Still Faithful - Chapter 7 : By His Wounds

 

Chapter 7: By His Wounds - Faith & Ross, Martin

Faith looked around the Railroad Crossing Cafe and admired their design element. She appreciated when businesses took the time to make the room where their customers sat more appealing to the eye. Ross was quiet as he signaled for the waitress to take their order. Faith had been in the cafe a few times but wasn’t sure what to order. She felt a bit awkward since she hadn’t really spent a lot of time with Ross and personal conversations really weren’t his thing. They had gone to school together, their parents knew one another but they themselves hadn’t hung out. They had been more acquaintances then friends. She struggled with what to talk about and since he was so quiet, she felt a bit unnerved.

“Do you think Dek and Norman plan to use “So Close” in the regular song rotation,” he asked out of the blue as the waitress brought them their coffees and an appetizer to munch on.

“No clue. Their song rotation is a lot different than what I am used to. At Compass Point they paired music with the sermon. Here it just seems a bit more random as if they shuffled their entire song list and picked the first four that showed up at the top.” That fact had always bothered Faith but it was just a thing she had become used to. If you spoke about the scripture about how by his wounds we are healed, why not sing the song By His Wounds?

“Huh, I never really thought about why Norman always asked me about my sermon each week. I guess he was using those insights to pick songs to sing,” Ross said sipping his dark black coffee.

Faith took a mental step back. Talking about Norman wasn’t a topic she wanted to pursue. Ross knew the chasm between them was pretty large. Pastor Chase had left a lot of lies in his wake. The lie about Norman outing Faith being one of them. This was a wound he surely wanted to heal.

***

Martin Steele watched the feed on the surveillance cameras inside the Railroad Crossing Cafe and watched as Faith met with Ross. He had taken up a bit of the Watching of her considering Noah was persona non-grata lately. Franklin had agents out in force looking for both Raymond James Chase and Noah Stone. Noah’s job as a Watcher was over until the day he could explain his and James’ actions. They were supposed to be protecting Faith, not pushing her out and leaving her unprotected. Dek was also going to take up a majority of this surveillance which would test him for sure. He had never admitted to anyone that Faith was the woman he considered his life mate. Admitting weakness by showing love to another person put that person in danger and Dek was keenly aware of that fact which is why he struggled with approaching her even now.

Detective Danny Cornelius had contacted Faith relaying his location at the secret base at Area 51 where he was meeting with Taffy Appleton and Dr. Charlie Jenkins. Both Noah and James had come from this community and getting to know their histories would be very important as a way to think like they would to catch them both.

***

“Heaven’s closer than its ever been.” The words filtered through Faith’s mind. Her inner DJ was reminding her of the song “So Close” and how inspiring and in spirit it made her feel. Having coffee with Ross had been a bit awkward. Faith just wasn’t used to stepping out socially. She had spent so much time at home since her mom’s death two years earlier. It had hit her so hard. So she stayed home more because he was an introvert but also because finding friends had never been her strong suit. She was a perfectly happy and vibrant person but finding connections was so hard for her. She had had this trouble her whole life. So, when her dad started showing signs of dementia out of nowhere, and her niece and nephew came to live with her, Faith knew she had to get her act together.

That’s why the whole “let’s kick Faith out of everything” conspiracy had her so flummoxed. She was so saddened and blown away by the whole situation. James and Noah weren’t around anymore to straighten out the situation so most of her notice was put onto Norman, which she knew was unfair. The distance between them all hurt her since she had felt so close Norman, almost like a brother from another mother. She felt he was one of the few she could connect with. That was why his betrayal hurt her so much. She hadn’t seen it coming at all.

When they all perform “So Close” earlier, it felt to her like a healing was taking place. She didn’t feel that normal distance with Norman. When they would sing this song for real Dek would be singing lead with her and Norman filling in with background and keys. They were so fortunate at North Point to have an amazing worship choir. Although, a few of the gals still hadn’t warmed up to her. I guess that was the way with everything. Not every single person in your world would be your friend or advocate. They were led in song by Norman’s almost ex-Kerrigan. She didn’t know what had happened to break them up, but Faith was still praying for reconciliation. Ross had mentioned earlier in the day he had been planning to approach Kerrigan and join the worship choir. As a new deacon, inserting yourself into the church teams was important part of their ministry.

There seemed to be a lot of churches in transition in the area. Compass Point had closed due to lack if funding. They had discovered where the main leak was and had covered it up with some strong bandaids but that still hadn’t stopped the outflow of cash. It was discovered later that much of their missing money were due to the kicked out people who tithed were no longer there and so neither was their money. Many of the people left had been small young families with little to no extra income. Even families considered really well off were now of the struggle bus.

Chapter 6 : Lost in the Past

Chapter 6: Lost in the Past

"You mean your heart was with Faith and even Alison could tell you weren't invested in your relationship with her."

Dek waited to respond to Norman. "It was never like that with Alison and I. She knew where I stood with Faith. After Ethan died during that stint before the twin towers fell and I was brought in to take over Faith's handling, everyone was so on edge. Even Faith stopped writing. It was heartbreaking to watch her. Ethan and I were pretty close, so I was aware of Faith before Franklin tasked me to take over her protection and be her Watcher. I was halfway in love with her then. " 

"How did you get past the psychological tests. No one in their right mind would put you in charge of her handling if they knew you had feelings for her."

Norman was used to Dek's spy talk. His twin brother, Kevin was Franklin's adopted son.  It had taken years for Norman to track Kevin down. Technically, Faith was his sister, they had yet to discover if it was a blood tie or a soul tie. Not many knew that Faith had been captured in college and many memories extracted from her, including the memories of Kevin, Ethan and The Legacy. 

Dek continued. "Gia was in that accident with Ethan and an experimental chip was used to help her brain heal from the damage. Unfortunately, for her, it saved her memories but drastically changed her personality.  They were all freaked about her so passing that test hadn't been difficult."

After you handed her over to another Watcher when you retired, why didn't you approach her then? Start a real friendship, then relationship? I have seen you do that so many times with perfect strangers."

Dek sighed, "She wasn't ready."

"Says who? The man who has been in love with her from day one? You let that newbie take over her handling. He didn't know what he was dealing with -- you did."

Norman looked so much like Dek most people assumed they were related. They actually weren't st all but had grown up in an unusual community of very secretive people who had a hidden agenda. They were people of high morals that didn't fit into what the world would see as normal.  But their ultimate agenda was to save the world, make the world a better place and kick demons, minions and devils out of people's lives. 

Del could tell Faith's worth the moment he met her. It was a meeting the Black Council had stolen the memory of. Most of her Legacy experience was gone from her mind, but she periodically liked to write in her journal about her spy guys. 

She was such a young kid when he first met her. She has come in with her brother Kevin to live in the Fairchild mansion. No one was sure if they were Franklin's love children or orphans he had saved from unforeseen circumstances. Franklin was pretty secretive about everything concerning his immediate family. 

Dek, Ethan and Kevin used to jokingly call the mansion Franklin's Legacy or Stone House. Kevin was almost ten years older than Faith and she basically stayed to herself not requiring other people to entertain her. 

Many people in The Legacy had some sort of psychic ability. Faith had a legion of angels constantly surrounding her and she was just used to speaking to her angelic friends in her mind. The main problem with Faith's ability was that a legion of demons stood just beyond those angels constantly threatening her life and mental stability. 

If a stranger walked into the room at the moment they would naturally assume Dek and Norman were related. They were both thin but fit and had similarly styled salt and pepper hair. Both had been dark haired in youth and as most people in their late fifties and early sixties, their hair had whitened or lightened in time with each of their life’s struggles. The two of them, Dek and Norman great up in the same unusual very secretive community of people who had a hidden agenda. The residents were of high morals that didn’t always fit into what the world would see as normal. This groups’s ultimate agenda was to save the world, aka make the world a better place kicking the demons and devils out of people’s lives.

Dek could tell Faith’s worth the moment he met her. She was such a young kid back then as she came into their community with her brother Kevin to live in the Fairchild mansion. They jokingly called it The Legacy or Stone House. The thing definitely looked like a castle. Kevin was over ten years older than Faith and even from day one she pretty much just stayed to herself. The reason being, she not only had a legion of angels hovering around her but unfortunately also a legion of demons looking to push her down and use her as an example. And because of this, her life wasn’t always the easiest but Dek made it a mission in his life to watch out for her.

Men always hovered around the outskirts of Faith’s life but none ever seemed to want to commit to her. Her dad, Henry, was old school Legacy who was Franklin’s right hand man. Franklin was the mostly unseen head of the Legacy and the Knights Foundation. few saw him in person but all knew of him and his ultimate power. Franklin encouraged Dek to keep an eye on Faith early on. The man could sense a part of his heart that would never really let Faith go and Franklin counted on Dek being faithful to his adopted daughter.

Franklin had recently assured Dek God was ready to release Faith’s lost memories back to her. He definitely wasn’t sure how that would play out. The Council had been the one to extract them using her old boyfriend who had been ushered into the Council by the Deep State and his own dark legacy family ties. Her old boyfriend was still a money man at heart but the was looking to redeem himself and Dek just couldn’t trust the guy.

Dek wasn’t sure why Franklin was letting the man back into Faith’s life. It would definitely be a shock when he stood on stage for the first time and announced Jim Williams as their new pastor. He wasn’t to come in town for awhile but knowing the man as he did, he feared Jim would make a surprise appearance sooner or later. He was currently finishing up a project in his old church and was coming in town to take care of his ailing parents. Dek wasn’t sure he liked the idea she could find a bit of common ground with a man who had shoved her out in the cold when she was a kid.

Still Faithful - Chapter 5: Mindstorm

 

Chapter 5: Mindstorm

Dek Fox stood on stage and could only watch as his friend, Det. Ross Strong invited Faith out for coffee. Ross had finally taken his chance and asked Faith out. It had been a long time coming and he should have been happy for the man but mostly he was annoyed with himself that he had let yet another opportunity pass him by where Faith was concerned.

Not many knew who he really was. No one thought about spies anymore. Those days were long gone, done and dusted. But one didn’t forget surveillance missions like the one with Faith. He had watched her for decades before an unfortunate accident had taken him out and had his colleague replace him. When you become a Watcher, you tend to get your feelings all messed up since you really don’t know the person you are surveilling, but try explaining that to your heart.

Twelve years ago Dek had moved here and made a home in Park Ridge and North Point Church. He was told to stay away from her but living in the same community seemed the best option for him. Six months ago, Faith had walked into his church and all the breath left his body. What was she doing here? Why had she changed churches? And why was his heart still so invested?

He felt like throwing his guitar across the room but he relented. What good would that do? Plus, he liked this guitar. He ran a hand through his short mottled gray and white hair and sighed. He could see the smug smile on Norman’s face. He was one of the few who knew the truth about him and Faith.

“I take it you didn’t like the “So Close” performance?” Norman asked. “She has a right to be happy, you know.”

Dek sighed. “I know. I know. I have maintained my distance for so long it is hard to take action now that times have changed.”

“They haven’t changed that much,” Norman explained. “Technically, the new guy is still her Watcher. That surveillance mission will never end as long as she is alive.”

“Is he even still doing that?” Dek wondered aloud.

“No clue. He ran away when the whole missing money thing started showing up. He could be following leads for all we know,” Norman said. “We are pretty sure James aka Raymond Chase is the culprit. It’s always the pretty boys, ya know?”

“I thought Ross was following up on that?”

“We set Danny to look up some details,”  Norman admitted. “Hey, I thought you said you were over Faith. Didn’t you move on with Alison?” Norman tried not to chuckle. Alison Corday had been a co-worker back in the day and he had a brief affair with her before they broke it off. Norman couldn’t help but give him a hard time about it. Alison was a twin and the complete opposite of her sister, Kaye.

Dek began to calm down as he gained a handle on his emotions. “We tried to make a go of it but she knew where my heart truly was.”

Still Faithful - Chapter 4 - "So Close"

 

Chapter 4: Ross — “So Close”

Song featured in this chapter is “So Close” by Amanda Cook and Brandon Lake

Ross Strong was touring around North Point where he was soon to take up the deacon position they had currently open. He had done six months of interim work over at Compass Point before they closed which made him sad. There had been so much promise in that church and their old pastor had practically killed it with a few desperate actions. Ross had been on the pastor search committee at Compass Point calling that pastor, and he wondered how such a sly man had passed through all their security checks. As a police officer, it gave him pause and made him more diligent in his own job as a result.

Not many lights were on in the North Point building since only a few rooms were being utilized on this day. He could hear Norman in the sanctuary practicing with Dek Fox. The two would make a great team. Both were musicians and singers. Lots of talented people in their midsts. Faith being one of them. He prayed a majority of the congregation would transition with the staff but he knew a few would make other choices. And he would definitely miss the old church. It had felt like home. He hoped this church would elicit such a response to him. Only time would tell.

As he entered the sanctuary, both Dek and Norman were on stage singing. Dek on his acoustic guitar and Norman playing the keyboard. They had just started into a song the three of them had been considering adding to their current rotation of songs called “So Close.” He could see Faith standing just beyond the stage lights amidst the seats and worshiping to the song. In her hand was a microphone Brady the sound tech had just handed her. She barely noticed him put it into her hand. He sat in the booth gesturing to Ross to pick up the microphone he had laid on the counter next to the mixing board.

He grabbed the mic as Faith walked onto stage as if in a worshipful trance and began to sing the female lead to “So Close.” Ross approached from stage right and stood behind Faith as she began the chorus. Ross sang a harmony part softly behind her.

Heaven's closer than it's ever been

I can feel You so close, so, so close

When it feels like my world's caving in

Oh, God, I need You so close, so, so close

Ross could totally relate to the lyrics as could both Faith and Norman. Their worlds had all been caving in for awhile now. He wasn’t certain about Dek but the song seemed to be speaking to them all.

Faith leaned back and her back hit Ross’ chest. As she turned to look at him their eyes connected and for the first time the bond he had always felt with Faith shone in her eyes. And suddenly the lyrics took on a personal tone. Norman and Dek exchanged glances as the two of them finished the song with a flourish.

“Wow,” Norman gasped. “I think this convergence of our churches is going to be a blessing in disguise.” He wiped his brow. “Did you feel that? So powerful.”

Still Faithful - Chapter 3 - Norman's on the Case

 

Chapter 3 - Norman’s on the Case

Ross and Norman spoke in hushed tones watching Faith and her family for ten more minutes before Ross had to rush off the take a call forwarded to him from dispatch. Norman had recently discovered why Faith had left the church. Norman himself actually hadn’t had anything to do with Faith’s outing and he was ready to approach her. Ross, of course, was totally against it. He was still in wait mode. Norman was tired of waiting, Waiting got them no where. Sometimes you just had to take action and see where life would take you. He just wanted to see if Faith could give him some mercy and be open to talking to him about what had happened. He hated this distance between them.

Ross too wanted Faith back at Compass Point. Norman wasn’t sure Faith knew the old pastor had taken the church funds leaving a nice trail right to her front door but Ross was still in the mode of showing Faith was innocent until proven guilty.

Norman had recently spoken to Hailey, the old pastor's wife, who had returned secretly to town with her two girls. The whole situation was just a mess all around. So much deception that you would think wouldn’t happen in church life, but Norman knew evil still lurked in church halls no matter what they did. The Devil’s minions were everywhere, awake at all times.

Norman approached the house from the back door and Cassie was sitting on the porch as Faith made dinner for her unconventional little family. It probably wasn’t as unconventional as he thought since many people had similar issues to Faith.

“Hi, Norman,” Cassie said so easily. He realized in that moment that kids were so resiliant. 

“Hey, kiddo.” Norman accepted her quick embrace not really looking up from her smart phone. “How’s Faith doing?”

Cassie grimaced. “She’s sad. One or two of the girls at North Point are complaining about her. Aunt Faith is pretty new, and her voice is different from theirs, she likes CCM, they prefer Hillsong. They just didn’t like different. She was the newest one on the team. But Dek, the worship pastor, picked her to be his main background singer. Torked them off, for sure."

Norman spoke to Cassie a bit more then watched her go inside. He asked her not to tell Faith he had come to visit just so that she would’t freak out. Ross had told him Faith thought he was the one who outed her. Of course the wasn’t true. The old pastor had outed quite a few key people before he ran off into the night. No one was aware but Compass Point was closing due to lack of funding after the old pastor stole away in the night with all the church funds. 

In that moment he had a great idea. He needed to use music to send Faith a message that he was still faithful to her and working with her on the worship team. Of course, it wouldn’t be this current team. He and Dek Fox were currently working on a way to integrate both of their praise teams into North Point’s current rotation. That would give them quite a big team of members. They were currently considering whether different teams for each service would be viable.

One of the songs would definitely have to be Still Listening because he was certainly still Faith’s advocate even though circumstances had sullied their friendship. He was on a mission to bring their friendship back to a nurturing place. And truly, he needed Faith’s influence in his life. She and her calm assurance helped to balance his life. Right now the panic attacks he used to experience were starting to return and it really concerned him.

As he walked to his car he knew tonight he would need to pull out his journal and start getting his feelings on paper again. His breakup with Kerrigan was front page news and that too was unsettling. God was hearing his prayers every day, multiple times a day since he was living life in the struggle.

Still Faithful - Chapter 2 : Faith's Journal

 

Still Faithful - Chapter 2 

Excerpt from Faith’s journal

As I sit here watching my niece Cassie thrive after the awful events of the last year that had her acting out and running away from my sister, Andra, she is finally beginning to thrive. I didn’t take her out of the Compass Point Kids since she was doing so well there and even Dad was getting comfort over there from a bunch of ladies over at the Village, a community center for the elderly Norman had put into place after I was chased out. My heart still aches, but I know one day I may be called back there since my heart is still faithful to that community. I can feel myself reawakening and noting the little things again. You know what I am noticing right now? Insights and memories.

I’m recalling how my old pastor would converse with his wife on a Sunday morning. He was all smiles and fun but Hailey was so solemn and sad looking. I continually wondered what was going on there with the two of them. Neither seemed happy just being a couple. They stood apart from each other and it felt so clinical and blank of emotion. I wanted them to be happy, to be that perfect couple who would show the rest of us how to be a couple loving and living with Christ in our lives. 

But there was nothing there to latch onto. No side hugs, or bear hugs, I could totally see Norman being a bear hug type, but my old pastor was just too standoffish. It was quite a difference from when we first called him to church. He proudly showed me his year of sermons in a spread sheet. Totally mapped out and ready to go. Before he left, he had just been phoning in his sermons, no passion for his topic and strangely, re-inventing the same sermons from a year or two earlier. Made me sad. He was just a creative guy who had somehow lost his inspiration not only to lead but to serve his people and city.

I am sitting here wondering how big our church could have been if he hadn’t limited himself to just a certain demographic. He wanted the young and hip people just like him. But young and hip people do not a church make. You need elders with their wisdom and children with their innocent faith in what could be. The man had been so talented and friendly. He had all the aspects to create a mega church. But secretly he was pushing out elderly and older adults to form a specific church. We need all generations to create a balanced church. The young church alone couldn’t keep the church afloat and it began to fail. Then Norman and Ross stepped up after the pastor ran away. The whole thing reminded me of a 4Him song: Future Generations - “I won’t bend and i won’t break. I won’t water down my faith. I won’t compromise in a world of desperation.”

That was exactly what he did. My old phone pastor had compromised his faith. I think we all do that at times, but in his case the kicking out of the older generation hurt his church growth. My old church where I served in a choir did the same thing but in the opposite. They embraced the older generation and kicked out the youth. 

The church is meant to appeal to everyone — to be a shelter in the storm of life. I prayed my old pastor and Hailey would come together and find each other again. I prayed that creative spark would be embraced by his heart in an amazing way and maybe make whatever church he would serve at again be blessed by his obvious talent.

The pastor had outed a deacon right before he left. He said, if you find yourself in a dark place, you aren’t being pushed out by God, you are being planted. Prepare to grow. I am praying Norman and Ross can make Compass Point grow again. And I pray my old pastor finds his inner light, his God spark, and shows the world the man I knew was inside of him.

Still Faithful - Chapter 1 - The Arthur Agency (TIME TUNNEL)

Chapter 1 : 

TIME TUNNEL - The Arthur Agency: A Story of Faith 

“So, we can just break into Faith’s illusion created by the demons?” Toby Jackson sighed, “That is just bizarre!”

Detective Danny Cornelius, part time time walker, opened the time tunnel chamber and positioned them both inside. “This is more of a viewing room into Faith’s story. The demons have been black magic-ed, so to speak, into the story world she is creating. Since so many characters are based on real people, they are able to gaslight her via these same people who have no idea the whispers they are getting in their heads are being used to taunt Faith. It’s all actually doing a number on her mind and soul.”

“Woah, intense!” Toby wriggled in the seat restraints and wondered out loud. “How long does it take to break into someone’s illusion?”

Danny laughed. People always seemed to relate time travel to stories like the Time Machine or Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. But the Sonic Machine gifted to them by the good galactics was very silent and only a green light on the console told him they had entered Faith’s illusion successfully. “We’re here. Technology in our possession is pretty advanced thanks to our galactic friends.”

Toby chuckled, “Galactic friends? Awesome.”

Danny shook his head wondering who Toby was channelling, Bill or Ted. The guy definitely should have been briefed before coming on board the Time Tunnel History Lessons Project or HLP which he frequently noted to himself was the Help Me Project. Time was saying “help me, fix my glitches.”

Standing quietly behind them was Lincoln Linus, one of the galactic managers of the Time Tunnel He was a large black man who wore a pin striped suit he could have pulled straight out of the forties. Linc was just one of many galactics who helped them transverse the time space continuum. The other woman who worked with them was Tessa Wainwright, a lithe platinum hair blonde with a permanent scowl. Not a woman you really wanted to mess with.

Linc spoke up using his intense baritone. “We will begin with entering her real life then show you what is about to unfold,” he said. “She really doesn’t see this coming and we will have to manage this a bit so she won’t go completely off the rails when she discovers Trisha, her good friend in the worship team was the one who betrayed everyone.”

***

Faith Waters could see Norman Baxter getting into the red SUV across the way over at Compass Point Church. He was a fit middle aged man in his fifties who had a bit of gray running through his temples already. Quite a contrast to her hair that only seemed to get darker and curlier over the years. When she had attended CP and eventually served on the worship team, it had been easy to run over to church whenever they needed her. Now her church was across town and not so convenient. Plus, she was only a background singer and not a lead so her burden wasn’t very heavy. She had done that purposely since she didn’t want to unexpectedly fall for someone she knew would never be available to her romantically. Basically, she was just hanging out on the outskirts of her new church life licking her wounds from what had happened at Compass Point six months earlier.

She really did miss the place and the people but Norman had secretly unfriended her from Facebook and kicked her out of all the church’s online groups. She still didn’t know why. Back in February she had wanted to work with the staff after she left her last job earlier that year but quickly felt like an outsider among people she’d known for years.

He glanced her way, his expression blank. Norman’s distance vision wasn’t that good and she was far enough away he probably couldn’t see her sitting on the porch and relaxing after a busy day at work. He was leaving for the day too. She had heard Norman was going to be working with Dek Fox, one of the musicians over at North Point Church where she now attended. He needed insights into what to do with the worship team after the worship leader left shortly after the old pastor. Everyone at Compass Point was still healing and a new minister had been called but he wouldn’t be available for a few months. Her old friend, Detective Ross Strong, who was a current Deacon had stepped up to take the interim position.

Ross Strong in fact was just far enough away from Faith’s house that she couldn’t see his cruiser idling on the street. He knew she was still hung up on Norman so he hadn’t made his intentions known yet. He was definitely wanting to have a more stable relationship with her first then move it on to something more romantic. Faith wasn’t one to just jump into dating without first testing the waters. Her interest in Norman was causing him a bit of panic. Not for his own intentions but Ross was concerned if Norman discovered her crush, he would use it to his advantage

The old pastor at Compass Point was the one who had convinced Norman to push out Faith. Not because of her crush but because Faith was too upstanding a citizen to let go of the fact that the pastor was using the church funds as petty cash and was just about ready to finish his con game and rush out of town, which is what he ended up doing, All the petty cash gone and church funds liquidated. Ross was still trying to find the man and bring him to justice which is why he was here idling at Faith’s house right now. He’d gotten a tip someone might be looking to attack someone from Compass Point and his greatest fear was that Faith had gotten into her old pastor 's crosshairs.

Ross saw Norman get out of his car after pulling up behind his cruiser. The two had become closer friends since he had taken over the interim position and many of the pastoral duties. He relied a lot on Norman since his job as a police detective sometimes took a lot of his notice. Norman slipped into the passenger seat of Ross' cruiser with a friendly smile and a quick question. 

"Hey, boss. What's up?  You get a lead on our old pastor?"

Norman could see Faith through the kitchen window trending to get dad, Henry. Her niece Cassie was focused on her phone sitting at the kitchen table. Henry had gone through a lot since the death of his wife two years earlier. He was now only coming out of the depression that Norman feared may haunt him for the rest of his life. Norman felt for the man.

Ross' answer broke into Norman's thoughts. "Unfortunately, it's not good. DNA tests along with fingerprints came back from the lab. Looks like his name is really Raymond Chase."

Norman cursed under his breath.

"You've heard of him?" Ross asked raising a curious eyebrow.

"I've come across his father a number of times in my previous career. Bailey Chase is the head of a nasty organization known as The Trust. Faith has actually run across them in the past. I never met the man but had heard of him. Not gonna lie, a real sociopath. Half my age and built like a football quarterback" Norman cursed again. "This is not good. No wonder he I insinuated himself into her life. Could be payback of some sort." He paused momentarily. "I'm getting an insight she may have known her old pastor in college. Might benefit is to pull in Jim Williams. "

Norman pulled out his phone and texted Detective Danny to check out the real name of their old pastor asking him to add alias. The response was just a thumbs up. No one knew Norman was also on the Park Ridge PD. He hoped between the three of them and their intern Toby they would get more details on exactly what they had in front of them.

Story insight - Noah - Long Term Op

 I am in a season where my Noah character's fate is being decided. I have discovered there might actually be two different Noah's. One from the past and the current one. Here is the backstory I was creating for Noah as a build up to the new story:

Long Term Op - Noah

I’m afraid I might need to explain myself from the start of this big monologue you are going to witness. I am not a bad guy. Not really. I had a job to do and I did it in service to my country and my God but sometimes what I do is not exactly the most honest or noteworthy. I sometimes have to do what seem to be bad things in order to aim people in the right direction in their lives. That is what happened with Faith. Kind of.

Late in the fall of 1998 I received a message on my old beeper. If you don’t know what they are, they are the communication technology before cell phones. The number was from an old friend of mine and the code was a dire warning, one we had set up years ago. The phone exchange we used was out of service that day. So I had to sneak into the teleconference area to find my message.

To be honest, I was shocked by what he was asking me to do. This person he wanted me to keep track of was a long-term handling job that I wasn’t sure was still being done in this day and age. He must have been following Faith since she was a child. She wasn’t much older than I was at the time. In fact, I had just started my military career and was just a newbie in the time traveling history lessons fix-it program. There is no real technical name for it in the military but Dek worked in a similar vein in a foundation run by some higher ups in Ministry. Ministry is the time traveling Ephesians 6:12 group inside of a bigger group called The Legacy.

I had to be careful because Faith’s old boyfriend’s loyalties were being questioned and he worked in the Legacy. So Dek pulled me in because he trusted me and my honesty. Plus, I owed him my life. More than once, actually.

Fast forward to today. I’m in a bit of a pickle right now. I have had to kick Faith out of my church. It was supposed to be short term thing to protect her but six months earlier she had been cohered out of her job at the newspaper. And now she was in a major healing moment. I have spoken with some Legacy prophets and learned she was working with God doing the obedience to God writing. Somehow Marcus Baal, you know, the Baal from the Bible, had sent some demons onto her with the help of Satan and now I am her biggest enemy. It’s only because Baal and Satan used my image to manipulate her. Now we are having to bring Dek back in to help manage the situation. The guy is retired but he has a soft spot for Faith so he is definitely helping me figure this mess all out.

Chapter 17 - Aftermath - Noah/James/Danny

 

Chapter 17: Aftermath

This was a nightmare.

Danny Cornelius hated hospitals. The white walls made him nuts. It reminded him of those hours visiting his step-sister Teresa after she went crazy and lost her brain. Crazy wasn't the right term, he knew. Mental illness was no joke. But it had been hard for siblings to deal with stuff like that, especially back then. They didn't know why she went bonkers in the first place. That was why his inner freak out meter was off the charts right now.

If this had been a police call about someone he didn't know, he would have been cool as a cucumber. But this was Faith. And he was surprised how much her being in the hospital bothered him.

Danny paced the corridor waiting for James to update him. He and Faith had gotten close over the last few months but he figured she still pined for Noah. She had been unconscious for too long. That was the scary part. Danny could feel his hand throb as it had since Faith's souls had been placed back in her body. It still floored him James had been able to call it back to her. Danny still wondered why James wasn't more affected.

Strange things like this didn't happen to normal people like them, right? He saw enough crazy shit on the police force to write three books. but he had a weird feeling of deja vu about the whole situation. It was almost as if he was being watched.

Just then, James North came out of Faith's room. His face was a mask of indifference. Wow. That was definitely a new look for him. James was usually all smiles.

"You okay," Danny asked. James eyes looked through him. Danny then turned around and saw Noah approaching down the hallway. His face wasn't a hard mask like James' was. He appeared almost pleased with himself.

" Nothing yet, " James said to Noah. It almost seemed like Danny was invisible to the men. James' voice was almost hostile which confused Danny. "She's alive. Still unconscious, though. "

This whole night was high on Danny's weirdness meter.

"It wasn't me, was it?" James asked Noah.

Danny quirked an eyebrow. The guy was just not making sense.

Noah smiled. I merged with Danny during your intense conjuring of Faith's soul. Neither of you noticed. So I had to heal her once the soul moved in place. "

"Did you steal it again?" James asked. "Her soul?"

Noah smirked and it was hard to tell his intention. "I'll let you know how it turns out. I was in the middle of a focused moment. Didn't really have time to make sure it fell into place."

Danny's mind was blown. Was this just a game between two friends? Were they just trying to use Faith as a convenient pawn? Or were they really trying to catch her notice? Gain her love... And what for? He was just blown away. They were pastors. Was it just a mental game between two guys? 

The two walked off as if Danny hadn't been there. He wasn't sure who had won that match, but it definitely wasn't Faith.

Old Legacy spy stories.

I have been working on reposting some of my old Legacy spy stories over at a new blog called Templar Legacy. I really need to clean up the text some. Just basically copy and pasted it all. 

All of the first story : Bulgarian Underground is up and part of Convergence is up. I may have to go look on Web Archive to find the rest of that Convergence story. Convergence was the story where I converged Sacha Davis' storyline, Message from Paris with my Bulgarian Underground story. Didn't take much of the Message from Paris story line since I already had a lot going on in Bulgarian Underground. I think Declan O'Connor's story was transferred over. Can't rightly remember what all came over. It was a long time ago back when I was first learning to trust my own writing.

Here is the link:

http://templarlegacy.blogspot.com/

Chapter 4 - Time Tunnel - Great Expectations

 

Chapter 4 - Time Tunnel - Great Expectations

By Toni Walker • tonispywriter@gmail.com

As we moved downstairs to inspect the Egyptian motif wall in the business office, Brownie and Roy Alpert came in the front door. During this time period they were two of the Ad Reps, people who sold advertising in the newspaper. These guys were always happy and laughing. Everything was funny or joyous. They never seemed to take anything too seriously. They both said hi to me as they ambled by disappearing up the stairs toward the newsroom. It was almost as if they couldn’t see Steven or Scott.

“Are you invisible now?” I whispered “I thought I was the only one who was invisible around here.”

“People see what they expect to see. They seem to only see you aione, wonder why,” Steven asked.

“Dad used to play ball with Roy. He would probably knock Roy into next week if he allowed anything to happen to me while I worked here. Roy was a bit of a player back then. That was before he was married.”

“Interesting,” Scott muttered. That word seemed to have a ton more meaning behind it than he was allowing Steven to understand. He knew I was catching his thought train that I called ‘His Drift.’

“There was never anything between us. He was too old for me,” I said. “Plus, Dad would have lost it if anything happened there.”

“I think Scott is saying you protest too much. He’s too old the other one is too young (no one in this time period, fyi). Not everything is like Goldilocks. It doesn’t always have to be just right. Maybe you need to accept what is right for you right now and let God lead you to where that right place is.”

I sighed. I knew he was right. I have always been hampered by the rules. Lately, I’ve been telling myself I am a rebel. Look at me go! I laugh at myself. It’s funny. It makes me smile. It helps me break through the blocks that restrict me.

The three of us scour the Egyptian image for a trident and don’t find one. I thought it was weird that they would put a Greek or Roman symbol in an Egyptian piece of art. Since I thought that image an odd choice, I wondered about what else it could be earlier before my journey to the past. I figured an ankh would be a very similar symbol. Sort of like a trident but not really the same. That symbol is an easy one to locate.

“Let’s try this,” I say. I imagine the tunnel and my general destination as I push the motif. I sigh.

“Nothing, huh?”

“Maybe it needs a magic word like Abracadabra,” MarkATT says in my mind. I try that and still nothing. I do have another idea for a word but it seems too simple to work. I try it anyway.

“Sentinel,” I say. The portal opens and we all gasp.

“Will wonders never cease,” Steven proclaims.

I hear that phrase constantly in my pendulum board and always attribute it to my Great Aunt Pootie. I guess ‘wonderful’ is someone else’s favorite word too.

“No doubt,” Steven says silently to me.

I laugh. “Wow. Mind reading too. You are a real wonder boy.”

“That’s wonder man to you,” he says and Scott eyes us curiously. We smile at each other. We’re being silly but I have to admit this is probably the most centered I have felt in ages.

“We ready to go?” Scott asks. “No telling how long these portals stay open. Where to?”

“Thomas Jefferson-ville or Bust. Apparently, he is helping Trump write a new constitution for the new republic he is creating. The man forgets you just can’t take a man out of his time period. We need to find him and put him back in place before the world really goes to crap. The last few years have been a reflection of Thomas Jefferson being missing in time. Plus, I want someone I trust to look at all the fine print. I have a bad feeling this constitution could bite us if someone slips something unforeseen into the mix.”

I set my intention for the portal to help me locate the third president Thomas Jeffesoin in time. I want it to take me as close to the time period when he vanishes from time as possible while still giving me time to find him.

I take a breath, squeeze Steven’s hand and then step through.

As soon as I am through the portal it closes leaving Steven and Scott looking art the motif wall. They both stand there in shock for a moment.

“What just happened,” Steven says. His heart races as he steps into action. “Scott, get your bug army to analyze that portal and see where she went. I’ll call the KF (Knights Foundation). We need to find another way to meet her there. I am not losing her again.”

Scott quirks an eyebrow. “Again?”

“I’ll tell you later. Let’s get to work.”

Chapter 3: Time Tunnel - Surprising Revelations

 

Chapter 3: Time Tunnel - Surprising Revelations

By Toni Walker • tonispywriter@gmail.com

As I related my latest insights to Steven and Scott, Scott sent a message to his energetic bug army through his cool Inspector Gadget/Dick Tracy watch to find out more details about my insights. I have been a bit, okay a lot, infiltrated lately and my prophetic thoughts sometimes come out really wonky but usually along the right lines. Characters may switch out here and there but the basic theme is usually correct. The Deep State, those bad seeds, like to switch things up but keep them basically the same.

“They’ll get back to me soon. It won’t be long,” Scott said.

“James?” Steven wondered. “Now that is truly surprising. I never would have suspected.”

Scott’s watch buzzed and he took in the intel quickly. “Signs are pointing to you being right, ToeKnee. The Pinkerton Boys are all up in arms. Bill Letters will probably poke his head in here and give you an update.”

“So, I might need to put my history hunt on hold.”

“God G’s got this, ToeKnee. You can’t always pick up the pieces when others fail. They need to learn their own lessons. God G is holding your spot while you search for answers and together you will rebuild your McFee God Hierarchy Tree.”

How could I tell Steven or Scott that I was questioning my Dad G’s ability to sit atop my God Tree. He had a hand in manipulating my earthbound persona along with Ron-E. I couldn’t understand why they kept changing the destiny of the Earth Bound Me. Was this in order to ultimately manipulate me, the higher aspect in the Heavenlies?

I am now totally questioning the insights I received about James and wonder what is really going on here and why am I seeing Ron-E trying to erase me from history? Earlier I had gotten insight that Ron-E wanted to replace me with Hailey and that she was a clone of me who had not been manipulated by the Deep State. I internally laugh. The Deep State messes with everyone. Why they think she is clean and free of manipulation is beyond me right now.

I understand they want the prettier and younger version of me, I get it. But this gal won’t have all my experience. I am gaining new powers every day. So, if the prettier one is what they prefer, I say go for it. But one day I know they will need to come to me for help and I won’t even be able to see them anymore. Universal God G is opening new doors for me so I can level up and meet new people who will resonate with me.

We walk into an office near the newsroom and see two people embracing on the couch. Definitely breaking news going on here. Scott arches an eyebrow and nods toward Wade Osborne, the noir photo guy, off in the corner kissing a girl who strangely enough looks just like me. At least, what I looked like back then. I scoot closer to Scott and whisper.

“That is so not me.”

He chuckled. “KInda figured.”

I waved my hand over the couple as if I had the power to release the cloaking spell covering them. And heck if it didn’t work. I clap to myself. Yay. New power discovered. The small reality illusion snapped and there sat Missy Pierce locking lips with Wade while Dawn Keaggey stood beside them invoking the spell.

Dawn glanced up at us and cringed. Caught in the act. Back then it was probably easier to invoke a spell like this. No one knew about these things yet. Dawn put a hand on Missy’s shoulder and she waved her off enjoying her lip locking experience. Wade pulled back and gasped as he looked down and saw who he had really been kissing.

“Who are you?” he asked her, stumbling over his words and stepping behind the three of us.

“This is Missy,” Dawn proclaimed. “A news reporter just fresh out of college.”

“But I thought…” Wade looked at me, his eyes locked with mine. Now that Steven, Scott and I were back in time, all three of us appeared like we did back then.

“Don’t worry about it,” I whispered trying to soothe Wade and make the experience a little less jarring. Wade seemed to calm down. But Dawn knew an adversary when she met one. This had to be why I had so much trouble with her in the past. She glared at me with an icy vengeance.

The two women marched out of the room and the energy quieted. “Wow, that was intense,” Seven said.

“This makes sense. I always wondered why Wade never saw me back then,” I said.

“What do you mean, never saw you? We talk all the time.” Wade was shocked when I shook my head. “We were never friends and I don’t think I ever spoke to you except when Harry was there with us.”

Wade looked perplexed at the way I was speaking.

Steven explained, trying to get Wade's mind out of its knot. “You are living the time period. We are visiting,” He pointed to himself and Scott. “And ToeKnee is remembering or reliving in order to gain insight.”

I turned to Steven. “I think this is one of the things I needed to learn. How even normal citizens were invoking spells like this in order to gain what they want.”

Steven grabbed my hand and I could feel his comfort come straight through to my heart. “We’re on our way, then. The time tunnel will open for us now. Where do we go, ToeKnee?”

“There is supposedly a trident motif in the Egyptian wall down in the business office. Not sure why. Tridents are Roman or Greek. One tunnel is there. The other my earthbound dad was telling me how he went to this area as a paperboy to fold his newspapers before delivery. The other is around there somewhere.”

“I guess we’re on a tunnel hunt now,” Scott proclaimed with a laugh. “Let’s go!”