condition to respond, so Bethany said, "I guess somebody had to write the operating system for the universe."
He laughed out loud. "That's priceless. We'll stick with that analogy. It turns out there are hackers everywhere. Even God has a problem with them. They're always trying to embarrass him, like what you did to us a short time ago. So, God installed special software. It's like an internal defense mechanism that remains hidden, but it's always watching for trouble. When God's enemies make a move, it springs into action and fights off the intrusion. It tries to restore the system to its original design."
"Like anti-virus software?"
"Pretty much." He nodded. "Of course God doesn't use the kind of software you're familiar with. Human souls are the tools of His trade. He expresses His will through our actions."
Bethany felt like she was in a dream. Was Aaron being serious, or was he testing her again? His explanation made sense though. Every complex system needed ways to correct errors.
"However, defending the world against hostile supernatural forces isn't a job for ordinary folks," he said. "You need a powerful organization made of elite warriors. You need genuine miracle workers."
He spat at the chain holding Bethany's ankles to her chair. A yellow glob flew across the room and struck the metal with perfect accuracy. Foam and greasy smoke covered the chain, and then it broke. She was free. He did the same for Leanna.
Bethany touched the end of the broken chain. It looked like the metal had simply dissolved. Now she was sure she was dreaming.
"We are the Gray Spear Society," Aaron said. "You just joined my team. Welcome."
"What about the trouble we caused?" Leanna said.
He shrugged. "A very impressive audition."
"But what if we don't want to join?" Bethany said.
"You lost that option when you demanded the truth. It's not so bad. We'll take good care of you and keep you safe. You'll be surrounded by loyal friends. I think you'll really like being with us." He took out his phone and made a call. "Norbert? I've decided to relocate the twins to Chicago. That will be a lot better for everybody. I want you to get a moving van and packing materials, and bring it to the house. We're taking all the computers with us. Got it?" He closed his phone.
"We're going somewhere?" Bethany said.
"That building on your monitor is our headquarters and your new office. Your computers will stay there."
She looked again at the long, narrow building near the train tracks. It suddenly had a lot more importance in her life.
Aaron settled back in his chair. "While we're waiting for Norbert, I'll answer any questions you have. From now on, I'll keep no more secrets from you."
* * *
Marina stood on the sidewalk in front of the Friendly Diner. She peered through the plate glass window and saw a man sitting in a corner booth with a yellow notepad. It was the same guy as yesterday, wearing the same spotless coveralls. Breakfast was over and the diner was mostly empty, so he looked even more out of place than before. He wasn't eating anything. He was just staring ahead and occasionally writing a note with an expensive pen.
She turned to Smythe, who was standing beside her. "Let's make this simple. I'll put him to sleep and you grab the notepad. Then we'll leave."
"I was hoping we could talk to him before you knock him out," he said.
"White Flame owns this town, and their main campus is just ten minutes away. They can bring all kinds of hell down on our heads in a hurry. I'd rather not press our luck."
"I'm not asking for a full interrogation. Let's just talk to the guy for a couple of minutes. If he gets jittery, then you can use your fingernails."
She furrowed her brow. "OK, we'll try it your way. Box him in so he can't run away, and watch his hands. He could be armed."
"What's our cover story?"
"He claims he's a writer, so we'll do the same. Birds of a feather and all that."
Marina and Smythe entered the restaurant. It smelled
He laughed out loud. "That's priceless. We'll stick with that analogy. It turns out there are hackers everywhere. Even God has a problem with them. They're always trying to embarrass him, like what you did to us a short time ago. So, God installed special software. It's like an internal defense mechanism that remains hidden, but it's always watching for trouble. When God's enemies make a move, it springs into action and fights off the intrusion. It tries to restore the system to its original design."
"Like anti-virus software?"
"Pretty much." He nodded. "Of course God doesn't use the kind of software you're familiar with. Human souls are the tools of His trade. He expresses His will through our actions."
Bethany felt like she was in a dream. Was Aaron being serious, or was he testing her again? His explanation made sense though. Every complex system needed ways to correct errors.
"However, defending the world against hostile supernatural forces isn't a job for ordinary folks," he said. "You need a powerful organization made of elite warriors. You need genuine miracle workers."
He spat at the chain holding Bethany's ankles to her chair. A yellow glob flew across the room and struck the metal with perfect accuracy. Foam and greasy smoke covered the chain, and then it broke. She was free. He did the same for Leanna.
Bethany touched the end of the broken chain. It looked like the metal had simply dissolved. Now she was sure she was dreaming.
"We are the Gray Spear Society," Aaron said. "You just joined my team. Welcome."
"What about the trouble we caused?" Leanna said.
He shrugged. "A very impressive audition."
"But what if we don't want to join?" Bethany said.
"You lost that option when you demanded the truth. It's not so bad. We'll take good care of you and keep you safe. You'll be surrounded by loyal friends. I think you'll really like being with us." He took out his phone and made a call. "Norbert? I've decided to relocate the twins to Chicago. That will be a lot better for everybody. I want you to get a moving van and packing materials, and bring it to the house. We're taking all the computers with us. Got it?" He closed his phone.
"We're going somewhere?" Bethany said.
"That building on your monitor is our headquarters and your new office. Your computers will stay there."
She looked again at the long, narrow building near the train tracks. It suddenly had a lot more importance in her life.
Aaron settled back in his chair. "While we're waiting for Norbert, I'll answer any questions you have. From now on, I'll keep no more secrets from you."
* * *
Marina stood on the sidewalk in front of the Friendly Diner. She peered through the plate glass window and saw a man sitting in a corner booth with a yellow notepad. It was the same guy as yesterday, wearing the same spotless coveralls. Breakfast was over and the diner was mostly empty, so he looked even more out of place than before. He wasn't eating anything. He was just staring ahead and occasionally writing a note with an expensive pen.
She turned to Smythe, who was standing beside her. "Let's make this simple. I'll put him to sleep and you grab the notepad. Then we'll leave."
"I was hoping we could talk to him before you knock him out," he said.
"White Flame owns this town, and their main campus is just ten minutes away. They can bring all kinds of hell down on our heads in a hurry. I'd rather not press our luck."
"I'm not asking for a full interrogation. Let's just talk to the guy for a couple of minutes. If he gets jittery, then you can use your fingernails."
She furrowed her brow. "OK, we'll try it your way. Box him in so he can't run away, and watch his hands. He could be armed."
"What's our cover story?"
"He claims he's a writer, so we'll do the same. Birds of a feather and all that."
Marina and Smythe entered the restaurant. It smelled
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