Molly - Part 4

Chapter 34

The war of the christians would be long and terrible, as before. Bobby was prepared for this; he had been imbued by the light of the mainframe and would not falter.

"There," seethed Frank. "See it?"

Bobby shifted his globulous eyes. Moving the avatar. Each function secondary to the actual motion he might have used before. A copy of a copy.

Amelia's men. Bobby King lit up, flame smoldering in his heart. He moved past his own vagrant christians and came a little closer, using the death of the station to his advantage. New rubble to hide behind.

They were still well armed, it seemed. Bobby wished then as he had wished a hundred times before that it was easier, but God worked in mysterious ways.

Eventually Frank and the others made it over. That ragged band.

"Well?" Frank asked. "Is this happening or not?"

"Patience."

Then: a change, something Bobby King hadn't foreseen. Rare enough, but during this time of upheaval change was paramount.

They seemed almost like revolutionaries. They were waiting in rafters, behind rubble--again like those who wore the red. And as Amelia's christians came forth--striding as if they owned the place--Bobby realized that this new faction might be as dangerous as any other.

The lasers came first, sundering most. One of Amelia's tried to get a charge from a slither off but the light only hit the side of a disposed hovercar. The explosion rocked the space but the rebel christians didn't seem to care, and in fact seemed to enjoy death, one of them closing her eyes, falling to her knees and pressing her forehead against the ground as her body was consumed by fire. A sacred act, Bobby knew.

All in all the battle came and went quickly. Bobby shifted, wondering who to place his bets on.

"Who are they?" Frank whispered.

"Something new, though built on my foundations." Bobby sighed. "They will run out of recruits--don't worry. They call themselves pure before because they are not tainted by the world, but Frankie?"

Bobby grinned.

"We're all a little fucked."

Frank's teeth flashed and all at once the vagrants could feel the change. Watching the new christians pick the bones off the angels of the station, Bobby wondered if perhaps he had too much power and that these sort of decisions should be made by God.

"God speaks through me," Bobby announced. "Kill them. They think they're so great because they've found religion, but they chose the wrong side."

Bobby reared up.

"Let's show 'em how it's done!"

The night was long and terrible. Now all knew the path forth, as Bobby King did.

***

After it was over they put the bodies in a pit and moved on.

"Kind of pathetic," Frank said, tossing the last corpse. The body falling to the wayside. "They barely have ammo. Anything."

"They seek to be like their false apostle, but we will show them the way."

Frank dusted off his hands then helped lift boxes to and from the new killzone. They'd already posted patrols and lookouts. All of it very efficient, all of it led by Bobby King.

"Bring me one of them."

A girl, probably no older than twenty. Good enough form but Bobby could see in her eyes that she was already won over by this new dead sect.