The Beginning of the End, Perhaps?

The Big P looked up from his Mac laptop. "Yes, Priyanka, what is it?" he asked her. "I did it, sir", she sounded a little worried, "I let them find the bracelet. But I just realised we made a er...mistake." The Big P frowned, "What mishtake-dishtake? Didn't I tell you I'd let you finish your PhD this year if you did this properly? What did you do wrong this time?" Priyanka sighed, it really wasn't her fault, "Umm, sir, the bracelet has english lettering on it. We umm..kinda forgot that umm...the Harappans didn't know english." She looked at him despondently. Really it was such an obvious thing, how had she not thought of it! Now that stupid Gaurav would definitely figure it out. "Hmm, oh well, never mind. We'll just not let out all the details. We'll say that there were some intriguing finds that suggest a breakthrough into the language of the Indus civilisation. We'll say that the whole damn language is now intelligible to us. It'll be a triumph. I'll see to it that those other two chumps don't open their mouths about it. After all, they're my grad students.", he smiled in quite an evil fashion she thought, "I've already written out a story for the background. That we can incorporate into our findings. I'll claim I found a diary. Like that Jewish female. What was her name? Amy or something. I'm trying to figure out how to end it though. All these theories regarding the end of the civilisation are so complicated. I've already put in forest fires, inter-tribal wars, and a murder, just in case. I think we've covered all our bases." He looked at her. What was she supposed to say? Forest fires, inter-tribal wars and murder?!! Goodness, the old boy had completely lost it. Yeah, she knew he needed funding desperately and he needed a breakthrough. This was his last chance and he didn't want to screw it up. But still she felt people would smell a rat if they saw that bracelet, even Arundathi would, slow on the uptake as she was. Oh well, it was the Big P's headache. She'd get to graduate and that was all that mattered to her. "So what are you waiting for?" he asked her irritably, "Go tell the rest of them that you've spoken to me, because you recognised that the bracelet was an authentic example of Harappan jewellery. And also tell them that there'll be a meeting in an hour's time. I'll send the lot of them packing, I'll tell them this is a very sensitive enterprise and I will be personally responsible so they can all go home, and I'll call them later if the need arises. Go, go." She slunk out of the tent. For a minute she felt guilty. It somehow seemed a little dishonorable, the whole thing. Oh well, she cheered herself up, politicians were raping this country every second without even a second thought. What she was doing was nothing compared to all that. And all was fair in..well..in art and archeology. She wondered idly about the story the Big P was writing about Melito (and what kinda name was that, neway). She figured she'd see it in some prominent journal before the month was out. Thankfully, she wouldn't be given any sort of authorship. See, there was a God! She smiled to herself and walked towards Gaurav and Arundathi. She had to be professional, she had a job to finish.

Update: After hectic rounds of conferencing the Whatiteez team has come to the decision that the saga (as this is heretofore dubbed) will be continued at some hazy future date. So, all faithful readers (yeah, and I mean both of you) please keep in mind that the details of Melito's plight are not to be forgotten