Free The Constantine Conspiracy by Gary Parker

beginning,” Charbeau said.
    “Yes, Nolan, with each generation, the end draws nearer. And if we complete my crowning glory, we will push matters to the brink, at least in the U.S.”
    “As the U.S. goes, so goes the world.”
    “Thankfully, this is true. I am reviewing the draft of your plan. We will talk about it soon.”
    “There’s a lot to work out, but the concept makes sense, and we’ve already done some prep work. Just need the one good opportunity.”
    “It will come, Nolan. For now, though, find Golden Boy. Do as I have previously instructed you.”
    Augustine punched off the phone, picked up his cigar, and turned to his colleagues. Each brought their own motives into the room, their own reasons for laboring with Augustine in his quest.
    Although none of them dared to broach the subject of his health, he knew they guessed his frailty and expected his leadership to end at any time. Any one of them could become a candidate for his position. Did they see him as ruthless? Brilliant? Historic? Evil?
    “We have made great progress in the past seventy years,” he began softly. “We have captured academia. In the name of political correctness and diversity, universities promote every off-beat lifestyle and religion imaginable while simultaneously disallowing the free expression of Christian doctrine. Homosexual, bisexual, transsexual, Muslim, Hindu, Druid, Wiccan, atheist—they’re all okay. Conservative Christianity? Verboten.”
    His colleagues smiled as he continued.
    “Public schools also belong to us. No more ridiculous Bible reading or useless prayer in classes. Frivolous invocations and benedictions have been largely eliminated from graduation ceremonies. Christmas plays and carol singing has been removed. Any mention of Jesus in class essays or hallway conversation is rejected.”
    Augustine paused, enjoying his nostalgic replay of the strides they had made.
    “Society at large has followed. We’ve replaced ‘Merry Christmas’ with ‘Seasons Greetings’ or ‘Happy Holidays.’ Marriage is redefined to include same sex couples in a number of states. More will follow suit. Nativity scenes are disappearing faster than ice in a desert and displays like the Ten Commandments on government buildings have been removed. Oath taking that includes ‘so help me God’ is frowned upon.”
    His compatriots nodded their pleasure. Augustine continued. “Who could have imagined it? Europe is essentially a wasteland for churches, fewer and fewer people in America attend worship, and many actually in church reject the idea of Jesus as the only way to salvation.”
    Augustine puffed his cigar, studied his allies, then moved to a final flourish.
    “Now we have our man in the White House. Though not officially one of our cohorts, the president is our pawn—a political hack who owes to us most of the seven hundred fifty million dollars raised for his run to the presidency. Yes, he publicly claims Christian faith, but we know he privately follows a master other than Jesus. If given the chance, the president plans to appoint Supreme Court justices who will remove as much Christian influence as possible from American culture.
    “My friends, we can indeed see victory on the horizon.”
    Augustine paused to bask in his triumph. No, he didn’t worship the devil. He had never pulled the wings off a butterfly or molested a child. Nobody had ever heard a foul word fall from his lips. He cared nothing for gambling and drank only a single glass of wine every Friday night as he shared dinner with the portrait of his dead wife Margaret, a woman on whom he had never cheated in their fifteen years of marriage before her tragic death. He had never stolen anything either. Or told even a mildly obscene joke or watched a second of pornography or yelled at a servant.
    Anyone observing his life would see nothing amiss in Augustine’s profile, nothing dark and sinister, nothing but a disciplined, intelligent man enjoying the fruits