Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 130317 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 652(@200wpm)___ 521(@250wpm)___ 434(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 130317 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 652(@200wpm)___ 521(@250wpm)___ 434(@300wpm)
No sense bringing up the past. Just get through this—that’s all we have to do, she told herself. Don’t think about the “Judgment” part—think about after when we can get out of here.
When they got to the stage, Brother Jonash motioned for them to climb the steps.
“What—you want us up there?” Sev didn’t look too happy at the prospect. Her partner wouldn’t have made much of a thespian, Mia thought—he was too straightforward. Come to think of it, she’d never yearned for the spotlight either—which was exactly what they were going to get since a bright light was directed at the center of the small, wooden stage.
“You must ascend for the Ceremony of Induction,” Brother Jonash hissed at them. “Go on—get up there!”
Unwillingly, Mia thought, Sev ascended the stairs and what choice did she have but to follow him? Brother Jonash went to take a seat in the “audience” with the remaining twelve Elders where he immediately became indistinguishable from the other robed and hooded figures. She and Sev stood there at center stage with the light shining in their eyes, blinking and wincing and feeling put horribly on the spot. She wondered when the damn Induction Ceremony was going to start, anyway?
There was some rustling and murmuring and then a new voice—deeper and stronger than Brother Jonash—began to speak.
“Brother Severith and Sister Mia, the Council of Elders would like to welcome you to the Dome of the Peaceful People of the Prophet,” the voice said. “Please be aware that this particular Judgment Session will consist of three parts—the Induction Ceremony, a visual review of your recent actions, and then a brief, two-part training. Do you understand?”
“We understand,” Sev growled, though he certainly didn’t sound very happy about it.
“And now, a word from our Prophet. If you would please turn your attention to the screen behind you,” the voice directed.
The light shining on them dimmed and they turned to see that a flat, white screen was mounted on the back wall of the stage. It was blank for a moment and then the face of the Prophet appeared. He looked handsome and urbane with his thick silver hair and impeccably groomed beard. Just as he had in the PPP ad they’d watched on the Outernet, he had a shiny object which he wore around his neck on a chain.
Mia couldn’t see what it was, no matter how hard she stared at it, but the harder she stared, the more she wanted to stare. In fact, she barely heard the words the Prophet—no, Chud Brumpkin, that’s his real name, whispered a voice in her head—was saying. It was something about welcoming them both to their new life and how very pleased he was to have them as new members in the PPP.
One phrase that he said did stand out, however.
“As you know, we fund our wonderful organization through the tithes and offerings of members like you,” the Prophet said. “A mere fifty percent tithe of all you have is all we ask, so that you can live here in the Dome with us. Later, of course, you may wish to give more. In fact, many of our members have donated their entire life’s savings to the PPP and we welcome such generosity.”
“What?” Mia heard Sev mutter incredulously beside her but if he said anything else, it was drowned out by the Prophet’s parting words.
“Thank you again and welcome to the Peaceful People of the Prophet,” he said, giving them a blindingly white smile from the screen. “May the Universe bless you.”
The screen went dark and they turned again to see the Elders still sitting in the audience seats.
“Thank you for watching—welcome to the PPP,” the deep-voiced Elder said. “Your Induction Ceremony is now concluded and the two of you are official members of the PPP family.”
“Wait—that was it? That was the whole ceremony?” Sev asked, frowning.
“That was the ceremony,” the Elder confirmed. “And now we can commence with the visual review. If you’d turn your attention back to the screen—”
“I’m not done yet,” Sev growled. “You’re proposing to take fifty percent of everything we own just so we can stay here?”
“Indeed—a fifty percent tithe is customary. In fact, it’s implicitly agreed upon—your act of landing here and undergoing the Induction Ceremony constitutes a legally binding contract to give at least half your worldly wealth to the PPP organization,” the Elder informed them.
Mia suddenly understood why they’d decided to do the Induction Ceremony first. She remembered uneasily that the cover stories Commander Sylvan had concocted for her and Sev made the two of them appear to be extremely wealthy individuals. But would the PPP actually be able to withdraw half the wealth that the two of them were supposed to have? What would happen if they couldn’t?
Their past was purely fictional, after all—she and her partner didn’t really have millions of credits to their names. She really hoped it took a while for them to figure that out—at least long enough for her and Sev to expose them.