by David Beers
“Who were you talking to?” Scoble asked. “A Priest, I’m sure? What are they telling you to do about all this? If you just listened to me, you’d be way ahead of them. Kill her. Kill me. Then take the next transport back home.”
The Disciple heeded nothing the liar said. He sat and waited, his nanotech ready for a response.
An hour turned into two, the Disciple not even shifting in his chair. He didn’t mind the wait, would—truth be told—wait in that position forever if the High Priest demanded it. If the High Priest asked, he would watch the world’s destruction on the box in front of him until it reached his own doorstep.
In the third hour, he felt the High Priest’s nano connecting with his own.
A first, and something very different for him. The Disciple, above all others, understood nanotechnology. He understood it intimately, because he could control not only his own, but all others as well.
This person’s, this Priest’s, was different. Even from his own.
He felt a sense of calm that drove deeper than usual, and somehow, the Priest’s nanotech felt old. Ancient. The Disciple had encountered nanotech throughout his life, both in training and since gaining Discipleship, and the underlying code was always the same. Each person’s nanotech may vary, but what wrote it didn’t—the language. Except for this time. The underlying language was similar, but not the exact same.
We give thanks, the High Priest said.
We give thanks, the Disciple repeated, letting go of his initial impressions and focusing on the task at hand. Your Holiness, it is an honor.
No, the honor is mine, the High Priest said. You have done a great deed for Corinth, His people, and all of mankind. I only wish they could thank you for it.
I serve Corinth in all things.
I received a message from my First Priest that you have also captured another True Faith member. Someone perhaps with the Blood of the Damned in them?
Yes, your Holiness, the Disciple said. He was in the motel room.
Has he said anything since he’s been with you?
Lies, I’m sure, the Disciple answered. He says that I should kill her and him.
Perhaps lies, but perhaps not. The Black will use both truth and deception to ensure Its arrival.
The Disciple sat in silence for a few minutes, feeling none of the awkwardness that others might have. He was content to keep still and wait quietly, if the High Priest wanted such.
My Disciple, I want you to come to me. I want you to bring the woman—this weapon. Can you do that?
Yes, Most Holy. Where am I to go?
The Disciple heard the High Priest’s chuckle. I am actually in the One Path’s Ministry. I will instruct your nanotech how to get here, if that’s permissible?
Of course, my Holy.
Good. You should be receiving it now.
The Disciple waited a second, his nanotech taking in the directions.
How long will it take you to arrive?
Under current conditions? The Disciple asked. Is it necessary that both arrive alive?
The man, no. The woman, yes, the High Priest answered.
I can be there in three days ensuring she lives, with no guarantee on him.
Another long pause, this one stretching out for 10 minutes. The Disciple didn’t move.
I wonder if there will be much of this world left by then? Do you think so?
I don’t know, my Holy.
I know, but try. What do you think? the High Priest asked.
I think the world will exist as long as Corinth wills it.
Then we must hope He continues willing it. Three days then, and if you can be quicker, do so.
Rhett had watched the creature for hours on end, and he held no doubt that it was something other than human. Not like the ones here in the Old World, nor Rhett—full of True Faith technology. His movements, his demeanor … all were slightly off, and Rhett thought his nanotech was too.
He wasn’t completely guessing either; David had trained Rhett deeply on nanotech. It was the only way they could mask Rhett’s own, creating the opportunity for him to travel and convert others. He sensed something different from this man, and the slight look he’d given Rhett showed he was right.
Rhett didn’t want anyone from the compound contacting him, though he couldn’t stop them. He knew some of what this creature could do, and any communication right now could put David at risk. Yet, he wasn’t able to reach out and tell them to remain silent—because even then, he thought this creature would hear him.
He just had to wait. And hope.
The creature ignored Rhett, and Rhett was fine with it because his mind was mostly engrossed with the pain inflaming his shoulder. He’d never been shot before—such weapons didn’t even exist in the True Faith, but now he had a bullet lodged in his left shoulder, and the creature here didn’t seem too concerned with removing it.
Everything wasn’t bad, though, and two things told Rhett that. The first, his blood had changed. It didn’t feel ‘normal’, nor was it ‘itching’ as it did when David got to work. No, this was it, the Summoning. Something had happened at the compound, probably something to do with the traitor, and David had launched his attack.
And the television was the second thing to tell him that. The people who had taken David’s blood now took up his war cry.
Death filled the TV screen, striking fear into every single human alive. At least everyone without David’s blood. Twenty years of careful planning, of searching, of converting. And his followers would continue killing, too. They would keep going like rabid dogs, even though it was all misdirection. The Ministries would focus on this violence, just as they had with Veritros.
They thought these followers were simply rabid animals, looking to kill anyone who smelled differently.
Rhett chuckled, then the pain quickly shut it down.
No chuckling, not with the bullet.
It hurt to speak as well, but Rhett tried. He was okay with dying now, if it meant that the woman died too. He knew that David told him to bring her back, but Rhett didn’t think that was possible any longer. The creature here, holding him and this woman, he was from the True Faith’s Ministry—probably directly from the High Priest. There was no escape.
Rhett had seen what the woman was capable of, as well. He’d thought only David possessed such power, but he watched it rip from that woman without a moment’s hesitation. Rhett wouldn’t pretend to know the Unformed’s thoughts, nor the role this woman played in them, but the first chance he saw, he’d kill her. Even if it meant his own death.
Perhaps he would get the chance to die as Stellan had. In service for the Unformed.
The creature was talking to someone now, Rhett was sure of that. He was using his nanotech, sitting entirely too still for any human.
Rhett said a few things, none of them that serious—just trying to interrupt if at all possible. His fate was nearly sealed, but he would die doing his best to disrupt whatever he could.
He closed his eyes and blocked out the Summoning on the television.
He’d failed in his mission, but that didn’t mean he had to fail David completely. This woman would die. That’s what he had to concentrate on. Rhett would die, too, but he was okay with it.
Die for the Unformed. That’s what he had signed up for, and that’s what he was going to do.
Rebecca, just keep silent, he thought. Don’t reach out to me. Don’t do anything. Let me finish this side.
And then he prayed to his God, the Unformed. If you hear me, give me a chance to kill this girl. Just one.
Four
The room was quiet and David reflected upon the magnitude of what was happening. The world had changed in 24 hours. Had he imagined it would be like this? Or had he thought it would be less?
His sister, Rebecca, sat on the couch in front of him, her hand over her mouth. Christine had taken a seat on the chair.
The two of them were staring at the holograph in front of them. Much of the True Faith’s official
communication had died, but there were still rogue channels that could be found.
Right now, the two of them stared at a live image of a city a few thousand miles north. They viewed the city through a camera that stood outside, about half a mile above. Flames roared inside. People fled the city hours ago, but now no one moved. Not even David’s own followers.
“We’re not prepared for this,” Christine said.
David nodded, but said nothing, only stared at the holograph.
“The plan was,” Christine continued, “that the three of us, Rebecca, Rhett, and I would lead the charge. We would have direct communication with all of this, and now … there’s no one, David.”
She didn’t turn to look at him; none of them could pull away from the scene in front of them.
David heard Christine’s concern, though. Seeing her face wouldn’t help explain the situation’s gravity any better.
“What the hell are we going to do?” Rebecca asked.
“Things have changed,” David said.
“Yeah, no fucking kidding,” Christine responded.
David finally broke away from the holograph and looked at her.
“Sorry,” she said, casting her eyes to the floor.
David held his gaze on her for a second longer before turning away. “This isn’t what I wanted, clearly, but there wasn’t a lot of choice when those transports arrived. Or have you both forgotten?”
Neither said anything, and David let the anger inside him cool just a bit. He could rage against them, but what good would it do right now? With all this happening outside the compound, he needed them more than ever.
“Where’s Rhett?” Rebecca asked.
It was the first time anyone had mentioned him, though it wasn’t the first time David had thought of him. There simply hadn’t been time to deal with that yet. There wasn’t time to deal with any of this, yet the questions kept coming.
“Okay, both of you listen to me. There’s too much happening right now for you two to keep on with the complaints and questions. We have to organize, and we have to do it quickly. Twenty-four hours without any action is far too long, and you both know it.”
David had spent the past day evacuating the compound, sending those closest to him out into the world. They had a skeleton plan, with people given instructions and told to report in as soon as they made it to different areas of the world.
The strategy was the same as Veritros’s had been, only in the end, his was supposed to be more organized. He hadn’t wanted any of this to happen. He had more people, and with a few more years, everything would have happened overnight. The attack, and then the Union.
“Okay, David,” Rebecca said, finally turning from the holograph. “What do we do?”
“Rhett went to get the woman, the one like me. She’s alive, and Rhett is too. I can still feel him. Have either of you tried contacting him?”
Christine shook her head and Rebecca sighed. “I haven’t even thought about it, not until just now. I hate myself for it but I haven’t slept in days. I just ….”
“It’s fine. Something happened when he went to get her, but I don’t know what. She saw me down there on the platform, too, I’m sure of that. That’s our major problem, not the Summoning. If it wasn’t for her, we could start the Union relatively quickly … but she changes everything.”
Christine stood and walked over to the edge of Rebecca’s couch. “How?”
“She has to die,” David said. “That’s all I know. I told Rhett to bring her here, because I couldn’t go to her and there was no way he could kill her.” He looked at Rebecca. “I want you to contact him and find out as much as you can.”
“Now?”
David nodded.
It was something he couldn’t do. The nanotech flowing through the two women in the room, as well as Rhett, was absent in his own body. He hadn’t been born inside the True Faith, and when he arrived, he was too old for the procedure. He possessed powers that destroyed entire convoys, yet he couldn’t do the simplest of things others born in this Ministry could.
Rebecca sat back on the couch and looked forward, already beginning to speak with Rhett—or try at least.
A few minutes passed, the room silent.
“He’s says it’s not safe to talk,” Rebecca said, her voice a whisper—as if the conversation in their room could somehow be heard across the world.
David pushed down his first instinct, which wanted her to press on. He knew this new woman’s importance, even if he kept that pressure from falling on Rebecca’s and Christine’s shoulders. All that mattered right now was getting to her. Rhett—as much as it might hurt to think it—didn’t matter outside of helping David find her.
He said nothing, though, trusting his sister would do what was needed.
“He’s with her. Someone else is there, too. Rhett’s frightened of him … or at least doesn’t want us communicating because of him.”
“Why?” Christine asked.
Rebecca raised a finger to her. Hold on.
“He says he’s going to try to kill her, David. And that he thinks they’re heading to the One Path.” Rebecca closed her eyes on the last word. Her lips trembled for a second, and then they drew into a thin line. “He’s gone.”
“Gone?” Christine asked, almost jumping forward.
“I mean, he broke the connection. I don’t think he was hurt.”
Christine sighed, and David looked down to see his hands were clenched into fists. He forced them to relax, pain from holding them that way radiating to his wrists.
“The One Path?” he asked.
“That’s what Rhett said. There’s something about the man holding them. Rhett thinks he knows we’re communicating.”
“What do we do, David?” Christine asked.
The three of them were the last people in the compound. There had been no other transports arriving, only those the group sent out, emptying all 400 people over the course of a day.
If anyone from the Ministry arrived now, they would only find three.
David walked across the room, through the holograph, and to the glass door. He pulled it open and let the cool morning air come in. Yesterday he had stood on that platform and killed hundreds. The grass outside was still blood-soaked, with ragged clothing and body parts scattered. There would be no clean up because David understood that he was done with this place forever.
“David?” Christine called.
“Close the door,” Rebecca said. “I can smell the dead.”
He could too. The air was cool, but the smell of blood was thick. He didn’t shut it, though. He breathed in deep and then let it out slowly.
“What about the traitor?” Christine asked.
David gritted his teeth. He didn’t want to deal with that at the moment. The traitor was out there, sent away with the other 400 after trying to bring hell into David’s home.
He shook his head. “I’ll deal with them later. They’re gone for now, and they’re not close to me. They won’t know my thoughts or my actions. When this is over and the Union is finished, I’ll find them.” He grew silent for a second, real rage inside his chest. Because they had tried to kill him, tried to kill everything he held dear. Everything he’d worked for. Somewhere in the world was someone that had taken his blood, taken an oath, and then forsook it all.
Enough, he thought. You will find them and you will end them. For now, this woman is who matters.
“Rebecca and I are going to the One Path,” David said. “Christine, you’re going to stay here and command the Summoning.”
“What?” Rebecca asked, and David heard her stand up. “The One Path? Just like that?”
“I …,” Christine started to speak but her voice failed her.
He turned around, giving his back to the outside world. “There isn’t going to be any argument about this. Not from either of you. There simply isn’t time. The world is changing rapidly, right beneath our feet. We could lose everything if we don’t act now.
Do you both understand that? Everything.”
An edge was in his voice; he couldn’t help it, but he didn’t care either. Always with the arguing, the bitching. Even Rhett, not trusting David’s instincts about going to the Old World. What he needed were soldiers right now, and not these people who thought themselves friends or family, or what-the-fuck-ever.
“I need you both to say that you understand me,” he whispered, holding in his rage.
“I understand,” Christine said.
Rebecca held his eyes, but she nodded. “I do too.”
“This woman, she will stop the Union. I know that now. So we’re going to find her, and then we’re going to kill her. You and me, Rebecca.” He looked to Christine. “You’re going to make sure that the war continues, and you’re going to intensify it. You’re going to make these damned Ministries think the death of their subjects is the real issue. Kill them all if you have to, have blood dripping from the SkyLight, but the war keeps going until we find this woman. Do you get it?”
Christine nodded, but said nothing.
David looked at the two of them for another few moments. He had these two to rely on, no others.
That’s okay, he thought. That’s fine. They’ll be soldiers. Maybe not always, but when it counts.
“Okay. Rebecca, pack,” he said. “We leave in an hour.”
The traitor couldn’t think of a worse outcome. They looked at the past day and saw only disaster, death everywhere, pain unimaginable.
What did you think would happen? they asked themselves. Did you think David would simply go quietly into the night? You told them. You said if they came, they would die.
But you didn’t tell them what would happen after, did you? That the entire world would melt down.
No, the traitor hadn’t, but the True Faith should have known. They knew about Veritros. They knew what she’d done.
All of these arguments repeated through the traitor’s head incessantly over the past 24 hours, but all of it came to the same. The traitor understood that they had simply brought the past to the present. They had done nothing—absolutely nothing—to stop David’s quest.
