The Lucifer Code

by Charles Brokaw

  Lourds watched in amazement. A moment later, what had been a seamless forehead split open and revealed a gap that held a gold ring with a four-inch span. As the noise died away, Lourds reached for the ring and removed it from its hiding place. He felt the inscriptions on the inside of the ring before he saw them. They were etched fine and sharp, looking as though it had been only days instead of two thousand years since they’d been made.

  ‘What is it?’ Joachim asked as he joined Lourds.

  Lourds fingered the notches cut into the ring. ‘Part of a device that, hopefully, will prove to be a Rosetta Stone.’

  ‘Are you certain?’ Olympia asked.

  ‘I am,’ Lourds said, ‘unless John of Patmos intended to have a final joke at the expense of this world.’ He put the ring carefully in a protective pouch inside his backpack. Then he took the rod from the Medusa head. Another series of grinding noises took place in the Medusa head as it once more turned upside down and locked into place beneath the stone column above it.

  ‘Do you think Constantine knew about the Medusa’s head?’ Olympia asked.

  ‘I do,’ Lourds answered. ‘His hand has been in everything we’ve touched so far.’

  ‘He kept his secrets very well.’

  Lourds silently agreed. Then he shouldered his backpack and headed out.

  ‘Getting across the borders while we’re being hunted isn’t going to be easy,’ Joachim said.

  ‘Really?’ Lourds acted surprised. ‘Then isn’t it lucky that we have a professional smuggler with a network of travel coordinators for contraband along with us?’

  Cleena didn’t turn round and didn’t say anything, but Lourds could tell she was smiling.

  Olympia scowled. ‘Don’t act like you planned this, Thomas,’ she said quietly. ‘I know very well why you allowed that young woman to come with us.’

  ‘Well, she is quite handy with weapons.’

  Olympia said something completely unladylike.

  25

  Arch of the Four Winds

  Villa Doria Pamphili

  Rome, Italy

  3 April 2010

  ‘Thomas! Over here!’

  Feeling beat up from the last few days of travel and all the stress he’d been under since they’d left Istanbul, Lourds didn’t see his old friend and mentor for a moment. He stopped and stood still, looking for any unfriendly movement around him.

  ‘You’re clear, Professor.’ Cleena’s voice echoed in Lourds’ ear canal.

  Although he’d worn the earwig for the last week or so, he still wasn’t used to the device or the need for it.

  Father Gabriel Madeiro sat on a bench in the shade of a copse of trees. He was a short man, but filled with boundless energy. He was almost as wide as he was tall and his hair and beard had gone snow white so that they stood out against his dark skin. He closed the fat book he was reading and used a thick forefinger to mark his place. Lourds knew without seeing the cover that it would be a thriller. Father Gabriel had introduced Lourds to James Bond and Jason Bourne at the same time he was instructing him in the intricacies of Latin. It had been Father Gabriel’s love of language, of old, dead books as well as potboilers, that had ignited the same passion within Lourds.

  When he got close enough, Father Gabriel grabbed Lourds in a powerful bear hug for a moment and lifted him clear off his feet. In his sixties, Father Gabriel remained a powerful man.

  ‘It’s so good to see you,’ Father Gabriel said when he released Lourds. ‘I miss having you underfoot.’

  ‘Hopefully these days I wouldn’t be underfoot so much,’ Lourds said.

  ‘I don’t think you would.’ Father Gabriel waved Lourds to the bench. ‘You’re having quite the career these days. Atlantis?’ He raised his eyebrows. ‘Now that must have been exciting.’

  ‘It was.’

  ‘I read your book. Very enjoyable.’

  ‘I’m glad you thought so. I would have much rather told you the story in person.’

  ‘I would have much rather heard it in person.’ Father Gabriel lifted his shoulders and let them drop. ‘Unfortunately, I was doing some work in Rio de Janeiro.’

  ‘And avoiding the winter, as I recall.’ Lourds smiled, and for a moment the visit almost seemed casual. Except that he had the four rings he’d collected from Cordoba, outside Moscow, Jerusalem and Istanbul.

  ‘I missed winter, but not too terribly much.’ Father Gabriel’s dark eyes regarded Lourds speculatively. ‘I wouldn’t have guessed you would turn out to be a criminal, though. I thought I’d mentored you better than that.’

  ‘A criminal?’ That surprised Lourds.

  Father Gabriel nodded. ‘The word I have is that you absconded from Istanbul with some very important religious artefacts.’

  ‘Do you believe that?’

  ‘Not for a minute.’

  Lourds grinned. ‘Well, actually, that part is true.’

  ‘Really?’ Father Gabriel gave him a look of mock shock.

  ‘I seem to recall a certain Roman Catholic priest-’

  ‘Who shall remain nameless.’

  ‘Who might prefer to remain nameless,’ Lourds went on, ‘who wasn’t above a bit of skulduggery now and again.’

  ‘Perhaps a toe over the line here and there.’ Father Gabriel grinned in delight.

  ‘You shouldn’t have taken me along. You corrupted me.’

  ‘I didn’t corrupt you. You were sixteen-’

  ‘I was twelve,’ Lourds objected.

  ‘And your babysitter’

  ‘Au pair.’

  ‘Had already corrupted you.’ Father Gabriel tugged at his beard. ‘Or perhaps you corrupted her. I forget how that went exactly.’

  ‘It was mutual corruption,’ Lourds said. ‘She was experienced, but I was better read.’

  ‘Another fault of mine, I suppose.’

  ‘You’re the one that left those trashy spy novels lying around.’

  Father Gabriel grinned. ‘So I did.’

  Lourds was silent for a moment. ‘I’ve missed you.’

  ‘I know,’ the old man said solemnly. ‘I’ve missed you too. The years grow shorter…’

  ‘And they move ever faster,’ Lourds finished. ‘I think I’m finally beginning to understand what you were talking about.’

  ‘Good. My efforts weren’t wasted after all. I’m relieved.’ Father Gabriel focused on Lourds. ‘How much trouble are you in?’

  ‘A stone’s throw away from the yawning mouth of hell.’

  Father Gabriel rubbed his hands together. ‘It’s been a long time since I could make any such claim. Tell me about it.’

  Seated there in the shade, with the whisper of the wind round them, knowing that Cleena MacKenna guarded him with her pistol only a short distance away and that her friend had a spy satellite watching over them, Lourds did. He told Father Gabriel about the rapid trip to Russia where the statue of the Virgin Mary wept, and how they’d found the second golden ring within one of the foundations of the church that Patriarch Nikon had purposefully placed there when he built the church. He told his friend of the journey to Jerusalem to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre where they’d discovered the third ring inside one of the walls near the ladder that no one had moved on the second storey for over a hundred years. That ladder had marked the spot where the True Cross’s shadow had fallen at the time of the Crucifixion. And finally, Lourds told Father Gabriel of the pool at the Grand Mosque of Cordoba and how the waters had turned red as blood only a few days before their arrival.

  When he finished, Lourds sat back and waited to see what Father Gabriel’s reaction would be.

  ‘You think the Vice-President of the United States is Lucifer?’

  Lourds hated the way that sounded when said naked like that. ‘It’s not just me,’ he answered defensively. ‘Several other people think that too.’

  ‘Tell me, Professor, what do you think your colleagues at Harvard would think if you told them this?’

  ‘Honestly, I shudder to
think. My parking privileges would probably be revoked.’

  ‘You realize they’d rather think you were a thief than a wild-eyed madman. Being a thief has a certain sexy cache.’

  ‘Do I look like a wild-eyed madman to you?’

  ‘No, you don’t. You look incredibly tired is how you look.’

  ‘I feel incredibly tired. These past few days, the last three weeks, have been a blur.’

  ‘And yet you found Lucifer.’

  ‘Truth be told,’ Lourds said, ‘I wasn’t looking, and apparently it isn’t that hard.’

  ‘Because he was looking for you.’

  A cold wind blew down the back of Lourds’ shirt. ‘Not,’ he said, ‘a good thought.’

  Father Gabriel pulled at his beard. ‘The Vice-President of the United States.’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘That certainly takes some getting used to.’

  ‘It does.’

  Then Father Gabriel smiled. ‘But I’m not surprised to find out Lucifer decided to go into politics. Though it could have been worse.’

  ‘Worse?’

  ‘He could have become a televangelist. If I’d had to guess, that’s what I would have put my money on.’

  In spite of the situation, Lourds laughed.

  Father Gabriel joined him, and then asked, ‘How can I help you, Thomas?’

  ‘I need a place to stay where I can work,’ Lourds said. ‘Somewhere safe.’

  Father Gabriel nodded. ‘Of course.’

  ‘Enough room for my road companions.’

  ‘One of them is a woman?’

  ‘Two, actually.’

  ‘Including the young redhead over there by that tree looking as though she’s innocently hanging about?’

  Cleena cursed, eliciting a smile from Lourds. She made an obnoxious gesture at the priest.

  ‘Ah, a young woman of genteel breeding, I see.’ Father Gabriel chuckled. ‘I take it you’re in constant communication with her.’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Two women are harder to manage than one,’ Father Gabriel said. Lourds knew the double entendre was intentional.

  ‘You said this man was like a father to you?’ Cleena asked.

  ‘Yes,’ Lourds answered.

  ‘No wonder you have the morals of an alley cat.’

  ‘I meant father as in priest.’

  Cleena came to a halt and looked shocked. ‘You just let me flip off a priest?’

  ‘It’s not as if you asked my permission or gave me any advance warning about what you were going to do.’

  ‘You are an idiot!’

  ‘I’m not the one that flipped off the priest.’

  Father Gabriel waved to Cleena. Embarrassed, the young redhead waved back.

  ‘She doesn’t look like a linguist,’ the priest said.

  ‘Thankfully she doesn’t look like a gunrunner either,’ Lourds replied.

  ‘I so hate you right now,’ Cleena said.

  ‘She probably hasn’t been to confession in a long time either,’ Lourds said.

  Cleena poured pure invective into his ear.

  ‘Besides sleeping quarters and a safe place where you can work,’ Father Gabriel asked, ‘is there anything else you need?’

  ‘Books,’ Lourds said. ‘I’m going to need some of those special books the Vatican keeps locked away. I’ve got to break this language, and it’s going to be even more difficult because it’s been broken into four parts.’

  ‘Done.’ Father Gabriel stood. ‘Did you drive?’

  ‘We took a cab.’

  ‘You are putting your life in God’s hands.’ Father Gabriel started walking away. ‘Come along, Thomas. You can ride with me. I’ll make a few phone calls and everything should be arranged by the time we get where we’re going.’ He looked over his shoulder to where Cleena trailed after them. ‘Your impertinent little friend can ride along as well, as long as she promises not to make a spectacle of herself.’

  Cleena waited until Father Gabriel was looking away, then flipped Lourds off.

  ‘God saw that,’ the priest said.

  Tired and frustrated, Lourds entered the large kitchen where Father Gabriel was managing several pots on the stove. Lourds knew from earlier inspection that they contained a selection of pastas and vegetables. The priest had even managed to bake some bread and the warm, yeasty smell pervaded the large loft he had secured for them.

  The loft had six bedrooms, three bathrooms, a massive kitchen and dining room and a large common area. Lourds couldn’t imagine the size of the family that lived there. He also couldn’t imagine where they could’ve gone. When he’d asked Father Gabriel about it, the old priest had simply waved the question away.

  ‘Some people have old sins that just won’t go away,’ Father Gabriel said. ‘Every now and again, I’ll give those people a chance to do something good. This is simply one of those times.’

  Maybe the accommodations were simple, but Lourds was struggling with the intricate puzzle of the final language. He filched one of the rolls that had just come out of the oven, then had to juggle it in both hands because it was so hot. When it had finally cooled down enough, he broke it open and slathered it with cream cheese.

  Father Gabriel mopped at his sweaty brow with a shirt sleeve. ‘Progress?’

  ‘A little, maybe. I don’t know. I’ve been at this so long that I can’t tell up from down any more.’

  ‘Of course you can. You’re the finest student I’ve ever had. I’ll take your failure personally.’

  ‘You could help, you know.’

  Father Gabriel stirred one of the pots, then reached for the next spoon. ‘No, I don’t think so. You surpassed my meagre abilities a long time ago. If I tried to help you, I’d just embarrass myself and distract you.’

  Lourds ate some of the roll; it was delicious. ‘I can’t help feeling I need a fresh pair of eyes on this.’

  ‘It’ll come. Just give it time.’

  ‘We don’t have time.’

  Lourds glanced at the television over in the corner of the kitchen. The unrest in Saudi Arabia continued as Prince Khalid made war along his borders. Shia warriors had started slipping across the borders to shore up the rebellions spreading throughout the country. To make matters worse, private security services hired by American and European corporations also continued to filter into the country to secure valuable assets. The images on the television showed death and disaster, smoke, machine-gun fire and explosions. Helicopters and planes dropped from the sky as they were hit by enemy fire. Tanks exploded on the streets. Soldiers fought with and taunted one another.

  ‘Even if you hadn’t told me Lucifer was involved with this,’ Father Gabriel said softly, ‘I would have seen his hand in it.’

  ‘Where’s the vice-president?’ Lourds asked.

  ‘Still there in King Abdullah Financial City. It looks like Webster is going to get the troops he’s been asking for.’

  ‘What troops?’

  ‘Webster has asked for a military operation into the country.’

  ‘On Saudi Arabian soil?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘There’s not much chance of that starting an international incident, is there?’ Lourds asked sarcastically.

  ‘Surely not.’

  ‘Oh. Sarcasm.’

  ‘Yes. However the comment isn’t without merit and truth. As it turns out, Webster’s quite the organizer. He’s already got several European and American corporations backing everything he’s doing over there.’

  ‘They’re all afraid of losing their money,’ Lourds said.

  ‘Given all the recent economic frustrations, I can see why people want to hold on to what they have and are willing to take the extra-legal step to maintain it.’

  ‘This isn’t just extra-legal. The Saudis won’t tolerate it. The Middle East will be up in arms for generations to come.’

  ‘If we last that long,’ Father Gabriel agreed. ‘And by that, I mean the world.’

  ‘And no one see
s this?’

  ‘Of course someone sees this. But the people who have the muscle to make these things happen – politicians, big businessmen and even religious figures – all believe what Webster has to say: if a stand isn’t taken in the Middle East, a Western world stand, then they’re going to lose everything they know.’

  ‘That’s foolish.’

  ‘Do you really think so?’

  Lourds didn’t reply.

  Father Gabriel looked at Lourds. ‘These are frightening times, Thomas. Money isn’t what it used to be. Jobs aren’t always there. Security is a half-remembered memory. This – this is something that’s been building for a long time.’ He glanced at the television. ‘And it’s coming home to roost.’

  Lourds woke at the desk where he’d been working non-stop for three days. He just managed to halt a teetering stack of books before they fell over and scattered across the floor.

  You’ve got to get some sleep, he told himself. But he knew that trying would be worthless. As soon as he went to sleep, he’d be awake again. Just like now.

  He was so close to solving the puzzle of the rings. He’d worked with them so much he could picture them in his mind effortlessly. They spun constantly, one over the other. It didn’t seem to matter how many times he shifted their rotation or in what order he put them. None of it made sense. The words on the Joy Scroll remained elusive, just out of his grasp.

  It was maddening.

  He crossed to the shopping bag that held his toiletries and spare changes of clothing. Joachim and his friends had turned out not to be as poor as church mice, and Cleena had money hidden in a variety of locations, though she seemed much more reluctant to part with it than Joachim and his brothers. He padded quietly to the nearest bathroom, vaguely aware that it was the middle of the night and no one else was awake. He also failed to realize the bath was occupied until he was pulling his shirt over his head.

  ‘What are you doing?’

  Recognizing Cleena’s voice, Lourds froze. ‘Sorry,’ he apologized hastily. ‘I didn’t realize you were in here.’ Even though he knew he shouldn’t, he couldn’t resist peeking in the mirror in the hopes of catching her reflection there. Fog blurred the image, though, and he cursed the luck.