The Federal Building in Albany, NY was busy the week following the assassination of President Walter J. Ballou. The manhunt for Charles McLaughlin and Joshua Dunham was the top priority, and Director Darren T. Fuller was secretly relieved that the ATD agents under his command were being recalled from the hunt. He considered it a waste of time anyway since he was one of the few who knew the truth about the assassination.
President Walter J. Ballou was alive and well. The man was currently incognito, making plans to strike at the Man of Perdition. When and where that would take place were the only questions Fuller had about the strike, but he had made it perfectly clear that he wanted to be in on it. The one-world government was already beginning with subtle changes designed to deceive those who weren’t a part of the truth.
He stepped into the briefing room, pleased to see that everyone who was required to be there were in attendance. Albert Barrington sat at the table, speaking in hushed tones with Erin Greye and Marc Shiva. William Fronk was at one end of the table, seemingly engrossed with something on the screen of the laptop before him. Ken Willon, Keith LeBeau and Jeremy Bandjough were also present, seated at the table with their thoughts to themselves. Bandjough, however, kept glancing toward Michael Lenox, who was standing with his back to the wall, occasionally taking sips from the mug of hot coffee in his right hand. His face was completely expressionless.
Fuller knew what was going through Bandjough’s mind. The younger man wanted to know where Lenox was during the period of his absence some time ago. No one knew where the man had gone. No one knew why Lenox had disappeared for a while. Fuller had some idea of what Lenox had been up to, but the rest was still a mystery. Lenox was the only one besides Fuller who knew that President Walter J. Ballou was alive and had not been assassinated as it was made to look like he was.
Fuller looked at Barrington and the man nodded to him in greeting. The Director smiled grimly. If Barrington discovered the truth, he would be furious. Fuller, however, had his reasons for keeping him out of the loop.
“Gentlemen,” he said as he remained in the doorway. He nodded to Erin. “Lady.” He closed the door and moved toward his chair at the head of the table, but he didn’t sit down. “This meeting will be short. Directly afterward, we’ll head to the roof and get aboard the Storm Breaker. We’ll leave immediately because time is of the essence.” He paused as he regarded them. “A place called Allentown was targeted by terrorists and the entire population has disappeared.”
Everyone looked at Fuller, their complete attention given to him.
“In short,” he continued, “it is being said that some kind of weapon is the cause of the disappearances. Justice is trying to prove that this same weapon is what caused the vanishings several months ago.”
Lenox snorted. “And you want us to disprove that?” He shook his head. “Sounds more like a religious quest than a field mission. With all due respect, Director, I have no intention of heading out to Allentown in search for the Holy Grail.”
Fuller opened his mouth to respond, but Shiva beat him to it.
“Come on, man,” the ex-wrestler replied, turning to focus on Lenox. “What’s wrong with keeping an open mind about all of this? Justice wants to cover up the truth and all we want to do is reveal it.”
“What if you’re wrong, Fury?” Lenox asked him. “You claim that Justice is trying to cover the truth up and make the lie a reality. What if it is just the opposite? What if they firmly believe that they know the truth just like you guys know your truth? You all have different beliefs. It doesn’t make them wrong.”
Willon shook his head in disbelief. “That sounds like some kind of copout. Even for you, Knox.”
Lenox glared at him. “What do you mean by that?”
“You know Ed Carr. You know he isn’t interested in the truth. He’s only out to deceive people so he can take advantage of them.”
“That may be, but I’m not talking about Ed Carr. There are other people who work in Justice besides him. I was referring to them.”
“But you’re defending Justice,” Barrington pointed out. “In all the time I’ve known you, you’ve never done that before.”
Lenox turned his head to face Barrington, narrowing his eyes. “What are you saying?”
Barrington looked at Fuller, who was shaking his head.
“Let’s get back to the subject, shall we?” Fuller inquired, pausing to see if there would be any other outbursts. When there were none, he said, “Our interest in this mission is to determine how this happened and who is responsible.” He looked at Lenox. “To find them and bring them in. That is our primary objective.”
Lenox nodded. “Your secondary objective…?”
“There is none.”
Lenox looked at him with suspicion. “Don’t lie about it, Director. I know full well that you intend to make certain these disappearances in Allentown are not connected to the vanishings. Because if they are connected, people might be more willing to believe this than your rapture theory.”
“I won’t lie to you.”
“So that is your secondary objective.” It wasn’t a question.
Fuller sighed. “It is.”
“I won’t be a part of that.”
“I understand.” When Lenox didn’t say anything more, Fuller continued the meeting. “As you all know, some changes have been made due to the attack on our country. Each of us will have clearance to use cell phones and computers. Anyone who is not employed by the government, or law enforcement agencies, or is just not given clearance will not have access. If they get access, they must be treated as terrorists and brought in.”
Everyone but Willon, Lenox, and Fronk were surprised by this new report.
“What?” Erin inquired, shocked by what she just heard. “Oh, dear Lord…That’s like…Well, so much for a free country. People aren’t going to take that well.”
Fuller shook his head. “No. They’re not.”
“This is like the beginning of the one world order, isn’t it?” Bandjough asked. “It always begins by taking away some of our freedom. Soon, it will be something else.”
“Well, don’t be forgetin’ the credit situation,” LeBeau reminded them. “Our economy’s been hit pretty hard because of this, and credit is just no good any more. Shoot! Every place I’ve been to has demanded cash. No one takes credit any more.”
“It’s the computer thing,” Fronk said, glancing up from the laptop. “Since the attack, things have gone a little screwy. A nation-wide EMP will have a tendency to do that though. Kind of expected. And kind of prophetical, too, so I’m not surprised.”
Lenox rolled his eyes and shook his head.
Fuller was grateful he didn’t say anything. “Alright, people. That’s all I have time to give you right now. Perhaps we’ll have more of an opportunity to discuss our mission further on the way in.” He turned to his security specialist. “Kenneth, you’ll remain here and run things while I’m gone. The rest of you, let’s head out. We’ve got an objective to meet.”
As the group began to rise from the table, Barrington remained seated. The others began to file out the door, eventually leaving only Barrington, Lenox, and Fuller. Barrington glanced at Lenox. He had something to say and didn’t want to say it in front of his best friend. Especially since their friendship had begun to deteriorate since Barrington accepted Christ.
Lenox continued to lean back against the wall, favoring his coffee.
Fuller regarded them. “What is it, Albert?”
Barrington hesitated. “I’d like to speak with you, Director.” He glanced at Lenox. “Alone.”
Lenox didn’t move. “Come on, Al. You can speak freely in front of me.”
Barrington paused. He wanted to speak with Fuller about his suspicions, but if Lenox was going to be stubborn about it, then he would have to wait for another time. Instead of bringing up his suspicions, he decided to speak about his concerns.
“About Staci…” Barrington paused. “Do we even have any idea where Justice has taken her to?”
Fuller let out a sigh. He had been worried about Staci Cohen since she had vanished from Craig Moore’s Lexus a week ago. The only thing Fronk had found out was that the security camera’s captured Staci being placed into a white van and that was the last anyone had seen of her. The van had driven away from the Federal Building so the only thing they knew for certain was that Staci was not being held there.
“We have no idea where she is, Albert,” Fuller confirmed solemnly.
Lenox moved toward the table and set his coffee mug onto the surface of it. “Let me get this straight,” he said slowly. “Staci came back to the Federal Building some time last week and was taken away by Justice agents…and no one thought to tell me about this?”
Barrington and Fuller exchanged looks.
“Why not?” Lenox demanded.
“We didn’t think you would care,” Barrington said.
Lenox frowned. “You didn’t think I would…? What do you think I am? Some kind of unfeeling machine or something? Look, I know she’s become your friend because you share your beliefs, but that doesn’t mean I don’t care about her.” He hesitated. “I feel as you do. She doesn’t deserve to be mistreated by Justice. I don’t believe she’s done anything wrong. I’ve done some checking and…” He trailed off.
Barrington stared at him. “You’ve done some checking? What do you mean? You’ve investigated Staci?”
Lenox shrugged. “Well…no. Not really.” He paused. “Well…okay, maybe a little.”
Fuller regarded him. “Are you admitting that you care for Staci, Michael? Is that what you’re trying to tell us?”
Lenox paused. “Well, yeah…In the exact same way you guys care for her…” He shrugged. “Sure.” He decided to get the subject back to the problem and not on how much he cared for Staci. His own feelings were not the issue here. “Uhm, so…Justice has Staci somewhere in custody. Fine. I’ll just go talk to some people I know and find her.”
Barrington shook his head. “You can’t do that. We have a mission to go to.”
He shrugged. “I’m sure I can find Allentown once I‘ve gotten Staci out of the clutches of Justice. I’ll give Billy Joel a call and ask for directions.”
“Michael…are you telling me you can find Staci?”
Lenox nodded. “I know I can.” He looked at Fuller and pointed at him. “You should have told me about this earlier. This would have already been taken care of had I been in the loop.”
Fuller paused as he gave it some thought. “Okay. Alright, you go and find her. Then, bring her to Allentown with you.”
Barrington regarded Fuller and Lenox for a moment. He was puzzled as to why the Director was giving Lenox the go ahead to pursue Staci. He was deeply concerned for Staci himself, but they had a mission to get to. However, he was confident Lenox would find her.
Lenox nodded his head. “We’ll be there.”
With that, Lenox left the room before them. He had a different objective than Fuller and Barrington did. He had an opportunity to not only find Staci Cohen, but to see her one more time. He couldn’t keep the smile off his face.
Twenty miles from Belgrade, Maine, thirty-eight people had arrived at Donna Perkins’ farmlands. At the same time they had arrived, a small RV drove onto the property and parked out behind the barn. A solitary woman with a permanent frown and eyes that missed nothing was the only one in the RV. She wasn’t a part of the group that came from Willow Creek Baptist Church, but no one realized where she had come from and no one gave it any thought. She was simply accepted and welcomed at the shelter.
She didn’t say much. For the week she had been there, the only word she had said was, “Amber,” and that was when Donna was trying to find out her name. Knowing Amber wasn’t likely to be real talkative, Donna enlisted her help in preparing meals and allowing some of the people to sleep in the RV. Amber took to the tasks with a relish and the people began to realize that God must have sent Amber to them because she simply made the best stews ever.
Another added member was a man Craig Moore had brought with him back from New York. The man, however, was only known as Jim and stayed up in the hayloft of the barn to keep out of the way. Moore had assured the man that upon their arrival at the shelter, he would be welcomed with open arms. All he had told Moore about himself was that his name was Jim and he was a despondent man. When they had arrived, the man called Jim went to the barn and up into the loft. He remained there all week long. People took turns bringing him food. No one had ever seen him come down from the loft.
David King was concerned about him and had several times tried to engage the man into conversation. He could only stand at the bottom of the loft and talk to him, but the man never responded. King was bothered by it because even though he had yet to see the mans face, something was nagging at his mind about it. He didn’t know what it was.
That wasn’t the only trouble the group had. Not only did they have to find enough places to shelter everyone, but all week long, they had prayed for Staci Cohen’s safe return. They wouldn’t stop praying for her until they knew she was safe. All they knew was what Moore had told them. Justice had taken Staci away and they would have taken Moore as well had not Director Fuller intervened. Fuller had assured Moore that Staci would be freed and insisted the older man should return back to Maine.
Moore had only agreed, but reluctantly.
When he had gone to leave New York, he had discovered there was a man in the back of the Lexus. That had been Jim. Jim had begged for Moore to help him and all Moore could do was to take him to the shelter.
John Saint and David King, in the mean time, had come up with a plan to feed the people they had with the Word of God. Every Wednesday, they would have an evening service. They would spend time singing, and they would give a lesson from the Bible. Every Sunday, they would have an hour of teaching and then an hour of preaching, followed by singing and fellowship.
Peter Chase was helping to organize a group to go out and find other Christians and also to find a way to get food back to the shelter. The food in the shelters pantry along with the food Amber had in her RV were enough to last a few weeks for a little over forty people. Possibly a month if they stretched it.
King wondered if there was something God wanted him to do with this small gathering of believers. All he knew was that he believed God had led them all to the shelter. Now he had to trust God and wait to see what His Will was for them.
Chase found Saint and King sitting at a picnic table behind the barn. Both of them were studying the Word together, preparing for Sunday’s lessons.
“Hey, brothers,” Chase greeted them as he approached. “How are you guys doing?”
“Fine, Peter,” Saint replied, grinning. “How’s the Food Pantry business coming along?”
Chase shrugged as he tried to peek a glance at the notes King had been writing. “I’ve gathered up a little over a thousand dollars from everyone who had something to contribute. Just came over to let you know that we’re heading out to stock up on what we can. We’ll be gone for a few hours or so.”
Saint nodded. “Well, that’s awesome. The Lord does provide, doesn’t He?”
“Well…yeah. I guess.”
King and Saint looked at Chase.
“You guess?” King inquired.
Chase nodded. “Yeah. I’m sorry, David. I’m new at this faith thing, so I have to admit…I have some concerns.” He looked around. “I mean, a thousand dollars is great, but it will most likely provide maybe another month of food for everyone. But what if more people come here? What if this place becomes overcrowded? As if it weren’t that already.”
King chuckled. “My brother, you worry too much.”
“And worry is a sin,” Saint pointed out. “So confess it to God and move on in faith.”
Chase hesitated. “Come on, guys. You make it sound so simple. Aren’t you even the least bit concerned about what will happen when the food runs out and money becomes useless to provide for more?”
“We walk by faith, Peter,” King told him. “God will provide.”
“And what if He doesn’t?”
King paused as he exchanged looks with Saint. “Then, God’s Will will be done regardless of what our needs are. All you need to believe is that His plans shall always prevail. That is truly all that matters.” He patted the man on his shoulder. “Come, my brother. John and I shall join you and your helpers, and we will pray for your trip into town.”
The three men headed toward the front of the barn where several people waited for Chase. Including James Dell. Chris Saint and a few other ladies were also present. Saint, King and Chase joined them and together they prayed.
Donna Perkins had tried for a week to get Amber to talk, but had been unsuccessful. Whatever Amber had gone through, she remained tightlipped about it. Donna was concerned, but she could do nothing to help her new friend if that new friend wasn’t ready to accept her help. All she could do was keep Amber in her prayers and be there for her. Only God knew what traumatic experience Amber must have endured for her to be so distance from the others.
When Chase had asked earlier for people to make contributions toward the shelters Food Pantry, Amber had entered into the safe confines of her RV. It was assumed she just wanted to avoid being asked to give something she didn’t want to or didn’t have to give. It wasn’t until Chase and his helpers had left for town that Amber returned and approached Donna inside the shelter.
Donna was sitting at the table when Amber set down a small lockbox in front of her.
Donna looked up, curious. “What’s this?”
Amber handed her a key. Then, without another word, she turned and began to walk away.
“Amber, wait.” Donna rose to her feet. “You’re going to have to talk about it eventually. Whatever it is. It’s not healthy to keep everything bottled up inside like that.”
Amber hesitated as she stood in the doorway. She still remained silent, but she was listening.
“When you’re ready to talk…I’ll listen.”
Amber nodded her head once. Then, she left the room.
Donna sat back down at the table and looked at the lockbox Amber had brought to her. She wondered what was inside, but realized she was about to find out. With the key she was given to by Amber, she opened the lockbox and stared in astonishment. It was completely full of money.
Alyson Moore was amazed at the proficiency of the military outpost just outside of Allentown. With the combined resources of the military, Justice, and FEMA (Federal Emergency Medical Agency), the outpost was completely setup within less than a day. The military patrolled a complete radius around the quarantined town and no one was allowed in or out unless authorized.
The outpost had many model buildings setup for Justice and FEMA to do the work needed. As Alyson and her cameraman, Rick Meers, were given a tour of the constructed compound by Jerry Averill, one of Ed Carr’s top Justice agents, the top DEN news reporters eyes hardly missed a thing. When she saw the Headquarters they were heading for, she couldn’t help but notice that it was the biggest manmade structure within the outpost.
“There are things you can report,” Averill was telling her. “Things we need you to report, but you have to understand. Everything you see and hear while on these grounds cannot be made publicly known. Only what we give you.”
Alyson continued to survey their surroundings. “I know all about the conditions I was asked to accept when we were invited here, Agent Averill. Your boss made that perfectly clear.” She turned her head to regard him coolly. “I don’t need to be reminded of those conditions.”
Averill hesitated as he considered saying something rude to her, but then he quickly dismissed it. Shrugging, he said, “Follow me, then. He’s expecting you.”
He lead them into the Headquarters. Inside, Ed Carr and several other men were standing around a table and in a deep discussion. Alyson and Meers noted that on the table was a map of Allentown, a complete layout of everything in the town. Alyson frowned thoughtfully as she looked around the interior of the Headquarters. The computers and other equipment that lined one wall seemed odd to her and she couldn’t imagine why that should be.
The discussion ended as the men realized they had visitors.
Carr approached Alyson and Meers. “Welcome to the biggest story you’ll ever report since the so-called vanishings and the attack on our country.” He held out his hand.
Alyson shook his hand. “We’re glad to be here for this opportunity, Director Carr.”
He took her hand in his right and placed his left hand over hers. He smiled. “I know you are, Alyson. And I can think of no one better than you qualified to report the truth we want revealed here.”
She glared daggers at him and removed her hand.
Carr didn’t seem to notice. He didn’t even bother to acknowledge that Meers was present as well. He was completely focused on the blonde news reporter. “There is something going on here that will shake the very foundation of those who have the notion that the vanishings occurred of a divine nature. They believe it happened by the hand of God.” He leaned toward her and lowered his voice. “We know what really happened.”
She looked at him. “You do?”
He nodded.
“Are you telling me I’m here to report your findings on how the vanishings actually occurred?”
He nodded again, grinning like a mad man.
Alyson exchanged a look with Meers. “Well, this I’ve got to see.”
Carr nodded his head as he placed his hand on her shoulder. “You will. I promise you…You will. We do, after all, want the people to know the truth.”
She nodded her head. “Yeah. Right. I’m sure you do.” For the time being, she didn’t do anything about his hand, but that wasn’t to say she wasn’t thinking about doing something. At the moment, the story came first. It was turning out that there was more of a story here than she was originally led to believe.
“Right now,” Carr told her, “Agent Averill will escort you to where you will be staying. We’ve set up special quarters for you and your cameraman. I’m sure you’ll find them accommodating.”
She smiled. “I’m sure.”
“Afterwards, we’ll show you where you can set up and let you know what you can report.” Carr grinned. “Oh, and one more thing you might find interesting.” He paused for affect, but when she didn’t ask him what it was, he cleared his throat. “The ATD agents will be arriving soon, and we know how they feel about the vanishings, don’t we? I’m sure there won’t be a dull moment with them around.”
Alyson shrugged. “I imagine there won’t be.”
Carr kept his grin in place and nodded. Then, to Averill, he said, “Show them to their quarters.”
Averill nodded, and then he led Alyson and Meers back outside. As they walked behind Averill, Alyson glanced at her cameraman and lowered her voice. “Notice anything funny about the HQ we were just in?”
Meers nodded. “Yep. It looks bigger on the outside.”
“Think there’s a room behind those computers?”
He nodded again. “I wouldn’t doubt it.”
“What do you suppose is in there?”
Meers couldn’t help but grin. “I’m sure we’ll find out eventually. There’s no story that can hide from you…Even the ones Ed Carr doesn’t want reported.”
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