Thou didst just witness the transport of this land from Earth that didst transpire over five thousand years ago.
She watched as water began to swell in the crater to fill the void. As they flew high above the strip of land below, she did a double-take as she recognized some of the unique trees below.
“Those are Baobabs…” she stammered, “They only grow in Madagascar. I remember them from my summer trip there while I was in college!”
When the great machine didst activate, one of the obelisks in the northern hemisphere wast torn down by the enemy. Because this obelisk wast no longer operational, the transport didst leave this strip of land upon Earth.
Slowly the vision faded, and her eyes blurred again as the valley below returned to view. Madagascar disappeared, and was replaced by a massive sea with an identical shape. They continued to fly northward as Lily struggled to comprehend everything that was happening.
After several minutes of silence Lily asked cautiously, “Where are you taking me?”
I must take thee to the tribes of the northern lands. They shall give thee further guidance.
Chapter Thirty Three: Internal Conflict
Yea, the armies of Seth and Cain didst combine forces to slaughter the Nephilim, for the Earth cried out against the lawless ones. And from that time forth there were continual wars and bloodshed…
– Methuselah 11:8 –
The second sun was reaching midday as they got closer to the summit, and Allan was struggling to keep his head above the surface of the darkness that was muddling his thoughts. Allan recognized the dark voice that had been echoing in his dreams, only now it was louder and more adamant in its demands. He felt as though he were dragging a heavy weight up the mountainside. The temptation to yield up his soul was real. Though his legs ached from the long hike, he felt even more drained from his exhaustive efforts to silence his mind.
“John…” Allan forced himself to focus, “…if you’re really John the Beloved as you claim, wouldn’t that make you more than two thousand years old?”
“It’s one of my unique gifts.” he explained, “I was commissioned by Christ to protect the Earth until His triumphant return. This prevents me from succumbing to death.”
“But…that’s impossible…”Allan staggered, lightheaded.
John turned around to face him with concern, “Let’s take a break. You look like you need to sit down.”
Allan agreed and slumped to the ground. He felt like he was drowning in an internal darkness.
“You have to learn to ignore the lure of the Leviathan.” John consoled, “If you ignore it long enough, it will eventually leave you alone.”
“I don’t…” Allan wheezed, “…know how. It’s…too strong.”
“Your Amulet can help you focus your thoughts and give you clarity of mind.” John sat next to him in the dirt, “Here, let me show you.”
Allan nodded, and timidly pulled out the seer stone from his pocket. It felt warm to the touch. The longer it sat in his palm, the quieter the voices became. After a few minutes, Allan closed his eyes in relief as a peaceful tranquility settled over him. The voices had finally stopped.
“Well,” John smiled, “I’m impressed. You figured it out on your own.”
Allan opened his eyes and returned the smile, “Finally. Some peace.”
John nodded, “Should we get going then?”
“Please”, Allan pleaded, “Just a few more minutes.”
“Of course.”
Allan felt like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh air. As he bathed in the tranquil peace, many troubling questions began to form in his mind.
“John?” he spoke up after several minutes of silence.
“Go ahead.” he smiled, “Ask me your questions.”
“I’m sure you already know them.”
“Indeed, I do.” he nodded, “But I’d like to hear them come from you.”
“All right. You got me.” Allan sighed, “I believe you now.”
“What do you believe, exactly?”
“All of it.” Allan gestured around them, “Zion, Atlantis, Dragons…”
“Good.” John’s countenance beamed, “What more would you like to know?”
“Who am I?”
“You are the Final Seraph.”
“You’ve told me that already.” Allan pried, “But what does that even mean?”
“You are the Fifth and final Horseman.”
“Horseman?” Allan shook his head in confusion, “As in, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?”
“Exactly.”
“That’s absurd.” Allan stammered, “Besides, everyone knows that there’s only four horsemen, not five.”
“Ah, my boy.” John chuckled, “But where does the Four Horsemen story come from?”
“Somewhere in the Bible, I suspect.”
“Yes.” John smiled again, “In the sixth chapter of the Book of Revelation, to be precise. Are you familiar with this account?”
“Vaguely…” Allan acknowledged.
“Good. Then you should know who wrote it.”
“I’ll be honest.” Allan shrugged, “I’ve never been all that religious. So I don’t know.”
“Ah, I see.” he studied him for a moment, “The full title of the book is The Revelation of St John the Divine.”
It took a moment for Allan to fully register what John was saying.
“Wait…” Allan stammered, “You wrote it?”
John beamed and nodded.
“But…” Allan shook his head in bewilderment, “If that’s true, then why did you only write about four horsemen?”
“I omitted the Fifth on purpose.” he explained, “For I knew that the Fourth Horseman would have tried to destroy you had he known of your existence.”
“So, you’re saying that these Horsemen are actual people?”
“Yes.” he confirmed, “They are the last five Seraphim who are commissioned to prepare the way for the triumphant return of our Lord and Savior.”
Allan took a deep breath to let this new information sink in. All his life he had been an Atheist. Now he didn’t know what to believe anymore.
“The King James Version of the Bible recounts the First Horseman as sitting upon a white horse, going forth ‘conquering, and to conquer’. This verse however was translated into English incorrectly. Instead it should read, ‘converting, and to convert’. My fellow disciples and I had preached the gospel of Christ throughout the Middle East over the course of our lives, and had established seven main churches in the provinces round about.”
“So, wait…” Allan’s face contorted, “Are you the First Horseman?”
“You’re catching on quick.” he smiled and pressed on, “The Second Horseman sat on a red horse and was given a great sword. Power was given to him to take peace from the earth, that they should kill one another. This man was Attila, ruler of the Hunnic Empire. His wartime success can primarily be attributed to his Amulet, the Holy War Sword of the Scythians.”
“You’re not suggesting that the Sword of Mars is real?”
“Ah,” John nodded, “So you’re familiar with it.”
“I’ve heard stories.”
“Then you know that the mystical properties of this sword assured him supremacy in every war he waged.”
“But that’s just a myth.”
“Yes,” John chuckled, “but all myths are derived from fragments of truth.”
Allan let that thought simmer as John continued.
“The Third Horseman sat upon a black horse and he held a pair of balances in his hand. This was Alexios I Komnenos, the Emperor of the Byzantine Empire. It was by his order that the Crusades took place. His army of knights stormed the Muslim-occupied community of Jerusalem and took siege of the city, slaughtering thousands of innocent people in the name of Christianity. Their actions became a permanent scar in history that will forever remain an atrocious account of genocide.”
“Eventually Alexios became very remorseful for his actions.” John explained further, “In time he Awakened and ascended to the throne of Atlantis. He was given a pair of balances as his Amulet, symbolizing God’s wrath and judgment as a continual reminder of his failure to protect the people of Earth. The end of his reign in Atlantis was rather abrupt and unexpected. Many years prior to his untimely death, he became terrified of the prophecy surrounding his successor, the Fourth Horseman. The prophecy revealed that he would sit upon a pale horse and would be given power over a fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth. Alexios reacted in fear, found his successor, and locked him in a deep dungeon where he was left forgotten for decades.”
“Timur Demyan is the Fourth Horseman, isn’t he?” Allan guessed.
“Yes.” John confirmed, “Upon breaking free from the deep dungeon, Timur unknowingly broke Alexios’ Amulet and thrust a dagger through his chest. Alexios died immediately, for since his Amulet had broken, his powers were shaken and he was susceptible unto death. In that instant, something truly unexpected happened. As Timur attempted to withdraw his dagger, an aura of sickly green light encompassed him and both of them were suddenly transported to Earth.”
“So, the dagger was his Amulet?” Allan made another guess.
“No.”
“Then how did he transport?”
“The prophecy states that his name is Death, and Hell follows after him.”
Allan stared ahead for a long minute until an ugly thought crossed his mind.
The body?!
“Correct.” he sighed with a heavy heart, “It was the first blood that a Seraph had ever been shed. He now uses a sack of cremated ashes for transporting between worlds.”
Chapter Thirty Four: Top Secret Technology
And lo, God had protected the people of Enoch from the Nephilim; Verily, the Kingdoms of Seth and Cain had become wroth of the great blessings of protection that God hath bestowed upon the glorious City of Atlantis…
– Methuselah 11:9 –
Brittany stared at the text message with former officer Doug Carlton’s address that she had received yesterday. She was familiar with the area and it was only about a twenty minute drive from her home. She let the idea of visiting him simmer for several minutes before she made her decision.
All right Brittany. That’s enough moping around.
Jumping up and out of bed, she quickly dressed and brushed her hair. She then hastily threw on some makeup to hide the fact that she had laid in bed all day until late this afternoon. She knew that if she didn’t get out the door quickly, she might change her mind again.
She grabbed her keys and bolted the door behind her. The drive took longer than expected due to the afternoon traffic. When she finally pulled up to the curb, she found the lawn covered with random clothing items for sale. It appeared that the basement stairwell served as a storefront for the neighbor’s rudimentary thrift store. She glanced at her phone again to make sure it was the right address. Apparently he lived in the attic apartment.
Opening the front door, the hallway split between the entrance for the main floor and a steep stairway. Each step creaked ominously as she ascended to the attic apartment. She knocked, and was greeted almost immediately as the door opened slightly with a creak.
“Can I help you?” a man asked from the cracked-open doorway.
“Yes…” she hesitated, “I’m looking for Doug. I was told I should speak with him.”
“I’m Doug.” He spoke hesitantly. “Who sent you?”
“That’s not important.” she ignored his request, “My name is Brittany Parker, former Detective from the Chicago South Precinct. I just got suspended for the same reason I hear you were.”
“Come in.” he opened the door the rest of the way with a serious look on his face, “We have a lot to talk about.”
Brittany followed him into his small living room that doubled as an office. The ceiling, floor and walls were all curiously lined with crisscrossed metal wires. Just inside the wood door Doug quickly closed a screen door that was similarly lined with crisscrossed wires. Her claustrophobia set in immediately, and she felt like a caged animal.
Doug read the anxiety on her face, “Just your standard variety Faraday cage. You can’t be too careful nowadays.”
What kind of cage?
He then held up a handheld metal detector, “Do you mind?”
She shot him a perturbed look, “Umm… I guess not.”
She felt uncomfortable as he frisked her, but by proving she wasn’t carrying a bug she hoped she could get the answers she needed.
After a minute he stepped back, “Good. You’re clean.”
He offered her a seat on the couch, and he set up a folding camp chair for himself that he pulled out from his closet.
“How did you get my address?” he demanded, “I’m off the radar.”
“Oh…”
“Who sent you?”
“My former partner gave me your address.”
He studies her response for a few minutes, “Are you referring to Detective Brown?”
“Err…Yes.”
“That makes more sense.” he nodded, “How much do you know?”
“Not much, I’m afraid,” Brittany admitted, “I was hoping you could help me figure out what’s going on.”
“You came to the right place.” he nodded as he offered her a seat across from him, “What do you know about the National Security Agency?”
Brittany’s face contorted in confusion, “As in the corrupt government agency?”
“Precisely.”
“Umm...” she paused, “I know that back in 2013 one of the NSA’s contractors leaked incriminating documentation about their worldwide cellphone data collection practices.”
“What happened to the NSA after that?” he pushed.
“Well, after a few years of public outcries the NSA was dismantled.” she looked bewildered.
“Wrong.” he countered, “They just went into hiding.”
Great. He’s a conspiracy nut.
“Okay...” her eyebrows furrowed, “I don’t understand what you’re getting at. I came here to ask you about an anomaly I ran into with MGE’s Law Enforcement Terminal.”
“It all ties in,” he smiled, “I promise.”
“Fine.” she stared at him incredulously, “Please continue.”
“The data collection practices were the most highly contested and the most publicized act the NSA was committing, but the leaked documentation revealed much more than that.” he explained and pointed to a bulletin board on the far wall that was covered in several news clippings from legitimate sources, “Not many people understood that the NSA was using that data to track the movement of billions of people using cellphones worldwide. Additionally, the NSA maintained security vulnerabilities, or rather ‘back doors’ in most software and encryption available on the market. This left the programs susceptible to cyber-attacks by the NSA as well as other possible parties.”
“I remember my father telling me about this at the dinner table when I was a child.” Brittany stammered, “I thought he was just being his usual paranoid self.”
“It was a pretty hot topic back in the day.” he agreed, “After this NSA contractor went rogue and released this top secret information to the public in 2013, the NSA limped along for years as the public and the President of the United States called for the NSA to be dismantled. Meanwhile, cell phone companies were revisiting their software encryption programs and rewriting them to exclude the NSA from extracting data from their customers. Overall the future of the NSA was looking dismal, so they hashed out a new plan.”
“What plan?”
“Are you familiar with radio-frequency identification technology?” he queried.
“You mean the RFID tags they inject inside pets?”
“Yes, exactly.” he nodded, “After the NSA recognized the bleak outlook of their futu
re, the director instructed all personnel to relocate to their old underground locations worldwide. These were existing federal buildings and US embassies throughout the world where decades before they had secretly built additional subterranean basements during the initial construction of these buildings. After they relocated, they made a public announcement that they were dismantling their program.”
“So, what really happened then?”
“Upon relocation, the NSA then began developing a new technology similar to RFID tags that they called Gamma-Frequency Identification. They used this new technology to manufacture microscopic GFID tags for human injection. After several failed prototypes, they finally created functional microscopic Nano-chips. Without the public’s knowledge, they infiltrated the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta and inserted these Nano-chips into billions of vaccines which were quickly distributed to the public.”
“What?!” she interrupted, “But that’s unconstitutional!”
“Agreed.”
“How can you possibly know all of this?” she stammered.
“Let me ask you this, and then I’ll tell you.” he paused, “After the U.S. Government contracted with Motif Global Encryption to protect communications and information systems against penetration and network warfare, what happened to the hackers of the world?”
“To my understanding, they were basically out of a job.”
“Temporarily, yes.” he smiled, “But after a while they banded together to form an alliance of hackers with a united enemy.”
“MGE...” she finished for him.
“Exactly.” he smiled, “They created a secure online forum where they meet and discuss theories. They also use a secured opensource platform to develop a program to hack into MGE’s servers.”
“Are you saying they have already developed the program, or they are trying to?”
“It took many years to develop,” he paused, “but we finally have a functioning algorithm.”
“We?” her eyes narrowed, “You’ve joined them?”
“More like they took me in.” he clarified, “We call ourselves the Cyber Police. I’m kind of their mascot.”
Conquest: Rise of the Fifth Horseman (The Fifth Horseman Series Book 1) Page 14