by Barry Smith
“Hello,” he calls out, “Is anybody here? May I use your restroom?”
“Maybe they are in the back,” yells Chloe, from a different aisle, “Oooo, I think I want some snacks too.”
“Well, I’m going to run to the bathroom; hopefully, they will be out by then,” replies Jett.
Outside, Dax and Phoenix are smoking on the side of the mini-mart of the gas station when they notice, just over a hedge of bushes, two missionary boys dragging a man and his wife out of their home.
Dax, speaking in a song, said,
♪Do you see what I see?
Phoenix, with her mouth open in confusion, nods in agreement. They both move closer to the hedge, so as to take a closer look.
The husband breaks loose of his captive’s grip, turns and punches the missionary boy in the face. The boy, in response, pulls out a sword and chops the man’s arm off.
“Nooo!” screams his wife, who is being held by the other missionary boy. A hand covers her mouth, as she watches her husband fall to the ground before he is stabbed again, through the back.
Dax and Phoenix stand horrified, unsure of what to do. The sword-wielding boy then goes over to his bike, and gets on, a mini CB radio connected to his handlebars, and begins talking to someone.
Back inside, Chloe has returned to the counter, with the items she intends to purchase, when she notices a Missionary Boy dragging a body out of the backroom.
“Ahhh!” she screams in shock.
“What’s going on?” asks Jett, as he dashes out the bathroom to meet Chloe, and finds a missionary boy with the body.
Dropping the body, the Missionary boy explains the situation, “I found him in the back, I believe some gangsters came in here, robbed, and stabbed him. He is still breathing; can you help me get him to the hospital?”
“We sure can; we can put him in our car,” replies Jett.
“Thank goodness there are still decent people in the world to help others,” adds Chloe, “You Disciples of Zion have been a true asset to the city. Here, I’ll grab his other arm, Jett, you get his legs.”
Back outside, Dax and Phoenix, who are still in hiding, see an unmarked van pull up next to the fallen body, and two other missionary boys get out of it. One of them had a folded plastic material in his hand, while the other opens the back doors of the van, and pulls out a ribbed hose, and begins sucking the blood from the ground and the body. The other unfolded the plastic material, to reveal a body bag, into which he, and the others, lift and place the body and zip it shut. Suddenly, the body contracted up, for one last breath inside the bag, and then collapses. They then, put the body in the back of the van, along with the distraught woman, who they bind with zip ties and a gag.
“Oh my goodness! We got to tell someone,” whispers Phoenix.
“Yes,” replies Dax, “Let’s go.”
They retreat from the bushes, and turn a corner to see Jett, Chloe, and a Missionary Boy hauling a body to the car.
“Hey, what’s going on?” shouts Dax.
“We are taking this man to the hospital,” explains Jett, “Luckily, this boy found him still breathing after some thugs stabbed him and left him half dead.”
“Jett, Chloe,” calls out Phoenix, who has been silent all the while, “We need you to drop that man’s body, and step away from that boy. He is not what he appears to be; he is part of the problem and not the solution.”
The Missionary boy, realizing he has been found out, spins behind Chloe, and wraps his arms around her neck, putting her in a choke hold. He pulls out a gun with his other hand, and pointed it at Jett, while speaking to Dax and Phoenix,
“Stand back or I will kill them both.”
Both Dax and Phoenix raise their hands in submission.
“Who’s got the keys?” shouts the boy.
Dax, who still has them dangling in his raised hands, replies, “I do.”
“Throw to him,” orders the boy, while pointing at Jett.
Dax throws Jett the car keys, after which, the boy then says to Jett,
“Get in the car.”
The boy pushes Chloe in to the front passenger seat, closes the door, and still kept the gun aimed at her, as he gets in to the rear passenger seat. Jett, who has first gone to remove the gas pump, comes around the vehicle, and got in the driver’s seat.
“Now drive!” barks the boy.
The car screeches, as it peels off into the dark night. Phoenix and Dax look at each other briefly, before locking their arms in an embrace.
“What are we going to do now?” asks Phoenix, pulling her back to look Dax in the eyes.
“Let’s go inside and call the police,” answers Dax.
***
Back at the Boardwalk of the Grand Temple, the rally for Father Kraven is coming to an end. As he is saying his final words, Kraven is interrupted when a gun is pressed against his temple, then cocked. He turns slightly, to see Ryan Swett holding a gun to his head, while Captain McCormack takes over the microphone.
Before the Missionaries, standing on the steps, can pull out their weapons, several cops, who have appeared out of nowhere, draw their weapons on them all. Captain McCormack then begins to speak to the crowd,
”I hate to end this party, but thou shalt not lie, and the ultimate lie has been played upon you. I’m here to announce that the reign of the Disciples of Zion has come to an end tonight. No one should be forced to believe in a God; you should want and desire to believe in a God. Ask yourself, were you intimidated or forced to believe? Were you pressured to buy those necklaces you wear around your neck? This deception has been about money and power, and the ultimate sin has been created by the Disciples of Zion. Have you seen the papers lately of all the missing people? I can confirm that some of those people are your loved ones, friends, and neighbors. Well, that Sapphire of Life you wear around your neck, in reality, is the Sapphire of Death created from your missing loved one’s ashes. These Disciples are burning people alive. We have all been mind-manipulated and murdered for profit.”
The audience gasp in horror, confusion, and anger, as some people rip off their necklaces in disgust, while others call their actions blasphemy.
Father Kraven then tries to speak out, “Believe it not to be true. These men are the Devil’s work. They are demons who’ve come to destroy your faith in him. Stand with me now, and fight this sacrilege!”
“Oh, shut up!” says Ryan, as he elbows Father Kraven to the side of his head, knocking him to the ground. Missionary Patriarch, Father Covay, who stands nearby, karate chop the gun out of Ryan’s hand, making the gun go off, and scaring the crowd into a frenzied panic. The Brothers of the Missionary took advantage of the chaos, and jump into action, and the battle between them and the cops begins, with everyone else scampering for safety.
***
On the streets of Trouble Town, two Missionaries knock on the door of a household. The door opens to reveal a woman and her children standing by it. One of the Missionaries asks,
“Have you had the time to accept the Lord Savior into your life?”
Already shutting the door, the woman replies, “Sorry boys, I will pass on whatever you are selling.”
One of the boys put his foot in the threshold, blocking the door from closing completely, before saying in a vicious tone,
“You only have two choices; Convert or face Condemnation.”
Then unexpectedly, his demands are halted by Raven’s Claw’s short blade presented at his throat, and Falcon’s shotgun at the other boy’s head.
Raven’s Claw then proceeds to say, “You were saying? You fuck tard!” Immediately, one of the boys knocks Falcon’s shotgun away from his head, while the other boy reverse head-butts Raven’s Claw. The family slams and locks the door, as the pairs battled it out on the street.
One boy knocks Falcon to the ground, and just before he can stab him, two blades cross each other, through his neck. The boy’s head falls off, and the headless body collapse to the side, bringing to light, Night Spa
rrow for the kill from behind. Falcon immediately grabs his shotgun, and puts an end to the Missionary Boy attacking Raven’s Claw, with one far shot to the head.
“Thanks, but I had him,” said Raven’s Claw.
“I doubt it,” smirks Falcon, “But maybe you can repay me with one of these douche bags,” as he turns to face the nine more missionaries that have surrounded the trio.
***
Through the pandemonium, several church members come running in, through a side door, into the Temple. Archbishop Gallegher is among them, along with several Brothers of the Missionaries, who guarded him. Suddenly, the front church doors are kicked open, and Twist, Shadowlark, and several Sky Kill Assassins take aim at the Missionary squad.
A few missionaries pop up out of the altar balconies, and return fire. Bullets crisscross each other in complete disregard of innocent church members trying to flee the battle scene. Shadowlark jumps on the back of every row of seats, and flips over some, to avoid enemy blades that are trying to slice her from underneath.
“What on earth…?” mutters Twist, as he looks up and notices that the dark rafters that hang overhead has blue cross beams that appears to be moving downwards; they come into the light as the blue ties, worn by a swarm of Missionaries, fly down from the great arches. They land and surround Twist’s assassins, greatly outnumbering them.
***
Inside the factory of the Grand Temple, huddle and shivering with fear, Jett, Chloe, and several other scared faces are watching a group of people being shoved inside a dark room.
With a frightening sound, two wide vertical steel doors meet each other and close the people in. The door’s black and yellow caution stripes, along where the two doors meet, look like teeth of a mouth swallowing the people whole.
From inside, wild screaming is heard, followed by a roar, after which, the screams go silent. One of the guards pull down the lever, and the steel doors automatically re-open again, showing nobody is there; just a dark empty smoky room.
The awaiting group, realizing what they are in for, gasp in horror. One man among them shouts,
“You’re not burning me alive; I rather be shot.”
He rises and begins fighting his way out, but is soon shot in the head. His body is thrown into the room, and more Missionaries draw their guns, and force the group inside.
“Into the Condemnation Chamber you go,” says one, “It will all be over soon.”
Jett and Chloe are herded inside, along with the rest of the crowd. Once inside, they look up to see a ceiling of burners, partially glowing like turbine exhaust from a jet plane. Suddenly, gunfire fills the room; people duck and scream, as they hear the sound of bullets ricochet.
When the exchange of gunfire has ended, Jett looks up to see flashlights beaming through the smoke.
“Is everyone ok?” asks a voice. As the smoke dissipates, silhouettes of cops enters the chamber, with Bryce leading them,
“You’re all safe now,” he says reassuringly, “Get up and follow these officers out the other end.”
***
Back in Trouble Town, two cop cars have stopped at an intersection, with their lights glaring on the several Brothers surrounding Falcon and the ladies.
They get on their car megaphone to say, “Stop! Drop your weapons!”
All four cops get out of the car, and take their aim from behind their car doors. Half of the brothers turn their focus and weapons at the cops.
Everyone is at a standoff, with guns aiming at each other when suddenly, one of the cop car’s passenger side-view mirror is shot off by an unidentifiable shot.
The cop next to the shattered mirror, ducks and pulls the door closed to her. Everyone begins to fire and take action. Another shot takes out the passenger window of the same car, rendering the door windowless. As the cop slowly peeks through the broken window of the car door, she can see gun muzzle flashes, over a small light, approaching from a dark alley; she can also hear the rapid clicks of moving gears. When the moving light comes into view, it is connected to a bike ridden by a Brother wielding a glock. The bike is launched off a ramp of ply wood lying in the alley, and the Brother lands on the hood of a cop car. He then turns and aims his gun down at Falcon and the ladies.
He fires a few shots, and pedals hard to hop the bike over to the hood of the other cop car and then, down to the ground.
As the bike brother exits, two more Bike Brothers come barreling through the center of the chaos, pedaling head on, towards the cop cars. They both pop a wheelie, while firing rounds at the cops. Before breaking from each other, one keeps his wheelie popped and spun in a wheelie circle, shooting in the round at his enemies. The other Bike Brother keeps his wheelie popped, as he rides between the narrow opening between the two cop cars, all the while, returning aggressive fire. As he passes through the vehicles, he brings the bike down on both wheels, before hopping the bike around to continue firing at the cops, while riding backwards.
After emptying a full round during his wheelie spin, the Brother breaks his spin to reload another clip. But with the heavy return fire, he is forced to retreat and then, reload. But before he can reach an alley to recoup, he is clothes-lined by Falcon’s cybionic arm, throwing him clear across the street.
Falcon approaches the boy, picks him up by his tie, and dangles him like a lynching.
“You’ll be lucky to walk more less ride a bike when I’m done with you” snickers Falcon.
The boy is suddenly released and dropped on the ground, when he notices Falcon grab his upper back in pain.
Falcon turns to reveal a ninja dagger impaled in his back. From the alleys, streets and rooftops, battle cries are heard, as more Brothers of the Missionary parkour in, and join the fray. But they are met with equal force from the hundreds of InfliXion gang members from the shadows of the alley, plus Sky Kill Assassins from above.
All across the city, police car siren lights illuminate the night during an all-out epic battle of unrest within the streets.
***
At Two Pump Chump’s Gas Station, Phoenix is hanging up, after she has been on the phone for several minutes,
“Damn it! it’s still busy. Great, no cell phone service and now, bitches are too busy to answer the fuckin emergency line. You would think the city was on fire.”
***
Back at the Great Rally, a few of the Boardwalk stores have been set on fire; the deceived temple members have incited a riot, burning things to the ground and fighting other members who are still believers.
Commissioner Munson comes into the scene and grabs Kraven by the collar,
“How could you do this? I trusted you to bring hope to our city, and you betrayed me! You betrayed all of us! For What?! Power? I’m sick to my stomach right now.”
“I did not do this for power,” responds Kraven, as Munson shakes him roughly, “You know more than anyone, that this city has long been under the grip of vice: our boys kill each other on the streets in one gang war or the other, our girls offer their virtue on the altar that is prostitution; there is decadence everywhere!” he shouts.
“Not just here in Corbindale Bay, but all over; and you… you and all others are too cowardly to do anything about it that is where I step in. I have been given the mandate to purify this world, to cleanse it of all iniquity, for it is only when gold passes through the flame that it becomes of value; take a page out of the pages of history: after the Black Death came the Renaissance, this is no different. After the iniquitous have been cast aside, Corbindale Bay, and the rest of humanity, will come into an epoch of a never-ending peace, under the guidance of the Lord Savior.”
In his anger, Munson grabs Kraven by the throat, and squeezes hard. Kraven fights to loosen the vice grip, but wasn’t very successful.
Captain McCormack watches with approval, until his attention is pulled elsewhere when he hears one angry defector yell,
“Let’s rain hell upon that church!”
The Captain’s eyes widen when he sees the an
gry mob rush up the steps. He then grabs Munson’s wrist and says,
“I think we need to get out of here.”
They all look back to see the approaching mob, before breaking into running, including Kraven. But McCormack grabs Kraven by the back of his collar and says,
“Oh no, not you.” shouts McCormak, “You need to face what you have created, and pray your Lord Savior, will save you now.” McCormack then proceeds to push Kraven off the landing, into the mob, who mercilessly rips at, punches and stabs Father Kraven, as he slowly disappears into the mound of aggressors.
***
Ryan and Father Covay’s fight lead from the monumental steps of the temple into a side door of a winding staircase that coils up to the church’s bell tower. Exhausted from being chased up several flights to the clock portion of the tower, Covay manages to find refuge in the elaborate mechanics of the clock.
When Ryan reaches the clock, he hears nothing but tics and gears, but he quietly checks every corner with caution. When he gets to the third corner, he hears something behind him, back the way he came. He pauses to listen for footsteps, when abruptly, his feet are swept from underneath him under the mechanics of the clock.
The fall causes Ryan to hit his chin on the ground, and as he grabs it in pain, he is completely pulled under the mechanics to the opposite end. When Ryan reaches the other side, he immediately turns over his back, to see Covay’s heavy foot land on his face.
He rolls right and out of the way, then right again, from another approaching foot. Ryan aborts the third roll, and then grabs Covay’s foot. He returns a kick from the ground into Covay’s chest, knocking him backward. Ryan stands, and the men exchanges several kicks and blows, before Ryan is able manipulate him in to a headlock.
From that position, Covay lifts Ryan on his back and runs him backward, into the glass clock display. Ryan loosens his headlock grip, realizing that they are both dangling halfway outside the bell tower; he manages to grab one of the clock’s Roman numerals on the side of the clock’s round frame.
