Relics

by Relics (retail) (epub)

  Wilcox seemed to lose himself in wonder at the very idea, gazing up towards the ceiling as he imagined the possibilities. ‘And it is on the teachings of Catholicism and the events that transpire here today that their faith will be based upon. No longer will the biblical stories be passed merely by book from one generation to the next, but there will be visually documented evidence for believers to see with their own eyes for millennia to come. For if the Catholic Church lasted two thousand years on just the existence of a book, then imagine how long it will last with undeniable proof of Jesus Christ himself.’

  The new Pope gazed down at the young woman lying on the bed in front of him and lovingly stroked her head. ‘But without those relics, this would be just another boy. The question of this child being Jesus Christ himself must be undeniable, and the more relics, the more evidence because after tonight, the whole world will be scrutinising our future actions, and so everything must be in place.’

  Harker glanced down at the sleeping beauty. ‘And how about her? She must suspect something.’

  Wilcox shook his head. ‘Dr Sephris, who you just met, is a trusted Magi associate, and he runs a dental clinic here in Rome. Once a suitable female candidate had been chosen by us, she was offered a free check-up. The woman is Ms Maria Genova, chosen for both her religious beliefs and her strong constitution, was then booked in and given an anaesthetic in the guise of deep root-canal work. The good doctor inserted the cloned foetus into her without penetrating her hymen, with techniques developed by the Magi for just this purpose, and thus maintained the physical semblance of her virginity. When she discovered her pregnancy some months later, I was on hand to lend my advice and support. She was brought here to the Vatican in secret and watched over dutifully by my brother Cardinal Rocca and, of course, by Dr Sephris. Some hours ago, the girl was given a strong sedative, and she will be woken up once we have left and the birth induced.’

  ‘And what then? Surely, she’ll want a hand in how her own son is brought up,’ Harker protested.

  ‘I’m afraid this girl won’t be around long enough to see the young boy’s first birthday. She will be assassinated in a few months’ time by a Muslim extremist – an act that will enrage and incite Christians to embark on a modern crusade.’ John Wilcox pressed a palm lightly against his chest. ‘But not before she has signed a will naming me her most trusted priest, as the child’s guardian – the guardian of Jesus Christ, the son of God, returned to mankind in the twenty-first century.’

  Harker was suddenly overcome with a deep feeling of dread. In truth, Wilcox’s plan was just crazy enough to work and, if brought to fruition, could initiate the greatest deception of all time – or second greatest at any rate.

  The fact of having just revealed his entire plan for world domination was either a testament to Wilcox’s supreme arrogance or his confidence that neither Harker nor Reed would survive to divulge it. Either way, he had managed to omit the one piece of information that had originally drawn Harker to Vatican City.

  ‘Where’s Claire Dwyer?’ he demanded.

  Mention of her name drew an excited grin from the Magi operative. ‘I’ve been waiting for you to get around to her.’

  The sarcasm was completely lost on Harker. ‘Enough with the talk, Wilcox. I want to see her now.’

  Wilcox shook his head unconcernedly. ‘Does the life of that woman mean so much to you, considering the world-changing events that will transpire here today?’

  Unbelievable, Harker thought. This man wasn’t fit to wear a dog collar, let alone be Pope. ‘One step at a time, Wilcox. One step at a time.’

  ‘Cocky? I like that. You really believe you can influence tonight’s proceedings, don’t you? Very well, Alex, if she means that much to you. You know, it’s funny, but I was convinced you’d be far more concerned about the implications of today’s events than the location of Ms Dwyer.’

  ‘Then you really don’t know me at all, John.’

  Wilcox sucked in a deep breath and then let out a bellowing laugh. ‘Well, then, with that in mind, this will be all the sweeter.’ He clicked his fingers in the direction of Lusic, who disappeared for a few moments before reappearing with a ruffled-looking Claire Dwyer. She appeared OK apart for a few scuff marks on her forehead. ‘Alex’ She leapt towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

  ‘I never thought I’d see you again.’

  ‘Did they hurt you?’

  ‘No. They were a bit rough but no.’ She pulled away and eyed him closely. ‘What the hell is going on?’

  The relief Harker felt was palpable, and he gazed at her. Damn she looked like Archie. ‘Apparently, Pope Adrian here is behind everything, including Archie’s death.’

  Wilcox tut-tted impatiently as Harker continued. ‘All the murders, the assassinations, everything that’s happened was organised by him in an attempt to gain absolute control of the Catholic Church.’

  Claire Dwyer pulled back further, her face full of confusion. ‘No, that’s not what I meant. Why did you come here tonight?’

  ‘What?’

  ‘You weren’t meant to come chasing after me because your job was already done. Oh, Alex.’

  A surge of nausea rose in Harker’s stomach as he watched her walk calmly over to Wilcox’s side, who was now grinning like a madman.

  ‘Oh, you should see the look on your face – it’s a picture. Almost worth all the trouble you’ve caused us. Almost. How do you think the Magi were able to track you down so effectively? We’re not psychics.’

  Harker could barely believe what he was hearing. Claire Dwyer a Magi associate! ‘What the fuck is going on, Claire? Archie was your brother! How could you work for these people? When did it start?’

  She looked genuinely sad, but her words painted an altogether different picture. ‘When Archie stumbled across the Magi’s plans, he called and told me everything. About Cardinal Rocca, the relics, the angels, the Magi cloning process … everything. But where he was horrified by it all, I saw the benefits it could bring to the Christian faith. So I contacted Cardinal Rocca and agreed to find out the whereabouts of the relics’ location from Archie, and, in return, the Magi would leave him alone. But before I could do that, he committed suicide. He had mentioned your name in our last conversation, so when you turned up unexpectedly at his funeral it set everything into motion. All I had to do before calling a taxi, was to alert the Magi to our location, but, then that idiot Drazia turned up and almost ruined everything.’

  ‘Yes, that damn ogre really threw a spanner in the works.’ Wilcox shook his head disappointingly at the thought. ‘Thank goodness Brulet had you picked up from the police station, which brought Lusic into play – or we would have struggled to keep tabs on you.’ Wilcox offered a grateful nod to the ex-Templar before continuing his devious omission. ‘My oversight was in keeping Claire’s true allegiance from my brothers, but until you arrived at Archie’s funeral yesterday, we didn’t need her to be involved. And now that bloody fool Drazia has managed to get himself arrested by the UK police. Still, at least he’ll keep his mouth shut. That’s about the only positive side to the oaf’s personality. But I assure you, it’s the last time I will entrust my brother Balthasar with any such important task.’

  Harker felt totally stunned. Claire Dwyer had always seemed the most loyal sister a brother could have. From the first time he met her, she had protected Archie like a watchdog, castigating anyone who dared bad-mouth her little brother and even throwing punches when the insult offered was harsh enough. What had changed?

  ‘Don’t look at me like that, Alex. I’m not evil. I’m a realist and a Catholic, and I believe in what’s being done here. The Church has been hit hard in recent years. Remember how you struggled to retain the numbers of your congregation? Well, that’s being repeated all throughout the Western world, and something drastic needs to be done.’ It was now Claire who was struggling to hold back her anger. ‘That erosion of the Catholic faith over the past fifty years was causing my brother more pai
n than anything else, and he wanted above all to see Catholicism recover its rightful role as a force for good in this world, and you know that, Alex.’

  Harker could tell by the look in her eyes that she believed what she was saying emphatically. Whatever her reason for assisting the Magi, it was still rooted in a warped belief that she was helping her brother. ‘Maybe so, Claire, but at what cost? There’s one thing I know in my heart, and it’s that Archie would never have wanted you involved with people who consider the murder of children as justified collateral, regardless of the reason. And I think you know that!’

  Claire Dwyer shook her head solemnly and eyed Harker with the same unflinching expression that had adorned John Wilcox’s face minutes earlier. ‘What I know, Alex, is that sometimes the end does justify the means. And with the faith of over one-and-a-half billion people at stake, I’d say without question this is one of those times.’

  Wilcox reached over and gently pulled Claire towards him. ‘Well said, my dear, but you’ve no need to explain your actions to a man with no faith. Now we must be going. I’ve got a speech to deliver, and we need to find a safe place for you to hole up in until we’ve dealt with any police concerns. Remember, you’re still listed as a kidnap victim.’ He smiled deviously in Harker’s direction. ‘If the authorities actually believed anything the good professor told them in the first place, which is unlikely. Well, I’ve said all there is to say, and so I shall say goodbye for the last time.’ He turned and faced Harker in a formal manner. ‘Goodbye, Professor Alex Harker, you will not be missed.’ He then offered a limp wave of his hand and headed towards the door, stopping only momentarily. ‘Oh and Father Reed, I will grant you a few more days to make your decision, and then, well, I’m afraid you can either join the new world order or follow in the footsteps of your new-found friend.’

  Reed once more strained against the razor-sharp sword that Genges was still holding to his neck. ‘You can have my decision now. Go screw yourself!’

  Wilcox shrugged his shoulders uncaringly. ‘Very well then, you’ll die with your best buddy here. Goodbye.’ He then briskly stepped through the door, followed by Claire who shot Harker a final disappointed look.

  ‘It didn’t have to be like this, Alex.’

  Harker responded with a nod, barely able to look her directly in the eyes. ‘Yes, it did.’

  With that, she was gone, the door slamming behind her with a jolt.

  ‘Well, boys,’ Genges rasped, releasing his grip on Father Reed, who stumbled back against Harker as the Magi retracted his arm-sword with a click. ‘Let’s get this party under way. Lusic, take this automatic and keep them covered.’ He thrust a stubby Glock handgun with a silencer attached into the hands of his German counterpart. ‘We’ll do it in the corridor outside and use the academy entrance to get the bodies removed. I’ll check the coast is clear and organise a car to take us from there.’ He leant in closer, out of earshot for both Harker and Reed. ‘We’ll tie them up first and strangle them as we don’t want any bloodstains down here. This place is destined to become a shrine after tonight’s events.’

  Genges slunk off through the door in his usual fluid, catlike motion, leaving the three men alone.

  ‘Well then,’ Lusic’s contempt was obvious, ‘looks like you chose the wrong team, Professor. Strange for you to think that this girl in front of you will be the key to the beginning of a new world, just as your own life is coming to an end.’

  As Lusic wallowed in self-satisfaction, a movement caught Harker’s attention, and he glanced down at the young girl. She still seemed fast asleep, and he was about to turn his attention back to the still gloating German when he noticed it once more. The girl’s eye flickered once and then again. Next, her mouth began to prise itself open, her dry lips sticking to each other. She was waking up, the drug administered by Dr Sephris was taking effect.

  Harker glanced furtively at Reed, who had noticed too, and, as both men locked eyes, a plan was hatched.

  It had been well documented that over 80 per cent of human communication is non-verbal, a fact not lost on either of them. Neither man was quite sure what their plan was, but the girl’s awakening represented an opportunity – one that would be lost the moment the other henchman reappeared.

  ‘You know what, Lusic, you’re a complete tool.’ Harker’s insult brought the ex-Templar’s jovialness to a standstill. ‘And if you weren’t so busy congratulating yourself, you would have noticed that the girl’s waking up. And if she sees you waving a gun at us, well, she’s going to realise things aren’t exactly kosher. What do you think?’

  Lusic gestured both men away from the bed and moved in for a closer inspection, his eyes focused on the girl’s head, now lolling from side to side as she struggled to wake up.

  He leant over the bed, lowering the silenced Glock to his side, and, in that moment, both men seized their chance.

  Harker was immediately wrestling the pistol away as Reed locked both his arms around the traitor’s thick neck, applying pressure to the windpipe just like his military training had taught him. Lusic’s muscular frame swung them both around like rag dolls, smashing Harker into the wall with such ferocity that the impact came close to knocking him out. But he still clung to the gun and to the forearm wielding it, holding on for dear life.

  After twenty seconds or so, the German’s strength began to ebb as Reed’s grip on his throat became tighter and tighter, cutting off the supply of blood and oxygen to his head. After a further twenty seconds, all three men collapsed to the floor in a wheezing pile.

  ‘Is he dead?’ Harker gasped, struggling to recover his breath.

  Reed shook his head, staggering to his feet. ‘No, unconscious. But he’ll wake up with a banging headache.’

  Harker rubbed at his forehead. ‘He’s not the only one.’

  A high-pitched squeak sounded off behind them, and both men spun around to see the young girl staring at them through bleary eyes. ‘Che passa?’ She only managed these two words before her eyes rolled upwards, and she slumped back on to the bed, the anaesthetic not yet entirely flushed from her system.

  ‘We need to get her out of here – and now,’ Reed said firmly as he sucked in a few more restoring breaths. ‘But we can’t get her out through the academy itself without running into Genges and his Magi friends. There must be some other way out.’

  For the first time in years, Harker felt the urge to do something he rarely did any more, but he suddenly felt compelled to do it. He clasped his hands together briefly and stared up towards the ceiling. ‘We could use a little help here, if you’re free.’

  Ahead of them, the room door was flung open, and an irate-looking Dr Sephris hobbled into the room with all the grace of a man with severe piles. ‘What’s going on here?’

  Harker raised Lusic’s pistol to aim at the doctor’s groin, and the medic instantly flung his arms in the air and froze. Some Magi warrior he was.

  ‘Tell us how to get out of here, Doctor, without having to go through the Academy of Sciences. Otherwise, I pull this trigger right now. No games: you answer me or you die.’ It was a bluff, of course, since Harker wasn’t the type to kill someone in cold blood, but he was definitely considering a leg shot.

  Without hesitation, Dr Sephris pointed towards the door they had entered by. ‘Through the door, go right, and you’ll end up in the academy. But left takes you into an unexcavated part of the necropolis. Follow the path, and you’ll come to a secret doorway leading into one of the grotto’s chapels.’

  The last part of the Sephri’s directions brought a thin smile to Harker’s lips. ‘A secret entrance underneath the basilica! Are you serious?’

  The nervous man gave a nervous, shaky nod. ‘It was specially constructed as an escape route during the World War II. We discovered it whilst building this facility – that’s what I was told anyway. Now please go, but leave the girl.’

  ‘I’m afraid not, Doctor. She comes with us.’

  Before Sephris could protest, Harke
r slammed the butt of the pistol across the man’s face, dropping him to the floor in an unconscious heap.

  ‘OK, Father, would you please get her to her feet.’

  In a matter of seconds, Reed had hauled the unsteady young woman upright. Still groggy, she struggled to remain conscious, her eyelids flickering and her lips mouthing soundless words. Reed gently slipped his arm around her waist and moved towards the door, where Harker was already making sure the coast was clear.

  ‘You know, Alex, for a man who’s lost his faith, you don’t seem to be entirely convinced of that decision.’

  Harker said nothing; this wasn’t the time for a spiritual debate, and he simply beckoned Reed into the empty passage outside, taking a left towards the underground necropolis. The city of the dead, as it had become known, was a vast underground burial chamber that housed the bones of some of the earliest Christians but more importantly offered their way out of this place.

  He glanced back into the observation room and checked the unconscious body of Dr Sephris sprawled out on the floor before, once again, raising his eyes to the ceiling. ‘Thanks for the help, but we need some more if you can spare it.’

  Chapter 48

  The cold, decay-filled air of the necropolis was nauseating, and Harker had begun breathing through his nose in an effort to keep the bitter taste from his mouth. In front of him, the cardinal had taken the lead and was slowly navigating the dusty path running the length of the ruins with the flickering yellow flame of Harker’s Zippo offering fleeting images of crumbling tombstones spread across the massive open space.

  Harker never visited this part of the ancient burial site but knew one thing for certain: this wasn’t on the tourist itinerary. Pressed against his side, the pregnant girl was using him as a crutch as she continued her struggle to regain full consciousness.