FULL NOVELXO Chapter Back "Home"
It was mid-afternoon when they reached the living area. A bountiful meal was waiting for them. Tim and Thomas had eaten a very light breakfast, and after the activities of the day they found the food irresistible. Having decent meals prepared for the group was normal, but the variety at this one was unbelievable. Chicken, ham, roast beef, and fish with many different vegetables. Some of the items were so rare Tim could not identify them.
Tim had been so impressed by the variety of food it took him a minute to notice Jane and Billy were not at the table. Ron noticed the expression on his face, “Your wife and son have already eaten. She’s had a bad couple of days and took a tranquilizer a little while ago. She’s sleeping right now. You can spend some time with her this evening.”
Looking back at the table Tim asked, “is this some kind of special occasion?”
“It certainly is,” replied Ron. “This morning you fired the first shot in our campaign to restore some sense to this country. You planted the seed of hope. Those who heard you will be telling others. They will then pass the word along to even more people. By tomorrow evening almost everyone in the city will have heard some version of what happened.
“Things will get distorted in the telling, but the main ideas will still be there. The fact that God does not approve of torturing people accused of heresy and, more importantly, that he strongly disapproves false accusations of heresy, will be talked about every place people gather.
“But this is only the first step. This time we managed to get you accepted as a bishop. That may not work again even in a distant city. The Archbishops have managed to maintain some electronic communications among themselves, even though this is not available to the general population. It is more than likely that by Wednesday Archbishop Rand will have passed the word that a rogue bishop is spreading discontent. They will all be looking for similar actions in their districts. Because of this we need to work fast.”
Taking this in, Tim queried, “So what do we do next?”
“I’ll let you know before you depart for Dallas. Right now let’s enjoy this feast.”
If Tim had been surprised by the feast, Thomas was absolutely overwhelmed. “Where did all this come from? Some of these things haven’t been available at home for years.”
Dennis was the one to respond this time. “Out there technology was virtually abolished by the Church. As a result, all kinds of consumer goods, from food to clothes to transportation, have suffered. Down here we have had to rely on technology to survive. By doing this we have managed to thrive.
“What you see in front of you is just a small sample of what we can do here. Over the next few days we’ll show you more of our society. We hope you will agree to assist us, but we will not force you to do so. We told you back in the passageway that you would not be able to return to your church. We will not keep you from returning, but if you do the Archbishop will surely have you executed.
“Right now, though, let’s enjoy a little entertainment with our dinner.” He motioned to Ron, “Let the show begin.”
Ron pulled out a sheet that Tim recognized as being a computer similar to the one he had been given to assist his studies. Spreading it out on the table he took the small square item he had shown Tim and placed it on one corner of the sheet. “If you gentlemen will look over there,” he pointed to the far wall, “I think you will find this quite enjoyable.”
The wall seemed to disappear and in its place was the interior of a church.
“That’s my church!” exclaimed Thomas.
As they watched they saw Tim come out of the office and begin his journey around the congregation. To those watching, it seemed as if they were seated near the main entrance to the sanctuary. Even the sounds came through to complete the illusion.
The entire service was replayed for them. The only interruption came when the flames appeared on Tim’s head. At that point Thomas let out agasp and looked as if he were about to faint.
At the conclusion of the church service the picture shifted to a view of the people leaving. Most of them hurried away with their heads down, but a group of four men stood off to the side talking among themselves.
“I’d like to know what they are saying,” remarked Ron. “Unfortunately we didn’t have sound pick-ups placed in that area.”
As the recording came to an end they could see the four men start rapidly walking off together. “I don’t know if that’s where they are going, but the Archbishop’s estate is that way,” said Thomas.
He turned to Tim, “In my youth, people would have called that a ‘Hellfire and damnation’ kind of sermon. I bet there hasn’t been one like that preached in the past forty years. If we’d had a few preachers like you back then, I don’t think we’d be in this mess now.”
Tim started to respond, “I’m not a preacher…”
Thomas held up a hand, “Yes, you are! And a mighty fine one at that. I wish I’d had the nerve to tell the people some of those things years ago. I guess I was more concerned with my own safety than I was with the souls of the people. I should have…”
Claude interrupted him, “That sermon could not have been preached twenty years ago, not even five years ago, not even a year ago. The time had to be just right. Also, you could not have presented the special effects that made it so effective. The tools simply were not available for you to have pulled this off. Don’t be kicking yourself because of the things you think you should have done.
“Actually, you have performed an even greater service to mankind; a service that no one else out there was qualified to do. Those books you have preserved are truly priceless! I have been in your office and looked through a few of them.”
Thomas had thought nothing else could shock him after what he had already been through, but this revelation shook him to the core. He had been certain no one could violate the privacy of his office, yet here was an absolute stranger calmly stating he had been there and looked through his most secret possessions. All he could mutter was, “How?”
Claude responded, “Stop and think. I know you were in shock when Tim yanked you out of your office and into our passageway. Do you really believe that’s the only time that portal has been used. We’ve had our eye on you for a long time. It was not luck that Tim picked your church to visit. We probably know more about you than you know about yourself.”
“But, why me?”.
“There are many reasons. First, you are one of very few priests who are old enough to remember how things were before the Church became so powerful.
“Second, even though you are, if you don’t mind me saying so, of advanced age, you still retain the curiosity of a person much younger. This allows you to continue to adapt to changing situations.
“Third, after observing you for some time, it was obvious that you did not really agree with the current teaching of the Church.
“I could go on with more details, but this should be enough for you to understand your selection was not an accident.” Claude waited to see if Thomas wanted to respond.
When Thomas remained silent Claude continued, “Some of your books we thought had been lost forever. The fact you preserved them will make establishing a sane and functional society much easier.
“The world went through a period much like this nearly a thousand years ago. Much of what had been learned before that was lost during a reign of terror conducted by the Church of that time. Once the people were able to throw off the bonds of ignorance, it took many years to rediscover some of the lost ideas. Your diligence, your passion, in preserving these things has been of far greater value than any sermon could have been.”
Ron entered the conversation, “It’s been a long and eventful day. We all need to get some rest and be ready for tomorrow.” Turning to Tim he continued, “As I said, what you did this morning was just the beginning. We still have a long and difficult road ahead of us. First thing tomorrow I’ll fill you in on your next assignment. You will only be in Dallas for two days but they will be very important ones. While you are there, I will be in Miami getting things ready for you there.”
Tim started to say something but Ron held up his hand to silence him. “Don’t worry, when you get back from Dallas you will be here with your family for a full week.”
With that the meeting broke up. Dennis took charge of Thomas, leading him away and explaining more details of the underground complex.
Tim got very little sleep that night. He kept replaying the events of the day. Having seen himself in action through what he thought of as a miracle of an unknown technology, he could not believe that someone as common as he could have performed such a feat.
Next morning Ron tapped lightly on Tim’s door and called out, “Am I too early, sleepyhead?”
Having had trouble sleeping, Tim had risen early. He had already showered, shaved, and dressed. For the first time in nearly a week he was back in civilian clothes. “I wish I was a sleepyhead. I know I’m going to collapse early tonight. I don’t think I got over an hour of sleep all night.”
“That’s pretty normal the first night back after an expedition into the wild unknown,” Ron quipped. “Just wait until you experience a real nail biter of a trip.”
“Let’s get down to business. As I mentioned yesterday, your next trip is to Dallas. On your first trip we instructed you to never give anyone a name to call you by. This time will be different. You will go by the name of Bishop Adversi. Although Dallas is somewhat bigger than where we are here in St. Louis, the conditions are much the same.
“There is no public transportation available. All travel is either by foot, on a bicycle, or by a small carriage pulled by someone riding a foot powered cycle. Just as here, there are many roadways that have fallen into disrepair. When it became impossible to get gasoline to operate the motor driven vehicles there was no need, and no way, to keep repairing the roads.
“You will enter town on a road from the south. You will walk along this road until a youth with one of the pedicarts stops and asks, ’How are things in Son City?” Remember, he must be using his left hand to make small circles on the seat as he asks this. You will then respond, as you have been told with, ‘Things are looking brighter all the time.’
“If he is not making the ‘O’ with his left hand you are to act confused and respond with something like, ‘I don’t know. I’ve never been there.’ Your exact response is not important. There may have been a leak in our security system and they are trying to catch some of our agents.”
Ron paused to let this sink in, “Once you have confirmed your contact, he will take you to a house near the Archbishop’s estate. You will stay there that night. The next day will be the most critical, and the most dangerous, portion of your task.”