Legends of Amacia Heart of Darkness
Chapter 44: A Warning from Heaven

Several hours later on the surface near a place called Bolar in western Virginia, Brother Paul sat alone on a greenstone outcropping praying earnestly when he heard a noise in the bushes. He quickly finished his prayer and looked around, seeing nothing but the forest. “Is there anyone there?” he called out while standing.

For a moment, Paul heard no reply, making him think some animal had moved by. As he was about to turn around, a hand touched Paul’s shoulder from behind and a voice said, “Paul.”

The contact so startled him that he jumped away, turning around as he did. There before him stood Gabriel in all the Lord’s splendor. Paul fell on his face like a dead man, incapable of standing in the presence of the holy archangel. Gabriel smiled and knelt down, touching him on the shoulder, strengthening him. He then took Paul by the hand and lifted him to his feet. Paul looked at Gabriel in wonder as he said, “Paul, greatly beloved of the Father...I am Gabriel. The Lord has sent me to you with an urgent message.”

“What does the Lord say?” Paul asked instantly.

“Do you remember Hannibal Smith and Selina Milineus?” Gabriel asked.

Paul chuckled, saying, “How could I forget them? They took me on ride in that strange machine to their stronghold where I married that beautiful cat woman to him. What; is there a problem?”

“They need the prayers of the saints all over the world,” Gabriel replied. “The conflict with the Black Prince is almost ready to move in the final stage. The Lord wants you to pray for them and lead the saints all over the world to pray for them and the remnant in Amacia. Keep them in prayer at all times. Use it as a rallying cry. Tell them everything. Tell the world about them. It’s time for the world to know what they’re doing. Dan will be in contact with you shortly and once he contacts you, shout it from the housetops. Tell them everything.”

“So it finally begins, doesn’t it?” Paul replied.

Gabriel nodded solemnly. “Yes, Brother,” he stated. “It begins, but fear not, my friend. The Lord is with you and all of His people. However, be warned now: the powers that be have had enough of your defiance and telling the world about their secret plans and evil plots. They’re coming after you to silence you and everyone associated with you with extreme prejudice.”

“So they mean to kill us,” Paul said, grinning soberly. “I knew that was coming eventually. If the Lord is with us, then let the heathen rage. We’re in the palm of His mighty hand and none can snatch out of His hand.”

Gabriel smiled. “Well said, brother. Very well said,” he chimed. “Get the saints praying for them and after Dan contacts you again, you’ll know what to do. Pray, Brother Paul. Pray.”

“We will,” Paul replied. “Can I ask you something? Something has been weighing heavily on my spirit since Dan called me the other day. I must know if what he told he is true.”

“It is,” Gabriel stated bluntly. “The Lord allowed the Emperor to mutate Hannibal into a woman now named Hanna.”

Paul’s mouth dropped open in horror. “Why would the Lord allow that?” he asked. “I don’t understand. Why would the Lord allow that demon to do that to Hannibal?”

Gabriel sighed, troubled at the question. Putting his hand on Paul’s shoulder, he declared, “I know you don’t understand it, but it’s happened nonetheless. Why is a question I’m forbidden to answer yet. Just have faith, my friend, and know everything that’s happened to Hannibal has been the Lord’s will, including this mutation. But take heart. The mutation isn’t permanent. That’s one of the reasons why they need the prayers of the saints. Pray for them. When Dan contacts you again, you may ask him about Hanna. He knows everything; however, when you learn the truth about the mutation, don’t share it with everyone until the Lord says it’s okay to do so. The mutation is Hannibal’s Gethsemane. Need I say more?”

The Lord pricked Paul’s heart and understanding came to him. “I see,” Paul replied. “This is a test of faith for Hannibal and Selina to a lesser extent. We shall pray even more diligently for them.”

“Excellent,” Gabriel chimed, smiling warmly. “The Lord has sent you understanding about Hannibal’s situation. Pay close attention to Dan when he contacts you this time for the lives of the saints here are on the line. He’s your exit strategy. Now pray, Brother Paul. Pray!”

Gabriel suddenly vanished from before Paul’s eyes in a flash of divine light, leaving him alone and temporarily blinded. Paul looked around and saw nothing. Aww great! What do I do now, Lord, he thought.

Son, why do you complain like that? You know I don’t approve of that kind of talk, the Holy Spirit reproved.

Paul immediately repented of it and the Holy Spirit said, The blindness is temporary. Lo, I have sent someone to your aid even before Gabriel spoke with you.

Paul held out his arms as he groped to find something to hold onto. As he did, a voice rang out, “Brother Paul! Brother Paul, where are you?”

“I’m over here, Joe! Over here!” Paul called out as he ceased to grope blindly.

Joe ran up and said, “Brother Paul, we....” He looked at him closely and saw Paul’s face was literally shining and that he apparently couldn’t see anything. “Brother, what happened? Your face is shining,” Joe asked, literally humbled in his presence because of the light that shown from him.

Paul reached out to find Joe, groping to find him. Joe let him touch his arm and Paul pulled him close. “Joe, I cannot see a thing. I just had a visit from the archangel Gabriel,” Paul explained. “Armageddon is fixing to explode, brother. Take me to the tabernacle and gather everyone. We have to pray immediately.”

Joe became unnerved by Paul’s strange behavior. “Everyone?” Joe asked as he began to lead Paul to the tabernacle.

“Yes, everyone,” Paul insisted. “But if they’re in the middle of something that can’t be left, get everyone on it and finish it quickly, and then come to the tabernacle. I have something to tell everyone that will change their perspective on things forever.”

“What would that be?” Joe asked as he led Paul down the farm road to the tabernacle where they met for prayer and had services.

Paul smiled and said, “You’ll know soon enough. Everyone must be assembled before I tell it. But be sure of this, Armageddon is not far off and that means that the Lord’s coming is that much closer than we realize.”

Joe didn’t like being left in the dark, but resigned to not hearing any more about it until everyone was present. As they passes by those working in the fields and gardens, the workers looked up and saw Joe leading Paul, which caused them to become concerned. Joe called to them, telling them to come to the tabernacle right away. The first ones to approach noticed that Paul was blinded and asked how. Paul told them that he would tell all at the tabernacle, but that he wanted them to go and spread the word that everyone needed to come to the tabernacle...that the Lord had given him a mighty word. Word quickly spread all over the community that the Lord had spoken to Paul and he wanted them to gather as quickly as possible in the tabernacle.

Within forty minutes, everyone stood in the tabernacle as Joe led Paul to the pulpit. Paul felt the podium as he looked blindly over the congregation, seeing nothing but darkness. “Brothers, sisters…I’m in darkness right now,” he began. “I can’t see anything physically. I’m completely blinded by the glory of the Lord, but He has let me see something that’s beyond the comprehension of everyone here. As I told Joe, Armageddon is upon us. The archangel Gabriel came to me about an hour ago and told me what’s fixing to transpire around the world. Do you remember not too long ago, I went away and performed a wedding and you didn’t know how I went or came back?” He heard a rumble from the congregation that they did remember, which seemed to satisfy him. “Well,” he continued, “...the man and woman I married were no ordinary people and the way I traveled was no ordinary means of transportation.” He sighed as his eyes looked over the crowd without any way of seeing them. However, he could sense their spirits so keenly that their spiritual forms became visible to his blinded eyes. When this happened, Paul cried, “Thank you for your vision, Lord. I can see your people now as they truly are.”

“What do you mean?” a voice called out from the audience.

“It means the Lord has allowed me second sight while I’m blinded by His glory,” Paul declared. “I can see the spiritual form of each person here, but let me get to the point. Friends of that man took me with a machine that allows people to move instantaneously from one place to another to a place that most of you couldn’t even dream of. The machine and the place where I performed the wedding is in Indonesia on the island of Sumatra. Both the machine and place are relics from, as crazy as it sounds, the days before the Flood. The machines and technology this man has uncovered are almost magical in quality and nearly godlike in power. I was told that with the machine, the man found his wife and her father. They were castaways about to be consumed in an explosion the likes of which I cannot fathom.” The people sat listening intently as Paul continued, “The Lord is wondrous in His doings. He has made things that we cannot even dream of. The man and woman are called Hannibal and Selina. He found the place and they’re unlike any man and wife you could imagine. How can I say this?”

“Go on, tell us brother,” a voice called out from the audience.

Paul raised his hand in a wait gesture and said, “I’m not sure if you’re ready to hear this. We believe we are the pinnacle of creation. The war between God and Lucifer rages throughout His creation, but is concentrated here on this planet. This is where the final showdown is to occur. But understand, our God is infinite and He does as He likes.”

The Holy Spirit prodded him strongly, whispering in Paul’s ear, “Tell them everything. Tell them who and what she is.”

Paul rubbed the side of his face and shook his head, saying aloud, “Do I have to Lord? They’re not going to believe me. They’re a rebellious house. I can see the adulterous unbelieving spirits on them with the sight you gave me.” The tabernacle rumbled and began to shake. “All right, Lord, all right. I’ll tell them,” Paul said in resignation and the tabernacle quieted. The rumble and shaking got everyone’s attention. They immediately realized what Paul was fixing to tell them was no ordinary thing when it occurred to them that the Lord Himself had shaken the tabernacle. “People...Hannibal’s wife Selina is not from this planet,” Paul declared. “She’s an alien...an incredibly beautiful large humanoid cat from across the galaxy. The Lord has made many other types of life we’re not aware of and she was one of them. She was a special case because of what I’m about to tell you.” He could almost hear the skepticism emanate from them and could see the spirits of unbelief come out of them even though he was blind. “I knew it, Lord,” he cried out, “They don’t believe me. How can they believe such a thing when they don’t believe in you?”

The tabernacle began to shake again and he said, “She was brought here to this planet to be his wife. I know this because I married them, but let me get to the point here. Regardless of who or what she is, they’re man and wife by the Lord’s will and they’re presently in a very dangerous place and need our prayers. You see, the stories and myths of lost civilizations like Atlantis are more than just mere fairy tales; they’re the fragmented accounts of the civilization that the Lord destroyed with the Flood. Yes, story of Noah is true too. But unknown to us, a fragment of the old world survived underground in a place called Amacia. As I speak, Hannibal, Selina, and their friends are there dealing with beings of ruthless unimaginable power. The ruler of this place is known simply as the Emperor. He’s possessed of a demoniac spirit that is second only to Lucifer himself. This spirit ruled the world at the time of the Flood.”

The building rumbled even louder and more violently as Paul stopped. He blinked a couple of times and with a flash of light, Paul’s spiritual sight left as his physical sight returned. At first, his sight was blurry, and then it cleared up after he rubbed his eyes with his hands. He looked around and saw that the people were terrified. The building shook as if someone was beating on it from all sides. Even the floor trembled as if being shook by an earthquake. Suddenly, between him and the audience on one side of the tabernacle, there was a flash and the air began to shimmer violently. The people began to bolt for the door and Paul called out urgently, “Brothers, sisters! Wait! Don’t be afraid! This is what I was talking about; they’re coming. Do not leave!” His words didn’t stop a handful of people from fleeing the tabernacle. However, most of the crowd stopped and looked at Paul as he stepped forward toward the area that was shimmering. Joe rushed forward and grabbed him by the arm.

“Wait a minute, Paul. How can you be sure?” Joe asked urgently.

“Because this is how they came and got me for the wedding,” Paul replied confidently, looking Joe in the eye. “The Lord told me all about it before they came the last time.” It was at that point that Joe saw Paul’s vision had fully returned and he praised the Lord, but remained fearful as he tried to restrain Paul from getting any closer to the strange phenomena. The air shimmered and suddenly a glowing sphere of swirling bluish-white fire appeared before fading to a fifteen-foot ring of bluish-white energy that swirled around. The people suddenly grew quiet and still as the building ceased to shake while they looked toward the portal. Joe and Paul looked through the portal and saw distorted shapes coming toward them from the other side of the portal. While Joe looked on in fear, Paul smiled broadly, saying, “I had almost forgotten how beautiful this thing was. Look people; the very mode of transportation I was telling you about.”

Dan, Chris, and Jerry stepped though the portal into the tabernacle as if they were merely stepping through a door. Dan looked around at the tabernacle and first saw Paul and Joe, and then the frightened crowd, who were very slowly beginning to inch forward. “Brother Paul. It has been a while,” Dan said to Paul, extending his hand in a friendly manner. “Sorry for showing up unannounced but....”

Paul shook Dan’s hand and said, “That was quick, Dan, is it?”

Dan nodded and asked, “What do you mean?”

Paul looked around at the crowd, and then at Dan, saying, “I knew you were coming. Just wasn’t sure when. Gabriel just paid us a visit about an hour ago and said that you were going to contact us.”

“Really?” Dan replied with great interest. “The Lord is indeed moving quickly these days.” Turning to the crowd, he said, “Don’t be afraid, folks. We’re friends of Hannibal Smith and this portal here is our means of transport. I’m Dan and this is Chris and Jerry, my brothers and help these days.” By now, the people’s fear was noticeably diminishing and they were moving forward to get a good look at the portal and maybe, to see through it if they could. Dan’s face turned very serious and he said, “Brother Paul. We have a tremendous problem and it seems you’re right smack in the middle of it.”

“What would that be?” Paul asked, knowing what Dan was going to tell him. Sᴇaʀch Thᴇ Find_Nøvel.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Dan looked him in the eye and said with all the seriousness of an executioner, “The powers that be have decided they’ve had enough of you. We got word from some of our operatives in the US government they’re coming here not just to shut you down, but also to kill you and everyone associated with you. We were told that they would come tomorrow morning as the sun comes up. We just can’t let them do that. Now, we have the means and the will to get you and all your people away to safety at the Temple. With the technology we have there, you can stay on the air as long as the Lord wants you to.”

Just then, Gus ran through the portal. He had the remote control piece in his ear and he said as he ran up, “Dan, our situation just went from bad to worse. They’re coming early. I just saw heavily armed black helicopters take off from a nearby military base along with a convoy of seven black Suburbans. It looks like the same crew that tried to do Harry and his family.”

Dan’s face fell dramatically and Paul noticed it. Dan wanted to swear but restrained himself. “How much time?” he asked.

“Maybe a couple of hours at the most,” Gus replied. “We don’t have much time left.”

Dan nodded and said, “All right. Keep me informed.” Turning to Paul as Gus went back through the portal, Dan asked, “You heard?”

Paul nodded, saying, “Yes, brother. I did. This is exactly what Gabriel said would happen. He said they would come to silence me and any who pay attention to me. He also told me that I should shout what Hannibal is doing from the housetops except for the matter you told me about earlier in the phone call. I’m charged with warning the world about the threat posed by Amacia and am supposed to get the remnant around the world praying for them and the remnant that he’s helping there. It looks like our stay in this place is at an end.”

Turning to the congregation, Paul said, “You’ve been listening and paying attention, haven’t you?” The people rumbled, saying yes to his question. “This is the Lord’s doing. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. He has provided an escape for us. Let’s not disappoint him,” he stated. Turning back to Dan, he asked, “You have place for us and enough supplies?”

Dan smiled and put his hand on Paul’s shoulder, saying, “Brother, the Temple is big enough for a thousand such groups as yours and as for food we have enough food there to last a lifetime if necessary.”

Paul nodded seriously and said, “Very well. We have a few items that we should bring, if there is time.”

“No problem, but we must we quick. The clock is ticking and if there’s anything or anyone here when the goon squad arrives, it will not survive. They have orders to wipe everything out and burn this place to the ground in a Waco-style purge. Chris, go get the help,” Dan ordered.

Chris turned and ran back through the portal only to return a few moments later with thirty men and women waiting just the other side of the portal. “All ready, Dan,” Chris said.

“Good,” Dan replied. “Now brother, shall we vacate the premises before they come?”

Paul nodded and turned to the congregation, saying sternly, “Now’s the time to make your choice. If you come with me, and these men, your iniquity will have to stop. I have seen the people who live with this man. They’re what I hoped you would become: saints without spot or wrinkle. All of your petty ways have to be given up and a life of holiness embraced. This is the crossroads. Choose now and as the Lord says, choose life. Life is beyond that gateway. You can come with us or go back to the world. Grace is being offered this one last time. Grace is through the ring. Turn your back on it and you’ll regret it.”

Dan motioned to Paul and said, “Let me say something to them.” Paul consented and Dan stated, “Let me tell you something. On the other side of that portal is a world that most people can’t even begin to consider. The truth lies on the other side of that portal. Hannibal brought us together from every corner of the globe to explore and turn that place of darkness into a fortress of light. We have Brother Paul’s broadcast piped into the Temple and we listen to it all the time. In fact, we know most of you from the broadcast. Brother Paul here is the prophet. Hannibal believes it and so do I. The Lord has allowed us to see such marvels on the other side of that ring that it’s impossible to believe that He’s not all-powerful. The powers that be have been searching for us for several months now in an effort to take the technology for themselves. But they haven’t found us because we’re now masters of the ancient machinery. They have walked all over the mountain that the Temple is in and didn’t see it. We’re shielded and cloaked, making us impervious to detection or attack. They could attack us with all of the nuclear weapons in the world and not get in. It is literally the safest place in the world. I look at it as being in secret place of the Almighty. I look at it as His pavilion. He said hide yourself in His pavilion for a moment until the indignation has passed. The indignation has just begun. If you love the Lord your God, please come with us.

“Moreover, you don’t have to be perfect to come with us. All you have to do is believe and love the Lord with all your heart. Despite what Brother Paul tells you about us, we’re far from perfect and sin just as easily as any of you. That’s what it means to be human. However, we do strive to fight against our baser instincts that would lead us into sin. And when we inevitably sin, we repent immediately and take any chastisement the Lord deems necessary. We’re all His children. If we weren’t, He wouldn’t chastise us when we do wrong. You’re all his children and we’re family. As a family with the Lord as our father, we’re honor-bound to protect each other with everything at our disposal, and that’s what we’re doing here. You’re our brothers and sisters and we’ve come to snatch you away from the lethal peril coming down on you. Don’t let any doubt or sin hinder you. As I said, you don’t have to be perfect, just believe. The rest we can do together. Please, come with us.” A tomblike silence fell over the tabernacle as Dan finished speaking. Only the eerie hum of the portal filled the structure. The people stared with muted astonishment and hope rising in their eyes.

After a few moments, Joe said with fearful wonder, “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m going with them. I don’t want to die before I can see the truth this man speaks of beyond that swirling gate.”

A soft rumble of agreement rose from the people as Paul looked over the crowd, noticing a half dozen people missing. Even more important, he discerned that the congregation had finally believed and become one. It smote him to his heart. They had finally believed. With tears in his eyes, he said with joy, “It’s done! Oh, Lord, you’re so great! You’ve made the people one! Your iniquity has been subdued and your sin purged. Go and gather your things. We leave as quickly as possible. Don’t say anything to those who left out of here when you go.” Paul looked at Dan and said, “All right, let’s get our things and leave here.”

Dan motioned to the helpers on the other side to come through and they did. “Go with the people and help them pack up,” he told the helpers and they followed the congregation out of the tabernacle. Dan and Chris followed Paul out of the tabernacle. “How many do you have here?” Dan asked.

“About sixty,” Paul replied. “At one time we were almost two hundred. But most fell away.”

“Do you have any livestock?” Chris asked.

Paul turned to him as he led them down a path to a small nondescript building that had his radio uplink and said, “Yes. We have some sheep, goats, chickens, cattle, and horses. We can bring some of them if we need to. Otherwise, we should let them go.”

Dan looked at Paul, saying, “No; we should bring them with us. Even if we let them go, the death squad coming this way will surely cull the lot of them and let them rot on the ground. I can’t sanction such a waste. Besides, I suspect some of your people have become attached to them emotionally.”

“That’s true,” Paul agreed as they walked. “Do you have a place for them too?”

“We sure do,” Dan replied. “We already have some livestock, thanks to Hannibal. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to have a few more. Having some animals we can care for has helped to vary what we’re doing. It also helps us to deal with the isolation.”

“I know what you mean,” Paul murmured. “Our animals are a blessing to us too. It seems your visit is well timed in that manner too. In the last day or two, we’ve gathered our cattle, horses, sheep, and goats out of the pastures into our feed lots at the barn so we can sort them for market.”

“Hmpt,” Dan grunted, “That’s indeed good timing. The Lord knew we were going to need to bring them along so He had you bring them in out of the pastures. Why don’t you take charge of moving the livestock, Chris?”

“Sure,” Chris replied. “Just point me in the direction of your barn, Brother Paul, and I’ll get right on it.”

Just then, one of the brothers ran by and Paul called to him, “Jonah, take Chris here to the barn so the livestock can be moved. Get whatever help you need.”

“How many of the animals are we bringing?” Jonah asked.

“All of them,” Paul stated.

“But how will we move them from the barn to the tabernacle?” Jonah asked.

“It’s not necessary to move them to the tabernacle,” Dan stated. “We can move the portal to wherever it needs to be. Chris will help you with that, okay?”

“Oh, okay,” Jonah replied, stunned at the revelation. “Make sure someone gets my things, okay?”

“We’ll be sure to get your things, Jonah,” Paul said, patting Jonah on the shoulder. “Now hop to it. The clock is ticking.”

Jonah nodded, saying, “Yes, sir.” He sprinted away.

Chris sprinted after him saying, “Hey, wait up.”

Paul and Dan moved on, heading to Paul’s little radio studio. As they reached the studio, Dan said with some regret and sadness, “I’m really sorry things had to happen like this.”

Paul opened the door and led him in the building saying, “Don’t fret over it. This is the Lord’s doing. Just remember, the Lord gives and He takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Dan nodded, replying, “I know. We monitor many things from the Temple and on many occasions, we’re powerless to do anything about it. However, in some cases, we can do something. This is one of them. I’m sure this is exactly what Hannibal would have done.”

Paul handed Dan some papers, tapes, CDs, DVDs, and several flash drives in a box. The computer was sending repeats of the old broadcast over the air. Paul then sat down at the microphone and turned it on. He flipped a switch and the on-air light came on. “This is Brother Paul Randall live and on the air. I’m here at six-thirty in the evening on Tuesday, July twenty-ninth to share this sobering warning from the Lord with the world. We here at this community are peace-loving people who love our God. We came out of the world to this place to worship our God in spirit and in truth. We have always been good neighbors to everyone around us. All we ever wanted was to be left alone to worship our God in peace.

“From this microphone, I have cried out against sin in the Lord’s people. I have shouted from the housetops the corruption within the church. I have stood firm on the side of the Lord and told the world what He says and have spoken the truth at all times. Now, it has come to my attention that the powers that be are moving to shut this broadcast off at the source. They’re coming as I speak to kill me and everyone here on these grounds in a Waco-style massacre. This will be the final act of this wicked beast government. With this final act, their cup will be full to overflowing and the Lord will have all the reason He needs to pour out his wrath and fury upon this wicked nation.

“This message goes out to all within range of this broadcast. Prepare yourselves for the annihilation of this nation. The terrible meteor storm was just the beginning. Destruction will come on this nation from all directions: from the north, south, east, and west. It will fall from the sky and will boil up out of the ground. This nation will be turned into a fiery hell from which there’s no escape. Those of you who are still in the cities, this is absolutely your last chance. Leave them now or be consumed in the iniquity of those cities. Leave now. Flee as Lot did from Sodom at the urging of the angels who came to destroy it. To the saints who are already in the place where the Lord has put you, do not leave your place. Stand still and see the salvation of our God.

“Brothers and sister across this nation and around the world, this broadcast will be here as long as the Lord deems it necessary. They may try to silence me, but the Lord will always find a way for His voice to be heard. Pray for us here and that the Lord may somehow keep this broadcast on the air despite the actions of the enemy. I haven’t much time left but there are a couple of people I want all of you to pray for: Hannibal and Selina Smith. Pray for these two precious saints who are in great peril. They’re involved in something that will affect the entire planet. Pray for these two precious warriors of the Lord that they may be kept safe and succeed in the task the Lord has placed upon their shoulders. If the Lord wills, I will talk about what they’re doing on the air in a day or so. It’s something that will shock and astound you. It will shake you to your very core and challenge your very perceptions of reality.

“Remember, pray for them, Hannibal and Selina Smith. Furthermore, remember us, and the broadcast. May the Lord have mercy upon us all. This is Brother Paul Randall broadcasting live, twenty-four hours a day on short-wave, satellite, the internet, and on many powerful radio stations around the na....” A loud hiss and crackle came out of the speakers as the transmitter suddenly shorted out from a powerful jamming beam. Sparks jumped from the microphone and transmitter apparatus as they exploded, making Paul and Dan jump back.

“Damn,” Dan swore. “They hit your transmitter with a targeted EMP beam to shut you up.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Paul said, sighing. “They only took out our uplink transmitter and internet hookup. All of my important stuff is on shielded computers without any contact with the internet. That’s what the flash drives are for. The Lord told me not to keep anything important on the network computers...just the software for the hookups. In fact, I had just purged the network computers of all incoming info just before Gabriel came to me.”

“That was good thinking again,” Dan admitted. “But I think we should take all your computers just to be safe.”

“We can do that,” Paul agreed.

Just then, several brothers barged into the radio room. “This is for real, isn’t it?” one of them asked fearfully as Paul started emptying filing cabinets filled with Archives of his broadcast.

“Yes, it is, Ted. This is as real as it gets,” Paul answered as he started to pack up his stuff in a bag. “The war has started and it’s starting right here. We have to get the radio room cleared, including all the computers. All the files of those who send money need to be either taken or destroyed. The books need to come and anything else you all think we need. Come on, let’s hop to it. We don’t have much time.” Ted and the other brothers swung into action. In a matter of minutes, the radio room was stripped of anything and everything important.

An hour and fifteen minutes later, everyone had gathered in the tabernacle where Paul, his wife and two children, and Dan were waiting. Their major belongings had already been sent through. Dan’s help had already taken most of the people’s things through, leaving them only with personal items such as clothes, etc.... The help stood there with them, mingling as Gus ran through the portal to Dan, saying, “Time’s running out. The choppers will be here in fifteen minutes.”

Dan nodded and Gus ran back through the portal as Dan asked, “Do you have everything you wanted to bring? Think hard because when we leave here, there will be no coming back.” He looked over the crowd and they indicated everything was gotten that they wanted to bring. Looking over at Paul, he said, “I think you should lead them through, Brother Paul. It’s only proper you do it. We will make sure everyone gets through safely.”

“All right people. The Jordan is before us. Let’s go. The Promised Land awaits us,” Paul said boldly as he, his wife, and children moved toward the portal.

Dan saw fear in some of the people and said confidently, “Do not fear the portal. It won’t hurt you. It’s like stepping between two rooms.” Some of their fear dissipated as Paul stepped through the portal. Slowly, the people went through...pushed and urged on by those who had come from the Temple to help. As they moved through, Dan sent out several men to check to make sure everyone was there. It took fifteen minutes for the whole group to conquer their fear, and move through the portal, leaving Dan and Chris waiting on those who were doing the last recon of the grounds.

“Did you get all the livestock through safely, Chris?” Dan asked while they waited.

“Yes,” Chris replied. “I brought in our livestock handlers to help them get the animals moved. Strangely enough, the animals went through without any trouble as if they wanted to go. It’s like they knew something bad was coming and wanted to get away from it. We didn’t have to do hardly anything to get them moving. I felt kind of like Noah when the animals came into the ark.”

Dan chuckled. “That is strange,” he agreed. “Maybe the Lord told the animals to go through the portal. If that’s the case, then bringing them to the Temple was the right call.”

“It seems so,” Chris murmured, watching for the recon team with growing apprehension. “I wish they’d hurry up. I don’t want to be here when Boris shows up.”

“Me neither,” Dan chimed.

For five more minutes, they waited with some apprehension for the recon team. The building began to rumble with the approach of the helicopters. Explosions echoed from outside with shouts as the helicopters came in and hovered, dropping off soldiers and strafing the recon team who had found a child of five years and an old woman. They burst into the tabernacle and barred the door with some chairs.

“They’re here!” one of the team called out urgently while barring the door. The child was crying hysterically as team members carried him and the old woman. The seven members of the team rushed for the portal and got through as the front doors exploded. Black-suited and masked soldiers in full tactical gear poured through with submachine guns and laser sights ready to kill. Dan pushed Chris through the portal as the leader of the invaders saw Dan standing there with a smile on his face. “Too late, Boris; missed again! Catch us if you can, mother fucker,” Dan taunted, flashing a middle finger salute as he dove through the portal.

The commander’s face contorted with rage and he opened fire while Dan dove through the portal. The moment Dan cleared the portal, it snapped shut and the spray of bullets riddled the wall behind where the portal had been, shattering a window that was there. “Cease fire!” the commander shouted after the portal vanished. The soldiers ceased fire and the commander went to where the portal had been and looked closely for anything that he could use to track them. He found nothing as more soldiers poured into the tabernacle. “Shit!” he cursed. “How did they know we were coming and how did Beowulf’s people get involved?”

“Sir, the compound is deserted and everything that could have been of use to us has either been taken or burned,” one of the soldiers reported.

The commander didn’t take the news well. He opened fire on the podium, destroying it as he bellowed with rage. “Zeus is not going to like this!” he growled after destroying the podium. “Burn it, all of it! Don’t leave anything intact. Turn this place into a hell! Now go, sergeant!” The order dismayed the sergeant, seeing a waste of time and material in the order, but went to execute the order anyhow. The commander looked around at the soldiers around him and shouted, “That goes for the rest of you! Move it!”

The commander walked out of the tabernacle as his troops set it ablaze, pulling out a phone as he did. Pressing a button, he put the phone to his ear and said, “Sir, we missed them. Someone tipped them off and it gets worse. Beowulf and his renegades were involved.” He paused for a moment and said, “I know so, sir. I saw the portal myself, and that traitorous Dan Zubriar. He was waiting for us and seemed to take great pleasure in telling us that we had missed again.” After another pause, he said, “No, sir, he escaped through the portal and it shut before we could reach it... No, sir...they apparently got everyone and all the records too.... Yes, sir, I have done it. The official report will be that Brother Paul was another Jim Jones, another David Koresh.... Yes, sir, they all died in the fire. No, sir, we can make it look like they did it...yes, sir.” He closed the phone, and walked to one of the waiting helicopters, demanding the radio. The pilot gave him the headset as he sat in the front seat. After putting it on, he said into the radio, “This is strike leader, operation Chimera people. You have fifteen minutes, now go!” He sat back as the Suburbans showed up. They pulled up and thirty soldiers poured out of them and dispersed over the property, planting evidence and bodies while setting fires. In ten minutes, the whole farm was ablaze and they were gone.

The local officials showed up a few minutes later with police, fire, and ambulance services to put out the fires and arrest anyone who was there. After some six hours of firefighting and searching, they found seventy bodies in the dining hall burned beyond recognition. They also found hundreds of guns and evidence of all kinds of explosive devices planted around the farm, some of which were booby-trapped. By that time, the FBI took charge of the cleanup and investigation. Partially burned plans of terrorist attacks and targets were found. Everything was a perfect frame-up to prove that Brother Paul and his minions were planning devastating terrorist attacks against the US government in Washington DC.

Many of the people who listened to Brother Paul’s broadcast all over the world heard his last live message and the subsequent killing of the radio uplink by the raid. They prayed and listened closely to the news outlets, which were suddenly swamped with the new Waco-style incident where a cult leader and terrorists had barricaded themselves on their property and incinerated themselves rather than be taken by the government. A jubilant cry went up across America for the loss of the prophet who had been such a thorn in their side. Only the Lord’s remnant grieved at the news and prayed. The mainstream media blasted the propaganda reports all over the airwaves and in cyberspace: Jim Jones, David Koresh, Osama Bin Laden stand aside. Make room for Brother Paul Randall: false prophet, fanatic, domestic terrorist, and butcher. The spin-doctors demonized him from the moment the news of the raid hit the air. However, the more they did, the more determined the Lord’s remnant became around the world not to believe it.

While the fires raged and the frame-up was going on at the farm, Dan and the people at the Temple helped Brother Paul and his congregation to settle in. Dan laid down some basic ground rules as to where they could and could not go. Most of the people got a tour of the most frequented areas of the Temple. Only a select group consisting of Brother Paul and what would be considered his inner circle were shown the more critical areas, like the heart of the Temple where its power was generated. As soon as everyone was settled in and knew where everything was, Dan and the research team began to enlighten Brother Paul and his people about Hannibal, Selina and their mission to Amacia. Pictures and holograms were utilized in the education process. Brother Paul’s people very quickly realized what he was trying to tell them the day their world turned upside down was true. Many gasped in amazement when they first saw holograms of Selina and her father, Nathanael. Many were overwhelmed when they finally realized that they were truly from another planet and exactly how beautiful their home system was. However, they were quick to adapt to their new surroundings and melded in flawlessly with the research team. All of this took nearly a week to accomplish.

In the midst of this education process, Paul pulled Dan aside and asked him to elaborate on Hannibal’s mutation in private. They found a secluded area inside the Library’s second level where Dan explained the incident in detail, including his strange visitation with Gabriel to Hanna’s cell. Paul marveled at what Dan reported. “That explains a lot,” Paul stated. “I never would’ve believed something like that could happen, but it did. Gabriel told me this mutation was Hannibal’s Gethsemane and now I know it for sure. My mind still has trouble comprehending something so heinously diabolical could be perpetrated on Hannibal...oh, I mean Hanna. I’ll pray unceasingly that the Lord reverses what He allowed that demon to do to Hannibal.”

“So do I,” Dan replied. “It’s beyond my rational capacity to comprehend the horror Hannibal endured by being mutated into Hanna, especially when I saw her chained in that dungeon without hardly anything on. It makes my skin crawl to think it something like that could happen. I really hope she survived the Arena.”

“Me too,” Brother Paul agreed. “But I’m sure the Lord will preserve her. Thanks for telling me everything. It shows me how important it is that we pray for them and everyone they’re helping.”

“Amen,” Dan chimed.

As soon as Paul received a complete understanding of what Hannibal and Selina were doing, he was back on the air, broadcasting to the entire world from the Temple. He made contact with the short-wave stations that he was transmitting from as well as the satellite and internet providers and assured them what was being said about him wasn’t true. He told them what had happened and pointed to his last transmission before being cut off as the proof. They were appalled by the deception of the government and gave him even more airtime in response for no extra cost, enabling him to blanket the world as he had never been able to before. The moment he went back on the air, he began to denounce the US government vehemently and promised that the Almighty, not him, would bring about their downfall. He told them bluntly that the Russians and Chinese were coming to sack the country in the very near future.

Paul also began to speak of what Hannibal and Selina were doing and directed the saints around the world to pray diligently for them. However, he kept back Hannibal’s mutation, not feeling the Lord’s prompting to release that information yet. He told the world of the fantastic technologies the ancients had and told of his exposure to those technologies. Above all, he warned of the imminent danger that Amacia and the Emperor posed to the world. The sheer volume of what Paul had to tell was staggering and took several days to tell. The more he told, the more aggravated the powers that be got. One by one, they cut off his network, threatening them with criminal penalties and death if they continued to air his broadcast. They jammed any signal with his voice on it. Some were cowered while others were not. Those that didn’t succumb to their bullying were shut down completely and everyone working for that station arrested under a charge of treason. Yet, Paul continued to shout the warnings from the housetops like the Lord had told him, undeterred by the loss of the stations because the Temple of Tiamat had the power to do it without any of the stations or internet links. It could literally reach every electronic device on the planet.

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