Elixir. Part 48

What if the Feds had a .38-caliber slug with his name on it-one to be put through his brain one evening while walking to his car? The papers would momentarily lament just-another-senseless-act-of-violence.

Worse-and the question he kept coming back to, the one that had been snapping at him for days: What if somebody decided to go after Brett and Laura to get at his dole?

The brutal conclusion that Roger reached as they made their way to the FBI choppers was that he was as much a liability to them as was Elixir. That Laura and Brett were in danger for their lives as long as he remained alive.

The realization was stunning. And, yet, it had been squatting there all the time licking its chops.

From a back pocket of his mind he heard a familiar voice. The treatment comes with a cyanide pill.

An even worse punishment for them, because he wouldn't just die. They'd find him one morning like Wally and Abigail.

Roger put his arms around his wife and son and tried to blank his mind of all but thoughts of them.

Because the local police had been alerted, the traffic was stopped at the few intersections for the motorcade to pa.s.s without sirens.

While Brett checked out the scenery through the windows, Laura relaxed her head against Roger's shoulder. He kissed the top of her head.

Her hand slid to his shoulder as she kissed him on the mouth. Suddenly her head picked up. She could not feel his emergency ampule. Her eyes widened for an explanation. Before she could say anything, he pressed his finger to his lips and shook his head so Brett wouldn't know.

But she wanted to know why it was missing. He hadn't removed it all these years. Never. Even when he showered.

He shook his head to say he'd explain later.

But what would he say? That he did it for Brett's sake, a gesture of closure? A renouncing of temptation? He could always get more. There were 204 amuples between his feet. They would arrange regular maintenance dosages with medics from Public Citizen to keep him alive.

Or was it motivated by some darker impulse he was only beginning to understand?

"I love you," he whispered.

Laura nodded and kissed him.

There were age spots on the back of her hand.

The caravan rolled through small villages to Port Henry. Outside people looked in wonder at the motorcade this far upcountry, and the long line of news vehicles d.o.g.g.i.ng them.

In the distance they could see the high arching steel bridge spanning the southerly end of Lake Champlain from Port Henry to an open field on the Vermont side where several helicopter transports waited. The bridge was a high steel structure of two generous lanes. Two New York state cruisers waited by the side to keep the lane open.

They were halfway across the bridge when the driver slowed.

"What's the problem?" Zazzaro asked.

"Those trucks. There wasn't supposed to be any oncoming traffic till we got across."

Through the windshield they could see two eighteen-wheelers in the oncoming lane. One continued pa.s.s them, but the other slowed and turned a sharp left coming to a stop, blocking both the lanes on the far side of the crest.

"What the h.e.l.l?" The driver checked his rearview mirror. "Aw s.h.i.t!"

Behind them the other truck screeched into a jack-knife, cutting off the trail of cars about five back.

They were trapped.

Before they knew it, the rear doors of both trucks opened up and out poured dozens of people with automatic weapons firing.

A screech of tires and the motorcycles skidded sideways. Two drivers were thrown to the side, the other ended up with his leg pinned under the machine. As he rolled in agony to pull free, somebody shot him dead. A chatter of guns and the others were killed.

Laura's scream filled Roger's head.

Zazzaro and Brown instantly had their weapons drawn, and behind them the men produced Uzis. But they were far outgunned.

From behind came a volley of automatic weapons as men from the rear truck unloaded their magazines at the escort vehicles and at the first press cars. Windshields shattered and people screamed as the bullets sprayed the convoy.

"They're killing everybody," Brett cried.

Ahead Roger could see a wall of people with guns marching slowly in formation toward the Hummer. They were all wearing white jumpsuits. And red shoes. All holding weapons.

And in the lead wearing a flowing white robe and clutching something to his chest was Lamar Fisk.

Brown was on his radio phone calling for support. But they didn't have a chance to get here in time.

Zazzaro opened the door with his Uzi raised.

"Don't!" Roger shouted. "They'll wipe us all out." From the dashboard he s.n.a.t.c.hed the mouthpiece to the outside loudspeaker flicked it on.

"Fisk, this is Roger Glover. Stop shooting," he shouted. "Hold your people back. I've got what you want. I'll bring it, just stop shooting."

Laura grabbed him. "Roger, they'll kill you."

Through the windshield they could see Fisk raise his hand. The mob stopped. So did the gunfire.

Roger pushed open the door and gripped the two carriers.

"No, Roger," Laura screamed.

"Dad, don't go!" Brett begged.

"It'll be a bloodbath otherwise," he said.

Zazzaro pressed in front of him. "I can't let you do that."

"Then you're going to have to shoot me," he said and pushed his way out.

Laura and Brett were still screaming for him to stop as he moved away from the vehicle.

Brown jumped out after him. He had explicit orders to get the serum into federal protection, no matter what.

Roger knew that now, but it was no time for anybody to play cop. "There's an army of them with more firepower than you've got in fifty miles," Roger said. "Go tend your wounded."

Brown heard the cries of the men behind them. He saw the wall of white uniforms and the weapons. It wasn't worth the sacrifice. "Just give them the s.h.i.t and haul a.s.s."

"Dad," Brett cried. "Daaaad."

Roger looked back. I love you, beautiful boy.

A quick glance at Laura. Her face was twisted in horrid realization.

Then he turned and walked toward Lamar Fisk and his army in white.

From behind him, the dozens from the first truck closed around Roger, leaving in cars the dead and wounded, and those who had been spared. The Witnesses had no more interest in them. Nor in the distant sounds of sirens. Nor the media people cowering with their microphones and cameras running.

n.o.body tried to stop Roger as he approached Fisk. But all their weapons were trained on him-automatic weapons stolen from military a.r.s.enals.

As he approached, he noticed the looks on their faces. A wild intensity. Perhaps rapture, perhaps drugs. Men and women, young and old, mostly white, but with some blacks and Asians. Some women holding babies.

"It's all here," Roger said. "Please let the others go. There's been enough killing."

Fisk raised his bible as Roger had seen him so many times on the news. The look of bloodless piety in his face. "'And one by one the Angel of the Lord opened the vials and poured forth the plagues upon the earth...'"

Roger stopped a few feet before the man. He raised the twin cases. "It's all yours."

But Fisk disregarded his plea. "This is the one true elixir," he shouted, holding up the bible. "This is the only way to eternal life. Not your snake oil."

The creep was going to preach to him first, Roger thought.

In unison the Witnesses cried "Alleluia."

Roger said nothing. The man was not to be reasoned with. He was beyond reason. He was beyond the moment. Beyond this bridge. Beyond the here and now. His eyes were huge glazed orbs. He looked insane with mission.

Roger's eye fell on Fisk's other hand, half-hidden in the folds of his robe.

"Lay them down," Fisk said.

Roger set the two boxes between them.

"Open them."

Roger unlocked the boxes and opened them.

He then stepped back as Fisk inspected the contents. When he was satisfied, he nodded at a woman who overturned the contents making a large pile of gla.s.s ampules.

"Vials of abomination," he said.

All around him guns poked angrily in the air. For a moment, Roger saw the Okamolu warriors. "Fisk, please let the others go. You have what you want."

Roger braced himself to be shot dead. That was also what they wanted. Death to the Antichrist. He just wished it didn't have to happen in front of his wife and son.

Fisk shook his bible at him. "'And I heard the voice of a great mult.i.tude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunder saying "Alleluia, for the Lord G.o.d omnipotent reigneth."'" And he stomped his foot onto the vials, the contents splattering.

That was the cue. Instantly others began to smash the vials under their shoes.

As Roger stood there, they crushed each of the ampules until all that lay on the tartop were shards of gla.s.s and wetness.

When they were through, they dropped their weapons and embraced each other across the shoulders, forming a circled wall around Roger and Fisk.

It was insane: They had just killed a bunch of people, and now their faces were glowing with beatific light as if at any moment Jesus Himself would materialize.

Spontaneously they broke into a chant of "Alleluia" and kicked and stomped the smashed gla.s.s.

It was then Roger noticed the red backpacks they were wearing. Fisk, too.

"Alleluia."

"ALLELUIA.".

The chant got louder, and the Witnesses began to jerk as if the syllables were being pumped out of them by unseen forces.

"AL-LE-LU-IA.".

"AL-LE-LU-IA.".

"AL-LE-LU-IA.".

Over the chanting, Fisk's voice rose: "'And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth, and their armies gathered together to make war against Him that sat on the horse and against His army...'"

"ALLELUIA.".

"ALLELUIA.".

While Fisk bellowed on, his people looked to the sky with beaming faces and jabbering mouths, all locked in unison, impervious to the police gathered on the banks of the lake and the media people behind them and the sound of sirens approaching from both sides.

"'And the waters shall run red with blood...'"

"ALLELUIA.".

"ALLELUIA.".

Fisk's face was huge with intensity, the tendons of his neck swelling, his long red hair flowing like tongues of flame as he recited the doom and gloom and pumped with the rhythm of the chant.

In the movement Roger noticed something small and black in his hand.

"'...and death and h.e.l.l were cast into the lake of fire. And whosoever was not witness was also cast into the lake of fire...'"

"ALLELUIA.".

"ALLELUIA.".

Some kind of remote control device.