“Certainly, ma’am.” After entering the airport, they headed straight to the security check. Xenios quickly flashed a badge and whispered something to the guard, who hastily checked Lydia’s passport handing it back to her.
He then took her through the VIP entrance. There another guard, an angry middle-aged lady, asked with a rather aggressive tone: “do you have anything to declare?”
Lydia looked directly at her and answered kindly: “nothing to declare.”
Xenios and the woman quickly exchanged a look, and the next minute Lydia was approaching her airplane, a CESSNA 550 II, which was in perfect condition and even had a red carpet and the pilot waiting at the entrance.
“Would you like a glass of champagne, ma’am, or something else to drink?” Xenios politely asked.
“This guy wants to serve you, Lydia.Are you really sure you don’t want anything else?” Neo asked. She could sense a hint of dread and frustration in his voice.
By now, Lydia realized she could perfectly understand from his voice what he thought. He was so in love, and he could not hide his jealousy.
Lydia didn’t answer Neo.
“I had a long night of partying; I am rather tired. I would prefer to rest a bit,” Lydia quietly said.
“I won’t need your services for the rest of the flight,” she said sounding a bit condescending.
Xenios quickly answered: “certainly ma’am,” and he swiftly exited her private cabin.
“Satisfied Neo?” Lydia whispered. He answered with a sweet voice: “yes, quite… and now it’s time for a quick power nap.”
Closing her eyes, Lydia tried to let herself go, keeping her mind from all the worries, while in the comfortable leather seat equipped with walnut arms.
She pushed a button, and her seat started to lean back naturally following her posture engulfing her body in a sudden pleasant warmth.
Ahh, Neo, if you could only be here with me in my arms, so I can properly thank you, she thought and then floated off into dreamland.
§CHAPTER 72§
SALVATORE RUSHED to his office, moving through the Vatican corridors in record time. He knew all the secret passages. As a small child, he was always fascinated with stories from the Vatican, a country within a city and the “the citadel of faith,” where treasures of tremendous power were being kept.
In school, he developed an obsession after watching the Indiana Jones movies and was convinced that one day he would discover mystical artifacts like the Spear of Destiny hidden somewhere deep within the bowels of the Holy City, inside its famous library.
His dream came true, but he was bitterly disappointed as the Vatican held no such powerful relics.
When this Pope was elected, he felt the spiritual and mystical connection again.
There was something about this Pope that was out of the ordinary and not only his appointment but the energy he emanated.
He felt he was indeed the one chosen by God to save Christianity and not to destroy it as in Saint Malachy’s prophecy, which he studied intensively.
I have to find Lydia.
She must be extremely important if the Holy Father has such a strong connection with her.
But what is the meaning of this code:
3NpNJfgpYVyZSa8YCfUufC3idVtF3iSX6d
He tried to run several searches and use decryption programs but nothing.
He looked around his office, and from his cubical, he saw one of his colleagues, Mirco, passing.
Mirco must know he’s one of the most brilliant programming minds leading the counter-intelligence section.
“Mirco, can you come over here?”
Mirco, a typical geek with thick glasses sauntered over to Salvatore.
“Hi Salvo, what can I do for you?”
“Does this sequence tell you anything?”
Mirco looked at it and instantly exclaimed: “this must be a blockchain address for a cryptocurrency wallet or a device that uses blockchain encryption technology to protect its data transmission. Let me run a quick check…oh yes, it’s linked to an electronic device, not a virtual wallet, in fact.”
“Is there a way to track or contact the person using this device?”
“It’s not normally possible to track it, as this is the purpose of blockchain to encrypt the identity of the user.”
“However, today it’s your lucky day,” Mirco smiled.
“We have developed a universal tracker to identify from where the signal was coming in the recent drone attack that almost killed the Pope. We can run it from my cubicle.”
They quickly crossed the nearly empty cubicle space, and Mirco sat in front of his PC, which had a relaxing background of a beach site.
“The lovely beach… is this your favorite holiday destination?” Salvatore asked, trying to make some small talk.
“No clue where it is. I just like to see this beach. I feel more relaxed when I see it. I am not really the traveling type. I’m too afraid of flying.”
“So, let me run the program,” he quickly typed in the blockchain address, and a few seconds later, the screen flashed with a set of numbers, a model XGlass 435M, and a user ID: ldelbiondo”
“I’ll be dammed,” Mirco exclaimed.
“This is the link towards the latest version of XGlass, which is still in design mode, not yet on the market.”
“Can we contact the user and open a communication flow?”
“Unfortunately, not, but our algorithm can pinpoint the precise location.”
“Okay, run it.”
Mirco looked at him, annoyed at Salvatore bossing him around.
A precise satellite map appeared with a moving red dot blinking over the Mediterranean Sea. Its position was changing at an extremely fast speed.
Lydia must be in a plane, Salvatore said to himself.
“Thank you Mirco, I owe you one. If you could, please send me this localization view on my cell phone. I need to see where it will stop.”
I have a way to locate you, Lydia, now I’ll find you.
It was easy from then on. He only had to match the flight plan of the plane flying in that area with that specific trajectory.
“I need to go to the airport. Please prepare the papal plane. We need to take off immediately,” Salvatore said to his assistant.
The sun was shining over white clouds, which were constantly changing shape, strangely reflecting shadows in Salvo’s blue eyes.
“I found Lydia, your Holiness. I am flying now towards the island of Crete, where she is now heading.”
“I knew I could count on you my son, please be gentle with her. We need to find what she is up to.”
§CHAPTER 73§
15H30, OCTOBER 3RD
CRETE, HERAKLION
THE SKY WAS incredibly blue, and Lydia took a deep breath of the clean island air.
“Neo this is truly amazing. No wonder the Atlanteans had chosen this idyllic location to settle their empire. I can only wonder how it was five thousand years ago.”
This is one of the last standing structures of what could have been parts of the Atlantean empire.
The destruction of the ancient Thera island, which is now known as Santorini, occurred around 1600 BC.
The volcanic eruption not only destroyed Atlantis, but it is considered by scientists to be the most powerful eruption to have ever been recorded in the entire history of human civilization with a perimeter of more than 40 km, destroying most of the eastern Mediterranean region.
“It is sad indeed, but if I remember well, the volcanic eruption was only the beginning of the Atlantean civilization’s demise, bringing a tsunami of catastrophic magnitude that wiped out the entire civilization, with only a few escaping.”
“Nobody knew how Plato managed to describe the center of Atlantis. Its central city, the Megapolis, had a circular structure and was enclosed by three circular concentric trenches of seawater and two made of earth, each linked to the Mediterranean Sea by a complex-wide canal.”
“These facts
were even confirmed by historians and specialists who simulated the structure of Santorini before the eruption.”
“One fresco in Santorini’s equivalent of Pompeii: the ruins of Akrotiri, which was preserved by forty meters of thick volcanic ash, shows a concentric ring city in the middle of a lagoon, bearing a sea opening,” Neo said.
“This is how Santorini looked with its volcano, a dot in the middle, and the Akrotiri city, the southern part of the island.”
“All this history lost under the sea,” Lydia said with a sad tone.
“Now we have a deserted almost island with the tourists scared of the outbreak. However, the high UV exposure made the infection rate much lower in Greece, reducing the number of cases to almost none.”
“Indeed, a last bastion for people seeking refuge to be embraced by the sun and relax while the entire world was in turmoil, especially VIPs, political personalities, and stars who had their summer houses located on the island.”
“I have instructed your driver, Xenios, to wait for you next to Knossos site just in case you encounter any problems.”
“Now look in the arm support space,” Neo said diligently.
Inside, she found a small, strange-looking gun, which she started to carefully analyze.
“Ma’am, this is an EMP gun which also has four bullets capable of penetrating any Kevlar vest in case you encounter any drone attacks or a human enemy,” the driver said.
“If you push the blue button, it will emit an electromagnetic pulse paralyzing any devices including yours. So, if you still need your phone afterward, you need to think twice before using the EMP. Moreover, under the front seat, you have a backpack made of bullet-resistant material.”
“It can also charge your devices and provide you the camouflage you might need and has an integrated cape that will cover you from head to toes.”
“Thank you, Xenios. This gadget could prove very useful indeed.”
“Actually, it was high time to get rid of my fancy little bag. I guess the lovely woman with the little girl from the picture is your family?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Please give the bag to your wife. A gift from me for your services,” Lydia said while smiling and discreetly transferring the precious artifacts into the new backpack.
“Thank you, ma’am. That’s very generous of you.”
“Lydia, one important thing. Your XGlass is perfectly insulated in case you use the EMP function. I have made some changes myself to the gun,” Neo informed with a satisfied tone.
“Of course, you did. You don’t leave anything to chance, do you?” Lydia whispered, carefully placing the gun in her leather jacket’s inner pocket.
§CHAPTER 74§
THE LIMO passed by the 17th century Venetian shipyards, which looked sad and desolated.
“Ma’am, we are here; I’ll wait for you as long as you need,” the driver said stopping on the main road Dedalou.
To the right, the entrance to the Knossos complex was hidden by trinket shops, now closed with almost no visiting tourists.
When trying to buy her ticket, Lydia was informed by a grumpy old cashier that she could not enter.
Gosh, I have to find a solution; I think I’ll have to jump the fence, Lydia thought nervously.
However, the other younger guardian at the entrance, gestured for her to approach him and whispered while sliding a magnetic card on the metallic bar access system.
“You can still visit it, but please hurry up. Otherwise, I’ll get fired,” the young man said, blushing, his deep blue eyes glittering.
“Efcharisto poli,” she smiled, touching his hand gently and quickly disappearing behind the security gate so the grumpy cashier wouldn’t spot her.
The stony path was surrounded by tall cypress trees that gave off a protective shadow from the scorching sun.
The oldest sediment she was stepping in could have been nine thousand years old, and maybe brought in by a hundred-meter gigantic tsunami generated by the explosion of Thera’s ancient volcano.
A wooden bridge platform took her higher on the hill via a distinct set of stairs that reached the palace, while protecting the priceless ruins below.
Several walls were freshly reconstituted with the classical vivid, colorful Minoan frescos, which seemed exceptionally well-executed, showing the difference between the old paint and the skill of the modern artist.
The place seemed unremarkable, a simple hill with Mediterranean vegetation; nothing special that indicated it held the vestiges of such a great civilization.
But even the scattered stones below had a magnetizing touch.
Lydia felt there was more to it than met the eye. She had a strange feeling that under this layer of history, there was another one that managed to remain undiscovered in the shadows of history.
In her mind, she could only picture the ancient grandeur. The scale of this ancient project was beyond any imagination.
I just need to find the throne room and inspect the griffins; how hard could it be?
The cypress trees were basking in the sun, spreading a pleasant coniferous perfume.
At least there won’t be any dark places to explore. She looked above at the cypress trees caressed by the gentle breeze and it somehow reminded of her childhood. A strange déjà-vu sensation suddenly engulfed her leaving her wondering…Have I been here before?
§CHAPTER 75§
THE ASSASSIN climbed the hill to the Knossos Palace, passing behind the rusty gate of the sleepy guardian.
He had the precise location of Lydia, a shimmering dot on his XGlass.
Now you are mine. I’ll take my time before killing you.
He started his quick ascent, trying to find the shadow of a tree so he could see his victim.
And there she was. Lydia was just entering the Knossos palace complex.
This was the place of an ancient tragedy with countless lives lost to natural disasters and endless wars. One more life will not matter.
My Master will forgive me and elevate my soul as he prophesied, the Assassin thought full of excitement.
◆◆◆
Lydia stumbled on an informational plaque. “Knossos, the most magnificent Minoan monument, the dwelling of the mythical King Minos, was born in 1650 BC and was the main center of power in Crete for nearly three hundred years.”
“The palace was built early in the second millennium and destroyed two hundred years later. It was rebuilt again and ultimately destroyed by fire in 1350 BC.”
For the last hundred years of its existence, it was the seat of the Mycenaean dynasty that had succeeded the Minoan kings after a large-scale disaster in Crete in 1450 BC and the collapse of the Minoan palace system.”
Lydia was surprised by how well the palace had been built and its elaborate architectural design that used highly advanced techniques and boasted an impressive water supply and sewage system. The palace of Knossos was truly monumental.
Various corridors and the famous Grand Staircase connected multiple buildings that were three to five stories high and located around the Central Court.
The west wing contained the religious and cult activities while the royal apartments were placed in the east wing.
“Neo look at the sequence of the colors they were using: yellow, white, red, black and blue.
“They extracted them from natural sources during the Stone Age: red and yellow ochre, limestone or white clay and coal or ash.”
“Plato described the quarries on Atlantis where one kind of stone was white, another black, and a third red, and common colors from volcanic rock which were also used by the Minoans.”
“However, blue was a different story. Apparently, in antiquity, it was hard to find clear, bright blue in nature and even harder to find materials that would give that color in finished art.”
“On rare occasions, the Minoans used powdered lapis lazuli to make blue, but because it was so scarce, they bought a pigment from Egypt called Egyptian blue.”
Lyd
ia was quickly advancing through the ruins while letting her senses become fully immersed into this historical treasure.
§CHAPTER 76§
LYDIA CONTINUED her hasten pace while climbing.
There were only two tourists scattered about, who were clearly not scared by the COVID-19 outbreak.
Perfect for me, the coast is clear. I will be able to search for the artifact undisturbed, Lydia happily thought.
The historian managed to reproduce the red pigment adorning the magnificent tall columns that mimicked the trunk of the sacred cypress tree.
Guided by Neo, she had to make her way to the Great Court, which gave access to the aristocratic and religious areas next to the royal apartments.
Only now did Lydia realize the extent of Knossos’ complexity.
Only seven hundred rooms from the complex’s five floors structures had been excavated out of an estimated more than fourteen hundred.
With such intricate architecture in the complex structure, it was no wonder that the legend of the labyrinth had been preserved over many millennia.
“Neo, do you think I’ll encounter the fabled minotaur?” Lydia asked with a playful voice.
“I don’t think so; the creature was simply a myth. We should stay vigilant nevertheless because more dangerous foes could be lurking in the dark.”
Lydia was astonished; the palace was truly one of the wonders of the ancient world.
“Neo, I cannot believe that the first settlement already had deep roots in the Neolithic period.”
“It only proves that the Minoans possessed advanced engineering skills that made them capable of building multiple story buildings with complex air shafts and tunnels for optimal aeration and water piping systems.”
“They even managed to incorporate earthquake-resistant wood into their structures that would absorb tremors and had walls covered in elastic plaster.”
The Jesus Christ Cypher Page 17
