The Jesus Christ Cypher

by Sebastian Kentor

  “Neo, do you see a flower of life on the Benben stone?” Lydia asked in a worried tone.

  “When I went around it, I could not spot anything.”

  “I cannot see the pattern either, but there is a central circle that symbolizes the sun disk, RA, which in the pictures resembled the flower of life. Maybe it was just an optic illusion.”

  Lydia took out the metallic mini-pyramidion from her pocket and directed it towards the Benben stone.

  There was an instant reaction, and the mini-pyramidion started to vibrate in her hand. The closer she got, the stronger the vibration grew.

  Touching the circle with mini-pyramidion’s base made the vibration stop, and a golden stylization of the flower of life pattern started to appear on its surface.

  A kind of mechanism seemed to have been activated and pushed up the newly formed pattern, ejecting a cylindrical piece from the stone mass.

  “Such an incredible mechanism. This must be Atlantean technology again,” Neo said with excitement.

  “It’s astonishing how they managed to harness magnetic energy and were able to design such an intricate mechanism.”

  The cylindrical basalt piece, in which the flower of life was still pulsating, made a faint click and started to rotate on its left side, revealing a dark hole from which another mini-pyramidion began to rise.

  To her surprise, the mini-pyramidion she was holding clasped onto the other forming a perfect match which now pulsating in her hand.

  It resembled a strange shard and was illuminated by a golden light. It almost seemed alive. A heart of antiquity brought to life again after millennia of slumber.

  “The question is, Neo, why someone would go to all this trouble to hide the different pieces in such a way. Do you think this could have been Jesus’ doing?”

  “He was trying to protect his legacy until humanity was ready to cope with the new reality he tried to unveil to the masses.”

  §CHAPTER 43§

  LYDIA’S HAND shook with the vibration of the double mini-pyramidion. She then saw the Assassin’s shadow out of the corner of her eye.

  Her senses seemed to have been heightened for a few seconds. She could hear every little noise around her perfectly.

  She understood immediately that in a matter of moments, he would kill her.

  And in that instant, she came up with an idea. She pushed a Pharaoh statue that sat on the edge of the stairs, dislodging it easily, and it began to roll down.

  The Assassin skillfully dodged it, avoiding being crushed by the massive object.

  This gave Lydia enough time to leap towards the end of the staircase. She ran, pushing down priceless artifacts to slow down the menacing killer.

  She caught a glimpse of the metallic plate describing her next victim, Thutmose III, the sixth Pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty.

  She felt overwhelming guilt doing this, but she had to stay alive.

  “Lydia, be careful; this could be Helene’s killed,” Neo said, fearing for her life.

  The Assassin, despite his incredible agility, had not anticipated the domino effect of the rolling statues.

  Lydia’s actions triggered havoc, and the security sensors triggered a deafening alarm system.

  He could already hear security forces running towards them, and he could not be caught.

  Now everything, including his fate, lay in the hands of his Master.

  ◆◆◆

  §CHAPTER 44§

  THE ASSASSIN scrambled and started to scale the walls of the great staircase. He resembled a real-life Spiderman and would do anything to avoid being caught.

  He had the necessary information, she will have to exit the museum somehow. If she is not caught by the guards then I will make my next move. With this thought, he vanished into one of the aeration tubes.

  Lydia now found herself on top of the staircase, “Neo, which direction should I go in? I need to exit as soon as possible. I can hear the security guards.”

  “I tapped into the security system. They are coming from downstairs. You can only go up now.”

  “I am in the process of wiping clean all the video footage. Your face is everywhere. Otherwise, you’ll end up in an Egyptian prison, and believe me, that’s not a very pleasant experience.”

  “You need to head to the main galleries which are located left of the staircase and are organized into different zones based on Beliefs and Eternity, Kingship and Power, and the last one Commoners and Society.”

  “There is also a zone that goes in chronological order from pre-dynastic (until 3100 BC) and Old Kingdom (the pyramid dwellers), to Middle Kingdom, then New Kingdom (the famous Tutankhamun), and finally, the Greco-Roman.”

  “You need to head towards the King Tut exhibit,” Neo rapidly said.

  Lydia didn’t waste any time. She sprinted to the tall glass windows, which offered a panoramic view on the Giza pyramids’ complex, the last token of the magnificent accomplishments of the Egyptian civilization.

  And for a fraction of second, this fantastic view left her breathless. It was a worthy finale at the end of the epic staircase.

  “Next to the Tutankhamun funerary mask, I’ll guide you on how to find the path to a passage underneath the museum.”

  “It will take you to a network of tunnels, and from the plans, I see a gigantic space that is used as a laboratory.”

  “I think that this place was strategically selected. It must sit in an ancient location similar to the one you discovered in Berlaymont.”

  “The Order must also be very active here, but I think they remain unaware of the clues you received.”

  “There could be several antagonistic factions inside The Order, and for the moment, we just need to trust Helene de Moncler’ s instinct,” Neo instructed sadness in his voice.

  Turning left, she entered the dark halls of the galleries filled with precious artifacts.

  “Neo, is he following me, or was he caught by security?” Lydia asked with panic in her voice.

  “I cannot see him anymore, but security is climbing the staircase quickly. In two minutes, they will have caught up with you.”

  Lydia stopped for a second from her sprint and spotted a strange whitish silhouette moving behind her from the right-side corridor.

  When she turned to look, she almost gasped in shock. A white hooded figure was just a few meters away from her moving fast, and not running but floating.

  Its hands extended like the tentacles of an evil sea monster who wanted to grasp its prey and shatter it into pieces.

  Lydia managed to escape its clutch and leaped further towards the end of the corridor.

  The hooded figure silently continued its pursuit.

  Its white silk hooded robe not only protected her chaser’s face from the myriad of video cameras embedded in the towering structure but also transformed his silhouette into a shadow using the latest military-grade scrambling material.

  For the first time, the Phoenix was afraid that everything he accomplished would be lost.

  “Lydia, quickly; at the end of the corridor, there is a locked security exit.”

  “I’ll open the door to you.”

  Lydia ran as fast as she could with the pursuer rapidly approaching.

  And there it was …the mortuary mask of the boy King, with his tranquil face, the personification of the god Osiris, and the mesmerizing blue semiprecious stones that started to play tricks on Lydia’s eyes with strange reflections.

  Lydia could see in the protective glass cage the Phoenix’s reflection, which was getting dangerously close. In an instant, her eyes connected with those of the boy King.

  Such craftsmanship to be able to capture the soul of a person in the expression of its eyes made of lapis lazuli stones.

  The eyes seemed for one moment to be talking to her: run, run, save yourself, I will help you.

  “Neo what should I do next, he almost got me,” Lydia frantically whispered, but there was no answer.

  She began to scream uncontrol
lably, her body aching of anger:

  “What do you want from me? Why are you attacking me?” her eyes were blinded with tears and fury.

  No answer came from the hooded figure, who continued to rapidly approach her without uttering a word.

  Behind the golden mask, a white light appeared from one wall that now had a wide-open door,

  This must be it; I have to make a last-ditch effort.

  And while Lydia sprinted desperately, Neo managed to reconnect, “that’s it, Lydia,” Neo said. “You are almost there.”

  The Phoenix’s hands had almost grabbed her by the hair.

  It was too late. Lydia quickly gave a nudge to the door and closed it in front of him without being able to have a good look at his hooded face.

  “He cannot come after you, Lydia. I blocked this door for good. You’ll have to go down to the lower level preservation laboratory, and from there, I’ll indicate to you which is the exit door.”

  “In fact, it’s another emergency door that is masked from the outside. It will take you directly to the main entrance.”

  “It will be already packed with tourists, so this will hopefully give you the necessary decoy, to help you avoid those who are following you.”

  “From there, you’ll have to take the new two-kilometer special walkway from the museum to the Great Pyramid of Giza.”

  “What a freakish hooded figure. I think they were both working together…”

  “Tuck the shard into your inner jacket pocket. And prepare for a quick run,” Neo said.

  ◆◆◆

  §CHAPTER 45§

  THE PHOENIX’S BLUE eyes were becoming reddish and inflamed.

  She was so close; how could I have failed?

  Even my Assassin, who never failed me before, became overwhelmed by this woman.

  His mind was on fire, and the security was almost there.

  I cannot be compromised. I have to disappear, and he then vanished into the darkness behind one of the security doors using a silvery badge, which made the door swing open. While he exited, he swore to himself:

  I will destroy you with my own hands, puny creature. I am not going to waste any more energy on this.

  “Destiny has spoken,” the Phoenix screamed in anger.

  He gently touched his cloak, activating the communicator: “Prepare my drive. I am exiting the building now.”

  Another vibration notified him of an incoming call: “Master, I failed you once more.”

  “Should I terminate my life now?” the Assassin asked with an apotheotic lamenting voice.

  “Do you think you can forfeit your destiny so easily?” the Phoenix whispered. His voice was without emotion.

  “You’ll have to suffer for your failures, but for now, there is a chance to redeem yourself. I met her myself. This is not a normal woman. She must have strong outside support, but I also sensed her aura, and I am afraid fate favors her.”

  “I failed myself because she unexpectedly eluded me. She was always one step in front of us.”

  “Only contact me when she is dead. Recover the artifacts she has stolen from the museum and the Berlaymont vault. I want them back!”

  “If you fail me again, terminate your life, because if I do it, I will not be so merciful,” the Phoenix roared with an almost inhuman tone.

  The Assassin clenched his fists in anger.

  You will wish to have died inside this museum…

  ◆◆◆

  §CHAPTER 46§

  LYDIA’S HEART was pounding, and the thought she had been so close to death flooded her system with adrenaline. She exited the museum at the right time, blending with the last wave of tourists who were making their way to the main entrance and mesmerized by the gigantic sculpture in the front park.

  Rays of light danced their way through the translucent wavy roof and had an almost a hypnotic effect.

  They also reflected on the colossal statue of Ramses II, which greeted the scores of tourists with its frozen face several millennia-old, a worthy guardian for the entry to the main atrium.

  People wearing protective masks were gazing at it, and Lydia could hear one of the tourist audio guides explaining the history of the gigantic statue. “The almost twelve-meter tall red-granite statue was unearthed at the beginning of the 19th century in Memphis.

  Afterward, it was restored in Cairo and then displayed in the central Bab el-Hadid Square, towering over it for fifty-two years.

  Finally, it was moved to Giza for safekeeping in 2006 before its final resting place under the GEM’s steel and glass roof shade.”

  §CHAPTER 47§

  “LYDIA, WE HAVE an issue. We need to enter the Great Pyramid, but now it is rush hour. I’ll have to create a diversion.

  I’ll tell them there is a bomb in the pyramid, and they need to evacuate the tourists; hopefully, you’ll take advantage of the COVID-19 virus panic and manage to enter the King’s chamber undisturbed,” Neo announced calmly.

  “Hm… you are full of great ideas; lately, I wonder what you plan next,” Lydia said, amused by the thrill of a new and dangerous adventure.

  Lydia approached the Giza plateau, and while running at high speed, the XGlass gently whispered, stopping the musing she was listening to: “You have run 1.3 kilometers, your pulse is one hundred twenty beats per minute.”

  Now she could spot the Giza plateau; the Great Pyramid was surrounded by a complex of much smaller pyramids, known as the Queens’ Pyramids.

  Three of them choose to remain defiant, witnessing the rise and fall of different empires. However, the fourth was so devastated that it remained hidden under sand dunes until the recent discovery of pieces from its capstone and base stones.

  Their only remaining protector, the Sphinx with its face mutilated by weather and the withering passage of time, was also starting to appear in her field of vision, as she approached her target.

  The connecting esplanade was not so populated with a few people slowly walking through.

  She was pleasantly surprised by the desert’s sweet, dry air; the sun scorching the Giza plateau as it did for the last millennia.

  The Great Pyramid’s Temple was barely visible except for black basalt paving, a gateway of darkness towards the sandy ocean of silence.

  Hundreds of tourists were waiting in line to see and explore one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, with dozens of busses that were already starting to clutter her view.

  Lydia had several thoughts crossing through her mind.

  The Great Pyramid of Giza was the oldest and largest of the four pyramids in the Giza complex. It was not only the last of antiquity’s Seven Wonders still standing but also the oldest.

  It endured the passage of time, with its structure almost intact as in the first glorious years when its pyramidion, the Benben stone was shining and reflecting from the top of the divine light of the god RA from the Pharaoh’s last resting place.

  The historians thought its Benben stone must have been made of gold-plated rose granite or diorite.

  Neo, who stayed silent until now, said, “the pyramids still impress me after all the virtual trips I’ve made here. I never believed I’d actually explore it with you, though.”

  “I am still baffled how the casing-stones and inner chamber blocks of the Great Pyramid were combined with such accuracy—approximately 0.05 centimeters of joint space.”

  “Imagine what we could have achieved if this technology was used on a global scale, millennia ago. Buildings would have been made resistant to earthquakes and storms.”

  Lydia looked again at the Great Pyramid, “Hm, I thought it would have been taller,” she said.

  “It’s an optical illusion. It is so massive you have to really be at the right angle to admire its greatness. It’s just shy of 138-meters-tall, due to the erosion and the missing capstone.”

  “For millennia, this pyramid was the tallest man-made structure in the world. Finally, in the 14th century, the 160-meter-tall British Cathedral was completed in
Lincolnshire,” Neo said with nostalgia.

  §CHAPTER 48§

  16H30

  GIZA COMPLEX, THE GREAT PYRAMID

  LYDIA WAS APPROACHING the end of the esplanade, where several guards equipped with protective masks and remote temperature detectors were testing the incoming tourists for symptoms of the COVID-19 virus.

  So, this is it; I have to go into the darkest places of the pyramid.

  Yet again, I need to conquer my fear and find another clue with assistance from this magnetic double mini-pyramidion, which now resembled a metallic alien shard.

  She reached into her pocket and felt that the shard was actually vibrating slightly and was warm to the touch.

  “Neo, the double pyramidion is vibrating in my pocket.”

  “Are you familiar with the multitude of theories of using harmonic waves that trigger vibrations to activate mechanisms inside ancient constructions?”

  “Actually, the correct geometrical name is an Octahedron. In nature, it is known that extremely rare diamonds can take this geometrical shape,” Neo said.

  “Thanks, Neo. Spoken like a true nerd. This must be definitely Atlantean tech that laid dormant under Berlaymont for so long,” Lydia said almost bursting in excitement.

  “Lydia, you need to head to the Great Pyramid’s main entrance, which is in front of you,” Neo said with worry in his voice.

  “But look at all the tourists and guards. How am I going to enter the King’s chamber?”

  ◆◆◆

  From a nearby souvenir shop and disguised in traditional Egyptian clothing, the Assassin was trying to approach Lydia.

  He managed to carefully follow her to the Pyramids again using his drone to detect her location.

  “You’ll not manage to escape my Master anymore. I’ll make sure of it. Even if it means my death in this pagan pyramid away from my Master’s enlightenment,” the Assassin silently muttered, trying not to lose sight of Lydia.