Judgment Day (45 page)

CHAPTERS 92 BACK FROM THE DEAD

"Teacher," said John, "we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us." "Do not stop him," Jesus said. "No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us."

—MARK 9 : 3 8 - 39

C
ovenant's
departure was delayed so that
Exodus
could be outfitted to accompany
Covenant
to the new planet.
Covenant
would carry three shuttle-class ships remora style and three spheres.
Exodus
would carry another shuttle and two more spheres, leaving only three shuttles working in Earth orbit and
Genesis
undergoing repairs. On her first voyage,
Covenant
would carry three thousand passengers with another one hundred aboard
Exodus
. The remaining residents were transferred to their compound in Mexico to relieve the crowding on New Hope station.

The Fellowship was excoriated by the press for the deaths of two soldiers and the injuries of fifteen more. Despite knowing the blast at their compound was the result of an asteroid impact, the press insisted on calling it a "nuclear-type explosion." The deaths of the nine Fellowship members were downplayed, the four children who died treated as victims of their parents' fanatical beliefs. When the press finished spinning the story, the parents of the children were villains, the soldiers who killed them heroes.

The government of the United States now put full pressure on the Mexican government, demanding extradition of any Fellowship members who escaped from the California compound, and claiming ownership of all Fellowship ships and facilities. Mark and the others on the government's "most wanted list" stayed in orbit out of the reach of authorities. Publicly, the Mexican government sympathized with the U.S. government's claims but no official actions were taken against the Fellowship. Privately, the Mexican government was pleased that Mexico was now the center for the most advanced technology on the planet. As the Fellowship's activities shifted to their Mexican compound, south of Tijuana, the local economy boomed and new tax dollars were pumped into the Mexican federal government. As long as Mexico profited, the Fellowship was welcome.

Under Senator Crow's sponsorship, a bill moved through both houses of Congress to strip citizenship from those who left Christ's Home to emigrate to another planet. Still reeling from the attack on
Genesis
by their own government, the loss of citizenship pushed them from gloom into depression. There was no going back now, they had crossed their Rubicon.

Less popular, but also likely to pass, was Crow's National Restitution Act, which required those planning to emigrate to repay their country for services provided. The repayment was indexed to benefits. Those with college educations from state-supported schools, or who used federally funded student loans, repaying more than those with high school degrees. Younger people had to repay less than older people. Of course, those in higher tax brackets were to repay more than those in lower brackets. "It is unfair for citizens to take from a culture—be nurtured, educated, protected—and then leave without ever repaying that debt," Crow argued on the Sunday morning talk shows, relayed across the country by Fellowship communications platforms. The schedule of repayment worked out in Crow's office would ensure most people would leave the planet penniless and many wouldn't be able to afford to leave at all.

The president and influential politicians, including Senator Crow, attended the funeral for what were called the "murdered soldiers." Many of those giving eulogies spoke of reconciliation in one breath and shook a verbal fist at the Fellowship with the next. Two hours after the funeral, Senator Crow held a news conference to denounce the president for letting the situation with the Fellowship get out of hand. Blaming him for the deaths on both sides he then surprised the reporters by announcing his intention to run for the presidency.

Through it all the Fellowship continued to honor its communications contracts, providing service for most of the U.S. and the rest of the world. As long as the U.S. government kept its account up-to-date, the Fellowship would put up with the rhetoric. One by one, the rest of the Fellowship compounds in the U.S. were invaded and searched, some residents arrested. Stephen worked night and day flying around the country, seeing that members of the Fellowship who were arrested were released on bail. A dozen families wanted by the FBI were smuggled to Mexico and then lifted to New Hope to join the pioneers.

The "Cult War," as one tabloid labeled it, knocked the IT plague off the front pages, and by the time the plague was rediscovered, IT had been identified as a variation of Ebola, a terrestrial plague. Editorialists who had blamed the plague on the Fellowship now railed about the Fellowship's attack on "innocent soldiers doing their duty," never apologizing for earlier slander, and never considering that since they were wrong before they could be wrong again.

Twenty hours before the scheduled departure for the new planet, Stephen O'Malley took a shuttle to New Hope, surprising Mark.

"What are you doing here, Stephen? You'll be quarantined now."

"They've lifted most of the quarantine restrictions and they're not enforcing those still on the books. I came because I didn't want to risk transmitting even an encoded message. Christy Maitland wants to meet with you before you go—you and Ira. She insists on seeing you on Earth."

"Ira?" Mark asked, disappointed.

"Yes, but it's clear she has feelings for you, Mark."

"Why doesn't she come up to the station?"

"I thought that was peculiar, too. You don't think it's a trap, do you?"

"Of course not, Stephen."

"She's sympathetic to our beliefs, Mark, but she doesn't share all of them."

"She wouldn't betray me, Stephen."

Mark knew that loving someone outside your faith was dangerous, but if he couldn't trust Christy, he couldn't trust anyone.

"Where does she want to meet?"

"Alaska."

The meeting was set for the next day at noon, the location in southeastern Alaska near the Canadian border. The Fellowship was restricted from flying in U.S. airspace but Mark had little respect for his government left.

Ira was grumpy about going since he was supervising the flight testing of
Covenant and
repairs to
Genesis
at the same time. Ira left his work, only at Mark's insistence.

With Mark at the controls of a sphere, they dropped into Valdez Cordova County, Alaska. Radar would have picked up their descent but Mark quickly dropped to treetop level to make it impossible to pinpoint their exact position. Using directions provided by Stephen, Mark and Ira followed a gravel highway to a lake, and then over the hills behind it to a valley with another lake and seemingly no road access. A seaplane was tied to a dock at one end of the lake and three large log cabins sat in a small clearing. Landing in the meadow, Mark got out, leaving Ira at the controls in case they needed to get away fast.

Mark watched the cabins for Christy to emerge but it was George Proctor who came out the door. Surprised to see him alive, Mark hurried to the cabin, pumping his hand vigorously.

"Everyone thinks you're dead, George."

"Let's let them keep thinking that, Mark," Proctor replied.

"We saw your compound burn on television. How did you get out?"

"We learned a thing or two from the Branch Davidian massacre—we dug a tunnel before we moved to the property."

"What about Ruth?"

"She's alive."

"Wonderful!" Mark said, overjoyed. "Let me tell Ira. He's in the sphere."

"Wait!" Proctor said firmly. "Ruth's been through a terrible ordeal. She was held prisoner by Senator Crow at his Autumn Rest Cemetery."

"What? Senator Crow? Why?"

"He's a Satanist. He planned to use her as a breeder, then sacrifice her baby."

Incredulous, Mark slowly understood the full horror of what Riith had gone through.

"Crow raped her, Mark. She's pregnant and ashamed to tell Ira."

"I can't believe—"

"He was behind the attack on the
Rising Savior
too, and I suspect he was behind the child abuse charges. He's guided by a demon, Mark. I've seen it."

"A demon? It's too much—"

"It's his aide, Rachel Waters. I've seen its true form."

Mark wasn't sure of what to believe. As a Christian he believed in a spiritual realm, and the Bible spoke of demons being cast out, but it was easier for Mark to believe in the evil of a man than a spiritual force taking human form. He didn't doubt George Proctor had seen something, but until Mark saw the demon with his own eyes he couldn't believe Rachel Waters was anything but another wretched sinner.

"Senator Crow will pay for this," Mark said. "I'll get Stephen to see that criminal charges are filed, then we'll sue him for everything he has."

"No. She doesn't want people to know what happened to her. It took me this long to convince her to speak to Ira."

"Crow can't get away with this—with everything. He should pay for his sins and his crimes."

"He will, trust me," Proctor said, his icy blue eyes locked on Mark's. "The timing isn't right, though. If you make charges, the media will take Crow's side and the public will believe him, not Ruth and you. As far as the public is concerned, you and Ira are fanatics and a menace, Mark."

"So we do nothing?"

"For now. Ruth wants to get as far away from her nightmare as possible and I need the world to think I'm dead. Take her to another star."

"Where is Ruth?"

"Inside. She's come this far but now she says she can't face Ira. She wants you to tell him. If he can't accept her—and her condition—then he's to fly away. I'll take care of her. He won't have to worry about that."

"She did nothing wrong, George. Ira will understand. He'll forgive her."

"Forgive her for what, Mark? For being kidnapped and abused? For not dying?"

"I didn't mean to make it sound like she had an affair."

"If you're thinking like this, what will Ira think?"

Now Mark understood Ruth's fear. Would what happened to her always be between her and Ira?

Ira was still in the pilot's seat when Mark returned.

"I didn't see Christy," Ira said.

"She's not here. That was George Proctor."

"George Proctor's not dead?" Ira said slowly, confused.

"Ruth is alive too."

Suddenly pale, Ira looked like his heart had stopped, his black eye patch in stark contrast with his white face.

"Where is she?"

"Ira, something terrible happened to her."

"You said she was alive."

"She is—"

"Was she burned? I don't care, I want to see her."

"She was raped, Ira."

Hesitating only briefly, he said, "Where is she?"

"She's pregnant, Ira."

Another brief pause, then softly, "Where is she?"

"In the cabin."

Ira ran from the shuttle past Proctor. Ira's love for Ruth was strong and even the scheming of a demon had been unable to break their bond.

CHAPTER 93 GOOD-BYE

Mountains appear more lofty the nearer they are approached, but great men resemble them not in this particular.

—THE COUNTESS OF BLESSINGTON

M
ark had returned to Earth for only the second time since the evacuation of Christ's Home. Both visits were at the request of Reverend Christy Maitland. Christy would have come up to New Hope station this time, but Mark wanted to taste and smell his home world one more time. So it was Mark's suggestion that they meet on Earth before he left for the new planet. Mark was smuggled to Earth in a sphere, meeting Christy in a small Mexican village on the Gulf of California. The weather was hot, the air dry, and the skies blue, the only blemish an occasional wispy cloud. They walked the Mexican beach together, hand in hand, just above the surf line. Evelyn had packed them a picnic lunch and they had eaten on the beach, then decided to stroll until sunset.

"You were right, Mark," Christy said.

"About what?"

"You said that something always happens to keep us apart."

"I'm only moving to a different star, Christy, it's not like I'm moving to a new galaxy."

Christy laughed, then squeezed Mark's hand tighter.

"My best friend moved to Chicago when I was ten and I never saw her again. You're moving to a new planet."

"We're going to build a new society, Christy. It's a chance to rethink everything, to start a civilization from scratch. Come with us."

Turning to look at Mark, she took both his hands in hers.

"I don't know—"

"I love you, Christy."

She smiled but the smile faded when he didn't say more.

"You love me and you want me to run away into space with you," she said. "Is that all?"

She was asking about marriage and Mark knew it, but he wasn't ready for that, not until he had fulfilled the mission God had given him.

"I have a lot of responsibilities," he said. "When we're settled on the new planet I can commit myself to our relationship in a way I can't now."

"Your calling is getting in the way again," Christy said.

"I'm not ashamed to say I take God's call seriously."

"I do too, Mark. Right now my calling is here on Earth."

Uncomfortable silence followed, both wanting a compromise, neither able to think of one. Instead they paused, watching the sun dip below the surface, then sat in the sand until the glowing orb of Sol completely sank from view.

When Mark had seen his last sunset, he turned to Christy and kissed her long and hard, then held her close, whispering in her ear.

"I'll come back to Earth, Christy. I'll come back for you."

"I know," Christy said.

They were still holding each other when they heard the familiar whoosh of a sphere, then saw it coming in low over the sea, coming to take Mark away.