Shaken (38 page)

To conserve the laptop battery, Vicki and the others listened to the radio in the Suburban. They searched for the clearest signal and found that every station aired what came from Jerusalem.

Leon Fortunato spoke first. “Welcome, fellow citizens of the new world.” The crowd screamed with delight.

Darrion shook her head. “The population's been cut in half and we're supposed to party.”

Fortunato said he would introduce each regional potentate. “But first, to seek the blessing of the great god of nature, I call upon the assistant to the supreme pontiff of Enigma Babylon One World Faith, who also has an announcement. Please welcome Deputy Pontiff Francesca D'Angelo.”

“You think this woman dresses as silly as Peter Mathews?” Shelly said.

The crowd grew deathly quiet, and the kids strained to hear what would come next. It was the voice of Nicolae Carpathia. “You will not remember that I have interrupted,” Nicolae said.

Vicki shivered.

Carpathia's voice sounded hypnotic. “You are about to hear of a death that will surprise you. It will strike you as old news. You will not care.”

“What's this all about?” Mark said. “Who died?”

Vicki shook her head. “I wish we could see what's happening.”

Judd couldn't believe Carpathia was using his mind-control powers on two million people. He wondered if those watching by satellite would react the same way.

Carpathia sat and Ms. D'Angelo said, “Before I pray to the great one-gender deity in whom we all rest and who also rests in all of us, I have an announcement. Pontifex Maximus Peter the Second died suddenly earlier today. He was overtaken by a highly contagious virus that made it necessary that he be cremated. Our condolences to his loved ones. A memorial service will be held tomorrow morning at this site. Now let us pray.”

Judd couldn't move. Peter the Second was dead? So Mac McCullum had been right. Carpathia had somehow killed Mathews.

The people around Judd acted as if nothing had happened. The crowd politely applauded Ms. D'Angelo's prayer, then cheered each subpotentate and their speeches—which all seemed the same to Judd. Finally, Leon Fortunato introduced the man of the hour, Nicolae Carpathia.

The roar from the crowd was the biggest yet as Carpathia waved at the masses with both hands and walked back and forth onstage. Judd shook his head and looked away. He spotted someone near a stairway that led to metal detectors. As the crowd cheered on, the man turned. It was Kasim.

34

JUDD
did a double take. The man near the stage wore a robe and a turban over his head, but Judd was sure it was Kasim. Judd didn't see the laser, but the robe was roomy enough to easily hide it.

Judd hustled into the cheering crowd. Onstage, Carpathia moved back and forth, making sure the cameras caught his smile. Nicolae was now thirty-six, and if Judd didn't know who he really was, he would have thought him charming.

Judd looked over the heads of those in front of him, trying to keep an eye on Kasim. The ovation for Carpathia lasted several minutes. He calmed the crowd just as Judd made it to the edge of the stage.

Kasim was gone.

Vicki couldn't believe how one man could talk so effortlessly for forty-five minutes. She thought listening to the radio would be boring, but he was able to keep their attention with only his voice.

Carpathia spoke about the difficulties of living in a world that faced death and catastrophe and “nature's worst.” He became emotional when he talked about the many who had died, and he expressed grief for those who had lost friends and family members.

“Give me a break,” Mark grumbled.

The crowd responded to every sentence, every phrase with long periods of applause and shouts of support. As the speech continued, Carpathia seemed to get more and more energized.

“Around this vast plaza you see these words on lampposts and walls and fences: ‘Today Is the First Day of the Rest of Utopia.' I commit to you here tonight that I will do everything in my power to bring you Utopia. We will see perfection in society, in politics, and in everyday life.”

The crowd went into a frenzy and Carpathia again called for quiet. “Our goal over the last three and one half years has been to unite the world. We have done that with our currency. We have built a one-world communications system. We have even brought people of different faiths together under one banner of religious thought.

“Look behind me. ‘One World, One Truth: Individual Freedom for All' is not just a slogan. We have made it a living, breathing reality.”

Judd frantically looked around for Kasim. He squinted into the darkness under the stage. It was ten feet high and there was plenty of room to hide, but GC Peacekeepers stood nearby.

Judd moved a few paces and noticed a Peacekeeper watching him, so when Carpathia finished a sentence, Judd clapped and whistled with the rest of the crowd.

As Nicolae neared the end of his speech, he leaned against the side of the podium with one hand, crossed his feet at the ankles, and put his other fist on his hip. When the camera zoomed in on the man's face, the crowd reacted to his arrogant look with whistles and more applause. They knew he was about to make a bold statement.

Carpathia held the pose for almost a minute, then stepped behind the podium and gripped it with both hands. “Tomorrow morning, as you can see on your program, we will reassemble near the Temple Mount. There we shall establish the authority of the Global Community over ev-er-y geographic location.”

As cheers rose behind him, Judd slipped back into the crowd and moved to his left. He had to find Kasim.

“Regardless who is proclaiming this or warning that or taking credit for all manner of attacks on this city, this area, this state … I will personally put an end to the religious terrorism perpetrated by two murderous impostors. I, for one, am tired of superstitious oppression, tired of drought, tired of bloody water. I am tired of pompous so-called prophecies, of gloom and doom, and of pie in the sky by and by!”

The crowd reacted to Carpathia's energy and seemed to gain momentum as the evil world leader continued. Judd pushed and shoved the cheering people and scanned faces. He stood on the edge of the sidewalk and spotted Kasim thirty feet away, staring straight at Carpathia. Kasim didn't cheer, clap, or respond in any way. Judd rushed toward his friend.

As the noise died, Carpathia roared, “If the Jerusalem Twosome does not cease and desist tomorrow, I shall not rest until I have personally dealt with them. And once that is accomplished, we shall dance in the streets!”

Only two people now stood between Judd and Kasim. Judd pushed a man out of the way as the crowd rushed toward the stage. Two million voices rose as one. “Nicolae, Nicolae, Nicolae!”

Kasim reached inside his robe.

“Have fun tonight!” Nicolae shouted over the noise. “Indulge yourselves! But sleep well so tomorrow we can enjoy the party that shall have no end!” Carpathia stood near the edge of the stage, waving, smiling, and soaking in the praise of the crowd.

A few feet from him, Kasim wrestled to break free of the surging mob. Several people screaming Nicolae's name pushed Judd forward. As Kasim pulled a metal object from his robe, Judd jumped on him, and the two rolled beneath the stage. Kasim struggled to stand, but Judd held him down.

Kasim was alive with rage. “You're trying to save that madman's life?”

Judd clamped his hand over Kasim's mouth and whispered, “I'm trying to save
your
life. Put that away.”

Peacekeepers tried to push the crowd back from the stage. Judd grabbed Kasim's robe and the two ran out the back of the stage. The thwock, thwock, thwock of helicopters sounded in the distance.

Carpathia walked down the steps to the landing area. Leon Fortunato quickly knelt and waved his arms at Carpathia as if in worship. Thousands in the crowd did the same. They dropped to the ground and acted like Carpathia was a god.

“Are you happy?” Kasim said. “You're letting him get away!”

“What were you going to do? Throw that laser at him?”

Kasim put his hand on the sword's handle. “This weapon will fulfill the prophecy.”

Judd shook his head. “No, it won't. You're going to give it to me right now.”

“You know what's going to happen tomorrow?

” Kasim seethed. “He's going to kill Eli and Moishe!”

“Give it to me!”

Kasim pulled the silver handle from his robe and let it drop to the ground with a clank. Judd stooped to pick it up. When he stood, Kasim had run into the swarm of people.

Lionel and Sam helped with the new believers until late in the evening. Three teenagers had prayed with Mr. Stein, and Lionel made sure they knew about the Young Tribulation Force and their Web site. “You'll really grow if you check in with us daily and read your Bible.”

Judd came in the back door and went up the stairs. Lionel excused himself and followed. He found Judd in General Zimmerman's weapon room.

Judd told Lionel what had happened with Kasim and pulled out the laser. Before he put it in the empty glass case, he held it out and told Lionel to stand back.

“It looks like something out of a sci-fi movie,” Lionel said.

Judd turned the laser on, and immediately a thin beam of orange light appeared. Judd grabbed a cloth from a nearby table and tossed it in the air. He let it land on the beam, but the cloth tore in half and fell to the floor, the edges burned.

“Wow, this would have put an end to Carpathia,” Judd said. He turned off the laser and put it in its case.

Sam ran into the room. “Meeting downstairs. Mr. Stein wants to see us all.”

Mr. Stein welcomed the new believers and had everyone introduce themselves and tell where they were from. When they were finished, Mr. Stein led in prayer and thanked God for their new friends.

“I have asked God for wisdom about tomorrow. This will be a very difficult experience for all of us, and I would not require you to attend, but I believe it is important that we witness what happens at the Wailing Wall.