the Miracle Strain (aka The Messiah Code) (1997)

by Cordy, Michael

  Out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of an ancient helmet, complete with noseguard. And next to it, leaning against the wall as casually as a baseball bat in a child's cupboard, was the largest sword Tom had ever seen. Its magnificent polished blade was thick tempered steel, its heavy hilt boldly ornate, and the handle bound in some worn fabric he didn't recognize. At its base, set deep into the metal, was a large ruby stone, twice the size of the one in Ezekiel's ring. The sword looked as weighty as a girder, and he couldn't see how anyone could possibly lift it, let alone wield it in battle.

  Ezekiel said with obvious pride, "That sword and helmet belonged to Sir Antoine De La Croix, a Crusader of the Knights Templars garrisoned at the castle of Krak de Chevaliers in Syria. He became Leader of the Brotherhood almost a thousand years ago. I am descended from his bloodline."

  "The sword's remarkable. But how did he use it? It's enormous."

  A dismissive shrug. The voice wistful. "Men were more disciplined then."

  Tom looked at other scrolls and noticed an impressive tablet of stone. There was script carved into its surface, but he couldn't understand the characters. He shook his head in bewilderment.

  "Where did you get all these treasures? And why do you keep them secret from the rest of the world?"

  Ezekiel's black eyes drilled into his. "Our founder and subsequent followers have salvaged, redeemed, and handed down these items from generation to generation throughout the last two millennia." The old head nodded in thought. "Dr. Carter, history is not a science. It is only memory. The selective memory of powerful men. If the powerful choose to forget something in the past, or change it, they can. But you can't argue with evidence. History is like faith; it is dependent on what you believe. But unlike faith, one's view, or memory, of history can be supported by evidence." The frail hands swept around the room. "These items constitute our evidence and help us to keep the faith. So long as these survive, and are kept safe from today's political powermongers who want to kill religion, then we shall always have proof of what we believe. Of what we know in our hearts."

  Tom suddenly felt the discomfort of the outsider. He knew Ezekiel must regard him with his atheism and science as one of those powermongers intent upon eroding the relevance of religion--using the promise of the future to wipe out the relevance of the past.

  "Do you think that by seeing these pieces of evidence I will believe what you believe?"

  A shrug. "Perhaps."

  "But history isn't religion. I believe Kennedy existed and that he was a great man. But I don't worship him because of it."

  "Just consider one thought, Dr. Carter. If we hadn't believed in the divinity of Christ and sought to validate our faith in him by collecting the objects you see around you--if we had chosen instead to ignore the past and scramble blindly toward a technologically breathtaking but spiritually bankrupt future--if we had done this, would we still possess the very thing that you seek?"

  Tom gave a noncommittal shrug. The Brotherhood's use of souvenirs to justify their faith, and Ezekiel's obvious contempt for mankind's desire to take charge of its own destiny, provoked strong feelings in him, but now was not the time to debate them.

  Ezekiel stared at him for a moment, then turned abruptly and said, "We've talked enough. We should proceed."

  He took a small gold key from around his neck and walked to the recess at the end of the room. He pulled back the fabric curtain to reveal an ornate, gilt cage about three feet tall, with a high gabled roof and latticed walls. The craftsmanship was breathtaking.

  Tom watched the ancient man bend slowly and use the key to unlock the lattice door. He heard the hinges squeak with lack of use as Ezekiel reached slowly inside. The man seemed to take forever before he eventually straightened. In his hands Ezekiel held what appeared to be a casket of precious metal inlaid with gemstones. Tom strained to get a closer look as Ezekiel opened it, the lid hinging away from him.

  Ezekiel looked up at him. "Our founder, Lazarus, brought these here with the shroud. To serve as a reminder of what happened on the day mankind crucified its savior."

  Tom stood speechless as Ezekiel walked toward him, holding the open box close to his chest. On the side of the small casket that faced him, Tom could see what appeared to be rubies set in silver, forming a cross. Four emeralds adorned the beaten gold of each corner.

  Said Ezekiel, "These have never been allowed out of this vault. Not for two thousand years."

  His black eyes looked into Tom's, and thin sinewy arms extended toward him. The exquisite casket was now only inches away. Tom's precise surgeon's hands were shaking as he took the box and tried to peer over the hinged lid. The objects were nestled, partially concealed in a bed of purple silk. Then he realized what they were--or thought he did. He turned to Ezekiel and tried to speak.

  The black eyes took in his obvious shock, and the ancient head nodded slowly in confirmation. "If you doubt them, touch them," the old man whispered.

  Tom rested the casket in his left palm, then with delicate fingers carefully picked the two objects out of the concealing silk. Now, lying there on the palm of his right hand, it was obvious to him what they were.

  A six-inch rusty nail and a yellowed human tooth.

  From her vantage point outside the doorway to the Cave of the Sacred Light, Maria Benariac could see that the meeting was coming to a close. The Inner Guards protecting the Brotherhood's Sanctuary had allowed her to come down unannounced as long as she stayed outside the cavern and didn't disturb the Father. She had waited for nearly an hour, and was impatient to surprise him.

  As she looked around the half-open door, past the pillars, she could see the Father standing with Brother Bernard and Brother Helix. They had a guest with them; she would have to contain her impatience. She craned her head around to try to see who the visitor was, but he was obscured in the shadows cast by the pillars. From where she stood she couldn't make out what their echoing voices were saying, but it was clear from their movements and the tone of their conversation that they were preparing to leave.

  At that moment Helix leaned toward the guest and extended his hand, and as the visitor moved to shake it Maria caught a glimpse of his tall frame. There was something about his stance that was familiar.

  The party began to walk down the large chamber toward her. Standing in the shadows, she observed them more closely. Their body language was relaxed and their easy gait spoke of people who had satisfactorily concluded something of importance. Bernard now took his turn to shake the unseen visitor's hand. The handshake seemed sincere. This visitor must be valued by the Brotherhood for the Champion of the Secondary Imperative to treat him with such respect. He had never treated her with such deference.

  All four men now stopped some thirty yards away and talked, their deep voices merging into an indistinct murmur. The visitor held a small parcel in his left hand but she still couldn't see more of him past the pillars. She watched Bernard stroke his ridiculous goatee and saw Helix nod in agreement at something the Father was saying. The Father looked even smaller than usual alongside Helix and the tall visitor.

  Suddenly she heard footsteps to her right, and saw a man walk out of the shadows. He had clearly been waiting silently inside the door, perhaps guarding it. The man strolled over to the center of the cavern to join the others, and as he passed the first large torch she recognized him.

  Gomorrah.

  What was he doing here? Why had he been invited to the Cave of the Sacred Light to oversee this obviously important meeting? Gomorrah was only the second operative. She was the first. And yet he was here, included, involved--valued.

  Resentment burned through her when she saw the Father acknowledge her rival. Then she watched him turn back to shake the guest's hand. Perhaps it was just her imagination fueled by her shock at seeing Gomorrah here, but something in the Father's firm handshake conveyed a bond that made her feel jealous. This visitor must be powerful indeed. Then at that moment he moved, turning his head into the light.r />
  It was Dr. Carter.

  She wouldn't, couldn't, believe it. How could the blasphemous scientist be in the Brotherhood's Sacred Cavern? She shook her head, as if to clear it and regain control. As she'd learned in the training camp, control was everything. Her eyes refused to focus for a moment, but after a few deep breaths all became clear. She hadn't been mistaken. Dr. Carter was here, and not as a prisoner or enemy, but as an honored guest. What trick had he played on the Father to make him invite him here and take his hand in friendship?

  Bile rose in her throat as the group suddenly began to move again to the doorway where she waited. She retreated into the shadows behind the door and fought to keep her composure as she saw Gomorrah and Bernard, then the others pass within feet of her. Dr. Carter was so close she could have reached out and touched one of the black hairs on his head. Now she could hear every satisfied word.

  "So we are agreed?" she heard Father Ezekiel say, extending his hand in a final farewell.

  "Yes," replied Dr. Carter. "I'll tell you as soon as we've found any unique genes in the samples. And obviously I'll contact you when--and if--we find a match for your Messiah."

  Find a match for your Messiah?

  Maria could scarcely believe her ears.

  They were working together.

  The scientist had convinced the Father to work with him. An alliance, so unholy it took her breath away, had been struck. No wonder she had been warned off the geneticist and frozen out of any plans. The Father, the man who preached uncompromising righteousness, had in desperation been duped into doing a deal with the devil. She watched Bernard apologetically place a blindfold on Dr.

  Carter and lead him down the narrow corridor toward the Great Stairs. The Father stayed behind with Helix, Gomorrah protectively by their side.

  "I hope we're doing the right thing, Brother Helix," she heard the Father say. "I still feel uncomfortable about working with him."

  "Don't worry," she heard Helix say, soothingly. "You've made the right decision. You'll see."

  This was too much. The Father was being led astray by his own Champion of the Primary Imperative. Maria stepped out of the shadows, taking them all, including Gomorrah, by surprise. She made no attempt to hide the rage in her voice. "Father, don't listen to him. How can you deal with the atheist?"

  Gomorrah tensed, ready to match any move she made.

  Ezekiel took a moment to regain his composure, his black eyes angry. "Nemesis? What are you doing here?"

  She gave a bitter laugh. "I came to convince you to let me finish the scientist. But I can see Brother Helix would rather I shake his hand."

  Ezekiel said, "These are things you don't understand."

  "Understand? Oh, I understand quite well. You have somehow decided to use Dr. Carter's blasphemy to help you in the holy quest. It makes no sense--like using the light of Lucifer to guide you to heaven."

  She could see the Father's jaw muscle clenching as he tried to control his own anger.

  "Let me explain something to you," Helix said. "Dr. Carter's genetics offer us a unique opportunity to find the Messiah. An opportunity we cannot take without his help--we need him alive and on our side until he has found who we seek. That is the only reason the Righteous Kill has been postponed."

  She ignored him and kept looking at the Father. "But Dr. Carter will meddle with the very essence of God. How can you allow that--whatever the ends?"

  Ezekiel shook his head. "Finding the New Messiah is all that matters. Everything else is unimportant. The Primary Imperative goes beyond simply choosing right or wrong. I have to consider the ultimate greater good, even if it means dealing with evil along the way--"

  "But good and God are about ideals, not deals. You taught me that. The scientist has corrupted you and Brother Helix is letting him--"

  "Nemesis," snapped the Father, losing his temper and patience. "I don't care what you think. The deal is going ahead. You have nothing more to do with the matter. Now let Gomorrah escort you from here, then return home and calm down. Brother Bernard or I will contact you shortly." With that the Father and Helix turned on their heels and strode back into the Cave of the Sacred Light. She had been dismissed.

  Incensed, she moved to follow Father Ezekiel but Gomorrah blocked her way. She felt her rage boil over then. She wanted to fight with Gomorrah and hurt him just to vent her frustration. And when two of the Inner Guard approached, she considered fighting them all.

  But she knew that would achieve nothing--and there was much to do.

  Taking a deep breath, she turned away and walked down the corridor to the Great Stairs. Increasing her pace, she tried to walk off her anger at the Father's weakness. Until now she had always held him up as a paragon--the perfect blend of kindness and uncompromising righteousness. But the great man was growing old and had allowed Brother Helix to be duped by the scientist. Gradually she regained control of her molten anger, allowing it to cool into granite resolve.

  She focused her mind on one single thought--her own primary imperative: Dr. Carter will pay for what he has done. And she,the avenging Nemesis, will exact that payment. Deep down she was convinced that Father Ezekiel didn't really want this deal to go ahead with Dr. Carter. How could he?

  And as she mounted the Great Stairs it became increasingly clear. The time for waiting for orders from Brother Bernard and the Father had passed. The time had come to take matters into her own hands.

  Chapter Eighteen.

  Crick Laboratory

  Boston

  Jasmine Washington suppressed a shiver as she sat in the Crick Laboratory and watched DAN sequencing the genome. She knew that the Genescope's complex brain didn't understand the significance of what it was doing now. Although its supremely powerful eye could see, it couldn't recognize what it was seeing. And although its brilliant mind could read, it couldn't comprehend what it was reading. DAN just blindly scanned the genetic letters written in the dyed DNA inserted beneath its "smart eye." And its "virtual mind" thoughtlessly deciphered the program encrypted there, determining which amino acids and eventual proteins were being coded for.

  The Genescope didn't care about the identity of the subjects it analyzed; it only distinguished among the genes that constituted them. To DAN the whole was not greater than the sum of the parts. On the contrary, it believed that the parts made up the whole, and were therefore all that mattered. Unlike Jasmine, the Genescope didn't care that the DNA it was currently analyzing might contain the genetic blueprint of a carpenter who lived two thousand years ago: a man known to the world as Jesus Christ.

  It was two days since Tom had returned from his trip to Tel Aviv and she was as relieved as anybody that he was safe. But when he'd first shown her the tooth and nail he'd brought back with him, she had been unable to show the same unbridled enthusiasm as the others. Although neither sample challenged her belief in Christ's ascension into heaven, just the simple realization that they could be genuine was enough to disturb her. She couldn't shrug off the nagging, deeply unscientific doubt that any secrets they might contain should perhaps remain hidden.

  She looked over at Bob Cooke. The Californian was pale beneath his tan and looked unusually tense. His bench and Nora Lutz's beside him were littered with pipettes, gels, and neat racks of Eppendorf tubes full of dyed DNA. "Not much longer now," she said.

  "Yup," said Bob with a tight smile. "Seven minutes. The time it takes to cook a good steak."

  "Tom better hurry," said Nora, "or he'll miss it."

  "Don't worry about him," said Jasmine. Tom had disappeared an hour ago to check on the patients in the ward, but he knew when he needed to return. "He'll be here."

  When Tom had convinced her to embrace Project Cana, she had done so mainly out of loyalty to him, and concern for Holly. She had never really believed they would find an authentic sample, or if they did that it would contain anything. But now she wasn't so sure. In the last two days she had helped Tom, along with Bob and Nora, prep the so-called Nazareth Samples. She ha
d watched the drill going into what might be an authentic tooth from Jesus Christ's mouth, extracting the DNA from deep within it. And she had personally scraped blood remnants from a nail that might have actually nailed Christ to the cross.

  She took a deep breath. It was frightening and she felt a little out of control. Soon, very soon, she would know for certain if the Nazareth Samples were genuine, and if they contained the genes of God.

  "How's it going?" said Tom, bounding into the room. He was breathless and his blue eyes were bright with excitement. "Almost there?"

  She nodded. "Yeah, we're close now. A few minutes."

  The door to the lab opened again and Jack walked in, followed by Alex. No one wanted to miss the moment when DAN revealed what made Christ different from other men.

  The Genescope's growl suddenly changed tone. Lights flashed on the black sweeping neck.

  "This is it," she said.

  And everyone fell silent.

  Tom Carter hadn't slept in almost three days but he couldn't imagine feeling more alert than he did now. He still hadn't come down from the adrenaline of his visit to the Brotherhood's vault and all he wanted now was to see DAN's analysis of the samples.

  He saw Jasmine stand. "Before DAN starts there are a few things you guys should know," she said. "First of all the Genescope's been configured to give us an overview on both the nail and the tooth sample. The nail results will appear first. But because the sample was so corrupted we'll be lucky to read more than a third of the genome from it. So don't be disappointed. The tooth sample should be much better. The overview for both will be presented on the monitor and by DAN on voice box."