The Left Behind Collection: All 12 Books (327 page)

Mac was driving toward the north road with George in the passenger’s seat when he got the call from Chloe about Elena’s phone. “That’s easy,” he said, stopping in the middle of the road. “Stick Elena’s phone under the front tire, George,” he said.

The truck flattened the phone.

As they reached the north road, Mac saw a sea of flashing blue lights in the distance. “We’re toast,” he said.

“They’re not looking for this truck,” George said. “Don’t do anything suspicious.”

“Like picking up two armed women?”

“Drive on. The women will see the GC and know we’ll have to come back.”

“When would we have time to do that?”

“What are you going to do, Mac?”

“They’re setting up a roadblock. Stick the weapons and ammo under the seats and get a cap on. There’s a better description of you than me out there. You can’t hide big but you can cover blond.”

Chloe and Hannah lay on their stomachs, watching the long line of GC cars, lights flashing. “There’s the truck,” Hannah said.

“Most of the GC are driving by them. Guess they don’t need all those for a roadblock.”

One GC car stopped on each side of the road, and a Peacekeeper held up a hand to stop the truck and wave through the rest of the squad cars.

“Hannah, if you can hear me, give me one click.”

Chloe looked at her. “Was that George?”

Hannah nodded and clicked her walkie-talkie.

“All right, I’ve got Mac’s radio on the seat here, and I’m staring straight ahead and pretending not to be talking, so I may be hard to hear. Listen carefully. If you have the DEW with you and can turn it on, give me a click.”

Hannah turned on the weapon and gave another click.

“These guys are going to check us out. I’ll leave the radio locked open. If it sounds like they’re going to look closer, incapacitate both of them. Understand?”

Click.

“Here they come. Stand by. If one comes to my side of the truck, please use very careful aim.”

Click.

Chang was exhausted and wished he could call it a night like most everyone else at the palace except Suhail Akbar and the literally indefatigable Carpathia himself, who did not require sleep anymore. Chang would not, however, be able to sleep anyway until Mac and Chloe and Hannah and George were safely in the air. He stayed at his computer, available to help. Meanwhile, he tapped into Carpathia’s office.

“I really must stay on top of this Greece thing,” Akbar was saying. “I’ll return as soon as I can.”

“Is it not something you can do from here, Suhail? The nights are so long, and there is much to learn from the daylight regions.”

“Forgive me, Potentate, but we have had a serious breach of security. I am on a secure phone to Ptolemaïs and on a secure e-mail connection. The situation is about to be resolved, and I will hurry right back.”

“And we can see how the morale effort is going in Region –6 and in Region 0?”

“Of course.”

“There should be audio and video feeds where I see the last holdouts taking the loyalty mark, worshiping my image three times a day, or suffering the consequences. They are suffering, are they not?”

“I’m sure they are, Excellency. I don’t know how you or I could have been clearer on that.”

“And the Jews? There are many Jews in both those regions who might be enjoying the sunshine right now, but who do not know that this is their last chance to see it. Am I right?”

“You are always right, Highness. However, few people anywhere are truly enjoying anything with the seas as they are. I don’t know how the planet can survive such a tragedy.”

“This is the work of the Judah-ites, Suhail! They tell the Jews they are God’s chosen. Well, they are my chosen ones now. And what I have chosen for them will taste bitter in their mouths. I want to see it, Suhail. I want to know my edicts are being carried out.”

“I will see to it, my lord. By the time I return, someone will hook up the monitor to reporting stations in those regions so you may be brought up to date.”

“This security breach, Suhail. It is here, inside the palace?”

“That’s all we can conclude, sir. If such misleading, wholly false information can be planted on our main database from a remote location, we are much more vulnerable than we imagined. Bad as it is, we are most certain it is coming from inside, and that should not take long to trace.”

“You remember, Suhail, what I have asked for in the way of treatment of the Jews, not to mention the Judah-ites. That would be retribution far too lenient for one under my own roof who would deceive me in such a way.”

“I understand, sir.”

“The perpetrator must be put to death before the eyes of the world.”

“Of course.”

“Suhail, have we not combed our entire personnel list?”

“We have.”

“And are there any employees of the Global Community, here or anywhere in the world, who have yet to receive the mark?”

“Less than one thousandth of one percent, Excellency. Probably fewer than ten, and all loyalists with valid reasons, and all—to the best of our knowledge—with plans to rectify the situation immediately.”

“But should they not be our primary suspects?”

“We have them closely watched, sir. And there is not one employee in the palace or in New Babylon without the mark.”

After Suhail was finally able to excuse himself and get back to the situation in Ptolemaïs, Chang kept listening to Carpathia’s office. Nicolae mumbled under his breath, but Chang could not make it out. Occasionally he heard banging, as if Carpathia was pounding on a table or desk. Finally he heard a clatter that sounded like Carpathia had kicked a wastebasket and stuff spilled out.

After a few moments, Chang heard a faint knock and Carpathia calling out, “Enter.”

“Oh, excuse me there, Potentate, sir. I’m to get your monitor hooked up to the United North American States and the United South American States.”

Carpathia ignored him until the man was on his way out. “Clean up this mess,” he said.

Mac decided to take the initiative with the GC Peacekeeper in charge of the roadblock and not wait to be asked for his papers. George was slouched in the passenger seat.

“Wow, whatcha got goin’ tonight there, Chief? I haven’t seen this many of you guys on the streets since I started workin’ road maintenance. All these guys are makin’ it hard on our construction zones, but you gotta do what you gotta do. What’re ya lookin’ for, anyway? Something I can be watchin’ for?”

“Confidential matter, sir. High-level manhunt. Long day for you guys, huh?”

“Tell me about it. We’re hardly ever out this late. Had to come back around the long way from the airport. That part of this deal? That place is locked up tight. Went through the roadblock there too. They cleared us even though we don’t have our papers on us, ’cause we had to work so late, asphalt and all. Goin’ back to the work shed now.”

“That’s no excuse to not have your papers. Everybody is supposed to have their papers all the time.”

“We know, and we both feel terrible about it. But we’ll have ’em with us on the way home.”

“They let you off down by the airport?”

“Yeah, nice guys. I mean, we aren’t Peacekeepers, but we’re all working for the people anyway, right?”

“That’s not by the book.”

“You know, I thought that very thing and really appreciated it that he wasn’t one of those hard guys that gives the workingman a bad time.”

“Well, I don’t want to make your life miserable either, sir, so we can make this real easy. How about you two just show me your marks of loyalty, and you can move it along.”

Chloe thought Mac had nearly talked his way out of the situation. But if he was no threat, showing his mark would not have been a problem.

“Don’t hesitate, Hannah,” Chloe said.

“I wish that other guy would get out of his car.”

From the walkie-talkie: “You just want to see our marks?”

“Yes, sir. Hand or forehead?”

“Mine’s on the forehead here, under the cap. My partner’s is, ah, where is yours, bud?”

“Hand,” Sebastian said.

“Let’s have a look,” the Peacekeeper said.

“Where’s yours, by the way?” Mac said. “You got the image of the potentate too?”

“Nah. Just the number. I’m kinda military that way.”

Chloe glanced at Hannah, then back at the truck, where Mac slowly unlatched his seat belt and took off his cap. He leaned forward.

“I don’t see anything.”

“What? Look!”

From the walkie-talkie, George in a quiet singsong: “Now would be the perfect time.”

The Peacekeeper spun in a circle, slammed back against the cab of the truck, and dropped, screaming. As he slowly started to rise, Mac said, “Say there, fella, what was that all about?”

“I don’t know, I—ah, fire ants or something.” He rubbed his back gingerly, now standing. He motioned to the officer in the other GC car, who quickly stepped out.

“What’s the trouble?”

“Pain in my back, like I backed into a hot pipe or something. I think a blister’s rising.”

He leaned toward Mac again, then grabbed the back of his leg and howled, falling and writhing. The other officer drew his weapon. “What are you guys doing?”

“We’re not doing anything!” Mac said. “What’s his problem?”

The inside light of the truck came on, and George got out and went toward the front with his hands raised. He must have had the walkie-talkie in his pocket now, because Chloe could still hear him on Hannah’s radio. “Can I help in any way?” he asked.

“Stay right where you are,” the second Peacekeeper said, just before he flopped in the road, dropping his weapon and trying to cover his face.