God's Lions - House of Acerbi (53 page)

It was quickly becoming obvious to the others that Leo was beginning to enjoy their rustic existence. He had begun to reevaluate his life and his role in the world.
Who needed a title to deliver God’s message of love to others?
In the past year, he had actually found that the title of cardinal had separated him from the common man. He yearned for the days when he could rub elbows at the local watering hole with the working-class men and women of his hometown, hard-working people who sometimes worked two jobs just to pay their mortgages and send their kids to an overpriced college that offered no guarantee of a job after graduation.

Even the prospect of returning to the classroom as a professor of history no longer appealed to Leo. To him, the modern university had become nothing more than a scam perpetuated by a growing education industry that handed out PhD’s like they were Halloween candy to those who yearned for a better life. With profit now the driving force behind higher education, the validity of the degrees it bestowed on its graduates was seriously in doubt. A culture spawned by MBAs who lacked the historical perspective to go with their newfound knowledge of number-crunching had led the country down the rosy corporate path of outsourcing jobs that once went to those who were perfectly happy punching an industrial time clock every day if it gave them the ability to buy a home and put food on the table for their families. Leo knew that one day the country would have to start making things again, or the middle class, or what was left of it, would disappear completely.

For some of the others, especially the scientists and those who found themselves separated from family and friends, life was decidedly more difficult in their forest retreat. Through no fault of their own, they now found themselves outcasts from the world, a world that believed what Acerbi told them to believe, and some were beginning to doubt if things would ever be the same again. Obviously, the military option had been a complete failure and had only played into his hands, creating in him the image of the heroic victim who was only trying to save the world from a deadly disease. His plan had been so diabolically elegant and complex in its execution that it would take years to unravel his lies and prove to the world that the people who had tried to stop him were the true heroes.

On the morning of the tenth day of their third month in hiding, Leo and Evita were walking through the forest looking for mushrooms when they spotted a man wearing a black overcoat with a black fedora pulled low over his eyes. He was walking up the rocky trail that ran from the road below to the cabins in the grove above, and he seemed to know exactly where he was going.

Immediately they backed behind some overgrown brush and froze.
Was he some kind of policeman, or worse, someone who worked for Acerbi who was following up on a lead?

By now, the man had closed to within a few yards of their hiding place. Evita slid her hand under her coat and pulled out a pistol, but Leo quickly covered the gun with his hand and lowered it. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Just in case.”

Leo watched the figure come closer. He could tell by the way the man moved that he was no outdoorsman. There was something vaguely familiar about the way he carried himself as he stopped to catch his breath and removed his hat to wipe the sweat of exertion from his brow.

Leo let out a gasp. “Anthony?”

The red-headed priest looked up and smiled. “Leo?”

Anthony Morelli warmed himself by the fire as he tried to answer the barrage of non-stop questions coming at him all at once about what was happening in the world outside.

Leo handed Morelli a glass of wine and ushered him to a worn leather couch.

“The virus, Anthony ... what’s happening?”

“Completely died out.”

A unified sigh of relief could be heard throughout the room.

“So the failsafe mechanism they included in the virus worked?” Diaz asked.

“That helped. At least it kept the virus from mutating in the first few outbreaks, but the main reason it hasn’t reappeared is the fact that Acerbi has taken credit for wiping out the virus with his vaccine ... a vaccine that is totally worthless by the way. But people believe his vaccine is protecting them, and that makes him the most popular man on the planet right now. However, his fame has also placed him under the microscope of public scrutiny. As long as people look to him as the savior of the world, he doesn’t dare let his little demon out of the box again.”

“What about those governments his organization controls from behind the scenes? Surely someone on the inside knows about the stockpiles of the virus he threatened to release if they didn’t bow down to his demands.”

“Apparently, he’s insulated himself from outside suspicion. No one has any idea who’s really pulling the strings. Everything is done through intermediaries. It’s like dealing with a ghost, and those close to him know that if they try to expose him they will join the ranks of the
disappeared
. It’s much easier to just obey and grow rich.”

“But the wheat fields ... we destroyed them, didn’t we? Without the genetically modified wheat to prime his victims, the pathogen is harmless.”

“That’s true. All the wheat fields we knew about were destroyed, but there is a high probability that there are others out there somewhere that we are unaware of. Besides, it doesn’t take all that long to grow a field of wheat. We all know from past experience that we’re dealing with a highly intelligent sociopath.”

“What about us?” Ariella asked. “When can we go home?”

“You’re still wanted fugitives, but with time we’ll come up with a solution.” Morelli sipped his wine and looked around the room. “I’m working on an especially interesting one that’s just come to my attention.”

“How did you find us, Anthony?” Leo asked.

“Your Cathar friends. They knew you needed to know what was happening in the outside world. They’ll be bringing you a shortwave radio later today.” Morelli raised an eyebrow. “I realize the longer you stay here the more anxious you are to take another swipe at Acerbi, but my suggestion to you would be to lay low for now. As I said before, there are plans in the works, but we’re dealing with a very cunning sociopath who’s capable of anything, so our next assault on him must be foolproof. I doubt very much we’ll get another chance if we fail again. Don’t do anything rash that could interfere with something that’s already in the works.”

“Has anyone talked to Eduardo yet?” Leo asked.

Morelli smiled. “I have.”

Eduardo Acerbi stared out the window and watched as a line of black SUVs turned off the highway and headed toward his house. As soon as they crunched to a stop on the gravel driveway, several armed men jumped from the lead SUV and began fanning out over the surrounding field as a dark-haired man stepped from the back seat and looked up at the windows on the second floor. The time for a long overdue meeting between father and son was at hand.

Stepping up onto the front porch, Rene Acerbi brushed some field dust from his cashmere overcoat and removed a pair of dark sunglasses while he waited. Slowly, the door opened, and a frail Eduardo Acerbi gazed up into the dark eyes of his son. After a long, uncomfortable silence, the old man turned and motioned for Rene to enter.

Once inside, Rene immediately noticed the rustic simplicity of his father’s home. “I can’t believe you gave it all up for this.”

Eduardo’s eyes remained neutral as he smiled. “Would you like some tea?”

“Tea? How quaint, Father. Yes, tea would be nice if that’s all you have to offer me after all these years.”

“Oh, I have much more to offer, my son. Please, why don’t you take off your coat and join me upstairs in the library?”

Rene threw his coat over the back of a worn fabric couch and nodded to the security men standing behind him before following his father up the stairs. The old man pointed to a table by the window before walking into his small kitchen to gather cups and plates.

Rene made no attempt to conceal the smirk on his face as he watched Eduardo reach for the teapot on the stove. “So, Father, what led you to finally reveal yourself to me after all this time?”

Eduardo moved out of the kitchen with the tea and a box of freshly-baked croissants. “Time? Time is irrelevant to people of our faith, my son. In the grand scheme of things, the time we spend in the world is but a flash. We are like flames on a match that suddenly blaze forth and end just as quickly in a wisp of smoke, extinguished by a single breath, but it’s what we do during that brief flash of existence that shapes our eternal destiny.”

“Please, Father, spare me your philosophic sermons about our so-called faith. We both know that faith is only a means to an end, a way to control the masses so that there can be some semblance of order in a world full of those who have barely evolved from their animal ancestors. Without the illusion of an afterlife, people would run amuck. Wiser men than us have known this for thousands of years. Promise the people an afterlife full of peace and joy and you can make them do anything. Religion has been the world’s biggest con since the day man shaped his first idol. Marx called it the opiate of the masses, but religion today is far from being a benign zone of comfort. It’s more like an amphetamine.”

The old man took a seat by the window and began to pour the tea with trembling hands. “So, I take it you never read the scrolls I gave you.”

Rene threw his head back in laughter. “There is so much you don’t know about me, Father. Actually, I read a copy of the scrolls when I was still a teenager. Quite amusing, actually. There are other scrolls you know ... actually a book, a book with a much different message.”

Eduardo’s eyes narrowed. “I’ve heard rumors.”

“Then you’ve heard right, Father, because that book contained the words of our true God ... Rex Mundi!”

“You’re wrong!” The old man’s sudden intensity startled Rene, causing him to involuntarily recoil from the force of his father’s words. “The book was destroyed!”

“Yes, but we still have its words. Where do you think we received the instructions for altering human DNA? I’m surprised no one else has uncovered it yet. The blueprint for using wheat to change human DNA was encoded within the
Devil’s Bible,
as you call it. All we had to do was develop a virus that affected only those who’s DNA we altered. We were gifted with a perfect plan ... a plan that came from Rex Mundi himself. He gave us the ideal method for ridding the planet of excess baggage while saving the rest of us to rule over a better world.” Rene smiled as he watched his father’s eyes grow wide. “I see you still have some fire left in you, old man.”

“I have more than fire ... I have the truth. Following the words of an evil entity like Rex Mundi will only lead you to ruin! You must come out of the darkness and into the light, my son. I will help you.”

“The old yin and yang speech, Father? Good versus evil? A god of light and a god of darkness? Do you really believe your god of light is any more powerful than Rex Mundi? Because if you do, I have news for you, Father. The light is quickly fading, and Rex Mundi will soon control it all.”

“He only controls that which is base and material. Surely you must see that your thinking is flawed. There is another force in the universe ... a force of light that we call love, and nothing is more powerful.”

“That force did little for our ancestors, and it’s done even less for me and obviously even less for you. Rex Mundi rules the here and now ... the material world, for that’s all we have and that’s all we will ever have. He makes no promises for a golden afterlife, so we must make of this one all that we can.”

The elder Acerbi stared back at his son, his breathing labored by the intensity of their meeting. It was now obvious to him that his son had made his choice. Maybe it was his fault ... maybe it wasn’t. Maybe the choice had been made for Rene before he was even born ... who knew, but whatever the cause, Eduardo had been hit with the final, terrible realization that he would never steer his son away from the terrible path he had chosen. He had failed as a father—and it was now his duty to correct that mistake.

“At least let me have the satisfaction of giving you something to eat while you are here. Have a croissant ... they’re delicious.”

“You’re quite the host, Father. Maybe you’d like a job working for me at my chateau.”

The old man’s shoulders where hunched more than usual as he watched Rene reach into the box and lift out a croissant.

“In answer to your original question, my time here on this earth is growing short, my son. That is why I have
revealed
myself to you, as you put it. I was hoping that there was some way I could get through to you, because what you’re doing is wrong. You have the potential to be so much more. It’s not too late my son. Throw off the shackles of hate and let the light shine through. Just think of how you could ...”

Rene burst into laughter. “Really, Father? Parental advice?”

The old man’s aged body seemed to wilt from sadness as he turned his head and stared out the window. The dark shadows across the road were coming closer.

“You’re right, Father, these croissants are delicious. Who makes them for you?”

Eduardo squeezed his eyes shut to block the tears before he turned back to face his son. “I made them myself. Collette taught me how to make them after we were married.”

“Colette! My nanny? You married my nanny?”

“Why yes ... why do you seem so surprised?”

“You’re even more pathetic than I first thought. You walked away from a financial empire and deserted your family to marry a nanny?”

“A nanny who was like a mother to you.” The fire had returned to Eduardo’s eyes. “I left for reasons of faith and to protect you and your mother from those who would have sought to destroy you if they had known I was still alive, but that means little to someone like you. I can see that now.”

“Please, Father, spare me the
I did it all for you
speech.”

The old man fixed his son with a blank look one gives an unwelcome stranger as he shook out a dusty napkin and placed it on his lap.