Operation Dark Angel: The Rise of Nicolaitanes (Apocalypse Series Book 1) Page 24

  “Thank you, Josef. Repeat this to no one. I will take care of this.” He got up slowly and headed back to his office with the scroll. Josef was curious, he quietly followed Pope John.

  Pope John sat down in his comfortable leather chair in front of the massive fireplace. He frowned.

  “How did he do?” the voice asked startling Pope John.

  “He accurately translated the scroll,” Pope John replied out loud.

  “I told you that he was the one. Now train him and prepare him, you don’t have much time left,” the voice replied and was gone.

  “But of course,” Pope John replied.

  John was glad they had finally found the one who had been prophesied to come, but he was unnerved by the translation of the scroll. No one before had been able to translate it correctly and even he, himself had had to ask the voice for the translation. He picked up the phone and made a call.

  Now who was he talking to? It appeared as though the Pope had been talking to himself. Josef continued watching quietly. Something strange was going on that he did not understand. Why did he want me to translate that scroll if he already knew what it said?

  Pope John hung up the phone and walked over to the fireplace. He took one end of the scroll and held it in the flames. It smoldered then burst into flames. After a few minutes, the flame went out. The scroll was untouched. Strange. It’s almost as though the scroll knows that I’m trying to destroy it. It cannot know that what is written on it is blasphemous. He held the scroll in the flames again. He watched as the scroll slowly caught fire. Satisfied he threw the burning scroll into the flames. He watched as it turned into nothing, but ash.

  John walked over to the window and stared out of it. Finally, we have found him. He really is the one. The Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See will be pleased. It is time Lou trained him and prepared him. Now we will soon find The Child and all will be complete. He’s out there somewhere, I can feel it. Pope John smiled to himself. He turned and sat behind his desk. Things are going to go as planned now. John was glad that he had been allowed to live long enough to see this. He hoped he would be allowed to see more of the plan before his body gave out. He took a sip of water; he was tired. Perhaps a nap will help.

  CHAPTER ninety-two

  Serenity paced back and forth in her room. She was really antsy. So much was on her mind right now. A lot had happened to her today and she could not even remember half of what had happened. That was part of the problem. Why are those people at the hospital after me? She did not remember ever having any enemies before. At least, she did not think that she had any enemies. At the same time, she could not remember ever having any friends either. What am I going to do? Who can I turn to for help? I wonder if the nice doctor from the hospital will really come back to see me. She kind of liked him; at least, she knew he was one person that she could trust. She did not know what to make of the old woman downstairs. She knew the old woman disliked her for some reason, although Serenity did not know why. She could not figure out why on earth the woman had agreed to help her when she so obviously disliked her. Serenity decided that she would find out. She went to the bathroom to freshen up a bit and then headed downstairs. The first thing she would do was to apologize to the old woman.

  “Katy? Miss Katy?” Serenity called out as she walked through the house.

  “In the kitchen,” Katy replied coldly. What does she want? I thought she said she was going to be staying in her room.

  Serenity walked into the kitchen. She saw Katy leaning against the counter by the stove drinking hot tea. Katy put the cup down on the counter and turned her attention back to the pot on the stove as Serenity entered the kitchen.

  “First of all, I would like to apologize for my behavior earlier today. I know that you are just trying to help me and there was no reason for my being rude. I am sorry,” Serenity said earnestly. I have got to win this woman over so she will open up to me. She does not trust me and I want to know why as I have never met her before. At least, I do not think so.

  Katy continued cooking as though she had not heard Serenity speak. Serenity took a step closer.

  “It’s just that I do not know who I can trust and who I cannot trust. I do not even know who the people are that are hunting me nor do I know why they are after me. I do not even know why I was at the hospital. I do not remember what happened to me,” Serenity said sadly.

  Katy turned and looked at Serenity. There is so much pain in her eyes. Can she really not remember? I wish I could forget about the project. Are they the ones who are after her? If so, that’s going to put me at risk too as I am not going back. I will really have to be careful.

  “Why don’t you sit down and rest awhile? I have water ready for tea. Would you like some? It always calms my nerves,” Katy said kindly.

  She still did not trust this woman in her house, but Ezekiel said that it was important they help her so she decided to hide her feelings and help Serenity, but she would be keeping a close watch on her.

  She brought Serenity a cup of tea and sat down across from her at the kitchen table. This girl is truly troubled, Lord. How can I possibly help her? She needs your help Father more than she needs my help. She sipped her tea quietly, keeping her eyes on Serenity.

  Why is this old woman staring at me? “Why are you helping me? I know that you do not like me, so why?” asked Serenity curiously.

  Katy sighed, “I told you before, I am helping you because it is the right thing to do. No, I do not like you, but that is not what matters.”

  “Why is it that you do not like me? I have never met you before,” Serenity asked.

  Is she for real? How can she not remember meeting me yesterday and the rude behavior that she had? “We have met before, Serenity. We met yesterday at the base. You came with a group of others to meet with General Ludlow. Do you not remember?” Katy replied calmly.

  “Sorry, but I do not know what you are talking about. Who is General Ludlow? Why would I be on a military base? I do not work for the government,” Serenity asked confused.

  “Do you remember anything before today?” Katy asked quietly.

  “Just bits and pieces. But that is not even what bothers me. What bothers me most is that I do not know whether or not I have a family out there waiting for me somewhere,” Serenity said her voice shaking slightly.

  Katy slowly got up from her chair and wrapped her arms around Serenity and hugged her. She felt kind of sorry for her. Serenity stiffened slightly. She was not sure what to make of this. Why is this woman who despises me so much, suddenly hugging me so lovingly? Serenity pulled away from her and turned her head away. She did not want the woman to see the tears that were running down her face.

  “Thank you,” Serenity said walking back to her room.

  She felt like such a heel for treating this kindhearted woman so badly earlier. Serenity decided that she would be as kind as she possibly could while she was staying here. She went back to her room to lie down for a while.

  “Something is certainly bothering that child’s spirit. I will do what I can for her, Lord. But Father, please give me the patience to deal with her attitude,” Katy said clearing away the dishes.

  Katy checked on the roast that she was cooking in the oven. It still had ninety minutes before it would be done. She decided to lie down on the couch for a while and read her Bible.

  ****

  Karin Masters was feeling especially lonely right now. She really hated being separated from her husband like this, but she knew his job often took him away from home for months at a time. The kids were being especially good while he was away, so it was not as though she were having a rough time while he was gone. Karin was not sure why she was feeling this way.

  She had spoken to her husband, Byron that morning on the phone. Something in his voice did not sound right to her. It seemed as though he were trying desperately to hide something from her and the kids.

  Karin walked upstairs to check on the children. She
gently tucked them in and kissed them each on the forehead. She adored their twins. They were certainly a blessing from God—all children are. She walked through the house checking each of the windows and doors to make sure they were locked before returning to the living room. She decided to watch the news before turning in for the night.

  “Now, for news a little closer to home. At approximately 0900 hours this morning, an act of terrorism leveled the Hinesville Inne and affected several businesses surrounding the area in Hinesville, Georgia. Officials are still shifting through the rubble looking for answers. Over seventy-five people have been confirmed dead with only one known survivor, who was transported to the hospital. The current status of the survivor is unknown at this time. Our hearts go out to the families of the victims. God help us all. This is Delia Hart, ACB news.”

  “Oh my God, what is happening?” Karin exclaimed. She quickly flipped through the channels in search of another news cast. She stopped on ICNN. They were showing the footage of the Haifa bombing and scrolling across the bottom of the screen was the news about Tel Aviv’s bombing as well as the one in Hinesville.

  “Three bombings in one day. I do not like this Lord. What is going on around here?” Karin called out.

  Now more than ever she wanted her husband home. She decided to pray for a while before going up to bed. She was extremely worried.

  CHAPTER ninety-three

  Doctor Ezekiel White slipped quietly back into the hospital unnoticed. It was really busy as usual. He decided to make his rounds before going back to the emergency room. He wanted to be able to do some snooping around. He had to find out who those people were who had come looking for Serenity. Better yet, he wanted to find out why they were after Serenity.

  “Doctor White? Excuse me, Doctor White?” Nurse Joy called.

  “Yes, nurse. Can I help you?”

  “Ssshh, not so loudly. I need to talk to you.”

  Nurse Joy motioned for Doctor White to follow her into an empty room. Doctor White was a little leery; he was not sure what to expect. Especially not after everything that he had been through that day.

  “What is it, nurse?” Doctor White asked as he walked into the room.

  “Please close the door behind you,” Nurse Joy said suspiciously as she glanced about the room to make sure they were alone.

  “Is everything okay with that patient who came in from the bombing earlier?”

  “Nurse, you know that I cannot violate her privacy. Why do you ask?”

  “That’s not what I meant doctor. I don’t want to know about her medical condition. I wanted to know if she were, well if she was alright. Especially since earlier today, President Nicolaitanes Balac came here looking for your patient with another weird-looking older lady. When we got to that lady’s room, she was not there. President Balac became extremely upset and started cursing at everyone. I went looking for you to let you know we could not find your patient, but the strange thing was that I could not find you either. Do you know who she is? Why would such an important man as Nicolaitanes Balac be looking for her? It all seems a little suspicious to me. I mean he did not seem to be a member of her family or anything like that. But anyway, after I could not find you; I had to let the director know we could not find the patient. He has been looking for you all afternoon. I just wanted to let you know.”

  “Well thank you for telling me, Nurse Joy. I really appreciate it.”

  Doctor White quickly left the room. This day could not have gotten any worse. Now, what could the Italian President want with Serenity? Who is he to her? I will have to ask her.

  Nurse Joy watched him walk out of the room. Things are certainly strange around here today. “Well, that’s just strange. I would have thought that he would have given me some sort of explanation as to why I could not find him—the doctors always do. He did not even seem the least bit surprised nor concerned about the missing patient. Hmmm. What is he up to?”

  She stood in the hallway watching the doctor silently walk down the hallway. She shook her head and went about her business.

  I am going to have to be more careful. I do not trust Nurse Joy. She seems to be a bit of a busy body to me. “Well I had better go see what the director wants before he comes hunting me down,” Ezekiel mumbled to himself.

  CHAPTER ninety-four

  Byron suddenly felt very lonely and sad. He wondered what had come over him. He watched as Gage walked amongst the rubble stopping every few feet to examine one thing or another. He thought about snuggling with his wife and playing with the twins. He really wanted to be home with his family right now. He was beginning to really miss them. Perhaps he was just feeling a little home-sick. He said a quick prayer of protection for his family, Gage and himself.

  The man slowly walked through the wreckage of Tel Aviv; he was deeply saddened by all that he saw. There were more bodies than he could count. Why did they not turn to the Father? Why do they always deny Him even at the end? His heart was very heavy. He wept quietly for all the lost souls.

  Gage looked up. Is that a person walking over there? He got up quickly and started walking towards the figure.

  “Hey! Hey you!” Gage called out running towards the man.

  Byron looked up to see what all the commotion was. Who is Gage chasing after? It appeared to be a man, but there was something different about that man—something special. Byron felt strangely calm.

  No matter how fast Gage ran after the man, he did not seem to be able to catch up with him. The man just kept slowly walking away from him. Strange. Why was the man not running away? Or better yet, why does he not turn around and answer me? Gage was determined to find out who the man was and what he was doing there. The man suddenly stopped and faced Gage.

  “What do you seek?” he asked.

  Gage was startled. He just stood there and stared at the man. He felt dirty, ashamed, and deeply saddened. In fact, he felt down-right guilty. Why am I suddenly feeling like this?

  “Who…who are you?” Gage asked.

  “What do you seek?” the man asked again.

  “I am trying to find out what is going on around here. Why was Haifa hit and now here? Is there a connection?”

  “Keep seeking, the truth shall set you free.” He turned and was gone.

  “Stranger than strange. I think I have seen that man before, but who is he?”

  Gage looked around, he did not recognize anything. How far had he wandered away from where he had been? Gage hoped he had not walked too far. Which way did I come from? I don’t recognize anything. Why didn’t I pay attention? Gage started walking in the direction he thought that he had come. He stopped and cocked his head to the side as something caught his attention. There was something sparkling in the light. Now, what is that? He walked closer. It appeared to be a piece of metal. It was approximately 18 inches in length. He picked it up and examined it. It appeared to be a piece of something else, but he was not sure what. There was also a symbol on the metal. He decided `to take it with him. Maybe Byron could help him figure out what it was. Now, if he could just figure out how to get back to where Byron was. He had left his satellite phone back in the car. How stupid he had been.

  Gage started on the long walk back to the car in the direction that he thought Byron was waiting. He turned the piece of metal over and over in his hands as he walked. He knew he had seen this symbol before, but he could not remember where exactly. At least, he now had a clue or, at least, Gage thought the object could be a clue. Wait. Gage stopped suddenly. I remember where I saw this symbol. He was suddenly very afraid though he did not know why. He decided to do a little research to confirm his suspicions. If I’m right, Carey Balac Architetti has some explaining to do. He slowly started walking back to the car.

  CHAPTER ninety-five

  Serenity felt like a caged lion. Her life was turned upside down. She didn’t know what she was going to do. Serenity was glad the doctor and the old woman cared enough about her to help her out, but she was really frustrated that
she couldn’t remember much of anything before the bombing. She couldn’t really recall the bombing either for that matter. Serenity had to figure out who those people were who were after her. She wasn’t sure whether she knew them or not.

  “Oh, why can’t I remember anything? “ Serenity said frustrated. She threw the pillow across the room almost hitting Katy in the face.

  Katy stood in the doorway looking at her.

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” Serenity said looking at the tray in Katy’s hands.

  “I just thought you might like some tea and this slice of blueberry coffee cake while we wait for dinner to be done, but I guess not,” Katy said turning around.

  “Katy, wait. Please come in.”

  Katy glanced at her. She came in cautiously and placed the tray at the foot of the bed.

  “Thanks,” Serenity said.

  “You’re welcome,” Katy said as she left the room.

  “That lady is one crazy bird. Mean and hateful one minute and nice the next. Just what is wrong with her Lord? What is it that you want me to do for her?” Katy said.

  ****

  Nurse Joy was still curious as to why such a powerful man such as Nicolaitanes Balac was looking for Serenity. She decided to find out a little more about them. On her dinner break, she went to the nurses’ lounge and got on the computer. She did a search on Serenity but found no information whatsoever. She frowned. Who are you? Why are you so important? She started a search on Nicolaitanes Balac. Jackpot! She found pages and pages of information. Wow.

  “He was born in Rome, Italy; a successful businessman with global coverage. He owns several businesses (architecture and design, financial counseling, construction and an engineering firm.).He has recently become President of Italy. He is one of the richest men in the world. Hmmmm,” she said quietly.