His brother John was considerably adept at being able to wrangle confessions out of prospective members of the flock. Using methods that were, albeit, unpleasant, John could tell the genuine from the fake. Those who would truly make the new world a place to be considered paradise . . . and those who only wished them harm.
So, when he was called by his brother and informed that he had gotten the deputy to say ‘Yes,’ Joseph was thrilled. At last, the attacks on the outposts would end. Or, rather, the taking over of their outposts would end. The Reaping could continue as planned.
Because the deputy had been successful, in part, on aiding the rebellion, Joseph wanted to keep a close eye on her. So, he had decided that it would be best if she was placed under his own supervision. After all, he knew all too well that his dear brother’s inquisition-styled conversion could make one resentful rather than faithful.
Joseph, himself, came on a helicopter to John’s ranch. The deputy’s baptism would be today. Her sins had been admitted to, carved into her flesh, and now she would baptized and purified. It was a ceremony Joseph, personally, wished to conduct. Once his helicopter landed, he was greeted by John. The Father took a moment to greet him warmly--touching foreheads together, hands gripping his face--before business was conducted.
Behind John stood the deputy. Joseph parted from his brother and stood in front of the woman who had placed handcuffs on him only days before. “I saw your face in a dream, you know,” he told her, his voice soft rather than condescending. “I knew it would be you that would break the first seal and set the Reaping into motion. Everything I was ever told . . . shown . . . has come to pass.”
His voice dropped lower, quieter, and he took a step closer until he was invading her personal space. “Which means the Collapse is nearly upon us. And you, deputy,” and this time his hands take her face between his palms, “will survive to see the new world that is given to us by God.” A smile. “Praise be.”
Releasing her, he gestured for her to follow him. “Come, my child. Before you become part of our family, you must be baptized. You may choose a new name if you so wish. Many do. This is, after all, a rebirth. Tell me what sins you confessed to my brother. The ones that mar your flesh now.”