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Speaker 1: Chapter twelve, Sasha the Lord did not mean for Sasha

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Speaker 1: to be a cleaner. That was her first big lesson

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Speaker 1: as a citizen of the Heavenly Kingdom. She was good

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Speaker 1: enough at it, and she had too much self respect

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Speaker 1: to complain, but the work felt so unrewarding that she

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Speaker 1: knew it must not be what God wanted for her.

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Speaker 1: She'd spent her first night in the Kingdom being pampered

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Speaker 1: and provided for by her fellow sisters in the Faith.

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Speaker 1: They'd fed her, cleaned her, found her fresh clothes, and

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Speaker 1: given her all the emotional rewards she could have ever wanted.

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Speaker 1: And then the next day, Helen had woken her up

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Speaker 1: at seven in the morning to help clean out an

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Speaker 1: old Republic barracks that was being transitioned over to housing

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Speaker 1: for soldiers of the Heavenly Kingdom. She knew it was

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Speaker 1: honorable work, she knew it was necessary work, and she

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Speaker 1: knew from the issues of Revelator she'd read that establishing

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Speaker 1: the Kingdom of Heaven was a job that would not

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Speaker 1: be accomplished easily or without pain. She'd accepted this when

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Speaker 1: she'd made the choice to venture down here, but by

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Speaker 1: the time she'd scrubbed her twelfth toilet of the day,

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Speaker 1: Sasha had to ida that her mind and her loyalty

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Speaker 1: were better used elsewhere. Oddly enough, something her father had

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Speaker 1: told her about the corporate world stopped her from whining.

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Speaker 1: Never complain, never speak ill of your colleagues, and always

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Speaker 1: ask if there's more work you can do. It had

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Speaker 1: been his advice to survive and thrive in business, but

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Speaker 1: she took it to heart here, and by the end

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Speaker 1: of her first full day in the kingdom, she'd scrubbed

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Speaker 1: more toilets than any other girl. She hated the work,

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Speaker 1: but she also took a perverse sort of pride in it.

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Speaker 1: That brought a little guilt because she wasn't here to

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Speaker 1: serve her pride, But also wouldn't the Lord God be

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Speaker 1: happy to see her commitment. I'll ask Helen about that,

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Speaker 1: Sasha told herself. She'll tell me how much of my

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Speaker 1: pride is justified and how much isn't. She didn't see

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Speaker 1: Helen again until the end of that day, when a

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Speaker 1: truck came to gather all the girls up and take

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Speaker 1: them back to the House of Miriam. They all washed

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Speaker 1: up and then sat together around a large oaken table

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Speaker 1: while Helen led them in prayer, she read a chunk

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Speaker 1: of the Book of Isaiah, and then gave a quick

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Speaker 1: lecture on the value of physical labor, each callous on

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Speaker 1: your hand as a kiss from God, before inviting them

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Speaker 1: to tuck in. The dinner wasn't luxurious by sasha standards,

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Speaker 1: just biscuits, a thin brown gravy, and a palm sized

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Speaker 1: slice of beef for each of them. But they had

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Speaker 1: oranges for dessert, which was a treat, and Sasha felt

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Speaker 1: more comfortable than she'd ever have believed. Among her new sisters,

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Speaker 1: Caroline had fled from Florida, North America's bananaist Republic. She'd

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Speaker 1: been shot in the arm making her way to the

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Speaker 1: Heavenly Kingdom. She said almost nothing. Sasha wasn't sure she

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Speaker 1: even spoke English. But Caroline worked hard. There was an

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Speaker 1: intensity in her eyes that was a little scary and

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Speaker 1: humbling at the same time. Then there was Susannah from

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Speaker 1: the black Stone Nation. Sasha couldn't help but notice she

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Speaker 1: was the only black girl there. Susannah had spent most

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Speaker 1: of their work day singing to herself. She had a

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Speaker 1: beautiful singing voice. And then there were the three other

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Speaker 1: am fed girls. Emmeline, Rosie, and Anne. They had all

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Speaker 1: left a few weeks before Sasha had made her own journey.

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Speaker 1: Anne had actually gone to the same middle school as Sasha.

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Speaker 1: She wasn't great with name so most of the other

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Speaker 1: girls in her group were still more of a collection

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Speaker 1: of smiling faces than real people at this point, But

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Speaker 1: they'd all been so warm to her. There was a

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Speaker 1: real effort from all of them to make regular physical contact.

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Speaker 1: They put hands on each other's shoulders and cheeks, They

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Speaker 1: hugged constantly. Sasha experienced more touching in her first twenty

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Speaker 1: four hours here than she'd experienced in her last five

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Speaker 1: years in the American Federation. There was something intoxicating about

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Speaker 1: being touched and feeling so cared for. The only girl

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Speaker 1: she didn't like was May. Like Sasha, May was within

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Speaker 1: spitting distance of age eighteen, She'd fled from the UCS,

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Speaker 1: and she had a gift for letting people around her

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Speaker 1: know when they fell short of God's standards. During their

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Speaker 1: work day, she'd spent more time policing the other girl's

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Speaker 1: posture than she'd spent scrubbing toilets. When Anne had hitched

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Speaker 1: up her shirt sleeves, it was May who had scolded

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Speaker 1: her for a modesty. When Susannah took off her shoes

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Speaker 1: and socks during their lunch break, May had yelled that

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Speaker 1: she was an unfair temptation to the young soldiers walking

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Speaker 1: by on the street. Sasha knew it was unfair and

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Speaker 1: definitely Unchristian to feel this way, but May looked like

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Speaker 1: someone who lived to tell other people what to do.

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Speaker 1: She had the pinched features, squinting eyes, and high pitched

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Speaker 1: voice of a born snitch. May kept her hair tied

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Speaker 1: up in a bun so tight and short it looked military.

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Speaker 1: She never smiled and never seemed to relax, and there

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Speaker 1: was something about the frenzied way she'd pray alone quietly

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Speaker 1: in the corner throughout the day that made Sasha leery.

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Speaker 1: She hated that she'd noticed those things. She knew God

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Speaker 1: didn't want her focusing on what other people were doing wrong.

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Speaker 1: And besides, she told herself, what are you really angry

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Speaker 1: about that? She's too serious about her faith. Isn't that

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Speaker 1: way you left home? Gluttony is a sin too, you know,

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Speaker 1: May said. Sasha realized with a start that May had

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Speaker 1: addressed her. She had been eating her orange and absent

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Speaker 1: minded and tired after a long day of labor. She

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Speaker 1: hadn't realized how messy she'd been about peeling it. Her

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Speaker 1: hands and sleeves were covered with a sticky juice. She

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Speaker 1: looked around at the table and noticed that the other

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Speaker 1: girls had been much more careful their dessert. Sorry, Sasha started,

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Speaker 1: I wasn't thinking. May rolled her eyes and started to

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Speaker 1: say something else, but Helen cut her off. It's quite

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Speaker 1: all right, dear. None of us is perfect. She cast

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Speaker 1: a reproach for lie at May. And we all lose

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Speaker 1: ourselves and thoughts sometimes, especially in the wake of great change.

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Speaker 1: The Lord understands. She looked out to the rest of

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Speaker 1: the table with a gaze that seemed to take in

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Speaker 1: each of the girls collectively and individually. Then she spoke,

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Speaker 1: we are all here because we recognize the primacy of

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Speaker 1: God's word on earth. But we are no more perfect

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Speaker 1: and no more beloved by our Lord than the enemies

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Speaker 1: we face. Never forget that, girls, our foes are as

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Speaker 1: dear to Him as we are. They must be purged

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Speaker 1: when they seek to interfere with God's will, But we

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Speaker 1: should feel sorrow for such losses, and we should never

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Speaker 1: ever Her eyes went to May again, let our fortune

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Speaker 1: in hearing God's word bleat us of compassion, or lead

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Speaker 1: us to arrogance. Sasha's heart swelled at this. She never

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Speaker 1: admired a woman more. Helen had a way of imparting

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Speaker 1: wisdom without judgment, of shining a light on the truth

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Speaker 1: without seeming like it was her truth alone. Helen wasn't

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Speaker 1: a preacher, but Sasha had never heard anyone speak the

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Speaker 1: word of God with more conviction. After dinner, they had

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Speaker 1: an hour of free time to read their bibles, share

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Speaker 1: a few stories of their old lives, and drink a

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Speaker 1: single cup of sweet lemon tea. By nine o'clock it

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Speaker 1: was bedtime. Sasha was rankled a bit by the fact

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Speaker 1: that she and her fellow young women were being ordered

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Speaker 1: into bed at a set hour, but she was so

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Speaker 1: exhausted by her day of labor that she couldn't work

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Speaker 1: up much frustration over the mild injustice. Perhaps, when she'd

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Speaker 1: had more time to adjust, she'd bring this up to Helen.

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Speaker 1: She collapsed in her bunk bed, certain she'd fall asleep

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Speaker 1: in an instant. Instead, she lay awake for the better

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Speaker 1: part of an hour, thinking of Alexander. She'd still heard

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Speaker 1: nothing more from him or about him. She'd asked Helen

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Speaker 1: a couple of times today, and the older woman had

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Speaker 1: almost seemed angry. Somehow, Sasha knew the anger wasn't towards her,

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Speaker 1: and that was doubly confusing Sasha. Anne's voice broke her reverie.

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Speaker 1: The other girl was situated just below her on the

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Speaker 1: bunk bed. Sasha was surprised to hear her still awake. Yes,

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Speaker 1: is something the matter? No, Anne said, I just couldn't sleep.

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Speaker 1: I thought maybe you were awake too. I guess we're

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Speaker 1: both in the same boat. Then Sasha kept her voice low,

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Speaker 1: more to avoid waking any of the others than out

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Speaker 1: of fear of breaking the rules in more ways than one.

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Speaker 1: Anne said, I'm waiting for a man I love too.

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Speaker 1: Sasha's heart beat a little faster. It was like that,

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Speaker 1: with everything that made her think of Alexander, her mind

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Speaker 1: didn't need a great deal of prodding to turn towards him.

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Speaker 1: Your love is at the front, too, Sasha asked, I

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Speaker 1: think so, Anne said, I was lucky enough to get

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Speaker 1: to see him once I arrived in Kappel first, back

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Speaker 1: before the Kingdom took Plaino. We met once then and

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Speaker 1: once more after the city fell and they moved us

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Speaker 1: into the House of Miriam, Jealousy seized Sasha's heart. She

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Speaker 1: tried to replace it with gratitude in the Lord, he'd

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Speaker 1: send her someone who can understand pain and frustration. Wasn't

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Speaker 1: that a blessing? That must be hard for you, she said,

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Speaker 1: getting to see him and then being separated. The words

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Speaker 1: came out a bit stilted and cold. She hoped Anne

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Speaker 1: hadn't noticed it is. Anne said, but it isn't half

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Speaker 1: so rough a place as you're in. I can't imagine

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Speaker 1: how anxious you must be arriving here and not seeing him.

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Speaker 1: He's not the only reason I came, Sasha said, a

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Speaker 1: bit defensively, But yes, it's hard. I'm scared. I don't

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Speaker 1: know why I feel so silly, Admitting that it's certainly

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Speaker 1: not silly, Anne assured her, But I get it. Everyone

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Speaker 1: here is so focused on gratitude and God's wisdom. It

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Speaker 1: almost makes you feel like a traitor for feeling afraid

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Speaker 1: or unhappy. Anne's voice dropped a few decibels, as if

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Speaker 1: she was ashamed of her next words, I almost feel

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Speaker 1: like a liar when I smile. I don't think the

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Speaker 1: Lord wants us to be liars, Sasha said, but I

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Speaker 1: think being happy, or trying to seem happy, is a

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Speaker 1: sacrifice we make for the kingdom. It helps keep everyone

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Speaker 1: else around us strong. Hm hm, Anne said, and then yawned.

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Speaker 1: Her voice sounded heavy with sleep. There must have been

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Speaker 1: something contagious in the sound, because Sasha felt her own

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Speaker 1: eyelids start to droop. That's a nice way to look

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Speaker 1: at it, Anne said, I like the way you think, Sasha.

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Speaker 1: Helen woke all of them up the next morning. She

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Speaker 1: was gentle with it, a hand on each girl's shoulder

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Speaker 1: and a word in each of their ears, but there

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Speaker 1: was no mistaking that she meant now. So Sasha got up.

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Speaker 1: Her feet hit the floor just as Anne took her

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Speaker 1: first steps forward towards the dining room. They all filed in,

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Speaker 1: silent and groggy. The girls took their breakfasts in the

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Speaker 1: form of a thick, tasteless protein shake, and then they

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Speaker 1: were loaded onto a heavy military looking bus and driven

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Speaker 1: off to a large, red brick office building. According to

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Speaker 1: the bullet poxed signs, it had once been an administrative

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Speaker 1: building for the corporation that had run most of the

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Speaker 1: Republic schools. Sasha swept up bullet casings and shattered glass.

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Speaker 1: She scrubbed toilets and wiped the blood off the walls,

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Speaker 1: and tried not to think too hard about how it

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Speaker 1: had gotten there. Conversation wasn't forbidden, but there was a

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Speaker 1: lot of ground to cover, and May was quick to

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Speaker 1: scold anyone who dawdled. Sasha and Anne both kept moving,

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Speaker 1: but they passed each other in the halls often. Each

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Speaker 1: time the other girl would favor Sasha with a supportive smile,

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Speaker 1: and Sasha would return it. They broke for lunch a

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Speaker 1: little afternoon, stale cheese sandwiches and orange juice, but instead

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Speaker 1: of getting back to work after their meal, they were

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Speaker 1: met again by the bus that had taken them there.

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Speaker 1: They were told to file inside. Sasha wound up in

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Speaker 1: between Anne and Susannah in the middle row of the bus.

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Speaker 1: It was hot, the air circulation was bad, and the

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Speaker 1: smell of sweat was thick on the bus, but the

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Speaker 1: windows were down, and once the bus got going, the

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Speaker 1: air that blew in felt like Heaven, Lord God, I've

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Speaker 1: been waiting for this all day, said Susannah. I'd stay

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Speaker 1: on this thing all night if they led me. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: Anne said, this is actually a lot more comfortable than

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Speaker 1: the bunk room, even when the hours working in the

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00:11:00,880 --> 00:11:03,600
Speaker 1: fans are on. Does the power go out a lot?

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00:11:03,720 --> 00:11:06,400
Speaker 1: Sasha asked. She felt dumb for even giving voice to

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00:11:06,440 --> 00:11:08,760
Speaker 1: the question, but her seatmates didn't treat it like a

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Speaker 1: stupid question. Not a lot, Anne said, but we'll lose

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Speaker 1: an hour or two most days, and it can be

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Speaker 1: out for quite a while when Austin gets a drone through.

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Speaker 1: That doesn't happen often. Susannah assured her. I've been in

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Speaker 1: the Kingdom ten days and we've only had to take

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Speaker 1: shelter once twice for me. Anne said, but I've been

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Speaker 1: here almost three weeks. I'm not scared, Sasha assured them.

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Speaker 1: I'm just curious. You should be scared. Susannah said, it sucks.

229
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Speaker 1: It wasn't a long ride, and Sasha was embarrassed at

230
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Speaker 1: how long it took her to realize the destination. This

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00:11:43,679 --> 00:11:45,920
Speaker 1: was the same route they'd taken from the House of Miriam,

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Speaker 1: just in reverse. She and the other girls were being

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Speaker 1: taken downtown. Won't she got a good look at the gallows,

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Speaker 1: she understood why there were six people lined up in

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Speaker 1: front of the little stairway that led to the platform.

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Speaker 1: They looked like prisoners. Susannah looked just as confused as Sasha,

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Speaker 1: but Anne seemed to understand what was going on. She

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Speaker 1: scrunched her face in disgust. Oh no, she said, I

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Speaker 1: hate it when they make us watch this. The two

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Speaker 1: martyrs who had guarded them all day opened the doors

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Speaker 1: and told them to form up outside of the bus.

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Speaker 1: Sasha did as she was told, while grabbing as many

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Speaker 1: long looks at the gallows as she could manage. None

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Speaker 1: of the people who stood out in front of the

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Speaker 1: platform looked like soldiers, or robber barons, or much of

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Speaker 1: anything at all. They just seemed young and scared fags.

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Speaker 1: The martyr standing next to the driver at the bus

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Speaker 1: door grunted as Sasha stepped past him. He waited until

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Speaker 1: the other girls had all filed off the bus before

250
00:12:39,360 --> 00:12:41,880
Speaker 1: he stepped around to stand in front of them. Sasha

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00:12:41,880 --> 00:12:44,400
Speaker 1: hadn't paid the man too much attention during the day, because,

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00:12:44,480 --> 00:12:47,560
Speaker 1: in truth, he scared her. He looked old, over forty

253
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Speaker 1: at least, and his face was heavy with scars and tattoos.

254
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Speaker 1: There were faded blue crosses inked on each of his forearms.

255
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Speaker 1: There wasn't much skin visible under his armor and helmet,

256
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Speaker 1: but the skin she could see was tanned red like leather.

257
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Speaker 1: His eyes were cold and seemed fixed into a permanent squint.

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Speaker 1: When he addressed the group, it was with a voice

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Speaker 1: that sounded like it came to them through a filter

260
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Speaker 1: of gravel and glass. These people, he said, and spat

261
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Speaker 1: after the word people a gender traitors. There were a

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Speaker 1: few gasps from among the crowd. He continued. It took

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Speaker 1: us a while to crack into the Republic's old files,

264
00:13:20,400 --> 00:13:22,440
Speaker 1: but we finally got a list of all the fags

265
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Speaker 1: who refused to accept their God given gender. They thought

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Speaker 1: surgery could hide him. But there's no hide in the

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Speaker 1: truth from the eyes of God or his true servants,

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Speaker 1: and there's only one fair punishment for someone who turns

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Speaker 1: their back on natural law. Sasha's heart started to pound.

270
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Speaker 1: She'd known, of course, that Pastor Mike didn't approve of transgenderism,

271
00:13:42,440 --> 00:13:46,000
Speaker 1: of gender change surgery, of homosexuality, or of anything else

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00:13:46,040 --> 00:13:48,680
Speaker 1: that didn't fit into the neat biblical lines of what

273
00:13:48,760 --> 00:13:51,240
Speaker 1: a man and a woman ought to be, but it

274
00:13:51,320 --> 00:13:55,000
Speaker 1: always phrased his objections with such compassion. Queer and trans

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Speaker 1: people weren't monsters deserving of death. They were victims of

276
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Speaker 1: the fallen secular world, same as anyone else. Sasha agreed

277
00:14:02,200 --> 00:14:06,439
Speaker 1: they needed re education, but this the crowd, perhaps three

278
00:14:06,480 --> 00:14:09,000
Speaker 1: hundred strong, cheered as the prisoners were led up to

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00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:12,360
Speaker 1: the gallows. Sasha's heart beat like a bass drum. She

280
00:14:12,400 --> 00:14:15,200
Speaker 1: couldn't hear anything else. The voices of the crowd, of

281
00:14:15,240 --> 00:14:17,720
Speaker 1: her sister's faded behind the beating sound of the blood

282
00:14:17,760 --> 00:14:20,680
Speaker 1: that coursed through her head. But her eyes continued to work,

283
00:14:20,840 --> 00:14:23,600
Speaker 1: and she watched in horror as they fit nooses around

284
00:14:23,600 --> 00:14:27,440
Speaker 1: each victim's neck. The young people cried and screamed and begged,

285
00:14:27,600 --> 00:14:29,840
Speaker 1: but the martyrs paid them no mind. Some of them

286
00:14:29,920 --> 00:14:32,920
Speaker 1: chanted in tongues while they prepared the killing machine. Sasha

287
00:14:32,960 --> 00:14:36,920
Speaker 1: saw joy in their eyes. She found it revolting. Before long,

288
00:14:36,960 --> 00:14:40,120
Speaker 1: they'd finished their preparations, and six people were strung up

289
00:14:40,120 --> 00:14:42,680
Speaker 1: on the gallows before the brays and cries of the crowd.

290
00:14:43,520 --> 00:14:45,720
Speaker 1: Sasha didn't think it was possible for her heart to

291
00:14:45,720 --> 00:14:48,720
Speaker 1: beat any faster, but it kept speeding up. She felt

292
00:14:48,800 --> 00:14:51,320
Speaker 1: light headed and nauseous, and a little like she needed

293
00:14:51,360 --> 00:14:53,880
Speaker 1: to go to the bathroom. Her knees grew weak, and

294
00:14:53,960 --> 00:14:56,880
Speaker 1: she found herself leaning on Anne. The other woman looked

295
00:14:56,880 --> 00:14:59,600
Speaker 1: almost as scared as Sasha did, but she weathered it better.

296
00:15:00,080 --> 00:15:02,600
Speaker 1: She put an arm around Sasha, supporting her, and the

297
00:15:02,640 --> 00:15:05,080
Speaker 1: two of them looked on as the executioner called out

298
00:15:05,160 --> 00:15:07,800
Speaker 1: and pulled the lever that sent six human beings dropping

299
00:15:07,880 --> 00:15:10,880
Speaker 1: down to dangle until they were dead. The snap of

300
00:15:10,920 --> 00:15:13,080
Speaker 1: their necks was the only thing Sasha heard above the

301
00:15:13,120 --> 00:15:16,080
Speaker 1: sound of her own pounding heart. She watched them twitch

302
00:15:16,120 --> 00:15:18,760
Speaker 1: and jerk for a second two, and then her body

303
00:15:18,800 --> 00:15:21,840
Speaker 1: grew too light, and her legs collapsed beneath her. The

304
00:15:21,880 --> 00:15:26,840
Speaker 1: world went black. She awoke back in the house of Miriam.

305
00:15:27,200 --> 00:15:30,560
Speaker 1: Her sisters knelt or stood around her. Sasha was gratified

306
00:15:30,600 --> 00:15:32,960
Speaker 1: to see she wasn't the only one who'd passed out.

307
00:15:33,520 --> 00:15:36,600
Speaker 1: Anne lay next to her, clearly disoriented, along with two

308
00:15:36,600 --> 00:15:40,080
Speaker 1: other women whose name Sasha hadn't quite memorized. Helen set

309
00:15:40,120 --> 00:15:43,040
Speaker 1: in between them, wet washcloth in her hand, and stroked

310
00:15:43,080 --> 00:15:46,600
Speaker 1: their faces. There, there, DearS, you've had a terrible shock,

311
00:15:46,880 --> 00:15:50,840
Speaker 1: and there's no shame in your reactions. No shame may

312
00:15:50,880 --> 00:15:53,000
Speaker 1: spat the words. There was a glow to her face

313
00:15:53,080 --> 00:15:55,600
Speaker 1: and a manic glint in her eyes. Ma'am, with all

314
00:15:55,680 --> 00:15:57,520
Speaker 1: due respect, I don't know how these girls can call

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00:15:57,560 --> 00:15:59,800
Speaker 1: themselves committed to the heavenly kingdom if the sight of

316
00:15:59,840 --> 00:16:03,680
Speaker 1: to find justice hurts them so much. Sasha saw anger

317
00:16:03,760 --> 00:16:06,000
Speaker 1: in Helen's eyes, but the older woman didn't let it

318
00:16:06,080 --> 00:16:09,080
Speaker 1: carry over into her voice. Instead, she fixed May with

319
00:16:09,120 --> 00:16:12,440
Speaker 1: a cool gaze and said in an even tone, Miss May,

320
00:16:12,680 --> 00:16:15,680
Speaker 1: one can believe in our Lord's justice and still regret

321
00:16:15,760 --> 00:16:18,600
Speaker 1: the pain that comes with it. That does not signal

322
00:16:18,640 --> 00:16:22,160
Speaker 1: a lack of devotion. It signals compassion, a trait Jesus

323
00:16:22,200 --> 00:16:25,840
Speaker 1: Christ had an abundance. May frowned and pursed her lips,

324
00:16:25,920 --> 00:16:28,280
Speaker 1: but she kept them shut for now. Helen turned back

325
00:16:28,280 --> 00:16:31,120
Speaker 1: to Sasha and the other girls who had fallen. Death

326
00:16:31,240 --> 00:16:33,720
Speaker 1: is never easy to witness, girls. It should be a

327
00:16:33,760 --> 00:16:36,720
Speaker 1: horrible thing to witness. She glanced back to May. And

328
00:16:36,840 --> 00:16:39,120
Speaker 1: we should all be worried if a day ever comes

329
00:16:39,120 --> 00:16:42,479
Speaker 1: when we can see such violence without pain in our hearts.

330
00:16:42,480 --> 00:16:45,720
Speaker 1: But these are dire times. The world has fallen too

331
00:16:45,800 --> 00:16:48,240
Speaker 1: much for pacifism to bring back the rule of God,

332
00:16:48,680 --> 00:16:53,360
Speaker 1: and so we must use violence. Do you understand? Sasha nodded.

333
00:16:53,520 --> 00:16:56,960
Speaker 1: She heard the other girls give stuttering, hollow replies. Even

334
00:16:56,960 --> 00:17:00,200
Speaker 1: the girls who'd managed to stay standing looked shaken. May

335
00:17:00,280 --> 00:17:02,560
Speaker 1: was the only one who wore a smile. They gave

336
00:17:02,560 --> 00:17:05,560
Speaker 1: her a wide berth the rest of the day. Whoever

337
00:17:05,680 --> 00:17:08,119
Speaker 1: was in charge of their schedule paid some deference to

338
00:17:08,119 --> 00:17:10,480
Speaker 1: the fact that they had been forced to watch in execution.

339
00:17:10,960 --> 00:17:13,639
Speaker 1: There was no more cleaning that day. They spent the

340
00:17:13,640 --> 00:17:16,320
Speaker 1: rest of the daylight hours seated around the common area

341
00:17:16,359 --> 00:17:20,080
Speaker 1: in the House of Miriam sewing uniforms. Sasha had never

342
00:17:20,119 --> 00:17:22,560
Speaker 1: sewn before, but Anne sat next to her and taught

343
00:17:22,560 --> 00:17:25,479
Speaker 1: her the basics. Her hands were still shaking when they

344
00:17:25,520 --> 00:17:28,639
Speaker 1: got to work, but Anne helped her and eventually, focusing

345
00:17:28,640 --> 00:17:31,399
Speaker 1: on the meticulous task allowed her to blot out the horror.

346
00:17:31,840 --> 00:17:33,679
Speaker 1: Once she got a good grip on the basics of

347
00:17:33,720 --> 00:17:35,720
Speaker 1: what was required of her, she was able to lose

348
00:17:35,720 --> 00:17:39,520
Speaker 1: herself and quiet productive flow. She was almost disappointed when

349
00:17:39,520 --> 00:17:42,400
Speaker 1: Helen called them to dinner. They ate the same food

350
00:17:42,440 --> 00:17:45,119
Speaker 1: as the day before. They prayed, and then they had

351
00:17:45,160 --> 00:17:48,280
Speaker 1: an hour of relatively free time. They couldn't leave the

352
00:17:48,280 --> 00:17:50,439
Speaker 1: House of Miriam since it was after eight, but they

353
00:17:50,440 --> 00:17:54,560
Speaker 1: could talk. Sasha gravitated naturally to Susannah and Anne. The

354
00:17:54,600 --> 00:17:58,119
Speaker 1: topic of conversation turned at once to the execution. Is

355
00:17:58,160 --> 00:18:02,040
Speaker 1: that always what it's like, Sue, Sanna asked. Anne nodded.

356
00:18:02,400 --> 00:18:05,040
Speaker 1: Her voice shook a little when she said, I passed

357
00:18:05,040 --> 00:18:07,760
Speaker 1: out last time too. I thought it'd be easier the

358
00:18:07,800 --> 00:18:11,440
Speaker 1: second time around, but it really wasn't it feels wrong,

359
00:18:11,640 --> 00:18:14,280
Speaker 1: Sasha whispered. She glanced over to May, who was holding

360
00:18:14,280 --> 00:18:15,800
Speaker 1: court with a few of the other girls at the

361
00:18:15,800 --> 00:18:18,160
Speaker 1: other end of the common area. I'm not saying it's

362
00:18:18,160 --> 00:18:20,840
Speaker 1: okay what those people were doing, but surely they deserved

363
00:18:20,840 --> 00:18:24,920
Speaker 1: a chance to repent. Susannah nodded. I don't think Jesus

364
00:18:24,920 --> 00:18:27,240
Speaker 1: would want us to murder people just for being wrong.

365
00:18:27,640 --> 00:18:29,960
Speaker 1: It's one thing to kill an atheist or an apostate

366
00:18:29,960 --> 00:18:33,200
Speaker 1: who's attacking you. It's another thing to just Her voice

367
00:18:33,240 --> 00:18:37,199
Speaker 1: caught a bit hank people. Anne shook her head in

368
00:18:37,200 --> 00:18:42,000
Speaker 1: an absent sort of way. Kyle told me it was necessary. Kyle,

369
00:18:42,440 --> 00:18:46,480
Speaker 1: Susannah asked, my intended Anne said, I watched the first

370
00:18:46,520 --> 00:18:49,720
Speaker 1: execution with him when I passed out. He was so sweet.

371
00:18:49,960 --> 00:18:52,440
Speaker 1: I came to when he was holding me, petting my head.

372
00:18:52,760 --> 00:18:55,160
Speaker 1: Anne's eyes shone with love, and Sasha had to fight

373
00:18:55,240 --> 00:18:57,919
Speaker 1: hard to keep the jealousy from her own face. He

374
00:18:58,000 --> 00:19:00,800
Speaker 1: explained that the Heavenly Kingdom couldn't afford to re educate

375
00:19:00,880 --> 00:19:03,879
Speaker 1: the fallen. They are too many and we are too surrounded.

376
00:19:04,200 --> 00:19:07,000
Speaker 1: If someone is capable of changing, God will know, and

377
00:19:07,119 --> 00:19:09,480
Speaker 1: he will ensure they get their just reward in heaven.

378
00:19:10,600 --> 00:19:14,000
Speaker 1: Sasha was not entirely convinced, but she also wasn't willing

379
00:19:14,040 --> 00:19:16,480
Speaker 1: to argue with Anne. It felt a little dicey just

380
00:19:16,560 --> 00:19:20,600
Speaker 1: admitting her continued discomfort with the executions, so she stayed quiet,

381
00:19:20,640 --> 00:19:23,240
Speaker 1: and the talk turned to more comfortable matters, what they

382
00:19:23,280 --> 00:19:25,439
Speaker 1: expected from the next day's work and what sort of

383
00:19:25,480 --> 00:19:27,719
Speaker 1: lives they lead. When the fighting was over and they

384
00:19:27,720 --> 00:19:30,359
Speaker 1: were settled down with the Gallant warriors, they knew they'd

385
00:19:30,400 --> 00:19:33,679
Speaker 1: marry soon. The girls all filed off to their small

386
00:19:33,800 --> 00:19:37,320
Speaker 1: snug beds after a long day of work and stress.

387
00:19:37,359 --> 00:19:40,440
Speaker 1: The bed felt so good that it made Sasha feel guilty.

388
00:19:40,840 --> 00:19:44,040
Speaker 1: Alexander was fighting right now, he'd surely seem more death

389
00:19:44,040 --> 00:19:45,919
Speaker 1: than she had, and he didn't have the option of

390
00:19:45,960 --> 00:19:48,760
Speaker 1: fainting or crying about it. As she drifted off to

391
00:19:48,800 --> 00:19:51,879
Speaker 1: sleep again, Sasha promised herself that she would never faint

392
00:19:52,000 --> 00:19:54,720
Speaker 1: or cry out in the face of death again. If

393
00:19:54,720 --> 00:19:57,480
Speaker 1: this was the way God had ordained, his kingdom must come,

394
00:19:57,600 --> 00:20:00,040
Speaker 1: she owed it to herself and to her Lord to

395
00:20:00,080 --> 00:20:03,800
Speaker 1: stand and see it. The next day, they all went

396
00:20:03,840 --> 00:20:06,879
Speaker 1: back to the same battered administrative building as the day before.

397
00:20:07,359 --> 00:20:10,080
Speaker 1: Sasha scrubbed and swept ate her lunch and got right

398
00:20:10,080 --> 00:20:13,159
Speaker 1: back to work. She forced herself into enthusiasm for the

399
00:20:13,200 --> 00:20:15,600
Speaker 1: menial labor with the same discipline she'd used when it

400
00:20:15,640 --> 00:20:17,399
Speaker 1: had been time to study for an exam and a

401
00:20:17,440 --> 00:20:20,400
Speaker 1: class she hated. The same tactic worked in both high

402
00:20:20,400 --> 00:20:23,760
Speaker 1: school and the Heavenly Kingdom. About two hours before the

403
00:20:23,840 --> 00:20:26,520
Speaker 1: end of their workday, Sasha's rhythm was interrupted by the

404
00:20:26,520 --> 00:20:28,359
Speaker 1: sound of a crash and a scream from one of

405
00:20:28,359 --> 00:20:30,360
Speaker 1: the girls in the bathroom next door to the room

406
00:20:30,440 --> 00:20:33,560
Speaker 1: she was in. Sasha dropped her scrub brush and darted over.

407
00:20:33,880 --> 00:20:36,240
Speaker 1: She was the first one into the room. It took

408
00:20:36,280 --> 00:20:38,400
Speaker 1: her a moment to piece together what must have happened.

409
00:20:38,680 --> 00:20:40,920
Speaker 1: Susannah had been scrubbing a sink that had been badly

410
00:20:41,000 --> 00:20:43,760
Speaker 1: damaged by shellfire. The sink had collapsed while she had

411
00:20:43,760 --> 00:20:46,080
Speaker 1: scrubbed it and a jagged edge of porcelain had torn

412
00:20:46,200 --> 00:20:49,480
Speaker 1: open the girl's hand. There was already an enormous amount

413
00:20:49,480 --> 00:20:52,600
Speaker 1: of blood. By the time Sasha arrived. Susannah looked pale.

414
00:20:52,840 --> 00:20:56,000
Speaker 1: She backed up against the wall and was just screaming wordlessly.

415
00:20:56,520 --> 00:20:59,399
Speaker 1: Sasha had taken three semesters of premed classes in the

416
00:20:59,480 --> 00:21:02,240
Speaker 1: last two ears. She had a good basic instruction and

417
00:21:02,359 --> 00:21:05,000
Speaker 1: first aid. She pulled her shirt off over her head

418
00:21:05,040 --> 00:21:07,400
Speaker 1: and wrapped it around the gash on the other girl's hand.

419
00:21:07,800 --> 00:21:09,720
Speaker 1: It was the spare shirt she had brought from home,

420
00:21:09,800 --> 00:21:12,399
Speaker 1: and it had an antimicrobial weave that should make it

421
00:21:12,440 --> 00:21:15,520
Speaker 1: relatively safe as a wound dressing. She pulled it tight,

422
00:21:15,800 --> 00:21:18,320
Speaker 1: watted the extra fabric up over the wound, and applied

423
00:21:18,359 --> 00:21:21,440
Speaker 1: as much pressure as she could. Susannah kept screaming, but

424
00:21:21,520 --> 00:21:24,560
Speaker 1: the flow of blood from her wounds slowed. Breathe with me,

425
00:21:24,840 --> 00:21:27,760
Speaker 1: Sasha told Susannah as she stared into the other girl's eyes.

426
00:21:28,119 --> 00:21:32,480
Speaker 1: In she inhaled, and out she exhaled. She repeated this

427
00:21:32,560 --> 00:21:35,840
Speaker 1: several times until Susannah stopped screaming and started breathing in

428
00:21:35,880 --> 00:21:38,600
Speaker 1: time with her. Several of the girls had crowded around

429
00:21:38,600 --> 00:21:41,080
Speaker 1: the entrance to the bathroom. At this point, when Sasha

430
00:21:41,119 --> 00:21:43,160
Speaker 1: glanced up, she could see May's face in the back

431
00:21:43,160 --> 00:21:46,200
Speaker 1: of the crowd. She looked disgusted, probably at the fact

432
00:21:46,200 --> 00:21:48,919
Speaker 1: that Sasha had torn off her shirt. Please call for

433
00:21:48,960 --> 00:21:52,040
Speaker 1: the martyrs, Sasha asked, no one in particular, Tell them

434
00:21:52,040 --> 00:21:54,600
Speaker 1: Susanna needs medical attention. I don't think she has any

435
00:21:54,600 --> 00:21:58,240
Speaker 1: clotting agents in her blood. No one moved, so Sasha

436
00:21:58,280 --> 00:22:01,040
Speaker 1: locked eyes with Anne and told her, please go now.

437
00:22:01,400 --> 00:22:03,600
Speaker 1: We shouldn't take any chances with a wound like this,

438
00:22:04,560 --> 00:22:07,360
Speaker 1: and nodded. Broke away from the glocking group and stumbled

439
00:22:07,400 --> 00:22:10,720
Speaker 1: off to find help. Sasha looked back to Susannah. She

440
00:22:10,840 --> 00:22:13,160
Speaker 1: coaxed the other girl to sit down against the wall

441
00:22:13,200 --> 00:22:15,760
Speaker 1: and sat down next to her, applying pressure to her

442
00:22:15,800 --> 00:22:19,280
Speaker 1: hand the entire time. Sasha's shirt was now soaked through

443
00:22:19,320 --> 00:22:22,159
Speaker 1: with hot, sticky blood. Her hands were wet too, but

444
00:22:22,240 --> 00:22:25,560
Speaker 1: she didn't feel squeamish about this. She'd expected to after

445
00:22:25,600 --> 00:22:28,200
Speaker 1: her reaction to the hangings, but somehow the sight of

446
00:22:28,240 --> 00:22:31,000
Speaker 1: all this blood actually combed her. She knew what to

447
00:22:31,040 --> 00:22:34,719
Speaker 1: do here. It felt good to take effective action. The

448
00:22:34,760 --> 00:22:37,160
Speaker 1: martyrs arrived a minute or so later, with a medic

449
00:22:37,200 --> 00:22:41,160
Speaker 1: close behind By that point, Susanna's bleeding had stopped entirely.

450
00:22:41,480 --> 00:22:44,359
Speaker 1: The medic was impressed, and he said, so you have

451
00:22:44,440 --> 00:22:46,919
Speaker 1: some kind of training, ma'am. You handled this very well.

452
00:22:47,680 --> 00:22:50,280
Speaker 1: Three semesters of premed. She had answered, it was only

453
00:22:50,359 --> 00:22:52,320
Speaker 1: high school premed, but they made us do a lot

454
00:22:52,320 --> 00:22:55,320
Speaker 1: of first aid drills. The medic gave her a significant

455
00:22:55,320 --> 00:22:59,760
Speaker 1: look and then asked, what's your name, miss Sasha. She'd

456
00:23:00,040 --> 00:23:04,439
Speaker 1: arted before correcting herself. Sasha. Susannah was taken off to

457
00:23:04,480 --> 00:23:07,000
Speaker 1: whatever served as a hospital for the Heavenly Kingdom while

458
00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:09,240
Speaker 1: Sasha and the rest of the girls finished their work day.

459
00:23:09,560 --> 00:23:12,280
Speaker 1: It was uneventful after that, but the other girl's attitudes

460
00:23:12,320 --> 00:23:14,840
Speaker 1: towards her seemed to have shifted. Anne had given her

461
00:23:14,840 --> 00:23:17,359
Speaker 1: a big hug, of course, but everyone was more respectful.

462
00:23:17,760 --> 00:23:20,000
Speaker 1: Several of them came to her to ask minor things,

463
00:23:20,359 --> 00:23:22,520
Speaker 1: advice on how best to clean a room or clear

464
00:23:22,560 --> 00:23:25,400
Speaker 1: a pile of rubble. At one point, Sasha had divided

465
00:23:25,400 --> 00:23:27,680
Speaker 1: four girls up into two teams to remove a huge

466
00:23:27,680 --> 00:23:30,840
Speaker 1: amount of shattered glass. While she directed the effort, may

467
00:23:30,920 --> 00:23:32,760
Speaker 1: had walked by the room and butted her head in

468
00:23:33,359 --> 00:23:35,280
Speaker 1: Just because she knows a little first aid doesn't make

469
00:23:35,280 --> 00:23:38,760
Speaker 1: her a foreman, she sneered. The other girls didn't pay

470
00:23:38,800 --> 00:23:41,080
Speaker 1: May any mind. They left for the day at the

471
00:23:41,119 --> 00:23:43,560
Speaker 1: usual time and arrived back at the house of Miriam

472
00:23:43,600 --> 00:23:46,199
Speaker 1: in the early evening. Helen was waiting for them at

473
00:23:46,200 --> 00:23:48,679
Speaker 1: the door. Behind her stood an older man in a

474
00:23:48,680 --> 00:23:51,119
Speaker 1: white lab coat. He had a cross pinned to his

475
00:23:51,200 --> 00:23:53,680
Speaker 1: lapel and a larger red cross on his arm band.

476
00:23:54,160 --> 00:23:56,640
Speaker 1: As the girls all filed into the building, Sasha saw

477
00:23:56,680 --> 00:23:58,760
Speaker 1: Helen point to her and whisper something to the man.

478
00:23:59,119 --> 00:24:03,359
Speaker 1: He nodded, Miss Sasha, he called out. As she headed

479
00:24:03,400 --> 00:24:05,840
Speaker 1: to her seat at the dinner table. Sasha peeled off

480
00:24:05,880 --> 00:24:09,000
Speaker 1: and approached him. Helen stood near by, distant enough to

481
00:24:09,000 --> 00:24:11,240
Speaker 1: make it clear that this conversation was between her and

482
00:24:11,280 --> 00:24:13,760
Speaker 1: the man, but close enough that her presence provided a

483
00:24:13,760 --> 00:24:18,399
Speaker 1: warm kernel of certainty and support. Yes, Sasha asked. The

484
00:24:18,440 --> 00:24:20,960
Speaker 1: man had a sharp, narrow jaw and a long nose.

485
00:24:21,280 --> 00:24:23,280
Speaker 1: There were deep bags under his eyes, and his hair

486
00:24:23,359 --> 00:24:25,920
Speaker 1: was at the grayest end of pepper gray. He wasn't

487
00:24:26,000 --> 00:24:29,000
Speaker 1: very large, but he used his physicality well. He moved

488
00:24:29,040 --> 00:24:32,440
Speaker 1: like he was used to controlling the room. Sasha, I'm

489
00:24:32,560 --> 00:24:35,359
Speaker 1: doctor Brandt, one of our medics. Was very impressed with

490
00:24:35,400 --> 00:24:38,440
Speaker 1: your work earlier today on the injured girl. Sir all

491
00:24:38,480 --> 00:24:40,760
Speaker 1: I did was trying to stanch the bleeding. Anyone could

492
00:24:40,760 --> 00:24:44,240
Speaker 1: have handled that. It didn't require any special knowledge. No,

493
00:24:44,640 --> 00:24:47,280
Speaker 1: he interrupted her, it did not. The knowledge of how

494
00:24:47,320 --> 00:24:50,280
Speaker 1: to stim bleeding is not rare or special, but the

495
00:24:50,359 --> 00:24:53,040
Speaker 1: willingness to jump in during an emergency and to get

496
00:24:53,040 --> 00:24:56,240
Speaker 1: blood on one's own hands is rather rare. I understand

497
00:24:56,280 --> 00:24:59,480
Speaker 1: you have some form of medical training, very little, Sir.

498
00:24:59,560 --> 00:25:02,399
Speaker 1: I took three semesters of pre medical courses in high school.

499
00:25:02,760 --> 00:25:06,200
Speaker 1: I was thinking about a medical career before. I yes, well,

500
00:25:06,400 --> 00:25:09,080
Speaker 1: three semesters of any kind of training almost makes you

501
00:25:09,119 --> 00:25:13,160
Speaker 1: a doctor. Here, we're not exactly flooded with qualified medical experts.

502
00:25:13,880 --> 00:25:17,159
Speaker 1: Doctor Brandt lacked Helen's gift for interrupting without seeming rude,

503
00:25:17,400 --> 00:25:19,560
Speaker 1: but he was clearly a busy man, and the fact

504
00:25:19,640 --> 00:25:21,919
Speaker 1: that he'd offered praise made it hard for Sasha to

505
00:25:21,920 --> 00:25:25,720
Speaker 1: take offense. Miss Helen. He snapped back at the older woman,

506
00:25:25,880 --> 00:25:28,040
Speaker 1: I'm putting this one on special duty. Would that be

507
00:25:28,080 --> 00:25:32,200
Speaker 1: all right? Of course, doctor Brandt. Helen said, she smiled

508
00:25:32,200 --> 00:25:34,639
Speaker 1: at Sasha, and there was honest pride in that smile

509
00:25:35,119 --> 00:25:37,520
Speaker 1: more pride than she had ever seen in her mother's eyes.

510
00:25:37,960 --> 00:25:41,600
Speaker 1: Sasha resisted the urge to tear up. In response, Doctor

511
00:25:41,640 --> 00:25:44,399
Speaker 1: Brandt turned to Sasha next and asked, what do you

512
00:25:44,480 --> 00:25:48,320
Speaker 1: know about the people of the road. She frowned. Post

513
00:25:48,400 --> 00:25:51,159
Speaker 1: humans were a popular topic of discussion in her high school.

514
00:25:51,480 --> 00:25:54,240
Speaker 1: Sasha had seen waste Land Warriors a couple of years back,

515
00:25:54,280 --> 00:25:57,560
Speaker 1: and benis enthralled as everyone else, but her school curriculum

516
00:25:57,600 --> 00:26:00,479
Speaker 1: didn't talk much about them and definitely down played their

517
00:26:00,520 --> 00:26:03,160
Speaker 1: influence in the rest of the continent. Her father had

518
00:26:03,200 --> 00:26:05,840
Speaker 1: called them a bunch of idiots dancing around the desert

519
00:26:05,880 --> 00:26:09,040
Speaker 1: doing drugs and robbing people. She decided to use a

520
00:26:09,119 --> 00:26:12,560
Speaker 1: variant of that for her answer. Their drug addled pagans

521
00:26:12,600 --> 00:26:16,400
Speaker 1: fornicating and spurning the will of God. Doctor Brandt smiled.

522
00:26:16,640 --> 00:26:19,360
Speaker 1: He had such a serious face and such stern features

523
00:26:19,359 --> 00:26:22,040
Speaker 1: that Sasha was shocked by the honest kindness of that smile.

524
00:26:22,800 --> 00:26:26,240
Speaker 1: I'd say that's basically accurate, he chuckled, perhaps even a

525
00:26:26,240 --> 00:26:29,000
Speaker 1: bit charitable. It turns out one of these groups sent

526
00:26:29,080 --> 00:26:32,560
Speaker 1: some emissaries into Plano just before the city fell. They

527
00:26:32,560 --> 00:26:35,160
Speaker 1: were on some trade mission. They wound up getting stuck

528
00:26:35,160 --> 00:26:37,280
Speaker 1: in a pin with a few other prisoners. We didn't

529
00:26:37,320 --> 00:26:40,119
Speaker 1: even realize who we had until their people contacted us

530
00:26:40,119 --> 00:26:44,160
Speaker 1: and demanded their release. Sasha's eyes widened. All she could

531
00:26:44,160 --> 00:26:46,800
Speaker 1: think of were the grainy video fragments from one section

532
00:26:46,840 --> 00:26:50,000
Speaker 1: of Waste Land Warriors. It was supposedly a recording of

533
00:26:50,040 --> 00:26:53,520
Speaker 1: an attack on an Agis Biosystems convoy headed from Milwaukee

534
00:26:53,520 --> 00:26:56,439
Speaker 1: to Denver. The convoy had been well armed, but it

535
00:26:56,480 --> 00:26:58,960
Speaker 1: had been taken apart in a matter of seconds. The

536
00:26:58,960 --> 00:27:01,879
Speaker 1: assailants moved so fast that the documentarians had needed to

537
00:27:01,920 --> 00:27:04,119
Speaker 1: slow the video to make them visible as anything but

538
00:27:04,200 --> 00:27:07,480
Speaker 1: flashes on the screen. How could something that fast and

539
00:27:07,520 --> 00:27:11,119
Speaker 1: deadly be captured? Doctor Brandt answered her question before she

540
00:27:11,160 --> 00:27:13,920
Speaker 1: could ask it. I'm going to guess her wondering how

541
00:27:13,920 --> 00:27:18,200
Speaker 1: he managed to capture three of those Frankenstein abominations. Yes, sir,

542
00:27:18,520 --> 00:27:21,800
Speaker 1: Sasha said, well, Doctor Brandt popped the glasses off his

543
00:27:21,840 --> 00:27:24,119
Speaker 1: face and buffed the lenses on his shirt while he spoke.

544
00:27:25,160 --> 00:27:28,520
Speaker 1: Most members of any given group aren't quite like that. Oh,

545
00:27:28,520 --> 00:27:31,080
Speaker 1: they're all Pagans are atheists, just some kind of heathen.

546
00:27:31,280 --> 00:27:34,639
Speaker 1: They have a lot of aesthetic modifications. Led tattoos and

547
00:27:34,720 --> 00:27:38,000
Speaker 1: body lighting and some sensory upgrades, but few of them

548
00:27:38,000 --> 00:27:44,120
Speaker 1: have military style implants. I see, as you know, cities

549
00:27:44,160 --> 00:27:47,400
Speaker 1: and civilized nations tend to ban those implants within their borders.

550
00:27:47,720 --> 00:27:50,600
Speaker 1: Doctor Brandt slid his glasses back into place on his nose.

551
00:27:51,119 --> 00:27:52,960
Speaker 1: So the people of the road have to send their

552
00:27:53,040 --> 00:27:56,760
Speaker 1: less modified citizens out to negotiate, et cetera. Which means

553
00:27:56,840 --> 00:27:58,720
Speaker 1: we've got a bit of a tiger by the tail

554
00:27:58,840 --> 00:28:03,280
Speaker 1: situation here. What do you mean, Sir Sasha asked, Well,

555
00:28:03,359 --> 00:28:06,639
Speaker 1: the stories about these types are absolutely true. Some of

556
00:28:06,640 --> 00:28:08,840
Speaker 1: them have hundreds of warriors packed to the gills with

557
00:28:09,000 --> 00:28:12,560
Speaker 1: nightmare technology. There are individuals who are capable of taking

558
00:28:12,600 --> 00:28:16,600
Speaker 1: on entire companies of human war fighters. The tribe these

559
00:28:16,640 --> 00:28:20,440
Speaker 1: particular captives hail from, well, their name is quite obscene.

560
00:28:20,840 --> 00:28:23,320
Speaker 1: The City of Wheels would be the most polite variant

561
00:28:23,680 --> 00:28:25,480
Speaker 1: there is lost as it gets when it comes to

562
00:28:25,480 --> 00:28:28,040
Speaker 1: the Word of God. But they've got about six hundred

563
00:28:28,040 --> 00:28:31,800
Speaker 1: post human citizens. Sasha thought back to what a dozen

564
00:28:31,840 --> 00:28:34,440
Speaker 1: of those things had done to that convoy. She tried

565
00:28:34,480 --> 00:28:36,919
Speaker 1: to imagine the carnage six hundred of them could unleash

566
00:28:37,000 --> 00:28:41,520
Speaker 1: upon the heavenly Kingdom. A shiver ran down her spine exactly.

567
00:28:41,920 --> 00:28:44,760
Speaker 1: Doctor Brandt nodded at her like I said, we've got

568
00:28:44,800 --> 00:28:47,920
Speaker 1: a tiger by the tail. They might not intervene while

569
00:28:47,920 --> 00:28:50,200
Speaker 1: we have their people, so we've got to make sure

570
00:28:50,200 --> 00:28:53,320
Speaker 1: our captives are well taken care of. That's where you

571
00:28:53,440 --> 00:28:57,560
Speaker 1: come in. Me. Two of the captives are women, Sasha.

572
00:28:57,880 --> 00:29:00,400
Speaker 1: They'll need to be inspected by some one beside it's me.

573
00:29:00,920 --> 00:29:04,000
Speaker 1: We do have some qualified female nurses, but an sdf

574
00:29:04,080 --> 00:29:06,960
Speaker 1: drone hit one of our troop transports about two hours ago,

575
00:29:07,400 --> 00:29:09,680
Speaker 1: and I'm afraid they're both in the thick of that mess.

576
00:29:09,960 --> 00:29:12,920
Speaker 1: So you're coming with me to handle this job. I'm

577
00:29:12,920 --> 00:29:15,360
Speaker 1: proud to do it, sir. She wasn't sure what else

578
00:29:15,400 --> 00:29:19,360
Speaker 1: to say, and besides, it was true. The first captive

579
00:29:19,440 --> 00:29:21,480
Speaker 1: sat on a small concrete bench in the back of

580
00:29:21,480 --> 00:29:23,920
Speaker 1: an eight by ten cell. Her hair had been shaved

581
00:29:23,960 --> 00:29:27,280
Speaker 1: into a mohawk, but the purple hair was deflated and greasy. Now.

582
00:29:27,680 --> 00:29:29,719
Speaker 1: There was stubble on the sides of her head. Her

583
00:29:29,760 --> 00:29:32,640
Speaker 1: face was round but lean. There were slight laugh lines

584
00:29:32,680 --> 00:29:34,400
Speaker 1: at the corners of her cheeks in the edges of

585
00:29:34,440 --> 00:29:37,440
Speaker 1: her eyes. She wore a sleeveless purple and black dress

586
00:29:37,480 --> 00:29:40,400
Speaker 1: that was by now filthy. Her arms were covered in

587
00:29:40,440 --> 00:29:43,800
Speaker 1: a strange series of tattoos, dozens of branching lines that

588
00:29:43,880 --> 00:29:48,280
Speaker 1: each terminated in a box. They looked almost like circuit diagrams.

589
00:29:48,640 --> 00:29:52,440
Speaker 1: Sasha quickly realized that each box held a little led screen.

590
00:29:53,080 --> 00:29:55,400
Speaker 1: Most of the screens were set to a dull red color,

591
00:29:55,680 --> 00:29:58,120
Speaker 1: but once she stepped into the women's cell, they flashed

592
00:29:58,120 --> 00:30:01,720
Speaker 1: bright orange. The woman looked up and snarled at doctor Brandt.

593
00:30:02,400 --> 00:30:04,680
Speaker 1: Fun do you want ship bird? She looked over to

594
00:30:04,720 --> 00:30:10,320
Speaker 1: Sasha and then added, sorry, ship birds, Sasha. Doctor Brandt sighed,

595
00:30:10,400 --> 00:30:14,400
Speaker 1: kneading the bridge of his nose. Meet Marigold Fulton. Jesus

596
00:30:14,440 --> 00:30:17,720
Speaker 1: fucking Christ, what are you six? Fucking ten? Marigold said

597
00:30:17,760 --> 00:30:21,320
Speaker 1: to Sasha. Then she looked at doctor Brandt. That's fucked up, man.

598
00:30:22,080 --> 00:30:25,160
Speaker 1: Doctor Brandt winced at both curses. Sasha glanced down and

599
00:30:25,200 --> 00:30:27,000
Speaker 1: saw that his right hand was bawled up into a

600
00:30:27,040 --> 00:30:31,560
Speaker 1: fist and clinched tight. Marigold, this is Sasha, he said,

601
00:30:31,560 --> 00:30:35,360
Speaker 1: through gritted lips. She'll be performing your intake exam. We

602
00:30:35,400 --> 00:30:38,840
Speaker 1: need to make sure you're uninjured, uninfectious, and not hiding

603
00:30:38,880 --> 00:30:43,920
Speaker 1: any weaponry. I would recommend compliance your kind always do.

604
00:30:44,280 --> 00:30:48,920
Speaker 1: The woman spat back, Sasha, you've got this. Doctor Brandt

605
00:30:48,920 --> 00:30:51,120
Speaker 1: gave her a curt nod, turned on his heels, and

606
00:30:51,200 --> 00:30:53,880
Speaker 1: headed back out of the cell. There was an armed

607
00:30:53,880 --> 00:30:56,920
Speaker 1: guard just outside the cell. As doctor brand had instructed,

608
00:30:56,960 --> 00:30:59,520
Speaker 1: Sasha pulled along privacy screen out from the far end

609
00:30:59,520 --> 00:31:01,080
Speaker 1: of the wall and clasp it to a set of

610
00:31:01,120 --> 00:31:03,720
Speaker 1: hooks on the other end. The captives were being held

611
00:31:03,720 --> 00:31:05,720
Speaker 1: in the old plain Oh jail, which made this one

612
00:31:05,720 --> 00:31:08,080
Speaker 1: of the rare buildings in the Heavenly Kingdom being used

613
00:31:08,080 --> 00:31:11,720
Speaker 1: for its intended purpose. Sasha was grateful for the privacy screen.

614
00:31:11,920 --> 00:31:15,680
Speaker 1: She was also unbearably nervous about what came next. I'm

615
00:31:15,720 --> 00:31:18,240
Speaker 1: going to have to ask you. In one smooth motion,

616
00:31:18,320 --> 00:31:21,040
Speaker 1: Marigold pulled the dress up over her shoulders and off

617
00:31:21,040 --> 00:31:24,600
Speaker 1: of her body. She wore nothing underneath it. Her pert breasts,

618
00:31:24,600 --> 00:31:26,840
Speaker 1: her little belly, her pubic mound, and its shock of

619
00:31:26,880 --> 00:31:30,960
Speaker 1: purple hair were suddenly just there. You're gonna do your job?

620
00:31:30,960 --> 00:31:33,680
Speaker 1: Are you just gonna stand there and Jill off Marigold

621
00:31:33,720 --> 00:31:38,080
Speaker 1: asked what. Jill Marigold gave a harsh laugh. It's a

622
00:31:38,160 --> 00:31:41,960
Speaker 1: senton ym from masturbation, Lady, masturbation. You don't do that,

623
00:31:42,040 --> 00:31:44,560
Speaker 1: do you, Sugar. I'm gonna guess the Heavenly Kingdom frowns

624
00:31:44,560 --> 00:31:48,560
Speaker 1: on girls having fun without the help of boys. Sasha grimaced.

625
00:31:48,840 --> 00:31:51,320
Speaker 1: The Heavenly Kingdom doesn't frown on women having fun, but

626
00:31:51,400 --> 00:31:55,400
Speaker 1: it does encourage self control. Mr. What you're talking about,

627
00:31:55,640 --> 00:31:59,880
Speaker 1: it's a distraction, It's worldly. Marigold whistled and mocked surprise,

628
00:32:00,000 --> 00:32:04,120
Speaker 1: and said, spoken like a lady who truly needs an orgasm.

629
00:32:04,200 --> 00:32:06,080
Speaker 1: What I need to do is draw some of your

630
00:32:06,080 --> 00:32:09,240
Speaker 1: blood and some of your saliva and then perform a

631
00:32:09,480 --> 00:32:14,040
Speaker 1: cavity search. Marigold's lips curled up into a catlike smile.

632
00:32:14,480 --> 00:32:18,200
Speaker 1: She opened her legs. Sasha had seen other women's vaginas before,

633
00:32:18,360 --> 00:32:21,160
Speaker 1: but only in textbooks and movies. This was the first

634
00:32:21,160 --> 00:32:24,080
Speaker 1: time she'd found herself staring directly down the barrel of one,

635
00:32:24,240 --> 00:32:28,080
Speaker 1: so to speak. She gulped, Darlen, am I your first?

636
00:32:28,320 --> 00:32:30,440
Speaker 1: Don't be scared. I got some chrumb in me, but

637
00:32:30,480 --> 00:32:33,080
Speaker 1: I never wound up putting defensive teeth in there. Now,

638
00:32:33,120 --> 00:32:36,280
Speaker 1: my friend, Topaz, stop, I know what you're trying to do.

639
00:32:36,720 --> 00:32:40,080
Speaker 1: Just stop, Sasha hadn't thought the woman's smile could get

640
00:32:40,080 --> 00:32:43,280
Speaker 1: any wider, but it did. And what am I trying

641
00:32:43,320 --> 00:32:47,360
Speaker 1: to do? Child? You're trying to to fluster me, to

642
00:32:47,440 --> 00:32:51,600
Speaker 1: distract me or Marigold rolled her eyes as she replied,

643
00:32:51,760 --> 00:32:54,120
Speaker 1: I'm bored. You Fox have kept me in one holding

644
00:32:54,160 --> 00:32:56,360
Speaker 1: area or sell or another for almost a week. I

645
00:32:56,360 --> 00:32:58,800
Speaker 1: spent three days shifting in the corner of a gym,

646
00:32:58,840 --> 00:33:01,440
Speaker 1: but at least Rick and Tuly were there too. The

647
00:33:01,480 --> 00:33:05,040
Speaker 1: woman smiles softened for a moment. She looked troubled, vulnerable.

648
00:33:05,520 --> 00:33:07,640
Speaker 1: You don't have any idea where my people are, do you?

649
00:33:08,320 --> 00:33:11,080
Speaker 1: Sasha shook her head. She felt guilty for some reason.

650
00:33:11,360 --> 00:33:14,160
Speaker 1: That was stupid. She hadn't done anything wrong, but she

651
00:33:14,240 --> 00:33:17,680
Speaker 1: felt the need to assuage the other woman's fears. I

652
00:33:18,000 --> 00:33:21,400
Speaker 1: don't I'm sure they're all right, though we wouldn't execute

653
00:33:21,400 --> 00:33:23,040
Speaker 1: them just for being in the wrong place at the

654
00:33:23,080 --> 00:33:27,680
Speaker 1: wrong time. Marigolds snorted, maybe you wouldn't love your friends.

655
00:33:27,720 --> 00:33:30,400
Speaker 1: Though I've seen your gallows. It doesn't seem like the

656
00:33:30,480 --> 00:33:33,760
Speaker 1: kind of things someone builds just for show. We have

657
00:33:33,880 --> 00:33:37,320
Speaker 1: a right to enforce our laws, God's laws. What am

658
00:33:37,320 --> 00:33:40,120
Speaker 1: I doing defending the kingdom to someone who's clearly blind

659
00:33:40,160 --> 00:33:42,920
Speaker 1: to the word. Sasha shook her head. She opened the

660
00:33:42,920 --> 00:33:45,560
Speaker 1: blood testing kit doctor Brant had given her and stepped

661
00:33:45,560 --> 00:33:49,160
Speaker 1: back towards Marigold. Look, I've got to do this. Just

662
00:33:49,240 --> 00:33:52,720
Speaker 1: hold still and it'll be quick. It was. The other

663
00:33:52,760 --> 00:33:55,760
Speaker 1: woman offered no resistance when Sasha told her to stand.

664
00:33:55,880 --> 00:33:58,760
Speaker 1: She stood. When Sasha reached a gloved hand up inside

665
00:33:58,760 --> 00:34:02,160
Speaker 1: her to search for foreign object, Marigold said nothing. She

666
00:34:02,200 --> 00:34:05,840
Speaker 1: didn't even flinch. Instead, she kept her eyes locked on Sasha's.

667
00:34:06,200 --> 00:34:09,400
Speaker 1: The other woman barely blinked. In about two minutes, Sasha

668
00:34:09,400 --> 00:34:12,960
Speaker 1: had finished her examination and collected her samples. She started

669
00:34:13,000 --> 00:34:16,000
Speaker 1: to step back, but Marigold's hand shot out whip fast

670
00:34:16,120 --> 00:34:20,560
Speaker 1: and grasped her around the wrist listen. Sasha stopped and listened.

671
00:34:20,800 --> 00:34:22,960
Speaker 1: She wasn't sure why. It was something about the other

672
00:34:22,960 --> 00:34:26,840
Speaker 1: woman's tone. She'd heard the term command voice before, Sasha

673
00:34:26,840 --> 00:34:30,120
Speaker 1: hadn't understood what that term meant until now. When Marigold

674
00:34:30,200 --> 00:34:32,399
Speaker 1: spoke again, it was in a hushed tone, barely more

675
00:34:32,400 --> 00:34:34,879
Speaker 1: than a whisper. I don't know what brought you here,

676
00:34:35,000 --> 00:34:38,000
Speaker 1: but you're obviously smart. You don't have those dead zelad eyes.

677
00:34:38,360 --> 00:34:40,640
Speaker 1: She jerked her head in the direction of the guard outside.

678
00:34:40,960 --> 00:34:43,279
Speaker 1: When I mentioned the gallows, you looked fucking ill. I'm

679
00:34:43,280 --> 00:34:45,759
Speaker 1: gonna guess you haven't been here long. You're probably having

680
00:34:45,760 --> 00:34:48,359
Speaker 1: second thoughts. Helped me get my people out of here.

681
00:34:48,560 --> 00:34:50,760
Speaker 1: If we can get back to my city, you'll be safe.

682
00:34:51,000 --> 00:34:55,040
Speaker 1: We'll take you wherever you need to go. I Sasha

683
00:34:55,080 --> 00:34:57,239
Speaker 1: wasn't sure what to say. She should have slapped the

684
00:34:57,239 --> 00:35:01,160
Speaker 1: other woman or spitting her eye, but she didn't. Don't

685
00:35:01,320 --> 00:35:04,760
Speaker 1: say anything. You'll be back here, I promise. Think about

686
00:35:04,760 --> 00:35:08,280
Speaker 1: what I've said, think about where you are. Just fucking think.

687
00:35:09,480 --> 00:35:12,720
Speaker 1: She let go. Sasha stepped back. The two women locked

688
00:35:12,719 --> 00:35:15,319
Speaker 1: eyes for a long moment, and then Marigold grabbed her

689
00:35:15,320 --> 00:35:17,600
Speaker 1: slip dress off the floor and slid it back down

690
00:35:17,600 --> 00:35:21,200
Speaker 1: her thin frame. Sasha unclipped the privacy curtain and headed

691
00:35:21,239 --> 00:35:24,760
Speaker 1: back out into the hallway. The other woman, captive Tullie,

692
00:35:25,040 --> 00:35:27,440
Speaker 1: was tall and muscular. She had a wide face with

693
00:35:27,520 --> 00:35:30,439
Speaker 1: cheek bones so sharp they were almost jagged. Her skin

694
00:35:30,560 --> 00:35:33,400
Speaker 1: was a dusky brown. Her eyes were alert and moved

695
00:35:33,480 --> 00:35:36,359
Speaker 1: rapidly between Sasha, doctor Brandt, and the guard who led

696
00:35:36,400 --> 00:35:40,279
Speaker 1: them into the room. Her name is Tullie, Doctor Brandt said,

697
00:35:40,400 --> 00:35:43,280
Speaker 1: and she's probably going to threaten you. Pay her no mind.

698
00:35:43,840 --> 00:35:46,200
Speaker 1: He turned away and left, while the guards stayed behind

699
00:35:46,200 --> 00:35:49,280
Speaker 1: and kept a close eye on the tall woman. Sasha

700
00:35:49,320 --> 00:35:52,280
Speaker 1: was scared to approach Tulli at first. The woman's forearms

701
00:35:52,280 --> 00:35:54,680
Speaker 1: were corded with muscles, and she had biceps that looked

702
00:35:54,680 --> 00:35:57,399
Speaker 1: as broad as Sasha's thighs. But the woman didn't move

703
00:35:57,440 --> 00:35:59,760
Speaker 1: an inch or say a word the entire time Sasha

704
00:35:59,760 --> 00:36:02,920
Speaker 1: worked on her. Tullie didn't even blink. She complied to

705
00:36:02,960 --> 00:36:05,560
Speaker 1: every one of Sasha's requests without eye contact or any

706
00:36:05,560 --> 00:36:09,840
Speaker 1: other form of acknowledgment. The woman seemed dead to the world. Somehow,

707
00:36:09,920 --> 00:36:13,960
Speaker 1: Toullie's quietness and seeming stupefaction were more uncomfortable than Marigold's

708
00:36:13,960 --> 00:36:17,879
Speaker 1: aggressive words. Sasha finished her work in short order. Once

709
00:36:17,920 --> 00:36:20,279
Speaker 1: the last vial was sealed and her gloves removed, she

710
00:36:20,320 --> 00:36:23,480
Speaker 1: took a final look at the captive. I hope you

711
00:36:23,640 --> 00:36:27,600
Speaker 1: get back to your home soon. Sasha immediately regretted the words.

712
00:36:27,880 --> 00:36:29,680
Speaker 1: This woman is the enemy. Why would you try to

713
00:36:29,719 --> 00:36:32,520
Speaker 1: comfort her? She won't even look at you. Tullie let

714
00:36:32,560 --> 00:36:35,240
Speaker 1: out a dull laugh. She had been so silent earlier

715
00:36:35,280 --> 00:36:37,960
Speaker 1: that it shocked Sasha. The other woman turned her head

716
00:36:38,000 --> 00:36:41,879
Speaker 1: and stared at Sasha. I will return home soon, and

717
00:36:42,000 --> 00:36:44,840
Speaker 1: fire and blood will come to this place because you've

718
00:36:44,840 --> 00:36:48,160
Speaker 1: held me here. You're a dead woman walking enjoy the

719
00:36:48,239 --> 00:36:51,600
Speaker 1: last beats of your heart. Sasha didn't know what to say.

720
00:36:51,840 --> 00:36:54,040
Speaker 1: What could you say to that? So she took her

721
00:36:54,040 --> 00:37:05,600
Speaker 1: samples and left. Doctor Brandt dropped her off outside the

722
00:37:05,640 --> 00:37:07,600
Speaker 1: house of Miriam and told her he'd send a jeep

723
00:37:07,600 --> 00:37:10,280
Speaker 1: out tomorrow morning to take her to the hospital. Sasha

724
00:37:10,320 --> 00:37:13,600
Speaker 1: thanked him and headed inside. The other girls were already

725
00:37:13,640 --> 00:37:16,400
Speaker 1: almost finished with dinner when Sasha sat down and joined

726
00:37:16,400 --> 00:37:19,000
Speaker 1: the group. She gave a quiet smile to Susannah and

727
00:37:19,120 --> 00:37:22,400
Speaker 1: nodded at the other girl's bandaged hand. When dessert a

728
00:37:22,440 --> 00:37:25,560
Speaker 1: banana this time, was over, Miss Helen took Sasha aside

729
00:37:25,560 --> 00:37:27,720
Speaker 1: while the other girls broke off to read their bibles

730
00:37:27,719 --> 00:37:32,320
Speaker 1: and drink their nightly tea. I have some news for you, yes, ma'am,

731
00:37:32,360 --> 00:37:36,640
Speaker 1: Sasha asked. Alexander has been rotated back from the front,

732
00:37:36,840 --> 00:37:40,360
Speaker 1: and that strange look of mingled frustration and anger crossed

733
00:37:40,360 --> 00:37:43,840
Speaker 1: Helen's face again. You'll be able to see him tomorrow

734
00:37:44,080 --> 00:37:47,680
Speaker 1: after lunch Sasha's heart pounded, an excitement that made her

735
00:37:47,680 --> 00:37:50,800
Speaker 1: feel guilty and elated at the same time. I'm afraid

736
00:37:50,840 --> 00:37:53,319
Speaker 1: it won't be a long visit, Helen continued, but you'll

737
00:37:53,320 --> 00:37:55,520
Speaker 1: have a bit of time with him, And then Helen's

738
00:37:55,560 --> 00:37:58,719
Speaker 1: sighed again, just a little. Sasha was sure she wasn't

739
00:37:58,760 --> 00:38:01,759
Speaker 1: supposed to have noticed it, but Miss Helen's eyes looked

740
00:38:01,760 --> 00:38:05,080
Speaker 1: a bit watery. Sasha was so happy, so excited, that

741
00:38:05,120 --> 00:38:08,080
Speaker 1: her brain glossed over this fact. Instead, she gave miss

742
00:38:08,160 --> 00:38:11,200
Speaker 1: Helen a hug. It wasn't nearly the first one they'd shared,

743
00:38:11,400 --> 00:38:13,640
Speaker 1: but this was the first time. The older woman seemed

744
00:38:13,640 --> 00:38:16,680
Speaker 1: hesitant in returning it, but she did after a moment,

745
00:38:16,719 --> 00:38:19,360
Speaker 1: and Sasha's joy drunk brain wrote over any sense of

746
00:38:19,360 --> 00:38:23,320
Speaker 1: doubt she ought to have felt. Sasha buzzed with uncontained energy.

747
00:38:23,360 --> 00:38:26,520
Speaker 1: The rest of the night. Sleep was near impossible. She

748
00:38:26,600 --> 00:38:29,080
Speaker 1: tossed until the small hours of the morning, turning over

749
00:38:29,080 --> 00:38:32,440
Speaker 1: her memories of chat conversation she'd had with Alexander. His

750
00:38:32,480 --> 00:38:34,680
Speaker 1: face felt so clear and real in her memory that

751
00:38:34,719 --> 00:38:37,399
Speaker 1: she could almost touch it, and tomorrow she'd be able

752
00:38:37,440 --> 00:38:41,200
Speaker 1: to do just that. Sasha finally passed out about two

753
00:38:41,200 --> 00:38:44,080
Speaker 1: hours before Helen came round to wake them up. She

754
00:38:44,160 --> 00:38:47,520
Speaker 1: should have been exhausted. Instead, she found herself out of bed,

755
00:38:47,760 --> 00:38:50,520
Speaker 1: feet planted firmly on the ground before her mind was

756
00:38:50,560 --> 00:38:53,960
Speaker 1: even fully awake. Her subconscious was that eager to start

757
00:38:53,960 --> 00:38:57,160
Speaker 1: the day. She rinsed herself with extra care that morning.

758
00:38:57,480 --> 00:38:59,480
Speaker 1: May seemed to notice the added effort she put into

759
00:38:59,520 --> 00:39:02,040
Speaker 1: primping and called her out for it. You're not working

760
00:39:02,080 --> 00:39:04,560
Speaker 1: at the hospital to snag a doctor, she sneered. You

761
00:39:04,640 --> 00:39:08,680
Speaker 1: know that right. Sasha tried to ignore the comment. Susannah,

762
00:39:08,680 --> 00:39:11,200
Speaker 1: whose hand was still bandaged from her injury the other day,

763
00:39:11,400 --> 00:39:14,359
Speaker 1: spoke up in her defense. There's nothing wrong with being

764
00:39:14,440 --> 00:39:17,239
Speaker 1: extra clean May. It's probably important for the work she's

765
00:39:17,280 --> 00:39:20,120
Speaker 1: doing over there. Sasha's dealing with wounds and stuff, She's

766
00:39:20,120 --> 00:39:24,200
Speaker 1: not scrubbing toilets like you. Sasha was gratified by how

767
00:39:24,200 --> 00:39:27,640
Speaker 1: that made May's face blush. She flashed Susannah a grateful

768
00:39:27,680 --> 00:39:29,960
Speaker 1: smile and shuffled out of the washroom as quick as

769
00:39:30,000 --> 00:39:33,040
Speaker 1: she could manage. She headed outside and took in her

770
00:39:33,080 --> 00:39:36,319
Speaker 1: first deep gulp of the cool morning air. Cool might

771
00:39:36,360 --> 00:39:38,440
Speaker 1: have been too strong a word to use, but the

772
00:39:38,480 --> 00:39:41,239
Speaker 1: fresh air felt good on her skin. It only took

773
00:39:41,280 --> 00:39:43,359
Speaker 1: her a few seconds to spot the battered and dirt

774
00:39:43,480 --> 00:39:45,960
Speaker 1: specked jeep doctor Brandt had sent to pick her up.

775
00:39:46,480 --> 00:39:48,480
Speaker 1: A young man, maybe as young as her, with a

776
00:39:48,520 --> 00:39:51,400
Speaker 1: weak chin and an acne pocked face, sat behind the wheel.

777
00:39:51,840 --> 00:39:55,440
Speaker 1: Sasha waved to him, ran up and hopped in. It

778
00:39:55,520 --> 00:39:58,360
Speaker 1: wasn't a quick ride to the hospital. Large sections of

779
00:39:58,360 --> 00:40:00,840
Speaker 1: the road were destroyed, blocked by buble, or jammed with

780
00:40:00,880 --> 00:40:04,520
Speaker 1: traffic from refugees entering the Heavenly Kingdom. Seeing that had

781
00:40:04,560 --> 00:40:08,640
Speaker 1: gratified Sasha. More souls coming to God, she thought. For

782
00:40:08,680 --> 00:40:11,279
Speaker 1: the most part, she lost herself in thoughts of Alexander

783
00:40:11,360 --> 00:40:14,320
Speaker 1: until forty minutes later, the jeep rolled to a creaky

784
00:40:14,320 --> 00:40:17,279
Speaker 1: stop in front of the medical city of Plano. The

785
00:40:17,360 --> 00:40:21,640
Speaker 1: enormous hospital complex looked badly damaged and largely abandoned. Many

786
00:40:21,680 --> 00:40:23,799
Speaker 1: of the windows had been shot out or shattered by

787
00:40:23,880 --> 00:40:27,040
Speaker 1: large blasts. Several buildings had chunks of wall and roof

788
00:40:27,080 --> 00:40:29,360
Speaker 1: that had fallen in, but there were lights on in

789
00:40:29,400 --> 00:40:31,760
Speaker 1: many of the windows, and the hum of generators filled

790
00:40:31,760 --> 00:40:34,760
Speaker 1: the air of the front courtyard. Dozens of people milled about,

791
00:40:34,960 --> 00:40:38,680
Speaker 1: filled with purpose, running wires and wheeling patients Sasha was

792
00:40:38,719 --> 00:40:40,600
Speaker 1: excited at the thought that she might get to do

793
00:40:40,719 --> 00:40:43,799
Speaker 1: some actual work in a functioning emergency room. When she

794
00:40:43,840 --> 00:40:46,880
Speaker 1: found doctor Brandt, he quickly disabused her of those notions.

795
00:40:47,760 --> 00:40:49,920
Speaker 1: We're doing all right today. What I need you to

796
00:40:49,960 --> 00:40:52,120
Speaker 1: do is come in here and help me catalog which

797
00:40:52,160 --> 00:40:55,520
Speaker 1: medicines have spoiled. The power had gone out during the

798
00:40:55,560 --> 00:40:58,360
Speaker 1: fighting for the city, doctor Brandt explained, and the medical

799
00:40:58,400 --> 00:41:01,480
Speaker 1: storage room had been without refrigeor ration for almost two days.

800
00:41:01,800 --> 00:41:04,080
Speaker 1: He showed her how to check medical vials for signs

801
00:41:04,120 --> 00:41:06,840
Speaker 1: of spoilage, handed her a clipboard to mark her findings,

802
00:41:06,920 --> 00:41:09,440
Speaker 1: and told her to get to work. It was a menial,

803
00:41:09,600 --> 00:41:12,879
Speaker 1: painstaking task, and Sasha found herself missing the hell out

804
00:41:12,880 --> 00:41:15,759
Speaker 1: of cleaning. She hated it, but she devoted herself to

805
00:41:15,760 --> 00:41:19,640
Speaker 1: the work, and minute by minute the time passed. Eventually

806
00:41:19,680 --> 00:41:22,600
Speaker 1: it was time for her meeting with Alexander. Sasha pulled

807
00:41:22,640 --> 00:41:25,000
Speaker 1: herself away from the rows of vials and jars and

808
00:41:25,000 --> 00:41:27,600
Speaker 1: blister packs and headed outside to where she knew the

809
00:41:27,680 --> 00:41:30,719
Speaker 1: jeep would be waiting. Her driver that afternoon was a

810
00:41:30,719 --> 00:41:33,960
Speaker 1: different martyr, slightly older but still young. She was so

811
00:41:34,000 --> 00:41:36,960
Speaker 1: preoccupied with thoughts of Alexander that she almost forgot to

812
00:41:37,000 --> 00:41:38,960
Speaker 1: greet the man. He didn't seem to be in a

813
00:41:39,000 --> 00:41:41,719
Speaker 1: talkative mood either, though, and they rode in silence back

814
00:41:41,760 --> 00:41:44,640
Speaker 1: to the center of town. Sasha was so focused on

815
00:41:44,640 --> 00:41:47,120
Speaker 1: the butterflies in her stomach and trying to catch glimpses

816
00:41:47,160 --> 00:41:49,000
Speaker 1: of her hair and face in the rear view mirror

817
00:41:49,200 --> 00:41:51,880
Speaker 1: that she didn't notice the crowds thronging downtown until the

818
00:41:51,960 --> 00:41:53,680
Speaker 1: jeep rolled to a stop and it was time for

819
00:41:53,719 --> 00:41:57,480
Speaker 1: her to disembark. A familiar sense of queasy dread gripped

820
00:41:57,480 --> 00:42:00,239
Speaker 1: Sasha's guts as she exited the vehicle and looked out

821
00:42:00,280 --> 00:42:03,840
Speaker 1: over the crowd. They were converged around the gallows. Once again,

822
00:42:04,239 --> 00:42:06,399
Speaker 1: Sasha craned her neck and she was able to see

823
00:42:06,480 --> 00:42:09,960
Speaker 1: four men in filthy, tattered rags standing before the killing instrument.

824
00:42:10,200 --> 00:42:12,120
Speaker 1: It took her a second to recognize two of the

825
00:42:12,160 --> 00:42:14,279
Speaker 1: men as the porters who had first unloaded her from

826
00:42:14,320 --> 00:42:17,440
Speaker 1: the crate. An older bearded martyr and jet black body

827
00:42:17,520 --> 00:42:19,919
Speaker 1: armor stood before them. He held a bible in one

828
00:42:19,960 --> 00:42:22,920
Speaker 1: hand and a formidable looking handgun in the other. Sasha

829
00:42:22,960 --> 00:42:24,680
Speaker 1: started to push her way through the crowd for a

830
00:42:24,680 --> 00:42:27,200
Speaker 1: better look. She hadn't made it far when the bearded

831
00:42:27,200 --> 00:42:30,800
Speaker 1: martyr addressed the crowd. These four men were all once

832
00:42:30,840 --> 00:42:34,560
Speaker 1: employees of the secular abomination that calls itself the Republic

833
00:42:34,560 --> 00:42:38,200
Speaker 1: of Texas. He said, in his booming, stentorian voice, the

834
00:42:38,239 --> 00:42:41,799
Speaker 1: Heavenly Kingdom offered them mercy in the form of indentured servitude.

835
00:42:42,040 --> 00:42:44,800
Speaker 1: All we asked, he scanned his eyes across the crowd.

836
00:42:45,040 --> 00:42:47,040
Speaker 1: The left corner of his lip curled up into a

837
00:42:47,040 --> 00:42:51,400
Speaker 1: slight growl. All we asked for was their honest, obedient labor.

838
00:42:51,719 --> 00:42:55,120
Speaker 1: And they repaid this mercy by stealing food and supplies

839
00:42:55,160 --> 00:42:58,680
Speaker 1: meant for the Heavenly Kingdom's brave soldiers. He lifted his

840
00:42:58,680 --> 00:43:01,279
Speaker 1: big pistol up into the sky and fired off four

841
00:43:01,320 --> 00:43:05,359
Speaker 1: shots in quick secession. These men stole from God. There

842
00:43:05,440 --> 00:43:08,520
Speaker 1: was only one proper punishment for such a sin. He

843
00:43:08,600 --> 00:43:11,040
Speaker 1: turned back towards the gallows and knotted at a hooded

844
00:43:11,080 --> 00:43:13,160
Speaker 1: martyr who stood behind him. With a hand on the

845
00:43:13,200 --> 00:43:16,680
Speaker 1: thick wooden lever that operated the whole grim apparatus. The

846
00:43:16,680 --> 00:43:19,160
Speaker 1: other man pulled downwards, and the four bodies on the

847
00:43:19,200 --> 00:43:22,959
Speaker 1: scaffold dropped with a sickening chorus of snaps. Sasha felt

848
00:43:22,960 --> 00:43:26,440
Speaker 1: her stomach turned sour this time. Though she watched, she

849
00:43:26,520 --> 00:43:28,880
Speaker 1: didn't take her eyes off the gallows until the last

850
00:43:28,920 --> 00:43:32,480
Speaker 1: man had ceased his twitching. It's not a pleasant side,

851
00:43:32,760 --> 00:43:37,000
Speaker 1: is it? That voice? Sasha recognized it immediately. It was

852
00:43:37,040 --> 00:43:39,359
Speaker 1: the voice she'd heard a hundred different times over her deck,

853
00:43:39,600 --> 00:43:41,399
Speaker 1: hidden up in her room back in the ham fed.

854
00:43:41,760 --> 00:43:43,680
Speaker 1: It was the voice of the first man she'd ever

855
00:43:43,719 --> 00:43:47,799
Speaker 1: really loved. It was Alexander. Sasha turned around, and her

856
00:43:47,840 --> 00:43:51,120
Speaker 1: heart nearly burst at the side of him. He was tall, broad,

857
00:43:51,160 --> 00:43:53,840
Speaker 1: and muscular in a way that somehow seemed comforting and

858
00:43:53,920 --> 00:43:57,720
Speaker 1: not scary. His mop of curly brown hair, lopsided smile,

859
00:43:57,760 --> 00:44:00,480
Speaker 1: and round, permanent jawline were all ex lee as she

860
00:44:00,520 --> 00:44:03,680
Speaker 1: remembered from their dozens of chat sessions. He wore alive

861
00:44:03,680 --> 00:44:06,640
Speaker 1: green fatigues that looked stained and burned in a few places.

862
00:44:06,960 --> 00:44:09,640
Speaker 1: His hair was greasy, and there were great big bags

863
00:44:09,719 --> 00:44:12,640
Speaker 1: under his eyes. But he was here, He was real.

864
00:44:13,160 --> 00:44:16,280
Speaker 1: She collapsed into him. Before she realized it, she'd started

865
00:44:16,320 --> 00:44:18,160
Speaker 1: to sob. I love you, I love you, I love you.

866
00:44:18,200 --> 00:44:20,680
Speaker 1: I thought you were dead. I love you. He hesitated

867
00:44:20,719 --> 00:44:23,440
Speaker 1: for several long beats before he returned her embrace, but

868
00:44:23,480 --> 00:44:26,520
Speaker 1: he returned it with gusto. His hands crept down from

869
00:44:26,520 --> 00:44:29,120
Speaker 1: her sides to her buttocks. He squeezed her. It was

870
00:44:29,160 --> 00:44:32,160
Speaker 1: a gesture she'd fantasized about several times in her weaker,

871
00:44:32,440 --> 00:44:35,719
Speaker 1: more carnal moments. It was not something she'd expected a

872
00:44:35,760 --> 00:44:38,880
Speaker 1: godly man like Alexander to do out in public, surrounded

873
00:44:38,880 --> 00:44:42,960
Speaker 1: by people in the immediate aftermath of an execution. Sasha

874
00:44:43,000 --> 00:44:46,520
Speaker 1: pulled back and coughed in surprise. She didn't say anything, though,

875
00:44:46,760 --> 00:44:48,680
Speaker 1: she didn't want to mar their first meeting with that,

876
00:44:49,200 --> 00:44:51,600
Speaker 1: and she also remembered something Pastor Mike had written in

877
00:44:51,640 --> 00:44:55,360
Speaker 1: Revelator that the beastly nature of man must be salved

878
00:44:55,360 --> 00:44:58,479
Speaker 1: by the goodness of women. Alexander had just been several

879
00:44:58,560 --> 00:45:01,240
Speaker 1: days up at the front. He must seen terrible things.

880
00:45:01,520 --> 00:45:03,880
Speaker 1: It was understandable that his self control would not be

881
00:45:03,920 --> 00:45:07,279
Speaker 1: at its peak right now. Still, she didn't like the

882
00:45:07,320 --> 00:45:09,520
Speaker 1: way he looked her up and down. There was something

883
00:45:09,560 --> 00:45:11,680
Speaker 1: of the wolf in his eyes. It was not the

884
00:45:11,760 --> 00:45:15,719
Speaker 1: look she dreamed of seeing. But then he spoke, Sasha,

885
00:45:15,920 --> 00:45:18,200
Speaker 1: I'm so proud of you. I didn't know if I'd

886
00:45:18,200 --> 00:45:20,480
Speaker 1: ever get to see you here. I wasn't sure if

887
00:45:20,480 --> 00:45:22,840
Speaker 1: you'd be willing to truly commit yourself to our Lord,

888
00:45:23,120 --> 00:45:25,160
Speaker 1: but I prayed that you would. And now, by the

889
00:45:25,200 --> 00:45:28,200
Speaker 1: grace of God, you're here, and you're even more beautiful

890
00:45:28,200 --> 00:45:33,040
Speaker 1: than you looked online. Sasha blushed. How could she not look?

891
00:45:33,280 --> 00:45:35,960
Speaker 1: He waved a hand towards the gallows and the bodies.

892
00:45:36,440 --> 00:45:38,520
Speaker 1: Things are still sort of a mess around here, but

893
00:45:38,600 --> 00:45:41,120
Speaker 1: I know one cafe near by us up and running again.

894
00:45:41,400 --> 00:45:43,520
Speaker 1: I've got enough rash and tokens to get us both

895
00:45:43,520 --> 00:45:46,000
Speaker 1: a cup of coffee. What would you say to that,

896
00:45:46,920 --> 00:45:50,560
Speaker 1: I'd say yes. She smiled at him. Her earlier reservations

897
00:45:50,560 --> 00:45:52,960
Speaker 1: dissolved as she took his hand and followed him down

898
00:45:53,040 --> 00:45:55,960
Speaker 1: the street, past the gallows, in the dispersing crowd, and

899
00:45:56,040 --> 00:45:58,840
Speaker 1: towards the cafe. In a minute, they were there. It

900
00:45:58,920 --> 00:46:02,160
Speaker 1: was a small place, one rectangular room with a coffee maker,

901
00:46:02,360 --> 00:46:04,960
Speaker 1: a half dozen tables in an outer patio area with

902
00:46:05,000 --> 00:46:08,440
Speaker 1: another half dozen tables. There was a generator, power and

903
00:46:08,440 --> 00:46:11,920
Speaker 1: air conditioning inside, so they sat there. Alexander ordered them

904
00:46:11,960 --> 00:46:14,919
Speaker 1: two large cups of black coffee. He sat down while

905
00:46:14,960 --> 00:46:17,280
Speaker 1: he waited for their order and stared into her eyes.

906
00:46:17,640 --> 00:46:20,680
Speaker 1: She stared back for a while, that was all they did.

907
00:46:21,520 --> 00:46:23,960
Speaker 1: It's so good to see you, Sasha said. I've been

908
00:46:24,000 --> 00:46:26,439
Speaker 1: working at the hospital and I've seen so many wounded men.

909
00:46:26,719 --> 00:46:28,560
Speaker 1: I couldn't stop thinking I was going to see you

910
00:46:28,600 --> 00:46:32,040
Speaker 1: in one of those beds, broken and bleeding. He smiled

911
00:46:32,080 --> 00:46:33,960
Speaker 1: at her. Then he reached his left hand out and

912
00:46:34,000 --> 00:46:37,200
Speaker 1: sat it on top of hers. Sasha shivered. She couldn't

913
00:46:37,200 --> 00:46:40,480
Speaker 1: help it. Things stirred inside her. She felt a sudden,

914
00:46:40,560 --> 00:46:43,440
Speaker 1: powerful urge to possess his body, to hold him and

915
00:46:43,440 --> 00:46:46,319
Speaker 1: squeeze him and be explored in turn. She clamped her

916
00:46:46,320 --> 00:46:49,200
Speaker 1: mouth tight and focused on trying not to give all

917
00:46:49,200 --> 00:46:52,960
Speaker 1: her thoughts away through the blush in her cheeks. Sasha,

918
00:46:53,239 --> 00:46:56,239
Speaker 1: he said, it brings me such joy to see you here.

919
00:46:56,520 --> 00:46:59,040
Speaker 1: And don't worry. I know the situation at the Ladies

920
00:46:59,120 --> 00:47:02,520
Speaker 1: Barracks is rather primitive, but I'm talking to my commanding offices.

921
00:47:02,840 --> 00:47:05,040
Speaker 1: As soon as we get married, you'll be a part

922
00:47:05,040 --> 00:47:08,160
Speaker 1: of my household. We'll be able to live together, We'll

923
00:47:08,160 --> 00:47:10,840
Speaker 1: build a life, and that life will help build the heaven,

924
00:47:10,880 --> 00:47:14,480
Speaker 1: the kingdom. She was stunned for a moment. Sasha began

925
00:47:14,560 --> 00:47:16,400
Speaker 1: to tear up, and all she could do was not

926
00:47:16,560 --> 00:47:19,520
Speaker 1: at him. This was like a dream. It was, of course,

927
00:47:19,640 --> 00:47:23,239
Speaker 1: rather different from her actual dreams, which had involved Alexander

928
00:47:23,280 --> 00:47:25,799
Speaker 1: in a house, but not so many bleeding and dying men,

929
00:47:26,160 --> 00:47:30,200
Speaker 1: nor a gallows. Their coffee arrived, Alexander took a sip

930
00:47:30,239 --> 00:47:33,680
Speaker 1: and she followed suit. He continued, I know you're working

931
00:47:33,719 --> 00:47:36,840
Speaker 1: at the hospital now. I'm sorry about that. I'm sorry

932
00:47:36,840 --> 00:47:39,879
Speaker 1: you had to spend so much time scrubbing toilets. As

933
00:47:39,880 --> 00:47:42,080
Speaker 1: soon as I can get you off those duties, I will.

934
00:47:42,280 --> 00:47:45,040
Speaker 1: Oh no, she interjected, I love working with doctor brand.

935
00:47:45,160 --> 00:47:46,960
Speaker 1: It's important and I want to do my part to

936
00:47:46,960 --> 00:47:51,040
Speaker 1: help the kingdom thrive. Something passed across Alexander's face. It

937
00:47:51,080 --> 00:47:54,239
Speaker 1: looked like irritation, perhaps at her interruption, but it was

938
00:47:54,280 --> 00:47:58,839
Speaker 1: gone quickly and his smile returned. That's admirable, Sasha. You're

939
00:47:58,880 --> 00:48:02,000
Speaker 1: a remarkable young If that's what you want, I'm sure

940
00:48:02,040 --> 00:48:04,720
Speaker 1: you can continue to help out there until you're with child.

941
00:48:05,360 --> 00:48:08,840
Speaker 1: With child, Sasha felt guilty for the horror in her voice.

942
00:48:09,120 --> 00:48:11,640
Speaker 1: Of course she wanted children, she just didn't want them

943
00:48:11,680 --> 00:48:17,120
Speaker 1: now or particularly soon. Alexander nodded, we must be fruitful

944
00:48:17,160 --> 00:48:20,280
Speaker 1: in multiply, so the heavenly kingdom can remain and expand.

945
00:48:20,719 --> 00:48:24,160
Speaker 1: His smile was so warm, so kind. I know you've

946
00:48:24,160 --> 00:48:26,800
Speaker 1: read more of past and my ex writing than I have. Sasha,

947
00:48:27,120 --> 00:48:30,040
Speaker 1: you're a very smart girl, but God made you to

948
00:48:30,080 --> 00:48:33,560
Speaker 1: bring forth more children. You wouldn't want to delay your purpose,

949
00:48:33,640 --> 00:48:39,320
Speaker 1: would you? Maybe? A little? She thought? No? She lied good.

950
00:48:39,719 --> 00:48:42,680
Speaker 1: He smiled again. And don't worry. You won't have to

951
00:48:42,719 --> 00:48:46,120
Speaker 1: do it alone. Mollia already has a child, and Adelaide's

952
00:48:46,120 --> 00:48:50,040
Speaker 1: two months pregnant. They'll help you too. The world stopped,

953
00:48:50,280 --> 00:48:52,919
Speaker 1: at least it did for Sasha. She could tell people

954
00:48:52,920 --> 00:48:55,800
Speaker 1: were still moving around her, but Sasha's reality had shrunk

955
00:48:55,840 --> 00:48:58,000
Speaker 1: to the pounding sound of her heart in a twisting

956
00:48:58,040 --> 00:49:03,640
Speaker 1: in her gut. Ad late and Mollia. Alexander gritted his teeth.

957
00:49:03,920 --> 00:49:06,080
Speaker 1: There was something almost practiced in the way he said.

958
00:49:06,080 --> 00:49:10,399
Speaker 1: What came next? Adelaide and Malia are my wives, as

959
00:49:10,520 --> 00:49:14,279
Speaker 1: you will be? Well, Alexander, you didn't say anything about

960
00:49:14,280 --> 00:49:16,680
Speaker 1: other wives. You never mentioned them at all. Why are

961
00:49:16,840 --> 00:49:19,520
Speaker 1: how can you be telling me all this now? His

962
00:49:19,640 --> 00:49:22,480
Speaker 1: smile turned sad, or at least it gave the illusion

963
00:49:22,520 --> 00:49:25,840
Speaker 1: of sadness. Sasha was still too shocked for anger. She

964
00:49:25,920 --> 00:49:28,040
Speaker 1: felt like a whole had just been knocked in her heart.

965
00:49:28,520 --> 00:49:30,800
Speaker 1: She knew she should be angry, but she also felt

966
00:49:30,840 --> 00:49:34,320
Speaker 1: like there must be something missing, something she didn't understand yet.

967
00:49:34,600 --> 00:49:38,920
Speaker 1: Alexander was a sweet boy. He wouldn't do this to her. Look,

968
00:49:39,120 --> 00:49:42,640
Speaker 1: he said, I'm sorry. This is never easy. You understand

969
00:49:42,680 --> 00:49:45,839
Speaker 1: how important the Heavenly Kingdom is, Sasha. Nothing in the

970
00:49:45,880 --> 00:49:48,960
Speaker 1: world could Madam are, and the kingdom will not survive

971
00:49:49,040 --> 00:49:52,080
Speaker 1: without people like you. One of my jobs here is

972
00:49:52,160 --> 00:49:54,600
Speaker 1: to push young women like you to take the terrible

973
00:49:54,680 --> 00:49:58,520
Speaker 1: risk of coming here. And so you lied, She croaked,

974
00:49:58,680 --> 00:50:02,600
Speaker 1: barely able to believe what was happening, You, poor false witness. Alexander.

975
00:50:02,719 --> 00:50:06,759
Speaker 1: I I did not lie. His voice hardened, and so

976
00:50:06,880 --> 00:50:09,560
Speaker 1: did his eyes. I did not tell you about every

977
00:50:09,560 --> 00:50:12,280
Speaker 1: aspect of my life here, but I did not lie.

978
00:50:12,920 --> 00:50:15,520
Speaker 1: He sighed, took a sip from his coffee, and continued.

979
00:50:16,120 --> 00:50:18,960
Speaker 1: I'm part of a special unit within the Kingdom, formed

980
00:50:18,960 --> 00:50:21,440
Speaker 1: on the order of the past. To himself, he calls

981
00:50:21,520 --> 00:50:24,439
Speaker 1: us jacobeans. It is our job to see the next

982
00:50:24,480 --> 00:50:29,239
Speaker 1: generation of modus. We take personal responsibility for the Kingdom's expansion.

983
00:50:29,840 --> 00:50:32,040
Speaker 1: Finding you and bringing you here was one part of

984
00:50:32,040 --> 00:50:34,640
Speaker 1: my work in this great cause. If I had told

985
00:50:34,680 --> 00:50:38,239
Speaker 1: you every detail about life here, every single thing, you

986
00:50:38,280 --> 00:50:41,800
Speaker 1: wouldn't have come, and your soul would have stayed in jeopardy.

987
00:50:42,120 --> 00:50:45,520
Speaker 1: He took another deep, arrogant sip of his coffee. I'm

988
00:50:45,560 --> 00:50:47,920
Speaker 1: sorry if this hurts you, but it was for the

989
00:50:47,960 --> 00:50:51,640
Speaker 1: greater good. We must sometimes do distasteful things to serve

990
00:50:51,680 --> 00:50:56,440
Speaker 1: God's design. Sasha's vision went red. She stood and, without thinking,

991
00:50:56,640 --> 00:50:59,520
Speaker 1: grabbed her now lukewarm mug of coffee and splashed the

992
00:50:59,560 --> 00:51:02,600
Speaker 1: whole thing in Alexander's face. He yelled at her and

993
00:51:02,600 --> 00:51:05,040
Speaker 1: sputtered like a goldfish, but she was already up and

994
00:51:05,040 --> 00:51:07,799
Speaker 1: heading for the door. She flung it open, walked out

995
00:51:07,840 --> 00:51:10,400
Speaker 1: into the crowded street, and lost herself in the press

996
00:51:10,400 --> 00:51:12,840
Speaker 1: of the crowd and the boiling waves of her own anchor.

997
00:51:16,040 --> 00:51:18,480
Speaker 1: Hey I'm Robert Evans. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

998
00:51:18,560 --> 00:51:20,239
Speaker 1: I hope you enjoyed the chapters to come. You can

999
00:51:20,280 --> 00:51:22,840
Speaker 1: find the free e pub of every chapter and eventually

1000
00:51:22,840 --> 00:51:24,959
Speaker 1: the whole book at a t r book dot com,

1001
00:51:25,080 --> 00:51:28,239
Speaker 1: complete with illustrations. If you want to support me in

1002
00:51:28,280 --> 00:51:31,440
Speaker 1: writing the sequel, you can crowdfund me at After the Revolution.

1003
00:51:31,480 --> 00:51:33,480
Speaker 1: The sequel at go fund me. Just type and go

1004
00:51:33,600 --> 00:51:37,040
Speaker 1: fund me after the Revolution the sequel. Um. I'd like

1005
00:51:37,120 --> 00:51:39,359
Speaker 1: my books to always be free, so I'm just going

1006
00:51:39,400 --> 00:51:41,920
Speaker 1: to try to crowdfund the next one and see how

1007
00:51:41,920 --> 00:51:44,200
Speaker 1: that works. So after the Revolution the sequel on go

1008
00:51:44,360 --> 00:51:47,880
Speaker 1: fund me. You can also find the community of fans

1009
00:51:47,880 --> 00:51:51,680
Speaker 1: of this book online at our slash after the Revolution

1010
00:51:51,840 --> 00:51:55,279
Speaker 1: on Reddit. So after the Revolution the sequel on go

1011
00:51:55,360 --> 00:51:58,200
Speaker 1: fund me and are slash after the Revolution on Reddit.

1012
00:51:58,480 --> 00:52:00,399
Speaker 1: A t r book dot com for the old book.

1013
00:52:00,480 --> 00:52:00,760
Speaker 1: Thanks