AN: Warning, this chapter contains some weird stuff. Trigger warning for sexual assault.
[][][]
A few days more had passed.
It was hammering with rain. The quiet Honolulu police station was only manned by a few personnel. In fact, they were mostly U.S. Marines who had been guarding the Azur Lane base. But due to new arrivals of guards, they were shifted to the police station to help with severe manpower issues in terms of emergency services. Sanderson was manning the front desk while Riley and Jackson were lounging around, with Floyd.
"I don't know what's worse, doing policework or guarding the Azur Lane base," Sanderson said.
"Why aren't we guarding the base anyway?" Riley, the younger marine, pitched in.
"Command had the brilliant idea of hiring PMCs to guard the base while marines and other professional soldiers would be used for the war effort. And yet we end up getting the fucking shit role," The senior sergeant, Jackson, explained.
"Fucking Shadow Company," Sanderson remarked.
"Hey, it ain't that bad. Nothing happens," Floyd said. The only police officer on duty that night with the Marines.
"That's the point, nothing fucking happens," The three marines said in unison.
The door creaks open. Sanderson's jittery eyes looked up and zoomed in on the figure. Rubbing his eyes, he saw it was a woman, drenched in rain, with a facial expression he'd never seen before. It was as if someone had tossed fear, horror, confusion and mysticism into a blender. There were clear bruises on her hands. Sanderson was willing to bet that there were more bruises on her body. Something was horribly wrong. Sanderson immediately switched his mind out of a trance and into a marine.
"Are you ok ma'am?" He asked, getting up from the front desk and rushing towards her. However, she recoiled violently. Backing up into a corner and throwing her hands and arms across her face, forming a shield. A horrifying high-pitched scream followed, warning the concerned Marine to stay away. Of course, the others rushed in, panicked. "Don't worry, you're safe here. We need a corpsman now," Sanderson said to the others, who promptly called for medics.
Not even five or six minutes later, an ambulance was scrambled and arrived from Kapiolani Medical Center. The paramedics placed her on the stretcher, but her behaviour had escalated to that of being hysterical. Sanderson had never heard such a deafening shriek before. It truly scared him. The lead paramedic approached Sanderson. She too, was terrified at what happened to her.
"What exactly happened," she asked.
"She talked in here, maybe two in the morning. I noticed bruising on her hands, and I had a bad feeling that there were a lot more of them. When I walked up to her, she was screaming at me to go away. I can't even begin to think what she went through," Sanderson replied.
"I think there is a strong possibility that she'd been raped,"
"I don't believe it," Riley said. Sanderson too was in disbelief. He couldn't believe that Honolulu could harbour someone who could commit an unspeakable act.
"We'll take care of her. Tomorrow morning, come by to pick up her statement," the lead paramedic said before entering the ambulance. It drove away with the sirens on.
[][][]
The marines approached the room. It was a tense early morning. The hospital called them as soon as she woke up. They spotted a nurse and a doctor inside the room, speaking to her but to no avail. Her eyes remained trained on the corner of the room. Unmoving.
The Marines entered and were given a brief recap. In their expert opinion, she had been a victim of sexual assault. She hadn't said anything since last night. The patient was heavily bruised from top to bottom. Islands of black-purple botches entrenched themselves across her body. Collectively, blood began to boil in the Marines.
The Marines and the medical staff stepped out of the room and back into the hallway. They collectively knew that she was not going to aid them directly and it was best for her to rest and recuperate. After all, being bombarded with questions wouldn't help her well-being. Before the Marines left, the hospital gave them a bag of all her belongings. Clothes, her handbag, &c. Maybe something useful like a proper ID could be found.
The Marines raided her personal belongings like vultures swooping down for food. No wallet and no ID. Only a set of keys, most likely to her apartment and a brochure of a new church and religious following. The Frontiers of God.
"Wait, I've heard about that," Jackson said. "What's his name, the weird friend of the commander?"
"What Berkley? The crazy self-proclaimed magic wizard man?" Riley asked.
"That's true, he runs a church downtown and has got a huge amount of people as followers," Sanderson commented. "We gotta inform the Lieutenant for a search warrant." The three marines collectively nodded.
[][][]
"I'm sorry but I can't do anything," Lt. Van Persie said, carefully examining the written report placed on the large conference table. "Look, nothing makes me happier than getting an excuse to put this S.O.B in custody but we can't do anything? I don't wield authority over the base. Commander King or Commander Petraeus needs to make a formal inquiry, but neither is back at base. I'm sorry," he added. Lt. Van Persie gave the report to Belfast for further check. The lieutenant obviously noticed the expressions of the marines. He apologized again before excusing himself for his duties. However, as the marines sat up from their chairs, Belfast ordered them to halt and beckoned them to stay further. As Belfast spoke, the marines' eyes winded at the proposal.
"Are you sure about that Ma'am?" Sanderson asked.
"I may look like a human female but trust me, I can snap your necks with ease," Belfast responded coyly.
"Right, we forgot. You are a navy cruiser after all," Sanderson laughed. However, the scheming four agreed to the plan. Belfast convinced the Marines it was a safe and low-risk operation. Belfast can absolutely handle herself in a fight if things went wrong.
Later that night, Belfast knocked on Van Persie's door and was met with the pilot dressed in his nightwear and a bathrobe holding a cup of coffee.
"How can I help you at this hour?" A confused Van Persie asked.
"Master, I wish to inform you that I will be taking a leave of absence tomorrow. I will return swiftly to your side the day after," she explained. Van Persie gripped his chin and stroked it while thinking about Belfast's motives.
"Ok. Don't do anything stupid," he answered back, after a long pause. Belfast took a second to process what he said, before realizing that there were no other maids to service him in her absence. Belfast profusely apologized that there would be no replacement maid. It didn't bother Van Persie. He had enough work on his plate. He was recently given orders to help Sunk Works mass-produce the B-52 since it was pivotal for the war effort. The maid parted ways with her master with a curtsy before departing. Van Persie closed the door, still puzzled about what the fuss was about before going back to the desk and reviewing the prototype engine schematics.
[][][]
"You sure you're ready for this?" Sanderson spoke. The Marines and Belfast were at the police station. Jackson pulled some strings and assembled two squads of marines, equipped in their battle gear. Sanderson himself was cleaning an M1 Garand and Jackson was fiddling with a Thompson submachine gun.
"Don't worry about me," Belfast repeated. Instead of her traditional maid outfit, she was wearing simple everyday clothes. Her hair had been tied in a normal ponytail and he had removed her chain necklace.
"Go in, get evidence, and then get out," Jackson said. His stone-cold voice permeated. He took a drag from his cigarette. The smoke from it lightly glided throughout the room. Belfast nodded briefly before taking a purse with a free ticket to enter the church belonging to the Frontiers of God.
[][][] AN: All of this is based on a true story.
The aura was…strange. Inside was a normal church. Nothing too special. Mostly wooden benches and a small altar and a few scattered panels of stained glass. However, what was to note was the huge number of attendees, especially women. Belfast noted it was one male per four to five females.
"Interesting," Belfast thought. A few minutes passed, filled with excited murmurs between the frequent church patrons, and a man took to the alter. It was Georgy Berkely himself. Nothing has changed about his appearance. However, Belfast had to resist covering her nose due to a foul smell. Berkely began with a long-winded speech, focusing on how visiting the church frequently would cure their sins and present them with a safe passage to heaven. However, as Belfast looked around, she could see the eyes of the others twinkle in delight.
"Lets us commence the ceremony for today!" Berkely roared, and the crowd erupted in cheer. Playing the part, Belfast stood up, forced a smile, and clapped. She felt a hand on her shoulder and suddenly looked behind her. It was a woman with an eerie grin covering her face.
"Are you excited to wash your sins away?" She spoke. Belfast simply nodded. She was overwhelmed at the sight of absolute devotion to Berkely. It was a cult. Plain and simple.
"Onwards we go!" The mad cult leader ordered and the horde of cult members followed Berkely into the chambers of the church. Located underground, it was a large basement area, constructed from cobblestone, resembling old-European medieval architecture. Instead of normal electricity, the basement was illuminated by torches. It was a rectangular-shaped design with an entrance at the base of the room. The walls stretched out for maybe 15 metres before forming the end at the opposite end. Of which, a peculiar object was placed. It resembled a water fountain with a spiral in the centre, stretching vertically. The area of the water fountain was encased in marble with intricate designs. As everyone mindlessly marched downstairs, they stopped briefly by the stairs and carried buckets of warm water. Belfast did the same. Once downstairs, the crowd methodically tossed the warm water into the fountain.
"What on Earth is even going on?" Belfast thought as she chucked water into the fountain, filling it up.
The fountain had been completely filled and Berkely had given the order to start the ceremony. Belfast's eyes widened and was shocked beyond belief.
"What the actual fuck," rang out in her mind. Berkely and the followers were undressing! The now, completely naked Berkely, jumped into the water fountain and several naked women followed him in. Belfast couldn't believe it. Everyone had to be mind-controlled as no sane person would do this. The women in the fountain were washing Berkely while passionately kissing each other and him! It was an unbelievable sight. Belfast's jaw was practically unhinged at this point, staring in utter disbelief at the sight.
One of the female followers washing Berkely grabbed his penis and screamed: "YOU ARE CHRIST AND I AM YOUR MARY!" Belfast glanced around and saw the cult followers began to have an orgy! Since Belfast was the only clothed person in the basement and not engaging in sexual activity, she received weird glances from people.
"We must restrain her! She refuses to cleanse herself from sin!" A man shouted and suddenly, a few cult members paused their activity and rushed over to Belfast, hoping to retrain her. A woman gripped her shoulder and her head from behind. Belfast entered combat mode and immediately elbowed the woman behind her, sending her flying away due to her strength. Everyone paused at the sight of strength which bought valuable time for Belfast to run away.
[][][]
The doors of the police station swung open as Belfast entered swiftly, catching a breath or two. The 20 marines in the police station looked up at her, and she gave a nod.
"Quick help me! I've been assaulted! At that church!" Belfast cried out. From the outside, multiple bystanders stopped at the 'cry for help'. Suddenly, the marines exploded from the police station, quickly running to the church with their weapons. The platoon breached the church door, weapons were drawn.
"This is the police!" A marine cried out. They swept through the main area but found nothing. As they descended into the basement layer, they found the same site that beheld Belfast. Too, they were beyond shocked at the current situation. The men and women participating in the ceremony halted their progress before Berkely stepped out of the fountain, grabbed a bathrobe and walked up to the marine sergeant.
"Do you have a warrant?" Berkely spoke, his ever-deep and mysterious voice present.
"We are here under exigent circumstances. A woman entered our police station, clearly in distress, reporting you and the others here for sexual assault," Jackson spoke clearly. "Therefore, you are all under arrest for the conspiracy to commit rape."
The police station was filled with the cultists arrested earlier. It caused such a scene that the overall commander for the marine brigade garrisoned in Hawaii came over and congratulated the men on their arrests. However, it was too easy. The commander soon noticed that Berkely was one of the men under arrest. The commander trusted the judgement of his marines, but this was too politically charged. He had to go to the commander of Azur Lane and discuss this.
Van Persie sighed long before smashing his head onto the desk. He had just learnt of the developments happening within the church. He tasked Yorktown to deal with the proceedings. Van Persie was smart, but his knowledge only focused on a few areas. Legal proceedings were not one of them. Meanwhile, Belfast stood in his room, bowing before her master.
"You did an incredibly stupid thing there Belfast," Van Persie said, lifting his head back up.
"I am profusely sorry master. My actions were completely negligent, and I accept all punishments given towards me by you," she said.
"If you're going to do something stupid again, at least let me know," Van Persie said, shooting Belfast with a smirk.
In the other room, despite all of her best efforts at finding a legal loophole, Yorktown couldn't. The evidence against Berkely relied on the victim, it was strong, but it ignored the simple fact that Berkely could not be charged. Because he was a close friend of Cmdr. King. Begrudgingly, Berkely was set loose. Neither Van Persie, the Marines or the Republicans wanted it. The Aristocrats carried on business as usual with him, even being invited to attend some tea parties. The confirmed rumours of Berkely's actions, especially regarding the cult and the 'alleged' sexual assault spread around the Azur Lane base like opposite ends of neodymium magnets. Destructively fast. Simply put, some people didn't like being near a sexual predator. Scratch that. A lot of people.
[][][]
One evening, Berkely walked down the streets of Honolulu. In his hand, he held a ticket to a secret party, rumoured to be full of food, drink and most importantly for him, sex. The venue promised lots of sex It was located in a wine cellar of an abandoned house. This wasn't suspicious to Berkely as it was reasonable to place one of these parties in a 'secret' area. He was maybe ten minutes away by foot since this abandoned house was on the outskirts of Honolulu. He wanted to invite some of his devoted followers but the anonymous host strictly said no. It was too dangerous and the host didn't want their secret society to be known. This wish was respected by Berkely.
He arrived at the designated spot and found the entrance. It was a well-furnished wine cellar with polished wood, red carpets covering the floor and beautiful chandeliers radiating generous amounts of light. In the centre, there was a table stacked pull of expensive champagne, wine, cheese and grapes, and cakes. Two hostesses appeared from behind the large wine caskets, probably exiting from the kitchen or a stock room, wearing nothing but bikinis and an ornate mask, completely hiding their faces. They both bowed down, welcoming Berkely. He was salivating at the sight of the hostesses and the food on the table.
"The rest of the guests haven't arrived yet, so please feel free to help yourself with the food," one of the girls said… in a German accent? However, Berkely overlooked this and immediately started to feast on the complimentary snacks. Including drinking two whole bottles of red wine! The hostesses stood quietly in the background as they witnessed Berkely eating the food. They were bewildered.
"Are you sure you put poison in the food and wine?" The one with the German accent said.
"Yes, I am. I put enough cyanide to kill five people," the other responded, in a clean and smooth English accent. They watched in horror as Berkely devoured most of the food and drink laced with poison. He was still standing, carrying a creepy smile. His haunting eyes still flickered.
"Plan B it is," one of them said. The other nodded. The two scheming hostesses dipped away and returned with two M1911 pistols, concealed behind their backs. The two hostesses cautiously approached Berkely, who was standing around, admiring the décor of the wine cellar. Suddenly, the two hostesses drew their firearms and two shots total of 45. ACP, tearing into Berkely's chest. The mad wizard coughed up blood and gave the two hostesses a cold piercing gaze from his eerie eyes before his lifeless body tumbled onto the floor.
"It's done, let's roll up the carpet." One of them said. However, as one of the conspirators walked over to the body of Berkely, the lifeless body suddenly erupted in rage and grabbed the conspirator and attacked her. More gunshots rang out as the other conspirator emptied her magazine into the supposedly dead man.
"WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT!" The shocked and shaken conspirator said. She was breathing heavily and her hands were violently shaking. She picked up the pistol and aimed at the head of the 'dead body' of Berkely, lying on the floor. Two more gunshots echoed.
Gregory Berkely was dead now, for sure.