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"We'll see Mama in a minute, hon," Buck said. Ke
Presently Buck rose, lifting Ke
Buck prepared himself for the always embarrassing welcome saved for the last person to rise, but when he came into view of everyone else in the safe house, he was virtually ignored. Leah sat bundled in a robe, leaning back against a wall, dozing, her bleached-blonde hair with red roots wrapped in a towel. Chaim stared at the tabletop before him, his head in his hands, a straw in his coffee cup. Tsion stood beside a window, out of view from the outside just in case, head bowed, softly praying.
Chloe paced, phone pressed to her ear, tears streaming. She looked directly into Buck's eyes as if to let him know she was aware he was there, and when Ke
Chloe was saying, "I understand, Zeke… I know, sweetie, I know. God knows… It'll be all right. We'll come get you, don't you worry… Zeke, God knows…, It'll be after dark, but you stay strong, hear?"
She finally rang off, and everyone looked to her. "Big Zeke was busted," she said.
"Zeke Sr.?" Tsion asked. Zeke Jr. was much bigger than his father, but still they were known as Big Zeke and Little Zeke.
She nodded. "GC goons got him this morning, cuffed him, charged him with subversion, took him away."
"How'd they miss Zeke Jr.?" Buck asked, finally letting Ke
"Zeke!" Ke
Chloe shrugged. "Their underground was better hidden than ours, and I don't think Little Zeke ever showed his face outside." "Zeke! "Ke
"He's got some kind of a monitor rigged up that he used to keep track of his dad. That's how he knew Big Zeke had been arrested. He knows his dad won't give him up, but he also knows he can't stay there. He's packing."
"Yeah," Buck said, "all he'd need is for the GC to find all his files and document-making paraphernalia." "It will be good to have him here," Tsion said. "He will be safe and can do so much for so many. Cameron, how are you feeling?"
"Better than Chaim, apparently." The old man lifted his head and tried to smile. "I'll be OK," he mouthed through his clenched jaw. "No capers for me. Eager to study and learn."
Tsion moved away from the window. "And me with a student who ca
"Coming right out with it, are you?" Buck said. "Absolutely," the rabbi said. "The gloves are off, as you Americans so like to say. There is no longer any question about him, nor should there be. I am persuaded that Leon is his false prophet, and I will say that too. Those who have ears will not be deceived. It will not be long before the Satan-indwelt beast will take out his rage against the Jews."
Chaim held up a hand. Buck could barely make out the labored, muffled question. "And what are we to do? We are no match for him."
"You will see, my friend," Tsion said. "You will learn today not only the history of the Jews, but their future as well. God will protect his people, now and forevermore." "I like being a believer already," Chaim managed. "Buck," Chloe said, stepping close to embrace him, "we have to plan Zeke's rescue."
"Just what I need today, another mission."
"You slept, didn't you?"
"Like a dead man."
"Don't say that."
"Well…"
"It's you or me, pal," Chloe said. "If you need another day of recup-"
"I'll be ready," Buck said.
"I can help," Leah said. "I'm fit."
"Maybe the two of you, then," Chloe said. "I've got to get news to the co-op, keep everybody working together."
"We're going to need a pilot," Buck said. "Put the GC chopper down right in the middle of their stakeout, chide 'em for missing a suspect, and we arrest Zeke Jr. and bring him here. What? What's with all the looks?"
"We don't have a chopper today or tonight, hon," Chloe said. "Probably not until tomorrow night, and we don't dare risk making Zeke wait that long."
"OK, so where's the helicopter and your dad? And Albie?"
FOUR
David hurried to his office and phoned A
"Need the cart?" "No."
"Anything I can do fo-"
But David had hung up. He flipped open his computer and saw urgent messages flashing from the code words and numbers he knew belonged to his comrades in the Tribulation Force. He would get to those when he could, but for now, before the infernal meeting, he had to get his phone back and find out where A
His watch read 2135. He searched the GC database for Perso
"Nurse Palemoon?"
"Yeah, who's this?"
"I am so sorry to be calling so late and sorry to wake you, but-" "Hassid?"
"Yes, forgive me, but-" "I have your phone." "Oh, thank G-goodness! Is it on?" "No, sir, I turned it off. Now are you coming to get it so I can get back to sleep?"
"Could I? If you don't mind terribly, I-" "I gotta show you something anyway." What in the world? Was he being set up? Why would she be so willing to have him come and get it? And why did she take it in the first place? To be safe, he jumped back on the computer and fired up the bugging device that would record their conversation in the corridor outside her room. As he backed out of that program he saw the blinking signals for his urgent messages again. Looked like Rayford and Albie had been desperately trying to reach him. He didn't have time to deal with them, but what if they had heard from A
The requests stu
David would work on name, rank, and serial number for Rayford later, hoping the two of them could bluff their way past the GC in the meantime. It was 2150, Ha