THE 13: STAND BOOK TWO (42 page)

“Hey, hey, hey!” Keene said, holding up his hands. “It’s just me!”

“Keene, I almost shot you,” Foust said.

“Sorry. Listen. I need you guys to come with me. Now.”

“What’s wrong?” Walker asked.

“It’s Sokolov. I think she’s here.”

Ramirez and his team immediately started checking their weapons and gearing up to move. But Quinn stepped in front of them and held up his hands. “Everyone stop.”

“Quinn, what are you doing?” Keene said. “She’s here! I need them to come with me. Now.”

Quinn turned around to face him. “It’s okay. You don’t need to worry about Alexandra Sokolov right now.”

Keene couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Had Quinn lost his mind? If Sokolov was here…He pulled Quinn off to the side.

“Hey,” he said in an angry whisper, “you need to tell me right now what’s going on. I’m not about to send Walker out there knowing she’s in the building.”

Quinn looked at him with a completely blank expression. “Jon, I can guarantee you that President Walker is in no danger. You don’t need to worry about Sokolov. Everything will work out the way He has intended it.”

“So you’re saying you know what’s going on now?”

Quinn closed his eyes and nodded. “Yes.”

Suddenly a lump formed in Keene’s throat. “That doesn’t sound good.”

“Jon, do you trust that God has brought you here to this place, right now, for a reason?”

Six months ago, if someone had asked him that, he would have laughed. But now, after everything he’d been through—even though he was still trying to hold on to control—he had to say that he did. “Yes. I do trust Him.”

“Then trust
me.”

Keene suddenly felt a tinge of sadness. He didn’t know if it was because of what Quinn was about to tell the world, or because something was about to happen that he knew he couldn’t control. No matter how hard he tried.

He met Quinn’s stare. “Okay. I trust you.”

K
eene led the president and Quinn through the rotunda and to the door of the House chamber. The crowd had quieted from the racket they had been making. Now it was little more than just the normal ambient noise of a crowd of several hundred. Keene looked around for Boz but didn’t see him. He started to worry. Where had Boz gone? He looked around the whole room and still couldn’t find him. He couldn’t wait any longer. The president was ready to go.

He gave the hand signal again to the agents, and once again, they pushed the crowd back. The noise began to settle as the people inside the chamber took notice. When the aisle was clear, Keene stepped into the chamber with the president, the Prophet, and the rest of their entourage. The room fell to a hiss of whispers, as people pointed to Quinn, seeing the man who called himself the Prophet for the first time.

Megan and Keene sat down in some seats that Keene had been saving for them in the front row. Ramirez wheeled Eli next to them at the end of the row. The president and the Prophet walked to the podium. The room fell completely silent.

Quinn stepped up to the microphone and cleared his throat.

“Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen of Congress, Governor Nolan, ladies and gentlemen…My name is Quinn Harrington. I am the man God has appointed as a messenger to bring His Word to you.

“A little over seven months ago, God instructed me to contact President Grant and to give him a message. That message was that God had grown tired of our country’s idolatry. We have, for far too long, ignored God’s law, His love, and His mercy. And for that reason, God promised to bring judgment upon this land, unless we were to repent and turn back to Him.

“As you now know, that never came to pass. And as a result, God allowed wicked men and women to bring to pass the invasion of the Chinese upon our land. What we now experience is a result of that.”

The room exploded. People began to stand and shout. The noise had risen even louder than when Nolan had entered the chamber. Quinn held his hands up and something like a tidal wave of warm air passed through the room. Instantly the room quieted. Keene looked to Megan, who had the same look of awe on her face that he knew he must have. “Did you just feel that?”

Megan nodded her head yes. Quinn continued.

“Since that time, President Walker has tried to speak these truths to you. And while many of you have opened your eyes and seen the truth, others of you have rebelled against it. Some have even gone as far as to conspire against this country, like the men and women who brought upon us God’s first judgment.” He looked down at the front row. “Governor Nolan. Would you and your friends please stand?”

Keene looked down the aisle at Nolan, Pemberton, and Irving. They were looking to each other trying to figure out what to do. Finally, Nolan straightened his jacket and tie and stood. Pemberton and Irving followed. Quinn continued.

“Sir, you have demanded that President Walker uphold his sworn oath to the Constitution and assert his privilege of nominating a vice president. Is that right?”

Nolan looked around the room. “Yes, that is correct.”

Quinn nodded. “And at this time, he would like to do so.” He turned to Walker. “Mr. President?”

Walker moved up to the lectern. “Governor Nolan. You have demanded that I nominate a vice president. And you have also called for my resignation as president. I would like to announce to you that I am happy to grant your wish.”

Again the room erupted. This time it was to cheers and chants of Nolan’s name. President Walker allowed the interruption for a few seconds and then quieted the room.

“Ladies and gentlemen. I am happy to announce to you this evening that I will be stepping down from my duties as president and resuming my responsibilities as vice president.”

A collective gasp filled the room. Nolan’s face twisted into anger. “What! What are you talking about? You can’t do that!”

“I most certainly can, sir,” Walker said to Nolan. “Ladies and gentlemen, it is my great honor to turn the office of president of the United States of America back over to its rightful owner, President Calvin Grant.”

Keene could hardly believe what he was hearing. Did Walker just say President Grant?

Just then, the doors to the chamber opened and Boz came walking in. He had a huge grin on his face. And behind him was none other than President Grant.

Walker leaned in to the microphone. “Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the President of the United States!”

Once again, the room burst into a frenzy. Everyone stood and began applauding. Shouts of “U–S–A!” began to fill the room. Keene was even on his feet cheering Grant on. He looked down the aisle to see Nolan’s reaction. The man looked like he was going to throw up right there. Pemberton looked like someone had shot his dog, and Irving looked as though he was about to be lynched.

President Grant took the podium and stepped up to the lectern. “Please, everyone…thank you…thank you…please…” Finally the room fell silent. “Mr. Walker, I accept your resignation of the office of president of the United States of America and hereby mandate, by executive order, that you resume your responsibilities as vice president.”

Again the room applauded. Grant raised his hands to quiet the room.

“Ladies and gentlemen, seven months ago, I was called by God to give you a message. I failed in my duties to do that. But I have been given a second chance. So I will take this opportunity now to do so. However, there is something that I need to do first. So that you may know that Mr. Harrington is indeed a prophet of God and that he has been sent to call our nation to turn back to the One who so graciously gave her to us in the first place, Mr. Harrington will address Governor Nolan and his conspirators.”

Grant stepped back, and Quinn stepped back up to the microphone. “Governor, sirs…will you please stand again?”

Nolan folded his arms and crossed his legs. “I will not! I do not recognize your authority. I do not believe in your God!”

Quinn thrust his hand at Nolan and pointed directly at him. “In the name of Christ Jesus, who has been given authority over all of heaven and earth, I command you to stand and give an account for your actions!”

Immediately, Nolan, Pemberton, and Irving all shot up out of their chairs, as if someone had pulled them out. The entire room gasped. Quinn continued.

“Governor Nolan, are you familiar with the account of Ananias and Sapphira given in the book of Acts?”

Nolan just stared blankly.

“The story itself is not relevant here. The lesson we are to learn from it, however, is. And that is that God judges sin. And not only will He judge sin at the end of all things, He does also in real time. Ananias and Sapphira were judged for their sin. And the judgment that God passed on them was to strike them dead right where they stood.”

Keene’s heart began to race. Was this really about to happen? Was God going to actually do this right here, in front of everyone?

Quinn continued, “You, sirs, have blasphemed the name of God, you have been an instrument of Satan. You and your counterparts have been judged. I pray that if there is any to be had for you, that God would have mercy on your souls.”

And with that, Nolan, Pemberton, and Irving all dropped to the ground.

A
lex Smith was enjoying this little dog and pony show. First the Prophet, standing and talking about sin and judgment. Then Walker’s big announcement. She had to admit, even she didn’t see that coming. But that’s not what had captured her attention.

No, her attention was captured by the two that sat in the front row, holding hands, like a happily in love couple. She actually knew what that felt like, for the first time in her life. It was going to make what she was about to do all the more sweet.

Regardless of what Pemberton had paid her for, she had her own agenda. Yes, she would take out Walker. And seeing him come back from the dead, she wanted to kill Grant as well. That one was just going to be for pride. She couldn’t say she actually assassinated the president if he were standing here, now, resuming his office. Now could she?

But her main focus was on Jon Keene and Megan Taylor. Those two had been the bane of her existence for too long. This ended tonight. Only one of them was going to walk out of here alive. She swore to that. And she fully intended it be her.

She reached up under the seat to feel the Tech-9 taped to the bottom of the seat. She reached inside her coat pocket and felt the Glock resting against her side. Finally, she bent over and ran her hand over her ankle, where the PK380 rested. Everything was set to go. Now all she had to do was give Farid the signal.

She was about to move when the Prophet took the podium again. He called for Nolan to stand, but Nolan refused. She was almost jarred out of her seat when the Prophet yelled back at Nolan. She eased up for a moment. Her curiosity had gotten the better of her. She wanted to see where this went.

Suddenly, the Prophet said something about some old guy from the Bible and Nolan, Pemberton, and Irving all dropped to the ground. She could tell right away. They were dead. Immediately, the entire place burst into a panic. This was the moment she had waited for. She caught Farid’s attention and gave him the signal.

Keene couldn’t believe what he’d just seen. He jumped up from his seat and checked Nolan’s pulse. Nothing. He looked to Quinn who just nodded to him, as if to say,
What’s done is done
.

Immediately, though, the room was stirred. People were gasping and pointing. Some cries were heard, as well as some shrieks and shouting. Just when Keene thought it couldn’t get any more chaotic, he heard the very thing he’d been dreading—no, anticipating—since he got here tonight.

“GUN! GUN!”

Instantly, people began screaming and pushing one another to get out of the chamber. Ramirez and his team immediately ran to the podium and grabbed Grant and Quinn. Suddenly, Keene saw something out of the corner of his eye. Someone had thrown a rope over the side of the gallery. And sliding down it was a woman with short black hair. She had a long, pointed nose and a round face. And she was holding a Tech-9 submachine gun. It didn’t look anything like her, but Keene knew it was Sokolov.

Suddenly the chamber was filled with the sound of automatic gunfire. Everyone screamed louder and began trampling over each other. Keene drew his weapon to fire back at Sokolov. But someone knocked into him the moment he was about to shoot. His gun went flying in the air as he was knocked down. He scrambled over to get it. And noticed that Megan had pulled Eli out of the wheelchair and was taking cover under the first row of seats.

“Stay down!” he yelled to her.

He retrieved his gun and stood up. By this time, Sokolov was on the ground walking toward him. And firing at will. He dove for cover again and got off three rounds. He had no idea if he’d hit his mark or not. He looked to the podium where Ramirez was trying to get Walker, Grant, and Quinn to safety. He was about to stand up again when he saw Ramirez go down. That left Walker exposed. He stood up to fire just as Sokolov unleashed another round of automatic fire right at the podium. Walker’s chest exploded in crimson and he fell immediately. Keene jumped up from behind the seats and started firing. He saw Sokolov spin around and slam into a row of chairs. He’d scored a hit. But where and how bad he didn’t know.