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The first thing Sev saw was a vast, shining dome in what appeared to be the middle of an enormous, sandy desert. The sand dunes were all shades of gray, making it look colorless and lifeless. In contrast, the dome shimmered like a giant rainbow bubble.
“Out of darkness…light,”a deep male voice intoned. “Out of the barren desert…life!”
Then the camera drone which must be filling the spot zoomed closer and suddenly they were inside the shimmering dome. The drone flew over rows and rows of orderly white domiciles—which were also shaped like domes—interspersed with lush, well tended vegetation.
“Here in the barren, airless T’zgarian desert, the Peaceful People of the Prophet have crafted a paradise,” the narrator informed them. “Every couple who lives here is given a Smart Bungalow—a residence fitted exactly for their personal needs and desires.”
The camera zoomed lower and suddenly flew right into one of the dome-shaped white domiciles. Inside it was minimalist and ultramodern with sleek, molded furniture in shades of white and tan and nothing hanging on the walls. The camera flew through the food prep area—what humans called a “kitchen”— and showed off various conveniences and appliances all made from dark, tempered plasti-glass and gleaming brass.
“Our specially pre-programmed food storage and preparation units will feed any hungry male and help any female who struggles with self control to finally achieve balance,” the narrator informed them.
“What isthatsupposed to mean?” Mia demanded and Sev saw that she was frowning. “That they’ll feed men but put the women on a diet?”
“Thatdoesseem to be the implication.” Commander Sylvan nodded. “That was what my own mate, Sophia thought too.”
But the commercial was still going. The camera flew through the bathing and sleeping chambers next, talking about how even the water temperature was calibrated to each person’s needs and how the “smart mattress” would perfectly cradle sleepers to their exact requirements.
So far—except for the sexist remark about feeding males but “helping females with their self control”—Sev thought the ad looked mostly like a real estate commercial for smart homes. But then the camera drone left the domicile and zoomed through the air to what looked like a large communal park area.
“But the PPP doesn’t just offer state of the art living facilities—we also offer community,” the narrator informed them. “A community of like-minded people—people you can trust! Meet your new neighbors!”
The camera panned over a crowd of people, all of them waving and smiling. There were all different kinds of humanoids represented, though Chakiouns with pale blue skin and silver hair, seemed to dominate.
Sev noticed that all the males were wearing black trousers and white shirts and all the females had on long, loose white dresses that swirled around their calves. Also, it looked as though the men were wearing shoes but the women were barefoot—an odd detail, Sev thought.
The last thing he noticed was that many of the women—at least half of them—seemed to be pregnant. Though it was hard to tell how far along they were along due to the baggy white dresses they wore. So it wasn’t just a resort for couples—there must be children too. But where were they?
At first he didn’t see any…but then the camera panned left and he saw a group of youngsters from infants all the way up to older teens waving and smiling as well. They were a little distance from the adults, as though they weren’t supposed to mix, he thought. He wondered why they didn’t simply put the children with their parents instead of dividing them up?
“The PPP is the place for happy couples,” the narrator said. But as the camera flew around, it seemed suddenly focused on one individual—a tall male with pale blue skin and thick silver hair which indicated that he was from Chakioun Prime. He had a silver beard and a broad chest and shoulders and was wearing a long, pure white robe edged with wide bands of gleaming gold. Around his neck was something that gleamed and glittered, but Sev couldn’t quite make out what it was—only that it was extremely shiny.
“Hello Brothers and Sisters—I am The Prophet and these are my Peaceful People,” he said and Sev realized that the deep voice that had been narrating the ad had been his all along. “Here at the PPP Dome, we live under the principals of Honesty, Obedience, and Clarity. Within our Dome, every Head of Household has his own little kingdom where his wife can be Taken in Hand and properly trained. I created this paradise where like-minded people can come together in peace and prosperity. Why don’t you join us?”
He spread his hands and all the people behind him cheered and shouted. The picture faded, leaving only contact information on the screen and then the ad was over.
“Every male has his own kingdom where his wife can be taken in hand?” Sev asked, frowning. “Commander, surely you know my background as a Dae’mon Kindred. I know this kind of attitude—I left my home planet to get away from it.”
“It’sbecauseof your background that I thought you would be right for this assignment, Detective Severith,” Sylvan said gravely. “You’ll know how to act instinctively in a way that won’t make the PPP suspicious.”
Mia, who had been sitting silently through the last half of the commercial finally spoke up.
“That’s a cult,” she said flatly and there was a strange look in her eyes that made Sev want to get her alone and ask her questions. “These PPP guys are a freakingcult.”
“There’s no question about that,” Commander Sylvan said mildly. “The PPP isdefinitelya cult and they are expanding. In fact, they’ve asked Earth’s World Council if they could build a dome similar to the one in their ad in Death Valley.”
“What?”Mia exploded. “Please tell me the World Council isn’t seriously considering letting them come to Earth!”
“As a matter of fact, they are,” Sylvan said dryly. “The PPP made the point that they can turn a barren patch of desert into a viable habitat for many humans—an attractive offer in the view of the World Council. But they’ve at least had the good sense to ask the Kindred to check into the PPP first. Which is where you to come in.” He leaned his elbows on his desk and stared at Sev and Mia intently. “I’ve heard that the two of you have gone undercover together in the past. Is that true?”
“Notdeepcover,” Sev objected. “Which is what I’m assuming this would be.”
“We’ve just done a few sting operations,” Mia explained. She leaned forward. “But I think we could handle this.”
Sev looked at his partner in surprise.
“Really? You want to do this?”
“Do I want a chance to expose this asshole—excuse my language, Commander Sylvan—this ‘Prophet’ who clearly has all these people completely fooled?” Mia demanded, her eyes flashing. “Hell yes, I want to do it! Especially if they’re threatening to move into our territory.”
