“The citizen is obliged in conscience not to follow the directives of civil authorities when they are contrary to the demands of the moral order, to the fundamental rights of persons or the teachings of the Gospel. Refusing obedience to civil authorities, when their demands are contrary to those of an upright conscience, finds its justification in the distinction between serving God and serving the political community.”

(Catechism of the Catholic Church 2242)

፨

A year and a half prior.

A priest entered the confessional and pressed his back against solid redwood backing. He exhaled his breath slightly as he settled himself in and closed his eyes. He recited a brief prayer under his lips and crossed his chest with the sign of the Catholic cross.

A man entered the confessional on the other side. It was Dane, but he looked much different from how he would look later in life after the K.R.I.S. program had transformed him. His skin was tan, and his hair had the same unruliness to it.

Dane crossed his chest. "Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. It has been five years, eleven months, and sixteen days since my last confession," he said into the grate between him and the priest.

"That is quite specific, my child. Tell me, what ails you?"

Dane was silent for a brief period as he gathered his thoughts together and then he heaved a heavy breath. "Father, my soul is weighed with the weight of my sins. I have killed. I have killed and maimed both men and women and destroyed families."

The priest on the other side of the grate was silent. "My child, did you know you were committing these acts?"

Dane bowed his head. "Yes Father, I did. There is no excuse for what I have done. And after I took my first life, I stopped feeling—" Dane breathed in deep, and his breath wavered back and forth with emotion "—anything. Father... I can't feel my heart anymore."

The priest placed his hand on the grate between himself and Dane. "My son, did you know that you were committing these acts?"

Dane shook his head after a bit. "Father, how I wish I didn't, but I did. And what is worse, I think I even enjoyed it a little bit." A lingering tear at the corner of his eye slowly started to fall down his cheek. "Father, what have I done?"

"My son, a mortal sin is a serious crime against God. You should atone by turning yourself in."

Dane laughed cynically to himself. "That's the thing, Father. It was legal. I don't want to tell you why, because I do not want you in danger, but it was. I have no fear of government persecution. So why, why do I feel so dirty?"

"And you feel it was wrong, my son?"

Dane nodded as he wiped the tear from his cheek. "Father, if I could go back and undo what I have done for just a moment of my past life, I would. Oh, by the grace of God, I would. For just one second, one breath, one clean moment."

The father was silent as he absorbed Dane's words and slowly turned the prayer beads in his hand. "My son, if you are truly repentant for your crimes against God, you may find forgiveness, but it is something you must find within yourself."

Dane bowed his head. "Thank you, Father." And he climbed out before the priest could say anything more.

He felt dirty walking into the church, and even more so going to confessional, as if he did not deserve to be there or have the purity to step within these hallowed walls.

The church was not large, but it was tall. The ceiling reached high into the air, and grand stone arches crested to the very top at a point in the center. There was a large crucifix at the head of twenty rows of wooden benches where the priest would speak to his flock.

As Dane walked toward the heavy double doors at the main entrance to the church, he passed a woman sitting with her head bowed in prayer.

She looked up as Dane passed by her. "Well aren't you handsome," she said with a courteous smile, devoid of flirtatious attitude.

She was older than Dane by many years, but time had been kind to her. She had laugh lines for wrinkles along her strong-boned cheeks, with thick youthful hair that hung down to her shoulders curled into a ponytail at the back, her bangs free and falling. Her form was thin and athletic. She held herself with confidence, and there was an insightfulness to her nature that tweaked his curiosity considerably as soon as he saw her.

Dane was compelled to stop as he looked down at her sitting with good posture. "May I help you?" he asked.

She smiled back. "I don't know. Can you?" she asked mysteriously.

Dane was thoroughly confused. "You stopped me."

"Why yes, I did. I saw you in confessional. What did you confess?"

Dane raised his thick brown eyebrows at the question. "What you and I talk about in confession is secretonfession is a secret."

His response was candid enough to cause the woman to lift slightly in humor. "Is that so?"

Dane nodded and then gave her a courteous nod of his head. "It was a pleasure speaking to you. I have to be going."

He started to go, but her words stopped him in his tracks. "Have a seat with me, Dane O'Breine."

Dane slowly turned back toward her. "You aren't here by chance, are you?"

She shook her head. "No, I am not."

He considered just leaving, but something compelled him to stay. "How do you know me?" he asked as he sat down on the bench next to her.

She smiled knowingly, and there was an undeniable warmth to her. "I read your file, Dane. Black operations, wet work, and a dishonorable discharge. I came here to ask you why, but I think I already know why you were discharged."

He cast her a severe eye that was a little bit threatening. "That file was sealed."

She returned his gaze but seemed unperturbed by the threat. "Not to me."

Dane shook his head cynically, letting it go. "How could you know anything about my situation?"

"Because I have felt true guilt. I have seen people die from painful experiences that I had a hand in creating and I..." she stopped as her voice began to become emotional. Then she composed herself and continued forward, "I too seek to atone for what I have done."

He did not know whether it was the sincerity in her voice or something else, but Dane felt a sort of kinship with the woman next to him. He bent over and curled his head into his hands and ran them through his hair. "I cannot atone for all the sins I have committed. There is no way," he responded with a voice that was heavy with emotion.

She placed her hand lightly on his shoulder. "What if there was a way?"

Dane's face portrayed his feelings all too well. A tear welled up in his eye again as he remembered all the pain he had caused over the years. "How?"

"I won't lie to you," she said sincerely. "The possibility for your atonement would be a long and physically-painful road. You would leave behind friends and family, be asked to undergo the torture of the highest order. And even then, there is no promise that you will come out of it alive. But if you succeed, I can promise you one thing above all else: you will be offered an opportunity to atone for all of your sins and to use what you have learned to better humanity."

He shook his head. "No, no. I cannot. This is..." He tried to continue, but he could not finish the sentence.

She reached up and clasped both sides of his face with her hands and turned his head toward hers. "There is something that is going to break across our horizon soon, and I fear that it will defy human imagination. For what is to come, I have my doubts that humans can survive."

Her words were implausible, strange, and all but unbelievable, but there was a quality to the way she spoke to Dane that communicated just how urgent her plea was. "Why me?"

She bit her lip and her head swayed back and forth as she tried to come up with the words to explain. "I read your file. The missions that they asked you to complete must weigh heavy on your soul. I fear that I have made a deal with a devil to prepare humanity for a greater evil, and he is recruiting men that are through and through killers to become better killers. They are not the kind of men I want. But you…" She clasped his face even tighter. "You are not. I sense remorse, guilt, and pain for what you have done. Though I fear my sins in the coming months will be far too much to bear, maybe you can atone for both of us. Maybe, just maybe, there is hope for us, and you can save the human race from damnation."

He laughed slightly. "Did you mean what you said about leaving behind friends and family?"

"Yes."

He scratched his head. "You really sell it, huh? I'll bet you say that to all the recruits."

She stroked his cheek softly and shook her head. "No, there have been thousands of possible applicants, and out of all of them, you are the only one I have visited personally." Her response was candid.

Dane had only one more question. "Will it be worth it?"

She was silent as her eyes cast to the ground. "I don't know."

Dane stood and started walking away.

She stood. "Dane, will you do it?"

He stopped and turned his head, catching her out of the corner of his eye. Then he nodded. "I will."

Then Dane walked toward the door and grabbed the handle. He stopped as he was about to go out as if walking through would be the final acceptance of the request.

He bit his lip and clenched his teeth together, then pushed the door open and walked into the light.

- End of Episode 10  -

Make sure to like and add this episode to your library to subscribe to future releases. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter for updates on future content. Leave a tip or become my patron on Patreon to help support the channel. Links in the description below and on my author profile.

Thank you for all of your love and support

New Episodes of K.R.I.S.: First Impact is released every Friday at 7 AM PST.