by Dina Rae
I saw the tears in her blue eyes, and I was sure she saw the tears in mine.
“So, Justine or Gloria…”
The radios on the desk crackled with voices. “I guess it’s time to drop the Justine. It really is Gloria. Call me Glory or Gloria. Excuse me for a sec.” She picked up one of the radios and talked into it, “Copy, all clear.”
“Is the radio banter helping us keep the outside Brown Shirts off of our asses?” I asked and Gloria nodded. “What’s the plan? I already know what a whiz you are at hacking computers. You did a number on my college. Jaxie would like you. She’s my other sister, actually sister-in-law. This whole rebellion idea was hers. You probably hate her already.” We all laughed. “She’s a big deal over at Fogle, as are some of her other Patriots. We couldn’t have gotten this far without having such tech geniuses.”
“I don’t know about that. Chad and Marta seem pretty damn fierce to me. And you’re no slouch. We all have our talents and hopefully together, we will blow these fuckers all the way to Kingdom Come. Raphael King, you are back on the air! We are going to broadcast the news story of the century, hell the story of eternity. I got us at least twenty minutes, maybe thirty. So say what you need to say to the world.”
Gloria had four laptops lined up on the desk. She wanted me to use one of them as a camera. Marta would hold the screen at me while I stood behind the plain white wall. Chad already stripped off the framed degrees, awards, and pictures to make our location as anonymous as possible. All that was left was fresh white paint. She told me that she would be integrating pictures, maps, blog postings, and eventually the footage from the ceremony as I spoke.
“Try to be as clear as possible. You need to sell this to all of the disgruntled former Americans who are pissed. Like you, they lost family, property, wealth, their livelihoods, their religion, freedoms, well everything. Like you, they see this one world government thing as a power grab. We need them. Don’t be nervous. If you fail, then we all die. No big deal.” She winked at me despite the naked truth in her jest.
Marta held the laptop like a camera and I stood against the stark, white wall in Laurie’s office. Gloria held up three fingers and then counted down.
“Good morning. Welcome to the Real News Show and I’m your host, Raphael King. You might remember me before the war. Well, I am back, at least for a few minutes until the censor police figures out our hack and kill us. So listen while you can. We have much to tell you about this so-called terrorist attack. My team and I are risking our lives to explain the pitfalls of this new kind of world or New World Order.”
Gloria brilliantly merged me into a collage of American symbols, iconic photos, and pictures of the aftermath of the war while I spoke. I began by briefly sharing New World Order conspiracy theory that buzzed around for decades before the takeover. Then I listed how every element had come true. I went into the handful of assassinated world leaders, politicians, journalists, and celebrities who tried to warn us and even reverse the inner circle’s progress. Gloria was right there with me, finding clips and images to match everything I said. The only thing missing was music, but then it might drown out my voice.
I quickly ranted about the unpopular changes brought on after war and then summarized some of our prior vigilantism. “Which brings me into what happened last night and the so-called terrorist plot. For the record, we prefer to call ourselves Patriots instead of terrorists. Our actions are meant to defend America and prevent her from becoming part of the New World Order. America is far from ideal, but it was never a dictatorship under an unelected inner circle. My friend and co-Patriot Chad is with us, so let’s get to it. Chad, you’re a smart man. Clearly this is a losing game. Why are you risking your life?”
Marta tilted the laptop towards Chad. He looked perfect on screen. Gloria had a screenshot of his blog pasted in the background as I interviewed him. His last post was called ‘A Peacekeeper’s Confession’. The video of the soldier Camden and Brick tied up was embedded in the post. Chad shifted to Doctor Stephen Laurie and his questionable experiments. He brought up the doctor’s reverse aging and other odd findings.
“Doctor Stephen Laurie who is now Prince Stephen Laurie is not a good person and neither is his inner circle. These people are into demonology and Satanic rituals.”
“Thank you, Chad. We can actually prove what you are saying. But quickly, before the Peacekeepers ruin the show, tell us what’s up next for this New World Order. Will they deliver the peace they promised?”
“Peace? They are the ones responsible for this nuclear extermination. How can there ever be peace? They caused the problem and then offered up a solution. It’s a classic radical move meant to usher in authoritarian rule. If these people can kill over a third, probably closer to half of the world, then how can anyone ever trust them to create peace? I will probably die sometime today for telling you the truth. Please, make it worth my while, Raphael’s while, and most importantly, your while.
“I have footage of Stephen Laurie’s coronation that happened last night in the old Boston Symphony Hall. The Twelve and their following are finally exposed. We now know names of the inner circle. Our leader, Patriot Jaxie Nottingham, really stuck her neck out. She was Prince Laurie’s date and recorded every minute of what we believe was a coronation and a devil worshiping ceremony rolled up in one. Jaxie is currently held hostage in Laurie’s Cambridge home on Gallagher Street.”
Chad was brilliant. By slipping in the street, he was looking for others to help save her. We couldn’t do this alone.
Gloria amazed me. I looked at her with a new set of eyes. She was my flesh and blood, my sister, and I couldn’t have been more grateful. She ran interference with the dead security guards’ radios while simultaneously running the coronation footage. My ear started to crackle. Brick? I looked at Chad and Marta to carry me during the remaining airtime. Gloria gave me a dirty look as I stepped a few steps away from the laptop/camera.
“Brick? Did we get some battery juice back?”
“Yeah, Raphael. My dad’s dead. Can’t prove it right now, but I know. They will all pay.”
“We’re on TV right now. My sister, long story, has broken into the airwaves. We don’t have much time, but I’m hoping to stir the people up.”
“Good. It’s a start. We can’t save Jaxie. Laurie’s Cambridge house is just too secure for us. I’m so sorry. Forgive me. Sai and I came back to Boston. We found the hotel some members of the Twelve were staying at. Sai and I currently have Wolfgang Herrman and Amala Patel in our custody.”
An idea popped into my head. “Custody, huh? I like the sound of that. You got a tablet? A laptop? A phone?”
“Yes. I got all three.”
“Make wherever you are look as anonymous as you can.”
I heard Brick knock around everything on the nightstands and tables. “Okay, now what?” Brick asked.
“Email us through your phone.” I recited the email Gloria gave to me. She checked her email box and connected Brick into a video app with the doctor’s computer. Brick was ready for broadcast just as Chad was finishing up the child sacrifice segment of Jaxie’s video. Our breaking news program couldn’t have gone off more smoothly. Divine intervention? What else could it be? My faith calmed my nerves.
Gloria pointed at the clock and I knew our time was almost up. The radios chirped more frequently than they had minutes ago. Soon we would be found out. Did I have seconds or minutes?
I cut Chad off and took over the show. “More breaking news for you. If our show ends abruptly, we will be dead. I have another couple of Patriots patched in our feed. They currently are holding two of the Twelve in their custody. One of them is Amala Patel. You probably don’t recognize the name, but you should. Her powerful family has been cleaning water for decades through their desalination plants all over the world. And then Wolfgang Herrmann. He runs Broyer, the pharmaceutical and GMO giant.”
Gloria patched in Brick and Sai, both didn’t even bother to hide their faces. Their two hostages were
also piped into Gloria’s broadcast. Marta flashed the laptop at me and Gloria split-screened the two images. All of this was done without wasting a second of time.
“Brick and Sai, my fellow Patriots, what do you plan to do with these two Peace Elders?”
“I’d love to kill them,” Sai said. “An eye for an eye. But they might prove to be a valuable bargaining chips. Maybe they know something the rest of us don’t.”
“Is my father dead?” Brick asked Amala.
“I don’t know…” Brick choked her. “Yes. It was an accident. I mean, they tortured him under the prince’s command, but things got out of hand.”
Brick backed off of the woman. For everything that happened, I wouldn’t blame him from having a breakdown, but he calmly continued on. His persona took on an eerie edge that I hadn’t recognized before. The boy was forced into growing up overnight. He wasn’t even twenty, but his blue eyes blazed with the vengeance and hatred of a killer. He was a warrior and would fight to the death if needed.
“Either of you two Illuminati assholes want to explain the devil worshiping ceremony you held for Laurie?” Brick asked.
“Illuminati?” Hermann asked with a scoff and a thick German accent. He was a middle aged German with a chiseled face, blue eyes, and blonde hair. “We were here long before the Illuminati. In fact, we’ve been here since the beginning, since Lucifer fell.”
“Then tell us, tell the world right now what your inner circle is about. You won the war, and don’t have to hide anymore,” Sai said as she pointed the tablet at Hermann.
“You want to know? Then maybe it’s time that everyone knew. Lucifer, our god, crashed down to earth, wearing jewels with the kind of purity that is not found on this planet. The intensity of his fall caused all of these jewels to scatter. Our ancestors throughout the Middle East found the jewels, and Lucifer found our ancestors. They made a deal with him through his messenger angel, Moloch. Moloch’s an interesting fellow. Some believe the worst in him. We believe the best. The deal transferred over to our offspring. As time passed, some children opted out or died off. Their family name of course drifted off into oblivion. Newcomers would fill the openings from time to time. We, the Twelve, can trace our ancestors back to 6000 B.C. Our families always produced heirs and our heirs always renewed the covenant with Moloch. This moment is our birthright.
“In exchange for our souls, we were granted everything our hearts desired. As generations passed on, the jewels were encrusted into crowns, dozens and dozens of crowns, but twelve of these crowns are extra special. They belonged to some of the greatest leaders in history. These leaders ruled kingdoms, but the kingdoms weren’t enough. Then they ruled countries. Finally, all that was left to desire was the rest of the world. And everlasting life. Laurie figured out a way, and he will share that knowledge with us. I admire you Patriots, I really do, but there are simply more of us than you realize. You kill us, then there will be two more to replace us with in no time. We fought for our place within the circle, but others are waiting to take it away. You’ll never get rid of us.”
The German man’s confession was riveting. Brick and Sai hit the jackpot! I had a long lost sister! My life was a good life, even if it was almost over. Gratitude filled me up and pushed away my fears.
“Shit!” Gloria yelled. She pointed to the security camera. A squad of at least ten people were creeping through the front of the building.
“Brick and Sai, our time is up.”
“So are these two demons!” Brick said. He took out a Bowie knife and hacked into both captives’ chest. Blood gushed all over. Sai took the knife from his hands and hacked away at them as well. All I saw was hate. I certainly understood it, but it saddened me just the same. The camera still recorded, and Chad, Marta, and Gloria waved at me to follow. I couldn’t tear my eyes away. Brick and Sai poured lighter fluid over both of the bodies.
“If you’re still watching, we tied some sheets together. Maybe we will make it out of this building alive, or maybe not. The Twelve are officially now the Ten. America, we need your help if you want your country back.”
Brick threw a lit lighter. All I saw was a giant flame and then a blank screen.
Chapter Forty-Three
Jaxie
I was shocked when Stephen confirmed that I was pregnant. It was possible, but I thought of my last card to play as more of a bluff. For the last few months, I prepared for death. Now I had a life to consider. Could this baby buy me nine months of time? By Stephen’s surprisingly lukewarm reaction, much more was going on. At the moment, he wore a poker face. Then Raphael appeared to break through the censored broadcast on television. Laurie’s mood instantly soured.
Screaming, Stephen asked, “Where is he? He’s not at the station. How did he hack into the airwaves? Camden sure isn’t helping him! The only other Fogle employee left is Sai White! Or are there more?” I shook my head in horror. “Who taught her how to hack? Tell me! Who?” Stephen lunged at me and held my throat tightly. The distorted look on his face softened and his hands loosened.
I coughed and coughed. After catching my breath, I answered, “I don’t know where they are or who is helping them. We went our separate ways several hours ago. Ask your driver. I was alone when he forced me into the car. But you’re right about one thing, Sai White doesn’t know how to break into your one and only television station. For the record, Camden was brilliant at security, but he didn’t know how to hack into the television station either. They specialized in entirely different fields.”
Max interjected himself into the conversation. “Stephen, my employees aren’t the only experts who know how to use technology. There are other members in these terrorist cells. Camden’s son Brick for one. Raphael King for two. He is from Dallas and has his own contacts. Didn’t you tell all of us at your press conference that Jun Wong and his family were picked up the other day for a home explosion? Maybe he eluded the police and he’s here helping Raphael right now. He’s quite a talented guy when it comes to the underground, black market, counterfeit, dark web…”
“It’s not him. He and his family are dead. They hung themselves in their cells two days ago,” Stephen said. “It is not Jaxie. Although she could probably pull something like that off.”
They spoke over me like I wasn’t in the room. Raphael’s hackers had to be the same Dallas Patriots who saved us last night. He mentioned Chad and Marta. Brick and Sai were also with him. I watched them kill two of the Twelve Elders who I sat next to less than a day ago and smiled.
Stephen walked over to the other side of the room and made a phone call. I couldn’t hear what he was saying at first, and then he began to scream and threaten. I smiled even more. Not even the Prince of the World could figure out where Raphael was. I looked out the window as the gray sky lightened. Shades of ice blue streaked through the dirty clouds. I took it as a sign of hope.
The show abruptly ended, and my head filled with worry. Would the broadcast be enough to get help? Both Chad and Raphael gave out Stephen’s street name, Gallagher, and the names with photos of the Twelve. The address where we kept our stolen armory was even announced. He was calling for a revolution! This was crazy! Could it work?
Stephen’s television screen went black. A minute or two later it kicked on to the original press conference that Stephen recorded hours ago. Outside of the house, shots were fired.
Stephen was on the phone again. He calmly hung up and then said, “You must feel vindicated about now.” I nodded. “Your Patriots are causing some damage, at least here in Boston. Quite a pity. I liked this city.”
“You’re the Prince of the World. Tell them to stop,” I said with venom.
“You think that you are morally superior to me, to Max, to all of us. I’ll bet you didn’t even know that you are one of us. In fact, you are our queen.”
I heard louder propellers from above. Helicopters. “Queen of what? Dead children? Owls? Bulls?”
“Queen of Peace. Our union is not random circumstance. I w
as upset at first, but now it all makes sense. I can’t believe I didn’t see it until now. It has been written. You are perfect to us. Sure, you could refine your personality and attitude, but your DNA is perfect.”
Stephen looked at me differently. I saw reverence in his eyes. He circled me as he spoke. “You’re from London. My English colleagues were always ahead of their time. Before I figured out some of the secret miracles of gene therapy, they were manipulating DNA back in London. I’ll bet that’s where your parents went. They probably didn’t even know how innovative the doctors’ methods were.”
More gun shots and blasts were heard closer to the house. Max shut the television off and made a few of his own phone calls.
“Your English colleagues are now dead because London no longer exists. Was London an arbitrary target? I bet there’s no such thing. This war was not a bunch of hot-heads practicing Mutually Assured Destruction.” He smiled a wicked smile. “Well then, since my designers are dead, enlighten me on my genetic perfection. Quit playing games, Stephen. You’re helicopters are almost here.”
The sounds of violence were now in view. Debris flew down the street as the booms from the blasts closed in. I saw two tanks and four soldiers explode a few houses away. One way or another, everything would soon be over. I’d be alive, or I’d be dead.
“Raphael put a wrench in my plans. Broadcasting my street name has caused a mass riot. Under different circumstances, I would admire the man. Are you sure the baby isn’t his?”
“Very sure. But he always wanted to be a father and never got the chance. His pregnant wife, my sister, was vaporized. She was one of the first victims in your holocaust.”
“Then you and I will raise this baby together.”
“If I am still alive tomorrow, I’ll make it my first priority to get an abortion.”
Stephen’s brown eyes darkened to black. “Shut your mouth, Lilith!”
I sneered at his rage. “Please. After that child sacrifice, how can you even pretend to be a pro-lifer? And who is Lilith anyway? I am Jaxie, Stephen.”