House of Acerbi (god's lions)

by John Lyman

  A hushed murmur circled the room, accompanied by a few nervous laughs.

  “After the biological attack on New York, we worked 24/7 to develop a short list of prime suspects, but in the past twenty-four hours that list has dwindled to just one name … the billionaire Rene Acerbi. Up until now, it was assumed by most people that Acerbi was just what he appeared to be-the head of a very large multi-national conglomerate. However lately, we’ve begun to hear rumors. It appears that our Mr. Acerbi has had his hands in a lot of pies, including blackmail, murder, gun running, and terrorism … just to name a few. To put it bluntly, Acerbi is a mentally unbalanced criminal who wants to rule the world, and there may be a religious component to his megalomania, a very dangerous combination, as we have all seen in the past.”

  Zamir waited for his words to sink in as he watched the members of the Bible Code Team exchange covert glances with one another.

  “We have learned that, to accomplish his goal, Acerbi wants to kill off at least half the world’s population. At first we were mystified as to why he wanted to do this, but it all leads down to simple math. In order to rule the world, he must control at least two things. First and foremost, he needs the ability to dominate the masses through sheer military strength. With the world’s current population topping out at seven billion people, no military force in the world would be able to oversee that many people, so he needs to cull the flock, so to speak. Secondly, in order to exert total control over those who remain, he and his group plan on becoming the world’s sole provider of the necessities of life … things like food, medicine, and energy top the list, but at the world’s current growth rate, that would also be an impossible task unless he decreased the number of souls inhabiting the planet. Less population equals greater control.”

  “That’s horrific!” Sarah gasped.

  “I see our survivor is among us,” Zamir said. “Welcome, Ms. Adams.”

  Zamir looked back at a map of the world displayed on a lighted screen behind him.

  “As to the religious component attached to his plan, we’re not entirely up to speed on what Acerbi’s religious beliefs are at this point. One of our sources has told us it’s a twisted aberration of a once noble faith that vanished from the face of the earth seven hundred years ago.”

  “What religion is that?” John asked.

  “He calls himself a Cathar.”

  Instantly, most of the people in the room began talking among themselves or just stared straight ahead with perplexed looks on their faces.

  “A what?” John asked.

  “A Cathar. However, Acerbi is not the kind of Cather one reads about in history books. He and his followers are an aberration. They are members of a group that broke away from the main body of the Cathar faith that existed when the Catholic Church took up a crusade against them during the Middle Ages. The Cathars themselves were a peace loving people, but seven hundred years ago something happened to split the Acerbi family away from the teachings of the true faith. They’ve evolved into something quite different. At this point, we can no longer call them Cathars, for they have become everything the Cathars stood against.”

  Leo fixed Zamir with questioning green eyes. “You’ve been watching Acerbi for quite some time now, haven’t you, Mr. Zamir?”

  “You’re quite astute, Cardinal. That’s probably why you’re standing here tonight, but there’s something else you need to be aware of. Aside from taking over the world, another of Acerbi’s goals is the destruction of the Catholic Church … a church he holds responsible for the destruction of his faith over seven hundred years ago.”

  “And rightly so,” Leo said.

  The other members of the team glanced over at Leo with astonished looks.

  “So you understand,” Zamir said.

  “Of course. The Church has been responsible for some horrific acts in the past … a past we endeavor to put behind us every day. I would also say that as Jews, you would find some common ground with the original Cathars who were persecuted to the point of extinction.”

  “You’re even more astute than I originally gave you credit for, Cardinal, which brings us to your original question.”

  “That you’ve been watching Acerbi for some time now?”

  “Yes, but we were invited.”

  “Invited? Invited by whom?”

  “Cathars, Cardinal … Cathars.”

  CHAPTER 42

  Leo’s mind seemed to go blank for a second … Cathars?

  “I’m not sure we’re following you, Mr. Zamir.”

  “I had a feeling my last statement would need some further explanation, Cardinal. Most people don’t even know what a Cathar is, much less the fact that they are still with us today. They continue to live among us in peace, but because members of their faith were once hunted to the point of extinction, they prefer to keep their beliefs private. In a world filled with religious turmoil, they’re probably the smartest of the lot. While the rest of us go about pounding on our chests and chanting the convictions of our chosen faiths as if they were ancient blood oaths, they go about their daily lives with quiet introspection, respecting the beliefs of others. When’s the last time you ever heard of a Cathar trying to convert you to their way of thinking?”

  “To be honest, I’m one of those who didn’t even know they were still around.”

  “Then look around you, Cardinal, because you’re standing next to some right now.”

  A thin, feminine hand reached out and touched Leo’s hand. Leo felt the room sway when he saw Evita’s smiling face looking up at him. “You?”

  “All the Spanish members of your team, Cardinal,” Zamir continued. “They’re all Cathars.”

  A collective gasp reverberated among the original members of the Bible Code Team.

  “Wow!” John said.

  “I’ll second that observation,” Lev added. “How long have you known about this, Danny?”

  “We first learned of their existence a few years ago when Spain’s National Center for Intelligence approached us with news that Acerbi and his group were up to something. If you remember, we were all a little busy after 9/11, and there was no concrete threat at the time, so we put the information on the back burner for a while. To be honest, we just didn’t see the need to become involved in something that wasn’t a threat to Israel. We were mistaken.”

  “So, what happened to change your mind?”

  “Let me fill you in on a little more background first.” Zamir looked around the room at all the somber faces staring back at him and smiled. “This is a tough crowd.”

  A few pockets of nervous laughter erupted around the room. The head of the Mossad was an expert at putting people at ease, a talent he had acquired as a young man when he played the part of the good guy during interrogations of suspected terrorists.

  “Basically, the true Cathars have known about this breakaway group for hundreds of years. On the surface, it appeared that they were evolving into more of a secular, profit-driven organization. They seemed more interested in acquiring material wealth … a goal no true Cathar would ever consider pursuing. Then, a few years ago, a leading member of Acerbi’s group broke ranks and fled to the Cathar ancestral grounds located in the Catalan region of southern France. It was well-known within the ranks of the true Cathars that anyone who broke with the Acerbi clan faced some pretty heavy retaliation if they were caught. We’ve heard rumors that the penalty for deserting the clan is death. To make a long story short, the defector found sympathetic ears among the modern day Cathars who still live in the area. After checking out his story, they gave him a house in a small village, where he has lived under an assumed name ever since.”

  “So what do Cathars have to do with Acerbi’s plan?” Leo asked, glancing over at Javier.

  “Like I said, modern Cathars live all around us. They’re teachers, scientists, doctors … they’re even employed as intelligence officers in several countries around the world. Believe it or not, you have a couple working at the Vatic
an, Cardinal.”

  Leo was too enthralled with Zamir’s story to respond.

  “The man who fled from Acerbi’s group agreed to share his knowledge of the clan’s activities with a fellow Cathar who also happened to be a Spanish intelligence officer. The Spanish were shocked to hear that Acerbi’s group was involved in things like blackmail of government officials, gun running, drugs … even assassinations, but when the Spanish authorities heard that he was funneling money to terrorist groups they gave us a heads up.”

  “Why didn’t they just report Acerbi to the French police or Europol?” Leo asked. “I mean, they were just dealing with a criminal at that point. Why didn’t they take his organization out when they still had the chance?”

  “It’s more complicated than that, Cardinal. The Acerbi clan has a multi-layered hierarchy, with secret groups within secret groups. He’s evidently received some advice from some of the best intelligence minds in the world. The right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing. From an intelligence standpoint, it’s brilliant, but to anyone trying to break through into the inner circle to see just what’s really going on, it’s a nightmare. For over two hundred years, the Acerbi clan has been stacking the deck in their favor. All across the world, their people are embedded within the top echelons of the police, the military, big industry … they even have people at the executive level in a number of governments, including two sitting presidents. They control people in top positions in almost every government on earth.”

  “So basically, we don’t know who to trust.”

  “Exactly. That’s why we’ve chosen to work only with people we know well.”

  “So our meeting with Javier and his group was no accident.”

  “Not by a long shot. The crash of Orsini’s jet was a perfect opportunity to get your two teams together.”

  “So the crash was just what it appeared to be,” Leo said. “An accident?”

  “Some would call it providence, Cardinal. But whatever you want to call it, the accident was a lucky break for your pope. It appears that Orsini was working for Acerbi. He was on his way back to the Vatican with some special communion hosts made from Acerbi’s genetically modified wheat.”

  “The ones found at the crash site?”

  “Yes. We had the contents analyzed for a genetic signature after we received a copy of Acerbi’s memo. They were made from Acerbi’s genetically altered wheat. It looks like they were planning on replacing the hosts in the pope’s private chapel with the genetically altered ones, thus making the pope susceptible to the virus after he ate one. We believe it was their intention for Orsini to become pope and lay the blame for the viral outbreak right at the doorstep of the Church, thus honoring Acerbi’s ancestral pledge to destroy the Catholic Church from within.”

  Leo stared back at Zamir and sat down next to Evita. “This is unbelievable.”

  “The papacy has been laced with intrigue for the past two thousand years, Cardinal. This latest attempt to assassinate a sitting pope should come as no surprise to a church historian with your credentials.”

  “So it was Pope Michael’s idea to send us to Spain?”

  “Yes … after Morelli suggested it. The pope needed his best soldiers involved in the coming battle. Regardless, your two teams are now one, and Acerbi’s plan has finally been revealed to us.”

  “Martha and Fredrick?”

  “Katsas … Mossad field agents. I find it amusing that no one noticed they never made it onboard the Carmela in France.”

  “What!” Alon shouted. “I’m sure I saw them on the beach … we did a head count.”

  “There was an Israeli sub lying off the French coast. Some of our Special Forces snipers came ashore and positioned themselves in the dunes before your group arrived on the beach. Martha and Fredrick slipped off in the darkness to join them when you were all struggling with the Carmela’s boats in the surf.”

  “I knew all along there were people watching us from those dunes,” John said.

  Zamir smiled as Ariella rolled her eyes.

  “The barge?” Leo asked Zamir.

  “Ours.”

  “Go figure.”

  “So basically, we were bait,” Lev said, finally breaking his silence. “I’m not sure I appreciate you putting us in harm’s way like that without telling us, Danny.”

  “You were once one of us, Lev. You know how we operate. We couldn’t show our hand until after we were sure no one at the compound or in your group was connected to Acerbi. His tendrils are wrapped around everything. If it’s any consolation, we’ve always had your back. Who do you think destroyed your helicopter and set off those charges around the compound before the attack?”

  “Martha and Fredrick?”

  “Ephraim. He was instrumental in making sure you were out of the castle when Acerbi’s choppers arrived.”

  “Why didn’t you just take out the choppers before they got to us? You evidently had assets in the area.”

  “For the same reasons I mentioned earlier … secrecy. Our plan will fail if Acerbi catches even a hint that we are aware of his involvement. Suffice it to say that our power lies in his ignorance. For now, he’s still trying to cover up the kidnapping of Sarah and figure out what you were doing in France. Once we found out that he was behind the disappearance of the only person in the world who had survived the virus, we knew we had our man … Acerbi was behind the biological attacks. Luckily for us, Martha and Fredrick were already in place. They risked their lives searching the chateau for documents to back up our suspicions.” Zamir laughed. “You didn’t really believe that stuff about the laundry chute, did you, Cardinal?”

  “Sounded plausible to me, but what about Sarah? You were still risking the life of a civilian who had no idea what she was getting herself into.”

  “There are no civilians when it comes to killing off half the planet,” Zamir said, his eyes scanning every face in the room. “Besides, Sarah was under our protection the entire time she was at the chateau. Despite their appearance, Martha and Fredrick are two very experienced operatives. They’ve been caretakers for some of the most evil men in the world … who by the way are no longer with us. They were prepared to give their lives for Sarah if Acerbi had decided to harm her. For now, it appears he is busy putting his power base to work in an effort to discredit the entire Bible Code Team and prove to the world that you brought Sarah to France-that you were a bunch of radical survivalists creating your own paramilitary base on French soil for your own nefarious reasons. He’s throwing up smoke clouds everywhere to keep the attention away from him. This buys us time on two fronts. He doesn’t dare release anymore virus until things calm down, and we now have more time to find the source of the pathogen before we take him out.”

  “Wow,” John said. “This guy’s like the Antichrist.”

  Zamir nodded his head. “That’s a good analogy my young friend, because we’re looking at a viral Armageddon if we don’t stop him.”

  “So what do we do now?” Leo asked.

  “Sleep, Cardinal … just sleep. Tomorrow we’ll go over our plan.”

  With that, Danny Zamir walked from the room, followed by an entourage of some very serious-looking men.

  CHAPTER 43

  An unseasonable Mediterranean storm had kissed the coast during the night, leaving a treasure trove of debris up and down the beach for early morning beachcombers. Now that the storm had passed, the rolling dark clouds had been replaced by bright sunlight, and behind the villa, the sun’s rays were bouncing off the pool, reflecting against the white stucco walls of the grand house. If it weren’t for the heavy military presence, the entire scene would have been the perfect setting for a picture in a travel brochure.

  Opening his eyes, Leo looked around the white-shuttered guest room and pulled the quilted comforter up next to his chin. During the storm, he had tossed and turned for over an hour before sleep finally came. Now, instead of jumping out of bed as was his habit, all he wanted to do was roll back over a
nd close his eyes again. His dreams hadn’t been all that pleasant, but he feared the real nightmare still lay ahead. He needed a shower and some strong Italian roast coffee.

  When it was finally evident that he was not going back to sleep, he made his way into the bathroom and stepped through the green-tinted glass doors of the shower. Feeling the cool tiles against his bare feet, he adjusted the water temperature to just below scalding. Rivulets of soap circled down into the drain as he lathered up and let the hot water massage his stiff muscles. Age was beginning to creep up on him, and although the typical youthful angst involved in searching out the meaning of life was something he was glad to leave behind, it would be nice to just hop out of bed in the morning without groaning.

  When he was finished, he turned off the water but remained standing on the wet tiles, holding on to the handle and staring straight ahead. It wasn’t just the aching muscles he was feeling-it was fear. He had never felt fear like this before. It grabbed at his stomach and made the hairs on his arms reach out, as if they were testing the air for an invisible threat blowing on the wind.

  Shaking the water from his hair, he stepped out and dried off before dressing in a pair of white shorts and a black polo shirt that he found hanging in the closet, a remnant of his last visit. Winding his way down the grand stairway to the first floor of the villa, he followed the sound of voices until he found himself standing outside next to the poolside bar, where everyone had gathered for breakfast. Lev had just finished swimming laps and was sitting on a bar stool, dripping wet in a pair of bright orange swimming trunks with a towel draped over his tanned shoulders.

  “Good morning, Cardinal. That was quite some storm we had last night.”

  “I had a hard time getting to sleep, but it wasn’t the storm that kept me awake.”

  “I believe we all had a problem sleeping last night, Leo.”