Page 56 - Effable Encounters

Kids’ Krusade for Krissendom

apparent. Let me explain the situation—Rod. Feel free to interrupt at
any time.”
Easton nodded and forced himself to give a higher percentage of
his attention than usual to what was being said rather than how. The
folder was a prop, a toy, ultimately a surrogate for the currently
significant member of the mother-father-child triad. Was she holding
on to it for support or squeezing it with suppressed rage or affection?
He focused on her face instead.
“This crisis relates to a story we have successfully kept out of the
national press. But a foreign news agency picked it up from an
unknown leak and it will be common knowledge in this country
within twenty-four hours. We need damage control. Here it is, in a
nutshell: at least four hundred thirty-seven minors, all U.S. citizens
between ten and sixteen years of age, have disappeared overseas in
the past three weeks. In most cases the parents have kept quiet,
fearing imminent ransom demands and threats, or they have
contacted local authorities or consular officials who follow
instructions to defer to American investigators. None of these
children apparently knew any of the others, nor did their parents.
That has kept speculation from escalating beyond each family’s
concerns. After the White House received word of the first couple of
dozen incidents, we—through our intelligence assets abroad—began
a quiet but in-depth probe with the aim of establishing a common
thread.”
“How long ago did you discover that factor?”
She shook her head. “I cannot reveal any details related to our
inquiry. But it boils down to this: every one of the disappeared had
access to a computer with an internet connection with recent links to
a website called Kids’ Krusade for Krissendom—here are some
screen prints of the relevant web pages.” She handed Easton a small
sheaf of paper, each sheet stamped ‘Eyes Only.’ He looked at them
carefully, in order. “You will have to return them to me before you
leave this room,” Colonel Sennick continued. “And don’t bother
looking for it online. It has been shut down for several days. But its
content, as can easily be found through a search, is being replicated
on dozens of other websites.”
Easton handed her the images. “What I see is an impassioned plea
for youth to take up the cause of the Christian West against the

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