The Remnant: On The Brink of Armageddon (19 page)

He slipped on his sandals and hurried to where Tsion and Chaim were to bed down.

If they were sleeping, he would not wake them.

It didn’t surprise him to find them awake and huddled around a computer with some of the other elders.

At the keyboard was the young woman, Naomi, who had summoned him earlier.

Tsion, a word, Rayford said.

Dr.

Ben Judah turned, surprised.

I thought you were sleeping, as we all should be.

Big day tomorrow.

Rayford brought him up to date.

We will pray, of course, right now.

But get back to Chang and tell him the computer warning was a false alarm.

Naomi has been exulting in the hundreds of pages of instructions David built into the system here, including one that allows us to check the palace computers.

That is what she has been doing, and that sent Chang’s computer a warning.

Tsion hurried back to the elders and asked them all to pray for the safety of the Tribulation Force contingent in Greece.

To see a dozen and a half people immediately go to their knees for his people warmed Rayford, and he couldn’t wait to get back to Chang.

When George Sebastian’s foot hit the first step up to the plane, he heard the engines whine and then scream to life.

He had not realized either of the women knew how to fly.

So much the better.

He squatted to pull the door up behind him, but when he turned toward the cockpit, he noticed both Chloe and Hannah strapping themselves into the back two seats.

They looked as surprised as he felt.

George set his Uzi and pressed his back up against the bulkhead that separated the cabin from the cockpit.

He slowly edged around to where he could peer up front to see who was there.

The surprise pilot, in brown and beige Bedouin type robes, was working from the copilot’s chair.

Without turning, the man raised a hand and motioned George toward the pilot’s chair.

George pulled back and faced the women.

Who is that? We thought it was you, Chloe said.

We’ve got to get him off here or we won’t have room for Mac.

Cover me.

Chloe unstrapped and knelt behind George with her Uzi ready.

Hannah raised her weapon and stood on the arm of her seat so she could peer over George’s head into the cockpit.

Sebastian hopped into view of the copilot’s chair.

Empty.

All righty then, George said, exhaling loudly and climbing over the back of the seat to take the controls.

He jammed on the earphones.

Why doesn’t God just let these guys do the flying? I can do that too, a voice said.

George jumped and saw the reflection of the man in the windshield.

But when he looked to his right, the copilot’s chair was still empty.

Quit that! George said, his pulse racing.

Sorry.

Michael, I suppose.

Roger.

George saw Mac and the rattling GC car struggling down the runway in the face of the oncoming jet.

He wanted to ask Michael if he wouldn’t be more help riding next to Mac.

Illuminate landing lights, he heard.

For takeoff? Roger.

  Sebastian wasn’t about to argue.

He flipped on the landing lights, which merely shone into Mac’s back window.

Should I start the taxi, angling away from Mac, like he said? Stand by.

No?  Hold.

For an instant, Mac thought the GC Jet didn’t see him.

He slammed on the brakes and stayed in line between the two craft.

When the jet finally stopped, about fifty feet in front of him, he realized it could easily go around him.

Why wasn’t Sebastian rolling? With the right angle, he could get past Mac and the GC and be in the air in seconds.

Not wanting to give the GC a chance to cut George off, Mac hit the accelerator and pulled to within ten feet of the jet.

He realized someone could open the door and have a clear shot at him, but they couldn’t do much to his plane if he sabotaged their aircraft.

Not wanting to give them time to think, he raced forward and lodged the front of the car under the nose of the jet, banging into the landing gear.

He had raised the plane off the ground a few inches but couldn’t tell if he had done any damage.

Mac rolled down his window and leaned his torso all the way out, firing his Uzi at the tires.

He was amazed how resilient they were, and he heard bullets bouncing off and hitting the fuselage and the car.

Reaching farther and experimenting with angles, he finally got one of the tires to blow.

But where was George? Why weren’t they advancing? Was something wrong with the plane? Sebastian just sat at the end of the runway with those lights on.

Mac expected the GC to come bounding out any second, weapons blazing.

Could they not see he was the only person in the car? What were they afraid of?   He was a sitting duck, lodged under their jet.

Mac tried to open the door, found it hopelessly stuck, and tried getting out the other side.

It too was out of shape and not moving, but he thought he sensed a little more give on that side.

He lay on the front seat and pushed with his hands on the driver’s side door while pressing against the passenger door with his feet.

It finally broke free and he scrambled out.

He crouched beneath the jet, Uzi trained on the door.

He would take them as they came out, if they dared.

Maybe they were waiting for him to make a break for his own plane or for Sebastian to come and pick him.

up.

But opening the door for him would slow George too, and all of them would be in danger.

As he waited, locked in a bewildering standoff, Mac didn’t know what to do.

Should he try to shoot through the skin of the jet and take them all out? If it was armor plated, which was likely, he would waste ammunition.

Why weren’t they coming after him? And why was .. George still waiting? The GC let shut down.

Now what? Nothing.

No movement inside or out.

Frustrated, Mac grabbed his walkie talkie.

Chloe or Hannah, he whispered desperately, come in, please.

Chloe here, Mac.

What’s going on.

Got me.

George is at the controls.

What’s he doing? You wanna talk to him? Here.

Kinda busy here, Mac.

What’s up? You can see what’s up! What’re you doing? Waiting for clearance.

You’re clear! Go! Go now! Angle to your right!   These guys are hung up and I’ve got one of their tires blown.

They’ve shut down their engines.

waiting for you, partner.

Don’t be silly.

I’d run right into their line of fire.

Go to the other end of the runway, and I’ll meet you there.

But if they come after me, just keep going.

Yeah, I know, and you’ll see me in heaven.

Exactly now quit being stupid and go! I’m not being stupid, Mac.

I’m obeying.

You’re supposed to obey me, so do as I say.

Sorry.

You’ve been superseded.

What?  You’re supposed to put down your weapon and walk this way.

You got GC on that plane!? Negative.

Come unarmed, and you will be safe.

Have you lost your mind? God is telling you to come.

Mac shook his head.

Ah, stand by.

Come now.

Mac sighed, his eyes darting back and forth between the jet door and his own plane.

He pushed the transmit button.

Lord, if it is you, command me to come that way.

Come.

  The voice had not been George’s.

Unarmed?  Come.

Mac waited a beat, then unstrapped the Uzi and laid it on the ground.

He turned off the walkie talkie and jammed it into his pocket.

He walked past the car and stood directly under the cockpit.

He felt exposed, vulnerable, indefensible.

If that jet door opened now, he was a dead man.

He heard nothing above him, saw nothing beside him.

Mac stepped out from under the plane and headed directly in front of it.

He kept imagining he heard movement behind him the engines roaring to life, footsteps from the cabin to the door, the door opening, weapons firing.

He prayed urgently as he strode along, Lord, save me! Immediately he felt as if God’s hands were upon him, and he barely felt his feet on the ground.

o you of little faith, why do you doubt?   The voice was clear as crystal, but the walkie talkie was off and George had his engines roaring.

Mac broke into a trot, then a run.

Every step sounded like a gunshot.

Hannah was lowering the door when he got there, and he leaped in.

Flyin’ or backseat drivin’ ?  George said, unstrapping as if ready to take the copilot’s chair.

Here is fine, Mac said.

I don’t think I could ride a bike right now.

  Chang was relieved to hear from Rayford and eager to meet Naomi even if only on line.

He was tempted to scold her for scaring him, and so decided to wait until the next day to try to make contact.

Meanwhile, he checked in on Mac and his team, fearing the worst despite all the praying that had been going on.

Mac answered his phone, sounding exhausted.

I need to meet this Michael someday, Chang said, after hearing the story.

You guys get all the fun.

I could use a little less fun, frankly, Mac said.

And you might as well know, Sebastian here doesn’t call him Michael anymore.

Calls him Roger.

Roger ?  Says he told him he assumed he was Michael, and the guy said, ‘Roger.

‘ So Stefanich and those guys are just sitting on the runway with a wounded plane? Yeah, and they’re gonna need some repair work before they can take off again.

Why didn’t they shoot you? I thought you could find out.

What was going on in that cockpit when I strolled out from underneath, unarmed?  I’ll let you know.

Within half an hour the rest of the Tribulation Force had heard the good news out of Greece, and Chang had paved the way for George to land south of Rome for the refuel.

They were on their own for getting back to the safe house without going through Kankakee, Illinois, and without arousing more suspicion.

That should be the easiest part of their ordeal.

When Chang was finally able to hack back into the Ptolemais GC system and find transmissions between the plane and the Kozani tower, he could only shake his head.

The pilot had reported seeing the plane at the end of the runway, putting down, and seeing a car approaching.

But at the same tine Chang figured Michael had instructed George to turn on his landing lights, the pilot reported a light so blinding that we have lost visual contact with the plane and the auto.

A few minutes later the pilot reported being struck by what, he did not know.

His jet was being jostled and the front end lifted, but no one aboard could take his hands from his eyes because of the intense light.

They heard shooting and feared for their lives, heard one of their tires blow, and shut down the engines.

In essence they sat in fear, unable to peek out of the cockpit for the next several minutes, until they heard the plane thunder past them and rise.

Chang listened as they finally ventured out, shoulder radios left on, weapons ordered at the ready, only to find their damaged plane, wounded landing gear, flat tire, beat up squad car, and an Uzi on the runway.

Only now they were being rescued by a fleet of GC in cars, who reported that others had picked up the injured officers at the side of the road on the way.

They were being treated for severe burns they claimed were caused by a ray gun.

It was still a couple of hours before Ming was to leave San Diego for the Far East.

Chang was finally finished with his night’s work.

He dropped into bed, spent.

How strange, he thought, to feel so pivotal and indispensable and then discover that the entire success of an operation was out of his hands.

In fact, he had been out of commission when God worked his miracles.

There were victims to grieve, martyrs to praise, and much work ahead.

Chang didn’t know how long he could evade detection.

He was willing to hang in and work in the office during the day, doing his real work after hours, for as long as God chose to protect him.

Rayford stirred at dawn’s first light, amazed he had been able to sleep at all.

Petra was already humming, families gathering the morning’s manna and filling any container they could find with the pure springwater God provided.

Thousands were working on the caves, thousands of others erecting more tents.

On everyone’s lips were stories of the miracle from the day before and the promise of live teaching from Dr.

Tsion Ben Judah himself later in the day.

From the elders and organizers came word that building materials were on their way and that the people should pray for the safety of pilots and truckers who would begin delivering materials.

Volunteers were sought with expertise in various crafts.

Rayford knew the current spirit could not last forever.

The memory of the miracle would fade, inevitably, though he could not imagine it.

And people, regardless of their shared faith, would find living elbow to elbow taxing after a while.

But for now he would enjoy this.

Rayford would have to get back to the Tribulation Force at some point, but Carpathia’s people would target anyone coming or going from Petra.

Perhaps if the supplies were able to get in, that would be a clue it was prudent to try to get out.

Naomi and her team of computer gurus already reported that The Truth cyberzine had been transmitted from Buck Williams, recounting stories from around the world.

The whole episode of what had gone on in Greece the day before was played out in detail, as was the truth about what had happened at Petra.

A team of computer experts from Israel said they had the technology to project The Truth onto a giant screen, if one could be fashioned.