THE BACKDOOR OF A BATTERED VAN OPENED. Doran was carried out in a stretcher with hundreds of Intersexual rebels cheering his name in continuous chants. Li Chi alighted off from the front seat of the vehicle and hugged the awaiting Wu Leong and the Chinese triad's members.

They joined Doran who was getting a beatitude hero's homecoming welcome — after his struggles and daring escape, from the Mexican border battle. The Preacher waved weakly back to them...

The Preacher noticed the One God's Army had proliferated with new proponents which swelled many with the inclusion of armed free-males and women — and together also with the overt darken, Zorro-eyed war-paint trademarked Salazar's rebels confederacy with his own surviving AOG members — where the 2 isosceles would be one joint-force to face Cory's army soon.

Li Chi adjudicated at the small ghost town off Cory's search grid, east at Mano County — where the God's Army had now occupied for their cantonment and combat training preparation ground. He gazed up to the clouds, on a brilliant radiant day, and asked...

"You have centralized all our operation in here, Hajja — is security fucking safe at all here — with Cory looking down on us, and initiate a possible drone attack?"

The towering Black Intersexual laughed, "We have outfoxed the Snake-woman's surveillance technologies in every way, Leach — and she doesn't know we exist here for now. Our hackers too, have managed to jam her operating satellite systems."

***

There was a Red Cross medical setup occupying one of the warehouses, used as an infirmary — where Michael, Peter and the rest of the surviving monastery monks — served in nursing back the wounded AOG rebel soldiers to health.

The elation roared inside the infirmary and even the monks joined in the jubilation of their brother's returning from the dead — Doran's stretcher was brought and placed among his AOG soldiers, who were screaming in passion despite the miseries of missing body limbs, after facing Cory's assault in New Orleans. The euphoric blind ones too rejoiced — despite their own sightlessness, but sensing their enigmatic and eminent leader's presence, there amongst them.

Michael silenced the plaudit so that Doran could recuperate peacefully along with the rest. Doran was laid on a waiting bunk. He observed the notable women volunteer doctors and nurses, with other free-male helpers at work in the building — everyone in salutary caring for the enduring wounded Intersexuals who stood up for his cause, in the battle in New Orleans. There were also few Catholic nuns from the Red Cross in the midst...

It had been a while since he saw those in the habits that they wore.

He turned away to the ceiling and sighed hard. His chest was choking by the commiserated burdens of everyone's sufferings around him — and their unconditional blood sacrifices, so that he lived another day — to lead them into the next fight against the Snake-woman.

Michael sat beside on a stool, looking compassionately with tears swelling in his eyes.

"We will get your bandages changed in a while. How are you, brother?"

Doran nodded and clasped Michael's wrist — and commended weakly...

"You are serving the Lord well here, Michael — I see my soldiers are well taken care of."

"Yes Doran, we have been getting lots of outside help, mainly from Europe. There is this humanitarian group of doctors — who came in illegally with the Red Cross. The leader of the group is Dr Grozini and her daughter Claudia. They were doing some work in South America, and now they have a ship docked at our Californian coast. They have agreed to transport all the disabled victims here to Italy — where the Government is granting them immunity."

"What? Why leave, Michael?"

Doran believed the fight — was not over yet.

"Doran, they have lost their arms and legs in New Orleans — and some are even blinded in battle. They are done here, they cannot fight any more, and neither can they fend for themselves if Cory comes again after them. The ship is leaving soon, with the disabled abroad for a safe passage to Italy...

"We, the rest of the monks — we too have also decided to leave with them."

It was a double blow for him.

The Preacher listened carefully to the overwrought Michael — who was now wholeheartedly and passionately relaying his church-related updates, since his absence...

"The Good Lord has also had answered our little prayers and has opened a path for us to Italy — where over there, is a massive revival movement happening now in the Roman Catholic churches in Europe...

"Yes, Doran my brother —they will be choosing an Intersexual candidate, to be the next Pope!"

Michael laughed in delight and he enlightened more...

"Dr Grozini has strong ties with the Vatican City — and it had been suggested that you are one of the suitable candidate — who would be our next Holy Father — where you would be soon leading the Catholic churches worldwide.

"God has answered your prayers, Doran — you are called to fulfil and serve Him now!"

Doran slowly looked away apathetically...

It was true he had aspired to be the pope, when he was twelve at the monastery — it was just drivel to impress Sister Lisa Marie so that he could gain more of her attention because the other monks had detested him when he was growing up there.

Today, he had transformed into a rebel Christian leader, who brought trepidation to the land — as God's very own scar-faced demonic Angel of Death that walked upon the earth — who then brought terror to its godless citizens — and mainly to the president, of his own country...

The Preacher saw one of the nuns turning back, to glance at him...

He anticipated detecting the apparition of the departed Sister Lisa Marie — who finally had her own wishes come true — that the Church would have him as the first Intersexual pontiff...

But instead, he saw his blight faced mother wearing the habit. Her wicked grin teased him — a reminder that he would suffer in hell for his sins soon.

He was backfilled with onus guilt and remorse for his shortcomings and failures — into not saving both the women who had moulded his life — the nun and his mother — along with the other thousands, who recently died for him, in battlefields.

He began to roll his rosary beads in silence, praying for the dead.