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toward that woman.
Chloe sat shaking her head, and Rayford knew she was not happy, but through
arguing.
T believes it would be too risky for me to start cruising around in the Super
J, so he's prepping the Gulfstream.
It shouldn't surprise me that this is virtually set, Chloe said. Rayford
sensed a resigned admiration, as if she had conceded that once he got
something in his brain, it happened.
Buck can fly with us to Brussels" and
that'll save us a few dollars" continue
commercially to Tel Aviv. I'll stay out of sight in Belgium and meet up with
Leah when she's ready.
Maybe Buck could fly back with you too, Chloe said. Depending on how long
you want to wait for him in Brussels.
Maybe, Rayford said. Would you prefer that?
Would I prefer he fly home with my dad rather than taking his chances with a
commercial system that is half what it used to be? Yes, I would prefer that.
Of course, I prefer he not go, but short of that, humor me.
The mood was festive on the Phoenix 216 when Mac and Abdullah took off
Saturday morning for Israel with a full load. It seemed the entire Carpathia
administrative team was on board, and Nicolae was in his glory. Mac listened
in as
Leon clapped for attention and asked people to gather. Welcome, everyone, he
said. And to our very special guest, who selflessly bequeathed His Excellency
this aircraft at a time of dire need, a special welcome to you, sir.
There was polite applause, and Mac wished he could see Peter Mathews's face.
Would you care to say a word before His Excellency addresses us, Pontifex?
Oh, why, yes, thank you, Commander. I, we, at Enigma Babylon look forward to
the Gala with much anticipation"
Israel is, as you know, one of the last areas
to acquiesce to our ideals. I believe that we will have the opportunity to put
our best face on the one-world faith and that we will come away from this week
with many more members. I frankly relish opportunities to challenge
dissidents, and with the two preachers and the history of the Judah-ite
rallies here, this is the place to do just that. Good to be with you.
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Thank you, Supreme Pontiff, Leon said. Now, Your Excellency ...
Carpathia sounded ecstatic with expectation. My personal greetings and
welcome to you all, he said. I believe you will one day look back on this
coming week as the beginning of our finest hour. I know we have suffered the
way the whole world has with the plagues and death. But the future is clear.
We know what we have to do, and we will do it. Enjoy yourselves. It is a
festival, a party. Personal, individual freedom has never been more
celebrated. And may I say, there are more places in
Jerusalem than anywhere to indulge yourselves. Revel in the Epicurean and
physical pleasures that appeal to you. Show the rest of the Global Community
that they are allowed to pamper the flesh even after times of hardship and
chaos. Let us ring in the new world with a festival like no one has ever seen.
Many of you have been responsible for arranging entertainment and diversion,
and for that I am grateful. I
cannot wait to see the spectacle myself.
Mac and Abdullah enjoyed private rooms next to each other in the palatial King
David Hotel, where Carpathia had reserved two entire floors. The rest of the
entourage stayed not far away in accommodations no less opulent. The ten
regional potentates would be housed at the GC Grand, another quarter mile
away.
During the two days before the official opening of the Gala, the cockpit crew
was required to conduct tours of the 216 back in Tel Aviv. Early Monday
morning they
helped arrange transport from Ben Gurion Airport to Jerusalem for the
potentates and their extensive entourages. Mac worked with GC Security to
off-load the metal detectors David had put into the cargo hold, and these were
set up on either side of the gigantic outdoor platform that had been erected
not a half mile from the Temple
Mount and the Wailing Wall. Everyone who would be on the platform, from
entertainers to VIPs, would pass through a metal detector on one side of the
platform or the other.
The stage floor was twelve feet off the ground and a hundred feet square. A
vast green tarpaulin was canopied atop it to block the sun, and massive
scaffolding towers held the speaker systems that would boom the music and
speeches to an expected two million revelers. All across the back of the
stage, filling a flowing curtain designed to coordinate with the canopy, were
various messages in every major language. These welcomed the delegates,
announced the dates of the five days of the Global Gala, and featured huge
sparkling logos of the Global
Community.
The largest statement printed on the backdrop, Mac noticed, read, One World,
One
Truth: Individual Freedom for All. All around the plaza, on every lamppost,
fence, and wall, was the slogan Today Is the First Day of the Rest of Utopia.
As Mac and Abdullah aided with the placement of the metal detectors, several
bands and dance troupes rehearsed and sound technicians swarmed the area. Mac
pulled Abdullah close and whispered, I must be seeing things. Who does that
girl, second from the left, look like to you?
I was trying not to watch, Abdullah said. But if you insist. Oh, my, I see
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