by Steve Alten
Jacob stands next to his mother. He holds her hand, staring into the camera.
‘Please don’t vote for Peter Mabus. He wants to kill my family.’
Belle Glade, Florida
Three-year-old Lilith Eve Robinson stands next to the television set, staring into the white-haired boy’s brilliant eyes. ‘Grandpa Quenton, look! He has pretty blue eyes just like me.’
The minister drains the rest of his gin as he thumbs through his monthly bills. ‘How many times I got to tell you, child? Turn that goddam television off and get to bed!’
‘Yes, sir.’
Lilith powers off the set using the remote, then crawls onto the sofa, pulling the wool blanket over her head.
Quenton tosses the empty liquor bottle into the kitchen trash. ‘I’m goin’ out. Don’t you even think’a movin’ your ass offa that couch or I’ll whup it good.’
‘Yes, sir.’
The minister staggers out the front door, slamming it close behind him.
Lilith listens. Waits until the car pulls out the driveway, then turns the television back on. The interview is over, the older woman back at her desk, talking to a colleague.
At the bottom of the screen is the 20/20 e-mail address.
Lilith commits it to memory, shuts off the television, then climbs onto her foster grandfather’s chair and boots his computer. She signs onto the Internet, and types in 20/20’s address.
DEAR JACOB:
I HAVE BRIGHT BLUE EYES, JUST LIKE YOU, AND I CAN READ AND WRITE, JUST LIKE YOU, AND I LOVE YOU. PLEASE LET ME LIVE WITH YOU.
LOVE LILITH EVE.
7
JANUARY 17, 2016: CAPITOL HILL, WASHINGTON, DC
President Reelect Ennis Chaney climbs up to the dais, shakes hands with the Speaker of the House and Vice President Marion Rallo, the first woman ever to hold an executive office, then turns to face the applauding members of Congress and the American people.
‘Thank you. Mr. Speaker, Vice President Rallo, members of Congress, distinguished guests, fellow citizens. “The cause of America is, in a great measure, the cause of all mankind. Many circumstances have, and will arise, which are not local, but universal, and through which the principles of all Lovers of Mankind are affected… . Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worse state, an intolerable one, for when we suffer, or are exposed to the same miseries by a government which we might expect in a country without government, our calamity is heightened by reflecting that we furnished the means by which we suffer.”’
Chaney looks up from his notes. ‘These words were first recorded in Philadelphia on February 14, 1776, by Thomas Paine in his persuasive document, Common Sense, in which he tried to address the fear of change, exhorting the American colonists to break from England. Like our patriot forefathers, we find ourselves facing similar fears, fears that also began with an act of war. The events of September 11, 2001, took us on a perilous journey, a journey we had to make, and yet our best intentions led us to the brink of Hell. From a world united against terrorism we nearly ended as a species divided by globalism, and paranoia, and greed. Our leaders asked us to make sacrifices to protect our freedom, but in the end, it was freedom that we nearly lost.
‘Just as our forefathers did in 1776, we too stood at a crossroads in American history. On November 8, we could have allowed our fears to force us off the path of democracy. Instead, we rose up as one people, united before God, and stood against those who would challenge our Constitution. By doing so, we shall come out of this struggle stronger as a nation and as a species.’
Chaney pauses as Congress rises for a standing ovation.
‘For a decade, the world wallowed in the shadow of war; now we will lead the world, hand in hand, into the sunshine. Equality, education, and technology shall drive our economies, peace and prosperity our calling card to all nations. But before we can rise, we must first rid our country of the shackles that led us down the path of destruction. The first of those shackles is our continued addiction to fossil fuels. Our leaders applauded the promises of cleaner, greener, renewable energy sources, but in the end they chose to keep our country addicted to OPEC because of their own personal investments in the oil industry. It is time to end this addiction once and for all. Our new task force on Energy and America’s Future has determined that there is now less than half a trillion barrels of proven and probable oil reserves left in the world, 75 percent of which are located in authoritarian-run countries. By 2025, the price of oil is expected to quadruple. By 2040, it will become prohibitive, precipitating a worldwide economic crisis. At the same time, third world industrialization is driving energy demands even higher, with needs escalating from our current usage of 15 trillion watts to over 40 trillion within only two decades. Meanwhile, we infect our environment with more acid rain, more air pollution, and an even bigger rise in greenhouse gases to melt what little’s left of the Arctic and Antarctic ice.’
Chaney’s deeply set eyes stare into the lens of the nearest camera. ‘In 2017 and beyond, our vision is clear: We’re Clean and Goin’ Green.’
Democrats stand and applaud, most members of Chaney’s Republican Party remaining seated.
‘The most promising solution to our energy crisis has and always will be solar. It’s unlimited and clean, but the cost has remained high because we’ve never committed our full resources to the technology. Decades ago, the federal government invested over $100 billion in nuclear research to jump-start that industry, not to mention the money used to subsidize businesses involved in the uranium fuel cycles. Now we’re going to commit the same kind of resources to solar and wind power, as well as hydrogen fuel cells. To help pay for these changes, my new budget will eliminate the Strategic Defense Initiative, a failed and costly program that drove a wedge between the United States, China, and Russia and led to the nuclear assaults of 2012.’
Wild applause.
‘Real change requires real commitment, not just double-talk. The Clinton and Bush administrations budgeted funds to produce hydrogen fuel cars, only they gave the money to the automakers. President Bush’s promise of a new energy future required hydrogen to be extracted from fossil fuels and nuclear power, effectively maintaining Big Oil’s agenda, a policy my predecessor also adhered to. This year, our new energy plan will commit $50 billion to developing hydrogen automobiles using renewable sources like wind and sun and biomass. Furthermore, within the next thirty days, the White House will introduce legislation aimed at outlawing gasoline-powered vehicles by 2023.’
The president pauses, allowing his last statement to sink in amid the applause.
‘Fuel cells will, by law, replace gasoline. New jobs will be created as we retool our automobile plants and fueling stations. The economy will prosper, our air quality will improve, and the United States will rejoin the global effort to reduce greenhouse gases!’
The room erupts in applause.
‘Change is never easy, but it is necessary. The war on terrorism led to great changes, changes that affected our civil rights and the freedoms this country was founded upon. Within the next ninety days, I will ask Congress to dismantle the monolithic Department of Homeland Security and restore the pre 9-11 restrictions on domestic surveillance.’
Chaney pauses again as members of both parties rise to cheer.
Belle Glade, Florida
Three-and-a-half year old Lilith Eve Robinson is in the backseat of Quenton Morehead’s 2003 Buick, strapped in a child protection device. The reverend has cracked the windows and left the radio on for her while he visits the recently widowed Sherry Ann Williams.
Lilith squirms, her bladder full, her stomach rumbling as the State of the Union speech plays on the radio. The toddler has not eaten since lunch seven hours earlier, and knows she will not eat again until her grandfather emerges from the widow’s home sometime around eleven-thirty.
And then the child stops squirming as her mind suddenly focuses on the president’
s words, her subconscious absorbing them like a sponge.
‘My fellow Americans, humanity has a future, and it is a bright one, as bright as the stars in the night sky. And this is where our future lies, for it is space exploration that shall advance and unite our species. This year, we shall end NASA’s moratorium on new projects and set new apolitical goals for the colonization of Mars. We shall encourage the private sector to join us, and we will open the frontier of space for all people, so that we may rejoice in our humanity, unite in harmony, and better ourselves as a species. Thank you all. God bless you, God bless America, and good night.’
Lilith unbuckles her safety device and climbs out of the infant seat. Prying open the back door, she jumps out of the car and looks around.
The lights are off in the widow’s home. From an open bedroom window she can hear her grandfather and Mrs. Williams giggling.
Lilith rolls down her pants, squats, and urinates on the driveway. Looking up, her dazzling blue eyes widen as she gazes at the full moon and a billion twinkling stars.
‘Grandpa, when I get old, I’m going to go on a rocket into space.’
Quenton glides through a four-way stop sign, nearly hitting a teenager on a motorized skateboard. ‘Space? Don’t talk stupid.’
‘Why can’t I go into space?’
‘Space is for astronauts. You ain’t gonna be no astronaut.’
‘Why not?’
‘’Cause bein’ an astronaut means ya’ll got to go to college, and I ain’t sending you to no college.’
‘Why not?’
‘’Cause it costs money, lots of money. You want to go to college, move out and marry some rich boy.’
‘I will.’
‘Good. Sooner the better. Now stop yer yappin’, I’m tryin’ to drive.’
Gabriel Compound, Longboat Key, Florida
Ocean waves sizzle as they die out on the Gulf beach. Sand crabs race from their outposts, searching for food.
Jacob Gabriel peers through the telescope, then backs away, allowing his aunt Evelyn to take a peek.
Evelyn Strongin presses her right eye to the rubber housing. ‘Wow. You can really make out details on the lunar surface.’
‘When me and my brother get older, we’re going into space.’
Evelyn pulls back, struck by the absoluteness of the statement. ‘Why do you say that, Jacob?’
‘Xibalba’s out there. My daddy’s on Xibalba. Mommy says we’re going to see him when we get older.’
‘How do you know Xibalba’s out there?’
He shrugs. ‘I just know.’ He peers into the telescope. ‘Mommy says you talk to dead people.’
‘I can communicate with the souls of those who’ve passed.’
‘Teach me how to do it.’
‘Maybe when you get older. What else can you show me on this telescope?’
‘Can you teach me to talk to my daddy?’
‘I don’t know if that’s possible.’
‘’Cause he’s not dead?’
‘Yes, because he’s not dead.’
‘But he has Hunahpu blood, like us, right?’
‘Well, I suppose—’
‘Then I can communicate with him. Teach me.’
‘When you get older.’
‘But I want to talk with him now.’
‘You’re not ready. Sometimes when we communicate over inter-dimensional frequencies, other spirits can answer us. If you’re not strong enough, they can fool you into believing what they tell us is real. Try to be patient, Jacob, your time will come.’
‘He’s beyond inquisitive,’ Evelyn says, pouring herself another cup of coffee. ‘He possesses an almost innate sense of the universe. It’s like talking to an adolescent trapped inside a toddler’s body.’
Dominique looks up from her computer. ‘I worry about Jacob. His mind’s developing way too fast.’
‘Maybe you’re telling him too much.’
‘That’s just it, I haven’t told him anything. He’s been sneaking on the Internet, reading about himself. He’s totally engrossed in the Mayan legend.’
‘What about his brother?’
‘Manny’s more like a normal toddler. He could care less about Mayan legends, which really bothers Jake. Unfortunately, it seems like the gap between their genetic gifts grows wider with each passing day. God only knows how I’ll be able to handle Jake as he gets older.’
Evelyn looks over Dominique’s shoulder. ‘Child, what is that you’re working on?’
‘It’s a program that charts births. Did you know there were 723,891 babies born on September 22, 2013?’
‘You’re searching for the Abomination?’
‘By segregating out all of the blue-eyed babies, I’ve reduced the list to just under three hundred thousand names. Of course, this program only accounts for about 68 percent of the world, but it’s a start.’
‘A start to what? Murder?’
‘Beware the child born on the day of the twins’ birth, you said. The Abomination imprisons Mick and disrupts the space-time continuum. If I can kill it in this time period—’
‘Stop it.’ Evelyn leans over and shuts down the computer. ‘You’ll never find the one you seek this way, Dominique, and even if you did, what would you do? Murder an innocent child?’
‘What am I supposed to do, Evelyn? Sit back and allow some freak of nature to stalk my sons?’
‘Unlike your sons, who will be prepared, the Hunahpu child born on the twins’ birthday has no idea what it is or what lies ahead. Like all newborns, it is an innocent being—God’s clay, ready to be molded. It is the influences throughout the child’s journey that will lead it to become the Abomination my sister warned us about. Your mission, First-Mother, is to prepare your sons for battle, not to play God.’
PART 4
CHILDHOOD
The Earth is the cradle of mankind,
but one cannot stay in the cradle forever.
—KONSTANTIN TSIOLKOVSKY
And Jacob called to his sons, and said,
‘Gather yourselves together that I may tell you
that which shall befall you in the End of Days.’
—GENESIS 49:1
8
FOUR YEARS LATER
SEPTEMBER 22, 2020: GABRIEL COMPOUND, LONGBOAT KEY, FLORIDA
Dawn backlights seven-year-old Immanuel Gabriel’s bedroom in bronze shades of gray. The dark-haired, ebony-eyed boy snores softly.
Jacob stands over him, grinning mischievously. ‘Get up, you lazy sonuva bitch!’
Manny sits up with a start, his heart pounding. ‘Huh!’
‘You shut your alarm off. Now get up, we have to train.’
‘Go away!’ Immanuel pulls the sheet over his head.
Jacob reaches beneath the blanket and shoulder presses his twin up and over his head.
‘Help! Ma—’
‘You’re falling behind, Manny. You’re supposed to be my equal, but you’re not—’
‘Get off me, freak!’
‘—you’re nothing but a lightweight.’
‘Ma! Ma, he’s doing it again!’
The bodyguards arrive first, still in their bathrobes. ‘Again?’ Salt shakes his head. Holsters his weapon.
‘C’mon, Jake,’ Pepper coaxes, ‘put your brother down.’
Dominique pushes her way past the two bodyguards. ‘Jacob Gabriel, you put your brother down this instant!’
Manny drops to the floor, his face meeting carpet with a thud. The dark-haired twin sits up, tears in his eyes, his nose bleeding.
Dominique’s face reddens. ‘Dammit, Jacob, look what you—’
‘His fault. Should have rolled with the fall. Sensei taught him that months ago.’
‘It’s 6:00 A.M.!’
‘When the Death God comes for us, it won’t care what time it is. We have to be ready.’
‘I hate you,’ Immanuel yells. ‘You’re a sick freak!’
‘I’m Superman. You’re only Clark Kent, a big fat wussie.’
Dominique reaches for Jacob, but the fair-haired twin is too quick, leaping over the bed. ‘Foolish mortal. You can’t catch Superman!’
Salt cuts him off, and the game is on.
Jacob feints left, then bounds across the chest of drawers, slipping beneath the older bodyguard’s grasp.