The Code - Genesis - Book I (10 page)

“From now on?  You’re on board?”

“Hold your horses there, champ.  And I thought my childhood was complicated by Biblical agenda.  Who knew?  Any luck with the bag?” she asks.

“None.”

             
Natan hands Josh the envelope.

A hopeful Josh replies, “Did you find anything?”

Natan explains, “The lab couldn’t find any prints or D.N.A.  I mean nada.  But I think the man with the gun was someone from our agency or possibly the C.I.A.  You are being investigated…we both are.”

“What?  Why?” Josh begins to worry.

“They think we’re smuggling Mexican artifacts…something about your past, Professor.  We can’t be seen together again.  And, they’re monitoring our calls.”

“That’s absurd.” 

“I know,” she says, “It’s not the end of it either.  Things just continue to escalate.  We have to be extremely careful from now on.”  Natan reaches behind Josh’s seat. “But…this should brighten your day.”  She hands Josh the papers he gave her at the university.

“You finished reviewing them?” he asks.

“Yes.”

He smiles. “It’s compelling, isn’t it?”

“I will say that even with my expanded clearance, I had no idea that in the Gulf War the Israeli Government used the Code to help fight against attacks.  I’ve never seen any evidence that the
U.S.
has used the Bible as a resource.  Do you think we are secretly using the Code?”  Natan watches as Josh’s face shifts from worried expectation to confident expertise.

Josh muses, “The Bible was written several thousand years ago.  The Code is founded on the writings of the Old Testament.  And, even though the Bible is the world’s best selling book, I can’t imagine the United States Government wrapping their collected brain around it enough to utilize it.”

Natan counters, “You know the C.I.A did do top secret research on remote viewing.”
             

“Yeah,” he says, “but claiming that there are hidden messages in the Bible that provide answers outlining past and future events is a different thing entirely from top secret spying.  The Code has caused a great debate, one that goes way beyond the two of us, Agent Natan.  There are just as many critics of the Code as there are proponents. 

“
Critics say that the Code is a coincidence, a fluke, and compare it to other metaphysically charged topics like Nostradamus and astrology.  Proponents say that it has a mathematical and scientific foundation.  Until my research, I didn’t even believe in it either.”

“That’s hard to imagine.”  Natan watches him closely. 
He has such passion for this.

“You know some proponents argue that using the Code to tell the future is wrong,” he says.

Natan replies, “Yeah, but that’s what you want us to do.”

“Agent Natan, I don’t know what we’re supposed to do.  I’m just following the bread crumbs.”

“Professor, you really believe the world is going to end in six years?”

“It looks that way, Agent Natan.  And, what if we may be the only way to stop it?  Regardless, it looks like we’re on our own with this…at least for the time being.”

Josh flips the envelope over and sees that it has the word
chalal
scribbled on it.  “What’s this?” he asks curiously.

“What?” Natan looks protective.

“This writing here.”  He points to the envelope.  “Did you write this?” he asks.

“Yeah, so?” she answers nonchalantly.

             
“Why did you write that word, Agent Natan?”

“It’s a word I heard recently.”  Natan shrugs her shoulders.  “Do you know it?” 

“Yes, I do.  Chalal means
beginning
in Hebrew.”  Natan looks at Josh curiously.  Josh responds, “I went to Hebrew Bible study as a child.”

“Beginning?” she asks.

“Yes…beginning or to begin.  Where did you hear it?  It’s not like Hebrew abounds these days.”

             
Natan fumbles.  Lying isn’t her strong suit.  “I can’t recall.” 

“That is an odd Hebrew word for you to just hear somewhere,” he says matter-of-factly.

She gives in. “I dreamt it, okay.”

“You dreamt it?” he asks, now more intrigued than ever.

“Yes.”
             
             

Josh is amused. “Do you usually dream in Hebrew?”

Natan replies, “This is all I dream lately.”

Josh becomes serious. “This relates to the Code.  I know it.” 

Natan rolls her eyes.

“You are listed as Prophet,” he gently argues.

Natan argues back, “You do realize that my name was given to me by my adoptive parents.”

Josh continues the banter, “You do realize that your exact name, just as it was given to you, is in the Bible Code.”

“I’ll maybe buy into the mathematical complexities of the Code and the intrigue of those symbols,” Natan says, “but I am
no
Prophet.”

“We never truly know who we are or what we’re capable of, do we, Agent Natan?”  Josh and Natan’s eyes lock as they stare at one another intently.

Chapter Fifteen

Natan sits in a chair across from
Christine
Jacobs, the psychologist. 
Christine
holds a clipboard and pen, jotting notes as Natan fidgets nervously.  The office and therapist appear to reflect traditional psychology, the complete antithesis of Natan’s expectations.

Christine
finishes with the formalities. “I’ve got all the information I need from you, Katherine, but I was just wondering why you don’t want this to go through your insurance company?  I’m pretty sure your plan would cover this.”

Natan cringes when she hears her first name and immediately corrects
Christine
, “Please call me Agent Natan or simply Natan.  And, I…I don’t want my work to find out that I’m here.  All hell is breaking loose there and I would just prefer to keep my wanting therapy out of it, okay?”

“No problem,”
Christine
assures, “I’m here for
you.
”

Natan looks at
Christine
’s professional business attire and remarks, “You know, you’re different than I expected.”

“How so?”
Christine
asks.

“Well, the way
Alice
described you, I thought you would be more…new age I guess.”

Christine
muses, “You thought I’d be wearing a multi-colored dress with flowers in my hair?”

“Something like that,” Natan says.

“Well, if it makes you feel better, that’s what I look like on the inside,”
Christine
replies.

Natan laughs, “Good to know.”

Christine
directs the conversation back to its purpose. “So, you said over the phone that you would like to work on dealing with your father’s death and you mentioned a man…” 
Christine
flips through her notes, “A mathematics professor who sought you out for help.  Would you care to start with either one of these?  Or…should we begin with these reoccurring dreams that you mentioned?”

Natan takes a deep breath.  She’s been avoiding the subject of her father’s death since he passed a few years back and wants to continue to do so.  She tells
Christine
with a shaky voice, “I’m not ready to dredge up memories about my father yet.  I’m still finding it too painful.”  Natan collects herself. “The dreams and voices thing has been in the forefront lately.  Let’s start there.”

“Voices?”
Christine
asks, confused.

“Uh.  Voices from the dreams,” Natan explains.

“I see.  So, do you feel comfortable telling me about your dreams?”
Christine
asks.

Natan takes a deep breath. “I’m not one to beat around the bush so I’ll just jump right in here if that’s okay.” 
Christine
nods her head yes.  Natan continues, “I have the same one over and over again.  It’s the most peaceful place in the beginning.  And then things become heavy.” 
Christine
listens intently, watching Natan’s breathing quicken.  Natan continues, “It’s like I’m transported somewhere…there’s a sense of something otherworldly.”  Natan pauses for a moment to think then blurts out, “Do you believe in God?”

Christine
doesn’t flinch, “Yes, I do.  But, my belief in God is irrelevant here, Natan.  Why do you ask?”

“Well…I’ve never really felt God before…not really.  Never felt that connection…not one time in my life that I can recall.  But in this dream, I think I feel it,” Natan explains.

“I see.”
Christine
leans in to Natan. “And this is unsettling to you?”

“Well, yes,” Natan replies. “And the other part that is really unsettling…the crazy part involves this professor I mentioned.”

“Is he in the dream?”
Christine
asks.

“No, but he wants me to believe in something…that…just can’t be possible.”  Natan folds her hands tightly on her lap. 
Christine
waits for her to finish.  Natan continues, “I think that he wants to believe so badly that it may be clouding his own vision.” 

Christine
stops taking notes and looks at Natan. “What’s your perspective, Natan?  Are you struggling with the fact that he believes in something or that you may not believe in it?” 

Natan responds, “Honestly?  I don’t want to believe him.”

“But?”
Christine
probes further.

“But…” Natan continues, “Some part of me inside…perhaps from the dream within, says I do.”  Natan looks away, unable to face the words she just spoke.

Chapter Sixteen

In the late evening Josh sits in his home office at his desk reviewing his shading of the first symbol.  Josh’s residence is unlike most bachelor abodes.  His mother Evalyn’s gentle touches can be seen in several of the afghan throws she knitted and placed to match his furnishings, to the plants she’s added to encourage her son to open his home to more light, and to several other delicate details strewn together to create the warmth where he now resides.

Cradled in his mother’s silent surroundings, Josh focuses on the etchings, using a magnifying glass to evaluate the pages.  He notices something unusual. 
Are those numbers?  This can’t be right. 
Josh rewrites the tiny Mayan dots
and open circles on a larger page.  He writes
dot
= 1 and
o
= 0.

Josh pushes back from the desk. “My God.  It’s binary code,” he says aloud as he flips through the pages. 
I’ll bet it’s on every symbol.
  Puzzled, he reviews the pages again. 
How could the Mayans have known about binary code?

In the comfort and solitude of her long-lost bedroom Natan sleeps in her bed.  There is a light knock on her front door.  Half-asleep, Natan picks up a non-ringing phone.  “Hello?” she says.  Natan hears the dial tone and realize
s
that she’s made a mistake.  She puts the phone down and turns on the light on her night stand.  The light knocking continues.

             
An annoyed Natan throws th
e covers off. “For the love of…
” she mutters as she jumps from her bed, sporting shorts and a t-shirt.  She stumbles out of her

bedroom into the living room and heads for the front door.  The light knocking continues.

“I’m coming,” an agitated Natan answers to the annoying knocking.  Natan opens the door to a wide awake, smiling Josh.

“Agent Natan.  I’m glad you’re awake,” he boasts.

“Professor, what are you doing here?”

“Can I come in?” he asks.  Natan, half asleep, moves her body out of the way and waves him in.

“Thanks,” Josh replies, not being able to contain his elation. “Agent Natan.  I’ve found something amazing.  I know that I couldn’t call and I had to tell you, so here I am.”

             
“Professor, this is the first night in months that I’ve actually been able to sleep in my bed,” she pleads.

“You haven’t been sleeping in your bed?  Why?” he asks.

“Uh…never mind,” she says. “What did you find?”

His voice carries an exuberance that resonates like a jet plane to Natan. “I’ve found other Mayan symbols, embedded on the surface of the first symbol.  When I translated these, I found numbers…zeros and ones. It’s binary code, Agent Natan…a complicated encryption of binary code on the surface of the symbol.  I think I’ll find the same thing on the others as well.  We need to find that bag!”

A sleepy Natan tries to follow. “Slow down, Professor.  I’m trying to get my bearings here.”