"Who put up the new curtain over the stage?" Mrs. Jenness whispered.

"Very nice."

Leon Fortunato, dressed in a sleek, dark suit, slipped in at the last moment with an entourage of bodyguards. The audience t.i.ttered, then broke into wild applause as he was led to a chair on the stage.

He bowed slightly to the crowd, then was seated.

"I can't believe I'm in the same room with him," Marjorie Amherst gushed.

"He actually works side by side with Nicolae Carpathia! Am I pale, Judd? I might just keel over."

"Down, girl," Judd said. "He's just a man."

"If I get too nervous, can you take my place?" she whispered.

"I don't know if I can do this."

"You'll be fine," Judd said.

"I'm serious, Judd. I think I'm going to be ill."

"How about I let you go first," Judd said.

"If you have a problem, I'll come up and help."

Marjorie squeezed his hand with a look that oozed her thanks.

Judd scratched the plan to Mrs. Jenness on the back of his program and pa.s.sed it to her. Mrs. Jenness frowned and looked at Judd. He stuck his finger in his mouth and pointed at Marjorie. Marjorie weaved in her seat and looked like a ghost. Mrs. Jenness pursed her lips and nodded.

Vicki gave a little wave, but Judd didn't acknowledge her.

He looked toward someone in the graduating cla.s.s, nodded, then sat back. Vicki looked at the row of seniors in front of her and noticed John a few seats away. He had in his hand some kind of a control device with an antenna.

"What's going on?" Vicki mouthed when she caught his eye.

John put a finger to his lips.

Judd tried to calm Marjorie as two students sang an original song about their years atNicolaeCarpathia High School.

Mrs. Jenness beamed as one strummed a guitar and the other sang: Nicolae, you and I have shared so much together. We will sing, we will work to make this world much better. Till the day that I die, I will not forget Nicolae. Nicolae. Nicolae.

Mr. and Mrs. Amherst applauded before the song was over.

They stood, but no one else did until Leon Fortunate also rose. Mrs. Jenness alerted the audience to a change in the program and introduced the valedictorian.

Marjorie was shaky. She made it to the lectern, turned to curtsey to Leon Fortunate, and fell in a heap at his feet. Her mother and father rushed to the stage, but Global Community guards blocked them.

Marjorie was taken backstage. Mrs. Jenness, fl.u.s.tered, introduced Leon Fortunato next instead of Judd.

The man looked at his program, then stood and thanked the audience for a standing ovation.

Vicki saw the frantic look on the reporter's face. "Give it to us now, he's up," Mary Lee Manwether told her producer.

"They just went live to another report from New Babylon," the producer shot back.

"What happened?"

"The program's out the window because the girl flopped," Mary Lee said.

"Can't somebody get this guy to wait?"

"The tape's rolling," the producer said.

"We'll be OK."

Someone shushed the two as Leon Fortunate began. Vicki thought he looked more like a character actor than a politician. He was thick and swarthy with his hair slicked back, and he had the air of someone used to being the center of attention. He had an accent, but Vicki couldn't place it.

"I bring you greetings from New Babylon and the man this school was named for, Global Community Potentate Nicolae Carpathia. "

The audience applauded.

"Graduates, your parents and teachers have invested countless hours in your education. Today, we salute you all."

"Slick," Vicki said.

"Too slick," Bruce whispered.

Fortunate looked at the graduates.

"I speak for Potentate Carpathia and the entire Global Community when I extend an invitation for you to help us answer the question that has plagued this world since time began.

"In this extraordinary moment in world history, we have within our grasp the opportunity to, as your singers suggested, 'make this world much better." "

Mrs. Jenness got Judd's attention. She shrugged and said, "Be ready.

You're next."

Judd nodded and glanced toward John in the audience. Judd lowered his head and coughed into his gown. John nodded slightly.

Judd knew he would never have this opportunity again.

"And so I thank the faculty and staff of Nicolae Carpathia High School," Leon Fortunato said, "for staying true to the cause Potentate Carpathia and I strive for daily. May your efforts bear fruit for the sake of peace, for the sake of this country, and for the sake of our world."

As the audience stood in wild applause, Vicki saw a red light on the camera. Mary Lee Manwether said, "We're ready with a videotape of a speech from Nicolae Carpathia's right-hand man"-As Mrs.

Jenness rose to introduce Judd, the producer gave Mary Lee the "stretch" sign. Something was wrong.

"All right," Mary Lee said.

"We'll get to that in just a moment. Meanwhile, let's listen to one of the students of Nicolae Carpathia High, uh ... this is Marjorie ... no I'm sorry, this is Judd Thompson, the salutatorian."

Judd took a deep breath. Leon Fortunate politely applauded and looked at his watch. Judd caught a glimpse of Vicki and Bruce, spied Coach Handlesman toward the back, and glanced at teachers who had lived through the most tumultuous year on the planet.

It was decision time. Judd saw the CNN camera trained on him. He could do only what he believed was right.

John and Mark had studied the sound system in the auditorium. If Judd deviated from his script, Mrs.

Jenness would intervene. They had to have an alternate plan.

Mark and John had rigged an auxiliary microphone, hidden under Judd's graduation gown. If his podium microphone was turned off, the auxiliary bypa.s.sed the mixing board and went straight to the huge overhead monitors. Then, the only way to keep Judd from being heard would be to cut the speaker cable.

A thousand images flashed through Judd's mind as he stepped to the lectern. Empty seats on the plane.

Losing his parents. Bruce. Pastor Billings's tape. Vicki and Lionel and Ryan.

The crowd stared, and the red light on the television camera beckoned. Whatever the cost, whatever the outcome, he felt G.o.d had called him to this moment.

Judd remembered a few techniques from speech cla.s.s. He let the audience settle, then paused another second. The auditorium stilled as he folded his notes and placed them inside the lectern. He would speak from memory and from his heart.

"I made a promise to myself in this room one year ago. I vowed to deliver a message tonight. And I thank G-I'm thankful I'm able to do that."

No looking down. Judd looked at their faces.

"When we graduates started our junior year, we had no idea that many of our friends would not join us tonight. Kids we went to grade school with. Kids we played T-ball with. We felt as close to some of them as to our own families. But now they're gone.

"I would like to remember them now with a moment of silence."

Judd stepped back and bowed his head. He turned slightly to see Mrs.

Jenness and Leon Fortunate looking at the floor. So far, so good. "We remember those who are not with us," Judd finally said softly.

Then his voice rose.

"And now we embark on a new road. As Mr. Fortunate said, we have an opportunity to promote peace. To make this world much better."

Judd grabbed the lectern and with the fervency of an old-time preacher belted out, "We have an opportunity to follow the mandate of the Global Community and its leader, Nicolae Carpathia."

Vicki, stunned, looked at Bruce. Applause filled the auditorium. She saw Leon Fortunato lean down and say something to Mrs. Jenness. Mary Lee Manwether pointed to herself, but her producer rolled a finger in the air and said, "Let it go. This is good."

Bruce said, "Carpathia has certain powers of control. Maybe his right-hand man has learned from him."

Vicki glanced at John. He was smiling.

Judd's heart pounded. He took another breath to calm himself. He made the students laugh with memories of familiar sights and sounds on campus. He poked fun at the keyboard teacher and gave statistics on how many frogs they had dissected in biology cla.s.s. The faculty laughed along.

"They say confession is good for the soul," Judd said, "and if it's good for the soul, it ought to be good for the Global Community."

Judd looked around and sawLeonFortunate chuckle. Mrs. Jenness quickly leafed through Judd's script.

"Last year after some of our friends left us behind, someone published and distributed an underground newspaper. It contained some rather outlandish statements."

Mrs. Jenness frantically scanned pages and threw them aside.

She stood.

It's too early to be shut down, Judd thought.

Judd continued, "For those who don't know, our administration cracked down on these would-be journalists, and I think it's appropriate to give a round of applause for our princ.i.p.al, Mrs. Jenness."

Mrs. Jenness was caught off guard. She glared at Judd. Then, realizing the camera was on her, she smiled and waved.

Reluctantly, she sat.

Vicki held her breath. Was Judd going to give up his friends?

"This is really cool," Ryan said as he and Lionel listened to the applause.

"Wish we could be there." "No way we'd have gotten in," Lionel said.

"The place is packed."

"This isn't what he wrote," Ryan said.

"This is the speech he didn't show them."

"And how do you know that?" Lionel said, suddenly interested.

"Found it," Ryan said.

"It's goin' on the Web as soon as he's finished."

"I carry a secret tonight," Judd continued.

"I know the ident.i.ty of the one who printed, wrote, and helped distribute that paper. One of our teachers last year took the fall for the real culprit, and I feel bad about that.

The truth is, the culprit was me. "

Vicki heard someone say, "I don't believe it."

"I knew it all the time," another said.

"What's he doing?" Vicki said as Judd called for quiet. The camera was still on. The CNN producer told Mary Lee to sit down. Bruce said, "It looks like Mrs. Jenness is ready to pull the plug."

Judd glanced back as Mrs. Jenness turned to Leon Fortunate andLeona.s.sured her with a wave.

Judd continued.

"A year ago I knew the truth and didn't want to accept it. I have come to believe that the truth will set you free."