The Artifact: Natasha Burrows Series Book One
Page 24
“The Orb” Natasha said, her eyes glistening. “Uncle said that one of them stole the Orb from The Patriarch's and tried to wield it against them.”
“Yes, the Orb. But Neron wasn’t clear about where the orb originated from.”
“What, it was not The Patriarch's?”
“He does not know. He said that the origin of the Orb was not known to them. Just that one of his ancestors came into possession of the orb, and instead of destroying The Patriarch's, he succeeded in wiping out the entire planet in the process, almost a complete genocide apart from a few survivors. He unleashed the floodgates of heaven and could not stop what he had started.”
Natasha sat silently understanding the gravity of what her Father was saying. At one stage the Orb almost wiped out the entire world.
“What happened after the flood?” Natasha asked. “Uncle Eugene told me that The Patriarch's never returned, but the sacrifices continued as offerings to gods, because they wanted to appease The Patriarch's if they were to return again, and they also wanted to join them in eternal life.”
“And that my dear, is the biggest lie The Brotherhood have ever told. Your Uncle is telling the story that The Brotherhood have told him. In reality they wish to conceal their presence and participation in what happened, even back then.” He sat back folding his legs, getting back to his story.
“They believe the flood happened somewhere around 3,000 B.C. After the flood, it took a while but eventually humanity started to regroup and grow in size. With the knowledge of alien technologies, the sophisticated civilization of ancient Egypt arose again seemingly overnight, complete with advanced levels of art, agriculture, astronomy and physics. Then arose Pharaoh Akhenaten, who ushered in a Golden Age.”
“By the time of Pharaoh Akhenaten’s rule, the Earth's population had grown in number again, and we once more became of interest to The Patriarch's. Akhenaten was a hybrid, and out of interest” he added knowing her keen interest in ancient history, “was actually King Tut’s father.”
“Yes, I know about him” Natasha interrupted “Akhenaten and his family were always portrayed with elongated skulls. He was one of Egypt’s most controversial and notable pharaohs because apart from the elongated head he had a long neck, long fingers, thick thighs, feminine attributes and other strange features.
I thought he was just a girl dressed up as a boy. That made sense to me because Egyptian royalty practiced male succession, if you had no son, the throne went to a male relative.”
“Yes, but the truth of it was, he was an unusual hybrid. He is also best known for transforming Egypt’s religious system from worship of multiple gods to the worship of one god. Pharaoh Akhenaten said he was direct descendant of Aten the sun god, wielder of the orb, and considered himself to be of divine nature. He was treated like a god.”
“Well he did have a big head then,” joked Natasha “literally.”
“Being a hybrid definitely went to his head, he thought he should be controlling the world, that Hybrids were the superior species. So when The Patriarch’s returned....” He leant forward as if disclosing a secret. “Akhenaten gathered together all the other hybrid’s and he did a deal with The Patriarch's. A deal to supply them with the flesh they wanted, in return for zero interference in his rule. He was willing to sacrifice many lives to retain his power. Evidence of that very deal is on the walls of the Temple of Hathor and Thutmose III. The pictures there record an alien encounter with reptilian beings.”
“But why would they do that, The Patriarch's I mean, why would they do a deal with the hybrids?”
“Because he threatened them with the Orb of course, called their bluff. What he did in effect was lay the foundation for the start of a secret society. One which became known as The Brotherhood of the Snake.”
“The Brotherhood” she said softly understanding the connection “So what did they do back then, apart from selling us out? What was their aim?”
“Their aim? It was simple. Control the world. Rule it. Suppress the knowledge of The Patriarch’s and their technology, and keep the general populace, the sheep, in darkness. They struck a deal, a secret pact with The Patriarch's, they supply them with the flesh they crave, and they would be left alone to dominate humanity as they will. Akhenaten definitely had big plans for the orb, he wanted to use it to control the world. He believed it would also bring him immortality. Some of The Brotherhood started to think he was going insane, they were afraid of what he might do with the orb so they decided to hide it so he would never be able to find it.
Natasha nodded, all the strands of the tale starting to pull together like a vintage needlepoint picture, that is all except for one. “So the Illuminati and the Knights Templar, how do they all fit in?”
“They all have their place in time with the Brotherhood of the Snakes, you are correct The Brotherhood is their current name, there was a bit of a public relations issue with the Snakes part” he chuckled. “They still seek to suppress knowledge and fulfil the pact that was made so many centuries ago. The Brotherhood have always hidden in the shadows pulling the strings like puppet masters. They used the Knights Templar and then disposed of them when they grew too strong. They will stop at nothing to take out anyone they think is amassing too much power.”
“The Illuminati, well that’s a different kettle of fish. First as the name suggests they tried to Illuminate the truth, shine a light on it so to speak, they were made up of disgruntled followers of The Brotherhood. It's a relatively new outfit, founded in 1776 in Ingolstadt Germany by Johann Adam Weishaupt. He became disillusioned with the workings of The Brotherhood and he started out a new secret society of his own, to work against them. Its aim was to set a new world order, by ceasing alien intervention in our affairs and taking power from The Brotherhood. They are now as rotten and corrupt as The Brotherhood.”
She nodded “So we met members of The Brotherhood in the Archives?”
“I highly doubt it. Those guys are just foot soldiers, workers, initiates, followers, whatever type of name they call them, they serve The Brotherhood. I call them hopefuls, they hope to one day sit around the table with the other Elders. What they don’t understand is The Brotherhood likes to keep their numbers low, the less there are of them, the more power they hold individually.”
“Plus, there used to be the small matter of lineage, but I think this restriction has now been relaxed.”
“You mean, they had to be a hybrid?”
“Yes, but after all these centuries the number of true hybrids being born has dwindled, there would be a scarce few in their ranks. Today, The Brother Supreme leads them, a wicked old man obsessed with eternal life. It's quite ironic actually.”
“What’s that?”
“Even today, they still use their helpers to do their dirty work. The dog’s their ancestors created so many centuries ago.” She nodded realising he was referring to Guillermo.
“And the orb?” she asked concerned. “We handed it straight to them.”
He chuckled, “yes, that ought to put a wrinkle in the old prick’s socks. The old man is obsessed with it, thinks it will bring him eternal life.”
“What about the destruction he could cause?” Tasha asked concerned.
“Oh, he’s not worried about using it for anything but his own personal gain. They are quite happy with the ways things are, the Status Quo. They have more money than they could poke a stick at, they have their fingers in every political pie. Wars don’t happen without their say so, and they profit from them massively. The only thing that sticks in their craw now, is that eventually they get old and die. Imagine how powerful they would be now if they had immortality, an uninterrupted reign. I’m afraid the only thing he will get is a peptic ulcer from the stress it causes him.
“Why’s that?”
“You need to have some alien DNA, like Neron and Xavier, and that creature, the dried up old prune, may be many things but of that, a hybrid, I’m pretty sure he is definitely not. Neron’s family tried
to ensure it through years of ‘selective breeding.’ Half of those old fools in The Brotherhood of The Snake, wouldn’t have a trace of hybrid left in them.”
“Yes, Neron mentioned that as well. But how does he know this for sure? And why don’t they know this?”
“Because he is a direct descendant of the hybrid who first wielded the orb.” She stopped to consider the serendipity of this. Of all the places and all the people she had met Xavier, the one person who could use the orb. It was almost as if it was meant to be.
“None of this changes my mind, I still want to end this. I know Xavier has the power within him to end this, I believe he can.”
“So you understand now fully the danger, the danger of using the orb?”
“Yes, but there’s something you don’t know?”
“What’s that?”
“Xavier, you don’t know him. He already used the Orb. He used it successfully back in the cave to heal himself.”
Her father looked taken aback, shocked. “This boy, he used it? Without losing control, without destroying anything? Is that what he meant when he said it brought me back to life, it changed me, he actually used the thing?”
“Yes” she replied her eyes glistening, . “How do you know all this?”
Her father gave her a smug look. “I didn’t go to the scouts for nothing as a boy. Be prepared that was our motto. Ever since Neron started losing it, I decided to bug his office and find out what that little bugger was cooking up in there.”
“Then you would know there was something else. According to Neron, Xavier wasn’t genetically a hybrid before. The orb seemed to activate it, when it healed him. Before that it laid dormant inside him, undetectable.”
“Well this certainly changes things” said her father scratching his head. “There is still so much we don’t know about the orb, it's like a ticking time bomb. You’re damn Uncle was so determined he was going to dig that thing up, and he drew you into the malaise to boot.”
“It’s ok, I’ve come to terms with it now.”
He looked at her intently “You know, I believe you have” he said.
“You don’t know Xavier like I do, I know he can do it. I believe in him.”
“I know you do honey” he said, reaching out and stroking her head like he used to do as a child, “and I can help you. They have finally played themselves out you see, by holding you as leverage for the boy. By doing this they can’t hold you against me as leverage anymore, they need you otherwise Xavier would certainly rise in mutiny against them.”
“I can’t bear to see him in this situation, forced into it because of me.” She was still feeling the regret and sorrow of leaving Xavier behind.
“I can see how much you love him, and how far you have come since you first met him, but he is much like his father. Neron lost the plot after Margaret died, god rest her soul. That is why he needs you Tatts. The boy loves you, you will keep him centred, prevent him from shutting off his emotions like his father did.”
“So how do we do this then? Tasha asked, for the first time feeling confident and safe with her father by her side. Just like when she was a kid and bruised her knee, he had a way of comforting her that made her forget about her woes.
“I’ll explain it to you over some dinner?” he asked, smiling at her.
“Sounds like a plan” she replied gathering herself together. “I have to warn you though, I’m a Vegan.”
He chuckled. “After all these years, I’d eat dirt if it meant I could eat it with you.”
He hugged him. Happy. Grateful. At last complete.
For the first time in her life since the apparent passing of her father she felt strong, competent and in control. She was a far cry from the girl who couldn’t leave home without a pack of hand sanitiser. Most of all, she had felt a change in herself, and was finally beginning to see herself as Xavier had always saw her, strong enough, smart enough and powerful enough to do anything, including wage a war against an unknown alien enemy.