The Great Thirst Boxed Set

by Mary C. Findley

  The class change ended and Mr. Bradley turned to the Sheldons with an expectant look on his face.

  “You won’t get away with this,” Mrs. Sheldon snapped. “This is ruining my business, I’ll have you know. People have the gall to tell me to my face that yoga is a religion, and that chanting and meditation are spiritually harmful. These people wanted to bring Gospel music into my classes. It isn’t appropriate. It ruins the mood! And I’m losing clients, more every day that you keep filling people’s heads with this Scripture nonsense! We will find a way to stop you.”

  Legal papers of various kinds began arriving at the school on a daily basis. The local attorney to whom Principal Bradley had referred the CRDA lawyer frankly told him that this was making him very nervous. Then an attorney from the Constitutional Protection Legal Foundation arrived and things started to look up.

  Things looked even brighter when Brad Shannon showed up at the Bradleys’ church. He sat there in amazement as people kept up the praise and worship, calling out new passages they had memorized. The pastor said people had never spent so much time in the Word.

  Joshua Bradley was able to lead the CRDA lawyer to Christ at the end of the service. “I emailed my resignation when I decided to come here this morning.” He burst into tears. “Ever since you told me about Roger Williams, I’ve been studying him. The man died when he was only 29. He loved the Indians, he preached the gospel, and, for crying out loud, he helped form our whole government.

  “I have been so stupid and so blind! I am the same age he was when he died! And here I have been trying to destroy our freedom in the same amount of time he used to make the country stronger.”

  The van Naddy had promised for Joana and Mrs. Bradley was state of the art, and largely battery-powered like the Tesla. It had allowed them to resume going to church. Both of them were ecstatic. Keith had asked how much it cost, and whether it had been paid for from the Monte Carlo fund.

  “I talked to our mysterious friend from Naxos about that,” Naddy confided. “He said that in many countries in the world games of chance are not considered sinful. He said, as your father pointed out, that he had only been concerned about my heart before the Lord. As long as there is no cheating involved, he did not see a problem in places where gambling is legal and the games are not rigged on either side.

  “I must explain about the Tesla to explain the van, though. I acquired that so-fascinating car as security for a gambling debt. I went to my debtor and learned he had left off gambling and started a security and technology company. He swore that, though for now his funds were sunk in the new company, he would somehow make good on what he owed as a matter of honor.

  “I told him that I was going to forgive the debt and that he could have the car back. He wept and thanked me, but made over paperwork to give me title to the Tesla. He was able to assist me in securing and equipping the van to my specifications. So although it was a byproduct of my gambling connections, I hope you will take it in the spirit of a gift from God.”

  Keith laughed. “Okay, okay. I guess God can sort it out, but I think I’ll have to stop asking questions for conscience sake.”

  “That is no doubt the wisest course,” Naddy nodded. “Your analysis of the ways in which our information on the Repository site was compromised was most impressive. Hundreds of foundations charged with the preservation of the Scriptures have taken our warnings to heart and are scrambling to implement our suggested protocols and procedures.”

  “It’s been a hard lesson, all right.” Keith sighed. “We’re learning how to create our own firewalls, make our own anti-virus protection … For a long time people thought going off the grid was the answer to protecting ourselves. But from the beginning, people who needed rapid communication found their own ways to protect their information.”

  “Your idea to redirect these invaders was brilliant. I would love to hear how they are dealing with being sent to random Bible study sites and very long YouTube worship sessions.”

  Naddy pulled Keith into the kitchen, away from the others chatting in the Bradleys’ living room. “Do you know that some of the people where large numbers of documents were scanned have become ill with radiation poisoning? Those devil machines released radiation as they scanned. It was a very small amount, nearly undetectable in one Bible, but these large collections are now dangerous or even deadly to their curators and staff.”

  Keith stared at him in horror. “People have been meeting to work on projects, besides bringing the Bibles and notebooks to church services. Is that too risky –too much concentration? Was that part of their plan, not just to scare us, but to poison us?”

  “It is very possible that such was part of their plan. I am certain that they would not grieve over the deaths of Scripture-lovers. However, there is no need for concern. I did not want to add to your burden, since you have so much to do already,” Naddy confided. He called to Joshua Bradley to join them.

  “Keith, you know about the new air purification systems installed at the school. They made Mrs. Holden happy for poor allergic Ruan,” his father said with a smile.

  “Within them I have installed units to cleanse the radiation at the school and also the churches,” Naddy explained. “Your father has also made portable units available to everyone at no cost, telling the truth when possible, leaving the protection hiding in plain sight when misunderstanding or hatred would cause more strife. He even offered them to the very quarrelsome three parents who cease not to criticize.” Naddy allowed himself to grin for only a second, then sobered again.

  “They were as eager to take them as anyone else, of course, as air purifiers,” Joshua said. “I explained the possibility of lingering contaminants from the construction, which could be carried to homes. This was quite factual.

  “As she grabbed the devices, Mrs. Holden took the opportunity to blame you, Talia, the school, everyone but the right source, all over again, for endangering their children. Again she demanded that the Word Protection Project be stopped. It didn’t even make sense to me, how she connected that with particulates, but that’s Mrs. Holden.”

  Joshua paused. “She stormed out of the office with the filtering units. Mr. Holden started to get up and follow her. God seemed to tell me to disclose to Mr. Holden the radiation factor. I asked him if he would be willing to channel some of this energy spent attacking the school into researching the scanning devices used in the repository project.

  “To my enormous surprise, he agreed to do so. It appears that he is an electronics engineer. When I hinted that the government was at least callously indifferent to the possibility that the machines might compromise the safety of their children and their faithful taxpaying selves, he was outraged. I didn’t even have to tell him that it would be best not to share all this with his wife. He even apologized for some of her outbursts. Maybe, before long, we can boast, in the most godly sense of the word boasting, like the Apostle Paul said, about another convert from the camp of the enemy.”

  “Wait, what if they used that radiation to put some kind of traceable signature on our stuff?” Keith said.

  “I had not thought of that,” Naddy admitted. “That would certainly explain how quickly they obtained their information to harass and intimidate. But you notice it has been some time since anyone has reported an incident? Perhaps the radiation cleansing was a double blessing.”

  “That would be awesome.” They wandered back to the living room now that the radiation discussion was over. “I can’t wrap my head around some of the stuff I’m learning from the samples.

  “I told you that leather wasn’t mammal skin, right? I figured out it came from some amphibian animal I still can’t identify. The chemical used to ‘tan’ it, and tanning isn’t even close to the right word, was bonded into it by some kind of heat-treating process. It can be torn almost as easily as cut, if you go with the grain. Against the grain it only stretches. It sticks together, and sticks to most metals, but not to anything else. What in the world can it be f
or? I know it has insulating properties but not much else. I wish they’d been able to cut me a bigger sample, because it’s so hard to pin down the exact characteristics without using the whole thing.

  “I learned that much, though, and I want to save a sample for ProTechCon, because they will have some awesome equipment on display by the vendors, and I’m sure I can beg to get some more testing done. The results should come in much faster, too. All the stuff they have at the show has got to be a thousand times better than the labs I’ve sent samples to. I’m just praying they don’t send the school a big bill.”

  “Tell them to send me as big a bill as they want.” Naddy patted Keith on the shoulder. “So, what have you learned about the orichalcum? That is what it is, yes?”

  “The base metal is a natural alloy of gold, silver, and copper, like electrum. But somehow one of the samples has been rendered strong while remaining almost infinitely malleable. You know how they can stretch gold into super, super-thin wire? The labs can’t find a limit to how thin this stuff can stretch with the equipment they have. But the other version is strong enough to stop copkiller bullets. It’s stronger than Kevlar, or even that new plastic armor they’re developing. Man, people want it. Those guys are clamoring to know where I got this, and if we can get them more.”

  “It is not ours to share,” sighed Sophie. “For all we know, there may only be small quantities of these materials, and no one alive who can make more.”

  “I was right about the corundum,” Keith finished. “Almost as hard as diamond, and in the ruby form, the labs are saying this is a precious stone that gives diamonds a run for the money in value. I can’t imagine why they would make an ax head out of it.”

  “The ax of Britomarte was the ultimate protection,” Talia smiled. “Maybe the Guardians of the Testaments used axes made of that corundum to defend the people.”

  “Maybe you’re right,” Keith agreed. “The opinion of my contacts, and they said they were guessing, because our chip was so small, was that our rigid orichalcum alloy is about the only thing that ax head wouldn’t slice right through, laser-quick. They theorized that it has disruptor-like capabilities. It reacts electro-magnetically with whatever it strikes.”

  “They still haven’t managed to decipher the map, have they?” Talia asked.

  “No, precious one,” Naddy sighed. “It is very sad. Our friend from Naxos has told me as much as they know at present. The scrolls are far more than a map to a location. They contain instructions, those who study it believe, that may solve the mystery of how the Testaments can quench the Thirst in such universal fashion as the Scriptures promise when they say, Ho, everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters. And he that hath no money, come ye, buy, and eat. Buy milk and wine without money and without price. This call can somehow be sent round the world, as easily as speaking in a friend’s ear, for all to hear. The scrolls still withhold secrets from us.”

  “With the technology we have today, we can send messages around the world in a second or two,” Keith shrugged. “I have friends in Australia, in the Philippines, in Africa, that I talk to online. There’s the time difference, of course, but right now we could spread the Testaments all over the world plenty fast. And we need to thank God that we have been able to turn the Repository into a genuine resource in spite of what they might have had planned.

  “Praise God it seems to be safe to use it now,” Talia agreed. “People all over the world are accessing it, and we’re adding to it, plus meeting and sharing with believers around the world. Sure, we have to be careful and prepare for the next trick they might use against us, but we’re still in the fight against the Great Thirst.”

  “They meant it for evil, but God meant it for good,” Joshua said. “Maybe this isn’t the time for your Great Thirst to come at all.”

  “Not everyone has been as successful as we have,” Sophia said. “We must remember to pray for people who are still sick from radiation. There are ministries that were shut down by the attacks because they did not have the means to protect themselves or those they ministered to. Finances of other workers are strained near the breaking point.”

  They all took a moment to pray for these needs, Joana joining in as well.

  “I still wish you were coming with us right from the beginning on the trip,” Talia said to Keith as they parted. The field trip of a lifetime would begin at four am the next day with a bus ride to the airport.

  “I almost wish I was too,” Keith replied. “But I know I’ve got to get to ProTechCon. I’m not prepared to be as much help as I can be when do meet up with you guys. There’s too much we don’t know; too many tools we don’t have.”

  Chapter Thirty-three – ProTechCon Confrontation

  The first day of ProTechCon found Keith standing in a long line with his check-in materials, craning over the crowds and standing on tiptoe to get a glimpse of what was inside the convention center. Choosing which seminars to attend had been so hard, especially while wondering what he would need to know to help with the mystery of the Testaments. He chuckled at himself, thinking of last summer, and how differently he had planned for this back then.

  I think my heart must have changed as much as old Naddy’s. I don’t even know if I still have a shot at getting enough credits to keep in the running for my master’s, and honestly, I don’t even care. This is so much bigger than me. Was I becoming Mr. Selfish again?

  His phone vibrated and he saw that it was a text from Joana, of all people, or “JoBrad.” She was quite the chatterbox online, but he had never gotten a text message from her before. She had hated phones even before she had gotten sick. His dad had gone to the airport to see the travelers off.

  “K. Repository gone,” Joana’s message said.

  He typed back, “Can’t be.”

  “Gone gone gone gone gone. Site down 4 maint, site temp unavail, spin spin spin & blank screen.”

  “No,” Keith typed.

  “Yes, yes, yes. Check news. Search govt lawsuits, radiation, conspir. Can’t reach Dad. Keep trying Dad or Talia. Checking news.”

  Keith used the phone Naddy had given him for the survey trip. It had special shielding and search capabilities that thwarted a lot of blocks and targeting. First he checked the Repository site. At first he got some images up, but only generic stuff from the main search pages. Nothing in the underlying menus would display. No chat rooms. No forums. No fellow believers sharing. Just silence and darkness.

  He switched to browsing news sites and stared in horror at his phone screen. Site after site flashed a logo – a large red I with two mirror-image Ns on either side of it – and the words International News Network crawling across whatever site he picked to look at. He browsed quickly through images and videos – vans similar to the one Dr. Williams had come in, shots of schools, places that looked like museums, and finally government buildings. A text article caught his attention.

  “The federal government has filed lawsuits against manuscript repositories. Government workers who assisted with archival scanning are reported to be coming down with mysterious illnesses. Sources who refused to be named say some have already died. Full testing and autopsy results are still pending but radiation poisoning is suspected in the deaths.

  “The basis of the government lawsuit is that the documents scanned were contaminated by radiation from the providers, and that the institutions in possession of these documents either negligently or deliberately exposed the scanning crews to radioactive materials.

  “Information is sketchy at this point but the scope of the lawsuits filed by the government is expected to expand to a huge network of people and organizations. Besides foundations and organizations responsible for document preservation, other institutions, including school administrators and teachers, are expected to be targeted in conjunction with a project called the Educational Repository, designed to store online millions of documents related to many disciplines in the education fields.

  “The project began with religious st
udies, and there was massive participation by many faiths. This reporter, for one, is shocked and disgusted that people professing faith could so callously endanger government employees trying to help them preserve and catalogue their religious writings and teaching.

  “Perhaps this was a deliberate attack on our government. Since right-wing extremists and fundamentalists are well-known for their adversarial stance toward our government, it would hardly be surprising. Arrests are expected as the lawsuits give way to criminal prosecution of the responsible parties.

  “In the meantime, all access to the Educational Repository online has been shut down. The content uploaded by project users could contain anything from subversive speeches to imbedded computer viruses – who knows what else these people might have done to try to harm our country? Look for further developments in this case. We will follow this story and keep you informed all the way to its conclusion.”

  “Crazy stuff, huh?” A woman bumped Keith’s arm and he realized she had been looking over his shoulder. Keith did a double-take at the gorgeous, perfectly-built blonde who seemed determined to be in his space. She carried a large, over-the-shoulder case.

  Keith was too intent on his browsing to pay much attention to the woman, even though she was hard to ignore.

  She stuck out a hand. “I’m Jenny. I drew the short straw and got stuck covering this. I know nothing whatsoever about science. My cameraman, who is an actual geek, is parking the car, but in the meantime, do you think you could let me pick your obviously considerable brains and figure out where to go and what to see to get some good copy? I am totally lost, and I don’t know when Joe and I will connect up again. I had no idea this place was so big, or so packed!”

  “Well, I have a pretty full schedule, and I’m not sure what I’m going to do would be that interesting to a reporter. There are information booths all over the place, and I’m sure they could help you better than I could.”