Son of Perdition (Chronicles of Brothers) (34 page)

I would have known the clone’s genetic markers in my sleep.

This was the DNA belonging to the clone, born twelve hours after the Caesarean birth of Percival’s infant.

‘They’ had removed the original infant and, unknown to the parents, switched it for their genetic clone for some veiled malevolent scheme.

Percival’s body was discovered a week later with a gunshot wound through the chest. In a rubbish dump.

* * *

2017
Gables Retirement Home, Isle of Arran, Scotland

A ruddy-faced old lady, her hair covered by a purple scarf, pushed a tea trolley into the room and smiled kindly at MacKenzie.

‘The usual, professor?’ she asked.

MacKenzie nodded. ‘Thank you, Bridget.’

As she poured him a steaming cup of tea, MacKenzie folded the letter and pushed it into a pale blue envelope. He sealed it and with a shaking hand wrote on the envelope:

James De Vere – Personal

c/o Thomas Nunn

Adler, Nunn and Greenstreet Solicitors

Vestry Hall

Chancery Street

London WC2

Bridget placed the tea down next to him on the desk. ‘Three sugars, Professor?’

MacKenzie nodded.

‘Bridget.’ He took her leathered hand in his and placed the blue envelope carefully in it. ‘Get this in the last post.’

Reaching in his bathrobe, he brought out a battered old wallet and carefully counted out three pound coins and a couple of twenty pence.

‘Register it, Bridget, and bring me the receipt.’

‘Of course, professor.’ She gave him a cheery smile. ‘I’ll see you later.’

The door closed and MacKenzie picked up his tea, relief written all over his face. He closed his eyes.

Chapter Thirty-eight

Skeletons in the Closet

2025
The De Vere Mansion, Belgrave Square, London

Jason looked up to see Maxim standing in the kitchen doorway, his dressing gown awry.

‘I’m afraid I have terrible news, Master Jason. From the hospital.’

Jason felt in his pocket for his phone.

‘Damn.’ He’d left it in the drawing room all this time.

‘Madam Lilian passed away ten minutes ago.’

Jason stared at Maxim, speechless.

Maxim walked over to the pantry, then reappeared holding a whisky bottle in his hand. He laid the bottle and one glass down in front of Jason.

‘Madam Lilian’s last instructions before she died, Master Jason,.’ Maxim’s voice shook with emotion.

Jason held up the bottle and looked at it.

‘It’s over seventy years old,’ he whispered, reading the label. ‘Macallan Fine and Rare Collection. These bottles are out of circulation.’

‘Seventy-two years old to be precise, Master Jason. Madam Lilian acquired it for thirty-eight thousand pounds in 2008.’

Jason shook his head in disbelief. He looked at the blue ribbon tied around the neck of the bottle, then opened the card. It was Lilian’s handwriting, dated the day before she had collapsed on Wimpole Street.

To my beloved eldest son.

I have kept this for you as a token for over fifteen years.

You well know I don’t approve of your drinking. I never have. But if ever there was a moment for a toast, surely it is now.

I have lost your father. I lost Nick.

And I now know that Adrian was never mine to lose.

You, my beloved son, are all I have left.

Look after Lily for me. And Julia. She loves you, Jason.

Be strong, my son. Be courageous. And fight for the truth, no matter where it may lead you.

Do not fret for me for I am in a much better place.

I wish you love. I wish you peace. But most of all – I wish you faith, Jason.

I will love you always,

Mother.

Jason wiped the tears from his cheek.

‘She knew . . . ’ His voice broke. ‘She knew she would die.’

Maxim nodded. He poured the whisky into Jason’s glass, then raised his own of elderflower cordial.

The phone rang in the hallway and Maxim went to answer it.

Jason picked up the card and reread it.

Maxim walked back into the kitchen.

‘Master Adrian has just left the hospital. He’s coming straight over.’

* * *

Jason sat at the kitchen table, the half-finished glass of single malt in front of him. He turned to the last page of MacKenzie’s letter.

I have followed the genetic clone’s rise intently since that day in 1998.

In December of that year, he graduated with five A levels from Gordonstoun.

In 2002 he received his BA (Hons) in philosophy, politics and economics from Oxford.

In 2005, after two years at Princeton, he spent a year specializing in Arab studies in Georgetown.

From 2006–2010, he served as a Director in the family business. Asset management.

In 2010, he became Chancellor of the Exchequer.

In 2012 he became Prime Minister.

This is the secret I have held for over three decades.

Jason stared at the last sentence in disbelief.

The clone incubated in the Jesuit laboratory all those decades ago is none other than the present Prime Minister of the United Kingdom – your son – Adrian De Vere.

The whisky glass slid out of Jason’s fingers and smashed on the floor.

He sat staring at the shattered pieces of glass for a full minute. Slowly he got up, then walked over to the kitchen door and unlocked it, the blue envelope still clutched in his hand. He paced restlessly around the rose beds, smoking his fourth cigarette of the evening. He stubbed it out with his heel, then immediately lit another one, his fingers trembling.

He inhaled deeply, then turned, hearing a sound directly behind him.

The cigarette slipped out of his hand onto the gravel.

He looked up into the intense grey gaze of his younger brother.

It was Nick . . .

The Characters

EARTH: 2021
The De Vere Dynasty – Family

Jason De Vere
– (mid 40s), eldest brother – De Vere dynasty. Place of birth: New York, USA. US media tycoon. Chairman, owner and CEO of multi-billion dollar media corporation VOX Entertainment. Owns a third of the Western world’s television and newspaper empires. Married to Julia St Cartier for twenty years. One daughter – Lily De Vere. Divorced. Current residence: Penthouse, Central Park, New York.

Adrian De Vere
– (late 30s), middle brother – De Vere dynasty. Place of (recorded) birth: London, England. Ex-Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (Labour – two terms), newly-appointed President of the European Union (10-year tenure). Nobel Peace Prize nominee. Currently negotiating the ‘Ishtar Accord’ – the Third World War Peace Treaty. Married to Melissa Vane Templar for five years. Melissa deceased in childbirth. One son, Gabriel – deceased. Current residence: Winter Palace of the European President, Mont St Michel, Normandy, France.

Nick De Vere
– (late 20s), youngest brother – De Vere dynasty. Place of birth: Washington DC, USA. Archaeologist. Celebrity playboy. Dying of AIDS. No children. Currently in relationship with Jotapa – Princess of the Royal House of Jordan. Previous relationship: Klaus Von Hausen – Senior Curator of Department of the Middle East, British Museum. Current residences: Penthouses – Los Angeles, New York, London.

James De Vere
– Father of Jason, Adrian and Nick De Vere. Deceased.

Lilian De Vere
– (mid 70s) – Chairwoman of the De Vere Foundation. Mother of Jason, Adrian and Nick De Vere. Current residences: Penthouse, New York; Mansions, Oxfordshire and London.

Julius De Vere
– Grand Master of the Brotherhood. Warlock. Chairman of De Vere Continuation Holdings AG (1954–2014). Father of James De Vere. Grandfather to Jason, Adrian and Nick De Vere. Deceased.

Julia St Cartier
– (early 40s) – former editor of Cosmpolitan. Present: Founder/CEO of LOLA PR. Major clients: the England Football Team and the European Union Presidential Office. Married to Jason De Vere for twenty years. Mother to Lily De Vere. Divorced. Seeing Callum Vickers. Current residences: Seafront Townhouse, Brighton, England; Artists’ Colony, New Chelsea, London.

Lily De Vere
– (16), Julia and Jason De Vere’s daughter. Confined to a wheelchair following a car accident – Nick De Vere driving. Student at Roedean School for Girls, Brighton, England.

Melissa Vane Templar de Vere
– Adrian’s wife. Died in childbirth.

Rosemary De Vere
– James de Vere’s half-sister, Lilian’s companion.

Maxim
– James and Lilian De Vere’s butler.

Pierre and Beatrice Didier
– James and Lilian De Vere’s chauffeur and housekeeper. Currently working for Adrian De Vere at Mont St Michel, Normandy.

The De Vere Dynasty – Extended Circle Friends/Associates

Lawrence St Cartier
– (early 80s), Jesuit Priest; retired CIA; antiquities dealer – Julia St Cartier’s uncle. Residence: Cairo, Alexandria, Egypt.

Alex Lane-Fox
– (20) son of Rachel Lane-Fox – killed in 9/11. Investigative journalist in training. Presently working at the
Guardian
, London. Starting at
New York Times
, January 2022. Close family friend of Julia, Jason and Lily De Vere.

Rachel Lane-Fox
– supermodel. Julia’s best pal. Killed in an aircraft 9/11.

Rebekah and David Weiss
– Rachel Lane-Fox’s parents.

Polly Mitchell
– (17) – Lily De Vere’s best friend. Alex Lane-Fox’s girlfriend.

Klaus Von Hausen
– youngest senior curator of Department of the Middle East, British Museum. Ex-lover of Nick De Vere.

Charles ‘Xavier’ Chessler
– (mid 80s), Warlock. Previously Chairman of Chase Manhattan Bank. President of World Bank. Retired. Jason De Vere’s godfather.

Callum Vickers
– (early 30s), top London neuro surgeon. Seeing Julia de Vere.

Dylan Weaver
– genius IT specialist holding high-level freelance positions with global banks, institutions and various software companies. Nick De Vere’s old schoolfriend.

Jontil Purvis
– (late 50s), long-term Executive Assistant to Jason de Vere – nineteen years.

Levine and Mitchell
– Jason De Vere’s aides.

Kurt Guber
– been with Adrian for years. First head of security at Downing Street, now Director of EU Special Services Security Operations. Also, an exotic weapon specialist.

Neil Travis
– former SAS Head of Security for Adrian De Vere.

Anton
– Adrian De Vere’s butler.

Father Alessandro
– Vatican Priest and scientist from the Vatican.

Waseem
– Lawrence St Cartier’s assistant at the residence in Alexandria, Egypt.

Frau Vghtred Meeling
– Austrian employee of De Vere’s household: Nanny to Jason, Adrian and Nick. Also, Abbess Helewis Vghtred.

Brother Francis
– Monk, Alexandria , Egypt.

The Brotherhood (Illuminati)

His Excellency Lorcan de Molay
– ex-Superior General of the Jesuit Order. Supreme High Priest of the Brotherhood, Jesuit Priest. Birthplace: indeterminate. Current age: indeterminate. Current places of residence: London, Washington DC, Rome.

Kester Von Slagel (Baron)
– Lorcan De Molay’s emissary.

Piers Aspinall
– Head of MI6/British intelligence.

Charles Xavier Chessler
– previously Chairman of Chase Manhattan Bank. President of World Bank. Retired.

Ethan St Clair
– Grand Master of the Scottish Brothers.

Dieter Von Hallstein
– ex-German Chancellor.

Naotake Yoshido
– Chairman of Japan’s Yoshido Banking Dynasty.

Raffaello Lombardi
– Patriarch of the black nobility family of Venice. Director of Vatican Bank.

Julius De Vere
– Grand Master of the Brotherhood. Warlock. Chairman of De Vere Continuation Holdings AG. Father of James De Vere. Grandfather to Jason, Adrian and Nick De Vere. Deceased.

Jaylin Alexander
– former Executive Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Commander General Omar B. Maddox
– NORAD Commander.

Gonzalez
– US Secret Service Presidential Protective Detail.

Lewis
– Deputy Secretary of Defence.

Drew Janowski
– Special Assistant to the President for Defence Policy and Strategy.

Werner Drechsler
– President of the World Banks.

Vincent Carnegie

The Royal House of Jordan

King of Jordan
– Jotapa, Faisal and Jibril’s father. Deceased – heart attack.

Jotapa
– (22), Princess of Jordan. In relationship with Nick De Vere. Namesake of ancient Princess Jotapa who lived over 2,000 years ago.

Jibril
– (16), Jordanian King’s youngest son. Appointed Crown Prince.

Faisal
– Jordanian King’s oldest son.

Safwat
– Head of Security and Jotapa’s personal bodyguard.

Crown Prince Mansoor
of Arabia.

Other Characters

Professor Hamish MacKenzie
– Genetics Scottish scientist and world expert on animal and hybrid cloning.

Jul Mansoor
– grandson of Abdul-Qawi, Bedouin archaeologist.

Waseem
– Laurence St Cartier’s assistant.

Abdul-Qawi Aka Jedd
– Bedouin archaeologist.

Matt Barto
– VOX’s Teheran Bureau Chief.

Jordan Maxwell III
– Investment Banker, Neal Black Securities.

Powell
– Neal Black’s Vice-President of IT.

Von Duysen
– Colleague of Jordan Maxwell.

Laurent Chastenay
– Assistant to Adrian.

First Heaven

Jesus
– Christos – the Nazarene.

Michael
– Chief Prince of the Royal Household of Yehovah, Commander-in-Chief, First Heaven’s Armies – President of the Warring Councils.

Gabriel
– Chief Prince of the Royal House of Yehovah – Lord Chief Justice of Angelic Revelators.

Jether
– Imperial warrior and Ruler of the twenty-four Ancient Monarchs of the First Heaven and High Council. Chief Steward of Yehovah’s sacred mysteries.

Xacheriel
– Ancient of Days Curator of the sciences and universes, one of the twenty-four kings under Jether’s governance.

Lamaliel
– member of the Ruling Council of Angelic Elders.

Issachar
– member of the Ruling Council of Angelic Elders.

Methuselah
– member of the Ruling Council of Angelic Elders.

Maheel
– member of the Ruling Council of Angelic Elders.

Joktan
– Ruler of Gabriel’s Revelator Eagles.

Obadiah, Dimnah
–
Younglings
– an ancient Angelic race with characteristics of eternal youth and a remarkable inquisitiveness, expressly designed as apprentices to assist the Ancient Ones in their custodianship of Yehovah’s countless new galaxies.

Sandaldor
– Gabriel’s general.

Zadkiel
– Gabriel’s general.

Zalialiel
– Guard of the Portal of Shinar.

The Fallen

Lucifer
–
Satan
, King of Perdition. Tempter; Adverary; Sovereign Ruler of the Race of Men, earth and the nether regions.

Charsoc
– Dark Apostle – Chief High Priest of the Fallen. Governor of the Grand Wizards of the Black Court and the dreaded Warlock Kings of the West.

Marduk
– Head of the Darkened Councils and Lucifer’s Chief-of-Staff.

The Twin Wizards of Malfecium
– the Grand Wizard of Phaegos and the Grand Wizard of Maelageor. The super-scientists.

Mulabalah
– Ruler of the Black Murmurers.

Astaroth
– Commander-in-chief of the Black Horde. Michael’s ex-general.

Moloch
– satanic prince – ‘Butcher’ of Perdition.

Sargon the Terrible of Babylonia
– Champion of Gehenna – Great Prince of Babylonia.

Balberith
– Lucifer’s chief attendant.

Nisroc the Necromancer
– Keeper of Death and the Grave.

The Dark Cabal Grand Wizards
– 666 Black Murmurers.

Dracul
– Ruler of the Warlocks of the West and Ancient Leader of the Time Lords.

Nephilim
– A hybrid between the angelic and the Race of Men.