Wonson was a port city in North Korea and it was also the location of one of their naval bases, particularly in the southeastern quarter of the city. In the year 2000, the population was estimated to have been 331,000 people. One of those numbers was now walking fast with determination in his heart to do what he had to do in order to survive.

Since the vanishings, he had been having a hard time coming to terms with the disappearance of his mother and brother. His father had gone away on a mission for the good of North Korea, but he had no way of knowing what had become of him. Even if he had known, he was certain he would not be too bothered by the old man’s vanishing because the relationship between father and son was estranged at best.

Unfortunately, there were questions that needed to be answered.

Finding those answers were becoming extremely difficult. Especially now that the police were searching for him, as well as other members of North Korea’s esteemed government officials. It had come to his attention through contacts of his own that the disappearance of his mother and sister had cast suspicions upon him. It seemed that although no one truly knew what the cause of the vanishings was but some people believed it was because a man who was nailed to a cross some 2,000 years ago had returned to take His people to heaven. He was not certain if he believed that or not, but many did. And the police and military were now suspicious that he was a dissident because of the disappearance of his family. It has even been suggested his own father was a traitor.

He knew that was preposterous. He may not have cared for his father but he knew that his father was extremely loyal to his country.

The unfortunate truth of the matter was that now the young man needed help. He knew he still had some friends who would take him in and hide him. They were friends of his family. They would take him in because they were loyal to his parents. He only hoped they would overlook his past ties to the black market. He had to make a living somehow and had vowed never to go in the same footsteps as his father. It was those thoughts and his lifestyle that had caused him to be rejected by his father.

In spite of the rain, he made his way through the back alleys, heading for a decrepit apartment housing unit in the eastern part of Wonson. The worst part of the city. He decided not to go in through the front of the building. He spotted the fire escape ladder, but it was locked in position and out of his reach. With a running start he moved toward a trash bin, pulled himself up onto it effortlessly and jumped up toward the fire escape. His hand caught a hold of the cold metal of the railing and he pulled himself over it. Once on the fire escape, he climbed up to the third floor. He peered into a window and saw the friends of his family.

However, they were not alone. They were being rounded up by the police.

One of the officers happened to turn at that moment and saw him in the window. He shouted a warning while leveling his weapon toward the window but the young man decided not to wait around. He pulled himself over the railing and dropped toward the alley floor from three stories up. He relaxed his body and allowed himself to roll once his feet hit the ground. When he came out of his roll, he was up and running without skipping a beat.

Shots were fired at him, but they missed. Once he turned the corner and ran across the street, the shots ceased altogether. However, he could hear men yelling and sirens blaring. They were coming for him and he desperately wanted to put distance between him and them.

Somehow he managed to put distance between them and he finally allowed himself to slow down. He looked back, but saw no signs of pursuit. Still, he heard the sirens off in the distance. Soon, the whole city would be looking for him and nowhere would be safe. He had only one other option.

There was a place just outside of town in the Songdowon where his mother and brother had met others like them for something they called church. The Songdowon was a famous sea bathing destination for North Koreans because there, the waters were exceptionally clear. Pine trees were abundant in that surrounding area and it had been designated a national sightseeing point. In that area, however, was a lot of ground to cover and he knew he could hide there for a while. But a church met there often in one of the huts that lined the northern end. That was where he decided to go.

It took him a while to get there. It was well into the night by the time he arrived and even before he saw the hut, he knew the authorities had been there. In spite of the rain, the hut was engulfed with flames. He stayed in the darkness and watched as two men were herded off by government officials. Two military men leveled their rifles at the men whose hands were tied behind them.

A government official ordered them to deny their God and return their loyalty to their country. The two men began to sing Amazing Grace. The young man watching was astounded. In the face of certain death, these two men showed absolutely no fear. And he knew both of them. Not well. But well enough through his own family. He felt for them at that moment, knowing their lives were about to end. These men had called him family even though they knew he had not accepted them or their God…and he was going to witness their execution because of their faith.

When it was clear to the officials present that the men were not going to recant, the government agent gave the order and the two military men fired their weapons. The victims fell to their deaths. To add to this horror, the men left them where they lay as the hut continued to burn. The young man watching had no where else to go. He was lost and remained in the cover of the pine trees as he wept for people he did not really know.

In the cover of the night and the pine trees, he fought a different kind of fight. The war was being raged in his soul. He couldn’t help but recall all of the conversations he had in the past with his mother, his brother, and the men who were just executed. They had wanted him to accept Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior, but he had always refused. But now, it was as if this very Lord was present with him, knocking ever so gently on the door of his heart.

The young man wept bitterly. He allowed everything he had faced to pour out of him and the Lord took it from him…accepting it. Accepting him.

By the time the morning came, the rain had stopped. The hut was nothing but a dead husk. The fire had long since died, but the smoke and ashes still rose to the sky.

Hesitantly, the new young man made his way out of the woods. He slowly approached the men who had been executed and understood fully where their faith had come from. He wished he had known them better than he did.

He looked up to the skies. “What do I do now?” he asked softly in the language of his native tongue, for it was the only language he knew. “Where do I go?”

That’s when the wind touched his face and from the ashes of the fire, a small piece of paper drifted right to him. He caught it and puzzled over it as he examined the burnt edges of the paper. He soon discovered it was from a Korean Bible and a bible verse could be read.

He read it out loud.

“‘Upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.’ 1”

He looked at the men lying at his feet and then at the remains of the hut. He could not help but feel as if he was just told a powerful truth. The enemies of God may have ended the lives of two men whose faith had given them hope. But within himself, something had just been unleashed.

“Here am I, Lord…” he whispered, directing his words heavenward. “Where do you want me to go?”

And a still small voice said to him…America.

So Hon Li Yun went to America.

Staci Cohen wanted to give into that impulse to cry, but somehow she didn’t. She focused on her task, which at the moment, was to make Hank Sumter as comfortable as possible. She didn’t know if she was doing any good. The man was delirious, in and out of consciousness. When he was conscious, he spoke unintelligibly. Nothing made any sense.

Staci was afraid for him. The only thing she was thankful for at the moment was the smooth ride in the Storm Breaker as they headed for Maine. At the start, the ride hadn’t been smooth at all. One of the Justice’s state-of-the-art Bell ARH’s tried to blow them out of the skies but because of Keith LeBeau’s expertise at flying and Bandjough’s help using the Chief of Justice’s laptop, they were able to escape from Albany unscathed. Staci rode in the back of the Storm Breaker with her patient and David King.

King had placed one hand on Sumter’s forehead and his other hand held Staci’s during the rough part of the flight as he prayed over them. His prayer had a calming affect on Staci. However, she was only human and still had concerns for her patient. She was also concerned over one other thing. She didn’t know what she could do to help Sumter and it made her begin to second guess herself. She was used to working in a hospital where she knew what to expect. This was something totally different. She didn’t know how to help Sumter without being in a facility where technology could be of help.

Then again, with the power outage all across most of the United States of America, what could possibly be done for Sumter‘s serious injuries? What other ailments was he facing? What was causing this state of delirium?

Staci didn’t know and she didn’t even know how to begin to find the answers.

“Oh, I can’t do this,” she muttered under her breath.

King placed a reassuring hand on her arm. “Yes, you can,” he said encouragingly. “Don’t listen to the Devil’s lies. You can help him. God has brought Hank Sumter directly into your life so you can. What God has caused to happen in our lives, Staci, cannot be undone.”

She looked at him, her eyes beginning to fill with tears. “Everything has been happening so fast. Like a roller coaster without any control.” She let out a weary sigh and tried to smile. “It’s been so hard to…to be able to maintain any sense of sanity, David. There hasn’t been much time to even give what has happened any real thought. It…it just happens and we keep moving. I…I haven’t even had time to grieve for my son…and for Sherri. It’s been scary. Aren’t you scared? How can you be so calm?”

King smiled wryly and shrugged. “To be honest, I really haven’t had time to be afraid. I find myself praying more than I have ever prayed before and also trying to be of help when I can. There is plenty of reason to be afraid, but Jesus said in the Word of God, ‘In the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer: I have overcome the world.’ 2 This is what we must hold onto because it is all we have. Jesus Christ, Staci, is all we have. The rest of the good things we receive because of Him, but everything we do and everything we have is because of Him. We cannot ever forget that.”

“Then what you’re saying is…tribulation comes to us because of Him.”

He nodded his head. “Yes. But, my sister, tribulation is what every Christian must endure for the sake of Christ because ‘…we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.’ 3 Listen to Romans 5:1-4. ‘Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also, knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope…’” He smiled. “Tribulation helps us to walk as we should. We stand in the grace of God as we learn how to walk through the tribulations we face in His strength…not ours.”

Staci took a deep breath as she considered his words.

“It’s okay to be scared. It’s a very scary world out there. But even so, there is hope and we stand on that hope. We are secure in that hope. That hope is Jesus Christ. There is no other name above that name.” King paused as he looked at Staci, knowing her faith needed strengthening and prayed for her continuously. “We have all rejected Him, spurned Him, ignored Him, blasphemed Him, and we’ve all sought to place Him on the periphery of our lives. Yet time and time again, He is always right there to hear our cries and to save us from ourselves. Tribulation draws us to Him and makes us stronger so that we can endure the next tribulation.”

“Sometimes…I don’t believe I am strong enough.”

He placed a reassuring hand on her arm and smiled wryly. “You are stronger than you realize.”

She returned the smile. “Well…thank you for saying that. If it weren’t for you, I…I wouldn’t even be here. You’ve saved my life and I don’t believe I’ve even had time to thank you for what you did.”

“It was God who led me to you.”

She nodded. “Yes. I believe that. But you followed His leading. If you hadn’t, they would have killed me…like they killed Sherri.” There wasn’t a day that went by where she didn’t remember that frightful day in the rain on the rooftop of the apartment building she had lived in. Two terrorists had her trapped. If King hadn’t shown up when he had, she would have met a horrible death. She reached up and touched the necklace of the cross she was wearing around her neck. “You brought me this…from my sister. The only link I have left to her. There is no way I can ever repay you for this.”

King nodded. “Oh, but there is. You can live for Christ because it was He who has found you and saved you. I didn’t do anything.” He hesitated. “I was nothing but a man who hated Jews and wanted to see them all suffer. I was your enemy.”

“But you’re not now. You’re my friend.”

He took a deep breath. “Oh, Staci…if you knew what I was capable of before we had met, you would not say that now.”

“You’re slipping, David. Haven’t you been saved from your sins? Doesn’t God forgive you and take away your sins?” She shrugged. “Wouldn’t it be like you’ve never sinned?” She waved a finger at him. “You keep bringing those sins up, God is gonna ask you where you got all that baggage from because He had it all tossed into the sea of forgetfulness.”

He let out a chuckle. “Oh, you are a gem, my sister!”

“No. I’m not. I’m your friend. And you are my friend. I love you very much and am so grateful God has brought you into my life.”

Sumter groaned.

Staci leaned over her patient and wiped a cloth against his forehead. “Oh…he’s burning up.”

“He complained about pain in his head,” King told her. “It seemed to bother him more than the wound in his knee.”

She nodded her head with conviction. “Well…I don’t know how we’re going to save him, but if God can save people like us, then He can save Hank Sumter, too.”

“Amen to that, sister.”

Suddenly, there was a series of loud popping sounds from outside the Storm Breaker. Staci and King both found themselves fighting for balance as the helicopter suddenly banked hard.

King moved toward the cockpit. “What’s happening?”

Keith LeBeau concentrated on his flying as he said, “Somebody below is shootin’ at us…and I have to tell ya…saved or not, it makes me plain mad!”

King looked out the window and below them, he saw nothing but trees as they continued on their flight to Maine. Then, he saw movement. There were people down there. He glimpsed them, and then they were passing them. “That popping noise…” he began.

“Yep,” Jeremy Bandjough said with a nod. “Bullets hitting the side of the chopper.” He paused. “I wonder if those guys were terrorists or just people taking shots at us.”

LeBeau snorted. “What difference does it make, ya dope? They still took shots at us whether they were terrorists or not!” He looked below, wondering if there were others somewhere down there who wanted to take shots at them. “Whoever it was, I ain’t going down there to ask questions. But I’d sure be glad to drop you off if yer so inclined!”

“Thanks, but I’ll pass.” Bandjough looked back at King and made a circle around his ear, indicating that LeBeau was out of his mind.

LeBeau ignored Bandjough. “We’ll be fine,” he assured King. “Even if there are terrorists below us, we’ll be over them and gone before they can do any real damage.” He scowled. “Makes me mad though. Those scumbags were coming into our country even before 9 - 11 to prepare for this attack…and we let them! I’m sure there are whole pockets of them all over the place. Makes me hope Knox is on the hunt, ‘cause if he is…” He shook his head. “Well, there just ain’t a better man to go out a huntin’ with, I tell you what!”

King wondered if the pilots had any idea who he was. As far as he knew, only Marc Shiva, Darren Fuller, William Fronk, Albert Barrington and Staci were the only ones who knew about his past. They knew he was a terrorist before he reformed. The President of the United States also knew he was a terrorist. How would the pilots react if they discovered the truth about him?

King took what LeBeau had said to heart. There were radical Muslim terrorists throughout the entire United States and they would not be easily defeated. They had a goal and that goal was to bring the Big Satan down anyway they could. America to them was that Big Satan. They would gladly give their lives in their cause to carry out their holy Jihad. To kill infidels whether they were Americans or Jews only guaranteed their place in Paradise.

He shook his head in sorrow. What poor misguided fools, he thought. Youmud… please come to the truth before it’s too late.

“We’ll be fine, David,” LeBeau assured him. “We’ll be at our destination within the hour so just go on back and pray for us.”

King clapped him on the shoulder. “I will.” He turned and rejoined Staci who was watching him with concern. “We were shot at.”

“Really?” She frowned. “By who?”

He shook his head. “We don’t really know.” He sat down. “We may never know. The important thing for us to do is to get your patient to a safe harbor. We should be at the shelter within the hour. Let‘s pray we get there in one piece.”

Chuck McLaughlin did not fully realize what he was doing. He had been taking all of his pent up rage and shoving it into a bottle. This bottle was just about ready to explode. For most of his life, there wasn’t much that could ever get him to react in anger. He performed his duties as a Secret Service agent with distinction. But since the occurrence of what some were calling “the Rapture of the Church”, McLaughlin was beginning to reach that breaking point.

He simply wasn’t yet aware of it.

Craig Moore, however, could tell the man was right on the edge. He tried to warn him. “Son…you need to tell your ole’ pa what’s troubling you because if you don’t, you’re going to end up hurting someone.”

McLaughlin kept his eyes focused on the skies above the Perkins farmland where beneath the barn was a hidden shelter. Several people had been staying there, the agent learned and he couldn’t help but be suspicious of them. They often regarded him as if he were an outsider. They were keeping something from him. He didn’t know what it was, but was willing to find out no matter the cost.

Moore regarded him with concern. “Chuck…? Son, are you listening?”

“I heard you,” McLaughlin responded.

“Well, do you want to talk about it?”

McLaughlin paused as he continued to watch the skies. “There’s nothing to talk about.”

“You’re angry, son. I can tell.” The older black man pointed at McLaughlin’s forehead. “Your temples twitch. Something tells me that’s not good.”

“Our country was attacked and as far as I know, we’re still under attack. I don’t know where the President is. The only suspect I had was taken from me and you say I’m angry?” He shook his head. “You’d make a poor psychiatrist.”

“We’re living in bad times, son.”

“Yes, we are.” He indicated the shelter below them as they remained on the hill overlooking the farm. “There’s people hiding out in a shelter, Pa. Two FBI agents…a couple from Willow Creek…the woman who owns this property and burned her own house down…” He shook his head. “The thing is…they all act like the devil himself is gonna come out and hunt them down.” He narrowed his eyes. “And I’m not liking the way they watch me…like I don’t belong here. Like I’m not one of them.”

“Son, these people have lost a lot…just as you have.”

“You have no idea what I’ve lost.”

Moore regarded him curiously. He was about to respond when a sound reached his ears. It was the sound of rotors turning in the air. He shielded his eyes from the sun and sought out the source. A helicopter in the distance was fast approaching their location. “I’ll get the others,” Moore replied as he started down the hill. “That has to be the chopper Albert’s been waiting for.”

McLaughlin simply nodded as he watched the helicopter approach. The man had a game plan. It wasn’t much of a plan for all it detailed was to simply watch these people and somehow get back to the President so he could continue with his job. If he found a chance to bring the traitorous scumbag who had a hand in compromising the security of the President’s ranch in Penobscot County, he would do it in a New York second. At the moment, all he could do was greet the people from the helicopter.

He watched it set down in a field behind the barn. He headed for it as he became aware of Moore at the mouth of the shelter, calling for the others to come out. McLaughlin made his way toward the helicopter. He would be there before the others would.

The rotors on the helicopter were slowing down as the side door came open. A man and a woman were inside with what appeared to be man who was wounded. McLaughlin decided they might need his help and moved toward them. That’s when he recognized the wounded man as the traitor. The wounded man was Hank Sumter.

But that wasn’t all he recognized.

The man who had opened the door was a terrorist named Darwyn Musad.

The bottle he had been stuffing with rage could be stuffed no more. It exploded with a vengeance.

McLaughlin didn’t hesitate. He withdrew his sidearm and leveled it at the occupants of the helicopter. Without mercy, he pulled the trigger until his weapon clicked empty.

1 - Matthew 16:18
2 - John 16:33
3 - Acts 14:22

It never happened.

The two Albany policemen didn’t find him, and so they had left. Yorke, however, later returned because he felt he had some unfinished business to take care of. He knew the terrorist had been there and was hopeful to find a clue as to where he was now.

And what of the agent who lived there?

Yorke held a picture in his hand of a smiling little girl in between her parents. The photo was of the Barrington family. They looked like a decent family he decided as he set the picture down onto the stand where he had picked it up from. He couldn’t help but wonder if they were among the missing.

He looked around the living room, hoping to spot something that would help him with his personal quest. He suddenly realized there weren’t any clues left behind that could help him at all. If he was going to take care of the problem, he had to find out where the terrorist and the agent went and there was only one way to do that. One option was all he had.

He had to go to the Federal Building downtown and ask for Albert Barrington.

Director Darren T. Fuller ran his hands through his hair and shook his head at the atrocities on the monitor of William Fronk’s computer. He was almost devastated by what he had seen and knew that it was only a small portion of what was going on in his country since the attack. It could only be worst than he ever imagined it to be. It was nearly enough to make him lose hope but he refused to give in to that impulse. He believed his God was bigger than any of this and would continue to cling to the hope He had until he drew his last breath.

Until the day of Armageddon.

But until then, he prayed for his faith to become stronger.

Since America had been attacked, terrorist cells have been activated and innocent Americans were being killed. In some places, the terrorists found ways to film the atrocities and put their evil deeds online for all the world to see. They were in every major city. All branches of the US Military were on the job, risking their necks to restore freedom back to the country, but a few cells were still unchallenged as they continued to reek mayhem while they could.

One clear conclusion was this…America would never be the same again.

Fuller was angry.

For years, many have believed the Islamic terrorists have been infiltrating into the United States with the simple goal of increasing their numbers so they could attack the country from within. Now it only proved that those assumptions were correct. The enemy had accomplished what they set out to do. And the war was still being waged across the entire United States.

But Tristian Salvadori was still at work in Israel, pushing the peace treaty with the Holy Land and with the Islamic nations. Fuller wanted to believe the man couldn’t pull such a thing off, but he also knew that the Bible predicted clearly that the Antichrist would not only pull if off…but he would also later break the treaty. The question was…if the treaty went into effect, how would that affect America?

A question came to his mind about the confrontation he had had with Ed Carr recently. The head of the Justice Department had brought up a name. Judas Hannah. Fuller wondered who Judas Hannah was and he had to remind himself to look into it at a later date. At the moment, he was trying to come to terms with what William Fronk was showing him on the computer.

The atrocities were bad…but then there was the latest.

Just as Fuller had expected, the Treaty was going to be signed. The President of Israel and the Presidents of the terrorist countries were going to join Salvadori in Jerusalem to sign the peace treaty. It was going to happen. Within the next few days, it was going to be done.

William Fronk had already discovered proof of this. He sat in front of the computer, leaning forward. He had on a black t-shirt and on the front of the shirt was this; “Light travels faster than sound.” Then, on the back of his shirt were the words; “That’s why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.” In spite of his odd humor, Fronk was serious when he told Fuller of his discoveries.

“The atrocities perpetrated by the terrorists,” he began as Fuller stared at the computer, “have gone down by eighty percent.” He paused as he looked up at Fuller to watch his reactions. “Evidence of this clearly shows that they’re falling back and the only reason I can see for this is because of the treaty which is going to be signed in a few days.”

“Then, there really is no doubt.” Fuller let out a weary sigh. “Tristian Salvadori is the Antichrist.”

Fronk nodded. “It would seem so.”

Marc Shiva, who had been standing by the door so that no one would enter to disturb them, shook his head and leaned back against it. “But…I don’t get it. Why would the terrorists stop their attacks based on the upcoming treaty signing? It doesn’t make sense to me. How could that affect them?”

Fuller paused as he considered Shiva’s question. “Marc, all I can tell you is there is some connection between the Islamic nation and the Antichrist. I haven’t a clue as to how it is tied together according to prophecy, but just the fact that the attacks are beginning to cease is an indication of a clear connection. According to David, covenant breaking is nothing new in Islam. Muhammed, the prophet of Islam, even said, ‘There is no covenant with unbelievers.’ And also according to David, the Antichrist is known as Mahdi to the Islamic people. All we can be sure of is that the treaty in Israel will not be honored for Tristian Salvadori will break it himself.”

“So he’s making a covenant he doesn’t intend to keep.”

“That’s the truth of it.”

Shiva shook his head again but didn’t make another comment.

Fronk turned to look at Fuller. “What’s your plan, Skipper?”

Fuller let out a sigh. “Well, the three of us are going on a trip to Corinth.”

Fronk pursed his lips and made a humming noise. Then, he said, “Ah, no. I don’t think so.”

Fuller and Shiva exchanged looks. “Excuse me?” Fuller responded. “Do you want me to make it an order?”

“I like jalapeno’s and Nestlé’s chocolate chips on my pizza if that’s what you’re going to order.” Fronk regarded him suspiciously. “Hey…the city is still without power, Skipper. There aren’t any pizza shops anywhere out there that are open unless they’re just giving out uncooked pizza.”

Fuller shook his head. “William…no one is ordering pizza. But I will order you to accompany myself and Marc to Corinth. We have some unfinished business to attend to.”

Fronk swiveled about in his chair to look up at Fuller. “No can do, Skipper. Really. I must remain, for I am in the midst of a mighty relentless project, to which if I leave it now could prove to be disastrous. Therefore, I must sadly and boldly decline your order to take this little field trip to Corinth.” He winked up at him. “Though I really do appreciate your efforts.”

Shiva shook his head at Fronk’s tenacity. No one spoke to the Director like Fronk did and got away with it…except for Fronk.

Fuller paused as he regarded the Crazy Man. “What project are you working on, William?”

Fronk paused for affect. “It’s a surprise.”

“You know I don’t like surprises.”

“You’ll like this one.”

“What makes you so sure I’ll like this one?”

Fronk suddenly grinned like a mad man as he leaned forward for affect. He winked conspiratorially. “Because it will make Ed Carr very mad.” He rubbed his hands and mimicked the Popeye laugh.

Fuller and Shiva exchanged glances.

Shiva shrugged. “Hey, if what Crazy Man is up to ticks off Carr, how bad can it be, right?”

Fuller looked at Fronk. “You’d better be careful. Whatever it is you’re up to had better be good, because Ed Carr will not stand still for your pranks.”

Fronk shook his head. “Oh, it isn’t a prank, Skipper. Not really.” He suddenly chuckled. “Okay…there are some prank-like qualities in the end result, but still… Ultimately it will benefit a lot of people.” He shook his head. “It just won’t benefit the Kissing Bandit.”

Shiva frowned. “The…Kissing Bandit?”

“Oh, the man who likes to think he leads the Justice Department has a reputation of being a ladies man…At least in his mind, he does. You know, some people like that have to lead some type of a delusional kind of life. And Carr fits that bill to the decimal. The truth of the matter is if you see him with a woman on his arm, chances are he‘s blackmailing her to be there by his side. Whoever the unlucky lady may be.” Fronk twirled a finger around his right ear. “Looney toons if you ask me.”

“Are you serious?”

Fuller nodded. “He is.”

“Well, how does a man like that get to be in power over a government agency?”

“He has friends.”

Shiva shook his head. “What is this world coming to?”

Fronk looked up as Fuller and Shiva headed for the door. “I thought we had established that this world is coming to an end in favor of a new one.”

It had all happened so sudden and so fast. No one saw it coming. The man who was one of the President’s top secret service agents simply snapped and went ballistic. The helicopter door was open and there was a woman with two of America’s enemies. Therefore it was only fair to assume she was also the enemy.

Maybe they all were.

They were all traitors to the country and McLaughlin intended to make them pay.

Staci was about to help King with getting Sumter out of the Storm Breaker. Bandjough was ready to exit the cockpit also intending to offer assistance as LeBeau shut the engines down. None of them expected the hailstorm of bullets that suddenly and abruptly came their way.

Staci reflexively lowered herself over her patient, shielding him with her body. King was about to do the same in an attempt to shield her but he suddenly fell and disappeared from her view.

“David!” Staci exclaimed, fearing for his life.

Bullets sailed over her and thunked hard into the interior of the helicopter where she was standing only seconds before. She stayed low over Sumter, praying for God to intervene and save them.

LeBeau and Bandjough ducked low in the cockpit.

“I am sick and tired of people shootin’ at me!” LeBeau exclaimed as he looked out toward the shooter. He knew the windows were bullet proof but that was not always comforting when the bullets struck. This time, however, the bullets were not even hitting the windows for the man who was shooting at them was aiming for the inside where Staci, King and Sumter were unprotected.

With determination, he withdrew his own weapon from the holster at his hip. “That man is goin’ down!” he shouted as he made a move toward the cockpit exit. He poked his head around the corner and leveled his gun toward the shooter.

McLaughlin ejected the empty clip and reached for another one.

LeBeau leveled his gun right for the man, intending to take him down as he reloaded. Just as he was about to pull the trigger, Albert Barrington came out of nowhere and slammed hard into the man. LeBeau let out a deep breath and quickly lowered his gun, realizing how close he came to putting a bullet into a friend.

“This job is not good for my nerves!” he shouted at no one in particular.

Barrington managed to tackle the big secret service agent to the ground, but the struggle only just began. McLaughlin slammed his elbow right into the side of Barrington’s head and used his weight to force him face first into the ground. Barrington struggled to get back up on top but was finding it difficult as grass and dirt met his face.

McLaughlin was a powerhouse. The man was not only trained to do his job well, but he was also angry. That rage was what fed the man more determination to kill his enemies. Barrington was beginning to find it difficult to breathe and time seemed to drag on as he realized McLaughlin had the upper hand. The secret service agent was having no trouble at all pinning him face first into the ground. Barrington tried to push the man and even tried to dig at his face, but he had no leverage whatsoever.

Just when he thought he was going to pass out from lack of oxygen, the weight was suddenly shifted off from him and he found he could breathe again. He pulled himself up off the ground and as he gasped for air, he looked for McLaughlin. He found him with his back up against the front of the cockpit. John Saint and Moore were having a hard time holding him there. They did, however, have help. Erin Greye was right in front of McLaughlin, yelling into his face.

“Stop it!” the blonde-haired ATD agent shouted, her face inches in front of McLaughlin’s own.

McLaughlin glared at her as he flexed his muscles and prepared to toss both Moore and Saint to the ground. He could do it, too, and everyone knew it.

Erin slapped him hard in the face. “I said stop it! Now!”

Whether it was the slap in the face or something else, McLaughlin stopped moving and took a deep breath. “Get off of me,” he growled.

Moore, who was trying to keep his breath, patted him on the shoulder. “Now, son…we’re just trying…to help.”

McLaughlin glared at him.

Moore let go and stepped back. Saint did the same.

Erin, however, remained where she was, glaring back at the secret service agent. “Are you going to behave?” she demanded.

McLaughlin looked behind here where he saw Barrington slowly approaching. Barrington had his gun in his hand, but it was pointed at the ground.

“Hey!” Erin shouted. “I just asked you a question.”

McLaughlin turned to look at her. “Is the traitor going to shoot me?”

Barrington stopped. “I’m not a traitor.”

“There are no traitor’s here,” Erin tried to assure McLaughlin. “There are only people who have chosen sides.” She pointed at him. “You just haven’t decided yet.”

McLaughlin scowled. “You’re all traitors.” He turned his head, trying to look into the Storm Breaker. “I just hope I killed the terrorists you brought here.”

Saint and Erin moved toward the opening of the helicopter while Barrington and Moore remained where they were. They exchanged worried looks.

McLaughlin glared at Barrington. “You’d better be prepared to shoot me because if you don’t, I’ll kill you.”

“Now, son,” Moore began cautiously, “you don’t know what’s going on here yet to make any rash decisions.”

“Rash decisions?!” McLaughlin looked at Moore as if he were insane. “There is a terrorist and a man who tried to kill the President of the United States of America in this chopper and you’re telling me not to make rash decisions? Are you out of your mind? Am I the only one seeing this?”

“No. I just happen to know there is more going on between the lines than you realize.”

“You used to be one of the best, Pa. You used to be one of the President’s men. A secret service agent! What happened to you? You have to know that these people are the enemy of our country.”

Moore shook his head. “No, they’re not.”

Barrington also shook his head. He understood that McLaughlin was angry but he didn‘t like anyone calling him a traitor to his country. “I’m sorry you can’t understand what’s really going on here, but I’m not going to stand here and listen to you call me a traitor. This is my country, too.” He paused. “And Pa is right. You should listen to him. There really is more at stake than you know.” He leveled his gun at McLaughlin’s head. “But I’m not taking any chances with you. Turn around and put your hands behind your back.” With his free hand, he removed a pair of handcuffs from his belt.

Moore frowned. “Now I really don’t believe those are necessary.”

Barrington ignored him.

McLaughlin shrugged. “It’s alright, Pa. For the moment.” Slowly he turned around.

Barrington didn’t feel any better once he had McLaughlin in handcuffs. There were two problems he still had to deal with. He had to know that King, Staci and Sumter were alright…And he had to do something about Charles McLaughlin.

Donna Perkins and Chris Saint had wisely kept their distance throughout the entire incident, but when they saw that Barrington and Moore had McLaughlin in custody, they began to make their approach. They headed for the open door of the Storm Breaker where Saint and Erin were.

Staci straightened as she looked over Sumter to where King was before the shooting began. “David!” she called.

A hand raised up. “I’m here.”

Saint grabbed a hold of King’s hand and helped him up. “Are you hit?”

King let out a sigh of relief. “Praise Jesus…no, I am not.” He looked over Sumter at Staci. “Are you alright, my sister?”

Staci swallowed. Then, she nodded. “My nerves are right at the edge…b-but I’m fine. I…I didn’t get hit either.”

“Oh, praise the Lord!”

Saint clapped King on the back. “Amen, brother.” He looked around. “You know, there’s no doubt in my mind that there must have been angels in here with you because otherwise… how could Chuck have missed? You had absolutely no cover in here at all.”

King nodded in agreement. “It is indeed a miracle. Now who is this Chuck?”

“Don’t worry about him,” Erin assured them. “You don’t need to go after him. Bear has him and he won’t let him try anything like this again.”

“That is not my concern, and I assure you, I have no intention of going after him at all.”

Erin regarded him. “What is your concern?”

He pointed at McLaughlin as he watched Barrington and Moore lead him away. “That man’s very soul is my concern. He needs to be saved. He needs Jesus the Christ to redeem him.”

Staci shook her head. “You really are amazing, David. That man just tried to kill us and you’ve already forgiven him.”

King turned to look at her. “He has done nothing toward me that needs any forgiveness on my part, Staci. He is lost. All lost men do not realize what it is that they are doing because they are moving blindly through the dark. We are here to help shine the light of the Gospel to them and we all know who that Light is. Don’t we?” Without waiting for an answer, he said, “How is Hank? Was he hit?”

Staci checked her patient and shook her head. “No…I don’t believe so.” She put a hand to the man’s forehead. “But, David…he’s getting worst. I‘m afraid if we don‘t help him soon, he-he‘s not going to make it.”

“There is a hospital in town,” Donna told them. “It’s in Belgrade, about twenty miles from here past the Wolfneck Farm.” She paused. “I don’t know what kind of condition the town is in, but if we get your friend there, he might stand a better chance. There’s nothing here that can help him.”

“Then, I must take him there,” Staci replied, concern in her voice. “He needs a hospital.”

Saint smiled reassuringly at her. “I’ll go tell Brother Bear. Just hang tight. I’ll be right back.” He turned and headed back toward the shelter with his wife.

King allowed a small smile to touch his lips. “Interesting. He calls our good brother Albert Barrington…Brother Bear. I will have to remember that and try it out for myself. I wonder what he thinks of it.”

Throughout it all, introductions had not been shared. LeBeau and Bandjough remained quiet as Staci, King, Erin and Donna remained by the open door with the unconscious Sumter.

“There doesn’t seem to be a dull moment being a Christian, does there?” Donna suddenly asked, breaking the silence.

Everyone suddenly broke out into laughter. It was just what they needed to do to release the tension they had all been feeling since McLaughlin’s outburst. Then, Erin introduced Donna to her colleagues and friends. With the tension out of the way, a new fellowship was created.

King took the opportunity and said, “My brothers and sisters, it brings me nothing but great joy to be in the midst of family. And I mean the family of God. We are all of us here today saved by the mighty grace of God…but one of us is not. I would like us all to hold hands and pray over Hank Sumter that God may spare his life and allow him to have the very same privileges God has given us. So may we…?” He held his hands out.

Staci took his left hand and held her right hand out. Donna took Staci’s hand and with her other, she held Erin’s. Erin waved for the two pilots to join them. Bandjough hesitantly took her hand and then held his other hand out to LeBeau.

LeBeau let out a sigh.

Bandjough couldn’t help it. He grinned. “I won’t tell if you won’t.”

This brought another round of laughter. LeBeau took his hand and then King’s.

King bowed his head and prayed. “Almighty God, we are in awe of You right now, at this moment, as we come to You in prayer. We lift our voices to You. We come seeking Your presence because we love You and want to be with You. Father, You have spared our lives today. We thank You for allowing us to continue with what You have set aside for us to do and we ask You to continue bestowing upon us Your strength and Your power. For we know we can never hope to walk this earth without You leading us forward. You walk before us, shielding us from dangers ahead, even when we can see those dangers. You walk behind us, shielding us again from those dangers that we can’t even see. You walk on our left and on our right, always shielding us from every side, whether we see trouble coming or don’t. You are forever amazing. You are forever all powerful. There is none like You. You are the Great I Am. The Alpha and Omega. The Beginning and The End. You are why we are here and we cannot ever hope to love You enough for all that You do for us. We can never thank You enough, oh, God.

“Now we thank You once more that we are able to come to You whenever we can…whenever we desire to. Our hearts are burdened today for Hank Sumter and for the man who just tried to kill us in a fit of rage.”

“Charles McLaughlin,” Erin said softly, telling King the man’s name.

“We lift Charles McLaughlin and Hank Sumter to You, Almighty God,” King continued, “knowing and believing that You alone are able to save them as You have saved us. They do not know You as we do. It is our heart’s desire to see these two men come to You. Please protect them from danger. Keep them safe. Pour out Your mercy to them and shower them with Your light so that they will come to see You. We do not know what motives drive these two men. We don’t know what troubles they face. Every man, every woman faces their own battle that will drive them away from You or cause them to seek You. It is our deepest hope that they will come to You and You will be victorious in helping them overcome their battle. Please heal Hank Sumter. Let him hear Your Word. Let him live for You. Reveal to us his need so we can be used of You to do a mighty work in his life. Please soften Charles’ heart so that he can also be attentive to Your Word. Heal his anger. Shine Your light into the darkness, which has blinded him.

“For my brothers and sisters here with me now, praying to You, I ask that You embrace them with Your love and lift them to Your work, which You have given to them. May they be strong and not fall. And when they are at their weakest, strengthen them. In the mighty name of Jesus, our risen Lord and Savior…Amen.”

And God’s people said, “Amen.”

There had been some changes in the city of Albany for the better. People were out and about, but a military presence was felt and seen no matter where one might find themselves. Most of the vehicles on the road were military or medical or trucks pulling trailers filled with supplies. The people of the city along with the military were hard at work trying to restore Albany and they had already come a long way.

Yorke walked along the street, heading toward the Federal Building as he took in the activities around him. It felt good just to see people come together in spite of a devastating attack upon the entire country.

He saw the Federal Building just ahead. He hoped to find the answers he sought there because he didn’t have any desire to wait for this Michael Lenox to make a move on suspected terrorists. His partner, Randy Groh, had told him Lenox was an ATD agent watching the activities of his own partner, Albert Barrington. Whatever was going on there, Yorke intended to find out. However, he felt that time was of the essence so he was going to do a little research for himself.

He passed a few military and federal personnel, who only gave him a cursory glance. However, once he was in the lobby, he was stopped by two marine guards and one agent from Justice.

“This area is off limits to civilians,” Jerry Averill declared, barring Yorke’s way from going any further.

Yorke looked at him. “You can’t keep civilians out of here. It’s a Federal Building for the people. Aren’t you providing shelters here for them?”

Averill glared at him. “The shelters are full. We’re not taking any more--”

“I’m not interested in the shelters. I’m here to see an agent of the ATD named Albert Barrington.” He showed him his badge. “I’m an officer of the law, buddy. And an American citizen and if you think you can keep me from this building, you’ve got another thing coming.”

Averill folded his arms across his chest. “How do you think you’re going to get through?” He indicated the two marines at either side of him.

Yorke put his badge away. “These guys don’t work for you. They’re here for the people.” He glanced at them. “Am I right?”

The marines looked at each other. Then, they looked at Averill. “You’re absolutely right, sir.”

Averill turned to him. “This man is not cleared to be here.”

“We were doing our jobs just fine before you interfered,” the marine replied. “Your presence is required elsewhere, I’m sure.”

Yorke inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

Averill pointed at the two marines. “I’ll have you on report.”

The marines exchanged glances and chuckled. “These Justice types all think they’re so important.” One of them pointed firmly at Averill, poking him in the chest. “Go back from where you came or exit through the front door by being thrown out.”

Averill stared. “You can’t do that.”

The marine whistled.

Averill hesitated. Slowly, he turned his head and noticed four other marines, just itching for someone to throw. Finally, he turned to face Yorke. “Albert Barrington is not here.”

Yorke shrugged. “Then I want to see the man in charge of the ATD.”

“I don’t--”

The marine guard interrupted him. “Mr. Yorke, we’ve seen your credentials. The elevators are working but they may seem a little sluggish because they’re on generated power. You can find the ATD Center on the seventh floor. The man you’re looking for is Director Darren Fuller and I’m sure he’ll help you.”

Yorke nodded. “Thank you.” He patted Averill on the shoulder. “Maybe you should find a new job that doesn’t have anything to do with people skills. Alright, buddy?”

Averill just glared at him.

Yorke couldn’t help but grin as he headed toward the elevator.

There was no real way to keep McLaughlin from getting loose and coming after them with a vengeance if he chose to do so. Barrington and Moore put him into a small room with no window, closed the door, and padlocked it. The room was a small storage area, but the walls were made of chicken wire. McLaughlin remained standing as he glared through the cage he was in at Barrington.

“You’re a fool if you think this will hold me,” he promised.

Barrington shook his head. “I’m not your enemy.”

“Really? Now isn’t that funny?”

“Look, you don’t know what’s going on here. You don’t know what’s really at stake.”

McLaughlin folded his arms across his chest and looked at him. “Why don’t you explain it to me, then?”

Barrington would have, but he didn’t get the chance. Saint and his wife, Chris, entered into the shelter with news for the ATD agent. “That fellow you brought on the chopper isn’t doing well,” Saint began, “and your doctor friend wants to get him to a hospital. Donna has volunteered to show you the way there.”

Barrington frowned. Then, he reached for his gun from its holster. He held it out toward Saint with the barrel of the weapon leveled at the floor. “Here. Take this,” he said. “You’re going to need it.”

Saint shook his head. “No. That won’t be necessary.”

“If McLaughlin gets loose--”

“You don’t really want me to shoot him, now, do you?”

Barrington hesitated. Finally, he shook his head. “No…No, of course not, but there’s no telling what he’ll do if he gets loose.” He turned his head, fully aware that McLaughlin was watching them and listening to them. “John…I’d feel a whole lot better if you accepted this.”

Saint shrugged. “Sorry, but that’s not my style. You keep it, Brother Bear. I can keep an eye on him without a weapon. Besides, we’ve got guardian angels who are on God’s payroll. Who needs anything else?”

Barrington looked at Moore.

Moore shook his head. “Don’t look at me, son. Besides, I’m going with you.”

“Is that necessary?”

“Sure, it is. Not every day an old man like me can enjoy a field trip out to a hospital.” Moore shrugged. “Besides, I’d like to keep an eye on Firewoman. She worries about me and all.”

Barrington returned his weapon to its holster. Then, he said, “Alright…Pa and I will go in the Storm Breaker. I’ll send Erin back down to you, John, so you and Chris aren’t alone. She’ll be armed.” He looked at McLaughlin. “And she won’t hesitate to fire if she has to.” That was for the secret service agent’s benefit, but Barrington wasn’t sure if Erin would actually shoot or not. He knew she had never been on the field and in a hostile situation where brute force was necessary.

Would Erin fire her weapon if she had no choice?

He didn’t know. He hoped McLaughlin didn’t know either because at least not knowing might make him hesitant if he did try to escape. With those thoughts, he and Moore headed out of the shelter.

As they were leaving, Saint clapped his hands together. “Chris…did I leave my Bible on the table?” He reached for a chair and pulled it close to the wire mesh cage McLaughlin was behind. “Since our friend here is a captive audience, I feel compelled to tell him the true story of Jesus Christ.”

“What does that mean?” Staci asked no one in particular after she had just heard King tell her of Sumter complaining about something in his head.

King shrugged. “I’m not really sure. I was under the assumption he was simply complaining of a headache.” He paused. “Maybe it is more than that. I mean, I’m not a doctor, but he seems to feel that whatever is going on in his head is more severe than his wounded knee. That‘s the impression I got anyway.”

Barrington and Moore approached the Storm Breaker as Staci and King discussed Sumter. Barrington stopped beside Erin. “Chuck is in the cage, and he’s not happy about it.” He glanced at the others. “I’m not happy about leaving you with this either. I should probably stay, but…we don’t know what we’ll be facing once we get into town.”

“I’ll be okay,” Erin assured him. “I’ve got the Saints with me.”

King moved to get out of the helicopter. “I’m just taking up room. I’ll stay, too. Besides, isn’t that why you brought me along? To move me to this shelter?”

Barrington nodded. “Okay…but Erin, don’t hesitate to shoot if you have to.”

“I won’t shoot him.”

“Erin…”

“Al, you know I won’t shoot Chuck,” Erin persisted. “He hasn’t done anything and he isn’t the enemy. He just hasn’t come to Christ yet and that’s the only crime he’s committing. We can’t help him come to God by shooting him, can we?”

Barrington paused. “No…I guess we can’t.”

Erin smiled at him. “But be of good cheer because with the Saint’s and King, we’ll be in the presence of God in that shelter and Chuck won’t be able to say he hasn’t heard about the Risen Savior.”

“Amen, sister!” Donna exclaimed.

King clapped Barrington on the shoulder. “We’ve got this side of things covered, my brother. You get Hank Sumter to the hospital and bring him into our family. He has work to do.”

Barrington regarded him. “What do you mean?”

“The Lord is going to use him.”

“How?”

King smiled. “Now that is up to Him, don’t you think?” He shrugged. “I just get this feeling God is preparing him for something, so I do believe he will accept our Lord as his own. Other than that, I cannot really tell you why I feel this way. Only that I do. Who is to say who will do what for God? Only God can say. All I know is that when God purposes to do a work through someone we least expect, He does it mightily.”

Barrington nodded. “In that case, we’d better get going.”

LeBeau patted Bandjough on the shoulder. “Let’s get the Storm Breaker rollin‘.”

The two pilots re-entered the cockpit and brought the helicopter back into operational mode. As they did, Barrington and Moore joined Staci, Donna, and the semi-comatose Sumter in the rear of the Storm Breaker. Barrington pulled the door closed. Outside, King and Erin stepped back and away from the helicopter as it began to rise from the ground.

They waved.

Bandjough grinned at them and waved back.

Then, the Storm Breaker took to the skies and was soon out of sight.

There was a knock on the door.

“Enter,” replied the man sitting at his desk, a state-of-the-art, GPS cellular phone held to his ear.

Averill entered into the office, prepared to vent his frustrations with the military presence in the Federal Building.

Ed Carr raised a hand up to silence him as he listened to the one who called him. He motioned for Averill to close the door.

Averill did, but he was still scowling as he thought about the marines in the lobby.

“This is good news,” Carr said into his phone, “but news I’ve been expecting. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you what comes next…However, since people like you only respond to direct orders, then I have one for you. I want you and your men to go into Maine and find Sumter, Dr. Cohen, and this David King…and anyone who is with them.”

He paused as he listened to the response.

He shook his head, even though he knew the caller would not see the gesture. “No, no, no. Absolutely not. The only one I want taken alive is the doctor. I don’t care about the rest…” He paused. “Yes. That’s right.” He sat up. “Are you losing the translation here? Let me be clear then…Take Dr. Cohen into custody. Eliminate the others. Is that clear?” He smiled. “Good. Report back to me when this mission has been completed. And be certain you complete it.” He snapped his cell phone shut and turned to Averill. “We found them.”

Averill was impressed. “That was fast.”

“Of course, it was. Once you’re under A.I.M.’s radar, you can’t escape it.”

“Why do you want to take Dr. Cohen into custody, but not the others?”

Carr sat back and regarded him for a moment. “Because the others are unimportant. They serve no purpose for who we work for. Dr. Cohen, however, has strong ties with Director Fuller and his so-called Christian band.” He said the word Christian as if it were a curse. “I may be able to use her against them in the future.” A grin slowly spread on his face. “However…we do have one other tool on our side that the ATD don’t realize.”

Averill paused. “What’s that?”

“Not what. Who?”

“Okay…then, who?”

The grin widened. “We’ve got Michael Lenox.”

When Yorke arrived at the ATD Center, he didn’t find Director Fuller anywhere. He was told he had just missed them and was then redirected to someone else who might be able to assist him. An ATD agent led him to an office and knocked on the door. Then, he looked at Yorke and sighed. He wanted to warn the police detective what he was getting into by visiting him but decided not to.

Suddenly, there was another knock…but from within the office.

Yorke looked at the agent.

The agent cleared his throat and knocked again. “Ah…Mr. Fronk…? There’s someone out here to speak with Director Fuller but--”

The door suddenly flung open and Fronk stepped out, putting his face close to the agent’s. His eyes widened like a mad man. “Do I loook like Director Fuller ta you, laddie?” He spoke with a thick, Scottish accent.

“Ahhh…no, but--”

“Does me dooor have the Director’s name tag, which says that this is the office of Director Fuller, laddie?”

The agent cleared his throat. “Well, no, but--”

“No! Of course, it doon’t!” Fronk tossed his hands up into the air. “How is it ya people take me for the Director when my dooor tag clearly indicates that me name is William Fronk and not Director Fuller, and it should be also quite clear by the loooks of me that I don’t even resemble the Director in any ways. Now do I?”

The agent shook his head. “Well, no, of course you--”

“Then I fails ta understand why ya come ta me with people who want to see the Director!”

“But the Director isn’t here. He just left and--”

“Well, of course, he just left! I sent him away on an errand of most urgency!”

The agent and Yorke looked at him. Yorke didn’t know what to make of him but even he knew that a Director didn’t take orders from staff members. Fronk was a staff member at the ATD Center.

Fronk paused. “What doo ya want?”

The agent indicated Yorke. “This gentleman is here to see the Director. As the Director is absent, along with Miss Greye, it, ah, falls upon you as the next person to take visitors.”

Fronk blinked and stepped back. “Oh, my! I gets ta have visitors?”

The agent glanced at Yorke, who clearly had no idea what to make of Fronk. “Uhm, yeah. Sure. Why wouldn’t you get a visitor?”

Fronk leaned toward him and gestured for Yorke to move closer, as if he was about to reveal a secret. In the thick Scottish accent, he said, “The last time I had a visitor, he caught me singing to me printer.” He paused for affect. “Ya see, me coomputer was acting up and me printer was soo goood, I just had ta sing it an old Irish melody.”

Fronk then cleared his throat and sang softly…

He stopped singing and suddenly sniffed, as if he were trying to keep himself from crying. “Alas, laddies…T’is an emotional thing, it is…Ta sing ya’re heart out ta a printer is noot normal, no…but ta name it Kathleen is stranger still.” He held up a finger. “This is what keeps me from having visitor’s, so thanks from the bottom of me heart fer dropping by.” He grabbed a hold of Yorke’s hand and shook it rigorously.

Yorke glanced at the agent who brought him to this mad man. “Ah…yeah, yeah, sure. Nice to meet you…I think.”

“I, ah…” the agent paused, “I hope Mr. Fronk here can help you.” He didn’t seem so sure that he would, but chose not to voice that concern out loud. Instead, he turned and left Yorke with Fronk.

Fronk looked at Yorke, one eyebrow raised. “Now…what can I do for ya, laddie?”

“Yeah…” Yorke began, “well, the first thing you can do is stop calling me laddie.”

Fronk nodded. “Done, lad.”

“And don’t call me lad either.”

“Then, what shall I call you?”

“How about Brian as that is my name? Brian Yorke.”

“Then, Brian Yorke…what can I do for the likes of ya?”

Yorke paused. “I’ve got some questions about Albert Barrington and a terrorist named Darwyn Musad. I wanted to see your Director about them, but he seems to be kind of hard to get a hold of. Do you think you could help me out?”

Fronk waved a hand toward the open doorway of his office. “Step into me lair and I will do my level best.”

Yorke sighed. He wasn’t sure about this but reluctantly, he stepped inside the lair of Fronk and the Crazy Man followed, closing the door behind him.

1 - Irish Song; “I’ll Take You Home Again, Kathleen” (Author unknown)

Wonson,
North Korea

The rain was horrible. It only made things appear worse than it was and Hon Li Yun felt nothing but sorrow as he stood at the mouth of an alley. God wanted him to go to America, but how was he going to do that? There was no way possible for him to get there. He had no money. What contacts he had were either his enemy or they were Christians who had already been executed for their faith.

The North Korean government had laid down a cruel gauntlet. Any Christian or subversive caught was immediately put to death. The government was not fooling around with it. The powers that be were out for blood. Yun was one of those they were after. It used to be because he was in the Black Market, but now it was because of his own mother and brother who were among the vanishing.

And what of his father?

Now Yun wanted to desperately find his father and tell him he can be saved. He, of course, had no idea that Roh Yun had indeed found Jesus Christ and accepted Him as Lord. That was before he was shot and killed by an agent who believed he was nothing but a terrorist.

Now, in the pouring rain, Yun stood in the alley, looking forlornly across the street. Just a few blocks away was the wharf and his only hope was to somehow get a ride to America. It was all he could think of. He had to become a stowaway.

Gathering up his courage, he grasped his newfound faith and took a step into the street.

Someone shouted in his native tongue, “There he is!”

He turned his head. Two government officials were racing toward him. He turned his head to the left and found three more. All five of them were running for him, their weapons held tight in their grips.

Yun scowled and had no choice but to turn around and flee. His only escape route was into the alley. Unfortunately, he had not come from the alley so when he ran into it, he soon found himself at a dead end. He stopped and glared as he looked for a way out.

“Stop!” one of the officials warned.

Yun turned around and then stood perfectly still as the five men spread out, blocking the only exit from the alley. He made eye contact with each one of them, knowing they were going to execute him. He felt strangely at peace. Unafraid. So he couldn’t help it. A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

The official who had told him to stop stepped forward. “You are known as Hon Li Yun…You are wanted in connection of the disappearances with your family and believed to be a traitor to the North Korean government!”

Yun couldn’t resist. “Praise the Lord,” he simply said.

The official glared. “Your obedience is to the Korean People’s Army!”

Yun pointed up. “My obedience is to Him.”

“Then you are hereby executed for the people!” He held up his arm.

The other officials all leveled their weapons toward Yun.

Yun just stood there, waiting to see what would happen. If God had placed it onto his heart that he should go to America, then he believed he would not die. These men intended to kill him, but they would fail. To give his would-be executioners a message they would clearly understand, he folded his arms across his chest and sat down onto the cold, wet ground. Then, he looked up at them and smiled.

The official in charge of the others was suddenly livid with rage. “Stand up!” he shouted. “You will die on your feet! Stand up!”

Yun did not stand up.

The man angrily waved at two of his men and ordered them to force the traitor to his feet. The men used the straps of their rifles to hang them over their shoulders. Then, they made their approach to Yun, who did not make one move since he sat down. However, as they reached down for him, he exploded into action.

He whipped his feet out from under him, swinging them around and knocking both of the men down to the ground like bowling pins. They hit the ground hard and tried to reach for their weapons. Yun moved over them quickly and rolled up onto his feet. Both weapons were in his hands when he turned to face the enemy. As the two men got back on their feet, they decided not to move when they realized their weapons were no longer in their possession.

The other three, however, were armed. Two of them leveled their rifles at Yun while the head official leveled a pistol at him.

Yun only smiled. Then, he tossed the rifles away. He had no desire to fire them at all. Firearms were a weapon made by man and he believed he was protected by God. He had no need of weapons. He already had what God had given him. He smiled once more and resumed to sit on the cold, wet ground.

The government officials glared at him.

After the two retrieved their rifles, they rejoined their comrades and waited for the head official to give them an order.

The head official raised his hand up.

Just before he gave the order to fire, a government car drove right into the alley, bouncing over the pot holes along the way. It came to a halt right behind the men and three more officials joined the party in the alley. One of them Yun recognized.

It was Han Si Chang, a man who had been his rival ever since he involved himself in the Black Market. Chang had made it his personal goal to torment Yun in anyway he could. Many of Yun’s friends had suffered at Chang’s hands because of the man’s hatred toward him and his father. Yun discovered once that Chang hated the Yun family because he was jealous of Roh Yun’s successes and wife.

Everything Roh Yun had once had, Chang wanted for himself.

Yun remained on the ground where he sat and watched Chang approach with his two personal agents.

“You will not execute this man today,” Chang snapped to the head official. It was Chang now who was higher ranking than the others. “This man is needed for questions only he can answer.” He raised his hand toward his men.

They understood.

Now they began to move toward Yun, as the other two had before.

Yun braced himself as he narrowed his eyes. That’s when he felt the Lord’s presence like he never felt it before. It filled him with awe and his eyes filled with tears of joy. He didn’t understand why, but he knew without one shadow of a doubt that God wanted him to do nothing as the men approached. So when they got to him, he did not resist as they helped him to his feet. Then, they led him to the car and he climbed in. One of them sat with him as the other got in behind the steering wheel.

Chang climbed into the back on the other side of Yun and closed the door. Once they were all inside, the driver drove them all out of the alley and onto the main road. Silence filled the vehicle as they drove on.

Yun didn’t know what to make of it. When the silence was too much, he turned his head to demand of Chang what was happening. That’s when he was surprised to see that the man who was once his rival was unashamedly allowing tears to roll down his face.

Yun was speechless.

When Chang could speak, he said, “I…am sorry, my friend, for all of the pain I have caused you and your family…throughout the years. I do not expect any forgiveness, nor am I asking for it of you. Just know…just know that I am a new man. I do not have time to explain…only trust and believe that God is able to do all things. He has impressed upon me to come here to…to pick up a man believed to be a criminal of the People’s Army. I am to take this man to a place…already prepared to receive him. That man…is you, Hon Li.”

Yun couldn’t find the words to speak, so he said nothing.

The driver drove them along the wharf and finally stopped the vehicle before the docks. As Yun looked out the window, he noticed several people boarding a ship.

“It is going to America…” Chang told him. “The…People’s Army of Korea are sending it along to help America in her time of need, but I assure you, it is only a show. Nonetheless, as God has told me there was someone who needed to go to America, a way was made for you and now…you must go.”

Yun opened his mouth to speak.

Chang interrupted. “Please…just go. I have done enough harm to you and your family. I can never undo the things I did. I know He has forgiven me for so much…I do not fathom it. All I can do is help Him by helping you.” He wiped a hand at his face. “Look at me. I…I have never cried for anything in my life.” He looked at Yun. “I am, however, relieved and gratified to be a part of something greater than anything I’ve ever known. God is sending you to America. And you are going clearly by faith because you cannot speak their language. You truly shall be a foreigner in a strange land.”

Yun cleared his throat. “But where shall I go in America?”

Chang paused. “I do not know. I can tell you this…Your father was sent on a mission in Maine. Perhaps that is where you will start.” He regarded the young man for a moment. “I feel I must warn you…there are agents looking for your father. It has been reported by contacts deep within the United States that your father may have…he may have even been killed by a man named Michael Lenox.”

Yun closed his eyes.

“I am sorry. Please, these reports cannot be confirmed. I…I only tell you because you should know.” He placed a hesitant hand on the younger man’s shoulder. “Just go with God, my son. He will lead you.”

Yun nodded. “Thank you.”

The officials let Yun out of the vehicle and they waited there until he boarded the ship, which would soon be headed for America. Yun felt as if all he had to do was follow the leading of God because he didn’t have a clue what lay before him.

Only His Savior did.

And that was good enough for him.

The only vehicles on the road in Albany, New York, were mostly military in nature or relief vehicles. There were a few scattering of vehicles in motion as Fuller and Shiva drove to the Thruway, but it did strike them as odd. It felt unnatural. They were used to bumper to bumper traffic, but they rode through the city without stopping and right onto the Thruway with almost non-existent traffic.

On the Thruway, there wasn’t hardly any traffic at all. A few vehicles here and there, but once again, it was mostly military. It was like driving into the set of a bad zombie movie where the world had come to an end and the dead were coming out of their graves. That isn’t what had happened, but something had occurred. Something with biblical proportions. They each knew what it was.

The Rapture.

The prophecies recorded in the Bible were coming to pass and they were going to be able to witness it all. That was if they lived through it.

As Shiva drove, Fuller sat in relative silence as he held the key in his hand, given to him by King. The key had the number 832 on it and it once belonged to Joseph Canaan. Canaan had been a friend. He had also been raptured just before the Islamic nation attacked the United States of America. The man had been trying to get the key to him in the event something happened to him, but it eventually fell into Barrington’s hands…and then into King’s hands.

Fuller finally had it…and he was hoping it would lead him to some answers.

But where did the key go to?

That was the question. Maybe once they got to Corinth, they would find out. It was the only option they had.

“People don’t know what they’re doing out there without Christ, do they?” Shiva finally asked as they rode on. “Kinda makes me think of what Jesus said when He was on the cross. ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. 1’” He shrugged. “Man, without Christ, you really don’t know what you’re doing.” He nodded his head toward the window. “Look at that guy out there.”

Fuller looked.

There was a man sitting on a motorcycle on top of a hill overlooking the throughway. He appeared to be watching them.

“I wonder if he’s saved,” Shiva said thoughtfully. “I can’t help but wonder if he’s trying to figure out what it is he’s doing. Has he learned that Jesus is the only answer? Jesus is the only One who really knows what He’s doing and we need to do what He asks of us so we don’t have to wonder any more.”

Fuller nodded thoughtfully. “I hear you, Marc.” He paused. “Even as a Christian, we still don’t know what we’re doing because we find ourselves waiting on Him to tell us what the next step is.”

“And is this the next step, Director?”

“It’s the only step I know. We need to find out what this key will lead us to. It was something Joseph was trying to tell me before he…before he vanished.”

Shiva nodded. “I’m sure Jesus will lead the way.”

“Yeah. Me, too.”

They drove on into Corinth and after they were cleared by the military road blocks, they eventually made their way to 17 Shallow Lane. They pulled into the drive way, climbed out of their vehicle and then slowly made their approach. The house that the Canaan’s had lived in was no longer there. In its place was a fallen pile of debris. Flames started by an arsonist had destroyed this home and taken the lives of four innocent people. Two of those people had been children.

Fuller stopped as he stared at the wreck. “Children,” he said softly.

Shiva looked at him. “Director…?”

Fuller turned to look at him. “Joseph had two children, Marc. One of them…his name was Joshua. Joshua was starting high school.”

“What about him?”

“Joseph told me that his son was given a locker in school that reminded him of John 8:32. ‘And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’”

Shiva shook his head. “But I don’t get it. How can a locker assigned to his son remind him of that verse.”

Fuller couldn’t help but smile. “His son was given a key with the numbers 8 - 3 - 2 on it.” He held up the key to show the numbers to Shiva. “Joshua’s name starts with a J. Hence…John 8:32.”

“Oh, I get it.”

“No, Marc…I’m telling you that this key goes to Joshua’s locker at the Corinth High School. Do you know what I’m hoping to find in that locker?” He paused as he turned to look at the remains of the Canaan’s home. “The truth.”

“I can’t believe this game - of all games - is in this shelter,” Saint replied as he helped Erin and King set the board game up on a table. “I grew up on this game. I played this game until I knew the rules backwards and forwards. I got to know this game so well that no one…and I mean no one could beat me at it. Pretty soon, I became so good at it, no one would even play any more.”

Behind his cage, McLaughlin folded his arms across his chest and shook his head. “You’re bragging.”

Chris, who watched the others set up but did not participate in helping, shook her head knowingly. “No, he’s not. I was there. He really couldn’t be beat.” She narrowed her eyes at her husband. “But I’m also sure that you’re right about him bragging.”

Saint grinned at her. “Thanks for vouching for me, honey. But don’t forget. There was one person I could never beat.”

“You could never beat me because I never played. Risk is the most boring game ever created. I can’t understand how you can get into it. It has always been so hard to follow.”

McLaughlin tapped his knuckles on the frame. “Let me out of here and I’ll beat him.”

King smiled at him. “Not to worry. I’ll move your pieces for you.”

“I don’t need your help, terrorist.”

Erin pointed at him. “No name calling.”

“What are you going to do, lady? Shoot me?”

“No. I’m going to take over your country.”

McLaughlin looked at her as if she were out of her mind.

“What color do you want to be?” she asked him.

“Are you out of your mind?” McLaughlin demanded. “Do I look like I want to play a game of Risk?”

“We’re all playing.”

Chris waved a hand. “I’m not.”

King snapped his fingers. “Then, you’re elected to move Chuck’s pieces for him.”

“Don’t use my name,” McLaughlin warned King. “I don’t like it.”

King regarded him. “What would you like me to call you?”

“You can call me nothing. I’d prefer it if you stop talking to me altogether because all I want to do is snap your neck like a twig.”

“Well…you certainly do look like you can do that. I have to admit I’m really glad you’re in there and not out here.”

“Why don’t we make a deal with him?” Saint inquired as he put some pieces of the game onto the table.

All eyes turned to him.

“What do you mean?” Erin asked. “What kind of deal?”

Saint paused. “Do you trust me?”

Erin shrugged. “Yes.”

He looked at King.

King smiled. “Brother, I feel as if we are of a kindred spirit. After all, ‘Walked we not in the same spirit? Walked we not in the same steps? 2’ You have my trust.”

Saint looked at his wife.

Chris returned the look. “Do you really have to ask?”

He grinned at her. “Just checking.”

She showed him a fist. “I oughta…” She purposefully trailed off, teasing him to think about the rest.

Saint winked. Then, he said, “This is what I feel the Lord would have us do.”

McLaughlin let out a sigh. “Does this have anything to do with me? Because I want no part of it.”

“It has everything to do with you. All you have to do is win the game.”

McLaughlin stared at him through the cage. “Are you serious?” He regarded his captors for a moment. “You want me to play this game…for whatever reason. And if I do, and I win…what then?”

“You leave.”

King, Erin and Chris each looked at Saint with surprise.

McLaughlin snorted. “Yeah. Right.”

“Look…the four of us are Christians.” Saint pointed at him. “You’re not. You have already mentioned that you can’t come to Christ. You won’t let Him in to your life to save you from your sin. You don’t want to be here and we can’t in all honesty keep you here against your will for an indefinite period of time. So I believe that God has placed on my heart to allow you a way out. Beat us in this game and you’re free to go.”

“That’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“It’s the truth.”

Erin shook her head. “John, we can’t do that. Albert would want us to keep him here until he gets back.”

Saint looked at her. “I know you’re in charge here, but I’m not acting as one of your agents. This is the Lord’s army we’re in and He’s telling me that this is what we need to do.”

She looked into his eyes. “You really believe God is leading us to play this game and if Chuck wins…we let him go? That’s what God has pressed on your heart?”

He nodded.

She paused as she bit on her lower lip. She looked at King. “What do you think?”

King shrugged. “I believe the Lord works in mysterious ways.”

She nodded. “Okay…Then, if that’s what we’re all agreed to do, then…let’s do it.” She looked at their prisoner. “If you play and you win…you’re free to go. You’ll give us no trouble and just leave. Okay?”

McLaughlin paused. “If you’re on the level, I won’t be any trouble. I’ll just leave. You have my word on that.” He leaned forward. “But I’ll play on a couple of conditions. You let me out of this cage so I can play out there with all of you, you don’t try to convert me…” He pointed at Chris. “…And she plays, too.”

Chris stared at him. “What? Hey, wait a minute! I’m not an ex-terrorist or a federal agent. Why do you have to throw me in?”

“Because you don’t want to play. Don’t worry, I’ll take over your country first.”

“Gee, thanks a lot.”

Saint couldn’t help it. He tried to hide the smile on his face, but she saw it and glared at him.

“Do we have a deal?” McLaughlin pressed.

Erin checked with the others who appeared to be in agreement, except for Chris. “Yes,” Erin replied as she moved to the cage’s door. “We have a deal.”

She unlocked the cage and McLaughlin stepped out.

The ride to Belgrade Hospital in Belgrade, Maine, didn’t take LeBeau and Bandjough long. But through the short flight, Sumter remained unconscious, Moore and Donna conversed together and that gave Staci a chance to try to talk to Barrington.

“Where is Michael?” she questioned him, a concerned look in her eyes. “Why isn’t he with you?”

Barrington shrugged helplessly. “I have no idea where he is.”

She frowned. “Wasn’t he with you…?”

“He was. He went after the North Korean hit team that was hunting for President Ballou. Pa there was the last to see him.”

“I…don’t understand. What…? He just disappeared?”

Barrington paused. “I think he did what he thought he had to do. Now he doesn’t want to be found.”

Staci considered what he was telling her. “Is it possible that God could be at work in his heart?”

“That is my prayer.”

She paused. “I think I’m in love with him.”

Barrington looked at her. “What?”

“You heard me.”

“Are you sure?”

“I never felt like this with my…my ex. This is different. I don’t know what to do with it and…and I don’t know what God wants me to do about it. I mean, I’m saved and Michael isn’t. I’ve been asking God and asking Him, but…I don’t know.” She hesitated. “I’m telling you because you’re his best friend. So pray for me.”

Barrington nodded. “I will. And when we have a chance, I’ll tell you all about him.”

“You will?”

“Yeah…But he might not like it.”

The Storm Breaker made it at the hospital, but it was disappointing to the pilots because it was small. There was also no landing pad on the rooftop. There was only the parking lot in the rear of the hospital that there was an area big enough for them to land.

LeBeau, disappointment on his face, shook his head. “Only in Maine, man.”

“Don’t like Maine?” Bandjough inquired.

“The only thin’ good in Maine is the lobster.” Something caught his eye. He pointed. “What’s that down there?”

Bandjough looked down, trying to locate what his friend was pointing at. “There’s some people down there.”

“Yeah, I can see that. But look at that!” He pointed again.

“What are you pointing at?”

“The traffic light.”

Bandjough shrugged. “So. Never seen a traffic light before?”

LeBeau frowned at him. “Boy, are ya dense? The light is red.”

Bandjough grinned. “No, it’s not. It just turned…” He stopped as it dawned on him. “Wow. Belgrade has power.”

The pilots set the Storm Breaker down in a clear area in the parking lot of Belgrade Hospital.

They were on the move again. He had followed them all since they had left the Federal Building in Albany. He had followed them to what used to be the Canaan residence on 17 Shallow Lane in Corinth and watched them. He waited for the right time to make his move, but the opportunity never arrived. Still, he waited.

Once they were on the move again, the man who had many names - one of those names was Ari - climbed back onto his motorcycle and followed them at a safe distance. They hadn’t noticed he was following them. Or at least he didn’t believe they were aware of him. He favored a few tattoos on his upper arms and one of a blue star on his neck. The man with the tattoos followed his prey to Corinth High School.

Something told him that an opportunity would arrive for him to make his final move there. And if no one opposed him, he was going to succeed.

1 - Luke 23:34
2 - II Corinthians 12:18

The Storm Breaker was down and the rotors were just coming to a stop. Staci and King remained with Sumter as Moore and Donna, followed by Barrington, made their way to the rear entrance of Belgrade hospital. They hadn’t even made it to the doors when they opened and three men came out. Two men were pushing a gurney and another man followed them.

This man stopped when he saw Donna, Moore, and Barrington but the others continued on. They were heading for the helicopter, which was using a small part of the rear parking lot for a landing pad.

Barrington glanced at them before he finally turned to the man. He had to look down a bit as the man before them was a head shorter than he was. “We have a man who is in desperate--”

The man cut him off. “Is there a Dr. Staci Cohen in your party?”

Barrington froze. He exchanged worried glances with Moore and Donna. How could this man possibly know about Staci. “Ahh…” he hesitated, trying to come up with something.

The man sighed. “Well, judging from your hesitation, I’ll take that as a yes.” He glanced at Donna and nodded once. “Mrs. Perkins. I see you are still with us.”

“Yes, I am, Dr. Shrenko,” Donna responded, puzzled. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I was referring to the vanishings, which occurred about a month ago. Your family…Are they still well?”

She hesitated. “My husband…was among the vanishings. My daughter…she died shortly after.”

Shrenko paused. “I’m sorry to hear that.” He looked behind them to see that a man had been placed onto the gurney. A woman and man had joined with his orderlies and were now approaching them. “The woman there I presume is Dr. Cohen…?”

Barrington hesitated. “No. No, she’s--”

“Save your lies. I’ll only see through them. As I am the only resident physician on these premises, I am also the CEO. Lies will not help your cause.”

Barrington opened his mouth to respond, but Staci, King, and Sumter arrived at the door with the orderlies pushing the gurney along as Sumter laid there, comatose.

Staci had heard Shrenko say he was the CEO. She was about to make her request for help with her patient, but he didn’t give her an opportunity to.

“Your patient will be taken to the OR, Dr. Cohen. You, on the other hand, will be taken to my office. There is someone on the phone who wishes to speak to you.”

Staci glanced at Barrington. “The phone…?” She shook her head. “I-I don’t understand. How could anyone know I was coming here?”

“I suggest you take the call. In the meantime, I’ll be with your patient. You can join me once you’ve finished with your call.” He indicated the door. “Right this way.”

They followed him. While the orderlies took Sumter one way, Shrenko led them another way. A short time later, he opened the door to his office and let them in. Then, without another word, he turned and walked away.

Staci saw the phone laying on the desk and then looked at Barrington.

He shrugged. “Well, we have to know who it is now. They seem to know you’re here.”

Glancing nervously at Donna and Moore, Staci picked up the phone. “Hello…?”

“Dr. Staci Cohen…” a man’s voice said, “listen very carefully. They know where you are and are coming.”

She frowned. “Who knows--?”

“They know. You must do as I say if you want to be free. Do you understand?”

“Well, no, I don’t, but--”

“Listen to me. There is a small device in Hank Sumter’s sinus cavity. Take it out of him and get rid of it. Immediately. You must take it away from the hospital. Do you understand?”

“I hear what you’re saying.”

“Good. Do that and you will live to see tomorrow.”

She frowned. “Who is this?”

“A friend.”

Then, she heard nothing but the dial tone. The caller had hung up. Staci let out a worried sigh as she hung up the phone she had been using. Then she looked at the expectant faces of Barrington, Donna, and Moore.

“What was that all about?” Barrington wanted to know.

“He said that they know I’m here and are coming for me,” she told them. “I think he meant all of us. But how could they know we’re here?”

“What else did he say?”

“There’s some kind of device in Hank’s sinus cavity. I have to take it out and then, get rid of it.”

Barrington nodded in understanding. “It has to be some kind of tracking device. That’s how they know where we are. Did he tell you when they were coming?”

She shook her head. “Only soon.” She headed for the door. “Al, I’d better get ready to help Hank. The doctor said I should join him as soon as I was done here.”

“I’ll be waiting in the OR waiting room.”

She nodded. Then, hurried off to find her way to the Operating Room.

Barrington turned to Donna. “Do you know this Dr. Shrenko?”

Donna shook her head. “Not really. Dr. Timothy Shrenko wasn’t our family doctor, but we did see him from time to time, when ours wasn’t available. He always seemed to be a nice man. Always very helpful and polite.”

“Just seemed tired to me,” Moore commented. “Son, are you thinking you’ll have trouble with him?”

Barrington shook his head. “I don’t know, Pa. At this point, I’m not ruling anything out. All we know is he’s letting Staci assist him with her patient and we’ve been warned that they are coming by a possible friend. What I want to know is who is this caller a real friend to. Staci…or Dr. Shrenko?”

Barrington contemplated that question to himself as he waited in the OR waiting room with Donna and Moore.

While in the OR, Knee Replacement surgery would take some time, but no one could have been better suited to perform it than Dr. Timothy Shrenko. Staci was thankful to the Lord that He had led her to him because she had never performed any such operation as this in her two years as a medical physician. She was able to assist him and discovered him to be helpful as he instructed her in what to do.

She hadn’t known how to approach him with what she needed to do about the implant in Sumter’s sinus cavity, but when they were coming to the completion of the Total Knee Replacement, she nervously cleared her throat. “Dr, Shrenko,” she began, glancing up at him, “I need to remove…”

He held up a hand. “Everyone…you are all free to leave.”

The assistants in the room hesitated.

“Isn’t that a little unorthodox?” someone inquired.

Shrenko turned his head and looked at them. “That wasn’t a request.”

“But, Doctor…”

“Everything is unorthodox since the vanishings. Get out.”

With hesitation, the others left. Some of them glared, but they left without further protest. When they were gone, Shrenko turned to Staci. “Do you require assistance with what you need to do?”

Staci paused. “Yes.”

He sighed. “I was afraid of that.”

She regarded him. “What does that mean?”

Shrenko took a deep breath. “I have a problem, Doctor. My problem is this. I am the only doctor residing in this hospital. In order for you to remain here, I must not be able to help you do anything…I might have to report.” He looked into her eyes. “You have to do this…whatever it is, on your own.”

“But I can’t.”

“Your friend. The tall one. I’ll send him in.”

Staci shook her head. “He’s not a doctor. He can’t--”

“You’re the doctor. He’ll be your assistant. It has to be this way.” Shrenko turned abruptly and headed for the door. Once there, he stopped and turned around. “When this is over…I’ll show you to your new office.” He tried to smile. Then, he frowned and left.

Staci had no idea what to make of it. She looked at Sumter and asked God for wisdom. One thing was certain. This certainly was an unorthodox way of doing things. Still, her mind was racing. The phone call still had her nerves rattled, even though she kept praying for God to help her and her friends get through this. She prayed silently for Hank Sumter as well, hoping that through it all, he would come to know Christ as his Savior.

A few moments later, Barrington entered the OR, in a white hospital scrub and mask. He slowly approached, keeping his gloved hands up in the air like he had seen the doctors do on television shows.

Staci actually laughed.

Barrington stopped. “What’s so funny?”

She shook her head. “I’m sorry. Look…I need your help. Dr. Shrenko doesn’t want to involve himself in this. Can you help?”

“That’s what I’m here for.”

She smiled. “Thank you.” She guided him along as she did what she had to do. When they were done, she dropped a tiny, metallic device into Barrington’s gloved hand. It looked like a chip of some kind.

“I can’t believe that was in his head,” Staci replied softly, looking at it. “What is it?”

Barrington paused. “I don’t know. But it’s not good, and unfortunately, we have to get rid of it.” He looked at her. “I’ll give it to Keith and Jeremy. They can take it somewhere and drop it.”

She nodded. “Okay.” Behind her mask, she smiled. “Thank you for your assistance, Dr. Barrington.”

He smiled back. “You’re welcome.” Then, he left the OR.

Barrington took off his mask and still wearing the scrubs, he ran through the corridors and out the back entrance. He made it to the helicopter, climbed in through the back and told him to start up the engines.

“Where we goin’?” LeBeau asked as he and Bandjough brought the Storm Breaker to life.

“I don’t know,” Barrington told him. “Just take us up and away from here. We need to drop this somewhere.” He looked at the chip in his hand. “Somewhere well away from this hospital.”

The Storm Breaker rose even though the pilots had no destination in mind. Something below them caught Bandjough’s attention. He pointed and Barrington peered out the window.

He couldn’t believe it.

They had been too late. Two black sedans pulled up to the front of the hospital and several men climbed out. He watched as they headed into the entrance and then, they were out of his sight.

“Who are those guys?” LeBeau wanted to know.

Barrington let out a sigh of despair. “Those were the guys Staci was warned about were coming.” He put his back against the wall. “They’re here.”

They pulled up to the entrance of Corinth High School and Shiva stopped the car. As he turned off the ignition, he turned his head to look at Fuller. Fuller was sitting still. The Director of the ATD looked out the front window and seemed to be examining everything outside the vehicle.

Shiva looked out as well. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know.” Fuller hesitated. “I…I just don’t like this.”

“I don’t understand. What could be wrong? We haven’t seen any trouble so far. Why do you think there would be here?”

Fuller paused. “I can’t explain it, Mark. This just…it doesn’t feel right.” A look of resolve crossed his face. “But we have to do this, so let’s get it done.” He opened the door and stepped out.

Shiva did also but again, he noticed Fuller’s reaction. The man simply stopped and looked all around them. The ex-wrestler didn’t like seeing his fearless leader so unsettled. “I don’t mind telling you, sir…You’re starting to give me the shivers.”

Fuller turned to look at him. “I’ve felt like this before.”

“Like this? What is it you’re feeling?”

“Like we’re not alone. Like someone else is here…watching us.” He paused. “Someone not like us.”

“What do you mean, not like us?”

Fuller paused, trying to gather the right words. Finally, he said, “We serve a risen Savior. Some people, however, willingly serve another. They follow after the lusts of their father’s. 1”

Shiva looked at him. “Are you saying that you get this feeling someone who serves the Devil is here?”

“It’s hard to explain, Marc.” Then, he shook his head. “Alright. No, it isn’t. I can only tell you that I feel like there is an evil presence right here with us. I’ve felt it before at the Federal Building when we were getting David and Sumter out of harm’s way.” He looked at him. “Can’t you feel it?”

Shiva hesitated as he began to look around. “Now that you mention it…yeah. I do feel something.” He paused. “What do you think it means?”

“Whoever is out there watching us doesn’t want us here.”

There was someone watching them. That someone was Ari, but Ari’s real name was Sean Kempner. He had not gone by his real name for many years. First and foremost, he was a Marine. During the war in Iraq, he excelled in several skills, but it was soon discovered that his special talent was in taking out targets through a scope.

He was a sniper, and he was very good at it. He was so good, he had been recruited by the CIA. From the CIA, another organization financed by a diplomat of peace ended his life, and then gave him a brand new one. This organization was not known by the public. It was known by only the agents within it and a handful of others who had to know. They took Kempner and taught him how to live a life of deception. The secret organization was called AIM.

Agency Intelligence Merge.

As an AIM agent, Kempner learned how to have many names that were not his own. Striker, Flashpoint, and Crash were only a few of his code names. He had also taken on aliases such as Ralph Kinley, Justin Lake, and Richard Hatch, to name just a few. With those names, he had seen things in the world that were nothing but evil. He had personally done things he had not been proud of because he had been assured at the time that he was doing those deeds for the good of his country. For the good of the United States of America.

Unfortunately, he soon discovered that it was all a big lie.

Now Kempner was angry and his personal agenda in life was to expose the lie. He firmly believed he was doing just that as he looked through the scope of his Sig SG 550 Sniper rifle, and set the crosshairs first on Shiva. Then, he sighted on Director Fuller. He made one final adjustment.

He took a deep breath. “Please…” he said softly, as if speaking to the rifle, “just fly straight and true.”

Then, he pulled the trigger.

Fuller and Shiva were about to enter the High School. It seemed to be deserted and they were hoping that was the case because all they wanted to do was to get in and get right out. They wanted to make this quick. If whatever Joseph Canaan had left behind for them to find was inside, they needed to have it and be gone before someone else came along to look for it. Fuller could not let it fall into the wrong hands. Suddenly he stopped at the door and hesitated. He slowly turned around, looking for the source of his uneasiness.

Shiva looked at him with concern as he opened his mouth to inquire if he was alright. He never got the chance.

Crack! Boom!

A shot echoed suddenly, shattering the eerie silence. Fuller and Shiva both flinched and then ducked low. They soon discovered, however, that the bullet fired was not heading for them.

Only God alone truly understood what was happening in the world and how it would end. Death was real, but it was not constant as some people supposed. Death had lost its sting when His Son died on the cross for the entire world, and then, Death was defeated when He arose from the tomb. Taxes were not that constant either whether people gave to Caesar or to God.

Death and taxes were real. They were important. But there was one thing throughout all of the history of mankind that was far more overpowering than these. Death could be delayed through medicines and technology. Taxes could be ignored or paid. No matter what happened, however, there were always consequences.

But nothing was more constant than the Will of God.

Nothing.

God held the earth in His unbreakable grip and everything was happening as He knew it would and as He planned.

Kempner had his target sighted. He pulled the trigger. The bullet came out of the barrel and rapidly descended toward its target.

The ex-AIM agent knew he was not going to miss.

He was wrong.

His target moved ever so slightly just as his finger squeezed that trigger. The man he had been aiming for at the right corner of the front of the High School had begun to back away. He had been watching the ATD agents at the entrance of the school and was about to make a move. But the bullet struck the very corner of the building where his head had been a split second before. The unfortunate act, however, resulted in a spray of chipped concrete and debris, which cut into his face. The man cried out in pain, buried his face in his hands, and stumbled out into the open. His sunglasses clattered to the sidewalk.

At the entrance of the school, Fuller and Shiva turned to see the man. The evil presence Fuller had experienced once before at the Federal Building was also present at the school. Who was this man? he thought. What does he want?

For the moment, it didn’t matter. At a strong urging from the Spirit of God, he and Shiva entered into the building. Just as the doors closed, the man took his hands away from his face and glared towards the entrance. When he saw no one there, he turned his head and glared toward where the shot had been fired from. He ignored the pain and the blood on his own face.

Kempner, meanwhile, worked a second bullet into the chamber and prepared to fire it, hoping to make up for the first failed shot. But he froze in fear as he looked at his target through the scope. The man’s eyes seemed to be looking right at him, but Kempner could have sworn that those eyes were not human.

They were evil.

He pulled back from the scope and looked down toward the school. The fear was strong, but something else was happening and it distracted him. He discovered that he had just hit a bees hive. Men were coming out of hiding, dressed for combat. It suddenly dawned on him just who they were.

They were agents of AIM.

If Kempner didn’t leave the area soon, they would find him and then kill him.

“Risk was invented by a French movie director named Albert Lamorisse,” Saint began as the game of Risk was about to be played.

Chris rolled her eyes at her husband. “Oh, here we go,” she said, a touch of resignation in her voice.

Saint winked at her and continued. “It was originally released in 1957 in France as La Conquete du Monde, which means The Conquest of the World.”

McLaughlin shook his head. “What is this guy?” he inquired as he looked at Chris. “Does he think he’s the book of useless trivia or something?” He glanced at King, and briefly considered going back on his word.

The people who were holding him as a prisoner claimed to be Christians. New Christians, if that were to be believed, because according to them, the Christians before the prophetical event known as the Rapture were all now gone. They had been taken from the earth. If that were true, right after the event had occurred, there wasn’t one single Christian alive.

Then after the Rapture had occurred, many people became believers and new Christians began to be born again. Erin, Chris, Saint and King were some of those new Christians. However, Erin was an agent of the ATD and King was a terrorist. As McLaughlin joined them in their game of Risk, he wondered what was holding him back from turning the tables and taking King as prisoner. Or even out right killing him altogether.

Was it his honor?

McLaughlin was a man driven by honor. There was nothing more important to him than that. He had lived by it for most of his life. In the line of work he was in, it was part of his duty.

Was it curiosity?

It could be. There was something about these four individuals he found himself joining. He knew without a doubt that they had something. He could see it in their eyes. And King was nothing like what his dossier had read as. McLaughlin found it hard to believe that this terrorist was acting. King seemed to be genuine.

Was there something to being a Christian? Did turning to God and Jesus really change lives?

McLaughlin wasn’t a hundred percent certain it did…but he was beginning to take it all under careful consideration. So he played Risk with them and the first thing he did was take out Chris’ country.

“Thanks,” Chris replied, folding her arms across herself. “Why’d you come after me anyway?”

“You told me you weren’t any good,” McLaughlin replied, “so I went after you first.”

Saint grinned. “Don’t worry, Chris. All things work together for the good to those who love Him.”

McLaughlin looked at him, wondering what that meant. He didn’t ask, however, because he knew if he did, Saint would begin to preach about God.

Saint picked up one of the pink pieces from the board and handed it to McLaughlin. “Keep this.”

McLaughlin took it. “What for?”

Saint shrugged. “A souvenir.”

Frowning, McLaughlin set the piece down and continued with the game. The game progressed for hours and during that time, McLaughlin began to think about other times. He found himself re-evaluating his life. Things had happened in his own past he couldn’t stop thinking about. He didn’t even know why his past was intruding into his thoughts. He tried not to think about it and concentrated on the game.

Hours later, it was just himself and Saint on the board.

Saint had captured King’s country and McLaughlin had taken over not only Chris’ country, but Erin’s as well. After every country had been taken, Saint had handed over one of the pieces to McLaughlin and the secret service agent couldn’t understand why he was doing that. McLaughlin had a black piece, a red piece, a pink piece and a blue piece. The only two colors left were gold and white. His own pieces on the board were gold. Saint’s were white.

As he looked at the board, he realized he was going to win.

Saint suddenly nodded. “I guess this game is yours, my friend. What are you going to do?”

McLaughlin paused. “I’m just going to get up and leave.”

“Why?”

“I can’t stay here.”

Saint regarded him for a moment. He knew McLaughlin was struggling with the Spirit. “The world is different now. You’re going to have to decide where you stand.” He picked up a white piece and a gold piece and handed them to McLaughlin. “Take these pieces and the others I gave you.”

McLaughlin picked them up and looked at the pieces in his hand. “What for? As souvenirs?”

Saint just grinned and nodded.

McLaughlin had no idea why he would keep such souvenirs so he decided to humor the man and put them in his pocket. Then, without another word, he got up, retrieved his weapon from Erin and left the shelter.

When he was gone, the others turned to Saint.

“What are you up to?” Chris asked him.

“Just giving him some time to think,” Saint replied with a shrug.

King nodded. “He did seem to be in the midst of a struggle. I am curious, my brother…What is the significance of giving him pieces of the game?”

Saint smiled. “Just wait. This isn’t over yet.”

The sun was beginning to set as Yorke stood at the fence, which surrounded the Albany Power Plant just outside the city. He put on his headset and then said, “Yo, Crazy Man…” He paused as he looked around. There appeared to be no one else around. “Is this thing on?”

“If you turned it on, then the answer is yes,” Fronk’s voice sounded from the headset. “Would you like me to sing to you as you continue your mission?”

“My mission was to find out about Barrington. Now I feel like a spy in a bad remake of a James Bond flick.” He shook his head. “How come I don’t see any movement here? Shouldn’t there be people at work trying to restore the city’s power?”

“It’s all due to the plan of one Ed Carr, my friend. And his plan is what I intend to undermine.”

“With my help.”

“Precisely.”

Yorke paused. “And you don’t even have an accent.” He reached up, grabbed a hold of a portion of the fence, and began to pull himself up. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”

There was a pause. “You’re doing this because you believe.”

Yorke pulled himself over and landed on his feet on the other side of the fence. He paused. “Yeah…I believe.”

“You, my friend, are one of us. A Gatherer. And what you are doing is for the good of God’s people.”

“I’m not complaining. I just don’t understand why no one is here.” He made his way down the hill until he came to the bottom. Then, he ran toward the back of the building. He put his back to the wall and slowly peered around the corner. “When I see no one, I feel like I’m walking into a trap.”

“Carr doesn’t want anyone there.”

“Why?”

“Because his job there is already done.”

Yorke paused. “He just hasn’t completed the last step of his plan. That’s why I’m here, right?” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small device. It was a Net-gear Wireless G 54 Mbps USB 2.0 Data Traveler. “Wouldn’t he have ordered someone to stick around to keep an eye on the place?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because Carr is overconfident.”

Yorke moved around the corner and approached a door. He stopped suddenly when he noticed something. He replaced the Data Traveler back into his pocket and withdrew his gun. “I may have a situation,” he said, lowering his voice.

“What’s the problem?”

“It looks like someone broke into the plant.” The door had been pried open. It was splintered where the doorknob used to be. He saw the knob on the ground. With his foot, he pushed the door all the way open and peered inside. He removed a small flashlight from his back pocket and shone it inside. When he saw no movement, he went inside, his weapon leading the way and flashlight leading the way. Inside, there was minimal lighting from the Power Plant’s backup generators so he used the flashlight to go forward.

He headed for the area he and Fronk had already discussed. He met with no opposition, but he remained silent as he checked the area. When he arrived at the Control Room of the Power Plant, he found the main computer.

“I found it,” he whispered.

“Huh?” Fronk responded.

“I said I found it.” He looked around. “I don’t see any sign of an intruder, though. Whoever it was could have been here and gone already.” He reholstered his weapon and took out the Date Traveler. “Where do I plug this in?”

“Any USB port will do? You know what that is.”

Yorke sighed. “Yeah, I know what that is. I have a computer at home. The only thing is, smart guy, this computer takes up one whole wall! I don’t see any ports.”

“There has to be an access point to get behind the central computer.”

Yorke went along one side of the wall and made his way toward the other side when he finally came to a narrow door. He opened it and shone his light inside. There was a small access way behind the central computer, just as Fronk had told him. He went inside and found what he was looking for.

“Yeah, okay,” he said. “I found it.”

“Insert the Traveler.”

Yorke did as instructed and then stepped back. “Now what?”

“The transfer shouldn’t take long. A few minutes. Then, take it back and get out of there.”

Yorke frowned. “That’s it?”

“Yepper.”

“Man, I hate waiting.” He leaned against the wall and shone his light further into the access way. “So what are we waiting for?”

“We are waiting for the transfer of data I had prepared for just this occasion. It will rewrite the protocols and firewalls Carr put in place and establish new ones. Ones designed by…yours truly.”

“Okay, tech-head. I got’cha.”

There was a pause.

Suddenly, there was a beep and an indicator on the back of the Data Traveler turned green. “It’s done.” He grabbed the Data Traveler and put it back into his pocket. Then, he was turning to leave but stopped as the beam of his flashlight passed something. He went back and shone it onto what he saw.

“Oh, man….”

“What’s wrong?”

Yorke moved closer and looked closely at what the beam of light was on. “There’s a bomb here.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

“Do you hear me laughing? There’s a bomb right here in the next panel. It’s got a timer and…” He trailed off.

“And what…?”

“It’s going to go off in fifteen minutes.”

“Stop it.”

Yorke let out a sigh. “Man, I’m not a bomb expert. How do you expect me to--?”

That’s when a garrote came around his throat and someone from behind began to strangle him.

“Brian…? Brian!” Fronk exclaimed.

But Yorke was unable to respond.

1 - John 8:44

The garrote was around Yorke’s throat and his attacker was trying to use himself as leverage to choke off the Albany police officer’s air supply. However, the small area behind the Control Room’s main computers was too cramped for fighting. All the terrorist managed to do in his clumsy attack was ruin the element of surprise. Yorke forcibly snapped his head back. The back of his head connected to his attacker’s face and the man let out a groan.

The terrorist attempted to get a strangle hold on the garrote but Yorke shoved himself backwards. The two men fell on the hard ground in the cramped quarters and the garrote around his neck loosened its grip. Yorke managed to get his fingers under the garrote to prevent the man from trying to strangle him further. He rammed his elbow hard into his attackers stomach, and did it once more for good measure. That slackened the garrote even more.

Yorke spun around and punched his attacker in the face, hoping to keep him off balance. He hurried to get back on his feet as he reached for his gun in its holster. Just as he put his fingers around the butt of the gun, the terrorist snap-kicked at Yorke’s leg. The heel of his attacker’s foot slammed into his leg on the side of his knee. Yorke lost his balance and cried out as he used his hands to prevent him from falling. He also was no longer reaching for his gun.

The terrorist tried to kick him again, but Yorke backed away out of reach.

His attacker quickly pulled himself up to his feet and pulled out a knife.

Yorke rubbed his throat, shook his head and withdrew his gun. “Never bring a knife to a gun fight, buddy.” Then, he shot him.

The terrorist went down with a bullet to the chest.

“Brian!” Fronk shouted from the headset.

Yorke let out a sigh. “What? Stop shouting!” He kept his gun leveled at the terrorist, but the man was making no more moves.

“What happened?”

“I got attacked. Probably by the guy who placed this bomb here.” He turned to look at the bomb and noticed the countdown was still ticking off the precious moments before it exploded. “This thing is gonna go off in less than eleven minutes.”

“Describe it.”

Yorke sighed. “It’s a bomb!”

There was a pause. “Yeah, I got that…when you said it was a bomb. What does it look like? And don’t even tell me it looks like a bomb. Is it encased in metal or wood?”

“It’s in a shoebox. There are…” He paused as he looked into the box, shining his light that he had to retrieve from the floor. “…man, there are five sticks of dynamite. They are attached to a red, yellow, and blue wire…No, wait! There’s a green wire, too, and it looks like it’s tucked under the dynamite. The wires are attached to the timer… and…” He stopped.

“And…?”

Yorke frowned. “There are two small containers also attached to the wires. Looks like some type of chemical, but I don’t know what it is.”

“Is there any type of odor?”

Yorke paused to sniff the air. He glanced at the terrorist and was relieved to see he still wasn’t moving. “Yeah,” he finally said. “There’s an odor. It smells like sulfur.”

There was a brief silence. “Okay. I just said a quick prayer. Now go ahead and cut the green wire.”

Yorke blinked. “What do you mean, you just had a quick prayer? Do I cut the green wire or don’t I?”

“Yes…unless you want to cut one of the other wires.”

“Do you want this bomb diffused or not?”

“The green wire.”

“Are you sure, man?”

There was a pause. “Oh, yes. Absolutely. Just cut it and run.”

Yorke let out a deep breath of air, which he had been holding as he waited for Fronk’s response. “Man…I don’t even have something to cut this with! I need you to stop messing around and just tell me if it is the green wire or isn’t!”

“Well, now…that is a dilemma.”

“What?”

“How are you going to cut it? Even if you have a knife, you have to be careful not to shake the two containers while they are attached to the dynamite and timer.”

“Well, that’s helpful!”

“Do you have anything you can use to cut the red wire?”

Yorke reached into his pocket and pulled out something that might work. “I have a pair of nail-clippers.” His eyes widened as he realized what Fronk had said. “The red wire! But before, you were telling me green!”

“I do mean the green one. I really do.”

He took a deep breath. “Man, you’d better be right.”

“Cut the green wire with the clippers.”

Yorke put his little flashlight into his mouth and used it to light his way to the bomb. He took a hold of the green wire and taking a deep breath, he reached in with his nail-clippers. He placed the wire into the clippers, and then he cut it. He squeezed the clippers tight until he was certain it cut through the wire.

Then, he brought his hands out slowly and peered into the box.

The green wire was cut.

The timer had stopped.

Yorke laughed. “I don’t believe it! How did you know it was the green wire?”

There was a pause. “The Bible says to lay ‘aside all malice and all guile, and hypocrisy and envy…1’ They say envy is green.”

Yorke swallowed. “Are you telling me you had me cut the green wire because the Bible says to lay envy, which is green, aside?”

“Yep.”

“You really are crazy!”

Standing at the door, Shiva looked outside and saw a great amount of activity. There were men dressed in black, wearing Kevlar vests and carrying automatic rifles zeroing in on an area a couple of hundred yards away from the school. They were focusing their attention on top of a steep hill across the track field.

“Come on, Marc!” Fuller exclaimed. “We’ve got to find locker number 832!”

While the activities outside heated up with the sounds of automatic gunfire, Fuller and Shiva hurried along the High School’s corridors, in search of Locker #832. After checking several corridors, they finally came to a corridor where the lockers were numbered in their 800’s. Quickly scanning the numbers, they finally came to the locker they sought.

Fuller held the key in his hand, but as he looked at the locker, he frowned. “There’s no place to use a key.”

Shiva frowned. “It’s a combination lock. Do you know the combination?”

Fuller shook his head.

“Okay…step back.”

Fuller did as instructed.

Shiva kicked the door to the locker twice. The first time, he dented the door, causing it to buckle inward. The second kick snapped off the top hinge. The ex-wrestler grabbed a hold of the top of the door and pulled it back. Then, he waved toward the open locker.

“It’s all yours,” he said.

Fuller nodded his appreciation and looked inside the locker. Books, notebooks, and a jean jacket were what he discovered. However, his eyes widened when he saw a white lockbox. He reached down and picked it up. He inserted the key into it and turned it. He was about to open it when he and Shiva heard a commotion coming from one of the joint corridors.

He locked the box up and sighed. “We can’t take the time to look through it here. Let’s take it back with us.”

Shiva agreed.

The two turned and headed back the way they came. Fuller carried the lockbox with him. On their way out, they soon discovered that someone was waiting for them right at the main entrance of the school. A man stood there, glaring at them. He didn’t move toward them, but he didn’t get out of their way either. There were several cuts on his face.

To Fuller and Shiva’s surprise, they heard a low, feral growl coming from the man. They exchanged looks.

Shiva swallowed. “Do you feel that?” he whispered.

Fuller nodded.

The hairs on the backs of their arms were rising and an almost overpowering feeling of fear and dread began to take hold of them.

Fuller let out a sigh. “This man has been in the Federal Building before, Marc. I‘m sure of it.”

Shiva frowned. “This is that presence you were telling me about earlier? The one you felt at the Federal Building?”

“Yes. I…I felt this man’s…or at least this evil presence. The same presence we’re feeling now.”

Shiva looked at the man who was still standing in front of the doors. “Why is he just standing there?”

Fuller paused. “I’m not sure.” He turned to regard Shiva. “Wait a minute…” He smiled wryly. “‘Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.’ James 4:7.”

The man at the door narrowed his eyes and scowled hard at them.

“Let’s go, Marc. We haven’t got time for this.” Fuller began to move forward, grim determination in his steps. And something else.

He walked with authority.

Shiva couldn’t help but be encouraged and so he walked beside Fuller.

As they neared the door, Fuller said in a loud voice, “All authority belongs to our risen Lord and Savior, and His work will not be hindered by the likes of you!” He raised his hand and waved for the man to move. “Now step aside in the name Jesus!”

The man gnashed his teeth and shook his fists into the air, but he stepped aside. It was as if he couldn’t step aside fast enough. He turned his back and kept his face away from them. Fuller and Shiva just kept walking with their heads held high and with their faith leading the way. They quickly got into their car, and as Shiva started it up, he heard the sounds of a motorcycle.

He glanced toward the hill beyond the track field. Whoever the agents were that had showed up unexpectedly, they seemed to be after the person on the motorcycle.

“Drive, Marc,” Fuller replied. “The sooner we get back, the better.”

Shiva put the vehicle in gear and drove away from the school. Behind them, the man who had tried to block their path came out of the high school and glared hatefully at them until they were gone from his sight.

Saint waited until he was certain enough time had passed before he got up and headed for the shelter’s only exit. The others knew what he was purposing to do so they gathered in a group, held hands, and prayed.

Saint climbed out of the shelter, and looked to see if McLaughlin had left.

McLaughlin hadn’t. He was standing by the wooden fence, looking out onto the open meadow. He held the six pieces of the Risk board game in his hand that Saint had given to him and looked at them curiously. He didn’t understand the significance of the gesture and realized there was only one way to find out what it all meant.

So as Saint approached, he said, “You’re crafty, I’ll give you that.”

“Jesus did say to be ‘wise as serpents and harmless as doves. 2’” He came up next to him and leaned his arms over the fence. “Thought you would have been gone by now.”

McLaughlin shook his head. “No, you didn’t. You knew I’d be out here waiting for you to explain these.” He showed him the Risk pieces. “That’s why you gave them to me, isn’t it? So I’d be curious enough to hang around.”

Saint smiled. “It worked, didn’t it?”

“It shouldn’t have. Why should I