Laura 02 The God Code

by Anton Swanepoel

  “Then we have a sniper on the loose. A clumsy one at that for leaving his brass behind.”

  “No, not clumsy. It is a message, and it is not a he, it is a she.” Victor comments softly.

  “Hands in the air!”

  Victor and Ernest slowly turn to face the voice.

  A Swiss guard is standing 20 feet from them, pointing his service pistol at them. Five more guards are running up the hill towards them. The Pope’s driver had already picked up the Pope, having returned when he heard the hand grenade explode.

  Sergio and Bill are being helped up, slowly coming to as the effect of the darts are wearing off. Victor and Ernest drop their weapons and put their hands up, not taking a chance with the over eager guards.

  “On your knees, now!” the guard commands, eager to impress his colleagues who have just joined him.

  “Not very friendly is he?” Victor comments to Ernest, ignoring the guard.

  “What are you doing? Get on your knees!” Ernest replies, as he kneels on the ground. Victor turns to face Ernest as he responds, “What are you doing down there, you lost something?”

  “Hey, I said on the ground NOW!” the guard orders again.

  Ignoring the guard, Victor continues to talk to Ernest.

  “He is not going to shoot you. We are unarmed and pose no threat to him. You can get up from there.”

  The guard clenches his jaw and the veins on his forehead bulge out. Who does this man think he is to ignore someone holding a gun trained on him? Well, if he does not want to listen, I will make him suffer for humiliating me. The guard quickly steps forward and lifts his pistol to hit Victor against the head. A fatal mistake.

  Moving faster than anyone can react, Victor blocks the blow and then grabs the guard’s arm and pulls him in close. Victor quickly spins the guard around to face his colleagues and holds him in a chokehold, using him as a shield. With the other guards caught off guard, Victor grabs the dazed and choking guard’s gun and puts it to the guard’s head.

  “Okay, everyone calm down and no one will get hurt,” Victor says as he slowly backs away from the other guards with his hostage.

  “Now I know you’re insane!” Ernest replies, not knowing if he should stand up or not. Looking at the other five guards pointing their pistols at Victor, he decides to stay put.

  “Ernest, get up and tie this guy’s hands before he gets his breath back.”

  “What?” Ernest replies with a puzzled look on his face.

  “Get up now, tie his hands with your belt, if any of them move, I put a bullet through his head and then theirs. You all get it?”

  No one says a word, and Ernest shakes his head as he stands up and removes his belt, then ties the man’s hands with it.

  “Okay, now, who of you bright sparks are friends with this man?” Victor asks sternly.

  Everyone shakes their heads NO.

  “Looks like no one has your back. Not your lucky day,” Victor comments.

  The guard glares furiously at Victor, then yells, “Shoot him, shoot him!”

  The other guards take careful aim, trying not to hit their colleague.

  “What the hell is going on here?” Sergio is still a bit dazed, but slowly makes his way up the hill.

  “Ah, someone with rank, maybe now we will get somewhere,” Victor replies.

  “You have nowhere to go, let him go,” Sergio answers back.

  “In a minute, but first, do you notice something wrong with your friend here?”

  “Yes, you have a gun to his head,” a guard replies.

  “Your observation powers are astonishing, but do you notice how athletic and thin his face and arms are?”

  “Yes, so what?” Sergio replies.

  “And yet you fail to notice how his clothes bulge out unnaturally, considering the slenderness of his face.”

  Everyone’s gaze goes to the man’s chest and stomach.

  “Oh shit, I think I know what you are on to,” Ernest replies.

  “Then will you do the honors for us?”

  Ernest nods, then steps forward and starts to unbutton the man’s uniform.

  “What the hell-” is all Sergio can get out. The other guards look at each other in confusion.

  “This is the same type of suicide vest my men and I found on a previous mission,” Ernest comments.

  “Well, can you disarm it?” Victor asks as he tightens his hold on the man and readjusts his aim, readying himself to shoot the man through the head should he try to activate the bomb.

  “Yes, give me a second.” Ernest quickly unplugs the trigger button and shock sensor, and then removes the detonators from the explosives.

  “Okay, are you men cool for me to let him go into your care now?” Victor asks.

  “Lower your weapons,” Sergio commands; his men comply. Slowly Victor releases the man, and two guards step forward, taking control of him. Victor then lets the pistol swing down on his finger, holding it upside down by the trigger guard, and holds it out to Sergio as he speaks. “All yours.”

  “Sergio, Sam did not make it, his body is in the bushes over there,” Ernest says with sadness in his voice.

  “I am sorry to hear that Ernest. I will see to it that his body is taken care off. You two follow me. I want to know exactly what is going on here,” Sergio says as he takes the pistol.

  “What I would like to know is who his target was,” Victor comments, as he follows Sergio down the hill to a waiting vehicle.

  ***

  “Have you made a decision yet Victor?” Pope John Paul II takes another sip of tea, avoiding Victor’s gaze.

  Victor lets the question hang in the air for a minute before replying. “The scrolls are safe.”

  “I am sure of that, but what are your intentions with them?”

  “Those scrolls contain very dangerous information, information that should it get in the wrong hands could cause catastrophic consequences for earth.”

  “Correct Victor, however in the right hands it could free us of our need for oil and coal.”

  “The same could be said of nuclear power, it gives us the ability to not use coal power plants, and then we got stuck with nuclear missiles. This energy source is far more dangerous. Until I know what is going on here and who is behind all of this, the scrolls stay hidden.”

  “What if we only give part of the information Victor? Only that which will help the world but that cannot be used for weapons?” Laura takes Victor’s right hand in hers, squeezing it gently.

  “The only way we will know if we even can do that will be to decode the scrolls Laura.” Victor squeezes her hand gently back, while looking softly down at her.

  “Then let’s do it,” Laura responds eagerly.

  “I can have my scholars start on it right away, as soon as we have the scrolls.” Pope John Paul II slowly stands up from his chair as he speaks.

  “No, the scrolls stay hidden, and Laura will decode the information,” Victor replies sternly.

  “How will she decode the information without the scrolls or help?” Laura looks confused at Victor as the Pope replies.

  “We have pictures of the scrolls, and I know you have a computer program that can decode the scrolls as you decoded the book you found in Peru and cracked the code the scrolls were written in.

  “Laura can simply run the photos through your program and decode the information. She can then decide what to give you from what she finds.”

  “Victor Victor, we have no computer program, the original text was translated by hand. You will need to find those records in our archives and compare each letter and symbol with already decoded ones. Any letters or symbols not already decoded need to be interpreted by scientists and scholars.”

  “I am sorry, but that is the only deal, Laura gets exclusive access to all your archives, alone, or no scrolls.”

  “Maybe we should let Laura see what she can find your Holiness. If she does manage to decode some of the information it will be to our benefit, and if not,
then maybe Victor will see that our plan is better.”

  Pope John Paul II slowly looks Phil up and down, there is suddenly something different about the man, an eagerness that makes the Pope feel as if he knows something that he is not telling.

  Nodding slowly, Pope John Paul II agrees.

  “Phil, see that Laura gets access to the archives and guide her in the right direction to find the papers she needs.”

  “Yes your Holiness,” Phil eagerly replies. Suddenly there is a knock at the door and everyone looks on as Phil walks over and opens the door. Ernest is standing outside with four armed Swiss guards by his side.

  “Yes?” Phil looks annoyed upon seeing Ernest.

  “Apologies for the interruption, but I need to urgently speak with Victor,” Ernest replies.

  “What is wrong Ernest?” Victor walks over to the door as he replies.

  “We need your help. The President was just taken hostage.”

  “Which President?”

  “THE PRESIDENT, our President, you gonna play dumb?”

  “You know, somehow I told you so just does not cut it.”

  “Fine, you were right, now are you going to help us or not?”

  Victor walks back to Laura and gives her a kiss before speaking. “Sorry, gotta go, Ernest misplaced his boss. Have fun with the books, call me when you find something.” He then takes the flash drive he transferred the pictures onto from his pants pocket and slips it into her hand before turning and exiting the room.

  “Miss Laura, will you please follow me?” Phil makes for the open door, eager to get Laura to the Archives.

  “Laura, just a moment. Phil, can you please wait outside for her for a moment?” Pope John Paul II takes Laura by the hand and leads her to his room door. Phil gives the Pope an annoyed look but does as he is asked.

  “What is it your Holiness?”

  “I have something for you.” Pope John Paul II opens his room door and lets go of Laura’s hand. Slowly he walks over to his cupboard and takes out a white jacket. The jacket has no sleeves or collar and is made from a synthetic material, looking almost like a thin ski jacket.

  Holding the jacket out to Laura, Pope John Paul II continues, “It can be cold and lonely down in the archives, please wear this.”

  Laura puts the jacket on and the Pope helps her button up the front.

  “Thank you your Holiness, I will return it as soon as I am done.”

  “No hurry my child, I feel you will need it more than me. Now, we lost the actual names of the documents you seek where the original textbook was decoded over the years. Try the dates the book was found to get some correspondences and go from there. God speed Laura.”

  “Thank you your Holiness.” Without thinking Laura hugs the Pope and gives him a kiss on the right cheek, then energetically and full of excitement walks out of the room.

  Outside, Phil gives Laura an annoyed look before asking, “What did the Pope want?”

  “He gave me a warm jacket, said the archives can become cold.”

  Phil takes a closer look at the jacket. I have never seen this jacket before. When did the Pope get this jacket? Mmm, the jacket does not look like his normal clothing, could be the reason I have not seen him wear it before.

  Phil clenches his fists, and his eyes narrow. Everything about this woman infuriates him. Her friendliness, her innocence, her soft heartedness, but above all, how loving she is to all. Now there’s a flaw if you ask him, Love. What makes her in any case so special that the Pope will give something to this girl whom he does not even know? I hope she freezes to death down there.

  Hah, as soon as I get a chance I will turn the air conditioner down to maximum in the archive, see how she likes that. A sadistic smile breaks on Phil’s face as he turns without a word and leads Laura to the archives.

  Phil leads Laura through a number of hallways and rooms, until they finally come to stand in front of an aging elevator. He opens the outside door and motions for Laura to enter. The elevator is large enough to take six people, and reminds Laura of her flat in America. After closing the outside door behind him, Phil presses the down button, and slowly the elevator’s inside door closes. With a rattle, the lift descends down two floors. When the door opens at the bottom, Laura hesitates for a moment before exiting. Confused, she looks at the rows upon rows of shelving.

  “Where are the security systems and the glass protecting the books and scriptures?”

  Phil bursts out laughing. “You watch too much television. This is it, no security panels or enclosed glass. The only things down here that are locked up are the Pope’s personal correspondence. Each Pope’s personal correspondences are kept secret for 75 years before being allowed access to.”

  “How big is this place?” Laura looks down one of the passages between the shelves as fluorescent lights on the ceiling start to flicker on.

  “It is two stories of 85 miles of shelving in total. We are currently directly below the Cortile Della Pigna of the Vatican Museums.”

  “How do you know where what is here?”

  “Ah, follow me,” Phil replies as he starts walking towards a small office a short distance away from the elevator. Upon opening the office door, Laura is surprised to see an aging computer with a black-and-white monitor. Phil starts up the computer, which to Laura’s surprise has no password to log into.

  “You can use different key words to search for files, and what is under that description in our archives will be brought up. The numbering is pretty simple. The first digit is if the file is on the first or second floor. The second three digits inform you what row it is in, starting from the left counting one. The next five digits are how far the file is down, and then the last part is a letter indicating the box in the section in that row. Next to each number is a description of the file. Good luck.” With that Phil turns around and leaves the office.

  As soon as Laura hears the elevator go up, she starts searching on the computer for anything she can think of that will link to the decrypted notes she is looking for, starting with the dates Peru was invaded. A number of files come up, but nothing in the description of the documents indicates that it has anything to do with Peru or decoded files.

  Chapter 7

  “Good day Father, Sister.”

  “Good day.”

  It is the third time Ernest and Victor greet a priest or nun as they enter or exit the building while the two men stand outside, thinking about how they are going to find the President.

  “Your sources have nothing?” Ernest asks.

  “No, no terrorist group or any other agency is known to be responsible for the kidnapping.”

  “What I heard from my sources is only that the kidnapping looks strange.”

  “How so?” Victor asks.

  “Well, from the damaged cars found on the scene, apparently it seems that some of the bodyguards assigned to protect the President were involved in the kidnapping, but it is unclear.”

  “Okay, who stands to gain the most with the President gone?”

  “Russia?” Ernest replies, scratching his head.

  “No man, the Vice President. He immediately assumes presidency without an election, remember the sniper’s words, His leader.”

  “Right, but why would he go through all the trouble to become President?”

  “Let’s go and ask him.”

  “What, how? We can’t just walk in and say we have an appointment.” Ernest says laughingly.

  “Why not, if we have an invitation we can, we will just disguise ourselves a bit.”

  “And how exactly will we get an appointment with the new acting President?”

  “Simple, we ask a favor. Come on, we have no time to lose.” With that, Victor quickly enters the building and Ernest has to run to keep up with him.

  ***

  Phil stares at the annoying white light on the telephone. He had switched the ringer off, and asked Dora that he was not to be disturbed, so why is she calling him? Not able to ignore it any lo
nger he grabs the receiver and answers, “Yes!”

  “My apology for disturbing you Sir, but you have a very urgent phone call.”

  “Who is it?”

  “It is the Pope Sir.”

  “The Pope?”

  “Yes Sir.”

  “Well, okay, put him through.”

  There is a click sound and then a soft voice. “Hello?”

  “Hi, this is acting President Phil.”

  “Hi Mr. President, this is Pope John Paul II.”

  “Your Holiness, this is an unexpected phone call, to what do I have the pleasure of your call?” Phil thinks that the call is not just unexpected, but unplanned as he was hoping the Pope to be dead by now.

  “The Vatican is deeply sorry for the kidnapping of the President, we all love him. I have sent two of my best sons to meet with you and pray with you, helping you through this time until the President is found again.”

  Phil jumps up from his seat, knocking his water glass over on the table, onto his laptop.

  “Shit.”

  “I am sorry Mr. President, I do not understand.”

  “No no your Holiness, just a report that was placed on my desk. You really do not need to go to all the trouble, I will be fine.”

  “It is no trouble, and it is in times like these when we really need faith with us. My sons will be at Nashville International Airport soon, please see them immediately upon their arrival and pray with them.”

  “Your Holiness I-” before he can complete his sentence, the Pope interrupts him.

  “I thank you for all the efforts you are doing in finding the President again and bringing his kidnappers to justice. You must please excuse me now as I must prepare for the next service. Good bye Mr. President.”

  “Thank you your Holiness.” The phone goes dead. Phil quickly rings his secretary.

  “Yes Sir?”

  “Dora, there are two representatives from the Vatican sent by the Pope on their way to Nashville International Airport. Please arrange to have them picked up and brought to me immediately.”