Gabriella didn’t know where to start or what to do given everything she had just learned from Draven Cross. She raced back to her office and sent a group message from her communicator to President Rodgers, Christopher, and Jackson.
“I don’t have much time. Long story short, Cross is preparing for war against an undisclosed resistance to his leadership—though I think we all know who that is. He is fully prepared to use nuclear weapons. Also, the new U.E. HQ is NOT at Babylon, which is being prepared instead as some sort of logistics node. You can reach me by phone in an hour, as I will be at my apartment packing. Godspeed.”
Once the message was on its way, Gabriella left her office, heading for the elevators.
“Interesting meeting,” Gemma mused, walking into the elevator with Gabriella.
“Terrifying is more how I would describe it,” Gabriella replied.
“I am wondering if it was wise for me to disclose such personal information to someone who so easily sells out her country,” Gemma said as the elevator doors opened to a busy U.E. lobby.
“Look, Gemma, we are all playing a game that’s for keeps. I have been doing just enough to keep myself alive, nothing more and nothing less. What lies are you telling to keep your job and status? I certainly haven’t sold out my country, nor would I put you in harm’s way. Good day,” she said curtly, turning her back on Gemma as she headed toward the lobby exit.
“Gabriella, wait, please. Look, I was out of line, okay? I am just on edge since it seems like World War III is looming over our heads. Please accept my apology,” Gemma pleaded. “You’re the only friend I have that I can trust.”
“I get it, Gemma. You’ll just have to believe me when I say that I am not your enemy. I’ve got to go to my apartment and pack a few things. If anyone is looking for me, you know where I am and have my number,” Gabriella said before heading out onto the sidewalk. “I hope somebody calls me back,” she mumbled under her breath as she jumped into a rideshare car.
As Christopher dozed on and off, he caught snippets of Jackson and Charlie’s conversation regarding God, the rapture, the tribulation, and—what was most important to Jackson—salvation. Charlie had been so enthralled by Jackson’s story of how he had lost everything a couple of months ago but had found renewed hope in Christ Jesus that the plane was left on autopilot for hours.
“I have to say, Jackson, you make a compelling case for me to ask Jesus to be my personal Savior, as you say. I’ve never had much use for religion before and have never really been exposed to any religion, much less Christianity. I’ve always felt that Christians above all others were arrogant in their view that Jesus was the only way to God, that their worldview was the only logical answer. Yet after two-plus hours with you, I can’t find an argument against Jesus,” Charlie confessed, checking the instruments and preparing the C39XER for final approach into Anchorage.
“That’s great news! So you’re ready to have Jesus take control of your life—similar to the way you’re controlling this fancy plane?”
“I am. I mean, what do I have to lose at this point? It seems to me, based on your outline of the next few years, that things are about to ratchet up a notch or two in the pain department. There’s no better time than now, but I’ll be honest—I have no idea how to ask Jesus to save me.”
“Your decision to follow Christ Jesus is awesome! Let me help you with a prayer, but remember—it’s not this prayer or any ritualistic formula that will save you here today, Charlie. It’s your repentance of living a life of sin and your faith that Jesus’ death on the cross redeems you back to Him as you place your life in Jesus’ hands. You can pray something like this: Lord Jesus, I’ve kept You out of my life. I know that I am a sinner and that no matter what I try, I cannot save myself. I’m no longer running from You or ignoring Your invitation for help in life. By faith, I ask for your forgiveness and gratefully receive your gift of salvation. I trust you as my Lord and Savior. I believe you are the Son of God who died on the cross for my sins and rose from the dead on the third day. Thank you for bearing my sins and giving me the gift of eternal life. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus, and be my Savior. Amen.” Charlie repeated the prayer after him.
Jackson was enthused, embracing the pilot. “Charlie, did you mean what you just prayed? If you did, that’s it, man. You just joined the family of God. Welcome to the eternal Kingdom of Jesus Christ.”
“Wow, it feels weird, but in a good way. Who knew getting saved at 50,000 feet could feel better than anything else I’ve experienced up here? What now? I mean, do I need to do something else?”
“No, that’s how simple it is to receive Jesus as your Savior. I have a spare Bible I can give you, and I’d recommend you start reading the four gospels to get a better understanding of who Jesus Christ is and what He came to accomplish. I’ll email you the links to a few commentaries and other resources that will help you understand more about what you’ll be reading.”
“Sounds great. Let’s get you boys into Anchorage.”
“Congrats, Charlie,” Christopher said.
“Thanks,” the pilot responded. “It feels good to know I am right with the man upstairs.” That congrats was all Christopher could muster up after watching yet another person go from foe to friend of God. The major was beginning to abandon hope that he could ever summon the resolve to surrender in his fight with God. He felt hollow, knowing he needed God in his life right now, but still too afraid to let go of his pain. He thought of what Erin would have said to him wanting to give up, for all of eternity. “God, bring me to a place where I can meet You and surrender,” he quietly prayed.
Gabriella quickly opened her apartment door, tossing her purse toward the couch so she could answer the incoming call from President Rodgers.
“Hello, sir. It’s good to hear from you. I’m glad you got my message. Cross is planning a decisive offensive strike at a yet determined time and location. No, I don’t know the headquarters location, but I do know I’ll be there—so think carefully about how you want to conduct a strike. It’s not too late, sir. Millions, if not billions, of lives are on the line. Yet you have resigned yourself to war as the only policy option. No, sir…respectfully, you need to hear me out. If Cross is who you think he is, will a war stop him? Exactly, sir…you don’t know. Look, just go along with him for now to gain more time to figure out how to bring him down. If you attack him or if he attacks the U.S., there is no turning back. Next week? Why are you accelerating the attack timeline? Have you heard nothing I’ve said? Hello? Hello?”
Gabriella screamed with frustration and threw the sophisticated quantum communicator against a distant wall. She couldn’t prevent the tears from streaming down her cheeks or the sobs welling up from deep inside, and she collapsed in an emotional heap on her living room floor.
“God, why? What are we supposed to learn from all of this?” she screamed. Receiving no answer, she continued to sob as what little energy she had faded away, and a restless sleep overtook her.
As the sun began to appear just above the horizon of the snow-covered Chugach Mountains surrounding Anchorage, Christopher’s communicator buzzed for the first time in days. “We must have cleared 10,000 feet. I just got a voice message from Gabriella to call her,” he remarked quietly to Jackson, who was now seated next to him in the passenger cabin.
“Yeah, I got the same message. I wonder what’s up. Whatever it is, it doesn’t sound good,” Jackson said glumly.
“I’m calling her now. It’s midmorning in New York,” Christopher said thoughtfully.
When she answered, he was shocked to hear the defeat in Gabriella’s voice. She described both Rodgers’s and Cross’s plans, and they both agreed that President Rodgers felt a fatalistic sense of duty to go down fighting if he was going to be the last American president in history.
“Okay, I’ll contact you in a couple of days from here in Alaska. Just do your best to give us a heads up if you find out where the initial strike is going to take place. Be careful, bye,” Christopher admonished as a cold rush of frigid air filled the cabin when the door was opened.
“Well, how bad is it?” Jackson asked.
“It’s bad, but let’s discuss it with Jimbo on the way back to the base. We need to have a plan going forward—things are about to go from bad to worse.” He waved an arm in greeting toward the massive Jimbo waiting for them on the tarmac.
“Okay, but give me a minute to wrap up things with Charlie. I’ll meet you in the truck,” Jackson replied.
“You got it.”
Charlie was going through his postflight checks when Jackson entered the cockpit.
“Hey, brother. I just wanted to check in with you before we head off into the unknown. I just wanted to reemphasize that you’re saved. You belong to Jesus forever now,” Jackson assured his new brother in Christ.
“I know,” Charlie replied calmly. “I’m not worried about the future.”
“How do you know? I mean, I am glad you do, but you’ve only been saved a few hours.”
“God told me He was never leaving me. I don’t mean He came and sat in the copilot’s seat and told me that out loud…but He did just kind of tell me in my head. It’s weird, you know?”
Laughing, Jackson replied, “Man, do I? I don’t think I will ever get used to that still, small voice that’s in my head sometimes. One other thing, where do you live or where are you based when you’re not on call for us? I mean, I’m fairly certain you weren’t just sitting in Israel waiting around.”
“Well, I have a house outside of Nashville, Tennessee, but I am never there. I have flexibility in where I am based as long as I can be reached anytime. For example, when you were running around in the Middle East, I just flew over to Bulgaria and spent my downtime with an old buddy.” Charlie went quiet, and his face grew red, almost like he was embarrassed.
“What’s wrong, Charlie?”
“My buddy is a black marketer, among many other things. I guess I can’t hang out with him anymore, huh?”
“I would say that, in my not-so-expert opinion, you should hang out with him just to get the chance to share the good news of Jesus with him. I am not saying you do everything he does, especially if it’s wrong, but Jesus made it His mission to hang out with sinners, and I for one am glad He did,” Jackson replied.
“Amen to that,” a laughing Charlie agreed.
“I’ll be in touch,” Jackson promised.
“You know how to reach me,” Charlie replied warmly.
John Barnes and his U.E. Special Activities Group or SAG, as Barnes had begun referring to his paramilitary organization, arrived in Anchorage, Alaska, about eight hours after the target they sought, though they didn’t know it. Draven Cross had ordered Barnes to destroy a secret U.S. military base as the opening salvo against a global rebellion against the U.E. He hoped he would have the opportunity to eliminate the Omega Group in the process, and he was particularly looking forward to making Jackson and Christopher suffer before they died. The mere thought of their demise brought a smile across to his face.
“Boss, I’ve got some bad news. The helicopter pilot says the weather is too bad farther north to move us into position tonight. We’ll have to leave in the morning,” a SAG troop reported.
“No matter,” Barnes replied. “I can wait another day or so to finish my work against the country and organization that betrayed me.” Christopher walked into the base operations center to find Jimbo and Jackson talking with a few other Omega guys and base personnel sipping coffee.
“Good morning, you want some coffee?” Jackson asked.
“Yeah, thanks, bro, and good morning to you guys, too. Hey, can I talk with Jimbo and you in that little office over there?” Christopher pointed to a briefing room adjacent to the base operations monitoring station.
“Lead the way,” Jimbo said.
Christopher closed the blinds and shut the door as Jackson and Jimbo sat down. “I’ve been thinking, guys. If Jackson’s prediction that the second seal is about to be opened with this great war that President Rodgers and Cross are edging toward, then we need an exit strategy.”
“I am ready to hear the plan, but I just want you to know that I am sticking with you until the end. So don’t get some crazy idea that you’re leaving me like an old truck that’s beat up and barely running,” Jackson remarked drolly.
Laughing, Christopher said, “Why would I want to leave you anywhere? I would miss all the entertainment provided free of charge by your crazy country sayings.”
“So what’s the plan, Christopher?” Jimbo inquired.
“It’s simple,” the major said firmly. “First, for the safety of all the guys, we disband Omega effective today. Jackson has made appeals to all nine of those guys out there about Christ, and not one of them has shown any interest. I am open to them joining us, but they need to know what they are getting into and then make a final decision. If they decide they don’t want to be a part of our survival plan, then we fly them out of here tonight and wish them the best of luck serving under Draven Cross.”
“I have my doubts, but I am guessing there’s more, right?” Jackson asked.
“Yep, I was just pausing to gather my thoughts,” Christopher replied. “After we get the guys out, we three stick around until the president gives the word to launch the nukes, then we make our way to Alabama to your family’s homestead, Jackson. From there, I think we implement yours and General Havid’s plan to be a thorn in Draven’s side until we meet our end. I can’t tell you what to do, Jimbo, but the invitation to join Jackson and me is open.”
“I like the plan, minus sending those guys out there into Cross’s clutches. I mean, the talent in that room could create some havoc in this world,” Jackson stated worriedly.
“First, count me in, but I agree with Jackson about the Omega soldiers being disbanded. You’re creating a lethal insurgent force,” Jimbo stated firmly.
“Glad to have you, Jimbo. I was hoping you were going to follow Jackson and me around for a while. I understand your concern, but if these guys don’t believe in the message Jackson has presented, that alone makes them potential insider threats against us and our future missions. I am not sending them off without a choice, so I think we need to proceed.”
The chief said, “Well, to be fair, using your own criteria for an insider threat, Christopher, you shouldn’t be coming with Jackson and me. You don’t believe in the message of the Bible, so who’s to say you won’t sell us out at some point to save yourself?”
“You have a lot of nerve, Jimbo,” Christopher yelled.
“Okay, easy fellas,” Jackson said. “Let’s not get our underwear in a knot here. Look, Jimbo has a valid point as far as not being hypocritical. However, you need to come to a decision for salvation freely and clearly. I also know you would never sell out Jimbo, me, or anyone else on our team, so I have no fear about that. The bottom line is that you need to get right with God, but I see your point about Omega. I support you, brother.”
Jimbo spoke up. “I didn’t mean to offend you. I just want you to accept Christ Jesus into your life. I support the plan. I’ll gather the men for a final briefing from Jackson and start to get the birds en route up here in case some guys decide to leave.” He headed out the door.
Christopher was still hot about Jimbo’s insinuation and merely nodded his approval. Jackson waited until the door closed before speaking.
“Look, man, that’s a good dude right there and a trusted brother. Yeah, he was a little blunt, but he meant no harm. Let’s get out of here and see if we can get a few of these stubborn boys like yourself saved,” Jackson said, placing a steady hand on Christopher’s shoulder as they headed to the door.
“Wait. Thanks for being here for me. It means more than you know,” Christopher said.
“No problem. Now let’s go. We have a lot to do in a short time.”
John Barnes and his men were sitting in a nearly empty executive terminal lounge at Anchorage International Airport, awaiting word on whether a contact within a helicopter tour company would be able to get them close to the secret base location.
A man whom John assumed to be the helicopter pilot approached and asked, “Are you, John Barnes?”
“Yes, I am. I am guessing you’re the guy that’s going to take us to the grid location my deputy provided you.”
“Well, here’s the thing, chief. That’s government-restricted air for about seventy-five square kilometers. If I go up there, who knows what will happen? For the money provided, I can’t see us doing business.”
Barnes looked at his deputy, nodding to indicate that he should clear the lounge of all the civilian passengers. He kept his gaze on the pilot as he heard the brief struggle of businessmen being forced out of the lounge by his men. As he listened to the doors close after the last person, leaving him alone in the room with the pilot, he pulled a semiautomatic pistol from his concealed holster and pressed it to the pilot’s temple.
“What are you doing? You’re crazy!” the pilot shouted.
Barnes struck the man in the temple with the butt end of the pistol, causing the man to fall to his knees in pain. Then he shoved the gun barrel to the pilot’s head and racked a round into the chamber. “This is how this little trip is going to work. You’re going to take my team and me to the precise location I desire for the amount you’ve been given, or you will never leave this room alive.”
“Okay, okay. Calm down. Just don’t shoot me. We can leave in two hours,” the pilot said nervously.
“Go,” Barnes ordered, pulling the man up off the floor and shoving him to the door.
The rest of the U.E. SAG group came back into the room laughing, enjoying the show of force by their leader.
“Get your gear ready,” John Barnes ordered. “We’re leaving in two hours.” He pulled out his phone and dialed Gemma’s desk. “Gemma, tell the boss to expect a message from me this time tomorrow morning, saying the mission is complete.” He hung up the phone, smiling.
Christopher stood in the back of the operations center with Jimbo as Jackson told the soldiers of Omega Group that a decision had been made at the highest levels to disband the team. Jackson shared his personal story of learning about Jesus’ gift of salvation through Rev’s journal after the disappearances. After describing the loss of his wife and daughters, the sergeant major appealed to the men to trust Jesus because He would never leave them and would provide an inexplicable sense of peace and hope in life’s most difficult moments.
Christopher glanced at Jimbo. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he listened to the warrior preacher attempt to persuade these lethal soldiers to become warriors for Jesus.
As Jackson finished his message, the major watched a few of his soldiers leave the operations center, emotional but unconvinced of their need for Jesus as their personal Savior. A couple of soldiers lingered to talk with Jackson, whom they had all come to respect almost in a father-figure type role. But in the end, only Jackson, Christopher, and Jimbo remained.
“I tried my best, guys. I really thought those last two were ready,” Jackson said sadly, voice hoarse and eyes red.
“You did your best, Jackson,” Jimbo said to him. “Accepting Jesus Christ as the Lord of your life is an individual thing. Jesus only asks us to tell the world about the good news, to present the truth of the gospel and pray that those who are blind to the truth will see it for themselves. I have faith that there is still hope for those nine men to find Jesus before it’s too late. Keep your head up. You’ve done all that could be asked of a person and more.”
Christopher said, “I agree with Jimbo. You can’t force someone to accept Jesus. If Jesus didn’t force people by sword or threat, then we certainly can’t.”
“I was hoping and praying you would give your life to Jesus tonight, Christopher. I’ll just keep praying. Okay, when do these boys head out of here?” Jackson queried.
Jimbo replied, “The birds are on their way here right now to pick them up. The only one who’ll still be here besides the three of us is one of my contracting guys, named Max, who will make sure the systems for launching the nukes continue running.”
“The good news is that, within a week, we’ll be out of here and on our way to Alabama,” Jackson asserted optimistically.
“Speaking of our departure, I am going to have a helo positioned at the pad down the road so we’ll have a way out of here with the contractor when the time comes,” Jimbo explained.
“You can fly a helicopter,” Jackson said sarcastically.
“Yes, I can. I spent my early pararescue years hanging out with some of the MH-53 pilots from the 20th Special Operations Squadron down in Hurlburt Field when we still had MH-53s. I got the itch to fly and took lessons on the weekends and my free time. Now is there anything else you want to know, nosey?” Jimbo responded.
“No, I just wanted to make sure that y’all weren’t counting on me to fly us anywhere,” Jackson said, chuckling.
“It never crossed my mind,” Jimbo replied, shooting a wily look at Christopher.
“Good thinking, Jimbo, on staging a ride out of town for all of us,” the major said. “The auto-launch feature is a plus. At least we don’t have to wait around for the return-to-sender nukes I am sure will be heading this way after the launch.”
“Yep, by the time those nukes go off, we’ll be in Anchorage,” Jimbo said.
“Sounds to me like it’s going to be a quiet couple of days. I’m gonna go check on those guys in case anyone has questions,” Jackson said on his way out of the room.
Christopher said, “Hey, Jimbo, about earlier—” The big man cut him off. “No need for apologies. I was wrong for trying to push you or cast your indecision for Christ in a negative light. I apologize.”
“Thanks, man, and welcome to the new Omega,” Christopher replied.
“Glad to be with you, brother,” Jimbo said as the two of them made their way to the living areas.
Because of the message Gemma had passed along from John Barnes, Draven was as giddy as a young schoolboy on the last day of school before the summer holiday. He had instructed Gemma to have planes ready to fly the nonessential staff within three hours to a holding location in Amsterdam, where they would await orders to move to the new headquarters. He also directed that the security staff should prepare to depart tomorrow morning at ten o’clock aboard U.E. One. Now in the solitude of his office, he sought the council of the Prince of This World.
“My great leader, show me how I should execute vengeance on my enemies. Please give me a vision for the future,” Draven begged, speaking into the void of his office.
Draven felt like he was suddenly falling through a vast chasm that had opened in his office. He attempted to scream, but no sound came from his mouth. He landed on his knees before the stairs of a grand temple where a radiant light, so intense that he could not look up or move before it. He looked away from the temple light and saw an innumerable crowd all kneeling, facing the temple. He felt he was in the presence of awesome power—no, a real god—and he attempted yet again to ask for help. “Please help me, Prince of This World.”
He was instantly pulled back into his office, where he felt the Prince speak into his mind.
“This is the future of the world. All will worship me, the god you have always sought and desired. You need only trust me, and all that you deserve will be given to you.”
“Oh, thank you, my lord. I am grateful to serve you and will make our enemies suffer,” Draven promised aloud.
Evan, having learned to knock before entering Cross’s office, rapped twice more before cracking the door open. “Sir, are you here? There is trouble out of Israel again with those two witnesses,” he reported.
“Come in, Evan. What is going on now with those two old fools in Jerusalem?” Draven responded impatiently.
Evan entered and turned on the television, bringing up the ongoing coverage of the two witnesses’ most recent speech.
“If you’re just joining us, we’re taking you to Jerusalem where two yet-to-be-identified men have been speaking—or preaching, as some say—multiple times each day from the Temple Mount since the signing of the peace treaty between the U.E. and Israel. It seems that moments ago, the two men made a proclamation of plagues striking Israel. We go now to breaking live coverage of what we anticipate to be a response by the Israeli government that may turn violent. Let’s listen as the two militants confront an Israeli government spokesperson,” the anchor concluded.
“Gentlemen, why do you continue to hold this sacred site hostage? You’ve threatened to withhold rain from our nation and now, you promise plagues. This doesn’t portray either you or your God in a very positive light,” the Israeli representative accused, drawing laughter from the crowd.
The taller of the two witnesses spoke in a deeply resonant voice, causing the crowd to move back from the barriers and the man. “He who has ears to hear let him hear. You would not accept John the Baptist, claiming he had demons. You would not accept the Messiah, the Lion of Judah, saying he was a drunkard and a friend of sinners. Yet now you accept the beast, the son of perdition, who will make you drink from his winepress of sorrow and despair. The world must repent of its iniquities, must turn away from its sinful desires, and seek the forgiveness and salvation of the true and living God of Israel and Heaven.” He finished and sat down.
The second witness stood up and said, “God looks at the heart while men look at outward appearances. The world leader you believe to be pure and righteous is corrupt and hollow inside. This man is like a new tomb, gleaming on the outside, but that shiny exterior hides corruption and death underneath. El Shaddai knows the hearts of men and, as He did to the pharaoh before you, He will turn your hearts over to hardness.”
“Yes, we have heard all of this before. The Israeli government demands…” Mid-sentence the Israeli spokesman fell to the ground, writhing in pain as large boils broke out all over his face and body.
“It is unwise to mock Elohim,” the taller witness warned as the second witness moved to his side.
The two witnesses boldly proclaimed together, “Hear what the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob says. Since you mock the Lord your God, may the waters of this land become bitter until we, the two servants and lampstands of God proclaim their restoration. Turn your hearts away from sin and hardness and yield to the salvation and life found in Jesus Christ.” The two men seated themselves once again and remained motionless as the crowd began to disperse.
“As you, our viewers, have seen, these two men have perpetrated yet another horrific attack and made threats of terrorism against the nation of Israel. We will continue to monitor the ongoing situation in Jerusalem and update you with any breaking news. Thank you for watching the all-news network.”
Evan turned off the television, expecting Draven Cross to swear at him for bringing such a bad report, but the secretary-general appeared unexpectedly calm.
“I see the two old men wish to continue defaming me,” Draven said. “No matter. I have been promised by our universal spiritual guide that I will have my revenge against these enemies in due course. My only regret is signing that agreement with Israel. Otherwise, I would drop a nuclear bomb on the Temple Mount. Anyway, on to more pressing matters. I need you to ensure that all the security staff is ready to be in the air by ten o’clock tomorrow morning. I would hate for someone to be left in New York City.”
“I understand, sir. I will make all the arrangements,” Evan promised.
“Good. All I need now is that message from Barnes in order to be sure we have wiped out all the political relics of the past. Tomorrow should bring a clean slate to work with, Evan. Leave me,” Draven ordered imperiously.