Naught and the Circle

Chapter 17 - A Holy rescue

I

"He dismantled the council." She said. "He'll destroy us all."

Pastor Jack sat at his study, the window overlooking the garden. It was a new experience having Chairman Elizabeth Morgen grace him with her presence. Especially in the middle of the night. The lantern on the desk cast her shadow across the bookshelves. It made her appear ominous, almost sinister.

"Elizabeth, why are you wearing a cloak?" Jack asked.

"He's gone mad."

"Who?"

"You know damn-well who." Elizabeth marched through the study, her face pale as cobblestone. "We'll get one shot at this."

"What are you talking about?"

"Price won't win us the war. He'll get us all killed."

"He seems to be doing fine." Jack replied. "The council issue was a regrettable incident, but the angel has blessed us with a solution..."

"They strung the angel up in chains, Jack."

"Excuse me?"

"Price. He's torturing the angel to bless those weapons."

She threw a folder on his desk. Numerous pages. The list went on forever. Grenades, mines, rockets.

"They've been testing to see how large they can go."

"What is this?"

"Check the last item on the list."

Jack flipped to the end. It was marked with a circle.

OPERATION DEUS INVENTORY LIST:
LGM-ICBM-25A Medusa III
Operational capabilities:
Thiokol solid rocket engine M55A1 first stage - RED
Aerojet solid rocket engine SR19AJ1 second stage - RED
Aerojet solid rocket engine SR-73-AJ third stage - RED
Thermonuclear Warhead Payload W87 mod 1 - GREEN

"What is this?"

"Our Field Marshal, the man who last month staged a coup in this city, is currently mutilating an angel to prime a nuclear bomb."

"That is insanity."

"And mass suicide. If heaven doesn't incinerate us over this, that bomb will sure do the trick."

"This..." Jack gathered his senses. "What do we do?"

"I'm here pleading for your help. The Council has allies, the Church too. We gotta put an end to this before it goes any further. We must intervene, Jack. I'm putting my life at risk just being here."

"Who else knows about this?"

"Too many." She answered. "We have days if we're lucky. Even if you turned me in, I wouldn't live long enough to see the trial."

"Nonsense, Elizabeth. I'm not turning you in."

"Then you're as guilty as I am."

A shadow moved in the doorway. Elizabeth grabbed the lantern to shine away the darkness.

"Who's there?" She said. "Show yourself!"

Jack stood up and rested his hand on her shoulder

"It's alright." He said, then gazed into the dark. "My dear, how long have you been listening?"

"It's a bad habit." Strawberries replied.

Her wheelchair entered the edge of the light. Her dirty red hair dangling in front of her eyes.

"It very much is." Elizabeth said. "This is the last thing we need, Jack."

"You mentioned Cassiel." Strawberries said. "I reckon we can help each other..."