by Justin Price
Two limousines were waiting outside of the airport. The driver already had her luggage in hand, placing it neatly and carefully into the trunk. “Ms. Clark, it is a pleasure to meet you. If there is anything that you need, please let me know.”
“Thank you”, she said. “What’s your name?”
“It’s Daniel.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you Daniel.”
He smiled and opened the door for her. She slid into the spacious backseat of the car to see a couple of familiar faces.
“Jenson?” She looked over to the other side. “Mom?”
She was so shocked, but so happy to see them there. “How? When?”
Jenson flashed a perfect grin and said, “I decided to fly your mom and me out here earlier today on my private jet. I didn’t want to miss your first show and I sure didn’t want your mom missing it.”
Abbie got teary eyed and said, “Thank you so much Jenson. You don’t know how much this means to me.”
She leaned forward and hugged both of them. Her mother asked, “So, what’s your two days look like?”
“Well, I have a lot of rehearsing to do along with a couple of radio interviews. If I had time, I was even going to track down my father…Charles.”
A stern look came over her mother’s face as Abbie braced for her response. “I still have a hard time understanding your interest. God knows that he was never around for you when it mattered.”
Abbie shot back…”Yea, God knows. In fact, that’s part of the reason I have to go see him…” She stopped herself right there when she realized who she was in front of. “Good or bad, there just needs to be closure.”
There was an awkward silence for a moment until Jenson asked, “So who wants some wine or champagne?”
They both passed on the offer and started talking about other things after a few minutes. They eventually pulled up to Madison Square Garden. “This is your first stop”, said Jenson. “You will have your first run through tonight and then you are scheduled for a radio show at 8:00 tomorrow morning. Immediately following that, you will have full dress rehearsal and then lunch. You will then be free for the next few hours until you need to be back here. I am going to the hotel along with your mom. The car will be back here at 11:00 to pick you up.”
“Alright! See you guys tonight or tomorrow then.”
Her head was spinning with the long hours and all the places that she needed to be in a short time. ‘This is the price for fame though’, she thought. She walked through the backstage area and emerged onto the stage that had already been set up for both her and Savannah Lynn.
As she sang her songs to the sound crew and the empty arena, she felt like she was finally home. Somehow, she was going to break new ground in a unique way. She was going to use her platform unlike any other entertainer before her in a time unlike any other time in history.
―――――
President Cain sat nervously in his familiar office, waiting on the Speaker of the House and all of those who had been let go from Congress; most of which had previously been his opponents. He wondered how he would answer the questions, how he would present his newfound revelation to them without incriminating himself.
It was his final decision to give up the sovereignty of the United States to Assad and the World Council. It was that decision that led to the dissolving of the United States Constitution and every protection that the document afforded them. ‘I may have a hard time convincing them that I am on their side now’, he thought. ‘Let alone actually convince them to stage a revolt against Assad.’
Suddenly a loud knock at the door brought him to his feet. “Come in”, he said. Speaker William Bernhart walked in followed by twelve other men. All of them had solemn looks on their faces. There were chairs prepared for them to sit in. Liam motioned with his hand, “Please…sit down.”
They all quietly took their seats. Bernhart started off the meeting by saying, “Mr. President, I have gone to all of my constituents that were against the decision to concede our sovereignty and identity to the World Council. These twelve agreed to meet with you regarding the matters that we previously discussed, including your change of heart.
President Cain nodded sheepishly. “Thank you Mr. Speaker. Yes…it is true. I have had a change of heart regarding our position with Assad and the World Council. I humbly apologize for the decision that I made. I know it had affected you and your livelihoods as well as the course of this entire nation...even the entire world. I take full responsibility for those actions and I appeal to you all now to join me in turning this around. I know it won’t be easy. Our own government is in disarray and there are too many supporters that have already taken their place as part of the new world government.”
A Congresswoman from Georgia spoke up. “How do you expect us to deal with this situation now? Our military is also in control of World Council sympathizers. We can’t gain back our independence with just diplomacy.”
“That is a fair question”, said Cain. “We will need to move quickly, but we will also need to practice caution and take it one step at a time. My concern now is that we will break out into a civil war.”
“Yes”, said Speaker Bernhart. “…and not only a civil war, but another revolutionary war…possibly even another World War if other nations decide to join us.”
Cain looked down and nodded solemnly while tapping his pen on his desk. “I completely understand what could occur. It’s something that will have to happen though. Our way of life…the way of democracy and freedom that we and much of the civilized world benefited from is in jeopardy. If Assad has his way, it will be a one man show. We’ve seen throughout history what the likes of him is capable of. He can sway millions of people to basically worship him while consenting to the killing of those who are different or who don’t agree with his agenda. The United States had always been there to stand up to this kind of tyranny, and even though our own unity is compromised, we have to put forth every resource we can to change what is happening now in our world.”
Speaker Bernhart stood up and walked over next to the President and looked at everyone seated in the oval office. “If you are interested in discussing what we can do to take back our country, then you are free to stay as we begin the planning process. If this is beyond your willingness, then feel free to go.”
He waited for a moment. Everyone in the room glanced at each other, waiting on someone to stand up and leave. After a minute, it became apparent that everyone was in for the long haul. “Listen everyone, I know that this is a tall order to fulfill. We will have to make sacrifices here and it could be a long shot. I do want us all to understand something though. Even if we had not conceded sovereignty, there would have been a war. The World Council would have invaded and the nation would have still been split apart. All is not lost…not yet. We still have some fight in us. We still have people…we still have resources and we still have allies.”
“What’s the first step Mr. President?” asked Bernhart.
“Are these twelve all that seemed interested? You did have several more of your party in both the House and the Senate that voted against this measure right?”
“Yes sir. We have over one-hundred between the two. Nearly all of them are interested in hearing this out, but we chose twelve who would represent and bring the information back to them for review.”
“Let’s make that our first step then”, said Cain. “We need everyone on board with us. I will also be meeting with a couple of top ranking Generals in all four branches of our military tomorrow to see if we can keep our firepower aimed at Syria and the World Council and not at ourselves.”
“Keep us updated, sir”, said Speaker Bernhart.
“I will”, said President Cain. “I like this structure. Let’s keep it this way for now to help keep this under wraps until we come out ready with our allies to strike. I will give you updates Mr. Speaker and you share them with your designated representatives here who will in turn share it with their colleag
ues. I do want to urge you all to be careful and don’t say anymore that what you are told and only to those members of Congress who are your most trusted colleagues. We don’t need this leaking yet. You are all dismissed.”
―――――
John and Maggie got in the car and pulled out behind the van that carried the remains of David O’Reilly. Everyone seemed to be on edge that day as they loaded his body into the van. They would be out doing the funeral in broad daylight, but they decided that it may be the best way to escape detection. The authorities wouldn’t expect any rebel activity in the area during the day.
It was the three men who had accompanied them on their rescue of Maggie that drove the van in front of them. Chaim Elowitz, DeShawn Cooper, and Bo Chapman had been three of David’s most trusted agents in the special unit that he commanded. To them, David was not only a superior officer, but a friend and a brother. This had been very difficult on them. Their only assurance coming from knowing that they would see him again very soon when Christ came to set up His Kingdom on earth.
The three men, followed by John and Maggie in a white sedan, headed for the shoreline at Great Kills Park on the southeast end of Staten Island. That part of the island did not see as many people on the shore this time of year due to colder weather. It would be the perfect place to get David’s body to the ocean.
“John, I just want you to be alright”, said Maggie. “I feel like you have been through too much over the past few years. I feel like all of these things have changed you.”
“Well, honey. I can’t lie to you. They have changed me. You can’t see people killed, hold your best friend in your arms while he dies, or be tortured as a prisoner without those things changing who you are. I just have to live with it. The only help that the government is handing out these days is cerebral reconditioning. They will take away every memory I have and replace it with their own programming. I’m not up for that Maggie…and I don’t want to die. Mostly because I don’t want to leave you.”
Maggie looked at him with compassion. “I am just glad that you are willing to talk about it with me. Maybe that will help. It always helps me to talk things out a little.”
“There are just some things I don’t like to talk about. I try not to even think about them, but they have a way of showing up in my dreams, or even daydreams. There are things that I see that remind me of the things I have been through overseas. Now, I can’t just leave those things there. Death and suffering has followed me here too and I am an enemy of my own country. It’s not a good feeling. The only good thing I have right now is you. That’s really the only thing that is keeping me going right now Mag.”
“Well, have you thought about what they have been saying? Like about God and all?”
“Of course I have”, said John. “It’s about all I have had time to think about.”
“Do you think there is any truth to it?” asked Maggie.
“I’m not sure. Part of me thinks that it has to be true based on their resolve and courage alone. I am an enemy of the state for a different reason, but they have chosen to stick to what they believe. If it’s not true, they at least sincerely believe that it is.”
The conversation continued all the way to the shoreline. Each time they passed a police officer, they would both look in the mirrors to make sure they weren’t being pursued. They all did the speed limit and obeyed traffic signals. They didn’t give law enforcement a reason to pull them over.
Eventually, they drove through the park and up to the shore. They would have to carry the casket from the van to the end of the dock, which would be about fifty yards.
“Maggie, you will have to stay here in the car”, said John. “If you notice any type of city, state, or federal officials in the area, then drive away and go back to base. Do you understand?”
“Yea, but what about you?”
“I’ll be fine. We will do what we need to do and I will jump in the van with the guys and catch up to you. We are just going to plan on not seeing anyone what will ruin our day though.”
John kissed his wife and got out of the car, which was parked about fifty feet away from the van. He walked up to the van as the three men got out. All of them had bullet proof vests under their clothes and had at least one concealed side arm with them.
“Are you carrying?” asked Bo.
“I am”, said John.
“Let’s move”, said Chaim.
They opened the back doors and two of them got on each side. They had put in a few rollers to help roll the casket out of the back of the van. Chaim and Bo took the side closest to the van, opposite of each other. DeShawn lined up next to Chaim on the left and John fell in next to Bo on the right.
They pulled the casket and handed it forward and the men all moved as quickly as they could across the parking area and to the dock.
“We don’t have anyone to cover our backs”, said Chaim with his voice shaky. “So we need to get to the end of the dock as quickly as possible and lay this casket down. We will read a scripture and say a prayer and send him off.”
The four men moved smoothly in unison to the edge of the dock where they slowly lowered the casket to the old boards. They each said a few words about the great leader and person that David was and how he had effected them in their lives as believers.
John ended it with, “he was a brave man and I will never forget what he did for me. He made a sacrifice, as I know any one of you would have, to bring my wife back to me. I can never repay the debt that I owe to him.”
DeShawn read, “For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and the mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable put on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
Bo ended with a prayer, “Father in heaven, we thank you for the life of our commander David O’Reilly. We celebrate his life today and look forward to seeing him again in your Kingdom. God, we pray that you will give us the strength and resolve that you gave David from the time that He became one of yours until the moment he took his last breath on this earth. Help our grieving souls in the coming days and give us peace until you come. In Jesus Name we pray. Amen.”
The four of them got behind the casket and pushed it off of the edge of the dock and it fell into the water with a splash. Chaim pulled a small remote from his coat pocket and turned it on. Propellers on the back of the casket began turning and the casket took off like a miniature speed boat across the water.
As the casket vanished from their sight, they could hear the sound of helicopters approaching. “I think we may have company guys”, said DeShawn.
“Let’s get out of here, now!” said Chaim.
The men ran across the dock just as two military style helicopters came over the tree line about two-hundred yards in front of them.
Maggie looked behind her as she sat in the car panicking. She had a moment to decide if John could make it all the way to the car. She knew it wasn’t going to happen, so she did exactly what she was told.
As she pulled away, she could hear the rain of fifty-caliber bullets as they opened fire.
CHAPTER 5
Israeli Prime Minister Levi Rosenbaum stood on the tarmac watching as the private jet of Samyaza al Assad touched down on the runway and quickly came to a stop within a couple hundred yards. The weathered man of sixty-five stood there with his security detail and several members of the media waiting to get a glimpse of Assad as the two of them formally met for the first time since becoming heads of state.
His gray wisps of hair blew in the wind as the sun had begun to set in Jerusalem. His stony gaze was held straight at the plane as the stairs descended to perfectly meet with a red carpet that had been rolled out for Assad minutes before. Several Jews dressed in ceremonial garb lined each side of the carpet, each of them holding a ram’s horn in their hand.
Two secret servicemen ste
pped out first, followed by Adnan Bahar who awkwardly had both hands waving to the crowd. They stopped at the bottom of the stairs and turned around and dropped to one knee on the red carpet just as Assad was emerging from the plane.
The sound of horns blasted across the still evening as those dressed in traditional Jewish clothing sounded their shofars. Prime Minister Rosenbaum could feel every hair stand to attention at the sound that was traditionally reserved for the coming of the Messiah. He still held to some skepticism, but felt that Assad’s agreement to rebuild the Jewish temple and allow them to sacrifice to God as their ancestors did, could mean that Assad himself actually is the Messiah.
Assad was also the only one in centuries to bridge the gap between Israel and her neighbors by creating a peace treaty that would be officially signed and go in to effect for seven years beginning with this visitation during the Jewish Feast of Trumpets. The press conference was to be held on the temple mount at nine o’clock, which was quickly approaching.
After the shofars were finished sounding, the crowd erupted in applause and a shout that put most sporting events to shame. The two leaders approached each other and shook hands as photos were taken all around them. Levi shouted over the noise, “Welcome to Jerusalem your majesty.”
Assad nodded humbly. “Thank you Prime Minister. I am glad to be here. This place holds a great deal of importance to me.”
The two men walked together to the armored escort waiting on them. Within seconds, they were moving through the city of Jerusalem with the famous temple mount in sight. They talked along the way; chatting about the treaty that would be officially signed in the morning by the Arab and Israeli leaders.
“I wish I knew your secret”, Levi said jokingly. “You are a Syrian who has not only befriended Israel, but brought peace to the region without taking away our right to exist as a state.”
Assad smiled sheepishly. “It may seem complicated, but it is really simple. All that needed to be done was to convince the Muslims and Jews that they are really brothers who share common interests and beliefs.”