Season 1, Episode 9: Gentle as Doves

Bill's POV

Bill Parker thought about Carpathia's speech throughout the rest of the day. He had so many conflicting thoughts. He didn't know what to think. Bill had never even heard about the Romanian president before, yet he could just tell that Carpathia was a suitable choice for a leader. Bill had to wonder how the Antichrist would handle that.

Bill planned to call Marlene Kingston and ask her about her perspective on the disappearances. Just then, Bill's cell phone rang. He answered it. It was Tony Cataldo.

"Mr. Parker?", Tony asked. "Can you meet me at the fast food place three blocks from the church?"

Bill had to wonder what this was about.

Tony's POV

Tony Cataldo waited at the fast food restaurant. He saw Bill Parker and Eddie Exton walk through the door. He motioned for both of them to come over.

"I got your phone call, Tony", Bill said. "Is there something you needed?"

Tony took a deep breath.

"There is. Today is Silas Tysens's trial. I'm supposed to be called on as a witness. I just called you two for emotional support."

Tony took several breaths. It seemed like he was going to cry.

"I don't know if I can do this", Tony said. "I just feel so much pressure. I'm going to have to face the same man that murdered six people in front of my very eyes. It's going to be miserable, I can tell."

"We'll be there for you, Tony", Eddie said. "We'll give you the support you need."

"I will do the same", a voice said.

Tony, Bill, and Eddie turned to see who had said that. It was Rohit Sharma.

"You'd really do that, Rohit?", Tony asked. "After everything I said and the fight on the plane?"

"Look Tony, you already apologized. I was also wrong for my actions. I never should have punched you."

Rohit took a deep breath before continuing.

"Look, we now worship the same God. We're supposed to be spiritual brothers. We have to avoid petty squabbles and fights. We have to look out for each other. All is forgiven. We just have to stick together from this point forward."

"Thank you", Tony said.

Bill then cleared his throat.

"Do we have to change our clothes for the trial?"

"It would be best to wear respectable clothes at the trial", Tony said.

Tony's POV

Tony, Bill, Eddie, and Rohit went to their respective homes and all changed into suits. The four men then headed into Bill's car for Tysens's trial.

The four men then sat in the audience, waiting for the trial to commence.

The judge, Howard Fasano, then approached the desk and banged his gavel.

"Bring in the defendant", Fasano said.

Silas Tysens was escorted into the courtroom. His legs were chained and shackled. He was also handcuffed. Tony took a deep breath.

After Tysens sat down, Fasano then explained the charges against the murderer.

"Silas Tysens, you are accused of committing an armed robbery at a grocery store in Mount Prospect. You are also charged with ruthlessly murdering Cory Pratt, Zachary Monroy, Lisa Marcotte, Jack Mazzeo, Ian Pullin, and Compton Reno…six people in all. You were also reported to have stolen over seven hundred dollars from that same store. How do you plead?"

"Not guilty", Tysens said.

Just what I expected, Tony thought. That's not surprising.

The prosecutor, Brock Stag, then said, "We would like to call Lawrence Klebold to the stand as a witness. He was the police chief that arrested Mr. Tysens."

Tony watched as Lawrence Klebold walked to the stand.

"Mr. Klebold, can you describe to the jury what happened in the store that day?"

"Gladly", Klebold said. "I had received phone calls about crime in the Mount Prospect area. I came to that grocery store when I heard bullets. I saw Tysens holding a gun and I also saw blood all over the floor."

After Klebold finished his testimony, Tysens seemed defeated.

"Now I will call Tony Cataldo to the stand as a witness", Stag said.

Tony stood up, clearly nervous.

"You can do it", Bill said. "Just tell them the truth about what happened."

Tony walked to the stand.

"Mr. Cataldo, do you swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth?", Fasano asked.

"Yes, your honor."

"Can you explain what happened at the grocery store that day?"

Tony took a deep breath, then started to speak.

"I was shopping. I had ordered cartons of milk and boxes of cereal. I had paid one of the victims, Cory Pratt, the money owed for the stuff I bought. I was about to get the change when Tysens ran into the store and demanded money from the cashier. Cory said he was going to call the police, and then Tysens…shot and killed him. A security guard, Zachary Monroy, reached into his pocket and pulled out a gun. Tysens shot and killed Zachary. Lisa Marcotte was crying, and then Tysens shot and killed her. Jack Mazzeo tried to flee from the store, and then Tysens shot and killed him. Another security guard, Ian Pullin, ran towards the counter to stop Silas, and Tysens shot and killed him. Tysens then killed Compton Reno. Shortly after that, Mr. Klebold shot Tysens and arrested him."

Tony felt relieved that he had explained the story.

"Thank you for your testimony, Mr. Cataldo", Stag said. "This should be clear evidence of how dangerous Mr. Tysens is. Even before this incident, he had been arrested numerous times. He needs to be locked and never be able to reintegrate into society ever again."

Tony couldn't have agreed more.

The jury then decided to discuss and think about the verdict.

"Has the jury reached a verdict?", Fasano asked.

"Yes, your honor."

"What is your decision?"

"Guilty."

Tony felt so relieved.

"Okay then", Fasano said. "For murdering six people, Mr. Tysens, you are hereby sentenced to six life sentences…one for every person that was killed in that store. You will also be sentenced to 400 years for armed robbery and for endangering the lives of the innocent police officers. Case closed."

Tony felt so happy. Tysens was escorted by the guards to a van that would transport him to a prison in Joliet, Illinois. As Tysens passed by Tony, he growled at him.

"You won't be seeing the last of me", Tysens said. "You're going to regret this."

Tony was worried about that threat, but he tried not to think about it. He shook hands with Bill, Eddie, and Rohit.

"Thank you, thank you so much. I couldn't have done it without your help", Tony said.

"No problem", Bill said. "We're all brothers now."

Sandy's POV

A three full weeks had passed since the disappearances.

Sandy Comstock had been yearning for a chance to have an interview with Nicolae Carpathia. So far, he hadn't had an opportunity. Every time Sandy had tried to arrange a meeting, Carpathia had been busy. Sandy didn't want to bother the Romanian president, but he genuinely had to speak to the man personally and understand his wisdom more. A month ago, he didn't even know who Carpathia was. Now he wanted to speak to Carpathia and understand him more. His impressive performance on live television should have been enough to convince anyone to want to talk to Carpathia. Even though he was only 33 years old, the man seemed to have the wisdom and veneration of a respectable senior citizen.

Yet, something didn't feel right about this situation either. Even before the disappearances, multiple politicians either lied or made promises that were never kept. This wasn't any new concept. Throughout history, politicians had lied to and manipulated the natives in their respective countries. Lying and manipulation is what caused a dictator in Germany to slaughter Jews and other people that weren't so-called pure-blooded Aryans during the second World War. Lying is what caused thousands of Russian citizens in the United States to either lose their jobs or their lives during the Cold War. The seventh president of the United States had forced thousands of Native Americans to be relocated from their homeland, and many of them died. Paul had warned Sandy and the other eight people in that church basement about the Antichrist, some world leader that would try to take over the world. Sandy couldn't help but wonder…what if Carpathia was the Antichrist?

Sandy hoped it wasn't true. The Romanian president seemed to be so polite and well-mannered. If all of this was an act…

Sandy knew that he had to be certain before jumping to any conclusions. He couldn't just go around accusing people without proof. Even Paul would know this. Yet, it didn't seem right to just trust anyone that they interacted with. After the disappearances and all the deaths that had occurred since then, hardly anyone could be looked at without suspicion.

Sandy just had to wait for a phone call from his boss. At any moment now…

Just then, Talbot Ismay walked ran into Sandy's office. Ismay was Sandy's boss.

"Mr. Ismay?", Sandy asked. "What happened? Is there something…"

"Nothing's wrong", Mr. Ismay said. "I just arranged a meeting for you with none other than Nicolae Carpathia himself. What a lucky day this is for you."

"Where will the interview take place?", Sandy asked.

"In New York. You and several others from this newspaper will take a plane there to talk with Mr. Carpathia near the United Nations building. The plane leaves tonight."

Sandy could hardly believe his luck.

After Ismay left, Sandy called Paul and told him the news.

Paul then sighed. "Sandy, I know that you seem excited about this. But I have to warn you. I have to believe that Carpathia is the Antichrist. I looked into his history. Did you know he was the president of the Senate for one month?"

"No, I didn't know that", Sandy said. This information didn't seem to matter much.

"Well, the previous president of Romania had died of an illness. His tenure only lasted two months. Carpathia then succeeded him as president."

Sandy thought he was seeing a connection. A pattern. It was possible that the former Romanian president had been poisoned by Carpathia somehow, and then Carpathia became president.

Still, Sandy wanted to give Carpathia the benefit of the doubt. He seemed like such a generous person. He only hoped that that theory wasn't true. But with the evidence in front of him…

"There's more information I looked up online", Paul said. "I did some research about Carpathia's girlfriend, Aurora Pichler. I saw some photos taken of her and Carpathia one year earlier. I saw some bruise marks on her leg and neck. In another photo, I saw a tiny bruise on her forehead, clearly visible to the human eye."

"Maybe she slipped on the ground or something", Sandy said.

"Sandy, do you know what domestic abuse is?"

"I know what it is. That doesn't mean that Carpathia's been abusing and hitting his girlfriend."

"Those marks could not have been caused from simply slipping on the ground. Something else must have been occurring."

Now, Sandy was feeling slightly worried. He wondered if this meeting with Carpathia in New York was a mistake.

"Paul, let me at least speak to him in person", Sandy said. "At the very least, you could pray for me."

Paul chuckled. "Of course, I will."

Bill's POV

Bill Parker was at New Hope Village Church. Paul had called another meeting, since Sandy would be leaving for New York that night.

"I ordered cheeseburgers, if anyone is interested", Paul said.

"That's great", Tony said.

"Is there something you wanted to tell us, Paul?", Bill asked.

"I have this theory that Nicolae Carpathia is the Antichrist", Paul said.

At that moment, silence fell at the table.

"He seems such like a nice guy", Zoey Harper said.

"The Antichrist, unfortunately, will have everyone thinking about how charming and good-looking he is. He will ultimately take advantage of that and try to deceive everyone that sees him. I did some research. The president of Romania whose tenure was before Carpathia's served for two months before he died. Carpathia then became president. It's possible that Carpathia might have poisoned his predecessor and then replaced him."

"We don't know that for sure", Kade Gordonhurst said.

"There's more. It's possible that Carpathia might be physically abusing his girlfriend."

"Wow, really?", Larry Levine asked.

"It seems so. I have photographs of Aurora Pichler that show clear evidence of bruises on her body. Do those bruises look normal to you?"

"Apparently not", Rohit said. "Unless she constantly gets injured for some unknown reason, it seems Carpathia has been abusing her."

Bill had thought that Carpathia seemed benevolent and amiable. He seemed to be an ideal role model. But with the evidence in front of him…maybe not so much.

Bill knew that Carpathia had talked about the United Nations, but so far, the Romanian president hadn't explicitly said anything about wanting to seize control of the whole world. At least not yet, anyway.

Bill glanced at Sandy. The Global Weekly writer seemed to have mixed emotions. Even though Sandy was a believer now, he still didn't seem to want to denounce Carpathia as evil quite just yet.

"I will have to ask all of you to pray for Sandy", Paul said. "He could be meeting the most dangerous man in the world face-to-face very soon."

"I appreciate the concern", Sandy said. "Really, I do."

Bill only hoped that Sandy would be all right.

String's POV

String Becker was finally back at the construction company he was working for. The disappearances had hindered activity, but String was looking forward to fixing any homes or buildings that needed improvement and revamping.

String had been assigned to fix a house that had burned down during the disappearances. The entire family in that household had apparently vanished. String found a Bible that had been charred on one of the tables. Some of the pages were still visible, however. String noticed that the entire chapter of Revelation seemed to be untouched.

He started by trying to fix the living room. String had decided to start adding extra bricks to replace the ones that had been lost in the fire. The construction of the house seemed to parallel the state of the world after the disappearances. After chaos and destruction had inflicted the planet and the population, they needed to be built and developed during the long recovery process.

The construction of this home would take some time, given the amount of damage that had been done to the home. String decided to hide the Bible away so he could look at it later. He still didn't know what to think about the disappearances. The entire world had just been permanently reoriented in the wrong way. Millions had disappeared, thousands of others had been killed in accidents caused by the vanishings. It seemed like it would take some time before the world could truly go back to normal.

Then again, the world might never become normal again after what just happened. The events of that day would be discussed by millions of people and remembered by thousands for all time. There didn't seem to be any way to escape the pain and devastation that the world had been going through.

String quietly hummed to himself as he was drilling bricks into the ground.

"Are you a singer?", Logan Donovan asked String. Logan was one of his co-workers that had been assigned to work with him on the burned-down house.

String laughed. "I was never into singing. I tried singing during a talent show in middle school, and that was pretty much it. I'm sure the entertainment industry is also suffering because of the disappearances."

Donovan snorted. "I was never really a singer either. Honestly, when you look at celebrities who are going downhill now, it really makes you think twice before wishing you had fame and fortune."

"That is true", String agreed.

"Who do you think these people were, the ones that vanished?", Donovan asked.

"I have no knowledge of who they were", String said. "All records of them in this home seemed to have been burned completely. I did find a Bible, however. Seems like they were religious."

Donovan sighed. "I was never into religion. Honestly, the concept seems so cringy. Thousands of these people pray, but God still lets many of them die for no reason. Prayers seem pointless. It's like these Christians are trying to manipulate God."

"Still, you have to admire them for their persistence", String said. "I don't agree with the Christians in the slightest, but there has to be some relevance to all of the things that they are saying. Plus, they are committed. That has to be worthy of some respect."

"I don't respect them", Donovan said. "If they wanted my respect, they would at least try to act better than they portray themselves as. Whatever happened to the Golden Rule? Treat others the way you want to be treated. Love your neighbors as you love yourself. The Christians are instead acting all greedy over money and trying to become affluent as a result of the pain of others."

"That cannot be denied."

String and his co-workers continued working on that house for another five hours. After the work was completed, they all said their good-byes and left. Yet, String was still wondering if the theories about God taking his people to heaven were trustworthy. He wasn't feeling comfortable with any of this. He also wondered when Carpathia would be giving one of his speeches. String hoped it would be soon. Some uplifting words should definitely be enough to comfort the crowds that would need encouragement after what had happened three weeks ago.

Sandy's POV

Sandy Comstock never thought he would be stepping on a plane again after what had happened on Flight 248.

Yet, here he was. Sandy waited in the airport. The text messages from Paul, Bill, and the others were all encouraging and inspiring. He only hoped that nothing tumultuous or minacious would occur on the flight or in New York.

Sandy watched as others from Global Weekly arrived at the terminal. Then, the gate opened. Sandy showed his passport and ticket, then was allowed into the gate.

Sandy sat down as the pilot told everyone to put on their seatbelts. He took a deep breath.

What if this isn't over? he thought. What if people on this plane disappear as well? What if history repeats itself?

Sandy knew this couldn't be true. He had listened to what Paul had said back at New Hope Village Church. Besides, if another Rapture took place, he would simply be taken to heaven, reunited with his parents.

Sandy shook his head. No way was he going to be able to escape his problems that easily. It would be some time before he would be reunited with his parents in heaven, apparently.

Sandy saw other Global Weekly staff members engaged in various conversations. He decided to simply fall asleep.

Kade's POV

Kade Gordonhurst hoped that Sandy wouldn't be harmed during his trip.

Hiram's POV

Hiram Calhoun was talking to Rudy on his cell phone.

"Rudy, I'm flying out to New York with Carpathia and several of his colleagues to the United Nations building in New York. Can you believe it? What a lucky day for me. Are you coming?"

"Can't", Rudy said. "I have to go to Washington, D.C. I have duties to take care of. But say hello to Carpathia for me, if you can."

"I most certainly will", Hiram said, feeling ecstatic and blissful. This was his chance.

Hiram was at the airport. He got a glimpse of Carpathia. The Romanian president was speaking with Salvatore Corsetti and Aurora Pichler. Hiram decided it was best not to bother Carpathia at this time. He would wait.

Still, he had to admit that Carpathia seemed to be gripping his girlfriend's shoulders a little too tightly. From where he was standing, he couldn't say for certain. That was odd.

Hiram decided not to think about it. Maybe he was imagining things. From the way Carpathia had presented himself during the meeting in Illinois, he clearly was deserving respect and adulation. Hiram only hoped that image would stay as it was, without being tarnished.

Then they all boarded the plane. All scheduled flights had been delayed because of the disappearances. Hiram showed his passport and ticket. He walked down the aisle and found a seat in first-class.

By some miracle of nature, Carpathia found a seat right in front of Hiram. What were the chances?

Hiram didn't want to disturb Carpathia right away. He hoped he would be able to speak to him and be able to comprehend what made this man so different from all the other politicians that Hiram had studied with, talked with, and examined.

Hiram decided that waiting a few more hours would be good. There was no need to rush things.

Joyce's POV

Joyce Dancer was currently in the office of her magazine company. All employees had been ordered to return to work one week earlier. She was glad to be working on something that would take her mind off of the current state of the world. She needed to focus on something productive. Something other than millions of people disappearing.

Joyce was busy writing about topics to discuss in the magazine when Nora Grimsby walked into the office.

"I have some good news, Miss Dancer", Joyce said. "This entire magazine company will be flying out to New York to personally see Carpathia at the United Nations building. Carpathia's best friend and girlfriend both gave their approval."

"Wow, really?", Joyce asked. Then she remembered that Nora would never joke about something so important.

"This is the honest truth", Nora said. "You better back your bags. We're supposed to leave tonight."

Joyce felt so excited. She couldn't wait.

Perry's POV

Perry Warden couldn't stop thinking about Carpathia and his impressive behavior. He would be more than thrilled to be able to work for him. How he would have loved to be able to be one of his staff members. It would have been an honor.

Perry had been hoping to gain experience in England, and that chance had been stolen from him. But there was a possibility that Carpathia would be able to offer something better.

Bill's POV

Bill Parker called Paul Karoski.

"Paul, I'm feeling slightly worried about Sandy. I only hope that he doesn't get hurt", Bill said.

"I am feeling nervous for him", Paul said. "But he has to make his own choices. But we'll keep praying for him. We have to be wise as serpents but gentle as doves."

Hiram's POV

Hiram Calhoun waited until the following morning to speak to Carpathia. He watched as Carpathia was eating his breakfast.

Hiram then approached the Romanian President's seat and offered his hand.

"Hello, President Carpathia. My name is Hiram Calhoun."