Chapter 5: Know Thy Enemy
Dutch greeted Kyle and Jess when they entered the bunker.
"Mary May radioed in and gave me the report on what happened. Not only did you guys liberate Falls End, I heard you also took down one of John's planes. You guys make quite the team."
Jess cracked a smile. "Hell yeah we do. Peggies should be running scared after what we just pulled."
Kyle shrugged. "We were lucky that they decided to put a stationary gun on top of one of the buildings. Planes, this cult is something else with planes.
Jess gave him a slap on the back. "Don't be such a fucking downer. You, me, and even Boomer kicked some major peggie ass today. Its only the beginning."
Dutch laughed. "Well I'm sure you guys must be starving. Let's head over to the kitchen."
Kyle and Jess started following Dutch while Boomer sniffed around the new surroundings. Suddenly, Kyle's radio came to life.
"Deputy? Mr. Deputy? Are you there?" came a voice from the radio.
Everyone froze and looked at Kyle's radio. He hesitated to answer.
"Who's that?" he asked.
Dutch and Jess both had frowns. Dutch spoke first. "That's Faith. She's the Seeds' head of the henbane river."
"In other words, she's the Father's flower girl." Jess finished.
"Hello? Are you there?" Faith's voice asked.
Kyle decided to answer. "This is who I think who you're trying to reach. I'm not a deputy though. What do you want?"
"Oh wonderful. I was hoping I would be able to reach you. I'm Faith Seed and I would like to make a proposition to you."
"What would that be?"
"I would like to sit down and talk to you, see if we could clear up some misunderstandings about each other. How about we meet tonight at around 7pm? We'll meet at the Hollyhock saloon you're familiar with."
"It's a fucking trap!' Jess interrupted.
Kyle shot her an annoyed look. "Let me handle this ok?" He then turned his attention back to the radio. "I think I'll take you up on your offer. Just me and you then?"
"Just me and you, and no one else. I look forward to meeting you." She ended the conversation.
Jess's frown had downgraded to a furious expression. "What the fuck dude? Why would you agree to meet her alone? I hope you're going to let me come with you so I can put an arrow in that bitch's throat."
Kyle turned towards her. "What got you amped up? She can't be that dangerous."
"Faith Seed is in charge of bliss production." Dutch explained. "I don't know if you're familiar with bliss but it fucks with a person's mind. Its what the cult uses to control people that are resistant to their demands."
"Plus, she's a fucking lying whore!" Jess shouted "She'll spin you any sort of sob story or lie to get you to lower your guard to use the bliss on you."
Kyle turned to Dutch figuring he would have more info. "Is this true?"
"Afraid so kid. If you don't submit, they'll dowse you with bliss until you basically become a mindless zombie. Cult uses them for labor purposes but they'll also aggressive and come after you. They're called angels."
"Is there anything else you can tell me?"
"The only other thing I know is that she's got the Hope County jail under siege. I've gotten a few isolated transmissions. One mentioned that Whitehorse is holed up in there which would explain why the cult is pressing so hard. Another said that they were running low on food so I don't know how much longer they'll be able to last."
Kyle nodded. "Alright, the more I know the better. I'll go meet this Faith. You guys stay here. If I don't make it back then at least you guys will be here to continue things."
Jess' anger continued to rise. "Are you fucking serious? You want to go alone? Haven't you been listening to what me and Dutch have been telling you? It's a fucking trap to lure you in and drown you in bliss. Don't hold it against me when I have to put your zombified ass down."
Kyle gave her a small grin. "Only because I won't be in the right state of mind to use a gun."
"This isn't a fucking joke Kyle! But whatever, go on your own then. See if I care!" Jess then stormed off towards one of the bedrooms.
Dutch sighed. "Don't mind her kid. The fact she reacted so strongly to that means she must care about you a little. But what she said is true. Faith is no joke. She may play the sweet, pretty girl act but she can be just as cruel as her brothers. It could very well be a trap. Are you sure you want to along with this?"
"Yeah, I'm sure. Its best if I can get as much info as possible on who I'm dealing with. Even if she lies or tries to lure me in a trap, that'll just tell me who I'm dealing with. But I'll take Boomer with me just in case. If it is a trap, he'll probably be able to detect an ambush. Hopefully she won't get mad like Jess."
Dutch grinned. "Nah, Jess has her mother's temper. But like I said, be careful kid. Don't trust anything Faith tells you. Just do what you can and get back to us. Get a bite to eat before you head out."
Kyle followed his advice and ate some cereal in the kitchen. He then prepared himself, making sure both is guns were loaded and that he had ammo. He then called Boomer who loyally followed him to the truck. The sun was just setting. Kyle wouldn't keep this Seed waiting.
Faith looked at the clock for about the fifth time. She had gotten to the meeting spot early so she could guarantee that there would be no surprises. Some of her commanders had objected to the plan of meeting the 'sinner' alone. But she placated them by having them do a sweep of the area beforehand to make sure nothing would be waiting to ambush her. Faith didn't know if this guy would even show up. She assumed that whatever allies he had would obviously warn him that this was a trap. If he didn't show, then at least Faith could say she at least tried.
When there was about a minute to 7, Faith spied a project truck slowly coming on the road towards the saloon. Unlike the patrols, it was moving slowly, cautiously, like it was scouting the area. Finally, it pulled up into the lot. Faith felt a wave of relief at the fact that this guy actually showed up and that he didn't have anyone else with him in the truck. Perhaps she would be able to succeed.
Kyle turned off the truck and stepped out. He left his rifle in the front seat but kept his 1911 with him just in case. He had partially heeded Jess and Dutch's advice by being careful and being prepared that this whole talk could just be an ambush. Many scenarios ran though his mind. But it was best to just take things how they were currently, there seemed to be no one around. He wondered if Faith was actually going to show. As he was about to proceed to the saloon entrance, she appeared. Kyle easily recognized her because she was exactly the same as when he saw her at the compound. That same white dress, that same long brown hair, that same pretty face. It was helped by the fact that she had a smile on her face.
"Welcome! Glad you could make it Mr.?
"Just call me Kyle."
Her smile grew a bit more. "Well Kyle, why don't you come in?"
He hesitated. Perhaps what he was about to do was foolish, but Kyle felt that he could show his hand.
"Before that, I just want to let you know that I didn't come alone." He saw her smile immediately vanish and be replace by…a look of fear? Then maybe this wasn't a trap. He opened the back door and out came a barking Boomer who immediately went to work sniffing his new surroundings.
"I brought Boomer here just in case. He's a good boy though. Come over a give him a few pets." He noticed that the look on Faith's face immediately change again to one of relief. Then the smile came back. She made her way over to Kyle and Boomer and reached out her hand to the dog. Boomer sniffed the hand for a few moments then gave it a few licks. He was rewarded with a few pats. It did not escape Kyle's notice that Boomer was friendly to this cult member.
"Well, shall we?"
Kyle followed her in with Boomer right behind him. Unlike the last time he was here, the lights were on. He didn't sense that anyone else was nearby but that was why he brought Boomer. Judging the fact that the dog seemed to be enjoying himself, he figured he didn't have anything to worry about for now. Faith took a seat at a table that was next to a window looking out towards the main road. Kyle sat down across from her and Boomer laid down beside him.
"So before we begin, something has been rattling in my head since the last time you were here. My men came here to capture you, against my orders. You managed to ambush them and had the opportunity to kill them. Yet you didn't even though you had no problem killing before. Could you explain?"
Kyle pondered a moment for an answer. "I went north to rescue someone I thought would be able to help me out. I was correct, but first she needed my help. She had a vendetta against one of your brother's commanders. Judging by what we saw on the way to him, I say she had a right to be pissed. Hostages, torture by flame….this guy had a mean streak. So I took him out to perhaps provide some closure for her. Then your brother sent men after us. We defended ourselves. After we made it here, your men came. But here we had an opportunity to use non-lethal force. I figured that if we left them alive, you guys wouldn't be so zealous to hunt us down. It seems my gamble worked."
Faith nodded slowly. "Indeed. We were too lax. My brother was furious when you struck at Falls End and took down one of his planes. You and your partner are very skilled Kyle. Who is she?"
Kyle figured there was no harm in telling. "Jess Black."
"Ah. That makes sense. My brother was fortunate enough to have finally been able to capture her. But then you came. You escaped despite all odds. Not only that, you've struck back. Its been a cycle of violence which I hope to end. But first, the reason why I asked you to meet me here." She closed her eyes for a moment. Kyle noticed when she opened them that even her blue eyes were radiant. "I feel that in order to clear up out misunderstandings, we should get to know each other first." She closed her eyes again, but when she opened them this time, it seemed like she was trying to stare into Kyle's soul.
"I know you've heard stories about me. That I'm a liar, a manipulator, that I poison people's minds. I want to tell you a different story. A true story."
"There once was a young woman who was ostracized by her community. Bullied by 'friends'…..abused by her family. She took to a needle for help. She was all alone…she wanted to die. Then she met the Father. He gave her hope and confidence. The Father showed her how special she was and loved just the way she was. The young woman no longer wished to die, for she had been given purpose."
Faith was beaming as she ended her tale. Kyle has listened and he had mixed emotions about it. No doubt that parts of it were a lie. It was just too convenient that the Father would save this girl in her most dire time in life. But then again, perhaps the story was partially true. He had witnessed it one time in the past. But with who and when?
Faith briefly interrupted his thoughts. "So now I've told you about my past. What about you? What were you doing before all this?"
Then it hit Kyle. He had seen this before! It was not the exact situation, but even her question brought him to memories of the past.
Four years ago, when Kyle was around twenty-two, he was working for this fairly powerful crime boss. At the time, Kyle had a bit of a reputation, so the man had hired him as one of the guards for his mansion. There was one day when Kyle guarding the man directly, riding with him in his car. They were going through a slum on their way to a deal. For some reason, a person on the street caught the boss' eye and he had the car stopped. He got out of the car and had a brief chat with this person, a young woman. Afterwards he invited her into the car where she sat next to him. Kyle remembered she was dressed in really ratty clothes but she was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. Everything except her clothes seemed perfect. It was no wonder the boss took a liking to her.
He brought her to his mansion and basically made her the mistress of this place. She had the same power he did, she was allowed to give the guards orders, have them do whatever she wanted. But she never really took advantage of it. This woman was quite nice to them, asking how their day was. The men were of course smitten with her, but they knew she was the boss' so they made no moves. There was one day though where she approached Kyle. The boss was in a meeting and Kyle was in charge of guarding the front entrance. She had come up from behind him.
"So they tell me that you're Kyle Volker, The Wolf." Kyle stayed silent. Sure, he had earned his reputation, but he was not one to brag about it.
"Protector of the pack, predator of the powerful…." The men sure did love to gossip. Where did they come up with that Kyle wondered?
"They make you out to be so tough, but you don't look it." He thought she was mocking him until he continued, "No, I believe that's all just a ruse. You really are a softy."
That was when Kyle finally turned toward her and saw her smile. That smile, it had this calming effect. It told you that everything was ok.
"I know you were there when Ryan picked me up from the slums. But I've always wanted to speak to you without anyone else around. Can you tell me about yourself?"
It was that question that set off a chain. Kyle gave in and told her a little about where he was born and his family. They didn't talk long before she had to leave. But she intended to come back. Every day, she managed to sneak a few minutes to talk to him alone. Kyle would tell her more about his childhood and journey into adulthood. The woman listened intently and constantly asked questions. Kyle didn't know why she was so interested in his past. He felt that his past was nothing special, he only got where he was because of the effort he put in effort to hone his skills and sharpen his mind. Perhaps she saw a parallel with herself, coming out of nowhere into prominence.
But the more they talked, the more Kyle began to feel uneasy. Not because of her, she was what soothed his uneasiness, but the fact that he kept spying the boss watch them talking. The woman never noticed him and maybe that fueled his anger. He didn't show it outright but Kyle could see the disdain and hate on his face. He felt that this girl was putting herself at risk by talking to him too much, not knowing the boss' jealously was reaching a breaking point. At one point, Kyle wanted to tell her to escape, maybe flee with him somewhere. But he held back because he didn't want to interfere; he wanted to be professional and not sabotage his boss' personal affairs. One day though, the woman vanished. Rumors started to spread among the men. The woman left him because he was neglectful, the boss found someone prettier and younger, or that he sent her on a vacation. But Kyle had a feeling what happened. He never had any direct evidence, but he had a good hunch. The next day, he saw the boss look directly at him. The hate and disdain remained, but there was also a slight smugness like he had won. Kyle saw that as proof that he killed her. The boss thought she was getting too close to him, that she preferred Kyle over him despite what he had done for her. He probably was right. But he had won in the end.
Shortly after, Kyle left his service on his own terms. He may have been lucky that the man never came after him directly. However, he might have been too afraid, what if Kyle survived his kill attempt? Then his own life would be in danger. People knew not to ever underestimate The Wolf. But the man had dealt Kyle a blow without even touching him. He was overcome with immense guilt. Kyle could have saved that woman. He could have saved her! But he chose his own image over her safety. From that point on, Kyle never told anyone else about his past. He didn't want anyone to get close to him. History has a tendency to repeat itself. Fighting alongside Jess had started to open him up a slight bit but now Faith was trying to pry him open. She was reminding him of that woman.
"Is there something wrong?" Faith snapped him out of his thoughts to the past. "You kind of zoned out there. Would you like to talk about it?" She gave him a smile; it was all too familiar.
Kyle crossed his arms. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to disappoint you. I'm not going to say anything about my past." His statement caused her to frown. "However, I will make you a counter-offer. I will provide you some helpful information in exchange for coming clean about yourself.
"Everything I've told you is the truth!"
"I can't be sure of that. Like you've mentioned, people say that you're a liar. How could I take anything you say at face value? If anything, I'm being generous by giving you another chance."
Faith seemed to accept that argument as her frown was replaced by a more neutral expression. "But what information could you possibly offer that could be helpful? Unless you plan to betray your allies?"
Kyle uncrossed his arms to indicate more openness. "First things first, tell me the truth about you and if it really is the truth, give me more details."
Now it was Faith's turn to hesitate. What could she tell this man? Could she trust him? He didn't seem to harbor any hostile intent. He was being cautious when it was appropriate for him to be so. After a few moments she finally decided.
"All of the things I've said are true. However, when The Father took me in, he helped me get clean from drugs. To say that the process wasn't pleasant is an understatement. It took a while and went through much hardship. But with The Father's help I finally managed to overcome this trial and be reborn as a new person."
Kyle nodded to show that he understood. It was a little more detail and it seemed to only praise Joseph again but it would have to do. "So you revealed a little more about yourself so now I will keep my end. You have the jail under siege correct?"
Faith betrayed some nervousness. How did he know? One of his allies could have told him. It wasn't a secret, so she nodded to confirm that he was right.
"There's a saying that says that 'a cornered rat will strike back.' The more you push, the harder those people will fight you. What you should do is pull back, give them breathing space. Then you should send them food."
Faith was puzzled. "Why would we do that? These people have been fighting us; they've killed a few of my men. Why on earth would we ease up on them and even reward them for their defiance?
"Because you'll cause hesitation. You only need to ease up enough to make it so they don't feel immediately threatened. But you'll still be in the area. They will know that and be cautious of sending people out for supplies. Thus, they will be entirely reliant on you for their food. Who knows, maybe you'll get some people to come over to your side."
Faith smiled and nodded. "I would have never thought of doing any of this but what you said makes sense." She suddenly frowned. "However, are you not worried about betraying your allies by helping us?"
"First of all, I have no allegiance to these people. The only reason I'm here fighting is because I'm not allowed to leave and there's no alternative. Second, if anything, this will at least lower the body count a bit for everyone. Lastly…" He paused and looked at her directly. "I'm not doing this for the cult. I'm doing this for you."
Faith nodded. Whatever the man's reasons, she would be grateful. But she couldn't help but feel a little pride at the fact that this man was giving this info to her specifically.
Kyle stood up. "Then I guess we're done here."
Faith also stood up but held up one finger. "One more thing, if I may. I am saddened that you are not willing to join us. However, I understand your reasons for having to fight. Therefore, as a sign of our mutual understanding and respect for each other, I would like to remain in contact. Is that fine with you?
Kyle raised an eyebrow. "To avoid incidents like what happened here before?"
"Precisely. We can avoid bloodshed. And if you ever change your mind and wish to join us, I would like to be the first one to welcome you in." The calming smile appeared again.
The merc nodded. "Sounds reasonable. You already know how to reach me. So how do I get a hold of you?"
Faith went to stand beside him and showed him what frequency to turn to. "Use that one there." She suddenly felt a tinge of sadness that Kyle was leaving although she barely knew him. Maybe it was because he was the only one outside that project who treated her decently, more than decent.
"I hope we can meet again." She admitted. She didn't want the project to war with this man. It wasn't that he was dangerous, he was, but he seemed like he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Plus, even though The Father had preached that most of humanity is sinful and should be reviled, this man seemed to be a good human being.
He didn't say anything in reply. He only nodded and did a quick wave. He made his way to his vehicle, opened the door for Boomer to hop in then got in himself. Faith watched him drive all the way down the road until he was out of sight. She sincerely hoped that they would meet again on good terms.
But Faith had a job and she had to report to The Father. He seemed to be eagerly awaiting
"Hello Faith. I trust you were able to meet with this man?"
"Yes Father. He came at exactly the right time."
"And what did you two talk about?"
"We actually came to an agreement. He wanted to know more about me. I told him the story that I tell everyone." Faith didn't mention the fact that she went into a little more detail, but she felt that she told mostly the truth.
"And what information did he offer in return?"
"He advised me to loosen our hold on the jail. Back up just enough where they didn't feel threatened. He also told me to start sending them shipments of food."
There were a few moments of silence. "And what reasoning did he give for these actions?"
"He felt that if we didn't push to hard, the ones in the jail would not resist so strongly. The man also suggested that by sending them food, we could make them dependent on us and perhaps get some to join our side."
"What do you think of this plan?"
Faith hesitated but decided to speak the truth. "I think it's a good plan. This way we greatly reduce the risk of our people being in harms way. Plus, we might be able to reduce their numbers by getting a few to join our side instead. If we must attack, it would be easier at a later date."
More silence. "You have permission to go along with this plan Faith. Did this man reveal anything about himself?
Faith scrambled to find an answer. She didn't want to tell The Father nothing because she was afraid of disappointing him. However, she could maybe give something from observation. "Well he didn't tell anything directly, but he seems to like dogs. He actually brought Boomer with him and he seemed quite fond of him." After hearing herself say it, she felt that it sounded a bit silly.
But the Father did not respond right away. Instead Faith heard some chatter in the background. "Father, may I ask who is with you?"
"Jacob asked to be a part of this meeting. He tells me that he is able to do something with this information. Was that all?"
"No. He seems to want to keep his past hidden."
"Hmmm, I see. Well we will just have to be more prepared the next time this man makes a move. Thank you very much for putting yourself in front for this Faith."
"Of course, Father. Please have a good rest of the night and give Jacob my regards." That was the end of the call. After radioing her men to come pick her up, she again looked out to the road where Kyle had driven off to. Jacob having a plan made her uneasy. He was cunning and no doubt try a plan to ambush Kyle. She hoped that he would be able to remain safe.
Author's Note: We all know Faith's past for the most part. I have a theory of how Joseph recruited her to make her more loyal than her predecessors. That will come in time. But here we learn a little more about Kyle's past. Seems like Faith reminds him of someone he has regrets about. Anyways, hope you enjoyed.