Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 130317 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 652(@200wpm)___ 521(@250wpm)___ 434(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 130317 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 652(@200wpm)___ 521(@250wpm)___ 434(@300wpm)
“The PPP is the place for happy couples,” the narrator said. But as the camera flew around, it seemed suddenly focused on one individual—a tall male with pale blue skin and thick silver hair which indicated that he was from Chakioun Prime. He had a silver beard and a broad chest and shoulders and was wearing a long, pure white robe edged with wide bands of gleaming gold. Around his neck was something that gleamed and glittered, but Sev couldn’t quite make out what it was—only that it was extremely shiny.
“Hello Brothers and Sisters—I am The Prophet and these are my Peaceful People,” he said and Sev realized that the deep voice that had been narrating the ad had been his all along. “Here at the PPP Dome, we live under the principals of Honesty, Obedience, and Clarity. Within our Dome, every Head of Household has his own little kingdom where his wife can be Taken in Hand and properly trained. I created this paradise where like-minded people can come together in peace and prosperity. Why don’t you join us?”
He spread his hands and all the people behind him cheered and shouted. The picture faded, leaving only contact information on the screen and then the ad was over.
“Every male has his own kingdom where his wife can be taken in hand?” Sev asked, frowning. “Commander, surely you know my background as a Dae’mon Kindred. I know this kind of attitude—I left my home planet to get away from it.”
“It’s because of your background that I thought you would be right for this assignment, Detective Severith,” Sylvan said gravely. “You’ll know how to act instinctively in a way that won’t make the PPP suspicious.”
Mia, who had been sitting silently through the last half of the commercial finally spoke up.
“That’s a cult,” she said flatly and there was a strange look in her eyes that made Sev want to get her alone and ask her questions. “These PPP guys are a freaking cult.”
“There’s no question about that,” Commander Sylvan said mildly. “The PPP is definitely a cult and they are expanding. In fact, they’ve asked Earth’s World Council if they could build a dome similar to the one in their ad in Death Valley.”
“What?” Mia exploded. “Please tell me the World Council isn’t seriously considering letting them come to Earth!”
“As a matter of fact, they are,” Sylvan said dryly. “The PPP made the point that they can turn a barren patch of desert into a viable habitat for many humans—an attractive offer in the view of the World Council. But they’ve at least had the good sense to ask the Kindred to check into the PPP first. Which is where you to come in.” He leaned his elbows on his desk and stared at Sev and Mia intently. “I’ve heard that the two of you have gone undercover together in the past. Is that true?”
“Not deep cover,” Sev objected. “Which is what I’m assuming this would be.”
“We’ve just done a few sting operations,” Mia explained. She leaned forward. “But I think we could handle this.”
Sev looked at his partner in surprise.
“Really? You want to do this?”
“Do I want a chance to expose this asshole—excuse my language, Commander Sylvan—this ‘Prophet’ who clearly has all these people completely fooled?” Mia demanded, her eyes flashing. “Hell yes, I want to do it! Especially if they’re threatening to move into our territory.”
“That’s exactly how the Kindred High Council feels, Detective Deen,” Commander Sylvan said, nodding. “We believe this male who calls himself a ‘prophet’ is a sham and should be exposed before he can convince the World Council to let him plant a colony on Earth.” He cleared his throat. “We’ve heard rumors of some…extremely questionable practices. Things which run counter to everything we Kindred believe in.”
“Would that have to do with the males ‘taking their females in hand?’” Sev asked dryly.
“I’m afraid so,” Sylvan nodded. “And I’m sorry if this touches on some sensitive points from your past, Detective Severith, but I think you’d be better equipped to deal with this kind of system than most of my warriors would be.”
Sev saw Mia shooting him a look and knew there would be questions later, but his partner wasn’t one to ask personal things in front of others.
“Well…” He sighed and ran a hand over his horns—a habit he had when thinking hard. He still didn’t like the idea of going into a situation that reminded him so strongly of his past, but he couldn’t deny that something had to be done about the PPP—before they sank their claws into Earth.
“How long would we be in there?” Mia asked, giving Sev more time to think.
“Not too long, we think,” Commander Sylvan told her. “We want you to go in posing as a couple who want to join the PPP. From what we understand, new converts have to go through a couple of days of initiation to see if they’re a good fit with the rest of the group. That should allow you enough time to see their intimate doings firsthand and—if possible—find out what power ‘The Prophet,’ as he calls himself, has over them.”