Storm Breaker settled down upon the rooftop of the Federal Building in Albany, New York and LeBeau and Bandjough started the process of shutting down the engines. As they did, President Ballou pulled open the door. He and Staci had taken turns telling their testimonies to one another in the presence of Sumter but neither one of them knew if it had any affect on him.
The door to enter the building opened and four men stepped onto the roof to meet them. Ballou recognized Fuller immediately and he remembered meeting Shiva a few times. The other two men he didn’t recognize, although something about one of them bothered his memory. He looked at David King and wondered why he had the impression that he should know who he was.
“Darren, you old dog!” he exclaimed as he stepped out of the chopper and approached his long time friend.
The two men embraced.
“You’re not looking any younger yourself, Mr. President,” Fuller assured him with a wry smile.
Ballou shook his head and let out a sigh. “Did you tell that young woman to be as stubborn as you about being formal?” He aimed his thumb toward Staci who was still in the helicopter. “I can’t even get her to call me anything but ‘Mr. President’, and she’s a civilian!”
“You’ve earned the title, sir, along with all the privileges due to your office.” Fuller shrugged. “You’ve lost the right to informality a long time ago.”
“Bah.” He took in the two men who had approached. “Who are your friends?”
“You’ve met Marc.”
“Yes.” He held out his hand. “Good to see you, son.”
Shiva shook his hand. “Mr. President.”
“Aw, not you, too.”
“I’m…sorry, sir.” He glanced toward the chopper. “Mr. President, I don’t mean to be rude, but…I need to help Doc get the prisoner inside.”
“Of course.”
Shiva left them.
Ballou scowled. “‘Doc’ doesn’t sound formal.”
Fuller smiled wryly as he turned to the man on his left. “Ken, go ahead. I’ll introduce you later.”
The man nodded and followed after Shiva.
“Who’s that?” Ballou asked.
“Ken Willon, my security advisor. This…is David King.”
Ballou looked closely at King as he held his hand out. “You look vaguely familiar, son. Have we met?”
King nervously shook hands with him. “No, sir…Mr. President…I must apologize. I must confess that I did not vote for you.” He paused as if he was trying to find the words to express his regret. “But if I could do it all over I again, I assure you, I would!”
Ballou nodded his head. “I see…Mr. King…? What is it you do around here anyway? I can almost swear on my life that I’ve seen you somewhere before.”
Fuller attempted to intervene. “He’s my personal advisor.”
“Oh? On what?”
He hesitated. “I meant David here is my new -”
“I am a man of God,” King interrupted, preventing Fuller from telling a lie, “a messenger of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. I am here to give the Word and to help my brothers and sisters in the Lord whenever I can. And if I can lead some to the knowledge of the truth and help them to be free, then this I will do with all boldness.”
“That’s very interesting,” Ballou said as he regarded the man. “As far as I know, there aren’t any messengers of God left on this planet. They’ve all vanished with the children who haven’t reached the age of accountability. The only people left behind are people who aren’t qualified to spread the Gospel.”
“Mr. President…” Fuller said softly.
Willon and Shiva helped carry Sumter inside with Staci following them. She cast them a worried glance, but continued on her way. She recognized that something was happening and was compelled not to interfere.
Ballou ignored Fuller. He kept his eyes focused on King. “If this world had been visited by Jesus Christ Himself and if He did give the shout and if the trumpet did sound, then all of those who were teachers, preachers, scholars, missionaries and admonishers of the Word are gone. There is now none qualified to do what they used to do. So how can you tell me that you, Mr. King, are an authentic messenger of God?”
King didn’t hesitate. “I am a messenger of God, Mr. President, because He saved me. What now can I do but tell others what He has done for me? I have nothing but this Bible…” He held up the Bible he had in his hands. “…and I will share this truth to all men until He calls me out of this world.”
“I know that book.”
“You do?” King smiled. “Then, have you also become one of His children?”
Ballou didn’t answer the question. “That Bible you hold in your hands belonged to a friend of mine.”
“It did?”
“His name was Joseph Canaan.”
Fuller put his hand on King’s shoulder. “Mr. President…”
Ballou held up a hand. “Let him explain, Darren. I want the truth of this matter or I won’t know if I can trust him or not.” He paused for affect. “So tell me, Mr. King…how did you find God?”
“You have met Dr. Staci Cohen, have you not?” King inquired.
Ballou nodded. “I have.”
“Just before the Rapture, I was with her sister.”
He thought on that. “Staci mentioned to me she had a sister. Her name was Nichole.” He looked at Fuller. “You had a Nichole Parkhurst on your staff, didn’t you?”
Fuller nodded. “The one and the same.”
Ballou frowned as he regarded King. “What were you doing with Nichole Parkhurst?”
“I was going to execute her,” King answered without hesitation.
Ballou blinked.
“David,” Fuller began, “you don’t have to say any more.”
“My brother, it is alright.” King smiled reassuringly at him. “I can only tell the truth. I have no desire to deceive anyone. To do so now would only work against us.” He paused. “Mr. President, I fully intended to stone Nichole Parkhurst to death. Had I gone through with it, she would have died slowly and painfully. But when I threw the first stone, she vanished before it even reached her. I fell to my knees, realizing I was a lost, depraved sinner and called upon Him to forgive me.”
Ballou nodded. “I suspected as much. Your name isn’t really David King, is it?”
“He’s not our enemy,” Fuller assured the President.
“But he was.”
“Things are different. You said it yourself. There’s no one qualified to teach or preach the Word of God. David has been doing nothing but studying since the vanishings. I’d say right now, he could preach right here on this rooftop and get results because I believe God’s hands are upon him.”
King looked at him. “Thank you, brother. You’re very kind to say such things.”
“I say it because it’s true. Mr. President, we’re all depraved. All of mankind is. But when He saves us from our depravity, we become new creations. The old is gone. We’re not who we used to be. We gave up the old things and now cling to the new. That’s what David has done. That’s what I did. I’m hoping you did the same.”
“I did,” Ballou responded.
“Thank God!”
“Look, I said what I said because I wanted to know how serious you were about being a messenger of God,” Ballou replied as he looked at King. “But you were a terrorist. How am I supposed to overlook that?”
Fuller looked him right in the eyes. “You just do, Mr. President.”
Ballou regarded the two men in silence for a moment. “You’re serious about this.”
“Mr. President, think about it. We’re in the end of days. We have seven years if we can even last that long. Sometime within the next three years, the mark of the beast is going to be required by all to wear and if you don’t wear it, you’re dead. If David is put away, he’ll be one of the first ones to refuse the mark and then he’ll be executed.” Fuller shrugged helplessly. “We know it’s coming. We know it’s going to be hard to live for the next seven years so why put him away where he can’t do any good?” Then, he added, “When God forgives, Mr. President, He also forgets. That means David King is no longer a terrorist in the eyes of God. Shouldn’t we see it the same way?”
“I hear what you’re saying.” Ballou let out a sigh. “Look…why don’t we go to your office and talk a bit?”
Fuller hesitated. “We need to get David out of here.”
“From what I understand, your pilots need to inspect the chopper and take care of its needs so while we have time, let’s talk.”
They went to Fuller’s office and talked.
Barrington was worried. He tried not to be. He tried to give it all to God, but with each passing day and the further they went into the first year of the Tribulation, his heart grew heavier. He was deeply concerned for Lenox. His greatest fear was that his friend would die before he repented and turned to God to save him.
Barrington and Lenox had been through a lot throughout the years. Not just as ATD agents, but they went through High School together. They joined the Marine Corp together, went to Parris Island for training and served overseas for their country. The history they shared began when they were thirteen years old. Barrington didn’t want it to end by one of them going to Paradise and the other going to the Lake of Fire.
Erin sensed his mood as they walked toward the silo Moore had described to them. They found the trap door, which led into the shelter. Following the instructions given to them, Barrington opened the door and looked inside the hole. There was light he could see, but silence greeted him.
“Donna Perkins,” Barrington called. “We’ve been sent to you by Craig Moore.”
There was no response.
Erin looked down from the other side. “We call him Pa,” she added.
From below, Donna appeared at the bottom of the ladder. “Is he with you?”
Barrington shook his head. “No. He’s not. He’s…busy.”
“I know. I’ve been praying for him. Who are you?”
“My name is Albert Barrington. This is Erin Greye. We’re with the FBI.” The ATD was a part of the FBI. “We came to see if you were okay.” He paused. “Can we come down?”
Donna paused. “What if I say that you can’t?”
Barrington glanced at Erin. “Well…we’ll respect your wishes, of course. Pa sent us to you,” he reminded her. “We’re not your enemy.”
“Right now, I don’t know if that’s true or not.”
“How can we prove to you that our intentions are good?” Erin asked.
“Just tell me one thing.” Donna paused. “Whom do you serve?”
Erin and Barrington exchanged looks.
Barrington said, “I serve the Lord Jesus Christ.”
“I serve the Lord Jesus Christ,” Erin said proudly.
Donna smiled up at them. “Well, praise the Lord! Come on down, then. Forgiven sinners are all welcome here.”
Barrington and Erin climbed into the shelter, closing the trap door behind them. Still, Barrington struggled deep within himself, trying to hold onto his faith. He wanted Lenox to come to salvation but knew what was holding him back.
Albert couldn’t sleep at all on that Friday night. What sleep he did get was broken sleep. At four in the morning, he was wide awake sitting up in bed. He felt as if something bad had just happened. He couldn’t explain it. After all, he was just a kid. What could he possibly know?
He was no stranger to misery. He lived in a small house with his father, Matthew Barrington, and his little brother, Ted. However, he was the only one awake on a dreary Saturday morning as it began to rain. He sat up in his bed beside his window and for two more hours, he simply watched the rain and wondered why he was feeling so bad.
Then, he thought of the Four Horsemen and Jim Barnes.
That’s why he was feeling bad. The four bullies had intended to play a cruel prank on Jim because he was too naïve to know the difference. If they had pulled off their prank, then the consequences of it would be revealed soon enough.
It prompted Albert to get ready for the day earlier than usual.
He went through the motions and waited as long as he could. It was eight in the morning when he finally grabbed his jacket and went outside. His father was still sleeping and Ted was just waking up so he easily dodged him before he could attempt to tag along.
Barrington got on his bike and rode down the street. He felt anxious. He didn’t know why, only that he did. He had to get to Jim’s house and see if the older kid was alright. He hoped someone would be up to let him in.
Not caring about the rain, he rode his bike until he finally made it to the Barnes residence. He pulled into the driveway, put his bike against the wall and hurried to the door.
He hesitated. Then, he rang the bell.
There was no response.
He rang it again, feeling even more anxious.
When no one opened the door, he gathered up his courage and knocked on the door. That’s when he heard someone coming. He was at first relieved when the door opened, but when he saw Jim’s mother looking at him through vacant eyes, it unnerved him.
The woman’s eyes were bloodshot and it was as if she were drugged. When she spoke, her words were slow. “Yes?”
“I need to see Jim,” Albert replied, trying to keep his anxiety from showing.
She wouldn’t have noticed. “Jimmy can’t come outside right now. He’s up in his room.”
“Can I see him? It’s…it’s important.”
“Oh…sure. Sure you can go see him. He’d like that. I’m…I’m sure Jimmy would like that. It’s nice that Jimmy has found a friend. Maybe Jimmy’s friend can help him…Oh, but he may be sleeping. I saw Jimmy…He’s still asleep but I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if you wake him…If you can.” She began to turn away.
Albert entered the house. He suddenly came to an abrupt halt and felt nothing but chills when he heard what the woman said next.
“Jimmy’s asleep…” she said softly, a far away look in her eyes. “I don’t know how he can sleep standing up…but he is asleep. I don’t think even his father could wake him up now.”
Albert ran up the stairs as fast as he was able. He didn’t know where Jim’s room was but it wasn’t difficult to find. The door was wide open and right from the hallway, he could see Jim. He didn’t even have to go into the room.
The sixteen-year old had hung himself.
Albert could only stand there in shock as he thought of Michael and his friends. “What have you done?” he asked out loud…but there was no answer.
Three days later, Albert was dropped off at the Saratoga Springs Memorial Cemetery. He had a card and was wearing his Sunday clothes as he walked toward where a funeral service was already in session. He hung back a little bit from the crowd because he didn’t know anyone other than Michael. He wasn’t even sure if Michael would care about him showing up at the funeral.
Albert glanced around, but it struck him as odd when he didn’t see any of Michael’s friends. Joe, Eric and Sean were nowhere to be seen. If they truly were friends of Michael, why weren’t they in attendance to offer their support. Michael’s mother had died in a car accident and he might have appreciated their support.
Albert saw Michael’s father and he also saw Samuel and Hannah, Michael’s brother and sister. The three of them were standing together, but Michael wasn’t with them?
Where was he? Albert wondered as he scanned the people before him.
Then, he spotted him. Michael was on the other side of the crowd, standing with his grandparents. His grandmother had an arm around Michael but the young boy didn’t seem to notice. His face was vacant of expression. His eyes were staring at…perhaps nothing. Suddenly, something made him turn his head and he saw Albert watching him.
Albert looked back. He didn’t know what else to do so he nodded, as if to tell him he was there for him.
Michael abruptly looked away.
After the procession and after Naomi Lenox was buried, Albert made his approach to Michael and his grandparents. He stopped in front of him and held out the card toward him. “I’m sorry about your loss,” he said.
Michael didn’t respond, but he did take the card.
Albert looked at him and waited. When Michael didn’t say anything, Albert glanced at the grandparents, who were keeping their distance to offer them privacy but watching them nonetheless.
Albert sighed. “I…I have to tell you, if you don’t already know. Jim killed himself Saturday morning.”
Michael’s eyes widened. He hadn’t known.
“I’m sorry. I know this is a bad time…I just thought you should know.”
Slowly, Michael nodded.
“Look…you don’t know me…but…” He shrugged. “If you need a friend, you’ve got one. I just wanted to let you know that and…and to give you that card.” When Michael still didn’t say anything, Albert nodded. “Okay. I’ll be going now. Maybe I’ll see you around.”
With that said, there was nothing else for him to do.
Albert turned and walked away.
Roh Yun heard the words to the song those gathered within the church was singing, but he couldn’t understand them. He couldn’t speak nor understand English. He had not been sent into the United States of America to converse with anyone. He had been sent to assassinate President Walter J. Ballou and yet he was pleased the mission had failed.
All he could think of was how empty his life was. He understood now what his wife and son had been trying to tell him. So even though he could not understand the words being sung, he understood the message behind them and clung to them.
And lift them up
For I have not the strength to praise You near enough
See, I have nothing
I have nothing without You
The people around him sang with all of their hearts. Some of them held up their hands toward heaven and some of them rocked to the instrumentals. Yun kept to the last row. There were only a handful of people, but their voices reached him in a way he never thought could have been possible.
Let it sing the songs of mercy I have found
For I have nothing
I have nothing without You
Tears of his emptiness streamed unashamedly down Yun’s face as he leaned against the railing. An older gentlemen who did not know him approached him and gently put his hand on his back. Yun shook his head that he did not understand him and when the man realized there was a language, he simply continued to sing. But he stayed with him and his presence was oddly reassuring.
To cover me, so all the world will see
That I have nothing without You
Yun didn’t understand the words but he felt the message stirring in his heart. He understood that for years, his life had been empty. He loved his wife and son with every ounce of his being. He believed at the time he tried to get them to stop giving their faith to a God they couldn’t see that he was doing the right thing. Now he realized the truth.
He was nothing. His family did everything to show their love for him even when he was cruel because of their faith.
May it be broken as an offering of love
For I have nothing
I have nothing without You
They had found something he never had. He wanted that same devotion they had. He longed to be with them once again and so he prayed in his language to a God he had been running from for all of his life.
To cover me so all the world will see
That I have nothing
That I love You, yeah
With all my heart
With all my soul
With all my mind
And all the strength I can find
Yun prayed to God and God heard him. God reached down and took the darkness that had been deep in his soul and destroyed it with the true Light that was His Son. A weight had been lifted.
For the first time he could ever remember, Yun suddenly smiled and he raised his hands toward heaven in thanks to the only God who can save lost sinners.
And let it glorify all that You are worth
For I am nothing
I am nothing without You…1
Yun felt fulfilled. With all of his heart, mind and soul, he was happy and grateful. He didn’t know what he was supposed to do next, but he couldn’t stay where he was. Perhaps if there was time, he could find Si and tell him about how God saved him.
He smiled at the man who had come to him in his grief. He clasped his hands and nodded at him. The man continued to sing and Yun turned. The man who had come to assassinate the President was now a child of God. He exited the church through the back and stepped outside.
Suddenly, he stopped.
Lenox was waiting for him.
Lenox had been waiting for him since he realized that the church was the only place the North Korean could have gone. Why he went into the church, Lenox didn’t know. Nor did he care. All he did care about was that he had him in his sights and he wasn’t going to get away.
Lenox raised his weapon and leveled it toward Yun.
Yun just stood there.
Lenox’ fingers tightened on the trigger and he was about to pull it when Yun spoke. The ATD agent remained still as he listened to what Yun had to say. He understood perfectly what was said…and he thought suddenly of his mother. He thought of Jim Barnes. He thought about his own anger against his father for leaving him out of his life. He thought about spending most of his life - at least since he was thirteen - wallowing in self-pity and guilt over the crimes he had committed. It was his fault his mother had died. It was his fault Jim Barnes committed suicide. It was his fault his father and sister disowned him.
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
Yun could only watch him and wait for a response.
Finally, Lenox gripped his gun and shook his head once. “Maybe He can…but I can’t.”
He pulled the trigger.
1 - I Am Nothing - Author Unknown
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