The
J
Generation
by
Raymond Gen
Book 1 - The J Genome Book 2 - The J Genesis Book 3 - The J Generation
Description: The third volume is called, The J Generation. This book projects the aftermath of the death of Janus. The clone of Jesus disappears after his death. Again, the world is confronted with the effects of the remarkable life of an extraordinary person. Does the world form a new religion or was Janus merely a good person? (51,937 words)
Prologue
Janus’ corpse was missing. His body had disappeared. Somewhere, sometime between the nationally televised service in Washington, D. C. and the private burial service in San Diego, Janus’s body had disappeared. In my first account, The J Genome, I recounted how Janus, the first human clone came into existence. The fact that Janus had the DNA of Jesus of Nazareth made the account even more poignant. In the second narrative, I related the impact Janus had on the world when he lived. His genius and altruism helped ease the suffering in the world but caused great consternation to some others, namely profit-conscious corporations, and many religious people. I called that second account, The J Genesis. This monograph tells the aftermath of Janus’ life. You are reading The J Generation. The residuum of Janus’ life was both the salve providing conciliation and harmony, while at the same time, it has been the impetus of disruptive controversy as the world evolved into its next stages. As his predecessor was reported to have said, “Don’t think that I came to bring peace to the world, I came with a sword.”
2. Apres Janus
“Who could have done this? Why would anyone steal his body?” asked Aimee. Her tone was as much a plea as it was a question. She had addressed Monsignor Connery, who was to preside over the burial service. Aimee turned to James, her husband and he hugged her for reassurance; however, he wasn’t sure if it was to console her or himself. There were still many people who remained in the Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcalá, they had all heard Aimee’s inquiries. Bishop Allende was standing next to Father Connery. Allende looked as if he could spit fire like a dragon. Anger shone in Bishop Allende’s eyes. Aimee and James’ daughter Cora was lovingly and dutifully attentive to her parents who were obviously shaken to the core. Cora’s wife was supportively next to Cora with an arm around her waist. Having called the police, Bishop Allende muttered a few Spanish invectives as he restored his phone to the pocket hidden by his vestment. He was fuming with righteous anger and was spoiling for a confrontation with any offender. No one got in his way.
Most of the crowd had dissipated, but there were still many who were milling about. The police had arrived and had taken down the accounts of Bishop Allende, Monsignor Connery, and the custodian, Aldo Delos Santos. A forensics expert had dusted for fingerprints on the metal casket, but thousands of people had passed by the casket in the last week to pay their respects. Hence, fingerprinting was a mere formality rather than a serious attempt to find the perpetrator.
Later that week, Kimberly Dudley, who had been promoted to one of CNN’s national and international anchor desks had set up a remote interview with Bishop Allende and Father Connery at the CNN bureau in San Diego. “This is Kimberly Dudley coming to you from Washington, D. C. We have with us today, Bishop Allende and Monsignor Connery, both lifelong friends of Dr. Janus Yun whose body had disappeared as these two ministers were about to conduct his burial service. Monsignor Connery, could you recount your experience regarding the disappearance of Janus’ body?” she asked in her most serious tone. The picture on the screen held three rectangles, each framing the three participants. The person currently speaking would be pictured on the left in the larger frame. The other two were smaller on the right. The news anchor no longer assumed the cute, but intelligent demeanor that she exuded for most of her career as a reporter. For now that she had achieved CNN’s premier anchorage, she wanted to project the same serious, intellectual demeanor as all who had ascended to this pinnacle had emanated before her. “Monsignor Connery, tell us what you know.”
“Ms. Dudley, I am at a loss. No one can understand what happened between the service which you covered at the Basilica of the National Shrine, in Washington and here at Mission San Diego. Janus’ body had disappeared. Bishop Allende and I were preparing for the private burial service, but when we opened the casket, it was empty,” related Father Connery. Monsignor Patrick Andrew Connery held the rank of bishop, but preferred the honorific of ‘Father.’ Now at the age of seventy-two, he served the last thirty-plus years as Cardinal Gonzales’ assistant or camerlengo and covertly helped Aimee to raise and educate Janus. Janus and his sister, Cora knew him to be a close family friend, not a managing overseer. Father Connery recounted his part in the preparations for the funeral service to Kimberly and reiterated his plea to the viewers to have anyone with knowledge of Janus’ disappearance to please notify him. He provided his email address, monsignorpatrickconnery@gmail.com, and he assured everyone of confidentiality. Father Connery promised he would neither reveal the identity of any informant to the authorities nor the media. He merely wanted the body of Janus returned for proper burial to give the family appropriate closure and to settle this unpleasant ordeal. “Thank you, Monsignor. And Bishop Allende, can you add to what the Monsignor has just recounted? From your perspective, what do you think has happened?” asked Kimberly.
“Kimberly, I’ve been earnestly praying these past few days, and I have reached a conclusion. I know what happened to Janus’ body,” said the bishop. With that statement, Father Connery turned and looked at his old friend with curiosity. There were two cameras in the room. One was aimed at Bishop, the other at the Monsignor. It was odd when Father Connery looked at his friend instead of directly at the camera. Bishop Allende was wearing his years less well than Father Connery, even though they were close to the same age. The bishop had to clear his throat before continuing. They had not spoken to each other since the previous night and Father Connery knew nothing of the coming epiphany from the bishop. The anchor Kimberly Dudley looked with interest at her camera providing the viewers with the perception that she was staring into the bishop’s eyes and hoping for an interesting scoop that would win her more accolades and awards. She prodded, “Please tell us, Bishop.”
“Kimberly, it's simple and obvious. It’s as plain as the nose on your face. It’s a wonder why people didn’t come to this conclusion by themselves. Dr. Janus Yun’s casket was empty because God had resurrected him! God sent me a vision last night when I was praying. God revealed to me that Janus was resurrected like Jesus. Janus’ predecessor was Jesus. They were both resurrected from the dead by God. Don’t you see? Janus was Jesus’ clone! He was the modern-day Jesus. He healed the sick. He fed the hungry. He even raised the dead. And now, God has resurrected His cloned son, Janus,” said Bishop Allende with earnest conviction and faith.
There was a stunned silence. After a few uncomfortable moments, Kimberly recomposed herself and asked, “Father Connery, is this what you think too? Did God make this revelation to you too?”
“No,” Father Connery immediately replied. Then he stammered, “No - uh - no, I received no such epiphany.” Father Connery’s astonishment equaled Kimberly’s. Looking at his friend, Bishop Alberto Allende looked like he had aged overnight. Bishop Allende was seventy-four years old and he had grown a large paunch while Father Connery, who was on the same path, had accomplished the reverse. Within the past year, Father Connery had shed just under thirty pounds. He daily walked a minimum of six or seven miles. Although he was not a fast walker, his slow, plodding pace helped him to tip the scale at the same weight as he had when he walked the halls of Gonzaga in Spokane, Washington as a freshman over fifty years before. His daily walks were usually accompanied by his beagle, Willowby. Willowby was a lemon-colored beagle while his previous beagle, Dilbert had the usual tri-colors: brown, black, and white. Dilbert had died many years ago and Father Connery adopted Willowby when the Humane Society rescued thousands of beagles from a pharmaceutical research lab that raised exclusively beagles for medical experiments. Beagles are popular for research labs because of their gentle and docile nature and their relatively small size allowing for more dogs to be kept within the confines of a lab. Father Connery’s heart wilted when he heard about the captive beagles and the adorable photos of the pups. Willowby accompanied Father Connery on his daily walks which raised his metabolism and enabled his weight loss. In the recent few months, he felt physically rejuvenated. He looked years younger and felt better than he had in decades.
“Bishop,” Father Connery asked with respect for his old friend, “Are you sure?”
“Without a doubt, Monsignor,” replied Bishop Allende. “Where’s your faith?” Allende continued looking directly into the camera’s lens, “Where is the faith of all believers? God has resurrected Janus as he had resurrected Jesus over two thousand years ago. This is a new revelation given to me. The biblically prophesied second coming of Christ was fulfilled in Janus, and now Janus has ascended to heaven. There has been a renewal of the new covenant.” Bishop Allende spoke with the confidence and assurance of a prophet of old. He felt like a modern-day Jeremiah.
The interview wound down after a few more clarifying questions and quite a few more probing questions were fired primarily upon Bishop Allende. Bishop Allende and Kimberly Dudley were pleased with the interview. Father Connery was more perplexed than pleased.
3. Aimee
Aimee’s husband, James said as they watched the morning program, “I can’t believe what he’s saying. Where in the hell did he get that idea?! Aimee, did you hear what Alberto just said?” James had never been devout, and his language, at times, revealed his past habits in oral communication. Although to his credit, James, as a father, had cleaned up his deportment when his children, Janus and Cora were living with them. But many years had passed since those times and his tongue was reverting to his previous mismanagement and demeanor, although not quite as bad as his college days, for the sake of Aimee. He had momentarily forgotten that Cora and her wife, Linda Marcus were occupying Cora’s old room upon their return to San Diego for the burial. Cora Becker had turned thirty-two and was managing the computer infrastructure at an advertising firm in Lansing, Michigan, while Linda taught in the mathematics department at Michigan State University in East Lansing, only a few miles away from the advertising firm. Growing up, there had been confusion for many since Janus’ surname was Yun which was Aimee’s name, and Cora’s last name was Becker which was James’ last name. Teachers and school administrators were especially susceptible to the confusion. James and Aimee had married four years after Janus’ birth and Aimee had elected to keep her maiden name since that was Janus’ name on the birth certificate. People assumed that the children had different fathers which was both a correct and incorrect assumption. The genetic source of Janus’ DNA came neither from Aimee nor James, although Aimee did provide an egg whose genetic sequence was replaced with the DNA from Jesus (see book 1 for details).
Aimee replied in a bit of frustration, “I have no idea, James. It’s bad enough that his body is missing. And now, this?”
After a few minutes of contemplation, Cora offered. “I can see why Alberto came to this conclusion.”
To which Linda responded, “But it doesn’t really survive Occam’s razor.”
Aimee blurted a paroxysm of a laugh, “Ha! - No - no that’s definitely not the simplest solution to the puzzle! You’re absolutely right, Linda.”
James asked, “Whose razor?”
Aimee replied, “Occam’s razor suggests that oftentimes, the simplest solution is the preferred solution.”
Linda added, “Resurrection would not be the most uncomplicated explanation.”
James replied, “The simplest would be that someone had stolen Janus’ body when it was being transported from D.C. to San Diego. Is this where we are going? Is that what you believe, Aimee? Or are you going with resurrection?”
“I - I don’t know,” replied Aimee. Aimee had been in a perpetual despondency since Janus’ assassination. She was tempted to just give up and surrender her mind and will to the prevailing circumstances. She was tempted to offer herself to the vicissitudes of fortune for the remainder of her life and float about like flotsam in a vast ocean. She did just that for two or three days. She did not care, nor did she have an original thought in those days of despair and depression. She drifted in mind and spirit. Then she came to her senses, rejecting the capitulation of her mind. However, the revelation from Bishop Allende did not offer her any peace or rest. She had assumed that Janus’ body had been stolen, but now, Bishop Allende offered an alternative solution to this conundrum.
Early that afternoon, as previously arranged, Father Connery joined Aimee and James at their home for lunch. He brought over two extra large pizzas from Lombardi’s which had replaced his previous classification as “favorite pizza restaurant.” The previous holder of this appellation was located in Georgetown, the same restaurant where he had met Sebastian, James’ older brother. Even though it was the place where he and Sebastian had been shot, it did not take away from the fact that they served a tasty pie. He tried to sup at the Georgetown Pizzaria at least once for each of his trips to the Washington, D. C. area in his work with Cardinal Gonzales, but he has enjoyed Lombardi’s more and more as time progressed its interminable, steady march. The first pizza he brought to the home of James and Aimee was a croissant crust with cheese, mushroom, and olive toppings. He ordered this because he was not certain whether Cora or Linda were vegetarians. But the second pizza was a Chicago deep dish Protein Master Supreme replete with nearly every protein the restaurant served including pepperoni, three kinds of sausages, hard salami, meatballs, Canadian bacon, four different kinds of cheese, plus anchovies if requested. And Father Connery had requested the little fishies. Cora and Linda did opt for the non-meat pizza while James and Father Connery consumed hunks of the deep dish. Aimee enjoyed a slice of each. Aimee also supplied a zesty green salad with narrow slices of Mexican papaya crowning the baby greens in a balsamic vinaigrette. No mention of the interview was made until after they enjoyed their Italian-inspired repast. During lunch, they talked about Cora and Linda’s life in Michigan which helped with the digestion of the pizza.
After they had completed their midday meal, Aimee broke the ice, “Father Connery, what do you believe happened to Janus? Do you think he was resurrected?”
Father Connery took a deep gulp of his passion fruit iced tea. This concoction was created by James who grew his own lemons and passion fruit which prospered in the Southern California clime. Father Connery responded, “I have not been convinced by Alberto’s proclamation. He took me by surprise. While I firmly believe in Jesus’ resurrection, I have not thought in depth regarding Janus’ disappearance. I simply do not know. A part of me wants to believe in this. Another part of me doesn’t.”
“Doesn’t?” asked Cora, “Why not?”
“If Janus were resurrected, that would bring a variety of unanswered questions regarding the Christian faith, wouldn’t it? A new resurrection would categorically require another testament. The New Testament would be incomplete because Jesus would not be the end of the story. Jesus’ clone who did miraculous deeds would necessitate an update to the Gospels, wouldn’t they?” The Good Father continued, “There would need to be a New, New Testament. I’m pretty sure that most institutional Christian organizations would reject this suggestion and call it heretical. I know with certainty that Pope Urban IX would not accept this. He’s not open to the concept that Catholics can use birth control or be divorced. He will certainly not be open to a second resurrection. It would require a change to the faith,” replied Connery. “It would cause havoc. The Pope would never accept it.”
Aimee nodded in understanding and asked, “What’s going to happen to Alberto? Will he lose his church?”
“He might. He just might,” answered Father Connery. “He doesn’t have anything to worry about from Cardinal Gonzales, but Pope Urban IX is not going to accept it and might just toss Alberto out on his rear. Alberto will be excommunicated for heresy unless he recants, but I don’t think Alberto will disavow his assertation, and he will face dismissal. But I don’t think he minds.”
“This is what happened in the first century,” commented Aimee, recalling what she had learned in her Muller Theological Seminary church history courses. She resumed, “The first-century Christian church and beliefs certainly clashed with the established, organized Judaism. Most synagogues largely rejected the message that Jesus was the Messiah. The Christianized Jews were compelled to leave their homes of worship if they insisted on espousing their new beliefs. It became a new religion because it was rejected by traditional Judaism. The same would happen today. And not just in the Roman Catholic tradition, Father Connery. Most of the Protestant denominations would reject this as well, and for the same reasons that prevailed in the first century.”
Father Connery and Aimee contemplated this line of thought for what seemed a long time. After an interval of a few minutes, Father Connery rose and suggested, “Aimee and Cora, how about we play some music? It’s been too long since we have indulged.” They arose from their seats and moved towards the piano room which the family dedicated to the making of music. Aimee smiled and dusted off the instruments near the piano with a specially treated cloth she used for this purpose. Aimee lugged out Cora’s old cello which Cora declined to take with her to Michigan. Cora now occasionally played a new cello which she purchased from a Michigan State student. Aimee tuned her violin strings while Father Connery played the G, D, A, and E notes for her. He played G, C, D, and A for Cora. The instruments were much out of tune since they had not been used for what seemed to be years. The piano was electronic and held its tune faithfully. It was not the same electronic piano that Father Connery had purchased for Janus nearly four decades prior. This model was in the shape of a baby grand and could produce its notes faithfully. The old one was still functional and stood against the wall. Pulling out some sheet music, Father Connery said, “Ah, here’s an oldie, but goodie. Remember this one? Our old friend - Carl Maria von Weber.” Cora and Aimee smiled as they recalled the Weberian tune they played some years back with Janus on the keyboard and Father Connery fingering the flute. As James and Linda settled onto the sofa for the impromptu concert, Father Connery said, “You’ll have to put up with me on the piano instead of Janus.” There were many missed notes from the piano and some squeaking from the string instruments, but everyone enjoyed listening to or playing the abbreviated Weber Overture. Cora added, “Next time, Linda will bring her clarinet and she can play too.” Everyone agreed that this would be a mandatory performance throughout Linda’s declination.
