by John Lyman
Feeling refreshed, Leo turned off the water and emerged into the steam-filled room. He donned a white terry cloth bathrobe with the Carmella’s blue and gold logo embroidered over the left side of the chest and looked into the mirror. Running his hand over the stubble on his face, he reached for a shaving kit by the sink before turning on a tiny flat-screen TV mounted at eye level on a cinnamon-colored wall. From the corner of his eye, he glimpsed the images on the screen while he shaved. Pictures of Houston still dominated the news and Israeli officials were telling journalists that Israel was on full alert now as new threats were being aimed in her direction in the aftermath of the nuclear attack in America.
Smoothing on some aftershave, Leo exited the bathroom to discover that someone had removed all of his clothing, and that a blue dress shirt and tan slacks had mysteriously appeared on his bed. Knowing who was probably responsible for the theft of his clothes, he smiled to himself as he tried on the pants. A knock on the door ended his luxurious seclusion.
Leo opened the door to find John standing in the hallway dressed for dinner. “I found these new clothes hanging in my closet when I woke up. This shirt’s an Armani. What gives?”
Leo pointed out his own new clothes. “I’m sure Lev has something to do with it. Where’s Ariella?”
“She’s still dressing. Evidently, there’s a big dinner party planned for this evening, and she won’t let me see her until she comes out of her room.”
“Sounds like someone has a surprise for you. Come in while I look for some shoes.”
“I wanted to talk to you about Ariella, Father. I … ”
“Listen, John, it’s been pretty obvious to everyone around that you two were meant for each other. The priesthood isn’t for everyone, and you don’t owe anybody an explanation. God has chosen our callings for us, and they’re all equally important. You’re a devoted Catholic, and you’ll be a devoted husband and father someday. Besides, if all Catholic men became priests, we wouldn’t have any more Catholics.”
John stood awkwardly in the doorway and smiled at Leo’s last remark. He had agonized over his decision and felt that he was letting the Church and his mentors down, but it was evident that he was destined to take a different path … a path that he and Ariella would walk together. Whatever lay ahead for them, John knew the Church would always remain a central focus in his life, and that, no matter what, he had made a life-long friend that he could call upon in the years ahead.
“It’s funny how life takes us in different directions when we least expect it,” John said. “A few weeks ago I thought my path was set …then I met Ariella.”
John’s expression reminded Leo of his own struggles when he was considering seminary years ago. “Every time I come to a fork in the road, John, I feel I’m being led. Let’s go topside and see what that girl has in store for you.”
They walked out into the wood-paneled hallway and up the narrow stairs to the main deck. The members of the Bible Code Team were all dressed for the occasion, sipping their wine and chatting nonstop in anticipation of a relaxing evening aboard Lev’s yacht.
Alon and Nava were nursing sunburns from sitting in the upper deck pool too long, while others had escaped the sun by napping. Almost everyone had skipped lunch and all were ravenous as the smell of garlic and lemon-seasoned Mediterranean cooking mixed with the sea air and wafted from the kitchen out onto the deck. Camp had captured the hearts of the Carmela’s crew and had his own bowls of food and water inside the main salon. The little dog had claimed one of the couches and was sleeping soundly.
As everyone mingled on the back deck, the sliding glass doors to the grand salon opened and Lev stepped out with Ariella on his arm.
John gasped silently as she stood before him, a vision of pure femininity. He had never seen her in a dress before, and she looked even more gorgeous than he thought possible. She wore a knee-length white silk dress emblazoned with a red and yellow Calder-like pattern. Her long brown hair was pulled up on top of her head, and long gold earrings and light makeup highlighted her already perfect features. Her brown eyes positively beamed as she gazed at John, somehow knowing the effect she was having on him and giggling at his weak-kneed and slack-jawed response.
Dressed in a dark blue sport coat with an open white shirt, Lev led his daughter out on deck and handed her off to John. He clasped John on the back as they stood face to face for a brief, silent moment. Without saying a word, he had said it all. Welcome to the family. John’s affection for both Lev and Ariella was growing daily, and Lev’s unspoken blessing had a humbling effect on him, especially since he had only known the two of them for such a short period of time.
Night had fallen as everyone flowed into the yacht’s main dining room and gathered around the long, highly polished Koa wood table. The flickering light from the candles reflected on the faces of the guests, giving the scene a subdued aura of elegance. Ariella and John sat next to each other while Lev took his place at the head of the table with Leo to his right. A beautiful gilded chair at the far end of the long table was always left empty in memory of Lev’s late wife.
“Something smells delicious,” Leo said.
Moshe beamed from across the table. “It’s my wife’s cooking.”
“Moshe’s wife, Hadar, is actually one of the most famous chefs in Israel,” Lev said. “She always accompanies us when we sail on the yacht.”
The hungry diners could hear the sounds of a busy kitchen in the background as Daniel noticed the newest member of the group, Sarah Newton, standing shyly in the doorway. He caught her attention and motioned to the empty seat next to him.
Ariella glanced at John before looking over the table at Father Leo and giving him a conspiratorial wink. Despite the fact that Sarah’s dream was similar to their own, they had both been secretly worried that Sarah was not one of the chosen … that bringing her with them was a mistake. Their fears were finally put to rest by Daniel earlier in the day when he had discovered Sarah’s name encoded next to the word chosen in one of the books of the Old Testament.
Leo watched Sarah as she smiled at the others around the table. He was instantly struck with the realization that she truly was one of the chosen, and that could only mean that there had to be others like her out there somewhere. He filed away a mental note to discuss his theory with Lev. They needed to begin searching the Bible right away for names of those chosen by God.
In honor of their Italian destination, Hadar and the other chefs had prepared an elegant meal that began with a typical Mediterranean salad, including lettuce, tomatoes, olives, artichoke hearts, and feta cheese, drizzled with garlic-infused, lemon-scented Italian dressing. This was followed by saltimbocca alla romana, veal slices rolled with prosciutto and sage. The main course was abbacchio alla cacciatore, lamb cooked in anchovies, garlic, wine, chilies, and olive oil. The dinner was topped off by a timballo di ricotta, ricotta cheese baked in a tart with sugar, lemon, brandy, eggs, and cinnamon-Ariella’s favorite dessert.
Sitting next to Ariella, John could barely take his eyes away from her. The idea of exposing her to any more danger was weighing heavily on him. The need to protect her was strong, but he knew that she would scoff at the idea of needing to be protected. She was a strong-willed, independent woman who had once been an Israeli soldier and had faced danger as well as, or better than, most men. Falling in love with a woman like her came with a whole new set of challenges, but John was more than up to the task with a quiet strength that matched Ariella’s. Glancing at her profile, he knew that somehow they would work it all out. For now, he had to stay focused on making sure the object in the backpack beside his chair made it to Rome.
With most of the cooking done, Hadar joined Moshe at the table across from Nava and Alon. “Where did you find such a beautiful dress, Sarah?” Hadar asked.
“Yes, it is beautiful. I found it hanging in my closet this afternoon.” Sarah smiled and glanced over at Lev and Ariella. “I think there are fashion elves roaming this boat.”
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br /> John saw Ariella biting her lip to keep from laughing. “Yeah, Leo and I were wondering the same thing. How come we all have these great new clothes that just happen to fit us?”
“Oh, the clothes.” Lev threw his head back in laughter. “Ariella and the staff obtained your sizes and ordered the clothes delivered to the boat when you first arrived at the villa. I thought you would enjoy a little overnight cruise along the coast after we came out of the desert. I don’t think anyone here could have predicted the events that have happened since Leo and John arrived. It turns out that we got to take our little cruise under totally different circumstances from what I had originally planned. We didn’t know about Sarah then, but luckily, she and Ariella are about the same size. Please … accept these clothes as a gift from us to you.”
Sarah blushed as Ariella held up a glass of wine in her direction and gave her a warm smile. The rest of the table followed by raising their glasses in a toast to Lev and Ariella … who had proven, as always, to be generous and beloved hosts.
“What are our plans once we reach shore?” John asked to no one in particular.
The lively talk at the table tapered off as everyone’s eyes rotated in Leo’s direction. John had pretty much nailed what everyone else was thinking. Leo set his glass aside and folded his hands on the table.
“I don’t really have a solid plan at this point except to get the book back to the Vatican as quickly and safely as possible. It will obviously be too cumbersome and hazardous for everyone to accompany us all the way, so I think this is something we’ll be deciding on later tonight.”
Lev looked down the table at Moshe and gave him a barely perceptible nod.
Moshe twirled one end of his moustache and looked down the length of the table. “According to one of our scenarios, it may be advantageous to use as many of you as possible.”
Leo smiled with the knowledge that Moshe and Lev had probably been making plans all along based on various perceived threats. It was a generational habit all Israelis shared from living their entire lives surrounded by an enemy bent on their destruction.
Leaning back in his chair, Lev surveyed the table and took a final sip of wine. “We’re planning on holding a briefing scheduled at 5:00 AM for the entire staff. We still have some details to work out in support of the final dash to the Vatican, but all of our efforts will be to support that mission. It will be vital that everyone is prepared to do their part, no matter how small it may seem. Until then, let’s enjoy our last evening aboard and try to relax before we dock, because tomorrow will be very busy indeed.”
As the dinner slowly ebbed to a finish, everyone pushed their chairs back and filtered outside. Strolling along the main deck, they could feel the fresh sea breeze and see the twinkling lights from the Italian shore as the boat moved along the coast toward its destination.
At one of the outside tables, Leo joined Lev and Moshe who were smoking Cuban cigars obtained by the yacht’s captain in Panama the last time the boat had passed through the canal. John and Ariella were coiled up on a couch next to Camp in the salon, and Alon and Nava had retreated back to the pool on the top deck to nurse their sunburns with a bottle of champagne.
“My God,” Lev said, looking at some of the young couples cuddled up around the boat. “This yacht is starting to look like the Love Boat. I think now would be a good time to go up to the operations center.”
“Operations center?” Leo quizzed. “I must have missed that on the tour.”
“We wanted you to sleep this morning and felt that if we took you into the ops center, you’d be awake the rest of the day. Come on. We have something to show you.” The three men slid out of their deck chairs and climbed the exterior stairs to the bridge.
Daniel and Sarah had left the table together after dinner. They made their way up to the railing in front of the bridge and stopped to look skyward at the stars. Along with all his other talents, Daniel was also an amateur astronomer and had taken to giving Sarah a verbal tour of the cosmos. She gently touched his arm as she pointed to a distant star and asked him its name. They stared into each other’s eyes for just a moment before a dawning awareness of the three men standing behind them interrupted the spell.
“There must be something in the water,” Moshe said as he threw his head in their direction. Leo and Lev stifled their laughter before they entered an area behind the bridge and descended the small stairway leading to the ops center. Once inside, Leo had to let his eyes adjust to the darkness in the red light of the room. Realizing that Moshe and the others would need his expertise, Daniel reluctantly excused himself from Sarah and headed inside. She turned away to face the sea with the picture of Daniel’s face still in her mind before descending to the deck below to join the others.
Inside the communications center, the yacht’s executive officer was at his console, scanning cell phone and satellite transmissions on shore with the help of a large mainframe computer capable of breaking encrypted codes. In front of a bank of computer screens, Daniel resumed a project he had been working on before supper. He had been absorbed with searching for encoded messages in the Bible all day, and his brief respite with Sarah was the only free time he had allowed himself.
Moshe stood next to the female communications officer and studied the lighted image of the Italian coast. He looked at Leo and noticed the puzzled look on his face as he listened to all the radio chatter. “We’re trying to pick up any cell phone or radio traffic about the yacht’s arrival in the area,” Moshe explained. “If it looks like we’re going to have a reception committee, then we’ll have to alter our plans.”
Lev had been uncharacteristically quiet since they entered the operations center. “Daniel found something encrypted in the Bible this morning that you might find interesting, Father.”
Was this going to be good interesting or bad interesting, Leo wondered. “Let’s have a look.”
Lev ran his hands through his hair and looked over the row of computer screens. “Can you bring it up on the main screen again, Daniel?”
The multicolored screen came alive with green letters forming a matrix. Circled in red were the words, Leopold Amodeo and John Lowe. The names were crossed by encoded script that read they will journey with the book to Rome. Then, at the bottom of the page, the most chilling words of all … the Antichrist will read from it.
The Antichrist? Leo felt the bile rise in his throat. “What do you think that means?”
Daniel turned in his seat and faced him. “The first part apparently confirms what we already knew. You and John must be the ones who will take the book to the chapel. However, the reference to the Antichrist took us by surprise. This is the first time we’ve ever seen his name encoded anywhere in the Bible. Of course he’s mentioned openly in Revelation … in the New Testament, but we’ve never seen it encoded before … except …”
“Except what, Daniel?” Leo asked.
“Except in the section of the Devil’s Bible we deciphered.”
Leo stared at the words on the screen. “That would make sense in Satan’s book, but this was found in God’s Bible. This is an enigma if I ever saw one.” The Antichrist will read from it. “What is the code trying to tell us?”
“It’s a mystery to us too,” Lev said. “This is the message I knew would keep you awake all day if you saw it. For now, all we can do is keep searching through the Bible and pray we can find something else that will help clarify that statement.”
A primeval fear was rising within the Jesuit warrior. Was it possible that the Antichrist was alive and now living in the world of men? The forces at work against them seemed to be multiplying by the hour. As disturbing as this last revelation was, Leo had to force himself to put this latest puzzle aside and concentrate on the mission at hand. “Can you all show me how you develop one of your scenarios?”
“Sure, Father,” Lev said. “Moshe, punch up the one we discussed before dinner.”
The large screen before them changed to display all of the town
s and roads between the harbor at Maratea and Rome.
“As you can see, there are several main roads leading from this harbor toward Rome. This will work nicely in our plan because it allows us to pick and choose the best routes and vehicles for the trip to the city. Then we look at all the possible ways someone could spot you or ambush you on the road. We try to put ourselves in the other guy’s head. A plan of action is developed for every conceivable threat, and an offensive and defensive scenario develops from all the pieces. Moshe has just finished running an especially intriguing scenario that I think holds the best chance of success against a force that, for all practical purposes, we know nothing about. If you don’t mind, we’d like to work on it some more and eliminate some of the bugs before we present the final version to you at the 5:00 AM briefing.”
“That’s fine by me, Lev. I’m just a simple priest, and the closest I’ve been to an operation like this is watching a program about military planning on the History Channel.”
“You’re much more than a simple priest, Leo. This is a spiritual mission run like a military campaign, and you’re the ultimate general. You have to realize that you could be the hope of the world, and there are dark forces out there that are well aware of your presence and what you’re doing. We can only assist you in the earthly fights, but you’re the one who must defeat the invisible ones that will come at you and John.”
The yacht rolled slightly, giving Leo an excuse to grab the edge of the console to steady himself. After a few awkward seconds of not knowing what to say next, he excused himself and walked out into the hallway and down to the main deck. He made his way forward to the bow and stopped to gaze out across the dark water at the lights along the coast.