by S. E. Meyer
“John,” Frank whispered. “John!” he repeated, raising his voice. Now would be a good time to do something,” he urged.
John felt a comforting calm wash over him. He watched as several more men lit torches then stood in a semi-circle in front of the platform. The Prophet appeared out of the darkness and slowly walked past them. He smiled at John. “Nice night for a bonfire isn’t it?” he asked, and then moved towards the front of the crowd. He raised his arms and began to speak in a loud voice so everyone could hear him.
“And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth, and the moon became as blood. And the heavens departed as a scroll and every mountain and island was moved out of their places. And every man hid themselves in dens and in the rocks of the mountains, saying fall on us, hide us from him that sitteth on the throne. For the great day of his wrath has come, and who shall be able to stand?” The crowd cheered wildly and then slowly quieted down.
“We will stand!” John yelled out, as loud as he could.
The Prophet moved closer to the platform and then answered him. “Will you now?” he asked. He turned around to face the crowd again. “People of New Aurora! Prepare for the seventh seal and the coming of the seven trumpets. These demons of hell will stoke our fires tonight!” The crowd broke out into more cheers and shouts. The Prophet took a torch from the guard nearest him, and then moved towards the platform. He yelled out to John. “You can stand. You can stand right there while the flesh cooks from your charred bones!” the Prophet wailed. The crowd erupted into a deafening roar of excitement as he tossed the torch onto the woodpile at John’s feet.
Puzzling Evidence
It was quiet in the main laboratory at the South Pole Observatory. The only sound that could be heard was Dennis clacking at his keyboard while Lucas studied several ancient documents on the table in front of him. Hosea continued to read the message that Lucas translated over and over again to himself. He finally looked up while slowly shaking his head. “I just don’t understand it,” he said.
Lucas looked up from the papers he was studying. “What Hosea?” he asked.
“Well for one, it seems strange that the message rhymes in English. And why does it have to be such a cryptic message, written in riddles? You would think there should be more to the message,” said Hosea. There was a long pause and then Dennis spoke.
“Maybe there is!” he shouted excitedly.
“What do you mean Dennis?” asked Lucas.
“Well I’ve been going back through the message on the computer. I’ve been throwing as many algorithms and calculations at it as I can, trying to see if there is more of a pattern,” explained Dennis. The printer next to him came to life and spit out a sheet of paper.
“Yes, and?” asked Lucas raising an eyebrow.
“I found a pattern within the pattern. Here look at this,” said Dennis as he grabbed the sheet of paper and handed it to Lucas. He studied the page carefully and then looked up at Dennis. “They look like latitude and longitude coordinates,” he replied.
“That’s precisely what they are,” beamed Dennis. “Now we need to chart them.” Dennis sat down at a computer terminal next to Lucas and began punching in coordinates. Hosea and Lucas eagerly watched as Dennis began to plot map points on the screen.
“How did you figure it out?” asked Hosea.
“Mathematics is the universal language,” said Dennis smiling as he continued to type on the keyboard. “The phonetic sounds correlated to a number system. When I punched that number system into the computer, this is what I got.” The first location showed up on the map.
“Interesting, that’s the location of Stonehenge,” said Lucas pointing at the screen. Dennis continued to type numbers into the computer. “And that one is in Nazca, Peru,” Lucas said. “Oh my. That one is my excavation site in Iraq.”
“What do you think all these coordinates mean Lucas?” asked Hosea. “I mean why would someone be sending us these locations encoded in a message through the Ark?”
“I don’t know Hosea,” replied Lucas with a nod of his head and frustration in his tone.
“The message said ‘fire-breathing ships of the air will descend’ right?” asked Hosea. “Maybe these locations are where they will be descending. What does the message mean by that anyway, like spaceships?” he chuckled.
“Maybe. When you look at the overwhelming evidence here on earth of ancient flying craft,” replied Lucas.
Dennis wrinkled his brow and then chuckled. “You mean like Roswell?” he asked.
“No, he said ‘ancient flying craft’. He means like the Mayan King Pacal, depicted inside what looks like a craft, or rocket of some kind,” said Hosea.
“Yes, among others, like the ancient Indian Vimanas. They were flying machines that were written about in many old Indian texts, including the Vedas. They were said to breathe fire. I’m sure that was just a simple explanation of what a lesser advanced civilization saw. Most people cast these stories aside as old myths, but the Nazis sent numerous expeditions to India and Tibet in the 30’s. They poured over thousands of old texts and documents, looking for information about the Vimanas and their fire breathing propulsion systems. It was not too long after this that they developed the first pulse jet engines for their v-8 rockets,” explained Lucas. “Maybe that was coincidence,” he paused to shrug his shoulders and then smiled, “or maybe not.” Lucas trailed off in thought.
“Wow, really?” Dennis exclaimed. “They didn’t mention that at MIT,” he added with a chuckle.
“Yes, and then there are the Mayan sculptures of figures that can only be described as wearing a space suit of some kind. There’s the Hopi Indian sky God, and their depictions of sky people. There are the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs of helicopters and what looks like spaceships,” replied Hosea. “There is also the story in the Bible of Ezekiel. When you read Ezekiel with an engineering perspective, he seems to be describing a flying craft of some kind. You’ve heard of the story of a wheel within a wheel?”
“Yes I have. Not to mention the figures made on the ground near Nazca, Peru. You can only tell they are pictures of animals by flying over them in an aircraft. Some say they are depictions of ancient animal Gods. And some of the mountains there have been completely leveled off. There is a place in Peru where all of the surrounding mountains have peaks except for one. No geologist or scientist can explain where the top of this mountain went. It wasn’t erosion or a volcanic eruption. The top is completely flat and looks like a giant landing strip,” said Lucas as he stared intently at the map on the computer screen. His eyes lit up. “Wait, one of the locations in the message is in Peru. Right? That’s very interesting,” he added. “The message said ‘Go to the place where the Gods are engraved’. I think you’re right Hosea. I think the message is telling us to go to these locations,” explained Lucas. “I just wish I could figure out what the last part of the message means, about the key.”
Dennis spoke up. “So what are you saying? That people are supposed to go to these places and meet up with spaceships?” he asked. “Braedon said his father was coming to destroy us all. How do we know that Braedon’s father isn’t just trying to round the last of us up for slavery? How do we know who to believe?”
“We don’t Dennis. That guy always gave me the creeps when he was here and I never felt like he was being completely honest with us. I don’t know for sure, but I feel like we should rely on the underlying story of almost every religion on earth. Maybe all of the ancient texts are right. Maybe those stories are the ones we should be putting our faith in,” said Lucas.
“What do you mean?” asked Hosea.
“Those stories don’t tell us of someone who will return to destroy us all, like Braedon said,” replied Lucas. “They all tell a story of a supreme being, or God, that will one day return and descend from the heavens to save us.”
To Hell In A Hand Basket
The platform immediat
ely burst into flames and within seconds the fire was licking John’s feet. Everyone around him began to scream. The shrieks from the remaining members of John’s family pierced his eardrums, cutting through them like sharp knives. He ignored them and focused his gaze on the Prophet. He made eye contact and then concentrated as hard as he could. His eyes flashed a bright icy blue as he spoke. “We will not burn!” John called out. The fire had fully engulfed them all but John had placed a wall of protection around them with his mind. No one had yet to suffer a blister. None of the men and women tied to the posts even broke a sweat. The Prophet stared at John through the roaring flames. John watched the orange and red hues reflecting off his shocked face and cruel scar.
“The devil himself is among us,” the Prophet screamed, but still held John’s gaze.
“No!” John yelled back. “Not everything around you is sent from hell. Not everything you can’t understand is wickedness.” John cocked his head to one side and the bonds that had held the group to the posts fell away and turned into ash. John slowly walked across the platform and jumped down in front of the Prophet. He continued to maintain eye contact and his eyes flashed a brighter blue. “We are on God’s errand, and you sir will help us.” The rest of the group followed John’s lead. Everyone had a look of disbelief as they walked through the crackling fire and then jumped to the ground beside him, unharmed. Barb carried Aurora, who did not have a hair singed on her head. As soon as everyone was clear of the blaze John seemed to relax slightly and the platform caved in. He entered the Prophets mind. You will explain this to your people as a miracle. Then you will finish the trade as planned and escort us to your gate. Except you will send us on our way with all the supplies we came with, including our food. The prophet stared blankly at John then blinked a few times before speaking.
“People of New Aurora! I was mistaken. We have just witnessed a miracle and we will help God’s messengers to leave here unharmed, and fully stocked with supplies.” Murmurings ran through the crowd, but they seemed to understand what had just happened. “After you,” said the Prophet as he held out his palm in the direction of the hangar.
The Prophet gave them back their vehicles, including the truck still loaded with supplies. They were also given some additional food and water, along with several more weapons. Just before the group loaded up to head out, John once again made eye contact with the Prophet. One more thing before I leave. You will never harm anyone ever again, either with the whip or by any other means. If you do I will hunt you down and make sure that God will strike you dead. Understand? The Prophet slowly nodded in agreement with fear in his eyes.
John turned to climb into James’ SUV and stumbled. Jennifer grabbed his arm to steady him but John waved her off. “I’ll be okay, I just need a minute. I’m a little drained right now,” John said then grabbed the door handle and climbed in.
Everyone else got into the vehicles and they left the main gate. As soon as they were out of sight of the hangar James turned to John. “What did you tell him back there?” he asked.
“I told him exactly what he needed to hear, in a way that he could understand what he just saw,” John replied.
They drove the rest of the way in silence and moved along as fast as they could, back to the safety of James’ compound. As they arrived at the gate, John stiffened. “Something’s wrong,” he said.
“You’re telling me John. There are no guards watching my gate and it’s wide open. What the hell? Wait until I find out who is sleeping on the job,” replied James.
“It’s not just that. Something else is wrong here. Very wrong,” said John. They slowly drove through the open gate and pulled up next to the main building. “It’s Nathaniel and Ninti, they’re in trouble,” said John. He opened the door and got out, and then ran to the front door and down the passageway to the levels below. Everyone followed closely behind.
“Nathaniel! Ninti!” John shouted as they searched the entire compound.
“Where are they John? Gone?” asked Frank.
“No, they’re still here, somewhere,” replied John. He felt out with his mind, trying to find them. John ran to the back of the kitchen and opened a small storage closet. Sitting on the floor with a terrified expression, was Ninti. John knelt down beside her. “Are you okay?” he asked. She nodded briefly and John helped her to her feet. “What happened here? John asked.
“B-B Braedon was here,” stammered Ninti. “He was in a blind rage. Nathaniel and I are the only ones that managed to hide,” she explained.
“How did you hide from Braedon? He couldn’t find you with his mind?” asked John.
“I’m sure he would have, eventually, but after he tortured about a dozen of James’ friends, he finally gave up and left. But he took all those people with him. Nathaniel and I are the only ones left here.” Ninti turned towards Jenny. “He was looking for you.” Ninti swayed and John caught her.
“Whoa there, are you sure you’re okay?” asked John.
“John, those people. The people he tortured, it was terrible. He was screaming and yelling, demanding to know where Jennifer was. Of course no one really knew, so he couldn’t even extract the information from their minds. John I was so worried that he would find me and torture me too.” Tears began to flow down Ninti’s cheeks and she buried her face in John’s chest.
“It’s going to be okay, Ninti. I’m here now. Where is Nathaniel? John asked.
“He is in the other closet on the other side of the kitchen,” replied Ninti and pointed with her finger. “But he is drunk with wine.” The closet door Ninti was pointing at flew open and Nathaniel staggered out.
“No, not wine,” said Nathaniel, in a stupor. “Mingle salt scotch,” he slurred.
“You mean my single malt scotch?” asked James. “That was the last of it,” he said, shaking his head in disappointment.
“We’re going to have to get out of here, and the sooner the better,” urged John. “Braedon may not have been able to find out where we went, but he knows we were coming back here. We’re going to have to pack what we can carry and get going,” explained John.
“I don’t understand why we can’t just go below, to the underground cities, like you told us John,” said Barb. “I’m sure mom and dad are quite content down there and not dealing with all of this.”
Jenny whipped around to face Barb. “What? Mom and dad went down below?” Jenny yelled. She could feel the panic in her chest.
“Yes, why? I thought that’s where we were all supposed to go,” replied Barb.
“Well now we know better!” Jenny spat, and then turned to face John. “Oh John, my mom and dad, that means they’re…gone,” she whispered.
“I’m sorry Jen,” replied John. He gave her a sorrowful look and then hugged her. “That’s all the more reason for me to get going. I can at least save their souls,” said John. “We all have to go right now!” John demanded.
“What are you talking about? I don’t understand. What do you mean mom and dad are gone?” asked Barb.
“They’re dead Barb,” Jenny replied.
Barb held a confused expression that quickly turned to fear. “No, it can’t be. How do you know for sure?” asked Barb in disbelief. Jenny grabbed her sister by the shoulders and shook her gently. “Just accept it Barb. Mom and dad are gone, along with everyone else that went underground.”
“Everyone listen. We have to get out of here,” John repeated.
“I’m not leaving,” replied James. “And neither is Barb and Aurora. They can’t go with you. That place down there is no place for a child, and Barb needs medical attention. Look at her wounds,” said James. He moved next to Barb and gently pulled up her shirt revealing the open wounds on her back. “They’re infected. I’m going to have to treat her before she goes into septic shock,” he explained.
“You can’t stay here James, Braedon will be back. He could be here any minute,” pleaded John.
“We won’t stay here. I’ll put enough supplies together and w
e can find a place to hide until this is all over,” replied James.
John was about to argue, but instead let out a long breath. “Fine, let’s get going then. I feel like we’ve spent too much time here already,” he replied.
Everyone gathered the supplies they needed and said their good-byes. John, Jennifer, Frank, Ninti, Ben and Jason gathered as many weapons as they could carry, while James filled two backpacks full of food, water, and some medical supplies for Barb and Aurora.
John nodded towards the corner of the kitchen where Nathaniel was still sipping scotch. “What about him?” John asked. “I can’t take him with me in that condition.”
“I guess I could take him with me. He shouldn’t stay here, I suppose,” replied James.
Nathaniel gathered that the two brothers were talking about him. He stood up and then staggered past them. “To hell with you both. I’m not going anywhere,” said Nathaniel. “You both can do what you want, but I’m going to stay here and watch the end of the world. I’ve got a great shpot picked out up there,” he continued, still slurring his words. He gave them both a glazed look and then headed towards the upper levels.
John called after him. “Father! What is the matter with you?” he asked.
“I’ve losht my faith, my son. That man at the church stole it from me and I don’t think I can ever get it back,” replied Nathaniel. The liquor made him wobble on his legs as he spoke.
“Put your faith in God. None of the other details matter,” replied John.
“The details do matter!” Nathaniel roared as he threw the almost empty bottle of scotch against the wall, where it shattered into pieces. “The details matter because now I know they don’t matter,” he added.
