Armageddon: The Cosmic Battle Of The Ages (21 page)

“Are you a member of an underground group subversive to the Global Community government and its supreme potentate, Nicolae Jetty Carpathia?”

“Yes.”

“Is it true that you do not believe the potentate is worthy to be called a deity?”

“Yes, and beyond that, we believe he is the Antichrist of the Bible.”

“Are you aware that that statement alone is punishable by death?”

“Yes, as well as I know that God desires truth, God’s law is truth, Jesus is the truth, and if you know the truth, it can set you free.”

Where did that come from? Thank you, Lord.

“Are you a member of a Judah-ite faction with a large cell group residing in San Diego, California?”

“Are you asking me who I am?”

“I am asking you are you a-”

“I am a follower of Christ, the Son of the living God. He is the one who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose.”

“What?”

“Did you not hear me?”

“Did the Judah-ites or a faction of the Judah-ites called the Tribulation Force have anything to do with the darkness that envelops New Babylon?”

“That was the work of God himself.”

“Do you or the group you represent seek to overthrow the government of this world?”

“That has already been done. It has simply not been played out yet.”

“The Global Community government has been over-thrown?”

“It shall become known.”

“Do you worship the image of Nicolae Carpathia at least three times a day?”

“Never.”

“Will you tell me the whereabouts of your compatriots or any information leading to their capture? Primarily I am talking about your father, your husband, Dr. Tsion Ben-Judah, and Dr. Chaim Rosenzweig.”

“I would die first.”

Jock pushed the rest of the serum through the apparatus and sat picking at his fingernails for about five minutes. Chloe sang, ”

`Amazing grace! How sweet the sound,

that saved a wretch like me!

I once was lost but now am found,

was blind but now I see.”’

Jock stood and looked out the door, breathing heavily. Presently he moved to Chloe’s chair and removed the surgical tubing and receptacle. He unstrapped her.

“We’re finished?” she said.

“No, but you have ingested the maximum dose. I’ve never seen anything like it. We can sit and chat for a few minutes, and if that last hit kicks in and makes you come to your senses, you let me know.”

“Let’s talk about you, Jock. What got you so fired up about Carpathia?”

“Oh no, we’re not going there. You can just leave me alone. You obviously believe what you believe. That’s impressive, I’ll give you that. Misguided, but impressive. That’s the problem with religious extremists.”

“Oh, that’s what we are?” she said.

“Of course.”

“You’d like to lump us with people who kill in the name of their faith, wouldn’t you?”

“You’re as extreme as they come, ma’am.”

“We don’t kill people who don’t agree with us. We don’t erect statues of our God everywhere and require by law that everyone bow and scrape before them three times a day. We offer the truth, show people the way, call them to God. But we don’t force them.”

Jock sat heavily. “Do you realize you’re going to die tomorrow?”

“I had an inkling.”

“And that doesn’t bother you?”

“Of course it does. I’m scared.”

“And you’re never going to see your husband, your baby, your loved ones and friends again.”

“If I thought that was true, that would be a different story.”

“I get it. Pie in the sky by-and-by. You’re all going to be floating around on clouds someday, playing your harps and wearing white robes.”

“I hope you’re right about the pie but not the harps.” Jock shook his head. “You know we’re going to tele-vise this to the world.”

“Spread some more lies about me first?”

“We say what we have to say to save face.” “And you need to save face with me because this operation was a colossal failure, wasn’t it?”

“Could have gone better.”

“Could have? It couldn’t have gone worse! What’d you accomplish?”

“Well, when we find out where the rest of the cowards are hiding, we’ll have accomplished something.”

“You calling them cowards because they’re in hiding, or do you mean the rest of the cowards like me? You find me cowardly?”

“Actually no.”

“Do I get any last words tomorrow?”

“In your case we might not allow that. I can just hear you trying to preach a sermon, going off on Carpathia, trying to get people saved.”

“So, I get to say my last words only if they pass muster with the Global Community.”

“Something like that.”

“We’ll see about that.”

“We? Who’s we?”

Chloe stood and realized her friend was gone. She plunged on. “Jock, do you realize that the day is coming-and much sooner than you think-when everyone will have to acknowledge God and his Son?”

“Think so?”

“`It is written: “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God.””’ “Well, honey, not me.”

“Sorry, Jock. `Each of us shall give account of himself to God.”’

“My god is Carpathia. That’s good enough for me.” “What about when Jesus wins?”

“He wins?”

“`Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”’

“I hope all that gives you some comfort when you’re standing in the hot sun tomorrow morning, smelling that smell, seeing heads roll, and knowing yours will be next. Maybe I’m not the interrogator I thought I was, and maybe you paid a lot of money to be trained and prepped for truth serum. But there’s nothing that brings clarity to the mind like knowing you’re next in the guillotine line.

“I’ll be watching you in the morning, girl. My money says you’ll be shaking and wailing and pleading for one more chance to save yourself.”

At 8:30 A. M. Palace Time, Mac was still about seven hours from Petra. He called the number Rayford had given him for Otto Weser and identified himself.

“He is risen,” the German said.

“Christ is risen indeed,” Mac said. “What’ve you got for me?”

“I gotta tell you, Miss Krystall has been a gem.

I wish she was on our side. She let me listen in on a conversation from a man named Suhail Akbar, head of Sec-”

“I know who he is, Mr. Weser. All due respect, cut to the chase.”

“Carpathia has assigned him and his people to do two things. First, get the government running in Al Hillah, and second, prepare for a real Oktoberfest for all the leaders of the world in Baghdad six months from now.”

“So, not in October?”

“That was just an expression. It’s going to be what you Yanks would call a big blowout. All the pomp and circumstance, flags, banners, light shows, bands, dancers, everything. If the lights come back on in New Babylon, the government goes home. But even if they do, the big deal still happens in Baghdad.”

“Exactly where? Do we know?”

“It’s a brand-new building, Mr. McCullum. On the site where the Iraq Museum used to be, before the war. It’s supposed to be state-of-the-art, plush accommodations, room for the meetings and the pageantry. I mean, there are only ten other heads of state, but apparently besides the private meetings with his cabinet, Carpathia wants some festivities open to the public.

“To his people he is referring to the meetings with the subpotentates, however, as the final solution to the Jewish problem.”

“To a German, that has to resonate with your history books, eh, Mr. Weser?”

“Frankly, sir, our history books don’t read the same as those of others who write about us, but I know what you mean, yes. We’ve been down this road before.”

“Anything on Chloe Williams?”

“Krystall says she’s at Angola Prison in Louisiana.”

“She basing that on the same news we saw, or does she have inside information?”

“Let me ask.”

Otto came back on a few seconds later. “Both. She says she heard that newscast but that she’s also heard Security and Intelligence people talking about Chloe being there. Latest word is that she is to be executed at 1000 hours Central Time.”

“We’ve got to go and take George and a few others with us, Rayford,” Buck said.

“It still makes no sense,” Rayford said. “Why would they broadcast where she is?”

“Maybe to trap us.”

“Then it’s
less
likely she’s there.”

“You think they’re on to Krystall?” Buck said.

“Giving her bogus info to test her?”

“Let’s get Sebastian in on this.”

Since before dawn, Chang had been at his computer in the tech center. When Naomi arrived, she stood behind him, hands resting lightly on his shoulders.

“Troops, troops, and more troops,” he said. “The ones from Greece could overpower Israel, let alone those from all over the Carpathian States. And this is just the beginning.”

“What’s the latest on Mr. Williams’s wife?”

“Everything I’m getting from communications going into the palace from Al Hillah puts Chloe in Louisiana and sentenced to death at six P.M. our time.”

“Oh no.”

“That’s not the worst of it, Naomi. They let that out over international television, and they never tell the truth. If they want to lure the Trib Force, they could have left her in San Diego. Rayford and Buck are in the thick of the evac from San Diego, but they’re not going to know what to do now. I hope they can see through this. For all we know, Chloe is an hour from San Diego. All the GC has to do is have her somewhere where a
GCNN
affiliate can send a live feed.”

Naomi pulled up a chair and sat next to Chang. “If ever there was a newscast you’d want to interfere with, it has to be that one, doesn’t it?”

“No way I want the world to see it.”

“But we
would
want them to see and hear what Chloe might say.”

“Definitely. I’ll just be ready to flip it when they’ve lost patience with her.”

Rayford found that Sebastian agreed with him. “No way they’re letting out where she really is,” he said. “It would be a major gaffe.”

“Then where are we?” Buck said. “I’d rather know the worst than not know anything.”

“Let’s see if Krystall’s ready to take a chance,” Rayford said. “I’ll call her.”

When she came on the line, Rayford said, “I need to ask you to do something bold for me.”

“I could be executed for what I’ve given you people already.”

“I’m going to trade information with you that will prolong your life.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You’re a visitor to Dr. Ben-Judah’s Web site, right?”

“I told you I was.”

“Then you know he has shown from the Bible, in advance, all these plagues and judgments that have hit the earth.”

“Yeah, it’s spooky.”

“It’s spooky, but it’s real, and we know the next thing that’s going to happen in New Babylon, only we don’t know exactly when.”

“And what is that?”

“God is going to destroy the entire city in the space of one hour.”

“Oh my-”

“He will call his own people-like Otto and his friends-out of there so they will be spared. You need to get out too.”

“Where will I go?”

“Anywhere but New Babylon.”

“And you’re sure this is going to happen?”

“If it doesn’t, it will be the first time one of these prophesied events hasn’t happened. Now, Krystall, I can’t promise you’ll be safe just because you leave New Babylon. The rest of the world will suffer as well, but maybe not as severely and quickly as New Babylon. Getting out of there will be your only hope.”

“Is Carpathia sending all these armies into Israel one of the prophecies too?” Krystall said.

“Ever hear of Armageddon? This is it. But the end of New Babylon comes first.”

“And for that fair warning, you want me to do what?”

“Call someone. Someone who would know. And I want you somehow to work Chloe Williams into the conversation. Tell him you saw it on the news or whatever, but you’re just curious. Is she really going to be executed and where? Can you do that?”

“You don’t believe it’s going to be in Louisiana?” she said.

“Finding that hard to swallow.”

“No promises, but I’ll see what I can find out.”

“What’re you doing tonight, Jock?” Chloe said as he walked her back to solitary.

“Sleeping like a baby. Big day tomorrow. We tell the world you sang like a canary, but that in the end you refused the mark and wouldn’t pledge allegiance to Carpathia. Our hand was forced.”

“And you’re the hero.”

“Probably promoted. Shipped off to International.”

“Which is where now?”

“What do you care? You can’t tell anybody or do anything about it.”

“Then what’s the harm in telling me?”

He cocked his head at her. “Rumors say I’ll be assigned to the Jezreel Valley.”

“Oh? What’s going on there?”

“Not at liberty to say.”

“But you know?”

“Well, yeah, ‘course I do.”

“Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

“Sky’s the limit, huh?”

“I guess,” he said.

“Want a little inside information?”

“You’re a little tardy with that, but I’m listening.”

“New Babylon is never getting back to normal.”

“And you know that for a fact.”

“Sure as I’m standing here,” Chloe said.

“Well, I doubt you’re right, but you won’t be around to find out. And I will.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that either.”

“See you in the morning, ma’am.”

Chloe sat in the dark chamber and asked quietly,

“Are you still here with me?”

“Always,” came the reply. “To the end of the age.” Chloe prostrated herself on the floor and prayed the rest of the time, unable to sleep. She sang, she quoted Scripture, she praised God, and she listened. Mostly she listened. As he comforted her heart.