Stung (39 page)

Lionel looked for a window but found none. “The security guard may keep them busy for a couple of minutes. Is there a back way out of this place?”

Sam nodded. “An alarm will sound.”

“Good,” Lionel said. “Stay right here.”

34

AS LIONEL
exited the bathroom door, he saw the two men still outside in a wild conversation with the security guard.

Lionel crept down the carpeted hallway and hit the door, sounding the alarm. He rushed back to the men's room and shoved Sam out of sight.

Keys jangled outside. People ran past. “Okay,” Lionel said, “follow me.”

Lionel and Sam calmly walked into the lobby. As Lionel suspected, the two men had rushed out the back door. The security guard wasn't in sight.

Lionel and Sam didn't run until they left the bank and turned the corner. They stayed out of sight until they reached the bus stop.

Judd phoned Immen's friend and explained the situation. The man asked which airline he had chosen and told Judd to wait fifteen minutes, then return to the ticket window. Judd got back in line and a half hour later was talking with the same ticket agent who had turned him down earlier. Judd gave his information and said, “I've made arrangements with a friend.”

The ticket agent scowled and tapped his keyboard. The man raised his eyebrows. “It looks like someone has made up the rest of the price of the ticket.”

Judd handed the cash to the man and signed a form. “When will that flight leave?”

“They're talking about Sunday evening. Perhaps Monday morning.”

Judd shook his head.

“It's the weather phenomenon,” the agent said. “If you'd like a refund, I can—”

“No,” Judd said, “I'll take it.”

Judd took the ticket and went to his gate. He called Lionel, but there was no answer. He found a restaurant that had e-mail access and typed a message to Lionel, then sent one to Vicki and the others back in Illinois.

Mark wished he had brought Judd's laptop with him. Late Sunday evening he watched the GC coverage of the cloud. He clicked to other channels and found psychics and fortune-tellers. Viewers wanted to know the future, and they were willing to take answers, even if the answers were wrong.

Flipping through more channels, Mark landed on a movie and thought of his cousin John. They used to love watching action flicks together. This one had some bad language, but he overlooked it because he was so interested in the plot. But things on the screen got worse. He reached for the remote and turned off the television.

Mark shook his head. Before he had become a believer in Christ he had watched things he knew were wrong. The images had stayed with him, even after becoming a believer. Now he felt ashamed that he had been drawn in. He unplugged the television and opened his Bible.

The phone rang. It was the guard, Kolak. “Boss wanted me to tell you that transport plane is supposed to get here between 8:00 and 9:00 tomorrow morning.”

“Do you know if Carl is on the flight?” Mark said.

“Don't know anything other than that the flight's due in the morning. I'd be here if I were you.”

Judd ate an overpriced meal at an airport restaurant. He had saved a few dollars to get him to Israel, but his money supply was down to almost nothing. His flight number was called over the loudspeaker. An airline representative said the flight had again been delayed. They hoped to get off the ground at some point Monday morning.

Judd groaned and settled into a chair in the waiting room. He propped his feet up and watched the television monitors. The continued effects of the worldwide cloud were the top story. Scientists speculated that the falling object had created a volcanic disturbance underground. “We should see this cloud cover dissolve within the next few days,” one scientist said.

The news switched to a statement from Peter the Second. The man was wearing his full clerical outfit. “The Global Community may have an agreement with these religious terrorists, the followers of Rabbi Ben-Judah, but the time has come to enforce the law. Enigma Babylon One World Faith is the accepted religion for the whole world. I have read the rules listed in the Global Community charter, and I believe it is now within my power to punish offenders.

“So that all may be clear, I consider the intolerant, one-way-only beliefs as a threat to true religion. Therefore, Enigma Babylon must go on the offensive.

“To be an atheist or an agnostic is one thing. Even they are welcome. But it is illegal to practice a form of religion that opposes our mission. Followers of Dr. Tsion Ben-Judah will suffer.”

Judd felt a chill run down his spine.
So much for being able to live your life in freedom
, Judd thought.

“As a first step to rid the world of intolerance, it shall be deemed criminal, as of midnight Tuesday, for anyone to visit the Web site of the so-called Tribulation Force. The teachings of this cult's guru are poison to people of true faith and love, and we will not tolerate his deadly teachings.”

Several people in the airport clapped and cheered. Judd looked around for someone with the mark of the believer but saw no one.

“Technology is in place that can monitor the Internet activity of every citizen,” Mathews continued, “and those who visit this site after the deadline shall be subject to fine and imprisonment.”

Mark awoke early Monday morning, checked out of the hotel, and drove to the airport. He parked his motorcycle a good distance away from the GC post. He had seen and heard very few planes land at the airport and wondered whether the flight might again be cancelled.

Kolak came to the fence and gave Mark a thumbs-up sign. “Ten more minutes!” he yelled.

A few minutes later the jet engine screamed overhead. The plane descended through the dense cloud with a roar. Through the noise, Mark heard a voice. He turned, thinking someone was behind him. There was no one there.

Monday afternoon in Israel, Lionel and Sam said goodbye to Jamal and his family. Nada came out of her room and hugged Lionel. She began to speak, then looked at her father and stepped back. Her mother put an arm around her and pulled her close.

“I can't thank you enough for taking us in,” Lionel said. “I don't know what we would have done.”

Jamal nodded. “If I had come to your country, I'm sure you would have done the same for me.”

Jamal drove Lionel and Sam to the airport and dropped them at the terminal. “May God protect you, my friends,” Jamal said before he drove off.

Lionel checked the monitors inside and found the right gate. His heart sank when he heard an announcement that said all outgoing flights had just been cancelled. Lionel rushed to Judd's gate and talked with the attendant.

“That flight is already in the air,” the attendant said. “It should be here within the hour.”

“Why is everything being cancelled?” Lionel said.

“Radar shows that the cloud mass is increasing,” the attendant said. “There's a good chance of severe weather ahead.”

Lionel sat with Sam in the waiting area. The boy was quiet.

“Want to talk about it?” Lionel said.

Sam looked out the huge windows. “It's my dad. I want to talk with him.”

Lionel nodded. “You know if you reach out to him what's going to happen. Those guys at the bank showed you that.”

Sam stared out the window.

Announcements were made over the loudspeaker about cancelled flights. People hurried back and forth. Some shouted at attendants.

Lionel closed his eyes and put his head back. He heard a voice that sounded like it was right next to him. He opened his eyes and stared at Sam.

“Did you hear that?” Lionel said.

“Yes,” Sam said, “it was perfect Hebrew.”

“Hebrew?” Lionel said. “I heard it in English.”

Others around them had heard the voice as well. Some women ran screaming into the rest room. A businessman carrying a briefcase fell to the floor and scampered under some seats. A woman at the gate got on the loudspeaker. “Please stay calm!” she shouted.

“What was it?” Sam said.

“The angel,” Lionel said. “It's sounding the next judgment.”