Doctor Lupu leaned forward, his eyes meeting each of those assembled. “Martha’s death at the

hands of those alien devils had been a tragic loss. But we must remember she never wavered from her goal of stopping the Nentraee and gaining their technology to usher in a new age for humankind.” He grumbled with a heavy Moldovan accent. He wasn’t happy with how his jowls wobbled as he spoke; with the help of his wife he had been losing weight, but the kilos didn’t seem to come off as quickly as they went on. The weight and his jowls reminded him of his father. The man was an uneducated farmer who died at the end of a bottle.

I’ll never be him. I’m better. He was a godless man unworthy of God’s love.

A large monitor displayed different faces. Human faces. This meeting was for only those most loyal to the cause and to the Liberi Dei. To God.

Most of the world’s major religious groups were represented in Liberi Dei. Those that mattered, anyway. They couldn’t succeed without a unified front, putting their differences aside for the greater good. God himself called these men and women together.

“Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism—we have people of every faith.” Doctor Lupu pointed to each of the members on the screens. “We’re not an isolated group; we’re everywhere.” He pounded his hand on the table. “Those sinners and collaborators, like Todd Landon and Greg McNeil, can’t stop us.” He made eye contact with each member on each screen as he talked. “We won’t stop until we rid our solar system of Nentraee filth.”

A quick red flash on his monitor let him know the security software created by his friends in Silicon Valley worked.

He glanced up to the ceiling. This room, like all the rooms those assembled were in, held no distinct features. If someone became compromised, there would be nothing for them to describe, no locations to be disclosed, no secrets lost. The nondescript space, implemented by Martha and maintained by Doctor Lupu, proved a wise safety measure.

Doctor Lupu faced the monitor again. “Giving those tall, devil-eared, bumpy-foreheaded demons Mars is not acceptable—we drove the Nentraee from Earth. We can drive them from Mars, from every planet. God promised us domain over not only this world, but our solar system, and we will dominate what is ours. We’re Liberi Dei, and we won’t be stopped or put down like animals.”

Nods and mutters of agreement came from the faces on the monitor.

“Now, my friends, be watchful.” Doctor Lupu wheezed through his words. “God will be sending us more people to join our crusade. Seek them out, but be wary. If Martha taught us anything, it’s to be cautious and look for the right opportunity. One will present itself. God will soon show opportunity to us, especially now with the rush to expand humankind’s presence in space. Our enemies won’t be able to control everything, and then we will attack.”

They’d answered his summoning from all over the world, from all walks of life. After the attack at the United Nations, more and more people didn’t want the Nentraee on Earth. The people had heard God’s call, and the members of Liberi Dei were there to answer, waiting to round up the next group of holy fighters. The loss of Martha was tragic, but what she created lives on and more and more people will answer her challenge.

“Now let us adjourn,” Doctor Lupu finished with a satisfied nod.