THE SWORD AND SICKLE

PART TWO

CHAPTER ELEVEN 

STATE OF THE UNION

"Eventually, we will overcome; one battle at a time, my little brother, one battle at a time."

General Abrams was surprised by the announcement, and even more surprised that she would have him release the Two. He had hoped that he could use the failsafe from a safe distance. Now, he would have to wait until some other time, or if the President asked them up beside her, he could kill three birds with one button, and hopefully, he would not make four. He walked over to the gift-wrapped carrier and began to open it when the President said, "General Abrams, would you like to tell the audience about your project before you present it, to ease the audience's anticipation?"

"Madam President, I think it best just to reveal them to the world and have you explain their existence." Abrams pulled the rope, which allowed the wrapping to drop to the floor. He unlocked the door to the carrier and opened it. At first, only darkness greeted the audience. Then, with his urging, the two walked out of the carrier and stretched their wings. The viewers were awestruck, and a loud murmur filled the chambers. Abrams said, "Go to the President's side." They did as instructed, and Six stood on the President's right side and Victor on the left; he returned to his seat.

Claire gaveled the people to order, so she could speak. After about three minutes, everybody calmed down. Alinda, speaking through Claire, said, "This is project 666. Six, to my right, was found walking along a desert highway in nineteen sixty-eight, by then Colonel Henry Steel and his wife, Ebon. At the time, Six was a little girl, with one exception; she showed great potential in the area of telepathy and telekinesis. Her parents had passed away, and General Abrams adopted her as part of his project. She looked like a normal human with one exception, and that was the marking on her forehead of the numerals six-six-six. We had long been secretly working with people who showed they were gifted. The program started during the 1960s and was then scaled back, and when Six was discovered, it ramped back up. Soon, Victor came along, and the program went into full drive. The project is very top-secret, and not until recently was the White House informed of it."

FBI Director Morgan said to himself, "I was not informed," and he was startled by what he saw. The beings he saw were fierce-looking, yet strangely beautiful. They seemed partly human and partly dragon.

The numerals 666, however, alarmed him greatly. Their coloring was beautiful, and their claws were very deadly-looking. When they first emerged from the box, he could hear the crowd take a collective sigh. Most, like him, expected a device, not creatures. Some felt terror, others were intrigued, and still others felt a sickening feeling of impending doom. He could tell this from both the sound they made and by their looks on their faces. He did not pay much attention to what the President was saying. However, it went against his training not to keep an eye on the crowd, but his mind and his eyes focused on the Two. It was as though he was in a trance when he saw Casteel and Bastion standing in front of him and urging him to follow them.

At first, he could not respond; his legs would not move, and words would not form in his mind. Then they said, "Follow us, you too, Chief Alderman. Neither of them answered. Again, they spoke, "Hurry, follow us. Your lives depend on it!"

Chief Alderman asked, "Why? We haven't heard from you in almost a year."

Santos said, "If you do not, you will die in a matter of sixty seconds." They both got up to leave. Morgan asked Abrams, who had returned to his seat, if he would excuse him as he passed in front. Abrams did not respond. He just held on to a red-looking device, much like a remote control for a TV set. They followed the two agents out of the building. When they got to the front steps of the Capitol, they stopped and asked what was going on.

Reuben responded, "Listen and you will soon hear."

Abrams listened to every word that McDowell had said. He heard her say, "...at this moment the country is a capitalist dictatorship, and I have eliminated freedom of the press, and in the future only one central press will exist...my press. The Internet, newspapers, and television will be under strict censorship. I am the Supreme Dictator, and anyone who opposes me will be executed on site. I dismiss this Congress, and military rule is officially implemented throughout The Land. I now appoint Victor and Six as our Supreme Generals until further notice. They will judge all disputes and quell all rebellions for the better interest of this nation. When things have returned to normal, I will restore the Constitution, and military rule will end. I expect this to take about three years. If I die of natural causes, then Victor and Six will replace me as rulers until such time as they deem the nation can stand on its own. For any adult to barter or do business, they must bear the marks of the Two. On the back of your hands or your foreheads, and you must have the numerals 666 tattooed with their signatures underneath it, for verification that it is legitimate. I will send agents to all cities to see that this is implemented immediately. Within three months, any person over the age of twelve must have the mark. Those who do not have the mark will be hunted down and killed."

Abrams had heard enough. He raised his hand and pushed the button and a loud explosion echo through the chambers. Many scattered and others ran out of the building. Homeland Security, the Secret Service and FBI agents ran to the front of the chamber where the explosion occurred.