SG1-17 Sunrise Read Online Free PDF Page B

Sam didn’t pick up any threatening vibes. On the contrary, the air thrummed with a sense of anticipation and eventually all eyes turned to the altar—or more specifically the object that was hanging behind the altar. The huge screen looked out of place, incongruous in a house of worship, and it was then that she recalled seeing similar blank screens during their walk through the city, across the sides of buildings, taking the place of billboards. The people of the Ark clearly loved their TV.
    “I wanted something similar for my den,” whispered Colonel O’Neill in her ear, “but it wouldn’t fit through my front door.”
    Tynan Camus had left them and gone to take up a seat among the rest of the Elect, who were seated to the side of the altar like a group of middle-aged choristers. The steady buzz of excited conversation died down as Pastor Channon stood and walked to the center.
    “My people,” he said, spreading his arms wide. “Here we gather to celebrate the Message of our Lord. To rejoice in the knowledge that we are saved, that we are one with God, that He has chosen us and blessed us. Here we gather to celebrate a new chapter, the embodiment of His Word. ”
    Sam sneaked a look around her at the wide eyes and broad smiles on the faces of every member of the congregation. They were waiting for something, she realized, eager for it to begin.
    “And the Lord bestowed His Light on the world,” continued Channon, “that his children might see the glory that is the coming dawn. And they shall rejoice… in the Sunrise.”
    On Channon’s last word, the lights dimmed and the screen sparked into life, while music poured from speakers positioned at the four corners of the church. A hush descended on the congregation as every person drank in the images that scrolled across the screen, images of smiling faces with perfect smiles and incongruously perfect hair. The music drew to a close over a credit that proclaimed the title of what they were about to watch—
Sunrise
. The title faded and as she watched the events unfolding on the screen before her, a deep feeling of unease settled over Sam. Surely this Message, that the people of the Ark had gathered to celebrate with such fervor, couldn’t be –
    “A soap opera?” The colonel’s disbelief matched her own. “That’s what we’re here to watch? That’s what they think we want to see? Days of Our goddamned Lives?”
    Daniel leaned in. “It does seem to have a religious theme.” He was fidgeting, searching his pockets for something. “Maybe this is how they interpret their scriptures. Using the performing arts as a medium to express religious texts is not unheard of in— Damn it, they still have my camera.”
    “Daniel, it’s daytime TV.”
    “Yes, but a fascinating manifestation of religious observance, don’t you think?” He sighed, irritated. “Sam, can I borrow your camcorder? I have to get this.”
    “It’s not what we came here for, Daniel,” the colonel growled. “This is a waste of time.”
    Sam agreed wholeheartedly, but leaving was impossible without creating a disturbance in a crowd who obviously took
Sunrise
very seriously indeed. So she handed Daniel her camera and together they sat through what felt like hours of the sort of overwrought melodrama that normally had her reaching for the remote. The show was filled with trite moralizing, references to the punishment of sinners, and smug posturing that the people of the Ark were amongst God’s chosen people. And the congregation were hooked. Worryingly, though, there were times when Sam felt herself being drawn in too, swept along by an asinine story that didn’t require thought. It was almost hypnotic.
    The final scene ended on a cliff-hanger and Sam had to shake off a creeping curiosity about what happened next. It was insidious, this
Sunrise
, she thought. As the end credits rolled, accompanied by the same nondescript melody that had played at the start, the crowd broke into