Messenger's Dawn

by Lior Akerman

  50.

  Washington and New York, November 1st, 20:15

  In the operations room beneath the White House there was great excitement. Just five minutes earlier, the partial footage from the police helicopter was streaming in but suddenly the feed died. They still heard the NYPD radio and, in this manner, they managed to follow what was happening 600 kilometers east of them. The Secretary of Defense reported directly to President Lindon, whose plane was above Alaska at that time. The last report sent stated that one of the black figures had taken control of a police helicopter and flown off outside the city. Satellite footage broadcast to the FBI showed the helicopter heading south and turning east above the southern part of Brooklyn, towards the open sea.

  The helicopter was above the Atlantic, 50 kilometers from the shore, flying to an unknown destination. Samael did not know where he was supposed to go but before that, he needed to get to a safe distance from the city before activating the nuclear warheads and finally carrying out his plan. He continued east in the dark. His instinct told him that he would be able to detonate the bombs in exactly five minutes.

  The ambulance taking Alice and Jacobs to the hospital was speeding through the city with its siren blasting. She was on the stretcher, drained of all energy and bruised. Jacobs sat beside her, smiling and holding her hand. He, too, was bruised, hurt, had burns and was exhausted.

  She opened her eyes and looked at him.

  “Is everything alright?”, she asked weakly.

  Jacobs smiled to her and replied:

  “Yes. I think our little plan worked. You are safe now. Rest.”

  “What about the messenger?”

  He looked up on the direction they were heading.

  “I think he will be alright. We are in good hands,” he said seriously but then added with a small smile: “You seem to have your own personal guardian angel.”

  They were heading north on Bowery Street, turning onto Third. Seven minutes later, the medical team at Mt. Sinai Hospital admitted them into the emergency room for tests. When he sat down in the wheelchair on his way to the ER, Jacobs asked the nurse wheeling him, to wait. They stood outside the ER for three minutes until they heard the distant explosion. He smiled and said:

  “Now we can go inside.”

  The Atlantic Ocean, East of New York,

  November 1st, 20:25

  The way that things developed had forced him to stray from the schedule he had set for himself, leaving himself five extra minutes. He had decided to wait but he now felt he had won and it was time. Samael lifted the electronic detonator. He knew the moment had come to activate the huge bomb. He smiled, looked at the device and right before pressing the red button, he said:

  “This is for you, beloved brother. I am sorry to lose you but the mission comes before anything else. We did it. Goodbye, brother.”

  Then he spun the helicopter around, facing west and pressed the button. He knew it would be five seconds until the explosion occurred and he would see the huge fire and the pillar of smoke rising and covering the city in a deadly ring. He had succeeded.

  Then he heard the soft beep and the click coming after it. He turned around quickly and was horrified. The last thing he saw before the huge explosion was the six nuclear warheads on the floor of the helicopter. These were the same warheads he had placed deep underground just days before.

  The huge explosion was seen from the city and recorded by the satellite footage. There was a huge explosion and fire and smoke over the ocean, 150 kilometers southeast from the land.

  Then there was silence.

  The sky went dark and there was no movement at all.

  51.

  New York, November 2nd

  In the morning Alice woke to the sound of a conversation outside her room. She saw the doctors and nurses running back and forth in the hall. A young nurse came into her room and asked her how she was doing.

  “I am fine,” Alice said. “Where is Captain Jacobs?”

  The nurse smiled and answered:

  “He is fine. He is in the room next to you being treated for his burns but he will be fine. By the way, there was a young handsome man here earlier asking about you. He waited for a while and then left.”

  Alice’s heart skipped a beat. She knew exactly who he was. Why had he left and when would she seem him again?

  “He left an envelope for you,” the nurse added, taking a white envelope out of her pocket and handing it to Alice.

  She looked at the envelope and asked the nurse:

  “Is that all he left?”

  The nurse finished changing Alice’s blanket and answered:

  “He left another envelope for Captain Jacobs in the other room. I already gave it to him.”

  The nurse left the room and Alice held on to the envelope, not daring to open it. It took her two hours to build up the courage to finally open it. She slowly unfolded it and read:

  “Alice, my love,

  Many days have passed since I have last seen you. These have been days of sadness over your loneliness and mine, of longing for being with you. I have been waiting desperately to meet with you or even just see you. From the first day I lay eyes on you and our eyes met, I knew my heart was yours.

  I knew right away that all that I wanted and hoped for was there in you, my beautiful love. I was happy when you rejoiced and felt saddened when you were upset. My heart broke when I lost you to another man and you did not even know it. When we touched, we were one and I was happy. Then I knew I was whole.

  In such a short while, you gave me everything that was lacking in my life - friendship, love, warmth, tenderness, touch, family and care. All I wanted was for it to continue forever but fate had other plans, disregarding our hopes and requests.

  The unfortunate circumstances that brought us together for a short while, are the same that separated us abruptly. I never had enough of you, of your love and touch. I never thought I would want anything the way I wanted you. I never was willing to die for anyone the way I was for you, my love.

  The world we lived in will never be the same. Reality has changed. Everything we believed in and all we have known is gone.

  In this chaos, I discovered things and have reached insight about myself and the world. I learned that it is no longer possible to rely on randomness and fate to direct our lives and I learned that in order to obtain our goals and objectives, we need to take action ourselves. We cannot rely on higher powers or luck. We will no longer agree to be led to doom by tyrants.

  I realized that one of us could bring the change, convey the message, carry out our mission on earth and bring the world a better and safer life. I discovered that each one of us has the power to create a new reality and change things, to affect what happens and lead mankind to believe in its ability and power to control its fate, direct their lives and fulfill themselves and their goals.

  I discovered physical and mental power hidden in us and I learned to use it. I acted on behalf of myself and the world and throughout all of this, your love accompanied me - true love. I realized the importance of the power my parents vested in me as a child and how strong my family roots are. I now know where I came from and where I am going.

  Maybe fate brought us together but we are the ones who turned this encounter into what it has become. This same fate is what forced us to part but not fate alone.

  I could have given up on you and carried out my mission faster but my heart refused. Today I know that it is this great love I have for you that is preventing me from realizing it. The need to keep you safe, drove me away from you.

  When I realized my destiny, I knew I had to carry out my mission. I knew then that I could not take you with me on this journey without putting you and your future at risk.

  You should know always that wherever you are, my love, I will be. Anywhere you go, I will follow. You are my power and str
ength and I am your protector and guard. Only those with love in their heart, those who act out of the desire to give, will succeed and be strong enough to beat their enemies.

  I part from you, love of my life. Continue to make this world a better place because when you are in it, it is more beautiful. I will always be there for you and for it.

  Yours always,

  Moshe

  When she finished reading the letter, her eyes filled with tears and she cried silently. She held the letter close to her heart and whispered:

  “I will love you for eternity, my hero.”

  She continued to lie in her bed, staring at the skyline of Manhattan. She knew the world was safer thanks to him but she was left alone. When the door to her room opened, she turned to see who was there. Jacobs smiled at her from his wheelchair and approached her bed. He took her hand in his and looked out the window.

  “Did you see Mike?” she asked.

  He said he had not but added:

  “He left a letter for me with the nurses.”

  Jacobs took out a folded piece of paper, opened it, looked at it and smiled. He gave it to Alice. She looked into Jacobs’ eyes and then to the page. After a moment, she smiled. She continued to stare at the page, feeling it with her fingers. Then she placed her hand on her stomach, closed her eyes and fell asleep with a smile on her face.

  Jacobs looked at her and said softly:

  “I will take care of you, girl.”

  It was their secret, remaining in their hearts forever. Jacobs reread the letter on the blanket:

  “Sometimes, only once in a lifetime you get the chance to save the entire world, to discover the truth and know it before everyone, to become a messenger and save them, even without them knowing.

  You have been lucky enough to get this chance!

  From now on, please take care of the most precious thing to me.

  Yours with appreciation,

  M. Messenger”

  Jacobs turned his wheelchair and left the room.

  52.

  Israel, the Galilee, Zfat, the end of November

  Friday Afternoon

  The market was crowded, full of people shopping for the weekend. The Sabbath would soon begin and the merchants were organizing their remaining merchandise. Their shouting mixed with the sound of the ruffling winter wind, bringing heavy grey rain clouds, hiding the week’s last rays of sun.

  No one paid any special attention to the tall and thin man passing through the market, checking the produce. He was dressed in common clothes - jeans, a blue wool sweater, covered by a black coat down to his knees, a grey cap on his head and sunglasses hiding his eyes. He felt comfortable here and safe to walk around. He loved the smells of the Sabbath cooking coming from the houses as he passed through the alleys. No one was looking for him here or disturbing his peace.

  He knew that the calm and restful period would end eventually. He was determined to make the most of this time he had for himself, as he prepared for what was to come. As he stood watching the last rays of sun as it set in the west, he felt that his mission had not yet been completed.