7
August 20, 2023. Jerusalem.
Maghav Rek'iel and Maghav Mar'tan were not what they seemed. These odd but hugely popular religious leaders, wielding considerable influence in Jerusalem, were much in the news lately, proposing a "Formula For Peace" for the Middle-East. But "the Maghavs" led secret lives unknown to the general populace.
Quite some time ago, Maghav Rek'iel sent one of their apprentice- protégés to P2Q-463, Vyus, and another to P3X-974, Cimmeria. Maghav Mar'tan sent a protégé to P5C-768, Edora, and one to P2S-416, Langara. Others were sent to Orban, and to Pangaria, and to P2A-509, P26-007, P3C-117 and P3K-447 – all at an earlier time, when Earth's Stargate Program had been active.
To five favored protégés, three men and two women, they gave special assignments here on Earth. From Jerusalem, Maghav Rek'iel and Maghav Mar'tan sent them forth, like modern-day apostles, to teach, find converts and enlist recruits.
The teachings of Maghav Rek'iel and Maghav Mar'tan revealed secret doctrines involving the after-life, rebirth and a little-known process called ascension. Maghav Rek'iel told his devotees: "We offer much more than rejuvenation; we offer the gift of rebirth."
Rek'iel always watched their reactions, looking for those who had potential. He told them: "You shall grow your own bodies."
The Maghavs Rek'iel and Mar'tan possessed exceptional insight into the strange phenomena experienced in the past year on Earth, and on so many other planets; such phenomena might be the result of an imbalance in the world-grid. The existence of the world-grid, composed of etheric energy, was unknown to human scientists – though well-known to many ascended beings.
But Maghav Rek'iel and Maghav Rek'iel were neither ordinary humans nor ordinary ascended beings; through an artificial process developed by Rek'iel, they attained an ascended fusion state. They were ascended-in-the-flesh. Their five newly-ascended apprentice-protégés were, likewise, ascended-in-the-flesh.
Though their supernatural powers were limited, they were capable of making themselves invisible for short periods, a useful power enabling them to go discretely through the Stargate. The Maghavs sent their protégés through the Stargate to fine tune their experiments on other planets – the same experiments responsible for the sequence of strange phenomena. But this became a problem now that the Stargate was rarely open.
As Maghav Rek'iel and Maghav Mar'tan walked in the Muslim Quarter on Burj Laqaq Street, Mar'tan's cell phone buzzed. Beings who were ascended-in-the-flesh were not telepathic – at least not at long distance.
Mar'tan took the call. "A problem?" Rek'iel heard Mar'tan say, "What kind of problem?" Mar'tan listened, then said, "What? Oh my goodness. That's not good. Oh my. Oh my." His expression quite grave. Rek'iel heard him say, "That's correct, you should stay there. Correct. Yes, I'll tell Maghav Rek'iel."
Mar'tan had strange and unusual news to report. "There's a problem at our headquarters. Three Level 9 defectives got loose."
Rek'iel's face darkening, "What do you mean, they got loose?"
Mar'tan: "Apparently, they got excitable. They escaped. He's guessing they're somewhere in the southeast central tunnel."
Rek'iel, exasperated, "How could this happen?!"
Mar'tan had no good answers, and looked away.
To accomplish ascension-in-the-flesh required an artificial process, taking etheric energy from the world-grid. However, in the early days, Rek'iel's experimental attempts produced seventeen casualties, which they kept housed at Level 9 in their headquarters under the Temple Mount. They referred to these creatures as the defectives.
They were winged creatures, with webbed feet, sharp claws and semi-human brains. Each of them slightly different, spit dribbling from some of their owl-like mouths, able to think but trapped in a nightmarish world like tortured animals.
Mar'tan: "With the tunnels closed to the public, nobody will ever come in contact with them. But even if someone got in there, nobody would see them, considering their invisibility."
Rek'iel: "They're visible, if you look hard enough."
Most humans could barely see the Level 9 defectives. Their skin color and even their shape changed constantly to match their surroundings; most people would barely see them, and even then only as faint, vague forms or shadowy phantoms.
Rek'iel: "Let's get over there." As they changed directions, he added, "Thank our lucky stars for the tunnels. Let's just hope they don't find their way out, into the city."
o - o - o - o - o
For Jack and Daniel, Jerusalem was a frantic battle zone. Snipers firing from roof tops, street battles, ambulance and fire truck sirens blaring at all hours, day and night. Two opposing armies were pointing guns at each other, one situated east and the other west of the city. As it happened, Jack and Daniel were also walking in the Armenian Quarter of the Old City; Jack's attaché, Major Johnson, and Daniel's team, were back at their hotel.
As they walked on Burj Laqaq Street nearing El-Ghazahi Square, they had no idea they'd passed right by "the Maghavs." They had no idea how many questions those men could answer, if they caught them and could make them tell. But knowing nothing of that, Jack talked of getting the Stargate open; he told Daniel he'd gotten a promise from the Stargate Administration to open the Stargate, soon. Jack said, "They want all four of us back in Colorado once my investigation here in Jerusalem is finished. Which I hope is really, really soon."
Daniel gave Jack an update on Sam, telling him, "I'd say she's at ninety percent. She's improving every day."
Jack asked, "Did she say why she went into that apparition?"
Daniel: "She said she felt drawn into it, that it was involuntary. She said she felt like she was outside herself, watching herself, with no control over her movements. She said she tried calling out to us ... but all that came out was a squeak."
They discussed Jack's plan to enter Jerusalem's underground tunnels; Daniel wanted to join him, and said he knew a local guide. They discussed the strange phenomena on other planets and speculated about the apparition. Jack had also heard about the Maghavs. He asked, "Do you know anything about these Maghavs, or whatever they call themselves? They've proposed a peace plan, a Formula For Peace they call it."
Daniel: "Yeah, I heard that. They've got a huge following here. But you can't help feeling ... you can't help feeling ..." Daniel heard his phone buzz. "Hold on, Jack."
He picked-up and answered, "Hello?"
It was Nikki. "Dad, it's me."
"Nikki! How are you?"
"I'm O.K. I came to see you."
"What's that?" Not sure he heard her right. "Where are you?"
"I'm in Fatima. Great, huh?"
"Yeah, great, but ... you're in Fatima?"
"Yeah. I came looking for you."
Daniel was surprised but then again, knowing her, not altogether surprised. They talked for a while, making plans for her to get the next plane to Jerusalem.
