The Mark: The Beast Rules The World (30 page)

Demetrius Demeter, he of the gift of evangelism, eyes rolling back, tongue thick, legs failing, mumbled, “Christ is risen indeed!”

Buck watched the staggering band, each with the seal of God on his forehead, march to the death room, singing of the blood of Jesus and accepting the blows. He could not follow them in, knew he could not endure witnessing the deaths of these saints, old and new. Eyes filling, he found Albie in the crowd and motioned with a nod that he should follow. They strode quickly to the jeep, but not soon enough to avoid hearing the first slide and thud and the cheering of the bloodthirsty crowd.

Buck fired up the engine to drown out the sounds and squealed off into the night. He and Albie shared not a word as they raced south twenty-five miles to the airport at Kozani. Buck skidded to a stop by the motor pool and they leapt out, hurrying through the gate.

“Key in it?” someone called, and Buck nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

As he and Albie marched across the tarmac toward the runway and the hangar where their refueled jet awaited, Buck saw a tiny Asian woman sitting next to a huge suitcase and a smaller bag on a bench under a light pole. Something about the way the light illuminated her red, GC prison-system uniform made her look angelic.

She appeared tentative when she saw them and stood, pulling her orders from her pocket. She was a sliver of reality, a link to life, to safety, a cup of cold water in a desert of despair.

“Tell me you’re Ming Toy,” Buck said brusquely, barely trusting his voice.

“I am. Mr. Williams?”

Buck nodded.

“And Mr. Albie?”

“Jensen and Elbaz until we board, ma’am, please,” Albie said, and Buck could tell he was just as ragged emotionally.

“Let me see your papers,” Buck said, picking up her suitcase while Albie grabbed the other bag.

“Let me carry something, gentlemen. You have no idea how I appreciate this.”

“Until we get on that plane, Ms. Toy,” Albie said, “we’re just following orders and ferrying an employee from one assignment to another.”

“I understand.”

“Once we’re on board, we can make nice.”

Buck tossed her suitcase behind the backseat, then helped her aboard and pointed to a seat. As she buckled in, Albie slipped behind the controls. Buck sat next to him but did not strap himself in. He turned so his knees were between his chair and Albie’s and grabbed a clipboard.

He faced the silent woman behind him. “Ms. Toy,” he said, and he began to sob. “We have to do a preflight checklist and get clearance for takeoff.” She squinted at him in much the same way he assumed she must deal with the prisoners at Buffer. She had to be wondering what in the world was wrong with this man. “But once we are airborne,” he said between great gasps, “we are going to tell you what a miracle you are and why we so badly needed you to be on this plane tonight.” He caught his breath and added, “And we’re going to tell you a story you won’t believe.”

David awoke every few hours, peeking at his clock. Finally, at 0600, he rolled out of bed, ran a hard five miles, ate, showered, and dressed. He was in his office by 0730.

“You change this appointment?” his assistant asked.

“Yeah, sorry, Tiff. A conflict?”

“No, just curious.”

David called 4054, just to make sure Chang was still there and planning to come at 0900. When David identified himself, Mrs. Wong said, “Missah Wong not here right now. I have him call you back, OK?”

“Is Chang there?”

“No. Chang with father.”

“Do you know where they are?”

“See Missah Moon.”

“They are with Mr. Moon now?”

“I have him call you back.”

“Ma’am, Mrs. Wong, are your husband and your son with Mr. Moon now?”

“I no understand. Call Missah Moon.”

David called Moon’s office and was told Walter was in Personnel. Personnel told him the executives were in a meeting. “Can you tell me if they have begun applying marks to new hires?”

“Not that I know of, but that is supposed to be today, and that is what the meeting is about.”

“Can you tell me if one of my candidates is there, ChangWong?”

“I believe I did see him and his father in here this morning with Mr. Moon.”

“Where are they now?”

“I have no idea. Would you like their room number? They’re staying here at-”

“No, thanks. I really need to talk to Moon.”

“I told you, sir, he is in a meeting with Personnel execs.”

“It’s an emergency.”

“So you say.”

“Ma’am, I am a director. Would you please interrupt the meeting and tell Mr. Moon I need to speak with him immediately.”

“No.”

“Excuse me?”

“I have been in trouble for just that kind of thing before. If it’s that important, you may feel free to interrupt the meeting yourself.”

David slammed the phone down and jogged to Personnel. He found the conference room empty, then found the receptionist. She held him off with a raised hand as she handled another call.

“Ask them to hold a second,” he said. “This is important.”

“Just a moment, please.”

“Thank you! Now, I-”

“I didn’t put this call on hold to help you. I put them on hold to ask you to wait your turn.”

“But I-”

She held up a hand again and returned to her call. Another phone rang while she was finishing, and she went directly to it. David leaned across her desk and depressed the cradle button.

“Director Hassid! I’ll report you for this!”

“You’d better get me fired before I get you fired,” he said. “Now where is this meeting?”

“I don’t know.”

“It’s not here; where is it?”

“Off-site, obviously.”

“Where?”

“I honestly don’t know, but my guess would be the basement of Building D.”

“That’s a quarter mile from here! Why didn’t you tell me it was there when you told me to interrupt it myself?”

“I didn’t know you’d actually do it.”

Her phone rang again.

“Don’t answer that.”

“It’s my job.”

“Answer it and it’ll be your job. Why would the meeting be in D?”

“I don’t know that it is. I said it was a guess.”

“Why might it be there?”

“Because that’s where they’re setting up the loyalty mark application center.” And she answered her phone.

David slammed both palms on her desk, making her jump and then apologize to the caller. As he pushed through the door, she called after him in a singsong tone. “Oh, Director Hassid! You might want to take this call. It’s your assistant.”

He rushed back, only to get a condescending look. “Like I’m going to let you use my phone.” She pointed to a phone on a table in the waiting area.

“This is David.”

“Hey. Just got a call from Walter Moon.”

“Where is he?”

“I’m sorry. He didn’t say and I didn’t think to ask. Want me to find him?”

“What did he want?”

“He said he would be delivering your 0900 appointment personally, that he and the candidate’s father were most excited about your interest, you know the drill.”

“What was he doing with Moon this morning?”

“No idea, sir, but I’ll find out if you want.”

“Find Moon and call me back on my cell.”

David hurried to Building D and found the basement cordoned off. He had to use every line in the book to talk his way past Security. When he was finally able to

peek through the double doors that led into a huge meeting room, he got his first glimpse of the setup for applying the mark. Crowd-control barricades were arranged to funnel people to processing points and finally to the cubicles where the last of the injection guns were being plugged in and tested.

“What’s all this for?” David asked a woman arranging chairs.

“Oh, come on, you know.”

“But why so big? I thought they were just doing new employees first.”

She shrugged. “The rest of us will be next. Might as well have everything in place and tested, huh? I can’t wait. This is the dream of a lifetime.”

“Have you seen Security Chief Moon this morning?”

“Actually he was here a while ago.”

“With anyone?”

“Couldn’t tell you who. Some guys from Personnel, I know.”

“Anyone else?”

She nodded. “I didn’t pay attention, though.”

“Any idea where he is now?”

She shook her head. “I suppose you’ve heard the rumors, though.”

“Tell me.”

She smiled. “You poor managers miss the gossip, don’t you?”

“We often do.”

“I figure you start most of it, or at least your decisions do.”

“Granted. What’s the word this morning?”

“That Moon’s in line for Supreme Commander.”

“You don’t say.”

“I like him. I think he’d be good at it.”

David’s cell phone vibrated and he excused himself. “Moon’s people now say he’s in with Carpathia,” Tiffany said.

“Alone?”

“David, I’m sorry. I didn’t ask. I’ll find out whatever you want, but I have to know in advance what I’m looking for.”

“My fault. Did they happen to say whether Walter is still bringing Chang at 0900?”

“Yea! I know one! Yes.”

“Really?”

“Honest.”

“Is Chang with him and Carpathia now?”

“Sorry. No idea.”

“I’m on my way back.”

David used his cell phone as he walked and tried the Chang apartment again. This time Mr. Wong answered. Encouraged, David asked for Chang. “He not available right now. He see you at nine, yes?”

“That’s right. Is he OK?”

“Better than OK! Very excited! Missah Moon come get us to bring to see you.”

“You’re coming too?”

“If OK. May I?”

David sighed. “Why not?”

“No?”

“Yeah, sure.”

Back in his office, with fifteen minutes to spare, he patched in to Carpathia’s office. The first thing he heard was Nicolae’s voice. “Hickman was a buffoon! I’m better off without him. I don’t know what Leon was thinking.”

“Probably that he was going to have your job and Jim would be easy to manage.”

Carpathia laughed. “You’re a good judge of character, Walter. It came down to you and Suhail. He has an impressive resume, but he’s so new to his current position.”

“And can you trust a Pakistani? I don’t understand those types.”

“Who can you trust these days, Walter? Now listen, I don’t know how you stand on pomp and circumstance, but I don’t want to make a big deal of this. You’ll have an appropriate office you won’t have to share with anyone, but I just want to announce your appointment and not get into a lot of ceremony.”

“Perfect,” Walter said. “I don’t want to take any attention from you, sir.”

David thought Walter sounded disingenuous and almost palpably disappointed. He was right, though, in pandering to Carpathia’s ego. No one was going to steal that thunder anyway.

“Walter,” Carpathia said, “how are we coming with the GCMM?”

Moon sounded surprised. “Sir, the Morale Monitors have been in place for a long time. I get input from them every day, and I know Suhail counts on their intelligence briefings.”

It was clear Carpathia was impatient. “Mr. Moon, surely you caught my drift recently when I spoke of mobilizing a great enforcement throng from every tribe and nation who would-”

“Of course, Potentate. I am working with Chief Akbar now to-”

“I don’t believe it! You missed it! Walter, I am determined to surround myself with people who understand me intuitively!”

“I’m sorry, Excellency. I-”

“For all of Leon’s foibles and idiosyncrasies, he is a man who stays with me, anticipating my needs and desires and strategies. Do you kn-”

“That’s the kind of subordinate I want to b-”

“Don’t interrupt me, please!”

“I apologize.”

“Do you know where Leon is now?”

“I heard he had flown to the United European Sta-”

“He is in Vatican City, Walter! He has called together the ten regional potentates and has asked each to bring his most trusted and loyal spiritual leader to join them in that former great bastion of Christianity.”

“I don’t underst-”

“Of course you don’t! Think, man! At this very moment I imagine Reverend Fortunato is kneeling in the Sistine Chapel, the sub-potentates and the spiritual leader from each region who will represent Carpathianism throughout the globe laying hands on him and committing him to the great task before him.”

“I should like to have been there, Excellency.”

“You’re my chief of security and you didn’t even know this! I’m going to make you Supreme Commander, but you have to get in step!”

“I’ll do my best.”

“Leon called me at dawn, telling me with great relish that he had ordered destroyed every Vatican relic, every icon, every piece of artwork that paid homage to the impotent God of the Bible. There were those among the potentates and even among the Carpathianists who suggested that these so-called priceless treasures at least be moved here to the palace to preserve their worth and to remind us of history. History! I don’t know when I’ve been prouder of Leon. Before he returns, the Vatican will be left no vestiges of any sort of tribute to any god but the one my people can see and touch and hear.”

“Amen, Your Holiness. You are risen indeed.”

“Of course, and the whole world was watching! Now when I spoke the other day of a host of enforcers, I wanted you to gather that I meant the very core of my most loyal troops, the
GCMM
. They are already armed. I want them supported! I want them fully equipped! I want you to marry them with our munitions so their monitoring will have teeth. They should be respected and revered to the point of fear.”

“You want the citizenry afraid, sir?”

“Walter! No man need fear me who loves and worships me. You know that.”

“I do, sir.”

“If any man, woman, young person, or child has reason to feel guilty when encountering a member of the Global Community Morale Monitoring Force, then yes, I want them shaking in their boots!”

“I understand, Excellency.”

“Do you, Walter? I really need to know.”

“I absolutely do, sir.”

“I don’t care whom you replace yourself with as chief of security. All I want you to know is that I hold you personally responsible for carrying out this wish.”