“The Romans left Fika to die,” said Thomas sourly. “I couldn’t let that happen.”
“Your kindness toward the animal defines you. And yet you should use the rest of the evening to search for tree wood,” suggested Jesus, flashing a friendly smile. “There are a few just south of here. I can tell you from my own experiences that – even if you move into one of the caves – it will still grow very cold during the night.
Caught somewhat by surprise, Thomas pondered the matter for a moment. Even without a real-time connection with the Lexington, he was still nursing a near-full implant charge. Once darkness fell, his plan was to transfer half of it to Adam. Due to their numerous technological advantages, he hadn’t even considered the possibility of a fire so near to the bandits’ home since it would easily give away their location. But he was as determined as his brother not to inadvertently change history and thus – since Jesus apparently had no idea who they were – he decided it best to keep up the pretense. “Will you watch my brother for a while longer?”
“Of course.”
*
When Thomas woke it was nearly 2 a.m. and the nightly cold was all around them. Fika was lying right next to him, his huge body positioned against Thomas’ side. Embers from a tiny fire still glowed bright orange in the darkness, allowing him to glance around and see basic shapes and outlines amidst the shadows. Usually he slept peacefully and all through the night, but on this occasion his thoughts were racing and his slumber troubled. It was only after he came fully aware that he began to realize that those thoughts were not actually his. Somehow, in an as yet unknown way, his link with the Lexington was back on-line.
Upon closer inspection of the campsite shrouded in darkness, he noticed that Jesus was gone.
[“Thomas, Thomas are you there?”] Dennis Kaufield’s thoughts were in his head, the mental link between brain implants finally restored. [“What is going on there? We need at least some basic information.”]
Where to begin? [“It’s a very LONG and complicated story,”] he transmitted in response.
[“Well you have to start somewhere and tell me,”] decided the President. [“We still can’t link to Adam.”]
[“That’s because I haven’t shared the updates to the software with him yet,”] Thomas informed him, pausing as his mind raced with a variety of alternatives. [“Okay,”] he thought, sighing. [“I’m going to upload everything in my database while I fill you in. You’ll be able to watch everything from the start. WARN Nori before she watches it, because what initially happens to Adam is very disturbing. He’s fine now, sleeping in fact, but that’s as a result of matters completely out of my control. I have no scientific explanation for what has happened here.”]
Taking his time over the next forty minutes or so, Thomas relayed thought transmissions to President Kaufield in what ended up being a lengthy status report. He didn’t care… he wanted to make certain that the people back home knew all of the details, including the fact that Jesus possessed the same ability to interfere with the micro-wormhole links as the David entity. [“Do you think he’s doing it intentionally?”] wondered Kaufield curiously. [“Adam felt that David was deliberately working to keep their conversation private.”]
[“I don’t think that’s the case with Jesus. I’m not even certain he completely understands the power that’s emanating from him in the form of that white aura. He is a simple man of this time period who is being subtly influenced somehow by a power he doesn’t totally realize he has and is using it to act on his beliefs and become something greater.”]
[“Where is he now?”]
[“He left at some point after Adam and I fell asleep, which is obviously why our link reconnected. I’m kicking myself right now because I should have kept a closer eye on him, but I was quite simply emotionally exhausted after what I witnessed yesterday.”]
[“Do you really think this Samaritan fellow was in fact Satan… the devil?”]
[“Mr. President, WATCH the telemetry feeds we recorded,”] suggested Thomas in response. [“I was there and I have very few doubts in my mind. It was him.”]
[“What are you planning next?”]
[“To complete our modified mission. We have to find Jesus.”]
[“I’d feel a lot better if I knew what you were planning to say to him.”]
[“So would I, Mr. President. So would I.”]
[“If you do find him, the link will likely go down again.”]
[“That’s okay. We’re okay. We’ll contact you again after you’ve had a chance to review our telemetry.”]
[“That sounds good. Thomas, we have at least one Sentinel on-duty at all times, even if they aren’t linked to you. If you find Jesus and decide you don’t know what to do, move far enough away from him so that you can reestablish contact and we’ll put our heads together and come up with a plan. You’re not alone.”]
[“Understood. Thomas signing off.”]
Thomas sat there for another half hour or so taking some time just to think over things, unable to immediately return to sleep. One hand repeatedly drifted to Fika’s soft fur and he stroked the sleeping dog’s furry flank lightly, enjoying the shallow rise and fall of his breathing body. While his thoughts drifted, he mentally activated the link with Adam’s implant so that he could transfer all software updates. When morning arrived, both of them would once more be linked to their friends back aboard the Lexington.
“Are you awake?” Adam’s voice floated suddenly out of the darkness.
“Yeah,” said Thomas softly. “I can’t believe you are. You were actually DEAD Adam. I saw it happen.”
“No one knows that more than me,” his brother replied dryly. “It feels like someone was standing on my neck for about an hour or two. Other than that, I’m basically okay now.”
“Good. Because Jesus left for some reason and we’re not done with him yet. We have to go out and find him so that we can talk to him some more.”
“What?” Even though Adam’s silhouette was draped completely in shadow, Thomas could imagine the familiar look of puzzlement on his brother’s expression. “He was here. We found him. He was sitting right here. Why didn’t you ask him what you wanted to ask him then?”
Thomas rubbed his face with the fingers of one hand and chuckled ironically. “Because I was tired and I fell asleep, okay?” He paused, trying to avoid getting rattled by Adam’s prodding. “Besides, there’s at least one other reason that we have to find him, and soon!”
“And that would be?”
“Because whatever he did to help you severely weakened him,” continued Thomas. “I’m transferring software changes to your implant now, but feel free to access and review my eye HUD telemetry. Jesus’ vitals before he helped you were much stronger than after. I’m not certain, but I think that aura surrounding him was deteriorating too. We have to find him and make sure that he recovers.”
“He’ll be okay. He’s survived this long in the desert, hasn’t he?”
“Adam, I’m not kidding. Look at the data. His physical body is in dire need of medical attention… now.”
His brother didn’t respond at first. “Suppose I agree with you. Suppose I’m right as rain and willing to go searching a desert in the dark. How are we supposed to find him again, now that he wandered off?”
“Because,” grinned Thomas confidently, “he told me where he lives.”
PROJECT EARTH
Pathfinder Series: Book Three
Chapter X: Matthew 4:1–11
Planet Earth, southwest of Bethany, approximately A.D. 27
Jesus opened his eyes and looked around. He was lying on his back in the familiar cave that had served as his home for quite some time now. Usually his hunger was a dull ache, easily ignored after the initial urge to eat was properly suppressed with proper mental discipline. Forcing his mind to focus on more important matters also helped him to ignore his body’s request for food. By all accounts it was a successful outcome – his time in the desert was almost over a
nd he had endured the burden of non-stop temptation well. Until I helped that stranger, he told himself silently. Everything was fine until I saved that man’s life.
Now hunger burned like a fire in his gut, urging him to eat with a raging intensity he hadn’t felt before.
He sat up, attempting to refocus his thoughts on something – anything – else in order to deal with the problem as he always had. The two travelers and their big dog are still somewhere nearby and they have food and water, the voice inside his mind suggested calmly. All you have to do in order to sate your appetite is return to their camp and ask. They are friendly and will share with you, especially after the kindness you shared with them. Studying the walls of the cave carefully, Jesus suddenly noticed that the details along the rock wall were slightly different than they were only moments before. He tried to look at the palm of one hand and failed, nodding his head as he recognized what was happening.
This is a dream, he noticed for the first time. I am asleep and the Tempter has returned to try and lead me astray. But why isn’t he approaching me in the manner that he usually does? He let that thought hang for a moment, waiting for an answer, until he remembered the dead Samaritan that one of the travelers told him about. Yes, the other voice within his mind told him – the one that suggested he go find food. I am here too. Even if my physical body was destroyed, still I am alive and still I possess a massive amount of power.
The Tempter seized control of his dream body, raising Jesus’ arm and pointing at a small pile of rocks. If you are truly the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread. After listening closely to the suggestion coming from the inner voice that still seemed to be his own, Jesus replied. It is written: ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God’.
The image of the cave vanished in a swirl of whirling light and sounds. Suddenly Jesus was standing at the very top of the Temple in Jerusalem on a bright sunny morning, looking down on the courtyards and the people walking around. His fellow citizens were everywhere, talking excitedly among themselves and pointing at all of the beautiful facets comprising the Temple. Rays of sunshine poked through the white, puffy clouds along the horizon, illuminating the walls of the Jews’ greatest place of worship in a brilliant golden light. Against the backdrop of the partially clouded sky, the view was utterly breathtaking.
If you are the Son of God, the Tempter began, once again using Jesus’ own inner voice, throw yourself down. For it is written: He will command his angels concerning you, and ‘with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone’.
Jesus answered him. Again it is written: ‘You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test’.
Everything changed again, a blur of motion that accelerated away from Jerusalem and then slowed to a stop on the peak of a very high mountain. Looking down from above, the outer walls from various cities and towns were visible in the distance. Again the view was nothing less than spectacular; a prime example that summarized everything that mankind was capable of building. All these I shall give to you, the Tempter offered once more, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me. Despite his weakened condition, and despite the temptations offered to him by his Adversary, Jesus’ stance remained firm. Get away Satan! It is written: ‘The Lord your God shall you worship and him alone shall you serve’.
(Specific passages used from the Saint Joseph edition of The New American Bible)
After verifying that Fika was willing to stand watch alone at the mouth of the cave, Adam walked the short distance back to where Thomas was still working to help Jesus. The man from Nazareth was still unconscious, but all readings on Adam’s eye HUD indicated that the future prophet was doing much better. His vitals, which had dipped precipitously in the short time that he spent away from them, were now reading almost normal. Both his and Thomas’ medical kits lay beside Jesus along with their contents, which were scattered all around the two men. Further, Thomas was using a battery operated lantern to light the darkness.
Adam’s eyes narrowed. “You helped him, didn’t you?” he said in a somewhat accusatory tone of voice. “You didn’t feed him anything solid, but you definitely helped him.”
Nodding affirmatively, Thomas met his brother’s gaze without hesitation. “Saving your life is what weakened him in the first place,” he reminded Adam. “So if you’re truly serious about not wrecking our future, I had no choice. He was going to die without treatment.” Slowly Thomas began to put away the medical equipment. “He was nearly comatose when we found him, but I gave him the same kinds of nutrient-rich, vitamin injections that you received. It’s all liquids, so there should be nothing that will violate his choice to fast. I gave him just enough to restore at least some of his strength. He’s been without a decent diet for far too long, and I hope this isolation-phase of his ministry is nearly concluded.”
“I’m still struggling with the fact that we actually found him and trying to grasp the concept that he was able to heal me with a simple touch,” Adam added. “You said my neck was broken?”
“Yes,” his brother replied softly. “For almost ten minutes.”
“I’m telling you, I’ve never seen anything like the past few days… it all just boggles my mind.” Adam shook his head with mild disgust, pulling the familiar shape of the silver watch out of his pocket and showing it to his brother. “This showed up again, so we must have reached yet another waypoint on its master plan… whatever that may be.” He carefully handed the object to Thomas. “Take a look inside.”
Opening the watch cover, Thomas studied the new image there. “It’s a map of Missouri, in what used to be the United States,” he noticed with growing excitement. “Our home town of Fayette is marked with a star – I wonder what that means? If we’re supposed to go there, making that kind of journey across an ocean in this timeframe would be an extremely difficult undertaking, not to mention outright dangerous.”
“I was thinking of stopping by there anyway after we return to the present,” noted Adam thoughtfully. “I mean, there is probably nothing left of the place other than charred debris, but it would be kind of nice to lay a wreath or some flowers there… you know, to honor Mom and Dad.” He shifted his eyes to the prone form of Jesus. “Do you really think he’s going to be okay?”
“Yes, he’s simply sleeping everything off right now,” Thomas told him. “The medical database indicates that he has received enough hydration and nutrients to sustain him for another couple of days. After that…” He shrugged his shoulders. “He’s done pretty well sticking it out in the desert all by himself thus far. The only thing that came close to destroying him was our unexpected appearance.” He chuckled and his eyes dropped to stare at the dirt floor. “Even that thing disguised as the Samaritan was unable to tempt or manipulate him in the same manner that it tricked us.”
“I really wonder what’s going on at this particular time in Earth’s history,” mused Adam. “I mean, even with my defenses in a weakened state that Samaritan should not have been able to breach my defensive shield. And what Jesus did…” He put a cautious hand to his throat and swallowed hard. “I don’t even care that my throat is still sore because it means that I’m alive!”
Thomas nodded. “I know,” he said slowly. “It’s clear that the people living here recorded as much as they could about what was happening from their primitive perspective. Even if their analysis isn’t one hundred percent accurate, it’s pretty clear that something pretty astonishing is about to take place. Perhaps everything we’ve been told over the years.”
“I’m not sure I would go that far.”
“Why not Adam?” inquired Thomas curiously, pointing toward Jesus’ sleeping figure. “Even though we are biological beings and not technological, the human brain is still the most sophisticated, energy efficient computer ever designed… at least in our galaxy. It’s connected directly to the ‘hardware’ of our physical body and has an operating system that regu
lates circulation, neural activity, along with respiratory functions. In addition to all of that, it’s also a sentient creation that is capable of feeling all kinds of different emotions. Why is it so hard for you to believe that we were constructed by someone with a loving touch?”
Adam held up a cautious hand. “I’m not saying I don’t believe,” he responded after a brief pause. “I just like to have all of the facts in before I make a final conclusion. And many of the facts, on this matter, will probably always remain unknown to us.” He sighed heavily and studied the contours of Jesus’ slumbering face. “Besides, David didn’t exactly strike me as a God-like being. He seemed more like a powerful alien of the sort we’ve never encountered, someone whose attention we caught when we started playing around with the politics in the Wasteland. Could that kind of entity actually be what God actually is?”
“Possibly. Our technology certainly looks like magic to these people, so an alien science that transcends our own would certainly appear to be magical from our viewpoint.”
“I know you’ve always been a believer, but you’re not someone who takes the Bible literally. Correct?”
“Correct. Sure the universe is likely billions of years old and the Earth probably took a lot longer than six days to create,” ventured Thomas. “But deep down, did anyone except those who were the most desperate to believe really think that the Bible was a completely accurate historical document?”
“I concur. People of this time wrote down how they perceived the universe to be. It’s what we’re doing in our own time – we just happen to have the benefit of basing our conclusions on generations of scientific research and study. And yet, until we built the Pathfinder, we were essentially limited to what we could observe from our own solar system. When we finally got a look at the big picture, it was really some pretty mind blowing stuff.”
The Pathfinder Trilogy Page 101
