WEBVTT - Chapter Nineteen 0:00:02.279 --> 0:00:07.200 Chapter nineteen. Manny he knew where they were taking him 0:00:07.240 --> 0:00:10.479 as soon as the transport exited Highway seventy five. It 0:00:10.560 --> 0:00:14.800 took Exit forty B White Avenue, McKinney. He visited the 0:00:14.800 --> 0:00:17.119 town a few times as a kid, before things in 0:00:17.160 --> 0:00:19.800 this part of d f W had gone entirely to ship. 0:00:20.600 --> 0:00:23.680 Manny thought of the satellite photos Reggie had shown them. 0:00:23.720 --> 0:00:26.560 He thought about that Tesla plant and what strange mysteries 0:00:26.560 --> 0:00:29.720 it must hide. Somewhere in that plant was the answer 0:00:29.760 --> 0:00:32.880 to how the martyrs had so thoroughly befucked the stf's 0:00:32.880 --> 0:00:36.640 defense network. Manny hadn't exactly planned to find an answer 0:00:36.640 --> 0:00:39.280 to that question on this trip. Now it seemed like 0:00:39.360 --> 0:00:42.360 he wouldn't have a choice in the matter. His escorts, 0:00:42.440 --> 0:00:45.920 Alexander's men, hadn't said much. They directed him to the 0:00:45.920 --> 0:00:48.320 proper transport and told him to keep his mouth shut 0:00:48.360 --> 0:00:51.680 when he asked for an explanation. Manny did as they asked, 0:00:51.800 --> 0:00:53.960 because he half expected them to gun him down if 0:00:53.960 --> 0:00:56.920 he made a real fuss. Roland's bound to find me. 0:00:57.080 --> 0:00:59.720 He can find any fucking one. I just need to 0:00:59.720 --> 0:01:03.280 stay alive long enough for him to get here. Once 0:01:03.360 --> 0:01:06.039 upon a time, the Tesla factory had been an immaculate 0:01:06.120 --> 0:01:09.959 sign of what some commenters called the Texan Renaissance. After 0:01:10.000 --> 0:01:12.280 the fall of the old United States, the Republic of 0:01:12.280 --> 0:01:14.679 Texas had been one of the first functional states to 0:01:14.720 --> 0:01:17.760 arise in the southwest. Dallas had been wrecked by the 0:01:17.840 --> 0:01:20.240 Lakewood Blast, but the rest of the state still had 0:01:20.240 --> 0:01:23.959 tens of millions of people and abundant natural resources. For 0:01:24.080 --> 0:01:27.240 a while, the hardcore libertarian policies of the Republic had 0:01:27.280 --> 0:01:31.160 created a minor economic miracle. Tesla had gotten this factory 0:01:31.160 --> 0:01:34.880 going about three years before that boom went bust. The 0:01:34.920 --> 0:01:37.160 first room they were taken to had clearly been some 0:01:37.200 --> 0:01:40.280 sort of reception area and probably a showroom at one point. 0:01:40.640 --> 0:01:43.280 There were three large, oval shaped plinths that had once 0:01:43.319 --> 0:01:46.039 held cars, and a handful of metal desks bolted hard 0:01:46.080 --> 0:01:49.280 into the ground. There were also several benches stripped of 0:01:49.320 --> 0:01:51.800 whatever they had once been upholstered with, and a few 0:01:51.840 --> 0:01:55.520 dozen folding chairs that were clearly recent additions. Many could 0:01:55.560 --> 0:01:58.000 see signs that the walls had been attacked at several 0:01:58.040 --> 0:02:00.760 places in an attempt to strip them of wires. The 0:02:00.840 --> 0:02:03.800 damage was obvious, but not as extensive as he'd expected. 0:02:04.240 --> 0:02:07.560 Bessierda de MARTA's standards. This building was in good shape. 0:02:08.280 --> 0:02:11.440 A dozen martyrs occupied the room. They wore quality, non 0:02:11.480 --> 0:02:13.920 powered body armor and toted rifles that must have been 0:02:13.960 --> 0:02:17.480 looted new from their republic's armories. One of the desks 0:02:17.560 --> 0:02:19.840 was manned by a haired looking young man in an 0:02:19.840 --> 0:02:22.600 off white suit. He wore no sign of rank, but 0:02:22.680 --> 0:02:25.080 did have a white cross arm band around his left 0:02:25.120 --> 0:02:28.320 bicep and a golden cross pin on his lapel. He 0:02:28.400 --> 0:02:31.240 was balding, baby faced, and the deep bags under his 0:02:31.320 --> 0:02:34.400 eyes spoke of severe exhaustion. His face lit up when 0:02:34.440 --> 0:02:38.280 he saw Manny another. My prayers have been answered, as 0:02:38.320 --> 0:02:41.639 the Lord wills it, one of Manny's escorts replied. They 0:02:41.639 --> 0:02:43.840 brought him to the desk, and the besuited man looked 0:02:43.880 --> 0:02:46.200 up at him. He had a hungry look in his eyes. 0:02:46.520 --> 0:02:49.119 He'd started to sweat a little too. You may call 0:02:49.160 --> 0:02:54.760 me Isaac. What's your name, young man? Me Emmanuel Emmanuel Sanchez. 0:02:55.440 --> 0:02:57.440 The little man jotted that down on a piece of 0:02:57.440 --> 0:03:01.079 paper and then continued asking questions. What's your date of birth? 0:03:01.320 --> 0:03:04.000 Do you have any family history of allergies or illnesses? 0:03:04.320 --> 0:03:08.360 Have you ever undergone surgery? Before, what biomodifications, if any, 0:03:08.400 --> 0:03:10.760 are currently active in your system, do you have any 0:03:10.760 --> 0:03:15.280 inactive modifications? And so on. After about ten minutes of questioning, 0:03:15.320 --> 0:03:17.680 the little Man told Manny to stand up and follow 0:03:17.760 --> 0:03:21.519 him into an examination room. His tone was cordial, even warm, 0:03:21.720 --> 0:03:25.040 but Manny tasted doom behind it. He smelled death in 0:03:25.080 --> 0:03:27.919 this place, and his soul cried out against heading further 0:03:28.000 --> 0:03:31.000 into its bowels. But there was nothing to do but follow. 0:03:31.320 --> 0:03:34.160 Alexander's men left after dropping him off, but there were 0:03:34.160 --> 0:03:36.880 plenty of guards on the front room. Two of them 0:03:36.880 --> 0:03:39.200 followed Manny and the young man backed through the double 0:03:39.240 --> 0:03:42.280 doors and into the heart of the facility. They walked 0:03:42.320 --> 0:03:45.040 through what had once been an open floor office. There 0:03:45.040 --> 0:03:47.840 were a few overturned desks and chairs, but mostly the 0:03:47.880 --> 0:03:50.960 place was barren and half cannibalized for scrap. It was 0:03:51.040 --> 0:03:55.200 ill lit and derelict. What are we doing here, Manny asked. 0:03:55.440 --> 0:03:58.400 Isaac put a hand on his shoulder and smiled. We're 0:03:58.440 --> 0:04:01.520 doing God's work, he said, the same as everywhere in 0:04:01.560 --> 0:04:05.480 this blessed kingdom. I know that, Manny said, in a slow, 0:04:05.640 --> 0:04:08.920 careful tone, but I don't understand why I was pulled 0:04:08.920 --> 0:04:11.520 out of training or why I was removed from my unit? 0:04:11.920 --> 0:04:16.280 What is this place? Isaac didn't answer. Instead, he walked 0:04:16.279 --> 0:04:18.160 Mannie to a door in the back of the empty 0:04:18.200 --> 0:04:20.800 office and opened it to reveal a small, well lit, 0:04:20.839 --> 0:04:23.279 white room with a bench, a weight scale, and a 0:04:23.279 --> 0:04:26.320 computer terminal built into the wall above a rolling cabinet. 0:04:26.839 --> 0:04:29.320 Isaac weighed him, marked down his height, and then pulled 0:04:29.320 --> 0:04:32.200 a strange measuring device out of the cabinet. It looked 0:04:32.200 --> 0:04:34.719 like a cross between a protractor and a pin vice. 0:04:35.480 --> 0:04:38.520 This is a craniometer, Isaac explained, once he saw the 0:04:38.520 --> 0:04:41.760 confusion on Manny's face. It's for measuring the size of 0:04:41.760 --> 0:04:45.240 your skull. Isaac set right to work. He fit the 0:04:45.279 --> 0:04:47.800 strange device around Manny's head and tightened it until the 0:04:47.880 --> 0:04:51.200 vice grip bit into Manny's scalp. Isaac jotted down some 0:04:51.279 --> 0:04:54.480 more numbers on his notepad and removed the craniometer. He looked, 0:04:54.520 --> 0:04:58.280 pleased that alone was enough to turn Manny's stomach. Can 0:04:58.320 --> 0:05:01.360 you please tell me what this is all about? Isaac's 0:05:01.360 --> 0:05:03.560 eyes darted up from his paper For just a moment. 0:05:03.839 --> 0:05:07.839 He gave Manny an insincere, distracted smile. Everything will be 0:05:07.880 --> 0:05:10.599 explained soon. Enough, young man, right now, which should be 0:05:10.720 --> 0:05:14.360 enough to know you're doing the Lord's work. Manny was very, 0:05:14.760 --> 0:05:18.320 very tired of that response. Isaac finished his notes and 0:05:18.400 --> 0:05:20.159 led Manny out a back door in the room and 0:05:20.200 --> 0:05:22.640 into what Manny had to assume was the final step 0:05:22.640 --> 0:05:24.840 in their journey. The scent of blood in the air 0:05:24.960 --> 0:05:26.919 was too heavy for anything else to be the case. 0:05:27.600 --> 0:05:30.040 Manny felt hair stand up on the back of his neck, 0:05:30.279 --> 0:05:32.840 his shoulders went tinse, and a moment later he felt 0:05:32.880 --> 0:05:35.960 the strong hands of his guards on either bicep. This 0:05:36.040 --> 0:05:39.480 new room was part mechanic shop, part abattoir. It had 0:05:39.520 --> 0:05:42.080 once been the main factory floor, and it was filled 0:05:42.120 --> 0:05:45.680 with the half looted carcasses of robotic auto workers. Several 0:05:45.680 --> 0:05:47.880 of those machines had been restored to some level of 0:05:47.920 --> 0:05:51.880 functional capacity. Manny could see twentyish new vehicles and various 0:05:51.920 --> 0:05:55.520 states of construction across the vast space. Instead of sleek, 0:05:55.600 --> 0:05:58.760 consumer gray electronic cars, most of these vehicles seemed to 0:05:58.760 --> 0:06:01.960 be very old and warns sedans and trucks. A handful 0:06:02.000 --> 0:06:06.000 of them were outdated and ni obsolete. Military drones palettes 0:06:06.040 --> 0:06:09.680 of plastic explosives sat outside several of the vehicles. Many 0:06:09.720 --> 0:06:12.359 could see human workers packing blocks of it into a 0:06:12.360 --> 0:06:15.040 battered off white Kia a few dozen feet in front 0:06:15.040 --> 0:06:18.960 of him. None of this was particularly shocking. Vehicle based 0:06:18.960 --> 0:06:22.680 improvised explosive devices had been de rigueur for terrorists insurrections 0:06:22.680 --> 0:06:26.040 for the last seventy years. Two things about this factory 0:06:26.080 --> 0:06:29.200 struck Manny as strange. The first is that none of 0:06:29.240 --> 0:06:31.960 the vehicles in construction had any armor added to them. 0:06:32.320 --> 0:06:34.400 Most V B I E d S would be covered 0:06:34.400 --> 0:06:37.080 in thick slabs of concrete and welded scrap metal to 0:06:37.160 --> 0:06:40.120 ensure they made it safely to their target. The vehicles 0:06:40.200 --> 0:06:42.520 here seemed like they would look normal when they finally 0:06:42.600 --> 0:06:46.400 rolled off the reassembly line. The second odd thing was 0:06:46.440 --> 0:06:49.440 the dozens of surgical tables and the rather significant amount 0:06:49.440 --> 0:06:52.479 of red blood coating the floor underneath them. Five of 0:06:52.520 --> 0:06:55.800 the beds were occupied with bodies covered by blood speckled 0:06:55.800 --> 0:06:59.680 white sheets. The men under them appeared dead. Oh God, 0:07:00.160 --> 0:07:02.719 Manny forgot his cover in the dawning horror of the moment. 0:07:03.200 --> 0:07:06.200 What the hell is this place? What's your mouth? Young man? 0:07:06.360 --> 0:07:09.120 Isaac snapped, This is a temple of the Lord where 0:07:09.160 --> 0:07:12.200 young heroes delivered themselves into the waiting arms of Eternity. 0:07:13.000 --> 0:07:14.960 A tall man in a lab coat made his way 0:07:15.000 --> 0:07:17.360 over to them. He had gray hair and warm brown 0:07:17.400 --> 0:07:20.640 eyes behind horn rimmed spectacles. He gave Manny a warm 0:07:20.680 --> 0:07:23.720 smile and extended out a hand in greeting the Lord 0:07:23.760 --> 0:07:26.720 be with you, Emmanuel. I'm doctor Ernest. I'm sure you 0:07:26.800 --> 0:07:29.760 must be full of questions right now, gentlemen. He glanced 0:07:29.800 --> 0:07:32.120 towards the guards, who still had their hands on Manny. 0:07:32.520 --> 0:07:34.720 You can let him go now. This young man is 0:07:34.720 --> 0:07:37.800 a hero and he should be treated as such. The 0:07:37.880 --> 0:07:41.400 hands loosened. Manny heard the men step back. He flashed 0:07:41.400 --> 0:07:44.120 a nervous smile back at the doctor. Keep him talking, 0:07:44.200 --> 0:07:46.840 Manny thought, The longer you drag this out, the more 0:07:46.880 --> 0:07:50.520 time Roland will have. What is going on here? These 0:07:50.600 --> 0:07:55.120 ah He grappled for the correct terminology. These martyrdom devices 0:07:55.200 --> 0:07:57.960 seem different. And I don't know what's going on with 0:07:57.960 --> 0:08:01.320 with with all the medical equipment and the bodies. Doctor 0:08:01.440 --> 0:08:03.840 Ernst finished his question without so much a break in 0:08:03.920 --> 0:08:07.000 his warm smile. Yes, God bless him, but diplomacy is 0:08:07.120 --> 0:08:10.200 not Isaac's strong suit. He gets rather focused on the 0:08:10.240 --> 0:08:13.680 task at hand. Many noticed that the odd little man 0:08:13.720 --> 0:08:16.400 had already wandered off towards a rolling tray of medical 0:08:16.400 --> 0:08:19.720 equipment near one of the surgical beds. That set Manny's 0:08:19.760 --> 0:08:23.520 heart beating even faster. Follow me, said doctor Ernst, and 0:08:23.560 --> 0:08:26.960 I'll explain everything. The doctor led him to one of 0:08:27.000 --> 0:08:30.160 the shrouded bodies and pulled its covering down, revealing the 0:08:30.160 --> 0:08:33.760 dead man's face. Manny wasn't exactly surprised to see that 0:08:33.800 --> 0:08:36.480 it was Jonathan, the young man from Atlanta he'd met 0:08:36.520 --> 0:08:40.200 just a few days before. Jonathan was, of course quite dead. 0:08:40.520 --> 0:08:43.240 A bloody red line ran across his skull, just above 0:08:43.280 --> 0:08:45.760 his ears. His eyes were closed, and his lips were 0:08:45.760 --> 0:08:49.400 turned up in a beatific smile. You know this man, yes, 0:08:49.800 --> 0:08:54.080 doctor Ernst asked gently. Yes, of course you do. The 0:08:54.120 --> 0:08:56.960 doctor chuckled. You're both colored men and the heavenly kingdom. 0:08:57.120 --> 0:08:59.680 I'd be surprised if you hadn't developed a connection. It's 0:08:59.679 --> 0:09:03.920 only natural to gravitate towards your own kind. Many fought 0:09:03.960 --> 0:09:08.120 down the urge to slap Doctor Ernst. Jonathan here started 0:09:08.160 --> 0:09:10.520 his journey to martyrdom just a few hours ago. I 0:09:10.559 --> 0:09:12.640 know he appears dead, but as it was with our 0:09:12.679 --> 0:09:16.599 Lord and savior appearances. Quanby quite deceiving. His brain is 0:09:16.640 --> 0:09:21.000 still quite alive and alert. It's just been moved. Doctor 0:09:21.120 --> 0:09:24.360 Arn't gestured over to the Kia. Many saw that another 0:09:24.440 --> 0:09:27.600 lab coated worker was now carrying a peculiar metal box 0:09:27.640 --> 0:09:30.160 over to the v B I e ed. The box 0:09:30.240 --> 0:09:33.080 was about head sized and covered with sockets and plugs. 0:09:33.440 --> 0:09:37.200 A single green light flickered on one side. See they're 0:09:37.200 --> 0:09:39.920 loading him into his chariot now, and soon he'll pilot 0:09:39.960 --> 0:09:42.360 this anointed engine of heavenly will to the ruin of 0:09:42.400 --> 0:09:46.600 our enemies, many thought, backed that last day before the invasion, 0:09:46.640 --> 0:09:50.400 to Reggie's questions about that mysterious checkpoint bombing, This must 0:09:50.440 --> 0:09:53.560 be how they did it. He realized the STFs checkpoints 0:09:53.559 --> 0:09:56.679 were perfectly capable of reading the itinerary of any autonomous 0:09:56.720 --> 0:09:59.520 vehicle that drove towards them. They'd shoot anything that didn't 0:09:59.520 --> 0:10:02.559 broadcast to its destination. But the Kingdom had found a 0:10:02.600 --> 0:10:05.240 way to hide a human driver capable of taking over 0:10:05.320 --> 0:10:08.679 once the car was past the checkpoint. His eyes drifted 0:10:08.679 --> 0:10:11.320 over to a combat drone lying half disassembled on the 0:10:11.360 --> 0:10:13.840 table a few yards to his left. It was a 0:10:13.880 --> 0:10:17.160 hefty beetle black monster with a heavy underslung machine gun. 0:10:17.360 --> 0:10:19.920 It reminded Manny terribly of the drone that had almost 0:10:20.000 --> 0:10:23.040 killed him in Reggie a few days earlier. This explains 0:10:23.040 --> 0:10:26.280 why the STF drone jammers didn't work. The Heavenly Kingdom 0:10:26.360 --> 0:10:30.880 wasn't really using drones. Manny realized with downing horror that 0:10:30.960 --> 0:10:34.079 the drone's open cavity was likely the intended resting place 0:10:34.120 --> 0:10:38.079 of his brain. Ah. Doctor Ernst smiled, I see you've 0:10:38.120 --> 0:10:42.240 already spotted your chariot. Yes, Emmanuel, you are quite fortunate. 0:10:42.600 --> 0:10:46.120 Martyre Ditmar noted your intelligence and suggested you be implanted 0:10:46.160 --> 0:10:49.040 into a drone. I assure you it's a high honor, 0:10:49.040 --> 0:10:53.320 even in this sacred place. Manny's heart thudded like the 0:10:53.360 --> 0:10:55.800 tolling of a church bell. For a while, he couldn't 0:10:55.840 --> 0:10:58.960 hear anything else. He felt himself gripped by a sudden, 0:10:58.960 --> 0:11:02.000 clustrophobic arr were. The worst thing wasn't even the thought 0:11:02.040 --> 0:11:04.600 of being cut open, torn apart. It was the thought 0:11:04.640 --> 0:11:07.640 of being trapped inside that little metal box, forced to 0:11:07.720 --> 0:11:09.880 kill and die in the name of a cause he abhorred. 0:11:10.480 --> 0:11:13.000 Many knew he'd started to shake, but there was nothing 0:11:13.040 --> 0:11:15.839 he could do to quell the terror. Doctor Ernst to 0:11:15.880 --> 0:11:18.440 put a hand on his shoulder. Many assumed it was 0:11:18.480 --> 0:11:22.840 meant to reassure him. It did not have that effect. Immanuel, 0:11:22.920 --> 0:11:24.640 I know this is quite a lot to take in, 0:11:24.760 --> 0:11:26.800 but all you really need to know is that you've 0:11:26.840 --> 0:11:29.720 been blessed, truly blessed with the chance to play a 0:11:29.760 --> 0:11:32.840 real role in making the Heavenly Kingdom a reality. The 0:11:32.920 --> 0:11:36.320 Storming Battalion are God's elite, the holiest of our martyrs. 0:11:36.600 --> 0:11:39.360 I'm sure once the shock wears off, you'll realize what 0:11:39.440 --> 0:11:43.160 a privilege this is. Many heard footsteps. He didn't need 0:11:43.240 --> 0:11:45.240 to look to know his guards were stepping back up 0:11:45.280 --> 0:11:47.840 behind him. He felt the noose titan and his hope 0:11:47.880 --> 0:11:51.760 slip ever farther away, Where the hell is Rowland? I 0:11:51.800 --> 0:11:54.640 am um, he stuttered, Can I have some time to 0:11:54.960 --> 0:11:59.480 h to prey on this? Of course, emmanual. Doctor Ernst 0:11:59.520 --> 0:12:02.360 smile ever looked false or forced. He put a hand 0:12:02.360 --> 0:12:05.040 on Manny's shoulder. It will be a few minutes before 0:12:05.040 --> 0:12:07.840 we're ready to begin the operation. I commend you devotion. 0:12:08.160 --> 0:12:11.320 This is an ideal time to pray for guidance. A 0:12:11.400 --> 0:12:14.240 few minutes his heart pounded so hard, he thought it 0:12:14.320 --> 0:12:16.880 might beat its way free from his chest. He was 0:12:16.920 --> 0:12:19.640 sure doctor Ernest must have heard it, but if he did, 0:12:19.679 --> 0:12:22.720 he said nothing about it. Instead, the doctor led Manny 0:12:22.800 --> 0:12:24.960 over to a small carpeted area that looked to have 0:12:25.000 --> 0:12:26.920 been set aside as a prayer room for the soon 0:12:27.000 --> 0:12:30.199 to be martyred members of this battalion. It consisted of 0:12:30.240 --> 0:12:33.160 a half dozen shares, at least they're padded, a three 0:12:33.200 --> 0:12:35.800 foot tall white stone statue of Christ on a cross, 0:12:35.920 --> 0:12:38.520 and two small inn tables, each with a couple of 0:12:38.559 --> 0:12:43.040 dog eared bibles. Manny sat down, bereft of any better idea, 0:12:43.120 --> 0:12:45.040 he grabbed a Bible and flipped it open to a 0:12:45.120 --> 0:12:49.079 random page. King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, sixty 0:12:49.080 --> 0:12:52.720 cubits high and six cubits wide. Manny rolled his eyes 0:12:53.120 --> 0:12:55.720 the flaming ale as a cubit. He skimmed the next 0:12:55.720 --> 0:12:58.760 few verses until he realized which story he'd stumbled upon. 0:12:59.160 --> 0:13:01.640 His religious school hadn't been intense, but he had gone 0:13:01.640 --> 0:13:04.120 to church most Sundays for the better part of a decade. 0:13:04.600 --> 0:13:07.440 He'd listened to enough sermons and attended enough Sunday school 0:13:07.480 --> 0:13:10.760 classes to know the story of Shadrak, Mishak and Abednego, 0:13:11.120 --> 0:13:14.079 three stupid assholes who'd wandered into a furnace and trusted 0:13:14.120 --> 0:13:17.360 in Deus ex deos to save them. If we are 0:13:17.480 --> 0:13:20.120 thrown into the blazing furnace, the god we serve is 0:13:20.120 --> 0:13:22.160 able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver 0:13:22.240 --> 0:13:24.600 us from your Majesty's hand. But even if he does not, 0:13:24.800 --> 0:13:27.000 we want you to know, your Majesty, that we will 0:13:27.040 --> 0:13:29.440 not serve your gods or worship the image of gold 0:13:29.480 --> 0:13:32.319 you have set up. It struck Manny that his current 0:13:32.320 --> 0:13:34.480 predicament had more than a little in common with these 0:13:34.480 --> 0:13:37.120 ancient men, if they'd ever existed in the first place. 0:13:37.679 --> 0:13:40.320 The chief difference was that, of course, Manny wasn't praying 0:13:40.360 --> 0:13:43.240 for the help of a god. He was, however, strongly 0:13:43.280 --> 0:13:46.360 hoping for rescue from a godlike being that felt close 0:13:46.440 --> 0:13:48.320 enough to give him a sense of kinship towards the 0:13:48.320 --> 0:13:51.400 men and the story. The king's command was so urgent 0:13:51.440 --> 0:13:53.560 and the furnace so hot, that the flames of the 0:13:53.600 --> 0:13:56.880 fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrak, Mishak and Abednego, 0:13:57.240 --> 0:14:00.840 and these three men firmly tied fell into burning furnace. 0:14:01.720 --> 0:14:03.960 He hadn't remembered that bit from Sunday School, the part 0:14:04.040 --> 0:14:06.199 where the king's soldiers were burnt alive by the heat 0:14:06.240 --> 0:14:09.080 of his fire. Many wondered what kind of soldiers would 0:14:09.080 --> 0:14:11.840 so willingly step into a pointless death at some mad 0:14:11.920 --> 0:14:15.240 king's command. And then he remembered where he was. He 0:14:15.280 --> 0:14:17.200 looked up from the Bible at the twenty or so 0:14:17.400 --> 0:14:21.200 armed men stationed around the factory. I really, really hope 0:14:21.240 --> 0:14:24.440 someone comes along to burn them to death. Many heard 0:14:24.440 --> 0:14:27.240 footsteps behind him. He looked back this time and saw 0:14:27.360 --> 0:14:30.800 Doctor Arnst advancing with two guards in Isaac. The bald 0:14:30.840 --> 0:14:34.280 little man was visibly excited. An obscene smile played across 0:14:34.280 --> 0:14:37.360 his features. He held an almost comically large needle in 0:14:37.440 --> 0:14:41.440 his hands. Many looked over from him to the doctor Immanuel. 0:14:41.720 --> 0:14:53.400 Doctor Arnist said it's time. Many stood. His mind raced 0:14:53.440 --> 0:14:56.440 for some sort of delaying tactic. I need to uh 0:14:56.480 --> 0:15:00.560 pray more, I need more pray. Time confused, jan passed 0:15:00.560 --> 0:15:03.320 over all the men's faces. Time is of the essence here. 0:15:03.440 --> 0:15:07.400 Doctor Ernst insisted, don't delay this important work because you're scared. 0:15:07.520 --> 0:15:09.920 Trust in the Lord, open your heart to his will. 0:15:10.720 --> 0:15:13.920 See I have I I totally have, Manny stammered, and 0:15:13.920 --> 0:15:16.320 I'm pretty sure he's actually not down with us. Yeah, 0:15:16.320 --> 0:15:17.920 I think he wants me to be a soldier, a 0:15:17.960 --> 0:15:20.880 regular soldier with a gun, not a brain in a drone. 0:15:21.560 --> 0:15:24.680 Doctor Ernst glanced back at the two guards flanking him. 0:15:24.720 --> 0:15:28.040 He nodded, and they advanced. One man had a kalashnikov 0:15:28.120 --> 0:15:30.840 on his back, the other had a holstered side arm. 0:15:30.880 --> 0:15:33.920 Both men were much larger and more muscular than Manny. 0:15:33.960 --> 0:15:36.400 He glanced around for a weapon, as if anything left 0:15:36.400 --> 0:15:39.680 around would be useful against two firearms. There was still 0:15:39.680 --> 0:15:41.960 a bible in his hands that probably would have been 0:15:42.040 --> 0:15:44.880 enough for Roland. Manny had no doubt the posthuman could 0:15:44.920 --> 0:15:46.920 kill a dozen men with a book, more if it 0:15:47.000 --> 0:15:51.520 was hardcover. Emmanuel, the doctor's voice was low, soft and 0:15:51.520 --> 0:15:54.640 as comforting as a lullaby. I know this is a 0:15:54.680 --> 0:15:57.760 frightening thing, but you must trust me, You must trust 0:15:57.880 --> 0:16:01.120 all of us. The heavenly Kingdom not spend your life 0:16:01.120 --> 0:16:03.720 this way if we were not certain your sacrifice would 0:16:03.720 --> 0:16:06.240 further the will of our Lord. That is why you 0:16:06.360 --> 0:16:09.360 came here, Emmanuel. I know if you listen to God, 0:16:09.440 --> 0:16:14.280 you'll see what's right. Manny closed his eyes. He listened 0:16:14.600 --> 0:16:16.560 not for the voice of God, but for the sound 0:16:16.560 --> 0:16:19.520 of footsteps. After a few seconds pause, he heard the 0:16:19.560 --> 0:16:22.280 guards move towards him again. He gripped hard on the 0:16:22.320 --> 0:16:24.240 Bible in his hand, and he tried not to think 0:16:24.280 --> 0:16:26.560 too much about what he had already decided he had 0:16:26.600 --> 0:16:30.160 to do. The footsteps grew closer until Manny could almost 0:16:30.160 --> 0:16:34.560 feel the heat coming off the other men's bodies. Very good, Emmanuel, 0:16:34.840 --> 0:16:39.400 doctor Ernst cood, God loves you. Manny opened his eyes. 0:16:39.640 --> 0:16:41.960 The guards were right in front of him, now reaching 0:16:42.000 --> 0:16:45.040 for him. Manny swung the Bible up underhanded into the 0:16:45.080 --> 0:16:48.120 kalashnikov man's chin. Then he dove to the right and 0:16:48.200 --> 0:16:50.440 slammed his head into the other man's crotch with all 0:16:50.480 --> 0:16:52.640 the force his five foot ten inch frame could bring 0:16:52.680 --> 0:16:56.480 to bear. The man howled. Manny half fell, caught himself, 0:16:56.520 --> 0:16:59.240 and dropped into a dead run, aimed straight for Isaac. 0:16:59.680 --> 0:17:02.480 Both the bald headed needleman and doctor Ernst stared at 0:17:02.560 --> 0:17:06.360 him in astonishment. Belatedly, Isaac raised his arms up in defense. 0:17:06.640 --> 0:17:09.120 The gesture did nothing to stop Manny from plowing into 0:17:09.200 --> 0:17:11.600 him and knocking him to the ground. He punched the 0:17:11.600 --> 0:17:14.080 other man in the face hard, and then scrambled back 0:17:14.080 --> 0:17:16.359 to his feet too. He felt the pain of the 0:17:16.359 --> 0:17:19.680 gunshot before he heard it, or rather, he didn't register 0:17:19.760 --> 0:17:22.320 the sound of the gunshot as a gunshot until the 0:17:22.320 --> 0:17:25.200 pain made it clear he'd been shot. And then Manny 0:17:25.320 --> 0:17:27.840 was on the ground. His world shrunk to the space 0:17:27.880 --> 0:17:30.679 below his belly button, which now pulsed with spurts of 0:17:30.720 --> 0:17:34.080 deep red blood. His hands covered the wound, pressing back 0:17:34.119 --> 0:17:37.439 against it in an instinctive attempt to protect himself. He 0:17:37.560 --> 0:17:40.640 stared in fascination at the spreading red. He watched as 0:17:40.640 --> 0:17:43.920 his blood turned chunky and thick. The spurting faded away 0:17:44.000 --> 0:17:46.800 to a slow ooze. The pain caught up to him now, 0:17:46.920 --> 0:17:49.760 and Manny's vision went black for a moment. The world 0:17:49.800 --> 0:17:53.080 faded into view after a while. Doctor Ernst Isaac and 0:17:53.119 --> 0:17:55.760 both guards were standing above him. The guard with the 0:17:55.840 --> 0:17:58.520 handgun had a drawn a wisp of smoke trailed up 0:17:58.560 --> 0:18:01.800 from the barrel. Manny watched, enthralled as it curled up 0:18:01.840 --> 0:18:06.000 to the sky and gradually disappeared into the air around them. 0:18:06.080 --> 0:18:09.680 You've made a grievous error, my boy, Doctor Ernst's voice 0:18:09.760 --> 0:18:13.000 was grave, now devoid of all compassion. You was so 0:18:13.119 --> 0:18:17.199 close to paradise it almost brings me to tears. The 0:18:17.320 --> 0:18:19.600 doctor was only a few feet away, but his voice 0:18:19.640 --> 0:18:23.560 sounded distant and muffled. I'm dying, aren't I? Manny thought, no, 0:18:23.880 --> 0:18:26.080 if that was a kill shot, i'd be dead by now. 0:18:26.359 --> 0:18:29.640 The bleeding's already stopped. The thought did little to calm 0:18:29.720 --> 0:18:32.879 his nerves. He'd thoroughly blown his cover. Even if they 0:18:32.920 --> 0:18:35.479 never guessed his true purpose in coming to the Heavenly Kingdom, 0:18:35.600 --> 0:18:38.480 he'd be executed for trying to flee. This is going 0:18:38.520 --> 0:18:41.520 to put us even further behind schedule. That was Isaac. 0:18:41.760 --> 0:18:44.119 His nose was bleeding, but it didn't look broken. I 0:18:44.200 --> 0:18:48.119 wish I was better at punching. Take ab outside, Doctor 0:18:48.200 --> 0:18:50.640 Arnest said to the guards, and make it quick. There's 0:18:50.640 --> 0:18:53.520 no sense in stringing him up in public for simple cowardice. 0:18:54.240 --> 0:18:56.720 So this is how it's going to end. Manny was 0:18:56.760 --> 0:18:59.240 confused by how it peace. He felt with that some 0:18:59.359 --> 0:19:02.160 of it was gil Alajandra was dead, Amide was dead, 0:19:02.200 --> 0:19:05.480 Oscar was dead, mister Perrone was dead. This was nothing 0:19:05.520 --> 0:19:08.400 more than he deserved. He was pleasantly surprised to find 0:19:08.440 --> 0:19:10.760 that as the little robots in his blood, flooded his 0:19:10.760 --> 0:19:14.080 system with happy drugs. That sense of guilt began to fade. 0:19:14.359 --> 0:19:17.359 He felt wonderfully detached from the world. He wondered if 0:19:17.359 --> 0:19:20.199 this was how Roland felt all the time, disconnected and 0:19:20.240 --> 0:19:24.000 pleasant in a vague, indefinable way. The guards bent down. 0:19:24.320 --> 0:19:26.680 Many felt their hands on his arms. He felt them 0:19:26.680 --> 0:19:29.280 lift him up. He felt a terrible, shifting pain in 0:19:29.359 --> 0:19:31.880 his gut as another rush of clotting blood poured out 0:19:31.880 --> 0:19:34.879 of him. Many thought of mister Perrone. He could almost 0:19:34.880 --> 0:19:37.679 see his face. Maybe the Christians were right about the 0:19:37.680 --> 0:19:40.720 after life. That was a nice thought. Actually, he thought 0:19:40.800 --> 0:19:43.439 mister Perrone would be proud of him. I tried to 0:19:43.440 --> 0:19:48.119 do something, Sir, I really did. Many didn't see the 0:19:48.200 --> 0:19:51.040 source of the noise. It sounded like something heavy falling 0:19:51.080 --> 0:19:54.080 from a high height onto something soft and squishy, some 0:19:54.280 --> 0:19:58.119 one soft and squishy. He realized the guards dropped him. 0:19:58.320 --> 0:20:03.480 Men started to yell gunshot, gunshot gunshot. Manny thought, and 0:20:03.520 --> 0:20:06.040 he giggled a little bit. The sounds of chaos and 0:20:06.119 --> 0:20:08.679 violence that had erupted inside the factory could only be 0:20:08.840 --> 0:20:12.359 Roland's doing. Manny lifted up his head with considerable effort 0:20:12.359 --> 0:20:14.760 and looked over towards the waiting area, where most of 0:20:14.760 --> 0:20:17.360 the guards had sat idle. It was a mess now. 0:20:17.680 --> 0:20:19.520 Several of the chairs in one of the big tables 0:20:19.560 --> 0:20:22.280 were mashed together with a chunky red paste that resembled 0:20:22.320 --> 0:20:26.040 good salsa. People salsa, he thought, and then giggled again. 0:20:26.800 --> 0:20:29.160 Manny caught a glimpse of Rowland as the chrombed man 0:20:29.240 --> 0:20:32.360 rocketed across the factory floor and into a trio of guards. 0:20:32.800 --> 0:20:35.400 The men didn't even have the chance to fire their weapons. 0:20:35.840 --> 0:20:38.439 The first guard burst like a balloon full of jelly. 0:20:38.680 --> 0:20:41.000 It was hard to tell exactly what happened next, as 0:20:41.000 --> 0:20:44.080 it occurred under a red cloud of human viscera. Manny 0:20:44.160 --> 0:20:46.919 slipped in his own blood and fell back onto the floor. 0:20:47.280 --> 0:20:49.240 He stared up at the ceiling for a little while 0:20:49.320 --> 0:20:51.719 and just focused on trying to keep his breath steady. 0:20:51.960 --> 0:20:56.200