Destiny

ONE-HUNDRED-THREE

Alicia accepted a glass of champagne from a waiter. After he left, she turned to Marcus who arrived back inside the great room and briefed her on the call. “Is the postscript on the letter from Gisele Fournier’s grandfather in Arabic?”

“No, it’s Hebrew. Philippe Fournier wrote, ‘My dreams do not allow me very much sleep anymore. I have premonitions without a real sign as to their ultimate meaning. Perhaps, Pope Pius, you can hear my sins, interpret my dark dreams and offer hope. Not for me, but for mankind. I have sinned. I have killed because of the atrocities of Hitler and the war. I have seen visions of an army of wicked, not unlike the last war, crawling over a dark land. And I’ve seen a multitude of angels, and then a single angel, his sword drawn high over his head. I believe the vision is that of Saint Michael. The Order of St. Michael, as you know was founded here in France in 1469. In A.D 539, the last of the three horns was removed recognizing the Pope as a civil leader. I have reason to believe Saint Michael will return to where he was last seen on earth as an advocate of the children of Israel. I’m not sure what this means, however, one angel who guards the bridge carries the passage of the prince who arises from Daniel.’”

“You see a correlation, don’t you, Paul? I do, too. And I think some of the stuff we found in the vase, on that scroll written by Daniel, is connected to this.”

Marcus lowered his voice. “It could be our missing link…the actual date of the final day. Philippe Fournier mentions 1469 and 539 A.D. You add those and you get 2008, and that’s past history. The numbers on the scroll were 1260 days. Daniel also wrote that Saint Michael returned five decades and one day after the third horn was plucked away. Fournier writes about a third horn being removed in 539.”

Alicia keyed in her mobile phone and waited a few seconds for the information to appear on the screen. “It says Saint Michael, known as the Archangel, the angel who did battle with Satan, made his last appearance on earth atop the Castel Sant’Angelo, an old Roman mausoleum. The time was the triumph over the plague, and the year was 590 A.D.”

The doors opened and two more Secret Service agents entered, followed by the president, first lady, Secretary Merriam Hanover, assistants and two additional agents. The couple slowly worked the room, handshakes, wide smiles and snatches of congratulatory conversation, making their way to the Swedish King.

Alicia said, “If we add five decades and one year, fifty-one years to 2008 we get 2059. But what does that mean?”

“There’s still the reference in Daniel to 1260 days.”

“Which is about three and a half years.”

Marcus glanced around the room. The president’s party was coming closer. “Alicia, let’s tee up Daniel’s reference to Saint Michael returning fifty-one years after the horn was plucked away. If we add that number to the year the horn was plucked away, we come up with 590 A.D, the last time Archangel Michael was seen on earth. We need to go to Rome, to the bridge Gisele’s grandfather visited when he met with the Pope. I think that’s where we’ll find the last number to the puzzle, the missing link.”

“Here comes the president. Listen, Paul, you don’t have to be on the damn stage tonight. If one of Carlson’s hit men got inside here—”

“I have no choice.”

Secretary Hanover approached Marcus and Alicia. She introduced herself to Alicia and said to Marcus, “Thank you, again, for changing your mind. It means a lot for the president to have you here. That’s what he wanted to tell you himself.” She lowered her voice, eyes straying from Marcus and then returning to his face. “Paul, I was briefed on what happened outside your hotel. We have agents combing the area. Hopefully, we’ll find the person or persons.”

“The trail leads deep into America.”

“What do you mean?”

“Here comes the president. You need to hear what I have to tell him. The world needs to hear it.”

Merriam Hanover made the introductions. The president was gracious, making general conversation with both Alicia and Marcus. Then the president said, “Paul, your discovery will help fight heart arrhythmias for untold numbers of people for generations to come. It’s an honor to share the Nobel stage with you.”

“Thank you, Mr. President. The feeling is mutual. Your winning the Peace Prize is unprecedented. Congratulations.”

“There are many others far more deserving of this award than me. I’m accepting it in their honor.”

“I’ve admired how hard you’ve worked to bring about peace around the world. Unfortunately, there are others just as dedicated to undoing, stopping or preventing work like yours from succeeding.”

“Sadly, I’m aware of that. It is my hope and prayers that the greater prevalence of ideas and ideals contribute to movements of compassionate human relations far beyond an ideology.” The president paused, glanced around the room, lowered his voice and said, “Paul, I was told of what happened to you and Miss Quincy earlier today. Do you have any idea who’s behind this attack?”

“Yes. Mr. President, I’ve spent the last two months researching papers from Isaac Newton and the Bible. What I’ve found, I’m convinced, is a code — a prophecy, if you will. It’s a direct insight into the future of the world, and what we, as a global people can do about ensuring our future.”

The president tilted his head, his eyes narrowing. “Please, go on.”

“Most of it I’ll say on stage, in front of the world. But privately, I wanted you to know about a group called the Circle of 13.”

“What do you know about them?”

“These billionaires have controlled many of America’s major event changers — game changers — both political and corporate. Most are associated with the Kinsley Group or some of the companies it manages. Some of their members include Jonathon Carlson, Alexander Van Airedale, Robert Kitchener, and Simon Yarborough. There are nine others including the former president of Russia. These men all have major vested interests into the world’s biggest companies dealing in oil and gas, telecommunications, security, banking, insurance, and defense. Controlling Middle Eastern political agendas, ensuring oil and gas distribution from the area, is their top priority. Some of the original seeds were planted when Standard Oil married many of its assets with the German company, I.G. Farben. From direct investments made with Nazi Germany to investments made in the Middle East, these people have set the world’s energy policies. To serve their interests, they’ve leveraged the Palestinian and Israeli issues, taking out prime ministers or heads-of-state at will…and even the only son of an American president.”

“What do you mean?”

“John Kennedy Junior. I have reason to believe his plane crash was no accident. I think that Kennedy, his wife, and her sister were victims of a plot. Had he lived, Kennedy’s emergence on the political stage could have been a game changer. Beyond that, under the journalistic banner, he was investigating the murder of Yitzhak Rabin, and he was opening the investigation into his own father’s assassination.”

“Why would he do that?”

“I think he had evidence of a deep conspiracy, and he wanted to reveal the facts in George, the magazine he owned at the time. He wanted to expose the corruption. I’m convinced that the same hidden group, those who were behind the Rabin murder, has now assassinated the Israeli prime minister because the interim prime minister has deep ties with Carlson and the Kinsley Group.”

“Do you have proof? Do you have something tangible beyond a revelation you’ve deciphered from Isaac Newton’s papers and the Bible?”

“Yes.” Marcus reached in his jacket pocket and found the flash drive. “It’s all on here — the heated conservation recorded from a meeting of the Circle of 13 yesterday. Carlson spells out some of their involvement. He admits the group’s involvement in the things I mentioned to you. This and more are posted on a website I’m revealing today.”

“If what you’re telling me is accurate, there will be federal grand juries convened. I’ll instruct the attorney general to begin an investigation, including joint house and senate investigations. Why put your life in danger to bring this to the public?”

“I believe you know that answer, Mr. President. Something you don’t know is what else is on the website. It’s a prophecy. It foreshadows a nuclear war. But most importantly, it gives us options and guidelines. If we, as a people, choose not to fix what’s wrong with the world, we’ll inherit the consequences of our inactions.”

“The consequences, the penalty of our indecision, do you know what they may mean for us?”

“Yes, and I think I’m about to know when.”