NOTE: I do not own any of the Left Behind Characters, except for Naomi,
plus any other characters that you don't recognize from the series. I
acknowledge that Naomi was a character in the Left Behind series, but this
is a different Naomi. I just liked the name.
MAY SPOIL 'ARMAGEDDON.' And I'm sorry if there are some differences
between what happened in the book and what is going on in the story
(Armageddon). (Such as a person being in Petra in this story, when in the
book they're in Wisconsin...or whatever!)
Underground
"Anything?"
"Not yet. Why don't you get some sleep?"
"Nah, not tired."
It was true. Naomi, the newest member of the Trib Force, had been up the whole night, as well as into the early morning. Upon her arrival at the San Diego hideout, only two days before, Naomi had slept almost the whole day. It was hard flying all over the country, especially with different time zones. But she wasn't tired tonight. Working as one of the secretaries in the New Babylon Palace, Naomi had cleared out with David and some of his friends as soon as the Mark applications began. Now here, Naomi waited, somewhat impatiently, for a new assignment.
It was Buck to whom she was talking. Naomi was due to take over as lookout in half an hour, but, as she couldn't find anything else to do, she decided to keep Buck company. Naomi's heart went out to him. With Chloe away, and with all the anxiousness about her whereabouts, Buck had been undergoing some serious stress. Not that everyone else wasn't. After all, living as a fugitive always kept one on one's toes.
Mostly the two sat in silence; except for Buck's occasional shifting of position in order to get a better look out of the periscope. Naomi, eager for something to do, asked, "D'you want any coffee? I'll go make some."
"Sure, that'd be great. That is, if you don't mind..."
"If I minded, I wouldn't have asked."
"Just checking."
Naomi got up and felt her way to the kitchen. It was rather dim, as the hideout had no windows (it was underground). And, of course, even if it did have windows, it was a dark night. Absolutely no moonlight.
As Naomi reached for the coffeepot, her hand brushed a group of mugs that were left out to dry. Luckily, she was moving slowly, as one often does in the dark, and didn't knock them over. She added water to the machine, which already had a fresh pouch of coffee in it, and flipped the switch. It began its gurgling sound, and Naomi sat down at the table to wait. Lord, please keep everyone safe tonight. Those abroad, and those here, please be with us and comfort those who are hurting. In your name, Amen. Naomi prayed. It was second nature to her, and she did it countless times a day. In the slightly chilly and very lonely hideout, she felt more at peace.
Naomi recollected her prior career at the Palace: She was a friend of Hannah Palemoon, a nurse who also worked in the Palace.
As the coffee finished, she poured two mugs out and left the rest for any other takers. Of course, being 2:00 am, it was not likely that anyone would take it until breakfast. Naomi walked slowly back to the room where Buck sat. "Here. It's decaf, since you'll be off duty in a few minutes, anyway."
"Thanks. But I doubt I'll be sleeping much."
Naomi just smiled softly to herself. She tapped Buck on the shoulder, motioning him to take a break. Hesitantly, he did. Quietly, Naomi sighed as she resumed her post at the periscope. Hoping for the sun, she resigned herself to a long and boring shift.
It was 9:00 am the next morning, and Buck, George Sebastian, and "Priss" Sebastian were in the kitchen. George was up preparing breakfast. "Thanks to whoever made the coffee."
"That was me...you'll need to warm it up, first." Naomi muttered. She felt...blah; partly because she had stayed up late, but she was also feeling the effects of cabin fever. She wanted, no, needed to get out. Wherever the action was, she wanted to be. She dialed up Rayford, who was at Petra, on her phone.
"Rayford, do you, by any chance, have a certain mission you need me for?" Naomi inquired eager for a "yes."
"Actually, I do need someone...but it will be dangerous."
"Rayford, it's dangerous everywhere. Just tell me, and I'll go...please?"
Rayford sighed. Naomi was persistent, and it was clear that she was ready to get out of the hideout, despite having been there only a few days. "Ok. According to the Co-op records, there's another small group of believers, three or four, just south of the border from where you guys are. Baja California."
"Ah. And?"
"Well, apparently GC has a hint that they're there, too. I'm asking you to go out there and bring them back to San Diego. They're only about half and hour's walk each way. That means about an hour total, if you hurry. I'm surprised that they're that close."
"Great! But how do we do this?"
"I'm thinking George and you. It shouldn't be too many people, so the GC won't notice as much. You guys will have to walk, and you don't have any disguises or a vehicle of transportation. That's what makes it so dangerous."
"One thing, Rayford. If the GC is so close to them, and we're only half an hour's walk from them, then shouldn't we all get out of here? Fast?"
"You haven't heard the rest of my plan. We'll send Smitty or someone over there once everyone gets to your hideout. There's a little abandoned airstrip nearby. But we'll talk that out later. Just be ready by tonight or tomorrow. We want those believers away from there as soon as possible. The Co-op has notified the group, who'll be expecting you soon."
"Okay. Do you want to talk to George?"
"Yeah, if you don't mind."
Naomi handed the phone to George. Priss gave Naomi an inquisitive look. Naomi motioned that she'd tell her later. With that, she started on her breakfast.
Underground
"Anything?"
"Not yet. Why don't you get some sleep?"
"Nah, not tired."
It was true. Naomi, the newest member of the Trib Force, had been up the whole night, as well as into the early morning. Upon her arrival at the San Diego hideout, only two days before, Naomi had slept almost the whole day. It was hard flying all over the country, especially with different time zones. But she wasn't tired tonight. Working as one of the secretaries in the New Babylon Palace, Naomi had cleared out with David and some of his friends as soon as the Mark applications began. Now here, Naomi waited, somewhat impatiently, for a new assignment.
It was Buck to whom she was talking. Naomi was due to take over as lookout in half an hour, but, as she couldn't find anything else to do, she decided to keep Buck company. Naomi's heart went out to him. With Chloe away, and with all the anxiousness about her whereabouts, Buck had been undergoing some serious stress. Not that everyone else wasn't. After all, living as a fugitive always kept one on one's toes.
Mostly the two sat in silence; except for Buck's occasional shifting of position in order to get a better look out of the periscope. Naomi, eager for something to do, asked, "D'you want any coffee? I'll go make some."
"Sure, that'd be great. That is, if you don't mind..."
"If I minded, I wouldn't have asked."
"Just checking."
Naomi got up and felt her way to the kitchen. It was rather dim, as the hideout had no windows (it was underground). And, of course, even if it did have windows, it was a dark night. Absolutely no moonlight.
As Naomi reached for the coffeepot, her hand brushed a group of mugs that were left out to dry. Luckily, she was moving slowly, as one often does in the dark, and didn't knock them over. She added water to the machine, which already had a fresh pouch of coffee in it, and flipped the switch. It began its gurgling sound, and Naomi sat down at the table to wait. Lord, please keep everyone safe tonight. Those abroad, and those here, please be with us and comfort those who are hurting. In your name, Amen. Naomi prayed. It was second nature to her, and she did it countless times a day. In the slightly chilly and very lonely hideout, she felt more at peace.
Naomi recollected her prior career at the Palace: She was a friend of Hannah Palemoon, a nurse who also worked in the Palace.
As the coffee finished, she poured two mugs out and left the rest for any other takers. Of course, being 2:00 am, it was not likely that anyone would take it until breakfast. Naomi walked slowly back to the room where Buck sat. "Here. It's decaf, since you'll be off duty in a few minutes, anyway."
"Thanks. But I doubt I'll be sleeping much."
Naomi just smiled softly to herself. She tapped Buck on the shoulder, motioning him to take a break. Hesitantly, he did. Quietly, Naomi sighed as she resumed her post at the periscope. Hoping for the sun, she resigned herself to a long and boring shift.
It was 9:00 am the next morning, and Buck, George Sebastian, and "Priss" Sebastian were in the kitchen. George was up preparing breakfast. "Thanks to whoever made the coffee."
"That was me...you'll need to warm it up, first." Naomi muttered. She felt...blah; partly because she had stayed up late, but she was also feeling the effects of cabin fever. She wanted, no, needed to get out. Wherever the action was, she wanted to be. She dialed up Rayford, who was at Petra, on her phone.
"Rayford, do you, by any chance, have a certain mission you need me for?" Naomi inquired eager for a "yes."
"Actually, I do need someone...but it will be dangerous."
"Rayford, it's dangerous everywhere. Just tell me, and I'll go...please?"
Rayford sighed. Naomi was persistent, and it was clear that she was ready to get out of the hideout, despite having been there only a few days. "Ok. According to the Co-op records, there's another small group of believers, three or four, just south of the border from where you guys are. Baja California."
"Ah. And?"
"Well, apparently GC has a hint that they're there, too. I'm asking you to go out there and bring them back to San Diego. They're only about half and hour's walk each way. That means about an hour total, if you hurry. I'm surprised that they're that close."
"Great! But how do we do this?"
"I'm thinking George and you. It shouldn't be too many people, so the GC won't notice as much. You guys will have to walk, and you don't have any disguises or a vehicle of transportation. That's what makes it so dangerous."
"One thing, Rayford. If the GC is so close to them, and we're only half an hour's walk from them, then shouldn't we all get out of here? Fast?"
"You haven't heard the rest of my plan. We'll send Smitty or someone over there once everyone gets to your hideout. There's a little abandoned airstrip nearby. But we'll talk that out later. Just be ready by tonight or tomorrow. We want those believers away from there as soon as possible. The Co-op has notified the group, who'll be expecting you soon."
"Okay. Do you want to talk to George?"
"Yeah, if you don't mind."
Naomi handed the phone to George. Priss gave Naomi an inquisitive look. Naomi motioned that she'd tell her later. With that, she started on her breakfast.