Dawn of Hope- Exodus

by Dobrin Kostadinov

  ‘Good afternoon,’ the General greeted politely as he crossed the newly-built office where Phillip worked. The Croatian stood up and saluted the officer.

  ‘At ease,’ the high-ranking officer replied. ‘What’s the news?’

  ‘I called you here to inform you that we are about to run out of money. We need more resources to keep functioning without a hitch. Here is the report for the sum we need for the next month,’ the man explained. Omar studied the papers and saw a rather solid number which was growing with time. That did not scare him as he knew he could provide easily that amount.

  ‘I’ll take care of the matter and in a day everything will be transferred in the base’s accounts, so you can continue your work in the same vein,’ the officer reassured him. ‘Don’t forget to provide air defense to the airport, the barns and the shooting range,’ Omar winked approvingly at his employee and headed for the exit. Watching the military aircraft land near him and the trucks with victuals roaring around on the way to his car, he was seized by the feeling of control and empowerment, a rare visitor in his life. All that was his, all that lay in his male hands and he was slowly beginning to taste the juices of power which accumulated as an immeasurable gauge . . .

  Later in the afternoon he took care of the financial transaction to the base’s accounts. He transferred a much larger sum than the one in the report with the intention to provide even better results. Pressing the last key to finalize the procedure released information which traveled across the world wide web in the shape of electromagnetic waves at the speed of light. With a delay of less than a fleeting moment the information arrived in Germany. Konrad’s team reacted immediately. A minute after the event had taken place he received the data on his smartphone. Radeberg was at a restaurant, just finishing up his dinner when the news arrived. He looked at his phone and in an instant he knew what had happened. He stood up, paid the check and stepped into his car instructing the chauffeur to take him to the place those same people worked.

  ‘I need more information! I want to know not only when and where, but also who does it!’ he blasted in like a hurricane, not bothering to greet. It was plain on his face how tense he was. ‘I want you to confirm if it’s true!’ the rich man repeated several times. He could not believe that the signal had come from Tehran. But if he knew for sure, he wanted to know more, he wanted to know if what he suspected was true. ‘Do we know for certain who’s behind this?’ the president of Helios asked them for the umpteenth time.

  ‘No, Mr. Rageberg, unfortunately that’s the only thing we don’t know, but if we come to know it, we’ll inform you right away,’ one of the men behind the keyboards answered peacefully.

  The German got seriously incensed and hastened to leave the room before he lashed all his anger out on the people working there. He hurried home and while he was still in the car he made up his mind to put together a team and send it to the site and take action immediately because the only thing he did not have was time, he had to act before anyone had time to guess what he had done. Later that day he summoned in his apartment a few people who occasionally did his dirty work. In the afternoon two men, the leaders of two teams, came to his apartment. All dressed in black, wearing black masks, they were hard to distinguish from one another. They planted themselves in front of him, waiting for orders, as he was sitting on his couch, smoking a cigar.

  ‘Now listen and obey because you need to be like my puppies for the money I pay you.‘ He stood up and started talking to them insolently and disparagingly. ‘You will receive information from me and my financial detectives immediately after they process the data and encrypt it. You will follow only the orders you get from me,’ the German would not stop ordering around, pacing two and fro in front of the men and changing his direction every five steps.

  ‘You have to find Harry Rogers, get him and bring him to me! If you can’t catch him alive, make it look like an accident, all right? Call your men and keep me posted, you’re leaving for Iran tomorrow. Spread your teams out around the entire city because it won’t be easy, and don’t forget that I don’t accept failure. The target may be using fake names or may be hiding somewhere. Now go!’ The men in black nodded and walked away. The nameless mercenaries made a plan and set off in search for one man among a million . . .

  The same information that would probably cost the lives of many arrived at one more place, too. Hans’s computer marked the financial transaction. As a NATO employee now the investigator had access to the archives of the World Bank. Konrad had made bank account information inaccessible a long time ago, but the investigator had found another source. He did not forget to share the news with his colleague Ben. On May 11 the two men saw each other to discuss the matter. They met at the usual place–one of Berlin’s favorite restaurants–to talk about personal and business affairs.

  ‘Ben, I’d like to show you something interesting,’ Hans said and took out a tablet with a few extracts on the display. Robinson fixed his eyes so he could see better. He saw a series of digits that looked like a bank account and the coordinates of a location where the last transaction had taken place. ‘ This is happening somewhere in Tehran’

  ‘Good, that will be of immense help, you have to go on keeping track of them. These things can help us build a case against Müller and maybe even against Radeberg himself.’ spoke Robinson.

  ‘Keep track of them? I don’t think so. We’re leaving ASAP. If anything is to happen, it will be on solid ground, be ready,’ Leckerman announced his intentions.

  ‘But I have a job, family duties, I can’t just leave for an indefinite period of time,’ the Major objected.

  ‘Look, this is important, perhaps even more important than any other thing you may have to do here. Take it as a business trip, your wife will also understand if you put it this way. Come on, I want you ready tomorrow, we leave at noon,’ he tried to encourage him in his own way. Apart from all the doubts and risks involved, both men started packing off.

  Ben was in no way enthusiastic because he was not the type of person who had risk coursing through his veins. On the contrary, he was a level-headed person who worked hard sitting behind his desk and who was used to having everything around him organized and ordered. All sorts of extreme situations put him on edge and even left him taken aback, but there was not much to say or do in that case. He felt duty was calling him and only responding to that call was able to solve the mystery they were both working on unveiling. After Leckerman got back home he prepared his luggage and set about compiling a detailed statistics. In all that documentation that he was to type later he was going to include a very important piece–all the people that had any contact with Konrad over the previous two years and whose residence was Tehran. It also contained a list of the wealthiest foreigners who had visited Iran and those who had chosen to stay there. That was part of the specifics that had to be taken into account before they left the country. . .

  About a week later the two lovers Harry and Alice, were spending their time in pleasure in the oases–the pride and joy of the modern world. As a young man who had amassed capital along the years he liked to immerse himself into an ocean of tireless entertainment–he went clubbing, checking restaurants, travelling around the world and collecting pleasant memories which helped him suppress the stamp that the bitter moments in his childhood and early adulthood had left. Nothing gave him greater pleasure than watching the smile on the face of his darling every time it lit her up.

  This smile appeared quite often as a reflection of the happiness she felt. But it also had to do with the fact that Rogers lavished presents and, most of all, kind attitude on her. Every woman would be happy if her man indulged her, even though Alice did not need such ostentation. It was enough for her to see that Harry appreciated her. Sometimes he bought her the same present twice, she never gave it back to him, nor did she ever tell him about it; instead she just took the gift as though it was something new to her and enjoyed it if it she saw it for the first time. The truth abou
t the depth of their love remained a secret of their own because their feelings could not be discerned by the people in their circle.

  On May 17 the young couple had breakfast at ten in the morning, then left the hotel and headed for a round about a few museums they had marked out as to-go places earlier that week. They had chosen the Museum of Decorative Arts and the Museum of Treasures, most probably they would not have time to check anything else as the two sites were more than vast. The tour of just the first one was going to take them more than four hours. The decorative arts were spread around on sevety-five acres of gardens, recreation sites and rooms filled with handmade clay pots, pictures and furniture. A truly amazing place that had much it could impress its visitors with. But the thing that enthralled them completely was the Museum of Treasures. It had gathered between its walls a rich history in the form of gold treasures and other precious objects from the everyday life of the peoples who had lived and passed through those lands. The Persian gold treasure was one of the most interesting findings exhibited in the building. Harry stood in front of that extraordinary finding, impressed and pensive. All the exhibits in the museum paled into insignificance compared to the ancient gold and it came to show that even the kings and the shahs who lived centuries before us had no less strong affinity for treasures. That applied every bit as much to many contemporary people. Obviously human greed was a quality that even the millennia could not eradicate. Looked through the prism of the past and the present, humans looked all the same with their unquenchable thirst for splendor–that variable had only gone up . . . That and other odd thoughts crossed the hacker’s mind as they walked about the building, commenting the exhibits. The whole visit, seeing all those treasures and riches was unforgettable. The size of the place was rather impressive and the clock struck four when they had finished their tour.

  ‘It’s already late, why don’t we go have a bite somewhere?’ Harry asked.

  ‘Yes, let’s go. Besides, my feet hurt already, it’s time to go,’ Alice said.

  ‘All right, let’s head back for the hotel, I think that on the way here I saw a restaurant we still haven’t been at.‘

  ‘Come, I’ll take you there,’ he said as he took her by the hand and as a gesture of trust she placed her small palm in his large manly hand. Harry kissed her knuckles and they left.

  They saw something in the distance that attracted their attention. It was a large square with a video wall installed. Driven by curiosity, most of the people who crossed the perimeter halted to take a look and some of them even stayed on to watch. The central city alley led to that spot. Fountains and statues rose up, running parallel to one another, and together with the trimmed decorative trees they created a picture of beauty and splendor both for the citizens and the visitors of the gigapolis. A few police patrols and many civilian police officers planted among the multitude maintained the order; on the whole the situation was quiet.

  ‘What could they be doing there?’ Alice wondered.

  ‘We’re about to find out,’ Harry said, heading for the inner part of the square. He noticed how little by little people started clustering together in front of the newly-built screen, waiting for something extraordinary to happen. After he examined the atmosphere more closely, the truth dawned on him.

  ‘Iris 1 takes off today, that’s what all this is about. Shall we stay and see what happens?’ Rogers asked with vivid enthusiasm.

  The beautiful woman had completely forgotten about the event and after her beloved reminded her of it, she could not hold back the mixed feelings it invoked in her. She wanted to see how the shuttle split the sky and headed out into the outer space, but at the same time she felt hurt by the fact that she was not up there, along with the team, like a true heroine. That made her extremely sad and Harry noticed that.

  ‘Shall we go, honey?’

  ‘I don’t know, I guess not. It’s hard for me to decide, but I’m curious what will happen.’

  ‘Good, we’ll stay, but if you decide otherwise, we’ll leave immediately. I’ll go get something to drink and eat from that kiosk over there. You can stay here, you don’t have to come with me,’ the Englishman left his better half for a while. He left her alone with her thoughts while she was looking at the video wall in the company of thousands of other people who were waiting standing or sitting wherever they had found a place to. The event had stirred up immense interest and the crowd thronged the square quickly–that brought movable kiosks springing up like mushrooms. Harry headed towards one of them. He ordered two bottles of mineral water and some packed roasted nuts, so they had something to eat and drink while watching. He reached in his pocket for his wallet and saw he did not have enough cash. The squandering of money had taken its toll. He had not taken enough money from the hotel. That was not a problem, fortunately he had a few credit cards on him, but he was not sure it was prudent to use them. The hotel was far away and he did not want to embarrass himself like that in front of the people and especially in front of his beloved. Who cares, no one will notice, he told himself several times and paid with one of the cards. As usual, he took the risk with a smile and wearing the same smile on his face he returned to Alice and waited for the beginning with her. The wall was already showing frames from the place, but there was more time until the culmination itself came . . .

  Apart from the two lovebirds and the crowd that was growing ever thicker, resembling the commotion at football games, two other interesting persons were among the lot. Hans and Ben’s way accidentally took them right to this place and through the multitude and they felt like staying and watching. They had failed to find any evidence implicating Konrad or Klaus and they were a bit disheartened by the entire situation–full of tension and setbacks. While the two visitors were striding about the central spots and parks they came upon the video wall that compelled everyone to stop.

  ‘Ben, look. What’s happening?’ Hans asked surprised.

  ‘Don’t you know, Eisenhower’s six is leaving today. I suppose all of that is because of them. They’ve generated quite an interest and most people want to see how our heroes take off. The world hasn’t seen them, their identities were kept a secret for security reasons. But I saw them the very same day I met you. They were running on the range and I had a glimpse of them,’ the Major remembered with a smile.

  ‘Do you want us to stay and watch?’ Hans asked out of curiosity.

  ‘Yes, I thought you you’d never ask,’ Ben responded enthusiastically and headed towards the crowd.

  Once they mingled with the crowd, they understood that the launching was the highlight of the day not only in the capital but all around the world. Such screens were installed on several spots in the northern part of the city, but those living in the suburbs and the ghettos had to watch the event alone on their TVs. The walls that separated the neighborhoods had additional security reinforcement because many people were afraid of possible terroristic attacks. And that fear was not unfounded since the six screens in the city were expected to gather a total of a few million people. And that number was reached. Hans and Ben almost caught the beginning of the broadcast and saw the thousands of people who created so much noise that they had to speak really loud so that they could hear each other.

  ‘I think we are at good spot here–neither too close, nor too far–that’s good,’ Ben shared as he rose up on his tiptoes every now and then, short as he was, to see what was going on…

  Many people all over the world were excited about the event. That was going to be the number one event in human history. Tens of billions of spectators anticipated the forthcoming in front of the walls and observed the frames, holding their breath. Lots of people would go far just to be able to attend the launching at the pad and feel the power of the machine as it took off, the machine which inspired invincibility, but also hope . . .

  One of the men who had a front-row ticket was Konrad himself. He entered the hall especially built for the big shots who had participated actively in the project and headed fo
r the seat bearing his name. He had shaken hands with everyone in the hall before he managed to get to his seat and settle into it undisturbed. Apart from the incredible view that opened out the bulletproof windows, there was an extra wall placed in front of the audience where they projected scenes from the news helicopter reports as well as all sorts of information about the launch. The hosts of the base had provided everything the moguls would need so they could enjoy the moment . . .

  But from the covered platform that led to the shuttle came seven instead of six people. That surprised many, almost everyone who watched, Radeberg including. A good number of people could not believe their eyes. That was a big change in the plan and everybody prayed it was for the best. The German rich man watched amazed as his cell phone started ringing. At first he did not notice it, but then he started looking around trying to establish whose phone could possibly be ringing at such a moment. A few people around him were looking at him and he finally realized it was his phone making the noise. Once he recovered from his startle, he rose up and pulled out his phone–an unexpected name had appeared on the display. He cancelled the call, excused himself and went out so he could call back and talk out of everyone’s earshot. It was one of his most trusted men calling to deliver a piece of good news.

  ‘We found him, Sir, we know his exact location. We intercepted a credit card payment made by someone under the name of Harry Rogers. It was used at a kiosk in Tehran. We busted him. Do I send his location to the teams nearest his whereabouts?’

  ‘Yes, send in the teams immediately,’ Konrad ordered.

  ‘Roger that, Sir,’ the man said and the line went dead.

  Radeberg headed for the door, but his phone rang again.

  ‘We pinpointed the kiosk, Sir, but we have a problem. There are many people. It’s packed with people who want to see the launching of Iris 1. There’s too many of them,’ the ruffian signaled.