The 13th Enumeration (35 page)

Intrigued by Rachael’s and Jacob’s analysis, Zane said, “Kind of hard to brush that all off as some kind of coincidence, isn’t it? So what’s the bottom line—what does it mean? We have a list of Jesus’s lineage that for centuries has been controversial, only to find out now that it wasn’t mistranslated and Matthew wasn’t mistaken—that he intentionally designed the list to emphasize the numbers thirteen and fourteen in some sort of a mathematical cipher or something. Why? Why go through all the trouble to make a coded message in the list of Jesus’s lineage? What is Matthew trying to tell us?”

Jacob just shrugged. “I don’t have any idea, Zane. There is a design there, so logically there must have been intent. Whatever it was, it must have been important.”

“What do you think, Rachael?” Zane asked.

“I don’t have any idea either, Zane. Maybe the four words above are the key.” One last time, Rachael read the words out loud, only this time she did so in English for Zane’s benefit, “Tell one offering loved.”

Jacob Neumann stood up. “I hate to break up this party, but I have been given permission to visit the Capernaum site today by Chief Yadin. Would either of you like to come along?”

“Yes,” both Zane and Rachael replied at once.

“Okay then, I will be ready to leave in thirty minutes. You both might want to get a bite to eat. Breakfast is still sitting on the table, untouched.”

Rachael stood up and removed the memory stick from the TV, placing it in her pocket.

After a quick meal during which neither of them talked much, Zane helped Rachael clean up the kitchen, and then they were ready to go. Jacob returned a few minutes later and asked, “Are you ready to go?”

Receiving an affirmative nod from them both, he headed for the car. On the way out, Zane stopped at his rental car and grabbed his phone and computer. He wanted to copy the pictures from Rachael’s memory stick to his computer’s hard drive. When he reached for his phone, he noticed he had several messages—one of which was from David. He would check them on the way. With Jacob driving, Rachael in the front seat, and Zane in the back, they headed to Capernaum.

On the drive, Zane could not get his thoughts off the list of Jesus’s lineage. Something was nagging him, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. The list of Matthew 1 was an incredibly clever arrangement of names and numbers. It was obvious nothing in the list was a mistake. Why were there only forty-one names on the list when there should have been forty-five? In the final column, why had Matthew made Jesus the 13
th
  enumeration? What significance did that have? And why were thirteen and fourteen so important to the lineage of Jesus? This list of names and numbers was in the first chapter of the first book of the New Testament. Why? What was he missing?

For that matter, what was the whole
world
missing?

When they arrived at the Capernaum dig, they could see the damage from the parking lot. As they walked closer, they realized the site was a total loss. Where once the home of Matthew had been, there now was just a crater in the ground twenty feet deep and seventy feet around. With tears in her eyes, Rachael called out, “There’s nothing left—nothing!” Burying her head in her father’s chest, she just stood there crying. Jacob Neumann held his daughter in his arms, not saying a word. He was not a mean or vengeful man by nature, but at that moment he wanted to find the people who had done this and make them pay.

Zane stood at the edge of the crater with his head bowed in sorrow. “What a loss,” he muttered. “What a loss!”

Rachael broke away from her father’s arms and walked toward the Sea of Galilee. Zane watched as she walked down the boardwalk. She sat down, dangling her feet over the edge, a forlorn figure looking out over the water. Jacob Neumann walked away to a group of Mossad officials who had set up a makeshift command center nearby. Zane stood minutes longer, trying to comprehend the motivation for someone to do this terrible deed. After a while, he glanced toward Rachael, still sitting by herself at the end of the Capernaum pier. He felt a strange loneliness he had never felt before. He really didn’t want to be alone right now.

Walking down the boardwalk, he sat down beside her without a word. He reached for her hand, and she yielded it willingly. For an hour they just sat in silence, both gaining strength from the other’s presence. Then Zane, in a quiet voice, recited one of his favorite psalms. One his mother had taught him as a young boy.

“I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from YHWH, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. YHWH is thy keeper: YHWH is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. YHWH shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. YHWH shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.”

When Zane finished reciting Psalm 121, he could see the tears softly running down Rachael’s cheeks. She squeezed his hand, and after a few moments replied, “That psalm always reminds me of a story my mother used to read to me as a child. It was called
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch,
by Jean Lee Latham. It was the story of a young boy who had to leave school at the age of eight to help in his father’s cooperage. At age of twelve he was sold as an indentured servant at a ship’s chandler. Nathanial Bowditch taught himself calculus and Latin, and many considered him to be the founder of modern maritime navigation. When his parents first told him he could no longer go to school because his father needed the help in his cooperage, his mother took him aside that night and told him that she had made a saying up for herself when times became especially difficult in her life. Her saying was, ‘I will lift up my eyes unto the stars.’
She told little Nat that it helped shrink her troubles down to size. You know, I often wondered if she didn’t base her little saying on that passage you just recited.”

Rachael smiled through her tears. “Her saying also reminds me of another psalm that I love: ‘The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.’”

After Rachael finished reciting from Psalm 19, it struck Zane—the thought that had been just out of reach. With sudden clarity, he knew what he had been missing.
“Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge,” he repeated, smiling with realization.
The pieces of the puzzle were finally starting to fit together.

Zane believed he understood the symbolism of Matthew 1 and why Jesus was the 13
th
  enumeration.

Chapter 73

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Darius Zarindast watched the TV news reports on the terrorist attack in Capernaum, Israel. “Terrorist attack!” Darius laughed in derision. His instincts had been right on regarding the Capernaum dig. He didn’t know what they had found, but he knew there must have been information there regarding the 13
th
Enumeration. The Order and its guardians were on the job again, erasing history and destroying the evidence. Too bad he didn’t have more time.

He knew the Order would soon discover his identity, if they hadn’t already done so. Darius had prepared for this for some time. His endgame consisted of two parts. The first part was to borrow against the fortune he had created with the stock of Aquarius Elemental Solutions. He had used AQES stock as collateral. This borrowed money, he used to purchase large interests in every major multinational conglomerate controlled or associated with members of the Order. These shares Darius further leveraged with margin to the maximum allowable limit. As of the end of August, Darius had a $2.7 trillion leveraged position in world stock markets, not including his own shares of AQES stock. In one way or another, every major financial institution was obligated by the financial pyramid he had created. All he had left to do was begin the unwinding. Since his whole debt pyramid was based on AQES stock, it was a simple matter of destroying his own company. The second part of his plan would do just that.

After discovering 235X, the deadly toxin which was produced by his machines when separating U235 from seawater, Darius knew he had finally found a way to destroy the Order. Once his machines were in place, all he had to do was turn on the secondary system and start the separation process of U235. Once 235X was released into the drinking water, everything which drank the water would die in about seven to ten days.

Darius planned to poison the drinking water of every major financial center in the world. In order to totally destroy the Order, he had to prevent them from rebuilding their financial empire. By killing those responsible for running the financial system, Darius knew he would make the reestablishment of that system, for many generations, all but impossible. Either part of his plan would seriously hurt the Order, but he didn’t want to just hurt them, he wanted to destroy them—or at the very least, make it impossible for them to reestablish the political/corporate/financial control which they had held over the world for the past one hundred years.

Darius looked at his electronic interactive map showing the placement of his machines in the world. The industrial versions were producing clean freshwater in many of the planet’s biggest cities. Darius pulled up a special map showing just the major financial centers of the world. He had machines in New York, London, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Sydney, Chicago, and Dubai. Washington, DC was also included on the list because he believed it was the most important political and military force helping make the efforts of the Order possible. Paris and Frankfurt had plants and pipelines under construction to connect them to his machines, but those projects would not be complete for another six months. The Chicago machines had just come online in the past week. Even though Chicago and DC did not have a freshwater problem, the energy his machines produced made using them for freshwater purification more cost-effective than their old system. Ideally, he had wanted his machines in every financial center of the world before he attacked the Order. He didn’t want to leave them any means of reconnecting their financial dictatorship. That could not be helped now, he told himself; he no longer had the luxury of time. He would use what he had available.

The irony of attacking Washington, DC at this time did not escape him. In August of 1814, during the thirteenth US Congress, Washington, DC and many of the federal buildings were burned by British general Robert Ross. The one-hundred-and-thirteenth Congress was now in session, and this time, Washington, DC would be destroyed by water.

Logging into the AES command center’s central computer, he pulled up the remote operating interface for each of his machines in New York, London, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Chicago, Sydney, and DC. Each machine had a secondary backup system that could be remotely turned on and controlled in the event the primary systems failed. Darius programmed each unit’s secondary system to turn on in seven days and set them to begin separating U235 from the water.

The last machines Darius pulled up were for Dubai. He set the secondary systems to turn on at eight tonight. He needed the chaos he would create in Dubai to destroy the share price of his stock and cover up the unwinding of his overleveraged financial empire. The fear created by the deaths in Dubai would devastate his share price, quickly causing the loans he had made with his creditors to fall into default. This leveraged death spiral would continue until he brought down every major banking and financial institution in the world.

Darius picked up his phone and called Dylan Gallos. “Dylan, would you please come to my office? There is something urgent I need to discuss with you.” Dylan told him he would be right over. When he hung up, Darius typed up a letter on official AES stationery. He hadn’t planned on giving Dylan Gallos this opportunity in the beginning, but he had changed his mind over the intervening months. Each member of his team had helped make his revenge possible. Though he didn’t consider himself a sentimental person, he felt a glimmer of loyalty to them for their services. Of them all, Dylan’s genius had ensured the success of the plan. His knowledge of the markets and his skill with his trading logarithms had advanced the plan far beyond Darius’s initial expectations.

There was a knock at his office door. “Come in, please.”

Dylan entered with a smile. Darius noticed the bags under his eyes and the lines that had not been there just eight months ago.

With uncharacteristic warmth, Darius said, “Dylan, please come in and sit down. There is something I want to talk to you about.” He indicated a comfortable leather chair opposite his desk. Once Dylan settled in, Darius continued, “First, I want to thank you for your service to me over the past several years. Without your expertise and unfailing commitment, we would not have accomplished as much as we have.”

As he was speaking, Darius saw Dylan’s smile grow, and he could see by his body language that he was relaxing. “Frankly, there is nothing more I can do monetarily to reward you for your service. You are one of the richest men on this planet. What I can do is this.” Sliding over the letter he had just typed up, he handed it to Dylan, who expectantly accepted it.

After reading the first few lines in the letter, he turned white—then, after a few moments, red. He stood up, shaking with anger. “Why? Why are you doing this if you value my services so greatly? After all these years of twenty-hour days and not a single day off, you fire me!” Dylan shouted the last words. “A damn fine way you have of showing your appreciation, Darius.”

Darius just sat there calmly looking at Dylan. Finally he asked, “Are you finished with your outburst? I’d like to explain.”

With only a small part of his composure regained, Dylan replied, “Unless this is some sick joke, I don’t see how you
can
explain.”

“Dylan, many years ago I set out to accomplish a goal which you and the rest of our team have helped make possible. That goal is now within reach. The steps I take in the next few days will have incredible ramifications to the current order of the world. I will not tell you more because frankly, the less you know the better. I want you to understand, though, I am doing this for your own good. Believe it or not, I do feel some loyalty to you for your tireless efforts and dedication on my behalf.”

Dylan’s face showed nothing but disgust and anger, but Darius continued calmly. “Now listen to me very carefully. I want you to leave Dubai by eight o’clock this evening, or you will die.”

Dylan stood up again and interrupted, “Are you threatening me now?”

“Dylan, shut up and listen,” Darius said, his patience exhausted. “I am not threatening you; I am warning you. I also recommend you sell whatever remaining AQES stock you can. You should diversify your money in whatever manner you can over the next three days. After that, you will have no chance. I would also like to ask you a favor. I have noticed that Alexandra Riley has not sold any of her shares of AQES. I ask that you make sure she is taken care of in the days to come. I know you have sold well over one-hundred-billion dollars’ worth of your stock, and I would hope you might be able to help her as necessary.”

Dylan sat back down, his analytical mind trying to organize all he had just heard. Something terrible was about to happen. Something that would affect more than just himself. Something that was going to affect AQES stock. As he thought over Darius’s strange financial decisions of the last several months, a sick feeling began to grow in his stomach.

Darius continued, “I want you to take one of the corporate jets and leave immediately. If you can get Gavin and Ralph to go with you, take them and anyone else you care for as well. Have I made myself clear?”

Dylan nodded his head in confusion and not a little resentment. “You might have told us of your plans before this.”

Darius replied, “You would never have agreed to work for me if you understood what I am going to do. Frankly, I never intended to tell you or offer you a way out. Maybe I am getting soft in my old age.”

His voice had turned reflective. Darius Zarindast had set in motion the deaths of millions of people. The world would see him as a monster. Only a few would understand that it was for their own benefit. But this introspection was wasted energy at this point. Turning his thoughts back to the present, he said, “I will have part of my security detail escort you from the building. You may not come back on the premises. What you do with your own personal shares of remaining AQES stock is up to you. But you are no longer authorized to access any Aquarius trading or financial accounts. I would encourage you not to waste any time in leaving. Also, it would behoove you to hire a good lawyer and ensure that you have access to at least some of your money. You should consider the safety of your money in a worst-case scenario—and I mean worst-case. I will let your experience and imagination figure out the rest. You may go.”

Darius said the last with a cold, dismissive look. He had regained his resolve and put aside the small glimmering of conscience. He could not allow himself the luxury of a conscience. Without another look, he turned his attention back to the papers on his desk.

Dylan Gallos left Darius’s office with a growing fear heavy in his belly. He was processing the information Darius had revealed and trying not to let the implications scare the crap out of him. If what Darius had indicated was true, then all hell was about to break loose, and he needed to get as far away from here as possible. He also had to protect his money. The latter would be no easy task considering the amount. The irony did not escape Dylan. He had over one-hundred-and-fifty-billion dollars, and he really could not protect even a fraction of it in a short amount of time. Sure, he had some gold and silver, but he couldn’t just go and buy another billion dollars’ worth right now without affecting the market and raising huge red flags. Well, he could at least move his money to several different countries and hire himself a team of lawyers.

Once back in his car, he made several phone calls. The first he placed to the most expensive and well-connected law firm in the world. He talked to one of the senior partners and told him he would like to retain their firm as counsel. He didn’t tell them why, but explained he would likely be needing it in the days to come. The partner was only too happy to have him as a client. Dylan asked for an account number to which he could transfer a retainer. After he hung up, Dylan laughed to himself. He would send the firm several billion dollars as a retainer. He knew there was no way they would be able to spend all of it, even if the worst-case scenario unfolded. But the greedy leaches would at least fight to keep part of his money, especially if it was already in their account.

His second call went to Ralph
Scholz
and Gavin Matthews. He would attempt to get them to leave with him.