The Storm Breaker was down and the rotors were just coming to a stop. Staci and King remained with Sumter as Moore and Donna, followed by Barrington, made their way to the rear entrance of Belgrade hospital. They hadn’t even made it to the doors when they opened and three men came out. Two men were pushing a gurney and another man followed them.
This man stopped when he saw Donna, Moore, and Barrington but the others continued on. They were heading for the helicopter, which was using a small part of the rear parking lot for a landing pad.
Barrington glanced at them before he finally turned to the man. He had to look down a bit as the man before them was a head shorter than he was. “We have a man who is in desperate--”
The man cut him off. “Is there a Dr. Staci Cohen in your party?”
Barrington froze. He exchanged worried glances with Moore and Donna. How could this man possibly know about Staci. “Ahh…” he hesitated, trying to come up with something.
The man sighed. “Well, judging from your hesitation, I’ll take that as a yes.” He glanced at Donna and nodded once. “Mrs. Perkins. I see you are still with us.”
“Yes, I am, Dr. Shrenko,” Donna responded, puzzled. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I was referring to the vanishings, which occurred about a month ago. Your family…Are they still well?”
She hesitated. “My husband…was among the vanishings. My daughter…she died shortly after.”
Shrenko paused. “I’m sorry to hear that.” He looked behind them to see that a man had been placed onto the gurney. A woman and man had joined with his orderlies and were now approaching them. “The woman there I presume is Dr. Cohen…?”
Barrington hesitated. “No. No, she’s--”
“Save your lies. I’ll only see through them. As I am the only resident physician on these premises, I am also the CEO. Lies will not help your cause.”
Barrington opened his mouth to respond, but Staci, King, and Sumter arrived at the door with the orderlies pushing the gurney along as Sumter laid there, comatose.
Staci had heard Shrenko say he was the CEO. She was about to make her request for help with her patient, but he didn’t give her an opportunity to.
“Your patient will be taken to the OR, Dr. Cohen. You, on the other hand, will be taken to my office. There is someone on the phone who wishes to speak to you.”
Staci glanced at Barrington. “The phone…?” She shook her head. “I-I don’t understand. How could anyone know I was coming here?”
“I suggest you take the call. In the meantime, I’ll be with your patient. You can join me once you’ve finished with your call.” He indicated the door. “Right this way.”
They followed him. While the orderlies took Sumter one way, Shrenko led them another way. A short time later, he opened the door to his office and let them in. Then, without another word, he turned and walked away.
Staci saw the phone laying on the desk and then looked at Barrington.
He shrugged. “Well, we have to know who it is now. They seem to know you’re here.”
Glancing nervously at Donna and Moore, Staci picked up the phone. “Hello…?”
“Dr. Staci Cohen…” a man’s voice said, “listen very carefully. They know where you are and are coming.”
She frowned. “Who knows--?”
“They know. You must do as I say if you want to be free. Do you understand?”
“Well, no, I don’t, but--”
“Listen to me. There is a small device in Hank Sumter’s sinus cavity. Take it out of him and get rid of it. Immediately. You must take it away from the hospital. Do you understand?”
“I hear what you’re saying.”
“Good. Do that and you will live to see tomorrow.”
She frowned. “Who is this?”
“A friend.”
Then, she heard nothing but the dial tone. The caller had hung up. Staci let out a worried sigh as she hung up the phone she had been using. Then she looked at the expectant faces of Barrington, Donna, and Moore.
“What was that all about?” Barrington wanted to know.
“He said that they know I’m here and are coming for me,” she told them. “I think he meant all of us. But how could they know we’re here?”
“What else did he say?”
“There’s some kind of device in Hank’s sinus cavity. I have to take it out and then, get rid of it.”
Barrington nodded in understanding. “It has to be some kind of tracking device. That’s how they know where we are. Did he tell you when they were coming?”
She shook her head. “Only soon.” She headed for the door. “Al, I’d better get ready to help Hank. The doctor said I should join him as soon as I was done here.”
“I’ll be waiting in the OR waiting room.”
She nodded. Then, hurried off to find her way to the Operating Room.
Barrington turned to Donna. “Do you know this Dr. Shrenko?”
Donna shook her head. “Not really. Dr. Timothy Shrenko wasn’t our family doctor, but we did see him from time to time, when ours wasn’t available. He always seemed to be a nice man. Always very helpful and polite.”
“Just seemed tired to me,” Moore commented. “Son, are you thinking you’ll have trouble with him?”
Barrington shook his head. “I don’t know, Pa. At this point, I’m not ruling anything out. All we know is he’s letting Staci assist him with her patient and we’ve been warned that they are coming by a possible friend. What I want to know is who is this caller a real friend to. Staci…or Dr. Shrenko?”
Barrington contemplated that question to himself as he waited in the OR waiting room with Donna and Moore.
While in the OR, Knee Replacement surgery would take some time, but no one could have been better suited to perform it than Dr. Timothy Shrenko. Staci was thankful to the Lord that He had led her to him because she had never performed any such operation as this in her two years as a medical physician. She was able to assist him and discovered him to be helpful as he instructed her in what to do.
She hadn’t known how to approach him with what she needed to do about the implant in Sumter’s sinus cavity, but when they were coming to the completion of the Total Knee Replacement, she nervously cleared her throat. “Dr, Shrenko,” she began, glancing up at him, “I need to remove…”
He held up a hand. “Everyone…you are all free to leave.”
The assistants in the room hesitated.
“Isn’t that a little unorthodox?” someone inquired.
Shrenko turned his head and looked at them. “That wasn’t a request.”
“But, Doctor…”
“Everything is unorthodox since the vanishings. Get out.”
With hesitation, the others left. Some of them glared, but they left without further protest. When they were gone, Shrenko turned to Staci. “Do you require assistance with what you need to do?”
Staci paused. “Yes.”
He sighed. “I was afraid of that.”
She regarded him. “What does that mean?”
Shrenko took a deep breath. “I have a problem, Doctor. My problem is this. I am the only doctor residing in this hospital. In order for you to remain here, I must not be able to help you do anything…I might have to report.” He looked into her eyes. “You have to do this…whatever it is, on your own.”
“But I can’t.”
“Your friend. The tall one. I’ll send him in.”
Staci shook her head. “He’s not a doctor. He can’t--”
“You’re the doctor. He’ll be your assistant. It has to be this way.” Shrenko turned abruptly and headed for the door. Once there, he stopped and turned around. “When this is over…I’ll show you to your new office.” He tried to smile. Then, he frowned and left.
Staci had no idea what to make of it. She looked at Sumter and asked God for wisdom. One thing was certain. This certainly was an unorthodox way of doing things. Still, her mind was racing. The phone call still had her nerves rattled, even though she kept praying for God to help her and her friends get through this. She prayed silently for Hank Sumter as well, hoping that through it all, he would come to know Christ as his Savior.
A few moments later, Barrington entered the OR, in a white hospital scrub and mask. He slowly approached, keeping his gloved hands up in the air like he had seen the doctors do on television shows.
Staci actually laughed.
Barrington stopped. “What’s so funny?”
She shook her head. “I’m sorry. Look…I need your help. Dr. Shrenko doesn’t want to involve himself in this. Can you help?”
“That’s what I’m here for.”
She smiled. “Thank you.” She guided him along as she did what she had to do. When they were done, she dropped a tiny, metallic device into Barrington’s gloved hand. It looked like a chip of some kind.
“I can’t believe that was in his head,” Staci replied softly, looking at it. “What is it?”
Barrington paused. “I don’t know. But it’s not good, and unfortunately, we have to get rid of it.” He looked at her. “I’ll give it to Keith and Jeremy. They can take it somewhere and drop it.”
She nodded. “Okay.” Behind her mask, she smiled. “Thank you for your assistance, Dr. Barrington.”
He smiled back. “You’re welcome.” Then, he left the OR.
Barrington took off his mask and still wearing the scrubs, he ran through the corridors and out the back entrance. He made it to the helicopter, climbed in through the back and told him to start up the engines.
“Where we goin’?” LeBeau asked as he and Bandjough brought the Storm Breaker to life.
“I don’t know,” Barrington told him. “Just take us up and away from here. We need to drop this somewhere.” He looked at the chip in his hand. “Somewhere well away from this hospital.”
The Storm Breaker rose even though the pilots had no destination in mind. Something below them caught Bandjough’s attention. He pointed and Barrington peered out the window.
He couldn’t believe it.
They had been too late. Two black sedans pulled up to the front of the hospital and several men climbed out. He watched as they headed into the entrance and then, they were out of his sight.
“Who are those guys?” LeBeau wanted to know.
Barrington let out a sigh of despair. “Those were the guys Staci was warned about were coming.” He put his back against the wall. “They’re here.”
They pulled up to the entrance of Corinth High School and Shiva stopped the car. As he turned off the ignition, he turned his head to look at Fuller. Fuller was sitting still. The Director of the ATD looked out the front window and seemed to be examining everything outside the vehicle.
Shiva looked out as well. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know.” Fuller hesitated. “I…I just don’t like this.”
“I don’t understand. What could be wrong? We haven’t seen any trouble so far. Why do you think there would be here?”
Fuller paused. “I can’t explain it, Mark. This just…it doesn’t feel right.” A look of resolve crossed his face. “But we have to do this, so let’s get it done.” He opened the door and stepped out.
Shiva did also but again, he noticed Fuller’s reaction. The man simply stopped and looked all around them. The ex-wrestler didn’t like seeing his fearless leader so unsettled. “I don’t mind telling you, sir…You’re starting to give me the shivers.”
Fuller turned to look at him. “I’ve felt like this before.”
“Like this? What is it you’re feeling?”
“Like we’re not alone. Like someone else is here…watching us.” He paused. “Someone not like us.”
“What do you mean, not like us?”
Fuller paused, trying to gather the right words. Finally, he said, “We serve a risen Savior. Some people, however, willingly serve another. They follow after the lusts of their father’s. 1”
Shiva looked at him. “Are you saying that you get this feeling someone who serves the Devil is here?”
“It’s hard to explain, Marc.” Then, he shook his head. “Alright. No, it isn’t. I can only tell you that I feel like there is an evil presence right here with us. I’ve felt it before at the Federal Building when we were getting David and Sumter out of harm’s way.” He looked at him. “Can’t you feel it?”
Shiva hesitated as he began to look around. “Now that you mention it…yeah. I do feel something.” He paused. “What do you think it means?”
“Whoever is out there watching us doesn’t want us here.”
There was someone watching them. That someone was Ari, but Ari’s real name was Sean Kempner. He had not gone by his real name for many years. First and foremost, he was a Marine. During the war in Iraq, he excelled in several skills, but it was soon discovered that his special talent was in taking out targets through a scope.
He was a sniper, and he was very good at it. He was so good, he had been recruited by the CIA. From the CIA, another organization financed by a diplomat of peace ended his life, and then gave him a brand new one. This organization was not known by the public. It was known by only the agents within it and a handful of others who had to know. They took Kempner and taught him how to live a life of deception. The secret organization was called AIM.
Agency Intelligence Merge.
As an AIM agent, Kempner learned how to have many names that were not his own. Striker, Flashpoint, and Crash were only a few of his code names. He had also taken on aliases such as Ralph Kinley, Justin Lake, and Richard Hatch, to name just a few. With those names, he had seen things in the world that were nothing but evil. He had personally done things he had not been proud of because he had been assured at the time that he was doing those deeds for the good of his country. For the good of the United States of America.
Unfortunately, he soon discovered that it was all a big lie.
Now Kempner was angry and his personal agenda in life was to expose the lie. He firmly believed he was doing just that as he looked through the scope of his Sig SG 550 Sniper rifle, and set the crosshairs first on Shiva. Then, he sighted on Director Fuller. He made one final adjustment.
He took a deep breath. “Please…” he said softly, as if speaking to the rifle, “just fly straight and true.”
Then, he pulled the trigger.
Fuller and Shiva were about to enter the High School. It seemed to be deserted and they were hoping that was the case because all they wanted to do was to get in and get right out. They wanted to make this quick. If whatever Joseph Canaan had left behind for them to find was inside, they needed to have it and be gone before someone else came along to look for it. Fuller could not let it fall into the wrong hands. Suddenly he stopped at the door and hesitated. He slowly turned around, looking for the source of his uneasiness.
Shiva looked at him with concern as he opened his mouth to inquire if he was alright. He never got the chance.
Crack! Boom!
A shot echoed suddenly, shattering the eerie silence. Fuller and Shiva both flinched and then ducked low. They soon discovered, however, that the bullet fired was not heading for them.
Only God alone truly understood what was happening in the world and how it would end. Death was real, but it was not constant as some people supposed. Death had lost its sting when His Son died on the cross for the entire world, and then, Death was defeated when He arose from the tomb. Taxes were not that constant either whether people gave to Caesar or to God.
Death and taxes were real. They were important. But there was one thing throughout all of the history of mankind that was far more overpowering than these. Death could be delayed through medicines and technology. Taxes could be ignored or paid. No matter what happened, however, there were always consequences.
But nothing was more constant than the Will of God.
Nothing.
God held the earth in His unbreakable grip and everything was happening as He knew it would and as He planned.
Kempner had his target sighted. He pulled the trigger. The bullet came out of the barrel and rapidly descended toward its target.
The ex-AIM agent knew he was not going to miss.
He was wrong.
His target moved ever so slightly just as his finger squeezed that trigger. The man he had been aiming for at the right corner of the front of the High School had begun to back away. He had been watching the ATD agents at the entrance of the school and was about to make a move. But the bullet struck the very corner of the building where his head had been a split second before. The unfortunate act, however, resulted in a spray of chipped concrete and debris, which cut into his face. The man cried out in pain, buried his face in his hands, and stumbled out into the open. His sunglasses clattered to the sidewalk.
At the entrance of the school, Fuller and Shiva turned to see the man. The evil presence Fuller had experienced once before at the Federal Building was also present at the school. Who was this man? he thought. What does he want?
For the moment, it didn’t matter. At a strong urging from the Spirit of God, he and Shiva entered into the building. Just as the doors closed, the man took his hands away from his face and glared towards the entrance. When he saw no one there, he turned his head and glared toward where the shot had been fired from. He ignored the pain and the blood on his own face.
Kempner, meanwhile, worked a second bullet into the chamber and prepared to fire it, hoping to make up for the first failed shot. But he froze in fear as he looked at his target through the scope. The man’s eyes seemed to be looking right at him, but Kempner could have sworn that those eyes were not human.
They were evil.
He pulled back from the scope and looked down toward the school. The fear was strong, but something else was happening and it distracted him. He discovered that he had just hit a bees hive. Men were coming out of hiding, dressed for combat. It suddenly dawned on him just who they were.
They were agents of AIM.
If Kempner didn’t leave the area soon, they would find him and then kill him.
“Risk was invented by a French movie director named Albert Lamorisse,” Saint began as the game of Risk was about to be played.
Chris rolled her eyes at her husband. “Oh, here we go,” she said, a touch of resignation in her voice.
Saint winked at her and continued. “It was originally released in 1957 in France as La Conquete du Monde, which means The Conquest of the World.”
McLaughlin shook his head. “What is this guy?” he inquired as he looked at Chris. “Does he think he’s the book of useless trivia or something?” He glanced at King, and briefly considered going back on his word.
The people who were holding him as a prisoner claimed to be Christians. New Christians, if that were to be believed, because according to them, the Christians before the prophetical event known as the Rapture were all now gone. They had been taken from the earth. If that were true, right after the event had occurred, there wasn’t one single Christian alive.
Then after the Rapture had occurred, many people became believers and new Christians began to be born again. Erin, Chris, Saint and King were some of those new Christians. However, Erin was an agent of the ATD and King was a terrorist. As McLaughlin joined them in their game of Risk, he wondered what was holding him back from turning the tables and taking King as prisoner. Or even out right killing him altogether.
Was it his honor?
McLaughlin was a man driven by honor. There was nothing more important to him than that. He had lived by it for most of his life. In the line of work he was in, it was part of his duty.
Was it curiosity?
It could be. There was something about these four individuals he found himself joining. He knew without a doubt that they had something. He could see it in their eyes. And King was nothing like what his dossier had read as. McLaughlin found it hard to believe that this terrorist was acting. King seemed to be genuine.
Was there something to being a Christian? Did turning to God and Jesus really change lives?
McLaughlin wasn’t a hundred percent certain it did…but he was beginning to take it all under careful consideration. So he played Risk with them and the first thing he did was take out Chris’ country.
“Thanks,” Chris replied, folding her arms across herself. “Why’d you come after me anyway?”
“You told me you weren’t any good,” McLaughlin replied, “so I went after you first.”
Saint grinned. “Don’t worry, Chris. All things work together for the good to those who love Him.”
McLaughlin looked at him, wondering what that meant. He didn’t ask, however, because he knew if he did, Saint would begin to preach about God.
Saint picked up one of the pink pieces from the board and handed it to McLaughlin. “Keep this.”
McLaughlin took it. “What for?”
Saint shrugged. “A souvenir.”
Frowning, McLaughlin set the piece down and continued with the game. The game progressed for hours and during that time, McLaughlin began to think about other times. He found himself re-evaluating his life. Things had happened in his own past he couldn’t stop thinking about. He didn’t even know why his past was intruding into his thoughts. He tried not to think about it and concentrated on the game.
Hours later, it was just himself and Saint on the board.
Saint had captured King’s country and McLaughlin had taken over not only Chris’ country, but Erin’s as well. After every country had been taken, Saint had handed over one of the pieces to McLaughlin and the secret service agent couldn’t understand why he was doing that. McLaughlin had a black piece, a red piece, a pink piece and a blue piece. The only two colors left were gold and white. His own pieces on the board were gold. Saint’s were white.
As he looked at the board, he realized he was going to win.
Saint suddenly nodded. “I guess this game is yours, my friend. What are you going to do?”
McLaughlin paused. “I’m just going to get up and leave.”
“Why?”
“I can’t stay here.”
Saint regarded him for a moment. He knew McLaughlin was struggling with the Spirit. “The world is different now. You’re going to have to decide where you stand.” He picked up a white piece and a gold piece and handed them to McLaughlin. “Take these pieces and the others I gave you.”
McLaughlin picked them up and looked at the pieces in his hand. “What for? As souvenirs?”
Saint just grinned and nodded.
McLaughlin had no idea why he would keep such souvenirs so he decided to humor the man and put them in his pocket. Then, without another word, he got up, retrieved his weapon from Erin and left the shelter.
When he was gone, the others turned to Saint.
“What are you up to?” Chris asked him.
“Just giving him some time to think,” Saint replied with a shrug.
King nodded. “He did seem to be in the midst of a struggle. I am curious, my brother…What is the significance of giving him pieces of the game?”
Saint smiled. “Just wait. This isn’t over yet.”
The sun was beginning to set as Yorke stood at the fence, which surrounded the Albany Power Plant just outside the city. He put on his headset and then said, “Yo, Crazy Man…” He paused as he looked around. There appeared to be no one else around. “Is this thing on?”
“If you turned it on, then the answer is yes,” Fronk’s voice sounded from the headset. “Would you like me to sing to you as you continue your mission?”
“My mission was to find out about Barrington. Now I feel like a spy in a bad remake of a James Bond flick.” He shook his head. “How come I don’t see any movement here? Shouldn’t there be people at work trying to restore the city’s power?”
“It’s all due to the plan of one Ed Carr, my friend. And his plan is what I intend to undermine.”
“With my help.”
“Precisely.”
Yorke paused. “And you don’t even have an accent.” He reached up, grabbed a hold of a portion of the fence, and began to pull himself up. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”
There was a pause. “You’re doing this because you believe.”
Yorke pulled himself over and landed on his feet on the other side of the fence. He paused. “Yeah…I believe.”
“You, my friend, are one of us. A Gatherer. And what you are doing is for the good of God’s people.”
“I’m not complaining. I just don’t understand why no one is here.” He made his way down the hill until he came to the bottom. Then, he ran toward the back of the building. He put his back to the wall and slowly peered around the corner. “When I see no one, I feel like I’m walking into a trap.”
“Carr doesn’t want anyone there.”
“Why?”
“Because his job there is already done.”
Yorke paused. “He just hasn’t completed the last step of his plan. That’s why I’m here, right?” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small device. It was a Net-gear Wireless G 54 Mbps USB 2.0 Data Traveler. “Wouldn’t he have ordered someone to stick around to keep an eye on the place?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because Carr is overconfident.”
Yorke moved around the corner and approached a door. He stopped suddenly when he noticed something. He replaced the Data Traveler back into his pocket and withdrew his gun. “I may have a situation,” he said, lowering his voice.
“What’s the problem?”
“It looks like someone broke into the plant.” The door had been pried open. It was splintered where the doorknob used to be. He saw the knob on the ground. With his foot, he pushed the door all the way open and peered inside. He removed a small flashlight from his back pocket and shone it inside. When he saw no movement, he went inside, his weapon leading the way and flashlight leading the way. Inside, there was minimal lighting from the Power Plant’s backup generators so he used the flashlight to go forward.
He headed for the area he and Fronk had already discussed. He met with no opposition, but he remained silent as he checked the area. When he arrived at the Control Room of the Power Plant, he found the main computer.
“I found it,” he whispered.
“Huh?” Fronk responded.
“I said I found it.” He looked around. “I don’t see any sign of an intruder, though. Whoever it was could have been here and gone already.” He reholstered his weapon and took out the Date Traveler. “Where do I plug this in?”
“Any USB port will do? You know what that is.”
Yorke sighed. “Yeah, I know what that is. I have a computer at home. The only thing is, smart guy, this computer takes up one whole wall! I don’t see any ports.”
“There has to be an access point to get behind the central computer.”
Yorke went along one side of the wall and made his way toward the other side when he finally came to a narrow door. He opened it and shone his light inside. There was a small access way behind the central computer, just as Fronk had told him. He went inside and found what he was looking for.
“Yeah, okay,” he said. “I found it.”
“Insert the Traveler.”
Yorke did as instructed and then stepped back. “Now what?”
“The transfer shouldn’t take long. A few minutes. Then, take it back and get out of there.”
Yorke frowned. “That’s it?”
“Yepper.”
“Man, I hate waiting.” He leaned against the wall and shone his light further into the access way. “So what are we waiting for?”
“We are waiting for the transfer of data I had prepared for just this occasion. It will rewrite the protocols and firewalls Carr put in place and establish new ones. Ones designed by…yours truly.”
“Okay, tech-head. I got’cha.”
There was a pause.
Suddenly, there was a beep and an indicator on the back of the Data Traveler turned green. “It’s done.” He grabbed the Data Traveler and put it back into his pocket. Then, he was turning to leave but stopped as the beam of his flashlight passed something. He went back and shone it onto what he saw.
“Oh, man….”
“What’s wrong?”
Yorke moved closer and looked closely at what the beam of light was on. “There’s a bomb here.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“Do you hear me laughing? There’s a bomb right here in the next panel. It’s got a timer and…” He trailed off.
“And what…?”
“It’s going to go off in fifteen minutes.”
“Stop it.”
Yorke let out a sigh. “Man, I’m not a bomb expert. How do you expect me to--?”
That’s when a garrote came around his throat and someone from behind began to strangle him.
“Brian…? Brian!” Fronk exclaimed.
But Yorke was unable to respond.
1 - John 8:44
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