Welsh refused to lower his decibel level. “All the freedom of the press in the country is not going to save you from a breaking-and-entering charge, Miss Kovacs. You had no right to bust into that house tonight, and you know it.”
Kovacs spoke in her most innocent voice. “Why, Agent Welsh, I was watching this house from my news van because of my tip, when we thought we saw smoke coming out. We were just doing our duty as citizens to save whoever was inside from the fire.”
Welsh snorted. “Fire, my foot. There will be fire coming, I promise you, when I fry your fanny in court!”
Kovacs smiled. “Mr. Welsh, don’t you feel that one psychopath threatening violence is enough for tonight? Any further questions you have can be referred to the BNN legal department. Good-bye, FBI.”
“
OH, TALON
, I swear it is enough to make one believe in a higher power.” John Bartholomew’s usually somber voice sounded almost jolly on the secure phone line. “The next phase of our plan has fallen into our laps. Pack your bags.”
Talon, as usual, exhibited no emotion whatsoever. “Where am I heading?”
“You will be strengthening your inspiring new devotion to evangelical Christianity, young man.”
“This time I hope I will actually get to follow through with something bigger than paint cans.”
“I believe you will, but you will need to exercise some patience, Talon. We have somebody else doing the heavy lifting for us at the beginning of this next phase. Only he doesn’t know it yet.”
Talon sounded wary. “Who? Our agreement was that I was to be in complete control of any U.S. actions.”
“And so you shall be, you suspicious boy. You are just going to monitor our unsuspecting helper while he rises to his challenges. He has a skill-set that even you cannot match.”
“What skills are those?”
“Finding things. Old things. You’re going to Preston, North Carolina, to keep tabs on Professor Michael Murphy.”
“I hunt things, I kill things. Why do you want me watching a professor?”
“You are a man of few words, Talon, but such clear, colorful phrases. You see, one of our sources in the Mideast has alerted us that this Murphy has stumbled onto something we want very badly.”
“Then let me just go take this thing you want.”
“Oh, you will, but it’s not that simple. We’ve had it checked out, and what we want is actually in pieces, pieces that probably no one else in the world could find.”
“That’s preposterous. You’ve demonstrated that you have power and money enough to do almost anything you want.”
“Murphy cannot be bought. He’s got morals, principles, things you wouldn’t understand. And he tries to be a very good Christian, something you
certainly
wouldn’t understand. And yet, surprisingly, he is also a risk-taker, much like yourself, a man of action, sometimes foolish action. Which is why I wish I could be there when you finally do battle with him, Talon, because that should be something to see.”
“You’re not frightening me.”
“I’m not trying to. I am warning you that this is not some
flabby window washer in Queens you’re going to be tracking. He’s smart, he’s capable, and most of all he is the only person in the world who has such a unique combination of knowledge, courage, and drive to recognize the value of these pieces we want and to go find them.”
“What are these pieces he’s finding for you? He finds old Biblical junk, doesn’t he?”
“So eloquently phrased, Talon. Yes, he finds ancient artifacts that have helped to validate events in the Bible as real historical events.”
“Why is that of interest to you? I thought you all hate religion of any kind.”
“No, we do not hate all religion. We will one day soon have a new religion, and only one religion. To help lead all of those millions of Christians toward our one religion, we want to lure them over with some of their own symbols from their own Bible. If we can show that we have been entrusted by their God with these symbols, it will make us seem that much more legitimate and will help to distract them as we wean them away from their old God to our new God.”
“What do you need the real artifacts for? Why don’t you just make your own?”
“Because there are people like Murphy in the world who would be able to spot a fake. Besides, this particular artifact he’s hunting has been rumored for centuries to have some real power all its own. The Brazen Serpent of the Bible.”
“You mean to tell me that you Seven have all the power that money can buy and you still believe in some Bible souvenir?”
“Well, Talon, when Murphy finds the three pieces of the
Serpent and puts them together, we’ll just see. Whether it has a darker power or not, we will eventually use it as a centerpiece to rally believers to our religion. So, you are going to keep close tabs on Professor Murphy while he finds the other two pieces, and then take them all for us. Got it?”
“I’ll need something besides babysitting to do down in North Carolina.”
“Ah, great minds do think alike, Talon. You know how we have been considering what our next moves should be in our other goals, such as stirring up general fear and distrust in all of the world’s organizations and institutions. Our focus has been on the urban centers, but we have decided to combine several of our goals for your next action. We’re going to take the terror to a small town. And continue our drive against our dear evangelical brothers and sisters.”
For the first time in their conversation, Talon sounded more energized than usual. “Let me guess. The small town is Preston, North Carolina. And the evangelical church is Murphy’s.”
“Very good, Talon. You go right to the head of the class. In fact, you’re ready for the university.”
NEBUCHADNEZZAR COULD
stand to wait no longer. Daniel seemed to be straining to hear an inner voice
.
Finally he spoke again. “You saw a great image, O King. You dreamed of a statue–”
“A statue! Yes! I see it!” The king was on his feet, smiling from ear to ear like a blind man who had just had his sight miraculously restored
.
Daniel continued, taking no heed of the king’s excitement
.
“The statue you saw in your dreams, its splendor was excellent in form, awesome. A mighty statue that towered fully ninety cubits above you
.
“The head of the statue was of gold, wondrously bright, like molten fire, the chest and arms of shining silver like the moon when she is full.” He paused as the king stepped forward and gripped his shoulders fiercely. It was as if the statue were standing before them under a
great black veil and Daniel was pulling the veil away inch by inch with his words
.
“The belly and thighs of the statue were of bronze, the legs of iron, the feet of clay and iron mixed.” He paused, and the king became still, not daring to move or speak in case the vision was lost
.
Nebuchadnezzar sat back on his cedarwood chair and drank deeply from a cup of wine. The exhilaration that came with remembering his dream was intoxicating but short-lived. Now he was filed with a gnawing hunger to discover what meaning might lie behind such an extraordinary vision
.
He looked up, and Daniel seemed to sense his question before he asked it
.
“The four portions of the statue represent four empires. First gold, then silver, then bronze. Each empire less mighty than the last. Until the final empire of iron, which will be the weakest, for its foundations, the feet of iron and clay mixed together, shall likewise be divided.”
“Four empires,” the king mused. “And only four?”
“Yes, there shall be only four world empires until the Latter times. This is how the people will know that only the God of heaven can accurately reveal history before it comes to pass. Then, in the Latter days, ten kingdoms of the world will join together in an attempt to rebuild a world kingdom similar to yours, O King. After that, the end shall come.”
It was extraordinary. Nebuchadnezzar lived in a world where lies were common currency. Even those closest to him-perhaps especially they-could not be trusted. He had long ago concluded that only a man bound and chained and who sees the red-hot iron in the approaching torturer’s hand could be relied upon to tell the truth
.
Yet, he had no doubt, not the smallest shred, that every word Daniel spoke would come to pass. For the first time in his life he, the
ruler of countless nations, felt there was no solid ground beneath his feet
.
Once again, the Hebrew slave anticipated his next thought
.
“And what of Babylon, what of Nebuchadnezzar in all of this?” Daniel looked the king in the eye once more, and his deep, resonant voice seemed to fill the chamber
.
“Here is the dream’s interpretation. You have been chosen by God to be the ruler of all things and all men. The God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory. Before the coming of the kingdom of God, yours shall be the greatest empire the world will ever know. You, my king, are the head of gold of the dream’s statue. When the fourth kingdom arises, it shall be as strong as iron. That kingdom will break into pieces and crush all other kingdoms.”
“Break into pieces?” the king shouted
.
“That is the rest of your dream. You watched as a stone was formed without hands. The stone struck the image with great force and shattered the feet made of iron and clay. The image came crashing to the ground. Its iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold were all crushed together and became like chaff from the threshing floor. Then the wind came up and blew them all away so that no trace could be found. And the stone that struck the image grew to the size of a mountain and enveloped the whole earth.”
The king arose and began to pace with agitation
.
“My king, the feet which you saw, made partly of clay and partly of iron, they indicate a divided kingdom, both strong and fragile. As you are aware, O King, iron cannot mix with clay. And in the days of this divided kingdom, the God of heaven will set up His own kingdom, which shall never be destroyed. It will not be ruled by ordinary men. It will consume all the other kingdoms and stand forever.”
Daniel then concluded, “The God of heaven has made these
things known to you, O King. The dream and its interpretation are certain.”
King Nebuchadnezzar then commanded his men to present an offering of gifts and incense to Daniel. He placed his hand on Daniel’s shoulder
.
“From this day forward, you shall be ruler over this entire province and chief administrator over all of the wise men of Babylon. For you, Daniel, serve a God which is greater than any other.”
CHUCK NELSON FISHED
in the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a handful of crumpled bills. He looked at them sourly. Ten bucks, give or take. Enough for a burger, maybe some chili. He swept a hank of greasy blond hair out of his eyes and squinted at the bills, as if looking harder was going to change anything.
Nope. The same ten bucks he’d had in his pocket when the cops had pulled him over in the stolen Chevy. Just like he was wearing the same oil-stained jeans with the tears at both knees, the same stained green sweatshirt and muddy sneakers. At least they’d laundered his clothes. Didn’t look like they’d done the same for his money.
His stomach began to rumble and he tried to remember when he’d last eaten a meal that was fit for a human being
rather than a hog. A big bowl of chili would sure go down easy. And he needed a drink right now.
He’d need every cent, unless they’d passed a free-beer law while he’d been away, that is. It was only a couple miles into town. And hey, maybe somebody would pull over and give him a ride. But he doubted it. He knew he looked like what he was. Trouble. And the oh-so-good folks of Preston always liked to avoid trouble if they possibly could.
He pulled his old Preston High jacket closer as he felt the first spatters of ram, and started marching down the two-lane country road.
First get that beer. Then settle a few scores.
Two hours later Chuck was sitting at a table in Mooney’s Tavern and shaking the last drops out of an empty pitcher. He had a little buzz going now, but his money was all spent and the barman, some new guy probably straight out of bartending school, had refused to run him a tab. He slammed the pitcher down and spat on the floor. How much money had he spent in this lousy dive over the years, drinking their lousy watered-down beer? Math wasn’t his strong suit, but it had to be a lot. And now the barman was eyeing him like Chuck was something nasty he was fixing to scrape off his shoe. He could feel the rage mounting, that tingling feeling at the ends of his fingers as if a fuse had just been lit.
A screech followed by raucous laughter diverted his attention from the barman, and he swiveled to see a pretty blonde choking on a beer, while another girl thumped her on the back
and the two guys sitting across the booth slapped the table, whooping.
He didn’t need to see the words “Preston University” on their sweatshirts to know they were students. And probably underage too. He’d been getting drunk in this place when they were still wearing braces, and now he was the one the barman was giving the evil eye to.
He sauntered over and put his hands on the shoulders of the two guys. “Hey, boys, don’t you have a class to go to? I think your little friend here could use a beer-drinking lesson.” He grinned and gave them a friendly pat.
The blond girl wiped beer from her mouth with her sleeve and glared at him as the two guys shook off Chuck’s hands and jumped to their feet. They were both an inch or two shorter than he was and looked out of shape. Too much time reading books and not enough working out, he guessed. He could see they didn’t want to look bad in front of their girlfriends, but the worried look in their eyes told him they weren’t going to give him any trouble.
“Tell you what. You boys buy me a pitcher of beer and I’ll give you a free demonstration. Show you how it’s done. What do you say?” He gave them his best good-time grin and winked at the girls. They were still glaring at him like wildcats.
Hey, it ain’t my fault if your boyfriends are such wimps
, he thought.