Pilate's Red Pill
I awoke with a start, jumped out of my 'bed' (actually off a couch of sorts) and scurried down the stairs. Don't tell me I missed it. No. NO! I didn't sleep through it - did I? Please tell me I didn't sleep through the resurrection! I stood panicked, as I stared across the atrium and the many doors that flanked it's space.
A familiar form emerged from one of the rooms; scurrying across the floor chasing some rolling object. It was Nicodemus's grandson; except his hair had been cut and he was wearing a Roman toga. Next form to come chasing him was... a shorter, thicker version of Ignatius? I did a double take before I realized; no, that's actually Nicodemus. He too was clad in Roman apparel with shorter hair and a shaven face. Apparently too, some of the women had taken hold of him; as his hair had been dyed.
The escape plan had been hatched it seemed; when it suddenly dawned on me - yeah, it was still Saturday.
Following Nicodemus, emerged Horatio and another centurion I whom I didn't recognize: or did I? I began to question as I inched closer.
[But I'm not a soldier.] He complained.
[You will learn to be well enough to pull this off.] Horatio answered. [We will help you. Once we get to Caesarea; a ship will take you to Crete. From there Ignatius's son-in-law Jamal will come find you; you can be a civilian again and Jamal will take you and Nicodemus from there to Hispania; than on to Britannia, if you wish to go that far?]
[The good faith of God will be with us.] Nicodemus reassured as he picked up his grandson and walked toward the other two men. [The book says the gospel of Christ will spread. I'm sure the Holy Ghost will find us.] He chuckled a bit.
[OK, come on.] Cornelius motioned as he was the next to emerge from the dining hall. [You get a crash course in how to guard him.] He gestured at Nicodemus as this other ... centurion followed he and Horatio.
Fascinating. I observed as I watched Joseph tag along behind the other two. He was taller, older and more stately than Nicodemus and in another life, I could have almost imagined him being a soldier. Cornelius requested Horatio's sword as he stood in the hall, halfway between the atrium's exit and garden's entrance. He began to swing it, doing tricks of sorts to demonstrate it's balance. He handed it to Joseph, who took up the demonstrated stance and began to practice. He was a quick study, I noted as he followed the instructions, as well as inquiring of useful questions.
[Because of your age, no one will expect you to do much soldiering; but you will have to know basics. He will go with you.] He pointed to Horatio. [And I will go ahead of you. We still have to secure lodging and a place to hide you two. Word will spread fast; it's already started.]
[OK] Joseph sighed soberly. [So what do you want me to learn?]
[The most important lesson you are going to learn from us; is how to kill someone if you have to.]
[Yes, very important skill to have.] Horatio added. [It's all in the mindset.]
Joseph sucked in a breath. [OK.] He nodded.
They continued talking as my attention turned toward Nicodemus and his grandson. All three looked very different in their emerging transformation into Romans.
"Deus." Nicodemus rehearsed with his grandson. "Deus."
"Avus" - "Avus"; "Miles" - "Miles"; "Hebraica" - "Hebraica"; "Salem" - "Salem".
I followed him into the dining room where I was met by another utter shock. Standing next to Ignatius; (who was pointing and reading passages out of my Interlinear Bible) was none other than... Pontius Pilate. They both looked up at me.
[So she is the one?]
[Yes.]
[You're right, she does look like a Britannian.]
[Yes, Jesus had stated that her ancestors are from there.]
[He told you this?]
[Yes.]
Pilate let out a sigh, sat down and stared blankly at my Bible.
[Well, it's obvious she is not from around here.] He motioned at the items on the table. [We certainly don't have the ability to produce a document like this. And... what is the word you used?] He peered up at Ignatius as he picked up my flashlight.
[She calls it technology.]
[Technology.]
[And how did they find the bodies in the dark?]
[These.] Ignatius reached across the table.
[What are they?]
[It's something her army uses. She calls them night vision glasses.]
[And you can see in the dark?] Pilate held the goggles up to his face.
[Yes.]
[How?]
[You can see the heat a body gives off.] Ignatius explained. [Anything; humans, cats, dogs,... rodents. They pick up the light of torches too.]
[And this is how they got in and out of the apartment so fast and knew those people were dead?]
[Yes. It's also how they found his grandson.] Ignatius motioned to Nicodemus. [They could see him hiding in the corner.]
[And he was covered in blood, but he wasn't injured?]
[That is correct. We only noticed it when they brought him here though.]
Pilate let out another sigh as he peered up at Nicodemus's grandson, who was clinging to his grandpa.
[Young man.] Pilate stood up seemingly trying to be as diplomatic as possible. [Do you remember what happened last night?] He inquired in rather direct sternness.
The little boy nodded.
[Can you tell me?]
[They banged the door.] The boy fidgeted a bit as he stared at the floor. [They yelling at grandma.] The child twitched. [They runned. Momma... me.] He made a swooping motion. [She fall.] He looked up at Pilate. [They hit and scream... and cut.] He made a stabbing motion. [Then runned away.] He shuttered a bit as he rubbed his hands on his chest.
[Clean Goy.] He mumbled as he kept wiping his toga and than his arms. Nicodemus tried to calm his grandson's increasing anxiety; when the boy suddenly stopped and looked directly at Pilate [Judah... dead.] He suddenly declared.
Nicodemus let out a stunned gasp.
Pilate only slowly nodded.
[Yes... They are.. dead.] He confirmed.
Pilate sunk back down into a chair and quietly rested his head on the table.
[You can take the child out of the room now.] He whispered.
Nicodemus sucked back a sob, refraining to the best of his ability from bursting into tears, as he clenched his grandson in his arms and retreated from the dinning hall. Ignatius sent one of his guards to follow.
[That apartment was a mess.] Pilate sucked in a deep breath, before he sat up and looked at Ignatius. [It was a hit job. They didn't steal anything as far as we can tell. There was a silver charger sitting right on the table. There sole intent was to murder those people.]
[And from where Cornelius indicated that they'd found the 4 year old; we imagine they would have killed him too if they could have found him in the dark.]
Pilate nodded. [I've seen battles and I've seen crucifixions; but I've never seen anything like that!] He sucked in another breath. [I've seen people jump off the city wall. Soldiers get into really bad fights; but these people were slaughtered like animals. There was even blood splattered on the ceiling.] He stood up. [And now I got these idiots coming to me accusing Jesus's followers. They were Galileans. They were yelling at me. Yet these are the guys who buried this Jesus - Right!]
Ignatius nodded.
[They'd have no reason to kill this Pharisees's family.]
[No governor, they wouldn't.]
[Yet this book says they set me up and I can't do anything about it.]
Pilate sat back down staring at my Bible.
[Does she know what happens to me?] He mumbled as he gestured at me.
[I don't know.]
[Can you ask?]
[I can... try...]
Ignatius sucked in a deep breath as he motioned for me to come toward him. He pointed to Pilate and than to the Bible. I followed his hand signals, gestures words and sound effects until I got a pretty good understanding as to what he was asking. We kibitzed back and forth with a series of gestures and primitive timeline supplied with Roman numerals. Ignatius nodded as he continued to count out numbers. Then finally he let out one last sigh and commenced his explanation to Pilate.
[Well as far as I can gather... she says that according to Roman historical records, which are not in this book; you are called back to Rome about 3 years from now to give an account to Caesar. 2 years after that, you disappear from history. They have not found any records as to what happens to you.]
[There are no records as to whether or not I'm executed?]
[No, she said the emperor you are suppose to stand before, dies before you get there. There's no record of you standing trial for anything and there's no record of your death.]
[Not that it really matters] Pilate let out a sigh. [Because if it's already happened according to her timeline, it's not like I could change it anyways.]
[I don't know?]
[No that is the case.] Pilate sat up. [If all is according to this God, who knows the beginning from the end and it all has been divinely appointed. Than what's done in the future is already accomplished now. There's no changing it. We just wait to step up to our appointed time.]
[But if we know what's going to happen, than reason would say that we have the power to change it.]
[Not if it's really divinely predetermined we don't.]
[I don't understand.]
[Anything I do in our future, has already happened in her past; and if I had the ability to change that, than I'd effect changes that take place in her time. But since history is already set according to her time; what ever actions I take are already accounted for.]
[Hum...] Ignatius pondered a moment or two. [Well, I guess that does make some sense; but how would you know if you are making the right choice?]
[It doesn't matter.] Pilate threw his hands in the air. [Because what's appointed to unfold is inherent in the actions I take; no matter what they are.]
[So does that mean we have no free will?]
[No, because someone's knowledge of what will happen doesn't prevent my action; even if someone steps in to stop me.] Pilate answered. [I know that sounds strange, but that still doesn't change history as it has unfolded, to the very point of what ever decision I make.]
[Oh?] Ignatius pondered a moment to digest what Pilate had said. [Future proves the past. I think I see what you're saying.]
[Yes, in that sense future would prove the past. My future proves her past and her past proves my future.]
[Interesting. Time really isn't fluid then; is it?]
[I guess not?] Pilate shrugged. [Next question becomes how do we accept our place in history if we know we don't really change it?]
[Unless of course we are so predictable that predetermining our actions isn't that much of a challenge to God.] Ignatius chuckled.
[Well, I guess that's what it means to be omniscient.] Pilate flashed Ignatius an inquisitive scowl. [Still doesn't tell me what I should do in the present though.] He muttered.
[Do what you think is morally right.] Ignatius answered. [That's really the only thing you can do.]
[I'm not used to doing what's morally right though.] Pilate confessed. [I'm used to doing what gets the job done; because 'morally right' often isn't advantageous when you're dealing with people who have no morals.]
They both stood for a moment of contemplation before Ignatius sat down.
[Well, morally right for the sake of God's justice; doesn't mean you have to hold that conviction.] Ignatius began to think a'loud. [It's a preposterous position to be in; but if you want revenge, what better way to get it than use their own God against them.]
Pilate flashed Ignatius a funny look.
[Their own Scripture declares: Let vengeance be mine says the Lord. If you do what's lawful; that gives them no excuse when they come to have to answer to their God for what they did. And that just doesn't apply to Jesus and what they did to him, it also applies to you.]
[What they did to me.] Pilate nodded. [Or rather what they are going to do to me.] He shook his head as he starred at the floor a moment. [But that's not what I want to do.] Pilate muttered. [I want to slaughter these sons of... their father the devil...] His voice trailed off a moment and he let out a sigh.
[Well, we all have choices to make.] Ignatius shrugged in conclusion.
They sat quietly for another few moments before Pilate stood up.
[Yes, we all have choices to make.] Pilate agreed. [I just have to figure out what mine are now?] He folded his arms and scratched his head. [My investigation into these murders from this angle is done. It's obvious this Pharisee didn't kill his own family.]
[So, what's next?] Ignatius inquired.
[Stall until tomorrow morning.] Pilate laughed. [If Jesus really does come back from the dead; this would be a... significant shift in their...narrative.]
[Yes, that it would!] Ignatius smiled.
[Maybe in the wake of that melee some more leads will shake out.]
[Any suspects?]
[A couple of ideas.] Pilate muttered. [I had soldiers secure the apartment. I'm headed over there after I leave here, to see if any more clues have turned up.] He paused a moment as he glanced at me. [Wonder how they solve crimes in the future?] He chuckled. [Maybe she can help?]
[I don't know?] Ignatius shrugged.
Inquisitive Pilate spent another 10 or so minutes being distracted by the technology sitting on the table, before he'd decided it was time to try and go solve a murder. He exited the house wrapped in an air of stoic resignation; not seeming particularly anxious about the future, yet ready as he'd ever be to walk his part in this 'play'. I wondered what he knew, how much he'd read and what impact my presence would really have on history? Would I get back and find my own time totally different, just simply upon the fact that Pilate now too knew he sat on the cusp of an event that would change history.