PROLOGUE
"Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting; The Soul that rises with us, our life's Star, Hath had elsewhere its setting. And cometh from afar."
- William Wordsworth


The Fifth Planet…
The Second Time…

The stress of knowing what was to come weighed on him, even in his dreams. At least he was not alone. The change in frequencies had warned them but only a few remembered to listen. Messengers from God, from the true Source had come and were labeled outsiders, some were killed. The planet had become a manifestation of the darkest fears of its men and women.
Menes bolted upright. Sweat highlighted the tension from his temples down across his heavy jaw. His violent heartbeat added a menacing soundtrack to the images of his dream as they invaded his conscious state. Dragging his hands over his damp face, Menes shut his eyes to search out the 2D frequency that would return his energy level to balance and lower the spike in his blood pressure.
When the last bit of tension was exhaled he reopened his eyes, glancing at the sleeping woman next to him. Relieved she hadn't woken, he carefully uncoiled from the silk bedding and padded over soft carpeted floors into the bathroom.
He moved easily without superficial light. The flecks of gold in the walls around him shimmered as if conducted by his steps. He raised his hand to pass over a cerulean crystal embedded in the marble, causing a tranquil glow to fill the room. When he stepped up to the sink, crisp cold water fell as if it anticipated his need. Cupping both hands under the steady flow, he splashed his face several times before meeting his image in the mirror.
Sighing, he dropped his gaze towards the faucet and the water stopped. He hated being unable to convince more of his people. It left him frustrated even though he tried to accept it for what it was. The tick of universal time brought the inevitable truth; his nightmare was a premonition of the future.
Menes carried that thought as he returned to the woman who still slept. When his eyes touched her his aura pulsed with a dim gray light; sadness. She would leave physically, returning to spirit until she chose whether or not to come back. Unfortunately, the scar of this event would be burned into her DNA, becoming a fear she must face in another lifetime should she revisit this dimension.
When he was back beneath the sheets, Menes drew her against him. For just an instant he slipped through his door in her shields like a scared child taking solace in the willing unconscious reas-surance she gave him. The steady rhythm of her breath lured him back to sleep.
When next he woke it was to the sound of terrified screams, and the deafening rumble of the earth splintering around him. The end was here.

§

“We have failed again.”
"There is great suffering.”
“Just like the first time.”
“I have lived it.”
“We all have.”
“What shall be done now?”
“I believe we have an idea.”
“Ah yes. That is a very good idea.”
“Thank you.”
“Shall we try it?”
“Yes, let’s. Go and collect volunteers.”
“Think it will work this time?”
“Third time’s the charm.”


 


"I will die to see my will done, and it will be done."
-Stefano Vasco Terenzio
Forty-eight hours before his death.

 
Chapter 1
“Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
- Benjamin Franklin


June 6th, 2012
Undisclosed location
Alcyone Island 11:11 PM

He's dying?"
"It's a wonder he lived this long."
"Stubbornness. Pure stubbornness." The comment brought collective sad smiles, and softer laughter.
"Vasco?" The bedroom door opened, the dim light from within blocked by the shadowed figure of the man in the doorway.
Vasco turned from gazing sightlessly at the grandfather clock in the hallway. "Yes sir?"
"He wants to see you." Steel gray eyes clouded with hidden emotion looked at two others. "All three of you."

§

There was nothing lavish in this room, the furniture as sparse as the walls. What did take up space was all mahogany wood, sturdy, masculine. Neither knickknacks nor small keepsakes touched the dustless surfaces. Nothing decorated the mantle above the burning fireplace.
There wasn't place for those things in the room of a man who didn't exist. The only thing that indicated someone might occupy the room (besides the dying man in the canopy bed) was a framed photograph on the nightstand. It showed a woman captured in a moment of happiness. You could see it in her shyly lowered blue eyes, and the slight curl of her smile. Those allowed in this room had often said she should have smiled wider. She'd always had such a beautiful smile. Her husband had replied, it was just enough.
Marcello S. Terenzio was one hundred years old. He lay there with his eyes closed, twisting the simple gold wedding band around his finger as if he needed to be reminded of its presence. It became more of a habit after his wife died.
Demetrius Terenzio left as the triplets filed silently into the room, giving his children the requ-ested time alone with their grandfather. When the door clicked shut Marcello released an audible heavy breath, well aged light gray eyes blinking open.
Simone M. Terenzio-Russo smiled gently at her grandfather, the first to move to his side. "You wished to see us."
Marcello stopped fidgeting, covering his granddaughter’s hand in his own. "I must be brief." It was such a rarity to clearly see emotion rolling through those enigmatic eyes. "My Mari is waiting for me." He paused to take another heavy breath. "You have never been to the vault. I have arranged for the plane to take you."
Lucien Terenzio, the youngest by seconds, stood behind his sister and asked curiously, "The vault? What's in the vault?"
"Wrong question, Lucien." Vasco Terenzio said it quietly as he slowly walked to their grandfa-ther’s side. "Why?"
Marcello smiled, unmasking his pleasure with Vasco's question. "When you get there you will know." He dropped his head back against the propped up pillows, raising his eyes to the ceiling. "I almost wish I could live to see it. Well, with these eyes at least."
"See it?" Simone asked.
"The Ascension."

§

June 6th, 2012
Somewhere in the Caribbean
Phoenix Isle 11:26 PM

A full circle in a star cluttered sky threw an eerie, omniscient glow over the thickness of the greenery below it. To say that the moon’s unblinking stare knew something the organisms on Earth did not was a truth not yet discovered. But it would be.
A wet heat blanketed the acres of jungle, surrounded by the picture perfect calm of clear blue waters. Exotic wildlife was forced to share their home on this small island, twenty miles away from the main one that had seen activity of a human kind since the mid 1920s. Power grew here. It did not wait silently; it spread its hands out like the tentacles of a tumor and touched everything it had been intended to and more.
A house barely visible past the low hanging branches of the cypress trees was a recent addition. Stilts protected it from the mild swamp that occupied this particular corner of the island and full wall windows displayed the darkness within. It wasn't until the shrill ring of a telephone cut through nature's maternal hum that a small light snapped on. On the fourth shrill, the phone was answered.
"What?"
"He's dying."
"Sudden but nothing I didn't already know." The reply was both groggy and slightly annoyed.
"He's not transferring power to his daughter. He's giving it to the triplets."
This information was unknown, and seconds of silence followed. "How do you know that?"
"S.V.T. Securities put a bug in his room two days ago. They are on their way to you now. He's giving them access to the vault."
Thinly trimmed eyebrows shot upwards. "What?!"
"Mmm hmm."
"Bastard."
"Easy, cousin. We planned for this."
He sighed in frustration, pushing his richly tanned hand back through the thick strands of his graying black hair. "I've never been in the goddamn vault. This will give them an edge."
"True. Even so, I'm sure our grandfather would have agreed…” There was a slight curl to Olivia Terenzio’s lips as she spoke. “…who better to take on a Terenzio, than a Terenzio?"
"The stakes are too high to take this lightly," he snapped back quickly, annoyed at the amusement he caught in her tone.
"I take nothing lightly."
"Fine. Have you heard anything from Kayla?"
"Not yet. We will."
"This needs to happen soon. The more the triplets know, the harder this will be."
"You worry too much."
"You don't worry enough." He frowned as he said it.
"Pull the stick out of your ass and start enjoying your job. We'll win."
"We better."
"We will. Get ready for your guests." A dial tone punctuated the words.
General Amadeo Terenzio glared at the phone, resisting the urge to slam it back into its cradle. Tossing the thin sheet aside he climbed out of bed, glancing over his shoulder at the now open pair of eyes peering back at him curiously.
"Get dressed, get out. Your money is on the table in the living room." Without another word he stalked over to his closet, opening it up to the line of uniforms and expensive suits. A uniform was selected. Time to go to work.

§

June 7th, 2012
Somewhere in the Caribbean
Alcyone Island 12:12 AM

Brothels, while illegal almost anywhere else in the world, were not on this island. That made The God’s Tempest an extremely popular place for tourists and the locals. It also made the working boys’ and girls’ profession a lot safer. The brothel, cleverly shaped in the form of a pirate ship, was rarely empty, both men and women catered to by a wide variety of professionals. Disease free, discrete, and extremely talented, both in and out of the bedroom.
Rich wallpaper that pictured the darkly lit interior of the various cabins on a ship stretched around windows that were purely for aesthetics. Oil lamps hung low on the walls throwing more shadow than light over the corners of the Grand Galley’s red carpeted room. There was little privacy for the customers, but most here enjoyed indulging in their exhibitionist tendencies.
For once Xavier Terenzio - Zhane, Deputy Director of Homeland Security for the United States of America, was not here to gratify his sinful desire. A few women he'd made a night of it with before his engagement stopped to chat with him, only to look briefly disappointed when he declined any offers.
Ignoring the animalistic sounds coming from the lounge chair behind him, he polished off his second straight bourbon and kept glancing down at his watch in impatient intervals until the woman he was expecting appeared.
"Do you have it?" Xavier asked without preamble, dusting narrow bluish gray eyes from her generously exposed cleavage up to her face.
Red painted lips smirked devilishly at him as matching polished fingernails squeezed between her cleavage and emerged with a mini CD. "Every word for the last twenty-four hours."
It was his turn to smile as his eyes zoned in on the tiny little case. If there was one thing almost every Terenzio male had a sweet tooth for, it was the company of a woman. Some just didn't choose theirs carefully enough. From the inside of his suit jacket he removed a thickly packed envelope and handed it to her. "Every penny, bonus included."
She exchanged disc for cash, opening it immediately to count every bill. "Thanks X."
"No Lisa…" Xavier tucked the CD carefully into the same pocket, a silent thrill rushing through him at the thought of the information he carried. She had no idea how important this was, but she would soon enough. "…Thank you." Standing a good ten inches above the woman, he was forced to bend to kiss her painted cheek before walking quickly out to the waiting car and his three man personal security team. The razor thin cell phone was already against his ear as he climbed into the backseat, silence reigning for exactly thirty seconds until he heard the "click" that meant the other line had been answered. For right now there was only one message he needed to transmit.
"Our girl came through for us. I'm on my way."

 
Chapter 2
“Science is always discovering odd scraps of magical wisdom and making a tremendous fuss about its cleverness.”
- The Confessions of Aleister Crowley, chapter 64


June 6th, 2012
S.V.T. Think Tank
Alexandria, VA 10:10 AM

Dr. Derek Vaughn III pulled off his glasses, pinching the bridge of his nose to fend off an incoming migraine. It was from lack of sleep. He glanced at his watch then flicked his pen back and forth over the tops of his fingers impatiently. They had to have found something by now. He was risking not only their careers but their lives, all because one night a little over a month ago, everyone on his team had interconnected dreams.
He was thirty-eight and a man of science, not some self-proclaimed New Age mystic. Never-theless he was a little too smart to grant mere coincidence to the fact that all six members of his team shared the same experience. Each of them carried the piece of some puzzle that days later they still remembered in such vivid detail they were able to draw pictures, and repeat conversations verbatim.
Derek tossed his glasses on the spotless surface of his desktop, standing. He turned to the full wall window that provided a breathtaking view of the proudly glowing skyline of the nation's capital. Tucking richly bronzed hands into the pockets of his jeans, he propped a shoulder against the glass, beguiled by the sudden obsession to discover the truth.
He had told himself over and over that they had a lot more important things to do. There were vaccines to create (or acquire), terrorists to arm, weapons to manufacture to sell to the world's only super power, and further advance his employer in any and all areas. Making all that happen was his job, not playing Indiana Jones.
The sudden ring of his cell phone pulled him out of his thoughts. He flipped it open, staring at the tiny screen where the face of Dr. Shirley McDermot appeared. Derek felt his heartbeat begin to race when he caught the expression on her face.
"Derek, you are not going to believe this..."

§

June 6th, 2012
7 miles below Antarctica
Rainbow City 9:11 AM

"We have to stop it, Menes!" Loki shouted, his aura glowing red with his mounting anger and frustration. "Humankind was never meant to know the whole truth!"
Menes looked intently at his young protégé, though Loki was far from young. They were all tens of thousands of years old. "If you recall, the Mayans did very well with the knowledge we shared with them."
Loki snorted, slamming his hands on his mentor’s desk. "They did well, Menes, because we only gave them part of the information. As civilization progressed we were not the ones to share those secrets with any other culture. They are evil and unintelligent! They should remain as slaves to the Anunnaki!"
Menes pressed two fingers against his temple, and said, "Even with the veil wrapped around this planet, the Mayans ascended before the collective was ready. And the Anunnaki visited them frequently." He smiled warmly at Loki. "Calm your soul my friend, all will be well. If the time is not right then the Cave of Creation will not expose itself and the Akashic Records will not be found. But I believe it is time."
Aggravated with the response, Loki began pacing the golden floors of the office. "Menes, of those that came with us only ten remain, and we have lost contact with ourselves above! We are running out of time, if we let this happen there will be nothing left!" From the few hundred that escaped the destruction of Atlantis, fifty came to Earth. The rest had gone to Mars as instructed by spirit. Loki stopped pacing, and pointed his finger at Menes to emphasize the gravity of his point. "It is a trap just like before. The four horsemen have been unleashed. The war is not going well; you and I both know this. They will destroy this planet just like they did Atlantis!" Panic edged his voice and made his aura burn so brightly Menes was forced to squint.
"Loki…” Standing, he walked over to his distraught brother, placing his hands soothingly on Loki’s shoulders. "You can no longer hear yourself because of the fear in your heart. You must regain your trust in Spirit, in the goodness of God. You must remember that we want nothing but the best for you. You must believe this completely. It is time. We keep secrets no longer. The Phoenix Cycle completes December 21st, 2012. This planet will ascend and it will be marvelous."
Loki broke roughly away from Menes’ grip. "You are a fool," he spat angrily. As he waved his hand, a section of the stone wall slid open and he stormed out. Menes sighed disappointedly as Loki left. Once again they were faced with the end of an era and he prayed the disturbing images that had recently plagued his dreams were not solely all the future would become.

§

Menes was wrong. Sound was the universal language and since the dawn of America, the world's great superpower, the first and second dimension frequencies had been screaming in pain. For centuries they had watched humans de-evolve. No, they just weren't ready. He had to help stop it.
Loki stood on the deserted street corner, looking around him. They had worked hard to create Rainbow City. Using the knowledge taught from their destroyed home they had constructed a dome deep beneath the frigid waters, iridescently radiating through the blackness of the ocean. It was a suburb compared to the grandeur of Atlantis, but it proved how advanced technology had been when used in conjunction with the natural energy of a planet, which by its very nature provides for all children who inhabit it.
But out of fifty, there were now ten. Their brothers and sisters had chosen to let go of their hold on physicality, worse, some had been taken by dis-ease, which was what happened to a human body when the energy portals, or charkas became blocked. This made the situation far worse. If there were no Ascended Masters left to teach the humans and they discovered the Cave of Creation it would end in disaster. They were not passive. They would immediately wage war on the Anunnaki for the part they played in the manipulation of their genetic code and the creation of the veil. The Promise would be forgotten and the world would end again. He could not, would not allow that.
His resolve steeled, his destination was the temple. The Pyramid was in the center of their city, standing out as clearly as a diamond glinting in the sand. Its power lay in the sacred geometry of its shape, and the energy channeled by the two giant crystals inside it. By recognizing his connection with everything around him he was able to blend with those energies and fly, much like a passing breeze, into the holy space. Loki descended long enough to drop to his knees in a moment of silent reverence. A wordless prayer was given to the pair of glowing crystals suspended in mid air, touching at their diamond shaped tips. If one was removed the balance of energy would shatter and their city would fall.
"Forgive me for what I must do," Loki whispered. Rising back into the air he closed his hand around one of the golden rods.

§

June 6th, 2012
5 Miles below Antarctica
Shackelton Ice Shelf 9:22 AM

Dr. Abe Donahue had zipped through his college career earning a degree in marine biology, and a PhD in internal medicine. After that he decided to join the Navy, just because he liked boats, and spent the next six years in an attack submarine. It was why he felt confident enough to nap in the tight compartment of the midget submarine. The pulsing lights of the computer system running on auto pilot beeped in rhythmic quiet around him.
It became a cacophony of noise.
Suddenly, every system released a high pitch scream, ripping Abe back into consciousness. He bolted into an upright position just as a wave of white light rolled through the pitch black waters right into the thick titanium. Metal whined as the tiny ship went whizzing backwards, smashing into a piece of rock.
"What the fuck was that, Abe?!" Dr. Shirley McDermott emerged from the only other compart-ment in the submarine seconds after the explosion. Worry clouded her dark brown eyes.
"I have no idea." Abe’s voice was steady, but his fingers were flying over the keyboard running through system checks to make sure the weight of the ocean wasn't about to come crashing in on them.
Shirley jumped into the chair across from him, poking at the touch screens. "Looks stable. Guess we just banged her up."
"General Kahlo is going to be pissed if that left a mark." He winced and shoved his hands back through his hair. "Now let me see if I can figure out where the hell that came from."
"Abe." Shirley was suddenly digging her nails into his bicep.
"What?" He was busy trying to make sense of the strange readings he was getting, but both the tone of her voice and the sting of her nails made him look up. For a second he thought he was hallucinating.
A man was floating through the water. His hands were gripped around one large golden pole. On top of it a diamond shaped crystal threw out a gentle green light that surrounded his body.
She had a PhD in physics and psychology. She knew what was possible and what was not. What was happening in front of them was not possible. The tons of pressure should have killed him, but there he was floating like a fish.
"Get this thing moving, Abe! Follow him!"
"I'm…I'm on it." He couldn't get his hands to stop their sudden shaking as he pressed a button on the control panel to turn the machine around. The bright spotlights from the vessel illuminated the figure of the man as they trailed slowly behind him.

§

June 7th, 2012
S.V.T. Think Tank
Alexandria, VA 1:11 AM

S.V.T. Think Tank, subsidiary of the Dion Corporation, was only eight years old. It had been created to utilize the vast streams of information that was gathered by S.V.T. Securities, a corporate security watch dog that subsequently spied on the organizations it was safeguarding.
S.V.T Think Tank’s mission was simple; improve weapons, design vehicles, update computer systems, video and audio surveillance equipment, anything that was required or not yet thought of.
Since Derek was the Director of the project it provided them the needed privacy and clearance to pull these little 'missions' off. Two floors connected by a winding staircase were devoted entirely to them, accessible by a limited number of personnel. There were only two cameras on the floor and they were in front of the elevators. That deceptively simple gesture was a sign of trust from his employer that was not to be taken lightly. Antonia Bianca–Vaughn, his grandmother, had been one of the personal bodyguards to the head of the Terenzio family back in the day. The Vaughn’s were looked upon by the Terenzio’s as blood relatives and Derek was very aware that a big part of that trust was because of that bond. Until they could figure out what the hell was going on, he sincerely hoped they would stay under the radar.
He stood on the roof of the building chugging down a Styrofoam cup of coffee as the helicopter landed. The implications of this find were mind blowing. He could not remember the last time he had felt so skeptical, scared and excited all at once.
When the deafening noise stilled he tossed the cup in the trash bin near the door, and went jogging forward to meet them. His steps faltered then picked up again when Shirley climbed out first, her arm around a man who looked as if he had just walked off a movie set. Their stranger’s hair was silvery gray and down to his shoulders. He wore a deep burgundy silk toga that nearly sparkled. When the man lifted his head, his eyes were an elegant feline green. Now, Derek wasn't gay, but this man was beautiful. His appearance alone added a little credibility to the story of how he had been found.
"Let's get him inside Shirley," Derek said eager to get to the bottom of this mystery. "Has he spoken?"
"In a language we can't understand. We can't even place it, Derek," Shirley said with an incredulous expression on her face.
Abe emerged from the cockpit of the helicopter carrying a golden pole with the crystal attached to the top.
Derek gawked at Abe as he approached. The crystal he carried was pulsing with some sort of energy you could just…feel. "What the hell is that?"
"No idea. It was pulling him up to the surface."
Derek paused then shook his head, turning to follow Shirley. "Let's try to make sense of this."

§

Loki had done it, just as Menes had envisioned in his dream. The moment the crystal was removed from its balance in the temple, Rainbow City had collapsed. Menes had run from his office as the buildings of stone began to topple and the dome that surrounded their city began to crack. Baphomet, Thoth, Pyrrha, Laura, Phoroneus, Astrea, Enoch and Solon did nothing to save themselves, only smiled and waited for the inevitable. Astrea had walked up to Menes, kissed him, let her energy surround him in a great wave of love and told him to go. Baphomet brought the final crystal to him while the others began to channel their energy together, recharging the crystal so it would protect him on his way to the surface.
Even though Menes knew it was going to happen, and could accept it readily he still felt pain for the loss. But, he consoled himself with the knowledge that soon he would be able release his hold on the vessel of his body so that he might go with his loved ones to that mysterious ethereal plane and begin on this world, or even others anew.
"Speak to them, Menes. Make them understand you."
The words entered his mind as naturally as the air entered his lungs. His spirit guides. And his higher self. He closed his eyes and sagged against the stranger that led him. Human kind was still so primitive, it was a shame. These scientists, though, he recognized them. He had seen them before in Atlantis, but understood they didn't remember him. That didn't matter; they had been chosen. Through their research and the ability of their employer to manipulate the reality of this world, mankind would stand a chance through the difficult times ahead. A choice was upon them; it was imperative that choice be granted.

§

To get into their department from any entry point you were required to have an access card, and pass a retinal scan. Derek used his to clear them through the door on the rooftop and the group moved quickly but cautiously to the main lab room.
As the soundproof door slid closed behind them Abe gave the rod to Derek, and helped Shirley get the man onto one of the examination tables. He had given their strange guest a brief examination after they pulled him out of the water, now Abe wanted to be more thorough.
Derek found it hard to take his eyes off the crystal as he followed the pair into the room. He walked over to the table across from Abe, and snapped on the glaring overhead light. He pulled his glasses from the front pocket of his shirt, sliding them over his dark brown eyes to investigate the strange artifact under the superficial light as Shirley stepped up beside him.
There was gentle amusement in Menes eyes as he watched Abe pull out the stethoscope. It was like seeing the hammer of a cave man. He began laughing only to wince as a sharp telling pain shot under his ribs. Time was of the essence. Lifting his hand, he pressed it against Abe’s forehead. Abe blinked in surprise at the motion, but did not pull away. Warmth suddenly wrapped around Abe’s body, like nothing he had ever felt. He gaped in awe at Menes trying to understand the overload of loving emotion he felt when he noticed a second sensation. This time it was probing at his mind.
Probing at his mind? For a second Abe truly believed he had gone insane, but no, there it was again. Without control or resistance he began speaking; not for himself but for the strange man touching him.
"I am Menes."
Shirley and Derek looked up simultaneously, eyes widening. Abe was glowing. A gentle green light surrounded him and the man they had "found."
"Derek, is…?" Shirley couldn't form the words, but Derek understood the half spoken question. He felt like he was crazy because the longer he watched the scene in front of him, the more familiar it began to feel. As if he had seen something like this before.
Menes smiled at the other two and began to speak through Abe. It was easier this way; he had not spoken English in several decades. "A great age is upon you. You are closer to the truth than you have ever been." He hesitated, choosing the words carefully. "I warn you that what you uncover will shock you, anger you, and terrify you. It will also soothe your souls, and you will know come to understanding why the knowledge has been withheld from you. You must find the Cave of Creation before the next winter solstice. It is this final step that will bring man into full consciousness. The Ascension must not fail again." He drew in a shaky breath, his energy wavering and he willed it to stay with him a little longer.
“Loki - you must find him. He will alert the Anunnaki and they will try to stop you. Those you work for have means to protect you, to help you lift the veil so all will know, as above in heaven, so below on Earth. Do what you will, love is law." He could say no more. Sighing, he ruffled Abe’s hair affectionately, before he broke the connection and lay back down on the table. He could hear the other dimensions calling him, the voices of those he loved welcoming him back. He closed his eyes and with perfect trust and acceptance he released his hold on his physical body. His heart ceased, his breathing stopped and his soul peacefully ascended to the next plane, eager to decide what to return as.

§

The calm silence after Abe, Menes, whoever stopped speaking brought undeniable knowledge; Menes was dying. Tears sprung to Shirley's eyes as she walked over to Menes’ body, holding his hand through his final breath as if she had known him her entire life, and not just those few short hours.
Even though her heart ached she couldn't shake the feeling that death wasn't the end. She would see him again. The notion was completely illogical to an agnostic but somehow she just knew she was right.
Derek sunk down on the edge of an empty exam table, overwhelmed. Abe looked equally as torn as his back hit the wall, his face pale.
"What…what do we do now?" Abe whispered.
Derek swallowed hard and shook his head. He was at a complete loss. "I don't know."
Shirley turned to both of them. "Call Terenzio. As bizarre as this all is, we've still got work to do. And if Menes is right we're going to need backup."

 
Chapter 3
“Modern morality and manners suppress all natural instincts, keep people ignorant of the facts of nature and make them fight drunk on bogey tales.”
- The Confessions of Aleister Crowley, chapter 57


June 7th, 2012
Loyalty Airlines Airport
Alcyone Island 12:12 AM

In 1925 the United States Congress passed the Airmail act which allowed private airline companies to place bids on picking up routes for delivery of U.S. mail. At the time it took a huge burden off the U.S. Postal Service and gave a boost to a slowly growing airline industry.
In 1925 Stefano Vasco Terenzio saw not only a way to change the public image of his two-year-old freight airline company, but also a nearly foolproof way to bridge the gaps between the mob groups around the country. Another step in solidifying his control over them. Under the cover of delivering mail, Loyalty Airlines transported stolen items acquired off the black market, laundered cash, drugs, weapons, whatever was required. Backroom deals, boardroom meetings, constant bribes and the occasional roughing up of a few public officials ensured Loyalty Airlines status as a powerhouse in the aviation world.
By 1930 the budding seeds had been planted and S.V.T. turned control of the airline over to his sister, Liliana. At the time her (fourth) husband, formerly of the U.S. Air force, then Colonel of Alcyone Islands AF, had a few friends in the engineering department at Boeing who were willing to share secrets for a hefty price, keeping Loyalty ahead of their competitors as far as technological advancements went.
By the late 1960s the public had become comfortable with flying and Loyalty jumped right into the commercial markets. In 2000 it bought out a major U.S. carrier and two smaller international companies, then expansion stopped with no plans for anything further.
There was only one airline at the Loyalty International Airport on Alcyone Island, and that was theirs. No matter what other carriers tried to get a terminal, no amount of money would change a policy that had been set in place by S.V.T. himself. No one got on the island that Terenzio didn't know about. As tickets were booked the information was transmitted to the Phoenix Island Command Center where background checks, credit checks, personal history, even medical records were run and shared with the MP database. Unknown to the tourists that simply came to the island to have a good time, cab rides, rental cars, hotel rooms, and everything in between were bugged with video and audio surveillance. When you brought someone into your home, you took no chances.
At this late hour a lone Lear jet sat patiently on the black pavement, two armed guards standing at the bottom of the metal staircase attached to it. Both men dressed in white short sleeved collared shirts and sharply pressed khakis. Wireless earpieces were hardly visible. The men’s gloved hands (weather not conducive) were comfortably wrapped around automatic rifles, a sidearm holstered to each of their hips. The words DION CORP were proudly displayed on the plane, and on the front of their shirts in tiny lettering on the right hand side. Once the sun set, any Military Police assigned to the airport were sent in full force around the Island to keep the peace. Consequently, Alcyone Island had been named one of the safest tourist spots for the last fifty years. Flights that were not meant for the public eye arrived during twilight hours and airport security was tasked to the Alcyone Island Omega Cadre, an elite special operations force, or the Private Security personnel of the Dion Corporation.
No one from the Terenzio bloodline went anywhere without an armed escort, or was given a random pilot for their frequent globetrotting trips. That was the reason Alcyone AF lieutenant General Richard "Richie" Archer was present at such an hour. Archer either flew the Terenzio’s himself or hand picked the pilot to complete the assignment, a real honor. At 6'2, 225 pounds, the dark skinned man was easily identifiable by the all black uniform. A blood red and ice blue stripe crisscrossed as it ran down the arms of the coat and pant legs. Instead of wings sitting on the shoulders of his uniformed coat, three small emblems of a Phoenix announced his rank.
Seven years ago Archer, like a lot of the per-sonnel on the island, had been a U.S. military man. He'd never asked how he'd been so thoroughly scoued but clearly remembered the day current Governor Isabella Terenzio showed up in his office. It had taken two short weeks to lure him away from duty to country.
Archer arrived two hours before the scheduled departure to go over the flight plan. He was a meticulous man, nearly to the point of obsessive compulsive disorder with a steel demeanor, quick temper and zero tolerance for carelessness from anyone on the flight staff. By the time the limo pulled up he had inspected the plane twice, fired a mechanic and called in two fighter jets to escort them over international airspace. Ten minutes after the arrival of the three heirs the jet was slicing through warm blue Central American skies and headed straight across the Atlantic.

§

Simone curled up into a semi ball on one corner of the leather sofa. A tissue was squeezed to tatters in her hand, her bent knuckles set against her mouth as she struggled to control her emotions. It was a losing battle. The farther they got from their grandfather the more she realized his death was inevitable. A small tear fell from the corner of her eye, unhidden by the long black waves that stretched down to her shoulders.
"How long did you expect him to live, Simone?" Vasco dropped his slightly taller 6'1 form down into one of the executive leather chairs, stretching both legs out in front of him. He pushed his short locks back from his forehead that wrinkled with a displeased expression. Even though he didn't laugh nearly as often as his brother, they both shared laugh lines around the mouth.
"Fuck you, Vasco." Simone said it quietly but sharply without looking at him. Instead she continued to stare at the mp3 player that had been waiting for them when they stepped onto the plane. Richie had told them it was from Grandfather.
"We can't all be as cold as you are, V." Lucien sat next to his sister, loosening the knot in his tie and shifting lighter gray eyes between his siblings. They had looked so much alike as children; it was interesting how time and this business of life wore on facial characteristics. Now you could easily tell them apart, even the brothers. Vasco had taken on more of his grandfather and great-grandfather's traits: a slightly pudgy Italian nose and aristocratic facial features. Lucien and Simone took on the more exotic genes, with a deeper hue to their skin tone and smoother lines around their faces.
A wealth of emotion was hidden behind the darker gray eyes of the eldest as they settled on his sister. Sighing, perhaps in wordless apology, he tipped his head in the direction of the player. "Let's hear it."
Drawing in a deep breath, steeling herself for the voice that would come to haunt them, she pressed the play button.

§

June 7th, 2012
Alcyone Island
Holt Air Force Base 12:15 AM

Four military jeeps sped down a narrow two lane road. The soft thickness of the jungle surrounded them in whispering shadows, natures’ nocturnal hum carelessly interrupted by the roar of the vehicles and the angry glare of headlights.
Five emblem General of Alcyone Islands Military, Amadeo Terenzio sat in the front seat, the musty air whipping around the officer’s hat, one hand raised and wrapped around the exposed metal bar above him. He always rode second in the entourage, always traveled with one. It didn't matter they were heading for one of the most secure points on the island, Holt AFB, named after Colonel Jack Holt, war hero of the late nineteen twenties.
Well, not exactly war hero.
Holt allegedly had an affair with Liliana Terenzio, the Lieutenant Governor’s wife. Holt was killed during the volcanic eruption of 1927 but not by lava. A traitor had slipped in and began murdering those that evacuated with Terenzio. Despite Holt's alleged affair, he was given a hero's funeral and no one asked why. Right after, the Lieutenant Governor, then husband to Liliana abandoned his position, his wife and their two children. Liliana was given her husband’s job, and anyone who knew that unspoken history agreed she should have been given the spot from the start. S.V.T. had never put a limit on how far the women in his life could advance despite what society, tradition, even the Cosa Nostra deemed as appropriate female behavior.
But that was then.
Now, five feet before the fog lamps could be seen the base could see you. At three feet the con-trol tower knew how many were in each vehicle and what they were armed with. One foot before the fog lamps became visible fingerprints had been lifted by remote scan off the dashboard, inside door handles and the steering wheel. By the time the vehicles came to a stop at the security gate, the base had a ninety-three percent success rate at identifying who was in the car. Those with no record found in the allotted time had their personal information subjected to a different process that would dig deeper. At that point visitors were held at the gate and security was put on high alert until they were identified and cleared.
When their entourage pulled up, the tower was giving the signal for the fence to slide open. The base Sergeant met Amadeo at the jeep with a sharp salute. Behind him, two mechanical robots were unloading supply crates from a landed plane.
"What time are they expected to be here?" Amadeo asked without preamble.
"We have just been informed that they are not coming here, sir."
Amadeo blinked, the surprised expression on his face as unhidden as the sure sudden spark of his temper. "Come again, Sergeant? Where the fuck are they?"
Unconsciously the Sergeant took a step backward as he answered the question. "We were told, sir, that the information is above our security clearance."
Fury darkened the steel of his eyes, a familiar trait. "Get Olivia Terenzio on the phone. Now."


 
Chapter 4
“A human being is part of a whole, called by us the “universe”… he experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separate from the rest — a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few people near us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”
-Albert Einstein


June 7th, 2012
Dion Corp Executive Lear Jet
Somewhere across the Atlantic 12:22 AM

For the longest time I wondered how many moves ahead my father really saw. Wondered how many things that I thought I’d done on my own, was really his doing. And then I realized the blatant truth in his infamous statement, “I make you do nothing, the choices are your own.”
My father started the game for ego and control. Typical Stefano. I didn’t change it because I’ve gone soft, though my silence over those motives has left a lot of mistrust and doubt floating through the family that you now have control over. But taming that rift is not your goal.
I changed the game for checkmate at first for nothing more than vengeance. The why of that, you will learn soon enough. There was nothing noble in my actions, merely a personal score that had to be settled. It was only after that, in the loving arms of a wife who forgave me for a year’s absence that I realized we would never win if it became a matter of tit for tat. It was at this point that I began to research in depth what we, now you, are up against, and what needed to be done to heed the words of a friend who wisely informed me of my soul’s purpose. It was here that I uncovered the truth about this world we thought was ours for the taking, and it solidified my choice to turn this family from one that rides the fence milking both sides for all they are worth and pick one.
That is why I am sending you to the Vault, a place where you will remember who you are. There is also something I wish to impart to you of extreme importance.
You will not win this battle without complete acceptance of a single emotion, and that is love. Through that emotion you will be able to forsake all else and ironically, do what is necessary. Love, yes don’t roll your eyes. Love of yourselves and of the souls in this world you are tasked with helping. It is time for them to make their choice, time for you to decide whether or not you will give it to them. The Ascension will not happen without Terenzio support, sooth your ego’s with that.
Once you’re done at your destination you’ll find the rest is simply a game of chess. And I can say with certainty that while pieces have been lost no Terenzio has ever walked away from a chessboard without uttering the word, checkmate.
Finish it. In light and love, good luck my grandchildren.

§

June 7th, 2012
Undisclosed location
Alcyone Island 4:44 AM

The clock on the nightstand ticked away mockingly. Every snap of the second hand was a cruel reminder for Demetrius that another whom he loved he would lose. As a family they controlled so much, or at least they thought they did. They were powerful creatures; they moved like it, they spoke like it. You could see it glinting like the fine edge of a razor in the back of their eyes. But there were things, so many things, no one could control. He had not been able to save his sister, only carry the scar of a bullet. He could not save his wife, only sob soundlessly as his children were handed to him and the doctors attempted to consol the grieving new father. He could not save his own father, the rock that had kept him from collapsing under the weight of emotion his entire life. He was empathic without a shield; for whatever reason he was never able to form a protective one.
He looked so much older than his years. Older than his father at times. The wrinkled face was weathered by life, not time. He sat in a chair next to the burning fireplace, his elbows resting on his knees, hands clasped together and pressed tightly against his mouth. Broken gray eyes watched his sleeping father with such intensity, as if by his mere will he could keep the dying man in this plane of existence a little longer.
"If we could hold each other here by thought alone this family would have been saved so much grief." Marcello mumbled the words, gradually opening his eyes to focus them on his son’s face.
What did it say about a man that thirty years later it still hurt him to think of the wife he had lost? Agony streaked briefly across his eyes and Demetrius drew in a long breath, shaking his head and replying quietly, "Including Amanda."
Amanda his twin sister. She died at twenty through no fault of her own. Sadness clouded Marcello's eyes and he reached out for his son's hand, waiting until it was accepted before he spoke. "It was not your job to keep her safe, it was mine. I failed, not you." Amanda, who would have been more than a suitable heir, took two bullets. One was meant for her, the other for her brother. Lots of people had a vendetta against Terenzio; it was the nature of the business. But the men who had murdered his daughter hadn't been part of anything 'meaningful.' They were mere thugs, pissed off that a backroom deal hadn't netted them as much money as they wanted. Four lines of coke and too much alcohol later, getting back at Terenzio sounded like a great idea. The thugs had assumed that Amanda and Demetrius were either Liliana’s or Julian’s.
The way life worked was both strange, and cruel. The twins always had bodyguards but this one time, Mari had been in the states on business and Marcello had allowed brother and sister to have a night out without a 'babysitter.' He had thought, perhaps too arrogantly, that they would be safe on their own island.
Guilt was not a color a Terenzio wore, Demetrius the exception, but Marcello had nearly come apart at the seams for good that day. In his darkest moments he wondered if Mari blamed him for it, because he did so himself. She would not have allowed their children to go out that night un-guarded and Amanda might still be with them today if her mother’s logical, ironclad sense of duty to her children had won out over a father's tendency to spoil and give in to mundane requests.
Demetrius squeezed his father’s hand tightly, watching the far away look seep into his eyes. "Don't, Dad. Not now."
Marcello snapped back to the present, smiling slightly at his son. "You care too much. That has always been your strength, Demetrius, regardless of what others have said."
Demetrius opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by the loud musical ring of his fat-her's cell phone. Demetrius looked surprised; Marcello did not, nodding at his son to indicate that he should answer it. Demetrius pulled the tiny thing to him, flipping it open. "Demetrius Terenzio."
"Demetrius? I’m sorry for calling at such an early hour, but is Marcello there? I’ve got to talk to him." Derek said in a rush.
Demetrius's brows shot up, ready to reprimand Vaughn for his cavalier attitude while his father was dying, but realized that because they hadn't been able to reach him, Derek didn't know. "Derek, now is not a good time. We've got bad news here…"
"I’ll speak to him." Marcello struggled, pushing himself into an upright position, and held his hand out for the phone, cutting off his son's words.
Demetrius’s expression turned curious. "Hang on, Derek, here he is." He handed the phone to his father, looking at him in question as to whether he should stay or go.
Marcello motioned for him to stay. "What did you find, Derek?"
"Sir, I don't know if you would believe me if I told you. Do you have access to your computer? You're going to want to see him."

§

June 7th, 2012
Delgado Apartment
Bronx, NY 12:15 AM

The cold metallic black Cadillac did not fit in with the rotting neighborhood. It was grossly out of place parked in front of the dirty brick, rat infested apartment building in a block too small for the structures crammed onto it.
The three that rose out of the tinted window luxury car were as out of place as the vehicle that brought them. Annoyance twisted the only female’s features as the trio entered the building and were forced to take the stairs to the fifth floor because once again the elevators were out.
New York was not Terenzio territory. Only one piece of Terenzio control sat here (aside from Loyalty Airlines having terminals at JFK and LaGuardia) and that was S.V.T. Securities. One of the first subsidiaries of the Dion Corporation, S.V.T. Securities had been the best idea Stefano Terenzio ever had. The corporate security company had bloomed in the lawless years of the twenties under the clever guise of protection. While not nearly the largest one of its kind, it was one of the most successful.
Senior Vice President Olivia Terenzio was in charge of all the S.V.T.S. offices along the eastern coast of the United States. On the side, discreetly, for her own amusement and profit, she ran a tiny loan sharking business on the NY city streets. It was something to do to pass the time, but on occasion it assisted in recruiting new faces into the company. After all, you never knew who you were going to meet, and who you could end up learning how to use.
Collecting money owed was the reason for her visit to this shitty part of town tonight.
When they reached their floor she motioned to one of the men behind her, a broad shouldered brute with a nasty scar born at the corner of his eye that curved down the side of his face. A knife had barely missed taking his vision from him three years ago, all in a day’s work. He walked up to the apartment door and with a strong kick tore it from its poor excuse of a lock, sending it swinging wildly open.
The three stepped inside just as a woman went sprawling to the floor, sent there by the vicious slap of her husband. Hector Delgado jerked red-rimmed drunken brown eyes from the collapsed form of his wife to the sudden intrusion. His anger was quick to abate to fear when he saw who it was.
It made Olivia smile.
Her eyes flicked over the interior, past a roach crawling up a dirty beige wall to the woman on the floor with a hand against her face struggling not to cry. In the archway fearful, tear filled eyes peeked around the corner. A child no more than seven watched helplessly as her mother was once again victim to her husband's drunken anger. Innocence corrupted with every cruel blow. Olivia was told the little girl was extremely bright, a math whiz. When she grew up she would be useful. Right now the woman and child were not her concern.
He was.
"Miss Terenzio, I was gonna call you."
She ignored him while he spoke, cruel eyes wandering aimlessly over the apartment. Finally her hand extended to the right, and Scar face placed the butt of the gun in her palm.
The fear became more pronounced at the sight. "Now Miss Terenzio, I swear I was gonna -"
She silenced him when she backhanded him with the hard metal of the gun. Hector twisted vio-lently to the side, grunting out in a high pitched whine of pain. She followed his stumble, hit him again with a bored expression on her face as he crumpled to the floor.
He started begging now. Rather, he tried.
Standing over him, Olivia set the ball of her high heeled foot against the back of his neck, pus-hing his throbbing face into the dirty carpet. "Shut it, Delgado." The sharp echo of the gun cocking caused Delgado to start a fit of trembling. She thought it was amusing that his wife never made a sound of protest. The woman probably hoped her husband might be taken off her hands.
"If you're late with my money again…." When she pulled the trigger the bullet ripped into the floor right above his head. Both child and mother jumped but bravely watched on. Hector pissed himself.
Olivia smiled. "You understand now. Go get it."
She stepped back, laughter in her eyes at the obvious stain on the front of his pants. He stumbled into the kitchen, knocking things off the counter as he attempted to bend down and reach underneath the sink. He came back with a thick stack of bills, messily rubber banded together.
She passed the gun back to Scar face. "Every dollar, Delgado."
Delgado was quiet. Sweating, bleeding from the double strike to his face, his hands visibly shook as he watched Olivia slowly count the hundred dollar bills.
A cell phone interrupted the tense silence; the man standing next to Scar face, thinner and not as rough looking, pulled the phone from the inside of his suit jacket. He answered without speaking, listened for a moment then held the phone in Olivia's direction. "Ma'am, General Terenzio on the line."
She made him wait, finished counting then traded money for phone. "On time next week, Delgado." Turning away from the scene, Olivia put the phone against her ear. "What's the crisis now, cousin?"

 
Chapter 5
“What good fortune for governments that the people do not think.”
-Adolf Hitler


June 7th, 2012
The Vasco Resort Hotel
Alcyone Island 12:22 AM

Xavier was an Indigo child. Part of a generation of highly sensitive, physic children who began entering the world in the 1970s with a shared, voluntary purpose: tearing down every old system and paradigm that no longer served humanity. Their warrior spirits and inability to conform made them quite the headache for their parents growing up. Frowned at for having a rebellious, “arrogant” nature, they were also frequently mislabeled with ADD and ADHD. Regardless, they kicked past the barriers put in front of them, and as adults they were infiltrating the system to rip it apart from the inside out, or working on the outside, brandishing machetes and cutting away the mess.
Xavier had been aware of his soul's voluntary mission on Earth since his birth to the son of Kyle and Liliana Terenzio-Zhane, Christopher. While his father had never really understood him, Christopher had seen the potential in his son and focused on that, not his often times erratic, baffling nature. Xavier was thankful the upbringing he’d received had been exactly what he needed to prepare him for his role as an adult. That, too, was no coincidence; much like the face on 15” flat screen TV hanging from the roof in the back of the car. Picking up the remote, Xavier turned up the volume, brief amusement settling across his face as he listened.
Jim was at it again. A rogue investigative journalist who had gotten his own hour of nightly talk time on one of the Satellite Cable Stations (SCS for short) was exposing secrets that had cleverly been kept away from the general populace for centuries. Five years ago, Jim had been containable; a nuisance, but not a threat. The release of the internet proved that stand wasn't well thought out by the Brotherhood. That outlet and the continued technological advancements literally connecting the world made it impossible to limit his exposure. Three times a week, Jim’s face appeared for millions of viewers to see and his radio show aired nightly.
Day after day, he ratted out the government and police forces around the country when they tried to strip away pieces of the Constitution. Every time Operation Urban Warrior was released for testing purposes on real American towns, Jim reported on it. When RFID was being passed off as the "safe" technology of the future, it gave him something else to passionately rant about, exposing it for the tyrannical tracking device it really was.
RBK, a subsidiary construction company (whose shareholders included the Vice President of the United States), was given a two hundred and fifty million dollar contract to build illegal immigrant detainee stations. A small article was posted in random publications across the country. Two days later, at least fifty popular websites aired the true version of the story, telling everyone that they were concentration camps for terrorists; a.k.a anyone who did not adopt the coming formation of the North American Union, the last step in turning America into a true police state.
It wasn’t just the easy outlet for conspiracy theorists causing problems. Xavier couldn’t help but briefly smile at the slew of “blunders” that had plagued the Powers That Be the last few years. N.E.S.A.R.A. had been miraculously passed in 2005. Smartly, the Supreme Court put a gag order on it and it was lost for a while. Then word leaked out. It was a huge mess. More than usual were removed from the Brotherhood after that and their deaths were never kind.
The fuck ups continued when a sarcophagus that was found underneath an apartment complex in Iraq in 1980 and very skillfully hidden from public view for over twenty years, suddenly came to the nation’s complete attention in 2007. It had caused a quiet fury among the Bloodlines, especially when it was proven to be the final resting place of Jesus' family, which included his wife and son.
That revelation still made Xavier chuckle in private delight. But, it was the future he was the most concerned with, and that was why he was in such a hurry to get back to the Capital. The limousine pulled to a stop in front of the Hotel. Flanked by two stoned faced, black suited men, Xavier moved quickly through the lobby, into the glass elevators, and up to his penthouse suite. Inside, another Agent was scanning the room for hidden listening devices; besides the typical ones that SVT Securities installed in all Terenzio owned holdings. At a small table away from the windows Xavier’s fiancé’, Kelly Palagio, a striking woman with soulful brown eyes sat in front of a laptop computer. An Indigo child herself and an energy worker, she looked up as Xavier walked in, a loving smile spreading over her full lips.
Her energy was almost palpable and could pull him from the foulest moods almost instanta-neously. He walked over to her, bending to kiss her as his bodyguards began to get their luggage together.
Kelly touched his jaw as she returned his kiss, and then stood up to let him sit. “Alexandro is waiting on the line.”
“Thanks.” Xavier took the chair, looking at the LCD screen, the face of his mentor in a small box on the other side. “I didn’t expect to hear from you so soon.”
“Xavier.” Alexandro DeMarco III was the Director of Homeland Security, and a double agent. The DeMarco family had a long history in politics, dating back to 1928 when his great grandfather, Alexandro DeMarco I, beat Huey P. Long for Governorship of Louisiana. It was quite the accomplishment considering that at the time Alexandro’s brother, Antonio, was the Don of the DeMarco crime family. Alexandro and his wife, Mona, were both intimate friends of Stefano Terenzio and his wife, and the DeMarco’s had secretly kept their friendship with the Terenzio family alive over the last century. Alexandro smiled warmly at Xavier. “When are you going to marry that beautiful woman?”
At the question, Xavier glanced over his shoulder, watching as she coordinated their departure with his men. A private smile slid over his mouth as he looked back the computer screen. “If all goes according to plan, January 1st, 2014.”
“A good date.” Alexandro chuckled briefly then grew serious. “They are getting very anxious, as they should. I’ve received word that the Bloodlines are speeding up the formation of the NAU.”
Xavier nodded. He expected as much. Because the last ten years had been one critical leak after the next, They knew they had to ensure that no one thought long enough to work up the intent to do anything about something like the formation of the NAU. The North American Union would erase the borders that separated Canada, Mexico and the United States and form one nation that would have its own judicial and executive branches, which would supersede those of the individual countries. Neither Congress, nor the people had been given a say in its formation. All meetings had been held in secret with the heads of each country, along with the CEO’s of the worlds leading conglomerates and select members of the Council on Foreign Relations. The NAU was a key step in the formation of a World Government which would make Nazi Germany resemble a democracy. “Any plans to slow them down?” Xavier asked.
“I’m working with Antonio on that,” Alexandro said, referring to his brother. “Since the Bloodlines are so proficient at keeping the populace unaware of their sinister intentions, even with the Veil lifting it is difficult to convince the masses to take appropriate action without giving ourselves away.”
Alexandro was right. Most Americans had never heard of the NAU and even if told its purpose, not many believed it. That, along with the dangers of the Patriot Act V, and every right “freemen” had given away to be "safe" were continually kept hidden. The Brotherhood was putting tremendous effort, especially now, in keeping the average citizen from ever believing that the agencies created to protect them were just the opposite. It was imperative for the New World Order that people continued to willingly give their power away by remaining and participating in the thought controlled systems surrounding them. “Another well placed leak, perhaps? The little bombs we drop bring more people into awareness and once that begins, awakening has no choice but to follow,” Xavier offered.
“Perhaps. The public hearings into 9/11 have been derailed again. They are celebrating that small victory,” Alexandro said.
Xavier frowned. Ten years later, that event was still a thorn in the Bloodlines’ side. Enough of the populace was not willing to let it go, and every year more evidence was exposed to bring it back into the limelight. September 11th had almost turned into the worst fiasco of them all for the Brotherhood. The plan had been so beautifully put together and if the third plane had hit the White House, the general populace wouldn’t be a problem. Martial law would have been declared and they’d be in those concentration camps as intended. But no, it hadn’t gone as planned. The cover up story was badly thought out, (an understatement) and anyone with a high school education knew the government's explanation was a lie. Xavier still found it frustrating that that event alone hadn’t shocked a nation awake. Amazingly, the Brotherhood had gotten away with it. “Not quite enough have awakened then,” Xavier sighed.
“Fear is still a powerful tool, mi amico. Security sells, and religion is the icing on the cake. Don’t worry too much, the world will see it for the illusion it all is soon enough. We’ll see to that,” Alexandro assured him.
Xavier rubbed the back of his neck. The educated, the non educated. The Democrat, the Republican, the Independent. The Advocate. The Conformist and the Activist. The Patriots who proudly condemned those who complained but never voted or served their country.
The Bloodline called them suckers.
Parties were a smokescreen. Elections were not decided by the population, and the Electoral College had the same boss as everyone else. The presidential election of 2000 couldn’t have made that more glaringly apparent, but the irony was that the majority of humans wanted to be manipulated. Centuries of conditioning, lies, and secrecy ensured that human beings didn’t believe in anything past the mundane. It was inconceivable that a government might be as evil as the conspiracy theorists claimed, and anything to prove that the ordinary reality still existed was latched onto like a crack pipe. No matter that the evidence proved otherwise.
“What do you have on my to-do list, sir?” Xavier finally asked.
Alexandro smiled. “First, I have some good news to share. When you return I will be away for several days. All twelve Ascended Masters have taken on physical form and I am to meet with two of them. The Veil has lifted enough that they can exist in the lower density without the forgetfulness. It only further proves it’s time.”
Xavier had to grin at that news. ”Really? That’s wonderful. That will help tremendously.” In the beginning, what was called The Veil had been necessary. Keeping humans in a competitive, hierarchal system based on a string of half truths had been part of the grand plan all the way back to Sumer and before. Xavier knew that very soon, everyone would be clued in on the little secret the Powers That Be tried to keep hidden; it was time to release humanity. However, the problem of fear existed on both ends; They feared the loss of control. The “illuminated” ones were ironically just as ignorant as the population they enslaved, but for different reasons. Even the Brotherhood had nothing to worry about; there was no heaven and hell. No checklist you had to complete to get into Heaven. No eternal suffering after death for the “bad” people. No one was left behind. “That’s a dangerous meeting to take now, though. Be careful.”
“Si, don’t worry. I’ve lined my ducks up enough that my absence won’t cause suspicion, and the Sirians have assured me they will keep the Brotherhood’s Seers blind to my actions.” Regardless of the ironhanded clutch the New World Order had on humanity, the Universe would not be denied. Planets and races throughout the cosmos had formed a coalition and been visiting Earth since the beginning to help.
“All right. We’re leaving here within the hour. I expect to hear from the triplets after they’ve gone through their Awakening, and I’ll share what news I’ve got.” Xavier felt the subtle weight of the CD in his pocket.
“Excellent. And the scientists?”
“Marcello believes they are still on the correct path. I’ll follow up with Roberto when I get home; I know he’s being kept in the loop.”
“Good. Stay safe and watch your back Xavier. A demon screams the loudest as it’s about to die,” Alexandro warned.
“I will.” Xavier cracked a grin. “Nothing we Terenzios can’t handle. Especially my side of the family.”
Alexandro chuckled. “Indeed. Espavo, Xavier, I will see you in a few days.”
“Namaste, Alexandro.” Xavier set his hand on the keyboard, a single key stroke terminating the secure connection. They were in for a wild ride, and his excitement over it all was nearly uncontainable. After all, The Awakening had really begun picking up speed in 1987. It started out small, and the Brotherhood hadn’t worried about it too much. It was a phase that would come and go.
Wrong.
With the help of technology the information spread faster and the numbers grew from a few scattered hundreds to concentrated thousands. Bit by bit small clusters of the populace around the world stopped believing in the thought controlling systems and the powerstealing organized religions. From all walks of life, humans were healing themselves, which released such a powerful vibration it would lift those around them. And, the slow bridging of Science and mysticism was proving the impossible for those who cared to learn about it.
For the Brotherhood, the Awakening was becoming a big problem. Conditions used to be set so that the process would take lifetime upon lifetimes. Now, the human body was reaching full kundalini activation in as little as six months, and that made it impossible to fuck with. Lightworkers were taking their power back, using their energy for the greatest good of all souls. The mind couldn't be manipulated or fooled into believing the lies anymore. They no longer feared death because they understood the truth of the body. They knew as the Elites had for centuries (hence why They were in control) that all were Gods. Sparks of divinity from the Source. Powerful co-creators of the reality of the third dimension.
Who believed that? Really? It was more than laughable, even if it could be proven. The answer was the Brotherhood’s problem; too many. And with Terenzios’ help, everything the Shadow Government wanted to do, would not go off as planned, and that meant the Ascension would occur, as predestined.
It was a hell of a lot better than a New World Order.

 
Chapter 6
“The seeker should not stop until he finds. When he does find, he will be disturbed. After having been disturbed, he will be astonished. Then he will reign over everything.”
-Gospel of Thomas


June 7th, 2012
Dion Corporation Private Retreat
Madeira Islands 4:44 AM

Why didn't we get invited to this place sooner?" Lucien asked as the limousine pulled to a stop.
"Good question," Vasco agreed, peering out the window. Even at the early hour with morning barely pushing into the darkness the scenery was breathtakingly beautiful. Situated in the North Atlantic Ocean, the Madeira Islands were famous for their wine. Known as the floating garden, Madeira was more than aesthetically pleasing with gentle rolling hills, and bustling valleys. Exotic greenery scattered across the cliffs settled along the coastline, gentle white-capped waves rolled against the rocks and disappeared back into the calm limpid blue ocean. The Villa they pulled up to sat secluded at the top of a hill, partially hidden by the clusters of dragon trees.
“I’m pissed off this is a boy’s retreat. Oh wait, I’m in charge now too. That just changed.” Simone said it with a smile but the look in her eyes gave credence to her statement. She climbed out of the car first, turning her face to the breeze. “The ocean smells different here.”
“Hey hey, Co-President. Get your own retreat,” Lucien protested good naturedly, getting out of the car after her. He carried his wrinkled suit jacket in one hand.
“Guards are well hidden,” Vasco commented, closing the limo door behind him. Unless you were really staring it was easy to miss the dark camera lenses in the trees, in corner beams along the wraparound porch. One Dion Corp security guard was standing in front of the four car garage and Vasco was certain he had seen another near the front door as they arrived, though he didn’t know where the man was now. Probably walking the perimeter.
“Your grandfather loved it here,” said Tom Wilkens, head of security. For the last thirty years the bulky, white-haired man had been in charge of the Terenzio Ranch, as the guards posted there had come to call it.
“I can see why. Did he ever bring Grandmother here?” Vasco asked Tom, walking towards the front door.
“Marilyn? Twice. Himself, he spent little over a year here at one point.” Tom shook his head remembering. “That was a bad time for him.”
“Well, you know we’re a moody bunch,” Lucien said with a mock frown. Simone elbowed him as they walked inside.
“If you say so, Mr. President,” Tom replied nonchalantly, smoothing a hand over his full neatly trimmed beard. He turned to them in the open foyer. “Your pass codes to get in and out are your Dion employee numbers. There are two cars in the garage, keys are hanging up if you want to explore. Your helicopter leaves at ten PM sharp. Pack light, I’m told the journey you’re taking is a bit…uncomfortable.”
“Nice.” Lucien rubbed his hands together, looking around. “I need to know where the infinity pool is and where the bitches are.”
Simone rolled her eyes. “Keep it to your own section of the house. I’m going to call my husband.” Of the three of them, Simone was the only one thus far to get married. Her husband, Victor, worked at Dion in the marketing department.
“Phones are everywhere. Pool is out by the gardens. Let us know what type of ‘bitch’ you want and give us an hour,” Tom said casually. He had received stranger requests from the Terenzio men that had visited here over the years.
“Thanks Tom.” Simone smiled and walked up the spiraling staircase.
“Don’t hate,” Lucien called out teasingly after his sister. He grinned at his brother. “If the journey after sucks, my morning I’m going to enjoy. Want to join me, Vasco?”
“No.” Vasco set his hands comfortably into his pants pockets. “Tom, show me where my grandfather went most often when he was here.”
Tom nodded at Vasco. “No problem.”
“What’s on your mind, V?” Lucien canted his head at Vasco curiously.
“Grandfather,” Vasco replied simply. The mp3 player they had heard on the plane was sitting in his pocket; he intended to listen to it again.
Lucien paused then nodded. “Right. You know where I’ll be if you want to talk.” He set a hand on his brother’s shoulder briefly as he walked past him. “Tom, come see me when you are done. I’ll be in the pool with my Christmas list.”
“Sure thing,” Tom said to Lucien before motioning at Vasco to follow him. “Your grandfather spent most of his time in his office, Mr. President, this way.” He led Vasco down a short series of hallways to a pair of closed doors at the end. Tom had a string of keycards on his belt and he flipped through them until he found the one he wanted, waving it past the unseen security strip built into the doorframe on the right side. It beeped quietly and when the latch clicked he pushed it open but didn’t walk in, instead he stepped aside to let Vasco pass. “I’ll have a keycard made for you. I believe the envelope on the desk is for you too.” Tom winked at him then walked away.
Vasco quirked a brow at him and his curiosity was piqued when he stepped into the room and saw that Tom was right. A midsize manila envelope sat on the spotless desktop surface, his name scrawled in familiar handwriting on the front. He shook his head slowly, a wry smile on his mouth. “You never bore, Grandfather, that’s for certain.”

§

June 7th, 2012
S.V.T. Think Tank
Alexandria, VA 6:22 AM

“No fucking way!”
Derek jerked his head up from the desktop, Abe’s excited shout ripping him out of the brief nap. Two hours ago he had secretly updated Marcello on everything they had been doing. To Shirley and Abe’s knowledge the head of S.V.T. Think Tank was Roberto Terenzio, Isabella Terenzio’s (current Governor of Alcyone Island) son. From their group, only Derek was privy to the knowledge that Roberto was more a figure head than anything else, and that it was the mysterious Marcello who he reported too.
Derek had been more than a little surprised when their enigmatic boss had given them a green light on everything. He was also deeply saddened by the news that Marcello was dying. Even though they hadn’t been close, (Derek had never met Marcello in person) he knew that his brother Leone, did work closely with him and would take this especially hard. Derek had made a mental note to give his brother a call when the hour was decent.
He glanced down at his watch to note the time then called out groggily at Abe, “What happened?”
“Hang on.” Abe was standing at one of the lab tables, his eyes glued to the microscope. Slowly he adjusted a dial on the instrument then moved away to work on the laptop next to him, his fingers pounding the keys. Ten seconds later the computer made a sharp beeping sound causing Abe to shake his head in amazement.
Derek rubbed his hands across his face, slapping his cheeks to wake himself up. Finally he picked up his glasses on the table next to him and stood, walking over to Abe. “What is it?”
“In its most simplistic terms?” Abe scratched at his chin. “Menes was the healthiest man alive. Menes is also the first specimen I’ve seen with three DNA strands, instead of the two that are found in, oh, every human currently on the planet.”
Derek’s jaw went slightly agape. He looked over at Menes’ body as if the dead man could confirm this then back at Abe. “That’s not possible.”
“Course it’s not. It’s also impossible for a man to live five-plus miles down in the ocean, and then suddenly float to the surface carrying a crystal rod.” Abe just shot him a look. “Come see for yourself, the testing is accurate. Menes’ DNA is just…not of this world.”
Abe slid to one side and Derek stepped up to the computer, reading through the test results. It filled him with a childlike wonder, reminding him how much mystery could exist in something so impossibly small. And then he felt like the world had tilted and tossed him into a place he no longer understood when he realized Abe was right. “Holy shit.”
“It gets weirder.” Shirley walked back into the room carrying a few computer printouts
“Menes's DNA has three strands. You can’t beat that.” Abe flopped down into a rolling chair, lacing his fingers behind his head.
Derek couldn’t help but smile a little at the appearance she made. They had all been working around the clock and her cherry red hair was half piled on top of her head, half hanging loose around her face. She looked tired and touchable but he kept his hands to himself. “What have you got?”
“Remember when Menes said that someone named Loki would alert the Anunnaki?” Shirley asked, stopping at the table in front of them.
Derek and Abe nodded.
“In a nutshell, they are referenced primarily in Sumerian culture. According to Sumerian writings, the Anunnaki were gods that came to Earth from the Planet Nibiru, also referred to as Planet X, or the twelfth planet.”
Derek leaned his back against the table’s edge, folding his arms across his chest as he listened. “I’ve heard of Planet X. Orbital calculations have showed there is something pulling at Neptune and Uranus and it’s not Pluto. NASA has been looking for years for the large body that is theorized as probably being way out past it.”
“Exactly. The story about the Anunnaki gets better though. They are described as tall beings with wings and a round disc above their heads,” Shirley continued.
“Sounds like a biblical angel to me,” Abe commented.
Shirley nodded at him. “It does, which means it was probably borrowed into Christianity like a plethora of other religions. As the story goes, the Anunnaki came to set up mining colonies because they needed the gold to repair the atmosphere on their planet. When they saw primate humans here, a.k.a homo erectus they decided to use their superior knowledge of genetics, tinker with us and make themselves a working class to do the mining for them, resulting in the current human.”
Derek began rubbing his temples as if such action would jumpstart his brain into understanding, but he remained silent.
“Fuck, is the Tooth Fairy real too?” Abe tossed his hands into the air.
“Probably, Abe.” Shirley pulled a chair over, sitting down next to them. “Really, it’s not that impossible, guys. Sumer appeared out of nowhere. They show up right after the Stone Age and are incredibly advanced. Their knowledge of astronomy was amazing. They accurately recorded where the planets were in our solar system and what they looked like, right down to the color and the rings around Jupiter. They claim the Anunnaki taught them how to do it. The interesting thing is the Sumerians never called them Gods. They were teachers, geneticists, kingmakers, etc. They weren’t worshiped, they were worked for, the correct translation of the word.”
Derek just stared at her, then over at Abe’s computer. He didn’t know what to think anymore. The world was spinning and suddenly the reality he had existed in his entire life was not what he thought it was. “Okay,” he started slowly, “I’ll agree it’s not that impossible. Statistically speaking, space is so infinitely large that there is probably one if not hundreds of planets that exist somewhere out there, hosting life probably more intelligent than us,” he slowly reasoned. “But, aliens on Earth?”
Abe didn’t comment yet, trading glances with the two.
“Well, why not?” Shirley said, dropping the research papers she printed out on the table top. “Sumerians were a highly intelligent civilization. Why does it make any sense for modern science to simply pass off as myth where they got their knowledge just because they claim it was from beings from another planet? That makes us rather ignorant, don’t you think?”
Derek didn’t respond, a strained thoughtful expression on his face. Then again, Menes had three strands of DNA, a modern marvel. It seemed today, anything was possible in the world.
“Do you know what Menes meant when he said Ascension?” Shirley cocked her head, looking at the two of them.
Abe answered. “I’ve heard of it, you can’t help it nowadays with all the New Age conspiracy theorists running around. Love, light, the higher self and all that.”
Shirley laughed. “Close, but we can do better than that. We’re all familiar with Quantum Mechanics, right?”
Both Derek and Abe nodded. Derek spoke up. “What does that have to do with this Ascen-sion?”
“Everything, if you can connect the dots.” Shirley gave them a tired smile. Later she’d have to call her grandmother and thank her for being that strange New Ager all these years. It was making it easier for her to see the relationship between seemingly unparallel things. “We all know there are some weird things that go on when you study the quantum world. On the sub atomic level it is showing that all things are connected. Basically, we are all one. So far so good?”
Derek mulled over this a moment then nodded. “All right.”
Abe shrugged his shoulders. “Sounds good.”
“That is what the ‘crazy’ New Agers have been trying to tell us all along. Ascension on an individual level is the process of activating the energy portals in the body called Charkas. There are a hundred different ways to do this, however, no matter how you spin the process of getting there all teach that we as humans create our own reality. What is in our heads is then reflected in the world around us. In a very literal sense we are creators of reality.”
“Oh c’mon, give me a break. You’re telling me that thinking happy happy joy thoughts is going to make my world a bunch of roses?” Abe rolled his eyes.
“Well, it’s a start, but there’s a better way to explain it.” Shirley looked amused at the expression on Abe’s face. “Quantum basics show us that electrons can act like both a particle and a wave. But what’s really fascinating is that how they act is all dependant upon whether or not someone is watching.”
Abe dragged his hands over his face, sitting up a little in his chair. “I’ve seen that experiment. When no one is paying attention, electrons don’t have a measurable location, they are everywhere.”
“Probability fields.” Shirley added.
“Right, fine. Probability fields. But that can’t have anything to do with the pot smoking hippies meditating and saying we are all one, spirituality. It just makes sense that on that sub atomic level we are all made up of the same stuff. That doesn’t make it mystical.”
“Yes, but the science and mysticism are linked up Abe,” Shirley argued. “Unobserved and unmeasured electrons are nothing but probabilities, little pockets of energy waiting for something to tell them what to do. As soon as we peek at them, the probabilities all collapse into one. The wave becomes a particle again, acting exactly like we expect it too.”
Derek frowned lightly, letting his mind process what Shirley was telling them. It was hard to come to grips with the notion that science might be proving an idea as radical as humans ascending. “You’re saying that we can affect the very building blocks of reality with what, thought?”
“Yes.” Shirley nodded vigorously. “David Bohm was Einstein’s protégé and his view of Quantum Mechanics also supports the theory that we are all connected. When you look at it from that perspective, things like physic phenomena don’t sound so fantastical either. If we are all connected, then that means our brains are too. Which means a mind reader is simply getting information they should already know because nothing truly separates us. To move through this “physic” space, you have to go inward instead of outward, such as described in medative practices. When you have those moments of “englightment” what you’re really doing is getting a glimpse of the quantum world, which is wholeness and the very fabric of reality.”
Derek and Abe remained silent, obviously trying to wrap their minds around all this.
“Did you know that Nicola Tesla and Rene Descartes claim inspiration for their discoveries through dreams and visions? Or maybe they were just experiencing the quantum realm. Doesn’t sound so off base when you phrase it like that,” Shirley said.
“Looks like we got a glimpse of it ourselves then,” Derek commented referring to the dreams they had all had that started them on this crazy journey.
Shirley smiled. “Have you ever heard of Masaru Emoto?”
Both Derek and Abe shook their heads no.
“Masaru is a Japanese researcher and he did experiments on how words affect water. His findings are incredible.” Shirley grabbed the papers off the table top and began shuffling through them as she spoke. “He put water in jars, attached different phrases to each, froze them, then took pictures of the water crystals with a microscope. In every single experiment, the words put on the jars affected the water. Meaning…” Shirley stopped when she found a picture she was looking for and held it up. “Beautiful, right? He put the words I love you on this one.” She waited a moment then showed them another. “This looks like it was taken out of the dirty Potomac River, right? Wrong. Same water. He just wrote I hate you on this one.”
Derek reached out and took the printout to inspect it closer. “Oh, that’s just weird.”
Abe held out his hand and took a few other printouts from Shirley, slowly flipping through them. “Wow.” He shook his head then looked back up at Shirley. “What does this have to do with the present conversation?”
Shirley grinned at him. “Water comprises more than seventy percent of the human body. So doesn’t it make sense to reason that if words affect water, we can affect our bodies with the same?”
Abe was silent at first, the wheels in his head spinning almost out of control. Finally he said, “Fine. Say I dig all this crap. I can affect my body with the power of my mind, and somehow create my own reality, not just be affected by it. So are all humans going to magically Ascend before the next winter solstice unless the aliens from Planet X stop us?”
Derek almost laughed. This all sounded like the plot of a bad science fiction movie. But the deeper they got into this, the more plain scientifically reasoned facts were standing in the way of them passing it off as nonsense.
“We might. Unless we don’t find the Cave of Creation in time,” Shirley said. “Oh, by the way. Do what thou will, love is law? That was a phrase that is used to sum up the Law of Thelema, revived by famous occultist Aleister Crowley.”
Derek blinked in surprise at that. Then something seemed to jog his memory because he snapped his fingers. “That’s right. He wrote the Book of Law, apparently under guidance from some voice over his shoulder when he was in Egypt.”
Abe eyeballed the two of them, and then sighed. “Why do I suddenly feel like everything I know is wrong?”
The phone at Derek’s hip exploded into musical noise, startling him. Shirley looked over at him when he jumped, her sleepy brown eyes taking on a note of concern. She reached out, briefly and silently touching his arm in small comfort.
Derek cast her a small reassuring smile as he pulled the phone from his belt and looked down at the caller id. “It’s Grams.” Grams was the affectionate nickname they had given to Angela Knoxx. She was a sixty-two year old neuroscientist with additional studies in Anthropometry, still went spelunking and sky diving any chance she got and showed no signs of slowing down any time soon. She was also Shirley’s grandmother. Angela and the last two members of their team had gone to Piedras Negras in Guatemala. Derek flipped open the phone and pressed a button to bring her face onto the LCD screen.
“We were getting worried about you guys,” Derek said.
A mud streaked, wrinkled, but still elegantly beautiful face looked back at him. The pair of spectacles seemed to sharpen the intelligent stare of her green eyes. A wide brimmed straw hat perched on her head and she was smiling with barely suppressed excitement. “You’ll never believe what we found, lovey.”
Derek had to laugh when he heard her, even Abe and Shirley chuckled. “Try us.”

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Impressum

Texte: Copyright © 2006 DCS. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Published By SVT Publishing, LLC 828 Royal Street #147 New Orleans, LA 70118 This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictiously. Any resemblance to actual person, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental. International Standard Book Number (ISBN): 978-0-6151-9675-6 Printed in the United States of America
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 06.04.2009

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Widmung:
To You: To Antonia Bianca (Liz), Julian Terenzio (Shawn, a.k.a numbered husband), Carissa Terenzio (Jess, a.k.a Teach): Thank you a million times over for your help during the creation process. This book is made all the better by your tangible contributions to it. This is your story as much as it is mine, and I hope I have done your creations justice. Liliana Terenzio (Sara): Thank you so, so much for editing the scenes I changed! I can’t wait until you let loose and write your own novel. I remain a huge fan of your writing. I’m really looking forward to working with you on the second book, even though I must be an editor’s nightmare. To Grey Cross (a.k.a numbered husband): Thank you for creating the Shaddai Universe and for your genius. You continue to be one who inspires. To Tara, Margaret, Mom, and Daddy JB: Thank you a thousand times over, for your critiques, your compliments, your thoughtful help and relentless book promotion. I love ya’ll. Look ma, I did it! To Keith: The cover would have looked better if you had of designed it, so maybe I can get you to do the second one. But, thank you for your honest critiques while I was putting this one together. I don’t say it enough but I really appreciate it. Love you! To SVT’s second wife: Thank you from the bottom of my heart. For reading this book eight times, for your honest criticism, unfailing support and patient tolerance of the insanity that is me (especially when I’m working). Here’s to sharp edges and fuck the fine print. And to you, yes you, the one reading these words; may this book be a light on your current journey. You know which one. Namaste.