The Didymus Contingency

NINETEEN
Trials
30 A.D.

Tom had never pushed his lungs to the edge of endurance like this before. He was running as fast as he could. And David, the old man, was right behind him. Tom and David hopped over rocks and wove between trees like rabbits eluding a predator. But rather than running from the predator, they were headed straight for it.

As they rounded a group of trees, the clearing in the olive grove where the other disciples had been came into view. The disciples were in chaos, arguing about what to do, what not to do. No one had a clear course of action.

Dust kicked into the air as Tom came to an abrupt stop. He was completely winded, but didn’t bother sucking in air before speaking. There wasn’t time to breathe. “What happened? Tom asked. “Where’s Jesus? Who screamed?”

“They took him!” Matthew said. His face then contorted to a disdainful expression. “Judas was the betrayer!”

“I tried to stop them,” Peter said, as he held a sword in the air, its metal blade smeared with scarlet blood. “But he took the soldier’s ear and put it back on…like I had never cut it off…just put it right back on…”

“Where did they go?” Tom asked in a hurry.

“They’re leaving the grove even now. Headed for Jerusalem and a trial by the Romans,” Matthew said, hardly believing it himself.

Tom looked at David desperately, “We have to stop them.”

“We can’t. You know that.”

“Even if we fail. History doesn’t say we didn’t try, right?”

“No.” “Good enough for me.”

Being at the top of the hilled olive grove made reaching top speed again that much easier. Tom was thirty feet away within seconds and would soon be out of sight. David followed after him, careening down the hill, arms flailing to maintain balance around the curves.

Matthew looked at Peter, forehead wrinkled. “Stop them? Did they see how many men there were?”

The wind tore through Tom’s hair and his muscles burned with life as he rounded a corner on the twisting path of switchbacks, which exited the olive grove. Ten feet in front of him stood a Roman soldier, apparently placed to stop any would-be rescue efforts by desperate disciples. This man alone, while not a huge physical threat to a group of disciples, carried the weight of the Roman Empire. If the soldier was killed, it would be open season on the disciples. The guard saw Tom coming and after pushing his red cape out of the way, drew his sword, thinking a show of force would be enough.

Tom eyed the sword, but knew the outcome of most fights often depended on who struck first, on who was most aggressive. Brute force didn’t replace his tactics-brute force was his tactic. Tom ran straight for the soldier.

“Stop where you are!” the soldier yelled, caught off guard by Tom’s undaunted charge.

Tom collided with the soldier like a battering ram. The soldier sailed through the air and slammed against a tree. The man slid to the ground and hit his head on a stone. Tom pressed on, satisfied that the soldier wouldn’t be running anyone through anytime soon.

David rounded the corner and saw the crumpled guard. Tom was insane! If he didn’t stop, he’d get killed. David ran faster, not noticing the shadow watching him from the side of the path, just behind a fallen tree.

Tom dug his feet into the dirt and stopped at the edge of a thirty-foot cliff. He turned around as he heard the crunch of sandals on dirt and saw David rounding the corner at top speed.

David caught a glimpse of the approaching drop off and began slowing his legs, but couldn’t stop his forward momentum quickly enough. David reached out and grabbed hold of Tom to stop himself and nearly took both of them over the edge. Tom’s muscles groaned as he pushed against the force of David’s body.

After coming to a complete stop, David looked down. His feet were dangling over the edge. Tom yanked him back. “That was…that was close,” David said with a concerned look.

Tom moved toward the cliff again and peered over the edge. His mouth dropped open. “This is impossible.”

A contingent of twenty-five Roman soldiers brandishing swords and spears marched down the trail with Jesus at their center. The group was led by a mob of Pharisees and Judas.

Slumping to his knees, Tom watched helplessly. “Damn it.”

“Nothing we did…could have changed what has happened…or what will happen,” David said while sucking in air.

“Tell me,” said Tom.

“What?”

“Tell me what’s going to happen.”

“I’m not sure I sho-”

“Tell me, David. Now. I can’t change it. At least prepare me for it.”

“Not here. That Roman soldier’s going to wake up soon and I don’t think either of us could stand any more excitement.”

“You’re right, let’s-”

Pang! A chip of rock between the two men blasted into the air. They locked in on the airborne object and began analyzing the phenomenon.

“What was that?” Tom asked, bewildered.

Tom watched as David searched the area like a frightened meerkat on patrol. What was he looking for? Tom saw David’s eyes widen and followed them to the source of intrigue. A glint of light, reflecting off what must have been glass, was all Tom saw before David was moving. “Get down!” David yelled, as he tackled Tom to the ground.

Puch! Dirt exploded from the ground and splayed across Tom’s face. “What the hell is going on?”

“It’s Roberts! Run!” David shouted.

The two men jumped to their feet and ran back to the path, which led down the side of the cliff. Tom looked back as they descended the steep incline and saw a man dressed in a bright new robe-too new-jumping out of the trees and chasing after them. And in his hand?

A Gun.

With a silencer.

Roberts.

The time enforcer.

The killer.

Tom pushed even harder.

It occurred to him that if they continued at this speed, down the path of switchbacks, they would soon run into the entourage of troops transporting Jesus. It was death in either direction. But apparently, David was one step ahead.

David grabbed Tom by the robe and headed off the path. “This way!”

The two men half ran, half slid down the steep grassy slope. If they made it down this portion of hillside fast enough, they would rejoin the path just before the Roman soldiers. It was going to be close. They might find their lives ended at the tips of Roman spears instead of modern bullets, but there was little choice, and spears had a much shorter range than bullets.

Captain Roberts cursed himself. He had two clear headshots and missed them both. He could have stopped them dead in their tracks and returned to the future without having to worry about justifying David and Tom’s deaths. One look at the men told Roberts that they had been living in ancient Israel for months, maybe even years. Their clothing was more authentic then his own and they were speaking Aramaic. Roberts had studied detailed backgrounds on both men. He knew Tom couldn’t speak the language, but here he was, speaking it fluently. This meant Tom had been here long enough to learn it, which also meant he had broken so many rules of time travel ethics that killing him was well within reason.

After only fifty feet, Roberts gave up the chase. The savage after effects of time travel were still wreaking havoc on his body. That’s what caused him to miss. He should have waited. He should have planned better. He wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.

Turning his head to the left, Roberts vomited like he was casually belching. He wiped his mouth and before he could formulate a plan “Don’t move!” demanded a male voice in Aramaic.

Roberts turned toward the voice. It was the Roman soldier he had watched Tom rough up. Roberts made no attempt to hide his grin. These soldiers were jokes; poorly trained, poorly equipped jokes. Roberts could see it in the man’s eyes. He was a coward with a sword, hiding behind the Roman insignia on his armor.

The Roman soldier backed away as Roberts strolled toward him, still smiling wolfishly. Roberts drew his knife and let the sun reflect off it into the soldier’s eyes. The soldier blinked and blocked the light with his hand. He regained his sight quickly, but only just quickly enough to see Roberts’s fist rapidly approach his face.

The ground sunk as the soldier fell on it like a tipped cow. If Roberts hadn’t become a soldier, he would have made a champion boxer. After sheathing his bloodless knife, he suppressed his urge to kill. Killing civilians wasn’t part of the plan, unless they got between him and his prey. This soldier was lucky. Roberts simply vented a few frustrations. He could have vented them all.

Tom and David ran for ten minutes straight before stopping for air, then quickly made their way to the home of Lazarus, Mary and Martha, where they hoped they could rest and find safety. Their welcome was far more than David expected. They were hugged and kissed on the cheeks, even by the gargantuan Lazarus.

David surmised that Mary must have shared her feelings for Tom with her siblings because they now treated Tom like family. But the happy reunion was short lived. David and Tom explained what had happened in the garden of Gethsemane: Judas, the soldiers and Pharisees. Lazarus, normally strong and composed, found himself unable to stand at the news.

When Tom and David told the story, they left Captain Roberts’s assassination attempt out. There was no way it could be explained so that it made sense.

The night was long for everyone, though Tom and David fell fast asleep after their physically exhausting ordeal. As David lay in bed with his eyes closed, he felt a strange sensation. As a child on the night before the first day of Hanukkah, David would always go to bed early. His theory was that the sooner he fell asleep, the sooner it would be Hanukkah. The night would pass in an instant and the festivities of the next eight days would begin-only this night David felt the exact opposite. He knew that as soon as he fell asleep, morning would arrive too soon and they would be facing dangers unknown to other men of this time period.

David’s theory proved to be correct. As soon as his eyes closed and his body relaxed, it was morning. Everyone was up with the sun and only ten minutes later, Lazarus was out the door and headed for Jerusalem. Mary and Martha left with Lazarus, encouraged by David to do so. This might be their last chance to see Jesus alive, and he didn’t want them around if Roberts showed up.

Tom watched as Mary walked toward Bethany with her siblings. He felt a terrible sadness. He had said a simple goodbye to a disappointed Mary before she left the house. Only now did Tom realize this moment might be the last time he saw her. Tom looked at David, who was already nodding to Tom’s unsaid question.

The house shrank behind Tom as he tore down the dirt road and grabbed Mary by the shoulders. “Mary, wait.”

Lazarus and Martha stopped walking and turned back to see what the delay was. Their impatience was visible, but they didn’t say a word.

“A lot is happening,” Tom said, as he looked Mary in the eyes. “I don’t know what the outcome will be. I don’t know what’s going to happen to me, where I’ll go, what I’ll do, but I wanted you to know… I just…”

“I already know,” Mary replied.

Then Mary closed her eyes, waiting. Tom didn’t let her down again. He grasped Mary in his arms and kissed her, lingering for a moment to absorb the soft curves of her lips as they spread into a smile. Tom moved back after their lips had separated and became suddenly serious. “If I must leave…will you come with me?”

“Where will you go?”

“I cannot tell you that. Will you go with me?”

“Yes.”

Tom’s shoulder fell as he relaxed. This day might turn out all right.

“Time to go, Mary. Time is short.” Lazarus said with a strong voice, as he and Martha began walking again.

“I’ll see you soon… I promise,” Tom said.

Mary nodded and after a quick kiss on the lips, ran to catch up with her brother and sister.

The sound of David’s feet on the earth announced his approach. David stood next to Tom, watching the three leave. Tom looked at David, his face taut, “Nothing bad happens to her, right?” Tom asked.

“Mary’s fate isn’t recorded in the Bible,” David replied.

“That’s not very comforting.”

“Well, I’m sure it would have been had something bad happened to her,” David reassured.

“And what about Jesus? When does he die?”

“Tomorrow.”

Tom was surprised. “That fast?”

David nodded sadly.

“There’s got to be something we can do to get rid of Roberts until-”

Tom became rigid as his mind wrapped itself around their dilemma. It was always Tom’s belief that the world was composed of a series of problems. Science was the method humans had invented to find the solutions to these challenges. Being one of the world’s most brilliant scientists, Tom believed that there was a solution to every conundrum, and that he could find it if only given the time. And this problem took no time at all.

“We’ve been living here for years. We blend in. We’re natives. Jews. We belong here and he doesn’t,” Tom said.

“What are you thinking?”

“Captain Roberts is about to get a rude cultural awakening. But first we need to get his attention.”

Tom began walking higher up the hill.

“Tom, wait. What are you planning to do? He’s got a gun and we’re unarmed! He’s a trained killer and we’re-”

“In the best shape we’ve ever been in.”

“What’s that got to do with anything?”

“We’re going for a little jog. Think TED can keep up with a couple of old men?”

“I think he might be able to pass us,” David said nervously.

“Don’t worry so much. God’s on our side, right?”

David smiled. He knew Tom was being sarcastic, but he also knew Tom was really enjoying this. He had come up with some masterful plan to beat brawn with brains and wanted David to see it all unfold in dramatic fashion, rather than just detail the whole plan.

“Fine, but keep in mind: my fate isn’t recorded in the Bible either.”

“Don’t worry, David, I’m sure if you died they would have mentioned you,” replied Tom with a grin.

David smiled and let his muscles loosen a bit. “How are we going to let Roberts know where we are?”

After walking fifty feet toward the Mount of Olives, which was just to the north, Tom cupped his hands and yelled at the top of his lungs, in English, “Hey Roberts! We’re over here!”

Tom continued yelling, hoping this wouldn’t take too long. He knew all the screaming in English might attract more than just Captain Rob“ARGH!” Tom yelled while cupping his arm. He fell to his knee and lifted his hand. It was covered in blood from a tear in his skin. “He’s here,” Tom said. “Go! Run!”

“But you’ve been shot!” protested David.

“It’s only a scratch and we don’t have time to play nurse! Now move it, old man!”

“Old man? You just try and keep up!”

Tom and David sprinted down the hill toward Bethany.

“Where are we going?” David asked as they ran. “Bethany’s too small; we’ll never lose him there!”

“We’re not going to Bethany.” Tom replied.

“Where then?”

“Jerusalem!”

David’s eyes widened. “Jerusalem? That’s three miles away!”

David looked over his shoulder. Roberts was still there, gaining on them slowly but surely. In front of him, David could see the walls of Jerusalem appearing over the hill. They were almost there. If there was more space between them, losing Roberts in the lower city would be no problem, but David knew that wasn’t part of Tom’s plan.

In fact, Tom had requested that they slow down a few times to let Roberts grow closer. They were in better shape then they expected. The three miles to Jerusalem passed quickly and they were able to carry on a conversation the entire way. At one point David even forgot they were being chased. Roberts was only fifty yards behind them, the distance an Olympic sprinter can cover in five seconds, the same distance a bullet could cover in under a second.

“We have to slow down again,” said Tom.

“Are you crazy? He’ll shoot us!”

“Once we get in the city he won’t want to make a scene. He’ll want to catch us someplace private,” Tom explained. “And we need him to see where we’re going.”

“I’m putting my faith in you,” David said, as he slowed his pace.

With a jerk of the neck, Tom looked at David. He didn’t like the way that sounded, but hadn’t the time to make a comment. Roberts had quickly closed to within twenty-five yards. Close enough.

Tom and David entered through the front gates of Jerusalem and merged into the congested streets, which were alive and loud today with the news of Jesus’s trial. Tom and David overheard statements of Jesus’s guilt, arguments of his fate and threats to his life. They ignored everything and continued toward the upper city, toward the temple.

They reached the upper city quickly. David wracked his mind to try to decipher Tom’s plan, but to no avail. They entered the temple with Roberts only fifty feet back, well within shooting range. But the number of people wandering around the outer temple kept his gun hidden.

“Where are we going?” David demanded to know.

“Inside…” Tom replied.

David could see Tom was getting winded. This had better end soon.

The pair entered the Court of the Gentiles, which was unusually placid for a Thursday. David surmised that Jesus’s trial must have been attracting the people’s attention, pausing their worship of God to kill him.

As they neared the entrance to the Court of Women, David noticed a sign above the door that he had never taken notice of before. He read it quickly as they passed beneath: No foreigner is allowed within the balustrades and embankment of the sanctuary. Whoever is caught will be personally responsible for his ensuing death. David smiled.

“Tom, you’re a genius,” David said, as they passed through the gates into the Court of the Women.

They ran across the Court of the Women, up the curved staircase and to the heavy bronze door at the Nicanor Gate. David and Tom pushed with all their strength to open the gate. Roberts had entered the Court of the Women and was running toward them at full speed.

David and Tom spilled into the Court of Israel. The seven Jewish men who were worshiping in the court shot annoyed glances at Tom and David, who had slammed the heavy bronze door behind them. Out of breath, Tom struggled to speak. “Quickly brothers…fetch the Levites! A foreigner has entered the inner temple…and wants to spill Jewish blood in the house of God!”

The Jewish men reacted at once, running toward the Court of the Priests, shouting for the Levites.

Tom and David were too tired to continue running and they knew help would soon arrive. They turned toward the bronze door, which had just finished closing behind Roberts. He was out of breath and looked supremely irritated. He walked toward them calmly, like a predator who knows its prey is trapped.

“You don’t have to do this, Roberts,” David said.

“You know my name. How nice for you,” Roberts said, as he continued forward.

Roberts pulled his knife out from under his robe.

“Leave now and we’ll let you live,” Tom said with confidence.

Roberts stopped walking. Tom couldn’t believe it had worked, but he then realized it wasn’t Tom’s command that had stalled Roberts’s advance. Roberts’s eyes were focused just beyond Tom.

The world spun as Tom turned around and came face to face with a massive Levite. The Levite held a grapefruit sized stone in his hand and his eyes were darting up and down Roberts’s body, taking snap shots of every detail: the blond crew cut, the knife’s unusual design, the shining object hanging on his wrist and that Roberts was taking the same mental images of the Levite. The two warriors sized each other up, both knowing what the other didn’t know was about to get him killed.

Roberts slowly reached into his robe. His fingers touched the butt of his gun. This would be over in seconds. Roberts took his eyes off the Levite for a split second and looked at David’s eyes, which were wide, but not staring at Roberts…he was staring…behind Roberts!

Roberts grabbed his gun and spun around. He fired two shots through his robe, which missed their marks. A second Levite, who had crept up behind Roberts raised his hand, which held a large stone. The Levite brought it down quickly on Roberts’s skull.

Falling to one knee, Roberts dropped his weapon. He clutched his knife and lunged at the Levite. Before Roberts could even swing the blade through the air, a second stone struck him between his spine and right shoulder blade. Roberts dropped the knife and fell to the ground again, but refused to scream in pain.

Roberts struggled to his feet again, glaring at the Levites, who had already picked up new stones. The seven Jewish men who had been worshiping stood behind the Levites, their hands armed with stones.

“You will be tried and executed by the Romans for breaking Jewish law,” said one of the Levites.

Roberts’s eyes twitched as blood from his head poured down his face and into his mouth. He looked at David and said through gritted teeth, “Don’t let them take my watch.”

Roberts removed the watch from his wrist and threw it at David as hard as he could. The watch landed on the stone floor, five feet from David. Roberts was obeying his orders to the end, protecting time, but his intentions to hurt David at the same time were clear to everyone present.

“No more!” shouted the bigger Levite. “Lay on the ground, now.”

Roberts’s grimaced in pain and spit at the Levite, who easily dodged the saliva-blood mixture. The spit flew several feet before landing on a tablet one of the men had been studying.

“He has spit on the Word of God!” shouted one of the men.

Roberts stood to run but was barely on his feet when the first of several stones pummeled his body, hurled by the Levites and Jewish men. Roberts staggered forward until a large stone hit his head, creating a sound like a breaking coconut. Roberts’s body went lax and flopped onto the stone floor.

“Quickly,” said one of the Levites, “remove his body before the Romans see what we have done.”

The seven Jewish men rushed forward and picked Roberts up. They carried his body away quickly, supervised by the two Levites. As the group exited into a side passageway, one of the Levites turned to Tom and David and said, “Well done, brothers. Your alert kept the house of God from being defiled by this man. God will reward your service.”

With that, the group of men disappeared with Roberts’s body, leaving Tom and David alone in the Court of the Israel.

David covered his mouth in disgust and sat down. Tom ran to where the fight had taken place and took the knife, watch and silenced handgun. He tucked them inside his own robe and ran back to David. “Let’s go,” he said. “I don’t want to be here to answer questions. Do you?”

“He died to protect time,” David said. “If only he’d have given us a chance to explain. He would have known that time is in no danger.”

“Stupid people die stupid deaths, David, and I don’t want to be next. Let’s go.”

David got to his feet silently. He had never seen a man killed before. Captain Roberts was an evil man who wanted to kill both him and Tom, yet David couldn’t help feel sorry for the man. His stomach turned as the image of Roberts’s death replayed in his mind. But what worried David the most was that he knew he would soon see another man die, the ramifications of which would change the world forever.

Tom and David headed through the Nicanor gate and into the Court of the Women. As the gate opened, a sound hit them, like waves of static. They knew the noise couldn’t be good, as did everyone else in the temple, all of whom began hurrying toward the exit.

The crowd of concerned worshipers flooded out of the Temple, pulling Tom and David with them. Once outside the Court of the Gentiles, the static became clear and they could hear the chanting of hundreds, maybe thousands of people repeating the same word, over and over, “CRUCIFY! CRUCIFY! CRUCIFY!”