Project J by Sean Brandywine Read Free Book Online Page A

real person that we could question!”
     
    “But you can’t just grab a person from the past...” Tamara began.
     
    “It’s not like we grabbed a person,” Fielding immediately said.   “Any person we fetch would still be in the past.   All we would get here is an exact replica.”
     
    “How close of an exact replica?” Stryker said slowly, emphasizing his words.
     
    “Well, the animals Brown got are...   Well, truth is, it would be an exact replica.   The person would be real and alive.   Absolutely the same as the original.”   He paused a moment before adding, “Even down to the thoughts and memories.”
     
    “Oh my God!   You’re talking about creating a real person!   You can’t just create life!”   Stryker’s face was turning an unpleasant shade of red.
     
    “We didn’t create it; we only copied it,” Fielding protested.
     
    Stryker took in several deep breaths.   Tamara was on the edge of her seat, staring in disbelief.   The only ones who were not in shock were Fielding and O’Neill, but they were edging towards it.
     
    Before Fielding could go on, Stryker pointed a finger at him and asked, “You have actually done this, haven’t you?   You’ve brought into our time a person from the past.   Who... Who did you fetch?”
     
    “Well, we figured we might as well bring someone here who could answer historical questions.   Someone of historical significance.   For research, you understand.”
     
    “Who.   Did.   You.   Fetch?”   Stryker pounded his fist on the desk with the last word.
     
    “Ah...   Jesus.”
     
    You could have heard a pin drop in the room.
     
     
     

 
     
    Chapter 10:   Confession
     
     
     
    “Jesus!   You mean Jesus Christ!”
     
    “Yes, that one.”
     
    “Oh my God!”
     
    “I told you he wouldn’t approve,” whispered Juliette to Fielding.   It might have been meant as joke, but no one laughed.
     
    Stryker was shaking his head, and gasping, unable to speak.
     
    Tamara leaned forward.   “Did the procedure work?”
     
    “Of course.   Like I said, it was the same as we did with animals, only bigger.   Took a lot of computer power, I can tell you.   Lightning was running full speed for over three hours.”
     
    “And he was... is alive?”
     
    “Yes, of course.”   At least Fielding had the decency to look sheepish.
     
    “Where is he?” Tamara continued.
     
    “I had a couple offices turned into an apartment of sorts, here in this building.   He’s living there.”
     
    Even Tamara ran out of words at that point.   This was just too big for their minds to accept.
     
    “I suppose you will want to meet him,” Fielding offered.
     
    “Jesus Christ...” muttered Stryker.
     
    It was Tamara who began to grasp the implications before Stryker.   “Jesus was a first century Jew.   Wouldn’t there be a tremendous cultural shock bringing him into our time?”
     
    “Of course,” Juliette answered.   “That’s why we’ve isolated him and hidden the whole project from others in the company.   To protect him.   We wanted to be able to talk with him, ask questions, find out facts.”   She leaned forward, her green eyes glowing.   “Think of it!   Here is the chance to learn so much about the most important point in history!   And the most important man in history!   Think about how much has been said and theorized about him and his time.   How many different interpretations of his life and actions there are.   How many unanswered questions.   Ask a thousand people who, in all of history, they would like to talk to and most will say Jesus of Nazareth.”   She was warming to her subject.
     
    “We kept him isolated from virtually all knowledge of our society and the world today.   He does not know about TV, space travel, heart transplants, the world wars...”
     
    “Or about the church he started?” Tamara interrupted.
     
    “Most assuredly!”   Juliette was emphatic.   “Of course, he