Tom Anderson: Team Leader.  Veteran of four highly successful recovery missions and more than 16 years of time travel into the past.  His missions have included one to Babylon to recover the treasures of the Chaldean Empire; to Pompeii to raid the homes of the wealthy on the night of the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, to Scythia to identify the gold filled Kurgans of the Scyth barbarians, to Mexico to raid the Aztec Empire with Cortez.   Thirty-eight years old in life-line years.  Chosen to lead the mission to recover Jesus’ body from the grave, he is selected by Jesus as the Apostle Thomas – Thomas the Doubter -- and for a much more important and final mission in the 22nd Century.

Pompeii, 79 AD - Extract:

Waiting was nerve racking, even knowing that the eruption was about to happen.  The day was hot and humid.  Everything seemed so normal in Pompeii.  Tom wanted to go through the streets asking people why they weren't packing.  It was such an eerie sensation.  Haunting.

The team began its mission as the sun set.  Where necessary, they eliminated caretakers in villas that were to be looted.  Starting with those that were, by and large, vacant because the owners were in Rome, they were able to carry out much of the mission before the eruption began.  It made Tom nervous to bet that their timing was right and that the mountain was definitely going to erupt tonight.  He knew it was going to happen, but everything seemed so normal. 

The eruption began with two minor earthquakes.  Then an explosion that shook the entire city.  Within minutes, smoke and flames could be seen belching from the volcano's mouth.  The sky became heavily overcast with smoke.  Even though he was expecting it, Tom was shaken by the panic that broke out in the city.  People were running everywhere as if they didn't know which way to go.  Some carrying possessions, some screaming the names of loved ones they hoped to find.  The streets quickly became so crowded and jammed that it was almost impossible to get anywhere.  Although Tom had expected chaos, he had under-estimated the traffic jam created by the panic.  It was difficult to get from house to house.  Tom's area was the row of villas leading to the waterfront from the central city market.  Enid was working the area around the Antolaeus and Flavius villas.

He was in the second villa after the eruption began when he encountered the first set of looters.  There were three of them and they had done Tom the favor of gathering most of the valuables from the house.  Tom cut the first looter down with his short sword before they realized he was on them.  One other put up a short fight but Tom knocked him unconscious.  The third abandoned his loot and ran.  Tom checked their bag to be sure that they had been thorough.  They had.  The bag contained a substantial amount of gold, silver and copper coins, some jewelry, and a set of twelve finely detailed golden chalices that had been the prize possession of the mistress of the house.

As Tom finished the next villa, his pack of recovered artifacts was full and he moved to a small villa at the end of the street.  As he entered, he saw Rich approaching from the opposite direction with his bag.  Tom checked his chronometer and confirmed that the next capsule would appear in few minutes.  Rich gave a thumbs up and sat down beside Tom.  The heat and smoke had become so thick that it was becoming hard to breathe. 

"Smoke?"  Rich asked. 

Tom laughed, "You've got to be kidding!  In this mess?"

"No, I've been desperate for about three years now.  And on his last trip back to the recovery center I bribed Billy to get me a pack of cigarettes.  He made me promise to give him half my share of the team's loot.  I didn't even quibble." 

The air at one end of the room began a quiet crackle and the timegate began to open.  With a small one-person capsule, it only took a few seconds to open and the capsule was there.  As the door opened, Tom noticed that someone from the recovery center had thought to put a bottle of water and a handful of chocolate bars on the floor of the capsule.  He took a long drink and passed a candy bar to Rich.  They dumped their bags into the open door and waited for the gate to reopen to reclaim the capsule.  They both headed back out for more booty. 

On his third trip to the small villa he ran into Rich again.  The air was becoming so thick with smoke, ash and falling debris that it was becoming hard to breathe.  Rich had completed his area and asked Tom if he wanted help. 

"No, I've got two more villas to go that aren't too far away.  You go ahead and take this capsule back.  I'll catch the next one.  It should be the last one and I don't think we can stay much longer anyhow.  Have you seen anyone else?"

Rich shook his head and climbed into the capsule.  He had smoke and soot all over his face and blood on his hands.  He looked tired. 

"Don't use all the water in the shower," Tom said as the capsule door closed.

Tom made for the door as the time gate swallowed the capsule.  Tom thought that the streets would clear within a couple of hours of the initial eruption, but they were still crowded.  There weren't enough ships in the port to allow everyone to get on board and people were beginning to panic.  He headed for the last two villas.  Breathing was hard now and he was wearing a hood to protect his head from embers and to conceal the fact that he was periodically breathing through an air purifier.

As he entered the last villa, he discovered the owner and a younger man -- probably a son -- still in the house.  For some reason or another they had decided to stay and defend the house against looters.  This was the part that Tom hated most about the job.  They were not bad people, just people defending their home.  But now Tom had to dispose of them in one way or another.  In other situations, other times, he had just tried to render bystanders unconscious.  But these two were going to die in the next hour or two anyhow.  Should he knock them out and let them die from smoke inhalation or the lava flow?  Or should he just kill them outright?  They helped him decide by attacking him with swords.  He shut his feelings off and killed them both.

Choking from the ash and smoke, he made his final trip back to the small villa.  It was difficult to get back now because of the crowds jamming the street leading to the waterfront.  The noise of the crowd was incredible.  Tom entered the villa and laid on the floor.  Even the marble tiles were growing warm.  As Tom lay there, he hoped that Enid had gotten out safely.  The mission nearly over, he allowed himself to think about the future. 

Capernaum, 31 AD - Extract:

"What is it?  What is happening, Thomas?"  Simon was very short and almost beside himself that he could not see what the commotion was all about.

Tom was one of the tallest people in the crowd but couldn't see well himself.  So he began pushing his way through the crowd with Simon following closely behind, holding tightly to Tom’s robe.  As they approached the wharf, they began to understand that one of the fishing crews had made a tremendous, almost miraculous catch -- so large that members of the crowd had gone into the water to assist in pulling the nets to shore. 

They worked themselves close enough to see the fishing boats dragging the straining net behind them.  The fishermen were just tying up to the wharf and the net full of fish was being pulled onto the shore next to the pier.  Tom had been in Capernaum long enough to know that this was truly an exceptional catch.  Fishermen might work an entire week and not gather in so many fish. 

As the excitement of the crowd over the incredible catch began to die down, Tom noticed Jesus sitting on a pole used to string and dry nets near the end of the pier.  He was sitting quietly, watching the excitement of the moment with apparent enjoyment.  As Tom and old Simon approached, Jesus looked up and acknowledged them with a simple greeting.

"Peace to you Simon, and to you, Thomas.  I have not seen you for several days.  It is good to see you again."  Jesus looked back at the fishing boats.  Most of the fishing crew was engaged in gathering the catch, but the captain of the crew was walking toward Jesus.  Glancing at Tom he continued, "Stay for a moment longer and, if you have ears to hear, listen."

The captain of the fishing boat was a big man, taller than Tom by two or three inches and considerably heavier.  Tom recognized him from the streets of Capernaum but had not met him.  He approached Jesus with an expression of awe.

"Rabbi, how did you know?  I have fished these waters all my life and never could have made such a suggestion."

Jesus smiled at the fisherman. "Come, Simon, if that amazes you, follow me and I will show you greater things than these.  I will make you a new kind of fisherman.  I will teach you to fish for men."  The fisherman hesitated for a moment as if considering Jesus’ challenge and then nodded.  Jesus put his hand on the fisherman's arm and Simon straightened as if suddenly strengthened.  Jesus looked for a moment back at Tom, his eyes piercing.  Questioning.  They seemed to say, "Do you understand what you have just seen?"  Then he turned and walked with the big man along the shoreline among the fishermen and their boats towed onto the shore following a hard night of work.

Jerusalem, Garden of Gethsemane, Passover Eve, 33 AD - Extract:

He slept fitfully, his mind filled with nightmares.   He thought that Jesus returned to them a couple of times and spoke to them.  He couldn't be sure.   But suddenly he was awakened by a sound that he knew well – the sound of armor and weapons.  Instinctively, he rolled to his feet, loosening his sword and assuming a combat crouch.

He was right.  Soldiers were entering the garden.  His body felt like it was about two or three o'clock in the morning, still dark.  The soldiers were carrying torches and in the flickering light he could see about twenty people.  About half of them seemed to be soldiers, not Romans, probably Temple guards.  Several were Pharisees and there were several others.  As they entered the garden, Jesus walked from the small stand of olive trees where he had been meditating.  Tom and the disciples were slightly off to the side as the Pharisees' party approached Jesus.  The disciples shook themselves awake and moved toward the gathering.

As Jesus moved toward the Pharisees, a lone figure stepped forward and put his arms around Jesus.

"Ah, Judas.  Would you betray me with a kiss?"  the disciples heard Jesus say as they approached the scene.

Judas, taken aback, turned to the soldiers.  "This is the man.  I have done as I said."  And then he was gone.

Jesus spoke to the Pharisees. "Creatures of darkness until the end.  I see that you come to me in the hours of your greatest comfort.  Each day of this week, I spoke publicly in the temple.  Why didn't you come to me there?  It's because darkness is your shield."

At this, two of the soldiers stepped forward and shoved Jesus backward, hard.  Jesus fell to the ground. 

Tom could control himself no longer.  He stepped forward between Jesus and the soldiers.  Seeing his sword, the soldiers immediately recognized one prepared to fight and stepped back.  Peter joined Tom.  As he did so, one of the others of the Pharisees' party pushed forward as if to seize Jesus.  Angry, Peter drew his own sword from under his robe and dealt a glancing blow to the side of the head of the attacker.  The groups began to move toward each other as the other disciples gathered round.  Recovery Force Commando maxims be damned!  Tom readied himself to fight.

"Stop!"  Tom froze as he heard Jesus' voice and felt a firm hand on his shoulder.  He turned slightly to see Jesus behind him.

"Thomas, if I wanted to fight, I could call upon the legions of heaven.  Put away your sword."  He took the sword from Peter and handed it to Tom.  "This is why I am here.  You, of all these men, know that.  Go in peace."

As he spoke, he looked into Tom's eyes and Tom knew that Jesus knew exactly what was about to happen.  And he knew that Tom knew. 

Jesus' gaze shifted to Peter, "Peter, shall I not drink the cup my Father has given me?"  No rebuke this time, just a question.  Peter's eyes filled with agony and his shoulders slumped in resignation.

Jesus turned back to the soldiers.  "It is me you've come for, let these others go.  They've done nothing."

          With that, the soldiers grabbed Jesus and the disciples broke and ran.  Tom stumbled from the garden, tears in his eyes blinding his way.