Virtually Real (15 page)

Isaac spoke up, “ben David is right. His hold on power as Head of State is already uncertain since most of the Knesset has now converted to Nimrah. All that can be done is to spell out what we believe the alternatives are and the foreseeable consequences. As I see it we can resist Antoni and be over-run with much bloodshed, or we can yield him and trust Y’shua will keep him from oppressing the people too much. The choice must belong to the Knesset otherwise there will be no mandate on which the Government can act.”

“So be it,” said Judah.

Judah put the questions to the Knesset. There was silence at first then the shouted arguments.

“You believers in Y’shua are all the same – no guts. We can do this ourselves, we have the skilled people, our military is the best in the world, our intelligence is able to know what Antoni plans before he knows it himself. We can beat whatever is thrown at us, we are an invincible people. I say we resist. Let us prepare our defence forces now and put the country on a war footing. Then Antoni will see that we are not an easy target.”

The belligerent back-bencher who shouted these words would have ordinarily been ignored but now he summed up the majority feeling.

A vote was called for and Judah was forced to accept that the nation now had to put itself on a war footing. And he knew his time as Prime Minister was coming to a close.

It did not take long for the events to gain their own momentum. It seemed, in the realm of the v-people, that once an idea had been sown and accepted somewhere it started taking a life of its own. Some took longer to germinate than others but in due course it would develop into an influence on others and finally give rise to action. The more extensive the idea, the more far-reaching its consequences!

Antoni’s henchmen had simultaneously organised a car bomb explosion in the EEMEC headquarters building at the same time as an ‘attempted’ explosion at the main Nimrah temple in the revitalised city of Babylon on the Euphrates River. His control of the press ensured that there was widespread public outcry and frenzy for revenge.

Antoni capitalised on this exactly as he intended. He expressed deep regret to his colleagues who had been hurt or killed; he portrayed his own escape from injury as the blessing of knowing the Great Power behind Nimrah, and the blessing that Aaron had brought the people through his teaching and ministrations of the religion. He vowed to find the killers and perpetrators of this terrorism.

“The people who have done this will be found, they will be tried fairly with our law and they will suffer the full consequences. We will show no mercy until security is again properly established. No group is presumed to be behind this outrage because we will not forfeit our reputation for true justice: but we will find out.” This was Antoni’s constant public message for the next few weeks.

He also, however, got his propaganda experts to quietly pass round the rumours that it could only be the followers of Y’shua that would do such a thing. It was well known that they were opposed to his ruler-ship of the EEMEC, and what’s more had a loathing of the Nimrah religion which had an entirely different premise from that of Y’shua. Y’shua followers proclaimed peace and love of one another they would say, but who knew what their real motives were? Thus doubt, suspicion and hatred toward Y’shua followers were engendered.

At the same time his press agents were linking Y’shua followers to Israel.

“If the followers of Y’shua are behind this evil act; then where are their greatest numbers, but in Israel? Israel is our friend and many of her people are followers of Nimrah. But if we find that the terrorists are hiding in that land, then nothing will stop us from finding them and taking them out.” These words, and variations of them, appeared in the all the public media but nowhere more vehemently than on the internet.

It only took about eight weeks for Antoni’s agents to come up with sufficient ‘evidence’ to ‘prove’ that it had indeed been the work of the Y’shua-ites as he called them, and that Israel was indeed harbouring these rebels.

Chapter 18

A Time of Quiet

The real world

Eli was grieved that many of the v-people who trusted in Y’shua would have to experience the suffering that was coming. They would suffer by what they saw was happening in their world, they would suffer from rejection and ridicule, and they would suffer the hardships of deprivation. Some would be imprisoned, tortured and executed. These were the v-people he loved dearly and would in time be his companions.

“I just don’t understand you Eli,” said an exasperated Anna. “You have put so much into this project, you have a great love and affinity for these v-people that have been created and yet you will allow them to suffer unspeakable things. I have seen this program operate and I have seen some of the things that have happened to the virtual women and children – and to men! I know they are in a computer-generated virtual world but the experience is real to them. Do you really know what you are doing?”

“It grieves me too Anna, but it must be that way for now.”

“But why?”

“Why is not a question I usually answer – either for the v-people or for my colleagues. But I will touch on the process so that you may have some peace of mind.”

“Go on.”

“The whole of the v-world has a cause-effect thread running through it. That is the only way it could have been created and ‘as born so lives;’ as the saying goes. Now cause and effect not only runs through the space-time and energy components, it also permeates the relationship mathematics that governs the prime information codes of the project and the self-modifying character codes of the creatures and especially the v-people.

“What has happened is that Lucas exerts an influence that will draw them deep into corrupting the character or personality codes that are at the core of their being, and I seek to influence them toward the behaviours that harmonise with all other parts of their world. Now each one is free to choose what, or who, they believe, and as they walk further down a path the consequences become more firmly embedded in them and there becomes less inclination to change or to believe that they can be changed.

“But no matter how far astray they go, any desire to acknowledge the truth and to seek help from ‘El’ as they call me and our team, will result in changes happening. We have been over this before. Now the greater the test the greater and more rare is the honour. Those who love Y’shua at this time in the v-world will face hard testing of their trust in me, and those that persevere will attain a greater place in our world. For there will be a difference of reward for those that trust Y’shua. The half-hearted will have the reward of the half-hearted, and the zealous the full reward of their zeal. There is no unfairness.

“I might also add that those who side with Lucas’ team will suffer accordingly – to the measure of their selfishness will be the measure of their suffering. But do not try to judge which is which. There are many who belong to me even although their behaviour is offensive; they are walking in the right direction as far as I am concerned and just have a longer way to catch up than others. And there are many that you may think are close by their good behaviour, but I can observe that they are actually going away from me. These things are not easily discerned, but, Anna, I want you to now look for this in some of the individuals.”

“Thanks Eli, but do they have to suffer so much?”

“Lucas and those that follow him in the v-world, have been given vast freedom of choice of action. Their actions often cause much pain and sorrow. I could restrict that choice and program the experiment accordingly but to do so would limit the depth, breadth and quality of character that I would like to have as my friends. When we are finished with the v-world, and it will come to an end, those that are transformed to our world will have a moral quality which I can respect. Those will be the ones I will relate to best.”

“I bet Lucas is not worried about such issues.”

“No! Lucas will not want equals. He only wants the power for himself, and the honour that goes with it. However we need not worry about that.”

“What will become of Lucas?”

Eli smiled.

“I know the wicked way Lucas is manipulating the v-world and recently he has become more vehement in this. He is interfering more and more directly in the running of the lives of the v-people and driving many of them to do things that they would not normally even think of. I will increase security about my v-people and will ensure that greater inner resources are released to them to handle the problems that will be faced. I have already instructed Hagos in this and he has authority to be far more pro-active than in previous times. The forthcoming trials and disasters will not be prevented, they must take place, but I will ensure that they will be brought to an end before too much is lost.”

“That helps Eli, but you did not answer my question.”

“When you understand what happens in the v-world we have created you will understand the place of Lucas and the consequences he will reap. Enough of this!”

Meanwhile Lucas was not having any philosophical debates – he was well past that and could only focus on his schemes. He saw victory in sight. He now had so much control of Antoni, and many of his followers in the v-world, that he would be able, within the constraints of the project, exercise much more direct manipulation of the v-world.

He had always thought Eli a fool. He was a fool for a number of reasons but the chief one is that he had respect for the cause-effect rules that had been set up in the project and would not violate these. Lucas had no such inhibitions and it was for this reason he could be confident of out-witting Eli for the complete control of the v-world, and through that gain much more power and influence in the real world in which he was living.

He called in Ramgee Chukka.

“Ramgee, you are the expert on the Asian issues in the v-world so I want you to listen carefully.”

“OK.”

“Do not think that you can manipulate the actions and deceptive beliefs held by Chou Yi to the detriment of my own plans. I know you think you have the ability to do this and gain some control of the project for your self; but I also know that you quickly dismiss those thoughts which is why I can trust you. Co-operate with me and you will be well rewarded. Have I made myself clear?”

“Yes Lucas. You have no need to be concerned on my account and you are quite right I have thought of the possibility of how to gain control of the v-world through Chou Yi. But I only did this to ensure that you could not be undermined by any of our colleagues. I have complete confidence in what you are doing and that you will pull this off.”

“That is well. We now have much work to do in persuading our little v-friends to be more completely devoted to Nimrah and therefore to Antoni and Aaron and therefore to us. Go to it!”