Arrived (18 page)

Lionel hit the redial on his phone and got the same sound. Chang said the GC could jam certain cell or satellite phones, and it was possible they were moving in on the Wisconsin group.

Judd and Vicki rushed inside the cavern with worried looks. “Naomi told us what's going on,” Vicki said. “Have you gotten through?”

Lionel shook his head. “No phone, no Internet. And if the GC has control of the Web site, we can say goodbye to reaching out to people. They'll trash it as soon as they raid the hideout.”

Chang hurried over and handed Lionel a printout. “I intercepted this from the United North American States. It was sent to the supreme commander about ten minutes ago.”

Lionel scanned the paper. At the top was a string of letters and numbers. In the middle of the page was the message:

We continue to have great success rooting out rebels and would like to present the potentate with something spectacular today. We believe we have discovered a nest of Judah-ites hiding in rural Wisconsin. They have gone virtually undetected the past few months. We have also been able to tap into their Web site. We hope to have these rebels in custody by morning and turn the Web site into a tool for our cause. We will have them singing “Hail Carpathia” before the morning is out
.

Lionel slammed the paper on the table, picked up the phone, and dialed Wisconsin again. He still couldn't get through.

“What are we going to do?” Vicki said. “We have to warn them!”

“If I can reverse the jam on the phones we could call them,” Chang said.

“Do it,” Judd said.

Mark drove slowly down the narrow dirt road that led away from the campground. The road was little more than a path and had deep ruts from recent rains. The small car scraped bottom several times, and Mark was glad when he reached gravel.

A few minutes later he was on a paved road. He checked his map and headed west, hoping to hit a north/ south route a few miles farther. Mark settled in behind the wheel and adjusted his goggles. In this part of the country he usually saw dead animals along the road, but there were none. He did notice the barren countryside, burned-up trees, and scorched shrubs. Looking through the goggles, a stream running through the hills looked like a long, green scar.

A light flickered on the horizon to Mark's right, and he slowed. It disappeared.
Was that my imagination?
he thought. To make sure, he put the car in neutral and coasted to a stop. He watched for any movement on the horizon but saw nothing.

As he pulled back onto the road, the light flickered again, and a line of vehicles rounded the hillside. He quickly gunned the car toward the stream and looked for a place to hide. His tires spun in the soggy ground, but he managed to keep going until he reached some rocks.

As the vehicles rumbled nearer, Mark got out and scampered toward the road. He was glad he had worn dark clothing, and he hunkered down behind a tree to watch the convoy.

The line of Humvees stopped a hundred yards away. A sleek, black truck opened, and several people got out. Definitely GC. But what were they doing here? Mark was too far away to hear, so he crept forward, duckwalking and trying to stay quiet. His goggles let him zoom in on the people, and Mark gasped when he recognized Commander Kruno Fulcire.

“… heat imaging showed they were in this area, but we need specifics,” Fulcire said into a radio.

There was a pause, and then a man on the radio broke in. “We'll have those for you in just a moment, Commander.”

Mark's heart raced. Specifics for what? Had the GC finally discovered their hideout?

He had to think quickly. There was no way he could start the car and race the GC back to his friends. They were sure to hear him and follow. Unless …

The radio crackled with a report from the satellite operator, and Mark returned to his car. He had driven several miles from the camp, but he guessed it was only a two- or three-mile trip through the forest.

Mark grabbed the phone and dialed Marshall.

Nothing.

Mark looked around the car's interior. He had ammunition, enough to keep the GC busy for a few minutes, but his main job now was to warn his friends.

He noticed the plastic gas can behind the passenger seat. Marshall had placed one in each of their vehicles in case they had to make a quick getaway and ran out of gas. Mark glanced at Fulcire and crew. He had to act fast.

Judd followed Vicki and Naomi through a maze of computers and workers. Since the beginning of the setup in Petra, Naomi had grown in influence as a first-rate computer operator, then as a teacher. She was the daughter of one of the elders at Petra, Eleazar Tiberius. She not only had technical knowledge, but she also helped teach workers how to answer spiritual questions on Tsion's Web site, which was read by as many as a billion people every day. There were now thousands of computers and counselors spread out through the camp.

“How did Dr. Ben-Judah hear about the situation?” Vicki asked, struggling to keep pace with Naomi.

“I talked with my father, and he mentioned it to the rabbi,” Naomi said. “He asked me to get you and move your meeting up from lunch.”

Tsion smiled and welcomed them to his tiny living room. “Please, sit. Is there further news?”

“Chang and Lionel are working on getting in touch with our friends,” Judd said.

“It's so hard when we're this far away and can't do anything,” Vicki added.

Tsion clenched his teeth. “We felt the same way with Chloe. I have a feeling we are going to be doing more mourning in the days to come. Oh—” He put up a hand— “I did not mean that your friends will be harmed, but evil is rising. Antichrist and his followers are desperate.”

“We understand,” Judd said. “It's just that we know angels warn people. Is there any reason why God couldn't do something like that now?”

“God's ways are God's ways. I do not presume to understand why he chooses to keep some from the blade while others are taken from us. I do not understand why he chose me to lead a million people here, but I am grateful he made me part of his plan. I do not think there is any harm in asking him to act—in fact, I think he wants us to. So let us pray now that he will use some angel or human to save your friends and keep them safe.”

Mark rushed to the stream and up a hill to a grove of charred trees. Behind him the vehicles pulled out and continued. “Come on,” he whispered.

He had reached a knoll when a terrific blast shattered the night. Flames shot into the air, then another explosion. Mark had stuffed a rag in the gasoline can, lit it, and placed it under his car's gas tank.

The lead truck in the convoy stopped, and several troops jumped out, weapons ready. An officer shouted something, and the last vehicle turned sideways on the road. Mark didn't wait to see what would happen. He scrambled over the knoll, got his bearings, and headed for the camp.

He kept dialing the phone as he ran but couldn't get through. Depending on how long the GC remained occupied by the burning car, Mark had a chance of getting to his friends.

Vicki felt better just hearing Tsion's voice. His prayer showed a deep reverence for God, yet she could tell how much God was his friend. When Judd prayed, Vicki felt the emotion. There was something about talking with God together that touched her.

When they had finished, Tsion asked about their home and how their marriage was going.

Judd said they were getting along fine and asked if Tsion had any advice about what to do when they disagreed on certain issues.

“I hope you do disagree,” Dr. Ben-Judah said. “You have two different perspectives. But the beauty of a relationship built on God's love is that he has brought you together to make you one. This does not mean that you won't fight about certain things, but if you did not have conflict, you would never have the opportunity to grow and learn and change. I suspect you will mature as believers more in these last six months than you have the last six years.”

“Did you have fights with your wife?” Vicki said.

Tsion laughed. “We had pouting sessions at first. I would get hurt and pout for a few days. Then she would get hurt and pout for a week. She was much better at pouting than I was, let me tell you. But as we grew together, and especially after we became believers in Jesus, I saw our relationship change.” He sat back and closed his eyes. “Oh, how I long to speak with her and ask her advice on things. But then I won't have to wait long for that, will I?”

“You mean when Jesus comes back to set up his kingdom, right?” Vicki said.

“Yes. I am confident that I will see my wife again and that we will have quite a reunion, along with my two children. How I long for those who have not yet believed in the message to do so. As you know, there are some who have come into Petra lately who are not believers, and I want them to hear, but I also want people outside to believe a new message God has been impressing on me.”

“Why don't you put it on the Web site?” Judd said.

Tsion nodded. “That is one idea I have considered, but I would like to reach even more people, those who haven't stumbled across my teaching on the Internet. I believe God has given me a message he wants even Nicolae and his followers to hear.”

“Chang seems to be able to do a lot with the setup here,” Vicki said. “Can't you break into international television?”

Tsion scratched his chin. “Hmm. Chang is quite resourceful. I will need to talk with the elders and Captain Steele, but that is an excellent idea.”

Judd talked about the fact that he and Vicki almost felt guilty for being so happy when people were mourning.

Tsion smiled. “Joy and sorrow go hand in hand. Do not feel guilty for the good gift God has given. Enjoy each other and praise God with your love.”

Judd brought up Vicki's idea about starting an orphanage after Christ's return. “In one of your messages you mentioned there could be many children who go into the kingdom who don't have parents.”

“Yes, I believe that will be true,” Tsion said.

Vicki blushed when Judd elbowed her. “Well, I was watching a news report about the Junior GC program the other day. There are so many young kids who've been brainwashed by Carpathia. They will need a lot of help, and I was thinking we could—Judd and I—find a place where we could take some kids in and care for them.”