by Ken W. Smith
Renee smiled, “You are an observant man, Sammi.”
“Will you two stop,” Moses said as the big man struggled to maintain his balance on the narrow path. “I am, how you say, height scared.”
“The term is scared of heights,” Renee said. “You will be okay. Do not look down.”
“Ha, easy for you, my petite little friend.”
“How long until they find the pickup?” Benoit asked from the end of the line. Will they think to search the cliffs?”
“We told them we would be there for an hour or two,” Antonio said. “It will likely take another hour before they realize we aren’t coming back. After that, they will probably use a helicopter to search for us.”
Jay saw the path was heading around a steep headland jutting out into the ocean, “If you all don’t stop talking and focus, we’ll be swimming for our lives.”
“This is a difficult section,” Renee said. “The path goes very close to the water.”
The path was little more than six inches wide as it descended below a large outcropping. Jay held on tight as the waves battered the stone cliff only a few feet below his feet. The cold spray felt refreshing. Unfortunately, it also made the path wet and the safety wire even more rusted and frayed. If it broke and they fell into the ocean, the surf would pound them against the cliff.
“We are approaching the border,” Renee said, pointing ahead. “The tower up above holds wires for a cable car. It is located at the Rosh Hanikra grotto in Israel. The path will ascend from here. Finally, it ends at the entrance to a grotto where we can cross under the border.”
“Why doesn’t Hezbollah use this path?” Jay asked.
“Because of Israeli patrols… Help!”
“Renee!” Sammi yelled as he grabbed Renee’s hand.
She screamed in terror as she hung from Sammi’s arm in midair. Apparently, a rockslide washed out the path.
Jay grabbed Sammi and Antonio grabbed Jay. Then, in a split second, the entire team clung to each other like a barrel full of monkeys anchored by Moses at the back of the line.
“My grip is slipping!” Renee screamed. “You need to pull me up!”
“Reach down and grab her by the shoulder!” Jay yelled at Sammi. “I’ve got you.”
Sammi looked back at Jay with a look of dread. “What if I drop her?”
“You won’t! Now hurry!”
Jay wrapped his hand around Sammi’s waistband and held on tight. Then, he lowered him down, holding his entire body weight with his right hand as his left held onto the safety cable.
Sammi grabbed the collar of Renee’s dress and pulled her up until she could wrap her arms around his neck. Then Jay tried to pull them both up.
“Antonio. Everybody! You need to pull me back up! I can’t hold them!”
* * *
The image from the Reaper drone was useless at this time of night. Even though the newer models were equipped with night vision equipment, the mist rising off the ocean obscured the image. Kyle was scared. Jay and his team were in trouble, and he was hopeless to do anything.
“Any sign of them?” Gia asked as she paced the Maravista command center. We have to do something.”
“No, I lost them when they took the path down towards the ocean. The screen is blurry, and the drone can’t go any lower.”
“What do the tide charts say?”
“Low tide was two hours ago,” Kyle said. In less than an hour, the path will be underwater. They need to traverse the rockslide zone if they want any chance to survive. Are you sure that wire rope will hold them?”
“No, but my friend in Mossad insists it is safe,” Gia said. “So they continue to use the course for training. Just not at night. It’s too dangerous.”
“Great, we have six operatives and a Hezbollah defector on a path too dangerous for Mossad to use. So we have to rescue them! Plus, we have a development in the investigation, and we need Jay back here.”
“I’ll make a call. But you have to leave the command center, Kyle. It’s highly confidential.”
* * *
Like a highly tuned tug-of-war team, McCoy, Benoit, Moses, and Antonio pulled simultaneously. Jay held onto Sammi’s waist, who, in turn, held onto Renee.
Jay felt a tremendous force pull him back towards the path.
“Sammi, grab the cable,” Jay yelled over the roaring surf, now rising closer and closer to Sammi’s feet.
“I got it, but Renee won’t let go of my arm!”
“She needs to. She must pull herself up the cable towards the top of the cliff. It’s our only way out.”
“I can’t do it,” Renee said. “I’m exhausted. I need a few minutes to gather my strength.”
“We don’t have a few minutes. But, the tide is rising, and we will soon be underwater.”
Renee looked at Jay with tears streaking down her face, “Jay, if I could do it, I would. My arms are rubber. Please, you go first. I must rest.”
“I can’t. There isn’t enough room on the path to get past you.”
“But if I go up and the cable breaks, you will be stranded. I cannot bear the thought of all of you drowning.”
“We won’t, but you must start climbing.”
Sammi held Renee steady as she reached out to grab the safety cable, which dangled in the air above the washout area. It rose at a forty-five-degree angle and disappeared into the mist hovering over the rising ocean. She grabbed the cable with her left hand, pulled herself up, and grabbed the line with her right. Then, with both hands on the cable, she stepped off the cliff.
Jay gasped as the cable dropped precariously close to the waves. Renee hung on for dear life as she whipped back and forth until the cable settled. Then she began to pull herself up, hanging on by sheer grit and determination.
She disappeared into the mist, and Jay held his breath. It seemed like hours, then he heard her voice, “I’m safe! Send Sammi!”
* * *
It was Jay’s turn to go.
He stared at the cable and prayed his arm wouldn’t fail him. Then he focused on his mission and stepped off the cliff. The drop towards the wave took his breath away. He sunk into the surf up to his waist, then the wire sprung back up, and he hung a few feet above the waves. He reached up with his right hand and let go with his left—no pain in his neck or shoulder. Jay breathed a sigh of relief, then methodically pulled himself up the cable until he reached the opening to the grotto. Renee and Sammi reached out to pull him up, and he let go of the cable.
“Antonio, you can go!” Jay yelled.
* * *
Jay and his team stood inside the grotto, looking down at the tide engulfing the narrow path they stood on just moments earlier. He was grateful his arm survived the brutal climb. His next move was to figure out how to cross the Israeli border without getting killed by mines or Israeli border guards.
Benoit and Moses returned from a quick reconnaissance run to learn what their options were.
“We are three hundred meters short of the border,” Benoit said. “The land between the grotto and the wall is filled with land mines.”
“Plus, border guards patrol top of wall,” Moses said. “We are, how you say in English, fucked.”
“I thought we would come out on the Israeli side of the blue line,” Renee said. “I was obviously wrong. So now, what do we do?”
“We go through minefield,” Moses said. “I lead the way.”
“Don’t be stupid, Moses,” Antonio said. “You’ll get yourself killed, and the border guards will shoot the rest of us. There must be another way.”
Jay listened to the banter and tried to figure a way to cross the border. Then he heard the familiar sounds of a helicopter approaching from the north. The UNESCO security team was searching for them.
“Can we get closer to the wall?” Jay asked. “Perhaps we can call out to the guards to help us.”
“We do not know where the landmines start,” Benoit said. “It is too risky. We must go back into the cave to eva
de detection by UNESCO.”
Before they had a chance to move, spotlights from the wall lit up Jay and his team.
“Do not move. You are surrounded by a minefield,” called a voice over an intercom. Then without warning, a silver Blackhawk helicopter appeared from behind the wall. A second spotlight mounted on the underbelly of the chopper lit the group.
“Is Jay Mendes in your group?” a female voice asked. “Wave your hands above your head if you are Jay Mendes.”
Jay waved his hands, and the helicopter flew overhead. The light and dust from the rotor wash blinded him, but he could see a rope being lowered from the open door.
“Take ten steps back from the rope. We’re dropping harnesses.”
Jay stepped back as seven full-body harnesses dropped to the ground. He retrieved the harnesses and passed them out to his team.
Sammi looked at his harness with a confused look, “What am I to do with this?”
“Put in on your body,” Renee said, laughing. “Unless you want to stay here and be captured by Hezbollah.”
“Show me how!”
Renee grabbed the carabiner and lanyard attached to the harness’s back and showed Sammi how to step into the leg straps. Then she helped him put his shoulders in the harness and adjusted the chest buckles.
“Here, hold the clip in your hand,” Renee said. “You will attach it to one of the rings on the rope.”
“Is everyone ready?” Jay said. “Clip onto the rope.”
One at a time, each of the team members clipped their lanyard to the rescue rope. When they were all connected, Jay gave the pilot the thumbs up. Then, the helicopter lifted Jay and his team over the wall and into Israel.
Chapter 45
Tel Aviv
The Israeli helicopter airlifted Jay’s team safely across the border and landed inside an IDF military compound. Waiting for them was McCoy and Yossi Curran, a Mossad counterintelligence expert.
As Sammi disembarked from the helicopter, he saw the two agents and stopped in his tracks. He grabbed Renee and said, “No, I did not agree to this. They will kill me.”
“No, they will not,” Renee replied. “They want to question you about Hezbollah. I will stay with you at all times, and when they are done, we will go back to Bahrain, where you will be safe.”
“Who is the big man? He looks terrifying.”
Jay laughed as he looked at McCoy dressed in a black commando uniform. “He’s harmless.”
McCoy removed his assault helmet and laughed. “I was prepared to rescue you with the Mossad tactical team, but you managed to survive on your own. I’m not sure how you did it.”
“Neither am I,” Jay laughed. “Let’s find somewhere private to talk. We learned a lot in Lebanon.”
Curran escorted Renee and Sammi to a private conference room.
Sammi stopped before entering the room, “Can I please have a bottle of water, and I need to use the bathroom?”
“After we speak,” Curran said brusquely.
“Sammi is not to be interrogated,” Renee said. “He is here willingly and has been through a death-defying experience. He saved my life, Yossi. Please show him some respect.”
“Whatever you wish, Renee. I’ll have one of my men show him the facilities, and we will start in five minutes.”
As Renee waited for Sammi, Antonio approached her, “I am heading back to Interlaken with Benoit and Moses. Jay and his team are heading back to Boston. Will you be joining us?”
“I will soon. I need to make sure Sammi is safe.”
“You did an excellent job today,” Antonio said. “The intelligence and evidence you gathered will help us make our case.”
“Thank you,” Renee said. “I am pleased to be part of your team.”
* * *
Jay joined McCoy in a secure conference room within Mossad headquarters. Gia, Mack, and Kyle appeared on the video call. Natalie Choi was on a voice line since she was aboard Air Force One.
“Okay, everybody,” McCoy said. “I understand we have a developing situation. What’s going on in Rio?”
‘The Pope is making his first public appearance,” Mack said. “But there’s more. The President will be in Rio, too. He’s meeting with the Brazilian President and the Pope about a drug eradication edict.”
“Why does that concern us?” Jay said.
“Because we found Kathleen and the yacht,” Kyle replied.
“Actually, Kyle found it,” Gia corrected. “He did all the intelligence work. As a result, we have satellite images of the Princess of the Sea docked at the Marina de Glória in downtown Rio. It’s located in the city’s center. The airport, a shopping mall, and Brazil’s Naval academy are all within the blast range of a major explosion.”
“Wait, I have the Pope’s schedule,” Natalie said. “He’s going to say mass for the Bishops at the Metropolitan Cathedral at ten o’clock. Then, after the mass, he’s going by motorcade to Paris Park to make a public address at noon. We’re expecting over two million people to line the streets and watch the speech.”
“There’s something else,” Gia said. “We have satellite images of the yacht. We can identify two persons of interest on the top deck. Kathleen Amejian and Reginald McFarland. Also, there’s a man with unruly blond hair and a tall brunette. We are trying to identify them now.”
“That’s Ivan the Terrible,” CJ said. “He’s a paid assassin.”
“The woman is Angelica Bonham,” Natalie added. “I’ve watched every one of her movies.”
“What?” Jay said. “Did you say, McFarland? Are you sure?”
“Yes, we have a facial recognition match that’s over ninety-five percent certain.”
“How is that possible? Why is he even alive? Are you saying McFarland is involved with Kathleen?”
Kyle chuckled, “Based on the images, he’s very involved.”
Jay jumped up from the chair and headed out of the room.
“Jay, where are you going?” Mack said. “We’re not finished.”
“Mack, I’m going to Rio to get McFarland! You guys can sit around the table and debate a plan—but we have thirty-six hours to stop the most devastating terrorist attack this world has ever seen. So I suggest we conduct our planning session on the plane.”
Chapter 46
Rio de Janeiro
Michelle positioned the tri-fan over the pyramid-shaped cathedral in downtown Rio de Janeiro. GNN was the first network to use a hybrid aircraft to report on a news event.
Jessie sat next to Michelle, preparing for her first international news report. “How long can we hover?”
“All day if we want. The electric motors are powered by solar panels built into the skin of the aircraft.”
“This is amazing—the view, I mean. I can see in all directions. And the camera moves with my head.”
“It’s the same technology pilots use in the F 35 fighter jets. We were able to license a stripped-down commercial version from the defense contractor.”
“Michelle, is there anything you didn’t include?”
“Yes, the FAA wouldn’t let me include any offensive or defensive weapon systems. They said it wasn’t necessary. I hope they’re right.”
“Two minutes until you’re on the air,” Roger said from a control panel in the back of the cabin.
“How’s the video feed, Roger? Can you see what I’m seeing?”
“Yes. The image is crystal clear. But, wait, another helicopter pulled into our camera view. It’s a red helicopter with a GNN logo on it.”
“What are you talking about?” Michelle said. “We were the only crew authorized by the network to report today. They agreed to a pool feed for all the affiliate stations.”
“Well, someone didn’t get the message,” Roger said. “They’re coming on the air now.”
“Patch the broadcast through our intercom system,” Jessie said. “I want to know who’s upstaging my report.”
“Coming through now.”
Jessie’s face
turned bright red when she heard Kathleen Amejian’s voice in her headphones. “No way!” she said. “Cut her off!”
“Sorry, London’s controlling the broadcast. We have to wait.”
“No way, Roger, find a way to break in. I want to give that bitch a piece of my mind.”
“You can’t do that on live television, Jessie,” Michelle said.
“Just watch me.”
“Okay, Kathleen is going live in three,” Roger said.
“This is Kathleen Amejian reporting from GNN One. It’s an amazing day here in Rio de Janeiro. The Pope is making his first international appearance since his inauguration. We’re above the Catedral de Metropolitana de San Sebastian. This is where the Pope will address the Brazilian Bishops Council in less than one hour. A huge crowd is lining the route to the waterfront, where he will address his followers. I learned earlier today from an unnamed source that the Brazilian President and the United States President will join the Pope. Now, I’m joined by Joanne Roberts from our control center in London. Joanne, what is the mood back home?”
“Kathleen, what are you doing?” Joanne said. “Why are you on the air?”
Kathleen didn’t respond.
Jessie laughed to herself as Roger gave her the thumbs up. He then held his hand up with a single finger. She had one minute until she went live.
“I don’t know what you mean, Joanne? I’m filing my report.”
“No, I mean, why are you on the air? You’re not authorized to broadcast.”
“I’m sure it’s a misunderstanding. However, I must continue my report. The Pope is arriving now. His motorcade is pulling up to the Cathedral.”
“You must stop your broadcast immediately, or we will cut you off.”
“You can’t do that. You don’t have the authority. I’m the President of GNN News, and I make the on-air decisions.”
“Not anymore. Haven’t you heard? You’ve been replaced.”
“Jessie, get ready to broadcast,” Gia said in Jessie’s earpiece. We’ve located Kathleen’s uplink signal, and the assault team is ready to go. Keep Kathleen occupied as long as possible.”
Jessie didn’t respond. Instead, she ran her hand through her hair one more time and stared at Roger’s camera.