Yesterday (Part Three - Chapters 49 & 50) (Patreon)

CHAPTER 49

You have to keep in mind that those were other times —apologized Aminarti lowering his gaze, as if he were searching for the right words—, and there are facts that I will recount that you will find hard to believe from your current perspective, but believe me, knowing what I know will only lead you down another cul-de-sac.

Oscar left after signing the guardianship papers, Hebert promised to keep in touch, and Jonah and I were left alone in Nice that same afternoon, just a few hours after meeting them. The boy was now officially in my care.

Our first afternoon together was spent sitting quietly in a secluded room in the house. Jonah drawing absorbedly at a table, me watching him as I decided what to do about him.

The first thing I wondered about was the twins possible relationship with the Harperin Corporation. My superior had been clear about that, among other reasons, I had been assigned that task because of my past familiarity with the Corporation.

But what did I really know about them?

Not much. I remembered the strange and prophetic conference I attended years ago on one of my many trips to New York, and the little information I managed to gather about them in the days that followed.

It was a Corporation constituted as a foundation around 1946 and funded by large anonymous contributions, supported by rancid family castes in power since the 19th century, landowners, bankers and investors made multimillionaire as a result of the two great wars. Their objective? From that conference I deduced that they were a kind of secret society with a socio-political project that would be revealed only to a select elite, born out of the Cold War philosophy as a preventive response to future dangers. Just one more of the trends in social engineering and secrecy that became popular among the most powerful circles in those years.

Their ultimate purpose was not entirely clear to me, as they themselves defended that stealth was crucial to the success of their plans, but from what I could hear at that conference, their ultimate goal was to structure, by means of various revolutionary technologies they claimed to be developing, a new social model that would help humanity not to repeat past mistakes.

My mission on that occasion was to assess whether that objective was compatible with the Catholic Church’s Christian vision, and the final verdict of the Holy See, which was very interested in the matter, would depend on my report.

I tried to be as impartial as possible, and I ended up cataloguing their plan as techno-social engineering, with clear Hegelian and behaviorist influences. I noted the “New Age” nuances I heard in the conference and pointed out in my conclusions that, despite its apparent pragmatism, it remained to be analyzed how morally ethical was what the lecturer defined as “manipulation of genetic branches”.

Having to take care of the child took me completely away from those matters, and I did not think about it again until a month later, when I was summoned from London.

I seized the opportunity of our move to Ireland to meet my interlocutor, a lay member of the Congregation whose identity I prefer not to reveal to you. Suffice it to say that he was a very influential person who passed away a few years ago.

We met one rainy day under the colonnade of Queen’s House in Greenwich, something I will never forget:

—How’s the boy doing? —he asked me.

—He’s fine, so far everything is normal. He is very quiet but obedient. I will start his formal education in Ireland next week.

—It’s very important that you keep him isolated. Especially from Harperin’s people, we know they have been looking for him and his sister since they were born. The girl’s situation is under control, but I am sending someone to discreetly take care of her safety anyway.

—But why are they so important to them?

—They are the offspring of two fugitives, and they are special. You don’t need to know more for now.

—You’re wrong— I rebutted him with determination, —I need to know what I’m up against

He assessed me with his gaze and spoke reluctantly.

—The children are special because they are part of a first generation of genetically altered humans. It seems they were being studied when they were stolen shortly after birth.

—Genetically? But is this possible? — I replied in surprise.

—How else to explain the child’s abilities? His parents escaped with them from one of their facilities and were killed by the Corporation shortly before arriving in Barcelona from Nice.

—Were they French?

—They studied in Paris, we only know that and the name of the facility they escaped from, Olympos, but we still haven’t found the exact location. It is of vital importance you do not return to France until I tell you otherwise. You will remain in Ireland, then in a few years you can return to Italy with the child.

—But...

—You will have unlimited funds for his education, everything will be taken care of, but it is essential that you follow my instructions to the letter: stay away from the public eye. Are you able to do that?

—Yes, I think so, but I will need help for his education, some kind of guidance, will he be able to attend classes?

—No, his education must be strictly private and personal, directed by you, and his psychological evolution monitored periodically by Professor Hebert. We have prepared a first kit for you with precise instructions and sufficient subjects for the first year. There you go, —he said, handing me a bulging envelope, —and again, no one is to have access to the child and of course no one is to have access to this information. Not even Herbert. Let him do his job, but don’t let him get too confident. He knows nothing about Harperin and must continue to do so.

—Should the boy take exams?

—Make no mistake, Father, that child cannot receive a normal education, not with his abilities. It would not be useful for his development, nor would it be useful for our purposes. You must follow the instructions in the envelope to the letter and subject him to the series of tests provided by Professor Hebert whenever he deems it necessary.

—What kind of tests?

—The Professor knows what he has to do.

--All right, —I agreed, not very convinced. I decided to go out on a limb — what is our interest in the child? Why all this effort?

My interlocutor looked at me again inquisitively. He seemed to resent my interest.

—You will be filled in at the appropriate time, —he answered enigmatically, but after a few seconds he continued, —but ask yourself this: if humanity could make such a qualitative and quantitative leap, as Harperin promised, would it not be our moral duty to be present, to guard it and to see that it does not deviate from the divine apostolic message?

I remember being angry with him about that, but I can’t recall the exact words I said to him, although I will summarize them, because they were similar to what I said to Hebert a month earlier: I was not going to allow that child to be used as a guinea pig. I could not be asked to inflict more suffering on him.

My interlocutor gave me a slight smile but did not respond to my diatribe, he finished by simply assuring me that that was precisely why they chose me, because they knew I would protect him.

We said our goodbyes, but as I was about to turn to leave, he stopped me with his hand on my shoulder.

—Oh, I almost forgot, —he exclaimed, —do you still have the Rosary the Holy Father gave you?

—Yes, —I nodded in confusion.

—Don’t let it out of your sight, you don’t know it, but His Holiness received it from the hands of Elias Harperin himself shortly before he gave it to you.

—Oh, come again?

—Mr. Harperin assured His Holiness that it would protect him. How odd that it should have ended up in your hands. Do not part with it just in case.

For many years after that meeting, I did not mention or hear the name of that Corporation again.

The last time I spoke with my interlocutor was in 1991. I learned at that meeting that he was suffering from a terminal illness in a very advanced stage, which he knew he would not survive. Perhaps that is why he was so keen to reassure me.

—Father, you should know that Olympos has been dismantled. The Harperin Corporation is no longer a threat to you, you can finally move freely.

—How long have you known about this?

—A remodeling of the Champs Elysées revealed the remains of the facility a few days ago. They had been abandoned for some time. Matters have been handled in the utmost secrecy.

—But you believe that they have really disappeared?

—We haven’t known anything concrete about them for a long time. Their economic operations, the ones we knew about, have ceased or have been terminated. Everything suggests their extinction.

—Perhaps they just learned to blend in better? Their imprint on world politics today is undeniable.

—What concerns us is that they are no longer here, and that we have been able to protect our legacy, thanks to you, among others.

—What do you mean others?

—There are others, we discovered many things during your absence. Their intention was to create a laboratory religion, à la carte.

—Meaning what?

—Enlightenment and inner peace for all alike, genetically induced but conveniently guided and monitored by their psychic agents.

—Is that what Jonah was to become?

—We think so. Although truth be told, over the years we haven’t been able to identify more than two other such agents. Frankly speaking, I think the Corporation made a mistake with these guys, and they ended up being diverted from their, shall we say, more altruistic objectives. The last time we heard from one of them he was mentally screwing over an eminent banker.

—You? —I ventured, just in case.

—Yeah, me.

—And what did he do to you?

—Well, the scope of his tampering escapes me, but before he was neutralized he managed to leave me quite damaged.

—Your ailment?

—Yep, a brain tumor. At first I didn’t think much of my constant migraines, but a more intensive examination uncovered it a few days ago. I’m afraid I have very little time left.

—I’m so sorry —I said, surprised by his temperance —But how could he have brought it upon you?

—Radiation. The children were conditioned on the Corporation’s farms to withstand a very subtle type of radiation, and to be able to emanate it afterwards. We believe that’s the way they emit their psychic “powers”.

—That’s just crazy.

—I always considered Harperin’s efforts to manipulate our race to be madness, —he said thoughtfully, —a ticking time bomb, hence our efforts to keep an eye on them. Such a leap cannot be made except by the hand of Faith.

Something must indeed have happened within the Harperin Corporation, for according to my interlocutor, they found out that the manipulations of those agents were not limited to those who knew of their existence or were a danger to their interests. It was suspected that by the end of the eighties they already had an effective network of psychics positioned close to the great centers of world power, for their mark began to be perceived in certain social events and movements.

Despite that man’s relative optimism, I continued to keep Jonah away from the whole thing. I did not want him to have anything to do with that conspiracy, just in case it was still going on. But I never heard from them again, and after the death of my interlocutor I never met again with any member of the Congregation to discuss this matter. The follow-up of our progress was transferred to the Holy See, and from there all I received since then were occasional visas and brief bureaucratic communications, never instructions. We were alone, our surveillance was withdrawn and with each passing year our story seemed to be more and more forgotten, leaving only an impression of importance inherited by successive prominent members of the Congregation with whom we dealt, and which has served as a protective umbrella until now.

Oscar gave Laura an inquisitive look, and she nodded in awe. They had gotten more than they expected; even so, as Aminarti predicted, knowing this only raised more questions. Oscar decided not to consider the overall scope of the matter and to focus on what affected them.

—Where does this put Hebert? —What do you think he knows? Why did he lie to me?

—Well, he didn’t entirely lie to you, but rather he manipulated you. I believe his intention, as I told you, was to buy time and escape.

—But you believe he’s on our side?

—I think Hebert is on Hebert’s side, that’s my opinion, —Aminarti confided to him, —only he can win in his game.

—What makes you think so?

—His methods, —the priest assured him, sitting up to pour himself another glass of water, —always seemed suspicious to me.

—I reviewed some of his results reports myself and they didn’t seem out of the ordinary to me, —Oscar ventured.

—You only saw what Hebert decided you should see at any given time, but remember that I was the one testing Jonah most of the time, and there were details that didn’t escape my notice.

—Such as?

—Are you familiar with Dianetics?

—Isn’t it a branch of the Church of Scientology?

—Indeed, —Aminarti said, putting the glass down on the table. —Many of the tests Jonah had to pass were clearly related to their methods.

—But that’s impossible, —Laura interjected, —Scientologists abhor psychiatry.

—That’s what I told myself at first, —aid Aminarti, turning to her, —but remember that part of my work for the Vatican before I took over Jonah was to do research on all kinds of cults. I was familiar with their procedures.

—I didn’t detect any of that in Hebert, —Laura told her father.

—Hebert was the one who trained your father and I to be able to protect ourselves from Jonah, —Aminarti explained, —I assure you that he is very capable of shielding himself from you.

—So you think Hebert is connected with Scientology? —Oscar asked —Isn’t that also incompatible with your Congregation?

—I didn’t say that, although I can’t really deny it either. What I am telling you is that many of his methods clearly belonged to that system. Hebert was sure that his study of Jonah would bring him worldwide fame, who knows if he was only pursuing personal goals?

—We don’t know, —Oscar admitted, —but I don’t understand what good it would do us to know at this point.

—From the outside, it seems that both the Harperin Corporation and Scientology share certain fundamental aspects, —Laura ventured, —maybe I could do some research...

—Don’t, —Aminarti stopped her, —don’t even think of attracting any attention from them. We don’t want any more trouble.

—True, —conceded Oscar. It’s better not to draw more attention to ourselves than necessary until we know where we stand.

—Does Jonah know anything about all this? —asked Laura.

—I don’t know to what extent he is aware of all this, or if he has been able to get anything out of my head, —said Aminarti, —but I would say that all he has are questions. Although I must confess that after he left my side, I myself felt some absences. I don’t know if he manipulated me or not. I can’t say for sure.

—Maybe he just needs answers, —Laura guessed.

—I don’t think so, —said Oscar, —he seemed very dangerous to me. He was full of hate. I sincerely believe he has become a megalomaniac.

—You’re wrong, Oscar, Jonah is good, —Aminarti defended him, looking offended. He has a good heart, I assure you.

—That doesn’t seem to have prevented him from not having learned to assimilate success properly, —Oscar reasoned. —The bad thing about his isolation is that you didn’t count on the impact of a sudden confrontation with ordinary people. It’s easy to love all the world as a concept when you don’t really know any people.

—You can’t say that to me.

—I’m sorry, Father, but that’s the way I see it.

—Please don’t hurt him, —Aminarti begged.

—I think I know how to stop him, —Laura interrupted them.

—How?

—I already told you a moment ago, with answers.

CHAPTER 50

Jonah arrived in the area around the family home at noon. As he approached, he knew that Laura was no longer there and, annoyed by the setback, he decided to sit on the bench of a park adjacent to the estate and wait.

Hebert’s deceit had opened a deep and humiliating wound that cried out for revenge. Every time remorse hit him, he would mentally review what had happened in search of the moment when he had been cheated.

His head still ached a little, but he had been taking stock of his memories for a while and everything seemed to be back to normal.

Laura was just leaving at that moment through the doors of her father’s office building. She left him and Aminarti with the promise that she would return with Jonah as soon as possible.

She didn’t give them details of how she would accomplish this, but knew very well what she had to do.

She climbed into a cab and gave her home address to the driver.

As the car drove through the central artery of Madrid, Laura took her cell phone out of her purse. She noticed two missed calls from Eva but decided not to return them until later, “better keep you out of this yet”, she replied mentally to her, trying to appease her anxiety.

She closed her eyes concentrating for a second.

Counted to ten, needing to relax… control her pulse.

She reopened them and typed in the digits she had kept written down for days on a napkin with the letterhead of the Runnymede-on-thames hotel.

"699787353"

The number was working, she marveled holding her breath.

A buzzing in his pocket brought Jonah out of his musings, it came from the cell phone he had just bought, he had a call.

“We’re not doing badly after all”, he said to himself cheerfully.

—Hello Laura.

—Hello Jonah, —she answered sheepishly, —I need to see you.

—I’ve been waiting years to hear you say that.

—Where are you?

—Near your house, in the park at the entrance to your neighborhood, in the first traffic circle, sitting on a bench. I’ll wait for you here.

Jonah hung up the phone and Laura let out a sigh.

She took a moment to contemplate how the city was passing by through the windows. Her heart was racing again. The buildings were parading past her window like part of a grand diorama. Life outside that cab became unimportant. She wondered if Jonah hadn’t been experiencing reality that same way all his life. Being a distant bystander might have seemed like an advantage to a child, but in the long run it must have made him feel very lonely, incomplete.

She knew this because she herself felt that disconnected at times.

She always knew that somehow she didn’t belong in that world, in that chaotic and overwhelming society. Now she had confirmation, even if it was hard to assimilate. As she approached her destination, she felt the life she knew was being left behind, a blur.

Jonah felt a jolt of electricity run through his body. At last, after so many years, he was going to be reunited with his sister, his other half.

He had always kept to himself the deep pain of having to let her go. They would finally get their justice. It had been brutal to make that decision, yet as a child he chose to sacrifice himself, it was the best thing for both of them, he told himself. He had been repeatedly telling himself that ever since.

But all that was far behind and it was time to get her back. And doing so would allow him to be himself again, to be loved, to feel complete and to have someone to start again with.

Laura got out of the cab at the gazebo that bordered the leafy park, walked a few meters and crossed the ancient stone archway that marked the entrance. As she did so, time seemed to stand still. Very slowly, with each step closer to Jonah, the world around her became more and more quiet.

She could not see him, but felt his presence.

She reached the first traffic circle and there he was, standing, anticipating her, waiting for her..

At first she saw him as the child in the recording, misunderstood, afraid of not being accepted, of not being worthy of love. But the image shifted and revealed the adult he had become.

They stared into each other’s eyes moving towards each other until they were very close. Laura slowly raised her hand and, as if it were the preliminaries to a dance, Jonah clasped it, intertwining her fingers with his.

Everything was no longer relevant, and a feeling of indescribable peace flooded their hearts. Laura heard herself speak as she gazed at him in rapt attention.

—I’ve talked to you so many times in my imagination that I can’t believe you’re real.

—When was the last time someone said something nice to you?

She couldn’t stop her eyes from welling up with tears and nodded several times without taking her eyes off him. She never wanted that moment to end. Something inside her was released and she could see much further than she had ever imagined. For an instant she felt such mental clarity that everything around her became translucent, allowing her sight to be lost in a horizon of limitless depth.

She remembered concepts. Motivations. Facts.

And she knew how much Jonah needed her.

And understood.

And everything just faded away.

A flash.

Darkness.

Jonah raised his head a few inches off the ground just in time to see Laura being taken away by two hooded men. But he could do nothing. He collapsed in pain and fear. He couldn’t move. The brutal sound wave from hours before had exploded in his head again, pounding his brain, taking his strength with it. But a brief memory managed to cling to his mind.

Not knowing how, he escaped from his body, and saw himself from above, lying unconscious on the gravel floor. As he floated upward, like a helium-filled balloon, his field of vision expanded and he was able to fix his attention on the two men, in time to see Laura’s limp body being carried into a black van waiting for them at the entrance. The van pulled out and drove away from the scene, out of sight. After that, silence.