Sacred Flesh (10 page)

I’ve got to get back together with Janet. I’ve got to tell her everything. We were so tight in college. Those were such fun days. Whatever happened to that feeling that being together was more than enough, more important than work, money, or that terrible scrooge peer recognition. How did we drift apart? I’ve got to get back with her. Somehow together we can straighten all this out. We’ll go to the police. We’ll do something.

“Is everything all right?”

“What?” Jim says startled.

The waitress looks at him blankly.

“Oh yeah, fine.” Jim reaches for his coffee cup and gulps down the rest. Feeling energized by the sense of new found direction. I’m going to do this. It’ll work out. We’ll make it work. We’ll find a way. I’m tired of running. I should just go back, get a lawyer, contact the police whatever I have to do. He wipes his mouth with the red cloth napkin and gets up from the table. The restaurant is mostly empty now, the lunch crowd having thinned out. He smiles at the girl sitting behind the cash register. Walking toward his car he breaths the fresh air while admiring the light blue sky. About to unlock his car door he stops in his tracks, “Mr. Dunbar,” Jim quickly turns at the sound of his name.

“Who the hell are you?” Jim says.

“I’m someone you really need to know.”

“That’s nice. I’m kind of busy,” Jim walks closer to his car.

“Busy running from the
Elite
Mr. Dunbar?” The One Who Turns says following him.

Jim turns and stares at him, his tall thin frame, short brown hair, and slightly wrinkled face “And you are?”

“I have information that will help you, help us all in fact. Please come with me and I’ll explain it all.”

“I’ve never seen you before in my life. I’m not going anywhere with you,” Jim says.

“Maybe this will convince you,” he pulls back his jacket to reveal a .45 caliber.

“Why are you following me?” She says, as he flinches.

“Me? Following you? Isn’t it supposed to work the other way around?” he says.

“Quick on your feet, how impressive, you’ve been tagging along for awhile now. The agency doesn’t take kindly to such behavior.”

“I’m sure they don’t,” he says.

“At least I know you haven’t a clue on Dunbar do you?”

“Nope,” he says.

“You can’t follow me. You’ll only get yourself in serious trouble,” she says.

“I’m just doing my job.”

“An odd one at that,” she says.

“Tell me about it.”

“You don’t seem real happy with it.”

“I’m locked in, ready to get out,” he says.

“You should come work for the Agency.”

“I don’t think so.”

“I could pick up an application for you back at the office.”

“How thoughtful.”

“But you really can’t follow me anymore,” she says.

“I can’t huh?”

“No,” she says.

“Well, how about them?” He nods his head.

“Who?” she asks.

“Over there on the other side of the highway, that dark blue van. It’s either following you, me, or both of us. It’s
Elite
, it has to be them. They want to know where Dunbar is as much as we do, more so actually because I’m kind of tiring of the whole experience.”

She quickly turns her head and watches as the van pulls out into traffic and begins moving toward them.

“The samples you’ve been working on are stolen ringlets purported to be the circumcised foreskin of Christ,” the One Who Turns tells him after taking him back to the hotel room he has rented in order to stay out of sight and carry out his plan.

“Sounds like science fiction,” Jim says while sitting in one of the bright red overstuffed chairs in the room. The hand gun was more than enough to convince him to come along and besides this may be the help he has been looking for, a chance to do something other than run from the
Elite
.

“I only wish it were Mr. Dunbar. The
Elite
and the sacred flesh are far from fiction of any kind,” he says while sitting down across from Jim.

“Stolen?” Jim asks.

“Yes, from some very old churches in Europe. They’ve been kept there since the time of the crusades. Eight different churches claimed to have the authentic foreskin. Would you like something to drink?”

“No thank you. Eight? But—”

“Yes, that’s seven too many, even for the Son of God. Many were proven fakes fairly easily. It got narrowed down to just three. The three they hired you to test.”

“What are they looking for exactly?” Jim says.

“Christ was born of a virgin birth. The thought is that he couldn’t have had both Mary and Joseph’s DNA. Certainly Mary’s but what of the other? Who supplied the “Y” chromosome? If not Joseph then who?”

“They are looking for the DNA of God on Earth?” Jim says.

“Yes, basically,” the One Who Turns tells him.

“Bingo night didn’t work out? Don’t these people have a hobby? Why don’t they just go golfing?” Jim says.

“Maybe it will help if I fill you in on some history. They were, it is said an odd bunch, kept to themselves, claimed to be devoutly religious but mostly struck people as an odd group of self imposed outcasts. Their beginnings are legend, or hearsay depending on who one believes. They lived in a large village in what is now southern Germany. This village was later wiped from the map in a violent bloodbath as a result of the great dispute over doctrine and relics. (They had a passion about relics.) Their bishop who they adorned themselves without consent from Rome, went to the Vatican to seek approval and blessings on the sect’s collection of relics. He didn’t get it. The Pope wasn’t about to listen to this group who had set up their own schools and monastery. They would fight over doctrine (the
Elite
believing that one is born into an animal’s body and must work along a progressive path with God’s help in becoming a full spirit) and the relic issue. The bishop returned to the village with the bad news. They grew angry and made him go back to make even stronger demands, doing so of course just made matters worse. They were now seen as even more extreme. They were told to conform or move on, so they chose to immigrate to America after years of opposition in Europe. They figured they could build a base and grow in America until one day they would rise to a pinnacle of power and Rome would have no choice but to recognize them. This would occur they predicted during the span of the 27th
Elite
generation. Then they would overtake Rome in power. I don’t know why the 27th. I guess the early ones figured it would take a long time or maybe they knew something they weren’t sharing. When they arrived in America in the 1830’s it was getting close to the time of the 27th so great expectation was placed upon the American project. The idea was to infiltrate the local population and convert them. They set up churches in fairly new communities with little success. They were rejected as oddball extremists, heretics and such. Angry, they closed themselves off from outsiders, closed ranks and went underground to plot their next move. Convinced that the 27th generation would rise to overtake Rome they felt it their responsibility to set the stage, but how? A seed of disputation began to grow when the time of the 27th came into being and still no prospect for the power and revenge they desired. It all seemed fairly hopeless until technology kicked in and allowed for DNA testing and cloning. The
Elite
knew about the supposed relics of the Lord’s foreskin. If they could acquire this then surely that would provide the avenue and just in time for the 27th. But there were at least eight different claims and only one could be real, if any of them were. So where was the One? They began the great search and it wasn’t long before they located the first sample, stealing it they brought it to America only to discover that they weren’t the only one’s looking for the foreskin relic. Rome was looking too. Now, with the fate of the faithful lying in the balance it became a race pitting two old adversities against one another in a fanatic quest for the circumcised ringlet of Jesus’ flesh from when He lived on the Earth,” the One Who Turns says.

“No wonder they paid me so much cash,” Jim says.

“It gets better.”

“Great, I’m feeling safer all the time.”

“With the DNA from the sacred sample they plan to clone and impregnate a woman who is now waiting to begin. They will then raise The Child as one of their own. Thus, they will have the Son of Christ at the helm of the
Elite
.”

“They sure believe in setting some high goals,” Jim says.

“Yes they do.”

“They want their own church?” Jim asks.

“They
are
their own church. But as you can see they aren’t your typical nuts. They’ve been around for centuries. They have money, power and they operate covertly.”

“No big choir on Sunday then?” Jim jokes.

“They will remove their covert coat and reveal to the world that the Son of Christ is their leader, thus, hoping to draw all the fateful into their fold. Their ultimate objective is to replace Rome and become the dominate religion on Earth.”

“Hell of a plan.”

“Yeah, ambitious and crazy, but you see Mr. Dunbar as strange as it sounds they’re not that far from it. And they believe that
you
have the Sacred Sample. Once they have that they’re in business. Right now all that is standing in their way is
you
.”

“How do you know so much about these guys?” Jim asks.

“I’m one of them.”

“Why didn’t you follow them?” he asks.

“You’re lucky I let you ride along,” she says her eyes glued to the freeway.

“Boy, I feel lucky,” he says noticing how good she looks with her sunglasses on as she drives, not wanting to stare he returns his attention to the highway passing underneath their wheels.

“Actually I am following them. They could lead us right to Dunbar provided they don’t kill him before we intervene,” she says while focusing on the road ahead.

“That would be good.”

“The only problem is that we are becoming increasing aware that the little
Elite
gang don’t have much of a clue where Dunbar is,” she says.

“Well, I’m sure they’re doing their best.”

“We thought he might be north of town.”

“North? I heard nothings north of here, small towns and farms. Why would he go north?”

“Well, those would be places to disappear to,” she says her eyes still glued to the freeway.

“He probably has relatives upstate.”

“He doesn’t, don’t you thing I would have checked that out?”

“Maybe not family but someone, an old friend or college roommate,” he says.

“Well, now you’re getting a little warmer.”

“What do you mean?” he asks.

“It’s a long shot but Jim Dunbar has an old college professor living upstate. We’re not sure it means anything. The guys got to be about 100 years old by now.”

“If I were old Jimbo I’d be heading straight to Canada. The
Elite
doesn’t operate there.”

“How would Dunbar know that? And do you really think a border is going to stop the
Elite
?” She says.

“Sure,” he answers.

“Bull, they’ll go wherever they have to in order to get the job done.”

“Where are we going?” he asks.

“Their van just pulled off the freeway. My bet is they’re heading somewhere we need to know about,” she says.

“Why am I here anyway? How about a lift back to my car?” he asks.

“You’re going to stick with me for awhile.”

“What?”

“The
Elite
know you’re in America. They’ve been following you. My thought is they’d like to pick your brain concerning Mr. Dunbar. Then after that it may get ugly.”

“So what?”

“Were certain they’ve been to your hotel room,” she says.

“You’re kidding,” he says.

“Yep, I’m a regular comedian,” she says.

“How did—?” he asks.

“You’re with me for the next few days for you own protection.”

“Or what?” he asks.

“Or you’re dead. This isn’t rocket science,” she says coldly.

“The chip is active, putting out a good signal,” Clovis says, his hands at the two and ten position on the steering wheel of the
Elite
van driving down the highway.

“Jim Dunbar here we come. We have you now you little bastard,” Cosward jokes as he rides along on this job, “How much further?” He asks.

“A few miles, not far,” Clovis answers.

“Finally, it will be nice to get this over with, get the sample and get going on this,” Cosward says.

“Impregnation can take place by the weekend, nine months later we have The Child. Then we will have the power. All the cards will be in our hands,” Clovis boosts.