Free Apocalypse Cult (Gray Spear Society) by Alex Siegel Page A

wrestling or martial arts.
    They went down a short hallway, turned right, and entered a scientific laboratory. Complex equipment crowded together along the walls, and even more covered a big table in the center. There were a dozen computer screens, many of them turned on. Fans inside the machines produced a constant background hiss.
    These guys must have a lot of money if they can afford all this stuff , Aaron thought.
    Kamal was a tall, thin man with dark skin. From his features, Aaron guessed he was from southern India. He wore a button-up pinstripe shirt and crisply pressed, brown slacks.
    "Kamal," Ethel said, "please explain to Aaron what you do here."
    He nodded. "Yes, ma'am. It's simple, really. Every intrusion into the space-time fabric is a high-energy event. There is a characteristic burst of spontaneous positron emission, which is detectable at less than 100 meters, but absorbed by the atmosphere over longer distances. The positrons create a specific type of defect in exposed crystalline materials. We have adapted X-ray diffraction techniques to detect these defect patterns conclusively."
    Aaron stared at him. "I have no idea what that means."
    "It's like this," Ethel said. "If there is a suspicious incident, we go out and gather physical evidence near where it happened. Kamal analyzes the evidence and tells us whether we need to take action. In the case of the Church of One Soul, the results were positive."
    "I'm still confused," Aaron said. "What qualifies as a suspicious incident?"
    "Remember how Simon claimed he talked to an angel? We believe that was an external entity."
    "The angel was real?"
    "He talked to something that wasn't made by God. It was an abomination. You can call it an angel if you want, or a demon. It doesn't matter. Our job is to stop that thing and destroy all evidence of its activities. We will accomplish that objective by any means necessary. Do you understand?"
    "Maybe," Aaron said.
    "Good enough." Ethel nodded. "Let's meet with Victor and Marina, so we can plan for tomorrow."
    "That's it? That's my entire orientation?"
    "You'll figure out the rest as you go along."
    They left the laboratory and walked through a few more hallways. The décor was the same throughout: white tile floor, concrete roof, and gray walls. Aaron got the sense that headquarters was pretty big, maybe equivalent to an entire floor of a medium size building. He was becoming impressed by the scale of the operation.
    "Does anybody live here?" he asked.
    "I'm the only permanent resident," Ethel said. "Commanders always live in their own headquarters. Everybody else has apartments nearby. We do have two rooms for guests, though."
    They entered a large kitchen with granite counters and an oversized, stainless steel refrigerator. Copper pots hung from the ceiling on racks. For a secret underground lair, the place certainly had all the amenities. Victor and Marina had prepared meat and cheese sandwiches for themselves. They were sitting at an island in the center of the kitchen.
    "Here are your orders," Ethel said. "Meet here tomorrow at 0400 hours. Pack body armor and weapons for a heavy assault. Go to the cult compound and capture Simon. We'll need to interrogate him, so take him alive."
    "We'll have to fight our way in and out, ma'am," Marina said. "His followers will protect him tenaciously."
    "That is understood. Bring as much ammo as you can carry."
    "Hey!" Aaron said. "Women and children live there. This battle could turn into a massacre! We have to be surgical."
    Ethel gave him a cold stare. "Simon is an enemy of God. Extreme force is authorized."
    "But..."
    Marina touched his shoulder. "This is your first mission," she said, "so you don't understand. Trust us. We have to hit hard, snatch Simon, and run like hell. If somebody gets in your way, shoot him."
    Victor nodded.
    "No," Aaron said. "I can't...."
    "Aaron!" Ethel said. "This is our way, and centuries of experience tell us it's the best way. The faster we complete