Manny noticed that the odd little man had already wandered off toward a rolling tray of medical equipment near one of the surgical beds. That set Manny’s heart beating even faster.

“Follow me,” said Dr. Arnst, “and I’ll explain everything.”

The doctor led him to one of the shrouded bodies and pulled its covering down, revealing the dead man’s face. Manny wasn’t exactly surprised to see that it was Jonathan, the young man from Atlanta he’d met just a few days before. Jonathan was, of course, quite dead. A bloody red line ran across his skull, just above the ears. His eyes were closed, and his lips were turned up in a beatific smile.

“You know this man, yes?” Dr. Arnst asked gently.

“Yes.”

“Of course you do,” the doctor chuckled. “You’re both colored men in the Heavenly Kingdom. I’d be surprised if you hadn’t developed a connection. It’s only natural to gravitate toward your own kind.”

Manny fought down the urge to slap Dr. Arnst.

“Jonathan here started on his journey to Martyrdom just a few hours ago. I know he appears dead. But, as it was with our Lord and Savior, appearances can be deceiving. His brain is still quite alert and alive. It’s just been moved.”

Dr. Arnst gestured over to the Kia. Manny saw that another lab-coated worker was now carrying a peculiar metal box over to the VBIED. The box was about head-sized, and covered with sockets and plugs. A single green light flickered on one side.

“See? They’re loading him into his chariot now. And soon he’ll pilot this anointed engine of heavenly will to the ruin of our enemies.”

Manny thought back to that last day before the invasion, to Reggie’s questions about that mysterious checkpoint bombing. This must be how they did it, he realized. The SDF’s checkpoints were perfectly capable of reading the itinerary of any autonomous vehicle that drove toward them. They’d shoot anything that didn’t broadcast its destination. But the Kingdom had found a way to hide a human driver, capable of taking over once the car was past the checkpoint.

His eyes drifted over to a combat drone lying half-disassembled on a table a few yards to his left. It was a hefty beetle-black monster with a heavy, under-slung machine gun. It reminded Manny terribly of the drone that had almost killed him and Reggie a few days earlier. This explains why the SDF’s drone jammers didn’t work. The Heavenly Kingdom wasn’t really using drones.

Manny realized, with dawning horror, that the drone’s open cavity was likely the intended resting place of his brain.

“Ah,” Dr. Arnst smiled, “I see you’ve already spotted your chariot. Yes, Emmanuel, you are quite fortunate. Martyr Ditmar noted your intelligence and suggested you be implanted into a drone. I assure you, it’s a high honor even in this sacred place.”