“Because the riches we seek wait for us in heaven.”
“Isn’t that hard to accomplish?”
“Extremely difficult, even for me.” Mordecai chuckled and the Faithfuls laughed, too.
“Personally, I would love to wallow in the luxuries of this world. Electricity. Television with cable. A cell phone. But you know what God tells me every day? ‘Mordecai,’ he says, ‘the Brethren is the only pathway to achieve heaven’s treasures.’ And he’s right, you know. Because he’s God.”
Mordecai gave them all a wide grin, and the crowd applauded again. A woman interrupted the ovation. “Oh, great Mordecai, help me. I suffer from a terrible cancer.”
Mordecai got even more theatrical. He knelt down and took her hand. “This disease is a sin that is destroying your body and your soul. Where is this scourge located, my child?”
“The doctors say I have ovarian cancer. But it is too advanced and they can’t cure me.”
“Your doctors are right. They can’t heal you, my child. But I can.” Mordecai embraced the woman. “Doctors believe only in science. They don’t believe in the miracles of the Brethren.”
He rubbed her abdomen with his hands. “But your faith in the Brethren and God will set you free from this horrible disease.”
He rubbed harder and harder. Then he looked up into the heavens. “I renounce the devil within this woman’s body. And I command that evil to leave her sinful vessel at once.”
Mordecai started crying as if he was in pain, and the woman cried in return. Mordecai convulsed, and so did she. Finally, the woman fell to the ground and Mordecai followed, landing on top of her.
“You’re cured,” he pronounced.
“I’m cured,” she yelled between her cries. “Praise Mordecai, I’m cured.”
“Yes. By renouncing your sins and by embracing the Brethren’s righteous ways, you have defeated evil.” Mordecai rose and gazed at the crowd. They watched back in wonder. It seemed like Mordecai’s blue eyes pierced the soul of everyone.
He walked over to Eddie. “Are you a gimp, my child?”
Eddie said nothing.
“It’s a simple question, boy. Can’t you answer a simple question?”
“Yes, sir.” Eddie paused a moment. “You’re correct. I have a limp.”
“How did you incur God’s wrath?”
“I didn’t do anything, sir. It was an accident.”
“You did nothing to deserve your malady?” Mordecai smirked and the crowd laughed. “With God, there are no accidents, boy. Only punishments, so you had to do something.”
“I don’t understand, sir.”
The crowd’s laughter increased. “You don’t understand God’s curse? What are you, an imbecile?” The laughter turned loud and unruly. “Disease. Injury. Death. These are a part of your life because you refuse to accept the way of the Brethren.”
“Perhaps you’re right, sir.”
“Perhaps? Perhaps I’m right?”
“I’m sorry. You’re right, sir. I refused to accept the way of the Brethren.”
Mordecai turned to the crowd and grinned. Then he embraced Eddie. “That’s okay, my child. You just took the first step. You’ve admitted your sinful ways and have started to travel down the righteous path, the way of the Brethren.”
Jamie remained silent during Eddie’s ordeal, but he hated himself for not standing up to Mordecai. He’d seen his type before. He was a bully, and Jamie had his fill of them growing up in Wisconsin.
One of the new Faithfuls asked, “O great Mordecai, what is the Brethren’s way?”
Mordecai walked over to him. “There isn’t a simple answer to your question, my child. But discovering the answer is the only way we can reap God’s treasures and gain his wisdom and knowledge.”
This guy’s talking in circles, Jamie thought.
“Then how do I find the answer?” the Faithful asked.
Mordecai spread his arms out wide. “You have to reject wealth and the pleasures of the body. You must give yourself to the Brethren and live apart from the sinful world.”
That was it for Jamie. “Excuse me, Mr. Mordecai, but the principles you’re extolling don’t make sense to me.”
Mordecai’s peaceful countenance changed. “What things don’t make sense, my…” He looked at Jamie, and with a staccato in his voice, repeated, “What are the things that don’t make sense?”
“The SUVs. The loudspeakers. They’re modern conveniences. And your guards patrolling the area with their big guns. This doesn’t match your philosophy of rejecting the pleasures of the world. Does it?”
“How little you know, my little man,” Mordecai bellowed. “These conveniences—the inconsistencies that you point out—are necessary to maintain the Brethren’s presence on earth. We don’t use them to better ourselves or make our lives easier. We use them to survive.”
“To survive?” Jamie wondered.
“The world despises my special relationship with God. They want me and the Brethren eliminated.”
Jamie couldn’t make sense of what he was hearing. “Eliminated?”
“Of course. Exterminated. Annihilated. Stamped off the face of the earth. Don’t I have a right to protect my flock? To keep evil from entering my doorway?”
Jamie nodded and Mordecai continued forcefully. “Oh, rest assured, God has given me the power to smite any who oppose me.” He raised his hands above Jamie, then stopped and looked at the Faithfuls around him and lowered his hands. “But I wouldn’t do that, because it’s against our principles.”
Mordecai’s demeanor changed. No longer energetic, he seemed emotionally spent. “That’s enough for now. I’m sure all your heads are spinning. We’ll assemble again after taking nourishment.”
Mordecai turned around and left the crowd, his red sash trailing behind him. Saul followed.
Eddie looked over at Jamie and whispered, “We’re going to eat before our duties are assigned? They’re breaking their own rules again.”
“Evidently, Mordecai is allowed to do that,” Jamie said.
Chapter Sixteen
Mordecai charged away from the square, his head throbbing with pain. But he couldn’t let the Faithfuls see his distress. God’s Holy emissary doesn’t suffer. Besides, he knew his headache wasn’t a result of God’s vengeance. His condition was caused by a devil’s ploy, implemented by a greedy weasel who refused to accept his divinity. He’d encountered this before. The first time was at the seminary when his teachers called him emotionally disturbed. And now he was experiencing it again with that snake, Saul.
Saul must have known this group of Faithfuls was rancorous, yet he did nothing to prepare him. Saul would pay for his sins. But his judgment day would have to wait because he was needed. So for now, Mordecai would play along with Saul’s little game.
Mordecai reached his office, hidden away from the rest of the Brethren, and paused to remember the entryway’s code, then punched it in. The steel-reinforced door gave way. Saul followed behind, apologetically closed the door, and punched in another code to bolt the entrance.
Mordecai ripped off his sash and threw it on his desk. “Well, this is going hellish, and it’s your fault. You shouldn’t have brought in so many new Faithfuls this close to the mission.”
“I’m sorry, but it’s the mission that’s depleting our cash reserves. This group brought in nearly seven hundred thousand dollars.”
Mordecai’s demeanor perked. If this amount is accurate, he thought, perhaps Saul isn’t so evil after all. “God has certainly provided in our time of need. How many new Faithfuls are there, anyway?”
“Seventy-five.”
The number almost made Mordecai happy. “Where did Gideon put them all?”
“I have no idea. But thank goodness he found the room—although I’m sure goodness had nothing to do with it.” Saul laughed. Mordecai didn’t, already fantasizing about how he’d use the increased manpower and cash.
Daydreaming could be dangerous, though. If he
lost his aura of superiority, he’d lose his advantage over the Faithfuls. “Yes, we’re making improvements in the conversion area. But there are other matters to be concerned with.” He walked to the wall safe and punched in the combination. Inside, he searched for his computer’s security hardware, but couldn’t find it. Frantic, he began throwing papers and documents around the safe while he searched. Positive Saul had hidden his equipment, he slammed his fist against the safe’s door.
Saul calmly opened the desk drawer and pulled out a small USB-like accessory. “Is this what you’re looking for? I noticed you didn’t lock it up last night.” Mordecai sneered at Saul and grabbed the hardware from his spindly little fingers. He inserted the piece into his CPU, the system booted, and the screen turned blue. He typed in his password and logged on.
As his first task, he searched through screens and screens of data logs. When he couldn’t find the documents he wanted, he felt the pressure increasing exponentially inside his head.
“Any communication from him?” Saul asked.
“No. You’d think after the message he sent last night, an update isn’t too much to ask from the guy. Especially considering what I’m paying him.”
“Well, you’re the one who doesn’t trust e-mails, even with encryption. You had to go with a fancy program, with special hardware on the computers and everything.”
“Even encrypted e-mails sent over the public Internet can be intercepted, Saul. Remember the surveillance worm we discovered last year? We got infected by e-mail, remember?” Saul gave him a slight nod. “This is better protection. It’s a private pipeline going through several proxy servers daisy-chained together. It’s completely anonymous. If only that infidel would use it.” Mordecai threw his mouse at the monitor and sat back in his chair, deflated.
Saul walked over to him, acting almost like a friend rather than an employee. “Look, why don’t you just call the guy with a prepaid phone?”
Mordecai hated unnecessary contact with humans. “We can’t risk it. There isn’t enough chatter in this area to hide our calls, and the Feds would easily figure out who we were.”
“Well then, good things come to those who wait. Didn’t Jesus say that?”
Mordecai scowled. “No, he didn’t. So just shut up and pour me a drink.”
“Red or white?”
“Surprise me.”
Saul went to the liquor cabinet and returned with a filled crystal goblet. Mordecai smiled and said, “You first.”
Saul took a gulp of wine and handed the glass back to him.
Mordecai relished his sip. “Chardonnay. Good choice.” He always enjoyed wine. Jesus’s drink of choice. Feeling generous, he nodded at a chair, granting Saul permission to sit.
Saul accepted the offer. “I don’t know why you’re so concerned with our conversion rate, anyway. After the mission, our numbers will skyrocket. Right?”
“God expects us to be concerned with each lost soul.”
“Of course.” Saul lowered his head, and Mordecai scowled at his humility. Saul concerned himself with numbers, not people—which was why he hired him. It takes all kinds to save souls, and sometimes the righteous had to partner with evil, if it accomplished God’s work.
Mordecai took a deep breath, closed the transfer program on his computer, and opened iTunes. “So, cheer me up, Saul. Update me on the backgrounds of the new Faithfuls.”
Saul grabbed his clipboard, and looked over the inventory of souls. “Well, pretty much normal stuff. A retired guy disappointed with his grandchildren. A few individuals searching for meaning in their lives. But we have one particularly bright spot on our list. His name’s Peter Sokolov.” Mordecai’s face scrunched up, and Saul explained. “He’s Eastern European. His father’s on the board of a foreign banking commission, and reputedly, he’s pretty corrupt.”
“So I’m supposed to gush because of that?”
Saul gave Mordecai a conspiratorial smirk. “A Faithful whose family is strategically involved with world economics? Yeah, it could be worth a little gushing. I’d suggest assigning the kid to my division. Supposedly, he’s good with computers.”
“What makes you think you rank higher than the Disciples?”
“Follow the money and you’ll know why.”
“Well, my Disciples are infiltrating the enemy.”
“But who brings in the cash to pay them?”
“I know.” Mordecai took a sip of wine. “Your work is more than adequate, Saul. But sometimes it needs improvement.”
“Improvement?”
“Yeah. Like the two fags. Tell me about them.”
Saul looked flustered. “I’m sorry, the two who?”
“Don’t play coy with me. The girly white boy and his feeble Latino friend. The two queers. What’s their story?”
Saul looked through his notes and shrugged. “There really isn’t much to tell. Our reconnaissance must have let us down on those two.”
“Well then, you have some homework to do. Don’t you?” Mordecai picked up his sash and caressed it. Feeling the silky fabric calmed him. “Queers certainly have big mouths on them, don’t they, Saul?”
“Yeah. And the prissy one has the biggest mouth I’ve ever seen.”
Mordecai grinned as an idea percolated in his mind. “Does the girly boy have any friends here, besides the gimp?”
“Possibly that Peter kid,” Saul said. “But he’s so timid, I doubt anybody cares about him either. Why?”
Mordecai quickly wrapped the sash around Saul’s neck and pulled it tight. “Because homos are against God’s law and they deserve to die.”
“Okay. I understand,” Saul said, grasping his neck. “So you want me to have them killed?”
“No. Not yet.” Mordecai removed the sash and began smoothing out the wrinkles. “He and his friend could be useful to us.”
“How can two queers be useful to us?”
“If I had my way, I wouldn’t rely on faggots. But we’ve got to use the tools God gives us. Tools like hate.” Mordecai’s grin started to grow. “People have an immediate dislike for others who are different. All we have to do is cultivate that dislike into something more powerful.”
Saul grinned, too. “Ah, I understand.”
“Good. And when everyone’s hate is at its peak, I’ll squash the faggots like little bugs and everyone will love me even more.”
Chapter Seventeen
After the meal, a gloppy gruel, the Faithfuls rallied for Mordecai’s second installment. Jamie and Eddie trudged to the square and Peter pestered them the entire way. “Boy, that food really sucked, didn’t it.”
Jamie didn’t know what to do. His first instinct was to answer Peter. He was lonely, and reaching out for friendship. But if Eddie’s suspicions were right, it could be dangerous to get into a conversation with him. Jamie mumbled, “I dunno.”
“Didn’t you taste it?”
“Tasted like oatmeal to me.”
“Well our cook at home always makes kasha. That’s her oatmeal. And hers tastes way better than the stuff they made.”
“A cook, huh?” Jamie made a mental note. The kid came from a wealthy family.
“But I’m not like them,” Peter said quickly.
Jamie continued walking. Another note: He’s embarrassed about his family’s wealth. Jamie stopped and gave Peter a comforting pat on the shoulder. “That’s okay. One of my best friends is wealthy, too.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. And she’s not bad at all.”
Peter’s eyes brightened, and then he looked crestfallen. “Then what’s the matter with me?”
“Nothing’s wrong with you,” Jamie said. “You’re a cool guy, except you ask too many questions.”
“You think I’m cool?”
Jamie nodded and Peter gave him a smile that reached from one side of his face to the other. “Then I’ll work at controlling my inquisitive nature.”
“Thanks.” Jamie looked over at Eddie. See? Peter’s not a spy. He’s a
closet case.
Eddie gave him back a worried look.
Luckily, when they reached the square they didn’t have to wait long for Mordecai. He entered with his usual pomp and circumstance, handing out flowers. Standing in the middle of the crowd, he raised his arms. “Labor is a fundamental part of the Brethren’s precepts. Work paves our way into heaven.”
Mordecai held out a piece of papyrus, and everyone watched him examine it carefully. “Peter Sokolov?” he called out. Peter walked up, and Mordecai grabbed hold of him. “Peter Sokolov, you are near and dear to my heart.”
That statement made Jamie’s ears pick up. Eddie’s suspicions might be correct after all.
“Peter, you shall be assigned the important mission of assisting Saul.”
He lowered his head. “Thank you, Mordecai.” Disappointment was clear on his face as he returned to Jamie and Eddie.
Mordecai continued to assign duties to the rest of the Faithfuls. Some were to tend the fields and livestock, others to cook, and still others to clean. Then Mordecai called Jamie and Eddie up. “Your assignments are to muck out the horse stalls. Daily. Not only will it be backbreaking work, it’ll be smelly, too.”
Mordecai smiled, and Jamie and Eddie bowed their heads with the required subservience.
Then, all of a sudden, Peter asked, “Excuse me, O great Mordecai. Will there ever be a change of positions, or are we going to be stuck in these professions forever?”
Mordecai answered, “No, Peter. Unless…”
“Unless what, sir?”
“Unless you achieve a higher level of consciousness.”
“How do I reach a higher level?”
“I bestowed it on them.” Mordecai pointed to living quarters on the other side of the square. It resembled a huge ski chalet. The porch even had Adirondack chairs. “So far, twelve of our most devoted followers have reached this level. They’re my Disciples.
“But enough about that,” Mordecai said. “The Brethren Names still have to be assigned. This is your new identity, which will follow you into heaven.”
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