Chapter 47
“So do you think he’s willing to follow through with this?” Jeremiah Calhoun asked his second-in-command.
“I think you should decide that after we finish our conversation with Captain Boone,” Jacob Pickens replied. “He is looking forward to our visit.”
“And there is no other family that he wishes to contact before Tuesday?” Preacher Jeremiah asked.
“No one that he has shared,” Jacob responded. “I have asked him multiple times like you directed, and I get the sense he feels bothered by me continuing to bring it up. I emphasized that we want this to be a free choice of his and we want any family to understand this was his will. He said that after his wife left him and took the children with her to the aliens’ facility in Georgia, the only family that mattered to him is gone.”
Jeremiah nodded. “Losing family can be a big motivation for action,” he commented.
Jacob glanced at the preacher and gave a slight nod of his head to the woman walking behind them.
Jeremiah pursed his lips dismissively and looked over his shoulder. The woman was walking with her head down, not making eye contact with either man. “We are Captain Boone’s family now. Our family of believers,” the Preacher said to Jacob. “And it sounds as if he is making the decision to protect his family the best way he knows.”
“Indeed,” Jacob concurred.
They walked in silence for a bit.
Then Jacob motioned as they approached a supply storage building on the edge of the old Sumter National Forest Lodge. “I’ll warn you that Harvey is excited for our visit this morning. I’m sure he would be encouraged to know we appreciate his work.”
“I don’t need a reminder about how to treat people, Jacob,” Jeremiah noted. “People are pouring their hearts and souls into this endeavor. If there is one thing I do feel comfortable with, it is getting people enthused to take action. Let’s head inside.”
The woman walking behind the two men spoke up. “Preacher Jeremiah, my beloved.”
“Yes, Margarita. What is it you have to say,” Jeremiah responded.
“I see my Sister-Bride Poornima coming down the path,” Margarita said. “May I be excused to spend some time in conversation with her and ensure she is preparing to care for you and be ready for your next visit.”
“Yes, you are excused,” Jeremiah responded.
“Thank you, my beloved,” Margarita said, bowing slightly without looking up. Then she walked ahead towards the other woman coming down the path.
The two men walked into the storage building. The sound of a battery-generator hummed from the back of the building. Jacob pulled an access badge from his pocket, waved it in front of the control panel, and the door lock clicked open. The two went inside.
“Harvey!” Jacob shouted. “Where are you?”
“I’ll be right there,” a voice responded.
A man wearing ill-fitting green and brown military fatigues jogged up from behind some large containers. His stomach was straining the buttons holding the bottom of his shirt closed.
“Sorry,” the man huffed as he stopped in front of them. “I was confirming the inventory.”
“So tell me what our collection looks like today, Mr. Epstein,” Jeremiah asked.
“Well, I’m glad you asked, Preacher,” Harvey said. “I finished the inventory recount yesterday and was just making sure the equipment going out today from this depot is ready for transport.”
The quartermaster continued. “We have five-thousand automatic and semi-automatic rifles, three-thousand pistols, four-dozen launchers with two-hundred fifty-six rounds of 46 mm RPGs, sixteen 70 mm FLASH, twelve Scorpion Desert Patrol Vehicles, 6 Infantry Mobility Vehicles, 4 Humvee, an M5 MAAWS cannon, and an M403 multi-launch rocket system, all spread across our six National Guard sites in the tri-state area and the three depots we’ve set up, including this one.”
“My Lord! That is certainly impressive and inspiring, Mr. Epstein,” Jeremiah said with noticeable excitement.
“Indeed it is, sir!” the man replied.
“Harvey, I’ve told you already, please call me Preacher,” Jeremiah said, placing a hand on the man’s shoulder. “I’m no military officer or some ranking official in a bureaucracy. I’m a fellow Believer like you.”
“I’m sorry, s…, Preacher,” Harvey replied. “I just think this whole thing you’ve organized is so impressive and you should be shown the respect you deserve.”
“Each of us Believer’s shows respect for the others by doing our jobs as God has commanded us. And the job you have done keeping track of all these materials is quite impressive.” Jeremiah responded. “So tell me, Harvey. Have you located some people trained on the M403?”
“The crew of Army veterans are nearly complete with their self-training,” Harvey said.
“So you’ve not found anyone who has actually used it before?” Jeremiah questioned.
No s,,, no Preacher, we’ve not located anyone yet,” Harvey responded with a downcast face. “But we’ll keep looking and searching up until Tuesday. If we do, I have an express transvan that can get anyone within three-hundred miles dropped off at Redbud with three-hour notice.”
“Well, we certainly hope someone can be found. Self-training is a start, but nothing can replace actual experience,” the Preacher stated. “What do the results of the crew training show, Harvey?”
“Omega Crew has one-hundred percent success rates on all simulations, as of this morning,” the volunteer supply officer shared. “Alpha Crew is between eighty and ninety-percent on their ‘kill’ scores. But some live training would really be best, Preacher Jeremiah.”
“I’ve already explained to them that I don’t want to risk any exposure before our assault. And I can guarantee that firing even one live round will destroy our plans,” Jeremiah said. “Tell me the transport plans are in place.”
“Yes, sir, they are,” Harvey said quickly. “The mobile-home shell is on the carrier, and Alpha Crew validated the load and unload procedure last night. They’ll be loading it this evening after sunset. We’ll complete the transport – half-way tonight and half-way tomorrow night, arriving in Damascus, Georgia at 5:00 am, Tuesday morning. I so wish I could be there when she starts her show later that day.”
Jacob finally spoke. “You’ll see the results, Mr. Epstein, when those rockets blow a hole in the side of that demonic tower.”
“Indeed I will, Mr. Pickens. Indeed I will,” Harvey said. “Once the last van is unloaded, I’ll have my eyes trained on the tower if I have to glue those binoculars to my forehead.”
“Don’t forget your primary mission, Mr. Epstein,” Preacher Jeremiah said. “Without your laser-focused attention, this whole thing will end up as effective as a military parade in Guatemala.”
“Oh, don’t worry, Preacher!” Harvey said earnestly. “All one-hundred trans-vans are in position. One-third of the families and the equipment they’ll be carrying are being dispatched each day. The first group left this morning.”
“And the tactical plans?” Jacob prompted.
“Are for each vehicle to take a unique route to end up within five to six miles of Redbud by Tuesday morning at oh-seven-hundred, for each person aged-fourteen and above to gather their equipment by oh-seven-thirty, and each family to reach the alien site by oh-nine-thirty when the attack will commence,” the would-be quartermaster proudly responded with practice.
“And you’ll need to make sure the additional firearms and ammunition are ready and handed out to the local population that we expect to join us as reinforcements once they see and hear the assault has begun,” Jeremiah said.
“Yes, s,, Preacher,” Harvey responded. “My men and I will be ready for an extra one-thousand on-the-spot volunteers. Those that couldn’t walk the distance to the alien tower are so appreciative you’ve found a way for them to be an active part of the assault.”
“The Lord finds a way for us to follow His will, my friend. We need to continue our rounds this morning, Harvey. Again, you’ve done a fantastic job! Let’s finish this so we can show the rest of the world the way to crush these alien demons,” the preacher said, shaking the warehouse manager’s hand and clapping him on the shoulder.
Upon exiting the storage building, Jeremiah and Jacob found Margarita standing under a magnolia tree across the lane, patiently waiting for them.
Jeremiah motioned her over. “Where is Poor-nina?” he asked.
“Our conversation is complete, my beloved, and I sent her away,” the forty-year old mother explained.
“Oh, okay,” the preacher said. “So, she’ll, uh, be expecting my visit tonight?”
“I have wonderful news, my beloved!” Margarita said in response. “Poornima is overdue by two weeks for her period and can be presumed pregnant. You will once again have another child to bear your name and follow your legacy!”
“She’s pregnant?” Jeremiah asked.
“Yes, that is the assessment,” Margarita said. “I’ve arranged for her to get a pregnancy test this afternoon. If that is confirmed, her duties as a wife should be suspended for a month to allow for a solid implantation.”
“How can that have happened so quickly?” Jacob asked. “She and Preacher Jeremiah were only married in December, and based on the rotation, they couldn’t have been together more than two, maybe three times before she conceived, if she is six weeks pregnant as you say.”
“My twenty-years of nursing experience, with the past twelve-years spent in maternity care, can recognize the signs of a pregnant woman, Mr. Pickens,” Margarita said, catching Jacob’s eyes for a brief but intense moment, before she looked down at the ground in front of them.
“Well, that certainly is a surprise, I’ll have to admit, ” Jeremiah said with a definite smile, looking at his friend. “I guess it just goes to show it’s never too late to start a family.”
The preacher turned to his elder-wife. “So perhaps you can see if Tatiana will be ready for me this evening? The last time I visited with her was on our wedding night two weeks ago.”
“Perhaps you would like to visit with Eleanor tonight, or myself, my beloved. I believe Tatiana could benefit from some additional counseling from us sister-wives on how best to serve you, based on my most conversations with her,” Margarita said.
Jeremiah looked perturbed. “We’ll talk later, Margarita. I have additional things to attend to yet today. Talk to the others, and come find me before dinner.”
“Yes my beloved.” Margarita nodded. “I’ll go to check on Marie-Elise now to make sure she is feeling well and her baby is healthy.”
With that, the woman walked briskly down the path towards some smaller huts formerly used as housing by the National Park staff.
“You know I don’t trust that woman,” Jacob said once Margarita was out of earshot. “How could she have such a change in outlook after what happened to her in October.”
“Didn’t we just say that family can be a big motivator,” Jeremiah explained. “She has her son left, and I’m sure she doesn’t want anything to happen to him. Besides, who’s to say all that trauma didn’t cause her to re-assess things? I’ve heard from others that she told them the shock of that day allowed her to see the real threat caused by the aliens. That not only they are trying to remove us from our planet, but they are seeding division among humans.”
“And you believe her when she says that?” Jacob questioned. “And what she is saying about that girl being pregnant?”
“Yes,” Jeremiah responded. “She was a nurse and has been a big help not only to her sister-wives, but also to many of the other Believers. And she was the one that brought to light the assassination plot. If she didn’t care for me, why would she call out the older brothers of Marie-Elise and Tiffany, leading to the men’s death? Besides, she wants to be with me practically every night. I can assure what she does with me is not something a woman would do if she didn’t like that man.”
“Marie-Elise’s brother mysteriously escaped the night before the execution,” Jacob continued. “And what about Fatima? Why isn’t Margarita letting her be with you, yet?”
Preacher Jeremiah stopped walking. “Enough!” he said firmly. “I trust her and that is enough! She said Fatima still hasn’t had her first period, so why should I sleep with her? I’m not an animal!”
Jacob also stopped walking, tried to look at the preacher, and instead stared at the ground. “My apologies, Preacher. My experiences with people haven’t been as successful as yours. And of course people know your character and know you can see into their heart.”
The two were quiet for a moment.
Finally, Jeremiah turned down the path and began walking again. “Let’s meet with Captain Boone before the morning is over.”
In a few minutes, the men stood at the door of a cabin on the edge of the complex surrounding the main lodge.
Jacob knocked.
The sound of footsteps walking across a wood floor was followed by the door quickly opening.
Jacob took a step back, as the man in the cabin immediately stepped into the doorway.
“Good morning, Richard,” Jeremiah said.
“Oh, good morning, Preacher,” the man said, then turning to Jacob, “Good morning, Mr. Pickens. I hope I didn’t startle you.”
“No, Captain Boone, no problem,” Jacob replied. “I should know by now you do everything with, uh, a definite level of enthusiasm.”
“My apologies,” Richard Boone responded. “I try to be ready to immediately respond to any situation. A hazard of my profession, I guess.”
The preacher stepped forward. “A quick reaction is exactly what one would hope from a fighter pilot, Richard. May we come in?”
“Please!” the pilot responded, stepping back into the cabin and motioning with his arm for the guests to enter. “I’m afraid I don’t have any refreshments to offer you.”
“Not a worry at all, my friend,” Jeremiah said. “We don’t want to impose on you and apologize for barging in like this. I know you’ll be headed to Fort Bragg this evening, and had hoped to chat with you a few moments before you go.”
“Absolutely! Please, sit down,” Richard said, pulling a chair from beside the bed over to the small table with two chairs already there.
Jacob looked at the items on the table: a notebook, pen, comm tablet and paper map. “Studying the strike site?” he asked.
“Yes, sir, Mr. Pickens,” the captain answered. “As there isn’t a senior officer to provide a briefing, I’m going over everything multiple times to ensure a successful mission.”
“Would it help for you to review it with us?” Jeremiah offered.
“Yes, sir. As a matter of fact, it would,” the pilot responded thoughtfully. “If I can walk through it as if I’m the one giving the briefing, that would be a good indication I’m covering all the bases.”
Jacob started to take a seat.
“Um, it’s probably easiest if we remain standing, Mr. Pickens,” Richard said. “Easier to see the map that way.”
Jacob pushed himself back to a standing position. “Of course.”
“OK,” the Marine pilot said, picking up the pen, “so the objective of the mission is to take down the alien elevator located in Redbud, Georgia.” He pointed to a town in the northwest corner of the Georgia map on the table.
Captain Boone continued, “Mission aircraft includes a C-249 transport and an F-56 glider outfitted with two AGM-95 Maverick missiles and retrofitted with eight Hydra 70 impact-detonating warheads. Mission crew traveling from here will be one pilot.”
“The F-56 is being transported to the mission launch site tomorrow in an unmarked transhauler, departing from New London Air National Guard Base at oh-four-ten and arriving at Fort Bragg at oh-six-hundred. Crew, myself that is, departs from Sumter, South Carolina this evening at Eighteen Hundred with three additional support personnel. We’ll arrive at Fort Bragg at Twenty-Two Hundred. After confirming local personnel at the base are ready for the F-56 arrival, I’ll rest for a few hours and then rise at Oh Five Hundred to await the arrival of the aircraft at Hanger Four.”
“Hanger Four is also where the C-249 is currently parked. Two additional mission support personnel already located at Fort Bragg will help in securing the hangar prior to the arrival of the F-56. Upon arrival of the glider, the six of us, along with the driver of the transport hauling the F-56, will place Hangar Four in lockdown until mission launch on March fifth.”
“I’ll spend the day ensuring placement of the Maverick missiles currently housed at Fort Bragg in the F-56, along with confirmation all other equipment and weaponry are ready, concluding the day with the load of the F-56 into the bay of the C-249. Myself and the remaining support personnel will remain in Hanger Four overnight.”
“I will commence Mission Day at Oh Five Hundred with a walk-around of both aircraft. Additional support personnel will join me at Oh Six Hundred for breakfast followed by a check-list review, final briefing and one last walk through of the aircraft control codes. At Oh Seven Forty-Five, I’ll take my position in the pilot’s seat of the C-249. Fort Bragg support personnel will have already programmed the flight, so I’ll only be needed in case of emergency manual override.”
“This whole time we will remain in communication silence with Base Station Sumter. If the mission is to be called off, that will be as a result of Sumter contacting us. Presuming a ‘go’, Hangar Four doors will be opened at Oh Eight Ten. At Oh Eight Thirteen, I’ll enter in the aircraft control codes to start the aircraft and move her into position for takeoff. Takeoff itself will occur at Oh Eight Nineteen. After takeoff, the C-249 will move into a cruising altitude of forty-thousand feet. I’ll then relocate from the C-249 to the F-56.”
“At Oh Eight Forty-Five, over Knoxville, Tennessee, I’ll transmit the aircraft codes to open the bay doors and release the F-56. I’ll turn the F-56 on a southwest trajectory, while the C-249 will continue its preprogrammed auto-pilot path on a northwest trajectory to Minot Air Base.”
“I’ll pilot the F-56 up to fifty-thousand feet, and, approximately three miles northeast of Redbud, will begin a vertical descent towards the elevator. Two-hundred meters above the impact point, I’ll launch the Maverick missiles and lock-in the final impact point. Impact will take place at 9:45 am.”
And with that, the Marine pilot dropped the tip of the pen held above the map on the center of the circle representing the alien elevator location.
The three men stood in silence for a few seconds, staring at the pen as it lay on the map.
Finally, Preacher Jeremiah spoke. “Quite impressive, Captain Boone. Quite impressive. You really have this very well planned out.”
“Thank you, sir,” the pilot said. “I’ve been thinking through this to make sure it all goes according to plan.”
“And the three people driving down with you?” Jeremiah continued. “Will they be helping you prepare the aircraft?”
Richard Boone quickly looked up from the map. “No sir, well not exactly,” he said. “I should have made it clear what role they will be playing. They are helping with the subterfuge. We are bringing a robot-painter with us in the van tonight. Those three will be working to re-do the C-249 with Alpha Express Air Freight colors so as to present a false face to the aliens. If the aliens are able to monitor the programmed path, they will see the transport craft is programmed to Minot. While that is an Air Force Base, there are also shared runways for commercial transport, so that should not be a red flag. And they will have no signal from the F-56, as that craft won’t be powered up until fifteen seconds before impact.”
“What about the people at Fort Bragg, Richard,” Jacob asked. “How do we know we can trust them, if they aren’t with us here? Why would they let us steal an Air Force transport plane?”
“I can assure you, Mr. Pickens, that they are as committed to this mission as I am,” the pilot said. “I’ve known Coronel Jackson since we were in basic training and then pilot school together. We also spent our first four years in the Marines in the same flight group. And I’ve spent the last five years in the Air National Guard with Captain Harshweiler. He volunteered to accompany me on the glider mission itself, which shows his level of interest. I trust them with my life.”
“I think what Jacob is saying is that anyone has the potential of reconsidering decisions once they understand the gravity of a major event,” Jeremiah said calmly. “But we can tell from what you are saying that this is not a concern regarding these two. We value your input, Richard, and have confidence you have selected the right people to assist us. We also know the lives of thousands of fellow Believers at Redbud – and potentially tens to hundred of millions of people around the globe – are counting on them to come through for us.”
“I understand, Preacher,” Captain Boone said, relaxing a bit. “I have been so very focused on this ever since we initially talked about the idea of taking out the elevator and dealing a blow to the aliens. They robbed me of my family. So I can appreciate that I may be somewhat blinded by emotion. My apologies, Mr. Pickens.”
“No apologies needed, Captain Boone,” Jacob responded. “I also need to recall that you are the one giving the ultimate sacrifice here, and I know you wouldn’t go about this without full consideration of all the factors.”
“Richard, we’ll leave you to your final preparations here,” Preacher Jeremiah continued. “But before we go, I’d like to say a prayer with you, if you don’t mind.”
“As I said, Preacher, I’ve never been a religious person,” the pilot responded. “But I’m happy to have everyone – and everything – on my side, so sure, go ahead.”
The Preacher bowed his head. “Heavenly Father, ….”
Earth: Week 45 Redbud, Georgia – United States March 4, 2092
Preacher Jeremiah looked to his left and his right, smiled and nodded. “A beautiful sight, isn’t it, Margarita, to see all of these people gathered here with us for this momentous day?”
“Yes, my beloved,” Margarita answered, looking not at the Preacher, but ahead towards the alien elevator towering into the morning sky. “Today will indeed be a climactic day.”
Jeremiah looked at his commblock, waiting for a few seconds, and then typed a message on the pad “Now is a lovely time to begin a walk.” and hit the ‘Send’ button to the five names listed above the message.
“We walk across the fields as one,” came one reply quickly.
“We walk across the road as two,” came a second reply.
“We walk over the river,” followed a third.
“We walk across the road as one,” the fourth response read.
The Preacher’s brow furrowed, staring at the commblock screen.
And finally, “We walk across the fields as two.”
The furrow disappeared, Jeremiah smiled, typed “Then let us walk together”, tapped ‘Send’, handed the commblock to his eldest wife, raised his hands to both sides and then moved them forward, pointing across the Salacoa Creek. He then began to cross the footbridge in front of him, with Margarita beside him, tapping on the commblock, to load a livecast page on the screen.
The people with the Preacher quickly crossed the creek behind him. When the footbridge began to make creaking sounds, some of those directing the crowd had them spread out to reduce the weight bearing down on the small structure. It took five minutes for the crowd of one-thousand to make it across the water, those at the end of the group jogging or running to catch up with those in the front.
Half of the people in the mass had rifles, pistols or other guns. Dozens more carried bolt cutters and metal snippers. A handful more had RPG launchers strapped over their shoulders, with two or three people walking with them, carrying backpacks laden with artillery.
After a ten-minute walk, the people in front came to a metal mesh fence stretching in both directions. The people with metal cutters moved forward and began cutting openings in the fence.
“Are you connected?” Jeremiah asked the woman standing next to him.
“Yes, my beloved, I am ready,” Margarita replied.
“And the time?” he asked.
“9:30 am” she replied.
“Begin”, the Preacher said.
Margarita aimed the commblock lens toward him, tapped and nodded.
“My fellow believers,” Jeremiah began. “Today, in your hearing and in your sight, the commandment that God has given to me will be revealed to the world. You will be witness to the power of God, how he cares for his flock and how he smites the enemy of his chosen people. Today, in your hearing and in your sight, the Devil will be brought low, and the plan for how to reclaim our rightful place as masters of our world will be shared.”
“Today, in your hearing and in your sight,” Preacher Jeremiah motioned with his arm to the nearest group breaching the perimeter fence, “those that have joined me at the Believer’s Sanctuary are here at the demonic tower in Redbud, Georgia. We have brought the might of our arms and, more importantly, of our faith. Like Jericho, I and my commanders in the Believer’s Army are blowing the ram’s horn! We are sounding the trumpets!”
One group a few dozen yards down the fence line had made a hole barely large enough for a person to fit through, and the crowd around it began to cheer. Margarita aimed the commblock lens at that opening as a man pushed his way through, catching and ripping his shirt on the wire mesh. Once through, the man shouted at the top of his lungs, running forward with a rifle in his hands. Others tried to squeeze through as the people with the wire cutters continued to widen the opening.
Another group in the opposite direction had similar success, again with a man pushing his way through, scraping his face and catching his ear, resulting in blood flowing from his forehead as he sprinted away from the fence and towards the elevator located about one-thousand feet in front of him across a grassy field.
Jeremiah nodded at Margarita who, while still filming those going through the fence, tapped the side of the commblock screen.
“‘So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets'” Jeremiah quoted the text that was now superimposed over the livecast, “‘and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.’ Joshua, Chapter 6, Verse 20.”
“We are bringing the walls around this accursed structure down, my friends,” the Preacher continued, Margarita now panning back to get him in the shot. “We will not let the construction of this final abomination be completed. We will not let the subjugation of humanity occur. I urge you, fellow humans, to join us in this struggle. Whether you call yourself a Believer or not, it makes no difference. You are called and you are hearing the call! Those that are near Redbud, come join us now in our fight! We have supporters around the area with weapons to give you in the fight. We will overpower the evil enemy. We have a Believer’s Army of ten-thousand men and women that have gathered here this morning. We have weapons for thousands more. Join us for this battle, and this will be the first of many victories to come as we defeat the aliens and send them back to the hell from where they came.”
Jeremiah walked to the opening nearest him. Those still waiting to get through parted and let him pass, as he stepped through the fence. Margarita followed.
“We journey today not towards our Promised Land, but in defense of our Promised Land,” the Preacher continued, briskly walking forward. “We have Believers pouring in north from across the Coosawattee River at Slagle Road Bridge, from the west across the open fields, from the south at Salacoa Creek First Christian Church, from the east on Red Bud Road. I tell you all this so you can know where to join us and help our numbers surge even more.”
Gunshots begin to ring out and Margarita pans towards the crowds that have come within a few hundred feet of the alien elevator and the launch pad next to it. The crowd is surging, pressing those in front against the invisible barrier surrounding both structures. No human is able to push through. The gunshots continue to grow in intensity. The livecast catches a few people who drop to the ground from unintended friendly fire that did not make it to the intended target of the alien structures.
Jeremiah notices the image on the commblock, sees the images of people falling and screaming, and spins Margarita away from the crowd and back towards him.
The Preacher’s eyes widen, but then focus on the commblock lens. “This is the time to rise, fellow Believers. This is the time to reclaim what is ours. God made Adam and Eve. Genesis, Chapter 2, Verse 15, says ‘And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.’ This planet is our Garden of Eden. It is up to us to keep it and we must defend it with our lives, and with the tools that God has given us. The aliens have no fear, or so we believe. But that is precisely what will be their downfall! They have no fear of the Lord! And the Lord will smite the unbelievers.
Ezekial, Chapter 25, Verse 15 “‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Because the Philistines dealt vengefully and took vengeance with a spiteful heart, to destroy because of the old hatred, therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “I will stretch out My hand against the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethites and destroy the remnant of the seacoast. I will execute great vengeance on them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I lay My vengeance upon them.’ Those that support the aliens will be treated like the Philistines.”
The sound of rockets zooming past interrupted the Preacher’s speech. Margarita panned the lens on the commblock up to catch the view of rockets arcing towards the alien launch site. The rockets reached the invisible barrier around the site and imploded, reminiscent of the scene in Kremenchuk, Ukraine three days after the initial arrival of the aliens at that location nine-months prior.
Jeremiah looked further up in the sky with Margarita panning up. A bright explosion flashed miles overhead and Jeremiah smiled. “Mark this time and this date, fellow Believers. Today, now, in your sight and in your hearing, the Lord’s vengeance will rain down upon the alien demons.”
Almost as if on command another round of missiles streaked overhead and slammed into the invisible barrier.
“See how the power of God and the might given to humans by God will destroy…”
A low, overwhelmingly loud sound was caught on the livecast and both Jeremiah and Margarita were thrown to the ground, the commblock flying out of Margarita’s hand.
The livecast stream continued to show an image of the clear sky, with a cloud of smoke floating downwind from miles above the alien launch site. The previously taught elevator shaft reaching up into the heavens was now starting to wobble.
After thirty seconds, the sound of grunting and someone exerting energy could be heard on the livecast, followed by a metal-on-metal sound, and finally heavy breathing.
Margarita’s face and hand briefly appeared on the livecast as she bent down to pick up the commblock. The sound of her breathing was receding as muffled crowd noise began to increase in the background.
The commblock focused on the image of Preacher Jeremiah lying on the ground, unconscious, with his hands fastened to the fence with handcuffs.
The commblock lens closed in on the Preacher’s face, with a hand appearing from off-camera, slapping him across the cheek.
“Wake up, Preacher,” Margarita’s voice came over the livecast. “Wake up and see what God has wrought.”
She slapped him again, and the Preacher’s eyes fluttered open.
“Look around, Preacher Jeremiah,” Margarita said. “Look at what is happening.”
Jeremiah’s eyes tried to focus, first on Margarita and then on his surroundings.
“Wha,…” he slurred, “… what happened?”
“I’m not exactly sure myself,” Margarita said. “But if I had to guess, the aliens didn’t like us shooting at them. And when the missiles started arriving, they sent a shock wave to knock some sense into us.”
Jeremiah tried to roll over and discovered his hands bound to the fence.
“What happened to me?” he questioned. “How did my hands get like this?”
“I was concerned you might not like the message you need to hear, so I decided to make sure you would stay in place and listen,” the former wife of the South Carolina National Guardsman responded.
“You handcuffed me to this fence?” Jeremiah said in an incredulous voice. “Take these off! Where did you even get these from?”
“These are the ones that you had me use on the young girls you supposedly married, when you were concerned they wouldn’t behave and submit to your whims and desires,” the eldest sister-wife answered. “Don’t they look familiar to you? They probably still have some of the perfume those poor girls had to wear, if you care to sniff them.”
“This is ridiculous! I need to be leading the Believers, not stuck here listening to you babble. Did the glider strike occur?” Jeremiah questioned. “I remember looking up and seeing something in the sky, but then things went black. How long have I been unconscious?”
“So many questions! I don’t know if we have time for all of the answers? But let’s see,” Margarita said, any sense of demure completely gone from her voice. “Yes, I’m pretty sure that was the glider that struck. I wasn’t paying too close attention, but not too long after we saw that smoke cloud appear up there, the sound of what seemed like an explosion came wafting down. But that sound could have been from the aliens as well. I’m just not sure? That shock wave certainly hit me, but not quite as hard as it did you. You weren’t unconscious that long, though. I’d guess two minutes or so. As soon as I could shake my head clear, I didn’t want to miss the opportunity, so I dragged you over here and gave you that little present for your hands. But I didn’t want you to sleep through all this either, so that’s when I woke you up.”
Jeremiah shouted “You’re crazy! You need to…,” but his demands were interrupted when a large chunk of a metal hull imploded a hundred feet from them and sprayed them with dirt. “What was that?”
“I’m pretty sure that was a piece of the glider,” Margarita said, as the sound of people shouting got louder.
Both of them looked towards the location of the elevator and saw hundreds of people running in their direction. Other large objects starting to fall from the sky.
“I command you to release me now! I am your husband and you are to do as I say!” Jeremiah shouted, his voice starting to crack a bit.
“You are not my husband! You killed my husband, you bastard,” Margarita said and turned the commblock lens toward herself. “Anyone who is watching this, know that this man is no Preacher. He is a liar. He doesn’t value your life any more than he did the life of my husband Mateo or my daughter Ramona. So I have decided to lock him to this fence around his beloved alien site in Redbud and let him see the results of his actions. He demands to be released from his handcuffs. I am denying that request. He has shackled too many people with his deceitful messages and has crushed the future of so many people. He deserves the same fate, I say.”
Some of the people started rushing past them, pushing back through the fence they had come through less than an hour earlier. A few slowed down to look, but no one stopped.
Jeremiah began shouting at them. “Somebody! Come over here! I need your help!”
A man paused and looked at Jeremiah and then at Margarita.
“Sam!” Jeremiah yelled. “Samuel Malone! Please come here.”
The man gingerly walked towards the man yelling his name, still lying on the ground. “What happened here? Are you hurt, Preacher?”
“This bitch has handcuffed me to the fence, and now she won’t release me!” Jeremiah nearly cried.
“Where are the keys?” Sam Malone asked.
“Oh, I tossed them over there somewhere,” Margarita gestured with her hand, pointing a few feet to the left of her captive.
“Quick, Sam! Find them, they have to be there somewhere!” Jeremiah pleaded as another large piece of flotsam from the crumbling tower came crashing down a few hundred feet away.
The Good Samaritan paused but then continued looking at the ground. “Here! Here they are!” Sam said, bending over to pick up two silver keys on a small ring.
He walked over to Jeremiah, knelt down to place the key in the cuff, and then lurched forward, a bullet coming out his chest.
Jeremiah looked up to see Margarita holding a gun, the smoke still rising from where the bullet had just left the barrel. “Did you think it would be that simple?” she asked. “Do you think with all these weapons around here that I would not get one for myself as an insurance policy to make sure we could finish my little game? No, my little game will play out to the end. And your big game is going to be finished as well. And no one will cry when you are gone. No one will want to remember Jeremiah Calhoun as anything but a failed liar and self-absorbed con-artist.”
“You crazy bitch! You are absolutely crazy!” Jeremiah screamed back at her. “Well, my children will remember! My children will carry on my legacy!”
“Your children?” Margarita scoffed. “Well, maybe poor Lucius will be told lies about the man who raped poor Rebecca and forced his seed into her. But that will be it.”
“Tiffany, Eileen, Marie-Elise, and now Poornima will all give birth to my children,” Jeremiah said.
“Tiffany, yes, if she is able to carry the child to term,” Margarita responded. “But I made her swear she would never tell the child who the real father is. And the others? None of them are pregnant. You aren’t the only one telling lies. I told Eileen and Marie-Elise to claim being pregnant so they wouldn’t have to deal with your over-inflated ego and your clumsy sex. I directed them both to over eat these past few months to make it look like they were gaining baby weight. And I made up that story about Poornima missing her period. Oh, and Fatima? She’s been menstruating for almost a year, from what she told me. But I lied about that as well, so she wouldn’t have to experience the torture and mental pain you put the rest of us through.”
More pieces from the elevator were crashing down, with the main shaft having collapsed under the weight that was no longer counter-balanced from above the atmosphere.
“You will go to hell for what you are doing!” Preacher Jeremiah shouted at the top of his lungs.
“And you’ll be right there with me for all you’ve done,” Margarita said in a calm voice, lowering her arm holding the gun, and dropping both gun and commblock in the grass. “I’ll be happy to torment you for eternity.”
And with that, a shadow crossed over them both, and a section of the elevator column fell precisely where they were located.