Speaker 1: Chapter fifteen, Sasha. The man on the gurney was the
Speaker 1: most comprehensively broken human Sasha had ever seen. His jaw
Speaker 1: had been ripped completely out of its socket and shattered
Speaker 1: in four places. His eyes had been gouged into horrible, smashed,
Speaker 1: grape looking things. His hands and fingers were all broken,
Speaker 1: as were his feet and shins. His ears appeared to
Speaker 1: have been bitten off. His tongue had been severed, and
Speaker 1: the wound cauterized with something that had charred the flesh black.
Speaker 1: Sasha hadn't known a person could take such punishment and survive.
Speaker 1: The chart at the end of the bed identified him
Speaker 1: as Sergeant Lufkin, a two year veteran martyr who had
Speaker 1: been guarding a checkpoint outside of Dallas. He was conscious.
Speaker 1: Every now and then he'd thrash about and let out
Speaker 1: a burbling moan, but the man didn't appear capable of
Speaker 1: any sort of intelligible communication. Well these aren't combat injuries,
Speaker 1: doctor Brand said. These men look almost like they've been
Speaker 1: in a car wreck, only the damage is too precise
Speaker 1: and too liberately targeted. I've never seen anything like it.
Speaker 1: It was Sasha's duty to administer the men's pain killers
Speaker 1: just a tiny drop of morphine each. It wasn't enough
Speaker 1: by any proper hospital standards. The soldiers were all in
Speaker 1: clear agony, but the Heavenly Kingdom was short on pain killers,
Speaker 1: and this was the most they could afford to spare
Speaker 1: for invalids, as doctor Brandt had called them. This frustrated Sasha.
Speaker 1: Her mother's hospital could have restored all four men to
Speaker 1: full health and vigor with perhaps a month of treatment
Speaker 1: and physical therapy, but the Heavenly Kingdom forbade that grown
Speaker 1: organs and limbs cloning contravened the Lord's will. Sasha agreed
Speaker 1: with that in theory. She'd fled to the Heavenly Kingdom
Speaker 1: partly because she believed juven treatments had robbed the ampt
Speaker 1: of its humanity. But still it seemed so wrong that
Speaker 1: these men would go the rest of their lives as
Speaker 1: twitching and sinceate lumps of flesh. The number of things
Speaker 1: that felt wrong about this place grew every day. The
Speaker 1: executions had been the first big shock to her system,
Speaker 1: but she'd accepted Helen's justification. The Bible was filled with
Speaker 1: decent men doing awful things in times of war. The
Speaker 1: gallows weren't pretty, but they were hardly without biblical precedent.
Speaker 1: She'd been unable to justify Alexander's actions in the same way. Oh, yes,
Speaker 1: she knew polygamy was condoned by the Word of God.
Speaker 1: She'd read about Lammick and Abraham, and Solomon and David,
Speaker 1: and of course Jacob, the patriarch of the Twelve Tribes
Speaker 1: of Israel and a parent namesake for Alexander's order. She
Speaker 1: still hated what he'd done to her. Sasha couldn't bring
Speaker 1: herself to believe that a man as truly good as
Speaker 1: Pastor Mike would condone their actions. Polygamy is a biblically
Speaker 1: sound strategy for a people on the edge of destruction,
Speaker 1: He'd written in one of his Revelator columns. But it
Speaker 1: is not the human ideal. In our Lord's eyes, the
Speaker 1: most perfect union is one man, one woman, and as
Speaker 1: many children as they can bear. Had he decided since
Speaker 1: that the Heavenly Kingdom was a people on the edge
Speaker 1: of destruction. After the disastrous meet with Alexander, Sasha had
Speaker 1: made her way back to the House of Miriam. Helen
Speaker 1: was seated at her desk when Sasha barged in the
Speaker 1: older woman looked tired, resigned, and almost depressed. It seemed
Speaker 1: as if she'd been waiting for Sasha. Hello, dear, she said,
Speaker 1: with a sad smile. I assume you just met Alexander. Yes,
Speaker 1: Sasha couldn't help but shout. What they're doing is vile, Helen.
Speaker 1: He wanted me as his third wife. He lied to
Speaker 1: convince me to come down here. He says. There's a
Speaker 1: whole group of martyrs. They call themselves Jacobeans, and they're
Speaker 1: just catfishing girls down here. We have to tell someone.
Speaker 1: This isn't okay, this is so wrong. I just I can't.
Speaker 1: Sasha started to sob. She'd been too angry to cry
Speaker 1: in front of Alexander. But the House of Miriam was
Speaker 1: a safe place. Helen was a safe person. Sasha's grief
Speaker 1: caught up with her anger, and she found herself doubled
Speaker 1: over on the floor, racked by sobs. She lost herself
Speaker 1: in sorrow for a few long heartbeats, and then Helen
Speaker 1: was there beside her. She felt the older woman's strong
Speaker 1: arms around her, felt a hand running through her hair.
Speaker 1: There there, child, it's all right, it's going to be okay.
Speaker 1: We have to do something Sasha choked out, Pastor Mike
Speaker 1: needs to know what's being done in his name. She
Speaker 1: looked up into Helen's eyes. She saw pain and anger there, Sasha.
Speaker 1: Helen said, this will be hard for you to understand,
Speaker 1: but the pastor is well aware of what those men
Speaker 1: are doing. I've spoken to him about it myself. Sasha stiffened.
Speaker 1: She pulled away from Helen, and Helen let her go.
Speaker 1: They sat next to each other on the floor in
Speaker 1: silence until Sasha spoke again. Authenticity is the strongest arrow
Speaker 1: in our quiver. She quoted, When did that stop being true?
Speaker 1: When did it become ok to lie in the name
Speaker 1: of the Lord? Helen sighed and shook her head. It's
Speaker 1: not OK, But so much about this world we live
Speaker 1: in is not OK. They still murder forty thousand babies
Speaker 1: per year in the American Federation, hundred thousand in the
Speaker 1: California Republic. Sodomi and cloning are rampant across the world.
Speaker 1: We the faithful are surrounded on all sides. Sasha recognized
Speaker 1: that last line. It was the opening sentence of Pastor
Speaker 1: Mike's infamous Sinful Continent in the Hands of an Angry
Speaker 1: God column Sasha couldn't deny the truth of those words.
Speaker 1: Everything Helen said was accurate. But but how are we
Speaker 1: any better than them if we stooped to dishonesty to
Speaker 1: fill the heavenly kingdom. Helen stiffened and straightened her back.
Speaker 1: We are better than them, dear, because our goals are godly.
Speaker 1: There was a hint of pride in her voice. We
Speaker 1: are fighting for the one singular truth. You must never
Speaker 1: forget that the men and women fighting for that truth
Speaker 1: are flawed. We are all falluable, we will all fall
Speaker 1: short of God's standards. But we are also the only
Speaker 1: ones trying to meet God's standards. And that makes what
Speaker 1: Alexander did okay. Helen shook her head. Sasha saw tears
Speaker 1: in the corner of the older woman's eyes. No, child,
Speaker 1: nothing makes it okay. You were wronged. That boy played
Speaker 1: with your heart. He lied to you about his love,
Speaker 1: and that's an un a givable thing. But you're here now,
Speaker 1: aren't you, And that's what matters most. Helen held her
Speaker 1: and talked with her for the next few hours. By
Speaker 1: the time the other girls came back, she felt better.
Speaker 1: Not good exactly, but better, stable enough to not burst
Speaker 1: into tears during dinner. She kept quiet at meal time
Speaker 1: and was glad that the others seemed too exhausted from
Speaker 1: their day of labor to say much either. After dinner,
Speaker 1: they had another hour of personal time. Anne and Susannah
Speaker 1: zeroed in on her with military precision. Sasha's vaunted poker
Speaker 1: face hadn't been enough to hide her sorrow. Her new
Speaker 1: friends had guided her to a corner of the room
Speaker 1: where they'd have relative privacy. What's wrong, Anne asked in
Speaker 1: a low voice. She and Susannah both laid their hands
Speaker 1: on Sasha's shoulders. Sasha reached up to grasp both their hands.
Speaker 1: It happened automatically, as if by reflex, but it brought
Speaker 1: her great comfort. She closed her eyes and stood quiet
Speaker 1: for a moment as her mind and heart calmed down.
Speaker 1: I met Alexander today, she said. Anne looked confused. Susannah frowned,
Speaker 1: then laughed and asked, what did have? Bad breath? Where
Speaker 1: his eyes all? She blew out her cheeks and crossed
Speaker 1: her eyes. Anne laughed, but Sasha stayed quiet. Susannah smile faded. Sash,
Speaker 1: She said, in a quiet voice, what happened? Sasha looked
Speaker 1: from Susannah to Anne, she felt a surge of gratitude
Speaker 1: and her new friends for being there at all. She
Speaker 1: took a deep breath in and then told them what
Speaker 1: had happened. She went quickly in the hope that her
Speaker 1: clipped recitation of events would make it all seem less devastating. Oh, Sasha,
Speaker 1: Anne said, I am so sorry. This has to be
Speaker 1: some sort of mistake. Helen didn't seem to think so,
Speaker 1: Sasha said, I don't think Alexander lied about the sons
Speaker 1: of Jacob being powerful here. It's chaos right now, Sash.
Speaker 1: Susannah assured her. Maybe a few guys can get away
Speaker 1: with acting like this now during the war, but once
Speaker 1: it's over, Pastor Mike won't let them treat us like this.
Speaker 1: Anne nodded. Kyle gets rotated back from the front tomorrow,
Speaker 1: she said, I'll ask him about the sons of Jacob.
Speaker 1: Maybe he'll know something we can to. Sasha knew from
Speaker 1: the look she'd seen in Helen's eyes that further protest
Speaker 1: against the Jacobeans would be useless, and besides, she thought
Speaker 1: the most painful thing was Alexander's dishonesty. He's already hurt
Speaker 1: me as much as he can. She tried to convince
Speaker 1: herself of that, just as she tried to enjoy the
Speaker 1: company of her friends without dwelling on the face of
Speaker 1: the boy who betrayed her. She was less than successful.
Speaker 1: Bedtime came, the girls washed up, said their good nights,
Speaker 1: and snuggled up in their beds. As usual, Sasha's mind
Speaker 1: stayed awake and active. She wasn't having second thoughts exactly,
Speaker 1: of course, not never, but so much about today felt wrong.
Speaker 1: Alexander and the sons of Jacob, of course, but also
Speaker 1: that the brave men she'd worked on that afternoon would
Speaker 1: never walk or see your talk again. This is war,
Speaker 1: she reminded herself. A great deal of it is going
Speaker 1: to seem wrong. The next morning and afternoon went by
Speaker 1: in a haze of industrious activity, breakfast in bay iandages
Speaker 1: and preparing medications for doctors and nurses. Sasha lost herself
Speaker 1: in the work and for a few hours wasn't happy
Speaker 1: or sad. Her shift at the hospital ended at five,
Speaker 1: she took her nightly jeep ride back to the House
Speaker 1: of Miriam, but rather than going right inside, she decided
Speaker 1: to take a walk around the downtown strip. She had
Speaker 1: a few ration scripts in her pocket, enough that she
Speaker 1: could have bought coffee or even a meal in the
Speaker 1: one functioning restaurant still in town. But she wasn't hungry.
Speaker 1: She just wanted to walk. This part of the Heavenly
Speaker 1: Kingdom looked less like a war zone and more like
Speaker 1: a functional polus with every passing day. Most of the
Speaker 1: piles of rubble and spent shell casings were gone. Now
Speaker 1: there was still quite a lot of damage to all
Speaker 1: the buildings and very few intact windows to be found,
Speaker 1: but that strange spoiled milk smell was gone. Some shops
Speaker 1: were open again, along with a small farmer's market about
Speaker 1: ten minutes down from the House of Miriam. There were
Speaker 1: people out too, Not many families yet, but she saw
Speaker 1: a lot of sweaty, tired looking soldiers. They wandered in
Speaker 1: small groups and clustered around the strips only functional calf bay.
Speaker 1: There were refugees too, and new immigrants to the Kingdom.
Speaker 1: Greeters in blue and white uniforms. The foot soldiers of
Speaker 1: the Kingdom's Immigration Department led columns of them down the
Speaker 1: main Dragon into old government buildings that had been repurposed
Speaker 1: into housing collectives. Sasha felt herself filled with a strange
Speaker 1: pride at odds with all the doubt that still roiled
Speaker 1: in her gut. From right here, the Heavenly Kingdom looked
Speaker 1: exactly like what had been promised to her. It was
Speaker 1: still rough, raw and unfinished, but it overflowed with the
Speaker 1: good intentions of godly men and women. Helen had been right.
Speaker 1: Sasha could see that now, as ugly as Alexander's lies were,
Speaker 1: as detestable as she found the whole idea of the Jacobeans,
Speaker 1: the Heavenly Kingdom was still a thing of beauty. It
Speaker 1: was still worth fighting for. She just had to accept
Speaker 1: that it would never be perfect. And Hello, Sasha, she stopped.
Speaker 1: The hair prickled up on the back of her neck.
Speaker 1: Sasha turned around to face Alexander. Sasha had been lost
Speaker 1: in thoughts, so it was hard to say for how
Speaker 1: long they've been following her. Three other men were with him.
Speaker 1: They all wore clean, pressed, new uniforms and sidearms at
Speaker 1: their waists. She didn't recognize the rank insickneas on their shoulders,
Speaker 1: but she did notice that each of them wore a
Speaker 1: large gold badge in the shape of a lion's head
Speaker 1: on their lapel. She'd seen a lot of uniformed martyrs
Speaker 1: during her short time with the Heavenly Kingdom. She'd never
Speaker 1: seen a badge like that before. Hello, Alexander. She tried
Speaker 1: to keep her voice cool but respectful. Hello, brothers, Peace
Speaker 1: be with you and also with you. The other young
Speaker 1: men mumbled by habit, Are you walking alone right now? Medea,
Speaker 1: Alexander asked, his lips curled up into an unctuous smile.
Speaker 1: That worries me. These streets still on as safe as
Speaker 1: they should be. Let us walk with you a while.
Speaker 1: Sasha stiffened. There was something dark in Alexander's eyes. She
Speaker 1: wondered if it had always been there and she'd just
Speaker 1: ignored it before. Her heart began to race. Sweat beat
Speaker 1: it on the back of her neck. There were a
Speaker 1: lot of people around still, but she was away from
Speaker 1: the most crowded part of the main drag. It wouldn't
Speaker 1: be hard for three strong young men to move her
Speaker 1: somewhere less visible. I'd prefer to walk alone, she tried
Speaker 1: to keep her tone. Even Sasha felt like they must
Speaker 1: still have heard the trembling in her voice. That's nonsense, Sasha,
Speaker 1: Alexander said, No, woman wants to be alone when they
Speaker 1: can enjoy the company of their protect us. He stepped
Speaker 1: towards her, reached a hand out and brushed the hair
Speaker 1: away from her eyes. Alexander stroked her cheek. His hand
Speaker 1: drifted down to her shoulder, where he applied firm pressure.
Speaker 1: Sasha wanted to pull away, but Alexander was much stronger
Speaker 1: than she was. He had a gun, and two friends
Speaker 1: with guns, and apparently the personal support of Pastor Mike,
Speaker 1: so she stood still and tried to stop her heart
Speaker 1: from beating quite so fast. Sasha, he said, in the gentle,
Speaker 1: sweet voice that had helped to carry her here. You
Speaker 1: deserve to be cared for. I know the full truth
Speaker 1: was a shock to you, and I'm not angry at
Speaker 1: your reaction, really, but you still hold it on to
Speaker 1: fragments of the secular world. You need to drop that
Speaker 1: veil from your eyes and accept that God wants this.
Speaker 1: He wants men like us, Alexander gestured to his friends,
Speaker 1: men with superior talents, to breed and fill the world
Speaker 1: with more holy warriors. Sasha closed her eyes. She took
Speaker 1: a deep breath in and out, and then another. Just
Speaker 1: go with it. A part of her said, he won't
Speaker 1: hurt you if you just tell him what he wants
Speaker 1: to hear. She knew that wasn't right, though she hadn't
Speaker 1: risked her life to cross into the heavenly kingdom just
Speaker 1: to compromise her morals. Now, I am doing good and
Speaker 1: valuable work here, she replied, in the calmest voice she
Speaker 1: could muster. I don't want to be your third wife.
Speaker 1: I know God has another purpose for me, and I
Speaker 1: intend to seek it. At his hand clinched tight on
Speaker 1: her shoulder, Sasha's eyes widened in fear. There was something dull,
Speaker 1: black and hungry in his eyes. The two men behind
Speaker 1: him straighten their backs and started glancing around, scoping out
Speaker 1: the area. Sasha, Alexander said, I brought you here. You
Speaker 1: are my responsibility. I don't believe you're thinking clearly. We
Speaker 1: should take a walk and find somewhere private to talk
Speaker 1: about all this. I've come indeed a home near by.
Speaker 1: Come on, walk with me, he pushed at her. The
Speaker 1: whole time he spoke and grew angrier with each passing word,
Speaker 1: so that by the time he said walk with me,
Speaker 1: his voice had grown tight and cold. Sasha steadied her
Speaker 1: heart met his eyes with as steady a gaze as
Speaker 1: she could manage, and said, I don't want to walk
Speaker 1: with you. Her heart was pounding so loud she was
Speaker 1: sure Alexander and his friends could hear it. But Sasha
Speaker 1: didn't move. She was sure at any minute now he
Speaker 1: would grab her full on and force her forward. But
Speaker 1: before he had the chance, a familiar voice called out
Speaker 1: to her, Sasha, is that you? It was doctor Brandt,
Speaker 1: and all her focus on Alexander and his posse, she
Speaker 1: hadn't even noticed the electric hum of the doctor's jeep
Speaker 1: as it pulled up behind them on the main street. Yes, sir,
Speaker 1: she cried, her voice a bit higher and more frantic
Speaker 1: than she'd meant it to sound. What do you need
Speaker 1: getting the back girl? You can flirt with soldiers later.
Speaker 1: The Heavenly Kingdom needs your skills. We've got a bit
Speaker 1: of an issue. Alexander's face went purple. The two men
Speaker 1: behind him seemed confused. One put a hand on his gun,
Speaker 1: but Alexander waved him back. He shot Sasha a vicious
Speaker 1: look and then turned to doctor Brandt suddenly composed any
Speaker 1: idea how long you'll need her? What are you a lieutenant?
Speaker 1: Doctor Brandt? Scoffed, She'll be gone as long as the
Speaker 1: Kingdom needs her. I don't see a ring on either
Speaker 1: of your fingers, so I'm fairly certain it's not your
Speaker 1: place to care how long this takes Sasha. He beckoned
Speaker 1: to her with his index finger. Come on now, girl, gladly,
Speaker 1: she said with a genuine smile. Sasha darted past Alexander
Speaker 1: and his men and hopped up into the back seat
Speaker 1: of the jeep. She tried to keep her head and
Speaker 1: eyes down while the doctor's driver gunned the engine and
Speaker 1: sped off down the main street. Once they were under way,
Speaker 1: doctor Brandt turned back to her. Sasha. He asked, was
Speaker 1: anything going on with those young men? Anything untoward? I
Speaker 1: ask because you seem positively elated. I've picked you up
Speaker 1: to deal with a problem. Do I tell him the truth?
Speaker 1: Sasha wondered, Do I admit I was lured to the
Speaker 1: kingdom by a catfisher? He'll never take me seriously. Then,
Speaker 1: this job was her favorite part of serving the Kingdom.
Speaker 1: Sasha didn't want to do or say anything that might
Speaker 1: disrupt it. And besides, Doctor Brandt was a busy man.
Speaker 1: Lives were in his hands every day. I can't distract
Speaker 1: him with this. No, no, everything's fine. I'm fine. Doctor
Speaker 1: Brandt gave her a stern look. Sasha smiled a tense
Speaker 1: smile in response. He shrugged and turned his head back
Speaker 1: to the road. All right, he said, And then there
Speaker 1: was a problem with one of your patient's blood tests. Oh,
Speaker 1: Sasha frowned. I'm so sorry. What did I do wrong?
Speaker 1: Nothing at all, doctor Branda shared her. But that vile woman, Marigold,
Speaker 1: she's pregnant. Pregnant, Sasha was shocked. Most adult women in
Speaker 1: the American Federation had aphrodity rings installed. Sasha had refused hers,
Speaker 1: but the government offered them for free. They provided complete
Speaker 1: control over reproduction and allowed women to select whether or
Speaker 1: not they wanted to be fertile. She'd assumed anyone with
Speaker 1: as many bile modifications as mayor Gold would have a
Speaker 1: ring as well. Maybe she just wants a baby for
Speaker 1: some reason. Sasha hadn't initially considered that a possibility. It
Speaker 1: was hard to imagine someone has fallen as Marigold choosing
Speaker 1: to raise children, Yes, Sasha, doctor Brandt said, or at
Speaker 1: least that first test indicated so false positives do still happen.
Speaker 1: That's why we're headed back. We need you to administer
Speaker 1: another test so we can be certain. Well, shit, Marigold grunted.
Speaker 1: I didn't expect to see you back this soon. You
Speaker 1: need a friend, darling. The heathen woman looked the same
Speaker 1: as she had on their last interaction. Her hair was
Speaker 1: less greasy, so they must have let her wash, but
Speaker 1: she wore the same slip dress and sat in the
Speaker 1: same corner of the same cell. Sorry, no, Sasha said,
Speaker 1: I'm here to administer a pregnancy test. Mirrigold's eyes widened
Speaker 1: for a few seconds. The woman was speechless, her mouth
Speaker 1: opened and closed. She nodded and clutched her left knee
Speaker 1: with her left hand. Okay, the captive said, right, where
Speaker 1: do you want me to do it? Do? Sasha looked
Speaker 1: down at the stick in her hand and then realized
Speaker 1: how these things worked. I'm sure doctor Brandt doesn't expect
Speaker 1: me to watch her. Pea, you can go over to
Speaker 1: your normal space. I'll just I'll turn around. She handed
Speaker 1: Marigold the test and spun around on her heels so
Speaker 1: the other woman wouldn't see how much she'd already started
Speaker 1: to blush. Damn, girl, are you that squicked out by
Speaker 1: the human body? What Sasha asked, without turning around. Your
Speaker 1: face is as red as a damn beat. I'm sorry why,
Speaker 1: I don't know. Marigold laughed. You can turn around now,
Speaker 1: I'm decent and done. Sasha turned around. Marigold smirked at her.
Speaker 1: You know, she said, that instinct to apologize might actually
Speaker 1: come in handy around here. I'm sure the sort of
Speaker 1: men who jump in on this bullshit will appreciate it.
Speaker 1: Sasha recovered her senses and felt a bit of anger
Speaker 1: at Marigold's words. I don't appreciate you saying those things.
Speaker 1: She said. The men here are good and brave and uh.
Speaker 1: Sasha's voice caught it broke just a little. Marigold saw
Speaker 1: and heard her doubt. The other woman didn't laugh like
Speaker 1: Sasha expected. In fact, her smile fellow a. Marigold looked
Speaker 1: at her with something like pity. I know you don't
Speaker 1: believe that, she said. Sasha closed her eyes and took
Speaker 1: a deep breath in. Then she replied, no men are perfect,
Speaker 1: just as no women are perfect. But everyone here in
Speaker 1: the Kingdom tries every day to abide by the Lord's will.
Speaker 1: That's what elevates us above. Marigold interrupted, does your Lord say,
Speaker 1: women don't get last names. We don't use last names
Speaker 1: in the Kingdom because they distract us. We can't afford connect.
Speaker 1: The men keep their surnames, don't they. That was true.
Speaker 1: Sasha hadn't thought about it much, what with everything else
Speaker 1: that was going on. But doctor Brandt went by his
Speaker 1: last name, didn't he? And Alexander had a surname too.
Speaker 1: She's trying to weaken your faith in the kingdom. Don't
Speaker 1: give into the doubts of the serpent. It doesn't matter,
Speaker 1: Sasha said, and immediately regretted it. Any response would surely
Speaker 1: just egg Marigold on and sure enough, Oh it doesn't.
Speaker 1: Then why is that the rule? Well, it's obviously because
Speaker 1: we need some way to tell families apart from one another.
Speaker 1: Marigold smirked. Now, And the only lineage that matter is
Speaker 1: the man's, isn't it. Women are just appendages in your
Speaker 1: belief system. I am not an appendage, Sasha shouted, surprised
Speaker 1: at her own anger. She heard shuffling feet, and a
Speaker 1: second later the guard had one hand on the door
Speaker 1: and another on his rifle. Ever then, all raight, miss,
Speaker 1: he asked, yes, Sasha called back to him over her shoulder.
Speaker 1: I'm fine, Sorry, she's just Sasha fixed Marigold with a
Speaker 1: withering gaze. She's very frustrating. Marigold smirked at that, then
Speaker 1: she held out the test. Sasha hesitated for just a
Speaker 1: second before taking the strip from the other woman. Marigold
Speaker 1: smiled at that too. You're pregnant, Sasha said, yep. Marigold nodded. Congratulations.
Speaker 1: Sasha tried to sound genuine. Marigold's eye roll didn't help that, cause,
Speaker 1: oh yeah, the other woman said, this is a real
Speaker 1: joyous moment for me. I hope your people let me
Speaker 1: live long enough to know whether or not my kid
Speaker 1: will deserve a last name. You know, Sasha said, in
Speaker 1: growing anger. This place isn't perfect, but if you've got
Speaker 1: to know the people here, you'd understand they are the
Speaker 1: best people I've ever met. I wish you could have
Speaker 1: seen the welcome I received. I've never felt so loved.
Speaker 1: Marigold asked, like, all you needed to do was show
Speaker 1: up to earn their acceptance. Yes, Sasha admitted, suspicious. Did
Speaker 1: they sort of swarm you but in a nice way?
Speaker 1: Everyone hugging you and holding you and offering you, say
Speaker 1: physical affection? Yes, Marigold nodded, as if she'd just gotten
Speaker 1: the answer to a longstanding question. They love bombed you what.
Speaker 1: It's a tactic colts use, Marigold explained, you sort of
Speaker 1: overwhelmed someone with love and acceptance and camaraderie and all
Speaker 1: that It nurtures loyalty and dependence. She shrugged. It's a
Speaker 1: smart way to manipulate young people in your position. You've
Speaker 1: just fled your home and family for a strange and
Speaker 1: dangerous land. You're scared and alone and isolated, and then,
Speaker 1: like magic, you've got a family in a support network.
Speaker 1: You are so cynical. Sasha had the fight back, the
Speaker 1: urge to say damned cynical. This woman was making her
Speaker 1: forget herself. She opened her mouth as if to deliver
Speaker 1: a tongue lashing, but the words wouldn't come. Instead, she
Speaker 1: just narrowed her eyes at Marigold and stared for a
Speaker 1: few seconds. I'm leaving now, she said, I'm going to
Speaker 1: go enjoy the companionship of my new family. You enjoy
Speaker 1: this cell. Then Sasha turned on her heels and walked out.
Speaker 1: She returned late to the house of Miriam. The other
Speaker 1: girls had already finished dinner, Helen had left out Sasha's plate,
Speaker 1: a ham sandwich, carrot sticks and apple and a small
Speaker 1: block of cheese, and she took it into the common room,
Speaker 1: where the other girls were talking and winding down from
Speaker 1: their day. Look who finally showed up. May sneered when
Speaker 1: she walked in. I guess you're too important to eat
Speaker 1: with the rest of us now, I Sasha started to reply.
Speaker 1: Then she saw Anne and Susannah huddled in the same
Speaker 1: corner where they'd all sat last night. There were tears
Speaker 1: in Anne's face, and her eyes looked swollen in red.
Speaker 1: She made no noise, but her back and shoulders shook
Speaker 1: as she sat there, half shielded from view in Susanna's embrace.
Speaker 1: Sasha gave maya withering glare, but turned and moved past
Speaker 1: her towards her friends. She heard the other girl scoff
Speaker 1: and say something to her coterie of friends. Sasha couldn't
Speaker 1: hear what, though, and she didn't much care. She squatted
Speaker 1: down next to Anne and put a hand on the
Speaker 1: back of her neck. Hey, she said, not sure of
Speaker 1: what else to say. Susannah met Sasha's eyes and offered
Speaker 1: up a sad smile. Anne continued to sob. For a
Speaker 1: few minutes, they just held her. Sasha burned with morbid
Speaker 1: curiosity over what exactly had happened. She knew it must
Speaker 1: have something to do with Kyle, and had been set
Speaker 1: to meet with him today. Had he revealed himself to
Speaker 1: be a son of Jacob too. He's dead, Anne whispered
Speaker 1: in a cracked, broken voice. I went to meet him
Speaker 1: at the Cafe Clement, and there were two martyrs there
Speaker 1: waiting for me. They both she stifled a sob. They
Speaker 1: both smiled when they told me he'd been killed. They
Speaker 1: said I should thank God for the blessing of a
Speaker 1: death and battle. I'm so sorry Anne, Sasha said, Susannah
Speaker 1: and I are here, though, we'll take care of you.
Speaker 1: She hoped that might comfort Anne a little, but the
Speaker 1: other girl lost herself in another fit of tears. Sasha's
Speaker 1: heart broke for her. The pain over her own comparatively
Speaker 1: minor tragedy flowed into the empathy she felt for Anne,
Speaker 1: and soon Sasha was crying too. She was sure some
Speaker 1: of the other girls were whispering about them. Egged on
Speaker 1: by May, she didn't care. After a few more minutes
Speaker 1: of tears, Anne managed to clear her throat and speak again.
Speaker 1: The man the martyrs I met told me the same thing.
Speaker 1: She said. They told me I'd be taken care of,
Speaker 1: that they'd find God's choice for me among the martyrs,
Speaker 1: and tried to tell them, I don't want anyone else,
Speaker 1: not now, I need to mourn, But they said, they said.
Speaker 1: Anne's voice caught in her throat, and she fought to
Speaker 1: throttle another sob before she continued. He said, the heavenly
Speaker 1: Kingdom might not be able to wait for my grief
Speaker 1: to pass. What's that supposed to mean, Susannah asked. Sasha
Speaker 1: didn't say anything, because the only answer that occurred to
Speaker 1: her was surely unhelpful. She had a strong suspicion that
Speaker 1: the sons of Jacob had turned their eyes on Anne.
Speaker 1: Sasha stared into Marigold's vagina. She'd seen it befo for,
Speaker 1: of course, the first time they'd met, but it hadn't
Speaker 1: been her focus then, and she'd tried very hard not
Speaker 1: to look at it too much now, though the point
Speaker 1: was to look. Doctor Brandt had picked her up halfway
Speaker 1: through her shift at the hospital to conduct a pap
Speaker 1: smere on the captured woman. She'd only had about an
Speaker 1: hour to practice. It's a procedure I've done myself a
Speaker 1: hundred times, doctor brand had told her, but that was
Speaker 1: back in the am Fed. It's a simvil thing for
Speaker 1: a man to touch a woman other than his wife.
Speaker 1: That's why the Israelites used midwives. That's why we used midwives.
Speaker 1: And I think this kind of work might be why
Speaker 1: God drew you here. His words made her proud. She
Speaker 1: liked doctor Brandt for all his prickliness. She also liked
Speaker 1: to learn it and feeling like she had a useful
Speaker 1: skill that made her special. So she'd paid close attention
Speaker 1: as doctor Brandt had walked her through the procedure. It
Speaker 1: had been fun, and the act of learning had distracted
Speaker 1: her from her worries about Anne and her own grief
Speaker 1: over Alexander. Marigold shuddered as Sasha slid the speculum in
Speaker 1: past her labia. You could stand to be a little gentler,
Speaker 1: and would it kill you to, I don't know, warm
Speaker 1: it up first or something. Doctor Brandt didn't say to
Speaker 1: do that. Sasha kept her voice firm. This is for
Speaker 1: the baby's good. I'm sorry if it's uncomfortable. This is
Speaker 1: my first time. The woman snorted, Oh, well, in that case,
Speaker 1: you're doing a great jow, maybe a little less hard,
Speaker 1: and mine slopes down. You're going against the grain the grain.
Speaker 1: Marigold rolled her eyes in disdain, but didn't dignify Sasha
Speaker 1: with a response, you're pushing the wrong way. Sasha readjusted,
Speaker 1: and Marigold gave a sigh of relief. That sucks less
Speaker 1: at least, thanks. Sasha busied herself with the swabbing and
Speaker 1: rubbing that came next. She worked slow, methodical, with as
Speaker 1: much care and gentleness as the instruction she'd received from
Speaker 1: doctor Brandt would allow. She did her best to focus,
Speaker 1: but the other woman kept talking, You don't look old
Speaker 1: enough to have graduated high school. I'm gon A guess
Speaker 1: they don't train teenagers to do pap smears in the
Speaker 1: am fed Marigold added, do they, with surprising earnestness, No,
Speaker 1: Sasha grunted, And a guest, doctor what's his name, taught
Speaker 1: you then, because why he's too scared of my demon
Speaker 1: snatch to come in here and do with the jab'm's self.
Speaker 1: Sasha's face reddened. She did not like the words snatch
Speaker 1: or Marigold's casual mention of demons, but She kept her
Speaker 1: eyes straight and stared into the other woman's vagina. I
Speaker 1: have one too. It's not that big a deal, she
Speaker 1: told herself. It's impressive you were able to learn that.
Speaker 1: I'm serious. Real props, lady, you're the only woman I've
Speaker 1: seen do a damn thing around here. How do you
Speaker 1: trick them into treating you sort of like a person?
Speaker 1: Sasha's ire Rose and Rose Lord, Calm my heart, she prayed.
Speaker 1: I know she's just trying to set me off. It's
Speaker 1: just desperation, she told herself. How long do you think
Speaker 1: they'll let you keep playing like you've got a real life.
Speaker 1: I'm gonna guess it won't be too long before somebody
Speaker 1: puts a baby in you. You know that'll be the
Speaker 1: end of all this, right, like your life, using your
Speaker 1: brain all that, you're going to be a broodmare before
Speaker 1: to stop. Sasha didn't yell, but she used her firmest voice,
Speaker 1: and she was quite loud about it, despite herself. She
Speaker 1: looked up from her work and at Marigold's face. The
Speaker 1: other woman didn't look surprised or chagrinned. One edge of
Speaker 1: her lips curled up into a wry grin. Her eyes twinkled.
Speaker 1: Sasha had never actually seen someone's eyes twinkle before. There
Speaker 1: we go. I wondered where the edge was the edge
Speaker 1: of what Sasha asked, without thinking, idiot, this is exactly
Speaker 1: what she wants you to do, the edge of your patients,
Speaker 1: the point where meekness ends. I was worried they've beating
Speaker 1: it out of you. No one beat me, Sasha insisted,
Speaker 1: And there's nothing wrong with being meek. The Lord asks
Speaker 1: us to put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness,
Speaker 1: and patience. Maybe you wouldn't be in a cell if
Speaker 1: you'd accepted that for yourself. I'm in a cell because
Speaker 1: I came here to trade. We weren't waging any kind
Speaker 1: of war. We weren't harming anyone. We wanted freaking cheetos
Speaker 1: in exchange for our latest coffee crop. Your people killed
Speaker 1: the old government and captured us. Sasha closed her eyes,
Speaker 1: breathed in and out, and tried to calm herself. For
Speaker 1: some reason, Marigold's words made her feel anxious and angry.
Speaker 1: She wanted to say the anger was towards the other woman,
Speaker 1: but that wasn't quite right. Marigold had been sarcastic and caddy,
Speaker 1: but she had also been complimentary, thoughtful, and far from cruel.
Speaker 1: I'm sure you'll be sent back to your people soon.
Speaker 1: The heavenly Kingdom doesn't want any kind of fight with
Speaker 1: with your city yet. Sasha finished her work. She withdrew
Speaker 1: the speculum and started gathering up her kit. I do
Speaker 1: hope you're not laboring under the impression that this war
Speaker 1: will ever end, Marigold said, because it won't, not while
Speaker 1: your kingdom exists. You're wrong. Will take Austin soon and
Speaker 1: then there will be peace. And what about San Antonio?
Speaker 1: Sasha shrugged, heathen nation, But they haven't launched any strikes
Speaker 1: against us. If they'll let us be, will let them
Speaker 1: be remain and expand? Marigold quoted one of the slogans
Speaker 1: Pastor Mike had coined during the early days of the kingdom.
Speaker 1: The other woman had a surprisingly deep understanding of their movement.
Speaker 1: Marigold continued, The Kingdom of God will remain and expand
Speaker 1: until it reunites this broken land from sea to shining sea.
Speaker 1: That's your profit, right, You're mighty, Pastor sure, sounds like
Speaker 1: a recipe for eternal war. Mexico, the Navajo, the California
Speaker 1: Republic and the King of goddamn Albuquerque don't seem likely
Speaker 1: to sign up for a theocracy, and those are just
Speaker 1: the big powers in the Southwest. Pastor Mike would have
Speaker 1: had an answer to that, of course. He'd said that
Speaker 1: as the Heavenly Kingdom grew, it would draw in millions
Speaker 1: from around the world and become a shining beacon to
Speaker 1: the fallen peoples of the world. Fighting would be replaced
Speaker 1: by peaceful annexation. She'd believed that once before she'd left
Speaker 1: the American Federation. It had seemed sensible. With Alexander's romantic
Speaker 1: words in her ear and the fiery prose from Revelator
Speaker 1: in her mind, how could she not believe? But now
Speaker 1: she'd spent time in the reality of the Heavenly Kingdom.
Speaker 1: She'd met beautiful people and seeing wondrous things, but she'd
Speaker 1: also helped treat a seemingly endless train of broken men
Speaker 1: whose bodies had been shattered by war. She'd watched a
Speaker 1: dozen people be executed by hanging. Sasha was anxious, and
Speaker 1: Marigold must have picked up on it. The other woman's
Speaker 1: eyes changed. There was something almost predatory in them. She
Speaker 1: leaned forward I know I'm hitting nerves, Sasha. That's because
Speaker 1: you're too smart for this ship. You got suckered into
Speaker 1: a fucking nightmare. It's time to wake up. Sasha kept
Speaker 1: Marigold's words in her mind. She headed back to the hospital.
Speaker 1: A fresh wave of wounded men had been sent over
Speaker 1: from the Lake Houston Front, and she wound up working
Speaker 1: three hours later than normal just to help handle the load.
Speaker 1: It was a whirlwind of bloody bandages, screaming martyrs, and
Speaker 1: irate exhausted doctors trying to do too much with far
Speaker 1: too little. By the time she got off shift, it
Speaker 1: was dark outside and downtown was almost deserted. Her driver
Speaker 1: dropped her off in a weird spot at the other
Speaker 1: end of Main Street. It was a good two blocks
Speaker 1: away from the normal location, but she chalked that up
Speaker 1: to the fact that this wasn't her normal driver. She
Speaker 1: didn't really mind the extra walk. In fact, after a
Speaker 1: long day under the hospital's fluorescent lights, a dark walk
Speaker 1: and some fresh air seemed relaxing, So she strolled, and
Speaker 1: she tried to forget the faces of the men she'd
Speaker 1: seen that day. For a few blissful minutes. Marigold's words
Speaker 1: fled from her head, and she lost herself and the
Speaker 1: peace that came at the end of a good day's labor.
Speaker 1: The streets of the heavenly Kingdom felt safe. She'd done
Speaker 1: meaningful work. The Lord must be hey, hey, no, please?
Speaker 1: Is I really don't want to? Sasha heard a familiar
Speaker 1: female voice cry out in distress. A man yelled something,
Speaker 1: but she couldn't tell what. The woman let out a
Speaker 1: brief scream that was muffled by something. Her voice sounded familiar,
Speaker 1: Very familiar was that an Sasha rounded a corner and
Speaker 1: saw them. It was Anne, all right. The girl had
Speaker 1: a bag over her head, but Sasha clearly recognized her friend.
Speaker 1: Two men in black uniforms held her by either arm
Speaker 1: and forced her to walk forward with them. Two other
Speaker 1: men walked beside them. They all wore red berets. The
Speaker 1: man who seemed to be their leader locked eyes with her.
Speaker 1: It was Alexander, Sasha, He said, in a clipped tone,
Speaker 1: you're out late. She stopped, stared, and continued to thrash
Speaker 1: between the men. Her cries were muffled by the bag,
Speaker 1: but far from an audible She seemed terrified. You you
Speaker 1: all need to let her go. Sasha insisted she belongs
Speaker 1: at the house of Miriam. Alexander laughed, where do you
Speaker 1: think we gotta from, silly girl. Two of the other
Speaker 1: men laughed at that. They seemed nervous, though she see
Speaker 1: both hunger and a strange sort of anxiety in their eyes.
Speaker 1: Alexander was all hunger. Alexander, please, please, what he asked,
Speaker 1: with a wry smirk, Deny this girl the bliss of
Speaker 1: servant God? Why would you want that for her? Do
Speaker 1: you even believe anymore? Sasha, his lips, the lips she
Speaker 1: dreamed about for months, the lips she'd watched say such
Speaker 1: lovely things to her. Curled up in disgust. Look at you.
Speaker 1: You're wearing surgical scrubs. You look like a man. You've
Speaker 1: lost your proper place in the world. It disgusts me
Speaker 1: that they let you do that work. Have you forgotten
Speaker 1: what God himself calls on you to be Titus two five, Sasha,
Speaker 1: Our Lord wants you to be discreet, chaste, homemaker's good,
Speaker 1: obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God
Speaker 1: may not be blasphemed. Remember that, Sasha, none of you
Speaker 1: are her husband. Alexander laughed, that's not true at all.
Speaker 1: He put a hand on the shoulder of one of
Speaker 1: the men restraining, and Tamashia married her. Today. We're just
Speaker 1: helping the happy couple to their marital bed. Then why
Speaker 1: is there a bag over her head? Why is she fighting?
Speaker 1: Because it was a rather abrupt marriage, Alexander frowned, and
Speaker 1: her mind is still polluted with ungodly ideas about how
Speaker 1: a marriage should look. Thomas chose her. The spirit of
Speaker 1: the Lord spoke to him when he saw her from afar.
Speaker 1: It is right and good that they should be wed.
Speaker 1: And he moves up to the front tomorrow Tonight will
Speaker 1: be his first and maybe a last chance to help
Speaker 1: the kingdom remain and expand. He held out a seal,
Speaker 1: a golden badge in the shape of a shield with
Speaker 1: a heavenly cross and blazoned on the front. This comes
Speaker 1: from the pasta I have the authority to grant marriages
Speaker 1: to any worthy men who wish them. He smiled again.
Speaker 1: Sasha's heart fluttered. She felt nausea rise up inside her.
Speaker 1: So back away. Let us pass, and I'd suggest you
Speaker 1: dedicate some more time to thinking about why God brought
Speaker 1: you here. When your time comes, I think You'd prefer
Speaker 1: doing this without the bag, but I'm fine other way. Really,
Speaker 1: it was past dinner and passed bedtime when she entered
Speaker 1: the house of Miriam. Helen was seated at her desk.
Speaker 1: She looked up as Sasha entered, and in an instant
Speaker 1: Sasha knew there was no use in reporting what had
Speaker 1: happened to Anne. Helen's eyes were bloodshot and puffy with tears.
Speaker 1: She knew, Sasha, the older woman said, I have some
Speaker 1: bad news. I saw them, Sasha said, is that what's
Speaker 1: going to happen to all of us? Is this place
Speaker 1: just a bolding area until we get married off? This
Speaker 1: place is your home, Helen said, in a voice that
Speaker 1: was almost pleading. It's here, and I'm here to shepherd
Speaker 1: you to the next phase of your life. Don't you
Speaker 1: believe I want the best for you? I do, Sasha said,
Speaker 1: her voice softened. But Anne didn't want this, she told
Speaker 1: me so. Didn't she deserve time to grieve? She did,
Speaker 1: Helen said, But the Lord demands sacrifices from all of us,
Speaker 1: sometimes more sacrifices than seemed fair. Anne is in a
Speaker 1: dark place now, but the or it will send his
Speaker 1: light to guide her Helen seemed to straighten up as
Speaker 1: she spoke. Sasha saw resolve settle into the older woman's
Speaker 1: flint gray eyes. So may it be, she said, May
Speaker 1: the peace of the Lord be with you. Sasha started
Speaker 1: to walk off. She didn't trust herself to stay and talk.
Speaker 1: She was sure more of her anger would bleed out
Speaker 1: into the conversation, and she wasn't sure what Helen would
Speaker 1: do if she got the impression that Sasha's loyalty had
Speaker 1: started to waver. Sasha dear, she said, and Sasha looked back.
Speaker 1: You forgot your dinner. It's in a bag on the table.
Speaker 1: Sasha took it and Aiden's silence as fast as decorum
Speaker 1: would allow. Then she cleaned up for bed and headed
Speaker 1: back into the dormitories. As soon as she saw the
Speaker 1: light glinting off of Susanna's open eyes, she knew the
Speaker 1: other girl was awake. Sasha knelt down at her bed
Speaker 1: and the two shared a long look. Susannah held out
Speaker 1: her hand and Sasha took it. What happened, she asked,
Speaker 1: They let us out early and drop us off down town.
Speaker 1: Susanna's eyes were wet with tears, and and I had
Speaker 1: a coffee and we visited the market. It was nice, normal,
Speaker 1: almost We headed for the House of Miriam once it
Speaker 1: started to get dark, and she gulped. They were just
Speaker 1: there waiting with Miss Helen. Susannah swallowed loudly and her
Speaker 1: eyes grew watery, but she didn't cry. Sasha was proud
Speaker 1: of her friend. That was them, wasn't it. Susannah asked.
Speaker 1: Those men were the sons of Jacob. Sasha just nodded.
Speaker 1: How long until they take me too? Hey, I'm Robert Evans.
Speaker 1: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I hope you enjoyed
Speaker 1: the chapters to come. You can find the free e
Speaker 1: pub of every chapter and eventually the whole book at
Speaker 1: a t r book dot com, complete with illustrations. If
Speaker 1: you want to support me in writing the sequel, you
Speaker 1: can crowdfund me at After the Revolution the Sequel at
Speaker 1: go fund me. Just type and go fund me after
Speaker 1: the Revolution the Sequel Um. I'd like my books to
Speaker 1: always be free, so I'm just going to try to
Speaker 1: crowdfund the next one and see how that works. So
Speaker 1: After Revolution the Sequel on go fund Me. You can
Speaker 1: also find the community of fans of this book online
Speaker 1: at our slash after the Revolution on Reddit, So after
Speaker 1: the Revolution, the sequel on go fund me, and our
Speaker 1: slash after the Revolution on Reddit. A t r book
Speaker 1: dot Com for the whole book. Thanks