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Speaker 1: the fourth dot Org brought to you by the United

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Speaker 1: States Fourth Service and the AD Council. Chapter fifteen Sasha

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Speaker 1: the Man on the gurney was the most comprehensively broken

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Speaker 1: human Sasha had ever seen. His jaw had been ripped

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Speaker 1: completely out of its socket and shattered in four places.

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Speaker 1: His eyes had been gouged into horrible, smashed grape looking things.

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Speaker 1: His hands and fingers were all broken, as were his

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Speaker 1: feet and shins. His ears appeared to have been bitten off.

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Speaker 1: His tongue had been severed, and the wound cauterized with

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Speaker 1: something that had charred the flesh black. Sasha hadn't known

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Speaker 1: a person could take such punishment and survive. The chart

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Speaker 1: at the end of the bed identified him as Sergeant Lufkin,

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Speaker 1: a two year veteran martyr who had been guarding a

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Speaker 1: checkpoint outside of Dallas. He was conscious. Every now and

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Speaker 1: then he'd thrash about and let out a burbling moan,

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Speaker 1: but the man didn't appear capable of any sort of

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Speaker 1: intelligible communication. Well these aren't combat injuries, doctor Brand said.

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Speaker 1: These men look almost like they've been in a car wreck,

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Speaker 1: only the damage is too precise and too deliberately targeted.

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Speaker 1: I've never seen anything like it. It was Sasha's duty

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Speaker 1: to administer the men's pain killers. Just a tiny drop

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Speaker 1: of morphine each. It wasn't enough by any proper hospital standards.

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Speaker 1: The soldiers were all in clear agony, but the Heavenly

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Speaker 1: Kingdom was short on pain killers, and this was the

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Speaker 1: most they could afford to spare for invalids, as doctor

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Speaker 1: Brandt had called them. This frustrated Sasha. Her mother's hospital

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Speaker 1: could have restored all four men to full health and

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Speaker 1: vigor with perhaps a month of treatment and physical therapy,

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Speaker 1: but the Heavenly Kingdom forbade that grown organs and limbs

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Speaker 1: cloning contravened the Lord's will. Sasha agreed with that in theory.

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Speaker 1: She'd fled to the Heavenly Kingdom partly because she believed

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Speaker 1: juven treatments had robbed the ampt of its humanity. But still,

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Speaker 1: it seemed so wrong that these men would go the

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Speaker 1: rest of their lives as twitching and sinceate lumps of flesh.

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Speaker 1: The number of things that felt wrong about this place

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Speaker 1: grew every day. The executions had been the first big

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Speaker 1: shock to her system, but she'd accepted Helen's justification. The

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Speaker 1: Bible was filled with decent men doing awful things in

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Speaker 1: times of war. The gallows weren't pretty, but they were

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Speaker 1: hardly without biblical precedent. She'd been unable to justify Alexander's

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Speaker 1: actions in the same way. Oh, yes, she knew polygamy

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Speaker 1: was condoned by the Word of God. She'd read about

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Speaker 1: Lammick and Abraham, and Solomon and David, and of course Jacob,

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Speaker 1: the patriarch of the Twelve Tribes of Israel and a

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Speaker 1: parent namesake for Alexander's order. She still hated what he'd

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Speaker 1: done to her. Sasha couldn't bring herself to believe that

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Speaker 1: a man as truly good as Pastor Mike would condone

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Speaker 1: their actions. Polygamy is a biblically sound strategy for a

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Speaker 1: people on the edge of destruction, He'd written in one

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Speaker 1: of his Revelator columns. But it is not the human ideal,

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Speaker 1: and our Lord's eyes, the most perfect union is one man,

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Speaker 1: one woman, and as many children as they can bear.

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Speaker 1: Had he decided since that the heavenly Kingdom was a

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Speaker 1: people on the edge of destruction. After the disastrous meeting

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Speaker 1: with Alexander, Sasha had made her way back to the

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Speaker 1: House of Miriam. Helen was seated at her desk when

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Speaker 1: Sasha barged in. The older woman looked tired resigned and

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Speaker 1: almost depressed. It seemed as if she'd been waiting for Sasha. Hello, dear,

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Speaker 1: she said, with a sad smile. I assume you just

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Speaker 1: met Alexander. Yes, Sasha couldn't help but shout. What they're

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Speaker 1: doing is vile, Helen. He wanted me as his third wife.

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Speaker 1: He lied to convince me to come down here. He says.

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Speaker 1: There's a whole group of martyrs. They call themselves Jacobeans,

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Speaker 1: and they're just catfishing girls down here. We have to

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Speaker 1: tell someone. This isn't okay, this is so wrong. I

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Speaker 1: just I can't. Sasha started to sob. She'd been too

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Speaker 1: angry to cry in front of Alexander. But the House

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Speaker 1: of Miriam was a safe place. Helen was a safe person.

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Speaker 1: Sasha's grief caught up with her anger, and she found

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Speaker 1: herself doubled over on the floor, racked by sobs. She

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Speaker 1: lost herself in sorrow for a few long heartbeats, and

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Speaker 1: then Helen was are beside her. She felt the older

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Speaker 1: woman's strong arms around her, felt a hand running through

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Speaker 1: her hair. There there, child, it's all right, it's going

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Speaker 1: to be okay. We have to do something, Sasha choked

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Speaker 1: out Pastor Mike needs to know what's being done in

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Speaker 1: his name. She looked up into Helen's eyes. She saw

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Speaker 1: pain and anger there, Sasha. Helen said, this will be

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Speaker 1: hard for you to understand, but the Pastor is well

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Speaker 1: aware of what those men are doing. I've spoken to

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Speaker 1: him about it myself. Sasha stiffened. She pulled away from Helen,

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Speaker 1: and Helen let her go. They sat next to each

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Speaker 1: other on the floor in silence until Sasha spoke again.

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Speaker 1: Authenticity is the strongest arrow in our quiver. She quoted,

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Speaker 1: When did that stop being true? When did it become

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Speaker 1: okay to lie in the name of the Lord? Helen

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Speaker 1: sighed and shook her head. It's not okay, But so

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Speaker 1: much about this world we live in is not okay.

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Speaker 1: They still murder forty thousand babies per year in the

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Speaker 1: American Federation, hundred thousand in the California Republic. Sodomi and

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Speaker 1: cloning are rampant across the world. We the faithful are

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Speaker 1: surrounded on all sides. Sasha recognized that last line. It

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Speaker 1: was the opening sentence of Pastor Mike's infamous Sinful Continent

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Speaker 1: in the hands of an angry god Callumn. Sasha couldn't

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Speaker 1: deny the truth of those words. Everything Helen said was accurate.

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Speaker 1: But but how are we any better than them if

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Speaker 1: we stooped to dishonesty to fill the heavenly kingdom. Helen

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Speaker 1: stiffened and straightened her back. We are better than them, dear,

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Speaker 1: because our goals are godly. There was a hint of

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Speaker 1: pride in her voice. We are fighting for the one

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Speaker 1: singular truth. You must never forget that the men and

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Speaker 1: women fighting for that truth are flawed. We are all falluable,

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Speaker 1: we will all fall short of God's standards. But we

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Speaker 1: are also the only ones trying to meet God's standards.

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Speaker 1: And that makes what Alexander did okay. Helen shook her head.

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Speaker 1: Sasha saw tears in the corner of the older woman's eyes. No, child,

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Speaker 1: nothing makes it okay. You are wronged. That boy played

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Speaker 1: with your heart. He lied to you about his love,

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Speaker 1: and that's an unforgivable thing. But you're here now, aren't you,

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Speaker 1: And that's what matters most. Helen held her and talked

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Speaker 1: with her for the next few hours. By the time

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Speaker 1: the other girls came back, she felt better. Not good exactly,

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Speaker 1: but better, stable enough to not burst into tears. During dinner.

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Speaker 1: She kept quiet at meal time and was glad that

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Speaker 1: the others seemed too exhausted from their day of labor

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Speaker 1: to say much either. After dinner, they had another hour

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Speaker 1: of personal time. Anne and Susannah zeroed in on her

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Speaker 1: with military precision. Sasha's vaunted poker face hadn't been enough

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Speaker 1: to hide her sorrow. Her new friends had guided her

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Speaker 1: to a corner of the room where they'd have relative privacy.

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Speaker 1: What's wrong, Anne asked in a low voice. She and

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Speaker 1: Susannah both laid their hands on Sasha's shoulders. Sasha reached

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Speaker 1: up to grasp both their hands. It happened automatically, as

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Speaker 1: if by reflex, but it brought her great comfort. She

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Speaker 1: closed her eyes and stood quiet for a moment as

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Speaker 1: her mind and heart calmed down. I met Alexander to day,

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Speaker 1: she said. Anne looked confused. Susannah frowned, then laughed and asked,

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Speaker 1: what did have? Bad breath? Where his eyes all? She

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Speaker 1: blew out her cheeks and crossed her eyes. Anne laughed,

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Speaker 1: but Sasha stayed quiet. Susanna smile faded. Sash. She said,

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Speaker 1: in a quiet voice, what happened? Sasha looked from Susanna

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Speaker 1: to Anne. She felt a surge of gratitude and her

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Speaker 1: new friends for being there at all. She took a

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Speaker 1: deep breath in and then told them what had happened.

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Speaker 1: She went quickly in the hope that her clipped recitation

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Speaker 1: of events would make it all seem less devastating. Oh, Sasha,

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Speaker 1: Anne said, I am so sorry. This has to be

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Speaker 1: some sort of mistake. Helen didn't seem to think so,

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Speaker 1: Sasha said, I don't think Alexander lied about the sons

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Speaker 1: of Jacob being powerful here. It's chaos right now, sash.

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Speaker 1: Susanna assured her. Maybe a few guys can get away

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Speaker 1: with acting like this now during the war, but once

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Speaker 1: it's over, Pastor Mike won't let them treat us like this.

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Speaker 1: Anne nodded. Kyle getsitated back from the front tomorrow, she said,

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Speaker 1: I'll ask him about the sons of Jacob. Maybe he'll

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Speaker 1: know something we can do. Sasha knew from the look

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Speaker 1: she'd seen in Helen's eyes that further protest against the

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Speaker 1: Jacobeans would be useless, and besides, she thought the most

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Speaker 1: painful thing was Alexander's dishonesty. He's already hurt me as

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Speaker 1: much as he can She tried to convince herself of that,

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Speaker 1: just as she tried to enjoy the company of her

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Speaker 1: friends without dwelling on the face of the boy who

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Speaker 1: betrayed her. She was less than successful. Bedtime came, the

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Speaker 1: girls washed up, said their good nights, and snuggled up

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Speaker 1: in their beds. As usual, Sasha's mind stayed awake and active.

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Speaker 1: She wasn't having second thoughts exactly, of course, not never,

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Speaker 1: but so much about today felt wrong. Alexander and the

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Speaker 1: sons of Jacob, of course, but also that the brave

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Speaker 1: men she'd worked on that afternoon would never walk or

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Speaker 1: see or talk again. This is war, she reminded herself.

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Speaker 1: A great deal of it is going to seem wrong.

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Speaker 1: The next morning and afternoon went by in a haze

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Speaker 1: of industrious activity, breakfast and bandages, preparing medications for doctors

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Speaker 1: and nurses. Sasha lost herself in the work and for

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Speaker 1: a few hours wasn't happy or sad. Her shift at

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Speaker 1: the hospital ended at five, She took her nightly jeep

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Speaker 1: ride back to the House of Miriam, but rather than

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Speaker 1: going right inside, she decided to take a walk around

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Speaker 1: the downtown strip. She had a few ration scripts in

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Speaker 1: her pocket, enough that she could have bought coffee or

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Speaker 1: even a meal in the one functioning restaurant still in town.

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Speaker 1: But she wasn't hungry. She just wanted to walk. This

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Speaker 1: part of the Heavenly Kingdom looked less like a war

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Speaker 1: zone and more like a functional polus. With every passing day.

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Speaker 1: Most of the piles of rubble and spent shell casings

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Speaker 1: were gone. Now there was still quite a lot of

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Speaker 1: damage to all the buildings and very few intact windows

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Speaker 1: to be found, but that strange spoiled milk smell was gone.

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Speaker 1: Some shops were open again, along with a small farmer's

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Speaker 1: market about ten minutes down from the House of Miriam.

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Speaker 1: There were people out too, not many families yet, but

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Speaker 1: she saw a lot of sweaty, tired looking soldiers. They

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Speaker 1: wandered in small groups and clustered around the strips only

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Speaker 1: functional cafe. There were refugees too, and new immigrants to

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Speaker 1: the Kingdom. Greeters in blue and white uniforms. The foot

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Speaker 1: soldiers of the Kingdom's Immigration Department, led columns of them

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Speaker 1: down the main drag and into old government buildings that

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Speaker 1: had been repurposed into housing collectives. Sasha felt herself filled

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Speaker 1: with a strange pride at odds with all the doubt

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Speaker 1: that still roiled in her gut. From right here, the

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Speaker 1: Heavenly Kingdom looked exactly like what had been promised to her.

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Speaker 1: It was still rough, raw and unfinished, but it overflowed

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Speaker 1: with the good intentions of godly men and women. Helen

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Speaker 1: had been right. Sasha could see that now, as ugly

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Speaker 1: as Alexander's lies were, as detestable as she found the

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Speaker 1: whole idea of the Jacopeans, the Heavenly Kingdom was still

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Speaker 1: a thing of beauty. It was still worth fighting for.

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Speaker 1: She just had to accept that it would never be perfect.

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Speaker 1: And Hello, Sasha. She stopped. The hare prickled up on

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Speaker 1: the back of her neck. Sasha turned round to face Alexander.

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Speaker 1: Sasha had been lost in thoughts, so it was hard

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Speaker 1: to say for how long they'd been following her. Three

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Speaker 1: other men were with him. They all wore clean, pressed,

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Speaker 1: new uniforms and sidearms at their waists. She didn't recognize

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Speaker 1: the rank insickneas on their shoulders, but she did notice

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Speaker 1: that each of them wore a large gold badge in

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Speaker 1: the shape of a lion's head on their lapel. She'd

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Speaker 1: seen a lot of uniformed martyrs during her short time

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Speaker 1: with the Heavenly Kingdom. She'd never seen a badge like

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Speaker 1: that before. Hello, Alexander. She tried to keep her voice

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Speaker 1: cool but respectful. Hello, brothers, Peace be with you and

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Speaker 1: also with you. The other young men mumbled by habit,

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Speaker 1: are you walking alone right now, Medea, Alexander asked, his

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Speaker 1: lips curled up into an unctuous smile. That worries me.

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Speaker 1: These streets still on as safe as they should be.

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Speaker 1: Let us walk with you a while. Sasha stiffened. There

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Speaker 1: was something dark in Alexander's eyes. She wondered if it

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Speaker 1: had always been there and she just ignored it before

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Speaker 1: her heart began to race. Sweat beat it on the

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Speaker 1: back of her neck. There were a lot of people

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Speaker 1: around still, but she was away from the most crowded

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Speaker 1: part of the main drag. It wouldn't be hard for

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Speaker 1: three strong young men to move her somewhere less visible.

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Speaker 1: I'd prefer to walk alone, she tried to keep her tone.

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Speaker 1: Even Sasha felt like they must still have heard the

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Speaker 1: trembling in her voice. That's nonsense, Sasha, Alexander said. No

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Speaker 1: woman wants to be alone when they can enjoy the

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Speaker 1: company of their protect us. He stepped towards her, reached

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Speaker 1: a hand out and brushed the hair away from her eyes.

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00:13:21,440 --> 00:13:24,880
Speaker 1: Alexander stroked her cheek. His hand drifted down to her shoulder,

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Speaker 1: where he applied firm pressure. Sasha wanted to pull away,

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Speaker 1: but Alexander was much stronger than she was. He had

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Speaker 1: a gun, and two friends with guns, and apparently the

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Speaker 1: personal support of Pastor Mike, so she stood still and

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Speaker 1: tried to stop her heart from beating quite so fast. Sasha,

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Speaker 1: he said, in the gentle, sweet voice that had helped

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Speaker 1: to carry her here. You deserve to be cared for.

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Speaker 1: I know the full truth was a shock to you,

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Speaker 1: and I'm not angry at your reaction, really, but you

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Speaker 1: still hold it on to fragments of the secular world.

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Speaker 1: You need to drop that veil from your eyes and

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Speaker 1: accept that God wants this. He wants men like us,

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Speaker 1: Alexander gestured to his friends, men with superior talents, to

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Speaker 1: breed and fill the world with more holy warriors. Sasha

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Speaker 1: closed her eyes. She took a deep breath in and out,

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Speaker 1: and then another. Just go with it, a part of

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00:14:16,160 --> 00:14:18,240
Speaker 1: her said, he won't hurt you if you just tell

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Speaker 1: him what he wants to hear. She knew that wasn't right,

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Speaker 1: though she hadn't risked her life to cross into the

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Speaker 1: heavenly kingdom just to compromise her morals. Now I am

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Speaker 1: doing good and valuable work here, she replied, in the

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Speaker 1: calmest voice she could muster. I don't want to be

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Speaker 1: your third wife. I know God has another purpose for me,

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Speaker 1: and I intend to seek it. At his hand clinched

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Speaker 1: tight on her shoulder, Sasha's eyes widened in fear. There

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Speaker 1: was something dull, black, and hungry in his eyes. The

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Speaker 1: two men behind him straightened their backs and started glancing around,

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Speaker 1: scoping out the area. Sasha, Alexander said, I brought you here.

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Speaker 1: You are my responsibility. I don't believe you're thinking clearly.

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Speaker 1: We should take a walk and find somewhere private to

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Speaker 1: talk about all this. I've come indeed a home near by.

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Speaker 1: Come on, walk with me. He pushed at her. The

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Speaker 1: whole time he spoke, and grew angrier with each passing word,

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Speaker 1: so that by the time he said walk with me,

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Speaker 1: his voice had grown tight and cold. Sasha steadied her heart,

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Speaker 1: met his eyes with as steady a gaze as she

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Speaker 1: could manage, and said, I don't want to walk with you.

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Speaker 1: Her heart was pounding so loud she was sure Alexander

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00:15:28,840 --> 00:15:31,200
Speaker 1: and his friends could hear it, but Sasha didn't move.

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00:15:31,440 --> 00:15:33,360
Speaker 1: She was sure at any minute now he would grab

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Speaker 1: her full on and force her forward. But before he

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00:15:36,440 --> 00:15:39,880
Speaker 1: had the chance, a familiar voice called out to her, Sasha,

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Speaker 1: is that you? It was doctor Brandt, and all her

291
00:15:42,960 --> 00:15:45,800
Speaker 1: focus on Alexander and his posse. She hadn't even noticed

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00:15:45,800 --> 00:15:47,840
Speaker 1: the electric hum of the doctor's jeep as it pulled

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00:15:47,880 --> 00:15:50,960
Speaker 1: up behind them on the main street. Yes, sir, she cried,

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00:15:51,000 --> 00:15:53,120
Speaker 1: her voice a bit higher and more frantic than she'd

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00:15:53,160 --> 00:15:56,080
Speaker 1: meant it to sound. What do you need getting the

296
00:15:56,080 --> 00:15:58,600
Speaker 1: back girl? You can flirt with soldiers later. The Heavenly

297
00:15:58,680 --> 00:16:01,040
Speaker 1: Kingdom needs your skills. We've got a bit of an issue.

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00:16:01,800 --> 00:16:05,520
Speaker 1: Alexander's face went purple. The two men behind him seemed confused.

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00:16:05,760 --> 00:16:07,960
Speaker 1: One put a hand on his gun, but Alexander waved

300
00:16:08,040 --> 00:16:10,520
Speaker 1: him back. He shot Sasha a vicious look and then

301
00:16:10,520 --> 00:16:14,840
Speaker 1: turned to doctor Brandt. Suddenly composed any idea How long

302
00:16:14,920 --> 00:16:19,560
Speaker 1: you'll need her? What are you a lieutenant? Doctor Brandt scoffed,

303
00:16:19,680 --> 00:16:21,800
Speaker 1: She'll be gone as long as the Kingdom needs her.

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00:16:21,920 --> 00:16:23,760
Speaker 1: I don't see a ring on either of your fingers,

305
00:16:23,760 --> 00:16:26,000
Speaker 1: so I'm fairly certain it's not your place to care

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00:16:26,040 --> 00:16:28,960
Speaker 1: how long this takes Sasha. He beckoned to her with

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00:16:29,000 --> 00:16:32,880
Speaker 1: his index finger. Come on now, girl, gladly, she said

308
00:16:32,880 --> 00:16:36,080
Speaker 1: with a genuine smile. Sasha darted past Alexander and his

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00:16:36,120 --> 00:16:38,200
Speaker 1: men and hopped up into the back seat of the jeep.

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Speaker 1: She tried to keep her head and eyes down while

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00:16:40,280 --> 00:16:42,840
Speaker 1: the doctor's driver gunned the engine and sped off down

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00:16:42,840 --> 00:16:46,080
Speaker 1: the main street. Once they were underway, Doctor Brandt turned

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00:16:46,080 --> 00:16:49,920
Speaker 1: back to her. Sasha. He asked, was anything going on

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Speaker 1: with those young men? Anything untoward? I ask because you

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00:16:53,760 --> 00:16:56,160
Speaker 1: seem positively elated. I've picked you up to deal with

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00:16:56,200 --> 00:16:59,280
Speaker 1: a problem. Do I tell him the truth? Sasha wondered

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00:16:59,480 --> 00:17:01,360
Speaker 1: to I had it. I was lured to the Kingdom

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00:17:01,360 --> 00:17:04,800
Speaker 1: by a catfisher. He'll never take me seriously. Then, this

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00:17:04,920 --> 00:17:07,600
Speaker 1: job was her favorite part of serving the Kingdom. Sasha

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00:17:07,640 --> 00:17:10,239
Speaker 1: didn't want to do or say anything that might disrupt it.

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Speaker 1: And besides, Doctor Brandt was a busy man. Lives were

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Speaker 1: in his hands every day. I can't distract him with this. No, no,

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Speaker 1: everything's fine, I'm fine. Doctor Brandt gave her a stern look.

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00:17:22,440 --> 00:17:25,439
Speaker 1: Sasha smiled a tense smile in response. He shrugged and

325
00:17:25,480 --> 00:17:28,480
Speaker 1: turned his head back to the road. All right, he said,

326
00:17:28,640 --> 00:17:30,760
Speaker 1: And then there was a problem with one of your

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00:17:30,800 --> 00:17:34,520
Speaker 1: patient's blood tests. Oh, Sasha frowned. I'm so sorry. What

328
00:17:34,560 --> 00:17:37,600
Speaker 1: did I do wrong? Nothing at all, doctor Brandta shared her.

329
00:17:37,720 --> 00:17:42,960
Speaker 1: But that vile woman, Marigold, she's pregnant. Pregnant, Sasha was shocked.

330
00:17:43,280 --> 00:17:47,080
Speaker 1: Most adult women in the American Federation had aphrodity rings installed.

331
00:17:47,359 --> 00:17:50,439
Speaker 1: Sasha had refused hers, but the government offered them for free.

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00:17:50,880 --> 00:17:54,000
Speaker 1: They provided complete control over reproduction and allowed women to

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00:17:54,040 --> 00:17:56,760
Speaker 1: select whether or not they wanted to be fertile. She'd

334
00:17:56,760 --> 00:18:00,000
Speaker 1: assumed anyone with as many bile modifications as Marigold would

335
00:18:00,040 --> 00:18:02,240
Speaker 1: have a ring as well. Maybe she just wants a

336
00:18:02,240 --> 00:18:06,440
Speaker 1: baby for some reason. Sasha hadn't initially considered that a possibility.

337
00:18:06,880 --> 00:18:09,240
Speaker 1: It was hard to imagine someone has fallen as Marigold

338
00:18:09,320 --> 00:18:13,200
Speaker 1: choosing to raise children. Yes, Sasha, doctor Brandt said, or

339
00:18:13,240 --> 00:18:16,479
Speaker 1: at least that first test indicated so false positives do

340
00:18:16,560 --> 00:18:18,960
Speaker 1: still happen. That's why we're headed back. We need you

341
00:18:19,040 --> 00:18:23,000
Speaker 1: to administer another test so we can be certain. Well, shit,

342
00:18:23,480 --> 00:18:26,200
Speaker 1: Marigold grunted. I didn't expect to see you back this soon.

343
00:18:26,400 --> 00:18:29,439
Speaker 1: You need a friend, darling. The heathen woman looked the

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00:18:29,440 --> 00:18:31,920
Speaker 1: same as she had on their last interaction. Her hair

345
00:18:31,960 --> 00:18:33,879
Speaker 1: was less greasy, so they must have let her wash,

346
00:18:34,000 --> 00:18:35,919
Speaker 1: but she wore the same slip dress and sat in

347
00:18:35,920 --> 00:18:39,880
Speaker 1: the same corner of the same cell. Sorry, no, Sasha said,

348
00:18:39,880 --> 00:18:44,120
Speaker 1: I'm here to administer a pregnancy test. Mirragold's eyes widened

349
00:18:44,359 --> 00:18:47,040
Speaker 1: for a few seconds. The woman was speechless, her mouth

350
00:18:47,119 --> 00:18:49,920
Speaker 1: opened and closed. She nodded and clutched her left knee

351
00:18:49,960 --> 00:18:54,040
Speaker 1: with her left hand. Okay, the captive said, right, where

352
00:18:54,080 --> 00:18:56,640
Speaker 1: do you want me to do it? Do? Sasha looked

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00:18:56,640 --> 00:18:58,400
Speaker 1: down at the stick in her hand and then realized

354
00:18:58,440 --> 00:19:01,439
Speaker 1: how these things worked. I'm sure doctor Brandt doesn't expect

355
00:19:01,440 --> 00:19:04,240
Speaker 1: me to watch her. Pea, you can go over to

356
00:19:04,359 --> 00:19:08,600
Speaker 1: your normal space. I'll just I'll turn around. She handed

357
00:19:08,600 --> 00:19:10,800
Speaker 1: Marigold the test and spun around on her heels so

358
00:19:10,880 --> 00:19:13,240
Speaker 1: the other woman wouldn't see how much she'd already started

359
00:19:13,280 --> 00:19:16,320
Speaker 1: to blush. Damn, girl, are you that squicked out by

360
00:19:16,320 --> 00:19:20,080
Speaker 1: the human body? What Sasha asked without turning around. Your

361
00:19:20,119 --> 00:19:23,480
Speaker 1: face is as red as a damn beat. I'm sorry why,

362
00:19:23,960 --> 00:19:27,280
Speaker 1: I don't know, Marigold laughed. You can turn around now,

363
00:19:27,359 --> 00:19:31,640
Speaker 1: I'm decent and done. Sasha turned around. Marigold smirked at her.

364
00:19:32,280 --> 00:19:35,960
Speaker 1: You know, she said, that instinct to apologize might actually

365
00:19:35,960 --> 00:19:37,960
Speaker 1: come in handy around here. I'm sure the sort of

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00:19:37,960 --> 00:19:40,359
Speaker 1: men who jump in on this bullshit will appreciate it.

367
00:19:41,080 --> 00:19:43,560
Speaker 1: Sasha recovered her senses and felt a bit of anger

368
00:19:43,600 --> 00:19:47,159
Speaker 1: at Marigold's words. I don't appreciate you saying those things.

369
00:19:47,240 --> 00:19:50,119
Speaker 1: She said. The men here are good and brave and uh.

370
00:19:50,280 --> 00:19:53,800
Speaker 1: Sasha's voice caught it broke just a little. Marigold saw

371
00:19:53,960 --> 00:19:56,639
Speaker 1: and heard her doubt. The other woman didn't laugh like

372
00:19:56,680 --> 00:20:00,880
Speaker 1: Sasha expected. In fact, her smile fell away. Marigold looked

373
00:20:00,920 --> 00:20:03,920
Speaker 1: at her with something like pity. I know you don't

374
00:20:03,960 --> 00:20:07,600
Speaker 1: believe that, she said. Sasha closed her eyes and took

375
00:20:07,600 --> 00:20:11,200
Speaker 1: a deep breath in. Then she replied, no men are perfect,

376
00:20:11,280 --> 00:20:13,600
Speaker 1: just as no women are perfect. But everyone here in

377
00:20:13,640 --> 00:20:16,440
Speaker 1: the Kingdom tries every day to abide by the Lord's will.

378
00:20:16,800 --> 00:20:20,400
Speaker 1: That's what elevates us above. Marigold interrupted, does your Lord

379
00:20:20,480 --> 00:20:24,040
Speaker 1: say women don't get last names. We don't use last

380
00:20:24,119 --> 00:20:26,320
Speaker 1: names in the Kingdom because they distract us. We can't

381
00:20:26,320 --> 00:20:29,800
Speaker 1: afford connect. The men keep their surnames, don't they. That

382
00:20:29,880 --> 00:20:32,240
Speaker 1: was true. Sasha hadn't thought about it much, what with

383
00:20:32,320 --> 00:20:34,679
Speaker 1: everything else that was going on. But doctor Brandt went

384
00:20:34,720 --> 00:20:37,159
Speaker 1: by his last name, didn't he? And Alexander had a

385
00:20:37,160 --> 00:20:40,199
Speaker 1: surname too. She's trying to weaken your faith in the kingdom.

386
00:20:40,359 --> 00:20:43,439
Speaker 1: Don't give into the doubts of the serpent. It doesn't matter,

387
00:20:43,480 --> 00:20:46,879
Speaker 1: Sasha said, and immediately regretted it. Any response would surely

388
00:20:46,920 --> 00:20:50,359
Speaker 1: just egg Marigold on and sure enough, Oh it doesn't.

389
00:20:50,480 --> 00:20:53,960
Speaker 1: Then why is that the rule? Well, it's obviously because

390
00:20:53,960 --> 00:20:56,199
Speaker 1: we need some way to tell families apart from one another.

391
00:20:56,600 --> 00:20:59,840
Speaker 1: Marigold smirked. Now, and the only lineage that matters is

392
00:21:00,000 --> 00:21:02,679
Speaker 1: a man's, isn't it. Women are just appendages in your

393
00:21:02,680 --> 00:21:06,840
Speaker 1: belief system. I am not an appendage, Sasha shouted, surprised

394
00:21:06,840 --> 00:21:09,480
Speaker 1: at her own anger. She heard shuffling feet, and a

395
00:21:09,520 --> 00:21:11,520
Speaker 1: second later the guard had one hand on the door

396
00:21:11,600 --> 00:21:14,520
Speaker 1: and another on his rifle. Ever then, all raight, miss,

397
00:21:14,560 --> 00:21:18,040
Speaker 1: he asked, yes, Sasha called back to him over her shoulder.

398
00:21:18,160 --> 00:21:21,560
Speaker 1: I'm fine, sorry, she's just Sasha fixed Marigold with a

399
00:21:21,600 --> 00:21:26,600
Speaker 1: withering gaze. She's very frustrating. Marigold smirked at that, then

400
00:21:26,600 --> 00:21:29,199
Speaker 1: she held out the test. Sasha hesitated for just a

401
00:21:29,200 --> 00:21:32,080
Speaker 1: second before taking the strip from the other woman. Marigold

402
00:21:32,160 --> 00:21:39,919
Speaker 1: smiled at that too. You're pregnant, Sasha said, yep. Marigold nodded. Congratulations.

403
00:21:40,080 --> 00:21:44,000
Speaker 1: Sasha tried to sound genuine. Marigold's eye roll didn't help that, cause,

404
00:21:44,320 --> 00:21:46,920
Speaker 1: oh yeah, the other woman said, this is a real

405
00:21:47,000 --> 00:21:49,000
Speaker 1: joyous moment for me. I hope your people let me

406
00:21:49,040 --> 00:21:50,840
Speaker 1: live long enough to know whether or not my kid

407
00:21:50,840 --> 00:21:54,199
Speaker 1: will deserve a last name. You know, Sasha said, in

408
00:21:54,280 --> 00:21:56,840
Speaker 1: growing anger. This place isn't perfect, but if you've got

409
00:21:56,840 --> 00:21:59,400
Speaker 1: to know the people here, you'd understand they are the

410
00:21:59,440 --> 00:22:01,639
Speaker 1: best people I've ever met. I wish you could have

411
00:22:01,680 --> 00:22:04,720
Speaker 1: seen the welcome I received. I've never felt so loved.

412
00:22:05,160 --> 00:22:08,080
Speaker 1: Marigold asked, like, all you needed to do was show

413
00:22:08,200 --> 00:22:13,680
Speaker 1: up to earn their acceptance. Yes, Sasha admitted, suspicious. Did

414
00:22:13,680 --> 00:22:15,920
Speaker 1: they sort of swarm you but in a nice way,

415
00:22:15,960 --> 00:22:18,520
Speaker 1: everyone hugging you and holding you and offering you, say,

416
00:22:18,600 --> 00:22:23,240
Speaker 1: physical affection? Yes? Marigold nodded, as if she'd just gotten

417
00:22:23,240 --> 00:22:26,280
Speaker 1: the answer to a longstanding question. They love bombed you

418
00:22:26,880 --> 00:22:30,800
Speaker 1: what It's a tactic, colts use, Marigold explained, you sort

419
00:22:30,800 --> 00:22:33,800
Speaker 1: of overwhelmed someone with love and acceptance and camaraderie and

420
00:22:33,840 --> 00:22:37,320
Speaker 1: all that It nurtures loyalty and dependence. She shrugged. It's

421
00:22:37,320 --> 00:22:39,760
Speaker 1: a smart way to manipulate young people in your position.

422
00:22:39,920 --> 00:22:42,200
Speaker 1: You've just fled your home and family for a strange

423
00:22:42,240 --> 00:22:45,560
Speaker 1: and dangerous land. You're scared and alone and isolated, and then,

424
00:22:45,760 --> 00:22:48,440
Speaker 1: like magic, you've got a family in a support network.

425
00:22:48,880 --> 00:22:51,679
Speaker 1: You are so cynical. Sasha had the fight back, the

426
00:22:51,760 --> 00:22:54,880
Speaker 1: urge to say damned cynical. This woman was making her

427
00:22:54,880 --> 00:22:57,560
Speaker 1: forget herself. She opened her mouth as if to deliver

428
00:22:57,640 --> 00:23:00,280
Speaker 1: a tongue lashing, but the words wouldn't come, and instead

429
00:23:00,359 --> 00:23:02,600
Speaker 1: she just narrowed her eyes at Marigold and stared for

430
00:23:02,640 --> 00:23:05,960
Speaker 1: a few seconds. I'm leaving now, she said, I'm going

431
00:23:06,000 --> 00:23:08,840
Speaker 1: to go enjoy the companionship of my new family. You

432
00:23:09,040 --> 00:23:12,320
Speaker 1: enjoy this cell. Then Sasha turned on her heels and

433
00:23:12,400 --> 00:23:16,240
Speaker 1: walked out. She returned late to the house of Miriam.

434
00:23:16,520 --> 00:23:19,320
Speaker 1: The other girls had already finished dinner. Helen had left

435
00:23:19,320 --> 00:23:22,160
Speaker 1: out Sasha's plate a ham sandwich, carrot sticks and apple

436
00:23:22,200 --> 00:23:24,240
Speaker 1: and a small block of cheese, and she took it

437
00:23:24,280 --> 00:23:26,359
Speaker 1: into the common room, where the other girls were talking

438
00:23:26,400 --> 00:23:30,240
Speaker 1: and winding down from their day. Look who finally showed up?

439
00:23:30,400 --> 00:23:32,560
Speaker 1: May sneered when she walked in. I guess you're too

440
00:23:32,640 --> 00:23:34,919
Speaker 1: important to eat with the rest of us now, I

441
00:23:35,280 --> 00:23:38,359
Speaker 1: Sasha started to reply. Then she saw Anne and Susannah

442
00:23:38,400 --> 00:23:40,880
Speaker 1: huddled in the same corner where they'd all sat last night.

443
00:23:41,280 --> 00:23:43,440
Speaker 1: There were tears in Anne's face, and her eyes looked

444
00:23:43,480 --> 00:23:46,000
Speaker 1: swollen in red. She made no noise, but her back

445
00:23:46,040 --> 00:23:48,879
Speaker 1: and shoulders shook as she sat there, half shielded from

446
00:23:48,960 --> 00:23:53,000
Speaker 1: view and Susannah's embrace. Sasha gave Mayo withering glare, but

447
00:23:53,080 --> 00:23:56,200
Speaker 1: turned and moved past her towards her friends. She heard

448
00:23:56,200 --> 00:23:58,760
Speaker 1: the other girl scoff and say something to her coteria

449
00:23:58,760 --> 00:24:01,359
Speaker 1: of friends. Sasha could hear what, though, and she didn't

450
00:24:01,400 --> 00:24:03,920
Speaker 1: much care. She squatted down next to Anne and put

451
00:24:03,920 --> 00:24:06,760
Speaker 1: a hand on the back of her neck. Hey, she said,

452
00:24:07,040 --> 00:24:09,840
Speaker 1: not sure of what else to say. Susannah met Sasha's

453
00:24:09,880 --> 00:24:12,919
Speaker 1: eyes and offered up a sad smile. Anne continued to

454
00:24:12,960 --> 00:24:16,120
Speaker 1: sob for a few minutes, they just held her. Sasha

455
00:24:16,160 --> 00:24:19,879
Speaker 1: burned with morbid curiosity over what exactly had happened. She

456
00:24:19,960 --> 00:24:22,159
Speaker 1: knew it must have something to do with Kyle, and

457
00:24:22,359 --> 00:24:24,479
Speaker 1: had been set to meet with him today. Had he

458
00:24:24,520 --> 00:24:27,879
Speaker 1: revealed himself to be a son of Jacob too. He's dead,

459
00:24:28,400 --> 00:24:31,159
Speaker 1: Anne whispered in a cracked, broken voice. I went to

460
00:24:31,160 --> 00:24:33,120
Speaker 1: meet him at the Cafe Clement, and there were two

461
00:24:33,160 --> 00:24:36,879
Speaker 1: martyrs there waiting for me. They both she stifled a sob.

462
00:24:37,320 --> 00:24:39,679
Speaker 1: They both smiled when they told me he'd been killed.

463
00:24:40,000 --> 00:24:42,040
Speaker 1: They said I should thank God for the blessing of

464
00:24:42,080 --> 00:24:45,680
Speaker 1: a death and battle. I'm so sorry Anne, Sasha said,

465
00:24:46,160 --> 00:24:48,480
Speaker 1: Susannah and I are here, though, we'll take care of you.

466
00:24:49,160 --> 00:24:51,119
Speaker 1: She hoped that might comfort Anne a little, but the

467
00:24:51,160 --> 00:24:54,680
Speaker 1: other girl lost herself in another fit of tears. Sasha's

468
00:24:54,680 --> 00:24:57,760
Speaker 1: heart broke for her. The pain over her own comparatively

469
00:24:57,800 --> 00:25:00,720
Speaker 1: minor tragedy flowed into the empathy she help for Anne,

470
00:25:00,920 --> 00:25:03,959
Speaker 1: and soon Sasha was crying too. She was sure some

471
00:25:04,040 --> 00:25:06,199
Speaker 1: of the other girls were whispering about them. Egged on

472
00:25:06,320 --> 00:25:09,080
Speaker 1: by May, she didn't care. After a few more minutes

473
00:25:09,119 --> 00:25:11,800
Speaker 1: of tears, Anne managed to clear her throat and speak again.

474
00:25:12,359 --> 00:25:15,560
Speaker 1: The man the martyrs I met told me the same thing.

475
00:25:15,760 --> 00:25:18,359
Speaker 1: She said. They told me I'd be taken care of,

476
00:25:18,560 --> 00:25:21,200
Speaker 1: that they'd find God's choice for me among the martyrs.

477
00:25:21,440 --> 00:25:23,400
Speaker 1: I tried to tell them, I don't want anyone else,

478
00:25:23,480 --> 00:25:26,160
Speaker 1: not now I need to mourn, But they said, they said.

479
00:25:26,600 --> 00:25:28,960
Speaker 1: Anne's voice caught in her throat, and she fought to

480
00:25:29,000 --> 00:25:32,440
Speaker 1: throttle another sob before she continued. He said, the heavenly

481
00:25:32,560 --> 00:25:35,119
Speaker 1: Kingdom might not be able to wait for my grief

482
00:25:35,160 --> 00:25:39,840
Speaker 1: to pass. What's that supposed to mean, Susannah asked. Sasha

483
00:25:39,920 --> 00:25:42,600
Speaker 1: didn't say anything, because the only answer that occurred to

484
00:25:42,640 --> 00:25:46,080
Speaker 1: her was surely unhelpful. She had a strong suspicion that

485
00:25:46,119 --> 00:25:48,639
Speaker 1: the sons of Jacob had turned their eyes on Anne.

486
00:25:49,680 --> 00:25:53,760
Speaker 1: Sasha stared into Marigold's vagina. She'd seen it before, of course,

487
00:25:53,800 --> 00:25:55,840
Speaker 1: the first time they'd met, but it hadn't been her

488
00:25:55,880 --> 00:25:58,560
Speaker 1: focus then, and she'd tried very hard not to look

489
00:25:58,560 --> 00:26:01,840
Speaker 1: at it too much, although the point was to look.

490
00:26:02,119 --> 00:26:04,280
Speaker 1: Doctor Brandt had picked her up halfway through her shift

491
00:26:04,280 --> 00:26:06,320
Speaker 1: at the hospital to conduct a pap smere on the

492
00:26:06,359 --> 00:26:09,160
Speaker 1: captured woman. She'd only had about an hour to practice.

493
00:26:09,800 --> 00:26:12,720
Speaker 1: It's a procedure I've done myself a hundred times, doctor

494
00:26:12,760 --> 00:26:14,840
Speaker 1: brand had told her, but that was back in the

495
00:26:14,840 --> 00:26:16,919
Speaker 1: am Fed. It's a sivil thing for a man to

496
00:26:16,920 --> 00:26:18,760
Speaker 1: touch a woman other than his wife. That's why the

497
00:26:18,880 --> 00:26:22,160
Speaker 1: Israelites used midwives. That's why we used midwives. And I

498
00:26:22,160 --> 00:26:24,359
Speaker 1: think this kind of work might be why God drew

499
00:26:24,400 --> 00:26:28,000
Speaker 1: you here. His words made her proud. She liked doctor

500
00:26:28,040 --> 00:26:30,720
Speaker 1: Brandt for all his prickliness. She also liked to learn

501
00:26:30,760 --> 00:26:32,720
Speaker 1: it and feeling like she had a useful skill that

502
00:26:32,840 --> 00:26:35,960
Speaker 1: made her special. So she'd paid close attention as doctor

503
00:26:36,000 --> 00:26:38,679
Speaker 1: Brandt had walked her through the procedure. It had been fun,

504
00:26:38,760 --> 00:26:40,960
Speaker 1: and the act of learning had distracted her from her

505
00:26:40,960 --> 00:26:44,960
Speaker 1: worries about Anne and her own grief over Alexander. Merrigold

506
00:26:45,040 --> 00:26:48,000
Speaker 1: shuddered as Sasha slid the speculum in past her labia.

507
00:26:48,560 --> 00:26:50,640
Speaker 1: You could stand to be a little gentler, and would

508
00:26:50,680 --> 00:26:52,159
Speaker 1: it kill you to, I don't know, warm it up

509
00:26:52,160 --> 00:26:55,080
Speaker 1: first or something. Doctor Brandt didn't say to do that.

510
00:26:55,280 --> 00:26:58,120
Speaker 1: Sasha kept her voice firm, This is for the baby's good.

511
00:26:58,200 --> 00:27:00,960
Speaker 1: I'm sorry if it's uncomfortable. This is my first time.

512
00:27:01,520 --> 00:27:04,360
Speaker 1: The woman snorted, Oh, well, in that case, you're doing

513
00:27:04,400 --> 00:27:07,280
Speaker 1: a great jow maybe a little less hard, and mine

514
00:27:07,320 --> 00:27:11,320
Speaker 1: slopes down. You're going against the grain, the grain. Marigold

515
00:27:11,359 --> 00:27:14,040
Speaker 1: rolled her eyes in disdain, but didn't dignify Sasha with

516
00:27:14,080 --> 00:27:18,639
Speaker 1: a response, you're pushing the wrong way. Sasha readjusted, and

517
00:27:18,680 --> 00:27:22,639
Speaker 1: Marigold gave a sigh of relief. That sucks less at least, thanks.

518
00:27:23,400 --> 00:27:26,320
Speaker 1: Sasha busied herself with the swabbing and rubbing that came next.

519
00:27:26,480 --> 00:27:29,359
Speaker 1: She worked slow, methodical, with as much care and gentleness

520
00:27:29,400 --> 00:27:32,080
Speaker 1: as the instruction she had received from Dr Brandt would allow.

521
00:27:32,600 --> 00:27:34,639
Speaker 1: She did her best to focus, but the other woman

522
00:27:34,720 --> 00:27:37,800
Speaker 1: kept talking. You don't look old enough to have graduated

523
00:27:37,840 --> 00:27:40,159
Speaker 1: high school. I'm gonna guess they don't train teenagers to

524
00:27:40,240 --> 00:27:43,160
Speaker 1: do pap smears in the am fed Marigold added, do they?

525
00:27:43,440 --> 00:27:48,240
Speaker 1: With surprising earnestness, no, Sasha grunted, I'm gonna guest doctor

526
00:27:48,280 --> 00:27:50,520
Speaker 1: what's his name? Taught you then? Because why he's too

527
00:27:50,520 --> 00:27:52,280
Speaker 1: scared of my demon snatch to come in here? Hi

528
00:27:52,359 --> 00:27:55,880
Speaker 1: do with the jab himself. Sasha's face reddened. She did

529
00:27:55,920 --> 00:27:59,480
Speaker 1: not like the words snatch or Marigold's casual mention of demons,

530
00:27:59,720 --> 00:28:01,840
Speaker 1: but she kept her eyes straight and stared into the

531
00:28:01,840 --> 00:28:04,320
Speaker 1: other woman's vagina. I have one too. It's not that

532
00:28:04,400 --> 00:28:07,879
Speaker 1: big a deal, she told herself. It's impressive you were

533
00:28:07,920 --> 00:28:10,640
Speaker 1: able to learn that. I'm serious. Real props, lady, you're

534
00:28:10,680 --> 00:28:12,880
Speaker 1: the only woman I've seen do a damn thing around here.

535
00:28:13,119 --> 00:28:14,879
Speaker 1: How do you trick them into treating you sort of

536
00:28:14,920 --> 00:28:18,920
Speaker 1: like a person? Sasha's ire Rose and Rose Lord, Calm

537
00:28:19,000 --> 00:28:21,320
Speaker 1: my heart, she prayed. I know she's just trying to

538
00:28:21,359 --> 00:28:25,240
Speaker 1: set me off. It's just desperation, she told herself. How

539
00:28:25,280 --> 00:28:26,960
Speaker 1: long do you think they'll let you keep playing like

540
00:28:27,000 --> 00:28:29,040
Speaker 1: you've got a real life. I'm gonna guess it won't

541
00:28:29,040 --> 00:28:31,200
Speaker 1: be too long before somebody puts a baby in you.

542
00:28:31,200 --> 00:28:32,680
Speaker 1: You know that'll be the end of all this, right,

543
00:28:32,800 --> 00:28:35,360
Speaker 1: like your life, using your brain all that, you're going

544
00:28:35,440 --> 00:28:38,960
Speaker 1: to be a broodmare before to stop. Sasha didn't yell,

545
00:28:39,040 --> 00:28:41,200
Speaker 1: but she used her firmest voice, and she was quite

546
00:28:41,240 --> 00:28:44,160
Speaker 1: loud about it, despite herself. She looked up from her

547
00:28:44,160 --> 00:28:47,160
Speaker 1: work and at Marigold's face. The other woman didn't look

548
00:28:47,200 --> 00:28:50,000
Speaker 1: surprised or chagrinned. One edge of her lips curled up

549
00:28:50,000 --> 00:28:53,240
Speaker 1: into a wry grin, her eyes twinkled. Sasha had never

550
00:28:53,280 --> 00:28:57,520
Speaker 1: actually seen someone's eyes twinkled before there we go. I

551
00:28:57,560 --> 00:29:01,320
Speaker 1: wondered where the edge was the edge of what Sasha asked,

552
00:29:01,360 --> 00:29:04,000
Speaker 1: without thinking, idiot, this is exactly what she wants you

553
00:29:04,040 --> 00:29:07,600
Speaker 1: to do, the edge of your patients, the point where

554
00:29:07,640 --> 00:29:10,400
Speaker 1: meekness ends. I was worried they've beating it out of you.

555
00:29:10,880 --> 00:29:14,120
Speaker 1: No one beat me, Sasha insisted, And there's nothing wrong

556
00:29:14,160 --> 00:29:16,400
Speaker 1: with being meek. The Lord asks us to put on

557
00:29:16,440 --> 00:29:19,920
Speaker 1: a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Maybe

558
00:29:20,000 --> 00:29:21,920
Speaker 1: you wouldn't be in a cell if you'd accepted that

559
00:29:21,960 --> 00:29:25,040
Speaker 1: for yourself. I'm in a cell because I came here

560
00:29:25,080 --> 00:29:27,360
Speaker 1: to trade. We weren't waging any kind of war. We

561
00:29:27,360 --> 00:29:30,280
Speaker 1: weren't harming anyone. We wanted freaking cheetos in exchange for

562
00:29:30,320 --> 00:29:33,280
Speaker 1: our latest coffee crop. Your people killed the old government

563
00:29:33,280 --> 00:29:37,240
Speaker 1: and captured us. Sasha closed her eyes, breathed in and out,

564
00:29:37,280 --> 00:29:40,680
Speaker 1: and tried to calm herself. For some reason, Marigold's words

565
00:29:40,680 --> 00:29:43,360
Speaker 1: made her feel anxious and angry. She wanted to say

566
00:29:43,400 --> 00:29:45,600
Speaker 1: the anger was towards the other woman, but that wasn't

567
00:29:45,680 --> 00:29:49,200
Speaker 1: quite right. Marigold had been sarcastic and caddy, but she'd

568
00:29:49,240 --> 00:29:53,360
Speaker 1: also been complimentary, thoughtful, and far from cruel. I'm sure

569
00:29:53,360 --> 00:29:55,640
Speaker 1: you'll be sent back to your people soon. The heavenly

570
00:29:55,720 --> 00:29:58,040
Speaker 1: Kingdom doesn't want any kind of fight with with your

571
00:29:58,240 --> 00:30:02,680
Speaker 1: city yet. Sasha finished her work. She withdrew the speculum

572
00:30:02,720 --> 00:30:05,560
Speaker 1: and started gathering up her kit. I do hope you're

573
00:30:05,560 --> 00:30:08,320
Speaker 1: not laboring under the impression that this war will ever end,

574
00:30:08,520 --> 00:30:12,080
Speaker 1: Marigold said, because it won't, not while your kingdom exists.

575
00:30:12,600 --> 00:30:15,160
Speaker 1: You're wrong. We'll take Austin soon and then there will

576
00:30:15,200 --> 00:30:19,520
Speaker 1: be peace. And what about San Antonio? Sasha shrugged, a

577
00:30:19,600 --> 00:30:22,280
Speaker 1: heathen nation, but they haven't launched any strikes against us.

578
00:30:22,280 --> 00:30:24,880
Speaker 1: If they'll let us be, will let them be remain

579
00:30:25,040 --> 00:30:28,680
Speaker 1: and expand? Marigold quoted one of the slogans Pastor Mike

580
00:30:28,720 --> 00:30:31,280
Speaker 1: had coined during the early days of the kingdom. The

581
00:30:31,320 --> 00:30:34,280
Speaker 1: other woman had a surprisingly deep understanding of their movement.

582
00:30:34,600 --> 00:30:38,040
Speaker 1: Marigold continued, The Kingdom of God will remain and expand

583
00:30:38,080 --> 00:30:41,280
Speaker 1: until it reunites this broken land from sea to shining sea.

584
00:30:41,600 --> 00:30:44,920
Speaker 1: That's your profit, right, you're mighty, Pastor sure sounds like

585
00:30:44,960 --> 00:30:49,200
Speaker 1: a recipe for eternal war. Mexico, the Navajo, the California Republic,

586
00:30:49,240 --> 00:30:51,680
Speaker 1: and the King of God, Damn Albuquerque don't seem likely

587
00:30:51,720 --> 00:30:54,080
Speaker 1: to sign up for a theocracy, and those are just

588
00:30:54,120 --> 00:30:57,400
Speaker 1: the big powers in the Southwest. Pastor Mike would have

589
00:30:57,400 --> 00:30:59,600
Speaker 1: had an answer to that, of course. He'd said that

590
00:30:59,680 --> 00:31:02,200
Speaker 1: as the Heavenly Kingdom grew, it would draw in millions

591
00:31:02,240 --> 00:31:04,800
Speaker 1: from around the world and become a shining beacon to

592
00:31:04,840 --> 00:31:08,160
Speaker 1: the fallen peoples of the world. Fighting would be replaced

593
00:31:08,160 --> 00:31:12,280
Speaker 1: by peaceful annexation. She'd believed that once before she'd left

594
00:31:12,280 --> 00:31:16,560
Speaker 1: the American Federation. It had seemed sensible. With Alexander's romantic

595
00:31:16,600 --> 00:31:19,080
Speaker 1: words in her ear and the fiery prose from Revelator

596
00:31:19,120 --> 00:31:21,800
Speaker 1: in her mind, how could she not believe? But now

597
00:31:21,840 --> 00:31:24,400
Speaker 1: she'd spent time in the reality of the Heavenly Kingdom.

598
00:31:24,640 --> 00:31:27,240
Speaker 1: She'd met beautiful people and seeing wondrous things, But she

599
00:31:27,280 --> 00:31:30,040
Speaker 1: had also helped treat a seemingly endless train of broken

600
00:31:30,040 --> 00:31:33,280
Speaker 1: men whose bodies had been shattered by war. She'd watched

601
00:31:33,280 --> 00:31:37,480
Speaker 1: a dozen people be executed by hanging. Sasha was anxious,

602
00:31:37,680 --> 00:31:40,080
Speaker 1: and Marigold must have picked up on it. The other

603
00:31:40,080 --> 00:31:43,160
Speaker 1: woman's eyes changed. There was something almost predatory in them.

604
00:31:43,360 --> 00:31:47,040
Speaker 1: She leaned forward. I know I'm hitting nerves Sasha, that's

605
00:31:47,080 --> 00:31:50,080
Speaker 1: because you're too smart for this ship. You got suckered

606
00:31:50,120 --> 00:31:54,560
Speaker 1: into a fucking nightmare. It's time to wake up. Sasha

607
00:31:54,640 --> 00:31:57,200
Speaker 1: kept Marigold's words in her mind. She headed back to

608
00:31:57,240 --> 00:31:59,840
Speaker 1: the hospital. A fresh wave of wounded men had been

609
00:32:00,000 --> 00:32:02,320
Speaker 1: sent over from the Lake Houston Front, and she wound

610
00:32:02,400 --> 00:32:04,680
Speaker 1: up working three hours later than normal just to help

611
00:32:04,720 --> 00:32:07,840
Speaker 1: handle the load. It was a whirlwind of bloody bandages,

612
00:32:07,840 --> 00:32:11,240
Speaker 1: screaming martyrs, and irate, exhausted doctors trying to do too

613
00:32:11,320 --> 00:32:13,920
Speaker 1: much with far too little. By the time she got

614
00:32:13,920 --> 00:32:17,360
Speaker 1: off shift, it was dark outside and downtown was almost deserted.

615
00:32:17,920 --> 00:32:20,120
Speaker 1: Her driver dropped her off in a weird spot at

616
00:32:20,120 --> 00:32:22,240
Speaker 1: the other end of Main Street. It was a good

617
00:32:22,240 --> 00:32:25,040
Speaker 1: two blocks away from the normal location, but she chalked

618
00:32:25,040 --> 00:32:27,240
Speaker 1: that up to the fact that this wasn't her normal driver.

619
00:32:27,920 --> 00:32:30,520
Speaker 1: She didn't really mind the extra walk. In fact, after

620
00:32:30,560 --> 00:32:33,240
Speaker 1: a long day under the hospital's fluorescent lights, a dark

621
00:32:33,280 --> 00:32:36,800
Speaker 1: walk and some fresh air seemed relaxing, So she strolled,

622
00:32:36,800 --> 00:32:38,600
Speaker 1: and she tried to forget the faces of the men

623
00:32:38,680 --> 00:32:42,040
Speaker 1: she'd seen that day. For a few blissful minutes. Marigold's

624
00:32:42,040 --> 00:32:44,400
Speaker 1: words fled from her head, and she lost herself and

625
00:32:44,440 --> 00:32:46,000
Speaker 1: the peace that came at the end of a good

626
00:32:46,080 --> 00:32:49,320
Speaker 1: day's labor. The streets of the heavenly Kingdom felt safe.

627
00:32:49,480 --> 00:32:53,160
Speaker 1: She'd done meaningful work. The Lord must be hey, hey, no, please,

628
00:32:53,200 --> 00:32:56,200
Speaker 1: I really don't want to. Sasha heard a familiar female

629
00:32:56,320 --> 00:32:59,120
Speaker 1: voice cry out in distress. A man yelled something, but

630
00:32:59,160 --> 00:33:01,840
Speaker 1: she couldn't tell. The woman let out a brief scream

631
00:33:01,880 --> 00:33:04,800
Speaker 1: that was muffled by something. Her voice sounded familiar. Very

632
00:33:04,840 --> 00:33:09,200
Speaker 1: familiar was that Anne. Sasha rounded a corner and saw them.

633
00:33:09,400 --> 00:33:11,640
Speaker 1: It was Anne, all right. The girl had a bag

634
00:33:11,680 --> 00:33:15,080
Speaker 1: over her head, but Sasha clearly recognized her friend. Two

635
00:33:15,120 --> 00:33:17,480
Speaker 1: men in black uniforms held her by either arm and

636
00:33:17,560 --> 00:33:20,080
Speaker 1: forced her to walk forward with them. Two other men

637
00:33:20,120 --> 00:33:23,440
Speaker 1: walked beside them. They all wore red berets. The man

638
00:33:23,480 --> 00:33:25,560
Speaker 1: who seemed to be their leader locked eyes with her.

639
00:33:26,120 --> 00:33:29,920
Speaker 1: It was Alexander, Sasha. He said, in a clipped tone,

640
00:33:30,280 --> 00:33:34,560
Speaker 1: you're out late. She stopped stared. Anne continued to thrash

641
00:33:34,600 --> 00:33:36,840
Speaker 1: between the men. Her cries were muffled by the bag,

642
00:33:36,960 --> 00:33:40,960
Speaker 1: but far from inaudible. She seemed terrified. You you all

643
00:33:41,000 --> 00:33:44,280
Speaker 1: need to let her go, Sasha insisted she belongs at

644
00:33:44,280 --> 00:33:47,800
Speaker 1: the house. Of Miriam, Alexander laughed, where do you think

645
00:33:47,840 --> 00:33:50,680
Speaker 1: we gotta from, silly girl. Two of the other men

646
00:33:50,800 --> 00:33:53,280
Speaker 1: laughed at that. They seemed nervous, though she could see

647
00:33:53,320 --> 00:33:55,920
Speaker 1: both hunger and a strange sort of anxiety in their eyes.

648
00:33:56,160 --> 00:34:01,440
Speaker 1: Alexander was all hunger. Alexander, please, please, what he asked,

649
00:34:01,440 --> 00:34:04,479
Speaker 1: with a wry smirk. Deny this girl the bliss of

650
00:34:04,520 --> 00:34:07,440
Speaker 1: servant God? Why would you want that for her? Do

651
00:34:07,520 --> 00:34:10,960
Speaker 1: you even believe any more? Sasha, his lips, the lips

652
00:34:11,000 --> 00:34:13,799
Speaker 1: she dreamed about for months, the lips she'd watched say

653
00:34:13,880 --> 00:34:17,719
Speaker 1: such lovely things to her. Curled up in disgust. Look

654
00:34:17,719 --> 00:34:21,479
Speaker 1: at you. You're wearing surgical scrubs. You look like a man.

655
00:34:21,880 --> 00:34:24,880
Speaker 1: You've lost your proper place in the world. It disgusts

656
00:34:24,920 --> 00:34:27,160
Speaker 1: me that they let you do that work. Have you

657
00:34:27,320 --> 00:34:31,080
Speaker 1: forgotten what God himself calls on you to be Titus

658
00:34:31,120 --> 00:34:34,840
Speaker 1: two five, Sasha, Our Lord wants you to be discreet, chaste,

659
00:34:34,840 --> 00:34:38,480
Speaker 1: homemaker's good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word

660
00:34:38,480 --> 00:34:42,879
Speaker 1: of God may not be blasphemed. Remember that, Sasha, none

661
00:34:42,880 --> 00:34:47,120
Speaker 1: of you are her husband. Alexander laughed, That's not true

662
00:34:47,120 --> 00:34:49,200
Speaker 1: at all. He put a hand on the shoulder of

663
00:34:49,200 --> 00:34:52,799
Speaker 1: one of the men restraining and Tamasha married her to day,

664
00:34:53,000 --> 00:34:55,680
Speaker 1: were just help in the happy couple to their merital bed.

665
00:34:56,239 --> 00:34:58,439
Speaker 1: Then why is there a bag over her head? Why

666
00:34:58,520 --> 00:35:02,280
Speaker 1: is she fighting? Because it was a rather abrupt marriage,

667
00:35:02,320 --> 00:35:05,920
Speaker 1: Alexander frowned, and her mind is still polluted with ungodly

668
00:35:06,000 --> 00:35:09,440
Speaker 1: ideas about how a marriage should look tillmas chose her.

669
00:35:09,800 --> 00:35:12,080
Speaker 1: The spirit of the Lord spoke to him when he

670
00:35:12,120 --> 00:35:14,960
Speaker 1: saw her from afar. It is right and good that

671
00:35:15,040 --> 00:35:17,080
Speaker 1: they should be wed. And he moves up to the

672
00:35:17,120 --> 00:35:20,279
Speaker 1: front tomorrow Tonight will be his first and maybe a

673
00:35:20,360 --> 00:35:24,400
Speaker 1: last chance to help the kingdom remain and expand. He

674
00:35:24,480 --> 00:35:26,880
Speaker 1: held out a seal, a golden badge in the shape

675
00:35:26,880 --> 00:35:29,160
Speaker 1: of a shield with a heavenly cross and blazoned on

676
00:35:29,200 --> 00:35:32,759
Speaker 1: the front. This comes from the pasta I have the

677
00:35:32,800 --> 00:35:36,799
Speaker 1: authority to grant marriages to any worthy men who wish them.

678
00:35:36,840 --> 00:35:40,279
Speaker 1: He smiled again. Sasha's heart fluttered. She felt nausea rise

679
00:35:40,400 --> 00:35:44,120
Speaker 1: up inside her. So back away. Let us pass, and

680
00:35:44,280 --> 00:35:47,560
Speaker 1: I'd suggest you dedicate some more time to thinking about

681
00:35:47,560 --> 00:35:50,840
Speaker 1: why God brought you here when your time comes. I

682
00:35:50,880 --> 00:35:53,879
Speaker 1: think you'd prefer doing this without the bag. But I'm

683
00:35:53,920 --> 00:35:58,320
Speaker 1: fine either way. Really, it was past dinner and past

684
00:35:58,400 --> 00:36:01,319
Speaker 1: bedtime when she entered the house of Miriam. Helen was

685
00:36:01,360 --> 00:36:03,799
Speaker 1: seated at her desk. She looked up as Sasha entered,

686
00:36:03,840 --> 00:36:06,200
Speaker 1: and in an instant Sasha knew there was no use

687
00:36:06,200 --> 00:36:08,920
Speaker 1: in reporting what had happened to Anne. Helen's eyes were

688
00:36:08,920 --> 00:36:14,400
Speaker 1: bloodshot and puffy with tears. She knew. Sasha the older woman, said,

689
00:36:14,800 --> 00:36:18,600
Speaker 1: I have some bad news. I saw them, Sasha said,

690
00:36:18,760 --> 00:36:20,440
Speaker 1: is that what's going to happen to all of us?

691
00:36:20,560 --> 00:36:23,040
Speaker 1: Is this place just a bolding area until we get

692
00:36:23,080 --> 00:36:26,520
Speaker 1: married off? This place is your home, Helen said, in

693
00:36:26,560 --> 00:36:29,439
Speaker 1: a voice that was almost pleading. It's here, and I'm

694
00:36:29,520 --> 00:36:32,000
Speaker 1: here to shepherd you to the next phase of your life.

695
00:36:32,239 --> 00:36:35,239
Speaker 1: Don't you believe I want the best for you? I do,

696
00:36:35,560 --> 00:36:38,719
Speaker 1: Sasha said, her voice softened. But Anne didn't want this,

697
00:36:38,880 --> 00:36:41,960
Speaker 1: she told me so. Didn't she deserve time to grieve?

698
00:36:42,800 --> 00:36:46,839
Speaker 1: She did, Helen said, But the Lord demands sacrifices from

699
00:36:46,880 --> 00:36:51,280
Speaker 1: all of us, sometimes more sacrifices than seemed fair. Anne

700
00:36:51,320 --> 00:36:53,399
Speaker 1: is in a dark place now, but the Lord will

701
00:36:53,440 --> 00:36:56,560
Speaker 1: send his light to guide her. Helen seemed to straighten

702
00:36:56,640 --> 00:36:59,440
Speaker 1: up as she spoke Sasha saw resolve settle into the

703
00:36:59,440 --> 00:37:02,960
Speaker 1: older woman flint gray eyes. So may it be, she said,

704
00:37:03,239 --> 00:37:07,000
Speaker 1: May the peace of the Lord be with you. Sasha

705
00:37:07,040 --> 00:37:09,839
Speaker 1: started to walk off. She didn't trust herself to stay

706
00:37:09,840 --> 00:37:12,239
Speaker 1: and talk. She was sure more of her anger would

707
00:37:12,239 --> 00:37:14,840
Speaker 1: bleed out into the conversation, and she wasn't sure what

708
00:37:14,880 --> 00:37:17,120
Speaker 1: Helen would do if she got the impression that Sasha's

709
00:37:17,160 --> 00:37:21,080
Speaker 1: loyalty had started to waver. Sasha dear, she said, and

710
00:37:21,160 --> 00:37:23,960
Speaker 1: Sasha looked back. You forgot your dinner. It's in a

711
00:37:24,000 --> 00:37:27,640
Speaker 1: bag on the table. Sasha took it and Aiden's silence

712
00:37:27,760 --> 00:37:30,839
Speaker 1: as fast as decorum would allow. Then she cleaned up

713
00:37:30,840 --> 00:37:33,680
Speaker 1: for bed and headed back into the dormitories. As soon

714
00:37:33,719 --> 00:37:36,600
Speaker 1: as she saw the light glinting off of Susannah's open eyes,

715
00:37:36,680 --> 00:37:39,520
Speaker 1: she knew the other girl was awake. Sasha knelt down

716
00:37:39,520 --> 00:37:41,640
Speaker 1: at her bed and the two shared a long look.

717
00:37:42,080 --> 00:37:45,720
Speaker 1: Susannah held out her hand and Sasha took it. What happened,

718
00:37:45,960 --> 00:37:49,120
Speaker 1: she asked. They let us out early and dropped us

719
00:37:49,120 --> 00:37:53,240
Speaker 1: off down town. Susanna's eyes were wet with tears. Anna

720
00:37:53,239 --> 00:37:55,440
Speaker 1: and I had a coffee and we visited the market.

721
00:37:55,520 --> 00:37:59,040
Speaker 1: It was nice, normal, almost we headed for the house

722
00:37:59,040 --> 00:38:02,000
Speaker 1: of Miriam once it's order to get dark, and she gulped.

723
00:38:02,440 --> 00:38:06,920
Speaker 1: They were just there waiting with Miss Helen. Susannah swallowed

724
00:38:06,960 --> 00:38:09,680
Speaker 1: loudly and her eyes grew watery, but she didn't cry.

725
00:38:10,080 --> 00:38:13,879
Speaker 1: Sasha was proud of her friend. That was them, wasn't it.

726
00:38:14,040 --> 00:38:18,600
Speaker 1: Susannah asked, those men were the sons of Jacob. Sasha

727
00:38:18,719 --> 00:38:28,799
Speaker 1: just nodded. How long until they take me too? What

728
00:38:29,000 --> 00:38:32,760
Speaker 1: grows in the forest trees? Sure? No. What else grows

729
00:38:32,760 --> 00:38:36,480
Speaker 1: in the forest, our imagination, our sense of wonder, and

730
00:38:36,560 --> 00:38:39,799
Speaker 1: our family bonds grow too, because when we disconnect from

731
00:38:39,840 --> 00:38:46,279
Speaker 1: this and connect with this, we reconnect with each other.

732
00:38:47,040 --> 00:38:49,920
Speaker 1: The forest is closer than you think. Find a forest

733
00:38:50,040 --> 00:38:53,520
Speaker 1: near you and start exploring. I Discover the Forest dot Org.

734
00:38:53,840 --> 00:38:56,400
Speaker 1: Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and

735
00:38:56,480 --> 00:39:02,360
Speaker 1: the AD Council. The Gangster Chronicles podcast is a weekly

736
00:39:02,400 --> 00:39:06,320
Speaker 1: conversation that revolves around the underworld and criminals and entertainers

737
00:39:06,440 --> 00:39:09,720
Speaker 1: to victims, crime and law enforcement. We cover all facets

738
00:39:09,760 --> 00:39:14,360
Speaker 1: of the game. Gainster Chronicles podcast doesn't glorify from modilicit activities.

739
00:39:14,719 --> 00:39:17,880
Speaker 1: We just discussed the ramifications and repercussions of these activities

740
00:39:17,920 --> 00:39:20,360
Speaker 1: because at the wall. She played gamester games to an

741
00:39:20,440 --> 00:39:24,080
Speaker 1: ultimately rewarded with gangster prizes. Our Heart Radio is number

742
00:39:24,120 --> 00:39:26,759
Speaker 1: one for podcasts, but don't take our award for it.

743
00:39:27,000 --> 00:39:29,919
Speaker 1: Find Against the Chronicles podcast and my Heart Radio app

744
00:39:30,000 --> 00:39:35,359
Speaker 1: or wherever you get your podcast. From Cavalry Audio, comes

745
00:39:35,400 --> 00:39:40,120
Speaker 1: the new true crime podcast, The Shadow Girls. I always

746
00:39:40,160 --> 00:39:42,280
Speaker 1: wanted to know what it felt like to kill somebody

747
00:39:42,520 --> 00:39:46,040
Speaker 1: and started laughing. Prosecutors described him as a serial killer

748
00:39:46,160 --> 00:39:49,320
Speaker 1: servant kicking up these girls, getting him in a position

749
00:39:49,320 --> 00:39:51,880
Speaker 1: of vulnerability. When he got hold of their neck, that

750
00:39:52,040 --> 00:39:55,640
Speaker 1: was it. I'm Caroline Asia, a journalist and lifelong resident

751
00:39:55,680 --> 00:39:58,760
Speaker 1: of the Pacific Northwest. I grew up near the banks

752
00:39:58,760 --> 00:40:01,160
Speaker 1: of the Green River and in the shadow of the

753
00:40:01,280 --> 00:40:06,879
Speaker 1: killer that bears its name. The camera time, just one time,

754
00:40:06,920 --> 00:40:10,200
Speaker 1: he started fantasizing about having sex with his mother, and

755
00:40:10,320 --> 00:40:14,160
Speaker 1: he fantasized about killing her. But this podcast isn't only

756
00:40:14,200 --> 00:40:17,719
Speaker 1: about tracking down the killer. It's about the victims. We

757
00:40:17,840 --> 00:40:20,680
Speaker 1: stayed in the woods. He always liked to go into woods,

758
00:40:22,080 --> 00:40:24,800
Speaker 1: all the kind of strange you know how it feels

759
00:40:24,840 --> 00:40:27,920
Speaker 1: about prostitutes. Listen to The Shadow Girls on the I

760
00:40:28,080 --> 00:40:31,560
Speaker 1: Heart Radio app on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get

761
00:40:31,560 --> 00:40:41,080
Speaker 1: your podcasts, Chapter sixteen, Manny. The Barracks had been a

762
00:40:41,160 --> 00:40:44,120
Speaker 1: high school, once built to serve several thousand of the

763
00:40:44,160 --> 00:40:48,240
Speaker 1: Plano area's wealthy as students. The dozen huge gray buildings

764
00:40:48,239 --> 00:40:51,320
Speaker 1: were centered around an enormous courtyard that included a practice

765
00:40:51,360 --> 00:40:54,880
Speaker 1: football field, several tennis courts, and a running track. The

766
00:40:54,960 --> 00:40:58,200
Speaker 1: compound was boxed in by a high concrete wall topped

767
00:40:58,200 --> 00:41:01,200
Speaker 1: in razor wire. What had been to defend the scions

768
00:41:01,239 --> 00:41:04,000
Speaker 1: of wealth and privilege from their jealous peers also made

769
00:41:04,040 --> 00:41:07,480
Speaker 1: the former school an ideal training ground for the Kingdom soldiers.

770
00:41:08,239 --> 00:41:11,360
Speaker 1: Manny could see hundreds of young men just within the courtyard.

771
00:41:11,719 --> 00:41:14,600
Speaker 1: They ran laps or charged through a makeshift obstacle course

772
00:41:14,600 --> 00:41:17,600
Speaker 1: that had been assembled over the old football field. Manny's

773
00:41:17,640 --> 00:41:20,759
Speaker 1: head throbbed just watching them. I hope we don't have

774
00:41:20,800 --> 00:41:22,839
Speaker 1: to do too much of that ship, he thought, as

775
00:41:22,840 --> 00:41:25,840
Speaker 1: he scratched the bandage over his severed deck, at least

776
00:41:25,840 --> 00:41:29,720
Speaker 1: not today. Dozens of men sat in small groups around

777
00:41:29,719 --> 00:41:33,040
Speaker 1: the courtyard, reading together from books or cooling down from workouts,

778
00:41:33,040 --> 00:41:36,000
Speaker 1: and sweat drenched under clothes. Many could hear the sharp

779
00:41:36,040 --> 00:41:38,799
Speaker 1: crack of rifle fire from a shooting range nearby. The

780
00:41:38,840 --> 00:41:41,720
Speaker 1: whole place buzzed with a sort of busy, nervous energy

781
00:41:41,760 --> 00:41:43,880
Speaker 1: that might have been contagious if not for the ugly

782
00:41:43,960 --> 00:41:47,439
Speaker 1: stairs Manny attracted, you picked the wrong skin to wear,

783
00:41:47,719 --> 00:41:49,759
Speaker 1: Roland muttered at him as a troop of pale, young

784
00:41:49,800 --> 00:41:53,239
Speaker 1: infantrymen clumped past them. Many couldn't help but notice that

785
00:41:53,320 --> 00:41:55,560
Speaker 1: he seemed to be the only person on the training

786
00:41:55,600 --> 00:41:59,440
Speaker 1: field who wasn't lily white. This might be a problem,

787
00:41:59,440 --> 00:42:02,560
Speaker 1: he said. Roland nodded in response. He spat at the

788
00:42:02,560 --> 00:42:05,879
Speaker 1: ground and muttered, should I ask skullfucker Mike to sew

789
00:42:05,920 --> 00:42:08,840
Speaker 1: you into some new skin before we left? Mannie frowned.

790
00:42:08,880 --> 00:42:13,240
Speaker 1: I'm almost certain that's not how martyrs. A rough voice

791
00:42:13,239 --> 00:42:16,200
Speaker 1: cried out from behind them. Turn round, boys, let me

792
00:42:16,320 --> 00:42:20,360
Speaker 1: see you rise. Manny stopped on instinct. He stiffened his

793
00:42:20,400 --> 00:42:23,000
Speaker 1: back and turned around. Roland did the same thing, but

794
00:42:23,120 --> 00:42:25,120
Speaker 1: with a heavy sigh and a roll of his eyes.

795
00:42:25,640 --> 00:42:27,919
Speaker 1: The shout had come from a tall, square jawed man

796
00:42:27,960 --> 00:42:30,720
Speaker 1: with hair that had gone a majestic shade of silver gray.

797
00:42:31,080 --> 00:42:33,919
Speaker 1: He wore a black uniform shirt with brass cross pins

798
00:42:34,000 --> 00:42:36,880
Speaker 1: and the epaulets, black cargo pants and a big black

799
00:42:36,920 --> 00:42:40,080
Speaker 1: handgun slung low on his left hip. His name tag

800
00:42:40,120 --> 00:42:43,440
Speaker 1: identified him as Ditmar. Mannie didn't know enough about the

801
00:42:43,440 --> 00:42:47,080
Speaker 1: martyr's brigades to tell the man's rank. Roland turned as

802
00:42:47,080 --> 00:42:50,000
Speaker 1: Ditmar closed the distance between them. He stopped about a

803
00:42:50,000 --> 00:42:52,279
Speaker 1: foot in from them, looked Roland up and down, and

804
00:42:52,320 --> 00:42:55,040
Speaker 1: then turned to Mannie. The fixer forced himself to meet

805
00:42:55,080 --> 00:42:59,040
Speaker 1: the grizzled martyr's gaze. Mannie wasn't sure how to look

806
00:42:59,080 --> 00:43:01,640
Speaker 1: like a fanatical Richtian soldier. There was no way to

807
00:43:01,680 --> 00:43:04,479
Speaker 1: fake the manic glint of true commitment, so he chose

808
00:43:04,480 --> 00:43:07,759
Speaker 1: a different tack. He thought about Major Clark, the defiant

809
00:43:07,800 --> 00:43:10,440
Speaker 1: set of his jaw and the promise of violence frozen

810
00:43:10,440 --> 00:43:13,280
Speaker 1: into the ice of his blue eyes. D Shaun Clark

811
00:43:13,440 --> 00:43:16,439
Speaker 1: was not a fanatic, but he was a warrior. Many

812
00:43:16,520 --> 00:43:18,600
Speaker 1: knew he might be able to fake that, so he

813
00:43:18,640 --> 00:43:21,200
Speaker 1: screwed up his face into his best imitation and hoped

814
00:43:21,239 --> 00:43:24,920
Speaker 1: it would pass muster well. The silver haired old soldier

815
00:43:24,960 --> 00:43:27,560
Speaker 1: growled and narrowed his eyes, but then his face broke

816
00:43:27,600 --> 00:43:30,200
Speaker 1: out into a grin. His tone lifted up an octave.

817
00:43:30,520 --> 00:43:33,640
Speaker 1: By God, he said, it's good to have you boys here.

818
00:43:34,160 --> 00:43:36,600
Speaker 1: He clapped a hand on both Manny and roland shoulders

819
00:43:36,640 --> 00:43:39,600
Speaker 1: and pulled them into an embrace. Your souls are safe now,

820
00:43:39,680 --> 00:43:43,440
Speaker 1: my boys. Thank God for your warrior hearts. Now. He

821
00:43:43,560 --> 00:43:46,839
Speaker 1: pulled back and straightened up. I'm Martyr Ditmar. Where are

822
00:43:46,840 --> 00:43:50,560
Speaker 1: you bound for intake? Manny said, with more confidence than

823
00:43:50,600 --> 00:43:53,680
Speaker 1: he felt. We just arrived today. He glanced down at

824
00:43:53,680 --> 00:43:56,200
Speaker 1: his papers for a moment and then said, this says

825
00:43:56,239 --> 00:44:01,880
Speaker 1: we're Infantry Reserve Division. Martyr Ditmar seemed surprised. Really, he asked,

826
00:44:02,200 --> 00:44:04,359
Speaker 1: I'd have expected them to put you at least he

827
00:44:04,400 --> 00:44:09,359
Speaker 1: nodded at Manny in the storming battalion. The storming battalion. Yes,

828
00:44:09,680 --> 00:44:13,719
Speaker 1: The elder martyr nodded, you've got the right complexion for it.

829
00:44:15,120 --> 00:44:17,759
Speaker 1: That's got to be a bad sign. Manny thought, don't

830
00:44:17,760 --> 00:44:20,439
Speaker 1: press the question too much now, you may not want

831
00:44:20,480 --> 00:44:23,480
Speaker 1: the answer. Instead, he put a hand on Roland's shoulder.

832
00:44:23,920 --> 00:44:26,560
Speaker 1: Wherever we go, I gotta stay with Aaron. He's strong,

833
00:44:26,680 --> 00:44:28,680
Speaker 1: but he took a few hits to the head too many.

834
00:44:28,760 --> 00:44:31,560
Speaker 1: I help him get around. The martyr gave a smile

835
00:44:31,640 --> 00:44:34,680
Speaker 1: that seemed genuine. Well, then he said, you'll want to

836
00:44:34,719 --> 00:44:37,080
Speaker 1: get your butts down to Cadet Processing. It's a hundred

837
00:44:37,080 --> 00:44:39,800
Speaker 1: meters down that away. He clapped them both on the shoulders.

838
00:44:39,880 --> 00:44:42,600
Speaker 1: It's good to see you here. Smile boys, your heroes

839
00:44:42,640 --> 00:44:46,840
Speaker 1: now warriors in Christ. Go forth, God bless you, Martyr,

840
00:44:46,920 --> 00:44:49,600
Speaker 1: Manny said. Roland followed up with his best attempt at

841
00:44:49,600 --> 00:44:53,480
Speaker 1: honest enthusiasm. Yea God, he said, in a two wide smile.

842
00:44:53,920 --> 00:44:56,480
Speaker 1: We should go, Manny said quickly. I don't want to

843
00:44:56,719 --> 00:44:59,839
Speaker 1: terry on the Lord's time. That's the spirit. Martyr did

844
00:45:00,000 --> 00:45:02,400
Speaker 1: Are replied, I'll see you both on the training field.

845
00:45:03,000 --> 00:45:05,640
Speaker 1: They stomped off towards the Cadet process and building, which

846
00:45:05,760 --> 00:45:09,319
Speaker 1: until recently had been the high school's administrative building. There

847
00:45:09,360 --> 00:45:12,080
Speaker 1: were posters for school dances and after school clubs on

848
00:45:12,120 --> 00:45:14,560
Speaker 1: the walls. It looked like a student body election had

849
00:45:14,560 --> 00:45:17,080
Speaker 1: been under way when the Heavenly Kingdom captured this place.

850
00:45:17,520 --> 00:45:19,879
Speaker 1: Manny and Roland queued up behind a half dozen other

851
00:45:19,920 --> 00:45:22,480
Speaker 1: confused looking young men and waited for their turn at

852
00:45:22,480 --> 00:45:26,200
Speaker 1: the processing desk. The intake process lasted around an hour.

853
00:45:26,480 --> 00:45:28,799
Speaker 1: They took his name as date of birth and his measurements,

854
00:45:28,880 --> 00:45:32,440
Speaker 1: and then Manny helped Aaron answer the same questions it

855
00:45:32,480 --> 00:45:34,959
Speaker 1: would have been triflingly easy for anyone with a deck

856
00:45:34,960 --> 00:45:37,400
Speaker 1: and a good connection to find evidence of Manny's career

857
00:45:37,440 --> 00:45:40,239
Speaker 1: as a war zone fixer. But the martyr handling their

858
00:45:40,280 --> 00:45:43,920
Speaker 1: information wrote things down on actual paper. Manny got the

859
00:45:43,960 --> 00:45:47,000
Speaker 1: distinct impression that many of the martyrs had disabled their decks.

860
00:45:47,360 --> 00:45:50,080
Speaker 1: He also knew from experience that data speeds tended to

861
00:45:50,120 --> 00:45:53,080
Speaker 1: be pretty ship this close to the fighting. Someone will

862
00:45:53,160 --> 00:45:56,320
Speaker 1: check eventually, he warned himself, You'd better be fast about

863
00:45:56,320 --> 00:45:59,879
Speaker 1: this whole business. Roland stayed on his best behavior through

864
00:45:59,880 --> 00:46:02,320
Speaker 1: the whole process, although he grew twitch eer and twitch

865
00:46:02,320 --> 00:46:04,880
Speaker 1: eer as the minutes wore on. Manny wasn't sure if

866
00:46:04,880 --> 00:46:07,880
Speaker 1: the chromed man was allergic to bureaucracy or just frustrated

867
00:46:07,880 --> 00:46:10,200
Speaker 1: at having sobered up. Once they were done with the

868
00:46:10,200 --> 00:46:12,480
Speaker 1: first stage of the intake process, they were ushered over

869
00:46:12,520 --> 00:46:14,960
Speaker 1: to another room filled with folded stacks of clothing and

870
00:46:15,040 --> 00:46:17,560
Speaker 1: dince with the scent of moth balls. They were shot

871
00:46:17,600 --> 00:46:20,400
Speaker 1: uniforms and then bundled off to a locker room to change.

872
00:46:21,160 --> 00:46:24,160
Speaker 1: Manny was somewhat nervous about stripping down and changing in

873
00:46:24,200 --> 00:46:26,719
Speaker 1: front of Roland, a dude he barely knew if the

874
00:46:26,719 --> 00:46:29,239
Speaker 1: post human felt the same nervousness, he didn't show it.

875
00:46:29,800 --> 00:46:32,040
Speaker 1: Roland pulled off his clothes in a couple of seconds,

876
00:46:32,120 --> 00:46:34,400
Speaker 1: revealing a body that was tight with wiry muscle and

877
00:46:34,440 --> 00:46:37,880
Speaker 1: covered in thick surgical scars. Roland started to pull on

878
00:46:37,920 --> 00:46:40,520
Speaker 1: his beady you pants and noticed Manny hadn't yet started

879
00:46:40,560 --> 00:46:45,960
Speaker 1: to strips up. Roland asked, you smell nervous. Manny shrugged.

880
00:46:46,080 --> 00:46:48,680
Speaker 1: I guess I'm a little prude. Still must be the

881
00:46:48,680 --> 00:46:52,000
Speaker 1: Catholic in me. Don't let them hear that. Roland knifed

882
00:46:52,080 --> 00:46:54,799
Speaker 1: those fucker's all hang you with your rosary beads. He

883
00:46:54,840 --> 00:46:57,000
Speaker 1: pulled the pants up and buttoned them. Then he paused

884
00:46:57,000 --> 00:47:00,800
Speaker 1: again and looked back at Manny. You h you oh Catholic?

885
00:47:01,040 --> 00:47:04,480
Speaker 1: He asked. Manny shook his head. No, I don't believe,

886
00:47:04,600 --> 00:47:08,680
Speaker 1: but my family does. Ah. Roland nodded, you fake belief.

887
00:47:08,719 --> 00:47:12,000
Speaker 1: Well that's a talent. It's not a talent, Manny said,

888
00:47:12,120 --> 00:47:14,480
Speaker 1: it's a survival skill. Grow up in Texas and you

889
00:47:14,560 --> 00:47:17,239
Speaker 1: either learned to fake what you need to fake where

890
00:47:17,239 --> 00:47:20,560
Speaker 1: you learn to fight. Someone knocked on the door. You

891
00:47:20,680 --> 00:47:23,800
Speaker 1: ready yet, a voice called out to them. Almost Manny

892
00:47:23,880 --> 00:47:26,439
Speaker 1: responded and then he started to strip his clothing off.

893
00:47:26,880 --> 00:47:28,799
Speaker 1: A few minutes and a change of clothes later, they

894
00:47:28,880 --> 00:47:31,200
Speaker 1: arrived on the field where their training unit, twenty four

895
00:47:31,239 --> 00:47:34,200
Speaker 1: sweat drenched young men, were doing push ups. Manny was

896
00:47:34,239 --> 00:47:37,000
Speaker 1: surprised to see that these martyrs, at least weren't all white.

897
00:47:37,160 --> 00:47:38,920
Speaker 1: There was one black man right in the middle of

898
00:47:38,960 --> 00:47:41,480
Speaker 1: the group. It took Manny a second to recognize that

899
00:47:41,520 --> 00:47:44,000
Speaker 1: the instructor drilling them was Ditmar, the man they'd met

900
00:47:44,040 --> 00:47:46,000
Speaker 1: on their way to the base. He broke into a

901
00:47:46,040 --> 00:47:49,640
Speaker 1: broad smile when he saw them. God's will is truly magnificent,

902
00:47:49,760 --> 00:47:51,799
Speaker 1: is it not? And then he nodded down to the

903
00:47:51,800 --> 00:47:54,520
Speaker 1: Groundfall it and join us, lads. Let's see what you've got.

904
00:47:55,360 --> 00:47:57,480
Speaker 1: Manny and Roland dropped down and joined the unit in

905
00:47:57,480 --> 00:47:59,880
Speaker 1: another set of push ups. If Roland had any trouble

906
00:47:59,880 --> 00:48:01,960
Speaker 1: at all with the workout regimen, he didn't show it.

907
00:48:02,280 --> 00:48:05,160
Speaker 1: The chrombed man barely sweated, and Manny had a feeling

908
00:48:05,160 --> 00:48:07,080
Speaker 1: that his sweat was more for show than the result

909
00:48:07,080 --> 00:48:10,360
Speaker 1: of an actual biological process. Even with the show, it

910
00:48:10,400 --> 00:48:12,600
Speaker 1: was obvious to every one that Roland was not having

911
00:48:12,600 --> 00:48:15,600
Speaker 1: any trouble with the exercises. God's blessed us with a

912
00:48:15,680 --> 00:48:18,600
Speaker 1: new sampson, Ditmar said. A hundred or so push ups

913
00:48:18,600 --> 00:48:21,880
Speaker 1: in the rest of the men, Manny included, had collapsed

914
00:48:21,880 --> 00:48:24,960
Speaker 1: from the exertion, but Roland just kept going. For a while.

915
00:48:25,000 --> 00:48:27,799
Speaker 1: They all sat there, huffing and exhausted and watching him go.

916
00:48:28,239 --> 00:48:30,560
Speaker 1: Ditmar smiled and shook his head a little awed at

917
00:48:30,560 --> 00:48:34,120
Speaker 1: the sight. Finally, he waved for Roland to stop. You've

918
00:48:34,120 --> 00:48:36,440
Speaker 1: made your point, son, and we're all blessed to have

919
00:48:36,520 --> 00:48:39,080
Speaker 1: you here with us. Now get up, all of you

920
00:48:39,280 --> 00:48:42,399
Speaker 1: and sit around me. Manny stood, shook the soreness from

921
00:48:42,440 --> 00:48:43,960
Speaker 1: his arms, and moved to take a seat in the

922
00:48:44,000 --> 00:48:47,480
Speaker 1: semicircle of young martyrs. Once they were all properly positioned,

923
00:48:47,520 --> 00:48:50,080
Speaker 1: Ditmar squatted down and cast his eyes around the group,

924
00:48:50,360 --> 00:48:53,200
Speaker 1: settling on each of them in turn. I don't know

925
00:48:53,400 --> 00:48:55,760
Speaker 1: how you all got here, he said, in a quiet,

926
00:48:55,800 --> 00:48:59,080
Speaker 1: somber voice, but I know what brought each of you here,

927
00:48:59,520 --> 00:49:02,480
Speaker 1: the speed rid of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.

928
00:49:02,840 --> 00:49:06,480
Speaker 1: He cleared his throat. Now, he said, very soon, you'll

929
00:49:06,520 --> 00:49:09,520
Speaker 1: all be going into battle sooner than i'd prefer. We

930
00:49:09,560 --> 00:49:12,040
Speaker 1: don't have time for the kind of training you boys deserve.

931
00:49:12,360 --> 00:49:15,680
Speaker 1: You'll be fighting against men with more experience, better weaponry.

932
00:49:15,840 --> 00:49:18,759
Speaker 1: It's a scary thought, but I'll tell you all right now,

933
00:49:18,960 --> 00:49:21,080
Speaker 1: if you go into that battle with the same blind

934
00:49:21,120 --> 00:49:24,120
Speaker 1: faith that brought you here, you'll do just fine. God

935
00:49:24,160 --> 00:49:27,719
Speaker 1: won't let any other end come to pass. It was

936
00:49:27,800 --> 00:49:29,880
Speaker 1: dark by the time ditmar led them all into the

937
00:49:29,920 --> 00:49:32,879
Speaker 1: dining facility. The sight of the high school cafeteria set

938
00:49:32,880 --> 00:49:35,840
Speaker 1: off a surprising pang of nostalgia in Manny's heart. He

939
00:49:35,880 --> 00:49:39,280
Speaker 1: hadn't enjoyed school, but something about the gray, fabric colored walls,

940
00:49:39,320 --> 00:49:42,040
Speaker 1: the colorful posters, and the dozens of identical faux wood

941
00:49:42,080 --> 00:49:45,520
Speaker 1: tables made him long for a simpler time. For a second,

942
00:49:45,560 --> 00:49:47,840
Speaker 1: he was almost able to forget where he was, what

943
00:49:47,960 --> 00:49:50,560
Speaker 1: he was doing, and pretend this was just another day

944
00:49:50,560 --> 00:49:53,839
Speaker 1: in school. That illusion was broken when he looked at

945
00:49:53,880 --> 00:49:57,560
Speaker 1: his fellow martyrs. Hundreds of them had filed into the cafeteria,

946
00:49:57,719 --> 00:50:00,279
Speaker 1: dressed in a motley assortment of battle dress uni forms

947
00:50:00,280 --> 00:50:02,680
Speaker 1: from the old U. S Army, the Republic of Texas,

948
00:50:02,719 --> 00:50:05,319
Speaker 1: and even the Mexican Army. Most of them were young,

949
00:50:05,560 --> 00:50:08,160
Speaker 1: not even into their twenties. Around a quarter of them, though,

950
00:50:08,320 --> 00:50:11,520
Speaker 1: were old for soldiers in their forties or fifties. There

951
00:50:11,600 --> 00:50:14,319
Speaker 1: was no military discipline in their appearance. Many of the

952
00:50:14,360 --> 00:50:18,480
Speaker 1: men had beards or long, unruly hair. These fox aren't soldiers,

953
00:50:18,640 --> 00:50:20,520
Speaker 1: Roland whispered to him as they took their seats at

954
00:50:20,560 --> 00:50:22,399
Speaker 1: one of the fake wooden tables on the left side

955
00:50:22,400 --> 00:50:25,200
Speaker 1: of the room. This is what cann father looks like. Kid.

956
00:50:25,320 --> 00:50:28,760
Speaker 1: The heavenly Kingdom just expects these people to die. Many

957
00:50:28,800 --> 00:50:31,560
Speaker 1: felt a surge of anxiety. He was sure someone else

958
00:50:31,640 --> 00:50:33,719
Speaker 1: must have heard Rowland, but when he glanced around, he

959
00:50:33,760 --> 00:50:36,120
Speaker 1: saw their table mates were all deep in conversation with

960
00:50:36,160 --> 00:50:39,640
Speaker 1: each other. Most of them, at least Jonathan, the only

961
00:50:39,640 --> 00:50:42,120
Speaker 1: other non white person in their training unit, seemed to

962
00:50:42,160 --> 00:50:45,160
Speaker 1: have been excluded. The other soldiers leaned away from him.

963
00:50:45,280 --> 00:50:47,120
Speaker 1: The focus of the table seemed to be a tall,

964
00:50:47,239 --> 00:50:49,799
Speaker 1: square jawed young man with a Georgian twang to his

965
00:50:49,840 --> 00:50:53,680
Speaker 1: accent Martyrs. A loud voice cried from a podium at

966
00:50:53,680 --> 00:50:56,160
Speaker 1: the center of the cafeteria. The sound of hundreds of

967
00:50:56,200 --> 00:50:58,560
Speaker 1: bodies on hundreds of chairs turning to face the noise

968
00:50:58,560 --> 00:51:01,840
Speaker 1: filled the room. There was a tall, painfully thin man

969
00:51:01,880 --> 00:51:04,880
Speaker 1: clad in a long black robe. An enormous wooden cross

970
00:51:04,920 --> 00:51:07,719
Speaker 1: hung from his neck. His hair was greasy, unruly, and

971
00:51:07,800 --> 00:51:10,400
Speaker 1: shock white. He had a patchy beard and the overall

972
00:51:10,440 --> 00:51:13,799
Speaker 1: look of an unkimpt madman. But then he spoke. My

973
00:51:13,920 --> 00:51:16,239
Speaker 1: brother said, is a blessed thing to have you all

974
00:51:16,280 --> 00:51:18,920
Speaker 1: here today. He began in a voice that was little

975
00:51:18,920 --> 00:51:21,160
Speaker 1: more than a whisper. There was a raw rasp to

976
00:51:21,239 --> 00:51:24,480
Speaker 1: his voice. He sounded almost hoarse. Something about that quality

977
00:51:24,560 --> 00:51:28,359
Speaker 1: drew Manny's attention. In the coming days, your instructors will

978
00:51:28,360 --> 00:51:31,279
Speaker 1: prepare you for the great battles that lie ahead. You

979
00:51:31,320 --> 00:51:34,400
Speaker 1: will be given the best arms and armorah Kingdom can provide.

980
00:51:34,680 --> 00:51:37,680
Speaker 1: But just by being here, each of you has shown

981
00:51:37,719 --> 00:51:40,320
Speaker 1: you already have a weapon more powerful than any tool

982
00:51:40,320 --> 00:51:45,680
Speaker 1: in our armory. Faith in God Almighty. His voice raised

983
00:51:45,680 --> 00:51:47,920
Speaker 1: in pitch. Now it was still raspi and horse, but

984
00:51:47,960 --> 00:51:50,840
Speaker 1: it picked up a sharp, booming quality. He spoke faster,

985
00:51:51,160 --> 00:51:54,320
Speaker 1: his cheeks grew red. Put on the armor of God,

986
00:51:54,520 --> 00:51:57,280
Speaker 1: he cried, And you will stand firm against the schemes

987
00:51:57,320 --> 00:52:00,600
Speaker 1: of the devil. Be strong and courageous. Do not panic

988
00:52:00,680 --> 00:52:03,439
Speaker 1: before the enemy. For in every battle, the Lord your

989
00:52:03,520 --> 00:52:05,800
Speaker 1: God will go ahead of you. He will never fail

990
00:52:05,840 --> 00:52:09,880
Speaker 1: you nor abandon you. At this several of the men

991
00:52:09,920 --> 00:52:12,520
Speaker 1: around the room pounded their fists on the tables. One

992
00:52:12,560 --> 00:52:15,239
Speaker 1: man in the back let out a whoop. These outbursts

993
00:52:15,239 --> 00:52:19,200
Speaker 1: inspired other men to cry out praise God. Manny glanced around,

994
00:52:19,320 --> 00:52:21,440
Speaker 1: trying to gauge if more or less than half of

995
00:52:21,480 --> 00:52:23,799
Speaker 1: the room was joining in. He didn't want to stay

996
00:52:23,880 --> 00:52:26,239
Speaker 1: quiet if that was going to look weird. But then

997
00:52:26,239 --> 00:52:30,200
Speaker 1: the pastor went quiet. A sense of anticipation filled the room.

998
00:52:30,239 --> 00:52:32,600
Speaker 1: There were about four hundred cadets all dining together in

999
00:52:32,640 --> 00:52:35,399
Speaker 1: this shift, and of course the officer in charge, a tall,

1000
00:52:35,480 --> 00:52:39,040
Speaker 1: gangly redhead with no chin but a strangely beautiful baritone voice,

1001
00:52:39,400 --> 00:52:42,279
Speaker 1: led them in prayer before the meal. Manny repeated the

1002
00:52:42,280 --> 00:52:44,560
Speaker 1: words after him, but he didn't hear them. He did

1003
00:52:44,600 --> 00:52:46,640
Speaker 1: have to elbow Rowland once when he saw the big

1004
00:52:46,680 --> 00:52:50,239
Speaker 1: post human wasn't chanting along with the other soldiers. Just then,

1005
00:52:50,360 --> 00:52:52,080
Speaker 1: a pair of big doors to the left of the

1006
00:52:52,120 --> 00:52:55,520
Speaker 1: stage swung open. Didmar walked out with a hefty brown

1007
00:52:55,600 --> 00:52:57,960
Speaker 1: canvas bag over his shoulder. He was followed by an

1008
00:52:58,040 --> 00:53:01,240
Speaker 1: armed guard and then two men in shackles. The captives

1009
00:53:01,239 --> 00:53:03,880
Speaker 1: wore striped white prison pajamas, and they both looked the

1010
00:53:03,920 --> 00:53:06,799
Speaker 1: worse for wear. One of them, a middle aged black man,

1011
00:53:06,960 --> 00:53:09,759
Speaker 1: looked familiar. Many thought he must be a captured sd

1012
00:53:09,880 --> 00:53:12,400
Speaker 1: F fighter. His lip looked as if it had recently

1013
00:53:12,440 --> 00:53:15,400
Speaker 1: been split, and there was a nasty gash on his forehead.

1014
00:53:15,600 --> 00:53:17,920
Speaker 1: He kept his head down and his shoulder slumped. His

1015
00:53:18,000 --> 00:53:21,319
Speaker 1: posture was one of complete resignation. The other man was

1016
00:53:21,640 --> 00:53:25,919
Speaker 1: Manny's heart skipped a beat Oscar. He'd been beaten too,

1017
00:53:26,040 --> 00:53:28,560
Speaker 1: although not as badly as the soldier. He looked not

1018
00:53:28,680 --> 00:53:31,920
Speaker 1: so much frightened as bewildered, starving, and probably reeling from

1019
00:53:31,920 --> 00:53:35,640
Speaker 1: one or more head injuries. Dude Roland nudged Manny's rib

1020
00:53:35,719 --> 00:53:38,960
Speaker 1: cage and whispered to him the fuck Many realized his

1021
00:53:39,000 --> 00:53:41,920
Speaker 1: masket slipped. He let himself stare in horror rather than

1022
00:53:41,960 --> 00:53:45,279
Speaker 1: the excitement evident in everyone else's face. No one else

1023
00:53:45,320 --> 00:53:47,600
Speaker 1: seemed to have noticed yet, they were all focused on

1024
00:53:47,640 --> 00:53:50,560
Speaker 1: the prisoners. But Many forced a grim smile onto his

1025
00:53:50,600 --> 00:53:52,680
Speaker 1: face and tried to look at least like he was

1026
00:53:52,719 --> 00:53:56,720
Speaker 1: deeply satisfied. An armed martyr prodded Oscar and the SDF

1027
00:53:56,880 --> 00:53:58,960
Speaker 1: man in their backs with his rifle and ushered them

1028
00:53:59,000 --> 00:54:02,440
Speaker 1: up onto the stage. Dead silence reigned over the cafeteria,

1029
00:54:02,680 --> 00:54:05,040
Speaker 1: no one spoke. It took Manny a few seconds to

1030
00:54:05,080 --> 00:54:08,240
Speaker 1: realize he was actually holding his breath. Once the captives

1031
00:54:08,280 --> 00:54:10,520
Speaker 1: were up on stage, the armed martyrs pulled them down

1032
00:54:10,560 --> 00:54:13,600
Speaker 1: to their knees. Ditmar set his bag down and zipped

1033
00:54:13,600 --> 00:54:16,000
Speaker 1: it and pulled out a wooden rod about two feet

1034
00:54:16,000 --> 00:54:19,440
Speaker 1: in length and as thick around as Manny's forearm. Warriors

1035
00:54:19,440 --> 00:54:22,040
Speaker 1: of God. The priest in toned in a low whisper.

1036
00:54:22,239 --> 00:54:24,680
Speaker 1: Manny felt himself lean into the man's words, even as

1037
00:54:24,760 --> 00:54:27,520
Speaker 1: dread pickled the pit of his stomach. These men appointed

1038
00:54:27,560 --> 00:54:31,279
Speaker 1: themselves enemies of our heavenly kingdom, foes of God. He

1039
00:54:31,400 --> 00:54:33,799
Speaker 1: raised a hand up to Ditmar. His hand shook, but

1040
00:54:33,880 --> 00:54:37,520
Speaker 1: not out of fear. He positively vibrated with excitement. Who

1041
00:54:37,560 --> 00:54:40,040
Speaker 1: among you will take up the rod and punish these men?

1042
00:54:40,680 --> 00:54:43,319
Speaker 1: The chair scraping floor, sound of some one standing up

1043
00:54:43,400 --> 00:54:46,600
Speaker 1: very quickly rose behind him. Manny glanced back and saw

1044
00:54:46,640 --> 00:54:48,200
Speaker 1: that one of the men from his cadet group had

1045
00:54:48,239 --> 00:54:50,640
Speaker 1: been the first to stand. He was tall, with broad,

1046
00:54:50,719 --> 00:54:53,000
Speaker 1: thick shoulders and chest muscles that spoke of a youth

1047
00:54:53,080 --> 00:54:56,160
Speaker 1: spent laboring in the field. He had thin, dirty blonde hair,

1048
00:54:56,320 --> 00:54:58,920
Speaker 1: a thick jaw and blue eyes that shone with excitement.

1049
00:54:59,360 --> 00:55:03,359
Speaker 1: What your ne a, martyr, the priest asked Eric Friedman, Sir.

1050
00:55:03,640 --> 00:55:07,319
Speaker 1: The young man cried back, Martyr Freedman, Ditmar cried out

1051
00:55:07,320 --> 00:55:09,399
Speaker 1: as he held the rod up. Come forward and do

1052
00:55:09,480 --> 00:55:13,000
Speaker 1: the Lord's work. The young man walked forward, stepped up

1053
00:55:13,000 --> 00:55:15,439
Speaker 1: onto the stage and took the rod from Ditmar's hand.

1054
00:55:15,680 --> 00:55:18,319
Speaker 1: He glanced down at the captives. His eyes passed over

1055
00:55:18,360 --> 00:55:21,480
Speaker 1: Oscar and lingered on the battered black soldier. Strike a

1056
00:55:21,520 --> 00:55:25,200
Speaker 1: blow for the Lord, the priest whispered, and Martyr Freedman obliged.

1057
00:55:25,520 --> 00:55:28,160
Speaker 1: His first swing was weak and sure and poorly aimed.

1058
00:55:28,400 --> 00:55:31,239
Speaker 1: It struck the soldier on his shoulder. He didn't cry out.

1059
00:55:31,640 --> 00:55:34,799
Speaker 1: Martyr Freedman's second strike was harder, suer. He hit the

1060
00:55:34,840 --> 00:55:36,799
Speaker 1: soldier right in the gash on his forehead, and the

1061
00:55:36,800 --> 00:55:39,759
Speaker 1: man dropped with a muffled cry. Eric hit him again,

1062
00:55:39,920 --> 00:55:43,000
Speaker 1: and again and again. Ditmar grabbed another rod from the

1063
00:55:43,040 --> 00:55:46,200
Speaker 1: bag and held it out. Stand up, Men of God.

1064
00:55:46,239 --> 00:55:48,440
Speaker 1: The priest's voice rose again to a pitch so high

1065
00:55:48,480 --> 00:55:50,640
Speaker 1: it was almost a shriek. Step up and be the

1066
00:55:50,719 --> 00:55:55,200
Speaker 1: hands of justice. Just for a moment, Oscar saw him. Surprise,

1067
00:55:55,400 --> 00:55:58,359
Speaker 1: then confusion, and then anger passed over the stringer's face

1068
00:55:58,360 --> 00:56:01,080
Speaker 1: in the space of about a second. Manny didn't want

1069
00:56:01,080 --> 00:56:04,000
Speaker 1: to think about what Oscar saw in his face, and

1070
00:56:04,040 --> 00:56:06,880
Speaker 1: then Min rushed the stage, and Oscar disappeared in the

1071
00:56:06,920 --> 00:56:09,640
Speaker 1: swarm of martyrs to be rushing to share in the beatings.

1072
00:56:10,080 --> 00:56:12,680
Speaker 1: Roland took the opportunity provided by the chaos to lean

1073
00:56:12,719 --> 00:56:15,560
Speaker 1: back and whisper a question to Manny's going on, Gey,

1074
00:56:16,280 --> 00:56:18,320
Speaker 1: I know that guy, the one on the left. Mannie

1075
00:56:18,320 --> 00:56:20,880
Speaker 1: whispered back, He's one of my stringers. He works for me.

1076
00:56:21,160 --> 00:56:24,440
Speaker 1: He's my friend. Roland nodded and then stood up and

1077
00:56:24,560 --> 00:56:27,440
Speaker 1: rushed up to the stage. By the time he reached it,

1078
00:56:27,480 --> 00:56:29,799
Speaker 1: a dozen other martyrs had joined Eric and beating the

1079
00:56:29,800 --> 00:56:32,160
Speaker 1: two captives. There was blood on the floor, blood on

1080
00:56:32,200 --> 00:56:35,560
Speaker 1: the sticks, and bloods splattering the martyr's new uniforms. Oscar

1081
00:56:35,600 --> 00:56:37,959
Speaker 1: cried out from each blow. It sounded like his mouth

1082
00:56:38,040 --> 00:56:40,520
Speaker 1: was full of blood. And then Roland took a rod

1083
00:56:40,560 --> 00:56:42,840
Speaker 1: from Ditmar's hand and in the space of a second,

1084
00:56:43,040 --> 00:56:46,080
Speaker 1: brought it down on both men's skulls with dull, meaty thuds.

1085
00:56:46,560 --> 00:56:49,719
Speaker 1: The soldiers went still. The screaming stopped, and every eye

1086
00:56:49,719 --> 00:56:52,560
Speaker 1: in the room turned to Roland. The chrombed man looked

1087
00:56:52,560 --> 00:56:55,440
Speaker 1: out at the crowd. There was an agonizing moment of silence,

1088
00:56:55,520 --> 00:56:58,880
Speaker 1: and then Manny knew what he had to do. Praise God,

1089
00:56:59,200 --> 00:57:01,960
Speaker 1: he screamed out. The room joined in, and soon a

1090
00:57:02,040 --> 00:57:06,279
Speaker 1: chorus of cheers filled the cafeteria. After that, Rowland was

1091
00:57:06,280 --> 00:57:09,719
Speaker 1: everyone's favorite martyr. Once the men's bodies were dragged off

1092
00:57:09,719 --> 00:57:12,360
Speaker 1: the stage and dinner began, the martyrs could barely contain

1093
00:57:12,400 --> 00:57:16,000
Speaker 1: their admiration for his strength. That was incredible. Eric said,

1094
00:57:16,160 --> 00:57:18,400
Speaker 1: I can't wait to go into battle with you. What

1095
00:57:18,520 --> 00:57:20,680
Speaker 1: did you do before? A young man with a thick

1096
00:57:20,680 --> 00:57:23,680
Speaker 1: Oklahoma twang asked, from the way, you cracked those skulls

1097
00:57:23,680 --> 00:57:26,480
Speaker 1: out of guess you've been doing that for years. Roland

1098
00:57:26,520 --> 00:57:30,400
Speaker 1: gave short, non committal responses. His taciturn attitude didn't stop

1099
00:57:30,400 --> 00:57:33,080
Speaker 1: the other martyrs from talking about him with supreme glee.

1100
00:57:33,680 --> 00:57:36,480
Speaker 1: Their words sickened Manny, but their focus on Roland gave

1101
00:57:36,520 --> 00:57:38,760
Speaker 1: him a chance to breathe and mourn and avoid looking

1102
00:57:38,840 --> 00:57:42,240
Speaker 1: over at the stage while Ditmar's men dragged Oscar's body away.

1103
00:57:42,800 --> 00:57:45,479
Speaker 1: By the time the excitement had subsided and dinner had ended,

1104
00:57:45,600 --> 00:57:47,760
Speaker 1: Manny felt like he could just barely make it to

1105
00:57:47,840 --> 00:57:51,000
Speaker 1: his bunk without breaking down. He lacked behind Roland and

1106
00:57:51,000 --> 00:57:53,880
Speaker 1: the others as they all filed into the barracks. Manny

1107
00:57:53,960 --> 00:57:56,880
Speaker 1: was grateful for Roland's ability to draw attention until during

1108
00:57:56,920 --> 00:57:59,600
Speaker 1: the walk that young black martyr sidled up to Manny

1109
00:57:59,600 --> 00:58:03,360
Speaker 1: an intry uced himself. I'm Jonathan, he said, and I'm

1110
00:58:03,440 --> 00:58:07,200
Speaker 1: honored to meet you. Why, Manny asked, I think you

1111
00:58:07,280 --> 00:58:09,720
Speaker 1: and I were the only ones who weren't cheering during

1112
00:58:10,000 --> 00:58:13,480
Speaker 1: that ah, Manny said with a nod. He took a

1113
00:58:13,480 --> 00:58:16,640
Speaker 1: careful look at Jonathan's face. The other man's chubby cheeks

1114
00:58:16,640 --> 00:58:20,080
Speaker 1: and soft smile seemed almost calculated to make him look guileless.

1115
00:58:20,680 --> 00:58:24,320
Speaker 1: Whatever he says, he's one of them, be careful. I

1116
00:58:24,440 --> 00:58:27,520
Speaker 1: understand why it was necessary, Manny said, but I don't

1117
00:58:27,520 --> 00:58:30,760
Speaker 1: have to like it. Neither do I. Jonathan said, we

1118
00:58:30,880 --> 00:58:33,560
Speaker 1: have to fight them. We're fighting for God here, after all,

1119
00:58:33,760 --> 00:58:37,160
Speaker 1: but we don't have to become monsters. Manny nodded, he

1120
00:58:37,200 --> 00:58:40,400
Speaker 1: didn't say anything. Jonathan took that as an invitation to

1121
00:58:40,440 --> 00:58:43,160
Speaker 1: say more. I think we're going to have a harder

1122
00:58:43,200 --> 00:58:45,560
Speaker 1: time here than the others, he said, and gestured to

1123
00:58:45,600 --> 00:58:48,360
Speaker 1: the very Caucasian crowd ahead of them. We've got a

1124
00:58:48,400 --> 00:58:50,880
Speaker 1: lot to overcome here, but I think that just means

1125
00:58:50,920 --> 00:58:53,400
Speaker 1: God will shower more glory on us for the effort.

1126
00:58:54,360 --> 00:58:57,360
Speaker 1: Manny was proud that, in his sorrowful and half panicked state,

1127
00:58:57,480 --> 00:59:01,840
Speaker 1: he managed to avoid shouting what the fuck at Jonathan. Instead,

1128
00:59:01,960 --> 00:59:05,640
Speaker 1: he matched the martyr smile and just said praise God.

1129
00:59:07,240 --> 00:59:10,040
Speaker 1: Their next morning started with an hour of calisthenics. The

1130
00:59:10,080 --> 00:59:13,240
Speaker 1: workout was strenuous, but Manny actually enjoyed it. The speed

1131
00:59:13,280 --> 00:59:15,680
Speaker 1: with which they were dragged outside and forced into motion

1132
00:59:15,760 --> 00:59:18,640
Speaker 1: kept him from picturing Oscar's face for a while. After

1133
00:59:18,680 --> 00:59:20,960
Speaker 1: the workout, they dove into the real meat of the day,

1134
00:59:21,280 --> 00:59:24,000
Speaker 1: a trip to the gun range. It had been set

1135
00:59:24,080 --> 00:59:26,480
Speaker 1: up on what had once been a marching band's practice field.

1136
00:59:26,920 --> 00:59:29,400
Speaker 1: Dozens of vaguely human shaped targets had been cut out

1137
00:59:29,400 --> 00:59:31,640
Speaker 1: of sheet metal and set up at varying intervals behind

1138
00:59:31,680 --> 00:59:34,800
Speaker 1: a crude sandbag line. Their group of about two dozen

1139
00:59:34,800 --> 00:59:38,240
Speaker 1: new recruits were each issued weapons of varying quality. Manny

1140
00:59:38,320 --> 00:59:41,640
Speaker 1: received a jankie old kalashnikov that rattled like a Morocca

1141
00:59:41,920 --> 00:59:44,920
Speaker 1: Rowland was given and almost knew G thirty six assault rifle.

1142
00:59:45,680 --> 00:59:48,160
Speaker 1: The range instructor was a one legged old martyr with

1143
00:59:48,200 --> 00:59:51,320
Speaker 1: a prodigious belly and an equally overgrown white beard. He

1144
00:59:51,400 --> 00:59:53,280
Speaker 1: walked them through the basics of how to operate a

1145
00:59:53,360 --> 00:59:56,200
Speaker 1: variety of different assault rifles. You can't know what weapon

1146
00:59:56,240 --> 00:59:58,840
Speaker 1: you'll end up needing to use, and then set them

1147
00:59:58,880 --> 01:00:01,400
Speaker 1: up on the sandbag line and told them to start firing.

1148
01:00:02,040 --> 01:00:04,160
Speaker 1: Manny took aim at a target around a hundred feet

1149
01:00:04,160 --> 01:00:05,600
Speaker 1: in front of him. It was hard to tell if

1150
01:00:05,640 --> 01:00:07,480
Speaker 1: he hit it or not. Several other men had aimed

1151
01:00:07,520 --> 01:00:10,200
Speaker 1: at the same target. Again, Manny got the feeling that

1152
01:00:10,240 --> 01:00:12,640
Speaker 1: the purpose of this training was not to make the marksman.

1153
01:00:12,960 --> 01:00:17,480
Speaker 1: Basic familiarity was all the Heavenly Kingdom had time to provide. Roland,

1154
01:00:17,520 --> 01:00:20,800
Speaker 1: of course, proved a fabulous shot. He stitched a smiley

1155
01:00:20,840 --> 01:00:23,320
Speaker 1: face and bullet holes across four of the metal targets

1156
01:00:23,320 --> 01:00:27,280
Speaker 1: and earned genuine praise from the instructor. By Godson, you've

1157
01:00:27,280 --> 01:00:31,200
Speaker 1: got a gift. This only increased Roland's social cachet with

1158
01:00:31,240 --> 01:00:33,800
Speaker 1: the martyrs. They crowded around him during the walk to

1159
01:00:33,800 --> 01:00:36,440
Speaker 1: the next activity of the day, lunch in a lecture

1160
01:00:36,440 --> 01:00:40,040
Speaker 1: on assault tactics. This was held in a little concrete amphitheater,

1161
01:00:40,280 --> 01:00:43,280
Speaker 1: something that had presumably once served the school's drama department.

1162
01:00:43,640 --> 01:00:46,200
Speaker 1: Manny tried to sit down next to Rowland, but Eric

1163
01:00:46,200 --> 01:00:48,240
Speaker 1: and a gaggle of his friends settled around the post

1164
01:00:48,280 --> 01:00:51,919
Speaker 1: human First, they babbled excitedly to him. Manny wasn't sure

1165
01:00:52,000 --> 01:00:54,160
Speaker 1: what they were saying, but every time he glanced back,

1166
01:00:54,320 --> 01:00:57,959
Speaker 1: Roland looked absolutely miserable. Manny wound up in the back,

1167
01:00:58,160 --> 01:01:02,240
Speaker 1: seated next to Jonathan. The Martyr. Patted his leg. Don't worry, brother,

1168
01:01:02,320 --> 01:01:04,160
Speaker 1: he said. It's gonna be tough for us to earn

1169
01:01:04,200 --> 01:01:06,520
Speaker 1: their respect, but once we're all out in the field together,

1170
01:01:06,560 --> 01:01:09,880
Speaker 1: they'll stop caring about your skin. You are sure about that,

1171
01:01:10,160 --> 01:01:12,480
Speaker 1: Manny asked, Happy he was never going to wind up

1172
01:01:12,520 --> 01:01:15,280
Speaker 1: in the field with any of these people. Of course,

1173
01:01:15,360 --> 01:01:18,160
Speaker 1: I am, Jonathan said, I grew up in Atlanta. You know,

1174
01:01:18,480 --> 01:01:20,280
Speaker 1: I knew it was going to be rough coming out here.

1175
01:01:20,280 --> 01:01:23,040
Speaker 1: But that's the sacrifice we make for God. I know

1176
01:01:23,160 --> 01:01:25,440
Speaker 1: he's going to bring this nation back together. Tell you

1177
01:01:25,480 --> 01:01:27,400
Speaker 1: the truth. I'm honored to be a part of that.

1178
01:01:28,200 --> 01:01:31,480
Speaker 1: Jonathan's eyes shone when he spoke he's a true believer.

1179
01:01:31,640 --> 01:01:34,360
Speaker 1: Manny realized there's not a doubt in his mind that

1180
01:01:34,400 --> 01:01:37,760
Speaker 1: he's doing the right thing. That was scary, and things

1181
01:01:37,840 --> 01:01:41,160
Speaker 1: got scarier still when their next instructor stepped into the amphitheater.

1182
01:01:41,880 --> 01:01:44,320
Speaker 1: The man was old and grizzled too. He had both

1183
01:01:44,360 --> 01:01:46,840
Speaker 1: his legs, but his right arm was missing below the elbow,

1184
01:01:47,080 --> 01:01:49,240
Speaker 1: and a jagged scar ran up the left side of

1185
01:01:49,280 --> 01:01:51,840
Speaker 1: his face. The skin on most of his forehead was

1186
01:01:51,880 --> 01:01:55,960
Speaker 1: bald and modeled as if he'd been badly burned. Afternoon, boys,

1187
01:01:56,000 --> 01:01:59,040
Speaker 1: and God bless you, I'm Monculla's. Today you're going to

1188
01:01:59,160 --> 01:02:02,320
Speaker 1: learn how to assault a fortified position. Most of the

1189
01:02:02,320 --> 01:02:04,760
Speaker 1: strategies who walked them through began and ended with the

1190
01:02:04,760 --> 01:02:08,920
Speaker 1: application of shoulder fired rockets and incendiary grenades. Manny couldn't

1191
01:02:08,920 --> 01:02:11,120
Speaker 1: help but notice that no time was spent talking about

1192
01:02:11,120 --> 01:02:14,960
Speaker 1: how to avoid civilian casualties. He wasn't even sure specialist

1193
01:02:14,960 --> 01:02:18,320
Speaker 1: Carruthers knew how to pronounce the word civilian. Remember what

1194
01:02:18,440 --> 01:02:20,840
Speaker 1: it says in the Book of Samuel, Boys, the older

1195
01:02:20,840 --> 01:02:23,880
Speaker 1: man drawled. Now go and strike and devote to destruction

1196
01:02:23,960 --> 01:02:26,560
Speaker 1: all that you have. Do not spare them, but kill

1197
01:02:26,640 --> 01:02:29,479
Speaker 1: both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep,

1198
01:02:29,560 --> 01:02:32,280
Speaker 1: camel and donkey. He laughed, which made a few of

1199
01:02:32,320 --> 01:02:35,600
Speaker 1: the young martyrs comfortable enough to laugh too. I don't

1200
01:02:35,640 --> 01:02:38,400
Speaker 1: expect you'll run into any camels or donkeys out in Austin,

1201
01:02:38,760 --> 01:02:41,320
Speaker 1: but there will be men, women, children, and infants. If

1202
01:02:41,360 --> 01:02:43,960
Speaker 1: they stand in your way, they all equally deserve to

1203
01:02:44,000 --> 01:02:47,560
Speaker 1: be purged. Manny didn't like the eagerness he saw in

1204
01:02:47,600 --> 01:02:49,920
Speaker 1: the faces of his fellow students. The pit in his

1205
01:02:49,960 --> 01:02:52,880
Speaker 1: stomach grew Throughout the day. While Martyr Carruthers explained how

1206
01:02:52,920 --> 01:02:55,200
Speaker 1: to use the various heavy munitions they might be called

1207
01:02:55,280 --> 01:02:58,160
Speaker 1: upon to deploy, there weren't enough rockets or mortars for

1208
01:02:58,200 --> 01:03:00,480
Speaker 1: them to actually train on any of the those things.

1209
01:03:00,760 --> 01:03:03,280
Speaker 1: Manny wasn't sure how good a gist anyone really got.

1210
01:03:03,480 --> 01:03:05,520
Speaker 1: He wondered how much that would matter when these men

1211
01:03:05,560 --> 01:03:09,560
Speaker 1: took to the field. He ate ravenously at dinner. Thankfully,

1212
01:03:09,600 --> 01:03:12,680
Speaker 1: there were no executions that day, but Martyr Ditmar did

1213
01:03:12,680 --> 01:03:14,960
Speaker 1: take the stage again and announced that the busses were

1214
01:03:14,960 --> 01:03:17,520
Speaker 1: ready to take any interested recruits down to the main

1215
01:03:17,600 --> 01:03:19,560
Speaker 1: drag for a couple of hours of what passed for

1216
01:03:19,720 --> 01:03:22,520
Speaker 1: R and R. One of the older martyrs handed everyone

1217
01:03:22,640 --> 01:03:24,880
Speaker 1: ration cards and explained they were good for either a

1218
01:03:24,920 --> 01:03:27,080
Speaker 1: cup of coffee or tea, or a small amount of

1219
01:03:27,120 --> 01:03:29,120
Speaker 1: food from one of the few stores that had opened

1220
01:03:29,120 --> 01:03:33,000
Speaker 1: back up. Fucking tea, Roland grumbled into Manny's ear as

1221
01:03:33,000 --> 01:03:35,440
Speaker 1: they headed out for the buses. That's what these jumped

1222
01:03:35,480 --> 01:03:40,080
Speaker 1: up Puritans considered recreational beverage this fucking country. Manny had

1223
01:03:40,120 --> 01:03:43,240
Speaker 1: noticed the post human growing increasingly jittery in irritable throughout

1224
01:03:43,280 --> 01:03:46,440
Speaker 1: the day. He'd seen Roland cautiously cough up another small

1225
01:03:46,440 --> 01:03:49,280
Speaker 1: bag of pills right before lunch that had sated him

1226
01:03:49,320 --> 01:03:52,360
Speaker 1: for a while. But considering his post human metabolism, man

1227
01:03:52,360 --> 01:03:54,400
Speaker 1: he thought he had to be pretty close to sober.

1228
01:03:54,760 --> 01:03:58,000
Speaker 1: I am so fucking lucid. I can't stand it. Roland muttered,

1229
01:03:58,680 --> 01:04:00,600
Speaker 1: what is it with you people and being hi all

1230
01:04:00,600 --> 01:04:03,800
Speaker 1: the time? Manny whispered back, can't you stand being sober

1231
01:04:03,840 --> 01:04:06,080
Speaker 1: for a few days? Not if I'm gonna help it,

1232
01:04:06,440 --> 01:04:08,960
Speaker 1: Roland said. He pointed to his head. There's just too

1233
01:04:09,080 --> 01:04:11,160
Speaker 1: much going on in there, man, too much input. It's

1234
01:04:11,160 --> 01:04:14,600
Speaker 1: like my whole body itches, but I can't scratch ah,

1235
01:04:14,720 --> 01:04:17,360
Speaker 1: Manny said, since he wasn't sure what else to say.

1236
01:04:17,920 --> 01:04:20,480
Speaker 1: The bus hit downtown Plano after twenty minutes or so.

1237
01:04:20,720 --> 01:04:23,600
Speaker 1: It wasn't an impressive site. There were maybe a dozen

1238
01:04:23,640 --> 01:04:26,439
Speaker 1: little shops in one cafe open, plus a pretty sad

1239
01:04:26,480 --> 01:04:29,200
Speaker 1: looking farmer's market. He could see no signs of any bars,

1240
01:04:29,200 --> 01:04:33,320
Speaker 1: any clubs, anything that even vaguely resembled nightlife. The main

1241
01:04:33,440 --> 01:04:36,080
Speaker 1: drag was crowded with people, throngs of soldiers and young

1242
01:04:36,080 --> 01:04:39,640
Speaker 1: women in long dresses and new immigrants into the heavenly Kingdom.

1243
01:04:39,720 --> 01:04:42,040
Speaker 1: Where should we go first, Manny asked. As soon as

1244
01:04:42,040 --> 01:04:45,240
Speaker 1: they'd filed off the bus, well Roland grunted. Unless you're

1245
01:04:45,240 --> 01:04:47,480
Speaker 1: in the mood for shake off for your some rude vegetables,

1246
01:04:47,880 --> 01:04:51,200
Speaker 1: I'd say we check out that gallows. Manny had avoided

1247
01:04:51,240 --> 01:04:53,680
Speaker 1: looking too long at the gallows. It was empty now,

1248
01:04:53,760 --> 01:04:55,920
Speaker 1: but just staring at it made him feel sick. There

1249
01:04:55,960 --> 01:04:59,000
Speaker 1: was something sinister and unsettling about the ground beneath it.

1250
01:04:59,000 --> 01:05:00,520
Speaker 1: It was as if he could feel all the death

1251
01:05:00,640 --> 01:05:04,760
Speaker 1: radiating outwards. What could we possibly learn there, the Big

1252
01:05:04,800 --> 01:05:08,000
Speaker 1: man shrugged. Not much. But if they wind up hanging

1253
01:05:08,040 --> 01:05:09,800
Speaker 1: anyone tonight, I might be able to sniff out where

1254
01:05:09,840 --> 01:05:13,200
Speaker 1: they're keeping the prisoners. That'd be useful data. Well, I'm

1255
01:05:13,200 --> 01:05:15,440
Speaker 1: gonna be useless for that, man, he said, what should

1256
01:05:15,440 --> 01:05:18,560
Speaker 1: I do? I don't know, man, grab some coffee what

1257
01:05:19,320 --> 01:05:21,520
Speaker 1: Roland locked eyes with him. He didn't do that often.

1258
01:05:21,720 --> 01:05:24,040
Speaker 1: His gaze was normally as shifty and juttery as the

1259
01:05:24,080 --> 01:05:26,760
Speaker 1: rest of him. Look, kid, you've done a great job

1260
01:05:26,800 --> 01:05:28,920
Speaker 1: above and beyond the collie and a duty or whatever,

1261
01:05:28,960 --> 01:05:30,920
Speaker 1: and you're good company too. But I got half a

1262
01:05:30,960 --> 01:05:33,400
Speaker 1: dozen satellites worth a sensory equipment in my brain and

1263
01:05:33,480 --> 01:05:36,760
Speaker 1: hundreds of wee bitty microscopic robots floating around the air

1264
01:05:36,840 --> 01:05:39,360
Speaker 1: feeding me news. There's really not much for you to

1265
01:05:39,400 --> 01:05:42,600
Speaker 1: do here. Chill out, find whatever passes for relaxation here

1266
01:05:42,640 --> 01:05:44,480
Speaker 1: and do it. I'll get you when it's time to go.

1267
01:05:45,800 --> 01:05:48,560
Speaker 1: Many started to protest, but then he thought, the hell,

1268
01:05:48,720 --> 01:05:51,440
Speaker 1: he's right, I'm useless. I've earned a cup of flavorless

1269
01:05:51,480 --> 01:05:54,560
Speaker 1: gringo coffee. So we thanked Roland and headed off in

1270
01:05:54,600 --> 01:05:57,760
Speaker 1: the direction of the strip's functioning coffee house, the Cafe Clement.

1271
01:05:58,120 --> 01:06:00,320
Speaker 1: It looked like it was less crowded than the others.

1272
01:06:00,480 --> 01:06:03,400
Speaker 1: As he reached for the door, someone slammed into him.

1273
01:06:03,440 --> 01:06:05,959
Speaker 1: She was a young blonde, younger than Manny at any rate.

1274
01:06:06,160 --> 01:06:09,480
Speaker 1: She wore baggy surgical scrubs. Her jaw was tight and clenched.

1275
01:06:09,640 --> 01:06:11,720
Speaker 1: Her brown eyes were wide with fear, and there were

1276
01:06:11,760 --> 01:06:15,160
Speaker 1: deep bags under them. Oh oh my, she said, I'm

1277
01:06:15,160 --> 01:06:17,840
Speaker 1: so sorry, sir. Please let me. It's okay, Manny said,

1278
01:06:17,920 --> 01:06:21,080
Speaker 1: no damage done. Are you all right? You look terrified.

1279
01:06:21,800 --> 01:06:25,000
Speaker 1: I'm just just trying to avoid someone. It's nothing serious.

1280
01:06:25,680 --> 01:06:28,080
Speaker 1: Manny wasn't sure why, but he pulled the ration cards

1281
01:06:28,080 --> 01:06:29,840
Speaker 1: he'd been given out of his pocket and offered one

1282
01:06:29,840 --> 01:06:32,439
Speaker 1: to the stranger. Here, if you want, we can grab

1283
01:06:32,440 --> 01:06:34,200
Speaker 1: a table together and I'll sit with my back to

1284
01:06:34,240 --> 01:06:37,280
Speaker 1: the door. You're not big, I can block you. She

1285
01:06:37,360 --> 01:06:40,200
Speaker 1: looked surprised and a little hesitant, but after a few

1286
01:06:40,200 --> 01:06:43,560
Speaker 1: blinks she nodded and said, I actually appreciate that a lot.

1287
01:06:43,800 --> 01:06:48,400
Speaker 1: Thank God for you, sir. Oh yeah, Manny agreed, praise him.

1288
01:06:48,560 --> 01:06:51,320
Speaker 1: They sat and ordered coffee. The young woman kept craning

1289
01:06:51,320 --> 01:06:54,840
Speaker 1: her neck around Manny to peek at the door behind them. Look,

1290
01:06:54,880 --> 01:06:56,560
Speaker 1: I'm not going to ask what's up with you? But

1291
01:06:56,640 --> 01:06:58,320
Speaker 1: can I get your name? At least that might make

1292
01:06:58,360 --> 01:07:03,280
Speaker 1: this less awkward. I'm man Immanuel Manny for short, Sasha,

1293
01:07:03,480 --> 01:07:06,120
Speaker 1: She said, I just got here a few days ago.

1294
01:07:06,400 --> 01:07:10,600
Speaker 1: You this is my second day. She looked surprised. I

1295
01:07:10,600 --> 01:07:14,400
Speaker 1: wouldn't have guessed what with the uniform, he laughed. It

1296
01:07:14,480 --> 01:07:16,480
Speaker 1: a turns out they just hand these to anyone whole

1297
01:07:16,520 --> 01:07:19,360
Speaker 1: hold a gun. I didn't even really have a choice. Well,

1298
01:07:19,440 --> 01:07:21,480
Speaker 1: if that's where you wound up, I'm sure it's where

1299
01:07:21,520 --> 01:07:24,479
Speaker 1: the Lord wants you. Praise God for that. She didn't

1300
01:07:24,520 --> 01:07:26,800
Speaker 1: seem like she was joking, but there was something about

1301
01:07:26,800 --> 01:07:28,800
Speaker 1: her tone and the way her jaw and never unclenched

1302
01:07:28,840 --> 01:07:30,800
Speaker 1: that made Manny suspect she was a little less than

1303
01:07:30,840 --> 01:07:33,560
Speaker 1: convinced about her own words. For the next few minutes

1304
01:07:33,560 --> 01:07:36,959
Speaker 1: they talked in between SIPs of mediocre coffee. He learned

1305
01:07:37,000 --> 01:07:39,200
Speaker 1: she was from the American Federation and enough of a

1306
01:07:39,240 --> 01:07:42,640
Speaker 1: true believer that she'd smuggled herself into the heavenly kingdom.

1307
01:07:42,720 --> 01:07:45,360
Speaker 1: She didn't seem like a zella, though. More than anything,

1308
01:07:45,560 --> 01:07:48,840
Speaker 1: she seemed scared. How do you like it here, he

1309
01:07:48,920 --> 01:07:52,520
Speaker 1: finally asked, Is it what you'd expected? She didn't respond

1310
01:07:52,560 --> 01:07:55,240
Speaker 1: for quite a while. Instead, she stared into his eyes.

1311
01:07:55,680 --> 01:07:58,640
Speaker 1: Manny stared back. It was a strange feeling, She must

1312
01:07:58,680 --> 01:08:00,960
Speaker 1: have been trying to search out where he was trustworthy,

1313
01:08:01,080 --> 01:08:03,880
Speaker 1: or trying to trick her into revealing her disloyalty. He

1314
01:08:04,000 --> 01:08:06,360
Speaker 1: maintained eye contact and tried not to seem like a

1315
01:08:06,360 --> 01:08:09,280
Speaker 1: member of whatever the Heavenly Kingdom called their secret police.

1316
01:08:09,720 --> 01:08:13,120
Speaker 1: Apparently it worked. Of course, I'm happy here in God's Kingdom,

1317
01:08:13,360 --> 01:08:16,000
Speaker 1: she smiled, an empty smile. I've been blessed to meet

1318
01:08:16,000 --> 01:08:19,160
Speaker 1: so many dedicated people. But um, I've also met some

1319
01:08:19,200 --> 01:08:23,040
Speaker 1: people who am I am well, she coughed. Not everyone

1320
01:08:23,120 --> 01:08:26,080
Speaker 1: here seems to have the Lord in their heart. Manny

1321
01:08:26,160 --> 01:08:28,800
Speaker 1: almost laughed at the irony and her admitting that to him,

1322
01:08:29,000 --> 01:08:31,799
Speaker 1: but he kept his mouth shut and just nodded. Sasha

1323
01:08:31,840 --> 01:08:33,840
Speaker 1: took a long sip of her coffee. He felt a

1324
01:08:33,880 --> 01:08:36,840
Speaker 1: little bad for staring. She was very pretty, but she

1325
01:08:37,000 --> 01:08:39,720
Speaker 1: was also pretty young, and of course she'd volunteered to

1326
01:08:39,760 --> 01:08:42,960
Speaker 1: join a theocratic murder state. That was probably another reason

1327
01:08:43,000 --> 01:08:47,559
Speaker 1: he shouldn't get too attached. So anyway, Sasha explained, I've

1328
01:08:47,640 --> 01:08:49,640
Speaker 1: run into some men I don't like very much, and

1329
01:08:49,640 --> 01:08:51,280
Speaker 1: they keep finding me when I get off from my

1330
01:08:51,320 --> 01:08:53,960
Speaker 1: shift at the hospital. I'm sure they're waiting outside the

1331
01:08:53,960 --> 01:08:56,840
Speaker 1: house of where I'm staying right now. I just don't

1332
01:08:56,840 --> 01:09:00,080
Speaker 1: want to deal with that again. Well, Manny smiled his

1333
01:09:00,160 --> 01:09:02,920
Speaker 1: most charming smile. I'm happy to help you waite them out.

1334
01:09:03,040 --> 01:09:05,280
Speaker 1: I've got another hour at least before the buses take

1335
01:09:05,360 --> 01:09:08,599
Speaker 1: us back to the barracks. And so for a while

1336
01:09:08,720 --> 01:09:10,880
Speaker 1: they just talked. She told him about her work in

1337
01:09:10,920 --> 01:09:13,080
Speaker 1: the hospital, and he tried to say as little as

1338
01:09:13,080 --> 01:09:16,280
Speaker 1: possible about his two shitty days as a martyr. Sasha

1339
01:09:16,320 --> 01:09:18,320
Speaker 1: didn't seem to mind that he didn't have much to

1340
01:09:18,360 --> 01:09:21,040
Speaker 1: say about himself. Manny got the feelings she was just

1341
01:09:21,120 --> 01:09:23,599
Speaker 1: happy to have someone to talk with. Most of her

1342
01:09:23,640 --> 01:09:26,759
Speaker 1: words passed over him until she mentioned something about a prisoner.

1343
01:09:27,320 --> 01:09:29,320
Speaker 1: She's from one of the road people from some moving

1344
01:09:29,360 --> 01:09:32,240
Speaker 1: city with an obscene name, and she's pregnant. So I'll

1345
01:09:32,240 --> 01:09:34,320
Speaker 1: be seeing her again tomorrow, probably to do a more

1346
01:09:34,360 --> 01:09:38,160
Speaker 1: thorough examination. I feel weird about it. She was so strange,

1347
01:09:38,280 --> 01:09:40,639
Speaker 1: so different from anyone I've met, but I really don't

1348
01:09:40,680 --> 01:09:44,479
Speaker 1: like Wait, a prisoner is this at the hospital? Sasha

1349
01:09:44,479 --> 01:09:47,080
Speaker 1: seemed confused by that question, and Manny worried he might

1350
01:09:47,080 --> 01:09:50,280
Speaker 1: have overplayed his hand. Why do you The rest of

1351
01:09:50,280 --> 01:09:52,160
Speaker 1: her question was cut off by the sound of a

1352
01:09:52,160 --> 01:09:55,560
Speaker 1: bullhorn outside. Manny couldn't make out most of what was

1353
01:09:55,600 --> 01:09:59,040
Speaker 1: being said until he heard prisoners and SDF in an

1354
01:09:59,040 --> 01:10:03,280
Speaker 1: electronically dis ordered the southern drawl. Oh no, Sasha moaned,

1355
01:10:03,600 --> 01:10:08,040
Speaker 1: what what are they talking about? It's another execution. Many

1356
01:10:08,120 --> 01:10:10,640
Speaker 1: stood up and stepped towards the door. He had to

1357
01:10:10,640 --> 01:10:13,120
Speaker 1: see who it was. Even before he got there, a

1358
01:10:13,280 --> 01:10:15,400
Speaker 1: terrible feeling had started to boil up in the pit

1359
01:10:15,479 --> 01:10:18,479
Speaker 1: of his gut. He pushed the door open, jogged towards

1360
01:10:18,479 --> 01:10:20,799
Speaker 1: the gallows, and pushed his way back through the crowd.

1361
01:10:21,080 --> 01:10:23,320
Speaker 1: He could see Roland standing twenty feet off to the

1362
01:10:23,400 --> 01:10:26,439
Speaker 1: left from the wooden platform, but Manny's eyes were focused

1363
01:10:26,479 --> 01:10:28,439
Speaker 1: on the four men and two women in shackles at

1364
01:10:28,439 --> 01:10:31,080
Speaker 1: the foot of the gallows. Five of them were strangers,

1365
01:10:31,720 --> 01:10:41,960
Speaker 1: the sixth was Mr Coron. The Black Effect Presents features

1366
01:10:41,960 --> 01:10:46,200
Speaker 1: honest conversations and exclusive interviews, a space for artists, everyday

1367
01:10:46,240 --> 01:10:50,599
Speaker 1: people and listeners to amplify, elevate, and empower Black voices

1368
01:10:50,960 --> 01:10:53,960
Speaker 1: with great conversations. Make sure to listen to The Black

1369
01:10:53,960 --> 01:10:57,760
Speaker 1: Effect Presents Podcast on I Heart Radio, Apple Podcast, or

1370
01:10:57,760 --> 01:11:04,040
Speaker 1: wherever you get your podcast. Hey Leath the Listeners tag

1371
01:11:04,160 --> 01:11:07,519
Speaker 1: here last season on Lethal Lit. You might remember I

1372
01:11:07,560 --> 01:11:11,160
Speaker 1: came to Hollow Falls on a mission clearing my aunt

1373
01:11:11,240 --> 01:11:15,960
Speaker 1: Beth's name and making sure justice was finally served. But

1374
01:11:16,520 --> 01:11:19,400
Speaker 1: I hadn't counted on a rash of new murders tearing

1375
01:11:19,439 --> 01:11:23,400
Speaker 1: apart the town. My mission put myself and my friends

1376
01:11:23,400 --> 01:11:29,040
Speaker 1: in danger. Though it wasn't all bad, I'm gonna be Realty, Tig,

1377
01:11:29,880 --> 01:11:33,160
Speaker 1: I like you, but now all signs point to a

1378
01:11:33,240 --> 01:11:36,720
Speaker 1: new serial killer in Hollow Falls. If this game is

1379
01:11:36,800 --> 01:11:42,200
Speaker 1: just starting, you better believe I'm gonna win. I'm Tig Torres,

1380
01:11:42,560 --> 01:11:46,519
Speaker 1: and this is Lethal Lit. Catch up on season one

1381
01:11:46,520 --> 01:11:48,880
Speaker 1: of the hit murder mystery podcast Lethal Lit, a tag

1382
01:11:48,960 --> 01:11:51,720
Speaker 1: Torre's mystery out now, and then tune in for all

1383
01:11:51,760 --> 01:11:55,000
Speaker 1: new thrills in season two, dropping weekly starting February nine.

1384
01:11:55,320 --> 01:11:57,920
Speaker 1: Subscribe now to never miss an episode. Listen to Leave

1385
01:11:57,960 --> 01:12:00,400
Speaker 1: the Lit on the I Heart Radio app, apple Pie Casts,

1386
01:12:00,479 --> 01:12:05,080
Speaker 1: or wherever you get your podcasts. Hi. I'm Robert sex Reese,

1387
01:12:05,280 --> 01:12:08,520
Speaker 1: host of The Doctor sex re Show, and every episode

1388
01:12:08,640 --> 01:12:11,920
Speaker 1: I listened to people talk about their sex and intimacy issues,

1389
01:12:11,960 --> 01:12:15,720
Speaker 1: and yes, I despise every minute of it. She she

1390
01:12:15,880 --> 01:12:20,000
Speaker 1: made mistakes too, kill everyone at her wedding. But hell

1391
01:12:20,120 --> 01:12:23,160
Speaker 1: is real. We're all trapped here and there's nothing any

1392
01:12:23,200 --> 01:12:25,720
Speaker 1: of us can do about it. So join me. Won't you?

1393
01:12:26,080 --> 01:12:28,880
Speaker 1: Listen to the Doctor Sex re Show every Tuesday on

1394
01:12:28,920 --> 01:12:31,960
Speaker 1: the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you

1395
01:12:32,000 --> 01:12:40,920
Speaker 1: get your podcast. Chapter seventeen, Roland. Roland smelled the execution

1396
01:12:41,000 --> 01:12:43,799
Speaker 1: before it started. There's been a lot of strong smells

1397
01:12:43,800 --> 01:12:47,400
Speaker 1: in downtown Plano when he arrived, gunpowder and sour fear sweat,

1398
01:12:47,479 --> 01:12:50,400
Speaker 1: the acrid stink of anxiety, and the warm, wet odors

1399
01:12:50,439 --> 01:12:53,439
Speaker 1: of grief and confusion. He'd smelled the stale reek of

1400
01:12:53,479 --> 01:12:56,679
Speaker 1: military rations, the sharp pang of anemia, and the boiling

1401
01:12:56,680 --> 01:13:00,400
Speaker 1: hot testosterone that wafted off the martyrs like a jet stream.

1402
01:13:00,560 --> 01:13:03,080
Speaker 1: But a half hour into his time down town, something

1403
01:13:03,120 --> 01:13:05,720
Speaker 1: else had drifted over the packed masses of refugees and

1404
01:13:05,800 --> 01:13:08,880
Speaker 1: pilgrims and militiamen. It was hard to define a bit

1405
01:13:08,880 --> 01:13:12,040
Speaker 1: of tension, a bit of anticipation. The odor was faint

1406
01:13:12,120 --> 01:13:16,000
Speaker 1: enough to suggest something unconscious, a collective emotion, the aggregate

1407
01:13:16,040 --> 01:13:18,559
Speaker 1: scent of a crowd of people who weren't consciously aware

1408
01:13:18,560 --> 01:13:22,120
Speaker 1: of how they felt. There was no neurotransmitter, no pheromone

1409
01:13:22,120 --> 01:13:25,680
Speaker 1: he could identify in particular. This scent was more elusive.

1410
01:13:25,920 --> 01:13:27,840
Speaker 1: He was only able to lock it down through the

1411
01:13:27,880 --> 01:13:31,760
Speaker 1: memory fragments that triggered colgray sky, a biting chill in

1412
01:13:31,800 --> 01:13:34,120
Speaker 1: the air. Hundreds of men and women bundled up, clustered

1413
01:13:34,120 --> 01:13:38,160
Speaker 1: around barrel fires, everyone talking, excitement in their voices. Anxiety

1414
01:13:38,200 --> 01:13:40,720
Speaker 1: on the air mingled with the gun oil in anticipation

1415
01:13:41,160 --> 01:13:44,720
Speaker 1: something was about to happen. A few seconds later, the

1416
01:13:44,760 --> 01:13:48,719
Speaker 1: scent of anxious anticipation started to rise. Roland heard the deep,

1417
01:13:48,720 --> 01:13:51,880
Speaker 1: bouncing thrumb of heavy rubber wheels on pavement. His hind

1418
01:13:51,920 --> 01:13:54,840
Speaker 1: brain tied the sound to a particular species of obsolete

1419
01:13:54,920 --> 01:13:59,720
Speaker 1: armored personnel carrier originally manufactured in Bulgaria. After following its

1420
01:13:59,800 --> 01:14:02,599
Speaker 1: root for several seconds, his hind brain guest the APC

1421
01:14:02,800 --> 01:14:05,760
Speaker 1: was bound for the main square. Roland spent the next

1422
01:14:05,760 --> 01:14:08,680
Speaker 1: few minutes jockeying for a good position close to the gallows.

1423
01:14:09,040 --> 01:14:11,640
Speaker 1: He wasn't sure that's where the convoy was headed. It

1424
01:14:11,640 --> 01:14:13,960
Speaker 1: seemed like a good guest, though, and he was quickly

1425
01:14:14,000 --> 01:14:16,240
Speaker 1: proven right. When the APC pulled up to a stop

1426
01:14:16,280 --> 01:14:19,200
Speaker 1: just a hundred feet away. The crowd stopped and gawked

1427
01:14:19,200 --> 01:14:21,960
Speaker 1: as the heavy doors slid open. Soldiers in full body

1428
01:14:22,040 --> 01:14:24,599
Speaker 1: armor stepped out, dragging six men and women, and honest

1429
01:14:24,600 --> 01:14:27,360
Speaker 1: to God, manacles and chains out into the dying light.

1430
01:14:28,160 --> 01:14:31,120
Speaker 1: The captives were all stf Roland didn't even have to

1431
01:14:31,160 --> 01:14:34,120
Speaker 1: make an educated guess on that one. The Heavenly Kingdom

1432
01:14:34,120 --> 01:14:35,880
Speaker 1: had made sure to dress them in their tattered and

1433
01:14:35,920 --> 01:14:40,479
Speaker 1: bloodstained uniforms. They were all of them emaciated and broken looking.

1434
01:14:40,960 --> 01:14:43,960
Speaker 1: The evidence of torture was so clear that Roland's enhanced

1435
01:14:44,000 --> 01:14:48,200
Speaker 1: eyes weren't even necessary. The captives had broken, bleeding finger nails,

1436
01:14:48,280 --> 01:14:50,840
Speaker 1: black eyes, painful limps, and feet that looked like they

1437
01:14:50,880 --> 01:14:54,160
Speaker 1: could barely stand to touch the ground. One of the martyrs,

1438
01:14:54,280 --> 01:14:56,320
Speaker 1: a tall man wearing a red beret instead of a

1439
01:14:56,360 --> 01:14:59,040
Speaker 1: combat helmet, strode ahead of the group. He had a

1440
01:14:59,120 --> 01:15:01,320
Speaker 1: voice hamp in one and he raised the other up

1441
01:15:01,320 --> 01:15:03,599
Speaker 1: in the air in a prayerful gesture that was matched

1442
01:15:03,600 --> 01:15:06,879
Speaker 1: by most of the crowd, Brothers and sisters. The martyr's

1443
01:15:06,920 --> 01:15:09,760
Speaker 1: voice boomed, today, the Lord and his loyal soldiers have

1444
01:15:09,800 --> 01:15:13,559
Speaker 1: delivered unto you a blessing. It The crowd tightened around Rowland.

1445
01:15:13,840 --> 01:15:16,240
Speaker 1: He could see here feel as people rushed out from

1446
01:15:16,280 --> 01:15:19,400
Speaker 1: the cafes and shops to watch. The fear and excitement

1447
01:15:19,479 --> 01:15:21,360
Speaker 1: was so thick in the air, old was sure even

1448
01:15:21,439 --> 01:15:24,960
Speaker 1: unmodified humans could have sensed it. Here we have six

1449
01:15:25,000 --> 01:15:28,639
Speaker 1: prisoners from the s DF the martyr began. These men

1450
01:15:28,680 --> 01:15:31,200
Speaker 1: and women were all captured in the last week. Rather

1451
01:15:31,240 --> 01:15:34,320
Speaker 1: than accept their defeat, they chose to fight as insurgents

1452
01:15:34,360 --> 01:15:38,000
Speaker 1: against the heavenly kingdom. God and his martyrs are merciful,

1453
01:15:38,120 --> 01:15:40,920
Speaker 1: but these sinners have spat on that mercy. Now it

1454
01:15:41,040 --> 01:15:43,840
Speaker 1: is our privilege to execute upon them the judgment written

1455
01:15:44,120 --> 01:15:48,080
Speaker 1: this honor. Have all his saints praise he the Lord.

1456
01:15:48,640 --> 01:15:51,280
Speaker 1: A ragged cheer went up from the crowd. Many of

1457
01:15:51,320 --> 01:15:54,880
Speaker 1: the assembled sounded less than enthusiastic, at least to Roland's ears,

1458
01:15:54,960 --> 01:15:57,160
Speaker 1: but there were still dozens and dozens of voices full

1459
01:15:57,200 --> 01:16:00,439
Speaker 1: of reckless hate. The prisoners marched forward with their escort,

1460
01:16:00,560 --> 01:16:03,439
Speaker 1: every nearer to the gallows. Roland's ear tingled, and he

1461
01:16:03,520 --> 01:16:06,320
Speaker 1: sensed Manny's presence out in the street. Now the kid

1462
01:16:06,360 --> 01:16:10,280
Speaker 1: smelled afraid, with a faint, fading tinge of phermonal arousal h.

1463
01:16:10,880 --> 01:16:13,400
Speaker 1: Roland backed away and escaped the main press of the crowd.

1464
01:16:13,720 --> 01:16:15,640
Speaker 1: In a few seconds, he was behind Manny and he

1465
01:16:15,680 --> 01:16:17,960
Speaker 1: put a hand on the fixer's back. The young man

1466
01:16:18,080 --> 01:16:21,559
Speaker 1: jumped and then shot rolland a furious look hell. Manny

1467
01:16:21,600 --> 01:16:23,800
Speaker 1: caught himself and instead pointed up to the line of

1468
01:16:23,840 --> 01:16:27,200
Speaker 1: doomed men and women. Old, I know that. Hey, a

1469
01:16:27,280 --> 01:16:29,800
Speaker 1: girl ran up to them. She smelled scared too, but

1470
01:16:29,840 --> 01:16:32,599
Speaker 1: the scent was much deeper on her, sunken into her skin.

1471
01:16:33,120 --> 01:16:35,519
Speaker 1: She'd been scared for quite some time. She seemed to

1472
01:16:35,600 --> 01:16:39,479
Speaker 1: know Manny, and he definitely knew her. Sasha, Manny said,

1473
01:16:39,560 --> 01:16:42,400
Speaker 1: I'm sorry, I just needed to. He paused, shook his head,

1474
01:16:42,439 --> 01:16:45,280
Speaker 1: and then put a hand on Roland's shoulder. This is

1475
01:16:45,360 --> 01:16:48,800
Speaker 1: my comrade, Martyr Aaron. We fled here together once the

1476
01:16:48,960 --> 01:16:53,320
Speaker 1: SDF retreated from Farmer's branch. Aaron, this is Sasha. It's

1477
01:16:53,360 --> 01:16:55,839
Speaker 1: good to meet you, Martyr Aaron, she said, and flashed

1478
01:16:55,880 --> 01:16:59,040
Speaker 1: him an anxious smile. I'm so glad God's grace has

1479
01:16:59,040 --> 01:17:02,280
Speaker 1: brought us all together. Oh yeah, Roland said, in his

1480
01:17:02,320 --> 01:17:05,200
Speaker 1: most convincing voice. God so so good. I'm really just

1481
01:17:06,200 --> 01:17:10,000
Speaker 1: he gestured towards the gallows. I'm a psych to see this. Oh,

1482
01:17:10,040 --> 01:17:13,640
Speaker 1: look crossed over her face disgusted mixed with building anxiety.

1483
01:17:14,000 --> 01:17:15,719
Speaker 1: She was dressed to play the part of the good

1484
01:17:15,800 --> 01:17:18,280
Speaker 1: Christian woman, her hair done up in a tasteful bun,

1485
01:17:18,320 --> 01:17:20,960
Speaker 1: her face unadorned by makeup, her sleeves long, and her

1486
01:17:20,960 --> 01:17:24,200
Speaker 1: clothing baggy. But her scent didn't lie. It suggested she

1487
01:17:24,280 --> 01:17:27,000
Speaker 1: was pretty far from all in on this whole Heavenly

1488
01:17:27,120 --> 01:17:31,960
Speaker 1: Kingdom thing. You're not excited to see God's justice, Roland asked.

1489
01:17:32,680 --> 01:17:35,839
Speaker 1: The young woman frowned and shook her head. I understand

1490
01:17:35,840 --> 01:17:38,840
Speaker 1: the necessity of such brute, of such extreme measures, but

1491
01:17:38,920 --> 01:17:41,800
Speaker 1: I don't have to like it, Manny, do you? She

1492
01:17:41,880 --> 01:17:44,320
Speaker 1: started to ask Manny something, but the young man broke

1493
01:17:44,360 --> 01:17:48,120
Speaker 1: off from their little group and darted forward towards the gallows. Oh,

1494
01:17:48,200 --> 01:17:52,320
Speaker 1: Sasha finished, in surprise. I'll uh, I'll go check on him,

1495
01:17:52,400 --> 01:17:55,840
Speaker 1: Roland said, it's a probably best if you wait here. Huh.

1496
01:17:56,120 --> 01:17:59,439
Speaker 1: She looked confused, but she nodded. Roland followed behind Manny

1497
01:17:59,479 --> 01:18:01,479
Speaker 1: and caught up him about four people deep into the

1498
01:18:01,479 --> 01:18:04,679
Speaker 1: growing crowd around the scaffold. The fixer's eyes were locked

1499
01:18:04,680 --> 01:18:07,080
Speaker 1: on one of the SDF prisoners, a middle aged man

1500
01:18:07,160 --> 01:18:09,600
Speaker 1: with a prominent black mustache and a look of courageous

1501
01:18:09,640 --> 01:18:12,559
Speaker 1: resignation in his brown eyes. He stood in the middle

1502
01:18:12,560 --> 01:18:14,559
Speaker 1: of the gallows, calm as a stone in the ocean,

1503
01:18:14,600 --> 01:18:18,040
Speaker 1: while one of the martyrs fitted a noose around his neck. Manny,

1504
01:18:18,360 --> 01:18:22,000
Speaker 1: Roland said, that's Mr Barrowne. Manny said, someone you know.

1505
01:18:22,080 --> 01:18:25,960
Speaker 1: Then Manny swallowed and nodded his head, tears threatened at

1506
01:18:25,960 --> 01:18:28,720
Speaker 1: the corners of his watery eyes. Roland felt like it

1507
01:18:28,720 --> 01:18:30,639
Speaker 1: would probably be a good idea to get the kid

1508
01:18:30,640 --> 01:18:33,879
Speaker 1: away from the gallows before he did something stupid. Roland's

1509
01:18:33,920 --> 01:18:36,320
Speaker 1: hind brain helpfully informed him that there were only around

1510
01:18:36,360 --> 01:18:39,040
Speaker 1: sixty armed men in the whole square, but he also

1511
01:18:39,120 --> 01:18:41,160
Speaker 1: knew there were one hundred and eighty three armed men

1512
01:18:41,200 --> 01:18:44,240
Speaker 1: within a mile of their current position. If ship started now,

1513
01:18:44,280 --> 01:18:46,960
Speaker 1: it wouldn't end for a while. Roland put a hand

1514
01:18:47,000 --> 01:18:50,559
Speaker 1: on Manny's shoulder. We have to do something, Manny said,

1515
01:18:50,960 --> 01:18:53,679
Speaker 1: What do you want me to do? Roland asked, Rush

1516
01:18:53,760 --> 01:18:55,680
Speaker 1: up there, beat that red barred funk NuGet with an

1517
01:18:55,680 --> 01:18:57,360
Speaker 1: own side arm, and then cock punched the rest of

1518
01:18:57,400 --> 01:19:01,799
Speaker 1: him into submission. You can beat them, Manny said, yeah.

1519
01:19:01,920 --> 01:19:04,320
Speaker 1: Roland nodded, But if I do, that's the end of

1520
01:19:04,320 --> 01:19:06,960
Speaker 1: the mission. And probably the end of those hostages. I

1521
01:19:07,000 --> 01:19:09,479
Speaker 1: can't save your buddy, and you probably even that girl

1522
01:19:09,520 --> 01:19:11,760
Speaker 1: if she wants to come. But the Kingdom's going to

1523
01:19:11,800 --> 01:19:15,080
Speaker 1: assume some monster man from rolland fucked just terrorism them.

1524
01:19:15,320 --> 01:19:17,679
Speaker 1: They'll bury those captives too deep for us to find.

1525
01:19:17,960 --> 01:19:20,120
Speaker 1: And then Austin's as fucked as a blind pussy in

1526
01:19:20,120 --> 01:19:23,080
Speaker 1: a dick forest. A man the crowd turned and stared

1527
01:19:23,080 --> 01:19:27,080
Speaker 1: at Roland volume. Man volume. Roland guessed he'd heard just

1528
01:19:27,160 --> 01:19:29,880
Speaker 1: the tail end of his last sentence. The word pussy

1529
01:19:29,920 --> 01:19:32,839
Speaker 1: had probably piqued his ears. Before the man could say anything,

1530
01:19:33,000 --> 01:19:35,679
Speaker 1: Roland pointed towards the gallows and let out aloud whoop,

1531
01:19:35,880 --> 01:19:40,400
Speaker 1: followed by a Praise God, Praise God. The inadvertent eavesdropper

1532
01:19:40,439 --> 01:19:42,519
Speaker 1: started cheering along with him and turned back to the

1533
01:19:42,560 --> 01:19:46,639
Speaker 1: impending execution. Roland turned back to Manny. The boy was quiet,

1534
01:19:46,760 --> 01:19:49,360
Speaker 1: his face controlled, but fat tears ran down his cheeks

1535
01:19:49,360 --> 01:19:52,680
Speaker 1: and his shoulders shook with silent sobs. Roland directed him

1536
01:19:52,680 --> 01:19:55,839
Speaker 1: back away from the worst of the crowd. Mr Perrone

1537
01:19:55,880 --> 01:19:58,640
Speaker 1: baked the cake for my twelfth birthday, Mannie whispered. He

1538
01:19:58,640 --> 01:20:01,839
Speaker 1: showed as Monty Python. He dropped us off at soccer practice.

1539
01:20:02,680 --> 01:20:04,960
Speaker 1: Manny had started to babble. He smelled on the edge

1540
01:20:05,000 --> 01:20:07,960
Speaker 1: of an outright panic attack. Roland's hind brains started to

1541
01:20:08,000 --> 01:20:11,920
Speaker 1: identify potential improvised weaponry options among the crowd. He settled

1542
01:20:11,920 --> 01:20:15,120
Speaker 1: on a small, thick set man He's got a real denscranium,

1543
01:20:15,160 --> 01:20:18,760
Speaker 1: good weight distribution. He'll make a great club. Roland shook

1544
01:20:18,840 --> 01:20:20,840
Speaker 1: himself out of it. Then he tried to shake Manny

1545
01:20:20,880 --> 01:20:24,839
Speaker 1: out of it by literally shaking him by the shoulders. Hey, listen,

1546
01:20:25,040 --> 01:20:27,320
Speaker 1: you're friend up there. It's gonna die or a lot

1547
01:20:27,320 --> 01:20:29,200
Speaker 1: of other people are going to die. Those are the

1548
01:20:29,240 --> 01:20:31,800
Speaker 1: two options. I know it sucks, I know it's shit,

1549
01:20:32,040 --> 01:20:34,719
Speaker 1: but we cannot fix this. If you stay calm, though,

1550
01:20:34,840 --> 01:20:38,719
Speaker 1: we can fix something worse. Do you understand me. Manny's

1551
01:20:38,760 --> 01:20:42,080
Speaker 1: eyes came unglazed, The flow of tears slowed, then stopped.

1552
01:20:42,360 --> 01:20:45,280
Speaker 1: It was an impressive feet of willpower. Most people didn't

1553
01:20:45,320 --> 01:20:48,120
Speaker 1: have that kind of control over their emotions. Roland had

1554
01:20:48,160 --> 01:20:50,360
Speaker 1: to guess Manny's work as a fixer had at least

1555
01:20:50,360 --> 01:20:54,120
Speaker 1: prepared him to function in the middle of a waking nightmare. Okay,

1556
01:20:54,240 --> 01:20:57,519
Speaker 1: the kid said, but I have to watch. Roland wanted

1557
01:20:57,560 --> 01:20:59,760
Speaker 1: to argue, but one look at Manny's eyes made it

1558
01:21:00,040 --> 01:21:03,120
Speaker 1: ear that arguing wouldn't do any good, so instead he

1559
01:21:03,160 --> 01:21:05,400
Speaker 1: stood there next to Manny and kept his hand on

1560
01:21:05,439 --> 01:21:08,240
Speaker 1: the boy's shoulder until the terrible thing was done. It

1561
01:21:08,320 --> 01:21:11,000
Speaker 1: was as ghastly as these things always were. Most of

1562
01:21:11,000 --> 01:21:13,840
Speaker 1: the crowd cheered every snapneck, every jerk of a dying

1563
01:21:13,880 --> 01:21:17,760
Speaker 1: soldier's legs. Shock Waves of memory racked Roland's mind at

1564
01:21:17,760 --> 01:21:20,400
Speaker 1: the sight. He felt warm spring air blow across his

1565
01:21:20,439 --> 01:21:23,200
Speaker 1: cold chest. He saw a small sea of familiar strangers,

1566
01:21:23,200 --> 01:21:25,519
Speaker 1: men and women he'd known once upon a bloodier day.

1567
01:21:25,800 --> 01:21:27,760
Speaker 1: He felt a big gun kick in his hands. He

1568
01:21:27,800 --> 01:21:30,559
Speaker 1: felt a warm splash of blood across his chest and face.

1569
01:21:30,760 --> 01:21:33,080
Speaker 1: He heard the heavy final thump of a tiny body

1570
01:21:33,120 --> 01:21:36,160
Speaker 1: heading the ground. He saw Topaz, She looked ill. He

1571
01:21:36,200 --> 01:21:38,800
Speaker 1: saw skullfucker Mike with a hand on her shoulder. He

1572
01:21:38,800 --> 01:21:42,679
Speaker 1: heard Jim's voice, make sure the camera's catch this next one.

1573
01:21:43,080 --> 01:21:46,160
Speaker 1: Jim cried, We've got an honest to god Shaney with

1574
01:21:46,240 --> 01:21:49,639
Speaker 1: us today. Back in the present, Roland watched as Manny's

1575
01:21:49,640 --> 01:21:53,320
Speaker 1: friends turn came around. Manny swallowed, his face went pale.

1576
01:21:53,479 --> 01:21:56,120
Speaker 1: Tears streamed down the boy's face, and Roland felt a sudden,

1577
01:21:56,120 --> 01:21:58,599
Speaker 1: peculiar urge to bury him in a hug. He did

1578
01:21:58,600 --> 01:22:00,960
Speaker 1: not do that, though, roll and just stood still with

1579
01:22:01,000 --> 01:22:03,160
Speaker 1: a firm hand on Manny's shoulder while they tightened the

1580
01:22:03,160 --> 01:22:05,960
Speaker 1: noose around mister Perrone's neck and dropped him down to

1581
01:22:06,000 --> 01:22:09,880
Speaker 1: hang until he was dead, dead dead. Roland was proud

1582
01:22:09,920 --> 01:22:11,960
Speaker 1: of how straight Manny stood, how the boy held back

1583
01:22:12,000 --> 01:22:14,559
Speaker 1: from sobbing, and how once the sad spectacle was over,

1584
01:22:14,760 --> 01:22:17,919
Speaker 1: Manny turned back around and headed towards the Christian girl, Sasha.

1585
01:22:18,560 --> 01:22:20,720
Speaker 1: She still stood where they had left her. Roland could

1586
01:22:20,720 --> 01:22:23,479
Speaker 1: tell she'd been crying too, although she'd taken some pains

1587
01:22:23,520 --> 01:22:25,559
Speaker 1: to describe it. She was hard to get a read

1588
01:22:25,600 --> 01:22:27,799
Speaker 1: on that one. She struck him as one of the faithful,

1589
01:22:27,880 --> 01:22:30,200
Speaker 1: but she didn't strike him as a nut. Maybe she'd

1590
01:22:30,240 --> 01:22:33,200
Speaker 1: just gotten suckered into this awful place. Roland could surely

1591
01:22:33,240 --> 01:22:36,120
Speaker 1: understand that. He was pretty sure he'd been suckered into

1592
01:22:36,200 --> 01:22:41,960
Speaker 1: dumber things. Praise God, she said, with hesitation. Praise God,

1593
01:22:42,200 --> 01:22:45,719
Speaker 1: Manny responded. Roland didn't say much. She gave him a look,

1594
01:22:45,920 --> 01:22:49,360
Speaker 1: but not an angry one. That was she locked eyes

1595
01:22:49,400 --> 01:22:51,880
Speaker 1: with Manny. Roland was pretty sure she'd blocked the rest

1596
01:22:51,880 --> 01:22:54,000
Speaker 1: of the world out. She must have seen the signs

1597
01:22:54,040 --> 01:22:56,679
Speaker 1: of his tears too. She coughed a little and continued,

1598
01:22:57,080 --> 01:23:00,080
Speaker 1: that was awful. I know it's necessary, but on for

1599
01:23:00,160 --> 01:23:04,200
Speaker 1: stop hating that. It's a good thing to hate, Manny said.

1600
01:23:04,400 --> 01:23:07,000
Speaker 1: And then, look, we have to get back to base.

1601
01:23:07,200 --> 01:23:09,840
Speaker 1: Curfuse coming up soon. But if you want to hide

1602
01:23:09,840 --> 01:23:14,320
Speaker 1: from those U undesirables tomorrow, I'll be waiting outside the cafe.

1603
01:23:15,240 --> 01:23:18,200
Speaker 1: They kept talking, but what they said was beyond Roland's interest.

1604
01:23:18,360 --> 01:23:21,000
Speaker 1: He was busy listening as the prison convoy drove off.

1605
01:23:21,320 --> 01:23:23,440
Speaker 1: Now that he knew the sound of the prisoner transport

1606
01:23:23,479 --> 01:23:26,360
Speaker 1: a PC urally tracing it back to its origin point

1607
01:23:26,479 --> 01:23:30,360
Speaker 1: was child's play. Aaron Manny's voice jerked his attention back

1608
01:23:30,360 --> 01:23:32,880
Speaker 1: to the conversation happening in front of him. We should

1609
01:23:32,920 --> 01:23:38,799
Speaker 1: probably go, Manny said. The busses will leave soon. Oh ship, surely,

1610
01:23:39,040 --> 01:23:42,519
Speaker 1: surely right, right, surely right, we should go. Roland smiled

1611
01:23:42,560 --> 01:23:45,599
Speaker 1: at Sasha. It was lovely to meet you. Good evening.

1612
01:23:46,160 --> 01:23:48,360
Speaker 1: He put a hand on Manny's shoulder, and together they

1613
01:23:48,360 --> 01:23:51,679
Speaker 1: headed off to the buses. Manny only stopped twice to cry.

1614
01:23:53,240 --> 01:23:55,799
Speaker 1: Manny didn't say much. The rest of the night. Roland

1615
01:23:55,840 --> 01:23:57,760
Speaker 1: was proud of him for holding back his tears during

1616
01:23:57,800 --> 01:24:00,040
Speaker 1: the bus ride, and they walked to the barracks. The

1617
01:24:00,120 --> 01:24:01,840
Speaker 1: kid broke down as soon as he got into bed,

1618
01:24:01,880 --> 01:24:04,280
Speaker 1: of course, but he kept his sobs silent, and Roland

1619
01:24:04,280 --> 01:24:06,960
Speaker 1: was pretty sure none of the other recruits noticed. It

1620
01:24:07,000 --> 01:24:08,760
Speaker 1: helped that they were all exhausted. At the end of

1621
01:24:08,760 --> 01:24:11,880
Speaker 1: the day, Roland puped up, then popped a handful of

1622
01:24:11,920 --> 01:24:14,360
Speaker 1: ambient and percocets and washed them down with a tall

1623
01:24:14,400 --> 01:24:16,720
Speaker 1: glass of the beer he'd brewed in his own guts.

1624
01:24:16,760 --> 01:24:19,479
Speaker 1: He offered Manny some, but the boy declined, so Roland

1625
01:24:19,520 --> 01:24:21,920
Speaker 1: had a second glass, and then a third. It wasn't

1626
01:24:22,000 --> 01:24:24,080
Speaker 1: enough to get him wasted, but the cocktail of drugs

1627
01:24:24,120 --> 01:24:27,240
Speaker 1: did a tolerable job of leading him into unconsciousness. He

1628
01:24:27,320 --> 01:24:29,400
Speaker 1: drifted off to sleep an hour or so after the

1629
01:24:29,439 --> 01:24:33,120
Speaker 1: rest of the men in the barracks. The next day

1630
01:24:33,240 --> 01:24:36,000
Speaker 1: was more army style bullshit push ups and wind sprints

1631
01:24:36,040 --> 01:24:38,400
Speaker 1: in a big dumb obstacle course. Roland had to be

1632
01:24:38,520 --> 01:24:40,760
Speaker 1: real careful to act challenged. As the day went on,

1633
01:24:41,280 --> 01:24:43,960
Speaker 1: he instructed his body to elevate his blood pressure and

1634
01:24:44,000 --> 01:24:46,240
Speaker 1: temperature to flush his face red with blood and to

1635
01:24:46,280 --> 01:24:48,360
Speaker 1: send enough sweat from his pores to make a passable

1636
01:24:48,360 --> 01:24:51,599
Speaker 1: imitation of exertion. It was tedious and he hated it,

1637
01:24:51,640 --> 01:24:53,839
Speaker 1: but the first half of the day went by pretty fast.

1638
01:24:54,400 --> 01:24:56,920
Speaker 1: Then it was time for a close quarters firefight drill.

1639
01:24:57,120 --> 01:24:59,800
Speaker 1: The men were given actual rifles sans ammunition, and di

1640
01:25:00,000 --> 01:25:02,360
Speaker 1: eide it up into assault teams. They spent the next

1641
01:25:02,400 --> 01:25:05,320
Speaker 1: five hours taking turns defending or attacking different rooms in

1642
01:25:05,400 --> 01:25:07,720
Speaker 1: an old apartment complex that had been commandeered by the

1643
01:25:07,720 --> 01:25:10,599
Speaker 1: Heavenly Kingdom. There was a lot of shouting from instructors

1644
01:25:10,600 --> 01:25:12,439
Speaker 1: who sure as ship wanted the recruits to think they

1645
01:25:12,479 --> 01:25:15,680
Speaker 1: knew more about urban warfare than they did. At the

1646
01:25:15,760 --> 01:25:18,400
Speaker 1: end of one particularly long set of door bridge and drills,

1647
01:25:18,439 --> 01:25:20,479
Speaker 1: one of the instructors dropped to his knees and started

1648
01:25:20,560 --> 01:25:23,040
Speaker 1: chanting in tongues. He seemed to be celebrating that one

1649
01:25:23,080 --> 01:25:26,120
Speaker 1: of his slowest squads had finally nailed a textbook entry.

1650
01:25:26,640 --> 01:25:28,479
Speaker 1: Roland wasn't sure what the hell to make of it.

1651
01:25:28,680 --> 01:25:31,280
Speaker 1: The man almost smelled that he was having a schizophrenic break.

1652
01:25:31,640 --> 01:25:34,360
Speaker 1: The heavy wash of neurotransmitters wafting off him made it

1653
01:25:34,400 --> 01:25:37,240
Speaker 1: clear This wasn't just some gesture for show. He seemed

1654
01:25:37,320 --> 01:25:41,080
Speaker 1: legitimately overcome with joy. Other soldiers and even a couple

1655
01:25:41,080 --> 01:25:44,120
Speaker 1: of instructors started kneeling around him. They were all chanting

1656
01:25:44,120 --> 01:25:47,559
Speaker 1: in some strange language. The first instructor kept repeating what

1657
01:25:47,680 --> 01:25:51,840
Speaker 1: sounded like hom noshkalashka, hom nosh kalashka. Rowland's heidenbrain knew

1658
01:25:51,880 --> 01:25:54,519
Speaker 1: a lot of languages, but this sounded like nonsense to him.

1659
01:25:54,720 --> 01:25:57,080
Speaker 1: He noticed the speech patterns of each chanting man were

1660
01:25:57,080 --> 01:26:00,760
Speaker 1: pretty consistent with American English. The actual words gibberish, though,

1661
01:26:00,800 --> 01:26:04,000
Speaker 1: and many grabbed him by the shoulder and pushed gently down.

1662
01:26:04,400 --> 01:26:06,559
Speaker 1: Roland took the hint and then took a knee. The

1663
01:26:06,640 --> 01:26:09,880
Speaker 1: kids started to chant in a low voice Latish kila

1664
01:26:09,960 --> 01:26:13,719
Speaker 1: josepha tinchala. It was more gibberish, but Roland followed suit.

1665
01:26:13,880 --> 01:26:15,720
Speaker 1: He started to sped out nonsense of his own, and

1666
01:26:15,760 --> 01:26:17,680
Speaker 1: a tone low enough that it didn't rise above the

1667
01:26:17,680 --> 01:26:21,200
Speaker 1: din of chanting maniacs. Manny's strategy, he realized, was to

1668
01:26:21,200 --> 01:26:24,280
Speaker 1: make big, exaggerated mouth motions without actually speaking at a

1669
01:26:24,360 --> 01:26:27,559
Speaker 1: high volume. It made him look right without drawing any attention.

1670
01:26:28,040 --> 01:26:30,080
Speaker 1: The whole weird scene went on for a little over

1671
01:26:30,080 --> 01:26:33,120
Speaker 1: two minutes. Eventually, the instructor stopped chanting and lay on

1672
01:26:33,160 --> 01:26:36,240
Speaker 1: his back, sweaty and spent. The other soldiers seemed to

1673
01:26:36,240 --> 01:26:38,760
Speaker 1: have ended their fits in the same way. Roland could

1674
01:26:38,800 --> 01:26:40,840
Speaker 1: tell from their heart rates and body temperature that about

1675
01:26:40,880 --> 01:26:42,720
Speaker 1: half of the men had been faking it, just like

1676
01:26:42,840 --> 01:26:45,519
Speaker 1: he and Manny. The humid stink of guilt was heavy

1677
01:26:45,560 --> 01:26:48,080
Speaker 1: in the air. Roland's heart went out for them. It

1678
01:26:48,160 --> 01:26:50,680
Speaker 1: must be agony to believe so hard and something so

1679
01:26:50,800 --> 01:26:53,599
Speaker 1: dumb that you'd castigate yourself for not buying into it enough.

1680
01:26:54,360 --> 01:26:56,639
Speaker 1: After that, they filed into the mess hall. They said

1681
01:26:56,680 --> 01:26:58,800
Speaker 1: their prayers, ate their dinners, and then queued up for

1682
01:26:58,840 --> 01:27:01,960
Speaker 1: the buses downtown. The ride was uneventful. In the instant

1683
01:27:01,960 --> 01:27:04,400
Speaker 1: their feet hit the square, many went off to find Sasha.

1684
01:27:04,800 --> 01:27:07,400
Speaker 1: Roland shook his head in appreciation for the all consuming

1685
01:27:07,439 --> 01:27:09,800
Speaker 1: power of human desire, and then bounded off to check

1686
01:27:09,840 --> 01:27:12,599
Speaker 1: out the presumed location of the jail. It was about

1687
01:27:12,640 --> 01:27:15,080
Speaker 1: a three mile jog. At full speed, Roland could have

1688
01:27:15,080 --> 01:27:17,080
Speaker 1: cleared the distance in a few minutes, but a low

1689
01:27:17,080 --> 01:27:19,320
Speaker 1: profile was the name of the game. He stuck to

1690
01:27:19,360 --> 01:27:21,400
Speaker 1: a fast walk and kept to the shadows and alleys

1691
01:27:21,439 --> 01:27:23,880
Speaker 1: as best he could. Plano hadn't been a very dense

1692
01:27:23,920 --> 01:27:26,000
Speaker 1: city before the Martyrs had taken over, so there were

1693
01:27:26,040 --> 01:27:27,720
Speaker 1: a lot of times where he was basically out in

1694
01:27:27,760 --> 01:27:29,840
Speaker 1: the open. He had to trust that his uniform in

1695
01:27:29,880 --> 01:27:32,160
Speaker 1: the general state of chaos and the newly founded kingdom

1696
01:27:32,160 --> 01:27:35,040
Speaker 1: would obscure him. This was the first look he'd gotten

1697
01:27:35,080 --> 01:27:37,920
Speaker 1: of the Kingdom on foot, Roland decided he didn't care

1698
01:27:38,000 --> 01:27:39,960
Speaker 1: much for it. There was a great deal of foot

1699
01:27:39,960 --> 01:27:42,080
Speaker 1: and vehicle traffic, but most of the people seemed to

1700
01:27:42,120 --> 01:27:44,880
Speaker 1: be either soldiers or refugees without anywhere else to go.

1701
01:27:45,479 --> 01:27:48,760
Speaker 1: He passed two checkpoints where twitchy looking martyrs performed data

1702
01:27:48,800 --> 01:27:51,679
Speaker 1: scans on decks and personal hard drives. He even saw

1703
01:27:51,760 --> 01:27:54,200
Speaker 1: one soldier sorting through paperback books in the trunk of

1704
01:27:54,240 --> 01:27:57,680
Speaker 1: some poor fox car. Roland noticed several white vans with

1705
01:27:57,720 --> 01:28:00,599
Speaker 1: black crosses painted on the side. They cruised the streets,

1706
01:28:00,600 --> 01:28:03,559
Speaker 1: clearly on patrol for something. He watched one stop in

1707
01:28:03,600 --> 01:28:06,160
Speaker 1: front of a family of refugees heavy with backpacks and

1708
01:28:06,200 --> 01:28:09,640
Speaker 1: carrying intake papers in their hands. Men in white jumpsuits

1709
01:28:09,640 --> 01:28:12,439
Speaker 1: with gold cross badges piled out and surrounded the family.

1710
01:28:12,800 --> 01:28:15,479
Speaker 1: Roland concealed himself behind a dumpster and watched as the

1711
01:28:15,479 --> 01:28:18,040
Speaker 1: patriarch of the family handed them his papers and spoke

1712
01:28:18,080 --> 01:28:21,120
Speaker 1: in a frantic, animated tone. One of the men pointed

1713
01:28:21,160 --> 01:28:23,200
Speaker 1: at his daughter, who wore a stained T shirt and

1714
01:28:23,200 --> 01:28:25,880
Speaker 1: a ragged pair of denim shorts. They were baggy and

1715
01:28:25,960 --> 01:28:28,920
Speaker 1: hardly stylish, but the men in the jumpsuits seemed furious.

1716
01:28:29,160 --> 01:28:31,360
Speaker 1: They pointed and shouted. The man put his hands in

1717
01:28:31,400 --> 01:28:33,080
Speaker 1: the air and tried to say something, but one of

1718
01:28:33,080 --> 01:28:36,479
Speaker 1: the jumpsuited men smashed his head with a cane. Cold

1719
01:28:36,600 --> 01:28:40,000
Speaker 1: rage bubbled up inside Roland. Fuck this place, he simmered

1720
01:28:40,000 --> 01:28:44,040
Speaker 1: to himself. Fuck these jinkiest throwback fundamentalists and their fastist bullshit.

1721
01:28:44,760 --> 01:28:46,840
Speaker 1: He wanted to charge out from behind the dumpster and

1722
01:28:46,880 --> 01:28:49,679
Speaker 1: tear into these low rent his bomb motherfucker's. He wanted

1723
01:28:49,720 --> 01:28:51,760
Speaker 1: to shove those thick wooden rods so far up their

1724
01:28:51,800 --> 01:28:54,880
Speaker 1: asses they'd be shipping splinters for weeks. The mission, he

1725
01:28:54,920 --> 01:28:58,640
Speaker 1: reminded himself, the fucking mission, And so he watched as

1726
01:28:58,680 --> 01:29:01,120
Speaker 1: the men in white beat the old guy. He watched

1727
01:29:01,120 --> 01:29:03,280
Speaker 1: as they pulled the poor bastard's daughter into a van

1728
01:29:03,360 --> 01:29:05,920
Speaker 1: and forced a hideous gray woolen dress over her head.

1729
01:29:06,439 --> 01:29:08,400
Speaker 1: It didn't fit, and it looked liable to give her

1730
01:29:08,439 --> 01:29:11,439
Speaker 1: heat stroke in the late Texas summer. She didn't fight them, though.

1731
01:29:12,200 --> 01:29:14,920
Speaker 1: Roland moved on reluctantly and found what his hind brain

1732
01:29:15,000 --> 01:29:17,840
Speaker 1: suspected was the old jail. The a PCs he'd seen

1733
01:29:17,920 --> 01:29:20,360
Speaker 1: last night were parked out front. The compound was guarded

1734
01:29:20,400 --> 01:29:24,360
Speaker 1: and busy. Roland counted fourteen guards just outside. Mind you,

1735
01:29:24,479 --> 01:29:27,640
Speaker 1: there were human guards, no powered armor, no heavy artillery,

1736
01:29:27,960 --> 01:29:30,439
Speaker 1: nothing at hand that could do much more than tickle him.

1737
01:29:30,479 --> 01:29:32,800
Speaker 1: They wouldn't present a danger, but they would cause a

1738
01:29:32,800 --> 01:29:34,439
Speaker 1: hell of a lot of noise if he attempted a

1739
01:29:34,520 --> 01:29:37,919
Speaker 1: daylight prison break. He scrambled up onto a half collapsed

1740
01:29:37,920 --> 01:29:40,400
Speaker 1: condo building that had been abandoned after a heavy mortar

1741
01:29:40,439 --> 01:29:43,160
Speaker 1: shell gutted the inside. It provided a good view of

1742
01:29:43,160 --> 01:29:46,040
Speaker 1: the jail. For the next hour, Roland just watched. His

1743
01:29:46,120 --> 01:29:48,759
Speaker 1: hindbrain mapped the pattern of the guard rotations and noted

1744
01:29:48,800 --> 01:29:51,919
Speaker 1: the security protocols they followed when each new vehicle arrived.

1745
01:29:52,320 --> 01:29:54,760
Speaker 1: He took a lot of deep breaths and gradually pulled

1746
01:29:54,880 --> 01:29:56,920
Speaker 1: enough sense from inside the jail to have a decent

1747
01:29:57,000 --> 01:29:59,599
Speaker 1: idea of how many people were in there. He'd never

1748
01:29:59,680 --> 01:30:02,759
Speaker 1: smell Old Marigold or the other rolling fu negotiators before,

1749
01:30:02,880 --> 01:30:04,960
Speaker 1: but his nose picked up on three people with a

1750
01:30:05,000 --> 01:30:08,680
Speaker 1: handful of aftermarket modifications. Most of the martyrs he'd met

1751
01:30:08,720 --> 01:30:11,960
Speaker 1: had been limited to civilian grade healing sweets and sensory upgrades.

1752
01:30:12,200 --> 01:30:14,400
Speaker 1: It was a safe bet that these were their targets. Then,

1753
01:30:15,080 --> 01:30:18,200
Speaker 1: and you've got the message, put down the phone. Roland

1754
01:30:18,200 --> 01:30:20,680
Speaker 1: wasn't sure where or when he'd heard that aphorism, but

1755
01:30:20,720 --> 01:30:22,800
Speaker 1: it came into his head, and a moment later he

1756
01:30:22,880 --> 01:30:25,679
Speaker 1: realized the sun was pretty low in the sky. It'd

1757
01:30:25,680 --> 01:30:27,920
Speaker 1: be bus time soon. He headed back through the high

1758
01:30:27,920 --> 01:30:30,880
Speaker 1: shadows and across the cracked and bullet scarred boulevards until

1759
01:30:30,920 --> 01:30:33,040
Speaker 1: he was able to merge back into the evening crowd

1760
01:30:33,040 --> 01:30:35,800
Speaker 1: at the square. Manny and the Christian girl had moved

1761
01:30:35,840 --> 01:30:38,160
Speaker 1: on from the cafe by that point. He actually ran

1762
01:30:38,200 --> 01:30:39,960
Speaker 1: into them in front of some building with a sign

1763
01:30:40,000 --> 01:30:42,760
Speaker 1: that identified it as the House of Miriam. They were

1764
01:30:42,800 --> 01:30:47,559
Speaker 1: saying weird, chaste, religiously goodbyes, Oh hello, Aaron. Sasha smiled

1765
01:30:47,600 --> 01:30:50,200
Speaker 1: when she saw him. Manny turned around and flashed him

1766
01:30:50,240 --> 01:30:53,160
Speaker 1: a weary smile. Too. Roland could see pain in the

1767
01:30:53,240 --> 01:30:54,960
Speaker 1: kid's eyes, but it was at least cut with a

1768
01:30:55,000 --> 01:30:57,679
Speaker 1: bit of arousal. He decided that was a good thing.

1769
01:30:58,040 --> 01:31:00,559
Speaker 1: Ever since Oscar's death, Manny had been adding the line

1770
01:31:00,600 --> 01:31:04,679
Speaker 1: between function and complete emotional collapse. He decided to encourage

1771
01:31:04,680 --> 01:31:08,080
Speaker 1: the fixer's weird little friendship with the Christian girl. Hey,

1772
01:31:08,200 --> 01:31:10,880
Speaker 1: Roland said, how is the guffey? Smelled like it was

1773
01:31:10,920 --> 01:31:13,320
Speaker 1: mostly chickory and food die when I walked by earlier.

1774
01:31:13,360 --> 01:31:15,880
Speaker 1: But maybe they sold you all the good stuff they

1775
01:31:15,880 --> 01:31:19,000
Speaker 1: did not, Manny said, you must be blessed with an

1776
01:31:19,000 --> 01:31:22,000
Speaker 1: exceptional nose. Sasha said and gave him an odd look.

1777
01:31:22,200 --> 01:31:25,120
Speaker 1: Then she asked, what did you get up to? I

1778
01:31:25,600 --> 01:31:28,640
Speaker 1: checked out the farmer's market. Roland lied, I'll tell you what.

1779
01:31:28,800 --> 01:31:32,320
Speaker 1: Some h some good freaking cucumbers up in there. That's

1780
01:31:32,320 --> 01:31:36,120
Speaker 1: where I was cucumbers. Sasha's odd look deepened. Man He

1781
01:31:36,160 --> 01:31:37,719
Speaker 1: brought a hand up to the bridge of his nose

1782
01:31:37,760 --> 01:31:40,760
Speaker 1: and needed his brow and frustration. We should head back

1783
01:31:40,800 --> 01:31:44,320
Speaker 1: to the buses. I'll I'll see you tomorrow, Sasha. Yeah, yes,

1784
01:31:44,360 --> 01:31:47,960
Speaker 1: of course, Sasha replied with a genuine smile. If this

1785
01:31:48,040 --> 01:31:50,080
Speaker 1: was a sane world, Roland thought the two of them

1786
01:31:50,080 --> 01:31:52,240
Speaker 1: would have had a real date by now, but this

1787
01:31:52,320 --> 01:31:55,400
Speaker 1: was the Heavenly Kingdom. They were surrounded by extremist militants,

1788
01:31:55,400 --> 01:31:58,639
Speaker 1: and Sasha probably wasn't even allowed to look at condoms. Also,

1789
01:31:58,800 --> 01:32:02,200
Speaker 1: she's one of those militants, Roland reminded himself. He let

1790
01:32:02,200 --> 01:32:04,240
Speaker 1: the kids say their goodbyes and then walked back to

1791
01:32:04,280 --> 01:32:07,559
Speaker 1: the bus with Manny. The kids seemed unsettled. I feel

1792
01:32:07,560 --> 01:32:10,320
Speaker 1: like I'm making a real dumb decision, he said, what

1793
01:32:10,800 --> 01:32:14,479
Speaker 1: Roland asked, talking with that girl? Manny shrugged. She's told

1794
01:32:14,479 --> 01:32:16,840
Speaker 1: me all she knows about those prisoners already. But we're

1795
01:32:16,840 --> 01:32:18,840
Speaker 1: supposed to meet at the one shitty cafe in this

1796
01:32:18,920 --> 01:32:20,880
Speaker 1: town tomorrow. I know it's stupid, but I kind of

1797
01:32:20,920 --> 01:32:24,240
Speaker 1: want to make that meeting. Why is it stupid, Rowland asked.

1798
01:32:24,400 --> 01:32:26,080
Speaker 1: They had to drop their voices a little as they

1799
01:32:26,160 --> 01:32:29,639
Speaker 1: drew closer to the line for the buses, because Manny said,

1800
01:32:29,720 --> 01:32:32,000
Speaker 1: we're not going to be here long. Sasha confirmed, our

1801
01:32:32,000 --> 01:32:34,160
Speaker 1: people are in the jail, and you scattered it out today,

1802
01:32:34,280 --> 01:32:37,840
Speaker 1: right yep, So we're confirmed twice over. It's time to

1803
01:32:37,880 --> 01:32:39,800
Speaker 1: do this thing and get out. I don't have time

1804
01:32:39,840 --> 01:32:42,880
Speaker 1: to eat shitty food with a pretty girl. Roland turned

1805
01:32:42,920 --> 01:32:45,400
Speaker 1: and fixed his eyes on Manny's. He leaned in until

1806
01:32:45,439 --> 01:32:47,560
Speaker 1: their noses were almost touching, and then he poked the

1807
01:32:47,600 --> 01:32:50,360
Speaker 1: boy's chest with his index finger for emphasis while he

1808
01:32:50,400 --> 01:32:54,760
Speaker 1: spoke Emmanuel Sanche's listen to me. There is always time

1809
01:32:54,760 --> 01:32:57,679
Speaker 1: to eat shitty food with a pretty girl. Fuck the war, funk,

1810
01:32:57,720 --> 01:33:00,000
Speaker 1: what's a good idea? Go eat some garbage and stare

1811
01:33:00,000 --> 01:33:02,840
Speaker 1: into her eyes. Do something human in this in human place.

1812
01:33:03,120 --> 01:33:05,680
Speaker 1: Late night will be a better time for the rescue. Anyway.

1813
01:33:05,960 --> 01:33:10,280
Speaker 1: Manny was silent for several long seconds, then he said okay.

1814
01:33:11,880 --> 01:33:14,800
Speaker 1: The next day started with more PT as usual. Then

1815
01:33:14,800 --> 01:33:16,800
Speaker 1: it rolled right into an extra long trip to the

1816
01:33:16,840 --> 01:33:19,479
Speaker 1: firing range and three more hours of close assault drills.

1817
01:33:19,920 --> 01:33:23,160
Speaker 1: Roland found himself disgusted by the Kingdom's tactics. Their go

1818
01:33:23,280 --> 01:33:26,120
Speaker 1: to was to dump heavy artillery on any embedded resistance.

1819
01:33:26,479 --> 01:33:29,160
Speaker 1: No heed was paid to the civilian cost. They were

1820
01:33:29,280 --> 01:33:32,920
Speaker 1: fine having untrained kids lob mortars in de crowded neighborhoods.

1821
01:33:33,520 --> 01:33:36,519
Speaker 1: The Lord will recognize his own Martyr. Carruthers had said

1822
01:33:36,720 --> 01:33:40,240
Speaker 1: over and over again that evening, before the dinner prayer,

1823
01:33:40,320 --> 01:33:43,400
Speaker 1: the raspy voiced priest. The raspy voiced Priest came by

1824
01:33:43,479 --> 01:33:45,320
Speaker 1: to speak to all the recruits in the chow hall.

1825
01:33:45,880 --> 01:33:48,600
Speaker 1: Roland missed Martyr Ditmar's introduction of the priest. He was

1826
01:33:48,640 --> 01:33:51,320
Speaker 1: too busy puking up and surreptitiously eating his last bag

1827
01:33:51,360 --> 01:33:53,719
Speaker 1: of drugs. But his ears perked up when the wild

1828
01:33:53,720 --> 01:33:56,960
Speaker 1: haired old nut fuck launched into his speech. The burdens

1829
01:33:57,000 --> 01:33:59,720
Speaker 1: placed upon the warriors of God are great. You men

1830
01:33:59,800 --> 01:34:03,160
Speaker 1: have sworn yourselves to a ponderous duty, but that duty

1831
01:34:03,200 --> 01:34:06,120
Speaker 1: does not end on the battlefield. If the heavenly Kingdom

1832
01:34:06,160 --> 01:34:08,479
Speaker 1: is to remain and expand, we will need you to

1833
01:34:08,560 --> 01:34:12,200
Speaker 1: fight in the field and with your other God given attributes.

1834
01:34:13,000 --> 01:34:15,799
Speaker 1: This elicited a dim chorus of chuckles from the audience.

1835
01:34:16,040 --> 01:34:18,639
Speaker 1: It took Roland an embarrassing amount of time to realize

1836
01:34:18,680 --> 01:34:22,040
Speaker 1: what the preacher was talking about. Not jeez, this speech

1837
01:34:22,120 --> 01:34:25,160
Speaker 1: is about fucking. The Lord commands us to be fruitful

1838
01:34:25,160 --> 01:34:28,040
Speaker 1: and multiplied. The priest wheezed, But he also calls us

1839
01:34:28,040 --> 01:34:31,280
Speaker 1: to respect the sacred bonds of holy matrimony in times

1840
01:34:31,320 --> 01:34:33,080
Speaker 1: of war, at the times we all live in now.

1841
01:34:33,400 --> 01:34:36,320
Speaker 1: This might seem to create some difficulty, But that's only

1842
01:34:36,360 --> 01:34:38,479
Speaker 1: because most of us are trained to think of marriage

1843
01:34:38,479 --> 01:34:42,040
Speaker 1: in the secular context. The average married couple in the

1844
01:34:42,080 --> 01:34:46,920
Speaker 1: American Federation dates for eight years before being wet. In California,

1845
01:34:47,080 --> 01:34:50,160
Speaker 1: it's closer to ten. Of course, in both those places,

1846
01:34:50,439 --> 01:34:53,160
Speaker 1: dating is more or less a form of cash less prostitution.

1847
01:34:53,960 --> 01:34:56,840
Speaker 1: Roland had to strain to avoid rolling his eyes. Next

1848
01:34:56,840 --> 01:35:00,000
Speaker 1: to him, many listened dutifully. His face was almost unreadable.

1849
01:35:00,520 --> 01:35:03,160
Speaker 1: Perhaps people who don't trust their creator need years of

1850
01:35:03,240 --> 01:35:06,320
Speaker 1: time to decide if another person is a suitable partner. Happily,

1851
01:35:06,600 --> 01:35:09,120
Speaker 1: we have the will of God to guide us. You,

1852
01:35:09,120 --> 01:35:12,200
Speaker 1: young men, are strong and virile and faithful. Your Lord

1853
01:35:12,280 --> 01:35:14,599
Speaker 1: wants you to find love. He wants you to bring

1854
01:35:14,600 --> 01:35:17,320
Speaker 1: more children into this world. This is why, as the

1855
01:35:17,360 --> 01:35:20,640
Speaker 1: hour of Action draws closer, we still encourage each of

1856
01:35:20,680 --> 01:35:23,040
Speaker 1: you to spend time every day going out into the

1857
01:35:23,040 --> 01:35:27,080
Speaker 1: city and mingling with the other sheep of our great flock. Aha.

1858
01:35:27,920 --> 01:35:30,800
Speaker 1: Suddenly Roland understood, and it seemed odd to him that

1859
01:35:30,840 --> 01:35:34,080
Speaker 1: the Heavenly Kingdom, a state still so unformed and tumultuous,

1860
01:35:34,240 --> 01:35:37,560
Speaker 1: devote time and resources to busting their military recruits downtown.

1861
01:35:38,120 --> 01:35:40,320
Speaker 1: It made sense now, They wanted all these young men

1862
01:35:40,360 --> 01:35:42,439
Speaker 1: to find women and fill them up with babies before

1863
01:35:42,439 --> 01:35:45,000
Speaker 1: they went off to die. It was grim as hell,

1864
01:35:45,200 --> 01:35:47,880
Speaker 1: but it was also quite logical. The truth of it is,

1865
01:35:48,160 --> 01:35:51,680
Speaker 1: the pastor rasped, marriage is a simple process. When you

1866
01:35:51,760 --> 01:35:54,360
Speaker 1: find the right person, the right arrangements can be made

1867
01:35:54,400 --> 01:35:56,639
Speaker 1: in an hour or two. That is why I'm here

1868
01:35:56,800 --> 01:36:00,000
Speaker 1: along with Pastor Sandor Ellsworth and Biggins. You can find

1869
01:36:00,040 --> 01:36:02,400
Speaker 1: does at any hour of the day or night to

1870
01:36:02,439 --> 01:36:05,439
Speaker 1: bless your unions. Once God shows you to your wives,

1871
01:36:05,760 --> 01:36:07,840
Speaker 1: and there are more pastors at the House of Jacob

1872
01:36:07,920 --> 01:36:10,439
Speaker 1: near the square. I urge you to go out into

1873
01:36:10,520 --> 01:36:12,960
Speaker 1: the kingdom in search of love and make use of us.

1874
01:36:13,160 --> 01:36:16,240
Speaker 1: Our chief job and our chief joy, is to help

1875
01:36:16,280 --> 01:36:19,400
Speaker 1: our noble martyrs find the love and bless God promises

1876
01:36:19,439 --> 01:36:23,400
Speaker 1: every faithful man. Wives are his blessing to us. Children

1877
01:36:23,479 --> 01:36:26,680
Speaker 1: are our duty to him. Now, the man said, with

1878
01:36:26,720 --> 01:36:31,200
Speaker 1: a rakish grin, go forth and multiply the flock. The

1879
01:36:31,280 --> 01:36:34,040
Speaker 1: line for the buses was extra long that day. By

1880
01:36:34,040 --> 01:36:36,240
Speaker 1: the time Rowland and Manny actually made it to the square,

1881
01:36:36,280 --> 01:36:39,040
Speaker 1: there were nearly an hour later than usual. Manny rushed

1882
01:36:39,120 --> 01:36:41,559
Speaker 1: right off to find Sasha. Rowland found his way to

1883
01:36:41,600 --> 01:36:44,160
Speaker 1: an alley and then darted across town and towards the jail.

1884
01:36:44,240 --> 01:36:47,960
Speaker 1: Once again. They'd already confirmed the location of their targets,

1885
01:36:48,040 --> 01:36:50,200
Speaker 1: so Rowland's last job was to mark out a good

1886
01:36:50,240 --> 01:36:53,000
Speaker 1: exit route from the city. He didn't expect it be

1887
01:36:53,080 --> 01:36:56,639
Speaker 1: a quiet prison break that would draw attention and fighters.

1888
01:36:57,000 --> 01:36:59,360
Speaker 1: The good news was that nothing within the Heavenly Kingdom

1889
01:36:59,360 --> 01:37:03,080
Speaker 1: looked particular cularly well organized. A ton of fighters patrolled

1890
01:37:03,080 --> 01:37:05,880
Speaker 1: the streets, but most of Plano was still pretty war torn.

1891
01:37:06,160 --> 01:37:09,080
Speaker 1: Their camera grid was far from comprehensive. If they had

1892
01:37:09,120 --> 01:37:11,400
Speaker 1: a sizeable drone force, it was kept nearer to the

1893
01:37:11,439 --> 01:37:14,080
Speaker 1: front than here. The quickest route seemed to be to

1894
01:37:14,120 --> 01:37:16,559
Speaker 1: head straight north from the jail, up k Avenue and

1895
01:37:16,560 --> 01:37:19,880
Speaker 1: past an old housing development filled with crumbling mansions. That

1896
01:37:19,960 --> 01:37:22,960
Speaker 1: route would take them past two fortified bases. There'd be

1897
01:37:22,960 --> 01:37:25,519
Speaker 1: a couple hundred infantry to deal with, along with their attendant,

1898
01:37:25,560 --> 01:37:28,759
Speaker 1: a PC's and a handful of drones. Roland felt confident

1899
01:37:28,760 --> 01:37:30,360
Speaker 1: he could have punched a hole through all that on

1900
01:37:30,439 --> 01:37:32,639
Speaker 1: his own, but he expected to have four or five

1901
01:37:32,680 --> 01:37:35,120
Speaker 1: civilians in tow The odds of one of them taking

1902
01:37:35,160 --> 01:37:38,840
Speaker 1: a stray round were just too high. Another possible route

1903
01:37:38,880 --> 01:37:40,679
Speaker 1: took him up and to the left, towards an old

1904
01:37:40,720 --> 01:37:42,479
Speaker 1: tollway that seemed to mark the end of the Heavenly

1905
01:37:42,560 --> 01:37:46,120
Speaker 1: Kingdom's static defenses. They controlled a lot of the territory beyond,

1906
01:37:46,240 --> 01:37:49,320
Speaker 1: but the patrols there looked random. There were no fortifications

1907
01:37:49,360 --> 01:37:51,880
Speaker 1: or checkpoints. It was a much longer route than the other,

1908
01:37:51,960 --> 01:37:55,439
Speaker 1: but potentially one that required a lotless fighting. The last

1909
01:37:55,479 --> 01:37:58,439
Speaker 1: option was to veer right and take Park Avenue to Richardson.

1910
01:37:58,680 --> 01:38:01,439
Speaker 1: The Heavenly Kingdom had control that territory for even less

1911
01:38:01,439 --> 01:38:03,599
Speaker 1: time than they had held Plaino, and the fighting there

1912
01:38:03,640 --> 01:38:06,160
Speaker 1: had been heavier. They'd pass a lot of checkpoints, but

1913
01:38:06,320 --> 01:38:08,639
Speaker 1: not much in the way of troop concentration, as long

1914
01:38:08,640 --> 01:38:11,680
Speaker 1: as they kept south and away from Dallas proper. The

1915
01:38:11,720 --> 01:38:14,559
Speaker 1: scouting work itself was exhilarating. Roland had a lot of

1916
01:38:14,560 --> 01:38:16,400
Speaker 1: ground to cover, so he spent most of his time

1917
01:38:16,439 --> 01:38:19,040
Speaker 1: sprinting and scaling buildings, leaping from roof to roof and

1918
01:38:19,080 --> 01:38:22,280
Speaker 1: in between shattered windows. His senses were in full use.

1919
01:38:22,479 --> 01:38:25,599
Speaker 1: There were always passing convoys of civilians, or patrols of martyrs,

1920
01:38:25,720 --> 01:38:28,680
Speaker 1: or those odd white police fans. Somewhere nearby. He was

1921
01:38:28,720 --> 01:38:31,000
Speaker 1: close to caught a dozen times, and he loved every

1922
01:38:31,000 --> 01:38:33,280
Speaker 1: minute of the work. By the time he got back

1923
01:38:33,280 --> 01:38:35,519
Speaker 1: to the main square, it was quite late and almost

1924
01:38:35,560 --> 01:38:37,760
Speaker 1: time for the buses to leave. He did a quick

1925
01:38:37,840 --> 01:38:39,639
Speaker 1: loop of the square to see if he could find

1926
01:38:39,680 --> 01:38:42,320
Speaker 1: Manny and Sasha. He caught traces of their sense, but

1927
01:38:42,400 --> 01:38:44,320
Speaker 1: neither of them seemed to be out and about. He

1928
01:38:44,360 --> 01:38:47,639
Speaker 1: eventually tracked Sasha's pheromone trail back to the house of Miriam,

1929
01:38:47,880 --> 01:38:51,160
Speaker 1: but Manny seemed to be gone. That was strange. Roland

1930
01:38:51,160 --> 01:38:53,000
Speaker 1: headed back to the buses and the hope of finding

1931
01:38:53,040 --> 01:38:55,720
Speaker 1: him there. But Manny wasn't in line or on any

1932
01:38:55,760 --> 01:38:58,679
Speaker 1: of the buses. So Roland headed back to the base

1933
01:38:58,800 --> 01:39:00,919
Speaker 1: and tried to ignore the un ease as it blossomed

1934
01:39:00,960 --> 01:39:03,840
Speaker 1: in his belly. Maybe he headed back early. Maybe the

1935
01:39:03,960 --> 01:39:07,479
Speaker 1: date went bad. That made sense. Sasha seemed nice for

1936
01:39:07,479 --> 01:39:10,559
Speaker 1: a religious extremists, but you couldn't predict Zellot's. It was

1937
01:39:10,600 --> 01:39:13,040
Speaker 1: so damn easy to set them off. Manny might have

1938
01:39:13,120 --> 01:39:15,400
Speaker 1: just said the wrong thing. That decided it'd be safest

1939
01:39:15,439 --> 01:39:17,360
Speaker 1: to head back to base and chill in the barracks.

1940
01:39:18,160 --> 01:39:21,120
Speaker 1: The bus pulled into the school comb training facilities little

1941
01:39:21,200 --> 01:39:24,400
Speaker 1: vehicle depot. Roland noticed at once that Martyr Ditmar and

1942
01:39:24,439 --> 01:39:27,760
Speaker 1: a small bodyguard of armed men were waiting. That was unusual.

1943
01:39:28,160 --> 01:39:30,800
Speaker 1: Roland's hindbrain warned him that this was probably related to

1944
01:39:30,840 --> 01:39:34,080
Speaker 1: Manny's disappearance. He felt a thin drip of adrenaline start

1945
01:39:34,080 --> 01:39:36,240
Speaker 1: tapping on the back of his amygdala. It was the

1946
01:39:36,240 --> 01:39:40,080
Speaker 1: feeling he associated with shit about to happen. Roland tried

1947
01:39:40,080 --> 01:39:42,320
Speaker 1: to enjoy it without letting it push him into action.

1948
01:39:42,360 --> 01:39:45,639
Speaker 1: Before he knew what was really going on, Martyr Aaron

1949
01:39:45,920 --> 01:39:49,679
Speaker 1: Ditmar said as he approached Roland. The instructor's bodyguards stayed

1950
01:39:49,720 --> 01:39:52,439
Speaker 1: close behind. Would you come with me. We've got some

1951
01:39:52,520 --> 01:39:58,520
Speaker 1: news for you. Where's a manual? Roland asked, We'll explain everything.

1952
01:39:58,760 --> 01:40:02,439
Speaker 1: The older martyr said, just come with me. Roland followed

1953
01:40:02,479 --> 01:40:04,400
Speaker 1: him into the maze of buildings and towards a small

1954
01:40:04,439 --> 01:40:06,840
Speaker 1: office occupied by a white haired man in what looked

1955
01:40:06,840 --> 01:40:09,920
Speaker 1: like the Heavenly Kingdom's equivalent of a dress uniform. It

1956
01:40:10,040 --> 01:40:12,559
Speaker 1: was blue, bedecked with medals and had a shining silver

1957
01:40:12,640 --> 01:40:15,880
Speaker 1: cross on each epaulette. The fancy man looked very tired.

1958
01:40:16,120 --> 01:40:19,760
Speaker 1: Roland could smell cheap caffeine wafting from his pores. This

1959
01:40:19,880 --> 01:40:23,680
Speaker 1: is Commandant Dawkins, Martyr Ditmar explained, he's in charge of

1960
01:40:23,680 --> 01:40:27,400
Speaker 1: this facility. We've been telling him about you. Martyr Ditmar

1961
01:40:27,560 --> 01:40:30,320
Speaker 1: is hard to embrass, the commandant said, But to his eyes,

1962
01:40:30,360 --> 01:40:33,639
Speaker 1: you're some sort of latter day Sampson. The strongest man

1963
01:40:33,680 --> 01:40:36,679
Speaker 1: I've ever seen, said Martyr Ditmar. He's a darned fine

1964
01:40:36,760 --> 01:40:40,840
Speaker 1: shot too, something of a marvel. Where's my friend, Roland asked,

1965
01:40:41,000 --> 01:40:45,000
Speaker 1: where's a manual? The commandant gave an indulgent smile. It

1966
01:40:45,040 --> 01:40:48,600
Speaker 1: didn't meet his tired eyes. Listen, Martyr, I know you

1967
01:40:48,640 --> 01:40:52,200
Speaker 1: can appreciate how important unit cohesion is during a situation

1968
01:40:52,240 --> 01:40:55,040
Speaker 1: as stressful as combat. You've had to make some changes

1969
01:40:55,120 --> 01:40:57,960
Speaker 1: in order to ensure unity. A manual is one of

1970
01:40:57,960 --> 01:41:02,120
Speaker 1: a number of soldiers we've transferred to special duty. Roland

1971
01:41:02,160 --> 01:41:04,240
Speaker 1: could read between the lines. He was sure if he

1972
01:41:04,320 --> 01:41:06,639
Speaker 1: checked in the barracks that Manny Jonathan and the other

1973
01:41:06,680 --> 01:41:10,080
Speaker 1: handful of non white recruits would all be absent. What

1974
01:41:10,280 --> 01:41:14,960
Speaker 1: kind of special duty? Ditmar growled behind him. Now, listen, Son,

1975
01:41:15,200 --> 01:41:18,080
Speaker 1: just because the commandant called you a Samson doesn't mean

1976
01:41:18,120 --> 01:41:21,680
Speaker 1: you're in charge around here, we're prosecuting a war. You

1977
01:41:21,720 --> 01:41:24,240
Speaker 1: won't be privy to every decision made above you when

1978
01:41:24,280 --> 01:41:26,080
Speaker 1: you're just going to have to get used to that.

1979
01:41:26,920 --> 01:41:29,200
Speaker 1: The commandant was a bit calmer. He put his hands

1980
01:41:29,200 --> 01:41:32,000
Speaker 1: forward in a placating gesture and tried it again. Your

1981
01:41:32,040 --> 01:41:35,200
Speaker 1: friend is fine, he's better than fine. He's going to

1982
01:41:35,200 --> 01:41:37,280
Speaker 1: get a chance to serve his Lord and the heavenly

1983
01:41:37,400 --> 01:41:40,599
Speaker 1: Kingdom and glorious martyrdom. You should be happy for him.

1984
01:41:41,160 --> 01:41:43,920
Speaker 1: Ditmar stepped forward and squatted down next to him. He

1985
01:41:44,000 --> 01:41:46,360
Speaker 1: put a hand on Roland's thigh. A third of a

1986
01:41:46,400 --> 01:41:49,000
Speaker 1: second later, Roland had calculated the best way to rip

1987
01:41:49,040 --> 01:41:50,880
Speaker 1: that arm free of its socket and beat the other

1988
01:41:50,920 --> 01:41:52,800
Speaker 1: men in the room to death with it, but he

1989
01:41:52,800 --> 01:41:56,320
Speaker 1: held still for now. Manny would have been proud. Listen, boy,

1990
01:41:56,640 --> 01:41:58,880
Speaker 1: Ditmar said, I know you got used to having that

1991
01:41:58,960 --> 01:42:01,280
Speaker 1: brown kid help you talk with people, and I'm sure

1992
01:42:01,320 --> 01:42:03,640
Speaker 1: he did a fine job. I get that you're not

1993
01:42:03,760 --> 01:42:06,720
Speaker 1: much for social graces, but we're going to take care

1994
01:42:06,760 --> 01:42:09,439
Speaker 1: of you now, all right. You've got a whole army

1995
01:42:09,439 --> 01:42:12,000
Speaker 1: of brothers here. Just do what you do best and

1996
01:42:12,040 --> 01:42:16,400
Speaker 1: we'll handle the rest. Okay, Roland said. He put a

1997
01:42:16,439 --> 01:42:19,320
Speaker 1: hand on Martyr Ditmar's wrist and clinched it hard enough

1998
01:42:19,360 --> 01:42:22,200
Speaker 1: that everyone in the room heard the bones snap. The

1999
01:42:22,280 --> 01:42:24,840
Speaker 1: look of dawning terror on the other man's face was

2000
01:42:24,880 --> 01:42:28,240
Speaker 1: the best high Roland had gotten in days. He savored

2001
01:42:28,280 --> 01:42:31,960
Speaker 1: it for a quarter second before finishing his sentence. I'll

2002
01:42:31,960 --> 01:42:37,400
Speaker 1: do what I do best. Then, Hey, I've written a novel.

2003
01:42:37,439 --> 01:42:39,360
Speaker 1: It's called After the Revolution. You can find it as

2004
01:42:39,360 --> 01:42:41,840
Speaker 1: a podcast under After the Revolution, and you can find

2005
01:42:41,840 --> 01:42:43,680
Speaker 1: it at a t r book dot com as a

2006
01:42:43,800 --> 01:42:47,040
Speaker 1: free e pub if you like it. I am crowdfunding

2007
01:42:47,080 --> 01:42:49,439
Speaker 1: the sequel so that I can keep making my books free.

2008
01:42:49,760 --> 01:42:52,280
Speaker 1: That will be it After the Revolution, the sequel on

2009
01:42:52,439 --> 01:42:55,200
Speaker 1: go fund me. That's After the Revolution, the sequel on

2010
01:42:55,360 --> 01:43:05,920
Speaker 1: go fund me. The art world it is essentially a

2011
01:43:06,240 --> 01:43:09,640
Speaker 1: money laundering business. The best fakes are still hanging on

2012
01:43:09,760 --> 01:43:13,200
Speaker 1: people's walls. You know, they don't even know or suspect

2013
01:43:13,240 --> 01:43:16,880
Speaker 1: that their fakes. I'm Alec Baldwin and this is a

2014
01:43:16,920 --> 01:43:21,280
Speaker 1: podcast about deception, greed and forgery in the art world.

2015
01:43:21,840 --> 01:43:26,240
Speaker 1: I just walked in and saw this great red painting

2016
01:43:26,640 --> 01:43:30,639
Speaker 1: presuming to be a rothco. Of course, art forgeries only

2017
01:43:30,720 --> 01:43:34,560
Speaker 1: happen because there's money to be made a lot of money.

2018
01:43:34,920 --> 01:43:37,519
Speaker 1: I'm listening to how what they're paying for these things.

2019
01:43:37,920 --> 01:43:40,920
Speaker 1: It was an incredible mans of money. You knew the

2020
01:43:40,920 --> 01:43:47,680
Speaker 1: painting was fake. Um Listen to Art Fraud starting February

2021
01:43:47,800 --> 01:43:52,080
Speaker 1: one on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or

2022
01:43:52,160 --> 01:44:02,439
Speaker 1: wherever you get your podcasts. When P. T. Barnum's Great

2023
01:44:02,479 --> 01:44:05,640
Speaker 1: American Museum burned to the ground in eight six, what

2024
01:44:05,800 --> 01:44:09,400
Speaker 1: rose from its ashes would change the world? Welcome to

2025
01:44:09,439 --> 01:44:12,719
Speaker 1: Grim and Mild Presents, an ongoing journey into the strange,

2026
01:44:12,840 --> 01:44:16,479
Speaker 1: the unusual, and the fascinating. In our inaugural season will

2027
01:44:16,520 --> 01:44:19,520
Speaker 1: give you a backstage tour of the complex and unusual

2028
01:44:19,600 --> 01:44:23,639
Speaker 1: artifact that is the American side Show. Listen to Grim

2029
01:44:23,640 --> 01:44:26,080
Speaker 1: and Mild Presents now on the I Heart Radio app,

2030
01:44:26,120 --> 01:44:32,599
Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Executive producer

2031
01:44:32,680 --> 01:44:36,200
Speaker 1: Paris Helping brings back the hit podcast How Men Think.

2032
01:44:36,479 --> 01:44:39,120
Speaker 1: And that's good news for anyone that is confused by men,

2033
01:44:39,439 --> 01:44:43,479
Speaker 1: which is basically everyone. It's real talk, straight from the source.

2034
01:44:43,680 --> 01:44:46,439
Speaker 1: The How Men Think podcast is exactly what we need

2035
01:44:46,520 --> 01:44:48,600
Speaker 1: to figure them out. It's going to be fun and

2036
01:44:48,760 --> 01:44:52,479
Speaker 1: formative and probably a bit scary at times because We're

2037
01:44:52,520 --> 01:44:55,639
Speaker 1: literally going inside the minds of men. Listen to how

2038
01:44:55,720 --> 01:44:58,920
Speaker 1: men think on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

2039
01:44:59,000 --> 01:45:00,760
Speaker 1: or wherever you get our podcasts.