“I don’t like to be in confined spaces,” Erin replied under her breath, hugging herself, glancing nervously at the elevator doors. “I don’t like being in here.” She tried to smile. “I’m…I’m sorry, Will. I should have a little more faith than this.”
“It’s okay.“ Fronk placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “This is temporary, Erin. Someone will get us out of here.” He smiled at her. “All you need is the faith of a tiny little mustard seed which is really really tiny.” He showed her his thumb and forefinger almost touching. “With that much faith, you can move mountains. So if you have that much faith and I have that much faith…we could either move two mountains or one really gigantic one together. Isn’t that wonderful?”
She let out a laugh. “That is wonderful.”
From the other side of the elevator, Carr reached into a pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. He sighed at the attention his two unwilling companions were paying to each other.
Erin’s smile faded as she looked into Fronk’s eyes. “I don’t want to be in the same building with…” She trailed off.
Carr rolled his eyes and then wiped at his forehead with the handkerchief. “Oh, don’t tell me you’re referring to Advocate Salvadori again! You are fortunate that he’s even thought to grace us with a visit.”
Erin moved closer to Fronk.
Fronk rolled his eyes. “Oh, boy, what I’ve always wanted! A visit from the Man of Perdition.”
Carr sighed. Finally, he said, “Look…why don’t we just concentrate on getting out of here? We’ve already tried calling for help…Perhaps one of us should climb up through the hatch on the roof and see if we can’t get to the doors.”
“That’s a brilliant idea!” Fronk replied, looking at Carr with surprise. “Hey…you actually came up with a plan.”
“One of us had to.”
“Ouch.” Fronk looked at Erin. “He got me on that one.” He looked up and rubbed his hands together. “Okay…We’ve got to remove some of that tile and go through the hatch that’s set up there in between the light fixtures. Now the two of you are taller than me…Mr. Kissing Bandit…”
Carr narrowed his eyes. “What did you call me?”
“Mr. Ed…could you get on all fours like a horse is a horse is a horse, of course…”
Carr placed his hands on his hips.
Fronk grinned. “I’m just making sport of you. I want to climb up there onto your back and then…I’ll see if I can open the hatch.”
Carr put his hands together and said, “I’ll just give you a boost.”
“Alrighty then!”
Fronk put his right foot onto Carr’s hands and the Justice agent helped give the ATD agent a boost up toward the ceiling. To alleviate some of the pressure off from Carr, Fronk managed to place his left foot onto a set of rail along the wall of the elevator.
First, he removed a large piece of tile and dropped it down onto the floor. On its way down, it brushed across Carr’s face.
“Hey!” the man exclaimed. “Watch it!”
“Right…” Fronk responded. “Sorry about that.”
The next three tiles he handed down to Erin. With the tiles out of the way and Carr struggling to keep him up, Fronk went to work on the next phase of the plan. He worked his fingers along the hatch, turned a latch and pushed the door upward. Then, he grabbed at the edges and pulled himself up and out through the opening he had made.
He found himself standing on the rooftop of the elevator. From the way he was standing and trying to keep his balance, he noticed that the elevator was tilting a bit. He looked up and found that a set of doors were a little over six feet above them. There was a metal ladder built along the wall of the shaft that was to the right of each door on each floor. It would take no time at all to climb up there and see if he could open the door.
He looked back into the elevator. “I see some doors above us. I’ll go see if I can open them up and come right back!” He pointed at Carr. “And don’t you try anything or I’ll kick your bum!”
“What?” Carr demanded, incredulous.
Erin giggled.
Carr looked at her.
She cleared her throat. “It’s dry in here.”
“Alrighty then,” Fronk said down to them. “I shall return!” He disappeared from view.
Erin hugged herself as she kept her eyes on the open hatch above them.
Carr let out a sigh. He shook his head. “That boyfriend of yours has got to be one of the craziest men I have ever met. And most annoying.”
She paused as she thought about it. “That’s funny. That’s what everyone says about you.”
He just looked at her.
Shiva and Kempner decided that they had to get back into the Federal Building to help anyway they could. The first problem was getting off the roof of the building they were on. They tried opening the door, but it wouldn’t budge. They tried the fire-escapes, but every one of them had fallen completely off except for the one above the street. However, that one was too low for them to reach it without serious risk.
There was only one way to get off the roof.
Kempner and Shiva pried off the covering to an air duct that led directly into the building.
“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” Shiva said, shaking his head. “I feel like a burglar about to make a heist.”
Kempner looked into the vent and gave it some consideration. “I’d hate to burst your little fantasy bubble,” he said, “but you’re not going to go in here. It would be a tight fit for you.”
Shiva nodded his head. “But not for you.”
“No. I’ll go in and see if I can find out what’s keeping the door from opening.”
“Great. I’ve got nothing to do but wait.”
“You’re a patient man, aren’t you?”
Shiva smiled wryly. “Of course. One of my many charming traits.”
“One doesn’t have to be charming to be patient. I’m not. Patience, however, is a necessary tool in my line of work.” He clapped the ex-wrestler on the back. “I’ll be right back.”
He climbed into the vent.
“Godspeed, Sean,” Shiva said to him.
Then, he was out of sight.
Letting out an impatient sigh, Shiva returned to the door, found a place to sit down with his back to the wall and committed to a period of waiting.
“You’re going to witness to me?” Lenox inquired, leaning his back against the beam behind him. “What if…I don’t want you to.”
Staci nibbled on her lower lip. “Why wouldn’t you want me to?”
He looked at her and thought about his answer. “Staci…I don’t know if I’m ready for this kind of conversation. I know what you mean by witnessing to me. I understand that you’ve accepted Christ. Your very life is a testimony to your choice.”
She looked surprised. “It is?”
He nodded. “Yes, it is. You’re different…” He shrugged. “I mean, different than any woman I’ve ever met.”
She leaned forward. “I’m sorry. Now…I think you’ve lost me.”
He let out a sigh and ran his hand through his hair. “Okay. Look…I’m trying to explain…I guess this has something to do with me. Before all this world went crazy, I was…I mean, I liked…Let’s just say that the women who have been in my life have a different way of thinking than you do.”
“You’re telling me that you like women.”
He hesitated. “I did. I mean, I do.” He nodded. “I did.”
“Michael, you’re blushing.”
He straightened. “It’s hot in here.”
She tried not to smile. “It’s not, but…I think I understand what you’re saying…I think.” She paused. “Michael, you’re an agent. You live your life to yourself. You’re your own boss. You do what you want. You work the way you want to work. You don’t answer to anyone. So I suppose it’s natural for you to feel free to live your life anyway you want to. You meet women…and whatever happens happens…You move on. Right?”
“Well…I don’t go into bars looking to pick anyone up, if that’s what you mean.”
“How do you meet them?”
“What?”
She looked at him. “You started this.”
He paused. “I meet them in the course of my duty as an agent.”
“And, what? You wine and dine them…Have some fun…Go about your life?”
“I guess you could say that.”
“And when you say that they don’t think like me…what does that mean exactly?”
He put his hands together. “The best way I can describe it is…you seem innocent. You live your life as if…as if there is no evil. You treat people as if they can have a second chance. The women I have known aren’t like that. They’re kind of like…” He tried to think of the words to say.
“Kind of like you,” she said.
He frowned. “Like me?”
“Yes. Yes, like you. You feel guilty and so…women who have that same kind of attitude of guilt, well, you gravitate toward them. You think it’s okay to live like you do because you’re sharing your lifestyle with other guilt driven people.”
“I’m not sure about that. What do you think I feel guilty about?”
Staci hesitated. “The death of your mother.”
Lenox tensed. “How do you know about that?” The answer came to him before she answered. “Bear. Albert told you.”
“We had a talk.”
“About me.” It wasn’t a question.
“We are both concerned about you. You’ve said it yourself. This world has gone crazy and you’re not invincible, though sometimes you act like you are. You need Jesus. We care for you, Michael, and if anything should happen to you before it’s too late to call on Him, I’ll lose you forever.” She looked in his eyes, seeing the conflicting emotions within. She shook her head. “Don’t be angry with us.”
Lenox tried to rise to his feet but found that he couldn’t because there wasn’t any room to stand. He gave up trying. “He had no right to do that.”
“This guilt you carry is dragging you down. It makes you angry. It keeps you from accepting help.” She placed her hands on his arms. “Michael, please…If you can’t let go of the guilt, at least be willing to admit to it.”
He looked into her eyes. Finally, he took a deep breath. “I’m guilty of a lot of things…”
“Do you know what?” Staci paused. “Jesus came to free the guilty because we’re all guilty. He can free you, too, if you‘ll let Him.”
“It’s not that simple.”
“I’ve warned you once before. I will not cease to pray for you until you accept Him. I’ll pray that He hound you night and day. That you’ll be reminded of Him at every moment and I’ll pray…” An idea came to her. An idea that she knew had to have come from the Lord. “I will pray for God to show you the world through His eyes.”
Lenox sat back and regarded her. “Staci, now that I’d like to see.”
“Really?”
“No one can see this world like God sees it. That right there is an impossible prayer for you. I feel bad because I’m afraid that’s one prayer that won’t be answered.”
“What if it is?”
Lenox paused. “If I see this world through God’s eyes, I’ll kneel right then and there and ask for Him to save me.”
Staci grabbed his left hand and squeezed it. “God will answer this prayer! I know He will.” She felt hopeful that Lenox would soon be saved.
“What did you say?” Fuller asked, his voice hoarse.
Salvadori regarded him with contempt. “Oh, I know you heard me, but to show you that I am a man of patience, I will tell you once more.” He paused. “Your daughter…Danielle Marie…will be there. Surely I would have thought that you would find the idea of a reunion with your loved ones a joyful occasion. Clearly, I was mistaken.”
Fuller was so stunned by this revelation that he didn’t know what to say. He thought he was going to be ill so he moved as if in slow motion behind his desk and sat down.
“Does it disturb you so that I know your family?”
“When is it?” Fuller asked. It was the only thought that came to him. “The wedding.”
Salvadori took a few steps toward Fuller’s desk. He reached down and wiped some debris and dust off from one of the chairs. Slowly, he pulled on his suit jacket and sat down. He looked at the Director. “The date is still being discussed. Katherine is hoping for June.”
“June.” Fuller snorted. “She always did like summer festivities.”
“How touching, I’m sure. It’s too bad I will have to tell her that you have not accepted her invitation.”
“I didn’t say that.”
Salvadori regarded him. “Then…you wish to attend?”
Fuller nodded. “Yes.”
“Hmm. This does present a problem. Our discussion has led me to believe that you have already chosen sides. You have chosen against the Unification of the free world. You have sided with the enemy.”
Fuller was still stunned at knowing that the Antichrist knew who his daughter was when he himself had only just discovered he had a daughter. “If the Lord be for me, who can be against me?”
Salvadori looked at him. Then, he tilted his head back and laughed. Slamming his hand on the desk, he said, “That is a good one.” Tears streaming down his face, he continued to laugh.
The Director of the ATD just sat at his desk and watched him. He desperately wanted to hit the man full on in the jaw but held back. He waited for the laughter to subside. “Are you done?”
“Indeed, I am.” He rose to his feet. “In fact, it is time to leave. I have come to find out more about you by meeting you. Having done that, I have learned all I need to learn. Director Fuller, tread carefully. Your time is short.”
“What are you going to do? Walk through the wall?”
There was a loud whine coming from the other side of the wall by the door. A few seconds later, sparks showed up through a crack. Someone was attempting to cut through the wall.
“I have people who are never far from me,” Salvadori told him as if to confide in him with a secret. “They are within reach at any given moment. That reach, by the way, extends farther than you know.” He gestured toward the window. “Take a look for yourself.”
Fuller turned his chair around on its swivel and looked out the window. He couldn’t believe what he saw. The sky seemed to be filled with black helicopters and they were moving in formation over the city of Albany.
“This is a glimpse of the New World, Director,” Salvadori said. “One government. One religion. One agency. Unification is the key for this world’s survival, and in case you didn’t know it…it has already begun.”
Director Fuller had nothing to say as he watched the black helicopters outside his window.
Shiva heard them before he saw them. He stood up, turned around and discovered several black helicopters flying over the city. A few of them were heading his way. When three of them flew over his head and he turned and saw several more in another direction, he had only one thought.
“Oh, this can’t be good.”
Sheriff Hoag drove his car into Willow Creek with a heavy heart. Throughout the drive from Camp Wood, which took several hours, he could not help but be aware of who was in the back seat. He went through the small town and headed up a private road that would take him to his destination. He still had no idea how he was going to pull this off, but there was no other choice. He had to tell Janice Chase that her husband was dead.
He pulled into the driveway, stopped the car and turned it off. He looked toward the house, but saw no sign of anyone. Janice had not come out while he parked. It could be that she wasn’t home. If that was the case, he would wait for her.
He knew he had to at least get out of the car and knock on the door.
But he couldn’t bring himself to move. He sat there with his hands gripping the steering wheel and he looked out the window. After a moment, he put his face in his hands and he wept. At first, it was uncontrollable. There was a brief thought in his head about how could he be a man and let himself go like that. Then the grief overcame that thought and he continued to cry.
After a while, he fell into silence. He wiped at his face with his hands shaking. He took several deep breaths.
Finally, he got out of the car.
He headed slowly for the front porch and as he walked, he did the best to compose himself. After all, he expected that he had to be the strong one when he told Janice the news. He walked up the steps, stopped at the door and knocked. Then, he waited.
