The Mark: The Beast Rules The World
demonstrated in the raising, of himself, from the dead!”
    Many applauded and Carpathia motioned to Leon to rise and speak as he himself backed away but remained standing.
    “I am deeply humbled by this assignment,” Leon said, moving to Nicolae, dropping to his knees, and kissing the potentate’s hands. He rose and moved back to the head of the table. “Let me clarify, not that His Excellency needs any help from a mere mortal, that the very name of the new religion was my idea. It was no stroke of brilliance. What else could we call a faith in which the object of our worship is His Excellency?
    “The outpouring of emotion from the citizens this very day spurred the idea that we should reproduce the image of His Excellency, the great statue, and erect it in all the major cities throughout the world. Plans have already been sent out, and each city is required to have the image constructed. They will be only a quarter of the size of the
    original, which as you know, is four times life-size. It doesn’t take a scientist to figure out, then, that the replicas will be exactly life-size.
    “While our beloved potentate lay dead, he imbued me with power to call fire from the sky to kill those who would oppose him. He blessed me with the power to give speech to the statue so we could hear his own heart. This confirmed in me the desire to serve him as my god for the rest of my days, and I shall do that for as long as Nicolae Carpathia gives me breath.”
    “Thank you, my beloved servant,” Nicolae said as Leon sat. “Now, blessed comrades, I have written assignments for one and all. These were prepared just before my demise and now will make more sense than ever to you. First, one of my oldest and dearest friends, a woman closer to me than a relative, shall explain something to you. Ms. Ivins, if you would come.”
    Viv Ivins, prim and proper, her blue-gray hair piled atop her head, made her way to the head of the table and embraced Nicolae. As she passed out file folders with each director’s name inscribed on them, Nicolae said, “Many of you know that Ms. Ivins helped raise me. Indeed for many years I believed she was my aunt-we were that close. She has been working on a project that will help me put in place certain unfortunately necessary controls on the citizenry. Most people are devoted to me-we know that. Many who were not or who were undecided are now decidedly with us, and, you will agree, for good reason.
    “But there are those factions, primarily the two that I have already mentioned, who are not loyal. Perhaps now they have seen the error of their ways and will henceforth be loyal. If so, they will have no trouble with the safeguards I feel must be initiated. I am asking those loyal to the Global Community, specifically to me and to the unified faith, to willingly bear a mark of loyalty.”
    Walter Moon stood. “Sir, I beg of you, allow me to be the first to bear your mark.”
    “Let us not get ahead of ourselves, brother,” Nicolae said. “You may just get your wish, and while I am touched by your sentiment, how do you know that I will not brand you with an iron like a head of cattle?”
    Moon spread his hands on the table and bowed his head. “As you, my lord, are my witness, I would endure it and bear it with endless pride.”
    “My, my,” Nicolae said, “if Director Moon’s sentiment is shared by the populace, we shall need no enforcement measures, shall we?”
    David peeked at his packet and fanned the pages until his eye fell on a startling word. “Guillotines?” he said aloud before he could stop himself.
    “Now we are ahead of ourselves,” Nicolae said. “Needless to say, such would be a last resort and I pray it will never be needed.”
    “I would gladly offer my head,” Moon rhapsodized, “if I should be so foolish as to deny my lord.”
    Nicolae turned to David. “You are responsible for technical purchasing, correct?”
    David nodded.
    “I do not imagine we have an adequate

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