by John Lyman
“We’ve got to scan this book page by page into the computer so we can analyze it later. I’m concerned the book itself might be changing somehow, and we can’t risk losing what’s written inside. This book could very well hold a code like the one in God’s Bible … a code that we can use in the future.”
People who broke codes for a living possessed a special curiosity when it came to solving puzzles. That was why most of them entered the field in the first place. This same driving curiosity was now pushing Daniel to overcome his revulsion at being so close to pure evil as he looked around at the others before slowly reaching out and taking the Devil’s Bible from Leo’s hands. “Any idea what this thing is made from?”
“Looks kind of like leather,” John said.
Holding it at arm’s length, Daniel walked over to his computer station and laid the book on the scanner. “I’ll clip a piece off the back cover and send it to the lab for testing.” He snipped a small piece from the corner, and then, with a scholar’s methodical touch, he began to scan it, page by page, until the entire text was uploaded into the computer. The exact nature of the material the book was made from was still unclear, but Daniel noticed that water had obviously not harmed the book when the cavern flooded.
A unique curiosity was also the hallmark of a good archaeologist, and Ariella was no exception. The ancient book seemed to mesmerize her as she reached out to touch it. Lev’s hand shot out and grabbed her by the arm as if he had seen a poisonous snake on the table.
“I think enough of us have touched it. We still don’t know what kind of power it has.”
Ariella nodded and stepped away, knowing that her father had undoubtedly felt something dark and evil within when he had touched the book.
When Daniel was finished, Leo took the book and placed it in a waterproof plastic bag. He then placed it inside a clear container filled with holy water and slid the whole package inside John’s backpack and handed it to him.
“Never ever let that book out of your sight again until we get back to Rome,” Leo said.
John looked directly into Leo’s eyes. “You can depend on me, Father. Where I go, this book goes.”
Everyone’s nerves were shot. Events were rushing at them from all directions, and Leo was growing fearful that things would spin so out of control that the team would reach a point where they would be unable to emotionally and psychologically process it all.
The nuclear attack in America, together with another close encounter with an unseen force within the command center itself, was creating an environment of constant fear. The fear of the unknown, coupled with the fear of what lay ahead in a worsening global situation, would soon drive everyone into overload.
What they all needed now more than anything else was reassurance and a break from the constant pressure. Many of them had still not come to grips with what had occurred in the desert the night before and were in a mental state of detachment resembling battle fatigue.
After Leo discussed the situation with Lev, he motioned for everyone to follow him upstairs. He led them outside and over the wooden walkway across the dunes until they came to a stop at the water’s edge. Father Leo stared straight out at the sea. He didn’t look back, and he didn’t speak as his puzzled followers gathered behind him. With no hint of why they were there, God’s chosen warriors sat on the warm sand and felt the spray from the sea bathe them in the briny perfume of the ocean.
Leo kept his back to them and waited. The steady rise in animated chatter over the roar of the surf, punctuated by the occasional laugh, was evidence to the priest that the tension was beginning to drift away, like the sea foam that blew from the rippling edge of the encroaching tide.
Like most solitary people who sought natural settings to think, Leo knew that environments like waterfalls and beaches produced tens of thousands of negative ions in the air. These invisible molecules were believed to produce biochemical reactions in the blood that increased the levels of the mood chemical serotonin, helping to alleviate depression and relieve stress. Some said it was the action of the pounding surf that produced the euphoria, while others said it was simply the relaxing atmosphere of the beach itself. Whatever the reason, Leo knew the environment was a perfect setting for the group to decompress together for awhile.
Inhaling some deep breaths, Leo turned to his curious audience. “Before I begin, I want you all to know that you’re a very special group of people. It has truly been a blessing to get to know each and every one of you, and to be a part of your extended family.”
Ariella smiled at the others. “Oh boy, we must really be in trouble.”
A few nervous laughs erupted from the group, but they kept their eyes focused on Leo.
“A short time ago, Daniel discovered some new information in the code. This new information is suggestive of the fact that we might have interfered with Satan’s plan for the world by taking his Bible. Also … and the reason isn’t quite clear yet … God’s chosen ones have been given the task of taking the book to the ancient chapel we discovered under the Vatican. With that being said, we can be sure that Satan will now come at us with everything he has.”
Everyone let out a gasp.
“Satan is very angry now, and it’s conceivable his influence was behind the attack on Houston. His increasing influence on mankind could be the driving force behind God sending us out into the desert to retrieve the book. As impossible as it may sound, I think we may be witnessing the beginnings of a second war between heaven and hell, and God is calling his chosen together as soldiers. A growing number of people have fallen away from God’s teachings over the past few years, and because of it, the world is now standing at the edge of a precipice.”
The group sat blinking at Leo, not really knowing what to expect next. Lev pulled a cigar from his shirt pocket and put the unlit stogie in his mouth. “I don’t think I want to see another Sodom and Gomorrah. Why don’t we get you and John back to Rome with that book today?”
John raised his hand. “Won’t that be a little difficult, since all commercial flights have just been canceled in response to the attack on Houston?”
Lev gave him a wink. “We’ll figure something out.”
Chapter 28
The spotless Gulfstream jet sat baking in the sun on the tarmac at Ben Gurion Airport. Anyone in the aviation community knew that this aeronautical work of art was one of the finest private jets on the market and came with the added benefit of transatlantic capability.
The plane was being fueled as Nava guided the big Blackhawk helicopter in for a landing in front of the hanger. Camp barked as he stuck his head into the slipstream, becoming the envy of every dog who had ever stuck his head from the window of a moving vehicle. He was reveling in the ultimate dog game of feeling the wind in his face and flying across the land faster than any dog on earth. Sitting beside him in the back of the helicopter was Ariella, accompanied by John, Leo, Lev, and Alon.
The chopper hovered briefly before finally touching down on the hot cement. As the rotor blades revolved to a stop overhead, Leo looked out at the sleek outline of the gleaming white jet and noticed the blue logo of the Carlton Oil Company painted on the fuselage. “That jet doesn’t happen to belong to the same oil man you bought the mobile kitchen from, does it, Lev?”
“Yup. It belongs to Jeb Carlton. He loaned it to us with no questions asked after I called him this morning and hinted that we were partially responsible for finding the oil in the desert.”
“What’s it doing in Israel? Is he here now?”
“No. He has several aircraft based around the world. His home office is on a ranch outside Midland, Texas. We’ve been friends for years. I spent some time on his ranch once … almost got bitten by a rattlesnake. That part of Texas is almost as barren as the Negev Desert.”
“When do we leave?” John asked.
“As soon as that fuel truck moves away.” Lev watched the driver unhook the fuel nozzle from the wing.
Leo and Alon jumped from
the chopper, followed by John and Ariella. These four would be flying to Rome, while Lev remained behind at the villa.
“Are you sure you can’t come with us, Lev?”
“I’d love to, Leo, but someone has to stay here and coordinate things. Besides, we’re on high alert here in Israel, and I need to be close-by in case anything else happens.”
Ariella stood on tiptoes and kissed her father goodbye through the door of the helicopter. She reached down and gave Camp a kiss on the nose while her father held him tightly on a leash to keep him from jumping out and following behind. “Goodbye, Father. I’ll call you as soon as we get to Rome.”
“I put the satellite phone in your bag. You can call me from wherever you are. I’ll see you soon. Take care of yourself, little one. I love you.”
Nava gave Ariella a thumbs-up and waved to Alon while the engines of the Blackhawk came to life and the aircraft rose slowly into the clear blue sky. Lev continued waving to Ariella as she grew smaller below, while Camp whimpered and squirmed in the seat beside him.
The four turned from watching the helicopter depart and climbed a short set of stairs into the plush cabin of the jet. A female flight attendant pulled the door shut behind them and shoved a red lever down, sealing the cabin in preparation for flight, while up front in the cockpit, the two pilots adjusted their seats and began going through the mandatory preflight checklist.
Outside, near the tail of the aircraft, one of the Rolls-Royce engines started with a strong thump, followed by the run-up of the second engine on the opposite side. Puffs of gray smoke shot from the rear of both engines as the cabin vibrated with the steady hum of power.
After receiving clearance to taxi from the tower, the captain released the brakes and the thirty-million-dollar executive jet began to roll away from the hanger toward the runway.
John removed his backpack and set it on the floor next to his seat before stretching out next to Ariella on a beige leather sofa that lined one side of the cabin. Across the aisle, Leo and Alon faced each other in oversized leather seats separated by a polished walnut table. Alon shoved a vase of fresh flowers aside and placed a pack of cards in front of Leo and winked. “Do you play cards, Father?” Leo smiled back as he gathered up the cards and began to shuffle the deck.
A flat screen TV in the front of the cabin was showing nonstop pictures from Houston on the Fox network. It was a vision like nothing any of them had ever seen before, and anyone with an opinion agreed that the vicious 9/11 attack on New York paled in comparison. Reporters in the field were telling shocked viewers that at least one hundred thousand people were dead and thousands more were overwhelming emergency rooms in the parts of the city that had not been touched by the initial blast or ball of fire that spread across the landscape.
Portable military hospitals had been rushed to the area, and the countryside outside the city resembled one enormous M*A*S*H triage area. Things were so bad that patients were actually laid out in the open across the lawns of local hospitals. It was like the famous scene from the movie, Gone with the Wind, when rows of Civil War wounded filled the streets of Atlanta. Radioactivity readings were through the roof, and many secondary casualties would soon fall victim to the invisible poison that drifted through the air.
Turning into position for takeoff, the pilots shoved the throttles forward. The jet picked up speed and raced over the rubber-scarred concrete until it lifted off midway down the runway and climbed into the air at a forty-five degree angle. The emotions of the four passengers were mixed as the plane streaked upward on the way to its assigned cruising altitude of forty thousand feet. They were on their way across the Mediterranean to the Eternal City, and the ancient chapel was waiting.
The flight attendant remained seated in the back of the cabin across from Ariella as the plane continued to climb and everyone’s ears popped in the changing pressure. She was the same height as Ariella, but slightly frail looking, with long blonde hair and blue eyes. Her name was Sarah, and Ariella quickly learned that she was from Abilene, Texas. They talked about Texas, chicken-fried steak, and tubing down the Guadalupe River north of San Antonio in the summer.
“What got you interested in flying?” Ariella asked.
“Daddy’s a pilot. For the past few years he’s been working as Jeb Carlton’s chief pilot. That’s how I got this job. I used to work for an airline, but the people nowadays have become so rude and demanding that I quit after a few years.”
“It must be a lot of fun flying all over the world.”
“I usually fly the local runs around the country, but a few nights ago, I had a really powerful dream about Jerusalem and decided to ask for this trip.”
Ariella’s eyes widened and she let out an unconscious gasp.
Sarah immediately picked up on her reaction. “I’m sorry, did I say something wrong?”
Ariella forced herself to smile while casting a sideways glance at John. “No, my ears just popped. What was in your dream?”
“Well, like I said, I was dreaming about Jerusalem, but then I was standing out in the desert, and I definitely had a feeling that something was about to happen. I saw a storm coming and then the wind started to blow and I heard a voice telling me I was chosen. Why do you ask?”
“Oh, just curious. I know a lot of people who’ve been having strange dreams lately.”
Sarah’s eyes became vacant as she thought back to the dream. “Yes, it was strange. I kept thinking about it all the next day and when I heard that one of the company jets was flying to Israel, I jumped at the chance to come.”
Ariella noticed that the girl’s movements were almost trance-like as she twirled her hair in her fingers and turned to stare out the window at the sun glinting off the blue sea below.
Ariella leaned close to John. “Did you hear what she said?”
“Yeah, this is really weird. I think we need to have a little talk with Leo about her.”
“I agree. This is just too much of a coincidence. There’s a connection here somewhere.”
The jet leveled out and the noise from the engines fell from full power to cruise as Sarah unbuckled her seatbelt and walked forward to begin preparing lunch for her guests.
John reached across the aisle and tapped Leo on the shoulder. “Can we have a word with you, Father?”
“In a minute, John. I’m a little busy at the moment.”
“But this is really important, Leo.”
“So is this.” Leo watched Alon from the corner of his eye and tried to keep a straight face as he showed John the four kings he was holding in his hand.
“Ok,” John said, “but we really need to talk when you’re through.”
Up in the front of the cabin, Sarah was quietly humming to herself as she pulled some food trays from the freezer compartment. She reached up to grab some napkins when she caught the first whiff of something burning. She stepped back and looked at the oven, but then remembered she hadn’t started cooking yet. She froze. An in-flight fire was a flight crew’s worst nightmare.
Within seconds, a misty, red-tinged smoke began to drift through the cabin. Sarah let the trays fall from her hands and jerked open the cockpit door to alert the pilots. She was horrified to see that the cockpit was also filling with smoke, a reddish smoke that was punctuated by the acrid smell of sulfur. A piercing alarm began to sound as a series of red lights flashed on the instrument panel in front of the pilots.
While the mystified crew was trying to process the flood of conflicting information from their instruments, the starboard engine suddenly flamed out and stopped. Confused by this sudden series of events, the copilot called air-traffic control and declared an emergency, while the captain performed a one hundred eighty degree turn back toward the airport.
The plane was still over the Mediterranean with nowhere to land, but the crew had no choice except to descend in a controlled emergency dive. The pilots donned full facemasks, while small yellow oxygen masks fell from the ceiling in the passenger compartment and dangled i
n front of the five souls who were now beginning to gasp for air.
John and Ariella grabbed two masks and placed them over their faces, breathing in the fresh air while staring into each other’s eyes, wondering if their future together would be only a brief dream before the jet slammed into the sea below. Leo’s winning poker hand was scattered on the floor as he and Alon slipped their masks over their heads and tightened their seatbelts. Without warning, the second engine flamed-out, leaving the jet totally without power. The multimillion-dollar jet had just turned into a heavy glider and plummeted toward the water below.
The captain fought for control of the aircraft and shouted for Sarah to prepare the passengers for a water landing. Inching her way back into the cabin, Sarah strapped herself into a seat and held an oxygen mask to her face. She looked around the cabin and lifted her mask just long enough to instruct her passengers on how to brace themselves for a crash landing.
Alon noticed the absence of sound from the engines. “Both engines are out!”
“Airplanes can still land without power from the engines,” Sarah said.
“They just can’t choose their landing site,” Alon replied, flashing Sarah a soldier’s smile that he and his comrades had adopted in the past when faced with overwhelming odds.
Time was now running out for the jet as it neared the surface of the water twenty miles off the coast.
“Put on your life jackets,” Sarah shouted to her passengers. “They’re stowed under your seats. Remember not to inflate them until you’ve exited the aircraft. If you inflate them too soon, you’ll bob to the ceiling as the plane begins to sink, and you won’t be able to get out. When we get close to the water, I’ll call for you to assume crash positions.”
The smoke in the cabin had become intense and was interfering with the pilot’s ability to see out of the cockpit. They were attempting to level out when the blue of the Mediterranean Sea loomed in front of their windows and the jet slammed into a wave. The right wing submerged first, ripping it away as the plane began to cartwheel over the sea, tearing the main cabin open and scattering pieces of the aircraft along the path of destruction. The jet flipped two more times before finally coming to a stop and taking another wave over the top of the fuselage. Sea water rushed in and what was left of the main cabin quickly began to sink.