Chapter 8: What Came Before

As Kyle suspected, the trip to the jail was uneventful. They were never once fired upon or harassed. It seemed to perplex Adelaide.

"Honey, I don't know if you're just the luckiest man on the planet or if you know something I don't. I would have bet any amount of money that the cult would try to shoot us down. Tulip sticks out like a sore thumb, so they know it ain't theirs. It really makes me wonder."

Kyle didn't really have a response for her so he just continued to stare out the window. They finally made it to the jail. There seemed to be a lot of people surrounding the helipad, almost like they were expecting someone.

"Hey, do you need me to stick around honey, just in case?"

"Nah, whatever happens, happens. You've done enough and I'm very grateful for what you've done. Thanks for the lift."

"Alright darling. You know where to find me if you ever need a helicopter. I don't know if you noticed but Tulip here has some guns underneath her. It'll put the hurt on whatever she aims at. So feel free to stop by to chat if or if you want to cause some carnage."

'Thanks again."

Kyle stepped off the helicopter onto the pad. He made sure he had all his stuff then gave Adelaide the signal that she could leave. She quickly rose and flew off back towards the marina. When Kyle turned back, he saw a few armed people surrounding a woman with long black hair. She watched the helicopter leave then focused her eyes on Kyle.

"Quite an entrance."

"Figured it was the fastest way to get here."

"Who are you?" She asked with her eyes narrowed.

"Name's Kyle, Kyle Volker."

"So what do the peggies want now? Our surrender for being so nice to us?"

Kyle was confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh don't play stupid with me. Ever since you peggies backed off and sending us food, we've remained on our guard. We keep track of everyone that comes and goes here to make sure no Peggie spy tries to infiltrate us. You're obviously not from here, but from your entrance, you're not trying to infiltrate us. So that means you're probably an emissary or something from the peggies. So I'll ask again, what do you want?"

"I came here because I lost my radio. I figured you guys would have one. Also I think its obvious that I'm not a cult member. Did the pink helicopter and lack of cult markings give that away?"

"Hmph, that doesn't prove anything. Could just presentation for all we know. I think we're going to have to take you in, and find out the hard way why you're really here."

Both parties readied for a struggle when I voice called out. "That won't be necessary Tracey."

A figure appeared from behind her and lightly moved her out of the way. Kyle recognized him instantly.

"Whitehorse, he's an unknown and therefore potentially a threat. We need to figure out what he knows."

"Oh I think I know him well enough. Trust me, this is a man you want on your side and not as your enemy." He continued towards Kyle and put out his hand. "Volker"

Kyle shook it. "Whitehorse"

"I see you're still alive and kicking. Can't say I'm surprised."

"Well its been quite a journey to get to this point."

"Why don't you fill me in at my office? I'm sure you have lots to tell."

"I'm going to be part of this little discussion." Tracey chipped in.

"Suit yourself." The three then started heading towards the jail. Tracey dismissed the guards to other duties. The jail looked pretty much the same as Kyle remembered it only it was now occupied by a lot more people. The trio made their way to a small office that had a round wooden table with a ring of chairs around it. Whitehorse motioned everyone to take a seat.

"Tracey, does Virgil need to join us?"

"Nah, there's no need. He's got other stuff he's doing and I can always fill him in later."

"Alright, shut the door if you could please." Whitehorse then turned his attention to Kyle. "So 'Rook', what have you been up to these past few days? How did you get away from Joseph?"

Kyle hated that nickname. The sheriff and his deputies had started using it when they first recruited him. Even after showing them what he could do, they continued using it because they like it. "Well I managed to free myself and get away from that burning helicopter. Burke and I actually. He made it out too and we met at a nearby cabin. He wanted to drive off to call in the national guard but we were chased all the way. They took out the truck near a bridge and we fell in the river. I managed to swim away but Burke swam the wrong way and got himself captured. I wandered around for a bit and stumbled upon this bunker and the owner, a man named Dutch."

Whitehorse smiled at that mention. "Ah, good old Dutch. He's a rebellious one but one with a good heart. You got lucky 'Rook'."

"Anyways, he filled me in a bit more on what was going on. I helped him out by getting his niece Jess out of danger and he helped me out. To make a long story short, we've been recruiting people into a little resistance to fight back against the cult. Unfortunately me and Jess were ambushed up north and separated. I lost my radio which is why I'm here to hopefully get a new one."

"Hmm, I see." Whitehorse rubbed his chin. "Do you know what happened to the others?"

"I don't know where Pratt or Burke are, but I know for sure that John Seed has Hudson.

"Where did you get this information from?

"John broadcasted some sort of advertisement or something that showed Hudson tied up. I would like to mention that I had a hand with your situation here."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Faith Seed requested a meeting with me. We talked for a bit and I convinced her to lay off the jail and to send food."

"You what?! You met with Faith?!" Tracey shouted. She had been quiet the whole time but the mention of Faith had gotten her riled up.

"Tracey, calm down. Rook, how did you manage to convince her to do that?"

"I told her that I might convince people to come to her side. It would also prevent a bloodbath."

"Ha! She is still as naïve as ever! No one here has any thoughts of joining the peggies."

"Rook, do you have any way of getting in contact with her?"

Kyle thought for a moment. Tracey's reaction to Faith tipped in him that she might know more about her. It seemed like she also had a grudge against the female Seed. So he made a decision. "No. I only met her face to face. I wouldn't know how to get in contact with her again."

"Damn!" Whitehorse slammed his fist on the table. "She might have known where the others are."

"You know as well as I do Whitehorse that she can't be trusted. Look at all she's done!" Tracey turned his gaze back to Kyle with eyes narrowed. "What else did she tell you?"

"She told me this story about how she was bullied by everyone and all alone. She was having suicidal thoughts and then The Father saved her."

Fury appeared on Tracey's face. "Don't believe a word she says! She's a goddamn liar! She was never alone but she'll say anything to praise Joseph!"

Kyle looked at her with confusion. "You seem to know a lot about her. Did you guys know each other from the past?"

Tracey stood up form her chair. "I gotta go. There are a few things I need to attend to. I'll talk to guys later." She than left the room in a rush.

Whitehorse let out a sigh. "Don't worry about her Rook. With all this shit going on, we've all been on edge. When the peggies pulled back and started sending food shipments, we didn't know what they were up to. We were low on food before but it was almost like they took pity on us. Now I see we have you to thank for this turnaround. Now about your issue. I'm pretty sure we have some spare radios around here that you could take. But we could use your help around here Rook. We have a stock of food right now but we need to push out. I think the cult will realize that this truce isn't benefiting them and break it. We have to be ready for that and that means not being bunched in one place. We've been thinking of taking over the hotel. I would give us a nice second base and also a place to store more supplies. Would you be able to help us out?"

"Yeah boss. I can do that. Would you be able to get me the radio before I head out so I can let you guys know when its done?"

"Of course. Also I know you're good but I'm not going to send you alone. I'm going to send you with a couple of our people. Some of them have been getting bored ever since the peggies stopped fighting with us. They'll be up for some action."

"Sounds good. Do you guys have an armory where I can stock up on ammo?"

"Yeah, out the door, make a left, it at the end of the hall. How bout I meet you there once I have your radio?"

"Sounds like a plan." They both got up and made their way out of the room. The sheriff made a right in the hall while Kyle took a left. He didn't make it very far when he ran into Tracey. She motioned him to follow her into a nearby room and closed the door.

"She was never alone. No matter what bullshit she spews out, she wasn't alone like she claims."

Kyle leaned back against a nearby wall. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I'm curious about her talking to you. Usually anyone who talks to her either joins the peggies or winds up blissed. None of that happened with you and I want to know why."

Kyle shook his head. "I don't know. I went expecting an ambush but she was true to her word and came alone."

"Did she now? Why aren't you just special."

"What's the history between you two?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"I believe in getting as much info on who I'm dealing with. It could always prove useful if I were to meet her again."

Tracey crossed her arms. "How about this? The sheriff mentioned that we're aiming to take the hotel right? You help us with that and I'll tell you what you want to know. Gives you a little extra motivation for the job."

"Sounds like a fair deal."

"Then we're in agreement. I'll see you later then." Tracey then made her way out of the room.

Kyle followed her out but took a different way to reach the armory. After stocking up on the ammo he needed, he waited for the sheriff who appeared a few minutes after Kyle had finished his task.

"Sorry about the wait Rook. We keep track of all inventory that goes in and out so I had to make sure this radio could go with you on a permanent basis." He gave Kyle the radio. "I also have your little squad waiting for you in the lot. They have a vehicle waiting for you and everything. When you're ready, meet them out there."

Kyle just thought of an idea. "Hey sheriff, could you tell them to give me a few minutes? I need to contact Dutch and update him."

Whitehorse nodded. "Sure kid, I'll let them know, and good luck out there."

The sheriff went outside while Kyle went the opposite way. He looked for a secluded spot where no one would be able to eavesdrop on him. He had no intention of contacting Dutch who he just remembered about moments before. No, he would contact someone else. Luckily, he still remembered the frequency.

"Hey, this is Kyle."

There was a short pause before there was a response. "Kyle, I was wondering when I'd hear from you again. I had heard that Jacob had you on the run. It seems like he was unable to capture his prey."

"Your brother is a crafty one. I guess I should count myself lucky."

There was a giggle. "I assume that was you in the pink helicopter? I had my hunches but it seemed so unlike you to travel in such a thing."

Kyle smiled though no one could see it. "I did what I could. Luckily, I was able to find some help. Had to do a helicopter hunt in your area but you'll be happy to know that I didn't kill anyone, well at least not from your region."

"I know and I'm happy that you were able to do that. Is your companion with you?"

Kyle hesitated "She's not, we separated up north."

"I see. Well, I am glad that you are unharmed."

Kyle was trying to find if she was genuine or not by her tone but couldn't tell. "Listen Faith, the reason I'm calling is to give you a warning."

"A warning?"

"Yeah, these guys at the jail, they're not sure who I am. In return for giving me a radio, they want me to lead an attack on the hotel in your area. I can understand their thinking; they want to know what side I'm on."

"And what side are you on Kyle?" The tone was serious.

"My own of course!" which caused a laugh. "But I'm letting you know to keep things up on my end. You need to get your people out of there."

He heard a sigh. "Kyle, I appreciate what you're trying to do, I really do. But frankly, I'm not sure how much I can trust you. You convinced us to go along with your last plan, but it seems like it has helped our enemy more than it has helped us. They have grown stronger while we have received nothing. How can I trust you? How can I know that this I not just another ploy to get us to pull back from a strategic location?"

Kyle understood her suspicion. It seemed as though his plan had saved the resistance at the jail from total defeat and now, they wanted him to lead an attack that would essentially break the truce that he suggested. There was only one way to ease that suspicion.

"I can understand why you're skeptical. So I'm going to tell you everything. I'm going to be going with three others. I'm assuming that they're there to watch me in addition to support. I have no idea how good they are. Most likely we're going to be driving there in an unmarked car. When we get there, I'll tell them I'm going in alone. They'll be suspicious so I'll tell them to watch all exits so no one escapes. Then I go in. I'll be going in loud. Anyone who is there is dead Faith. I'm not trying to brag. But you've seen it happen in the past. I don't think you want to be embarrassed like John probably was when we took Falls End and raided his ranch. Trust me, if I didn't care, we would have hit that place without any warning and I'd be a bloodbath."

There were a few moments of silence as Faith processed what she was told. "I know you're not lying when you say you'd take them all out by myself. The amount of detail you give leads me to believe that you are really coming. But how can I tell my people to just abandon a place to an enemy who reveals their treachery?"

"Tell them that you have an informant who told you the attack is coming. You will pull out and let them think they have gained a bloodless victory. But you will be watching, waiting. Because now they have to supply two bases and you can cut that supply chain off and isolate them."

"And if people refuse?"

"Then let them state and fight. If they want to be martyrs, then let them. You can use that to rally your people."

"Very well. But what about you? Its come to violence, but won't you be on the other side?"

"No. After this I'm done with them. I'll have what I came for. I'll make my out of your region to go find Jess."

There was more silence. "I don't understand you Kyle. I can't tell who's side you're on. You help me, you help them. I can't figure out whether to trust you.

"The decision is up to you Faith. Like is said, I'm on my own side. I have no ties with these people other than any agreements we make that benefit both of us.

"But what about us?" Kyle could detect a hint of hurt.

"We made an agreement, right? I'm still honoring it. Perhaps when everything settles down, we'll be able to meet again.

"I-I'll be looking forward to it."

"As will I Faith. Now I'm off. I'll drive slow to give you time. You do what you feel you need to do. I'll contact you if something comes up that I didn't expect."

"Until next time Kyle."

"Until next time Faith." Kyle then turned off the radio and made his way to the lot. His team were milling around their vehicle looking a little impatient.

"Sorry for the wait guys. Ready to go?" They simply nodded. As Whitehorse had mentioned it was a group of three, three guys and one woman. All three were armed with assault rifles which means they were expecting a fight. The guy who sat in the passenger seat took a leadership role as he was the first to speak of the group.

"Do you know where to go?"

"I don't. Can your direct me?"

The man gave away a hint of annoyance but otherwise was helpful with his directions. Kyle drove slow like he said he would. He expected his partners to make a comment, but they were silent. He noticed the two in the back had bored looks on their faces. It was probably because they had been cooped up in the jail for so along and were waiting for some action. Finally after what seemed like a while, they arrived close to the hotel. Kyle was relieved that on the outside it looked empty. He hoped it was because Faith had evacuated it and not that the cult was waiting in ambush. He parked the car and got out with his team. Kyle made it a point to address them as soon as they got out of the car.

"Look, I know you guys were sent to help me but I'm going to go in alone. It'll be much more efficient and safer for you guys."

The man who had directed Kyle let out a snort. "I know you think you're a tough guy but I'm sure there's many peggies in there. You're going to need us."

"Besides" The woman spoke up. "We gotta make sure you're really on our side and not a plant." The man who had sat next to her gave her an angry glance like she had given classified information away.

"I'm not stupid guys. I know you were also sent with me to make sure I was loyal to the cause. I can assure you that I'm aboard this mission 100%. But if you guys want to make sure then you can do this. While I go in, you surround the building, cover all the exits. That way if I am a turncoat, you have all escape blocked and can just call in for reinforcements while you have the place locked down. Sound good?"

"We'll do it your way then." Remarked the second male. With that confirmation, Kyle began making his way to the front of the building while the others spread out to surround the place. He readied is MP5 expecting there to be resistance. The windows were all boarded up so he couldn't see anything. However, he could hear some sort of broadcast playing inside the building. He couldn't tell who it was, but it sounded like a woman's voice.

Kyle touched the front door to see if it was locked; it was not. He pushed it slowly while aiming is weapon to be ready to fire at any second. But most of what he saw was emptiness. The hotel did indeed look abandoned. Much of the furniture was covered with white sheets and some of the walls seemed neglected. As Kyle inched his way in checking all sides, he could finally make out who's voice was on the broadcast. Faith's voice. She was monologuing about life, how we try to find order in our lives but life itself brings chaos. The broadcast was in such a way that Kyle felt that she was right next to him, talking to him. He tried his hardest to concentrate on the task at hand but Faith's voice distracted him. It seemed so gentle, so understanding. But it was only a looped broadcast.

After clearing the first floor, Kyle went upstairs. No cult members had appeared. The place was entirely quiet except for the broadcast. He searched every room, nothing, until the last room. He found what seemed to be a folder on a countertop. It had a note on it that read 'Classified-Liquidate when possible'. He opened up the folder and found a note inside it.

'You're not the first one, Selena.

You're not the first woman he's used up and thrown away.

For years I'd been hearing this Faith Seed was tall as her brother, with black hair. Couldn't miss her.

And then I saw you in one of their trucks last week, yellow hair in the breeze, and heard them calling you Faith.

He thinks he can just SWAP YOU OUT. Like you don't got a brain of your own.

God knows who you are, and so do you.

Selena, I love you.

Don't lose yourself to this.'

Kyle stared at the note for a few minutes. So, the Faith that he knew was not the first. Not only that, it was an alias. The last part of the note brought back memories of 'her'. Linda was her name. Being swapped out, it was painfully familiar. Kyle folded the note and put it in his back pocket. The place was clear, it seemed that Faith had taken his advice. When he got outside, he found one of the men and the woman waiting for him.

"Anything?" the man asked.

"Nothing, place looks like it was abandoned." Kyle responded.

"That's strange. You think there would be a ton of them here. But its like they left before we got here, like they knew we were coming."

Kyle watched the man's eyes for any suspicion, but he seemed more confused than anything. "I sent Scott out to search around to find out where these peggies might have disappeared to."

Suddenly, the man's radio came to life. "Hey, Pete you there?"

"Speak of the devil…" The man put the radio up to his face. "What do you have Scott?"

"I spotted two peggies over by this cliff. Looks like they're dumping stuff…shit! They're dumping angels! I'm a little east of where you guys are at. You might want to get over and see this."

"We'll be right over." Pete put the radio back on his hip. "You heard him, let's get moving."

The three made their way east a little ways until they spotted Scott who waved them over. When they met up, Scott pointed to where the peggies were. "They're on their fourth body. From what I've seen, its just those two."

"Should we take them out?" The woman finally spoke up.

"No. We're gonna follow them. See if they lead us to more of them or a nearby base we don't know about."

"Looks like they're done." Kyle pointed out. The two peggies were making their way down the cliff.

"Alright, lets tail them."

The group followed the peggies at a distance as they made their way down the cliff. They eventually turned and stopped at a cave opening covered by metal bars. The peggies were just about at the gate.

"As soon as they open the gate, we'll rush them before they can lock it again." Pete commanded.

"Allow me." Kyle readied his sniper and stared down the two cultists. As soon as the gate opened, Kyle popped its opener in the head. His buddy barely had time to react when he too was sniped.

"Pretty impressive, silent too. Lets get in there before they see the bodies." The four readied their weapons and hurried toward the fallen cultists. Scott and Pete seemed to be trying extra hard to reach the area before Kyle. They did, but as soon as they got in the cave they crouched down and proceeded cautiously. Kyle did the same but moved up much quicker. The cave was lit up by ceiling lights that had been installed. Eventually the path led to an open change that had equipment and desks scattered around. Kyle spotted three cultists leaning over equipment or papers. He readied his MP5 and gunned down the cultist closest to him. The two others heard the noise but Kyle was already on the move and shot down the second one before he hand a chance to get in cover. The last cultist managed to get behind cover and fired blindly and where Kyle was coming from. The merc simply kept close to a side and continued to advance. Eventually, the man had to reload but Kyle came up from side sides and shot him with a burst. The other three just entered the chamber when Kyle finished him off.

"I guess this is why the sheriff thinks so highly of you merc. Those sons of bitches never had a chance. Good work. Spread out and see if you can find anything out about what these peggies were up to."

Kyle searched the desk closest to where he had killed the last cultist. There was nothing of note until he found another folder similar to the first. It had the same message on it so Kyle opened it up and found another note.

"Lana. Christ in heaven what they did to you.

The fact they could make you believe all that nonsense, make you forget yourself so hard. Forget your own name? How, Lana? What did he say to you?

What kind of fucking dirtbag blood ritual could make you think your name was "Faith'?

Doesn't matter now I guess. He told you you were special, but in the end he threw your body in here to disintegrate in the boiling muck, like a common angel."

Kyle's anger rose. This note seemed to combo with the note he found in the hotel. Joseph had recruited women to act under the alias "Faith". Perhaps they were used to present a gentler side of the cult. But from the looks of it, the Faith that he know about was at least the third. Selena and Lana had been killed when they didn't meet Joseph's expectations. How long until the same fate was wrought on the present Faith? No, Kyle not let it happen again. There will not be another Linda. First he had to get back to the jail. He folded the note and put it in his pocked with the other one and approached Pete.

"You find anything?"

Kyle shook his head. "I need to get back to jail. You mind if I use the car?"

"Yeah go ahead. I already radioed Tracey on what happened and she told us to stay here. She seemed like she was expecting you so its probably best if your hurry back."

"Thanks, good luck here." Kyle then hurried out of the cave and made his way toward the car that was still by the hotel. He was eager to hear what Tracey would tell him. Its why he drove the car faster than usual, not caring if he was spotted by any cult patrols. Luckily, they were absent. He arrived at the jail, quickly parked, and made his way inside to find Tracey. He got a few looks from people in the halls, probably because he was a man on a mission. He finally found Tracey who was looking over a map with Whitehorse in an office.

The sheriff noticed him first. "Ah Rook. I trust things went well?"

"Fine." Kyle directed his gaze at Tracey who was taken aback by how serious it seemed. Without even looking at him, Kyle addressed Whitehorse. "Sheriff, you mind if I have a few minutes with Tracey?"

Whitehorse noticed Kyle's expression and nodded. "Of course, take as long as you need. I'll be in the mayor's office if you need me." He then quickly left the room like he was expecting a fight to break out. Kyle continued to keep his gaze on Tracey.

"So, I heard the hotel was empty but you found a few peggies in a nearby cave. Is that right?"

"Yes." Kyle said simply.

"Alright, I was going to talk to you about the hotel being empty but you seem to have more pressing matters. What do you want?"

"I believe you owe me some information"

"About Faith, right?" Kyle nodded. "Her real name is Rachel, Rachel Jessop. We….were…the best of friends. We were united by the fact that society seemed to reject us. Rachel was always too kind and naïve. She got bullied by kids at school and her parents were pretty rough on her. I would frequently see her with marks and bruises on her skin."

Kyle nodded again to show that he was listening and noted that at least one part of Faith's story was true. "I didn't give a fuck about nobody so I was kind of a loner. But Rachel…she actually did give a shit and I guess I had a soft spot for her. So, we bonded, did almost everything together. There was this one time that we joined this hippie group. They were big into weed and stuff so we wanted to partake. Maybe that's when everything started to change. Not long after, this guy showed up who was packing a lot of drugs and booze. He offered to sell us his stock at extremely cheap prices. We couldn't say no. Rachel especially jumped at the chance since she wanted stuff to take her mind off all the abuse she got from her dad. She took the hard stuff, cocaine and the like. I took the booze. The hippie group thought we were going to hardcore and kicked us out."

"Rachel went into further depression. Even with me by her side, she took the group's rejection hard. She went deeper into those drugs. Sometimes I would even hear her mumble about wanting to commit suicide. Then one day, another guy shows up. Tells us about a group called Eden's Gate that would save us, bring us back from the brink. We were curious so the guy took us to the nearest place they had. They told Rachel that she would meet with Joseph Seed himself. They asked me if I needed help since they apparently had a no drug policy in the cult. I told them they didn't need to worry about me. We ended up joining the cult which was our mistake."

"They put Rachel in this drug rehabilitation program and put me to work. First it was stupid menial tasks. Then it was harassing people to join up with the cult or at least not oppose it. At first it seemed like revenge against the society that had rejected us in the first place, but then I felt that I was turning into the ones who had treated us like shit. I tried to talk to Rachel about it but now she was a totally different person. All I heard was how great the cult was, that Joseph was a savior and yada yada yada. Then in a first, she told me that I needed to do everything that the cult asked me to. She was never assertive like this before. I tried to tell her that the cult was doing shitty things to people but she said they were saving people. I felt I lost my friend after that conversation. We didn't talk after that and I left the cult soon after. Now she's 'Faith' and trying to take us out. I lost my friend Rachel but I'll make damn sure I destroy 'Faith'.

Kyle saw Tracey's hands clench into fists. He had listened to her whole story intently and understood what had happened. He understood why Tracey would be upset. Her long-time friend had seemly betrayer her and joined a cult that only served to make others outside the group miserable. To her, Rachel gave in to the devil, turned her back on the only friend she ever had. But there was something not right about this situation.

"That drug dealer that came to you guys. Was there anything odd about him?"

Tracey was snapped out of her simmering rage. "Other then the fact that he sold us really cheap shit, nothing. Wait….now that you mention it, I think he had this tattoo on his forehead."

"Like the ones the cultists have?"

Tracey squeezed her eyes to think. "Hmmm,,,,,I think he did. Why?"

"You don't think that the cult sent this guy over to orchestrate the whole thing?"

Tracey shrugged. "I don't know. I doubt it. How would they know who we were? Why would they go out of their way to do something like that? Guy coulda just been a cultist trying to get rid of his stash of drugs before he got caught. Would explain why he sold them so cheaply."

"I guess." Kyle didn't believe that theory. He suspected something more sinister. Based on the notes from before, Kyle had his own theory. Joseph had tried recruiting his first 'Faiths' through promises of a better life and such. But these women were too independent and/or they didn't meet expectations. So Joseph had them killed. Learning from previous mistakes, Joseph set out to create his own "Faith". One who would be so indebted to him that they would be totally obedient. That's when he heard about Rachel Jessop and Tracey. Tracey was too much of a rebel but Rachel was the perfect candidate. She was attractive, naïve, and had problem that could be exploited. So he sent one of his people as a drug dealer to entice Faith to rely more on hard drugs to escape her problems. Once she was hooked, he would send another individual to tell her about the cult and how it would solve all her problems. Joseph would then 'help' her get over her drug problem, give her a 'family' to welcome her and treat her well. She would be so grateful, she would do anything for Joseph, nothing the cult did would be going too far. Joseph had ideal 'Faith' with the knowledge that if she strayed that he could always get a new one.

Now it was Kyle's turn to boil with rage. He needed to contact Faith right away. He needed to meet up with her, explain things to her. She would need to know that the tightrope she walks would eventually give way. It would be the past relived in a different situation. But this time Kyle would act. There would be no second time.

"Hey you alright? You look kinda pissed." Tracey went getting concerned about Kyle's increasingly obvious anger.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I need a vehicle to get back to my bunker. Can I take the car I used before?"

"Yeah, sure. Now that we're striking out of the jail; we can always get more."

"Thanks." He started heading towards the door but turned back before he left. "Tracey, don't push to hard." He then left before she could respond. He quickly made his way to the car and started driving in the direction of Dutch's bunker. While he was driving, he pulled out his radio and switched to a familiar frequency.

"Faith you there?"

There were a few moments of silence, then static before a response. "Kyle? I wasn't expecting to hear from you again."

"Faith, I know this is sudden but we need to meet up. Anywhere is fine. I'll come to you."

"Is there something wrong? Can't you just tell me on here?"

"No, I'm afraid its too important for that. I'd rather know that this was just between us."

"I see. I'm afraid I cannot meet currently. My people are a bit disorganized after having to suddenly abandon the hotel. Also we seem to be missing a few people so I'm trying to find out what happened to them."

Kyle was tempted to tell the truth about their fate but didn't want to potentially break Faith's trust. "Alright, how about this? When you're ready you contact me and I'll come to you."

"It might be a long time Kyle. Are you sure you can't just tell me now?"

"I can wait. Stay safe Faith."

There was a brief moment of silence. "Thank you, Kyle. I look forward to meeting you again. Stay safe too." She then got off the line.

Kyle resolved to try to stay out of Faith's territory for the time being. He didn't want Joseph to have a reason to move against her. Kyle would make trouble in other areas to draw Joseph's attention away from her. Then he would meet with Faith and save her from his madness.

Author's Note: The plot thickens! Kyle's theory on how Joseph recruiting Faith is kinda my theory on how it happened. I think it makes sense with everything that happens and everything Faith says. But still just my theory. Hope you enjoyed.