It had been a very, very bad morning. She frowned as she pressed the fingers of her right hand to her temples, attempting to massage the stress headache away. If only there were a rewind button for the last 24 hours.

  This morning’s interview on American Sunrise had been an absolute debacle. She’d been led to believe she was headed into a sympathetic interview only to be blindsided by that pig, Heath Blitzen. She could still see the face of that traitor Monica Coleman as she sat silently by while Blitzen skewered her on national TV.

  The media blowback had been swift and brutal, with the clip of her interview and her subsequent ‘vision’ on a seemingly continuous loop. The onslaught on social media had been no less swift, and even more vitriolic. The anonymity of the internet allowed hordes of cowards to roast her, unimpeded by proximity or accountability. She was the subject of countless tweets, posts, memes, and online video clips all displaying her as an object of ridicule and scorn.

  She moved to the cabinet and got herself a glass. At the sink, she turned the faucet on and fixed herself a cold glass of water. Gulping greedily, she swallowed too much too fast and began coughing furiously, spewing water everywhere. Inanna could feel the room spinning about her.

  As she grabbed the edge of the sink, she could feel herself slipping into a fugue state, her surroundings swirling into a multi-colored blur. She was about to experience a Vision! No! Not here! Not Now! She could feel the usual tingling in her arms, the numbness spreading to her fingertips. Her glass slipped from her grip and fell to the floor, shattering at once.

  Her eyes rolled back into her head, and she fell to the floor in a deep swoon, her body rigid, her lips moving silently as if praying to an unseen god. The darkness that descended upon her swept her to somewhere far beyond her kitchen floor as she awaited the revelation.

  SHE DIDN’T KNOW how long she lay there before the Vision began to manifest itself — seconds, minutes, hours — she was oblivious to her surroundings. Her maid Anna was gone for the day, so she would simply experience the Vision and revive herself when she was finished.

  She was gradually aware that there was a bright light on the horizon that had not previously existed moments before. Gradually increasing in intensity until it filled the complete parameters of her consciousness, she viewed herself as if she were watching a movie. Her hair was long and flowing, much longer than she wore it, and her skin was almost translucent. Her figure was covered by the flimsiest of wraps, whipping around her body, blown by a cool breeze.

  She could distinctly smell the sea, aware that she was tasting its saltiness on her tongue. She saw that her eyes were closed, but she could see everything perfectly around her. Where there had been nothingness before, she could see the vast reaches of the universe, and the breathtaking beauty of its countless galaxies as she stood gazing at them.

  The pace of her Vision accelerated rapidly. The galaxies began to spin and twirl and dance about her as she watched through closed eyelids. She saw that she approached the Earth, as if viewing it from some close vantage point, yet far enough away to see the whole of it.

  As she watched, she saw the first flickers of flame begin to lick at the surface of the Earth, lit by some unseen hand. The flames built in intensity until roughly half of the Earth was consumed by an all-encompassing conflagration. She was aware that she could hear the screams as millions of lives were extinguished in the inferno.

  Eventually, the inferno was spent. The part of the Earth that had been consumed by the firestorm cooled to a cinder, still glowing under the grayness of ash. She wept, not tears of sorrow, but rather tears of joy.

  The portion of the Earth that had been burned away began to change, metamorphose into a new creation. The rebirth of the Earth imminent, and she, Inanna Laius, was to be the catalyst of it all. She would be the impetus for a new world order!

  Suddenly, from beyond the Earth, the angry visage of the Father-God appeared. The deity that bore the face of her father was contorted in anger, betrayal, and disappointment. She shrank back, as his massive countenance seemed to fill the very boundaries of the expanse. Enraged by the audacity of her destruction, he gave voice to his fury in a discordant shout that shook the foundations of the earth and the heavens, threatening to send the Earth back to its previous state before its fiery purging.

  Outraged that he sought to undo her cleansing efforts, Inanna stiffened, and the void around her was filled with sound and fury as a cosmic storm raged about her. The two of them, Inanna and Father-God, engaged in a battle that rent the fabric of time and space, the two of them locked in a conflict of deities.

  Suddenly, her conscious mind was filled with billions of voices lifted in harmonic unity, praising her, beseeching her in the name of Inanna Hay-Lale to vanquish the Father-God once and for all. Within her, her spirit began to grow in strength, and her physical size began to increase in size until by sheer mass she was easily twice the size of the Father-God.

  Once assured of victory, the countenance of the Father-God betrayed at first a mere flicker of fear, that his hold on Inanna had weakened. As the battle raged, the Father-God realized his energy was spent and his time was short. Imbued with the supernatural power of Inanna Hay-Lale, Inanna could see that the Father-God grew ever weaker against her tireless, unflinching assault. She was, after all, the eternal Goddess of War.

  As Inanna Hay-Lale increased, the existence of Inanna Laius dwindled like a smoldering candle, her humanity whisked away like vapor on the wind. Finally, the transformation was complete. There was nothing of Inanna Laius that remained. The aria of the billions of female voices was lifted in fervent praise of Inanna, the Ultimate Goddess.

  Gone was the woman once known as Inanna Laius.

  In her place was the all-powerful deity known only as the goddess Inanna.

  HER EYES SNAPPED OPEN. She was lying on a floor in a kitchen, not her kitchen certainly, for she had no need for earthly trappings.

  She was not of this world. She was Inanna!

  FORTY-EIGHT

  Inanna Laius tried to steady herself. Pushing herself slowly to a sitting position, she folded her legs and wrapped her arms around her knees. She rested her forehead on her forearms and tried to steady her shaky breathing. Her head was pounding as the reality of her situation took hold. The flashes of light she could see behind her closed eyelids were holdovers from the stars of the galaxies she’d witnessed in her Vision. The pain she experienced was a common after-effect of her Visions, and normally she would load up on 800mg of Ibuprofen, but today she wanted to maintain the clarity of the latest Vision.

  The conflicts between her and the Father-God were a recurring theme of her Visions. Usually, her Father-God Visions ended with her in a defeated posture just before a return to awareness. This was the first time she had achieved some measure of victory, of retribution for her lifetime of subjugation. This latest Vision ended with her in a position of superiority.

  She raised her eyes to take in the view of her kitchen. What a setting for an omniscient Revelation! This was her Road to Damascus!

  What if she were indeed the earthly embodiment of the ancient Sumerian goddess Inanna, and not just a woman who’d had an unusual name passed on to her by an eccentric mother? Her assistant Celine seemed convinced that she was destined for greater things than simply being the face of a fringe religious movement centered around women. What was it she’d said? “Your destiny is to shape the role of women all over the world at this time in history. You and you alone are not only the namesake but the earthly embodiment of the ultimate Goddess Inanna.”

  At the time she’d said it, Inanna thought Celine had simply been an overzealous supporter, someone whose own life was less than inspiring, who found inspiration and purpose in another. She certainly worked hard on Inanna’s behalf. In just a few short years, she’d immersed herself totally in her discipleship in the CDRS, as well as carefully crafting every aspect of Inanna’s personal ‘brand’.

  Inanna pondered Celine’s overarching commitment. The young woman was nothing if not devoted, working tirelessly to take the CDRS from a regional entity, at best, to a nationally recognized church. While there were still those who classified the religion as a cult, Celine diligently massaged public opinion and managed the church’s image — all behind the scenes. Inanna smiled, thinking of the shy, quiet young woman who was a dynamo on her behalf.

  The American Sunrise interview notwithstanding, Celine’s time as her assistant had been one of unmatched growth and success. Through YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and countless other venues she knew nothing about, the young woman had made her a cultural and social phenomenon.

  She nodded resolutely to herself. It was time to fully engage her, have her be the guiding force of destiny. She would help Inanna enact the ultimate defeat of Father-God and his outmoded patriarchy in this world and beyond.

  It was time to initiate the Cleansing.

  FORTY-NINE

  Celine Winters fidgeted with the collar of her jacket nervously as she awaited the elevator. She always felt conspicuously out of place in the lobby of Laius’ building. While the doormen all knew her and were polite and deferential, as they knew her to be the assistant of the building’s most notorious tenant, she knew they secretly looked down on her because of her unassuming appearance and demeanor.

  She glanced nervously behind her and saw that the head doorman Barney Carr was watching her. He gave her a pleasant smile. “You tell Ms. Laius that if she needs anything, just call me.”

  “I will, Mr. Carr,” Celine replied quietly, keeping her eyes glued to the bottom of the elevator door.

  “Please call me Barney, Ms. Winters. You let me know if you need anything as well.”

  The gentle tone of the elevator door announced its arrival. “I will… Barney. Thank you.” She stepped inside and quickly used her key to access the button for Sister Inanna’s residence. The doors closed with a whisper, and the elevator accelerated smoothly upward.

  Old fool, she thought. You only care about a tip.

  The car sped smoothly toward its destination, scarcely giving her time to be nervous about the meeting. Why had she called her at this time of night? She sounded… different. Not agitated or distraught like she did sometimes, or even arrogant or petulant as she did at other times. Just… different.

  She looked at her reflection in the highly polished surface of the elevator doors and worriedly smoothed her clothes. She’d hurriedly picked through her closet, picking those that were the least wrinkled and stain-free.

  Her modest wardrobe was nondescript at best. With her schedule and responsibilities, she had little time to fuss about her appearance. Her salary could hardly be described as substantial, bordering more on inadequate in a city like New York. But doing the important things she did for Inanna Laius and the CDRS were not only important for women everywhere, but for her as well. There was no question that her star was inextricably linked with that of Inanna Laius.

  Arriving at the primary residence floor, she again heard the soft tone as the doors whooshed quietly open. Celine was shocked to see Inanna Laius standing before her in a full-length white taffeta robe, her waist cinched tightly with a blood-red sash, smiling warmly, her arms extended in welcome.

  “Hello, dear Celine. I’m so glad you could come at such short notice.” She crooked her arm in Celine’s and led her toward her cavernous sitting room, which was sumptuously furnished in eggshell white. It was stark and at the same curiously relaxing, as if providing an ethereal domain unsullied by the world outside her residence.

  “I-I came as quickly as I could,” Celine mumbled. “Cabs ignore you in my neighborhood this time of night.”

  Laius led Celine to a plush, overstuffed sofa and gently encouraged her to sit with her. Celine sat uneasily, eyeing her superior wonderingly.

  “Well, we are going to do something about that,” Laius asserted. “In fact, as of tonight, I want you to move into my residence here with me. I have a full suite available for your use, and I’ll have my architect begin tomorrow drawing up plans to give you a residence worthy of the Prophetess Most High of the CDRS on the floor immediately below me.” She smiled warmly at Celine, whose face alternated between outright disbelief and shock.

  “Really?” she spluttered, unable to believe her ears.

  “Really,” Laius replied emphatically, taking the young woman’s clammy palm in her own. “You’ll be getting a significant raise befitting someone with your new title and a substantial clothing allowance, allowing you to put your best foot forward from now on.” She gazed earnestly at Celine as she added, “I want you by my side at every moment when you’re not busy taking care of your responsibilities. If you want to hire a team of women to assist you, feel free to do so.”

  Celine lowered her eyes and turned away from Laius. “I failed you on the American Sunrise interview. I should have anticipated the possibility of an opportunistic, aggressive interviewer with a hidden agenda.”

  “Nonsense, dear. As far as you knew, Monica Coleman was doing the interview, and you fully expected her to be a friendly face. You had no way of knowing that chauvinistic pig was going to hijack the interview.” She straightened abruptly, clasping both the young woman’s hands in her own. “Tonight, we must review our plans for our CDRS Rally that takes place tomorrow night at Madison Square Garden. I want you to do whatever is necessary to spin the events of the last two days to our advantage.”

  Celine beamed at Laius, her pale cheeks flushed with both embarrassment at the unexpected praise and excitement. “Oh, I will, Sister Inanna! We’ve not seen many cancellations anyway, but I’ll do whatever is necessary to ensure that we receive the maximum positive exposure.”

  “I’m sure you will dear,” Laius purred. Her eyes took on a darker level of intensity as she added, “We are going to have a most unusual day of worship tomorrow. Most unusual, indeed.”

  FIFTY

  As Flint and CJ disembarked from the Linchpin Airbus ACJ319, they moved quickly across the tarmac of the private terminal located at LaGuardia Airport in Queens. The sleek black Chevy Tahoe waited patiently for the two of them, looking exactly like the two publishing industry big shots they were supposed to be.

  With identities carefully crafted by Linchpin intelligence operatives, and meticulously placed and appropriately aged by Sherman Peabody, the two of them would represent two well-established experts in the book publishing industry.

  Flint would assume the role of Acton Bell, a top-tier book agent, authorized to offer Inanna Laius an incredible monetary advance for the rights to her book. CJ would portray Temperance Wu, an accomplished ghostwriter with an impressive array of well-known books ostensibly written under other names. The attention to detail even extended to websites created solely for the purpose to display excerpts of her works, and if one was so inclined, to order a print-on-demand copy for reading.

  The two of them had spent their flight to New York going over the details of their backstories carefully and outlining the plan for their insertion into the CDRS camp. Flint was only there to make the pitch for the ‘contact’ and introduce CJ. He would then join the rest of the Linchpin team and monitor CJ’s interactions by way of both eavesdropping/surveillance monitoring equipment and tracking device.

  They entered the idling Tahoe, settling into the backseat. They were greeted by the grinning face of Special Agent Grady Eckles as they settled in. “Well, well, well, if it isn’t the pride of the Linchpin freshman class… oh — and good to see you too, Stryker. Glad you were along to bring agent Jeong’s luggage.”

  Stryker gave Eckles a practiced grimace and replied, “Good to see you too, Eckles. Your mom said to tell you hello.”

  Eckles arched his eyebrows and scowled at Flint but said nothing more. He looked at CJ and said, “Your rooms at the Peninsula Hotel are booked, and awaiting check-in. You’re about six blocks from Inanna Laius’s building. We’ve scoped it out and have eyes and ears in place to the extent we can get them. Once you’re in, we can probably respond and be inside within forty-five seconds if need be.”

  She nodded thoughtfully. “Hopefully we’ll be in and welcomed with open arms so an emergency scenario won’t be necessary. Posing as a well-connected literary agent, Flint called Laius’s assistant en-route, so they’re expecting to hear from us again. The woman…” CJ studied her brief sheet, “… Celine Winters seemed intrigued. Flint gave her lots of online stuff to review and said he’d call her again once we got to the hotel to see if we might meet with them this evening.”

  Eckles observed them in the rearview mirror and nodded. “Sounds like a plan. We’ve got a Con Ed emergency truck and canopy unit set up outside her building. You’ll be wired for sound, and with this…” he handed her a small jeweled lapel pin containing a pinpoint video camera, “it’ll be like we’re right in the room with you. We’ll have eyes on everything. Hell, even Stryker won’t be able to screw this up.”

  Flint chose to ignore this last dig, instead turning to CJ. “You’ll be carrying, right CJ?”

  She nodded, “Yep. I have my Glock 43 in my concealed carry thigh holster compression shorts under my skirt. No one will know I have a weapon. I can’t imagine we’ll be searched when we enter. At least they’d better not.”

  Flint looked at her in amazement. She was so petite, so lovely, yet she could be as deadly as a viper stashed in an unsuspecting victim’s laundry basket. Even unarmed, it was a risk not worth taking to challenge her physically if she was prepared.

  Eckles turned in his seat to face the two of them. “Listen, all kidding aside, if either of you gets the slightest hint that this is going sideways, be prepared to use lethal force at your discretion. Say the word and we’ll be in there as quickly as possible.”

 

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