The Zondon: Terrorists and Aliens (an International Suspense Thriller)

by RobCharters

  The three of them got in.

  Ernie went on. 'I need to talk to the two of you about an acquaintance of yours. I believe you know a Dr. Nicolai Stanovitch?'

  'Oh -- er -- what about him?' There was almost a fear in his eyes at the mention of his name.

  'First, why don't you come with me. You can take a shower and freshen up and maybe get a bite to eat. It will be safe there. Don't worry.'

  The two readily got into the waiting taxi with Ernie, and they were off across town to Boz and Bless' residence.

  Ernie had already whispered something in Sean's ear about getting to the bottom of Nicolai Stanovitch's network, so Sean was left to assume that Ernie was a sort of undercover agent for some police force or other. Ernie thus had an excuse not to show up at work any more.

  The general atmosphere of the neighbourhood gave Les a secure feeling. That, and a bath and food in the stomach (Bless's chicken masaman curry), put both brothers at ease.

  Ibrahim, who had been slipping and sliding around on Gift's roller blades, was called inside.

  'I'm assuming you'd prefer Dr. Stanovitch didn't know your present where-a-bouts.' Ernie said that in a tone that put Les at ease.

  'Yes, definitely.'

  'All of us here would prefer that as well.'

  'How so?' asked Les.

  'Because of who Stanovitch is, and who we are. I'll begin with who Stanovitch is. But first, what is your perception of him?'

  'He's a man with some very powerful tricks up his sleeve. A man bent on conquest. The more I know of him, the more confusing it all gets.'

  'Let's start with the bit about "power",' began Ernie. 'He gains power over people by offering them power over others. Is that how he first approached you?'

  Les thought a moment. 'Well -- yes. In fact that is how he approached me. He -- well -- er...' He looked sheepishly over at Len.

  'Go ahead,' said Ernie.

  Les wasn't sure how to proceed, nor if it was even safe to.

  Rosa said, 'I think there's something you need to release before we can go much further in this. Remember, you are among friends.'

  Len looked suspiciously back and forth between Les and the others.

  Finally, after a long pause, Les, almost tearfully said, 'I'm sorry, Len.'

  'B-b-but -- for what?'

  'The first time I met Stanovitch, he said that if I played my cards right, and went into economics, I could -- well -- control you...'

  Len was speechless.

  '...and -- well -- that's what I've been doing -- controlling your life -- playing mind games. I -- well -- er -- I even kept you from getting that position with IBM. Er -- you really would have had a swell future -- with IBM I mean...'

  'You -- you bloody ...!' The effect of Ernie's hand on his back cooled him down in mid sentence.

  'He was controlled by Stanovitch,' Ernie whispered to Len, so only Len would hear it, but not Les, who needed to experience the full value of confessing the acts as though only he were responsible. Len needed the therapeutic effect of forgiving.

  'I have been a bloody fool,' said Les, as soon as it seemed safe to proceed. 'And look what I made you. You used to be a good decent bloke, but the stuff I put you up to...'

  After a few more confessions, Len finally found it in his heart to forgive his brother, and they were back to being on twinly terms.

  'Okay,' Ernie began again. 'Let me tell you a bit more about Stanovitch, a few things you didn't know.'

  Les and Len gave him their full attention.

  'The man, Nicolai Stanovitch, is a only a man, of the medical profession. He may have wanted a bit more wealth, maybe a bit of power, whatever, but somehow, he opened himself up to something called a "Glaat".

  'A Glaat,' Ernie went on, 'is an extraterrestrial being. This Glaat lost it's body in an explosion, and found its way to Earth for the purpose of arranging a chain of events, which I'll get to. It has been using the body of Dr. Stanovitch for its purposes, and the powers he uses are not of a human source. Some of his techniques are possible for humans, and he has, no doubt taught some of them to you and others in your network.'

  Les nodded.

  'Eventually, he would have taught you a few things beyond the capacity of most humans. You'll understand why in a moment.

  'Now, the question of who we are. But first, tell me, Les. Have you ever dreamed you were in outer space?'

  Ed Durant leaned forward to hear his answer.

  'Well, yes. At one point I was dreaming about it quite regularly. I even wanted to become an astronomer -- before I met Stanovitch.'

  'You had dreams about being on a space ship, and about a green crystal, and all that, but your twin brother didn't.'

  'Er -- yeah, there was a crystal too and -- um -- how do you know all this?'

  'I'm also a twin. My twin brother was more focused than I was, and I kept having dreams of outer space and of a green crystal. May Lin, here, is from Malaysia. She also has a twin sister, and she had dreams of outer space. Over there, is Ibrahim, a Tajik lad from northern Afghanistan. He has a twin brother, and he...'

  'Had dreams of space?' finished Les.

  'Yes.'

  'Weird!'

  'You know Ed, don't you Les?' asked Ernie.

  'Of course I do.'

  'You know he has an identical twin brother?'

  'Yes. Gilbert. I know him. Did he also ...'

  'Yes he did,' answered Ed. 'Before he met Stanovitch.'

  'But -- what does all this mean?' said Les.

  'Your dreams are actually a part of your memory of what you were before you were born,' Ernie continued. 'There are seven of us altogether. We were, and still are on an important mission. Stanovitch, or rather, the Glaat inside Stanovitch, knows about us.'

  Len shifted position, plunked his left elbow on to the arm of the sofa, threw his right hand in the air, and silently mouthed the word 'What?' The look on his face suggested that he had been plucked out of a frying pan and plopped right into the middle of a game of dungeons and dragons.

  Ernie went on, ' Stanovitch has tried to pre-empt the mission by seducing as many of us as he can, which he succeeded in doing to you and Gilbert. We're not absolutely sure but we think the seventh is an acquaintance of yours, Joseph Gilderman. Do you know if he has a twin?'

  'He has a brother, a rabbi, in Jerusalem.'

  'Does this look like the crystal you saw in your dreams?' Ernie showed it to him.

  Les looked in amazement, and nodded slowly.

  It was probably the shock of the sudden face to face encounter with what he somehow always knew to be true. The words were on the tip of his tongue.

  'Vratzan Ghish Draz.'

  The crystal did its thing.

  * * *

  Ibrahim hacked into four different offshore banks and opened an account in each. Using Les' access codes, he transferred most of the money from his accounts, routing it to all sorts of places so they finally ending up in the new accounts. Using the crystal for the extra edge, he was able to make the money virtually disappear in one place, and reappear in another as only central banks can do. For added safety, he left just enough in Les' original account to make Stanovitch think it was still there, should he decide to empty it, and not attempt to look elsewhere. Les also told him to put money in other odd accounts, such as Abdul Kalif's, Ernie's parents', Ed Durant's and into Rosa's State-side bank account. One of the new accounts was for Len with enough start up capital for his own computer firm.

  Now, most of Les' money was safe.

  A quick search of airline passenger lists showed them that Dr. Stanovitch had travelled to Islamabad several days after Ernie and company without bothering to disguise his movements. Next, his name was found on a flight from Dubai to New York. As Ariana Afghan Airlines isn't computerised, it was impossible to get a passenger list, but a check of the FBI files showed that an agent had spotted him on his way from Kabul. Right now, Stanovitch was on a flig
ht to Tokyo.

  A plan was hatched: The seven of them, including Ed and Nitaya, would fly to Malaysia as a group. Ernie and May Lin would arrive there on their Canadian Passports, and Les would take Ernie's South African passport and have it altered. He knew someone who could do it. Even though Stanovitch probably knew their false Canadian names from having checked the FBI files before they were erased, he didn't know the S.A. names. For what they were about to do, Les needed the anonymity more than they.

  Len went back to Belfast to do some looking about to start his new business.

  Ernie and May Lin had an extra stop of their own to make, in Penang. Among the few privy to it was Les, who made them a hefty loan for the purpose.

  Part IV - Operation Nostradamus

  Chapter 37

  Joseph Gilderman was already seated in the clubhouse dining room when Gil Durant arrived. Gilbert was directed to the table.

  Joseph nodded in acknowledgement of his arrival, while Gilbert looked as though he were entertaining the question, 'What kind of company does Armstrong keep?'

  The two sat in uneasy silence for a while.

  Finally, Gilbert spoke up.

  'You - er - a friend of Les Armstrong are you?'

  Joseph nodded slowly.

  It certainly didn't break the ice. Not that Gil especially wanted it to. Both sat and silently tried, unsuccessfully, to probe one another's minds and establish a pecking order.

  Their misery was finally ended when Les walked to the table with a stranger.

  'Gentlemen, sorry I wasn't here to introduce you. Joe Gilderman, Gil Durant, and this is Thomas Gromley.'

  Gilbert grimaced at the name 'Gilderman'.

  Les ordered drinks: a cup of tea asked for Thomas, and cocktails for the other three.

  After some small talk -- what there was of it -- Les began:

  'I hate clich?s, but here goes anyway: You may be wondering why I called you here today. The fact is, we all share something in common. We all are, or were,' nodding towards Thomas, 'colleagues of the good Dr. Nicolai Stanovitch. Also, I wanted you two to meet one another, and my friend, Thomas Gromley, whom I came to know almost by accident. Thomas, tell these two just a little bit of what you were doing before deciding to push off on your own.'

  'I was given to believe,' Gromley began, 'that Nicolai Stanovitch, in regard to Northern Ireland, was a staunch believer in the British system, and therefore a Unionist supporter. He set me up in the business of finance, and encouraged me in my Loyalist leanings, and soon he and I began channelling funds to the UVF and the other paramilitaries.'

  'The UVF?' said Joseph. 'That's a Protestant militia, isn't it?'

  'That's right. That was until I began to consider accepting an offer with a prestigious financial firm, despite Stanovitch having other plans for me. He said I would have done much better with him, which I didn't doubt. It's just that I was getting a bit sick of being under the doctor's shadow all the time. But -- well, he didn't see things my way.'

  Joseph summarised, 'So the reason you called us here is to reveal to us that Stanovitch supports both the Roman Catholic and the Protestant factions in Northern Ireland. Go on...'

  'But wait a minute,' Gil interrupted. 'What you're saying is that you're IRA, and he's UVF, both working for Stanovitch?'

  'That's right,' said Les.

  Thomas nodded.

  Joseph was still staring at Thomas as though he were an exhibition piece, while Gill continued:

  'But how could Dr. Stanovitch be supporting the UVF and the IRA? Is this bloke off his bean or are you?'

  'That's what I wondered at first,' returned Les. 'Then, I began to notice other strange things which by comparison, make it look like...'

  'How do you know he's telling the truth, Les?' interrupted Joseph, finally looking away from Thomas. 'Does he even know Stanovitch?'

  'I first met him while in Stanovitch's company. Stanovitch had me along to show me a demonstration of his power to destroy people. I watched as he put a whammy on him. And I can attest that he had advanced a lot under Stanovitch's personal power methods. But one stare from Dr. Stanovitch, and he was totally incapacitated.'

  'I know people who have lost their minds from his death stares. Some have died. Yet, he looks perfectly normal to me.'

  'I did lose my mind,' said Thomas. 'I'd still be in the gutter now if God, in His mercy, hadn't reached down...'

  'You don't freak'n get it do you!' retorted Gill. 'Why would Stanovitch support both his part in the UVF and his, in the IRA?'

  Thomas sighed and shifted in his seat. Obviously he wasn't a part of this conversation, only the subject.

  'I have no idea why he would. I just know he did,' said Les. 'Now, to shift the subject away from Tom for a moment (sorry, Tom) I didn't complete the introduction of you two,' indicating Gil and Joseph. 'Joseph, I met Gilbert through our friend, the doctor. He sent me a note saying I was to help him begin a record shop chain, and that the proceeds of his business would go to a "good cause". Neither he nor Gil would tell me what that "good cause" was.'

  Gilbert was now staring at him with a startled look.

  Turning to Gilbert, Les went on: 'Gil, Joseph here is a financier. He also works closely with Dr. Nicolai Stanovitch. He's had a hand in financing things that would utterly surprise you.'

  'Be careful, Les,' said Joseph calmly.

  'Social unrest in a few places,' Les went on, 'Degradation of social morals, corruption of our youth...'

  'Les,' said Joseph, slowly.

  'In fact, if you really want to know, Gil, Joseph is the epitome of what your hero, Adolph Hitler warned us all about: the international Jew!'

  'Les, you're going too far. I'm warning you,' said Joseph, now for the first time, verging on emotion.

  'I don't believe you,' stated Gil. 'And I don't believe you know Dr. Nicolai Stanovitch,' he said to Joseph.

  'I assure you, Gil, that Stanovitch is very much involved in this man's activities,' said Les. 'In fact, behind every "protocol" of every "elder", Zionist or otherwise, you can look for Stanovitch.'

  'But Stanovitch hates the Jews!' stated Gil. 'He taught me to hate Jews!'

  'Are you a Nazi?' said Joseph.

  'The bloody hell I am!'

  'Yes,' reaffirmed Les. 'He's a Nazi, you're a Jewish financier, he was UVF and I'm IRA. All of us together in Stanovitch's network, for whatever reasons known only to the good man himself. That's what I thought you all would appreciate knowing. He's probably got Osama bin Laddin working for him too for all we know -- and Bill Clinton, and Monica ...'

  'Les, it's quite obvious to me that you've paid these gentlemen to come in here and try to confuse me. What's more you're seriously flirting with danger. When Stanovitch hears of this you'll be in for the real thing. Not what this faker says he's been through.' Joseph got up to leave.

  Before walking out of the room, he turned to Les with a smirk and said, 'Surely you could have found a better actor then him!'

  He was away.

  'B-but he...' Gil was flustered. 'Is he really on the inside track with Stanovitch?'

  'Why do you think Stanovitch told you to keep your "good cause" to yourself, and not even tell me about it?'

  'How did you know about it then?'

  'You won't kill him, will you,' answered Les, 'if I say your brother told me?'

  'Edmond? Where is he?'

  'In a safe place.'

  'If what you've been saying is true, no place within a mile radius of you is safe,' blurted Gil.

  'Don't worry. He's safe, even if I'm not. But you need to do some real deep thinking about where you are, where you're going and what's motivated you,'

  Gilbert asked some more questions, both of Les, and also of Thomas. Thomas' answers assured him that he did, indeed, know the same Nicolai Stanovitch as Gil, and further more, Stanovitch was about as reliable as a feather in the wind.

  'So when can I see my brother?' said Gil, finall
y.

  Les pulled a slip of paper out of his pocket and passed it to Gil.

  'You can meet him at this address any time you feel you're ready.'

  The moment Gil saw it, he knew it would indeed take some getting ready on his part. It was the name and address of a Rabbi Simcha Gilderman, in Jerusalem.

  Chapter 38

  It's not that Joseph failed to believe a single word Les was saying -- though the thought of a Neo Nazi being a member of the network was rather pushing it. It's just that he believed in giving the old man the right to include whomever he wanted, provided Joseph was guaranteed a place in the world order that would result. That meant playing the fool on occasion.

  It was, after all, for a good end. Only he was in the position to see that. Les and the others were not in on the grand scheme, and there was no way he could have logically explained any of it to them.

  He was promised a high position indeed, if he played his hand right. The last thing he needed now was a schmaltzy moralist distracting him from his single minded objective.

  Maybe there was a Neo Nazi or two in the ranks. To come to think of it, it would be surprising if there weren't. Stanovitch already had far worse than that in the greater network. Joseph had sat for a cup of turkish coffee with people whose very names send shivers down the spine of every Israeli, known to all but readers of Western press to be sworn to the soul object of ridding the world of the 'Zionist menace'. Joseph had even been to the underground hide-a-ways under the mountains of Southwest Afghanistan.

  Also, they had been to Iraq together. The powers-that-be weren't as religious there, but could be just as loathing of the Jews because that enhanced their political clout in the greater Arab world.

  Les' wild speculation had been right.

  So why did the thought of Nazis bother Joseph? Maybe it was because they had already launched their program once, and almost succeeded. For six million of his kind, they did succeed.

  These others hadn't been given the chance yet. They would only be allowed to proceed part way, and that would do, according to the doctor's master plan.

  Part of Joseph's job, in his visible role to the outside world, was to be the dirty Zionist, or Henry Ford's 'International Jew' -- confirm every notion held by anti Semites of what the Zionists were up to. Live up to every Protocol. Not only that, but act as though every Jew in earth were cut out of the same stuff as he, all in on a common objective to subvert every good thing known to man. For that, Les had served his purpose simply by pointing him out to Gil.