KHALID AL HASSAN
THE VATICAN
For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and brought to light.
THE POPE SAT IN HIS OFFICE behind a small desk. The thick drapes were pulled shut, keeping any sunlight from entering the room. The desk was ornate, a heavy mahogany gilded in gold leaf. The pope’s wingback chair was covered in red velour. He was in a casual suit. The room was dimly lit, with dark shadows cast about the room. A single ray of sunlight streamed through the small space between the curtains cutting through the darkness and illuminating the particles of dust moving through it. A candle burned on the desk, and its slight floral aroma permeated the stale air. Khalid sat on a small couch near the wall.
“Our time grows short, Holy Father.” Cardinal Russo said.
The pope held his stare and rubbed his chin. He adjusted his glasses so he could see Cardinal Russo and the two others seated in the corner of the room. He turned his attention to the cardinal.
“Yes. Time is short. But we need to know more. Prophecy only provides us so much. The ancient texts and scientific information in our archives only allow us to guess at timing. Although the scientific information that we have gives us a good estimate, we have to get this right: we need to have correct to-the-minute precision. We need to know—and we need to know now.” The pope leaned forward and spoke seriously to Cardinal Russo.
“We must keep our agenda secret. We need to use all of our resources and make our moves now. Do you understand?”
Cardinal Russo nodded, his mouth held in a tight line. “Our intelligence assets are in every power center of the world, Your Eminence,” he said, his stress audible. “Those dedicated to the Jesuit Order will provide the information we need, and aid in the control of that information.”
The pope sat quietly for a moment. “Prepare for the things spoken of in Revelation,” he said finally. “A cataclysm of biblical proportions approaches. The Vatican, led by the Jesuit Order, will rise from the destruction. Our enthronement ceremony so many years ago will not be in vain. Our empire is vast, and we will emerge to bring light to those in the shadows. The world will look to the Vatican in the dark days to come. What was planned so long ago by the founders of the Jesuit Order is at our doorstep. It is time for a new world order to emerge.”
Khalid quietly observed the conversation. Beside him sat one of his associates. She was Russian, strikingly beautiful and blonde, and wearing high heels and a tight white dress. Despite her elegant attire, she had a hard, athletic look about her.
The pope turned to Khalid. “The time has come.” he said. “We have another task for you and your associates. We have been alerted by our intelligence sources to some information—scientific information—that we need.” His voice hardened. “And we need you to get it.”
AGENT DEVON STINSON
AIR FORCE ONE
“[Space travel] is the one thing that draws us all together.”
Air Force One shuddered as it climbed to 50,000 feet in the midst of a thunderstorm. Lightning flashed as Agent Stinson’s ears popped.
He and NSA Chief Perkings made their way down the narrow hallway to the small private office of the president. The room had a desk, a brown leather couch, and a few chairs. Stinson closed the door and placed his update report on the president’s desk, struggling to stay upright as turbulence bounced the aircraft. Rain hammered against the fuselage.
“All right, gentlemen,” the president said. “Now, where are we?” He shifted in his seat to address Stinson.
A jolt rocked the cabin, and Stinson sat to the president’s left, then paused for a moment to gain his composure. He instinctively looked out the window, only to see the plane was still engulfed in cloud cover. He secretly wished he had a seatbelt on. “Mr. President, we need to take control of a project in Egypt,” he said.
“A project in Egypt,” President Brooks repeated, a bewildered smile spreading across his face. “Do you want to elaborate on that a little more?”
Perkings leaned in. “The new Egyptian Antiquities Minister seems to have decided that he wants to open up the Great Pyramid,” he said. “He has launched a new excavation project to that end.”
The president closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Mr. Perkings, please explain to me why the United States needs to explore the Great Pyramid when we have so many problems here at home right now.”
Stinson spoke up first. “Mr. President, if I may, allow me to address this. You see, we have been trying to get into the pyramids for years—all the way back to Kennedy. Under the former Antiquities Minister, Zaher, it was hit or miss—or perhaps I should just say miss. He rarely allowed groups from outside of Egypt to excavate. However, this new guy, Sati Am Unnefer, is different. Our intelligence assets indicate that there is a new planned excavation into a hidden chamber of the Great Pyramid. We have data that suggest there is very pertinent information to Project Aquarius hidden in this chamber that could surface.”
This piqued the president’s interest. “What information?” he asked eagerly; then his face hardened. “It better be serious. We don’t have time for a wild goose chase. Maybe you haven’t noticed, but we are currently perhaps the least welcome country in Egypt.” He raised an eyebrow and waited for a response.
“Mr. President, a few decades ago an excavation turned up these images,” Stinson said. He slid some photos across the table. “This is another piece of the puzzle that Project Aquarius is attempting to solve. These markings are not Egyptian. They’re Sumerian cuneiform markings, found inside the pyramid in the shaft leading to this hidden chamber. More specifically, they’re inscribed behind a very small sealed door with metal levers deep within the Great Pyramid.” The young agent looked at the president intently.
“Mr. President,” Mitchell Perkings picked up, “the Sumerian civilization predates the Egyptian by thousands of years. This is direct evidence that the pyramids were built before Egyptian times. This information is being controlled; only a handful of people have access to it. By getting in on the excavation, we would at least be able to remain among that number—and control the information when it is in our best interests to do so.”
The president leaned back in his chair and placed his fingertips together in thought. After a minute, he said, “All right. Do it. We will assemble a team of our own archaeologists and scientists. Included in it will be some of our men. You are authorized to do whatever you need to do to get us involved in the way you see fit.”
“Thank you, Mr. President,” Stinson concluded.
MOUNT GRAHAM OBSERVATORY, ARIZONA
“Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.”
“Again, I hate to disappoint you,” Father Perez was saying, “but I do not read Sumerian. A translator would be of more use to you. My expertise is not ancient languages.”
He was walking with Coppa outside the observatory complex, following a break for lunch. It was stiflingly hot out, and a haze hung over the mountain. The two men walked along a narrow gravel path through the evergreens. Although it was September, the morning was like a hot summer day. The heat was sweltering, and dust danced around them as they walked. Father Perez rubbed his eyes and squinted in the bright sunlight.
“Mateo, you are wound much tighter than I imagined,” Coppa said. “Of course we have several versions of a translation, although this is not an exact science when working with the oldest writing on Earth. And before you raise any more objections, the texts contain verbal references to these star maps. That is your specialty, is it not? Interpreting star maps.” Coppa made sure Father Perez realized it was a statement, not a question.
“It is with these maps that we need your immediate assessment.” Coppa stopped and turned to an evergreen tree growing by the path. He tore off a small pine branch, pinched it between his fingers, and drew in its scent deeply.
“I am an astronomer, but wasn’t I sent here to begin reconciling astrobiology with Church doctrine?” Father Perez asked, turning to look up at the large, open observatory doors, through which the LUCIFER binocular telescope protruded.
Coppa frowned and kicked at the gravel under his feet. “That is true,” he said. “Yes. However, there are a few other things that the Holy See has tasked you with as well. Why do you think they sent you halfway around the world to Arizona if your sole charge was doctrine?” He smiled as he followed Father Perez’s gaze up to the telescope. “The Vatican has a lot of information. However, you needed to be at a place where you could not only view the information and process it in our mainframe, but also have access to the stars themselves—with the three most advanced telescopes in the world. You must figure out these star maps for His Holiness.” With a jerk of his head, Coppa turned and began moving toward the entrance to the facility, motioning for the priest to follow.
They wound down through the bowels of the complex. The temperature dropped consistently as they descended. Soon they found themselves back in the operations room. The annoying hum of all the systems grated on Father Perez’s nerves once again.
“Everything you need is in this room,” Coppa said. “It has been prepared for you. I am sure the trip has been long, and you will work better in a more relaxed environment. We’ll talk again tomorrow after lunch. By then, you should have had the chance to read and digest the materials laid out for you in your chambers. For now, I will tell you no more. I prefer you go into this research free of preconceptions—or perhaps misconceptions.” He smiled broadly. “If there’s anything you desire, do not hesitate to ring for Joseph to assist you. He has been directed to see to your needs. It was a pleasure meeting you, Mateo,” he concluded, extending his hand.
Perez accepted it, immediately noting the subtle strength. “And you—Paul.”
As if on cue, the door opened and Joseph entered to escort Perez to his room.
Again, he was led through the lower level, up the elevator, and through more passages. Joseph opened the door to his room, and ushered him inside. It was decorated more nicely than most hotel rooms. A comfortable double bed was in the corner, a small couch was against the wall opposite the large window, and a small table with two chairs was tucked beside a small kitchenette.
“You will find your personal items in the wardrobe,” Joseph said. “The refrigerator is stocked. There are instructions on the table for you to manually plug your laptop into the closed network system.” Joseph pointed to the phone. “Call if you need anything. Just hit 0, and I will come and see to your needs.”
As Joseph turned to leave, a disturbing question occurred to Father Perez. “Would it be correct to say that I am not free to come and go as I please?” he asked.
Joseph smiled amiably. “I have been directed to see to your needs, Father Perez,” he said simply. “All you have to do is use the phone.”
“And if I felt in need of a walk, some fresh air?” Perez briefly wondered why it was so difficult to get a straight answer from anyone.
Joseph’s expression did not change. “You will find that your room has an open balcony, with a great view of the mountains,” he said. “There is also an exercise room at the end of this hallway. If there is anything else, I can bring it to the attention of his Eminence. However, I am certain you noticed the agents in the area outside of VATT. They are very serious about their job, and their job is to ensure that the information we have in here does not get out there.” The young Jesuit pointed toward the window. “For the time being, you must refrain from any sort of communication with anyone outside of the observatory.”
“Thank you,” Father Perez replied in earnest. “I appreciate the information, and the honesty.”
After Joseph left, Father Perez muttered to himself, “Who would I call, anyway?” He stared at the computer as he sat on the bed. In addition to this weight placed on him by the Vatican, it seemed that Coppa had his own ideas about his usefulness. He was not sure if all the discussion about the tablets was from the Vatican or from Coppa’s own interests. He would find out soon enough.
Now, when he most wanted to rest in order to prevent the headache that was threatening after a flight halfway around the world, the urgency in Coppa’s tone regarding the ancient tablets and star maps made him feel obligated to start his review right away.
With a sigh, Father Perez sat down at the small desk. He considered the dilemma that Christianity and the other Christ-based religions of the world faced in light of an announcement of intelligent life beyond Earth. He himself had always believed in alien life forms, but he had never needed to reconcile that belief with his faith in God; he wondered if it was even possible.
He kept seeing the computer out of the corner of his eye. He struggled to focus on one problem at a time. He had some guidance from the theology documents provided to him before leaving the Vatican. He flipped through a few of these and thought, How would we expect the religious context of an Earthly savior of mankind—in Jesus—fit for an alien gray for example, if such existed. Were aliens saved? Were they without original sin of man?
An interesting postulate occurred to him. Surely God would appear to any species of intelligent life in a manner familiar to them; he would arrive in their land, follow their customs in their form and in a way that was familiar and recognizable to them. That was how other religions had been justified by the more liberal Christians; perhaps the new pope could be persuaded to adopt this attitude. Then it would be easy to make the switch to involve alien cultures—God simply appeared to different people in different lands in different ways!
That was it! There is one God for the entire universe. He appeared to us in Christ through a means we could understand, accept, and follow. He would do the same throughout creation. This was only a beginning, and obviously did not confront the salvation problem, but it was a start.
Head throbbing, he turned to his laptop. Since he knew that Coppa wanted him to review the star maps, he thought he should capture his thoughts before they fled. He opened a new document and began typing:
We witness a multiplicity of lifeforms all over the Earth. Likewise other intelligent beings, brought into creation by the same God, exist throughout the cosmos. We cannot dictate the creative expansiveness of God, nor put limits upon him, and this is consistent with Catholic doctrine.
After typing for most of the afternoon, Father Perez finally allowed himself the luxury of a nap just before supper. However, when he awoke, he discovered to his dismay that he had missed the meal and slept through the night. Although he felt he’d made significant progress on the Church’s new theological shift, he felt slightly guilty for not even glancing at the materials regarding the tablets and star maps that Coppa had suggested he read.
When Joseph brought him breakfast and reminded him that he was to meet the cardinal at one o’clock, his palms began to sweat. Perez was a fast learner and might be able to come up with something that would look like progress, but he also needed a shower to cleanse himself from the journey and extended nap.
After his shower, the knock came promptly as the priest was fastening the last of the buttons on his suit. Joseph stood on the other side of the door when Perez opened it. As they headed for the elevator, Joseph asked him a question. Father Perez was still groggy.
“I’m sorry, I’m afraid my mind has been wrapped around many things as of late,” Father Perez said. “Would you mind repeating what you just asked?”
“Did you sleep well? I know that I always have trouble the first night in a new place … different bed and all,” Joseph said in a pleasant tone.
“Yes, I slept very well, thank you. How long have you been here?”
“Just a couple of months, working on the VATT. I’m working on my doctorate through Notre Dame University.”
Their conversation continued until they reached the lower floor. It was limited to small talk, but Father Perez appreciated the effort all the same. It was a welcome change from his solitude in this maze of confusion.
Once Joseph had deposited Father Perez with Cardinal Coppa in the communication center, he turned and left. Silence again reigned while Coppa finished entering information into his computer, completely engrossed in what he saw there.
“I was just wondering how your summaries were coming,” he finally said without turning around.
Father Perez felt like he was back in grade school being chastised by a nun for neglecting to do his homework. Instinctually, he tucked his fingers into fists to protect them from the inevitable ruler.
“I was inspired to write, and I did not want to lose my inspiration,” he said. “Since that was the task assigned to me by the Holy Father, I did not feel bad devoting my time yesterday to it. Unfortunately, I have not had time to begin to digest the star map information you provided.”
Coppa sat frowning for a few moments before he spoke. “Well, today we are going to give you a little direction. We need the Taluk documents reviewed immediately. I would appreciate it if you would read through the translation and give me a summary as soon as possible.” Once he’d finished speaking, he swung himself around to face his monitor again.
Father Mateo resisted sighing aloud as he stepped over to the small desk and computer terminal he had been assigned in the control room. He was now in the heart of MIGO, the Mount Graham International Observatory. The monitor conveniently displayed the Taluk documents and a parallel translation. He forced himself to focus on the work ahead of him. Although he stifled several yawns and occasionally glanced at Coppa, he was able to push through. Over the next hour, in spite of himself, Perez found the information extremely interesting. Finally, he composed the requested summary. With a satisfied smile, he printed his summary and handed to Coppa.
“You have a nonjudgmental style that is easy to read and follow,” Coppa said, once he’d read through it.
“I prefer to be as factual as possible. If I remove myself from the material, it helps get rid of any interfering subjectivity,” Father Perez smiled.
Coppa swiveled in his chair to greet Perez more appropriately. “I see that,” he said. “Go back to the translation. Let’s start there. Tell me your first impressions. This time, be subjective.”
Father Perez frowned. He was beginning to see why Coppa had been stationed so far from Rome; apparently, he was consumed by this project. Perez turned back to the monitor and reviewed what he had just read.
“It appears that the Sumerian author—assuming he is the author—interacted with gods,” he said.
“What gods do they worship?” Coppa asked, in an instructor’s tone.
“Let me be a bit more direct,” Perez answered. “The Sumerians indicated that they directly communicated with their gods and worked alongside them. Their gods were called the Annunaki, meaning those who from heaven came, and were described by the Sumerians as real beings. Beings that were not of this world. If this translation is correct, the author is not talking about having some sort of otherworldly spiritual experience. He describes instead a corporeal one. He has physical visitors.
“However, it appears the author worships these beings as if they were his deities or his Creator,” he continued. “Along with attesting to seeing them with his own eyes and communicating with them directly, he speaks about their dominion over all things great and small, seen and unseen. He also attests to their ability to travel quickly, even to other worlds.”
“How do you feel about these claims?” Coppa interrupted.
“In the archives, I have reviewed similar recordings discovered in other parts of the world, so they are not shocking to me,” Father Perez replied. “As an academic, I have studied similar stories from other cultures, including the Mayans and several American Indian tribes. If you are asking for my personal reaction, I already believe there are other life forms out there. I don’t know whether they’ve visited Earth, but I think ancient tales of these encounters appear to be more than writings we have misinterpreted. However, I’m sure many people would disagree.”
Coppa pointed to the monitor. “And the second document?”
Perez nodded slightly. “I find this page to be a little less believable. Other cultures and other people have attributed the origins of humanity to celestial beings. But this is the first I have seen that suggests, according to the translation, that we are the product of these alien visitors. If I am reading this correctly, it states that a superior being, seemingly of flesh and blood, had deliberately created man.”
“Fair enough,” said Coppa. “Let’s move on to the third tablet.”
Perez could tell Coppa wanted the secrets behind these tablets, and he wanted them now. Clearly, he didn’t want to be bothered with pleasantries.
It was apparent Coppa didn’t care if he came off as demanding or demeaning. Perez turned to the monitor and took a moment to reread what he had written. “It’s the least cryptic of the three,” he said. “At some time the visitors will return, or plan to return. Apparently, there is knowledge or important wisdom that has been hidden, and the star maps and accompanying descriptions purport to provide the location of these golden Ascension Testaments you referred to yesterday.” Perez tapped his chest with two fingers and chuckled. “Of course, if all of this were proven to be true, many believe the entire world’s population would panic,” he said. “Although I may have too much faith in people, I don’t believe every semblance of social structure would come apart.”
“Why are your beliefs different?” Coppa prodded.
“I’m speaking from a semi-religious perspective. So for starters, approximately 18 percent of the current world population has no religious conviction. Learning of intelligent extraterrestrial life would not be perceived in terms of their faith, but more likely from a scientific perspective. Frankly, I think for most of today’s young people, the revelation of this type of information is something they would see as inevitable, something they have expected. I don’t see it as a panic-causing event.
“Secondly, in terms of Catholicism, we provide teachings for perhaps a third of the remainder who do profess a religion. But how many of those truly practice their beliefs outside of christenings, marriages, and funerals? Ultimately, as a Church, we deal with less than a fourth of the world’s population: those who show true devotion. Under such circumstances, their first reaction would be to turn to the Church for refuge and guidance, at least psychologically. And we comfort them and explain that this is what was meant all along. As a result, I don’t believe it is the conundrum that some world leaders seem to think it—and no, I don’t think whole societies would collapse. I do, however, concede the possibility of a secular knee-jerk reaction.”
Coppa acknowledged agreement with a subtle tilt of his head. Father Perez shifted uncomfortably in his seat as he tried to figure out the cardinal. Finally, Coppa began. “Now, I think, is the appropriate moment to tell you why you are here,” he said. “As you know, the Holy Father has himself chosen you to join a select team assembled by the Vatican to help us progress on doctrine in the event of an astrobiological discovery. And it is also part of your charge to further investigate this matter by locating these hidden tablets, which these star maps apparently identify.”
Father Perez interjected, “The text that accompanies the star map discusses the return of the gods just before upcoming tribulation and cataclysmic events.
“This description seems to parallel the time in the book of Revelation when a great dragon appears in the sky. The star map clearly identifies the constellation of Virgo; it also appears to describe the location of an additional planet or celestial object within our solar system, unless I misinterpreted its meaning.”
“Yes. Yes!” Cardinal Coppa clapped his hands in excitement. “Now you see! If these texts are true and we find the Ascension Testaments, we must assume that the texts describing the coming of these gods and the tribulation are also correct. That is why you must decipher these maps—and quickly.”
Father Perez had a sudden moment of clarity. My God, the Holy See actually believes that these golden books exist, he thought. They believe they hold hidden knowledge or wisdom of some kind, and that this star map shows their location. They believe this tale of a coming cataclysm—as if it were real. He swallowed hard. He knew these were just ancient stories and myths, but he was suddenly nervous: the pope was directly involved.
“You’ll be with us for the near future,” Coppa was saying. “See if you can decipher these maps. Time is of the essence, Father Perez. Our resources are at your disposal.” The cardinal spread his hands.
Father Perez blinked and struggled to keep his breathing even for several moments. “Well, if that’s settled, I’ll get to work on the maps immediately.”
The cardinal smiled. “I emphasize to you that there is an urgency regarding your work here.”
“How urgent?” Perez asked.
The cardinal pointed to the tablets “As if the gods’ arrival were imminent.”