The Mark of the Rebel

by B K Thomas

  “Yes, sir,” Jackson replies as he pockets the money. “So, he says we need to call the Israelis. He indicated they’re up to something. Sounds serious.” Jackson speculates.

  “Get them on the horn. We need to get a piece of this action.” Major Westbrook demands.

  “Yes sir, dialing now.” Sergeant Jackson reaches over to the secure phone and dials Captain Ben Haim’s office. The call rings a couple of times till someone picks up at the other end.

  “Intelligence Directorate, Sergeant Eli speaking.” Sergeant Jackson hears at the other end.

  “Sergeant Eli. This is Sergeant Jackson with US Army intelligence. We received your notification about the Iraqi General kidnapped a couple of days ago. We haven’t had much success in finding the General, and we are wondering if you have any idea of his whereabouts?”

  The other end is silent for a moment. “Why, yes Sergeant Jackson. I remember. We sent you a notification to let you know he is missing, what would you like to know?” Sergeant Eli offers cautiously.

  “Well, we don’t know much about him so maybe you can help me. I have a few questions for you. Where is the General now? Where is he going?” Jackson dug for the intel and smiled knowing the dance has begun.

  “I apologize Sergeant Jackson, but I will have to ask the Officer in Charge, Captain Ben Haim, to sign off on any information I pass along.” Sergeant Eli stalls.

  “That’s fine, I’ll wait while you speak with him.” Jackson stood his ground.

  “Oh, that would be great Sergeant, but he is not in the complex right now. I tell you what. I will let him know you called and are requesting access to any information concerning the General.” Eli summarizes the request.

  “I understand Sergeant please hold for a moment.” Sergeant Jackson covers the mouth of the phone and looks at Major Westbrook and shakes his head no. “The Captain’s not in but he’s going to pass our request along to him.” Jackson relays.

  Major Westbrook picks up a phone and punches a button to jump on the line. “Sergeant Eli, this is Major Westbrook, US CENTCOM ASG, Jordan. I know you guys are holding back some of what you know from us right now but let me make myself clear. If I don’t get some cooperation from you on this, I’ll send it up the chain and I guarantee you, this won’t be the last you hear of it. I’m sure you know the group that snagged the General is out hunting for weapons of mass destruction. We both know it. It will be foolish to let them slip through our grasp right now because of pride or some geopolitical strategic designs on your part. If these jokers light the area up or get their hands on some weapons of mass destruction and distribute them, you can kiss your geopolitical strategy goodbye. It’s in your best interest to share your information with us so we can all make sure the job gets done.” The Major warns.

  Sergeant Eli waits out the Major’s monologue, “Yes sir, I agree.” He does his best to empathize but falls short. “I will let the Captain know your concerns and I am sure he will be pleased to hear of your desire for cooperation. Either the Captain or I will return your call at the earliest opportunity.”

  “Fine”, the Major is incensed, “make it sooner than later Sergeant. I shouldn’t have to remind you there are lives at stake.” The Major slams the phone down. “Smug Israeli. They think we don’t know what they’re up to. They think we’re fools sometimes. I don’t know where they get off treating us like this. We give them everything from training to weapons to money!” He vents.

  “Yes, sir takes some sort of nerve to pull what they do sometimes.” The Sergeant adds.

  “So, what are we supposed to do? Sit around and wait on them?” The Major throws his hands in the air then looks over at his desk. Reflecting on the information gathered so far, he feels a knot in his stomach. “We need to get some eyes on this. Check back with our sources, we have to get something going. I have a bad feeling about this whole operation.”

  Chapter 13

  Damascus, Syria

  Money starts to flow into the account. It is coming from everywhere. People from across the world are sending in donations to help. Yaqeena looks at the balance on the phone screen and her eyes grow big. She is blown away by the response, it is amazing. She knows she has to tell her sister, but how? Surely, she will not object when she sees how great the response is. Right? She tries to convince herself as she musters up the courage to go tell her. She has no choice, there is just too much money is coming in and they need to talk about what to do with it.

  Yaqeena walks into the room nervous with energy. She glances around the room self-consciously. Her sister looks up and smiles.

  “What are you up to?” Sahila asks noticing her unusual behavior.

  Yaqeena works to find the words. “Hey Sis, I need to talk with you. Do you have a moment?”

  Sahila scrunches her face and looks at Yaqeena with a questioning look. “What’s going on?” Sahila asks half bracing herself. A number of thoughts race through her head. She hasn’t heard of anything bad, but that means nothing. She knows there is always a chance for bad news in the middle of a war zone.

  “Well, it’s nothing really.” Her sister sputters. “I mean if you’re too busy, I can come back later.” She says turning to leave.

  “No, it's fine. What’s up with you?” Sahila speaks softly.

  “Okay, fine.” Yaqeena turns back to her sister and continues to spurt half statements. “It’s just, I know you didn’t want to do it, but I did it anyway.”

  “Wait?” Sahila put her hands up to try to stop her sister. “What are you talking about?”

  She pauses, then dives right into it. “Oh well, I went ahead and used our Aunt’s account in France.” She grows a little bolder. “Then I sent a note to the supporters offering financial help and let them know where they can send money.” Yaqeena takes a deep breath and lets out a sigh. “Whew, I’m glad that’s over.” She looks at Sahila with a smile of satisfaction.

  “You did what?” Sahila asks in shock. “I had not decided what I will do or how we will do it!” She exclaimed. “You had no right!” She points at her emphatically.

  Yaqeena shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not, but it’s done.” She looks at Sahila a little sheepish. Her face lights up as she thinks of the account, “Do you want to see how much money we have?” Her sister turns the phone around and hands it to her, hopefully in spite of her objections.

  Sahila takes the phone and looks at it. Her eyes grow big. “Oh my!” She exclaims. “Who would have thought such a thing will be possible!” Her offense is surpassed by awe over the response of strangers. “I would never have guessed they would do this.”

  “I know. I was surprised myself. Pretty crazy huh?” Yaqeena relishes in the revelation with her sister.

  “I wish you would have waited. I have no idea what to do with the money.” She sighs. “How will we keep it away from the government? There are so many things that we have to worry about.”

  “But sister, really, just think about it, we can make a great impact. Your voice can bring change to our country. You will even be a voice heard around the world! We can use this money to live on or even leave here and go somewhere safe. You can’t deny the people want us to be safe. You shouldn’t deny them the joy of helping us either. They have given you money because you speak for them. This can help you speak even louder!” Her sister encourages.

  Sahila pauses for a moment as she reflects on what her sister proposed. “Yes, I guess you are right.” Sahila agrees with reluctance. “We are in danger. We can be killed at any moment without any reason at all. At least we might find a way to use this help and make a greater case to people that might be able to impact this situation. If we die because of that, well, at least we die for a reason and not some random act of idiocy that means nothing.” She stands still and gazes into the horizon. “Those people. I wonder who they are. I wonder what they have been through and what kind of stories they have. Can they even afford to be so generous? I mean, what kind of sacrifice can some of them be making to help us?” She
shakes her head. “All of this is hard to comprehend. Already something good is coming out of all of our pain, unity. It’s hard to accept, but maybe we can build something through our common bonds of tragedy and hope, something worthwhile.” She turns back to her sister, “A better and brighter future.” She announces with a hopeful smile.

  “We will give it our best.” Yaqeena encourages.

  Sahila walks toward the door and turns to look at Yaqeena. “Come.” She motions with her hand. “We must go record a thank you and let the people know we are going to continue to move forward against this meaningless slaughter and those waging it.”

  ***

  Highway 4, Syria

  The General is becoming more concerned. At first, he felt confident he would be able to turn this situation to his advantage. The longer they drive into Syria, the more he realizes his first response was simplistic at best. Though their tactics are barbaric, they are well organized. They are the kinds of men the President has employed. Ruthless yet intelligent. However, these men are not bound by the limits of fear of the President and what he might do to them and their families. These dogs of hell have been unleashed and know no fear. They have no concerns about reprisals because most of them are young and zealous with nothing to lose. They do not think ten or twenty years into the future. They are the worst kind of army to unleash upon a civilization. An army whose only purpose is to kill and destroy in the name of a bigger purpose with few rules and a whatever it takes to get the job done mentality. They give the impression of liberation at the outset of an invasion but once they take over an area, they quickly shift into an oppressive theocracy. Their regime has an intelligence apparatus that is simple yet effective.

  Syria is not a place he would have ever chosen to visit during a period like this. It is even more dangerous than Iraq and his homeland is no picnic. Iraq has endured a long bloody time from the President to the democracy. The people of Syria have suffered endless assaults from their own government opposed to a true democracy. Now they have to endure an invasion by fanatics wanting to impose their demands and they prefer to do it with the most severe terror they can imagine.

  He shakes his head. After getting to know this new enemy better, his confidence has faded. Knowing how dedicated they are and what they intend to do to, while his family is at risk, makes it hard to focus. He needs to engage and sell them the idea he is on their side. They might slip and give him more information that might help him tip off a rescue or at least an idea of how to plan an escape.

  “So, brother,” he says to Mashal and continues. “How long will our trip take us?”

  Mashal smiles, “I cannot say, General. It depends on traffic.” Mashal holds his smile as he looks at the General.

  “Ah yes, one of the greatest enemies to a cause that runs at full speed, traffic.” The General sympathized.

  “Yes, indeed General. Did you know I have been working on this project for some time?” Mashal banters.

  “I can only imagine.” The General continues, “Can I understand this is your idea?”

  “Oh, but of course General.” Mashal turns toward him eagerly. “Yes, I know you will figure it out. It is has been my dream since I was a child. I have been ready to strike a blow against the infidels for a long time. You yourself have been a target of mine for many months. I had heard about you when I was at camp Bucca. Some of the brothers were there and we discussed ways to strike at the heart of our enemies.”

  “Me? Who knows about me?” The General’s brow furrows in suspicion.

  Mashal smiles again. “General, we are everywhere. We know much more than you would imagine. You forget. We have brothers everywhere we go. Allah has scattered us upon the wind across our land and the lands beyond. You will continue to see how much support we have as we move through our enemy’s territories. That prison was a camp that helped me see clearly.” Mashal reminisces. “It was where we brothers learned from each other. It was a great place. I will always be grateful for my time in Bucca. The Americans had gathered us in prison expecting to crush those who opposed their occupation, but it was there where I met some of the greatest men I have known. Men that have vision and the ambition to make it come true. Allah had gathered us in his wisdom. It was there I met the ‘lord of shadows’. He has a keen mind. He used his intelligence work in your president’s government as a template to help us build our networks. He is a great man. There will be songs and poems written about this hero one day. Mark my words. It is at Bucca where we are able to get to know each other better and build trust among ourselves. It could not have been a better situation for building our network. When I left, I had the connections to make my dream become a reality.” Mashal enjoys talking about his past and his future. He is certain they are building the best outcome. “You know General, I saw a video one time of the Americans dropping their bomb in Japan. It was a beautiful sight. The light drove away the darkness. Like ourselves, we drive out the darkness whenever we liberate our people from Western ideas. Ideas meant to enslave and entrap people. Their god is the dollar. Even our deceived brothers here in this country kill each other for the dollar.” He pauses for a moment. “Who is your god, General?”

  “Me? I have no god but Allah.” The General states evenly. “That being said, I have not had time to think of such things.” The General looks away. He looks back at Mashal. “I do not have the luxury to ponder such grand ideas. I have been too busy helping my country survive.”

  Mashal looks at the General intently. “Yes, I know what it means to struggle to survive. I know what it is to be led astray by a government. A government that speaks of doing what Allah has put them in place to do but then never doing it. We are all deceived at some point General, but the time has come to decide who will be your god. Will it be your country, your family, yourself, or Allah?”

  The General smiles back. “While I am under your care, I have time to consider such things.”

  Mashal agrees, “That will be a wise use of your time General. You can never tell what might happen on the road.” He warns, “You should decide before something happens and it’s too late.”

  Chapter 14

  Mossad, Tel Aviv, Israel

  Captain Ben Haim feels better. It was nice to get outside and get the blood flowing to clear his head. He is ready to send these guys wherever they think their paradise might be. He doesn’t care he’s just ready to scratch them off his list of things to do.

  “Hey Sergeant, where are we? Anything new?” The Captain asks as he enters the office.

  “Looks like we’ll be on target shortly sir.” The Sergeant replies.

  “Sounds good. Let’s get this over so we don’t make the wrong kind of history.” Captain Ben Haim says with a smile.

  The Sergeant smiles back and looks at his screen. One box on the screen shows his email but the other displays the drone feed. The images on the screen are unfocused and in motion at first. The camera comes into better focus and shows footage of a broad stretch of terrain then a road appears as it focuses further. The camera on the drone pans further downrange. Initially, there is nothing in sight, but gradually some vehicles come into view. There are not any vehicles on the road, to begin with, but now the camera zeroes in on four rolling north along Highway 4 just a few meters apart.

  “Sir, we have four vehicles heading north that we are just coming up on with the drone. Resources on the ground identified these as our targets. The number of hostiles is up to thirteen now. We are validating they are the correct ones right now.” The Sergeant briefs him. “I’m bringing them up on the big screen now sir.”

  In the front of the room, the screen flickers. Light appears on the screen then a road appears on the display and passing terrain comes into view. They can see the trucks traveling at a quick pace.

  “Wait, Sergeant, last I remember we had three vehicles.” The Captain remarks.

  “Yes sir, our eyes say another vehicle joined them in Al Mayadin with two operators inside.” The Sergeant briefed.r />
  “Well, the more the merrier, I guess. Where are they now? How far out are we from a civilian population?” Captain Ben Haim asks, always looking to avoid bad press.

  “Sir, they’re just passing through Al Jaffrah. Once they clear the next city Deir ez-Zur there will be some open areas to strike.” The Sergeant continues, “so we have about an hour, give or take, before we’re at a good place for a strike.” Sergeant Eli informs him expecting the order any minute once they clear the next city.

  “Okay, so let’s see if we can get a confirmation on these guys if they take a pit stop in Deir ez-Zur. If they don’t, I want to strike as soon as they clear the city. I want to end this little exercise and move on to something better.” The Captain declares.

  “Roger that sir, I’ll let you know as soon as I get something solid.” Sergeant Eli responds.

  Captain Ben Haim walks to his chair and sits down. He swivels around in his seat and looks at the map on the wall. He walks through the different route options. He needs to validate the targets and end the chase. He isn’t a fan of killing the General but knows sometimes there is collateral damage. It is hard to avoid it depending on the situation. In this case, at least he isn’t a civilian. As much as the Captain empathizes with the General’s plight and how helpless he is as a prisoner of ISIS, he knows the man is no saint. The General has been a part of Sadaam’s machine, so it makes the whole thing easier to stomach. The Captain held his family and country above the General’s so ultimately, it is the General or the people he loves the most. It is a no brainer.

  “Sir”, Sergeant Eli calls out to him. “The drone pilot is reporting they are outside Deir ez-Zur. I am going to call to get some ground assets on site to confirm the targets.”

  Great, here we go. Captain Ben Haim thinks as he reviews the situation. I’ve got terrorists in sight with a drone ready to take them out. A fourth vehicle. More bad guys. Fine, we can get more bang for the buck and get rid of some we’d have to take care of later anyway. He smiles at the thought.