Tuesday, February 5, 2013. Washington, D.C.
The day after the shooting at the White House, Morse met up with his mother, the children’s grandmother, who had been shuttled by the FBI to Morse’s hotel. At noon, the four of them got a quick lunch in the hotel lobby, and then got a taxi to the hotel where Zoey had left the ancient scrolls written by Scaliger, as well as the letter of Nostradamus. They handed the hotel clerk the key, and he came back moments later with his nylon bag. Morse unzipped the bag to make sure none of the documents had been damaged. He went over to a small coffee table in the lobby, and unrolled each one. None of them seemed to be damaged. He put them back in his bag and then they hailed another taxi to the airport. On the way to the airport, he got a ring on his cell phone. It was An international call. The country code looked like Italy.
“John, is that you?”
“Yes, it is.”
“This is Benito Parducci calling from Verona.”
“Are you OK, my friend? I heard the police were questioning you?”
“I am fine. Apparently, my Government has agreed that you will have custody of all the parchments for the next year. They are sending you the Verona scrolls tonight to your office at UCLA.”
“That is great news.”
“I assume you are going to make sure your old friend Benito gets some credit when the announcements are made, no?”
“Of course, absolutely.”
“Oh, that is a relief. I would hate to be left out of this exciting chapter of history.”
“I will call you within the next week and we will go over exactly what kind of press conference we are going to have. You can stand next to me if you want and I will give you all the credit for your assistance in Verona.”
“That is great. One other thing I wanted to ask you. Did you make notes of what was written on the Verona scrolls?”
“Yes, I did,” said Morse.
“Well, as I recall it, one of the last chapters made reference to the Devil gaining power and then there being a nuclear war for 200 years or something.”
“Yes, that is what it said.”
“John, I just received the scrolls from the Verona Police Department yesterday. Guess what? There was an additional scroll which you never saw which was stuck to the back of the last scroll.”
“What do you mean?”
“There is another scroll, John. And it has one quatrain written on it. It reads:
Les anges peuvent arrêter le tir de barrage.
Les deux messagers donnent leur vie.
MABUS menace d'exercer le contrôle par le chantage
Dans La Salle de Pouvoir le Diable est fini.
The angels are able to stop the barrage,
The two messengers give their lives,
MABUS threatens to control by blackmail
In the Room of Power the Devil is finished.
Morse wrote down the words in his notebook.
“What? That is impossible!” Morse exclaimed. “How did we not see it before?”
“I don’t know. I guess in all the hurry to get you to the airport…”
“Well, I would very much like to see that new scroll along with the others.”
“Of course, John. We are going to loan them to you for a while.”
“I shall give that last scroll a thorough examination when I receive it. If I hadn’t been shot at and kidnapped so many times, I would feel like we are the butt of some centuries-old practical joke.”
“Well, please let me know what you find. I am anxious to hear the result.”
“Very well, my friend.”
Morse looked at his notebook. Who were the two messengers?
August 1, 2013. Los Angeles, California, Home of John Morse
“Pops, I finished my Quatrain Rap for your book.”
Morse had asked his son to put together a rap that he would publish at the end of his new book, “The Prophecies of Nostradamus’ Wife.” Zach flung his shaggy hair, which had now grown back as long as it was before, and was now covering half of his face. Zach pulled out a laptop on the desk, and turned up the speaker volume. He hit a few buttons, and his rap background music started blaring out. He put his green hoodie over his head and some sunglasses, and then bounced and waved his arms like a rap star when he sang:
Daddy is a wonk, he’s a smarty and a scholar
He works all day, he don’t make a lotta dollar,
His iPhone then starts a ringin’ in his pants,
A priest is a callin,’ he’s a dude from France.
Daddy says, “Hey, Nostradamus is so whack,
But I’ll bring little Zoey and my homeboy Zach,
So he flies off to France, and then I heard it tell
That he found him a secret under St. Michel.
We got all excited and our Daddy tried to calm us,
And he said, “Hey, man, it’s the Vault of Nostradamus.
But kids, there’s a problem that I see down the road.
The vault has a lock, and the thing’s in code.”
But Daddy was fly, didn’t soil his Tighty-Whitey
He solved him the riddle and it said, “Aphrodite.”
By the way, there’s this Zeus, he’s a god in this heaven,
And this dude’s getting’ chicks like 24-7.
Now this is the part where Zachster was a beast
See, we were double-crossed by this gangsta priest.
Pops is da man, and he’s givin’s us a thrilla,
He stared down the gangsta, was a stone-cold killa.
Shorty came up, said, “Hey man, you wanna war?”
She smashed up the gangsta with a piece ‘a her guitar.
But Zach was da man, was the Sheriff in the Town
He stared down the gangsta and he put him DOWN.
We drove off to Agen, and Zachster was the Man-O
He found our next clue in a pipe in this piano.
But the gangstas caught up, and put us in a jam
So we shaved off our hair and we went on the lam.
But the gangstas all knew which bus we was on,
And they trailed us all the way to Carcassonne,
Doug and Ray were cool, took a bullet like a pro
Two more killas came up, which way do we go?
We ran all the way to the top of the castle
But the killa came up and was givin’ us a hassle,
So Zachster the Master shot the killer off the wall
From my catapult shot took a great big fall.
So we hid in this box, and we found another clue,
But the killa came up and we don’t know what to do
Killa says, “Boyz, now you all are gonna die!”
And that’s when he got a candelabra to the eye.
Went off to Verona ‘cause we ain’t done yet,
Found the Tomb of Romeo and Juliet
Got our clue, hit the plane, and flew off in the sky
But as soon as we landed found the FBI.
I don’t know what weed they was on,
But they treated my Daddy just likehe was a con,
Daddy said “Boyz, don’t leave me in the lurch,
You know I told ya ‘bout that bomb in the Church.”
But the cops didn’t listen, and we had no luck
Until they took my Daddy in a great big truck
And then all them Fibbies was runnin’ here and there,
My God, we gotta stop this attack from the air.
Air Marshal lady, Little Shorty, she was brave
She whacked out the gangstas and the plane did save
Cops then listened to my Daddy with the Answers,
Oh yeah, by the way, them Dolphins beat the Panthers.
One more threat, but the cops, they done beat’em,
And they gave my Pops the Award of Freedom
Now you know my story, and you know, its’ whack,
And the hero of all is my Main Man Zach!
Oonce, mama, oonce, mama oonce….
Morse laughed. “Zach, that is great stuff. Let me have it and I will give it to the publisher.”
Zach gave his dad the pages, and then said he was going to go out with his friends and do some long-boarding in the driveway. Morse went into his study, where he continued to work on his manuscript.
About an hour later, Zoey started playing her new electric guitar in her room. It was very loud, but ever since the events of six months ago, he was hesitant to deny his kids anything. They had been through so much. He could work through a little noise. He tried to keep typing, but it was no use. The music was giving him a splitting headache, so he went over to the couch to lie down. A few minutes later, the doorbell rang. It was Erika Flynn, the woman with whom he had the Nostradamus debate. In an effort to patch things with her after his petty attack at the debate, Morse had let Erika read an advance copy of his book to get her thoughts and input. She was also more successful than he in marketing books, so maybe she had some tips to provide. She was delighted to look at the advance copy. These new revelations about Nostradamus were going to usher in a whole new wave of readers buying her Nostradamus books. In addition, she would probably write a new Nostradamus book herself after Morse’s book was published.
Morse went outside the front door with her.
“Let’s go out on the patio here. Zoey is playing her electric guitar and I cannot hear myself think.” He led her over to a small patio with a table and chairs.
“What did you think of the manuscript?” asked Morse.
“Oh, it’s absolutely fabulous. I have never been more excited reading a book in my whole life. I am so jealous all those things happened to you—well, maybe not the kidnapping parts.” She laughed.
“Yes, I would have given you those any day.”
“The part about the words on the scroll in Verona changing is absolutely mystifying and interesting, don’t you think? I am not sure if you should include that part. Everyone will think you mad.”
“I know what you mean. I felt kind of mad when I examined the scroll. The ink was definitely from the sixteenth century. I simply cannot explain it.”
“Well, you know, John, you were always unwilling to accept any kind of supernatural explanation for anything. I hope you realize now, after seeing someone prophesize events hundreds of years later, that there is a supernatural world out there, and that often times, the supernatural explanation, although seemingly illogical, is actually the only logical explanation.”
“Well, I will say this, Erika. My faith in bizarre things has certainly been strengthened through this experience. “
“Although I absolutely loved your manuscript, John, I see that you have omitted something absolutely critical.”
Morse looked surprised. “What is that?”
“Why, the part about the ‘two messengers,’ of course. You said that in the new Verona manuscript, the prophecy was that ‘two messengers’ will give their lives. Don’t you know what that means?”
“I am not following you,” said Morse.
“In the Bible, in the Book of Revelation, Chapter 11:3, there is a discussion of the Antichrist coming to Earth. The Bible says that God’s ‘two messengers’ will arrive on the earth and will preach as prophets for 1,260 days. Then they will die in acts of martyrdom, slain by the Beast. And then the Antichrist himself will fall, as a result of the sacrifice of the two messengers.”
“OK, so?”
“In the year 354 A.D., St. Augustine was born. He was originally a pagan. He converted to Christianity after his mother, a Christian, convinced him. He went on to become one of the great Fathers of the Church, combating heresy his whole life and giving teachings on the meaning of certain Bible passages. Augustine explained in one of his early theological works that the ‘two messengers’ who would come to battle the Antichrist were actually Enoch and Elijah, the only two men in the Bible who did not die a natural death but who were taken by God in their lives up to heaven. Augustine explains that they really didn’t go to the ‘real’ heaven. They kind of went to a ‘Heaven Waiting Room,’ of sorts, with the idea being that when the Antichrist came, they would be able to go back into the world to fight him.”
“I still don’t see how this connects, Erika.”
“What was the name of the Air Marshal who sacrificed her life so that the passengers could get into the cockpit and steer the plane away from the Superdome?”
“Amy Idris.”
“The name ‘Idris’ is Arabic for ‘Enoch.’”
“You are kidding.”
“Nope. Enoch was supposed to be the great grandson of Adam as well as the great grandfather of Noah. According to the Islamic tradition, Enoch was the inventor of astronomy, writing, and arithmetic. Guess what Amy Idris majored in during college.”
“Astronomy,” said Morse.
“Correct. Guess what her minor was?”
“Mathematics.”
“Correct again. And the Muslims say that Enoch is supposed to defend his life with the sword against the depraved children of the Earth. I cannot think of a better title for those terrorists than the depraved children of the Earth.”
“It also says that Elijah and Enoch are supposed to prophesize and preach for 1,260 days before their battle with the Antichrist. Did you know that Amy Idris was also a Methodist minister?”
“No, I did not.”
“Guess how long before her death she became a Methodist minister?”
“No. Not 1,260 days?
“1,260 days, EXACTLY.” said Flynn. “Almost three and a half years ago.”
“But what about Elijah? Where does that fit in?”
“Do you remember your priest friend who had the vision about helping you in Agen?”
“Of course.”
“What was his name?”
“He said his name was Father Gerard.”
“That was the name of the saint he took as a priest. His real name was Elias St. Croix. Elias, another name for Elijah. He had been a Catholic priest for exactly 1,260 days before he was murdered. And he refused to give the killers your location, even though they briefly tortured him. Had he given in, you would have been caught and killed, and the remaining prophecies would have come true. So you see, the two messengers who gave their lives are truly Enoch and Elijah from the Bible.”
“Oh, come on, that must be a coincidence.”
“Just like the prophecies of Henriette Nostradamus were coincidences? Come now, it is you who are being illogical, John. The word ‘witness’ in Greek is ‘martus.’ The Greek verb martureo, marturomai means ‘to witness.’ We get our English word ‘martyr’ from the word ‘witness,’ because the early saints gave their lives when they acted as a witness to the truth of Jesus Christ. The two witnesses are the two martyrs from the Bible.”
“That is incredible about the 1,260 days.”
“The time period of 42 months, or 1,260 days, is found in many places in the Bible. In Daniel 7:25, it states that the Beast shall persecute the righteous ‘for a time, two times, and a half a time.’ A ‘time’ is a year. That means three and one half years. By the way, three and one half years ago, Matt Suba was first appointed as Governor Scall’s Chief of Staff after her previous Chief of Staff was murdered.”
“Seriously?”
“Yes, seriously. Here is another interesting point. The period of 42 months comes originally from the period of time about 167 B.C. in which Antiochus IV first persecuted the Syrian Jews and tried to make them give up their Jewish religion and adopt Greek ways instead. The revolt by Judah Maccabee to Antiochus’ treatment led to a great rebellion. The result was that the vastly outnumbered Jews overpowered the forces of Antiochus in battle. When the victorious Jewish forces went in and re-claimed the Temple, they needed to re-consecrate the holy building with oil and to light all the lights in the Temple. Unfortunately, there was only one untainted container of holy oil left. Despite the fact that there was only one container, it miraculously lasted eight days instead of one. The Jews celebrate that holiday every year in December. The eight days of light are called Chanukah. In the days of John, the author of Revelations, this business about 42 months was understood as a prophecy concerning the destruction of the Temple by Antiochus IV. By prophesying another 42 months of torment by an oppressor, John was referencing something that the Jews feared and had already experienced. So the 42 months of rule by the Devil are directly related to the persecution of the Jews by Antiochus IV, probably another spawn of the Devil.”
“Is there anything else?”
“Yes, Revelations says that for three and a half days, the two witnesses are not buried, and that after that time, they will ascend to heaven, at which point there will be a violent earthquake in which 7,000 will perish. Amy Idris was killed on February 3, 2013. She was given a hero’s funeral and finally buried three and a half days later, on February 6, 2013. And on that date, you may recall, there was a massive earthquake in Cuba, in which over 7,000 people were killed. Sounds to me like a pretty good match.”
“Wow, you have given me a lot to think about. I will definitely do some Bible research on this thing in Revelations before the manuscript goes to print. Well, one thing is for certain. If we are approaching the end of days, I better get the dishes in my sink cleaned up. I want to look good for the Final Coming.”
“Ha, ha. Very good, John. I will let you go. But the next time you go on one of these scavenger hunts across the globe, take me with you. I would love to come along.”
“Very well. I shall do that. Thanks again for your help, Erika.”
“My pleasure.” With that, Erika Flynn was gone.
Morse thought about her words for a minute. He saw his son Zach down the street riding his skateboard. He called to him. Zach came running up with his skate board a moment later.
“Hey Pops, what’s up?”
“Take off your skateboard helmet and go get dressed nice. And tell your sister Zoey to get dressed nice, too.”
“Where are we going?”
“We are going to Church.”
“Church? We haven’t been to Church since Mom died.”
“I know that. And I think it is high time we started going again.”
“OK, I’ll go get Zoey.”
Morse sat on the patio steps, and said a silent prayer to his wife. If it was the end of days, he would be happy to see his wife again.