:: Prelude:  The Quickening ::

 ( August 25, 2016 )

     Maria awakened in a cold sweat from what she could only hope was a very bad dream.

     When, with great reluctance, she opened up her eyes, the ghostly image of a fiery-eyed incubus still lingered within her field of vision, as if burned into her retinae.  

     Finally, and much too slowly, the apparition began to melt away, like the searing after-image of a blazing sun so briefly glimpsed.

     She had never known a man in the biblical sense, and now she felt deeply violated…humiliated, somehow.

     She experienced a sudden quickening within her belly, as the baby - perhaps reacting to her distress - stirred and kicked with awesome vigor. 

     It was the first time she had sensed any movement from the implanted fetus.

:: The Vault ::

( March 15, 2016 )

     The vault containing the priceless artifacts (as referenced, though not fully delineated, in the President’s Book of Secrets) was guarded and protected by nearly every means conceivable, so that it would be extraordinarily difficult - if not virtually impossible - for it to be accessed by any unauthorized individual.  In fact, only two people possessed that level of clearance at any given moment, and both had to be simultaneously present in order to gain entry into the secret chamber:  the President of the United States, and his Vice.

ⱡ ⱡ ⱡ

     The distinguished pair nodded curtly at the discreetly armed secret service agent from the backseat of their bullet-proof limousine as they were let through the outer security gate (their car being chauffeured by yet another top-level agent), and they were then driven down the narrow, thickly-canopied lane that led to the underground bunker.  The area was so densely wooded as to be undetectable and visually impenetrable from above, even by the omnipresent eyes of Google.

     The President and his companion remained somberly quiet, almost reverentially so, during this ride, until the Vice-President broke the ice at last by chanting “Over the mountain and through the woods, to grandmother’s crypt we go…” 

     Obama smiled briefly but offered no retort.

     It had become an exclusive and customary ritual for the President and his Vice to undertake at least one pilgrimage to the top-secret vault during their incumbency, and this being an election year following a second term in office, they figured now might be their last opportunity to do so.

     After passing through the second, inner security gate, the rest of their journey required that they proceed alone, on foot, under the incessant scrutiny of the hidden security cameras. 

     They exited the limousine and nodded in perfect synchrony to its driver (who would remain stationed inside the vehicle while awaiting their return), then strolled down the seldom traversed foot-trail that led to the secret bunker. 

     They paused at two parallel-standing trees at the end of the trail and felt around a bit for the concealed openings within the opposing barks.  After opening the camouflaged panels, one of them then placed his left hand, while the other his right, palm-first into the respective hand scanner cleverly embedded within each of the trunks.  Following a brief delay during which the computer analyzed their fingerprints, they heard a muffled, mechanical “click”, and in the ground directly before them, a thick steel slab slid slowly open, revealing a narrow stone stairway which descended darkly into the underground.  A clattering of dirt, stone and dry leaves preceded them, adding to the natural clutter therein accrued from previous entries.

     This time it was the President’s turn to break the silence.

     “Well, hurry along, Alice; we mustn’t be late on our way to Wonderland.”

      Joe chuckled obligingly; the sounds of their voices producing a hollow echo from within the shadowy chamber below.

     They proceeded together into the bunker through two sets of sliding steel doors - pressing forward each time against a sudden counter-thrust of highly pressurized air, intended to keep dust and debris from accompanying the rare visitor into the vault.  (Their path lit up before them through the sundry stages of their progression by virtue of motion-detecting fluorescent bulbs, so designed to conserve heat more so than to spare electricity.)  Likewise they passed, in tandem, through the various other checkpoints, which included face-detection software, magnetic badge recognition, and iris scanning, and concluded at last with instantaneous DNA analysis and confirmation by means of a small finger-prick device embedded and wired into the wall, similar otherwise to what a diabetic would use to check their current blood glucose level.  (The DNA software was capable of revealing this too, as a matter of fact - almost without trying - as well as their respective blood types, triglyceride, and even their testosterone levels, among other things; though neither of them currently demonstrated any pressing curiosity in this regard)

     In the final antechamber, they equipped themselves with the requisite sterile, disposable outer garments and accoutrements, which included a full hood, body suit and shoe covers, such as those which an orthopedic surgeon might don in preparation for a total hip replacement.  Only then, resembling misplaced astronauts more so than first-class spelunkers, did they enter at last into the vault’s hermetically sealed and temperature-controlled inner sanctum. 

     There were various incredibly unique historical treasures and artifacts lining the entire perimeter of the circular chamber, each one of itself far too priceless or controversial to be housed or displayed in any public museum.  In fact, so secretive were the contents that there weren’t even any cameras mounted within this innermost vault.  But of all the relics, there was one in particular which had always garnered the most curiosity and attention by privileged onlookers since its long-coveted inclusion in the arcane collection, and was hence situated by itself in the very center of the room. 

     They walked up slowly, almost sanctimoniously, to the museum-style cylindrical glass display which had been specially designed to house the precious artifact.  The case became softly illuminated as they approached, as if (rather aptly) by some supernatural nimbus.

     They peered into the glass enclosure -- then leaned forward and peered a second time, their hard plastic hoods simultaneously clinking against the protective glass. They both then straightened themselves rather abruptly and stared at one another, in utter disbelief of what their eyes had perceived – or failed to see.

     All Obama could think to exclaim was “well, what do you know, Joe!”

     The case was empty.

ⱡ ⱡ ⱡ

     Due to the highly classified nature of the vault and its extraordinary contents, the subsequent investigation was carefully contained and completely unpublicized.  Very few people even knew that the U.S. government was in possession of the sacred relic in the first place, which meant that very few would even miss it.  How the unthinkable breech was accomplished, however, remained a deeply troubling mystery; the log book (which was also confirmed by the computer data) indicated that they themselves had been the last to access the secret chamber, just three years prior.

     Except that this had been their very first visit.

     The video-surveillance equipment completely over-wrote its recorded data every six months, and was hence non-contributory.  Likewise, the two secret service agents who had been on guard on the specified date three years prior had since resigned, citing various personal and health reasons, and furthermore, their present whereabouts were completely unknown.  This made them the prime suspects (and most likely culprits) in the covert investigation, of course, though it was unimaginable how the two of them might have circumvented the various security checkpoints.  All efforts to track them down proved entirely fruitless; they might as well have been abducted by aliens. 

     (By purposeful selection, both had been unmarried, childless, and without siblings, in order to further minimize the risk of any classified information being leaked out, and what distant relatives they were able to contact seemed genuinely surprised and mildly concerned about their disappearances – having previously assumed they had simply been sent off on yet other classified mission which they were not permitted to discuss)

     None of the other artifacts had been touched or taken, but the facilities’ security computers were completely overhauled and reprogrammed as a general precaution, and the original programmer held indefinitely for further questioning.

     There was no record of the President and his Vice having been chauffeured to that or any other location on the date in question, by secret service agent or otherwise.  Neither one was completely above suspicion, of course, but their respective personal and political schedules provided them with such steadfast alibis that neither of them was seriously considered to be in some sort of duplicitous or criminal collusion with the perpetrators.

     The only thing that remained perfectly clear was that, for only the second time in its two thousand year history, the Holy Grail had been stolen.

:: The Birthing ::

(December 24, 2016)

     Jude Heisenberg, Vice-Chairman of the American chapter of ILT International, sat in his lofty, glass-front, semicircular office suite overlooking the warehouse-sized laboratory far beneath him.  Today’s planned event would mark a milestone achievement in his career-long ambition, and he waxed melancholy as he meditated upon the fruits (…and vegetables… ) of his many years of tireless labor.
     Technically speaking, the Human Cloning Initiative was not a true U.S. government project (…hell, officially it didn’t even exist…), despite the fact that it was conveniently ensconced within one of their most highly secretive and closely guarded military bases.  Even the majority of persons unofficially employed at Area 51 were themselves completely unaware of its existence, for it had been laboriously carved out and secreted deep within one of the bordering mountains of the legendary facility.
     Many of the rumors surrounding the desert base were actually quite true:  its primary function was the development and testing of highly advanced and experimental military weapons and aircraft.  They were even in possession of a bona fide flying saucer - though whether of alien or military technology (or both) was a secret which, in similar fashion to that of human cloning, was known only to an extremely select few. 
     (There had actually been two of the extraordinary airships at one time, but their first attempt at reverse engineering had ended in dramatic, tragic fashion during a test flight over New Mexico in 1947.  They still hadn’t completely solved what had prompted the catastrophic failure, but had come to realize that some of the craft’s core components needed to be fabricated in a zero-gravity environment.  Which in fact had recently been covertly achieved within the astronomically expensive confines of the international space station.)
     The cloning project however was independently conceived of and operated by yet another mystery-enshrouded, rumor-engendering entity referred to as The Illuminati - to which Jude of course had a life-long and impressively high-ranking membership.  The organization was powerful, autonomous, and wealthy beyond imagination:  its members, from its lower rungs all the way up to its top echelon, were culled from among the most promising and brilliant individuals in any and all societies, carefully screened, selected and (if deemed suitable) persuasively enticed into the organization via exorbitant salaries and irresistible perks.  Working for the organization guaranteed the individual (and corresponding family, if applicable) a lavish, exceedingly wealthy and worry-free lifestyle.  Excepting, of course - as each and every one of them subsequently discovered - that it was a permanent position: quitting or transferring was simply not an option, and being ‘terminated’ from your job carried an ominously literal connotation.  Suffice it to say that the inducements to remain with the organization were exceeded only by the deterrents to leaving it.
     Jude entertained not the slightest notion of ever leaving or retiring.
     While the US Government believed the organization to be firmly allied and in-line with their national interests, the Illuminati had actually infiltrated and established strong influence over every legitimate governing body on the planet.  The specific belief, by the US President and the handful of government officials who were in the know, was that the cloning project, for instance, existed exclusively for the benefit and advancement of modern medicine and technology, and since it was far too controversial anyhow to be openly funded by U.S tax-payer dollars, they were quite happy to accommodate them within their high-tech base on the basis of private funding, in the hopes that they would be able to glean some of the rewards and benefits of their futuristic labor.  The notion, for instance, of one day having their own personal laboratory-clone with fully compatible human organs (so readily and passively available for harvesting) appealed to most politicians’  lust for power and longevity.  
     Of course, thought Jude, had they any inkling of the project’s ultimate goal (the first stage of which was now very quickly drawing nigh), they would not likely have acted so amenably toward it.  Nor would it have helped to discover that the Chinese were actually footing a good portion of the massive bill, courtesy of the interest they had earned from purchasing so much of the U.S’s debt over the years.  Funding which the Illuminati didn’t truly need but gladly welcomed, while still retaining complete control over the entire experiment - in exchange for a vague clandestine promise of shared technology.
     To a casual observer (of which of course there were none), their attempts at human cloning would appear to have been a resounding success:  hundreds of clones had been produced and disposed of over the past three decades.  Most, however, especially in the earlier years of the project, had utterly failed to thrive, dying shortly after birth, or in their very early infancy; and until fairly recently, none of them had ever been exposed to the outside world.  One of the principal concerns and impediments was that, even with the ones who survived their infancy, they exhibited no spontaneous intelligence or personality.  They were as empty vessels:  living, yet utterly lifeless and unresponsive, as though afflicted with the severest forms of autism.  Their lifespans did improve in proportion to the amount of nurturing and stimulation bestowed upon them by their surrogate mothers, within an environment carefully constructed to mimic a typical household environment – at least as much as was possible within such closed and sterile confines; but still, the subjects displayed a near complete absence of self-will.  If their surrogate tossed them a ball, for instance, they might (or might not) reflexively block their face to avoid being struck by it, but they would never actually catch the ball nor toss it back.
     Over the past decade, however, two major breakthroughs had propelled the project forward toward more promising success, at least from the organization’s point of view.  First, through genetic and biological manipulation, the amazingly brilliant (and unbelievably wealthy) project scientists were able to significantly accelerate the test subjects’ rate of growth, so that it was now possible to produce a fully grown adult clone in just under 3 years.  Secondly, through the use and enhancement of advanced computer biotechnology, they had succeeded in integrating a certain amount of artificial intelligence into the newer clones by means of implanted neuronal microchips and complex bio-circuitry (accessible to the technicians by means of secure Wi-Fi), so that, while they still lacked spontaneity of will or purpose, they could at least be programmed and commanded to perform specific tasks.   They became like living, breathing, incredibly advanced robots. 
     (It had become an inside joke among the project scientists and technicians that you weren’t running with the in crowd unless you had a ‘clone app’ on your smartphone.)
     This had led to Phase II of their project:  the undisclosed duplication of select, high-profile, living celebrities, to see if they could be made to blend in for brief periods within carefully controlled public settings without arousing too many suspicions…

     ... Jude paused here in his reminiscence, leaning forward in his plush black-leather chair to gaze down through the convex row of outwardly-bowed windows onto the vast staging area beneath him; not unlike the Captain of a ship, overseeing, from the vessel’s bridge, the activities of his hands-on-deck.
     The project’s expansive work area was not set up like your typical laboratory – but then again, this was not your typical project.   It consisted of multiple interconnected rooms and cubicles, variously equipped and furnished in accordance with their function.  All of them were overtopped with clear, translucent glass; the illumination being such that Jude could peer down into each and every cubicle from his elevated perspective, whereas the subjects inside were unable to peer out into the relative darkness above them.  The lights of his office, dominating their artificial horizon, might appear to them as a dim and distant constellation of stars within some hazy galaxy.  He secretly enjoyed this remote and lofty perspective, for it made him feel like the omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent Lord of this magnificent creation.
     The cubicle attracting his particular attention at present was the birthing room, where an aggregate of project doctors, scientists and technicians were clustered around a very carefully chosen surrogate mother-to-be, who lay supine and fully exposed upon the delivery stretcher…

     The goal of Phase II had been extremely risky and ambitious, and Jude recalled, as he looked proudly down upon them, with what confidence and enthusiasm these brilliant scientists had taken on the challenge.
     Access to desirable DNA for that pivotal phase had never been an obstacle:  the roots and tendrils of the Organization reached deep and wide, infiltrating, among other things, all the major research hospitals and blood banks across the globe.  In America, this accessibility was further facilitated when it became a federal mandate that all adult US citizens be annually tested for triglyceride levels and other inherent risk factors (and, if qualified, to donate their own fair share of plasma and packed red blood cells), in compliance with the Affordable Healthcare Act – with the highest profile individuals, including the President and Vice President themselves, being among the first to stand in line, to set the example for their populace.  (All freedoms, after all, require some individual sacrifice, and every gratuitous privilege has its hidden costs.  Jude knew this better than most.)
     The unsuspecting class-A DNA donors (the President and his Vice), of course, were never made aware that they had been successfully cloned, or that the Illuminati had ever been in secret possession of their genetic replicants -- fully manipulated and controlled by the organization’s scientists and technicians.  Still, for all their elaborate computer and biotechnology, and as impressively imbued as these modern clones had been with artificially-enhanced intelligence, Jude knew they had not yet been able to program the robotic humanoids with sufficient personality and memory to convincingly replace their originals; the best they could hope for, at the time, was to create and utilize such high-profile clones for brief, specific purposes and functions.
     The experimental clones of the US President and his Vice President, for instance, in order to minimize any risk of detection, had been promptly destroyed immediately following their successful retrieval of the Holy Grail …. which now had its very own specially adapted private display case in the laboratory’s main refectory, placed there to serve as an ongoing inspiration to the projects’ numerous, extraordinarily gifted (and permanently assigned) participants, whenever they gathered together for rest, fellowship, and the breaking of bread.  They were themselves as loyal disciples, after all, richly deserving of whatever rewards and perks he could provide for them.  So long as they continued to do their Father’s bidding, as it were …

   ... Jude’s attention was once again drawn to the birthing room.  The labor induction appeared to be going as planned, judging by the intensity and increase of over-all activity.  From a broad panel on the window-sill, he turned up the volume control for that specific room …

     Phase II, then, had served as little more than a bridge to this third and final phase:  the recreation and comprehensive programming of long-deceased, legendary social icons, capable, through the rapidly evolving enhancements of bio-neuronal implants, of impressing and strongly influencing broad swaths of society -- with the ultimate goal of affecting and significantly altering the course of human events.  (This had suddenly become far more feasible once the organization's scientists, the most brilliant on the entire planet, had achieved what not long ago would have been deemed unthinkable:  the complete reverse-engineering of the human brain.  Through absolute cerebral-computer integration, they would now be able to control every facet of a clone’s thoughts, activities and even their perceived emotions; they need only choose which biological vessel they would like to re-create and deploy)
     For the Name of the Game with the Illuminati, as Jude was most thoroughly aware, was subtle yet absolute power and control.  It had been this way for centuries:  the Organization had amassed sufficient wealth that almost no goal or aspiration was beyond its grasp.  Subtle hints of this were embedded in the bedrock of nearly every modern society.
     Jude, who had little need for cash, pulled out his elk-hide wallet and retrieved the crisp dollar bill – placed there, no doubt, for superstitious good luck by its gifter - and smiled slightly upon noting that, despite the frequent changes to its design and composition, the currency still bore one of their sacred emblems.  The all-seeing eye at the top of the pyramid, of course; symbolizing the Illuminati’s superiority and the fact that they were always Watching …. in particular, eyeing the way in which people spent their money.  For by observing such monetary trends, they knew by what means to exert better influence and control over a given society; what fodder to feed them to keep them content, and what to withhold to incite rebellion.
     In recent times, however, widespread revolts and conflagrations had been flaring up to a degree even beyond the Organizations’ ability to moderate or control them, as religious fanatics were becoming more prevalent and extreme, and governments far too unstable.  Too much power and destruction was available to be wielded in the hands of far too few, and too many rogue, highly volatile governments, dictatorships and movements were emerging as a result of these radical, maniacal insurgents.
     They were in dire need of a new public figure; one capable of garnering wide-spread support and admiration, and hopefully, of unifying and reestablishing some harmony amongst all these dissenting factions …

     ... (In the birthing chamber, the surrogate’s groans were becoming louder and more frequent, and Jude felt strangely aroused as he watched them lift and splay her legs into the stirrups – though not in a purely physical or sexual sense.  He was at once extremely nervous and excited, like an expectant father awaiting the birth of his first child.  He adjusted the remote camera, zooming in on the travailing female.) ...

     Though not a religious man, Jude admired the power and achievement of certain religious figureheads.  Take the one Jesus of Nazareth, for instance.  His persuasiveness and influence over untold millions was truly remarkable, enduring long after his own self-proclaimed sacrificial death.  Though he had lived a life of peace, meekness, and ultimate humility, he had turned out to be far more powerful than Hitler himself - for all his ruthless, tyrannical might and war-mongering. 
     During the advanced phase of his own intensive training and indoctrination, Jude had not been too surprised to learn that Hitler had actually been a planted agent of the Illuminati, elevated to power in an attempt to rid the middle-east of the Jewish resurgence, for it was felt that this was the only way to bring any long-lasting stability to the contentious region.  
     (Someone, after all, had to pay the price for peace; there was simply not enough room on the planet for both Jews and non-Jews alike)  But the Jews had proven to be a far more stubborn and resilient people than the Illuminati had anticipated, and the project had ultimately failed …

     ... (He was always a bit excited and nervous on birthing days, but this time even more so than on any prior.  Of the twelve other clones currently yet living - all of them garnered from his own willfully donated semen in order to avoid any unintended external involvement or personal attachment, and each in various stages of vegetative maturation - he could recall every one of their individual birthdays.  They were all digitally recorded in fact, and he enjoyed reviewing them from time to time on his big-screen.   At this very moment, on the 120”, 3D LCD screen which was currently receiving the live images being transmitted to him by the remote camera, Jude perceived, as Maria screamed in the final stages of her intense labor, that their royal clone was crowning ) ...

     Well, thought Jude, if you can’t beat them, join them.
     Thanks to the DNA successfully harvested from the Grail, they were about to resurrect the greatest Jew of all time. 
     (Who knows, perhaps he would be the One.  If not, there would be others; but it was an appealing choice with which to start ... )

     ... As if on cue, just a few minutes past midnight, their special child made its eagerly anticipated appearance.  What followed, however, was in no way planned or expected, for the infant did something which surprised even Jude, and which none of the previous six hundred and sixty-five newborn clones had ever done. 
     The baby cried...