Wired (25 page)

“Me?” Graham's voice became shrill. “My answer is let's not do any of it!”

For a moment Jake and Frank looked back and forth as if sending a silent message to each other. Bridges leaned forward and
looked intimidatingly at Graham.

“Graham, this is not only a test of the people. It's also aimed at us. Are we going to obey or will we be like one of these
rebellious religious groups?” Bridges stuck his finger in Graham's face. “Are you on the team or not?”

Graham caught his breath. “I thought we always had honest and forthright discussions in here.”

“Oh, we do,” Bridges said, “but we don't contradict anything that Mr. Carson asks us to do. His wisdom far exceeds anything
that any of us know. We follow without reservation.”

“I—I see,” Graham fumbled.

“I'll give you a hint,” Bridges said. “In a few days the European Union is going to go to war against India and Pakistan because
they have not complied with demands on petroleum shipments across those countries. When the bombs start to fall, we will have
an ample pretext for our police action. Don't worry. The president will create a nationwide curfew system to coincide with
what we are doing.”

Graham shook his head mechanically.

“Never question anything Carson says,” Pemrose warned. “Don't forget it, peck.”

Something was going on in this room beyond Graham's awareness and he needed to be extremely careful. A hundred thoughts shot
through his mind. At best, Pemrose was telling him he was number 3 in the Chicago part of the Inner Circle, and at the least,
Pemrose was ahead of him in the pecking order. Clearly Bridges and Pemrose had their own private agreements to which Graham
would never be a party. He should keep his mouth shut and hold the cards close to his vest. Duck his head. The action was
getting much too close to home.

“Thank you,” Graham said professionally. “Anything else?”

The mayor shook his head. “No. The war with India and Pakistan will break out in two days. I want our local personnel in place
immediately so we can declare a curfew. I trust such a plan will be operational by Monday.”

“Of course.” Graham avoided looking at Pemrose. “Anything else you need from me?”

Bridges looked surprised. “No. No. I don't think so.”

“Good. If there's no problem, I'll be on my way.”

“Of course.” The mayor stood up. “Thanks again for coming down early.”

“Naturally.” Graham nodded to both men and walked out the door. He noticed that the sliding door at the end of the wall was
left open. Stopping on the plush, thick carpet, Graham hesitated to listen for a second.

“What do you think?” Pemrose's voice echoed down the hallway.

“I don't know,” the mayor answered. “I can't tell.”

“I don't like it,” Jake growled.

Graham silently hurried through the front door and disappeared down the hall.

A
CROSS CHICAGO
the snow deepened, and the children were forced to spend most of their time indoors. Mary Peck steadfastly refused to talk
about or listen to any conversations about the Scripture. Insisting it was the last thing in the entire world that her friends
wanted to hear about, she dogmatically maintained that developing a reputation for being a “religious crazy” was not what
she needed
ever
! When any spiritual topic came up, Mary retreated to her room. On Wednesday during the first week in December, Graham, Jackie,
and Matt sat down around the kitchen table.

“Time is working against us,” Graham began.

“What do you mean?” Jackie asked.

“In only a few weeks our world has been turned inside out.” Graham slowly stirred his coffee. “What we thought was dependable,
Permanent, stable, has been revealed only to be cardboard. Our entire society is being used as a pawn in a game being played
by people they don't even know exist.”

“Know?” Matt's voice raised an octave. “Listen, Dad.

How many people in the world even knew what Carson looked like until after you actually saw the guy? You've been on the inside
of history's final drama.”

“It's been an accident,” Graham argued.

“I don't believe in accidents anymore,” Matt countered. “The hand of Go is working in everything that we do. Divine power
has led you into the camp of the ultimate enemy.”

Graham ran his hands nervously through his hair. “I'm not used to thinking theologically. I have no idea how to answer such
an assertion. As far as I'm concerned, it all just happened.”

“But things don't
just happen
, Dad. God has already taken his church out of the world's turmoil. He's attempting to save us from the terrible days that
are ahead.”

“I don't know that all of those assertions are true, son. I'm only attempting to save our family from a web that's being spun
around our feet. A dangerous spider is loose in the world and I don't want us to get bitten.”

“Your father's terribly concerned that we don't get sucked into a whirlpool that will drown a lot of people,” Jackie argued.

“We can't avoid what's coming,” Matt said. “It's all a part of God's plan. He's the big foot that will eventually step on
that ugly spider!”

“Son, you've been the key for us to all these new insights,” Jackie said. “Don't ever forget how grateful we are to you.”

“And I'm not arguing with you,” Graham said. “What I'm concerned about is that electronic surveillance is in–creasing in Chicago
at such a rate that we could get caught. This whole city is wired We've avoided being marked on the forehead, but the process
is likely to catch up with us sooner or later.”

“So?” Matt asked. “What are we going to do?”

“Do you think the
entire
New seekers group is trustworthy?” Graham asked.

Matt nodded. “Down to the last person! Jennifer Andrews is only one example of how trustworthy these people are. You already
know Adah Honi is straight as a stick.”

“Yes,” Graham said thoughtfully. “Those people seem to be honest, but we can't take any chances. I don't want our family jeopardized
by talking with the wrong people.”

“Outside of the New Seekers, I don't know who the right people would be,” Matt said.

“Okay. That's what I concluded,” Graham said. “I want you and your mother to know that we must maintain the closest attention
to what happens around us. I'm worried myself that I might walk into a trap at the office. I don't trust Bridges or Pemrose.
But if I'm right, we may need the help of your friends in the New seeker's group. Is that possible?”

“Sure.” Matt shrugged. “Listen, Dad. You've become a hero to these kids. They don't really know you, but you've got big time
respect with them.”

“What are you thinking?” Jackie asked. “I think there's something else going on in your mind.”

“Well,” Graham said slowly, “there's one more thing. I haven't trusted my secretary Sarah Cates for a long time, but I may
need her help. She could be lying to me, and that could bring the roof down on my head if she's in cahoots with Pemrose, Bridges,
or who knows.”

“You really think so?” Jackie asked.

“I don't know.” Graham said. “But I wanted both of you to know that I'll probably crawl way out on the end of a weak limb
at the office. If something snaps, we'll have to move fast.”

Jackie put her arm around Graham's shoulders. Don't worry. We're three hundred percent behind you.”

“Thanks,” Graham said. “I'm about to jump on that branch. I hope I don't crash to the ground.”

O
N THURSDAY
, the New Seekers group met again. Following the meeting, Graham and Jackie met with Adah Honi at the back of the room Huddled
next to a back wall, they talked quietly.

“Adah,” Graham said, “you've been amazingly correct. You've helped us understand why millions of people disappeared, the moon
turned red, the source of the accelerating wars and conflicts, and the rise of the Anti-Christ. What do you see Happening
next?”

Jackie squeezed in closer to the Jewish woman. “We need your advice and direction.”

Adah smiled. “I am no prophet.”

“You are to us,” Jackie insisted.

“If my interpretation of the Bible is correct,” Adah said slowly. “I think that the climate of fear and chaos will increase
as does Rashid's ability the world to control. I suspect that this man his power will consolidate. He will be a most diabolical
person.”

“More war, huh?” Graham asked.

“But he will make a surprising support for Israel in a short while, but the troubles for Christians, for believers in Jesus
as the Messiah will only increase. If I were you, I would put my money into gold as a hedge against troubles with currency.”

“We have more dark days ahead?” Jackie asked.

“I am afraid so.
Very
dark days.”

Graham patted Adah on the shoulder. “We may need your help when the crunch comes. Can we call you?”

Adah beamed. “At any moment! My friend Eldad Rafaeli is also ready to help. Don't hesitate to let us know about how we can
be of assistance.”

“Thank you, Adah. appreciate your support,” Jackie said.

“More than we can say,” Graham added. “And you trust this group of students?” He pointed around the room.

“Of course,” the Jewish woman said.

“Adah,” Jackie said, “I have one last question. I hear you talking about trusting God.” Jackie stopped and rubbed her chin
thoughtfully “I understand the idea, but nothing seems to connect with me. Trusting someone like my husband makes sense, but
God is such an abstract idea.”

Adah nodded. “Yes, I understand. Let me see if I can help you.” She beckoned for them to follow her across the room. Picking
up a slice of bread and a glass, the Jewish woman sat them on the table in front of Graham and Jackie. “From our history each
year we have the Passover Supper, a time when we remember God delivered our people from death and set us free. We eat bread
and drink wine to celebrate our trust in God.”

“Y-yes,” Jackie said slowly.

“Then Jesus, or Yeshua as we say, took this cup and unleavened bread and made it a symbol of himself. Christians usually took
this sacrament to come into an intimate relationship with the Lord. You see?”

Graham shook his head. “No. No, I don't.”

“When you eat something, it becomes a part of you,” Adah explained. “It is literally absorbed into the cells and tissues of
your body. Nothing could be closer or more intimate.”

“Of course,” Jackie said. “I understand that idea.”

“You must trust the bread and wine completely if you are going to eat them, expecting such a wonderful encounter in your spiritual
world. Right?”

“H-u-mm.” Jackie nodded her head. “Trusting God is like deciding to eat the bread and drink the wine?”

“Exactly!” Adah said. “It is a act of saying ‘yes’ to everything that is to you offered.”

“Thank you,” Jackie said. “Yes. The idea makes more sense to me now.”

Graham said nothing. The explanation was clear but had left him uncertain. Could trusting God be as simple as eating a piece
of bread? He didn't think so.

On Friday Graham called Sarah Cates into his office. The attractive young woman brought her scratch pad, prepared to take
notes.

“Sit down, Sarah,” Graham said. “I want to talk to you for a minute.”

Sarah gritted her teeth. She sat down slowly. “I'm being fired” You're moving me to another office, aren't you? I knew this
wouldn't last.”

Graham studied her carefully. Sarah didn't look hostile. In fact, she seemed to still have that slight gleam in the corner
of her eye.

“I understand,” Sarah continued. “I'm sorry, but I guess I had it coming.”

“No, Sarah. A move isn't in my plans.”

“Oh!” Sarah looked surprised. “Really? You're sure?”

“You said that you had some affection for me,” Graham continued. “Is that still true?”

Sarah's face began turning red. “Look. I was drinking and I should never have…”

“I ask if you still care about me?” Graham pushed.

Sarah looked at the floor, saying nothing. Finally she said, “Yes.”

Graham took a deep breath. “Good. I need your help as well as your confidence. I must be able to trust you.”

The woman blinked several times. “What? What are you saying? Certainly, you can tell me anything.”

Graham's eyes narrowed. “We've got some traps to set. You ready to go fishing?”

J
ACKIE PECK
was sitting at her desk, when the walls began to shake slightly. The desk gradually inched away from her and the chandelier
swung back and forth. She looked up from the list she was making and stared at this strange movement around her. The ceiling
rippled and the entire room seemed to shift. Her balance abruptly felt out of kilter. Suddenly the entire house shook and
for a moment Jackie felt nauseous. She grabbed the edge of her desk for stability, but everything inside of her buckled. Thirty
seconds later the frightening movements stopped.

Jackie's heart pounded. With her hand on her chest, Jackie dashed out of the room and darted through the front door. Across
the front lawn a large, winding crack jagged in an ugly zigzag pattern into a cracked sidewalk. A black cloud drifted in front
of the sun, sending ominous dark shadows everywhere. The wind whipped around the corner of the house and a blast of arctic
air hit her in the face. Across the street the neighbor ran out her front door.

“Oh, Lord help us!” the woman shouted. “What's happened?”

“It must have been an earthquake,” Jackie said. “Never in my life have I been in such a big shake. I don't think one like
this has ever hit Chicago.”

“Never heard of such a thing! Did it hurt your house?”

“I don't know. I suppose I'll have to wait for Graham to come home and check around the foundation.”

The woman nodded. “Yes, I suppose so.” She looked up into the sky. “How strange. Even the sun looks black.”

People began coming out of other houses, looking around and gawking up at the sky. Jackie didn't like the exposure and went
back inside.