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Back The Last Christian
Chapters (58)
  1. Cover
  2. Other Books by This Author
  3. Title Page
  4. Copyright
  5. Dedication
  6. Acknowledgments
  7. Prologue
  8. 1
  9. 2
  10. 3
  11. 4
  12. 5
  13. 6
  14. 7
  15. 8
  16. 9
  17. 10
  18. 11
  19. 12
  20. 13
  21. 14
  22. 15
  23. 16
  24. 17
  25. 18
  26. 19
  27. 20
  28. 21
  29. 22
  30. 23
  31. 24
  32. 25
  33. 26
  34. 27
  35. 28
  36. 29
  37. 30
  38. 31
  39. 32
  40. 33
  41. 34
  42. 35
  43. 36
  44. 37
  45. 38
  46. 39
  47. 40
  48. 41
  49. 42
  50. 43
  51. 44
  52. 45
  53. 46
  54. 47
  55. 48
  56. 49
  57. 50
  58. Author’s Note

“Dr. Daniels, I’m responding to your inquiry concerning the research conducted by Dr. Sampson.” He spoke with a seriousness that didn’t bode well. “We tried to access Dr. Sampson’s Grid files and discovered that they had been inadvertently erased. The backups on the Grid have been erased as well. I’m very sorry for this unfortunate occurrence and am at a loss to explain it. As for any samples she may have shipped to the United States, I checked with our shipping coordinator. He has no record of such a shipment. It is possible Dr. Sampson may have arranged shipment on her own, although that isn’t our standard procedure. I’m sorry not to be of more help.”

We thanked him and ended the communication.

I leaned back on the couch. “Deleted. Even the backups.” I looked at Abby. “That was no inadvertent occurrence.”

25

I got up early the next morning. Abby had been devastated by the news from Papua New Guinea. Not only had Kate Sampson been murdered, but now all information regarding Kate’s investigation had been lost, nanite samples included. We would never determine their source.

Under the circumstances I thought it best to keep moving forward. Uncover what we could, and leave behind what was irretrievable. Abby shut herself in her room, uninterested in food or going onto the Grid to research with me. Before she shut the door, she said, “Creighton, what happens if no one ever finds out? No one learns about Kate or Miraba…the village?”

I couldn’t answer her.

I returned to the VR university library and resumed the accounts of Jesus’s life. The gospel of Matthew. Mark. Luke. No clues. Hundreds of stories about Jesus, but no clues about the word life or its withdrawal.

I was restless. I got out of my library chair and walked to the student union next door. I picked up a hamburger and chips at the grill, sat at a table in the courtyard, and resumed my reading.

I finally hit something in the fourth sentence of the gospel of John. Jesus, the writer claimed, was himself God. Along with God the Father, he created all things. And then this statement: “In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.”

I put down my burger and read on. The fifth chapter of John, verse 26: “For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself.” The sixth chapter, verse 35: “Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life.’” Verse 53: “You have no life in yourselves.” Verse 57: “He who partakes of Me, he also will live because of Me.” Verse 63: “It is the Spirit who gives life.” I found this statement of Jesus in chapter 11: “I am the resurrection and the life.” And this one in chapter 14: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.”