just prefer to do it with guns instead of faith.”
“I used to be the same way. Before Rome.”
“So why do you want to see me?”
“I’m sure you know. You work for Dumah, and I know you know more than either of you are letting on.”
“The mission.”
“Very good,” Zeke condescended. Snapping back to his usually all-business manner, he continued. “He sent you to spy on me.”
“He did nothing of the sort,” Daniel protested.
“Of course he did. Now, don’t go thinking I don’t trust you. If he wanted to kill me he wouldn’t need to drag me all the way to Pusan. I just want to establish with you and your team that I’m in charge. I won’t be taking orders from anyone.”
Their conversation had caught the attention of several members of the congregation. Church-goers stared angrily at them. “Let’s go outside,” Daniel suggested. He pushed open the large door of the cathedral and they stepped out into the dim fluorescent lower city.
Just ahead of them, a large crowd of people stood by a small stage. A Korean man in the blue robes of an Armageddonist priest was shouting out names. It was a promotion meeting. The Church’s routine selection of lower-class citizens to be integrated into plate-society.
“Is that all, or did you want something else?” Daniel asked, not entirely convinced that Zeke had hunted him down simply to assert dominance.
“Charlie.”
“Charlie?”
At the back of the crowd, a huge man was hunched over. A tiny figure stood beside him on the ground. “You be good, Emily,” he told his daughter. “You’ll be living in a better place, okay? So I don’t want you to be sad.”
The girl was in tears. She was no more than five or six years old. “I don’t want to live in the sun. I want to stay here.”
Charlie put his hands on her shoulders. “I know you do sweetie, but Daddy can’t always protect you here. There are bad men down here. Men who want to hurt you, or steal from us.”
“Why do they want to hurt me?”
The giant pulled out a small rag and dried her face. “I don’t know, sweetie. But it’s very dark down here, and bad men like dark places.”
“Why can’t you come with me?” Her breathing was erratic.
“I’m sorry. But they didn’t promote daddy. They won’t let me go up to the plate. But I’ll be thinking of you every day, and I’ll send you money every week so you can go to school.”
“School?” The new subject caught her interest. She calmed down slightly.
“Yeah. School. You’ll love it. You go there and get smarter and you’ll make lots of new friends and . . .”
“You’re not my friend anymore?”
The big man looked like he had just been shot in the gut. “Sweetie, of course I am. Look, this is just for a little while. Daddy is going to try harder, and when I get promoted to first-class citizen, I’ll come see you right away, and we can live with each other forever.”
“You better!” she shouted, trying to sound angry.
“I will. But until I can come protect you again, I have a present for you.”
Emily smiled behind her tears. Charlie reached into his pocket. When he pulled his hand out, a strand of green ribbon hung
“I used to be the same way. Before Rome.”
“So why do you want to see me?”
“I’m sure you know. You work for Dumah, and I know you know more than either of you are letting on.”
“The mission.”
“Very good,” Zeke condescended. Snapping back to his usually all-business manner, he continued. “He sent you to spy on me.”
“He did nothing of the sort,” Daniel protested.
“Of course he did. Now, don’t go thinking I don’t trust you. If he wanted to kill me he wouldn’t need to drag me all the way to Pusan. I just want to establish with you and your team that I’m in charge. I won’t be taking orders from anyone.”
Their conversation had caught the attention of several members of the congregation. Church-goers stared angrily at them. “Let’s go outside,” Daniel suggested. He pushed open the large door of the cathedral and they stepped out into the dim fluorescent lower city.
Just ahead of them, a large crowd of people stood by a small stage. A Korean man in the blue robes of an Armageddonist priest was shouting out names. It was a promotion meeting. The Church’s routine selection of lower-class citizens to be integrated into plate-society.
“Is that all, or did you want something else?” Daniel asked, not entirely convinced that Zeke had hunted him down simply to assert dominance.
“Charlie.”
“Charlie?”
At the back of the crowd, a huge man was hunched over. A tiny figure stood beside him on the ground. “You be good, Emily,” he told his daughter. “You’ll be living in a better place, okay? So I don’t want you to be sad.”
The girl was in tears. She was no more than five or six years old. “I don’t want to live in the sun. I want to stay here.”
Charlie put his hands on her shoulders. “I know you do sweetie, but Daddy can’t always protect you here. There are bad men down here. Men who want to hurt you, or steal from us.”
“Why do they want to hurt me?”
The giant pulled out a small rag and dried her face. “I don’t know, sweetie. But it’s very dark down here, and bad men like dark places.”
“Why can’t you come with me?” Her breathing was erratic.
“I’m sorry. But they didn’t promote daddy. They won’t let me go up to the plate. But I’ll be thinking of you every day, and I’ll send you money every week so you can go to school.”
“School?” The new subject caught her interest. She calmed down slightly.
“Yeah. School. You’ll love it. You go there and get smarter and you’ll make lots of new friends and . . .”
“You’re not my friend anymore?”
The big man looked like he had just been shot in the gut. “Sweetie, of course I am. Look, this is just for a little while. Daddy is going to try harder, and when I get promoted to first-class citizen, I’ll come see you right away, and we can live with each other forever.”
“You better!” she shouted, trying to sound angry.
“I will. But until I can come protect you again, I have a present for you.”
Emily smiled behind her tears. Charlie reached into his pocket. When he pulled his hand out, a strand of green ribbon hung
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