And Not Make Dreams Your Master by Stephen Goldin

Author:Stephen Goldin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Parsina Press
Published: 2022-09-28T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

There were about ten women, all armed with stun-rifles, bursting through a door at the back of the room. They were wearing the loose white robes that were common garments in the Holy City, but they had hitched them up and tied them behind their backs so they wouldn’t hinder rapid motion. Each woman had a determined scowl on her face that promised to brook no opposition.

The guard who’d been guiding Wayne and John reached for his own gun as soon as he saw them, but he was far too slow; the women with their rifles at the ready fired before he could draw his weapon. Rays of yellow energy blazed out of several rifle barrels, striking the guard squarely in the chest. He fell to the ground, temporarily paralyzed.

Wayne, John, and the other men in the room choosing women to “redeem” were unarmed and unsure what to do about the invasion. A couple made a break for the door, and were gunned down as efficiently as the guard. The rest stood frozen, hoping to be spared.

But the attacking women were not inclined to be merciful. The leader, a striking black woman in her middle thirties, said, “Shoot the men.”

Her team obeyed, and beams lashed out from the women’s rifles, paralyzing all the men in the room. One of the beams hit Wayne. He was immune to its effect because he was not trapped into the fallacy that this was the real world; nevertheless he fell to the ground as the other men did, pretending to be paralyzed. He didn’t want to betray his immunity just yet; and besides, this looked interesting. He wondered what role these women played in Rondel’s scheme of things—or whether they were a wild factor that Rondel hadn’t counted on.

With all the men incapacitated, the leader of the assault group stationed several of her women at the various doors to make sure they wouldn’t be interrupted. Then she turned to face the women of the Temple, many of whom were frightened out of their wits by this sudden attack. “My name is Laura,” said the leader, “and I’m here to free you from the tyranny and pain of the Prophet’s rule. If you’re tired of abuse, tired of degradation, tired of men’s torture and depravity, then come with us. The Heretics welcome all who would be their own masters.”

The women who’d been seated remained silent for a moment, not sure what to think. Finally one woman got up the courage to ask, “What about our souls? We’re here to be punished for our sins so we’ll be admitted to Heaven on Judgment Day. If we run away, we’ll be doomed to Hell for all eternity.”

“You’re in Hell now, or can’t you recognize it?” Laura countered. “These men will never set you free. Your only chance of salvation lies with us.”

“Who are you, and what can you do for us?” another asked. “How can you protect us from the Prophet’s harsh law?”

“We’re all women like you.

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