Shaken (34 page)

The driver held up a hand. “Not so fast. You've come a long way. Let me try.”

Lionel and Judd waited by a fountain as people of all ages snaked through the terminal. People spoke Italian, German, French, Spanish, and a host of Middle Eastern languages. Some wore the ornate ceremonial dress of their native country. A few young people with backpacks looked like they were hiking through Israel.

The driver returned, smiling. “You're in luck. Come with me.”

They walked around the lines to a security door at the side of the terminal. The driver showed a piece of paper to a guard, and the woman scanned them with a metal detector. When they were outside, another guard led them to one of Carpathia's planes.

“We want to see Captain McCullum's plane,” Judd said. “He's a friend of the family.”

The guard used his walkie-talkie and took them to the front of a line. Others behind them grumbled. “What's so special about them?” Lionel heard one person say.

As they entered the plane, Lionel recognized Mac McCullum's drawl over the plane's intercom. He was showing the current group the instrument panel and answering questions.

An older man raised a hand. “Is this the plane that was attacked in Africa? I read about that in the paper.”

Mac smiled. “No, I'm afraid that plane, the Condor 216, was destroyed. This plane was actually a gift given by the head of Enigma Babylon One World Faith, Peter Mathews. It was renamed the Phoenix.”

Judd raised a hand. “How did you survive that attack, sir?”

Mac squinted and finally recognized Judd and Lionel. “That's a story for another tour. Now if you'll move to the middle of the plane, one of our stewards will show you the executive cabin.”

As the group moved back, Mac grabbed a radio and said, “Hold that next group a couple of minutes. I've got some company up here.”

Mac took Judd and Lionel into the cockpit and closed the door. The three shook hands, and Judd explained how they had gotten to Tel Aviv. Lionel told Mac about Mr. Stein's plan to preach during the Gala.

“That's pretty gutsy, telling people about God in the middle of a purely evil party.”

Judd asked if Mac had flown Leon Fortunato during his recent travels.

“Yeah, it was the same spiel everywhere we went.

Fortunato buttered up each regional potentate with big promises a thousand Carpathias could never keep.”

“What's going on behind the scenes?” Lionel said.

“Something's up with that Peter Mathews guy. He thinks this Gala is going to net him more followers, but Carpathia and Fortunato have it in for him. Don't be surprised if he's not around much longer.”

“Really?” Judd said. “I thought they were working together.”

“They tried, but I guess even the Global Community isn't big enough for Carpathia
and
Mathews.”

“What does Carpathia say about the Gala in private?

” Lionel said.

“He's about to jump out of his skin, he's so excited. He says it's going to be their finest hour, whatever that means. He told the staff yesterday morning they should pamper themselves with all the physical pleasures they could find. You know, the old ‘if it feels good, do it' routine.”

“How are Captain Steele and Mr. Williams and the others?” Lionel said.

“Actually, you could pray for them. The GC is holding a friend of theirs. They think she's somewhere in France.”

“She?” Judd said. “It's not Hattie Durham, is it?”

Mac stared at him.

Judd reminded Mac that he had met Hattie Durham on the scary flight to Europe the night of the disappearances. The kids had run into her a couple of times after that, and he knew the adult Trib Force wanted her to become a believer. Lionel and Judd said they would pray for the secret operation to rescue Hattie.

Mac's radio crackled and the guard outside said, “Captain, the people are getting very restless out here.”

“Okay, send 'em up.” Mac put an arm around Judd and opened the cockpit door. “Sorry to have to cut this short.”

“Before we go,” Judd said, “I need some advice.” Judd explained the situation with Kasim, and Mac closed his eyes as he listened.

When Judd was through, Mac took a deep breath. “We know the big guy is going down at some point. Tsion believes it's going to be by a sword of some sort, but there's no way to know what that means for sure. If this Kasim is anything like his sister, he'll follow through with his plans. With all the security, he's committing suicide if he walks in with a weapon. The GC will probably execute him for even trying to kill Carpathia.”

“What should we do?”

“Stop him,” Mac said.

People crowded inside the plane. Mac opened the cockpit door and said, “You two enjoy the Gala. Hope to see you real soon.”

Judd and Lionel walked by the crowd and gawked at all the electronic gear.

The earlier group was gone, so a steward led Judd and Lionel through the rest of the plane. “These rooms are for the pilots. When they're on the ground for an extended time, they're able to sleep or just relax and wait for their next assignment. This is the conference room where the potentate or the supreme commander entertain leaders and dignitaries.”

“What are all those monitors along the wall?” Lionel said.

“For the potentate and his staff. They keep up-to-date with the latest news from GCNN or tap into different satellites.”

“You mean they watch movies?”

The steward smiled. “No. They keep track of what's going on in the world. The potentate can go live on every television and radio outlet from this room. It's very important they have constant communication.”

Lionel noticed the next group stepping into the cockpit area. Mac McCullum spoke over the intercom. “Sorry to keep you folks waiting. Instead of the nickel tour, we're gonna give you the quarter version.”

“If you'll follow me,” the steward said to Judd and Lionel.

Judd grabbed Lionel's arm and looked toward the front.

“What is it?”

“I think I saw Kasim in that tour group,” Judd whispered.

“Gentlemen?” the steward said.

Vicki was awakened Sunday morning by activity outside. The girls had shared the master bedroom. The room was dusty and Vicki had sneezed half the night, but it felt good to be in a real home again. Vicki dressed without waking the others and slipped outside.

Mark and Conrad were cleaning out the Suburban behind the house. There were scraps of lumber, chains, gasoline cans, and old blankets in the back.

“We're going to need to air this out before we leave,” Mark said.

Vicki looked at the barn and noticed the door was open. “Who's down there?”

“Charlie and Bo are trying to figure out what to do with the satellite truck,” Conrad said. “I think they've taken a shine to Charlie.”

“Excuse me?” Vicki said.

“Ginny and Bo really like him. You should have seen the breakfast they made. Charlie must have had ten pancakes and a whole carton of eggs.”

Vicki walked to the barn. The sun felt good on her skin. She hadn't realized how dark it was at the schoolhouse with all the trees surrounding the place. Here in the open land, things felt fresh.

“I'm thinking we can take it apart and use it,” Bo said. “What we can't use, we'll bury.”

Charlie shook his head. “You don't know the GC. If they find pieces of this truck on your land, they'll arrest you and your wife. I don't want that.”

“Charlie's right,” Vicki said. “We should get this out of here and as far away as we can.”

Bo scratched his head. “There's a junkyard on a back road about ten miles from here. You don't pass many houses that way.”

“Good. I'll get Mark and Conrad.”

The kids decided not to take anything from the truck, and Mark drove it to the junkyard. Conrad followed him in the Suburban. The other girls awoke, and Ginny served them breakfast.

“We're going to have us a Sunday worship service as soon as those boys get back,” Ginny said.

Vicki noticed a cloud rising over the road. She looked out the kitchen window and let her fork fall to the table.

Coming up the driveway was a GC Peacekeeping vehicle.

Judd stayed at the bottom of the stairs waiting for the other tour group. Lionel paced. “So what if it was Kasim? He can tour the plane like everybody else, can't he?”

“What if he's planting a bomb in the plane so Carpathia doesn't even make it to Jerusalem?” Lionel squinted. “Where would he get a bomb?”

“I'm just saying, that's how serious Kasim is about this thing, and he could be endangering other people's lives.”

The group walked down the steps single file. Judd saw one man who slightly resembled Kasim, but no one else. “Maybe he's hiding on the plane.”

Lionel shook his head. “Come on, let's go home.”

Judd reluctantly followed and got in General Zimmerman's car. He kept looking at the plane and wondering. The first thing he had to do when they returned to Jerusalem was find Kasim.

31

VICKI
and the others hid in the cellar as the GC Jeep approached. Charlie remained outside with Bo, hitching something to the tractor. Ginny closed the cellar and told them to keep quiet. Vicki looked through spaces in the rickety door.

“Where are they?” Darrion whispered.

“Still outside,” Vicki said.

Ginny quickly cleared dishes from the table and opened the front door. Two GC Peacekeepers walked in, tipping their hats. One was thick and pudgy, the other tall.

“Can I get you some breakfast?” Ginny said.

“Thank you, ma'am, but—”

“I'm starving,” Pudgy said. He looked at the eggs and biscuits still on the table. Ginny got a plate and put it in front of him.

Bo and Charlie walked inside and sat. Charlie looked around the room, and Vicki closed her eyes. She hoped he didn't give the kids away.

“We're looking for a satellite truck that a bunch of teenagers stole,” the tall one said.

“Satellite truck?” Ginny said. “We saw a long, white thing yesterday evening. I thought it was an RV.”

“I didn't see it,” Bo said.

Charlie chimed in. “I heard something rumbling along the road, but I didn't get a good look at it.”

“See?” Ginny said. “I told you I wasn't seeing things. It was long and had something weird-looking on top.”

“That must have been the satellite dish,” Pudgy said as he spooned a heaping of homemade jam on his biscuit.

“Which way did it go?” the tall one said.

Ginny took him to the window and pointed. “That way. I ran to tell Bo about it, so I didn't see if it turned off at that other road or kept going straight.”

The Peacekeeper sucked air through his teeth and looked at Bo. “Mind if we have a look around?”

Bo laughed. “You can plow under my scorched corn if you want. I don't care. Charlie, take these men outside.”

Pudgy pulled his chair closer to the table. “If it's okay, I'll just—”

“Stay,” the tall one said.

“Should I take him to the barn?” Charlie said.

Vicki froze. There was a note of fear in Charlie's voice.

Bo laughed. “I know it's a mess in there, but I don't think that's against the law. Show him anything he wants to look at.”

Vicki and the others tried to stay as quiet as they could. She wondered if anything had been left behind after Mark and Conrad drove away.

“You don't have any apple butter, do you?” Pudgy said.

Ginny smiled. “I sure do.” She moved past him and stopped. “But it's in the cellar. You don't mind waiting, do you?”

“Not at all, ma'am,” Pudgy said.

Vicki and the others moved as far back from the door as they could. When it opened, light from upstairs shone on their feet. If Pudgy turned around, he would see them.

Ginny walked past the girls and whispered, “You mice just stay quiet down here.” She grabbed a jar and headed upstairs.