Radicle (Terminal trilogy #2, can stand alone)

10: Mindless chitchat

 I woke up unsure. I hadn't had a dream in weeks, and I couldn't be sure what that meant. Having no dreams was a good sign. But did that mean Michael was approving of my actions down in Hell? Surely he appreciated the chaos I was creating among the demons, but could he really approve of me gaining unjust attention? Surely he feared for my ego as much as I did?

I had set myself right by mid-morning, however, in between a long shower and the morning news. And by the time Stacy stood at the door, I wore my best smile.

"Goodbye." I said. But Tecie stopped me in the doorway.

"Where are you heading now?"

"The church." I used the time to button up my coat, but after I finished, I felt a bit annoyed she was still standing in my way.

"The cult, you mean. I'm coming too."

"No, Deadchild, you're not." Stacy said. He had a sort of deep, interrupting voice that I thought was sure to change her mind.

"I have to watch out for him." She insisted.

"They're not going to let you come in. Well, okay, they will. But I doubt they'll let you go anywhere near me." I said. "Please don't come. I have a hard enough time thinking up speeches without you staring me down."

"I will be there." She assured. "Even if I don't follow you." I had almost forgotten I had told her where the church was.

"Then stay far away and uninvolved." I said. She looked hurt by my words, but not an angry sort of hurt. A hurt hurt. She backed away from the door, but I had little doubt she would still be coming to church. Even if she was a little late.

Stacy seemed eager to leave, as he always was. I never could be sure what his true emotions were, but they always seemed to be located far from the present. He frowned as he walked, and as he spoke, but he seemed pleased. "We'll be on the news by tonight. Not you, however. Now's the time for you to stop showing your face. Make this talk today, and train the others to do it for you. If you're too present, you'll seem too available and not other-worldly enough."

"I'm not sure how well things will run without me. I mean, their trust in me is the only reason these lowlifes are willing to give so much up. They can see I'm an angel. So they have no doubts in doing what I ask."

"That's true for a small scale organization. But now's the time where you really have to become more than that. These people- and trust me, few are lowlifes- need someone to believe in. Not someone they know is there. You have to become an icon, a closed door, and an elusive voice. Talk to them, sure, but talk to a select few more. Pick favorites. Make them compete for your love."

"Frankly, I'm not sure I-"

"Don't fret about saying you can't do things. Just do them already and stop fucking whining so much." He patted me on the back roughly, but he meant well. "Do well and this church will automate itself. People in Hell are desperate. We all want something to believe in, and we're all stuck in this odd place of supernatural and reality. Is God real? If so, why do we have to be the Devil? If not, what are the angels doing? It's a fucking mess no matter what you want to believe in. And we just have to seize it."

"There are only a hundred or so members though. How big is Hell? How many do you think can really join before the populace becomes uncomfortable enough to react? I've been having them live fairly deprived already; I don't think a thousand could survive like this in the same way a hundred can."

"You'd be surprised. You just have train them first, sure, and you're never going to get everyone in Hell. But you don't need everyone. Consider this: ten people may spend funds for whatever they wish to invest in, but they have other bills to worry about, as well as their future. One person fully devoted to you will give up everything for the church- their wealth, labor and vote. By the time there's a thousand people truly devote to the church, we'll be golden."

"Do you even vote for things in Hell?"

"Rarely. Which is one good reason you have me on your side." He thought for a moment. "Or really, I'm the one who has you on my side."

"At what point will I be done working for you?"

"When all this is done. And then you still owe me another favor. Though don't think this is all a pure gain situation for me- you're the one building a following, after all, and I'm sure it's doing wonders for your ego."

"I don't want an ego though." Ego was a sin, after all, and no matter how much I seemed to be hovering in a grey area, I wasn't about to commit to sin.

"Who says? Society? Society can't dictate shit. When I was a young girl-" He had to stop here as he noticed my look of confusion. "I've always been a man, but I was a girl first. But people gave me all sorts of shit for everything I did and who I was. After all that, I don't think one of them would have been surprised if they had known I had sold my soul. But hey, look at me now! Hundred years old, living exactly the same and ruling the fucking world. Don't let anyone but you dictate your life. Take your fucking ego by the throat and never let it go."

I didn't think I had an ego to grab in the first place. But I was starting to look up to Stacy in the simple way that he seemed to be looking down on me. He was so different and repulsive in his excess that I couldn't help but admire him. It must have been the confidence.

We reached the church, and a few people were already there. I had a sort of wide-brim hat on in an attempt to hide my identity, as well as dark glasses. Before he left me, Stacy once again hit me on the back in a friendly manner. "Make them paranoid. They're going to love you."

I thanked him and entered in the back way. I didn't get a chance to look at who was gathered, as the moment I stepped through the door Lilith rushed me.

"We have at least two hundred people cramped into the main hall of the living building. We had to split the group in half, in fact, and the other half is in the main room of the base. You're going to have to do this twice."

I was feeling pretty optimistic about the whole affair, and getting two chances only served to make me feel more positive. "I want some of the most loyal followers to join me as well. Sit in the crowd. Act as good examples."

"Any suggestions? It might take a moment together them all..."

"Oh, it can be anyone at all. But be sure to tell them that I- no, that Heaven has chosen them for this task."

I could see Lilith pause in the doorway as she turned to leave. I had always had the feeling she was fairly smart, and certainly as the previous leader of the cult, had some sense that the church was nothing more than an elaborate scheme. But then I recalled how stunned she always was to touch my wings, and I figured that even as a leader, she had long been a follower.

"You, of course, are included in the chosen." I promised. "I thought that went without saying." I wasn't sure if it helped, and she kept walking.