Louis Collins: A Post-American Odyssey

The RV turned onto a wide boulevard lined with sycamore trees. The Grand Zion Hotel, a white monolith with gold trim, loomed ahead. Dozens of Legion guards in their blue and gold uniforms stood at attention in front of the hotel. Two more Humvees were parked by the entrance.

“They are really rolling out the red carpet for us,” Savannah said, peering through the window. “Or the blue carpet, in this case.”

“Let’s hope they don’t plan to roll it over our bodies,” Maeve said, inspecting her knife and sword.

“Stay positive, Mae-Mae,” Cherish said, her voice soft.

“I am positive,” Maeve said. “Positive that we’re walking into a trap.”

“It’s a possibility, but we’re prepared for it,” Angelique said. “Let’s not get paranoid before we even get out of the RV.”

The convoy stopped in front of the hotel. The Legion guards snapped to attention as Yamamoto stepped out of their SUVs. He spoke with a Legion officer, who nodded and gestured to the hotel entrance. Yamamoto walked to the RV. The door slid open.

“Sir,” Yamamoto said, standing by the door. “Our suite is ready. And our men are in position.”

“Good work, Captain,” Louis said, stepping out. “Let’s go.”

The women followed him out, with Rachel trailing behind. A hotel manager in a black suit and a golden name tag with a beehive on it rushed to them.

“Mr. Collins. Welcome to the Grand Zion Hotel,” the manager said, bowing. “I am Wilford Young, the manager of this establishment. It is an honor to have you and your family as our guests. Please, follow me.”

Louis nodded. “Lead the way, Mr. Young.”

They walked through the grand lobby, with its high ceilings, marble floors, and chandeliers. A few guests, dressed in formal and modest attire, stared at them with curiosity. Wilford led them to the main elevator. The Legion guards stood by the elevator doors, their hands on their swords.

“This elevator will take you to the presidential suite on the top floor,” Wilford said, pressing a button. “The Prophet King has reserved the entire floor for your privacy and security. He has also arranged a welcome reception for you at twelve o’clock at noon. He will meet you there.”

“We appreciate the Prophet King’s hospitality, Mr. Young,” Angelique said.

“It is my pleasure, Princess Angelique.” Wilford inclined his head.

The elevator door opened. They stepped inside. Wilford did not follow them. The elevator ascended smoothly. Yamamoto nodded to Louis as they stepped out. A few of his men were already in the hallway, securing the area. The door to the presidential suite was open.

“Sir,” Yamamoto said. “Please take seats while we complete our inspection. Sergeant García will issue your sidearms when we’re done.”

“Thank you, Captain,” Louis said, walking into the suite with the women. Rachel looked around, her eyes wide.

“It’s magnificent,” she said. “I’ve never seen such a beautiful room.”

Gladice snorted. “Louis’s bathroom is bigger than this.”

“That’s an exaggeration, Glads,” Willa said, looking around. “But it’s not bad. A bit antique for my taste. And probably full of bugs.”

“I’m sure it is,” Savannah said, walking to the window and looking out. “Nice view.”

Louis walked to the window with her. Salt Lake City was laid out before them, the Temple Square at its heart. He could see the spires of the temple, the white stone gleaming in the sun. “They’re watching us from over there.”

“We’re watching them too,” Savannah said, putting a hand on the window. “And we have better eyes.”

“I hope so,” Louis said, finding a seat on a plush sofa. “We need to be prepared.”

Angelique sat next to him. “We will be. Don’t worry.”

Donya sat on another sofa, looking at Angelique. “I still prefer your home in Portland, Angi. It’s more elegant and private.”

“I agree,” Willa said.

“You know, we can always go back to the RV for the night,” Louis said. “We can use this place only for meetings and receptions.”

Rachel looked at him. “You don’t like it here, Brother Louis? Don’t you feel the Lord’s presence?”

“Not really,” Louis said. “I’m more of a beach person.”

“The Lord has many homes, Brother Louis,” Rachel said. “You just have to open your heart to him.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Louis said.

García and his men came into the suite. “Sir,” García said. “The suite is clear of bugs. But we found a few listening devices in the hallway. We disabled them.”

“Good work, Sergeant,” Louis said. “Now, the sidearms.”

García nodded. “Yes, sir.” He gestured to a briefcase one of the guards was carrying. The guard opened it. Inside were seven tiny silver Nightingale pistols.

“They are our latest models,” García said. “With built-in silencers, stabilizers, and fingerprint scanners. Only you and your family can fire them.”

“Nice,” Gladice said, taking one and examining it. “.22? I prefer something with more punch.”

“It’s a concealed carry pistol for close encounters, ma’am,” García said. “And it’s very accurate.”

Gladice shrugged. “Okay. Better than nothing. I’ll take it.”

García handed a pistol to each of the women. He also gave them a set of holsters, designed to be hidden under their clothes.

Angelique put her holster on her thigh. “Nice. I can hide this under my dress.”

Donya looked at the pistol with hesitation. “Do I really need this?”

“Yes, Donya,” Louis said. “We all need it while we’re here.”

Donya sighed. “Alright. Show me how to use it.”

“Like this,” Gladice pulled her pistol from her waistband, aimed it at a vase on a pedestal. “Bang,” she whispered.

Donya flinched. “Don’t do that, Glads.”

“The safety is on, Donya,” Gladice said, putting the pistol away. “Relax.”

“I’m trying,” Donya said.

Cherish took her pistol and aimed it at the vase too. “I think I can hit it from here with one shot.”

“I know you can, Cherry,” Louis said. “But we don’t want to make a mess in our suite or to start a war. Not yet, anyway.”

Cherish smiled and lowered her pistol. “Okay.”

Savannah took her pistol and checked the magazine. “It’s fully loaded.”

“They all are,” García said. “With twelve rounds each. We also have extra magazines for all of you. Just in case.”

“Good,” Savannah said, putting her pistol in her purse. “I feel safer already.”

“Can the pistols pass through a metal detector?” Willa asked.

“They can, ma’am,” García said. “They are made of a ceramic alloy. The bullets are made of a polymer. They are undetectable, as long as you hide them well.”

“Handy,” Willa said, putting her pistol in her bag. “I appreciate the thoughtfulness of your Ministry of Security.”

“It’s your ministry too, Willa,” Louis said. “You’re a citizen now.”

“Sometimes I forget,” Willa said, zipping her bag. “It still feels strange, even surreal.”

“You’ll get used to it, honey,” Savannah said. “We all did.”

Donya put her pistol in her bag, her hands shaking a little. “I’ll try to remember it’s there.”

“Try not to shoot yourself in the foot, Donya,” Gladice said, grinning. “Or in me. I’m standing next to you.”

“It can recognize your heartbeat, ma’am,” García said, looking at Donya. “The pistol has a biometric sensor. It won’t fire unless you’re holding it.”

“That’s a relief,” Donya said. “Thank you.”

Gladice raised an eyebrow. “What happens if someone tries to take it and use it against me?”

“The pistol will lock itself,” García said. “And it will send an alert to our system.”

“I like that,” Gladice said. “It’s a smart gun.”

“It is, ma’am,” García said. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to inspect the staircase.”

“Go ahead, Sergeant,” Louis said.

García and his men left the suite. Louis looked at the women. “Okay, we have an hour before the reception. What do we do?”

“We need to figure out our positions,” Angelique said. “And our escape routes.”

“I can handle that,” Savannah said, her eyes on the window. “I’ve been thinking about it since we entered the Kingdom.”

“So, what should we do once we get to the reception?” Willa asked.

“We stick together,” Louis said. “No one goes anywhere alone. And we keep an eye on Rachel.”

“Don’t worry about me, Brother Louis,” Rachel said. “I will be on my best behavior. I will not disgrace you or my future husband.”

“I’m sure you won’t,” Louis said. “Rachel, you should take a bath and put on a new dress to prepare yourself for the Prophet King.”

“A new dress?” Rachel asked.

“You can have mine, Rachel,” Cherish said, smiling. “It’s a white one. I think it will fit you.”

“Thank you, sister,” Rachel said. “You are very kind.” She looked at Louis. “May I be excused, Brother Louis?”

“Yes, Rachel,” Louis said. “Go.”

Rachel stood up and went to the master bedroom, closing the door behind her. The others looked at each other.

“Finally,” Maeve said. “We can talk.”

“Let’s talk about our emergency plan,” Savannah said. “When we entered the hotel, I noted three possible escape routes. The main elevator, a service elevator, and a fire escape at the end of the hallway. The fire escape is our best option if things go wrong. We should have a team ready to secure it.”

“Agreed,” Angelique said. “We need to have a signal to alert each other too. A code phrase.”

“How about ‘the shrimp are escaping’?” Gladice asked, grinning. “It’s catchy.”

“I like that.” Maeve laughed.

“Alright,” Angelique said. “‘The shrimp are escaping’ it is. But when should we use it?”

“When they try to separate us, or disarm us, or take Rachel away,” Louis said. “Or when they pull a gun on us.”

“Or when they try to poison us,” Donya said, looking at the table with a plate of chocolate-covered strawberries.

Louis looked at Zhang, who was standing by the door. “Have you tested the food and drinks?”

“Yes, sir,” Zhang said. “Our medics scanned them. They are clean.”

“Good,” Louis said. “We don’t eat or drink anything here before it’s tested. That’s a rule.”

“What about our RV?” Savannah asked. “Is it safe?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Zhang said. “Sergeant Petrov’s team is with the RV and our vehicles. No one is allowed near them.”

“Let’s keep it that way,” Louis said. “Now, about the reception. I want us to be ready for anything. The Prophet King might attempt to divide us, disarm us, or to put us in a position where he can control us.”

“He will probably try to talk to you alone, Louis,” Angelique said.

“I know,” Louis said. “And I’ll tell him that we are a package deal. Either he talks to all of us, or he talks to none of us.”

“That’s a bold move, Louis,” Donya said.

“He’s a bold man,” Gladice said. “He also has a big stick from space.”

“We don’t mention the rods,” Louis said. “That’s our last resort.”

“Alright,” Savannah said. “So, we’re going in as a united front. And we’re ready for a fight.”

“We are,” Louis said. “Now, let’s talk about Rachel. She’s our bargaining chip and our liability.”

“What do you mean?” Willa asked.

“I mean that she’s unpredictable,” Louis said. “She’s brainwashed. Once she sees the Prophet King, she will probably choose him over us.”

“Then we will have to be prepared to take her by force if we have to,” Savannah said.

“I don’t want to do that, Savvy,” Donya said. “She’s a victim. We’re here to help her, not to hurt her.”

“We will try to help her, Donya,” Louis said. “But our priority is our own safety. If she chooses to stay with the Prophet King, we will leave her. And if she tries to betray us, we will stop her.”

“I hope it doesn’t come to that,” Donya said.

“I hope so too,” Louis said. “But we have to be realistic.”

He looked at Willa. “What do we know about the Prophet King’s personality? His habits? His weaknesses?”

Willa shook her head. “Not much. Outside the Kingdom, he is a mystery. He hasn’t given any interviews to the foreign press. His official portraits are carefully staged: a family man, a devout Mormon, a benevolent ruler. That’s the image he projects.”

“Every image is a mask,” Angelique said. “What’s behind the mask?”

“We do know that he spent a million Euros on a virgin,” Gladice said. “That tells me he’s a pervert with too much money.”

“Or he’s making a statement,” Willa said. “A show of faith. A public act of piety. To reinforce his divine authority.”

“Whatever it is, it’s creepy,” Maeve said.

Louis sighed. “Let’s focus, ladies. Like how should we escape the city if things go wrong? Any ideas?”

“The RV can’t go off-road, Louis,” Willa said. “It’s a luxury vehicle. Not a tank. If we have to run, we need the airport.”

Savannah nodded. “The Salt Lake City Airport. It’s not far. We could be there in twenty minutes.”

Gladice crossed her arms. “We should ask Constantine to prepare for an airborne invasion. That way we can secure the airport for us.”

Donya gave her a look. “Are you trying to start a war? That would cause a lot of death.”

“We’re already in a war, Donya,” Gladice said, her eyes hard. “We just haven’t admitted it yet.”

“There’s a difference between being in a war and starting a war,” Angelique said. “Let’s not be the ones to pull the trigger.”

“Agreed,” Louis said. “But Gladie has a point. We need a contingency plan for the airport. Let’s ask my father to have a team ready, in case we need them.”

“I’ll send him a message,” Willa said. “I’ll ask him to keep it on standby too.”

“Thank you, Willa,” Louis said.

“Will we have to leave our RV behind if we fly out?” Cherish asked, her voice soft. “I like it. It feels like home.”

“We can buy a new one, Cherry,” Savannah said. “We can buy a dozen. But we can’t buy a new life.”

“I know,” Cherish said. “But I’ll still be sad, if we have to leave it.”

“We’ll do our best not to, Cherry,” Louis said. “But our lives are more important than any vehicle. And I made a promise that I would keep you all safe. That’s my priority.”

Cherish nodded. “I know.”

“I think we’re as ready as we can be, Louis,” Angelique said. “Now, let’s get dressed. We don’t want to be late for the reception or to make a bad impression.”

“I never make bad impressions,” Gladice said. “I make strong ones.”

“Let’s keep it strong, but diplomatic, Glads,” Angelique said. “At least for the first hour.”

“Fine,” Gladice said. “But I’m not making any promises for the second hour.”

“Just try not to start a war before we have dessert,” Savannah said.

“I can’t promise that either,” Gladice said.

Louis laughed. “We’ll see.”

The women went to their rooms to change. Louis stayed in the lounge, looking at the view. The Temple Square looked peaceful. Too peaceful. He felt a familiar tension in his shoulders.