by Ian Andrew
“You’re my problem Mary. You murdered people. One of them right after you slept with him. You’re a mad bitch. That’s my problem and so is...” Leigh stopped in mid-sentence as she saw a wash of flame envelope Mary and disappear almost as soon as it had been visible.
“Welcome Mary. You will forgive Leigh as she will forgive you. Your deeds and actions will be judged not by your fellow woman or your fellow man but by your Father in heaven and he will look deep into your soul. You may be found wanting but that is not for us to say.” Yeshua’s words came calm and serene into the room.
Mary’s eyes had widened as she looked past Leigh to the Projection on the wall.
“I am told that you had an epiphany of sorts and that you believe I crushed the need for faith? I was also told that you had this revelation after doing many terrible things. Mary, my child, I have rescued many of my Disciples from lives of hurt and desolation. You are no different.”
Mary still sat wide-eyed and staring at the man in the Projection.
“I have but two questions for you. Will you truly repent of your sins and will you place your faith in the Lord our God to forgive you?”
The room was quiet but after Francine took her hand and said, “Go on,” Mary finally managed to speak.
“I don’t think even you or God can forgive me for what I have done. I don’t think anyone could.”
“Mary, I am Yeshua, the anointed leader of a movement that reshaped the world. A world that was raised into brightness for two thousand years and then was plunged into dark terror. A darkness that there appears to be no way out of. I will not let that stand. I will rather see the suffering of war shared amongst the generations so that the light of humanity can overcome. For it is better to allow light and dark to be experienced by all than to surrender the whole of humanity to an all-encompassing evil. I will rather see my life extinguished if needs be to make this happen. All of this was brought about by a conjoining of circumstances. I saw in a vision a message that is meant for you. Thomas was a meek and loving man. He shall inherit a new earth because of where you were and what you did. He forgave you even in his final second. And you say that God could not. Oh child you are mistaken.”
His words reverberated in Mary’s head and she saw the face of Thomas Dunhill looking up at her from the cold and blood-drenched concrete. She heard him say he loved her and she heard the echoes of the shots she had fired. Bowing her head she wept with gentle sobs.
“Leigh, you will forgive your sister, for she knew not what she did. You will forgive Heinrich for it was important that he brought Mary here at this time. All four of you pay heed to me.”
Leigh and Heinrich turned to look at the Projection and saw that Yeshua was sitting cross-legged against the wall opposite the now dark window. He had brought a couple of candles into the room with him and they gave enough light to see him clearly. He spoke in measured and melodic tones, almost an incantation that they all were drawn to hear.
“Listen to me and reflect. For us to be here, for us to be soon to do the things we do, it needed the world to turn so many times and in so many ways. Each turn took us to a new beginning. Each turn was because there is a set time to all. A time for all of us to be born and a time for all of us to die. A time for Mary to kill and a time for you to heal her. A time for us to weep together and a time for us to laugh when we have succeeded. There will be a time for us to love and a time to hate, a time for peace and a time for war and all of these will be written anew in the world. So Leigh, my child, understand that without you and all you have gone through we would not be here. But equally without Mary and Franci and Heinrich and all they have been through we would not be here at this moment. The world turns and there is a time to every purpose.”
Leigh had tears welling in her eyes and said in an emotion-filled voice, “Yes Messiah,” then she turned to Mary, “I’m sorry.”
“Now we must speak about our plans,” Yeshua said.
“You are alone?” asked Heinrich.
“Yes. I sent Judas to see Caiaphas. He will be back soon. Miriam is with the rest of my closest followers downstairs. There is much confusion in their minds. She will soothe them and be along in a moment.”
“Have you told the rest what is happening?”
“No. Only Judas and Miriam know of our purpose. The rest of my people do not know what may be coming but they sense the tension. They are scared and I cannot blame them.”
“Yeshua I don’t understand why we can still be talking. If you are determined to go ahead with this then all the actions are set. The world as we know it should have seen changes sweep through it. We shouldn’t be here to talk with you.”
“But it is not set until it is done Heinrich. There is much that could be undone.”
“I don’t understand.”
“It is plain. I may be taken and I may be tried but that is not certain. Even if I am, I could lose my will. I could call on God to intervene and through His intervention, with one brush of my hand, I could cast our accusers aside. I could step away from whatever it is they have planned for me and with one demonstration of His power they would have to believe. There would again be no need for faith. It would be as certain and as plain as the sun and the moon. It is not done yet. Do you understand?”
Heinrich considered what Yeshua had said. He realised that the fear of what was to come or what might come could be overpowering. “Yes, I understand.”
He looked around as Leigh came up next to him and slipped her hand in his. They both glanced back and saw Francine had applied a second series of dressings over Mary’s wound. It looked like the bleeding was stopping. Mary for her part sat as upright as she could, had just about stopped weeping and appeared to be intently following the conversation that was playing out in front of her.
Yeshua said, “Even today in the city it was not simple or straightforward. I tried to provoke a reaction from the elders and the scribes. I challenged how they used the Temple and their presumptuous ways but they would not react.” He looked up to his right and the candle flames flickered and swayed as in a breeze. Miriam came and sat beside him.
“Of course they won’t react to you when you are surrounded by the people,” she said in response to him. “They’re scared. They see how the crowd are held enthralled by your words and your teachings. Yet those same words make Annas and his House quake.”
“It is true that they do nothing. They are the worst hypocrites, rotted by their power. They care not for the poor and the meek but lord it over them with their gold and robes and coins. Desperate to keep in with the Roman authorities yet too weak to stand against me. I fear we may have to prompt them to act.”
Leigh asked, “Is that why you’ve sent Judas to meet with them again?”
“Yes.”
“But why must we force them?”
“We do not force them. We merely let them have the die. It is theirs to cast.”
“Messiah?”
“Yes Leigh, my child, be not hesitant.”
“Why would we give them the control? You just said they are hypocrites and rotted men.”
“Ah, we think that we are the masters of our own destiny all of the time. That we choose to turn right or left, to do this or that, to go here or go there and it is mostly true. You have the wheel and you steer your own ship through life’s seas. But sometimes, on vital occasions, when the seas are at their roughest, your destiny is chosen for you. It is on these occasions you need to let the wheel turn at its own pace and God will place you where you need to be…”
“…and send the people he needs to send.” Leigh finished Yeshua’s sentence.
Heinrich felt the lump in his own throat and he watched her swallow hard. He could feel her gripping his hand tightly as they both tried to deal with their memories.
“And now you understand,” Yeshua said softly.
But Francine didn’t understand and she was about to ask a few blunt questions when she saw Judas coming into the frame of the Projection
. He looked pale and drawn, tired and stressed. Seeing his demeanour Francine simply asked, “Judas, are you alright?”
He didn’t answer her, but spoke directly to Yeshua, “They are determined to take you Master but they are concerned that if they reach for you in the daylight, with the crowds assembled they will be crushed. And they cannot come and take you in the night for they have no knowledge of our movements. They are undone.”
“Yet you, my brother, my most loyal friend, you are a shadow of yourself. Tell me what has been planned?”
“They will not come here to take you in the evenings for they fear your Disciples. They know that they need to isolate you and they also need to have proof of false witnesses against you. So they plan to question you tomorrow in front of the assembled masses near the Temple grounds. They want to trap you in your answers.”
“But Judas, you know I have answers for them. All we have done since Capernaum is answer them in ways that they could not deflect yet railed against. This is not an issue.”
“Annas is aware of the likely outcome. He is manipulative but not stupid or unseeing. And so tomorrow night they want me to come to them again and plan with them a place to take you to trial.”
“Then so be it.”
“Master, please, I beg of you, don’t make me need to do this. The people will believe that I have betrayed you.”
“Yet I will know you have not. Caiaphas and Annas have come to believe that you are capable of this and they know that you still hold the place as my closest advisor. There is no one else that could convince them. There is no one else who could deliver me. You must do this for me.”
Judas looked so profoundly sad but he simply nodded his head.
“Do they wish to take me tomorrow?”
“No, they wish to take you early on the morning following the first day of unleavened bread. They think it will be safer as the crowds will have dispersed in the evening for their meal and will not rise until daybreak. By the time they realise you are gone they will be too late. They want me to guide you to an isolated spot for prayer and meditation.”
“Then we shall try to encourage them to act tomorrow when they question me and if that fails we shall give them their dark of night arrest. In the middle day we shall spend time with our followers and our families and we shall be together for what may be the last time. Now both of you go to our Disciples and tell them not of the purpose but of the plans.”
The candles swayed again in the breeze as out of the Projection image the door to the upper room was opened and closed as Judas and Miriam departed. Yeshua was left alone.
“Leigh, you can find the Garden of Gethsemane again?”
“Yes Messiah.”
“Then we shall meet where we met before, three nights hence, come at the second hour of the new day. I shall light the spot with a trinity of lamps. Heinrich, it is the day you told me that they heralded me in the Sanhedrin. How things have come full circle.”
“Yes it seems that they have.”
“Perhaps it will not be needed. Perhaps I shall make them speak the words tomorrow but we shall be safe to make these plans. All I ask is that you come to me in the garden. For if it is to be my arrest and if they charge me with sedition then we know that it will lead to my death,” he said the words calmly and without emotion.
Leigh turned to Heinrich and leant into him.
From the rear of the room Mary spoke, “You are willing to do this for us? You don’t even know us. You don’t even know if this will work. You’re going on blind faith.”
“Yes Mary and isn’t that what we desire. That faith can be its own force? And say not that I know you not. We are united in our struggles and therefore we are friends.”
“But you could die,” she said.
“Yes Mary, I could. But greater love hath no one than to lay down their life for their friends. You are my friends and do not think that you have chosen me to do this for you. He has chosen you and you will all sacrifice yourselves if this comes to pass. You may each have to lay down your lives. We do this for the Father and in my name, He may grant us our needs.”
“What can we do to help?” asked Heinrich.
“I do not wish to be alone. Only Judas and Miriam will know of the true purpose. If this comes to pass then Judas will have to lead them to me and fulfil the role he will detest. Miriam cannot come with me to Gethsemane after dark for it is forbidden. I know some of my Disciples will insist on coming with me but they will not understand what is going to happen.”
“We will be there Yeshua,” Heinrich said.
“All of you be confident that what we may have to do will be worthy sacrifice. Mary, your sins will be forgiven for the services you render to me. Franci, your persecution will be lifted. Heinrich and Leigh, your belief will be repaid a thousandfold and I will restore hope and light to the world. Now go and return when I need you by my side.” He stood and walked from the image Window. Francine reached forward and shut down the Projection.
As the translucent disk collapsed and the Ring Laser powered down all of their ForeFones rang at once, including Peter Vogel’s that Mary wore. She bit her lower lip and wiped the tears from her face.
“They obviously know that I’m out then,” Mary said with a false smile and punched the speaker option on the Fone.
“This is Hauptmann Fertig. Who am I speaking to?”
“Identify your post soldier!” Mary snapped at him.
“I’m the security detail guard commander, who am I speaking to?”
“Chef Oberaufseherin Mary Emma Reid. That’s Reid with an E and an I. Do make sure you spell it correctly.”
“Who else is in there with you?”
“Oh just a few good folk that I’m holding hostage against their will. Now go away or I shall start killing them on the hour every hour. I want a car, a suitcase full of Reichmarks and a plane, fully fuelled and waiting at the nearest airport. Ring me back when you have all of that organised.” She hung up the call and looked at Heinrich, “How long?”
“Fifteen minutes, twenty tops.”
Francine and Leigh were looking puzzled. Leigh was the first to phrase their confusion, “What are you two talking about?”
Heinrich answered, “The reinforcements are close by or have just turned up. Not sure who but definitely somebody. The first thing they’ll want to know is if we’re all still functioning. They do that by trying to establish communication. They know we aren’t hostages. If they tried Peter’s Fone then they’ve found him and he’ll have told them that I helped Mary. Wolfgang will already have told them that us three were working together. So now they know we’re a foursome and that we’re all in cahoots. Negotiation isn’t an option. We don’t have hostages and they just want this sorted. So, it’ll take them a few minutes to figure out how they’re going to do this, a few more to get orientated and a few more to run through it a few times. Give or take, fifteen minutes, twenty tops.”
“Why haven’t they just turned off all our power? Surely Wolfgang or someone up there has thought of that by now?” Francine asked.
“That’s true!” said Leigh, “That should have been the first thing they did.”
“That’s a good point, they killed all the rest of the power ages ago, why do we still have lights?” asked Mary.
“Because they think they already have. It’s just I had some friends go and babysit the circuit breakers.”
“Are you serious?” Leigh was looking at him like he had grown a second head.
“Yes, seriously. Some people owed me a favour. I called it in.”
“That’s a seriously big favour. Must have been some debt they owed you,” Mary said.
“Mary, you of all people wouldn’t believe me if I told you. Alas I don’t have time. We need to get ready.”
Chapter 60
15:55 Friday 22nd May 2020 – London
Heinrich was in the HPL laying the heavy work benches over on their sides and forming makeshift firing points with them. He had p
ositioned four of them at staggered intervals near the rear of the room in the hope that they would be far enough away from the door to avoid being caught in whatever blast was used to gain entry. He also positioned a fifth to provide cover to withdraw back into the small hallway that led into the Thule Room. As he laid it in place he doubted that it would get used. He looked around. With the tables in position he had cleared a reasonable expanse of killing ground between them and the door. The smaller workstations and shelving units were still dotted about the lab but, it was the best he could manage.
When all was ready he joined the rest back in the Thule Room and they sat together in a circle with joined hands. They said neither Creed nor prayer. They merely took a brief moment to be together.
Before they broke the circle Mary said, “I’m truly sorry for what I did and I wish I could have found my sisters. But I’m glad I knew them at all.” She looked to Francine.
“I wish Konrad could have loved me but I’m so pleased that I loved him.”
Leigh squeezed her friend’s hand tightly, “I wish my parents could have spoken to Him with me but I’m so grateful for the life they gave me and the mark the years left.”
Heinrich looked at her and said, “I wish I had met you sooner so we could have had longer together but I’m blessed to be with you now. As the sun rises.”
The four stood and hugged. Then Mary limped through to the HPL, leaning on Francine for assistance. She got herself into a good firing position and placed the Glock pistol next to her along with a stack of magazines for both it and the S-98.