front of you.  My summary will be
available at the conclusion of today's remark.  Through the millennia, much
has been deleted or summarized by subsequent scribes.  So, there will be
unexplained gaps in the narrative as well as events about which we can only
wish the authors had told us more.  The people called themselves the Okam.
From what we can deduce, they lived about 16,000 years ago.  As far as we
can determine without examining all of the texts in our possession, they
were the first to become agrarian, instead of the hunter-gatherers that had
previous occupied earth.

       "We are still uncertain, but we think these people were from the
area between current day Italy and Croatia.  And before you get your
nickers in a twist, the Mediterranean Sea and specifically the Adriatic had
far lower sea levels than currently exist.  This was lowland with forests,
rich soils and a mild, temperate climate.  That is in the fossil record.
However, because it is now buried beneath the sea, we have no way of
documenting it without staging a major archeological expedition in deep
water.  I just don't see that happening.  During this Paleolithic period,
the glaciers were in retreat and the waters started to rise.  Eventually,
they were flooded out of their farmland.  The people melted into the
surrounding countryside, absorbed into other populations or possibly went
to Malta before the land bridge connection vanished under the sea.

       "But, according to the text, they traded with seafaring people to
the south of them.  That would indicate other people, perhaps in Sicily or
Malta which were joined to Italy at the time or traders from the Greek
Islands, Crete, or the Middle East.  It is also possible they traded with
people from the Black Sea area.  The Black Sea at that time was landlocked
and smaller than it is now, but fed by glacial runoff.  In any case, the
tale of their existence and the richness of their land was written down and
preserved.  We even know the name of the man who wrote down the tale.  His
name was Mem.

	"He said that they were simple farmers and herders who had come
into this fertile area from the north.  The ice was retreating and the sea
was rising, so he knew that his land would soon be submerged.  He tells us
that the gods came to them in their flaming canoes and taught them how to
farm better and increase their flocks and to read and write.  The gods
helped them create tools that improved on the ones they made of stone or
antler or wood.  Their new tools were made of a hardened material that
gleamed in the sun.  The writer didn't give us details as to what he meant.
We don't think that they were taught how to forge metals such as copper or
bronze.  The gods did instruct them on how to defend themselves against
raiders, but would never fight their battles for them, even though the gods
were more powerful than any man or army of men, according to our scribe.

	"The gods showed them how to make bigger canoes that could travel
on the sea like some of the traders that came to their shores infrequently.
Once the traders discovered that these people had the best crops and
animals and reading and writing skills that could record their commercial
dealings, they traded more frequently.  However, the traders weren't
consistent.  The storms on the sea were brutal and often sank the small
ships.  Even the Okam people couldn't tame the rages of the sea.  Only a
few brave men continued to trade by sea.  The rest were farmers and
herders, with one exception.

       "There was a priestly class which made offerings and prayed to the
gods.  They made astronomical observations and knew that the earth was
round, not flat like all the other cultures thought.  Did the gods tell
them that or did they deduce it for themselves?  We don't know.  But, Mem
did write down predictions about solar and lunar eclipses, so they weren't
ignorant of celestial events.  They knew about the planets and their orbits
about the sun.  They knew that the sun was the center of the solar system.
Mem also made note of Uranus and Neptune, even though they couldn't see
them with their observations.  Did the gods tell them?  Again, we have no
idea how they knew about those outer planets without the benefit of
telescopes.

	"The Okam lived under a succession of kings who had ruled wisely
for more than 1,000 years, in consultation with the gods.  The king was
selected from among the people for his wisdom and fearlessness.  But, the
last kings had been aggressive with their neighbors and had enslaved them.
The gods were angry with them and withdrew their help.  The people prayed
for the gods to hear their prayers and come back, but the skies never again
filled with the fiery canoes of the gods.  Mem writes that the combination
of the sea rise and the anger of their neighbors for enslaving them caused
the downfall of their people.  He closed his narrative by stating that he
had written the account of his people down three times and sent copies on
three different ships, hoping to preserve a memory of the Okam.

	"If more than one survived, we have no record of that.  The only
thing we know is that the Okam people disappeared and only his story was
copied and passed down to future generations of traders.  Learned men of
the newer rising civilizations would translate his story into their
language.  His tale was one of warning to other people to obey the gods and
not get aggressive with their neighbors.  However, the caution about
enslaving people was obviously ignored."

	Mr. Asquith looked up from his notes.  "We are trying to translate
the Atlantean texts next, but they are far more difficult.  The scribes in
the Library of Alexandria didn't have much luck in translating them either,
so they translated what they thought was correct and left gaps in their
record for future scribes to translate.  With computer technology, we may
be able to do better with symbol recognition software.  However, it is also
possible we'll never be able to translate it."

	One of the television correspondents asked, "You said texts.  Does
that mean more than one written record concerning Atlantis?"

	"It does.  We also have versions of Plato's Timaeus and Critias
that predate the versions that have come down to our day.  The differences
aren't major, but they are striking.  There is more information in them
about the Atlantean people and the destruction of it.  I expect it to be
very interesting reading when we compare the two more closely."

	Another television personality spoke up.  "Do you suspect you will
find even earlier accounts of civilizations?"

	"Modern humans were fully evolved by about 100,000 years ago.  The
earliest written record we've seen so far is the one I just spoke of.
There are cave paintings that date from about 40,000 years ago.  What
happened in those intervening 60,000 years?  Did another civilization arise
before or after that cave drawing period?  So far, we have no answers,"
Mr. Asquith shrugged.  "And there have been many archeologists who have
postulated that there were civilizations on the Indian subcontinent up to
16,000 years ago.  China and Japan may have had ancient civilizations, too.
We just don't know and haven't found any records to prove or deny such a
claim.  We have no writings from the new collection that speak to that,
however."

	"You mentioned in passing that Malta may have been the refuge for
the last people from Okam," another questioner asked.  "Why do you think
that's possible?"

	"Some archeologists think that the inundation maps hold the key to
the Maltese civilization and the building of Hypogeum and the Gigantija,
Hagar Qim, & the Mnajdra temples.  Those structures date from about 5,600
years ago.  However, the technology and engineering to erect those stone
edifices, some of which had building stones that weighed 15 tons, show that
there had to be previous accumulated knowledge.  Therefore, the Maltese
civilization had to predate those structures by centuries, probably
millennia.  There is no `civilization history' that shows how they got to
their scientific prowess.  The Mnajdra is a solar temple with accurate
solar alignments.  To build such a structure, the society had to have a
long history of observation and building strategies, including failures, to
get that structure built.  Again, where is the `civilization history' that
gets them there?  It may not have been the Okam people who started them on
their engineering and scientific road, but they might have.  At this point,
without additional data, it is only speculation.

	"Ptolemy had maps drawn which were copies of earlier maps which
showed Malta attached to the mainland.  His maps were copied from the
Phoenician Marinus of Tyre, who got his information from earlier maps in
his possession.  Did the Okam people draw maps of the shores around their
area of the Mediterranean before the Great Floods occurred?  Were those
maps redrawn and redrawn by mariners down through the ages until Ptolemy
drew his version?  Until we examine all the texts, scrolls, and other
writings, we won't have a definitive answer for that.  However, it has been
known for years that mariners were excellent map makers.  And they
treasured them.  We may get lucky and find a few of those in this
collection."

	There were other questions that speculated that the gods in the
flaming canoes were aliens.  At that point, Mr. Asquith closed the
conference.  His parting words were, "If you have additional, realistic
questions, please forward them on to my research team.  Their e-mail
address is on the hand-out you all received earlier."  With that he turned
and left the room.  His panel of experts followed him.  Several shouted
questions followed them out of the room, but no one turned to answer them.

	"Except for that last idiotic question, I thought the presentation
went well," Mr. Asquith said to Michael and John.  "Are you ready to answer
the flood of questions you'll soon get?"

	"With help from the experts you've brought in, I'm sure we can
handle it," Michael said.  Everyone returned to their translating duties
for the balance of the day.  But, their translating duties were sidetracked
by a flood of interview requests from the print and electronic media.
Every network and major newspaper around the world and periodic magazines
wanted a piece of Mr. Asquith.  Failing that, they bombarded the panel of
experts.  Michael and John weren't immune to the requests, either.

	Andrew Milbank was a star reporter on the most popular news network
in the United States.  He had his own news hour, plus he anchored another
monthly program that featured the most significant newsmaker of the month.
Of course, Mr. Asquith refused his request for an interview.  That left the
panel of experts, but after initial contact with them, Andrew decided that
they didn't have sufficient "presence" to appear on his newsmakers program.
It was clear to him that Michael and John were the real news behind the
discovery.  Reading between the lines of the news release, he knew he was
right.

	Initially, he thought that one of them would be adequate for his
hour-long program, but after talking to them individually, it was very
clear that they were a couple and would add more to his program if they
were on together.  Besides they were a handsome couple with a great deal of
sex appeal.  The ratings would go through the roof!

	Michael and John negotiated hard with him and finally got what they
wanted.  The money was adequate, which they would donate to the
preservation and translation of the Library of Alexandria.  Mr. Asquith had
been thinking of creating his own museum to house the bulk of the
discovery.  This would be a good start in funding that enterprise.  But,
what they really wanted was rights to review and fix errors in the program.
Mr. Milbank finally agreed, promising that they had nothing to worry about.
Michael and John didn't agree, knowing how news organization would attempt
to sensationalize the discovery with false or misleading teasers or
content.

	With Mr. Asquith's approval, they taped the interview at the estate
with some of the discovered items as backdrop.  Their boss also approved
the contract that Michael and John signed with the network, being very
specific about content review.  He promised the network that he would sue
and win any lawsuit that resulted in them not honoring the terms and
conditions.  "I have deeper pockets than you do and much better lawyers who
could bankrupt your network if you don't comply," he warned them.

	Further, it was agreed that Mr. Milbank could ask any question
about the discovery and the contents thereof.  However, there was no
guarantee that Michael or John would answer the questions.  Mr. Asquith
reminded them that the interviewer would probably ask them a lot of
speculative questions.  They needed to answer truthfully, but not join in
the speculation as to what might or might not be in the cache of treasures
they'd discovered.  Also, they didn't need to speculate as to the
significance or meaning of those texts, maps, codices, literature, or other
artifacts.

       They smiled their understanding.  "We can speculate all we want
here, but not in front of the general public," Mr. Asquith grinned.  "And
the panelists are already speculating about much of what is in the
bibliography without even seeing the item noted.  I'm not holding them back
from translating and reviewing any items from the Library.  Whatever
interests them, they have full access to."

	The day of the interview taping finally came.  They dressed in
conservative suits which only showed off their beautiful bodies.  They
spent time in make-up to take the shine off their faces.  With a little
lipstick to show off their beautiful mouths, they were ready.

	Mr. Milbank started out with a number of easy questions about how
they discovered the Library of Alexandria.  They had to dance carefully
here.  The clay tablet with the map from the monastery that directed them
to the find was not going to agree with where the actual treasure was
located.  Considering that the only thing that had been released besides
the translation of the text concerning the Okam people was the
bibliography, it was clear that they couldn't disclose the existence of the
map on the clay tablet.  That map pointed to the Sinai Peninsula, not Rome.
However, because Mr. Asquith had been funding the dig outside Rome, it was
a serendipitous connection.  And the additional discovery of a matching
bibliography at the Roman dig was confirmation of their initial discovery
from the monastery.

	Knowing that this was a weak link in their chain of discovery, they
had discussed the "official" version with Mr. Asquith.  The graduate
students who had helped them haul away the library contents from the Sinai
Peninsula were sworn to secrecy.  As the identity of those students was not
known to anyone outside of the estate, Mr. Asquith hoped that the
"official" version would stand up.  But, he also knew that it probably
wouldn't stay a secret forever.  So, he guaranteed the students that he
would pay for their graduate school and would make certain that they had
jobs for the rest of their lives working with the Library's contents.  All
the students had to do was keep their mouths shut.  Revealing the Library's
true resting place for nearly two millennia would probably result in their
confiscation and perhaps destruction by religious zealots.  The students
were as eager to participate in the translation and preservation of the
Library as Michael and John were.  Mr. Asquith hoped that would be enough
to keep the true version secret for many years.

	Having brushed by the "discovery" question, Andrew Milbank pressed
on with more substantive questions.  "You and several graduate students
translated the bibliography of the Library," Andrew stated.  "What
surprised you the most about the contents of that bibliography?"

	Michael took the question first.  "I was most surprised by the
places and names I'd never heard of.  From the bibliography, I didn't know
if they were place names that were in another language or they were places
that ancient texts had never mentioned before."

	"What surprised me most was how extensive the collection was and
how readable the bibliography was after nearly two millennia underground,"
John volunteered.  "And when we found that not only was the bibliography
enormous, but the actual texts, maps, literature, history, and artifacts
were there, too."

	"Which of the many artifacts and texts do you think will cause
historians to rewrite human history?" Andrew asked.

	"Without complete studies and translations of everything we have,
that question can't be answered," John replied.  "Not yet, at least."
Michael nodded.

	"I've seen the bibliography, but that doesn't really tell me the
scale of what you have awaiting translating and classifying at the Asquith
estate," Mr. Milbank began.  "Just how much is there in quantity?"

	"Uh, well," Michael replied, "there were four plane loads of
shipping containers that we pulled out of the dig in Italy.  Some of the
containers had items that took up a large space like the amphorae.  Other
items like clay tablets and books took up less volume.  The loose scrolls
were scattered about most of the containers, but carefully cushioned so
that they wouldn't be harmed by the physical act of shipping."

	"Nothing came through damaged?" Andrew pressed.

	"As far as we can determine, no.  Nothing was damaged," John
smiled.  "That's not to say that some items weren't damaged before we got
to them."

	"Such as?" the newsman asked.

	"Some tablets were cracked or split," Michael volunteered.  "A few
scrolls had disintegrated, but we took them back anyway.  Even a partial
scroll can reveal a lot."

	"Have you opened all the amphorae to see what's in them?"

	"No," John responded.  "Those that had tags on them that
corresponded to the bibliography we have set aside for later.  At this
point, it is up to the scholars to decide which part of the collection
should be worked on first."

	"Each of these experts has his or her fields of interest, so
they'll tackle those artifacts first," Michael added.

	"How long do you think it will be before you've sorted, classified,
and translated everything?" Andrew wondered.

	John and Michael laughed.  "We have no idea.  It depends on how
difficult the translations are.  Then there is the cross referencing and
checking with other scholars to make sure that the translation is correct.
These people have lives, so they will need to push away from the intensity
of their work and relax for a few days or weeks before they go back and
work again," John smiled.

	"Are we talking years, then?" Andrew pressed.

	"Probably," Michael shrugged.

	"That being the case, when do you expect the next text or other
material to be revealed to the world?" the interviewer asked.

	"That's probably the same answer," John said.  "It all depends on
how fast the experts work and how certain they feel about what they've
translated.  As we've pointed out already, some of the works are only a few
paragraphs, others go on for pages and pages.  A few paragraphs could be
monumentally important, or it could be a grocery list.  We won't know until
we get there."

	"A grocery list?" Andrew pressed.

	John laughed.  "Well, it won't be a grocery list or it would have
been part of the bibliography.  What I was trying to say was that it could
be something incredibly mundane, something that doesn't add to the lexicon
of information we already have."

	"The bibliography is only as good as the people who created it,"
Michael allowed.  "Just like today's indices don't always include
everything that is in that body of work.  This bibliography could be one
that hits on the high points, in the opinion of the chronicler.  Remember,
they were doing all of this by hand.  Even a scholar gets tired."

	"So, who is deciding when the individual pieces of text are
released?"

	"That's up to the scholar doing the work," Michael answered.  "But,
remember they are scholars and they want their discoveries and translations
to stand the test of time.  They don't want to be laughed at because they
got something drastically wrong by rushing the translation out.  It will be
vetted by other experts.  Additionally, I would expect (if the past is any
indicator) that the translations will be released with a commentary to go
with it.  That commentary could be anything, such as an estimate as to when
the artifact was created and where.  At the very least, the commentary will
tell us that we just don't know anything about it other than what it says.
Something as momentous as the contents of the Library of Alexandria needs
to be put in context, if we can."

	"So, what will you personally do as your part of the effort?"

	"Both of us are fluent in classical Latin," Michael stated.
"Nearly all the texts are written in that language.  So, we can pick and
choose from the panoply of artifacts in the collection.  Of course, the
experts will get first choice.  That's as it should be."

	"And some of the texts aren't in Latin?"

	"It seems quite a number aren't.  They are in Sumerian, Egyptian,
and Babylonian just to name a few.  Either they don't have a translation
with them, or the experts will compare the ancient texts with the Latin
translations that were done two millennia ago," John replied.

	"What about the Atlantean texts?" Andrew asked.  "I know that many
of our viewers are very interested in that."

	The two Latin experts looked at each other.  "Well, that's not
something we know yet," Michael began.  "We know there are eleven
references to Atlantis in the bibliography, but I don't know if any of them
are in Latin.  Do you, John?"

	John shook his head.  "I haven't spoken to anyone who has looked at
those references to even know what medium was used to record the
information.  They could be on tablets, scrolls, books, or something else."

	"And they may be just passing references.  We do know that Plato
talked about Atlantis.  But, the version that came down to us is muddled.
And the eleven references to Atlantis may be just as muddled as Plato's
is," Michael sighed.  "We just don't know."

	"Will the original texts be published untranslated?"

	"Our understanding from Mr. Asquith is that the translations as
well as any commentary that goes with them will include photos of the
original," John said.  "That's how scholarship works."

	"There was a question asked at the news conference the other day
that Mr. Asquith ignored and abruptly closed the conference," Andrew
reminded them.  "Were the Okams visited by aliens who showed them how to
improve their lives?"

	"That's pure speculation based on very ethereal evidence," John
bristled.  "Is it possible?  Of course it is.  Anything's possible.  But,
is it probable?  No.  Unless there is solid historical evidence, including
unequivocal texts or physical evidence, speculation is just that.  It is
not reality."

	"Not to denigrate anyone's personal beliefs," Michael chimed in,
"but it is historically accurate to say that ancient mankind did not
understand the physical world around them.  Therefore, they tried to create
explanations that gave them comfort.  One of those creative comforts is to
give the gods the power to do to the people as the gods choose.  Mankind
had no control over the weather, death, crop failures, and other
calamities.  So, they blamed the gods or gave the gods credit.  You see it
in all ancient cultures."

	Milbank asked several other questions, but nothing that wasn't easy
for John and Michael to handle.  As this was an hour-long program, some of
the time would be filled with commercials and other parts with a voice-over
and camera scans of the rooms where the artifacts were stored as well as
the dig outside Rome.  Additionally, there was footage that included the
Minister of Antiquities in Italy at his retirement villa.  The former
Minister was quick to point out that he had been considering retiring, but
after this momentous discovery, he thought he should depart on a high note.
No one dug further into his decision.

	They waited two weeks before the final program was edited and
forward on to Mr. Asquith for review and comment.  As he watched the
program with Michael and John, they all made notes of issues that could be
misconstrued by the viewer.  When the program was over, Mr. Asquith asked
their opinions.  They looked down at their notes and considered the
question.

	Michael was the first to respond.  "I remember how the interview
went.  It was mostly softball questions.  They have changed the order of
the questions from when we were interviewed, but that's their prerogative.
The only problem I see was the question about aliens and the Okams.
However, that question was bound to come up.  But, I think it was answered
satisfactorily.  What do you think, John?"

	"I agree.  Nothing jumped out at me, except that question and our
response to it.  I suppose we could have finessed it better, but I'm not
sure it would have made any difference," John sighed.

	"I think you did very well, considering that I should have
anticipated that question and taken some time to discuss with you what kind
of answer you should have given.  However, it's water under the bridge
now," he acknowledged.  "It could have been worse, it could have been
better, but I don't see grounds for protesting what they'll be
broadcasting."

	The network had teasers out two weeks before the actual broadcast.
The teasers showed a few of the questions that Andrew Milbank posed with a
few cameo pictures of Michael and John smiling.  Answers were not part of
the teasers.  On the evening of the broadcast, the buzz about the program
was palpable.  Even the other broadcast networks took note of it.

	It was a triumph!  Michael and John became famous overnight.
Andrew Milbank solidified his rankings as the premiere newscaster.  The day
following the newscast, Andrew called Michael and John and invited them to
dinner.  "Rest assured that anything we discuss over dinner is deep
background and not for attribution," Andrew promised.

	Seeing no problem with that, they agreed to dinner.  However, they
did let Mr. Asquith know of the appointment with Andrew.  He also saw no
problem.  "But, do be careful," their boss cautioned.  "If he starts to
press you on something you feel uncomfortable about, be sure that he agrees
that what you are about to say is off the record and not on deep
background.  After you get his agreement, say anything you want."

	Michael and John left the estate early to shower and get dressed
for dinner with Andrew.  They made the "mistake" of showering together.  Of
course, that led to a mutual breeding session.  Consequently, they were 10
minutes late to their dinner appointment.  They did have the good manners
to call Mr. Milbank and let him know that they'd been delayed.  He told
them that he was a little late himself and would probably get to the
restaurant about the same time that they did.

	When they stepped inside the restaurant, they were greeted by the
maître d'hôtel.  John said that they were meeting Andrew Milbank at
any moment.  Before the maître d'hôtel could respond, Andrew walked
up behind them with a smile and a wink.  "Your table is ready, sir," the
head waiter said.  "Please follow me."  Michael went first, followed by
John, and then by Andrew Milbank.

	After they were seated, they were presented with the extensive wine
list and a menu.  They were told of the chef's selections for the evening
and were left alone for a few moments.  "The chef is a master of food,"
Andrew smiled.  "I absolutely recommend his suggestion for the evening.  It
isn't dissimilar from a Beef Wellington," he added.

	"That sounds very good to me," Michael smiled.

	"I think I'll go with the duck l'orange," John said.

	"Both excellent choices," Andrew allowed.  "But, tonight I feel
like something from the sea.  The Chilean sea bass looks good.  Now, how
about a wine selection?  I would suggest something not too heavy to go with
our dishes."

	"Whatever you think is best," John demurred.  "We aren't as up on
our wines as we should."

	"Yeah, we're more of the bubbly crowd.  We like just about anything
that's crémant, champagne, Prosecco, or cava," Michael smirked.  "Of
course, it doesn't go with everything, but that's our still favorite
drink."

	"I think that would be perfect as a palate teaser," Andrew grinned.
"Something that would go well with an appetizer I think.  Do you trust me
to order a decent champagne and hors d'oeuvres to go with it?"  His guests
nodded.  "Excellent!"  He caught the eye of their waiter and ordered a
crémant from the Loire Valley, an assortment of cheeses and olives, and
their wine to go with dinner.  They placed their dinner orders at the same
time.

	Over their champagne and appetizers, Andrew smiled and asked, "How
long have you been a couple?"

	Michael and John nearly choked on their champagne at the sudden
personal nature of the question.  Michael finally asked, "What makes you
think we're a couple?"  John was still coughing.

	"Anyone with a brain can see that you're deeply in love with each
other as well as enjoying each other's company," Andrew smiled sweetly.
"Besides, we have bags and bags of fan mail for you at the studio, asking
if both or either of you would available for dates.  Nearly all of them are
from men.  A few are from women.  Of course, some women don't have a clue
about how to figure out that a man is gay.  However, before any of those
men get a response from you, I'd like to know if you'd be interested in
going to bed with me.  I think both of you are very hot.  My suggestion
presupposes that you are interested in fucking around with me and aren't
monogamous."


This story is fiction.  You're life isn't.  Always play safe.

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