Infinite Testament (25 page)

Gone.

What would he do? He’d have to wait for the ambulance
to arrive. Then what? He needed to talk to someone.
Anyone. Vince and Natalie were probably in church. That’s where he
would go.

Mikey looked at his ailing father.

He would never forget the face of the man who killed his
father.

Stephen, Vince, and Moros sat at a long table in a
plain-looking conference room at the University of Michigan. They had
just returned from the jungle after making their preliminary findings to the
ILD.

Stephen tapped his fingers on the table. Vince stared
at the clock hanging above the door. The second hand methodically ticked
around. Moros watched them. Ever since the display of the bonobo
reset itself and showed the beginning of its life, they had struggled mightily
with trying to piece it together. They just couldn’t figure it out.

Stephen said, “My best explanation is that when something
dies, its brain just starts to relay images from earlier in life.”

Vince posed, “But why is it always the birth?”

Stephen bit his lip. He didn’t know. Even more
so, why did it happen to some animals and not others?

Moros interrupted, “What if all the births that we see
right after death are actually… the future?”

Stephen and Vince simultaneously inquired to a confident
Moros. He knew the answers. Now it was time to give them.

“What are we to think of the Universe when it ends?
Is it all over? Or…

“…does it start again?”

Stephen and Vince looked at each other, equally perplexed.

“Elpis?”

Moros walked through the colored fields, looking for
the girl he loved.
His blue backpack rested comfortably on his
shoulders. “Elpis!” He searched the blue grass, where he had so
often found her before. But she wasn’t there. She was supposed to
have met him in the fields. She was probably hiding, like she used to
when they were little.

Moros heard a faint ruffling. It was slow-moving and
sounded like someone walking through the field. Moros followed his ears
and ran. He found Elpis in the red grass and smiled widely. But his
joy vanished. There was blood on her hands. She was
hobbling.

Elpis was injured.

Moros grew anxious. “What happened?”

Elpis rolled back her eyes. “You can not blame them.”

“The people of Earth did this?” Moros restlessly
looked around. “Where’s the Pythor you used?”

Elpis interjected, “No, Moros. Do not seek
revenge. They don’t know what they’re doing. Forgive them.”

He wouldn’t. They were dangerous and
unpredictable. And something had to be done. Elpis gazed into
Moros’s eyes, pleading with him. He lowered his head and conceded,
asking, “Have you healed yourself?”

Elpis nodded. “I’ve begun. I’ll be fine.”

“What did they do to you?”

“Moros. Forget it.”

Moros took a deep breath. Enormously frustrated, he
asked, “Do they deserve our efforts? Are they even capable of love?”

Elpis held her hands on her side, actively healing her
wound. “Yes. Of course. They are capable of great love.
Love like yours and mine. Much of the pain they feel is
because
of
love… There is much love on Earth.”

Moros doubted it. But Elpis had been spending a lot
of time on Earth. If anyone knew, it was her.

Moros paused. He shouldn’t ask, but he badly wanted
to know. “How is
he
?”

“Good.”

“That’s it?”

Elpis responded, “
He
is doing what he is
supposed to.”

Moros bowed his head in disappointment. “You act like
the committee.”

Empathy overcame Elpis. “I’m sorry, Moros.”
Still holding her side, she snugged herself close to Moros. As she tilted
back her neck, her eyes neared his. Moros leaned forward, gently caressed
her cheeks, and kissed her. Elpis closed her eyes as their lips
locked. Moros pulled back, still holding her cheeks. As she opened
her eyes, Moros forced a smile.

Elpis could see the sorrow in his blue eyes. There
was only one thing that could reprieve him of his sadness.

Elpis whispered, “I will go against the committee.
I’ll take you to
him
.”

Stephen declared, “Even if what you’re saying is
true,
that everything repeats itself, it still doesn’t explain how the
birth instantly appears on our video feed. The chip wouldn’t exist when
the animal was re-born.”

Moros nodded, faking a level of concern. “I think we
are failing to consider that perhaps the part of the brain we are attaching the
microchip to, is, in fact… part of the soul.”

Stephen burst into laughter. Vince, conversely, did
not. Stephen lifted his hands in bewilderment. “You’re
serious?” He gawked at Moros and then Vince, who seemed to consider the
idea entirely possible. “Natalie has gotten to you,” Stephen conceded
with surprise.

Moros smirked. Stephen was reluctant. That was
expected. Because of the constant deterioration of his closest
relationships, Stephen had lost every thread of faith he might have once
possessed. Thus was the attitude of one who had been ‘abandoned’.

Vince uttered, “It’s something we should consider,
Stephen.”

Stephen shook his head in disgust. “This isn’t
science
.
This is New Age, self-important, hippie bullshit. I’m here to be a
scientist. I signed up to study the behavioral patterns of bonobos, not
to waste time discussing philosophical nonsense.” Stephen stood up from
his chair. “If you two and Natalie want to study for
souls
and the
Universe re-running like
Groundhog Day
, be my guest. But count me
out.”

Having heard enough, Stephen walked toward the door.
Moros blurted out, “Are you giving up? Walking away?”

Stephen froze in his tracks and shut his eyes. A
vision of Lisa resonated in his mind. A
smile
glowed across her
face. He could see her, clear as day, sitting on the ledge of a grand
fountain, at the zoo, eating ice cream. Stephen could almost feel the
drops of water graze his skin.

Don’t give up on me. Don’t walk away.” Lisa was
nearly pleading. “Sometimes I get scared. But don’t give up on me.”

Stephen reassured her with a simple gaze into her
eyes. He would never give up on her. She knew it. But she had
to be sure.

“I promise,” Stephen said, gracing her with a comforting
smile.

She leaned forward and gently placed her hand on his.

Lisa whispered, “I love you.”

Stephen’s heart warmed. “I love you too.”

There was a look of desire nestled in her eyes. A
look of happiness. A look of belonging. He noticed a brightness
that seemed to radiate within. A light. A bright, powerful light
that appeared brighter as she stared into his eyes.

“I’ll never give up,” he whispered softly. “I’ll
never walk away.”

Stephen opened his eyes. The dull fluorescent lights
illuminated the dreary surroundings. The door stood in front of him,
begging him to walk through. It was his way out. Instead, he turned
to face Vince and Moros. “You want to do research? You want to use
the scientific method? Then I’ll help. And if what we find is that
the Universe repeats, then so be it. But it’s going to take
a lot
to get me to buy the idea of souls.”

Vince and Moros quietly looked at Stephen. Vince
pleaded, “Let’s figure it out.”

Stephen calmed down. Perhaps it was worth a
try. They could be on the verge of something big. Unconvinced,
Stephen nodded. “Alright. I’ll do it. But this is going to
take some time. And a lot of research.”

Moros nodded at Stephen. The truth was that there
were two distinct parts of the soul: one connected to the body and, the more
important part, an independent entity of light that survived beyond
death. If Stephen wanted to abandon the idea of souls, Moros could find a
way to make everything make sense to him. The truth was something Stephen
would never understand or accept anyway. In fact, pretending there was
nothing for the soul besides physical life on Earth was just plain easier.

And Stephen’s willingness to go along with it meant Moros
could keep Lisa out of it…

Moros walked through the desert. The sun roasted his
skin and his thin tunic allowed a reprieve of air from the wind. Wavy
heat emanated off the surface of the sand, which spread out like a desert
ocean. In the distance, he could see the outline of a man. It was
him
.

Moros’s sandals traipsed through the rough sand and brought
him nearer. The man instinctually turned and saw Moros walking toward
him.

Moros, although too far to see the man’s eyes, could
already see the light inside of him. It was brighter than any he had
seen. Ever. The brightest he had seen before this was Elpis’s, and
hers was dim compared to this man’s. As he walked closer to
him
,
his physical characteristics became clearer. He was tall. In great
shape, better than most people of the day. His straight brown hair was
abundant and flowed to his shoulders. A neatly trimmed mustache and beard
sprouted from his face. Moros looked into his eyes. They were an
entrancing, dazzling blue.

Of course they were.
He
was one of
them, after all.

Moros stood face to face with the man. They silently
stared at each other. It wasn’t an uncomfortable stare; the two men were
simply basking in their first meeting.

Moros spoke first. “What do they call you?”

He answered, “They call me many things.”

Moros asked, “Do you know my connection to you?”

“Yes. You are the Light Bearer.”

Moros chuckled. “That’s an interesting way of putting
it. You could just call me ‘Father’.”

The man smiled through his beard. “Are you an
archangel?”

“I’m a member of the committee, yes.”

The nervous tension between them vanished as the man lunged
forward and wrapped his arms around Moros, embracing him. Moros happily
hugged back. It was his first time meeting his son, but he already loved
him. The man was a result of Moros’s selflessness and hope for humanity.

The man, still embracing Moros, said, “I am glad to finally
meet you, Father. You can refer to me by what they call me. You can
refer to me by my name…

“…Jesus. Jesus of Nazareth.”

It was then Moros noticed the childlike innocence embedded
deep in his son, Jesus. He hadn’t been corrupted. He was the purest
soul to ever exist. The brightest light to ever shine. With that
came a naivety of the power of the darkness.

Moros needed to protect his son.

Moros plucked himself away from Jesus’s grasp. He
looked at his son, who now seemed entirely vulnerable. “How long ago did
Elpis leave?”

“The woman who led me here? Hours ago. You know
her?”

Moros smirked and nodded.

Jesus remarked, “She is a holy spirit.”

Moros was amused by Jesus’s revelations. “Indeed, she
is a holy spirit. The light in her is brighter than any of us. But
the light in you…” Moros gently pointed to Jesus’s chest. “…is the
brightest I’ve ever seen.”

Jesus smiled. His cheerful attitude couldn’t help but
remind Moros of Elpis. Moros asked, “What is the committee having you
do?”

“I can’t tell you that.”

Jesus’s admission stunned Moros. But Jesus couldn’t
tell. Michael told him so. Raphael told him so. Gabriel told
him so. Jesus knew Moros was forbidden to see him. And while he
longed to meet his true father, the Light Bearer, he made a promise not to tell
the details of his mission. It was a secret only few could be entrusted
with.

Moros was shaken from his son’s reluctance. “I know you are
here to save humanity. We all know that. But are they worth
saving?”

“Yes. Their capacity for good is great. The
light in many of them is bright. The darkness outweighs the light, but
they all have a choice. They just need to know which choice to make.”

Moros countered, “Have you personally seen their capacity
for such a choice?”

Jesus stood amid the blowing hot wind. Silent.
He couldn’t tell him.

“I’m sorry, Father.”

“I don’t know what the committee has told you. But if
you fail, they’re going to destroy this planet and start over.”

Jesus cryptically responded, “They don’t have to start
over. The Most High will start over. Until we get it right.”

Moros was growing frustrated. “What does that mean?”

“Father. Surely you know all of this will happen
again.”

Moros pondered. The Universe would repeat and had
repeated. He knew that. “Of course I know. But ‘until we get
it right’? No one can change the path, Jesus. Everything stays the
same.”

Jesus smiled at his assertion and silently disagreed.
“Of course, Father.”

Moros didn’t understand. Did Jesus really think the
course could be changed? Moros relented. “The people of Earth were
brought here long ago, before my time. Despite the time they’ve had, they
have failed to evolve spiritually. Therefore, they can’t do what you can
do. If you want to win them over, you should demonstrate your
abilities. Then they will know you are special. Your following will
become vast. People will utter your name across the land.”

Jesus silently inquired further.

Moros pointed to a stone that laid idle on the desert
floor. “That stone. You can turn it to bread just by using your
hands. And focusing.”

Jesus was hesitant to try. He always knew he was
different. But he didn’t know he had such special abilities.

Moros continued, “You have a control over nature that none
of the people here have. And with the brightness of your light and your
closeness to The Most High… there’s no telling what you are capable of.
And when they see that, you will be able to bring them to the light.”

Moros looked into Jesus’s blue eyes and continued,
“Whatever it is they’ve sent you to do, I hope you succeed. Not just
because I love you, but because I want humanity to survive. It’s not
going to be easy.

“When Gabriel asked me to be the father of a son I would
never be allowed to meet, I did it… but I soon realized I couldn’t go on
without meeting him. Immaculately conceived and half human, but still
from me. I imagined the man he would grow up to be. Would he be a
man of virtue? Would his light be bright? Would he even age?
The questions haunted me. I had to know. If the committee ever
found out that I traveled to meet with my son, they would immediately evict me…
and maybe worse. And when I finally, now, meet you, Jesus…” Moros
grew distressed. His eyes watered. Jesus wrapped an arm around his
father to comfort him. Moros continued, with his voice cracking, “…I
realize what a fine man you’ve grown to be. I love you. I want to
be your Father.

“I want to be there for you.”

Jesus, still comforting his father, responded, “I love you
too, Father. I have always loved you. And I always will. But
you don’t need to risk everything to be my father, because no matter, I know
you are there.”

Moros forced a smile as he faced Jesus. The two had
made an instant connection. “I suppose it is time for me to leave,” Moros
uttered.

“Thank you for visiting me,” Jesus replied.

Moros nodded. “I will see you again.”

Moros and Jesus embraced one last time.