The Last Day

will likely find her eyes quite unsettling. They are a most unnatural color-a vivid purplish blue-and they can have quite a vertiginous effect on the recipient at first. I suggest you remain seated and be prepared for a moment or two of discomfort. It will quickly pass.

“The significance of Jeza's participation in the kissing of the ring, of course, is to demonstrate to the entire world the supremacy of the papal throne, and Jeza's acknowledged subordination to you as dominant spiritual authority.”

“And what if she refuses?” Nicholas questioned.

“That will not divert us from our purposes,” di Concerci assured him. “If at any point in time she becomes difficult or confrontational, we will simply move to the next phase of our plan.

“Our objective will be to secure a retraction from Jeza concerning her position on the dismantling of organized religion, at least regarding Holy Mother Church. As it's unlikely we will be successful in that regard”-di Concerci paused to obtain an item from the table-”we'll then proceed, with the entire world watching as witness, to confront her with this!”

The pope leaned forward in his throne with great interest.

A hard glint of confidence in his eyes, Antonio Cardinal di Concerci held up a large brown book.

“Holiness, this is the unaltered, personal diary of Mr. Jozef Leveque, the man responsible for the genesis of Jeza.” He paused to let this revelation settle.

“In this journal lies the whole story behind this strange Jeza and her mysterious powers. A tragic and, in many ways, a very moving story. A story of all-consuming love and obsession. Of a desperate, brilliant man, driven to reclaim that which only God has authority over: that which God had taken from him: the life of his only daughter.

“But most important”-di Concerci's face was burning with conviction-”this diary is a full disclosure of exactly what our purported little Messiah truly is. Here in this diary, Holiness, are untold shocking details that WNN conveniently omitted from their TV documentary. Details that will surely convince the world that Jeza cannot be a prophetess, nor a Messiah, nor the Sister of Jesus.

“Contrary to WNN's report Jeza's cognitive powers are not merely the result of some passive memory- building process. The explanation for her remarkable intelligence and abilities is entirely inorganic. Artificial and ungodly. Composed of fabricated silicon microchips surgically implanted deep within the hemispheres of her brain.

“Papa, this woman the world hails as the Daughter of God is, without question, a diabolical imposter. The entire Jeza phenomenon is a well-calculated, profane ruse developed by agents of the Israeli Defense Force for some as-yet-undetermined purpose.”

The pope's mouth dropped open in astonishment. The two cardinals could not contain their pleasure.

“Wh-what are you saying to me?” Nicholas stammered.

“Pontiff, what I am pleased to report is that Jeza is not fulfilling some divine mission conveyed to her atop those temple ruins on Millennium Eve. But like a preprogrammed robot, she is nevertheless carrying out some sort of secret mission. All of the proof is right here,” di Concerci proclaimed, tapping his forefinger soundly against the hide of the upraised diary. “Irrefutable evidence that we will make amply clear to the world media with enlargements of key passages. All documented in Jozef Leveque's own hand.”

The pope was speechless. He collapsed back into his chair with a clenched expression of deep relief. After a moment's recuperation, he shook his head in wonder and addressed the two cardinals who awaited his reaction with expectant smiles. “You're telling me the nightmare is over?” he breathed, the magnificent awareness seeping into him. “This dreadful nightmare is finally over?” The conclusion was so sudden and anticlimactic, Nicholas could not immediately absorb its full significance. He tilted his head back into the soft velvet support of his throne and closed his eyes.

The two cardinals exchanged nods, beaming in silence.

The pope recovered, wiped his eyes under his spectacles with a handkerchief, and then asked, “You must tell me, my amazing, beloved Antonio, how did you possibly come by this godsend?”

“With a little intervention from the Almighty, Holy Father,” di Concerci answered. “And, a little persuasion from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. As it turns out, the wife of Jozef Leveque is a practicing Catholic in Tel Aviv. After the panic in our world dioceses from Jeza's announcement at the Salt Lake convocation, we received a call from Mrs. Leveque's parish priest. He had learned all about the diary from a confession Anne Leveque had made to him some months prior.”

Nicholas was aghast. “You mean to say, her priest betrayed the confidence of the confessional!”

“Under the circumstances, Holiness,” di Concerci pointed out, “the pastor, in good conscience, felt the defense of Holy Mother Church a more than worthy justification. As did we cardinals of the Congregation. After all, that is our sacred consecration-to defend the faith!”

Nicholas nodded gravely, not entirely comfortable with this explanation.

“From the pastor,” di Concerci continued, “we also learned that Mrs. Leveque had subsequently lost possession of the diary to the Israeli Ministry of Defense. We were then able to secure the diary from a supporter inside the ministry who learned of our interest and acquired it for us.”

“Who is this mysterious supporter?” Nicholas interrupted.

“We may never know,” di Concerci responded. “He will not identify himself.”

“I don't understand.” The pope considered the point. “Given all the negative publicity surrounding these experiments, why would the Israeli Defense Ministry allow such damaging details to emerge?”

Di Concerci cleared his throat. “Defense Minister Tamin is not yet aware that we've acquired the diary. The individual who secreted the material to us is neither a friend of Shaul Tamin's, nor an advocate of this false prophetess Jeza. Moreover, considering the misery the defense minister has unleashed on the world with his miscreant experiments, none of us should be too distressed if Mr. Tamin does not survive the pending scandal.”

“Still,” Nicholas complained uncomfortably, “I do not like to see Holy Mother Church involved in such political intrigue …” He paused, weighing the issues. “Nevertheless,” he said, finally relenting, the waves of relief rising from deep inside him to purge his conscience, “I must commend the both of you on a truly miraculous, God-delivered reversal of fortunes.” He could not suppress his delight.

The two cardinals accepted their pontiff's gratitude with broad smiles.

“Now,” the pope asked, “may I request one last consideration of you, Tony?”

“Anything, Holy Father,” the prefect agreed.

“Given Jeza refuses to willingly accommodate our plans and it becomes necessary to expose her, as I fear it will, I would not wish to see the papacy directly involved in the accusations. While I will remain by your side in support, I would ask that you personally conduct the indictments, given your close knowledge of the particulars and your past experience with the woman.”

“Gladly, Holiness,” di Concerci replied with a gleam of anticipation in his eyes.

Nicholas leaned back in his chair and exhaled in soulful relief. “It's over, Tony?” he asked again. “It's finally over?”

“Yes, Holiness.” Di Concerci smiled. “It is.”

79

WNN regional headquarters, Cairo, Egypt 10:14 A.M., Wednesday, March 15, 2000

Feldman gave the London Times article a thump with his forefinger and dropped the newspaper to his desk, gazing at it thoughtfully. The face of Mother Bernadette, the Sister of the Silent Sufferers, smiled back at him from a photograph.

According to the story, the elderly little nun had recently won the Virginia State Lottery's powerball jackpot, worth some nine million dollars. All of which she was devoting to save her precarious African children's charity. An “angel,” she claimed, had whispered the winning numbers in her ear.

Before he could give the matter any further thought, Feldman was interrupted by a knock at his door. It was