SWORD AND SICKLE

PART TWO: DECEPTION

CHAPTER EIGHT

DAUGHTER OF SATAN, part 2

©2017, Olan L. Smith

"Who is your real father?"

"He told me his name was Beelzebub. I used to call him Bellzie until I learned to talk. Then he made me say his name, right?"

"That is just your imagination, Six."

"Oh no. He is the one who wrote my name on my head. I talk to him every day, and he gives me a big hug and a kiss. He is the one who helped me find you."

Henry looked back in the rearview mirror and watched Six as she returned to her mantra. He could have sworn he saw her eyes turn red. He wondered just who or what they had found, or rather, who had found him. Soon they arrived at the General's office and were left in the car. He walked up to his secretary, Captain Burgess, and said, "I need to see the general immediately."

"I am sorry, Captain. He is booked for today. Can you return tomorrow?"

"This is urgent. Tell him I have a diamond in the rough."

The Captain pressed the intercom, buzzed the General, and said, "Sir, there is a Captain Steel here who insists on seeing you."

General Abrams replied, "Did you tell him that I am busy?"

"Yes, sir, but he said to tell you... uh, he has a diamond in the rough?"

―――――

Abrams sat up in his chair and said, "Sergeant, send him in." Abrams pressed line one and said, "General, I will have to call you back. Something has come up. He hung up the phone just as Captain Henry Steel entered the office. "Have a seat, Captain, and tell me what you have found." Abrams thought only a very few people knew the password for the parapsychology project to find the most gifted paranormal children. The Army wanted to test their abilities for military use. For culpability reasons, even the sitting president would remain uninformed, and so far, the program has produced very little results; perhaps his luck has changed.

"Sir, I have an abandoned American-Asian girl who I found wandering in the desert as my wife and I were driving home today. She shows great potential for the project."

"What can she do?"

"Sir, she can read minds. She knows my birth town and could read my wife's mind when she thought of her age."

What age is the girl, Captain?"

"We believe she is eight."

"What is her name?"

"Six-Six-Six."

"What kind of name is that for a child?"

"It is tattooed on her forehead, sir. She said her real father gave her that name."

"Who is her real father, Captain?"

"She told us that her real father appears in her head while she meditates. She calls him Beelzebub. Oh, when I asked about her family, she said they were all dead. I asked her how they died, and she told us that after a few years around her, everyone gets old and dies. She told an MP that he would die."

"What do the MPs know about her?"

"They think she doesn't understand aging and told us to take her to the local authorities. They didn't even write it up. It wasn't until we were on the way that she revealed her abilities to read minds."

"Good Captain. Bring her in."

"Sir, she says she will not stay with you unless you inform us about her health. It seems I have grown on her."

"That, of course, will be impossible, Captain. But I am sure I can persuade her to stay with me." The general walked out of his office and told his secretary, Captain Daniels, to take the rest of the day off.

"Yes, sir, right away, sir."

When Daniels had left the building, he said, "Bring her in, Captain Steel."

Henry walked to the car, opened the door, and said, "Six, come with me, dear." She got out of the car and ran to Henry.

Ebon said, "Can I come along?"

"I am sorry, honey. The general wants to talk to her alone."

Ebon told Six to come to her and hug her. Six ran back to her and gave her a big hug. "You take care of yourself, honey. Are you sure you want to do this?"

Six looked her in the eye and said, "I will be fine. This is where my father wants me." Then she whispered, "I will come to you in your sleep." Ebon looked at her with mixed feelings and wondered what she meant. Six ran ahead of Henry and began to skip as she headed to the door. Henry felt good about his decision to bring her to the General. She was the most gifted person she had come across in his search. He had never found anybody gifted enough to bring to the General, and he had searched for over a year. The funny thing about it is that she found him. As he continued to walk behind her, he suddenly felt a pain in his big toe. It was as though someone had hit it with a ball-peen hammer. He paused, and then he continued to open the door to the building. By the time he opened the door to the general's office, he was limping slightly.

He said, "Captain Steel. Did you hurt your foot?"

"I'm not sure. It just started hurting on the way to the door, sir."

Six looked up to him and said, "I'm sorry, Henry. I must have done it. I will ask my father if he will fix it. I like you."

"That's OK, Six. I will be fine. This is General Abrams, and he has some questions for you. Is that okay?"

"Do you want me to tell you what he is thinking, Henry? I will if you want."

"Six, he is my boss. You can't tell anyone what he is thinking, not even me. You do what he wants, and he'll take good care of you. I have to leave now. Goodbye, Six." She went to the captain as he kneeled, hugged, and kissed him. Then she said, "I am sorry your mother died." He stood and saluted the general, then turned and left. As far as he knew, his mother was doing just fine, but he thought he would give her a ring when he got the chance. As he was walking to the car, he noticed the pain had subsided a great deal. He opened the door of the car, got in, and closed it. He said to Ebon, "I am glad that is over with. That girl is weird, to say the least. You know she told me that my mother died."

"She told me she would visit me in my sleep. That is spooky. Don't you think?"

"Yes, it is. I think I did the right thing. What is your opinion?"

"Well, this is what she seemed to want. What better place could you find than this for a girl whose name is Six-Six-Six and who says her father is Satan? God help her soul."