"I believe they are, with certain modifications."
"One of the nurses who attended me happened to mention that she got her start in medicine as a veterinarian's assistant. I wonder if she has any experience with that kind of technology that might be helpful to us."
"Good thinking. Give me her name and I'll check it out."
"I don't recall offhand," he said. "But it should be easy enough to find out. I'll call you with it."
As soon as Viv was gone, David phoned Hannah. "I'll be giving your name to Viv Ivins. Expect a call."
"Got it."
He told her of the prohibition against even a moment of silence in his department for Annie.
"That's perfect," she said. "David, she would wear that like a badge of honor. If being honored made it appear she was a Carpathia loyalist, you'd have to answer to her in heaven someday."
ELEVEN
For the next several days in the safe house, Rayford quietly observed the group dynamics and took notes. Tsion and Chaim spent most of their time studying. Leah seemed bored with helping Chloe with the international co-op, and while she got acquainted with Hattie, Hattie was getting on everyone's nerves. Everyone's except Zeke's. He mostly kept to himself and didn't appear affected by personal idiosyncrasies.
Rayford asked Tsion to lead the group in a brief Bible study each day, and they prayed together. Everyone was also expected to log on to Tsion's daily cybermessage. Each took a turn spray painting the insides of exposed windows until all the floors they were using were invisible to the outside, even with lights on.
A week after Rayford had brought Hattie into the safe house, he called a meeting to officially insert Chaim, Zeke, Albie, and Hattie into the Tribulation Force. They watched the Internet and television for information on when and how the mark of loyalty would be administered. And Buck was back in full swing with his The Truth cyberzine. With his international contacts and his ability to write stories that had a ring of authenticity without exposing believers in high places, Buck's was the most popular site on the Net, except for Tsion's. Through contacts Chloe lined up in the co-op, Buck enlisted underground printers all over the world who risked their lives publishing The Truth and Tsion's messages for those without access to computers.
Hattie evolved from a hesitant newcomer to the vivacious, excited believer she had been that first morning in Bozeman. Rayford enjoyed her spirit, and it seemed Tsion did too. The others' eyes seemed to glaze over each time she exulted over something anew. Something had to give. The Trib Force had plenty of space and privacy, but even in a massive skyscraper, cabin fever set in.
Fresh air was a problem. The building ventilation system worked fine, but other than the occasional slightly opened window that brought in crisp, fall breezes, everyone longed for time outdoors in the daylight. Too risky, Rayford told them, and even Kenny Bruce was taken out only after dark.
One by one his comrades came to Rayford in private, and while they carefully avoided bad-mouthing each other, all had similar requests. Each wanted an assignment, something away from the safe house. They wanted to be proactive, not waiting for Nicolae and the GC to be the only ones on the offensive.
All but Zeke, that is, who seemed content with his role. He inventoried the tools and supplies necessary to outfit the best forgery and phony identification operation possible. "I'm not a book readin' kind of a guy," he told Rayford, "but I can see what's coming."
"You can?"
Zeke nodded. "Dr. Ben-Judah is training Chaim what's-his-name to go back to Israel. That means I gotta work on a new ID for him, and not just on paper. He's gotta look like somebody else, because everybody knows him all over the world."
Rayford could only nod.
"You can't change a guy's height and weight, and I'm no plastic surgeon. But there's things you can do. He's got that Einstein hair thing goin' now, and he shaves. I'd bald him and dye his eyebrows dark. Then have him grow a big bushy beard or maybe muttonchops and a mustache, and make them dark too. He'll look younger and kinda hip, but mostly he won't look like himself. We gotta get rid of the glasses or change 'em drastically. Then I'd give him colored contacts. If he can get along without a prescription, I got plenty he can choose from."
"Uh-huh," Rayford said. "Zeke, what makes you think he's going back to Israel?"
"Oh, he isn't? Well, my mistake then. I just figured."
"I'm not saying you're wrong. I just wondered why you figured that."
"I don't know. Somebody's got to go, and you guys have never wanted to risk Dr. Ben-Judah."
"Somebody's got to go to Israel? Why?"
Zeke furrowed his brow. "I don't know. You can tell me if I'm wrong 'cause a lot of time I am, but Dad says I've got intuition. I try to figure out Zion's messages each day, but like I say, readin's not my thing. I don't think I ever read a book all the way through, except maybe a parts manual and then only over about six years. But Zion makes those daily message things pretty easy to understand for a smart guy. I'm sayin' he's smart, not mo. Most smart guys think they're explainin' something, but they're the only ones who understand it. You know what I mean?"
"Sure."
"Well, what I'm gettin' from Zion lately is that Carpathia is up to somethin'. And it has to do with Jerusalem. Zion says the Bible says the Antichrist is not only gonna pull a fast one on the Jews, he's also gonna brag about it right in their own temple and defile it somehow and break his promise."
"I think you've pretty much got that down, Zeke. How does Chaim play into it?"
"Zion says God's preparin' a safe place for the Jews to run off to, but they got to have a leader. Zion can lead 'em on the Net, but they need somebody there, somebody they can see. He's gotta be Jewish. He's gotta be a believer. He's gotta be popular or at least be able to get people to follow him. And he's gotta know a lot of stuff. The only person that's gonna know more than Zion pretty soon will be Chaim. And no way I think Zion's goin' over there."
"It's just as dangerous for Chaim, isn't it, Zeke?"
"Well, I don't know who'd be worse in Carpathia's mind, the guy who's tellin' the whole world Carpathia's the devil himself or the guy what ran a sword through his brain. But the fact is, we-I mean us believers-could probably get along without Chaim if we had to. But we're in trouble without Zion."
Zeke looked troubled for having said it.
Rayford stood and paced. "Well, Zeke, your dad's right about your intuition. You've hit this nail on the head."
"Then I'm gonna be asked to help send him over there as, what's his new name?"
"Tobias Rogoff."
"Right. As him?"
"You are."
"Don't you think a lot of people will recognize his voice and his body type? People notice hands too. I might have to work on that."
"Yes, there will be people who know right away who he is. And if David is right that there is tape showing him murdering Carpathia, I can see the GC showing that to the world. But Carpathia himself has already pardoned his attacker."
"But Carpathia also said he can't control what other citizens might do to the guy, so Chaim would be livin' on borrowed time, don't you think?"
"If he can get to the safe haven with the Jews, I think he will be supernaturally protected."
"That would be cool."
"You said you weren't a plastic surgeon. Are there less invasive ways to change someone's appearance?"
Zeke nodded. "There's dental gizmos."
"Appliances."
"Right. I used one on Leah, and I've got plenty more. We can really change the look of a man's teeth and jaw."
"How about one whose jaw is wired shut?"
"Even better. Leah's going to take out those wires soon. I think we can make him look like somebody else. Then he has to dress different than he ever has, maybe walk different. I can get him to do that just by adding a little somethin' to one of his shoes. I'll be ready when he is."