by Mark Goodwin
“However, this image will not simply be aesthetic. Within the laser engraving, the tattoo will contain coding for your unique Global Order ID number. Both government and private security cameras will be able to scan your ID number from a distance. This will allow for seamless transactions in the market place as your account will be charged without waiting in checkout lines when you make purchases. It will also negate the need for ID cards which can be lost, stolen, or falsified for nefarious purposes.”
He was quiet for a moment. “I tell you, I just can’t get over the beauty of this wonderful gift. I think I’m going to have to put it in the Temple where I can see it all the time. It will fit perfectly in the Holy of Holies where I’ll have my throne room.”
The crowd cheered and applauded. When the noise finally died down, Alexander said, “We were knocked off balance by these recent catastrophes, but we’ve found our footing. The new Global Order will be stronger and more prosperous than ever!”
“Had enough blasphemy?” Emilio reached for the off switch.
Mackenzie looked horrified by what she’d heard. “Yeah. Turn it off.”
He powered down the radio. “These people are completely bewitched by this guy. He’s lying straight to their faces about the worst being behind us. Lucius Alexander has a better understanding of what the rest of the tribulation has in store than even you and I.”
Mackenzie frowned. “And he’s loving every minute of it. The lying, the death, the destruction, he feeds on all of it.”
***
The next day was wash day. Emilio and Mackenzie were hanging out their clothes on a line strung between two trees near the opening of the cave. Emilio heard tin cans rattling.
Mackenzie pulled the AK-47 off of her back. “Someone just hit the trip wire!”
Emilio’s AK hung by a sling over the front of his chest. He dropped the wash and lifted the rifle. “Get back into the cave. Cover me if there’s trouble.”
He got low behind a tree and took aim in the direction of the noise.
A voice called from the distance, “Permission to enter the camp.”
“Hinkle?” The voice sounded familiar. Emilio peered into the trees.
“419.” Hinkle slowly emerged from behind a nearby tree with his hands in the air.
“Permission granted.” Emilio lowered his rifle. “Mackenzie, you can come on out.”
Hinkle, Roy, Jessica, and David all approached the place where Emilio was hanging out the wash. Mackenzie joined them.
Emilio asked, “How did you find us?”
Hinkle replied, “Those packs we gave you; they may have had tracking devices in them.”
Mackenzie’s eyes narrowed. “That’s creepy.”
“I’ve been called worse,” said Hinkle. “I assure you, I meant no ill will.”
“Local radio operators are calling your group the Boojahideen,” said Emilio.
“I’ve been called worse than that, too.”
Mackenzie shook her head. “What is the Boojahideen?”
Emilio answered, “The name is an amalgamation of Boogaloo and Mujahideen.”
Hinkle cracked a rare smile. “Holy warriors fightin’ the infidel invaders.”
Mackenzie adjusted the strap of her rifle. “No offense, but your group didn’t strike me as being particularly pious.”
Jessica entered the conversation. “Maybe not, but we’ve got a code.” She was a blonde-haired faded beauty but had managed to source makeup and properly-fitting military clothes that showed off her toned body.
“The trackers that you hid in our packs; they work underground?” Emilio asked.
“Nope,” Hinkle replied. “But we marked the coordinates of the last place they gave off a signal before going dark. I kinda figured you were in the neighborhood and thought you might have a little cave.” He looked at Emilio. “I’ll have to admit, you surprised me.”
“How so?” Emilio asked.
Hinkle straightened his back. “I figured you would have gotten bored by now. I was expecting you to come see me. I never thought I’d be the one hunting you down.”
Emilio had mixed emotions about the encounter. While he’d hoped that he and Mackenzie could keep to themselves, it was nice to see other faces. “Well, now that you’re here, to what do we owe the pleasure?”
“Did you happen to catch the emperor’s speech yesterday?” Hinkle asked.
“We did,” said Mackenzie.
“Then you know he’s coming for us.”
Emilio nodded. “He’s coming for you. We’re out of the way where no one will ever find us.”
“I found you,” said Hinkle.
“You cheated,” Mackenzie replied.
Hinkle added, “But Emperor Alexander always plays by the rules, is that correct?”
Emilio pressed his lips together. “Even so, we’re keeping our heads down.”
“If the Global Union peacekeepers get a foothold in this area, they’ll leave no stone unturned.”
Mackenzie said, “I think we’re calling it the Global Order now.”
“You’ll be calling it a boot on your throat once they get established,” Hinkle quipped. “So help us help you.”
“Why do you need us?” Emilio asked. “You must have 250 people in your compound. What difference would we make?”
“We’ve got over 300 fighters, plus another 50 or so older folks who carry out non-combatant functions,” said Hinkle. “But I ain’t got a dozen good leaders.”
“My last few missions haven’t run so smoothly,” said Emilio. “That thing in San Francisco was an absolute slaughter, and the assassination of Alexander didn’t take.”
Hinkle chuckled but kept his stern expression. “Don’t sell yourself short. You got Mackenzie out of prison, didn’t you?”
Emilio nodded. “It was a team effort.”
Hinkle added, “Then, after Alexander’s hit, the whole Omniscience network went haywire. We used that time to make some last-minute preparations which we couldn’t have pulled off if the GU surveillance system hadn’t gone dark. The Russians and Chi-Comms took advantage of that time also. That’s when they nuked the OASIS cities. So, let’s not write that mission off as a complete failure. What do you say?”
Mackenzie whispered to Emilio, “What’s a Chi-Comm?”
“Chinese Communist.” Emilio shook his head. “Like I told you before, Hinkle, my fighting days are behind me.”
Hinkle crossed his arms and leaned slightly back. “How about this for a solution? How about you think about it for a day or two? Then, when you’ve considered the matter, you give me your answer.”
Emilio replied, “I’ll think it over, but don’t get your hopes up.”
“Fair enough.” Hinkle turned to the militant behind him. “David, write down our radio frequency so these good people can call us when they’re ready.”
“We’ve got your frequency,” said Mackenzie.
Hinkle lifted his chin. “See there, we all like to keep close tabs on our neighbors.”
Mackenzie put her hands on her hips. “We’ve been stuck in a cave with nothing to do for five months except scan the airwaves for radio chatter. That’s a little different than planting a bug on someone.”
Hinkle motioned for his team to move out. “You know where to find us. See you soon.”
Emilio and Mackenzie watched the four people from Mammoth Cave disappear into the woods. Mackenzie resumed hanging up the damp clothing onto the line. “Hinkle seems awfully sure of himself.”
“I know it,” said Emilio. “I wish I was more certain that he was wrong.”
CHAPTER 17
And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. These have power t
o shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.
Revelation 11:3-6
Emilio sat on a short stool near the fire inside the cave. He stirred the sweetened rice in his small saucepan hypnotically. He watched the raisins rise to the surface then disappear again as he swirled them around and around with the large spoon.
“I think it’s cooled off enough to eat by now.” Mackenzie sat on her bed a few yards away.
“What?” Emilio looked up as if awakened from a trance.
“Your rice. You’ve been stirring it like a robot for twenty minutes.”
“Oh.” He took a bite. The rice was cold. Frustrated with himself, he sighed and placed the pan on one of the flat rocks near the flame.
“Are you okay?” Mackenzie asked. “You seem distant.”
“Just thinking,” he replied.
She quizzed, “About what?”
“Everything.”
“Okay. Obviously, you don’t want to talk about it. I’m here if you change your mind.”
He stirred the rice to keep it from sticking to the pan. “Thanks.”
“I found an old spiral-bound notebook that belonged to my dad. It has a bunch of his notes on the Great Tribulation.”
Emilio turned to see the worn blue notebook that Mackenzie was reading. He didn’t comment. Instead, he tasted the rice which was now at an acceptably warm temperature. He scarfed it down like a man with things to do and places to be. He acted with decided determination; juxtaposed to the disposition he’d held only moments prior.
Once finished eating, Emilio picked up the small AM/FM/Shortwave radio. “I’m going to see if I can pick up anything on the airwaves.”
She glanced up from her studies. “I’d offer to come along, but you seem like you need some alone time.”
“No. I told you. I’m fine. I’m just going to listen to the radio. You can come. You should. Maybe we’ll hear something interesting.”
She cocked one eye as if deciding whether or not to believe him. “Okay. I’ll be right out.”
Emilio carried his dirty pan along also. Right outside of the cave entrance, they kept a plastic bin, which they used for washing dishes. Once he reached the outdoors, Emilio placed the pan in the bin and began fidgeting with the controls of the radio. He scanned frequencies for several minutes but found few signals.
Mackenzie emerged. “Any luck?”
“I found one station, but it was in Arabic. They sounded mad. Everything else was too distorted to make out.” He huffed. “We’re in a complete information blackout. This radio is useless. I wish we had a better setup.”
“WNN is broadcasting on AM.”
He shook his head. “It’s all propaganda.” He ladled some water from the creek into the bin and began washing his saucepan. “I want to know what’s happening in Israel. I can’t imagine the Muslims and the Jews are taking this well, having Alexander desecrate their most holy sites for his personal and administrative use.”
“Sorry, I don’t have a solution for that one.”
Emilio looked back toward the trees where the property bordered with the old national park. “Hinkle has top-of-the-line communications equipment. They’ve got UHF, VHF, HF, antennas run up into the treetops…”
“Do you want to go ask if you can listen to their radio?”
He sighed. “I don’t know.”
“Is this really about the radio?”
“Yeah, of course. What else would it be about?”
“You getting bored, wanting to see some action.”
“No. Not at all.” He rinsed the pan and threw out the water from the bin. “I mean, I don’t know. I feel like maybe God wants me to go tell them what’s going on.”
“You mean like evangelize them?”
“I don’t think that’s the word for it. Just explain about the Great Tribulation.”
“And about Jesus also, right?” she asked.
“Yeah, of course. If they’ll listen.”
She narrowed her eyes. “And getting in the fight has nothing to do with it.”
“If that’s the only way I can get an audience with them, I have to do what I have to do.”
“Okay. If you’ve convinced yourself that’s what it’s about, who am I to question your motivations?”
“Does it have to be either-or? What about your dad? He was a man of God but wasn’t afraid of getting his hands dirty.”
“Like I said, you don’t have to convince me. I know you want to go. Come on, let’s get our gear and head over there.”
“You’re coming?” Emilio asked.
“Unless you don’t want me to.” She paused as if waiting for his reply.
“No. That’s great. Thanks for being so supportive.” Emilio briskly returned to the cave where he gathered his equipment for the outing.
***
Emilio and Mackenzie kept inside the tree line following the contour of the road toward Mammoth Cave, AKA the Igloo. The trip was only about three miles. Both carried their AK-47s. They never left the cave without rifles and a light pack which could sustain them for 24 hours in the event they were cut off from returning home. They walked slowly, fully expecting to encounter a patrol.
Emilio put his hand up for Mackenzie to stop. “I see movement up ahead.”
“Do you recognize them?”
He waited for the team to come into view. “No. We’ll stay here until they come within earshot. I don’t want to spook them.”
When the patrol was only about fifty yards away, Emilio called out from behind the tree. “Patrol, we’re requesting passage to the Igloo.”
“Who’s there?” called one of them. “Show yourself.”
“Emilio Vega and my traveling companion. We’re coming at the invitation of Hinkle.”
“What’s the passcode?”
“419,” Emilio replied.
“Okay. Come on out. Are you armed?”
“We are.”
“That’s fine. Keep your weapons low.”
Emilio came out from behind the tree cautiously. He tried not to frown when he saw the Boogaloo flag on the lead man’s plate carrier. The patch was the old American flag in coyote brown with a line of Hawaiian print hibiscus flowers along the center.
The team leader lifted one side of his mouth. “You’re the guy that shot Alexander, right?”
“I was part of a team, but yeah.” It wasn’t something Emilio appreciated being famous for.
“Come on, I’ll escort you to the Igloo.” The man led the way. “People call me Click.”
“Do you mind if I ask how you got your nickname?” Mackenzie asked respectfully.
Click replied, “I was in the military before everything went pear-shaped. Demolitions expert.”
Emilio nodded. “That makes sense.”
“So, are you coming along for our little outing?” Click asked.
“I was hoping to use the radio,” said Emilio. “Hinkle said to stop by anytime.”
“It’s a dangerous world to be wandering around in, just to listen to the radio.”
“I don’t know anything about an outing,” said Emilio.
“I just assumed that’s why you were coming,” said Click. “It’s going to be a fun trip. I’m sure Hinkle would love to have you. Ask him about it when we get there.”
The group arrived at the entrance to Mammoth Cave twenty minutes later. Like Emilio’s previous visit, people were coming in and out of the cave carrying various supplies. Only this time, the supplies were coming out of the cave and being loaded into vehicles.
Click called over the radio. “Hinkle, you’ve got guests at the front.”
“Be right there,” a voice replied over the walkie.
“He’ll be along shortly.” Click extended his hand to Emilio. “It was a pleasure to meet you.”
“Likewise.” Emilio shook with Click.
“We’ve got to
get back to our patrol. We’ll see you around.” Click and his team returned the way they’d come.
Emilio noticed that the individuals from the Kentucky Militia, the Three Percenters, and the Oathkeepers worked together in preparing for the mission. The fighters wearing the Boogaloo insignia, however, kept to themselves.
Hinkle arrived. “Did you change your mind, soldier?”
“No,” said Emilio. “I was hoping to use your radio. I want to know what’s going on in Jerusalem.”
“Lilian Lopez gives a one hour show every night on WNN talking about little else except the glories of the capital.”
“I want the unofficial story,” said Emilio.
“I’m a little busy, but I suppose I could spare a few minutes,” said Hinkle. “Considering all you’ve done for the cause.”
Emilio followed behind the old man. “Looks like you’ve got quite a schism in the camp.”
“It’s been that way since we got here. We’ve got different ideas of what America should be, but we both agree that it shouldn’t be part of the Global Order.”
“I hear you’re going on a trip.”
“Yep.”
“Where to?”
“That’s need-to-know,” said Hinkle. “Are you interested?”
“I’d need to know what I’d be signing up for,” said Emilio.
Hinkle led them to a table where stacks of radio equipment were set up. He pulled out a chair for Mackenzie.
She sat down. “Thank you.”
Hinkle motioned for Emilio to take a seat and then took the chair beside him. “New York.”
“Into the belly of the beast,” said Emilio.
“Ain’t no beast yet,” Hinkle replied. “And if we can keep ‘em busy swatting at flies, it’ll take ‘em a good while before they can get New Babylon built. In addition to that, the more resources they have to expend making the New York area secure, the less they have to hunt down operations like ours.”