THE SWORD AND SICKLE

CHAPTER TWO: THE POPE

THE SWORD AND SICKLE

PART TWO

CHAPTER TWO

THE POPE

"Your Holiness. The United States is in crisis, as is the world. The President is gravely ill, and Levi Jackson, leader of a cult called the Sons and Daughters of Levi, assassinated Dianne Menisci, the Leader of the House of Representatives, while she was in the Oval Office attending to business. We believe the President's illness was an attempt on his life, and he has turned his power over to the Vice-President Smithson."

His Holiness reached out his hand, clasped the Secretaries', and said, "I will pray for your President and the soul of Dianne Menisci; however, this you could have done by phone or carrier. Surely, there is more to your story."

"Yes, there is much more, and it is very disturbing. Thirty-five hours ago, or so, an object in space sped toward Earth; however, it slowed and allowed itself to be captured by Jupiter's gravitation field, and now is parked in orbit. Currently, it is still there, and our spacecraft, Galileo, has been positioned to pass within a hundred miles so that it can send us images of the object. When the object slowed, it sent a telepathic message to all the Earth, which stated, 'Worry not, my children, for I am coming soon; it is time to awaken from your slumber.' When the National Security Council met, I persuaded them to ask Levi to help. I knew the man before he became this monster, and I thought he would be of service to the nation, and I was shamefully wrong. And while the President was interviewing them, the pair magically vanished before his eyes. I am afraid the damage to the former President is vast, but he has stabilized, and at this moment, his physical age is estimated to be ninety years. Dianne Menisci came into contact with Levi, somehow, while performing duties in the Oval Office, and by just being in his presence, he sapped all the life out of her, until all that was left was a dry, lifeless husk. Levi and his family, wife Laida, and daughter Ariel are still in the Washington D.C. area, but we are unable to locate them. It is our hope that you can give us some insight about this message, and the events that have occurred, since it seems to have religious overtones."

"That is quite a story, Madam Secretary. The messages, and yes, I was aware of them, but my angels informed me that it was not from God. As far as your object or spacecraft, I have no information for you. I can tell you that my angels have informed me that this Levi Jackson is a very dangerous individual, and in this aspect, I can help you by making it clear to my children of the Church that he is a false prophet, and his message is heresy."

"Good, that is what we were hoping for; Your Holiness. When I return to the States, we will have a news conference and inform the people of the tragic events of the thirteenth.

Your Holiness we also, expect to tell the people about the object orbiting around Jupiter, we expect to find some type of ship, but if it is a ship we will doctor the images to make it appear as a newly captured moon. Even then, we expect the SDL to protest and cause problems around the world. We do not want this religious fervor that is erupting around the world to cause chaos. We hope that you could address the Church at the same time."

"This can be arranged, Madam Secretary."

"A personal matter, your Holiness, on the trip over, my Pleiadian guide, err...angel, told me they had hardened your heart against the Lord, and that I would soon gain great power. What are your views on this message from my guide?"