by David Archer
Sam grinned. "Maybe that would be a good thing," he said. "Maybe we'd finally find out who was the second shooter on the Grassy Knoll in Dallas, or who really was behind JFK's assassination."
"Nah, Chandler hasn't been around that long, but it's a safe bet that he's got some ideas on who was really behind the attacks on the World Trade Center. You know, an awful lot of demolition experts claim that the only way those buildings could have come down the way they did was with explosives planted on various floors far below where the airplanes hit. There's really not much chance that that wasn't an inside job; you can bet it was orchestrated by people like Chandler. Hell, he may have done it himself. After all, it was supposedly Islamic terrorists, right? And that's right down his alley."
It took Sam a minute to digest all of what Ken had said, and then he shook his head. "Man, you know you're destroying my confidence in the government, right?"
"HA! In that case, I'm doing you the biggest favor anyone's ever done for you. Think about it, Sam, if they have people like me working for them, how far can you really trust them? I'm not a man, I'm a gun; they don't send me out to do a job, they aim me at someone and then they pull my trigger. What kind of government keeps people like me on their payroll?"
Sam stared at Ken for a long moment, and then sighed. "A government that doesn't care about the will of the people. That's what kind."
"Bingo! You just nailed it right on the head." He laid back on the bed again, kicking off his shoes and closing his eyes. "Wake me when Chandler calls, will you?"
"Yeah, right," Sam said. "I think I'm going to take a little nap of my own. Hopefully, one of us will hear the phone."
Sam laid back on the other bed, and threw his arm over his eyes. Within moments, both of them were snoring.
* * * * *
Gary Stone was a nervous young man. Someone had found a back door into the computers that were his responsibility, and he was fairly sure that it would not be good for his employer to find out about it. If there was one thing that he knew Grayson Chandler was fanatical about, it was security. If The Man found out that someone had hacked into his section’s computer system, it was a fairly safe bet that Gary would be the one to suffer. Would he survive it? Well, that was a question he didn't know the answer to, and didn't really want to find out about.
The worst part was that the hacker seemed to know an awful lot about what the boss was up to, things that no one was supposed to know, not even Gary. The only reason Gary knew was because, as system administrator, he had access to every part of the network, including private email accounts. Things he had stumbled across by pure accident that led him to install keystroke loggers in the system, along with extremely secure back doors that allowed him to check the logs from outside the office. He could even do so from his phone, and the things he had read that enlightened him to the point that he began to study prophecy all on his own.
Besides having an extremely high IQ, Gary was also an incredibly fast speed reader. Within a week, he knew more about prophecy than Chandler did, and his photographic memory made it possible for him to review the information in a split second. When the hacker had made reference to Revelation 13, Gary had known he was dealing with a serious professional. There were people out there who saw just how crazy Chandler had become, and were trying to stop him. Whoever Herman the hacker was, he had to be working with some of those people. Gary wanted to know more, before deciding whether he wanted to let the boss know about Herman, or join forces with him.
Whatever he decided to do, he would have to make a decision soon. Things were coming to a head, and there were people preparing to do Chandler's bidding, knowing full well that they would be bringing disaster right home to the United States. Some of the things that Chandler was planning now would make 9/11 look like a Sunday picnic. He had almost managed to pull one of them off just weeks ago, when one of the terror cells that his people controlled began planting small suitcase nukes around the country. If it hadn't been for some vacationing private detective, those devices would have gone off as planned, resulting in a nation that would happily give up its freedoms as part of the price of safety and security from future terror attacks. Unfortunately, the plan had been foiled, but then it almost accomplished even more when one lone terrorist went rogue and tried to use one of those bombs to contaminate Lake Mead. It was a brilliant plot, because it would have resulted in millions dying of either thirst or radiation poisoning, it would've caused millions more to relocate out of the southwest US. The overcrowding alone would have cost millions more lives, as people fought over food, water and the simple right to live.
If that single terrorist had accomplished what he had set out to do, Chandler's plans would have advanced by ten years or more. It had come so close that Chandler could taste it, so now he was orchestrating events just as horrific, in order to speed up the process himself.
Ironically, it was that same private eye who had stopped the rogue terrorist, and was now out to stop Chandler himself. It was almost comical, the way this guy kept coming, without even knowing the connection between Chandler and the mission that had almost gotten him killed. As Gary looked through all of the prophecies that were unfolding, he began to realize that there were other things happening that seemed to be directed by an unseen force. The constant reappearance of this private eye was one of them, and while Chandler was determined to get rid of the guy, Gary wasn't sure it was even possible. There was something about this guy, Prichard, that made Gary wonder if he were exactly the man it would take to bring Chandler's plans crumbling down around him.
All of that led Gary to believe that Prichard might somehow be connected to this Herman character, and if so, Gary wanted to know how that connection came about. If Herman was working for Prichard, or working with him, somehow, then Gary wanted to know it. If it came down to a choice between Chandler and Prichard, Gary wasn't quite sure which side would be the one to be on. All he knew was that there was going to be some sort of a climax coming, and the one thing that was certain was that his world was never going to be the same afterward.
He looked at his computer, and realized that it was time. He opened the connection into the section network, and logged in through the back door that would allow him to communicate with the hacker, Herman.
Stony: Herman, are you here?
Herman: I'm here. What is this all about?
Stony: that's what I want to know. Who are you, and how did you get into our system? What's your connection to all of this, and what do you know about my boss and his plans?
Herman: let's not worry about how I got in. As for your boss, I know that he is trying to set up the new world order that so many people are afraid of. He's trying to make a global government, one that will be run by someone who is nothing but his puppet. Apparently you read the prophecies, so you know just how bad things will get for the rest of the world. Someone has to stop this, and that's where I come in.
Stony: who are you working with?
Herman: who says I'm working with anyone? Maybe I just stumbled across something that I knew would be terrible, and decided to try to do something about it.
Stony: I don't buy that. There are people out to stop the boss now, and one of them has been causing him problems for weeks and doesn't even know it. Does the name Sam Prichard mean anything to you?
Herman: who is Sam Prichard?
Stony: you hesitated. That tells me you know who he is, and that means you are probably working with him. Let's get serious, now. If the boss finds out I'm talking to you like this, it will probably mean my head. But I don't want to see him running the world, and especially not as the Beast. Does your man have a real chance to stop him?
Herman: it would probably mean both of our heads. Yes, I know him. What did you mean about Sam causing problems for your boss for weeks?
Stony: he stopped the suitcase nukes. Boss worked months planning that out, but Prichard managed to stop it, then stopped the crazy one who almost got away with an even bigger b
ang. Everything I've seen says Prichard doesn't know the boss was behind that, but for some reason he's here in DC and the boss is worried.
Herman: a lot of things are starting to make sense, now. And where do you stand?
Stony: I wish I could say that I stand in a forest in Montana, but I'm a computer geek, not a survivalist. This thing is going to get very bad, and I can either stay close to the boss and ride his coattail, or I can turn against him and hope I choose the right train. If he can be stopped, he should be. I'm just not sure I'm willing to die trying. Get me?
Herman: I get you. Look at it this way, if you side with us you might die trying, that's true. But if you side with him, then there's something worse than dying waiting for you. If you read all of Revelation, then you'll understand what I'm saying.
Stony: yeah, I know. Lake of fire and all that, right? I know what you're saying, even if he isn't the one in the book, he's trying to be. If I were God, I'd lump him right in with the rest, and anyone who helped him. Doesn't really leave me a lot of choice, does it?
Herman: the choice is the one thing you do have. You can decide to help him accomplish what he's trying to do, or you can decide to do what's right.
Stony: and what if he's right? What if he really is the one the prophecy is about, and this is his destiny?
Herman: even if it is, do you want to be on that side? As you said, lake of fire and all that. Is that what you want?
Stony: of course not. I'm not an idiot. This is just a lot to think about. It's scary, you know what I mean? Geez, I'm only nineteen. The boss would cut my throat in a second if he knew I was talking to you like this.
Herman: well, those are the best reasons I've heard yet for you to switch sides. And just for the record, I'm not a whole lot older than you. I just have my reasons for being on the side I'm on.
Stony: it just hit me. One of the reports about Prichard said his wife was a hacker. Don't know how I let that slip my mind, I never forget anything I read. That's you, isn't it? Hello, Mrs. Prichard.
Herman: no fair. I don't know your name.
Stony: tell me something. Does Prichard really have a chance to stop the boss? Or is it going to get me killed if I switch sides now?
Herman: if anyone can, Sam can. If you've read reports about him, you should know that by now.
Stony: yeah, I read them. I know. Doesn't mean I'm not scared, you know? So, if I decide to help you, what do you need me to do?
Herman: I'm just guessing but I think Sam would want any information you could give him that might prove your boss is breaking laws.
Stony: I don't think that would help much. I don't think there's a judge anywhere that would do anything to him. And I know that he has enough dirt on enough people to make sure he wouldn't stay locked up for long. That isn't the way to do this, if you know what I mean.
Herman: in that case, the real question becomes when and where. When and where can Sam catch him alone?
Stony: check back with me in two hours. I'll give you a decision then.
Herman: okay. Two hours.
Stony: okay. And my name is Gary.
Gary sat back and looked at the screen on his laptop. He wasn't sure how it had come about, but somehow Sam Prichard's wife had hacked into his system. He could go to the boss with that information, and it would probably solidify his position.
Or he could throw in with the Prichards and whomever was working with them to stop Chandler. Considering the enormity of the attacks that Chandler had planned for the next few days, he didn't have any trouble determining what would be the right thing to do; the only problem was whether he had the courage to do it. If he helped Prichard, it meant that he must willingly and knowingly help set his boss up to be murdered. That was a pretty big leap from his normal job as computer system administrator, and since he'd never even thought about doing any kind of "wet work" before, the very idea of it made him a little queasy.
He needed to think, and he only had a couple of hours to come to the biggest decision of his life. He wasn't sure he had what it took to do what Prichard would ask of him, but at the same time, he wasn't sure he could live with himself if he were still with Chandler when he managed to set himself up as a dictator over the entire world. Sooner or later, Gary figured, he was going to come to this crossroad; this decision was undoubtedly part of his own destiny, and he wasn't likely to be able to escape it.
Why did it have to come down to this? No matter how he looked at it, the only way to stop Chandler was by killing him. Could he live with himself if he helped Prichard to do that? Oh, hell, could he live with himself if he didn't?
Gary had worked very hard to be sure that Chandler believed in his loyalty. He'd figured out in his first days on the job that anyone Chandler doubted seemed to disappear, and permanently. He'd put a lot of effort into making sure that Chandler was confident that Gary was a man he could count on, could trust completely. Anything less, Gary knew, would get him killed.
So why in the world was he now sitting here, knowing without any doubt that he was about to make the decision to betray his boss? He had asked Mrs. Prichard for two hours, even though he already knew what his decision would be. Like he'd said, there really wasn't much of a choice, so he was going to do what he had to do.
He went into the secure back door of the system through his laptop, and began reading the keystroke log of Chandler's notes. Everything the man typed, regardless of what program he might be using at the time, was stored in that log, and Gary thought it was kind of ironic that Chandler uses his computer's notepad as a brainstorming device. Every wild idea he had was typed there, and once Gary had gotten used to reading the various kinds of personal shorthand Chandler used, he was able to follow the evolution of each idea from its original conception all the way through to the final plan that Chandler intended to set into motion.
There were three current plans that he was focusing on. The first involved the choreographed assassinations of three European leaders. Those would be the British prime minister and the presidents of France and Germany. Each of these people stood in the way of some part of Chandler's plan to give Islam a greater foothold in Europe. Therefore, they had to go, and he had made arrangements for some small, splinter terrorist groups that were loosely connected to Al Qaeda to use suicide bombers to kill them. Sure, there would be others killed in the blasts, but that was the price you paid when you had to get past a lot of security. In France, for example, there would be four bombers who would all detonate at the same time in different parts of the building where the president would be planning to give a speech. The explosives would be sufficient to bring the building down, killing everyone inside. Mission accomplished.
The second plan involved the sinking of two famous cruise ships, one from the Princess line, and one of Disney's. In this case, however, credit would be claimed by a small group that was purported to be a remnant of the Branch Davidians, the offshoot Christian sect that was the focus of the Waco debacle in nineteen ninety-three. Immediately afterward, there would be an uproar that would lead to the classification of nondenominational Christianity as terrorist groups. Within days, small, nondenominational churches would begin to be raided by federal agents, who would be looking for any connection to such things as militia groups, the NRA, even any evidence that the members enjoyed hunting. Chandler had already arranged for a federal court ruling that would make it a crime for any nondenominational Christian to own a gun; all the judge was waiting for was word from Chandler that it was time to make the ruling. The result would be a small scale civil war, as militia groups began to stand up at such churches and resist the raids. This would lead to bloodshed, and each incident would lend more credibility to the decisions of the courts.
It was the third plan, however, that had Gary ready to turn against his employer. The first two were bad enough, and the loss of life would be great; the third one made both of them seem like nothing, though.
In just over two weeks, Chandler had the most horrific tragedy t
hat Gary could imagine planned. More people would die than on 9/11, and most of them — because of the emotional impact it would generate — would be children. Twenty-seven schools were targeted, in different cities around the country. They were large schools, each with thousands of students, ranging in ages from five years up to fourteen. At exactly 9 am Eastern time, all of them would experience the same thing: a gasoline tanker truck, carrying eight thousand gallons of gasoline and a couple of hundred pounds of high explosive, would crash through the doors and into the buildings. The explosives would detonate, rupturing the tanker trailers and sending thousands of gallons of flaming gasoline in every direction. The burning liquid would flow down the hallways and into classrooms, while the flames would shoot up stairways, reaching as high as the third and fourth floors.
Chandler estimated that between forty and sixty thousand children would die, with half of them burning to death and the rest dying of smoke inhalation and heat strokes. The shock would devastate the entire nation, but when the news came out that it was the work of Al Qaeda, the uproar would be greater than any other had ever been, and Americans would begin hunting and killing Muslims in retaliation, leading to a whole new holocaust and threats of war against the United States from every Islamic nation in the world.
And in the midst of it all, Chandler's hand-picked new world leader would arise, ready to bring peace to the world. Within days, the entire world would be amazed at the wisdom and courage of this person, and a clamor would arise for even more counsel. Every nation on earth would work with this new figure, and before anyone realized what was happening, most of them would be recognizing a new order, where Chandler's puppet made the rules, and the world followed them.
It was all in place, and there was only one hope to stop it — and his name was Sam Prichard.