It sure seemed that way because the Pope was pointing towards me and talking about finding a traitor and all eyes were suddenly turned my way.
Luckily for me, I did not get a chance to try to defend myself, for in my shock I did a most ignoble thing – I actually spit out my beer!
Now this is one occasion where drinking alcohol clearly saved me – for even as I tried to recover my wits, a waiter was already beside me with a towel, cleaning my robes and helping me to save face.
As it turned out, I need not have worried too much – for the crowd was not looking at me, nor was Pope Benedict really pointing at me.
(Heck, I don’t think anyone even noticed my faux pas with the beer).
In reality, they were all looking at the wall behind me – or more specifically at one of the many dark hallways that were carved into the stone wall…
As it turns out, the one indicated by The Pope just happened to be behind the section I was sitting in.
(Gee, I guess I have a guilty conscience, huh?)
Joe’s next words then uncovered the mystery, “My Brothers, down that particular hallway is a room which holds inside it two… rats.” Here he paused for effect. “And one of them is our former Brother — Professor Alan Zarus.”
Gasps went up from the crowd and I too tried to act surprised (but surely you know by now this was the REAL reason why I was here tonight, right?).
“With him is his… girlfriend – Miriam Magdala.” The Pope spoke on. “If you don’t know her, don’t worry – she’s not important.” And then with an ominous snicker, “And she won’t be around much longer anyway.”
A Brother at my side, one Colonel McGubbins, prodded me with an elbow and a wink, smiling knowingly at the pope’s dark humor.
Colonel McGubbins
For my part, I ignored McGubbins (he always was a bit of a lout) and instead turned inwards to my own thoughts.
If Lazarus and Mary really were in some makeshift holding cell here in Whitby Abbey, then the fact that they were on site while a Brotherhood meeting was taking place was more than enough to seal their fate.
Yet even as I began to plot how to rescue my friends, Joe soon began reading a list of my friend’s so-called “Crimes against The Brotherhood” – with the crowd catcalling in reply.
When Benedict finished, Bill Bates as Dr. Ma’bus again took the stage. I was not surprised when he recommended that Alan Zarus be impeached, nor by the loud cheers that answered him.
“They’re taking a vote.” McGubbins’ lascivious anxiety was showing as he gave me an unnecessary commentary between his own applause. Then, after only a short pause, “It’s unanimous!”
I watched as the crowd looked to Ma’bus for further guidance.
McGubbins smiled and pretended surprise, “Oh my, how unfortunate for Brother Zarus — Ma’bus just flashed a thumbs down!”
I wondered if my friends could hear the jeers filling the room?
Yet, more importantly, I wondered what Ma’bus had in mind – could he be contemplating another bout with the Chairs of Woe?
By now, the crowd was working itself into a frenzy, and as we reached the height of our blood-thirsty passion, Pope Benedict again took the stage.
“Brothers,” the Pope raised his arms, “I know you are anxious to destroy these traitors, however let’s not forget the REAL reason why we are gathered here today.”
We waited with baited breath – what else could there be?
“We have the privilege to witness a sight never before seen upon this earth.” Joe proclaimed. “For today – TODAY! — we shall see the birth of Our Savior!”
Now The Brothers cheered even more wildly than before.
“The Coming of the King.” McGubbins babbled out. “Hallelujah!”
“That’s right, good sir.” The Pope acknowledged McGubbins, causing the fool to get an even bigger ego, yet before the latter could puff himself up further, Joe bellowed, “Halleluiah indeed — for I call you all to bear witness to the Coronation Ceremony of Ghaz al’ Ridwan Ma’bus as… EA Incarnate!”
At that I nearly spit out my beer – again.
This is unprecedented!
I’ve been a Brother off and on for nearly 1,700 years, yet I’ve never actually seen anyone crowned as EA Incarnate.
EA Incarnate
Truth be told, I always thought it was just a made up rank, for the moniker that Joe proposed for Bill Bates was the equivalent of calling him a god on earth.
According to my knowledge of Brotherhood lore, the last known EA Incarnate lived more than 5,000 years ago – yet no source ever revealed who this early persona might have been and some said it was a being from another planet (do we have any Alien Astronaut theorists in the house?)
EA Incarnate? I silently mouthed the words. Oh no. This is not good.
Even still, I kept my wits about me and used the commotion of the wild celebration that followed to leave my seat and make my way down that dark hallway where (I hoped) my friends were being kept.
Unfortunately I didn’t know that Colonel McGubbins followed me.
Now, I think it’s important to point out that all along during Dr. Ma’bus’ speech I had dutifully been rising at the appropriate times with the rest of my brethren and rattling out the necessary chants and replies…
But on the whole, my mind was wandering around the room as around me sat powerful, high-ranking world leaders. Some of the the plutocrats were regulars in the public eye like Presidents Xi and Putin, others chose to do their work behind the scenes like the World Economic Forum’sKlaus Schwab, yet regardless of their fame or lack of it, none were known to the world for their associations here – for membership within these ranks was only for the select and privileged few.
Lifting high my bejeweled stein in response to a toast, I gladly took a long pull on my beer — smiling inside as I glanced at a pair of conspirators who sat to my right.
Mortal enemies, eh? Looks to me as if they’re tittering schoolgirls! I snickered as I watched two well-known world adversaries eating with one another like long-time friends. Ah, but The Brotherhood knows no political bounds.
Yet I wasn’t here just to hobnob with handful dignitaries. Instead, I took the trouble of disguising myself as The Baron for three very important reasons:
I knew that Bill Bates would be here and I wanted to know what he was up to.
As I rightly guessed, Pope Benedict was also in attendance – in fact he was presently seated at the head table, just behind the dais upon which Ma’bus was still orating.
And most importantly of all, there was another hope that had brought me calling – to learn the fate of my friends. As yet, this was a hope unfulfilled, and worse yet, it was not one that I could safely inquire about.
And so, with naught else to do, I prepared to relax into the Baron’s persona and let the events of the evening unfold. Yet, I didn’t get a chance to relax for long, because just then Pope Benedict arose and stepped forward next to Bill Bates.
“An incredible speech, as always, Brother Ma’bus.” The Pope patted his friend on the back. After a nod of thanks from the dictator, Benedict addressed the crowd, “And now, Oh My Brothers, let’s get down to business. As you know, big things are afoot tonight — EA Himself will be joining us in the flesh!”
The crowd erupted at that news – for this was momentous indeed!
Before I could process what was happening, The Pope spoke again, “My friends, I wish we could proceed forward with our Main Event, but unfortunately we have a minor housekeeping matter to attend to.”
I look another sip of my beer (not too much mind you, just enough to be sociable), as I thought, Well, this is interesting. What’s Joe driving at?
Just then a servant came and cloaked Benedict with a red velvet robe.
Now that really made me sit up and take notice!
Since you’re not in The Brotherhood, I’m guessing you don’t know what the clothing change signifies, right? Well let me fill you in – that red velvet cape is known to the Brethren as The Cloak of Red Death!
Someone’s in big trouble, I thought.
At last the Pope continued, this time in more ominous tones. “My friends, I realize this may come as news to more than a few of you, and while it pains me to say it, I must hold true to our values and ever speak the truth. Therefore it is with a heavy heart that I advise you…we have a traitor in our midst.”
Strange Days. I thought to myself as looked back upon that wild day of my first initiation into the Third School of Inanna — for none of my other Third School initiations were ever so intense.
For a brief moment, I felt my own desires arise again as I remembered the insanely beautiful women who helped us complete the rite…
Inanna’s Helpers
But I combated that temptation by recalling my newfound repentance – and cursing under my breath, I denounced my own lecherous desires and reminded myself that such debauchery was surely the way to the eternal grave and not the afterlife with Christ that I desired again.
To further get the sinful images out of my mind, I turned my attention back to Bill Bates, who was still speaking on the dais…
“…and we are dedicated to the attainment of Spiritual Freedom.” The Brothers as a whole were chanting.
For my part, I had forgotten the first few words and mumbled the rest in halfhearted tones.
“We oppose the enslavement of our spirits.” Dr. Ma’bus cantered.
“We seek to liberate the human race,” I replied along with the rest.
“Let us turn our attention to Prince EA.” Dr. Ma’bus advised, speaking in his normal tones now that the initial canter was over. “While Anu initiated the evolutionary chain that sparked life on this planet, it was EA who used Anu’s Neanderthals as the base for a new creation. ‘Let us upgrade them into our own image,’ EA suggested to his fellow Elohim — and so EA created Homo Sapiens and thus became the Father of Modern Man.”
The Elohim (gods) who created Adam with Prince EA
(OK, let me warn you, this is all a bunch of garbage in my opinion. I recommend you skip this section, but some of you have been begging me to tell you Brotherhood Theology so if you want it, here it is).
“And yet, EA did much more than merely create us.” Bates continued. “For was it not EA who protected us against the Nephilim – those fallen angels who sought to make us slaves to the Elohim’s design? Indeed. And furthermore, recall that it was EA who formed OUR organization and gave this Brotherhood the mission to educate the human race in TRUTH, and to liberate it from bondage.
“What bondage, you ask?” The one-time tech nerd turned world savior was on a roll now. “Judaism. Christianity. Islam. All world religions! These are the bondage of our souls! For wasn’t it EA who also gave us the original Tree of Life? Verily, Oh My Brothers, listen to me, for even in early Mesopotamian glyphs – artistry of OUR forefathers, mind you – we witness that it was EA who first showed us a snake wrapped around the trunk of a tree – an image later stolen by the Hebrew’s. And yet these pre-Biblical works reveal much more,” and here he pointed over to a giant tapestry hanging on a far wall, “notice, to the right of the tree is the half-moon symbol of EA; to the left is the planet symbol of Anu. Here The Great Mystery is revealed; for it describes Anu’s palace in the heavens, while EA rules the earth. Don’t you see? EA is Prince of Earth!”
Prince EA with Anu at the Original Tree of Life
Then, turning back to The Book, Bates as Dr. Ma’bus chanted, “And so EA shared The Knowledge of Life with early man, saying, ‘Adama, thou art going before the King; the road to Heaven thou wilt take. When thou hast approached the Pearly Gates, there thou whilst meet Anu, The Bearer of Life.’”
Looking at the crowd again, Bates explained, “Prince EA was trying to teach early man the way to spiritual freedom. And yet, Adama – on behalf of all Mankind – failed. As a result of Adama’s Fall, Anu rejected the entire Human Race. It was Anu who would have allowed Man to be destroyed, but it was Prince EA who stopped that destruction! Unable to bring mankind easily into our true potential as spiritual beings, EA came up with a new plan – even if all of men could not be made acceptable to Anu, perhaps a select few could; thus EA strove to find a way to illuminate a portion of Mankind and provide us with salvation – thereby glorifying Anu and uniting creation.
“These select few became EA’s Chosen People – later we became known as The Brotherhood of the EArth – for WE are the Sons of Prince EA and it is OUR destiny to sit in glory with Anu in his heavenly kingdom!”
“For EA! For Anu! ” Called out one of the Brothers and the rest of us in the crowd repeated his words back, clapping and cheering.
“Yes, Oh My Brothers, let your hearts rejoice!” Bates cheered us on. “For EA is our savior. Who is Jesus of Nazareth compared to EA? Who is Yahweh compared to Anu? For is not Yahweh merely one of the lesser Elohim, a mere spawn of Anu? Most assuredly I say to you, the world has been misled, it is WE who know the real TRUTH: for the false ‘god’ whom the Jews revere is really the TRUE EVIL BEING!”
(It’s quite a warped theology, huh? Hey, I told you to skip ahead).
“You know this to be true.” Dr. Ma’bus pressed on. “You need only to read about the destruction showcased in the Hebrew’s Old Testamentto verify this for yourselves. What truly ‘benevolent’ God would authorize such atrocities against Mankind – supposedly his beloved creation? Again I tell you that were it not for EA, Mankind would have been destroyed already!
“And yet, even EA is not all powerful. Yahweh, Siva, Buddha, and other Elohim were successful in their own designs – for they succeeded in cutting the earth off from the rest of the spiritual world. They made our planet a prison world, where our spiritual beings have become enslaved within our corporal bodies – all for their own pleasures. And yet, WE cannot just sit back and do nothing. All of us are Brothers because we are dedicated to saving this world – for EA… for Anu!”
“For EA!” the Brotherhood chanted back. “For Anu!”
“Because of The Brotherhood, EA is not alone in his quest.” Bates was reaching a crescendo. “We will fight alongside EA until the very end! We’ve already reset the world away from capitalism. We have transferred the world’s wealth into our hands. We wiped about a third of the world’s population with Covid and we subjected the rest to abide by our rules with my Identichip and our global health regulations. In short we now control the planet. And now it’s time we break the bonds of the Elohim too! And lo, the Time of the Last Battle is fast approaching. Oh My Brothers, ready yourselves, for December 21st, this very year, NOW IS THE TIME when we shall see EA achieve his great victory once and for all!!”
“Now is the time!” Shouted back the assembly.
“EA saves!” Others rejoiced.
“For EA! For Anu!” I called out with the rest to keep my cover, all the while fearing what might happen next.
Trying to force myself to be unimpressed by the man who called himself Dr. Ma’bus as he spoke to the crowd at this uber-secret meeting of the high ranking members of the Brotherhood of EArth, I turned my attention to my meal — meticulously carving into the blood red meat that draped my plate: venison, tartar-style — having been freshly killed and butchered just hours before. While the meat was intensely good, I didn’t care much for the rest of the items on my plate: a radiant display of uncooked root vegetables, warm but unleavened bread, and bright field greens.
And while I knew that this has been the standard Brotherhood Meal for the last century– for it signified ‘an eternal connection to the Living Earth’ – it still didn’t make it any more appetizing. (You might find it ironic to hear that we were actually still consuming real meat when Bates has been on record for over a decade promoting the benefits of his fake meat, but I’d remind you that what Bates says is good for you peons of the public is a far cry from what he believes is good for himself).
I did my best to pay as little attention as possible to Bates’ speech – for although most of the Brothers were captivated by the man Dr. Ma’bus’ oratory style, the fact of the matter was that the Dinner Reading was standard fare for every Brotherhood meeting for those who had reached the enlightenment of the Fifth School of The Serpent Incarnate onward.
“Lest they should ever forget” was the theme of this famous discourse and it recanted the primary theology of our group – as, for security purposes, we have always been told that there was only ONE copy of our sacred book (The Annals of the Brotherhood), this oral history was the only way that we Brothers were given access to the tenants of our religion (or at least what we were told were the true beliefs – to be honest with you I’m still not sure what the Inner Circle’s ultimate plans are since, like most of the sheep at this dinner, I’d never attained that rank).
Even though I wasn’t part of the top 1% of Brotherhood elite, I was still pretty high up (enough to make it to this meeting at least). Therefore I smiled inside as I recalled some of the ruses The Brotherhood used to dupe the lower levels of membership – for, like any secret society, The Brotherhood of the EArth had an assortment of ranks – each one holding a new set of supposed ‘illuminating’ knowledge for the advancing member. Although the actual specifics for most of the early ranks had changed over the years – and the hazing associated with them – the basic premise of level advancement had remained the same…
Satisfy the desire to belong of the new recruits – give them something exciting to feel a part of and then see who proved themselves by completing the supposedly important (yet in reality quite meaningless) “world-saving” projects.
Those that excelled were chosen to move along The Path to Enlightenment…
The Path was obviously a sham of a concept for those of us in the know, but it was a key principle for new Seekers to aspire to.
Meanwhile, those among the recruits that failed in their early tasks were either disposed of (if they posed a threat to The Brotherhood from their ineptitude) or allowed to continue to toil in those early ranks without ever really getting anywhere (if they were deemed harmless).
In this manner, was the Brotherhood able to build a steady stream of recruits, ever develop new talent, and weed out those individuals who didn’t fit the bill.
My thoughts were interrupted by Ma’bus speech — I could feel his silky words enticing me too, and though I tried to resist, his <presence> called out to me, beckoning me to pay attention…
In desperation I turned my mind inwards, searching for another distraction — the first thing that came to me was the memory of when I myself reached the Third School of the Rite of Inanna.
The Brotherhood bastardized Inanna’s memory by setting her up as the “Queen of Anu” – supplying mystical information to the wannabe brothers who reached this rank.
Attainment of the Third School was the time during which The Brotherhood offered the opportunity for enlightenment through sexual immortality. In spite of it’s cliche nature (or perhaps because of it), the Brotherhood attempted to satisfy this innate fleshly desire of its lower level members.
For my part, I experienced my first Third School initiation in the year 327 – under the identity of Zosimos — in a secret chamber beneath the Great Sphinx of Egypt.
What started as a typical roman-style orgy – with Brothers encouraged to engage in debauchery of all kinds amidst a sea of flesh – took on a rather unique twist when a vat of lukewarm olive oil was poured into the brothel pit where our orgy was taking place.
Even more unusual was the fact that the oil carried with it a sea of serpents.
Third School Rite of Inanna Initiation Ceremony
Now all of us initiates had previously been told by our upper-level mentors to ‘expect the unexpected’ and to ‘go with the flow’ – being advised to allow our bodies to literally mold and melt with whatever we encountered as the oil carried us around the orgy pit. The snakes, they advised us, were all non-venomous and their purpose was to heighten our sensations in such a way as to allow us to (and I quote)…
“Experience such waves of pleasure that we would leave our earthly bodies and catch a glimpse of the true spirit world.”
My Brotherhood coach had also made it clear that my colleagues and I would be judged for our sexual conquests by the Inner Circle who would be watching us from concealed locations in the shadows of the great room.
Now I realize this is pretty appalling stuff for me to reveal – especially given the fact that I have experienced this Third School Initiation in some similar form MANY times, yet as I told you before, this was the Old Me, and back then I wasn’t concerned about committing any number of sins such as this. (Obviously, I would never allow myself to engage in such debauchery again – and I sure hope that YOU don’t either! Hmm, but this makes me wonder — how did Lazarus ever get past this rank? Surely he wouldn’t have done…? But I digress…)
OK, let’s be clear on something – I knew what I was getting into and I knew this whole charade was merely a mythological archetype that tapped into the whole satanic rituals require sexual immorality motif, but I must admit that, between the bonfires that ringed the orgy pit, the religious prostitutes who offered their bodies as living sacrifices, the pseudo-boiling oil, and the multitude of snakes, this rite did fulfill its mission because…
I really was able to transcend my flesh and escape into a world of full-on spiritual pleasure.
Had the ritual stopped there, it would have been enough.
However, The Brotherhood was not known for just satisfying cliches and using borrowed rituals. Instead, unbeknownst to me and my fellow orgy participants, mid-way through the debauchery, another wave of oil was released – this a bit more heated and, instead of the clear olive oil, this new oil was burned black. Now this last fact was important for it served to mask the nature that the second wave of serpents carried within its viscosity: black mambas – the most deadly snakes known to man at the time!
While the second vats of oil were poured in, the tribal drummers on the sidelines picked up their intensity and further worked us into a frenzy. Thus, when the mambas struck, the screams of their victims failed to instill panic into the rest of us – for trust me when I tell you that the pleasure and pain of sexual immorality cascaded in waves throughout the throng in a manner that was indescribably powerful!
I learned later that only a handful of mambas were released into the orgy pit, but this was intentional, for that small number was more than enough – after all, a single mamba can strike in rapid succession – sometimes up to twelve times in a row.
Obviously The Brotherhood did not want to murder all of us prospective Third School members; instead the deadly snakes were released so they could act on behalf of the Goddess Inanna and weed out those of us unworthy of her knowledge – as any who were fatally bitten were later said to have been discovered with the Mark of Mortality and thus deemed unfit to continue as Brothers.
For my part, I can tell you that I was in fact bitten by one of the venomous snakes — twice!
I was first aware of a fifteen foot, steel-colored mamba after it had already delivered a deadly bite to the shrine prostitute with whom I was entangled with at the time – as the mamba’s venomous neurotoxin quickly worked its way through the woman’s body, I saw her begin to convulse and scream, and minutes later she was glassy eyed and paralyzed.
Just moments later I felt the snake writhing around my own heel!
Quelling my nausea, I looked the mamba dead in the eye — and the mamba stared back.
Even today I cannot escape the dreaded image of the mamba’s inky black mouth as it opened its jaws to expose <DEATH> just before it viciously tore into my heel – pumping nearly 100 mg of venom into me!
What was it like?
Immediately my body seized up as the mamba’s toxins surged through me. After the initial pain that gripped my heel grew numb, I felt a tingling sensation in my mouth and arms. That’s when the snake struck again – this time biting into my calf – and I thought that perhaps this was the hand of Divine Providence at work – punishing me for my sins and sending me to Hell.
Then, just as suddenly as it appeared, the mamba vanished — carried off by the swirling oils.
Unfortunately I continued to suffer.
I lost my sense of where I was, experienced double vision, confusion, and quickly lost muscle control. Another Brother came over and attempted to body up to me, but I vomited on him and that sent the lecherous man reeling away in disgust. As the mamba’s cardio-toxin took further effect, I began to foam at the mouth, and then of a sudden, my heart stopped.
At this point, my body sank down into the murky oils and I truly tasted – albeit ever so briefly – Sweet Death.
Inanna’s orgy carried on – how much longer I never knew – but eventually the fleshly desires of the Brothers were sated and at last the oils were drained from the brothel pits.
Exhausted beyond compare, none of the Brothers or the shrine prostitutes were lucid when the servants came to clean up the mass of humanity and serpents that remained in the pit. The mambas and the rest of the non-venomous snakes were rounded up, and so too were us men and women – carried off to various recovery rooms.
At first I guess I was going to be thrown in with a pile of the dead, but just as I was about to be tossed, I awoke… before passing out yet again. After being confirmed alive, I was then taken to the nurses stations for recovery assistance.
Although I’d come so close to Death as a result of the mamba’s bites, because of my cursed immortality, I managed to survive and was thus proclaimed as a worthy member of the Third School.
Of the hundred persons or so who were engaged in the orgy, I never knew how many had perished – but more than a few Brothers that I once knew, I never saw again. And I was smart enough NOT to ask what happened to them.
Now that, my friends, is how you conduct a secret society initiation!
This memory successfully served to distract me from Bates’ speech, yet I knew it was high time I paid attention again – for I didn’t want to miss anything important – especially if it was news about my friends…
Ironically, the Annals of the Brotherhood reflect only a small footnote about Tower Bay, and the official version of events describes only the lie that I told them.
To this day it is my firm belief is that nobody else on earth ever knew the truth about Tower Bay — expect me (and now YOU).
My experiments failed
As I said previously, after realizing my colossal failure with my 409 Experiment, I razed the town to ashes and burned myself to cover my tracks so the Brotherhood wouldn’t get their hands on the true weapon of mass destruction I’d created. I didn’t die from my horrific burns, nor did I perish in any of the intense torture sessions my brothers put me through. In fact, after the Brotherhood finished with me, my needs were well cared for by the Sisters of the Holy Cross and I remained with them in seclusion at Poitiers for the next thirty years.
I enjoyed my time with the sisters. More importantly though, during those three decades a generation of powerful Brotherhood leadership eventually passed from this world — and forgot about me.
After I deemed it safe to re-enter the world I was so soured by the experience with The Brotherhood, that I didn’t seek a renewed alliance with them for over 500 years. Instead I pursued another path to enlightenment (recall my time as Merlin and my foray into the arts of sorcery – which in truth really wasn’t magic at all, just a bit of good old fashioned science and mathematics, all aided by my ability to see the future via The Sight. Magic? Sorcery? Pah! Don’t get me started…)
As for the evils that occurred at the former site of Tower Bay, they too became forgotten legends, for History marched on and, as always, the earth eventually repaired itself. And even while I (as Merlin) became trapped in a crystal cave by the witch Nimue, future generations returned to the Tower Bay locale – completely ignorant to the horrors that occurred there.
A new settlement called Streoneshalhwas built on the ruins of Tower Bay in the 650’s by the Anglo-Saxon King Oswiu. It was Oswiu who built the original abbey — that church lasting until 867, when it fell to Viking attack. (I can confirm the Viking raid because I was back on the surface by that time).
The abbey was eventually re-founded in the late 1070’s and it was a majestic sight to behold. It flourished in the region that became known as Yorkshire until 1540.
Whitby Abbey
Unfortunately Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries doctrine signified the beginning of the end for Whitbey – opening the way for the abbey to fall into disrepair and allowing for miners to pilfer its stones.
As far as The Brotherhood is concerned, it was my friend Lazarus who later encouraged me to (re)connect with the group – although Lazarus never knew about my earlier associations.
Alan Zarus, nee Lazarus
Lazarus first recruited me sometime around mid 960’s. I knew that he had been keeping tabs on The Brotherhood since the fall of Rome, but this was not unusual for him because he’s been a member of many elite secret societies (remember, he always loved the cloak and dagger crowd). And yet, although Lazarus also took all the same oaths of allegiance that I did (at least where The Brotherhood was concerned), I believe Lazarus never really wavered in his true allegiance to Christianity (although I can’t say the same for myself). And so, I “let” Lazarus recruit me back into the Brotherhood – if only because I had nothing else to do.
Initiation Rituals are so cliche, huh?
Meanwhile, after I’d confirmed that there was no chance anyone could associate me with the past failures of Ambrosius, I continued to insinuate myself into the ranks of The Brotherhood — yet always under a different persona.
Obviously when one is immortal, one has all the time in the world to create new identities – complete with a full lifetime of back story. Furthermore, my knowledge of the alchemical arts allowed me to subtly modify my appearance – a priceless skill that helped me sell each new identity. In fact, I guarded my secrets so well that even Lazarus did not know all of my alter egos!
But what’s important now, for our story, is that, for over 1,000 years I’d remained abreast of The Brotherhood’s activities.
As a result, learning about the meeting tonight had taken me very little effort – despite the fact that I hadn’t been all that active lately, and that the world as a whole was completely unaware of this secret conference.
And so I sat – or rather, Baron Von Bodenwerner sat — and waited for dinner to get started.
Lightning tore the sky, flashing its brilliance through the skeletal remains of Whitby Abbey.
Positioned precariously atop of the cliffs of Northern Yorkshire, the magnificent ruins of the abandoned church were the perfect setting for the sinister meeting that was occurring in the cathedral’s underbelly.
Whitby Abbey
<Ka-boOOM!>
Nature continued to rail her disapproval as The Brotherhood of the EArth shared a secret conclave for its top echelon of members.
How do I know this?
Because I was there!
Although we hadn’t used this venue in many decades, tonight’s meeting was taking place in the shadowy recesses beneath the church – in a venue unbeknownst to most of the world. For despite the popularity of Whitby Abbey, few knew the real truth about its former history…
It was itself built upon the ruins of the much older colony of Tower Bay — an ancient Roman settlement that was a site of unspeakable doom.
Among the guests this evening, perhaps I alone truly understood why this subterranean domain emanated such an evil aura…
For I had been instrumental in bringing that evil here.
Recall that I had first joined The Brotherhood during the time I lived under the identify of “Zosimos of Panopolis.” As I told you before, it was my prowess at alchemy that first led The Brotherhood to discover me. And even though I never rose above the rank of the Third School during my time as Zosimos, both my passion for alchemy and my addiction to The Brotherhood continued on with future identities.
Around 380 AD, I emerged as a Roman scientist named Ambrosius and again got The Brotherhood to notice me – like I told you before, once you know the drill, you can get invited into the club again pretty easily; at least that’s the way it has always been for me.
And so, for the next two decades, with my growing knowledge about alchemy and physical science, as well as my deteriorating concern for mankind, The Brotherhood agreed to fund Ambrosius’ research concerning what I described to the Inner Circle as an “invisible weapon — capable of controlling the world.” (What – you thought Covid was the first PLANdemic? Hardly!)
Back in the 4th century, the concept of biological warfare was still rudimentary at best and they didn’t call it the NWO or Great Reset, but the idea of being in control of a secret weapon that could allow for world domination was enough for me to secure all the resources I desired from The Brotherhood – so long as I eventually delivered on my promises.
After nearly a decade of additional development, eventually my team and I were ready for testing. Unfortunately for the citizens of Tower Bay, theirs was colony chosen as the site of our live (albeit clandestine) experiment. Now, the actual specifics of the experiment are long since lost to history, but suffice it to say that the biological devastation that resulted from my project was both horrifying and extreme – even I did not expect such potent results – for the entire town fell prey to the disease. It was the stuff of Dr. Flipflop’s dreams!
And in the winter of 409 we released The Scourge on the world.
The first subjects exposed to the virus – guests at a dinner party that I hosted as a ruse to deliver the agent – came down with burning fevers within just a few days. By the end of that week, their symptoms included headaches, nausea and vomiting – making it the first version of Covid the world had ever known.
This was what I expected
Initially we let the first victims spread their sickness to other townsfolk to ensure the virus would spread, but then we quickly had the town elders recommend that all villagers remain inside their homes (making this the world’s first ‘lockdown’) and avoid traveling out of the town – measures I recommended to ensure we contained the virus so that I could study it properly.
Meanwhile, those people who contracted The Scourge from the first group of infectees quickly deteriorated further – they began coughing up blood-tinged sputum and soon developed pus-filled patches on their skin. In just two weeks, most of the first infectees were bleeding out from their noses, mouths, and other bodily orifices, and every one of them suffered a gruesome death. (In short, unlike Covid-19, this was a REAL virus that caused REAL death and there was no need to falsely inflate the death rates).
My experiment continued to work
Meanwhile the sickness quickly raged throughout Tower Bay and, with no cure available to stop it, and lockdowns and a rather convenient brutal winter soon keeping the townsfolk hostage, the colony was unable to resist the virus’s deadly force.
In less than one month, the colony of Tower Bay was completely wiped out. (It was something Bill Bates and his DE-population colleagues would have given their entire fortunes to witness).
Strike that, not everyone died — although all the townspeople and my entire support staff perished from the virus, there was one person who survived – ME!
This only added further insult to injury because my sole purpose for creating The Scourge was to kill myself too. Doh!
Now it’s important to understand that Tower Bay was an isolated locale during this time in history and with the lockdowns and that especially hard winter it meant that travel to and from the colony was impossible — initially, this was considered ideal because it meant that we could conduct our experiment without threat of outside interference upon our test subjects.
In hindsight, Tower Bay’s isolation likely saved the entire human race!
For had anyone been able to escape, they would have carried The Scourge with them and it would have spread without contain.
As it was, within a month, I was alone at Tower Bay and in my bitterness at the failure of my experiment, I grew to quickly despise The Scourge Project. As a result, while the winter raged on, I used the remaining time of isolation to destroy all remnants of my work – burning my notes, despoiling the project plans, and dismantling its materials. I even destroyed the infrastructure of Tower Bay – razing it to the ground. And finally, I proceeded to reverse my results by developing a substance that (I thought) would destroy The Scourge forever.
I called my reversal agent Formula 409 and I deployed this agent in an attempt to eradicate The Scourge.
Thanks to me you have this amazing cleaner
“Nothing can withstand the germ-killing power of Formula 409!” I remember boasting as I sprayed this potent clean-up agent everywhere around the site. “If not for Formula 409, there would be no Year 410!”
And yet, while I was able to force The Scourge to go to ground, unbeknownst to me, I did not in fact destroy it.
As fate would have it, I became a silent carrier of the virus and unknowingly brought it with me to many of the places I would later live – for The Scourge would later re-emerge throughout Europe in the form of a population-trimming disease later known as The Black Death or simply The Plague.
(Yup, chalk another boo-boo up for Ol’ John – I guess I really pulled a stinker there, huh?).
In any event, by the time the spring of 410 arrived – and with it the agents of The Brotherhood who were sent to follow-up with me – The Scourge had disappeared – at least for a time — as proven by the fact that the newcomers to the scene did not get sick.
For my part, I (falsely) reported that not only was the experiment a failure, but worse yet, a fire had burned down the town – destroying all our project materials and killing everyone but me. To add weight to this lie, I had inflicted terrible burns upon my body as evidence of the unexpected fire – and as a kind of self-punishment for my own failures.
The agents proceeded to rescue me – taking me a safe-house in northern France; there, as Ambrosius, I was repeatedly interviewed (read: tortured) by some of the members of the Brotherhood’s Inner Circle as they sought to understand why I was unable to deliver the biological weapon that I’d so confidently promised them and which they were by now salivating for.
This wasn’t a fun time
I stuck to my fabricated story and no amount of torture ever made me reveal the truth.
Eventually I was left as a shell of a man – withered of mind and scorched of body — and soon enough I was taken away and dumped at the doorstep of a hillside nunnery in Poitiers, France – The Brotherhood exiling me to die as payment for my colossal failure.
It’s not a stretch to say that this time comprised some of the darkest days of my life and I had no clue (nor did I care) what would happen next…
As it turned out, around 410 AD I successfully DID destroy myself – or at least my identity as Ambrosius. My superbug project for The Brotherhood worked — wiping out an entire colony of people!
(I’ll tell you more about that event later, for now just remember two words: Tower Bay.
Nevertheless, because I couldn’t control the virus itself, The Brotherhood considered all my work to be a failure and abandoned Ambrosius to die. (Gee, thanks, friends).
Wallowing in self-pity, I was ripe for Lazarus and Mary to again convince me in The Commission and in the early 450’s, we brought down Attila as The Beast. We quickly concluded we were wrong (again) since we did not bring about Jesus’ Second Coming – as a result, I again deserted my friends (again).
Eventually I made my way back to the island of Great Britain. Although this was the country in which I had experienced the failure of Tower Bay, this time around I vowed things would be different – and I was correct — for upon this occasion another legendary character was born.
Now I realize that you probably won’t believe what I tell you next, but it is the truth…
From about 490 to 540 AD, I used The Sight to help bring about the rise of a man named Arthur Pendragon while I was under the identity none other than Merlinus Ambrosius.
(I picked that moniker because I wanted a chance to clear the Ambrosius surname).
Come on, did Merlin really exist? Isn’t that just a fairy tale?
Look, I can’t help it if Disney made a movie about me and I’m not going to sit here and have an argument with you about whether or not I was really Merlin or if there ever was a famed magician by that name. All I can tell you is what I’ve experienced in my life, and the bottom line is that I am the man who was the source of all those legends – and many of them are pretty accurate — whether or not you choose to believe them is your business.
Now, if you don’t mind, let’s continue – since there is already quite a bit of writing about Merlin, I won’t recap it all here – expect to say that eventually I did allow myself to get duped by a woman and that still rubs me the wrong way!
If you know anything about Merlin, then you know that I foolishly allowed Nimue to learn some of my magical secrets — in fact, after she thought she had drained me of all of my knowledge, she trapped me in a cave in an obscure part of western Britain and left me for dead. So yes, all that part of the legend is true.
This was not my best moment
But let’s be clear here — I was not so dumb as to NOT realize what Nimue was doing. I knew full well what she intended, but the fact of the matter was that Nimue had become such a powerful Sorceress that I actually let myself believe that she might well be able to accomplish what I could not…
I really thought Nimue might be able to kill me once and for all!
That’s why I let her trap me – unfortunately I didn’t die.
Instead, Nimue merely succeeded in leaving me in a comatose state. For all intents and purposes, I appeared dead (and for a time I actually thought I was dead), but eventually Death didn’t take and thus I found myself merely stuck in a drafty and dank cave.
(In point of fact, I actually stayed in that God-forsaken hole for nearly 300 years. And it was not until around 850 AD that I finally, rather unceremoniously, emerged – only to lose myself again into the wide world).
And that’s when things got a bit more interesting…
Such were the thoughts of a tired old man – such were MY thoughts – as I lay in bed, unable to get anything but a fitful sleep.
Caught between the dream world and the real, I cried out to God.
“I am confined to a life I cannot escape. Why do you afflict me so? All day long your terrors destroy me – and Darkness is now my closest friend.”
Psalm 88
I wailed similar other thoughts I can no longer remember and then mercifully I passed out again…a few bottles of Jack Daniels will do that to you.
An hour later, I woke up again – only to get another terrifying vision…
I watched as a silent stalker prowled the grounds of a middle-eastern palace complex. It was late, perhaps during the second watch, yet still a multitude of guards roved the stronghold. It didn’t take much effort for me to realize where this vision was…
For thousands of years this city marked the center of a war-torn region, yet all that changed when Bill Bates changed his persona into that of Dr. Ghaz al’ Ridwan Ma’bus and then used his power and influence with the United Nations (and The Brotherhood of EArth) to transform the Middle East into what he called The Union of Many Allied Nations.
Since the entire region had been under strict lockdown since the Covid plandemic first began (read: all the people had been vaxxed, chipped, and were now used to living in a population controlled society) and since Bates and his Great Reset cronies like Klaus Schwab had planned to do this all along, the process was relatively easy — it simply involved redrawing some lines on a map and changing a few names on some accounts at The World Bank.
And that’s how Bill Bates became the de facto dictator of an area that included Iraq, Iran, Israel, Syria, Turkey, the Arabian peninsula, Egypt, and most of Northern Africa.
The entire process was completed in a weekend – and Bates then moved his world headquarters to Baghdad to celebrate the coup.
Since The Brotherhood had long since turned the world media into its Ministry of Truth style propaganda machine and since this was merely another step into the Brave New World of the World Economic Forum’s Great Reset towards the United Nations’ Agenda 2030, Bates’ coup was without condemnation – instead it was hailed as a world blessing. The #FakeNews media played a non-stop narrative about how citizens around the world were pleading with their governments to join the UMAN League. They also featured supporting narratives that included BLM and Antifa rioters proclaiming UMAN as the only non-racist government on the planet, as well as a cavalcade of scientists and economists who ‘proved’ that the UMAN form of government was the only sustainable way of managing the world’s resources if we wanted to prevent a climate change disaster.
In reality it was all an agenda-driven crock of crap – but since nobody asked me, I was merely another peon who was forced to continue to watch Big Brother technocrats take over the world.
As for Baghdad, once Bates as Ma’bus chose it as his capital, he sought to do what ever other totalitarian dictator in history has done by making a big production of about transforming the city into a modern technological marvel – starting with the reconstruction of the city’s most imposing building — the 600-room palace of King Nebuchadnezzar II.
Overlooking the Euphrates, and shaped like a ziggurat, the new palace Ma’bus built was situated upon very locale where the ancient Babylon king’s palace also once stood. With some of Nebuchadnezzar’s original bricks still rising a few feet above the earth, Ma’bus’ workers installed countless more sand-colored blocks — inscribing them with the words…
Ma’bus, protector of the UMAN race.
The monstrous hilltop fortress was surrounded by lush Eden-like gardens, reminiscent of the famous Hanging Gardens that were known as a wonder of the world for centuries. Spanning more than five football fields in width, Ma’bus’ complex showcased a limitless array of impressive towers, arched gates, and majestic stairways. Lavish in the extreme, many of the walls were painted with 360-degree murals painted in honor of ancient Babylon, Ur, and the Tower of Babel (not to mention more than a few of Ma’bus himself – although even with his Muslim robes and hat, the pictures of the ruler still looked a lot like the nerdy Bill Bates version to me).
Nebuchadnezzar’s Palace – Rebuilt by Ghaz al’Ridwan Ma’bus
Yet none of this ostentation mattered much to me and clearly not to the silent stalker I was watching – for I knew she was not here to admire the architectural beauty of Bates’ new realm, but was instead was on another mission.
After all, although the world now view this Dr. Ma’bus as a leader who was on fire for world peace, you and I know better now, right? And I had to assume the little spy I was observing knew the same.
And if, by chance, she hadn’t known about Bates’ nefarious side before her arrival, surely she must have realized it by now — for with practically every step of her covert journey through the dictator’s palace grounds she was confronted by an in-your-face military presence – as the UMAN League capital was patrolled by menacing guards trained to shoot first and ask questions later. (Something the #FakeNews naturally never talked about).
And yet, none of the guards even noticed our spy — for I’d already watched as this unwelcome (and as yet unknown) intruder had no trouble slithering her way over walls, past the eyes of countless patrols, and eventually into her present hiding spot. And while I was not all that surprised to see her be able to pull off a stunt like this, I’m sure you must be wondering how she managed to penetrate Ma’bus’ defenses so easily, right?
I suppose one could argue that it’s not completely unthinkable for a lone intruder to scurry past a host of wandering guards.
And I guess it’s its theoretically feasible for such an invader to bypass the many other security systems — provided they knew all the checkpoint codes, the secret passwords, and had knowledge of the other miscellaneous security challenges.
Yet even then, the assailant would need quite a bit of luck as well, right?
However I say what’s possible in theory is far from likely in reality!
Unless of course the invader has more than luck on their side.
Such was the case for our friend Miriam Magdala – you remember her from Book I, right?
And so it goes – we get to start today with a vision of Miriam!
Lord, help me, there’s not enough Jack in the world to get me through that!
My vision of Benedict and his conspirators continued. After the professor’s revelation about The Seven Seals, all three of them turned inward — examining their thoughts.
Antonio Abbracciavento seemed to realize that the subject that he had devoted his life to was unfolding before his very eyes – although now it appeared he didn’t have the stomach for it.
Meanwhile Teri seemed to be relishing every moment. And as for Benedict, well it was obvious that he still had a major part to play before he could finally retire to that much desired rest, (but I couldn’t help thinking of the proverb: He who digs a hole, falls into his own pit).
Eventually Antonio spoke further about the terrible implications of the Seven Seals (And for the most part, he explained my work quite well). Yet, it was all he could do to hold himself together and he noticeably shook during his monologue.
For his part Benedict listened stoically, detaching himself from the grim horrors that the professor described. Once Antonio finished, The Pope added his thoughts, “Dreadful? Yes. Necessary? Absolutely. After all, we must remember — the sheep were made to be shorn. It is their role in The Great Play.”
“All things work together for The Good.” Antonio patted his daughter’s hand as if to console her, yet I knew he was trying to convince himself more than anyone else.
“You are not responsible for this, Antonio.” Benedict advised. “Just because you have the foreknowledge of the crime doesn’t make you guilty of it.” The oldster was about to reply, but got tongue-tied instead and the Pope sensed his fear, “Sharing what you know with the world will NOT stop the events from happening. Do not even think of such a foolish act.”
Teri looked at her father in horror. “Papa! You were not contemplating this were you?”
Again, Antonio stuttered – further convicting himself.
(Fool. Don’t you realize that God has a plan and things will happen in His time and His time alone.
We are all just the pawns of prophecy – whether we act or not.
That’s why I don’t care anymore – after all, it doesn’t matter what Antonio, me, or any of us do — He already knows how it will all turn out!)
“Get control of yourself, Abbracciavento.” The Pope grated. “You’d be a fool to reveal such knowledge to the world. No one would believe you. More importantly, The Wheel of Time WILL turn and December 21st will arrive regardless of what you do.”
“Father will do no such thing.” Teri quickly changed the subject. “And speaking of December 21st, wouldn’t you like to hear about Mr. Bates?”
“The rascal is proving to be quite a genius, eh?” Pope Benedict said.
“Indeed. He is becoming a power by literally buying the world.”
“Everybody wants the Identichip, eh?”
“Did you know many nations have stopped accepting trade unless they are paid in E-Yuans through the Identichip? Nobody has confidence in the financial backing of ANY country – except the Bates Foundation blockchain system administered from the World Economic Forum. That’s why people are so desperate to be implanted with an IdentiChip and why UN is recommending it. Even Putin is on board – although I’m sure there’s a back door deal or two in play.”
“So, Mr. Bates has the world by the balls and now the UN wants to sell our souls back to him?” Benedict summarized. “And yet I say — what the wicked dread will overtake them. Yet so be it, friends – for let’s not lose sight of the prize.”
“The Triumph of Christ” by Gustave Dore
Your Grace, what will happen now?” Antonio asked.
“I would bet The Brotherhood is going to have Ban Ki-Moon removed – soon.” The pope was quick to reply.
“Assassination of The UN Secretary General?” Antonio gasped.
“Father, don’t interrupt.” Teri hushed him.
“That would be the next logical move.” The Pope explained, making the motion to wash his hands of the matter. “And there’s not much we can do to stop it – as I said, the Wheel of Time will move forward of its own accord. Once Ki-Moon is out of the way, the picture becomes much clearer for our adversary.”
“Bill Bates will be elevated to power – just in time for the Great Ceremony.” Teri smiled.
“Ah, my children,” The professor interrupted. “I’m afraid you are mistaken. For Mr. Bates has already declined such a position. Even if he wanted it, surely Putin and Xi would block such a move – those two are always conspiring.”
“Bill Bates as Secretary General is inevitable.” Benedict re-affirmed. “Yet’s that only a minor stepping stone for him. I’m surprised you didn’t see this, Antonio — the world is in turmoil and it has been for over a decade. We need ONE person to step up and draw us together under the banner of peace and safety. The planet is begging for a leader who can help us escape these never ending pandemics and find sustainable solutions to the specter of climate change. Who else could that person be but William Henry Bates III? Sure he makes a pretense of resisting, but in reality only because his time has not yet come. He will accept the post when it is laid at his feet – when the world begs him to take over – and with your pawns Putin, Xi, and that puppet-master Obama leading the way.”
“Father, I’ve already told you The Brotherhood has been pumping The Bates Foundation’s agenda up throughout Africa.” Teri reminded. “They’re using the BLM goons to build anti-Asian sentiment against Ki-Moon among the more radical factions of Europe so he won’t be around much longer. The World Health Organization, CDC, and political hacks like Dr. Flipflop have destroyed people’s businesses and their spirits with never-ending lockdowns against their made-up pandemic variants. Ninety-nine percent of the world is now on universal basic income and nobody can work, travel, or even buy groceries without their Freedom Passes – and that’s assuming they have enough social credits to unlock their account. The public is crying for a savior! Why it’s all going according to plan and you know this already. Why are you being so difficult?
(I would have known that too — had I been to any of the recent Brotherhood meeting).
“But, how does that help our cause?” Antonio asked. “I thought we were trying to destroy Mr. Bates, not give him even more power.”
“In chess?” Antonio returned the question. “Are you asking if I have played the Grandmaster Anatoly Karpov?”
“Yes.”
“Why would Karpov waste his time with me? I’m no master.”
“I have played Karpov – once.” Benedict reminisced. “1984. You may not know this but I actually did hold Master rank during my youth– although it was unofficial, given my religious position. In any case, the Grandmaster taught me quite a lesson…
“For Karpov’s intentions became understandable to his opponents only when salvation was no longer possible.
“That is what happened to me too.” Benedict continued. “Karpov drew me in, allowed me to rise to a position of power, and then ruthlessly crucified me. Once he decided to make his move, his drive to mate was inevitable and certain. Mind you, at the very point when I felt that I was on the verge of setting up my mate of him — when I felt most secure and actually stole a breath! — the very next instant, he turned the tables on me, and his every successive move led to victory. He was inexorable.”
“And that is what we shall do to Bill Bates, father.” Teri giggled.
“Check and mate.” Antonio agreed.
“Indeed.” Benedict smiled. “We’ll give Mr. Bates what he wants – we’ll give him the world. For that is HIS destiny. But in the end, I’ll take it back – for that is MY destiny.”
(I’ve got to say, although I’m done with The Commission, this vision WAS interesting. Hey, if The End of Days really are coming, then that’s fine by me – perhaps that will finally stop the insanity!)
Meanwhile, half a world away, another older gentleman was also in a good mood…
(Like I said before, you’re just gonna have to take my word on it as to how I know things like this. Let’s just say, I have visions – oh you can call them revelations if you like but to be honest I’m a bit tired of that term. And no my visions are not some crazy side effect from the Covid vaccine – there’s plenty of those to go around but this ain’t one of them. Don’t worry about how it works, I’ll explain more in a bit, but for now, it will be easier for both of us if you would simply let it be and trust me that I AM telling you the truth).
And so I watched as Joseph Alois Ratzinger was nearing the end of a rare public appearance. In this case the ‘public’ aspect was via webcam since virtual news had remained the norm due to the never-ending pandemic. More importantly though, does the NAME of the man ring a bell for you?
If not let me help you. Officially ol’ Joe had retired in 2013, although I knew he’d tried to get out of the rat race long before then – in fact even before he had stepped down from the ‘big chair’ Joe often told me all he really desired was to “rest, maybe write a bit, and perhaps enjoy his old age.”
The fact is, Joe had never wanted to rise to the top of his profession in the first place and, prior to attaining that rank, he’d actually gone so far as to submit his formal resignation on three separate occasions — yet each time his prior boss had talked him out of it.
I told him countless time to just quit and be done with it all, but he didn’t listen to me and in the end, Joe had remained obedient to his superior’s wishes eventually he became The Big Boss himself.
Even still, it’s common knowledge that Joe’s allegiance to his company has done nothing to help his health concerns. His past and present conditions read like a laundry list of serious medical dilemmas:
hemorrhagic stroke in 1991;
serious fall and head trauma in 1992 (I can relate to that one!);
another stroke in 2004;
chronic heart palpitations and a case of serious bronchitis in 2006;
a broken ankle in 2009 (and when you’re 81 years old that’s a big deal);
he was living now with a pacemaker and chronic high blood pressure;
and the list went on and on – poor Joe.
All of these aches and pains lead to his formal resignation in early 2013 – and while it’s not newsworthy when most people retire, for my friend it was a big deal.
If you don’t know my friend yet, let me clue you in…
Joseph Ratzinger is perhaps better known to you as Benedict XVI — Pope Emeritus of the Catholic Church.
As for his ‘retirement,’ did you know that Joe was the first pope to step down since the year 1415?
For you math wizards that basically means that no pope has voluntarily retired for over 600 years – they’re pretty much expected to die in office.
As for that previous abdicator, it was Pope Gregory XII – I’m sure you don’t remember him, but trust me when I tell you that when Gregory XII stepped down it was was a really big deal back then – oh the scandal! Believe me I know, after all I was there to see it all.
But Joe is cut from a different cloth – he had no intention of letting the wolf pack otherwise known as The College of Cardinals salivate around his death bed while they conspire around him on who will be the next Pope.
Instead he came up with a new exit strategy – install a puppet for his figurehead and wield power behind the scenes – after all he’d seen Dick Cheney do this very effectively during the GW Bush Administration of US Politics and I’m sure Joe figured he was at least as smart at the gun-totting American VP.
Enter Jorge Mario Bergoglio – the charismatic Jesuit from South America was the ideal solution for Joseph. Jorge took the name Pope Francis, Joe happily passed the baton to him, Francis became the doll of the news, and Joe sailed off to the sunset. The perfect cover for a man in power.
Which brings us back to today – with Joe having to endure an interview from the fake press.
Knowing he only had a short time left in this world, I knew how much Joe despised wasting any of it on personal interviews like the one he was presently enduring – that’s what the new guy Francis was supposed to be for. Yet somehow Joe had apparently agreed to do this appearance and thus here he was, trying to maintain a happy face in front of his computer.
“Do you have any final words for the people of America, Your Eminence?” The virtual interviewer asked. “Although the United Nations and World Health Organization partnered with governments around the world to help us build back better after the first pandemic, our planet continues to struggle from the devastating damaged caused by capitalism for so long. Many in my country of America still fear the partnership between the United Nations and The Bates Foundation as they roll-out an Identichip that’s tied to a ‘one-world’ digital currency. I’m talking here about the groundbreaking Crypto Yuan that’s endorsed by The World Economic Forum and its members as not only a replacement for the outdated US Dollar but a new kind of currency completely – one that not only offers the benefits of first-generation cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, but also adds the all-important social credit system to the equation so that we can help ensure our citizens live their lives in a globally sustainable manner. Do you favor or oppose this new currency system?”
Realizing that this was the final question from his prep list, my friend’s face lit up and he exhibited the charisma which had undoubtedly been the reason why he had been elevated to his present position…
“My children, if we let Christ fully enter our lives, are we not afraid that he might take something away from us too?”
And after a pause, Joe answered his own question, “No! Don’t you see, if we let Christ in, we lose absolutely nothing of what makes life free, beautiful, and great! Instead, only in this friendship with Him do we experience liberation. When we give ourselves to Him, we receive back a hundredfold in return! Focus not on your personal liberty. Forget the reality of your present lockdown life. Do not pine for what once was. Instead, I say open wide the doors to Christ – and you will find true life. We are all ONE people. ONE Body in our Lord Jesus Christ. If this is true, why not have ONE currency? Nay, even ONE world government! My Children, there is nothing to fear and only peace and freedom for ALL to gain…”
Less than an hour later, I watched the Pope as he relaxed in private in his apartments.
(BTW, I’m still going to call Joe “The Pope” because, as I’ve already mentioned, Joe continues to pull the strings in The Vatican and thus the figurehead that is Pope Francis is barely in this story).
While alone, Joe disregarded his formal papal garments – his red satin mozzetta, wide-brimmed saturno, and yes, even those neo-traditional red papal shoes that everyone thinks he fancies.
Do these look comfortable?
Oh those colorful shoes! I remember how he had worked hard to bring them back to popularity (with the help of Prada and a sizable “donation” to Joe’s personal rainy-day fund!), yet each time he wore them now, I knew that he bitterly despised them – for he always complained how they were so uncomfortable. (I kept telling him to try them on before he endorsed them, but once again he didn’t listen to me.)
Nonetheless, The Pope was now dressed in a luxurious silk robe, whilst plush slippers caressed his overworked feet. Letting the cares of the outside world melt away, I watched Joe press a button to deactivate all the cameras and interactive media devices in the room, after which he traipsed over to his wet bar and poured himself a tall glass of a German honey-flavored liqueur called Barenjager.
(Personally, I’m not a fan of German liqueurs, I like the harder stuff – Jack, Wild Turkey, a good grain alcohol, any of those and some ice will do the trick for me – but Joseph was always a connoisseur. In terms of this present liqueur, he previously explained to me that most Barenjagers that were exported from Germany were between 60-90 proof, however, given his position, Joseph now had access to a private label reserve from Teucke & Koenig, and as such, his version – called Barenfang – was actually a 95 proof product – much to his delight).
As he took a big sip of the drink, Joe smiled as he looked upon the label on his bottle – a cartoon of a bear drinking the liquor – a picture far different from that shown on most of the commercial bottles of Barenjager (which usually showed a fur trapper catching the bear).
“Give me neither poverty nor riches, but only my daily bread.” As he finished the smooth spirit and poured himself another, “Ah, and a little of this stuff too, neh?”
Strolling over to the corner of his living room, he sat down at his Fazioli grand piano. Immediately no less than three of his feline friends scampered to join him.
(Yuck — I absolutely hate cats! But Joseph had long had an affinity for them and as such the Vatican had become quite infested with them since he rose to power. Francis tried to quell the tide but so far had been unsuccessful – the cats still ruled).
“Amadeus, come here…. Adolf, you rascal! Ah, and, Deter, my love.” He happily nuzzled all three. (Deter was always his favorite, but don’t ask me why – they all look the same to me). “OK, boys, let me play for you, please.”
And after taking another sip of his Barenfang, I watched as my friend proceeded to lose himself in his music – whilst his cats curled up against him and purred contentedly.
Yet suddenly one of the cats hissed, causing the other two to bound off in fright. “What is it, Deter?” Joseph stopped playing and looked down at his friend, seeing the cat’s entire body bowed up.
“I believe that’s Mozart’s Piano Concerto Number 21.” Said an unexpected voice that I didn’t recognize.
“His music is by no means just entertainment,” Joseph replied, without turning around. “It contains the whole tragedy of human existence.” For a brief moment, his body tensed at the intrusion, whilst he whispered, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do…”
And yet, outwardly, he refused to let his surprise show; instead he took another long sip of his drink, placed Deter on the floor so his friend could scamper away to safety, and then smiled as finally he turned around to face his visitor.
“Ah, I see there are two of you this time?” The Pope commented dryly, observing his guests.
Both men were dressed in black robes, Nano Masks, and gloves – although I knew that neither was a member of the clergy or on staff at the Vatican. Their ebon garments and face masks clashed terribly with the stark whiteness of their skin, their fair hair, and their light eyes. Stoic and stiff, they might well have been twins for all that they looked so much alike, and yet, like me, Joseph knew they were not.
“Hello…Your Grace.” One of the men stepped forward, his voice sounding clear due to the masks high-tech design.
The Pope did not reply. Nor did he bother to put on gloves or a mask himself (like me he knew masks were useless). Instead Joe followed protocol, rose up to stand before the intruders, and then proceeded to offer his bare hand in formal greeting.
Despite the outdated (and now illegal) form of greeting, each of the gloved men took the Pope’s hand and shook it, being sure to allow their middle finger to entwine with his during the shake in order to verify their identity.
“The Viper coils…” One of the men said.
“And its strike is deadly…” Added the second.
“To the uninitiated.” The first man finished the greeting.
“Bruders.” Joseph smiled slyly, “Welcome. I was expecting you. Don’t worry, we are unwatched and can speak openly”
My vision of the Pope and his ‘friends’ continued, and an hour quickly passed while the conspirators conversed. German was the language spoken at this meeting – native to all three — but I had no trouble following along. Given their continued wearing of masks, I realized these were only low to mid level operatives, so I was curious as to why Joe would even be bothering with them.
“The date, Your Grace?” Asked one of the masked men.
“Ah, that’s the beauty of it.” Joseph smiled. “I assume you know about the meeting at Mount Moriah?”
“You mean Har haBáyit – The Temple Mount?” The other Brother questioned.
“I’m surprised that you would know the Hebrew word,” Joseph snickered. And before either of the men could reply, he continued. “December 21st. That is the date. And the mosque at al-Aqsa there on the mount is the site.”
(Please understand I had no idea what they were plotting so this was all news to me. Sure, I get these revelations but to be honest they are not all that revealing if you ask me. It’s not something over which I have any control – whatever He chooses to send me is what I get. Also I am not omnipotent or anything. Hell, I don’t even have control of when the visions appear! And when I’m watching, although I can see the people pretty good and hear what they are saying, I can’t read their minds or anything so I don’t know what they are really thinking. Thus, I had no idea what Joe was up to).
“You are certain?” the second assassin slithered, the sound of him sucking air through the ventilator holes in his mask repulsive.. “There can be no mistake. If BAVI is really The One, then he must be there.”
“Fool.” Joseph replied. “You need not worry about my intelligence findings. Marrollo has assured me that BAVI will be there. And yes, he IS the key figure. After all, it is his blood which will complete the… ah… Grand Ritual.”
(Hmmm. Was I watching a plot to assassinate someone? And with the old pontiff at the head? Who was this BAVI they were talking about? It was obviously a code word and given that Joe had deactivated all The Eyes in his room it had to be someone important. I’ll admit, it was interesting, in a passing fancy sort of way, and had I been younger, I might have still cared about the implications of what they were discussing. However, as it was, whether Joe and his buddies killed one man or a hundred, that was their business. Nobody can give me what I really want so what do I care what happens to BAVI or anyone else?)
“The whole world loves BAVI – just like he so desperately wants.” The first assassin mocked. “Why he might as well be The Second Coming for all the praise he is getting.”
“They will grow to dread him soon enough.” Joseph replied.
“Remember — though the wicked spring up like grass, they will be forever destroyed in the end. When our plans are completed, BAVI will be reviled for the villain he truly is.”
“And the Jews are on board with all this?” The first man laughed, his loose tongue perhaps showing some of the effects of the Barenfang.
“That’s the beauty of Marrollo’s foreign planning.” Joseph explained, taking the other’s glass away from him and setting it down. Yet, after thinking twice, he picked the drink back up and downed it himself. (That’s my boy!) “That’s too good to go to waste.” He smiled, before getting serious again. “Chief Rabbi Metzger believes he is really the one responsible for setting up the December 21st event. It’s all part of BAVI’s grant to support Metzger’s Interfaith Dialogue mission. Why he’s already erected an altar on Temple Mount to mark the new holiday that will be created.”
“And you will be there too, Your Excellency?” the first man was salivating in his excitement.
“Naturally, for Metzger has asked the Ayatollah and I to join him in consecrating the grand altar to The One True God that we all serve. And BAVI will be the guest of honor in recognition for his many technologies saving our world from so many disasters.” And with a chuckle Joe added, “However manufactured those crises might be.”
“Glory be! I can’t wait to see BAVI delivered upon the altar to the destiny he deserves.”
“I suppose Evil comes to him who searches for it, eh?” The Pope let the thought hang ominously, even as all three conspirators nodded to one another and smiled.
(Just then my vision ended. Interesting? Yes, but like I said, had I cared, I probably would have made arrangements to visit with Joe and get the scoop. As it was I was just thankful when the vision ended so I could get some sleep.)
The Last Temptation of John 