From the same area came a sham of a recording

depicting a programmed parade for the benefit of the Global Community News Network. The people marched listlessly, their faces blank, as they held aloft placards

and chanted, "Hail, Carpathia" in monotones.

Chang both suffered and benefited from the chaos at the palace. In many ways New Babylon had become a ghost town.

Citizens could no longer afford pilgrimages to the gleaming edifices. He knew from the real figures

not the cooked books whose summaries were announced to the populace that half the world's population at the time of the Rapture had now died.

The capital city of the world didn't work very well anymore.

Factions and minikingdoms sprang up, even around Carpathia top people threatening, cajoling, surrounding themselves with sycophants. Everyone was suspicious of everYone else, while all were obsequious and cloying around the big boss. Revolt was out of the question. Theirs was a ruler who had proved himself impervious to death. What was the point of killing him again? You could take power for three days, but you had better loot the place and be gone when he resurrected.

The sad state of services in New Babylon was nothing compared to everywhere else in the world but Petra. Trib Force and Co op fliers reported that everywhere they went, they saw that things simply wore out and were not replaced. The huge depletion of the population cost society half the people once employed in service jobs. Few were left to transport fuel, fix cars, keep streetlamps and traffic lights working, maintain order, protect businesses.

Buck recounted in The Truth that the GC, especially at the local level, used their uniforms, badges, and weapons to get more for themselves. "Pity the shop owner who doesn't grease the palm of his friendly neighborhood insurer of security."

Chang watched all this from his spot as a journeyman techie in Aurelio Figueroa's computer department but mostly from the system so expertly designed and installed by his predecessor, David Ha.s.sid. Ironic, Chang thought, that it was the one thing still humming along perfectly.

Carpathia himself was a madman, and no one around him even pretended otherwise except to his face. Everyone seemed to cater to his craziness, competing to see who could be first to curry his favor by carrying out his latest directive which usually came in a fit of fury.

"Insubordination!" he shrieked late one night as Chang listened to his weary lieutenants trying to stay awake with him. "My sub potentate in Region must wake up tomorrow to find that the heads of both Libya and Ethiopia and their entire senior cabinets have been a.s.sa.s.sinated!"

Suhail Akbar said, "I'll talk with him, Excellency. I'm sure he will realize that "

"Did you not understand that to be a directive, Suhail ? "

"Sirs "

"Did you not understand my order.

"You literally want those leaders and their cabinets dead by morning?"

"If you cannot accomplish it, I will find "

"It can be done, sir, but there would not be time to send our strike force from here "

"You are director of Security and Intelligence! You have no contacts in Africa who can '

"I'm on it, sir."

"I should hope you are!"

The deed was accomplished by an S & I force of African Peacekeepers and Morale Monitors. Akbar was lauded the next day, then suffered in Carpathia's doghouse for more than three weeks because the boss was having trouble "getting useful information out of Region . "

Rayford lived in an underground hut, like everyone else who worked out of the former military base in San Diego. And like Mac and Albie out of Al Basrah, Ray ford flew missions directly between San Diego and other International Co op centers places so remote and well hidden that if the fliers could elude GC radar and even that was crumbling with the loss of personnel all over the world there were no pesky airport details they had to bluff their way past. The head of the Tribulation Force worried that he and his people might lower their guard and see their whole network come crashing down. He actually had felt more in control and careful when the GC had been at full strength. The world had become a cauldron of individual free market systems.

When he was "home" in San Diego, Rayford studied the reports that came to Chloe from Co op workers all over the globe. Hardly anywhere in the world escaped the evil influence of the GC sponsored deceivers. Magicians, sorcerers, wizards, demonic apparitions, and deputies of Leon Fortunato preached a false gospel. They set themselves up as Christ figures, messiahs, soothsayers. They lauded the deity of Carpathia. They performed wonders and miracles and deceived countless thousands. These were lured away from considering the claims of Christ himself, usually by the promise of drinkable water, but once they had made their decisions for the evil ruler, either he snuffed them out as he had done in the Negev or G.o.d slew them. Tsion Ben Judah continued to maintain that G.o.d was continually evening the score, removing from the earth those with the sign of the beast, because a great war was coming.

"It is not as if the G.o.d of G.o.ds could not defeat any foe he chooses," Dr. Ben Judah taught, "but the stench of the other side evangelizing for evil has offended him

and kindled his wrath. Yet the wrath of G.o.d remains

balanced by his great mercy and love. There has been

not one report of death or injury to any of the ,

evangelists G.o.d has raised up to spread the truth about

his ion. "

Though weary of the battle and longing for heaven or

the Glorious Appearing sometimes Rayford didn't care

which came first for him still he thrilled to the reports

from all over the world. The Tribulation Force saw many

of these , brave men venture into public, calling

the undecided from their homes to confront them with

the claims of Christ. The men were powerful preachers,

anointed of G.o.d with the gift of evangelism. Often they

were accompanied by angels, guardians to protect them

and their listeners. GC forces were incapable of stopping

them.

"The archangels Gabriel and Michael have been seen in various parts of the world, making p.r.o.nouncements

for G.o.d and standing in defense of his people,"

Tsion

and Chaim told the people of Petra and thus the world

via the Internet. Rayford thanked G.o.d silently as he read

that the angel with the everlasting gospel, Christopher,

often appeared in remote regions where Christ had never

been preached. Nahum continued to warn of the coming

fall of Babylon, sometimes with Christopher, sometimes

by himself. And Caleb was reported somewhere else