What does it mean to be human – or rather, how does God define ‘human’?
A man made less human by cybernetics…
A woman whose humanity is hidden behind an animalistic veil…
Two lonely, tormented souls find their paths crossing… but will each spell destruction for the other, or will God intervene for the good of those who love Him?
Luke Wallace did not ask to be a cyborg, but now that he is one, he wonders if he is still made in God’s image. Though he fears the answer, he still follows the commandments of Christ in the only way he knows how… logically. Scourged and cast out of every church in Mountainveil, he bears the scars of more than the accident which broke his body, they tell the tale of false Christians who have railed against him as an abomination, or even the Beast of Revelation. Following a declaration to never abandon an alien widow and her orphaned daughter, he is branded a traitor and tortured in the most secure military facility in the world, then thrown far from everything he knows, and onto another Earth, where he meets Annie Grace, a woman from a race of beings known only as the Veiled. She too seeks the will of God, however unlike him, she hears His voice, but suffering from persecution which is clearly the type and shadow of his own, her faith is clearly wavering. In a world tearing at the seams from racial strife, her kind, particularly in the ominously named town of Proverb, teeters on the brink of extermination. Will Wallace and Annie become a justification for the ethnic cleansing of Proverb, or will they have the discernment to listen to the still, small Voice, and answer the call to avert a bloodbath?
Luke Wallace
Hailing from an Earth in the midst of the Singularity, Luke Wallace is known by the denzens of Proverb as 'Machine-Man'. He was the first cyborg to be so extensively infused with technology, but it was not by choice. Long before he found himself in the care of Annie Grace, a woman of the Veiled, he was beaten and cast out of many churches because he dared ask a single question: Is he still made in God's image? Though he does not know the answer, he still serves God in the only way he understands - by using his technology to restore the lame, and eventually, to suffer torture in a government facility for refusing to abandon an alien widow and her orphaned daughter. Now on the world so laughingly called 'Blessed', he lives and works with the Veiled, a race of humanoids who bear a superficial resemblance to animals. But will he be allowed to stay on this ranch of strange creatures, who love the Lord more than any human he had ever met, or will he be forced to leave, lest he become an excuse for bloodshed?
Annabelle "Annie" Grace
The owner of Littleton Ranch and member of the Maternal Tribe, Annie was born at a time when her kind were both reviled and enslaved. Beaten and passed from slaver to slaver, her life began to change when God intervened, educating her in secret, right under the noses of her previous masters. She was rescued by a preacher and found herself living outside the Town of Proverb, where she and a gaggle of her kind work and live on a small ranch. Eventually adopted in all but name, she inherited the ranch upon his passing, becoming the first Veiled to ever receive any legal status afforded to Man - inheritance of property. Now as both heir and owner of Littleton Ranch, she is responsible for both the land and its workers, but though the era of Veiled slavery is nearing its end, predjudice burns as brightly as it ever has. A new preacher has taken the place of the man she could only call 'Father' on the day of his death, but one hellbent on driving her kind from Proverb by any means necessary. Forced to conceal both her intellect and literacy behind a mask of bovine stupidity, she dare not confront the preacher directly, lest she and all under her care be lynched. In desperation, she seeks the Lord for an answer to save them all... but can she recognize that answer when he comes, or will she drive him from her habitation and suffer the slaughter to come?
Rodney "Rod" Lockhart
A well-read and shockingly intuitive mechanical engineer, Rodney is said to have been born in the wrong era, not to mention the wrong kind. A Veiled of the Leading tribe, he was orphaned in a firefight with slavers who later met their end at Littleton Ranch. Mentored by Annie, he grew up surrounded by books, but lacks the teachings only a man can give. A firm believer in mechanization, he is of the certainty that there is nothing technology cannot achieve. Toward this end, he has utilized all of his gifts to improve efficiency and quality of life at the ranch. However, it is this blind faith which leads him to both hate and fear Luke Wallace, the Machine-Man who mysteriously appeared in the midst of a twister. A fusion of human and machine, Wallace is both powerful and nearly indestructable, and because his mind has been augmented by the same technology, Lockhardt fears he has seen the end result of progress - his own replacement.
Lillian Andrews
A contemplative dreamer, Lilly is also rebelious, arrogant, and at times even shallow. Born a Calico, her beauty is rare indeed among the feline tribes. Blessed to be born in a family with wealthy human benefactors, she hails from New York City, but was sent to Proverb, Minnesota to seek her own path, and eventually, a husband. She is one of the youngest who work at Littleton Ranch.
