__BOOK 2 - LIGHTNING’S CALL, SUDDEN LIGHTNING, …



THE LAST ANGEL

An End-Times Thriller

by

D. J. HARDY

This book may not be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the author.

The Last Angel is a work of fiction. All characters, events, and places described in this work are purely fictitious and from the imagination of the author. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead is entirely coincidental.

Daniel J. Hardy

14082 E. Chenango Drive

Aurora, Colorado 80015

(720) 870-2385

danjhardy@

word count = 114,000/ 509 double spaced pages

Chapter 1

Bruce Crum winced from the sound of the blaring music as he looked again at the spotted rear window on the television monitor. The van's window was out of his control; his cousin's music was not. The Southern gospel choir singing Handel's Messiah reverberated inside the walls until the window danced. Les needs to be more discreet.

"You know better," he mouthed angrily, not wanting to add to the imagined sounds being heard on the outside. "If the boss hears of this, we'll be in for it."

"Adjust your focus, Crum," Les Hollen countered with a laugh. He lowered the sound with his remote, and studied the television image. A sharp thump came from below and the van swayed for a moment. At the same time his right hand bounced in tune with the now subdued music as if it held a baton.

Bruce yelled, "we just had another earthquake," then shook his head in exasperation as he ignored the earth tremor. He was getting too old for this line of work, but what else was he good for? His retirement fund took a massive hit during the recession brought on the comet, or meteor, that wiped out a lot of the West coast Now he feared he'd have to keep working until he stopped breathing. At least he and his cousin made exceptional paychecks when the paydays came around.

Still, life might have been different if he pursued his love of photography. But, before graduating from high school Rene Paxton came along and showed him and his cousin a better way to make a living. Yes! Assassinating people is a very good profession if you stay smart about it.

Bruce knew that Les was getting up for the job by playing that particular piece, A long time ago, maybe forty assignments and a lifetime earlier, he and Les used to hum the Hallelujah Chorus as the conclusion of their work. Somewhere along the way, they started whistling. Now, they found themselves singing the chorus as a finale to the hit.

Squinting through the camera’s viewfinder, as he sharpened the image, he slid a finger between the curtains draped against the rear windows and peaked out.

"Still fuzzy," Bruce stated his voice now calmer and thankful that he could hear himself think.

Les turned the music totally off by setting it on pause then moved forward to the control center and stared at the monitor. "The pictures as good as we can get it.

"The windows are still wet and dirty," Bruce complained. "We should have cleaned them before parking. Now we'll have to let the air dry them. "I doubt if we have time to wait much longer."

Two hours later, with the sun high and the van getting warm, a sound from the bedroom alerted Les to movement. He pressed an earphone closer to his head and looked at his watch; 9:30.

"I think I hear movement. She's rustling around in the bed. Might be getting up any second."

"It's about time." Bruce looked at his watch and slid back the front curtain separating the makeshift command center from the front seats. Now that it was daylight, no one could see the lights of the console from the outside.

Bruce felt the familiar nervousness taking hold of him as he asked, "Are we ready? Check everything again." He shot a glance toward his partner, hoping to see some like sign of nervousness.

Les sat at the controls with total calm and listened. Les is always the calm one. He was always cool.

Sensing Bruce's nervousness, Les turned and studied his friends tan face. It now carried the sheen of perspiration. After this is over, Bruce would calm down and talk his head off.

"Relax, Cuz. You always do this to me."

"Do what?" Bruce’s voice stiffened as he forced down the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"You know. You always get nervous when things start to happen, when this is finish, you wonder what there was to get so excited about. So far every job we’ve pulled has been a success. Everything’s going to be fine."

Les smiled at the ring of graying hair on Bruce’s balding head. Dressed right he'd look like a fifteenth century monk.

(Why are we doing this?" Bruce's tension was eating at his reasoning. (Video taping the front of this building is ridiculous. We’ve never done anything so stupid.(

(We’re giving the customer what he wants,( Les answered. (It doesn’t make sense to me either, but the Rene says it won’t interfere with our work. So we do it.

(The boss better start rejecting some of these crazy demands.(

Les watched Bruce sweep his hand across the bald spot. It was a sure sign he was irritated. "Settle down, Mister Crum. It's almost over."

Les returned to fine-tuning the television image of the Westminster, Colorado, high-rise condo. The back spray of water and road dirt on the window from last-nights drizzle was really affecting the quality of the picture.

Bruce placed a hand on Les’ shoulder. (If this video turns out to be important, the boss is really going to be upset.( He peaked between the rear curtains one more time at the dirty windows. To clean it now, in broad daylight, might draw to much attention.

(Stop worrying about it,( Les answered. (But I'll tell you something to worry about. Someone will investigate this one, no matter how accidental we make it look.(

Les gave a final adjustment to the video monitor and reached toward the shelf holding the video and audio recorders. He set the two VCRs to record. Then he checked to see if the second camera hidden among the bathroom's vanity lights was transmitting. It wasn’t, but he expected it to come to life when the switch was turned on. "When she turns on the lights, we’ll have her."

Bruce scratched his forehead before saying, "Rene thinks this one stepped on some important toes. She read the book the lady co-authored with another archaeologist; a guy named Peter Meirs. I remember Rene talking about the assignments run-ins with some very nasty people. As I remember there was first a team of Islamic terrorists after her. They all got killed - mission failed. Then two Russian/American assassins nearly got her during the last Israeli war. They also got themselves killed. After that she got in the way of some Jewish rabbi. Seems someone is still after her. One thing's for sure. Whoever they are, they have deep pockets.(

"Personally, I think we’re working for a bunch of fruitcakes," Les retorted. "This babe's not a threat to anyone. I think there’s something bigger working out here."

"Who cares? The money’s good. We just need to make sure that we don’t end up like all the guys three years ago.(

"Rene told me something interesting about her too," Les added. "Seems like Miss Makray has some kind of spiritual visions thing going for her. One of these things led her and Mister Meirs to discover the Ark of the Covenant. Now that really made the Muslim's clergy mad. A whole lot of them in the Middle East still have her on their death lists."

"That may be the deep pockets who are paying for all this," Les said.

"I remember reading something about that," Bruce added. "Her team found two arks. The Israeli Mossad stole them both and it plunged Israel into war. They nearly lost their nation over some piece of old furniture.(

"Correction, Mr. Crum. One of the arks was a fake and fairly new in its creation. The one Miss Makray found is the genuine article. Now the Jews are building a whole building just to house the darn thing. We hit a few people every year and the world goes on, but she finds a relic in a cave and the world comes unglued. I just hope Rene knows what she’s doing.(

"Well," said Bruce. "I’ll be glad when we're finish and we can go home.(

"Me, too," Les exhaled in agreement. "For all we know, someone is going to blow up the condo and we’re here to tape it.(

"That's it!" Bruce exclaimed. "We're here to take the fall for the real hit!"

"Hold it," Mr. Crum. "Don't go off the deep end. Keep your mind on business."

Les gave a round of final adjustments to the recorders and pressed closer to the small shelf holding the equipment; his belly folded over the table's edge and rested its bulk on the surface like a walrus. He then caught Bruce eyeing his stomach.

"I'll start exercising," Les answered for the unspoken word that he imagined Bruce was thinking. He affectionately patted his belly. "But I also have an image to protect, Mister Crum." A wide grin filled his face and his eyes twinkled as he waited for Bruce's reply. He knew one was coming.

"Image is one thing, but your gut is becoming a little too big for your own good. You're having trouble reaching the controls. Maybe you need to retire and drive a school bus."

"That's a good idea, Mister Crum, but I like not fitting the stereotype," He laughed. "People just seem to trust me."

Les turned back to the control panel and the bank of green lights. One sat unlit. He pressed the headset closer to his ears while spinning the rotary dial until it pointed to the one unlit light. "We have good signals. This must be a bad bulb."

"Here it goes," Bruce said as he taped the bulb and the light turned green. He read the note taped above the light. "Bedroom". The tape recorder below it was recording.(

"It's about time," Les replied as he glanced at the sliver of bright light stabbing between the rear curtains. "Who knew she'd sleep late today."

* * *

Kendra Makray awoke with her eyes still closed. The details of the dream vanished and she desperately tried to recall every scene. She knew the highlights but wanted more details.

In the dream she and Pete were married - fat chance. The jerk has a bevy of girlfriends parading in and out of his home. That fact came to light when she visited his ranch unannounced. Pete made a stab at a joke, about the young lady sitting on his couch coming over to borrow sugar. Kendra knew that the nearest house sat a half a mile away. "I'll bet he gave her some sugar," she growled. Her eyes snapped open with anger as she flung the covers back. She still felt the daggers shooting from that neighbor's narrowing eyes.

* * *

Les stared at the control panel and pressed and earphone closer to his ear. He heard the faint sounds of unclear words. The opening of a closet door indicated that Kendra was up and around. "If she holds to her routine, she’ll be heading for the tub in a few minutes."

He glanced at the two close-up photos of their smiling target hanging above the console. One picture sent by an informant, and taken two years earlier in Jordan, was dog-eared on the corners, apparently from too much handling. It showed Kendra Makray tanned and blond. In a more recent photo, taken last month by Rene, her skin looked lighter and her hair browner. Both photos easily revealed striking emerald-green eyes.

A light for the sound-activated microphone in the bathroom indicated her presence. "We have incoming from the vanity light," Les said as he quickly studied the video indicator light marked "Bathroom". The trouble son light went again off, but the recorder was capturing the sound of rushing water. "She’s starting her bath," he said as he flipped another switch. The black and white images from the hidden camera filled the monitor and revealed Kendra in shorty pajamas reaching an arm down to test the water. She stood up, looked at herself in the vanity mirror then left the bathroom.

Les glanced up to watch as other microphones picked up her travel. "She’s heading down the hall. Just entered the kitchen."

"Turn up the signal from the kitchen, Hollen. The boss says Kendra makes an excellent blend of Kona coffees. Maybe we should ask Rene to bring us a couple of cups. That would make this a perfect ending for a late start."

Les grunted as he kept an eye on the controls. "I’m sure it tastes good, but give me Tampa any day, even with the mosquitoes and alligators; I can't wait to be back there drinking that battery acid from the diner. This climate's too damn dry." His wide-set button-eyes studied the reflection in his hanging mirror. He winced at the dry skin flaking around the pimples protruding near his large nose.

Deep crease lines because of the dry air marred the perpetual smile on his thin lips. He looked old and hated it. Irritated by the dry skin and the premature aging, he grabbed a tube of lotion from the shelf, squeezed out a mound and began lubricating his hands and face before going back to work.

Bruce sat next to him listening as Kendra ground the beans and prepared the coffee maker. He even heard the water gurgling as it boiled and drained noisily into the pot.

Les brushed away a strand of hair dangling before his eyes. He hadn’t showered this morning, and his hair rebelled against every effort to tame it. In the mirror it looked coarse, dirty, and dyed a cheap black. He felt old and in need of his morning shower. Frustrated he swept the hair back with both hands and pushed it through a ponytail twist.

Bruce sat straight up and at full alert when the hall monitor jumped to life. "She’s heading back to the bathroom."

Both men leaned forward to watch Kendra slip out of her pajamas and place a foot into the tub. When she finally sat down, all they saw were shins and feet. Both stared hoping to see more, but the sliding glass doors hid most of her from view.

Next time Les and Bruce would give Rene some pointers about the proper placement of the camera.

Les frowned as he quipped, "What a shame we're missing the good stuff." He then noticed the anger in his partner’s face. "Stop that," he growled.

"I know," Bruce moaned. But every time we do something like this, I think about what I’m missing."

Les recalled with disgust the lady who took care of them when they were two years old. "We killed her and that's that," he said with finality, not explaining his thoughts. His voice had echoed his pleasure at the taking of revenge on the woman.

"You should take pride in how accidental we made it look,"

Burse added without hearing the details of Les's thoughts.

"I do, but when I'm around a beauty like this, I can't help but think of that piece of filth turning us into eunuchs. When I get home, I’m going to visit her grave and pour grass-killer on it."

"You do that," Les laughed. "What’s past is past, Cuz. She paid the ultimate price for her dastardly deeds."

Deep inside his heart he hated the babysitter just as much as Bruce did, but somewhere along the way, he finally accepted what they became.

"Eunuchs we were made and eunuchs we are," he said quietly. "Yesterday will never return, Mister Crum. We have to live in the here and now. Tomorrow we reap more riches. Only the future matter."

He released the pause switch on the CD player, and started humming along with a now softly playing Handel's Messiah. The irritation wracking his soul slowly faded. Feeling emotionally up-lifted, he shot a glance at Bruce knowing the medicine of music was infectious.

He noticed Bruce letting out a sigh as he slouched in his seat.

When Bruce sagged like that, Les felt like a failure.

"I know you’re right," answered Bruce after a long silence. "I have to stay focused on business. It is better to think of another stack of greenbacks feeding the wall safe, instead of yesterday's pain.(

The grin on Les’ face widened as he sensed the change in Bruce. "Hallelujah!" he laughed.

"Hallelujah," Bruce shouted back. "It's time we call the boss."

Chapter 2

Rene Paxton flipped open her cell phone, and heard Les and Bruce humming Handel's Messiah. She rolled her eyes and imagined the boys getting ready for the kill. Lately, both men liked to sing when the coup de grace was about to be administered. It always started with Les. Bruce nearly always joined in near the finish.

The music really irritated her, and she felt that this little quirk might someday get them in trouble. She was sure of it. "Hello," she snapped and waited impatiently for one of them to speak.

Bruce's voice appeared. When he ended his message, Rene turned off the phone and unplugged the adapter from the cigarette lighter. Then she reached for her makeup kit.

She raised the mirror and studied her face. A spot on the chin caught her eye, so she applied another pat of black powder over the spot. Satisfied that the five o’clock shadow looked real, she turned her attention to the wig. Rene didn’t want any of her shoulder length, strawberry-blonde hair peaking out to blow her disguise. Finally, she took a last bite of her breakfast burrito and chased it down with orange juice. Satisfied that everything was ready, she opened the car door. It was time to go.

Rene waited a second beside the cars as pain and stiffness from an old hip injury made her grimace. She took a few awkward steps at first, but her stride improved with each move. The limp finally vanished, yet a twinge of pain remained. She controlled the impulse to favor the good leg and forced herself to walk smoothly toward the building.

Dressed in blue Levi, a man’s brown work belt, and a man’s denim work shirt, she carried a lunch pack full of gear and looked like any nondescript young men coming home from working the swing shift. Brown, custom-made running shoes, made to look like work shoes, covered her feet.

A sidewalk led between two large trees and took her around to the front of the building. She headed straight for the main door with her senses totally attuned to the surroundings. A school bus drove by on the front street. She followed it with her peripheral vision and let it settle on the team's stolen van.

Arriving at the main entrance, she unlocked the security door with a duplicate passkey and entered. Ahead of her, across a short marbled lobby, elevator doors sat open and waiting. She entered the nearest one, pulled on rubber gloves and pressed "7".

At the seventh floor, Rene stepped out and looked around. Everything was familiar. She bugged each room in the target’s condo a week earlier and also installed a micro video camera in the bathroom. Everything made possible courtesy of a drunken maintenance worker and his borrowed keys.

As she walked briskly to the door marked 710, Rene pulled out the copied maintenance master key. She started her stopwatch and entered. Quietly closing the door behind her, she listened to the sound of rushing bath water, just as she expected.

Rene crossed the living room, hoping Kendra was still in the tub. If they met, she'd have to kill her immediately and that sure wouldn't look like an accident.

Hurrying down the short hall she stopped in front of the bathroom door, held her breath, and listened. The door sat open less than an inch, but that was more than enough to see what she wanted. The legs in the tub sent her confidence soaring. The job was going as planned.

* * *

Kendra sat in the tub letting the hot sudsy, bath-oil laden water rise to her toes. The intriguing dream reappeared, the coupling of the rocky mass that circled the earth and Pete fighting an army circling her. It ended with Pete standing in front of her with a bouquet of roses.

She visualized him standing before her. Peter Meirs was six feet two inches, all man, and he was hers, and sometimes she hated him. His dark hair was rarely perfectly combed. She liked it that way. Strong boned, muscular, and intelligent, he saved her life so many times it read like a made for TV drama. But these dramas had been for real.

She winced for an instant as she remembered the scars covering his body. All came from fighting to save her life during the 3 1/2 day war in Israel.

One especially long knife slash on his chest came from an enemy soldier. All the others came from the two assassins sent to kill her.

The killer they named Moonface nearly succeeded, she remembered with a shudder. She was trapped in the rubble of the Afula police station. Pete lay wounded in the hospital tent, and she needed to get away from all the dying. Moonface appeared a few blocks away. She and Esther ran back into the rubble of the police station.

They were alone with no one to help. They only survived by the grace of God and a pipe. She smashed the pipe against his face when he came around a corner. She felt good about that. It was Pete who saved her all the other times. They were so numerous she stopped counting, but she knew one thing. She owed her life to him.

Maybe I should have married him, she thought. If that mountain coming down closer to the earth doesn't kills me first. She rejected that thought and instead dwelt on Pete. She loved him, but he didn't give much thought to the thing that really mattered to her; like God, fidelity and all that stuff.

"The Bible has a phrase for it," she whispered, "being unequally yoked."

Besides, Pete became a regular Casanova in the three years they'd been home. She never forgave him for that. Without a firmly established moral code, knowing right from wrong, he proved what decisions he'd make when attractive women threw themselves at him. Marriage to Peter Meirs would have been heartbreaking.

The impulse to cry overwhelmed her.

* * *

Rene gently opened the door a few more inches, while watching the tub and the crinkled images of Kendra Makray. Soap bubbles built little geodesic domes around the toes of her feet.

A glance at the vanity revealed the hair-dryer waiting to be used. Rene lunged for the hairdryer then shoving the door fully open,

"Who’s there?" yelled a startled Kendra. "Pete? Is that you?"

Rene knew the sounds of fright and enjoyed the shock that surprise created.

Kendra jumped up and slammed the glass doors shut.

Fast, Rene thought, but useless.

"Who are you? What are you doing here? Get out before I call the police."

Rene turned on the hairdryer, yanked the tub door back, and tossed the dryer through the opening. As the dryer splashed into the soapy water, she heard a muted scream.

Holding the shower door close, Rene watched the crinkled form of Kendra's body fall into the tub with a thump. The lights in the room went dark and Rene knew she found the right circuit breaker.

Silence.

Rene slid back the door. A listless leg fell out the door and lay across the edge of the tub. The wet foot dripped water around the nearby toilet. Kendra laid motionless and sprawled crossways in the tub. Her eyes were glazed and out of focus. A trickle of blood from her head spilled down the side of the tub.

Rene congratulated herself on another job well done. She pulled out her cell phone, and spoke; "I'm done. Piece of cake. Wrap it up." Leaving the phone on, she turned her attention to the camera and audio bug in the vanity lights. Reaching behind the diffuser she unscrewed the camera and bug and hurried to the bedroom.

* * *

Both men sat glued to the small monitor until the screen went blank. Exhilarated by the success of their mission they quickly removed the audio and videotapes.

"What a shocking end for such a nice girl, Mister Hollen," Bruce quipped with a deadpan expression. "I really enjoy watching."

"Absolutely electrifying, Mister Crum," replied Les. "One hundred amps to a nickel, we won’t be back here again."

Les was feeling the thrill of his first kill reignite. "I do love watching them die. It felt almost as good as the killing of our baby-sitter twenty years ago. For some strange reason, this kill feels almost as good, and Kendra Makray never did anything to us."

Bruce glanced back at his partner’s eyes while dismantling the video camera. "I think you are saying that because she was a pretty one.(

"Concentrate on the job," Les snapped. "Think of the money. It's the money that makes the world go round and it truly takes away a lot of sorrow. But have you noticed that we need more and more jobs to keep us satisfied?(

"No, I haven’t noticed," said Bruce as he paused to slip back the curtains covering the rear windows. "Go and buy yourself something expensive. Let's wrap it up. We have places to go and expensive things to buy."

Bruce moved forward, sat down in the driver’s, and attached the seat belt.

Les flicked off the recorders and shut down the power to his equipment. He shoved all the tapes into a burn bag that would self-destruct if opened incorrectly. "Next stop is the car-wash and a good washing - in and out. Where was that car-wash you selected?"

"Oh! Oh!" Bruce pointed to a man who just drove up and parked six stalls away. He watched the man get out and open a door for a little girl. That guy looked familiar. He studied the photos taped against the wall. "We have trouble."

Les peered over Bruce’s shoulder at the man and girl then studied the photo taped next to Kendra’s. It was Peter Meirs. "Quick! Get Rene out of there."

* * *

Rene growled as she grabbed the ringing phone. "I’m busy! What is it?"

"Boss," whispered Bruce, "you’ve got company. Get out of there. Peter Meirs and the kid, they've just arrived."

Rene shoved the phone into her pocket and calculating how much time she had. She hurried to complete the task of collecting all the listening devices. To have an operation end prematurely just irritated her.

She hurried for a last look at Kendra. The hair dryer now sat on the floor. Rene guessed that Kendra’s leg kicked it out as her muscles convulsed. Kendra looked deader than a doornail.

Close the bathroom door she rushed to the front door, with all the bugging units safely tucked inside her bag, she scanned the room, trying to remember anything she might have missed.

Locking the front-door dead bolt from the hallway side and pressed "Stop" on her watch. Thirty-five seconds had elapsed. "Not enough time," she mumbled in frustration.

At the elevator she stopped and listened. The sound of the heavy-duty elevator motor running chilled her. She looked for the nearest exit. Both sat at each end of the hall.

Quietly running, she entered the stairwell and peered through the safety glass. The door finished closing just as the elevator opened. She waited and watched.

A man reciting poetry exited carrying a young girl on his shoulders.

Rene saw the man’s face for a moment but easily identified him. What’s he doing here?

She looked at her stopwatch again as she hurried down the steps. Thirty-five seconds. She needed five minutes. No one answering the door ought to provide enough time to guarantee death. She laughed to herself as she thought of Pete standing at Kendra's door wondering why there was no answer.

Outside she walked briskly to her car and called Bruce to let him know she was safe.

Once seated inside her car, she tried to relax.

Quickly starting the engine, she saw her hands trembling as they gripped the steering wheel. Hyperventilating to help relieve the tension she slowly drove away.

A quick glance up the parking lot told her the paneled van had already left. Later in the day, after she returned to Tampa, she'd wait for the Express mail and review the tapes. She might even finish the report before the boys returned.

Glancing at the rearview mirror she saw the high-rise condo vanish behind the trees. The sun warmed her as she headed south to Sixth Avenue and the long way to Denver International Airport. Weather forecasters said that the day was going to be a cooker. Rene smiled. Kendra Makray would agree with them.

Satisfaction filled her face when she turned onto a busy street and vanished in the crowd. With another successful job behind her, she concentrated on her driving.

Chapter 3

Pete Meirs rang the doorbell a second time. "She’ll be here any second," he said reassuringly to Esther and wondered what was taking Kendra so long. He checked his watch. Ever since that collision with the asteroid it was hard to tell the time by sunlight. The wobbling of the earth is messing up with my life, he thought as he rang the door bell again. The lady was the most gorgeous creature he ever met, but she was slow - always busy with something. He thought about her great personality, long sandy brown hair, striking emerald eyes, flawless complexion, luscious breast, a perfect five-foot-eight height for him never stopped drawing him closer. He stopped worrying about the earth and suppressed the desire to kick down the door. The thought of seeing her always excited him. "Maybe she's still sleeping."

He almost used the key Kendra gave him a long time ago. Another time, he thought. Ever since she changed her mind about marriage, he'd been walking on eggs around her.

She accepted his proposal three years ago, but after returning to the States her desire to marry cooled like a Colorado lake in January. He relished the university speaking circuits and tried to explain the photos of him and other women, but the damage had been done. When he returned home after the last tour she simply said, "We're not ready."

It took two years for that refusal to stop hurting, and her teasing as if nothing happened dug a blade in his soul that burned with intense pain. It was time he took charge and set her straight. He wanted to settle down.

Looking down at seven-year-old Esther Yehezkel standing by his side, he easily realized that he wasn't getting any younger. Esther's wavy dark brown hairs hung shiny and clean to the small of her back. It went well with her blue eyes and olive complexion. It was time Kendra and Esther, the two real loves in his life, came to live with him as a family.

He gently brushed his hand across the top of Esther's head. No kid ever liked him before, or maybe it was he never permitted any kid to like him. Where's Lora when he needed a psychologist.

He looked affectionately at the young girl. Lora, Kendra's sister, the therapist in the family, made the different with Esther.

Three years ago Esther was a psychologically scarred, mute who couldn't walk, the boating accident that claimed both of her parents took place two years earlier. Later, during the war, Esther witnessed killers torturing and killing her grandmother and the problem compounded. Now she talked like a champ and was growing up healthy and confident.

He stared at the door hoping when a tug at his hand cleared his thoughts, and he looked down at Esther. She said nothing but her big brown eyes spoke volumes.

Pete guessed that her old wounds still lurked in the recesses of her memories. She was clearly frightened.

Without saying a word she pounded on the door with her little fist and cried out almost in panic, "Kendra, open up. It's me, Esther."

Pete found himself chuckling. He was always delighted when Esther invited herself to his place for the night. He wished she stayed a week.

"You know," he said, trying to lighten up the fears settling over her. "Old Henry didn’t even object to your being at my place last night. That's a good sign. Maybe that old rooster is finally mellowing. You have to talk Kendra into marrying me. It’ll be good for the old guy to get used to use all living at the house."

Pete rang the doorbell again and slipped the key into the lock. His patience growing thin. Once inside he called out his presence but there was no answer. Esther rushed past him and headed for the bedroom. He followed, but at a more cautious pace.

Pete saw Esther standing at the bathroom door. She tapped the door with her foot and called out.

Pete also called out Kendra's name as he walked toward the bathroom. He went to the door and knocked. No answer. He looked at Esther. "She has to be in there."

Without waiting Esther opened the door as Pete backed away. He noticed that the room was dark.

A cry alerted him to something wrong. "Uncle Pete!" Esther cried out again. She was clearly scarred.

The fear in Esther's voice told him something was really wrong. He rushed in and, flipped the light switch. There were no lights on but he easily saw Esther staring into the tub.

Then Kendra's leg fell across the tub's shoulder and hung out the shower door.

'Quick! Call 911. Tell them that your godmother has fallen in the tub."

Esther sprung past him and headed for the land-line phone as he studied Kendra's breathing and saw nothing moving.

"Tell them she's not breathing," he yelled. "Hurry!"

Without waiting he reached under her arms and lifted Kendra out of the tub. His eyes flicked quickly over her, hoping to see signs of life.

That hope quickly vanished.

Opening her mouth, he pulled her tongue forward and ran a finger inside, feeling for any obstruction lodged in her throat.

Finding the passage clear, he pinched her nose closed and began mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. He hoped it wasn't too late. Now it was a race against time.

Breathing air into her lungs, counting, and pushing below her sternum, he thought of praying to God, but felt like a hypocrite. He also hoped he didn't break her ribs.

"They're coming," Esther said as she ran back into the room. "Is she okay?"

"I don’t know, Hon. Do me a favor. Go wait downstairs for the ambulance and lead them up here. Hurry, there's not a minute to lose."

He went back to his CPR hoping there'd be a sign of life but her heart did not start.

Frustrated and fearful of losing her, he pounded on her chest, just above the heart. If she survived, she'd hurt from the bruises.

Kendra’s body flinched. He sensed that her heart was beating; He went back to doing CPR and hoped the paramedic arrived soon.

He stopped and yelled at her. "You can't leave me!" and again pounded on her chest. "Breathe!" he yelled. "Breathe," and went back to doing CPR.

Movement below his mouth startled him as her lips convulsed away from his. He pulled back and watched her head rock.

His shoulder dropped with relief as he watched the rise and fall of her breathing. Leaning against the wall his head drop to his chest. It was then that he noticed her ankles.

He studied her face and hair then noticed blood on the floor. It came from the back of her head. She was bleeding. Yanking a towel from the rack he folded it and used it as a compress.

Satisfied that she wasn't going to bleed to death, he glanced down at her ankle, but couldn't figure out why they were blistered. Then he saw the hairdryer.

"She wouldn't have done that," he mumbled as he thought aloud. He shook his head, knowing she didn't do that. She wouldn't take a plugged-in hairdryer into the tub.

"All right," Pete said, suddenly feeling very tired. He remembered Esther dialing 911 and going downstairs to wait for the paramedics. "I better get you covered. Don't leave me." He hoped she heard him and fearfully thought about possible brain damage. The thought filled his mind.

Noise in the front room alerted him to the presence of others.

Esther hurried into the bathroom and two husky firemen rushed in. Pete explained what little he knew.

"We’ll take over," said the first paramedic. "You may have saved her life."

The second paramedic knelt beside Kendra and strapped a blood pressure cuff to her arm.

Esther stood outside as Pete left the room and stood beside her. Her little hands reaching for his.

Two more paramedics arrived and stood at the bathroom doorway. The patches on their white shirts indicated an ambulance service. They weren't needed but he was glad to see them.

His relief turned to anger as the fireman kneeling next to Kendra shoved the towel covering her to the side. The medic placed a stethoscope to her chest and listened.

Pete felt enraged as he sensed the others were taking in her nudity as she lay helpless at their feet. If these people weren't needed he'd throw them all out. Somehow he controlled his anger.

Pete watched with satisfaction as the medic leaning over Kendra removed the stethoscope and replaced the towel.

The second medic said something to the first and moved to her feet. Pete saw him studying the red blisters around her ankles. After spraying them with what he guessed to be an antibiotic, the medic loosely wrapped them in gauze.

"We’ll take her to Saint Anthony Central, on West 16th Avenue," said one of the ambulance drivers.

"I want to get her covered first," Pete said roughly, with more of a command. "I'll put the robe on her."

"Bring it along. She'll be covered with a sheet. Maybe you can pack a few other things and bring them along."

After setting a brace around her neck, and covering her with the sheet as promised, the ambulance team lifted her onto a gurney, strapped her down, and headed for the door, the ambulance, and the hospital.

In seconds Pete followed with Esther. He continued to blink his headlights to indicate that he was with the speeding ambulance and stayed as close to it as safety permitted. A glance out of his eye at Esther told him that she was frightened. He presumed it was more because of his driving that it was of Kendra’s condition. After all she was alive.

“She’ll be all right now," he said and gave her a quick pat on the shoulder as he concentrated on driving.

At this moment her being alive was all he felt sure of, hoping there was no other damage; like brain damage. He glanced again at Esther. She sat staring blankly out the window, chewing silently on a fingernail.

* * *

Immersed in the smells and sounds of the Presperterian-St. Luke emergency ward, Pete stood across from Dr. Gannon. Kendra lay on the bed; her upper torso propped up on the adjustable bed. Esther sat holding her hand. He watched Kendra grab her throat, trying to talk, and wince.

He wished the pain away, but it didn't work. In a week she'd be talking her head off as she explained for the hundredth time what happened, but for right now her throat was a problem.

Dr. Gannon spoke quickly. "You have a tube down your throat. Your tongue is swollen. The tube is to help you breathe. You’ve received severe second-degree burns on your ankles and tailbone. You also have four bleeding burns on your chest."

Pete saw the doctor's eyes shift toward him then back at his patient.

"They’ve been accounted for, referring to her chest, as he concentrated on Kendra. The other burns have all the symptoms of alternating current burns. Nod your head if you remember anything electrical falling into the tub with you?"

Pete saw her try to speak, but no intelligible sounds came from her throat.

"Just get some rest," Dr. Gannon said. He held a finger to his lips for her not to speak. "I’ve just given you something that should make you more comfortable. The swelling of your tongue will go down in a few hours. Until then, we have to keep the tube in you. Just move your head to give answers."

Kendra's eyes opened wide for a moment then they slowly lowered as she nodded her head.

Pete took that as a "yes" and watched her eyes complete their journey until they closed.

Dr. Gannon checked the intravenous drip. "The sedative and muscle relaxant are working," he said to Pete. "She’ll probably sleep through the night."

"Is she okay?" Pete asked. "When will she be able to speak?"

"She’ll feel a lot better in the morning," Dr. Gannon said. "Rest is what she needs at the moment. Her strength will return after a good night's rest. In the morning, we’ll find out what happened. And if there is any lasting damage, we'll know that too."

Pete looked at the doctor then at Kendra. He didn't want to bring up what the "lasting damage" statement and what it might be, especially with Esther standing so close.

"We’ll stay with her until she’s in a room," he said. "Then we’ll go home and be back in the morning. We’ll be staying at her place if you need to reach us. What time can we return? Is eight too early?" Pete handed the doctor a business card after writing Kendra's telephone number.

"Nine will be better. It will give the nurses time to complete their duties. I’m going to leave now. I need to make arrangements for a room. Admittance will want to talk to you. Does she have insurance?"

"I don’t know, but there’s no problem paying. She's Miss Kendra Makray."

"Kendra Makray," Dr. Gannon acknowledged. "That name's familiar. Is she the one who discovered the Ark of the Covenant?"

Pete smiled, glad to talk about something else. "She’s the great lady, though she doesn’t look so great at the moment."

Dr. Gannon looked intently at Pete. "And you, are you her husband?"

"No," Pete answered. "I'm Peter Meirs, just a friend." He noticed the doctor's face soften from a stern no-nonsense medical mask to one of personal interest.

"Peter Meirs, the archaeologist?"

Pete nodded. "That's me." He smiled and held out a hand to shake.

"I’ve read about you," the doctor said as he shook Pete's hand. "My wife gave me a book that you and Miss Makray wrote."

The doctor held onto Pete's hand as he spoke and gave another smile.

"I’m pleased to make your acquaintance." He looked down at a sleeping Kendra. "I'll check in on her later. But now I must make arrangements for a room. Try and be here by nine. I'll make sure I'm there."

Pete watched the doctor leave. He moved closer to Esther and placed a hand on her shoulder. "She’ll be all right, Esther. I'm not very good at praying. Could you pray for both of us?" He looked around at those he saw in the emergency room. "Quietly," he added.

He watched Esther’s fingers touch Kendra’s face. Then the girl's eyes closed. Pete knew she was praying.

* * *

At nine o’clock sharp, Pete and Esther arrived at Kendra's room. The door sat half-open. He stopped Esther just outside the door and listened. Pete motioned for her to be silent. He looked in and saw a nurse, Dr. Gannon, another man, and Kendra's sister, Lora, standing next to the bed. The unknown man carried a badge hooked to his belt.

He watched as Kendra sat up in the hospital bed, trying desperately to explain. The roughness in her voice told of the injury to her throat. He listened.

"...And I remember dribbling bubble bath into the water. A man came into the room. I saw him through the shower doors. He went to the sink without speaking. I yelled for him to leave. Then the hair-dryer came on. He turned and came toward me. The last thing I remember was the hair-dryer dropping into the water. He wanted to kill me. Why?"

Pete saw her looking at the detective, hoping for an answer. He remained silent.

"After that," she continued. "I don’t remember anything, until I woke up on the floor."

He watched her look from one face to the other. "Do you believe in guardian angels?" she asked.

Pete shook his head at the silence. No one gave an answer. He believed in God, just like most people. He also believed in other religions, other things, things that worked in other societies. At least he'd give a clear answer. He'd say "Yes".

"Doesn’t anyone here believe in the power of God?" she asked.

"Now don't get excited sis," said Lora. "This isn't church, you know."

Pete ignored the condescending smile on Lora's face. As she spoke, a polite smile flashed between Lora and the doctor. The man with the badge stood stone-faced and expressionless.

Lora seemed to be digging herself into a hole, but Pete didn't mind. There were times that he liked seeing the hole grow deeper. He liked Lora, but she always drove him crazy. Good thing it's Steve who's married to her. Poor guy!

"She's the family Bible thumper," Lora continued. A polite smile flashed between her and the doctor as she chuckled. It quickly vanished with her sister's angry response.

"Well, I believe," Kendra proclaimed.

Her eyes darted angrily to her sister and then to the others. Pete smiled at Kendra's fighting spirit.

"I think I saw one touch my leg. Maybe that's how the hair-dryer ended up on the floor. God is very real in my life. I believe in His power, and I know He's protecting my life."

Pete studied the detective as he cleared his throat to speak.

"Your leg kicking the hairdryer may explain how it ended up on the floor. At least it's one possibility." He went back to studying his notes.

"And this friend of yours," he said.

Pete heard a definite change in tone.

"Peter Meirs, he arrived with your godchild, Esther, and saved your life?"

Pete heard enough and gave Esther a gentle nudge through the door. He had announced his presence outside the condo's door with poetry.

"There is none of Beauty's daughters with a magic like thee,

And like music on the waters is thy sweet voice to me.

Bryon 1824."

Everyone turned toward him. From the corner of his eye, he saw Esther slowly and quietly move forward and climb onto Kendra's bed.

Kendra looked at Pete. He noticed the relief written in her face.

"Dr. Gannon," asked Pete, "how’s our patient this morning?" He momentarily smiled when he noticed Esther worming herself closer to Kendra’s side.

"She’s much better," Dr. Gannon replied. He looked at his watch. "But I must leave now. Check with the nurse’s station. If no complications occur in the next few hours, Miss Makray can leave by noon."

"Thanks for everything, Doc," Pete said. He shook Dr. Gannon’s hand.

Gannon held onto Pete's hand and spoke softly. "Can I ask a favor before you both leave the hospital?"

"Sure, Doc, what can I do for you," Pete whispered. He guessed the question but waited to hear it requested.

"I've brought the book you wrote. I'd like you and Miss Makray to autograph it. I'll get it and have it left at the nurse's station."

"Sure, Doc." Pete studied Kendra for possible acceptance. "We'll both do it."

"Thanks."

Pete watched the doctor and nurse leave the room.

"I’m Detective Jamison," the man with the badge said from behind Pete. "This morning, this incident was reported as an attempted homicide. I've been assigned to investigate." The detective looked at his note-pad. "And you’re Peter Meirs. You discovered Miss Makray unconscious in her bathtub?"

"Yes, we did."

"One other person was with me. She's sitting on the bed. Her name is Esther Yehezkel. She's an Israeli citizen. She called 911."

Jameson glanced at Esther, reviewed his notes, and then directed his attention back to Pete.

"And what did you do when Miss Makray didn’t answer her front door?" Jamison asked in a questioning voice.

"I have a key," Pete replied. His face grew cold and expressionless from something he sensed in Jamison's voice. He controlled the irritation he felt and answered the detective's question.

"Esther and I called for her before entering, but she didn't answer. Then Esther went to the bathroom. The door was closed and locked from the inside. We heard the water running and called a few more times. She never answered. Then I shoved the door in and found her unconscious in the tub. It’s lucky that Esther and I came to her place earlier than we planned."

Pete smiled at Kendra. Staring into those green eyes he felt the stone in his face crumble. "Another minute of not breathing and we might have lost you," he said with genuine feeling. He moved to the bed and touched her foot.

She jerked her leg back.

"Ouch! That hurts."

"Sorry. I forgot about the burns." He turned to face the detective. "Somebody wants her dead. This sounds like a repeat of what we went through a couple of years back. I thought it ended with the war, but it is now obvious someone is out there that wants her out of the way. She needs police protection."

Detective Jamison didn’t respond to Pete’s request. "Do you remember seeing anything unusual when you arrived at her place?"

"I didn’t pay much attention at the time, but there was a man getting out of the elevator when I arrived."

"I’ll check it out," Jamison said. "I’ll need your description of the man. In the meantime," he turned to face Kendra, "if you remember anything else, give my office a call."

Jamison handed Pete and Kendra each a business card.

"You can reach me at the University Boulevard station. He walked to the door, stopped for a moment, turned back to Pete and added; "There will always be someone there who can reach me."

Chapter 4

Pete drove in silence to Kendra's home, working hard to avoid the ever-growing potholes in the street, streets that the city seemed vary hard-pressed to maintain. Three years ago, after the twin comet Kano-Ishikawa crashed into the Pacific, the entire country suffered from extensive damage, economic as well as physical. Time had run out for fixing the problems. All the nations’ resources were stretched thin as the tax base also evaporated. Economic forecasters talked about another ten years to recover from the damage. Yet along the Rocky Mountains, especially in Colorado, the damage seemed minimal. He looked at the traffic. So many people were still moving here - a million here in three months was way too much and far too fast.

In the Twentieth century it was the Great Depression. In the Twenty-First, we still have a Great Depression. Only the causes changed.

When his truck bounced through an especially deep hole, Pete caught a glimpse of Kendra holding her breath and grimacing in pain. Esther sat between them patting Kendra’s hand. Now there was a special child.

"Who covered me?" Kendra asked as Pete slowed to bounce gently through a section of gravel. "Was it you?"

He felt surprised by the question and glanced quizzically at her and concentrated on driving.

"What was that?" he replied, hoping she'd come up with another question. He hoped this question would not occur. He needed time to think. He could say Esther covered her. Heck, they almost made love a couple of years back, and now she's sensitive about me seeing her in her birthday suit. You'd think she was living in the ninetieth century, instead of the twenty-first.

"I did it," he admitted, although reluctantly. "I pulled you from the tub. I also covered you before the paramedics arrived but then they uncovered you. I felt irritated by that, but you were in no condition to complain. Your life might have been running out of time."

Kendra didn't reply but he noticed her staring out the window. The she spoke. "I'm sure the medics have seen a lot in their time." She paused for a long moment then continued. "And I'm sure you felt genuine twinges of embarrassment. There's nothing that we can do about it. What has happened has happened."

"Sounds like I once heard those same words as we walked from a cave on Nebo." He meant it as humorous, but regretted it as soon as the words came out.

He still remembered talking to her as they walked from the cave on Mount Nebo. They almost made music that night and he enjoyed dreaming about the moment that slipped away.

The next day they discovered the Ark of the Covenant, and he forgot about apologizing a dozen times for trying to seduce her. Besides, he often reminded her that she was as guilty as he was.

Pete felt at a loss for words and tried to change the subject. Maybe he could say something, any something that'd take her mind off her embarrassment and physical injuries. He hated hurting her feelings.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. Somebody's still after you," he said about her life. "But I can’t remember you stepping on anybody's toes. Got any ideas?"

She turned from staring out the side window and looked straight ahead. She also shook her head, saying nothing.

His teeth ground as he drove. Then she broke the excruciating silence.

"I can’t think. Wolf, what am I going to do? The guy had a key to my condo. How did he get it? I can’t stay there anymore."

His pet name "Wolf" added to her urgency and captured his full attention. She hadn’t called him Wolf since the war. His marine sniper partner stationed north of Zegra, Yugoslavia first gave him the name as a joke. But as his tour grew longer, along with the never-ending missions of stopping the sniping, the name Wolf took on a reputation among the opposing factions. It left fear in both of the warring Kosovian groups.

"Now that I think of it," he said, "your place needs two separate keys to get into, one for the main entrance, and one for your door. I’ll check with building maintenance. The guy may have gotten them from the office. In the meantime, I think you'll be safer at my place."

"I feel awful. I've never been raped, but now I know how it feels to be violated. I'm not safe in my own home."

Pete waited for her to respond to his offer. When she didn't reply he patted her shoulder. "I know, he said with genuine tenderness and understanding. ”If you want, I’ll change your locks and put one of those big sliding bolts on. No one will ever get in without tearing the door apart. Once you slide that bolt it's closed."

"I want to sell it. I don’t want to live there anymore. I’m afraid to live there."

"Not a lot of people are buying right now. This country is still in its depression. Thanks to that comet splashing into the Pacific, this Old World has been changed forever. People are just holding on; and as we now all know, there's still a piece of that rock still circling us."

He looked at her, realizing that she wasn't listening. When that orbiting mountain of rock crashes to earth, worrying about finding another condominium is acting like an ostrich.

"Then I’ll close it up and just get another place. I have money!"

"Well my offer still stands," he said. He realized that moving was her most pressing need. "You and Esther can live at my place. I've got plenty of space and you're still in demand as a speaker. Most people barely have a job, but they’ll pay to listen to us talk."

He slowed for a traffic light then stopped and reoffered his first suggestion. "I’ve got a better idea. If you stay at my place, nobody can drive up without being noticed."

Pete turned down the side street leading to her main parking lot. After parking he led them to the building and into the elevator. Only when they reached her door, and opened it with his key, did she hesitate. Though she was reluctant to enter, he gently nudged her forward.

"Make sure no one’s here, Wolf. I don't feel safe."

Pete looked at her and thought. Two times she's used my nickname. She’s really frightened.

Kendra and Esther stood by the door until Pete checked every room.

"Look into the closets," she called.

"No one’s here," Pete said. "I’ll get your luggage bags. Esther, why don’t you grab some clothes."

"No. I’ll do it," Kendra said. "But first, I need to sit for a minute."

Esther helped her godmother to the couch. After seeing to her comfort she went to the kitchen and came back with a glass of water.

* * *

Kendra Makray sat on the sofa staring at the pictures on the wall. A smiling team of archaeologists and assistants stood behind the prizes of the century. No! These were the prizes of two and one-half millenniums. Two gold covered Arks of the Covenant sat gleaming in the bright sunlight on the table in front of them. The one to the left later proved to be a fake. The one in front of her, well, that was the genuine article. Pete stood next to her. Both were smiling at the one which proved genuine, and they personally discovered.

The dig's director, Doctor Huntington, first took credit for the discoveries. A few weeks later, he admitted she discovered the true ark.

In a second prized picture, her sister, Lora and Steve, Lora's future husband, stood with them behind the two arks. Again she and Pete stood behind the one they uncovered. But this time they were at a secret military base.

When Lora first met Pete, she saw him as just another hot blooded, lecherous, archaeologist in the middle of a desert seeking a woman to conquer. Yet, after she got to know him, and he saved her life more than once, she finally admitted that Pete wouldn't be all that bad a brother-in-law.

Immediately after the Mossad stole the two arks, the massive war to destroy Israel erupted. It ended three days later with the defeat of over five hundred thousand Muslim and Russian troops.

As for the wedding, it never happened. Maybe someday, she thought. Maybe.

Kendra prayed silently and thought about Pete. His body was covered with scars from fighting to save her life during the war. I owe him my life, she realized.

Discovering the Ark made enemies, but that was a long time ago.

She thought about the Jewish Rabbi named Elijah. Pete called him a pit-bull. That man was still around, somewhere.

She mused, the last time I read anything about him, he was touring the world using his magic, or powers of Satan, to dazzle millions.

"By now," she said in a hopeful voice; "he's too wealthy and busy to care about me."

She frowned as she remembered the image of Pete being violently hurled against the wall by Elijah. It was right out of the movies Star Wars. Neither man was physically touched, yet Elijah used some sort of mental power against Pete. He couldn't do that to me, she thought with satisfaction. His dark secrets are useless against me.

Her lips and eyes tightened. "I stopped him by invoking the power of God and that sinister creep was powerless."

The sight of him slinking out of the cave where they, and the Ark rested in safety from the enemy bombardments, left her feeling good about herself.

Elijah was unsavory, but he did have some powers, especially when he brought fire down out of a clear blue sky. Now there's a force to reckon with, and it was right out of the Bible she sadly admitted. Many times she watched him perform this trick in front of television cameras. His ability to levitate chairs and tables was now legendary.

As her thoughts continued, she realized that the guy was evil, maybe extra dimensional, and with his powers, he's deluding millions into following him.

Her eyes drifted toward the dirty leg cast encased on a Plexiglas pedestal. The cast now in two pieces after being cut off her leg became a souvenir after she nearly killed herself in a fall. The cast sat enshrined below a wall of pictures. A spotlight focused on the area holding the signature of the King of Jordan.

The missing signature of Lieutenant Abdul Fadi, the soldier who helped her escape from Jordan after the arks were stolen, was painfully absent.

Other pictures of the archeological team, and the two arks which were uncovered, filled the rest of the wall. An enlarged photo of the two arks, with her, Esther, Pete, Lora, and Steve stood behind the treasure and hung in a place of honor. After the assassin named Moonface landed on the one she discovered, everyone knew it was real. He must have died instantly when his leg hit the ark.

"Can we take my pictures with me?"

"Sure," Pete replied. "Which ones?" He hurried back to the bedroom to get the rest of the clothing she selected.

Kendra rubbed the knee hurt by the fall into the secret room. The memories of all that happened in the Jordanian cave were as clear as if the event just occurred. She smiled at remembering the King of Jordan bestowing a title on her, "Discoverer of the Ark of the Covenant".

"Three years," she mumbled.

Kendra fought back the desire to take them all. Instead she mentally selected a few. Before she spoke, however, she felt immensely weary. She waited for Pete to come back into the room before selecting the photos.

Esther fluffed a pillow from the bedroom and laid it on the couch. "You lie here," she said. "I’ll take care of you."

Kendra reached for her godchild’s shoulder and they both embraced in a long hug. "I love you Esther."

"I love you too, Kendra. Now lie still. I’ll get a blanket. Then I’ll get my clothes."

Kendra’s eyes drifted back to the picture of herself standing beside the arks. Her hair looked lighter and her skin darker. Both seemed indistinguishable from the other. She studied the picture as she twisted strands of hair in her fingers. I'm so dark; she thought and then looked at her hand.

The desert tan and her sun-lightened hair were all gone. She still felt strong and solid. But the edge created by living and working in the desert, drifted away like blowing sand. Now she lived on a different schedule with an over-stuffed daytimer, speaking tours, and book signings. A copy of the twenty-six week New York Times bestsellers list sat on a pedestal. A second book, also co-authored with Pete, sat on a slightly lower pedestal. Thanks to the success of the books, she and Pete didn’t have to worry about money.

"God, I’m glad to be alive," she whispered and remembered saying those exact words three years ago. The fight in the Afula police station against Moonface still haunted her. Wonder what the city looks like now; she pondered as she looked at Esther.

"We’re going to return to Israel soon," she said. "I need to put flowers on Margaret’s grave. Your grandmother was a remarkable lady."

* * *

Pete stood by the bedroom door watching the only two girls in his life. If he just kept his opinions about God to himself, he and Kendra might be married by now. Instead he blurted out his feelings and the look in her eyes haunted him. I guess I said it one too many times, he confessed to himself.

Now all he wanted to do was put his arms around her and protect her from all the hurts in the world. The love he felt swelled, yet he was embarrassed to express it, especially after burning so many bridges between them. Damn my mouth.

"We’re scheduled to attend the temple dedication next month," he said in an effort to remove his feelings of guilt. "Which reminds me, I better check with the Israeli consulate in Washington to confirm our flight schedule. Steve and Lora still want to go. I'll call soon enough for all of us to get seats together."

He noticed weariness in Kendra’s eyes. She sat unblinking, staring at the wall. For a moment he wondered if this was the prelude to her having another vision. The first one was about her discovering the ark. That one came true. The second was when the catastrophe from space changed the world forever. If she's having another, he planned to take great notes.

She looked up. "Once the temple is finished we may not have much time. The middle of Daniel's seven weeks of years is almost over."

Her voice seemed far away and quietly serious.

"Time for what?" he asked. "Seven weeks, what does that mean? Have you seen anything else, you know," he almost stammered, supernatural, I mean?

"No visions," she answered. "It was more a voice speaking to me. It said 'since the rebuilding of Jerusalem until Messiah will be forty-nine years.' There is duality in Daniel's prophecy of the seven weeks of years. It happened in 19BC under Herod the Great, and I saw it happening again in 1967 after the Jews regained control of Jerusalem, the first time in 2500 plus years. I also see that since the rebirth of Israel in 1948 there will be the span of just one generation before Jesus returns. The prophecies are converging to a point not very far from now." She thought for a moment and added the years in her head. "The year’s end at 2028 for a generation eighty years old, 2018 if seventy years is used. From the rebuilding of Jerusalem, beginning in 1967, or a few years later, and ending 49 years later is 2016.

Right now we are in 2015. I think we are so close that it frightens me."

"I thought this was something you were looking forward to seeing?"

"It is, but the suffering, as I understand it, it will be terrible for those who survive. I wouldn't wish it on anyone."

"Well, let me know when you see it actually taking place. Your last two visions have turned this world upside down. There's so much turmoil in the world that it shakes this guy’s belief in man being able to govern. How much worse can it be?"

The faraway look on her face said she was seeing something in her mind.

"After all the sons and daughters of God are taken away," she continued. "Then the horrors begin." She looked straight at Pete with pleading in her eyes. "Pete, I fear for you. I'm not judging anyone; but if you keep rejecting Him, I don't think there is anything He will be able to do."

"Oh, the rapture thing," he said with a smile and maybe too much humor. "You have me worried. You still believe in it. If I remember correctly, you said the temple priest will perform animal sacrifices. The last thing I read states that the Israeli government will never allow it. Again, you keep coming back to some guy stopping the sacrifices. The way I see it no sacrifices means there will be no rapture. I've got nothing to worry about."

Pete saw the empty stare in her eyes. He knew she wasn't listening and decided to try a little levity. Hopefully it would ease the developing tension he sensed was between them.

"I can read the headlines now. Millions disappear when the last lamb at the Jerusalem slaughterhouse is butchered."

"Stop it, Pete. Don’t be disrespectful."

He caught himself before he said more. It appeared his idea of levity was not acceptable. Well, he admitted to himself, he did sometimes put his foot in his mouth. "Sorry," he offered. "That was dumb. I was just trying to lift your spirits."

"I don’t think it’s funny. If I’m right, and I think I am, what’s going to follow after that last sacrifice is deadly serious."

"There's not going to be a sacrifice," he said and noticed his voice rising. His shoulders twisted in frustration as he rejected her spiritual view of the world. Instead he carried an armload of clothes into the room. "They say there won’t be any sacrifices, and I believe them." This time he said it without feeling, just a matter of fact.

"There will be." The rebuke in her voice became louder. "No matter what the press reports. There will be."

Pete sighed deeply and saw he was getting nowhere. "I believe you," he lied. "You're beautiful when you get angry. Are you sure you haven't seen another vision?"

He saw the quizzical look on her face and knew he defused the growing crisis.

"No," she answered. "Only the two that I already had. Yet there are times I feel something is hanging out there, like one is ready to occur very soon."

"Maybe a trip to Israel will let it happen. Maybe you have to be in the right setting. Besides, we could all use a vacation. Esther needs to get back home and see where her grandmother is buried. The last thing we heard from the neighbors in Afula was that they finally cleared the lot. We need to see it for ourselves. We’ll also get to see what billions of dollars in European grants have done for the nation. I’d quietly like to see if anyone has dug up the guns I buried when the war ended." He looked at the pictures on Kendra’s wall. "This attack on you has to be related to the discovery. We may need that rifle again."

"You think I got attacked because of the Ark?"

"Maybe, Princess," Pete said. "I’m only guessing, but someone is mad at you."

He went to the kitchen and came back with a steaming cup of tea. "Drink this. It’ll help you relax."

He watched Kendra’s hand drift over the wound on her right ankle. Her fingers slid gently over the surgical gauze. An identical piece of gauze covered the other ankle. Her tailbone was sensitive to the touch, but the donut cushion that she sat on made it less painful.

She lifted the edge of the bandage covering a scrape wound on her hip.

"I think I did that when I pulled you from the tub. Your hip dragged across the metal channel of the shower doors. Sorry about that. Does it hurt much?"

"Not much," she said.

Pete knew she was lying. He went to the wall and began removing all the pictures. "I read in the paper that our old friend Elijah, whatever his last name is, will be in Boulder this weekend."

He thought he saw her shudder as she remembered the man.

"I don’t like him," she said. "I still get angry when I think of him threatening to kill Esther." She looked at the young girl sitting beside her holding an armload of clothing.

Esther leaned against her godmother, letting the clothing fall onto the couch and letting an arm drape across Kendra’s lap. Kendra kissed the top of the girl's head.

Pete smiled. "I remember the guy going ballistic after Esther touched one of those arks. I must admit, you amazed me when you stood up to him. He’s a powerful weirdo all right. I still hurt when I remember how hard he knocked me back. What’s strange though is I don’t remember him touching me."

"He didn’t" Kendra said. "Something came out of his hands."

"Maybe," Pete answered. "But it never fazed you. I don’t understand it. You stood toe-to-toe with him, and that was after what he did to me. All he did to you was scream. I loved watching his face turn red."

"I’m just glad Esther touched the fake one and not the real one," Kendra said and pulled Esther closer to her side.

Pete scratched his jaw. "And I’m glad old Moonface landed on the real one. I hate to admit it, but I may have been on my last leg in that fight."

He noticed the look in Kendra's face change to serious. Her next words proved him right.

"This is important. Where will he be speaking?" She looked at Pete.

The pleading in her eyes, hoping he would go with her, made his mind up before he realized it.

"I need to see Elijah," she said. The determination in her voice sent his reluctance out the window.

"It'll be three days from now," he said. "Sunday, at the Macky Auditorium." He wished he hadn't read the article. Most of all he wished he didn't remember Elijah. "Seems like the Coors Event center has a problem. A bunch of irate professors and their gullible students nearly burned down the building. So they've moved it to the Macky until the Center is renovated." He tripped over two stuffed suitcases that Esther just brought into the room. He excused his clumsiness and said, "I really don't think you should go."

"What were the people mad about?"

"What people?" Pete asked in total confusion. She changed the subject without warning.

"The ones who started the fire in the Event center."

"I don't remember. Did it have anything to do with Israel? Oh yes! I remember. They didn't like someone from the Jewish consulate coming to speak about the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem."

He looked at her in an all-knowing grin. "What do you think they'll do up there when they discover you're the one who started all the trouble?"

He saw the pain in her eyes. She was doing it to him again. All he could do was shake his head. "I suppose you want me to go with you?"

"I don't want to be a bother, but my ankles really hurt. It's been three years since we were last up there. And I'm sure the faculty as well as Elijah can't remember us. He isn't as mean as you remember him."

"Oh isn't he?" Pete chided. "You know, he said he’d get even with you. This attempt on your life may have been from him. I don't want you anywhere close to that creep."

Kendra hugged Esther to her breast. "That was a long time ago. I can’t believe he’s still angry."

Pete gave up trying to talk her out of going and continued stacking pictures. Still the memory of Elijah wouldn't go away. "I don’t think this guy forgets, and I don’t think angry is a strong enough word to describe him. I don’t trust him."

He looked at Esther who now dragged two suitcases next to the couch. He picked up Kendra's bags and asked, "You still want to stop at your sister's place?"

Kendra nodded.

"I guess we better get going," he said. "You can call her on the way."

Chapter 5

Kendra entered her sister's home and stared eye to eye with an obviously angry Lora. Kendra had tried to explain over the phone why she needed to go to Boulder. In an effort to break the silence, she said, "I need to see Elijah. I can't explain why. It's just something I have to do."

Steve Talon, who stood behind his wife just turned and went to the kitchen. As he walked away he asked everyone, "Does anyone want something to drink?"

"You're crazy," Lora replied, ignoring Steve's offer. Her brown eyes blazed with disgust. "When you told me what you were going to do, I knew it was a bad idea. You're as crazy as that nut is. Forget the man. We've got bigger problem. I just heard on the news that some of the comet that crashed into the Pacific, the one called Kano-Ishikawa, is orbiting the earth and is expected to crash to the earth in two months. We may all die."

Kendra heard the fear and irritation in Lora's voice. She winced at the glare in her sister's eyes. "I've read that. I also heard that it may not be a major threat. The largest piece is supposed to be only three hundred yards across, and the littler pieces are about the size of buses. This may not be more than a fourth of July fireworks." Biting her lip, she wished she hadn't tried to be flippant. Her sister was not amused.

"Listen," Lora continued. "Do me a favor and stay away from him."

"Lora, I need to see him," her voice clearly pleading for understanding.

"Sis, when I saw you downtown with your friends handing out tracts saying that the world is coming to an end; I just smiled and went my way. The comet that hit the earth brought you fame and fortune. People listen to you, but this chunk of trash that's about to hit the earth, well, you may not be so lucky. We all may not be so lucky. No one knows where it's going to hit."

"I worry about that thing circling the earth," answered Kendra. "But I haven't been given a spirit of fear, and the tracts I passed out didn't say the world was coming to an end."

"I don't want to argue about it. Half the preachers in the country are yelling about the end being near. I don't want you to go to Boulder. You'll get hurt. So don't go. That guy, Elijah, he's a fruitcake. Besides, someone is trying to kill you."

"Thanks for caring." Kendra said. She gave up trying to convince her sister." Turning to Pete she said. "I want to go home."

Pete looked at Lora and her dyed sandy blond hair. She always has a jealous streak. She even wore cowboy boots to be equal to the height of her sister.

The defensive anger rising within him startled him and he backed off.

"I agree with Lora," he said. "I really don't want you to go; but if your dead set on going, I'll go with you."

He felt the furrow above his eyes grow deeper. He already disagreed with her seeing Elijah, but he also felt he understood her better than overprotective Lora. Beside Kendra was determined to go to Boulder. He said his piece about the subject and he was finish. Since she and Esther were going, so was he. Nothing was going to happen to his two girls.

He watched Steve reenter with four glasses. He knew his was the one with water.

"Thanks Steve," he said and relieved one of the glasses from the tray before it made it to the coffee table.

He liked Steve. The guy was his type of man. Six foot tall, he still possessed that blonde ponytail he wore when they first met. The guy was street-wise and knew when to get out of the way of his wife when she was mad. Sometimes, you'd never know the guy was tough as nails, and he was almost as good a shot as he was, only with a pistol.

"I guess it's time to leave," Pete said and strolled to the door. He sensed the gnawing resentment emanating from Lora as he reached for his car keys. He turned back and saw Kendra still sitting next to her sister, trying for understanding. He coughed out, "I guess it's time I get you girls home," and motioned to Esther to follow. "You ready, Kendra?"

"I'll be right back, Uncle Pete," Esther said and dashed into the kitchen.

"Pete, are we ready?" Kendra asked. She knew talking about the trip was opening a wound. "Esther," she called knowing the girl just went into the kitchen. "We're leaving."

"Be right there," Esther called. "I'm getting a soda."

Pete looked at the drink on the table. It hadn't been touched.

Kendra looked at Lora knowing that tears were building in her eyes. "I thought you of all people would understand. I guess I was wrong."

"Don't lay a guilt trip on me," Lora answered defensively. "If you go up there, it's due to your own willful stubbornness. You're asking for trouble. I can say it only so many times. Don't go."

Lora looked at Pete, eyes pleading with him to say something, anything.

Pete held up defeated hands and looked to the side. "Don't get me in the middle. I've given my opinion. She's going to do what she's going to do. I'll promise you one thing. I'll be with her if trouble occurs. Besides, she may change her mind."

Lora sat fuming as Kendra led Esther and Pete out the front door. After the door closed, she let out an exasperated sigh and spoke to her husband without turning.

"That girl is stubborn. If she hadn't discovered the Ark of the Covenant, she'd be a nobody. I'd be having to take care of her, or she'd be living in poverty."

Steve smiled and said. "You're right. If she hadn't discovered the ark she'd be a nobody." He suppressed his desire to laugh. "She's alright. Give her a chance. It appears this is something she really has to do. Think of it as a religious thing."

He been silent during the discussion, and tried to cool his wife without irritating her too much. "You know you're also pretty stubborn yourself, especially when you know you're right." He paused for a moment and added. "I don't think she should go either. It might be dangerous."

"It's a religious thing alright," Lora growled. "She's got a brand of Christianity, which brings nothing but trouble. It's called extremism. Even the government calls it that. I see it all the time, especially in the confused people who come to me. They all expect me to understand it in my counseling. Her brand of Christianity does nothing but make people feel guilty, weak, and psychotic. I can't tell you how many of my patients have talked with God." She paused for a moment and finally said, "They're all fruitcakes."

Steve gave a smile of resignation. "Maybe we're all a little nuts. As for the government, the people running it are so paranoid, that they call anyone carrying a copy of the U.S. Constitution an extremist."

Lora glared at her husband and stomped out of the room. She went to the spare bedroom, which doubled as an office, and turned on the computer. In a minute she signed onto the Internet. Within a few minutes she sat chatting with her Ethernet friends.

"Talking with your invisible confidant?" Steve asked as he peeked in the doorway.

"Lora looked up. She felt her anger subsiding, and sent him back a genuine grin. "It's my pacifier," she answered. "When I feel pressured, I've found that talking it out, really helps me relax."

"I thought I did that for you?"

"You're different. What you do is far better, but sometimes, I need you both. Being a counselor can be stressful, and my patients vent their problems and frustrations out on me. On the Internet I have non-committal friends who listen as I blow off steam."

"Is this because of the argument that bubbled out of you? Is it me?"

Lora shook her head ever so slightly and returned to the keyboard. "Very, very little," she replied. "It has nothing to do with you, little to do with my sister, and it has a lot to do with me."

Steve realized that his wife needed to be alone. He stood, watching her for a few seconds. At least he wasn't the culprit. Slowly closing the door behind him, he went to watch TV.

* * *

The dreaded day for seeing Elijah arrived and Pete drove into Boulder with Kendra quietly by his side. Esther sat in the back seat even quieter. He knew they were both remembering. The man made a permanent impression on them. It isn't every day you meet someone who possesses supernatural powers.

He hurried down University Avenue, past Broadway, until Macky Auditorium appeared. Slowing he tried to find an empty parking space, but it proved futile.

"I know a place," he growled with the frustration of being close to Elijah. "We'll have to walk a little."

He turned the car around and returned to Broadway. From there he headed south to the next light. At Euclid, he turned left and drove slowly to Imig Music Hall. A quick right on 18th Street and "Wal'lah!" he exclaimed. Three empty parking spaces lay on his side of the narrow street.

He quickly claimed one, set the sunshade to keep the car cooler, and then led them on a brisk walk to Macky Auditorium.

"I always get confused when I'm around here," Pete said as he took a left at the end of the street. "That should be the library over on the left." He pointed to the building for the benefit of the girls. "We walk past it and then one more. The Macky will be in front of us."

He looked at a string of students disappearing around the library. "Bet they're going to the same place we are." he turned to Esther as they walked. "We've prepaid two years of schooling at the college for you. When you graduate from high school, I hope you want to come here."

"It's crowded," she said. Looking behind her she saw a group of students hurrying their way. "Uncle Pete. There're more behind us."

Pete glanced over his shoulder. After he noticed the direction they were heading, he said, "This is a big school with lots of students. Looks like a number of us are late."

He looked at his watch and checked the time. The tower on the North end of Macky announced the time with its Westminster chimes. "Ten o'clock."

A few more minutes and they exited between two buildings and there across the street sat Macky.

The steps leading into the building and between the hedges were crowded with students as they smoked their last butts before entering. All the lawsuits and all the Surgeon General's warnings meant nothing. Smoking was having a resurgence across campuses all across the country.

Kendra stopped walking as she approached the hedges and stared at the students. "I never realized how I've aged until now. She watched a knot of young people moving up the step. "Boy am I getting old." She turned to Pete who stopped ahead of her and waited and asked. "Are you sure these are college students? They look so young."

"I think I know how you feel," he laughed. "These guys are just kids."

A circle of bald-headed purple-robed men danced in front of the center arched door and sang something that no one understood. The sound of their drums and tambourines floated above the hum of voices. Esther held tightly to Pete's hand as they approached the building.

"This is where Aunt Lora went to school for a degree in psychology," Kendra said mindlessly as she looked at Macky. Her thoughts were elsewhere, thinking about the man she was about to see.

"Yeah, and her mind's never been the same since," Pete added with a grin as he saw Lora in his mind. Immediately his lips squeezed shut as he squinted his nose in distaste. Someday he'd control his impetuous speaking habit. Yet he was firmly convinced that very few who obtained degrees in psychology ever possessed a sound mind. He saw the sharp look from Kendra.

"Knock it off, Pete. I don’t like that kind of talk."

He ignored her rebuke and pulled a newspaper clipping from his back pocket.

As they climbed, he read aloud the article for Kendra’s benefit.

"The school of sociology has arranged for the Israeli prophet, Elijah, to visit and speak. He claims his supernatural powers were instrumental in bringing an end to the invasion of Israel and the devastating environmental damage. It is reported he is able to produce fire that floats in the air. We’re all very excited to hear his comments on the war. Possibly we may even uncover the mystery behind his apparent powers. A respected team of scientists will examine his feats as he performs."

Kendra walked stiffly toward the building. For the first time she actually feared seeing this man who personified evil.

Ankles hurting, she resolved to show courage, especially since she insisted on everyone coming with her to Boulder.

With the thick bandages wrapped around the ankle burns, she found it hard to walk and continued to fight the stiffness in her legs. As she walked past the chanters, an uncomfortable feeling made her study the students. They made her feel middle aged and out of touch.

Her strength crumbling, she gratefully felt a tug on her hand. Esther was pulling her.

Climbing the steps, she ignored the robed men and entered the gallery. I wonder what they think of me, she thought when a few students looked her way. She sensed coldness as if she was intruding. I'm walking into darkness.

A thought occurred to her, which said there are others like you. Encouraged, she knew there were many who might have received a cold welcome.

Pete looked back at Kendra and Esther, and felt relief when they decided not to search for seats close to the stage. Instead the girls found a spot along the back wall.

He lifted Esther onto his shoulders so she could get a better look. At the same time his eyes covered Kendra from head to toe. First it was to make sure she didn't create a scene. The second reason was more enjoyable. She was beautiful. Her physique was everything he ever wanted in a woman. Most of all the lady has a sharp mind. He and her needed to Tahiti, have a dozen babies, and never come back.

He gently shook his head at the pleasurable scene and returned his attention to the clamor in the auditorium. Then he stared at the short bastard on stage. The man was still as short and stocky as ever. Pete guessed him to be all of four feet tall. He also looked as if he put on weight. Probably a hundred and eighty, he thought.

If there was truly evil in the world, Pete felt he saw it standing on the stage. He felt total disgust with the man.

Kendra's words cleared away his thoughts but not his anger.

"He’s just the way I remember him," she said. "His head seems more oblong than before, and his face is longer than I remember. But I know that’s him."

She tried to see into his dark eye sockets, to see if they were as foreboding as she remembered, but the distance made it impossible. "I need binocs. I need to see his eyes, see if they are still large."

Elijah’s voice reverberated through the sound system and echoed off the cold concrete walls. "We all know about the fragment of the big comet that is now spiraling down on us. The main which hit the Pacific Ocean knocked the earth ever so slightly out of its orbit and left the planet wobbling. Where this final fragment will hit, it will do less damage, but it is still a danger. As everyone knows, I am more interested in raising funds to feed hungry children and preventing the rape of our planet. The disaster that the comet will produce will have to take care of itself. I also know I must prove to you that I am someone worthy to be listened to. This demonstration that I am about to perform is something that you all came to see. It will take place on a fireproof altar that sits behind me. I've made it from the University’s innovative materials. I have added furnace bricks as additional protection. There will be no danger to anyone, but me. The altar is two meters in diameter and is filled with water. I do not perform this miracle lightly. I only use it to offer sacrifices to my god. But today, I make an exception. Your staff has treated me so well, that I truly feel an obligation to those who invited me to speak. I think it is important that I reveal the powers that are available to all that believe. It is a demonstration of hope and life. One is coming after me who will show the way. He is the one we all must follow. Right now I am going to capture your attention."

The prophet stopped speaking and shielded his eyes from the bright lights. He turned toward the area where Kendra and Pete stood.

Kendra sensed his eyes on her, yet she knew it couldn't be true. "He can’t see us, can he?" she asked quietly. "There has to be too many lights in his eyes." Her hand grasped Pete's arm and held tight. "He makes me feel uneasy."

Elijah pointed with the lights blinding his view toward where Kendra stood. "I know you’re here," he said with a laugh. His amplified voice revealed a subtle anger that both Kendra and Pete easily understood.

"You can’t hide from me," he continued.

The crowd of students murmured as Elijah spoke. It was clear to Pete that they didn't understand what and whom Elijah was referring to.

On stage Elijah smiled and become delightfully animated.

Pete moved closer to Kendra and held onto Esther's dangling leg with his hands. "I don't think we should be here," he said and held Esther's foot a little firmer.

If Kendra spurted away too fast, he'd quickly follow. He remembered this happening once. Kendra left them in a restaurant because the waiter never showed up. All that remained behind was her purse and those watching her head for the door.

He spoke softly for Kendra's benefit. "The guy reminds me of a cat playing with a mouse. Only I think you're the mouse."

She shot a worried look toward Pete. "He knows I’m here."

He easily saw fear growing on her face.

"Don't worry. He's up there and we're back here. He can't see you. Anyway, the guy's an idiot."

Elijah’s voice boomed through the public address system. "Watch and learn, my little fly. See what a true prophet of the living god can do. Yet I do this not for you but for all that seek truth. I verify myself through signs and wonders, signs and wonders that can cleanse the land. The earth is mine, says god. All that is in it belongs to me. Those who destroy this planet with their corruption, destroying oceans and good earth, all will answer to me. I will soon send my champion, a Great Spirit who is I Am, a man in an earthen vessel, who will lead the nations to health and prosperity."

Kendra reached up, took Esther from Pete's shoulders, and held the girl tightly with her arms. "I think it's time to leave," Kendra said as she turned toward the doors.

"No!" Esther demanded. "I want to watch."

Kendra hesitated, and then reluctantly stepped back against the wall. She watched Elijah stretch forth his right hand towards a table sitting in center stage.

A large shiny pot sat in the middle. Two chairs faced the audience. She did not know what he was about to do, but she seen his powers before. The invisible force, which knocked Pete backward in Israel, was very real.

Elijah shouted the word, "lift," with such sharpness that it startled her. A loud murmur swept though the auditorium, followed by subdued laughter.

Kendra caught her breath and gave Pete a worried look. His face told the story. She’d seen that look of disgust before. He wanted to punch out Elijah’s lights.

She grabbed Pete’s arm just as the large pot sitting on the table in front of Elijah began rattling. Without warning it slid across the tabletop. When it reached the edge, it lifted and floated high above Elijah’s head.

A gasp of wonderment filled the auditorium as the audience stirred in their seats.

"Amazing! How’s he doing that?" asked Pete.

The table then jittered across the floor and slowly tilted on the stage. One leg lifted first followed by another. Soon it floated high above Elijah’s head, next to the pot. Then the two chairs began jumping up and down. They slowly rose above the stage. Floating over the first row of students, they both lowered until they were three feet above the student's heads. A male student stood up and grabbed the nearest leg. The chair jerked away from his grasp and spun wildly. The student quickly sat back in his seat to the sound of laughter. The chair stopped spinning and slowly moved alongside the first chair.

Elijah’s voice boomed again. "Did you enjoy that?" he said to the student who reached out for the chair.

Laughter filled the auditorium.

The student waved a hand. "Where are the wires holding the chairs?" he yelled.

"Come here and test it yourself." Elijah turned to the side of the stage and asked. "Bring a rod or a broom to me."

In seconds the student leaped onto the stage and stood beside Elijah. Another man, somewhere off from the stage, hurried from the side and handed a long rod to Elijah.

"This will do nicely," Elijah said and handed the rod to the student.

"I will bring the chairs closer to you. Then sweep the rod above them, around them, anywhere that you wish. Test to see if any strings or wires are attached."

The student swung the rod above and around the floating chairs. Neither moved, and the student acknowledged that no strings or wires were attached. The audience buzzed with excitement. The rustle of people and their subdued voices ended when Elijah spoke.

"Good! You may sit down now." Elijah waited until he received everyone’s attention. "This is an example of the power of God. I serve the god of magnificent knowledge, wisdom and mercy." He pointed to the audience. "If you learn from me, you too can have the power to hear God speaking to you. It is power, a power that keeps you strong. If you follow my teachings, you will succeed in life beyond your wildest dreams. Travel the roads of life with me and we will transform this world from corruption to one of love and compassion. God is ready. Man has evolved and is at the threshold of the world of tomorrow. It is time to enter the age of enlightenment and understanding."

Kendra felt the anger in her explode. "By the power of God’s Holy Spirit," she uttered in what she thought was a quiet prayer, "I rebuke the evil in you."

She didn’t realize she'd been heard until students turned in her direction.

Elijah covered his head as the chairs, the table, and the pot crashed to the floor. He stared at the fallen items. "Lift," he shouted, pointing specifically at the pot. His face turned crimson with anger when nothing happened and looked again in Kendra’s direction.

She tried to control her look of satisfaction. It became hopeless when she saw the redness in Elijah’s face. "Gotcha," she chuckled through clenched teeth. Kendra heard Esther say "Evil man."

Pete nudged Kendra and Esther with his elbow in an attempt to keep them quiet. It was time to go while the exit was clear.

"Who interferes with God’s power?" Elijah's voice boomed over the sound system.

A student sitting in front of Kendra yelled and pointed, "This lady; she’s the one. I heard her say something. Then everything fell."

Faces turned in their direction and angry voices filled the auditorium.

"Oh! Oh!" whispered Pete. "I think we’ve worn out our welcome."

Kendra handed Esther back to Pete as two university security men arrived. She stared at Elijah and tried to speak above the noise.

"He’s a fake," she yelled as the fighting spirit within her rose to fever pitch. "Don’t listen to him. He can do these things only by the power of the devil."

The two men reached for Kendra's arms and pulled. One of them spoke. "You'll have to leave."

She turned as they marched her toward the door and saw Elijah shielding his eyes from the lights. She hoped the stage lights were blinding him. As they approached the door she heard Elijah's voice directed her way.

"I know that voice," Elijah growled. "It is you, my little Greek gnat. Are you still nipping at my heels?"

"Wait!" she cried and the security men, one on each side of her, stopped their march.

She turned back to the stage. "You know who it is," she yelled loud and clear. "You can fool these people, but I know where your powers come from. They come from evil and darkness."

"Be quiet!" he commanded. "Your powers are weak and I have grown very strong. Campus security - if you would kindly remove her from this place."

Before his words stopped echoing within the auditorium, the two men pulled her arms as irate students descended in her direction.

"Wolf," she cried as Pete followed. He positioned himself so they couldn't strike her in the back. Unfortunately, his arms were full with Esther, and he found himself easily shoved against the wall. He watched in horror as Kendra, the security men, and the students exited through the inside set of doors.

"Don’t touch her," Pete yelled though no one heard. "We’re leaving."

He pushed his way to the door and saw Kendra being hustled down the steps.

"Get Esther out of here," Kendra cried as she looked back. She heard Esther calling her name as angry voices drowned her cries. Rough hands held her arms and literally pulled her outside. Other hands clawed at her back as she and the security guards hurried away. She found herself jostled, scratched and slapped as she exited the building.

She looked back for Pete, hoping, pleading for help. He vanished from her sight as angry students blocked her way to safety. The sea of faces grew angrier and it frightened her.

The squeeze of humanity swept her through the open doors and into the sunlight. Rough hands grabbed and lifted her above their heads. Angry students replaced the security personnel. The mob reached the bottom of the steps. University police reappeared and pulled her from their hands.

She hit the concrete with a thud.

Her right cheek hurt as it rested against the pavement. Her eyes blurred from pain and shock. All she saw were shoes and pant legs.

Her vision cleared as she forced herself to breathe deeply.

When she tried to raise her head, a foot landed on her shoulder and kept her from rising. For a brief moment, hope arrived when she heard Pete's voice.

Two Boulder policemen appeared and lifted her to her feet. At the same time another girl swung a punch at her face. She turned away just in time. Someone else hit her in the back. The blow sent her forward. The hold from the police held her steady. Then they and campus security forced the students away.

Kendra winced in pain. Her face felt hot and she wanted to fight. Then she spied Pete. He was pushing his way through the crowd.

"That’s my girl," he said and made his way alongside her. He turned to one of the policeman.

"I'm with her," he said.

The police released their grip on her arms but didn't totally let go. She found that she could move a little easier and grabbed for Esther.

"Your mommy is just fine," Pete said.

Kendra looked at him and knew Pete was playing on the sympathies of the police.

"I’ll get her out of here," Pete said to the nearest policeman. "Our car is over there."

She spied Elijah exiting the mammoth doors and slowly walking down the steps. The crowd of students parted as he moved towards her. She also saw the anger in his eyes.

University police helped Elijah push his way through the final steps as he came closer. He stopped in front of her and briefly glanced at Pete. She noticed Elijah was well aware of the camcorders recording every scene.

"So we meet again," Elijah said. He looked again at Pete. "I thought the last time in Afula had been enough."

A Boulder policeman interrupted and spoke to Elijah. "Do you want to file a complaint?"

Kendra felt repulsed when she saw Elijah’s face soften.

"No. This young woman is a very disturbed child. It would pain me to hurt her." His hand pointed up the steps. "If you can keep her from interfering with my presentation, I will continue." Elijah moved closer until he stood face to face with Kendra. The plastic smile sickened her and his breath smelled of garlic. Her head swam from the odor. She needed air. His dark eyes revealed only hatred. She saw him look at Esther.

"And how is this lovely little girl of yours?" he asked.

Kendra's first impulse was to slap his face but somehow managed not to answer.

Staring at Elijah with tight eyes, she held her breath and prayed. She wanted her anger to subside enough so she wouldn't get arrested.

"Does she mind any better than the last time?" he said

It happened so fast, she didn't know she reacted. A strong hand grabbed her clenched fist and held it inches from Elijah’s face.

"I think we should go," Pete said. He slowly pulled her hand down. "If it’s all right with everyone, we’ll be leaving."

"Get her out of here," the policeman ordered. "I don’t want to see her face around here for the rest of the day."

"We’re leaving," Pete repeated. He held Esther firmly on his shoulders with one hand and held Kendra's in the other. With some effort he led her away.

"I’m so mad," she growled as they retraced their path back to the car. And that bit about Esther," She fumed. "I just wanted to hit him."

"You almost did. Next time you better not do it while the police are watching." He reached for his keys as they approached the car. He also noticed that campus security now followed them. "We better get out of here."

Chapter 6

"There they go, Les said, "heading south toward Denver. Don’t lose them." He sat in the passenger seat as Bruce eased the stolen white paneled van into the traffic on the Boulder Turnpike. The target vehicle lay a quarter-mile ahead as Bruce accelerated to sixty-five. Both of them had been ordered back to Denver the day after they had left.

"We’ll have them before the Sheridan Exit," Bruce said as he checked the GPS map.

Les double-checked his seat belt and shoulder harness. "Make sure you do. I think the construction north of the Sheridan Exit will work to our favor."

"We’re gaining," Bruce said. "That guy drives fast."

Les glanced around for any police patrols and then a flick of his eyes checked the laser/radar detector. Satisfied with what he saw, he motioned for Bruce to increase his speed. "Take it to seventy. You’re losing them. The guy’s a speed demon. Doesn’t anyone around here drive the speed limit?" He felt their van accelerate.

"We’ll get them. I’m doing seventy-five. The front wheels are bouncing," he said as he felt the shudder in the steering wheel. "This thing needs tires or an alignment I can feel the vibration."

Les kept his eyes on Kendra’s car. "Next time steal a better van/ I'll pick it out."

"We’re catching them, Mister Hollen."

Les rocked sideways as the van shifted lanes. Bruce accelerated again and weaved his way closer to the target.

"We’re almost there, Mister Hollen. Just a little further."

"Ease up behind the car as soon as you can, Mister Crum. We want to be ready.

"There's the Sheridan Exit sign, Mister Hollen."

Les saw the approaching sign telling that the exit lay one-half mile down the road. As soon as they passed the sign he looked for the construction site.

Bruce saw the site first and pointed. "There it is."

In the distance two yellow work vehicles and a small mountain of dirt sat between them and the exit ramp.

"Quick!" Les ordered. "Get alongside them, Mister Crum."

The van accelerated and shifted to the left.

They squeezed between two cars in the passing lane. From behind, a horn tooted its warning. Les kept his hand down and suppressed his standard response.

"Ignore them, Mister Crum. We don't want to attract attention." The words he said didn't make him feel better. A second later he turned and flipped a greeting to the car behind. Satisfied with his action, he turned his attention to Kendra’s car. "Get even with her rear bumper, Mister Crum. Inch forward." He noticed the driver was a man, but the lady in the passenger seat was definitely their pigeon. "She’s not driving. It’s her boyfriend, but she's in the car."

"Is this a good spot, Mister Hollen?"

Les noticed Bruce's eyes darting over to the car.

"Concentrate on driving, Mister Crum. I’ll tell you when. Move up a little more, and don’t go past the driver’s door."

Les kept an eye on the mound of construction dirt as it came closer. He waited for the right moment.

"Construction's coming up fast, Mister Crum. We’re almost there." He turned on the power to his camcorder, lowered the side window and aimed the camera at the car.

Les glanced into the rearview mirror and saw a string of cars behind them. "We’ve got a caravan behind us," he said. "Are we the slow ones on this road?" He ignored the cars behind him and focused his attention toward the approaching construction.

"Get ready, Mister Crum. Make this look like an accident." His mind calculated how many seconds remained before the construction site flew past. He began at three and audibly counted the seconds. He said the number two with emphasis and never said the number one. Instead he said, "Now, Mister Crum."

Les braced himself and gripped his camcorder in a death grip.

The van swerved to the right and smashed into Kendra’s rear fender. Les watched the car fishtail off the road and onto the shoulder. After sliding sideways for a hundred feet, it vanished down the steep slope. "Get in her lane, Mister Crum. Let the traffic pass."

Bruce pulled behind Kendra’s car and slowed to sixty-five.

Les continued recording, hoping to get footage of Kendra’s car plunging to a fiery end. "That embankment leads fifty feet to a thick row of trees. Mister Crum just smiled. I hope she gets splinters in her eyes." He pointed the recorder down to where he felt the car should be. "I’m not having any luck in seeing her exciting plunge to death. Wish I could see something dramatic, like a rising ball of flames."

From the corner of his eye, Pete saw it coming. Yet there was nothing he could do. The lane he drove was filled with bumper-to-bumper traffic. Only the shoulder remained.

To push back at the larger van would prove fruitless. Besides, Kendra'd never forgive him if he wrecked her car.

The white van filled his side mirror as he responded by driving onto the shoulder. His right hand also held down on the horn. The van completely ignored his warning.

The white van either didn't hear the horn or didn't care. Pete guessed the guy was frantic to get off at the next exit. Probably high on drugs, Pete thought.

I lived through my childhood in Ireland, survived the Marines. Somehow I got through the infiltration into the old Soviet Union, and made it through three and one-half day war to annihilate Israel. Now I'm going to get killed by a drunk driver.

A quick glance at Kendra told him she was aware of the danger and was holding on for dear life. Then he saw Esther double-checking her seat belt. She too noticed the van and looked worried.

The van inched closer and then the car jerked rapidly to the right. He barely heard the soft thud of crunching metal. Fishtailing on the shoulder stopped all thinking as he responded by sending all his efforts into controlling the car. Despite his best efforts, the car careened onto the far edge of the shoulder. It was the last place he wanted to go. The right wheels slipped over the embankment and the car bounced. He tried to brake, and then saw the yellow construction trucks. They were in his way, and he was approaching them fast. A large front-end loader blocked his safest path as it dumped dirt into the bed of a truck.

They sped past a man in an orange vest. He held a sign that Pete guessed said "SLOW". At sixty-five miles an hour, he fleetingly noticed the horrified look on the worker's face.

If he continued fishtailing toward the trucks certain death awaited them.

He gunned the engine and turned the wheel down the hill. The car bounced over small rain-cut rivulets and plunged over the side. Thankfully the car’s fishtailing ended and he aimed the car up. Fighting to keep the car from rolling and wondering why it didn't, he felt relief as the car pointed up, and the drive wheels grab.

He shoved the accelerator to the floor for all it was worth and sensed the car changing directions. He hoped he could control the movement once he reached the top. The other question was where were the construction guys? In the next heartbeat he got the answer.

The yellow dump truck flashed by his window in a blur. In front of him, he saw the slow motion movement of men scattering for their lives. Just beyond them, a mountain of excavated dirt rose to meet the sky. He prayed that the front-end loader with its two-inch thick steel bucket didn't get in the way.

He aimed for the pile of dirt and hoped to use it as a ramp. The Wolf heard Kendra and Esther scream as the yellow front-end loader lifted its bucket and turned toward them.

A yellow blur sped past and in a split second, Pete felt the car go airborne. They missed the end of the bucket by a hair.

All his instincts responded as the car sailed over yet another truck parked in the dirt. Time froze as the car sailed airborn. He watched it all in slow motion.

The car landed on the shoulder of the road with a crunching jar. Pete fought the wheel to keep it straight and true. He hoped the exit ramp lay in his path. It did, and it sat just ahead.

Smashing down on the brakes, Pete saw the trailing blue smoke as brakes and burning tires burned and screeched. The car slid sideways then straightened. In seconds, it slowed to a safe speed and crept up the ramp.

"Is everyone okay?" He asked without knowing what else to say. It took real effort just to breathe. It was then he realized he was holding his breath.

From the corner of his eye, he saw the crowded highway and the white van speed south. A full-faced man with a ponytail stared back. In his hand, he held a video camera. They tried to kill us, and now they’re recording it. What’s going on?

In defiance to the assailants, he smiled back and waved the back of his hand. At the same time he mumbled quiet obscenities so Kendra wouldn’t hear. If the car held together, he’d go after them.

He reached the top of the ramp and waited for the traffic light to change. "Is everyone all right?" he asked again. A quick look at Kendra and Esther revealed two people unhurt but in shock. "We’ll check the car later," he said. "First, I need to catch that van."

Pete drove down the ramp, trying to accelerate, but the car didn't have any energy left. The wobble from the right side indicated serious damage. Besides, a sea of cars, trucks and vans stretched before him. He slowly pulled onto the shoulder. "The light took too long," he said without reporting the lack of engine horsepower. The car seemed to be missing on one of its six cylinders.

He finally stopped, but his hands were shaking. Stretching them out before him, he saw the vibrating fingers and stuck both hands under his armpits. It was all he knew to do to control his shaking.

"Delayed reaction," he said with a weak grin. "I’ll be all right in a minute."

He watched Esther climb over the seat and land in Kendra's lap. Kendra immediately wrapped her arms around the girl and they both sat staring out the window. He fully expected them to be chattering their heads off in another minute.

Getting out, he walked around the car, checking for damage. The front wheels were both bent in at the top. He looked underneath. "Everything seems to be there. We didn’t lose anything. We've a lot of dirt packed underneath. Nothing leaking. But I think it's time to trade your car in. The front axles are bent."

He looked into the window, double-checking to see that Kendra and Esther were unhurt again, and then tried to liven up the moment. "How about a Dairy Queen?"

"My poor car," Kendra moaned as she firmly held onto Esther. "My poor car."

"Why'd he drive us off the road?" asked Esther.

Pete didn't answer. Getting in behind the wheel, he placed the car in gear, and slowly drove away, the bent axle making its presence known.

Pete thought in silence as the car limped south on Sheridan Boulevard. The girls were talking, asking questions that he couldn't answer. Two times, he thought. That's two times. Someone's trying to kill her. She's has really stepped on somebody's toes.7 Lora opened the front door and stared at the strained faces of her sister and Esther. Pete stood behind them after hurrying up the steps. The look on Kendra's face spoke more than a thousand words. Obviously something serious happened. She had thought of going to Boulder and seeing Elijah. The auto incident she and Steve saw on the television captured her thoughts.

"Are you okay?" Lora asked. She quickly gave Kendra a hug and ushered everyone into the living room. In the distance she spied the parked car. It didn't look wrecked.

"It's all over the news. The description of three people in a car that looked like yours." A quick study of their faces confirmed what she suspected. "I knew it was you!"

Lora glanced at Steve as he entered the room from the kitchen.

"Is everyone unhurt?" he asked as he somehow picked up on the incident on the Boulder turnpike. "Can I get you something, a coffee, tea, soda?"

"First," Pete said, "I need to use a phone. I need to call the police. I can't find my Cell."

Steve saw Lora glance at the Cell phone in Pete's left hand.

"The battery needs recharging," Pete answered to their unasked question. He knew his answers made him feel absentminded. "I should have checked it this morning," he said in his defense.

Pete smiled as he confessed his error and turned toward Steve. "A coke will be fine," he said in response to his friends offer.

Esther grabbed Lora's hand. "You should have seen us," she said. "First the car went down a hill. Then Uncle Pete made it go straight up. We flew over a truck. I remember everything. It was great."

"Good," Lora said in a soft monotone. Her training as a psychologist surfaced and her voice carried no emotion. "You better not have bad dreams about this. You're too important to me."

Lora rested a hand on Esther's shoulder and studied Kendra. "Now tell me what happened, Sis. I want to hear everything."

Kendra described the confrontation with Elijah, the police, and finally the terror on the highway. She ended with; "God saved us."

"Well," Pete said with pleasure, not mentioning his superb driving skills. "She survived another one."

"Did you call Detective Jamison?" asked Kendra.

"He wasn't in, but I talked to a Sergeant Ames. He said Jamison would call us. They're also expecting us. Can one of you drive us out to the ranch? I don't think Kendra's car will hold together much longer. I'll pick up my truck and then we'll head to the police."

As Pete stepped alongside Kendra he added. "I don't think she wants her car in another accident. I know I don't." He then leaned toward her and gave her a smile to conceal his secret concerns. His half-ton truck was heavier and safer. "We sure had a lot of excitement today."

"Aunt Lora," Esther said. "You should have seen Uncle Pete drive. He was great. Varoom! Varoom!"

Pete beamed with pride.

Lora moved quickly to Esther's side and knelt in front of the child. Giving her a long hug she asked. "Are you all right?"

Esther's eyes widened as she said yes. She moved her hands quickly from left to right, as if she held a steering wheel.

Lora, frustrated by the lack of fear in Esther, went to her sister's side. "It sounds like God didn't save you. It sounds more like, Pete did all the work."

Kendra’s eyes glanced nervously at Pete then back at Lora.

Lora helped Kendra to the couch, then wrapped a comforting arm around her sister and asked. "You were the accident we heard and saw on TV. Did you get a description of the car that drove you off the road?"

"I did," answered Pete, and I don't think it was an accident. What I can't figure out is how did they know we were in Boulder?"

Lora's face went plastic as she listened. She remembered talking over the Internet about Kendra's trip to Boulder. She caught herself shaking her head. No, that couldn't be. Everything has to be an accident.

Steve brought in a tray filled with refreshments. "I heard everything from the kitchen. If this was a set-up, someone is watching you, both of you."

Pete took a long drink. He then looked at Lora and Steve and broke out in a chuckle. Their faces, filled with inquisitive amazement, stared back. He then proceeded to tell of Kendra's argument with Elijah. When he finished, he glanced at Kendra. "I do believe that creep, has it in for you. This might be close to a plain old Middle East blood feud."

"Maybe," Kendra replied. "But this is the United States, not the Middle East."

He watched her stare at the wall and stop speaking. He felt that he could see Kendra's mind working hard to figure everything out.

"I just don’t know," she finally answered. "I truly don't know. Until I know for sure, I will not condemn the man."

Pete felt a dark cloud of depression settling in the room and decided to move the talk to something lighter. He looked at the red spot on Kendra's cheek.

"The students roughed Kendra up pretty good when they evicted her from the auditorium. A section from Shakespeare's Henry the Fifth comes to mind.

"But when the blast of war blows in our ears,"

He added flamboyance to his recital with a wave of his arm.

"Then imitate the action of the tiger;

Stiffen the sinews; summon up the blood,

Disguise fair nature with hard-favored rage:"

Pete stopped reciting, pleased by his gestures; he showed obvious pride in his actions.

"It's from Shakespeare," he volunteered. "It's my way of saying that a weaker woman would have cringed and fallen apart. Elijah does possess some unusual powers. Remember back in the cave? He knocked me to the ground without even touching me? Kendra believes the man is demonic. Up in Boulder when that creep made a crack about Esther, she almost nailed him."

"You shouldn't have gone up," said Lora. "I warned you both. Pete, you should have stopped her. If you hadn't been with her, she might have been killed." She saw the look in Kendra's eyes. "And God has nothing to do with this. You were just lucky, that's all. Pete's the one who saved you. He's the only one who's ever saved you. He's always saving you. I've never met anyone who constantly gets into life-threatening situations like you do. Someone ought to make a movie of your life."

Lora moved close to Pete and gave him a hug. "Thanks for everything. Don't ever stop."

"I'll keep trying," Pete answered, "but the lady has a mind of her own." He nodded toward Kendra. "I'm just glad I went to see the show. And I'm glad I was there to get her out of trouble."

"I don’t know what got into me," Kendra said with a poorly suppressed grin. "I give all the glory to God. Yet, I also know that if Pete hadn’t grabbed my arm, I’d be in jail right now. Then we almost got killed in a freak accident. If it hadn't been for the Holy Spirit, my angels and Pete, I don't know what would have happened." The image of her car flashed across her mind. "My poor car. It's ruined."

Pete bit the bottom of his lip to suppress a shudder and chuckle at the same time. He remembered the front axles of her car. Then his face turned sour as the last two episodes replayed in his mind. The attempted electrocution and being forced off the road has got to be connected.

He excused himself, walked to the kitchen with Lora's Cell still in his hand. "I’m going to call Jamison again," he said as he left. "Maybe the police have a lead on the van. Of course," he added, "if this is a professional job, the van will be stolen. If they ever find it at all. The prints will be wiped clean, and the driver will be spending his pay on some warm tropical beach."

As Pete dialed Jamison's office again, he heard Kendra describing the way she caused everything to fall off the stage. In the earphone he listened to the message from someone at the police station. Irritated that Jamison was out, he returned to the room.

"Jamison's still out," he said to everyone and looked at Kendra as he handed the phone back to Lora. "I heard you filling in the details." he shot a smile toward Steve. "She was a wildcat. Elijah's got her really riled up."

"I forgive him, " Kendra said with a purposely-pious tone.

"When we got back to her car," Pete added, "she was shaking like a leaf. That was just before Mad-Max came after us, and she was back to her old self. You know, the happiest person in the world. Then the van did its thing on us."

Pete picked Esther up into his arms and gave her a kiss on the top of her head. "I'm glad this one didn't get damaged." He looked at Kendra for a moment and added. "Now our Kendra is angry again."

Pete redirected his concern toward Esther with a half-suppressed grin. "What are we going to do with your godmother?"

The phone in Lora's hand rang and Pete added, "That might be Jamison."

He looked back and saw every eye following as he took the phone from Lora.

"We’ll be right there," he said after a moment of silence on the phone. "Give me an hour to get a car that still runs."

Pete looked directly at Kendra as he returned. "Jamison is heading back to the University Boulevard substation. He'll be waiting for us."

"I'll drive you," added Steve, "it'll save time."

"Kendra," Steve called. "Can I see you for a moment before we leave?" He walked into the kitchen and waited.

Kendra looked at Pete and then at her sister, looking for an answer. Then she followed Steve into the kitchen.

"This isn't the time to bring this up," Steve said, "but it's burning inside me. I bought a used book today that I'd like to get your comments on."

"I'm too upset to be of much use," Kendra answered. "What's the title?"

"Extraterrestrial Bible Codes Revealed," Steve answered almost in a whisper. His voice was purposely kept low so no one in the other room would hear. "I don't want Lora to know what I'm reading," he added with eyes nodding toward the door. "You know how she feels about religion."

Kendra smiled in agreement and thought how she believed that every living cell in a person cries out to know God. People like her sister, Steve, and even Pete seem to be forever rejecting the belief in a personal God. But she reminded herself that everyone in the world is searching for an answer, especially those who say they reject God. Maybe, just maybe, all her prayers were being answered. Steve was beginning to search. Maybe her sister wouldn't be far behind. "Have you read it?"

"Just starting. It's fantastic, if it's true. I remember you talking about this stuff ten years ago."

"Lora's voice interrupted their conversation and called out, "It's awfully quiet in there. What are you two talking about? I hope you aren't trying to brainwash him."

"We'll talk later," Steve whispered. He cleared his throat and answered Lora's question as he called back from the kitchen. "Just seeing if Kendra is really okay," he lied.

* * *

Pacing the floor of his sixth floor suite at the Holiday Inn, Elijah stared angrily at the heavy traffic winding its way into the Crossroads Mall. His hand tightly gripped the phone as he tried to control his voice. "Listen. I will say this only once. I do not pay for incompetence. I want your answer by this time tomorrow. Email me. I'm paying for results." Without waiting for further discussion, he punched the phone off and threw it onto the bed, instantly breaking the connection to Tampa.

He saw himself in a mirror that was hanging from the far wall. His bulging eyes glared back at him. "Yyyagh!"

He focused his mind toward the mirror and felt relief when the center shattered. He hated his eyes. They came from his father's side.

"Why am I cursed? I'm too short, with an oversized head, and bug-eyes that drive me crazy. If the man was still alive, I'd kill him."

Turning away, he kicked the telephone from the bed. Watching it sail into the open arms of a cushioned chair brought a smile to his face. "She has plagued my life, my career, and my powers. She must be stopped, she must."

He changed his clothes and headed out the door. A waiting limo would drive him back to Macky Auditorium. "Hopefully, my distasteful irritant won't be there," he growled as he waited for the elevator. "I’m surrounded by incompetents." He thought of Rene and her team. "When they finish, I’ll terminate their contract." The thought of simple, uncomplicated revenge lifted his spirits. "I will rid the world of a nuisance and three incompetent killers," he laughed. "A fitting end to bunglers."

* * *

Rene Paxton sat before her computer reading email. Yesterday, she digitized the angry voice from her mysterious employer. With a little luck, she'd find out who was paying her bills.

Pleased that the guy made a stupid error in calling her, she twisted a lock of strawberry blond hair with her finger while reading one particular email. It began with a familiar introduction. "To Dimples." Her cheeks possessed no dimples, but she knew the email came from her employer, the man who just called. He can use that introduction all he wants, she thought. But I've got your voiceprint.

"An overnight package has been Express mailed to you." The message ended one line later. "Do not fail me again." She found the words chilling and irritating. Just keep sending cash or I'll irritate you, she thought.

Someday she'd find the man behind the voice. After his final payment arrived, she’d make his life truly miserable. And if it turned out to be more than one person, she'd politely destroy all of them.

One thing for sure, the man has deep pockets. Even though the call from him wasn't exactly a note on how to get along with people, her team was still hired to complete the task. She checked the time of the email. The package will be arriving shortly.

* * *

The Tampa skies were graying with heavy rains when Rene opened the door for Bruce and Les. They had just arrived from Denver. Bruce wore his customary ragged jean shorts and a worn out tee shirt. A ragged hole in his shirt, just under the right armpit, gave him the image of someone barely scraping by. His protruding belly, expensive sockless sandals, and Gold Rolex watch squished the image of being a down-and-out. She could see the heavy fanny pack around his waist. After working with him for years, she knew it concealed a compact .45. She smiled at the quiet air of confidence he carried.

Les came through the door wearing a tie hanging from a bare neck, an old Gym Honolulu muscle shirt, baggy khaki shorts and flip-flops. One pocket in his pants hung a little lower. Rene knew Les carried a pocket holster, which held a compact 9mm. His hair hung wild. She expected him to pull it back into its customary ponytail before they sat down for business and breakfast. White smudges under his armpits revealed he used too much deodorant.

My team, she thought. I just love ‘em.

Leading them to her private war room, she turned on more lights. The room had been added to her home and specifically built with no windows. The walls were constructed with twelve-inch Styrofoam filled concrete blocks. The stucco exterior blended in with the rest of the house and concealed the massive construction. A double row of sound deadening insulation filled the interior walls.

In addition, the inner walls and ceiling were covered with the highest quality acoustical tile. Any words spoken in the room would be impossible to be heard outside, even by the latest listening technology. She turned on the "white noise" and a soft whine filled the conference room. A press of another button and an automatic sweep of the room for bugging device rounded out the entry.

Maps of the world, the United States and Colorado covered two walls. A small armory of pistols, revolvers, and rifles hung from a third. Ammunition for each weapon sat neatly stacked beneath the weapons.

Hidden under the flagstone floor in a tunnel leading to a waterproof room, sat the real weapons and a two station, fifty foot, firing range. A wet bar and a refrigerator, on hidden rollers, covered the entrance.

She led her team to one end of a large mahogany conference table. Three television monitors hung from the ceiling at the far end. The Weather Channel filled one screen while CNN and BBC International displayed the latest happenings.

A frosty pitcher of freshly squeezed orange juice and extra filtered water sat between the deadly threesome. Boiled eggs filled a bowl next to fresh baked baguettes. Sliced cucumbers and tomatoes lay neatly arranged in a glass-serving tray. Orange marmalade, along with three types of preserves, filled small stainless steel bowls. Three fresh cups of steaming coffee sat ready.

A light flashed on the home security monitor. "Someone is coming toward the front door." A quick glance at her house security monitor told her that the mailman had arrived. When the doorbell rang, Rene glanced at her watch. "Our package has arrived," she said. Pointing to the food on the table she said, "Help yourselves."

She returned holding a large Express Mail envelope. Across the room sat a small airport X-ray machine. She sat the package inside, pressed "on", and scanned the contents.

"It’s safe to open," she said and returned with the mailer.

"Let’s see it," Bruce said. He took a sip of coffee and flipped out a knife.

"Patience is a virtue, Mister Crum." Les smiled.

"So true, Mister Hollen. Someday I will be as controlled as you." He put down the knife and ripped a baguette in half with his fingers. With satisfaction he spread strawberry preserves over the ends.

Rene dug a finger under the pull-tab and ripped open the package. Inside she found a black folder and two thick envelopes. She slid them onto the table and opened the folder. Three pictures greeted her, along with instructions. As she read the instructions, she slid the envelopes to Bruce and one of the pictures to Les.

"Twenty American .999 fine gold Eagles and ten thousand dollars," Bruce said as he quickly stacked the coins and counted the hundred dollar bills. "I think gold is running around twenty-two hundred right now. What do they want us to do?"

Rene did not speak. Instead she handed the instructions to Les and looked at the two photographs lying in front of her.

Les passed the picture to Bruce before he answered, "Kill Mister Peter Meirs."

Rene cracked a boiled egg and began peeling the shell.

Les read the instructions aloud. "Mister Meirs is believed to be the reason both attempts on Kendra Makray’s life have failed. During the first attempt, he arrived an hour too early. On the second try, Mister Meirs proved to be a very accomplished driver."

Rene cleaned the egg and sprinkled it with salt and pepper before she spoke. "A source I have cultivated says that she has a planned pizza dinner in a southeast Denver suburb called Parker. Pete and Kendra will be their guest. We’ll be able to take out both Mister Meirs and Miss Makray when they leave. She’ll be history," she added, "but we’ll have to go through Mister Meirs to get to Kendra."

Les slid the folder to Bruce. "We are to make it look like a drive-by shooting. This suggests we hire a gang from the Denver area. I received a name to contact. That person probably has a gang already chosen for the job."

"Why someone else?" Bruce protested. "Mister Hollen and I can do the job. Hiring a third party can only cost us money and create security leaks. This is getting messy."

She held up a hand for Bruce to stop. "Nevertheless, this is what our employer wants. I don’t understand the logic, but for now, we’ll do as ordered. If it gets messed up this time, it'll be their fault. Then I may just do it myself and I won’t charge a dime. But I agree with you, Bruce. The more people who get involved, the more dangerous it is for us."

Les tabled his orange juice, picked up his fork and speared a cucumber. "I think we ought to provide the back-up, just in case."

"The bright side," she said, "look on the bright side. These plans permit you, all of us, not to be seen. You two are to fly to Colorado Springs. After you rent a car, you'll drive to Denver. You will make contact with the people they've hired. I’ll make all the travel arrangements. Just deliver our detailed instructions and the money. Then we'll all meet back in Parker." She looked at the disappointment in their faces. "I can only repeat myself. If this goes sour, it won’t be our fault. We will be in the background. When this is over, I expect you both to clean up the loose ends."

"That’s more like it," Les said and went back to munching on his strawberry covered French bread.

"When do we go?" asked Bruce.

"I’ll have all the details worked out by next week," answered Rene. She thought of her hidden arsenal. "A sawed off shotgun will do nicely."

* * *

"Next month we're scheduled to be in Israel," Pete said to Jamison. "We apologize for not getting here yesterday, but her car died. I'm sure you know what happened to us on the Boulder Turnpike. But let's get to the heart of these problems. This has been the second visit to your office in as many weeks." Pete's voice revealed his anger. "Hasn't anyone come up with anything? Right now, your investigation isn't giving us results. There have been two attempts on her life and you guys haven't said or found anything. You don't offer much encouragement."

He searched the detective's face and eyes for signs of negative body language as he spoke. The detective sat before him as if cast in stone.

Dressed in a dark rumpled suit, Jamison sat quietly behind a cluttered desk listening. His eyes stared at a report of the accident as Pete gave his umpteenth explanation of the incident.

Pete continued. "Next month, the Israeli government is dedicating their new temple. We're going." He paused to see if Jamison had fallen asleep with his eyes open. "The guy's a zombie," Pete growled under his breath.

Kendra's soft voice finally brought movement to the detective's eyes. "We’re expected to attend," she said. "It’s all high level State Department stuff."

Pete waited for her words to sink in. When it became apparent they were not going to receive a positive reaction from the detective; Pete shook his head in disgust. He thought of something that might waken the walking dead. "Kendra expects the Hebrew Feast of Trumpets to set off a nuclear war and the rapture of the church all at the same time. She even believes it might be this September."

Pete noticed the angry look in Kendra's eyes, but she said nothing. "The girl is a true scholar of the scriptures," he said. "Too many times she has been proven one-hundred percent right. If she's right on this, I think I'm going to get drunk."

He hoped his words helped melt the daggers coming from her eyes, but what was said was said. Pete returned to watching Jamison and saw him look up from his papers at Kendra. The detective still didn't change his facial expression or make a comment, but his eyes were studying Kendra. Frustrated, Pete gave up while noticing the angry look from Kendra. What did he do?

Kendra held up a hand for everyone to stop talking. "Before you say anything," she said, "I'd like to hear if you found anything about the van that tried to kill us. The trip to Israel is important, but that's some time off. Twice someone's tried to kill me. Have you found anything?" She rubbed her ankles as they started iching.

"The answer is yes and no," Jamison announced.

Pete looked at the man with amazement. Is this guy alive?

"We found the van. Our people dusted it for prints. They found nothing, not even a smeared fingerprint. Evidently the vehicle's been run through a carwash with the windows open. When we opened the glove box, soapy water poured out. Any prints that existed had been washed away."

Kendra studied Jamison’s face. "Then do you know anything?"

"Only that the van been stolen," Jamison replied. He turned to Pete. "I don’t know how you were able to keep from killing yourself. Witnesses said you fishtailed off the road. They were certain you crashed at the bottom. Then you appeared from nowhere and threaded the needle between two construction trucks. You flew over a mountain of dirt and landed on your wheels. Some of those who were interviewed aren’t sure what they saw. It appears to be too unbelievable."

"Well, you can believe it, however they described it," Pete said. "I’m just glad neither Esther nor Kendra was killed."

"Then you drove up the exit ramp as if nothing happened," Jameson continued. "Even the road crew scratched their heads over that one."

The detective looked intently into Pete's eyes and leaned forward. "Why did you drive away? I can still arrest you for leaving the scene of an accident."

Pete thought for a moment. "At the time I thought it was a good idea to follow the van. But when I made it to the top of the ramp, the van was gone and the car was in bad shape. I never saw it again. So we came here and filed our report. I’m convinced the attempt on Kendra’s life in her home, and then this, are connected. I’ll be better prepared next time. But what about her?" He looked at Kendra and reached for her hand. "She needs protection."

Jamison responded. "I only know that there has been a murder attempt in her home. The incident on the highway may have only been an accident. Until I know it too was an attempt on her life, my hands are tied. All I can do is file the information and note your concerns. Until then, there isn’t much I can offer."

"How about your resignation," Pete said sarcastically.

"Don't get smart with me, or I'll lock you up and throw away the key."

"All right! All right! How about the description I gave you of the guy on the passenger side?"

"We’re working on it."

Disappointed, Pete stood to go. "You talk like you don’t believe someone is out to get her. And this comment of a possible murder attempt. You’re talking like she may have made up the attempt to electrocute herself."

Jamison looked directly at Kendra and stood up. "Did you?"

"Now wait a minute," Pete shouted in Jamison's face as he leaned over the desk.

"Sit down, Mister Meirs. That's an order."

"What kind of Cop-Shop is this? Someone tries to kill her in her own home. Then they run us off the road, and you're saying she made it all up."

"Sit down Meirs. And keep your mouth shut." Jamison pointed to the chair. "Sit! Or so help me, I’ll..."

Pete fought back his frustration and the heat burning in his eyes. Everything in him said, smash the face in front of him. Only Kendra’s voice broke the tension.

"Pete, sit down, Please."

Pete shook his head as her voice slightly defused his anger. He glared at the detective then looked away. The guy's an idiot.

"I’m sorry," Kendra said. "We seem to hear the words, 'I'm working on it a lot.' I know you have to look at all the angles, and if you could solve it, you would. Is there anything else you need from us?"

Jamison’s face softened. "Before either of you leave for Israel, check with me. Maybe we’ll have something."

Pete helped Kendra to her feet. "She’ll be staying at my ranch for a couple of days, maybe a week. Other than that you'll find her downtown at the weekly high school led revival on the 16th Street Mall."

He looked at the detective and wondered why he wanted to tell him anything. "I have a small place in Elbert County, right where Arapahoe, Douglas and Elbert meet. You have my address in the report. If you want any information, you know where to reach us. Call before you drive out."

Kendra detected the anger in Pete rising again. She attempted to add a little humor. At the same time she gave Pete a subtle kick before speaking. "One-hundred and ten acres, two cows and a tractor."

Pete glanced at Kendra and saw anger. Her look told him to cool-it.

"Don't forget the chickens. They're mine too," Pete said. A reluctant grin spread across his face as switched off his anger.

"I’ve been pretty lucky since I met this lady. I even asked her to marry me."

For the first time, Pete saw a pleasant reaction to his words. He even saw a sliver of a smile appear in Jamison's lips.

"She even said yes, once," he continued. "After we returned to the States, she saw something that gave her cold feet. If she ever says yes again, I'll make it happen so fast she'll not have a chance to back down."

This time he looked at Kendra, hoping she'd take what he was saying as a proposal. "I’d marry her on the spot. We’d move so far away no one will ever find us."

As they left the police station Pete asked a question about the angry look she gave him.

"I said something back there that didn't sit well with you. You want to talk about it?"

"I don't remember," she said in complete honesty.

"Well I said something, because I saw a pretty dark look coming from you. I'd like to know what it was."

Kendra thought for a moment. "It was your remark about my belief."

"Your belief?" Pete looked puzzled by whatever he said.

Kendra spoke without turning as they walked to his truck. "The Feast of Trumpets corresponding to the seven trumpets of the Book of Revelations is now called Rosh Hashanah," she said crisply. Remember?"

Pete scratched his head as he tried to recall the words he used. He confessed he was at a loss, so he figured that it was how he said it. Confused, he simply offered an apology. "I'm sorry. I spoke out of line. But in all honesty, I really don't understand the Jewish New Years, Rosh Hash-Shana, or whatever it's called. I just don't see how those trumpets relate to anything. I'm sorry I said something that was disagreeable."

"Well it hurt and it was uncalled for."

"You're right. I'm sorry," he said again, this time with real feeling, and still trying to recall what he said.

Chapter 7

The rising orb of an orange sun peaked above the clear eastern horizon as Elijah exited the black private jet. The rain-laden clouds were a stark contrast to clear skies and morning sun at ten thousand meters. But he was in Germany, almost the center of his power base. Millions throughout Europe followed him as if he were god himself.

Hanging on his every word they practiced what he preached. In one case they actually died for him. It was the time when three hundred of his followers blockaded the London World Trade conference. Twelve protesters chained themselves to the main gate and doused themselves with petrol. The police moved in and a match was lit. Those followers died as a lasting memorial to the child labor and sweatshops of Asia.

That conference collapsed, as did much of the influence of the so-called New World Order. There never will be a world order that can stand up to people who are willing to die for their beliefs. Especially, he thought, especially when we know we're right.

With quiet satisfaction Elijah walked the two hundred meters to the waiting helicopter.

The initial flight from Newark to Munich took ten hours. This flight in the helicopter would be much less; and though he slept a few hours on the transatlantic flight, he felt the weariness of so much travel. His presence had been requested by the Adephi Foundation, a multi-billion dollar foundation for the advancement of international cooperation, and he wished he rested more soundly through the Atlantic crossing. Yes, the excitement now of meeting one of the world's richest men stirred his blood.

Flying in an aircraft equipped with the finest luxuries made all the difference in the world. Obviously the Prime Minister of Austria, Archduke Daniel Von Resh, the current leader of the World Trade Organization, knows how to live. With my powers and his money, I might just become the most influential man in the world.

He walked briskly to the waiting helicopter. The flight to the Austrian region of Kleinwalsertal was expected to take no more than thirty minutes. Yet he felt a growing irritation that the trip would take so long. He attributed the tension he felt to a growing impatience to meet the ruler of corporations and government. He wanted to visit with the duke. He wanted to get started. He wanted to talk about the environment.

This world is running out of natural resources, and it is time that we woke up. The Adephi Center is predicting the world has ten more years of cheap oil production left, even though that is a statistic that does not include the newly discovered huge oil and gas Israeli fields. The oceans of the world were only given twenty years at the most to be fruitful. And at the rate the most productive farmlands were being depleted by the over use of herbicides and pesticides, billions of lost souls would be starving by 2050. He attributed most of the destruction to the introduction of the genetically altered crops during the late nineties. By his most conservative figures, starvation was expected to decrease the world's population by six billion souls.

He heard that Von Resh possessed a plan for that fateful time. He proposed that every commodity, every product, every person; all needed to carry a permanent bar code identification, impervious to forgery. From World Trade (WT) administration centers around the world, his investigators were instructed to identify companies, employment, and environmental practices detrimental to the earth, the economy, and surviving power centers. All these plans came from a man not thirty years old and who is a product of genetic research.

Those who did not receive the WT bar code that Von Resh offered could not do business in the worlds approved product supply chain. In effect, those who disobeyed the plan might cease to exist - not by military might, but by simple supply and demand. Von Resh argued that the need to survive and flourish will dictate national and corporate compliance.

The pilot pointed to his earphones and interrupted Elijah's musings. He placed the headset on and listened.

"Our flight path will follow Highway 19 until it arrives at the Austrian border. From there we follow Road 201."

Elijah waited for more but saw the pilot ignore the questions in his eyes. In relative silence, with only the whine of the turbine motor and the waap-waap of the propellers, Elijah studied the passing farms.

They flew over a long alpine valley dotted with small farms. Countryside villas lay in harmony with the densely forested mountain slopes.

He wasn't sure of their direction, but they seemed to be heading east, toward a small mountain range. Beyond that range, the mighty Austrian Alps rose rugged and snow-capped.

Fifteen minutes into the flight, they circled a forest-covered hill and the pilot tapped Elijah’s headset. "They are not yet ready for us," he said. "We will circle until we can land."

Elijah scanned the ground and the large modern villa below. "Six limousines filled with men and women. From the distance, Elijah made out a man who resembled the American Secretary of State. Two small American flags flapping in the breeze sat on the limo's front fenders.

As they flew a larger circle around the complex, Elijah noticed numerous stands of dying trees. He hadn't seen them earlier. He realized that the reports of air-born industrial pollution taking a terrible toll on the Austrian and German forests was totally understated. It was made more serious when a nuclear power plant in Northern Spain erupted in flames. Of course the repeated use of America to use designer neutron bombs in assassinating terrorist leaders in their camps didn't help.

"What a shame," he murmured.

Elijah felt the psychic energies rising within him, along with the desire to do something to save the trees. It meant only one thing to him. God wanted him to use his powers to heal.

"But the task is so great," he answered aloud to the unseen force quickening his spirit. "I can't do it alone."

The helicopter circled until all the cars drove away. Finally it landed in a spacious courtyard. Two men, whom Elijah assumed were part of the staff, hurried from the villa's steps. A third man waited at the top.

The helicopter door snapped open, and the two waiting by the landing pad hurried forward and helped Elijah step from the craft. Without speaking, they immediately removed his luggage. The man standing above the stair held out a hand and beckoned Elijah towards him.

As Elijah ascended the steps, the man greeted him.

"My master is so pleased that you accepted his invitation. I'm Eric Von Conig, Mister Von Resh's personal secretary. If you would follow me, Mister Resh is expecting you."

Elijah heard the name and wondered what happened to the distinguished title. Not very European, he thought.

The secretary led Elijah into the house and through the green Italian marble foyer. Maybe he needed to charge more for his speaking fees. This entry was bigger than the apartment he leased.

Another man stood waiting at the far end. "This gentleman will take you to Mister Von Resh."

The sound of chamber music greeted Elijah as the man, whom Elijah guessed to be a security officer, led him through a cavernous ballroom to two large paneled doors. The security officer removed a small electronic remote from his pocket and the doors slid apart.

The man stopped at the doors and let Elijah enter. The doors closed silently behind him and he now stood in the entrance of a large well-stocked library. In the center six high-backed leather chairs formed a circle.

Two men and one woman appeared from their oversized leather chairs. They stood and faced him, as a third man, tall and large boned with a strong jaw stood, smiled, and said something to the others.

"Rabbi Elijah Ben-Yosaf."

The tall man dressed in a dark blue suit strode toward him as he spoke. A wide smile filled his face. He resembled an American presidential candidate - confident, affable, charming, and charismatic. Elijah felt amazed by the feeling he felt for a man he never met.

"Let me introduce you to my guests. I'm Daniel Resh, and these are two of my closest associates, the German Minister of State, Ms. Lois Bain, and the American Secretary of State, Mister Jergan Albright. I feel sure I can speak for all of us. We are very delighted that you came."

Elijah studied Resh's charismatic face. His wavy black hair, and his wide eyes, all complemented by a healthy tan and by his athletic walk. The man obviously was not the normal pasty looking politician he was accustomed to seeing. He guessed Resh to be around 195 centimeters. He translated that to be about six and a half feet. His weight seemed close to six and one-half kilo, or something a little over two hundred pounds.

Von Resh reached out a hand to shake Elijah's. When their hands gripped, Elijah knew the man was all muscle.

Mister Albright spoke. "Elijah Ben-Yosaf, I asked Mister Resh to use his resources to arrange this meeting."

Elijah listened to Mister Albright but his eyes found themselves compelled to return to Von Resh's.

"I am glad you invited me," Elijah said as he willed himself to concentrate on Mister Albright. Finally he stopped fighting the impulse and turned to face Von Resh. There was something very strange about this man. Elijah knew it. This man was the leader of these three, yet it was Albright who invited him. Maybe that wasn't entirely correct.

As they stood facing each other, Elijah sensed a force coming from Von Resh, something reaching out to him. And his mind was being filled with all types of visions. Elijah knew they were not his. Von Resh. Somehow this man sent thoughts into his mind. It was as if there was an instant clairvoyant connection between them.

"I understand you speak fluent German," said Von Resh.

Von Resh's voice carried charisma. This man possessed authority and charm. But there existed something stronger and magnetic. Von Resh looked into his eyes as if peering into his soul.

"I am delighted you accepted my invitation on such short notice. Let me introduce you to my associates. First, I must warn you that like you, my associates possess some very unusual abilities. Unfortunately, their respective duties demand their presence for success. They will be forced to leave in a few hours. But for the moments we have, I hope you come to enjoy them as much as I do."

Von Resh took Elijah's arm and led him to four seats arranged by a roaring fireplace. "Please, let us sit and I will tell you why I asked for you to travel so far. I wish to personally present you with a proposition."

Elijah listened with growing excitement, as Von Resh explained. At the same time strange feelings and thoughts filled his mind as the man spoke. Continuously, Elijah felt other, more foreign thoughts, intruding over his own. Since childhood he found himself sensitive to thoughts appearing from nowhere and influencing his action. Now others in this room were using their minds to influence his.

When Von Resh paused, Elijah asked, "And you wish that I join with you as you fulfill your responsibility to the World Trade Organization?"

"Yes, that is precisely what I propose. Together we will, we must, change the world. With your powers and my organization and influence we might even save this planet. It 'will' be for the betterment of mankind."

Von Resh emphasized the word "will".

"I have been waiting for one such as you to appear," Von Resh continued. "As you know I am the son of Ludwig Von Resh. More accurately I am his clone, albeit our genetic researchers have improved on the genetic model by adjusting certain DNA branches that have created within me unusual powers. I must say I am very pleased with the results. My intelligence is beyond measurement. I have tremendous recuperative powers and stamina, and I have been cloned with powers that my father’s only dreamt about.

"But enough about me. Ancient prophecies have foretold that together you and I will see all the powers we possess increase tenfold. If you accept and we join together, we will provide political and spiritual direction to a lost and dying world. Those who oppose us will not prevail. Elijah, your influence is great. It dazzles many. But together, when we combine our powers and abilities, we can capture the hearts and minds of billions.

"They will hang on your every word. You will do miracles that no one will ever duplicate. A thousand years from now, they will write songs, plays, and stories about you. Elijah, I have a vision, that working together, we'll turn this planet into Utopia. I don't completely know where this will all lead, but I assure you that together we will speed along to a tomorrow which is wondrous and rich."

Elijah studied Von Resh and his two associates. "I find the thought of working to build a financial empire somewhat empty and cold. You are asking me to join to become wealthier. Is that not correct? I have enough."

Confusing thoughts entered Elijah's mind. It was obvious that someone was upset with Elijah's answer.

"I see I have misjudged you," Von Resh said as he remembered the lectures Elijah gave. This magician with unworldly powers believed in the environment and giving this planet a second chance. This man also believes in getting even. His reports on Elijah revealed the man held a personal vendetta against some woman who seriously embarrassed him. Elijah, a wolf in sheep's clothing, Von Resh laughed to himself.

"Let me be frank," Von Resh continued, "I am sorry to have insulted you by dangling wealth and fame before you. It is true they will exist. What I truly want is universal peace. I want a planet where people can work and play and produce a good life for themselves or their families. You probably have noticed the dying trees around my estate. I want a clean earth, a safe earth. That might mean the populations within a particular nation-state will have to forgo some of the freedoms they've grown to believe are inalienable rights, given by some obsolete god. My mother said many a time that I was the son of an alien. Well I worship that god. I pray to my father many times a day. All the great men have been the products of an alien father. Even Jesus was the son of an alien.

Yet putting all that aside. I want an environment, just as you do, that preserves this planet for the next generation, and I want us to make that happen. I need you by my side. Elijah, working together we will save civilization from the exploits of unscrupulous men. I believe that the forces of God have chosen us for this time. Everything in my life is leading me to this fulfillment. We will protect this earth. We will lead men's hearts to God. We will protect the temple we have within us. We will bring a religion that will unify the world.

"As you know I was instrumental in developing a peace treaty in the Middle-East that everyone was able to accept. I became a Muslim to the Muslims, a Christian to the Christians and a Hebrew to the Jews. I am even a Buddha to the Buddhist. I am Austria, the melting pot of every major religion. I am all things to every man."

Elijah picked up the excitement from those within the room. From outside his mind came the feelings to join Von Resh on a march into history. He decided to speak of other things.

"I believe I've heard you have done wondrous things to help build the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem."

"Yes, that has been one of my political triumphs. I am also trying to set aside the city of Jerusalem as an international city. After the last war, the United Nation's resolution 600 allowed the city to remain Israeli. The police will be half composed of Israeli and Europeans will wear the famous Euro beret and insignia.

"Without my efforts this arrangement would still be only a thought, something on the drawing boards. The Jewish State has recognized my efforts to bring peace to that city, and it is only on their urging that I have tried. They have accepted me and trust me as one of their own. I have even shown them my genealogy that traces my blood back to the last king of Israel."

"Are you Jewish?"

"No, I am Israeli. Thousands of years ago, Israel was broken into two states. One was Israel, and the other was called Judah. After Israel was destroyed and taken into captivity by the Assyrian King, Shalmaneser, my ancestors traveled to Greece, then to Sicily, to Spain and finally to Ireland. Nineteen hundred years ago my bloodline moved to Austria and we have been here ever since."

Elijah rebelled at the intrusions into his mind. But as Von Resh spoke, the pressures grew stronger. Elijah shook his head in an effort to sling the thoughts away.

For a moment he succeeded. His mind was clear. Then the forces and thoughts rushed in. They're doing it again, he thought. I'm not going to sit here and put up with this.

Elijah shifted uncomfortably in his seat as Von Resh finished telling about his bloodline, as if anyone cared. Then the thoughts vanished. The pressures were gone. This was no time to lose control. There's more than I'm hearing from this man.

"Now back to your fears," Von Resh continued. "Wealth is of minor benefit to me. Personally, I have no need for more. Kings, Prime Ministers and Presidents already accept my suggestions. That is reward enough."

Elijah saw a smile skip across Von Resh's lips then vanish.

Resh continued. "Since the 1980's, the world has been on a fast track toward sorely needed unified rule. It achieved great success from 1999 until 2007, until that cursed comet hit. After the invasion of Israel, the seventh world government of this now ravaged world has disintegrated. I know that together we can rebuild and bring greatness from the ashes. We will produce political amalgamations that will deliver true universal peace. But first we, you and I, must be unselfishly united. It will be good for the common people. It will be good for the environment. It will be good for business. We will save the planet.

"At this moment, to a moderate extent, the foreign ministers of the seven most powerful nations must worry about their spheres of influence. Only these two, my most trusted helpers have caught the vision. We will use the egos, intelligence, and unceasing energies of the others to fulfill the dream. This world only lacks one thing, a leader who can unify them. It may require a problem so great, that all their pettiness will pale in comparison. You and I might be forced to create the climate that will drive them to us. From that beginning we will lead them to a new horizon. It will benefit everyone. Together I offer you my vision, a vision that will also bring unlimited control. We might have to create a political void which we alone can fill."

Elijah listened, and felt the gentle ebb and flow of mental probing within his mind. At least the pressures were not as great as before. One or both of Von Resh's associates was apparently tiring of the probing.

"There are many powerful forces," Von Resh said, "forces that will stand in our way. The criminal sector is well organized. They will not want to share the power they have killed, bought, and paid for. But I have a plan so all encompassing that they will beg us to provide stability."

Von Resh paused and Elijah's eyes drifted toward the fire.

"Please excuse me," Resh said. "I have been rude. I was so excited to ask for your time, that I forgot to allow you to freshen up."

Von Resh stood and offered his hand to Elijah. "Let me show you to your room. We shall be having refreshments and the evening meal in two hours."

Von Resh returned to his associates and discussed the probing of Elijah's mind.

"Do you think he will join us?" asked Von Resh.

Albright answered first. "He is the one we've been expecting. He too believes that his life has been ordered by a higher power. He also is dismayed that the public is more interested in seeing him do a trick, such as bringing fire down from space, than in financing his concerns about the environment and feeding hungry children. He is so physically unattractive that I first felt doubts. As I probed his mind and saw his heart, I sensed his destiny. I am surer than ever before he is the one. I believe this man is essential to your plans."

"I concur," said Bain. "The future will be unstoppable when you and Rabbi Elijah become a team. I hesitate to call him a rabbi since his training and background is so murky. But I do see the amalgamation of your forces with his as essential for bringing about a lasting world order. I too noticed that Elijah is obsessed with the environment. The words you spoke weigh heavily on his soul. When you talked about the planet, you became a breath of fresh air to him. I also discovered something else. It may be something that makes Elijah erratic. He is obsessed with the destruction of a woman named Kendra Makray. He sees her powers as being equal to his, though she isn't aware of their existence. She has repeatedly humiliated him in public. His obsession with her could be his Achilles heel."

"Yes, I know all about her. Her discovery of the Ark of the Covenant has created an unbearable weight to carry in international affairs. Sometimes I think the Israeli government is truly worthy of elimination. They are insistent in getting their demands met, all because of that cursed ark. All the Oslo agreements, except the PLO capital at Abu Dis, have been essentially scrapped. Israel has thumbed its nose at our community of nations too many times. When they complete their cursed temple, they will become even more insufferable."

* * *

Elijah sat at the long table as servers brought food for him to taste. Between sampling food and having the servers place selected items on his plate, he spoke with his host.

"Before we precede any further, Mister Resh, you seem to know a lot about me. Yet I know nothing about you. True you have offered me an opportunity to join in your vision of the world, but you have never yet shown me who you really are."

"Fair enough Rabbi, but be patient with me. Before this night is over, you will see a token demonstration of what I can do. Already, you have felt the mental powers of my associates. I assure you, mine are much greater."

Elijah felt the anger rising in him as his competitive nature rose to the challenge. "I must warn you," he said. "I do not easily succumb to simple-minded tricks."

"Nor do I use them so whimsically. You already know about those who have been prepared for the coming of the Anointed One."

"Yes, I have read about it, but I've never read who these individuals are."

"I am," answered Resh, "one of the chosen. There are ten of us. We have been prepared for that moment when God will come to the earth and inhabit a human body. Because of my supernatural powers and clarity of mind, I was selected when I reached three years of age. The prophets tell us that the Messiah must suffer and die, but on the third day he will rise again."

Von Resh studied Elijah's body for any signs of disturbance. At the same time he gently probed Elijah's mind, searching for annoyances.

Finding acceptance and openness he continued. "If I am chosen to lead this world into a thousand year reign of peace, freedom, and security, I have need of one such as you."

A butler entered the room and Resh rose and beckoned to Elijah and the others, "But first let us eat."

Von Resh walked over to Elijah and warmly grasped his arm. "I have learned that you like a very special Middle Eastern meal. I think you will be pleased by my cook's ability to prepare a rice-lamb feast that will have you eating a third helping."

* * *

The meal ended at ten o'clock and Elijah sat in his suite, exhausted. "I must consult my guiding spirit," he said as they led him to his room. "I will let you know my decision in the morning."

With that answer, Elijah retired to his room.

At midnight, the grandfather clock in his room softly struck its tones and Elijah found it impossible to sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Von Resh staring back at him, beckoning him. In the morning I need to hear what Mister Resh is going to do for me, Elijah thought. He will need to prove himself with more than a few mental tricks. These tricks may have mesmerized his international constituents, but he's never revealed anything special. I think I've been invited to the house of a crackpot. It's time to get back to my schedule.

Frustrated by his inability to sleep, Elijah threw the covers off and walked to the French doors leading to his private patio. He opened them and closed his eyes. The cool night air flowing over his face felt refreshing. Yet something nagged at his mind, like a force bearing down on him. He snapped his eyes open.

Startled, he stumbled back and covered his face with his hands. He willed his powers to protect him and mentally push at the object floating just beyond the patio.

"Do not be afraid. I wish you no harm," Von Resh said warmly.

Elijah looked at his host, floating cross-legged six feet above the stone wall.

Von Resh smiled and drifted closer. "I’ve been waiting for you."

Chapter 8

Bruce shot an angry stare at Les, his foot rotating in a circle. Then he kicked Les before whispering his warning, his lips curling as he spoke. "You better eat that pizza, Mister Hollen. You’re looking unnatural."

"Angry is more like it," Les replied as he controlled his voice and the irritation eating his insides. "Having to hire three punks to do a job that we should be doing ourselves. I can't blame Rene for fuming."

"You're just being protective. Rene will be okay. She's a real pro."

"Doesn’t it bother you that someone forced us to hire them?"

"Yes, but I trust Rene. If these guys succeed, so be it. If they fail, consider them expendable."

"As long as we don't end up being the ones being expended."

Both men traveled to Denver and rented a car at Denver International. After driving to Parker, Colorado, they now sat in the House of Pizza, located in the Safeway Shopping Center. The booth they chose for this mission allowed them two views of Peter Meirs, Kendra Makray, and their friends, as they ate pizza and salads. Bruce used the window to keep an eye on their prey. The evening darkness and the bright lights inside the restaurant turned the window into black mirrors.

Les shifted his eyes from directly watching Peter Meirs as the man picked up a fresh slice from the pan. At the same time Les tried to hear the conversation being directed toward Pete.

"You're right, Mister Crum." His position did not allow him to use the window that Bruce easily used to his advantage. He thought he'd been discreet until Bruce kicked him in the shin.

He shifted in his seat and sat sideways. His feet now hung over the end of the bench and dangled above the aisle, safe from another disturbing kick. It became difficult to control his excitement when he saw Pete wipe his mouth, indicating he might be completing the meal.

"We've been here too long. I wish I could hear what they're talking about."

"Forget it Les. Let them enjoy their last meal."

Bruce ignored Les' advice and focused his hearing to the conversation. Pete sat laughing at the words of the other man seated at the table. Bruce shifted again, leaning his head slightly forward.

"I swear," said the other man loudly to Pete. "They're on to something."

Kendra laughed and asked, "What was that guy's name again?"

Steve turned to the side and faced Kendra. "Issac Wyman and a Ginger Sanchez. They're both theoretical spherical geometry mathematicians at Princeton. He and the lady authored an article saying that they've discovered in a mathematical model of a universe that has multiple dimensions, maybe twenty-nine of them, and that the fifth through the tenth contains all the known laws of the physical universe."

Pete touched Steve's arm. "Tell her the heavy stuff. Kendra will get a kick out of it."

Steve's excitement grew as he continued. "These brains say that they built their Unified Relational Theory upon Quantum Physics. In Quantum they believe ten plus dimensions exist. In the new theory, Wyman and Sanchez's, they show a most fascinating thing in dimensions 5 through 10. These six dimensions hold all the known laws in our four dimensional universe. Length, breadth and width measure everything we understand. When we put in time we have four dimensions. But in 5 through 10, in a hierarchy of laws, they've mathematically discovered the laws governing light, electricity, gravity, everything and anything important to man. The laws are built in layers. The most important, the weakest laws, sits at the top. When you remove an upper level law, a weak one, a whole slew of laws ceases to work. But if you remove a lower level law, say the law of nuclear fission, only it ceases to work. Yet these laws never go away. The one that ceases to work just rolls up like a scroll and is now unusable. Then when something even greater excites it, like from a higher level, it unrolls and becomes workable again."

Steve's eyes widened as he looked at everyone sitting at the table. "Isn't that exciting. And their theories on the three dimensions of time are downright stunning. Think of it. We only know of time moving in a singular, sequential fashion. One second leads to another until we make a minute, then an hour, and a lifetime. But think of being able to travel perpendicular to that timeline. A person could travel a thousand years in an instant. However in the one-dimensional timeline they will travel only a microsecond.

"These people are actually predicting that we can travel 1,000 times faster than the speed of light. Already their experiments are showing light traveling 500 times faster than the constant for light."

"Really exciting," laughed a confused Lora who looked downright bored. She looked at her sister and caught a strange expression in her face.

Steve tapped the table for everyone's attention. "You don't get it. Think of what these people have discovered. If the physicist and engineer can figure out how to apply it, science will have conquered gravity. We'll have warp drive for space travel. All they have to figure out is how to place this disruption in the natural laws around a person, or a spaceship." Steve floated his hands upward. "Then if we switch a law off and on at our command, this Old World will have advanced beyond its wildest dreams. They could even change the color of the sky."

"Yeah!" Kendra added. "I just realized something. The Bible says that this is going to happen someday."

"What?" asked Lora. Her face wrinkled in confusion as she tried to figure out what her sister was talking about.

"The Bible knew that thousands of years ago." She looked at everyone's faces and saw everyone staring back at her. She started to laugh but held back the chuckle trying to explode from within and continued. "In the Book of Revelations it tells of the sky rolling up like a scroll."

Steve waved his hands and couldn't control himself. "That shows you they are right,” he said excitedly.”The Space Brothers knew about this dimensional stuff thousands of years ago. They must have been the ones who dictated the Bible."

Kendra shook her head no to protest but didn't speak.

"All I see," answered Lora, the excitement and rightness growing in her voice, "is that someday we're going to figure out how to really destroy this world. People'll go crazy with that much power. I won't have enough space in my office to treat them."

Pete laughed as he glanced at Lora and finished his last bite. "That's our cue to leave," he chuckled. His eyes locked briefly with a man sitting next to the windows. "I don't think this place can stand Steve's deep thinking."

Everyone chuckled except Steve who wanted to talk more about the Wyman - Sanchez Unified theory. Pete pushed his chair back to get up.

"What are they talking about?" asked Les.

"I haven't the foggiest," answered Bruce, "something about some scientist and the sky rolling up."

Les shot a glance in Pete's direction totally confused. Without asking more, he sipped on his Pepsi.

"I think they’re finished," he whispered to Bruce. "Make the call."

Bruce swallowed and gulped down some Pepsi. After patting his lips clean with a napkin, he unclipped the cellular phone from his belt and typed a number onto the keypad. The phone on the other end rang twice then a male voice answered.

"Yeah!" the voice said. "Speak."

Bruce caught himself sneering at the person on the other end of the line. Teenage punks, he thought with disgust. They're not even civilized. He thought of Rene waiting behind the building with a shotgun. Maybe she'll get a chance to fill their brains with shot.

He composed himself before he gave the message to the listener. "They’re almost done," he announced softly. "Don’t hang up. Stay on the line and I’ll let you know when they get up to leave. It could be any moment."

He studied the reflection in the window and saw Meirs shift around in his seat until Peter faced away. Kendra, the real purpose for the trip, sat across the table, facing Pete. A little girl sat between them. He knew all three, due to the failed electrocution.

Next to Kendra sat a woman, he guessed to be Lora, Kendra’s sister. If it was Lora, then seated next to her was her husband, Steve. He watched Pete describe with animation something that happened to him. The only words Bruce understood were Cluck! Cluck! Cluck!"

Bruce shook his head in disgust. The guy's a hick farmer. This is going to be easy.

Then everyone at Pete’s table broke out laughing.

Bruce snickered softly as he thought, He'll squeal like a pig if I kill him.

Les motioned for the waitress and reached for his wallet. He pulled out a couple of dollars for a tip and a twenty for the check. As he replaced his wallet into his pocket, he studied the activities of three other groups. "This place is a regular family watering hole."

He glanced at those seated with Pete and Kendra. A twisted smile crossed his lips as something struck him funny. "I suspect, Mister Crum, everyone here will have indigestion in another minute."

Bruce smiled at Les' wit and gave a laughing reply. "Probably puke their guts out, Mister Hollen. If the punks outside shoot him in the right spot, maybe his brains will splatter across the window. What a sight that will be. I’ll bet you lunch tomorrow that these fine folks will need counseling for a month. Makes me feel good that we helped the economy. On the other hand, all that bawling and screaming, makes you want to shoot'em all. Ye gads, I’m glad we're not going to stay and watch the final act of this play."

He glanced at the side door that he and Les planed to exit. It led to a dark parking lot. The lone streetlight over their car was conveniently shot out a day earlier. The main door, the one which Kendra and friends would exit, led into the shopping center. The routine that Pete was expected to follow called for him to walk to his car, three stores away. That meant he'd be a sitting duck for the punks waiting out front.

Bruce glanced at Kendra. "I hope the three stoneagers we hired can improvise." He began explaining to the man on the line that he wanted them to get one additional target.

Bruce looked at the phone with disgust. Then he repeated the question he heard them ask, "How much? Hold on a minute."

He looked at Les while covering the phone with his hand. "The punks want another four thousand. If I get to their van before they leave the parking lot, I’ll kill'em all. I even heard one of them laughing when this jerk demanded the money."

"We can’t argue right now," Les replied. "We’re out of time."

Bruce raised the telephone to his mouth. "We’ll pay. But you punks better not mess up."

"We can’t miss," the voice said.

Something in the tone of the voice disturbed Bruce. The guy was too flippant, totally overconfident.

"It’s too easy," the voice continued. "Have the eight thousand ready."

"I’ve given you four. You’ll get the remainder after you kill them both."

"Okay, okay," the voice said. "Give me another description of him. What is he wearing? I need to know what color shirt he has on."

Bruce described Pete twice to make sure they understood his description. When he finished, he noticed his hand shaking from the anger within. "Where'd you find these guys?" asked Bruce as he muffled the phone.

"You can’t get good help anymore," Les replied. "All they know is what they see in the movies. The schools don't teach'em anything. They've got no character. But they're the best I could get on such short notice."

Les noticed the anger growing in his partner's eyes. "Relax, Mister Crum. When we pay them the extra four, we’ll clean up, just like Rene said."

Bruce chuckled softly. "So treacherous, Mister Hollen. I cherish the thought." He slowly rotated his neck to relax the tension he felt. Without thinking he picked up another slice of pizza. After a long sip of Pepsi a broad smile filled his face. "I think I'll donate some of their money to my favorite orphanage."

Les heard the scrape of chairs at Pete’s table. He stole a quick look, and then tapped the table. "They’re getting up."

Bruce dropped his pizza and studied the reflection in the window. He spoke into the phone with a whisper. "Get ready. They’re leaving. I’ll let you know when they get to the door." He looked knowingly at Les and cupped the mouthpiece. "You better pay the bill."

Les moved quickly to the cash register.

Lora excused herself as she went to the restroom and Pete headed to the register to pay the bill.

Kendra watched Esther take a long sip of soda then asked Steve, "Have you finished the book?"

Steve glanced toward the door into the restroom. "Yeah! It's great. If even half of what I've read is true There is a possibility that all I'm hearing is wrong and that the Bible, at least the Old Testament, is true. The biggest thing that has me scared is that there really is a God working in the affairs of man. That's really scary."

Kendra smiled a deep smile of satisfaction. "As they say in Proverbs and the Psalms, the fear of God is the beginning of all wisdom."

"I guess so," Steve replied. "I've written down everything in chronological order that has been prophesied, even the stuff that has come to pass. It makes for scary reading. The next ten years could be the end of the world."

"The world is not going to end," Kendra emphasized. "It's just getting ready to move into another age. Man has been doing it his way for six thousand years. Excluding the technological growth, all it has brought is disease, wars by the thousands, pain and suffering. If it wasn't for God's intervention giving peace, security, and direction to people's lives, we'd have self-destructed a long time ago. The only question I have is why it has taken six thousand years to get to the point that God is about to take over this old world."

"That's a good question. There's been too much hurt and dying. If you can answer that, I'd like to hear it."

"The best answer I've got is, since God doesn’t lie, He's made promises, said things, that have to be completed before he takes the world back. When He made Adam and Eve, He gave the world to them. But they disobeyed His instructions and ended up giving the title deed of the world to an evil spirit, Lucifer, the Devil."

"Yeah, I guess so," answered Steve in thought. "Maybe that's how it all happened. I'll have to read more. I might even buy the computer CD, and then I can research it for myself."

"If I remember correctly, those search programs only work on the Hebrew text in the Torah, the Jewish Bible."

"The one I'm thinking of buying has an English translation. Hopefully I don't have to learn Hebrew. I've got to learn a little more about it though. If it's all that it's made out to be, I'll get it."

"Well, if you buy it, let me know. I've got some ideas that I'd like to run through the program."

Standing at the counter, waiting for the cashier, Les felt the presence of someone close behind him. He turned around on the pretext of looking at his table and saw Peter Meirs behind him. Les caught his breath and tried not to show his nervousness. The thought of pulling his gun and shooting Pete and then Kendra gained momentum in him. It would be so easy. But he suppressed the growing desire and turned back to the register.

Still, it took all his power to keep from pulling the pistol and killing them both right now. He saw it being played out in his mind's eye. After Pete went down, he'd run over and pop Kendra between the eyes. The next image he saw was of old Les standing behind bars. Still, the job would be done, even if it weren't the way Rene planned.

"They’re always a little slow," Pete said.

Les cleared his thoughts and tried to smile. He gave a quick glance over his shoulder and turned back to the register.

Les' hand slowly slipped into his jacket and gripped the gun hanging below his left armpit. The pressure to kill was growing by leaps and bounds. A cold wave cleared his thoughts. He spied Pete's fanny pack. It was a type he himself often carried. The guy's packing heat.

Les removed his hand from inside his jacket and turned back to his prey. His button eyes stared for a long second into Pete's. What Les saw reminded him of an old friend that he and Bruce once called Evil Eyes. Evil possessed the nicest laughing eyes until he became defensive, or you looked too long into them. What you saw was death. Pete’s eyes reminded him of Evil’s cool, piercing, ready-to-spring, and death-giving stare. Evil was a natural born killer. If the eyes are windows to the soul, then this Peter Meirs flashed danger.

Les smiled. "Eat and wait," he said.

He watched Peter nod then say, "There's someone coming right now."

Les reached for the back of his head, rubbing his ponytail. He didn't like having Meirs so close to him. After acknowledging Pete’s comment, he nodded his head and said in a quiet voice. "Every time we stop here, and it comes time to pay the bill, a pizza seems to be coming out of the oven. It does get annoying."

"Here he comes," Pete said and watched the man with the pony tail turn back to the approaching manager. Something flickered in Pete’s memory. He'd seen this guy before. Probably in Safeway, he thought. The uneasy feeling didn't go away.

"Was everything okay?" the manager asked.

The sound of the manager's voice replaced Pete’s thoughts. He waited for Mister Pony Tail to receive his change.

Les hurried back to Bruce, who still sat at the booth, taking a final sip of his drink. "That was too close, he said.”I hope he doesn’t remember me." He stood staring into the window, watching Pete’s reflection. "Get ready Mister Crum. It is time for us to make an exit."

Bruce watched Pete from his peripheral vision. He turned his head a little so he could see Kendra and the others. Then he spoke into the phone. "They’re coming out." He kept watching until he was sure Pete was leading everyone to the door. "They’re at the door. I’m outa here."

Bruce turned to Les. "As they say in the west, it’s time to check out of here, Mister Hollen."

"That’s partner, Mister Crum, partner is the word."

Both killers walked briskly to the opposite door.

As Bruce opened the door to leave, he gave one final glance at Pete holding the door for Kendra. Bruce followed Les into the night and hurried around to the other end of the building. Both found Rene standing in the shadows. All wanted to see the hit go down.

Pete followed everyone outside. "Let’s make a quick stop at Safeway. I have to get a few supplies." He stepped alongside Kendra and unfolded a grocery list from his shirt pocket. At the same time he looked back into the pizza shop, looking for the man he encountered at the register. He was gone.

Kendra looked back at her sister and Steve. "Pete goes nowhere without his shopping list."

Pete held up the list for all to see. "Living fifteen miles from the nearest supermarket makes it tough to run to the store. I've got twenty-two items on this printout. Today I'll only pick up the essentials." At the same time he reached into his fanny pack and unsnapped the colt from its retainer. He thought about pulling back the hammer, but decided to wait; besides walking with his hand in his fanny pack would look a little funny.

Steve carried Esther on his shoulders as Lora walked alongside. "Hey Pete," he called, "I almost forgot. How about helping me with my Vette's transmission tomorrow? I just got it back from the shop."

"I should be free around eleven," Pete answered. "I’ve got to feed these two vultures first." He looked up at Esther, high on Steve's shoulders. "How about some of my famous pancakes and eggs tomorrow?"

"Small ones for me, Uncle Pete," squealed Esther. "I want six of them."

Pete watched her squirm with delight and rest her chin on the top of Steve’s head. The impulse to pat one of her legs was irresistible. He felt real love for this girl.

"Right," Pete said with a chuckle. "Six of them, silver dollar size."

A different squeal, one of tires spinning against the asphalt, made the hairs on the back of his neck tingle. He hadn't felt that sensation since the war in Israel. It became a common occurrence with the assassin they named Moonface. Heeding the warning, he turned to see, hoping that his fears were unwarranted. He reached into his fanny pack and gripped the Colt .45. A thumb movement later the hammer was cocked.

A black van moved quickly toward them. It slowed as it came along the row of vehicles separating it from Kendra and the rest.

Pete glanced up the sidewalk and the buildings lining the path to Safeway. A wrought iron table and four chairs sat to his right. The store that used them for outside dining sat closed for the evening. There was nothing to do but run for it and hide behind a parked car. To Pete, hiding behind cars was like an invitation, which said, come and get me. On the other hand metal between him and any bullets seemed very practical

Then he heard the bang of the van's side door slamming open. Two men jumped out. Both carried guns. Hiding behind cars became the only option.

"Get down," Pete yelled.

Kendra heard the warning and knew that Wolf was frightened. She stopped; sure she should duck, but not yet moving.

He swung his right arm back at Kendra and yelled "Run!" He hoped the force of his arm might also knock her to the pavement and out of harm's way. Without looking to see if anyone obeyed his command, his right hand came up with a Colt .45 Commander. In the cocked and locked position, a quick thumb movement down the side released the safety and made the weapon ready to fire. He pushed the gun toward the closest assailant.

Bruce and Les stood behind Rene in the dark shadow of the building. They watched in silence.

"Duck!" Bruce commanded softly as he pulled his friend back. He then reached for Rene but she waved him off. "Rene, get down. Those fools'll get you killed."

From the corner of Pete's eye he saw Steve and Lora standing, mouths open, and watching. Esther still sat high on Steve's shoulders and was especially in harm's way.

"Get Esther out of here," Pete yelled just as the nearest gunman opened fire.

Pete felt two punches hit his left ribs hard, knocking the wind out of him. He gasped for air and sank to his knees.

He still saw the gunmen as they turned their attention toward someone in back of him. Kendra. This was no time to wince from pain.

Lining up the three glowing green dots of his tritium combat sights on the nearest shooter took all his concentration. Both gunmen were running forward and shooting at her. He hoped she ducked behind a car, and that Steve got Esther to safety.

Pete tried desperately not to jerk the trigger, but breathing was almost impossible. Still he squeezed the trigger and the Colt exploded. He saw the first man stop in his tracks and grab his chest. He quickly moved his aim to the second man, hoping to get him before he could fire again.

Pete fired two times and saw the gunman spin around. Then the gunman ducked from sight. A single ping greeted his ears as his second .45 bullet hit the sheet metal of the car next to the gunman.

His breaths came in gasp as he scurried to the rear of the car. Each move brought him closer to the black van. His ribs screamed in pain making it hard to concentrate. The thought of a good offense making a great defense came to mind. It didn't make the pain he felt get any better.

The van's door slammed shut followed by a squeal from the tires. A black blur sped past him with tires billowing blue smoke and screeching on the asphalt. The attack ended as quickly as it began. Were there any gunmen still out there, maybe wounded, maybe dangerous?

A thorough look under the car, for feet standing nearby, revealed no one.

"They’re gone," Steve yelled. "They got in the van and left."

Pete raised his head and looked around. He stood and, slipped the safety on and put the gun back into its fanny holster. He never saw the van disappear into the night.

"Anyone hurt?" he asked.

He tried to take a deep breath. For the moment even his short shallow breathing seemed hard to maintain.

"No one," Steve replied. “I saw Kendra grab Esther, and with Lora pushing then along, ran back into the restaurant.”They’re all safe. Did you recognize anyone?"

Pete backed away from the street, holding his left ribs. In the window of the House of Pizza, he saw Kendra comforting a frightened Esther. Looking around, he saw people running to where he stood. A man wearing a dark raincoat was the closest.

Pete watched him for a second then felt a tingle on his neck. The man wore a long coat, yet the night was too warm for a long coat.

"Pete!" Steve warned.

Pete saw the coat open and a short barreled shotgun appear. At the same time Pete pulled his pistol, slipped the safety off and squeezed the trigger. In slow motion Pete saw the blast from the shotgun light the air just as his .45 ignited.

Pete's chest caved in as if hit by a train. The force knocked him backwards, against the hood of the nearest car. He slid unconscious to the ground.

Rene spun around in pain as the .45 caliber slug punched into her left arm.

Steve charged forward, desperate to help.

Rene racked the slide on the shotgun and sent a blast in the man's direction.

Steve saw the gun pointing his way a split second earlier and ducked between the nearest cars. The blast missed him but tore holes in the hood above his head.

Rene moved forward to finish the job, when the shock of being shot froze her right arm with pain.

"The Boss's been hit," Bruce yelled.

Les rushed from the corner of the building to help their friend and leader. In seconds he stood beside her. He saw Pete propped against the front wheel of a car, eyes wide open. It was too dark to see if Rene killed him, but it sure looked like it. His concern now was to get her away and make sure the man was truly dead. Bruce rushed past him, ordering him to get Rene to safety.

Bruce knelt beside Pete and grabbed a handful of Pete’s hair. This man hurt the Boss. He pulled Pete’s face toward him until each looked eye to eye. He expected to see a blind, lifeless corpse. Instead, Pete stared back at him with blind fury. Then Pete blinked. Bruce didn't believe Pete was still alive. He used his free hand and probed Pete’s chest, expecting to find a bloody hole. Instead he felt the firmness of a stiff vest.

"You expected us?" Bruce asked. "You’ll never get another chance. I’m going to rip your throat out."

Pete heard the words, but the pain in his chest overwhelmed all his thoughts until nothing remained but the desperate need to breathe.

Bruce reached for a switchblade that was hooked into his belt. With one quick move, he opened the knife with a press of the thumb. His other hand lifted Pete’s chin, exposing the throat.

Pete gasped for air and saw the man's right arm lift. For a moment he understood. Only the words "sweet death and sleep eternal", filled his thoughts. Then the pain in his chest vanished, and only the primordial need to survive remained.

Bruce shifted his weight to get as much force in his movement as possible. He'd stab the stiletto blade through Pete’s throat. In one smooth move, he'd rip through Pete’s windpipe. The move was expected to sever the jugular and nearby carotid artery. In ten seconds the guy’s be permanently dead.

The sirens from approaching police units echoed off the building, and Bruce's grip tightened on the knife. It was time to leave but not before finishing the job.

From his side he noticed a distorted reflection in the fender. It was Kendra swinging a metal chair.

The blow smashed him to the ground, almost dazing him into unconsciousness. Still, he planned to kill Pete and get away.

He made it to his knees and plunged the blade toward Pete's throat.

Pete sensed the movement before he saw it. His left hand swept up and connected with the incoming blade, just as the chair came down on the killer a second time. The steel dagger deflected with his hand. Both stopped just behind his left ear. The pain in his hand caused him to black out.

"Ahyag," Pete cried through clenched teeth and blackness. He fought to stay alert but it lasted only for a second. Then all he saw was black and his thoughts ceased.

Bruce's head throbbed as he heard the screech of wheels. The cops were almost here.

He twisted the handle and felt movement, but the knife never broke free. It was stuck. A quick yank and the blade broke from the handle just as the chair smashed down again. He was going to kill that girl, and then he fell dazed to the ground. He dropped the bloody handle and drew his pistol to shoot Kendra.

The bright red and blue lights grew brighter. It was time to go, fast.

The chair hit again as he rolled away. He barely managed to hold onto his gun. He made it to the back of the car as the chair bounced off his back. He crawled on hands and knees as fast as he could. He struggled past another car on his hands and knees. When he rose, half blind in one eye, he ran.

At the car, Les grabbed Bruce by the shoulder and shoved him into the car. "Quick!" Les cried and slammed the door closed. In the back seat Rene sat holding her arm.

"You drive," Bruce said. "I got some problems." He sat in the front wiping blood from his face.

Les controlled his natural desires to speed away. Instead he drove slowly and surely to the street. With a frightened glance in his rear view mirror, he saw the red and blue lights of three police cars in front of the House of Pizza. He turned on his left blinker and became part of the traffic flowing north on Parker Road.

Chapter 9

Pete's awareness of life crept in with a feeling of peace and total blackness. There was no pain, and he saw nothing. Only a foggy impression persisted in his mind that he was somewhere, someplace far away, and that there was more that he didn't know. In the distance he heard the sound of human voices. Something or someone was calling his name. The voice drifted in and out. When it became clear, the words seemed so far away, like speaking through a hundred-yard tunnel.

A moment later he felt a twinge of pain. It started with a pinprick in his hand. A curious stab of pain in his chest made him catch his breath. Suddenly, without warning, all the aches and pains exploded in intensity until his head reeled. The living agony within his chest and hand overflowed. Totally engulfed in pain, the voice vanished, the words, all ended.

Waves of mind-bending pain snapped his head back. He tried to fight back, but it was hopeless to think. He succumbed to a primordial scream.

With half-opened eyes he tried to see, but the light hurt. Blurred shadows moved around him without detail. The brilliant light washed out any chance of seeing.

A voice calling his name grew louder. He heard it before, in the tunnel. I've died, He thought. This is what death is, pain and light.

The light moved to his right. Pete now saw sticks moving before him. One stick moved closer. When he blinked, the stick grew bigger. The pain in his chest plotted out the images and brought moans from his throat.

"Pete!" someone called. The voice penetrated the pain sweeping through his body.

Fighting to control his thoughts, he felt himself rise through the pain and blinked at the stick. It took shape. He saw a face.

Pain erupted again and threw his mind into a fog. The face disappeared and prevented him from making out any features.

"Pete," the face called. "It's me, Kendra. Don't leave me. Hang in there. You're going to be alright."

Breathing was too much. His body, stuck in mud, didn't move. Nothing was moving. The pain and fire in his arm and chest grew stronger. When was it going to end?

Squinting tightly, he managed to make out the face.

"Pete!" Kendra cried. "Thank God you're alive."

Her voice he recognized. Did it go with the face?

Kendra whispered his name over and over. Cradling his head in her arms, she kissed him on the head. "Don’t die on me. They’re gone. The police are here. An ambulance is on its way."

His eyes cleared as she wiped his face. The bright light in front of him became a flashlight. A policeman stood talking into his radio. Another one, a foot away, knelt looking at Pete's chest.

"Take it off," Pete gasped. "I can't breathe."

The policeman opened Pete's shirt and worked to loosen the bulletproof vest. Immediately Pete felt the pressure on his chest vanish.

He took a deep breath and managed a weak smile. Breathing felt good. The air felt cool in his throat. His eyes focused and the face cleared. He saw Kendra looking at him.

He also saw the policeman cutting away the vest's shoulder straps. The man pulled the front section away and dropped it to the ground. Pete knew the back piece would have to wait.

"My hand," he moaned. "They took my hand. I can't move my arm."

"Your hand's still there," Kendra answered. "But there's something’s sticking out of it."

He saw her turn to someone and ask, "Can we stop the bleeding?"

Pete saw the horror in her eyes as she stared back at his hand.

"I still have my hand?" he asked.

"It still there," the policeman answered. "Don't try to move it. The paramedics have just arrived. They'll need to see this."

"The vest?" Pete asked. "Let me see it."

Kendra lifted the front portion of his bulletproof vest.

"It's ruined," moaned Kendra. "I'll replace it for you."

Pete looked at the vest. Six black holes appeared in the center. White Kevlar pellets spilled out of the openings and the vest looked filthy. Two dirty spots lay on the left side. From the bullets of the first shooter, he thought. I'm glad I got him.

"I’ll never forget his face," Pete said. "He tried to slice my throat, but my hand saved me. How bad do I look?"

"Terrible, but you're alive," she answered.

A paramedic pushed in and knelt beside Pete.

"Let me look at him," he said to Kendra. "Stand back. I need more room."

She looked up as a second paramedic appeared and then moved to the side to let them work. Two policemen aimed their flashlights on Pete's chest so the medics could see.

"Give me light up here," said the medic working on Pete's hand. "Keep the light on the hand."

A policeman shifted his position until he lit the bloody hand with the center of his beam.

The medic reached for the shaft protruding from Pete’s hand. "It’s a steel shaft," he said. He used a mirror to look under the fender. "It's a knife blade. This is going to hurt, but I've got to remove it."

Pete guessed that he was talking to him. Studying the faces staring at him, he didn't see Esther. He hoped Steve and Lora were keeping her away. He then found Kendra's eyes and gave her a smile, hoping to reassure her. Although it seemed impossible to sit still, he somehow managed.

"Yahweh," he said and grimaced to fight back the pain.

"I got it," said the paramedic still holding Pete's hand firmly against the fender.

Pete's eyes watered as he saw the bloody knife blade pass by him in a pair of pliers.

The medic lowered Pete's hand and handed the pliers and knife blade to his partner. Pete guessed at the routine. First they'd clean it, stop the bleeding, and then apply antibiotics. He'd been through it before.

How many scars covered his body? New ones and old ones they all were the same, one too many.

"Had to pull it through," The medic explained as he worked. "We'll have you in a hospital as soon as we can. I don't think you'll be using that hand for a while."

* * *

Kendra sat next to Pete as the ambulance sped west on Lincoln Avenue to the Health One hospital. She felt relieved to hear no other serious injuries were discovered. The ambulance staff said, "With a little luck, X-rays will confirm our analysis."

Pete's shirt lay wide open and the intensity of the bruises on his chest looked ugly. Fortunately, they weren't life threatening. Pete's left hand rested to the side. A clear tube winding from the plastic container hanging from the roof sent a fluid through an intravenous drip into his body. Kendra thanked God that the thick gauze wrapped around his hand didn't reveal signs of fresh blood, but the look on Pete's face said a lot.

"Do I look that bad?" he asked when he saw her frowning. Deep worry lines crossed her forehead, and her eyes were dark and red. Obviously, she'd been crying.

Kendra tried to smile, to say all would be well, but she wasn't sure she'd pulled it off.

"Where do you hurt?" she asked.

"All over," he whispered. "I can't feel my hand."

He lifted it ever so slightly off the gurney. From where he lay all he saw was a ball of gauze. Only his fingertips sat exposed at the tip of the ball.

"Steve tried to help," she said, "but the guy with the shotgun almost killed him."

Pete's eyes closed for a moment as Kendra kept talking.

"I think you shot him, at least someone else helped him away. A second man came from around the building and tried to stab you."

Pete's eyes opened.

"He wanted to cut my throat," he said in a whisper. "He would have, if I hadn't blocked the knife with my hand. Did he get away?"

Pete lowered his hand.

"He ran away. I think he and the other two were in on it."

"What made him run? Were the cops there?"

"I hit him over the head with an iron chair. I threw three at him. I think I hurt him."

"I hope you killed him. Brotherly love to the side, the guy deserved everything you gave him."

Pete tried to get up but the straps across his body prevented him from moving. He gave up, exhausted. Besides, where was he going to go?

"My shirt's a mess," he said. "It was one of my best.”How's my chest? It feels like I've been hit by a truck."

"The police saw the scars on your chest. I think they found it amusing. They wanted to know how many knife fights you've been in."

For a moment Kendra vanished before Pete's eyes as a foggy darkness washed over his eyes. Then, just as rapidly, she reappeared.

"Are you sure you're all right?" she asked. "Don’t you die on me?"

"I love you too," he said with a very weak smile. The pain in his chest went clear through to his back. "Those things really work," he gasped.

He saw the vest hanging next to him. Reaching with his right hand he let his fingers flow over the jagged spots where six shotgun pellets ripped open the covering. A thin stream of Kevlar pellets spilled onto the floor. He felt on the side and found two smaller damaged spots. "They got me good. Did I get anyone?"

"Steve might know," Kendra said. "He was close to you. Everyone's following in the car. It happened so fast, I’m not sure I can tell you anything useful."

"How’s Esther taking it?" he asked and tried to make his voice sound strong. But the pain knifing through his chest made him wince. He knew he wasn’t hiding his feelings very well.

"She isn’t hysterical if that’s what you mean," Kendra answered. "In a way, living through the war seems to have matured her, but she's worried. She wanted to touch your wounds, but Lora felt it wasn't the right thing to do at that time. She has more faith than I do. She'll want to pray over you when she gets to the hospital."

"I'll let her do anything she wants. Am I bloody? I can't let her see me bloody."

* * *

Steve led Lora through the security doors of the Emergency Room and found Kendra and Esther. Lora went to stand beside Esther. As Steve looked down at Pete, a groan escaped his throat when he saw Pete's blood-splattered shirt being cut off by a nurse. There was nothing they could do but watch and stay out of the way.

Looking around Steve found a chair and brought it over for Kendra. "I'll get everyone something to drink," he said. "How about a coffee or a tea?"

"Coffee," Lora answered as she studied Pete then Esther.

"Tea for me," said Kendra quietly without taking her eyes off Pete.

Lora moved closer to her sister and pulled her to the side. Esther stood without speaking and never removed her eyes from Pete. For the moment Lora gave her a thumbs-up for strength. It was Kendra who now worried her. She looked ready to fall apart. Lora knew she needed someone to lean on and she wanted to be the one.

After deciding on a course of action, Lora realized that being subtle possessed as much chance of being heard as a whisper in the other room. She decided to shock Kendra into thinking about other things.

"Why don't you marry the guy?" Lora said in a scolding tone. She hoped her act was not being detected.

"What?" Kendra asked as she gave a sharp glance at her sister.

"You heard me. He's always getting himself hurt over you. He's saved your life who knows how many times. Can't you get it through your thick skull that the man loves you?"

Kendra shook her head to clear her thoughts. What she wanted was for Pete to get well and live. "What are you talking about? Getting married is between Pete and me. He knows how I feel."

"Yeah, chastity."

"No that's not it, at least not all of it. We just don't think the same on some very important issues."

"You mean religion don't you? I don't want to belabor the point, but it's always that religious junk with you. You need to drop it." Lora looked back at Pete. "I hope there is never another time like this. He might die the next time. He loves you. Don't you get it? And you love him. Why don't you two just jump in bed and get on with life?"

"Lora! That's enough. I don't want to talk about it. What we do between ourselves is none of your business."

"I swear you're going to die an old maid. That man lying there will find another woman. I'm only looking out for your best interests."

Kendra forced herself to stay calm and gave a forced smile. "Think about what you're saying. I think your philosophy is doing the talking for you ever since you got those degrees in psychology."

"Well you weren't always a goody-two-shoes," Lora snapped back in defense. "I remember when you got pregnant..."

"Stop it!" Kendra forced her voice to be soft but her anger made her words louder that she liked. "Just drop it. This is no time to talk about this." She turned her full attention to Pete, watching the fluid dripping toward his arm. "If you want to do something useful, pray for him."

Lora inwardly smiled and gave her sister a silent hug.

"DejaVu," said Steve as he returned with hot drinks. Then he noticed the coolness between his wife and Kendra. "What's going on?"

When no one answered, he turned to Pete who was watching him. "I think you got two of them. One guy fell into the van. Kendra says you hit the man with the shotgun. Then two guys ran from around the building. They must have an army waiting for you."

"They weren't after me," Pete managed to say. "It's Kendra. They're after her. I just happened to be in the way."

"I don't buy that. Someone wants you both, and they want you both real bad," Steve said.

* * *

Rene lay in the back of the car, holding her left arm. Les drove at traffic speed while Bruce worked to stop him and her from bleeding all over the car. Nothing like leaving blood all over the seat. That'd be reported in a heartbeat. His own wounds, from being hit with three metal chairs, left his hair matted with dried blood. A compress taped over the scalp stopped the blood trickling down his face. Now he concentrated on Rene.

"The bullet went through," Bruce said. He pressed the wound firmly to stop the bleeding. "I don’t think anything's broken."

As he pointed his flashlight at Rene's face, beads of perspiration glistened back. He knew she was fighting off the effects of shock.

"Pull into a parking lot, Mister Hollen. I need the medical kit from our bag."

"I feel so stupid," Rene said. Her anger over being shot made her spit out the words. "I saw him pointing the gun. I should have shot sooner. But no, I wanted to get a little closer. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!"

"Take it easy Boss," Bruce said. "How were you to know the guy carried a gun?"

"I should have known. This state has a concealed weapons law. I should have known. That Meirs guy is the type to take advantage of something like that. I should have known."

"Turn up the heat, Mister Hollen" Bruce requested.

Even though the outside temperature hovered around sixty, he saw Rene's body alternating between chills and sweat. He needed to keep her warm.

"He won’t be bothering us for a while," Les said. "Bruce cut his throat."

"I'm afraid not, Mister Hollen. I almost used the knife to cut his throat until someone hit me with a chair. All I saw after that was my knife sticking through his hand and in the fender."

"I didn't see that, Mister Crum. I'm sorry. I guess it really doesn't matter since Rene blasted him real good. He’s dead by now. We accomplished part of what we came here for."

"No, we didn't," Bruce answered. "The guy must be using a vest."

Les drove into the Flying A truck stop on Airport Road, just south of Interstate 70.

After parking in a secluded spot, he hurried to the trunk and removed the medical kit. They always carried a first aid kit, but never needed to used it.

"Drink this," he said after getting back into the car. He handed a bottle of spring water to Bruce. He then opened a second bottle and held it for Rene.

"Take small sips," Les reminded her and studied the bleeding in Rene's arm. "From the size of it, I’d say he got you with a .45.” Les picked up the antibiotic spray. "This is going to hurt," he said and then handed the bottle to Bruce.

Bruce looked at Les with anger but took the can and removed the cap.

Rene fought back the searing pain as Bruce sprayed the wound. Tears ran down her face and she ground her teeth to keep from crying out.

Les turned away. The thought of seeing her in pain bothered him more than he cared to admit.

"We'll take care of you," said Bruce.

"Yes, we will," added Les. "We'll both take care of you." He gently stroked her forehead and then helped clean the wound in her arm.

Rene bit her bottom lip as Bruce applied pressure with a clean gauze. Without warning her scream filled the car.

Les quickly scanned the area, hoping no one heard. He continued wiping her forehead.

Bruce efficiently tightened the multiple surgical compresses over the hole in her arm and taped the gauze to the skin. A minute later he sat back to appraise his work. "Not bad if I do say so myself. No bones broken, and it appears no arteries are cut. We’ll have the Doc look at it when we get home. Now take these."

Rene studied the antibiotic pills in his hand.

Bruce placed them in her mouth as Les brought up the bottle of water.

"At least I got him," she said, feeling better. "Now we’ll get the girl and be done with this job."

Les realized that Rene hadn't heard Bruce say that Pete used a vest. He ignored the impulse to fill in the gap. Later would be a better time. "You won’t be doing much of anything for about six weeks," he said. "Don’t worry. First things first. We have to get you home. If necessary, I’ll hire a private jet to fly us back. You just rest and get your strength back. Bruce and I will take over from here."

Les looked at his watch. "Mister Crum and I have unfinished business to attend to."

"That’s right, Mister Hollen. We have three incompetents to pay off. Do you have their money?"

"Yes I do, Mister Crum." He studied Bruce's head for a moment. "Can you back me up?"

"I will clean up and be ready in a minute. I think we should give them what they deserve."

Bruce held forty one-hundred dollar bills in his hand. In his other sat a radio-controlled detonator.

He delighted in the smile that enveloped Les’ face.

"Clever, Mister Crum.”Being the hard working chaps that they are, I’m sure those incompetents will get a bang out of their money."

Chapter 10

Pete shifted his position on the porch swing, searching for a spot to long decrease his discomfort. Things like this never bothered him before, but now, everything hurt. Even the swing and its hard wooden slats angered every muscle in his body, even the ones in his feet. The pillows Kendra and Esther placed on his left side weren't helping. Nothing was helping.

To add to the pain he felt, sleeping in a tub because of a cursed rooster left every bone in his body crying out. If he had a hatchet, he'd kill that crazy bird.

A sharp excruciating pain shot up his arm from his left hand. He balked at taking another pain reliever, but couldn't hide the anguish he felt from the girls.

Kendra brought him a glass of water and the pain medication. He accepted the pill only in an act of blind desperation, and drank down the water in one gulp. He felt miserable.

The doc said that due to the strength of the drugs, he might experience mood swings. Well, he was having one right now. Knowing that someday, maybe in three day, most of the pain will be gone didn't help. Still, the thought gave him the strength not to go crazy.

The pill was taking its affect. The pain didn't go away, but now he saw his childhood in Derry, Ireland. At least he saved his mother from the constant beating of a drunken husband. Now he knew what his father must have felt after he plunged the butcher’s knife into his back. Maybe this is what they all felt, especially the police Colonel who beat his mother to death.

He had killed three men before he reached fourteen. The IRA smuggled him to Chicago to protect him. Pete almost caught himself saying his given name, Sean Mickey, and stopped and said nothing about the two others he killed for the Irish Republican Party. At least he saved his mother from the constant

He tried to laugh it off, but his body refused to cooperate. Constantly finding himself in the middle of assassins trying to kill Kendra was asking too much from him. Ever since she discovered the ark, no, ever since her first vision about discovering the ark, she'd been a magnet. Killers migrate toward her.

The near death of the Muslim religion because of her discovery of the Ark of the Covenant, and the destruction of the Muslim invaders by the God of Israel, left her a marked woman. That may also include anyone close to her.

He gently let the fingers of his good hand rub one of the dozen long scars on his chest. I'm tired of getting hurt, he groaned in his thoughts as he stared at the pistol case lying at his feet.

His two dogs, Bosepheus and Mister Pibbs, ambled out of the kitchen and lay contently at his feet. They came from the Dumb Friends League. He saved the two brown labs from certain extermination. Kendra rescued them from the fate of all unclaimed animals and brought them to the ranch. They grew, and grew, and grew. Now even the coyotes were shy about crossing the fence line.

His right hand reached down and unlocked the latches of the gun case and lifted the lid. Inside sat his Colt Commander. The upgraded .45 semi auto pistol held a place of honor among his small gun collection. It was capable of placing seven shots in a one-inch circle at fifty feet. The clip sat next to it, fully loaded. A simple bullet to the brain would finish this nightmare of standing against the evil that comes Kendra's way.

A passage from Shakespeare came to mind and the idea of doing a dumb thing went wherever dumb thoughts go.

He began reciting and felt the pain ease. Speaking softly yet loud enough for everyone to hear, he knew he wasn't hiding the tone of his voice. His weariness was evident.

"To be, or not to be: that is the question:

Whether'tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,

Or take arms against a sea of troubles,

And by opposing end them. To die: To sleep;

To sleep? Perchance to dream! Aye, to sleep"

Pete stopped speaking and looked at the distant Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. Eighty miles, directly to the west, sat Mount Evans. The snow resting on the upper reaches glistened white in the morning sun. A small white cloud flowed east from the range in an otherwise crystal blue sky. He thought of the Merchant of Venice by Shakespeare and selected a passage that he liked, and began.

"With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come;

And let my liver gather heat with wine

Than my heart cool with morrifying groans,

Why should a man, whose blood is warm within,

Sit like his grandsire cut in alabaster?

Sleep when he wakes, and creep into jaundice

By being peevish? I tell you what, Antonio-

I love thee, and it is my love that speaks-

Let me play the fool.

By the gods of all that is beautiful," he added, "I play the fool, a fool in love. And while the blood flows warm in me," he listened to Kendra working in the kitchen, "I do love you."

Pete listened to himself speak, and half-staring at the distant mountain, he grudgingly admitted he felt better. Though not by much.

"How's breakfast coming?" he yelled. "I'm starving out here."

He heard Kendra and Esther call out in unison, "In another minute."

A short smile appeared on his lips and he adjusted the pillows propped up against his back. "Maybe these darn things do work," he admitted as he thought of the pain reliever.

His left arm hung in a sling across his chest in hope of easing the pain, but he still winced whenever he moved it. The cut tendons and nicked bone in his hand throbbed with constant intensity. Maybe my friend in the FBI can get a lead on who wants her dead. Then he thought of another friend, Eugene Presta. Maybe the Mafia can find out. Eugene and I are good friends. Maybe he can make sense of what's happening. I know if those guys come around here, I'll sic the dogs and Henry on them.

He searched the barnyard for the rooster. Henry was nowhere to be found. "Up to your old tricks, huh?" Pete said as his eyes studied the hen house.

He gave up on Henry and scanned Dilbert Road, which sat one half mile away. The normal flow of morning traffic stopped at the newly installed traffic light, then proceeded south to Smokey Hill road, and then into the metro area. In the distance only a motorcycle revving up and speeding away could be heard. Other than that, the only noises he heard were from nature.

A robin chirped from the nearest evergreen tree, and Pete savored the sound. He guessed the bird was one of the three that took up residence next to his house. He followed the birth of one bird and watched it grow from a squawking, gobbling youngster, to become the tailless kid on the block. In another month he knew the bird would sport real feathers and fly like a professional.

He searched the tree to see if the whistling came from the kid or its parents but became distracted when two white butterfly fluttered by. Pete read somewhere the presence of white butterflies indicated clean air. He forced himself to inhale, though his ribs protested.

"Overlooking your domain?" Kendra asked. She carried two large frying pans on a serving tray. Esther followed behind, carrying an insulated pot filled with hot tea. "I’m sorry about your rooster."

Confused he asked. "You didn't cook him?" He then gave a quick eye search toward the corral and the landscape.

"I booted him away from the porch earlier. He won't be around for a while."

Relieved, Pete forgot the search. "He never pays any attention to me when I do that."

"Well, he listens to me. I saw you looking for him. He's over in the hen house."

Pete smiled. "Good old boy," he admitted, dropping his head to hide his grin. Then he looked up with a stern look. "Some day I’m going to wring his neck. Henry thinks he can just take over my house. You'd think he's the one who paid for this place."

"It’s your fault. You shouldn’t leave your house wide open." She spied a group of white chickens strolling past the barn. Henry was in the background pecking at whatever lay on the ground. The bird strutted, clucking happily.

Pete chuckled. "Henry's got a protective streak in him. Every time you stay here, he likes sleeping by your bed."

"We've been adopted by him," Kendra laughed.

"It isn’t a ‘we’ lady. It’s you. When you stay here, that bird goes crazy. Well, this is going to come to an end. When the only place I get to sleep in peace is in my bathroom tub, that's too much. Doesn’t that bird know I’m injured? I swear he came in twice last night and checked up on me. He pecked my arm once to wake me up. I growled at him, but he just stood there. I think he wanted to make sure I was still alive."

Pete bared his teeth and growled like a dog toward the barnyard, hoping Henry would hear. "If he does that again, I’ll barbecue him."

Henry strolled away from his hens and into the corral. The bird was oblivious to Pete’s threat. He pranced around, looking for more to eat. Snapping at a grasshopper, he followed it until he caught the insect in mid-flight. The bug vanished in two bites. Henry flew to the nearest post and crowed.

Kendra set the two pans of hot food on the table. "I like Henry. You better not hurt him."

"Henry’s my friend," chirped Esther as she followed behind Kendra. "He likes me.(

(I’m outnumbered.( Pete grumbled happily with a twinkle in his eye.

"Sit here," she ordered and pointed to a chair.

Helping Pete get up, she seated him in the designated chair and placed a pillow behind his back. A grunt from pain escaping from Pete made her wince.

"Hurts, doesn't it?"

Pete fought the normal response and replied. "Only when I move." He smiled a wide smile to reassure her that all was well.

"Why do you let him in the house, Uncle?" Esther asked as she watched Henry and placed a full dish of food in front of him.

"Because I’m tired of replacing screen doors. He pecks right through them. I'll fix him. I'm going to replace everything with steel bottoms."

Esther hurried back to the kitchen to get more food.

Kendra laughed. "Maybe he knows your intention, Peter Meirs."

Pete looked straight into Kendra’s eyes and saw the twinkle. "Maybe that bird is smarter than I give him credit for," he said. His eyebrows purposely dancing up and down.

Kendra smiled and saw Esther returning from the kitchen. She carried a pitcher of orange juice with both hands. Her eyes were totally focused on the wrought-iron table.

Pete smiled warmly at the young girl. "Love you, Esther."

"Okay, we’ve got it all," Kendra said. "Get ready to eat." She ladled three hot eggs, two patties of turkey sausage and a small mound of fried potatoes onto his plate. Then she pulled out a chair across from him. "I wrote something after I awoke this morning. I’d like you to read it."

He looked at her and bit his bottom lip. The thought of her last vision chilled his bones. Earthquakes, a comet hitting the earth and the world suffering through a depression, stuff like that was not what he wanted to hear before breakfast. Now astronomers were predicting that the piece circling the earth was indeed spiraling in. The latest predictions were very scary.

They apparently kept the news secret until this year, but the information leaked out. Scientists were now expecting the mountain circling the earth in an elliptical orbit to fall into the planet sometime around September. They also computed that the fall might produce a collision equivalent to twenty-five hundred to three thousand megatons of TNT. Panic buying was already emptying the stores as people hoarded everything they could get their hands on.

There was nothing he could do about it. He planned to enjoy as many sunrises and sunset as time allowed. At this moment no one knew where the fragment was going to hit. He hoped it was somewhere far away.

"Another vision?" he asked.

"No. It isn’t anything like that. But I do think it came from the Spirit. I've written it down. But first, eat." She reached over and began cutting Pete’s food. When she finished, she handed the fork to him. (Now eat.(

"I want to hear what you wrote," he said. "Is it more bad news? All your visions have come true, and I've heard what you expect the future to bring. It isn’t very pleasant. But, if the Great Beyond is talking to you, I’m listening. Maybe that rock hanging over our heads will break apart into little pieces."

He looked at Esther as she filled a large glass with the orange juice. She set it next to his good hand. Kendra rose and carried the insulated teapot toward him. She filled his cup with mild steamy tea. He knew Kendra's and Esther’s cup held hot Kona coffee. Her coffee tasted good, most off the time, but this morning he went for his preferred drink. His eyes darted between the two women in his life. Contented, he didn’t say a word. What is life without them?

Esther sat between them, at the table's end. She and Kendra reached across and held hands. They waited. When he grasped Kendra's with his good hand, she offered a short prayer of thanksgiving.

Pete never closed his eyes. Instead he kept watch on Henry, who sat on the post surveying his domain. Esther gave a short second prayer. Pete sent her a warm smile to show his love.

The smell of hot, tasty, food intoxicated him. When Kendra and Esther finished their prayers, he forced himself not to hurry and offered a quiet "Amen. Now let’s eat. This smells really good."

"The muffins," Kendra yelped. She shoved back the chair and ran to the kitchen.

"Muffins?" he asked. An eyebrow rose as he looked at Esther.

"Blueberry," she announced. "I helped make them."

"I can’t wait." He mixed some egg, meat and potatoes together and chewed with satisfaction. As he worked through another round, he noticed a car turning onto his dirt road. "Someone’s coming."

Bosepheus and Mister Pibbs scurried to their feet, the nails on their paws making loud clicking sounds on the quarry tile as they walked. Both dogs pushed through the screen door and stood watch in the yard.

Kendra arrived with the tray of muffins.

"We have visitors," Esther said and pointed down the dirt road leading to Delbert.

Pete nodded toward the rising dust cloud. "He’s just dropped behind the first hill. We’ll see who it is in a minute." He chewed another bite. "Excuse me for a second."

He rose from the chair. The pain in his chest and hand screamed in protest. He cleared his head and went to the swing.

He returned with the encased pistol. Kendra took the case from his hand and set it next him in another chair. Then she helped him back to his chair at the table.

(Unlatch it," he asked, (and leave it open.(

She unhooked the latches and knew what lay inside.

"Just a precaution," he grinned. "After last night, I’m taking no chances. You and Esther stand behind me and wait by the door. If they're friends, we can go back to eating."

Everyone, including Henry watched the approaching dust cloud. The two dogs barked their displeasure and their warning of intruders. In seconds they both ran toward the car.

When the car topped the first hill, Pete made out the markings, lit by the morning sun, and the rack of lights on the roof. A sigh escaped from his lips. "It’s the county sheriff."

Chapter 11

When the car crested the last hill and slowed noticeably, the dogs took up position barking and baring their teeth.

Pete studied the direction that the trailing dust cloud flowed and determined that he'd not choke to death while eating breakfast.

The car stopped fifty feet away, closer to the corral than to the house. It was obvious to Pete that the driver was used to being in a rural setting. Bosepheus muscled up to the driver's side while Pibbs stood with his paws against the passenger side window and stared at the nearest occupant.

Their teeth clearly threatening, they both let out deep-throated growls whenever anyone moved.

Pete smiled at the wariness of the driver and his passenger. Then the dogs stopped growling and wagged their tails.

"They've recognize someone," Pete said.

The driver side door opened and a tall county sheriff's deputy stood and greeted the dogs.

"It’s Clint," Pete said when he recognized his friend. "He’s the deputy who patrols this area. He drops in every now and then. I think he wishes he bought this place before I did."

Kendra sent Esther to her seat and went to the edge of the porch. "Detective Jamison's with him."

"Come on in," Pete called without standing. The bruises on his chest let him know their tenderness. He quieted his voice and whispered. "Have a muffin and some coffee."

"Hello, Pete," Clint called. "I brought a Denver detective with me. I believe you two have met."

Pete recognized Detective Jamison. "Yes, we’ve met." His voice revealed a tone of displeasure that everyone heard.

The two dogs following the detective gathered his scent for future reference.

Clint opened the screen door and noticed the ripped netting flapping at the bottom. "Henry?"

Pete nodded "Yes, Henry," his eyes darted to the corral. "He’s sitting over there on a post."

"I heard about your rooster," Jamison said as he tried to ease the tension. "He must be something."

Clint and Jamison moved closer to the table and found it hard not to stare at the food.

Bosepheus and Mister Pibbs went back to Pete's side and lay down on the cool tile. Both dogs looked up with pitiful eyes hoping for a scrap from the table. Esther obliged them by lowering her hand with two sausage patties.

Kendra noticed the look on their faces. It was obvious that the two men knew they arrived at a bad time. "Sit," she said in an effort to relax the men. "Help yourself. Can I get you something to drink?"

"Thought you'd never ask," Clint answered with relish. "This looks great." He pulled an empty chair away from the table and opened a napkin.

"How about a glass of orange juice, tea, or coffee?" Kendra asked and turned to the detective. How about you, Detective?"

Jamison looked reluctantly at Pete and gave a subtle shift. He waited for a sign of acceptance.

"Come on," Pete answered when he saw the detective’s hesitation. He regretted the earlier sound in his voice and tried to make amends. "There's a good looking chair just off to your side. Relax for a couple of minutes. You're more than welcome. Enjoy country life."

Pete motioned with his head for the detective to take the seat. A twitch of pain from his back reminded him about shifting his weight too fast. He froze for a movement until the pain subsided then went back to eating.

"Your back's hurting?" Jamison asked. "I thought the hand would be the most trouble."

"Bad night's sleep," Pete answered without explaining. "The antibiotics and pain relievers are partially working. My hand throbs. My chest hurts, and my back bites me. Doc thinks I strained it when I hit the car." He omitted the part about sleeping in the tub.

"Ask him about old Henry," Clint said as he glanced at Jamison. He also smiled at Pete as he spoke. He savored the smell of a muffin and unsuccessfully suppressed the grin bubbling inside him. "This table looks great."

Pete pointed to the rooster on the corral fence. "Clint likes needling me about my Rhode Island. The darn thing protects Kendra whenever she stays the night. It has to be something instinctive."

Kendra laughed. "Henry's very intelligent. Don't any of you guys start messing with him?"

Jamison’s eyebrows rose as he watched the rooster lift from the post and settle on the corral fence. "I don’t understand, but maybe you can explain it while I have one of your muffins.( He laid a videotape cassette on the table and tapped it with his finger.

"I needed to drive out this way and see where you lived."

"Is your curiosity satisfied?" asked Pete.

"You've got a nice place here." Jamison looked around and studied the rooster again. The bird flapped its wings and flew back onto the post. He crowed with pride before settling down.

"It’s quiet," he said. "Hard to imagine the city is just over the hill." He rested his fingers on top of the videocassette. "But I’ve got something serious for you to view." His eyes flickered toward Esther. "I don’t know if everyone should see this."

"Esther's seen a lot in her short life," answered Pete. "She's a pretty strong kid. I don't think it will hurt, as long as we're beside her."

"Okay," answered Jamison as he explained. "A kid came out of Safeway just as the shooting started. He was trying out his new video camera for night scenes and captured most of the action. You’ll find this interesting. I’m hoping one of you spot something that can help."

"Eat first," Kendra, said. She looked at the videotape then at the detective. "A few minutes won’t hurt." She bit her lip to hide the fear over what she might see. "We worked on this breakfast too long to let it get cold. Now eat." She forced a smile of satisfaction when the detective picked up a muffin.

With the dishes in the dishwasher and the table cleared, everyone but Esther went inside. Esther led the dogs down the steps. All three vanished into the barn.

"We found the van," Jamison said almost matter-of-factly. He handed the videotape to Pete. "An explosion killed the three occupants. A bunch of hundred dollar bills got themselves shredded in the blast. We believe these men were the shooters. One received a gunshot wound to his chest. Another may have been shot in the shoulder. Forensic will fill in the details. They probably are the ones you shot. What we know at this moment is that they were alive when they parked. The blast killed them."

"Can I make a copy of the tape?" Pete asked. Kendra helped him to a comfortable spot on the couch.

"You can keep it. This is a copy."

"How long is the video?"

"Five minutes."

Pete handed the tape to Kendra.

"I’ll set it up," she said.

Kendra went to the VCR. After turning on the TV, she turned on the surround sound system and pushed the tape into the VCR.

"It’s ready," she announced.

She returned and sat next to Pete and held the remote control to the VCR in her hand. "Does it need to be fast forwarded?" she asked.

"It starts right away," answered Jamison. "After you both watch this, I'll have a few questions to ask." Jamison nodded to Kendra to begin.

She pressed Play on the remote.

Jamison began narrating the video. "The top of the black van can be seen. It looks a little distant right now. But the picture zooms in after the first shots."

The van screeched to a halt and a loud pop was heard. Two men jumped out of the van, and then two more pops were heard. The picture zoomed closer. Even in the night-lights, the van looked clear and bright.

"The zoom is twenty power," Jamison said. "It’s as if we're watching from a ring side seat. The camera was set for 3x light amplification."

Pete saw a man shooting at him. The flinches from two bullets hitting his chest were easily visible. He then saw himself return fire and duck at the same time. Two more flashes from his pistol revealed his position.

(You shot three times,( Jamison said. (The shooter closest to you visibly hesitated. We think you hit him with your first shot. The second gunman changed direction and went to his right. You definitely caught them by surprise.(

Kendra pressed reverse and watched the shooting a second time. She let out a gasp as the video revealed Pete jerking his shoulder toward his left.

On the couch, Pete felt the two bruises on his side twitch with pain. He ignored the feeling and concentrated on the picture of him aiming his gun. What seemed like forever when it occurred took place in seconds before his eyes. He watched the muzzle flash of the .45 light the area. A second flash appeared.

Jamison took the remote from Kendra, reversed the picture and pressed Slow. The images of the shooting slowed to one-tenth speed. "You can see when you hit the man standing to your right. A good tactical move since he was the nearest to you. You hit him on your first shot. We picked up the sound of a ping as you shot two times at the second man. The first bullet must have hit him. Your second bullet hit a parked car."

Pete watched the second gunman drop from view.

The detective continued narrating. "You now drop from view and disappear behind the cars. We can barely make out the top of your head, but you're moving between the cars. You’re heading for the van. Before you get there, a third man rushes forward and pulls his wounded partners to safety."

Pete watched as the three men disappeared into the black van. A second later the slide door slammed shut and the van sped away.

"Now watch this," Jamison ordered. "Someone else appears."

"Yeah, I saw him. I thought he was coming to help. I sensed something weird when he wore an overcoat. I almost ignored it. By the time I saw the shotgun, it was too late."

"You shot at him just as he shot you." Jamison pressed pause. The muzzle flash from your gun is clearly seen. Now you see the flash from the shotgun. We think you also hit him."

"I know he hit me." Pete felt the tender, foot size, bruise on his chest.

Kendra gasped as she watched Pete fall back against a car.

"Watch now. You will see two things that probably saved your life."

"That's Steve," exclaimed Pete with satisfaction.

"The shooter," continued Jamison "takes aim at your friend. He barely makes it to safety before the shotgun goes off. He's lucky to be alive."

Jamison set the VCR to normal play.

"The shooter almost drops his shotgun as he grabs his left arm. Now watch. Here come two more. Their backs are to the camera, so we can't make out their faces. One man helps the man with the shotgun to safety. The other man kneels beside you. I've sent a copy to the guys in Washington. Maybe they can get us more detail. The guy who knelt beside you is the one who pinned your hand to the car with the knife."

Another unseen accomplice who rushed into the scene helped all watched as the wounded man in the trench coat. Then both men hurried to the side of the building and the camera followed them until the cameraman lost them. The camera panned back to the assailant closest to Pete. They all watched the man raise his hand. A knife reflecting the streetlamps was clearly visible. "Now here comes a person who clearly saved your life."

Jamison pressed "Slow" and everyone watched.

A girl appeared, holding a wrought iron chair over her head.

"Kendra!" Pete exclaimed.

"The chair crashed down on the killer just as he tried to kill you. We can't see the knife now, but it's what pegged your hand to the fender. I think Kendra's action deflected his aim."

Everyone watched as the killer vanished from sight. Kendra quickly ran back and lifted another chair.

Jamison narrated the scene. "She threw it at the guy who apparently is now on the ground."

They all watched her turn and hurriedly get a third chair. It also vanished as she threw it between the cars.

Jamison continued. "That guy took a beating. We've found blood all the way around the building."

"Kendra!" Pete exclaimed with incredulous delight. "I love you!"

Pete stared happily at Kendra and saw the pride on her face.

"I tried," she said and continued watching the video.

(Watch now,( Jamison said. (The man who stabbed you hurries away. We think the lights from the approaching police cruiser also scared him off. You can see them reflecting off the windows of the buildings. The killer also vanishes behind the building.(

"A car apparently was waiting for them," Pete said.

"There is one thing we are able to make out. One of the guys had a ponytail. We saw his face for only a second. Couldn’t make out much detail, but it appeared full – maybe round."

"Another Moonface," Kendra gasped as she stood up. She looked at Pete. Fear and confusion mixed together on her face. (Just like the man in Israel.(

"The man in Israel?" Jamison asked.

"He was someone who tried to kill Kendra. It was during the war. But he died. I saw him die."

Kendra sat down beside Pete and touched his arm.

He wrapped his good arm around her shoulders and gave her a couple of soft tugs.

Kendra watched the video then turned to face Pete. "You saw a man with a ponytail in the van that ran us off the road. Did he have a full face? Are you sure Moonface died? Maybe they are the same."

(No,( Pete said. (I’m sure Moonface is dead. I checked him out myself. This other guy, this one with the ponytail, is someone new. And I'll bet you that the guy stabbing me is one of the men who ran us off the road.(

"Exactly what I’m thinking," Jamison answered. "These guys and the ones on the Boulder Turnpike are probably the same."

The five-minute segment of recording ended and the television screen went blue. Pete stared at the screen. Then he answered. "I think that’s a safe assumption."

Pete’s face looked chiseled in flint. With miss-nothing eyes he relived the experience. Now he felt weary. A belly full of open warfare was not the way he wanted to spend his life. "I don’t think we’ll leave my ranch except to buy food," he said. "One thing's certain; someone's after Kendra.(

He studied her face. "How do you attract these people?" he murmured. "Maybe you’re my purpose for living. I’m to keep you alive until the end comes, whatever that means."

Jamison and Clint both looked inquisitively at Pete.

"During the battles in Israel," Pete explained as he continued, "after we discovered the two arks, two assassins followed our every move. Now, the attempt to electrocute her, the running us off the road, and being gunned down in front of the House of Pizza, all point to a new round of bloody battles. Someone knows more about her destiny than we do, and they're trying to stop her."

His thoughts of the future stopped as quickly as the flicking of a switch. He heard Kendra speaking to the detective.

"Do you know who he is?" she asked. "The man with the ponytail?"

"I was hoping you might be able to tell me," answered Jamison. "I’m going to back up the tape. Maybe the man with the shotgun looks familiar. We don't see very much, but the camera got his profile."

Kendra waited until Jamison reached the spot he was searching for. The word PLAY appeared on the TV screen and Jamison waited. "Here he comes." Jamison pressed pause and moved the video forward, one frame at a time.

The man appeared. The raincoat appeared black. He swept back the right side of his coat. A shotgun appeared.

"Do you recognize him?" Jamison asked.

Kendra studied the side view until the shooter turned away. "Maybe. I just don’t know. He’s not anyone I've ever seen before. The man in my bathroom wore something over his head."

Jamison waited, hoping Kendra could see something that might help his investigation. When she didn’t offer anything new, he pressed STOP and then REWIND. "Well, you have a copy. Watch it a couple of times. Maybe one of you will see something that can help. If you see anything we can use, let me know right away."

"We will," Kendra answered. She went forward and removed the tape from the VCR and shut off the TV.

Pete looked at Clint and Jamison. "I guarantee you I’ll watch it frame by frame. Hopefully something useful will show up."

Chapter 12

Rene sat on the operating table gently touching the fresh bandage. Her fever broken she felt pleased with the antibiotics. She watched Bruce who pressed a clean bandage over the seven stitches in his scalp, hand the doctor a fat envelope of money.

"You can take the bandage off in a couple of days," Doctor Shepard said while turning to face Rene. "Give that arm a month of complete rest. You can do light exercises in three weeks, and I mean light. You have some muscle damage, but you will heal nicely if you follow my orders. Your boys did an admirable job on keeping infection away."

Shepard placed the envelope in the pocket of his white hospital smock. "Right now I'd recommend large steaks for both of you, and don't forget to get plenty of rest."

"I’ll make them both do it," said Les. "They've been a little accident prone lately."

"I don’t want to hear anything about what happened. Just make sure they get lots of rest. In a week their blood levels will be normal, but Rene's arm is going to hurt."

He concentrated on Rene and her bandaged arm. "I don’t want to find that wound broken open." The doctor handed Rene two brown plastic bottles of pills. "One’s a pain reliever. The second is antibiotics. Follow the instructions I’ve written and you will be as good as new in a few months."

Rene slid off the table and moved to the door. "A few months! I can’t sit around and do nothing for a few months."

"Just don’t do anything with that arm," Doctor Shepard said harshly. "Give me a call in two days and I’ll come over and change the bandages."

The Tampa skies darkened to a deep gray, and rain fell in thick sheets as Bruce drove the Lincoln home. The radio played softly interspersed with talk of severe thunderstorms with possible tornadoes. The built in Fax machine encased in the console between the front seats rolled out multiple sheets of an incoming report.

In the back seat, Rene lifted the papers when the Fax was completed. She suddenly seethed in anger. "He survived," she fumed. "I should have aimed for his face. I can’t believe his luck."

Les waited a second for Rene to hand him the report. Then he read the papers. "That’s what it says." He read the news clipping sent with the report. "Peter Meirs, one of the initial discoverers of the Ark of the Covenant was gunned down in front of The House of Pizza in Parker last night. Death threats have been made against his guest, Kendra Makray. As a precaution, Mister Meirs was wearing a bulletproof vest when the attack occurred. After surviving two bullets to the ribs, he was hit by a close range shotgun blast. The man pinned his hand to the fender of a car. Other than that, he received only minor injuries. Peter Meirs was released from the hospital a few hours later and is recovering at his home.

(Two of the assailants were shot. A passing jogger found their burned out van. Three badly dismembered and charred bodies were discovered. A bomb is believed to have killed the occupants.(

He stopped reading the report and passed it back to Rene. "You seriously hurt him," he said. "Bruce pinned his hand, two bullets from the goon squad hit him in the side. I'm amazed he survived. They didn't even keep him in the hospital. What is this guy, Superman?"

"I wasn't aiming for his hand," Bruce quipped angrily.

Les saw the depressed look on Rene's face increase with every drop of rain.

"Ahyag!" she snarled. "I can’t make my anger go away. I keep replaying the scene over and over. I should have shot a second time. I underestimated him. I won’t let that happen again," she growled. "We couldn't even kill him. What incompetence." Her eyes caught Bruce's eyes in the rear view mirror.

"Bruce, it isn't your fault. You're lucky to be alive. I'm the one who failed. Whoever threw those chairs at you wasn't playing. But, this foul-up is going to come back and haunt us. I know it."

She stared silently out the window as the car splashed through the last intersection before reaching home. No one spoke until they drove into the driveway.

"I want them dead," she said in a deeply controlled voice. "I want them all dead."

Les turned to face Rene. "We’ll do it for you, Rene. You just take it easy. Remember they have a trip to Israel planned. See if you can get their itinerary. Maybe we can find something useful. It’s possible that the person who writes to you can be useful. Maybe we can use that kid that's always with them?"

Bruce's eyes glanced angrily toward Les and asked Rene a question that nagged him since getting this job. "You've never told us how you get your info."

Rene never answered as she gave a groan that stopped all the bickering.

Bruce drove the car under the carport. "And leave the kid out of it," he snapped. "I won’t let any kid get hurt."

"Don’t get nervous, Mister Crum. I won’t hurt her. But I’ve got an idea which, if it works, might bring them to us."

"This is getting messy," Rene growled. Her eyes were red with anger, and the pain in her arm and shoulder radiated down her side and ended at her hip. "I want them dead, no matter what it takes."

"As long as we can do it discretely," Bruce added. His face revealed his concern. "This whole thing is going to cost us money." The frown on his forehead vanished and he shrugged his shoulders. "I’m sure we can work out something agreeable with our employer, but this time we'll be more than careful."

In his mind he smiled at the face looking at him. "As for this Meirs guy, I put the fear of God in him. I don’t think he’ll be a problem. I saw it in his eyes."

Bruce studied Rene's glistening face looking for approval of his words.

"I'll look through our assassinations library for ideas," she answered. "First thing we do is send an E-mail to our employer. Maybe he, or she, can come up with something."

She glanced out the window and shifted her weight to leave.

Les bit his bottom lip as he studied Rene's face. His friend, companion, and boss looked clearly exhausted. He hurried from the car and quickly opened the door for her. He reached in with compassionate hands. "Let me help."

Holding weakly to his outstretched hand, Rene groaned as she stepped from the car. Everything spun as vertigo engulfed her. She felt Les slide his arms under her and lift her gently in the air. His strong arms held her as he carried her to the door. She closed her eyes, knowing she was safe.

Bruce hurried ahead and unlocked the front door. Holding the screen door open, he stepped out of the way as Les carried Rene into her house.

"Our employer." She snapped as her eyes opened, then quickly closed. The swirling in her head seemed worse. She managed to reach down with her good arm and helped Les lower her into the glider-rocker. The words she spoke carried all the venom she felt. “He has a lot of explaining to do. There is more going on with this job than meets the eye. Everything they've supplied us is lacking major answers. This has not been a simple hit. We've been lied to."

Her eyes drifted from Les to Bruce. They weren't listening as they tried their best to make her comfortable. Feeling tired, she stared at the floor.

Her lips twisted in smothered rage at the thought of being used. "If we're satisfied with what we hear, it'll be time to negotiate a better contract."

Chapter 13

Bruce led the way through the trees as he held the low powered monocular night scope up to his eye. Les followed behind as Bruce told of what lay ahead. Three members of the gang that they hired to kill Pete at the House of Pizza followed single file behind Les. The three-some were out for revenge because of Pete. Two members of the gang were wounded, one seriously. Now the survivors wanted to finish the job. They especially wanted to get Peter Meirs.

Five men moved quietly through the woods toward the house. Three thought of one thing: Kill Peter Meirs. They were determined to avenge the death of their friend who was killed at the House of Pizza. Another member of their gang lay seriously wounded in the van.

Bruce kept an eye on the path that they followed. He and Bruce wanted to kill Peter Meirs, but for a different reason. Mister Meirs continually interfered with the killing of Kendra Makray. He also wounded their boss and mentor, Rene Paxton.

As for the five men they hired, they were expendable.

Right now the remaining members of the gang were needed and they needed to approach the house without being seen or heard.

The two oversized dogs that roamed the property will not be a problem. An hour earlier he left them two rib steaks spiked with time-release doses of barbiturates. After watching from a safe distance as the dogs devoured the meat, he watched the dogs continued on with their patrol. Bruce knew from past experience that an hour later they'd be snoring up a storm and no one in the house would be the wiser.

The thought made Bruce smile with satisfaction. He was sure the two oversized Great Pyrenees were soundly sleeping at their master's feet.

Two hours earlier He and Les watched and listened with an electronic ear as Kendra Makray and the kid departed for the mall. That part of this mission fell apart. Now they'd wait for Kendra Makray to return.

He pushed past a final string of brushes and the back of the house lay two hundred feet away.

* * *

Pete sat in the dark, relaxing in the front porch swing. The girls went to a movie with two of Kendra's nieces. He glanced at his watch and expected everyone home by eleven. He felt good that they went to a movie. It might help them to forget the ordeal of the past couple of days.

Right now his chest didn't hurt as long as he sat still. His left hand was a different story. The throbbing persisted day and night. The Doc said that the bandage covering the hand might come off at the end of the week.

He carefully followed the doctor’s orders: no exercise, no quick moves, take it easy, don't break open the stitches, relax, and let the ladies take care of him. Though invited, he opted to let his battered body relax without much movement.

A half an hour ago, at sunset, Henry led his flock of hens into the chicken coop. With that task completed, the old rooster came out and stared at Pete for an ungodly long time. Pete didn't think a rooster possessed much intelligence, but this old bird seemed almost human.

Pete wasn't sure if the old rooster was searching for the ladies of the house and prepared to protect his adopted hens, or he was seeing if he, Peter Meirs, the big rooster, was okay. Either way, he sensed that the bird was protecting him in the only way a rooster could.

Lying at his feet were Pibbs and Bosepheus. The dogs were obviously tired and down for the night.

Swinging slowly in the dark, he watched the traffic moving along Delbert Road and caught himself dozing off. He would have missed the vehicle turning onto his drive if it hadn't been for the headlights flashing across his closed eyes.

The car vanished down the first hill and Pete waited, but it never reappeared. He imagined a young couple finding a secluded spot and decided to ignore the intrusion.

Bruce studied the house through the night-scope and directed one of the hired killers to the back door. He sent the others circling the house from different ends. So far, so good. Mister Meirs is unaware of our approach and the dogs are not a problem. By the time the two girls come home, he'd be dead and we'll be waiting.

As the hired guns moved toward the house, he and Les planned to provide cover in case the three baboons mess up a simple kill. The driver in the van over the hill was prepared to swoop in and take the threesome to safety. He and Les planned to simply vanish among the trees and make their way to the car parked a half a mile away.

As he watched everyone's movement through the green light of the night-scope, he felt satisfied that everything was as planned. He spoke softly into the communicator and gave final instructions to the killers.

Pete nodded off as he sat on the swing. Somewhere in the recesses of his mind a creak from a floor appeared. It came from inside the house. Thinking that the girls were returning he snapped open his eyes and was dismayed that Kendra's car was not in the yard.

Sorting out the sound he thought of the back door. The screen door made a creaking sound when it slowly opened. Not sure of what he heard he listened intently for other sounds.

The back door led into a mudroom that went directly to the kitchen. A section of the floor needed to be screwed into the floor joist. It always produced a creak when anyone walked on the beam. He waited and listened.

Bruce watched Les take up position next to the circuit panel that supplied electricity to the house. The plan called for Les to cut off the electricity and slice the telephone line as the goon made his way through the house. Everything was timed.

Bruce studied the glow from his watch dials and the movement of the second hand.

"Now!" he whispered into the communicator.

Pete heard the faint creak from the mudroom and knew for certain that he wasn't alone.

That also meant the car hidden by the hill was not what he assumed it was.

His eyes searched the floor beneath the table. His rifle and pistol cases still lay where Kendra laid them. Thankfully she did not picked them up and returned them to the gun vault.

His body screamed in pain at the sudden burst of movement and planted his feet on the floor. The bruised muscles and bone in his chest nearly blinded him, but he took control of his body and forced it to move. His left hand was useless as the bandages covering the knife wound prevented him from using his left fingers.

Just as he opened the pistol chest the lights in living room went out. A second later, the yard light went out.

In total darkness, urgency drove him to grab the pistol.

He shook the dogs to awaken them, but they barely moved. He needed their help. He carried seven rounds in the clip of the Colt and one in the chamber.

Crawling out the front screen into the yard he worked his way to the barn. When he reached the side of the barn he heard the loud phut-phut of a silenced weapon. A second phut sounded along with a whelp from one of his dogs.

His blood boiled from the anger of knowing they shot his dogs.

Crawling to the barn door he noticed something green glowing in the dark. It floated past him and moved toward the house. He realized what he was seeing was the tritium night sights on a pistol. He hoped his practice at hip shooting paid off as he aimed without sighting and squeezed the trigger of the Colt.

Funny how at times he never heard the report as the gun jumped in his hand, but he heard the man holding the gun scream and fall to the ground.

Pete crawled quickly to the chicken coop and away from the spot the flash from his pistol lit the air. Well that worked, he thought, and hoped the next intruder was as easy.

The voices of two other men whispering to each other carried across the yard.

At least he knew what he was up against. He hoped none of them were high tech. He felt sure the one he shot didn't carry night vision gear, or he'd have been noticed.

The sound of someone running out of the chicken coop stopped him from moving. Chickens were squawking their annoyance at being disturbed. Pete quickly changed course and headed back to the barn. That makes three. He felt surrounded. He knew of the two who whispered to each other and one other at the coop. How many more might be out there?

The sound of a chicken yaking its head off and the grunts of a man made him turn. Someone was fighting off an attack by Henry. The sound of the rooster and the man moved closer.

Silhouetted by the stars Pete made out the outline of the man fighting off the rooster. Good ol'bird.

Pete fired and the man went down.

"Lou," someone called. "Lou! Did you get him?"

Pete ran crouching to the other side of the barn.

Shotgun pellets splintered the wood above his head. He hadn't seen where the blast came from, but someone saw him.

The sound of Henry loudly squawking mixed with the voice of someone else being attacked by the rooster gave Pete a feeling of not fighting alone.

Pete smiled. Keep it up old boy. Let me know where everyone's at.

Henry let out an ungodly screech and then there was silence.

A curse erupted as another man stumbled over something. Pete guessed that this someone just found the body by the barn.

Pete lay flat on the ground and waited.

A glow in the eastern night sky told him the moon was beginning to rise. Soon the darkness that favored him would vanish as the cold white light of the moon bathed the area. If he made it to the trees he'd have a better chance.

Bruce searched the grounds around the house with his night scope. The compact scope amplified the light by a factor of 10,000. It wasn't strong but it was good enough to see two hundred feet in a starlit night sky.

He thought he saw movement by the barn when he fired the shotgun. As he moved toward the barn he spotted a chicken lying on the ground. He kept scanning the area for moment, wondering if the chicken caused all the noise.

As he scanned the side of the house he saw Les and one of the hired guns coming out of the house. They headed down the steps and across the yard. Both moved past the limits of the green scope. He knew they were working their way across the yard.

He scanned the ground in front of him and walked slowly toward the barn. His left hand held the scope to his eye as he walked. In his left hand he pointed the short barreled shotgun.

A body lying on the ground came into view. As he approached he recognized one of his hired thugs.

Turning in a full circle he spied another body on the ground. He slowly moved towards it. The green image in the scope cleared and he saw the body was another of their shooters. Peter Meirs was slowly whittling down his hired crew. Maybe we better stick together.

Pete crawled into an area filled with trees and brush. He quieted his breathing and listened. Other than the night sound of a dog barking, and noise of traffic a half a mile away, he heard nothing unusual. He hoped his neighbors heard the shots and called the sheriff. What he'd give to have his Cell phone or to see the flashing lights of a patrol car speeding to his house.

Now safely concealed in the brush and behind two trees he waited and listened.

Bruce met the others and the three men searched the barn and chicken coop. Pete was nowhere to be found.

"He got away. We can't stay here," he warned. "If we don't find him in ten minutes, we have to leave. I'm calling the van."

He led everyone around the barn and stopped. They'd have to carry the men Pete Meirs shot. One lay still alive. He gave the orders to leave.

"We can't leave," snarled the goon standing next to him. "He's killed two of my friends. I'm not leaving without finding him."

Les stuck a pistol up against the man's ear. "When my cousin says it's time to leave, we leave. He's never wrong." The spotlights on that house up the hill came on as he spoke. "Mister Meirs may already be there."

"But we've done nothing but get my buddies killed."

"They'll be another time."

"That time is now. I'm going up to that house and kill everyone."

"You do that. If he's between you and those lights, he'll see you. You'll be a dead man before you make it to the house."

Les whispered into Bruce's ear. "Time to tidy up."

Bruce understood the meaning.

"Have him help his wounded friend," said Bruce softly. "I'll carry the dead man."

All three men turned as the van sped into the yard.

Bruce snapped, "Get everyone into it. We'll meet later."

After loading the dead and wounded into the van, Bruce gave the orders for the driver to leave. They'd meet at a selected location.

As the van sped back to Delbert Road, Bruce and Les vanished into the woods and headed for their own car.

The first patrol car slid to a stop in front of the house. A second followed and added to the dust billowing across the yard.

Flashing red and blue lights mixing with white spotlights lit the dust as it drifted over the yard.

Pete felt the pain in his chest double in intensity and his wounded left-hand turned up the volume. The enemy, whoever they were, left and he called out to the two policemen standing by their cars.

Kendra and Esther drove into the front yard as three sets of flashing police lights bathed the buildings in red and blue lights. The moon climbed high in the night sky as Pete explained all he knew to an officer.

"What happened!" she cried as Esther ran past her and stood next to Pete. He stopped the girl from going up onto the porch.

"It has to the guys from the Pizza place," he said to Kendra. "They didn't give up. I shot two of them. The sheriff found blood on the dirt but no bodies."

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"Yeah. I'm okay, but they killed my dogs. They also killed Henry. He saved my life twice."

A lump in the chest squeezed Kendra's heart as she realized Pete was about to cry. Instinctively she wrapped her arms around him. Esther joined her and together they held Pete as is chest shook in agony.

Chapter 14

Pete sensed something wrong as he drove north on the Cross-Israel Highway 6. Leaving Colorado was the best thing for him since his dogs were killed. Even the sadness of seeing old Henry dead in the yard hadn't bothered him during the flight to Israel. He was actually feeling better until they got close to Afula. He expected to see the devastation of the last war filling the hills. Okay, he'd concede the cleanup of the carnage. What nagged him was something deeper. The answer was on the tip of his tongue but he found it impossible to wrap words around what he was sensing.

Thirty minutes later his eyes kept drifting to the ditches running the length of the highway. He stared as in thought, but nothing registered. When he exited north on Highway 65, toward Afula, the light came on. He put it all together and saw what's been nagging. Normally every drainage ditch in Israel is filled with trash - not just a few pieces of windblown paper, but rivers of aluminum cans and broken bottles.

Now, when he looked, he saw nothing, no cans, no bottles, nothing. The ditches were clean. The feeling left him euphoric, yet bittersweet. It always disgusted him how filthy the ditches throughout Israel used to be. Now the cleanliness seemed out of character.

Since the war more than reconstruction occurred. A massive cleanup of the hills and roads took place. There was even the approval by Iran, Iraq, and Syria to allow European troops, under the United Nations banner, to be stationed on their soil. The troops were required to prevent the American government from using its military might and super clean miniature neutron bombs from annihilating suspected terrorist bases. The American's were still dishing out revenge for the acts of war perpetrated on their soil since the September 11th World Trade Center attacks, and the string of biological-dirty radiation bombs used during 2004. But that was seven years ago.

Now, driving toward the city of Afula, a city where he fought and struggled to survive during the massive invasion of Israel in 2006, he was more interested in the revisits to the sites that still haunted his wartime memories. Lora always said it would clear his mind by releasing the anger brought on by that moment.

He wasn't so sure, but Esther needed to come back to her home. It would be good for her.

An eye caught sight of a lone aluminum can in a ditch. Other than that, the drainage ditches and the hills were clean.

After the three-and-a-half day war, scores of aircraft, wrecked car, trucks, and buses lay twisted and charred along this stretch of the road. Now they were all gone.

During the war, enemy artillery and aircraft made this stretch of 65 impassable. Today the smoothness of the road nearly lulled him to sleep.

He never expected the sight he saw when he rounded the dogleg in the road. "Look at that!"

Lit by a bright noonday sun, Afula sat white and gleaming in the sun nestled at the end of the valley. The city looked larger and taller than he remembered. Even the crushing high altitude nuclear explosion above the city left no reminders.

Afula had been massively bombed and rocketed. Now it rose shiny and new, a gleaming example of billions of dollars in American and European construction grants. Elated and amazed, he instantly planned to tour all of Northern Israel to see what else was new.

An occasional side-glance at Kendra and Esther told him they felt what he felt. Their eyes were glued to the sight of the stunning transformation.

"We have to visit the city park where Steve and I were treated," Pete said, remembering the hospital tent set among the trees.

"I know," Steve replied from the back seat. "Think we can find it? Everything's been rebuilt. I don't recognize the city. Think we'll find the cave?"

Pete nodded his head. He thought about the cave they sheltered in during the attack. "If it isn't off-limits, I expect we will find it."

The two arks, and Elijah, were also there. It was there that the final assassin, Moonface, attacked and almost gotten the best of him. It was also there that Kendra and Elijah became enemies.

Pete smiled at the thought. Standing toe-to-toe with Mister Personality, Kendra dared him to use his mystical powers on her. Pete's smile widened as he drove. Elijah used his powers to throw him back against the wall, but he couldn't do anything to Kendra. She humiliated him then, and she still does.

He took a deep breath with air whistling through his teeth and looked at Kendra. "You were really something. As the Irish would say, 'Kendra Makray, You're a real corker.' You really were something down there. Mister Phony-baloney walked away totally frustrated. The Pit-Bull," Pete liked the title he just pinned on Elijah. "He has to be behind the attacks. You humiliated him in the cave. Then you humiliated him at Macky Auditorium. Everything you wrote in our book about him made him seem like a real jackass. The guy's a Pit-Bull."

"I did, didn't I?" Kendra laughed.

Pete glanced at Kendra. She's another Pit-Bull but she's gorgeous.

They drove the last five kilometers in silence. Pete felt sure that each one, including Esther, was remembering the mammoth scars wrought on the city and within their souls. He hoped emotional scars weren't tearing Esther's heart apart.

He touched the little girl's shoulder. She witnessed her grandmother, YiaYia, being tortured and finally killed. Even with all the counseling by Lora, the youngster still didn't find it easy to talk about that day. She'd open up someday. He hoped he possessed the insight and patience to listen.

Clearing his thoughts he studied the surrounding fields and hills as he drove, looking for any signs of the massive destruction that occurred. The aircraft, the vehicles, everything was gone.

As he entered the city, blocks of buildings were rebuilt.

Kendra sat quietly staring out the window, thinking about what she and Steve talked about on their flight to Israel. She saw that the book on the cryptic Bible Codes visibly changed his perspective on Judaism and Christianity. His belief that the codes within the ancient Hebrew Bible text were placed there by a very superior mind was now unshakable. His biggest question was how to reconcile the Space Brothers to the codes. She needed to direct him to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Either way, she felt sure that Steve now knew of someone who possessed the super powers to perform unbelievable feats, even to create whole universes, raise the dead, and promise a great future to those who believed in Him. That someone was who Steve wanted to follow.

She tried to explain who this super being was, but Steve never acknowledged the possibility that the God she worshipped, Jesus, was the God who gave the scriptures to mankind.

There was a time in her life that she wasn't sure the deity called Jesus wrote the Torah. But the encrypted codes confirmed that he did. That finally sealed her belief in the issue.

She smiled in assurance that when the Israeli people finally say of Him, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord", then their Messiah, their God, will finally arrive.

Steve's voice awoke her from her thoughts.

"Are we sure we're in the right city?" he asked as they drove down the main street. Along with Lora, he personally witnessed the massive destruction the city received. His right leg still hurt from where the shrapnel penetrated.

After fighting for his life while trapped on the Tel Megiddo, he thought things would never get worse. If it hadn't been for that American Indian, an Israeli soldier named, Corporal Goombi, they never would have safely returned.

Safety, Steve laughed to himself. After leaving the medical tent he'd been caught in a mortar barrage. If the massive rainstorm that nullified the barrages happened an hour earlier, his leg wouldn't be hurting now.

"We've arrived," confirmed Pete as he passed a petrol station on his left. "I don't think I remember how to get to the house."

"Six blocks up," Kendra said. "Make a left on Highway 60. It'll take us to YiaYia's street."

Pete stopped at the traffic light and waited. A police car appeared in the middle of the intersection. Three policemen exited and held up their hands, effectively stopping all traffic movement through the intersection. Moments later a convoy of UN military trucks, jeeps, and command vehicles sped past and made a right turn at the intersection, continuing north on 65.

"How many of these guys are in Israel?" Pete asked. "That's the third convoy I've noticed in the last hour."

"The tourist department won't say anything about it," answered Steve. "But I've read in the newspapers that the UN has over one-hundred thousand troops stationed throughout the Middle East. Israel, Egypt, Syria, and Iraq have the lions share. That group is to protect the United Nations people and compound in the city of Babylon."

"I know all that," Pete interrupted.

"I know one thing; the seven year agreement forced on everyone by the European Union (EU) seems to be the only thing that's kept Israel from utterly destroying Syria and Iran. The EU's are also the only forces that keep the hordes from attacking Israel with a vengeance."

Pete interrupted and said, "When Israel demanded and took control of half the temple mount, suicide attacks in Israel increased until no one felt safe."

"All because of you, Sis," Lora added with a touch of sarcasm mixed with jealousy. "I'm not mad at you. I just wish I did something earth-shaking to be remembered by. Then I also long for the good old days when you were as much of a flunky as the rest of us. You discovered something that left the world teetering on every possibility imaginable, from ecstasy to world destruction. Truly, I never thought a simple piece of furniture could have such influence."

Lora shook her head and paused for a moment to finish with biting sarcastic humor. "Ken, you really know how to shake things up."

Kendra showed her displeasure and embarrassment with Lora's words. "Sometimes I wish I never discovered it. There are times I understand where everything is heading, how it fits with Bible prophecies, but it scares me. At other times, I’m not sure of anything."

Pete offered Kendra hope and a smile and added his own comment. "I don't understand it one bit either. One thing though, the world will never be the same. Kendra, you did the right thing. Besides, don't you always tell us that it's all part of the end-times fulfillment? If you didn't do it, someone else would have."

"Yes, I guess that's true," she admitted, "but look at the misery that’s come from it."

"And," he added. "There are people who will dislike you for it for as long as they live. But like the nuclear bomb, once the genie's out of the bottle, we have to live with it. What will be will be? I don't believe too much in your supernatural side of things, but you obviously completed something destined to be. But I see what Lora is saying. Have any of us mere mortals done anything that makes a difference? Sure, I was with you when you fell into the hidden chamber and found the Ark, and I became famous. But when you joined the team, as we searched the cave, you came fully knowing that the Ark was hidden in it. If I not been with you at the time of the discovery, I’d be as forgotten as the rest of the team."

"Well sometimes I wish everyone'd forget me. I always seem to have killers dogging my steps."

She looked at Pete with pleading sadness. Her hand wanted to touch his arm. "When will it ever end? Sometimes I think I'm going crazy."

Pete never answered.

Lora looked at her sister and for a moment felt totally helpless. Her anger and jealousy evaporated, and she wanted to give Kendra a reassuring hug.

"Hold it sis," she said. "Don't let all this remorse get out of hand. Get a hold of yourself. Besides," she thought back to the passing convoy of EU troops, "you made your sacrifice for history. The EU is making a sacrifice. This world is changing, and there isn’t anything we can do but go on the ride. People may not like it. Something bigger than all of us is being worked out. You did what you needed to do. The only thing I dislike is seeing what religion is doing to these people." She thought of the tens of millions in all the neighboring countries. "It's the most destructive thing that's ever existed."

"Well at least the Jordanians never got involved," Kendra answered.

"Yeah, and that's because their king received protection from the United States. With a regiment of U.S. troops permanently stationed in his nation, the king has effectively stalemated the European Rapid Strike force, under the guise of United Nations Resolution 660, from moving into his nation to bring peace to the Middle East. In effect, the Europeans have left Jordan, Kuwait, the Saudis, and all the nations on the peninsula alone. But I think the EU troops are good for this place. They have forced the Israelis to dismantle their nuclear weapons program. They have stepped in between the Israelis and the Palestinians. That one thing has brought peace a little closer. The Israelis nearly started World War III when they were attacked. The only thing that puzzles me is why they never used their nukes during the invasion, the way the Russians did."

Kendra sighed. She didn't debate Lora's argument. "Still," she added, "I don't feel all that great, but you're right. Israel could have started WWIII but they didn't. Now the EU has basically taken over this country. I think Steve's right. They're running the country."

"Who told you that?" asked Lora. "It sounds more like a case of conspiracy paranoia. Where do you get your information?"

"I talked to the waiter in our hotel."

"Now that's a voice of authority."

"Okay, you two," laughed Pete. "Chances are you're both right."

Pete watched the three policemen re-enter their car and drive away. The light turned green and Pete went left, heading north on 60.

He drove until they passed the hospital then made the first left. Driving up the street gave him a chill. The rows of identical white limestone houses seemed out of place. Before the war the street carried personality with its different shapes and sizes.

He saw a familiar sight. The paved road ended and a dirt road began. The lane leading to the house lay just past the pavement. The moment of truth arrived. He gave a worried glance at Esther. She was straining her neck to find her grandmother's house, but trees still hid the view from them. Pete felt a momentary sense of relief since he feared a negative reaction once they drove up the driveway. Maybe it'll bring back the paralysis that Lora expertly unlocked; he thought and trembled at the possibility. Maybe we shouldn't let her see the home?

When they returned to America after the war, Esther couldn't walk. Yet under Lora's counseling she made a remarkable recovery. She grew from being a five-year-old, paralyzed from the waist down, to a very active eight-year-old who ran with the best of them.

He realized that if everyone with serious mental or emotional problems possessed a lifelong mentor, the world might be transformed into Utopia. Unfortunately, few possessed the means to pay for two thousand hours of one-on-one therapy. And from Lora's perspective, fewer still are the patients who honestly accepted help. Most came to her playing games, wanting help, but only as much as they'd accept before the actual problem was revealed. Maybe Steve was right. The world is lost, and a thousand conflicting forces are battering the American dream.

Pete glanced at Kendra and saw a pensive expression on her forehead. She thinks too much. He then noticed the fingers of her left hand gently patting Esther's left shoulder. Once in a while he saw her bite her lower lip. She's worried too.

Esther broke through the depression he felt and said. "Here's the place. I remember the trees."

Pete slowed the car to a crawl. Fortunately traffic was non-existent with only a few cars parked along the road. He counted the number of homes. When he reached three, he turned to the right.

"Here we are," he said, following the road around a small stand of trees.

He remembered that the house was the second one on the right, at the end of the lane. He silently watched the first house go past and drove even slower.

His eyes glanced at Esther. He saw her straining to find YiaYia's house.

YiaYia died at the hands of two assassins three years earlier. Maybe this visit wasn't a good idea.

"Hey, Lora," he called, a little louder than necessary. He hoped his voice would drive away the feelings he sensed permeating the car. "Do you remember when YiaYia baked a loaf of bread? I can still remember how good it smelled."

Chapter 15

Maybe someone else could say something to lighten up the moment. Not that he expected to see YiaYia standing at the door, waiting for them. He was out of words. The land now lay leveled after being destroyed in a rocket attack. Where'd it all go?

Steve saved the moment. "They cleared the land, but I still remember the smell. I see the orange trees. They're still in the back yard."

Pete didn't remember trees. If it weren't for the stone walls, he'd have sworn they were at the wrong location. He then saw the confusion written across Esther's face as her eyes searched the location.

"Where's YiaYia's house?" she asked and turned to Pete, hoping for an answer.

Pete did not have any and slowly drove up the driveway with the crunch of gravel being the only sound. "I remember that house over there," he said. "It sat next door." He pointed back to the two-story limestone walled house they just passed. "I remember their front door. You can still see it through the trees."

They all turned and stared at the ornately carved wooden door, with its three long beveled glass panels.

Pete and Steve exited the car first, followed by Kendra and Lora. Esther held back, as if stepping outside the car meant stepping on a grave.

Lora held out a hand. She knew from her counseling sessions that Esther was reliving the nightmare.

Lora thought back to the time when they returned to the house. The air-to-ground rocket left a crater ten yards away. Two walls lay collapsed. The roof hung from a few supports. When they searched for YiaYia, they found her dead. She'd been tied to a chair and tortured. That was before they shot her in the head. They also found a dead man, who later turned out to be a policeman. A frantic search led Kendra to Esther. The girl was trapped under the rubble of limestone blocks, but she was also safely tucked under a strong coffee table.

Lora turned to Esther and reached out farther. "Let me hold your hand."

"No. I'll be strong," Esther said. But her voice quaked as she spoke. "Everything's gone! My home is gone! What did they do to it?"

"Let me hold your hand," Lora pleaded again. "I need your strength."

Lora turned to Pete and asked. "What happened to it?"

She watched Steve step onto the spot where the front steps of YiaYia's house once sat.

"The place has been leveled," Pete said as he studied the neighboring house "I'm going next door."

He went to the house hoping to get an answer. He returned a moment later.

"No one's home. We'll check with the police. They might know. We need to see them anyway. They'll be able to tell us which cemetery YiaYia's buried in."

Lora, ever vigilant, searching to understand whatever was churning inside the young girl, stayed close to Esther and said. "She was a good woman. We'll all miss her. We need to find where she is buried, and tell her we love her."

"I miss her," Esther said softly and fought back the tears. It was no use.

Lora saw Pete biting his lip as he hurried over to her and lifted her into his arms. His eyes filled with tears as Esther cried. Lora placed a gentle hand on Esther's arm in an effort to comfort. "I know, Sweetheart, I know."

Pete felt his legs weakening and knelt, holding Esther tightly. They both cried.

Lora looked around, and saw the pained faces of Kendra and Steve. She smiled and returned to stand by her husband.

Arriving at the central police station, Kendra stepped back to the time when she and Esther hid in the rubble from Moonface, the man Esther saw kill her grandmother. Only by a miracle of God did they survive, and now returning to the building made her shudder.

Pete asked at the information desk, and after a search of police files, found that six months after the war, YiaYia's homesite had been cleared. All usable stone blocks were confiscated in order to rebuild the city. It was believed the neighbors used some of the blocks. The body of the grandmother had been cremated, and an urn holding her ashes was stored in a government-built depository. The depository was one of eighty above-ground vaults, that held the remains of 6500 Jews and Arabs who died defending the area from the invaders.

"The vaults are easy to find," said the information clerk. "They sit just west of the city, five kilometers from town, about half way to Megiddo."

* * *

Pete drove to the vaults and found the depository on the hill high above the road. He pulled into the parking lot and stopped.

"Tastefully done," he said quietly to himself.

He admired the rows of sunlit white limestone mausoleums. A lone Israeli flag hung from a pole on a sunny windless day. The white marble sign at the entrance pointed them to the directory, and long rows of rectangular polished black granite that held the English and Hebrew spellings of the names of those interned in the cemetery. Each black column sat as a silent witness of the people who died in the brutal war.

They found the name Margaret Yehezkel, affectionately called YiaYia, grandmother for Greek, engraved into the English list. The cross-reference allowed them to find her name on the Hebrew list and the exact location of her remains.

Pete studied the cemetery map and looked for the location of the mausoleum. He held Esther's hand as everyone walked in silence to the white vault holding YiaYia's urn and ashes.

When they arrived, Esther placed a bouquet of roses in the metal holder below YiaYia's name. He watched her, carefully looking for tears, but none came. For a show of support, he stood quietly next to her as they stared at the bronze marker, upon which Margaret's name was etched.

"Will I ever see her again?" Esther asked. Her voice carried the total sadness she felt.

Pete looked around for Kendra and hoped she'd have an answer.

"Of course you will," Kendra said. "In time we will all see her." Kendra paused for a moment as she looked up into the blue sky. "What a glorious time we will have when we are received into His kingdom. I'll be jumping like a young horse. YiaYia will sweep you up in her arms and give you a big kiss. There will be no more pain, no more crying. Then we will come back to earth and do the work of God, forever praising Him. Hallelujah," Kendra said as she finished with closed eyes.

Pete only smiled. Strangely, he also noticed Steve smiling as he stood behind the girls. Lora looked away.

They all stood at the vault for a few more minutes before Pete asked, "Esther, are you ready to go?" He noticed her acceptance and added. "I want to drive up the valley a little way. We'll stop back here before returning to the hotel. I promise."

Esther looked at Pete, her eyes red. Water filled the bottom eyelids, but not yet spilled down her cheeks.

"I promise Hon," he added. "We'll visit here every time we can."

"Okay, Uncle Pete," she said. "I'm ready."

Esther reached for Pete's hand and they walked slowly back to the car.

"I promise," he repeated softly, "I promise."

Pete drove from the parking lot and headed east. "The Tel is a few kilometers up the road. It will be interesting to return to where we were when the war started."

In his mind's eye he saw a truck exploding from a direct rocket hit. Now as he drove the route, no signs of the battle existed, but he remembered the flashes, sounds, and explosions, of burning wreckage as if they were yesterday.

Pete turned into the Tel's parking lot, the rebuilt buildings and archaeological offices along with the Tel seemed unchanged, as if nothing had happened. Even the trees had recovered or been replaced.

He parked, and led everyone on the back path to the rear entrance cave. All but Esther expected to see the entrance collapsed. Instead the cave and its entrance showed no signs of the earlier destruction. They entered and walked toward the steps and to the top.

Steve looked back and gave a noticeable shudder as he walked into the cave's opening.

"I still see that guy falling on me," he said in anguish. "His bayonet just missed my head."

"Yeah," answered Pete. "I remember."

Steve caught up to Lora, who now climbed the steps with Kendra and Esther.

"I love you," he said to her as he came alongside his wife.

Lora looked at him, smiled, and then stopped walking. "Hold me."

Steve wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him. He felt a shiver course through her and guessed that flashes of that day were making her very cold.

"I still have nightmares about it," she confessed to ease the horrors filling her thoughts. "For some reason I focused on a bee and some flowers. I haven't the foggiest reason why."

"You never told me," he said with an inquisitive tone. "How come?"

"I wanted you to see me as being strong. Anyway, that's water under the bridge. Now, standing here in this place, I feel very weak."

Lora looked around and found Kendra. "Not like her. I'll never be like her. Sometimes I wish she wasn't my sister."

"What does that mean? You ought to be ashamed of yourself. She loves you, and you love her."

"I know. But she's done so much, and it's all been by accident. I can't compete. She didn't even go to college. Yet people pay to hear her speak. She's famous, and I'm a nobody."

Steve held her firmly is his gentle arms. He looked down at the top of her head. "You're somebody to me. When we get old and gray, not much of this will count anymore." He looked up as they reached the top of the Tel. "Look!"

Lora searched the sky.

"Birds," Steve announced. "Thank God we're not seeing white lines, like the last time, lines that trailed from incoming rockets. That memory gives me shudders."

Lora studied her sister hoping for more information. "What about them?" she finally asked. Quickly looking up and then back at Kendra told her something was happening, but what? Kendra always saw birds circling overhead when she received a vision.

Chapter 16

Kendra grabbed her stomach as the nausea within made everything around her swirl. As she fought to maintain balance, she realized that she was shivering. "Oh God!" she cried. "It's happening."

The sickness grew like a flood, just like the last times. Maybe it's not the real thing.

When her sight completely blurred, she knew it was the real thing. It is something from God.

Having two prior visions, she knew she could handle this. Experienced, she expected to be able to handle all the symptoms. But now, even after having two and writing about them in her book, this one left her expectations in the dustbin of ill preparedness.

For years people asked what it was like to have visions. She'd explained the events as well as she could but it wasn't enough. They always wanted more. More times than not she found herself inventing and exaggerating the details.

When she was finished, she felt like a complete fraud. That was something she wasn't going to live with. Now she refused to talk about the visions anyone. They were her business and hers alone.

Besides, her visions were never planned, and always arrived without advance notice. She thought for a moment about the birds that always circled over her when she was receiving a vision. Strange, she thought.

She shook her head in bewilderment and went on, surviving, trying to understand. Now she rubbed her eyes and felt terribly sick. All that was left for her to do was fight to stay in control of her mind, and wait.

"I've got you," Pete said.

Thank God for Pete, she thought. What would I do without Pete?

He wrapped both arms around her and held her steady. I haven't seen this in a long time; he thought and gently brushed away the hair hanging in front of her face. He looked around and saw Esther staring with wide eyes at her godmother.

"She's going to be okay," he said, with a sense of confidence born from having seen this before. He desperately wanted to sound positive. Most of all he worried about Esther and hoped seeing her godmother having a vision didn't upset her.

Kendra told Esther everything about the other visions. She seemed to understand. Pete feared she might become hysterical. Having two girls on his hands, both going off in different directions, didn't exactly make him feel comfortable.

He shook his head to clear his mind. Thinking like this only made matters worse. Right now he worried about Kendra.

He looked around for Steve and Lora. Both were watching him. Then Lora hurried to Esther and stood beside her.

"Steve!" he called. "Clear a spot by that block of stone so I can lay her there." His eyes pointed toward a large limestone block sitting thirty feet away, next to the remains of a retaining wall.

He felt Kendra shivering from the effects of the vision. Others whom he talked with during his speaking tours told of having visions, but with different symptoms. Most of them, he readily dismissed as suffering from the effects of drugs rather than having true revelations from God.

Steve called to Pete. "I'm ready. Bring her here."

Pete lifted her in his arms and felt amazed at how light she felt. He carried her to the cleared area. Lora followed with a hand resting on Esther's shoulders. All were watching with such intensity that he knew they wouldn't miss anything.

He lowered Kendra to the ground, her back resting against the limestone block. Then he folded her legs inward until she looked as if she were sitting Indian fashion. She said that this position was her most comfortable while sitting on the ground.

"This will make her comfortable, until the vision passes," he said and removed her shoes for even more comfort.

Not knowing what else to do, he sat facing her. Then he motioned for everyone else to sit.

Lora and Esther sat down on Kendra's left. Steve sat on the right. All looked intently at the pain radiating from Kendra's face.

"Oh, Sis," said Lora. "Is there anything I can do?"

Unexpectantly Kendra answered. "I don't think so," she said with her eyes firmly closed. "My eyes hurt and my stomach feels terrible. Pete! Are you there?"

"I'm here, Hon," he answered.

"I'm not seeing anything. Are the birds still there?"

Pete looked up and quickly counted. "I see a dozen or more circling like a whirlpool directly above you. If any try to dive on you, I'll make sure they don't get too close."

He looked at the others and explained. "During her second vision, the one of the first comet hitting the earth, a seagull dove right at her. She barely escaped being hurt. I won't let them hurt her."

Kendra entered a different world as Pete spoke and his voice drifted away. Only a vast grayness flowing into total darkness remained.

Sights from another place appeared and flowed in and out, mixing with an unknown city.

The city vanished to a dot in the terrain and soon she floated above a continent. Europe sat cloud covered and in darkness. The eastern curve of the Mediterranean clearly outlined the Middle East. Farther east the bright morning sun lit clouds and she saw a swirling storm in the Indian Ocean.

Someone shouted from high above her and she looked up. An angel, or one like the Son of God, stood on the nothingness of timeless space. Another angel appeared as if coming through a door. Something inside her said this was the last angel before the event about to take place erupted.

Something else was being said but she never made out the words. The one looking like the Son of God beckoned. His hand swept toward the earth and then pulled back. Left behind were two angels standing on the earth with human form. These men were preaching the word of God to the nation of Israel.

She heard the words these men uttered, "Turn the hearts of the men toward the children and the children back to their fathers."

The earth swept past her and far below the clouds she saw white dots of light suddenly appear. At first she felt the light were the cities, but the lights were moving. They were coming up toward her. The dots increased in number, size, and density. There were millions of them, maybe billions. Lights were coming from everywhere.

The planet slowly revolved, and she watched the swirl of a massive weather front as it appeared in the eastern Atlantic.

The U.K. appeared, filled with blotches of light, all streaming upward.

All of Europe moved below her. Lights came from everywhere, yet the thickness of the lights seemed faint.

Farther south she made out the continent of Africa. The volumes of light pinpricks streaking out of Africa were clearly growing larger and brighter.

I don't understand. Europe has more electricity and lights than Africa.

The density of the lights diminished until even the landmass lost its outline in the darkness. Yet lights appeared rising from every spot over the places that Kendra knew to be land. Even out in the oceans she saw lights appearing and rising past her.

The Americas appeared and she watched countless lights ascending to the hand that beckoned. In quick succession the islands of the Pacific flowed past her before she identified Asia. Millions of lights rose to the outstretched hand. The brightness grew appreciably when India appeared.

From there, westward, the lights diminished, but it was hopeless to count them. There were far too many.

Without warning, a magnificent light of the purest white, yet filled with many colors, appeared. It floated high above the uncountable hundreds of millions of lesser lights. In a second all the lights blinked, and sped quickly to fuse themselves into the magnificent light. An instant later the brilliant light vanished, and the angels were gone.

Below her, on the continents, she knew the planet was still moving below her. Streaks of orange lights appeared and streamed up before arching down.

Huge brilliant flashes of lights appeared at the end of the streaks. The flashes grew in size and intensity; then each slowly vanished to be replaced by an orange glow. More flashes appeared as brilliant lights expanded and ebbed over and over.

The God who let her witness the earth from space now moved her toward the flashes until she saw flames leaping high into the sky. She strained to get closer and to see clearer. She saw the remains of cities engulfed in flames.

A class B horror film, she thought as she watched.

The spirit of God moved her over a city that seemed peaceful. An orange streak appeared high in the smoke-filled sky. A high altitude brilliant, blinding, white-hot light appeared and expanded. The city turned brilliant white before being swept away. In a timeless moment, a third blinding light appeared. The remains of the city vanished again in blazing super-heated air. The burning debris from the first flash vaporized. Little remained, and the city went dark. Then the fire went out and nothing remained.

When she realized what she was being shown, everything vanished. In her thoughts she asked, When?

She heard the number seven.

"Seven days, seven years, seven minutes, what does seven mean?"

Soldiers appeared, tens of millions of them. All the soldiers pointed weapons at each other. Armies against armies, and sometimes against themselves, all fought and died. Each group stood behind different colored banners. Uniformed soldiers dressed in red, green, blue, and yellow fought and died. Others ravaged their homeland, raping, killing, and pillaging. She asked, "How many soldiers," and she heard the number - two hundred million.

Kendra looked north, south, east, and west. The oceans boiled and turned red. Sea life floated dead upon the roaring waters. Men and cargo appeared as refuse, floating on the waves. In time most sank below the surface or beached themselves on distant shores.

On the land men died of diseases that ravaged their bodies. Others died from starvation or thirst. Her heart broke and her stomach revolted at the ghastly sight.

In the spirit she saw the souls of those dead. Beings that resembled men were helping them move away from the shell of their bodies. Laughter. She heard ridiculing laughter.

In her mind she heard the voices from billions of souls, all crying out for help. A sadistic laughter rose louder as Kendra tried unsuccessfully to block the crying voices with her hands.

Then another war appeared. It was centered in America - a civil war. Millions of the survivors were fighting against a mammoth power that ruled from Europe.

She sensed that the rulers were paranoid over the banners raised by the inhabitants of the land. Millions were being slaughtered, but angelic forces were on the side of those who fought to reclaim the land.

"Kendra."

A voice called her name and she looked around. The one speaking sounded far away, down a long tunnel. The voice echoed and she listened.

"Kendra."

The call became clearer and closer.

Her eyes hurt and her stomach was about to revolt. The voice called again, and she realized it was Pete. The images and anguished cries from the vanishing darkness ended. A dim light appeared.

"Kendra, can you hear me?"

Pete's voice sounded clear and her shoulder moved as if someone shook her.

Esther's voice penetrated the remaining fog. "I'll take care of you," the girl said.

"Sis, it's me, Lora. Can you hear me?"

Kendra squinted through half open eyes, and saw Lora's face. Behind her she saw Steve and Esther.

"I'm okay," Kendra announced as she felt her head clear.

"Can you stand?" Pete asked. He wanted to get to the question burning inside him.

She felt him grasping her under the arms and lifting her up. She stood and realized that Esther was also helping. Her young arms worked hard to help her godmother stand.

"How long was I out?" Kendra asked.

"Not very long," Pete replied. "Ten minutes, not much longer. Was it a vision?" The words blurted out before he knew he spoke them. "What did you see?" He looked at Lora and requested, "Get her a drink of water."

Kendra tried to answer.

Pete drove east to see the remains of the Israeli airbase, Ramat David. He and everyone else listened with disappointment to Kendra. If that was what it was, he thought. He knew Kendra enough to know that there was more, much more, and the number seven. What did that stand for?

He looked back at Kendra resting in the back with her eyes closed. If it was a real vision, it sure seemed wimpy. Yet it was also scary. Only Esther said anything useful. "It was the rapture of the saints." It didn't take long for Kendra to agree with that. He shook his head. I did hope for something a little more dramatic, something I could use.

"You're shaking your head," Lora said.

He decided not to reveal his thoughts.

"I'm noticing the security fence around the airbase," he lied, "and the truck traffic on this road," His questions could wait for another day.

The southern fence protecting the airfield passed on their right.

A military vehicle sprouting a whip antenna sped past on the other side of the chain-link fence. A large cargo type aircraft came in low, heading west, its landing wheels clearly visible.

"Coming in for a landing," Pete commented. "The airstrip is very close."

Pete drove around a curve, and instantly saw the sprawling military base. Whistling softly, he searched for a place to pull-off. When he found one, everyone got out of the car and stared at the complex. From their vantage point above the base, they saw everything.

Huge hangers sat on the other side. To the right, rows upon rows of construction vehicles sat in long lines.

Steve broke the silence. "Those hangers aren't being used to hold aircraft. The planes are too big. The place resembles one big supply depot. I saw something like it in Pennsylvania. I swear I think the place stored everything the U.S. Army ever bought or didn't need. It was huge, just like this place."

"Everything a nation needs," added Pete. "Everything that's shipped in by air or sea comes to this place. It's one gigantic distribution depot."

Pete turned to Kendra. "Have you seen anything like this in one of your dreams?"

"No," Kendra answered. "But now I can see why this valley will be where the last battle between good and evil takes place. I bet the Anti-Christ makes his headquarters in there."

Something triggered a thought of her last vision.

"I just realized something." She saw every head turn toward her. "The rapture that I just saw."

"Yeah?" Steve queried.

"The rapture of the saints was from everywhere. Steaks of light came from Muslim areas. Not millions but maybe thousands."

"So?" Steve answered. His face wrinkled in confusion. "What about it?"

"What I saw says that there are a lot of people in Muslim countries who are believers. There are a lot of Muslims who believe in the Word."

She hesitated for a moment and wondered why she said "The Word", instead of Jesus. Shrugging off the question she continued. "There are Muslims who believe in Jesus."

She turned to face everyone, knowing her face beamed with excitement. This must seem heretical to them.

Lora broke the momentary silence and repeated Kendra's thoughts. "That's downright heretical, Sis. If you lived in the Dark Ages, they'd burn you at the stakes for even suggesting something like that."

"I bet that's true," Kendra giggled. "But I think what I saw indicated that God will actually be rescuing Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, people from every religion. The numbers may not be high, but there will be some. It will be those who worship Him and Him alone."

"How come your Jesus never talked about this?" asked Steve.

"I don't know," Kendra answered. "Maybe He did, but I've been trained to believe that only Christians will be raptured. However, I believe the gospel does allow for it to happen. I can only paraphrase what I remember. Those who have never heard the gospel, but who, by their very nature do the things that God loves, will be saved. The next time I read the Bible, I will search for a more definitive answer."

"That means," Steve said with a smile on his face, "that I don't have to believe anything and I'm going to be in heaven." His smile widened and he nodded his head up and down.

"I don't think so, you big buffoon," Lora said with a laugh.

Kendra reached out and gave Steve a gentle punch on his arm.

"The Bible doesn't say anything like that. But I do know that those Christians who really believe in God, and do His will, even though they stumbled a zillion times, will be in the majority when the time comes. The way I see it, why take a chance of trying to enter by a back door when the front door is open? Wide is the road to destruction and narrow is the way to God. And I thank God that I'm not the one who has to make the decisions about who to save. Everyone has to go through Jesus. He is the final judge. He's the one who will call the people."

She thought about the number seven. "And the seven might be the date."

"Maybe," Esther offered. "He never gave you a definite answer. Maybe He doesn't know." Her voice was soft and far away.

Kendra looked at Esther with confusion.

Esther continued. "You said," she looked up at her godmother, "Jesus doesn't know the moment that the Terrible Day of the Lord is going to happen."

"You're right," Kendra admitted. "And now I know why," Kendra answered. "That time of destruction is something so all-consuming that God the Father has left that portion for Him to execute. Jesus, though He is God, is also human, a perfect mix of the supernatural and the human species. This time of trouble is so terrible that His heart wouldn't be in it. He doesn't want that responsibility. Yet He knows that a holy, loving God, who the Father and He are, can do no less. Having no darkness in either of them, it is a judgment that only the Father will commence. And Jesus, being God, yet worshiping the only God, will totally obey. Therefore, the judgment will occur because there are no lies in God. God the Father will wait until the last minute and take no delight in the death of the sinners. Yet, because He is a Holy God, it must occur."

Pete turned and saw Lora shaking her head in disbelief. In a small way her action revealed the smile that he repressed in forced quietness. He glanced at Steve and seemed to receive a different response. Steve, he thought in amazement, is actually listening to Kendra. Now that's a big change of heart. I wonder if he believes all this darkness and light stuff she talks about?

"Kendra," Steve called. "Did you see anything like the sky rolling up?"

Kendra looked at Steve with a quizzical stare.

"I read more about that Wyman-Sanchez dimensional mathematical theory. They believe the theories reveal up to forty existing dimensions. The fifth dimension is where all the physical laws reside. I guess one of these dimensions can account for God being three Gods, yet only one God. Anyway, what I'd like to know, did you see anything physically changing, like the sky rolling up? That would be confirmation in the theory. It also tells me that the laws governing our physical universe are changeable. What a feeling of insecurity that gives me."

Pete gave an exasperated sigh. "Doesn't seem like much of a future if the world comes to an end. I can see it now. Actually I'd rather not."

"I don't think the theory is saying the world is coming to an end," answered Steve. "But it is saying that the rules can be changed. Some may have already changed. Kendra is always talking about when the sky rolls up like a scroll. That to me says that something in the physical universe, at least around the earth, is going to change. I just wanted to know if she saw anything like that in one of her visions."

Steve wrapped his arm around Kendra, and spoke softly to her. "Your visions have always come true." He gave her a warm hug. "This will also."

"Hey Steve," Pete called. "Get me a video of this, will yah? I want to remember how big this place is."

Steve returned to watching the sprawling industrial/military complex. "Right. I'll get it."

Pete walked to Kendra and Esther. He looked back once, and saw Steve taping the complex. Pete smiled, and stood behind the two girls in his life. He didn't want to talk about the world changing. Instead he just wanted to be close.

"Well, what do you think?" he asked. "No wonder the country been able to rebuild so rapidly."

Lora saw the change in direction of the talk. "They're here to keep the peace. They're only a United Nations peacekeeping force. In a few more years they'll all be gone."

Kendra spoke her thoughts. "They've been here too long already."

"You sound like an Israeli," Pete laughed.

"I agree with her," Esther said with a scolding tone. "I think there are too many foreign soldiers in my country."

Pete realized this discussion was not one he was going to win. He quietly turned and walked back to Steve.

"I heard part of that," Steve said with a grin. "What did you say to them?"

"It doesn’t matter," Pete replied. "Something about Israel and the peacekeeping troops. Even Esther jumped on me."

Steve ignored the possible problem and asked, "When are we going to look for the guns?" His eyes flicked back toward Afula.

"I think it's about time," Pete replied, clearing his throat as he chuckled. "We head to Jerusalem tomorrow. We'll do it tonight."

Chapter 17

Pete returned to the Tel Megiddo and led everyone to the top. Every step plunged him into haunting memories; the killing, the struggle to survive, the chance meeting of a lone bullet or a grenade fragment. Every step he took brought the sights and sounds of war. He shook his head to clear his thoughts, but he also knew that attempting to forget the past meant you usually relived it. Inwardly he groaned. This self-induced torment was going nowhere. He wished for quieter times, maybe the late 1800's with a small ranch. Then he'd only have to worry about cows.

"Yeah," he growled to himself. "I'd probably have to fight for them." Then he thought of Kendra and the fighting didn't that much anymore.

Leading everyone to the east side of the Tel and to the steep slope, he searched for the path of their escape. Heavy rains during the last years produced abundant shrubs and grasses that obscured the view. After a careful search he found a clear spot that led to the path they traveled. Cautiously he led them down the slippery slope.

Once safely at the bottom, he then directed his little group along the trail and into the trees. He kept walking, throwing searching glances back at the Tel, until the view corresponded to his three year old memory.

"It has to be around here," he said. "Spread out and see if you can spot it. The case has a brushed aluminum quilted pattern. I hid it behind a clump of bushes." He looked around and all he saw was clumps of bushes. This was not going to be as easy as he thought.

He pointed to the side where the case lay hidden, the side closest to the main road.

"I made sure I covered it so no one else would find it. With all this new growth," he scrunched his nose in irritation, "we may have a hard time locating the spot."

If Pete every tried to leave the country with the case, there'd be more questions than he'd like to answer. "When we find it, we'll put the rifle and Kendra's pistol in it. Then we'll tuck everything away in a safe place."

He affectionately thought how to keep the British Arctic Warfare Police (AWP) sniper rifle. Created in the 1990's, it was still considered one of the best. An Israeli soldier, a sniper just like he used to be, carried it before dying in an air-to-ground rocket barrage.

"A lot of good soldiers died that morning," he whispered.

Thinking back to the air attack on the Tel Megiddo, Pete put the .308 match grade ammo and AWP to good use in stopping an enemy patrol.

He shot three soldiers as he began his rear guard action. Using concealment that he prided himself on, he easily picked off five more before vanishing. As he ran, he hoped he bought his people time to escape.

The group of survivors found him on the trail exhausted and suffering from broken ribs. The soldiers commanded by that big American Jewish Indian, Corporal Goombi, led everyone safely back to Afula.

He thought warmly about the soldier. Wonder where that big guy went to?

"I found it!" called Lora from a hundred feet away. The excitement of the find was in her voice.

He heard her call and searched for where she stood. The density of the bushes made it impossible to get a good fix on her voice. She called again and he followed the sound. He presumed the others were also heading in her direction.

When he sighted her, he saw Steve, Kendra, and Esther cleaning off the case. Lora didn't want to touch it. Pete guessed that the memories flooding back inside her were taking their toll.

"Thanks," Pete said. His face clearly revealed his delight. "I wasn't sure we'd find it. Anyone else might have stumbled across it by this time and taken it for their own."

His fingers gingerly opened the case and he saw that three years of adverse weather hadn't affected the interior.

"Let's get it to the car and pick up the rifle." The AWP sat safely tucked away in the rock wall bordering YiaYia's home.

"Don't forget my pistol," Kendra said as a reminder.

"I won't forget," Pete replied.

Kendra took the Ruger .22 with matching silencer from the assassin they all nicknamed, Moonface. After hitting him with a pipe, and thinking him dead, she grabbed the pistol, stuffed it in a gym bag that Moonface carried and ran. Discreetly showing the pistol to them in the medical tent. She kept it in the killer's bag.

Two days latter, Pete realized that Kendra saved his life when the killer attacked them in the cave.

Kendra emptied two clips of twenty-two's into the guy. Later they found that the killer was wearing a vest. Fortunately a few bullets penetrated the vest and slowed Moonface down. The assassin died only after his leg slammed against the real ark.

Pete shuddered as he recalled how close to death they came. Moonface had him beaten, and the guy knew it. Only the dumb luck of using a desperate stomach somersault throw, Tomoe-nage, saved the day. After the killer's leg slammed into the ark, the rest was history.

He turned to Kendra and gave her a hug, partially from remembering the last fight with Moonface. "We'll make sure we find that pistol. Who knows, you may need it again."

In Afula, a short distance from YiaYia's cleared home site, the group found the rifle and pistol. Both lay safely hidden within the rear stone wall.

Three years earlier, Pete and Steve wrapped the weapons in plastic trash bags and placed the inside the wall before leaving the city. After rebuilding the wall, they marked the spot with a five-sided stone block. The stone sat imbedded in the topmost portion of the wall. It was like having "X" mark the spot.

With the two weapons now neatly tucked away in the trunk of the car, Pete and Steve rebuilt the wall, making it look undisturbed.

Excluding Esther, who wasn't privy to the fact, they all agreed to rehide the guns before leaving Israel.

Later in the evening, when Pete sat alone in his hotel room, he'd clean the pistol, rifle and carrying case. The plan was to strip both guns down to their major components, methodically toothpick the hardest corners and remove burnt propellant and dirt-filled oil from all the deep recesses. When he'd finish, he'd store each weapon in the case. A few days later the case would be placed inside the wall.

He'd also dismantle the suppressor for the Ruger. Having used such a sound suppressor in the Marines, he knew the holes were excessive from plenty of wear. "I'll need to find a sporting store," he announced to everyone.

He planned to replace the swipes with hockey pucks. Their centers would be drilled, leaving a small hole in the center. A series of short cuts radiated from the hole and allowed the individual pieces a degree of movement. As the gun is fired, a bullet would smash through the center of the swipes, losing velocity with each swipe that it passed. A percentage of the expanding gasses from the burning gunpowder would be trapped in each chamber. A millisecond later the gasses would stop expanding, their velocity through the silencer slowing to a whisper.

This silencer put together by Moonface, or his partner, held six commercially made polyurethane swipes. It ain't a Maxim, he thought, and it ain’t my Gem Tech, but it'll do.

Steve leaned closer. "We've got thirty-three .22's and twenty-five .308's. It'd be nice to have more ammo."

"We have enough," answered Pete. "What I really wish is to find a way to get it all back home."

"Why don't you turn everything in to the government?"

Pete inhaled through his teeth, making a shishing sound.

"I can't. Don't know how to explain it, but I find it hard to abandon them."

"You're a pack-rat," explained Steve. "I think you ought to quietly turn them in. Just leave them next to the police station with an anonymous note on them."

Pete thought of the rifle and high quality scope. In his mind’s eye he saw the cross hairs squarely on Elijah's forehead. A gentle squeeze and the attacks on Kendra's life would be over. No matter what anyone else thought, the police or Kendra, he was convinced - no it was more than that - he was sure Elijah was solely responsible for the attacks. The last two attacks included Esther and him. The stakes were getting higher.

Yes, if he caught Elijah in his sights, he'd clear away one serious reason for perpetual caution.

Pete didn't want to think about it anymore. "Maybe on our next visit," he answered to Steve's question. "Right now we'll just re-hide them. I think that's the right thing to do."

Steve sensed that there was more to Pete's words than clearly evident. "Where do you think we should hide them?"

"X marks the spot. It will do nicely. We can have everything planted after the ceremonies. The neighbors know we've been here, so they won't be too suspicious."

Pete closed the trunk of the car and looked at his watch. He then saw Esther looking back at them. "We better get going."

* * *

Von Resh sat with Elijah in the exclusive Prime Minister suite atop the Jerusalem Hyatt Regency. Both felt pleased with the plan to capture worldwide attention at next day's ceremonies. One of Von Resh's security men made contact with a Hamas cell. During the ceremonies, they would shut off the main gas valve to the temple complex. If all went as expected the gas fueling the sacrificial flames would soon flicker, then sputter, and die a quick death. This would be the moment for Elijah to use his wizardry. He'd bring down fire from a clear blue sky and let it consume the sacrifice. The plan was to market Elijah until the world saw in him the same power that Elijah of Biblical times possessed.

Since the war, the nation of Israel underwent a spiritual revival. Even the Christian television station was accepted as an instrument from God. With Elijah performing his tricks for all to see, even the most stubborn holdout would give Elijah fearful respect.

Von Resh grinned with pleasure. If he gets his way Israel will cease to exist. The nation has been a pain in his agenda. He thought back at all he tried to accomplish and shook his head with a smirk on his face. Half of the problems in the world seem to originate from this country. The city of Jerusalem, a nothing site, consumed a disproportionate amount of the world's financial and political energies.

As the door opened to his office, two advisors entered. Since he didn't want Elijah to hear their reports, under the pretext of another meeting, he asked to be left alone.

Elijah walked to his room musing over a plan that he and he alone created. The thought of kidnapping Kendra and seeing her destroyed exhilarated him. Later tonight he'd secretly go to the old city and meet with a man who'd guarantee her death. Yes, he laughed to himself, I like covering all the bases. This girl has slipped through my fingers one too many times. Soon she'll be mine.

* * *

Picking up their baggage after landing in Israel, Rene led the line of tourists to baggage and then to customs. After clearing the required stop, she walked by herself to the rental car and waited. Bruce and Les sat in separate locations so as not to bring attention to themselves.

Turning back to the terminal, Rene saw her two jovial killers coming through the doors. She waited for them to come up beside her. As they approached, she mentally went over the route they were going to drive.

They'd leave the airport and connect to Highway 1. From there, they'd drive sixty kilometers south. By then they should be at the cutoff to the Ayalon Reservoir. The old farm she sought sat at the base of the earthen structure.

"The drive will take less than an hour," she said confidently as they stored their bags in the trunk.

In another minute they drove away from the rental agency. The house and the three men whom Elijah hired would be waiting.

After fifteen minutes, she realized the drive was going to take longer. At the Old Interchange, two tour busses and a small EU military convoy collided. It took thirty minutes before the police unhooked the lead bus and truck from each other.

No one seemed to be hurt; though it was obvious the elderly tourists on board were clearly disturbed.

Rene was directed around the bottleneck and the real culprit of the accident appeared. Road construction narrowed the road south to one lane. The busses, or the convoy, apparently rushed to get ahead of the other.

An hour later they passed the marker that identified their turn. A lone rusting tank from the 1948 War sat a hundred feet to the side.

The exit to Mishmar Ayalon appeared quickly and Rene followed the exit to the road. "Now let’s find the dirt road to the house."

She tried to read the rusted signs, but found it useless. Knowing that the road leading to the village of Mishmar was about a half mile long, she turned left into the first road she saw. Trees shielded the house at the end of the lane from view.

"There's Lower Hook farm," she announced as the aging house appeared. The trees opened up and she studied the house, which sat to the right of an earthen dam. "We made it," she said cheerfully.

"Hope that dam doesn't break while we're here," Bruce added as he rolled down the window. Though the house sat off to the side, it still was below the dam.

"We won't be here long enough to worry about it," Les said with displeasure. "I don't like being here. I'm getting bad vibes. We better be careful."

Bruce turned to his friend and said. "We'll be in and out before anyone knows we were here."

"And our little pigeon will be off to her happy hunting ground."

Rene saw Les slap Bruce's shoulder. "All right you two. Let's see what our employer has in store for us."

She glanced to where the highway lay and saw nothing. Dense shrubs and old trees shielded them from the passing traffic. A large gray barn appeared just behind the house. Only the sounds of trucks and cars revealed the highway's presence.

She realized why this house had been selected. With all the greenery, no traveler will see anything.

Two hundred feet from the house, two men stepped out of the foliage and blocked her path. Each carried a rag covering something in his right hand.

Guns, she thought.

Both looked to be typical Mediterranean types with dark complexions and short curly hair. The man closest was between thirty or forty with sunken cheeks and a slightly pockmarked face with a dimpled chin. She guessed he stood around six feet and weighed one hundred and eighty. The other man stood tall and slender, maybe in his teens. That man walked with a smile as he approached the passenger side. The smile of a dragon, she thought as she stopped the car and lowered the window.

"This is private property," warned Cheeks as he walked cautiously to her window.

Rene studied Smiley without saying a word.

The smiling younger man moved closer to the passenger side. He pointed a stiff rag at Bruce. It was obvious that a rifle or a shot gun lay under the rag.

She studied the two men standing outside the car.

A large boned third man appeared, of Caucasian decent. His dirty reddish shirt covered an expansive stomach. When he came closer, his body odor made her want to close the window. He was unshaven and noticeably drunk, and clearly sweating. His blue eyes, lifeless, and empty, stared unblinking.

Reddish-brown hair, more reddish than auburn, indicated that the man might be Irish. Large bushy eyebrows sat above his eyes. The reddish flush on his face made Rene think of a Santa Claus who drank too much.

Motion from the back seat alerted her that Les planned to get out of the car. The situation might be getting out of hand.

"Sit still," Rene ordered. "Let them do the talking."

She glanced at Cheeks standing on the passenger side. A dark brown fedora sat on his head. A black leather jacket hid his body, but Rene saw that the man was not skinny. Strong hands held the probable shotgun pointed at them. His open jacket revealed a strong chest. She guessed the man rippled with muscles.

"This is private property," reiterated the man. "We were about to run a chain across the entrance. You'll have to turn around."

Rene cleared her throat and spoke. "We've been ordered to come here. Isn't this Lower Hook Farms?"

The man reached for a paper tucked into his belt.

Rene watched him shake the paper open. She also saw that the paper appeared to be a fax with three photographs printed on it. How dare they send photocopies of us? If this thing goes sour, the cops will have our faces plastered all over the world. We'll never get out of the country.

The man studied Rene, then looked at Bruce and Les, and studied them again.

"Go forward," he commanded. "Park in back. You can carry your bags in from there."

"How do I know you two are working with us?" Rene asked. "I've never seen you guys before."

The man tapped his shotgun's barrel on the top of the door.

"The lady thinks we're cops," he said with laughter.

"Maybe we are," snickered the younger guy with a smirk on his face. "Just because they match what the pictures sent to us, they think we ought to trust them." He waived his rag at the interior of the car.

"Look!" Rene said as gently as she could. "I'm irritated. I'm tired from the flight. I'm in no mood for you three. You've got our faces plastered on that fax."

"Move it!" the guy ordered. "And go slowly."

Frustrated, Rene drove as directed to the back of the house while Les growled, "I thought we're supposed to be the ones running this show?"

"There seems to be a change in the plans," she commented.

"I don't like this, Rene," Bruce said. "Whoever we're working for can't be trusted."

"When we finish our assignment," Rene growled, "we're out of here. I don't think we're being paid enough for this aggravation. I'll deal with that Peter Meirs another time. Right now, these guys know who we are, and we don't know anything about them. For the moment we'll play along."

"Lay your bags in here," ordered the guy with muscles. He stood next to a door that led from the back porch. He pointed his shotgun to a spot next to a door leading into the house.

Through the door, Rene saw a barren room with linoleum covering the floor.

Rene, Bruce, and Les dropped their bags next to the door and entered. The room was a kitchen. Beer bottles littered the floor, and trash overflowed the chipped porcelain sink. A musty urine smell nearly gagged her.

Les gagged at the smell as he entered. "This place smells like shit. Don't you three know about bathrooms?"

"Shut your mouth," ordered the man who looked like Santa. "Or I'll smash it in."

"You and what army?" whispered Bruce.

"Hold it," yelled Rene. ""We all have a job to do. I think we better get it done."

"Just keep your pups on a leash," growled Mr. Muscles, "or when this is over, they might end up on the table."

Rene looked around and then into what used to be a formal dining room. A large table sat in the center. Coils of leather straps lay on top. Bags of lime sat stacked in the corner.

The plan before these buffoons took over had been fairly uncomplicated.

Their little pigeon was now in Jerusalem. She would be staying at the Ramada Renaissance. The park across from the hotel was where they planned to do the kidnapping.

Les and Bruce would spirit their prize to the farmhouse and await further orders. Once they delivered the prize their job would be done. The three thugs were expected to complete the task. Rene thought about it for a moment. I'm sure these guys come highly recommended for the torture that is sure to follow.

She suspected that Kendra's nude body would be dismembered, and dropped into a pit especially prepared on the farm. The bags of lime in the other room would be dumped over the body. The next step probably called for the pit to be covered with six feet of compacted dirt and a flower garden. In two weeks, only Kendra's bones would remain. The severed head was to be bagged, and weighted with a concrete block. Within an hour it would be dumped in the Mediterranean Sea. With a twenty-pound block of concrete holding it firmly on the bottom, the head would wave around until the fish eat their fill.

This guy really wants her bad, Rene thought. But this is stupid planning. We could easily kill her seconds after the kidnapping. Goofing around like this is dangerous. I hope our idiot boss is satisfied, because I'm getting tired of coming up short in these encounters. Then I'll tangle with this Meirs guy one last time. She rubbed her left arm. I owe him big time.

Chapter 18

Von Resh laughed as he rehearsed in his mind the plan to provide a world stage for Elijah. "Trust me", he answered without providing details. "I have a plan that will provide you with a very dramatic opportunity. Believe me when I say people will soon listen to your voice with rapt attention."

"In the time you've been with me," Elijah replied, "you still do not totally trust me. How can we be partners when you won't confide in me?"

"There are some things you are better off not knowing. I can sum it up as 'energetic denial'. If you know everything, your denials will lack sincerity. Trust me when I say, it is better that you don't know. You can deny everything with a clear conscience."

"I can deny as much as anyone else," Elijah protested, "but I'm going to go along with you because I have faith in you. I know the greatness that you possess. We also share the same dreams. The world needs a leader like you."

"Yes," Von Resh agreed, nodding his head with a subtle smile on his lips. "It does, doesn't it?"

Elijah studied this man for a moment then broke into a rare grin. "They do indeed. Let's just hope your plans don't explode in your face."

"They won't. You can play with fire all day, if you remember to stay in control."

Von Resh walked to his friend and placed an arm over his broad shoulder. "In the short time that we have known each other, I have come to respect you. I know you need me, but I also know I need you. We truly have a symbiotic relationship. Together we will build a new empire out of the Old World Order. That order disintegrated because of too many nations placing their own self interest above the greater good. When we finish picking up the pieces, they'll all hand their pride to us on a silver platter."

Von Resh looked down at this misshapen man who had become his partner. "Go now. Leave me. I must complete what I have to do. I'm sure you have things to finish."

Elijah looked up and wondered if the man knew what he was doing. At the moment, what he needed most was money, lots of it. His Swiss account was nearly depleted, and he needed cash to complete his campaign against Kendra Makray.

Assassins don't grow on trees, he mused. I have to pay for them.

His wealth came from displaying his psychic powers. It barely covered his living cost. Sadly he admitted that his standard of living was too high. The ten thousand he received monthly from the Resh Foundations and the five to six he made on tours barely paid the creditors.

He knew how to add as well as the next man. The ever-approaching financial crises brought the proverbial gallows closer and closer.

If his plan went as expected, tomorrow afternoon his account would swell by five million American dollars. The Russian general who sold the merchandise would take three million, and along the way another half was destined for different people hired for delivery. When completed, I'll walk away with a cool one point five. That'll easily pay my expenses for killing one simple girl. The thought made him smile for the first time that day.

He suspected Resh knew about his plans, at least the one about killing Kendra. He hoped the old boy didn't know about his selling of nuclear explosives to radical terrorists. Only with the help of Von Resh's organization could he make it happen. He needed Von Resh, and it was a good that the man needed him. They both knew that a symbiotic relationship between them had developed. But Elijah also knew that Von Resh relied on his inner circle of advisors. When together, that group possessed an uncanny ability to discover a person's most secret thoughts. Luckily they weren't around. At least Elijah didn't sense them, and if they were, they weren't close enough for Elijah to feel them probing his mind.

Elijah excused himself and left Von Resh to work out the nefarious plans for stealing the thunder from tomorrow's show.

The day was expected to arrive with all the pomp that the Israeli government could muster. After all, these were the first temple ceremonies in two thousand years. The ones being performed outside in a Florida religious theme park didn't count.

Well, Elijah had his plan. He'd remove the little fly that bothered him, once and for all. Goodbye, Kendra Makray and hello to one point five million American dollars. Long live a lasting world order, one that will survive a thousand years.

He hurried to the elevator, went to the lobby, and rented a car. By evening his life would be sweeter.

Elijah drove to a small warehouse in the older part of the city. The dilapidated sign on the side of the building indicated the building was a Christian food distribution center.

A dummy company in Israel, the non-existent owners lived in the Cayman Islands, which in turn was owned by another dummy corporation in Switzerland, which again was owned by another dummy door-front corporation in Hong Kong. No one would ever link him to being the actual owner. The only chink in his plan lay in the men to whom he was delivering his package to. He didn't trust them.

He and the group knew each other from the early days in Syria. They all lived in the same apartment complex owned by the government. By the age of fourteen each went his own way. They all lost touch with each other until six months ago.

These childhood friends of Elijah wanted him to become a member in the fight against the Jewish appropriation of Arab soil. Elijah alone escaped the government sponsored poverty and brainwashing by fleeing to Lebanon. When he went to Israel, he considered himself a citizen of the world.

One of his three childhood playmates, Rafi Shlomo, rose to the rank of lieutenant in the Iranian sponsored Allah El Whid (soldiers of God) faction of the Hamas terrorist organization. The other two, Nahal and Mitra, became freelance killers of Palestinians who disagreed with the party line.

Embarking on such a dangerous mission meant trusting each member. They knew each other by sight. Yet in the dark world of intrigue and shady bedfellows, one never truly trusted anyone. That was okay; he hadn't trusted anyone for a long time.

Once the nuclear packages were delivered, even these three puppets would disappear. Others would do the final work. The items would travel through enough hands that no one would be able to trace their original source. The El Whids would be sheltered and so would he. Even the aluminum crate transporting the warheads would be cut up and disposed of in a number of dumps.

He parked the car beside the windowless, rusting building and entered the door.

Once inside he found the building dark and empty. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he made out a military truck. It was aimed in the direction of the garage door. The three men he expected sat waiting around a small table.

After a cautious greeting Elijah checked his Swiss account via his phone and found that the money had not been transferred. He looked at his old friends.

"We are never sure you will show up," the one he knew as Najib said. "Maybe you do not have the merchandize."

Elijah didn't smile as he watched his old friend, Rafi. "I'm here. Have your people wire the money at once and we can all go."

"What is this lady to you that you want us to kill her?" Rafi asked.

"You do not know her." Elijah looked at Rafi and the others. "You do not remember who you are being asked to kill?"

He waited for their response but none came.

"Do you not remember the name, Kendra Makray? She is the cause of all your troubles. She is the discoverer of the Ark of the Covenant. She is the reason there is a Hebrew temple on the sacred mount. She is the reason so many in your faith have abandoned Mohammed and turned to Jesus."

Elijah delighted in the hate he saw inflaming their eyes. "Good," he said. Shall we transfer the money?"

Fifteen minutes later, after a cup of dark tea, Elijah called his account. The money arrived safely. He looked at his childhood friends and managed a smile. "I have your money and you have me. Shall we go?"

The four climbed into the truck and drove north to the Ramat David distribution center.

When they arrived, Elijah used the passes that the Von Resh organization supplied. He directed them to a secluded supply center. Once there they supplied the proper papers and retrieved a large aluminum storage container.

Thirty minutes later they drove away.

Just north of the town of Ju'Ara, Elijah relinquished ownership of the container. A car appeared and drove him back to Jerusalem. "Tomorrow," he laughed with immense satisfaction; "Kendra Makray will be no more. Her eternal interference will finally end."

Chapter 19

Friday, September the 9th, 2011, the sky showed blue, clear, and cloudless as the sun rose above Jerusalem. Kendra and Pete arrived at the main Temple Mount security checkpoint and entrance, located at the northeast end of the complex. They handed their VIP passes to the soldiers staffing the entrance. No one was being allowed onto the complex unless specifically invited. He and Kendra would not have the closest seats, though their discovery of the ark was crucial to the building of the temple. He figured to be one of the select four hundred guests was honor enough.

Seven of the core E. U. member nations rejected the request to attend. The official position being that the temple was an affront to Muslim sensitivity over the Temple Mount. Unofficially, most nations were angry that the Israeli government allowed the temple to ever be built.

After the stunning defeat over the invaders, the E. U. and NATO political leaders reluctantly accepted the partitioning of the thirty-five acre complex and a modest building program. Little did they know the extent of the plans that would unfold. A detachment of American troops were assigned to help the Jordanian, but they were actually invited more to prevent Euro forces from occupying their nation.

"Corporal Goombi!" Pete yelled in complete surprise at seeing his war-time friend.

Kendra looked up and stared at the big Israeli standing thirty feet away with a small group of soldiers. Her eyes lit up as she smiled with excited recognition.

Lieutenant Goombi stood in the group of soldiers and stared at the man who called his name. It took ten seconds for him to react. When he did, he reached for the knife attached to his belt. Holding it in his right hand, he ran the tips of his fingers slowly across the cold white steel.

"Good to see you, White Man."

Pete watched Goombi say something to the soldiers standing with him. He wasn't sure the corporal recognized him. The big, thick boned, soldier walked toward them with an angry look. Something was wrong.

Pete noticed that Goombi's dark skin, a product of his Kiowa Indian heritage, seemed to be darker, probably due to the Middle Eastern sun. His hair still hung long, but not as long as three years ago. Now it was shoulder length. Pete suspected this was due to his finally conforming to military life.

Pete studied the man's face, looking for hostile intentions. Then he remembered that Goombi always carried a stern face even when he tried to make a joke. Once Pete had seen the guy smile and even that seemed truncated.

As Goombi approached, the knife went back into its sheath, and Pete noticed a glint in the man's eye. Pete relaxed and met the soldier half way. When they were at arm's length, both men lunged toward each other and embraced in a massive bear hug.

Kendra hurried to them and the three embraced.

"How you been, big guy?" Pete asked. He noticed the silver bars on Goombi's shoulders. "Looks like I must now call you Lieutenant."

"Battle field commission," Goombi replied. "Saving your butts accounted for something."

He then looked at Kendra. "I am delighted to see you again, both of you. I've read your book. The darn thing made me out like a hero. I got two medals out of it after the newspapers wrote about it."

"You deserved it," Kendra said. "After the war ended, we didn't know if you were alive. Why didn't you write? You should be ashamed of yourself. We were all worried about you."

"I never was good with writing," Goombi replied. "He's got a birthday next month. I'll send him a card."

"Goombi," Kendra said. Her voice soft and gentle filled with concern toward the man who probably saved their lives more than once. "I'm glad you're alive." She tapped him on the arm. "You big lug."

Goombi's eyes softened. "I met an old friend of yours when I was stationed along the Jordanian border, Captain Fadi of Jordanian counter terrorism. He said that if I ever got back to the States, he wanted me to look you up and say hello. He has a gift for you, something for an answer to prayer. He calls you his holy woman. You must have made an impression on him."

Goombi saw Kendra's face beaming with joy.

"So he actually made Captain," laughed Pete. "His commanding officer, Colonel Ahmed, hung a title on me, El Shugaa Sareer, means a young worrier who has begun his journey. That's my translation."

"I have a feeling you have gone past that stage," Goombi answered.

"I've been through a lot," Pete replied as he glanced at Kendra without explaining. He instinctively rubbed the hand that had been pinned to the fender. "We've both have."

Goombi looked at Pete and studied Kendra's face. "I read the book you two wrote. Someone after you again?"

"I think it's happening again," she replied. Her face showed the pain of the last few months. "Pete has already saved my life three times. He was seriously hurt the last time."

Goombi turned toward Pete for an answer. His eyebrows rose as he searched Pete's face for a quick explanation.

"Six months ago," Pete began, "someone tried to electrocute Kendra in her own bathtub. A week later they tried to run her off the road. Then two months ago, a bunch of goons tried to gun her down."

"Where were you when all this was happening?" Goombi asked.

"He almost got killed," Kendra answered defensively. "He saved my life all three times."

Goombi saw her stern look and grabbed her hands. "I didn't mean anything," Goombi laughed. "The big guy is good for something other than saving the lives of my men."

He looked at her left hand. "I thought you two'd be married by now."

"We almost made it," Pete said while shuffling his right foot. "Maybe next year."

A frown filled Goombi's face. Then he broke into a rare sliver of a smile. "The lady's got brains. She's too good for you."

"I can't agree with you more, Corporal." Pete looked again at the silver on Goombi's shoulder. "I mean Lieutenant."

Goombi glanced at the security passes hanging around Pete and Kendra's neck.

"I knew you'd be here," he said. "In a way," he looked at the entrance to the temple compound. "All you see here is due to you two. My people owe a lot to you. In appreciation, I personally want to thank you."

A trumpet sounded from within the walled compound, and Pete turned to look. A tall white marble wall sat at the top of the mount, shielding the temple from onlookers.

"I think we better get inside," he said. "Will you be here when the ceremonies finish?"

Goombi looked at his watch and said. "I'm scheduled to be here for two more hours."

"How about dinner?" Pete asked. "My treat. We can eat at the hotel. Two friends who were with us on the Tel, Steve and Lora, will be excited to see you."

Goombi's face showed concern, something that puzzled Pete.

"I have a family now, even have a kid, a boy," Goombi said with a touch of hesitation.

"You're married?" Pete asked.

"Just after the war. Thought it was time to settle down."

"I'd love to meet them," replied Kendra. "Can you invite them? She's more than welcome. Do you have more than one child?"

"No, just one."

"How about seven o'clock?

Another trumpet sounded from inside the wall.

"You better get inside," Goombi said. "What hotel are you staying at? I'll check with the family. If it's possible, I'll call you if we can come."

"We're at the Ramada Renaissance," Kendra said and wrote down the hotel's name. My room is 1023. Pete's in 1025. We'll see you at seven."

Goombi took the note from Kendra and gave her a relaxed salute. "I have to get back to my men."

Pete and Kendra looked back at the lieutenant as he returned to his squad.

Once they entered the last of the thick stainless steel gates both stopped and looked in amazement. They entered the outer court and saw hundreds of dignitaries waiting for the ceremonies to begin.

Four large columned porticos sat at each corner. All the walls were made of white marble. Directly in front of them, across the courtyard, granite stairs led up to the temple mount. At the top of the stairs a tall ornate gate slowly opened and let the invited dignitaries into the inner court and the Temple.

They followed the guest up the stairs and entered the inner court. Walls of white marble guided them to the Golden Gate and the open courtyard. They reached the end of the inner wall and turned to face the temple.

Surfaced in white polished marble, the temple sunlight reflecting off the building and wall momentarily blinded her. Priest lined the route they were to take to the viewing stands. Kendra caught her breath as she tried to see everything while making her way to the assigned seats. Along the walls were tall columns that held up the roof of long porticos. The columns were created from red veined white marble. The Temple itself was covered in polished pure white marble. Every ornate curve carved into the walls, the porticos, and the Temple was leafed with pure gold. Two large doors, twenty feet tall, led into the Temple and finally to a room known as the Holy of Holies. Within the Holy of Holies sat their discovery, the Ark of the Covenant.

As they walked across the courtyard, to the right, sat a trailer and what Pete guessed held a mammoth television screen. He counted six twelve-foot scaffolds that held television crews busy with their cameras. On both sides of the steps leading up to the sacrificial altar, which sat just below the temple's gold plated entrance, were the viewing stands.

Pete touched Kendra's arm and led her forward. "Our seat must be in one of those stands."

They walked toward the two stands set up for the invited guests. At the top of the stairs, in front of the sacrificial altar and the golden doors Pete noticed three priests.

Dressed in robes and turbans described by Moses they stood silent and watching. Then he noticed that within the porticos stood more priests. Behind them young boys waited.

Dignitaries, along with their security escorts walked around the compound, accompanied by more priests, who apparently were giving guided tours to their charges.

Pete showed his seating pass to the first priest he encountered, and a young boy appeared and led them to their reserved seats.

"Beautiful!" Kendra exclaimed as she sat mesmerized by the architecture.

"The pictures we've seen don't do it justice," Pete added. "This place is amazing."

"You're right," she replied as she searched for the television crews. "I think every part of this ceremony is being telecast. Satellites are carrying it live to every Jewish community in the world. Secular programming is scheduled to carry portions of the ceremonies."

"I read somewhere that the pollsters are estimating a third of the world's population will watch some portions of the proceedings."

"How much do you think they've spent on this place?" Kendra asked.

"I've heard somewhere between seven or eight hundred million. Apparently the cost is low because the gold has all been donated."

"I know," Kendra answered with pride. "I donated three gold coins, one for God the Father, one for God the Son, and one for God the Holy Ghost. I felt blessed for months. Right now I'd like to shout with joy."

Pete looked at Kendra and chuckled. One thing he never felt threatened by was her excitement over God.

"You better not do it. We'll get thrown out." Then he thought of Kendra's gold coins. "There's a lot of gold in that building. Even the huge doors are covered with the stuff. I hope you didn't give too much away. You might need it some day."

"He supplies all my needs. Besides, that's what wealth is for," Kendra replied. "I want mine to bring glory to God."

"I still think you need to watch out for your old age."

"I'm not worried. We don't have that long."

This answer slammed into his brain like a headache. Taking care of one’s old age made more sense than counting on God to provide. Too many people did that and ended up as paupers. He hoped Kendra wasn't that foolish.

"I thought you said the Lord told you," he said. "You're going to live until you're eighty-four."

"If this Temple hadn't been built, I think they'd still have the tabernacle of Moses sitting here and it would all still be true. But look at it now. After two years of construction, they place the tabernacle that was also found with the Ark, in a museum, and for the first time in my life, I now completely believe the rapture will be sooner than later. Now I know it might happen at any time. Soon, I expect a person will stop the sacrifices, and I don't think it will be Elijah. He's too much of a wimp. But it might be someone close to him, maybe one of his extremist buddies."

"Still holding onto that rapture stuff?" he said with more than a touch of sarcasm.

"Holding, hoping, and praising," Kendra answered. She glared at Pete. She wanted to hit him, and for a moment her heart ached from his rejection of the good news.

"Pete, you never believed there were going to be sacrifices. Now here we are. Today they're going to be performed right before your eyes. This is coming to pass, and so will the rapture."

She realized she felt angry about having to defend her belief. She let it subside and said. "I love you." The confession brought a lump in her throat. "Every now and then I see the doubt and pain in your heart. If you never accept Christ and let him cleanse your heart, I don't think we will ever get married."

Pete bit his lip and exhaled deeply. It was another case of saying too much. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring it up." He returned to watching the three priests standing by the altar. "It's going to be quite a ceremony."

It irritated him when Kendra sensed things in him that revealed unspoken feelings. She's led by supernatural force, and as for me, I'm just going with the flow. It's hard to let go of things when you don't know what they are.

"I need to understand it more," he answered without removing his eyes from the altar. "I just don't have your faith. One thing I've always believed in are your visions. In a few more years I think I will truly understand."

"Don't believe me. Believe God. The Bible says that to fear God is the beginning of knowledge. Believe that the Bible is written and given by God. At my stage of understanding, I now just blindly believe it all, and I see miracles occurring in my life. If you follow my example, you will too."

"I do believe in God, and I believe the big guy's protecting you. For some reason, He picked you out of billions of people to fulfill His purpose. As for me, and the rest of the world, I think we have to grope our way through life."

"Well, this place is expensive looking," Kendra said, deciding to drop the subject of converting Pete to her way of thinking.

Pete picked up the change and felt pleased by her willingness to change directions.

"Well, after two thousand years without a Temple," he said, "nothing seems to be too good for this place. I understand that only in getting large diamonds as offerings did they slow down the spending."

Kendra looked at Pete with an inquisitive stare.

"The gems used in the High Priest's breastplate are made of clusters of gems. You'll notice it when he stands behind the altar. If the sun's just right the gems will show up really well. They couldn't afford single fifty carat diamonds, or rubies, or emeralds, so they filled up the space with two carat clusters."

"I never thought about it."

"Well, don't worry. I'm sure a square grouping of twelve perfectly cut two caret diamonds will be spectacular, and the same will be true for all the other gems."

"What about the ephod we found in the cave? It possessed precious stones. What did they do with them? I thought they were going to use them?"

"That's museum stuff. Priceless." Pete answered.

Kendra turned around and searched for the gold topped Dome of the Rock Mosque. "I can't see any signs of the mosque from here. I've heard that they've rebuild it."

"Time and money can rebuild most anything. Luckily there hasn't been another earthquake. I understand that there are two thirty foot tall walls separating each holy place from the others view." Pete replied. "I understand the Muslim wall is very elaborate." He emphasized the word elaborate. "The surface is faced in sparkling black marble. We'll have to visit it. I understand they've inscribed passages from the Koran within the stone. Then they inlaid the deep cuts with pure gold. It'll be something to see."

Chapter 20

Sitting on the edge of her seat Kendra watched the High Priest approach the sacrificial flames. She also heard a murmur from the onlookers. It grew louder. A sudden trumpet blast startled her and ended the growing chatter. The din from the dignitaries turned to silence.

Turning toward the sound of the trumpet she saw seven white robed men standing above the gate on the marble wall. Each man held a long silver trumpet in front of him. They all stood straight and tall as they held the six-foot long silver trumpets. Below them, the main gates slowly closed.

At the sound of deep kettle-like drumbeats, from somewhere under one of the covered porticos, Kendra watched as the trumpeters raised their instruments to their chins.

She sat mesmerized by the proceedings. She read the details of the schedule, but reading and seeing were two different things. Here was the real thing, an actual temple ceremony. None had been experienced since 70 AD. Yes, she thought, this is a momentous occasion. She also thought about the future and the event now very near. How many times will this be performed before the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord?

For a moment her thought went to the underground mosque next door. The chamber under Al Agsa was purported to hold 8,000 men. She also wondered why so many never accepted Jesus as their savior. Tens of millions of Muslims changed their faith and became believers in Jesus the Christ, the Word of God. The God of the Hebrews was now accepted as the one and only true God. God showed them that Allah and He were not the same.

Kendra also knew of another plan. One third of the people on the earth would die as world leaders plunged the nations into a horrible nuclear war. Maybe one third of the world's population will be raptured, she thought with an upbeat smile on her face. Who knows the hearts of man better than the one who created man?

Feeling better, she concentrated on what was happening in front of her and reliving the thrill of discovering the Ark of the Covenant.

Actually they discovered two arks that day. The first proved to be a fake. The second one, the one she and Pete discovered, proved to posses the power of God. Two men died by touching the Ark. Moonface she knew about. The second man turned out to be a scientist who didn't believe the legend.

She beamed with pride. Yet the thoughts of a massive war, which she knew lay on the horizon, still troubled her mind. Enjoy it while you can, she thought. Her shoulders drooped as if they carried the cares of the world. Life goes on, but nothing stays the same.

At the same time she remembered something God revealed to her. Do not call evil good or good evil, but instead pray for mercy, mercy to those who will suffer.

She said a quiet "yes Lord" and willed herself to release the melancholy mood she felt by forcing her mind on the ceremonies.

As she silently praised God, her excitement rebounded until she wanted to stand up and shout "Glory". Chuckling to herself, she knew an outburst like that would have her quickly ushered out of the compound, and she desperately wanted to see her Ark of the Covenant entering the Temple. Still it was getting difficult to control her pride in being the true discoverer.

The huge television screen standing by the entrance flickered to life. From her seat she saw the screen projecting a view of a massive security gate that led into the outer courtyard and permitted vehicles and heavy equipment to enter the temple mount. Israeli soldiers and priests waited on both sides of the gate.

In the outer court, Kendra spied two television crews concealed under each of the marbled column porticos leading to the gate and the Temple. She presumed that the path being traveled that brought the Ark to the temple was being covered with cameras.

The ark sat three miles safely guarded in the Great Synagogue. Under heavy guard, it was now being moved from the Synagogue to the temple. She looked at her watch and waited.

Pete adjusted his sunglasses. "Hot day for this. There's not a cloud in the sky."

"It is a little warm," she said as her eyes watched the television screen.

Seeing nothing to hold her interest, she pointed to a group of people entering the courtyard. A face sent shivers throughout her body.

"Elijah's here" she moaned. "What's he doing here?"

She watched him walk to the plush high security section and take his seat.

Leaning closer to Pete she whispered, "He's sitting with pretty powerful company. That section is reserved for the highest level of world leaders. Who’s that man he's talking with?"

"I don’t know," Pete said with anger rising within him after seeing Elijah. "I’m sure he runs around with all types of company. The guy's a leach and a fraud. But as for who the guy he's with, I never saw him before."

She watched Elijah's deadpan expression as he spoke to the man sitting to his right.

"They seem to be friendly."

"Well, I don't trust him. We've both seen that man in action. He has a lot of anger bottled up within him."

"I don't trust him either. Knowing his type, I'd say he's here to take as much glory for himself as he can."

"I know a lot of people disapprove of this temple being built, especially next to the Dome of the Rock. He'd better not make any trouble."

She looked around to see if anyone from the American government had arrived. She shook her head and said. "No one's here. They sent money for Israel's reconstruction and must still be peeved that some was diverted to this project."

"They feel they've been blackmailed by the Israelis," Pete responded. "Even the EUC is angry, but what can anyone do?"

Kendra laughed. "The whole world is angry. Providing funds to rebuild the nation. That is a small price to pay to keep the Israelis from using any hidden nukes on those who demolished their country."

Kendra glanced up at a large flat screen televising the route of the ark. Then she remembered that she brought a hand held portable television set with her. She hurriedly opened her purse and turned on the TV.

"Here it comes!" she said as she found every television station carrying the ceremonies.

The voice of a commentator describing the Ark passing below his station perked up her ears. Her eyes watched in fascination as eight priests carrying the Ark on long golden poles walked solemnly past the camera.

The golden ark sat above the priests as each man walked slowly and expressionlessly. By their carriage, she knew they clearly revealed an inner pride in being selected for this honor. Kendra noticed the golden stops placed on the poles. She surmised that these four clamps were there to protect the carriers from the accidental slippage of the Ark on the gold plated poles.

The sound of a helicopter made her look up from the small TV she held in her hand and back toward the big screen next to the entrance. Not seeing the helicopter, which flew above the procession, she returned to her handheld set.

A hushed commentator described in a low voice that the walls that separated the Hebrew Temple and the Muslim Mosque were actually composed of two independent walls. Everything was constructed in such a way that neither wall touched the other. Even the concrete used in the foundations had been poured independently of each other. Hebrew priests and Muslim Imams guaranteed to their worshipers that not even the concrete foundations ever touched.

Kendra knew that the religious leaders preferred to use different bedrock, but since there was only one mountain, both walls sat on the same bedrock. Their concrete cores were then surfaced with polished stone acceptable to both of the building committees.

Both walls were one hundred and forty-four centimeters thick and twelve meters high. On top sat recessed walkways. For the Levitical priests their walkway allowed them to stand safely on the top and blow the trumpets.

The thickness of each wall represented twelve centimeters of thickness for each of the sons of Israel and Ishmael.

Between the two walls ran a narrow passageway to permit the temple custodial staff to sweep away the dust that might build up and join the two religious sites.

With television set in hand Kendra saw the Ark approach the outer courtyard.

"They're at the outer gate," she said and looked at the huge television screen. Standing on the wall and above the screen seven priests lifted their trumpets.

"Well, there're your seven trumpets."

"Yes they are," she answered. But today is not the Jewish New Years. That day will arrive in another month. Then I must get everyone ready.

The procession arrived at the inner gate and Kendra shut off her TV. Now she and everyone else watched the gate leading into the inner court. Burning inside her was the desire to run and dance. If it was good enough for King David, she thought, it's good enough for me.

"I can't stand it!" she exclaimed to Pete.

He placed a hand on her arm and gave her a smile. He sensed the excitement she felt. It also roared inside him and he suppressed the emotions to stand and take a bow. Instead he pressed down with his hand on her shoulder and said, "You better not get silly. I don't think they'd appreciate it."

"I know," she said in frustration. "I know, but this is too much. I want to fall on my knees and pray."

"Hang in there girl. Control yourself. We don't want to make a scene. I can see the article now. 'Yesterday, the discoverer of the Ark was jailed for disturbing the Temple ceremonies. She is being evaluated to see if she's a danger to the public.'"

Kendra smiled at him and chuckled from excitement. "I bet they might." Her countenance changed and she stared at Pete with questions covering her face. "Do you think they think I'm dangerous?"

He heard the seriousness in her voice, and paused before speaking. The sound of hovering helicopters nearly drowned out his words. "You're a little kooky, but I do love you, and I'm sure they do also."

"What was that you said?"

Pete caught his breath and glanced at her. "You heard me."

A peace washed over him as he realized what he just said. "It's about time we get this out in the open. You've been cool to me ever since you changed your mind about marriage. I don't think I can take it any longer. My suppressed feelings are driving me crazy. I want to get married."

Kendra didn't know how to answer. She stared off to the side and frowned.

Even with her head partially turned, Pete saw the deep furrows crossing her forehead. Now he felt sorry he put pressure on her shoulders. He took a deep breath and prepared to make a joke.

"Gotcha!" he laughed. Inside he felt sick. He hoped his laughter would lift her out of the tailspin. Demanding marriage from her always left a sour taste in his mouth. Somehow it always came out like begging.

A thought crushed him even further. He realized that what he felt for her wasn't what she felt for him. Water blurred his vision as pain entered his heart as if it was a knife. His throat constricted and he needed a drink.

"I wonder if they have a water fountain in this place?" he asked." Getting up without waiting for an answer, he moved past her. "I'll be back," he said unable to take sitting there any longer. Under the pretext of getting refreshments, he asked. "Want anything?"

He looked down at Kendra who apparently wouldn't look up at him.

"I'll be back," he said in frustration, and was glad their eyes never met. He never was good at hiding his feelings.

Kendra turned and watched Pete walk away, tears streaming down her cheeks.

She expected and prayed for a marriage proposal from him a hundred of time. The rehearsed answers sounded so cool in her mind. Now she hated the absolute nothing that came from her lips. She didn't even have the courtesy to answer him.

Her body drooped as the energy drained out of her and left her empty. As she noticed people watching her, the emptiness became embarrassment. Shaking her head, she closed her eyes and tried to force in new thoughts. It frightened her to seriously admit her love.

In agony she quietly began praising God. It always worked before, even when she felt terribly hurt. She possessed nothing else that might work.

Her mind reeled as she slowly lifted both her hands in praise. She even bent her wrist back so that the palms faced up. This was her style. It was as if her aura reached directly to Heaven.

The sound of the seven trumpets interrupted her plea to God. She watched as the massive doors opened.

The High Priest stood still and waited.

Dressed in the attire first described by Moses, absent from the scene for 4,000 years, the sight left her with no thrill. She resigned herself that only in faith was she able to continue. The pain within and the pain she believed she created in Pete were too overwhelming.

Glancing down at the empty seat beside her, the joy in her was gone. Alone, surrounded by hundreds of people, the pomp and beauty of the ceremony felt sacred.

Without a drop of feeling she sat staring at the High Priest.

Trying to recapture her earlier euphoria, she made a valiant effort to concentrate. She began with the garment.

The High Priest wore a garment of very fine unbleached linen. Wide colored threads of purple, blue, and scarlet were interwoven on the neck, tips of the sleeves and bottom of their robes. Included within the linen were treads of pure gold. He also wore a small turban and a sash composed of the same material.

Over his tunic hung a large ephod composed of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet threads. Two large engraved onyx stones, set in gold, rested upon his shoulders. On these stones were engraved the names of the twelve sons of Israel.

Two braided gold chains connected the stones, the ephod, and the breastplate. On the breastplate were placed twelve additional stones, in gold, representing the sons of Israel.

There were four vertical rows composed of three stones each. In the first row were pigeon-blood rubies, blue topaz, and deep green emerald. In the second row were filled with green turquoise, blue sapphires, and perfect diamonds. The third was composed of a reddish-orange zircons, star agates, and a huge purple amethyst. The fourth contained yellow-green peridot, black onyx, and yellow quarts. Hanging from the back of the high priest there was a blue robe with many little golden bells and small golden pomegranates dangling from its bottom.

Behind the High Priest stood his two assistants and two hundred Temple priests. Each one was dressed in similar attire, except they did not have the jeweled ephod on their chest. Instead, hanging from the front of their turbans, small-engraved golden plates hung to their forehead. She knew that the Hebrew words meant HOLINESS TO THE LORD.

Twelve more priests appeared on the wall above the gate. Each held a long Shophar, rams' horn.

The sight of the Temple ceremonies blurred and Kendra blinked her eyes. The effort to clear her vision didn't work. She needed Pete by her side.

With a prayer shawl covering his head, the High Priest began the sacrifice. Raising his knife skyward, offering a silent prayer, he pushed down on the head of the white ram, thereby exposing the throat. When the head touched the polished side of the sacrificial stone bowl, he quickly slit the animal's throat.

Pete stood outside the viewing area feeling irritated with himself. He left without looking back. For years he listened about her insinuated love for him. She always said it was up to God, that they were unequally yoked, whatever that meant. He had it with excuses.

Someday she might accept him, but he doubted it. No-sir, he fumed in his thoughts. I'm too practical, my lady. I think I'm finally tired of playing nursemaid to someone whose head is in the clouds.

A poem sprang into his head. "William Benet," he grinned at the words.

Jesse James was a two-gun man

Strong arm chief of an outlaw clan

He twirled an old Colt forty-five

They never took Jesse James alive.

He twirled an imaginary gun and chuckled to himself. "No sir," he whispered, "she ain't going to make a fool out of Peter Meirs."

Kendra sat watching the proceedings and felt nausea sweeping over her. Again her eyes lost focus and the sounds of the ceremony faded. She'd been through this enough to know a vision when it happened. She looked around to see if anyone noticed her.

Quietly she closed her eyes and waited. God was sending her a message.

Pete paced the outer court and found a drinking fountain. Taking a paper cup, he filled it to the brim and drank. As he tilted his head up, he glanced skyward. A circle of white birds caught his eyes. The sight made him gag on the water.

Staring at the birds a few more seconds, he realized what he was seeing. Looking back at the small gate he just walked through, he drew an imaginary vertical line down from the birds to the inner court.

"Kendra," his mind shouted. His paternal instincts of protecting the only woman he ever loved surfaced so fast that he didn't stop to think.

He threw the cup into a trash receptacle and hurried back to the gate. Since his security pass hung around his neck, the guards stationed at the gate allowed Pete to enter without any hindrance. Walking as fast as he could, not wanting to attract attention, he hurried to his seat.

He looked up more than once to see if the birds were still flying overhead. Now he felt sure they were over Kendra. Circling birds meant only one thing; she was being shown a vision from God. "Why did I leave her?" he moaned. "This is no time for this. Don't you have a better sense of timing? Why don't you respect the services held in your name?"

He reached his seat and sat down without disturbing her. Her eyes were closed and he shot an upward glance to see if the birds were still above.

They were and they weren't. They seemed to be breaking up.

"I'm here beside you," he whispered, trying desperately not to interrupt. "Everything is okay. Don't worry about the ceremonies. What you are doing is much more important. We can get a video of all this before we leave Israel."

Kendra never opened her eyes.

He felt convinced she never heard him. He wanted to touch her but decided against the disturbance. Tears flowed down her cheeks and his heart broke. All he wanted was to hold her, to protect her, and tell her all would be well.

Incapable of doing more, he split his time by concentrating on the priests, the sacrifice, and checking on her.

Beside the sacrificed goat sat a single loaf of bread and one cake. He forgot the reason for the bread and cake but knew its religious significance. The High Priest broke off a piece from the bread and ate. He then drank sanctified wine from a golden cup.

After that he placed the fat that covered the entrails of the goat, along with the fatty lobes attached to its liver, onto a grate above the sacrificial fire. He then sprinkled the goat's blood around the altar. He sprinkled additional blood upon the mercy seat resting on the Ark of the Covenant.

He then put two fingers into a bowl of the blood from the sacrificial goat. He went inside the Temple and sprinkled this blood seven times in front of the veil of the sanctuary. An assistant lifted the carcass of the goat and placed it on the grate.

A great cloud of steam and smoke erupted skyward. The flow of wet animal fat and blood that everyone expected to be consumed by the flames now overwhelmed the fire. The flames weakened, decreased to a flicker, and then went completely out.

Something seemed terribly wrong. This sacrificial fire, once lit was never to be extinguished. For a moment he wondered whether the gas pressure flowing to the flame was too low or the orifices of the jets were too small. Whichever, there was now tremendous anguish among the priests.

The horrified High Priest, first frozen by shock, now rushed forward, but there was nothing he could do.

Chapter 21

Elijah hurried from the viewing stands and stood in front of the altar. He raised his hands to heaven and called.

"O great God of the universe, preserve the life of your servant as I stand here. I pray for you, Oh God of Israel, to show yourself and your power. Honor Israel today. Accept this sin offering as you once did from the prophet Elijah, three thousand years ago. Bring down the flames of your glory and accept this sacrifice. Cleanse your altar."

Pete watched Elijah turn, look at the High Priest and bow.

In a loud voice Elijah called out, "stand back and witness the splendor of God."

The High Priest stood powerless to do anything. Pete noticed that all he seemed to be able to do was nod his head.

"Step back," Elijah commanded, "away from the altar and see the power of God."

The High Priest stared expectantly into the sky and slowly stepped backwards. His two assistants hurried away even faster.

Pete looked up, but all he saw was blue sky. There was not a cloud floating anywhere.

Without warning a brilliant bolt of lightning struck the sacrificial table and enveloped the flameless altar.

Unlike a normal bolt of lightning, this bolt did not vanish a split second later. Instead it danced around the altar, lasting forever, until even the very stones appeared to be ablaze.

Through the intense light Pete got a peek at the metal grate holding the slain animal. Sections were missing and the animal sat sizzling. It turned black, and then vanished. He closed his eyes and guessed that only white ashes remained.

Abruptly the massive bolt of lightning grew in intensity. The heat radiating onto Pete's face grew hotter. He tried to see what was happening to the priest and guests, but found himself fearful of opening his eyes. Then it ended. The sounds of the lightening were gone.

Kendra's mind reeled with the sounds around her. The movement of flowing sights and split images made her dizzy. She felt herself shaking. The vision ended abruptly.

She snapped her eyes opened saw Elijah standing in front of the altar. Whatever happened, she missed it. Dark ghostly figures swarmed around Elijah and nothing made sense until she heard herself speaking.

"Sit down! You are not from God." She hadn't meant to say anything. The words just came out. Now she found herself standing and pointing an accusing finger. Those sitting next to her made an obvious move to get away from her. "You are using the powers of Satan."

Pete opened his eyes and tried to quiet her, but it was too late.

Kendra gained confidence when she realized that the Spirit within her was using her. Now she spoke boldly and said, "By the powers of the almighty God, I rebuke you Elijah. May the Lord rebuke you. Stop this!"

Pete tugged at her arm as she spoke, but she stood like a rock. He saw Elijah's face and the hatred in his eyes. During the war at Afula, the man seemed determined to kill Esther. Pete got in his way. The next thing he knew, Elijah used some mystical force to throw him across the room.

Now Pete saw the same look. The frightening flashes of lightening vanished to be replaced by a hate-distorted face.

Pete pulled harder and felt whatever Kendra break free. She landed in the chair with a thud. He glanced around and wondered what was going to happen next. He suspected he didn't have long to wait.

Four men, two priests and two guards hurried his way.

"I think we better leave," Pete said in hopes of avoiding a more embarrassing scene. Inwardly he wished they'd become invisible.

Kendra pulled her arm away in defiance. "I'm not leaving, not while that madman is standing there."

"Oh! Golly." He tugged at her arm again, feeling totally embarrassed. "How could you interrupt this service?" The anger in his voice was well evident and he didn't care. "This is the worst thing I've ever seen you do."

She turned to him pleading for understanding with her eyes. "He's using evil powers. The Spirit is telling me, 'Elijah is not from God'. Pete, I now know who that man is sitting next to him."

"Yeah," Pete replied. "He's a Mister Von Resh, the foreign minister of Austria. I asked around while I was outside."

"I want to leave now. We have to leave. We have to get out of the city."

Pete glanced at the security men rushing toward them and saw the option already been made for her.

"I don't think you're going to get a chance to leave. I'd suggest rather that you be quiet and very polite."

Kendra's eyes stayed on Elijah, unaware of the men heading her way, until they grabbed her arms.

The one gripping her left arm squeezed tightly until it hurt and ordered in a no-nonsense voice. "Miss Makray, you will come with us."

Pete sat quietly and watched. He saw Kendra look startled at the men and then at him.

"Go with them. Just go with them. I'll follow," he said without comment.

As they led her away, he noticed that the two men holding her arms were practically carrying her. He heard her apologizing, but no one slowed down.

As Pete hurried along, two other men were close behind him. He guessed without looking that he possessed a tail from security.

"A regular little caravan," he mused with a smirk as he hurried to keep up to Kendra and the muscles carrying her along.

Around him as he walked from the inner courtyard, the commotion and anger of the priest and the dignitaries echoed from the walls. Pete tightened his lips in acceptance. She's really done it now.

Elijah stood in front of the altar, desperate to bring down more flames. He failed miserably and it was clearly Kendra's doing. The world was watching and the humiliation became unbearable. He heard everyone laughing at him. "Kendra!" he growled. "You have been a thorn in my side every time we meet."

He felt his face distorting with his anger. The cameras. He controlled himself only for the cameras. "I'm that pit bull you have called me and I'll never let go. You've sealed your death warrant."

Lieutenant Goombi stood behind Internal Security as they read Kendra the riot act. She was Persona Non-grata. They wanted her out of the country in twenty-four hours. It didn't matter if every airline seat was full. They didn't care if she swam. If she remained a day longer, they'd throw her in a secluded prison and throw away the key.

Two hours later, they released her under the strict eye of Lt. Goombi and Peter Meirs.

She heard about the uproar at the temple. There would be no more sacrifices until a thorough investigation was completed.

Goombi looked at Pete with no emotion and asked only one question as they walked to his car. "Why?"

Pete bit the bottom of his lip and only shook his head. Then he released the tension in his jaws and said. "We still on for dinner?"

Goombi looked at his friends and chuckled. "I think we better do it. I'll never see you two again. I'll call my family as we take her back to the hotel. I must warn you that Internal Security has strict orders to get her out of the country." He looked down at Kendra. Their eyes met. "If by tomorrow night you haven't left Israel, I'm to escort you personally to a tour bus scheduled for Jordan." He looked at Pete as he walked. "I'm not just assuming she'll be on it. I'm to guarantee her departure."

"And from there?" Pete asked. He knew there were constant flights to other nations, but security for Kendra was another matter.

"That's up to her. She can't return." He paused for a silent minute with no one speaking. "It's a shame. I really liked you two."

They reached Goombi's car and the lieutenant drove without speaking.

Kendra stared out the window saying nothing. Only when they pulled into the entrance to the hotel and parked did she speak. "Be careful Lieutenant. I saw in a dream a bomb exploding near the temple. It destroyed the Mosque, and it seriously damaged the Temple. We are very close to The Lord's return."

Goombi's eyes flicked across to Pete who glanced back at Goombi. Both looked at Kendra hoping for an explanation.

"If she's seen it, you better be careful," Pete said. He waited for Kendra to continue. When she didn't, he asked, "When is this going to happen? Is this the vision you were having in the Temple?"

"Soon," is all she said. "I saw it as the High Priest was preparing to kill the goat. I think it will be very soon."

In her mind she understood that everyone else in the world had one hour to maybe thirty days before the horror of horrors began. Jesus said that when people saw the daily sacrifices stopped, they should flee Jerusalem. According to the chart she followed, she expected one to thirty days to pass. The feast of Rosh Ha-Shana was still weeks away. She felt sure that would be the day. The Lord shown her things in the last vision that she felt forbidden to reveal. Finally, clearing her thoughts, she remembered what the Lord said to her. "Do not call evil good or good evil, but pray for mercy."

Knowledge-for-knowledge, carried with it a heavy price, she thought. Yet I have always asked God to reveal the truth to me and make me strong enough to handle the knowledge.

"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem and for the people," she added. "I can only say pray for mercy, mercy on all who will suffer."

The evening passed and her expectations of a major calamity left Kendra confused when nothing happened. The dinner with Goombi and his wife was the only bright spot that cheered her tortured soul. When the lieutenant and his family departed, he told her that he'd be at the hotel at nine. By eleven they'd be across the Jordan River. The UPC code on her passport was already in the computers and a thick orange stamp was to be implanted on the last page of her document. Even if she renewed her passport, the American State Department was bound to guarantee that any new document clearly revealed the restriction. All the free trips to Israeli, in Israel's gratitude for discovering the Ark, were summarily cancelled.

In the morning, except for some orange juice and half a muffin, Kendra's appetite was gone. She looked at her watch as she sat in her room. Three hours to go, but the park across the street beckoned. Every morning she jogged around the park, enjoying the sights and sounds of the city. Today was her last day, in a country she loved. One more jog.

Kendra called into the bathroom to see what was taking Esther so long to accomplish. Her Godchild was the real victim from the previous day's problems. Esther carried Israeli citizenship. Born in Israel but living in America, she was under age and still under court jurisdiction. Esther counted on Kendra to travel with her to Israel. Kendra let her godchild down. The weight of all the yesterdays slumped her shoulders and she collapsed in a chair. Even the knock at the door didn't register.

Esther rushed from the bathroom and opened the door. Pete stepped inside and lifted Esther up for a hug. His eyes saw Kendra's drooped shoulders.

"Oh! Oh! What is this? Someone not feeling well?"

Kendra looked up and managed an irritated smile. It was impossible for her to explain. The words weren't there, besides she didn't feel like talking.

"I need to go for a jog."

Kendra catapulted from the chair, found her exercise clothes, and hurried into the bathroom. She emerged five minutes later ready to run.

"Hold it," Pete said as he grabbed her arm before she rushed past him. "Don't you think it's a little late to be going for a jog?"

"I've plenty of time. I'll be back in forty-five minutes."

"I'll, we'll," he answered. "We'll both go with you."

"I need to be by myself. Don't worry, I won't do anything stupid."

Pete thought of her being out of his sight. It didn't appeal to him. Then he remembered the tracker he had purchased some time ago. It lay neatly packed within his luggage. "Before you go, I want you to wear this cute little belt," he said

"What for?"

"Please. It'll make me feel better. It's something that I want you to do. Wait here for a minute. I'll be right back.

Pete hurried out the door and found the device he wanted. Arguing with Kendra was useless, but as far as he was concerned Elijah was in town, and that meant trouble. He didn't trust the man. Kendra needed to think of her safety.

The tracker had been originally purchased for Esther. One year earlier Pete became fearful that she was going to be kidnapped. The belt he carried contained a miniaturized transmitter and sent a pulsating signal for five days. The tracker took advantage of GPS technology. Using the software in his computer he'd be able to locate Kendra within fifteen feet of where she stood. Of course that all depended on her turning it on.

The digital read-out on his computer will point like a compass from where he sat to where she sat, and it will even compute the distance. The signal was readable as long as he was within range of a cell tower. All she needed to do was press the little button built into the side of the belt. The little three-volt batteries should last long enough for him to get to her. On the other hand, the odds were great that she'd never need it.

He fastened the belt around Kendra's waist and showed her where the switch rested.

"Do it for me," he pleaded. "I bought it; let me use it just once. The way things have been going, do it for my sake. If something happened to you," he refused to finish his thought.

Kendra adjusted the belt until it felt right. She smiled for the first time since waking up. "Just for you." Turning to Esther she added with a burst of gusto, "And for you."

Kendra hurried across the busy street and into the park. Trees lined the park-side of the pavement that circled the lush grass. The center of the park was filled with benches and white statues. Unless you actually entered the park, all these lay hidden from the causal traveler. The thick bushes and flowering trees gave the center a fairy-tail appearance. Multiple walking paths ran through the center, but Kendra preferred to run the perimeter.

She and Pete once measured the road around the park with the odometer in their rental car. One and one-half miles completed the circuit. She planned to jog the park three times.

As she ran, her eyes feasted on the lush surroundings and the clear blue sky. She deeply inhaled the fragrant air, the product of thousands of flowers, and feasted on their cultivated beauty.

Her heart and mind still fumed from being sent packing by an ungrateful Israeli government. After all she did for them. Discovering their precious Ark didn't mean anything when it came to politics. She wished she never discovered the thing. Then she thought of the visions, and she prayed never to deny God.

Running helped her concentrate on something else.

As she rounded the first turn, a squirrel captured her attention. She watched it chase its tail. A songbird, somewhere in the foliage, whistled a call and she made a failed attempt at imitation. She continued her jog and felt the stiffness in her legs ease. The run was getting easier and her breathing smoothed. She felt better.

By the time she made her second turn, her mind was thinking only about the path in front of her. "Hallelujah'" she said with vigor as the worries of governmental eviction and frightful visions faded.

She passed the hotel and felt a song lifting her spirits. Even the vision from the other day seemed remote. After they'd arrived in Jordan, or maybe on the flight to America, she'd tell everyone that God revealed.

It wasn't a very pretty picture and they needed to be prepared. She began praying for all the people in her life. "God, keep them safe."

Pete watched from the balcony of his room as Kendra headed away from the hotel. He admired her form and almost felt like jogging with her. Almost, but not quite. He had more packing to complete before he indulged himself.

He saw her vanish under the canopy of trees and went back to his business. Lieutenant Goombi, and maybe many others, would be here in two hours. Then it was off to the border. He didn't have to leave. No one has to leave. Only Kendra has been sent packing. Still, they all voted to leave with her.

They'd be taken to the Palestinian Authorities at Jericho. Once there they'd have guaranteed safe passage to Amman, Jordan. From Amman they'd fly to Athens. Once in Greece they'd rest for a few days, fly to Milan, and finally to New York.

Chapter 22

Kendra saw the two men jogging her way. It was obvious they were not in shape. They really need to do this regularly, she thought as she continued toward them.

As the distance closed, she noticed how overweight they both were. One even lagged behind and looked downright plump. The last one reminded her of a struggling English squire.

Twenty paces away, she noticed the ponytail swinging from the heaviest jogger. At five paces the first man, the one with a round face and a pony-tail seemed familiar. Only when he was about to pass did she realize the serious danger. He was one of those who tried to kill them in Parker.

What options did she have? She might make quick turn and make a run for it. The other option was to speed up and zoom past them as fast as possible.

When the ponytail man came abreast, she saw his eyes. They never left her. Even the lagging man was watching her. But it was the man with the ponytail who frightened her the most. She smashed three metal chairs on him. Panic gripped her as he jogged toward her. She decided to sprint past them.

Bruce went past first. Les followed five paces behind. Without a single movement to give him away, Bruce turned as Kendra passed and swung his right arm. The lead-weighted blackjack bounced off her skull. Kendra fell easily into Les' approaching arms.

Bruce hurried back without losing stride and grabbed her left arm.

Holding her firmly between them, they went to the curb and waited. A four-door car pulled up and they all got in. Kendra was unceremoniously dumped onto the floor of the rear seat. Bruce grabbed Kendra's cell phone from her belt and disconnected the battery. He then dropped them to the floor. "No need having the locator tracking us." The black, newly stolen car drove away as if picking up three friends.

Pete finished packing his suitcase and went to the patio to await Kendra's return. Having seen her run before, and knowing the last time she went past, he expected her to appear in about five minutes. He always felt better when he had her in his sight. Love, he guessed. I think I will always be in love with her.

Lieutenant Goombi arrived with two army men. They didn't expect trouble, but just in case his captain arranged for more than just the lieutenant to escort Ms. Makray to the border.

The squad cars, with their flashing blue lights bothered him as he drove up the hotel's ramp and parked. He turned on his yellow twirling light to say, "Don’t ticket this vehicle." It was obvious that something happened. Maybe Kendra has refused to leave her room. Now that would prove the captain right and embarrass me to no end.

"I tell you she's missing." Pete controlled himself from shouting, but these people were not listening.

"We can see she's missing," said the police officer. "But you don't know the reason. Occasionally someone vanishes; then a few days later we find them. Most of the time they went away for their own reasons. As I understand it, Miss Makray is scheduled to be deported this morning."

Pete sneered. The guy already had his mind made up. He saw the big army officer come through the revolving door. "Lieutenant Goombi!"

The anger vanished and Pete waited for the big Indian and the two other soldiers to cross the lobby.

Goombi introduced himself to the police and then asked what happened? The police pulled the lieutenant to one side and told them all they knew. Goombi's eyes shifted to Pete as they explained the missing person. Unless they can find a witness, they could do nothing for twenty-four hours.

"This is serious," Goombi said as he came back to Pete. "Maybe you better tell me what happened. I'd like to hear it in your words."

Pete explained for the tenth time how Kendra went to the park to jog, how he watched her disappear under the trees as she ran, that she appeared after the first lap. Then he lost her in the trees as she started the second round. He never saw her again. When Pete finished, Goombi's demeanor did not change. But he did make a call to headquarters.

Goombi looked sternly at Pete, Steve and Lora as he talked. Only when he stared at Esther did he manage a smile.

"You will all have to come with me." The lieutenant became very military and business like. The friendship between him and Kendra was now on hold. If she vanished on purpose, it would not look good on his records. His career in Internal might quickly evaporate as fast as Ms. Kendra Makray disappeared.

"Have you all checked out of the hotel?" Goombi asked. Pete, Lora and Steve all replied "yes" at the same time.

"We need to find my sister," Lora demanded.

Goombi ignored her.

Pete thought about telling Goombi about the tracking belt Kendra was wearing. But that would only raise more questions. He suspected that the receiver in his carry-on bag would be confiscated. Then he'd have no chance of finding her.

Before the police arrived, he tried the scanner twice in hopes of finding a signal. If she switched on the belt, he expected the pulse signal from the transmitter to register, assuming they were still within range.

The time that elapsed between when he last saw her and when he went down stairs to look for her seemed no longer than thirty minutes. He waited a few more before beginning his search. Something was wrong. In Jerusalem traffic, thirty minutes was not enough time to get out of range of the scanner.

Pete talked to Goombi and then went to the main desk. When he returned he happily announced their rooms had not been released. They could stay in the hotel for the full duration of their time.

For a moment Pete hoped this was not one of Kendra's dumb stunts.

The pain she felt in her head seemed to come from the very center. She tried to move, but the dream boiling around her never released its grip. She made an effort to feel her head, but her hands weren't working. In the dream she saw a tree lying across her chest. Large branches pinned her legs and hands to the ground.

She forced her eyes open and saw gray. The sky seemed to be cloudy. Blinking again to clear her vision, she realized the gray sky was peeling paint. Large brown water spots made wavy circles and indicated a leaky roof.

The throbbing headache made her eyes hurt, but she managed to lift her head. She saw that the tree in her mind was actually a leather strap. Her arms were tied to the upper corners of a bed. She saw her feet stretched toward the lower corners. Someone tied her spread eagle fashion to a bed.

Angry muffled voices came from another room. Then she heard the sound of footsteps and the angry voices drew closer.

"Kill her now," a woman's voice said.

"No," a man answered. "The boss wants her alive. He wants to talk to her face to face."

The man was unmistakably Irish, Kendra was sure of it. Was she in Ireland?

"But if we kill her now," the female voice argued, "this job can end right now. You can dispose of the body anyway you like, and we can go home and enjoy ourselves."

"My orders are," the man said with rising irritation, "once we get her here, we keep her here."

His voice sounded so close as he shouted.

"And by the saints," he continued, "we will do just that. If you three want to be paid, then you will wait."

Kendra's heart pumped furiously as panic and pain made it impossible to think. Those two men. They kidnapped me. The thoughts of driving from Boulder and being forced off the road, and nearly killed, flashed across the jagged pages of her mind. Then the realization of what happened leaped out at her. I knew it. They are the ones trying to kill me, Mister Ponytail and the others. Now they're all fighting over me.

The thought of now being nude stabbed her with fear. She lifted her head and the throbbing in her head exploded. She lay back down exhausted and reassured herself that her clothes were on.

The belt, she remembered the belt. She needed to turn on the switch. Pete must be searching for me. She prayed for God's help, that the police would find her alive. She prayed for Pete to find her. She needed him. She trusted him more now than anyone else.

"No one saw anything," Goombi said as Pete sat in front of the lieutenant's desk. Goombi handed him the police report.

Pete looked up as the paper came across.

"It's in English," Goombi said. "It was faxed to my department as we drove." He studied Pete's body language as he read the report. He hoped his friend was not lying to him. If he is, I'll punch his lights out and personally escort him to prison.

Pete read the report. No one saw anything. One person, an elderly man with his dog in the park, may have noticed a girl jogging. She may have been alone. The clothing he described matched Kendra's. Not bad for an old guy who may have seen something.

Pete read the report a second time. The witness never saw anyone with the girl. He studied the location of where the man had been. He was walking his dog at the far end, along David Wolfsohn Avenue.

Three hours later Lieutenant Goombi drove Pete and the others back to the hotel. No one said a word until they returned to the hotel. Goombi said nothing as he drove off.

In his room, everyone watched as Pete pulled out the tracking receiver and plugged it into the wall socket. The receiver either ran off a car battery or used a built in adapter for household currents. Right now he planned to leave the receiver on just in case a signal was received.

Pete thought about the guns buried in YiaYia's back yard. "I've got to get a gun," he said quietly to Steve so Esther did not hear. "Can you go get me one?" He looked at Steve and added, "I'd go myself but I can't leave. The receiver might pick up something."

"Sure," Steve replied. "Any specific one you'd like?"

"The rifle is the caliber I want, but I think the pistol is what I can carry. Can you get it for me?"

Steve studied his watch. "I'll be back by six." He looked at Lora. "Want to go with me?"

Lora nodded and said, "We're all going." She held Esther's hand.

"I want to help too," Esther said. "Can't I stay with you Uncle Pete? I'll keep an eye on the radio. I won't leave the room, I promise."

Pete ran a gentle hand over her shoulder. "That's a great idea." Besides it wasn't a good idea for Esther to see the guns, and she couldn't stay in the hotel by herself. "We can take turns watching the receiver." He turned to Lora. "How about it? I think she'd be a big help. If we find anything she'll stay in the car and call the police."

Lora looked disturbed by the thought of leaving Esther behind, and especially of her being in harm's way. "You sure she'll stay in the car and call the police if you find anything?"

"Cross my heart," he answered. "I don't want anything to happen to her either."

"Okay'" she said; though her heart wasn't in it. "I'm going to unpack my bag and get my cell phone. Call me if either of you find anything. Call me even if you only want to talk."

"We promise," Pete said. He gave Esther a squeeze of appreciation and planted a kiss on her head.

"We'll call you right away if we find anything," Esther said. The pleasure of helping bubbling within her young voice.

"That settles it," Pete said and shut off the receiver. "First, we're going to drive around the city. I'll use the power outlet in the car. Maybe we'll get a signal. If we do, we'll call you right away."

Steve headed for the door. "I'm going to the lobby and rent a car." He glanced at Lora. "We better get going."

"Make sure you're not followed," Pete said. "The government might be watching."

Pete turned to Esther and said, "Time to get started. If she's got the belt turned on, we don't have a lot of time. The battery works for twenty-four hours and we haven't any idea where she is. First thing we'll have to do is make a plan. And I think I know just what to do."

He pulled out a map of Jerusalem along with a road map of Israel. "She could be anywhere. What I plan to do is set out routes that we'll drive. The transmitter has a range of twelve miles. With buildings in the way, I think we'll be safe to keep the routes ten miles apart."

He unfolded the map of Jerusalem on the bed and began highlighting the routes they'd travel. He was sure Elijah was somehow behind the kidnapping. Now he planned to drive around the city hoping to pick up the signal.

Kendra lay on her back trying to figure how to turn on the belt around her waist. If they stripped her, all chances of helping Pete find her would end. She knew he was already searching for her. She needed to get a hand free and help him.

After what seemed like an hour of fruitless effort, she gave up. Her wrists were tied so securely that she'd never get them loose. She prayed to God. "Send angels to help me break loose and get away."

The sound of voices in the other room made it hard to concentrate. She wanted to hear everything they said. She also didn't want them to think she was awake.

From the different voices she counted four or five people in the room. She settled on the number five. Give one more maybe standing outside on guard, six.

Maybe I'm in an apartment. Think girl. Think! No! That can't be true. If I'm in an apartment, someone will hear me scream. She hadn't screamed yet, but since there was nothing gagging her, to keep her from screaming, she was sure they weren't in an apartment. Maybe she was in the country? She could scream her head off and accomplish nothing.

Feeling pleased with her logic and frightened by her plight, she went back to working a hand free. Turning she looked at her wrists. There was so much strapping wound around them that her fingers found nothing to unravel.

The light entering the window slowly faded and she needed to go to the bathroom. She also needed to get away. Going to the bathroom might show her away to free herself. She also needed to turn on the belt. She heard the sounds from passing cars. A highway? Maybe she'd find a policeman.

Pete and Esther returned to the hotel at seven. Weary and frustrated after driving around the city all day and accomplishing nothing.

Even though they had crisscrossed the city twice the receiver did no more than blink a few times. He concluded those signals came from other sources, maybe the government, cell phones, CB's.

Either Kendra never turned it on, which meant that she might be already dead, or she turned it on and the kidnappers were out of range. There was one other possibility. He decided to believe that she hadn't turn on the belt. In which case, he'll have to start over again, every day, until something happened. He also needed to travel faster and cover the routes quickly. He needed a helicopter.

Steve and Lora were waiting for them as they entered the lobby.

"Find anything?" Lora asked.

"Where did you drive?" Steve asked and saw the answer in Pete's eyes. "Maybe she's not in the area."

Pete dropped wearily into the comfort of a plush chair. Esther fell into the one next to his.

"Let's eat," Pete said. "We'll tell you everything." His eyes locked onto Steve's. "I think I need the bag."

"It's in my room," Steve answered to the unspoken question. In his mind he saw the gym bag that held the pistol and the silencer.

"Good," Pete answered. His eyes drifted toward the restaurant across the lobby. "Right now Esther and I need some food. Join us and I'll tell you everything." He looked at Esther who was completely slouched in the chair. Her face showed the strain of searching, looking for anything that might indicate the whereabouts of her godmother.

"Come on, Esther. Let's freshen up." His words were more of a gentle command than an order.

She worried with him while scouring the city. Sometimes she talked too much as they drove, but every step of the way he was glad she came along.

Chapter 23

Rene dealt the cards to Bruce and Les. Poker was the game and matchsticks were being used for money. Two other men, the ones she nicknamed Santa and Smiley, spent their time talking about spending their money on imaginary presents, Baccarat tables, girlfriends, and fast cars.

Hearing them repeat themselves numerous over and over convinced her there wasn't a working brain cell between either of them. The man who stood outside was not much better. He was definitely Irish, the torturer, and was soon to be the principal player. When the Boss arrived they'd get paid and Irish would begin his work.

She planned not to be around to hear the screams.

In all the years that her friendly gang of killers worked together, they never tortured anyone. She hated the thought of starting now. It disgusted her.

She looked forward to seeing her employer and the paycheck. Of course, when the Boss arrived, she'd also know his name. Unfortunately, with that bit of knowledge, there might also come death.

She and her boys thought about such a possibility. Before arriving at the hideout, she purchased three folding stock AK47's from a contact. Two were the tanker models with shortened barrels. She and Bruce choose them. Les opted for the regular barreled one. He always did prefer a little more accuracy. The three rifles with fully loaded banana clips hung silently from their shoulders.

The three goons were clearly disturbed by the brandishing of such hardware. The one named Mali went for his gun when the rifles appeared, but hesitated long enough to save his life.

In this business, it was always better to be safe than sorry. Being sorry meant you never got to spend your money.

Kendra was a dead fish; Rene was convinced of it. Soon she'd be bought and paid for. Once her employer received their prize they'd be finished. She and her boys would sell their rifles and head back to Tampa.

She rubbed the shoulder that Peter Meirs sent a slug into. If the boss, whoever that was, tried to double-cross them, she'd hunt him down with a vengeance. She still owed Mister Meirs big-time. On the other hand, maybe she'd forgive him and go on with business. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it, she thought.

She glanced at her watch, eight more hours. Whoever they were waiting for would arrive by morning.

Pete sat in the room, wondering how he'd arrange to get a helicopter. Looking through the yellow pages, he found two companies that might be available for hire. One, Israeli Eye Mapping, was stationed at the Atarot Airport, a small airfield north of Jerusalem. The other, The Two Brothers, gave sightseeing helicopter tours. It was also located at Atarot. He looked at his watch, hoping that the companies were still taking calls.

He dialed the number for Two Brothers first and waited. A recording came on and Pete felt his hopes evaporate. This was not a good beginning. The message was in Hebrew but offered an English version. He pressed two for English and waited as the switching system clicked over and he heard the phone ringing.

"Hello," came a live female voice. The "Hello" carried that distinctive sound of an Israeli dialect. It also made you wonder if you reached the right number.

"I'd like to rent a helicopter," Pete urgently announced. "I need it for tomorrow morning."

"We offer one-half hour rides over the city," she said without emotion. "We also offer service to Tel Aviv. Which one do you want?"

"Neither," Pete announced. "I want it for the day."

The voice on the other end paused for an excruciating time. When it returned a male voice spoke.

"Did we understand you correctly," the man's voice says. "You want to rent a helicopter for the day?"

Pete could almost see the guy sitting in front of a calculator. A whole day would be about six thousand dollars.

"I need it for twelve to twenty hours. Can you supply the request?"

"Where are you flying to? We do not fly everywhere. There are places that are restricted."

"I need to fly over Jerusalem and make an ever widening circle. Can you do that?"

A long pause again as Pete figured the man and his pilots were figuring out who was going to take this bozo out for a ride.

"And what is the purpose of your flight?" the man asked.

"I am searching for someone. The person I am looking for has a tracking transmitter and I am testing my equipment. I'd use the military for this," Pete lied, "but I need to guarantee that everything is working before I test it with them. Can you be ready at five?"

Another long pause as Pete made out muffled talking.

"We do not fly that early in the morning. We start at eight. Do you pay in cash?"

"Would a thousand dollar bonus for your pilot's help speed up the time table? I pay in cash."

Another long pause. If he knew how to fly, he'd steal the darn thing and go whizzing over the city by himself. He also knew the Israel Air Force probably would shoot him down. Controlling his temper he waited as the pilot, and the others, figured how not to report the dollars they were about to receive.

"We can do it at six," came a noticeably interested reply. "Is that A-okay?"

The guy was trying to sound upbeat and American.

"I'll be there. I know where the airfield is. Where do I go after entering the gate?"

Pete listened and took down the directions, including the pilot's cell number. 'What kind of helicopters do you fly?"

He listened to the descriptions of the two helicopters that were available. He knew that both helicopters possessed twelve-volt D.C. outputs in the cockpits. Just in case he was wrong, he'd bring along the battery from the rental car.

* * *

"I need to go to the bathroom," Kendra yelled in the darkness. "Hello!" she called. "I need to go to the bathroom."

A light switch clicked. The lone bulb hanging from the ceiling blazed bright white. Kendra shut her eyes to stop the pain. When she finally opened one eye, her fears increased to near panic. Four men and a woman stared down at her. With a vulgar leer the closest person, a smiling man with dark greasy curly hair, spoke first. She felt disgusted and frightened.

"I, Mali, will escort the lady."

The leer in his eyes as he searched Kendra's body left her even more frightened.

"First," Mali continued, "I will take off these clothes. She might be concealing a weapon."

He grabbed her jersey and lifted it up. His eyes, oblivious to all, were feasting on her bra-covered breasts.

"I'll take her," Rene ordered. Her hand moved quickly to the AK47 hanging from her shoulder. The trigger finger slid inside the trigger guard. She'd love to blast Smiley into another life.

Taking their cue from Rene, Les and Bruce reached for the pistol grip of the rifles. The rifles slid across their chests.

Three full auto rifles against two pistols, two shotguns, and a couple of knives. Nothing more was said.

Rene never did like the guy, and she hoped the look in her eyes told him to be wary. She may be a paid killer, but torture and rape were too much. She had principles.

Mali stopped his visual feast, gave a final smile, and then dropped the jersey.

"Sure," he said with the conviction of a snake.

Rene noticed the quiver in his left cheek. The guy obviously didn't like taking orders from a lady. She loved it, and there wasn't anything he could do about it, except die or back off.

Les and Bruce quickly untied Kendra's hands and feet before standing back. They then assumed their stance at the head of the bed where they faced the two other men.

Kendra knew this might be her only chance, maybe her last chance. If they left her alone for a few seconds, and her hands remained untied, she'd press the switch.

"I'll go with you," Rene said. She pointed the barrel of her rifle at the door.

"Kendra's heart melted. How was she going to turn the switch on with the lady standing beside her?

Kendra walked to the bathroom and through a door that hadn't moved in years. She glanced at the gun-toting lady who was befriending her.

"Have we met?" Kendra asked. "You're an American, aren’t you?"

"You're going to the bathroom. Don't talk. Don't ask questions. Don't do anything but what you're here to do."

They reached the bathroom in silence and Rene let Kendra push open the dirty door. "Before you go in," Rene said nonchalantly, "leave the belt here." She pointed to the floor.

"Kendra's heart stopped and the heat in her body jumped five degrees. She felt sweat break out on her forehead as she stammered. "Wha-a-at do y-you mean?"

"The belt. I have one just like it. Let it drop to the floor".

Kendra's hands reached trembling for the belt. Maybe, somehow, she could turn it on.

"Don't get funny, or I'll let that creep back there have his way with you."

Kendra's shoulders drooped noticeably as she gently dropped the belt on the floor. She watched Rene pick it up and study the switch. The gun-toting lady just smiled.

"You never turned it on."

Kendra looked at the floor in total despair. Then she angrily shoved the door closed.

* * *

Pete showed up at the airport a half-hour early. The sixth generation Pro Trak receiver sat on the floor of the car. A small gym bag, big enough to hold the silencer and the Ruger .22 rested on the seat. One full clip, holding ten bullets, filled the grip. A second full clip was snuggly taped against the silencer.

He was ready.

Following the signs to building C-2 he found a lone car in front of the building. He guessed that belonged to the pilots.

Parking beside it, he scooped up the gym bag and receiver. As he walked, he made out one brightly-lit office. Heading for the door, he saw the Hebrew letters and the English translation under them: Two Brothers Helicopter Sightseeing, one to eight hour tours. Eight hours sounded great. Hopefully, it was enough.

Pete opened the door and entered. The earlier he got started the better. If Kendra's alive, every hour is important.

As he entered he saw an older, burly armed, gray haired man sitting behind a cluttered desk. The man's face was dark from years of sun. Dressed in a flowered print shirt that looked Hawaiian, the man eyed Pete as he entered. Pete gave him the once over.

As long as he could fly and the helicopter didn't fall apart, Pete didn't care how he looked.

"I called last night," Pete announced as he strode to the desk. "I assume you are waiting for me?"

"I am Yuri Uzzar. You are early. I understand you have equipment that you want to test? Did you bring it with you?"

Pete watched Yuri's eyes search him, and then a frown came over his face. The eyes settled at the gym bag hanging from his shoulder. He must have been expecting more than what he saw.

"If we can get started," Pete answered. "The earlier the better. I have everything I need right here." Pete patted the bag. He noticed the frown on Yuri's face didn't go away.

Pete explained, "Without your cooperation, there can be no search from the air". He pulled out the Pro Trak receiver and held it out for Yuri to see.

"This is it! This is the receiver. The transmitter has already been turned on. Now all we have to do is let this baby find it. Think we can fly around and get it done?"

The pilot looked at the small black box that housed the receiver, then at Pete. In his mind he counted out the hours that might be spent in the pursuit. If they flew off in the wrong direction, he might be busy for a complete day. He then studied the socket hanging at the end of the power cord.

"You did not say anything about hooking up to my ship."

"No," Pete replied as he unrolled a thick wad of one hundred-dollar bills. "I know commercial helicopters can supply a 12 volt DC power source. Is there a problem?"

Pete began counting out the C-notes. Yuri's eyes were glued to the money as Pete hit the count of fifty. He slowly kept counting.

"If you are ready," Yuri said, "we can get started." His eyes remained fixed on the growing stack of American notes.

Pete finished counting at sixty. He took half the stack and held it out to the pilot. "You can have the rest when we are finished. If the job only takes one hour, the money is still yours."

The pilot griped the money, but Pete wouldn't let go.

"This is for one hour or the whole day."

"How do I know you will pay the rest?"

"You can open the door and push me out. Don't worry. Either way, the money and you will not be far apart."

The big-armed pilot stared into Pete's eyes. Pete stared back without trying to intimidate.

"Do we have a deal?"

"Yes."

Pete released his hold on the wade of bills and smiled. "Good."

Returning the other half to his gym bag, he pulled out a map of Jerusalem and of the surrounding area. "I've highlighted in yellow the routes I think we will take. If you fly at the minimum altitude, 500 meters, the receiver will be able to pick up a signal 14 kilometers away. My tracks allow for a little overlap."

The pilot studied Pete's map for a minute and circled five locations. "We cannot fly over these points. They are restricted."

Pete studied the areas within the circles.

"That will still work. We can fly as close as we can. If the signal comes from those areas, I'll know it."

Yuri looked at a second map. "You also have included a map of Israel. Are you planning to cover the whole country? If we do, we will have to refuel. That will be extra."

"I'll pay for that, but it is imperative that we not miss anything."

Pete sensed that the pilot was quickly calculating how long it might take to fly the course. The first leg of the search, over Jerusalem, would take about one-half hour. He should have a fix, a line drawn on his map by then. He imagined that Yuri was also making a mental note on how much time and fuel would be needed to travel the other twenty-kilometer path. Inwardly, he suspected the pilot was grinning over the charges rapidly building higher and higher.

Pete broke the silence. "Hopefully we will not need a complete day. Two passes will do the job. If I'm lucky," he added. "If we do, you'll make a lot of money. If we find it right away, you will still make a lot of money. Either way you will go home richly rewarded."

Chapter 24

The flight began in earnest at 6:00 AM as they flew to the entire eastern border of Israel. He felt sure the Palestinians were responsible for her disappearance. They hated her for discovering the Ark of the Covenant. Then he thought of Elijah. "Maybe," he said to himself.

After covering the eastern region, they turned and headed west.

Flying the next path, Pete scanned the ground below, but the tracker was doing the real work. With earphone plugged into the receiver Pete's eyes sometimes closed as he focused only on hearing a signal. Occasionally a false beep brought him and the pilot to an alert. Even Yuri was watching the light on the third route as the receiver blinked red from an intercepted signal. Thirty minutes later, they completed the flight over Jerusalem and the eastern areas.

"Let's take the next sector." Pete X'd the route they just finished. Their new route will take him west to Tel Aviv and toward the sea. Highway 4 formed the eastern border of this sector. They'd fly down to Eilat. He expected the bottom half of Israel would be covered in two hours. Quietly he prayed that she'd turn the switch on. That has to be the only reason he hadn't received a signal. Then he thought about her being stuffed in the trunk of a car. The metal would prevent the signal from going anywhere.

They'd fly to the coast and Tel Aviv, then head south. At Elat they'd again head north toward Jerusalem, fly west for twenty kilometers and then head south again. At a point north of Elat, they'd turn north and fly inland to Ben Gurion. After a refueling stop at Elat they'd continue.

By then he expected to be weary of searching. God, he prayed and amazed himself that he even thought the word, God. Praying was not something he believed in. Actions always spoke louder than words. Kendra must be rubbing off on him. God, let her have the transmitter turned on.

He sat back, amazed that he said what he did. It was the first time he said a prayer like that since his dad abandoned him.

The two hours flew by before the helicopter required another pit stop. This time they landed at Ben Gurion, and Pete treated the pilot to lunch. So far the trip proved fruitless.

Rene sat in the room with Kendra as she awaited the arrival of their employer. Kendra tried to make conversation more times than she cared to remember.

Rene rarely found a need to look in on Kendra, even though the three goons were working themselves up to releasing their primordial urges; but by occasionally sitting in the room with the hostage, she effectively prevented the planned ravishing from beginning. She'd never be a party to rape, not as long as she carried a full clip of ammo.

A sound of crunching gravel coming from the dirt road brought her to the open window. She grabbed the Ak47 and peeked out the window.

A dark blue car stopped outside. She watched a short dark suited man stand and look her way. Mali stood by the car, awaiting instructions. Their employer just arrived.

Silently both men walked to the house. Her employer, if that was who just arrived, was definitely short. With a head too large for the body, the boss seemed to be walking in slow motion. Maybe the size of his head was too much for his body? She decided to nickname the man Head.

"Boss," Bruce called. "He's arrived."

She entered the main room and gave a signal for her men to spread out. If this turned into a double cross, she didn't want to be bunched together.

Spread around the room, as they would be, each one waited at a better spot. If required, they'd send a withering burst from their rifles.

"I want to see her," commanded Head.

Without saying anything Mali led Head to the bedroom.

He's been here before, Rene thought with a touch of humor. She also noticed that the smelly piece of crud she stopped from raping Kendra seemed clearly frightened.

"Stay out here Les," she commanded. "Bruce and I'll go in."

Les knew her meaning and that he was to keep an eye on things. Someone else might sneak in and then he, Bruce, and Rene would be history.

"Kendra, my dear," Elijah said as he entered the room.

Kendra stopped praying and opened her eyes.

"Elijah. I should have known it was you. You'll never get away with this."

"I already have. The police report says they believe you ran off and hid. They are looking for you, but they are not trying to save you. Happily, your days of annoying me are at an end."

"You'll burn in hell first before I give you satisfaction."

"Oh my, what is this I hear?" Elijah motioned for his Irish torturer to bring in an instrument especially designed for gouging out a woman's internal organs.

Kendra watched as the big Irishman came back with a wooden rod. At the end of the rod, two stainless steel hooks were shining, sharp and pointed. It made her shudder with fear.

Elijah held out his hand to receive the instrument of torture. He took the curved hooks and pressed them against Kendra's face. The fear in her eyes pleased him.

"You have no idea what a helpless soul you are. When I am finished with you, your own mother will not recognize you. You will not look human."

Kendra saw the pleasure in Elijah's eyes. "You'll never get away with this." She looked at the others. "There are too many witnesses. Someone will talk."

"No one will talk. Everyone has been handsomely paid. And by the time the police, or your boyfriend, or anyone else figures it out, there won't be any evidence, or a body to identify." His face lit up in a smile.

"Do you expect me to beg?" Kendra asked defiantly

"No my dear," Elijah smiled. "I expect you to die." He handed back the instrument and nodded to the torturer to begin.

Kendra watched Elijah turn and head to the other room. The big torturer pulled out a knife and began cutting away her clothing. She needed to stall for time. Once that machine begins it will be too late. She thought back to Elijah at the Temple. He was sitting with someone. Resh, that's what Pete called him. Elijah and Resh were a little too chummy to be mere friends.

"I know about you and Resh," she called and hoped for a response. She saw Elijah stop and turn around.

Kendra looked up hoping the man with the knife also stopped. Instead he cut open her jersey and proceeded down to her jogging shorts. The man was a ghoul.

"The police know about you two."

Elijah studied Kendra for a second, looking for signs of bluffing.

"You have no idea what you are talking about."

Kendra saw that some cord of truth must have been touched. She hit a nerve.

"Can you take that chance? The plans that you two have cooked up will come down in a smoldering heap, and Resh will blame you. He will destroy you. They already know who shut the gas off during the ceremony."

She saw Elijah's face turn pale. She may have hit a nerve but the creep with the knife came closer.

Elijah walked back and waved his torturer back.

"Wait," he said. "I need to make a phone call. If she's lying, I will know. Then you can continue with all the blessings I can offer."

He walked off with his two killers trailing behind.

Les watched as Elijah went to his car. Cheeks strolled to the other side of the room and went into the toilet. Les released the safety on his rifle and moved to another location. When the door to the toilet opened Cheeks stood by the door with a pistol in his hand and looked at Les.

Cheeks placed the pistol in his waistband and slowly sat on the floor. Les, never taking his eyes off the man, moved to a chair and sat down. He never released his hold on the rifle. Watching, yet seemingly casual, he kept a wary eye on Cheeks.

Cheeks picked up a nylon belt lying on the floor. It was the one that Rene made Kendra take off before letting her go to the toilet. Les stayed more interested in the man's hands. If one of them slipped inside his shirt, Les planned to shoot first and ask questions later.

Cheeks felt over the little switch in the belt. Then he threw it against the wall.

* * *

Pete and his pilot lifted from Ben Gurion and rose to their prescribed altitude. A signal appeared on the receiver. And unlike all the previous ones, the electronic circuitry indicated this was not false.

"We've got something!" Pete yelled. "Look!"

The pilot leaned over and saw the flashing red light before it went out. "What did the compass say?"

Pete read the digital readout on the receiver, and said "East South East. About twenty-kilometers." He looked at the pilot who revealed a hint of a pleasure. The man was obviously pleased that something was finally happening.

"We've been over that area," Yuri replied. "We never received a signal. Are you sure your receiver is working properly?"

A signal meant that there was hope, hope that Kendra was alive. But the signal lasted only twenty seconds. Still the signal was real. He had one leg of a good fix on her location.

The signal ended and he waited impatiently for it to come alive again. Maybe she was having problems with the switch. He found himself praying again.

He stared at the receiver waiting and hoping. The red light blinked on and he couldn't react fast enough. When he looked at his computer read-out, he glanced at the ground for a fix and scribbled down the compass reading. He felt elated and the pilot made a turn, heading straight toward the signal.

"It's working alright," he yelled over the noise from the blades and motor. "We have it now." He read the digital display. "Turn to a heading of one hundred and five. We'll continue until the signal reverses and the reading says we are over the spot."

"That takes us along Highway 1," stated Yuri as he followed the course.

Pete noticed the enthusiasm of the hunt appear in the pilot's attitude. He also hoped they'd get there in time.

Seven minutes into the flight they approached Highway 3 and the signal reversed. Pete noted the spot of the reversal. The GPS reading told him they were over the spot. Yuri brought the helicopter around.

"Go slower," Pete ordered. He studied the compass and the distance on the computer. "Follow the compass."

"I'm trying but everything is going crazy."

"What's happening?"

"I think we are over that house surrounded by trees."

"That has to be the place."

Elijah sat in his car talking on his cell phone when the helicopter came over a third time. He looked up, and wondered if Kendra told the truth. He listened, as the thump-thump sound of a motor grew louder then faded and finally vanished.

"I'll call back," he said and hung up. She might have been lying, stalling for time, but now the helicopter. For a moment he thought about fleeing. He could run back into the house, have them put a quick bullet into her brain. Then he'd pay everyone off with electronic-funds transfers.

If he waited too long, and the police were on their way, everyone might be caught. If they were, then he'd be identified. He needed to finish the job and get everyone out before the police arrived. A helicopter going over three times gave him an ugly feeling.

He stood beside his car for a long minute and listened, searching the skies and the surrounding grounds for movement.

In the distance he thought he heard the motor again. Then the sound increased and he knew the helicopter was now airborne. It must have let someone off.

The sounds weakened, yet when the wind blew just right he still heard the sound. It was a chopper, and was hovering just off to his left. He relaxed. If it were the police, the helicopter wouldn't be leaving. For once he thought of the settlement that sat on the other side of the trees.

It may be nothing, but nervousness dug deeper into his mind.

Kendra cringed as Elijah hurried into the room. He ordered two men outside and whispered something to the torturer. The room became deathly quiet. She watched the big Irishman gather up his tools and hurry away.

"Rene" he said as he turned to face Kendra. "Kill her."

Rene knew something was wrong. This was a big change of plans.

Elijah followed his two men outside. Trouble was coming. He felt it in his bones.

Pete ran to the thick tree line that shielded the house from the road. He counted three cars parked on the last fly-over. Two were in the back and one in front. With two direct passes in the helicopter, he possessed an accurate bearing. The signal, Kendra, all were in the house.

Before landing, he called Lieutenant Goombi. Then with his gym bag, he climbed out at the moment the copter touched down. During the decent Pete paid off the pilot, who now wanted to hang around. He talked him into taking off and getting safely away. Pete reckoned the man needn't be involved more than necessary.

Pete's plan was to keep it simple. He thought about waiting for Goombi and the Cavalry to arrive, but Kendra might be dead by then. He bit his lip and continued his sprint to the trees. She might be dead already. But if he attacked innocent people, his goose would be cooked. They lock him up and throw away the key. Whichever way it came out, he'd take his revenge out on everyone involved. He just hoped that no innocent person was in the house.

Time was of the essence. He decided to ignore the presumption of innocence, unless it became obvious. Everyone in the house was now considered guilty. If they weren't, he'd be spending a long time in jail. "I've got to take that chance," he resolved as he reached the trees.

Crawling forward, he worked his way through the bushes and trees in record time without leaving anything swishing in the breeze. If they were watching, any movement would be a dead giveaway.

He spied an old adversary leaving the building with two men, Elijah. A third man holding a suitcase hurried out the door and followed.

Pete worked his way closer, moving one leaf at a time, not disturbing a branch. His eyes narrowed as he peered through the bush. Everything seemed to turn black and white with many shades of gray as he saw detail that first escaped him.

Drifting slowly to the right he focused only on the four men. A leaf flowed past, then a branch, all moved to the left, as his eyes never left his prey. He noticed the last man breathing hard as he walked. Nothing escaped his eyes.

Elijah asked the tall white-faced man to bring a car around.

Pete heard the order to keep a sharp eye for intruders. He heard it all, even the grunt that the last man said under his breath.

He loved it when his vision and hearing sharpened. Only the colors were missing. The military doc gave it a name, but he never remembered how it was pronounced. That was a small price to pay for the details he saw.

Pete's lips parted and with clenched teeth, he watched the two men with Elijah. He never seen them before, but they were with the creep. That meant they were no good.

He heard the soft guttural growl come deep from within him, maybe from the pit of his stomach, as he followed them with his eyes. He felt relieved by the no restrictions he felt in his keep-it-simple plan. Now he'd take lives and let the blood soak the dirt.

Lifting the Ruger he slowly and firmly twisted on the matching silencer. He'd take out Elijah with a headshot. The two-power scope on top made the job easy.

Crawling forward with only a slight covering of leaves between him and the three men, he slowly placed his finger in the trigger guard. He stopped when he heard the sound of an approaching car.

A long black limousine pulled up. The man who exited the car was the same man Pete had seen talking with Elijah in the Temple. Were they both in on the kidnapping of Kendra? He'd find out later. He realigned the cross hairs to the center of Elijah's head, released a little of his breath, and squeezed.

Chapter 25

The little .22 recoiled ever so slightly as the bullet exploded from the barrel. The forehead of the man from the car filled the scope – then he turned. A bullet traveling such a short distance took only a millisecond to hit the target. Instantly Pete saw the bullet strike the man's head just behind the right ear.

Pete lowered his weapon just long enough to find Elijah. The little man grabbed the guy he shot and pushed his limp body into the limo. Pete lined up his pistol again. The door slammed shut and the limo sped away.

He turned to the other two, especially the one with the curly head. He was the closest though both now held pistols.

The tall white man drove around the house in another car and got out. He held a shotgun and swept the area looking for someone to shoot. The threesome scanned the tree line, searching.

Pete knew the guys with the pistols were more dangerous to him, but the one with the shotgun was probably more dangerous to Kendra.

He quickly sent 49 grams of copper-coated lead and death directly between Whitey's eyes. The shotgun fell from the guy's hand, and his body landed a mere heartbeat later. The other two scurried back to the house. Curly Hair led the way but stopped at the door. It was a big mistake.

The little .22 chugged again and the man was history.

The muscular guy stumbled over Curly's body and fell against the door. Pete fired again at the back of his head. Three bullets, three men down.

"Help!"

Pete heard a muffled cry from within the house. It was her voice. Kendra was alive. He felt elated until he felt sharp pain in his left hand. Something made the muscles cramp.

Luckily the pain lasted for a short minute and then eased.

His left hand came to life again, and he needed to get into the house. He hoped the cramping did not return.

He also knew that two more cars were parked around the house. Elijah drove off in one. Three men were down. One escaped. How many more might there be?

And all he possessed was a dinky .22. What he'd give to have his .308. He'd punch holes through that house until they screamed for mercy, but Kendra was also in there.

Using the scope on the pistol, he scanned the windows.

From his position he was able to control two sides. He hoped that if anyone else was inside they didn't know that one person stood between them and freedom.

He picked out the barrel of a rifle poking through an open window. There was someone else.

It might have been the window that brought Kendra's cry for help.

Moving through the trees, he used his powers of concealment to his advantage. In the Marines he once used a tree line to snipe away at the enemy all day long. They never saw his position and now he was doing it again.

The tip of the rifle barrel that Pete saw withdrew. He moved into a position that let him see directly into the window. Using the little scope he scanned the interior of the room. Something moved and Pete watched. In a few seconds he counted two figures. Neither was Kendra's. The odds were that he'd get one of them before they managed to hit the floor. But the survivor might take it out on her.

He held his fire until he had a clear target. By now, he guessed, those in the house were wondering how many were attacking them. Little did they know that a single .22 stood in their way.

He heard a muffled cry, but with the highway noise coming from his left, the sounds quickly mingled with the highways.

Pete spied a blind spot in the house, no windows, and no doors. He planned to make his way to that side and work his way to the back door.

As he hurried next to the house, he spied the two cars in back. If they made a break for it, he might be able to get the two of them. On the other hand, they might use Kendra as a shield. If by chance they were facing away from him, he'd pop the guy holding her and maybe get the other before he fled.

* * *

Rene sat on the floor peeking out the front door. Les guarded the back. Bruce stayed in the room with Kendra. Three Ak's ready for the expected assault. It never came.

One thing they knew, going out the front door was not a good idea. There were three dead men out front. No one wanted to be the fourth.

Rene studied the man lying on the porch, the curly headed one named, Mali. The one she dubbed Smiley. A thin dribble of crimson blood streamed down his face. A small dribble meant a small bullet.

The realization left her puzzled until she sensed that all this mayhem came from one person. Pete! But how?

There ought to be a law against stalkers.

She had two choices, kill the girl or use her as a hostage. The first appealed. The second never really gave them much of a chance. If they survived this fiasco, she still needed to get her people out of the country.

The heat would be hot enough without killing a hostage, and she suspected that the police might soon arrive.

Right now, as she figured it, Kendra was better to them alive than dead. Maybe she could bargain with Pete, if it was he who was out there. But how did he find them? The belt.

Rene looked back and thought about the belt. It hadn't been turned on. Or had it?

She crawled into the main room and found the belt in a corner. Sure enough, as she studied the switch, someone did turn it on. It must have been one of the three stooges.

That cinched it. It has to be Pete out there. The belt was probably his idea, and now he'd found them. The police must be on their way.

Pete saw it coming. Ponytail and another man charged out the back door and raced for a car. He immediately fired at Ponytail. The second man sensed the direction where Pete lay and sent a long burst from the AK in his direction, splintering wood from the house. Bullets tore through the walls as if they were plaster.

Pete's colored vision returned as he rose to one knee and shot the shooter before he reached the car. Pete felt exposed, but the kneeling position with the pistol leaning against the house gave him a steady shot.

"Boss, Les is down," Bruce yelled.

Bruce appraised the condition of his childhood friend hoping for a sign of life. He also recognized Peter Meirs kneeling at the edge of the house, and knew the exact location to spray his bullets. He'd get the shooter, and then he'd get Les and Rene to safety.

"Boss, follow me," Bruce yelled as started the car. As he exited the door a bullet clipped his ear, but it didn't hurt. He made it to the car and used the door as a shield.

Rene saw Les go down. Her plan to use Kendra as a hostage quickly evaporated. Bruce was firing at someone to the side of the house. She even heard the bullets punching through the wall and Bruce calling out a name to her - Peter Meirs. So it was Peter Meirs out there. How did he find them?

Maybe if she pushed Kendra out the door, in front of her, and threw Kendra in Peter's direction, they might have a chance to escape.

Pete remembered the pony-tailed man from the House of Pizza. It is the same man who videoed their attempt to run them off the road. Elijah -all of them- their all connected. There also has to be one more. The man who shot him with the shotgun must be around. That person was slender. That meant there is a person who has not appeared.

Well, he nailed Ponytail's friend. He lay not one hundred feet away. Next he'd get Ponytail himself.

Pete hurried around the house, making sure he wasn't seen from a window. When he reached the front door, he darted past so fast he doubted anyone saw him. In another second he was on the other side of the house behind Ponytail.

Shoving in the full clip, he readied his Ruger as bullets punched through the wall over his head. Someone must have seen his run to the other side. The third man, Pete guessed.

Pete scurried to the trees as Ponytail sent bullets in his direction. The bullets came too close for comfort. One was about to get lucky.

He rolled to his side and emptied his clip of .22's at Ponytail, who was now running toward him. Two bullets hit the man in the throat. He stumbled forward, the 7.62's from the Ak churned up dirt as it emptied itself. Ponytail fell headlong into the dust, clutching his throat.

The other shooter, the one in the house, came out of the house with Kendra being pushed forward. Pete aimed and felt the trigger stick. He glanced at the pistol and realized he was empty.

Rene saw her friends lying in the dirt, friends who trusted her for twenty years. These were her friends whom she trained and nurtured like a mother. Both now lay dead.

She shoved Kendra out the door and toward Pete and jumped into the car. Gunning the engine, she spun the car around in a cloud of concealing dust, and then sped away. There was nothing more she could do.

Bruce felt his lifeblood flowing between his fingers. He'd shot many people in his career. He knew what was to follow. He was a dead man. Twenty feet away lay his cousin Les. He needed to be with him. They had been through so much. Since childhood they struggled to survive. Now if they are to die, he wanted to die together.

If there is an afterlife, a real God who cares, who wanted justice, maybe that God will have mercy on them. He wanted to be close to his friend as they pleaded their case. But first he needed to crawl to him, to touch, to give comfort, a touch that only he could give. Now it is time to die.

He crawled the twenty feet separating them, clutching dirt with his fingers and pulling. Every time he moved a spurt of his lifeblood splashed to the left. In his mind he was now a child reaching for his cousin. Dreariness overwhelmed him as he crawled. In desperation he continued to claw the dirt. Somehow he moved closer. God, he prayed, I'm so tired. Don't let me die yet.

Pete watched Ponytail crawling toward the other man. A river of blood splattered a red trail in the dirt. Ponytail stopped moving just a finger length away from his quest. He never made it.

Pete's eyes relaxed and for the first time in his life he felt pity for someone he shot. Staring until the small drama ended, he went back to watching the house. His eyes narrowed as he prepared to kill again.

She sat in the dirt watching him.

He hurried to where the other man dropped his rifle, snatched it up, and then rolled to Kendra.

She looked at him. "Wolf," she cried and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I got you," he said. "Everything's okay."

She cried as he kept a wary eye on the building, the rifle in his hand sweeping back and forth, waiting for the unexpected. It never came.

Picking her up in his arms he backed away until the bushes concealed them.

Only after approaching sirens sounded, did he feel secure enough. Caressing his only love in his arms, he kissed her face and wiped away her tears. Then he realized she didn't have on any clothes.

"Second time I've saved you in the nude," he said with a halfhearted laugh, and kissed her again. He hoped his weak humor might lift her spirits, maybe a little. He knew he felt glad.

She never released her arms from around his neck and he loved it.

"I'm going inside to get your clothing," he said and tried to move, but her arms held him tight.

"Don't leave me," she cried and gripped him tighter.

"I won't," he said and took off his shirt to cover her. "Put this on," he whispered. I'll get your clothes later."

The sirens grew closer and he heard the first car skid to a stop. The cops were at the front of the house. He dropped the Ak and picked her up in his arms.

Chapter 26

While the police tried to sort out all the dead bodies, Pete and Kendra sat in the military vehicle with the big Indian, answering all his questions.

"Where'd you get the pistol?" Goombi asked. No, it was more of a demand.

Pete thought for a second. He could lie, but that'd last only so long. The lieutenant, the police, they'd all know the truth before long. Then there's Kendra. Ask her that question and the game was up.

In his minds eye he still saw Ponytail. The hole in his throat spurting his life away, crawling, trying to reach the other man. He wondered if they were brothers. The thought almost brought tears as he fought back the wetness in his right eye. He just didn't understand why he felt this way, but the guy's death bothered him.

He closed his eyes as Goombi asked another question. The shooting was justified. Fighting killers meant you killed them, or let them kill you. Maybe, someday, it will be different. Right now the guys he'd met didn't give anyone a chance.

Still, something about watching the man crawling, bleeding, and dying changed him. He knew it. He opened his eyes, hoping never again to have to kill anything, even an ant.

In the gathering crowd of onlookers, Rene stood somewhat back, and watched. Tears came to her eyes as she watched her boys being placed in black zippered body bags. One part of her wanted to flee, to get out of the country. The other side demanded revenge. She always knew that someday, one or all of them would die. It was part of the job. But, accepting it emotionally and logically was vastly different from coming face-to-face with the real thing.

She trained Les and Bruce, almost raising them. They were like brothers to her. They were the only family she ever knew. She'd miss them, she'd revenge them, but the sorrow she felt was tearing her apart.

Someday she'd write a book on her life, and they'd be featured. They deserved no less, but for now there was work to do. Money was unimportant. That ended when her employer abandoned them. That guy'll get his in spades.

She watched as the black bags holding Les and Bruce were lifted onto the back of a truck. They were then unceremoniously dropped like so much garbage.

"No," she whispered. "This is for them and for me."

Elijah called ISRAELI 911 and asked for directions to the nearest hospital. He then directed the driver where to turn.

"Drive faster," he ordered. "They are waiting for us."

Elijah stemmed the flow of blood from Von Resh's head, but his leader was clearly in shock. Who shot him? Once he found that name, that person's life would be a living hell.

At the same time he realized that he might not get the chance to clear the books. It was stupid thing for him to have revealed himself to Kendra and his hired killers from Florida. If she talked, the police would be after him within the hour. Then it'd be her words against his. The Israeli police would watch him even if they never were able to prove a thing. He'd have to create a spin that sent the police looking somewhere else.

The car careened up a driveway to emergency and abruptly stopped. A gurney appeared as the hospital doors were flung open. In seconds Von Resh was whisked away to the doctors. Now Elijah needed to report what had happened. He rehearsed his version of the story and felt ready.

First he came to a house for the purpose of getting information on a terrorist cell. He entered and found men in there who frightened him. He backed away in fear for his life. Then Von Resh drove up and provided security. Someone from the house shot him. Maybe Von Resh was the real target.

After he explained everything to the police, he thought of his last statement. It would be better to play the ploy as an assassination attempt on Von Resh.

Elijah quickly followed the doctors, nurses and Von Resh to an emergency bay. He expected the police to arrive very soon. But first he and the doctors needed to save Von Resh's life, and he needed to use the spiritual powers that he possessed.

In the old Star Wars movies they called it the Force. To Elijah, the Force, the God of this planet, the God who cared about the things of man, the only true God among lesser Gods, all were the same. Greater and lesser Gods all were one with the force.

Elijah and Von Resh both worshipped the God of many chances, many lives, the God living within every creature, the God of powers beyond man's limited ability to understand. He and Von Resh alone understood the power and could direct it at their whim.

They always expected to lead the world into Utopia. He and Von Resh were God's reason for creation. Everything in their lives was destined for this moment. They were the only two people on all the earth who understood.

But he saw Von Resh eyes, and the man wasn't breathing. Von Resh appeared dead. Maybe they were wrong. Maybe Von Resh wasn't the one.

My God, Elijah felt like yelling, as if it might release unlimited energies and power and raise Resh to health.

The many names of God rolled through his mind. He picked the oldest one that man knew. Great and Morning Star, The Great I AM, names that imposters from time throughout history claimed for themselves. He personally liked being called The All Mighty Sheitan.

Soon, by the prophecies of old, all those religious freaks calling themselves Born-Again Christians would be taken out of this world. Then he and Resh would bring the world under their control. Yet what can be done with a dead man? Resh needed to be alive to make it work.

"This earth," Von Resh once declared, "and all that's in it belong to me. No alien God, especially one who calls himself, Jehovah, will ever steal it from me. I, Daniel Von Resh will stop him. Elijah, you must do your part. The glory that belongs to the Supreme Being, and resides within me, will belong only to Him and to Him alone."

Elijah's head swam as he prayed for patience. He and Von Resh studied the ancient writings, searching for when the fateful day of resurrection would arrive. He hoped that they hadn't believed a lie.

He needed to believe and hold on.

He let out a long deep breath and tried to relax. In three days he hoped he'd give a sigh of relief, or it would be over.

Before the day ends, Elijah prepared for the next stage. He needed to talk to the High Priest at the temple. There was so much to do and so little time. I hope they allow at least one TV camera into the inner room. The world will be in an uproar when they see the greatest documented use of godly forces in the history of man.

Pete and Kendra sat in the army truck as it bounced along the road to the Beit L'Nan army base. Lieutenant Goombi and his men drove in a smaller truck and led the way. Safety was the primary concern. Once on the base, the chances of being attacked would be minimal or non-existent.

Until the police and military knew the players involved in the kidnapping, Pete and Kendra were going to be placed under protective custody for thirty days. Then the government will slip all of them out of the country in a way that'd leave the remaining killer totally frustrated.

Lieutenant Goombi used his phone, talking with his commanding officers. One thing he knew. This incident affected Israel's politics all the way to the Prime Minister. Right now he was privileged to be on the line in a conference that included the Minister of Defense.

The government, even with the terrible scene that Kendra created during the ceremonies, was still indebted to her.

The orders were explicit. Kendra and Pete were to be placed under heavy protection while they remained in Israel. The police felt it would take four weeks to finish their investigation, especially since at the moment it was only Kendra's words against those of Mister Ben-Yosaf, who possessed a tremendous following in the nation.

Goombi didn't know about such things, but he knew Kendra. He survived with her and believed he knew her better than any of the officials. If she called Elijah the leader of those trying to kill her, he believed her. And if Elijah is a killer, then he is not a prophet he wanted his nation following.

The phone rang in the hotel room and Steve beat Lora in picking it up.

"Hello, this is the Talon room." He listened as Lora and Esther waited in silence, in nervous expectation. They waited for the call from Pete who left before dawn. All that time they hoped to hear good news.

Lora held Esther close to her as Steve listened. When he placed the phone back on the cradle, the outburst of questions began.

"Hold it!" Steve held up his hands to ward off the inquisition. "Pete found Kendra and they are at a military base. Pack up our stuff. A truck from the army will be here to take us to them. We are to wait in our room until they arrive. The government will take care of the hotel bills."

"When did he find her?" asked Lora. "Is anyone hurt?"

"I've been told that they are all fine. I guess we'll know more after we get there."

He looked at the two of them staring back at him and clapped his hands. "Come on, let's get moving."

Rene Paxton stopped her car next to the park and found a seat facing the hotel. She knew that Kendra and Pete never arrived. Still she wanted to see them. She'd follow them to hell and back. Somehow she'd kill them. Yet what she heard on television frightened her more.

The earth's magnetic field just changed directions. What that meant, she didn't know. She knew that all compasses were affected. She presumed migrating birds might get in trouble. What else might it mean? Is this the end of the world?

Chapter 27

Three o'clock, on a partly sunny Jerusalem afternoon, Elijah traveled by a secured motorcade to the eastern rampart of the newly dedicated Temple. Following came the ambulance transporting the body of Daniel Von Resh, Archduke of Austria, President of the World Trade Organization, influential confidant of Presidents and Premiers. Four of Von Resh's personal security men rode in a third car, followed first by Jewish rabbis and then a team from Israeli Internal Security. Elijah sat mesmerized by the flashing blue lights of the police car that led the way. His mind reeled with the plan he'd follow. He, Von Resh and his counselors went over the performance a dozen times, but then Von Resh was not a three-day-old corpse.

Under normal circumstances, what was about to happen would never be permitted. But in respect for Daniel Von Resh, and for what he performed for the Jewish State, especially the six billion American dollars of reconstruction grants that he created through his influence, a special permit was granted to hold the service.

Quietly Elijah relished the fact that the request left the High Priest wringing with fear. Bringing fire down from space left a healthy respect for Elijah and his wishes. So far he never used that ability to burn people alive, but Elijah's hint of punishment was not wasted on the priest.

He liked it when the rich and powerful feared him. What he didn't like was his own personal fear of failure. He hated looking like a fool. He never brought a person back to life again. Daniel Von Resh counted on this performance. His spiritual advisers said it must be done. They said it will succeed.

Hundreds within Israel spoke of receiving a vision that revealed Von Resh as a descendent of the tenth king of Israel, King Hoshea. Some even proclaimed Daniel Von Resh to be the soon coming Messiah. Von Resh said he needed this supernatural spark to ignite the world. When completed he'd burn away the chaff of resistance to his rule.

But what if the spark never ignites?

Elijah shook his head and turned away from the flashing police lights. He needed to stop think this out. "Follow the script," he said. "Do it and let the chips fall where they may."

He didn't feel comfortable speaking over a man who'd been dead three days. "Who do they think I am, God?" he grumbled. "If it weren't for refrigeration, his body would be decomposing.

Following his leader's wishes he resigned himself to do as told, bring Von Resh's corpse into the inner court of the temple Once there he'd lay the open casket before the first curtain leading to the Holy of Holies. That's the plan. Then he'd give a prewritten prayer for life to return into Von Resh.

He hoped that Kendra Makray didn't show up. She'd mess it up for sure. Why hadn't he followed Rene's request and simply put a bullet in her brain?

Now she's still alive, and if she shows up, the whole thing will end up a joke. Again everything it will be captured by the cameras. He'll be laughed at for decades.

If this doesn't work, he'd still be able to make a living by bringing fire down from space. Maybe I'll just step into the flames. Then I won't have to face a world laughing in my face. If Von Resh's spiritual seers were around, he'd make them burn with him.

"Oh great God, Lucifer," he prayed that name quietly. "The true God of this planet. Do not let Daniel Von Resh, this instrument of your greatness see decay. Help me, guide me, do not let me fail."

Elijah noticed the driver's eyes looking his way.

"I am sure, sir," the driver said, "that the God you worship will hear your prayer. I also do hope you are successful. I've waited for the Messiah to appear and always hoped Mister Von Resh might be the one. There have been none like him, or you, sir, who have stood by us in our time of need. I pray for your success. Have you heard about the change in the magnetic field?"

"Yes I have," Elijah said. "But I must finish my task before I can understand that means."

"I hope you are successful," the driver said.

"We will, my son. We will."

The simple act of encouragement from an unknown believer lifted him from the doldrums. As for the earth's magnetic field, he'd leave that up to the scientist to explain. For a moment he needed to concentrate on Von Resh.

The driver slowed the car and finally stopped at the gate leading to the outer court. Elijah didn't wait for the driver to come around and grasped the door handle. He stepped out. He felt nervous and he was ready.

Elijah hurried to the ambulance and waited quietly as Von Resh's body was carefully removed. From the corner of his eyes he saw security fanning out and making a protective shield. Kendra better not interfere. He gave his security men strict orders to shoot her on sight.

Unfortunately the press knew about Von Resh's body being permitted to enter the temple. Thankfully things were moving too fast for the priesthood to mobilize a protest to this desecration.

Two reporters and their camera crews were waiting.

Elijah watched with concealed pleasure as newsmen encircled the ambulance and began recording. He heard the soft cadence of their voices discreetly reporting every movement.

The casket was laid upon a gurney and covered by a silk E.U. flag.

The Temple's High Priest positioned himself at the head of the growing column and looked to see if everyone was ready. Elijah nodded to proceed. The priest, the police, the military, and Elijah slowly walked behind the casket as the bearers wheeled Von Resh across the courtyard.

The procession reached the inner gate and four Temple priest, stationed at the gate pushed it open. Only the priests, Elijah, and two approved television crews were allowed beyond that point.

Every step energized his body. "Yes," he said under his breath as he thought of his female nemesis, Kendra Makray. You troublemaker. If you mess this up today, I'll rip your heart out. Then he chuckled to himself. You're going to miss a great show, a perfect chance to embarrass me. This will be my finest hour.

A cold chill settled over him as they walked. If this doesn't work they'll be laughing me out of town.

The procession made its way to the inner gate and stopped. The high Priest gave a command and the two massive bronze gates slowly opened. The procession moved forward.

They reached the temple and the path to the very heart of the Temple, the Holy of Holies.

The High Priest stopped in front of the gilded closed doors and raised his hands. With the sound of a trumpet blast, the two guilded doors swung open. Elijah looked inside at a thick scarlet and blue hanging curtain that covered the sacred entrance. The Ark of the Covenant rested just behind the curtain.

Elijah knew it was now time to began.

Looking around he saw the priests, the cameramen, and the reporters. Everyone was waiting. Everyone's eyes were locked on him. Being granted the right to perform a reincarnation from the dead also came with a time limit. Thirty minutes might not be enough.

He held his breath and began. Raising his hands to heaven, he hoped the cameras got his good side. Von Resh wrote down exactly what to do. Von Resh always said they are able to reach past the known law of physic. Well today he was reaching out with his mind. Before long he felt the psychic energies within him swelling until his body shook from the invisible living force. He became oblivious to the surroundings.

The tingling in his fingers increased. Suddenly, thick streamers of blue-white sparkling light streaked from the tips. Startled, he held the course. The lightning-like streams of energy bolted into the casket, lashing open the side. Around him and the casket Elijah saw the air shimmered in a gold incandescent light.

"Come forth!" He heard himself speak before he knew it and he stared directly at the lid of the casket. He opened the lid and reached out a hand and said again, "I command you to come forth. Oh God of Israel. Bring forth your son."

He looked at the dead body of his commander and saw the linen cloth draped over Von Resh's body.

Reaching forward he touched the body and spoke. This time his voice sounded different. It was his, yet it wasn't. Something seemed to have taken possession of his voice.

"Master," he said in absolute wonderment and heard himself shout, "My Messiah and King. Son of the Great I Am of all creation, Come forth."

When nothing happened, he called out again with more force. With perspiration running down his brow he called more forcefully. "Come forth,"

Within the golden hue surrounding the casket a blinding burst of lightening sparked from the head of the casket.

The four sides of the casket exploded outward and fell to the marble floor. One side hit Elijah and made him stumble back. He regained his composure and moved quickly to Von Resh's side.

Elijah felt ecstatic. Something magnificent was happening. He studied Von Resh's lifeless body, hoping to see life, but there was no movement. Then from around him and above him an invisible chorus sang praises and hallelujah to God.

He removed the linen covering from Von Resh.

Behind him he heard a gasp. The part that had lain directly against Von Resh seemed darkened by an image on its surface.

Elijah looked down at Von Resh as the High Priest came alongside.

Von Resh's right eyelid moved. Then both eyes began moving below the lids.

The High Priest moved back as did his assistants. Under the porticos, the TV crews worked to capture every detail.

Elijah stepped closer. "Herr Resh, Messiah of the living God, can you hear me?"

Von Resh moved his mouth, as if to speak. His right eye was gone, but his left eyelid quivered, and then snapped open. Von Resh stared unblinking for a moment before he tried to rise. The hole that had once been Von Resh’s right eye mesmerized him. He watch with curiosity as skin, or whatever it was, slowly filled the back of the eye. The god he had prayed to did not wish to restore the missing right eye. There has to be a reason he thought.

Instead of sitting up, Von Resh floated up from the bottom panel of the casket. Elijah watched with excitement.

"Were am I?" Von Resh asked as Von Resh floated with his right arm outstretched high above Elijah. The left arm seemed to be unable to move.

At a loss for words, Elijah shouted, "Hallelujah!" Unable to control himself he began shouting and dancing around the casket.

The High Priest rushed forward with his assistants and stood by Elijah. They all stared with mouths open at Von Resh floating above them. Elijah stared at everyone. He was enjoying the show. Then he said with a loud voice, “Look upon the son of your God.”

Von Resh's hand patted the side of his head. The spot where he had been shot. "I have a slight headache," he said. "I saw God touch this spot. He placed His finger on the wound. He healed me."

"You were hurt," Elijah cried. "God has healed you. He has made you heir to this planet. He has infilled you with his spirit and together, your body coupled with His spirit, will lead this world from the brink of destruction. Then Elijah laughed. "What did you hear while you were in His holy presence?"

Von Resh lowered his arms and slowly returned to the ground. Then he looked up as if someone was talking to him. "Yes. I understand," he said to someone invisible. "Why me, Lord? I am unfit to hold this title. Mighty I Am, I can do nothing unless you are with me, in me. I need you."

Von Resh looked around at those closes to him. "I have been selected," he said. "I have been touched and filled with the powers of Almighty God. I have little time. I must be about His bidding."

He walked swiftly to the curtain separating him from the Ark of the Covenant. Without waiting or asking permission, he opened the curtain. Elijah ran forward to stop his friend.

"Do not do such a thing. You will defile the Temple."

"Do you not yet know me, Elijah? Someone greater than the Temple is here. I Am. You might say, 'I am God.' But I'm not God. I, just like you, only serve that one true God. He is the God of this world."

Von Resh turned and looked at the startled priests, who now came running forward. They ran past him and closed the curtains. As he walked away, he studied the closed gates leading from the inner court then waved a hand. The gates opened as if an unseen hand pushed them open. Before leaving he walked over to the High Priest, who stood speechless.

"I thank you for allowing me to be brought here. The great I Am, the God of all forces, is eternally grateful to you and your people."

A choir of voices appeared again from somewhere high above. All heard the song proclaiming the glory of God.

Angelic voices sang louder and louder, and Elijah watched the High Priest scan the sky, looking for the source of the singing. Then he saw Von Resh point his right index finger at the opposing wall.

Brilliant white light streaked from the out stretched finger and smashed into the wall. Sparks of molten rock splattered and fell to the ground.

Moving under the unseen, laser strength light carved and vaporized the gleaming marble, writing in ancient Hebrew script. The priest quickly interpreted the words. They read, "Blessed Is He Who Comes In The name Of the Lord."

Von Resh spoke to the priest in and ancient Hebrew tongue and then to the hidden TV cameras. "Only my father can do this," he said in flawless Hebrew. "Now He resides in me."

He finished with acknowledgement of the help he and Elijah received, help that made this miracle possible.

"Come, my friend," Von Resh said. "We must be about my God and your God's business."

Elijah watched in total fascination as Von Resh descended the marbled steps as if he were walking on air and went to the open gate. He truly has become the anointed one, he thought with a smile. Then he uttered words he never thought he'd speak. Turning toward the cameras he said. "He is the one chosen by God to be His vessel. He is the Great Mahadi. He will lead this world to a new age."

Elijah hurried to follow Von Resh. "Daniel Von Resh is the One the world has been a waiting," he said excitedly, ignoring the cameras. The Catholic Pope had his alien visitation from that flying saucer that appeared out of the sea west of Rome, but here is something everyone can see and touch. "Von Resh is God with us. He is Emmanuel."

Whatever else anyone said, he, Elijah, saw it all take place before his very eyes. The whole world also saw it.

A voice sounded in his mind and he looked up at Von Resh. The man-God stood at the gate and beckoned with thoughts that penetrated Elijah's mind.

He turned to the priest and reporters, finding himself at a loss for words. "Good-by," he stuttered. "I must be going." He stopped and realized that everyone was waiting for more. They all wanted to know more about what just occurred.

Elijah composed himself and straightened up to his full height. "As it is written in the book of Elijah, behold I have sent my servant before you, and it is he who is to prepare the way. I am a voice crying in the wilderness. Make ready the path for the Lord." He looked intently into the first camera that he saw. "Today, those words have been fulfilled in your sight. Everyone knows where Daniel Von Resh came from, that he is unworthy of God so honoring him. For some unexplained reason, God selected him to be his messiah to a lost and dying world. God has always selected a man throughout the ages, and I believe that Von Resh has been selected because of his abilities and because of the chaos the world is about to enter into."

Elijah looked at the stunned High Priest. "I thank you for making all this possible."

Outside the last gate, Elijah saw the paramedic, the police, and the soldiers standing in shock as Von Resh led him toward the waiting security car. Before entering, Von Resh gave a short speech and thanked everyone for their immense help in fulfilling God's given prophecy.

Von Resh thanked all who help make his resurrection from the dead possible. Then he smiled toward the speechless camera crews and hoped he was able to conceal the coldness in his eyes.

"I look forward to seeing your reports this evening," he said and gave a final wave before entering the car. Elijah rushed to the other side.

A safe distance away Von Resh laughed as he turned to Elijah. "You and I, we have a lot of work to do. We must prepare to give a level of leadership that this world sorely cries out for. We will take them where they never dreamed they would go. In a short while they will beg us for help, if for no other reason but to keep food on their table. Elijah, God lives live in me. I can feel Him and hear His thoughts. His thoughts are now mine. Though I am Daniel Von Resh, a mere mortal, God resides in this earthen vessel, and He is telling me that in me the great I Am, and me, Daniel Von Resh, have become one."

Elijah sat mesmerized. "You truly are the one that has been prophesied from old. I am absolutely amazed."

Emanating from Von Resh, Elijah felt a life force so powerful that every cell in his body wanted to shout for joy. He noticed a strange light fogging his vision and then saw his hands. They were glowing. He was absorbing Von Resh's energy.

Von Resh raised his head and smiled. "As your nemesis once aptly stated," he threw his head back and laughed, "Boy, is it good to be alive."

Chapter 28

"He did what?" Kendra asked as Steve called to her.

She hurried from the kitchen and sat in front of the television, desperate to catch all that the commentator was describing. The scene behind the reporter was that of the Temple.

Pete talked to Esther, describing most of what happened after he found Kendra. He discretely left out the shooting and killing.

"Hush!" Kendra cried. "I've got to hear this." She scooted off the couch and turned the volume higher.

Pete stopped talking and looked at Kendra. Esther turned around and looked at her godmother. Lora, who was staring out the window, now turned and listened.

"The religious council," the commentator said, "that governs the temple is unanimous in the decision. No one wants to have this incident repeated."

The camera stopped on a group of rabbis standing together as the one known as Rabbi Gersh spoke. "The prophet Elijah has overstepped the boundaries and respect for the council's spirit of intent. No rabbi, no alleged prophet, no matter what miracles he or she performs, can justify allowing an uncircumcised man to touch the curtain of the Holy of Holies, much less opening it up. This is unforgivable."

"Already," the reporter said in conclusion, "the effects of this impropriety is causing many in the priesthood to ask for the High Priest's resignation. He gave permission and it is he who must bear the responsibility."

"What happened?" Kendra asked.

"I think our friend, Elijah, took a dead guy into the temple. Pete thought of the man he accidentally shot in the head. He brought up that fact to Goombi or the police. The report supplied by Goombi said that the kidnappers shot Daniel Von Resh. Whether the police believe you or not, it may never be known. That was their official position. There was no reason for him to say otherwise. "Apparently this Resh guy was killed by Kendra's kidnappers, but now he's alive."

"Oh no," Kendra cried. "He must be the Antichrist. He's the one. This world is going crazy. The rapture has to be near. Hallelujah, but I fear for everyone who's left behind. And now we have the magnetic field flipping. This has to be terrible, but I don't know what it means."

Pete sat mesmerized by the report, knowing that he was the one responsible for the man's death. As for the magnetic field, he'll wait for the scientist to explain it. He suspected that all animal life will be affected in some way. Then he thought of the Van Allen Belt. The way he understood it, that magnetic field protected the earth from space radiation.

He wiped his forehead and eyes from the frustration of not knowing. As for Von Resh, he didn't want to think about his part. The image of Ponytail crawling across the dirt with his life draining away still haunted him.

As Pete watched television, he saw two rabbis standing outside the Temple being interviewed. He ignored them. There were other things to worry about. The foremost is getting out of Israel. At the same time he kept a wary eye on Kendra. She seemed clearly agitated.

Kendra's eyes' stayed fixed on the two distraught rabbis who were warning Jews to turn to God.

"If you refuse to believe God," she heard one say, "then you will be counted as lost. Do not share your heart with other religions. God is a jealous God. He knows the right paths for everyone. Believe and trust in God as your only way and in Him alone."

The other rabbi spoke. "I saw myself standing before God, pleading for the nation. Now I plead with you. Do not turn from this day of salvation. Repent and turn to the God of Abraham. Maybe He will protect you from the day of His wrath. Turn your hearts to the children, and they will turn their hearts to you..."

Kendra never heard all that was said. The interruption to the regularly scheduled programming ended and the class on cooking returned. She turned to Steve who first noticed the television interruption and the two rabbis being interviewed. "When did this interview take place?"

"I think it was around three o'clock."

Kendra began pacing the floor more agitated than ever. She stopped and said. "We've got real trouble." Looking everyone in the eye she added. "We've got to get out of here."

Pete watched Esther hurry to her godmother's side and grab her hand.

"Are they the ones you have been expecting," the girl said.

Kendra sat down on the floor. Taking both of Esther's hands in hers she said, "I think so. Do you see what's happened? One of these two rabbis may have come in the spirit of Elijah. We have to get away. Time has run out. Jacob's Trouble has begun. The man of sin has desecrated the Temple. We have to get away from Jerusalem."

Pete knelt beside Kendra and asked, "What are you talking about? Go where?"

The look in her eyes revealed the panic she felt.

"Calm down," he said. "Try to relax. What are you talking about? Nothing’s going to happen to us."

"You don't understand. This army base is next to Jerusalem. The Bible says that when you see the Man of Perdition standing in the Holy of Holies, we are to flee Jerusalem. This Resh guy who was dead and is now alive did that, just as the prophets foretold. Now we'll have a bunch of fools running around calling him the Messiah. And these two rabbis being interviewed on television? The Bible tells of someone in the spirit of Elijah who will come before the time of Jacob's trouble. I believe that trouble began sometimes ago. It really does begin with that day called the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord. World War three is about to begin. It could be this year or next."

"But Kendra," Steve said as he tried to calm her fears, "These guys didn't say anything. A lot of preachers talk like that. As for this Resh guy maybe he wasn't really dead, just in a comma." Steve shrugged his shoulders, "Maybe the body repaired itself. Anyway, it's over. He and Elijah apparently left the country. Nothing happened."

"But it will. God says it will. I've got to warn the Prime Minister."

"The Prime Minister." Pete choked on the words. "Why the Prime Minister? These guys are smart. They know about these things."

"You know the Prime Minister of Israel?" asked Lora.

"She's met him twice," answered Pete as he stood dumfounded by Kendra's fear and urgency. "You remember. We met him after the war. The Ark, remember we got a medal for discovering the Ark?"

"Oh yes," Lora replied. "My mind must be on something else. Is he still the Prime Minister?"

Kendra tired of their banter. "Knock it off. This talk about 'did you meet the Prime Minister' is ridiculous. We've got bigger things to worry about."

"It's a long story," Pete replied to Lora's look," as ignored Kendra. Then he turned his full attention to Kendra and asked. "You haven't explained why you have to talk to Avraham."

Kendra's eyes pleaded for understanding. She wrapped her arms around his neck and barely held herself back from crying. When she released him she looked in his eye.

"Because something very terrible is about to happen. I just know it."

He saw her bite the bottom of her lip. Whatever was frightening her, it was real to her. At first he thought it was the episode with the kidnappers. That would have been enough to frighten anyone, but she seemed to have ignored that horror. This new thing was far more dangerous.

"Things happened so fast," she said. "I never told you about the vision I received during the ceremonies."

This time Pete never took his eyes off of her. He suspected everyone else also wanted to hear this new bit of information.

"I saw Elijah and that friend of his."

"The Prime Minister of Austria, Herr Von Resh."

"That's the one. I saw him and Elijah standing by the Holy of Holies. Mister Resh said something and I saw Satan entering his body. The next thing I knew I was the city of Jerusalem. A rabbi was being interviewed. The man was telling those who'd listen to turn their hearts to the children and the children to turn their hearts back to their fathers. Everything I just heard on TV is what I saw in the vision. After that three huge bombs exploded. They looked like nuclear bombs. At least I think they were, but they didn't destroy the city. Still they sent up mushroom clouds just like the ones you see in movies, and the explosions caused thousands to die."

Kendra paused to gather her thoughts.

"What else?" Pete asked impatiently. "Did you see anything else?"

"I saw people dying after the explosions. The next thing I saw it spread to all of Israel. She was being attacked again, but red lines came up from the ground and saved her from total destruction."

Kendra looked up at the ceiling as if she were seeing her vision a second time.

"I heard the number of those killed. It was two billion."

"Not from a failed attack on Israel," chided Pete.

"No, it wasn't Israel now. The war expanded and covered the whole earth. Then I saw the people of the world, good and bad, suffering. Children starving. Food gone. Electricity gone. People were fighting and killing over dead bodies. More explosions. They were nuclear. The world was at war."

She looked everyone in the eye as she griped Esther's hand tighter.

"I know exactly what I saw, and it's exactly what I have been warning everyone about. Now it's here, maybe this very hour. I'm frightened."

"Did you see anything else?" asked Pete. He was afraid there might be more she wasn't telling, a lot more.

"I saw one other thing but it doesn't make any sense."

"What was it? Maybe we can figure it out."

"I saw," she stopped and tried desperately to see the vision again, but it was mixed up with the kidnapping and the torture.

"I saw," she continued, "a mighty man. He stood on the earth and reached up into heaven, yet it wasn't heaven. He reached up with a hand and pulled things apart."

Pete patted her hand when she paused. "He pulled things apart. What things?"

Kendra shook her head as she tried to understand. "He pulled things apart on the earth."

Lora asked in her therapist voice, "What came apart on the earth?"

Kendra looked at her sister standing behind Pete. "I saw a stone statue walking and talking. The stone came alive. I saw this man make things float in the air. He possessed powers no one ever seen before. No one can stand against him. He kills by speaking and making bodies fall apart."

She reached over and gave Esther a protective hug. "This man is very dangerous. He changes times and seasons and arouses great fear." Kendra closed her eyes and continued. "People are worshipping him. Some out of fear, some out of adoration, and the earth is filled with people who worship him. They are killing anyone who does not believe as they do. Millions are slaughtered."

She noticed that Steve was visibly shaken. Lora carried that 'I've heard this all before' look, while Pete gave her one of his 'it will be okay' smiles. She looked at Esther, the only person in the room who really believed her.

"You said something about red lines?" Pete asked. "What were those about?"

"I don't know. They were just red lines. I have to tell the Prime Minister of what I saw and is about to happen."

She thought of Australia because that continent revealed fewer mushroom clouds rising above the land. Groaning she feared if she told anyone else about what she saw they might call her crazy. They might even take Esther away from her.

Life crashed around her shoulders. I need a sign. God I need a sign. I need encouragement. I need a sign from you that you are real.

She stared at the floor and a voice in her mind stopped her in her tracks.

Am I not good enough for you?

She heard the words. The need for a sign vanished.

Kendra's eyes opened brightly, her fears ended. A smile appeared as she weighed what needed to be told. The world is running after signs. No! Jesus is whom I need. God is all I need. I thank you for all you've shown me, she prayed. Forgive me.

She moved Esther off her lap and stood. "I've got work to do. I need to warn Prime Minister Avraham."

Pete stepped back and looked at the woman he loved. He liked her fighting attitude and wondered where all her anxiety went. Kendra seemed like a different person, one with fight. He loved it. Even though he didn't understand.

Kendra went to the door and waited for Esther. They both walked away and closed the door behind. No one else followed.

As she exited the military housing, Kendra asked the first soldier she found. "I need to talk to the base commander. Where's his office?"

The soldier pointed out the administration building and Kendra led Esther on a brisk walk.

The two story white building appeared around the next corner. They entered the building, talked to the guard, asked for directions, and ascended the steps.

At the top she saw the office and entered. Inside four soldiers sat at their desks. Only one looked up, a man with the stripes of a Major Sergeant.

"Can I help you?" the Sergeant asked.

Kendra stood in front of his desk with Esther holding tightly to her hand.

"I need to see Colonel Grisham."

A quizzical expression filled the sergeant's face as the other the three men turned to listen. The sergeant looked at the child next to Kendra and asked. "Does the colonel know you?"

"No! And I don't have an appointment," Kendra answered, "but this is urgent."

The sergeant in front of Kendra noticeably relaxed. "Can I ask what the matter is?"

"Yes you can, but I don't think you'll be able to handle it."

"Why don't you try me? First of all give me your name." A slight smile appeared on his thin lips and his eyes flicked to his fellow soldiers.

Kendra hoped to sit with the commander and quietly explain what she saw, who she was, and anything else the colonel needed in order to pass the warning up the chain of command. Now she talked to someone who most likely thinks she's a fruitcake. The other three comrades would more than likely start chuckling as soon as she left. She felt the heat rising in her neck.

"What if I write it for you, Sergeant, and you deliver it," Kendra said with as much sarcasm as she could muster.

It gave her pleasure to see the effect her words carried. The man quickly looked up. The smile vanished from his face.

"And if you don't give him this message," she continued, "I'll personally have the Minister of Defense chew your ass so hard you won't sit for a month."

She hadn't used such language for years, not since the Lord convicted her and she gave her life to Him.

Seeing the effect her words produced made her confidant in her anger. She gave the other soldiers a withering look from eyes.

"Your nation's future is on the line, and I don't have time to waste with a bunch of goof-balls."

Feeling inwardly pleased with herself, Kendra knew made her point.

After the sergeant quickly supplied a blank sheet of paper and a pencil, Kendra decided to push if farther. "If you don't mind, I'd rather write it on a word processor."

"Corporal!" the sergeant barked. "Let Miss," he looked up at Kendra waiting for a name.

"Miss Kendra Makray," she announced slowly and with power. "Now may I begin writing?"

"Corporal!" The sergeant waved his hand and the junior soldier jumped from his seat and offered his computer to Kendra.

"I need to do this in English," she said as she walked to the desk.

"Yes, Mam."

Twenty minutes later she finished and asked for three envelopes. She printed three copies on the laser printer and put one in each envelope. After sealing the envelopes, she came around to the sergeant's desk and handed one envelope to him.

"I'm going to send two copies directly to the Prime Minister's office, just in case the one I've given you gets lost in the shuffle. I pray that what I've written isn't time-critical."

She looked at the sergeant and dropped one envelope in the "IN" basket.

"Now pick it up and lay it on his desk," she ordered, "and make sure he can find it."

"Yes, Mam," he replied. "I'll do it right away."

"Good!

Kendra reached for Esther's hand and headed for the door. Before she left, she thanked the corporal for the use of his computer and the sergeant for being a gentleman. As she closed the door behind her, she winked at Esther and headed for the base post office.

Chapter 29

Prime Minister Amiran Avraham finished reading the letter from Kendra Makray. Another arrived a moment earlier from the base commander at Beit L'Nan.

"How long will it take to get THOR in place, General?" THOR, Israel's super secret anti-ballistic missile defense system was instrumental in saving the nation a few years earlier. It was kept secret from the world at that time. Now it might be different this time.

THOR was the acronym for Theater High-Altitude Ozonated Laser. A high energy solid state Laser was combined with a Ozone producing particle generator. A Laser beam first cut through the atmosphere and basically cleared the way. A millisecond later a second Laser beam traveled the same highway and carried high energy particles that destroyed everything they hit.

Lieutenant General Ehud Ben-Izenburg scanned the monthly report on the location of THOR's major components.

"We can have them together in a week. The Euro command is aware that something like THOR may exist, but so far they have no hard evidence to confirm their suspicions."

"Can we get it operational without tipping our hand?"

"If we can get the material back to Har Bega undetected. The 13 kilometers south of Beersheba has a Euro checkpoint about three clicks from the town. Our boys might be able to get past them if we make a diversion. After that they need sixty days to get THOR operational."

"Do we have sixty days?"

"I don't know, Prime Minister. Our research within the Bible Codes, our own intelligence agencies, and Miss Makray's letter suggest that we don't. Intel reports are showing the Syrians and Iranians with a major project in the works. Our highest agent in Syria indicates a potential nuclear attack within our borders. The consensus is that the Iranians will initiate the attack. Other branches of security are not that certain. There is no agreement at this moment, but the danger is very real."

"I think we need to take the report from Syria seriously. This letter from Miss Makray confirms what we know from our analysts."

Izenburg knew the analysts whom Avraham referred to were not just the Intel people but also those who studied the codes for hints of the future. The rabbis and eschatology scholars worked overtime after the events at the temple. He and Avraham both knew enough of the scriptures to know something serious was about to develop. Then there was that man of sin whom the prophet Daniel wrote of. The son of the devil as Kendra wrote in her letter. Now, he may have been identified. And soon after - how long became anyone's guess - the worst day in human history is about to unfold. Researchers believed that the scriptures indicated a global thermonuclear war. Others read the text referred to a supernatural act of God.

If it would be an act of God, he and every Israeli could do nothing but pray, he thought. If it actually is foretelling a day of thermonuclear destruction, then THOR has to be active, even if meant that EURO Intel will confirm their suspicions.

Then his thoughts turned to THOR and how to conceal it. The two main laser generators for the two electromagnetic cannons sat packed in the trailers of two eighteen wheelers. The trucks constantly drove from military base to base. Sometimes his people were able to stay one step ahead of the probing eyes of the EUROs.

The magnetic cannons had been dismantled and placed in storage, while the particle beam generator was now being used for high-energy research. It will be a miracle if it all works again. Being taken apart and jostled takes its toll on sensitive equipment.

"Give the order to bring THOR back together, General. Use the Dimona reactor as a diversion."

Izenburg also agreed with the emergency. He just hoped they could keep the transportation of THOR back to Har Bega under wraps. Using the nuclear reactor at Dimona as a diversion would certainly capture the attention of the arms control inspectors. Having the Euro boys converge on the southern Negev desert might just allow the Har Bega center enough time for THOR's components to be reunited.

Avraham chewed on a cigar to relieve his nerves. He knew he wouldn't get a good night's sleep until the trailers and THOR, the nation’s most secret defense weapon, sat safely hidden from exposure.

Rene Paxton smiled as she showed her papers to the Beit L'Nan base guards. The heater brought a warm feeling as she received direction to the viewing stands and then was waved through. The forged International Correspondence papers allowed her a free run of the base.

Today the Israeli Defense Forces were holding public demonstrations of their latest tank, the David III. Selected members of the press were in attendance. Rene planned to mingle with the crowd.

Much of the David III's armament came from the remains of thousands of Russian tanks captured during the 3 1/2-day war. With a slight change to the shielding, the David III could take a direct hit from a 120-millimeter cannon and survive.

The David III never interested Rene. The whereabouts of Kendra and her killer friend Peter Meirs was the issue. She knew they were here.

She made a turn on Moshe Goyan and headed for the officer's quarters. Maybe she'd get lucky and see them exercising on the parade field. Kendra was a fitness freak who never passed up a chance to jog around a field. Personally, after being kidnapped and tortured, I'd never leave the house.

The family housing section also sat along one side of the field. If the searched dragged on, Rene planned to find a quiet location next to the park and wait. If Kendra was here, she'd find her.

Rene found the designated parking and prepared for a long day and opening a thermos of coffee, she poured herself a cup to ease the wait. Her stomach growled as it complained about the lack of food but she ignored the cry.

As she listened to classical music playing from the radio, Rene's eyes watered as she thought about Les and Bruce. The memories of her two worker-bees made her smile and weep at the same time. She loved it when they were about to make a kill. Bruce would turn on Handle's Messiah. When the chorus sang the "Hallelujah" section, the two buffoons actually went silly.

She lowered her head from the sorrow she felt. "I miss you guys."

Wiping away the tears, she scanned the field and thought of her ex-employer. I am going to enjoy killing you. You got me involved in this and you'll pay dearly for all the misery you have caused.

"I'll avenge you guys," she cried as she watched the field. Bitterness filled her to the breaking point, but she'd control herself. She'd kill them. She'd kill them all. First she'd kill Kendra and Pete and then finally Elijah would get his just reward.

Sitting alone with her thoughts, she almost missed the familiar figure coming down the pavement. Dressed in her jogging outfit was Kendra Makray.

"New outfit and new shoes," Rene laughed. Her spirits rose and she thought about sacrificing herself on the altar of revenge right there and then. "No," she whispered. "I want you all."

Sipping her coffee slowly, she watched Kendra jog past. Rene smiled at her good fortune. Now she waited. She saw a park inside the base. It looked about three or four kilometers away and military housing lined a hill overlooking the park. Once she'd found a place to rent, she'd wait and watch.

Shema studied the route one more time. He volunteered to give his life for Islam and sat on the littered floor with his team, studying the roads. The higher-ups gave him these people, and everyone knew it was his team. He was the one who was going to sacrifice his life. The road to Jerusalem is always marked by martyrs. It was now his turn to take his courage and fling it into the face of the Israelis. It was he who would strike a blow for his nation; blows so dramatic, that his name would be carried on the lips of fathers, mothers, and children for decades to come. Immortality was an abstract promise pointing the way to a better life. Today, maybe within the hour, he'd achieve immortality. Tomorrow they'd speak his name in reverence.

Sheii, the liaison from headquarters, waved his hand when his cell phone rang.

Shema watched in anticipation. When his mother took him to school, the very first day after his seventh birthday, he knew he'd been born for a suicide mission.

Later, when he completed the necessary schooling, he joined the Syrian based Al Fataa faction of the Party of the Sword. All he really understood, and even cared to know, was that the leadership reported to a very secretive branch of the government. It was rumored that the son of the President controlled all target assignments and provided all financing.

Ever since the horrible defeat at the hand of the Israeli military, he and hundreds of others prayed for a day to avenge their nation's loss of dignity. The war began with a glorious two days that turned into a living nightmare - three and one half days of warfare that would be remembered with shame.

"It will arrive in one hour," said Sheii as he picked up maps and prepared to have them burned.

Everyone looked at Shema as he stepped forth and stood as tall as he could.

"I am ready," he announced proudly. "Today is a great day to see paradise."

He felt the rush of adrenaline throughout his body. Someone high up in the organization gave approval. The day of reckoning is now. He felt strong. He felt invincible. Yet a feeling of weariness swept over him. The trainers prepared him for this. The feeling was the normal course a body took to preserve its energy. Yes, energy. He needed to preserve all that he possessed. There will be no more woman from this moment on. He needed to be sharp and totally in control of his faculties.

"Shema," called Sheii, a truck will be here in ten minutes. It will take us to the location."

The location and three trucks outfitted with small rockets were waiting. The payloads, as Shema understood it, were explosive devices so powerful that anything within five hundred kilometers would be destroyed. His rocket was designed to carry the payload just high enough to make it over the temple walls.

Soon that cursed Jewish temple would be a smoldering ruin. Al Agsaa and every other building on top of the mount might be destroyed, but the mount would be clean. In time the mosque would be rebuilt, but not before the dogs and the liberators of the land met for one last battle.

The plan called for his truck to be driven to the Kidron Valley, down the Derekh road, and then parked with its back facing the Jewish temple. The rocket would lift its deadly payload over the walls and the great mosque. A split second later the trajectory would send it crashing down into the temple. A horrendous explosion would follow.

If he survived and if Israeli security did not arrive, it was just possible that he'd simply drive away. At any time, if he was in danger of being caught, his resolution was to take his life, no running gun battle, just a single bullet to his brain and then paradise.

The girls in the team provided him with a taste of heaven, but the reward for doing this final job will be measured in hundreds of virgins.

At that time, he also knew the other teams were at their designated targets. He wanted to be first. Alive or dead his people would remember him for his courage and being the first to strike.

Shema felt his energies rise and couldn't wait to get started. What was this life when it was compared to what was to come?

He looked around and gave all the girls a final hug. Their faces were filled with tears and he gently wiped them dry with his shirt.

"This is no time for tears," he said with as much hope as he could muster. But the sight of the crying nearly unraveled his composure. "I will see you tomorrow, or in eternity," he said as he fought to regain his composure.

Sheii saved him from losing face in front of everyone when he interrupted the farewells.

"Let's go, Shema. The truck has arrived."

Shema did not turn around as he waved to everyone and left with Sheii.

The two walked down the stairs and climbed into the truck.

Shema scurried through the crawl-through window. A driver and another man sat in the front as he and Sheii sat on the truck floor. No one spoke a word as they drove to the designated spot. The truck with the rocket was scheduled to arrive after they were in position for the transfer.

He felt proud to be entrusted with such a high security mission. He would not fail them.

The man in the passenger seat sat listening to his cell phone. Once he gave the driver directions that appeared to be going away from where he expected them to go.

It wasn't long before they arrived at a location far below the old city and far away from the temple. As they pulled into a parking lot, another truck parked next to them. Two men got out and waited. After what seemed a mere minute later, another man left the back of the truck and hurried to where Shema sat.

He was given last minute instructions and four designated locations to prepare for the attack. Once he parked and pointed the back of the truck exactly at the temple, he was to take off the tarp covering the back of the truck and flip on the ignition switch. The rocket would fire seconds later, giving Shema time to escape the fiery blast. After it ignited, history would be written.

When the orders were given, he left the back of the truck and climbed into the open door of the suicide truck. He watched everyone drive away. Alone, he found himself sweating. His heart was beating faster than he ever remembered.

Turning the truck around, he headed down Derekh and spied an Israeli patrol coming his way.

It took all his strength and courage to stay the course and drive on his side of the road. He wanted to ram them and at the same time he wanted to run away. He fought back the impulse to speed up and stop at the nearest "X" on his map.

"No," he said loudly. "I must follow instructions. Stay cool, Shemma. Stay cool."

The Israelis drove toward him and Shemma was sure they made eye contact. Sweat was pouring from his face. He hoped they saw nothing out of the ordinary.

Watching through his rear view mirror, he saw the patrol pass, drive into the parking lot and turn around. His foot pressed harder onto the gas pedal and he sped to the closest spot for firing the rocket. It lay two kilometers up the valley.

As he sped along, he lost sight of the patrol. Maybe they were doing something else, he thought. He chuckled to himself and forced himself to slow the truck. Maybe they stopped to eat a donut. The police are always eating donuts.

He found the first location and parked with the back of his truck aligned with the target. As he got out and was about to remove the tarp, he spied the patrol driving up the valley.

In near panic, he desperately tried untying the tarp. A knife, he needed a knife. His fingers worked frantically as the patrol pulled alongside and stopped.

In a blink of his eye, he pulled the only defensive weapon he carried, a nine-millimeter pistol.

The two soldiers in the patrol came next to his truck. Shemma fired.

He went through a full clip before he realized he hit no one. Dropping the empty clip, he reloaded and cut the tarp loose. The rocket sat in a cocoon of protecting wood.

The Israeli soldiers began firing with rifles and Shemma knew he was outgunned. Hiding behind the wood shield he tried to get to the control box, but the soldiers pinned him down.

"What am I doing?" he yelled to himself. "I am a soldier of God."

With renewed courage and purpose, he leaped onto the top of the wooden barrier. A sharp burning pain stung him in the leg and shoulder. The muscles in his limbs went weak. He pushed and pulled himself with a will borne from desperation.

Leaving a thick trail of blood, he fell into the rocket's container. The control box lay on the floor and Shemma landed on it with a thud that knocked the wind from him.

Unable to breathe he forced himself to move, but his body wouldn't respond. His eyes were blurry.

Lying there for what seemed an eternity, Shemma needed to unleash the death that sat perched above him.

Reaching up with his good hand, he fought to sit up. Slowly his eyes drifted down and he saw blood covering the floor. He was bleeding to death. His shaky fingers found the controls. Somehow he managed to open the black lid. The red ignition switch sat waiting.

Words in Hebrew appeared above him as his blood covered finger slipped off the switch. One chance remained to reach paradise.

Again he tried to flip the switch but his strength was gone. All his energies vanished as the heel of his hand pressed down.

A deadly intense heat, a suffocating heat enveloped him. Flames covered his face. The pain. His vision ended and he cried out in agony as his lungs charred.

Chapter 30

The deep booms were heard in the office. A loud crack came up from the floor. Avraham's eyes shot toward the door leading into his office. The thought of suicide bombers made him drop the documents he read. He pressed the intercom and asked his secretary "Did anyone hear an explosion?"

His personal secretary hurried into his office.

"The temple! It's been bombed!"

"How'd it happen?" cried Avraham as a look of horror and confusion left him dazed. He needed to hear the words a second time. The boom he heard was more than a car bomb. All of Jerusalem must have felt it. "What happened? Who did it? How could they?"

"We will have more information in a moment. The Crisis Center has been informed. Security and military are already on the scene. There have been a lot of injuries."

As the secretary spoke two security men wheeled a large TV screen into the Prime Minister's office. Colonel Jacobs of Internal Security rushed in behind the men. "The temple has been severely damaged. Two other explosions have occurred. Security forces have been placed on Condition Three."

"Who did it? Do we know?"

Jacobs handed the report to the Prime Minister.

"A patrol attacked one just before the temple was hit. He fired a rocket from the back of his truck. The payload appears to have been a small nuclear device. The rocket flew onto the temple mount and exploded on the mosque side of the walls. The blast has destroyed or severely damaged every building on the complex. At this moment we believe thousands of other buildings have been damaged."

"How many casualties?" asked Avraham as he read and reread the information in his hands? For a moment he stood paralyzed as his mind digested the enormity of the horrific event.

"We do not have a clear picture on the dead and wounded. Estimates are running over four hundred. Radiation has spread over a large area. Casualties will grow. All buildings surrounding the north, west and east end have been destroyed or severely damaged out to three hundred meters. Thousands are believed to have received moderate damage. All those downwind from the blast may be unusable for a long time."

Prime Minister Avraham's face reflected momentary confusion, and he was white from the fear of what he might have to do. A moment went by. Then every part of him sprang into action and he took charge. "I want an emergency session of my cabinet right away." His voice carried with it all the weight of his office.

An Army major hurried into Avraham's office. Handcuffed to his wrist were the mating orders and launch code of three multiple warhead nuclear-tipped rockets that the military hid from confiscation.

Since the destruction of the nation's nuclear rocket force at the beginning of the last war, the Israeli government secretly obtained three older Russian SS24's, all bought with gold, and quickly ferreted out of Russia by the Mossad. The missiles, minus their mobile launch platforms, were safely hidden within an ever-moving military convoy.

For three years the convoy visited one secure military installation after another and accomplished the increasingly difficult task of avoiding detection. Their eighteen wheeled carriers disguised as radiation, biological, and chemical decontamination trucks.

They officially searched the countryside for the remains of decomposed invaders, but actually they roamed the countryside hiding from a new enemy, the E.U. and U.N. troops. Some weeks they peacefully sat idle and secure in a guarded junkyard.

After Avraham gave the proper coded messages, the three eighteeners, disguised as decon trucks, met at a secured military base. From there, the missiles went the rest of the distance by cargo helicopters. Estimated time to mating the missiles and launchers was two hours.

Avraham closed the computerized transmitter in the brief case and handed it back to the major.

More of his senior staff appeared.

"The next step," Avraham said, "must be weighed very carefully. Once we rejoin our separated nuclear forces we will be stripping away the secrecy."

Kendra sat visibly stung by the news report. She held Esther tightly to her side. No one spoke as their eyes and minds tried to understand the scope of the destruction. They all heard the thunderous sound. Pete felt sure they came from sonic booms. Their building shook and most of the windows broke or cracked.

The first blast came as Kendra, Esther, and Lora were walking along a dry creek bed and just entered a twenty-foot long road culvert. The sonic boom assaulted their ears. A second later a thud and crack came up from the ground.

Kendra knew she heard that same type of crack from the basement of a house after an oil refinery exploded. What she first thought of as a product from an aircraft now changed to an explosion on the ground. Little did she know what occurred?

Lora paid no attention to the sound, presuming it to be a fast moving fighter jet. When the second and third thunder and crack arrived, she looked visibly disturbed.

Kendra explained her thoughts, that massive ground explosions made all three sounds. Then Lora remembered being trapped at the Tel Megiddo and the sound and feeling of nearby rocket explosions.

They exited the culvert, looking south, and the girls watched dirty gray-black clouds boiling upward. When they returned to their quarters, they found Pete and Steve watching the television. Every channel was interrupted to report on the destruction. The news reporter described the explosions as three small nuclear bombs. "Radiation has been detected," he said, "Decontamination crews are rushing to the sites."

"It's starting," Kendra moaned. Her face was filled with horror as she listened. She tried to count the days since she heard about the temple desecration. The number was well within her expectations. One to thirty days after the desecration she expected the third world war to begin. Most of the time she expected the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord to be a global nuclear war that began immediately after the temple was desecrated.

Pete looked at her and now even he was worried.

The last thing he wanted was to be caught in another war, especially another man's war. His mind jumped into high gear as he calculated how to get everyone out of Israel and back to America. By tonight there would be no empty seats leaving the country. He quickly dismissed the thought of driving to Jordan or Egypt. That might very well be signing Kendra's death warrant.

Yet he knew one thing. The military always possessed the ability to pull a lot of strings. If anyone could get them out of the country, the military was their best chance.

He also knew this might not be the best time to visit the base commander. He imagined the man barking orders to his staff at this very moment.

Satisfied with his plan, he headed for the door.

"I'll be back," he said and closed the door behind him.

"Where are you going?" Lora cried. Her face told everyone whom she relied on when the danger arrived. She might be married to Steve, but Pete's instinct and guidance saved their lives more than once.

When they first met, she hated the man. In her mind he was just another government-trained killer who found a beautiful girl to dazzle with his male prowness. He probably got every girl he wanted, but this poetry-speaking, ex-marine sniper-turned-archaeologist wasn't going to have her sister.

After a week of one crisis after another, after he unselfishly risked his life for them, her feelings toward Mister Macho changed to sincere appreciation.

Now, three years later, she considered him an indispensable part of the family. Now she didn't want him out of her sight.

Rene sat on the park bench studying the military base. Whatever was happening in the city and down there really didn't concern her. But she realized one thing, getting back on the base was now impossible. Her plan to sneak in and kill them all while they slept was nullified after the explosions.

Still, she thought, the army is going to have bigger things to worry about. A couple of Americans might easily get lost in the shuffle.

She listened about the latest findings on her portable radio. Three massive explosions at three separate locations rocked the city. The first detonation took out the Dome of the Rock and the Jewish Temple in a single blast. The second, in a truck that smashed through the light security at the Ramada Renaissance's rear freight entrances, completely destroyed the hotel. A third blast annihilated the Rubin Academy of Music at Hebrew University where a thousand school children just entered for a concert.

From the reports, the dead were being measured in thousands with that number growing by the minute. Each blast left enough radioactive debris to indicate the exact nature of the explosions. The report also indicated that whoever set them off used portable nukes.

Regardless, it didn't mean anything to her. She and half the world knew that there has been bad blood between the two seeds of Abraham for thousands of years. This little episode will pass and the next one would be more violent.

With technology's miniaturization of weapons of mass destruction rapidly growing, she expected the ease of their use to become more prevalent.

She didn't care who killed whom. The persons she wanted were inside that fence. Soon they'd come out and she'd be waiting. Once they showed their dirty little faces, she'd swiftly avenge the death of her friends. "No sir," she vowed, "My friends will not have died in vain."

Chapter 31

Prime Minister Avraham listened to his security minister describe the incidents of Israeli citizens pelting E.U./U.N. forces. He knew that these forces and their organizations were not the evil that his people should fight against. They were the only ones his people could touch.

His senior cabinet members sat listening to the gloomy reports. As never before, his nation needed the very men who were being attacked by his people.

The evil laid somewhere else, and his intelligence people would find it. Then he'd give his blessing on the destruction to come. Right now he needed to find a way to stop the fighting.

Beginning with the religious right and spreading through the general populace, the anger over the temple's desecration was eclipsed only by the death of so many children. The use of nuclear weapons in the city cried out for justice.

Increasingly, the cry for revenge coupled with the cry to eject all foreign forces. Israel needed to be free to retaliate.

Avraham spoke up to get the meeting back on course. "Once the revelation of who sponsored the bombings is known, the demand for security will grow so great that we may all be swept away."

"Are we certain of who is responsible?" asked the Minister of Immigrations.

Avraham looked at his Minister of Internal Security who now studied a file he received from the Foreign Israeli Intelligence service (MOSSAD).

The Minister of Internal Security spoke. "We have an unsubstantiated idea of where the bombs came from, who funded the purchase. We do have a good idea of how they got into the country."

"So soon?" asked Avraham. He sat listening as his security chief, General Levi Ochran, read the intelligence brief.

"We have learned that the bombs were Russian L23-Y2-B's. The bombs were originally built for the old KGB and smuggled into the United States in 1980. General Manlov of the KGB general staff, who later worked for American CIA maintained responsibility over seven L23's. After the breakup of the Soviet Union all but two were recovered. It is believed that a Colonel Topoloff, also of the KGB, was then assigned to protect those that were retrieved. He sold three to a phony environmental group, Earth Forever, based in England. Topoloff, six million dollars richer, vanished from sight.

"From there the bombs were sold to a dummy Italian company based in Switzerland. Earth Forever may have cleared two million, U.S. We lost the trail until an operative in Iran found a matching serial number. We believe all the bombs were then moved to Iraq and finally to Syria. We do not know how they left Syria and entered Israel. But I must add that a minority of analysts believe that someone working within the Ramat David Distribution Center is an accomplice.

"The terrorist group Allah El Whid, a rebuilt loose cannon of a group among the Hizbullah, received the bombs three weeks ago. Intelligence has received an unconfirmed report that Elijah Ben-Yousaf might be involved. He has been recorded as entering the distribution center with three men. One of them has been identified from fingerprints. His code-named is Kaffar, a close lieutenant of Sheik Halab. We know that Kaffar receives his orders directly from the brother of Hazad Aziz, the Syrian President's uncle."

Avraham listened carefully as General Ochran completed his report. Why hadn't he been informed of this earlier? How was he to respond? The bombing attack ratcheted up the nation's possible responses until no maneuverability remained. To respond with something bigger and more destructive meant that he'd have to order the use of the nation's last remaining nuclear stockpile. There has to be a better solution. Nuclear war is not acceptable.

"Have we developed a suitable response?" he asked. He saw the answer in their face. Historically, whenever Israel was called upon to respond to major acts of aggression, the nation called upon its air force, or intelligence services, to inflict more damage than it received.

Now thousands lay dead. Tens of thousands suffered injury. Property damage is expected to reach billions of dollars. Radioactive contamination will slowly kill thousands more.

Already Israel was being blamed for the three and one/half day war. Getting possession of the Ark of the Covenant brought that double-edged sword. Now if his government responded with appropriate devastation, the nation would certainly be branded a pariah state. Somehow he and his staff needed an acceptable way out of this dilemma. His citizens also demanded a quick response. The nation required justice.

Rene Paxton rented a south facing room in the David Towers. From the twentieth floor she easily possessed a clear view of the Beit I'Nan army depot. After buying a sixty-millimeter refracting telescope, she felt pleased by the ability to see the quarters where Kendra and her killer boyfriend lived. From the window she centered the telescope's image on the exit doors to the apartment.

The 40-power lens brought the image of the apartments to an observable range of two hundred and fifty feet. Even with atmospheric distortion, the view was clear enough to tell what was happening. When she used the 60-power lens, the details really appealed to her. She felt as if she sat across the street from the front door, maybe a hundred and fifty feet away.

Tonight she'd try the 100-power lens and expected to even see their teeth while they sat around the living room table.

Between jogging in the park in the morning and watching them at night, she possessed a seventy five percent chance of always knowing their whereabouts. Soon, she felt certain they'd all be leaving the base.

She needed her listening device. The little laser would be plastered against that window and she'd hear every spoken word. She'd know their plans as fast as they made them.

* * *

Von Resh stared at Elijah with feigned anger and sent managed impulses of fear into the little man's thoughts. It pleased him when he felt the trembling coming from Elijah.

"How dare you get involved with terror groupies?" Von Resh scowled. "Getting them nuclear weapons may undo all of our work. Even now Israeli intelligence has two reports linking you with your boyhood chums."

"I'm sorry, my Lord," Elijah whimpered. "I never meant to do anything to displease you. You know my heart. To you I give my allegiance, my loyalty. You are the God I serve."

Von Resh inwardly smiled at the acknowledgment but decided to send more humility into his servant.

Elijah tried to control himself as dizziness began sweeping, but it was useless. Know on his knees he began worshiping Von Resh. He tried to fight the fear building within him. Only in his youth, when his father beat him like a dog, did he whimper and cry out for mercy. He hated what he became, but the man standing before him was more than a man. He was the Great Spirit, creator of the life that existed on the planet. Whatever indwelled him can be described as God-like. Every cell in his body knew it, and he crashed to his knees in final submission.

"Don't fear, my child," Von Resh said warmly. His face now filled with softness. "The God within me reveals that they will never be able to connect you to this." He reached out a hand toward Elijah and helped him rise from his knees.

"I will do anything to make amends," Elijah said enthusiastically. "I was only thinking of a way to prevent this knat from interfering with me again. She has been a thorn in my side ever since we met. If came to the Temple, I don't know what I might have done."

Von Resh's mouth twisted in anger as he felt that Elijah was not revealing everything, offering all of himself. A man after my own heart, Von Resh grinned, but it won't do to forgive so quickly.

"You didn't think," Von Resh said sternly. "You didn't think. You let a petty argument blind you to our greater purpose. Must I do all of the thinking? Your name even being mentioned means that they have you linked to terrorists. If it wasn't in my powers to blind them, they'd have you in custody before nightfall."

"We've always been investigated," offered Elijah in hope of mellowing the anger he sensed in Von Resh. "The rich, the famous, the powerful are always followed, photographed, and investigated."

"Don't quibble with me, Elijah. Before you do anything that rocks our boat, I want you to clear it with me. Is that clear?"

Elijah produced for his master a genuine look of submission, and let his eyes focus on the carpet. Maybe, he thought, if he also fell at his feet - maybe. He stopped thinking and felt the sensations that come with his mind being probed. Those goons of Von Resh's must be close. Well, he thought. I hope they get everything they want. I will do whatever my Master wants of me.

Then he sensed Von Resh's mood change.

"Good," Von Resh replied. "Because if you can't play on my team, I will find someone else."

Elijah sensed relief as he timidly let his eyes return to Von Resh. Here was a man-God of unlimited powers, a man-God who might destroy Elijah in a single look. He knew it. He felt it.

When this incident passed, he'd sit at Von Resh's knee and learn. Someday all that psychic/emotional baggage he grew up with would be gone. Then he'd live with only one purpose and that was to please his God.

"It won't happen again," Elijah whimpered. "I'll make sure I communicate with you in all things. But she made me look like a fool so many times, I needed to try."

"Believe me," Von Resh said with compassion and understanding as his face softened. "I know what you've been through. Now leave me. I have to think how we can turn this incident to our advantage. All things work to our good for those who love God."

Elijah saw the questioning look in Von Resh's eyes.

"You do love God?" asked Von Resh. His eyes squinted as if he was studying Elijah for any sign of dissatisfaction.

"With all my heart," Elijah answered.

"Good! Now leave me. The God within has plans to give me. I must talk with Him without distractions. Now go."

Elijah turned and walked to the doors.

"Elijah," Von Resh called, his voice soft, no anger remaining. "I do understand you more than you'll ever know, but I also see the future. This gnat of yours won't be around much longer, and we must prepare to defend the earth."

Elijah looked at Von Resh and didn't understand. Defend the earth? He also saw a concern in Von Resh's face that gave him a cold chill. The man became Lord and God. Yet he sometimes sensed a sinister presence in the man. Von Resh seemed to know about everything. He also possessed powers that defied the know laws of science. Still, this man-God feared something that he never talked about.

Elijah felt the anguish Von Resh felt even though he didn't understand everything. He opened the door, speechless, wanting to say something encouraging before leaving.

Von Resh watched Elijah leave and sensed someone coming through the side door to his office.

"Come in my friends." Von Resh turned and waved his hand to come closer.

Ten men with red-crimson hoods stepped closer and formed a circle around their master. His inner circle of advisors stood quietly until Von Resh lowered his eyes in meditation.

The tallest man spoke. "We see this event as being the perfect opportunity for introducing the plan to the Euro congress."

"They will reject your ideas, but time is on our side," said another.

"The World Trade delegates are already on notice in opposition to your plan, but I know you will succeed," said a third. "However, the world's currency reserves are shifting to the Islamic dollar. Now we have four spheres of currencies, the American dollar, the Japanese Yen, the Euro, and the Muslim Dinar. We are still united on trade, but the world has fractured into four independent financial centers. The world is out of balance. Somehow you must bring it back to a triad."

A forth member of the circle spoke, "The spirit is telling me that a living heart is required."

All members of the circle nodded their heads in agreement.

"A living sacrifice to the God of Forces," Von Resh said in excited agreement as his eyes opened. His face showed amusement to the idea. "Have we found a suitable person?"

The thought of holding a pulsating heart in his hand quickened his pulse. A long time ago the spirit residing within him also taught the Incas and Aztecs how to perform such a ceremony. The early Egyptian and Babylonian priests were also taught this mystery. Every year, for thousands of years, it needed to be performed. A blood sacrifice needed to be given to the winged serpent of old. The memory of the Garden of Eden surfaced in Von Resh's mind. He felt energized and sung an ancient song.

He'd need Elijah for the sacrifice. Little did Elijah understand that he and Von Resh acted in concert. Together they possessed access to dimensional powers that the ancient priests only dreamt about. These powers were beyond the ability of mere mortals to understand. Before history, men worshipped those who revealed such powers. They'll do it again, he thought. They'll do it for me.

Von Resh's thoughts drifted back to the image of himself reaching into the chosen sacrificial body and lifting out the still beating heart. The life of the victim continuing until Von Resh threw the rapidly pulsing heart into a fire made his own heart beat furiously in anticipation. With each of these future sacrifices, he knew his powers and focus of mind would intensify until he alone possessed the keys to the throne of God Himself. Billions of souls would follow his every command.

The ten men surrounding him felt the surge of his joy and coming powers. They bowed as Von Resh composed a song. It was a song of joy, of power, of ownership. The spirit within him once owned this planet but lost that ownership by deceit. Adam, the man of the earth, never possessed the ability to rule. The spirit within him proved that point six thousand years ago. Then a new usurper came along two thousand years ago. A man whom I have killed yet still lives."

Von Resh wondered why he used the words, "whom I have killed yet still lives."

But that usurper did die and he didn't. He now lives and is even more powerful. The coming battle needed to be fought, a battle over the spirit and souls of men. With the whole of mankind on his side, he and they would renounce the right of God Himself to rule in their lives. The title deed of this planet needed to be returned to him. Something inside him warned him that this usurper is planning to travel to this planet. Von Resh needed to get the world ready. He needed to get the world unified and under his leadership. The plans that Elijah was about to unfold dictate that he move fast.

Von Resh knew he needed a disaster, something so mammoth that the world will cringe in fear and cry out to him to save them. Elijah's plan may be the very catastrophe he needed. If not, he felt sure some hothead was sure to ignite the need for his plans.

The world's religious, political, and military leaderships needed to unify into one. Those who fought against him, everyone who stood in his way, especially that nightmare of a person, Kendra Makray, he destroyed them all. Someday she will also be destroyed.

Thankfully, the spirit within him revealed that she soon will be gone. When that happens, he smiled a smile of satisfaction; I will be rid of my worst type of enemies, the religious fundamentalist who follow Yahweh with all their heart.

"Unrestricted," he muttered. "My followers will follow me to hell and back. They will die for me.

He thought of the prophesied extraterrestrial-city of God expected to come to earth. We will all fight to survive. We must fight to preserve the earth from alien domination. And I, Daniel Von Resh, man-God, will lead them into battle. I will unify them in a way that no organization ever dreamed possible.

"This usurper that is to come," the hooded man standing to his left said. "This alien who wishes to rule the earth will soon arrive. The spirit within me foretells it. There will soon be signs in the heavens that will tell you when the time is near. Already the men of science with their telescopes see his city. The pulsating electromagnetic energies radiating from it have been noticed. In another month it will move deep into the solar system. Then all will see it. You must be ready for the panic that will follow."

Von Resh knew the size: 1500 miles square and shaped like a pyramid. His hooded seers began describing the city to him. The city, or more accurately the spacecraft, was emitting unlimited energy. He knew that once it appeared, it would bring panic. Yet the world will call on him to save them. Then he'd kill this alien once and for all. He'd have no second chance.

Chapter 32

Avraham re-read the speech he planned to give. The sources of the information, included in his draft, were all carefully deleted; yet, he knew enough remained to squarely place the blame for the bombings on three nations.

The Russian L23 nuclear bombs were all tracked back to their original source, the old Soviet Union. During the breakup of the old Soviet Union, a lot of weapons grade nuclear material vanished. It became impossible to hold the current government of Russia responsible.

The three nations of Iran, Iraq, and Syria were guilty. The Palestinian leadership is guilty by association. They knew of the plot and did nothing to stop the attack. The Israeli government now was forced to respond. Twenty years of on and off peace vanished with those bombs.

Now he planned to demonize every organization that expounded land for peace. That idea needed to be put to rest. It was time to face up to the harsh reality. If good men do nothing, then evil flourishes. He saw himself as a good man about to destroy a malignant cancer.

"Everyone is ready," a staff member said as he entered the Prime Minister's office.

Distracted from his thoughts, Avraham looked up and acknowledged the aid. His face reflected the gloom within him as he contemplated what he was about to set in motion. After his government conferred with the Americans, their president pleaded with him not to release the information. Yet all Israel, Arab and Jew alike, demanded action.

Thousands died in the bombings, and tens of thousands were wounded or threatened by radiation fallout. The economic cost was estimated to be between ten to fifteen billion dollars. It would take Jerusalem years to recover from the damage. To heal the psyche of the people might take twenty years. Well, he mused as he cleared his desk; we might not have the time.

"I'm ready," he said and rose from behind his desk. What he was about to say to the press was designed to prepare everyone for a major mid-course correction in international cooperation.

* * *

Elijah hurried to his office. His spies had uncovered Kendra's whereabouts. The warning by Von Resh to let his anger go by might be all right with him, but he needed to finish this contest once and for all.

He entered his door and saw his security chief waiting. The man rose as Elijah walked to his desk.

"You found her?"

The folder in the man's hands and the look on his face told him the answer.

"We have pinpointed her, sir. She's been in protective custody, on the Beit L'Nan military post. They will soon be moving her to a ship docked at the port of Tel Aviv."

His security chief slid the folder to him as he sat down behind his desk.

"Can we get to her? I am sure the base is penetrable."

"Not yet. But we've been informed that she will be relocated on the ship by the end of the week. I have an operative who will keep me informed of the exact date and time. Currently, she is with a Peter Meirs, her godchild Esther, her sister Lora Talon and brother in-law, Steve Talon. They are all staying in building 'G' on the base. The building is a two-story structure that contains four apartments. Ms. Makray and her godchild are residing in unit 'A'."

"Is there any way to get on the base?"

Elijah knew the answer before he asked the question.

"No sir. Since the bombings, the base is on heightened alert. Those bombs have caused the whole damm nation to become edgy. Any attempt to get to her will be suicidal and most probably doomed to failure."

Elijah waved his hand for his aid to be silent. If only he had killed her when the first chance arrived. Now the bombs that he supplied stood in his way. "Curses," he growled under his breath. "I'm a victim of my own genius."

He opened the folder and thumbed through the report, flipping to the last page.

"Is everything in here?"

"Yes sir."

"I see here that you recommend I wait until she is moved to the ship."

"Yes sir. I see no other way. There is too much security on the base."

"Very well. That is what I shall do."

Elijah looked up. His eyes stopped at the clock on the far wall.

"I have to go to Mister Von Resh's news conference in a few minutes. He is to give a short news report before flying to New York."

Elijah read the speech earlier. Once in New York he'd speak to the United Nation General Assembly. Later a slightly modified version was to be read to the European conference. Elijah did not expect the speech to be well received, but Herr Von Resh, ever since his miraculous recovery, played a game that seemed light years ahead of him. If his plan worked, Elijah saw billions of people hailing Daniel Von Resh as savior.

Like Winston Churchill before the Second World War, Von Resh warned the nations of an approaching calamity.

Everyone knew about the comet that circled the earth, captured by gravity. They all knew it was destined to crash down on the world. They also knew about the missiles that were aimed at the circling mountain in hopes of breaking it up into smaller pieces.

In desperation one nuclear warhead hit the comet. It detonated as expected and blew the rock and ice into a million pieces. Unfortunately a few fragments were still large enough to create havoc wherever they fell. A bigger crisis loomed on the horizon, and the Russians, Iranians, Iraqis, and Syrians were all going to share the blame.

Jerusalem was a problem that never went away, and these four nations were at the doorstep of pushing the world into a crisis that contained no safety door.

Von Resh was prepared to recommend that these nations, specifically Syria, Iraq, and Iran be temporarily occupied by an international peacekeeper force. If this force for peace did not act soon, it might be too late to protect the world from a greater catastrophe, and that was the threat of nuclear war.

He would do his best, but they still might reject his plan. His ability to influence men's mind was powerful, but not foolproof. They'd remember that is was Mister Daniel Von Resh who offered a tough but workable answer. They'd remember his solutions, foresight, and leadership.

After Von Resh gave his local speech, Elijah followed his assignment. He'd fly to Rome and confer with Pope Peter II, sometimes referred to as Peter the Roman. Peter the Second took over the leadership of the Catholic world when Pope Benedict unexpectantly passed away. His ecumenical plan to incorporate all the world's major religions under one umbrella was proceeding smoothly. For the last twenty years the movement to produce that result brought nothing acceptable. Now most of the world's major religions were willing to compromise. The primary catapult came after the nuclear destruction during the last Israeli war.

Elijah himself made the path to this agreement possible by using his supernatural abilities to coerce the leadership of every major religion. When Von Resh and he got together in front of that crowd, the magic really flew. Now all that remained was to get them to sign the final agreements, shepherd the process to the appropriate political organizations, and see a happy conclusion to all his hard work.

So far the only discord came from a few Catholic dioceses that rebelled against the unification process. Of course there was the ever-vocal resistance from that pesky minority called the Christian far right.

The lunatic fringe element calling themselves the Born-Again believers in Jesus Christ were always denouncing something; usually, it was whatever he and Von Resh worked hard to develop. Someday soon, all those radicals would perish from the earth. He longed for the day when the full political/military forces of a united world banded together to squash them. He knew the name of the first person he'd placed on that list - Kendra Makray.

Once he got the upper hand over her, dealing with the rest of the fundamental Bible thumpers would be child's play. They'd sneak away to their caves. He'd let them wear animal skins and practice their religion until they slowly starved to death. Elijah Ben-Yosaf, and his friend, Herr Daniel Von Resh, would eventually rule the day.

Energized, Elijah slammed his hand onto his desk and saw the startled security chief jump.

"Sorry," Elijah chuckled. "I got carried away with my thoughts. After Von Resh gives his speech, have my car brought around. I have to get to Ben Gurion. And," he said in a passing thought, "thank you for the report."

"Yes sir."

General Izenburg sat across from Prime Minister Avraham and read the report. Avraham held a copy in his hands.

"The nuclear reactor at Har Bega is producing plasma. The high temperature that stripped away electrons from their nucleus was a necessary ingredient for the particle laser beam cannons. But the alignment of the magnetic guidance systems has hit a snag. The newer units, those that have been modified since their last use are working exactly as expected, but an intermittent fluctuation in the purity of the DC voltage has created a problem. A redesign of the rectifier motherboards within the computer alignment black boxes is under way."

"I don't see that taking too long," Avraham stated. "Is that the only problem?"

"No," Izenburg answered. "We have a corrosion problem with the Particle Focusing units. The two magnetic cannons have not been able to sustain the necessary power smoothness to control the plasma beam coming from the nuclear reactor."

"How bad is it?"

"The technicians are answering that as we speak. It was a problem that did not exist when we closed down the project three years ago. The slight loss of efficiency has been crippling to the weapon."

"Can we use it at all?"

"The engineers believe we might be able to hit a target sixty kilometers away."

"That's not enough to protect our people. We need an operational THOR, something that can function out to three or four hundred kilometers. The military has told me that their operation is ready. The Mossad has tracked the location of Ali Ismail Hadad, the Syrian president's brother. A meeting with Ali and, Jamal Kakin, the Syrian chief of terrorism and assassination activities within Israel, is scheduled for tomorrow. It has been confirmed that Jamal bought the nukes from a front organization. My people want the green light to attack. An opportunity like this may not exist for a long time. Can they get THOR ready in time?"

"I think we must do what we must do, with or without THOR. The weapon has limited capabilities. It might be enough for a Syrian response." The general's face-hardened. "But if it escalates, we may not be able to protect everyone."

Avraham knew the threat. "They've already used backpack nukes in our country. What is left to escalate with?"

"They do have sixty warheads of Sarin."

Avraham winced. Ever since Israel developed its own nuclear forces, the Syrians built up a supply of lethal nerve gas. Sixty warheads of that gas sat in secured bunkers. All they needed was to mate the warheads to a small but accurate SRBMs (short-range ballistic missiles) and fire away.

THOR might protect the nation, if the range was near enough, but beyond sixty kilometers, it might be useless. If the attack came with nuclears, the range was far too close. A major portion of northern Israel might be expected to bear the brunt of a Syrian nerve or nuclear counter attacks.

"Do they believe THOR will be ready in seven days?"

Seven days, Avraham thought. That's how long intelligence believed the Syrians needed to get the SRBMs mated to the warheads. If our preemptive attack on Syria succeeds, Israel will have to be ready.

"We just don't know. The new technologies that we've created have never been tested in concert with each other. Seven days may not be enough."

Avraham thought for a while about the retaliation window. "It will have to do. Have THOR as ready as possible. Our nation is depending on it. That bunker in Syria is fifty meters below the ground. It is hardened. I need something very powerful to get to it."

"They used small nuclear devices on us, and I think a small nuke or two will be appropriate." General Izenburg smiled and added, "We might have something lying around that the eyes of European command hasn't discovered."

Avraham understood.

Izenburg answered. "I think we will find just what we need."

Chapter 33

Lieutenant Goombi sat at the table explaining the precarious position Pete found himself. Pete listened without comment. An ounce of tactfulness was worth a pound of cure. Kendra. Lora, Steve, and Esther listened and watched Pete at the same time. Goombi, their friend since the war sat grim face and threatening.

"We know that you carried a weapon with you when you went to find Kendra. And it is believed that the silenced twenty-two you used has been in Israel since you were last here. We may suspect everything, but we cannot prove anything, atleast at this time. What I want to know is, do you have anything else that we should know about?"

Pete looked the lieutenant straight in the eye and lied. "Lieutenant, I can safely say that I have no weapons. Besides, having an unregistered gun in Israel is a major offense. I swear I do not have any guns."

Lieutenant Goombi stared at Pete, looking for signs of deceit. He knew Pete lied. Proving it might be harder.

"What did you do with that rifle that you were so proud of?"

"I threw it away," Pete replied. "You know that. For all I know, it is still lying where it landed."

"We searched the location you gave us and found nothing."

"Someone must have picked it up. If you remember there was a war going on three years ago."

"Don't lie to me."

"Corporal, I mean Lieutenant," Kendra injected. "He did throw it away. None of us knows where that rifle is."

Kendra saw the complete innocence reflected on Pete's face, but the look on Goombi's resembled something akin to a cobra. One of them was going to explode and it looked as if it might be Goombi.

"Can I get you a glass of water?" she asked and looked at her Indian friend.

Goombi shifted his eyes to Kendra as she rose from the table.

Kendra saw the big man slowly exhale.

"Sure," he answered. "I'll take a glass of water, please."

Pete watched the exchange between Kendra and Goombi and relaxed. The little peacemaker did it again. Then something struck him as odd about the whole conversation.

"Now you didn't come all the way over here to talk about some twenty-two that was found at the crime scene, did you Goombi? What is the real reason for this visit?"

Pete saw the hint of a smile cross Goombi's lips. Living in Israel seemed to have softened the big Indian. Or maybe it was having a family. Pete smiled.

"Want to tell us about it?" Pete asked.

"We have transportation for you," Goombi said to everyone's surprise.

"When do we leave?" Kendra asked. Inside she was relieved to be going home.

"Sunday," Goombi replied. "But you are not traveling by air."

"We aren’t?" questioned Pete. "I hope it isn't by car."

"It's by boat. We've arraigned passage with a freighter leaving Joppa on Thursday. It's heading for Brindisi, Italy."

"Italy," Pete laughed. "Why Italy?"

Goombi continued and ignored the question. "The passage is free and should be uneventful. Personally I think the higher-ups are convinced you are guiltier than the evidence reveals. This may be their way of punishing you for having a gun in our country."

"Are all of us leaving on the boat?" asked Lora.

"Everyone," Goombi said as his eyes settled on Esther. "You are an Israeli citizen. You may stay if you wish."

"Esther's going with me," Kendra barked. "I'm not letting her out of my sight."

"I want to stay with my godmother," Esther answered meekly.

"But you don't have to go. You could stay with my family. We'd love to have you."

"No she isn't staying," Kendra insisted. "This world is going to hell in a hand basket, and she's going to be with me when it happens. The courts gave her to me, and she's staying with me until they take her back."

As Lieutenant Goombi glanced at Pete, his face became stern. "This little girl is safer here than with a person who is constantly being chased."

"She's adamant," Pete replied. He disliked the idea of not having Esther with them either, and he wasn't going to agree with the lieutenant no matter what he said. He made a stab at explaining Kendra's thoughts. "She believes that the rapture of the church and the Third World War are about to begin."

"That's right," Kendra said as she wrapped a protective arm around Esther. "Look up at the sky; it could be any day now, maybe before we finish talking. I'm not letting this precious person out of my sight. Where I go, she goes. She wants to stay with us."

"I'd like to hear that from Esther Yehezkel," said Lieutenant Goombi, and then added, "in her own voice." He reached across the table and rested his hand on Esther's. Looking her straight in the eye, he asked. "Don't you want to stay in Israel? Do you want to go with Kendra Makray on the ship to Spain?"

Pete watched Esther cling tightly to Kendra. "I think that's enough answer for us," he said.

"I still want to hear her say it one more time."

Esther looked up at the big Indian. "I want to stay with Kendra. I want to stay with Uncle Pete, Uncle Steve and Aunt Lora."

Goombi's eyes studied everyone as they now stood behind Esther. He thought about the comet that's spiraling to earth. The scientists say it will be in three, maybe four days. In the scheme of thing, who possessed this girl didn't matter. If the comet smashes down into Israel, this place will be the last place to stay. He made up his mind. "Be ready Sunday morning, zero six hundred. I'll be back to take you to the ship. It's scheduled to sail that evening"

Kendra relaxed now that Esther made known her choice. She always feared that Esther might someday be forced to choose between her and something else. The courts still might strip the girl from her. Fortunately Esther is old enough for them to listen to her opinion. Now Goombi seemed to be confirming what she always feared. The Israeli court was watching.

Esther's Israeli citizenship was never a question. The real problem centered on guardianship. If the courts thought Kendra was detrimental to the girl's health and well being, they'd take her away and place her in under the care of a resident Israeli family without a second thought. Goombi was keeping an official eye on them.

For a moment Kendra felt angry. She felt deceived. Seeing him prodding Esther to choose whom she wanted to live with seemed traitorous.

She stared at Goombi and felt the anger in her rising to explosive levels. At the same time, she prayed a quiet prayer that her anger would not cause a distasteful situation to become even worse.

Somehow she managed a stiff smile and heard Pete speak.

"I think it's wonderful that you care enough about Esther to offer to help. I presume the courts have brought up the issue and have asked you to look into her welfare?"

Kendra turned to watch Goombi. His dark eyes drilling into hers.

"They did, but it is also a decision that Esther needed to be involved in. It is a question that has to be answered before she leaves the country."

"And what are you going to report to them?" Kendra asked chokingly. Her voice clearly revealed her anger, and her green eyes, never blinking, fixed intensely on Goombi's.

"I believe they will not interfere with her decision, but it must be free of coercion. Their concern is that Esther is not being raised as a Jew."

Esther's reply caught everyone off guard. "I'm Messianic," she said. "I believe that is allowed."

Kendra looked at Esther in shock. She never heard Esther talk like this. It sounded like a prepared speech. Delirious with pleasure, Kendra broken out in a wide smile, turned to Esther and showered her with kisses.

Esther continued. "I think the courts understand that."

"When did you make this decision?" Goombi asked.

"I've always believed in the Messiah. My grandmother believed in Him, and so do I. I also believe very strongly in my Jewish heritage."

The big Indian came close to Esther and stared her in the eyes. Kendra saw Esther stiffen.

"This sounds very rehearsed for a little girl," Goombi said. "Are you sure you haven't been coerced?"

"No," she meekly replied. "Have you ever read the codes written in the Torah?"

"No I haven't," Goombi replied. "Have you?"

Esther left the room. She returned carrying an arm full of books. She laid them on the couch and selected two and took them to Goombi.

"I like these two."

"What do they say?"

"They tell all about the Messiah. They even give the names of the family he was born into."

"They do?"

"Uh Haw."

"Do you believe that the Messiah has already come to Israel?"

"Uh Haw."

"Do you believe He's coming again?"

"Uh Haw. Very soon." Esther hurried to her room again and returned with a chart. She handed it to Goombi.

"I can prove it," she said and opened the chart in front of Goombi.

"You don't have too," Goombi said and placed his hand over the chart.

"My grandmother taught me that I didn't need someone else interpreting the Holy Scriptures for me, and since everyone," she looked at her Kendra, "in my life says how smart I am, then I think my decision should be accepted."

Kendra turned back to Goombi and beamed. "You have to admit the girl is smart," she said with one arm on Esther's shoulders, her fingers patting the girl's back. Goombi looked defeated and Kendra felt exuberant.

"Well," he said, "there is nothing more to say. He looked at his day timer and added. "I'll be here to pick everyone up Sunday morning. I'll call before arriving. Have your bags packed and be ready."

"We will," Pete replied. "I presume this freighter that we will be traveling on also carries passengers." Pete saw the questioning look in Goombi's eyes. "Just in case we have to work off our board and keep."

Goombi shook his head. "You're a tough man. The Israeli government does not send its honored guests off on tramp steamers." Goombi stood and then said, "It is time for me to leave. I have to complete my report before going home. At this moment I really miss my family."

"Your family will need you," Kendra said, her voice solemn and pleading.

Goombi blinked and asked, "What?"

Kendra looked as if she was staring at the wall. "We're coming to the end. Your family will need you."

"I don't understand? What are you talking about?"

Lora laughed as she answered. "The end of the world. She believes the end of the world is about to happen."

"It's not the end of the world," Kendra responded in defense. "It's the time of God's judgment, Jacob's trouble." She stared straight at Goombi. "God's judgment on this world has begun. It could begin before you get home. I know you converted to Judaism, but you and your family need to add belief in Yeshua to it."

Goombi said nothing as he looked at the others. "I have to go."

She watched him walk to the door and quickly leave.

Lora fumed as she scolded her sister. "Now you did it," she growled. "Thanks to you, we may never get home."

Kendra stared at her sister and the hurt she felt showed in her face. "He needs to hear about Christ Jesus. Maybe it'll change his heart, maybe I planted a seed, maybe he'll eventually believe."

"Believe what?" Lora said as anger rose in her voice. "That he doesn’t believe like you do?"

"No! But I pray that he'll believe that Jesus is his God and Messiah."

"Oh give me a break. You've been on this high horse for the last four years. You get religion and think you're God Almighty."

Kendra studied the faces of everyone in the room. "Jesus is coming. Everything that the scriptures say is true, and that terrible day for a rejecting world is about to happen."

Steve spoke up in an effort to defuse the growing hostility between the sisters. "You talking about the rapture?"

"That day, the rapture, the taking away in the twinkle of an eye it's all about to happen. The signs are there. The scripture says no one knows the time or the day. It never says we will not know the year, but I am convinced that that day is only days away, maybe hours. Time has run out. I believe the old Jewish holiday, the Feast of Trumpets, this Thursday, will be the day that heralds in the terrible Day of the Lord. That orbiting mountain up in space is supposed to crash to earth on that day. And now that day is only two days away. If this all happens, it will bring closure to one of the Bible's great mysteries, the rapture. You all," she turned and looked directly at her sister, then the others, "have got to believe, or you'll all be left behind."

Lora pushed her chair back and stood. Defiantly she steamed. "I'm tired of hearing this fable." She shot a look at Steve. "Let's go. I'm tired of hearing this, and I don't want to argue."

Pete rose and said, "Maybe it's time for everyone to get some sleep. We can talk about this tomorrow."

Kendra looked at her family with pleading eyes and saw Pete reach in his pocket for the key.

"But tomorrow may never come," she said softly. "I feel we have very little time." She was losing them and they wouldn't listen. "I'm not trying to put anyone down, and please, please, take what I am about to say as an act of really caring about you. In love I have to say it as simply as I can. Whoever believes in his heart that Jesus is the Messiah, is of God and is born again, will be saved from the terrible hour that is coming. Believe God; believe the written word that has been given by God. This is no time for playing games. Tonight before you go to sleep, tomorrow morning when you wake up, humble yourself before God in prayer. Ask Him for forgiveness. Ask Him to come into your life. I believe the scriptures, and I can see we are very near to the time written in the book of Daniel. The temple has been desecrated and that man, Daniel Von Resh, returned to life."

"Resh," added Pete as he sat at the table. "All I keep hearing about is this Resh guy." I wish I shot him with the .308, he thought in frustration.

She looked at Steve. Maybe there was a chance she'd say the right words. Maybe she'd get through to him. "Don't you see, Steve? Everything I've feared about America is about to happen. Once the spirit-led Christians are gone, only the people who are naturally self-destructing will remain. What do you think will become of our nation? I'll tell you. It'll become a living nightmare. Only the strongest will rule. It will be dog-eat-dog. You don't want to live like that."

She stopped speaking and hoped to hear him say something. Sadly, his face revealed a different story. He didn't want to make that decision.

Steve listened in rapt attention, not saying a word, but trying to figure out when he'd see his beloved Space Brothers.

She looked at them all. God protect them, she prayed. Protect them all.

She ran her hand over the back of Esther's head. Only she, a young Jewish girl, taught by her grandmother to study the scripture and to believe God, only she stood with her. Esther was the purest creature she knew.

Lora broke her thoughts and said. "Sis, you know that I don't believe all that stuff you preach. Religion has produced more misery than I can cope with. I've got people coming to me all confused because of the guilt they've received from your Bible. They need to be free of that crap, and that's just what I help them become."

Kendra stared at her sister and felt her blood boil. "And I suppose your brand of godless psychology is the answer?"

""You hit it right on the head. Everything I've learned in college has proven itself right and true. I've taken people who have suffered from trying to live up to God-imposed standards and set their paths toward a life free of condemnation."

Kendra exploded in defense of her belief. "I kept myself from slamming you and your self worship, and now you've gone too far.”They've come out of your therapy and become free to follow every belief under the sun, and you smile contently at your results because there're not troubled. You're a fool, Lora. All you've worked so hard to create is people who are slowly self-destructing. Why don't you give them true freedom?"

Lora looked at her sister and controlled her response. Sis was now one of her patients. "Yes, I set them free. They are not slave of anyone."

"Even God?"

"Especially the God that you keep harping on."

"Lora, your great learning has driven you to no understanding, and God calls that stupid." Kendra thought about the time she overused the title of stupid for those that read the Bible without understanding. That understanding returned only after she pleaded and prayed for its return. Now she shuddered because she once called her sister stupid.

"After all you’re hard work to get an education," she continued and quietly asked God for forgiveness, "all you've done with it is drive people away from God."

"Away from God? I think that depends on which God you're talking about. They don't need God telling them don't do this or that or you'll burn in hell. Who needs a God that orders them to reject people who don't believe just like they do? They don't need a God that excludes people. I believe that all people are created equal, and with psychology I teach them to accept everyone, even those lifestyles that I think are repulsive. No one is excluded just because they don't follow the Bible."

Kendra felt her anger cool to be replaced by pity. "You know you're rejecting God."

"Rejecting God? You're the one who keeps saying God talks to you. How come I've never heard his voice?" She paused, waiting for an answer. "Well, I'll tell something. He rejected me a long time ago. He never talks to me, even when I've prayed to Him. God is dead, and I think what you hear is something that borders on insanity."

"Lora!" Kendra cried. She was seeing a side of her sister that left her paralyzed by the pain of rejection.

"Lora," she said again. "You've got to change."

"Change," Lora laughed. "Why is it imperative to change?"

Kendra stared at her sister with tears welling up in her eyes. "Because we've run out of time."

Shaking her head, disappointed by her sister's response, she wrapped her arms around her godchild and softly murmured. "I love you."

Pete faked a yawn as he rose from the chair and said, "We'll talk in the morning. Right now I need sleep. I think we all need to rest."

Kendra looked at the group and quietly shook her head. They showed no response to what she told them. Not even an acknowledgment. Broken hearted she willed herself not to cry in front of them.

Chapter 34

Prime Minister Avraham sat with his staff in the underground war room. He hadn't been here since the war three years earlier. The walls held larger flat screens than before. Everything seemed updated and improved. He noted that the adjoining rooms contained more communications, more computers, more of everything, and more personnel. Though Israel did not possess an active missile command, he knew that three SS20's still lay undetected.

Eight giant screens showed the real-time situation of every sector surrounding Israel. The target and the speeding fighter-bombers were center stage on a ninth.

There would be problems with directing the bombers. The loss of the magnetic field made it impossible to direct them by a compass heading. Fortunately the errant compasses were only shifting their settings only a few degrees each day. With their excellent technology, they'd still get the job done.

After the last war Israel sent up three more intelligence satellites. Coupled with American intelligence, Israel possessed complete coverage of the Middle East. The maximum time that they might sit blind without coverage was ten minutes. For those minutes, coordinated ground and airborne sentinels kept a vigilant watch. Israel vowed that it would never suffer another sneak attack like the last.

He studied the screen showing the Hassem airbase in Syria, between Qatana and Damascus. Red glowing crosshairs pinpointed the location of the bordering mountain and the buried conference room that held the targets, Ali Hadad and Jamal Kakin. The time on the clock indicated it was almost midnight.

An old F117, borrowed from the Americans years ago, flew under cover of night and led the attack on the tunnel and the hardened conference room.

The three hundred meters of rock above the complex did not have to be removed to destroy those who sat safely under the mountain.

Two extremely small nuclear warheads are designated for this task. The first cruise missile would send its neutron warhead into the mouth of the tunnel. The warhead would also blow off the protecting outer steel and concrete doors. A concussion wave of one thousand kilos to the centimeter will then sweep into the tunnel, crushing everyone and everything. Two hundred thousand degree heat will then vaporize every living thing; not even a microbe will survive. Yet the destruction is not expected to penetrate past the security elbow in the tunnel.

Outside the mountain, the radiation will assure that everything out to a three-kilometer radius will also die. The blast is designed to blow the tunnel open to the elbow.

A second highly accurate warhead, carrying a miniature thermonuclear bomb, would streak into the opening at ground level. The plan is to hit the elbow and detonate on impact. This special warhead produces immense heat and blast. Radiation of one million roentgens will be trapped within the collapsing mountain. What little might escape will dissipate in two weeks, but not after it poisoned thousands of kilometers of land. Those who live close by might receive a destructive dusting from the fallout.

A one thousand-kiloton blast at the elbow has the ability to finish the job. This explosion will smash through the last remaining concrete and steel barriers. A massive concussion will stream into the conference center. An instant later plasma heat from the detonation will arrive. The one million degrees heat will sterilize the center of every living organism. Only a glassy shell of the interior is expected to remain, and that'd be gone a few seconds later if the walls collapse.

It is presumed that the men inside, though frightened by the first impact and confident of their safety, will sit out the attack. When the remaining security doors blows inward from the second blast, the men might survive a second longer. The one million-degree heat that will enter the center will end that fantasy.

Ten seconds later the heat will subside. Then the glassy internal cavity will probably collapse, burying the sterile environment inside with a million tons of radioactive debris.

Outside, the top of the mountain is expected to form a one hundred-meter deep bowl of fractured rock and dust.

The total operational time: twenty minutes from start to finish. The time between detonations: one minute. The dash back to Israeli airspace in stealth mode: three more minutes. The President of Syria being informed of the attack: another five minutes.

The third screen to the left carried the current Intel on the whereabouts of Sheik Halab and the operative code-named Kaffar. A meeting in the El Light Mosque on Amman Street, southeast of the city has been located and coordinated. Halab, Kaffar, and the team responsible for the bombings in Jerusalem were planning another campaign. The meeting, an all-night party of unbridled gaiety, was in progress.

Colonel Wizen of Israeli intelligence gave a verbal explanation of what they saw. "The targets are still in the conference room with the leader of the Allah El Whid terrorist group. As you have been informed, the Allah El Whid, The soldiers of God, have been directly linked to the nuclear bombings in Jerusalem."

"Are you sure they are still there?" asked Avraham. He knew he was nervous. This additional attack if coordinated with the attack on Ali Hadad and Jamal Kakin would totally destroy the Al Fataa.

"We are, " answered General Mosshe Netanya, director of Military Covert Intelligence.”Our operative left ten minutes ago. We are convinced that the Sheik and the Al Fataa people are still in there."

"When will our planes be able to attack?"

"They'll be onsite in forty-five seconds."

"Is our agent safely away?"

"He has been warned to get five kilometers away. He should be there by now. I think he's safe, especially if he has stopped under a culvert."

Avraham blew air through his lips and tried to relax. A live video from an F15 filled one of the screens. He easily saw the computer-enhanced laser paint beaming onto the Mosque. The cars and trucks parked by the main entrance revealed the meeting in progress. A second screen carried the live picture as seen from under the wing of a second F15. "Can we release?" asked General Izenburg.

Avraham looked at the general and nodded. General Izenburg gave the okay to launch. Both men watched the first neutron-tipped cruise missile roar away.

Rene turned on her television at first light of dawn and walked to the window. A news report of blood raining down in the Atlantic didn't make sense. Feeling irritated by the news, she changed channels and fine-tuned the television camera attached to the telescope. Now the television showed a picture of the house that held Kendra Makray.

With a camera attached to the scope, the television revealed a strikingly clear image of the house. Kendra did not appear for yesterday's daily jog and Rene felt curious about the pattern change.

She switched out the magnifying lens on the scope for one of a smaller millimeter. After carefully tapping the scope to recenter the image on her TV, she stepped back to have breakfast.

The view on the screen let her see the house as if she sat across the street. She clearly saw the kitchen table with Kendra, and a little girl having breakfast.

Last night must have been something, Rene thought. She didn't even close the curtains.

Rene sliced up a melon and cucumber and put on a teapot for hot water. As she waited for the water to boil she studied the image on the screen one last time before going to the bathroom to brush her hair.

The whistle from the teakettle caught her attention as she finished her grooming in the kitchen. She glanced at the TV and saw movement.

Pouring herself a cup of water and steeping a teabag, she ate a slice of melon while viewing the screen. Another person appeared. It wasn't anyone she knew. Then Kendra appeared, along with Pete. Kendra's sister walked past the window. Something was going on at six in the morning.

Rene shifted the point of the telescope until she scanned the entire building. Outside, by the curb, sat two military vehicles. One was a large vehicle that easily carried six people. The second, a smaller one, sprouted aerials from its back and was obviously the command car. The American Humvee and Suburban-like truck were taking someone somewhere.

As Rene studied the images, she saw Kendra's sister pulling a luggage bag behind her. "They're moving!" Rene exclaimed and hurried to dress.

Constantly monitoring the television screen, she kept abreast of everything at the residence.

When she finished, she placed a larger millimeter lens in the scope and kept an eye on the now wider view.

As the door to apartment "A" opened, she knew she was right. They were moving.

Rene grabbed her traveling bag and hurried out the door. In a minute she was in her driving toward the base. She needed to get there before they drove away. Two vehicles, a 4x4 Humvee and a military suburban type, she dare not lose them.

The drive took all of three minutes.

She rounded a corner and saw them exiting the base. If she hadn't spent so much time on her hair, she'd have seen the two vehicles when they first arrived.

Fortunately traffic was light and Rene didn't bother to stop for a red light.

Breathing easier, she slowed her car and dropped in behind the little convoy.

Kendra sat close to Esther staring out the window, wondering what the jewel in her life was thinking. Goombi arrived early and in a hurry. Fortunately everyone was packed.

Now she sat quietly waiting to hear their destination. All she knew was that they were heading north, maybe to the city of Haifa. What happened to the port of Tel Aviv? Goombi did said something about Tel Aviv.

This cloak and dagger stuff was wearing thin and all she wanted to do was go home. Home, she thought heaven or Colorado? Colorado sounded pretty nice right now, to sleep in her own bed. Now that'd be welcomed, really welcomed.

But heaven, that might also be very soon, maybe today. I wonder what it's like?

Last night was as if it never happened. She felt terribly rejected yet at the same time resigned. They were not taking her seriously. Only Esther believed.

Hurt to the core, Kendra felt the rising wetness in her eyes. She prayed for their salvation so many times, and now it might be over.

Totally crushed, she needed all of her energy to stay composed. At least while staring out the window she didn't have to look at anyone or see the expressions on their faces.

She needed joy to lift her spirits, but the well was empty.

A little voice in her said, "They have rejected Me, not you."

For a moment she understood why so many Sunday School classes shunned her. Her zeal for the Lord made her say things that the members found hard to accept. "The word of God is truly a two-edged sword."

She prayed a short prayer asking for forgiveness. She asked that somehow her zeal could have a more compassionate edge to it, that the Holy Spirit would be gracious to her and help her form less stinging words, words that didn't make people defensive over the way she thought.

So many people placed God in a box and they rebelled against admitting their weakness, their humanity and the finite mind. "Remember me Lord God," she prayed silently. "Remember me for my zeal toward you and the things you revealed to me. Remember me for the good I've tried to do."

She gripped Esther's hand.

The girl looked up, smiled a smile of understanding and asked. "Why do they fight so hard not to believe when they've been through so much? Surely they know that what you are telling them is true."

For a moment she only shrugged her shoulders in agreement. "Maybe," she answered, "they've seen too much."

Esther looked at her godmother totally confused, waiting to hear more.

"Sometime, we hear and see just enough to vaccinate us from the truth." Kendra saw the confusion still on her young friend's face. "Lora, Steve, and even Pete have seen the power of God, especially during the last war."

"The war to destroy Israel?" Esther asked.

"Kendra nodded.”That's the one. Unfortunately, when the people we love are confronted with the truth of the good news of God, they don't accept it. I guess they've heard the Bible preached so long that they've insulated themselves from listening. My guess as I see in Steve, is that they are trying to fit all the other things they believe with what they've heard from me, and God is coming out on the short end."

Esther twisted her lips as she thought. "I guess you're right. I've read enough in the Torah to know that the God of Israel, the God of the whole world, is a jealous God. He will not share his glory with anything. He gives only truth and most of mankind prefers to worship the things they can touch and feel."

Kendra studied Esther's face and smiled while gently shaking her head in amazement. "You are so right," she said and bent down and gave Esther a long hug. "I'm afraid the church has been as guilty as anyone. A lot of preachers don't believe a hundred percent in the Word of God. But I have to admit; I've done all that too, at one time or the other. But I also learned, and I gave up that confusion a long time ago," she added in defense of her belief.

Kendra saw her look of concern. "I'm guilty too. But by believing God I've also been declared righteous. Jesus, Yeshua HaMashiach, is God, and falling in love with God, and believing God has not only changed me, He has also changed you. Together we'll hold on to each other and God. Those who trust in Him will never be disappointed, even if they die in their belief."

The sadness and maybe fear she saw in Esther's eyes broke her heart. "We'll be all right," Kendra said as tried to give reassurance.

Esther smiled back. "Are we going home? The first day of Tishri is tomorrow. Do you think it will happen?"

Kendra nodded and thought of the possibility of the rapture, and then of the trip back to America. The Feast of Trumpets, Rosh-HaShannah, will be the Jewish New Year of 5774. It may begin tomorrow or a year later, but it will arrive on time. Yesterday she heard on television that scientist have discovered that the noise coming from the Van Allen belt as well as the normal background noise from space has strangely vanished. For two weeks they knew about the magnetic belt protecting the earth changing. Now, even the background radiation from space has vanished. "And there was silence in heaven for about a half-an-hour," she whispered. "The seventh seal has been opened."

She looked lovingly at Esther and went over to her, wrapping her arms around the girl. "Tomorrow," she said. "Tomorrow we may be home. Golly I'm frightened and excited."

She gave Esther a long squeeze and a kiss on the top of her head.

Chapter 35

Von Resh walked to the waiting car with mixed feelings. Even the patch over his right eye did not feel right, and his left arm which had withered was itching. The speech he delivered to the United Nation soured too many of the delegates. The esteem body was more concerned about the loss of earth's magnetic field. They seemed terrified from the potential of increased developments of cancer or crops burning up from the sun's radiation. As he drove to the airport, the cloudy New York weather didn't lift his spirits. A burning oil storage depot in New Jersey dropped dark lung-gagging clouds of oily soot along the East River. On the other hand maybe he might be able to use their fears to his advantage.

A strange formation of vertical clouds floated above. Composed of industrial smoke and soot, the tall columns reached into the stratosphere and blossomed out until it looked as if they were reaching for each other. Von Resh was convinced that these cloud formations were a prelude to even more weird weather related catastrophes. His friend Elijah was right. Draconian measures were needed to save the world from its rush to enjoy the good life. U.N. Resolution 606 was absolutely needed. The world also needed to eliminate half its population. Maybe the sun's radiation will help.

As for the U.N. General Assembly, they gave him praise for working out the acceptance of U. N. Resolution 606. The latest string of bombings in Jerusalem cleared a way for that vote. They didn't like his apocalyptic warnings of a coming world disaster and the following planetary crises. They all knew about the mountain of rock about to crash to the earth. Resolution 606 gave the World Trade Organization the power to control the ebb and flow of goods and services on a worldwide scale when that catastrophe becomes yesterday's news.

The fear of the comet strengthened the hands of the WTO to enforce sanctions behind the military might of the world. Buying and selling, the movement of merchandise now required a special mark, UPC codes that tens of thousands of inspectors were to administer. All nations now collected a special tax for this service and to pay for the computerization and communications required to making Resolution 606 work.

But Resolution 606 would be phased in over a fifteen-year period. Von Resh wanted it shortened to three. The major world crises about to occur demanded action now. He knew that urgency would send the world into panic and maybe, just maybe, he'd get the timetable shortened to one year.

Right now the greatest point of contention called for the WTO, under his leadership, to be granted autonomous dictatorial powers when the calamity occurred.

His seers warned him that the world governing body possessed no stomach for his autonomous plan and his draconian timetable. Uniting all the world resources with a multi-billion taxation plan left them applauding. Using military force to make nations and corporations comply was less soundly accepted, but they also knew drastic measures needed to be accomplished. If the remains of that comet created more havoc than the world can handle, they'd need draconian measures just to survive. That thing falling from the sky will be perfect. Furthermore, the crisis over Israel and Jerusalem was another spark. Though the general assembly believed that the current crises might not create a worldwide depression, the world banks have assured everyone investor that what they were hearing from Von Resh was a too active imagination. The council wanted to make some contingency plans just in case the worst case scenario became a reality, Von Resh believed he needed to exhibit greater control over the flow of the world's products immediately.

Now as he sat in the car heading for the heliport, something within him rejoiced. Von Resh knew that the God within him felt very happy. He smiled. If God is happy, then I'm happy.

He walked toward the waiting helicopter. The spirit within him said that the delegates will remember. Soon they'd call on him to save their hides.

Many of the delegates believed that Von Resh held the answers to peace, the environment, to business as usual, to making money, and to all their needs.

His plan to strengthen the World Trade Organization and meter out the dwindling resources was flatly rejected by the majority. Their petty squabbling nauseated him.

"If our economies stay entrenched in their respective power centers, this world cannot survive," he told them. When he also predicted that economic chaos will settle on their doorsteps, they just laughed. After all, the main economic powers on the planet have experienced ten years of uninterrupted economic prosperity.

The general assembly was still preaching the guarantees of world peace and safety. Armed with the knowledge that the mountain spiraling to earth will seriously hurt the world, they were preaching to the choir that peace and safety would finally arrive. They even made the nuke bombings in Israel look like a local anomaly. When the attack on Syria became known, it was almost brushed under the table. It became another anomaly to be discussed and ignored on the path to world peace. Only the destruction brought on by the coming collision with that giant rock circling the planet seemed important.

Von Resh alternated between rejection and enthusiasm. Is this all worth it? He thought as depression slowly ate at his soul and confidence. The voice within changed his thoughts as surely as hitting a brick wall.

"I laugh at the strategies of man," the voice said.

Von Resh listened with total attention as the voice spoke.

"You have the superior intellect and the patience to rule. They will let you rule and I through you. Together we will cover the earth in peace and safety. But first there must be a time of crisis, a crisis that will forge this world into a mighty bastion. I will bring about a thousand-year reign. I will sustain you and give you great life. They will look at you as if you are God. The children to the twentieth generation will sit at your knee and follow. And when you go the way of your fathers, they will build a monument to you that will last till the earth is no more."

Von Resh sat in the car listening as his aids busied themselves for the next leg on the mission. In eight hours he'd address the European congress. Except for some nuances in wording, his message would be the same.

But for now he listened to his god. Encouraged he prepared for his speech before the European congress.

In Europe, he expected to receive a warmer response. In Europe he was one of them, and for the Europeans, he'd give them everything they wanted. They were his people.

Rene followed the two military vehicles at a safe distance. Sometimes she let the trucks get three kilometers ahead of her. Driving on the near empty Cross-Israeli Highways 1 and then 2 left her no doubt that she'd never lose them.

The highway they traveled, Ayalon North, ran past the Ayalon Reservoir. Just behind the trees sat the house where Kendra had been held hostage. Bitter memories of the death of her two friends drove her on with determination.

The convoy turned off from Ayalon North and headed east onto Ha-Halakha. Traffic congestion quickly picked up and she decided to follow closer. A small airport lay to the north, but she guessed they were heading to a safe house.

As she drove closer, she realized the city they were heading into. Tel Aviv was large enough that if she lost them, she'd never find them.

Her fears became reality when the caravan took a quick left on Yordei Ha-Sira and through the gates into Tel Aviv Port. Being stopped by three successive red lights just about unraveled her. But holding to the course, she sighted them again as they went into the port.

Slowly closing the gap between them, they led her to a parking lot along dock 27. A large white cargo ship lay alongside.

After parking her car, she stood outside and spied, two hundred yards away, the object of her wrath being shepherded onto the freighter. The bow revealed the words, KHIOS. Rene wrote the name down. Above her head a shimmering Aurora Borealis created waves of brilliant read and greens in the night sky. As she understood it, the earth now possessed twelve north and south magnetic poles.

An hour later Rene discovered that the freighter also carried a small number of passengers, but its main cargo was fresh fruits and vegetables from the farms of Israel to the cities of Spain. It also carried electronic and general merchandise from Israel and other eastern ports.

A row of large metal containers sat securely on deck. The ship's destination was Barcelona. She felt panic when she learned that the ship was scheduled to leave at seven P.M.

A few more questions answered, and she soon found that passage could still be booked.

That evening Rene stood in front of the mirror and studied her disguise. Cabin 11 was small but livable, and it contained a small stainless sink with fixtures ringed with mineral deposits.

The room seemed clean and the twin-size bed felt firm.

After stowing her few belongings, she studied herself as one hand fingered her hair. Her dyed strawberry blond hair now shown a short deep rich brown. As for her figure, she'd have to live with that. The disguise she'd chosen looked good, but maybe not for Kendra. They once made lasting eye contact. Kendra might remember.

Hopefully, the green contact lens Rene carried will distract Kendra long enough for death to reign supreme.

The supper bell sounded and she hesitantly prepared to make her way to the ship galley. A working ship never served food in the cabins. No, she'd have to eat with the rest of the passengers.

Nervously, she picked up a pair of scissors and began clipping. Satisfied with the final adjustments to her hair, she went to the small bed to lie down and wait. Tomorrow morning, they'd be far out to sea. Accidents happen at sea.

Chapter 36

Prime Minister Avraham read the news report, ISRAELI SECRET WEAPON UNCOVERED.

His aid interrupted as he said, "They know about THOR. The report first broke in The London Times. Every major newspaper has picked up on it. The Russians are blaming us for the nuclear destruction they've suffered."

Avraham thought back to the last time THOR was used. Ten SS20 missiles lifted off from south of the Caucasus. THOR destroyed all but one. The warheads from the now nine errant missiles plummeted back into Russia and detonated on impact. Severe damage had been done, millions died, and the nation was in economic ruin. The last warhead detonated too high above the city of Afula to produce much damage.

Now he had to worry about THOR doing its job again. At least that piece of comet was to crash down somewhere in Asia. If it landed within a thousand miles of Israel, there might not be an Israel.

Publicly, the Russians blamed a Colonel Nicoli Vorshkov for their earlier sorrows, but secretly suspected the Israelis had something to do with the destruction.

"Get General Izenburg, for me."

He watched his aid hurry from the office. THOR needed to be made active, and he needed it now. There may not be a tomorrow. Kendra's warning, the encrypted code within the Bible, all pointed to today.

* * *

"That's it!" Pete exclaimed as he stood letting the early morning sea breeze flow over him. The ship set sail the previous night at nine, and now, at six in the morning, they were one hundred and fifty miles out to sea. "I knew that warhead exploded prematurely," he said to Steve who stood alongside.

"The one over Afula?" asked Steve as he shuddered in the cold morning sea air and the memory.

"Yeah, that's the one. It exploded too high to create a lot of damage. The question has always been, why?"

"That darn thing blasted me into a muddy hill, and you say it didn't do damage" Steve said in astonishment. He rubbed his right elbow as he remembered. "I nearly got killed."

"Don't you see? After the war ended we heard that the warhead exploded twenty miles up. That's too high to do the damage those things are built for. We got hit with the light, heat, and a shock wave, but nothing like what might have been."

Steve looked at the CHIOS' deck. The metal deck was sweating. He knew that the refrigerated Tweendecks was loaded to capacity. Apparently cold air seeped past the insulation and chilled the steel planking under his foot.

He also learned about the ship was originally built in Poland for the old Soviet navy. The 5500-ton vessel once carried submarine ballistic missiles and supplies to nuclear subs. The freight line, Athena, bought it and refitted the cargo holds for transporting goods and vegetables.

"I bet you're right," he said as he blindly agreed with Pete's assessment. "The Israelis must be able to shoot the darn things down."

"Shoot them down may not be the right words. They apparently have this weapon called THOR. It shoots laser and particle beams at anything in space. Once it hits a warhead, it destroys or melts the circuitry on contact. Remember, the two warheads they found were undetonated; their circuitry had been fused – totally melted. The one that exploded over Afula didn't fuse. It detonated, and so did those over Russia."

"I think I remember reading," replied Steve, "that the warheads that exploded in Russia were all their own. The missiles rose from the ground in good shape, and then something went wrong. Why did they fire them?"

"I think it was because they lost the war. Then THOR hit them," Pete said in amazement. "The Israelis have developed an anti ballistic missile defense. Our country still doesn't have one that really works, but Israel does."

"I can't believe that we don't have something like this."

"Maybe we do. Maybe we don't. One thing seems for certain, they do."

"Well, if that's true, just as the Ark unsettled the Middle East, something like a working Anti Ballistic Missile defense will do the same thing."

"Scary, isn't it?"

Steve stared at Pete, wondering what he meant.

Pete saw a look begging for an answer. "All those people who built up missile forces will now have to use them or lose them. If this THOR thing really works, all the ICBM's in the world will be useless."

Steve looked east toward Israel. "It might go either way. Those who want to blow up Israel may realize that the nation have something that will stop them."

"And the other way?" Pete asked.

"Or they could all go crazy and blindly attack as they try to overwhelm THOR."

* * *

General Izenburg hurried into the premier's office, making sure the door was closed. "THOR has undergone three tests. They were barely successful at two hundred kilometers. We have a serious degradation of power and accuracy beyond that."

"When will they be able to reach a thousand?"

"The technicians are reporting a slight tolerance error in all the mated components. This probably will diminish as they adjust the black boxes, but it will take time."

"Time we do not have."

Avraham walked to the map hanging on the wall. He studied the borders of the Israeli nation. Using his finger, he made a two hundred-kilometer radius circle from where THOR sat. Israel sat protected, but for how long?

"How accurate can they be if a target is sighted at a hundred kilometers?"

"Depending on size."

"A warhead," Avraham quickly injected. "We're not trying to hit a mountain."

"There is a fifty-fifty chance of a solid hit. At two hundred kilometers, we expect one hit out of ten. Farther than that, we expect nothing."

Avraham sat in his seat behind the desk. His eye stared unseeing at the floor as he thought. The Russians have activated their defense treaty with the Syrians. There was a very real threat of their retaliation spinning out of control, but if they did nothing. If Israel did not respond; his nation may very well be destroyed. The Jewish nation would be destroyed.

He made the decision before he realized it. "Get it operational. We won't be able to help anyone else. We'll improvise as we go."

Both men watched as a military aid hurried into the office. A red light began flashing from the corner of the office.

"Sir," the aid said nervously. "The Iraqis have begun launch sequence on their eight TOPOL Q rockets."

Avraham glanced at Izenburg. Both knew the repercussions of such a move.

Izenburg spoke first. "Are you sure? Do we have the targeted information?"

"Yes sir," the aid answered. "Intel says that Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Jerusalem have been coordinated. The Q's are configured to carry one warhead apiece."

Avraham already knew that bit of info. "When did they begin? Do we know what warheads have been fixed?"

The aid looked at his report. "Zero seven three five."

"We better get downstairs," Avraham ordered more than suggested.

He looked at the clock on the wall. "Get everyone down there, now."

Inside the tunnel, the bullet-nosed shuttle traveled the twenty kilometers to the Giv'At Ze'Ev underground command post in fifteen minutes. Avraham and Izenburg disembarked and headed for the command center. Behind them, one hundred staff members made their way to their designated stations.

Avraham hurried through security and entered the buzzing war room. Military officers and technicians staffing manned every console and passed incoming information and status updates to central command.

"Two times in a week," Avraham said sadly. "I once went years without coming down here."

Izenburg quickly added. "Things are changing fast. Maybe too fast."

Avraham studied the screens bolted to the walls of the giant command center. Two hundred meters below the surface, it was impervious to all but a direct nuclear hit. If that unlikely event occurred, all that will mark the spot where he and his staff stood will be a two hundred-meter deep by six hundred-meter wide crater.

The eight giant flat screens hung against the forward walls and hundreds of smaller ones lined the room. Rows of computer consoles, staffed by talented technicians read the status of every square kilometer of Israel and the surrounding nations.

Other terminals kept a real time report of the military status of Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Iran. Spy satellite videos went through computer enhancement and were displayed on monitors. In a connecting room a bevy of photo recon interpreters studied every frame that the computers flagged.

His concern at the moment was on the status of THOR. Without the protection of this laser-particle beam defensive weapon, the nuclear hit obliterating them would become a reality.

"And THOR?" he asked. "What's the status of THOR?" He slowly moved toward the computer consoles that still controlled the weapon. Now he saw one large console. Not like the five that revealed the weapon status during its last use. At that time it, and the five technicians, saved the nation from thermonuclear destruction.

THOR hit nine of those ten rising SS20's at a thousand kilometers. In his latest report THOR might be accurate only to one hundred kilometers, possibly another fifty if everything worked perfectly.

He expected that number to grow daily, but did they have enough days to see it reach the necessary thousand kilometer mark?

His only hope lay in the engineers. Left alone, the defensive computer throughout the world might plunge the world into its final hour. Still, there is man. The human element sat ready to interrupt unrestrained technology before it produced a nuclear holocaust.

Since the turn of the century, computer accuracy and speed became instrumental in making most of the crucial decisions. Now, with less human involvement and more super-brains controlling the outcome, the scenarios went faster. Everything was done in the name of efficiency, budgetary needs, and central control.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he thought of the human element. Human beings were there to stop things from getting out of control.

Suddenly a warning light flashed on the far wall, and technicians worked feverously at their controls.

"What has happened?" he asked. The bevy of activity apprised him of the situation.

Above the clamor he heard, "We've got fifteen minutes."

Izenburg received the note and passed it to Avraham. It read "Missile launch from Iran. One confirmed Chinese Dong III IRBM rocket. It carries a single nuclear warhead. We do not know the exact makeup. Ballistics is warning of a point just north of Tel Aviv."

"Do we have a lock?" he asked, hoping that THOR and the computers were already planning a hit.

An army major peering over the shoulders of a technician at the THOR console called out; "THOR is activated. We can fire when it comes in range."

Avraham heard himself speak before he was aware of it. "Destroy it as soon as you can." The flashing red light on the far wall became a real irritant to his eyes. "And shut that inferno light off."

He heard a warning from the Radar people. "It's got release."

Avraham knew the meaning. The warheads once separated from the body of the rocket were now in free flight. Only THOR gave his nation a chance to survive.

General Izenburg quickly conferred with a senior officer and came back to Avraham. He leaned close and said, "I've given them permission to shoot. Right now it is over Syria and too far away. But with a little luck, being in the vacuum of near space, when it gets to one hundred and fifty kilometers it will be in range. I've given permission to shoot ten bursts. That will expend the cannons."

Avraham knew the routine. Each cannon was capable of firing ten bursts of laser and particle beams. The second cannon was obviously being held in reserve. Recovery time for the expended cannon and the associated capacitors was thirty minutes.

Izenburg saw the warhead pass the crucial line and spoke up. "The first burst has fired,"

A second later Avraham listened as General said the words that chilled his bones.

"Missed. Fire the rest at thirty second intervals."

Avraham waited and felt the tension building in him. One after another the shots by THOR ended in failure. Jubilation, when it came, left him puzzled.

"What happened?" he asked as the command crew gathered around the THOR consoles began congratulating each other.

Izenburg answered the question.

"We hit the warhead. It's falling, but the trajectory has changed."

"Where's it heading?"

General Izenburg snapped his fingers at a nearby Captain and waited."

"Damascus," came the loud reply.

The Captain hurried to Izenburg's side. Computers have it hitting in northeast Damascus. At the moment Umawiyeen Square in the southern end of Tishreen Park is ground zero. The altitude for detonation may be anywhere around three thousand meters down to ground impact."

Can you tell if it is live?" Avraham asked. He heard no answer and knew that none could be forthcoming. In a minute they all would know the answer.

During the last firing of THOR, three years earlier, every warhead but one fused and fell harmlessly to the ground. After separating the triggers from the warheads contamination crews kept the radiation leakage under control.

The one that exploded went off at an altitude of 18,000 meters. It exploded high above Afula and did some damage, but there was no radioactivity and the heat damage is little to none. Only the weakened blast wave did any damage. Buildings that survived bombs and rockets collapsed and buried those seeking shelter.

The intense light from the detonation was a serious factor, but not crucial. Over two hundred people had been permanently blinded.

Avraham locked his eyes onto the screen showing the projected trajectory.

He watched for a moment and said, "Call the Syrian high command and warn them of what we are seeing."

“America!” someone yelled. “The United States East coast has been hit with an EMP. The pulse came from a blast two hundred kilometers from its shore, around the Middle Atlantic coastline, just east of New Jersey.”

“What?” yelled Avraham. “What are you talking about?”

“The East Coast of the United States has been plunged into darkness. There has been a nuclear blast two to three hundred kilometers above the East Coast. The Electromagnetic Pulse has knocked out the electrical grid for half the country.”

“Oh my God,” Avraham cried. He thought about all that has happened and about a nuclear war. “It has stared.”

Chapter 37

Rene watched her prey with the intensity of a starving crocodile stalking its meal. Kendra and the young girl walked the deck talking and looking at the passing sea. The sun rose above the horizon, and the morning heat felt good on her face. Her target seemed to be nervous as she and the young girl both scanned the skies, looking for something. If she killed them now, she'd be able to freshen up in her cabin and hurry to the galley. Breakfast was available for the passengers in thirty minutes and she didn't want to be late.

She patted her hair, sure that her disguise of looking much older was in place. She practiced her old-person walk and heard her stomach growl. Hungry, she wanted to eat without any distractions. After breakfast she'd get rid of Kendra.

Drifting away to the other side of the ship, she turned just ever so slightly to keep an eye on her intended victim.

Rene still saw Kendra's eyes boring into hers. Even with the best of disguises, she knew that that woman would remember.

"I should have killed her while she was tied to the bed," Rene snarled and tried to keep calm. "My boys, my boys," the thought of them lying dead brought tears flooding to her eyes. "They'd both be alive and we'd be on our way home."

She looked around and studied the ship. The control tower sat behind her and cargo filled the deck to the stern. Only the hatches were free of stacked containers. She saw no crewmembers working in the area.

This'd be as good a place as ever to finish the job.

Rene reached into the pocket of her jacket and felt for the lead sap, her only weapon. A quick blow on the head and Kendra would be out for the count. Unfortunately, the little girl would have to go too.

She guessed that the ship was close to two hundred miles out to sea. In less than a minute, two listless bodies would be tossed overboard to sink below the passing waves. She'd get herself back to the cabin before anyone was the wiser.

When Kendra and the girl didn't arrive for breakfast, Rene knew there'd be a search. But by then, maybe five miles later, the two bodies would have sunk below the waves, never to be found. Finally, as the investigation continued, she'd turn her concentration to killing Peter Meirs.

When they arrived at port, there would be another investigation, and the police would hold her passport.

That didn't bother her because she possessed a number of passports. Leaving for France or Switzerland only required money. From there it was a day trip across the channel and into the UK. Then a simple flight to Tampa and she be safely home. The destruction expected tomorrow in Asia meant nothing to her.

In the circles that she ran, her fame and ability to get the job done would command even greater respect and even bigger paychecks.

Rene walked slowly and cautiously around a canvas-covered mountain of freight and spied her targets. Both stood looking out to sea. Rene made sure no one was watching and moved closer.

Forty feet away Rene grasped the blackjack firmly in her hand and moved quickly.

The shout of a woman's voice stopped her in her tracks and she spun away.

It was Kendra's sister. Behind Lora came two men. Using all her powers to eavesdrop, she knew no one paid attention to her quick turn.

She breathed easier and made her way to her cabin. She'd kill Kendra after breakfast.

The sixty-kiloton explosion smashed the center of Damascus. The blast at four kilometers above the city created a 1300-meter fireball. Below, man and beast were vaporized. Farther out, fires and windstorms enveloped everything out to ten kilometers.

Avraham, along with everyone else, stared with fascination at the central screen. The satellite Intel showed that the blast and fire left the city in total ruins. At the same time Intel computed the expected death toll. The number sped past a million who received fatal injuries from the radiation, blast and fires. Hospitals, bridges, schools, everything was gone.

Farther out, from the suburbs to the towns of Adra, Dumayr and to Ar Rubaybah, maybe to two hundred kilometers north, survival was to become very difficult.

Fortunately for Israel, the winds were flowing to the northeast. Israel was spared the radioactive fallout, but a hundred-kilometer swath of radiation was expected to descend on central Iraq. A few hours later Northern Iran would have nuclear rain. Finally those on the eastern shores of the Caspian Sea would be feeling the wrath of nuclear warfare.

Death tolls up to one hundred kilometers were expected to be very high. Farther out, living or dying depended on how much radioactive dust landed, or how much a person inhaled.

The warning lights came on again as spy satellites recorded numerous missiles igniting in southern Russia.

Stationed 22,000 miles in space, in stationary orbits, these early warning sentinels were reading the high temperature nozzle exhaust from ascending missiles.

Seven missiles had been identified. All were showing tracks that pointed toward Israel. If his knowledge held true, each of the missiles were expected to carry multiple warheads, maybe three one hundred kilotons each.

The situation was unraveling and out of his hands. The military needed to fight this war. Their job was to see that Israel survived, and with it, as many of its citizens as might be snatched from harm’s way.

Rene sat at the fourth circular dining table for the evening meal with her back toward Kendra. She tried hard not to concentrate on her job. She hoped her target was too busy eating with her friends to notice. But with a passenger list of only twenty, meeting face to face was only a matter of time.

The food she selected from the buffet table made her feel right at home: bagels, black coffee in memory of Bruce and Les, vegetables, jams and sweet rolls. At another time, maybe in a few years, she'd consider traveling through the Mediterranean on a similar ship.

Kendra sat around the dinner table with her friends drinking a hot cup of tea. Today was Thursday, September 29, 2011, and she felt scared. The comet was expected to hit tomorrow, maybe a nuclear war was about to begin. It was too much to bear. She wanted to scream. Most of all she wanted to make conversation but the fear and joy of the possible rapture and the known coming destruction overwhelmed her with fear for the survivors and joy for the saints of God. All she had was her faith. She purposed to hold on tight to her visions and what the Word of God revealed to her in the scriptures. Frustrated she reached over and held Esther's hand and smiled. The girl smiled back but never said a word. "Oh God, have I worried her needlessly?" she prayed silently. "What if I'm wrong?"

She looked out the large windows lining the dining room. The sun was just above the horizon and sending its light streaming through the port windows. Was this going to be just another day? Was she really off base?

Around her the sounds of the others at her table were busily eating and enjoying themselves. They acted like there wasn't a care in the world. "God," she prayed, "have I made a fool of myself, and made Esther a party to it all?"

She looked out the window and saw a bright object falling in the blue sky. It has to be something from the comet. Turning away, she tried to enjoy her meal.

The buffet was anything but great, but at least it was hot. The meal was decidedly European, running from healthy to downright greasy. The coffee required spoon loads of sugar and cream to make it drinkable. Kendra felt grateful she preferred a light tea.

While in Jordan, she became accustomed to the Middle Eastern style of dark coffee. The caffeine withdrawal left her jittery for a month. But three years back in the States rekindled her earlier preference for tea. She'd survive and do well on what they served, as long as she stayed away from the coffee.

After being in Israel for a month, what she wanted most was a simple ham, eggs, and potatoes breakfast. Her mouth watered at the thought as she listened to the nearby chitchat.

She noticed the lady that came in and sat at the other table. Even with her back toward her, there was something familiar about her walk and her shape. For some reason, Kendra felt a distinct dislike for the person.

She quickly rebuked herself for having prejudicial thoughts against someone who did not deserve such feelings. As she ate, her eyes kept drifting to the women's back. She'd seen that athletic walk somewhere. To see it again in an obviously older woman seemed out of place.

"We count twenty-one warheads," called Izenburg. We have computed their destinations. It is Israel."

"When will they be in range?" asked Avraham.

"Ten minutes," Izenburg replied. "This time we will have to wait until they get closer. We can't take the chance of wasting energy like we did over Syria. Every shot will be crucial."

Avraham didn't have to be a genius to see that twenty shots by THOR didn't equal twenty-one warheads.

"What about number twenty-one?"

Izenburg gesture revealed that answer as he spoke. "We will have to take a hit."

"Maybe we can hit the first one and it will cause others to explode. The intense radiation may fry their detonation circuitry."

"Maybe, But don't count on it. It's never happened before."

THOR fired when the first warhead came within fifty kilometers of its intended target. It continued firing and the computers revealed clean hits on the first twelve. The thirteenth detonated at thirty-four kilometers above the earth. The resulting shower of radar confusing, impenetrable, electronic noise filled the screens. Number fourteen exploded a millisecond later as it fell below the electronic hash. The fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth all showed the telltale signs of being hit. Their trajectories changed as the computers indicated the exact time and location for touchdown.

The eighteenth exploded at nineteen thousand; with number twenty close behind. Number twenty went seaward from the tremendous shockwave that blasted the falling warhead.

Avraham concentrated on warhead number twenty-one. It detonated at 15,000 kilometers above the city of Haifa. He feared the extensive damage to be reported, but they saved the nation and millions of lives.

"What about number twenty" he asked.

Izenburg read the display aloud. "It's one hundred and sixty kilometers out to sea. We must warn the coastal cities. If it explodes, tidal waves will do serious coastal damage."

"Are there aircraft out there?"

"Only one, an early warning Hawkeye aircraft. It's been directed away from the expected detonation point." The general studied the display a little longer. "We are showing eleven freighters and two passenger cruise ships. Communications is trying to reach them."

Avraham's face squinted as he thought about the disaster that these ships might experience. Out at sea, maybe a thousand people were about to witness firsthand the terrible destruction wrought by a nuclear blast. He prayed for their survival.

The thunderous sound sent everyone outside and starboard. Rene followed Kendra as close as she could.

Pete looked north. Maybe parts of the comet crashed down north of here.

Captain Angel Kousakus slammed his hand down onto the warning button that sent a loud wailing signal throughout the freighter's warning horns. He finally understood the message from Israeli Maritime command. At the same time the helmsman turned the wheel as quickly as he could to portside causing the ship to sway wildly from the sudden course correction.

Rene saw her opportunity. It would never get better than this as Kendra ran to the stern to get a better look at the rising mushroom cloud on the horizon.

Rene hurried closer, thirty feet, twenty, ten. She clutched the blackjack and swung.

A shove sent her spinning to the railing. The man who appeared from nowhere and pushed against her was familiar. The name, Steve, flashed through her mind as she redirected her attack toward the intruder.

His clenched fist roared past her left ear and she felt the wind of its passage. The man wasn't playing games and neither was she. Rene ducked and at the same time back kicked with her heel. She felt it dig deep into Steve's ribs. A good hit, but a better one was needed.

The second blow from Steve came a little late and without real power. The heal-kick helped more than she thought. Rene spun around and planted another heel into his jaw. She watched a listless Steve Talon spin around and crash against the stacked cargo. In his slow motion crumble to the deck she almost laughed as his eyes rolled back in his head, with only the sightless white remaining.

She changed directions like a cat in mid-air and went straight for Kendra. A hand came out of nowhere and grabbed her arm. Rene spun around and looked into the face of Peter Meirs.

Chapter 38

Pete heard Esther's scream and rushed to the sound of her voice. Something was wrong. Hurrying around a pile of cargo he saw Steve crumbling to the deck. An older looking lady stood over him and stomped down on his face. Then she spun toward Kendra. The cat like stance and aggressive posture told him the woman was not what she made herself out to be. This woman had to be the person who escaped from the house.

As she sprang toward Kendra, Pete knew the move that would soon follow. Kendra was about to receive a vicious kick to her left temple that might be quickly followed by a backhand to her face. The killer would close the gap as Kendra stumble onto the cables and the rushing sea below. A massive sidekick into her stomach, and the ship's two cables that served as railing might save her, but then they might not. If Kendra went over the side, he moved faster than ever…

He got to the lady just as the backhand sprang forward and Kendra staggered back. Blocking the fist in midair and rotating his arm sent the killer spinning around. The kind to Kendra’s stomach never happened.

From the corner of his eye he yelled to Lora. "Get them out of here." Hooking the woman's arm in his as she spun he shoved her away.

For a fleeting moment he saw Lora grab Kendra by the arm. Distracted he barely saw the spinning heel kick that caught him just below the right ribs, knocking the wind out of him, and sending him crashing against barrels that sat strapped together. A second kick landed on his jaw and twisted his head with the blow. His eyes rolled back and his eyelids nearly closed. Instinctively blocking every blow without seeing them, his mind cleared and strength came back into his body.

Blocking the blows coming from the lady, he swept her legs out from under her. At the same time he jumped to his feet. Cat like she back-flipped and landed on her feet.

Her front snap kick sent him to the side as her foot kicked air. A quick lung and he smashed his right fist into her solar plexus. The killer stumbled back against the cargo. One more punch like that and the killer would be finished.

Closing the distance with a spinning kick the killer ducked but a second lung punched landed just below her sternum. The woman crumbled to the deck. The fight was over.

Her eyes opened and locked on him. She pulled a butterfly knife and spun it open. Just then a stabbing pain streaked through his left arm. His left hand and fingers froze as if every muscle turned steel hard; locking his arm in a useless position. The damage from the knife wound he suffered at the House of Pizza returned with a vengeance.

In desperation, Pete kicked the knife from her hand and saw it spiral over the edge of the deck. Angry at the knife-like pain flashing through his arm and frozen hand, he took out his vengeance and anger on the killer. With one swift back-heel kick he connected with her jaw and saw the force of his blow lift her off the deck. When her eyes rolled back in her head, he felt certain he had won.

A brilliant white light filled the air around him and he back stepped away from the fight. Protecting his eyes with his good hand, he knew enough not to face the light.

Did another nuclear bomb go off? Trying to make sense of the light he thought of the timer in Afula when a high altitude explosion sent intense light over the city. The air was so white he couldn't see anything. Just like now.

Kendra said to be ready for this to happen. He didn't believe her then, more because he didn't want to believe her, but she was always right. She always seemed to be right. He'd tell her that later. Right now he kept his eyes closed and protected, but what about the killer?

The light filling his eyelids vanished to be replaced by another light. The blow to the back of his head sent him to his knees. Another blow struck him on his back.

Dazed and gasping for air he also noticed the light fading around him. Details of the ship began to be seen. He spun around and blocked two more blows that were aimed at his head. The lady was screaming and swinging a short length of pipe.

With the air still radiant white, he barely saw the killer send a kick to his face. Instinctively, he turned away and saw her foot fly past him.

Lying on the deck he reached out with his good hand and caught her leg and lifted. She went down with a thud.

The white light in the air ebbed and confirmed to him that a nuclear explosion just occurred.

He'd seen a light like this when he was trapped in Afula during the last war. He needed to get this fight over quickly, but something was wrong. His body wasn't reacting fast, and his vision seemed to float. At times he saw double.

The killer came toward him, crawling on the deck. Groping her way closer, her fingers grabbed his arm. In a fraction of a second she was upon his chest and crossed her hands around his shirt collar. The killer's hand slipped a Judo stranglehold on the sides of his neck.

His thoughts were getting jumbled, but he understood enough to realize what was happening. The stranglehold was meant to stop the flow of blood to his brain. He had less than a minute to get away.

He felt her put more force in her grips and squeeze harder. He sensed her legs spreading wider. He found it impossible to roll her off of him.

All around him the wobbling siren from the ship's warning horns filled his ears. Through his back he felt the vibrations through the deck of a ship forcing a turn as the propellers lifted out of the sea.

The side of the killers head now lay flat against his left temple.

Lora pushed Kendra and Esther into the galley and instantly ran into them. Her sister and Esther both stopped in front of her. They were looking up, as if they were heard something.

Two flashes of light momentarily stunned her and she found herself gaping. With mouth open she stared at where Kendra and Esther once stood.

A brilliant white light poured in through the galley windows and flooded the room with such intensity that all the colors dissolved in the incandescent air.

As the brightness faded the closing steel doors behind her thumped against her back. Lora stumbled forward, her eyes frantically searching for Kendra and Esther who had been only inches away.

What she saw next was their clothing settling to the deck. Kendra's settled in a heap not over two feet away. Another pile, Esther's, settled on the exact spot where the young girl once stood.

Her mind reeled to understand what just happened. When the light in the room exploded in intensity, two flashes of light also occurred. One second Kendra and Esther were in front of her. The next instant they were gone, vanished. All that remained was two piles of clothing. It didn't make sense and she shook her head in hopes of clearing up the confusion.

An instant later fear swept over her as she realized that Kendra's expected rapture might have taken place. "In a twinkle of an eye, in a flash of light," she said more than once. "I'll be gone. My body will be changed from mortality to immortality. Only my clothing will be left behind, and I will be clothed in new material that never wears out."

Lora's brain refused to accept it then, but now, she saw it take place with her own eyes. If she hadn't seen it, she'd have never believed it.

She then realized that the bright light that streamed into through the windows came from a nuclear blast. Kendra said that it might happen this way. Nuclear bombs will go off and the rapture of the saints of God will take place an instant earlier.

"Oh God," she gasped as the realization of what happened sent cold chills coursing through her body. "We're all going to die."

Fear kept her from moving as her eyes continued to search for two people who weren't in the room. She stared down at the clothing, hoping the nightmare would come to an end. When my mind clears, she thought, they'll be standing in front of me. Then we'll all have a great laugh.

Lora waited and waited, hoping and expecting Kendra and Esther to make a surprise entrance.

Looking around the room, she saw that the dining room sat empty. Only the sound from the ship in distress permeated the room. "Oh God," she cried again. "We're sinking." Then she remembered Steve, Pete, and that lady. Were they okay?

She turned just as the ship rocked violently to one side, and she fell against the wall. Grabbing the railing to steady herself, she feared that the ship was about to sink. The fear energized every muscle and she pushed and pulled herself through the steel door with super-human strength.

Once outside she spied Steve rolling toward the edge - and the ocean. The edge of the deck was awash in the ocean. The ship was capsizing and Steve was going over the side.

* * *

Pete felt his left hand relaxing and the muscles responding. This strangle hold around his neck maybe gave him twenty more seconds of life.

With two sharp jabbing punches to her ribs, he felt her body shift and he reached under her hip and lifted, but she pulled her body closer to his. He knew her damming of the blood-flow to his brain would soon render him unconscious.

A rush of ocean swept across the deck and slid them both to the deck's edge. The lower railing cable smashed against his shoulder. The sea was the next stop if he didn't grab the lifeline. He gripped the one-inch steel wire cable with both hands and stopped the slide to the ocean.

Sea water filled his vision and the strangle hold ended as he saw the killer somersault above him.

Holding onto the cable with all his strength, he felt a massive sweep of water lift him and her. With her hand still tightly holding his shirt collar he felt her body smash against the upper cable.

The hands let loose of his shirt and she spun in a mixture of air, foam, and water. Through stinging seawater he somehow watched her vanish over the side.

Still reeling from the temporary blood lose, and the blow to his head, it took all his strength to hold on to the cable. Then he spied Steve sliding across the deck and smash against cargo. Somehow he held on.

Lora was making a grab for him but Steve was too far away. She slipped as foot deep water swept across the deck. She grabbed a two-inch wide cargo strap and kept herself from being swept over the side.

The ship righted and then rocked violently again. The deck filled with water and Steve flowed above the rushing water toward Pete and the sea.

Pete closed his eyes and shot out a leg in Steve's direction.

"Grab it," he yelled as the ocean tried to bury his cry.

The grasp of hands clamped around his ankle gave him hope.

The weight of his friend hanging onto his leg made him feel as if it he was being ripped apart at the waist. Knowing that he dared not weaken, Pete tightened his muscles and pulled harder against the force trying to rip his friend away and to certain death. Yet his mind seemed to be losing consciousness.

Above the roar of the waves, and the ship's shuddering, Pete heard Steve crying out above the waves for God to save him.

The freighter rocked deeper into the sea and came close to capsizing. Then everything quickly up righted and the rushing water sweeping over the deck ended. The other side was now awash in the sea. Then the ship rocked back and forth.

Unable to open his eyes, Pete knew that the death grip on his ankle was gone.

Resigned to the fact that his friend was gone, he hoped they'd find his body.

The ship righted and the Chios stabilized. The water sweeping across the deck ended.

Peering between slightly parted eyes, he made out two images of Lora standing and holding onto the cargo strap and looking past him. Turning to the sea he tried to focus on the two rising mushroom clouds and wondered which one was real. The brilliant light that had engulfed him was no faded. It had indeed come from a distant nuclear explosion.

Swinging his legs back onto the deck Pete knew Steve was gone. He heard Lora screaming and then saw her rush forward. He managed to raise his head just enough. The water in his eyes stung and gave double images of Lora reaching past the ship’s cable railing. Somehow Steve pulled himself up to the deck with Lora’s hands holding his wrist. Now Pete understood that Steve had been hanging from a cable.

For a moment Pete felt relief and then immensely tired.

Lying his head down on the deck he watched Lora help her husband onto the deck. Closing his eyes his mind lost all thoughts and succumbed to the blackness creeping over him.

Epilogue

Captain Kousakus stood addressing them in the galley. "We've looked everywhere. Only Miss Doughty, Miss Makray and the little girl, Miss Yehezkel is missing. As strange as it sounds, Mister Meirs, your account of what happened to Miss Doughty explains where she is, but it doesn’t answer Makray and the girl. We can only presume that they all drowned at sea. Still I am somewhat mystified. Mrs. Talon's explanation of what she saw is baffling. I’ve never heard of such a thing. We've searched everywhere for them. They are not on board. The only logical explanation is that they were all swept overboard. They just couldn’t have just vanished."

Lora spoke what she and Steve had clearly seen. Angrily Lora did her best to refute the Captain’s assumption. "Kendra always talked about the rapture. She said it would happen just before a global nuclear war exploded, or something just as terrible like that. She called that it will be known as the 'The Great and Terrible Day of The Lord.' That the day was great because it was the day that God took the godly to safety, and it was terrible because of the horrible things that were about to happen."

She saw the stare in the Captain’s eyes. Her comments were going nowhere. She resigned herself that he would put what he wanted into the ship’s log.

From the speakers in the galley they heard the news as she and Steve looked at each other in silence.

From the speakers came a report. “There are reports from around the world that seem to confirm something very strange,” an excited news reporter said. “A global nuclear exchange has taken place. Millions have been incinerated. Others have simply vanished. All of this has happened in a short time. We are still trying to piece together all the facts."

Lora looked at Steve and tightly grasped his hand as they paid their undivided attention to what they were hearing. "I saw it happen,” Lora said. “I know what I saw. It happened right before my eyes."

Steve looked at his wife and then said something no one ever expected to hear. "I think it is time we better start believing in something. Your sister said that evil never stops working to destroy the godly, and that it would unwittingly bring about the day when all the believers would vanish. I guess that vanishing has just happened. I also hope we live long enough to hear who or what brought on this war. Maybe your sister has been right all along. The God of the Bible, Yahweh, Jehovah, Jesus, or whatever you call Him might really be God."

A half hour later Pete sat in ships lounge with his head bandaged. All he felt was remorse. Kendra and Esther were gone. His dogs were gone. Henry the rooster was gone. Everything that excited him and gave him meaning in this sordid life was gone.

Struggling to lift his spirits he dug into his soul for a poem. There has to be a poem for this moment, he thought. Poetry always lifts my spirit.

He waited, anticipating, but nothing came. Now he sank deeper into despair. His heart and soul were crushed. All he could focus on was that everyone was gone: Kendra, Esther, the dogs, Henry. Life lost its meaning. He had nothing to hold onto, no one to hold onto. He felt shattered. What was the use? What he really wanted to do was get his hands on Elijah. That man, he's the one. He brought on this calamity. Pete didn't know how, but he knew Elijah was behind the bombing of his hotel. If that man didn't exist Kendra and Esther might still be alive. That man needed to be killed. Somehow revenge eased the pain of his loss. Yes that was it. Revenge, he get to Elijah somehow, someday that timing will be right. It might be a suicide mission, but he even enjoyed that thought.

Inwardly he felt a strange type of peace replace the pain in his soul. His head hurt, but that will heal. The target of his wrath was correct. He had a mission.

* * *

Daniel Von Resh sat in his underground bunker with Elijah and watched the news reports. It all began with Israel, just as he warned the U.N. The Syrians, the Iranians, and maybe the Iraqis were also involved. Then the Russians retaliated, then the Americans. From there it spread like wildfire to the Pakistanis and the Indians. Then in a few minutes the Chinese attacked Taiwan and both sides used nuclear weapons on each other. Thirty minutes later the war between everyone didn't matter as the unleashed terror sank into reality. Then there is that ever present the planet. This international rivalry had to stop.

Fifteen minutes before a big chunk of Asia had ceased to exist. The nuclear powers in the northern latitudes all self-destructed within minutes of each other. The British and Europeans retaliated in an effort to defend themselves.

The Southern Hemisphere didn't escape the destruction just because they were far away. South Africa, Brazil, Argentina, all possessed secret nuclear stockpiles, and all used them.

From his most reliable intelligence, he learned that many people who might have stopped the destruction left or vanished from their posts just moments before the world exploded.

Resh thought about his master plan of ruling over the natural resources of the planet. If there was a time for such control to be accepted, this has to be it. The nuclear war unleashed great destruction upon the planet, coupled with the fear after that comet crashed into the ocean; everyone was looking for a savior. They were looking for safety. The world was frightened and was his for the taking.

To eat and survive will become everyone’s most urgent need.

Resh absorbed the worldwide reports with a growing satisfaction. Now he had a real chance of becoming the world's Messiah. Before the days was out millions around the world would be looking to him for help and direction. Now he saw how the televised resurrection of his life by the power of Elijah was especially timely. The nations will urgently adopt his plan. He chuckled to himself in sheer pleasure.

In every crisis a man steps forward who the people will trust. He'd lead a hurting world out of the chaos. He'd bring unity, and with unity all things are possible.

A warm satisfied smile slowly spread across his face. Yes, it was now time to move up to the position of United Nations Secretary General. The world was his for the taking. He is the man of the hour. He would be emperor.

Von Resh stared at his reflection in the mirror hanging on the wall. The feeling of joy swelled to overflowing. It was as if something, someone, inside was laughing. "Today the E.U., tomorrow the United Nations, and then the world, I will have it all. I will sit in the seat of power and every nation will fear me," he announced with certainty, "I will even save the world from the wrath of God."

His self congratulating it was now time to act sad and humble. Elijah and two generals hurriedly entered the room.

“The world is urgently in need of a statement of hope from you,” Elijah said. “I have a prepared statement for you to read.” Look it over, make whatever changes you feel is appropriate. I’ve ordered the communications room readied.” Elijah hurried over to Von Resh and straightened the collars of his shirt and looked into the eyes of Von Resh. He winked. “Everything is ready. They will be expecting you in fifteen minutes.”

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