Apocalypsis 1.0 Signs Read Free Page B

thought you were a coward. Not until today, that is.«
    Laurenz kept silent, but this infuriated Menendez even more.
    »Admit it, this is just another one of your dirty little tactics,« Menendez snapped at him. »With your resignation, you are forcing me to resign as well, and then you’ll be rid of me.«
    »You can become pope now, Antonio, don’t forget that.«
    »You know precisely that only three Cardinal Secretaries of State have become pope in five centuries. But this is not about you or me, this is about the ministry of the Vicar of Christ on earth.«
    For a moment, Laurenz regretted that he and the Spaniard had never managed to become friends, a reality that could clearly be ascribed to the fact that Menendez belonged to the Opus Dei , the most powerful and most dangerous society within the Church.
    »Do you think I don’t know that? I do, believe me. But I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do.«
    »And what do you intend to do? Do you plan to become the éminence grise in the background? The Antipope?«
    »Do you really think that?«
    »I want to understand the reason. Why?«
    Laurenz shook his head. »I am sorry, Antonio.«
    Filled with anger, Menendez straightened himself up. »I do not believe you, Franz Laurenz. I know you too well to believe you.«
    Laurenz could not help but notice that the demeanor of the Cardinal Secretary of State had changed in that he had become distant.
    »You are not the kind of man who abandons everything,« Menendez continued. »Overnight, so to speak. I am convinced that you have a plan and that this plan will split the Church. You named me your Secretary of State and, in so doing, you bound me to loyalty. But that’s over now. From now on, I will be your fiercest enemy. I will keep an eye on you. On you and your people. I will follow your every step. I will fight you no matter what you might be doing. I will protect my church from you, so help me God.«
    These were his last words. The Spanish Cardinal had exited the room without saying goodbye.
    The sound of someone timidly clearing his throat startled Laurenz from his deep thoughts. He ended his prayer and turned around. Duncker stood at the door of the chapel. He was wearing a black cassock with a purple fascia, identifying him as an Honorary Prelate of His Holiness.
    »It is time, Holy Father.«
    Laurenz nodded and stood up.
    »I am no longer the Pope, Alexander. I’m not even a bishop anymore. From now on › Reverend ‹ will be enough.«
    »With all due respect, Holy Father,« Duncker replied stiffly, »as long as you wear the Ring of the Fisherman, you are the Pope and I will address you accordingly.«
    Laurenz understood that this was Duncker’s way of expressing his disapproval of the abdication.
    Unlike Menendez and all the others that Laurenz had already seen that morning to take all the necessary steps, Alexander Duncker had not yet asked him for his reasons. The Thuringian-born man had been tactful as usual when he heard the news, had arranged for the press conference, and had informed the Camerlengo, the Pope’s chamberlain, who would now serve as the acting representative of the highest ranking official in the Catholic Church. At the age of forty-seven, Duncker was still very young for his important position. The good-looking Monsignore with a penchant for custom-made suits, fine restaurants and modern art was considered a heartthrob among the women of Rome, and the Italian tabloids liked to compare him to George Clooney. In public, he was gregarious and open-minded and this made him a popular talk show guest. In private, however, this highly intelligent man with an analytical brain was rather shy and reserved, and when it came to Church issues he was even extremely conservative. As a divinity student, he had contemplated joining the Carthusians, the strictest Roman Catholic religious order that demanded a commitment to almost complete silence. Laurenz, who was at the time his thesis advisor, had called him to