PARADOX - Chapter 73

Chapter 73

June 11, 27 CE – Cana – Galilee Province



Just before noon they reached the outskirts of the tiny village of Cana. Their guide, Lambros the Greek, indicated this was a quiet, out of the way village where he and his men often picked up information on the movements of Roman patrols since several major roads crisscrossed the area.

“Where was the last general location that Cencio and Khan were seen?” Monday asked The Geek. The Geek talked with Lambros for a few minutes. “Several miles south of here towards Mount Tabor. Khan was seen with two shady chracters, most likely bandits.”

Monday nodded his head. “We’ll split up and go into the village from two separate directions. Chester you take your team and swing around to the left, I will go to the right. Keep about fifty yards from the village. Dom, I would like for you and the young lady to continue on down the road with Dorbec and Henri as escorts. If Cencio and Khan are near, they will most likely be hidden on the high ground somewhere.”

They walked completely around the village. The only thing Monday noticed was some unusual activity within the village itself. A crowd was starting to gather around a man in a long white tunic. From the distance, there was something about the man that made Monday feel contented, as if he was merely out on a peaceful Sunday stroll.

Monday watched as Dom and his group entered the village. The sight of two Roman soldiers escorting a Roman official and woman, did not disturb the villagers, who continued to go about their daily affairs. They had grown accustomed to the Roman occupiers and knew the price for interfering in Roman business was usually very high.

Dom and his small party halted at the village well to fill their water skins. Beyond the well, down in a small peaceful glen, the tall man in the long white tunic was sitting on a rock talking and laughing with a large number of the villagers.

Dorbec’s eyes followed Dom’s. He had seen the small gathering also. “Is it possible?” He was referring to the possibility that the man could be Jesus.

Dom shrugged. “Shall we go down and talk with them? Arianna and I both speak Aramaic.”

“Let’s just wander a bit closer and see what we can hear.” Henri commented. His curiosity was almost beyond control.

They walked to within fifty feet of the small gathering and sat down on a pile of boulders. Several of the village men cast angry looks in their direction, the remiander of the people paid very little attention.



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Cencio heard the click of the firing pin strike the round and felt the slight vibration of the weapon.

Nothing happened.

“A dud round,” Cencio cursed.

He worked the bolt and chambered a new round. Picking up the unfired round, he saw a solid imprint on the primer.

Cencio took aim and pulled the trigger again, it was another misfire. He repeated the operation three more times, each time the round failed to fire. Cencio could not believe that every round in the magazine was bad.

“Give me the damn rifle!” Khan jerked it from Cencio’s grasp and took aim at the tall man in the long white tunic. He fired. The round was another dud.

Cursing, Khan moved his aim to another target, a villager standing near the man in white, and pulled the trigger. The sniper rifle bucked against his shoulder. He had not taken the opportunity to aim properly at the secondary target, so the round struck a boulder near the man and screamed off in the distance.

The incredible noise of the sniper rifle startled the villagers. They had never heard such a thing before, and it sounded like lightening striking. They gazed into the clear blue sky looking for a thundercloud.

Khan aimed again at the man in white and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. “It’s not the rounds!” he barked at Cencio. “It’s the man. Bullets can’t kill him.”

Cencio was mesmerized. It had to be Jesus and God was interfering with their attempt to assassinate him. It wasn’t his time to die.

Cencio snapped. He jumped up from his prone position, grabbed a gladius from one of the bandits, and charged down the hill. He was screaming at the top of his voice, his mouth was full of white spittal and his eyes were wide and fixed. Kahn threw down the sniper rifle and ran after him.



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Monday’s Team hit the ground when they heard the rifle fire. It was an instinct drilled into them through countless hours of training. Glancing to his right, he saw a big man about fifty yards up the hill, take aim again and pull the trigger. Nothing happened. Another man jumped up and ran screaming down the hill brandishing a sword. It was Brother Cencio.

Monday motioned for his team to try to intercept Cencio before he made it to the town and the small gathering of villagers.

Dom and Dorbec also heard the rifle fire and started scanning the hillside. They spotted Cencio and Khan running down the hill towards them. Dorbec drew a hidden pistol and started to aim.

Dom put his hand on the pistol. “This one’s mine.” Dom reached over and drew Henri’s gladius and slowly walked toward the running Cencio.

Dorbec smiled and turned his aim to center on Khan’s bulky form.

He pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. Dorbec removed the magazine and ejected the round in the chamber. The primer had been struck but the round did not fire. He replaced the magazine, chambered a round, and tried again.

There was a click but the weapon did not fire.

Khan and Cencio were bearing down on the small group of people. Dorbec threw the pistol to the ground, slid his gladius from its sheath and rushed to join Dom.

Dom ran into Cencio and knocked him to the ground. Although Dom had never taken fencing lessons before he did not need them, he was fighting a madman. Cencio was swinging his gladius like a hammer, his eyes wide and froth flying from his mouth. Dom got in close and swung a chopping blow towards Cencio’s exposed neck. The blade turned of it’s on violition and slammed against Cencio’s head, knocking him to the ground. He was out cold.

Dorbec knew exactly what he was doing. As soon as Khan charged him he dropped to the ground and let Khan sail over him to land hard on his back, the wind knocked out of him. Dorbec did a back flip and landed on Khan’s chest. He was just about to land the killing blow when someone touched his arm.

Dorbec looked up to see the gentle smiling face of the tall man in the long white tunic.

“It is not their time,” the handsome man said. Actually, he said nothing, but that is what Dorbec and Dom both heard in their minds. They also heard other things in their minds. They looked at each other in awe and backed away from the man.

The man bent over and helped both Cencio and Khan to their feet. He smiled at them, then turned and walked back to the small gathering of villagers.

Khan and Cencio glanced at each other, then at Dom and Dorbec. They both took off running, seeking the safety of the mountains where other bandits and cutthroats hung out.

Monday and his men ran into the village. They were quickly followed by Chester and his men, coming in from the other side. Everyone was out of breath.

“Why did you let them go?” Monday puffed, watching the two criminals who were safely away in the distance.

“It is not yet their time,” Dom and Dorbec answered in unison.

Monday looked at both men with a suspicious stare. “Let’s get out of here before we do something to change history,” he stated, pointing towards the tall man in the long white tunic. Dom nodded his head signifying that the man was indeed Jesus.

An hour later they were on the road towards Nazareth. Monday decided that as soon as they were beyond risk of being spotted by locals, he would attempt to call the Nazi time machine. He signaled for a break while he surveyed their surroundings.

Dom ambled over to Monday and offered him a skin of local wine to wash the road dust from his throat.

Do you think any of this will be recorded in history?” Monday asked.

Dom shrugged. “I doubt it. As far as history goes this was just another small incident of Roman soldiers preventing bandits from attacking a village. Memory of it will probably die in a year or so.”

“As much as Cencio has done to you and to the Church, I would think you would have gutted the bastard.” Monday held up the skin and took a long drink.

“The man in white had other plans,” Dom replied.

“What plans?”

“Do you believe in Christianity?” Dom asked in return.

Monday returned the wineskin and looked into Dom’s peaceful face. Dom looked serene and happy for some reason. “I was raised a Christian. I have studied Christianity along with many other world religions. Although I do not abide by a lot of the dogma the churches teach, down deep I still believe in Jesus and the beautiful doctrine he spread.”

“One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, "Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!" But the other answered, and rebuking him said, "Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? "And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong." And he was saying, "Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!" And He said to him, "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise." Dom was quoting scripture from memory.

What are you inferring? Monday looked skeptically at Dom.

“Biblical history does not give us the names of the two criminals who were crucified with Jesus,” Dom replied. “They are simply mentioned in the scriptures as two condemned criminals. Now, we know their names.”

“Cencio and Khan,” Monday whispered.

Dom nodded his head and walked back towards the donkey cart.

“Which one cursed Jesus and which one met him in Paradise?” Monday asked himself. He shook his head and strolled back to the resting group. He spotted Dorbec talking with the Arianni woman. He was just about to ask Dorbec about his situation, but changed his mind.

“Did it really matter,” he thought. “Some secrets are better left hidden. If Jesus and Mary had children, did it change who and what Jesus was? Not at all!”

An hour later they found a secluded meadow surrounded by hills on all sides. Henri used the Nazi communication device to call the time ship. Henri was a good actor. Evidently Wilhelm did not institure a sign and countersign, so the Nazi time ship landed in the meadow and the pilots were caught completely by surprise.

Ariana was upset to discover that the two Arianni time ships had been ambushed by the Nazis and destroyed. That was the reason she could not contact them. Since the Nazis had stolen their technology from the Arianni, Ariana could easily pilot the ship.

They made their transition through time as easy as their departure. Upon arriving in real time the first thing they received over their communications channel was a Nazi broadcast ordering all air ships to evade enemy missiles.

“Where do we land?” Ariana looked up into the tired face of Monday.

“Take us to McMurdo station in Antarctica.”