“Exactly, Cardinal. Up until now their presence was just theoretical. Dark stars were thought to have existed early on in the history of the universe, before conventional stars were able to form, but it appears that astronomers have discovered one right in our own cosmic neighborhood. From what I’ve been able to learn, these massive dark objects are practically invisible, because no visible light can escape from their surface. However, this one has been emitting vast amounts of gamma rays, so for now the astronomers in Hawaii who discovered it are classifying it as a star in the Newtonian sense. Nothing like it has ever been seen before.”
“Something about this seems familiar. When did this thing show up?”
“It appeared this year … on the sixth of August.” The pope handed Leo another sheet of paper. “Now, Cardinal, I want you to read this. It’s a copy of the encoded material you received from Daniel when you were busy in Mexico. I believe you need to read it again.”
Looking down at the page from Genesis, Leo saw the encoded name
“Have you checked to see when Acerbi’s son was born?”
“Danny Zamir had two of his men drive into Foix and ask around. Evidently, Eduardo made sure there was no record of the child’s birth, but according to a local woman who knew his mother, he was born on August 6th … sixteen years ago.”
Leo felt the room sway.
“Personally, I was a little surprised that a man Eduardo’s age had a son that young.” The pope stood just as his secretary entered the room and cleared his throat. “They’re ready, Your Holiness.”
“Good. I’ll be right there. Come Leopold, walk with me. I’ve called a meeting of all the cardinals, which includes you.”
Gathering his thoughts, Leo followed the pope through the tall doors and down a winding staircase to a long hallway that led to the Sistine Chapel.
“You said Eduardo was in Turkey?” Leo asked as they walked.
“He was. He’s in Iraq now. Turns out it wasn’t as difficult to find him as we first thought when he went missing. He’s keeping a low profile, but he’s not hiding. After all, he’s a hero. He’s the man who saved the world from falling into the hands of a madman.”
“How did he end up in Iraq?”
“From what we can tell he and his family traveled overland from France to Istanbul. They stayed in Turkey for two weeks, where they made daily excursions to an ancient temple that was unearthed last year.”
“A temple?”
“Yes … and not just any temple. Supposedly, this particular temple is almost twelve-thousand years old. The locals in the area told us there was a team of archaeologists with him and that they appeared to be looking for something at the site.”
“Strange that they would head straight for the Fertile Crescent … to an area that’s considered to be the birthplace of the world’s three monotheistic religions. Does anyone know what they were looking for?”
“Not a clue, but they either found it or gave up looking, because they suddenly packed up and left. They popped up a few days ago in Iraq … in a house near the ancient city of Babylon. From what Lev told me, the house is actually more of a fortress. Eduardo was able to reclaim his family’s fortune, and like Rene, he’s surrounded himself and his family with a small army of security people. Morelli tried to contact him, but he’s refusing to talk to us or anyone else.”
“He might talk to me. I felt like we had some kind of rapport when we met with him at his house in Foix.”
“We’re under the opinion that’s too risky right now. I’ve been discussing it with some of my advisors, and the more we think about it, the more we’re beginning to think that this whole business with Rene was just a trial run. Someone or something wanted to see how we would react when we thought we were facing the Antichrist, and we acted just as they predicted … with guns and bullets.”
“But at the time …”
“This is spiritual warfare, Cardinal. Bullets and guns will be worthless in this fight. In fact, they serve only to keep us chained … slaves to evil. Warfare between men has always played right into Satan’s hand.”
“Then what are you suggesting we use instead, Your Holiness?”
“We have only prayer, Leopold, nothing else. Our prayers are our shields and our spears, for they hold more power than all the weapons in the world. This is a battle between God and Satan, and mankind is the ultimate prize. Some will seek Satan’s way and some will seek God’s, but let there be no mistake, now is the time to choose sides.”
The pope turned left and walked quickly down a side hall toward the Sistine Chapel, where dozens of cardinals were waiting. Just as they reached the door, Leo held his hand out in front of the pope. “What are you up to, Marcus?”
“You’ll see, old friend … you’ll see. Just stay by my side.”
CHAPTER 68
Rows of Catholic Cardinals lined the sides of the Sistine Chapel in a sea of red as Pope Michael and Cardinal Leo entered and walked under Michelangelo’s magnificent ceiling. Without looking around, the pontiff headed straight for the center of the chapel and stopped. The room grew deathly quiet as his long flowing robes spun outward as he turned and scanned the faces staring back at him, for it was well known that this Jesuit warrior usually had little to say when he called them together, which was rare, but when he did his speech to them was always worth hearing.
Leo felt uncomfortable standing in the center of the chapel at the pope’s side instead of at his usual position, which was usually at the back of the room with no one standing behind him. He looked to his side and saw the pope’s blue eyes, unblinking, totally focused on what he was about to say.
“Good afternoon, Cardinals.”
One-hundred-and thirty-seven voices answered in unison. “Good afternoon, Your Holiness.”
“I hope you are all well, because over the course of the next several years, none of us will get much rest.”
A hushed murmur rose over the room.
“As many of you are already aware, the dark star heralding the arrival of the Antichrist is upon us. The Evil One is alive and in the world of men, and now the battle begins. We are entering dangerous waters, and we must stand united as one in the spiritual war that is about to descend upon us. Tomorrow, as we begin to make preparations here in Vatican City, I will be sending you back to your respective dioceses. Your parishes will become your platoons, and you will be their generals. You must energize your flocks, for idleness in the face of evil will only breed greater evil. All around the world, people of every faith must begin preparing themselves for what is to come, and we will strive to be their guiding light.”
Pope Michael paused to let his words sink in. “Does anyone have any questions?”
A frail and elderly cardinal raised a trembling hand. “How are we supposed to fight against that which has already been prophesized in Revelation, Your Holiness? Are you asking that we attempt to change a history that has already been laid before us in the New Testament?”
“History is what we make of it, Gentlemen. The Book of Revelation is a giant enigma full of ancient riddles written by man, and despite the many interpretations we have all been exposed to, we must remember that we are first and foremost all soldiers of the cross. Until that day when we draw our last breaths, we will fight in His name against any real evil that makes an appearance in the world, but we will not waste time swinging at ghosts.”
No one else raised their hand.
“Today we enter a new era. I am bringing the Church into the twenty-first century, and to do that I will need
