The audience begins to think Carter has fallen into a trance after INTERVIEW the FIFTH. Ram Kaur, for the first time in public, looks awkward as he slowly realizes his interview is over, exiting the stage. The audience wonders whether Carter is praying. He slowly rocks back and forth in his seat, eyes closed, mouthing small words. He is certainly speaking to someone, somewhere.
—
INTERVIEW the SIXTH
What feels like a full moon passes in silence as the audience follows Carter’s quasi-contemplative lead. Some are sitting utterly still, eyes closed, transcendent of the mere concrete and steel that surrounds, limits, and defines their time in space. Others are on their feet, hands raised to the heavens, looking up into the rafters: praising, worshiping. The rest are bridging their minds to the collective through the Ether, accessible by their pocket portals, waiting for the end of whatever this intermission is; many are reading updates from the Poll as these interviews progress through the living stream on the Ether.
The MC sings the praises of the final guest, “rising to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2013, he shocked us as he won the 2018 race for Governor of Florida. When this seat was up for question again in 2022, many expected to see a reed shaken by the wind. This is not what they got, as the Governor won back this seat in a landslide—
Suddenly an omnipresent chorus angelorum floods the auditorium:
♬ Miserere mei, Deus:
secundum magnam misericordiam tuam. ♬
From high in the rafters, but nobody can locate the chanter’s exact location:
♬ Et secundum multitudinem miserationum tuarum,
dele iniquitatem meam. ♬
A seraphic third party cuts directly to each attendee’s heart:
♬ Amplius lava me ab iniquitate mea:
et a peccato meo munda me. ♬
From a different but equally undisclosed location comes the same chanter:
♬ Quoniam iniquitatem meam ego cognosco:
et peccatum meum contra me est semper. ♬
With a haymaker, the chorus angelorum returns:
♬ Tibi soli peccavi, et malum coram te feci:
ut justificeris in sermonibus tuis, et vincas cum judicaris. ♬
From directly behind every head in the building, the chanter bellows:
♬ Sacrificium Deo spiritus contribulatus:
cor contritum, et humiliatum, Deus, non despicies. ♬
The seraphim bring the attendees to their knees:
♬ Benigne fac, Domine, in bona voluntate tua Sion:
ut aedificentur muri Ierusalem. ♬
The chorus angelorum is tagged back in:
♬ Tunc acceptabis sacrificium justitiae, oblationes, et holocausta: ♬
The chorus angelorum and seraphim team up for a polyphonic knockout blow:
♬ tunc imponent super altare tuum vitulos. ♬
Attendees of the Family Power Convention are suspended in a vision of the beauty that subsists, the goodness in which all other good merely participates. This centuries-old, haunting psalmody draws the attendees up into the warmth of an eternal flame, a light that does not flicker. From the vantage point of eternity, the time currently elapsing is a sad but forgotten reality. Their eyes eventually make their way back to the stage through a veil of tears.
Although blurry, a barefoot man appears from backstage, clothed in tattered sackcloth, watching the ground in front of him as he walks. His feet are black with dirt; hair, rustled; skin, a deep bronze. Romeo Abatangelo gently but firmly grips Carter’s hand as they meet with intense eye contact.
CL: [Taking his seat] thank you for doing this.
ROMEO ABATANGELO: Well, when I heard a Florida resident was going to be moderating this, I wasn’t going to turn it down [laughter from all but Romeo]. For the record, Carter cannot hack the Florida summer, so he is not there over the summer.
CL: Florida summer is the penance you pay for February [laughter].
RA: What do you know of penance?
CL: So, you signed a ban on abortion after six weeks in Florida, would you do the same as President?
RA: I will be a pro-life President, so of course I want to sign pro-life legislation. I think that we need to develop a culture of life in this country. If you look over the last 50 years, we allowed practices that were barbaric: post-birth abortion, abortion when you have a fully formed baby—six, seven months in—all based on the worst rulings in this country’s history, Roe and Casey. The heart of liberty is not the ability to define one’s own concept of existence, of meaning, of the universe, and of the mystery of human existence. The heart of liberty is the ability to act well; freedom is the range of motion to live in accord with nature. But just because these ridiculous rulings are overturned does not mean we’re out of it. Dobbs means the fight has only just begun. Once I fix this issue at the federal level, then, well… there is a reckoning coming. We must repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.
CL: [A moment of silence] um, well—
RA: That said, I don’t think Rome is built—
CL: But what about all the babies that can still be aborted before a detectable heartbeat?
RA: [Pausing, looking down at the ground for several seconds] Rome was not built in a day [a nearly silent phrase is muttered under his breath, as he subtly shakes his head and sighs]. Is the heartbeat bill we pass into law worse than the full ban we don’t?
CL: But—
RA: Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night which said, 'A man-child is conceived.' Let that day be darkness! May God above not seek it, nor light shine upon it.
[Silence.]
RA: I was born and raised in Florida. I had never seen a California license plate in the state of Florida in my life, and all of the sudden, we start seeing California plates across the state. We are seeing this because I'm focusing on things that actually impact the daily lives of Floridians. By the way, I've never come to Iowa without someone coming up to me, telling me they spend time in Marco Island or Sarasota or wherever, and I see half the Midwest down in Southwest Florida during the winter months.
CL: And that's a good thing, but when you see half of New Jersey down there does that make you worry?
RA: [Pausing for audience laughter] So, here's the truth: when these license plates appeared, my supporters were like, “uh oh, who are these people?” Because remember, I may have won by 20 points in November, but usually Florida races were one percent, so if you bring in 50,000 Californians, 50,000 people from New York, suddenly it could be a blue state. So, we had supporters go to supermarkets in, like, Palm Beach, find every New York or New Jersey license plate, put a flyer in the windshield, and say do not vote down here the way they vote up there [laughter, applause].
CL: Some have argued that is a form of vote coercion, a sort of election tampering. What do you think of that?
RA: Why did I not die at birth, come forth from the womb and expire?
[Silence.]
RA: We drew people who believed in what we were doing. It wasn't just these liberals who wanted no state income tax. There may have been some of those, but I think most of these people said, “you know what? Florida's a free state. I'm not dealing with these lockdowns,” which were imposed under we-all-know-who, by the way, something none of the other candidates want to talk about [Carter and the audience get goosebumps as the auditorium seems to cool several degrees]. They say, “Florida has kids in school, I'm not going to not have my kids be able to be in school. Florida has a 50-year low in the crime rate. I don't want to see rioting in my neighborhood.” So, there were a whole bunch of reasons why people did it, but the political orientation of it turned out pretty good. We're getting the good ones.
The gall of this petulant swine. Who does he think he is?
Carter, deferentially, “I apologize for him, my liege.”
RA: What?
CL: Uh, nothing. I suppose you are doing something right. But think, who that was innocent ever perished? Those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same.
RA: [Eyes closed, softly shaking his head at the ground, mumbling] miserere mei.
CL: As I’ve been asking the other candidates thus far, as President you'd be in charge pretty much single-handedly of America's foreign policy. With that in mind, in the spring, you issued a statement saying Ukraine was a territorial dispute that was not central to America's national interest. There was an outcry, and after you seemed to change your view, describing Uveshchevatel as a war criminal, and saying that it was central to America's foreign policy. Why did you change and where are you now?
RA: [Rubbing the bridge of his nose, he then looks up at Carter] does the wild ass bray when he has grass, or the ox low over his fodder? Can that which is tasteless be eaten without salt, or is there any taste in the slime of the purslane? O that I might have my request, and that God would grant my desire; that it would please God to crush me, that he would let loose his hand and cut me off!
[Silence.]
RA: Carter, this last part I did not say. I was attached to a SEAL team in Al-Fallujah. I know how hard it is for a soldier to clean the dirt from his hands and boots following a series of ill-defined battles in a nebulous war against a vague object of evil. This is what we have in Ukraine, and saying as much is a terrible prospect to the brood of vipers in Washington. Because I understand this war in Ukraine does not mean I support Uveshchevatel—I’ve always thought he was a bad guy—but he who is not against us is for us.
CL: [Subtly nodding] hmm.
RA: I just wish the parasites in D.C. cared as much about our border as Ukraine’s [applause starts]. There are people pouring into this country, we have people dying from fentanyl overdose, the cartels are running the show, and what I've said is this: on day one in office, I will declare a National Emergency, mobilize all resources, including the military, stop the invasion—yes, finally build the wall—but most importantly, authorize the border patrol and our military to deal with the cartels. If they're breaking into our country bringing product, if I'm in charge, that's going to be the last thing they do because they're going to end up stone cold dead.
CL: [The loudest applause of the day] amen.
This is my platform. He is trying to run on my policies.
Carter murmurs, “my liege, what can I do?”
Get him out of here, now. A swift gust rocks the stage. The table between Carter and Romeo keels over. Carter rushes to save his Perrier®. Romeo’s eyes are closed while he returns to mumbling. He is speaking sternly, whatever he is saying. Carter looks up to Romeo for some help in resituating the table for the rest of their interview, watching Romeo mumble. He briefly wonders whether He Who Is Beyond Name is also contacting Romeo. No, that can’t be. Or can it? But the Beyond despises Romeo, the up-and-comer who was once the Beyond’s star pupil.
CL: [Forcing laughter as he sets the table back up with the stagehands rushing out] maybe next time the Convention will have room in the budget for tables with all four legs [nervous laughter from the audience]. Speaking of being tough on crime, you recently vetoed a bipartisan criminal justice reform bill.
RA: That’s right. You know, one pays a teacher badly if one always remains nothing but a pupil [Carter washes away his dumbfounded expression by shaking his head, as if his thoughts are absurd]. A former President, I won’t bore you with his name—
CL: Let’s show a little respect here [Carter lifts a hand to Romeo, asking him to slow down, but Carter sees that his hand is trembling and quickly pulls it back to his thigh]. Can mortal man be righteous before God?
RA: Happy is the man whom God reproves; therefore, despise not the chastening of the Almighty. For he wounds, but he binds up; he smites, but his hands heal.
Change the subject, Carter. Now.
RA: He signed the Hit the Ground Running Act, a product of nepotism and clearly influenced by globalist elites. It’s been a disaster. Claiming to be for non-violent offenders, the majority of prison releases were serving time for weapons, sex offenses, fraud or extortion, burglary, and robbery. In fact, about three percent of the releases were convicted of homicide or aggravated assault.
CL: [Swallowing what looks to be a whole apple] uh—
RA: But let’s make this personal. One of Senator Paul Randall’s staffers was almost killed by an HGRA early release. And Trey Pewoll, who was even invited to the Ivory Home and championed by the former President, was arrested in 2020 for meth drug trafficking. Another, Joe Francesco of the Reges Latini gang, was released early by HGRA and subsequently murdered a 46-year-old carpenter at a bar. There are a bunch more stories like this. Now this supposedly [air quotes] tough-on-crime blowhard wants to say he’d sentence drug dealers to death; give me a break. Did you see the interview with Brent Maier? Anyway, so, when a similar one of these so-called reforms was sent through to my state as an expunction of criminal history records, I said “yeah, no thanks.”
Enough. No more of this affront. Carter notices that some in the audience appear puzzled, almost as if they too heard the voice.
CL: Yes, well, uh—[pausing for recollection]—well, what do you think is our goal in Ukraine, and when do we know we’ve achieved it?
RA: They will not define it. They're basically doing an open-ended conflict in Ukraine, and this is going to be a multi-year quagmire.
CL: A kerfuffle, indeed. What do you think the goal should be?
RA: What is my strength, that I should wait? And what is my end, that I should be patient? There's going to be a lot of people that are going to die and there's not going to be much facts changed on the ground. The question is, “okay, how do you get that to where we can stop this?” And, also, from our national interest, this is humiliating for our country; we're running out of ammunition; they're now trying to mobilize troops to go to Europe when we have a major threat in the Indo-Pacific, the Chinese Communist Party, who they've basically given a free pass to—something nobody wants to talk about. As President, I would prioritize the threats to our national security, and the top threat to this country is China. It's China's ambitions, industrial capacity, their ability to pollute our culture, impact our universities—incidentally, in Florida we got rid of the Confucius Institutes that they put in universities. We crack down on their research dollars to our universities, and we ban any purchase of land by the CCP in the state of Florida [applause].
CL: So, if you were to become President—and previous Presidents have discovered this—you and the VP are the only elected leaders in the executive branch of the largest organization in history. Millions of people work for you, and they hate you, and they work to subvert you from day one, what do you do about that? What do you do about the FBI, CIA, or intel agencies that are heavily armed and have intel capacities you don’t, how do you manage that?
RA: Section Two of the Article means the President has the executive authority. We just say these bureaucrats somehow can't be held accountable; I disagree with that. I think you can fire them. If we have an FBI agent harassing a pro-life activist like Matt Houtt, sending a SWAT team, I'd fire them immediately. When you have FBI colluding with big tech to censor dissent, I would fire those people. Had I been President in 2020, Dr. Antonio Il’Martello would have been fired, not promoted to the Czar of The Vid, and you've got to be willing to do it [applause].
Who is steering this interview? You have one more chance before I monitor the situation.
CL: I’m sorry, my li—uh, [the audience has queer looks on their faces] the censorship regime in place during the last Presidential election—by the way, I think it remains in place—in the federal agencies, telling information providers and social media companies what they can and cannot run, no one’s been held accountable. Meanwhile, Julian Assange is still in prison, thanks to our efforts. Would you pardon him, and would you hold those people violating the First Addition accountable?
RA: The violators of the First Addition need to be held accountable; people died because of that. The former President, who signed an executive order in 2020 to stop censorship, was completely ineffectual, but I will not be—
How long will you let this holier-than-thou nobody blaspheme? Carter’s pantlegs and hair begin waving in the wind while Romeo’s tunic does the same. Some in the audience with better seats begin clutching their belongings against their person, looking around for open vents. There are none.
RA: They were censoring truthful information about The Vid, that if people would have adopted those policies, the country would have been better off. Some kids got locked out of school for a year. The fact that they censored dissent on The Vid meant that some people took booster shots when they didn't need to, and they ended up having an adverse reaction, and now these dangerous shots are on the schedule even for children—in other words, mandated—so it had a major, major impact. There must be retributive justice, a period of repentance and penance, and if there is not, they are going to do it again. It’s worth noting, too, that all this suffering and injustice started with the former Presid—
That’s enough, the voice booms through the auditorium with a chaotic blast of air, sending notepads, pamphlets, and hair in every direction. We did a tremendous job with the vaccines.
Shrieking begins as many attendees point to the center of the auditorium’s ceiling. Black loafers with large gold buckles are slowly becoming visible, then the pant legs of a fine, deep-blue suit, washed in a sunny patina. It appears a man is emerging from the ceiling—through the ceiling. As the head finally becomes visible, the figure’s full aura can be seen, encapsulating him with an orange glow. The audience realizes who it is. But he… he died in 2020. He suffered the guillotine with so many other Republicans following that fateful day: the Democrat coup they called an “election”. How… how is he back—why is he back?
I have a Democrat friend who's very smart—hopefully he votes for me, but he's very smart—
Inside of the apparition’s pristine collar are the visible workings of a vocal system: the lungs attaching to the larynx, vocal folds, and articulators: tongue, palate, cheek musculature, and lips. Within this vocal matrix is a set of gleaming teeth, opening and closing with his speech. No other parts of the face and head remain. Floating about a handsbreadth atop this vocal system is his infamous hair, the feature by which He Who Is Beyond Name is most identifiable. Although, his mane is much different than it was while clothed in mortal coil. The tufted mop is a blinding white at which nobody can directly stare. It is shining like a white dwarf star, those stars that like to give us a final spectacle of brilliance before imploding under the ever-increasing force of their own gravity. The Beyond is hovering between the front seats and the stage, several cubits high, looking down at Carter and Romeo. The vocal folds vibrate:
He said, “I don't understand one thing about you. I watch your rallies, they're incredible. You talk about beating ISIS; you talk about taxes; you talk about regulation; you talk about everything, but I've never heard you talk about the incredible job you did with the vaccines.” Because, as you know, I got them done in nine months, and it was supposed to take anywhere from five to twelve years.
RA: [Mumbling into a hot mic] Princeps gloriosissime caelestis militiae, sancte Michaël Archangele, defende nos in praelio et colluctatione, quae nobis adversus principes et potestates, adversus mundi rectores tenebrarum harum, contra spiritualia nequitiae—
I broke their ass, okay? And you know who doesn't like me too much? Carter glances over at Romeo, who is still looking at his feet, unmoving. The FDA. Because they were very bureaucratic, and I got it done. And he said, “you may have saved in the world, throughout the world, 100 million people, and you never talk about it.”
RA: En antiquus inimicus et homicida vehementer erectus est. Transfiguratus in angelum lucis, cum tota malignorum spirituum caterva late circuit et invadit terram, ut in ea deleat nomen Dei et Christi ejus, animasque ad aeternae gloriae coronam destinatas furetur, mactet ac perdat in sempiternum interitum—
I said, I really don't want talk about it because, as the Republic—err, as a Republican—it's not a great thing to talk about. Because for some reason, it's just not.
CL: [Dropping to his knees] my liege, we know this, we believe it. The vaccines were… they were a Godsend.
Hush now, Carter, the Beyond retorts, wiping Carter away with a hand gesture. You are no longer useful. Apparently, I’m the only one who can rid us of Rom the Angel here.
RA: Adesto itaque, Dux invictissime, populo Dei contra irrumpentes spirituales nequitias, et fac victoriam.
The Prophecy says that I will get revenge. My unjust murder will be made right. The swamp will be drained. America will be restored to me.
RA: [Slowly rising from his chair] Offer nostras preces in conspectu Altissimi, ut cito anticipent nos misericordiae Domini, et apprehendas draconem, serpentem antiquum, qui est diabolus et satanas, ac ligatum mittas in abyssum, ut non seducat amplius gentes.
He Who Is Beyond Name takes out his pocket portal to start a new post on Veritas Socialis:
Rom the Angel is a coward, he types. As the Beyond’s thumbs press the screen, Romeo is buffeted by vicious winds, bruising and pummeling his torso, limbs, and face. Carter darts off the stage to watch from safety, some ten fathoms away. He lives in my shadow. He tries to do in Florida what I did at the Federal level—O, does he try—but he will never get done what we got done, and quickly too. Sad!
The Beyond looks up from his portal: Nobody can withstand my posts, my veritates, Romeo. Just get it over with and bend the knee. But while these words flow from the Beyond’s lips, he realizes that as quickly as Romeo’s wounds appear, they are healing over. What—
RA: [Dropping to his knees] Deus, et Pater Domini nostri Jesu Christi, invocamus nomen sanctum tuum, et clementiam tuam supplices exposcimus ut, per intercessionem immaculatae semper Virginis Dei Genitricis Mariae, beati Michaëlis Archangeli beati Joseph ejusdem beatae Virginis Sponsi, beatorum Apostolorum Petri et Pauli et omnium Sanctorum—
An incredulous look washes over the Beyond’s vocal system and mouth. He asks the empty auditorium as his thumbs furiously return to his portal, Has Rom the Angel not seen the Poll? Does he not know the Prophecy, or dare he transgress the inevitable turn of the Rota Fortunae? The Beyond looks up from grinding his thumbs into the portal, gritting his teeth, Do you think you can transcend the Wheel of Fortune? The winds are unbearable, and the auditorium seats are beginning to rattle violently. The attendees still watching the living stream from their pocket portals in the atrium are beginning to fear that they are not still not safe.
RA: [Right fist beating his chest] adversus satanam, omnesque alios immundos spiritus, qui ad nocendum humano generi animasque perdendas pervagantur in mundo, nobis auxilium praestare digneris. Per eumdem Christum Dominum nostrum.
How are y—I don’t…
RA: Amen [climbing to his feet, the wind sending his hair and tunic in every direction, but his body remains solid as he locks his eyes on the orange apparition].
Perhaps I underestimated you, Rom. You have a bit more fight in you than I thought. Well, this ought to do the trick. The Beyond’s thumbs make three quick movements and a dial-tone rings out through the auditorium’s rapid gusts. The Beyond has placed a call. Let’s see if you can handle the full weight and power of my Staff of Law. The bottom of the Beyond’s portal rockets down from under his hand, stretching until it hits the floor of auditorium, just in front of the stage, piercing the concrete to root itself for stability. The portal’s top simultaneously extends well above The Beyond’s blazing hair, stopping a few feet from the rafters. The Staff quickly expands at the top and bottom, each becoming about two cubits wide while remaining narrow at the Beyond’s hand. Then, slots emerge in the Staff’s façade.
The time has come upon us… to call my lawyer. Suddenly, cease and desist letters shoot out of the myriad slots in the Staff. They lacerate Romeo’s body from head to toe, leaving tears in his tunic. He is standing strong, blood oozing from his wounds and dripping onto the stage. The wind is far too turbulent, and Carter is looking for an exit backstage. Most in the atrium are doing the same, as seats from the auditorium are now uprooting and hurtling through the doorways, obliterating anything in their way. The doors of the auditorium are wagging like white flags in a tornado.
RA: [Lifting his right hand toward his forehead] In nomine Patris—
You insolent little rat. Rom the Angel. Do you not understand what is happening? Can you not see what is coming down the pike for those who do not bend the knee? It’s only a matter of time until the election is overturned and I am resurrected, brought back in flesh to rule prairie, mountain, and coast.
RA: Et Filii—
I am draining the swamp of this once great Republic, claims the Beyond. I am making America great again. His vocal system resembles a jackhammer as his voice gets louder. Romeo’s wounds are healing rapidly. It will be great because I am great, he spits. The Republic will be restored because I am the Republic.
RA: Et Spiritus Sancti.
The walls are shaking, rafters are rattling, and the atrium is filled with screaming evacuators. The building cannot handle much more punishment.
RA: Amen.
The Beyond’s orange aura quickly glows blindingly bright before it collapses in on the suit and workings of his vocal system. He is rapidly reduced to an infinitesimal speck in front of Romeo. The orange dot then bursts with heat and fills the auditorium instantaneously. The walls explode into uncountable pieces as the ceiling does the same. The wisest Iowans who had left the Family Power Convention long ago still could not escape the blistering expanse of the blast. Within only a moment, satellites register the unprecedented spasm of energy emanating from the great state of Iowa. Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, and the rest of the Midwest are engulfed within seconds. The coasts soon suffer the same fate.
The great American experiment was a towering candle that burned at both ends. On a long enough timeframe, even the grandest of candles will be extinguished by the ravages of this world. The sun rose on this great nation; everyone saw and recognized her brilliance, but the sun always sets. Light does not fix itself over any land, any nation; darkness eventually follows and all nations fall.
The living stream of the Family Power Convention has been sent offline and will soon be swallowed in the breadth of information ever uploaded to the Ether, forgotten eventually as human events are. The attendees, candidates, Carter, and He Who Is Beyond Name thought this day of paramount importance. Such was folly. Time, the great equalizer, will reduce this convention back down to size before long. Soon enough, it will collapse back into nothing. Even the largest numbers are consumed in the gulp of the infinite; the discrete cannot match that which is beyond limit; no time is comparable to eternity.
But what follows fallout? The erasure of the American empire leaves behind a vacuum. The power of this world is a fixed entity; a gilded office with a revolving door, always looming overhead, always up for grabs. The seat is open again. Some are capable of reigning in this power such that nearly all of it belongs to them, but it is parasitic. This power eventually chews up and spits out. It is the mother who eats her own. Yet she is a permanent fixture of this world and losing a sovereign only means there is room for a new one. The sun has set; tomorrow it will rise and set again. As long as at least one man exists, the door can revolve. The office is merely vacant, and someone always fills the void of disappeared empire.
To save us from this rat race is an imperishable light from the east; illumination for which darkness is no match; radiance that makes us forget the terrors of night. The eastern promise is and will be fulfilled no matter the happenings of this nation or that; it is here but not yet, it is and will be. This light reigns supreme; worldly imperium cowers in its exposure as all is revealed in its ever-reaching gleam.
This is the fight; the unceasing struggle. The tomorrow sun is the same as the yesterday sun, and a new face will find its way through that revolving door. A fresh body will enter the devouring mother’s office as she opens her seemingly loving arms, offering the world itself, waiting to consume. But the light transcends her, and exposes the office for what it is: a sickly and pale simulacrum of power. Man chooses to reflect the light or spin the revolver. Therein lies the battle; the daily instance of this world war.
The end will be judged by the middle. Tomorrow will be judged by the spread of light today, as the eastern promise is not concerned with plans for the future; the battle exists for today alone. What was accomplished in the light; how were the allotted hours spent; what was done with today?