The new religions saw the others as threats. Their leaders taught their followers to fight and kill what their preachers called the unbelievers, those God declared to be demons or the Fallen. Along with the new religions which still believed in God, the numbers of those who prayed to Satan dramatically increased. Statues of Satan and bloody pentagrams were sighted in what became known as the forsaken lands, those above the freeze line. At first no one thought people could survive in such conditions and then overhead satellites returned images of igloos and small towns made of snow blocks. At first, they showed up as thermal blooms, then under closer investigation, it became clear there were groups of people who survived in the harsh conditions. President Lanoha thought about sending special forces teams to investigate the groups of humans but was talked out of it by his CoS who told him, “Sir, even if there are people surviving up there, it’s pretty clear they want to be there. We’ve done everything we could to assist in their relocation. We’ve even established military bases above the freeze line to assist any who’ve changed their minds.
The atmosphere is still too ionized for radio communications, and the winds and blizzard conditions make flying impossible. Sir, as much as it pains me to say this, you have to forget about them. If they wanted our help, they would have figured a way to tell us. A simple SOS painted on the snow or laid out in burnt wood would have been seen by our overhead birds. A large fire would have been instantly seen, they don’t want our help.”
“Okay, if you’re sure there’s nothing we can do for them.”
“Sir, have I ever lied to you?”
“No, and if I ever caught you in a lie, I’d instantly fire you.”
“I’m telling you, there’s nothing we can do for them. At least not until the skies clear and we can fly again.”
“Okay, I wish I could save them…”
“Sir, you’ve spent trillions saving two thirds of the population that lived above the freeze line. Some didn’t want to come, some decided to end their own lives, some thought the rock was an act of God and they shouldn’t move because they were following God’s commandments or something strange like that. Some just decided to give up and some became the raiders our FOBs are dealing with.”
“I guess you’re right. What’s next on today’s agenda?”
“Our current logistical issues.”
“I don’t see a reason why I need to attend that meeting. I’m sure you can handle it just fine and then send me the normal short executive summary.”
The CoS smiled. He left to gather the President’s staff together, but first he entered a stall in the men’s room and touched the tattoo over his heart, a pentagram with the number ‘666’ under it. He said a silent prayer to his Lord Lucifer. Then he flushed the toilet and continued to the new Situation Room. He smiled to himself that he was going to be part of his Lord’s plan to crush the people of the Earth and make them realize who their true God was. He entered the Situation Room and announced, “I know the agenda called for a discussion of logistics, but the President had changed the meeting topic. He asks you give me your presentations, he’ll read them and get back to you with any questions. I do request that only the Secretaries of Homeland and Defense remain behind. Thank you.”
After everyone else had left the room the CoS smiled at his two friends, “The President is very concerned about the growth of these new crazy religions. He feels they are holding people back from relocating before it’s too late. He asked me to get your thoughts on how to handle them.”
The Secretary of Homeland shook his head, “There are new religions popping up every day. It’s going to be impossible to locate and shut down every one of them.”
“I agree, hence I’ve made a list of the most serious…”
“The Catholic Church? You’ve got to be kidding me,” replied the Secretary of Defense. “I’m a member of the church. It preaches peace and salvation.”
“The church above the freeze line has mutated. They believe the rock was sent by God and thus they shouldn’t relocate, and they’ve become very hostile to anyone who doesn’t agree with them.”
“Then they’re not the Catholic Church….”
“It’s what they call themselves. Look, there are new religions up there that call for human sacrifice…”
The Secretary of Homeland shook his head, “We all know that very soon no one will be able to live above the freeze line. The massive glaciers are moving south quicker than our projections. Why should we risk our people in those conditions? My thoughts are let them be. As long as they don’t venture south, let them have their first amendment rights and enjoy their last days on Earth.” The Secretary of Defense nodded his agreement.
The President’s CoS slowly smiled, “You have an excellent point there, let Mother Nature take care of our problem for us. I like it. Thank you. There’s no reason for a follow up to this topic and no reason for any notes. We wouldn’t want the people to realize we were discussing their rights.”
Both Secretaries nodded and smiled, neither wanted to face the wrath of the media if it ever leaked they were considering eliminating religions. The CoS smiled to himself thinking, the little Jewish SOB is right. Mother Nature will take care of those who worship the false god. The true God of Earth will let those who would oppose him die and then he will surface and take control of what he should have had when God made it. To think God made people with
