Operation Dark Angel: The Rise of Nicolaitanes (Apocalypse Series Book 1)

by Pam Funke

  Byron tried calling his wife a few more times on the way to Jerusalem, but there was still no answer. He was becoming extremely frustrated. He tried to think of where she might take the twins, he did, after all, tell her to leave and go someplace safe. Were they able to get away before the missiles hit? I hope so. I hope she chose a safe place far away from New York City. I don’t even know where they went. Why did I tell her not to tell me? He wanted more than anything to go back home now. He needed to find his family and make sure they were okay. If her cell phone is lost or no longer working, how will I find them? He slammed his hands on the dashboard in frustration. Gage looked over at him but said nothing. Gage made up his mind; he would definitely be sending Byron back home. Besides, Bryon would be completely useless as long as he was worried about his family. Gage could do without Byron for a while.

  Gage smiled, “After our meeting with Prime Minister Olmert, you, my friend, will be on the very next plane back to the states.”

  Byron looked at Gage completely shocked. He could not believe his ears. “What do you mean I will be on the very next plane back to the states?”

  “Look, Byron, you’re worried about your family and you should be. You need to go back and find out what happened to them. You need to know that they are okay and in a safe location. You cannot do that from here. So I am ordering you to go home and take care of your family. I will be okay, Byron. Then afterwards if I need you to come back here, you can. Okay?”

  “Who are you and what have you done with Gage?”

  They both laughed. It was a good hearty laugh, one they had not had in quite some time now.

  Byron looked at Gage seriously now, “Thank you, Gage. This means a lot to me.”

  CHAPTER one hundred and fifty-one

  The safe house is so quiet. I’m not used to it. Serenity fell asleep thinking about everything. At first, she only slept for minutes at a time, waking every couple of minutes to make sure that she was still alone. It took her almost an hour to truly fall asleep. She was beginning to wish for a dreamless sleep as she kept dreaming that the people from the hospital had found her. In the dream, they took Serenity back to a laboratory which looked oddly familiar; and made her kill by participating in a military operation in which thousands upon thousands of people were murdered. She went to the man in charge and told him that she could not participate in such an act of cruelty. The man sat there and laughed at her. The more she tried to reason with him, the more he laughed at her. She did not like the laughter. It was not hearty at all; it was evil, wicked and cruel. She refused to participate any longer and the man towered over her evilly and had her executed. Serenity woke up screaming and in a cold sweat. She looked around her, but she was safe and alone. That dream had seemed so real; she was so glad that it wasn’t. But yet, parts of it seemed familiar. What does the dream mean?

  CHAPTER one hundred and fifty-two

  Prime Minister Olmert sat quietly listening to the news on the television He was distressed as he had no new updates for his people. They still had no clue as to who had attacked Haifa and Tel Aviv. He knew how those other countries must feel, unable to protect their people. He was a little saddened though as his American friend, President Avery, had died in the attacks today. His intelligence team was still working on trying to learn more about these new missiles and the strange new disease which had infected some of his people. So far they had been unable to investigate further for fear of contracting the disease.

  Ruth knocked on the Prime Minister’s door.

  “Come in,” Prime Minister Olmert called.

  “I just wanted to remind you about the reporters from ICNN news are coming to meet with you today,” Ruth said.

  Prime Minister Olmert sighed, he had forgotten all about the interview. He really did not feel like doing the interview now as he did not have anything to tell them.

  “Are you alright, sir?” Ruth asked concerned.

  “I’m okay, Ruth. Thanks for asking. Now please shut the door on your way out, I need some time alone,” Prime Minister Olmert said.

  Ruth nodded and quietly shut the door behind her. She knew Prime Minister Olmert wasn’t as fine as he said he was. How could he be? Ruth herself was not doing all that well. Her heart was still hurting from the events throughout the world over the few days. She went back to her desk and turned on some music; she needed some relaxing time—something to take her mind off of things for a while.

  CHAPTER one hundred and fifty-three

  Gage and Byron finally arrived in Jerusalem. Gage noticed all the beauty of the city—it was incredible.

  “Hey Byron, what do you say we take a tour of the city and see all the sights before we leave?” Gage asked.

  Byron just shrugged his shoulders.

  “Come on Byron, you can show me all the biblical stuff,” Gage added interested.

  Byron looked at Gage. Is he serious? “We’ll see, Gage. Thank you for trying to cheer me up, though.”

  Gage continued to drive to the Knesset for their meeting with Prime Minister Olmert. Gage was a little excited; this was going to be an interesting story, but then he remembered they no longer had any equipment. He pulled over at a camera shop that he saw so they could purchase a new digital camera and video camera. He knew it would not be top quality like the ones they’d had previously. Satisfied with the choices that Byron picked out, they headed towards the Knesset.

  Gage and Byron gathered their equipment,0 press passes as well as their passports. Security was extremely tight at the Knesset on regular days, but with Israel and various other countries having been attacked lately—security was even tighter.

  The guard stopped them at the lobby. “May I help you?”

  “Yes, we have an appointment with Prime Minister Olmert,” Gage said.

  The guard looked at them suspiciously. “One moment,” he replied picking up the phone. He spoke to someone for a moment then hung up. He got up from his desk and walked out into the lobby.

  “Place your equipment over there for inspection and walk through the Full Body Imaging Scanner,” the guard said flatly.

  Byron went through the scanner first and then Gage—neither of them enjoyed the humiliation of the scanners. The guard then went through their equipment and checked their passports. Satisfied he gave them each a pass and lead them to the Prime Minister’s office.

  “Ruth, these gentlemen are here to see Prime Minister Olmert,” the guard said before leaving.

  Ruth looked up at the gentlemen. “You must be Gage Cameron and Byron Masters,” Ruth said standing up and shaking each gentleman’s hand.

  “Yes,” they replied in unison.

  “Please come with me, Prime Minister Olmert is expecting you,” Ruth said walking to the conference room.

  “Prime Minister? This is Gage Cameron and Byron Masters from ICNN news,” Ruth said introducing them.

  “Thank you, Ruth,” Prime Minister Olmert replied. He stood to greet the men then invited them to have a seat.

  “How may I help you gentlemen?” he asked.

  “Do you mind if we record this meeting, Prime Minister Olmert?” Gage asked nodding towards the equipment.

  Prime Minister Olmert thought for a moment but decided it could not do much harm. “But of course, you may. Go ahead and set up your equipment so that we can begin.”

  Byron looked around the room to get the best angle and lighting. After a few moments, he chose a spot and set up his camera equipment. He nodded to Gage when he was ready.

  Gage took out his notepad, although they were recording the interview Gage still wanted his own notes.

  “Are you ready, sir?” Gage asked.

  “Yes, you may begin,” Prime Minister Olmert replied.

  “This is Gage Cameron of ICNN news and I am here talking with Israeli Prime Minister Olmert. Prime Minister Olmert, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk with us,” Gage said.

  “It is my pleasure, Mr. Cameron.”

  “First
of all, I would like to convey our deepest condolences for the loss of so many lives in your country earlier this week. I am truly sorry about the total destruction of Haifa and Tel Aviv.”

  “Thank you so much, Mr. Cameron. The Israeli people appreciate it.”

  “Can you tell us anything at all about those attacks, sir? Do you know who is behind them or why they chose to attack Israel? Why did they choose Haifa and Tel Aviv as targets? Why did they leave Jerusalem alone? Can you tell us anything about the missiles that attacked you?”

  Gage paused to allow Prime Minister Olmert time to answer the questions.

  Prime Minister Olmert closed his eyes for a brief moment. Lord give me strength. “We don’t know much about the attacks on my country. We are still working on a way to be able to investigate the bomb sites without risking more lives. I am doing everything in my power to protect this country and its people. We are still searching for the coward who attacked this country, but as of yet we do not know who it is. No one has come forward claiming responsibility. So no, I do not know why Israel was chosen to be attacked or why Haifa and Tel Aviv were chosen,” Prime Minister Olmert replied.

  “Do you know or have you seen this technology prior? What is this new disease that your people contracted upon rummaging through the bomb sites? What are the symptoms of the disease? Is this contagious and something that people need to worry about?” Gage asked.

  “I have never seen such sophisticated technology in all my life and I have seen some doozies, but this one takes the cake. The disease is unknown to us at this time and we are unsure of what the symptoms are, but we know if you come in contact with it, you will die within a couple of hours. Perhaps if we find someone who is still alive we can observe and figure out what the symptoms are and whatnot.”

  “Have you seen the current news, sir?”

  “But of course, I am deeply saddened by all the attacks around the world today. My heart is deeply troubled.”

  “Do you agree with what they are saying about the attacks—that they are similar or exactly like the attacks on your own country?”

  Prime Minister Olmert pondered over this; he had not even thought about it that way. Was it possible that all these attacks were connected?

  “Mr. Cameron that thought never even crossed my mind, but yes I’m sure it is possible. I will most certainly have my intelligence team look into it.”

  Strange, I was sure that it had already occurred to the Prime Minister. Byron fidgeted behind the camera for a moment; he was anxious to get going. He wished Gage would hurry up already.

  Gage was silent for a moment; he was trying to think of what else he wanted to ask the Prime Minister. He could not go with his original questions since Prime Minister Olmert didn’t seem to know anything.

  He sighed, “Is there anything that you want to say to encourage the people of the world?” Gage asked.

  “Enjoy each moment you have with your families and keep your heads up,” Prime Minister Olmert said standing up.

  Gage got the hint. “Well, thank you Prime Minister Olmert for taking time out to speak with me. Have a wonderful afternoon.”

  Gage shook Prime Minister Olmert’s hand. He signed off the network and gave his microphone to Byron.

  “Well, that didn’t go exactly as I had planned,” Gage told Byron. Byron just shrugged.

  Gage picked up on Byron’s misery. He knew he would have to do something to distract him; the next flight to the United States wasn’t for another 8 hours.

  “Well, now we have plenty of time to kill before your flight leaves for the States. What do you say that you show me some of those wonderful biblical sites that you are always going on about?” Gage said.

  “Yeah, sure, I guess so.”

  They packed up and returned to the rental car. Gage got into the passenger’s seat so Byron could drive. Byron decided to start with a tour of the Mount of Olives.

  CHAPTER one hundred and fifty-four

  Josef was extremely excited; today he would officially be given the title of Pope at his inauguration ceremony. Wearing his best suit and robes, he stood staring admiringly at himself in the mirror for quite some time. Lou knocked on the door.

  “Come in,” Josef called. He watched the reflection to see who it was. “Ah Lou, how are you today my friend? Do I not look great in these robes?” he asked beaming.

  Lou smiled, Josef’s joy was contagious. He was proud of Josef and happy that he was to become Pope.

  “Josef, you look magnificent. I am so proud of what you have accomplished in such a short time.”

  “Thanks, Lou,” replied Josef. I really do make this outfit look good. “By the way, did you need something?”

  “I was just coming to see how you were coming along as it is time.”

  Josef placed his hat on his head and peered at his reflection one more time.

  “Let’s go,” Josef said.

  They went to the sanctuary for the services. Josef was completely at a loss for words. The ceremony was incredible—it was the most beautiful thing that he had ever seen. It even surpassed the royal wedding of England. The ceremony lasted about an hour, afterwards, Josef made a short speech and it was over. Josef stood proudly in the front of the church; he was so overwhelmed he was afraid he was going to cry. Now that he was officially Pope, things could really start to happen.

  Lou crept up to Pope Josef, “They are waiting for you to dismiss them, sir,” Lou said pointing out at the crowd.

  “Thank you, Lou,” Pope Josef replied.

  “When you have finished here sir, the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See would like a private moment with you,” Lou continued before turning and walking back to the sidelines.

  Josef wondered what that was all about. He dismissed the crowd and waited for the last person to leave before going back to his office to meet with the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See.

  Pope Josef asked Lou to walk with him back to his office; he was a little nervous about meeting with the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See. He was ready to begin his own agenda and really did not want to be told what to do.

  “Don’t worry Josef; everything is going to be fine. I think they just want to inform you of your duties as Pope, that’s all,” Lou said trying to cheer Josef up.

  “Thank you my friend.”

  They arrived at Josef’s office, he asked Lou to wait outside. He knocked on his door, “Come in,” a voice replied.

  Josef walked into his office and shut the door. The top officials from the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See were sitting around the table.

  “Ah Pope Josef, please join us,” the woman said.

  Josef chose a seat at the opposite end of the table and sat down. “First, congratulations on your official title as Pope. We are very pleased that you have accepted this great honor. The inauguration ceremony was absolutely beautiful. You have done well. Now, let’s get down to business,” she said before sitting back down.

  “It is time to start setting the stage for your work with the UWR. With current world events this past week, the stage is being set for you to move. Now here’s what we want you to do,” the man said. Josef smiled to himself, this would play out nicely for him.

  CHAPTER one hundred and fifty-five

  Byron decided to take Gage to see the Wailing Wall; afterwards, they would walk the Via Dolorosa to the Mount of Olives. Byron had to admit that he was really enjoying himself and having a good time despite being extremely worried about his family. At least, he would have something to show his wife when he got back as he had filmed everything they had seen in Jerusalem. If I find her, I can share all of this with her. I hope they are okay.

  Gage was enjoying himself as well, “No wonder Byron wanted to see these things. They are truly remarkable. I hate to admit it, but even I can feel something truly spiritual here.”

  They parked the car outside of the Dung Gate and walked into the Old City towards t
he Wailing Wall.

  “Thank you, Byron, for showing me these remarkable sights that you were always talking about. I am truly enjoying myself.”

  “No Gage, thank you for making me do this. I feel better than I did earlier and I am getting to see the things I have only dreamed about. Plus since I have it all on film and I get to share it with my wife. So thank you for giving me this.”

  “You’re welcome buddy. Now come on, I want to see as much as we can before we have to go to the airport.”

  They walked through the wall surrounding the Old City, Gage was taking everything in. He was like a kid in a candy store. Byron smiled to himself. Perhaps, this will lead Gage to want his own personal relationship with God. I truly hope so.

  When they arrived at the Wailing Wall there were many people praying and taking photos in front of the wall.

  “Wow,” Gage said. This is so inspirational. “Come on; let’s get our picture taken together in front of the wall.” He pulled Byron up in front of the wall.

  “Excuse me, but would you mind taking our picture for us?” Gage asked a lady standing near the wall.

  She looked at him strangely for a moment but then consented to take the photo. Gage thanked her. Byron went up to the wall to say a prayer for his family. Gage decided to say a prayer as well.

  “God, if you’re up there it’s me, Gage. Thank you for allowing me to be able to see all of this. It is truly incredible, but of course, You must know that already. Anyway if You really are there, would You reveal yourself to me? Give me some sort of sign that You really are there. Thank you,” Gage prayed silently.

  Byron quietly watched Gage; he smiled but did not say anything. They stood together and posed for the photo. Gage thanked the woman as he retrieved his camera.

  “Byron, aren’t you going to get some footage of the Wailing Wall before we go on?”