Tribulation (34 page)

Not today,
though, it seemed. Sam felt a trifle giddy as the helicopter lifted
several hundred feet in the air, giving Sam his first real look at
New York. There still wasn’t much to see: a few buildings with
lights and some fires that had all but burnt out. It wasn’t clear
who was responsible for what. Presumably the invasion forces had
powered up the buildings – Sam couldn’t imagine for a second that
the Resistance would advertise their presence like that. As for the
fires – that could be the work of either side, trying to burn the
other out.

The helicopter
suddenly banked sharply to the south, heading towards Brooklyn. It
was a quick flight. The helicopter flew over Governor’s Island
which was as barren and desolate as every other park he’d seen. It
dipped slightly again and suddenly they were flying over docks
covered with gantry cranes. The docks weren’t empty though. Almost
everyone seemed to contain a ship. Not just any ship though –
warships. Here was the invasion fleet.

The helicopter
came into land, touching down on the helicopter platform of the
largest ship. Sam was no expert but his education had touched on
all military aspects. He was pretty sure this behemoth was at least
a Cruiser, possibly a Battlecruiser. The ships flanking it were
probably Destroyers. Whoever Sam was been taken to see, ranked
highly in the invasion fleet’s hierarchy. Sam suspected he knew
who.

As soon as the
helicopter was down properly, the door was yanked over. Four armed
soldiers dressed in uniforms identical to soldier earlier waited
for him. The one in front gestured for Sam to exit the helicopter
and follow him. Sam obeyed, curious as to where this was leading.
The three other soldiers fell in behind him.

The soldier in
front led him through the ship, twisting and turning through a maze
of grey corridors. They encountered several other soldiers during
the journey, all eyeing Sam with interest as he passed. Sam tried
to ignore their stares.

They came to a
bulkhead door and he was led through. Inside was a spacious office.
Judging from cabinets filled with models and memorabilia, it had
once belonged to the Captain or Admiral. No longer. Behind a desk,
sat someone Sam had not expected. He had been almost certain that
he was being taken to see his brother. He was wrong. It was Sam’s
former friend.

Joshua.

Joshua

“
You belong to your
father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire.
He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for
there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native
language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
John
8:44

T
hank you, Captain,” said Joshua, nodding at the
soldier in front of Sam. “That will be all. I’ll call if I need
you.”

The Captain
appeared uncertain for a moment but eventually saluted and led his
men out of the room, closing the door behind them.

Joshua
indicated the chair in front of his desk. “Take a seat, Sam. We
have much to discuss.”

Warily, Sam did
as he was bid, somewhat confused by all this. Where was his
brother, the Antichrist?

“You probably
have a few questions,” said Joshua. Sam said nothing at first,
content to use the time to examine his former buddy. Joshua had
changed greatly since they’d first met and had aged considerably
even since their relatively recent encounter in Hell. Joshua now
looked at least thirty although they were the same age. He’d always
been a big man but now he appeared to be a little overfed – a bad
sign when most people on Earth were starving. His curly blond locks
were now streaked with grey.

“Why am I
here?” Sam asked. “Why go to the trouble?”

Joshua smiled
easily. Gone was the tense and insecure teenager. Here was a man
grown confident in his abilities. “Because I need you. Just like
you need me. We can help each other, you and I.”

“Help each
other, how?” asked Sam.

“You made a
promise to me once, I recall. A promise to do my bidding when I
asked in exchange for a certain reunion.”

Sam’s breath
caught in his throat. He remembered. His mother. Joshua had
promised to reunite him with his mother. “What do you want me to
do?” Sam said. He had no intention to do whatever his former friend
wanted but he’d play along until he learnt more about his mother.
This was potentially his chance to find her.

“All in good
time.” Joshua stood and moved over to the drinks cabinet. He poured
himself some amber fluid from a crystal decanter. “Would you like
one?” he asked, gesturing at his glass. Sam shook his head. “Back
in Utah, I didn’t drink, obviously,” he continued, walking back
behind his desk and settling himself back in his leather chair.
“Things have changed. For the better, wouldn’t you agree?”

Sam gave Joshua
a ghost of a smile, humoring him. “Why did you do it, Josh? Why did
you betray me?”

There - he
finally said it. The question had been plaguing him for years. He’d
never had the opportunity to ask before but it had been something
he’d gone over in his head countless times.

“Why I sided
with your brother and your father, you mean?”

Sam nodded.
He’d thought the question was obvious.

“I knew you’d
ask this eventually. I imagined this conversation in my head,
wondering what I might say. I confess that I’m tempted not to tell
you, but it’s kinda pointless now. What do you remember about me,
back in Jacob’s Ladder?”

“I remember
that you played quarterback on the High school football team. You
were the nephew of Father Rainey. You were also my friend – were
being the key word here.”

Joshua grinned,
his fleshy checks glistening unhealthily. “Quite right. What do you
remember about my uncle?”

Sam shook his
head. “Not much. He was the local priest. Can’t say I liked him
that much. He was the one that made me walk through hallowed ground
for the first time. I don’t think he approved of what I was. Let’s
just say there wasn’t much love lost between us.”

“Sounds
familiar,” said Josh.

“What do you
mean?” asked Sam, intrigued despite himself.

Josh stood and
began pacing behind his desk. “Father Rainey wasn’t a particularly
forgiving man. Or a very nice one for that matter. After my parents
died, he took me in but I think he resented having to look after
me. Made me read the bible every night and beat me when I didn’t.
No-one ever knew that. Called me a godless fool because my parents
hadn’t believed. Used to tease me and say that my parents were in
Hell. Hardly spoke to me other than that. One of the reasons I
joined the football team was to get out of the house.”

“Why are you
telling me this?” asked Sam.

“I want you to
understand,” said Joshua, “understand that you and I are
alike.”

“We are nothing
alike,” sneered Sam.

“I beg to
differ. We both lost our parents. We both were tormented by others
because of who we were. I think you and I are kindred spirits.”

“So why betray
me?”

“Your brother
came to me and explained everything. Suddenly, I knew who I was and
knew what I had to do. He said that you belonged in Hell with your
family. It made sense to me. You are part demon after all. He said
that my parents were there too and if I helped him, I could see
them again. In hindsight, he oversold Hell a little but that
doesn’t matter now. He was very…persuasive.”

“But you sold
out the rest of humanity, too.”

“I would argue
that. I think humanity is weak. If the rest of the population had
been through what I’ve been through, it would’ve straightened them
out. You can get used to Hell after a while. I did and it taught me
a great deal. Powers I thought I would never possess. Never again
will I have to do the bidding of another human. What’s more, my
parents were granted certain concessions. They may still be in
Hell, but they certainly aren’t suffering. I made sure of that. “Do
you know who I am now?” he asked.

“Joshua,”
replied Sam.

Joshua laughed.
“Certainly. That was the boy I was. Not the man I am today. I am
something altogether different today. Thanks to my time in Hell.
Tell me, what do you know about the False Prophet?”

“Of course,”
said Sam, understanding starting to dawn on him.

“Well, it’s a
bit of a misnomer really. I don’t think ‘false’ is the right word,
really. Just ‘Prophet’ sounds about right. That’s what everyone
around here calls me, anyway.”

“So, you’re the
False Prophet then?” asked Sam.

It wasn’t
really a question. He’d kind of suspected that Joshua still had a
part to play in all this when they’d encountered each other in
Hell. Joshua clearly had not been idle during the years he was
trapped there – amassing power, preparing for his return to Earth.
The Prophet was a logical choice, a spiritual leader recruited by
the Antichrist as his partner in crime. Supposedly able to perform
miracles. Well, Sam reflected – it seemed like he’d performed a few
already. Being able to spirit Sam away from the Resistance was
nothing short of miraculous.

Joshua’s face
tightened at the word false. Sam stored this information away for
future use. It would not be hard to antagonize his old friend.

“I am the
Prophet, yes. Appointed by your own brother as reward for my
earlier service. My powers too, have grown with my new status.
Enough to fool those idiots in Europe in any case. The rumors are
that I can perform miracles – some might call it magic. Watch
this!” He gestured with one hand, a circular motion. Suddenly, his
drinks glass – half empty – was suddenly full again. Joshua laughed
gleefully. “Believe me, that’s the least of what I can do.”

“Very
impressive,” sneered Sam. “Still doesn’t tell me why you brought me
here.”

Joshua inclined
his head. “I want you to do something for me. Something you
probably wouldn’t have done in any case. I’m just giving you a
little more incentive.”

“What?”
demanded Sam impatiently. Joshua seemed to have developed some
dramatic notions. Would he ever just get to the point?

“Kill your
brother, of course. Properly this time. And then disappear and stay
out of my way. That’s the crucial bit – I don’t want you hanging
around, interfering and basically making a nuisance of yourself.
You’ll find him in the Chrysler building, around the 32nd floor.
There’s a platform with eagles instead of gargoyles – I’m surprised
he hasn’t changed them. The room he uses as an office is adjacent
to that and an airborne assault is the only one that will work. The
base of the building is surrounded by hundreds of Horned demons. In
exchange, I’ll free your mother from Hell.”

It made sense.
With the Antichrist out of the way, Joshua would be free to rule
unchallenged. Satan might even give his blessing, probably
relishing every moment when his minions turned on each other.

“You realize
this won’t change anything though?” said Sam. “Even if I kill my
brother and you take his place as the Antichrist, your fate has
already been sealed. It has for millenniums. As soon as Christ
returns, you and my brother will be banished to the eternal lake of
fire. Forever.”

“As will you,”
Joshua retorted.

Sam rocked back
on his heels. “Where did you hear that?”

“It doesn’t
matter. Fates can be changed. We don’t have to resign ourselves to
whatever is written in that book. We – you included – can write our
own fates. Decide our own futures. Do you really think I’m going to
allow anyone to put me in an eternal lake of fire forever? Are you
really that stupid?”

Sam was
starting to feel distinctly uneasy. What Joshua was saying seemed
to echo the sentiments of his father. What were they up to? Sam
realized that once again, he was being manipulated. If Joshua and
his father wanted him to kill the Antichrist that meant he should
do the opposite. To foil their plans, he needed to ensure that his
brother lived. It was a quandary. His heart told him his brother
had to die but his head was saying otherwise. He was starting to
get confused, to lose the purity of his purpose. So many factors
were at work here. Who was he meant to believe? Not only that, why
was he bothering at all? The future was already written. In the
Bible. Why not leave all these plotters and schemers to their fates
while he concentrated on protecting the innocent?

But something
was troubling him deeply. A niggling thought was asking him whether
the future was indeed already written. Could it be changed? Was the
Bible right in all respects? If you knew your scripture then why
would you calmly accept your fate when you could put measures in
place to potentially circumvent it? Joshua knew the Bible very well
indeed – how could he not? He had, after all, been brought up by a
priest. Perhaps they knew something he didn’t. If so, that meant
that Sam’s own fate was not written in stone either. The flip side
of that was that he wasn’t necessarily destined to join the others
in the eternal lake of fire, so Samyaza’s plan to create an
alternate world – a safe haven – could work. Just thinking that
made Sam feel more positive than he felt in a long time.

These invasion
forces had two leaders: the Antichrist, his brother; and Joshua,
the False Prophet. Even if the future couldn’t be changed - and
that was a big if for Sam now - if Sam killed both of them, then
this invasion fleet wouldn’t have any leadership. Without it, the
army would probably fall apart. Surely, that would make life easier
for any surviving humans in the U.S? And wasn’t that the most
important reason? To protect the innocent regardless of whether
their fates were written or not ...

Suddenly, Sam
was resolved. He’d kill both of them – his former best friend and
his brother. Not the cheeriest thought in the world, but there it
was. For the greater good to prevail, he would have to do it.