The Faithful Patriot

By JM Browning

Two worlds which combine dominant elements of secrecy and apparent transparency set the stage for The Faithful Patriot. J.M.Browning weaves a tale of dual deceit and faith with duty to country, mission and self. CIA assassin Bart Manning is recruited, trained and embedded in one of the most overt, restrictive covers imaginable; A missionary for the Mormon Church. The requirements of missionaries and assassins are eerily similar yet one greatly restricts the other in completing their true objective. Saddled with a 24/7 companion who has a commitment to strictly adhere to the Mormon missionary code, Manning must use all the tools in his deception arsenal to find and eliminate the foremost financier of terrorism before he funds a major strike against the United States. The Faithful Patriot is a story of single struggle of a young man whose dedication to country must be molded to fit within the confines of one of the fastest growing yet most misunderstood religions in the world. Deceiving an entire religious organization, a constant companion, would be new converts to Mormonism, the United States Government, and even himself at times, Bart Manning is an exploration in the Machiavellian mantra of the ends justifying the means.

• Language: English
• Publisher: JM Browning
• Release date: Mar 7, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311812445

JM Browning

A recovering broadcast journalist, JMBrowning continues to pursue great stories and characters. He lives and works in beautiful Idaho where a sassy Dutch woman, his kids and community continue to inspire him.

Book preview

The Faithful Patriot

JMBrowning

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2014 by JMBrowning

All Rights Reserved.

Chapter 1

The humidity hung heavy in the late afternoon. Bart Manning found himself laboring to breathe normally as he lumbered down the jetway headed towards the terminal. His feet seemed to drag, tripping on nearly every step as the long journey began to exhibit its' toll on Manning. He had boarded a plane some 20 hours earlier, beginning his journey in a small airport on an 8-seat plane in a remote area of western Canada.

The call which prompted the journey had come in much like many others before; early in the morning hours and short in nature and information. You've been called to serve. Pick up assignment papers at the designated location. May The Lord bless you in your journey and in your service. The designated location was always the same: the church house and the congregational leaders' office.

Manning's mind flashed back to his the to his church leader's office nearly a day ago. His phone buzzed with a text just after 4am, waking him with the news that his world was about to change yet again but such was the nature of his unique calling. After rubbing the sleep from his deprived eyes, he entered a number and sent a text of his own. Brother Dunn- just notified of transfers. The Lord answers prayers. Elder Manning; that was always the content of the text. It was the predetermined verbiage and by sending it to the appropriate person, it acted as acknowledgement that the assignment had been received and the process was set in motion.

The process was just one of the many parameters to which Manning's superiors demanded complete and utter adherence. His dress, his manner of behavior, his daily routine including regulation of extra curricular activities and contact with friends and family- everything had protocol and absolute strict obedience. And for Manning, his very existence depended upon it.

Hermano, Bienvenidos a Paraguay!

Manning's attention snapped back to the present. Standing directly in front of him was a pair of young American men dressed in crisp white shirts, neck ties, dark slacks, and short hair cuts. Mormons. Mormon missionaries. Officially they were known as Elder Flint and Elder Slater. One from eastern Idaho- a Mormon mecca of sorts, that was Elder Kurt Slater. The other, Flint, hailed from Colorado, deep southern Colorado on the Arizona border. As Manning would later learn- Flint was actually the son of a long time polygamist and was raised in a colony by no fewer than five different mothers. Slater and Flint were part of the process and as expected-- nothing about their presence nor actions was unexpected.

Gracias. said Manning. His spanish was adequate, or at least had been adequate up to this point. He'd learn in the days and weeks ahead that his skills were woefully behind and would draw attention to him; something he desperately tried to avoid. Como esta usteds? Manning replied.

Como estan ustedes? said Flint who left the words hanging in the air nearly as heavy as the humidity that still sat on Manning's chest like a 30lb dumbbell.

Uh, bean, I mean, bien said Manning. I'm still learning.

No hay problema Elder, said Flint. You'll get there. How was your flight?

Again Manning's mind, although exhausted from travel and an inherent inability to sleep on flights, raced back to the first time he had ever boarded a flight in this capacity. It was just over two years ago. He was a third-year student studying political science and international relations at the University of Montana in Missoula.

Manning was boarding a flight in Missoula headed for San Diego for a week of sun, margaritas, some fishing and what he liked to call; extreme relaxation. His high school buddies awaited him on the other end- all gathering from various places and stages in life. They had similar backgrounds growing up but after graduation- all went about their individual way. Yet, each year, they made a point of getting together to spend some time with each other, catching up and always vowing to do it again the next year.

A 21-year old Bart Manning took his seat on the plane, stashed his backpack in the overhead and settled into his seat. A set of ear buds wrapped around his neck and a laptop on the tray table in front of him gave all the signals that he didn't want to be bothered, nor engaged in conversation on the flight. It worked, at least for a while for this segment. The return flight would be quite different.

Chapter 2

Bart Manning was born and raised on a family farm in western Montana, the first son in a family of what eventually would be five children. To the outside world, his was a life that fairly normal, one might even say straight out of the Saturday Evening Post and Norman Rockwell. His parents were humble, hardworking, God-fearing farmers and small business owners. They took pride in what they did, how they did it and that they were as self-sufficient as possible. While self-sufficient, they valued relationships with neighbors and the opportunity to serve each other and that is what lead them to answering the call- a call that would change their lives and certainly Bart's forever.

Uncle Willard.

When Bart's parents, Harry and Jewel Manning were asked, they answered the call to care for Harry's then brother in law, Willard. Willard had been married to Harry's sister. He was not all that accepted by the Manning family but he was family nonetheless, albeit by marriage. Willard had a colored history. He had been active in a number of causes and philosophical groups- most notably the John Birch Society in the 50's. He had been extremely active in the outing of people he felt were communist sympathizers during the McCarthy era of the 50's. He declared it was his duty as an American and as a God-fearing Republican to rid the world of what he called pinko commies. Willard was not widely liked nor respected and when his zealous nature overrode his common sense one time too many- Willard was on the outs; on the outs with his surviving community, his organizations and his family. Banished from his own family, Willard wandered looking for someplace to land and eventually found his way by bus to western Montana. A phone call from the Greyhound terminal to the family farmhouse lead to a trip to town and Willard coming to the Manning family farm.

The first few days were normally awkward. Willard's comments made Jewel and Harry uncomfortable. There would be exchanges back and forth about appropriate discussion in front of the children and Willard would ultimately launch into some far flung conspiracy based rant that would alter between racist attacks on minorities to political philosophizing with deeply held convictions about Kant, John Locke and other classical theorists. In a strange way, it was some of these conversations that led to Bart's continued interest in political science and international connections.

It was only after several weeks of this routine- that it all changed. Harry had gone to the barn to check on a set of newborn lambs when he found a scene that literally dropped him to his knees. Willard was standing over his eldest son, Bart, with a pitch fork in hand ready to drive it through the jugular vein while screaming the name of God and claiming sacrifice was necessary to appease God and cleanse the race.

Chapter 3

The streets were rough. A strange mix of cobblestone and river rock- most suburban Asuncion streets were a repair shop's dream. Shocks, brakes, glass and body work- the city cousins of the country dirt road beat a vehicle with an aggravated enthusiasm. Elder Slater embraced the challenge of navigating the chaotic traffic with half a notion that he should have been called to a mission driving a dune buggy in the Baja 500 in Ensenada. Flint on the other hand seemed to more focused on quizzing Manning and further cementing the fact his Spanish was not field fluent. Esta' certificada con su charlas Elder Manning? Are you certified to teach the lessons Elder Manning?

Elder is the term used by all Mormon missionaries to refer to the office which they hold in their priesthood. When Joseph Smith founded the modern day Mormon Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in upstate New York in 1830, the organization claimed to have restored a divine authority, a priesthood, under which they would govern the church, and receive modern revelation from God to help guide doctrine and affairs of the members. There are two levels of priesthood within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, also known as Mormons for their belief in an ancient church prophet by the name of Mormon after whom an entire book of scripture is named. The lower level of minor priesthood is called Aaronnic after Aaron of the Old Testament. It is generally given to all worthy young men, never women, ages 12-18 within the Church. There are three offices within the Aaronic Priesthood; Deacon- ages 12-13, Teacher, ages 14-15 and Priest, ages 16-18. Each of the offices has specific duties, and with each advancement, more responsibility and prestige is given. Deacons pass the sacrament each Sunday to the congregation during services and help collect cash donations for the Church's welfare system called Fast Offerings. The offering is the equivalent to what a member would spend on two meals, which are skipped on the first Sunday of the month as a fast. That money is given to the ward- the Mormon term for a congregation of approximately 250-500 members.... Members in need can then in need make application with the Bishop, the leader of the Ward. Teachers prepare the sacrament (bread and water- never wine) before the main worship service, called Sacrament Meeting. They also function as door ushers helping to keep a quiet and reverent atmosphere, or at least, attempt to keep it reverent. Mormon wards are notorious for their crying babies and young children of large families. Priests are given the authority to baptize new members into the Church and also bless the sacrament through a recited prayer. Priests are not allowed to confirm new members; a prayer through which new members are given the gift of the Holy Ghost, the third member of the Godhead according to Mormon theology. That duty is only done through someone who holds the Melchezedik Priesthood- the higher of the two powers.

Melchezedik was a king and a high priest in the Old Testament and is mentioned only briefly. Manning was always struck by this fact; a major namesake in the Church, the faith that provided for his life, was for all intents and purposes a passing mention one of the main cannons of scripture. Manning, like most all of the young men who donned the white shirt and tie uniform of the Mormon Church, knew enough of the basic tenants to be conversant about the faith, but there were deep details that escaped his full understanding. One of those lack of connections was the role and significance of Melchezedik.

The higher priesthood, named for the briefly appearing Old Testament figure, also had three offices within its' purview: Elder- the office for the majority of worthy men (always men, never women), ages 19-45. Elders were the worker bees of the faith. They serve as home teachers; teams of two who are assigned to visit and bring messages of reassuring faith to assigned families within the Ward at least once a month. Elders also served as missionaries- assigned to proselytize the message of the Mormon faith to all corners of the world. Missionaries in the Mormon faith are one of its' most recognizable features. The legion of primarily young men between the ages of 18 and 21 are paired, always paired- never to be alone- walked, biked, and trudged through nearly every country in the world. There are two other offices within the Melchezedik Priesthood- the office of High Priest and the office of the Seventy. The Seventy are few in number and function in a high end, nearly doctrinal capacity. High Priests are the upper end leaders of the Mormon Church; both on a global church-wide scale and most certainly on the local and regional level. High Priests are called to be Bishops, Stake Presidents and