Conquest: Rise of the Fifth Horseman (The Fifth Horseman Series Book 1) (18 page)

Chapter Thirty Three: Internal Conflict

Yea, the armies of Seth
and Cain didst combine forces to slaughter the Nephilim, for the Earth cried
out against the lawless ones. And from that time forth there were continual
wars and bloodshed…

–
Methuselah 11:8 –

The
second sun was reaching midday as they got closer to the summit, and Allan was
struggling to keep his head above the surface of the darkness that was muddling
his thoughts. Allan recognized the dark voice that had been echoing in his
dreams, only now it was louder and more adamant in its demands. He felt as
though he were dragging a heavy weight up the mountainside. The temptation to
yield up his soul was real. Though his legs ached from the long hike, he felt even
more drained from his exhaustive efforts to silence his mind.

“John…”
Allan forced himself to focus, “…if you’re really John the Beloved as you
claim, wouldn’t that make you more than two thousand years old?”

“It’s
one of my unique gifts.” he explained, “I was commissioned by Christ to protect
the Earth until His triumphant return. This prevents me from succumbing to
death.”

“But…that’s
impossible…”Allan staggered, lightheaded.

John
turned around to face him with concern, “Let’s take a break. You look like you
need to sit down.”

Allan
agreed and slumped to the ground. He felt like he was drowning in an internal
darkness.

“You
have to learn to ignore the lure of the Leviathan.” John consoled, “If you
ignore it long enough, it will eventually leave you alone.”

“I
don’t…” Allan wheezed, “…know how. It’s…too strong.”

“Your
Amulet can help you focus your thoughts and give you clarity of mind.” John sat
next to him in the dirt, “Here, let me show you.”

Allan
nodded, and timidly pulled out the seer stone from his pocket. It felt warm to
the touch. The longer it sat in his palm, the quieter the voices became. After
a few minutes, Allan closed his eyes in relief as a peaceful tranquility
settled over him. The voices had finally stopped.

“Well,”
John smiled, “I’m impressed. You figured it out on your own.”

Allan
opened his eyes and returned the smile, “Finally. Some peace.”

John
nodded, “Should we get going then?”

“Please”,
Allan pleaded, “Just a few more minutes.”

“Of
course.”

Allan
felt like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He took a deep
breath, enjoying the fresh air. As he bathed in the tranquil peace, many
troubling questions began to form in his mind.

“John?”
he spoke up after several minutes of silence.

“Go
ahead.” he smiled, “Ask me your questions.”

“I’m
sure you already know them.”

“Indeed,
I do.” he nodded, “But I’d like to hear them come from you.”

“All
right. You got me.” Allan sighed, “I believe you now.”

“What
do you believe, exactly?”

“All
of it.” Allan gestured around them, “Zion, Atlantis, Dragons…”

“Good.”
John’s countenance beamed, “What more would you like to know?”

“Who
am I?”

“You
are the Final Seraph.”

“You’ve
told me that already.” Allan pried, “But what does that even mean?”

“You
are the Fifth and final Horseman.”

“Horseman?”
Allan shook his head in confusion, “As in, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?”

“Exactly.”

“That’s
absurd.” Allan stammered, “Besides, everyone knows that there’s only four
horsemen, not five.”

“Ah,
my boy.” John chuckled, “But where does the Four Horsemen story come from?”

“Somewhere
in the Bible, I suspect.”

“Yes.”
John smiled again, “In the sixth chapter of the Book of Revelation, to be
precise. Are you familiar with this account?”

“Vaguely…”
Allan acknowledged.

“Good.
Then you should know who wrote it.”

“I’ll
be honest.” Allan shrugged, “I’ve never been all that religious. So I don’t
know.”

“Ah,
I see.” he studied him for a moment, “The full title of the book is
The
Revelation of St John the Divine
.”

It
took a moment for Allan to fully register what John was saying.

“Wait…”
Allan stammered, “
You
wrote it?”

John
beamed and nodded.

“But…”
Allan shook his head in bewilderment, “If that’s true, then why did you only
write about four horsemen?”

“I
omitted the Fifth on purpose.” he explained, “For I knew that the Fourth
Horseman would have tried to destroy you had he known of your existence.”

“So,
you’re saying that these Horsemen are actual people?”

“Yes.”
he confirmed, “They are the last five Seraphim who are commissioned to prepare
the way for the triumphant return of our Lord and Savior.”

Allan
took a deep breath to let this new information sink in. All his life he had
been an Atheist. Now he didn’t know
what
to believe anymore.

“The
King James Version of the Bible recounts the First Horseman as sitting upon a
white horse, going forth ‘conquering, and to conquer’. This verse however was
translated into English incorrectly. Instead it should read, ‘converting, and
to convert’. My fellow disciples and I had preached the gospel of Christ
throughout the Middle East over the course of our lives, and had established
seven main churches in the provinces round about.”

“So,
wait…” Allan’s face contorted, “Are
you
the First Horseman?”

“You’re
catching on quick.” he smiled and pressed on, “The Second Horseman sat on a red
horse and was given a great sword. Power was given to him to take peace from
the earth, that they should kill one another. This man was Attila, ruler of the
Hunnic Empire. His wartime success can primarily be attributed to his Amulet,
the Holy War Sword of the Scythians.”

“You’re
not suggesting that the Sword of Mars is
real
?”

“Ah,”
John nodded, “So you’re familiar with it.”

“I’ve
heard stories.”

“Then
you know that the mystical properties of this sword assured him supremacy in
every war he waged.”

“But
that’s just a myth.”

“Yes,”
John chuckled, “but all myths are derived from fragments of truth.”

Allan
let that thought simmer as John continued.

 “The
Third Horseman sat upon a black horse and he held a pair of balances in his
hand. This was Alexios I Komnenos, the Emperor of the Byzantine Empire. It was
by his order that the Crusades took place. His army of knights stormed the
Muslim-occupied community of Jerusalem and took siege of the city, slaughtering
thousands of innocent people in the name of Christianity. Their actions became
a permanent scar in history that will forever remain an atrocious account of
genocide.”

“Eventually
Alexios became very remorseful for his actions.” John explained further, “In
time he Awakened and ascended to the throne of Atlantis. He was given a pair of
balances as his Amulet, symbolizing God’s wrath and judgment as a continual
reminder of his failure to protect the people of Earth. The end of his reign in
Atlantis was rather abrupt and unexpected. Many years prior to his untimely
death, he became terrified of the prophecy surrounding his successor, the
Fourth Horseman. The prophecy revealed that he would sit upon a pale horse and would
be given power over a fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with
hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth. Alexios reacted in
fear, found his successor, and locked him in a deep dungeon where he was left
forgotten for decades.”

“Timur
Demyan is the Fourth Horseman, isn’t he?” Allan guessed.

“Yes.”
John confirmed, “Upon breaking free from the deep dungeon, Timur unknowingly
broke Alexios’ Amulet and thrust a dagger through his chest. Alexios died
immediately, for since his Amulet had broken, his powers were shaken and he was
susceptible unto death. In that instant, something truly unexpected happened.
As Timur attempted to withdraw his dagger, an aura of sickly green light
encompassed him and both of them were suddenly transported to Earth.”

“So,
the dagger was his Amulet?” Allan made another guess.

“No.”

“Then
how did he transport?”

“The
prophecy states that his name is Death, and Hell follows after him.”

Allan
stared ahead for a long minute until an ugly thought crossed his mind.

The
body?!

“Correct.”
he sighed with a heavy heart, “It was the first blood that a Seraph had ever
been shed. He now uses a sack of cremated ashes for transporting between
worlds.”

Chapter Thirty Four: Top Secret
Technology

And lo, God had
protected the people of Enoch from the Nephilim; Verily, the Kingdoms of Seth
and Cain had become wroth of the great blessings of protection that God hath
bestowed upon the glorious City of Atlantis…

–
Methuselah 11:9 –

Brittany
stared at the text message with former officer Doug Carlton’s address that she
had received yesterday. She was familiar with the area and it was only about a
twenty minute drive from her home. She let the idea of visiting him simmer for
several minutes before she made her decision.

All
right Brittany. That’s enough moping around.

Jumping
up and out of bed, she quickly dressed and brushed her hair. She then hastily
threw on some makeup to hide the fact that she had laid in bed all day until
late this afternoon. She knew that if she didn’t get out the door quickly, she
might change her mind again.

She
grabbed her keys and bolted the door behind her. The drive took longer than
expected due to the afternoon traffic. When she finally pulled up to the curb,
she found the lawn covered with random clothing items for sale. It appeared
that the basement stairwell served as a storefront for the neighbor’s
rudimentary thrift store. She glanced at her phone again to make sure it was
the right address. Apparently he lived in the attic apartment.

Opening
the front door, the hallway split between the entrance for the main floor and a
steep stairway. Each step creaked ominously as she ascended to the attic
apartment. She knocked, and was greeted almost immediately as the door opened
slightly with a creak.

“Can
I help you?” a man asked from the cracked-open doorway.

“Yes…”
she hesitated, “I’m looking for Doug. I was told I should speak with him.”

“I’m
Doug.” He spoke hesitantly. “Who sent you?”

“That’s
not important.” she ignored his request, “My name is Brittany Parker, former
Detective from the Chicago South Precinct. I just got suspended for the same
reason I hear you were.”

“Come
in.” he opened the door the rest of the way with a serious look on his face, “We
have a lot to talk about.”

Brittany followed him
into his small living room that doubled as an office. The ceiling, floor and
walls were all curiously lined with crisscrossed metal wires. Just inside the
wood door Doug quickly closed a screen door that was similarly lined with
crisscrossed wires. Her claustrophobia set in immediately, and she felt like a
caged animal.

Doug read the anxiety
on her face, “Just your standard variety Faraday cage. You can’t be too careful
nowadays.”

What kind of cage?

He then held up a
handheld metal detector, “Do you mind?”

She shot him a
perturbed look, “Umm… I guess not.”

She felt uncomfortable
as he frisked her, but by proving she wasn’t carrying a bug she hoped she could
get the answers she needed.

After a minute he
stepped back, “Good. You’re clean.”

He offered her a seat
on the couch, and he set up a folding camp chair for himself that he pulled out
from his closet.

“How did you get my
address?” he demanded, “I’m off the radar.”

“Oh…”

“Who sent you?”

“My former partner gave
me your address.”

He studies her response
for a few minutes, “Are you referring to Detective Brown?”

“Err…Yes.”

“That makes more sense.”
he nodded, “How much do you know?”

“Not much, I’m afraid,”
Brittany admitted, “I was hoping you could help me figure out what’s going on.”

“You
came to the right place.” he nodded as he offered her a seat across from him, “What
do you know about the National Security Agency?”

Brittany’s
face contorted in confusion, “As in the corrupt government agency?”

“Precisely.”

“Umm...”
she paused, “I know that back in 2013 one of the NSA’s contractors leaked
incriminating documentation about their worldwide cellphone data collection
practices.”

“What
happened to the NSA after that?” he pushed.

“Well,
after a few years of public outcries the NSA was dismantled.” she looked bewildered.

“Wrong.”
he countered, “They just went into hiding.”

Great.
He’s a conspiracy nut.

“Okay...”
her eyebrows furrowed, “I don’t understand what you’re getting at. I came here
to ask you about an anomaly I ran into with MGE’s Law Enforcement Terminal.”

“It
all ties in,” he smiled, “I promise.”

“Fine.”
she stared at him incredulously, “Please continue.”

“The
data collection practices were the most highly contested and the most
publicized act the NSA was committing, but the leaked documentation revealed
much more than that.” he explained and pointed to a bulletin board on the far
wall that was covered in several news clippings from legitimate sources, “Not
many people understood that the NSA was using that data to track the movement
of billions of people using cellphones worldwide. Additionally, the NSA
maintained security vulnerabilities, or rather ‘back doors’ in most software
and encryption available on the market. This left the programs susceptible to
cyber-attacks by the NSA as well as other possible parties.”

“I
remember my father telling me about this at the dinner table when I was a
child.” Brittany stammered, “I thought he was just being his usual paranoid
self.”

“It
was a pretty hot topic back in the day.” he agreed, “After this NSA contractor
went rogue and released this top secret information to the public in 2013, the
NSA limped along for years as the public and the President of the United States
called for the NSA to be dismantled. Meanwhile, cell phone companies were
revisiting their software encryption programs and rewriting them to exclude the
NSA from extracting data from their customers. Overall the future of the NSA
was looking dismal, so they hashed out a new plan.”

“What
plan?”

“Are
you familiar with radio-frequency identification technology?” he queried.

“You
mean the RFID tags they inject inside pets?”

“Yes,
exactly.” he nodded, “After the NSA recognized the bleak outlook of their
future, the director instructed all personnel to relocate to their old
underground locations worldwide. These were existing federal buildings and US
embassies throughout the world where decades before they had secretly built
additional subterranean basements during the initial construction of these
buildings. After they relocated, they made a public announcement that they were
dismantling their program.”

“So,
what really happened then?”

“Upon
relocation, the NSA then began developing a new technology similar to RFID tags
that they called Gamma-Frequency Identification. They used this new technology
to manufacture microscopic GFID tags for human injection. After several failed
prototypes, they finally created functional microscopic Nano-chips. Without the
public’s knowledge, they infiltrated the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta
and inserted these Nano-chips into billions of vaccines which were quickly
distributed to the public.”

“What?!”
she interrupted, “But that’s unconstitutional!”

“Agreed.”

“How
can you possibly know all of this?” she stammered.

“Let
me ask you this, and then I’ll tell you.” he paused, “After the U.S. Government
contracted with Motif Global Encryption to protect communications and
information systems against penetration and network warfare, what happened to
the hackers of the world?”

“To
my understanding, they were basically out of a job.”

“Temporarily,
yes.” he smiled, “But after a while they banded together to form an alliance of
hackers with a united enemy.”

“MGE...”
she finished for him.

“Exactly.”
he smiled, “They created a secure online forum where they meet and discuss
theories. They also use a secured opensource platform to develop a program to
hack into MGE’s servers.”

“Are
you saying they have already developed the program, or they are trying to?”

“It
took many years to develop,” he paused, “but we finally have a functioning
algorithm.”

“We?”
her eyes narrowed, “You’ve joined them?”

“More
like they took me in.” he clarified, “We call ourselves the Cyber Police. I’m
kind of their mascot.”

“I
see.” she wasn’t amused.

“After
several failed attempts to hack into MGE’s server, we stumbled across an
existing ‘back door’ that had been established during the software’s initial
development. Once we discovered this back door, it was then that we learned
that the NSA still existed but had gone into hiding.”

“The
NSA has been notorious for discreet surveillance.” Brittany lowered her voice
to nearly a whisper, “Are you sure your apartment isn’t bugged?”

“My
Faraday cage blocks out any form of outside communication.” he spoke
confidently as he pointed to the ceiling, “So tell me about this anomaly you
encountered on the LET machine.”

“Well,
I ran a blood sample from a crime scene.” she explained, “At first the results
displayed the profile for a Lillian Thatcher…”

“Woah,
hang on.” he interrupted, “
The
Lillian Thatcher, as in MGE’s developer
of the LET machine?”

“Yes,
that’s what the profile indicated originally.” she acknowledged, “But then the
machine had a glitch, and after several more tries her profile had changed to a
Jamie Davenport from Tallahassee Florida.”

“They’re
relocating her…” he muttered to himself.

“Excuse
me?”

“Sorry,”
he clarified, “Lillian is an undercover NSA Agent. We’ve been tracking her for
months ever since we established our back door into the MGE server.”

“She’s
NSA?” Brittany shook her head in confusion, “But she’s Allan’s girlfriend!”

“Allan...”
he paused as he connected the dots, “Wait are you referring to Allan Young?”

“Yes,
he’s our primary murder suspect.”

“Murder?”
he looked confused, “I highly doubt he’s capable of such a heinous act. I’ve
read his files. The NSA has been watching him closely for years.”

“Why
have they been watching him?” she asked, “Does he have a criminal background
that I’m not aware of?”

“Nothing
like that, actually.” he clarified, “They’ve been watching him because there’s
something unique about his blood chemistry which causes their GFID Nano-chips
to malfunction. So far they haven’t determined a logical explanation as to why
it keeps happening. It seems to only happen early in the mornings.”

“So...”
she scrunched her eyebrows, “Tell me more about this Lillian Thatcher. At
least, that was her name until it changed. Now she doesn’t seem to exist.”

“The
NSA must be relocating her.” he looked disturbed, “I hope they haven’t caught
on to us.”

“So
you think it was the NSA who changed her profile?”

“I
have no doubt.” he nodded, “The real question is why. That’s what we need to
get to the bottom of.”

“How
do you know she’s with the NSA?” Brittany queried.

“Lillian
was the operative who developed the NSA’s back door in the MGE server.”

“Are
you sure she’s not the one who killed Jason Bridger?” she countered, “She had
plenty of access to change her own profile from inside MGE, regardless of the
NSA’s back door.”

“Wait…”
he stammered, “Jason’s dead?”

“Yes,
he was killed a few days ago.” she responded, “And Allan is our primary
suspect.”

“No,
no…” he suddenly stood and started pacing, “This isn’t good.”

“How
do you know Jason?”

“Jason
was our primary contact inside the NSA.” he explained remorsefully, “This is
very bad news. Do you know why he was killed?”