Angelino deftly sidestepped the attack, grabbed Nicole in a bear hug and held her close to him. Nicole fought to free herself, but Angelino held on firmly. She screamed, flailing wildly with the knife, but her blows only met empty air. This seemed to go on for several moments. Angelino held her firm, not harming her, but not allowing her to land a blow with the knife. Susan stood uncertainly, trying to decide if she should attempt to intervene. Angelino appeared to have the situation under control, but she remained alert.
Finally, Nicole broke down into a pile of hysterical sobbing. Angelino held her close, stroking her hair and consoling her. Susan's eyes filled with tears as she watched Nicole release the darkness that had buried her soul for so long. The knife fell harmlessly to the floor with a metallic clatter as Nicole released it from her grip.
Nicole continued hysterically for a long time, each deep sob cutting into Susan's heart. Raji placed his hands gently on her shoulders and nodded at her sympathetically.
"What's happening to me?” she sobbed. “Why do I care so much?"
Angelino soothed her by continuing to stroke her soft, raven hair.
"I'm so sorry ... I'm so sorry,” Nicole cried, over and over again. “How you must hate me."
When her sobbing had finally lessened, Angelino lifted her face to force her to look into his eyes. She fought to avoid his eyes, but he persisted until she finally met his gaze reluctantly.
"Nicole, listen to me,” he said kindly. “I do not hate you. You have as much of my love as Susan and the others do."
This caused Nicole to break into tears once again. “How can you? I am evil. The whole Council is made up of evil people. I never saw that before.” Her body shook with agony as she sobbed, “I'm so sorry."
"Shh, my child,” Angelino comforted her. “You are not evil. If you were evil, I would not be alive to hold you in my arms now. Once you understood you had a choice, you changed your life forever. You just earned your soul back, Nicole,” he smiled at her. “Congratulations."
Nicole managed a laugh through her tears. “You make it sound like I just won a prize."
"Well, in a way you have, Nicole. Many of the great prophets were not always good men. Moses killed a man in anger. King David once sent a romantic rival into battle, ordering he be placed in the front lines to face certain death. Yet each of them became revered in their own time as prophets of God and have become models who we encourage our children to follow to this day. Finding your soul again after you have abandoned it is no small feat. Indeed, it is the fundamental metaphor for the history of Man's struggle to find true peace."
"Father Angelino, you are such a good man,” her eyes welled up with tears yet again. “Thank you,” she whispered.
Nicole suddenly seemed to became aware of Susan and Raji once again, having been so absorbed in her own pain she had forgotten they were there. Her eyes met Susan's and she said, timidly, “Ms. Morgan, can you ever forgive me?"
Susan responded by extending her arms to her. Nicole hesitated for a moment. Angelino nodded reassurance and in the next moment she was in Susan's embrace. Raji smiled approvingly at Angelino, who lowered his eyes in a gesture of humble acknowledgment.
Nicole finally stepped away from Susan and stepped before Angelino. She dropped to her knees and said, “I am prepared to accept my fate. I am ready to die now."
This seemed to startle even Angelino. So conditioned was Nicole to the ways of the Council—that death was the reward for failure—she felt she must offer her life as penance.
Angelino put his hands under Nicole's arms and lifted her to her feet. He put his hand gently under her chin and forced her eyes to meet his. They were filled with remorse, and acceptance of the fate she knew must befall her now. Angelino leaned forward and gently kissed her on the forehead.
"Your life is not mine to take, my dear,” he said simply. “We will say no more about this."
Nicole clearly was unable to process this. “No, Father Angelino. You must take my life. It is the only way I can redeem my actions,” she said, almost with desperation.
"Listen to me, Nicole,” Angelino said with gentle firmness. “You have been saved here tonight, not by me, not by Susan, not by Raji, not even by your own willpower. You have been saved by God's mercy, which you allowed to enter your heart. You have been saved by love. That is true redemption."
Nicole's eyes filled once again with tears. She was unable to respond. Angelino continued.
"To be redeemed, one must die first—in spirit. You have done that here tonight. You began this journey as Nicole Chambleau, agent of The Exalted Council of Most Highs. You leave here tonight reborn, Nicole Chambleau, Knight of the Ascension. For me to take your life again would only be redundant. God knows your heart, my dear child. He knows the love you have discovered here tonight. Latch on to that love and all the pain and darkness of your past will evaporate in the bright light of Truth."
Nicole could only wrap her arms around Angelino and sob in his arms. Susan's eyes flowed with tears. Even the old master, Raji, was forced to wipe a small tear from the corner of his eye.
"Come,” Raji finally said to them. “I think it is time to put this night behind us. You must be very tired, my child,” he said to Nicole.
* * * *
Suddenly, Nicole realized she was exhausted. She merely nodded her response as she wiped the remaining tears from her eyes, and allowed herself to be led from the temple.
Outside, the others were all gathered, having been awoken by the wails of Nicole. Maribella had intercepted them and kept them at bay, instinctively understanding the fragile nature of the moment. They had all, however, overheard the exchange and they all greeted Nicole with sympathy and acceptance. This made her cry yet again.
"God is truly a worker of miracles,” Angelino smiled to Nicole, “putting so much water in a package so small."
Nicole managed to see the humor in the comment and allowed herself a short laugh through her tears. Angelino began to lead her through the gathered group but she stopped him. She looked around at all of them, pulled herself up straight and said to them, “Thank you all. You have all shown me, through your love, the true face of God. I will never forget that. If one had ever doubted the existence of God, after meeting all of you, that doubt could not survive.” Then she moved slowly past them, with Angelino and Susan at her side.
* * * *
Raji took Terianna's hand in his and patted it softly. “She has been awakened.” Terianna nodded her understanding, gave her husband a tight hug, and said, “She is now ready to accept her role as one of the Knights of the Ascension."
* * * *
HAROLD BENNETT HAD showered and dressed as soon as he became aware of the loss of the broadcast signal from the Senate. He had not had much of a rest, but he knew his old friend would need his moral support and he knew Stuart would have done the same for him if their places were reversed. He felt old and exhausted. Well, nobody ever said it was going to be easy.
He checked his tie and straightened out his suit coat as he prepared to enter the chamber. He was not going to show his opponents how tired he was. He slammed open the door as he entered. He wanted everyone, including Stuart, to know he had arrived.
Harold could not contain a trace of a smile, as his entrance had obviously disturbed the sleep of several of the gathered Senators. Quiet murmurs rippled through the Senate chamber as those present became aware of Harold's entrance. From his desk, Stuart smiled at Harold, who returned the smile. They might get their asses kicked on this one, but Harold had to admit to himself that he was relishing the taste of battle.
Stuart picked up where he had left off before Harold's interruption.
"We have been told this bill, and the United Nations initiative it will launch, will begin an era in which government will at long last realize its rightful role as the benefactor of its citizens. Expanding that to the global level will ensure equal rights for all, equal opportunity for all, equal justice for all. Yet, the history
of government intervention in the lives of its citizens is void of any evidence to support this claim. Indeed, the greatest horrors of this century have been perpetuated by governments. Was it not the policy of government, sanctified by law, which allowed the German government to exterminate six million Jews? Was it not the policy of government, sanctified by law, which allowed the Soviet government to exterminate tens of millions of its own citizens by execution and deliberate starvation? Is it not the policy of government which allows the Chinese government to take the lives of countless unborn female children as I speak? Is it not the policy of government that systematically brutalizes, with savagery, countless lives in so many African countries? Yet, now we are to believe even larger, more centralized government will suddenly reverse this tendency and create a world of peace and prosperity for those it rules?
"Our Founding Fathers understood the tendencies of centralized power to oppress and subjugate the people. This nation was founded with the primary intent of establishing a form of government that would never be able to do to its citizens what we see being done to the citizens of governments all over the world even to this day.
"But our founders also counted on something they took for granted in their own time. They counted on the fact people would always cherish their liberties above all other possessions and they would always keep a vigilant eye on their government, never allowing it to subjugate them as King George had subjugated them, and as other monarchies and tyrannies had subjugated their people.
"They miscalculated the extent to which the people could be bribed by their own money, by a government who would seduce them into incrementally surrendering their liberties with the promise of more comfort and safety. Benjamin Franklin warned: ‘People who will surrender essential liberties for a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.’ Thomas Jefferson said: ‘I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.'
"As we gaze over the horizon of the approaching millennium, it would better serve us to take stock of how well we have lived up to the legacy bequeathed to us by the framers. How do we stack up against the expectations they had for us? How have we treated the child they gave birth to, the Constitution of these United States of America?
"I submit to you we have failed the dream of what America was meant to be. Our prosperity has been purchased in the coin of the very soul of our nation ... and nobody seems to have noticed, or if noticing, no one seems to care. Our country, founded unlike any other, with the purpose of institutionalizing individual rights, has made a mockery of the concept of ‘rights.'
"The rights guaranteed to us in our Bill of Rights clearly are protected by specific prohibitions on government action. The default position presumed by the framers was that those rights exist by virtue of life itself ... that they are not granted to us by government ... that governments exist through the consent of those whom they are charged with governing. The Bill of Rights specifically tells government what it cannot do under any circumstances, in order to protect those rights. Rights were presumed to exist, even if governments did not. Clearly, this principle points to the fact when governments act, their tendencies are to infringe upon those rights, hence the limits of government action were clearly and specifically defined.
"Today, we have turned that clear and precise concept on its head. The exact opposite is presumed ... that governments grant us our rights, and therefore we need merely petition government with the demand for an imagined ‘right’ and government must establish that right for us.
"Thus we are confronted with a shopping list of demanded rights such as the right to a job, the right to a minimum income, the right to free medical care, the right to be fed, the right to be protected from our mistakes. We have prostituted our liberties to the altar of greed and slothfulness.
"We have surrendered our personal sovereignty to the state. With each right government grants us comes the implicit understanding that right can be just as easily withdrawn. This was the very state of affairs our far-seeing founders sought to protect us from. How ashamed of us they would be if they were here to witness what we have done to their legacy.
"If I grant you the ‘right’ to medical care, then some faction of our society must be compelled to provide that medical care to you. No longer do health care professionals have the freedom to apply their practice. No longer is their career their own. No longer are they free. Society must enslave at least one doctor so you can get your ‘free’ health care. Should you require a specialist or a team of specialists, then it must enslave them as well. A physician with a given level of skill is not the same physician when coerced as he is when he applies his practice freely of his own volition, any more than an enslaved field worker was the same man his free counterpart is now, over one hundred years ago.
"We have become obsessed with what is fair and forgotten what is just. The two are not always synonymous."
Harold watched his old friend with pride. Seldom had he seen this depth of passion or this level of rhetoric from his old colleague. It was an outrage that the world was not being allowed to view this performance. He didn't know how, but there was little doubt in his mind that the skunk Crowley was somehow behind the blackout.
Harold looked up to the press gallery. Jaded and bored by nature, they had all pretty much seen it all. Yet, they seemed to be transfixed on the senior senator from Massachusetts. All were furiously taking notes, apparently wanting to get the quotes accurate. How uncharacteristic, he mused to himself and nodded with satisfaction. If the live speech was blocked from getting out, at least the press was prepared to report on it in detail, which might even be better. It had always been difficult getting America to tune into governmental proceedings. First of all, most occurred during the day while people were working. Secondly, after a hard day of work, most Americans preferred the lighter entertainment fare offered by the era of satellite and cable television, with its proliferation of channels. But the evening news was still a tradition for many American families. If the press was inclined to report Stuart's speech, it would get better coverage on the news than it would be getting if the feed were going out live at the moment. Harold was happy to settle for that.
Unfortunately, Crowley and Jesus were thinking along similar lines back at the Oval Office. Senators and reporters loyal to Crowley had been phoning in updates and they had assessed the situation pretty much as Harold had. The network news shows could be a problem for them. Clearly, Jesus and Crowley had near universal support, but you could never underestimate America's propensity to side with an underdog. What's more, the thought lingered in the back of Crowley's mind that if it was ever suspected his people had anything to do with the loss of the television and radio feeds, it could backfire on them. The American people, notoriously fickle, could easily shift their affections to the two men who had been victimized by such a scheme.
Having taken things this far, Crowley knew they had to follow through and prevent any word of Stuart's speech from reaching the public. The stakes were too high to handle things any other way.
Presidents rarely got directly involved with killing news stories. That task was usually handled by the Harvey Thatchers. However, Crowley was prepared to cash in all of his political capital, collect all of his favors, if that was what it took to ensure their victory. With that thought in mind, Crowley picked up the telephone and made the first of several phone calls.
* * * *
"SHE IS STILL sleeping like a baby,” Maribella whispered to Angelino, having just checked in on Nicole Chambleau. “The poor dear. How painful these past weeks must have been for her, being so deeply in conflict with herself."
"Yes, my life. But the worst is over for her now. She has seen into her own heart and discovered who she really is. She will have a lot of adjusting to do in accepting her new role. Much to learn. But she is going to be just fine."
Susan joined them, catching the tail
end of Angelino's words.
"I could sure use some coffee if you have some,” she said sleepily. Maribella cheerfully produced a cup for her without comment.
"That poor girl,” she said, sipping slowly on the coffee. “It never occurred to me she could be turned from her mission. That is not generally the way Council members operate, is it?"
"True,” Angelino agreed. “They missed this one, fortunately for us. You are to be commended, Susan."
"Me?” she seemed genuinely shocked for getting the credit. “What did I do? I almost became a pin cushion. Beyond that, I didn't do anything at all."
Maribella sat down at the table with them and said, “Susan, you influenced her more than you are aware. Raji pointed out to me as soon as you arrived how apparent her admiration for you was. Whatever her pretext may have been for joining you, her admiration for you was genuine. You showed her, by your own example, what true strength is. We could all see that, even if you did not."
Susan considered Maribella's words. She had never considered herself an example for others to follow. What was true was she had discovered she genuinely loved Nicole like a sister. Even knowing her agenda, there had been something about her ... perhaps the way she endured the physical hardships of the journey. It had been an arduous trip for all of them. How much more it must have been for tiny Nicole to undertake. Sure, she grumbled a bit—well, actually she had grumbled a lot, Susan corrected herself—but she had not asked for any special treatment. She lugged her own gear just as they had all done over the difficult terrain they had traversed. She smiled to herself as she became aware of something else.
Turning to Angelino, she smiled slyly and said, “Nicole was the reason we made this trip the long way, wasn't she?"
Maribella laughed and punched Angelino playfully in the arm. “You see, Punji. Soon you will have no more secrets from this one. She is smart."
Angelino grinned at his bride and then said to Susan, “She needed time for contemplation. The journey provided that time. You needed time as well, in which to learn to love her."
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