The Nosferatu Chronicles: Return to Vambiri

by Susan Hamilton

  “He’s right,” said Jirza to Sebastian. “The focus should be squarely on you.”

  “The focus should be squarely on the healing power of God,” said Josephine.

  “Of course,” said Jirza, “and Sebastian will be the one to carry that message to the masses.”

  REVELATION

  Planet Vambiri

  Earth Year 2046 AD

  “May the Peace of Iam be with you, Primus,” said Kevak.

  “How can you still use that name, now that we know how it came about?” asked D’Hal.

  “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” answered Kevak.

  “This has gone way beyond a Shakespearean tragedy,” sneered D’Hal.

  “Nothing we have discovered or are yet to discover changes anything,” said Kevak. “If Iam exists, then He existed yesterday exactly as He does today.”

  “The same is true if it was all a lie,” said D’Hal.

  Kevak shrugged. “Things are what they are.”

  “A rose is a rose is a rose,” quipped D’Hal.

  “Quite,” said Kevak.

  “Why are you here?” asked D’Hal.

  “I have interrogated Ikato,” said Kevak. “There is more to be revealed in the chamber where we first found him. Enforcers have escorted him there, and he is still under the influence of the truth serum. As Primus, your presence is required. They’re waiting for us now.”

  “Of course,” said D’Hal.

  As they walked together, D’Hal suddenly remembered a conversation that had taken place hundreds of years earlier. “When one of the Vambir traitors first arrived at Newlun, he mocked my faith. He asked me what would happen if I was wrong.”

  “What was your reply?” asked Kevak.

  “That I would be no worse off than any other mortal creature,” said D’Hal.

  “Ah…Pascal’s Wager,” said Kevak.

  “I then turned it back on him and asked him what would happen if he was wrong. It’s funny that I would remember that today of all days.”

  “I find it hard to believe that everything that has happened to us is all due to coincidence,” said Kevak. “Faith is the foundation of the church. By its very definition, religion cannot be partitioned into a succinct chain of facts — it would then cease to be a religion. His mysteries are incomprehensible. What’s the point in divine revelation if we could work it all out for ourselves?”

  Entering the chamber with Kevak, D’Hal steeled herself for what she was about to witness. If Ikato’s meddling was as widespread as she suspected, then her dwindling faith would be put to the ultimate test. She dismissed the Enforcers, assuring them that Ikato would be no threat to her and Kevak.

  “Where is it?” Kevak asked Ikato.

  “Over there,” he pointed. “About ten paces.”

  Kevak waved a scanning device through the air as he slowly walked in the direction indicated by Ikato. “Nothing — no anomaly.”

  “That’s how I designed it,” said Ikato. “You’re standing directly on top of it.”

  “We’ll be needing a lasdrill,” said D’Hal.

  “No,” said Ikato. “You’ll breach the hull.”

  “Very well,” said Kevak, “shovel and pickaxe.”

  *******

  After a few minutes of digging, Kevak’s pickaxe came down upon something metallic.

  “That’s it,” said Ikato. “Feel for the door frame lip.”

  “No holographic key?” asked Kevak.

  “Nothing that could be picked up by your instruments,” answered Ikato.

  Once the door was opened, Ikato handed Kevak a flash lamp. “You’ll be needing this. There’s no lighting inside.”

  Kevak stooped down inside the cramped quarters and saw what looked like a stasis pod covered with a tarpaulin. After removing it, the object was revealed to be a transparent case containing the perfectly preserved remains of an elderly human male with flowing white hair and beard. His woolen cloak had the distinctive woven pattern and colors worn by the tribe of Levi.

  “The original Moses!” exclaimed D’Hal, who stood at the entrance.

  “Amazing, isn’t it?” said Ikato. “He looks as if he is sleeping. Immediately after he was transported here through the wormhole, I genuinely thought he was alive. The cloak protected his body from the g-forces that would have torn it apart, but at the atomic level, his nuclei were fragmented.”

  Behind Moses was a second covered case. “I assume this is the clone?” asked Kevak as he pulled away the tarp.

  Ikato silently shook his head.

  Kevak held the flash lamp close to the case. It contained the body of another elderly male that looked nothing like Moses. Clothed in what appeared to be the hide of a camel held in place by a thick leather belt, the man was hairy and blockish, despite his advanced years.

  “Elijah,” murmured Kevak. “The prophet who, just like Moses, ascended into Heaven. Iam sent a chariot of fire down to fetch him.”

  Kevak sat down beside the case and put his hands over his face. “Every biblical account that mentions a flash of light or the appearance of an angel is because of you,” he said to Ikato. “Why did you bring Elijah through the wormhole? You knew from what happened to Moses that using a cloak during transportation would not be enough to save him!”

  “I introduced nanobots into Elijah’s system when he doused the altar with water,” answered Ikato. “I sent them through in the electrical charge that set the altar alight. The nanobots were contained in the embers floating through the air, and once they landed on his skin, they were absorbed into his system. I thought it would be enough to protect him, but they were not present in sufficient numbers to do so. Again, I waited until he was actively dying before attempting the transfer.”

  Kevak took a deep breath and leaned back, only to touch a third object. Shining the flash lamp behind him, he saw yet another covered crate.

  “Who have we here?” he asked. Robotically, he removed the cover.

  This time, there was no transparent case. It was a stasis pod — a functioning stasis pod.

  “What have you done, Ikato?” whispered D’Hal.

  “The Creator did it all,” insisted Ikato. “I was merely His tool.”

  Kevak pressed the pod’s viewport release with a shaking finger. He brought the flash lamp close to the transparency, and the interior of the pod was illuminated.

  Kevak instantly recognized the face — he had seen it depicted in iconic artwork by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, El Greco, Raphael, and Warner Sallman.

  It was the Christ.

  Kevak fell to his knees in prayer.

  D’Hal remained at the entrance. From Kevak’s reaction, she knew what he had seen and kept her distance. I can’t deal with that right now.

  Kevak slowly got to his feet and looked again upon face. Something about it was eerily familiar: it was the spitting image of a younger version of Moses.

  The Christ is the clone of Moses!

  “How was this accomplished?” demanded Kevak.

  “I infused the cloned material from Moses with nanobots and gestated the sample to a maturity of two weeks,” explained Ikato. “I then implanted Mary with the embryo via the laser ray in the wormhole.”

  “The Immaculate Conception,” said Kevak in a dull monotone.

  “Precisely!” exclaimed Ikato. “Jesus was born of a virgin, just as the prophecy foretold.”

  “Foretold by the Angel Gabriel,” said D’Hal. “You were Gabriel!”

  “I was an agent for the Creator!” insisted Ikato.

  “The nanobots infused into Moses’ cloned tissue resulted in Jesus being a Touch Healer,” surmised Kevak.

  “Yes,” said Ikato.

  “The Vambir gene mutation — how was that transferred by Jesus to those who were healed?” asked Kevak.

  “The mutation transported genetic information to the nerve cells. It prevents receptors from accepting viruses.”

  “And those who were healed passed the mut
ation on to their offspring?” asked Kevak.

  Ikato nodded.

  “The human we first studied in the lifeboat!” exclaimed D’Hal. “He had the mutation!”

  “Passed down through the generations,” said Ikato.

  “The Resurrection was brought about by your nanobots!” exclaimed D’Hal.

  “No!” insisted Ikato. “The Trinity was responsible for His resurrection — the Creator, Son, and Holy Ghost in one!”

  D’Hal shook her head. “After several hours on the Cross, the nanobots sensed the host was near death and induced a coma. Breathing and heart rate were slowed to such an extent that onlookers believed the host was dead. It then took three days for the nanobots to complete repairs.”

  “Listen to yourself, Primus!” cried Ikato. “You just said the nanobots sensed His death was imminent. The nanobots are not sentient — they merely react to medical emergencies.”

  “Then why didn’t the nanobots react during the Crucifixion?” asked Kevak.

  “He willed them to remain passive,” explained Ikato. “Think about that — think about the worst pain you have ever suffered! Suppose you knew the nanobots could end that pain, but you made the choice to endure it!”

  Kevak remembered how he narrowly escaped death on Earth by discovering a stasis pod as the sun was rising. The burns he suffered during his brief exposure to sunlight were excruciating. He tried to imagine experiencing hours of that torment, all the while having the power to end it but choosing not to.

  “He accepted the sin of the world upon Himself and died for all of us,” said Ikato. “How can either of you doubt Him after everything that has happened?”

  “Others will no doubt make the same arguments once this becomes public knowledge,” said D’Hal.

  “Must it become public?” asked Ikato. “Must we shatter the faith of so many?”

  “If these events were truly inspired by Him,” said Kevak, “then we must trust that things will work out. It’s what faith is all about.”

  The truth serum would be wearing off soon, and Kevak needed to press Ikato for more information. “You only made the one clone?”

  “Only…one…of…Moses,” said Ikato.

  “What else?” demanded Kevak. “You’re holding something back!”

  “Elijah,” said Ikato. “I…cloned…Elijah.”

  “John the Baptist!” exclaimed Kevak as he remembered the physical description of him from the scriptures, clothed in camel skin, unkempt, and hairy.

  “You impregnated the barren Elizabeth in the same manner as you did Mary?” asked D’Hal.

  “Yes,” answered Ikato. “John the Baptist was my first experiment. I thought an Elijah clone would have the best chance of conception, since he already had some nanobots in his system. I infused the embryo clone with more to make sure it would survive through the wormhole.”

  “John the Baptist would also have been a Touch Healer,” said Kevak, “but nowhere in the Bible does it mention him performing healing miracles.”

  Ikato shrugged. “His movement was symbolized by the ritual of baptism.”

  “If John the Baptist was infused with nanobots, why didn’t you attempt to bring him back as you did with…” began D’Hal before suddenly stopping upon realizing the answer.

  “Herod ordered him beheaded,” said Ikato. “The head and body were in separate locations, and I couldn’t get a lock on one specific reading. It was impossible to transport his remains back to Vambiri.”

  Time was running short, and Kevak needed more answers. “Do Touch Healers have the ability to raise the dead?”

  “No more so than any other medical resuscitation device,” answered Ikato. “They are limited by the amount of time the brain has been deprived of oxygen.”

  “Then what of—” began Kevak.

  “Lazarus?” finished Ikato. “There’s no record of what really transpired with Lazarus. Besides, according to scripture, Jesus never touched Lazarus. He raised him simply by calling out his name.”

  D’Hal turned her mind to other scripture accounts. “During the Transfiguration, Moses and Elijah appeared and spoke to Jesus.”

  “They were holograms,” admitted Ikato. “I used them to deliver the Creator’s message to Jesus that the time would soon come when He would be required to give His life for humanity.”

  “The two angels that appeared and spoke to the disciples during the Ascension — were they also holograms?” asked Kevak.

  “Yes,” answered Ikato. “They were the same holograms of Moses and Elijah, but it was extraordinarily cloudy that day, and their images were not as clear as they were during the Transfiguration.”

  “What else, Ikato?” asked D’Hal. “Were there any other holograms?”

  “The angels who announced the birth of Christ to the shepherds,” said Ikato.

  “What about the star?” asked D’Hal.

  “A laser beam that guided them to Him,” said Ikato. “That’s everything, Primus.”

  D’Hal sighed with relief. The worst was over. “What is the cycle setting?” she asked, pointing to the stasis pod.

  “There is no revival date,” answered Ikato. “He will rise again when He is needed.”

  “For the life of me, Ikato,” said Kevak, “why didn’t you tell us about this before now? Why did you have to be compelled to do so with truth serum?”

  “He told me not to reveal anything!” cried Ikato.

  “He spoke to you?” asked D’Hal.

  “His mouth did not move, but I understood him perfectly!” said Ikato. “As soon as He came through the wormhole, He looked into my eyes. Just as He instructed the disciples not to say anything about what they had witnessed at the Transfiguration, He did the same with me! He then walked unassisted to the stasis pod and programmed it Himself. I hid him away as instructed.”

  Kevak and D’Hal could not doubt the truth of Ikato’s words.

  “What are we to do with these…relics?” D’Hal asked Kevak.

  “They must be displayed,” said Kevak. “If Ikato’s machinations are to be exposed, then we must also include the results of those machinations. Everyone should be given the opportunity to gaze upon Him and draw their own conclusions — that includes you, Primus.”

  Kevak offered the flash lamp to D’Hal, and she accepted it. Crouching over the viewport, she took a deep breath and held it as the inside of the pod was illuminated.

  The face was the epitome of ethereal serenity. This was unmistakably the historic Jesus, but upon beholding Him in person, D’Hal felt the presence of divine glory, and all of her doubts faded away. “I believe,” she murmured.

  Although her faith was now restored, she felt guilty that it had only been accomplished by seeing the Christ with her own eyes. “Faith alone was not enough,” she lamented.

  “We have been given a gift, Primus,” said Kevak. “Through the ages, there have been untold millions who have been sorely tested. If they could only have beheld Him as we have today.”

  “A great boon to the Hound of Heaven,” said D’Hal.

  “As the hound follows the hare, so too does Iam follow the fleeing soul by His Divine grace,” Kevak recalled.

  “His stasis pod will be placed upon an altar in this chamber with the viewport open,” declared D’Hal. “The preserved remains of Moses and Elijah will adorn Him on either side. Henceforth, this sacred place will be known as the Chapel of Transfiguration.”

  CIRCUS

  Hanwell Asylum, West London

  2047 AD

  “The only information regarding next of kin was a piece of paper with the name ‘Merk’ and an email address written on it,” explained Dr. Bajwah.

  “May I see him?” asked Merk.

  “By all means,” said Bajwah as he gestured for Merk to walk with him. “He is resisting all treatment and refuses to speak to anyone but you.”

  “What is wrong, exactly?” asked Merk.

  “He’s been in a highly manic phase,” explained Bajwah. “We�
�ve administered dopamine and serotonin inhibitors. The mania is gone, but he is still delusional.”

  “Delusional?”

  “Run-of-the-mill stuff for schizophrenics,” said Bajwah. “He claims to know who the Antichrist is and will reveal it to you alone. The only improvement that has been noted was when he was told you had agreed to see him.”

  Bajwah came to a halt in front of a large pair of doors and entered a security code. After a loud buzz, the doors automatically opened, and they walked into the inner courtyard of the facility. Guards silently watched as patients in varying degrees of stupor ambulated around the grounds. “He’s sitting on that bench,” said Bajwah, pointing toward a large maple tree. “He’s been sedated, but the guards will respond if he becomes violent. Let them know when you are ready to leave, and they will escort you off the premises. If his condition improves, more visits can be arranged.”

  Even though Merk had mentally prepared himself for what he would see, he was still taken aback at how his friend had changed. The person sitting at the bench was rail-thin and rocked rhythmically to some tune playing only in his mind.

  “Amos, it’s me, Merk!”

  Amos looked at Merk with a hollow-eyed stare, continuing to rock. After a few seconds, there was a flicker of recognition.

  “Sit close to me, so no one else can hear,” whispered Amos.

  Merk did as he was asked.

  “Where have you been all this time?” asked Amos.

  “I finally got a real job doing research work with a particle collider,” said Merk, trying to keep the mood light. “My days and nights are spent mostly underground. If someone had ever predicted that the two of us would be sitting here now, I would’ve been the patient and you the visitor. You were always the sensible one in Speaker’s Corner, while I was the rant-and-rave type. Tell me, old friend, what’s all this talk about the Antichrist?”

  “Do you remember us discussing the discovery of the second triumphal arch of Titus?” asked Amos.

  “We talked about a lot of things at Speaker’s Corner,” said Merk. “I remember that the base of the second arch was discovered in 2015, and after decades of rumors about rebuilding it in its entirety, they finally began work a few years ago.”