Mark pursed his lips. “I don’t know what to say. The Bible says anyone who takes the mark of Antichrist is condemned.”
A clamor rose so loud that Mark thought the guards would come. He retreated to his corner and prayed for wisdom.
When things calmed, Steve tapped him on the shoulder. “Some of the guys want to know what to do. Will you tell us?”
Mark looked up and saw those without Carpathia’s mark standing with their faces pressed against cell bars. A door opened down the hall, and Mark heard footsteps.
“Okay, listen carefully,” Mark said. “I’m going to tell you. Then you have to pass it on to the others.”
Steve frowned. “I don’t know if I can—”
“There’s no time! Even if you don’t believe this or pray the prayer, you have to promise me you’ll tell the others.”
“I guess I can try.”
“Good. You pray something like this from your heart: ‘God, I know that I’ve sinned, and I’m sorry for that sin. I believe you sent Jesus, your only Son, to die in my place, and then he rose again three days later. …’ ”
Footsteps stopped in front of his cell. Someone unlocked the door.
“I ask you right now to forgive me, come into my life, and change me from the inside out. And help me not to give in to the evil one.”
“Rebel,” the guard yelled, “on your feet!”
“Do you have it?” Mark whispered.
Steve nodded. “I think so.”
“Rebel!”
“One more thing,” Mark said. “Afterward, you should be able to see something on their foreheads—that is, if you pray too.”
“All right, we’ll have to come in and get you,” the guard said, taking a step toward Mark.
“And remember, tell them not to take Carpathia’s—”
The guard jerked Mark to his feet by an arm, almost ripping it from its socket. Mark yelped and grabbed his shoulder as he was dragged from the cell. He looked back at Steve. “If they pray, God will give them the strength to face the blade.” He turned to the others watching in stunned silence. “Give your lives to God right now! Don’t wait!”
With that the guard threw Mark up against the wall. “There’s only one god and it’s Potentate Carpathia!” He kneed Mark, doubling him over, then put a gag in his mouth and pushed him through the door.
Mark glanced back but couldn’t see Steve or any of the others. “God, I don’t know if I gave them enough, but I pray you’d use what I said in their hearts,” Mark prayed. “Help Steve, and give them the faith to see the truth and call out to you.”
24
MARK was led into a room that had a table, three chairs, and a huge mirror on one wall. He guessed Commander Fulcire was watching from the other side but was surprised when the man entered and sat across the table from him.
Though Mark’s leg wasn’t hurting, his head and stomach ached from the guard’s treatment.
“I was told you weren’t cooperating in the cell,” Fulcire said.
Mark stared at him.
Fulcire tossed a folder onto the table. Mark’s mug shot was on top. “Your name is Mark Eisman. You attended Nicolae High in Mount Prospect. I suspect you were part of the underground that began the rebel newspaper at that school. You were known to be a friend of Vicki Byrne, the same Vicki Byrne who killed her principal. Also known to the Global Community as Vicki B. She’s been quite a burr under our saddle.”
Mark was shocked.
Commander Fulcire ran a hand over the file and pulled out a page printed from the Young Trib Force’s Web site. “We’ve pieced together some of your movements. The old schoolhouse, the fire in Wisconsin, the Stahley hideaway. Tell me, is the young girl—Darrion, I think her name was—still with your group, or did you leave her behind like you did the others?”
“What others?” Mark said.
Fulcire raised his eyebrows. “That got your attention, eh?” He pulled a picture of Natalie Bishop out of the pile and held it up. “This face ring a bell? Would you like to see what she looked like as she pleaded for her life? As she told us everything she knew about you?” He held up a gruesome photo of Natalie just after her execution.
“You’re a monster,” Mark mumbled.
“Excuse me? I didn’t hear that last comment.”
Mark clenched his teeth and tried to keep quiet, but his anger boiled over. “You will pay for the way you’ve treated followers of God.”
“You mean followers of the false god. And I think the one who is about to pay is you.”
“She was a sweet girl. You had no right to—”
“That ‘sweet girl’ helped several prisoners escape, gave vital Global Community information to our enemies, and was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. But she became quite talkative near the end.”
“Right, which is exactly what you’re going to say about me, though I’m not going to give you any more information than she did.”
Fulcire pursed his lips. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way. I suppose you prefer the more difficult path. Makes you feel like you’re doing something noble, suffering like your so-called Messiah.”
Fulcire nodded toward the door, and a guard walked behind Mark’s chair. Mark braced himself for a blow to the head or body, but none came.
“There are ways to get the information we need,” Fulcire said. “We don’t have time to starve you. Things must move along a little quicker than that. We want to know about the others who were with you in the cabins.”
Mark smiled. “I knew you hadn’t caught them.”
“So there were others …”
“Hundreds,” Mark said. “And they all escaped by balloon.”
Fulcire scowled and looked at the guard. Suddenly Mark felt pain in his right arm. The guard had stabbed him with a needle.
“This little concoction will be swimming through your bloodstream in a few minutes,” Fulcire said. “We’ll continue our discussion then, and I promise you will be more forthcoming.”
Mark closed his eyes and shook his head. “It’s working already. My head … it feels so light.”
Fulcire squinted and leaned over the table.
“I’ll tell you now,” Mark gasped. “It wasn’t a balloon. They took the yellow brick road to Oz.”
Fulcire stood and glanced at the guard. The two walked out without speaking.
“Don’t go yet,” Mark pleaded, laughing. “I have more to tell you about the flying monkeys and the Tin Man.”
As the door slammed, Mark’s laughter turned to tears. The drug gave him a strange sensation.
“‘The Lord is my shepherd; I have everything I need,’ ” Mark whispered. “ ‘He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. Even when I walk through the dark valley of death, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. …’ ”
Judd was excited to meet with Rayford Steele and talk about the mission to Baghdad. Judd had seen Rayford around Petra but hadn’t talked with him face-to-face.
Judd didn’t expect to play a big part in the Baghdad operation, but he and Vicki definitely wanted to be there. He had tinkered with electronics when he was younger, and he was sure he could help. And with Zeke’s ability to change people’s appearances, there was no way the GC would ever know who he and Vicki really were.
Rayford met Judd and Vicki at the tech center and moved to one of the high places where Tsion and his elders had their meetings. Rayford had aged a few years since Judd had first seen him, and though his hair was turning a little gray, he was still in good shape.
“We’ve been praying for you and Buck and Kenny,” Vicki said as they sat.
“That means a lot to us,” Rayford said. “We know every day that passes brings us closer to seeing her again, but it’s hard. If we didn’t have the hope of heaven, I don’t know what we’d do.”
“You spoke with h
er before she died, right?” Judd said.
Rayford nodded. “I guess the GC was trying to trick her by having her call one of our secure numbers, but it backfired on them.”
“How’s that?” Vicki said.
“Well, after she gave me a message for Buck and Kenny, she told me she had been jogging near the San Diego hideout—which couldn’t have been true. Chloe would never have been caught outside like that.”
“What do you think she was doing?” Judd said.
“Trying to draw the GC away,” Rayford said. “They were close to finding the others, and she was on watch that night.”
“So how did her call backfire on the GC?” Vicki said.
“She mentioned something about a vacation our family had taken. I couldn’t understand why talking about that was so important, and then I realized she was trying to tell me something. She said if she had one dream it would be that ‘we could all go there right now, as soon as possible.’ ”
“She was talking about the others in the hideout?” Judd said.
“Yes. I didn’t figure it out until later when Mac asked questions about that vacation. One of the places we went was Red Rocks, west of Denver. Mac made the connection about the red rocks of Petra, and we figured she meant we should get everybody over here pronto.”
“Chloe was one of the smartest people I ever met,” Vicki said.
Rayford smiled. “She said the same about you. Chloe told me once that you reminded her of her, just a few years younger.”
Vicki blushed. “That’s the best compliment I’ve ever received.”
“Which makes what I’m about to say even more difficult,” Rayford said. He took a breath. “We’re not going to be using you in the Baghdad operation.”
Judd gulped and looked away. “Can I ask why?”
“It was my decision. Chang and I have handpicked the team and feel we have the right amount of people. The GC has seen Vicki’s picture, and we can assume they’ve seen yours as well. We don’t need unnecessary risks.”
“But you’re going, aren’t you?” Judd said.
“That’s right.”
“And you were on Carpathia’s staff. That has to be a lot more dangerous than—”
Vicki put a hand on Judd’s arm.
Captain Steele looked at the ground.
“I’m sorry,” Judd said. “I don’t mean to question your authority. We’ll abide by whatever decision you make. And we’d be glad to help out here any way we can.”
“I like that attitude.”
After Rayford left, Judd and Vicki walked back to their home and talked about the situation. “I think we have to face the fact that Captain Steele is always going to think we’re still just crazy teenagers,” Judd said.
“I don’t think he feels that way. Think of all the other people he didn’t include in this operation. Our time will come.”
“I just think we’re going to be left out of the really good assignments.”
“Which ones?” Vicki said.
Judd opened the door to their home and followed Vicki inside. He clicked on the computer screen and brought up a map of Israel. “This is the area where the Battle of Armageddon is going to be fought. And this is the spot where Jesus is supposed to come back.”
“I know all that,” Vicki said. “What’s it got to do with us?”
“I want to be there, right in the middle of things and see it with my own eyes. I want to help fight the GC or at least support those who are trying to defend Jerusalem.”
“And what about me?”
“I want you right there beside me.” Judd took Vicki in his arms. “It’ll be the greatest moment in the history of the world, and you and I are going to see it.”
“One problem. How are we going to get there?”
Judd pushed Vicki a few inches away and looked at her. “I’ll take care of that, but not a word about this to anybody. It’s going to be our secret.”
A few minutes after they gave Mark the shot, he felt woozy. This must be what a numbskull feels like, he thought.
He sat up and noticed someone standing in the corner by the one-way mirror. Mark leaned close and squinted. It was the angel from the bus.
“You’re back?” Mark said.
The angel smiled and nodded. “You didn’t finish the verses. The rest of the Psalm you were quoting.”
“Oh, that,” Mark said. “Where was I?”
“‘You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You welcome me as a guest, anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings.’ ”
Mark nodded and picked up the end of the verse. “‘Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.’ ”
“That is what you can look forward to, my friend,” the angel said.
Mark leaned back in his chair. “This stuff they gave me, will it make me talk?”
“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.
God will give you the strength to resist, no matter what they put into your veins. After all, as one of your hymn writers has said, ‘The body they may kill; God’s truth abideth still: His kingdom is forever.’ ”
“So I just shut my mouth and keep quiet?”
“Be creative.”
Mark smiled. “Yeah, I’ll try.”
“They are almost ready to return. Before they do, I must tell you there was great rejoicing today.”
“For what?”
“Because of you, because of the message, and because a few have gone from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light.”
“Steve,” Mark whispered. “He told the others what I said?”
“He did, and they all believed in the only begotten Son of the Father, Jesus, the name that is above every name.”
“How many?” Mark said.
Footsteps echoed down the hall.
“The ones who were appointed to believe have done so. You need not be concerned about the number. And now I will leave you.”
“Please don’t,” Mark said. “Can’t you stay and help me … do whatever I’m supposed to do?”
“If you truly need me, I’ll be here,” the angel said.
With that, the door opened and Commander Fulcire walked in with another man Mark hadn’t seen before. When the door closed, Mark noticed the angel was gone.
Commander Fulcire looked closely at Mark and sat with a huge sandwich and onion rings. Barbecue sauce dripped from the bread, and Mark’s stomach growled.
Fulcire took a bite of the sandwich and licked his fingers. “You know, it’s amazing what the cooks here can do. A little information and we’ll serve you a heaping plateful of some delicious food.”
“I’m worried about your cholesterol,” Mark said. “You really need to cut down on the fatty foods.”
The other man sat near Fulcire and eyed Mark. “Let’s start with something easy,” he said.
“Who are you?” Mark said.
“Deputy Commander Lockerbie,” the man said. “You’re Mark Eisman, right?”
“If that’s who you want me to be, that’s who I am.”
“It’s not a question of who we want you to be but a quest for reality. Are you Mark Eisman?”
“Yes.”
The man noted his answer and continued. “Are you part of the so-called Young Tribulation Force?”
“Yeah, I head up intramural sports.”
“What was that?” Fulcire said.
“You know, basketball, football, badminton—that kind of thing. We tried to get a bowling team together, but we couldn’t find an alley—”
“That’s enough, Mr. Eisman,” Fulcire said.
“Yeah, it was enough for us to go after a softball team. Had a hard time getting jerseys made up and an even harder time finding someone to play against.”
“Enough!” Fulcire said.
“Have you ever participated in disloyal acts to the potentate?” Lockerbie said.
&nbs
p; “No, not since I became a believer in him.”
“Have you ever stolen anything to aid in your rebel acts?”
“Well, there was that satellite truck. I’m real sorry about that. I was going to fill it up with gas and return it, but I couldn’t find you guys.”
Lockerbie and Fulcire were not laughing, but Mark was having a good time. He looked past the men and saw his friend standing in the corner, chuckling.
“How am I doing so far?” Mark said to the angel.
Fulcire thought he was talking to him. “You won’t be laughing when we take you to the blade.”
“Probably not, but at least I’ll know where I’m headed after my head’s gone. You can kill my body, but you can’t take my soul.”
When Fulcire looked at the list of questions, Mark shook his head. “Look, Commander, I’m not going to tell you any more about my group because I don’t know anything more. You probably want supply routes and locations of safe houses and that kind of stuff, and I’m just not going to give it up. So why don’t we call this thing a bust? You sharpen your blade, and we can be done.”
Lockerbie asked a few more questions, but Mark wouldn’t say a word.
Finally Fulcire slammed his fist on the table and yelled, “Solitary!”
Mark was surprised he had gotten away without anyone trying to torture him. Would that come later? When he made it to his room, he collapsed on his cot and fell into a deep sleep. He dreamed of streets paved with gold.
25
EARLY the next morning in Petra, Lionel made contact with Darrion and the others in Illinois and discovered they had found Lenore and her friends. Lionel wrote down their information and promised he would give them an update on Mark as soon as he heard anything.
“Jim Dekker, Colin Dial, and Conrad are talking about a rescue,” Darrion said.
“I wouldn’t recommend it,” Lionel said. “If the info we’re getting from Fulcire’s computer is right, Mark is deep in the jail there. It would take a magician to get in and out.”
Darrion said she would talk with the others and said good-bye.
Lionel had been glued to the computer for a long time, so he decided to take a walk. He found Sam Goldberg and Mr. Stein and explained the situation. The two were visibly upset and knelt where they were and prayed.
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