WEBVTT - After the Revolution: Chapters Eighteen, Nineteen, and Twenty 0:00:00.480 --> 0:00:05.160 What girls in the forest, our imagination and our family bonds. 0:00:05.840 --> 0:00:08.719 The forest is closer than you think. Find a forest 0:00:08.840 --> 0:00:11.680 near you and discover the fourth dot org brought to 0:00:11.680 --> 0:00:14.640 you by the United States for Service and the AD Council. 0:00:16.800 --> 0:00:19.799 We've all felt left out, and for people who moved 0:00:19.800 --> 0:00:22.360 to this country, that feeling lasts more than a moment. 0:00:23.079 --> 0:00:26.200 We can change that. Learn how it belonging begins with 0:00:26.280 --> 0:00:28.960 us dot org brought to you by the AD Council. 0:00:30.560 --> 0:00:33.160 After thirty years, it's time to return to the halls 0:00:33.159 --> 0:00:35.519 of West Beverly High and hang out at the peach pit. 0:00:35.720 --> 0:00:38.600 On the podcast nine O two one o MG, visit 0:00:38.680 --> 0:00:41.239 Jenny Garth and Tory Spelling for a rewatch of the 0:00:41.320 --> 0:00:43.800 hit series Beverly Hills nine O two one oh. From 0:00:43.840 --> 0:00:47.080 the very beginning, we get to tell the fans all 0:00:47.200 --> 0:00:49.680 of the behind the scenes stories to actually happen, so 0:00:49.880 --> 0:00:52.360 they know what happened on camera obviously, but we can 0:00:52.360 --> 0:00:54.680 tell them all the good stuff to have an off camera. 0:00:54.800 --> 0:00:56.840 Listen to nine O two one o MG on the 0:00:56.880 --> 0:00:59.680 I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get 0:00:59.680 --> 0:01:08.000 your guess. Chapter eighteen Sasha. Sasha didn't feel safe out 0:01:08.000 --> 0:01:10.800 on the street. After Anne's abduction. The next day, she'd 0:01:10.880 --> 0:01:14.200 volunteered for four extra hours of duty in the emergency ward. 0:01:14.720 --> 0:01:18.720 She changed bandages and administered antibiotic salves and delivered food 0:01:18.720 --> 0:01:21.760 to wounded soldiers until her eyes started to glaze over 0:01:21.920 --> 0:01:25.200 and doctor Brandt ordered her home. She'd barely had the 0:01:25.319 --> 0:01:27.480 energy to eat that night, but by the time her 0:01:27.560 --> 0:01:29.760 driver dropped her off at the House of Miriam, it 0:01:29.880 --> 0:01:32.280 was dark and there'd been no one waiting for her. 0:01:33.120 --> 0:01:36.479 That strategy hadn't worked. The day after that, doctor Brandt 0:01:36.480 --> 0:01:39.240 had even tried to send her home early. Sasha had 0:01:39.280 --> 0:01:41.280 talked him out of it, but not out of sending 0:01:41.280 --> 0:01:44.559 her back downtown at the normal time. She was sure 0:01:44.600 --> 0:01:47.560 her driver must have noticed how anxious she was. By 0:01:47.560 --> 0:01:49.920 the time they reached the main drag, she was drenched 0:01:49.920 --> 0:01:52.880 in sweat her hands were shaking. She asked him to 0:01:52.960 --> 0:01:55.120 drop her off a half block down from the normal 0:01:55.160 --> 0:01:57.360 spot so she could enter the square from the left 0:01:57.400 --> 0:01:59.360 side and get a good look at who was hanging 0:01:59.360 --> 0:02:02.760 out near the house us of Miriam. Alexander had been there, 0:02:02.880 --> 0:02:04.960 of course, sitting out in front of a building two 0:02:05.040 --> 0:02:07.520 doors down from the house, along with one of his friends. 0:02:08.000 --> 0:02:10.600 Avoiding them had brought her to the Cafe Clement, and 0:02:10.639 --> 0:02:13.640 then something she could only assume was God's providence had 0:02:13.639 --> 0:02:16.799 bumped her into a manual. He was sweet and fun 0:02:16.840 --> 0:02:19.040 to talk to, and it was actually refreshing to have 0:02:19.080 --> 0:02:22.520 a conversation with someone who didn't constantly quote scripture or 0:02:22.560 --> 0:02:26.040 pastor Mike. She was surprised at herself for feeling that way. 0:02:26.320 --> 0:02:28.400 A few weeks ago, she'd have given anything to have 0:02:28.440 --> 0:02:31.440 an open conversation about her beliefs, but now that she 0:02:31.560 --> 0:02:33.519 was deep within the Kingdom, it was nice to talk 0:02:33.560 --> 0:02:37.600 about normal things with a normal boy. The next day 0:02:37.639 --> 0:02:39.960 had brought her back to the hospital, which was filled 0:02:40.000 --> 0:02:42.800 with wounded soldiers from an air strike on a troop transport. 0:02:43.280 --> 0:02:46.560 Sasha had spent nine hours without a break helping doctor 0:02:46.600 --> 0:02:49.880 Brandt cut clothing off of horribly burned young men. She'd 0:02:49.880 --> 0:02:53.320 applied slick, gummy burned dressings and changed ivy drips of 0:02:53.320 --> 0:02:57.200 pain killers. The day was long, bloody, and brutal. Four 0:02:57.240 --> 0:02:59.280 men died in front of her eyes, and there was 0:02:59.360 --> 0:03:02.040 no time to really think about it. She knew that 0:03:02.080 --> 0:03:04.480 she should have been more horrified at what she was seeing, 0:03:04.840 --> 0:03:07.919 but the exposed organs and burnt, shriveled limbs didn't feel 0:03:07.960 --> 0:03:10.960 like parts of people. Even the screams felt more like 0:03:11.160 --> 0:03:14.799 rhode hazards or bad weather than damaged pieces of human beings. 0:03:15.080 --> 0:03:17.720 They were obstacles to be dealt with. She and doctor 0:03:17.720 --> 0:03:20.800 Brandt dealt with them well. A still small voice in 0:03:20.840 --> 0:03:22.880 the back of her mind recoiled in horror at the 0:03:23.000 --> 0:03:26.120 sheer volume of human misery she saw that day, But 0:03:26.200 --> 0:03:28.960 that voice was quieter than it had been on other days, 0:03:29.080 --> 0:03:31.440 and it grew quieter as the day went on and 0:03:31.480 --> 0:03:34.720 the death toll mounted. Sasha had read about post traumatic 0:03:34.760 --> 0:03:38.240 stress disorder back in school. She understood the mechanics of it, 0:03:38.320 --> 0:03:41.480 that people tended to cope with terrifying situations by suppressing 0:03:41.520 --> 0:03:44.600 their fear. But this didn't feel like that. It felt 0:03:44.640 --> 0:03:47.800 like she was just doing her job, and she enjoyed 0:03:47.800 --> 0:03:51.280 her job. Before she knew it, ten hours had gone by, 0:03:51.360 --> 0:03:53.960 and doctor Brandt demanded she find a ride back to 0:03:54.000 --> 0:03:56.840 the House of Miriam and get some rest. That was 0:03:56.880 --> 0:03:59.480 the first time in the entire day when Sasha felt 0:03:59.480 --> 0:04:03.119 truly scared. It started in her chest. Her heart fluttered 0:04:03.160 --> 0:04:05.920 faster and faster, until the flutter turned to a pounding 0:04:06.040 --> 0:04:08.480 so loud it felt like someone was smashing a hammer 0:04:08.520 --> 0:04:11.280 on the inner walls of her cranium. She pressed her 0:04:11.280 --> 0:04:13.320 back hard into the seat of the jeep and hoped 0:04:13.320 --> 0:04:16.960 her growing panic wasn't obvious to the driver. He dropped 0:04:16.960 --> 0:04:18.880 her off on the other side of the square again. 0:04:19.240 --> 0:04:22.159 She didn't see Alexander or his comrades near the House 0:04:22.160 --> 0:04:24.320 of Miriam this time, but she knew that didn't mean 0:04:24.400 --> 0:04:27.160 they weren't watching the place. She had plans to meet 0:04:27.160 --> 0:04:30.480 Emmanual again anyway. Sasha half expected him to have moved 0:04:30.520 --> 0:04:32.880 on since she'd been so late, but he was there 0:04:33.120 --> 0:04:35.640 standing out in front of the Cafe Clement when she arrived. 0:04:36.360 --> 0:04:39.600 I'm sorry, I'm so late, she said. He shrugged in response, 0:04:39.920 --> 0:04:42.640 I just got here myself. They dismissed us late. We 0:04:42.680 --> 0:04:46.200 had a special lecture before dinner about a His face 0:04:46.240 --> 0:04:49.680 grew red and he trailed off about what she poked. 0:04:50.320 --> 0:04:54.080 Maybe let's just sit down first, huh. So they found 0:04:54.080 --> 0:04:56.960 a seat and ordered their coffee. Manny tried to change 0:04:56.960 --> 0:04:59.800 the subject by asking Sasha about her day, but she 0:05:00.080 --> 0:05:02.880 is curious about his reaction and would not be dissuaded. 0:05:03.520 --> 0:05:06.039 I'll tell you all about my day. If you tell 0:05:06.040 --> 0:05:08.400 me about that lecture and why just thinking about it 0:05:08.440 --> 0:05:11.599 made your face go red. He grew redder and stared 0:05:11.640 --> 0:05:15.320 down into his coffee. Pastor came over to lecture us 0:05:15.360 --> 0:05:17.600 about our duty and helping to heaven the kingdom grow. 0:05:17.800 --> 0:05:22.000 You know our duty, Emmanuel gave her a significant look. 0:05:22.240 --> 0:05:26.320 She gathered his meaning, and then she blushed too. That's 0:05:26.640 --> 0:05:29.080 why they bust us out here every day, he continued. 0:05:29.279 --> 0:05:32.360 It's so we can get to know the local women 0:05:32.600 --> 0:05:35.320 and then get to know them in the biblical sense. 0:05:36.120 --> 0:05:38.479 She laughed in spite of herself. I think that was 0:05:38.520 --> 0:05:41.400 the first off color joke I've heard in weeks. It 0:05:41.560 --> 0:05:44.640 felt good and risque. It was actually the same sort 0:05:44.640 --> 0:05:47.240 of thrill she'd gotten back home when she'd sneakily read 0:05:47.279 --> 0:05:50.160 issues of Revelator and browsed the media feeds of various 0:05:50.160 --> 0:05:54.719 martyrs brigades. You know, Emmanual, she said, You're not quite 0:05:54.760 --> 0:05:57.240 like anyone else I've met here. It's nice to meet 0:05:57.279 --> 0:05:59.880 someone who wasn't afraid to joke. I didn't think I'd 0:06:00.000 --> 0:06:03.440 as that. He was quiet for a little while. Manny 0:06:03.520 --> 0:06:07.360 stirred his coffee awkwardly cast his eyes down. He went paler, 0:06:08.240 --> 0:06:11.599 you seem different too. I don't know this place. Maybe 0:06:11.600 --> 0:06:14.520 it's not exactly what we thought it would be. She 0:06:14.560 --> 0:06:16.840 should have gotten angry at that. It was the kind 0:06:16.839 --> 0:06:18.760 of common that could have gotten a manual into a 0:06:18.760 --> 0:06:21.200 lot of trouble. Why would he say that to me, 0:06:21.320 --> 0:06:23.880 she wondered, And why am I okay with all this? 0:06:24.520 --> 0:06:27.120 Maybe it was Marigold rubbing off on her. Maybe it 0:06:27.200 --> 0:06:30.400 was just gradual disillusionment, the climax of a process that 0:06:30.440 --> 0:06:33.919 had started with Alexander's betrayal. But the heavenly Kingdom no 0:06:34.000 --> 0:06:39.400 longer felt magical or even all that holy. It's complicated here, 0:06:39.680 --> 0:06:42.359 she finally said. I mean, before I came here, I 0:06:42.440 --> 0:06:45.719 knew it couldn't be perfect no places, but yes, it's 0:06:46.080 --> 0:06:49.640 not what I'd hoped to find exactly. Sasha felt a 0:06:49.680 --> 0:06:52.159 spike of panic as soon as the words left her mouth. 0:06:52.600 --> 0:06:55.520 You barely know this man, Sasha. His whole job might 0:06:55.520 --> 0:06:59.159 be ferreting out potential disloyalty. She coughed and tried to 0:06:59.200 --> 0:07:02.360 walk her admission back a little. It's still better than 0:07:02.360 --> 0:07:05.039 the STF or any of the other Heathen states. I 0:07:05.080 --> 0:07:07.800 have to keep telling myself that what's important is what 0:07:07.800 --> 0:07:10.480 we're fighting for, not the imperfections we have to live 0:07:10.520 --> 0:07:14.360 with in this moment. Hmm. He gave an oncommittal grunt 0:07:14.640 --> 0:07:18.640 that surprised her. She hadn't expected anything specific exactly, but 0:07:18.760 --> 0:07:21.840 that surprised her. He started to say something else, then 0:07:21.880 --> 0:07:25.640 his eyes went wide. Who he started to say? Sasha 0:07:25.720 --> 0:07:28.520 heard boot falls, She felt the presence of several tall 0:07:28.560 --> 0:07:32.000 men behind her. The heavy, familiar scent of Alexander's cologne 0:07:32.080 --> 0:07:37.440 filled her nostrils. Modern Emmanuel Sanchez, Miss Sasha, May the 0:07:37.480 --> 0:07:40.920 blessings of the Lord be with you and also with you, 0:07:41.360 --> 0:07:44.560 Sasha replied by rote. Emmanuel chimed in a second or 0:07:44.600 --> 0:07:47.480 two later. He sounded a bit awkward, like he wasn't 0:07:47.480 --> 0:07:51.080 exactly sure which words to use. Alexander pulled up a 0:07:51.160 --> 0:07:53.400 chair and set it against the right side of the table. 0:07:53.760 --> 0:07:57.080 He sat down, placing himself between them. He rested one 0:07:57.160 --> 0:07:59.440 arm on the table, but his left arm hung directly 0:07:59.480 --> 0:08:02.840 over his eyed arm. He looked at Emmanuel, smiled, and 0:08:02.840 --> 0:08:05.520 then looked at Sasha. She felt a wave of nausea, 0:08:05.560 --> 0:08:08.600 grabbed her by the guts and tug His lips curled up, 0:08:08.720 --> 0:08:13.920 revealing his straight white teeth. Excuse me, Manny said, but 0:08:14.000 --> 0:08:20.200 who are you? Alexander looked back to Manny, his expression unchanged. Mada, 0:08:20.280 --> 0:08:24.679 Alexander du Bois, I'm a friend of Sasha's, he glanced 0:08:24.680 --> 0:08:26.840 back at her with a wink that curdled her stomach. 0:08:27.160 --> 0:08:30.760 And I'm also in charge of recruitment for the Storming Battalion. 0:08:31.760 --> 0:08:34.760 Never heard of it, Emmanuel said, in a gruff, clipped tone. 0:08:35.080 --> 0:08:38.800 Sasha realized she was shaking a little. Alexander's lips curled 0:08:38.880 --> 0:08:41.480 up into an even more ghoulish variant of his already 0:08:41.520 --> 0:08:46.680 unsettling smile. He replied, there's a reason for that, Mada Sanchez. 0:08:47.080 --> 0:08:50.080 The Storming Battalion plays a key role in our success 0:08:50.120 --> 0:08:53.280 on the battlefield. They've been central in every one of 0:08:53.320 --> 0:08:57.680 our victories. We don't publicize their work for various reasons, 0:08:58.000 --> 0:09:00.560 but I assure you it's a distinct anna to be 0:09:00.640 --> 0:09:05.040 recruited by me. That's actually why I'm here, Emmanuel. We've 0:09:05.120 --> 0:09:08.560 chosen you. By now, it felt like the pit of 0:09:08.559 --> 0:09:12.800 Sasha's stomach was boiling. Something terrible was clearly happening. Even 0:09:12.800 --> 0:09:16.080 Emmanual seemed to realize that his face had gone pale. 0:09:16.440 --> 0:09:19.480 His pupils were the size of dinner plates. I ah, 0:09:19.880 --> 0:09:23.559 thank you for the honor, but I'm happy with my unit. 0:09:23.760 --> 0:09:26.880 I e feel that's where the Lord needs me. My 0:09:26.960 --> 0:09:30.880 friend Aaron Alexander put a hand up, flat palm facing Emanual, 0:09:31.720 --> 0:09:34.720 your comrade will be taken care of, and we'll be 0:09:34.800 --> 0:09:37.680 the judges of where the Lord needs you. Trust me, 0:09:38.040 --> 0:09:41.280 We've got a lot more experience interpreting his will than 0:09:41.360 --> 0:09:44.360 you do. There's a reason the cross flies over this 0:09:44.640 --> 0:09:48.839 entire city. Emmanuel half stood in his chair. It was 0:09:48.880 --> 0:09:52.600 a sudden gesture, and a faintly aggressive one. Sasha noticed 0:09:52.640 --> 0:09:55.640 his hands were bawled up into fists. His eyes darted 0:09:55.720 --> 0:09:57.720 left and right. He seemed to be looking over the 0:09:57.720 --> 0:10:01.600 heads of Alexander and his men. Alexander tensed. Both the 0:10:01.600 --> 0:10:04.600 men put hands over their side arms, but Emmanuel didn't 0:10:04.600 --> 0:10:07.560 take any further action. After a few turns of his head, 0:10:07.600 --> 0:10:12.400 he stopped looking, relaxed his hands, and sat back down. Okay, 0:10:12.600 --> 0:10:14.920 he said, I get the feeling you want me to 0:10:14.960 --> 0:10:18.640 go with you now. Alexander smiled. It was a vicious, 0:10:18.720 --> 0:10:21.320 oily thing, and it confirmed in Sasha's heart that he 0:10:21.400 --> 0:10:25.920 had something terrible planned. Yes, that's exactly what I want 0:10:26.400 --> 0:10:28.319 He cocked his head up and pursed his lips in 0:10:28.400 --> 0:10:33.040 an exaggerated gesture of consideration. Well, actually, I want you 0:10:33.200 --> 0:10:35.760 to go with these men. I need to stay here 0:10:35.800 --> 0:10:39.920 and have a wood with Sasha. Emmanuel looked into her eyes. 0:10:40.280 --> 0:10:43.000 He was scared clearly, but he kept his voice steady 0:10:43.040 --> 0:10:46.600 when he spoke, Sasha, I've got to go do my 0:10:46.679 --> 0:10:50.520 duty find errand for me. Will you tell him I 0:10:50.559 --> 0:10:53.240 am wish him the best and I hope to see 0:10:53.320 --> 0:10:57.600 him soon. He put definite emphasis on that last word, 0:10:58.000 --> 0:11:00.240 and then he gave Sasha a very deliberate and odd 0:11:00.320 --> 0:11:04.480 before he stood and stepped towards Alexander's men. Take him 0:11:04.480 --> 0:11:08.480 to the factory for his intake process, and I'll be along, showtly, 0:11:08.760 --> 0:11:12.160 Alexander said. He put a hand on Emmanuel's forearm as 0:11:12.160 --> 0:11:14.880 the young man passed by, and said, you should give 0:11:14.920 --> 0:11:17.840 a prayer of thanks, brother, God has blessed you with 0:11:17.880 --> 0:11:22.080 a great honor. Emmanuel smile was as false as Alexander's 0:11:23.240 --> 0:11:25.840 God bless you, Martyr du Bois. I'll pray that you 0:11:25.920 --> 0:11:29.160 and all your men grow closer to our lord. Was 0:11:29.200 --> 0:11:32.240 that a threat? She wondered, before deciding, of course, it 0:11:32.440 --> 0:11:35.400 was in a more normal situation, Sasha would have molled 0:11:35.440 --> 0:11:37.880 that over it certainly was not the sort of comment 0:11:37.920 --> 0:11:40.960 she'd have expected from a true martyr, But just then 0:11:41.040 --> 0:11:44.000 she was far too consumed with terror, both for Emmanuel 0:11:44.240 --> 0:11:49.000 and for herself. Alexander's guards led Manny away, and Alexander 0:11:49.040 --> 0:11:51.560 took his place at the table. He took a long 0:11:51.679 --> 0:11:55.520 sip from Emmanuel's cooling coffee and smiled his snake smile again. 0:11:56.360 --> 0:11:59.240 I must say, Sasha, I thought you had better taste 0:11:59.280 --> 0:12:02.200 than that. For the first time in her life, Sasha 0:12:02.200 --> 0:12:05.480 found herself trying to stare daggers at some one. Oh 0:12:05.520 --> 0:12:07.920 if only I could shoot knives out of my eyes, 0:12:08.320 --> 0:12:11.160 she thought, as she imagined one striking Alexander in the 0:12:11.200 --> 0:12:13.560 forehead with enough force to burst out the back of 0:12:13.640 --> 0:12:17.800 his skull. Is that something chromed people can do, she wondered, 0:12:17.840 --> 0:12:20.400 and decided she'd ask Marigold if she had forgot another 0:12:20.480 --> 0:12:23.920 chance to talk to the woman. Hey, he snapped his 0:12:23.960 --> 0:12:25.960 fingers in front of her eyes, and she hated him 0:12:25.960 --> 0:12:28.440 a little more. She was sort of surprised to learn 0:12:28.520 --> 0:12:32.600 that was possible. Look, I know coming here can be disorienting. 0:12:32.760 --> 0:12:34.720 I know this is a lot to get used to, 0:12:35.080 --> 0:12:38.760 but him a fuckin's it's people like him who filled 0:12:38.760 --> 0:12:42.160 this continent with them mongrel spawn and tore American civilization 0:12:42.200 --> 0:12:45.959 to splint us. We are all brothers and sisters in Christ, 0:12:46.080 --> 0:12:48.480 she said. We are all the fruit fruit of the 0:12:48.600 --> 0:12:51.600 same tree. Yeah, I know, I've met past A Mike. 0:12:51.880 --> 0:12:54.440 I know God made us all, and I also know 0:12:54.600 --> 0:12:57.080 he made some of us better than others. There's a 0:12:57.160 --> 0:13:00.920 reason civilization reached its peak under white men, and there's 0:13:00.920 --> 0:13:04.079 a reason it crumbled once we let them take the reins. 0:13:04.160 --> 0:13:07.520 For a while, it's not worth arguing with him, she 0:13:07.640 --> 0:13:11.040 told herself. So Sasha decided to ask a blunt question. 0:13:11.800 --> 0:13:16.839 What's going to happen to Emmanuel? Alexander smiled, Exactly what 0:13:16.880 --> 0:13:19.440 I said was going to happen to him. He's going 0:13:19.520 --> 0:13:23.280 to the factory for a trainin' and then he'll participate 0:13:23.360 --> 0:13:26.840 in the invasion of Waco as part of the Storming Battalion. 0:13:27.640 --> 0:13:30.840 And what is that? In a way, it's the luckiest 0:13:30.960 --> 0:13:33.920 unit in the heaven, the Kingdom's whole military. They are 0:13:33.920 --> 0:13:37.960 the first ones in guaranteed glory. He took another long, 0:13:38.080 --> 0:13:41.400 slow sip from Manny's coffee. His eyes bored into her 0:13:41.440 --> 0:13:46.240 all the while and guaranteed modydum. Sasha felt a little 0:13:46.280 --> 0:13:49.400 pride for not crying. Tears threatened at the corners of 0:13:49.400 --> 0:13:54.120 her eyes. Praise be to God, she choked out, followed 0:13:54.120 --> 0:13:57.480 by I still have duties tonight at the house. May 0:13:57.520 --> 0:14:01.040 I go? Alexander sneered at at and then he waved 0:14:01.080 --> 0:14:03.080 his hand in a gesture that was surely meant to 0:14:03.120 --> 0:14:06.960 be casual and dismissive. It looked calculated, though, like it 0:14:07.000 --> 0:14:09.199 was important to him that she feel like this didn't 0:14:09.320 --> 0:14:13.000 matter to him. For some reason, that observation made Sasha 0:14:13.040 --> 0:14:17.000 feel a little stronger. Go on. Then he said, we'll 0:14:17.040 --> 0:14:20.720 talk tomorrow. Maybe we'll do more than talk. Maybe not. 0:14:21.760 --> 0:14:24.720 She stood up, still fighting back tears, and left the 0:14:24.760 --> 0:14:29.320 cafe without a response. Sasha wanted to go to someone, 0:14:29.560 --> 0:14:32.360 anyone in the wake of all this. There's nothing to do. 0:14:32.640 --> 0:14:34.840 The smarter, colder part of her brain, the part that 0:14:34.920 --> 0:14:38.280 always sounded like her mother, warned her, anything you say 0:14:38.320 --> 0:14:41.440 will only make it worse. She knew that was true. 0:14:41.680 --> 0:14:44.760 Even Helen couldn't do anything for emmanual. Now she'd made 0:14:44.800 --> 0:14:47.920 it very clear that military matters took precedence over everything 0:14:47.960 --> 0:14:51.200 else in the heavenly Kingdom. It made sense, and yet 0:14:51.640 --> 0:14:54.880 shouldn't right and wrong be what matter most here? She 0:14:55.040 --> 0:14:57.840 wasn't even sure what either of those words meant anymore. 0:14:58.400 --> 0:15:00.840 Was this really what God wanted? Was this how a 0:15:00.880 --> 0:15:05.200 society based on his laws operated? Sasha told herself over 0:15:05.240 --> 0:15:07.920 and over again that she'd made the right decision, that 0:15:08.000 --> 0:15:10.240 the Kingdom wasn't perfect, but it was the best of 0:15:10.280 --> 0:15:13.640 all the other options. That voice grew quieter and less 0:15:13.640 --> 0:15:16.000 convincing as she walked through the doors at the House 0:15:16.040 --> 0:15:20.760 of Miriam and noticed another missing person. Where's Suzanne, she 0:15:20.840 --> 0:15:23.760 asked Helen, after scanning the dining room for her friend. 0:15:24.360 --> 0:15:27.000 The older woman smiled, but it wasn't the warm look 0:15:27.040 --> 0:15:31.280 Sasha had come to expect. Helen looked strained, tired, perhaps 0:15:31.320 --> 0:15:35.400 even a little ill. Suzanne met her husband to day, 0:15:36.520 --> 0:15:39.560 Sasha narrowed her eyes and fought down an immediate surge 0:15:39.560 --> 0:15:42.600 of rage. She met him or did he see her 0:15:42.600 --> 0:15:46.080 and claim her? Like Anne's suitor. Helen did not like that. 0:15:46.600 --> 0:15:50.120 She almost growled her next words, be very careful with 0:15:50.160 --> 0:15:52.840 what you insinuate, miss Sasha. I know this isn't what 0:15:52.880 --> 0:15:54.840 any of you dreamed of but you did come here 0:15:54.840 --> 0:15:58.440 to help further the kingdom. This is how that looks 0:15:58.640 --> 0:16:01.080 Sasha knew in that moment that there was nothing else 0:16:01.120 --> 0:16:03.480 she could say to Helen. What would be the point? 0:16:03.800 --> 0:16:07.360 So she nodded meekly, and she apologized, and then she 0:16:07.560 --> 0:16:09.960 ate her dinner like a robot and cleaned up for bed. 0:16:10.640 --> 0:16:13.920 Throughout all that, Marigold's words rang louder in her memory. 0:16:14.280 --> 0:16:16.960 You got suckered into a fucking nightmare. It's time to 0:16:17.000 --> 0:16:19.080 wake ups, Time to wake ups, time to wake up 0:16:19.440 --> 0:16:22.080 to Sasha went to bed around nine. She'd had a 0:16:22.120 --> 0:16:24.840 long and exhausting day. Tomorrow was sure to be more 0:16:24.880 --> 0:16:27.760 of the same, but she couldn't sleep. Now that she 0:16:27.840 --> 0:16:30.600 was safely in bed, hidden from the world, the tears 0:16:30.600 --> 0:16:33.640 refused to stay hidden behind her eyes. It was all 0:16:33.680 --> 0:16:37.000 Sasha could do to avoid audible sobs. She lay awake 0:16:37.040 --> 0:16:40.120 for an hour, maybe more, until she heard a thwack 0:16:40.600 --> 0:16:43.800 followed by a thump. She opened her eyes and rolled 0:16:43.840 --> 0:16:46.120 over to face the door, and the time it took 0:16:46.160 --> 0:16:48.760 to complete that motion. She heard the door whosh open, 0:16:48.880 --> 0:16:51.280 and then a series of thumps so rapid they sounded 0:16:51.320 --> 0:16:54.280 like one long drum roll. Sasha felt a rush of air, 0:16:54.360 --> 0:16:56.440 and then since the presence of a new person. The 0:16:56.480 --> 0:16:59.600 instant before she completed her roll, she looked up to 0:16:59.600 --> 0:17:01.600 see him man at the side of her bed. He 0:17:01.720 --> 0:17:04.280 was big, broad, and clad in a torn and bloodied 0:17:04.320 --> 0:17:07.440 martyr's uniform. He had a heavy metal pipe in his hand. 0:17:07.800 --> 0:17:10.480 Sasha rose her hands up in an instinctive gesture of 0:17:10.480 --> 0:17:13.240 self defense the moment before she saw the hooking man's 0:17:13.280 --> 0:17:18.040 face and realized who he was, Aaron. The man blinked. 0:17:18.240 --> 0:17:20.639 He looked confused for a moment, and then he laughed, 0:17:21.359 --> 0:17:24.000 all right, yes, not my name, Han, you can call 0:17:24.040 --> 0:17:29.359 me Roland. What do you what's happening? Are we under attack? Yes, 0:17:29.640 --> 0:17:32.399 sorta by me. I knocked out the old lady. He 0:17:32.520 --> 0:17:34.960 gestured his head back towards the other girls sleeping in 0:17:35.000 --> 0:17:38.640 their beds. I knocked them all out too, just minor concussions, 0:17:38.640 --> 0:17:42.680 but they're out cold. I am very confused, Sasha said, 0:17:42.680 --> 0:17:46.240 in a flat voice, and very frightened. You're not frightened. 0:17:47.320 --> 0:17:50.080 She was surprised to realize that he was right. Sasha 0:17:50.200 --> 0:17:52.280 knew she should have been scared, but her heart rate 0:17:52.320 --> 0:17:56.119 didn't elevate. She didn't start to sweat She did feel confused, 0:17:56.440 --> 0:17:59.920 but she also felt calm. Maybe I've just been so 0:18:00.040 --> 0:18:02.320 scared the last few days my body can't handle any 0:18:02.359 --> 0:18:04.600 more of it. Maybe I've reached the limit of my 0:18:04.680 --> 0:18:08.560 capacity for fear. I guess you're right, she said, I 0:18:08.640 --> 0:18:12.160 should be afraid. This is also She trailed off, grasping 0:18:12.160 --> 0:18:15.600 for words. Yeah, it's fucked, Roland said, and then he 0:18:15.640 --> 0:18:17.639 pulled up a canteen that had been hanging from his 0:18:17.680 --> 0:18:20.400 shoulder and took a deep poll. The scent of alcohol 0:18:20.440 --> 0:18:23.760 wafted over to her. You want some, he asked. I 0:18:23.800 --> 0:18:25.960 made it in my guts, filled a canteen as I 0:18:26.000 --> 0:18:30.240 finished up at the base. Wait, Sasha said, what happened 0:18:30.240 --> 0:18:33.640 at the base? Roland gave another shrug and took another pull. 0:18:34.520 --> 0:18:36.600 The boss guys told me Manny had been reassigned to 0:18:36.640 --> 0:18:39.919 some sort of I don't know, suicide battalion. This pissed 0:18:39.920 --> 0:18:42.280 me off, so I broke exactly half of their bones. 0:18:43.119 --> 0:18:46.480 Sasha could hear sirens now often the distance. It sounded 0:18:46.480 --> 0:18:48.960 like there were rather a lot of them. She imagined 0:18:49.040 --> 0:18:53.200 this was connected to whatever Roland had done. I'm going 0:18:53.240 --> 0:18:56.000 to guess you and the manual aren't really martyrs. Are you, 0:18:56.720 --> 0:19:00.280 he chuckled. I mean maybe some days, sister. Just now, 0:19:00.359 --> 0:19:02.760 I don't say any causes worth dying for, but I 0:19:02.800 --> 0:19:04.720 get your meaning. And no, I don't give a shit 0:19:04.760 --> 0:19:08.560 about your heavenly kingdom. Many actively hates it. We're spies, 0:19:08.880 --> 0:19:11.480 or we were spies. Now he's a captive and I'm 0:19:11.480 --> 0:19:16.720 a terrorist again. Oh, she said, And then I think 0:19:16.760 --> 0:19:19.800 I would like a drink. He handed her the canteen 0:19:19.840 --> 0:19:22.680 and she took a generous gulp. Sasha had only tried 0:19:22.720 --> 0:19:26.280 alcohol once before. She'd been thirteen, not yet a Christian, 0:19:26.359 --> 0:19:28.760 and at a party she'd been far too young to attend. 0:19:29.320 --> 0:19:32.560 She remembered the sensation of gentle warmth spreading down her throat, 0:19:32.720 --> 0:19:35.280 and the sense of elation and well being that had followed. 0:19:35.640 --> 0:19:37.600 She'd taken a few more SIPs, which had made the 0:19:37.640 --> 0:19:40.919 world far too spinny for her comfort. She'd vomited not 0:19:41.000 --> 0:19:44.000 long after, but she figured if there was ever a 0:19:44.040 --> 0:19:48.160 time to try alcohol again, it's now. The drink tasted 0:19:48.200 --> 0:19:50.800 like beer, but it burned like a shot of hard liquor. 0:19:51.040 --> 0:19:54.240 Sasha passed the canteen back. She felt like taking more 0:19:54.280 --> 0:19:57.680 would be a bad idea. All right, Then Roland said 0:19:57.800 --> 0:20:00.399 I'm gonna make a few guesses. I guess one is 0:20:00.440 --> 0:20:02.879 that you're a little less than enthusiastic about the heavenly 0:20:03.000 --> 0:20:05.880 Kingdom now that you've seen it up close. Guests too 0:20:06.000 --> 0:20:08.479 is that you're looking for a way out. And Guests 0:20:08.480 --> 0:20:10.800 three is that you know something about where my little 0:20:10.840 --> 0:20:15.520 buddy went. Huh, Immanuel, Manny, you know where he is? 0:20:16.160 --> 0:20:19.160 I don't, she started. I'll bet you do, even if 0:20:19.160 --> 0:20:21.040 you don't know, you do. I know you were there 0:20:21.040 --> 0:20:23.280 when he was taken. I could smell it in the street. 0:20:24.240 --> 0:20:27.440 Smell it. He sighed, and needed the bridge of his nose. 0:20:28.240 --> 0:20:30.680 This is the time where you explained things. The time 0:20:30.720 --> 0:20:33.639 where I explained things comes later, or maybe never. He 0:20:33.720 --> 0:20:35.680 lifted up the pipe in his hand so she could 0:20:35.720 --> 0:20:38.840 see how bloody and dented it was. I have the pipe. 0:20:38.920 --> 0:20:42.840 Whoever's got the pipe doesn't have to explain shit. Sasha 0:20:42.880 --> 0:20:45.159 couldn't argue with his logic, and she did want to 0:20:45.160 --> 0:20:49.920 see Emmanual free and safe. Look, she said, this, this boy, 0:20:49.960 --> 0:20:53.000 I know, Alexander. He found us at the cafe. We 0:20:53.000 --> 0:20:55.320 were just sitting down to coffee. He had two men 0:20:55.359 --> 0:20:57.399 with him, and he said Emmanual had been selected for 0:20:57.440 --> 0:21:00.639 the storming battalion. Do you have any idea aware they 0:21:00.680 --> 0:21:03.199 took him the kids sent trail grows cold about a 0:21:03.200 --> 0:21:06.679 mile from here. Sasha racked her brain. Of course, she 0:21:06.720 --> 0:21:09.400 didn't know where the Heavenly Kingdom did this sort of training. 0:21:09.480 --> 0:21:14.399 But Alexanders said something about the factory, and at that 0:21:14.680 --> 0:21:17.840 Roland's eyes lit up. He turned around as if to leave. 0:21:18.840 --> 0:21:21.280 I know where he is. Then he looked back and 0:21:21.359 --> 0:21:24.639 down to Sasha and said, moment of truth time, Darlin, 0:21:24.840 --> 0:21:26.760 you want to stay here in this ship pile kingdom? 0:21:27.000 --> 0:21:29.359 Or He jerked his thumb to the door. Do you 0:21:29.400 --> 0:21:31.840 want me to break you out? And I'll make offers 0:21:31.880 --> 0:21:35.359 like that often, so take it as a compliment this time. 0:21:35.440 --> 0:21:38.920 It didn't take long for Sasha to make up her mind. Yes, 0:21:39.240 --> 0:21:48.679