Out of the corner of her eye, Jackie saw Graham's face turn pale. His mouth dropped slightly. His mouth dropped slightly. His eyes quivered momentarily like they did when he was severely jarred.
“The Bible speaks of this man uniting a pact of nations European into a form of a new Roman Empire.” Adah shrugged. “Of course, the number ten is a Jewish unit like counting from one to ten and then starting all over again. It is a symbol for unity, completeness. It simply might be the Bible's way of saying that this Anti-Christ will form a solid confederation of nations that in complete unity will act under his control. They would become his mouthpiece.”
Jackie watched Graham slide back into his chair with a colorless, panicked look on his face. She instantly realized that he knew something she had not heard yet. He stared at the wall as if he was reading something on the other side of the blank wallpaper. The look in his eyes was unmistakable; Graham knew who this Anti-Christ might be!
“I believe this incredibly attractive man will start to take over our society entire probably through the use of electronic surveillance of some variety or the other,” Adah said. “The book of Revelation suggests 666 will be his name. I am still working on what that means but I would expect this to happen in the immediate future.”
“That's weird!” Mary protested. “How could anyone be named 666?” She slumped back in her chair indifferently. “That's a number.”
“Numbers often also are symbols for ideas in the Holy Bible,” Adah said. “Perhaps, we simply have not figured out for what idea the number is a symbol.” Adah didn't seem to be offended by Mary's scornful attack. “Give me a while on it to work.”
“Graham,” Jackie asked thoughtfully, “I sense you find what Adah has said somewhat confounding?”
Graham slowly shifted his vision from the wall toward his wife with a vacant, distant stare. “Yes. I am highly unsettled.”
George looked at Jeff, who didn't seem to be quite putting everything together. “Oh man, I love this weird talk. Adah, you are really neat.”
“One more thing,” Adah added. “From the Scripture I get a hint that a serious illness might in Israel soon break out.”
“I don't like it!” Mary protested. “I think it's all nonsense.”
“No,” Graham said firmly and looked hard at Mary. “You've just received the most important information you've heard in your life. We must understand everything Adah can teach us.” He stared at the Jewish woman. “I don't know know what you will tell us, but we must learn everything you know. We must!” He suddenly reached across the table and grabbed her hand tightly. “I warn you to be extremely careful. You should be aware that electronic surveillance is increasing and people will be watching.” He looked straight into her eyes. “Our lives depend on it.”
“Let me tell you something, Mr. Peck,” Adah said politely, but with forcefulness in her voice. “I am no longer afraid to die. This is not with me an issue.”
Jackie watched Graham catch his breath. Adah's answers had taken all of them by surprise, but Graham had been struck straight between the eyes. Jackie could tell he was clearly staggered by her audacious answer.
“I–I–don't think that I understand,” Graham mumbled.
“As I have read the Holy Bible through,” Adah continued, “I have found that the great people of faith did not fear death because with them they knew God was. Jesus the Messiah brought life to us. We need to be confident in what for us he had accomplished.”
Graham blinked several times, not saying anything.
“You are telling us not to be afraid of death?” Mary pushed.
“Yes.” Adah smiled. “You do not need anyone to fear who can kill the body. Fear those who can take your soul.” She leaned toward Mary. “That is… if you know Jesus.”
CHAPTER 34
GARHAM WAS NO LONGER preoccupied with thoughts about what words should be placed in the mayor's mouth to make him sound appropriate and intelligent. One visit in front of his holographic transmitter had radically changed Graham's perspective on Bridges. He might not always express himself clearly, but the mayor knew exactly where he was going. Time spent the night before with Adah Honi and Jennifer Andrews had also changed Graham's mind. His priorities were cast in an entirely different light. He must now concentrate on his family's survival. Smallpox was loose in the world.
The big party and the hangovers were past. The reelection committee had officially disassembled and the personnel already been absorbed back into the staff of the Chicago mayor's office. No one changed desks or secretaries; only the sign on the front door of the office was repainted to indicate the shift. The newspapers and television stations didn't report the change. That was it. Life went on.
Beyond his office door, Graham could faintly hear Sarah Cates pounding away at her computer. She had been distant since her apology and avoided personal encounters. Sarah remained all business and that satisfied Graham, but he knew her expressions of affection, though slightly drunken, had been genuine and that remained dangerous.
Graham glanced at his watch. In a few minutes he would sneak out the back door and grab the Metro train that would take him through Lincolnwood and into Evanston. He had an appointment with Adah Honi that nothing in the world would keep him from attending. Whatever this woman knew, he wanted every piece of her data stored in the front of his brain.
A knock jarred his thoughts. The door opened slightly and Sarah stuck her head in. “I'm sorry to bother you. I think you'll want to see what I understand is about to be announced on television.” She quickly ducked out.
Graham hit a button on the corner pad on his desk and a television screen the thickness of a picture hanging on the Wall jumped to life. He pushed a second button and the screen filled with the face of a newscaster.
“Moments ago we received this report from Istanbul. While Borden Camber Carson has again avoided being photographed, he just released this important statement. We are going live to Steve Miller, standing in front of the administrative offices of the Royal Arab Petroleum Company Steve, what have you learned?”
A picture of a gray-haired man appeared in frond of a massive opulent building shaped like a huge medieval Turkish mosque with a minaret. The camera zoomed in on his face.
“I am reading sections of a prepared statement released only moments ago from the administrative offices of Mr. Carson. Because of the recent attack on the Middle Eastern oil fields controlled by Royal Arab Petroleum, Carson has now issued a challenge to the world to join him in protecting oil production; he had also called on European nations form Poland to Spain to form a confederation to guarantee the safety of all shipping. It is not clear whether he is speaking of a cartel or an actual merging of governments, but Carson is otherwise specific. He demands an immediate joining of armed forces to protects these supply lines. We will report the response of the European nations as we receive them.” Miller stopped and looked away from the camera for a moment. “This is obviously an extremely serious move on the part of an international company which seems to have its own military capacity to enforce these concerns. Of course, the entire world is fearful of what the loss of any amount of petroleum could mean. Back to you in New York.” The picture faded and the first announcer reappeared.
Graham punched the mute button. He had heard more than enough. Everything about this telecast sent shivers down his spine. Adah Honi had made a prediction on one night and the next day the television issued a report so remarkably similar that it chilled him. It could not be a coincidence that she was so absolutely correct on these matters!
For a few moments, Graham stared at the silent screen, trying to order his thoughts. No question about it! He needed to talk to Adah as soon as he could get on the Metro. He punched his intercom phone line.
“Mrs. Cates, I don't want to take any more phone calls today. I'm going to be tied up in a research project. Thank you.” He flipped the switch and turned on his private line to the mayor's secretary.
“Please tell t
he mayor that I'm working on a research project,” Graham said. “If there is an emergency, he can reach me on my private cell phone numbers.”
“Certainly,” the woman said with a professional sound. “I will let him know.”
Graham grabbed his overcoat and headed for the back exit. The weather had suddenly gotten much colder with the temperature dropping into the single digits. These abrupt weather changes along with a reddish moon every night seemed to sound as if nature was shouting, “The world's coming unglued! Nothing is like it once was.”
In 2015, the Metro train from the downtown to Evanston had been built on tracks above the city landscape. Why they hadn't plowed through the slums and cleared out the rabble remained a mystery to Graham. In the last twenty years the gap between the affluent and the poor had widened enormously and what had once been middle class areas had now turned into dilapidated sections of rat-infested neighborhoods. Maybe that was why the train had been lifted high above these poverty holes? It was dangerous to get caught down there in those dark alleys at night. Slum people could get savage, but then again, they weren't any worse than what appeared to be unfolding in the Middle East. The world was turning cold with a temperature drop the sun couldn't lift.
While the train roared down the tracks, Graham thought about Mary. No matter what was said or done, his fourteen-year-old daughter wasn't moved. Undoubtedly, the influence of her friends at school took precedence over everyone else. Kids functioned like that these days, but it was still irritating that this girl couldn't get her head on straight.
The train hurled across Chicago Avenue and slowed for Evanston at the Northwestern University stop. Graham could see the blue waves of Lake Michigan bouncing up toward the shore and for a moment the beauty of the cold, massive lake seemed like a peaceful reprieve. The Metro pulled to a halt.
Graham hurried out the door and clomped down the steps toward the small café where Adah said she would meet him. Cold winds forced him to turn up his collar and cram his hands deeply into the pockets on his overcoat. Ahad had said that La Baguette Bistro, a French restaurant, would provided a quiet corner where they could talk unobserved.
The Bistro had quaint look with a large sign above the entrance and hanging plants in the windows. Waiters walked back and forth with towels stuck in their belts for aprons. Graham paused and glanced through the large plate glass windows. The striking black-haired woman was already sitting near the back sipping coffee. He hurried in.
CHAPTER 35
ADAH HONI looked up from the restaurant table. “Ah, Mr. Peck, I hope you had no trouble in getting here.” She pointed at the chair across from her. “Thank you for coming.”
“Make it Graham.” He quickly removed his topcoat and hung it on a rack behind them. “And I appreciate so much you're taking the time to talk with me.” He slid into the chair.
“You are an important person,” Adah said. “Everyone knows of your relationship with the mayor. Talking to your is an honor and for me a privilege.” A waiter walked up.
“I'll have a cup of espresso,” Graham said. “That'll do fine.” The waiter walked away as quickly as he had come.
Graham smiled. “Well, let's dig in. I have many questions.”
“I am not sure that I can answer, but I will try.”
“Have you seen the television today?”
Adah shook her head. “I must be frank. Much of your American news is manipulated, managed. The broadcasts and contents are slanted to project a correct viewpoint politically. I avoid these government expressions so my mind clear will remain.”
Graham rubbed his chin. No one had ever put the matter so succinctly. She was right. The waiter set a cup of espresso in front of him.
“I hope this does not offend a politician like yourself.”
Graham shook his head. “We must talk on a completely honest and open basis. Whether something you say offends me or not is irrelevant. I want the truth.”
Adah sipped her coffee. “Good. This is the only way I can talk now to anyone.”
“You must tell me more about what the Bible said about the Anti-Christ forming a coalition of nations to promote his plans. This is extremely important for me to understand.”
“I see,” Adah said slowly and carefully. “You see the Scripture is not clear about whether the Anti-Christ will be a political leader like, say, the head of a country, or simply a person of great personal persuasion. However, let us read the book and see.”
“You have a Bible?”
Adah reached in her purse and pulled out a small black leather-covered volume. “I study every time I get the chance, this book. Right now I am trying to correlate the insights of the ancient prophet Daniel with the book of Revelation, the last book in the New Testament. In these we find explanations about this kingdom coming.” She opened the Bible and quickly flipped through the pages.
Graham leaned over the table to see. “Show me what you find?”
“In the seventh chapter, Daniel explains his vision of a terrible frightening beast with iron teeth. In the twenty-fourth verse he says, ‘as for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise, and another shall arise after them; he shall be different from the former ones.’”
“What does this mean?” Graham asked.
“Let us now turn to the Revelation and see what it says.” Adah quickly flipped through the pages. “Listen to how the thirteenth chapter begins. ‘And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems upon its horns, and a blasphemous name upon its heads.’ Do you see the similarities?”
“Of course!”
“Even though Daniel was written centuries before, the writer of Revelation had surely studied his work.” Adah pushed back her coal-black hair. “These passages written millenniums ago are now about to be fulfilled.”
“Your said the number ten might not be an exact head count?”
Adah nodded. “Yes. Ten is a Jewish symbol for completeness. The number could mean that this Anti-Christ simply assembles enough nations his purposes to complete. I could accept that interpretation. The point is that talk of beasts, horns, and diadems is a symbolic expression of what is coming. The original meaning had to be put in symbolic language because such talk was politically dangerous. For this reason, both Daniel and John wrote their messages in a highly colorful language to confuse spies watching them. Perhaps, you will remember that both the Jews of Daniel's time and John's day were under extreme political oppression.”
“Yes, I studied history in college.”
“Now, Graham, this vision of ten nations has an extremely important point you must not miss. This final king will eventually rule over the entire world and speak against the true God. This man will attempt to set aside the long-accepted laws and customs that have stood for centuries.” She paused and shook her head emphatically. “This man will also attack and persecute God's people.”
Graham took a long drink of espresso. “Persecution?”
“Indeed! Revelation chapter thirteen tells us more about the world government coming. We will not only have beast, but a false prophet. I believe this may well mean that the Anti-Christ will have an assistant who will help him control society.” Adah thumped on the table with her index finger. “This Anti-Christ man may be extraordinarily handsome, but never forget he is a dragon, a fire-breathing threat to righteous people.”
Graham could feel his stomach knotting. “I want you to hear something. Even though you don't listen to television newscasts, you should hear what's happened today.” He reached inside the breast pocket of his coat and took out a small, flat device the size of his cell phone. He pushed the “on” button. “This is a pocket television with the capacity to bring in everything broadcast from satellites. I can get at least one hundred and fifty channels.” He pushed in several buttons. “Let's see what we can bring up on CNN.” Graham pushed the tiny speakers into his ears and listened momentarily. Pictures appeared on the small screen of an announcer sitting be
hind a desk. “Ah, they're about to replay what I heard at my office an hour ago. Listen carefully.”
Adah placed the speakers in her ears. Leaning back against the chair, she closed her eyes to concentrate. Graham watched her face intently. For thirty seconds, Adah listened with the visual would tuned out. Slowly, she opened her eyes and stared at the small screen. Her lips parted slightly and shock registered on her face. Adah took a deep breath and stared out the large glass windows. Her chin dropped even further. As the pictures of reported Steve Miller faded, the Jewish woman pulled the speakers from her ears.
“What do you think?” Graham asked.
Adah shook her head. “It has started!” Adah sounded stricken. “The end times tribulations have truly begun. The dragon is now among us.”
CHAPTER 36
GRAHAM CONTINUALLY THOUGHT about what Adah Honi had shown him in the Bible. Jackie found a copy of the book in Maria's possessions and Graham put a newspaper cover over it to keep anyone from recognizing what he was reading. Everywhere he looked, Graham saw nothing but disconcerting evidence that what this woman had told him was true.
Across the city of Chicago and throughout the suburbs workmen were climbing light poles and working over the entrances to buildings to install more surveillance cameras and keep the city wired. Mayor Bridges had not wasted any time in upping the ante on security. Television reports constantly blasted the public with stories of what Carson was reported to be planning to protect oil production. Belgium and Hungary responded immediately, pledging their feeble support behind the Royal Arab Petroleum Company's intentions to form an international union. The big guns in Germany and France were still pondering their options, but Italy and Greece were assumed to be in because of their proximity to Turkey. Not once on the televised reports did Carson show his face.
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