Twisted Linen (19 page)

In Genovi’s discontent, the Golden Dawn
identified and approached him. It was a priest, Jean Sebastian
Olivier, who visited Genovi at the Office of the Archives to
inquire about certain Papal Letters. Priest Olivier had no genuine
interest in these letters, but Genovi was unsuspecting. He also
didn’t suspect Olivier was the Chief Priest of the Golden Dawn.
Genovi was simply honored to have Olivier within the library, and
he granted his every request for access. During their repeated
interactions Olivier flattered Genovi and subsequently befriended
him. Eventually, Genovi took Olivier into his confidence, sharing
his discontent with the Church and his ambitions to serve the
coming Kingdom of God. Genovi’s pride and weakness provided the
opportunity Olivier had been waiting for.

Olivier cunningly seduced Genovi’s young
ambitious mind with a new and radical theology, one of mysticism
and science wrapped in a twisted view of Scripture. Olivier’s
theology promoted a warped view of God’s relationship with man, and
Genovi was undiscerning, and he soon fell prey to the “wolf in
sheep’s clothing.” Little by little, Olivier led Genovi deeper and
deeper into the arcane recesses of the Golden Dawn theology. The
cult’s objective seemed very enticing and transformative, but
Genovi was not the cult type. That would take a little more
encouragement
.

During the same period of time, Genovi
frequented a quiet café in Rome. He allowed thirty minutes every
morning to drink an espresso and contemplate God’s will. Most days
it was warm enough to sit outside, and soon he began to notice that
he was not alone in this simple pleasure. It was impossible to not
notice the beautiful woman who also enjoyed her morning coffee at
the café. He knew the risk was great, but the temptation was
greater. Ultimately, Genovi gave temptation a foothold with a
harmless “hello,” which quickly led to an exchange of names and
pleasantries, but Genovi fought hard to keep it at that. Her name
was Sarah, and she was from an aristocratic family in Britain,
studying here in Rome for her graduate degree. Genovi was deeply
attracted to Sarah on many levels, and he couldn’t resist the urge
to know more.

Over time, their conversations became more in
depth and their relationship more intimate. Sarah shared Genovi’s
passion for reform, as well as a sincere desire to change the world
for the better. Never in his life had he ever felt so at ease with
another person, so connected. Guilt and passion swirled like a
tornado within them both. They understood Genovi’s vow of celibacy,
but ensuing lust overwhelmed them and they soon became secret
lovers. Not long after, their lives were shattered with the news
that Sarah was pregnant. The news was a crushing blow to Genovi.
Genovi deeply wanted to be found worthy in God’s eyes, but stepping
down from the Vatican would make him nothing more than a simple
father.

Genovi was unwilling to give up his great
aspirations in the Kingdom. Rather, his solution was to keep their
illicit child secret; he must never be revealed as the father of
their unborn child. During the dilemma Genovi never turned to God –
he felt too ashamed to ask God for help in such a grievous mistake.
It would make things worse, much worse, or so he believed.

Sarah and Genovi weighed every other option,
but in the end, they chose to live secretly with the consequence of
their actions, and Genovi devised a story to accommodate the lie.
Sarah would make the sacrifice: she would return to her family in
England, pregnant and alone, with a tragic tale of love, deception,
and abandonment by a fictional no-name Italian. Sarah bravely faced
her family with the concocted tale, but her father was a man of a
different time and era, and he found her confession horrifying. In
the mind of Sarah’s father, an illegitimate child was a scourge. He
disowned Sarah from the family and retracted her enormous trust
fund. Shamed, penniless, and with no other option, Sarah returned
to Genovi in Rome. In order to secretly support her, Genovi chose
to fall deeper into depravity by skimming off the books of the
Vatican Archives’ budget.

That spring Sarah gave birth to a beautiful
baby girl. Their private life appeared to be working, and Genovi
believed it meant God found favor with him again. He believed God
spared him from expulsion from the priesthood and even blessed him
with a healthy baby girl. It must be evidence of God’s grace, and
thus, they named their baby girl, Grace.

Soon after Grace’s birth, Priest Olivier
reappeared, and his charming nature was now replaced by a
threatening demeanor. The Golden Dawn’s plot to clone Christ was
underway, and the demands upon Genovi were simple. Olivier
presented Genovi with this ultimatum: First, he must obtain a
sample of blood from the Shroud of Turin so Jesus’ DNA could be
extracted. That was relatively easy. But the most painful choice of
Genovi’s life came with Olivier’s next two demands. Second, Genovi
must allow doctors to surgically remove an egg from Grace’s infant
ovary. Prophecy required a new “Mary” with the purity of a virgin.
Grace would play that role because the cult believed nothing could
be more pure than a newborn girl. And the final demand, Genovi must
offer up Sarah as the surrogate mother to carry and birth the Jesus
clone.

Genovi was destroyed and enraged. He
emphatically refused Olivier’s demands, but Olivier threatened that
if he did not co-operate, he would disclose his love child and
expose his theft crimes against the Vatican. Olivier also made it
clear that the Golden Dawn would have their way with or without
Genovi’s permission, and Sarah’s and Grace’s treatment would be
abominable in this scenario. But if Genovi co-operated, Olivier
assured him that Sarah and Grace would not be harmed.

As the futility of the situation metastasized
like a cancer in Genovi’s gut, Olivier wooed him with words of
hope: “Your pastoral responsibilities are an obligation to serve
the coming kingdom on Earth. Don’t waiver. Sarah and Grace will be
revered above all women. Together, we will all usher in the second
coming of Christ.”

The lie sounded tantalizing, and Genovi had
another chance to turn to God for help; he didn’t. Genovi could no
longer resist Olivier’s relentless extortion, and he eventually
surrendered, convincing himself that the Golden Dawn was an
organization with one entrance and no exit. The pact was
sealed.

Sarah was kidnapped and taken to the newly
built facilities in San Sebastian, under the custody of Olivier.
Genovi tried to forget she ever existed; he couldn’t. Sarah’s
captivity was hellish, far from the picture that was painted for
Genovi. She was chained, tortured, and drugged into compliance.
When Genovi was granted the rare visit, Sarah was cleaned up and
threatened to keep quiet about her horrific captivity. Otherwise,
she, Genovi, and Grace would be murdered.

The plan worked and the world’s pre-eminent
mind in DNA and cloning, Dr. Garard Seed, successfully fertilized
Grace’s ovum with a cell from Christ’s DNA using a process called
“in vitro fertilization.” A few days after the egg was fertilized,
it was transferred from the laboratory’s petri dish into Sarah’s
uterus for normal development and the eventual birth.

After nine months of hell, Sarah gave birth
to the world’s first human clone, a baby boy who the Golden Dawn
named David Cohen. The cult immediately anointed him as their
future King and Savior. His first name, David, was chosen in honor
of the House of King David, and Cohen was chosen for the Hebrew
word meaning High Priest.

Sarah would not live to see the torment her
bastard son would inflict on the world. Following the delivery she
was murdered via lethal injection. Genovi was told there were
complications and she died during childbirth. The truth was a dead
woman can tell no tales; thus, the surrogate mother could never be
allowed to live.

Baby Grace, on the other hand, was revered by
the Golden Dawn. She was the new Virgin Mary, the genetic mother of
God’s second coming. The cult placed her in Genovi’s care, along
with a trust fund of six million dollars. Genovi used the money to
hire “help” for Grace’s care, eventually finding a Christian family
in London to adopt her. Grace’s loving family enrolled her in a
girl’s Catholic school where she grew in her love for the Lord.

Genovi disappeared from Grace’s life for over
a decade, and he kept his dark past concerning the Golden Dawn and
Sarah a secret. It was a secret he planned to take to the grave.
But like all lies and secrets, they require more lies and deceit to
shroud the original sin. It would never end, not until the final
reckoning when Genovi kneeled before Jesus Christ and accounted for
all he had done.

The Golden Dawn’s plan required patience and
decades of cunning operation before it would come to fruition.
Infant Cohen was placed with a prominent Israeli family within the
inner circles of power in Tel Aviv. It was a family committed to
the Golden Dawn, a family willing to play a long game, and a family
capable of grooming Cohen for his future role as a world leader.
But the endgame required the necessary advancements in genetic
science and DNA manipulation; the Golden Dawn knew it would one day
have to heal a fatal head wound. Prophecy required that Cohen must
die, and in order to be a true counterfeit, Cohen needed to lie
dead for three days.

When regenerative science was made feasible,
the Golden Dawn assassinated David Cohen, knowing they would heal
his brain tissue using the latest in genome sciences and tissue
regeneration. All that was left was a new life force. They needed
him to come back to life.

The dark-suit standing next to Genovi on the
veranda says, “Cardinal Genovi, the Chief Priest is waiting for
your arrival at the Cave of Souls.”

Genovi is unresponsive, fixed in a vacant
gaze over the horizon, sparring with memories and demons. The
events that await him this morning, the morning of Rosh HaShanah,
should justify Sarah’s sacrifice long ago. It should justify
Genovi’s dark past. It better, because Genovi bet his eternal
justification on his actions and accomplishments. So after all
these years, Genovi finds hope, hope of a better world, hope of God
once again walking among His people in the flesh.

“Sir!” the dark-suit says again, trying to
elicit a response from Genovi.

Genovi rouses from his dark memories and
says, “Yes. Let me get washed up. I’ll be ready in fifteen
minutes.”

* * *

43

The Great
Deceiver

The morning of Rosh HaShanah…

Walking down the stairs of the Cave of Souls,
the young sage brings forth the Shroud of Turin, folded neatly
within his arms.

“At last,” Priest Olivier utters. “Do my eyes
deceive me?”

“They do not,” Genovi confirms.

After gazing at the Shroud of Turin, Olivier
nods in satisfaction, then instructs his sage. “Cover Cohen’s body
with the Shroud, for it is now Cohen’s blood staining its twisted
linen.”

Olivier motions for Genovi and Baculo to come
together so he can address them as a team. “I, the final prophet,
declare the morning star will now walk among us.”

In the background the sage carefully unfolds
the Shroud and covers Cohen's body.

Olivier continues, “Tomorrow we present him
to the Sanhedrin, and later to the world.”

“Yes, Great Prophet,” Baculo says with a head
bow. “And may there be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. For
the old order of things has passed away.”

Behind them Cohen’s torso and legs are
covered with the Holy Shroud of Turin. His face is left uncovered,
and his eyes remain firmly closed.

“It is time. Let the ceremonial proceedings
begin,” Genovi proclaims.

Baculo holds the Shofar horn up to his mouth,
waiting to herald each blast following Olivier’s command.

The Feast of Trumpets ceremony involves four
calls, sung aloud by Chief Priest Olivier, followed by four Shofar
blasts blown by Baculo. After a few words in Hebrew, Olivier sings
out the first call, “Tekiahhh…”, and Baculo follows it with a blast
of the Shofar trumpet. Then “Shevarim…” and the corresponding blast
of the trumpet. Then the third call, “Teru'ahhh…” and its
subsequent blast. Finally the fourth call, “Tekiah ha-Gadol…”
followed by the final long blast, held for as long as Baculo has
breath to blow forth.

Genovi is kneeling throughout the call and
blast sequence. He waits beside the body of Cohen with his head
bowed and hands held out, palms up.

While the final long blast still sounds, a
dark and thick “mist” spontaneously appears along the cave’s
ceiling. It ebbs and flows in a shapeless form, void of detail, but
definitely exhibiting a spirit life-force of some kind. The mist
descends and hovers over Cohen's dead body, as if it’s waiting for
permission to enter. As Baculo reaches the end of his breath, a
final high pitch sound terminates the Shofar blast, and the dark
spirit is absorbed into Cohen's body. His body arches off the table
slightly, as his face begins to emanate an emerald green glow.
Cohen is now possessed by something…

A moment later, Cohen's eyes open, and he
inhales air for the first time in three days. Olivier and Baculo
immediately drop to one knee, bowing to their risen King. Cohen
slowly sits up, as if he is in a trance, and sweeps the Shroud of
Turin off his body.

Genovi, still kneeling beside Cohen, lifts
his head to scrutinize the first man to be resurrected since Jesus
Christ 2000 years ago. Then he boldly addresses him.

“Yeshua, may you be inscribed in the Book of
Life for 1000 years and serve as our King during the final 7th
day.”