John Lyman - House of Acerbi

Immediately they backed behind some overgrown brush and froze. Was he some kind of policeman, or worse, someone who worked for Acerbi who was following up on a lead?

By now, the man had closed to within a few yards of their hiding place. Evita slid her hand under her coat and pulled out a pistol, but Leo quickly covered the gun with his hand and lowered it. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Just in case.”

Leo watched the figure come closer. He could tell by the way the man moved that he was no outdoorsman. There was something vaguely familiar about the way he carried himself as he stopped to catch his breath and removed his hat to wipe the sweat of exertion from his brow.

Leo let out a gasp. “Anthony?”

The red-headed priest looked up and smiled. “Leo?”

Anthony Morelli warmed himself by the fire as he tried to answer the barrage of non-stop questions coming at him all at once about what was happening in the world outside.

Leo handed Morelli a glass of wine and ushered him to a worn leather couch.

“The virus, Anthony … what’s happening?”

“Completely died out.”

A unified sigh of relief could be heard throughout the room.

“So the failsafe mechanism they included in the virus worked?” Diaz asked.

“That helped. At least it kept the virus from mutating in the first few outbreaks, but the main reason it hasn’t reappeared is the fact that Acerbi has taken credit for wiping out the virus with his vaccine … a vaccine that is totally worthless by the way. But people believe his vaccine is protecting them, and that makes him the most popular man on the planet right now. However, his fame has also placed him under the microscope of public scrutiny. As long as people look to him as the savior of the world, he doesn’t dare let his little demon out of the box again.”

“What about those governments his organization controls from behind the scenes? Surely someone on the inside knows about the stockpiles of the virus he threatened to release if they didn’t bow down to his demands.”

“Apparently, he’s insulated himself from outside suspicion. No one has any idea who’s really pulling the strings. Everything is done through intermediaries. It’s like dealing with a ghost, and those close to him know that if they try to expose him they will join the ranks of the disappeared . It’s much easier to just obey and grow rich.”

“But the wheat fields … we destroyed them, didn’t we? Without the genetically modified wheat to prime his victims, the pathogen is harmless.”

“That’s true. All the wheat fields we knew about were destroyed, but there is a high probability that there are others out there somewhere that we are unaware of. Besides, it doesn’t take all that long to grow a field of wheat. We all know from past experience that we’re dealing with a highly intelligent sociopath.”

“What about us?” Ariella asked. “When can we go home?”

“You’re still wanted fugitives, but with time we’ll come up with a solution.” Morelli sipped his wine and looked around the room. “I’m working on an especially interesting one that’s just come to my attention.”

“How did you find us, Anthony?” Leo asked.

“Your Cathar friends. They knew you needed to know what was happening in the outside world. They’ll be bringing you a shortwave radio later today.” Morelli raised an eyebrow. “I realize the longer you stay here the more anxious you are to take another swipe at Acerbi, but my suggestion to you would be to lay low for now. As I said before, there are plans in the works, but we’re dealing with a very cunning sociopath who’s capable of anything, so our next assault on him must be foolproof. I doubt very much we’ll get another chance if we fail again. Don’t do anything rash that could interfere with something that’s already in the works.”

“Has anyone talked to Eduardo yet?” Leo asked.

Morelli smiled. “I have.”

Eduardo Acerbi stared out the window and watched as a line of black SUVs turned off the highway and headed toward his house. As soon as they crunched to a stop on the gravel driveway, several armed men jumped from the lead SUV and began fanning out over the surrounding field as a dark-haired man stepped from the back seat and looked up at the windows on the second floor. The time for a long overdue meeting between father and son was at hand.

Stepping up onto the front porch, Rene Acerbi brushed some field dust from his cashmere overcoat and removed a pair of dark sunglasses while he waited. Slowly, the door opened, and a frail Eduardo Acerbi gazed up into the dark eyes of his son. After a long, uncomfortable silence, the old man turned and motioned for Rene to enter.

Once inside, Rene immediately noticed the rustic simplicity of his father’s home. “I can’t believe you gave it all up for this.”

Eduardo’s eyes remained neutral as he smiled. “Would you like some tea?”

“Tea? How quaint, Father. Yes, tea would be nice if that’s all you have to offer me after all these years.”

“Oh, I have much more to offer, my son. Please, why don’t you take off your coat and join me upstairs in the library?”

Rene threw his coat over the back of a worn fabric couch and nodded to the security men standing behind him before following his father up the stairs. The old man pointed to a table by the window before walking into his small kitchen to gather cups and plates.

Rene made no attempt to conceal the smirk on his face as he watched Eduardo reach for the teapot on the stove. “So, Father, what led you to finally reveal yourself to me after all this time?”

Eduardo moved out of the kitchen with the tea and a box of freshly-baked croissants. “Time? Time is irrelevant to people of our faith, my son. In the grand scheme of things, the time we spend in the world is but a flash. We are like flames on a match that suddenly blaze forth and end just as quickly in a wisp of smoke, extinguished by a single breath, but it’s what we do during that brief flash of existence that shapes our eternal destiny.”

“Please, Father, spare me your philosophic sermons about our so-called faith. We both know that faith is only a means to an end, a way to control the masses so that there can be some semblance of order in a world full of those who have barely evolved from their animal ancestors. Without the illusion of an afterlife, people would run amuck. Wiser men than us have known this for thousands of years. Promise the people an afterlife full of peace and joy and you can make them do anything. Religion has been the world’s biggest con since the day man shaped his first idol. Marx called it the opiate of the masses, but religion today is far from being a benign zone of comfort. It’s more like an amphetamine.”

The old man took a seat by the window and began to pour the tea with trembling hands. “So, I take it you never read the scrolls I gave you.”

Rene threw his head back in laughter. “There is so much you don’t know about me, Father. Actually, I read a copy of the scrolls when I was still a teenager. Quite amusing, actually. There are other scrolls you know … actually a book, a book with a much different message.”

Eduardo’s eyes narrowed. “I’ve heard rumors.”

“Then you’ve heard right, Father, because that book contained the words of our true God … Rex Mundi!”

“You’re wrong!” The old man’s sudden intensity startled Rene, causing him to involuntarily recoil from the force of his father’s words. “The book was destroyed!”

“Yes, but we still have its words. Where do you think we received the instructions for altering human DNA? I’m surprised no one else has uncovered it yet. The blueprint for using wheat to change human DNA was encoded within the Devil’s Bible, as you call it. All we had to do was develop a virus that affected only those who’s DNA we altered. We were gifted with a perfect plan … a plan that came from Rex Mundi himself. He gave us the ideal method for ridding the planet of excess baggage while saving the rest of us to rule over a better world.” Rene smiled as he watched his father’s eyes grow wide. “I see you still have some fire left in you, old man.”