by R. D. Brady
“Laney, I need—”
“To go home. To hug your family. To remember why you’re important. Why you matter. You don’t have anything to prove to me or Vanessa. And you should be there when Noriko and the rest arrive. They need you too. I’ve got this.”
Doubt clouded Jen’s face. “Laney…”
Laney took Jen’s arm. “I have SIA agents swarming in from everywhere. Jake’s about to get in the air with as many Chandler operatives as he can gather. We’ll have the numbers. We’ll be good.”
“You’re trying to protect me.”
“Just like you’re always trying to protect me. And I’m asking you to let me protect you this time, okay?”
Jen looked at her for a long time, and Laney worried she’d have to have Jen sedated to keep her from coming. And if it came to that, Laney would do it. Whether Jen knew it or not, she was in no shape for the coming fight. She needed to regroup and take a minute. Laney had already arranged for Jordan to meet Jen in California and fly home to Baltimore with her. Because more than anything, Jen needed to be with her family right now, not off trying to take down whatever the priestess had going on.
Jen’s expression indicated that she had come to the same conclusion. “Just this time though,” she said.
“You got it,” Laney said lightly. She linked her arm through Jen’s, and they walked back to where the police were gathering the Guard to take them in for processing.
Laney felt the loss of not having Jen with her on this one, but like she’d said, she was the ring bearer, and it was her job. She needed Jen to live her life.
She swallowed. And if I don’t succeed, it’s going to be an awfully short one.
CHAPTER 53
Laney was in the air on the way to Tel Aviv. She was in a Cessna Citation, one of the fastest planes in the world, able to travel at up to 700 miles per hour. Henry had called in a favor from a businessman in Dubai who’d had the plane stored in Hawaii. My brother, Laney thought. The man who takes care of everyone.
Besides the pilot, only Oasu was with her. He wanted to help, and he thought he might be able to identify members of Honu Keiki. The rest of the Guard were being interviewed by the Maui police. Vanessa was going to be charged, but Laney had talked the police into not charging the others as long as they cooperated.
Jen was on her way back to Baltimore, and Kai, Noriko, and Aaliyah should be following her within a few hours. Aaliyah was severely dehydrated and malnourished, but there were no emergency medical issues. Henry had promised to have his personal doctor stay with her when she arrived at Baltimore.
The priestess, Laney was pretty sure, was on her way to Australia—although they had no confirmation of that. All they knew for sure was that the priestess had arranged for something to happen in Jerusalem; they still didn’t know what it was, or even when it was supposed to happen. Laney just had to hope that whatever it was, she would be able to stop in time. Because creating a bomb shelter on the other side of the world was a pretty radical step to take.
Laney wondered again why the priestess chose Australia. Of all the places in the world, why did she think she would be safest there?
Her head jerked up. No, that can’t be right.
“Laney?” Oasu asked.
“I just—I think I might know why she chose Australia. But I’m hoping I’m wrong.”
In college, she had taken a political science course, and one of the topics they had discussed was nuclear war. One of the facts that had come up was that Australia, if it wasn’t directly involved in the conflict, would be one of the safest locations when the rest of the world started bombing one another. It was so geographically isolated that it would be able to survive better than most of the world.
And within Australia, Perth would be ideal. The country’s strategic targets were on the opposite side of the island, and with the trade winds, very little fallout would ever roll over Perth.
Laney felt numb. It had to be a coincidence that the priestess just happened to choose a location that would protect her from a nuclear fallout—right?
Even she couldn’t be crazy enough to aim for that.
At the same time, she knew the possibility of nuclear war was all too real. There had been several incidents in the twentieth century that could have led to it. The most famous, of course, was the 1962 Cuban missile crisis. But it was far from the only one.
For instance, in the same year as the Cuban missile crisis, a U-2 spy plane wandered into Soviet territory. Soviet MIG fighters were scrambled to intercept, and the US sent two nuclear tipped warheads aboard two 102 fighters in response. Luckily, the U-2 pilot managed to glide his ship, which was out of fuel, out of USSR territory before either set of fighters could reach him.
And believe it or not, on the exact same day as the U-2 incident, a second incident evolved underwater. As a warning, depth charges were dropped near a Soviet submarine blockading Cuba. The sub captain, interpreting these as the beginning of World War III, ordered that a nuclear weapon be prepared to be fired. Luckily, cooler heads prevailed, and the sub surfaced before firing and requested instructions from Moscow—who told them not to fire.
Two other near-misses involved technological glitches. In 1979, NORAD’s computer system indicated that the Soviets had launched missiles at the United States. The US was prepared to respond in kind before the glitches were detected. Similarly, in 1983, a lone lieutenant colonel in the Soviet Army received a warning that missiles had been launched by the US. Luckily, the lieutenant colonel realized the warning was false and so did not raise an alarm.
And then there was the time the Soviet Union misinterpreted a US war game as being the real thing. In their defense, all the moves the US took—moving troops into place, changing their alert status, et cetera—were moves that would occur in the event of an actual strike. The USSR raised their own level to high alert, but fortunately the game ended without incident.
Laney mulled over these previous incidents. They all were part of the Cold War battle for control—and they all occurred within a cloud of old fears, grudges, and suspicions.
The Middle East had those in spades, especially when it came to Israel.
In fact, Edgar Cayce had said that the strife in the Middle East would lead to worldwide turmoil. Specifically, he’d suggested that Iraq would attack Israel with nuclear weapons, resulting in US intervention and the advent of World War III.
But that hadn’t happened. Saddam Hussein had attempted to draw Israel into the 1992 Iraq War, but the US had managed to avoid that. Did that mean that the prophecies were not guaranteed? That they could be avoided?
That was the ray of hope in all this.
Laney’s phone rang, and she glanced at the screen before answering. “Hey, Henry.”
“We know what Project Jerusalem is,” Henry said without preamble.
Laney tensed, although part of her was relieved. At least they’d have something to focus on. “Okay. What is it?”
“Members of Honu Keiki are going to set off a bomb at the Temple Mount.”
“The Temple Mount?”
Henry’s voice was heavy. “Yes.”
Laney’s jaw dropped. Well, that will do it.
CHAPTER 54
The Temple Mount was the thirty-five-acre rectangular plot of land at the center of the strife between Palestine and Israel. Technically, the Temple Mount was in Eastern Jerusalem, and had been under Israeli control since 1967. But while Israel held political sovereignty, religious sovereignty was held by the Waqf, an Islamic council that had controlled the Mount since 1967.
But the Temple Mount was much more than a small piece of land. It was a site of critical importance for three major religions: Judaism, Islam, and Christianity.
For Judaism, the rock on the Temple Mount was where Abraham was instructed to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, before being stopped by God. The Temple Mount also abutted the Western Wall, the last remaining remnant of the second Temple of Solomon, built after King Nebuchadnezzar dest
royed the first in 587 BCE. The second temple was destroyed by the Romans in AD 70, along with most of Jerusalem, and now only this bit of wall remained. According to the Roman Jewish historian Josephus, during the eleven-year-long construction of the second temple, it never once rained during the day, so as not to interfere with the work. And within that temple was the holy of holies: the room that housed the Ark of the Covenant and the Ten Commandments.
For Islam, the Temple Mount was the site of Mohammad’s ascension to heaven. The Dome of the Rock was created to protect that rock, and the Al-Aqsa Mosque was the third holiest site in Islam.
For Christians, the temple on the Mount was the site of Jesus’s famous speech against the temples. He was also believed to have played on the steps and the land surrounding it as a child.
Because of this, the Temple Mount had become a sacred symbol of religious identity—a religious identity that had grown increasingly violent on both sides since the early1980s.
In more practical terms, the Temple Mount was also a very, very crowded place. It drew pilgrims of all three religions, as well as tourists from around the world. A bomb at the site would kill hundreds, if not thousands, with victims from multiple religions and nationalities. And the effects would be felt well beyond Jerusalem. They would ripple out to all corners of the world as the devoted of three major religions felt the hurt and the anger.
“Henry, we cannot let this happen,” Laney said. “We cannot let anyone even think this is going to happen.” She knew all too well how small issues could flare up into geopolitical nightmares in that part of the world.
“I know,” Henry said. “Everyone’s going to point fingers at everyone else.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if the Islamic states immediately declared war on Israel.”
“And Israel’s allies will rush to Israel’s defense.”
“It will be the beginning of World War III.”
Laney knew her words weren’t an exaggeration. Israel had been an unwelcome addition to the Middle East from the moment it was created. Tensions often ran hot with its neighbors. And in times of strife, it was not unusual for countries to exploit that strife. For instance, after the invasion of Kuwait by Saddam Hussein, when the United States led an international coalition of countries to push back the Iraqi forces, Iraq turned around and began to bomb Israel. The Iraqis wanted the coalition to be perceived as infidels defending Israel against a Muslim country.
The US realized that the coalition would be doomed if that’s how it was perceived. And the US military knew that if Israel got involved, that would be the end of the coalition—the situation would transform from an international coalition allied against one rogue country to a chaotic conflict of countries against countries. So, even though the US didn’t have time, they made the time to search out the missile sites, because Israel was threatening to send its own missiles into Iraq.
And if Israel was a land of strife, Jerusalem might be the most contested city in the world. The history of the land was a tale of multiple handovers of control. Now both Muslim and Jewish groups maintained that they were the true people of the land, and both had claims that involved hundreds of years of settlement. Were the Muslims claims any less valid because they settled the land after the Jews? Were the Jews claim any less valid because they predated the Muslims? The fact was both had centuries of settlement to back up their claims. It was a Solomon-like riddle that politicians had tried to sort through for a hundred years.
And now she wants to throw a bomb in the middle of it. Laney shook her head. Good God. She didn’t even want to imagine the world response.
She couldn’t let that happen. “We’ll stop them before we get to that point.”
“But Laney, even if you stop them, if word even gets out about the attempt, that may be enough. Remember what started the second intifada?”
Laney groaned. “Ariel Sharon’s visit to the Temple Mount. It was the death knell for the Oslo accords.”
Back in 2000, the Prime Minister of Israel, Ariel Sharon, visited the Temple Mount surrounded by about a thousand guards. His visit was interpreted by the radical Islamic terrorists as a claim to the Temple Mount. Rioting began almost immediately after his departure, completely derailing the peace talks.
By the afternoon, Yasser Arafat had called for retaliation, stating that Sharon’s visit was a defilement of the mosque. An Israeli security patrol was the first official target—a Palestinian officer who was a member of the patrol opened fire on his Israeli counterparts. Later that day, Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinian protestors who were throwing rocks at the Western Wall. Four were killed.
And the second intifada was born.
The intifada was a deadly war between Palestine and Israel. Over a thousand Israelis and fifty-five hundred Palestinians were killed in the violent clash. But perhaps most damaging to the world, the second intifada introduced suicide bombing as an effective method of subverting a stronger opponent.
And Laney knew the second intifada was not merely the result of an unfortunate choice of touring spots. From the time of the 1993 Oslo agreements to the year 2000, the Palestinians had seen Israel expanding its housing settlements into the disputed lands. They had seen their own poverty levels increase while their control over the Western Bank decreased. Sharon’s visit to the Temple Mount was just the spark; the kindling had been laid for years. This part of the world was a tinderbox.
“Every move made by one side is interpreted through a lens of suspicion by the other,” Henry said. “Some of it is legitimate, and some is paranoia.”
Laney closed her eyes. “And now, we’re what—going to walk into the middle of that quagmire? I mean, on a good day, we’d be let nowhere near the Temple Mount. How are we going to get anywhere near the Dome? How are the priestess’s people going to get there?”
“I’m guessing she’s had people in place already, maybe even for years.” Henry paused. “The second intifada was triggered by a mere visit by the wrong person. Can you imagine what would happen if they make it look like a bombing attempt was being done by an Israeli citizen? Or someone from Palestine? The response will be swift and brutal. Cooler heads will not prevail.”
Did the priestess really mean to set this all off? Did she realize how far the effects of their actions would reach? How many people would die?
“I can still get there,” Henry said.
Laney shook her head. “No. We’ve got the SIA, Jake, Yoni—we’ll be good. And if all of us can’t get it done…”
“Then it can’t be done,” Henry finished softly.
CHAPTER 55
Venice, Italy
Elisabeta finished her dessert and delicately wiped the edges of her mouth with her linen napkin. She pushed away from the table with a contented sigh. It was an incredible feeling when one’s hard work paid off.
She wandered out to the balcony and watched as a gondola floated past, sans passengers. The gondolier, in his black and white striped shirt, black cap, and red scarf, moved lazily down the canal.
The sun shone brightly overhead. Elisabeta turned her face to it and smiled. Ah, life is good.
The opening of the door to her office signaled the entrance of Hakeem. She had been expecting him, but she was still annoyed that he was intruding on her moment. With a sigh, she turned. “Yes, Hakeem, what is it?”
“You wanted to be informed when Delaney McPhearson left for Israel.”
“Yes.” She paused. “And?”
“And she’s left for Israel.”
God grant me patience. “You should have led with that. Who is with her?”
“Henry Chandler is still in Baltimore, and Jen Witt is returning there. But the SIA is mustering their agents.”
Elisabeta frowned. She had counted on Laney bringing her usual team. That could be a problem. But no matter. They were only going against humans. It would be fine.
“How long until she reaches Tel Aviv?”
“Six hours.”
Elisab
eta drummed her fingers on the railing. Six hours. It would be enough time. “Tell the pilot to be ready to go in two. And have my team head to Tel Aviv immediately.”
“Yes, Samyaza. Anything else?”
She looked down at her fingernails. “Yes, send in Hilda. My nails are a mess.”
Hakeem bowed and back out of the room.
Elisabeta turned back to the canal. Time for the next act, Delaney. Let’s hope you’re ready.
CHAPTER 56
Henry stood beside the golf cart, watching the Chandler helicopter approach. He hated that Jen had gone through all that emotional upheaval without him. He’d spoken with Jordan during the long flight, but Jen had been quiet, barely speaking. Jen always kept a lot to herself, but this… this she couldn’t keep to herself. She needed to let it out.
Laney’s description of Jen’s reaction to Vanessa broke Henry’s heart. Even now, his heart ached for her. He wanted nothing more than to tell Vanessa what he thought of her. But he knew that would do little good. The woman simply didn’t care.
The chopper hovered overhead and then landed. Jordan hopped out and held out his hand for Jen, who looked more fragile than Henry had ever seen her. Jordan placed his arm around her shoulders, helped her into the cart, then walked around to Henry.
“I’m going to jog back to the main house. I need to stretch my legs.”
Henry read the anger in Jordan’s face and knew he needed to get rid of some of it. He’d undeniably been holding it in since he’d met up with Jen in California.
“I’ve got her,” Henry said.
Jordan gave him a nod and took off at a jog.
Henry sat next to Jen and took her hand. She squeezed it back, but said nothing. They drove silently back to the main house, where Henry turned toward the back.
Jen looked over at him. “Where are we going?”