Ephemeral-D - Human Diaspora

Chet meet Martha

One night returning to his room Chet witnessed the priestess with her committee passing by. They were using the standard white uniform, everyone was holding an iron candlestick with unknown inscriptions and symbols. Chanting filled the air around them. It sounded like a sad murmuring, their heads looking to the night sky. The priestess lifted her serene gaze at him when they got closer.

"Good evening." Chet said.

"Do not direct yourself to Pythia, you're not ready yet!" One follower said.

Chet turned around and entered his room confused.

Every Saturday Pythia lectured about some relevant theme to the community. Today was about The Awakening of the Inner Soldier.

"There will be no future for us if we don't fight the perils to come. Therefore every one of you must receive military training from now on. The weak shall perish before the beast's claws. Only the disciplined and prepared will have the strength to stand tall and prevail through the terrors ahead." The priestess said.

Chet saw her eyes filled with tears and a terrified expression. He didn't understand why the sense of emergency, however he would remember this day several times.

"There is a man among us now that is not part of our community and can confirm my visions. I warned him in the past that this day would come. Reveal yourself to us and speak your mind!"

Furlong tried to blend in the crowd as best as he could.

Oh my God, she knows, but how? They has someone infiltrated amidst the military ranks to gather classified information.

"There he is!" Colleen said.

Someone grabbed Furlong's arm and restrained him.

"Holy Pythia, this is my father. What are you doing here?"

"I came for you my daughter. Please give me a second chance."

"Are you nuts? I told you to never look for me. I'm not your little daughter anymore."

"Bring him, we have much to discuss." Pythia said.

They brought Furlong to Pythia's office and placed him in a chair.

"What is the purpose of your visit Mr. Furlong?"

"How do you know my name?"

"We were waiting for you and Colleen told me your name, there is no mystery about that."

"Right, I was searching online for my daughter whereabouts and it directed me to your community's homepage. There I found out classified information that should not be there. So I had to come here and investigate." Furlong said.

"What part of that information troubled you?"

"The part describing the Xemx civilization."

"You know Furlong, In my youth I received a gift from the Gods. I can't tell you the whole story but, to keep it short, I received messages from other intelligent species that inhabit our galaxy, they warned me about our future servitude. I'm not the only one, others too have this gift and they're trying their best to prepare us to the dusk of men, despite the governments decision to keep it secret."

"Alien information and knowledge gave our country strategic leverage."

"But it will be useless against the Pemakan forces."

"The Xemx gave us the enemy's weapons blueprints to reverse engineering."

"This may help us save just a fraction of the world population, but it's all we can hope for based on my visions. Can you help us with proper military training Mr. Furlong?" Pythia said.

"I must talk to Colleen first."

...

Later on Colleen met, in secrecy, one of her community's friend.

"I didn't come here for this! By the time Pythia was teaching us how to reach spiritual enlightenment and clairvoyance it was okay, but now, an alien invasion and, as a response, to militarize our community baffles me. If you want to stay here fine, I'm out! That's why I ran out from home in the first place, to escape the military dictatorship of my paranoid father. And now he is here, out of the blue, with knowledge of what is coming, how so?" Colleen said.

"Don't be foolish girl! At least try to listen what he has to say, okay?"

"Colleen?" Furlong said.

"Oh no! He is coming. Stay with me."

Furlong explained all situation to Colleen and said it was a matter of survival, that's all, he would not interfere in her decisions or force any kind of relationship.

Furlong stayed in the community, observing, following Colleen's routine.

...