Frantic (7 page)

“Supposed
to be?” Mark said.

“I'm not trying to be difficult,” Conrad said. “I just want to be careful.”

Mark held up a hand. “I wrestled with the question a long time before I brought him. He's OK.”

“I don't like it,” Conrad said. “Even if his mark is real, he's still GC. If those guys track him here . . .”

“You were GC before we took you in,” Mark said. “Why shouldn't—”

“Want to inspect my mark?” someone said behind them. “Go ahead.”

Vicki turned. Carl stood in the doorway. “I don't blame you for being suspicious. Here. See if you can rub it off.”

Conrad shook his head. “It's OK. I didn't mean anything—”

“Sure you did,” Carl said, walking closer. “What we're doing is dangerous. If the GC find me, I'm dead meat and you guys would be next.”

“Which is exactly what I'm saying,” Conrad said. “I know how the GC operate. They could easily drag the truth out of any of us if they caught us.”

“That's why I don't think I should go back there,” Carl said. “There are just too many ways for the GC to—”

“We can talk about the future later,” Mark said. “The point is, you're one of us now and you're here.”

Carl looked at Vicki. “I want to learn as much as I can as fast as I can.”

Vicki nodded. “We'll help you.”

Lionel was still asleep when Judd awoke. Judd spent the day watching news reports of the locust attack and reading Tsion Ben-Judah's Web site. He couldn't wait to hear what had happened to Mr. Stein. He imagined the man riding through dangerous territory and giving the gospel in languages he had never even heard of before.

Judd wrote an e-mail about his travels and what he had seen in Africa. He sent it to Tsion Ben-Judah and the kids back at the schoolhouse.

Sam joined Judd and read over his shoulder. When he finished, Sam said, “I've made up my mind. I'm going to see my father.”

Judd turned his chair around.

“Don't try to talk me out of it.”

Judd scratched his beard. He hadn't shaved in a few days and was surprised at the extra growth. He had tried growing a beard when he was a sophomore without much success. A few of his friends had laughed and made fun of him, but some of the girls thought he looked cute.

“I don't want to talk you out of it,” Judd said to Sam. “I think you should go.”

“Really?”

Judd nodded. “If your dad hasn't been stung yet, he will be soon. That may give you a chance to talk with him.”

“Shouldn't I try to get to him before he's stung? He can't become a believer afterward, can he?”

“From what I read, it's still possible to become a believer after you're stung—it just won't take away the pain.”

Sam sat in thought. Finally he said, “There's a woman who lives next door to our house. She watches the neighborhood like a hawk but stays inside all the time. Maybe she'll know.”

Judd took some change from his pocket and handed it to Sam. “Find a pay phone a few blocks from here and call. We'll help you get to him.”

“Thanks, Judd.” Sam smiled, grabbed the change, and ran out the door.

When Lionel finally awoke, Judd told him the plan.

“You think Mr. Goldberg will be in any mood to talk?” Lionel said.

“For Sam's sake, I hope he's already been stung. That way Sam can talk to his dad and not worry about his dad taking him home.”

“I need to talk to you about the deputy commander,” Lionel said.

Judd gritted his teeth. “What about him?”

“It seemed like you enjoyed sending that locust after him back at Jamal's apartment. Am I reading it wrong?”

Judd looked away. “I was on the phone when that guy killed Taylor and Hasina. And then he lied—”

“I'm just as ticked off about what he did as you,” Lionel interrupted. “Woodruff is a GC scumbag. But you looked like you were doing more than saving Jamal and his family. It looked like you were trying to get even.”

“Well, I didn't,” Judd said. “The only way to get even with that guy would be to kill him.”

“What? You've considered that?”

Judd shook his head. “I haven't told anybody this, but I've thought about it a lot. When I heard what Woodruff did, I made a promise to Taylor and Hasina. If I ever had the chance, I'd try to get that guy back. It wasn't until I heard Woodruff's voice without seeing his face that it all came together.”

Lionel ran a hand through his hair. “I don't believe this.”

“Maybe I'm wrong for thinking this way,” Judd said, “but maybe I'm right. A lot of believers might be spared if he's taken out.”

“And what about the ‘vengeance is mine says the Lord' stuff? Don't you see? This is the same thing you stopped Taylor Graham from doing when he wanted to shoot Nicolae at the stadium. You're going to get yourself and a lot of other believers in trouble if you try to kill him. And you're going to have to answer to God.”

“What do you mean?”

“Ever heard of ‘Thou shalt not kill'? I think it's still in effect.”

Sam ran in, out of breath. “I talked with her. . . . She said there were droves of locusts around our house. . . .”

“Slow down,” Judd said. As Sam caught his breath, Judd explained to Lionel about Sam's neighbor.

Sam continued. “She said that last night a GC ambulance showed up with guys in these weird outfits. They were covered from head to toe with protective gear. They carried my father out and took him to the hospital.”

“He's been stung,” Judd said.

“Yes,” Sam said, “but that's not all. I called the GC hospital and finally talked with a nurse. She wasn't going to help, but I said I was his son. He's on the third floor recuperating from the sting.” Sam's eyes widened. “And get this. Deputy Commander Woodruff is in the bed right next to him!”

Judd looked at Lionel. “We'll talk about this later,” Judd said.

While the others continued unloading the truck, Vicki and Shelly took Carl into the computer room to begin his training. Lenore peeked in and asked if she could join them while Tolan took a nap. Vicki nodded and Shelly grabbed another chair.

“We'll break this down into three different segments,” Vicki began. “First is basic Christian beliefs. You'll need an overview of what the Bible teaches. Second, we'll talk about the prophecies of the Bible and what's coming, so you'll have an idea what to expect. And third, we'll talk about how to share your faith with other people.”

Carl nodded. Shelly gave him a notebook and he wrote furiously, trying to take down every word.

Vicki began with an overview of the Bible. God had created everything by simply speaking it into existence. He created Adam, then Eve, and had a close relationship with them. Then the people sinned. Since God is holy, he was forced to send the man and the woman away from his presence.

“God's plan all along was to send a Savior, someone who could help restore the relationship between God and people,” Vicki said. “That's predicted as early as Genesis 3. Throughout the Old Testament, the coming Savior is predicted.”

Vicki slowly worked her way through the heroes of the Bible: Noah, Joseph, Moses, David, Daniel, and many of the prophets. She showed Carl passages that pointed to the coming Messiah. She pointed out Isaiah 9: “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. And the government will rest on his shoulders. These will be his royal titles: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His ever expanding, peaceful government will never end. He will rule forever with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David.”

“Do you know who that's talking about?” Vicki said.

“It sounds like a baby,” Carl said, “but then it sounds like God.”

Vicki nodded. “It's talking about Jesus. Though he was a man, he's also God. Everyone, every person who has ever lived and every angel ever created, will one day confess that Jesus is Lord.” Vicki turned a few pages and showed Carl verses from Isaiah 53.

“Read it out loud,” Vicki said.

Carl read, “‘He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with bitterest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way when he went by. He was despised, and we did not care.

“‘Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God for his own sins! But he was wounded and crushed for our sins. He was beaten that we might have peace. He was whipped, and we were healed! All of us have strayed away like sheep. We have left God's paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the guilt and sins of us all.

“‘He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. From prison and trial they led him away to his death. But who among the people realized that he was dying for their sins—that he was suffering their punishment? He had done no wrong, and he never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal.'”

Carl looked up. “Whoever this is, it doesn't sound too good for him.”

“Throughout the centuries,” Vicki said, “most Jewish people thought these two different passages described two people. But now some realize this is the same person you read about earlier. Jesus was both the one who suffered and the Prince of Peace.”

Vicki turned to other verses about the sacrifices God required his people to make for their sins. Then she took Carl to the Gospels and showed how clearly Jesus had fulfilled all of the prophecies about the coming Savior. Jesus was killed, buried, and rose again.

“It's all coming together for me,” Carl said. “What John told me on the ship and what Mark said made me believe that Jesus was the only way. Now I understand it so much better.”

“And there's a whole lot more,” Vicki said. She showed Carl verses that clearly taught about the nature of God. He was one spirit, but three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. She pointed out the depths of God's mercy and love for people, but also that God was holy and required perfection.

“That's why Jesus had to die in our place,” Vicki said. “He was the perfect sacrifice for our sins. When we believe in Jesus, God no longer sees all the bad stuff we do. He looks at us and sees the perfection of Jesus.”

“Awesome!” Carl said.

Vicki wanted to take a break for dinner but Carl wouldn't let her. “Keep going,” he said.

Carl switched hands while taking notes. When his right hand got tired, he switched to his left. “I can use either of them.”

Other kids moved in and out of the room while Vicki taught. Pete sat in the corner with Charlie. Conrad and Mark were in another room in a heated conversation.

By nightfall Vicki was again exhausted. She had completed a third of what she thought Carl needed to know. Carl rubbed his eyes and went to the kitchen for something to eat.

“Looks like your student's pretty excited,” Pete said.

Vicki shook her head. “He has a lot more energy than I do.”

“How long before you think he's ready?”

“Ready for what?” Vicki said.

“To go back to the GC,” Pete said.

“Is that why he's so eager?” Vicki said.

Pete smiled. “I think he's eager because he's hungry for the message and he's got a pretty teacher.”

Vicki blushed.

“I finally convinced him that we need somebody inside the GC here in the States,” Pete said.

“I'm not putting him in that position,” Vicki said.

Pete nodded. “And now I'm going to convince you of something.”

“Me?” Vicki said.

Pete nodded. “I want you to go south with us.”

7

VICKI
sat up. She had thought about traveling in the last few days, but she wasn't sure why. Why go anywhere when the kids could reach millions through the Internet?