The Illuminati (48 page)

Razzak's eyes burned with anger. The guard stepped forward, but the dark man stopped him. “Leave us!” he commanded.

“But, sir,” the guard protested.

“Leave us at once!” he commanded again, and the guard left the room.

“Evil is a relative term, John Elder,” Razzak said smoothly, once more in control. “Most of the people in this country would say you are evil. I could have you killed and the people would cheer me as a hero.”

“Perhaps you can fool the people,” Elder said cautiously, “but no man can fool God!”

“What do I care about your God?” Razzak hissed as he rose from the chair.“Has He been able to help you or your pathetic followers? No. I am in charge now. Your God is a myth. Even your own schoolchildren know that!”

“Schoolchildren are easily deceived too,” Elder said, more boldly now. He did not underestimate the man in front of him, but facing his nightmare was not nearly as frightening as he had imagined. “What do you want from me?” Elder asked. “I know you haven't planned this whole episode just to impress me.”

Razzak's eyes narrowed as he felt the anger well up inside. Then he smiled, “Very good, John. Try to make your opponent lose his composure, then you will be able to manipulate him.”

Elder said nothing, but he realized that the man in front of him was susceptible to the same feelings of anger as anyone else. It wasn't much, but it was a crack in the armor.

“I want to offer you a deal,” Razzak said.

“What kind of deal?” Elder asked cautiously. He knew the one they called the Leader wanted something from him, but he couldn't imagine what.

“I have the power to destroy you and all the other Christians in America. We have you isolated and cut off from those around you. But I have no desire to destroy you, unless I am offered no other choice. Your beautiful wife, Julia, does not fare well in prison, I'm afraid.”

Elder blanched at the mention of his wife. He had prayed for her daily during his imprisonment, but inside he also prayed that she would not be arrested. He shuddered at the thought of her frail body undergoing the same treatment he had received. Suddenly his mind flashed the connection.
That's why I have been tortured
, he thought.
They want me to know what Julia will suffer—or is suffering
. Razzak instantly sensed he had struck a nerve in Elder. “I am willing to have your wife released.”

“In exchange for what?” Elder asked as Razzak paused for several seconds.

“In exchange for your sworn loyalty to my cause,” he said, his eyes seeming to pierce Elder's soul.

Elder fought back the fear that was welling up inside him. He did the only thing he could think of at the moment: he kneeled and prayed. His mind was so numb, all he could remember at the time was the Lord's Prayer. So he began, “Our Father, Who art in Heaven . . .”

“Stop it!” Razzak shouted at Elder as he struck him in the face. “You will not mention your false god in my presence.”

“If He is a false God, then why do you fear the very mention of His name?” Elder asked as he got to his feet. “Hallowed be Your name . . .”

“You will suffer, and your wife will suffer even more,” Razzak hissed in anger. “You had your chance; now you will pay, and your miserable followers will be wiped off the face of the earth . . . starting with your wife.”

“If you kill me,” Elder said, “I'll rejoice that I am found worthy to suffer for His sake. If you kill my wife, I'll rejoice for her sake. The more of us you persecute, the more will join our ranks, so you can't win. You are defeated—then, now, and forever.”

Razzak struck Elder again. “You will die last! You are the one who condemns your followers to death! You are a fool!”

“I have no followers,” Elder replied as he wiped the blood off his mouth. “We all serve the one true God. You have tried before and have been defeated. In the end, it's you who will bow before the Lord.”

“Never!” Razzak shouted. “Never! I serve the ruler of the earth. I will have the nations as my footstool.” He pressed the button on the side of the president's desk, and two bulky guards came in.

“Take this terrorist to the place we have prepared for him and his kind. Teach him some manners.”

Elder felt his arms being wrenched behind his back, and the cuffs put back on his wrists. One of the men shoved his face down onto the massive desk where Jefferson and Lincoln had sat. The impact split his eyebrow and blood dripped onto the smooth surface. He was dazed when they snatched him up again.

Razzak said softly, “We will speak of this again. The next time I will arrange to have your wife here with us. Right now some of the guards are busy with her.”

As Elder staggered out between the two guards, he said in a clear, strong voice, “Greater is He who is in us, than he who is in the world.”He could still hear Razzak's curses ringing in his ears when the guard on his right smashed a fist into his temple. He lost consciousness as they dragged him to the elevators.

“Where's he going?” one of the secret service guards asked the two who met them at the garage level.

“To the camp in Arizona,” the huge man said as he lifted Elder by the collar. “He will learn what it means to assassinate members of our government. It will be a one-way trip.”

Elder had regained some of his sense, but he decided to fake unconsciousness. As the big man hauled Elder toward the waiting car, one of the guards said, “Wait a minute! I don't know you two. What department are you with?”

“We're from special forces,” the smaller man said. “We're new recruits from the attorney general's office.”

“And they gave you the job of transporting the leader of the terrorists? Something sounds funny,” the secret service guard said, pulling his weapon. “You stay right here while I make a call to headquarters.”

“Do what you want!” the big man said angrily. “But why don't you just check our orders first? It will save us both a lot of reaming from up top. We didn't ask for this assignment, and as you know, Lively doesn't like to have his orders challenged.”

“Yeah, that's for sure,” the other guard said. “Let me see your orders.” As he reached for the papers the two men held out, the big man grabbed his arm and literally swung him through the air. His companion was caught off guard and fired his weapon just as his partner came flying toward him. The bullet struck the other man in the chest, point blank. He never had a chance to pull the trigger again; his compatriot's body struck him like a 200-pound sack of potatoes. He was slammed against the concrete wall, out cold.

“Who are you?” Elder stammered.

“So you are awake,” the smaller man said. “I thought you were. Get up, and hurry. We're going to have guards all over us in about thirty seconds.”

The big man grabbed Elder by the waist and hauled him into the car like so much baggage. The other man jumped into the driver's seat and dropped the shift lever into gear. The tires were still smoking when the first of twenty guards hit the garage level. Before they could fire a shot, the car turned the corner and disappeared out of sight.

The secret service agent who had been unconscious was just coming to and yelled, “Get them! They took Elder!”

Three groups of guards jumped into the three vehicles still in the parking area. The dazed guard heard the starters spinning, but not one started. He heard one after the other of the guards swearing as they raised the hoods to see loose wiring hanging in the engine compartments.

“We'll need to alter our plans slightly,” the driver said to his partner in the back seat with Elder. “They'll have an alarm out on us momentarily.”

“Who are you?” Elder asked again, wondering if he was being rescued or kidnapped by another group.

“We're friends, Pastor,” the big man said pleasantly. “We're members of Randy Cross' Bible study.”

Elder began to laugh. “Well, I guess it's been a while since Randy has had a chance to teach that Bible study.”

“Yes, I guess it has,” the big man said chuckling, “but we thought you would believe us quicker if we explained that we knew Randy. Hold it, Pastor, and I'll have these cuffs off in a second.”With that he tried his master key, supplied by one of Shepperd's recruits from the FBI. It worked just as he had been told it would. Elder rubbed his wrists to get the circulation back.

John Elder had many questions, but he knew they would have to wait until they were safe—if they were safe. He also knew that Razzak would stop at nothing to find him again.
Why was so much attention being directed toward a Baptist preacher like me from Atlanta?
he wondered.

When Razzak heard that Elder had been rescued by two men in the garage, he was in a rage. He immediately called Rutland, who was with Kathy Alton at an official Washington reception for the Arab ambassadors to the United Nations.

Rutland glared at the secret service man who brought the message over to their table. “I told you I was not to be disturbed!” he said angrily. He knew the next step in the plan required that the Arabs occupy Israel. Then the Jews would become slaves to their former serfs.

“Sir, you have an urgent call from Mr. Razzak. He said to reach you, no matter what.”

The Leader would never interrupt unless it was critical
, Rutland thought. “Tell him I will be there momentarily.”He made his way to the telephone as quickly as he could after offering his apologies to the Arab delegation.

“Yes, sir,” Rutland answered as he listened to Razzak's screaming about Elder. “I'll handle it personally.”

Rutland was clearly disturbed as he hung up the phone and walked out of the meeting room.
I've never heard the Leader so upset. How could one pastor be so important? The Arabs will just have to get along without me. Kathy Alton will learn about Elder soon enough
, he decided.

John Elder was beginning to believe that he had actually been rescued from the clutches of the Society. After his weeks, or months, of captivity— he really wasn't sure anymore—he was free.

The big man looked at Elder, and it was almost as if he could read his mind. “It's not over yet, Pastor,” he said softly. “We're in the middle of enemy territory, riding in the enemy's car. We've got a ways to go yet.”

“I understand,” Elder responded with a smile. “But who are you— besides being friends of Randy's?”

“Well, actually we were in the secret service under President Kilborne, but we were lifted from government service when Hunt was elected. We're part of a movement to help rid our government of the cancer growing within it.”

“How did you get into the White House garage?”

“I'm not really sure. Apparently there is some link to the national security system from within the group. Everything is on a need-to-know basis, just in case we get picked up.”

“What's the plan?” Elder asked as he felt his old vigor returning.

“We have a second car stashed not far from here. We'll make a switch and others will continue on in this one,” the driver said as he maneuvered the car through the back streets. He spotted the side street where the second vehicle should be and turned in.