WEBVTT - Chapter Sixteen 0:00:02.200 --> 0:00:07.280 Chapter sixteen. Manny. The Barracks had been a high school, 0:00:07.480 --> 0:00:10.000 once built to serve several thousand of the plain O 0:00:10.119 --> 0:00:13.920 area's wealthy at students. The dozen huge gray buildings were 0:00:13.920 --> 0:00:17.680 centered around an enormous courtyard that included a practice football field, 0:00:17.760 --> 0:00:21.159 several tennis courts, and a running track. The compound was 0:00:21.239 --> 0:00:24.560 boxed in by a high concrete wall topped in razor wire. 0:00:24.960 --> 0:00:27.120 What had been built to defend the scions of wealth 0:00:27.160 --> 0:00:29.960 and Privilege from their jealous piers also made the former 0:00:30.000 --> 0:00:34.040 school an ideal training ground for the kingdoms soldiers. Manny 0:00:34.080 --> 0:00:36.880 could see hundreds of young men just within the courtyard. 0:00:37.240 --> 0:00:40.160 They ran laps or charged through a makeshift obstacle course 0:00:40.159 --> 0:00:43.159 that had been assembled over the old football field. Manny's 0:00:43.159 --> 0:00:46.400 head throbbed just watching them. Ipe. We don't have to 0:00:46.400 --> 0:00:48.479 do too much of that ship, he thought, as he 0:00:48.520 --> 0:00:52.080 scratched the bandage over his severed deck, At least not today. 0:00:53.080 --> 0:00:55.880 Dozens of men sat in small groups around the courtyard, 0:00:56.120 --> 0:00:58.600 reading together from books or cooling down from workouts and 0:00:58.680 --> 0:01:01.920 sweat drenched underclothes, Manny could hear the sharp crack of 0:01:02.040 --> 0:01:04.600 rifle fire from a shooting range near by. The whole 0:01:04.600 --> 0:01:07.360 place buzzed with a sort of busy, nervous energy that 0:01:07.440 --> 0:01:09.840 might have been contagious if not for the ugly stairs. 0:01:09.880 --> 0:01:13.560 Manny attracted. You took the wrong skin to wear, Roland 0:01:13.640 --> 0:01:15.959 muttered at him as a troop of pale, young infantrymen 0:01:16.000 --> 0:01:18.920 clumped past them. Manny couldn't help but notice that he 0:01:19.000 --> 0:01:21.360 seemed to be the only person on the training field 0:01:21.400 --> 0:01:25.440 who wasn't lily white. This might be a problem, he said. 0:01:25.920 --> 0:01:28.920 Roland nodded in response. He spat at the ground and muttered, 0:01:29.640 --> 0:01:31.880 should I ask skullfucker Mike to sew you into some 0:01:31.920 --> 0:01:35.520 new skin before we left? Manny frowned. I'm almost certain 0:01:35.600 --> 0:01:39.440 that's not how martyrs. A rough voice cried out from 0:01:39.440 --> 0:01:42.600 behind them. Turn round, boys, let me see a rise. 0:01:43.600 --> 0:01:46.280 Manny stopped on instinct. He stiff at his back and 0:01:46.319 --> 0:01:48.880 turned around. Roland did the same thing, but with a 0:01:48.880 --> 0:01:51.600 heavy sigh and a roll at his eyes. The shout 0:01:51.600 --> 0:01:53.800 had come from a tall, square jawed man with hair 0:01:53.840 --> 0:01:56.720 that had gone a majestic shade of silver gray. He 0:01:56.760 --> 0:01:59.560 wore a black uniform shirt with brass cross pins in 0:01:59.560 --> 0:02:02.400 the epple uts, black cargo pants, and a big black 0:02:02.440 --> 0:02:05.600 handgun slung low on his left hip. His name tag 0:02:05.640 --> 0:02:08.959 identified him as Ditmar. Manny didn't know enough about the 0:02:09.000 --> 0:02:12.600 martyrs brigades to tell the man's rank. Roland turned as 0:02:12.600 --> 0:02:15.560 Ditmar closed the distance between them. He stopped about a 0:02:15.560 --> 0:02:17.799 foot in from them, looked Roland up and down, and 0:02:17.840 --> 0:02:20.560 then turned to Manny. The fixer forced himself to meet 0:02:20.600 --> 0:02:24.600 the grizzled martyr's gaze. Manny wasn't sure how to look 0:02:24.600 --> 0:02:27.200 like a fanatical Christian soldier. There was no way to 0:02:27.240 --> 0:02:30.000 fake the manic glint of true commitment, so he chose 0:02:30.040 --> 0:02:33.280 a different tack. He thought about Major Clark, the defiant 0:02:33.320 --> 0:02:35.960 set of his jaw and the promise of violence frozen 0:02:36.000 --> 0:02:38.800 into the ice of his blue eyes. D Shaun Clark 0:02:38.960 --> 0:02:41.959 was not a fanatic, but he was a warrior. Many 0:02:42.040 --> 0:02:44.120 knew he might be able to fake that, so he 0:02:44.160 --> 0:02:46.720 screwed up his face into his best imitation and hoped 0:02:46.760 --> 0:02:50.440 it would pass muster well. The silver haired old soldier 0:02:50.480 --> 0:02:53.120 growled and narrowed his eyes, but then his face broke 0:02:53.120 --> 0:02:55.720 out into a grin. His tone lifted up an octave. 0:02:56.040 --> 0:02:59.200 By God, he said, it's good to have you boys here. 0:02:59.680 --> 0:03:02.160 He slapped a hand on both Manny and roland shoulders 0:03:02.160 --> 0:03:05.120 and pulled them into an embrace. Your souls are safe now, 0:03:05.240 --> 0:03:09.000 my boys. Thank God for your warrior hearts. Now. He 0:03:09.080 --> 0:03:12.360 pulled back and straightened up. I'm Martyr Ditmar. Where are 0:03:12.400 --> 0:03:16.080 you bound for intake? Manny said, with more confidence than 0:03:16.120 --> 0:03:19.200 he felt. We just arrived today. He glanced down at 0:03:19.200 --> 0:03:21.760 his papers for a moment and then said, this says 0:03:21.800 --> 0:03:27.440 we're Infantry Reserve Division. Martyr Ditmar seemed surprised, really, he asked, 0:03:27.720 --> 0:03:29.880 I'd have expected them to put you at least he 0:03:29.960 --> 0:03:34.920 nodded at Manny and the storming battalion. The storming battalion. Yes, 0:03:35.240 --> 0:03:39.280 The elder martyr nodded, you've got the right complexion for it. 0:03:40.640 --> 0:03:43.280 That's got to be a bad sign. Manny thought, don't 0:03:43.320 --> 0:03:45.960 press the question too much now, you may not want 0:03:46.000 --> 0:03:49.000 the answer. Instead, he put a hand on Roland's shoulder. 0:03:49.480 --> 0:03:52.120 Wherever we go, I gotta stay with Aaron. He's strong, 0:03:52.200 --> 0:03:54.240 but he took a few hits to the head too many. 0:03:54.280 --> 0:03:57.120 I help him get around. The martyr gave a smile 0:03:57.200 --> 0:04:00.280 that seemed genuine. Well, then he said, you want to 0:04:00.280 --> 0:04:02.600 get your butts down to cadet processing it's a hundred 0:04:02.600 --> 0:04:05.360 meters down that away. He clapped them both on the shoulders. 0:04:05.400 --> 0:04:08.120 It's good to see you here. Smile boys, your heroes 0:04:08.200 --> 0:04:12.360 now warriors in Christ. Go forth, God bless you, Martyr 0:04:12.440 --> 0:04:15.080 Manny said. Roland followed up with his best attempt at 0:04:15.120 --> 0:04:19.000 honest enthusiasm. Yea God, he said, in a two wide smile. 0:04:19.480 --> 0:04:22.000 We should go, Manny said quickly. I don't want to 0:04:22.240 --> 0:04:26.120 terry on the Lord's time. That's the spirit. Martyr Ditmar replied, 0:04:26.279 --> 0:04:29.080 I'll see you both on the training field. They stomped 0:04:29.080 --> 0:04:32.120 off towards the Cadet process in building, which until recently 0:04:32.279 --> 0:04:35.480 had been the high school's administrative building. There were posters 0:04:35.520 --> 0:04:38.120 for school dances and after school clubs on the walls. 0:04:38.279 --> 0:04:40.479 It looked like a student body election had been under 0:04:40.480 --> 0:04:43.440 way when the Heavenly Kingdom captured this place. Manny and 0:04:43.560 --> 0:04:46.360 Rowland qued up behind a half dozen other confused looking 0:04:46.400 --> 0:04:48.960 young men and waited for their turn at the processing desk. 0:04:49.640 --> 0:04:52.479 The intake process lasted around an hour. They took his 0:04:52.600 --> 0:04:54.720 name as date of birth and his measurements, and then 0:04:54.760 --> 0:04:58.320 Manny helped Aaron answer the same questions. It would have 0:04:58.320 --> 0:05:00.680 been triflingly easy for anyone with a deck and a 0:05:00.680 --> 0:05:03.159 good connection to find evidence of Manny's career as a 0:05:03.160 --> 0:05:06.640 war zone fixer, but the martyr handling their information wrote 0:05:06.640 --> 0:05:10.440 things down on actual paper. Manny got the distinct impression 0:05:10.480 --> 0:05:13.000 that many of the martyrs had disabled their decks. He 0:05:13.040 --> 0:05:15.719 also knew from experience that data speeds tended to be 0:05:15.760 --> 0:05:19.480 pretty ship this close to the fighting. Someone will check eventually, 0:05:19.520 --> 0:05:22.640 he warned himself. You'd better be fast about this whole business. 0:05:23.640 --> 0:05:26.280 Roland stayed on his best behavior through the whole process, 0:05:26.360 --> 0:05:28.240 although he grew twitch eer and twitch eer as the 0:05:28.279 --> 0:05:31.160 minutes wore on. Manny wasn't sure if the chromed man 0:05:31.200 --> 0:05:34.440 was allergic to bureaucracy or just frustrated at having sobered up. 0:05:34.800 --> 0:05:36.400 Once they were done with the first stage of the 0:05:36.440 --> 0:05:39.080 intake process, they were ushered over to another room filled 0:05:39.120 --> 0:05:41.320 with folded stacks of clothing and dins with the scent 0:05:41.360 --> 0:05:44.560 of mothballs. They were issued uniforms and then bundled off 0:05:44.600 --> 0:05:48.000 to a locker room to change. Manny was somewhat nervous 0:05:48.040 --> 0:05:50.880 about stripping down and changing in front of Roland, a dude. 0:05:50.960 --> 0:05:54.000 He barely knew if the post human felt the same nervousness, 0:05:54.040 --> 0:05:56.600 he didn't show it. Roland pulled off his clothes in 0:05:56.640 --> 0:05:58.960 a couple of seconds, revealing a body that was tight 0:05:59.000 --> 0:06:02.600 with wiry muscle and covered in thick surgical scars. Roland 0:06:02.600 --> 0:06:04.839 started to pull on his beaty you pants and noticed 0:06:04.880 --> 0:06:08.599 Manny hadn't yet started to strip. What's up, Roland asked, 0:06:08.760 --> 0:06:13.080 you smell nervous? Manny shrugged. I guess I'm a little prude. 0:06:13.160 --> 0:06:16.200 Still must be the Catholic in me. Don't let them 0:06:16.240 --> 0:06:18.760 hear that. Roland knifed those fucker's all hang you with 0:06:18.800 --> 0:06:21.839 your rosary beads. He pulled the pants up and button them. 0:06:21.960 --> 0:06:24.840 Then he paused again and looked back at Manny. You ah, 0:06:25.200 --> 0:06:28.880 you still Catholic? He asked. Manny shook his head. No, 0:06:29.120 --> 0:06:33.240 I don't believe, but my family does. Ah. Roland nodded, 0:06:33.480 --> 0:06:36.839 you fake belief. Well that's a talent. It's not a talent, 0:06:36.960 --> 0:06:39.839 Manny said, it's a survival skill. Grow up in Texas 0:06:39.839 --> 0:06:41.599 and you either learned to fake what you need to 0:06:41.640 --> 0:06:45.280 fake where you learn to fight. Someone knocked on the door. 0:06:46.040 --> 0:06:48.880 You ready yet, a voice called out to them. Almost 0:06:49.080 --> 0:06:52.000 Manny responded, and then he started to strip his clothing off. 0:06:52.400 --> 0:06:54.360 A few minutes and a change of clothes later, they 0:06:54.400 --> 0:06:56.760 arrived on the field where their training unit, twenty four 0:06:56.800 --> 0:06:59.680 sweat drenched young men, were doing push ups. Manny was 0:06:59.680 --> 0:07:02.520 surprise to see that these martyrs at least weren't all white. 0:07:02.680 --> 0:07:04.479 There was one black man right in the middle of 0:07:04.480 --> 0:07:07.039 the group. It took Manny a second to recognize that 0:07:07.040 --> 0:07:09.560 the instructor drilling them was Ditmar, the man they'd met 0:07:09.560 --> 0:07:11.560 on their way to the base. He broke into a 0:07:11.560 --> 0:07:15.200 broad smile when he saw them. God's will is truly magnificent, 0:07:15.280 --> 0:07:17.640 is it not? And then he nodded down to the ground. 0:07:17.880 --> 0:07:20.040 I'll let and join us, lads. Let's see what you've got. 0:07:20.920 --> 0:07:23.000 Manny and Roland dropped down and joined the unit in 0:07:23.040 --> 0:07:25.440 another set of push ups. If Roland had any trouble 0:07:25.480 --> 0:07:27.520 at all with the workout regimen, he didn't show it. 0:07:27.800 --> 0:07:30.680 The chrombed man barely sweated, and Manny had a feeling 0:07:30.720 --> 0:07:32.640 that his sweat was more for show than the result 0:07:32.640 --> 0:07:35.880 of an actual biological process. Even with the show, it 0:07:35.960 --> 0:07:38.080 was obvious to every one that Roland was not having 0:07:38.160 --> 0:07:41.160 any trouble with the exercises. God's blessed us with a 0:07:41.200 --> 0:07:44.120 new Sampson, Ditmar said a hundred or so push ups. 0:07:44.120 --> 0:07:47.440 In the rest of the men, Manny included, had collapsed 0:07:47.440 --> 0:07:50.520 from the exertion, but Roland just kept going for a while. 0:07:50.560 --> 0:07:53.360 They all sat there, huffing and exhausted and watching him go. 0:07:53.760 --> 0:07:56.040 Ditmar smiled and shook his head a little odd at 0:07:56.080 --> 0:07:59.640 the sight. Finally, he waved for Roland to stop. You've 0:07:59.680 --> 0:08:02.160 made point, son, and we're all blessed to have you 0:08:02.200 --> 0:08:04.880 here with us. Now get up, all of you and 0:08:04.920 --> 0:08:08.320 sit around me. Many stood, shook the soreness from his arms, 0:08:08.320 --> 0:08:10.280 and moved to take a seat in the semicircle of 0:08:10.360 --> 0:08:13.920 young martyrs. Once they were all properly positioned, Ditmar squatted 0:08:13.920 --> 0:08:16.480 down and cast his eyes around the group, settling on 0:08:16.520 --> 0:08:19.280 each of them in turn. I don't know how you 0:08:19.360 --> 0:08:22.120 all got here, he said, in a quiet, somber voice, 0:08:22.520 --> 0:08:25.160 but I know what brought each of you here, the 0:08:25.280 --> 0:08:28.880 spirit of our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ. He cleared 0:08:28.880 --> 0:08:32.360 his throat. Now, he said, very soon, you'll all be 0:08:32.400 --> 0:08:35.400 going into battle, sooner than i'd prefer. We don't have 0:08:35.480 --> 0:08:38.120 time for the kind of training you boys deserve. You'll 0:08:38.120 --> 0:08:41.600 be fighting against men with more experience better weaponry. It's 0:08:41.600 --> 0:08:44.319 a scary thought, but I'll tell you all right now, 0:08:44.480 --> 0:08:46.600 if you go into that battle with the same blind 0:08:46.679 --> 0:08:49.680 faith that brought you here, you'll do just fine. God 0:08:49.720 --> 0:08:59.160 won't let any other end come to pass. It was 0:08:59.240 --> 0:09:01.240 dark by the time Tim ditmar led them all into 0:09:01.280 --> 0:09:04.079 the dining facility. The sight of the high school cafeteria 0:09:04.120 --> 0:09:06.839 set off a surprising pang of nostalgia in Manny's heart. 0:09:07.200 --> 0:09:10.040 He hadn't enjoyed school, but something about the gray, fabric 0:09:10.040 --> 0:09:12.920 colored walls, the colorful posters, and the dozens of identical 0:09:13.000 --> 0:09:15.640 faux wood tables made him long for a simpler time. 0:09:16.320 --> 0:09:18.560 For a second, he was almost able to forget where 0:09:18.559 --> 0:09:21.040 he was, what he was doing, and pretend this was 0:09:21.120 --> 0:09:24.760 just another day in school. That illusion was broken when 0:09:24.800 --> 0:09:27.679 he looked at his fellow martyrs. Hundreds of them had 0:09:27.679 --> 0:09:30.600 filed into the cafeteria, dressed in a motley assortment of 0:09:30.600 --> 0:09:33.040 battle dress uniforms from the old U. S Army, the 0:09:33.080 --> 0:09:36.160 Republic of Texas, and even the Mexican Army. Most of 0:09:36.200 --> 0:09:38.800 them were young, not even into their twenties. Around a 0:09:38.880 --> 0:09:41.439 quarter of them, though, were old for soldiers, and their 0:09:41.480 --> 0:09:45.160 forties or fifties. There was no military discipline in their appearance. 0:09:45.360 --> 0:09:48.080 Many of the men had beards or long, unruly hair. 0:09:48.600 --> 0:09:51.240 These fox aren't soldiers, Roland whispered to him as they 0:09:51.240 --> 0:09:53.200 took their seats at one of the fake wooden tables 0:09:53.200 --> 0:09:55.000 on the left side of the room. This is what 0:09:55.200 --> 0:09:58.079 can father looks like. Kid. The heavenly Kingdom just expects 0:09:58.080 --> 0:10:01.640 these people to die. Many felt a surge of anxiety. 0:10:01.840 --> 0:10:04.079 He was sure someone else must have heard Rowland, but 0:10:04.120 --> 0:10:06.200 when he glanced around, he saw their table mates were 0:10:06.200 --> 0:10:09.079 all deep in conversation with each other. Most of them, 0:10:09.120 --> 0:10:12.160 at least Jonathan, the only other non white person in 0:10:12.200 --> 0:10:15.160 their training unit, seemed to have been excluded. The other 0:10:15.200 --> 0:10:17.680 soldiers leaned away from him. The focus of the table 0:10:17.720 --> 0:10:19.960 seemed to be a tall, square jawed young man with 0:10:20.000 --> 0:10:24.000 a Georgian twang to his accent Martyrs. A loud voice 0:10:24.040 --> 0:10:26.319 cried from a podium at the center of the cafeteria. 0:10:26.679 --> 0:10:28.839 The sound of hundreds of bodies on hundreds of chairs 0:10:28.840 --> 0:10:31.640 turning to face the noise filled the room. The speaker 0:10:31.720 --> 0:10:34.120 was a tall, painfully thin man clad in a long 0:10:34.160 --> 0:10:37.160 black robe. An enormous wooden cross hung from his neck. 0:10:37.440 --> 0:10:40.400 His hair was greasy, unruly, and shock white. He had 0:10:40.440 --> 0:10:43.240 a patchy beard and the overall look of an unkimpt madman. 0:10:43.720 --> 0:10:46.720 But then he spoke, My brothers, it is a blessed 0:10:46.800 --> 0:10:49.360 thing to have you all here today. He began, in 0:10:49.400 --> 0:10:51.559 a voice that was little more than a whisper. There 0:10:51.600 --> 0:10:54.439 was a raw rasp to his voice. He sounded almost hoarse. 0:10:54.800 --> 0:10:58.640 Something about that quality drew Manny's attention. In the coming days, 0:10:58.679 --> 0:11:01.560 your instructors will prep pare you for the great battles 0:11:01.559 --> 0:11:04.200 that lie ahead. You will be given the best arms 0:11:04.200 --> 0:11:07.720 and armorack Kingdom can provide. But just by being here, 0:11:08.000 --> 0:11:10.320 each of you has shown you already have a weapon 0:11:10.360 --> 0:11:13.760 more powerful than any tool in our armory. Faith in 0:11:14.120 --> 0:11:18.200 God Almighty. His voice raised in pitch. Now it was 0:11:18.240 --> 0:11:20.280 still raspi and horse, but it picked up a sharp, 0:11:20.400 --> 0:11:24.360 booming quality. He spoke faster, his cheeks grew red. Put 0:11:24.400 --> 0:11:27.160 on the armor of God, he cried, And you will 0:11:27.200 --> 0:11:30.200 stand firm against the schemes of the devil. Be strong 0:11:30.280 --> 0:11:33.240 and courageous. Do not panic before the enemy, For in 0:11:33.320 --> 0:11:36.120 every battle the Lord your God will go ahead of you. 0:11:36.320 --> 0:11:40.240 He will never fail you nor abandon you. At this 0:11:40.679 --> 0:11:42.840 several of the men around the room pounded their fists 0:11:42.840 --> 0:11:45.080 on the tables. One man in the back led out 0:11:45.080 --> 0:11:48.200 a whoop. These outbursts inspired other men to cry out 0:11:48.280 --> 0:11:51.920 praise God. Manny glanced around, trying to gauge if more 0:11:52.000 --> 0:11:53.920 or less than half of the room was joining in. 0:11:54.360 --> 0:11:56.280 He didn't want to stay quiet if that was going 0:11:56.320 --> 0:11:59.160 to look weird. But then the pastor went quiet. A 0:11:59.200 --> 0:12:01.960 sense of antis had patient filled the room. There were 0:12:01.960 --> 0:12:04.560 about four hundred cadets all dining together in this shift, 0:12:04.720 --> 0:12:07.319 and of course the officer in charge, a tall, gangly 0:12:07.360 --> 0:12:10.480 redhead with no chin but a strangely beautiful baritone voice, 0:12:10.840 --> 0:12:13.719 led them in prayer before the meal. Manny repeated the 0:12:13.720 --> 0:12:16.000 words after him, but he didn't hear them. He did 0:12:16.040 --> 0:12:18.080 have to elbow Rowland once when he saw the big 0:12:18.120 --> 0:12:21.680 post human wasn't chanting along with the other soldiers. Just then, 0:12:21.800 --> 0:12:23.520 a pair of big doors to the left of the 0:12:23.559 --> 0:12:26.959 stage swung open. Ditmar walked out with a hefty brown 0:12:27.040 --> 0:12:29.400 canvas bag over his shoulder. He was followed by an 0:12:29.480 --> 0:12:32.680 armed guard and then two men in shackles. The captives 0:12:32.679 --> 0:12:35.360 wore striped white prison pajamas, and they both looked the 0:12:35.360 --> 0:12:38.280 worse for wear. One of them, a middle aged black man, 0:12:38.400 --> 0:12:41.200 looked familiar. Many thought he must be a captured sd 0:12:41.320 --> 0:12:43.840 F fighter. His lip looked as if it had recently 0:12:43.880 --> 0:12:46.840 been split, and there was a nasty gash on his forehead. 0:12:47.080 --> 0:12:49.360 He kept his head down and his shoulder slumped. His 0:12:49.440 --> 0:12:52.760 posture was one of complete resignation. The other man was 0:12:53.080 --> 0:12:57.360 Manny's heart skipped a beat Oscar. He'd been beaten too, 0:12:57.480 --> 0:13:00.080 although not as badly as the soldier. He looked not 0:13:00.160 --> 0:13:03.360 so much frightened as bewildered, starving, and probably reeling from 0:13:03.360 --> 0:13:07.120 one or more head injuries. Dude Roland nudged Manny's rib 0:13:07.160 --> 0:13:10.400 cage and whispered to him the fuck. Many realized his 0:13:10.480 --> 0:13:13.360 masket slipped. He let himself stare in horror rather than 0:13:13.400 --> 0:13:16.760 the excitement evident in everyone else's face. No one else 0:13:16.760 --> 0:13:19.040 seemed to have noticed yet, they were all focused on 0:13:19.080 --> 0:13:22.000 the prisoners, But Many forced a grim smile onto his 0:13:22.040 --> 0:13:24.120 face and tried to look at least like he was 0:13:24.160 --> 0:13:28.280 deeply satisfied. An armed martyr prodded Oscar and the STF 0:13:28.320 --> 0:13:30.360 man in their backs with his rifle and ushered them 0:13:30.440 --> 0:13:33.880 up onto the stage. Dead silence reigned over the cafeteria. 0:13:34.120 --> 0:13:36.520 No one spoke. It took Manny a few seconds to 0:13:36.559 --> 0:13:39.720 realize he was actually holding his breath. Once the captives 0:13:39.720 --> 0:13:42.000 were up on stage, the armed martyrs pulled them down 0:13:42.000 --> 0:13:45.040 to their knees. Ditmar set his bag down and zipped 0:13:45.040 --> 0:13:47.440 it and pulled out a wooden rod about two feet 0:13:47.480 --> 0:13:50.880 in length and as stick around as Manny's forearm. Warriors 0:13:50.880 --> 0:13:53.480 of God, The priest in toned in a low whisper. 0:13:53.679 --> 0:13:56.160 Manny felt himself lean into the man's words, even as 0:13:56.200 --> 0:13:59.000 dread pickled the pit of his stomach. These men appointed 0:13:59.000 --> 0:14:02.720 themselves enemies of our heavenly kingdom, foes of God. He 0:14:02.840 --> 0:14:05.240 raised a hand up to Ditmar. His hand shook, but 0:14:05.320 --> 0:14:08.920 not out of fear. He positively vibrated with excitement. Who 0:14:09.000 --> 0:14:11.480 among you will take up the rod and punish these men? 0:14:12.160 --> 0:14:15.000 The chair scraping floor sound of someone standing up very 0:14:15.080 --> 0:14:18.160 quickly rose behind him. Many glanced back and saw that 0:14:18.200 --> 0:14:19.800 one of the men from his cadet group had been 0:14:19.800 --> 0:14:22.400 the first to stand. He was tall, with broad, thick 0:14:22.440 --> 0:14:24.720 shoulders and chest muscles that spoke of a youth spent 0:14:24.800 --> 0:14:27.640 laboring in the field. He had thin, dirty blonde hair, 0:14:27.760 --> 0:14:30.360 a thick jaw and blue eyes that shone with excitement. 0:14:30.840 --> 0:14:34.800 What's your name, Martyr, the priest asked Eric Friedman, Sir. 0:14:35.080 --> 0:14:38.760 The young man cried back, Martyr Freedman, Ditmark cried out 0:14:38.760 --> 0:14:40.840 as he held the rod up. Come forward and do 0:14:40.920 --> 0:14:44.440 the Lord's work. The young man walked forward, stepped up 0:14:44.440 --> 0:14:46.880 onto the stage and took the rod from Ditmar's hand. 0:14:47.160 --> 0:14:49.760 He glanced down at the captives. His eyes passed over 0:14:49.800 --> 0:14:52.920 Oscar and lingered on the battered black soldier. Strike a 0:14:52.960 --> 0:14:56.640 blow for the Lord. The priest whispered, and Martyr Freedman obliged. 0:14:56.960 --> 0:14:59.600 His first swing was weak and sure and poorly aimed, 0:15:00.080 --> 0:15:02.720 struck the soldier on his shoulder. He didn't cry out. 0:15:03.120 --> 0:15:06.240 Martyr Friedman's second strike was harder, sure. He hit the 0:15:06.280 --> 0:15:08.240 soldier right in the gash on his forehead, and the 0:15:08.240 --> 0:15:11.200 man dropped with a muffled cry. Eric hit him again, 0:15:11.400 --> 0:15:14.480 and again and again. Ditmark grabbed another rod from the 0:15:14.480 --> 0:15:17.640 bag and held it out. Stand up, Men of God. 0:15:17.680 --> 0:15:19.920 The priest's voice rose again to a pitch so high 0:15:19.960 --> 0:15:22.080 it was almost a shriek. Step up and be the 0:15:22.160 --> 0:15:26.640 hands of justice. Just for a moment. Oscar saw him surprise, 0:15:26.840 --> 0:15:29.800 then confusion, and then anger passed over the stringer's face. 0:15:29.800 --> 0:15:32.520 In the space of about a second. Manny didn't want 0:15:32.560 --> 0:15:35.480 to think about what Oscar saw in his face. And 0:15:35.520 --> 0:15:38.360 then men rushed the stage, and Oscar disappeared in the 0:15:38.360 --> 0:15:41.080 swarm of martyrs to be rushing to share in the beatings. 0:15:41.560 --> 0:15:44.120 Roland took the opportunity provided by the chaos to lean 0:15:44.160 --> 0:15:47.040 back and whisper a question to Manny, what's going on? Guy? 0:15:47.760 --> 0:15:49.720 I know that guy, the one on the left. Manny 0:15:49.760 --> 0:15:52.320 whispered back, he's one of my stringers. He works for me. 0:15:52.600 --> 0:15:55.920 He's my friend. Roland nodded and then stood up and 0:15:56.000 --> 0:15:58.920 rushed up to the stage. By the time he reached it, 0:15:58.960 --> 0:16:01.960 a dozen other martyrs joined Eric and beating the two captives. 0:16:02.160 --> 0:16:04.080 There was blood on the floor, blood on the sticks, 0:16:04.080 --> 0:16:07.480 and blood splattering the martyr's new uniforms. Oscar cried out 0:16:07.520 --> 0:16:09.760 from each blow. It sounded like his mouth was full 0:16:09.800 --> 0:16:12.720 of blood. And then Roland took a rod from Ditmar's 0:16:12.720 --> 0:16:14.840 hand and in the space of a second, brought it 0:16:14.880 --> 0:16:18.080 down on both men's skulls with dull, meaty thuds. The 0:16:18.120 --> 0:16:21.240 soldiers went still, the screaming stopped, and every eye in 0:16:21.240 --> 0:16:24.160 the room turned to Roland. The chrombed man looked out 0:16:24.200 --> 0:16:26.880 at the crowd. There was an agonizing moment of silence, 0:16:26.960 --> 0:16:30.320 and then Manny knew what he had to do. Praise God, 0:16:30.640 --> 0:16:33.400 he screamed out. The room joined in, and soon a 0:16:33.480 --> 0:16:37.720 chorus of cheers filled the cafeteria. After that, Roland was 0:16:37.760 --> 0:16:41.160 everyone's favorite martyr. Once the men's bodies were dragged off 0:16:41.160 --> 0:16:43.800 the stage and dinner began, the martyrs could barely contain 0:16:43.840 --> 0:16:47.440 their admiration for his strength. That was incredible. Eric said, 0:16:47.600 --> 0:16:49.880 I can't wait to go into battle with you. What 0:16:49.920 --> 0:16:52.120 did you do before? A young man with a thick 0:16:52.160 --> 0:16:55.080 Oklahoma twang asked, from the way you cracked those skulls 0:16:55.120 --> 0:16:57.960 out of guest, You've been doing that for years. Roland 0:16:57.960 --> 0:17:01.840 gave short, non committal responses. His taciturn attitude didn't stop 0:17:01.840 --> 0:17:04.520 the other martyrs from talking about him with supreme glee. 0:17:05.119 --> 0:17:07.920 Their words sickened Manny, but their focus on Roland gave 0:17:07.960 --> 0:17:10.280 him a chance to breathe and mourn and avoid looking 0:17:10.280 --> 0:17:13.679 over at the stage while Ditmar's men dragged Oscar's body away. 0:17:14.240 --> 0:17:16.920 By the time the excitement had subsided and dinner had ended, 0:17:17.040 --> 0:17:19.199 Manny felt like he could just barely make it to 0:17:19.320 --> 0:17:22.439 his bunk without breaking down. He lacked behind Roland and 0:17:22.440 --> 0:17:25.399 the others as they all filed into the barracks. Mannie 0:17:25.400 --> 0:17:28.320 was grateful for Roland's ability to draw attention until during 0:17:28.359 --> 0:17:31.040 the walk that young black martyr sidled up to Manny 0:17:31.080 --> 0:17:35.240 and introduced himself. I'm Jonathan, he said, and I'm honored 0:17:35.280 --> 0:17:38.800 to meet you. Why, Manny asked. I think you and 0:17:38.880 --> 0:17:41.000 I were the only ones who weren't cheering to ring 0:17:41.440 --> 0:17:44.879 that ah, Manny said with a nod. He took a 0:17:44.920 --> 0:17:48.080 careful look at Jonathan's face. The other man's chubby cheeks 0:17:48.080 --> 0:17:51.560 and soft smile seemed almost calculated to make him look guileless. 0:17:52.119 --> 0:17:55.760 Whatever he says, he's one of them, be careful. I 0:17:55.880 --> 0:17:58.960 understand why it was necessary, Manny said, but I don't 0:17:58.960 --> 0:18:02.199 have to like it. Neither do I. Jonathan said. We 0:18:02.320 --> 0:18:04.960 have to fight them. We're fighting for God hereafter all, 0:18:05.200 --> 0:18:08.600 but we don't have to become monsters. Manny nodded, he 0:18:08.640 --> 0:18:11.840 didn't say anything. Jonathan took that as an invitation to 0:18:11.880 --> 0:18:14.600 say more. I think we're going to have a harder 0:18:14.640 --> 0:18:17.000 time here than the others, he said, and gestured to 0:18:17.040 --> 0:18:19.800 the very Caucasian crowd ahead of them. We've got a 0:18:19.840 --> 0:18:22.320 lot to overcome here, but I think that just means 0:18:22.359 --> 0:18:24.840 God will shower more glory on us for the effort. 0:18:25.800 --> 0:18:28.800 Manny was proud that, in his sorrowful and half panicked state, 0:18:28.920 --> 0:18:33.240 he managed to avoid shouting what the fuck at Jonathan. Instead, 0:18:33.400 --> 0:18:37.040 he matched the martyr's smile and just said praise God. 0:18:44.520 --> 0:18:47.320 Their next morning started with an hour of calisthenics. The 0:18:47.400 --> 0:18:50.560 workout was strenuous, but Manny actually enjoyed it. The speed 0:18:50.600 --> 0:18:52.960 with which they were dragged outside and forced into motion 0:18:53.080 --> 0:18:55.960 kept him from picturing Oscar's face for a while. After 0:18:56.000 --> 0:18:58.280 the workout, they dove into the real meat of the day, 0:18:58.600 --> 0:19:01.320 a trip to the gun range. It had been set 0:19:01.400 --> 0:19:03.800 up on what had once been a marching band's practice field. 0:19:04.240 --> 0:19:06.720 Dozens of vaguely human shaped targets had been cut out 0:19:06.720 --> 0:19:08.960 of sheet metal and set up at varying intervals behind 0:19:09.000 --> 0:19:12.119 a crude sandbag line. Their group of about two dozen 0:19:12.119 --> 0:19:15.560 new recruits were each issued weapons of varying quality. Manny 0:19:15.640 --> 0:19:18.960 received a jankie old kalashnikov that rattled like a Morocca 0:19:19.240 --> 0:19:22.280 Rowland was given and almost knew g thirty six assault rifle. 0:19:23.000 --> 0:19:25.480 The range instructor was a one legged old martyr with 0:19:25.520 --> 0:19:28.639 a prodigious belly and an equally overgrown white beard. He 0:19:28.720 --> 0:19:30.600 walked them through the basics if how to operate a 0:19:30.680 --> 0:19:33.520 variety of different assault rifles. You can't know what weapon 0:19:33.560 --> 0:19:36.160 you'll end up needn't to use, and then set them 0:19:36.200 --> 0:19:38.720 up on the sandbag line and told them to start firing. 0:19:39.359 --> 0:19:41.480 Manny took aim at a target around a hundred feet 0:19:41.480 --> 0:19:42.919 in front of him. It was hard to tell if 0:19:42.960 --> 0:19:44.800 he hid it or not. Several other men had aimed 0:19:44.840 --> 0:19:47.520 at the same target. Again, Manny got the feeling that 0:19:47.560 --> 0:19:50.000 the purpose of this training was not to make them marksmen. 0:19:50.280 --> 0:19:54.840 Basic familiarity was all the Heavenly Kingdom had time to provide. Rowland, 0:19:54.840 --> 0:19:58.120 of course, proved a fabulous shot. He stitched a smiley 0:19:58.160 --> 0:20:00.640 face and bullet holes across four of the old targets 0:20:00.640 --> 0:20:04.600 and earned genuine praise from the instructor. My godson, you've 0:20:04.600 --> 0:20:08.520 got a gift. This only increased Roland's social cachet with 0:20:08.560 --> 0:20:11.119 the martyrs. They crowded around him during the walk to 0:20:11.119 --> 0:20:13.760 the next activity of the day, lunch in a lecture 0:20:13.760 --> 0:20:17.359 on assault tactics, This was held in a little concrete amphitheater, 0:20:17.600 --> 0:20:20.600