The Nation Chronicles: Book Two (The Nation Chronicles Trilogy 2)

tell you. Now why do you suppose that is?" he winked at the camera. "I'll tell you why, cause he's a chicken-shit pussy," Luther said calmly. "I am of course talking about your own Franklin Morgan. That chicken-shit, that very same one, or... could be he's a spy for me..." he left the accusation hanging for a few seconds. "Well time will tell friends and neighbors, time will tell. I regret I must leave you now, but I prepared a special recording concerning the young lady on the wall that I thought you might want to see. Oh yes, you have 48 hours. That's it. Turn the aforementioned criminals over to me, or," he turned and placed the index finger of his left hand on the keyboard of the terminal, "BANG," he yelled into the camera, and began to laugh.

Jimmy reached over and ejected the DVD. "You don't want to see the rest of it," he said, shaking his head sadly, "it's awful bad."

"Frank," Ira asked, "did you know?"

"Yeah," Frank replied in a low voice that was still tinged with anger, "I did, but I wasn't trying to hide it like he said, I just didn't want to scare everyone."

"I didn't believe that, and neither did Jimmy," Ira said. "But, Frank is it true? Are the missiles really there?"

"Yeah, I'm afraid they are," Frank said sadly, "but he'd have to be nut's to think he wouldn't kill himself if he launched them."

"Maybe he is nuts," Gary said, "maybe he's a raving lunatic, I mean he has to be anyhow..."

"Oh, he's a nut-case all right," Ira said. "But I have no doubt at all that he'll push them buttons. You see...It don't matter to him 'cause he ain't human," Ira finished quietly.

Silence hung in the room for a few minutes no one seemed willing to break it.

Frank finally spoke. "How do you know, Ira? Gary said the same thing, not more than a half hour ago. How do you know?" Frank was pretty sure that he knew what his answer would be, but he needed to hear it from Ira.

"God, of course," Ira said. "No, God didn't tell me he had missiles, and God didn't tell me he would launch them, but I saw that man with my own two eyes. I saw him dragged from the pit, and I know who he is. He's Satan, pure and simple, or to put it another way, he's evil, and he'll do his best to kill us, don't doubt it for a second."

Frank lowered his head into his hands. He suddenly had a bad headache, that pulsed along with his heart, and every beat sent sharp slivers of pain into his head, making it harder to think straight. "Ira," he said as he raised his head, "you believe that? You believe he's some creature? Not human, but... But spirit, or something?"

"Yes, Frank, I do," Ira responded, "and I ain't about to make no bones about it. What is it that bothers you so much, Frank, the believing, or maybe that you have a place in God's plan?"

Frank lowered his aching head back into his hands, and spoke from there as he gently shook his head from side to side. "I don't know, Ira... Believing in God, believing you're Cora's husband, believing that God wants me... I don't know I don't."

"You're afraid Frank, you're afraid that God might ask too much... God don't ever ask too much, just what you kin handle, Frank," Ira stated calmly. "God didn't say you have to change, or tell you that you have to give up anything either, if that's what you're thinking. If a change comes to you, it comes to you because you wanted it. God just helps you to see what you want. What you really want, inside."

"Okay," Frank said, raising his head from his hands, "okay, Ira, I believe in God... It was a hard decision, maybe I'm thick headed, can't believe what I don't see sometimes, but... I'm out of explanations, and the only one that seems to fit is God. I don't know why in hell he would want me, but I'm his if he does," Frank finished, as he once again buried his face in his hands. He peeked up briefly. "Aspirin, Jimmy, got any aspirin, Tylenol, anything?"

"Hang on," Jimmy said, as he rummaged through a desk drawer. "Here," He handed Frank three tablets along with a cup of coffee to swallow them with.

Frank swallowed the tablets before he spoke again. "So what now?"

"We have to stop him, that's for sure," Gary said, "we can't just let him do it."

"Do you know exactly where them missiles are, Frank?" Ira asked.

"No, not exactly, I know I could find them, but I haven't seen them." He spent the next few minutes telling them how he had found out about the missiles. "...Peter's, I mean Black, said they're not actually in the facility. They're a good ten miles away, in Fort Drum," Frank continued, "on the old Jeffery's farm he called it..."

"I know where that is. I know exactly where that is, Frank," Gary said suddenly "When you told me, I thought you meant they were in the facility itself, not there. But what the hell are they doing there, Jefferey's wouldn't go for that at all, I know it, I went to..."

"He would and did, Gary," Frank cut in, "Jeffery's was in on it. He was CIA, Gary, he knew."

"Jumped up Jesus," Gary said. Ira shot him a grim look. "Sorry Ira, I mean God, but Jeffery's? I went to school with him... I guess... Well, okay. Okay then if you say so, Frank, I believe you, but where? It's a farm, Frank, where the hell..." Gary's eyes suddenly flew open and Frank nodded. "The silos, Frank? The silos?"

"Yeah. I'm afraid so, Gary, school chum or not he did