The 13th Enumeration (8 page)

Chapter 15

Jerusalem, Israel

Rachael was out of the hospital. Since returning home she had gradually restarted most of her normal routine, but the events of the past several weeks and her still-ungiven thanks to the young man had her preoccupied. After breakfast she normally ran three miles before she began her piano practice, but the doctor had said she could not resume heavy exercise for several weeks. She had already discarded the crutches she was issued, and she limped around the house in frustration.

This morning, an hour earlier than her usual practice time, she sat at her Steinway concert grand piano and played Russian scales to warm up her fingers. The coordinator for the museum benefit had requested she play Beethoven’s “Pathetique” piano sonata. She had memorized the piece several years ago for a recital, so it had not taken much work to bring it up to performance quality. There were just a couple places in the third movement where the dynamics still needed some work. It took approximately nineteen minutes to play all three movements, and after finishing scales, she played it through three times.

Her practicing this morning was not as focused as she would have liked. She kept thinking about how she was going to thank the stranger who had rescued her. She could ask her father to find out who the young man was. With his connections, all it would take were a few phone calls—but she had never used her father’s position to further her own agenda, and she did not intend to start now. For all she knew her father already knew who the young man was, but he had not offered and she did not intend to ask. This was her problem, and she would solve it.

There was a gentle knock at the door, and Gretchen, their housekeeper for the last five years, entered the room. “Good morning, Miss. This came for you in the mail a couple of weeks ago, and somehow in all the confusion it was forgotten. I am sorry.” She handed Rachael a package and left without any further comments. Rachael looked it over, unable to find a return address. It only had a postmark from Texas, USA. With puzzled curiosity, she opened the package and found her missing backpack.

Her heart jumping with hope, she opened the backpack and found the contents as she remembered them. Nothing seemed to be missing—and much to her disappointment, nothing else was added. She had hoped to find a note which would identify her mysterious benefactor. How had he returned her things anyway? There had been nothing to identify her in the backpack. Her book of Psalms didn’t give her name.

Looking at the book more closely, she noticed something there that had not been there before. Opening it, she pulled out the unusual bookmark. It was a piece of bright pink climbing rope with the inside strands of rope taken out. Only the casing remained. After reading the psalm it marked, she laughed, pleased. It seemed the young man knew enough about the Scripture to place the bookmark in an appropriate place. For that matter, he must be quite knowledgeable about the Psalms in particular to be able to pick out such an appropriate one out of one-hundred-and-fifty options.

She read the psalm through again, and when she got to the passage that read, “Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for YHWH hath dealt bountifully with thee. For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling,”
she said quietly, “Well chosen, my mysterious friend, well chosen.”

With gentle hands and thoughtful mind, she closed the book, the bookmark a colorful reminder of her unknown hero.

Chapter 16
 

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

They assembled in the conference room next to Darius’s office one last time. Tomorrow he and Alexandra would be leaving for Jerusalem, and a real-life game of chess would begin in earnest. Darius hoped their plans would keep them several moves ahead of their opponents, but much could go wrong at any time. The familiar faces looked up expectantly, with serious but barely subdued smiles of excitement and anticipation. Noticeably missing was Arash. Darius did not intend to explain his absence, and he doubted anyone would be inclined to inquire.

“Well, my friends,” he said, “in two days it begins. What we have been working for all these years is about to come to fruition. I know each of you has had different motivations for working on this with me all these years without adequate compensation. I realize each of you could have earned many multiples of what I have paid you working elsewhere. Your amazing loyalty and discretion has not gone unappreciated. At my direction, Dylan has added four billion shares of AQES to each of your accounts. This is my way of saying thank you.”

There was a shocked look on all of the faces except Dylan’s. He had known of this for several days now, and he just sat there with a look of mock importance.

“As we agreed, you may start selling your shares when our stock price reaches ten dollars a share. Remember, you must place all of your sell orders through Dylan so that the stock price is not adversely affected. Since none of us knows how this will ultimately play out, I would recommend that each of you sell at least some of your shares when we reach that ten-dollar threshold. We all know Dylan’s modeling has projected a possible share price in excess of one thousand dollars, but I would not take that for granted. At ten dollars a share, each of you will have more money than you can spend in several lifetimes.”

He turned to his technology experts. “Gavin and Ralph, the long-term success of this venture will be riding on your shoulders. First, we are dependent on you both in regard to the security of the technology. We need at least eighteen months in order to realize our ultimate goals. Second, we need to get our technology into as many hands as possible in the next several months. Ralph, are you ready to upgrade our manufacturing capability once we have the money available?”

Ralph replied with a look of confidence, “Darius, if you get me the money I need, I will have you the most modern and efficient manufacturing factory on the planet within four months.”

“Very good,” Darius replied. “Dylan, my speech will be completed just before the markets open in New York. Are you ready to manage this as we discussed?”

“I’m ready. Although I would feel more comfortable if we had a more direct connection to the exchange data lines. Chicago is good, but we will be at a disadvantage.”

Darius replied, “Just do your best, that is all I ask.”

He turned to Alexandra. “Alexandra, your duties will now shift to running our humanitarian outreach program. In order to make the changes I want to see in this world, we need to get as many of these machines into the hands of the undeveloped world as possible. My goal is to have our technology producing water for fifty percent of the world’s population within two years. I am willing to provide whatever money it takes to accomplish this. This may seem overly ambitious, but I believe we can do it.” She nodded.

“Over the next several months, as we evolve from an idea into a manufacturing behemoth, there will be extreme growing pains. Let’s all try to keep focused on the goal, but not so stringently that we cannot adapt to our changing circumstances.”

With a few final words to each of them, Darius dismissed the meeting. Undoubtedly they each intended to make any final preparations they needed before the big day.

* * *

Eight hundred miles away, Arash sat in his office at MISIRI headquarters in Iran. He had successfully smuggled the 235X into the country, and he now contemplated his next moves. It was the eleventh of October, and their attack on New York was set for the end of the month. Once the attack was carried out and the international community realized Iran was at least in part responsible, incredible pressure would be brought to bear. Factions in Iran wanted the
Ayatollah Khamene’i
replaced. It was likely the Assembly of Experts would be called to challenge the Ayatollah’s rule. This, of course, would just be posturing—the Shia majority
in the assembly
would support Ayatollah Khamene’i since he had virtually stacked the assembly with those beholden to him.

Bottled water was the only beverage used at the assembly, and one bottling company produced all the water. With Arash’s connections, it would be a small matter to introduce enough 235X toxin into the batch that would be used during the Assembly of Experts. Anyone drinking the water would leave the assembly a walking dead man. Not for a couple of days would anyone show any symptoms, and then—well, then it would get ugly real fast. For unknown reasons, the toxin first attacked the part of the brain that governed social behavior. Many of the those who became poisoned would exhibit extremely violent tendencies. Within seven days, ninety percent would be dead and the rest dying.

And Arash would be in a position to seize the reins of power.

Chapter 17
 

Jerusalem, Israel

The reception, set up in the main hall of a new wing of Israel’s Antiquities Museum in Jerusalem, was a modest gathering of Israel’s social and intellectual elite. Darius sat at the table of honor along with the prime minister, the director of the Antiquities Authority, and several other government officials. Jacob Neumann, the director of antiquities, was the master of ceremonies.

All of Darius’s extensive collections of archeological treasures relating to the Second Temple era were on display—and would be indefinitely. He had donated them for as long as they would remain on display in this museum. Some of the artifacts were Persian; others were Hebrew, bringing context to the era they represented. Several of the pieces his brother Arash had smuggled out of Iran and given to him. These previously unknown artifacts had already created a stir when the Israeli Antiquities Authority had first seen them. It was quite a coup for them to be on display here in Israel. There were coins, vases, clay tablets, and scrolls, all providing additional texture to that period of common Hebrew and Persian history.

Not yet on display, but to be added tonight, was Darius’s most prized possession: a document written on a clay tablet. Its contents would have major ramifications for the three main religions which had ties to the land of Israel and Jerusalem in particular.

Darius sat, for all outward appearances, in a calm and serene manner at the head of the table. The next two hours would be the most important of his life
,
up to this point. Under his calm exterior was a growing sense of self-importance. He had the heady inkling of power, and he liked the feeling. Tonight was just the beginning, he reminded himself. This was just the appetizer.

According to the itinerary arranged by Alexandra, Mr. Neumann would introduce Darius, and he would give a brief speech. After the speech he would offer to answer any questions, and then dinner would be served. During dinner a string ensemble made up of musicians from Israel’s Philharmonic Orchestra would play several pieces, followed by Mr. Neumann’s daughter playing Beethoven’s famous “Sonata Pathetique,” Opus No. 13. Darius smiled when he thought of the subtle little hint he had given with Beethoven’s sonata. He knew he was playing a dangerous game, but he couldn’t help but include it. Only later would the Order realize he had been taunting them.

Mr. Neumann rose from the table and approached the small lectern. He placed his notes down and adjusted the microphone. “Welcome, ladies and gentlemen. As most of you know, this wing of the museum has been a work in progress for several years. Many of you have had a hand in the success of this endeavor, and for this we thank you.”

After a light smattering of applause, he continued. “There is one person in particular I wish to thank, without whose gracious generosity this project would not have been possible. Tonight, we celebrate the opening of a wing of the Jerusalem Antiquities Museum, a wing dedicated to the Persian and Hebrew history of the Second Temple era. We owe the success of this endeavor in no small part to Mr. Darius Zarindast, CEO of Aquarius Elemental Solutions. Not only has he provided the artifacts you now see here on display, he also provided the original donation of two million dollars to get this project started. Please welcome Mr. Darius Zarindast.” Another polite round of applause followed as Mr. Neumann sat down.

Darius rose from his place at the table and approached the lectern. He did not have any prepared notes: his speech today had been memorized long ago.

Placing his hands on either side of the lectern, with his measured words he began to change the destiny of mankind.

“I thank you, ladies and gentlemen. Today is an important day for all of us. The artifacts and displays behind me are windows into the past. In a general sense, they provide us with evidence of humanity’s activities and thoughts. They remind us of the greatness as well as the baseness of mankind. But to my mind, these artifacts serve an even more important function. They are doors to the future. They provide us with opportunities to improve upon our greatness. It was the great American author, Mark Twain, who wrote, ‘History doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme.’
We must learn from history, and these artifacts on display give us a glimpse into a period of shared history for our peoples.

“For those who do not know me, I am Persian by birth. Today, Persia and Israel are not allies but enemies. This was not always so.”

Darius turned and pointed to the empty display case standing in a prominent position in the center of the room behind him. He continued, “Today, as a token of a shared past when Persians and Jews shared common goals, I dedicate this museum and this date with a final gift. This artifact is my most treasured possession. My hope is to provide a reminder of a time when Persians and Jews worked side by side in peace and for a common purpose. What I hope this museum represents is a foundation for a new era in the relations of our peoples.”

Darius opened his briefcase and removed a small padded plastic box containing a clay tablet. He walked over to the empty display case, solemnly lifted the protective covering, and placed the clay tablet into the case.

Walking back to the lectern, he continued, “This clay tablet is a written record of Darius, son of Hystaspes, the greatest ruler of the Persian people. It is especially important to me because Darius Hystaspes was one of my distant ancestors. This tablet is a written record of Darius’s granting the governorship of Jerusalem to the biblical Nehemiah, his cupbearer. In part, it reads as follows: ‘I, Darius the great Artaxerxes, ruler of one-hundred-twenty-seven provinces from India to Ethiopia in my
twentieth
year, do hereby appoint my cupbearer Nehemiah as governor of Jerusalem.’”

He let the words die away. “Ladies and gentlemen, there was a time when Persia was a benefactor of the Jewish people, not an antagonist. I believe it is time for our peoples to rekindle our shared interests. Darius, son of Hystaspes, rebuilt places of worship for the Elamites, the Jews, the Babylonians, and the Egyptians. I share my ancestors’ vision of rebuilding the sacred places of worship of all peoples. Even though I have beliefs similar to those of my ancestors, I hold equal respect for the beliefs of all other peoples.”

That was true enough, he thought—he held all other religions in equal disdain.

“There is another reason this little clay tablet is important to me. A reason even more personal. This document states Darius was the ‘Artaxerxes’ over one-hundred-and-twenty-seven provinces from India to Ethiopia. As your own book of Esther states, one of your own married the ‘Artaxerxes,’ or ‘Ahasuerus,’ if you prefer, who ruled over one-hundred-and twenty-seven provinces from India to Ethiopia. Darius Hystaspes was the husband of Hadassah, one of your greatest heroes. Hadassah was my great-great-great . . . grandmother, the Jewish heroine who is remembered every year on the thirteenth and fourteenth of Adar for saving her people. So I don’t call on you to share my vision just as friends, but also as brothers and sisters. Let this museum of our common history and our common ancestry be the foundation upon which we build a better future for all our people.”

He paused, taking a moment to sweep the gathering with his gaze. “Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. If there are any questions, I would be happy to try to answer them. Let’s keep it short if we can. Dinner is being served, and we have some fine entertainment as well.”

A hearty round of applause followed. After that, a hand was raised in the back of the room.

“Yes,” Darius pointed to one of the press correspondents from Al Jazeera.

“Mr. Zarindast, you claim these artifacts, as you call them, prove a common history between the people of Persia and Israel. As I am sure you are aware, many Muslims today deny Israel in general and Jerusalem in particular was ever a historical fact in relation to the Jewish people. What do you say to these critics?”

Darius replied, “My friend, I would say it is time the few fanatics found in every religion be ignored. To deny Jerusalem and the Jewish people existed is as intelligent as saying Persia and the Persians never existed. Frankly, it is just hate-filled extremist rhetoric.”

There was spontaneous applause as he finished. The reporter sat back down with a look of embarrassment.

“Any other questions?” he asked as he turned and looked for another hand. “Yes,” he pointed to another correspondent.

“Sir, Aaron Klein here with WorldNetDaily. You stated the clay tablet behind you shows Nehemiah was the governor of Jerusalem during the reign of the great Artaxerxes, Darius
,
son of Hystaspes. Aren’t you concerned about the ramifications this might have with the many fundamentalist Christians who support Israel?”

Darius positioned a slightly surprised look on his face—but inwardly he was elated. He couldn’t have asked for a better setup. The only person he disliked more than a Muslim fanatic was a Christian one. “What do you mean?” he asked.

Mr. Klein continued, “You claim the artifact confirms Nehemiah was a governor under Darius, son of Hystaspes. This claim seriously undermines one of the most central pillars of Christian thought concerning the Messiah. Daniel 9 is considered one of the most important prophecies of the Old Testament. According to most Christian interpretations, it was fulfilled by Jesus. Its fulfillment is contingent upon a command during the reign of a Persian Artaxerxes. If you say Nehemiah was
a
contemporary of Darius in 520 BC, this makes it seventy years too early for Jesus to have fulfilled that prophecy.”

Gloating inwardly, Darius responded, “Mr. Klein, are you referring to the theory popularized by Sir Robert Anderson?”

Aaron Klein nodded as he said, “Yes, sir, I am.”

Darius continued, “The same Sir Robert Anderson of Scotland Yard and Jack the Ripper fame?”

Klein, with a look of surprised confusion on his face, started to answer, but Darius interrupted him and continued in a patronizing tone. “For those of you who do not know of the famous Sir Robert Anderson, he was appointed as a London police commissioner at the time of the Jack the Ripper murders. He was never able to solve the crimes, and only years later we learned from his diary that he blamed the murders on an immigrant Jew.”

Aaron Klein groaned inwardly, but outwardly he did not show any emotion. He had to give the devil his due. Darius Zarindast had set him up perfectly, and he hadn’t seen it coming. Then, for good measure, Darius had kicked him when he was down. Well, he was a big boy and he would take his medicine. He could see that most of the faces in the room were turned toward him with disdain and scorn. Aaron had been in the business for some time, and this was the first time he could remember being so thoroughly embarrassed. Darius Zarindast had seemed almost eager to give his answer.

Okay, Mr. Zarindast, you made your point
, he thought to himself,
but you have also warned me that there is something else going on. Something I don’t know about. And I will be watching.

As Aaron Klein was finishing these thoughts, Darius drove his point home. “I hardly think the pet messianic theories of a failed racist investigator are worthy of our consideration.”

Darius could hardly keep the gloating look off his face as he watched the expressions of the other people in the room. He knew not one out of fifty would check his facts to see if what he had implied was true. The truth of the matter was that Sir Robert Anderson’s personal journal did not indicate any prejudice regarding the suspect. Anderson was a devout Christian who wrote extensively on the Bible and was well respected by his peers. He even predicted the Jewish people would return to the land of Israel based on the prophecies of the Bible, and this at a time when the Jewish state did not yet exist. His circle of friends and associates included Cyrus Scofield, E.W. Bullinger, and John Darby, some of the great biblical scholars of his day. In Darius’s personal investigation of the subject while at the Four Crowns Research Lodge, he had found no evidence to suggest Anderson was part of some Masonic conspiracy to hide the Ripper murders, as some conspiracy theorists claimed. In fact, he had often wondered if Anderson was not appointed the position as a patsy. That was how they worked. If in fact the Masons were behind the murders, what better person to put in charge of the investigation than a devout Christian? Darius laughed inwardly. Sir Robert Anderson, the gift that kept on giving.

Darius, indicating the tablet in the display case, said, “I encourage you to check it out for yourself. You will find the artifact is authentic. I would also offer fundamentalist Christians a few further points they might want to check out in their own Scriptures before they cast dispersions upon the exhibits in this museum. If they sincerely wish to find the truth of this matter, I would encourage them to look at the age of Ezra. According to their own Scriptures, his father was the last high priest of the First Temple. The death of Ezra’s father is easily determined; hence the latest possible date for the birth of Ezra is found. This simple test places Ezra as a contemporary of Darius Hystaspes, and by extension, Nehemiah. Placing Nehemiah as the contemporary of any other Persian ruler is just wishful thinking.

“A similar conclusion can be reached by looking at the lists of men who came up with Joshua and Zerubbabel in Nehemiah 12 and comparing them with the lists of Nehemiah 10. These lists show many of the same men still alive in the twentieth year of the same Persian Artaxerxes. Again, contextually, this could only refer to the reign of Darius Hystaspes. I could go on, but I think you get my point. It was during the rule of my great ancestor Darius Hystaspes that Jewish influence and power reached its height in the Persian Empire. During Darius’s rule, Jewish men and women held the most powerful positions in the empire. Nehemiah was cupbearer to the king. Mordecai was second only to the king. Esther was queen. The Jewish and Persian people ruled the known world. That is how we should be working together today.