Chapter 12: The Die is Cast

The ride to Faith's bunker was almost the same as the one to John's only it took longer. Kyle was transported in a van under armed guard like usual. He was also blinded with a bag over his head when they arrived. As before, they led him to a room and tied him to a chair before removing the bag. However, this time before leaving, the guard spoke to him.

"Just a bit of advice, you would be wise to submit willingly. Those who don't become angels. Remember that. Faith will be in here shortly." The guard then left the room.

Kyle looked around while he waited. Unlike John's room, it seemed like this room was meant to hold people. It had a bed and a toilet. There was also a small window on the upper part of the wall that allowed some of the moonlight to show through. It was certainly a better arrangement but it did not disguise the fact that Kyle was still a prisoner. Suddenly the door opened and Faith Seed stepped into the room wearing her usual white dress.

"Its good to see you again Kyle."

"Likewise Faith. But I did not expect us to meet under these conditions."

She frowned. "I had hoped that we would be able to meet under better conditions but events pushed me to act."

"What do you mean?"

"I had heard rumors from my followers about John was planning to do. I was not at the last meeting so I was not informed on recent events. Luckily, I had one of my followers go over to John's region to observe. I was told that John was planning to exchange his deputy prisoner if you would give yourself over. I had my doubts that John will even go through with this deal or that you would even consider it. All of my people believed that you would never agree to such a thing and that John would just kill the deputy and end up provoking you even further. But that's not what happened is it? You willingly gave yourself up in order for that deputy to go free. When I received word, it reminded me of how good of a person you were but it also pushed me to intervene. John's methods…. are not what you would call gentle. His methods have been effective at getting information. But the cruelty that he exhibits rarely ensures compliance."

"So, upon hearing of your capture, I made a call to The Father. He was already on his way to see you at John's bunker. I put every argument I had, every reason I could think of, to ask him to transfer you to me. He was hesitant but I reminded him that I had already converted the marshal over to our side, that I had success in the past. He then agreed, and so here you are."

Kyle was silent for a minute. So Burke had already changed sides. It was ironic considering that he had been the most adamant about taking down the cult. However, perhaps he did not realize what he was going up against and threw in his lot with them in order to keep his life. It made sense. "So what happens now?"

Faith stepped closer to him. "That's up to you Kyle. It would be wonderful if you were to join us. I could have you work with me, and not have to deal with John or Jacob's crude methods. With you at my side, they would take me more seriously and The Father would have more trust in me. We could really make a difference."

"And if I refuse?"

Faith bit her lip. "I pray it won't come to that. Please Kyle. I know you have a good heart. We both know what needs to be done in order to get results. Please….."

Kyle sighed. "Perhaps if you would have asked me a while ago, before all of this happened. But the die has been cast. I have connections to the other side. I cannot abandon them. I'm sorry."

Faith hung her head in defeat. "Well I guess nothing I can say will change your mind. You've always followed through on everything you say you were going to do. This is no different." She tried to hide her sadness but she did a poor job. "There's nothing more to say Kyle."

She turned to leave. "Wait!"

Faith turned back around and looked at him confused. "Remember what I said the last time we spoke? I still intend to make good on that. Untie the rope on my right arm, if you could."

Normally Faith would be hesitant to untie a prisoner but she had to reason not to trust Kyle. So she went and undid his bindings on the right arm like he asked.

"Thank you." Kyle then shifted over and reached into his back pocket and pulled out two pieces of paper. He offered them to Faith. "Before you condemn me, I want you to read those two notes. Then come talk to me one final time. We'll see where things go from there"

Faith took the two notes, still puzzled about his actions. "What are these about?"

"You'll see. He smirked at her. "You might want to reapply that binding."

Faith nodded and did so. It was not very tight and Kyle could easily escape but it would be enough for show. "Its getting late. I will have the guard come and remove your bindings so you can at least sleep on the bed. We will speak again in the morning. Sound good?"

"Sounds good. Goodnight Faith."

"Goodnight Kyle." Faith then left the room. Kyle heard some muffled words outside and then the guard came in. He did not look pleased but he undid Kyle's binding as he was instructed. As soon as that was completed, he left without saying a word. Kyle stretched himself, happy to finally be able to move a bit. He then went to go lay on the bed. It was not the best but it was better then nothing. He only hoped that Faith would consider what he had given her.

Faith walked briskly through the halls. All of those she passed by greeted her. She made it a point to smile and greet each and every one of them back. But when she was reached her quarters away from all of her followers, she could not contain her anxiety. She knew deep down that Kyle would have never joined them. Even knowing that, his refusal still stung. She had clung on to the smallest of chances that he would change his mind. Even worse, he seemed ready to accept the alternative, an alternative some might claim was worth then death. It was why Faith tried extra hard to convince those brought to her to submit peacefully. Turning someone into an angel should only be done when the individual absolutely refused to cooperate. Could she really give the order to douse Kyle in bliss and subject him to that? But she had given her word to The Father. John's prize had been snatched from him due to Faith's intervention with Joseph. There had to be results.

To distract her mind, Faith decided to read what Kyle had given her. She turned on a light by the bed, sat down, and read the first note. After reading it she sighed. She had known about these previous Faiths for a little while now. But she had never paid much attention to the subject. When she had Faith had met Joseph, he told her how special she was. He said that after she had been cleansed, she would see how wonderful she was, that she would now have a purpose in life. Joseph was the first time that Faith had felt someone actually cared about her. Sure, Tracey and been her friend, but she was not the best at showing sympathy. With The Father, someone cared about her well being and even helped her to become a better person. But were these other 'Faiths' just told the same thing? No, there had to be a reason they were no longer around. Perhaps the position was too much for them and they requested a replacement. Perhaps they felt that they all they could and wanted to retire from the job.

Faith opened the second note and read it. Her hand instinctively came up to her mouth as she let out an audible gasp. No,no! It couldn't be. Joseph had them killed? Why? Not only that, the note mentioned that this 'Faith' had also been told that she was special. It couldn't be true. Faith still clearly remembered her meeting with Joseph. She had been in tears telling him all about her past life. Afterwards he had held her like a long-lost friend. He had saved her when she was on the verge! She had considered ending her own life! Joseph had given her confidence in herself, something she had never had in her life. But was it all for this? To be used and thrown away?

Faith decided she to go to sleep to try and take her mind off what she had learned. But her worries continued to plague her even in her dreams. One of those dreams was reporting to Joseph at his compound about some sort of failure. He had looked at her, and apologized. She was confused until she was seized by two guards and the next thing she knew; she was being held at the edge of a cliff. She heard Joseph give the order and then she was violently hurled off. She woke up in a sweat before hitting the ground. The nightmares didn't let Faith get much sleep and soon morning had arrived.

Faith did her best to shake everything off. She ordered some coffee brought and took a nice shower in order to get herself completely awake. She then made her way back towards the room Kyle was in. As she proceeded to greet her followers, another thought crossed her mind. Kyle must have read these notes obviously. So what did he think? That question made Faith quicken her pace until she finally reached Kyle's room. The guard outside greeted Faith but when she was about to open the door, he stopped her.

"Lady Faith, the sinner is unbound. Do you want me to go and tie him up, or at least be present in the room with you?"

Faith did her best to give a reassuring smile. "I will be fine. Thank you for your concern." She then opened the door and stepped inside. Kyle was lying on his bed. He was awake but he was simply staring up at the ceiling.

"Morning." He greeted her.

Faith didn't say anything. She walked over to his bed. "Where did you find these notes?"

Kyle sat up and moved over so Faith would be able to sit next to him although she remained standing. "I found the first one at the hotel. The second was in a cave that was nearby."

Faith tilted her head. "What cave? Didn't you just go to the hotel?"

Kyle sighed. "The group I was with was suspicious about the hotel being empty so they sent one person to scout around. They stumbled upon two of your people tossing angels into some cavern. We followed them down to what looked like to be a cave hideout. I will admit that I'm the one who killed them all. I'm sorry."

Faith gasped and Kyle thought it was because he had admitted to killing her people. But she had gasped because it confirmed that there really was a disposal area. Her followers had told her that the angels had to be abandoned for their retreat. Faith had took it simply that they had been released into the wilderness. But it seems like they were instead taken to this cavern where they were disposed of. If the note was found there, then everything would make sense.

Faith finally sat on the bed. "So I'm assuming you've read the notes?"

Kyle nodded. "I have. But there's more."

Faith looked at him wide-eyed. "There's more?"

"Yes. Not more notes, but I did talk to Tracey."

"You did? Where?"

"At the jail."

So that was why the jail had been to hard to take prior to Kyle's intervention. Faith had known that Virgil was the one in charge of the resistance there. But it seems that it was Tracey who was really pulling the strings. To think that Faith had been close to capturing or killing her old friend.

Kyle saw Faith's daze and grew concerned. "Hey, you alright?"

Faith snapped out of it and turned back towards him. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Kyle continued to look worried but he continued. "Tracey told me everything that happened. What was going on before you joined the cult, and how you guys joined up. Tell me, do you remember the first man you met after you were kicked out of the hippy group…" His eyes narrowed. "The man who sold you drugs?"

Faith was a little shaken. "Barely, those were the lowest points of my life. Mostly during that time, I tried to get high so I wouldn't think about killing myself."

"Then you were soon visited by another man who told you about the project right?

"Yes, I believe so."

"And then you went to go see Joseph where he promised to fix you, to lift you, up and give you a purpose." His tone was rife with sarcasm.

"Where are you going with this Kyle?"

"I think you were set up."

"What?"

"Based on everything I've read and heard. I think that drug dealer was sent by Joseph. You were low, but not low enough. You had to have an exploitable problem like drug addiction in order for him to come swoop in and rescue you. And when he finally got you clean, you would be so indebted to him, so loyal, that he wouldn't have to worry about getting rid of you…..unless you failed him."

Faith sudden sat up in shock. She paced back and forth a few feet then stopped and turned to Kyle. "You mean to tell me that he did all that to ensure I was his loyal puppet? That he doesn't actually care?"

"That's right." Kyle then looked away from her as anger appeared on his face. "That bastard is similar to a lot of people I used to work for in the past. Men with power who wanted loyal yes-men to achieve their results. If you didn't tow the line, you were eradicated. I was loyal because it was my job but their cruelty did not escape my notice."

Faith studied Kyle's face. He had now revealed some of his past to her. She wondered if there was any connection to her situation. He must have read her mind when he turned back towards her and continued. "There was this woman. The guy I was working for had 'rescued' her from the slums. She had gone from being dirt poor to being the girlfriend of one of the most powerful crime bosses in the region. But even with her newfound power, she never abused it. She was in fact, quite friendly to the guards, always asked how they were and such."

Faith noticed that Kyle stared at her as he was talking about this woman. "One day she approached me. She knew who I was, or at least my reputation. But she wanted to know about my past, about the real me. So I told her. She seemed quite interested. But perhaps it was a mistake. After that, she would take any time she could to come and talk to me. We would talk for as long as she could, sometimes even hours. We grew close. But the boss thought his girl was getting too close to me. I could see the jealousy in his eyes when I'd see him walk by when we were talking. Then one day, she disappeared. Everyone had theories to what happened to her. I never had any direct proof. But I know that bastard killed her. Because after she disappeared, he looked at me smugly, like he had won. I left his service shortly afterward."

Faith nodded. "So you feel guilty for what happened to her?"

"Yes. From then on, I vowed to never tell anyone about my past again. Wouldn't let people get too close. I didn't want it to happen again."

"So do I remind you of this woman?"

"Yes, and this time it will not happen again." Kyle stood up and clenched his fists. "I'm not going to let Joseph get away with this shit. I'm gonna get you out of here, and take down Joseph and his damn cult. Then you'll truly be free."

Faith took a step back. "What? You're insane! First of all, how would you even get out of here? Second, why should I even come with you? Joseph has given me new life! Even if what you've said is true, as long as I obey him, I'll be safe."

"Even if you go against me?"

Faith was silent at first. Kyle was the second person she had met that had been kind to her. He never judged her, always kept his word, and seemed to care. But now she had to choose between him and Joseph? "You told me about loyalty, whether it was to your job or to your friends." Faith voice shook "Now you want me to betray the man who lifted me from my darkest deaths?"

Kyle turned fully towards Faith and gazed directly into her eyes. "The man has already betrayed you. He took advantage of you. What's to say he wouldn't remove you for any sort of mistake? He gave you the name Faith, one that is not your own but is shared by those he used before you. I know your real name is Rachel. He may have forced an identity on you but I will free you. You can build your own life, one that is all your own."

Faith was visibly shaken which was in stark contrast to Kyle. He stood straight, eyes full of fire and defiance. Faith could see that he 100% believed what he was saying. That look of his had an effect on her too. She was starting to believe in him too, no matter how much another part of her mind preached loyalty to The Father.

Faith calmed herself down. "So let's say I come with you, and we leave this place. What then? Go on the run? How would you take down The Father? Not only him but John and Jacob?"

Kyle's expression remained. "We'll find some place where we can lay low. Then we'll make our way west towards Falls End. That area will be safe enough for us to rearm and come up with a plan."

"And what of your resistance friends? I'm sure they won't take too kindly to my presence."

Kyle put a hand on her shoulder and smiled. "I promise I will keep you safe. No one will harm you. If they try, they'll answer to me."

He seemed so sure, so confident. Plus that reassuring smile. It was the smile she would strive to give to her followers to calm them down. Now it was putting her at ease. More and more, she believed that if anyone could pull off a crazy ambition like this, it was Kyle. Faith then decided. She would go with Kyle.

She smiled and nodded at him. "Alright, you've convinced me. But please call me Faith for the time being. I cast my old name out years ago and I'm not quite comfortable going back to it."

Kyle's smile grew wider." Fair enough. Here's the plan. I need you to lure the guard outside in here so I can take him out. I'll steal his uniform. Then we walk out together and make it look like you converted me. Once outside, hopefully we can find a vehicle."

Faith frowned. "Take him out? Surely you don't plan to kill him?"

Kyle mirrored her frown. "That's exactly what I intend to do. Why?"

"Kyle….you may have convinced me to leave but I can't betray them. I can't turn on those that have followed me. Isn't there another way?"

Kyle let out a short sigh. "Fine, we'll do it your way. Let's get going." He went over and positioned himself in the corner by the door. Faith followed him but instead opened the door a bit in order to talk to the guard.

"Mason? There's actually something I could use your help with. Could you come in here please?"

Faith then stepped back from the door and positioned herself a few feet in front of it. When the guard came through the door, he opened it slightly more but not enough for it to hit Kyle. He then walked up to Faith with a confused expression.

"Lady Faith, what did you need? Where's the sinn…" He then heard the door close but before he could turn around, Kyle had him in a stranglehold. Faith gasped as Kyle kept the pressure on the man's neck. After a few more moments, the man went limp. Kyle looked up and saw Faith's horrified face.

"Relax, I only choked him out. He's just unconscious." Faith breathed a sigh of relief as Kyle took the man's body armor with the Eden's Gate marking and put it on. He also took the man's pistol but left his AK where it was.

"Its going to look too suspicious if I already have a rifle." Kyle said as he held out the pistol to Faith. "I need you to hide this under your dress until we get away from their eyes. Its going to be our only means of protection or a bit."

Faith was hesitant. She had never held a gun before. Slowly she reached out and grabbed the pistol. It felt heavy in her hands. She awkwardly tried to find a place under her dress to put it. After some shuffling, she wedged it between her arm and body. It would look weird but she hoped no one would notice. Faith signaled to Kyle that she was ready and he nodded in reply. He let her take the lead since she knew where she was going. She took one last deep breath before she opened the door to the hall. The bunker was now bustling with people all going about their business. Faith started moving as soon as she heard Kyle close the door and lock it behind her. To say Faith was nervous would be an understatement. She was borderline terrified. Her anxiety caused her to worry that someone would discovery what they were up to. But everything continued to be business as usual. People would smile and greet her and she would return both back. She started to calm down when they suddenly ran into Faith's number two in command, her priestess Joanna.

"Lady Faith! A pleasure as always to see you this morning." The woman looked over at Kyle then back to Faith with a smile. "I see you were able to convert the sinner to our cause! I'm sure The Father will be most pleased with your success. You were able to subdue a threat that neither Jacob nor John were able to handle."

Faith did her best not to betray her anxiety. "Yes, I'm pleased that I was able to convince Kyle that our cause is just. Now Joanna, I would like to give Kyle a tour of the area, so if you'll please excuse us…"

The priestess bowed. "Of course, my lady. Do not allow me to delay you. Please, have a pleasant time. I'll see you later." The woman then continued on her way past Faith and Kyle.

Faith waited a moment, then motioned Kyle to continue following her. They still had more stairs to climb and hallways to traverse. Throughout the journey, Faith continued to greet what would soon be her ex-followers. She was also distracted by the ironic thought that she had told Joanna that she had succeeded in convincing Kyle to join their cause. In reality, Kyle had persuaded Faith over to his side. Finally after what seemed like an eternity, they reached the upper entrance.

One of the guards noticed Faith and Kyle coming out of the bunker. He addressed Faith with a smile.

"Good morning Lady Faith. Going out today? May we provide you with some protection?"

Faith returned his smile. "No, my protection is sufficient. Thank you. Do you have any vehicles we could use?"

The man was distracted by Kyle. The man's smile had left and was replaced by a bitter scowl. After a short stare, he turned back to address Faith. "I'm afraid not. All of our vehicles are out on patrol. It might be some time before one of them returns."

"Hmmm, that's alright. I guess we'll go on foot then."

Faith and Kyle continued walking but the guard was obviously puzzled by Faith's decision. "Are you sure Lady Faith? Its pretty dangerous out there. I should send a few more people with you."

"I think we'll be fine James. But I thank you for your concern." Kyle was impressed that Faith continued to keep calm. It was also interesting that she seemed to know everyone by name.

They continued down the path further away from the base. There were a few more patrols on foot wandering the area. Their reactions varied, some smiled and waved at Faith while others frowned and stared at Kyle. Regardless of their reactions, none of them attempted to stop the duo. Finally, they reached a point where no one could see them. Faith handed Kyle the pistol she had hid all this time. He checked the mag.

"Luckily this guy didn't use his pistol. We have 15 shots. If I have to use them, I'll make them count."

"So where do we go from here?" Faith asked. She had kept up a bold appearance in front of the guards but now that she was alone with Kyle, her anxiety appeared.

"Well we're obviously going to need to find transportation. I doubt you want to travel all the way on foot. I have no idea how long we're going to have before they discover that something is off. That guard said that all of your trucks are out on patrol. The best plan is to have one of those patrols see you by the road. You flag them down and get them to stop. While they're distracted by you, I'll ambush them and we'll have ourselves a vehicle. Sound good?"

Faith frowned. "More violence Kyle? Couldn't we just wave down a passing car? I'm sure if we asked nicely, they would be willing to give us a ride. Besides, like you said, we don't know how much time we'll have. If we take out one of the patrols, they'll know something is wrong when they don't report in."

Kyle pondered a bit. Faith did have a point. If the patrol didn't report in, the cultists would definitely know something is up. Worse, if he used his pistol, there would be a chance that more of them would hear it and come and investigate. But there was also the fact that a civilian probably wouldn't stop for them. After all from their prospective, they would be seeing Faith Seed and what looked to be a peggie bodyguard. If anything, they would probably speed up and get out of the area. It was quite a dilemma.

"I see your point but I'm not sure anyone is going to just stop for us if we just flag them down. So how about this, we'll combine both of our ideas. We'll continue on foot for the time being. If we see a passing civilian car, we'll try and flag it down and see if they stop. However, if we see one of the patrols, you need to get them to stop and then distract them while I get in position to take them out. Is that acceptable?"

Faith sighed. "I suppose we don't have much in the way of choices do we?"

Kyle put a hand on her shoulder. "I know its rough going for now, but it'll get better. I'll protect you all the way."

That seemed to calm some of Faith's nerves but she still showed anxiety on her face. The pair quickened their pace to a jog. Kyle made sure that he was going at a good enough pace where Faith could keep up. Each time they came to a road, they waited a few moments to see if anyone would come along. When no one did, they continued. They made some progress, but Faith was beginning to tire. She was obviously not used to this kind of trekking in the wilderness. It was not long before she began laboring for air.

"Do you want to stop and rest for a bit?" Kyle asked.

"I'm…..fine." Faith replied trying to get more air. "I'm just not used to this sort of thing."

"I understand. How about we just stop over there?" Kyle pointed to another road they were approaching. "You can take a rest there and we'll see if anyone comes by."

"Thank you."

The pair the resumed their journey but now at a walking pace. Kyle kept checking back to make sure Faith was keeping up. She was but it was obvious she was having difficulty. They soon reached the road Kyle had pointed out.

"Alright, we'll stop here until you're ready. Take your time."

Faith only nodded as she focused on regaining her breath. Kyle kept watching both sides of the road, seeing if anyone would be coming. Soon they heard a noise. It wasn't very loud so it most likely wasn't a patrol truck. The noise grew louder and louder until Kyle finally saw the car. It was just a simple four door sedan. He waved at it but he had the slimmest of hopes that it would actually stop. To his surprise, the car slowed down. It came to a stop after passing a couple of yards past the pair. The door open and Kyle was relieved that a non-cultist had actually stopped for them. His relief turned to horror as he saw himself staring down a bow aimed right at him.