"Sure," Decker answered. "It was supposed to be the cup that you used at the Last Supper. I remember reading stories when I was a kid about the Knights of the Round Table going on quests to find the grail. Of course they never found it."
"One of the legends about the grail," Christopher continued, "says that when John came to the cross he brought the grail with him."
Decker thought for a second. "I do remember something about that," he said slowly, trying to awaken any additional recollection of the matter. "The legend was that John collected some of your blood by letting it drip into the cup." A long forgotten memory began to make its way into Decker's consciousness. He started to speak but then paused to be sure his memory was correct. "According to the legend," Decker continued tentatively; and then suddenly he was struck by the connection to the current conversation. Had he not already been sitting down, he would have done so now. Could Christopher really be implying that . . . "According to the legend," Decker began again, "if anyone drank of the blood from the grail they would have eternal life!"
Christopher nodded, and it was clear that he was doing more than just confirming Decker's accurate recollection of the legend. He was also implicitly confirming Decker's realization of the larger point: there was no need for anything nearly so complex as the genetic engineering on which Professor Goodman had been working. Total immunity from all disease and the power of rapid healing — the secret of eternal life which Harry Goodman had sought — was attainable by simply ingesting the blood.
"Somehow John knew that by drinking the blood, he would gain eternal life," Christopher concluded. "I suppose it was part of his bargain with Yahweh."
"But in Pakistan you said that John 'sought death's release.' That makes it sound as though he wantedlo die."
"I believe that he did: I'm not sure why. I doubt it was because he felt guilty for betraying Humankind into Yahweh's hands. I suppose that after two thousand years, he was simply tired of living."
Decker considered what Christopher said and then returned to the more pressing topic. "So if the benefits of the blood are gained by drinking it, what about Milner?" Robert Milner was now in his mid-nineties but appeared far younger than Decker, who was several months shy of turning seventy-two.
"Apparently it can either be ingested or transfused," Christopher answered, referencing the time fourteen years earlier when Robert Milner, then on his deathbed, had received a transfusion of Christopher's blood. "It's rather puzzling why it works at all, but with what we knew about what the blood did for Robert Milner, we had to pursue it. Originally, it was believed that injections would be more effective, thus requiring far smaller dosages than with oral administration. But by adding a new genetically-designed absorption agent to the blood, WHO found that two average-sized capsules taken orally were as effective as a 50 cc transfusion."
"Sort of a 'take two capsules and you'll never need to call me in the morning again' approach," Decker said, unable to resist the joke.
Christopher laughed. "I guess you could say that. A week after taking the capsules, the human immune system grows incredibly robust and resilient. Within a month the body is entirely immune to all bacteriological and viral disorders. Pre-existing illnesses wane and then disappear altogether. And though it's too soon to tell with the volunteers in the test group, if what we saw with Bob Milner holds true, it may even reverse the effects of old age.
"You've already begun human testing?!"
Christopher just nodded. "Of course, the communion can't prevent injuries," he said, continuing his train of thought. "It won't keep you from breaking your leg or cutting yourself, but the healing of such injuries is vastly accelerated. It also won't prevent death from an injury, but barring that, it will allow people to live long enough for the evolution of Humankind to the spirit form to be completed. Then not even an injury will be able to kill."
"This all sounds fantastic," Decker interjected, "but isn't it going to be a little hard on you to be draining out all this blood?"
"The blood won't be coming directly from me," Christopher said, "WHO is cloning the blood from a sample."
"Of course," Decker said, acknowledging his oversight of the obvious. Then bringing the conversation around to a facet of the subject to which he had been giving a great deal of thought prior to this conversation, he asked, "Is it your intention that the communion be given to everyone?"
"Of course," Christopher responded, his tone indicating surprise at the question.
Decker thought for a moment, choosing his words and tone carefully. "Why should we provide the communion to our enemies?" he asked, "to the KDT and the fundamentalists who oppose everything you say and do?"
Christopher thought for a second and then started to speak, but before he had gotten out the first syllable he stopped again, apparently unable to find a convincing response.
Decker answered his own question. "You know that ultimately they'll die without it."
Christopher didn't speak but his expression indicated that Decker's assumption was correct.
"Christopher, I understand how you feel about this. You hate the thought of leaving anyone behind. It has cost so much: so many lives uselessly lost over the centuries because of Yahweh's oppression. You hate to allow more suffering because of him. But if you allow the KDT and their fundamentalist Christian supporters to take part in the communion, you'll be giving Yahweh a foothold not only in this century but in all the centuries to come.
"You've given the KDT every opportunity to turn from their ways and join you in the battle for Humankind's independence," Decker said, a little surprised at how much he was sounding like Robert Milner. "You've bent over backward to accommodate them, but not a single one of them has joined us. What hope is there that they'll ever change? I think the time has come to let them suffer the consequences of their own choices. Besides, you told me yourself, when a person dies they are reincarnated to live again." Clearly Decker had given the subject of the communion considerable thought. "They're remnants of the old age: why not allow them to go their own way? When they die they'll be reborn with no memory of what they were or how the world once was. They'll be born anew into the New Age, leaving behind all of their prejudices and their learned ignorance.
"If you look at it that way," Decker continued, "it becomes obvious that you're not helping anyone by giving eternal life to people who are not ready for the New Age from which that life comes." Decker took a breath, and then concluded his argument, "Let those who are bound to the old age die with the old age, so that in their next life they may truly live in the New Age that has come."
Christopher thought for a moment. Decker's logic was indisputable and Christopher would not deny it. "You've been reading too many of your own speeches," he said finally.
Decker smiled, but that was not the response he wanted from Christopher.
"Okay," Christopher added finally. "I suppose that the clinics could be directed not to give the communion to members of the KDT — that should be easy enough: they're pretty hard to miss with the writing on their foreheads. But how could you prevent the fundamentalists from receiving communion? Unfortunately, they're not so easy to spot; they look pretty much like everyone else when they're not beating you over the head with a Bible."
"But that's the answer," Decker declared. "We can use their fundamentalism to make them not want to take the communion."
"I'm sorry, Decker. I don't follow you," Christopher replied.
"I've been thinking about this," Decker said.
"Yes, I noticed."
Decker brushed Christopher's comment aside and continued. "The book of Revelation in the Bible says that those who follow the Antichrist will be required to take a mark on their forehead or on the back of their hand."
"I'm familiar with the passage," Christopher said.
"Well, it seems to me we can use that to our own benefit. If we require anyone who takes the communion to also take some kind of a mark on either the back of their hand or on their foreh
ead — though I doubt that anyone would really want to have something tattooed on their forehead — then the fundamentalists won't dare do it for fear of angering Yahweh."
Christopher appeared to be giving the proposition some serious thought, but Decker wanted to drive home his point even more. "Again, it's just my opinion, but it seems to me that the communion should be given only to those who have pledged their loyalty to you and what you stand for. Taking the communion should, therefore, be done only in full recognition and agreement with what it represents — a declaration of independence from the dictates of a dictatorial god, a statement of belief in individual self worth and the collective value of Humankind, a statement of self-determination, a resolution to make one's own decisions and to live with the consequences, and a commitment to leave the nest and to declare that Humankind has come of age and has outgrown the need for a guardian."
"I hope you've written all this down somewhere," Christopher said. Decker nodded, a little embarrassed by his speechmaking. "So, how exactly do you propose that we apply this mark?" Christopher asked.
"Well, I don't think we want anything too conspicuous or no else one will want to get it. It should be as small and unobtrusive as possible on the back of the right hand. As I said, I don't think anyone is going to want to have it on their forehead, but we should offer the option so it will match the prophecy and keep the fundamentalists away. It should be something permanent, but it also should to be as painless as possible. I've been doing some research on the subject and it turns out that very few tattoos are done using needles any more; most are done with permanent dyes that soak deep into the flesh so they don't wear off."
"And I suppose to have the desired effect of keeping the fundamentalists away, the mark will have to depict either my name or the number 666?" Christopher asked, cringing a bit.
"Well, the KDT have made a big deal of the fact that when your name is written phonetically in Hebrew the sum of the letters equals 666, so I guess that makes it the natural choice," Decker remarked, and then added, "It's a lot shorter than writing out your whole name."
Christopher took a breath and let out a deep sigh. "Well, let me give it some thought," he said.
"Great, that's all I'm asking," Decker answered, confident he had presented his argument with undeniable logic.
"Now," Decker said, as he pushed his chair back from the table, "when you came in here you asked if I wanted to 'see' the secret of eternal life. Is there something you were going to show me?"
"Yes, there is," Christopher answered, apparently ready to move on and let Decker's proposal settle in for a while. "Come with me," he said. Decker followed Christopher from the dining room and down the hall to the elevator. Decker quickly guessed that they were headed for the World Health Organization.
Inside the WHO facilities they passed two armed guards and approached a secure door. Christopher placed his hand on the print reader, spoke his name, and the door opened. Decker expected to find a laboratory with dozens of WHO personnel busily running tests or engaged in discussions on the best methods for cloning Christopher's blood. What he saw instead was immeasurably more striking. Beyond the door in the secured area was a simple warehouse full of pallets stacked high with boxes.
Christopher tore open a box and held it open for Decker to see. Inside were hundreds of blister packs, each bearing two capsules filled with a thick red liquid. The entire warehouse was filled with Christopher's blood.
CHAPTER FOUR
Communion
July 2, 3 N.A. (2025 A.D.)
The day chosen for the communion to begin was July 4th. The selection was largely symbolic, being the day that was best recognized by the world as representing a day of independence. Two hundred and forty-nine years earlier it had marked the declaration of America's independence from the tyranny of Britain's monarchy; now it would mark the independence of Humankind from the tyranny of Yahweh. The date was also chosen, however, as a matter of coincidence, being the day when supplies of the communion blood would be adequately distributed to the nearly 12,000 clinics around the world.
The start date could have been substantially earlier but the decision to limit distribution to those who swore allegiance to Christopher and the advance of Humankind meant that significant security measures had to be put into place. Doctors, nurses, and medical technicians having access to the blood supply first had to be cleared of any connection with the KDT and the fundamentalists, and then had to be trained to apply the mark. They also had to swear their own allegiance to Christopher and receive both the communion and the mark themselves.
The entire project was financed through heavy taxes upon the wealthy, including William Bragford, the heir to David Bragford's estate. As noted by Robert Milner, who in years past had frequently gone to David Bragford with hat in hand, "In the New Age all is to be evenly shared. Soon enough there will be no need of money at all." The formerly rich took little comfort in that prediction, but it seemed fair to almost everyone else.
People began lining up at the clinics three full days before they were to open. By July 2nd the lines stretched for over two miles at some clinics. In part the long lines resulted from stories in the media about some of the doctors, nurses, and medical technicians who had already received the communion. Most had nothing unusual to report beyond a general feeling of good health and well-being, but among the more than 22,000 health care workers who had already received the communion, it was inevitable that a few would experience more dramatic benefits. In one such case, a few days after receiving the communion, a medical technician had been severely injured in a car accident. Three days later, he was out of the hospital, his injuries completely healed. In another example, a nurse who suffered from advanced osteoporosis was able to stand fully erect just weeks after receiving the communion, her bone structure entirely restored. There were also a score of those who had received the communion who were healed of diabetes, hypertension, and other non-debilitating maladies.
The lines at the clinics were also due in part to the psychic powers and abilities that had begun more than a year and a half earlier. By now nearly everyone had experienced some type of psychic episode in their lives, many more than once, but in every case these powers were short-lived. Most people longed to extend the experience, and the communion offered the hope that they could possess those powers forever. The promise of eternal life involved far more than just avoiding death; it offered the opportunity to grow and to evolve to a future of limitless possibilities.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, near Independence Hall
Still two days before the clinic was scheduled to open, already 4000 people waited in line. Many brought lawn chairs or blankets to sit on to make the long wait as pleasant as possible. Some brought magazines and books to read. Others had radios, portable televisions, or computer games. A few played cards. Others tried to sleep. The street vendors very gladly accepted the challenge of keeping up with the demand for food and drink, and the city brought in portable restrooms. Most who came respected the queue, falling in at the end of the line, but there were a few fights. All in all, despite the Philadelphia summer heat, things were pretty calm.
Then, as had happened on two previous occasions, a small pulsating white light appeared above the crowd. Everyone in line knew what it was, and even though neither of the two previous angels had done more than make their pronouncements, it was an awesome and unnerving sight, and many left their place in line to seek cover.
"If anyone worships the beast and his image," the angel's voice boomed, "and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name."
As with the first two angels, the third delivered i
ts message, vanished, and then appeared and repeated its missive around the world. Also, as with the previous appearances, Christopher responded quickly. The anger in his voice was unmistakable. "Twice before," Christopher began, as his message was beamed to the world, "Yahweh has used his messengers to make his infantile threats, and each time the calamity he threatened has failed to come to pass. The KDT and the fundamentalists say that what he threatens will yet befall us. But it is with their dire predictions of the future that they hope to draw us back into our past, a past in which there is only death for the spirit of Humankind.
"Now, as Humankind is poised to take its first step into the realm of immortality," he continued, "Yahweh has reverted to threats of hellfire and damnation! Well, he may frighten a few — the KDT and the fundamentalists who would wish us into this mythical hellfire rather than allowing us the freedom to choose for ourselves and our children which road we will take — but he cannot frighten the rest of us! Our hearts are steady and strong and bound for the future!
"We will not, we cannot, indeed we must not capitulate to the demands of those who would drag us with them to worship a failed deity! We must forge our own course onward to the future!!"
It was very quickly apparent that Christopher's words had had the desired effect, as the lines at the clinics grew at an even faster rate.
6:30 a.m., July 4, 3 N.A. (2025 A.D.) — Babylon, Iraq
"Protests by fundamentalists turn violent, marking the first day of the communion."
"Snooze," Decker Hawthorne mumbled.
"Good morning, I'm Amelia Witherspoon and this is World News This Morning."
"Snooze," Decker said again, a little louder.
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