As he lay there in the darkness, heart galloping, Chang was frustrated at having to quit monitoring Greece. Ironic, he thought, that with all the technology G.o.d had allowed them to adapt for the cause of Christ around the world, he was suddenly left with nothing to do to help, except old fashioned praying. He wished he could check the bugs in Carpathia"s and Akbar"s offices once more to see if the computer recording showed them giving a directive. It wouldn"t be long before someone at the highest level ran out of patience with all the hacking going on.
Chang eased out of bed and onto the cold floor, kneeling to pray for Mac and Chloe and Hannah and George. "Lord, I don"t see how they can escape now, outside your direct help. I don"t know if it"s their time to join you, and I have never a.s.sumed our thoughts were your thoughts. Everything happens in your time for your pleasure, but I pray for them and the people who love them. Whatever you do I know will prove your greatness, and I ask that I be able to know soon what it was. Also, please be with Ming as she searches for our parents, and may they be able to communicate with me somehow."
Chang felt the urge to let Rayford know what was going on. He looked at his watch. It was well after midnight, but would the people in Tetra be sleeping after all that had gone on there that day? Nothing indicated that his phone was not still secure, so he dialed. "Out! Out!" Mac hollered as the doors flew open. "Let me over there, Chloe. I"ve got to get in the way of that jet."
"I"ll crank "er up," Sebastian told Mac, "but I"m not inclined to leave without you."
"Listen, George. You do what you have to do. Worrying about me might distract "em long enough for you to get in the air. If that"s what it takes, I"ll see you at the Eastern Gate."
"Don"t talk like that!"
"Don"t get emotional on me now. Get yourselves on home! "
Mac waited a beat for George to back away from the car, and when he didn"t, Mac just floored it and wobbled down the runway, in line with the jet that was just about to touch down. Rayford was not asleep, but he had finally settled and was breathing easier, gazing at the stars through a slit in the tent.
His phone indicated Chang was calling.
"Give me good news," he said.
"I wish I could," Chang said, "but I think the Lord just wanted me to let you know so you could pray."
Rayford didn"t feel as glib as he sounded, but when he heard the story, he said, "G.o.d protected a million people in a fiery furnace; he can get four out of Greece."
He slipped on his sandals and hurried to where Tsion and Chaim were to bed down. If they were sleeping, he would not wake them.
It didn"t surprise him to find them awake and huddled around a computer with some of the other elders. At the keyboard was the young woman, Naomi, who had summoned him earlier.
"Tsion, a word," Rayford said.
Dr. Ben Judah turned, surprised. "I thought you were sleeping, as we all should be. Big day tomorrow."
Rayford brought him up to date.
"We will pray, of course, right now. But get back to Chang and tell him the computer warning was a false alarm. Naomi has been exulting in the hundreds of pages of instructions David built into the system here, including one that allows us to check the palace computers. That is what she has been doing, and that sent Chang"s computer a warning."
Tsion hurried back to the elders and asked them all to pray for the safety of the Tribulation Force contingent in Greece. To see a dozen and a half people immediately go to their knees for his people warmed Rayford, and he couldn"t wait to get back to Chang.
When George Sebastian"s foot hit the first step up to the plane, he heard the engines whine and then scream to life. He had not realized either of the women knew how to fly. So much the better.
He squatted to pull the door up behind him, but when he turned toward the c.o.c.kpit, he noticed both Chloe and Hannah strapping themselves into the back two seats. They looked as surprised as he felt.
George set his Uzi and pressed his back up against the bulkhead that separated the cabin from the c.o.c.kpit. He slowly edged around to where he could peer up front to see who was there. The surprise pilot, in brown and beige Bedouin type robes, was working from the copilot"s chair. Without turning, the man raised a hand and motioned George toward the pilot"s chair.
George pulled back and faced the women. "Who is that?"
"We thought it was you," Chloe said.
"We"ve got to get him off here or we won"t have room for Mac.
Cover me."
Chloe unstrapped and knelt behind George with her Uzi ready.
Hannah raised her weapon and stood on the arm of her seat so she could peer over George"s head into the c.o.c.kpit.
Sebastian hopped into view of the copilot"s chair. Empty. "All righty then," George said, exhaling loudly and climbing over the back of the seat to take the controls. He jammed on the earphones. "Why doesn"t G.o.d just let these guys do the flying?"
"I can do that too," a voice said.
George jumped and saw the reflection of the man in the windshield. But when he looked to his right, the copilot"s chair was still empty. "Quit that!" George said, his pulse racing.
"Sorry. "
"Michael, I suppose."
"Roger."
George saw Mac and the rattling GC car struggling down the runway in the face of the oncoming jet. He wanted to ask Michael if he wouldn"t be more help riding next to Mac.
"Illuminate landing lights," he heard.
"For takeoff?"
"Roger. "
Sebastian wasn"t about to argue. He flipped on the landing lights, which merely shone into Mac"s back window. "Should I start the taxi, angling away from Mac, like he said?"
"Stand by."
"No? "
"Hold."
For an instant, Mac thought the GC Jet didn"t see him. He slammed on the brakes and stayed in line between the two craft. When the jet finally stopped, about fifty feet in front of him, he realized it could easily go around him. Why wasn"t Sebastian rolling? With the right angle, he could get past Mac and the GC and be in the air in seconds.
Not wanting to give the GC a chance to cut George off, Mac hit the accelerator and pulled to within ten feet of the jet. He realized someone could open the door and have a clear shot at him, but they couldn"t do much to his plane if he sabotaged their aircraft. Not wanting to give them time to think, he raced forward and lodged the front of the car under the nose of the jet, banging into the landing gear. He had raised the plane off the ground a few inches but couldn"t tell if he had done any damage.
Mac rolled down his window and leaned his torso all the way out, firing his Uzi at the tires. He was amazed how resilient they were, and he heard bullets bouncing off and hitting the fuselage and the car. Reaching farther and experimenting with angles, he finally got one of the tires to blow. But where was George? Why weren"t they advancing? Was something wrong with the plane?
Sebastian just sat at the end of the runway with those lights on.
Mac expected the GC to come bounding out any second, weapons blazing. Could they not see he was the only person in the car?
What were they afraid of? He was a sitting duck, lodged under their jet.
Mac tried to open the door, found it hopelessly stuck, and tried getting out the other side. It too was out of shape and not moving, but he thought he sensed a little more give on that side. He lay on the front seat and pushed with his hands on the driver"s side door while pressing against the pa.s.senger door with his feet. It finally broke free and he scrambled out.
He crouched beneath the jet, Uzi trained on the door. He would take them as they came out, if they dared. Maybe they were waiting for him to make a break for his own plane or for Sebastian to come and pick him. up. But opening the door for him would slow George too, and all of them would be in danger.
As he waited, locked in a bewildering standoff, Mac didn"t know what to do. Should he try to shoot through the skin of the jet and take them all out? If it was armor plated, which was likely, he would waste ammunition. Why weren"t they coming after him? And why was
.. George still waiting?
The GC let shut down. Now what? Nothing. No movement inside or out.
Frustrated, Mac grabbed his walkie talkie. "Chloe or Hannah," he whispered desperately, "come in, please."
"Chloe here, Mac."