The Reality Thief (Deplosion Book 1)

by Paul Anlee

  Despite millions of years of active duty in Alum’s service, Lord Mika had neither direct commands nor adequate experience to guide him in this matter. Nobody had ever encountered such a situation. Clearly, if this Darak Legsu could hold his own in a fight with an Angel, he posed a threat to the Realm. It was time to escalate to deadly force.

  Lord Mika pointed his sword at Darak and directed a violet beam at the man’s heart. The beam passed unobstructed through the space where Darak had been standing only microseconds before and destroyed a few hundred meters of the hillside behind.

  Lord Mika could hardly believe his eyes but there stood Darak, unharmed, some ten meters away alongside a surprised-looking Brother Stralasi. The monk, at least, had not moved since being released from the Securitors.

  How did he manage that? Only the Angels and Alum Himself have translocation capabilities! Lord Mika ran a self-diagnostic to see if his lattice had been subverted. Could this imposter be feeding my perceptions false data? No, internal processing was nominal. Still, the man was suspicious.

  Mika deactivated his perceptual enhancements and scanned the area using only his basic senses. Nothing changed. Darak and Brother Stralasi stood, quite impossibly, together.

  The Angel translocated behind them and once again delivered what should have been a devastating blow. This time, both men disappeared. By Alum! How did they get to that boulder thirty meters away?

  Without losing a millisecond, the Angel shifted to the space directly in front of them, swinging his sword as he reappeared. The blade struck nothing but air. In Alum’s Name, this is getting tiresome. Play time is over, you arrogant mite. It is time to draw the childish game to a close!

  The Angel shifted to the far side of Brother Stralasi, employing him as a screen. He discharged an energy beam, rather dispassionately, right through the hapless monk to get at the man behind him.

  To the Angel's compounding annoyance, the sword met only empty air. The pair had already blinked out of the path of the blast.

  Frustration was not a state the Angel was accustomed to experiencing, and it was not one he wished to explore any further. If he didn’t destroy this man soon, he would have to invoke Alum to deal with this…this...affliction. Angel or demon, you will not avoid obliteration forever.

  Lord Mika flew upward, nearly out of sight, while the two men below watched with curiosity. A more powerful attack was required, one the two men could not elude. The Angel increased the power and radius of his destructive beam, centered it on Darak and Brother Stralasi, and released a torrent of energy lasting several seconds.

  Satisfied that nobody could survive such a blast, Lord Mika surveyed the damage. A crater, five kilometers in diameter and several hundred meters deep had been punched into the bedrock. All matter within the crater had been converted into a plasma gusher, which the Angel’s beam neatly confined within a moving cylinder, saving nearby Alumston from incidental annihilation. The plasma streamed upward, making a spectacular exit from the atmosphere. There was no sign of Darak, Brother Stralasi, or the two Securitors.

  Lord Mika grimaced. He did not relish reporting his failure to capture Darak Legsu.

  * * *

  DARAK AND BROTHER STRALASI HOVERED forty kilometers above the massive crater. They watched the cylinder of accelerated plasma cross the edge of the planet’s atmosphere, creating a beautiful aurora as it entered space. For the first few seconds following their translocation into the stratosphere, Brother Stralasi flailed in panic, his limbs seeking unsuccessfully to connect with the ground far below. When he realized he was not falling, he stopped struggling and began to wonder how he was alive. He felt oddly calm and rational. What an odd sensation!

  “I’m altering your body’s normal physiological response to fear so you can think clearly,” explained Darak.

  Stralasi looked around. He was very high above the ground. How can I hear? There’s no air up here to conduct sound. No air! He gasped for breath, and a soothing calmness washed over him again, the result of further intervention by Darak.

  Stralasi marveled at the planet far below, at the universe all around him, and at the man/demon beside him. “How did we get here? How are we flying? How am I alive?”

  “Let me address your questions in order,” replied Darak. “I shifted us here to avoid the Angel’s energy beam. We are able to hover here through a balancing of gravitational and anti-gravitational forces. I erected a shield around us to contain some planetary atmosphere so we can breathe. I am refreshing the air inside with air from the planet every few seconds. The shield also protects us from cosmic radiation and the cold vacuum of space.”

  “But, how..? Are you truly a demon?” While fearing the answer, the Brother felt compelled to ask, even if it cost his own life.

  Darak laughed. “I have been called many things but never a demon. Though, as the Angel surmised, neither am I the Shard of Alum you thought me to be.”

  “Are you a god, then?”

  Darak considered this. “There are no gods,” he finally said.

  “What do you want with me?”

  “That is exactly as I represented, Brother Stralasi. I want you to journey with me.”

  “What use could you possibly have for me?”

  “You may be more useful than you think.”

  Brother Stralasi contemplated the uses this man, or Angel, or Demon, might make of him. He could think of nothing pleasant. “Let me die. Please kill me or let me die here, I beg you. I cannot face more like that.”

  Darak’s eyes filled with compassion. “I am sorry for what you were put through but it was necessary for me to know if Alum has changed, or if he is still the ruthless God I once knew.

  “I believe that Angel, His Angel, would have destroyed this star system to kill me, if necessary. And I believe Alum would have approved.” He gazed into space. “Your God has long been more concerned with His power and His Divine Plan than with His People.”

  “But Alum is the Living God appointed by Yov, the Creator!” Stralasi protested.

  “Perhaps it is time for His reign to be over. Perhaps the days of the Living God are coming to an end.”

  Great Alum, preserve me. I am the prisoner of a crazed demon! Weary resignation settled heavily over Stralasi’s mind and body. When angels, demons, and even God take direct interest in the fate of one man, what power does that man have to make choices?

  “Very well. I will accompany you on your journey. I pray that we both survive it.”

  Darak smiled. “Pray if you must but your God will not hear. Rather, let us trust to our knowledge, skills, and good luck. If we must have any gods, these will serve as well as any. Let us be on our way.”

  With that, they disappeared from over Gargus 718.5.

  20

  NSA Classified- Level III, File No.: 06-84857

  Recorded: April 17, 2032, 18:30, Dallas, Texas.

  Subject: Yeshua’s True Guard (YTG) Executive Committee meeting.

  Source: Verified. Compiled from quadruple-redundant neural recordings made on-site by NSA24135 Spyders. Original ocular and aural recordings attached.

  Verified voices: George Colder, Patrick Burton, Saul Trent, Mike Freeman, Dona Nielson, Steve Stockwell

  Colder: Lord, bless this congregation and these good people who have come together in Your Name to bring Your Kingdom to this, Your chosen nation. Let our minds be clear and our hearts steady as we pursue Your Will. In Yeshua, we are strong.

  All: Amen.

  Burton: Before we begin, can I get verification on the security sweep?

  Trent: Yes, sir. The scan shows no transmitting devices present. Everyone’s been cleared. No recorders in the room. Normally, we’d have to worry about laser pickup off the windows, but I think we’re safe from that down here in the basement.

  Burton: Alright, let’s begin by welcoming a man I’m sure y’all know real well, the next Senator from the great State of Texas and our future President, Fred Mitchell. [applause and cheers]

&nb
sp; Colder: Thank you for coming down tonight, Mr. Mitchell.

  Mitchell: My pleasure, George. Thanks for inviting me. And thank every last one of you for your dedication, your faith, and your patriotism. It is truly a great honor to be with you here, tonight. Seeing you here fills me with hope. [applause]

  Colder: Thank you, sir. We have a fairly short agenda tonight. First up is Mike. Can you tell us how our numbers are looking, Mike?

  Freeman: Thank you, George. The Election Committee has been working hard on Mr. Mitchell’s campaign leading up to the primaries. It's tight but showing promise. We’re at 30%. We’re closing in on Mr. Conys who's held a steady 35%, and we've pulled ahead of Reverend LaMontagne, who’s in third place at 26%. It looks like we're pretty much assured a victory in the run-off, thanks to the support that will be coming from the Reverend’s people.

  Colder: Is everything in place for Reverend LaMontagne’s announcement?

  Freeman: Yes. Those, shall we say, “enlightening” videos delivered to the Election Committee last month were sent to the Reverend with the anticipated result. Lord knows how he was able to keep his own mother’s falling away from the Church a secret all this time, but the clips of her attending those atheist "services" convinced him he ought to pledge his full support to Mr. Mitchell in the runoff and focus more on his congregation if he wishes to have any kind of political future in this state. His announcement will come tonight.

  Colder: I expect so. [chuckling] Thank you, Mike. Please convey the Executive’s appreciation to the Election Committee for a job well done.

  Freeman: I'll do that, sir. Also, Reverend LaMontagne asked me to pass along his congratulations to Mr. Mitchell on a solid campaign. He looks forward to putting this ugliness behind us and working together to defeat those damned Democrats. He trusts Mr. Mitchell will remember who provided the support needed to win this election, at some appropriate time in the future.

  Colder: I’m sure we’ll be able to find a suitable role for true patriots like the Reverend in the new republic. Next up is Dona, with an update on our liaison with the committees in other states. Dona?

  Nielson: Thank you, George. I spoke last week with the organizing committee in New Mexico. I’m pleased to announce that they've agreed to join us in creating our glorious New Confederacy. We have firm commitments from all the great southern states from New Mexico to Florida, north to Virginia, and west to Kentucky. That makes sixteen standing with us when we throw those devils in Washington out of our homeland and take back control of our own destiny. [applause and foot stomping]

  Colder: That’s wonderful news, Dona. What about our fellow organizations in the north and on the west coast?

  Nielson: I won’t lie. It’s been a nightmare dealing with those lefty socialists in California and in Washington State. Trying to get United Churchers, Unitarians, and Buddhists to agree on anything is a real challenge. But compared to dealing with those commie Canadians and the secular Frenchies in Quebec, it’s been a piece of cake. [laughter] The good news is, we’re finally getting through. The United Brethren along the Pacific coast from California to Alaska have agreed to coordinate their secession with ours. Come January, once Senator-Elect Mitchell assumes control of the Governor’s mansion here in Austin and declares it as the White House of the New Confederacy, Governor Alcraft out in Olympia will declare Pacifica’s independence as well. [cheers]

  Colder: How about British Columbia? Are they ready to declare?

  Nielson: Yes, the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta have both pledged to declare separation from the rest of Canada and join the west-coast states in forming New Pacifica. Truth be told, the Albertans would have preferred to join our Confederacy, but we just couldn’t figure out how to make that work geographically. Too many unallied states lie between us. That’s okay, though. They might consider themselves to be conservatives, but that’s Canadian conservative. Around these parts, we spell that with a l’il ‘c’. As far as I can tell, they fall somewhere to the left of Wilson. [loud laughter]

  Colder: Any updates on Quebec?

  Freeman: As soon as BC and Alberta announce separation, Monsieur Prevost, the Premier of Quebec, will declare martial law in that province. He has the active wing of the Parti Quebecois Libre waiting to assume control of government buildings and media outlets. No doubt, there’ll be a lot of resistance from the national government in…where is it? Oh, yes, Ottawa. The feds are going to have their hands so busy with the western rebellion. I expect they’ll see the writing on the wall pretty quickly. We expect the remaining Canadian provinces will move toward applying for a union within weeks, piggybacking onto whatever part of the former America is closest to them. Heck, one or two of them may try to make a go of it on their own.

  Colder: You haven't mentioned our central and northern states. Are we seeing any support there yet?

  Freeman: We’ve tried to help the movements in the northern states, but they just won’t have their acts together in time. And Heaven only knows what those disorganized Godless gamblers in Nevada and the Mormons in Utah are up to. [laughter] At any rate, we will have our New Confederacy. Whatever’s left of the un-United Welfare States of America will just have to look out for itself. [applause and cheers]

  Colder: Thank you, Dona. It looks like we’re right on our original timetable. I have some progress to report, too. I spoke with our righteous brothers in England and France. They tell me that the Muslim-friendly European Union Parliament has gone too far. They've invited all of North Africa, from Morocco to Egypt, to apply for membership. Our conscientious objectors in the non-aligned EU countries predict this will leave Europe wide open to the Muslim invasion the Crusaders fought against over eight hundred years ago.

  Trent: Good Lord, why don’t they just let in all the Indians and Chinese, while they’re at it? [laughter]

  Colder: You never know, they still might. [more laughter] The EU claims they need to increase immigration because their demographics are unfavorable—not enough of their own young folk are having babies. Their debt load hasn't declined since the Great Recession, and the past twenty years of zero growth, even with negative interest rates, has been killing them. It doesn't help that the Euro's been crashing even faster than the dollar since 2021.

  They're drowning, and they've had about all they can take of those rich bureaucrats in Belgium telling them what to spend their tax dollars on. Three hundred percent debt-to-GDP? That’s no way to build a future!

  They're looking for us to lead the way, to rescue them from financial ruin. Again. But before we do that, they need to carry out their own Freedom Revolution. We'll be ready to offer them full support once our new government is in place—I'm talking military, monetary and organizational.

  Mitchell: We’ll have to be very careful how we do that. With the European Union buying so much of our oil and liquid natural gas, we don’t want to be seen as interfering in their internal affairs. We are, of course. We just don’t want to be seen doing it. [laughter]

  Colder: Not to worry. We have a number of circumspect communication channels in place, working through our friends in Iran. Ever since the Shah took back control from the Ayatollahs, the sanctions from the EU-China-Russia trading block have hurt them a lot. EU-supported, large-scale development of solar power in North Africa is hitting their oil and nuclear electricity exports where it hurts. Iran needs our support. We've promised to work with them in strategically setting prices and quotas in future. Timing is the key. But don’t worry. None of the arms or money we invest in bringing down the European Union will be traceable back to us.

  Mitchell: I think I can help that along. My administration will be happy to help undermine the cozy little arrangement between the EU, China, and Russia. They haven’t exactly been doing us any favors this past decade since they started conducting all their business in Euros, rubles, and renminbi.

  Many: Hear, hear! [cheers and applause]

  Colder: I’ll take that as a yes-vote, then.

  Stockwell
: No, George, I think that’s more like a "Hell, yes!" vote. [prolonged loud laughter, cheers, and applause]

  Colder: Alright. Settle down, everyone. I’ll remind you, although I appreciate your enthusiasm, we are working in the name of our Lord, Yeshua. So, let’s try to keep the profanity down, please.

  Stockwell: Sorry about that.

  Colder: No harm done, Steve. Now, before we call it a night, why don’t you fill us in on the progress with the New Militia?

  Stockwell: Yes, sir. I am pleased to report to the Executive Committee that the New Confederacy Militia is ready for action. Our organizational structure makes it difficult to determine the exact numbers, but I’ve passed word outward through the various Command cells to try to generate some kind of estimate of our support.

  To give you a rough idea, each Militia Cell is twelve members. If everyone does as instructed and doesn’t join any cell outside their Reporting Cell and Leading Cell, then across all the future member-states, that would put us at over 52,000 trained and armed men and women prepared to put their lives on the line for the New Confederacy.

  We also asked our Militia members to report if they’ve had any military training. Over 68% answered affirmatively. Our command recruits from the major Army, Navy, and Air Force bases assure me that we will have timely access to both troops and weapons.

  Colder: Thank you, Steve, or should I say, General Stockwell?

  Thank you all for a job well done—I remind you that it’s not over until Senator Mitchell is President Mitchell. And with your courage, your faith and, yes, your sacrifices, we will get there. History will remember you as the heroes and patriots you truly are.

  On November 2nd, we start the countdown to the New Confederacy, and to a new Christian era in our beloved South. [loud cheers and applause]

  Yeshua bless this Committee and the holy work we do. Yeshua bless the New Confederacy!

  Many: Yeshua bless the New Confederacy!

  [Original transcript and recordings transmitted to Deputy Director Thornten May 1, 2032. No copies made.)