It would still be an international incident. It would be seen as a missile test, meant to intimidate and would land the North Koreans in the soup, to be sure -- maybe even stall talks with the South -- but it wouldn't start a war.
Les brought the plane down low, and began a course that would take them straight back over the Korean peninsula from the Sea of Japan, where they were now, across to the Yellow Sea, straight over Kunsan Air Base. As the plane continued a straight course, Ernie and Les ejected themselves and parachuted into a rice field near a road. The plane would soon be seen passing over the air base. They could shoot it down if they wanted -- a bit of expensive hardware, but a war would have cost them many times more
The rice fields were in their dry phase, so Ernie and Les managed to make it to the road without getting all muddy. They flagged a passing bus and rode it to the next town, where they caught the express train to Seoul.
Chapter 47
The spent missile landed in the ocean just off the Sanriku coast. The Japanese were not pleased at all. They protested loudly, calling press conferences, raising the issue at the U.N. and discussing the matter with the Americans and South Koreans.
Four days later, North Korea announced that they had successfully launched a scientific research satellite. The rest of the world looked at the evidence and the photo of the launch, and thought, 'Maybe.' The photo looked nice, to be sure, though some commented that it was an easy one to fabricate. Also, something was jettisoned from the rocket once it reached a certain height, though it was hard to say exactly what. However, there was no trace of the orbiting satellite that should have been launched. Also, had they indeed been successful, shouldn't the third stage rocket have also gone into orbit, instead of landing off the Sanriku coast?
The North Korean people, meanwhile, were told to take cheer; there is now a satellite orbiting the earth transmitting the praises of your glorious leader. So the people all took cheer, as they continued to search everywhere and under every log for anything edible for their next meal.
* * *
If the Japanese were unhappy, that was nothing compared to the fire burning inside Stanovitch right now.
A quick search of all the intelligence and military servers in the area showed an incident report at Kunsan Air Base. There had been a major lapse of security that coincided with the time of the launch. It seemed that two Irishmen, earlier seen walking about casually in the high security area, commenting on what a good day it was for flying, had taken a state-of-the-art stealth fighter on a joy ride. The guard thought they were with the captains, who assumed they had their own security clearance. The others figured they were consultants from the aircraft manufacturer or something. Just a bit before noon, they got in a plane, took off and disappeared off the radar screen. They were seen again about half past twelve, flying straight over the air base, and were shot down over the ocean where it wouldn't create an international incident. Among questions being asked were, was the IRA now travelling as far afield as South Korea to filch supplies? Where there not enough weapons for sale from the old Soviet Union or what?
Then, there were reports of a Chinese lady and an Irish man who were pestering all the intelligence operatives in town about a breach of security at the Musudan-ri launch site. Now, one day after the incident, there was no sign of any of them.
Stanovitch wasn't happy at all. Not one bit. Now, with Operation Nostradamus in the dustbin, the whole of his energy would turn to eliminating the Zondon. Surely he could do that if he concentrated all his effort on it.
There was plan 'B', of course, but that was already set to go, but for a few details. That wasn't for three months -- too much time to leave the Zondon running free.
He put in a call to Joseph Gilderman.
'Doctor! What went wrong?' Joseph said, on opening his phone.
'I told you to be careful about what you say over the phone, and to encrypt all email. I told you that people can listen in, but of course you didn't believe me. I'll tell you what went wrong, Joseph. You told them about the launching of the missile, and where it would be launched from. That's all they had to know. They have powers, Joseph. They have greater powers than you will ever have. They are not human, and they come with extraterrestrial powers that a human could never match. But thankfully they can't match my power.
'Joseph, listen to me...'
Joseph was listening. There was only one being in heaven and earth that Joseph feared, and he was listening to him.
'...listen to me. Are you listening?'
'Yes sir.'
'Listen to me. It is absolutely necessary that these people be destroyed. You will help me destroy them, or I will destroy you.'
'What about plan "B"?'
'Forget plan "B". If these people succeed, there will be no plan "B". Are you in Jerusalem?'
'Yes sir.'
'They are also in Jerusalem. Les Armstrong, the other Irish man Ernest Magawan, and the Chinese woman, May Lin were in Korea. They sabotaged the rocket so that it fell into the sea instead of hitting Tokyo. They are on their way back to Jerusalem, or they may already be back. The rest of them are there, a young Afghanistan boy and a Mexican American woman. Perhaps Gilbert Durant. I don't know if he's with them or not, but kill him too. You will kill at least one of those six, or else you die.'
'Kill them?'
'I will make sure you have legal immunity. If you succeed, your future is assured. The only thing stopping our plan is these six. If even one of them dies, their plan fails. If none of them die, I will make sure you die. Is that understood?'
'Yes sir.'
'Listen. I have reason to kill you already, for being too loose with the details of Operation Nostradamus. It's a treasonable offence. Loose lips sink ships. But I'll let you redeem yourself by killing one of them. I will be in Jerusalem myself shortly. Remember. It's them -- or you.'
End of conversation.
Stanovitch had spoken the truth, but not all. The Zondon mission couldn't be accomplished without all seven of them. The death of one of the six or of Joseph would do, because Joseph was one of the seven. He just didn't know it. If necessary, he could dispose of Joseph.
In fact ...
* * *
Though only a slim chance, Joseph hoped that he would meet the Nazi. A Nazi, he could kill, no problem. Les Armstrong, or the other Irishman? Maybe. One of the two women? Preferably not. The twelve-year-old? Absolutely not.
He'd try for the Nazi.
From his own flat that he kept inside the Bar Kochba settlement, he logged on the Internet. His notebook was loaded with hacking programs, some of which Stanovitch had written.
He had to admire the old doctor even when shaking in fear of him. How could any human have the time to be a medical doctor, an expert computer hacker with dozens of programs to his name, do everything else he does and still have the time to lure the whole world into his little den?
As far as hacking, he had gone beyond anyone in the field. With some of Stanovitch's short cuts and lists of access codes, Joseph could hack into just about any official government server in the world. The more difficult to get into, it seemed, the more ways he had found to break in.
Right now, Joseph needed the immigration lists.
Telnet address:
Login name:
Password:
Click
Browse
Sure, enough, there was Gilbert Durant. He had arrived just a few days ago.
A stab in the dark, maybe, but he'd also check police records.
Telnet address:
Password -- etc.
Surprise, surprise! He had lost a bag containing his passport and credit cards -- and the address of the people he was supposed to meet. A Rabbi Gilman?
Why would a Nazi be looking up a Rabbi Gilman?
Unless, having lost the address, he had failed to remember the name of -- of Gilderman!?
Stanovitch had hinted a few days back that the myster
ious association may try to get to him through his own family. Was Gil's twin brother staying with Joseph's own grandfather and Gil looking for him?
The first place to check, then, was his own family home. But they were the last people he wanted to meet right now.
But then he didn't have to, did he!
Chapter 48
'Look! That just like car what Mr. Bean drive,' said Ibrahim, kneeling on the armchair looking out the upstairs window.
The green Austin Mini was parked just down the street with its two right wheels on the curb. The man in the driver's seat wore a black wide brimmed hat like everyone else did in this neighbourhood who wasn't wearing a Russian fir hat. He was reading the newspaper.
Gil was lying in the upper bunk, and could also see it.
'No way, that's not Mr. Bean. Mr. Bean uses a hasp and a padlock on his door.'
Just then a taxi came from that direction obscuring their view of the Mini, but suddenly that didn't matter. Out of the taxi came Ernie, May Lin and Les, with a man Ibrahim had never met.
Ibrahim dashed down the stairs two steps at a time and had the door opened for them just as they reached the threshold, and gave everyone a hug.
Gil followed him down.
'Hello, Ed,' said Ernie. 'Why! You look you've been ...'
'That not Edmond,' said Ibrahim.
'Why! Gilbert!' said Les. 'Lovely to see you!'
Everyone was talking at once.
Just then came Rabbi Simcha's voice. 'We're all rejoicing in the happy news that World War III didn't begin.'
Everyone piled into the house. Ibrahim was the last one in. He stole one more glance at the Mr. Bean car and could see the drivers eyes looking over the top of the newspaper.
Ibrahim waved. Immediately the newspaper went back up.
'I don't think we're safe here,' said May Lin, as soon as they were inside.
'Would we be safer somewhere else?' said Les.
'Probably not, but our presence here also endangers our hosts,' she said.
They conferred some more and then told Rabbi Simcha, 'We've decided, for security reasons we need to move to a different place, all of us.'
Gil and Ibrahim gathered their things and soon, they were all outside, walking down the narrow street, passed the Mr. Bean car.
Gil gave Ibrahim a playful nudged as they passed it. They both glanced at it briefly.
Half a block down, Gil looked again, but not so playfully this time. The Mini was now moving slowly in the other direction. Gil shrugged and kept walking.
They came to Strauss Street, where they caught a taxi to Ron Hotel, right on Zion Square.
In the lobby of the Ron Hotel, the crystal began to hum.
Ernie placed it on his forehead, put the cap over it, and walked to the entrance.
'The probe is just there, straight over Zion Square.'
The others saw it.
'It's not moving though, just staying in one spot,' May Lin noted.
'That man,' said Ibrahim, pointing to a dark complexioned man walking towards them with a mobile phone. 'What's he wearing?'
Ernie used his meefa vision.
'An anorak, and underneath -- several sticks of dynamite. He's holding a phone in one hand the detonator in the other. I'll try to get his phone signals -- wait -- er - - it's Stanovitch, but he's talking in Arabic. Ibrahim, what's he saying?' He handed him the crystal.
'He's telling him there are members of the Knesset in the Ron Hotel,' said Ibrahim.
'We'd better get out,' blurted Ernie.
'Let's stay together,' said May Lin.
They went out the door, crossed Jaffa Road and into Zion Square. The man turned and followed them.
The probe overhead didn't move. The square was full of people, and even more were walking up and down Ben Yehuda, the pedestrian street.
The group moved up that way, but the man didn't follow.
'He knows we know about him,' Ibrahim was saying. 'He told him that -- now he says, go back to Jaffa Road, turn left -- there's a green Austin Mini parked -- important member of the cabinet -- get him instead.'
'Oh God!' shouted Gil, 'Mr. Bean!'
He took off running up the adjoining lane as fast as he could towards Jaffa Road, and turned right. He looked here and there.
He spotted the Mini. The man in the anorak was just approaching it.
Gil dashed for the car, opened the passenger door just as the man in the anorak was walking around to the driver's side. He grabbed the occupant firmly by his arm and dragged him across the seat and out the passenger side, and into the open door of a shop.
His commando training days in Montana were paying off.
They were half way across the floor of the shop when the explosion ripped through the street outside. The green Mini crashed into the front of the shop and came to rest on it's roof in the front section -- inches from where the two had landed.
Some of the shoppers screamed. Others just sat or lay where they had fallen, checking themselves for broken bones. Gilbert Durant lay on his back hugging the bearded man he had rescued from the Mini, who was on top of him.
The other noises, the bits of glass and shrapnel falling back down from the sky, the screeching voices, began to die down. One young lady was still screaming hysterically.
Gil said, 'Er -- I think that was a present to you from our friend, Dr. Stanovitch.'
'How so?' Joseph managed to reply.
'He needs one of us dead. He couldn't get to us, so he went for you.'
'What do you mean, "one of us"?'
'You're one of the seven,' explained Gil. 'If you want to get up from on top of me, we can explain it to you.'
'Let go of me and I will,' said Joseph.
Gil unclasped his hands. They got up and began to pick their way around the capsized Mr. Bean car. Then they saw the others standing nearby on the other side. Some police had already arrived on the scene and one of them gave them a hand in stepping over an overturned counter.
'Look! There's Gil and -- er -- Rabbi Yakov,' said Les.
'Or maybe Joseph?' suggested Ernie.
Gil turned and looked at his face for the first time. 'You are Joseph, aren't you?'
Joseph felt his beard as though remembering it was there. 'I am Joseph, yes.'
May Lin said, 'Let's get inside the hotel where we can sit down.'
Joseph, still in shock, went along.
'It's a good thing I didn't look at you before pulling you out. I'm sure your beard would have thrown me off,' said Gil.
'How did you know it was me then?' asked Joseph. He was in such a daze that only his words indicated that he was even aware of his surroundings.
'I had the same feeling walking passed your Mini in front of the Gildermans' that I remembered having in the club dining room where we met. When Stanovitch told the suicide bomber to go for the Mini, I knew it was you and that you had been following us.'
'You heard Stanovitch talking to the man with the bomb?'
Ernie explained, 'The bloke wearing the bomb was on the phone with Stanovitch. We were listening in. Stanovitch was telling him we were members of the Knesset. He chased us until Stanovitch realised we were on to him, so he sent him after you, saying you were a cabinet minister.'
'So where is Stanovitch?'
'We don't know. Outside the country, most likely. He was watching us through a crystal probe. It's gone now.'
'Come again?'
'A crystal probe used by extraterrestrials. Did you know Stanovitch was an extraterrestrial?'
'He told me you were.'
'You are too, by the way.'
They took him into the hotel and briefed him on the rest of the story.
Part V - The Quest
Chapter 49
Joseph was sensible enough to realise that he stood a much better chance of survival by joining the Zondon then by trying to remain loyal to the man who had just tried to kill him.
>
However, it wasn't enough just to change sides. There were still unresolved conflicts having to do with motives and ambitions, and what they had led to up 'til now, that had to be dealt with before the crystal would work on him. That was not to mention the horrifying consequences of the plan he had been a part of, had it succeeded. Rosa Gonzales again proved to be the one skilled in helping him dig out his soul from underneath a pile of what his life had become. Rabbi Simcha also played a vital part, both as a wise counsellor and as the object of some of Joseph's inner struggles. It took a few days for the light to come on. When it did, he looked with horror on what he had done, and the tears began flowing once again, but they were healing tears.
Between long talks with Rosa and his grandfather, Joseph also related a wealth of information regarding Stanovitch and his further plans.
Operation Nostradamus wasn't over yet, he told them. There is a 'plan B' set to go into effect in three months, called 'Operation Christmas Lights'. To launch that, Stanovitch had access to about four or five nuclear briefcase bombs obtained from the old Soviet arsenal. Each was the size and shape of a piece of hand luggage and contained a limited nuclear device that had only to be discretely stashed in a rented office of the highest building in, say, Tokyo, London, Frankfurt, Los Angeles, or perhaps Tel Aviv. At present, only Stanovitch knew where these were hidden.
In Afghanistan, maybe? someone suggested.
No, not there. The network there couldn't be trusted with such lethal devices. In their zeal, they'd mount jihad at the drop of a turban. No, they were in some out of the way place known only to him. For that, they would have to keep track of Stanovitch.
Because Stanovitch obviously thought he had succeeded in killing Joseph, they had bought the time that it took to prime him. In a few days, Joseph was ready for the crystal.
* * *
Wisdom spoke: Now is the time to deal with the Glaat, Dosh of Asvork, before he unleashes the weapons that Zikh has warned you about. You will soon know his whereabouts as, in his desperation, he will inadvertently give himself away, just as he gave you the chance to save Zikh in his haste to kill either you or him. However, he is now as dangerous as a wounded lion and will move quickly to unleash his weapons of destruction even before the date he had planned on. This crystal can be used to destroy the Glaat, but make use of wisdom from all channels. When the time comes, the method will present itself. Rely on your innermost senses.