Centurion's Rise

by Henrikson, Mark

  A soft knock came from the door. Gallono paced over and pushed the door open to greet his visitor. It was pitch dark outside so only half his guest’s face was illuminated by the deep red glow from the dying fire, the other half covered in long shadows. A set of dulled eyes resting in front of a hollow soul stared back at him without emotion.

  “What’s happened,” Gallono asked.

  “Cleopatra is dead, Hastelloy and Valnor rule the known world, and the Alpha are still a threat on this planet,” Tomal reported in a monotone voice.

  “Come in,” Gallono offered. “I think we have a lot to talk about.”

  Tomal entered and flopped to the dirt floor sitting opposite Gallono from across the fire pit.

  “Care for a pillow?” Gallono mocked.

  Tomal absorbed the subtle insult and buried his face in his hands. “I worked for them you know. I helped propel Caesar to greatness, and I kept Cleopatra in power. All according to the will of the Alpha relics they worshiped and followed.”

  “I know,” Gallono said quietly. “Cleopatra’s soldiers have been scouring the entire kingdom looking for the Nexus. I’ve stayed here this past decade to protect it from her Alpha masters.”

  “Master,” Tomal corrected. “Hastelloy managed to destroy the Alpha relic masquerading as the goddess Vesta, but the other is still at large doing who knows what.”

  “Well we know he doesn’t control you anymore. That’s a start I’d say.” A soft huff was the only reply as Gallono continued. “Now that you are here I can finally follow up with Tonwen in Israel.”

  Tomal’s mood brightened slightly as he raised his head from his hands. “Shouldn’t I go instead? I appointed King Herod when I conquered that region. I know the man and I’m pretty sure I could solicit his help. Besides, I need to make things right. I need to fight the Alpha head on by attacking their religious protection.”

  “Not a chance, Lieutenant,” Gallono said sternly. “You are in no condition to be in the field. Your job right now is to make sure the Nexus remains hidden. It’s the captain’s call when you are ready to leave again.”

  Tomal returned his face to his palms and simply nodded in agreement. After a long, contemplative pause Tomal lifted his head up. “Sorry I killed you back in Rome. I was out of control.”

  At that moment Gallono had a choice to make: dish out the verbal abuse the traitor so desperately had coming, or throw him a lifeline to speed him along on the path to recovery. His inner barbarian demanded the former, but the commanding officer won out with the latter. “Yes you were, but I punched you in the nose a couple thousand years ago so I kind of had it coming. We’re square, Lieutenant.”

  Gallono rose to his feet and extended his hand to help Tomal to his and held the handshake. “You hear me? We’re square. Now get some sleep. I leave for Israel in the morning now that the relief watch has arrived.”

  Chapter 64: Have Faith

  “You’re never boring, I’ll give you that,” Dr. Holmes sighed to his patient. “You assassinated Caesar, fostered the rise of Emperor Augustus and the Roman Empire, and planted the seeds of Christianity, did I miss anything?”

  “All in a day’s work,” Hastelloy mused with a self-satisfied grin.

  A bright orange line of sunlight suddenly shined through the tall narrow window in the corner onto the patient’s face. The sun was setting and it was time to draw the session to a close.

  He did have some points to touch upon before doing so. The complete about face this Tonwen character took in his story was important. It signaled a turn, or a willingness to turn in the story teller as well.

  “Tonwen and his time spent in Israel fascinates me,” Dr. Holmes began. “At first he had no faith in a redeemer, but in the end he dedicated his life to spreading the message of eternal salvation.”

  “He did indeed,” Hastelloy confirmed. “He had a bona fide revelation that changed his entire outlook on life. Tonwen was so moved by what he experienced that he undertook mission trips into Pontus, Armenia, and even spent twenty five years in the city of Rome evangelizing the masses. When he was finally put to death by Emperor Nero Tonwen accentuated his martyr status by requesting he be crucified upside-down since he was not worthy to die in the same manner as his Lord and savior.”

  An involuntary cringe crossed Jeffrey’s face at the religious declaration. It didn’t go unnoticed by Hastelloy.

  “You don’t believe in a higher power do you?” Hastelloy asked.

  “I’m afraid you have a hardened atheist sitting before you,” Dr. Holmes answered. “My background in science allows me to believe only what I see or that of which I have ample evidence. I believe in the laws of nature and physics. Even if I were prone to religious superstition, seeing the devastation in my patients’ lives would stamp out any flames of faith. A redeeming God could not possibly do this to people. It’s the result of chemical imbalances and traumas brought about through everyday life.”

  “How do you account for all the documentation proving Jesus really did live” Hastelloy asked.

  Dr. Holmes couldn’t suppress a laugh from escaping his lips at the mention of the word proof. “By documentation you mean the bible right?” An affirmative nod from the patient gave him leave to continue. “Think about it. The Bible first existed as stories verbally handed down from one generation to the next. When it finally was written down it was in dozens of languages, and those books were hand copied until the invention of the printing press in the fifteenth century. Until then no two Bibles were alike. In fact, if you examine the book of Mark you will discover the earliest versions did not include the last twelve verses; they were added by a later scribe.”

  The cynical look on the patient’s face made him change his approach. “Have you ever played the telephone game with a long line of people? The first person tells the next a short phrase like, ‘I’m someone you can trust.’ Then that person repeats the phrase to the next and so on down the line. By the time the phrase has gone in the ear and out the mouth of fifty people, that phrase will come out as ‘Grandma got ran over by a bus,’ or some variation thereof. It will come out as anything except the original phrase.”

  Jeffrey sprung to his feet, walked over to the bookshelf that stood behind his desk and grabbed his International English copy of the Bible. He didn’t believe a word it contained, but many did so it was a valuable reference material. On the way back to his chair, Dr. Holmes flopped the thick book in Hastelloy’s lap.

  “Do you know how many languages that particular version of the bible has gone through? It started in Hebrew, then Aramaic, then Greek, then German, then Old English and finally became the modern English version you now hold. Can you seriously tell me with a straight face that nothing was lost in all those translations?”

  Dr. Holmes took his seat again before continuing. “That pretty well covers my feeling on the language barrier. Let’s move on to missing the cultural significance of things two thousand years later. Better yet, let’s talk about the editing done by Church leaders to the Bible. Hundreds of Gospel books exist, yet only four are included in the accepted bible. Why? Because when Emperor Constantine got all the religious leaders together they determined the others distracted or outright contradicted the single doctrine they created for the Church. They turned the Bible into a marketing tool, telling the narrative that fit the version of history they wanted told. Period!”

  Jeffrey was straying off topic, but his blood was up and he felt compelled to bring his argument home. “To sum it all up, we have verbal stories growing bigger and more fantastic with each generation reciting the tale. We have the telephone game of language translations going on, along with a two thousand year culture gap to contend with. And to top it all off, men in power got together in a room and selectively editorialized the final product that so many people cling to with every fiber of their being; considering every single word a divine message from God.”

  “What about all the prophecies fulfilled by Jesus as the Messiah,” the pat
ient asked with a thoroughly entertained voice.

  “Worthless,” Dr. Holmes fired back. “They can all be explained in one of two ways, and probably both. First, the Bible’s editors could have selected only the writings that matched their narrative that Jesus was the Messiah. Second, Jesus and his followers were aware of the prophecies and molded their actions to fit the descriptions for the expressed purpose of looking like the prophesized Messiah. Take your pick, they both work for me.”

  The patient moved to give an answer, but Jeffrey meant to leave the rhetorical question unanswered so he lurched forward with his sermon. “You’re goading me off topic, so let me try and bring things back to your situation, Hastelloy. You tell a plausible story that wraps itself around documented human history. You’re well read and know the necessary outcomes, so you craft the narrative to fit your needs, much like I believe the Church leaders did.”

  Hastelloy leaned forward in his chair to emphasize his response. “How did the movement of Christianity survive the slaying of its shepherd? Early Christians were persecuted without mercy. Do you think those people wished for the hardships their faith brought them? Do you think a staunch atheist like Tonwen dedicated his life to spreading the teachings and stories of Jesus that eventually culminated in his inverted crucifixion because he thought it would be fun? Something profound happened back then Doctor, that’s why the message survives to this day and is believed.”

  Dr. Holmes pounced on his chance to make the discussion relevant again about the patient’s illness. “I believe something profound happened to you in the past that allows your delusion about being an immortal alien to persist. You need someone to break apart the irrational dogma you hold most dear Hastelloy.”

  The patient sat back in his chair and pondered his next words very carefully before he finally spoke again. “It appears you can view Jesus and I in one of three ways. We both are either bat shit crazy and believe whole heartedly what we say even though it is a fallacy. We might be liars that don’t believe a word we say, or we are exactly the people we claim to be.”

  “I fail to see your point,” Jeffrey said. “I don’t think you’re a liar, but your story cannot possibly be true, so given your criteria the only conclusion I am left with is that you are insane. By extension, Jesus also was insane.”

  “Proof is coming,” the patient whispered softly with a smile; a knowing smile that made the hair on the back of Jeffrey’s neck stand on end.

  Chapter 65: Ominous Prospects

  Professor Russell walked next to Alex as they made the three mile trek back to the tunnel exit. The two looked thoroughly punch drunk both from their week long captivity, and the conversations and actions they recently witnessed. Several yards in front of them the two NSA agents discussed the gravity machine their captors put on display that could easily bring about the end of the world. Behind them walked a well armed Navy SEAL team.

  “Ya know it’s funny,” Alex offered. “The first time I walked through this tunnel it made me feel claustrophobic. After being cooped up for a week in that tiny cage all I can think of now is a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, ‘Free at last, free at last. Thank God almighty, we are free at last.’”

  Professor Russell let out a quiet snort and leaned into Alex’s ear for a quiet word, “More like we’ve fallen out of the frying pan and into the fire.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “It’s not like we just attended an Amway recruitment session in there,” Professor Russell whispered. “National secrets were just discussed right before our eyes. Do you think they will just let us go about our lives like nothing happened once we get to the surface?”

  “We are American citizens who have broken no laws, what can they do to us?” Alex naively asked but her wavering tone gave away the answer. Professor Russell put his arm around his research assistant and felt her trembling through his touch.

  “I don’t intend to wait and find out the answer to that question,” Brian said softly.

  **********

  “What do we do now?” Frank asked. “They can bring the moon crashing down on our heads any time they want.”

  “Yes, but it appears they don’t want to do that,” Mark countered. “The pyramid has been around for four thousand years. If they were going to do it they’d have done it when humans armed themselves with spears, not nuclear weapons.”

  Frank’s eyes lit up in shock. “So you’re not worried about this? Our worst fears that an alien influence is on this planet and capable of doing us harm are confirmed and you’re just fine with it?”

  Mark reached for the ladder rung leading back to the surface and continued talking to his partner as they made the ascent. “Everything those two claimed has turned up to be true, so I am inclined to believe they have millions of their people housed in that Nexus device. That means for the moment we have the same ability to destroy them as they do us. We have some power still over the situation.”

  “What about when the friends they invited to join their little party on our fair planet with that probe come calling?” Frank cautioned. “We may as well bend over at that point.”

  “Unfortunately that message is away and there is nothing we can do about it,” Mark conceded. “Everything hinges on our ability to control the fate of that Nexus device, we need to maintain that leverage over these beings or we really will be grabbing our ankles.”

  Mark reached the top of the ladder and entered the tiny warehouse crowded with bookshelves once more. He turned around and offered Frank a hand to his feet.

  “If that’s the case, then why are you smiling,” Frank asked.

  “Because I have them right where I want them. For the last seventy years we’ve known almost nothing about the aliens on this planet. Now I have two of them pinned inside the Sphinx with only one exit, which I control. As a bonus, I also know the location of their leader.”

  “Yah, he’s holding your brother hostage. What’s not to love about that arrangement?” Frank grunted.

  “If you’re at least one step ahead of them on that front – everything, “ Mark answered and then put a cell phone to his ear.

  While Mark waited for an answer on the other end Frank posed an interesting question. “What are we going to do about the archeologists?”

  Just then the other end of his phone call picked up and delayed Mark’s reply. “Tara, it’s Mark. I need you to listen to me very carefully. . .”

  Chapter 66: Holding Pattern

  A soft knock came at the door that drew the attention of Dr. Holmes and his patient. Tara eased the door open and entered the room carrying two cups of coffee. She placed one on the table in front of Hastelloy, then turned and handed Jeffrey his at eye level with her middle finger pointing to some words she had written into the styrofoam cup. While Tara turned her attention to the coffee table and gathered the remnants of the late lunch, Dr. Holmes read the message.

  Your brother called – urgent. About Hastelloy.

  What the devil could Mark know about his patient? When they spoke a week ago he told Mark of the patient’s unique story about Egypt’s past because Mark was on his way to Egypt. Jeffrey was careful not to mention any names though. What could this all be about?

  “Tara, could you hold on a minute please?” Dr. Holmes called to Tara on her way out the door with her hands full of dirty dishes and trays. “This is my third cup of coffee today without a bathroom break. Would you mind keeping Hastelloy company while I run to the rest room?”

  “Certainly,” the young lady said with a forced smile toward the patient. “Unless you also need to make a trip to the little boy’s room, Hastelloy.”

  “Even if this wasn’t my first cup of the day, I would still pass in order to spend more time with this lovely young lady,” the patient responded in a charming manner Jeffrey could only envy.

  Dr. Holmes shut the door to his office behind him and quickly pulled out his cell phone and dialed Mark’s number as he walked down the psych ward hallway to gain some di
stance from his patient.

  “Mark it’s your brother. You made Tara a little nervous with your call earlier. What sort of urgent information could you possibly have about my patient whom you’ve never met?”

  A few minutes later Dr. Holmes re-entered his office, and looked upon his patient in a whole new light. Never once had Jeffrey felt threatened by Hastelloy and yet his brother, half a world away, told him in no uncertain terms that this man was the most dangerous individual on the planet. All Jeffrey needed to do was keep the patient occupied a little while longer until help arrived.

  “. . . my three house guests stayed with me all last week, but finally went on their way this afternoon. They were fun to have over, but they’ve left quite a mess and all my other friends say they are more trouble than they’re worth.” Tara said to the patient.

  “Relationships are like that sometimes,” Hastelloy pondered and then glanced up and looked Dr. Holmes in the eye and continued his thoughts. “Other people can pass judgments on your friends, but in the end it’s solely for you to judge their nature and the value of their friendship. Wouldn’t you agree doctor?”

  “Well said,” Dr. Holmes responded while taking his seat once more across the table from Hastelloy. “Let’s hear more about your friends shall we?”

  *********

  Hastelloy gently nudged a hole in the moist soil with his primitive hoe so his eight year old helper could drop a handful of seeds into the divot and then cover it back up. One planting hole at a time, the pair made their way across a well irrigated field along the Nile River with the great pyramids a few miles in the distance. To their left, Tomal worked his own planting row with a young lad in tow.

  It was humbling work for both men considering the heights they’d reached in prior lifetimes. They both had known riches and prestige at a level the world had never seen. They both fought vicious battles on land, sea, and in the political arena of Rome, but that was then and this was now. They stayed out of history’s way and worked the land as part of the small farming community that successfully served as cover for the tunnel exit leading to the Nexus chamber inside the Sphinx.