The Messiah Code by Michael Cordy Page B

prophecy that had come to him in his dream:
    The next Messiah would be unaware of his calling, and for the righteous to guarantee their salvation they would have to find and anoint him. There would be no star of Bethlehem to guide them, only this sacred fire burning deep in the earth. When this flame turned to white then the New Messiah would be abroad in the world. But he had to be found and anointed in the white fire before it reverted to orange--before the Final Judgment was visited upon mankind. Since only they had access to the Sacred Flame, this responsibility rested on the Brotherhood of the Second Coming. The salvation of mankind depended on them.
    Ezekiel envied Lazarus's absolute faith. When Jesus Christ brought you back from the dead, then surely there could be no doubt in your heart that the man was divine, worthy of complete devotion.
    He shook his head in awe. For the first millennium the Brothers had spread their covert influence across the Holy Lands, recruiting Christians and Messianic Jews alike to their ranks. All united behind the Primary Imperative of finding the New Messiah.
    As Ezekiel watched the Brothers eat their fill, he reflected on the Second Imperative. During the Crusades of the twelfth century the Knights Templars had left Europe for the Holy Lands, determined to wrest Jerusalem from the Saracens, and had become involved in the Brotherhood. These warriors spread the sect's influence throughout Christendom when they returned to the great courts of Europe. But they also influenced the then Inner Circle to embrace a more aggressive policy to complement the Primary Imperative. They believed that instead of just watching and waiting for the savior to arrive, the Brotherhood should dedicate themselves to purging the unrighteous while they did so.
    The Secondary Imperative was thus born, but only those in the Inner Circle, and the two Righteous Cleansers--forever known only as Nemesis and Gomorrah--were told of its existence. The growing number of Brothers covertly seeded in various positions of influence throughout the
    world were only aware of the Primary Imperative.
    The Secondary Imperative had inevitably caused problems in the past, but not in the way killing Dr. Carter could. Ezekiel knew that it had never happened before--that the subject of a Righteous Kill for the Secondary Imperative also held a possible key to achieving the Primary. But then the flame hadn't burned white before either.
    He felt Brother Helix tap him respectfully on the arm. "Father Ezekiel, what is your decision?"
    Ezekiel frowned. Dr. Carter was a threat and every day his power was growing. He had to be stopped. "Until I am convinced that Dr. Carter would be willing to help us, I can only make one decision: to kill him."
    "But if he could be persuaded?" probed Helix. "Would you then postpone the kill?"
    "Possibly." Ezekiel turned to Brother Bernard. "When is the earliest you could safely cleanse the scientist?"
    "Well, there's additional security around him now, but it's superficial. Gomorrah will be too busy, but after completing her kill in Manhattan Nemesis should be available to complete the kill inside two weeks."
    Ezekiel thought for a moment, then turned back to his Champion of the Primary Imperative. "Brother Helix, we will delay for a further two weeks. You, therefore, have one month to convince me we can safely and effectively work with Dr. Carter. But after that time I will personally call up Nemesis and sanction the kill. Is that clear?"
    Helix smiled at a frowning Bernard and closed his laptop with a triumphant click. "Perfectly clear, Father Ezekiel, perfectly clear."

    EIGHT

    Manhattan

    T he striking man with long hair and sky blue eyes was whistling "Frere Jacques" as he walked down Fifth Avenue. The pale afternoon sunlight caught the white-blond of his hair, so it seemed to halo his head and broad shoulders. The man's angelic air was further enhanced by his black, almost priestlike garb. Only the