Lionel Troy does not stand in his church.
He is by himself.
In a broom closet.
Well, not entirely by himself.
He’s got a half-finished bag of cocaine, a straw, and several lines of white powder laid across the sacred Zionic text.
“Lines are a funny thing. You can say them. You can snort them. You can cross them. Hell, find you a damn pencil and draw a few if you want.”
“According to the most important text in Arcadia, in the very first book, Song of the Beginning, it says the very first thing Zion did was draw a line.”
[Lo, and behold what I have drawn. A line between all that is True and all that is not.]
“That line is the most important line in existence. Because it separates truths from lies, reality from fantasy.”
“But us human beings, we love to BLUR that line, don’t we?”
Sniiiiiiiffffffffff
“Hooooooo WEE. HOT DAMN. That’s right. We blur them lines. Try to convince folks that lies are true. Try to make folks believe in fantasy, rather than reality.”
“But Daddy Zion knows we ain’t perfect. He made all things imperfect, for the Text tells us that only He is perfect. Only He is 100% True, and never false.”
“Hell, look at me. I’m not perfect at all. I got a fucking… Cocaine habit, a taste for fine things, and a penchant for whores.”
“So when a truth seeker, down on his luck, stumbles into my church… Shit. What kind of man would I be if I didn’t attempt to show him the Truth. To introduce him to Daddy Zion.”
“To save his otherwise good for nothing soul.”
“I used to be like Colt. I mean, I used to be just like him. Down on my luck, fired from my last job, looking for answers, looking for something, ANYTHING, that’s true, in this world built upon lies.”
“But now? Well, I’m still imperfect.”
“But by Zion, I know the truth. And I can illuminate the way.”
“I look at Colt and I see a man who believes in that line Zion drew at the start of everything. I look at Colt, and I see a man who desperately seeks something to believe in. I look at Colt, and I see more than a lamb that could be added to my flock.”
“I see one of Zion’s very own soldiers of truth.”
“So when I see Colt, I’m gonna make him kneel. And when he kneels, he will look upon my face and see that for 7 credits a month, the cost of a fancy coffee, he too can know the truth.”
“And nothing but.”
“Thing is? The Truth is quite a burden to carry. But Colt knows that better than most. Problem is, he’s lost. But fear not Colt, you’ll soon be found.”
“And when you kneel before me, you’ll see the shine of the light of Truth and know that line is real.”
“So kneel, Colt. And subscribe.”