by Pam Funke
She knocked on the Prime Minister’s door.
“Yes Ruth, come in,” Prime Minister Olmert called.
“I’m sorry to disturb you sir, but I think you should hear what Mr. Cameron has to say. I think he can help.”
“Ruth, I am in the middle of something and I have to get ready for the meeting in a half hour.” Prime Minister Olmert was annoyed.
Ruth stared at the Prime Minister, then turned around and pushed Gage into the office.
“Just tell him, Mr. Cameron. Sir, I promise you that it will be worth your while,” Ruth said closing the door behind her.
“This had better be good, Mr. Cameron as I am extremely busy.”
Gage was getting ready to begin when his cell phone beeped. He apologized to the Prime Minister then opened the phone to read the text message.
I’VE UPLOADED YOUR SEGMENT. IT IS
BROADCASTING RIGHT NOW. ☺BYRON
Gage looked up at the Prime Minister.
“Sir if you don’t mind, could you turn the television on to ICNN news? There’s a broadcast airing right now I know you will want to see,” Gage asked.
Prime Minister Olmert picked up the remote and turned the television on. He invited Gage to join him over on the couch. Gage watched the broadcast for the first time; he thought Byron had done an excellent job editing. But what was this? Why did he change the language for the man at the wall? Gage was puzzled; he could not understand a word of what the man was saying.
“Who is that man?” Prime Minister Olmert asked.
“We don’t know, sir. But we’ve seen him a couple of times before,” Gage said.
Prime Minister Olmert turned his attention back to the television.
“Strange. Not many people speak Hebrew anymore,” Prime Minister Olmert said.
“He’s speaking Hebrew? That’s weird because when Byron and I were there he was speaking in English.”
Prime Minister Olmert stared at him. He looked back at the television in time to see the man vanish from sight. Prime Minister Olmert blinked. Did I just see…..?
“No, that isn’t possible,” he said.
They watched the rest of the broadcast in silence.
“What kind of fool do you think I am?” Prime Minister Olmert asked glaring at Gage.
“Excuse me, sir? What are you talking about?”
“Do you think I would be impressed with your Hollywood movie tricks?” Prime Minister Olmert said pointing at the television. “Do you expect me to believe that…that really happened? Some supernatural being protected Jerusalem from a missile attack.”
“Sir, I know that it’s hard to believe. Believe me, I was there and it was hard to believe it happened. Hundreds of people were there and witnessed the same thing I did. We did nothing to trick anyone, it really did happen. What more do you want?”
Prime Minister Olmert pondered this. Could it really be true that God was protecting them? Why now?
He turned to face Gage. “What is it you want, Mr. Cameron?” Prime Minister Olmert asked.
“I only want to know the truth. I want to know what’s going on. Why is it that Israel suddenly seems so important?”
“What do you mean?”
“I do not know. I only know that earlier today I was sitting on a plane waiting to leave the country when I had a feeling it was very important for me to stay right here. Something strange is happening here and whatever it is I don’t believe that it is finished. I am trying to figure out what that is and why.”
Prime Minister Olmert just stared at him; he was completely at a loss for words.
A moment later Ruth came flying into the room, she did not even bother to knock. Something was obviously wrong. “Sir, the Head of Intelligence called a moment ago. He wants an audience with you right now! He said that you were to drop whatever it was that you were doing and to come immediately as it was extremely urgent,” Ruth said.
“Now what?” Prime Minister Olmert said getting up and heading over to Intelligence.
CHAPTER one hundred and sixty-five
Seven hours later, Adolph landed in Saint Petersburg, Russia. As soon as he got off the plane, he made a phone call back to the states. Rosalind had told him to call with an update as soon as he reached Russia.
“Hello,” Rosalind answered.
“It’s me, Adolph. I am currently in Saint Petersburg. I’m calling with an update as you asked.”
“Oh yes, hold on a moment while I place you on speaker.”
“Nicolaitanes, Adolph is calling in with an update on Phase 3,” Rosalind said.
Nicolaitanes sat down and nodded for Rosalind to go ahead with the call. She turned on the speaker.
“Are you still there Adolph? Can you hear me?” Rosalind called.
“Yes, I hear you just fine. Everything went according to plan in China. As far as I know, China is onboard. It’s only a matter of time before they initiate their intentions.”
“And just what are their intentions?” Nicolaitanes asked.
Adolph was confused, surely Rosalind had filled in Nicolaitanes as to what he was doing out here.
“They are blaming Israel for the attacks on Beijing. It is only a matter of time before they retaliate and attack Israel,” Adolph replied.
“I see. And you are sure of this?” Nicolaitanes asked.
“Yes, I am sure,” Adolph replied.
“Very well then. Go and finish your mission and report back here immediately. You don’t want to get stuck there in all that turmoil,” Nicolaitanes laughed.
Adolph disconnected the call annoyed. What is with that man? He gathered his things and proceeded to go through customs. He had a little more trouble trying to get into the country then he expected.
“What is your business here? What were you doing in China?” the agent asked.
“I’m on vacation, sir. I am just visiting various places in the world that I have always wanted to see. I visited Hong Kong and also went to see the Great Wall of China. Now I want to see Saint Petersburg. Is there anything wrong with that?” Adolph asked.
“How long will you be in the country?”
“Only a couple of days.”
The man nodded politely though he was still suspicious about Adolph. He stamped his passport then scanned Adolph with the hand held. Adolph walked quickly to the taxicab stand before the man changed his mind. He started to get in a cab when he heard someone calling him.
“Adolph. Adolph Christophe. Wait, please wait,” a woman called out to him.
Now, what? He saw a very beautiful young woman hurrying towards him with an older man in tow. He did not recognize them; he had never seen them before in his life so how was it that they knew him?
“Can I help you?” Adolph asked.
The woman stopped running. The man was clearly out of shape as he was desperately trying to catch his breath.
“My name is Anya Petrov and this is my father Sergei Petrov. Please, you are to come with us. We know why you are here. Please come they are watching us here,” Anya said pointing at the cameras.
Adolph wasn’t sure what to think, how could he trust these people?
“Please,” Anya said gently pulling on Adolph’s arm.
Reluctantly he took his bag back out of the cab and walked away with the Petrovs. Three blocks away they had a car waiting for them. Upon reaching the car, Sergei reached in and pulled a dark bag out of the car.
“I’m sorry Adolph, but it is better if you do not see where it is that we are going. The government watches very closely now and this way if they stop you, you do not know anything,” Sergei said putting the object over Adolph’s head and shoving him into the car.
Everything was dark; Adolph would have to rely completely on his hearing. He didn’t know what to expect. Am I being kidnapped? Just what is going on? He heard two doors close as the Petrovs got into the car. The car then lurched forward as it drove away from the curb. He could hear traffic noise, but it was quickly drowned out as the driver turned
the radio on and turned the music up loudly. So much for that. The car drove for what seemed like hours, however, in reality, it was approximately a 45 minute ride through the city before stopping. He heard three doors open and close as people either got in or out of the car; he couldn’t tell which. He heard whispering before the door next to him was opened.
Anya reached in and helped Adolph to his feet. She then removed the bag from his head.
“Are you alright?” she asked.
Adolph looked around him—they seemed to be on some sort of large estate with a huge house. The architecture was unbelievable. Wow, what I wouldn’t give to live in a place like this. He noticed that Anya was staring at him.
“Sorry. I’m fine Miss Petrov,” Adolph replied.
Anya smiled at him, “Please call me Anya,”
“You are incredibly beautiful,” Adolph said smoothing her hair back away from her face.
Anya blushed at his touch.
“Please, let us go into the house now before someone sees us,” Sergei urged. Adolph followed them into the enormous house.
“What’s with all the secrecy?” Adolph asked.
“Our government has spies everywhere; you never know whom you can trust. You certainly do not want to get caught doing what you’ve come here to do, do you?” Sergei answered.
Adolph thought about it, this was most certainly true. He had heard horror stories about Russian prisons. Once they were inside the house and Sergei had closed the door, Adolph turned on them.
“Who are you people really? How do you know who I am? What do you know about my mission here?” he demanded.
“Easy Adolph, just take it easy,” Anya cooed. “Come into the parlor and we will explain everything.”
Adolph followed her cautiously. He kept his eyes open for any and all potential exits from the house. He still was not sure of what he had walked into. Anya sat down in an elegant chair in front of a roaring fire. Sergei sat across from her on the sofa.
“Please, have a seat,” Sergei asked.
Reluctantly Adolph sat down.
“Look, we know you work for Nicolaitanes Balac. We are working on a project with him as well. We were given your name by his second in command, Rosalind Carey. You do know these people, yes?” Anya asked.
Adolph was shocked. He had no idea there were others like the group. Just how big is this? What kind of power does Nicolaitanes really have?
“You are to please answer question,” Anya continued.
Adolph looked from one to the other. Are they speaking the truth? Can I trust them? What choice do I have?
“Yes, I know them,” Adolph replied.
“Good. Now here’s what we’re going to do..,” Sergei said.
CHAPTER one hundred and sixty-six
Byron flew into Newark, New Jersey. It was the closest airport to his home. He picked up a rental car and then tried calling the house phone as his wife was still not answering her cell. The phone rang, but then he got a disconnected phone message. What in the world? He got into the rental car and headed toward New York City. As he approached the New Jersey/New York state line the road was blocked off completely with concrete blocks and some military vehicles. An armed soldier stopped Gage.
“I’m sorry sir, but you need to turn your vehicle around. No one is allowed into the New York City area,” the soldier said.
“Please, I need to find my family. My home is not too far from Central Park,” Gage replied.
The soldier looked at him sadly. “I’m sorry sir, but if they were anywhere near New York City at the time, then they’re gone,” the soldier replied.
Grief overcame Gage and tears started to run down his face.
“Please, I have to find out whether they’re alive or not. Do you have a wife and children, sir? Wouldn’t you want to know for sure?” Gage pleaded.
“Yes, sir I would. However, I still cannot allow you into the area.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a card. “Here call this number, sir. Perhaps they can help you find your family,” the soldier added handing Gage the card.
Now, what am I going to do? Solemnly, Gage turned the car back around and headed back into Jersey. He was going to have to find a hotel and figure out what to do next.
****
Anya took Adolph upstairs and showed him to his room. It was an elegant Victorian style bedroom. Very romantic.
“Will this suit you?” Anya asked.
“Yes, it is very nice, thank you,” Adolph replied.
“Good. The bathroom is through there. Please to leave the bag here and follow me.”
Adolph took the bag with him and headed into the bathroom and closed the door. Even though they appeared to be who they said they were; he still did not completely trust them. He took his cell out of the bag, wrapped it in a washcloth then laid it inside the top drawer. He used the bathroom and washed his hands. He came out of the bathroom and laid the bag down on the edge of the bed.
“Ok Anya, I’m ready now,” Adolph said following Anya.
At the bottom of the stairway, Sergei was waiting for them with another gentleman. They all followed Anya down the hallway to a gilded elevator. Anya slid the door back and got inside. She waited until everyone was inside before she slid the door shut and pressed the down button.
“Where are we going?” Adolph asked.
“You will see,” Sergei replied mysteriously.
The elevator let them out in a large room filled with computers and other electronic equipment. Now, what is all this?
“Come,” Anya said gesturing for everyone to follow her into the room.
“It is from here, that we can take control of our country’s missiles, intercept radio transmissions, and allow only intelligence we want them to see,” Sergei said. Anya smiled slyly.
“Really? But won’t they know what you are doing here? Aren’t you afraid of getting caught?” Adolph asked.
“But that is the beauty of it. This technology surpasses that of the government’s. I can launch a missile right now and their computers will say the missile is still in its silo,” Anya said as a matter of fact.
Adolph hated to admit it, but he was impressed. Now, I understand why I was to meet up with these people. He knew what it was that they were about to do.
Sergei sat down in front of a computer; he invited Adolph to sit down next to him. Anya stood behind Adolph resting her hands on his shoulders.
“Now, comes the fun part,” Sergei said typing some codes into a program.
Within minutes, they were in the government’s computers and had pulled up various windows.
“Shall we make some countries panic?” Sergei asked.
“What? How are you going to do that?” Adolph asked.
“Well, I can make it seem as though they have numerous missiles heading to their country on radar which in turn will make them fire real missiles at the country they think fired the missiles. But there aren’t any real missiles being launched at their country,” Sergei replied.
“You can do that?” Adolph asked curiously.
“Yes, just watch this,” Sergei replied typing in some coordinates.
“Keep your eye on that screen there,” Anya said pointing. She then turned around and turned the television on ICNN news.
CHAPTER one hundred and sixty-seven
Prime Minister Olmert walked briskly to the meeting room with Gage and Ruth following close behind.
“Wait here,” Prime Minister Olmert commanded closing the door in their face.
How rude? What is it you don’t want us to hear? Gage and Ruth sat down on the bench outside of the room.
“What is it that is so urgent, John?” Prime Minister Olmert asked entering the room.
“Well sir, we’ve been getting chatter across the airways involving China. They are getting their military and planes together in a war effort,” John replied.
“And that’s important to us, why?”
“Sir, the country of China has just declared war
on Israel.”
“They did what!”
“They declared war on Israel.”
“Why would they do that? When did this happen?”
“Apparently they are blaming us for the destruction of Beijing. They declared war on us approximately 15 minutes ago, sir.”
Prime Minister Olmert slid down into a chair completely defeated. He closed his eyes and prayed silently. His country was going to need some help. He opened his eyes slowly and reached for the secure phone.
He looked at John sadly, “Alert our military and prepare our country for war. God help us,” Prime Minister Olmert ordered. He then turned and left the room. He was so preoccupied he had nearly forgotten that he had told Gage and Ruth to wait outside for him. He had walked past them before he remembered they were there. He turned and walked back toward them. Gage and Ruth looked at each other.
“What’s wrong, sir? You seem preoccupied,” Ruth asked.
Prime Minister Olmert continued walking without saying anything.
“Sir?” Gage called.
Prime Minister Olmert turned, “Mr. Cameron I think that it would be best if you went home now. And Ruth, get your family out of the country,” Prime Minister Olmert said.
“Excuse me?” Gage said.
“Look, things are about to get really ugly here and it would be in your best interest to get out now while you still can,” Prime Minister Olmert said.
“Will you please just be straight with us? What is going on, sir?!” Gage asked.
Prime Minister Olmert leaned against the wall; he looked totally defeated.
He sighed, “China has just declared war on Israel.”
Both Gage and Ruth stood there appalled. Ruth looked weak as though she were going to pass out; Gage put his arm around her waist steadying her. Although Gage had felt like something important was going to happen, he by no means expected something as terrible as this. Now he kind of wished he had stayed on that plane. He was thankful Byron had gone home. At least, he was in a good place for a story, as he would experience everything first hand. If I survive this, that is. Ruth suddenly ran back to the office. Prime Minister Olmert and Gage stood staring after her.