Evgeny P. Sjubin, Van der Werffplein 13 AG Utrecht etherland! "el. #31$%3%&'1(&% E)ail* !hubin3&+yah,,.c,.u,vel Ut,pian .anta!

y W,rd c,unt / 10%331 1"2u/&(3/00(

Evgeny P. Sjubin, pen na)e Eugene .urbin 4 5urricane! ,f Wrath.d,c

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.67EW678 "hi! ut,pian n,vel i! !et in a parallel 9,rld that in )any re!pect! re)ind! u! ,f ,ur Earth but at the !a)e ti)e and in )any a!pect!, at lea!t, differ! fr,) ,ur ,9n planet de!pite !uch a !tunning l,t ,f c,incidence!. :aybe it i! due t, a p,!!ibility that parallel 9,rld! )ay be !, cl,!e t, each ,ther that they c,uld recipr,cally influence each ,ther;! natural devel,p)ent and hi!t,ry. "hi! b,,- i! a 9,r- ,f ficti,n, na)e!, character!, place!, and incident! are pr,duct! ,f the auth,r;! i)aginati,n ,r are either u!ed fictiti,u!ly, any re!e)blance t, actual event! ,r l,cale! ,r per!,n!, living ,r dead, i! entirely c,incidental. <u!t li-e th,!e thing!, ,ften true t, life, that appear ,n "V and ),vie !creen! ,n a regular ba!i! in vari,u! !ci/fi b,,-! and We!tern! are n, ),re than ficti,n. 5,9ever, at the !a)e ti)e it )ay cau!e an ,dd !en!e ,f d=j> vu, th,ugh n,t 9ith,ut it! inner i)plicati,n, 9hich i! )eant t, penetrate !, )any )ental real)! and ,ften carrying !, different and c,ntradict,ry )e!!age!. "hi! b,,- i! )eant a! partly entertain)ent and partly a 9arning again!t 9hat )ay happen in ,ur ,9n 9,rld, if pe,ple are n,t careful en,ugh t, !ee the fir!t !y)pt,)! ,f the danger,u! di!ea!e in the f,r) ,f gl,bal di!!ent and all/engulfing 9ar. "heref,re, the auth,r cann,t be held re!p,n!ible f,r any eventual c,incidence ,r characteri!tic! that )ay be f,und in the b,,-. ", help !tave ,ff an eventual gl,bal di!a!ter i! ,ne ,f the ai)! ,f thi! n,vel being pre!ented t, the indulgent attenti,n ,f the reading audience.

Auth,r

And there was war in heaven: Michael and his Prophets fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his Prophets, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his Prophets were cast out with him. "he 7evelati,n ,f St. <,hn the 8ivine 1&, ?. '. 3.

PA7" 6 E .ir!t gu!t! ,f the gale!

@5AP"E7 1 A"here i! n, Allalah but Allalah and :ah,)a i! 5i! Pr,phetBC "he na!al chanting ,f the!e 9,rd! 9a! being a)plified and carried far ,n the !till night air ,f D,nd,n by )icr,ph,ne! fr,) the f,re!t ,f minarets piercing the cl,ud! ab,ve the great 9,rld city li-e ven,),u! !ting! ,f giant !c,rpi,n!. "h,!e inhabitant! ,f D,nd,n 9h, had !till re)ained unc,))itted t, the p,9erful and aggre!!ive religi,n ,f E!la), 9hich had invaded Eur,pe year! ag, and th,!e 9h, had n,t bec,)e :u!li) believer! 9,-e up five ti)e! each night r,u!ed by the rec,rded ululati,n ,f the mue ins, th,!e ann,uncer! ,f the :u!li) prayer! 9h,!e a)plified v,ice! 9ere rai!ed in a -ind ,f night)ari!h p,lyph,ny. .re!h Engli!h c,nvert! 9,uld frantically leave their 9ar) bed! in ha!te t, -n,c- their f,rehead! ,n the fl,,r be!ide their bed! in ac-n,9ledge)ent ,f E!la) and in c,nfir)ati,n ,f their piety. "he religi,n and ide,l,gy ,f E!la) had c,)e fr,) the de!ert! ,f the Ea!t, !tealthily in the beginning, 9ith the fir!t )igrant! 9h, 9ere the bearer! ,f that religi,n and 9h, !ee)ed !, hu)ble in the beginning, but in the c,ur!e ,f ti)e they gained ),re !trength, !elf/a!!urance, and p,9er in the c,untrie! ,f the We!t. 6n the ,ther !ide ,f the Engli!h @annel, right in the )iddle ,f the D,9 @,untrie! in the ,ld city ,f Udrecht, a !leepy )an!i,n languidly !h,9ed ,ff it! redbric- faFade in the !tagnant !leepy 9ater ,f a d,9nt,9n canal. Gut if y,u l,,-ed bey,nd th,!e redbric- 9all! y,u 9,uld

n,tice that it! Huiet ,ut!ide appearance 9a! rather illu!ive. Within th,!e thic- 9all!, a gr,up ,f )en gave their inten!e attenti,n t, the 9,rd! ,f a tall hand!,)e )an 9h, 9a! appealing t, the) in a re!,lute )anner. AE;) really very happy t, !ee all ,f y,u here, at la!tB 7eally in fle!h f,r the fir!t ti)e, and very )uch ju!t li-e E have i)agined y,u ,ver the late!t ),nth! ,f ,ur c,ntact! ,nline.C 8,nald 7,!!, the tall grayi!h/haired )an 9h, had !p,-en the 9,rd!, half/cl,!ed hi! eye! a! if in re)e)brance ,f th,!e c,ntact! he ju!t )enti,ned, then ,pened the) again and t,,- in the audience ,f !even )en in fr,nt ,f hi) 9ith hi! tenaci,u! gray eye! fr,) under the bu!hy !),-y br,9!. 5e cleared hi! thr,at bef,re he 9ent ,n, AE d, h,pe 9e are all li-e/)inded and unani),u! in ,ur vie9! and apprehen!i,n!. I,u are 9elc,)e at )y place, gentle)enBC "he ,ther !even )en pre!ent in the r,,) ac-n,9ledged the greeting by n,dding and uttering !,und! ,f appr,val. "hey all l,,-ed different. A certain aura, rather felt than !een, !ee)ed t, be lur-ing in their eye! 9ith the !a)e ten!e and e2pectant e2pre!!i,n. S,)e ,f the) fidgeted unea!ily in their chair!. ADet )e tell y,u ,utright, gentle)en.C 8,nald 7,!! !earched their face! ,nce again t, )a-e !ure ,f their appr,val and 9ent ,n a! he had begun. "he )en in fr,nt ,f hi), th,ugh their native language! 9ere different, had an e2cellent )a!tery ,f Engli!h in 9hich they 9ere being addre!!ed. "hey glanced at each ,ther f,r a !ec,nd, then n,dded enc,uragingly. A !)ile flitted acr,!! the !pea-er;! lip!. 5e 9ent ,n, AWe have c,)e t,gether in e!pecially hard ti)e!. 5ard f,r ,ur culture, danger,u! f,r ,ur very live! and th,!e ,f ,ur l,ved ,ne!, t, !ay n,thing ,f the very e2i!tence ,f the pe,ple! 9e repre!ent and ,f their hi!t,rical and cultural bac-gr,und. A! y,u all -n,9 ,nly t,, 9ell, the 7ed ),n!ter! in the c,rrid,r! ,f p,9er betrayed u! year! ag, in a di!graceful c,llu!i,n 9ith the t,tally h,!tile f,rce! E!la) that ha! !pread it! !tic-y tentacle! acr,!! the beautiful b,dy ,f Eur,pe li-e a vici,u! cancer,u! tu),r. ,9 it i! high ti)e f,r u!, gentle)en, t, defend ,ur genetic and cultural integrity. We !hare the !a)e feeling! largely, a! it beca)e ,bvi,u! during ,ur recent c,ntact! ,nline. What c,uld be y,ur !ugge!ti,n!JC 5e !9ept 9ith a !earching l,,- the gr,up !itting in fr,nt ,f hi) in a c,Ky !e)i/circle and 9aited. "he )en, 9h, he 9a! !eeing f,r the fir!t ti)e in fle!h, but had been c,ntacting the) ,ver the late!t c,uple ,f year! ,n a regular ba!i!, did n,t l,,- ali-e at all. "he three )en !itting neare!t t, hi) 9ere li!tening very attentively, 9ith their eye! riveted t, hi! ),uth. "heir face! )ade it vi!ible that their th,ught! 9ere 9,r-ing inten!ely in the pr,ce!! ,f dige!ting 9hat they 9ere li!tening t,. Geert <an 8e--er, a y,ung 8utch)an ,f 33, the y,unge!t ,f all th,!e 9h, 9ere a!!e)bled here, 9a! a lecturer ,f :,dern 5i!t,ry at Udrecht Univer!ity. Di-e 8,nald 7,!! he, a bl,nd and healthy l,,-ing y,ung )an, al!, lived in Udrecht, 9hich 9a! hi! native city. .,r)erly, he u!ed t, be 8,nald;! !tudent 9hen the latter had held a lecturing p,!iti,n ,n the ca)pu!. Since that ti)e, 8,nald 7,!! !tayed in 5,lland. "h,ugh he had a ),de!t per!,nal inc,)e, he

retired earlier t, be able t, dev,te the bul- ,f hi! free ti)e t, !tudying the p,litical !ituati,n in the ),dern 9,rld. Gef,re he ca)e ,ver t, 5,lland and Udrecht Univer!ity t, lecture ,n General lingui!tic! he had lived and 9,r-ed in hi! native Sc,tland, in the city ,f Edinburgh. ,9 he 9a! !i2ty but felt very healthy and r,bu!t and l,,-ed that 9ay. 5e did hi! ut),!t t, -eep hi)!elf in g,,d f,r), traveled )uch 9henever ,pp,rtunity pre!ented it!elf t, hi), and 9,r-ed hard ,n gathering data c,ncerning the )atter! ,f i))ediate intere!t t, hi). 5e 9a! tall, 9ith an athletic build, th,ugh !,)e9hat ,n the !craggy !ide, 9earing a cre9 cut, and had a !h,rt pepper and !alt beard 9ith a thin ),u!tache. 5i! eye! 9ere gray and gave an i)pre!!i,n ,f having a !lightly arr,gant t,uch t, the), th,ugh at ti)e! the i)pre!!i,n pr,ved deceptive. 5e and the y,unger Geert had been -eeping up their relati,n! ,ver a nu)ber ,f year! that c,uld be characteriKed a! friendly. "hey vi!ited each ,ther ,n a regular ba!i! de!pite the difference in year!. "hr,ugh cauti,u!ly gr,ping in hi! y,unger friend;! c,n!ci,u!ne!!, 8,nald 7,!! had c,ncluded that Geert cheri!hed very )uch the !a)e feeling! and idea! c,ncerning the p,litical !ituati,n in Eur,pe. At ,ne ti)e, he di!c,vered that Geert 9a!, li-e hi)!elf, a h,t !upp,rter ,f the identity ,f the native nati,n! ,f Eur,pe. Geert had helped hi! f,r)er pr,fe!!,r )a!ter the c,)ple2 and refined !ecret! ,f c,)puter u!age. "hat )ade a great c,ntributi,n thr,ugh the Enternet t, !electing thi! gr,up ,f pe,ple 9h, gathered n,9 in the living r,,) ,f the pr,fe!!,r;! va!t apart)ent in Udrecht. "he cal) )an 9h, 9a! !itting ne2t t, Geert 9a! W,lfgang Sch9ab, a Ger)an natural phil,!,pher fr,) :unich, Gavaria. 8e!pite hi! age ,f fifty/,ne, he had gray hair, but hi! fre!h c,)ple2i,n )ade hi) l,,- !till y,ung. 5i! gray eye! 9ere glittering 9ith lively curi,!ity and piercing intellect. "hey !hifted fr,) ,ne face t, an,ther 9ith an undi!gui!ed curi,!ity. "i),thy @raig 9a! an A)erican ,f large pr,p,rti,n!. 5i! !,)e9hat angular face l,,-ed g,,d/hu),red underneath a ri,t,u! !h,c- ,f grayi!h hair ,ver hi! high br,9. 5e 9a! half reclining in ,ne ,f the t9, ar)chair! right be!ide 5err Sch9ab and bea)ing c,ntentedly at the pe,ple ar,und hi). 5e 9a! an i)pre!!ive )an ,f fifty and held a p,!iti,n a! Pr,fe!!,r ,f Gehavi,ri!) and 6riental !tudie! at @,lu)bia Univer!ity in e9 I,r-. Actually, he hi)!elf 9a! a native ,f the Gig Apple and had an apart)ent !,)e9here in :anhattan, 9hich he had inherited fr,) hi! late parent!. All thr,ugh the intr,duct,ry !peech ,f 8,nald 7,!!, he )anife!ted )uch attenti,n 9ith a t,uch ,f benev,lence in hi! hand!,)e face. Iet an,ther hand!,)e face, that ,f the 7,)an @arl, Arrig,ni, l,,)ed fr,) behind the !h,ulder ,f @raig. "he face ,f @arl, Arrig,ni 9a! )ar-ed by blac- eyebr,9! and blac- hair !trea-ed 9ith gray l,c-!. "he Etalian bu!ine!!)an 9a! fifty/five and hi! blac- eye! 9ere !par-ling 9ith S,uthern vivacity and pa!!i,n held in chec- at the ),)ent. An,ther gue!t 9a! <uan D,peK, a y,ung Spani!h engineer fr,) :adrid. 5e had a r,bu!t, !,)e9hat !t,c-y and heavy/!et figure. At hi! age ,f thirty/five, he !till had irrepr,achably blac- hair that )atched hi! lively blac- eye! in the dar-/c,)ple2i,ned face.

"he !eventh gue!t 9a! a 8ani!h engineer fr,) the city ,f M,lding in 8en)ar-. <en! 5an!en 9a! a bl,nd giant ,f f,rty/t9, 9ith pin-i!h 9hite !-in, blue eye!, 9hich held a !crutiniKing e2pre!!i,n in the)N and hi! 9h,le !tature )ade ,ne gue!! h,9 a Vi-ing c,uld have l,,-ed in the re),te ti)e! ,f Eur,pean !eafaring venture. En ,ne c,rner ,f the !paci,u! living r,,), a large )an 9ith a !h,c- ,f 9hite hair 9a! cal)ly !eated in a deep ar)chair, hi! faded blue eye! 9ere fi2ed n,9 ,n 8,nald 7,!! n,9 ,n the ,ther pe,ple pre!ent in the r,,). 5e 9,uld n,t utter a 9,rd hi)!elf but preferred t, li!ten. 5i! age c,uld be e!ti)ated at ab,ut !i2ty. "h,!e faded blue eye! in hi! ruddy face !ee)ed a little cl,uded and theref,re appeared i)perturbable. Everyb,dy in the r,,) -ne9 that he 9a! 8,nald;! ,9n la9yer, very )uch updated ,n 9hatever 9a! g,ing ,n ar,und 8,nald 7,!!. 5i! na)e 9a! 7,b Van 8aal and he 9a! 8,nald;! per)anent c,un!el,r regarding the latter;! vari,u! legal activitie! and nece!!itie!. Ge!ide!, he 9a! -n,9n t, be very pr,fe!!i,nal and e2perienced. U!ing a !h,rt pau!e after 8,nald;! 9,rd!, Pr,fe!!,r @raig !h,t a glance at 8,nald and !aid !hrugging hi! !h,ulder!, ASugge!ti,n!J ", )y )ind, bef,re 9e !ugge!t anything, 9e !h,uld analyKe the !ituati,n ),re ,r le!! th,r,ughly. "hen it certainly 9ill be ),re ,bvi,u! h,9 t, appr,ach it. 5,9ever, at pre!ent, E;) Huite certain ,f a fe9 thing! bef,rehand. .,r in!tance, E;) c,nvinced that the bul- ,f all the :u!li) vi,lence i! being in!tigated fr,) it! !,urce ,f ,rigin / the i)pi,u! Our;an. E!pecially fr,) it! c,)binati,n ,f illiteracy ,n a large !cale 9ith the big,try ,f their imams. E dare t, aver thi! de!pite 9hat the vari,u! !,/called univer!ity e2pert! at E!la) try t, vindicate a! their !ch,larly p,int ,f vie9. Plu! the traditi,nal cruelty ,f th,!e pri)itive pe,ple 9h, d,n;t !t,p at !laying their ,9n fa)ily )e)ber!, 9hipped up by their ,9n barbaric traditi,n!.C AI,u;ve g,t a p,int here, "i),C !aid 8,nald 7,!!, vi!ibly ani)ated. AGut a! y,u )ay -n,9 9e... 9ell,C After a !h,rt pau!e ,f he!itati,n, he l,,-ed ),re re!,lute and 9ent ,n 9ith a fir) v,ice. AE )ean )y!elf and Geert here, have dra9n up a !,rt ,f )e),randu) 9here 9e have ,utlined in a ),re ,r le!! detailed 9ay the c,ur!e ,f the late!t event! and their characteri!tic! and d,ne ,ur be!t t, evaluate the) a! be!t 9e c,uld.C AE haven;t !een it yet,C !aid @raig. 8,nald i))ediately turned t, Geert, A5ave y,u g,t a !pare c,py f,r "i),thyJC ASure,C Geert n,dded and pr,duced !everal !heet! ,f printed )atter fr,) the briefca!e he 9a! -eeping cl,!e be!ide hi) and handed the) t, Pr,fe!!,r @raig. 8,nald turned t, hi) t,,, AI,u;re a uniHue e2pert at E!la);! affair!, "i),thy, and y,ur c,,perati,n in the reading and eventual c,rrecti,n ,f thi! d,cu)ent )ay be Huite indi!pen!able t, ,ur dealing! 9ith E!la). I,ur re)ar-! and y,ur e2perience 9ill be e2tre)ely valuable and c,n!idered a! ba!ic f,r the )e),randu).C @raig n,dded in agree)ent, hi! eye! bea)ing, AE;ll d, )y ut),!t y,u -n,9.C 8,nald 7,!! a!-ed,

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AAre the ,ther gentle)en acHuainted 9ith the )e),JC "he ,ther! n,dded in agree)ent and 8,nald re!u)ed hi! addre!!, AA! f,r ,bvi,u!ne!!...C he c,ughed !,ftly, AE;) Huite c,nfident that the 9h,le )an-ind i! divided di!tinctly int, t9, gr,up! 4 th,!e 9h, !ee ,bvi,u! thing! Huite clearly and th,!e 9h, d,n;t, a! E happen t, !ee it.C A:aybe the 7ed! d,n;t,C !aid <ean .auvet and everyb,dy !)iled. 5e !hifted in hi! chair irritably and !Huinted up at 8,nald. AUnf,rtunately, E repre!ent here the c,untry,C <ean .auvet c,ntinued, A9h,!e Pre!ident i! largely !upp,rted by it! brain9a!hed p,pulati,n ju!t becau!e he happen! t, i)pre!! the) 9ith hi! cheap buff,,n;! ge!ture!. G,d -n,9! h,9 E can;t !tand that p,)p,u! )i!erable circu! cl,9n that he i!, 9ith hi! theatrical )i)ic! and tender friend!hip 9ith the )urder,u! bandit Ia!!er Abu Dala. Pard,n )e f,r interrupting y,u, !ir.C 7,!! !hrugged and !)iled !lightly n,dding hi! head. AI,u;re right, <ean. "hat;! 9hat )a-e! c,nflict !ituati,n! in the 9h,le 9,rld ta-e their free c,ur!e. @,)),n pe,ple every9here 9atch the) helple!!ly. I,u d,n;t !ee) t, fav,r the auth,ritie!, <ean. E! it becau!e they indulge the large and aggre!!ive ,raf p,pulati,n in y,ur c,untryJC <ean .auvet;! face beca)e red a! he !p,-e. AE hate the very gut! ,f the), !ir. All the ),re !,, !ince the ,raf! are the !a)e da)ned Ereb !hit a! any9here el!e. "hey feel they are ),re real )a!ter! ,f )y c,untry than any ,f )y authentic c,)patri,t!, , e2cept f,r the c,rrupt g,vern)ent and it! nu)er,u! and v,cifer,u! lefti!t !upp,rter! 9h,, in fact, are trait,r! ,f their ,9n pe,ple.C <ean;! finger! 9ere nerv,u!ly fu)bling a blue hand-erchief he 9a! h,lding in hi! hand!. A"he 7ed! are g,dle!! and the :u!li)! are p,!!e!!ed by the evil !pirit ,f their Allalah 9h, cann,t be the real G,d. G,d ,ften !pea-! t, pe,ple thr,ugh their c,n!cience, but th,!e pe,ple d,n;t have any. "hey can;t hear G,d. We;ve g,t t, deal 9ith very ruthle!! ene)ie!.C 8,nald 7,!! n,dded in agree)ent and c,ntinued, AA! far a! E -n,9 all ,f u! here pr,ceed fr,) the a!!u)pti,n that ha! it! r,,t! in the Gible. 6nly !,)e pe,ple in thi! 9,rld are de!tined t, -eep their eye! ,pen, 9hile the )aj,rity re)ain! in the dar-, at lea!t f,r a 9hile. A natural c,nclu!i,n that )ay f,ll,9 fr,) here c,uld be that pe,ple privileged t, re)ain 9ith ,pen eye! )ight be e2pected t, ta-e acti,n f,r the !a-e ,f th,!e 9h, are blindf,ld and thu! prevent the) fr,) ru!hing and falling int, the aby!! ,f their ,9n perditi,n.C A5,9 ab,ut th,!e 9h, al!, can !ee and gra!p thing! but, neverthele!!, per!evere in pr,),ting evil d,ing! 9,rld9ideJC 5err Sch9ab a!-ed. 5e !hrugged hi! !h,ulder! th,ugh, feeling hi! Hue!ti,n 9a! rather rhet,ric. 8,nald !)iled at the Hue!ti,n and c,ntinued,

A"hey are the 9,r!t ,f all de),n! and !h,uld be dealt 9ith acc,rdingly. En general, pe,ple )ay be either in!tru)ent! ,f G,d;! 9ill ,r acc,)plice! ,f the f,rce! ,f hell, ,f Satan hi)!elf. "he 5,ly Scripture 9arn! u! again!t hi! !ervant! and !lave! in Huite clear ter)!.C "i),thy @raig c,ughed cauti,u!ly, A8, y,u thin- there;! a difference bet9een th,!e !ervant! and !lave! ,r y,u u!e the 9,rd! )etaph,ricallyJC A5i! !ervant! are even far 9,r!e than hi! !lave! becau!e the !ervant! ,f the Evil -n,9 da)n 9ell 9hat they are up t,. "hey !ee the ,bvi,u! a! clearly a! 9e d, but fr,) an,ther, evil angle. "hey are i)),ral, becau!e they are 9ell a9are ,f 9hat they d, and 9hat cau!e they !erve. 6n the ,ther hand, the !,/called !lave! are th,!e l,t! ,f )illi,n! ,f )a!!e! 9h, are !piritually blind ,r c,rrupt, ,r !i)ply illiterate and p,,r and theref,re can be rather ea!ily )anipulated by th,!e 9h, lac- re!p,n!ibility, ,r by th,!e 9h, are full ,f fanatical hatred, ,r b,th. Slave! ,ften d,n;t -n,9 they are in the 9r,ng, but y,u can;t even try t, enlighten the), becau!e they are !tupid and have been )entally p,i!,ned by the !,/called !ervant! 9h, are their ruler! and leader!.C A"here;! ,ne ),re thing, gentle)en, E ,ught t, tell y,u,C 8,nald 7,!! !9ept the )en in the r,,) 9ith hi! eye!. A"he !)ug gang!ter! that call the)!elve! the Eur,pean @,))ittee and 9h, run the !,/ called United Eur,pe n,9 intend t, give Eur,pean )e)ber!hip t, ilia 9h,!e :u!li) p,pulati,n i! !, p,,r that a! !,,n a! it bec,)e! a )e)ber ,f the Uni,n, )illi,n! ,f ilia;! p,,re!t pea!ant! 9ill i))ediately fl,,d the Eur,pean c,untrie! t,tally bury the) under an i))en!e ec,n,)ic, cultural and religi,u! burden. "he Eur,pe 9e all -n,9 and l,ve 9ill bec,)e hi!t,ry f,r ever.C AGut ilia d,e! n,t even have any relati,n!hip t, Eur,pe in ter)! ,f ge,graphy, p,litical, and !,cial !tructure, t, !ay n,thing ,f ec,n,)yBC <ean .auvet e2clai)ed, !ee)ingly d,9nbeat and indignant. ASuch Ptrifle!; d, n,t !ee) t, !t,p the) unle!! we !t,p the), gentle)en.C A"hat )ean!,C <ean .auvet !aid 9ith a !light .rench accent, Athat 9e can c,n!ider the 7ed!, 9herever they )ay be, a! th,!e !ervant! and !lave! 9e )enti,ned bef,re 9h, are real trait,r! ,f their ,9n pe,ple, !uccu)bing t, E!la).C @arl, Arrig,ni n,dded and put in hi! ,9n 9,rd, AAnd the :u!li) fanatical terr,ri!t!, !uch a! Gean Dadidan, Ia!!er Abu Dala ,r a!ral a!!al in the :iddle Ea!t are their ac-n,9ledged leader!.C AAnd d,n;t f,rget ,ne ,f the 9,r!t ,f the) / 5u!!ein G,u!liyah ,f Gabel,C 8,nald 7,!! added, A9h, ha! e!tabli!hed ,ne ,f the ),!t ,di,u! tyrannical regi)e! in the 9,rld and 9h, i! being bac-ed up by the ),!t l,9/d,9n 7ed and :u!li) !cu), e!pecially in Gritain and el!e9here in Eur,pe. ", !ay n,thing ,f the n,t,ri,u! PW,rld A)ne!ty;, the !,/called Phu)anitarian; ,rganiKati,n, 9hich i! e!!entially i)),ral and even cri)inal becau!e it ),!tly

1%

!upp,rt! terr,ri!t! and de!erve! n,thing el!e than Huic- and ju!t repri!al!. Generally !pea-ing, thi! )eddle!,)e gang ,f un!crupul,u! ),ral !9indler! !upp,rt! the intere!t! ,f !,ciali!t i)periali!) every9here in the 9,rld. "he !tupidity and )alice ,f the Eur,pean 7ed ),b! and the defiant in!,lence ,f the :u!li) ,ccupier! ,f Eur,pe !ee) t, -n,9 n, li)it!. Gut, ,f c,ur!e, their 7ed leader! )anipulate the) t,,. "he brain9a!hed 7ed )a!!e! in Eur,pe, !till drea)ing perhap! ,f 5itler;! ti)e! 9hen they 9ere thr,9n b,ne! t, gna9 at, de),n!trate n,9 in !upp,rt ,f t,talitarian dictat,r! li-e 5u!!ein G,u!liyah ,f Gabel.C AE gue!! 5u!!ein G,u!liyah !upp,rt! the) financially,C <uan D,peK c,njectured. A5e )ay finance the 7ed leader!, but E;) !ure the )a!!e! ,f jer-! !taging de),n!trati,n! in !upp,rt ,f Gabel;! dictat,r d, it ,f their ,9n free 9ill. S, they 9ant t, pa!! the) ,ff a! a 9idely !pread p,pular ),ve)ent, alth,ugh they are u!ually in!tigated and led by the lefti!t fa!ci!t!,C 8,nald 7,!! !aid th,ughtfully and added, A E;) afraid the 9h,le thing can !lip ,ff fr,) under c,ntr,l, if anything li-e that e2i!t! at all, and gr,9 int, !,)ething ugly li-e full d,)inati,n ,f E!la) in Eur,pe.C <en! 5an!en put in hi! ,pini,n in a !,)ber t,ne, hi! eye! turned !teel grey and fr,!ty 9ith hardly re!trained rage, A"h,!e lefti!t fa!ci!t! !h,uld be taught a le!!,n in future.C A5,9JC 8,nald 9,ndered. AGy bla!ting clu!ter b,)b! in the )iddle ,f their de),n!trati,n! 9hen they lea!t e2pect it,C <en! !aid. A6h... but )aybe y,u g,t a p,int hereB We;ll c,n!ider it in due ti)e,C 8,nald !aid in a v,ice !upp,rtive ,f the idea and c,ntinued, AEven n,9, E!la) ha! a !ay in a nu)ber ,f a!pect! ,f Eur,pean life, n,t t, )enti,n it! general ,ffen!ive ,n all fr,nt!. E;) c,nvinced there )u!t be d,ne !,)ething ab,ut it, gentle)en.C AAnd that;! 9here 9e c,)e in,C !aid <en! 5an!en re!,lutely. Everyb,dy in the r,,) !tirred and l,,-ed bac- at hi). 5e 9a! !eated behind the ,ther!. "here 9a! a !ilent appr,val in everyb,dy;! eye!, th,ugh they did n,t e2pre!! it in 9,rd!. 8,nald !aid, AI,u;re Huite right, <en!.C 5e !)iled enc,uragingly. AI,u are given the fl,,r n,9.C Everyb,dy turned t, face the bl,nd giant. U!ually rather cal), he c,uld n,9 barely re!train the rage that 9a! up!urging in hi). A"hi! !,/called ne9 W,rld 6rder created by the Defti!t tra!h )u!t be f,ught ruthle!!ly by every p,!!ible )ean!.C ,9 <en! glanced ab,ut at the face! 9h,!e eye! 9ere c,ncentrated ,n hi) n,9. "hen he 9ent ,n, punctuating each 9,rd 9ith hi! hand cutting the air 9ith abrupt a2/li-e ge!ture!. A"he 7ed! have di!t,rted and c,nfu!ed the natural c,ur!e ,f thing! in thi! 9,rld by applying a! )uch vici,u! p,litical perver!i,n a! they can. .,r in!tance, E can re)ind y,u here that the 7ed! !tig)atiKe real patri,t! a! ultra/nati,nali!t! and try t, ,utla9 the). "he type ,f

11

Pde),cracy; they have built ,ver the late!t decennia ha! n,thing t, d, 9ith true de),cracy. Et can be ju!tifiably ter)ed a! cha,!. ",day;! Eur,pean de),cracy i! !eri,u!ly !ic- 9ith the cancer ,f !,ciali!) and :u!li) ,ccupati,n. Et i! 9ell -n,9n that thi! cha,tic c,nditi,n enable! the) t, !teal a! )uch a! p,!!ible fr,) c,)),n pe,ple f,r their ,9n benefit and their ,9n ign,ble end!. "hi! 9h,le bu!ine!! i! happening in the na)e ,f 5u)an 7ight!, 9hich they have vi,lated and perverted the very e!!ence ,f th,!e 7ight!. Et i! happening under the aegi! ,f the pre!u)ptu,u! ),tley gang! !itting in the i))en!e and ugly gla!! b,2 ,n the ban- ,f the Ea!t 7iver. "he evil/!)elling 9ave! ,f E!la) have fl,,ded the Eur,pean c,ntinent all but irretrievably. "hey;ve under)ined the l,ng/!tanding traditi,nal culture! and al),!t i)perceptibly !ub!tituted and er,ded the) 9ithin the :u!li)/!)elling P)ulticultural;, !,ciety, 9hich i! li-e a vile di!ea!e nibbling a9ay at the uniHue cultural, religi,u!, and !,cial achieve)ent! ,f the 6ld @,ntinent. "hi! l,,-! li-e a !tand,ff, a de!perate !ituati,n. 5,9ever, E can tell y,u thi!, dear friend!, it !till can and )u!t be dealt 9ith pr,perly. Et;! ab,ut !alvaging 9hatever can !till be !alvaged, bef,re it di!appear! int, ,blivi,n. Et;! high ti)e t, ta-e acti,n, friend!. We !i)ply can;t aff,rd any further dallying ,ff the preci,u! ti)e.C "he la!t 9,rd! ,f <en! 9ere all but dr,9ned in the l,ud applau!e c,ncluding hi! !h,rt !peech. 5e 9ent bac- t, hi! chair behind the ,ther!. 5i! face !ee)ed in!crutable. AAnd that )ean!, gentle)en,C 8,nald 7,!! re!u)ed, Athat the day ,f acti,n, ,f our acti,n i! brea-ing. ,9 E;ll have the plea!ure ,f giving y,u Geert <an. Plea!e, GeertBC "he y,ung 8utch)an g,t t, hi! feet and ru))aged ,ut fr,) hi! briefca!e !everal printed !heet! ,f paper. "hen he !aid, AGentle)an, Pr,fe!!,r 8,nald 7,!! and y,ur ,bedient !ervant have )apped ,ut a certain pr,ject that 9e call the :anife!t, ,f Diberati,n. And 9e hu)bly pre!ent it t, y,ur -ind c,n!iderati,n in the h,pe ,f appr,val ,r critici!) and y,ur active participati,n in 9,r-ing ,n it. E;ll read t, y,u ,nly the very fir!t t9, ,r three page!. "hen 8r. 8,nald 7,!! and E e2pect y,u t, !tudy it ),re th,r,ughly at y,ur lei!ure and c,)e ,ut 9ith y,ur ,9n !ugge!ti,n!, !,)e ti)e later. When 9e have c,)pleted ,ur j,int 9,r- ,n thi! d,cu)ent, 9e;ll !ee 9hat 9e can d, ab,ut it after9ard!. Et g,e! 9ith,ut !aying that thi! d,cu)ent i! e2pected t, be !ecret t, the e2ternal 9,rld, f,r the ti)e being. We;ll launch it int, the br,ader public a! !,,n a! the ti)e i! ripe and 9e;ll u!e !pecial channel! t, pre!ent it t, th,!e intere!ted. @5AP"E7 & Geert )ade a pau!e, l,,-ing int, the !heet! ,f paper he 9a! h,lding in hi! hand! and then !tarted reading the) in a fir) and clear v,ice. "he paragraph! ,f "5E :A E.S"6 6. DEGE7A"E6 f,ll,9ed ,ne by ,ne !),,thly, !tre!!ed by hi! int,nati,n in appr,priate place!.

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"he d,cu)ent !tarted 9ith g,ing ,ver the general !ituati,n in Eur,pe ari!en fr,) the inva!i,n ,f :u!li)! given the green light by Eur,pean lefti!t liberal ruler! and the danger! that 9ere c,)ing int, being thr,ugh that !ituati,n. "he 9,rding ,f the d,cu)ent 9a! infla))at,ry and challenging. Et c,nde)ned revaluati,n ,f certain value! li-e patri,ti!) that 9a! practically ,utla9ed thr,ugh l,cal legi!lati,n!, 9hich paved the 9ay f,r, in the 9,rd! ,f the :anife!t,, Aan unhealthy ruling alliance bet9een th,!e t9, e!!entially anti/Eur,pean f,rce!C / E!la) and 9hat it called lefti!t liberali!). Et criticiKed the !,/called ne9 9,rld ,rder i)p,!ed by ,n Eur,pe by the c,n!pirat,r! in Hue!ti,n, 9h, acc,rding t, the d,cu)ent, created Afifth c,lu)n!C in it. "he :anife!t, !tig)atiKed the Eur,pean ruler! a! Acri)inal! c,))itting cri)e! again!t their ,9n pe,ple! and called the e2pan!i,n ,f the United Eur,pe Aan atte)pt at creating a re!t,red and invig,rated 7,)an E)pire that 9,uld bec,)e a ne9 !,urce ,f evil in the 9,rld. "he ulti)ate g,al ,f th,!e Af,rce!C 9a! t, e!tabli!h a rule ,f the far left t,talitariani!) !hared 9ith the E!la)ic ,ccupier!. "he!e paragraph! 9ere f,ll,9ed by a detailed definiti,n in categ,rical ter)! ,f aggre!!ive E!la);! r,le in the ),dern 9,rld. En thi! c,nnecti,n, the :anife!t, c,nde)ned the Eur,pean A)ulticulturalC p,licy a! A)ulticri)inal.C "he d,cu)ent al!, 9ent ,ver 9hat it called the :u!li) c,n!piracy ,f c,nHuering and d,)inating the 9,rld in ter)! ,f !lavery and c,)plete ,b!curanti!). Et called up,n Eur,pean! t, ,rganiKe a ruthle!! ar)ed re!i!tance again!t :u!li) ,ccupier! and their indulging Eur,pean pr,tect,r!. "he ne9 @ru!ade 9a! t, be initiated by creati,n ,f a !trictly clande!tine para)ilitary ,rganiKati,n called EDA 4 Enternati,nal Diberati,n Ar)y 4 in the f,r) ,f ),bile guerilla unit!. Geert interrupted hi! reading t, give the )en a chance t, dige!t the d,cu)ent they had ju!t heard. "9, day! later, they g,t t,gether at 8,nald;! place again. "hey had !pent a l,t ,f ti)e t,gether, vi!iting each ,ther in the h,tel! they 9ere !taying at, di!cu!!ing and j,tting d,9n the idea! they agreed up,n, 9hich gradually t,,- the !hape ,f a d,cu)ent ready f,r further c,n!iderati,n. "hi! ti)e it 9a! 8,nald, 9h, t,,- it up,n hi)!elf t, read the !u))ary ,f the d,cu)ent, 9hich 9a! t, bec,)e an integral part ,f the 9h,le :anife!t,. "he ),!t i)p,rtant paragraph 9a! dev,ted t, the EDA in Hue!ti,n t, it! ,rganiKati,n, ar!enal ,f 9eap,n!, it! tactic!, and financing. "he :anife!t, al!, !p,-e again!t i))igrati,n in indubitable ter)!, calling ,n native p,pulati,n! t, actively re!i!t it, 9ith ar)ed rebelli,n, if need be. "he U D 9a! !tig)atiKed a! A,ne ,f E!la);! agencie!C and it! hu)anitarian c,))ittee! a!Cin!tru)ent ,f ju!tificati,n ,f E!la) and it! )ilitant !cu)bag! all ,ver the 9,rld.C 8,nald 7,!! !t,pped reading it and peered at the pe,ple in fr,nt ,f hi), then !aid, AWell, gentle)en, 9e have n,9 br,ught ,ur :anife!t, t, it! c,)pleti,n. Ef y,u have g,t any Hue!ti,n!, thi! i! the right ti)e t, a!- the), E gue!!.C "i),thy @raig cleared hi! thr,at.

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A5,9 ab,ut p,!!ible P5u)an 7ight!; repercu!!i,n! in the 9,rld in re!p,n!e t, ,ur pr,gra) ,f vi,lent re!i!tanceJC AE dare !ay,C 8,nald !)iled in @raig;! directi,n, Ay,u can;t find a peaceful !,luti,n t, the )atter, "i), ,ne 9ay ,r the ,ther. Ethically !pea-ing, hu)an right! have n,thing t, d, 9ith :u!li)!, !i)ply becau!e they reject the), given their behavi,r, ide,l,gy, cri)inal !che)e! and evil de!ign! again!t the n,n/:u!li) 9,rld. En a !piritual 9ay, they can rea!,nably be c,n!idered ),re a! e2tre)ely evil de),n! than hu)an! are. 5,9ever, de),n! d,n;t have hu)an right!. "hey ju!t a!- f,r being de!tr,yed. Ef 9e d,n;t d, that, they 9ill certainly d, it t, u!, re)e)berJ E;ve been !tudying the i)pi,u! Our;an ,ver all the late!t year!, the h,ly b,,- ,f E!la). ,9 E can c,)pare it t, the P:ein Ma)pf; ,f 5itler. G,th have the !a)e !,urce ,f evil in!pirati,n. G,th have the three )ain p,int! in c,)),n / the c,)plete c,nHue!t ,f the 9,rld, the c,)pul!,ry !ubjecti,n ,f all the nati,n! in the 9,rld t, an evil t,talitarian ide,l,gy and !lavery and !avage hatred ,f all <e9!. A -ind ,f hatred that again !ee-! h,l,cau!t ,f the <e9i!h pe,ple ju!t becau!e they are )e!!enger! ,f the true G,d. Al),!t every page ,f the unh,ly Our;an i! filled 9ith hatred, int,lerance, lie!, all -ind! ,f di!t,rti,n!, threat!, and inti)idati,n ,f every -ind that are pa!!ed ,ff a! the la!t and eternal revelati,n ,f their l,ath!,)e pagan g,d Allalah. 5ave y,u ever !een th,!e l,,ny fanatic cr,9d! in the :u!li) c,untrie! ,n "V 9hen they burn A)erican flag!J 5ave y,u paid attenti,n t, their eye!J "he eye! ,f )urder,u! de),n!J "he eye! ,f -iller!J Ef !,, y,u 9ill und,ubtedly c,)prehend all the urgent nece!!ity ,f ,ur cau!e, gentle)en. A! f,r vari,u! !,/called 5u)an 7ight! ,rganiKati,n! y,u -n,9 they ),!tly c,)e ,ut f,r the cri)inal !cu) if that !cu) happen! t, be adeHuately and ju!tly dealt 9ith. "hey c,n!i!t ,f either f,,l! ,r degenerate!. And there are en,ugh f,,l! and p!ych,! t, !upp,rt the) all ,ver the 9,rld. "hat !h,uld !t,p u! by n, )ean!. 5ence, 9e )u!t ign,re the) c,)pletely, if 9e are ready t, fight. A! regard! the U D, everyb,dy !ee)! t, -n,9 it;! a tric-y ,rganiKati,n that 9,r-! in the intere!t! ,f E!la) and left 9ing p,litical intriguer! .C "i) @raig n,dded t, !h,9 he 9a! !ati!fied. @arl, Arrig,ni !aid gri)ly, A"he U i! the big r,tten c,re in the Gig Apple,C A7un by a paltry nullity called General Secretary, at that,C <ean .auvet added !c,rnfully. A Huic- !)ile flitted acr,!! 8,nald;! face, A"hat;! a g,,d ,neB Any ,ther Hue!ti,n!, gentle)enJC W,lfgang Sch9ab !aid, AE;) certain that, if 9e d, !ucceed t, f,r) !uch para)ilitary unit!, 9e;ll have t, rec-,n 9ith t9, eventual fr,nt!.C 5e pau!ed. "hen 9ent ,n a! if 9eighing each 9,rd. A"he :u!li)! in Eur,pe and ,ut!ide and the 7ed Eur,pean auth,ritie! 9ith regular ar)ie! at their di!p,!al 9ithin EA"6. W,uld it be the ta!- 9e c,uld really faceJC

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AWe;ve g,t t, ri!- it, any9ay,C 8,nald !aid. 5e cl,!ed hi! eye! f,r a ),)ent a! if re)e)bering !,)ething, then !aid, AGe!ide!, 9e;ll have Huite a l,t ,f vari,u! advantage! at ,ur ,9n di!p,!al. Di-e the guerilla tactic! and high ),bility. And ,f c,ur!e 9e 9ill have t, h,ld ,n t, the pri,rity ,f !ecrecy and ca),uflage. Apart fr,) thi!, the EA"6;! c,,rdinat,r i! the n,t,ri,u! Qavier ",nt, E)becil 9h, i! an unbelievable f,,l. And that;! ,ur advantage t,,.C AE;) a!ha)ed thi! ver)in happen! t, be )y c,)patri,t,C <uan D,peK !aid, Aand that )ean! there i! n, e2e)pti,n fr,) having !uch !leaKy creep! even in ,ur ,ld Eur,pe. All thi! )a-e! it all the ),re urgent t, ta-e up ar)! again!t the :u!li)! and their 7ed allie!. Gut there i! al!, an ec,n,)ic !ide t, all that,C he re)inded and added, AE;) afraid 9e;ll have t, l,,c,ntinually f,r re!,urce! 9herever and 9hatever they )ay be. We;ll have t, g, t, a great deal ,f tr,uble and a l,t ,f e2pen!e t, achieve ,ur g,al.C AI,u;re ab!,lutely right, <uan. Gut 9e;ll try t, deal 9ith the!e pr,ble)! a! it i! !tated in ,ur :anife!t, and l,,- f,r ,ther !,luti,n!, t,,.C "he further, le!! f,r)al, c,nver!ati,n t,,- place in the ),de!t dining r,,), 9hich 9a! part ,f the i!,lated -itchen. "here 9ere !,)e ,pened b,ttle! ,f !tr,ng liHu,r! and c,ffee p,t! ,n the l,ng table ta-ing up al),!t all the !pace ,f thi! dining c,rner. "he )en t,,- their !eat! and 9ent ,n di!cu!!ing thing! and p,uring the)!elve! drin-! ,r c,ffee, urged by their h,!t. After a !h,rt pau!e during 9hich the )en had been helping the)!elve! t, the !lice! ,f bread 9ith piece! ,f )eat ,r fi!h heaped ,n plate! in fr,nt ,f the), the tal- 9a! re!u)ed. W,lfgang Sch9ab, c,n!idering !,)ething th,ughtfully, !)iled and br,-e the general !ilence a! if in an!9er t, hi! ,9n th,ught!, AWhen E c,)e t, thin- ,f ,ur 7ed @hancell,r 9h, !ha)ele!!ly !upp,rt! the Gabyl,nian 5itler E can;t fath,) even hi! 7ed )entality. 8ue t, p,litician! li-e hi) Ger)any i! full ,f h,!tile pe,ple bel,ng t, vari,u! aggre!!ive :u!li) terr,ri!t gr,up!. "h,!e terr,ri!t gr,up! feel at h,)e in c,untrie! li-e Ger)any, .rance, etherland! ,r Gelgiu)..C A5e;! n,t the ,nly ,ne,C ca)e Arrig,ni;! reacti,n t, Sch9ab;! 9,rd!, A"here are )illi,n! ,f jer-! 9h, readily accept thi! bull!hit de!pite all the ,bvi,u! fact!. Geing !cu) the)!elve!, they are ready t, !upp,rt any ,ther !cu) in the 9,rld. Di-e they !upp,rt the !tin-ing ,ld g,at! 9h, run Per!ia. "hey are ready t, th9art any p,!itive eff,rt t, re!t,re la9 and ,rder in the 9,rld.C A:aybe it;! their ,9n appr,ach, 9arped a! it happen! t, be, t, the n,ti,n ,f de),cracyJC <ean .auvet !ugge!ted, A"he craKy ),b! are ),rally !p,iled by thi! !uper)ar-et !,ciali!), high rate! ,f cri)inality that victi)iKe! the We!tern !,ciety, and the daily brain9a!hing by the )a!! )edia. 8e),cracy )ean! t, the) a p,!!ibility t, achieve their end! in every i)aginable and uni)aginable 9ay. En ,ther 9,rd!, de),cracy f,r the) )ean! per)i!!ivene!!, freed,) ,f cri)e. "hey 9,uld readily brea- all the la9!, ,r rule! if !uch a breach let! the) avail the)!elve! ,f every illegal and i)),ral )ean! t, get 9hat they 9ant.

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Et;! n,t by chance that they u!ually ,pp,!e the la9 enf,rce)ent b,die! in ,ur !,ciety. "he ),b! al9ay! tend t, be cri)inal.C 8,nald !)iled at <ean .auvet;! 9,rd!, A8, y,u )ean y,u 9,uld curtail de),cracy thenJC AA! f,r )e,C !aid .auvet, AE;) c,nfident that n,9aday! de),cracy badly need! a !,rt ,f revi!i,n. 6r, rather, !,)e pr,ce!! ,f purging it fr,) the relatively recently ari!en ele)ent! that ,bvi,u!ly c,ntradict de),cracy in it! cla!!ic f,r). Eli)inati,n ,f !uch thing! a! the ri!ing cri)inality, perver!e appr,ach t, a l,t ,f !,cial fact,r!N and !uppre!!i,n ,f patri,ti!) are indi!pen!able.C AI,u;ve g,t a p,int here,C "i),thy @raig agreed th,ughtfully, Af,r in A)erica 9e;ve g,t very )uch the !a)e pr,ble)!. :aybe even ,n a larger !cale. Geing an ,rientali!t, E happen t, -n,9 a fe9 thing! ab,ut E!la) that E d,n;t find a! pr,)i!ing a! the !,/called 9,rld leader! d,. Such !h,rt/!ighted e2pectati,n! are ab!,lutely gr,undle!!. En it! e!!ence E!la), th,ugh !ee)ingly ),n,thei!tic, i! ba!ically pagan. Gut that;! really n,t the p,int. "he truth i! it 9a! and re)ain! ide,l,gically aggre!!ive and p,9erfully c,nducive t, p,litically t,talitarian and ruthle!! regi)e!, en!laving and hu)iliating 9,)en a! it ha! recently been the ca!e ,f the Galaban in GactriaN it i! ab!,lutely int,lerant and theref,re threatening ,ther religi,n! and p,litical !y!te)!, t, !ay n,thing ,f the fact that it 9ill never rec,ncile it!elf t, the re!t ,f the 9,rld until it ha! achieved it! ,9n end!. "heir tactical ),ve)ent! are 9ell/calculated and their We!t/,riented p,litical attitude i! that ,f d,uble !tandard and fully hyp,critical a! in the ca!e ,f the p,litical and ),ral behavi,r ,f Ia!!er Abu Dala, the ,bel priKe 9inner. 6r any,ne ,f hi! cliHue, f,r that )atter. Di-e hi! n,t,ri,u! fe)ale pr,pagandi!t 5ag an A!!ah9y, an ugly Phili!tine naKi 9ith the head ,f a ven,),u! adder t, ju!tify 9hat i! unju!tifiable / terr,r again!t the <e9! and E!rael. Gut n,t ,nly E!rael ,r A)erica, f,r that )atter, the 9h,le n,n/:u!li) 9,rld face! the i))en!e danger ,f E!la) and d,e!n;t !ee) t, fully realiKe it.C Suddenly <en! 5an!en, the 8ani!h engineer fr,) M,lding !aid, hi! face flu!hed red 9ith 9rath, A"he 7ed! are guilty all right, but the danger ,f E!la) i! really Huite i))inent. "heir ),tt,, a! y,u all -n,9, i! A,n Saturday 9e;ll -ill the <e9! and ,n Sunday the @hri!tian!CN but they certainly f,rget that .riday, their h,ly day, c,)e! fir!t. S, let, indeed, the very !,il under their feet in Eur,pe burn under their feet. Det their g,dda)ned ),!Hue! be bl,9n up ,n every .riday ,f the 9ee-. And the -illed :u!li)!; ),uth! and a!!e! !h,uld be plugged up 9ith piece! ,f p,r-. Det every g,dda)ned :u!li) ver)in -n,9 they can;t b,!! the !ituati,n in Eur,pe ju!t a! they happen t, n,9, getting the green light fr,) the 7ed!. "hey are really neither hu)an! n,r ani)al! but rather evil de),n! and )u!t be dealt 9ith acc,rdingly. A! f,r Eur,pe n,9aday!, it behave! li-e an ,ld !ic- 9h,re 9h, de!perately trie! t, flaunt an in!,lent bravad, 9ith a !habby 9ig and fal!e teeth but end! up in an ign,)ini,u! fun- 9hen it c,)e!

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t, facing E!la). "he fuc-ing Eur,pean Pg,vern)ent; i! the ,bvi,u! pr,,f ,f it. E!pecially the 9ay they treat the fuc-ing E!la) by g,ing ea!y ,n it. E ju!t can;t ta-e )uch ),re ,f thi! !hit. :,re,ver, the da)ned :u!li)! bring al,ng en,ugh ,f their ,9n !hit in the !hape ,f their da)ned ),!Hue!, their baleful religi,n, ide,l,gy, and their infe!ting pre!ence.C <en! felt !trangely ,ut ,f hi)!elf at the ),)ent. "he ,ther! felt a! )uch. Gut everyb,dy 9h, 9a! ar,und !ee)ed t, be ta-en abac- by the une2pected e),ti,nal e2pl,!i,n ,n the part ,f the big 8ane 9h,!e eye! !ee)ed at the ),)ent t, be flinging innu)erable ha))er! ,f "h,r. 5i! large figure 9a! t,9ering a),ng hi! c,lleague! li-e :,unt GaldhRpigen in the ),untain range ,f <,tunhei)en in ,r9ay and hi! eye! 9ere ca!ting glaring lightning! li-e th,!e ,f the 9rathful 6din. "urning t, th,!e 9h, 9ere ne2t t, hi), <ean .auvet a!-ed, A5ave y,u heard, gentle)en, ,f the late!t event! in Ant9erpJ "he :,r,ccan y,uth! thre9 !t,ne! at the Gelgian p,lice.C A", )y )ind,C <en! c,))ented gri)ly, Athat :,r,ccan !hit !h,uld have been )achine/ gunned. "hey de!erve n, better.C En hi! turn, @arl, Arrig,ni added, AE d,n;t believe they !h,uld be a!-ed t, get the)!elve! integrated in the Eur,pean !,ciety. "hey !h,uld be rather -ic-ed ,ut fr,) ,ld Eur,pe. En fact, they are li-e an evil viru! p,i!,ning the Eur,pean c,untrie! 9ith their pre!ence and aggre!!ive behavi,r. Apart fr,) thi!, they are para!ite! ,n the b,dy ,f Eur,pe, leading an ea!y life at the e2pen!e ,f the native p,pulati,n.C "he Spaniard re)ar-ed, A"he 7ed! 9ill rai!e a h,9ling hell if !,)e,ne t,uche! a hair ,n the head ,f !,)e :,r,ccan a!!h,le.C A"he fuc-ing PW,rld A)ne!ty; 9ill let ,ut an e!pecially !tin-ing fart becau!e ,f it all, acc,rding t, their cu!t,). Det the) !)ell it the)!elve! then and lic- their ,9n pu-e,C the big 8ane gru)bled al),!t under hi! breath but audibly en,ugh f,r every,ne t, hear. 8,nald 7,!! n,dded and !aid, AWell, gentle)en, the !ituati,n ha! really bec,)e Huite int,lerable. Gut, t, )y )ind, there e2i!t! the !piritual !ide t, the ),dern !ituati,n in the 9,rld, a! all ,f y,u -n,9. "he great Evil ha! rai!ed it! ugly head and i! d,ing it! ut),!t t, fa!cinate and allure the 9h,le )an-ind int, the aby!! ,f death and !in al,ng 9ith it!elf. ", u! and al!, great )a!!e! ,f pe,ple li-e u! it )ean! t,ugh re!i!tance. And that;! 9hy 9e are t,gether t,day, an!9ering the call ,f ,ur c,n!cience and ,ur hu)an duty. E;) u!ing thi! ,pp,rtunity, gentle)en, t, than- y,u all again f,r y,ur under!tanding the pr,ble)! and y,ur active participati,n in an atte)pt t, !,lve the) 9hatever i)plicati,n! it )ay inv,lve. Det u! n,t fall bac- bef,re any difficultie! that )ay th9art ,ur purp,!e. Det u! face the gri) reality a! it i! and )eet it 9ith dignity and f,rce a! befit! th,!e 9h, are called ,n t, h,ld their gr,und. E !ugge!t that t,),rr,9 9e )eet at )y

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place again t, f,r) a !pecial acti,n c,))ittee and define it! i))ediate a!!ign)ent!.C Everyb,dy agreed. A6h, ye!, ,ne ,ther thing, gentle)enBC 5e )ade a pau!e. AWe al!, )u!t try t, 9in ,ver Greece t, ,ur !ide.C 5e gave hi! audience a Huic- !can, dru))ing hi! elegant finGeertip! 9ith neatly cut nail! ,n hi! de!-t,p and 9aiting f,r a reacti,n. 5e had n, 9ay ,f handling the )atter hi)!elf. A"hat 9,n;t be any pr,ble), 8,nald,C Arrig,ni !aid, AE have !,)e lin-! in Greece. E have a g,,d Gree- friend 9h,!e na)e i! Sirta-i!. 5e;! a billi,naire and ,9n! a )erchant fleet. S, E;ll !ee !,,n en,ugh 9hat E can d, ab,ut it. 8,n;t y,u 9,rry. Gy the 9ay, Sirta-i! c,uld help u! financially, t,,. E -n,9 hi! ,utl,,- and E;) !ure he 9ill c,,perate 9ith u!.C A"han- y,u, @arl,BC <uan D,peK !aid, AAnd E;ll !ee t, it that the P,rtugue!e j,in u!, t,,.C "hey br,-e the )eeting until the ne2t day 9hen they )et again and !haped their fir!t unit in the f,r) ,f E2ecutive @,))ittee 9h,!e )ain ta!- 9a! ,rganiKati,n ,f the fir!t para)ilitary unit! in their re!pective c,untrie! and c,,rdinati,n ,f their eff,rt!. Ge!ide!, they agreed ,n )ea!ure! t, be ta-en f,r financing !uch unit! and !upplying the) 9ith all the indi!pen!able eHuip)ent. "hey had t, find and !elect per!,nnel and ,rganiKe their in!tructi,n and training by the e2perienced e2/)ilitary and get in t,uch 9ith the pe,ple 9h, 9,uld be able t, finance the fir!t !tep! ,f the unit!, pr,viding the) 9ith all the nece!!ary hard9are. "hey al!, agreed t, -eep in t,uch 9ith each ,ther thr,ugh the Enternet a! 9ell a! )eet ,n a regular ba!i! at each ,ther;! h,)e!. "he preparat,ry !tage 9a! thu! c,)pleted. Winding up the )eeting, 8,nald 7,!! !u))ed it up 9ith the 9,rd!, ADadie! and gentle)en, E;) c,nfident 9e have reached the nece!!ary c,n!en!u! a),ng u!, 9hich i! Huite i)p,rtant f,r )a-ing deci!i,n! t, c,)bat the :u!li) plague that ha! infe!ted Eur,pe and threaten! t, !trangle all ,ur hi!t,rical and cultural value!. .r,) thi! ),)ent ,n, 9e !hall c,n!ider ,ur!elve! a! ne,cru!ader!. Whatever the cri)inal ruling gang!ter! in Gru!!el! that pre!u)ptu,u!ly call the)!elve! Eur,pean @,))ittee )ight underta-e again!t u!. @,ngratulati,n!, gentle)enB S, help u! G,d.C "hi! declarati,n 9a! )et 9ith a !pirited accla)ati,n ,n the part ,f th,!e pre!ent. When they left 8,nald;! h,)e and )ade their 9ay t, their car! par-ed n,t far a9ay in the adj,ining !treet, the )ur-y gray !-y ,verhead 9a! pregnant 9ith 9ater any ),)ent ready t, p,ur d,9n in thic- !pla!hing !heet!. "he autu)n g,ld and ,chre began t, !trea- the !till den!e ,paHue greenery ,f the tall tree!, ri))ing the neare!t canal 9h,!e !),,th !urface 9a! br,-en by !everal duc-!. "hey 9ere !9i))ing ar,und and dipping their head! int, the blac9ater in !earch ,f f,,d. All the !,und! ,f the city !ee)ed di!tant and )uffled in the air thic- 9ith ),i!ture, including the v,ice! ,f the )en 9h, 9ere !ha-ing their hand! at parting bef,re they

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e!tabli!hed the)!elve! at the !teering 9heel! ,f their car!. W,lfgang Sch9ab t,,- D,peK and Arrig,ni t, the rail9ay !tati,n, 9here they 9ere e2pected t, catch their re!pective train!. 8,nald 7,!! !a9 ,ff all ,f hi! friend! a! far a! he c,uld, e2changing c,rdial hand!ha-e! 9ith the). 5e returned h,)e gratified. Gut he c,uldn;t fall a!leep l,ng int, the early ),rning h,ur!, )ulling ,ver and ,ver the crucial event that had ta-en place at hi! h,u!e. :aybe it )eant n,thing yet. And )aybe it c,uld be regarded a! a hi!t,ric event. ,b,dy c,uld f,retell 9hat it 9,uld finally lead t,. Gut ,ne thing 9a! Huite clear* thi! )eeting )eant an en,r),u! burden ,f re!p,n!ibility that fell t, hi! l,t. @5AP"E7 3 "he Huiet )ighty ile 9a! r,lling it! abundant and beneficial 9ater! bet9een it! lu!ci,u! ban-! ,vergr,9n by !u)ptu,u! pal)/tree! and the c,ntinu,u! greenery ,f ,rchard! heavy 9ith the fre!h harve!t. "he angry incande!cent !un 9a! p,uring it! !c,rching heat li-e ),lten )etal fr,) the cl,udle!! !-y up,n the br,ad !urface ,f the ile and ,a!e! and de!ert! ,f the c,untry the ancient river had given it! na)e 4 ilia. "he graci,u! felucca! 9ere gliding indefatigably al,ng the 9ater! !ubdued by the )ercile!! !un. "hey re!e)bled the de2ter,u! gull! 9ith their 9ing! !pread in the ),ti,nle!! h,t air and 9ere !-i))ing al,ng li-e th,!e gull! in !earch ,f f,,d and freed,). "he di!tant GiKeh pyra)id! and Sphin2 9ith the eternal !tare ,n it! !t,ne face t,uched by the pa!t )illennia 9ere vi!ibly vibrating in the heated air ,f the de!ert ju!t ,ut!ide @air,, the i))en!e and cha,tic capital ,f ilia. 6n b,th ban-! ,f the great river the f,r)idable ),dern !tructure! ,f h,tel!, ban-!, and flat! den!ely t,9ered high in the h,t air, reflecting the)!elve! li-e en,r),u! beehive! in the br,ad 9ater! ,f the ile. "he ,ld Huarter! ,f @han/el/Mhalili !pread right int, the ,ld heart ,f @air, in it! ea!tern part. Et i! there that the innu)erable !pire! ,f )inaret! pierce the !-y 9ith their elegant !t,ne f,r)! fr,) 9here the a)plified v,ice! ,f )ueKKin! 9ere chanting their appeal! in different t,nalitie! five ti)e! by day and a! )any ti)e! by night. "he!e !,und! !pilled ,ver the endle!! river! ,f cr,9d! ,f pe,ple fl,,ding the narr,9 !treet! ,f the ,ld Huarter! den!ely cra))ed 9ith little !h,p! bur!ting 9ith vari,u! ,riental g,,d!, 9,r-!h,p! ,f arti!an!, e2perienced craft!)en in every -ind ,f traditi,nal ilian art! and nu)er,u! cafe! ,ffering tiny cup! ,f !tr,ng c,ffee and narghile. "he general din in th,!e !treet! 9a! deafening, but n,b,dy !ee)ed t, )ind it, ,ften adding up hi! ,r her ,9n v,ice t, it. "he cr,9d! 9ere !,)eti)e! !trea-ed by Eur,pean and A)erican ,r Au!tralian t,uri!t! 9h, 9ere 9earing !h,rt! and pl,dding in eager !earch ,f !,uvenir! li-e carpet!, l,cal handicraft 9are! )ade ,f c,pper, earthen9are and ,ther bauble! that )ight later re)ind the) ,f the h,t and feveri!h day! !pent in the capital ,f ilia. S,)e ,f the) cr,9ded ar,und the !cribe! !-ilful in 9riting ancient ilian hieratic !ign! and picture! ,n papyri. "hey 9illingly b,ught the).

13

En the ,lde!t Ea!tern part ,f @air,, the )inaret! ,f the ,lde!t ),!Hue! pierce the !-y li-e that ,f Ebn "ubun built in the :iddle Age! ,r li-e the ancient ),!Hue ,f A)r, b,th ,f the) are in an al),!t ruined c,nditi,n. A! f,r the ),!t i)p,rtant ),!Hue! ,f @air, and the ),!t ancient ,f the) after the t9, ab,ve/)enti,ned, it i! the ),!Hue ,f AK/Sahar that 9a! built 9hen @air, 9a! built. Et i! at thi! Univer!ity that !tudent! peru!e the !piritual 9i!d,) and juri!prudence ,f E!la). Et i! the ),!t fa),u! ,f the :u!li) c,llege! in the 9,rld, it! !tudent! being c,unted by th,u!and!. 6n a clear g,lden !unny ),rning in ,ne ,f it! !)aller r,,)! 9ith carpet! !h,9ing intricate pattern! ,n the fl,,r, 9ith Hu,tati,n! fr,) the Our;an ,n the 9all! partly c,vered 9ith carpet!, t,,, and e)br,idered pill,9! !cattered every9here ,n the fl,,r ,ne c,uld catch the )uffled !,und ,f v,ice! di!cu!!ing !,)ething earne!tly and a! if in a ca!ual )anner. A),ng the gr,up ,f )en a!!e)bled here a !n,9/9hite bearded patriarch 9a! )aje!tically pre!iding ,ver the) in a benev,lent, th,ugh !,)e9hat !tern )anner. 5e 9a! n, ,ther than E)a) Abu Dula Gar Mebab hi)!elf, a leading E!la) ide,l,gi!t and 7ect,r ,f AK/Sahar Univer!ity. 5e 9a! !eventy year! ,f age and l,,-ed it becau!e ,f hi! l,ng gray beard fra)ing hi! e)aciated !all,9 face 9here the fierce blac- eye! 9ere burning li-e h,t c,al! and enc,)pa!!ing the ,ther )en in their careful, !,)e9hat alert !tare. "he h,n,rary title ,f imam )eant that it! bearer 9a! an e2cellent c,nn,i!!eur and teacher ,f the h,ly Our;an and a dignitary at the !a)e ti)e. A),ng the ,ther dignitarie! pre!ent here and t, the right ,f Abu Dula Gar Mebab, al!, cr,!!/legged, 9a! !eated the !i2ty/!i2 year! ,ld E)a) Seli) Gu!tafa A!!f,,l, U!taba!hi #Pr,fe!!,r$ ,f Sharia #:u!li) Da9$. 5e 9a! a 9iKened )an, a! e)aciated and lean a! Abu Dula, al!, 9earing a l,ng gray beard, ,nly !)aller in !tature. ", the left ,f Abu Dula 9a! t,9ering the tall figure ,f an ,ld lean )an, appr,2i)ately !eventy/three, blac-/turbaned, 9hite/bearded, 9ith the face ,f a !tern a!cetic and a fanatical fire in hi! blac- eye!. Et 9a! Ayat,llah Sardar .,c-upjani, a Per!ian h,n,rary gue!t at AK/ Sahar, ,ne ,f the ruler! ,f Per!ia and be!t c,nn,i!!eur! ,f the h,ly Our;an. 7ight in fr,nt ,f the) and facing the) 9a! !itting a large, )u!cular )an, 9ith the nether part ,f hi! face hidden by a den!e blac- beard !par!ely !trea-ed 9ith gray hair!. 5i! eye! 9ere blac-, big and full ,f 9rathful pa!!i,n. 5e 9a! Abu Abdu Abdu Allalah, aged fifty/five, ,ne ,f the highe!t and ),!t e2perienced c,))ander! 9ithin the net9,r- ,f Al Oaida, the fa),u! E!la) )ilitant ,rganiKati,n dee)ed terr,ri!t in the We!t and headed by the legendary Gean Dadidan 9h,!e cl,!e!t a!!,ciate Abu Abdu Abdullalah 9a!. Ge!ide hi) 9a! E)a) Abdylda "abubara-, fifty/f,ur, U!taba!hi ,f the deeper Our;an !tudie!. 5e 9a! !t,c-y and fairly !t,uti!h, 9ith a r,und and ruddy face. A),ng the h,n,rary gue!t! here 9a! E)a) a!ral a!!al, f,rty/five, fr,) Daban, @,))ander/in/@hief ,f the Allalah Party )ilitary unit! al!, !tati,ned in Daban. E)a) a!ral a!!al 9a! a great e2pert at the deeper and ),re detailed

&%

Our;an !tudie!. 5e 9a! 9earing a 9hite turban, h,rn/ri))ed !pectacle! and a large blacbeard. 5i! eye! 9ere glinting 9ith h,ly hatred. A General in hi! )ilitary unif,r) 9a! be!ide hi). 5e 9,re a thic- large ),u!tache and hi! little blac- eye! in hi! br,ad !all,9 face 9ere b,ring Hue!ti,ningly int, the face! ,f all th,!e 9h, 9ere ar,und. Et 9a! General <afar Gar 5a)ir, f,rty/three, a per!,nal repre!entative ,f Pre!ident and 8ictat,r ,f Gabel 5u!!ein G,u!liyah. A y,ung )an ,f t9enty/t9,, Eh)ed Gey, 9a! !eated near hi! !uperi,r and teacher E)a) "abubara-. 5i! eye! under the cap ,f curly blac- hair and thic- blac- eyebr,9! 9ere lively and inHuiring. 5i! )anner 9a! ),de!t a! if he 9a! trying t, )a-e hi)!elf a! inc,n!picu,u! a! he c,uld in the face ,f all th,!e dignified and very i)p,rtant pe,ple. 5i! parent! 9ere i)p,rtant pe,ple t,, and ,riginated fr,) a :a)elu-e lineage. 5e 9a! engaged in the r,le ,f !ecretary and 9a! ta-ing n,te! ,f all that 9a! being !aid by the ,ther!. "hi! gr,up ,f pe,ple 9a! a !pecial !piritual, ide,l,gical and !trategic b,dy 9h,!e tactical para)ilitary branche! 9ere Gean Dadidan;! Al Oaida !pread all ,ver the 9,rld, the Party ,f Allalah led by a!ral a!!al, Abu Dala;! Phili!tine )ilitary unit! 9h,!e )ain ta!- 9a! t, under)ine and de!tr,y the <e9i!h State by inflicting !uicide terr,ri!t !tri-e! 9ithin it, the Galaban 9h,, after their general defeat in Gactria, retreated t, the neighb,ring Guc-i!tan in ,rder t, rec,ver and re!tructure the)!elve! and the @hec-)ec- guerilla unit! in the @auca!u! 9h, 9ere 9aging their h,ly 9ar ,n 7u!!ia. "hey had friendly lin-! 9ith 5u!!ein G,u!liyah ,f Gabel, ,ften thr,ugh General <afar Gar 5a)ir. And they al!, had cl,!e c,ntact! 9ith @,l,nel M,ud,uni, the )ad ruler ,f Dybia. "he pe,ple 9h, 9ere ar,und in thi! r,,) ,f AK/ Sahar n,9 9ere -n,9n ,nly t, the ch,!en fe9 a! the !ecret Supre)e @,uncil ,f E!la) 9h,!e fatawwas 9ere held in a9e by all the true believer! and 9ere ab!,lutely ,bligat,ry f,r the) t, be carried ,ut at any price. "he auth,rity ,f the AK/Sahar i)a)! 9a! li)itle!! al,ng 9ith that ,f Erebi!tan;! i)a)! in :acaca and :arKina and the terrible Ge)!/,f/Allalah ,f Per!ia. "he !unlight !trip! fr,) the t9, !)all 9ind,9! creeping al,ng the fl,,r carpet indicated that there 9a! !till a c,uple ,f h,ur!; ti)e bef,re n,,n. "he c,nver!ati,n held by the dignitarie! 9h, 9ere a!!e)bled in thi! r,,) 9a! fl,9ing unhurried, Huiet, and uninterrupted by any unpredictable intru!i,n. A6h, )y h,n,rable friend!,C the )aje!tic Abu Dula Gar Mebab bent hi! benev,lent head in ac-n,9ledge)ent ,f the )any )erit! ,f th,!e ar,und hi),C in the na)e ,f Allalah the P,9erful and :erciful and 5i! Pr,phet :ah,)a, "heir a)e! be ble!!ed, E than- y,u f,r h,n,ring )e 9ith y,ur high pre!ence, f,r it i! high ti)e t, di!cu!! thing! that have been 9aiting t, be di!cu!!ed !, l,ng and t, define and ,utline the tactic! ,f all true believer! 9h, are ready t, act f,r the principle! ,f E!la) and it! furtherance in the neare!t future, Allalah 9illing t, !upp,rt u! all.C AAye, Allalah i! greatBC ech,ed Abu Dula;! audience, pi,u!ly leaning f,r9ard in t,-en ,f their full !ub)i!!i,n t, the 9ill ,f Allalah.

&1

A"he great day i! brea-ing, )y l,fty friend! and )e)ber! ,f the Supre)e @,uncil. When ,ur true believer! !tand ready t, !laughter all the unbelieving We!tern pig!, d,g! and ape!, a! 9ell a! their cur!ed <e9i!h acc,)plice! 9h, are ,ur ,lde!t ),rtal f,e!, really ,n a )a!! !cale all ,ver the 9,rld. 6ur h,ly ,ld 9i!d,) !ay! / if the f,e d,e!n;t !urrender he )u!t be fully de!tr,yed.C AEn the na)e ,f Allalah, -ill the) all, !laughter the) allBC e2clai)ed the li!tener! enthu!ia!tically in ,ne !ing!,ng v,ice. AIe!, )y dear friend!, !laughter the) all 9ith the )erciful help ,f AllalahB Allalah i! greatBC the ,ld E)a) Abu Dula repeated after the), t,uched al),!t t, tear! by the ready deter)inati,n ,f hi! f,ll,9er!. "hen he c,ntinued, AWe have gathered here t,day, ,h, l,fty )e)ber! ,f the Supre)e @,uncil, t, dra9 up, acc,rding t, the 9ill ,f Allalah, ble!!ed be 5i! a)e and 5i! h,ly Our;an, a very !pecial fata99a 4 the fata99a ,rdering the final de!tructi,n ,f the We!t, p,!!e!!ed by the evil genii, de!tructi,n ,f the accur!t <e9!, the unbelieving 7u!!ia, and all the pagan c,untrie! ,f the .ar Ea!t and Endia c,nde)ned by Allalah. Gy ,rder ,f Allalah, the @,)pa!!i,nate, the :erciful, thi! fata99a 9ill dra!tically help reinf,rce ,ur GaKa9at #h,ly 9ar$ again!t all infidel! in the 9,rld by calling up,n all the :u!li)! t, turn ,ur pre!ent fight int, a really univer!al, !9eeping, all/,ut GaKa9at,C he pau!ed, peering at the) 9ith the !c,rching blac- fire ,f hi! eye!, Au!ing ,ur ,9n nuclear, bi,l,gical and che)ical 9eap,n!, in ca!e ,f nece!!ity, !i)ultane,u!ly. "he ,cean! ,f the 9,rld 9ill run red 9ith the accur!t bl,,d ,f infidel!. "hen the purged all/:u!li) 9,rld 9ill be finally !ubjected t, the gl,ry ,f ,ur D,rd Allalah 9h, 9ill regally re9ard u! f,r all ,ur !acrifice! and l,yalty. Prai!ed be ,ur D,rdBC 5ere he 9a! ech,ed again by hi! li!tener!, APrai!ed be AllalahB Allalah i! greatBC "he Ayat,llah turned t, E)a) Abu Dula, A6h, the W,rthie!t ,f the W,rthy, h,9 ab,ut the )entally bac-9ard i)a)! ,f Erebi!tanJ "hey are entangled t,, )uch in their di!graceful relati,n!hip 9ith A)erica, being greedy f,r ),re ,il d,llar! y,u -n,9.C A , pr,ble), ,h, the D,ftie!t ,f the D,fty,C replied E)a) Abu Dula 9ith )uch c,nvicti,n in hi! v,ice, Athey 9ill have t, j,in and !upp,rt u!. .inancially t,,, a! 9e h,pe. 6h, )y ),!t brilliant Ge), y,ur ,9n c,untry 9ill und,ubtedly )a-e it! gener,u! c,ntributi,n t, ,ur n,ble cau!e t,,, 9,n;t itJC "he Ayat,llah ,nly n,dded hi! head )aje!tically in ac-n,9ledge)ent and c,nfir)ati,n ,f the 9,rthy E)a);! 9,rd!. "hen he !aid !l,9ly, AWe have an agree)ent 9ith 7u!!ia t, help u! build nuclear react,r!. And the c,n!tructi,n i! in full !9ing n,9. A! !,,n a! they are ready 9e;ll )a-e nuclear b,)b! and the fir!t ,ne! 9h, 9ill ta!te the) 9ill be the unbelieving and !tupid 7u!!ian!.C "he Ayat,llah Sardar .,c-upjani chuc-led int, hi! l,ng 9hite beard, turning t, hi! 9,rthy h,!t Abu Dula Gar Mebab. "he latter 9aited a ),)ent, pen!ively !tr,-ing hi! ,9n l,ng 9hite beard 9ith hi! thin finger! and then 9ent ,n !l,9ly,

&&

AWe have already g,t a pr,ject ,f !uch a fata99a here and E 9ill read it f,r y,u, 9ith Allalah 9illing, ,h, deare!t friend! and c,)rade!/at/ar)!N and 5e i! the @,)pa!!i,nate, the :erciful, D,rd ,f the 9,rld!, P,!!e!!,r ,f the 8ay ,f <udge)ent. 5i! 9ill i! ab,ve all, and 9e, 5i! ,bedient !lave!, are bent t, 5i! !ubli)e 9ill. Ge Allalah;! ble!!ing 9ith y,uBC AAllalah i! greatBC e2clai)ed the ,ther! again. "hen the great E)a) Abu Dula Gar Mebab pr,duced a parch)ent c,vered 9ith e2Hui!ite Ereb 9riting fr,) hi! l,,!e/fitting galabiya. With a !l,9 ge!ture he put ,n hi! !pectacle!, and !pread the parch)ent ,n the pr,p, richly inlaid 9ith p,li!hed pearl!. Et had ju!t been c,)plai!antly put in fr,nt ,f hi) by the !upple Eh)ed Gey 9h, 9a! al9ay! ,n the alert in !i)ilar ca!e!, ready t, f,ll,9 hi! 9ell/devel,ped natural in!tinct ,f anticipati,n. 5e began in a chanting na!al v,ice in a !,le)n, rhyth)ical int,nati,n* "5E 56DI .A"AWWA En the na)e ,f Allalah, D,rd ,f the 9,rld!, the @,)pa!!i,nate the :erciful, P,!!e!!,r ,f the 8ay ,f <udge)ent. En the!e crucial deci!ive day! the 9h,le :u!li) ati,n )u!t Huic-ly get ready t, e)bar- ,n the n,ble path ,f the 5,ly GaKa9at again!t all the unbelieving and 9ily We!tern and <e9i!h !cabby rabid d,g!, dirty pig! and ab,)inable ape! all ,ver the 9,rld. And again!t all the infidel! and id,later! ,f the .ar Ea!t and Endia. "he great day ,f ,ur final !acred fight again!t the We!tern and ,ther tra!h i! at la!t brea-ing, ,h, believer!B Allalah i! ,n ,ur !ide, ble!!ed be 5i! a)e. Allalah i! great, ,h, believer!B ,9 9e have g,t in ,ur p,!!e!!i,n the 9h,le range ,f nuclear, che)ical and bi,l,gical 9eap,n! than-! t, Allalah and 9e can de!tr,y the) 9ith the very 9eap,n! they )eant t, de!tr,y u!. Allalah i! greatB Et;! ab,ut ti)e t, u!e the!e 9eap,n! ,n their very creat,r! and their accur!t pe,ple!. ,9 it i! ti)e t, attac-, ,h, believer!B .,r ha!n;t Allalah the P,9erful, the Wi!e !aidJ A.ight f,r the !a-e ,f Allalah th,!e that re!i!t and fight again!t y,u... Slay the) all ,ver the 9,rld 9herever y,u c,)e acr,!! the). 8rive the) ,ut ,f the place! fr,) 9here they live... if they attac- y,u put the) t, the !9,rd, "hu! !hall the infidel! be re9arded.C And ),re, A the infidel! 9ill n,t benefit by 9hatever they are in p,!!e!!i,n in ,r children thr,ugh Allalah;! 9ill. Et i! the) and their children 9h, bel,ng 9ith the hell fire. "hey 9ill !tay there eternally.C And Allalah the Al)ighty teache! further, AGeliever!, c,n!ider b,th the <e9! and the @hri!tian! a! y,ur 9,r!t ene)ie!.C 6h, believer! all ,ver the 9,rld, ari!e a! ,ne )an again!t the evil f,rce! ,f the 9,rld and de!tr,y the) in a 5,ly War, ari!e ,n all level! 4 individual! and :u!li) !tate! ali-e. And u!e all the )ean! y,u have at y,ur di!p,!al, including nuclear, che)ical and bi,l,gical 9eap,n!. Allalah, the <u!t, the P,9erful i! ,n ,ur !ide. Et i! the !acred duty ,f th,!e :u!li)! 9h, live in the c,untrie! ,f the ene)y that )u!t bel,ng t, the believer! by the 9ill ,f Allalah, t, begin

&3

!,9ing death a),ng the infidel! ,f th,!e c,untrie! ,n a far larger !cale. 6h, believer!, it i! y,ur h,ly duty t, c,l,niKe the c,untrie! ,f the infidel! 4 e!pecially Eur,pe, A)erica and Au!tralia. Pretend that y,u are refugee! and g,. And d, y,ur be!t t, !tay there f,rever ,n a )a!! !cale, even in larger nu)ber! than y,u have been d,ing until n,9. Allalah i! ,n y,ur !ide. "he lefti!t g,vern)ent! ,f the infidel! 9ill help y,u, Allalah 9illing, even at the e2pen!e ,f betraying their ,9n pe,ple!, 9hich they have already d,ne in the pa!t and 9ill al9ay! d,, until Allalah put! an end t, the). I,u )u!t clean!e Eur,pe and prepare it f,r further E!la) c,nHue!t. Dater y,u 9ill !laughter th,!e infidel! 9h, help y,u and pr,tect y,u n,9. 6h, believer!, y,u need their pr,tecti,n ,nly in the beginning, later y,u )u!t -ill the), t,,. .,r Allalah, the <u!t, the 7ighte,u!, i! the 6ne Wh, really help! 5i! true believer! and reject! the i)pi,u!. 8,n;t !pare the), !laughter their 9,)en and children t,, in the na)e ,f Allalah, the @,)pa!!i,nate, the :erciful and f,r the gl,ry ,f Allalah. Allalah i! greatB 8eath t, all unbeliever!, f,r they are 9,r!e than !cabby d,g! and dirty pig!B 8eath t, A)erica, Eur,pe, 7u!!ia, <apan, @hina, Endia, Au!tralia, e9 Sealand and Datin A)ericaB Allalah i! greatBC E)a) Abu Dula !t,pped and !canned hi! audience ,ne by ,ne, letting hi! piercing eye! d9ell ,n each ,ne ,f the) ju!t f,r a fracti,n ,f a !ec,nd. "hey 9ere !itting there a! if a9ed and thrilled by the i)pre!!i,n ,f 9hat they had g,tten t, hear. ,9 the eye! ,f E)a) Abu Dula 9ere !crutiniKing !,)e9hat l,nger General <afar Gar 5a)ir 9h, repre!ented the Pre!ident ,f Gabel 5u!!ein G,u!liyah and the general !)iled and !aid, A6h, ),!t di!tingui!hed E)a), ,ur bel,ved father and leader 5u!!ein G,u!liyah a!!ure! y,u and all the true believer! ,f Allalah the <u!t, the P,9erful that he, ,ur Pre!ident, i! ready t, u!e hi! nuclear b,)b!, n,9 9ell hidden fr,) the !tupid and unbelieving We!tern 9eap,n in!pect,r!, ,n the citie! ,f the accur!t A)erica, E!rael and Eur,pe. Allalah i! greatBC "he !crutiniKing eye! ,f Abu Dula turned t, the !tern face ,f U!taba!hi Seli) Gu!tafa A!!f,,l, A"ell u!, ,h, h,n,rable U!taba!hi Seli), y,ur high ,pini,n regarding thi! pr,ject ,f the 5,ly .ata99a.C AAllalah -n,9! and 5e i! ,)ni!cient, that the .ata99a 9ill be the ),!t legal d,cu)ent ,f E!la) ,f all ti)e! becau!e it ha! been in!pired by Allalah 5i)!elf, the @,)pa!!i,nate, the :erciful. Et fully c,nf,r)! t, the Da9 ,f E!la), ,h, great and radiant Abu Dula. Allalah i! greatBC AAnd 9hat d, y,u !ay t, thi! ne9 d,cu)ent, ,h, U!taba!hi E)a) AbdyldaJC A6nly thi!, ,h, great and radiant Abu Dula, that thi! )iracle and ge) ,f all d,cu)ent! ha! been b,rn in the very depth! ,f the h,ly Our;an 9i!d,). And being 9hat it i! it 9ill bec,)e a great beac,n and incentive f,r all the true believer! all ,ver the 9ide 9,rld. Allalah i! greatBC

&(

AI,ur 9,rd! are !9eet, ,h, 9i!e E)a) Abdylda, and full ,f 9i!d,). Allalah 9ill )a-e y,ur life l,ng and pr,!per,u!. And 9hat ab,ut y,u, ,h, val,r,u! E)a) a!ral a!!alJC "he 5ead ,f the Party ,f Allalah a!ral a!!al !tr,-ed hi! den!e blac- beard 9ith dignity, AWe have been !laying the accur!t <e9! ,ver )any year!. Gut n,9 9e;ll !tart a )a!!ive 9ide !cale ,ffen!ive again!t the) t, 9ipe the) ,ut fr,) the face ,f the Ereb earth c,)pletely. Allalah i! greatBC AAye, y,ur 9,rd!, ,h, val,r,u! E)a), !,und li-e the !9eete!t )u!ic E have ever heard in )y l,ng life. Allalah i! greatBC ,9 E)a) Abu Dula rai!ed hi! v,ice in a jubilant !ing/!,ng t,nality, turning 9ith hi! 9h,le b,dy t,9ard Abu Abdu Abdullalah, a fa),u! c,))ander 9ithin the Mu9alda 9h, 9a! al!, a cl,!e friend ,f the legendary Gean Dadidan, A6h, the right 9ing ,f the Eagle ,f E!la), the great "err,r ,f all the infidel! and the punitive !9,rd ,f E!la)B What i! y,ur !ubli)e ,pini,n ab,ut ,ur .ata99aJC AEn the fir!t place, ,h, great, radiant and 9i!e E)a) Abu Dula, all,9 )e t, greet y,u per!,nally and all thi! 5igh @,uncil in the na)e ,f ,ur great Gean Dadidan, Allalah;! ble!!ing! be 9ith hi)B After the fir!t retaliat,ry ),ve! ,n the part ,f the already d,,)ed accur!t A)erica the 9,rld ,f true believer! ha! re!t,red ,ur financial and )aterial p,9er. Particularly Erebi!tan and the n,ble 5u!!ein Gh,u!liyah ,f Gabel have )ade their !ignificant c,ntributi,n t, give u! all the nece!!ary p,9er t, puni!h thi! 9,rld ,f ab,)inable infidel!, Allalah 9illing, ,n a gl,bal !cale. "he great invincible Eagle ,f E!la) ha! charged )e 9ith a )i!!i,n t, !ign the 5,ly .ata99a in hi! na)e, f,r he ha! read it! pr,ject !ent t, hi) by y,u, ,h, great and radiant E)a) Abu Dula and fully end,r!e! it. 5e ha! e2pre!!ed hi! deepe!t !,rr,9 that he cann,t per!,nally attend thi! high )eeting becau!e ,f the We!tern pl,t again!t hi) that )a-e! hi! ),ve)ent! danger,u! f,r ,ur great leader in the 5,ly GaKa9at again!t th,!e dirty ape! and pig!. Ge!ide!, E 9ill put )y ,9n !ignature 9ith all )y heart and 9illingne!!. S, be itB Allalah i! greatBC E)a) Abu Dula n,dded and c,ughed reverently, !aying, A"hen, )y h,n,rable and dear friend!, let u! !ign the 5,ly .ata99aN and it 9ill bec,)e a la9 f,r the 9h,le 9,rld ,f E!la). Allalah i! greatBC 5e 9a! the fir!t t, put hi! !ignature ,n the d,cu)ent in Hue!ti,n and -i!!ed it religi,u!ly. After that all the )e)ber! ,f the @,uncil i)itated hi) by !igning and -i!!ing the .ata99a, invariably uttering the !acred f,r)ula AAllalah i! greatBC ,n the c,)pleti,n ,f the cere),ny i)a) Abu Dula !t,,d up and !aid, A6h, h,n,rable and high )e)ber! ,f the @,uncil, help y,ur!elve! in the adj,ining r,,) t, all the !9eet!, c,ffee and tea. A! f,r )e, E 9ill n,9 retire t, the l,,, Allalah 9illing. .,r 5e i! @,)pa!!i,nate and :erciful.C

&0

After a u!ual prayer the audience t,,- the tip fr,) the great i)a) and cr,!!ed the thre!h,ld ,f the d,,r int, the r,,) indicated by the i)a) Abu Dula t, enj,y the !i)ple plea!ure! ,f eating and drin-ing thing! that 9ere inn,cent in the all/!eeing eye! ,f Allalah. @5AP"E7 ( Eh)ed Gey 9a! the ,nly ,ne 9h, did n,t dare t, !hare the high c,)pany ,f the h,n,rable and i)p,rtant dignitarie! and )ade f,r the inner c,urtyard ,f AK/Sahar in the h,pe t, )eet hi! a!!,ciate and friend Seli) Gula) 9h, 9a! !upp,!ed t, be 9aiting f,r hi) at ab,ut thi! ti)e a! they had arranged their )eeting ,n the eve. After pa!!ing the nu)er,u! pre)i!e! ,f the va!t Univer!ity he finally e)erged int, the bright !unlight ,f the c,urtyard 9h,!e e2Hui!ite arcade!, th,ugh, gave en,ugh !had,9 f,r th,!e 9h, 9anted t, hide the)!elve! fr,) the !c,rching ray! ,f the !un that 9a! already cra9ling t,9ard the Kenith, )ar-ing the appr,aching n,,n. Seli) Gula), a !li) y,uth ,f t9enty 9ith lively blac- eye! and a !h,c- ,f curly blac- hair 9a! !itting in the !had,9 ,f ,ne ,f the arcade! ,n a !)all )at and ,n getting !ight ,f hi! appr,aching friend, he 9aved energetically 9ith hi! hand, trying t, catch hi! friend;! attenti,n. "he latter !)iled br,adly and j,ined Seli) 9ith Huite a )ar-ed plea!ure. "he friend! greeted each ,ther 9ar)ly and l,9ered the)!elve! d,9n ,n the tepid gr,und t, pr,tect the)!elve! fr,) the !un;! blaKing fury. G,th !hared a fair l,t ,f c,)),n intere!t!* p,etry and literature in general, traditi,nal :u!li) phil,!,phy and, a! it ,ften happen! bet9een y,ung friend!, a natural intere!t in fe)ale!. "hey e2changed their ,9n fre!hly 9ritten p,e)! ,r th,!e ,f ren,9ned cla!!ical Ereb and Per!ian p,et! f,und in the va!t library ,f the Univer!ity, di!cu!!ed vari,u! phil,!,phical and religi,u! pr,ble)! and their inti)ate l,ve affair!, f,r that )atter, a! it i! c,)),n a),ng friend!. Seli), 9h, 9a! t9, year! y,unger than hi! friend, a!-ed, AEh)ed, )y dear friend, 9hat 9a! the final deci!i,n ,f the @,uncilJC AEt 9a! e2cellent, ,h, )y Seli)BC Eh)ed e2clai)ed in an elated t,ne, hi! blac- eye! !par-ling 9ith j,y and !ati!facti,n li-e t9, piece! ,f h,t anthracite, A"he l,fty gathering have ad,pted a h,ly .ata99a that 9ill u!her in the ne9 era ,f the final triu)ph ,f E!la) the 9,rld ,ver. .r,) n,9 ,n 9e declare GaKa9at ,n all the infidel! and <e9! 9herever they )ay be. 6h, )y dear friend, Allalah 9ill! itBC AAllalah i! great,C ech,ed Seli), n,dding hi! head in t,-en ,f appr,val, Aand 9e;ll participate E ta-e itJC AGy all )ean!, )y dear Seli), by all )ean!B 5,pefully b,th ,f u! 9ill h,n,red 9ith !pecial errand! in the na)e ,f 5igh @,uncil ,f E!la). S, y,u )u!t brace up f,r any a!!ign)ent that 9e;ll get fr,) it in the na)e ,f Allalah @,)pa!!i,nate, :erciful. Gut tell )e, ,h, Seli), have y,u 9ritten anything ne9JC

&L

Seli) l,9ered hi! eye! ba!hfully, AIe!, )y dear friend, prai!ed be ,ur D,rd, the ruler ,f all the true believer!. Et;! a p,e) 9ritten in the )eter ,f al!madid ab,ut a fire ,f l,ve -indled by the h,t eye! ,f a de!ert gaKelle.C Eh)ed Gey laughed a)iably, A6n thi! ,cca!i,n, a! it !ee)!, E c,uld cite the undying 9,rd! ,f the great and i)),rtal :utanaKKi 4 PAnd 9hen a pa!!i,n pervade! the heart ,f a l,ver, then every eye ha! a pr,,f ,f it.; AGut 9ill y,u plea!e, dear Seli), ,blige )e by reciting thi! late!t ge) ,f y,ur ,9n p,etryJC A6nly if y,u pr,)i!e that y,ur ear! 9ill n,t 9ilt fr,) )y recital, ,h, Eh)ed Gey,C Seli) gave a !h,rt ),de!t laugh. A"hey 9ill n,t, ,h Seli), E pr,)i!e.C Eh)ed Gey rea!!ured hi! friend 9ith a !)ile. "hereup,n Seli) cl,!ed hi! eye! and began reciting 4 6h, the liHuid/eyed fr,) Erebi!tan th,u 9h,!e !il-y hide i! !, !,ft and tan, i! !, !,ft and tan li-e the !upple hand! ,f the ),ving !and! in Erebi!tan. 8, 9ith )e, )y bride, 9hat th,u 9ant and can, E;) thy !lave and fan li-e a breeKe at n,,n ,r a 9ild !i),,) fr,) Erebi!tan. Di!ten t, 9hat !ay! thi! )y !,bbing !aK fr,) a n,)ad clan in Erebi!tan. E a) !tung by 9,e! fr,) the h,pele!! l,ve

&?

li-e a de!ert r,!e fr,) the !un ab,ve. .r,) the !un ab,ve ju!t a! th,u, )y l,ve E have g,t )y tan, .,r E a) a !,n ,f Erebi!tan. Seli) fell !ilent and ,pened hi! eye!. 5i! friend t,ld hi) 9ith a bit ,f repr,ach in hi! v,ice, A6h, Seli), )y dear friend, y,u brea- )y heart 9ith the !9eetne!! ,f y,ur p,e) being ,f !uch an in!tantane,u! durati,n. Gy d,ing !, y,u have un9illingly re)inded )e ,f ,ur ,9n ephe)er,n life ,n thi! !inful but beautiful earth. Aye, indeed, y,ur !,ng 9a! li-e !ugar f,r )y ear!, li-e a f,untain in the de!ert f,rtuit,u!ly f,und by a thir!ty traveler. Any9ay, it !,und! fre!h en,ugh in c,)pari!,n 9ith the u!ual traditi,n. "hat enable! )e t, c,ngratulate y,u a! a b,ld inn,vat,r in the fragrant field ,f the fl,9er! ,f p,etry, e!pecially the !ubtle pa!!age fr,) the i)age ,f y,ur l,ved ,ne tainted by the h,t !un ,f Erebi!tan. Et !,und! li-e a ),derni!t trait in the ,cean ,f traditi,nal p,etry and,C he pau!ed, Ait c,uld !ee) even danger,u! in the eye! ,f the -eeper! ,f the great traditi,n ,f ,ur :u!li) p,etry.C hi! eye! 9ere !hining archly. AGut !pea-ing ab,ut l,ve and fe)ale!,C he 9ent ,n 9ith a !)ile, Are)ind! )e ,f the infa),u! r,9 they are -ic-ing up in the We!t ab,ut the p,!iti,n ,f 9,)en in ,ur !,ciety. Endeed, 9hat;! 9r,ng 9ith itJ "hey are 9ell pr,tected, ),rally !uperi,r t, their !i!ter! in the We!t )any ,f 9h,) are !ub)erged in depravityN they are privileged t, rai!e ,ur -id! and l,,- after h,u!eh,ld ch,re!.C AA! y,u -n,9, ,h, )y brilliant Eh)ed Gey, Allalah the Al)ighty give! u!, hi! p,,r !lave!, the )agnificent de!cripti,n ,f 5i! Paradi!e in the h,ly Our;an 9ith !eventy eternal virgin! called 9h,re! and river! ,f 9ine, 9hich i! f,rbidden by 5i) in thi! l,9er 9,rld. "hi! )agnificent D,rd;! Paradi!e i! de!tined, th,ugh, f,r u!, )en. And ),rtal 9,)en are never )enti,ned a! th,!e 9h, can be ad)itted t, thi! Paradi!e. S, 9hat happen! t, the) after deathJ "he h,ly blac-/eyed virginal 9h,re! can hardly be e2pected t, be given t, ),rtal 9,)en, neither the h,ly 9ine E under!tand. @,uld y,u, ,h, 9i!e Eh)ed Gey, e2plain t, )e thi! greate!t )y!teryJC ADi-e E !aid, ,h, )y dear Seli), all 9,)en are created by the Al)ighty f,r ,ur life nece!!itie! and entertain)ent, their beauty i! a! ephe)er,n a! ,ur life i!, but they are ,nly in!tru)ent! given t, u! by 5i), )ay 5i! 5,ly a)e be ble!!ed and prai!ed eternally, t, )a-e ,ur life ea!ier and happier in thi! har!h 9,rld. A! !,,n a! their functi,n i! ,ver they di!appear int, n,thing ju!t a! !udden a! they c,)e int, ,ur live! li-e phant,)! ,f beauty and help in pr,creati,n and ch,re!, in ,rder t, )a-e u! happy. "hey c,)e and g, li-e flitting day/

&'

drea)!. E 9,uldn;t have a grudge again!t their fate, becau!e 9e )a-e the) happy t,, 9ith ,ur l,ve and )ale attenti,n!.C A"hat e2plain! itBC Seli) !aid enthu!ia!tically, AI,u;re really 9i!e and -n,9ledgeable, ,h, inc,)parable Eh)ed Gey.C Eh)ed Gey l,,-ed at hi! 9atch, A6h, Seli), )y dear friend, it;! ti)e f,r ,ur prayer. S, let u! pray.C "he friend! pr,!trated the)!elve! ,n the gr,und t, render h,)age t, Allalah in a h,t prayer. When it 9a! fini!hed they r,!e t, their feet. Seli) !aid 9ith a !elf/c,n!ci,u! air, A6h, Eh)ed Gey, 9hat a pity t, part 9ith y,u !, early at thi! ti)e ,f the day. .,r E;) t, attend the 9i!e and in!tructive lecture! ,f the learned E)a) Abdylda "abubara-, th,ugh )y heart really ache! at parting, ,h, )y deare!t friend. And E already d, )i!! y,ur 9i!e and enlightening 9,rd!, ,h 9,rthy Eh)ed Gey.C AAnd "#ll )i!! y,ur l,fty p,etry, ,h, )y friend and !,urce ,f in!pirati,n,C !aid Eh)ed Gey and e)braced hi! friend in a ru!h ,f e),ti,n li-e he 9a! g,ing t, )i!! hi) f,rever. "hey parted a! Huic-ly a! they had )et, each heading t, hi! ,9n de!tinati,n. Seli);! head 9a! !till diKKy fr,) the irre!i!tible )agic ,f p,etry. Et! rhyth)! filled hi! y,ung !,ul 9ith unearthly )el,die! that !ee)ed t, be c,)ing directly fr,) Allalah;! Paradi!e. "h,!e rhyth)! and )el,die! 9ere )y!teri,u! and attracting, bec-,ning t, hi) 9ith their gh,!tly finger!, !inging 9ithin hi) inaudibly, but p,9erfully influencing hi! )ind. 5e felt happy. @5AP"E7 0 Wa!hingt,n 8@ and it! nu)er,u! place! ,f ,fficiald,) 9a! t,uched by the aura ,f the advancing c,ld !ea!,n. "he 6val 6ffice ,f the White 5,u!e 9a! 9ar)ly lit up 9ith di))ed light! becau!e ,f the 9eather ,ut!ide that 9a! already )ur-y at thi! aftern,,n h,ur. A),ng th,!e pre!ent 9ere the Pre!ident ,f the United State!, Secretary ,f State 7ichard P,9er!, Vice Pre!ident <,hn Sn,dgra!!, 8efen!e Secretary 8,nald Greenfield, @hair)an ,f the <,int @hief! ,f Staff General Wilf,rd Udall and the Pre!ident;! advi!er ,n the :iddle Ea!t and E!la) Pr,fe!!,r "i),thy @raig 9h, had ju!t returned fr,) Eur,pe. G,th 8irect,r! ,f @EA and .GE <a!,n 8utt,n and Stanley Wilberf,rce attended thi! urgent )eeting ,f the Ad)ini!trati,n and it! advi!er! at the White 5,u!e. "he Pre!! Secretary 9a! pre!ent, t,,. Alth,ugh the )eeting 9a! !upp,!ed t, be held !trictly by the cl,!ed d,,r! the Pre!! Secretary ,f the White 5,u!e, a c,nfidential )an ,f the Pre!ident, attended it, t,,. "he at),!phere ,f the 6val 6ffice 9a! a! c,Ky a! al9ay!, but the u!ual rela2ati,n ,f it! c,n!tant gue!t! 9h, )et Pre!ident Ge,rge W. Wil)an ,n a regular ba!i! in thi! r,,) 9a! ab!ent thi! ti)e. 6n the c,ntrary, !,)e unu!ual ten!i,n 9a! being felt due t, the !ubject )atter, 9hich happened t, be ,n the Pre!ident;! agenda and 9a! related t, the !ituati,n in the 9,rld. And the 9,rld 9a! n,9 being )enaced by the beginning E!la) ,ffen!ive preceded by

&3

it! inten!ified terr,ri!t activitie! in ,rth A)erica and Eur,pe. And particularly in the :idea!t, 9here it t,,- the per)anent f,r) ,f !uicide b,)bing! again!t E!rael and A)erican citiKen!. S,)e ,f the Eur,pean c,untrie! run by the lefti!t partie! refu!ed t, !ee the danger,u! reality ,ut!ide a! 9ell a! in!ide their ,9n b,undarie!, de),n!trating p,litical )y,pia and partiality, helple!!ne!!, c,9ardice and ide,l,gical a)biti,n! related t, their ,9n narr,9/ )inded party intere!t!. "he Pre!ident and hi! a!!,ciate! 9ere carefully li!tening t, the rep,rt that at the ),)ent 9a! being !tated by Pr,fe!!,r "i),thy @raig 9h, held full attenti,n and c,nfidence ,f the Pre!ident and the ,ther highly placed !tate!)en li!tening t, hi) n,9 !,)e9hat glu)ly and ten!e. A6n the 9h,le, E!la) i! n,9 prepared t, launch a )aj,r ,ffen!ive again!t the entire n,n/ E!la) 9,rld 9ith all p,!!ible )ean! that it ha! at it! di!p,!al 4 ),!tly n,n/c,nventi,nal 9eap,n! li-e nuclear and tactical at,)ic b,)b!, bi,l,gical and che)ical 9eap,n!,C the v,ice ,f "i),thy @raig 9a! !,unding )atter/,f/factly, a! if putting the !tre!! ,n the gravity ,f the !ituati,n n,t ,nly 9ith the purp,rt ,f hi! !tate)ent but 9ith the 9ay it !,unded, t,,. Everyb,dy pre!ent, including the Pre!ident, !ee)ed t, be under a !,rt ,f dreary i)pre!!i,n. 8uring the !h,rt pau!e that f,ll,9ed the end ,f the !tate)ent, all,9ing the Pr,fe!!,r t, ta-e breath, the Pre!ident a!-ed, AWhat d, y,u )a-e, "i), ,f ,ur ,9n p,!iti,n and r,le 9e are n,9 faced 9ith a)id ,ur preparati,n! t, )eet the dangerJC "he Pre!ident;! lean face 9ith bu!hy br,9! and piercing eye! 9a! the ,nly face in the r,,) that !ee)ed c,)p,!ed, even !,)e9hat n,nchalant in the bac-gr,und ,f general ten!i,n and !harply felt an2iety. A", )y )ind, :r. Pre!ident, the ti)e i! n,9 ripe t, ta-e the defen!e ,f the 9h,le 9,rld threatened by E!la) int, ,ur ,9n / E )ean A)erican / hand!. .,r n,b,dy el!e in the 9,rld c,uld really )atch the f,r)idable ene)y, becau!e @hina 9,uld !tay fairly neutral ,r even clearly ,pp,!ed t, 9hatever p,!iti,n 9e )ay ta-eN and 7u!!ia i! already engulfed by it! ,9n @hec-)ec- pr,ble). "heir recent nuclear deal 9ith Per!ia !h,9! they haven;t learned their @hec-)ec- le!!,n a! yet. Alth,ugh the !ituati,n in 7u!!ia;! ,9n :u!li) regi,n! l,,-! a l,t )enacing, t,,. :aybe @hina 9ill 9a-e up t, a !i)ilar !ituati,n in it! ,9n :u!li) regi,n! in the 9e!t but rather later than !,,ner, E gue!!. G,th are ,ur natural allie! but 9ith a !tr,ng tendency t, attend t, their ,9n pri,ritie!. A! f,r Eur,pe, a! far a! E c,uld judge during )y trip there, 9e c,uld p,!!ibly rely ,n certain ,pp,!iti,n f,rce! a),ng the native p,pulati,n! there. En !,)e ,f the We!t Eur,pean c,untrie! run by lefti!t g,vern)ent! an active re!i!tance gr,9! rapidly ,n the part ,f th,!e ,pp,!ed t, the ,fficial internal and f,reign p,licy ,f th,!e g,vern)ent!. 6nly Gritain !tand! e2plicitly ,n ,ur !ide. "he Uni,n ,f Eur,pe eat! ,ut ,f the p,litically lefti!t hand and 9,uldn;t budge a finger t, help u! 9ith,ut their c,n!ent. "he !ad e2a)ple ,f Ger)any and !,)e ,f it! !atellite! i! ,nly t,, ,bvi,u!. We;ll get a )uch !tr,nger !upp,rt ,nly fr,) the ,pp,!iti,n f,rce!. Gut it;!

3%

unthin-able t, get u! inv,lved 9ith th,!e f,rce!. At lea!t ,penly. S,, a! far a! E can !ee it, the ta!- ,f bearing the brunt ,f the :u!li) ,ffen!ive i! ),!tly left t, Gritain and u!. Gut the !ituati,n even there E 9,uld a!!e!! a! rather un!table becau!e ,f the large )a!!e! ,f :u!li) p,pulati,n there. S, 9e )u!t !tep up ,ur c,unter/)ea!ure! bef,re 9e get the !a)e !ituati,n here in the State!.C A6ur i))igrati,n !ervice 9ill l,,- t, it in ,rder n,t t, let thing! get ,ut ,f hand bef,re it;! t,, late,C the Pre!ident !aid re!,lutely and l,,-ed !ignificantly ,ver at the 8irect,r! ,f .GE and @EA, !crutiniKing each ,ne in turn. AGut g, ahead, "i), 9e need t, -n,9 all the a!pect! ,f the threat bef,re 9e decide ,n the )ea!ure! t, be ta-en t, pr,tect A)erica and the re!t ,f the 9,rld fr,) that threat.C "i),thy @raig re!u)ed hi! ,b!ervati,n! 9ith !,)e re!traint, AE can hardly add up anything ne9 t, 9hat E have already !tated, !ir. E2cept that perhap! 9e;ll be ,bliged t, u!e ,ur ,9n unc,nventi,nal 9eap,n! t, -ill thi! i)pending :u!li) attac- in the bud by ta-ing !pecial )ea!ure!.C ADi-e 9hatJC the Secretary ,f State a!-ed. "he pr,fe!!,r n,dded and 9ent ,n, ADi-e de!tr,ying the )ain :u!li) ide,l,gical center! and their !,urce! ,f religi,u! fanatici!) by !ubjecting the) t, b,th c,nventi,nal and nuclear b,)bard)ent!, including :acaca and :arKina.C Every,ne pre!ent ga!ped 9ith utter a)aKe)ent and even a certain degree ,f c,n!ternati,n and an2iety. "he Pre!ident 9a! the fir!t t, put a!ide hi! ,9n di!)ay and a!-ed, AAre y,u !ure ,f that, "i)J 8, y,u realiKe 9hat i)plicati,n! and c,n!eHuence! 9,uld ari!e a),ng ,ur ,9n allie! and in the 9h,le ,f the :u!li) 9,rld if 9e really carried ,ut y,ur pr,p,!alJC "he ten!i,n in the 6val 6ffice reached it! utter height, every,ne being unu!ually e2cited ,ver the!e 9,rd! ,f the )an 9h, 9a! !,)eti)e! c,n!idered even at @,lu)bia Univer!ity 9here he lectured a! a )averic- 9h,!e lecture! 9ere 9ay far fr,) the general trend. 5i! 9,rd! un9illingly br,ught t, the )ind ,f the pre!ent dignitarie! thi! reference t, the Pr,fe!!,r;! character. AWhat 9,uld y,u !ay t, that, 8ic-JC Pre!ident Wil)an a!-ed, turning t, hi! Secretary ,f State. :r. P,9er! c,ughed gingerly and !aid 9ith !,)e degree ,f c,)p,!ure u!ually typical ,f hi! large build and a !h,c- ,f gray hair, AI,u )ay be !urpri!ed, :r. Pre!ident, but in a 9ay, E !hare the p,int ,f vie9 ,f the Pr,fe!!,r, given the unu!ual circu)!tance! in the ),dern 9,rld, !ir. 6f c,ur!e, ,nly if an urgent nece!!ity ari!e! and all ,ther )ean! are e2hau!ted. We )u!t d, ,ur ut),!t until that ti)e t, achieve a certain p,litical balance 9ith dipl,)atic eff,rt!. 6nly if that d,e!n;t 9,r9e;ll be forced t, u!e ... er ... the )ea!ure! :r. "i),thy @raig ha! ju!t referred t,.C "he Pre!ident !9ept the face! ,f the pre!ent !tate!)en 9ith hi! pen!ive br,9n eye!, AWell, gentle)en, E 9ant a per!,nal ,pini,n fr,) every,ne here, f,r the gravity ,f the pre!ent

31

!ituati,n in the 9h,le 9,rld reHuire! a Huic- and re!p,n!ible acti,n ,n ,ur part. What ha! been pr,p,!ed by "i) !ee)! t, be far/fetched, given the fact that the reign ,f E!la) e2tend! ,ver ,ne third ,f the 9,rld. Ge!ide!, Eur,pe, 7u!!ia and @hina 9ill hardly accept !uch a ),de ,f acti,n. Any9ay, if any deci!i,n i! t, be )ade it !h,uldn;t be )ade in ha!te. "hat;! clear en,ugh. Gut 9hat ,n earth ha! br,ught y,u t, !uch a c,nclu!i,n, "i)J "here )u!t be n, r,,) f,r any eccentricitie! in thi! very i)p,rtant Hue!ti,n either ,n y,ur part ,r that ,f ,ur!. Any err,r )u!t be entirely e2cluded, ,ther9i!e the 9,rld 9ill !tig)atiKe u! a! 9ar cri)inal!. We )u!t act cauti,u!ly and !h,uld by n, )ean! di!regard the running p,litical ),,d! and intere!t! in the 9,rld, gentle)en.C "i),thy @raig !aid, P:r. Pre!ident, it i! n,t a )atter ,f eccentricity ,r ,f )y being a )averic- a! !,)e ,f )y Univer!ity c,lleague! deign t, regard )e. Et i! a )atter ,f general !urvival. 6f the 9h,le 9,rld and, !pecifically, ,f thi! c,untry. Et )ay !,und parad,2ically, but thi! ti)e the ,nly path t, !ecurity, acc,rding t, )y calculati,n! and th,!e ,f )y c,lleague! fr,) @EA and .GE,C he pau!ed and l,,-ed !ignificantly at the highly placed repre!entative! ,f th,!e t9, )ighty US !ecurity ,rganiKati,n! and 9ent ,n, Alie! in the unf,rtunate nece!!ity ,f u!ing the unc,nventi,nal 9eap,n!, fir!t ,ff, again!t 5u!!ein G,u!liyah;! Gabel and the ),!t i)p,rtant religi,u! center! ,f E!la), 9hich !pread the danger,u! ven,) ,f ide,l,gy ,f terr,ri!) and i))inent nuclear threat t, the 9h,le 9,rld. En thi! c,nnecti,n )ay E re)ind y,u, gentle)en, ,f 5itler;! a)biti,n! regarding hi! aKi party;! eventual c,nHue!t and 9,rld d,)inati,n. E;) afraid 9e are f,rced t, face n,9 a far ),re danger,u! and p,9erful ene)y already eHuipped 9ith 9eap,n! ,f )a!! de!tructi,n that they are ready t, u!e 9ith,ut any !lighte!t he!itati,n. Acc,rding t, their d,ctrine!, they have n,thing t, l,!e in ca!e ,f their ,9n de!tructi,n. "he alternative 9,uld be !preading E!la) all ,ver the 9,rld and finally en!laving it. 5itleri!) ha! been banned fr,) ,ur We!tern !,ciety, but E!la), 9hich i! far 9,r!e, !till enj,y! the c,n!tituti,nal privilege! ,f the free 9,rld envi!aging freed,) ,f religi,n. , 9,nder the legal !y!te)! ,f the We!t pr,tect it. And E!la) abu!e! the) largely, )a-ing it!elf practically i))une again!t any !eri,u! critici!) ,r pr,tective acti,n ,n the part ,f n,n/E!la) !,cietie!. "hi! !ituati,n )u!t be pr,)ptly dealt 9ith, ,ther9i!e 9e;ll head f,r a large !cale di!a!ter. "he y,-e ,f E!la) 9,uld )ean centurie! ,f per!,nal !lavery and an ab!,lute d,)inati,n ,f ,b!curanti!) in it! 9,r!t f,r). Again!t thi! gl,,)y pr,!pect an effective u!e ,f ,ur unc,nventi,nal 9eap,n! 9,uld be a far le!!er evil c,)pared t, 9hat )ay f,ll,9 the day, n,t t,, di!tant any9ay, 9hen they u!e their!. All ,f the!e la!t year! E have been )a-ing a c,)parative re!earch int, b,th aKi and E!la) d,ctrine! and they tend t, !h,9 re)ar-able !i)ilaritie! ,n a l,t ,f vitally i)p,rtant p,int!. "he very p,int! that led )e t, the c,nclu!i,n E have !tated here. ", put it in a nut!hell, it;! the) ,r u!. 6ur ,9n !urvival, that ,f ,ur civiliKati,n and ,ur value! are at !ta-e n,9. Et i! up t, y,u t, )a-e the final deci!i,n!, gentle)en. E fully under!tand h,9 it )u!t feel, :r. Pre!ident.C

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AWhat d, y,u !ay t, that, 8,nJC Pre!ident Wil)an a!-ed turning t, the )iddle/aged be!pectacled per!,n 9h, 9a! Secretary ,f 8efen!e 8,nald Greenfield and 9h, until that ),)ent had been -eeping !ilent. 5e -ept a ),)ent;! !ilence, then !aid, AAcc,rding t, )y ,9n intelligence data and th,!e ,f )y c,lleague! pre!ent here, including Pr,fe!!,r "i),thy @raig, 9e )u!t really re!,rt t, at lea!t a li)ited nuclear 9ar ,n Gabel and the )ain ide,l,gical center! ,f E!la) and, in ca!e ,f nece!!ity, t, !pread it t, the ),!t evil capital! ,f the :u!li) W,rld t, prevent their being fir!t t, attac- u! ,r ,ur friend! in Eur,pe, E!rael and ,ther part! ,f the 9,rld. "hat;! )y ,pini,n, !ir, 9hich E d, !hare 9ith the Pr,fe!!,r here. Gy the 9ay, "i), What;! y,ur angle ,n Erebi!tan that i! !upp,!ed t, be ,ur ally in that tr,uble!,)e regi,n ,f the :idea!t but !i)ultane,u!ly i! the ,riginal !,urce ,f all tr,uble. After all 9e are parad,2ically di!cu!!ing the ,pti,n ,f u!ing ,ur unc,nventi,nal 9eap,n! again!t ,ur ally and it! ),!t !acred citie!. Gean Dadidan and al!, a l,t ,f ,ther creep! li-e hi) ,riginate fr,) there. Apart fr,) thi!, 9e !h,uld n,t f,rget that it i! ,ur additi,nal ,ilfield, t,,. A6h ye!, "i), An,dded the Pre!ident, Athe Hue!ti,n 9a! at the tip ,f )y t,ngue, t,,.C AS,)e allyB En )y per!,nal ,pini,n, gentle)en, that c,untry i! ab!,lutely n,t t, be tru!ted. <u!t li-e any ,ther :u!li) nati,n. Ef 9e attac- :acaca and :arKina that )ean! 9e attacErebi!tan then. A! f,r it! ,ilfield!, 9e can u!e the) ,n ,ur ,9n. After the defeat ,f the c,untry, 9e c,uld thin- ,f a f,r) ,f c,nfi!cati,n ,f their ,ilfield!. Gut Erebi!tan )u!t be attac-edB :acaca and :arKina, at lea!t. A! a )atter ,f fact, the ,nly thing ab,ut that c,untry that appeal! t, )e i! their )eth,d ,f dealing 9ith cri)e!. Ef 9e intr,duced it here, the rate ,f cri)inality 9,uld Huite vi!ibly g, d,9n.C Pre!ident Wil)an laughed, A"hat 9,uld certainly infringe the c,n!tituti,nal right! ,f ,ur citiKen!. Ge!ide!, "i), !uch )eth,d! 9,uld n,t fit in 9ith ,ur de),cracy.C AE d,n;t Huite agree 9ith y,u, :r. Pre!ident. :y p,int i! that E, unli-e the 7ed!, d, n,t c,n!ider cri)inal! 9,rthy ,f the !,/called hu)an treat)ent. "hey d, n,t de!erve it ju!t a! they d,n;t de!erve t, enj,y hu)an right!. "hey l,!e the) a! !,,n a! they perpetrate a cri)e. With a fe9 e2cepti,n!, ,f c,ur!e. And by c,))itting cri)e!, they breach the right! ,f their fell,9 citiKen!. E;) c,nfident, :r. Pre!ident, that de),cracy )u!t be !tr,ng and entitled t, pr,tect the hu)an right! ,f the la9/abiding citiKen!.C A6ne ,ther thing, "i),C the Pre!ident turned t, Pr,fe!!,r @raig, AWhat i! E!la) in general acc,rding t, y,ur under!tanding it. Gut plea!e try t, be !pecific and put it all in a nut!hell.C A.a!ci!), !ir. En it! 9,r!t f,r),C "i),thy @raig replied. "he Pre!ident )ade a l,ng pau!e bef,re he urged hi! ,ther advi!er! t, j,in in the di!cu!!i,n. <,hn Sn,dgra!! !a9 hi! ,pp,rtunity t, cut in, A"here;! al!, thi! ann,ying !nag ,f the U D 9e are up again!t. <u!t becau!e it largely c,n!i!t! ,f and i! being run by :u!li)! and red!. S,, a! far a! any gl,bal 9ar ,n E!la) i! c,ncerned the U D 9ill never get ,ff the di)e ,n ,ur behalf. <u!t the ,ther 9ay r,und. Et 9ill th9art all ,ur eff,rt! t, fight bac- any :u!li) aggre!!i,n.C

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"he 8irect,r ,f the @EA n,dded in agree)ent and added up, ASince a c,uple ,f year! E;ve been c,ncerned and 9,rried ab,ut 9hat 9e did in Iug,!lavia 9hen it 9a! under :il,!ic. @,n!idered 9ith hind!ight, E 9,nder if it 9a!n;t a big err,r.C AE under!tand y,u, <a-e, the Pre!ident !aid, turning t, <a!,n 8utt,n, Abut at the ti)e it 9a! an indi!pen!able )ea!ure, c,n!idering the general ),,d that 9a! d,)inating the leading Eur,pean )ind! then.C 8uring the !h,rt pau!e that f,ll,9ed the di!cu!!i,n the @hief ,f the .GE cru!hed the butt ,f hi! cigarette in the neare!t a!htray and !aid cal)ly, AGe!ide!, 9e;ve g,t t, rec-,n 9ith a p,!!ible ,pp,!iti,n and even re!i!tance in thi! c,untry, t,,. 6ur inf,r)ati,n !,urce! c,nfir) it. 6n the ,ther hand, 9e can al!, u!e a c,n!iderable !upp,rt ,n the part ,f ,ur p,pulati,n. Gut the @,))uni!t @,ngre!!)en and Senat,r! 9ill rai!e hell if 9e underta-e dra!tic )ea!ure! again!t the E!la) ene)y.C AAnd 9hat their )ain rea!,n 9ill be, StanJC Pre!ident Wil)an a!-ed, an2i,u!ly eyeing hi! .GE 8irect,r Stanley Wilberf,rce. "he latter grinned 9i!tfully, A"he u!ual ,ne, !ir. "he !,/called hu)anitarian rea!,n. "hey al9ay! tend t, f,rget the a9ful !uffering! that ,ur ,9n p,pulati,n c,uld incur if :u!li) nu-e! e2pl,ded in thi! c,untry.C A5,9 c,uld they be !, !tupid, StanJC Pre!ident Wil)an -nitted hi! br,9. A"hey ,9e it t, their ide,l,gy, !ir, 9hich i! a -ind ,f vague p!eud,/hu)anitarian bla/bla/ bla. ,thing c,ncrete. "here;! n, differentiati,n a! t, hu)an value!, !ir, ,r ta-ing !ide!. Ge!ide!, lately they have been e)bracing pacifi!t idea!.C A"hey didn;t !ee) pacifi!t en,ugh during the late!t Iug,!lav cri!i! 9hen Willard @rapt,n 9a! Pre!ident. 5e )ade a )e!! ,f everything 9hen he 9a! in p,9er,C Pre!ident Wil)an re)ar-ed. A8,n, 9hat tactical !tep! d, 9e need, acc,rding t, y,ur data and calculati,n!, t, underta-e in the :iddle Ea!t and el!e9hereJ ", !ay n,thing ,f getting ,ur nati,n a! 9ell a! the 9,rld prepared f,r th,!e !tep! E ta-e it.C "he 5ead ,f the Pentag,n n,dded !everal ti)e! and t,,- a large !9ig fr,) a gla!! ,f yell,9i!h le),nade bef,re he !p,-e, ADately 9e;ve been c,ncentrating ,ur!elve! ,n ,ur tactical )ea!ure! in the danger,u! regi,n! !h,uld 7ed Alar) bec,)e i))inent. We u!e ,ur )ain ba!e! there and el!e9here t, get ,ur aircraft ready f,r a gl,bal acti,n again!t E!la) and it! allie! actually repre!ented by ,rth M,rea that ha! a grudge again!t u!.C AWill they run the ri!- ,f !upp,rting the :u!li) aggre!!,r! in ca!e ,f a c,nflictJC <,hn Sn,dgra!! a!-ed. A"hey 9,uld !upp,rt any,ne 9h,;! again!t u!, !ir. 6f c,ur!e, 9e;ll u!e ,ur nuclear )ean! ,nly a! the la!t re!,rt. Gut in that ca!e, it c,uld include Gabel, :acaca, and :arKina a! the chief ide,l,gical center! ,f h,!tile pr,paganda. "he final deci!i,n lie!, ,f c,ur!e, 9ith ,ur @,))ander/in/@hief here.C 5e launched a !ignificant l,,- at the Pre!ident. Ge,rge W.

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Wil)an !)iled br,adly, AI,u;re up t, pa!!ing the buc- t, )e, 8,n, E under!tand. 6M thenB :y p,!iti,n d,e! i)plicate )y ,9n re!p,n!ibility.C <,hn Sn,dgra!! l,,-ed t,9ard "i),thy @raig and a!-ed, APr,fe!!,r @raig, up t, a p,int, E;) inf,r)ed that )any ,rientali!t! in Eur,pe and here in A)erica t,,, but ),!tly th,!e in Eur,pe aver that E!la) ha! )ade ,ne ,f the greate!t c,ntributi,n! in the 9,rld int, the general devel,p)ent ,f the 9,rld;! civiliKati,n. What i! y,ur p,int ,f vie9 ,n that !c,re, !irJC "i) @raig n,dded and !aid, A6n the !urface it !ee)! t, be true, but the reality p,int! t, the !i)ple fact that they cater f,r the ide,l,gical need! ,f !,)e lefti!t g,vern)ent! in Eur,pe 9h, atte)pt t, ju!tify the e2i!tence ,f the !,/called )ulticultural !,ciety in Eur,pe 9here i))igrant! fr,) :u!li) c,untrie! largely prevail. "he truth th,ugh, i!, !ir, that if y,u ta-e a deeper l,,- at the hi!t,ry ,f E!la) and the c,untrie! that in f,r)er ti)e! 9ere c,nHuered by the )ilitant all,y ,f religi,n, ide,l,gy and a 9ay ,f life b,rn in the n,)adic Erebi!tan then y,u;ll !ee that E!la) ha! n,thing t, d, 9ith the cultural devel,p)ent ,f th,!e c,untrie!. "hey had had a l,ng/ !tanding cultural traditi,n ,f their ,9n bef,re they 9ere c,nHuered by the pri)itive Ereb n,)ad!. ilia, Gabel, Per!ia, Gactria, the Devantine c,untrie!, and later ,n Endia 9ere !till having the p,9erful inertia ,f their ,9n ,riginal culture! intrin!ic t, the), even th,ugh they !uffered under the y,-e ,f E!la) and even c,unterbalancing it. "hey 9ere f,rced, th,ugh, t, di!gui!e the)!elve!, f,r)ally 9earing the cl,the! ,f E!la), li-e language and religi,n. En the c,ur!e ,f ti)e E!la) ha)pered their further devel,p)ent 9ith it! vari,u! re!tricti,n! and pr,hibiti,n!, thu! having put ,n the bra-e! ,n th,!e civiliKati,n!, 9hich gradually died ,ut under the ),rtifying influence ,f E!la). Ouite recently 9e all have been 9itne!!e! t, the fact that thi! pr,ce!! i! !till alive t,day 9hen 9e re)e)ber 9hat happened in Gactria 9here the ruling Galaban de!tr,yed the valuable and trea!ured artifact! ,f the ,lder culture. Gut the ,riginal de!ert n,)ad! created n, ,ther culture ,f their ,9n e2cept the e2t,lling ,f ca)el urine in their pri)itive p,etry. "hey learned !,)ething fr,) the pe,ple! c,nHuered by the) ,nly )uch later. "hi! fact i! el,Huent en,ugh and !pea-! f,r it!elf 9hatever !,)e ,rientali!t! try t, aver. S,, the brilliant civiliKati,n in the )edieval ear Ea!t 9a! n,t by any )ean! the )erit ,f E!la). 6n the c,ntrary, it i! E!la) that ha! put an end t, any further devel,p)ent ,f that civiliKati,n, even de!pite the fact that it 9a! )anife!ted in the f,r) ,f the Ereb language and traditi,n, 9hich had been i)p,!ed by the c,nHuer,r!.C AE have ,ne Hue!ti,n ),re, :r. @raig.C <,hn Sn,dgra!! !aid. AAnd that i!JC A6ur ally the Griti!h Pri)e :ini!ter !aid in ,ne ,f hi! recent Parlia)ent addre!!e! that the We!tern W,rld !h,uld engage 9ith the )ain!trea) E!la) a! ,pp,!ed t, it! )ilitant e2tre)i!t and terr,ri!t branch. What;! y,ur angle ,n that, :r. @raigJC

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AEn )y ,pini,n, !ir, it;! a great and danger,u! illu!i,n. E!la) i! ba!ed ,n the pre!u)ptu,u! raving! ,f the evil Our;an and i! h,),gene,u! b,th in it! ide,l,gy and it! a)biti,n!. "heref,re, a ),re peaceful E!la) d,e! n,t e2i!t. What 9e !ee a! the !,/called )ain!trea) E!la) i! a -ind ,f ca),uflage. S,,ner ,r later, it 9ill )anife!t it! true nature all ,ver the 9,rld and that i! already beginning t, happen. Any :u!li) regi)e i! antide),cratic and h,!tile t, freed,) by nature. And, gentle)en, there i! ,ne ),re thing t, !ay. Ef y,u a!- )e 9hat terr,ri!) i! E have ,nly ,ne an!9er / E!la) i! terr,ri!).C A"han- y,u, !ir, f,r e2pre!!ing y,ur p,int ,f vie9 !, clearly.C <,hn Sn,dgra!! n,dded 9ith a !)ile. "he Pre!ident then !aid, A ,9, gentle)en, in c,nclu!i,n ,f ,ur )eeting let )e !u))ariKe the )ain p,int! 9e;ve been di!cu!!ing here t,day. "a-ing int, c,n!iderati,n the re!ult! ,f thi! c,nference E find it indi!pen!able t, !tate the f,ll,9ing* f,r the !a-e ,f thi! c,untry and it! pe,ple and f,r the !a-e ,f the 9,rld;! freed,) and de),cracy, 9herever it )ay be, E;) ready t, )a-e any deci!i,n that b,th rea!,n and c,)),n !en!e de)and. Encluding the )ea!ure! referred t, by y,u, gentle)en, )e)ber! and advi!er! ,f thi! Ad)ini!trati,n, !h,uld the unav,idable nece!!ity ari!e. :ay E re)ind y,u n,9, gentle)en, that thi! )eeting !hall re)ain !trictly cla!!ified. E h,pe ,ur Pre!! Secretary 9ill !ee t, it.C "he latter, a f,r)er public relati,n! ,fficer ,f the :arine, 9a! a! al9ay! t, the p,int, AAye, aye, !irBC "he Pre!ident !)iled, A"han- y,u, gentle)en, f,r y,ur friendly under!tanding and valuable c,,perati,n. I,u have !ufficiently advi!ed )e ,f the !tate ,f current affair! in the 9,rld. We;ll ta-e an appr,priate deci!i,n a! !,,n a! the c,ur!e ,f event! reHuire!. "han- y,u all ,nce again, gentle)en.C 5e r,!e. "he ,ther! i)itated hi). "he !h,rt hi!t,ric )eeting at the White 5,u!e de!tined t, )ap ,ut a c,ur!e ,f acti,n in an atte)pt t, deter)ine the unpredictable fate ,f the 9,rld 9a! ,ver. "he capital ,f the United State! 9a! getting ready f,r it! u!ual nightlife. Et did n,t -n,9 yet that a ne9 era 9a! beginning t, da9n. @5AP"E7 L 8,nald 7,!! and hi! c,)rade! )et ,ne chilly 9inter ),rning at hi! place in Udrecht after the feveri!h activitie! ai)ed at creating unit! ,f the EDA in their re!pective c,untrie!. ,9 they 9ere in the right p,!iti,n t, pull the !tring! 9ithin the ruthle!! )ilitant b,dy ari!en ,n their ,9n initiative. Ani)ati,n and !u!pen!e d,)inated the hall 9ere they had a!!e)bled. ,9 they regarded the)!elve! a! the EDA headHuarter! and 8,nald 7,!! a! it! chief c,,rdinat,r. "hi! ti)e a l,vely fe)ale face 9a! c,n!picu,u! a),ng the )ale c,)pany gathered at 8,nald;! place. "he face bel,nged t, hi! girlfriend and acc,)plice Una 6;8,nnell 9h, had c,)e ,ver fr,) Ereland t, j,in 8,nald at ,ne ,f hi! ),!t crucial ),)ent! and 9a! in ,n

3L

everything. She 9a! an appetiKing bu2,) bl,nde !till retaining her @eltic beauty at the age ,f appr,2i)ately f,rty/!even. Una ,riginated fr,) the Gaeltacht territ,ry ,n the We!t @,a!t ,f the Eri!h 7epublic and c,uld !pea- fluent Eri!h Gaelic !ince her very childh,,d in her native village. 5er !par-ling green eye! 9ere re!ting n,9 ,n 8,nald;! face 9ith an e2pre!!i,n ,f l,ve, pride, and curi,!ity, n,9 ,n th,!e pre!ent 9ith an e2pre!!i,n ,f e2pectati,n ,f the !a)e )ea!ure ,f pride !he her!elf felt f,r 8,nald. 5er 8,nald. At ti)e! the )en in the r,,) gave her a Huic- curi,u! l,,-. After the cheerful greeting! and lively di!cu!!ing the late!t event! 8,nald 7,!! a!-ed f,r their attenti,n, rai!ing hi! hand and !aying, AGentle)en, ,r )ay E put it thi! 9ay, )y c,)rade!/in/ar)!B .ir!t ,ff, -indly all,9 )e t, greet y,u ,nce again at )y place here that y,u h,n,r 9ith y,ur pre!ence. We are a!!e)bled here at a very !pecial ),)ent. E )ean that n,9 9e find ,ur!elve! at the t,p ,f the iceberg called EDA 9h,!e )ighty p,9er 9e )u!t direct and ai) it at the n,ble g,al ,f rec,nHuering the $uropean human rights in the intere!t! ,f ,ur re!pective pe,ple!, the A)erican! included. :y friend!, y,u repre!ent here ,ur civiliKed c,untrie! and are !upp,!ed t, lead and c,))and y,ur re!pective unit! in the). 6ur headHuarter! here )u!t change the l,cality ,n a regular ba!i! f,r the rea!,n! ,f !afety. Dater thi! 9ill be di!cu!!ed apart. ,9 9e are here t, 9,r- ,ut ,ur fir!t !tep! t, launch ,ur fir!t attac- ,n E!la) in Eur,pe. E 9,nder 9hat y,ur !ugge!ti,n! ,n that !c,re are, gentle)en. Gut bef,re y,u put the) f,r9ard E;d li-e fir!t t, give the fl,,r t, ,ur friend here Pr,fe!!,r "i),thy @raig fr,) the United State!. 7ecently he t,,- part in an i)p,rtant c,nference at the White 5,u!e. "h,ugh he i! b,und by an ,bligati,n n,t t, divulge the )ain p,int that 9a! under di!cu!!i,n there, he, neverthele!!, can give u! a hint ,f the ),,d d,)inating the A)erican Ad)ini!trati,n at thi! ti)e ,f c,nfr,ntati,n ,f f,rce! ,pp,!ing each ,ther in the 9,rld n,9.C "i),thy @raig !aid in a Huiet v,ice, AE can !ay ,nly thi! )uch* A)erica thin-! very )uch al,ng the !a)e line! a! 9e d,. We are n,t al,ne.C 5e br,-e ,ff, reluctant t, !ay anything el!e. 8,nald 7,!! t,,- the audience in 9ith a Huic- !9eeping glance and a!-ed, A ,9 9hat;! the fir!t !ugge!ti,nJC "he undaunted 8ane <en! 5an!en t,,- the fl,,r n,9 by general agree)ent. 5e r,!e and addre!!ed everyb,dy, AGentle)en and c,)rade!/in/ar)!, E h,pe E can call y,u !,. E 9ill pa!! ,ver t, a c,ncrete !ugge!ti,n at ,nce, 9ith,ut u!ing )uch el,Huence t, 9hich E;) n,t accu!t,)ed. We )u!t launch ,ur fir!t )a!!ive attac- ,n E!la);! bigge!t ),!Hue! in Eur,pe a! 9ell a! !,)e ,f the) in A)erica, t,,. "hi! )u!t happen ab!,lutely !i)ultane,u!ly, 9ith e)pl,y)ent ,f p,9erful e2pl,!ive! and re),te c,ntr,l, ,n ,ne ,f their h,ly .riday! 9hen they pray t, their devil. Preparat,ry acti,n! )u!t be carried ,ut under c,ver ,f night t,,, pri,r t, the acti,n it!elf and 9ith ut),!t cauti,n. Any !ub!eHuent acti,n c,uld c,)e up again!t c,)plicati,n! and

3?

difficultie! becau!e later they 9ill und,ubtedly !et up a !y!te) ,f defen!e ,f their ,9n. "hat;! 9hy E d, in!i!t ,n !ynchr,niKing the acti,n.C AE thin- that bl,9ing up their bigge!t ),!Hue!, in ca!e it really can be d,ne !ucce!!fully, 9,uld pr,v,-e a c,unteracti,n ,n the part ,f :u!li)! that c,uld bec,)e a bl,,dy revenge e2erci!ed ,n ,ur inn,cent citiKen!,C W,lfgang Sch9ab !aid. <en! 5an!en cal)ly ,bjected, A"hat;! 9hy 9e !h,uld al!, !et up !pecial vigilance gr,up! t, thi! end 9h, 9,uld be able t, prevent !uch a p,!!ibility by -eeping a g,,d 9atch ,n eventual :u!li) )aneuver!, and in ca!e they n,tice any !u!pici,u! ),ve)ent! ,f the :u!li)! they )u!t ta-e efficient preventive )ea!ure!.C A@,n!idering all that, 9e )u!t n,t e2clude p,!!ible c,unter/)ea!ure! by the Eur,pean g,vern)ent!, t, !ay n,thing ,f the Eur,pean @,))i!!i,n,C <ean .auvet re)ar-ed cauti,u!ly. AAfter bl,9ing up the ),!Hue!, 9e !h,uld put in a te)p,rary lull peri,d t, let everyb,dy dige!t event!. And at lea!t f,r !,)e ti)e 9e !h,uld 9ithdra9 fr,) any further activity bef,re 9e !tri-e again,C <en! 5an!en !aid. 5i! re)ar- triggered ,ff a general hubbub ,f v,ice! in di!cu!!i,n ,ver c,ncrete tactic! t, be ad,pted during the very fir!t ,perati,n ,f the EDA. "hen Geert <an 8e--er a!-ed f,r everyb,dy;! attenti,n, AGentle)enB <u!t a ),)ent plea!eB Pr,fe!!,r 8,nald 7,!! and )y!elf fully !upp,rt :r. 5an!en;! !ugge!ti,n. "he ),!t i)p,rtant rea!,n i! becau!e it i)plicate! an i)pre!!ive !tart ,f a real )ilitary acti,n again!t E!la) ,n a large internati,nal !cale a! retaliati,n and 9arning t, E!la) and, ,n the ,ther hand, refraining fr,) further acti,n f,r !,)e ti)e in ,rder t, !ee and evaluate the re!ult!. Shall 9e n,9 ta-e a v,te ,n :r. 5an!en;! pr,p,!al, gentle)enJC Everyb,dy !ee)ed t, agree and after a !h,rt f,r)ality a re!,luti,n ,n <en! 5an!en;! pr,p,!al 9a! unani),u!ly ad,pted. Et 9a! al!, decided t, di!patch ,perative cell unit! t, each c,untry in We!tern Eur,pe t, carry ,ut the pr,ject, -eeping in )ind that )e)ber! ,f th,!e unit! !h,uld be f,reign t, th,!e c,untrie! but !pea-ing the re!pective language! ,f th,!e c,untrie! and 9ell inf,r)ed ,f the l,cal c,nditi,n! and cu!t,)!, including th,!e ,f the :u!li) p,pulati,n!. A )ap 9ith )ain big ),!Hue! in Eur,pe and ,rth A)erica 9a! pr,duced. Et had been )ade ,n the ba!i! ,f the c,)puter data and envi!aged, in particular, the greate!t ),!Hue! built in the :u!li) traditi,nal architectural !tyle and financed by the rich ,il )agnate! ,f Erebi!tan. Di-e the ,ne ,f Gibraltar that had c,!t th,!e Ereb i)a)! a l,t ,f ),ney. "he )e)ber! ,f the EDA headHuarter! )ade up a detailed li!t ,f th,!e ),!Hue! and decided 9hich ,f the) ,perative unit! !h,uld be !ent t,. "hey al!, i!!ued an ,rder f,r their field c,))ander!. @5AP"E7 ?

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After everyb,dy had left, 8,nald and Una had ,nly each ,ther;! c,)pany, 9hich )ade the) happy in their e)brace that the previ,u! l,ng !eparati,n )ade feel !9eet. "hey huddled t,gether ,n a !,fa in the living r,,), 9rapped up in the electrifying 9ar)th ,f their ,9n b,die!, 9ith,ut uttering a !ingle 9,rd. 8e!pite the early dar-ne!! ,ut!ide, they didn;t turn ,n the electric light in the r,,), enj,ying that dar-ne!! and trying t, read each ,ther;! )ind in the al),!t vi!ible brilliance ,f their eye!. At la!t, 8,nald !p,-e, gaKing at the vague c,nt,ur ,f Una;! !till l,vely face that l,,)ed near hi) in the light !eeping in fr,) the !treet, A"hat 9a! great, 9a!n;t itJC She laughed and eagerly n,dded her head, Ay,u betBC A"hat certainly de!erve! a drin-. 8,n;t y,u thin-, h,neyJC 5e laughed again, Ay,u betBC 5e pre!!ed hi! lip! t, her! in a l,ng thrilling -i!!. "hen !uddenly r,!e and )ade f,r the bar that l,,-ed li-e part ,f the b,,-!helf in the ,pp,!ite c,rner ,f the living r,,). AEt;ll be y,ur native Eri!h <a)e!,n, h,ney. S, 9hy d,n;t 9e drin- t, the beginning ,f liberati,n ,f the We!tern civiliKati,nJC AAnd t, u!, ,f c,ur!eBC Una !aid, her lip! and eye! f,r)ing a cheerful !)ile. A"here i! n, 9ay ,f e!caping it, i! thereJC 8,nald !aid in uni!,n 9ith Una;! lively ),,d. 5e handed her drin- t, her and t,,- an,ther ,ne f,r hi)!elf. A5ere;! t, u! and ,ur cau!e,C he !aid and d,9ned it a! he had !een 7u!!ian! d, ,n hi! vi!it t, St. Peter!burg !everal year! ag,. Una ,nly t,uched the ri) ,f her gla!! and !ipped at the br,9ni!h g,lden liHuid pr,duced in her native c,untry. AEn a fe9 day! ,ur fir!t acti,n !tart!,C he !aid pen!ively, Aand !, )uch depend! ,n it! ,utc,)e, E;) afraid. E;) certain it;ll 9,r- ,ut ,-ay. And E can;t help feeling upbeat ab,ut it, but ,n the ,ther hand,... 9h, -n,9!J We !ee) t, have th,ught ,ver every )inute detail,C he !hrugged al),!t helple!!ly. Una !p,-e, AE g,tten thi! feeling ,f being certain ,f ,ur !ucce!! any9ay, h,ney. E;) !ure E have. And y,u -n,9 9e @elt! are !eld,) )i!ta-en ab,ut ,ur feeling!. Et;! a hereditary gift ,f G,d, h,ney, d,n;t y,u thin-JC 8,nald -ne9 Una 9a! a g,,d cath,lic, but n,ne the le!!, !he al!, believed, up t, a p,int, in the pagan g,d! ,f her ancient f,refather! the 8anaan! 4 the 8agda :,r, hi! l,vely !,n Angu! 6g 9h, 9a! the g,d ,f l,ve, the bright Dugh, Dir and :ananan. She felt in!pired by the) but felt her duty t,9ard <e!u! @hri!t the 9ay 5e 9a! perceived by the @ath,lic!. 5er greate!t and fav,rite her,ine 9a! :aev, Oueen ,f her native @,nnacht. Al,ud he !aid 9ith a cunning !)ile, AI,u -n,9, darling, E believe y,u are a direct de!cendant ,f Oueen :aev and y,u;ve g,t all her be!t Hualitie!.C Una playfully thre9 a cu!hi,n at hi),

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AI,u di!h,ne!t flattererB @,)e ,n, !it here and E;ll !h,9 y,u !,)e ,f th,!e Hualitie!.C She !tretched her ar)! t,9ard hi). 5e appr,ached her, leaned t,9ard her, -i!!ed her nec- and !at d,9n be!ide her, perceiving the h,t de!ire that 9a! beginning t, cl,!e ar,und hi), t, )a-e hi! bl,,d b,il 9ith it! fla)e. 5i! eye! !tarted t, creep ,ver her figure and !t,pped in al,ng gaKe at her !ine9y leg! 9ith r,und -nee! pr,tected by her g,9n, their !educing c,nt,ur!, th,ugh, vi!ible thr,ugh the thin fabric ,f the g,9n. Una;! !educing leg! gave hi) an i)pre!!i,n ,f t9, !hapely guitar! !ung ,f by Garcia D,rca in hi! heartfelt p,etry. 5e put hi! hand Huavering 9ith e2cite)ent ,n her lap and began t, pu!h bac- the edge ,f her g,9n, laying bare her !hapely leg 9h,!e )u!cled beauty 9a! e)pha!iKed by the light panty !he 9a! 9earing. 5e l,,-ed up at her face and !a9 g,lden !par-le! )errily dancing in her b,tt,)le!! li-e the Eri!h !ee green eye!. At ti)e!, they !ee)ed blue. When !he 9a! angry they dar-ened. ,9 they 9ere )y!teri,u!ly green li-e the hill! ,f Ereland and Sc,tland ,verl,,-ing the Huiet 9ater ,f their l,ch! in Septe)ber. ADet;! g, up t, the bedr,,),C he 9hi!pered. 5e ,nly n,dded but did n,t ),ve, hi! hand !tarting t, e2pl,re the 9ealth ,f her lu!ci,u! f,r)!. 5er calve! 9ere ,val and !turdy and, ju!t a! it happened !, ,ften in the pa!t, )ade hi! head diKKy 9ith )ad de!ire that hadn;t di)ini!hed in the c,ur!e ,f year!, 9hich had already bec,)e a lifeti)e. Una had been a 9id,9 ,ver the la!t d,Ken ,f year!. 5e had g,tten acHuainted 9ith her during ,ne ,f hi! 9andering! in @,nnacht, in the 62 :,untain! n,t far fr,) Slig,. 5er late hu!band had been engaged in the fi!hing indu!try having a !)all fi!hing/fleet in hi! p,!!e!!i,n. And her late father had been a fi!her)an t,, 9h,;d peri!hed in the !t,r)y !ea 9hen Una 9a! ,nly ten. She had a l,vely daughter 9h,!e na)e 9a! Grania and 9h, 9a! !till luc-y en,ugh t, have her t9enty/three year! ,f y,uth and a bright future bef,re her. She lived in Slig, after graduating the "rinity @,llege in 8ublin, li-e her ),ther had d,ne. And, ju!t li-e her ),ther, !he did re!earch 9,r- int, the Eri!h language and legend!. "hey !hared c,)),n intere!t! and pr,pen!itie!, and l,,-ed ali-e a! if they 9ere !i!ter!, ,ne ,f the) ,nly !lightly ,lder. 8,nald and Una had )et each ,ther, b,th ,f the) hi-ing in the gri) craggy ),untain! 9here Oueen :aev u!ed t, c,n!ult her chief 8ruid. A! if by in!tinct they;d fallen f,r each ,ther the ),)ent their eye! )et. "hen they;d f,und ,ut that they 9ere !taying at the !a)e y,uth h,!tel in the neighb,rh,,d ,f Slig, and !hared the !a)e pa!!i,n f,r Eri!h :yth,l,gy and the p,etical 9,r-! ,f the i)),rtal Ieat!. Gut in ,rder t, be l,yal t, the fact! ,f hi!t,ry ,ne had t, ad)it that the lu!ci,u! f,r)! ,f Una a! 9ell a! her character had played a )aj,r r,le in 8,nald;! falling in l,ve 9ith herN and !till did !,. 8,nald bent hi! head, br,ught hi! lip! cl,!e t, Una;! leg!, and began pa!!i,nately -i!!ing her thigh!, -nee! and calve!, hi! feeling! getting !till h,tter and h,tter. Una 9a! giggling !,ftly fr,) 8,nald;! ),u!tache tic-ling her fle!h even thr,ugh the thin fabric ,f her panty. 5e began peeling it ,ff her leg!, laying bare their !n,9/9hite and velvety !-in. 5e !uddenly

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felt all hi! bl,,d ri!ing t, hi! head and )a-ing hi) drun- 9ith the de!ire ,f th,!e leg!. She gently ),ved hi! hand a!ide and !t,,d up !aying, A @,)e ,n, h,ney, Det;! g, up!tair!.C 5e f,ll,9ed her li-e an aut,)at,n up int, the bedr,,). 6nce there they !tripped the)!elve! ,f all their cl,the! and dr,pped ,n the 9ide c,)f,rtable bed c,vered 9ith neat ru!tling !heet!. Di-e in a drea) he felt being pu!hed t,9ard her by a brutal nece!!ity, blind and 9,rdle!!. 5e penetrated her 9ith the p,9erful f,rce ,f an engine pi!t,n and, having placed her leg! !hi))ering li-e 9hite )arble ,n hi! !h,ulder!, he !tarted t, ),ve furi,u!ly in!ide her, uttering ch,-ing, al),!t hi!!ing !,und!. A6uchBC !he !aid, 9riggling under hi! f,rceful thru!t! a! if in pain, but he 9a! already !tarting t, c,)e and began h,9ling li-e a 9ild ani)al fr,) the uni)aginable bli!! ,f the e2pl,!ive ,rga!) deep in!ide her. "he 9eight ,f hi! p,9erfully )u!cled build pre!!ed her heavily a! he !an- ,n her re!ilient f,r), gradually getting hi! !ec,nd breath. 5i! 9et !e2 bet9een her thigh! 9a! !till dripping ,n their !il-y !-in. "he 9ar) feel ,f her thigh! and -nee! br,ught ab,ut a ne9 9ave ,f h,t pa!!i,n in all ,f hi! b,dy. When they 9ere fini!hed )a-ing l,ve, they !tarted t, -i!! each ,ther 9ith Huictender -i!!e!, e2pre!!ing their plea!ure and gratitude f,r the pr,tracted ),)ent! ,f their heavenly bli!!. Una 9a! the fir!t t, !pea-, AW,uldn;t y,u li-e t, drin- !,)ething, darlingJ <u!t t, celebrate ,ur act ,f l,veBC She giggled 9ith !ati!facti,n. AAnd )a-e ,ur !leep !till !,under,C 8,nald e2tended the )eaning ,f her pr,p,!al. AE;ll be bac- right n,9.C "hen he g,t ,ut ,f the bed t, fetch the drin-!. When he 9a! bac- they t,uched their gla!!e! 9ith the !a)e Eri!h 9hi!-ey and began !ipping it happily. Suddenly !he turned her head ,n the pill,9 t, gaKe int, hi! eye!, trying t, penetrate their depth and a!-ed une2pectedly, A5,ney, are y,u !ure y,ur h,u!e i!n;tbeing tapped by the l,cal !ecurity agent!JC 5e rai!ed hi)!elf ,n hi! elb,9 and glanced at her feature! half/hidden by the dar-ne!! in the r,,) 9ea-ened ,nly by a di) light !eeping fr,) the !treet thr,ugh the 9hite lace curtain!. After a pau!e he a!-ed, AWhyJC AE ju!t g,t thi! unea!y a9eful feeling ab,ut it, h,ney. "hat;! all.C AI,u can be !ure it;! n,t that ea!y f,r ,ur ene)ie!. E ta-en all the nece!!ary )ea!ure! t, )a-e !ure it;! n,t. At lea!t f,r the ti)e being. Gut E never di!)i!! !uch a p,!!ibility. ever. "hat;! 9hy E -eep chec-ing up ,n the !afety ,f )y h,u!e ,n a regular ba!i!. Ge!ide!, E have a !afety plan ,f evacuati,n... Det u! put it thi! 9ay,C he grinned in the dar-ne!! and added, Aju!t in ca!e.C AWhat ab,ut )eJC !he a!-ed, her v,ice already !leepy and betraying her tiredne!!.

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AI,u;ll be al9ay! -ept inf,r)ed. Wherever E !h,uld g, f,r )y ,9n !afety 9e;ll al9ay! be in t,uch.C 5e -i!!ed her again ,n her ear. ASleep 9ell, )y Eri!h beauty.C .,r a 9hile he 9a! li!tening t, her even breathing that, in it! turn, lulled hi) int, !leep. 6ut!ide the h,u!e everything !ee)ed Huiet and !till. Di-e it 9a! the ,ften referred t, !tillne!! bef,re a hurricane br,-e ,ut. 6nly !everal day! 9ere left bef,re it did. @5AP"E7 ' AD,,- at the ,ld fart ,ver there,C the large p,9erfully built )an !c,ffed, -eeping hi! eye! ,n the per!,n cr,!!ing the !treet right in fr,nt ,f the three )en ,ne ,f 9h,) 9a! the big )an 9h, had )ade the re)ar- f,r hi! t9, !ide/-ic-! !tanding be!ide hi). "he per!,n in Hue!ti,n 9a! 9earing a r,und 9hite cap and l,ng l,,!e 6riental cl,the!. 5e 9a! )iddle/aged and had a l,ng !n,9/9hite beard. "he big )an !aid again, AWhat;! y,ur angle ,n thi! fuc-ing Hueer cu!t,)er, WallyJC AEt;! their fuc-ing i)a) by all acc,unt!, @aptain,C the y,ung )an called Wally an!9ered. AAnd he !ee)! t, have fini!hed hi! l,,ny !henanigan! at their fuc-ing ),!Hue, a! far a! E can gue!!.C AE !9ear 9e;ll help hi) fini!h the) f,r g,,d,C the y,unger third )an grinned in ),c-ery, AAnd he )u!t be Huite grateful t, u! becau!e 9e;ll di!patch hi) t, hi! fuc-ing 9h,re! in hi! da)ned paradi!e. And t, hi! river! ,f 9ine f,r rei)bur!ing hi! hard!hip! here ,n earth.C 5e laughed and added, Ap,,r devil.C A6h yeah, y,u can !ay that again, Pi-e,C "he )an referred t, a! captain !aid. "hen he added, ADet;! g, bac- t, ,ur h,tel and get ready f,r t,night. ,9 9e -n,9 da)n 9ell 9here the fuc-ing ),!Hue i!. Ef it i!n;tunder 9atch and 9ard in the nightti)e then ,ur ta!- 9ill be )uch ea!ier. Ef the c,ntrary i! the ca!e then there;ll be ),re ,f th,!e fuc-ing :u!li)! t, j,in the ,ther fell,9 pig! in their br,thel called paradi!e.C 5e grinned c,nte)ptu,u!ly and )ade a !ign f,r the ,ther! t, f,ll,9 hi). "hey t,,- in the ),!Hue 9ith it! r,und cup,la f,r the la!t ti)e a! the :,r,ccan believer! 9ere leaving that 6riental l,,-ing !tructure. "he ,nly ,ne ,n the ,ut!-irt! ,f Udrecht that truly l,,-ed li-e 9hat it 9a! 4 a )a!!ive, heavy/!et building 9ith cup,la and )in,rat. "he ),!Hue pr,udly rai!ed it! )in,rat fr,) behind the high 9all a! if it 9a! a threatening finger p,inting t, the !-y. "he three )en 9h, 9ere !pea-ing A)erican in l,9 v,ice! prudently -ept a di!tance bet9een the)!elve! and the cr,9d ,f :,r,ccan! leaving the ),!Hue. 8ue t, their per!,nal bia! the !cene the A)erican! 9ere 9atching called f,rth a particular angle t, their percepti,n. "hu! 9hat they !a9 9a! ,nly that fe)ale! 9ere 9earing head!carve!, l,ng and al),!t !Huare c,at! and -ept the)!elve! a!ide fr,) )ale! 9h, 9ere tal-ing ani)atedly in their !trangely

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!Huealing v,ice!. "he 9,)en !tarted falling in behind their hu!band!, -eeping the traditi,nal di!tance ,f appr,2i)ately ,ne )eter and cal)ly 9atching their nu)er,u! !p,ilt children 9h, 9ere r,)ping ab,ut and !creeching at the t,p ,f their piercing v,ice!. A8i!gu!ting rabble,C )uttered the @aptain and di!appeared ar,und the neare!t c,rner. 5i! !ide/-ic-! f,ll,9ed hi) !ilently, !haring hi! feeling! t, the full. Gac- in their h,tel r,,)! the )an called @aptain Ging and hi! a!!,ciate! 6liver and the y,ung!ter nic-na)ed Pi-e g,t their i)ple)ent! ,f 9ar ready f,r the night acti,n. "he!e included p,9erful e2pl,!ive! 9ith det,nat,r! lin-ed thr,ugh a !pecial preci!i,n )echani!) that 9a! a -ind ,f !ynchr,niKer and that, in it! turn, 9a! c,nnected by radi, t, the central re),te c,ntr,l in a !ecret place in Eur,pe. Apart fr,) thi! a))uniti,n they had !,)e ,ther indi!pen!able gear at their di!p,!al li-e h,,-! and r,pe! t, get the)!elve! ,ver the 9all !eparating the ),!Hue fr,) the !treet and vari,u! gadget! enabling the) t, penetrate int, the ),!Hue 9here they 9ere t, place the e2pl,!ive! !, that they re)ained inc,n!picu,u! the f,ll,9ing day. And the f,ll,9ing day 9,uld be .riday and al!, a !pecial h,liday )ar-ing the end ,f the :u!li) h,ly ),nth ,f ada)ar. "he ),!Hue 9,uld be pac-ed t, capacity by a c,n!iderable cr,9d ,f un!u!pecting :,r,ccan!. <u!t a! every9here el!e. After a 9hile the three )ilitant! ,f the cell unit )et in the hall ,f the !)all h,tel that 9a! !ituated ,n the ,ut!-irt! ,f Udrecht in a fairly re),te urban di!trict ,pp,!ite t, that 9here the ),!Hue !t,,d. A"i)e t, grab !,)e f,,d,C the @aptain !aid, Aand n, b,urb,n thi! ti)eB 6ur head! )u!t be a! clear a! a piece ,f tele!c,pe gla!!. We can certainly aff,rd it in ca!e ,f a !ucce!!ful c,)pleti,n ,f ,ur bu!ine!! here 9hen 9e are far a9ay and in !afety. Shall 9e dr,p in at that re!taurant ,ver thereJC 5e p,inted t, the Gee- re!taurant acr,!! the r,ad, 9hich had the pr,ud na)e ,f Aphrodite and !h,9ed a na-ed 9,)an 9ith l,ng flying hair ,n it! !ignb,ard. AAfter all, it;! a l,ng ti)e yet bef,re the acti,n !tart!, !, 9e can !till aff,rd a tiny thi)ble ,f Gree- ou o. Gut n, ),re than that. And n, b,urb,n thi! ti)eBC , ,ne )ade an atte)pt t, c,ntradict @aptain Ging;! ,rder, f,r he 9a! !,)e,ne n,t t, trifle 9ith. Ge!ide!, bac- in the State! he 9a! -n,9n a! a true !9a!hbuc-ler, danger,u! t, deal 9ith. 5i! a!!,ciate! -ne9 thi! all t,, 9ell and preferred n,t t, a!- f,r tr,uble. After dinner, 9hen they )et again in ,ne ,f the !)all h,tel;! r,,)!, they pr,duced a plan ,f the ),!Hue )ade by an,ther !pecial rec,nn,iter unit and bent ,ver it. A.ir!t ,ff,C !aid the @aptain, A9e )u!t )a-e !ure there 9ill be n, night 9atch)en -eeping vigil in the dead ,f night. Ef that happen! t, be the ca!e, then 9e;ll have t, di!p,!e ,f the), 9ith,ut )a-ing the lea!t !,und. And alth,ugh 9e;ll -eep c,))unicati,n 9ith each ,ther thr,ugh ,ur fuc-ing 9al-ie/tal-ie! 9e;ll have t, !tic- t, 9hi!pering. E! that under!t,,d, gent!JC "he ,ther t9, )ilitant! n,dded at the 9,rd! ,f their !uperi,r and the latter c,ntinued,

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AWe;ll get ,ver the fence, ,r rather the 9all here, there and there.C 5e p,inted 9ith the l,ng f,refinger t, the three !ite! 9here they 9ere !upp,!ed t, cli)b ,ver the 9all, AE;ll ta-e thi! !ide ,f the 9all, 9hich i! ),re e2p,!ed t, an ,cca!i,nal pa!!er/by. 7e)e)ber da)n 9ell, n,b,dy i! e2pected t, be a 9itne!! t, ,ur acti,n!. 6ur ,rder i! t, )a-e a !h,rt 9,r- ,f the), 9ith,ut )a-ing a !lighte!t !,und. "he !a)e i! valid f,r any fuc-ing 9atch)en !h,uld they reveal their pre!ence in!ide the fence ,nce 9e are there. We )u!t -eep ,ur fuc-ing eye! and ear! ,pen, gent!. And )a-e n, unnece!!ary !,und!. "hat clearJC Wally and Pi-e n,dded in a )ute affir)ati,n. A ,9 9e;ll have a c,uple ,f h,ur!; re!t, gent!. We need it right n,9.C "hey n,dded again, and then every,ne retired t, hi! r,,) after they had agreed ,n the ti)e ,f their ne2t getting t,gether. Gut, apart fr,) the @aptain, b,th Wally and Pi-e f,und it real difficult t, cl,!e their eye!, n, )atter h,9 they tried. "hey did n,t have hi! bac-gr,undN and th,ugh they 9ere in g,,d phy!ical !hape, 9ell trained, and -ne9 their !tuff they felt clutched all the !a)e. :idnight f,und the) ,n a !treet leading t, the :,r,ccan ),!Hue. "hey left their car, a 9hite i!!an, ju!t ar,und the c,rner. ,t t,, far a9ay fr,) their target. "hey )ade f,r it ,n f,,t ca!ually. A! if they 9ere in n, hurry, alth,ugh each ,f their !tep! and ),ve)ent! had been di!cu!!ed and !tippled ,ut bef,rehand. With their ,verall! ,n and carrying e2pl,!ive! and t,,l! they l,,-ed li-e 9,r-)en returning fr,) their late !hift. Suddenly Pi-e giggled nerv,u!ly and ha!tily e2plained in a half 9hi!per, A8,n;t 9e l,,- li-e burglar! ,n the p,int ,f brea-ing int, a ban-JC AShut up, Pi-e, y,u c,nehead,C 9hi!pered the @aptain irritably and 9ith an edge t, hi! v,ice that he 9a! f,rced t, -eep a! l,9 a! he c,uld. Wally 9h, 9a! 9al-ing ahead ,nly l,,-ed bac- 9ith a blan- e2pre!!i,n ,n hi! lean face. "hey ca)e in vie9 ,f the big ),!Hue 9h,!e 9all and cup,la 9ere vaguely !hi))ering in a 9ea- and diffu!ed light fr,) the neare!t lantern!. "he e)ban-)ent ,f the canal leading fr,) the 7hine t, A)!terda) 9ith ,ne ,f it! bridge! !panning the !traight 9aterc,ur!e 9a! Huite nearby. "he )ilitant! !t,pped. A ,9 it;! ti)e t, !plit, gent!,C the @aptain !p,-e, hi! v,ice ta-ing ,n a !harp edge ,f c,))and, Afr,) n,9 ,n y,u;ll have t, act ,n y,ur ,9n. We;ll -eep up c,ntact thr,ugh ,ur 9al-ie/tal-ie!. I,u -n,9 the re!t. G,,d luc-BC "hey ),ved and appr,ached the 9all ,f the ),!Hue fr,) three different !ide!. "heir nerve! began t, tingle, the adrenaline !urged in their bl,,d p,9erfully. "he @aptain 9a! the fir!t t, !9ing hi)!elf ,nt, the c,urtyard bey,nd the 9all, u!ing h,,and r,pe deftly. 5e cr,uched and 9aited, h,lding hi! breath and trying t, catch !u!pici,u! !,und!. Gut everything 9a! Huite !till. 6r !ee)ed !,. <u!t t, be ,n the !afe !ide he -ept hi! gun 9ith a !ilencer and a la!er !ight at ready. A<u!t in ca!e,C he th,ught. "hen he !tarted ),ving t,9ard the )a!!ive 9all ,f the ),!Hue, trying t, -eep hi! c,n!picu,u!ly large b,dy

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in it! blac- !had,9. 5e 9a! glad there 9a! n, ),,n that night and he -ne9 hi! 9ay by heart fr,) the nu)er,u! lengthy peru!al! ,f the plan. 5i! per!,nal ta!- 9a! t, get ,n the r,,f ,f the ),!Hue ju!t behind the cup,la t, fa!ten hi! e2pl,!ive! there !, that n,b,dy 9,uld !ee the) fr,) the gr,und by day. "hey 9,uld be c,nnected by radi, t, the ,ther t9, parcel!N and, finally, t, the central re),te c,ntr,l !,)e9here in an un-n,9n Eur,pean c,untry. Acc,rding t, the pl,t Wally and Pi-e 9,uld ta-e care ,f the ,ther t9, e2pl,!ive!, place the) in!ide the ),!Hue and )a-e the) inc,n!picu,u! t, the :u!li)! the f,ll,9ing day. "hey )elted int, the !had,9! ,f the ),!Hue and !tarted pic-ing the l,c- 9ith a ji))y and trying t, )a-e a! little n,i!e a! p,!!ible. "hey 9ere bu!y 9ith it f,r !everal )inute!. .inally the l,cgave in t, their eff,rt and the )a!!ive d,,r !9ung ,pen. Wally 9a! fir!t t, penetrate int, the ),!Hue, f,ll,9ed by Pi-e. 5e had t, p,!iti,n the e2pl,!ive! in an inc,n!picu,u! rece!! ab,ve the gr,und fl,,r. Pi-e 9a! t, fi2 hi! pac-age ,f e2pl,!ive! in a place ,pp,!ite t, the ,ne 9here Wally 9a! t, fi2 hi! in ,rder t, d,uble the p,9er ,f e2pl,!i,n. After they had let the)!elve! in they !t,pped a 9hile t, ta-e in 9hatever there 9a! in the entrance hall that 9a! l,!t in c,)plete dar-ne!! a c,uple ,f !tep! in fr,nt ,f the). "heir eye! darted ar,und the gl,,)y interi,r ,f the ),!Hue. Et 9a! then that they !uddenly heard a !,ft !,und !,)e9here in that dar-ne!!. En!tantly they b,th fr,Ke, li!tening. "he !u!pici,u! !,und cea!ed a! !,,n a! it had !tarted. All 9a! !till ,nce again. AWhat the hell 9a! thatJC Pi-e 9hi!pered perple2ed. En!tead ,f an!9ering, Wally !napped ,n hi! fla!hlight. "he thin yell,9 bea) caught the gray ,utline ,f a big cat that 9a! cr,uching ,n the fl,,r, fi2ing the intruder! 9ith it! glittering a)ber eye! that !ee)ed filled 9ith ten!i,n and di!tru!t. "he ani)al had g,ne fr,Ken ju!t a! they had. Suddenly it tr,tted ,ff int, the dar-ne!! and di!appeared !, that they c,uld neither !ee hi) n,r hear any l,nger. A"he da)ned fuc-ing cat,C Pi-e 9hi!pered again, thi! ti)e angrily but 9ith !,)e relief. AShut up, Pi-e. "i)e t, get !tarted d,ing thing!. ", hell 9ith the cat. Det;! ),ve, b,yBC "hey !plit up, each heading t, the definite place )ar-ed ,n their !-etch ,f the ),!Hue 9here the e2pl,!ive! 9ere !cheduled t, be fi2ed and di!gui!ed. Et 9a! a )atter ,f !everal !ee)ingly l,ng )inute! bef,re they b,th reached their de!tinati,n, becau!e the ),!Hue 9a! a large building 9ith lateral c,rrid,r! !urr,unding it! en,r),u!ly va!t central !pace. "here 9a! a -ind ,f dai! at the bac- 9all ,f the ),!Hue fr,) 9hich a i)a) 9,uld u!ually )a-e hi! h,)ily. "he dai! 9a! 9,,den and pr,bably c,ntained an e)pty !pace underneath it! plan-!. Wally grinned 9ryly, thin-ing ,f the i)a) being the fir!t t, get hi! ,9n place in Paradi!e han-ered f,r !, pa!!i,nately. S,, Wally;! acti,n 9,uld be ,nly a -ind ,f charity f,r the i)a) in Hue!ti,n. 8idn;t the da)ned :u!li)! carry ,ut !uicide attac-! all ,ver the 9,rld 9ith the !a)e g,alJ "hat ,f reaching the bli!!ful place 9ith the pr,)i!ed virgin! t, !ati!fy their !e2ual

(0

drea)!. Wally grinned again. 5e i)agined hi)!elf t, be a true benefact,r ,f th,!e pe,ple , e2cept f,r their 9,)en ,f c,ur!e. ,b,dy -ne9 their de!tinati,n after death. Gut the :u!li) )en didn;t !ee) di!turbed by the Hue!ti,n. ,t even in the lea!t. S, 9hy !h,uld he beJ 5e trained the bea) ,f hi! fla!hlight ,n the plan-!, began t, re),ve a c,uple ,f the), prying the) ,pen 9ith a !)all cr,9bar, and di!c,vered the e)pty !pace he -ne9 9,uld be there. "he re!t ,f the 9,r- 9a! ,nly a )atter ,f an appr,2i)ately half/h,ur. :aybe le!!. While he 9a! 9,r-ing, the ,nly faint !,und he c,uld hear 9a! that ,f Pi-e d,ing hi! 9,r- in the !ecti,n f,r 9,)en and children. Pi-e;! a!!ign)ent !ee)ed le!! charitable than hi!. Gut y,u c,uld never really -n,9B :aybe it 9,uld be charitable f,r th,!e ,ther 9,)en and children 9h, 9,uld ,nly pr,fit fr,) getting rid ,f !, )any para!ite! living at their e2pen!e in their ,9n c,untry. "h,!e !cu)bag! 9ere p,!ing a real threat t, the native p,pulati,n ,f the c,untry they ,ccupied. "he th,ught ,f their de!tructi,n 9a! !ati!fying, even !,,thing. 5e and Pi-e 9,uld d, their duty and help the l,cal! !urvive by eli)inating th,!e greedy and danger,u! curly/head!. 8a)n the)B 5e 9,uld d, hi! be!t t, help the), t,,. ", help the) !ati!fy their !e2ual need! and finally get their b,,Ke, denied t, the) in thi! 9,rld. S, better get ,n 9ith it, he repeated t, hi)!elf, get it d,neB 5i! hand! 9ere d,ing their 9,rea!ily and 9ith cu!t,)ary -nac-. When he 9a! fini!hed, at la!t, he fi2ed th,!e plan-! in their ,ld place a! they had been bef,re and glanced acr,!! at the !p,t 9here Pi-e 9a! !upp,!ed t, be 9,r-ing. 5e c,uldn;t !ee anything in that dar-ne!!, th,ugh he c,uld !till hear the !,und! c,)ing fr,) the directi,n ,f the partiti,n dividing the )ain pre)i!e! ,f the ),!Hue fr,) the !ecti,n de!tined f,r 9,)en and children. 5e r,!e and 9arily ),ved in that directi,n -eeping hi! eye! and ear! ,pen f,r any !urpri!e that )ight launch it!elf at hi) une2pectedly fr,) that )enacing dar-ne!!. Gut n,thing ),ved and he tried t, pull hi)!elf t,gether. 5e Huic-ly reached hi! )ate guided by the !,und and gave a9ay hi! pre!ence by 9hi!pering l,udly, A5ey, Pi-eBC A7,ger.C A5,9 are y,u d,in;JC AE;) fineBC AE )ean have y,u g,t it d,ne yetJC ASure. Giving the la!t t,uch t, the ca),uflage. , fear.C AShall E help y,uJC A , need, b,!!, E;) fini!hed.C "he ,ther )an r,!e fr,) hi! cr,uching p,!iti,n and !h,ne 9ith the bea) ,f hi! fla!hlight at the re!ult ,f hi! 9,r-. Sati!fied, he turned t, hi! )ate, A"hat;! it, Wally. Et;! d,ne. En a fe9 h,ur!, the da)ned curly/head! 9ill be bundled ,ff t, their fuc-ing paradi!e. And i!n;tthat 9hat they al9ay! 9antedJC

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AI,u can !ay it again, Pi-e. Det;! clear ,ff right a9ay. We g,tta leave thi! da)n place bef,re !,)e fuc-ing bu!yb,dy !h,9! up here. I,u d,n;t 9ant t, !tart a fight and !cre9 up the 9h,le da)n thing. Ge!ide!, E g,tta pu)p !hip. @,)e ,n. Det;! g,.C "hey !lipped a9ay fr,) the !ilent building ,f the ),!Hue li-e t9, dar- !had,9!, n,t f,rgetting t, leave the )a!!ive fr,nt d,,r l,c-ed behind the) and trying t, )erge 9ith the deeper !had,9, ca!t by the 9all ,f the ),!Hue. "hey heard a l,9 9hi!tle fr,) !,)e9here near by. Et 9a! the e2pected prearranged !ignal fr,) the @aptain 9h,!e dar- !ilh,uette e)erged a! if fr,) n,9here and j,ined the). AWa! it ,-ay 9ith y,u ,ver thereJC he a!-ed in a )uffled v,ice. Wally replied, ASure. , e2cept f,r the fuc-ing cat that !cared u! ,ut ,f ,ur 9it!. Gut 9e c,uld )anage it, c,uldn;t 9e, Pi-eJC 5e al),!t giggled but th,ught better ,f it ,n ti)e. Pi-e ,nly n,dded in reply. AWe did ,ur j,b acc,rding t, the !trict technical rule!. S, the 9h,le thing )u!t 9,r- ,ut nicely. 5,9 9a! it 9ith y,u ,n the r,,f, @aptainJC AVery )uch the !a)e, apart fr,) )y n,t having run int, any creature, th,ugh y,u c,uld e2pect a cat ,n the r,,f. ,9, guy!, the c,a!t i! clear. ,thing unt,9ard happened. We pulled it ,ff,C he 9hi!pered, ADet;! beat itBC "hey glanced ,ver at the 9all that 9a! hardly vi!ible ,pp,!ite the ),!Hue due t, the p,,r yell,9 light fr,) the ,ut!ide lantern!. With,ut !pea-ing a 9,rd they headed t,9ard that 9all. After deftly neg,tiating it, their vague figure! di!!ipated in the pitch/dar- blac-ne!! ,f the night. En the elevated 9ilderne!! ,f the S9i!! Alp! five )en 9ith ),untaineering eHuip)ent 9ere !eated a),ng the la!t !pruce/fir! ,f the ti)berline fringing the Alpine )ead,9! a),ng the !-y/high pea-! n,t Huite far fr,) the St. G,tthard Pa!!. "he )en l,,-ed )atter/,f/factly and t,ugh and 9ere bent ,n in!talling radi, eHuip)ent that l,,-ed li-e an additi,n t, their ),untaineering furni!hing!. .ar ab,ve the) a !,litary eagle 9a! !,aring in 9ide circle! in !earch ,f prey, cutting the c,ld autu)nal air 9ith hi! al),!t ),ti,nle!! 9ing!. At la!t, ,ne ,f the gr,up, a tall lean )an 9ith c,ld gray eye! !t,,d up and appr,ached the radi,, -eeping the cl,c-9,r- in hi! vie9. 5e !h,rtly glanced ,ver at hi! fell,9 ),untaineer! 9h, l,,-ed li-e !t,ne figure! a! if caught in the )iddle ,f 9inter by the freeKing te)perature! ,f a nearby glacier. "hen he gave a brief n,d and !napped ,n the red butt,n. At the !a)e ti)e, !,)e9here in the cl,udy 9ilderne!! ,f the 7,c-y :,untain! ,f ,rth A)erica ,ne ,f the !)all gr,up! ,f five )en perched up,n a granite bluff pre!!ed the !i)ilar red butt,n ,f a !i)ilar radi, !tati,n. "he t9, gr,up!, !eparated fr,) each ,ther by th,u!and! ,f )ile!, !ynchr,niKed their acti,n!, !tic-ing t, the !a)e ti)ing. "hey !a9 ,r heard n,thing after the !i)ple pre!!ing ,f the t9, red butt,n!, !till 9aiting f,r a !ignal fr,) the 5eadHuarter! ,f the EDA t, )a-e !ure their )i!!i,n had ended !ucce!!fully.

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"he eagerly a9aited !ignal ca)e in in a Huarter ,f an h,ur, c,nfir)ing the !ucce!! ,f the ,perati,n. "he tall lean )an 9ith the c,ld gray eye! 9h, appeared t, be the leader ,f the gr,up in S9itKerland v,iced everyb,dy;! reacti,n t, the ne9!. 5e heaved a l,ng !igh and !aid, AG,d;! ,n ,ur !ide. "han- G,d.C E))ediately up,n di!),unting their re!pective radi, in!tallati,n! they pac-ed up their heavy eHuip)ent )eticul,u!ly, !lung it ,nt, their bac-!, and cauti,u!ly !tarted de!cending fr,) the ),untain,u! height! li-e any ,ther ),untaineering gr,up! that did it ,n a regular ba!i! and in any !ea!,n ,f the year. Up,n their 9ay d,9n the ),untain!ide everything !ee)ed t, the) a! the u!ual r,utine 4 di!l,dged !)all r,c-! r,lling fr,) under their feet, !ul-y cl,ud! r,lling ,ver their head!, an ,cca!i,nal cry ,f an eagle ,r n,i!y jabbering ,f a )agpie, the !ea!,nal !tillne!! ,f ti)ber !tand! creeping d,9n the !teep !l,pe!. All but ,ne thing !ee)ed u!ual. And that thing 9a! the unea!y ),,d ,f the ),untaineer! 9ith the radi, eHuip)ent heading d,9n th,!e !l,pe! in !ilence e2cept 9hen it 9a! indi!pen!able f,r the) t, c,))unicate 9ith each ,ther. "he high pea-! ,f the t9, c,ntinent! 9ere a! !ilent a! the t9, gr,up! ,f pe,ple ,n the) and they -ept their !ecret a9ay fr,) the ,uter 9,rld. And the ,uter 9,rld 9,-e up ,nly after the !ynchr,niKed functi,ning ,f th,!e red butt,n!. "he earth !huddered and !h,,- in the p,9erful bla!t ,f nu)er,u! !i)ultane,u! e2pl,!i,n! li-e in an earthHua-e, !ending an ag,ny ,f reverberati,n! acr,!! the big capital! and a l,t ,f )ain citie! in Eur,pe and ,rth A)erica. "he )ighty r,ar ,f that !upere2pl,!i,n all but deafened pe,ple living in th,!e citie!, in!tantane,u!ly !t,pping 9hatever activitie! they 9ere engaged in, and !ending tre),r! ,f alar) and fear int, their nerv,u! !y!te)!. En,r),u! fire! !prang up a),ng the ruin! at the !ite! 9here the big ),!Hue! had pr,udly rai!ed the !lender f,r)! ,f their )inaret!, n,9 turned int, blaKing )a!!e! ,f !t,ne, t9i!ted )etal, and carb,niKed hu)an b,die! under th,!e ruin!. E))ediately, after a !h,rt !h,c- ,f ag,niKing du)bne!!, a ),unting !urge ,f 9ailing !iren! fr,) !peeding p,lice !Huad car! and a)bulance! began t, !9ell in the air ,f th,!e citie!. A! !,,n a! the fact ,f the e2pl,!i,n! in the )aj,r ),!Hue! ,n a i))en!e !cale all ,ver Eur,pe and A)erica 9a! e!tabli!hed urgent g,vern)ent )eeting! 9ere held, inve!tigati,n c,))i!!i,n! 9ere being !et up and then !9iftly !ent t, the !ite! 9here the e2pl,!i,n! had ,ccurred, p,lice c,rd,n! 9ere put ar,und the !),-ing ruin! ,f the ),!Hue!, and re!cuing tea)! 9ith d,g! and eHuip)ent 9ere ,n the !p,t 9ithin a fe9 h,ur! !ince the grandi,!e e2pl,!i,n!. At the e)ergency )eeting! ,f g,vern)ent ,fficial! deci!i,n! 9ere being ta-en in t9, )ain directi,n!* e!tabli!hing a large !cale !i)ultane,u! inve!tigati,n ,f the cau!e! and r,,t! ,f the )a!!ive de!tructi,n ,f the bigge!t ),!Hue! in Eur,pe and ,n the A)erican c,ntinent ,n the ,ne hand, and rendering an urgent a!!i!tance t, nu)er,u! victi)! ,f the e2pl,!i,n!. At lea!t th,!e ,f the), 9h, )ight be !till alive, buried under the huge ruin! ,f the

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),!Hue!. , ,ne clai)ed re!p,n!ibility. "he very fir!t !u!pici,n hit the righti!t p,litical partie! in Eur,pe, but all the eff,rt! t, bring ab,ut ),re clarity ab,ut that didn;t yield any tangible evidence. "he )a!! )edia 9ere Huite hy!terical ab,ut 9hat had ,ccurred and, lac-ing any factual evidence c,nfir)ing the real bac-gr,und ,f the terrible event, e)bar-ed ,n the 9ilde!t !upp,!iti,n!, inventive !peculati,n!, and ,ther -ind! ,f 9i!hful thin-ing. A! u!ual, by d,ing !, they unlea!hed even ),re rabid fury a),ng the :u!li) p,pulati,n, !etting it ,n the !upp,!ed c,n!pirat,r! 9h, c,ntinued t, re)ain yet un-n,9n. .,r the ti)e being, at lea!t. "he 9h,le 9,rld !ee)ed t, be t,ttering t,9ard it! greate!t cri!i! yet in hi!t,ry. @5AP"E7 3 All the ),!Hue! ,f Gugdead, the capital ,f Gabel 9ere br,adca!ting their u!ual call f,r the n,,n prayer fr,) their tall )inaret!. "he a)er river 9a! r,lling it! )uddy 9ater pa!t the e)ban-)ent! ,f Gugdead !tudded 9ith nu)er,u! anti/We!tern !l,gan! and p,rtrait! ,f Pre!ident/8ictat,r 5u!!ein G,u!liyah 9ith hi! dr,,ping ),u!tache in all i)aginable -ind! ,f cl,thing 9ith an ,cca!i,nal typically n,)adic Ereb headgear. "he living e)b,di)ent ,f th,!e gl,,)y i)age! 9a! !itting at the head ,f a l,ng table in ,ne ,f hi! nu)er,u! palace! ,n b,th !ide! ,f 9hich hi! general! and )ini!ter! 9ere !eated. All ,f the), including 5u!!ein G,u!liyah, 9ere 9earing )ilitary unif,r)!. 5u!!ein 9a! !pea-ing in a Huiet, !elf/a!!ured v,ice. "he audience 9a! li!tening eagerly, ab!,rbing each !p,-en 9,rd a! a divine revelati,n. S,)eti)e! he )ade !h,rt pau!e! during 9hich he !9ept hi! li!tener! 9ith a piercing gaKe a! if trying t, gue!! 9h, ,f the) c,uld pr,ve a trait,r, if the !ituati,n beca)e un!table due t, an eventual 9ar again!t the United State! ,f A)erica. ,9, after ca!ting yet an,ther !u!pici,u! gaKe at hi! audience, 5u!!ein G,u!liyah 9ent ,n cal)ly. A"he challenge ,f the We!t !tand! ,ut clear en,ugh 4 the bl,9ing up ,f the :u!li) h,ly ),!Hue! i! the ),!t in!,lent and c,9ardly acti,n that ha! ever ,ccurred ,n thi! !inful earth. "he bl,,d ,f the victi)! ri!e! up t, the very heaven! ,f Allalah the Al)ighty Wh, call! up,n u! t, i))ediately ta-e revenge f,r that unprecedented !hedding ,f the n,ble bl,,d ,f :u!li) )en, 9,)en, children, and infant!. "he nu)ber ,f victi)! ha! bec,)e -n,9n and it c,)e! t, appr,2i)ately a )illi,n and a half. :aybe ),re, f,r that nu)ber i! !till uncertain. Gut it;! n,t le!!. I,u can certainly !ay a 9h,le nati,n ,f :u!li)! ha! g,ne peri!hed in th,!e unh,ly bla!t!. A! y,u -n,9, )y friend!, 9e have hidden ,ur !upplie! ,f 9eap,n! ,f )a!! de!tructi,n in the neighb,ring friendly A!!ur 9h,!e Pre!ident i! ,ur ally. "he U in!pect,r!, th,!e !pie! and h,und! ,f the accur!ed A)erica, c,uld and never 9ill be able t, find the). And the h,ur i! br,-en, )y friend!, t, get the) bac- and launch the) at A)erica and E!rael. :aybe at !,)e c,untrie! ,f Eur,pe t,, de!pite the c,n!iderable :u!li) p,pulati,n !till re)aining

(3

there after the di!graceful h,l,cau!t. A! y,u -n,9, if they peri!h after ,ur )ighty !tri-e, they 9ill g, t, Allalah;! Paradi!e, ble!!ed be 5i! a)e. S,, they 9ill never be the l,!ing !ide. Gut th,!e Eur,pean unbelieving pig! and ape! 9h, let it happen 9ill pay f,r it 9ith their u!ele!! live! and in n, ti)e 9ill find the)!elve! in the 9ell de!erved hell.C 5e lap!ed int, !ilence a 9hile, then !p,-e in a fir) v,ice. A"he .rench)an :erdac and the Ger)an 8rec-)ann are ,ur allie! becau!e they !ecretly h,pe t, c,)plete 5itler;! drea) ,f the final !,luti,n ,f the <e9i!h pr,ble) 9ith ,ur hand!, -eeping the)!elve! at a !afe di!tance. 6ne 9ay ,r the ,ther 9e;ll c,)plete it a! the h,ly ta!- received directly fr,) Allalah the Al)ighty, ble!!ed be 5i! na)e. And 9e;ll begin 9ith E!rael. Dater, 9hen 9e have de!tr,yed E!rael and c,nHuered Eur,pe, 9e;ll bring ab,ut a full e2ter)inati,n ,f the accur!ed <e9! in Eur,pe. "hen,C hi! teeth gli))ered under hi! ),u!tache in !,)ething li-e a grin, A9e;ll e2pre!! ,ur ),!t !incere gratitude t, b,th 8rec-)ann and :erdac f,r their eager !upp,rt ,f ,ur cau!e and helping u! ),rally and )aterially. And then 9e;ll hang the) up a! infidel!.C General <afar Gar 5a)ir 9h, 9a! pre!ent, t,,, laughed happily, n,dding hi! head in c,nfir)ati,n ,f hi! !,lidarity 9ith the 9,rd! ,f the great leader ,f the Gabel :u!li)!. 5i! hilarity trailed ,ff and !t,pped a! !uddenly a! it had began 9hen the cal) v,ice ,f 5u!!ein G,u!liyah c,ntinued, AE ,rder y,u, ,h, )y valiant general!, t, bring ,ver ,ur nuclear, che)ical, and bi,l,gical 9eap,n! bac- acr,!! the b,rder, leaving a !ufficient Huantity ,f th,!e 9eap,n! f,r ,ur A!!ur friend! ju!t in ca!e they are attac-ed by th,!e A)erican, E!raeli, and Eur,pean de),n!, t,,. E e2pect it t, be d,ne in a 9ee-;! ti)e, ,h, )y general!. And y,u -n,9 h,9. Ge!ide!, E g,t an,ther )e!!age f,r y,u, ,h, )y general!.C 5e !9ept the) 9ith the !,)ber gaKe ,f hi! diab,lical eye!, A<u!t in ca!e y,u f,rget. Any ign,)ini,u! atte)pt at high trea!,n related t, )e, thi! c,untry, and ,ur h,ly cau!e 9ill entail death. ,t ,nly f,r the trait,r! but al!, f,r their fa)ilie!.C 5e pau!ed t, !)ile thinly, Abut ,f c,ur!e E d, n,t e2pect y,u t, c,))it !uch a di!graceful and f,,li!h cri)e. Et 9,uld be bey,nd y,ur high dignity. What E ju!t !aid i! ,nly a 9arning. A! a )atter/,f/fact, E tru!t y,u even ),re than E tru!t )y ,9n !,n!.C 5e !t,,d up i)itated by the ,ther! and left the r,,) acc,)panied by hi! b,dyguard!. "he e)ergency )eeting 9a! ,ver. Eh)ed Gey !,ught ,ut hi! friend Seli) Gula) in hi! cubicle in the c,)ple2 labyrinth ,f c,rrid,r! leading t, !tudent!C d,r)it,rie! at the Univer!ity ,f AK/Sahar. 5e f,und hi) bent ,ver a gr,!! b,,- treating, a),ng ,ther thing!, the crucial pr,ble) ,f h,9 )any hair! the Al)ighty Allalah;! beard c,ntained. APeace be up,n y,u, ,h, )y Seli),C he greeted hi! friend. AAnd up,n y,u, ,h, )y n,ble Eh)ed Gey. What g,,d luc- ha! br,ught y,u here in thi! early h,urJC

0%

AAnd a very urgent ,neB I,u are being !u)),ned bef,re the 9i!e eye! ,f ,ur 7ect,r, E)a) Abu Dula Gar Mebab.C AWh,J :eJC AIe!. And right n,9. 8,n;t be afraid. @,)e al,ng 9ith )e. 5e;! 9aiting f,r u! at thi! ),)ent in hi! ,ffice. Det u! n,t )a-e hi) 9ait t,, l,ng.C Seli) ,nly n,dded in reply t, hi! friend;! in!i!tence and they !tarted 9al-ing thr,ugh the !a)e labyrinth ,f c,rrid,r!. Gef,re l,ng, they !t,,d in fr,nt ,f the 7ect,r;! ,ffice and Eh)ed Gey -n,c-ed ,n the d,,r. "hey heard Abu Dula;! v,ice fr,) 9ithin. A@,)e ,n inBC "hey entered the E)a);! ,ffice and b,9ed t, the 7ect,r !itting ,n cu!hi,n! bef,re a l,9 de!-. APeace be up,n y,u, )y y,ung friend!.C A"he ble!!ing ,f Allalah the Al)ighty be up,n y,u, ,h, U!taba!hiBC Eh)ed Gey replied f,r b,th hi)!elf and Seli). "he latter b,9ed hi! head in ac-n,9ledge)ent ,f hi! friend;! greeting. "he 7ect,r n,dded t, the) and invited the) 9ith a ge!ture t, ta-e a !eat ,n the cu!hi,n! in fr,nt ,f hi! de!-. "hey b,th b,9ed ,nce again and ,beyed, l,9ering the)!elve! gingerly ,n the richly e)br,idered cu!hi,n! ,pp,!ite the 7ect,r;! de!- and rai!ing their eye! t,9ard hi) e2pectantly. 5e 9a! !tr,-ing hi! beard pen!ively, gaKing at Seli) Gula) 9ith hi! !earching eye! bef,re he !p,-e. AI,u -n,9, )y y,ung friend!, 9hat ha! happened in Eur,pe and A)erica.C 5e 9a! ),re !tating the !ad tragedy in the We!t than ju!t a!-ing. "hey n,dded their head! !ilently in c,nfir)ati,n ,f the fact that they 9ere 9ell inf,r)ed. "he E)a) c,ntinued, !till !tr,-ing hi! beard and -eeping hi! eye! ,n Seli), A"he ti)e ha! c,)e t, !tri-e bac-.C 5e )ade a pau!e. AIe!, I,ur Grilliancy, the ti)e ha! c,)e indeed.C AE;) glad y,u feel it t,,,C !aid the E)a), Aand it;! ti)e f,r y,ur c,ntributi,n. E )ean y,ur acti,n a! cha)pi,n ,f E!la) in ,ne ,f ,ur ene)ie!C lair! 4 in Eur,pe. Are y,u ready f,r that, )y !,nJC AIe!, I,ur Grilliancy, E a),C Seli) !aid, deep in!ide feeling pr,ud ,f the une2pected tru!t ,f ,ne ,f the greate!t pillar! ,f E!la) in the 9,rld. "he E)a) pu!hed a butt,n ,n t,p ,f the de!- in fr,nt ,f hi) and 9aited. S,,n they heard a -n,c- ,n the d,,r. Abu Dula !aid l,udly, AEnterBC "he d,,r ,pened and a large )an clad in -ha-i fatigue! entered the r,,). With a 9ide circling ge!ture, Abu Dula invited the ne9c,)er t, ta-e a !eat near hi) !aying, AWelc,)e and peace be ,n y,u, ,h, valiant Abu Abdu Abdullalah, have a !eat, have a !eat plea!e, dear friend.C P,inting t, Seli), he c,ntinued, AAll,9 )e t, intr,duce ,ur y,ung h,peful Seli) Gula) 9h, ha! e2celled in the deeper !tudie! ,f the 5,ly Our;an and, t, )y )ind, i! ripe and ready t, bec,)e a valiant cha)pi,n ,f E!la) under y,ur 9i!e leader!hip, ,h, c,urage,u! S9,rd ,f Allalah the Al)ighty.C Abu Dula c,upled the pal)! ,f hi! hand!

01

and lifting the) in fr,nt ,f hi! br,9, )ade a graci,u! b,9 t,9ard Abdullalah. "hen he !p,-e again, A.r,) n,9 ,n, ,h, "err,r ,f E!la);! ene)ie!, the y,uth Seli) Gula) 9ill !erve the n,ble and l,fty cau!e ,f E!la), !taying at y,ur c,))and.C A6h, Seli)BC 5e turned t, face the y,uth, Athe valiant Abu Abdu Abdullalah, i! a friend ,f the n,ble Gean Dadidan, ,ne ,f the great )ilitary c,))ander! ,f the Mu9alda, and fr,) n,9 ,n i! y,ur !uperi,r. 6bey hi) 9ith,ut putting Hue!ti,n!. 8, 9hatever he ,rder! y,u t, d,.C 5e pau!ed again, then added, AI,u are e2cu!ed, ,h, n,ble Seli). G,,d luc- t, y,u. And )ay Allalah;! ble!!ing re!t ,n y,u f,rever.C 5e )ade a ge!ture t,9ard Eh)ed Gey. AWait a ),)ent, ,h, Eh)ed Gey.C Abdullalah and Seli) r,!e t, leave the 7ect,r;! ,ffice and !aying g,,d/bye t, the ,ld E)a). 5e 9aved t, the) a! they 9ere di!appearing behind the d,,r, then turned hi! attenti,n t, the 9aiting Eh)ed Gey. A6h, Eh)ed GeyBC AI,ur GrilliancyJC AGet a tic-et f,r Seli) Gula) at the airp,rt. 5e )u!t leave f,r A)!terda) n,t later than t,),rr,9 ),rning.C AIe!, I,ur GrilliancyBC A"he valiant Abdullalah 9ill in!truct ,ur y,ung friend c,ncerning hi! dutie! in the :u!li) !ecret )ilitant cell in 5,lland. Gut 9e;ll give hi) !,)e additi,nal in!tructi,n! t, -eep hi) active during hi! !tay there. A! 9ell a! !,)e u!eful na)e! and addre!!e!. Give hi) hi! 9ritten in!tructi,n! t,night and let hi) learn and the) by heart. "hey are n,t )any, given hi! dutie! in the )ilitant cell. When he ha! c,))itted the) t, hi! )e),ry he )u!t de!tr,y the) 9ith,ut leaving a trace. Ge!ide!, g, t, ,ur ban- and arrange three th,u!and A)erican d,llar! f,r hi) that 9ill get hi) thr,ugh hi! fir!t day! in Eur,pe. Give the ca!h t, hi) al,ng 9ith hi! in!tructi,n!. AIe!, I,ur Grilliancy.C AI,ur are e2cu!ed n,9, 6h, Eh)ed Gey. G, and d, your duty, t,,. Allalah the Al)ighty be 9ith y,u.C Eh)ed Gey r,!e and )ade a deep b,9 bef,re Abu Dula and left the r,,), n,i!ele!!ly cl,!ing the d,,r behind hi). En the n,i!y tur),il ,f the @air, airp,rt Seli) 9a! patiently 9aiting f,r hi! plane, h,lding hi! b,arding card and already )i!!ing hi! friend Eh)ed Gey 9h, had ju!t left, leaving Seli) 9ith three th,u!and A)erican d,llar! and a vague future a9aiting hi) in the c,ld and n,t particularly friendly Eur,pe.

0&

5e !trained t, li!ten t, the public addre!! !y!te), afraid t, )i!! hi! plane. .,r it 9a! n,t ,nly the i)p,rtant )i!!i,n he 9a! ab,ut t, e)bar- up,n, but it 9a! hi! very fir!t flight ,n b,ard a pa!!enger plane. 5e felt e2cited and ju!t a little bit !cared. At la!t hi! flight 9a! ann,unced and he pr,)ptly r,!e t, hi! feet t, Hueue up in the l,ng line ,f pa!!enger! 9h, !tarted t, 9al- behind the !te9arde!! 9h, led the) thr,ugh the gate t, their plane. En!ide the plane, an,ther !te9arde!! helped hi) find hi! !eat. Et 9a! right ne2t t, a p,rth,le that enabled hi) t, 9atch 9hatever 9a! happening ,ut!ide the plane and he felt a little le!! clau!tr,ph,bic. :inute! 9ere tic-ing a9ay and it !ee)ed that the ,ther pa!!enger! 9,uld never !t,p their c,ntinu,u! ),ve)ent in the narr,9 ai!le bet9een the r,9! ,f !eat!. When everyb,dy 9a! !eated the pa!!enger! 9ere a!-ed t, fa!ten their belt! and the plane began it! !,)e9hat bu)py ta2iing t,9ard the run9ay and then !t,pped f,r a fe9 !ec,nd!. "hen, it engine! beginning t, h,9l, !tarted running al,ng the run9ay, increa!ing it! !peed. Suddenly Seli) !a9 that the earth 9a! far bel,9 the plane and !peeding bac- in the ,pp,!ite directi,n. 5e even did n,t n,tice at ,nce that the jer-! he;d e2perienced during the ta2iing had already cea!ed. "he plane 9a! gaining it! a!!igned altitude. 5e 9a! )et at the A)!terda) Shiph,l Airp,rt by a r,bu!t and blac-/eyed :,r,ccan girl 9h,!e na)e, a! he had learned in @air, bef,re hi! flight, 9a! Sebuni!!a .arjaKAllalah. She fla!hed a daKKling !)ile at hi) the ),)ent he !h,9ed up in the va!t airp,rt hall, having fi!hed ,ut hi! !uitca!e fr,) the dar- ribb,n ,f the !l,9ly ),ving c,nveyer. She !t,,d 9aving at hi) enthu!ia!tically and never !t,pping t, !)ile. 5i! !urpri!e 9a! great that !he had )anaged t, rec,gniKe hi) fr,) the ,nly ph,t, !he had in her p,!!e!!i,n. 5e had -n,9n fr,) hi! in!tructi,n! that her ta!- 9a! t, )eet and ta-e hi) a9ay in a car. S, 9hile !itting ,n the plane, he had been fanta!iKing ab,ut her. And hi! vivid i)aginati,n had pictured her t, hi) a! a daKKling beauty. Gut he hadn;t really e2pected her t, be li-e that in reality. 5e gue!!ed her hair 9a! l,ng, th,ugh !he 9a! 9earing a blac- -erchief fr,) under 9hich her large eye! 9ere bea)ing at hi) li-e t9, friendly !tar!. 5i! unea!y feeling gave 9ay t, a !9eet anticipati,n and tru!t. ,9 they 9ere Huic-ly threading their 9ay thr,ugh the i))en!e cr,9d ,f pe,ple t,9ard ,ne ,f the e2it! fr,) the airp,rt ne2t t, 9hich her car had been par-ed and 9a! 9aiting f,r the). She u!ed the Ereb language t, c,))unicate 9ith hi), th,ugh it 9a! !lightly tinged 9ith the int,nati,n ,f her ,9n native :,r,ccan dialect. 5e under!t,,d her perfectly. 6n their 9ay !he turned t, hi), A6h, Seid Seli) Gula), E feel Huite happy, f,r y,ur j,urney 9a! !afe and i! n,9 ,ver. Welc,)e t, ,ur :u!li) c,))unity in 5,lland.C 5er blac- eye! !uddenly t,,- ,n a !ad and !uffering e2pre!!i,n. A 6r, rather, t, 9hat i! left ,f it.C 5e n,dded 9ith under!tanding and c,)pa!!i,n, finding n, 9,rd! t, give vent t, hi! ,9n feeling!.

03

A5,9 )any victi)! have fallen dead becau!e ,f the hateful ign,)iny ,f the infidel!JC AI,u )ean in 5,lland ,r in the city ,f UdrechtJC A6ver a th,u!and and a half in Udrecht al,ne and ab,ut ten th,u!and in all 5,lland.C She glanced ,ver at hi! face and !en!ed the 9ar) feeling and !y)pathy in hi! eye!. En!tantly !he felt attracted t,9ard hi). "he y,uth i! n,t ,nly hand!,)e, !he th,ught, he ha! a great heart. She ,pened the d,,r ,f a 9hite .iat in the par-ing l,t and !lipped behind the !teering 9heel, then ,pened the ,ther d,,r and p,inted t, the pa!!enger !eat ne2t t, her!elf. Seli) cli)bed int, the car and banged the d,,r !hut. She put the car in gear and !9ung ,ff in the directi,n ,f the ),t,r9ay. S,,n they 9ere !peeding t,9ard A)!terda), a !)all part ,f the l,ng !trea) ,f car! dev,uring )ale after )ile a! they 9ere appr,aching the big city. Seli) !t,,d in fr,nt ,f the 8utch i))igrati,n ,fficial, d,ing hi! be!t t, )u!ter up c,urage, dignity, and arr,gance that 9a! n,t characteri!tic ,f hi). Gut he re)e)bered the 9,rd! ,f 9arning Sebuni!!a had t,ld hi) bef,re they had parted. 5e didn;t need any ),re ),ney than he 9a! pr,vided 9ith and he c,uld find plenty ,f acc,)),dati,n if he 9i!hed. Gut he needed legiti)acy t, !tay in thi! c,untry. And later ,n Sebuni!!a 9,uld tell hi) 9hat he 9a! e2pected t, d,. She n,9 9a! a -ind ,f lin- c,nnecting hi) t, the 9,rld he had left. 5e -ne9 fr,) 9hat he had been t,ld at AK/Sahar that it 9a! en,ugh t, be !,)e,ne fr,) A!ia ,r Africa t, be granted a!ylu) fairly ea!ily in !,)e c,untrie! ,f Eur,pe, e!pecially th,!e run by the lefti!t g,vern)ent! 9h, tended t, be liberal in relati,n t, Arefugee!C fr,) th,!e part! ,f the 9,rld. "he !lightly tr,ubled c,ur!e ,f hi! th,ught! 9a! interrupted by the v,ice ,f the 8utch ,fficial in fr,nt ,f hi). AS, y,u are fr,) iliaJC "he ,fficial 9ith a bl,nd beard 9a! eyeing Seli) !u!pici,u!ly fr,) behind hi! de!- 9ith a c,)puter ,n it t, the right ,f the )an. A5ave y,u g,t any d,cu)ent c,nfir)ing itJC AIe!, E have.C Seli) pr,duced hi! pa!!p,rt and !lapped it d,9n ,n the de!- in fr,nt ,f the ,fficial. "hen he !aid Huic-ly, AGive )e a!ylu)B Give )e a!ylu)B E 9a! per!ecuted in )y c,untry becau!e E 9a! a )e)ber ,f the :u!li) Gr,therh,,d in ilia. Under!tandJC "he ,fficial c,9ered inv,luntarily, thin-ing ,f accu!ati,n! ,f raci!) again!t hi) if he didn;t treat thi! y,ung ilian 9ith all p,litene!! he c,uld )u!ter up de!pite hi! being hurt by the t,ne ,f the y,ung )an. 5e !9all,9ed the in!ult !ilently and pr,ceeded 9ith hi! pr,ce!!ing Seli);! ca!e. ADet )e !ee,C he !aid 9inding up the fir!t !tage ,f the recepti,n pr,cedure acc,rding t, the e2i!ting regulati,n!, AE;ll !end y,u t, an A!ylu) See-ing @enter !everal -il,)eter! a9ay

0(

fr,) Udrecht 9here y,u;ll !tay until a deci!i,n ha! been ta-en in relati,n t, y,ur ca!e. 5ere;! !,)e ),ney t, help y,u g, there. "a-e a bu!. And g,,d luc-.C 5e r,!e t, !ha-e Seli);! hand, but the latter ign,red it, pretending n,t t, have n,ticed it. 5e t,,- the ),ney and left 9ith,ut a! )uch a! !aying g,,d/bye. "h,ugh deep in!ide he felt a!ha)ed ,f hi)!elf but c,uldn;t have acted ,ther9i!e, given the in!tructi,n! he had t, !tict,.

PA7" "W6

"he full/!cale !9eep ,f gl,bal t9i!ter!

@5AP"E7 1%

00

S,)e9here in Eur,pe, )e)ber! ,f the EDA headHuarter! )et at a !afe place in an at),!phere ,f utter !ecrecy. "hey had g,tten 9ind ,f the i))inent )a!! de),n!trati,n! ,f :u!li)! that 9ere t, be held all ,ver Eur,pe. D,t! ,f irregularitie! and vi,lent ,utbur!t! 9ere e2pected. A),ng th,!e 9h, had gathered 9ere the f,under! ,f the ),ve)ent a! 9ell a! )ilitary e2pert! 9h, had j,ined it and f,r)ed the c,re ,f the 5eadHuarter!. "he de),n!trati,n! in Hue!ti,n 9ere t, be held in capital! and )aj,r citie! ,f the Eur,pean c,ntinent e2cept in Ea!tern Eur,pe 9here the hate ,f :u!li)! 9a! !, inten!e that )any :u!li)! c,uld never bring the)!elve! t, try t, i))igrate there. And th,!e 9h, had had the nerve t, d, !, 9ere n,t happy ab,ut it and 9ere eager t, leave Ea!tern Eur,pe at the fir!t ,pp,rtunity. "hat;! 9hy !,)e ,f the )e)ber! ,f the 5eadHuarter! ,riginated fr,) there. "hey 9ere ruthle!! and re!,lute. 8,nald 7,!! 9a! given the fl,,r. All 9hat he !aid 9a! ,nly t, a!-, AWhat are y,ur !ugge!ti,n!, gentle)en, regarding th,!e de),n!trati,n!, 9hich are ,n the p,int ,f being l,!t c,ntr,l ,fJC <uan D,peK c,ughed audibly t, attract attenti,n t, hi)!elf. 8,nald !)iled, ASpit it ,ut, <uan.C AWell, !ir, y,u have t, ta-e int, c,n!iderati,n )y attitude. .,r it )ay differ fr,) !, )any ,ther attitude! and ,pini,n!, !ir.C AG, ahead, <uan, 9e -n,9 y,u.C A6-ay, !ir. En the fir!t place, E;) Huite certain that the :u!li) riffraff can be dealt 9ith ,nly in their ,9n language 4 the language ,f vi,lence and terr,r. "he language i)bued 9ith the ide,l,gy ,f !piritual fa!ci!). 7ightJ "heref,re they !h,uld be dealt 9ith in the language ,f b,)b! and )achine/gun!, n, )atter 9hat the da)n 7ed g,,dy/g,,die! )ay !ay. En )y ,pini,n they de!erve very )uch the !a)e treat)ent a! their :u!li) buddie!. Well, a! f,r the :u!li) de),n!trati,n! E 9,uld !i)ply treat the) t, ),re ,f the !tuff they;ve already g,t. And E;) !ure, !ir, they haven;t g,t en,ugh. "hey !ee) t, be l,,-ing f,r ),re ,f it. S, 9hy n,t !ati!fy the)J Why n,t help the) get t, their paradi!e they !trive f,r !, eagerlyJ "hey are n,t ,f thi! 9,rld. "hey are n,t ,f G,d;! 9,rld. "hey bel,ng t, the 9,rld ,f Satan. Gut E d, ap,l,giKe, !ir, f,r !haring t,, )uch ,f y,ur ti)e. E;) getting d,9n t, bu!ine!! right a9ay. With y,ur per)i!!i,n, !ir, E c,uld tru!t the j,b t, !,)e ,f )y reliable c,)patri,t! 9h, re!ent the pre!ence ,f :u!li)! i)p,!ed ,n Spain thr,ugh illegal i))igrati,n. "hey re!ent it t, !uch an e2tent that they are itching t, get d,9n t, 9,r-.C AEn ,ther 9,rd!, <uan, y,u 9ant t, let the) plant det,nate re),te c,ntr,lled b,)b! right in the )iddle ,f their de),n!trati,n!JC AI,u;ve hit the bull;! eye, !ir.C AGut there )ay be Eur,pean! ta-ing part in th,!e pr,ce!!i,n!.C

0L

AIe!, !ir. Gut they 9ill be th,!e 9h, actively !upp,rt the de!p,tic :u!li)!, e!pecially the 5itler ,f the :idea!t / 5u!!ein G,u!liyah and the ringleader ,f the Mu9alda Gean Dadidan. "hey are either fa!ci!t!, ,r pre!u)ptu,u! plebeian! and fruit/ca-e pun-er! 9h, haven;t g,t brain! en,ugh t, !ee the !i)ple fact that the :u!li)! 4 all ,f the) 4 are e)b,died evil de),n! 9h,!e ai) i! t, !,9 death, !lavery, and tyranny ,n thi! earth. "h,!e 9h, are 9ith the) are eHually re!p,n!ible and de!erve n, better, !ir.C AI,u;ve g,t a p,int here. "hi! i! rea!,n en,ugh a! far a! E a) c,ncerned. Et;! n,t hard t, figure ,ut 9hat 9ill happen during th,!e :u!li) pr,ce!!i,n! in ,ur citie!. Gut there;! n,9here t, run a9ay t, any),re, !, 9e;ll have t, deal 9ith the) preci!ely the !a)e 9ay 9e did it 9hen 9e ca)e ,ut again!t the) !,)e ti)e ag,. I,u;ll get the green light and y,u;ll be in charge ,f the ,perati,n, <uan, if the ,ther )e)ber! ,f the 5eadHuarter! d,n;t )ind.C A ,b,dy )ind!, !ir. We have already di!cu!!ed it. "he c,n!en!u! i! ,bvi,u!.C AE! that !,, gentle)enJC "he reacti,n v,iced in fav,r ,f the acti,n 9a! unani),u!. A"hen c,n!ider it an ,rder, <uan. And fr,) n,9 ,n, y,u are re!p,n!ible f,r the ,perati,n. Get the )e!!ageJC AIe!, !irBC A<u!t d, y,ur duty.C AIe!, !irBC Seli) turned the faucet, !t,pping the !teady fl,9 ,f the h,t !tea)ing 9ater. "hen he pu!hed the curtain ,f the !h,9er !tall a!ide and !tepped in fr,nt ,f the )irr,r, f,ggy 9ith c,nden!ati,n. 5e 9iped it ,ut 9ith the ri) ,f hi! t,9el and t,,- a pr,l,nged l,,- at hi! ,9n reflecti,n !lightly di!t,rted by the dr,p! and tiny rivulet! ,f ),i!ture !till re)aining ,n the gla!! !urface. Sati!fied, he rubbed hi)!elf dry 9ith hi! "ur-i!h t,9el, !lipped ,n hi! under9ear and hi! deni) cl,the!, !h,ved hi! feet int, the !nea-er!, and left the !h,9er cabin ,f the A!ylu) See-er!; @enter that had bec,)e hi! !helter a fe9 day! ag,. 5e 9ent d,9n the l,ng c,rrid,r and reached hi! r,,) at the end ,f it. 6n in!erting hi! -ey in the -eyh,le, he turned it, entered the r,,), and !la))ed the d,,r !hut behind hi)!elf. After !everal day! ,f hi! life here he had already g,tten accu!t,)ed t, the daily r,utine ,f the AS@. 5e dr,pped ,n hi! bed, trying t, bring !,)e ,rder int, the cha,! ,f hi! th,ught!. 5e )ade an eff,rt t, analyKe hi! relati,n!hip 9ith hi! ne9 acHuaintance!, 9h, !hared the dinner table 9ith hi). "hey 9ere t9, y,ung Gabel y,uth!. G,th ,f the) 9ere fr,) Gugdead. And he didn;t Huite )a-e ,ut 9h, they )ight have been bac- at their h,)e. Gut he definitely devel,ped a 9ar) feeling t,9ard a y,ung Per!ian 9h,!e na)e 9a! G,ula!h Gaba Agha. G,th ,f the) felt the in!tant b,nd that dre9 the) t,gether the ),)ent they had )et. Seli) glanced at hi! 9atch and !a9 it 9a! ti)e t, g, t, the dining r,,) f,r !upper. 5e felt the fir!t pric-! ,f hunger, th,ugh he did n,t find the )eal! !erved at the AS@ delici,u!. Gut

0?

hunger 9a! in!i!tent and, ,beying it! g,ading, Seli) g,t up and, having l,c-ed up hi! r,,), ha!tened d,9n t, the dining r,,). 5e detected G,ula!h Gaba already !tanding in the line t, pic- up hi! )eal fr,) the -itchen;! c,unter. 6n gli)p!ing hi! ne9 friend, he in!tantly 9aved hi! hand t, Seli) in a j,y,u! greeting, inviting hi) t, j,in hi) in the line. APeace be up,n y,u )y friend,C G,ula!h Gaba !aid in Engli!h )ar-ed 9ith a !tr,ng Per!ian accent. Seli) returned the greeting and grabbed a tray fr,) the !tac- at ,ne end ,f the c,unter. 5e turned t, G,ula!h Gaba, AShall 9e g, t, )y r,,) after the !upperJ We c,uld play che!!, 9ith,ut any,ne di!turbing u!. Sure, )y friend. What el!e i! there f,r u! t, d,, apart fr,) playing a ga)e ,f che!! and !hare the plea!ure ,f a !9eet friendly tal-JC "hey ),ved ,n 9ith the line. "hen they put the 9ar) plate! 9ith r,a!ted !au!age!, !,)e apple!, and cup! ,f tea handed t, the) by the c,,- ,n their tray! and threaded their 9ay thr,ugh the cr,9d ,f ,ther inhabitant! ,f the AS@ in !earch ,f a free table. "hey f,und ,ne ne2t t, a large 9ind,9 ,verl,,-ing the va!t c,urtyard ,f the !preading e!tabli!h)ent and !at d,9n ,n the pla!tic chair!, facing each ,ther and putting the tray! ,n the fre!hly cleaned !urface ,f the table. "he 9,rd! !p,-en by G,ula!h Gaba !uddenly br,-e the !ad fl,9 ,f th,ught! in Seli);! )ind and Seli) 9a! already terribly )i!!ing @air, and hi! cubicle in the labyrinth ,f AK/ Sahar;! nu)er,u! c,rrid,r!. 5e glanced up at hi! ne9 friend a! he heard hi! 9,rd! and felt Agha;! eye! b,ring int, hi)!elf. A6h, )y friend Seli), )aybe it;! n,ne ,f )y bu!ine!!, but )ay E a!- y,u f,r the rea!,n ,f y,ur c,)ing ,ver t, Eur,pe. 8id !,)e,ne there per!ecute y,uJC AE have n, !ecret! t, be -ept a9ay fr,) )y g,,d friend!, ,h, G,ula!h Agha. E have c,)e ,ver here t, learn ),re ,f Allalah;! 9,rld 9e live in. Ge!ide!, a! y,u -n,9, 9e :u!li)! have t, c,n!tantly re)ind the believer! by ,ur very pre!ence that their civiliKati,n i! d,,)ed t, vani!hing fr,) the 9,rld Allalah ha! created and de!tined t, be ,ur!.C A"he!e are g,,d en,ugh rea!,n!, t,,,C G,ula!h Agha agreed. And, 9ith,ut 9aiting f,r Seli);! Hue!ti,n that he 9a! already reading in hi! eye!, G,ula!h Gaba Agha e2plained ab,ut hi)!elf, AI,u -n,9, ,h, )y Seli), that )y c,untry 4 Per!ia 4 i! being run by the Ge)!/,f/Allalah and their vigilante!. Well, in the fir!t year! ,f ,ur :u!li) 7ev,luti,n under Ayat,llah 5,9 )any thing! 9ere bright becau!e ,ur g,al! 9ere clean and clear 4 t, rid the 9,rld ,f the unbelieving ene)ie!. ,9aday! thing! are dra!tically changed. "he ne9 Pre!ident and Ayat,llah GAllalahi i! !,fter t,9ard the infidel! than the great and 9i!e 5,9)inny u!ed t, be. 5e even d,e! n,t e2clude !,)e !,rt ,f agree)ent 9ith the unbelieving accur!ed A)erica. "he infidel! are even all,9ed t, de!ecrate ,ur c,untry by their unclean and nefari,u! pre!ence. And in place ,f attac-ing and i)pri!,ning the unbelieving t,uri!t! and bu!ine!!)en, 9e have t, !uffer their pre!ence and !pying activitie!. S,)eti)e! they are

0'

caught and e2ecuted, but the ,nly ju!tice they de!erve, that ,f death, d,e! n,t n,9 ,ccur 9ith the freHuency it !h,uld be e2pected t,. S, the li-e! ,f )e, including )y!elf, are leaving Per!ia and u!ing the b,a!tful and !tupid Eur,pean h,!pitality t, bide ,ur ti)e in ,rder fir!t t, re!t,re la9 and ,rder in ,ur c,untry and then !tri-e ,ut at ,ur unbelieving ene)ie! in Eur,pe and A)erica.C G,ula!h Agha;! 9,rd! !an- deep int, Seli);! )ind and re!,nated 9ith hi! ,9n th,ught! and feeling!. Al,ud he !aid, A6h, G,ula!h Agha, E clearly !ee y,ur p,int and fully !hare y,ur n,ble th,ught!, f,r in ilia 9e have the regi)e cringing bef,re the arr,gant We!tern infidel!, t,,.C AWhat d, y,u !ay t, ,ur having a ga)e ,f che!! bef,re 9e retire t, ,ur r,,)!JC Seli) 9a! ,n the p,int ,f giving hi! c,n!ent, 9hen the public addre!! !y!te) ,f the AS@ ca)e t, life. ASeli) Gula) fr,) ilia, teleph,neBC ,dding t, hi! friend, Seli) Huic-ly t,,- ,ff in the directi,n ,f the green teleph,ne b,,th! ,f the AS@. When he t,,- up the receiver, he heard the v,ice ,f Sebuni!!a, A5ell,, Seli). Et;! )e !pea-ingB We;ve g,t 9,rd fr,) Seid Abu Abdu Abdullalah. 5e ,rder! u! t, ta-e part in the great de),n!trati,n! due t, ta-e place the day after t,),rr,9 d,9nt,9n A)!terda). I,ur participati,n a! 9ell a! that ,f the ,ther :u!li)! ,f y,ur AS@ i! ,bligat,ry. ",),rr,9 E;ll pay a vi!it t, y,u and !,)e ,ther :u!li)! at ab,ut n,,n. Det the ,ther! -n,9, t,,, and until then, Seli), E 9i!h y,u the be!t ,f everythingBC She hung up, but he 9a! !till h,lding the receiver in hi! hand, eyeing it 9ith a !en!e ,f a)aKe)ent and !ati!facti,n that at la!t !,)ething real 9a! c,)ing hi! 9ay, t,,. 5e put the receiver bac- ,n the h,,-, hi! )ind reeling a little, left the b,,th and began t, thread hi! 9ay in the cr,9d ,f pe,ple 9aiting f,r their turn t, ph,ne. A fe9 )inute! later he c,))unicated the )e!!age he had ju!t received 9ith the ,ther :u!li)!, including G,ula!h Gaba Agha and the t9, Gabyl,nian! 9h,;d preferred t, -eep the)!elve! apart fr,) the ,ther cr,9d e2cept he -ne9 the) f,r 9h, they 9ere 4 the e)i!!arie! ,f General <afar Gar 5a)ir fr,) Gabel. G,ula!h Agha v,iced hi! !ati!facti,n a! 9ell. AAn acti,n, at la!t, t, let the infidel! !ee 9h, they have t, deal 9ith. "hey 9,n;t get a9ay !, ea!ily 9ith the cri)e they;ve c,))itted again!t the :u!li)! ,f Eur,pe,C he !aid, hi! eye! glittering 9ith hate and revenge. Sebuni!!a 9a! !itting ,n Seli);! bed ne2t t, hi) telling hi) ,f the late!t ne9! and 9atching hi! reacti,n ,ut ,f the c,rner ,f her eye. 5e tried t, re)ain cal) but hi! e2cite)ent, !uppre!!ed a! it 9a!, did n,t e!cape fr,) her ,b!ervati,n. Gut !he !en!ed !,)ething irrelevant and different, t,,. S,)ething that di!turbed her peace ,f )ind. ,t that it 9a! in c,nnecti,n 9ith the f,rthc,)ing acti,n but !,)ething far ),re inti)ate and cl,!er t, her!elf.

03

She caught hi! furtive !earching glance! !everal ti)e!, 9hen he th,ught he 9a! U Db!erved. Gut thi! f,und a re!,nant feeling deep in!ide her, a feeling !9eet 9ith anticipati,n. 6ut9ardly, !he gave n, !ign ,f rec,gniti,n ,f Seli);! clu)!y atte)pt! t, c,nceal the per!,nal intere!t he !ee)ed t, b,!,) f,r her. 6cca!i,nally !he felt hi! glance !lide ,ver her lu!ci,u! f,r)! draped 9ith faded jean! and turtlenec- !9eater. "hey 9ere b,th !ipping at the br,9n liHuid ,f @,-e c,,led and p,ured int, t9, gla!!e! fr,) a large b,ttle b,ught by Seli) at the nearby !uper)ar-et. AS,, d,n;t f,rget, Seli). We;ll )eet ne2t t, the 7,yal Palace in A)!terda) at half pa!t nine at the :,nu)ent. "hen, after a !h,rt )eeting, 9e;ll pr,ceed d,9n 7,-in, bearing anti/ A)erican and anti/<e9i!h !l,gan!. And y,u guy! )u!t )a-e a! )uch hav,c a! y,u can, da)aging 9hatever c,)e! 9ithin reach, 9hatever y,u lay y,ur hand! ,n. "hat;! an ,rder fr,) Seid Abdullalah. Under!t,,dJC AShall 9e 9al- in the pr,ce!!i,n t,getherJC 5e a!-ed, trying t, l,,- a! di!intere!ted a! he )anaged t, c,nceal hi! per!,nal intere!t in her. AEf y,u 9i!h t,.C !he in a !ee)ingly n,nchalant 9ay. AAre the ,ther! inf,r)edJC ASure. "he ),)ent E g,t y,ur )e!!age E gave it t, the).C AWhat 9a! their reacti,nJC AEagerne!! and enthu!ia!),C and added, ,n c,n!idering ),)entarily the th,ught, Athey are true !,ldier! ,f E!la).C She !t,,d up. AAre y,u leaving !, earlyJC 5e a!-ed, !till trying t, l,,- di!intere!ted. AE g,tta g,, Seli). Gelieve )e, y,ur c,)pany i! Huite agreeable, but E have t, get up very early t,),rr,9 and E feel already tired and !leepy.C "he di!app,int)ent ,n Seli);! face 9a! Huite ,bvi,u! de!pite hi! eff,rt t, c,nceal it. She !uddenly giggled in a girli!h 9ay, A e2t ti)e E;ll !tay l,nger 9ith y,u, Seli). E -n,9 y,u;re a refined p,et and E;d li-e t, hear at lea!t !,)e ,f y,ur p,etry.C 5e flu!hed and leaned ,ver the table ne2t t, hi! bed, pretending t, be f,cu!!ing ,n ,ne ,f the b,,-! there. "hen he acc,)panied her right t, the e2it fr,) the territ,ry ,f the AS@, 9here her blue .iat 9a! 9aiting f,r her. Gef,re !he ,pened the car;! d,,r !he turned and 9aved t, Seli), then cli)bed int, the driver;! !eat and !tarted the engine. "he car !h,t f,r9ard and gave a !h,rt t,,t, turning ar,und the ne2t bend and di!appearing behind the AS@C building. Seli) 9ent bac- t, hi! r,,), full ,f vague and c,ntradict,ry feeling! and e2pectati,n! that he h,ped 9ere n,t fal!e. "he ),rning ,f the f,rthc,)ing event 9a! c,ld 9ith the 9intry 9ind !ighing in the bu!y !treet! ,f A)!terda) 9ith it! nu)er,u! half/fr,Ken canal!. <uan D,peK and hi! t9,

L%

c,)pani,n! 4 the Spaniard! <,!e Dui! and Alvar, Aguilar 4 di!gui!ed a! :u!li) i)a)! and t,ting fairly hefty bag! in their hand!, 9ere appr,aching the !Huare in fr,nt ,f the ,ld r,yal Palace. <uan;! y,ung c,)pani,n!, de!pite their age, had already !erved in the U peace-eeping f,rce! in the :idea!t and c,uld !pea- fluent Ereb. "hey even c,uld Hu,te !,)e lengthy frag)ent! fr,) the Our;an by heart 9hen a!-ed t,. G,th 9ere pr,fe!!i,nal e2pert! at e2pl,!ive!. G,th had !erved a! !apper! in their blue hel)et!; unit. When the !ha) A:u!li)!C e)erged fr,) ,ne ,f the narr,9 !ide !treet! int, the !Huare they !a9 a large cr,9d ,f pe,ple, ),!tly :u!li)! 9h, had !tarted t, c,nverge t, the center ,f the !Huare 9here a -ind ,f te)p,rary tribune and )icr,ph,ne! 9ere being in!talled by a :,r,ccan and t9, y,ung 8utch)en 9h, 9ere leaning bu!ily ,ver a hi/fi in!tallati,n. "hey 9ere getting it ready t, blare at t,p v,lu)e. <uan D,peK and hi! )ilitant! 9ere a9are ,f the :u!li) preparati,n! t, turn the de),n!trati,n int, an act ,f vi,lence and de!tructi,n. Et 9a! their ta!- t, 9ard ,ff the :u!li) aggre!!i,n that had been pl,tted by the :u!li) cultural and religi,u! center! f,r thi! pr,ce!!i,n. AG,,dne!! graci,u!B D,,- at the nu)ber ,f all th,!e da)n :u!li)! here,C Alvar, !aid al),!t under hi! breath, i)pre!!ed by the en,r),u! cr,9d already a!!e)bled in the !Huare. <uan D,peK ,nly n,dded )utely in re!p,n!e t, the 9,rd! ,f hi! c,)pani,n and ),ti,ned the) t, f,ll,9 hi) cl,!er t, their future !cene ,f acti,n. <,!e Dui! !aid al),!t int, the ear ,f Alvar, Aguilar 9h, 9a! trying n,t t, l,!e <uan fr,) !ight, A ever fear, Alvar,. We;re g,nna reduce that nu)ber pretty !,,n. Et;! up t, u! t, ta-e care ,f that. E d, n,t appreciate the religi,n ,f !uicide b,)ber!. "h,!e )ad fanatic!B "hey are in!pired by Satan, n,t by G,d.C AAnd it;ll !erve the) right, the craKy dirt,C ech,ed Dui!, hi! eye! fi2ed ,n the bac- ,f <uan D,peK 9h, 9a! rapidly 9al-ing in fr,nt ,f the) 9ith,ut turning hi! head, !ure they 9,uldn;t l,!e hi). En a c,uple ,f )inute! they j,ined the hu)an )a!! and 9ere di!!,lved in it. :ean9hile the cr,9d in fr,nt ,f the palace 9a! gr,9ing very rapidly. "he di!gui!ed Spani!h tri, had rec,nn,itered the place ,n the eve ,f the event! t, )a-e !ure they c,uld plant their e2pl,!ive device! !afely. S, that they 9,uld n,t be !u!pici,u!ly l,,-ing, ,r be detected by !,)e,ne. "hey l,,-ed in ),!t ca!e! li-e tra!h thr,9n a9ay in the )iddle ,f the )illing cr,9d. S,)ething li-e u!ed cigarette pac-!, e)pty beer can!, and chip! bag!. "hey had t, plant the) i)perceptibly f,r the :u!li)! ar,und the), a! th,ugh they 9ere di!p,!ing ,f th,!e thing! ca!ually, in the ),!t natural 9ay. "he device! 9,uld n,t have bl,9n up until they 9ere g,ne t, a !afe place t, u!e the re),te c,ntr,l. Seli), G,ula!h Gaba Agha, and the t9, Gabyl,nian!, having ta-en a train f,r A)!terda) arrived ju!t ,n ti)e bef,re the )eeting 9a! due t, !tart. "he y,ung Gabyl,nian! 9ere

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carrying t9, heavy bag! full ,f !t,ne! t, be u!ed ,n car!, !h,p 9ind,9!, and, if nece!!ary, again!t ,cca!i,nal 8utch pa!!er!/by during the de),n!trati,n. "hey )et Sebuni!!a, a! agreed, at the :,nu)ent ,pp,!ite the 7,yal Palace. Seli) intr,duced her t, hi! ne9 friend! and they !tarted ,ff cl,!er t, the tribune and )i-e!, 9here everything 9a! ready f,r the !pea-er!. "hey pu!hed their 9ay thr,ugh the c,)pact cr,9d until they faced the ha!tily )ade tribune. "hey !t,pped !h,rt right in fr,nt ,f it, !HueeKed by the pre!!ing cr,9d ,n all !ide!. Gut they )anaged t, f,r) a pr,tective !e)i/circle ar,und Sebuni!!a, 9ith Seli) right behind her. At la!t, a )an ,f :,r,ccan appearance gave the fl,,r t, a tall !craggy fe)ale 9ith a lean, al),!t !-eletal face and craKy, even 9ild eye!. She 9a! -n,9n a! :r!. "rula 8ui!burg, the 9ife ,f an i)p,rtant ban-er, a v,cifer,u! anti/Se)itic )ilitant, and a cha)pi,n ,f Phili!tine terr,ri!t! 9ith their gang/leader Abu Dala. 7ecently !he had been handed a !pecial priKe f,r her activitie! by a Gelgian anti/Se)itic ,rganiKati,n that 9a! di!gui!ed under the na)e ,f A5u)an 7ight! 6rganiKati,nC. She bea)ed at the n,i!y cr,9d in fr,nt ,f her, then !tarted t, !pea-. A8ear citiKen!B We are a!!e)bled here t,day in ,rder t, e2pre!! ,ur ut),!t fury and indignati,n in c,nnecti,n 9ith the recent h,l,cau!t ,n a large !cale the re!ult ,f 9hich 9a! the dreadful death ,f hundred! ,f th,u!and! inn,cent victi)! 4 )en, 9,)en, children. We -n,9 9h, th,!e !leaKy perpetrat,r! ,f that gl,bal cri)e are.C She fell !ilent f,r a !plit !ec,nd. "hen re!u)ed again, 9ith her v,ice, pr,v,cative and challenging, ringing ,ut li-e a heavy !ledgeha))er ab,ve the already e2ce!!ively electrified large cr,9d ,f furi,u! :u!li)!. She repeated her previ,u! 9,rd!* AWe -n,9 9h, they areB "hey are <e9! and their pr,tect,r! 4 A She 9a! interrupted by a unani),u! and furi,u! h,9l fr,) the cr,9d, 9ith )alici,u! ,vert,ne! clearly audible. A8eath t, the <e9!BC A8eath t, all A)erican!BC A8eath t, Eur,pean pig!BC A 9ar) )aternal !)ile curled the lip! ,f "rula 8ui!burg. She 9ent ,n t, !ay, AEt;! the accur!ed dirty <e9! 9h, !laughter the unf,rtunate Phili!tine! every day in the :idea!t. And it;! the) 9h, recently )a!!acred the inn,cent :u!li)! in Eur,pe and A)erica. And 9hat i! A)erica d,ingJ Pr,tecting the <e9i!h ,ccupier! ,f Phili!tine again!t the ju!t 9rath ,f the 9h,le 9,rld pr,v,-ed by th,!e <e9! ,n a regular ba!i!. :,re,ver, the )ad Pre!ident Wil)an, ign,ring the U D, i! ,n the p,int ,f attac-ing Gabel and cha!e a9ay, ,r even arre!t the great her, ,f Gabel and the Ereb Pe,ple Seid 5u!!ein G,u!liyah 9h, i! 9illing and ready t, rightly puni!h the <e9i!h aggre!!,r!. A! i! -n,9n, the <e9! n,t ,nly ,ppre!! the Phili!tine!, but they are true para!ite! ,n the b,dy ,f the 9h,le 9,rld. Di-e lice ,n the b,dy ,f a childBC 5ere the b,iling cr,9d interrupted her ,nce again. A8eath t, the <e9!BC She rai!ed her hand in a par,dy ,f 5itler !alute and !9ept 9ith her hectic eye! the !ea ,f face!. .ace! di!t,rted by the !a)e unre!trained )alice, the !a)e hate glared 9ith helli!h

L&

fire fr,) th,!e th,u!and! ,f eye! that 9ere t,uched by the !a)e veil ,f )adne!!. "he ten!i,n in the !Huare 9a! ),unting every !ec,nd. Seli) and hi! friend!, li-e !, )any ,ther!, 9ere already 9,und up t, Huite a high degree ,f fury and hate. "heir eye!, a! if enchanted, never aband,ned the 9,)an 9h, ,pened her ),uth t, !pea- again. 5er 9,rd! !ent a h,t 9ave ,f adrenaline thr,ugh Seli);! b,dy, hi! !-in 9a! pric-ling 9ith g,,!e bu)p! fr,) the elati,n that had ,ver9hel)ed hi). 5e 9a! feeling ,ne 9ith the 9h,le cr,9d ,f pe,ple that 9a! pre!!ing ar,und hi), and a plea!ant thrill fr,) the palpable cl,!ene!! ,f Sebuni!!a. 5e 9a! breathing in the ar,)a ,f her blac- hair, and felt the electrifying current! radiating fr,) her b,dy and )a-ing hi) al),!t diKKy 9ith de!ire. Suddenly, hundred! di!charge! rent the c,ld air li-e thunder/clap and a p,9erful bla!t 9ave !ent Seli) !pra9ling ,n the gr,und, deafening hi) 9ith a r,ar, a! if a th,u!and! ,f ha))er! ru)bled d,9n ,n hi). .,r a !plit !ec,nd he fainted, then ca)e t, a! he felt a !harp burning pain !urging up fr,) hi! thigh, a! if 9hite/h,t needle! pierced it )ercile!!ly. 5e lay ,n the gr,und afraid t, ,pen hi! cl,!ed eye!, but already hearing terrible !crea)! and h,9l! ,f pain and angui!h ri!ing all ar,und hi). 5e )ade an eff,rt t, ,pen hi! eye and the fir!t thing he !a9 9a! the an2i,u! face ,f Sebuni!!a leaning ,ver hi). ASeli), ,h, Seli), are y,u ,-ayJC 5er big b,tt,)le!! eye! 9ere filled 9ith fear and c,ncern. AE gue!! E;) 9,unded in the right legC hi! v,ice, 9ea- fr,) pain trailed ,ff. "he air ar,und the) 9a! filled 9ith -eening crie! and deafeningly 9ailing !iren! ,f the p,lice !Huad car! and a)bulance! c,nverging in the !Huare filled 9ith hundred! ,f dead and 9,unded. Gingerly, Sebuni!!a, unable t, -eep bac- the !,bbing that 9a! ri!ing fr,) deep in!ide her, lifted up Seli);! head int, her lap. A8,n;t ),ve, Seli), help i! c,)ingBC She rai!ed her v,ice, trying t, )a-e her!elf audible in the helli!h din ar,und the). 5e )ade an eff,rt t, !ee ),re ,f the !urr,unding! fr,) the p,!iti,n ,f hi! head in Sebuni!!a;! lap. AAre you all right, Sebuni!!aJC AE;) fine, Seli). 8,n;t ),ve.C "he !Huare ar,und hi) l,,-ed li-e a battlefield filled 9ith b,die!, 9all,9ing in pain ,r lying !till in red/br,9n puddle!, ),an!, and crie! ,f pain ri!ing up t, the !-y. "he tribune ne2t t, the) 9a! a pile ,f frag)ent!, !,)e ,f the) charred. <u!t a fe9 !tep! fr,) the) he !p,tted the )utilated c,rp!e ,f "rula 8ui!burg. She lay in a puddle ,f bl,,d, b,th her leg! had been t,rn ,ff and her g,ry head had n, face. Seli) felt the pang! ,f nau!ea ri!ing fr,) hi! !t,)ach, but he de!perately re!i!ted it, averting hi! eye! fr,) the terrible !ight. 5e !hifted hi! glance in an,ther directi,n and !huddered. A !harp pain !h,t angrily thr,ugh hi! leg, cau!ed by the inv,luntary ),ve)ent and )a-ing hi) cry ,ut. <u!t ne2t t, the) he had !p,tted three ,ther c,rp!e!, ,r rather 9hat re)ained ,f the). 5e c,uld barely rec,gniKe the

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t,rn b,die! ,f hi! friend!, re!ting in bl,,d that 9a! already c,agulating 4 G,ula!h Gaba Agha and the t9, Gabyl,nian!, 9ith !t,ne! !cattered ar,und the) in heap!, !pilled fr,) the ripped up bag! they had carried al,ng. "h,u!and! ,f !harp !plinter! fr,) the e2pl,!ive device! had hit the b,die! ,f victi)!, vici,u!ly b,ring and tearing the) t, piece!, and )a-ing the) all but unrec,gniKable. Whatever re)ained fr,) hi! friend! 9a! t,rn g,ry fle!h )i2ed 9ith rag! that had been their cl,the!. "hey )i!!ed li)b!, t,rn ,ff in the p,9erful bla!t and hurled a9ay in the )id!t ,f the ,ther dead and 9,unded. Suddenly, he felt a b,iling 9ave ,f rage 9elling up in hi), dr,9ning hi! 9h,le !,ul, but hi! leg began thr,bbing 9ith a burning pain fr,) the t,rn 9,und in it, clu)!ily bandaged by Sebuni!!a 9ith her ,9n head/!carf t, !t,p the bleeding. 5e !en!ed ch,-ing dar-ne!! t, be cl,!ing in ,n hi), and !ending hi) d,9n int, a b,tt,)le!! h,t aby!!. "he la!t ,f hi! 9ill t, re!i!t cru)bled 9ithin hi). 5e fainted ,nce again. @5AP"E7 11 At the !a)e ti)e in D,nd,n a big anti/We!tern pr,ce!!i,n 9a! ),ving d,9n Whitehall, !h,uting and brandi!hing anti/<e9i!h and anti/A)erican !l,gan!, ,r !i)ply h,9ling 9ith the fury ,f 9ild bea!t!, and thr,9ing !t,ne! at p,lice ,fficer! and !h,p 9ind,9!, turning ,ver car! and !etting fire t, the), threatening t, ta-e ,ff t, Guc-ingha) Palace and !tart a !t,r)ing ,f the building even at the ri!- ,f being !h,t at. P,lice unit! barricaded all the appr,ache! t, the Palace and the 5,u!e! ,f Parlia)ent, 9ater cann,n!, tear/ga!, and firear)! at ready. Suddenly en,r),u! e2pl,!i,n! thundered, !ha-ing air and earth, fla!hing li-e a th,u!and lightning di!charge!, !ending p,9erful deadly bla!t 9ave! in all directi,n!, da)aging 9ind,9/pane!, and deafening even th,!e 9h, happened t, be at a c,n!iderable di!tance fr,) the epicenter. 5undred! ,f dead and 9,unded :u!li)!, ),!tly Guc-ie! and Ereb! lay !pra9ling ,n the r,ad9ay and !ide9al-!. :any ,f the !t,ne/thr,9er! 9ere -illed ,r 9,unded, and !,)e ,f the) lay ),aning and !crea)ing, ,r de!perately yelling f,r help in -eening and !,bbing v,ice!. En Pari! the Avenue ,f the @ha)p! Eli!=e! 9a! fl,9ing li-e a river in !pate in an en,r),u! de),n!trati,n, blac- fr,) the tide ,f ,raf head! 9ith !9arthy face! di!t,rted int, threatening )a!-! ,f hate and fury. Pre!ident :erdac 9a! 9al-ing in the fr,nt r,9, )a-ing cl,9ni!h ge!ture! 9ith hi! hand!, and apparently pr,ud ,f participating in that :u!li) pr,ce!!i,n. "h,u!and! ,f thr,at! 9ere !h,uting, A8,9n 9ith A)ericaBC A8eath t, Pre!ident Wil)anBC A8eath t, E!rael and all <e9!BC AD,ng live Gean DadidanBC AD,ng live 5u!!ein G,u!liyahBC AD,ng live Abu DalaBC AAllalah i! greatBC "he ,raf y,ung!ter! !tarted hurling !t,ne! at car! and !h,p/9ind,9!, giggling happily ,r !narling 9ith hate.

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"he nu)er,u! )ighty bla!t! caught the) una9are!. Pre!ident :erdac 9a! !natched a9ay !afe and !,und by hi! b,dyguard! fr,) the terrible tur),il ,f ),aning and furi,u!ly !h,uting ,raf! in the g,ry 9hirlp,,l ,f )utilated b,die! that 9ere charred bey,nd rec,gniti,n. :,!t 9ere -illed by the frag)ented !hrapnel fr,) the bla!t!. A c,uple ,f th,!e b,dyguard! 9ere 9,unded than-! t, their e2p,!ed p,!iti,n ai)ed at the Pre!ident;! pr,tecti,n. ", )a-e thing! 9,r!e the cr,9d, !cared by the daKKling and thundering bla!t!, br,-e int, a )ad panic-y run. "he ra)page br,ught ,n ),re c,nfu!i,n and victi)! tra)pled d,9n t, death and left behind, crying ,ut f,r help if they 9ere !till able t,. .,r th,!e 9h, c,uld have a!!i!ted the) 9ere n,t yet 9ithin ear!h,t. 6ther! 9ere already dead. En Gerlin @hancell,r 8rec-)ann 9a! heading a !i)ilar de),n!trati,n ,f :u!li)! that filled Unter der Dinden fr,) beginning t, end, and even ,verfl,9ing the !ide9al-!. "he !l,gan! and the 9ay they 9ere behaving 9ere !i)ilar t, th,!e ,f D,nd,n and Pari!. "he e2pl,!i,n! that ,ccurred in Gerlin, th,ugh, 9ere in ),!t ca!e! cau!ed by fireb,)b!. S,, there 9ere ),re victi)! 9ith burn 9,und!. "he terrible effect ,f the e2pl,!i,n! 9a! largely the !a)e a! in Gritain and .rance. E2cept in the )id!t ,f the tur),il !h,t! re!,unded. "he !h,t! ca)e fr,) a gr,up ,f :u!li)! 9h, had re)ained unhar)ed and appeared t, be ar)ed 9ith gun!. "hey 9ere !h,,ting in c,nfu!i,n at pe,ple, ),!tly Ger)an!, 9h, had happened t, be !tanding a! ,nl,,-er! in the !ide !treet!. Suddenly, behind that gr,up ,f :u!li) !h,t!, )en 9earing blac- )a!-! appeared !ee)ingly fr,) n,9here, and ,pened fire ,n the attac-ing :u!li)! fr,) behind, u!ing aut,)atic gun! and ,cca!i,nally thr,9ing hand/grenade!. Several ,f the !h,,ting :u!li)! dr,pped dead ,n the gr,und that 9a! already c,vered 9ith bl,,d, the ,ther! 9ere 9,unded. All that acti,n had been la!ting a c,uple ,f !plit! ,f a !ec,nd, 9hen unit! ,f ri,t p,lice and !Huad car! appeared ,n the !cene. "he )a!-ed )en, ab,ut !i2 ,f the), di!appeared a! une2pectedly a! they had appeared, apparently unhar)ed, and leaving n, ,ther trace! than the dead :u!li)! 9h, had been caught una9are!. "he ri,t p,lice, u!ing 9ater cann,n! and tear/ga!, and d,Ken! ,f a)bulance! t,gether 9ith the )illing and yelling cr,9d! f,r)ed an al),!t unbearable deafening din. "hi! dreadful cha,! la!ted f,r !everal h,ur! ),re bef,re it finally died ,ut. Gut the !treet! ,f Gru!!el!, the ,fficial capital ,f the United Eur,pe, !till pre!erved a relative cal). 8ue t, the fact that the :u!li)! had recently 9,n the electi,n! in Gelgiu), attaining an ab!,lute )aj,rity in Parlia)ent. Gef,re that, the :ar2i!t party ,f Velaga had paved the 9ay f,r the), !upp,rting the) p,litically. "he Velaga had al9ay! pretended t, pr,tect Gelgiu);! beautiful nature, but in fact, it 9a! the) 9h, had in!i!ted ,n ch,pping d,9n the 9,,d! t, have en,ugh !pace f,r c,n!tructi,n ,f ne9 re!idential flat! ugly in their !i)ilarity and b,2/li-e architecture. Acc,rding t, activi!t! ,f the Velaga the building! 9ere t,

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h,u!e ne9 :u!li) )igrant! 9h,!e ince!!ant fl,9 int, the c,untry they furi,u!ly defended in the f,r)er pre/:u!li) Parlia)ent. Ef !,)e,ne g,t t,, b,ld and ,pp,!ed t, their initiative they 9,uld bait !uch a daring up!tart, bar-ing at hi) hy!terically li-e a pac- ,f rabid d,g!. ,9, after !eiKing p,9er in that c,untry, the :u!li)!, ,ver9hel)ingly :,r,ccan!, at ,nce pr,)ulgated ne9 la9! that had e!tabli!hed a ne9 ,rder in c,nf,r)ity 9ith the ba!ic :u!li) Da9. G,th Gelgian and :u!li) girl! 9ere f,rbidden t, g, t, !ch,,l and, ju!t li-e adult 9,)en de!pite their ethnicity, 9ere ,bliged t, 9ear head/!carve!, veil!, and l,ng dre!!e!. "hey 9ere f,rbidden t, c,ntact )en ,ther than their hu!band! and, th,!e 9h, ,ccupied certain p,!iti,n! in the previ,u! !y!te) had already been ,u!ted fr,) the) and f,rbidden ever t, try t, get any !uch j,b again. .,r tre!pa!!ing, th,!e ne9 la9! envi!aged public e2ecuti,n by !t,ning. "he Ming and hi! 9h,le r,yal fa)ily had been ,bliged t, c,nvert t, E!la), and the Ming had been circu)ci!ed acc,rdingly. Gelgiu) 9a! n,9 ,fficially rena)ed a! "he :u!li) Mingd,) ,f Gelgi!tan. "he fe)ale )e)ber! ,f the 7,yal fa)ily 9ere n,9 ,bliged t, c,n!tantly 9ear head/!carve!, veil their face!, and be 9rapped up in l,ng ,riental !ha9l!. At lea!t in public. "he rich Gelgian )u!eu)! ,f .ine Art! 9ere !ubjected t, a th,r,ugh revi!i,n. All the painting! that c,ntained hu)an i)age! 9ere burnt d,9n de!pite their uni)aginable value! and hi!t,ric !ignificance. 6nly th,!e 9,r-! ,f art that did n,t depict hu)an being! 9ere left ,n di!play. All the !culpture!, including the ,pen/air ),nu)ent! 9ere Huic-ly and irretrievably de!tr,yed. En that de!tructi,n the pedantic Gelgian :u!li)! f,ll,9ed the line ,f their Galaban c,lleague! in Gactria. Al),!t all the cathedral! and churche!, 9ith a fe9 e2cepti,n!, 9ere turned int, :u!li) ),!Hue! and a!arda)!. A big de),n!trati,n ,f :u!li) !,lidarity t,,- place here, t,,. "he brand/ne9 Gelgian :u!li) g,vern)ent t,,- part in the pr,ce!!i,n, graci,u!ly all,9ing !,)e fre!hly ba-ed :u!li) ,fficial! ,f Eur,pean e2tracti,n t, j,in the), in ,rder t, be able t, pr,ve their l,yalty. Ef n,t, they 9,uld be fired and later e2ecuted. "he <e9i!h bl,c- in Ant9erp had been trapped by the ne9 !y!te) and had ,fficially bec,)e a ghett,, 9ith curfe9 regulati,n! in evening h,ur!. 6nly f,r the ti)e being, the ne9 g,vern)ent pr,)i!ed. Until, acc,rding t, the declarati,n i!!ued by thi! g,vern)ent the A<e9i!h Hue!ti,n 9,uld be finally !,lved.C A! f,r the chief headHuarter! ,f the G,verning @,))i!!i,n ,f the United Eur,pe and the We!tern :ilitary "reaty 6rganiKati,n, it had been decided At, t,lerate the) in Gelgi!tan.C <u!t f,r a 9hile. 6n a pr,vi!i,nal ba!i!, at lea!t. "h,!e Eur,pean g,vern)ent! that ide,l,gically 9ere red/)inded accepted the ne9 regi)e in Gelgiu) 9ith !,)e degree ,f !ati!facti,n, !till h,ping t, c,)e t, !,)e f,r) ,f c,)pr,)i!e 9ith the p,9erful :u!li) in!tituti,n! !et up all ,ver Eur,pe. "he Gelgian n,n/:u!li) p,pulati,n had been i)p,!ed a !pecial ta2 f,r re)aining @hri!tian! ,r athei!t!, alth,ugh the latter preferred t, call the)!elve! Tagn,!tic!U. Dater ,n,

LL

the :u!li) g,vern)ent 9,uld c,n!ider ,ther )ea!ure! again!t the infidel!. "he p,lice !tati,n! had been headed by :u!li)! app,inted by the g,vern)ent. "he greater nu)ber ,f Gelgian p,lice)en had been dra!tically reduced and placed under :u!li) c,ntr,l. "he )ere fact that Gelgiu) 9a! the fir!t c,untry ,f We!tern Eur,pe t, !uccu)b t, E!la) fa!ci!) al),!t 9ith,ut any re!i!tance had it! r,,t! in it! hi!t,ry ,f l,ng/!tanding tendency t, it! inferi,rity c,)ple2 due t, it! tiny territ,ry ,n the ,ne hand, and it! i)periali!t a)biti,n! gr,9n ,ut ,f pr,p,rti,n ,n the ,ther. "he c,untry 9a! )uch !)aller in pr,p,rti,n t, it! f,r)er large c,l,ny in Africa in the pa!t and had fallen a victi) t, )egal,)ania. "hi! feeling ,f )egal,)ania had been enhanced by the fact that it had bec,)e a -ind ,f capital f,r the United Eur,pe. Ge!ide!, it had failed t, !ati!fy it! hidden anti/Se)itic feeling! during the year! ,f c,llab,rati,n 9ith the naKi Ger)any. "he Gelgian !,/called Supre)e @,urt ,f Appeal had ,pened a ca!e ,f per!ecuti,n ,f ,ne ,f the re)ar-able her,e! ,f <e9i!h re!i!tance t, :u!li) fa!ci!) in the :idea!t, f,rgetting that it! p,9er ,f legal per!ecuti,n 9a! puny, and theref,re ridicul,u!. Et had n,t been by chance that the Gelgian 7ed! had a9arded a !pecial priKe t, ,ne ,f the ),!t rabid anti/Se)ite! / "rula 8ui!burg. Et had n,t been by chance that they had cru!hed the anti/:u!li) re!i!tance ),ve)ent in the c,untry. "hey had d,ne their ut),!t t, vilify and de),niKe it. S, it 9a! ,ne ,f the rea!,n! that the c,untry;! 7ed ruler! had !p,tted their ,9n chance in yielding the p,9er t, the :u!li)!. "he ),!t )alici,u! and ruthle!! ,f the Gelgian :u!li)! had been a certain a!ylu) !ee-er Abu I,y,. After the tran!iti,n ,f p,9er he had bec,)e Pri)e :ini!ter ,f the :u!li) Mingd,) ,f Gelgi!tan. And it 9a! Abu I,y, 9h, had been ,ne ,f the fir!t :u!li) terr,ri!t! in Gelgiu) t, begin a ca)paign ,f hatred and int,lerance again!t the !a)e Gelgian g,vern)ent, 9hich had pandered t, the hurt :u!li) feeling! ,f their ,9n inferi,rity c,)ple2. "hat;! 9hy the tran!iti,n ,f p,9er had been !, ea!y. "here 9ere !everal ,ther Eur,pean c,untrie! ,n the brin- ,f replacing the e2i!ting de),cratic !y!te) f,r :u!li) d,)inati,n a),ng 9hich 9ere Gritain and .rance. "he i))en!ely gr,9n :u!li) p,pulati,n 9a! ,n the p,int ,f !eiKing p,9er thr,ugh the !,/called Ade),craticC electi,n! and intr,ducing their ,9n !y!te), ba!ed ,n the Our;an;! legal tenet!, 9ith the native Eur,pean p,pulati,n paralyKed by the lefti!t g,vern)ent! 9h, rejected any idea ,f re!i!tance. "h,!e lefti!t p,litical partie! 9ere !tubb,rnly denying any threat ,n the part ,f E!la) and nipped in the bud any atte)pt t, re!i!t the gr,9ing tendency ,f E!la) !eiKing the p,9er. "hey 9ere !tig)atiKing any !lighte!t atte)pt at re!i!tance a! Araci!)C. E!la) 9a! u!ing the !ituati,n e2ten!ively t, achieve it! ign,)ini,u! g,al!. 8rec-)ann ,f Ger)any 9a! !eri,u!ly c,n!idering a p,!!ibility ,f yielding hi! p,9er t, the ne9 f,rce de!pite 9hat the Ger)an pe,ple really 9anted, even fl,uting their 9ill ,penly. Pre!ident :erdac, ,n the ,ther hand, hypn,tiKed hi! c,)patri,t! 9ith hi! 9ell/-n,9n theatrical ge!ture! and a -ind ,f n,t t,, !ubtle l,gic, e2pl,iting their tru!t 9ith hi! !tance ,f n,n/fallacy that he had !ucce!!fully u!ed during hi! late!t electi,n ca)paign.

L?

"hu! the three p,9er! ,f Eur,pe / England #Sc,tland, ,rthern Ereland and Wale! had a different !tance$, .rance, and Ger)any 9ere already ,n the p,int ,f ,fficially bec,)ing :u!li) !tate! and 9ere yielding p,9er t, th,!e :u!li) ,rganiKati,n! and p,litical partie! that 9ere ready t, ta-e ,ver. A ,r9egian eff,rt t, act a! a g,/bet9een in the tr,uble!,)e :iddle Ea!t regi,n ended up in a h,pele!! !tand,ff created by the Phili!tine !uicide b,)b attac-! ,n E!raeli civilian! and children. 8en)ar- t,,- a !,)e9hat different !tance ,n E!la), a far le!! friendly ,ne than previ,u!ly. En ,ther 9,rd!, the ,fficial Eur,pe, e!pecially the 7ed leader!hip, 9a! ready t, !urrender it! auth,rity t, E!la), 9hich 9a! ,n a full/!cale ,ffen!ive. ",talitarian rule !ee)ed irre!i!tibly fa!cinating t, that ,fficial Eur,pe. :,!tly becau!e it pr,)i!ed yet unheard ,f advantage! bey,nd th,!e granted by the unruly, 9hi)!ical, and Tcha,ticU de),cracy. "he ,nly c,untrie! that re)ained !taunch in c,nfr,nting the :u!li) ene)y 9ere Greece, Etaly, 8en)ar-, ,r9ay, S9itKerland, and Ea!tern Eur,pe 9here pe,ple !till had a !,ber de),cratic ch,ice. "hi! 9a! ,bvi,u! fr,) the lac- ,f general c,)),ti,n and bitter c,nfr,ntati,n that characteriKed ,rthern Eur,pe, and had pr,v,-ed the tragic event! there. Gut Eur,pe in it! entirety 9a! already afla)e and deeply inv,lved in the g,ry event!. Alth,ugh the !9,rd ,f 8a),cle! l,,)ed ,ver Eur,pe 9ea-ened by it! inner c,nflict! and c,ntradicti,n!, the ,ppre!!ed pe,ple! ,f Eur,pe de!pite their being catered f,r by the 7ed! ec,n,)ically, 9ere beginning t, 9a-e up and !ee the ugly reality. A reality that threatened their habitual right! and ba!ic freed,)!. "he EDA derived it! !trength fr,) thi! a9a-ening.

@5AP"E7 1& Seli) regained c,n!ci,u!ne!!, 9a-ing up 9ithin the 9hite 9all! ,f a 9ard in a !traggling A)!terda) h,!pital. With !,)e eff,rt he )anaged t, ,pen hi! eye! and the very fir!t i)age he !a9 9a! the an2i,u! face ,f Sebuni!!a leaning ,ver hi). 5i! eye! al!, caught the face l,,)ing ,ver the right !h,ulder ,f Sebuni!!a. Et l,,-ed vaguely fa)iliar. 5e )ade an eff,rt and it ca)e t, hi). "he face un)i!ta-ably bel,nged t, Seid Abu Abdu Abdullalah ,f the Mu9alda. Et! e2pre!!i,n 9a! le!! an2i,u! than that ,f Sebuni!!a. Gut there 9a! an eager e2pectati,n in it, n,ne the le!!. "here 9a! a needle in hi! vein c,nnected t, a thin tube t, a b,ttle 9ith !,)e liHuid in it ,n the rac- be!ide hi! bed. 5e 9inced at the painful )e),ry a! the full realiKati,n ,f 9hat had happened began t, !in- in. 6n n,ticing Seli) regaining hi! c,n!ci,u!ne!!, Sebuni!!a;! l,vely face acHuired a different e2pre!!i,n, c,ntrary t, that !he had had ju!t a !plit !ec,nd bef,re. She 9a! n,9

L'

bea)ing brightly 9ith j,y and relief. Seid Abdullalah;! ),u!tache jer-ed in a c,nvul!ive ),ve)ent that !lightly curled hi! thic- !en!ual lip! int, a cunning grin. AWelc,)e bac-, ,h, Seli),C She !aid in a l,9 v,ice. AEt l,,-! li-e Allalah, 5i! a)e be prai!ed, ha! p,!tp,ned y,ur j,ining the virginal 9h,re! 9aiting f,r y,u in hi! Paradi!e,C Abdullalah cut in, ign,ring Sebuni!!a;! pre!ence, and baring hi! h,r!eli-e teeth in a 9ider grin. 5e l,,-ed unnatural in hi! Eur,pe an !uit, 9hich didn;t )atch the di!tinctly predat,ry e2pre!!i,n that !ee)ed !tiffened in hi! !all,9 face f,r ever. Seli) cl,!ed hi! eye! a 9hile. Why can;t Abdullalah;! face get l,!t, and that ,f Sebuni!!a !tay put f,rever, he a!-ed hi)!elf in hi! )ind and ,pened hi! eye! again. "hen he !)iled at Sebuni!!a, happy t, !ee her again unhar)ed and r,bu!t a! ever, and 9,rried ab,ut hi). A5,9 l,ng a) E hereJC he a!-ed. AA day and t9, night!, ,h, Seli),C !he replied, her bright !)ile fading fr,) her lip! and giving place t, an2iety again. AGut the d,ct,r !ay! y,u;ll be ,-ay in a c,uple ,f 9ee-!. "he 9,und 9a! ugly but n,t danger,u!. Et 9ill heal ,ver very !,,n. What y,u need n,9 badly i! re!t.C AAnd y,ur per)anent pre!ence during the vi!iting h,ur!, t,,,C a fla!h ,f !)ile cr,!!ed Seli);! face, !par-! ,f hu),r dancing in hi! eye! f,r the fir!t ti)e !ince he had 9,-en up fr,) hi! l,ng !lu)ber. "he bul-y fra)e ,f Seid Abu Abdu Abdullalah leaned ,ver t,9ard Seli), hi! eye! gaKing at the y,ung )an e2pectantly. A"here;! !,)ething E g,t t, tell y,u, ,h, Seli),C he !aid. Seli);! eye! flic-ed t,9ard Seid Abdullalah, a l,,- ,f uncertainty pa!!ing ,ver hi! feature!. "he ,lder )an 9ent !aying, an indulgent grin !tretched ,ver hi! big teeth under the ),u!tache. AI,u;ve been pr,),ted, ,h, Seli). .r,) n,9 ,n y,u 9ill head t9, cell! ,f ,ur )ilitant! acting in Eur,pe.C AS,. E;ll a!!u)e a greater re!p,n!ibility E ta-e it,C Seli) !aid th,ughtfully, hi! finger! fu)bling the edge ,f the Huilt. AE2actly,C Abdullalah a!!erted. AE;) h,n,red, ,h Seid Abdullalah.C A Huery ca)e int, hi! eye!. AE;) n,t !ure E really de!erve it, ,h, Seid Abdullalah. E d,ne n,thing i)p,rtant.C 5i! hand! !hifted their p,!iti,n ,n the Huilt. Abdullalah grinned again, A6h, ye!, y,u haveB I,u have gained y,ur fir!t e2perience in that bl,,dbath. And 9e tru!t y,u.C Seli) felt b,th flattered and pr,ud that a high/ran-ing Mu9alda c,))ander entru!ted hi) 9ith !uch a !ignificant p,!iti,n. E2cept that he felt e)barra!!ed, t,,. A"han- y,u, Seid Abdullalah. E;ll d, )y ut),!t t, truly a!!ert )y!elf a! a dev,ut :u!li).C Seli);! eye! t,,- ,n a l,,- ,f gratitude. Sebuni!!a;! eye! 9ere !hining in a 9ar) !)ile a! !he !aid,

L3

A@,ngratulati,n!, ,h, Seli), dearBC She !tr,-ed hi! hand 9ith her fine finger!. A nur!e l,,-ed in fr,) the d,,r9ayN AI,ur vi!iting ti)e i! ,ver, E;) !,rry t, !ay.C She !till lingered in the d,,r9ay a! the vi!it,r! !tarted t, !tand up, fla!hing !)ile! at Seli) and ta-ing their leave. En the d,,r9ay Sebuni!!a turned, fla!hed a !)ile, and 9aved t, Seli). "hen the d,,r cl,!ed behind the). Al,ne, he lay thin-ing hard, hi! eyebr,9! -nitted, until he drifted a9ay int, !leep. "9, 9ee-! later Seli) 9a! di!charged fr,) the h,!pital and returned t, hi! AS@. 5i! 9,und had healed and he c,uld 9al- but needed ),re e2erci!e. "hi! ti)e he 9a! given an,ther r,,) that did n,t differ fr,) the previ,u! ,ne. "he r,utine ,f daily life at the AS@ 9a! re!u)ed. E2cept that the ),,d and behavi,r ,f the a!ylu) !ee-er!, e!pecially th,!e ,f :u!li) ,rigin had changed. "hey !ee)ed ),re di!pirited, angry, and !u!pici,u!. "hey c,n!tantly prayed in a !)all r,,) that !erved a! a ),!Hue f,r the). 6ften they 9,uld get t,gether in ,ne ,f the recreati,n hall! in !)all gr,up! and di!cu!! their !ituati,n a),ng the)!elve! f,r h,ur! ,n end. Seli) had bec,)e p,pular a),ng the) after he had returned fr,) the h,!pital. Each ti)e they !a9 hi) they 9,uld ,ften invite hi) t, j,in their c,n!pirat,rial )eeting!. S,)e ,f the) 9ere he!itating 9hether they !h,uld g, bac- t, the c,untry ,f their ,rigin, but Seli) tried t, per!uade the) t, !tay ,n in the intere!t! ,f E!la). 5e !aid Allalah 9,uld re)unerate the) lavi!hly if they did. :,!t ,f the) had c,)e fr,) :,r,cc,, Per!ia, Gactria and Gabel. "here 9ere a fe9 Phili!tine!, t,,. S,ldier! ,f E!la) 9ere needed here, he !aid, !, they 9ere e2pected by Allalah t, bec,)e !uch !,ldier! ,r at lea!t pr,duce the). Ab,ut t9, 9ee-! after he had returned t, the AS@, he 9a! inf,r)ed that he 9a! granted p,litical a!ylu) in 5,lland. A fe9 day! later, he received hi! Green @ard fr,) the p,lice and t,,- up hi! re!idence in an apart)ent bl,c- ,n the ,ut!-irt! ,f Udrecht that had bec,)e a -ind ,f ghett,, 9hich girdled the city center li-e a b,a c,n!trict,r that 9a! tightly !HueeKing it! prey. All that ti)e, Sebuni!!a dr,pped by t, !ee hi), u!ually t9, ti)e! a 9ee-. Several day! after he had ),ved t, hi! ne9 d9elling, !he called hi) ,n the ph,ne and !aid !he 9,uld vi!it hi) t,gether 9ith Seid Abdullalah. Waiting f,r the vi!it, Seli) -ept c,n!tantly peering ,ut the 9ind,9 that 9a! ,verl,,-ing the !treet bel,9 hi! apart)ent. At la!t, the fa)iliar car he -ne9 !, 9ell pulled t, a !t,p in fr,nt ,f the h,u!e. "hey g,t ,ut ,f the car, and al),!t i))ediately, he heard the ringing and then Sebuni!!a;! v,ice ,n the interc,). 5aving Huic-ly de!cended t, the fr,nt d,,r, he )et the) at the f,,t ,f the !tair!. When they 9ere in hi! apart)ent, he a!-ed the) t, !it d,9n. "hey ea!ed the)!elve! ,n the chair! in hi! living r,,).

?%

AWant )e t, fi2 y,u !,)ethingJC Seli) ,ffered. Sebuni!!a !hrugged uncertainly, A:aybe !,)e teaJC A"hat;ll be fine,C he !aid and a!-ed the) t, !hare a )eal 9ith hi) that he had prepared ,n the eve ,f their vi!it. "hey had t,ld hi) ,n the teleph,ne they 9ere g,ing t, di!cu!! a c,uple ,f thing! 9ith hi). 5e felt !,)ething i)p,rtant 9a! bre9ing. ,9 they 9ere !eated in hi! living r,,), !ipping at the h,t a)ber liHuid after the )eal, their eye! fi2ed ,n Seli) a! if they 9ere e2pecting hi) t, !pea- fir!t. Abdullalah cr,!!ed hi! ar)! acr,!! hi! br,ad che!t, gaKing at Seli);! face !teadily. 5e 9a! !itting acr,!! fr,) Seli) 9ith a Hue!ti,ning e2pre!!i,n. A6h, Seid Abdullalah and Sebuni!!a,C he a!-ed, A8, y,u have t, tell )e !,)ething i)p,rtantJC Et 9a! Abdullalah, 9h, replied, A"hat;! c,rrect, ,h, Seli). 5,9 d, y,u feel n,9JC AE;) perfectly fine, ,h, Seid Abdullalah,C Seli) replied, !,)e9hat )y!tified by the l,,and the t,ne ,f b,th hi! vi!it,r!. "he Hue!ti,ning e2pre!!i,n ,n Abdullalah;! face !l,9ly changed int, a grin, baring the !tr,ng teeth under the fluffy blac- ),u!tache. A6ur gl,ri,u! Seid Gean Dadidan -n,9! y,u and tru!t! y,u, ,h, Seli).C Seli) felt c,nfu!ed and flattered at the !a)e ti)e. 5e !tared at Abdullalah;! ),u!tache e2pectantly. AWe tru!t y,u 9ith y,ur fir!t i)p,rtant acti,n, ,h, Seli).C Seid Abdullalah pau!ed t, 9atch the effect hi! 9,rd! had pr,duced ,n the y,ung )an. "he latter -ept being !ilent, 9aiting f,r the )ain thing t, c,)e. Abdullalah re!u)ed, AEn five day!, three ,f ,ur y,ung :u!li) br,ther! 9ill )eet y,u at Vict,ria @,ach Stati,n in D,nd,n. "he place at the !tati,n 9here y,u;ll )eet the) i! de!ignated in the in!tructi,n E;ll give y,u. "heir na)e! are Gin 5i)ar, Gin Eh)e-, and Abu Melb, and they are the )e)ber! ,f the cell y,u are e2pected t, lead, ,h, Seli), int, the acti,n y,u;ll have t, carry ,ut in D,nd,n. I,u;ll have t, be ,n the !p,t at the ti)e y,ur in!tructi,n indicate!. "he h,tel r,,)! in D,nd,n f,r y,u have already been ta-en care ,f. "he addre!! and ,ther nece!!ary thing! are al!, de!ignated in the !a)e in!tructi,n y,u;ll f,ll,9, ,h, Seli).C Abdullalah pr,duced a !)all f,lder fr,) an inner p,c-et ,f hi! jac-et and handed it t, Seli). "hen he glanced at hi! 9ri!t/ 9atch, r,!e and !aid, A"i)e f,r )e t, g,. A car i! t, c,)e f,r )e right a9ay. E )u!t be d,9n.C With,ut further ad,, he t,,- leave ,f b,th Seli) and Sebuni!!a, leaving b,th y,ung pe,ple t, the)!elve!. After he;d left, they l,unged c,Kily ,n the !,faN !harply c,n!ci,u! ,f each ,ther;! pre!ence and e2citing pr,2i)ity but cauti,u! n,t t, betray their feeling! t, each ,ther.

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AE;) pr,ud ,f y,u, ,h, Seli).C She !aid, h,lding hi) in the grip ,f her large eye!, 9ith a !,)e9hat 9,rried l,,- in the). AGut E d, fear f,r y,u, Seli), dear. Plea!e be a! careful a! p,!!ible. Even the !ucce!! ,f y,ur acti,n depend! ,n it! being cauti,u!. And, Seli)V.C 5e glanced ,ver at her. AE;ll be 9aiting f,r y,ur !afe return 9ith i)patience,C !he c,ncluded, 9ith,ut !hifting her gli!tening eye! fr,) Seli);! face. Seli) 9,uld have blu!hed fr,) e)barra!!)ent, 9ere he n,t dar-/c,)ple2i,ned, but hi! !en!e! 9ere in a terrible agitati,n. "hey had gr,9n cl,!er ,ver the la!t c,uple ,f 9ee-!. Gut Seli) !till felt a -ind ,f inhibiti,n 9hen !he 9a! ar,und. 5e !till c,uldn;t help feeling !hy, each ti)e her eye! caught hi) in their hypn,tiKing gaKe. Gut he felt happy, t,,. And thi! !en!e ,f being upbeat in her pre!ence rec,nciled hi) t, hi! ,9n clu)!ine!!. 5i! ,9n eye! tried t, !hift t, the lu2uri,u! curve! ,f her !educing f,r)!, and it c,!t hi) Huite a !trenu,u! eff,rt n,t t, let her n,tice the c,nfu!i,n ,f hi! c,nditi,n. Still he 9,uld ,cca!i,nally !teal a furtive glance at her f,r)! ,ut ,f the c,rner ,f hi! eye, al),!t !ure !he didn;t n,tice. 5e felt the de!ire deep in!ide hi), fanta!iKing ab,ut hi! )a-ing l,ve t, her. "hen he tried t, put the th,ught ,ut ,f hi! )ind, but it clung t, hi! c,n!ci,u!ne!! a! !tubb,rn a! a n,i!,)e fly in fall. 5e al),!t !tarted 9hen he heard her !ay, A6h, Seli), E d, enj,y y,ur c,)pany but E really g,t t, g,. Et 9ill be ab!,lutely !plendid if E !ee y,u again bef,re y,u g,.C A"hat depend! ,n y,u, y,u -n,9. Gut E;ll be happy, t,,, t, !ee y,u bef,re E leave. Gy the 9ay, d, y,u happen t, -n,9 the guy! 9h, are put in )y chargeJC A ,t really )uch. E2cept that they are Phili!tine! and that they can handle e2pl,!ive!. "hey are real e2pert! at the), having bl,9n up )any target! in the E!raeli/,ccupied Phili!tine. D,,-! li-e they are n,t r,,-ie! any9ay.C AWhere e2actlyJC AE heard they did it in "el Aviv, etanya, and 5aifa,C !he !upplied. AE !ee. "han-! f,r the tip.C 5e fla!hed a Huic- !)ile at her. She r,!e fr,) the !,fa and pic-ed up her handbag t, g,. 5e rai!ed hi! ar), A5ang ,n. E;ll !ee y,u ,ff.C 6n her 9ay t, the fr,nt d,,r !he turned t, face hi), an uncertain !)ile playing ,n her !en!u,u! lip!. She lifted her l,vely face t,9ard hi), her eye! gli!tening, AWill y,u -i!! )e g,,dbye, ,h, Seli)JC En!tead ,f replying, he !i)ply t,,- her face in hi! hand!, and -i!!ed her ,n th,!e lip! 9ith a little ),re pa!!i,n than he had intended t, let hi)!elf t,. 5e had been pre!!ing hi! lip! t, her! f,r a 9hile, hi! 9h,le b,dy vibrating 9ith a bli!!ful !en!e ,f being in heaven, 9hen !he t,re a9ay her lip! fr,) hi! and ran t, her car par-ed acr,!! fr,) the fr,nt d,,r ,f the building. She turned t, hi) ,nce again and 9aved bef,re !he cli)bed int, the driver;! !eat. "hen !he put the car in gear, and it !h,t a9ay d,9n the r,ad, it! red taillight! blin-ing in the gathering du!-.

?&

,t believing hi! ,9n luc-, Seli) !tarted up t, hi! apart)ent, ta-ing t9, !tair! at a ti)e. 6nce in hi! living r,,), he pic-ed up the f,lder 9ith in!tructi,n! fr,) the de!- and t,re thr,ugh it! page!. 5e ca)e t, a particular page in it and !uddenly fr,Ke. Et 9a! then that he learned ab,ut the ta!- ,f the three Phili!tine! being !uicidal, 9hile hi! ,9n ta!- being ,nly c,,rdinati,n ,f their acti,n!. "hey bel,nged t, the ren,9ned :artyr!;! Grigade ,f Abu Dala. D,nd,n in early !pring 9a! preparing f,r the !u))er t,uri!t !ea!,n. "hat 9a! ,bvi,u! fr,) the increa!e ,f the fl,9 ,f pa!!enger! at Vict,ria @,ach Stati,n. 8e!pite that Seli) identified hi! )en ea!ily en,ugh. After the e2change ,f pa!!9,rd! in Ereb, they left the !tati,n threading their 9ay thr,ugh the bu!tling cr,9d that 9a! filling it! pa!!age! and hall!. "he three Phili!tine! l,,-ed rather gl,,)y and fully c,ncentrated ,n their f,rthc,)ing ta!-. "heir luggage c,n!i!ted ,f three !)all !uitca!e! that 9ere ),!tly filled, he -ne9, 9ith p,9erful e2pl,!ive!. "hey never !)iled, and 9ere c,n!tantly !c,9ling at their ne9 !urr,unding! a! they 9ere de!cending int, the b,9el! ,f D,nd,n "ube t, g, in the directi,n ,f 5a))er!)ith. "heir !)all h,tel, ,9ned by an ,ld :u!li), E)a) Sala) by na)e, 9a! in 7ich),nd, a Huieter part ,f the great :etr,p,li!. Et! 9ind,9! ,verl,,-ed the ban-! ,f the "ha)e!. "hey 9,uld be !afe and undi!turbed here, given the :u!li) ,9ner!hip ,f the h,tel. When they at la!t had g,tten a!!e)bled in Seli);! h,tel r,,) they !pread a plan ,f their target ,n the fl,,r, and !Huatted d,9n ,ver it trying t, figure ,ut the l,gical !eHuence ,f their acti,n!, and 9here they !h,uld !plit t, ta-e up their individual p,!iti,n!, and preci!ely 9here they !h,uld trigger ,ff the !uicide b,)bing attac-! in three different hall! ,f the !a)e large building that 9a! their target. "he three Phili!tine! had ac-n,9ledged Seli);! auth,rity a! their !uperi,r and c,,rdinat,r, but he felt al),!t 9ith hi! !-in that they !till c,n!idered hi) a! an ,ut!ider i)p,!ed ,n the) by their regulati,n! they c,uldn;t av,id ,beying. When their pl,tting 9a! d,ne 9ith, they 9ent ,ver every !)all detail ,f it, c,))itting all t, their )e),ry. "hey had teap,t! and tea-ettle! in the !)all h,tel r,,)! they ,ccupied, !, Seli) ,ffered t, )a-e tea. "he three Phili!tine! n,dded in agree)ent and even !ee)ed t, rela2 a bit at the pr,!pect ,f having !,)e tea 9ith !c,ne! and butter. When tea 9a! ready, !,)ething li-e a 9an grin t,uched the full lip! ,f Gin Eh)e-, a lean !all,9/c,)ple2i,ned fell,9, f,r the fir!t ti)e. AE feel !, happy, ,h, )y friend!, that t,),rr,9 9e;ll !erve the cau!e ,f E!la) 9ith ,ur very b,die!. ",),rr,9 at la!t, 9e;ll )eet ,ur hare)! ,f virginal 9h,re! 9h, are 9aiting f,r u! in Paradi!e, and celebrate ,ur !9eet )eeting by dra9ing and drin-ing 9ine fr,) the river! ,f 9ine, 9hich truly never peter! ,ut. Allalah the Al)ighty be prai!ed, ,h, friend!B E pity y,u, ,h, friend Seli), that y,u 9,n;t j,in u! t,),rr,9 ,n ,ur happy trip.C AGut he 9ill )a-e thi! trip ,ne day, t,,,C Gin 5i)ar ,bjected.

?3

ASeid Seli) i! 9,rthy ,f hi! hare) in Paradi!e and 9ill j,in it later,C he fini!hed hi! th,ught re!pectfully. Abu Melb re)ained !ilent a 9hile, !ipping at hi! tea fr,) a !)all cup. "hen placed it ,n the !aucer in fr,nt ,f hi) and, hi! eye! fi2ed ,n the cup, !aid addre!!ing hi! 9,rd! ),re t, hi)!elf than t, th,!e pre!ent, AE haven;t been )arried yet becau!e E been l,,-ing f,r9ard t, being re9arded 9ith a hare) in Paradi!e. E didn;t 9ant t, !hare )y !per) 9ith ju!t any ,rdinary earthly 9,)an. E al9ay! 9anted t, !pill )y !per) ,nly int, the !9eet vagina ,f a Paradi!e 9h,re. Great i! Allalah and 5i! d,ing!.C Seli) had never )et !uicide b,)ber! bef,re, alth,ugh he;d heard )uch ab,ut the). 5e had al9ay! 9anted t, fath,) their )ind!, their feeling!, and their very c,n!ci,u!ne!! t, find ,ut ),re ab,ut the r,,t! ,f true her,i!). ,9 he headed a !)all gr,up ,f the) he had g,tten a rare ,pp,rtunity t, realiKe hi! ,ld drea). "hey di!cl,!ed the !,urce ,f their 9,nderful dev,ti,n 9ith an inn,cent !i)plicity and ada)ant belief ,f children. "hat;! 9hat being a real :u!li) )ean!, he th,ught 9ith a t,uch ,f pride. Gut 9hat ab,ut hi)!elfJ What ab,ut hi! ,9n feeling!, hi! ,9n dev,ti,n, hi! ,9n under!tanding ,f dutyJ 5e felt hu)iliated becau!e he perceived the) !uperi,r t, hi)!elf de!pite hi! having been app,inted a! their chief. 6n the ,ther hand, he 9a! cheri!hing hi! ,9n fir!t l,ve in hi! heartN a l,ve dev,ted t, the beautiful and gla),r,u! Sebuni!!a 9h, 9a! an earthly girl. Gut 9a! !he ,rdinaryJ , 9ayB 5e 9a! pr,ud t, l,ve and t, be l,ved, a! he pa!!i,nately h,ped, by her. 5i! !,ul vibrated 9ith thi! l,ve 9ith the vibrati,n ,f r,!e petal!, drin-ing the tiny dr,p! ,f !ilvery de9 glittering in the fir!t ray! ,f a gl,ri,u! !unri!e. W,uld he e2change hi! l,ve f,r a hare) ,f divine creature! in Paradi!eJ 5adn;t he already g,tten a gener,u! gift fr,) E!la) the Al)ighty in the lavi!h per!,n ,f Sebuni!!aJ 5e al),!t blurted thi! ,ut t, hi! ne9 friend! but -ept hi)!elf in chec- ,n ti)e. 5e didn;t even under!tand 9hy. :aybe becau!e ,f hi! natural !hyne!!, ,r )aybe he 9a! afraid they 9,uld )i!under!tand hi! feeling! and dee) hi) a c,9ard un9,rthy ,f Allalah;! Paradi!e. 5e c,uldn;t have c,nfe!!ed it even t, hi)!elf. And he decided t, -eep hi! th,ught! t, hi)!elf, t,,, t, av,id any )i!under!tanding. Iet an,ther c,n!iderati,n p,pped int, hi! )ind. "heir ),tivati,n, ,f c,ur!e, 9a! n,t li)ited ,nly t, the !e2ual and ,ther plea!ure! ,f Allalah;! Paradi!e. "here 9a! even a !tr,nger urge. "he urge ,f the h,ly hatred. "he hatred that c,)pri!ed the 9h,le unbelieving 9,rld. "he h,t de!ire t, !laughter all th,!e 9h, did n,t believe in Allalah. "hey 9anted t, !h,9 it clearly t, th,!e dirty A)erican and Eur,pean pig! and !cabby d,g!, th,!e pathetic ),n-ey! that thi! planet did n,t really bel,ng t, the), and that they 9,uldn;t be t,lerated. either the infidel! n,r their phil,!,phy ,f life. "he 9h,le c,ncept ,f their perver!i,n )u!t di!appear fr,) the face ,f thi! earth, 9hich bel,nged ,nly t, the truly righte,u! believer!. ,t t, the n,n/:u!li) tra!hB

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After tea, they decided t, retire t, their r,,)! t, have a g,,d re!t they needed bef,re the acti,n. "he ),)ent they 9ere ,n the p,int ,f leaving the d,,r t, Seli);! r,,) 9here they had been c,nferring ,pened ju!t a crac- and a bearded face l,,)ed in it. "he face bel,nged t, the ,9ner ,f the !)all h,tel E)a) Sala) 9h, a!-ed the) al),!t in an a9ed 9hi!per 9hether they needed anything el!e. Gut after they a!!ured hi) they had g,tten all they 9anted and 9ere fully !ati!fied, the beard ,f E)a) Sala) di!appeared fr,) the d,,r and it cl,!ed !,ftly behind hi). "he f,ur y,uth! ritually -i!!ed the air pa!t each ,ther;! ear! and a !ec,nd later left Seli);! r,,). .,r the three ,f the) that night 9a! !upp,!ed t, be the la!t ,n thi! earth. ",),rr,9 they 9,uld )a-e their her,ic j,urney t, the bli!!ful 9,nderland ,f Allalah;! Paradi!e. Al,ne in hi! r,,), Seli) tried t, h,ld in chec- the e),ti,n! that 9ere raging thr,ugh hi) and ,nce again g, ,ver hi! ,9n part ,f the a!!ign)ent. 5e 9,uld !tati,n hi)!elf ,n the ,ther !ide ,f the !treet acr,!! fr,) the target / a large building 9ith cr,9d! ,f pe,ple filling it! hall! and c,rrid,r! at the ti)e 9hen the acti,n 9a! due t, be carried ,ut. 5i! ta!- 9a! t, en!ure it! !ynchr,ni!) fr,) ,ut!ide the building, !pea-ing ,n the cellular ph,ne t, hi! acc,)plice!, and c,,rdinating their ),ve)ent! bef,re they det,nated the e2pl,!ive! they 9,uld be 9earing ,n their b,die! hidden under the cl,the!. 5e !huddered a little at the th,ught ,f 9hat 9,uld f,ll,9 the acti,n. 5e 9,uld di!appear at the ),)ent ,f the e2pl,!i,n and never !ee hi! c,)rade! again. And he had t, leave D,nd,n f,r 5,lland ,n the !a)e day. Sati!fied and d,9nbeat at the !a)e ti)e, he !9itched ,ff the night light near hi! bed, turned ,n hi! left !ide and gradually !an- int, the cha!) ,f an unea!y !leep. En the aftern,,n ,f the f,ll,9ing day, the 9,rld;! bigge!t )a!! )edia c,rp,rati,n! li-e @ @ and GG #Griti!h Gr,adca!ting et9,r-$ interrupted their r,utine pr,gra)! f,r Abrea-ing ne9!C. A gigantic threef,ld e2pl,!i,n t,,- place 9ithin the Griti!h :u!eu), -illing th,u!and! ,f pe,ple and de!tr,ying and da)aging hundred! ,f pricele!! ancient !culpture!. Several 9all! and the central part ,f the r,,f c,llap!ed, !ending a churning cl,ud ,f du!t and !),-e int, the air, and burying all ,f th,!e 9h, happened t, be there at the ti)e ,f the e2pl,!i,n. "he debri! fr,) !culpture!, bleeding hu)an c,rp!e!, and t,rn ,ff li)b! 9ere !cattered pell/)ell ,ver the va!t fl,,r! ,f ,ne ,f the ),!t ren,9ned dep,!it,rie! ,f hu)an hi!t,ry and art in the 9,rld. Gut an en,r),u! 9ave ,f !i)ilar terrible event! fl,,ded )any ,ther 9ell/-n,9n Eur,pean )u!eu)! and art gallerie! all ,ver Eur,pe, 9here !i)ultane,u! e2pl,!i,n! !h,,- the gr,und and de!tr,yed th,u!and! )a!terpiece! ,f hu)an art and !laughtering th,u!and! up,n th,u!and! ,f inn,cent pe,ple. En e9 I,r-, t9, p,9erful e2pl,!i,n! cau!ed !, )uch death and da)age in the :etr,p,litan :u!eu) that the auth,ritie! 9ere afraid even t, c,unt the l,!!e! fr,) the di!a!ter. Et 9a! the !ec,nd large/!cale terr,ri!t attac- in the Gig Apple after the "9in ",9er! had been de!tr,yed. "he victi)! 9ere c,untle!! and )any c,rp!e! 9ere

?0

charred due t, the big fire cau!ed by the e2pl,!i,n. "he heartrending 9ail ,f !iren! fr,) !peeding a)bulance! and p,lice !Huad car! 9a! hanging heavily ,n the air ,f )any Eur,pean citie! and the !treet! ,f e9 I,r- in A)erica. Seli) 9a! !itting in a c,Ky chair ,f a G,eing ju)b, plane that 9a! already ta2iing t, it! run9ay t, perf,r) a flight fr,) 5eathr,9 t, A)!terda);! Schiph,l. A! he gaKed ,ut the p,rth,le t, the left ,f hi! chair the h,rrifying )e),rie! ,f the g,ry event! ,f that day tu)bled thr,ugh hi! )ind. 5i! !en!e! 9ere in a ju)ble li-e ),tley piece! 9hirling in a -aleid,!c,pe ,f vi!i,n!. 5e felt b,th !ati!fied and pr,ud ,f the vict,ry they had achieved in the h,ly !truggle again!t the unbelieving and ruthle!! ene)y. Gut, ,n the ,ther hand, he felt !ad ab,ut hi! !h,rt/lived friend!hip 9ith the three Phili!tine! 9h, had l,!t their y,ung live! in that !truggle. "he ),!t difficult thing 9a! 9hether he !h,uld feel !ad, and theref,re !inful, in!tead ,f being glad. .,r hadn;t they g,ne t, Paradi!eJ Weren;t they enj,ying n,9 their 9ell/ de!erved !hare ,f plea!ure!, each ,f the) )a-ing l,ve t, !eventy virginal 9h,re!J What ab,ut hi)!elfJ 5e c,uldn;t bring hi)!elf t, thin- ,f any,ne el!e apart fr,) Sebuni!!a. 5e al!, felt c,nfu!ed ab,ut it but felt p,9erle!! t, c,ntradict hi! ,9n !en!e!. Per!,nally t, hi) !he )eant )uch ),re than any pr,)i!e ,f a 9h,le hare). "he ,nly rub there 9a! that )ade hi) 9,rry 9a! that the hare) in Hue!ti,n 9a! ,ne in Allalah;! Paradi!e. S,, acc,rding t, the :u!li) la9 it 9a! preferable t, any earthly per!,n, all thing! c,n!idered. 5e f,rced the e)barra!!ing th,ught a9ay, but yet an,ther ,ne, in the f,r) ,f a tr,uble!,)e Hue!ti,n, ca)e t, hi) ,ut ,f n,9here. 5,9 ab,ut the :u!li) )ale babie!J Ef they happened t, die a! babie!, ,-ay, the girl! 9,uld evap,rate int, n,thing. Gut the )ale babie! 9ere de!tined t, g, directly t, Allalah;! Paradi!e, being inn,cent and thing! li-e that. 5,9 ab,ut a hare) ,f virginal 9h,re! and river! ,f 9ine f,r )ale babie!J Setting a!ide the d,ubtful )atter ,f !e2ual interc,ur!e bet9een the virginal 9h,re! and little babie!, the Hue!ti,n 9a! if the yet uncircu)ci!ed babie! c,uld u!e their tiny thing! efficiently in th,!e virginal 9h,re!; !lit! ,f !9eetne!!, 9ith,ut being !anctified thr,ugh circu)ci!i,n. "hi! c,uld al!, )ean that the uncircu)ci!ed babie! did n,t g, t, Paradi!e. Gut 9a! it their ,9n faultJ 6nly n,ne ,ther than the pr,)inent :u!li) phil,!,pher, the greate!t and 9i!e!t E)a) 6,la :u!h),,la Gabai c,uld e2plain th,!e thing! ea!ily. S,, Seli) cha!ed a9ay the tr,uble!,)e th,ught! fr,) hi! )ind, c,ncentrating ,n the ),re plea!urable thing!. Di-e hi! f,rthc,)ing )eeting 9ith the l,vely Sebuni!!a. :ean9hile the plane 9a! already !tarting t, perf,r) it! landing )aneuver and the pa!!enger! 9ere a!-ed by the aircraft;! PAS t, fa!ten their belt! in preparati,n f,r landing. Gel,9, the !tructure! ,f the airp,rt l,,)ed fa!t int, vie9 a! the plane began gradually dr,pping d,9n. "hen it jer-ed !lightly a! it! 9heel! t,uched the tar)ac ,f the run9ay and began r,lling and ta2iing until it ca)e t, a full !t,p ne2t t, a tube/li-e pa!!age9ay. Seli)

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9ent all the !ee)ingly endle!! length ,f it and finally e)erged in the va!t hall 9here the belt! 9ith pa!!enger!; luggage 9ere r,lling by, 9ith i)patient cr,9d! ,f pe,ple !urr,unding the ),ving belt!. 5e f,und the right belt 9here the luggage fr,) hi! flight 9a! r,lling by. After a fe9 ),)ent! ,f 9aiting he fi!hed hi! !)all !uitca!e fr,) it and headed f,r the e2it fr,) the ter)inal. S,,n he g,t ,n a train b,und f,r Udrecht. @5AP"E7 13 En early !pring 5,lland 9a! ,ften f,ndled by the ),i!ture/filled 9e!tern Atlantic 9ind! 9ith 9et -i!!e! ,f rain and a brightly !hining !un inter)ittently. What re)ained green in the gri) 9inter ),nth! had g,tten n,9 ),re !hiny 9ith the fre!h vig,r ,f ne9 !ap! !trea)ing in the vein! ,f plant! that 9ere 9a-ing up fr,) their !trange vegetable drea)! pr,)pted by the day! ,f hibernati,n. "he refre!hed nature 9a! beginning t, give ,ut the fir!t hint! ,f life in the flying fl,c-! ,f )igrating bird! in the fre!hly 9a!hed !-ie! and tran!parent little cl,ud! ,f tiny in!ect! ju!t ab,ve the 9et gra!! in the !)all and big garden pl,t! ,f the 8utch village! and t,9n!. Gut the breath ,f !pring 9a! al!, felt in the big 8utch citie! li-e "he 5ague. Gut in acc,rdance 9ith the la9! ,f !pring 9eather 9a! 9ay9ard and caprici,u! li-e a y,ung 9,)an accu!t,)ed t, l,t! ,f attenti,n and ,verindulgence. "he three )e)ber! ,f the A)erican cell ,perating in 5,lland turned up ,n ,ne ,f "he 5ague;! neat !treet! n,t far fr,) the US E)ba!!y, ta-ing a !ee)ingly unhurried n,nchalant !tr,ll and ca!ually 9atching the !treet life !urr,unding the). "hey had !ecretly arrived in 5,lland ju!t the day bef,re and 9ere !tati,ned by their !uperi,r! in the city 9here they had ,nce carried ,ut their a!!ign)ent ,f bl,9ing up a :u!li) ),!Hue. "he ,perati,n had ta-en place in the city ,f Udrecht. "hi! ti)e their a!!ign)ent 9a! t, -eep a 9atchful eye ,n the i))ediate !urr,unding! ,f the E)ba!!y and, in ca!e ,f need, t, ta-e pr,tective )ea!ure! again!t !u!pici,u! per!,n! 9h, )ight be hanging ab,ut 9ith the purp,!e ,f attac-ing the E)ba!!y, an ,pp,rtunity pre!enting it!elf. @aptain Ging and hi! t9, a!!,ciate!, Wally and Pi-e felt !ure ,f the)!elve! ,n the !treet ,f the city they already -ne9. Ge!ide!, the Geretta!, hand/grenade!, and hunting -nive! they 9ere !ecretly carrying enhanced their feeling ,f !afety, even in the day! 9hen the 8utch p,lice had received the auth,rity t, !t,p and !earch any,ne they f,und !u!pici,u!ly l,,-ing. S, far everything had g,ne !),,thly. "he A)erican! 9ere ju!t ,n the p,int ,f returning t, their h,tel, 9hich differed fr,) the previ,u! ,ne they had !tayed at during their la!t ,perati,n becau!e it had a very g,,d re!taurant. ,b,dy had tried t, !t,p the), let al,ne t, !earch, and they 9ere beginning t, feel the fir!t pric-! ,f hunger. Et 9a! then that they heard !,und! ,f an upr,ar ,f furi,u! !h,ut! and !cuffling c,)ing fr,) the !treet that ran parallel t, the ,ne they f,und the)!elve! ,n at the ),)ent.

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AWhat the hell i! thatJC !aid @aptain Ging eyeing !u!pici,u!ly the c,rner ,f the !treet fr,) bey,nd 9hich the !,und! reached the). A@,)e ,n. Det;! g,BC he !aid t, the ,ther t9,. 5i! 9,rd! !,unded li-e an ,rder. G,aded ,n by their ,9n curi,!ity and the urge fr,) the captain, they )ade fa!t f,r the c,rner in Hue!ti,n and turned ar,und it. "he picture that pre!ented it!elf t, their eye! 9a! vi,lent and pr,v,cative. En the neare!t part ,f the !treet they !a9 a gr,up c,n!i!ting ,f ab,ut a hundred ,f :,r,ccan y,ung!ter! furi,u!ly engaged in thr,9ing !t,ne! at a unit ,f the ri,t p,lice !l,9ly advancing 9ith their !hield! lifted in pr,tecti,n ,f their face!. "he :,r,ccan! 9ere cur!ing in their language inter!per!ed 9ith abu!ive !h,ut! in 8utch. A8irty pig!BC AEnfidel!BC AWe;ll -ill y,u allBC "he three A)erican! f,und the)!elve! n,9 right behind the bac-! ,f the enraged !t,ne/ thr,9er! 9h, at fir!t didn;t !p,t ,r neglected the). Availing the)!elve! ,f the general tur),il @aptain Ging and hi! !ub,rdinate! appr,ached the :,r,ccan! fr,) behind. "9, ,f the neare!t teenager! l,,-ed bac- and !p,tted the A)erican! f,r the fir!t ti)e. AWh, are y,uJC ,ne ,f the) a!-ed. AEt;! n,ne ,f y,ur fuc-ing bu!ine!!, :u!li) a!!h,le,C Ging replied arr,gantly in 8utch. A.uc- y,u, y,u fuc-ing ),therfuc-erBC Pi-e added. "he ,ther :,r,ccan !t,,ped t, pic- up a frag)ent ,f a bric- t, hurl it at the A)erican!, but Wally 9a! fa!t en,ugh t, grab hi) by the hand and jer- it, di!l,cating hi! 9ri!t. "he y,ung!ter h,9led 9ith pain, !taring at hi! )utilated hand 9ith di!belief and terr,r/!tric-en. "he ,ther :,r,ccan! 9ere !till diverted by their !cuffle 9ith the p,lice t, pay attenti,n t, yet an,ther incident that 9a! beginning t, ta-e !hape in their rear. "he fir!t :,r,ccan y,ung!ter hurled hi)!elf de!perately cur!ing at @aptain Ging 9h, had challenged hi) in the beginning. Gut the athletically built )an caught hi) une2pectedly by hi! ear! and jer-ed hi) up fr,) the gr,und, !till h,lding the) in hi! grip. "he b,y !Huealed 9ith the terrible pain, -ic-ing de!perately 9ith hi! feet ar,und hi)!elf and vainly trying t, reach ,ut t, Ging;! gr,in. Gut the big )an 9a! prudently h,lding hi) a9ay fr,) hi! ,9n b,dy. "hin red thread! ,f bl,,d !tarted ,,King fr,) the al),!t t,rn ear! ,f the :,r,ccan. Wally and Pi-e thre9 the !ec,nd b,y ,n the gr,und and, 9ith,ut a 9,rd, -ic-ed hi) )any ti)e! 9ith their heavy b,,t! at rand,), carele!! ,f 9here they hit hi). 5e 9a! de!perately trying t, cra9l a9ay fr,) hi! t,r)ent,r!, but they -ic-ed hi) bac-, 9ith,ut letting hi) get a9ay. :ean9hile, the ,ther !t,ne/thr,9er! !a9 9hat 9a! g,ing ,n behind their bac-!, and th,!e 9h, 9ere the neare!t t, the !p,t 9here the three )en 9ere beating their buddie! turned their rage ,n the )en. "hey thre9 !t,ne! at the) t,,, !, that the A)erican! 9ere f,rced t, d,dge the pr,jectile!, !hifting their p,!iti,n fa!t and deftly, and grabbing their gun!, 9hich they ha!tily ai)ed at the angry cr,9d ,f y,ung :,r,ccan! and pulled the trigger!. Sh,t! rang ,ut, !ending bullet! right int, the )iddle ,f the cr,9d that had g,tten cha,tic. Several pe,ple fell, apparently dead. "he :,r,ccan! turned their bac-! ,n the advancing p,lice ,fficer!. "he!e 9ere ta-en abac-, t,,, hearing the Huic- dry !h,t!N and thin-ing they ca)e fr,) the

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!h,uting and 9ildly ge!ticulating :,r,ccan!, br,ught their ,9n 9eap,n! t, the ready. "he A)erican! 9ere !till invi!ible t, the p,lice due t, the :,r,ccan! 9h, ,b!tructed their vi!i,n. S,, they grabbed the chance granted by the general cha,! and panic and e!caped fr,) the !cene ,f event! a! fa!t they c,uld, running and turning int, !treet! that led the) a9ay fr,) the !-ir)i!h. 6n their 9ay they bu)ped int, a l,t ,f pe,ple, !h,uldering the) ruthle!!ly a!ide and di!appearing in the neare!t !treet! and alley! until they finally !t,pped, certain that if there 9a! any pur!uit, they had )anaged t, get the)!elve! l,!t in the intricate pattern ,f !treet!. .r,) n,9 ,n they ),ved gingerly, ready t, ,pen fire ,n any,ne 9h, 9,uld try t, !t,p the). Gut the !treet they 9ere ,n l,,-ed Huiet and de!erted. AG,,dne!! graci,u!, 9e pulled it ,ffB E c,n-ed that la!t yu- hard ,n hi! n,ggin,C !aid Wally 9ith !,)e relief in hi! v,ice and 9iped the !9eat that !t,,d ,n hi! br,9. AGuy!, 9e !h,uld -eep Huiet ab,ut that,C @aptain Ging 9arned. 5e !t,pped in hi! trac-! and eyed hi! !ub,rdinate!, b,th hi! hand! 9edged in the p,c-et! ,f hi! jean!. AE a) n,t !, !ure ,ur !uperi,r! 9,uld reli!h )uch 9hat 9e have d,ne. Gecau!e 9hat 9e ch,!e t, d, 9a! ,ur re!p,n!ibility.C 5e re!u)ed 9al-ing again. AGut they 9ill get the ne9! ,f it any9ay,C Pi-e !aid. @aptain Ging !hrugged. AEf 9e -eep being !hut up n,b,dy 9ill ever get ar,und t, it. Actually, n,b,dy !a9 u! clearly, including th,!e t9, fuc-ing :,r,ccan !-un-!. We ),ved fa!t en,ugh and didn;t give the) ti)e t, ta-e a g,,d l,,- at u!. E h,pe thing! 9ill !,rt the)!elve! ,ut.C AWe can !ee y,ur p,int,C Wally !aid ,n behalf ,f hi)!elf and Pi-e. AEt;! g,,d 9e battered the little rat!.C AI,u betBC @aptain Ging !aid. <udging by the ti)e ,f late aftern,,n, their patr,l duty ,f the !treet! in the vicinity ,f the E)ba!!y 9a! nearly ,ver. "hey )ade !ure the ,ther !hift had already arrived at the prearranged place ,n the neare!t c,rner ,f the Huiet !treet they reached n,9. "he ,ther three A)erican guy! greeted the) and a!-ed 9hether they had !een ,r heard 9hat had happened a little 9hile ag,. A ,,C !aid @aptain Ging, !hrugging a! if he 9ere !urpri!ed and hi! being curi,u! !ee)ed al),!t fran-. 6ne ,f the ,ther guy! !aid, AA c,uple ,f y,ung :,r,ccan a!!h,le! raped a fifteen year/,ld 8utch girl in a par-, but they didn;t get a9ay 9ith it and 9ere grabbed by the 8utch p,lice. "he ,ther fuc-ing :,r,ccan! learned ab,ut it and decided t, !tage a de),n!trati,n ,f pr,te!t !,)e9here d,9nt,9n. A fe9 )inute! ag, 9e heard the ru),r! ,f the battle bet9een the p,lice and the angry y,ung!ter!. :aybe y,u;ve !een ,r heard !,)ethingJC @aptain Ging replied. AIeah, 9e 9atched it a 9hile but then )ade a b,lt f,r it. <u!t t, be ,n the !afe !ide. "he fuc-ing :,r,ccan! 9ere thr,9ing !t,ne! at the p,lice. Very )uch the 9ay the fuc-ing Phili!tine! d, in the :idea!t.C

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A , c,,l !ight E can tell y,u,C Pi-e cut in. A8a)n the) allBC 9a! the c,))ent ,f @aptain Ging;! interl,cut,r. A ),)ent later they !plit up 9ith the ,ther !hift and t,,- a bu! that br,ught the) !traight t, their h,tel in the 5ague. @5AP"E7 1( En the 9ilderne!! ,f the richly 9,,ded Etalian :,untain! ,f :ugell,, half9ay bet9een .l,rence and G,l,gna, there i! an inc,n!picu,u! l,g/hut hidden a9ay in the den!e f,liage ,f the f,re!t hanging ,n the !teep !l,pe ,f a ),untain. "he tree!, undergr,9th, and -nee/deep gra!! ,f the f,re!t 9ere !hining 9ith the fre!hne!! ,f the y,ung !pring, and the chirping ,f bird! and )yriad ,f in!ect! re!,unded happily in the tree/branche!, 9elc,)ing an early !un ju!t ri!en fr,) behind the !haggy ),untain range. "he dry 9,,den trill ,f a 9,,dpec-er at 9,r- ech,ed thr,ugh the revived f,re!t li-e a j,y,u! tatt,, ,f the triu)phant !pring. "he tepid air 9a! !cented 9ith c,nifer,u! ,d,r! and a cri!p fre!hne!! ,f running 9ater. "he )ur-y !ilh,uette ,f a bird ,f prey, pr,bably an eagle, 9a! h,vering in large circle! ,ver the 9,,dy !l,pe ,f the ),untain. "hi! peaceful idyll, th,ugh, 9a! !lightly di!turbed by the )uffled )ur)ur ,f hu)an v,ice! e)anating fr,) the l,9 l,g/hut that !Huatted in the e)brace ,f the !urr,unding tree!, partly c,ncealing it!elf in the dar-ly green thic-et. En!ide the hut a gr,up ,f ab,ut d,Ken )en, all ,f the) dre!!ed li-e ),untain hi-er!, 9ere !eated c,)f,rtably ,n l,9 9,,den benche! ar,und a r,ugh 9,,den table. "he )e)ber! ,f the EDA headHuarter!, the l,g/hut being their !ecret place ,f )eeting in the heart ,f the Apennine!, had c,)e t,gether in all urgency t, h,ld a c,uncil ,f 9ar. Su!pen!e and unea!ine!! 9ere apparent in their attitude ,f )ind, and the !a)e 9,rried e2pre!!i,n d,)inated their face!. AWe have !u!tained heavy l,!!e! in the late!t :u!li) attac- ,n ,ur ),!t valuable trea!ure! ,f art and hi!t,ry in Eur,pe and A)erica. Et 9a! an unparalleled act ,f barbarity that a!-! t, be dealt 9ith even ,n a far larger !cale,C 8,nald 7,!! !aid and fell !ilent f,r a 9hile. "hen, he 9ent ,n, P)any inn,cent victi)! have fallen a! the re!ult ,f the !9eeping :u!li) ,ffen!ive. 6ur duty i! t, react !9iftly and ta-e vengeance ,n ,ur )alici,u! ene)ie! in a 9ay they 9,n;t ever f,rget. We;ll have t, ta-e a t,ugh line ,n the). Gentle)en, 9hatever !ugge!ti,n! y,u c,uld figure ,ut and put f,r9ard, 9e are ,pen f,r the), and 9e;ll give the) a ),!t c,)prehen!ive c,n!iderati,n, E a!!ure y,u.C Geert <an 8e--er 9ith hi! lapt,p, 9hich he -ept ,n the 9,,den table in fr,nt ,f hi)!elf, 9a! ready t, type any !ugge!ti,n that c,uld be v,iced by any,ne ,f th,!e pre!ent. <ean .auvet 9h, l,,-ed gl,,)y and ,ften !ee)ed t, be !c,9ling at !,)ething deep in hi! th,ught! !uddenly gave vent t, the),

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A5ave y,u heard the late!t ign,)ini,u! pr,n,unce)ent! ,f that di!graceful and pathetic cl,9n, that per!,nified di!a!ter that bring! !ha)e ,n )y bel,ved .rance, that gibbering creep <acHue! :erdacJ ", )y )ind the cau!e f,r hi! )egal,)ania lie! in the fact that he 9ant! t, p,!e a! !,)eb,dy real i)p,rtant, being ,nly a piece ,f !tin-ing !hit. I,u ju!t can;t e2pect anything really p,!itive fr,) that piece ,f !hit. 7ecently, during hi! intervie9 in c,nnecti,n 9ith the late!t vici,u! :u!li) attac- ,n ,ur culture, he dared t, ,pen hi! f,ul ),uth and ju!tified it by v,icing hi! Punder!tanding ,f their rightful indignati,n;. AA )i!erable c,9ardB And hi! c,n!tant !upp,rt ,f the l,ath!,)e ruler 5u!!ein G,u!liyah, 9h, i! n,9 ,n the brin,f fall, and ,f hi! )alici,u! acc,)plice Abu Dala )a-e )e !ic-. When he vi!ited E!rael !,)e ti)e ag,, he behaved li-e a de!picable arr,gant r,,!ter. Apparently, hi! cheri!hed final g,al i! full :u!li)iKati,n ,f ,ur beautiful .rance that ,ne day 9ill ,fficially bec,)e P.ran-i!tan.;C <u!t li-e Gelgiu) that ha! already bec,)e a :u!li) c,untry and i! ,n the p,int ,f bec,)ing Gelgi!tan, the etherland! 9ill be rebaptiKed a! 5,llandi!tanVC AEtali!tanBC Arrig,ni cut in 9ith hu),r. <ean .auvet n,dded and c,ntinued. AAll )ale! 9ill underg, ,bligat,ry circu)ci!i,n. E ,nly h,pe that in that ca!e :erdac hi)!elf 9ill be the fir!t t, be circu)ci!ed 9ith a )iniguill,tine that 9,uld hac- a9ay half ,f hi! !hriveled peni!. Any9ay, the ,ld f,,l d,e!n;t really need it !, badly at hi! age. "hat;! f,r !ureBC <ean .auvet;! eye! gli!tened angrily. AWhat )a-e! hi) any ,ther genuine ape i! hi! i)),rality andVC he pau!ed a ),)ent, Ahi! ab!urd ge!turing.C "i),thy @raig;! laughter !,unded l,ud in the general hilarity that e2pl,ded after .auvet;! 9,rd!. "i) eyed hi! .rench friend )errily. AI,u g,t a p,int here, <ean. "he !a)e -ind ,f bapti!) c,uld befall u!, pe,ple fr,) acr,!! the big 9ater. We c,uld get ,ur ,9n @anadi!tan and A)eri!tan.C 5i! eye! 9ere challenging and glittered 9ith hu),r. AE 9,nder, th,ugh, h,9 ,ur fe)ini!t! 9,uld buy it. Pr,bably they 9,uld rai!e hell ab,ut it, but then they 9,uld run the ri!- ,f being fl,gged and !t,ned.C .auvet n,dded in ),c- !y)pathy. AI,u betBC A6h, by the 9ay, <ean.C "i) @raig turned t, <ean .auvet, A", )y )ind, a l,t ,f 9hat;! g,ing ,n in Eur,pe at pre!ent c,uld be traced bac- t, S,ciali!t and @,))uni!t idea!. What;! y,ur c,))ent ,n thatJC AAll E c,uld !ay ,n that !c,re i! ju!t ,ne thing.C .auvet eyed the face! ,f hi! c,lleague! 9ith an enig)atic e2pre!!i,n that n,b,dy c,uld have read 9ith certainty. AS,ciali!) i! a f,r) ,f t,talitarian d,)inati,n ,f !lave! ,ver the free. Et! ),!t ,ut!p,-en cha)pi,n! 9ere Denin, Stalin, and 5itler. ,9 it i! 8rec-)ann in Ger)any and the li-e! ,f hi) b,th in Eur,pe and A)erica. 6r li-e 5u!!ein G,u!liyah in Gabel, f,r that )atter, 9h, bridge! it ,ver 9ith E!la).C A enthu!ia!tic applau!e 9a! a !ign ,f unani),u! appr,val and ac-n,9ledge)ent ,f <ean;! c,ncepti,n ,f the phil,!,phy and p,licy ,f the 7ed!. "hen it 9a! W,lfgang Sch9ab 9h, added.

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AS,)eti)e! E 9,nder if E live in a real de),cracy ,r in a S,ciali!t Pparadi!e; li-e that ,f the f,r)er S,viet Uni,n ,r the G87J Actually, de),cracy in it! ideal f,r) d,e! n,t e2i!t any9here in the 9,rld. What d,e! e2i!t i! the tyranny ,f elite ch,!en by a brain9a!hed, blindf,ld, and inc,)petent )aj,rity.C AE under!tand y,ur feeling! and !hare the), A8,nald !aid, n,dding t, <ean and W,lfgang 9h, !at ne2t t, each ,ther. AGut, <eanVC AIe!, :,n!ieur 8,naldJC AAre y,u !ure it 9,uldn;t !ee) a bit ,f e2aggerati,n, <ean, calling :r. :erdac a piece ,f !hitJ AE gue!! being regarded a! a piece ,f !hit i! hi! ,9n pr,ble), :,n!ieur 8,nald, !ince he !h,9! t, the 9,rld thi! !ide ,f hi! nature.C AWell, after all, <ean, y,u are hi! c,)patri,t. Et;! up t, y,u t, -n,9 better 9h, ,r 9hat he i!,C 8,nald !aid. A ,9 E!la) i! ,ur )ain c,ncern a! 9ell a! the c,n!eHuence! ,f it! attac-! ,n ,ur civiliKati,n. Gut 9e 9ill n,t !ub)it t, thi! blight. What 9e need n,9 i! a unani),u! deci!i,n regarding ,ur ne2t !tep ,f retaliati,n.C ,9 that the c,nver!ati,n g,t ar,und t, a ),re technical part <en! 5an!en, 9h, up t, that ),)ent !ee)ed i))er!ed in hi! ,9n th,ught! li-e he 9a! n,t n,ticing 9hat 9a! being !aid ,r g,ing ,n ar,und hi), !uddenly !hifted unea!ily in hi! !eat, l,,-ed up and !aid, AE g,t a !ugge!ti,n, !ir.C When everyb,dy;! eye! 9ere riveted ,n hi) he 9ent ,n, AWhat E !ugge!t c,uld be called Pdeath by )ail.; Et i! ea!y t, identify the addre!!e! ,f :u!li)! in Eur,pean citie!. S, it;ll ta-e !,)e leg/9,r- t, bring lethal )ail t, th,!e addre!!e! in the !)all h,ur! ,f night, but the idea i! t, cater f,r a -ind ,f r,,) !ervice f,r the) in the ),rning 9hen they ,pen their letter/b,2e!.C AEn ,ther 9,rd!,C 8,nald !aid, Abl,9ing the) up 9ith the help ,f letter!, E gatherJC AIe!, !ir. Gut n,t ,nly that. S,)e ,f the letter! 9,uld be b,)b!, indeed. At the !a)e ti)e, ,ther letter! 9,uld c,ntain bi,l,gical )ean! ,f de!tructi,n. Di-e anthra2, even bub,nic plague in !,)e ca!e!, and !,)e ,ther di!ea!e! ta-ing a fa!t effect. "he ene)ie! 9ill be !9ept a9ay by their ,9n )ean! that they u!ually prefer t, u!e ,n ,ur p,pulati,n. "hey, t,,, )u!t be dealt 9ith li-e dirty r,dent! that they are.C AA little bit cruel but fr,) the tactical p,int ,f vie9 can be Huite efficient and inti)idating f,r th,!e 9h, 9ill !urvive,C 8,nald c,))ented. AGut aren;t y,u apprehen!ive ,f a p,!!ibility that an epide)ic ,f th,!e na!ty thing! c,uld !pread ,ut t, ,ur ,9n pe,pleJC A ,, !ir. We;ll ta-e all the nece!!ary precauti,n! t, -eep the) li)ited t, the area! p,pulated e2clu!ively by :u!li)!. We al!, have bi,l,gi!t! in ,ur ran-!, 9h, are !pecialiKed in th,!e di!ea!e!. "hey 9,r- at vari,u! Eur,pean and A)erican lab,rat,rie!, and they 9ill ta-e care ,f all !uch )aterial! and print in!tructi,n! f,r the EDA cell! h,9 t, u!e the).C

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W,lfgang Sch9ab !aid by 9ay ,f getting ),re accurate. A.ir!t ,ff, a g,,d identificati,n ,f typical :u!li) na)e! i! Huite e!!ential t, av,id any c,nfu!i,n and tragic )i!ta-e!. Det al,ne that they ,ften have rubbi!h ar,und their d9elling!.C 5e grinned c,nte)ptu,u!ly. AGut the )ilitant! )u!t be !ure ,f their target!. Ge!ide!, the reacti,n ,f the Eur,pean auth,ritie! 9ill be und,ubtedly furi,u!. "hi! acti,n c,uld trigger ,ff !pecial )ea!ure! ,n their part t, !tart hunting u! d,9n, but E fully !upp,rt the !ugge!ti,n. Gecau!e thi! -ind ,f acti,n l,,-! very efficient t, )e. Et reHuire!, th,ugh, a g,,d )ulling ,ver. Any )i!ta-e here 9,uld be ab!,lutely i)per)i!!ible. E!pecially if 9e ta-e int, c,n!iderati,n a p,!!ible reacti,n ,f the Eur,pean auth,ritie!.C 8,nald n,dded appr,vingly. AI,u;re Huite right, W,lfgang. Alth,ugh :u!li) na)e! are e2plicit en,ugh, !,)e dubi,u! ca!e! 9ill be av,ided by ,ur )ilitant!.C 5e leaned hi! elb,9! the 9,,den table in fr,nt ,f hi) a! he c,ntinued t, !hare hi! th,ught! 9ith hi! c,lleague!. AWe have hard ti)e! t, fight bac- the atte)pt! ,f Eur,pean g,vern)ent! t, l,cate u!. "hey are a9are ,f ,ur e2i!tence. Gut 9e have already di!cl,!ed and rendered har)le!! a nu)ber ,f their atte)pt! at infiltrati,n the EDA. "heir ar)y unit! and p,lice !earch in every p,!!ible directi,n t, pinp,int u!, alth,ugh they !till re)ain in the dar- a! t, ,ur identitie!. "he .GE trie! t, hunt d,9n the n,t !, nu)er,u! cell! ,f the EDA in the United State! but 9ith,ut !ucce!! !, far. , ,ne, either at the White 5,u!e ,r the .GE, ha! a hunch that ,ne ,f u! i! al!, ,ne ,f their be!t !ch,lar!.C 5e glanced ,ver !ignificantly at "i),thy @raig 9h, 9a! !itting acr,!! fr,) hi). "i) grinned at hi! 9,rd! li-e an urchin, hi! eyebr,9! rai!ed in a hu),r,u! e2pre!!i,n. "hen 8,nald !p,-e again. A:aybe ,ne day 9e;ll reveal ,ur!elve! by )a-ing ,ur de)and! l,uder. And 9e;ll )a-e ,ur true purp,!e! 9idely -n,9n thr,ugh leaflet! and ,ther )ean! ,f c,))unicati,n. Gut thi! ti)e i! n,t yet ripe en,ugh t, d, it n,9. S, 9e have t, act in an utterly cauti,u! 9ay n,t t, betray ,ur!elve! ahead ,f ti)e.C 5e fell !ilent. "he ,ther! n,dded in agree)ent. <uan D,peK )ade a ne9 !ugge!ti,n. AE gue!! the day after the acti,n Pdeath by )ail; 9e !h,uld better 9ithdra9 ,ur cell! fr,) the citie! and launch yet an,ther attac- in the !)all h,ur! ,f the f,ll,9ing night. A Huicattac- ,n the ),!t !ignificant and big a!ylu) !ee-er!; center! near th,!e citie! i! highly de!irable. Every9here in We!tern Eur,pe 9here !uch center! e2i!t. "he p,lice and ar)y unit! ,f the auth,ritie! 9ill und,ubtedly try t, c,)b ,ut everything in !earch ,f th,!e 9h, cau!e the tr,uble, E )ean ,f u!, ,ur ,perative!. Gut 9e;ll carry ,ut ne9 attac-!. En the c,ur!e ,f !uch attac-! th,!e h,th,u!e! ,f f,reign cri)inality 9ill be bl,9n up and burned d,9n t, the gr,und. "he per!,nnel and !9eet life !ee-er! in th,!e center! 9ill be caught ,ff guard during ,ur acti,n. Gut ,ur ,perative! 9ill d, their ut),!t t, !pare the Eur,pean per!,nnel. Det;! give a !pectacular le!!,n t, th,!e adventurer!, a le!!,n that 9ill help 9ean the) and ,ther! fr,) eternally )il-ing Eur,pe li-e a c,9. "hat;! 9hat E !ugge!t, !ir,C <uan !aid, glancing ,ver at 8,nald 7,!!.

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8,nald replied, Aif there are n, ,bjecti,n! t, <uan;! !ugge!ti,n it can be then end,r!ed and ad,pted a! the !ec,nd pha!e. Any ,bjecti,n! gentle)enJ ,J Ad,pted thenJC "he ad,pti,n 9a! unani),u!. "i),thy @raig, 9h, 9a! in attendance, cleared hi! thr,at bef,re he !p,-e, AE have b,th bad ne9! and g,,d ne9!. Which ,ne !h,uld E give y,u fir!tJC AAny. Et d,e!n;t )atter 9hich ,ne y,u !tart 9ith, "i)BC 8,nald enc,uraged hi). A6-ay then. "he bad ne9! i! that Pre!ident Wil)an !till 9affle! t, u!e nu-e! again!t the )ain ide,l,gical and religi,u! center! ,f E!la). And the g,,d ne9! i! that he i! ready t, attac- 5u!!ein G,u!liyah and Gabel de!pite the 9h,le da)ned vici,u! hell rai!ed by the united red! and E!la)/l,ver! all ,ver the 9,rld.C @arl, Arrig,ni 9h, had cal)ly -ept Huiet all the previ,u! ti)e !uddenly cut in, AE pr,bably g,t a better piece ,f ne9!, "i), t, rec,)pen!e y,ur y,ur bad ne9!.C Everyb,dy;! eye! 9ere n,9 fi2ed ,n the Etalian;! face 9ith a lively, even i)patient curi,!ity. AG, ahead, @arl,, !pit it ,ut,C "i),thy @raig enc,uraged hi). Gut Arrig,ni t,,- hi! ti)e t, !hare hi! !ecret 9ith the ,ther!, trying t, -eep hi! e2pre!!i,n i)pa!!ible. A@,)e ,n, @arl,, 9hat;! ,n y,ur )ind,C 8,nald in!i!ted 9ith an urgency in hi! v,ice. Arrig,ni !hifted a little in hi! !eat, trying t, find a ),re c,)f,rtable p,!iti,n and ,penly enj,ying the une2pected effect hi! 9,rd! had pr,duced ,n th,!e pre!ent. "hen he !aid, AA! y,u all -n,9, )y enterpri!e ha! cl,!e trading lin-! 9ith a certain branch ,f 7u!!ian indu!try and thr,ugh the) 9e are n,9 in a p,!iti,n t, find and e!tabli!h u!eful bu!ine!! c,ntact! 9ith vari,u! fir)! in 7u!!ia. Well, !,)e ,f the) are run by certain )en 9h, c,uld be referred t, a! !hy!ter! becau!e they have !ecret c,ntact! 9ith the n,t,ri,u! and p,9erful 7u!!ian :afia. Une2pectedly f,r even f,r u!, ,ur agent! have c,)e acr,!! !,)e i)p,rtant ,fficer! ,f the 7u!!ian ar)y 9h, are 9illing t, enrich the)!elve!, given the general ec,n,)ic !ituati,n in the c,untry i!, in )ilder ter)!, ha! g,tten rather c,)plicated. E )ean, al),!t ruined. "he !a)e ,b!ervati,n can be referred t, the ar)y. :any ,fficer!, let al,ne !,ldier!, !uffer !uch an indigence that they are ready t, !ell anything they can lay their hand! ,n, h,9ever cla!!ified it )ay be. E )u!t be Huite cauti,u! a! t, p,!!ible advantage,u! pr,!pect! thi! !ituati,n )ay yet h,ld f,r u!, but a certain p,!!ibility c,uld n,t be e2cluded that 9eVC 5e fell !ilent f,r a ),)ent t, 9atch the effect hi! 9,rd! pr,duced ,n hi! eager li!tener!, then 9ent ,n, Athat 9e in a f,re!eeable future c,uld c,)e in p,!!e!!i,n ,f ,ne ,r even t9, nu-e!. Gut thi! )ay be a l,ng/ter) 9ait,C he ha!tened t, cauti,n. Arrig,ni;! audience 9a! !tunned t, !uch a degree that a -ind ,f c,)plete du)bne!! !ee)ed t, have ,verp,9ered every,ne in the !)all l,g/hut. "hen, a !udden e2pl,!i,n ,f e2cited v,ice! !h,,- the al),!t Huiet at),!phere ,f the current di!cu!!i,n 9hen everyb,dy !tarted tal-ing !i)ultane,u!ly.

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.,r !everal ),)ent!, 8,nald vainly tried t, attract the attenti,n hi! pe,ple, -n,c-ing hi! pen ,n the table, and atte)pting t, get c,ntr,l ,f the !ituati,n by appealing t, hi! agitated c,lleague!. AGentle)en, plea!eB E beg y,ur pard,n, gentle)enBC At la!t a relative ,rder 9a! !,)eh,9 ree!tabli!hed, and everyb,dy !hifted hi! eye! fr,) Arrig,ni t, 8,nald and bac- t, @arl, Arrig,ni. 8,nald cleared hi! thr,at and turned t, @arl,, AGut 9hy haven;t y,u t,ld u! ab,ut it earlier, @arl,JC AE 9a! c,nfident it 9a! pre)ature yet t, !tart cheri!hing a h,pe that c,uld ulti)ately turn ,ut unreal. "hat 9,uld have been di!app,inting, 9,uldn;t itJ S, ,nly ye!terday )y agent! )anaged t, inf,r) )e that thing! 9ere ),ving in the right directi,n.C <uan D,peK rai!ed hi! eyebr,9!. A",, g,,d t, be trueBC AEt !,und! real great,C "i),thy @raig !aid, rubbing hi! hand! in e2cite)ent. AAnd it )ay really ,pen up ne9 h,riK,n! f,r u!,C 8,nald !aid, unable t, c,nceal hi! ,9n e2cite)ent. 5i! hand! held a pen that he r,lled bet9een hi! finger!. AStill,C he 9ent ,n !aying, AWe have t, face ,ur actual ta!-! and c,n!ider the pr,p,!al put f,r9ard by <en! 5an!en.C A"hat;! c,rrect.C W,lfgang Sch9ab !upp,rted, AAnd, be!ide!, E gather 9e !h,uld c,n!ider the repercu!!i,n! ,f !uch an acti,n in ,ur ,9n c,untrie! and in the re!t ,f the 9,rld. E, t,,, !ugge!t utter circu)!pecti,n in all ,ur ),ve)ent! if 9e underta-e !uch an attac- ,n the :u!li)! in ,ur c,untrie!. 6n the ,ther hand, E;) !ure the br,ad public 9ill pr,ve )uch le!! !crupul,u! e2cept the 7ed!, ,f c,ur!e, after the irretrievable da)age t, ,ur culture and nu)er,u! victi)!.C ADet;! put the )atter t, the v,te,C 8,nald !aid. After the v,ting, the re!,luti,n t, act al,ng the guideline! pr,p,!ed by <en! 5an!en 9a! ad,pted unani),u!ly. AWe;ll 9,r- ,n the !pecific! later,C 8,nald !aid, Aafter ,ur dinner. Ef n,b,dy ,bject!.C 5i! grin beca)e br,ader. AAnd 9e have t9, rea!,n! f,r celebrati,n* b,th <en! 5an!en;! pr,p,!al and @arl, Arrig,ni;! inf,r)ati,n.C AE have recently read that in 7u!!ia there are pe,ple 9h, are ready t, g, t, Gabel a! v,lunteer! t, defend 5u!!ein;! regi)e there, alth,ugh 9ar ha! n,t !tarted yet,C "i),thy @raig cut in f,r the !a-e ,f inf,r)ati,n. W,lfgang Sch9ab c,))ented, a c,ld !c,rnful !)ile t,uching hi! lip!. A"he 9,rld ab,und! in unprincipled and ,utright idi,t! blindf,ld and handicapped by their ,9n i)perfect brain!. And the!e )a!!e! i)agine the)!elve! t, be i)p,rtant and crucial but in reality they are ,nly ,ne l,ud fart and ,ne nau!eating !tin-.C AWhat ab,ut the ruler ,f ,rth M,rea 9h, in!,lently dare! t, threaten the United State! 9ith nu-e!JC a!-ed @arl, Arrig,ni. W,lfgang Sch9ab !hrugged hi! !h,ulder!. A5e;! ,nly a !tin-ing !-un-, th,ugh a very danger,u! ,ne.C

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8,nald n,dded 9ith !ati!facti,n. A"han-! a l,t, W,lfgang, f,r !haring y,ur c,nvincing th,ught! 9ith u!. :aybe ne2t ti)e 9e;ll c,n!ider yet an,ther facet ,f the )atter. .,r E have !,)ething up )y !leeve f,r y,u. E 9ant t, )a-e it a !urpri!e. "hat;! 9hy E;) n,t in a hurry t, di!cl,!e )y !ecret pre)aturely.C 5e grinned i)pi!hly . A8inner ti)e, guy!BC "hey ,pened their heavy bac-pac-! and pr,duced vari,u! tin! ,f )eat and fi!h, juice! and le),nade, and a fe9 b,ttle! ,f 9hi!-ey and 9ine, placing all thi! abundance ,f f,,d and drin-! ,n the ,nly 9,,den table in the hut. When everyb,dy 9a! !eated, they !tarted their fea!t 9ith,ut interrupting their previ,u! di!cu!!i,n and pl,tting their further deci!i,n )a-ing. .,r they 9ere eager t, 9a!te n, ti)e in getting prepared f,r ne9 attac-! ,n E!la). "he c,nver!ati,n 9a! free and ea!y. Everyb,dy !ee)ed engaged in it, 9hen Geert <an !uddenly rai!ed hi! hand in a ge!ture de)anding !ilence. "he p,lyph,ny ,f e2cited v,ice! i))ediately died d,9n. See)ingly 9,rried, he 9a! giving ear t, !,)ething. S,,n they heard it, t,,. S,)ething li-e a l,9 dr,ne ,f !,)e di!tant engine that 9a! gradually gr,9ing and !ee)ed t, be appr,aching cl,!er t, the l,nely l,g/hut in the r,ugh 9ilderne!! ,f the Apennine!. 8,nald 9a! ,ne ,f the fir!t t, 9a-e up t, reality. AEt;! a ch,pperB @,)e ,n, friend!B Det;! g,B Ouic-, a9ay fr,) hereBC and they ru!hed in n, ti)e thr,ugh the d,,r int, the neare!t bu!he! ,f the f,re!t undergr,9th, 9here they, un!een in the den!e f,liage, huddled up in a ten!e e2pectati,n ,f the helic,pter t, appear ,ver the t,p! ,f the tree!. <udged by it! !,und, the ch,pper 9a! )a-ing l,9 circle! ,ver the thicgreen blan-et! ,f the !urr,unding ),untain!ide!, in the )iddle ,f n,9here. "he !,urce ,f the !,und 9a! invi!ible yet, but they all e2pected it t, e)erge right ,verhead, any ),)ent n,9. Everyb,dy held hi! breath, th,ugh the pil,t! and 9h,ever there 9a! ,n b,ard the ch,pper c,uld hardly !ee the), let al,ne hear the). Suddenly it p,pped up fr,) it! ,riginal invi!ibility int, their vie9, it! rhyth)ical dr,ne ,verhead gr,9ing l,ud and n,i!y. "hen it began ),ving a9ay, !till farther fr,) their dar- green hide,ut, pr,bably 9ith,ut having !p,tted the), a! they 9,uld 9illingly prefer t, thin-. "hey 9ere n,t in a hurry t, leave their hide,ut yet, but "i) @raig 9a! the fir!t !pea- and hi! 9,rd! appeared rea!!uring, AGentle)en, it 9a! a ch,pper ,f a f,re!t fire depart)ent ,n duty. S, 9e d,n;t have t, fear anything.C "he ,ther! had !een the ch,pper;! in!ignia ,n it! fu!elage, t,,, and, having lingered in their hide,ut a fe9 ),)ent!, returned t, the l,g/hut, laughing and )a-ing j,-e! ab,ut 9hat had happened. AGut !,)ething li-e that c,uld be after u!,C 8,nald !aid. AS,, it;! never !uperflu,u! t, re!,rt t, precauti,n!. We acted ,n the fir!t tip fr,) Geert <an Huite adeHuately.C 8,nald;! re)ar- 9a! !ilently accepted. Everyb,dy 9a! even plea!antly !urpri!ed 9hen he ann,unced,

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A"hat re)ind! )e, gentle)en, that very !,,n 9e are g,ing t, have t9, ch,pper! ,f ,ur ,9n. We;ll !tati,n ,ne ,f the) in the Sierra evada :,untain! in Spain and the ,ther ,ne either in the 9ilderne!! ,f the A!pr,),nte :,untain! ,f @alabria ,r p,!!ibly !,)e9here in Sicily. "heir a!!ign)ent 9ill be patr,lling the territ,rial 9ater! ,f the :editerranean Sea and even bey,nd the) t, 9atch ,ut f,r any :u!li) ,r ,ther b,at! 9ith illegal Prefugee!; and de!tr,y the). Ef 9e acHuire a third ch,pper, it 9ill eventually be ba!ed ,n ,ne ,f the Greei!land!. And 9e have already the )en 9h, 9ill pil,t the). All ,f the) recently retired gun!hip pil,t! 9ith !ufficient e2perience. Ge!ide!, they fully !hare ,ur phil,!,phy and are ready t, d, 9hat;! e2pected fr,) the).C "hey received thi! enc,uraging ne9! 9ith a truly enthu!ia!tic applau!e ,f deep !ati!facti,n. .r,) that ),)ent ,n, the detailed pl,tting and elab,rati,n ,f the !pecific! f,r the EDA;! ne2t ),ve 9ent ,n fa!t and efficiently, unhindered by any incident. A 9ee- later, in the !)all h,ur! ,f night, dar- figure!, al),!t invi!ible t, l,cal inhabitant!, 9ere ),ving n,i!ele!!ly a),ng the apart)ent bl,c-! ,f the already !leeping Huarter! in )any big Eur,pean and !,)e A)erican citie!. "he city Huarter! in Hue!ti,n 9ere ,ver9hel)ingly un!u!pecting :u!li) ghett,! i))er!ed in their nightly rep,!e. Wa! it a night !hift ,f p,!t)enJ Were they at 9,r- in th,!e late h,ur!J "here 9a! ,ne, th,ugh, peculiarity that characteriKed their 9,r-. "hey 9ere gingerly dr,pping letter! ,nly int, the letterb,2e! bearing typically :u!li) na)e!, e!pecially th,!e that had n, i))ediate Eur,pean ,r A)erican neighb,r!. Di-e the innu)erable ,raf! in the !uburb! ,f Pari!, the :,r,ccan! in 5,lland, ,r in Ger)any, @,penhagen in 8en)ar-, ,r the Guc-ie! in D,nd,n ,r Gradf,rd. And there 9a! yet an,ther peculiarity ,f the )y!teri,u! p,!t)en. "hey 9ere all carrying firear)! and -nive!. <u!t t, be ,n the !afe !ide, ,f c,ur!e. 6ther9i!e, they preferred t, -eep cl,!er t, the ),re pr,tective dar- !had,9! ,f th,!e Huarter!. When night began t, di!!ipate in the fir!t pin- light ,f da9n the )y!teri,u! p,!t)en di!appeared leaving n, ,ther trace! the lethal ,ne! in the letterb,2e! ,f :u!li) inhabitant!. Alth,ugh th,!e p,!t)en vani!hed fa!t en,ugh, they 9ere eagerly 9aiting f,r their ),)ent ,f truth in their hide,ut!. "he early ),rning ,f that day 9a! cal) and bal)y 9ith the ,d,r! ,f !pring that began it! c,nHuering )arch acr,!! Eur,pe. En the apart)ent ,f :a)ad Gin SAllalahh 9h,!e 9ind,9! ,verl,,-ed a !)all !Huare ,f the :,r,ccan ghett, ,n the ,ut!-irt! ,f Udrecht, !,)e ,f the )any )e)ber! ,f hi! big fa)ily, particularly the -id!, 9ere !till in their bed!. "heir ,ld grand),ther 9ith a blui!h tatt,, ,n her 9rin-led face 9a! bu!y 9ith preparing brea-fa!t f,r her !,n, daughter/in/la9 and their t9, children 9h, 9,uld have t, get up in a fe9 )inute! t, leave f,r !ch,,l after brea-fa!t. :,!tly the pr,ce!! ,f getting up 9a! a pr,ble), but ,nce fully a9a-e the t9, -id!

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9,uld rai!e the u!ual hell ,f r,)ping and !Huealing at the t,p ,f their !hrill v,ice!. Gut f,r the ,ld 5ayat they !,unded li-e languid )u!ic at her !,n;! 9edding that !he !till re)e)bered 9ith n,!talgia. "he -id! had already g,tten up and n,i!ily bur!t int, the -itchen, giggling and tea!ing each ,ther. "he !even year! ,ld GAllalahi, :a)ad;! !,n, and hi! nine! year ,ld !i!ter Meliba 9ere already rivaling and Huarreling angrily ,ver the t,,th!,)e !9eet)eat! their grand),ther had prepared f,r the). 5ayat hu!hed the) a! :a)ad, !till feeling !leepy, entered the -itchen fr,) hi! bedr,,), 9here hi! 9ife Sardanapal !tayed in bed. She 9a! pregnant and didn;t feel li-e getting up early. 5er hu!band, th,ugh, had been a9ay al),!t by the h,ur! ,f da9n. Additi,nally t, their u!ual 9elfare all,9ance, he had a !ecret fat inc,)e fr,) the nightly drug! traffic-ing ,f 9hich he 9a! an active participant. 5e and hi! acc,)plice! felt their nightti)e activitie! 9ere far !afer by night 9hen the p,lice 9ere le!! vigilant. 5e ya9ned, !tretched, !till be)u!ed by the interrupted !leep, and a!-ed hi! ),ther t, prepare a cup ,f !tr,ng c,ffee f,r hi). "he children had g,tten !ettled at the table, drin-ing their ,range juice and )a-ing face! at each ,ther. AE;ll ta-e !,)e juice and a ca-e t, Sardanapal,C 5ayat !aid t, her !,n. 5e ,nly n,dded in reply, !ipping at the blac- h,t liHuid and trying t, put hi! th,ught! in ,rder. Suddenly he re)e)bered !,)ething and !t,,d up. AE;ll g, d,9n!tair! t, the letterb,2 f,r )ail. E e2pect i)p,rtant ne9!, :,ther.C She !aid n,thing, bu!y 9ith preparing a gla!! ,f ,range juice and a ca-e that !he her!elf had fre!hly ba-ed. :a)ad t,,- hi! -ey! and 9ent ,ut. .ive )inute! later he returned, -eeping a !heaf ,f )ail and c,))ercial f,lder! in hi! hand. "he -id! 9ere 9atching their father 9ith curi,!ity. Glancing at the) he !aid, ASch,,l begin! in fifteen )inute! and y,u are !till here. :a-e ha!te and get a9ay 9ith y,u.C 5e !tarted ,pening an envel,pe that b,re hi! na)e but had n, p,!tage !ta)p ,n it. Suddenly fla!he! li-e th,!e ,f lightning !hattered the 9,rld int, frag)entary i)age! ,f in!tantane,u! death acc,)panied by a deafening thunder and incande!cence, and fierce fla)e! !prung up all ,ver the place 9ith an ,)in,u! r,ar. 6ut!ide, in the adjacent apart)ent! ,f the Huarter the bur!ting r,ll! ,f r,aring fla!he! 9ere )erging int, a !cary !y)ph,ny ,f death and de!tructi,n. "here 9ere !h,rt interrupti,n!. "hen the r,ar ,f the e2pl,!i,n! re!u)ed in an irregular !pa!),dical pattern. A Huarter ,f an h,ur later the 9ailing ,f !iren! 9a! added t, the general tur),il ,f unc,,rdinated !harp bla!t! and de!perate hu)an crie!. :any apart)ent bl,c-! 9ere in c,nflagrati,n. "h,!e 9h, had !urvived and had been fa!t en,ugh !aved the)!elve! fr,) their burning h,)e! !t,,d ,n the )iddle ,f the !treet, !h,uting, nur!ing their 9,und!, cur!ing, crying, and !ha-ing their fi!t! at an un!een ene)y 9h, had d,ne it t, the).

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5,9ever, their ,rdeal 9a! n,t yet ,ver. <u!t a c,uple ,f day! later unidentified )en !tal-ed little :,r,ccan children in !,)e ,f Udrecht;! ghett, !treet! ),!t den!ely p,pulated by the :,r,ccan!. "he )y!teri,u! )en caught th,!e -id! at rand,) by their feet and !9inging their little b,die! crac-ed their !-ull! 9ith f,rce again!t the 9all! ,f the h,u!e!, leaving trace! ,f bl,,d )i2ed 9ith brain !ub!tance ,n the 9all!. "he children;! )ai)ed b,die! 9ere then du)ped ju!t any9here nearby, 9here they had been grabbed by their butcher!. "he f,ll,9ing day it 9a! l,cal Eur,pean -id! that 9ere given the !a)e treat)ent by the )ilitant :,r,ccan!. And ,n a larger !cale at that. "he parent! ,n either !ide did n,t let their -id! int, the !treet any l,nger and even f,rbade the) t, g, t, !ch,,l. Eventually, -id! 9ere all,9ed t, g, t, !ch,,l ,nly 9hen acc,)panied by ar)ed p,lice)en. "here 9a! n, 9ay ,f pr,ving any inv,lve)ent ,f the EDA 9ith the unprecedented )a!!acre and that -ept the )a!! )edia c,ntinually gue!!ing. 5,9ever, that eff,rt ba!ed ,n n,thing did n,t really give the) even a !lighte!t pr,!pect ,f finding the real clue. Any9ay, it 9a! the EDA that they laid the bla)e ,n. Seli);! apart)ent re)ained intact. 6n b,th !ide! ,f hi! apart)ent 9ere h,)e! ,f hi! 8utch neighb,r!. "he terrible ne9! had reached hi) bef,re n,,n, 9hen he 9a! ,n the p,int ,f leaving hi! h,)e t, )eet Sebuni!!a 9h, had called hi) ,n the eve. S,, they had arranged a date. ", tell the truth it 9a! ),re a )eeting f,r a bu!ine!! tal- than a date, but they had learned t, c,)bine b,th. 5e felt i)patient t, )eet her and g, t,gether 9ith her t, the !cene ,f di!a!ter. 5e 9a! 9aiting n,t far fr,) the fr,nt d,,r ,f hi! apart)ent building, 9hen he !a9 Sebuni!!a;! car turn the c,rner acr,!! fr,) hi) and pull ,ver be!ide hi). Sebuni!!a;! face, 9hen !he g,t ,ut ,f the car, 9a! 9et fr,) tear! !till !trea)ing d,9n it and her l,vely blaceye! 9ere bri))ing ,ver 9ith pain. She !t,r)ed t,9ard hi) and they hugged each ,ther a! if they 9ere the ,nly !urviv,r! ,n a tiny i!let in the )iddle ,f an ,cean threatening t, 9a!h the) a9ay int, the aby!! ,f painful death. "hey 9ere t,, !tric-en by grief t, e2change 9,rd!. "he ,nly 9,rd! Sebuni!!a barely )anaged t, utter 9ereVCOuic-, ,h, Seli). Det;! g, thereBC 5e n,dded and g,t ,nt, the fr,nt !eat ,f the car, fa!tening the !afety belt, 9hen Sebuni!!a, already at the 9heel, gunned the car int, !peeding d,9n the !treet in the directi,n ,f the ghett,. Several day! later, it beca)e clear that )any ,f the !urviv,r! had fallen victi)! t, a ne9 di!a!ter. "hey 9ere getting danger,u!ly and ter)inally !ic-, and p,!ed a )enacing threat t, pe,ple 9h, c,ntacted the), f,r their di!ea!e! turned ,ut t, be c,ntagi,u!. "he epide)ic !pread a),ng the :,r,ccan p,pulati,n 9ith the !peed ,f an all/engulfing f,re!t fire. "he 8utch auth,ritie! t,,- the precauti,n ,f n,t leaveing their ,ffice! e2cept under !trict ,bligati,n t, g, vi!it the Huarter! particularly !tric-en 9ith that d,uble di!a!ter ,f de!tructi,n and di!ea!e, ),!tly anthra2 and bub,nic plague. Ar)y unit! 9ere !et ,n t, d, the re!cuing

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and clearing ,f the debri!, !earching f,r the dead and the 9,unded, giving the fir!t help t, !urviv,r!, and helping the fire brigade! engaged in fighting the nu)er,u! fire! !till raging a),ng the ruined apart)ent bl,c-!. "he re!cuer! dragged ,ut )utilated c,rp!e! fr,) under the debri!. En )any ca!e! li)b! t,rn fr,) living ,r dead b,die! and !till ,,King bl,,d that 9a! already curdling, )ingled 9ith du!t and rubbi!h. "he apart)ent 9here :a)ad Gin SAllalahh and hi! fa)ily lived 9a! at la!t cleared fr,) the charred debri!. "he re!cuer! f,und the c,rp!e! ,f three gr,9n/up! burned bey,nd any identificati,n and t9, !)aller c,rp!e! ,f children. "hey 9ere eHually unrec,gniKable. Gy the late aftern,,n p,lice and ar)y unit! had been ,rdered t, !tart c,)bing al),!t every !treet ,f the city in an all/,ut hunt f,r the perpetrat,r!. "hey had the p,9er! t, !t,p and !earch pe,ple ,n the !treet at rand,) and ran!ac- every car. En D,nd,n;! di!trict! 9ith high c,ncentrati,n! ,f :u!li) p,pulati,n, c,nflagrati,n! 9iped ,ut large nu)ber! ,f that p,pulati,n, deva!tating their h,)e! and ),!Hue!, and leaving ju!t a fe9 !urviv,r! in the hand! ,f charity. En Pari! and el!e9here in .rance it 9a! the ,raf Huarter! that 9ere al),!t fully burned d,9n t, the gr,und, ir,nically leaving the !),-ing !-elet,n! ,f tene)ent h,u!e! li-e de!,late r,c-! in the de!ert ,f the ,raf h,)eland ,f the victi)!. W,rd !pread that the t9, )ain :u!li) pr,paganda center! in Eur,pe / A"he V,ice ,f E!la)C in S9eden and the E!la) br,adca!ting @,rp,rati,n # MG@$ in D,nd,n / 9ere bl,9n up by fighter! ,f the EDA, and the fe9 !urviv,r! 9h, tried t, e!cape fr,) the burning ruin! ,f b,th th,!e !tati,n! 9ere )achine/gunned by the !a)e fighter! 9h, !9iftly di!appeared bef,re the arrival ,f the p,lice and ar)y unit! at the !cene ,f e2pl,!i,n! and )a!!acre in th,!e c,untrie!. "he Eur,pean g,vern)ent! !u!pected the 9,r!t they c,uld e2pect / a na!ty guerilla 9ar !tarted c,)ing fr,) t9, directi,n! / the :u!li)! ,n the ,ne hand and an unann,unced yet an,ny),u! clande!tine ,rganiKati,n ,f )ilitant anti/:u!li) Eur,pean! ,n the ,ther. Pre!ident :erdac 9a! de!perately ge!ticulating ,n "V, v,9ing t, ta-e hi! revenge f,r the di!a!ter 9r,ught up,n hi! bel,ved :u!li) ,raf!. Gut he l,,-ed pathetic and deva!tated hi)!elf. Et 9a! thu! that the :u!li) p,pulati,n ,f England, Ger)any, .rance, and S9eden 9ent thr,ugh the !a)e de!tructive and h,rrifying ,rdeal ,n the !a)e day. Gelgiu) !tayed intact becau!e ,f the :u!li)!;! !eiKure ,f p,9er in that c,untry. "he p,litical ten!i,n in th,!e Eur,pean c,untrie! reached !uch an unprecedented degree that they 9ere ripe f,r ,utbur!t ,f !uch vi,lence and bl,,d!hed that c,uld be c,)pared ,nly 9ith the preceding t9, 9,rld 9ar!, 9hich 9ere the bl,,die!t in Eur,pe;! hi!t,ry. 6n the ,ther hand, ,ther Eur,pean c,untrie! li-e th,!e ,f the traditi,nal Datin culture / Etaly, Greece, ,r 8en)ar- a! 9ell a! the c,untrie! ,f Ea!tern Eur,pe / fir)ly ,pp,!ed t, any )a!!ive pre!ence ,f :u!li) p,pulati,n ,n their territ,rie!.

3%

"he native p,pulati,n! and g,vern)ent! ,f the!e c,untrie! did n,t !hare the phil,!,phy ,f ,rthern and :iddle Eur,pe that )ade it p,!!ible f,r the )a!!e! ,f h,!tile :u!li)! t, invade Eur,pe. A certain rift bet9een ,rthern and :iddle Eur,pe, ,n the ,ne hand, and S,uthern and Ea!tern Eur,pe, ,n the ,ther, had g,tten ),re e2plicit, ),re clear/cut, and !eri,u!ly threatened the )uch b,a!ted Eur,pean Unity. ,9 Eur,pe had turned int, a gigantic gunp,9der barrel that 9a! ,n the p,int ,f e2pl,ding and burying it! ,ld civiliKati,n! under the debri! ,f their )agnificent !tructure! and achieve)ent!, b,th cultural and !,cial. En ,ther 9,rd!, Eur,pe p,i!ed ,n the brin- ,f an all/,ut @ivil War. A fierce 9ar that 9,uld brea- ,ut bet9een it! native p,pulati,n and the alien :u!li) invader! 9h, regarded Eur,pe a! their ne9 c,nHue!t in fav,r ,f E!la). G,th !ide! 9ere hectically preparing f,r brutal h,!tilitie! ,n a large !cale. @5AP"E7 10 @a)p 8avid in early !pring. After the Pre!ident ,f the United State! Ge,rge W. Wil)an had held hi! addre!! t, the nati,n and the 9,rld ,n "V, ,fficially declaring 9ar ,n the fa!ci!t ruler ,f Gabel 5u!!ein G,u!liyah and hi! bl,,dthir!ty regi)e, he had arrived in hi! ch,pper fr,) the White 5,u!e at @a)p 8avid. "he Eur,pean p,9er! li-e .rance and Ger)any guided by the fear ,f their ,9n :u!li) p,pulati,n ,n the ,ne hand and their !ecret ad)irati,n ,f 5u!!ein G,u!liyah;! t,talitarian anti/E!raeli regi)e, 9hich they di!gui!ed 9ith hyp,critical rhet,ric ,n the ,ther, t,tally refu!ed t, !upp,rt, even p,litically, the United State!, Great Gritain and their allie! in eradicati,n ,f the danger,u! ne!t ,f internati,nal terr,ri!). "he Security @,uncil ,f the United ati,n! Deague had flatly refu!ed t, !upp,rt any )ilitary acti,n again!t Gabel yielding t, pre!!ure ,n the part ,f .rance, Ger)any, and the c,untrie! ,f the t,talitarian :u!li) 9,rld that had br,ught the 9h,le We!tern )ilitary alliance t, the brin- ,f c,llap!e and !piteful triu)ph ,f the :u!li)!. "he U D that 9a! r,tten fr,) 9ithin due t, the l,ng ti)e influence ,f the t,talitarian c,untrie!, e!pecially :u!li), 9a! a t,tally u!ele!!, ),ney/9a!ting, ridicul,u!, and in!,lently )eddle!,)e in!tru)ent in the hand! ,f hyp,critical and un!crupul,u! ruler! ,f the 9,rld. "hey 9ere enc,uraged and bac-ed up in their ign,)ini,u! attitude by )a!! de),n!trati,n! ,f p,pulace that 9a! invariably unruly, giving vent t, their natural predi!p,!iti,n t, h,,ligani!) and 9ant,n vi,lence. En the!e circu)!tance!, the Pre!ident ,f the USA 9a! re!,lute and full ,f deter)inati,n. 5e l,,-ed cal) and upbeat. 5i! !tance ,n the !ituati,n in the 9,rld in general, a! he and hi! Ad)ini!trati,n !a9 it, and in Gabel in particular 9a! fran-, ),tivated, and undeterred by bullie! fr,) the 9,rld;! 7ed and :u!li) !cu) that c,ntinued t, !tage vi,lent de),n!trati,n! blind 9ith fury and 9ant,n, 9ith !pea-er! either ign,rant, unprincipled, ,r !i)ply pur!uing

31

their !leaKy p,litical g,al! li-e the late "rula 8ui!burg had d,ne bef,re !he fell a victi) t, her ,9n a)biti,n. "he Pre!ident ,f the United State!, Vice Pre!ident <,hn Sn,dgra!!, Secretary ,f State 7ichard P,9er!, 8efen!e Secretary 8,nald Greenfield, and @hair)an ,f the <,int @hief! ,f Staff General Wilf,rd Udall )et here at @a)p 8avid t, h,ld a c,nference ,n the late!t devel,p)ent! in Gabel. "he Pre!ident turned t, General Udall, AWill y,u fill u! in ,n ,ur di!p,!iti,n in Gabel, GeneralJC General Wilf,rd Udall rep,rted the pre!ent )ilitary !ituati,n in and ar,und Gabel in carefully ch,!en and preci!e 9,rd!. A:r. Pre!ident, at thi! ),)ent 9e have three aircraft/carrier! in the Per!ian Gulf that have ,pened the fir!t r,und ,f inten!ive b,)bard)ent! 9ith P",)aha9-; crui!e )i!!ile!, and !truc- Gugdead and ,ther !trategically i)p,rtant target! in Gabel. 1%1 Airb,rne 8ivi!i,n, 3d, 0th, ?th @avalry SHuadr,n!, (th, 1%th, and 1&th Enfantry 8ivi!i,n!, and 1Lth, 1?th, and 1'th :arine @,rp! unit! are already depl,yed t, the !,uth ,f Gabel and have already pu!hed f,r9ard full/thr,ttle ,ver t9, hundred )ile! in the directi,n ,f Gugdead. 6ur Griti!h, Au!tralian and ,ther allie! have j,ined the) and capture the ,il 9ell! and !everal i)p,rtant harb,r! ,n the Gulf. :any ,f the Gabyl,nian tr,,p! !urrender t, the advancing US and Griti!h unit! by the th,u!and. We are -eeping up heavy b,)bard)ent! ,f Gugdead and the n,rthern citie!. "he palace! ,f the Gabyl,nian Pre!ident have been hit hard and de!tr,yed by the ",)aha9- crui!e )i!!ile!, their ruin! are burning n,9. "he Gabyl,nian! have t,rched their ,9n ,il 9ell! in )any place! and bl,9n up a da) ,n the Euphrate!, cau!ing a big fl,,d in the adj,ining valley. Gut 9e have )anaged t, capture the )ain bridge that c,nnect! the !,uth regi,n! t, the )ain r,ad leading t, Gugdead. "here are !till p,c-et! ,f re!i!tance at !,)e place! in the !,uth, ),!tly by the 7epublican Guard! ,f 5u!!ein G,u!liyah, the elite tr,,p! ,f the regi)e, but ,ur ,9n allied tr,,p! cru!h the) ,ne by ,ne.C Pre!ident Wil)an cut in 9ith a Hue!ti,n. AE! there anything -n,9n ,f the 9hereab,ut! ,f 5u!!ein G,u!liyah, at pre!entJC A ,t really. "he Gabyl,nian "V !h,9! hi) and hi! !taff ,n a regular ba!i!, pr,bably in ,rder t, -eep up the ),rale ,f their tr,,p!. Gut it help! little, in vie9 ,f their !urrender ,n a )a!! !cale.C "he Pre!ident a!-ed again, AWhat i! -n,9n ab,ut che)ical and bi,l,gical 9eap,nry thereJC A.,r the ti)e being, there are n, !ign! ,f their u!ing the) again!t u!, but 9e )u!t be c,ntinu,u!ly ,n the alert. 6ur ene)y i! n,t t, be tru!ted. "he c,aliti,n tr,,p! are !ufficiently eHuipped 9ith everything nece!!ary f,r efficient pr,tecti,n again!t any che)ical ,r bi,l,gical attac-.C General Udall !aid. A"han- y,u, General. I,u;ll -eep )e updated ,n a regular ba!i! E, h,peJC

3&

AWe;ll -eep y,u inf,r)ed ,n all the !pecific! ,f the ca)paign a! be!t 9e can, !irC the general !)iled, Aand even better than that.C A"han- y,u, General, ,nce again. 8,n,C he turned t, hi! 8efen!e Secretary, Ai! the c,,perati,n and )utual tactical a!!i!tance bet9een ,ur tr,,p! and th,!e ,f ,ur allie! g,,d en,ugh t, rely up,n itJC AAb!,lutely, !ir.C 8,nald Greenfield )ade a pau!e. AWith ,ne very unf,rtunate e2cepti,n.C ADi-e 9hatJC A6ne ,f ,ur )i!!ile! l,!t it! c,ur!e and hit a Griti!h aircraft de!tr,ying it.C AAnd 9hat ab,ut it! cre9JC A , valid update ha! reached u!, !ir. Gut 9e are 9,r-ing ,n it n,n/!t,p.C A6-ay, E;ll call the Griti!h P: later t,day t, di!cu!! 9hat happened. We )u!t !upp,rt hi) pr,perly. 5e i! al),!t be!ieged by the raging ,pp,nent! ,f 9ar in hi! ,9n re!idence at 8,9ning Street 1%. A@,rrecti,n, !ir,C <,hn Sn,dgra!! !uddenly cut in. AEt;! thi! p,pulace, !ir. A -ind ,f rabble that 9,uld 9illingly grab at any ,pp,rtunity t, !tage tr,uble. E gue!! 9e are 9itne!!ing the birth ,f a ne9 p,litical phen,)en,n / that ,f p,pular 9,rld/9ide fa!ci!) ,n a )a!! !cale.C A5,9 c,)e thi! phen,)en,n ha! c,)e int, beingJC A8ifficult t, !ay, Ge,rge, but )y gue!! i! that E!la) and !,ciali!) t,gether influence large )a!!e! ,f ign,rant pe,ple. "hey u!e the )a!! )edia a! the )ain in!tru)ent ,f c,nveyance ,f that influence. 5i!t,rically, t,talitariani!) ha! al9ay! appealed t, p,pulace every9here in the 9,rld !ince the 7,)an ti)e!. 8e)ag,gic big,try and cheap pr,paganda have al9ay! achieved their purp,!e 9ith p,pulace. Alth,ugh, actually, the rabble 9in very little !i)ply becau!e all real deci!i,n! are )ade by leader! 9h,, !,)eti)e! but n,t al9ay!, are true ari!t,crat! ,f the !pirit.C "he Pre!ident laughed )errily. A"han- y,u, <,hn. "hi! i! a real great the,ry but never !hare it 9ith y,ur ,9n elect,rate ,r @,))uni!t @,ngre!!)en, f,r that )atter.C "hen hi! face beca)e !eri,u! again. 5e turned t, hi! Secretary ,f 8efen!e. A8,n.C AIe!, !irJC AAn e2ten!ive !earch f,r hidden )a!! de!tructi,n 9eap,nry )u!t g, ,n n,n/!t,p.C 5e l,,-ed at the Secretary ,f 8efen!e and fini!hed, A,ur ,ffen!ive.C A"hat;! e2actly 9hat 9e;ve been d,ing !, far, !ir. And 9e;ll g, ,n d,ing !, until 9e find 9hat 9e !ee-.C AVery 9ell, 8,n,C the Pre!ident !aid th,ughtfully, !lightly -nitting hi! br,9. AWell, it;! happening every9here in the 9,rld n,9. Gut it 9ill never prevent u! fr,) d,ing ,ur duty t,9ard the !afety and freed,) ,f ,ur ,9n c,untry and th,!e ,f the 9,rld 9here freed,) !till

33

e2i!t!. "he di!graceful acti,n! ,f !,)e di!,riented pe,ple 9,n;t ever lead u! a!tray fr,) ,ur c,ur!e.C Pre!ident Wil)an glanced ,ver at hi! Secretary ,f State 7ichard P,9er!. AWhat;! y,ur ,pini,n ,f the !ituati,n ,n the 9h,le, 8ic-JC AWe have l,!t ,ur d,)inant p,!iti,n 9ith the Security @,uncil thi! ti)e, !ir, but 9e are 9inning ,ur cau!e in defending the principle! ,f freed,) and de),cracy. We;ll d, 9hat 9e have t, d,. :any c,untrie! ,f the 9,rld under!tand that and fir)ly !upp,rt u! b,th ),rally and )aterially. "he Ailent;! )aj,rity ,f h,ne!t pe,ple all ,ver the 9,rld appr,ve ,f ,ur pre!ent p,!iti,n.C AE never d,ubted that, 8ic-.C "he Pre!ident !aid. ADet;! n,9 bend ,ur energie! t, the )inute tactical pl,tting ,f ,ur ca)paign, gentle)en.C Several day! after thi! )eeting at the pre!idential retreat ,f @a)p 8avid the capital ,f Gabel Gugdead 9a! ablaKe, alth,ugh al),!t all the re!idential Huarter! had been !pared by the preci!i,n b,)bing and re)ained intact, 9ith a fe9 regrettable and ann,ying e2cepti,n! ,f !,)e c,llateral da)age, ,f c,ur!e. "he fate ,f the de!p,tic ruler 5u!!ein G,u!liyah and hi! !,n! 9a! !till uncertain and un-n,9n. "he !evere b,)bing raid! ,f the c,aliti,n 9ere e2tre)ely heavy and e2ten!ive, ,ften creating a graphic i)pre!!i,n ,f a A)ini/Ar)agedd,nC. :ean9hile the !ec,nd fr,nt had been ,pened in the n,rth ,f the c,untry 9here the ,ver9hel)ing p,pulati,n ,f the rebelli,u! Ourud 9a! fir)ly ,pp,!ed t, 5u!!ein G,u!liyah;! regi)e, !triving f,r their nati,nal independence. "he ,nly di!crepancy in re!pect t, the) 9a! a handful ,f the Ourud 9h, had !tr,ng c,nnecti,n! t, the n,t,ri,u! Mu9alda. Gut the US :arine! dealt ,ut a cru!hing bl,9 t, the). "heir )ad leader had been apprehended by the p,lice in the n,rth ,f Eur,pe. "he heavy b,)bard)ent! ,f the -ey citie! ,f Gabel in c,)binati,n 9ith !9ift )ilitary ,perati,n! ,f the Allie! 9ent ,n uni)peded in the air but )et 9ith ,cca!i,nal, th,ugh bitter re!i!tance ,f the 7epublican Guard! !till l,yal t, 5u!!ein. "he 9h,le 9,rld 9a! h,pele!!ly divided ,ver the 9ar in Gabel. @5AP"E7 1L Et 9a! ,n ,ne ,f th,!e day! that Seli) Gula) 9a! !u)),ned t, Abu Abdu Abdullalah;! re!idence in D,nd,n 9here the ,)nipre!ent Mu9alda -ept it! Eur,pean headHuarter! right under the n,!e ,f the Griti!h auth,ritie! 9h,, alth,ugh they 9ere 9ell a9are ,f the fact ,f it! e2i!tence in D,nd,n and el!e9here in England, 9ere great 9,r!hipper! ,f the cult ,f t,lerance and indulgence in re!pect t, :u!li) cri)inal ,rganiKati,n! and their activitie!. En the na)e ,f .reed,) and S,ciali!), ,f c,ur!e. Any -ind ,f !uppre!!i,n ,f :u!li) activitie! 9,uld be

3(

!tig)atiKed a! an act ,f raci!) and be regarded a! a breach ,f the freed,) ,f religi,n h,9ever h,!tile, bl,,dthir!ty, and rebelli,u! it c,uld be. "hi! -ind ,f l,gic )ight !ee) pervert in the eye! ,f c,)),n pe,ple 9h, 9ere n,t blinded by the pr,paganda ,f the )a!! )edia, but it 9a! a great gift ,f Allalah the Al)ighty t, 5i! true believer!. "he bl,,d ,f the :u!li)! !laughtered in the late!t attac- called f,r vengeance. And !,,n !uicide brigade! ,f the )ilitant A)artyr! ,f E!la)C t,,- !hape in England, .rance, Ger)any, S9eden, and the etherland!. A! u!ual, Sebuni!!a ca)e t, ta-e Seli) in her car t, the airp,rt, 9here he 9a! t, b,ard a plane b,und f,r D,nd,n. "he :u!li) activitie! 9ent ,n in D,nd,n undeterred and unha)pered by the auth,ritie!. .urther),re, !,)e @abinet :ini!ter! left their ,ffice in pr,te!t i))ediately if any repri!al! 9ere ta-en ,n :u!li) terr,ri!t activi!t!, )aintaining that !uch )ea!ure! !ignified breach ,f the freed,) ,f religi,n and raci!). :,!tly becau!e any unpatri,tic act ,r ,pini,n 9a! c,n!idered a greate!t virtue by all lefti!t/)inded and high/placed ,fficial!. "he )ilitant :u!li)! the)!elve! 9illingly !taged vi,lent )a!! de),n!trati,n!, given any au!pici,u! ,pp,rtunity, t, !h,9 the auth,ritie! 9h, 9a! the real b,!! in the c,untry. "hey 9ere ),!tly j,ined by the ign,rant and v,cifer,u! rabble the )aj,rity ,f 9hich 9ere ju!t plain !tupid. S,, n,b,dy b,thered Seli) 9ith !uperflu,u! Hue!ti,n! ,r f,rcible !earch at the 5eathr,9 airp,rt. 5e 9a! i))ediately ta-en in a !pecial car !ent f,r hi) t, the c,nference hall 9here c,unter/)ea!ure! t, be ta-en again!t the Griti!h native p,pulati,n 9ere under di!cu!!i,n. 6n hi! arrival he 9a! )et by Abdullalah hi)!elf and t,,- hi) t, the pre)i!e! 9here a !)all gr,up ,f pe,ple 9a! pl,tting t, launch a ne9 deadly attac- ,n the Griti!h in retaliati,n f,r the recent attac- ,f the EDA. Seli) 9a! given a place at the r,und table, and he i))ediately j,ined in the ,ng,ing di!cu!!i,n. "he gathering 9a! being pre!ided by n,ne ,ther than Abu Abdu Abdullalah hi)!elf 9h, had left it a 9hile t, ta-e Seli) t, their pre!ence. "hen he c,ntinued hi! interrupted addre!!. A6h, 9,rthy believer!B "he truth ,f the ),)ent br,-e 9hen the dirty infidel! began ,utrage,u! 9ar ,n u!. Gut Allalah the Al)ighty i! ,n ,ur !ide, ,h, believer!. "i)e t, actB .r,) a very large gr,up ,f ,ur )ilitant! 9e have !elected v,lunteer! and trained the) in !pecial Phili!tine ca)p! t, bec,)e )artyr! 9h, are ready t, give up their live! here ,n the Earth f,r the inc,)parable plea!ure! ,f Allalah;! Paradi!e. "hey are n,9 Huite ready t, ta-e their h,rrifying and ju!t !9,rd t, the ene)y. "he ,ther large gr,up ,f ,ur )ilitant! 9ill be engaged in guerilla !treet battle!, launching attac-! ,n the Griti!h 9herever they;ll catch the) una9are!, their 9,)en and children included. "hey are infidel!, and that )ean! they are n, hu)an being!. Allalah the :erciful

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9ill be happy ab,ut it and pr,ud ,f u!. 6ur Seli) here,C he n,dded t, Seli), 9h, 9a! li!tening eagerly, A9ill be charged 9ith leading thi! deadly unit. Gut f,r the ti)e being he 9ill !tay 9ith u!, Allalah 9illing, f,r 9e;ll need hi) in ,ur further ,perati,n! again!t the infidel!. S,, Seli), y,u )ay feel di!app,inted ,f y,ur chance t, j,in the virginal 9h,re! ,f Paradi!e being p,!tp,ned, but y,u 9ill have t, 9ait f,r that !ubli)e ),)ent in fav,r ,f y,ur earthly ta!-!, leading Allalah;! 5,ly War fighter! again!t the Griti!h tra!h in D,nd,n. "he ,ther c,))ander! 9h,;ll be inf,r)ed later t,day 9ill ta-e up acti,n in their re!pective Eur,pean c,untrie!, leading b,th )artyr brigade! and guerilla fighter!.C Abdullalah grinned in a fatherly 9ay, !aying the!e 9,rd!. Seli) felt a9-9ard but at the !a)e ti)e flattered and pr,ud ,f being tru!ted 9ith !, i)p,rtant a ta!-. 5e n,dded, !aying, A"han- y,u all, 6h, )y Seid!, and e!pecially Seid Abu Abdu Abdullalah, f,r y,ur having tru!t and c,nfidence in )y !, hu)ble per!,n. Gut E d, a!!ure y,u all that E 9ill d, )y be!t t, ju!tify y,ur e2pectati,n!.C 5e fell !ilent, ca!ting d,9n hi! eye! and feeling i)patient t, get hi! part ,f the general ta!- d,ne a! !,,n a! p,!!ible. "he ,ther field c,))ander! pre!ent at thi! c,nference repre!ented the :u!li) p,pulati,n in the re!pective Eur,pean c,untrie! they had c,)e fr,). Even Gelgiu) 9here the g,al ,f E!la) 9a! achieved !,)e a 9hile ag, 9a! n,9 ready ,n it! t,p level t, give all nece!!ary )ilitary a!!i!tance t, the beginning :u!li) re!i!tance ),ve)ent, including the u!e ,f the Gelgian ar)y. Gru!!el! 9a! n,t ,nly the ,fficial !eat ,f the United Eur,pe;! central g,vern)ent but it had bec,)e an i)p,rtant :u!li) f,,th,ld and ba!e in Eur,pe. S, n,9, the :u!li) Gelgiu) 9a! ,fficially repre!ented by it! :ini!ter ,f 8efen!e Sultan :ultan, a :,r,ccan by birth. Gy the ti)e the daylight 9a! ,n the 9ane, all :u!li) field c,))ander! had detail! ,n the f,rthc,)ing attac-. Seli) 9a! ,rdered t, j,in hi! unit ,f gun)en at a !ecret place in Ea!t D,nd,n. 5e 9a! t, lead a unit ,f ten )en and felt he 9a! !h,rt ,f ti)e even t, learn the) pr,perly bef,re acti,n. Gut he had t, d, it any9ay and a! 9ell a! let the) -n,9 ,f the tactic! they had t, i)ple)ent during the attac- they had t, launch in the !treet! adj,ining the Vict,ria 7ail9ay Stati,n !i)ultane,u!ly 9ith the )artyr! 9h, 9,uld bl,9 the)!elve! up in!ide the !tati,n during the ru!h h,ur!. Seli) and hi! )en 9ere t, fire ,n the panic-y cr,9d that )ight de!perately try t, leave the !tati,n, u!ing p,9erful aut,)atic gun! and hand/ grenade!. "he!e firear)! 9ere hidden until the acti,n !tarted in ca!e! f,r )u!ic in!tru)ent!. "hey pretended t, be )u!ician! ,n their 9ay t, a perf,r)ance. Gut great ri!-! 9ere inv,lved, li-e during the recent attac- ,n the Griti!h :u!eu) and the une2pected retaliati,n ,n the part ,f the un-n,9n Eur,pean )ilitant!. Any9ay, a !tr,ng p,lice f,rce had been patr,lling the !treet! ,f D,nd,n ever !ince, u!ing their ,fficial p,9er t, !t,p and !earch pe,ple, even by gue!!9,r-. S,, Seli) and hi! )en had t, l,,- ,ut f,r p,lice patr,l! a! 9ell a! th,!e un-n,9n infidel! 9h, had 9r,ught !uch hav,c a),ng the :u!li) p,pulati,n ,f vari,u! Eur,pean c,untrie! 9ith,ut ever di!cl,!ing their identity. "he un!u!pecting :etr,p,li!, given the h,ur, 9a! l,,-ing f,r9ard t, it! u!ual nightlife.

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Several day! bef,re the!e event! the high/ran-ing )ilitant! and field c,))ander! ,f the EDA ca)e t,gether f,r an urgent )eeting in a c,untry!ide h,tel lur-ing in the Sc,tti!h 5ighland! n,t far fr,) .,rt Willia). ,r)ally it 9a! a t,uri!t ba!e de!tined f,r ),untain hi-er! 9h, filled it! c,Ky pre)i!e! during high !ea!,n!. Gut early !pringti)e chill! and untru!t9,rthy and !teep ),untain path! -ept the) at a di!tance ,n acc,unt ,f danger! cau!ed by 9et !lippery dirt. At lea!t the va!t )aj,rity ,f the) -ept ,ff, 9aiting f,r ),re !unny day!. "he )a!ter)ind! and head! ,f the EDA g,t t,gether again!t the bac-gr,und ,f the 9ar raging in Gabel and the un!table p,litical !ituati,n in the 9,rld ,n the 9h,le. "hi! )ade their ta!- !ee) all the ),re urgent, th,ugh ),re danger,u!, t,,. When 8,nald 7,!! !t,,d up t, !pea- hi! u!ually c,)p,!ed feature! !h,9ed ),re pre,ccupati,n, even an2iety. ADadie! and Gentle)en, pr,bably y,u have all heard 9hat ha! happened t, !everal A)erican !,ldier! in Gabel the ,ther day after they had been ta-en pri!,ner by the Gabyl,nian 7epublican Guard!. "hey 9ere paraded ,n the Gabyl,nian "V and 9ere intervie9ed in a hu)iliating 9ay. 8, y,u -n,9 9hat happened t, the) laterJ "hey 9ere !-inned alive, acc,rding t, the A)erican )ilitary intelligence, and their !-inned b,die! 9ere thr,9n a9ay t, r,t in the h,t !un ,f the de!ert 9here later they 9ere f,und by the advancing A)erican :arine! and Griti!h infantry unit!. Speciali!t! identified their b,die!.C AS, that;! 9hat the bl,,dy Gabyl,nian! d,BC 6ne ,f the pre!ent field c,))ander! e2clai)ed up!et and incen!ed ,ver 9hat he had ju!t heard. 8,nald glanced ,ver at hi) and !aid cal)ly, AEn the fir!t place, they are :u!li)! 9h, al),!t all ,f the) have the !a)e nature re!ulting fr,) their belief! and ind,ctrinati,n. Wherever they )ay ,riginate fr,). And !ec,ndly, ,f c,ur!e, they are Gabyl,nian!. "hi! bring! )e t, thin- ,f the i))ediate ta!-! 9e face here t,day. Ie!terday ,ur underc,ver agent! in the :u!li) ,rganiKati,n! ba!ed in Eur,pe gave u! a very i)p,rtant tip ab,ut a large/!cale terr,ri!t attac- ,f :u!li)! in a nu)ber ,f Eur,pean c,untrie!, Gritain includedVC 5i! v,ice trailed ,ff 9ith e),ti,n. .,r a ),)ent, he !ee)ed at a t,tal l,!! f,r 9,rd!. Gut then he )ade a 9illful eff,rt t, c,ntinue. AWe have even )anaged t, learn the e2act date ,f their attac-. 6ur duty i! t, be there ,n ti)e f,r c,unteracting it. Ef ,ur pre!ent inf,r)ati,n i! truly c,rrect, they d,n;t e2pect )uch re!i!tance ,n ,ur part , e2cept f,r the p,lice, ,f c,ur!e becau!e they prepare it a! a !urpri!e attac-. We have c,)e t, -n,9 that n,9 their target! 9ill be rail9ay !tati,n! and !treet! ar,und th,!e !tati,n! a! 9ell a! !,)e large !uper)ar-et! and !h,pping )all!, 9here their in!ane !uicide b,)ber! are pl,tting t, !tri-e. "hey 9ill un!crupul,u!ly ,pen fire ,n cr,9d! ,f un!u!pecting and unpr,tected inn,cent pe,ple, even th,ugh there )ay be :u!li)! a),ng the). Gut that 9ill never !t,p the danger,u! fanatic!. Apart fr,) that, they intend t, be!iege

3?

airp,rt! de!pite the !tr,ng !ecurity )ea!ure! ta-en by the Eur,pean g,vern)ent! t, pr,tect the) fr,) terr,ri!t act!. Gut a! far a! 9e -n,9, rail9ay !tati,n!, being le!! pr,tected, are far ),re e2p,!ed t, the danger ,f terr,ri!t attac-!. Gut 9e;ll have t, rec-,n 9ith a third f,rce that 9ill be inevitably engaged in the!e battle!.C 5e pau!ed a ),)ent, eyeing hi! audience 9ith a gl,,)y e2pre!!i,n ,n hi! face. A"he Eur,pean g,vern)ent! 9ill !et ,n ar)y unit! 9ith tan-!, ar),red car!, and gun!hip!. Pr,bably ,n an all/Eur,pean !cale, given the fact that h,!tilitie! 9ill brea- ,ut in Gritain, .rance, Genelu2, Ger)any, and S9eden. Al!,, th,ugh ,n a le!!er !cale, in Spain, P,rtugal, and Etaly. S, the acti,n ,f ,ur EDA unit! )u!t be very fa!t and efficient bef,re 9e 9ithdra9 t, yield the battlefield t, the regular ar)y.C AWh, 9ill head the acti,n in D,nd,nJC "i),thy @raig a!-ed. 5e had ju!t arrived fr,) Wa!hingt,n and 9a! !till !uffering fr,) the ti)e/lag effect. AUna 6;8,nnell and y,ur ,bedient !ervant,C he b,9ed in a half faceti,u! 9ay, A9ill lead the ,perati,n in D,nd,n, "i),C 8,nald replied. Everyb,dy glanced ,ver at the beautiful bl,nde 9h, 9a! !itting at a hu)ble di!tance fr,) the di!tingui!hed leader! ,f the EDA. ,ticing that the general attenti,n ,f th,!e pre!ent 9a! being directed at her, !he ac-n,9ledged it by n,dding her head and fla!hing a char)ing !)ile at everyb,dy pre!ent and n,b,dy in particular. All the 9hile 8,nald 9a! !pea-ing her eye! never left hi! face. She li!tened 9ith a 9ar) eye f,r hi) a! he 9,r-ed ,ut the general pl,t ,f re!training the and !),thering the :u!li) attac- ,n the Eur,pean p,pulati,n, n,ting all ab,ut hi), fr,) the e2pre!!i,n ,f hi! eye! t, the 9ay that he ge!tured. She tried t, read hi! th,ught! even bef,re he !haped the) in 9,rd!. :ean9hile 8,nald re!u)ed hi! general pl,t ,f c,unter/attac-. AWe;ll ),nit,r ),!t rail9ay !tati,n! in D,nd,n and p,pular !uper)ar-et! li-e the 5arr,d!. <u!t in ca!e. Una here and )y!elf t,gether 9ith ,ur )en 9ill h,ver ab,ut cl,!e t, the Vict,ria Stati,n in all readine!!. Any9ay, 9e;ve been filled in ,n the i)pending :u!li) attac-! there by ,ur ,9n inf,r)ant!. @all the) ,ur ,9n intelligence !ervice.C 5e grinned. A:aybe it;! even ),re active and efficient than the fa),u! Sc,tland Iard.C 5e pau!ed a 9hile. ADater 9e;ll !ee 9hether it really live! up t, it! reputati,n. Any9ay, it ha!n;t g,t any valuable tip ,n u! a! yet.C "i),thy !hrugged indefinitely. AWe can;t be !, !ure ,f that. E have yet an,ther tip fr,) Wa!hingt,n. And it;! n,t entirely ,pti)i!tic. S,)e g,vern)ent! are trying t, ),nit,r ),!t ,f the EDA activitie!, but !, far, they haven;t )anaged t, get !ufficient pr,,f. Still, they have a hunch, th,ugh rather vague, that all the )aj,r anti/:u!li) ,perati,n! have been carried ,ut by a !ecret all/Eur,pean and partly A)erican ,rganiKati,n.C A8, y,u thin- 9e have underc,ver agent! in ,ur ran-!, t,,JC 8,nald a!-ed, trying t, !tay a! c,)p,!ed a! he c,uld. "i) !hrugged.

3'

ASuch a pr,bability !h,uld be ad)itted, after all. "h,ugh E -n,9 that 9e;ve ta-en every precauti,n 9e c,uld.C AWe have th,r,ughly chec-ed up ,n every per!,n 9h, j,ined ,ur ran-! and, n,r)ally, E put )y faith in all ,ur fighter!. Gut ,f c,ur!e y,u never -n,9VC 8,nald;! v,ice trailed ,ff in a puKKled uncertainty. AAny9ay, 9e are al9ay! ,n the alert.C "he )eeting ,f c,))ander! 9ent ,n in !)aller gr,up! 9h,!e ta!- 9a! elab,rating the )inute !pecific! ,f the f,rthc,)ing ,perati,n. 8,nald j,ined the gr,up that 9a! e2pected t, c,nfr,nt the ene)y under Una 6;8,nnell in the area ,f Greater D,nd,n. 8uring a !h,rt pau!e Una appr,ached 8,nald. AWhat;! all thi! tal- ab,ut ,ur having underc,ver agent! a),ng the :u!li) gun)enJC !he a!-ed. A"ell )e thi! in !traightf,r9ard )anner, 8,n.C A@uri,u! 9,)enBC he !aid. APlea!e,C !he in!i!ted. A6-ay, )y !9eet girl, there i! n, rea!,n n,t t, tru!t y,u. I,u are )y cl,!e!t fell,9/fighter after all.C 8,n;! lip! 9ere !)iling, but hi! eye! re)ained !eri,u!. AEt;! cla!!ified inf,r)ati,n, Una dear, but E;) certain y,u have the right t, -n,9 ),re ab,ut it. We have lin-! thr,ugh ,ur g,,d friend "i) t, @,l,nel 8an Av!hal,), :ilitary Attach= at the E)ba!!y ,f E!rael here in D,nd,n. 5e i! "i);! friend and ,ur! t,,, f,r that )atter. "hat;! h,9 he )anaged t, c,nvince the !eni,r ,fficer! ,f the 8a!!,) #E!rael;! Entelligence Service$ t, lend t9, ,f it! be!t agent! t, u! f,r a 9hile. "hey have )anaged t, infiltrate the ),!t i)p,rtant :u!li) terr,ri!t ,rganiKati,n. 8an Av!hal,) arranged everything ,n hi! ,9n. Gut plea!e Una, d, re)e)ber it;! !tringent t, be Huiet ab,ut it.C AI,u didn;t have t, re)ind )e ,f that la!t part, y,u -n,9, 8,n dear,C !he fla!hed a bright !)ile at hi), reached ,ver and -i!!ed hi) ,n the tip ,f hi! n,!e. "hen they j,ined their c,lleague! in further pl,tting the i)pending c,unteracti,n. When the fatal day arrived the ,perative unit ,f Una and 8,n, c,n!i!ting ,f the Griti!h, nu)bering eleven fighter!, Una and 8,n included, t,,- up their ,b!ervati,n p,!t! ,n the !treet! ne2t t, the Vict,ria Stati,n. "hey had arrived in t9, jeep!, 9hich they par-ed near the Gr,!ven,r Garden! n,t far fr,) the 7,yal :e9!. Iet an,ther ,perative gr,up ,f the EDA c,n!i!ting ,f three !turdy Ger)an! and three Etalian!, all ,f the) e2perienced fighter!, 9a! t, patr,l the area in!ide the intricate and cr,9ded Vict,ria @,ach Stati,n. "hen the gr,up ,f Una and 8,n !tarted 9al-ing d,9n Guc-ingha) Palace 7,ad t,9ard the rail9ay !tati,n. 6nce ,n the !p,t, they 9ere c,ntinu,u!ly ,n the ),ve ar,und the !tati,n in ,rder t, ta-e in a! )uch ,f the !ituati,n ar,und and in!ide the big !tati,n a! they c,uld, and )a-ing the)!elve! inc,n!picu,u! t, any ,ther ,b!erving eye pr,bably 9atching ,ut f,r the), t,,. "hey divided the)!elve! int, t9, !)aller gr,up!.

33

Gef,re they parted 8,n And Una gave a Huic-, al),!t de!perate hug t, each ,ther, their eye! glea)ing 9ith the e2cite)ent ,f )i2ed !en!ati,n! / l,ve, fear ,f 9hat )ight befall the), pride ,f each ,ther, their re!p,n!ibility and fir) deter)inati,n t, carry ,ut 9hatever they 9ere due t,. "heir heart! 9ere gall,ping )adlyN their che!t! 9ere heaving a! th,ugh they 9ere ,ut ,f breath. Gut t, a great e2tent, their feeling! 9ere ,ut9ardly c,vert f,r the eye! ,f the fell,9/fighter!. "hen une2pectedly, Una !aid !,ftly, al),!t under her breath, A8,nJC AIe!, l,veBC AAre y,u !ure 9e;ll pull it ,ff and get a9ay 9ith itJC 5e !hrugged and !)iled a little !adly. ADife c,n!i!t! ,f big bad luc- and !)all achieve)ent!, y,u -n,9. Det u! h,pe f,r the be!t at lea!t, darling.C She pre!!ed her chee- again!t hi! f,r a ),)ent, then -i!!ed hi) ,n hi! lip!. 5er lip! felt dry and 9ar). With !lightly !ad !)ile! and !,)e9hat reluctantly, they finally parted. G,th Una and 8,nald had cell ph,ne! t, !tay in c,ntact and c,,rdinate their ),ve)ent! and acti,n! in ca!e ,f need. Gut they had t, be cauti,u! in u!ing the) and 9ere c,nfined ,nly t, lac,nic e2change! in ca!e! ,f utter need. Una 9ent 9ith !i2 )ilitant! ,f her gr,up. "hey 9ere three Eri!h)en fr,) Una;! native c,unty, her ,ld friend!. She had gr,9n up t,gether 9ith the) and g,ne t, the !a)e !ch,,l. "he ,ther three 9ere t9, Au!trian girl! and a y,ung )an 9h,!e na)e 9a! Marl. All ,f the) 9ere !tudent! fr,) Vienna. "hat day Una 9a! 9earing blue jean! and a deni) jac-et ,f the !a)e c,l,r. She 9a! 9al-ing 9ith the y,ung Au!trian! 9h, !p,-e g,,d Engli!h. 5er Eri!h friend! 9al-ed behind the), -eeping a c,n!tant di!tance ,f three t, f,ur )eter!. "hey !tarted 9ith patr,lling the 5eathr,9 Airbu! !t,p in fr,nt ,f the !tati,n, lingering there f,r a half/ h,ur. Gut everything l,,-ed Huiet and they turned int, 5ud!,n;! Place, then 9al-ed d,9n Gridge Place until they e)erged at the cr,!!ing bet9een Eccle!t,n Street and Gelgrave 7,ad. Et 9a! at the ne2t cr,!!ing ,f Eccle!t,n Street and Guc-ingha) Palace 7,ad that they !p,tted the three !u!pici,u!ly l,,-ing y,ung :u!li)! 9earing l,,!e cl,the! 9ith !,)ething bulging at their belt! and under their ar)pit!. "hing! that n,r)ally did n,t catch the eye ,f ,rdinary pa!!er!/by but i))ediately put Una and her gr,up ,n the alert. "he :u!li)! 9ere heading t, the area ,f Vict,ria @,ach Stati,n. Una;! gr,up 9ent behind the), trying n,t t, catch their eye. "here 9ere Huite a fe9 ,ther pa!!er!/by ,n the !treet. "hey l,,-ed di!intere!ted in 9hat 9a! g,ing ,n ar,und the) and 9ent ab,ut their ,9n c,ncern!. When th,!e pe,ple ),ved ,ff far en,ugh Una gave a l,9 9hi!tle t, her Eri!h friend!. "hey appr,ached Una and the Au!trian )ilitant!, Huic-ening their pace. She ,nly n,dded in the directi,n ,f the :u!li)! !till 9al-ing in fr,nt ,f the) and ta-ing n, n,tice ,f the pe,ple behind the). Una !aid under her breath. A5ey, f,l-!, it;! the). SeeJ

1%%

@,)e ,n. Get ready. Det;! !plit !, that 9e d,n;t hit each ,ther in the !-ir)i!h. Ouic-B :,ve itBC 8eep in!ide !he felt pric-! ,f treacher,u! fear but tried t, c,ncentrate ),re ,n the i))ediate ta!-, trying t, l,!e that unplea!ant feeling. "hey !pread ,ut and ,pened fire ,n the :u!li)!. 6ne ,f the) 9a! hit, but the reacti,n ,f the ,ther! 9a! incredibly in!tantane,u! li-e a bl,9 ,f lightning. "hey !9iftly turned and dr,pped ,n the gr,und, re!p,nding 9ith a rapid !Huall ,f fire. Una and her )en t,,- c,ver behind the parapet ,n ,ne !ide ,f the !treet , e2cept f,r Marl. 5e 9anted t, )a-e a d,dging )aneuver but 9a! hit by a bullet in hi! head and fell ,n the !ide9al- heavily, !t,ne/dead. 8uring the !p,radic !h,,t,ut that f,ll,9ed in Huic- r,und! Una ,cca!i,nally ca!t furtive glance! at Marl;! ),ti,nle!! b,dy 9ith a painful !en!ati,n ,f heavy l,!!, alth,ugh !he hardly -ne9 hi). 5e lay ,n hi! !ide. 5i! blue eye!, 9ith a l,,- ,f childi!h !urpri!e fr,Ken in the) in dead frigidity, !tared at n,thing in particular. At lea!t ,ne ,f the :u!li)! 9a! dead t,,, !he th,ught. Gut thi! th,ught gave her n, c,)f,rt at all. 5er ne2t th,ught!, ju!t f,r a !plit !ec,nd 9ent ,ut t, 8,nald. @,ld fear f,r hi! life gripped her nerve!, and !he 9a! te)pted t, u!e her ph,ne cell t, )a-e !ure he 9a! alive and !,und but then th,ught better ,f it. ,9 her th,ught! 9ere di!rupted by the fierce !h,,t,ut raging in the !treet. "he Eri!h 9ere c,ncentrated ,n trying t, hit the :u!li)! 9h,!e gun! 9ere bar-ing fr,) behind the ne2t c,rner. "he Au!trian girl! 9ere cr,uching behind the ledge ,f the parapet and t,,- their ai) carefully, in a diligent atte)pt t, hit their target! a! accurately a! they c,uld. "hey 9ere 9ell/trainedN and they behaved in a )atter/,f/fact 9ay. "h,ugh n,9, a large part ,f their previ,u! r,)antic fa!cinati,n evap,rated in the face ,f the hard reality. "he hectic !h,,t,ut 9ent ,n in Guc-ingha) Palace 7,ad, n,9 e)pty ,f any ca!ual pa!!er!/by. 8,nald led the ,ther three ,perative!. "hey all began their patr,lling at !i2 ,;cl,c- in the ),rning. "hi! ,perati,n, 9hatever it )ight c,)e d,9n t,, )eant lengthy leg9,r- and utterly e2erting their ,b!erving p,9er!. "heir c,llar! 9ere up and half hid their face!, their ba!eball cap! ,f an indefinite c,l,r !at !, l,9 ,ver the eyebr,9! that the l,ng pea-! hid their eye! al),!t c,)pletely fr,) f,rtuit,u! ,r curi,u! glance! ,f pa!!er!/by. "hey 9ere carrying gun! 9ith !ilencer!, hand/grenade!, and l,ng hunting -nive!. All that 9a! neatly and rati,nally hidden in!ide their cl,the!, but al9ay! 9ithin g,,d reach. "hey 9ere al!, careful n,t t, catch the eye ,f the p,lice and re)ained inc,n!picu,u!, )elting a9ay in the nu)er,u! ),tley cr,9d! )illing in and ar,und the !tati,n. "hey 9ere e!pecially 9atchful ,f all that l,,-ed !u!pici,u!, even ,rdinary l,,-ing :u!li)! that 9ere hanging ab,ut there. And they 9ere nu)er,u!N )any ,f the) f,ll,9ing the r,utine ,f their u!ual daily activitie! !uch a! cleaning, 9,r-ing at eating/j,int!, !h,p!, ,r pu!hing drug!, u!ing au!pici,u! ),)ent!. 8,nald and the ,ther three )ilitant! -ept in!ide the big !tati,n, 9atching

1%1

the :u!li)! 9h, 9ere ea!y t, identify. "he )aj,rity ,f the) 9ere Guc-ie! 9h, pre!ented !,)e difficulty in identificati,n becau!e they l,,-ed li-e n,n/:u!li)! fr,) the !a)e part ,f the 9,rld. 8,n and hi! )en t,,- a ca!ual glance in the directi,n ,f the platf,r) 9here a large cr,9d ,f pa!!enger! 9a! getting ,ff fr,) the ne9ly arrived train. Et 9a! then that they !p,tted a gr,up ,f Ereb/l,,-ing guy! 9h, 9al-ed ca!ually al,ng the platf,r), -eeping cl,!ely t,gether. "here 9ere f,ur ,f the). And they 9ere carrying briefca!e!, ca!ting re!tle!! glance! ar,und. Et 9a! thi! gr,up that i))ediately riveted the attenti,n ,f 8,n and hi! gr,up. "he Ereb/l,,-ing guy! entered the large hall ,f the !tati,n. 8,n and hi! pe,ple 9ere trying t, -eep inc,n!picu,u!ly behind the). "hey caught !,)e frag)ent! ,f their c,nver!ati,n that 9a! !p,-en in l,9 v,ice! and, at fir!t, it 9a! difficult t, rec,gniKe the language. Gut after a !h,rt 9hile 8,n caught the !,und! ),re clearly. "he )en 9ere !pea-ing fluent, th,ugh !,)e9hat )uffled Ereb. Suddenly they !t,pped ne2t t, a large gr,up ,f f,reign t,uri!t! 9h, 9ere pr,bably 9aiting f,r their guide t, lead the) ,n. Et 9a! a gr,up ,f Ger)an !pea-ing )en and 9,)en. Ab,ut fifty ,f the), ,r even ),re. "he Ereb! 9ere n,9 !, cl,!e t, the gr,up that it )ight be i)p,!!ible t, ,pen fire ,n the), in ca!e ,f need, 9ith,ut hitting the t,uri!t!. 8,n ),ti,ned t, hi! )en t, ),ve cl,!er t, li!ten t, hi). "hen he !aid Huic-ly in a l,9 v,ice, hi! eye! narr,9ed li-e t9, icy !lit!, hard and c,ld, AD,,- ,ut, guy!B We !ee) t, have P,ur )en; ,ver there. "hey pr,bably have e2pl,!ive! and are ai)ing at the t,uri!t!. We;ll neutraliKe the) 9ith gun!. @,)e ,nB :,ve itBC "hey !lipped cl,!er t, the Ereb!, fa!t and unn,ticed by th,!e. Each ,f the) had ch,!en hi! target and !t,,d n,9 e2actly behind the terr,ri!t!, cl,!ely ),nit,ring each ,f their ),ve)ent!. "he un!u!pecting Ger)an t,uri!t! didn;t n,tice anything at all. "heir guide, a tall 9,)an 9ith bl,nd hair had ju!t arrived and they 9ere ,n the p,int ,f ),ving t, ,ne ,f the platf,r)!, pr,bably intending t, b,ard the train b,und f,r the t,9n ,f 7,che!ter in Ment. "hi! 9a! the ),)ent ,f truth f,r the terr,ri!t!. "he Huic- and preci!e ),ve)ent! ,f their hand! gave a9ay their )aneuver! ai)ed at putting in acti,n the e2pl,!ive! fi2ed in their belt!. What f,ll,9ed t,,- ,nly a !plit !ec,nd. "he da)ped !h,t! !,unded li-e dry clic-! in the air and 9ere nearly dr,9ned in the general hubbub ,f the !tati,n. "he f,ur Ereb!, !, f,r)idable a ),)ent ag,, !an- d,9n ,n the gr,und clu)!ily, !uddenly bec,)ing lifele!! f,r)! li-e f,ur hefty !ac-! ,f r,tten p,tat,e!. "hey had tiny h,le! in the bac-! ,f their head!, but in place ,f face! had bl,tche! ,f t,rn fle!h 9ith )i2ed !pla!he! ,f bl,,d and brain that 9ere !eeping fr,) the h,rrible 9,und!. 6nly n,9 the Ger)an t,uri!t! !p,tted the f,ur )utilated c,rp!e! right behind the) and !tarted !ta)peding fr,) the place in h,rr,r, the 9,)en terr,r/!tric-en and yelling at the t,p ,f their v,ice!, the )en !tunned and c,nfu!ed. Gy ,ne ,f the bl,,d!tained c,rp!e! hi! eyeball! had !prung ,ut fr,) the !,c-et! and lay in the puddle ,f bl,,d )i2ed 9ith the !cattered brain pulp. Availing the)!elve! ,f the general cha,! and tu)ult cau!ed by thi! turn ,f event!, 8,n and hi! gr,up )anaged t, leave the !tati,n inc,n!picu,u!ly, )ingling 9ith the cr,9d. "hey 9ent

1%&

,ut ,f their 9ay t, l,,- uni)pa!!i,ned and di!played n, ha!te t, leave. ,b,dy had n,ticed anything !u!pici,u! ab,ut the). En !everal )inute!; ti)e they left the !tati,n and f,und the)!elve! !tanding ,n the !treet in fr,nt ,f the )ain entrance t, the !tati,n, di!believing their ,9n luc-. Suddenly their attenti,n 9a! attracted by !,)ething g,ing ,n in the !treet ar,und the c,rner. "hey heard reverberating rep,rt! ,f rapid !h,t! and even e2pl,!i,n! ,f hand/ grenade!. "hey ha!tened in the directi,n ,f the !-ir)i!h. "hey didn;t even have )uch ti)e t, e2change 9,rd! ab,ut it. "hey !i)ply ran li-e the ,ther pe,ple ar,und the) did. 6nly the )aj,rity ,f the) 9ere running in the ,pp,!ite directi,n, trying t, di!tance the)!elve! fr,) the ,ng,ing fire engage)ent. When 8,nald and hi! )en e)erged fr,) behind the c,rner int, Guc-ingha) Palace 7,ad they at ,nce t,,- in the !ituati,n. Una;! ,perative gr,up 9a! being engaged in the fire e2change 9ith a large gr,up ,f :u!li)!. G,th c,)bating gr,up! 9ere ta-ing c,ver 9herever they c,uld, trying t, h,ld their p,!iti,n! in a 9ay that 9,uld enable the) t, ta-e a better ai) at each ,ther. 8,n and hi! gr,up cr,uched li-e feline! bef,re they !prung 9hen they !a9 their prey. A heavy )achine/gun fire rattled ,ver their head!, )a-ing the) cr,uch !till l,9er. Piece! ,f pla!ter and !harp frag)ent! ,f gla!! fr,) 9ind,9pane! rained d,9n ,n the) fr,) the 9all behind the). Et 9a! difficult t, define 9here Una and her )en 9ere at thi! particular ),)ent. A hand/grenade e2pl,ded ne2t t, the parapet behind 9hich they had ta-en c,ver. 6nce again the !plinter!, thi! ti)e ,f the grenade, 9hiKKed right ab,ve their head!, cau!ing the) t, duc- cl,!er t, the gr,und. 8uring a !h,rt/lived lull they caught !ight ,f a fe9 :u!li)/l,,-ing )en 9h, 9ere h,lding their p,!iti,n in a !h,p/9ind,9 9h,!e gla!! had been !hattered, and the !ide/9al- in fr,nt ,f it 9a! !,9n 9ith p,9dered gla!! in pr,fu!i,n. "he di!tance t, the!e :u!li) gun)en did n,t e2ceed a d,Ken feet. 8,n !a9 the advantage fir!t / the :u!li)! had n,t di!c,vered the) yet. While their attenti,n 9a! t,tally ta-en up by their adver!arie! d,9n the !treet, 8,n n,dded t, hi! )en and they ,pened fire fr,) their )uffled gun!. "he :u!li)! did n,t e2pect that and g,t c,nfu!ed. "hi! pr,ved fatal f,r the). "9, ,f the) tipped ,ver and fell d,9n ,n their face!. "hey ),ved n, l,nger. Gut the ,ther! retreated int, the !h,p and !tarted firing fr,) there. Gut their fire )i!!ed the ne9 ene)y 9h, had -illed t9, ,f their c,)pani,n!. "hey had been !even. ,9 five ,f the) re)ained alive. And Seli) 9a! ,ne ,f their nu)ber. 5e 9a! their c,))ander and n,ticed that hi! gr,up had g,tten bet9een t9, ene)y gr,up!. "hey didn;t have )uch a))uniti,n left. Seli) decided it 9a! ti)e t, retreat t, !afety. Gut it did n,t l,,- that ea!y. "heir adver!arie! 9ere !till h,lding their p,!iti,n fr,) 9here they -ept thi! part ,f Guc-ingha) Palace 7,ad under fire. "hey had t9, hand/grenade! left. :aybe they;ll !erve a! a di!tracting fact,r, he th,ught. ", hi! c,)rade! he !aid, A6h, )y Seid!B Det;! thr,9 ,ur grenade! at the infidel! and then ),ve fa!t en,ugh t, get ,ut ,f here. We are !h,rt ,f a))uniti,n and can;t aff,rd t, !tay here l,nger. @,)e ,nBC

1%3

Seli) and ,ne ,f the ,ther gun)en !h,9ed the)!elve! in a !plit !ec,nd fr,) behind the br,-en !h,p 9ind,9, !9ung bac- their ar)! 9ith grenade!, and thre9 the) vig,r,u!ly at 8,n;! gr,up. "9, al),!t !i)ultane,u! bla!t! r,c-ed the earth, !ending cl,ud! ,f !),-e and !plinter! that vici,u!ly 9hiKKed thr,ugh the air, !tri-ing the !ide9all ,f the !tati,n. Seli) and hi! )en cr,uched and t,,- t, their heel!, u!ing the ),)entary c,nfu!i,n ari!en in 8,n;! gr,up. "he :u!li)! )anaged t, l,!e the)!elve! r,und the neare!t c,rner, leaving their dead c,)rade! behind. 8uring the deafening bla!t! ,f the t9, grenade! a frag)ent hit ,ne ,f 8,n;! )en, 9,unding hi) in the fle!h ,f hi! right ar). 5e 9a! h,lding the 9,und 9ith hi! left hand, 9hile 8,n 9a! pr,ducing a bandage fr,) hi! !pecial -itbag that 9a! dangling ,n hi! hip. 5e tended t, the )ilitant;! 9,und, !,ftly cur!ing under hi! breath, A8a)n itB "he a!!h,le! are g,neB 8,n;t ),ve, <,hn, E )u!t fir!t di!infect y,ur 9,und and dre!! it !ecurely.C "he !h,,t,ut d,9n the Guc-ingha) Place 7,ad !t,pped t,,, and bef,re 8,n fini!hed dre!!ing <,hn;! 9,und they heard the 9arning v,ice! ,f Una and her )ilitant! appr,aching the) fr,) behind the parapet. When they )et, Una !aid they had l,!t a fighter during the previ,u! e2change ,f fire, and ,ne ,f their )en 9a! 9,unded t,, but !till c,uld 9al-. "hey heard heavy e2pl,!i,n! fr,) the Vict,ria @,ach Stati,n.. "he !,und! pr,bably ca)e fr,) bla!t! ,f clu!ter b,)b!. Suddenly, they heard a di!tant r,ar ,f p,9erful engine! that !ee)ed t, be appr,aching the) 9ith every !ec,nd. 8,n u!ed hi! bin,cular! t, ta-e a l,,- at 9hat 9a! happening d,9n the !treet. AEt;! ar),red vehicle! ,f the Griti!h regular ar)yBC 5e e2clai)ed. Det;! beat it, f,l-!B @,)e ,nB :,ve itBC With,ut 9a!ting 9,rd! the 9h,le gr,up !printed f,r their jeep! par-ed near the 7,yal :e9!. <u!t ,n ti)e bef,re the ar)y vehicle! reached the area 9here the !h,,t,ut bet9een the gr,up ,f 8,n and Una and Seli);! :u!li)! had ta-en place. "he jeep! 9ere !till par-ed 9here they had left the) and appeared intact. "hey rapidly g,t in and gunned the) int, a t,p !peed. Gy the ti)e the ar),red vehicle! carrying !,ldier! ca)e t, a !t,p t, ta-e in the !ituati,n, they !a9 a l,t ,f de!tructi,n but n, trace 9hatever ,f the d,er! the)!elve! 9h, had di!appeared li-e ),rning f,g in the field!. "he )ilitary and p,lice ch,pper! fle9 ,ver the area! ,f Guc-ingha) Palace 7,ad, Vict,ria Stati,n, and Vict,ria @,ach Stati,n 9ith,ut really di!c,vering th,!e 9h, had left the trace! ,f c,)bat. <u!t li-e in the ,ther area! ,f D,nd,n 9here a !h,rt 9hile ag, !uch !h,,t,ut! had been raging. "he auth,ritie! 9ere 9aiting f,r the fir!t re!ult! ,f the careful in!pecti,n ,f the dead b,die! ,f the -illed.

1%(

At the !a)e ti)e !i)ilar devel,p)ent! 9ere rep,rted in vari,u! area! ,f D,nd,n 9ith ),re advantage f,r the EDA in !,)e place!. "he :u!li) gun)en prevailed el!e9here. "here 9ere ca!ualtie! ,n b,th !ide!, but i))ediately after the end ,f h,!tilitie! their nu)ber 9a! !till un-n,9n until later. 6n the territ,ry ,f the Diverp,,l Street Stati,n the EDA )ilitant! )anaged t, avert the terr,ri!t act by being the fir!t t, attac-. At :aryleb,ne and Ming;! @r,!!, the !uicide -iller! ble9 the)!elve! up, -illing appr,2i)ately a hundred pe,ple in the !tati,n hall! and da)aging 9h,ever and 9hatever happened t, be 9ithin the radiu! ,f acti,n ,f the clu!ter b,)b! they had u!ed. <u!t li-e at the Vict,ria @,ach Stati,n 9here at lea!t ,ne ,f the b,)ber! !ucceeded in det,nating hi! clu!ter b,)b, -illing !everal and 9,unding d,Ken! ,f pe,ple ar,und hi). "he patr,lling EDA )ilitant! -illed the ,ther t9, right ,n ti)e, bef,re the terr,ri!t gun)en c,uld det,nate their!. Gut !,,n, all the )ilitant! 9ere ,bliged t, leave the !cene in ha!te becau!e ,f the arrival ,f the !tate !,ldier!. At the !tati,n! ,f Paddingt,n, Eu!t,n, St. Pancra!, and the 5arr,d! e)p,riu) in Mnight!bridge the :u!li) gun)en 9ere neutraliKed and unable t, inflict ),re da)age. Gut there 9a! a !h,,t,ut and ca!ualtie! ,n b,th !ide!. "he ne2t day the 9h,le city ,f D,nd,n 9a! buKKing li-e ,ne big hive ,f angry bee!. "he )a!! )edia 9ere !pea-ing ab,ut the !i)ilar devel,p)ent! in ,ther Eur,pean c,untrie!, e!pecially .rance and Ger)any. :any big citie! / !uch a! Pari!, :ar!eille!, Dy,n!, Gru!!el!, Gerlin, 5a)burg, :unich, and Vienna / 9ere inv,lved, acc,rding t, the )edia, in heavy battle! bet9een :u!li) )ilitant! and an un-n,9n para)ilitary ,rganiKati,n acting again!t the :u!li)! in Eur,pe. :any !peculati,n! ,n that !c,re 9ere e2changed by nu)er,u! analy!t! and j,urnali!t!, u!ually ubiHuit,u!, 9h, e2pre!!ed their regret f,r n,t being able t, 9atch the !cene! ,f !-ir)i!he!. :,!tly, they had n, clue t, 9here and 9hen ,ne !h,uld e2pect the). "he g,vern)ent tr,,p! u!ually arrived at the h,t !p,t! t,, late. "hey 9ere carefully av,ided by b,th c,)bating !ide! and left the !cene at the fir!t !ight ,f !,ldier! and their vehicle!, let al,ne the ch,pper!. Gut thi! did n,t happen f,r the fir!t ti)e. "he enig)atic and eva!ive Eur,pean para)ilitarie! re)ained in the !had,9. "he cl,!e!t e2a)inati,n ,f the dead b,die! ,f the fallen yielded !, far ,nly !canty re!ult!. Gut they )ade it ,bvi,u! en,ugh any9ay that ),!t ,f the -illed para)ilitarie! 9ere f,reigner! fr,) Eur,pe and the :iddle Ea!t. @5AP"E7 1? Gilly S-elint,n thre9 hi! ch,pper int, a !udden !teep !piral, gaKing d,9n ,n the gray r,cf,r)ati,n! ,f the Sierra evada that !ee)ed ),ving bac-9ard far bel,9 the belly ,f the p,9erful r,aring )achine. "here f,ll,9ed n, pr,te!t! fr,) the t9, )en acc,)panying hi) ,n thi! ),nit,ring flight al,ng the Spani!h c,a!tline bet9een the ),untain! and the va!t !pace ,f the !ea d,tted 9ith tiny 9hite !pec-! ,f f,a). Gilly S-elint,n;! eye! !hifted their

1%0

gaKe t, the !urface ,f the !ea that he !earched a 9hile. "hen he half turned hi! blac-, g,,d/ natured face t,9ard hi! c,)pani,n! and grinned happily, feeling in hi! ,9n ele)ent. Mevin PiKKicat, !h,9ed hi! teeth fr,) hi! hel)eted face in a re!p,ndent grin and thre9 up hi! thu)b a! a !ign ,f under!tanding and !haring Gilly;! plea!ure. "he third )an, a burly, p,9erfully built, and rather c,)p,!ed native ,f the !uburb! ,f @hicag, 9h,!e na)e 9a! Patric- M,9al!-i re)ained unre!p,n!ive, in acc,rdance 9ith hi! !t,lid nature. "he ch,pper c,ntinued t, f,ll,9 it! c,ur!e al,ng the c,a!t t,9ard :alaga and Gibraltar, di!playing it! !puri,u! in!ignia ,f the Spani!h Air .,rce f,r th,!e 9h, )ight be intere!ted. Given the ti)e ,f early !pring in :arch 9ith it! !p,radic !h,9er!, the 9,uld/be ,b!erver! 9ere !carcely pre!ent ,n the endle!!, fa),u! beache! ,f S,uthern Andalu!ia , e2cept f,r Huite a fe9 tiny in!ect/li-e hu)an figure! ,f l,ne !9i))er! 9h, 9ere hardened en,ugh t, venture int, the !ea. Meeping hi! eye !teadily ,n the r,ugh !urface ,f the !ea, Gilly S-elint,n;! th,ught! 9ent bac- t, hi! 9ife in Atlanta. 5e 9,uld have )i!!ed 8iddy 8,, and -id! Huite terribly if it 9ere n,t f,r hi! Ababy,C the p,9erful Apache gun!hip that 9a! perfectly ,bedient t, hi! !lighte!t ),ve)ent ,f c,ntr,l. "he retired @,))ander Gilly S-elint,n u!ed t, be a uniHue helic,pter pil,t ,n b,ard the USS A@hattan,,gaC during the unf,rgettable year! ,f hi! !ervice 9ith the :arine SHuadr,n ,n that gigantic aircraft/carrier. Gilly S-elint,n grinned at hi! ,9n )e),rie!. 5e had !erved during the .ir!t Gulf War and later. 5i! c,)bat e2perience 9a! en,r),u!. And thi! Apache AbabyC 9a! al),!t hi! ,9n creati,n, given the fact it had been br,ught d,9n 9ith a !tray )i!!ile ,ver the territ,ry ,f Mubatta but )iracul,u!ly re)ained 9h,le , e2cept f,r it! belly. Gilly had )anaged t, ta-e p,!!e!!i,n ,f it due t, hi! g,,d c,nnecti,n! in the right place!. 5e had !pent hi! free h,ur!, repairing the da)aged part! by re),ving and !ub!tituting the) 9ith g,,d ,ne! ta-en fr,) a c,uple ,f ,ther d,9ned ch,pper!. En fact, he had !ignificantly i)pr,ved it in c,)pari!,n 9ith the !tandard helic,pter! ,f thi! cla!!. 5e had finally )anaged t, put it int, 9,r-ing ,rder. "hi! ch,pper had bec,)e !,rt ,f a fa)ily )e)ber f,r hi) and al),!t a! dear. :aybe even a! )uch a! 8iddy 8,, and the -id!. 5e 9a! n,t Huite !ure ,f that. Any9ay he 9a! pr,ud ,f it li-e a happy parent and ,ften called it AbabyC. Gilly 9a! an ea!y/g,ing guy, and everyb,dy li-ed hi). Gut ever !ince the .ir!t Gulf War 9hen he had l,!t hi! be!t friend 9h, had been ta-en pri!,ner by the Gabyl,nian! and t,rtured t, death Gilly 9,uld never f,rgive it t, the). S,)ething changed in hi), and th,ugh he re)ained the !a)e agreeable guy 9h, 9,uld ea!ily laugh and !hare j,-e! 9ith friend! deep in!ide he cheri!hed a feeling ),!t unu!ual and uncharacteri!tic ,f hi). 5e 9a! careful never t, !h,9 it in fr,nt ,f ,ther pe,ple. "hi! feeling 9a! an al),!t ),rbid de!ire ,f revenge. En the dar-e!t rece!!e! ,f hi! !,ul a !c,rching hatred had ta-en r,,t that never let g,. :u!li)!B 5e hated their very gut!. E2cept that he )anaged t, put ,n an air ,f !,)e,ne 9h, did n,t care )uch. Gut the painful 9,und in!ide hi) 9a! gna9ing at hi) 9henever he !tayed al,ne and c,nte)plated the pa!t that 9a! )ercile!!.

1%L

Gac- in the State! he had bec,)e ,ne ,f the ),!t active ,rganiKer! and pr,),ter! ,f a ne9 p,litical and !i)ultane,u!ly religi,u! ),ve)ent a),ng blac- pe,ple / the Glac@ru!ader!. At fir!t thi! ,rganiKati,n c,n!i!ted ,f the blac- veteran! ,f that Gulf War. "hen, gradually, due t, !er),n! held by blac- veteran e2/chaplain! in churche! 9ith blac- pari!he! it began t, gr,9, 9ith ne9, y,unger )e)ber! j,ining the ),ve)ent. "hey 9ere ,pp,!ed t, E!la) ide,l,gically and in ter)! ,f @hri!tian religi,n. S,)eti)e! even h,!tilitie! br,-e ,ut bet9een the Glac- @ru!ader! and blac- :u!li)!. Gut it 9a! al9ay! the blac- :u!li)! 9h, 9ere the real tr,uble)a-er!. Gilly S-elint,n had a p,9erful 9hite friend 9h, enj,yed !,)e influence in Wa!hingt,n. Et 9a! n,ne ,ther than "i),thy @raig 9h, had under!tanding and !y)pathy 9ith the ),ve)ent. Gilly ,rganiKed hi! lecture! f,r )e)ber! ,f the @ru!ader!;! ),ve)ent and blacchurchg,er!. "hu!, "i),thy and Gilly had bec,)e i)p,rtant lin-! in the gr,9ing anti/E!la) net9,r- ,n b,th !ide! ,f the Atlantic 6cean. Gilly;! c,)pani,n! ,n b,ard the ch,pper Mevin PiKKicat, and Patric- M,9al!-i had their ,9n per!,nal rea!,n! t, hate the :u!li)!. Mevin;! elder br,ther, t,,, had been ta-en pri!,ner in Gabel and t,rtured t, death. "he br,ther! had an Etalian father and an Eri!h ),ther. 5ence the y,unger b,y;! fir!t na)e 9a!, in a 9ay, a tribute t, their ),ther;! Eri!h bac-gr,und. Mevin;! fa)ily lived in @hattac,la, Alaba)a. G,th br,ther! had been very cl,!e t, each ,ther, and the elder br,ther;! painful death / acc,rding t, 9itne!!e! he had been t,rtured 9ith 9hite/h,t ir,n that had been thru!t fir!t int, hi! gr,in and then int, hi! eye!,c-et!. "he !ilent and !,)e9hat !,)ber Patric- M,9al!-i 9a! ,lder than Mevin and, li-e Gilly, had per!,nally ta-en part in the .ir!t Gulf War and ta-en pri!,ner. 5e had al9ay! preferred t, -eep Huiet ab,ut hi! ,9n ,rdeal, but Gilly and Mevin had !een terrible !car! fr,) burn! and vici,u! la!he! cau!ed by !,)ething li-e a )etal r,d. 5e 9a! al9ay! un9illing t, tal- ab,ut it, and hi! friend! !pared hi! feeling!. 5i! pent/up hatred 9a! !, furi,u! that it had l,ng gr,9n int, !,)ething nearly palpable. 5e c,uldn;t !tand the very !ight ,f native! ,f the :iddle Ea!t and it c,!t hi) great eff,rt! t, -eep hi! danger,u!ly revengeful rage in chec- n,t t, !trangle 9ith hi! p,9erful hand! any :u!li) he happened t, run int,. ,9 he 9a! in charge ,f the t9, )achine/gun! ,n b,ard thi! gun!hip. And Mevin 9a! t, handle the deadly guided )i!!ile! they 9ere carrying under the belly ,f the ch,pper. ", Gilly;! cre9 all the :u!li)! 9ere the int,lerable gl,bal evil that !h,uld be r,,ted ,ut unc,nditi,nally, n, )atter 9here they 9ere ,r t, 9hat c,ncrete :u!li) nati,n they bel,nged. Gel,9 the) earth and !ea !tretched a9ay li-e a gigantic ge,graphical )ap until they )et the h,riK,n in the haKy blue di!tance. "he ch,pper 9a! n,9 appr,aching a va!t !cattering ,f h,u!e! far bel,9 the). A:alagaBC Gilly ann,unced, turning t, hi! friend! and !h,9ing the faultle!!ly even r,9 ,f !tr,ng, daKKlingly 9hite teeth in a childi!h grin. "he ,ther! n,dded in

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ac-n,9ledge)ent. Gilly thre9 the ch,pper in a deep !piral again and !9erved ),re inland t, av,id the radar in!tallati,n! ,r any ,ther ,b!ervati,n p,!t!. 5e decided t, be ,n the !afe !ide ,n that !c,re. 5i! c,lleague! )utely !hared the rea!,n ,f hi! )aneuver and 9ere eyeing the picture bel,9 the) 9ith !,)e degree ,f curi,!ity. 6n the !tarb,ard the r,c-y ),untain! 9ere hardly vi!ible thr,ugh a !lightly vi,let haKe. "he ch,pper 9a! )a-ing a 9ide r,undab,ut l,,p, it! p,9erful pr,peller! r,tating in a furi,u! r,ar. Gilly 9a! ,bvi,u!ly )a-ing ha!te t, return t, the c,a!tline a! !,,n a! the city ,f :alaga 9a! behind their bac-!. "he vibrati,n in the c,c-pit gre9 a! Gilly S-elint,n !tarted t, perf,r) yet an,ther )aneuver t, appr,ach the c,a!tline again. "hen the ch,pper f,ll,9ed it! u!ual r,ute, it! cre9 ),nit,ring cl,!ely the !urface ,f the !ea. .r,) ti)e t, ti)e, they 9ere f,ll,9ing the late!t ne9! fr,) the fr,nt! in Gabel ,ver the radi, !,unding in their earph,ne!. "hey felt a little fru!trated hearing the !t,rie! fr,) there. Gut they 9ere reali!t! in p,!!e!!i,n ,f a rich )ilitary e2perience dra9n fr,) the !a)e area at lea!t a decade ag,. S, they did n,t really e2pect a fa!t vict,ry f,r the allied f,rce! that !,,n. Gut there 9a! !,)ething ne9 t,,. Suicide attac-! ,n the A)erican tr,,p! carried ,ut by the !tupid fanatic! 9h, h,ped t, -ill t9, bird! 9ith ,ne !t,ne. "hey h,ped t, !erve their c,untry and it! )ad and ruthle!! ruler 5u!!ein G,u!liyah ,n the ,ne hand, and 9ere i)patient t, !cre9 the virginal 9h,re! ,f the :u!li) paradi!e !,,n en,ugh ,n the ,ther. Gilly and hi! friend! -ne9 the reality ,nly t,, 9ell. And it 9a! n,t ,nly ab,ut the darned Gabyl,nian!. Et 9a! ab,ut the 9h,le regi,n ,f a!!h,le!. "a-e the Phili!tine!B 8idn;t they practice the !a)e thing! that did n,t l,,- hu)anJ And ju!t i)agine that all th,!e v,cifer,u! brainle!! herd! ,f Eur,pean and A)erican a!!h,le! a! 9ell a! their un!crupul,u! leader! dared t, !upp,rt the night)are ,f fa!ci!t :u!li) rule. "he !cu) 9a! ,nly g,,d t, be )achine/gunnedB :ean9hile the ch,pper 9a! appr,aching Gibraltar. "hey !tarted t, gue!! thi! patr,l flight 9,uld end up a! uneventful a! it had been 9hen they began their flight! a 9ee- ag,. Et 9a! then that Gilly caught ,ut ,f the c,rner ,f hi! eye a gli)p!e ,f !,)ething that !ee)ed ),ving farther ,ff!h,re. .r,) thi! di!tance the tiny ,bject! re)inded ,ne ,f t9, blac- d,t! b,bbing danger,u!ly a),ng the bill,9! ,f the r,ugh !ea. Gilly !tarted t, l,9er the ch,pper and, turning t, hi! friend!, indicated the b,bbing d,t! 9ith hi! f,refinger. "hey n,dded in c,nfir)ati,n. Mevin;! v,ice !,unded tinny in Gilly;! earph,ne! 9hen he !aid, A5ey, S-ipperB <u!t l,,- 9h, 9e are having d,9n thereB G,dda)ned :,r,ccan a!!h,le! heading t, a !9eeter life in Eur,pe after they;ve failed t, )a-e it !9eet en,ugh in their ,9n fuc-ing c,untry. , 9ayB Get the ch,pper cl,!er t, the), S-ipperB We;ll get the fuc-ing a!!h,le! by their fuc-ing ball! fa!t, if y,u -n,9 9hat E )ean.C AGet ready, guy!BC Gilly !h,uted int, the )i-e. 5e !h,t the 9,rd! at the) and clenched hi! teeth. "here 9ere n, !hip! ,r ,ther aircraft 9ithin !ight , e2cept f,r the t9, b,at!. 5e br,ught the ch,pper t, a h,vering p,!iti,n at an angle fr,) the t9, :,r,ccan b,at! pac-ed 9ith pe,ple. .r,) their c,ur!e and p,!iti,n in preci!ely thi! part ,f the Spani!h

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territ,rial 9ater! it 9a! ,bvi,u! that they 9ere heading f,r the Spani!h !h,re. Ellegal!B :,!t ,f the) )en. .re!h f,rce! t, j,in their fifth c,lu)n in Eur,pe. We;ll !h,9 the) a better life, Gilly th,ught bitterly, cur!ing under hi! breath. Al,ud he !aid, AGuy!, i! the target clear/cut en,ugh f,r y,uJC AI,u betBC Mevin !aid. 5e 9a! the fir!t t, fire the )i!!ile!. "he re!t 9a! Pat;! bu!ine!!. "he c,pper 9ent int, a !piral and !l,9ly ca)e t, h,ver right ab,ve the b,at! again. "he )en in the b,at! 9ere 9ildly ge!ticulating. Pr,bably they th,ught it 9a! !,)e -ind ,f 9elc,)e c,))i!!i,n !et up t, greet the) and help the) a!h,re. "he ch,pper dr,pped l,9er. ,9 they !a9 that the pa!!enger! ,f the b,at! 9ere !h,uting !,)ething. 5,9 !tupid, Gilly th,ught. 8,n;t the :u!li) a!!h,le! !ee that 9e can;t hear the)J "he )en in the b,at! c,ntinued t, ge!ticulate de!perately. ,9 the ch,pper 9a! hanging right ab,ve their head!. A.ireBC Gilly !aid t, Mevin thr,ugh the clenched teeth. AAye, aye, !irBC Mevin replied and fired the fir!t )i!!ile. Et !truc- the b,at preci!ely a)id!hip!, and it di!appeared in a !h,rt/lived fiery c,lu)n ,f 9hite !),-e )i2ed 9ith !ea 9ater, 9hich r,!e li-e a gh,!t ab,ve the !urface t, i))ediately di!per!e, leaving 9rec-age and blac- head! b,bbing up and d,9n ,n the dancing 9ave!. Mevin fired the !ec,nd )i!!ile, 9hich hit it! target, !ending a cl,ud ,f !),-e and debri! high int, the air and t,!!ing the) bac- int, the 9ater. A ,9 y,u, PatBC Gilly !aid. "he heavy Gatling )achine/gun !tarted it! deadly 9,r- in !h,rt bar-ing r,und!, 9ith each r,und hitting the blac- head! that 9ere b,bbing ,n the 9ave!. "hi! ti)e, in!tead ,f the gh,!tly c,lu)n!, the head! di!appeared under the rippled !ea !urface never t, ree)erge and leaving !hapele!! red !p,t! ,n the face ,f the !ea. Patric-;! e2pre!!i,n 9a! deter)ined and )alici,u!, hi! teeth clenched li-e a vice, hi! eye! narr,9ed int, t9, !plit! ,f hell/fire. "hi! 9a! hi! ),)ent ,f truth. At la!tB When n, ),re head! 9ere vi!ible ,n the b,iling !urface ,f the !ea the freHuent bar-ing ,f the Gatling )achine/gun r,und! inter9,ven in the deafening general fabric ,f the n,i!e )ade by the engine ,f the gun!hip !t,pped, leaving !,l, the din ,f the p,9erful r,t,r!. "he ,nly indicati,n ,f 9hat had happened 9a! the 9ide reddi!h !p,t! rapidly di!!,lving in the brine. Mevin !aid, hi! lip! curving int, a !c,rnful grin, AI,u can bet y,ur b,tt,) d,llar that the fuc-ing !har-! 9,n;t find the :u!li) fle!h delici,u!.C ,b,dy an!9ered. "he ch,pper, ,bedient t, the !lighte!t ),ve)ent ,f the pil,t;! hand, began t, thread it! 9ay bac- t, the !h,re. Everyb,dy ,n it! b,ard !an- deep in hi)!elf, trying t, figure ,ut the )ea!ure ,f the tragedy that had happened ju!t ),)ent! ag, and that 9a! partly their ,9n tragedy. "hey ,nly had !hared it 9ith th,!e 9h,) they c,n!idered their

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per!,nal !9,rn f,e! de!pite the fact that they had never !een the) bef,re. Gilly;! v,ice ca)e bac- t, life in the earph,ne!, AGuy!, than- y,u f,r y,ur c,,perati,nBC Et 9a! Mevin 9h, replied, , !9eat, S-ipper. "han- y,u, t,,. I,ur part ,f the 9,r- 9a! !plendid. Pity 9e can;t rid the 9,rld ,f all ,f the).C A"hat 9,uld be Hualified a! gen,cide by the fuc-ing tribunal at "he 5ague, buddy,C Gilly c,))ented. A.uc- the a!!h,le!,C 9a! Mevin;! !,luti,n ,f the pr,ble). "he ch,pper 9a! headed n,9 bac- t, the ragged r,c- f,r)ati,n! ,f the Sierra evada, 9here they had a hide,ut f,r the ch,pper and the)!elve!. All ,f a !udden the b,,)ing v,ice ,f Patric- M,9al!-i cut in. A"ell y,u 9hat, guy!.C Gilly and Mevin 9ere !tunned by the very fact ,f hearing hi! v,ice even bef,re they 9ere c,n!ci,u! ,f it. AE;) di!app,inted.C AWhat d, y,u )ean, PatJC Mevin a!-ed. AE )ean 9hat 9e;ve d,ne i! )erely n,thing.C A5,9 c,)eJC Gilly 9a! intrigued. AWhat E )ean i! the a!!h,le! !h,uld )eet their fuc-ing Allalah by the )illi,n. And n,t by the d,Ken a! t,day.C A:aybe it;ll c,)e ,ut ,ne fine day. , fear, Pat.C Gilly tried t, )a-e Pat !ee the bright !ide ,f the )atter. "he terrain under the) 9a! gr,9ing ),re ragged, even 9ilder. "he alpine )ead,9! gave 9ay t, patche! ,f !n,9 that, if 9atched fr,) the city ,f Granada that huddled up again!t thi! ),untain range, l,,-ed li-e !,)e artificial theatrical !cenery in the c,ld ray! ,f ),,nlight by night. Gilly ann,unced hi! pr,ject f,r the end ,f the day in a cheerful v,ice that gave a9ay hi! e2cellent ),,d. ADi!ten, guy!. 5,9 ab,ut crac-ing a b,ttle ,f !,)e real !tuff t,nightJC AWhat;! the real !tuffJC Mevin 9,ndered. AWell,C Gilly fla!hed a bright !)ile at hi), AWe g,tta celebrate !,)ething, guy!, re)e)berJ I,u ju!t can;t d,dge that, can y,uJ E )ean E g,t thi! b,ttle ,f <ac- 8aniel!, guy!, and E;) ready t, !hare it 9ith y,u. And ju!t f,r the rec,rd, guy!. En !,)e ti)e fr,) n,9 9e are g,ing t, get !tati,ned in the ),untain! ,f Sicily ,r @alabria. :y gue!! i! that it 9ill be @alabria fir!t. En the r,ugh ),untain! ,f A!pr,),nte in @alabria they dug ,ut an undergr,und fuel re!erv,ir f,r thi! baby;! c,n!u)pti,n and a dirt r,ad branched ,ff fr,) a ),t,r9ay t, !upply all the nece!!ary )uniti,n!, fuel, and a !t,re ,f g,,d f,,d f,r u!. All that becau!e large !hip)ent! ,f :u!li) illegal! are e2pected t, !h,9 up in th,!e part!. S, that;!

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yet an,ther rea!,n f,r u! t, celebrate becau!e there 9ill be )uch ),re ,pp,rtunity f,r y,u, guy!, t, !tri-e up a fe9 nice c,ntact! 9ith !,)e nice l,cal gal!. P,int i! 9e;ll have a car there.C 5i! grin beca)e daKKling. AA! f,r )e, guy!, E;) an ,ldie. Ge!ide!, E g,t )y 8iddy 8,, and E d,n;t !ee- any different fun.C AS,und! great, Gilly. We;ll j,in y,u in the celebrati,n, y,u bet.C Mevin replied ,n behalf ,f the )ute Patric- and hi)!elf, n, !9eatB I,u )ay c,unt ,n that, S-ipper.C Gut Gilly S-elint,n 9a! n,9 c,ncentrating ,n landing the ch,pper in a narr,9 g,rge 9h,!e f,r)idable !teep r,c-! 9,uld hide it !afely fr,) i)),de!t curi,!ity, and a va!t cave )ade habitable 9,uld give the) a g,,d !helter. At la!t the ch,pper landed and the !9i!hing !,und ,f it! r,t,r blade! 9a! bec,)ing le!! inten!e until it gave 9ay t, a c,)plete, al),!t dead !ilence that !uddenly fell in the deep g,rge 9h,!e 9all! r,!e high ar,und the). @5AP"E7 1' @arl, Arrig,ni had a !paci,u! villa ,n the ,ut!-irt! ,f the picture!Hue village @ara in the Sabine :,untain!, t, the n,rthea!t ,f 7,)e. En hi! free h,ur! @arl, li-ed t, 9ander in the lu!ci,u!ly green envir,n! ,f the village. 5e enj,yed the !ight ,f the ),untain! that di!played different c,l,r! acc,rding t, the ti)e ,f day and !ea!,n. 5e 9a! never tired ,f 9atching the play ,f th,!e rich c,l,r!, e!pecially in early !u))er, avidly i)bibing the bri!- ),untain air that 9a! heavily laden 9ith the inebriant ,d,r! ,f c,nifer! and fre!h gra!!. 8uring !uch 9al-! hi! th,ught! ,ften 9ent t, the fact! ,f the ancient hi!t,ry that had ta-en place in the!e part!. Di-e the fa),u! rapture ,f the Sabine fe)ale! by 7,)an y,uth!. When he br,-e the !ubject in an ,cca!i,nal c,nver!ati,n 9ith ,ne ,f the l,cal! he 9,uld invariably hear that n,9aday! the !ituati,n 9a! rever!ed. "he y,unger )ale ,ff!pring ,ften 9ent d,9n t, 7,)e t, c,nHuer the 9ay9ard heart! ,f 7,)an beautie!. @arl, li-ed thi! ,ld Datin regi,n 9here he, t,,, had f,und hi! ideal ,f fe)ininity. Gina, a l,cal pea!ant 9id,9, 9h, had l,!t her hu!band !everal year! ag, in a traffic accident and )arried ,ff her t9, y,ung daughter!, lived n,9 al,ne in an ,ld gray pla!tered h,u!e by the r,ad that pa!!ed d,9n the !l,pe ,f the ),untain ,vergr,9n 9ith ,ld cr,,-ed ,live tree!. @arl,;! villa !t,,d hidden behind th,!e tree! and bu!he! 9ith the ,nly drive9ay branching ,ff the ),t,r9ay that lay bel,9 and leading up the !l,pe t, the gate ,f the villa. "he c,)p,und 9a! i!,lated fr,) the ,uter 9,rld 9ith a 9ire fence ,f g,,d Huality in!ide 9hich !t,,d the pin-/9alled villa 9ith it! !,)e9hat gari!h bar,Hue !t,ne carving! and a va!t beautiful garden full ,f c,nifer!, r,!e bu!he! and !,)e d9indled replica! ,f ancient !culpture! placed in the !urr,unding bu!he! and in the central f,untain 9ith a ba!in and an artificial 9aterfall. "he ba!in 9a! filled al),!t t, the bri) 9ith 9ater partly ,vergr,9n 9ith 9ater lilie!. "he !purt ,f

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9ater fl,9ed int, the ba!in fr,) a terrac,tta jar held by a 9hite )arble ny)ph 9h, !at ,n the ledge ,f a ),!!y r,c-. 5er !educing )arble leg! 9ere dra9n !lightly apart and betrayed the !ecret ta!te! ,f the ,9ner ,f the place. "all cypre!! tree! r,!e fr,) behind the villa that !t,,d again!t their dar- green bac-gr,und. An e2Hui!ite p,rtic, dec,rated the p,rch 9ith )arble !tep!N and the 9hite balu!trade ,f the veranda ran r,und the villa. Et c,n!i!ted ,f t9, fl,,r! and had t9, graceful turret! ,n it! r,,f. "he villa 9a! fit t, receive a large nu)ber ,f gue!t! at all !ea!,n!. Which n,9 9a! ,bvi,u! fr,) the )anner a d,Ken ,f )en and a 9,)an 9ere l,unging in the c,Ky 9hite garden chair! t, ,ne !ide ,f the building 9here the cypre!! tree! gre9 very cl,!ely and !urr,unded the chair! ,n three !ide!, leaving ,pen ,nly the vie9 ,f the f,untain in the center ,f that l,vely garden. En th,!e h,ur! ,f late aftern,,n the !un 9a! ),re )erciful and the l,ud j,yful chirping ,f little bird! and cicada! 9ere !,,thing f,r the nerve! ,f the pe,ple a!!e)bled here in the den!e !had,9 ,f the cypre!!e!. Gina 9a! ar,und t,, and helped !erve the gue!t! 9ith !,ft and !tr,nger drin-! and light !nac-! in ca!e they 9ere reHue!ted. All ,f the gue!t!, a! u!ual, 9ere the )e)ber! ,f the EDA headHuarter!, t, !ay n,thing ,f 7,b Van 8aal, 8,nald;! la9yer 9h, 9a! ,ften pre!ent at !uch )eeting! actually 9ith,ut ta-ing any active part in the). Gut in ),!t ca!e! 8,nald dee)ed it nece!!ary f,r hi! la9yer t, be pre!ent at lea!t at !,)e ,f th,!e )eeting!. <u!t t, be ,n the !afe !ide, he th,ught. Alth,ugh he 9a! n,t Huite !ure 9hat r,le preci!ely c,uld hi! la9yer play in th,!e )eeting!. 5e had never ,pened hi! ),uth t, put f,r9ard a pr,p,!al ,r !,)ething. Gut !,)eh,9 deep in!ide 8,nald felt !afer if 7,b Van 8aal 9a! ar,und. 7,b 9a! a g,,d ,b!erver and that al,ne )ight c,)e in handy ,ne day. Apart fr,) the) there 9ere a c,uple ,f ne9 per!,n! that previ,u!ly had never j,ined the !itting! ,f the c,uncil ,f 9ar bef,re. 8an Av!hal,), :ilitary Attach= ,f E!rael;! E)ba!!y in D,nd,n )ade hi! fir!t appearance a),ng the gr,up. 5e 9a! a !t,uti!h dar-/haired E!raeli 9h, l,,-ed li-e an ea!y/g,ing, even happy/g,/luc-y guy and !ee)ed t, enj,y be!t thing! ,f life 9ith,ut d,ing )uch Hue!ti,ning ab,ut the). 5e 9a! a g,,d c,nver!ati,nali!t and drin-ing partner. Gut thi! 9a! a purely ,ut9ard i)pre!!i,n. "he )an 9a! a !ecret agent ,f the f,r)idable 8ASS6:, the E!raeli Secret Service. En ca!e! ,f need he c,uld be very danger,u!. "he ,ther ne9 per!,n 9a! 7everend :atthe9 5all 9h, actually 9a! a freelance preacher and f,cu!ed hi! infla))at,ry !er),n! ,n the )eaning ,f the 5,ly Scripture and it! pr,phecie! ab,ut the c,)ing change! a9aiting the ),dern 9,rld, the ,ppre!!ive rule ,f Satan in it, and the unav,idable Ar)agedd,n l,,)ing a! a )enacing bac-gr,und behind the late!t devel,p)ent! all ,ver the un!table 9,rld. 5e 9a! a tall, )iddle/aged, and lean )an 9earing gla!!e! that in!idi,u!ly tended t, !lip d,9n t, the tip ,f hi! n,!e, and he 9a! c,n!tantly trying t, fi2 the) ,n the bridge ,f hi! thin n,!e. E!pecially 9hen he 9a! inv,lved in a h,t di!cu!!i,n ab,ut hi! preferred the)e!. 5i! hair 9a! gray, thinning, and cut !h,rt, baring hi! large f,rehead that d,)inated hi! br,9n eye! 9h,!e inner fla)e c,uld -indle and carry a9ay

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hi! li!tener! 9ith,ut their n,ticing it. A! f,r hi! religi,u! phil,!,phy that 9a! f,unded !trictly up,n the 5,ly Gible, he did n,t feel any ,bligati,n that 9,uld bind hi) t, !,)e particular den,)inati,n 9ithin @hri!tianity and 9a! critical in a cau!tic 9ay ,f the d,g)a! ,f the @hurch that he c,n!idered irrelevant and c,ntradict,ry t, the very !pirit ,f the Gible. 8,nald 7,!! 9h, !at ne2t t, Una 6;8,nnell 9a! tal-ing t, her in a l,9 v,ice. She 9a! li!tening t, hi), !)iling and t,!!ing the g,lden 9ealth ,f her hair 9hen an unruly l,c- that prevented her fr,) !eeing 8,n;! feature! clearly en,ugh. @arl, Arrig,ni addre!!ed the pe,ple 9ith an a)iable e2pre!!i,n ,f h,!pitality ,n hi! face. A8ear gue!t!. All,9 )e plea!e t, greet y,u in the!e ancient Sabine :,untain! in the Datin heart ,f thi! c,untry. 6ur friend and c,,rdinat,r 8,n 7,!! ha! t, addre!! a fe9 9,rd! t, y,ur -ind attenti,n.C 5e fell !ilent. 8,n turned a9ay fr,) Una and a!-ed, A:ay E re)ain !eatedJ ,t that E feel tired ,r !,)ething li-e that. Gut E;d l,ve t, pre!erve the 9,nderful friendly at),!phere ,f cl,!ene!! created by ,ur h,!t. And ,ne thing ),reVC 8,n )ade a l,ng pau!e, hi! lip! beginning t, give a9ay hi! j,y ,ver !,)ething he had -ept pent/up right up t, thi! ),)ent. ADadie! and gentle)en, ,ur tr,,p! have entered Gugdead thi! ),rning.C "he gener,u! applau!e 9a! everyb,dy;! an!9er t, thi! 9elc,)e and l,ng a9aited ne9!. 8,n, 9h, j,ined the applau!e, !aid giving hi! 9ell/),dulated v,ice en,ugh f,rce t, carry it t, every,ne pre!ent 9ith,ut rai!ing it unnece!!arily. C ,9 let;! hear ab,ut the true !piritual bac-gr,und ,f ,ur fightVC 5e )ade a !h,rt pau!e. "hen p,inting t, 7everend 5all he !aid, AE give y,u Gr,ther :atthe9 5all 9h, 9ill -indly !hare 9ith u! !,)e ,f hi! actual idea! ,n that !c,re. Plea!e, Gr,ther :atthe9, Det;! get !tarted.C 8,nald t,,- a !eat, 9ithdre9 a pen and a !)all pad fr,) hi! brea!t p,c-et. 5e put the pad ,n hi! -nee and g,t prepared t, j,t d,9n 9hatever he 9a! g,ing t, hear fr,) the preacher. Gr,ther :atthe9 !t,,d up, put hi! chair in fr,nt ,f hi)!elf, and leaned hi! 9eight ,n it, hi! !h,ulder! !lightly !t,,ping. 5i! pale blue eye! !9ept ,ver the face! ,f hi! li!tener! a! if he put the) ,n the te!t by cl,!ely !crutiniKing the). When he !p,-e hi! v,ice 9a! deep, at ,nce )a-ing the i)pre!!i,n ,n hi! li!tener! a! if it 9rapped the) in dar- velvet. A.ir!t ,ff, dear Si!ter! and Gr,ther!, let )e direct y,ur attenti,n t, t9, )aj,r negative fact,r! d,)inating ,ur 9,rld t,day* the dar- evil ,f E!la) and the creeping evil ,f 7ed fa!ci!). Et ha! ta-en ,ver the la!t year! the danger,u! f,r) ,f Pde),cratic; )i)icry in the We!t. Whatever the ca!e, they b,th the) ,riginate fr,) the !a)e evil !,urce and have the !a)e r,,t! li-e t9, h,rn! ,n the head ,f Satan. E!la) i! a !eri,u! threat t, de),cracy, and the traditi,nal de),cracy it!elf ha! been p,i!,ned by the 7ed! in the end ,f the pa!t century and the beginning ,f thi! ,ne. "hey even have !ub!tituted it 9ith a -ind ,f ),c- de),cracy that

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!ti)ulate! a truly licenti,u!, deeply i)),ral 9ay ,f life, unprecedented and indulged cri)inality, and di!a!tr,u! p,i!,n ,f ruthle!! cynici!), lulling hu)an c,n!cience int, the c,nceited, replete c,)placency ,f c,n!u)ing !,ciety. "he language ,f the fir!t evil / E!la) / i! the direct language ,f Satan p,!ing a! if he 9ere G,d. "hi! language ha! been 9hi!pered int, the eagerly hear-ening ear ,f an ign,rant de!ert !avage 9h, later 9a! called Pr,phet :ah,)a by hi! fanatic f,ll,9er!. 7ed fa!ci!) )a-e! u!e ,f )a!! )edia t, achieve it! influence ,n the blind and ign,rant )a!!e! ,f pe,ple all ,ver the 9,rld and )anipulate the) by f,r)ing the !,/called public ,pini,n. "hey u!e cheap and di!h,ne!t techniHue t, bend thi! public ,pini,n in fav,r ,f the 7ed! and E!la). "he!e )edia 9,r- f,r the 7ed! becau!e they, e!pecially "V 9ith it! graphic pr,paganda, are part and parcel ,f the 7ed evil. "ruly, they are faithful di!ciple! ,f their n,t,ri,u! teacher and )ent,r 8r. G,ebbel!, and it i! fr,) hi) they have learned t, di!t,rt fact! and lie 9ith i)punity. Et i! ,nly l,gical that they !upp,rt the in!,lent clai)! ,f E!la) and defend it again!t even ),derate critici!), let al,ne a funda)ental ,ne. Which i! re)ar-able becau!e pe,ple 9h, run the !h,9 are, f,r the ),!t part, agn,!tic! 9h, have t,tally rejected @hri!tianity even a! a guiding ),ral principle.C 7everend :atthe9 9ent ,n in thi! 9ay, Hu,ting the Gible pr,fu!ely t, )a-e hi! argu)ent !ee) ),re i)pre!!ive and heftier. "hen he !aid, A",day, )y br,ther! and !i!ter! in <e!u! @hri!t, all ,ur friend!, 9e read the ancient 5,ly Gible li-e a ),dern/day ne9!paper. 6nly it !pea-! the ulti)ate truth revealed t, u! in G,d;! W,rd.C 7everend :atthe9 5all glanced ,ver at hi! li!tener! a 9hile 9ith an e2pre!!i,n ,f cal) certainty ,n hi! feature!. A",day nearly the 9h,le 9,rld p,i!,ned 9ith 7ed idea! and belief! unc,nditi,nally !ide! 9ith the evil ,f E!la). And that i)plie! a !tance again!t G,d, 9hich !tance i! in )any ca!e! blind, and in )any ca!e! Huite purp,!eful. "a-e th,!e, f,r e2a)ple, 9h, are bu!y 9ith an i)p,!!ible and 9ant,n ta!- t, acc,)pli!h the futile Si!yphean lab,r ,f rec,nciling G,d 9ith Satan by trying t, rec,ncile @hri!tianity 9ith E!la). Gut ,-ay, let their ,9n c,n!cience grapple 9ith thi! ,dd endeav,r. Et i! high ti)e t, re)e)ber the pr,f,und ,ld 9i!d,) / )an pr,p,!e!, G,d di!p,!e!. ", 9ind up the the)e E;d li-e t, add up ,nly a fe9 9,rd! t, 9hat E;ve already !aid. En )y ,pini,n, Satan 9ear! three ugly )a!-! n,9aday! t, -eep the 9,rld in hi! grip / !,ciali!) in it! hyp,critically di!gui!ed c,))uni!t and fa!ci!t f,r)!, 9hich infringe ,n hu)an right! li-e the freed,) ,f !peech and free e2pre!!i,n ,f idea!, E!la) that i! ba!ed up,n !atanic di!t,rti,n ,f the Gible and licenti,u!ne!! 9hich i! hyp,critically di!gui!ed a! Pde),cracy; c,nducive t, a large/!cale cri)inality and i)punity, including legaliKati,n ,f h,),9edding! and !,/called euthana!ia that i! ,ften abu!ed f,r the !a-e ,f -illing ,ff ,ld and

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helple!! pe,ple. "he ne9 la9 ,n that !c,re )ade and pr,),ted by the 7ed! enc,urage! d,ct,r! t, -ill their patient!, particularly the )iddle/aged ,ne!. E -n,9 that Punde),cratic de),cracy; !,und! rather parad,2ically. 5,9 d,e! it l,,- in ter)! ,f !piritual )atter!J Ef c,n!idered p,litically, the ),dern type ,f de),cracy, e!pecially that ,f !,)e c,untrie! in Eur,pe, i! a parad,2ically i)pre!!ing blend ,f licenti,u!ne!! and lefti!t fa!ci!). Gut it;! ,nly seemingly parad,2ical, f,r they b,th fit each ,ther perfectly, 9ith the )ar-ed !ta)p ,f high/level cri)inality ,n it! ugly face. ", put it in a nut!hell / Satan ha! three face!* !,ciali!) 9ith it! e2tre)e f,r) ,f c,))uni!), ultra/right t,talitariani!) 9ith anti/Se)itic nuance and the ugly central face ,f E!la) that include! the characteri!tic! ,f the ,ther t9,. Et i! n,t !i)ply by chance that al),!t the 9h,le 9,rld ha! been crucifying <e!u! @hri!t every !ec,nd, every )inute, every h,ur, every ),nth, and every year ,ver the la!t t9enty centurie!. "he 9,rld;! leading p,litician! li-e t, refer t, the !,/called 9,rld;! ,pini,n. Gut the ),dern 9,rld i! in the grip ,f Satan. S, the 9,rld;! ,pini,n i! ,nly the ,pini,n ,f Satan and the true @hri!tian! c,uld act rightly if they li!tened t, the W,rd ,f G,d in!tead ,f li!tening t, the lie! and fal!eh,,d! ,f Satan. "he ),re !, if they are v,iced by the 9,rld;! )a!! )edia that c,nvey the !a)e lie! and di!t,rti,n! and help f,r) thi! !,/called 9,rld ,pini,n. Any Hue!ti,n!, ladie! and gentle)enJC "i),thy @raig !hifted in hi! chair and put up a hand. AWhat;! y,ur angle ,n the gl,baliKati,n phen,)en,n, Gr,ther :atthe9J A Pand,ra;! b,2 ,f ,ur ti)e E ta-e it.C Gr,ther :atthe9 !hrugged indefinitely and !aid, AWell, "i), a! far a! thi! )atter i! c,ncerned E 9,uld !,,ner regard it a! pretty c,nducive t, f,r)ati,n ,f a gl,bal g,vern)ent that 9,uld in the l,ng run rule thi! 9,rld under the juri!dicti,n ,f Antichri!t. 6n the ,ther hand, E flatly refu!e t, accept the vi,lence ,f the ),b that prefer! t, e2pre!! it! pr,te!t! again!t the !,/called gl,baliKati,n in an e2tre)ely ign,)ini,u! 9ay that cau!e! 9ant,n de!tructi,n. Et l,,-! li-e a half/blind 9ay ,f acti,n becau!e ,f it! !p,ntane,u! nature. Apart fr,) that, E d, n,t Huite e2clude the pr,bability ,f it! being in!tigated and pr,v,-ed by the !a)e auth,ritie! in ,rder t, create a fal!e i)pre!!i,n ,f Pde),cracy; in acti,n.C AGr,ther :atthe9, 9hich @hurch d, y,u per!,nally preferJC W,lfgang Sch9ab a!-ed hi) bluntly. A"he 5,ly Gible i! )y @hurch, 5err Sch9ab. And in thi! c,nnecti,n E 9,uld put it further in the f,r) ,f the Hue!ti,n / 9here i! ,ur ,9n place in thi! turbulent 9,rldJ Det every,ne a!that hi)!elf ,r her!elf. 6ur D,rd ha! granted free 9ill t, all ,f u!, the children ,f Ada) and Eve. .,r ,ur ,9n Salvati,n depend! ,n ,ur right ,r 9r,ng ch,ice ,f the path 9e ,ur!elve! ta-e.C

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Gr,ther :atthe9 lifted hi! thin hand! in a ge!ture that left the deci!i,n 9ith the pe,ple 9h, )ight face the alternative, then he !hifted hi! chair bac- t, it! f,r)er place and had a !eat. An ,ccai,nal chirp ,f a bird ,r )el,di,u! crea-ing ,f the h,!t ,f cric-et! di!turbed the cal) air ,f the 9ar) aftern,,n. 8,nald 7,!! 9a! the fir!t t, brea- the !ilence. 5e glanced ,ver t, 7everend 5all and !aid, A"han- y,u, Gr,ther :atthe9, f,r y,ur th,r,ugh analy!i! ,f the pre!ent !piritual !ituati,n in the 9,rld, it! influence ,n the c,ur!e ,f devel,p)ent!, and the rea!,n ,f ,ur !truggle. S, far 9e;ve been 9aging ,ur 9ar ,n E!la) f,r the ),!t part ,n the Eur,pean territ,ry. ,9 9e are unani),u! in )a-ing the deci!i,n ,f pu!hing ,ur !truggle bey,nd that li)it int, the very heart ,f the ene)y. "hat i!, int, hi! ,9n territ,ry, giving a helping hand t, E!rael. En thi! c,nnecti,n, all,9 )e plea!e t, intr,duce t, y,u ,ur gue!t 9ith 9h,) 9e have a l,ng rec,rd ,f friend!hip and c,,perati,n right in the !pirit ,f 9hat Gr,ther :atthe9 ha! t,ld u! ab,ut. Plea!e )eet ,ur E!raeli friend, @,l,nel 8an Av!hal,).C 5e !tretched hi! hand t,9ard 8an Av!hal,) 9h, !t,,d up and !lightly bent hi! head in rec,gniti,n ,f the reference t, hi). "hen he !at d,9n again, and 8,n c,ntinued. AEt;! a daring venture, but 9,rth9hile ta-ing the ri!-. We have t, behead the n,t,ri,u! Phili!tine drag,n by cutting ,ff it! t9, ),!t hide,u! head! / capturing and e2ecuting Abu Dala a! 9ell a! the ,ld ab,)inable in!tigat,r ,f the deadly PSa)ah; gang / the rabid d,g ,f E!la) E)a) i!ay, the P!piritual; leader ,f )urderer!C "he!e 9,rd! pr,duced Huite an a9e!,)e i)pre!!i,n at lea!t ,n th,!e ,f the pre!ent 9h, didn;t -n,9 ,f it yet. 8,n added, AWe have, y,u -n,9, the )ean! t, di!patch ,ur elite ,perative! ,n a c,))and, raid, u!ing the de!ert egev a! the !uitable ba!e f,r thi! unprecedented ,perati,n. "he pre!ent ,ng,ing 9ar in Gabel ha! di!tracted the attenti,n ,f pe,ple in that regi,n t, !uch a degree that it ha! nearly paved the 9ay f,r ,ur ,9n b,ld acti,n. We have t, c,unt 9ith p,!!ibly unf,re!een in!idi,u!, even danger,u! trap!, but 9e have d,ne ,ur ut),!t t, try t, f,re!ee the). "hi! daring -idnapping ,perati,n i! al!, c,unted t, pr,duce, a),ng ,ther thing!, an inti)idating, AWe have, y,u -n,9, the )ean! t, di!patch ,ur elite ,perative! ,n a c,))and, raid, u!ing the de!ert egev a! the !uitable ba!e f,r thi! unprecedented ,perati,n. "he pre!ent ,ng,ing 9ar in Gabel ha! di!tracted the attenti,n ,f pe,ple in that regi,n t, !uch a degree that it ha! nearly paved the 9ay f,r ,ur ,9n b,ld acti,n. We have t, c,unt 9ith p,!!ibly unf,re!een in!idi,u!, even danger,u! trap!, but 9e have d,ne ,ur ut),!t t, try t, f,re!ee the). "hi! daring -idnapping ,perati,n i! al!, c,unted t, pr,duce, a),ng ,ther thing!, an inti)idating, even appalling effect ,n ,ur :u!li) ene)ie!. 6ur acti,n! in Eur,pe have already re!ulted in at lea!t a partial ,utfl,9 ,f !,)e :u!li)! fr,) Eur,pe bac- t, the c,untrie! ,f their ,rigin.

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Gut thi! i! ,nly the beginning. We e2pect it t, get increa!ed in the neare!t future a! 9e inten!ify ,ur ,perati,n!. Gut !i)ultane,u!ly 9e;ve g,t t, rec-,n 9ith the f,r)idable f,rce ,f the g,vern)ental !pecial ar)ed unit! 9h, have already !tarted 9ith c,)bing ,ut 9h,le regi,n! in Eur,pe t, hunt u! d,9n. Gut, a! Gr,ther :atthe9 !aid, ,ur cau!e i! ju!t and G,d i! ,n ,ur !ide.C "hen @arl, Arrig,ni invited everyb,dy t, hi! dining r,,) f,r a !educingly !)elling, abundant )eal and the be!t .ra!cati 9ine. After dinner, 8,n and Una 9ent ,ut f,r a 9al- and !,,n 9ere in @ara that !ee)ed t, be getting ready f,r a !leep. , e2cept f,r the l,cal trattoria. "hey entered it and 8,n ,rdered t9, drin-! at the c,unter. "he c,ld, fragrantly !)elling grappa 9a! !erved by a !)iling y,ung and fairly c,)ely l,cal girl. "hey clin-ed their gla!!e!, !aid n,thing, and !ipped at the tran!parent ar,)atic drin-, gaKing int, each ,ther;! eye!. @5AP"E7 13 "he p,9erful Apache 9,r-ed up it! 9ay ab,ve the rugged terrain ,f the r,ugh ),untain! that 9ere partly c,vered 9ith den!e 9,,d! cut 9ith the thread! ,f i)petu,u! ),untain !trea)! ru!hing d,9n their !l,pe!, and partly l,,-ed li-e a di!)al barren lunar land!cape )ercile!!ly !c,rched by the !ultry heat ,f the !un already fairly early in <une. What they !a9, th,ugh, 9a! !tretching right under the belly ,f the ch,pper f,r the re!t ,f the land!cape )elted a9ay in a Huivering haKe ju!t a fe9 )ile! farther a9ay t, bec,)e barely vi!ible a! vague vi,let !hape!, 9ith their !ilh,uette! partly 9a!hed ,ut in that haKe. 6ne c,uld ea!ily ta-e the) f,r rainy cl,ud! hanging fairly l,9 ,ver the hardly vi!ible h,riK,n. "hi! ti)e the ch,pper 9a! di!gui!ed a! if it )ade part and parcel ,f the Air .,rce ,f the Etalian 7epublic. Gilly S-elint,n !et the c,ur!e f,r the n,rth, -eeping hi! AbabyC a! l,9 a! p,!!ible t, the r,ugh land!cape t, av,id any pr,9ling radar c,ntr,l fr,) the gr,und if the ch,pper, ,nce caught ,n it! !creen, c,uld pr,v,-e unnece!!ary Hue!ti,n! ,ver the radi,. Get9een Da)eKia "er)e and the big bu!y city ,f @atanKar, Gilly S-elint,n 9a! particularly cauti,u!, c,n!idering the relative narr,9ne!! ,f that part ,f @alabria. "hey ju!t fle9 ,ver a picture!Hue pile ,f ),tley, ),!tly yell,9, h,u!e! creeping up and d,9n the !l,pe! ,f a ),untain. Mevin a!-ed Gilly ,ver the c,))unicati,n !y!te), AWhat;! thi! d,9n there, S-ipperJC AEt;! a big village, )an,C Gilly replied 9illingly, glad t, have been a!-ed, A"iri,l,;! the na)e.C ,9 they 9ere headed f,r the Sila :,untain!, 9hich 9ere richly c,vered 9ith va!t 9,,d!. "here 9ere al!, blue la-e! blin-ing li-e rich, even gaudy ge)!t,ne! enc,)pa!!ed 9ithin the

11?

dar- green ri) ,f the f,re!t!. Gut !,,n after they had pa!!ed ,ver "iri,l, Gilly changed the c,ur!e. "heir ch,pper !9iftly turned and raced n,rthea!t ,f that village. "heir de!tinati,n 9a! the !eac,a!t in the vicinity ,f the ancient city ,f @r,t,ne, 9here, acc,rding t, the tip they had g,tten, a big !hip under the ilian flag had been !p,tted ,ff the c,a!t n,rthea!t ,f @r,t,ne. "hat !hip 9a! carrying ,ver a th,u!and :u!li) illegal! acc,rding t, the !,urce ,f inf,r)ati,n. AWe g,t Huite a j,b t, d,, guy!B S, rela2 n,9 and enj,y the flight,C Gilly;! upbeat v,ice !,unded tinny, 9hen he addre!!ed hi! )ate! ,ver the earph,ne!. Mevin PiKKicat,, !taring ,n the c,n!tantly changing land!cape! bel,9 the ch,pper n,dded al),!t i)perceptibly in ac-n,9ledge)ent ,f Gilly;! re)ar-, 9ith,ut tearing hi! gaKe fr,) the fa!cinating picture !9iftly ru!hing bac- underneath. Patric- M,9al!-i did n,t !h,9 even a !lighte!t intere!t, -eeping !ilence in hi! u!ual !ullen 9ay. G,th Gilly and Mevin fully enj,yed th,!e )agnificent lu!ci,u! picture! ,f S,uthern Etaly, th,ugh they 9ere l,,-ing ,n the) fr,) ab,ve. Gilly regretted ,nly ,ne thing / that he c,uldn;t !hare th,!e really )agic vie9! 9ith 8iddy 8,,. An,ther village 9ith a )ighty ca!tle ,r f,rtre!! 9a! n,9 pa!!ing under the belly ,f Apache. ASanta Severina, )anBC Gilly called, turning t, Mevin. Mevin laughed )errily, t,!!ing hi! head bac-9ard, AI,u 9,uld )a-e a c,,l t,uri!t guide, S-ipper.C ,9 the ch,pper 9a! headed t, a !p,t n,rth ,f @r,t,ne, av,iding a! u!ual the city it!elf f,r fear ,f being di!c,vered by the radar. After a 9hile they !p,tted the gigantic ,utline ,f a !ea !tretching ,ut blue and 9ide!pread in fr,nt ,f the). "he E,nian SeaB Et 9a! ri))ed by cliff! f,r)ing bay! deeply cut int, the !h,re, and l,ng !andy beache! that !ee)ed narr,9 fr,) thi! angle ,f altitude. Gilly;! v,ice ra!ped ,ver the earph,ne!. A5ey, )ate!B E ju!t received ne9! that the A)erican tr,,p! fighting in Gabel are in c,ntr,l ,ver large part! ,f Gugdead. "he funnie!t thing i! an A)erican tan- ha! fired ,n a h,tel pac-ed 9ith j,urnali!t! and -illed three ,f the).C APity, n,t all ,f th,!e 9h, pr,pagate their da)n 7ed and pr,/E!la) !y)pathie!. "he rabid bar-ing d,g!B Et !erve! the) right,C Mevin !aid. Patric- ,nly n,dded in agree)ent. Gilly turned and fla!hed a daKKling grin 9ith all hi! 9hite teeth. A6h, y,u !)art alec-, 9h, 9,uld in that ca!e give u! ne9!JC AGetter n, ne9!, 9hich, any9ay, i! g,,d ne9!, than fal!e ne9!,C Mevin f,iled Gilly;! faceti,u! argu)ent. AGy the 9ay, guy!, have y,u !een the fuc-ing jer-! ,n "V that pr,te!ted in :,!c,9 again!t the 9ar ,n their dear friend 5u!!ein G,u!liyahJC Mevin a!-ed.

11'

A"he ),!t ridicul,u! part ,f it 9a! 9hen the 7u!!ian pr,te!ter!, ),!tly c,))uni!t ,ldie!, lied d,9n ,n their bac-! under the benev,lent eye ,f their Pre!ident and !tarted t, !ing a funny !,ng, 9hich 9a! tran!lated by a rep,rter. E re)e)ber a c,uple ,f the fir!t line!* AGut 9e;ll -nit ,ur eyebr,9! and 9ill gl,9er at the) 9ith ,ur eye! full ,f !acred, never/dying fierce hatred.C "hey re)ained !ilent a9hile, ab!,rbed by the !ight! bel,9 the ch,pper;! belly. A ,9 9e;ll have t, ta-e ,ur bearing! in relati,n t, the terrain and the p,!!ible l,cati,n ,f the target,C Gilly ann,unced, !uddenly bec,)ing !eri,u! and c,ncentrated. AD,,- ,ut f,r it, guy!BC 5i! eye! 9ere fir)ly fi2ed ,n the c,ntr,l! f,r the ),)ent. "he ch,pper began t, de!cend cl,!er t, the gr,und. 5i! t9, )ate! under!t,,d Gilly;! )aneuver a! an atte)pt t, re)ain invi!ible t, the radar !creen!. "he c,a!tline 9a! n,9 racing t,9ard the) at a )ad !peed. Et l,,-ed clear. En a )atter ,f )inute!, ,r )aybe !ec,nd!, they cr,!!ed it and 9ere ab,ve the va!t )a!! ,f 9ater 9h,!e dar- blue !urface 9a! rippled 9ith 9ave! that !ee)ed tiny fr,) thi! altitude and, here and there c,vered 9ith !n,9/9hite fr,th. A"hat )a-e! )e thin- ,f beerBC Mevin laughed. A , 9ay, )anB , beer n,9. Getter ,pen y,ur eye! 9ider,C Gilly !ugge!ted, Aand try t, l,cate the fuc-ing target.C AAye, aye, !irBC Mevin laughed again, but hi! eye! never Huit the !urface ,f the !ea. Suddenly hi! laugh !t,pped and he !aid int, hi! )icr,ph,ne, A7ight in fr,nt ,f u!, S-ipperB E !ee an Etalian avy launch that i! a c,uple ,f grade! t, the right.C A7,gerB Et;! a b,at ,f the AP,liKia di .inanKaC ,n it! patr,l c,ur!e, pr,bably heading f,r the !a)e target. We )u!t get there ahead ,f the) by all )ean!. We d,n;t 9ant any 9itne!!e!.C 6bedient t, the !lighte!t ),ve)ent! ,f Gilly;! hand! the ch,pper de!cribed a 9ide circle in the air, ta-ing it a9ay fr,) the patr,lling b,at;! ,b!ervati,n al),!t in n, ti)e. Gilly l,9ered their gun!hip cl,!er t, the !ea 9h,!e rippled !urface turned int, the heavily r,lling 9ave! cr,9ned 9ith fr,th here and there. Et 9a! then that Patric-;! v,ice br,-e their !ilence. AG,t the) ,ver thereBC 5e 9a! p,inting t, a tiny !p,t ,n the h,riK,n right in fr,nt ,f the) but !,)e9hat cl,!er t, the !tarb,ard. "he !p,t 9a! gr,9ing fa!t and it 9a! ,nly a )atter ,f !plit !ec,nd! that it t,,- the f,r) ,f an ,ld large carg,/!hip 9all,9ing heavily a),ng the r,lling bill,9!. Et! upper !tructure! and blac- !ide! 9ere ru!ty and !h,9ed !ign! ,f l,ng neglect in year!, 9hen n, fre!h paint had ever t,uched the).

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Gilly !9iftly !9ung the ch,pper r,und and, having de!cribed a l,9 circle at an angle fr,) the !hip br,ught it cl,!er t, the ru!ty ve!!el de!perately endeav,ring t, fight ,ff the !teady attac-! ,f the r,ugh !ea. Gilly c,ntinued t, )a-e !l,9 circle! ar,und the !hip ,n the upper dec- ,f 9hich they !p,tted a di!pr,p,rti,nally large nu)ber ,f :u!li)/l,,-ing pe,ple a)a!!ed ,n it cha,tically and 9aving e2citedly t, the ch,pper. "hey 9ere ),!tly )en 9ith a le!!er nu)ber ,f 9,)en a),ng the). Gilly turned t, the cre9. AAre y,u ga)e t, ,pen fire ,n the a!!h,le!JC AWhy n,tJC "he une2pected re)ar- ca)e fr,) Patric- thi! ti)e. AE )ean there are 9,)en a),ng the),C Gilly !aid. "he Mevin;! v,ice cut in. AEn 9hat ,n earth d, they differ fr,) the )ale!J "hey are even 9,r!e !,)eti)e!. ,t le!! danger,u! any9ay. Ge!ide!, they )u!t enj,y eHual right! 9ith )en at lea!t in thi! !ituati,n.C Gilly ,rdered, AStand byB .ireBC Mevin launched the fir!t r,c-et that hit the ve!!el a)id!hip!, !ending a lugubri,u! c,lu)n ,f fire and den!e !),-e up9ard!. "he !),-e 9a! Huic-ly ta-ing the !hape ,f a gigantic )u!hr,,). "he upper !tructure 9a! afla)e and the cr,9d ,f :u!li)! 9a! !een t, be !uddenly getting panic/!tric-en. Gut Gilly !p,tted a )e)ber ,f the !hip;! cre9 9h, trained a Stinger at the) fr,) hi! p,!iti,n abaft. Patric- put in acti,n hi! Gatling )achine gun but 9a! n,t ,n ti)e t, prevent the launch ,f the Stinger. Gilly;! reacti,n, th,ugh, 9a! fa!t en,ugh and he deftly )aneuvered the gun!hip, !9erving it a!ide 9ith a jer-y thr,9, nearly !ending it! cre9 ,ff their !eat!. Gut the belt! -ept the) !tay put. "he Stinger 9hiKKed pa!t the ch,pper and di!appeared behind the rear r,t,r. Mevin launched the !ec,nd )i!!ile and thi! ti)e it hit the !hip abaft 9here the cre9)an had launched the Stinger. "he !tern di!appeared in !ini!ter puff! ,f 9hirling !),-e. "he dar)a!! ,f 9riggling hu)an b,die! in a great panic c,vered the dec- bet9een the pr,9 and the burning !tructure! a)id!hip!, !truggling t, reach the c,uple ,f lifeb,at! !till vi!ible thr,ugh the ,cca!i,nal gap! in the blinding !),-e. Gy n,9 the !hip had br,-en int, t9, part!, 9hich began t, !in- in the b,iling !ea ar,und the). Patric-;! )achine gun! 9ere Huic-ly and efficiently ha))ering a9ay their )ercile!! r,und! ,f fire at the pe,ple 9h, de!perately tried t, !ave the)!elve! in the t9, b,at!. S,)e 9ere ju)ping int, the 9ave! and tried t, get the)!elve! a! fa!t a! p,!!ible fr,) the !in-ing part! ,f the !hip that )enaced t, ta-e the) d,9n in a gigantic v,rte2. :any ,f the head! b,bbing ,n the r,ugh !urface 9ere hit and di!appeared fr,) it, leaving dar-er !p,t! that di!appeared, t,,, leaving n, trace!. "he ch,pper 9a! !till circling ab,ve the place ,f di!a!ter, !,9ing terr,r and death. ,9 it 9a! the h,ur ,f truth f,r Patric- M,9al!-i. All the t,rture he had received at the hand! ,f :u!li)! f,und it! vent in the deadly r,und! ,f fire fr,) the Gatling )achine gun he trained ,n the head! ,f !urviv,r! !till vi!ible ,n the

1&%

!urface ,f the !ea. With each r,und ,f fire their nu)ber di)ini!hed. Patric-;! eye! had l,ng turned int, the p,,l! ,f blac- hatred and !tubb,rn 9ill t, !,9 death a),ng th,!e 9h, 9ere part and parcel ,f the dreadful and unf,rgettable di!a!ter that had befallen hi) year! bac-. "he re)e)brance ,f th,!e terrible ),)ent! 9a! very )uch alive and !till 9ith hi). Et had bec,)e part ,f hi! nature. Actually he lived f,r the !a-e ,f !uch ),)ent! ,f revenge. 5e had never en,ugh ,f the). "he !ight ,f :u!li) head! that 9ere bur!ting li-e 9ater)el,n! beneath hi) and then di!appeared 9,uld never !ati!fy hi). Ef he ,nly c,uld he 9,uld !tifle the 9h,le 9,rld ,f E!la) in the deadly l,,p! ,f hi! r,und! ,f fire. 5i! th,ught! 9ere 9hirling li-e furi,u! t,rnad,e! 9ith a freHuent repetiti,n ,f the )ain tune / get it up y,ur !tin-ing a!!, dirty Allalah, y,u pathetic id,l, get it up y,ur a!!, ch,-e up 9ith y,ur ,9n a!!h,le! ,f ad)irer!. 8eath, death, death t, all ,f y,uVB 5i! blind fury 9a! !uddenly br,-en by the v,ice ,f Gilly S-elint,n. A5ey, PatB :anB "here;! n, fuc-ing !urviv,r left t, be -illed, d,9n there. We )u!t beat it right a9ay, )an. E !ee that Etalian b,at c,)ing up thi! 9ay. "here;! !till en,ugh ,f fuc-ing fl,t!a) and jet!a) driving ,n the !ea !urface bel,9 t, 9a-e up unnece!!ary !u!pici,n!.C "he ch,pper 9a! n,9 !peeding a9ay fr,) the !cene ,f the )a!! )a!!acre, bypa!!ing the appr,aching p,lice b,at by 9hat !ee)ed at lea!t li-e a th,u!and feet ,f di!tance. A@,))anderJC Mevin;! v,ice !,unded neutrally in Gilly;! earph,ne!. AIeahJC A@,))ander, per)i!!i,n t, !pea- freelyJC AG, ahead.C AE d, under!tand 9hy " d, it. E )ean ta-ing part in -illing the da)ned :u!li)!. And e!pecially 9hy Patric% d,e! it. E -n,9 y,u;ve l,!t a dear friend, and it;! hard en,ugh t, endure it. Still E d,n;t Huite get it 9hy you d, it. E )ean have y,u g,t any ,ther rea!,n t, hate the a!!h,le! the 9ay y,u d, itJC AWell, Mev, E;ll tell y,u 9hat. E al!, d, hate the) f,r t9, rea!,n!. .ir!t ,ff, they t,rtured )y be!t friend t, death. "he !ec,nd rea!,n ha! it! r,,t! in hi!t,ry, and that;! apart fr,) )y friend, y,u -n,9. .,r centurie! the da)ned fuc-ing Ereb! 9ere !lave/trader! 9h, hunted f,r )y f,refather! in Africa and !,ld the) a! !lave! in the e9 W,rld. I,u -n,9 the !t,ry, )an. E g,t thi! hereditary feeling ,f / let u! !ay / di!li-e f,r th,!e !lave/trader! and their pr,geny, t, !ay the lea!t.C Gilly fell !ilent a! he guided the ch,pper bac- t, the !h,re! ,f @alabria. "hey left the p,lice b,at far behind and 9ere n,9 appr,aching the c,a!tline. ,b,dy !aid a 9,rd. Each ,f the) !ee)ed l,!t in th,ught. Gilly !9ung the ch,pper ,ver the cliff!, trying t, -eep it a! cl,!e t, the gr,und a! it 9a! p,!!ible. Et 9a! vitally i)p,rtant n,t t, be caught by the radar, e!pecially after 9hat they had d,ne. And he 9a!n;t !ure at all that the p,lice b,at hadn;t !p,tted the) and c,nnected the) t, the tragedy ,f the carg,/!hip. :aybe thi! ti)e, t,,, they

1&1

9,uld get a9ay 9ith it unn,ticed. "here 9ere !, )any a!!h,le! in the 9,rld that 9,uld rai!e hell 9ith regard t, the death ,f th,!e fuc-ing :u!li)!. "he death that they de!erved ju!tly. Et 9a! ,nly 9hen they 9ere appr,aching the A!pr,),nte :,untain! Gilly;! v,ice !,unded ,ver the earph,ne!, AD,,-! li-e 9e pulled it ,ff, guy!.C And after a !h,rt pau!e added, Aand g,t a9ay 9ith it.C @5AP"E7 &% Et 9a! the !ec,nd )eeting ,f the leader! ,f the EDA at @arl, Arrig,ni;! place in @ara Sabina. Et 9a! attended by the ,lder )e)ber! ,f the leader!hip that n,9 9a! called @entral @,))and a! 9ell a! it! t9, fre!hly app,inted )e)ber! / @aptain Ging and Gilly S-elint,n. "hat br,ught their nu)ber t, eleven. @,l,nel 8an Av!hal,) 9a! al!, pre!ent. Gina had ju!t fini!hed t, treat everyb,dy t, !,)e light !nac-! and cup! ,f !tr,ng E!pre!!, and 9a! n,9 !eated ne2t t, @arl,. "he ),rning 9a! full ,f !unlight that already breathed heat that 9,uld gr,9 t,9ard aftern,,n. Gut the crucial ),)ent ,f their previ,u! di!cu!!i,n! 9a! there, and !, everyb,dy;! attenti,n 9a! fully ab!,rbed by 9hat 9a! g,ing t, happen. "hi! ti)e they 9ere di!cu!!ing an ulti)atu) t, the g,vern)ent! ,f Eur,pe that they had already dra9n up. "he ulti)atu) in Hue!ti,n 9,uld be their fir!t atte)pt at c,))unicati,n 9ith th,!e g,vern)ent!. Et )eant di!cl,!ing their de)and! t, the) and an atte)pt t, c,erce the) int, yielding t, th,!e de)and!. When everyb,dy t,,- a !eat in Arrig,ni;! living r,,) 8,nald 7,!! !aid, A ,9, dear c,lleague!, @,l,nel Av!hal,) 9ill tell u! ,f the preparati,n! f,r the acti,n 9e all agreed up,n a !h,rt 9hile ag, that i! t, ta-e place in the ,ccupied territ,ry ,f E!rael. Plea!e, @,l,nel.C 8an Av!hal,) !aid, AE;ll try t, be a! c,nci!e a! p,!!ible, 9ith,ut g,ing very )uch int, detail. We have already recruited a tea) ,f Eur,pean! and A)erican! c,n!i!ting ,f ten pe,ple, )y!elf included a! their general c,,rdinat,r. E!rael )u!t never be ,fficially inv,lved in thi! acti,n, y,u under!tand. @,))ander Gilly S-elint,n 9h,;! pre!ent here and hi! Apache cre9 9ill pr,vide ),nit,ring and tran!p,rtati,n in ca!e ,f need. I,u -n,9 the ch,pper can;t carry ),re than f,ur pe,ple at a ti)e. We;ll carry ,ut thi! attac- ,n the headHuarter! ,f Abu Dala under c,ver ,f night t, -idnap hi) and ta-e hi) t, a !ecret place in Eur,pe already prepared f,r thi! purp,!e. "hi! 9ill be the fir!t pha!e ,f ,ur acti,n. "he !ec,nd ,ne 9ill be carried ,ut in A!!ur, 9here E)a) i!ay re!ide! in hi! hide,ut in E-!a)ad. We;ve g,t a detailed plan ,f hi! hide,ut thr,ugh the channel! ,f 8a!!,). G,th attac-! 9ill be launched ,n the !a)e night 9ithin t9enty/f,ur h,ur!; ti)e. E h,pe that the late!t Gabyl,nian devel,p)ent! 9ill help Huite

1&&

a l,t n,9 that all the citie! ,f Gabel have at la!t fallen. Wild l,,ting ,f 9hatever happened t, be 9ithin pe,ple;! reach i! g,ing ,n in all place! there. "he l,cal degenerate! have l,,ted the Gugdead )u!eu) e)pty, 9ith,ut a !lighte!t care f,r their c,untry;! hi!t,ry and culture. <u!t li-e the ,ther !tupid !li)eball! have d,ne in Gactria. Gut the fallen 5u!!ein G,u!liyah;! l,t i! !till un-n,9n. "he fact! )u!t have largely de),raliKed the Phili!tine!, t,,. Ouite en,ugh t, c,nfu!e the) t, a degree and 9ea-en their ,9n p,!iti,n. "hat, E gue!!, i! ab,ut all that E can tell y,u, ladie! and gentle)en. "han- y,u f,r y,ur ti)e.C 5e !)iled and glanced ,ver at 8,n e2pectantly. 8,n n,dded and !aid, A"han- y,u, @,l,nel, f,r y,ur enc,uraging inf,r)ati,n. We h,pe y,u;ll get it all 9,r-ed ,ut. ,9 bac- t, the te2t ,f ,ur ulti)atu).C 5e turned t, Geert <an 8e--er, AGeert <an, plea!e be !, -ind a! t, read the te2t ,f the ulti)atu) f,r u! t, !ee 9hether n,thing i)p,rtant ha! been ,)itted and it pr,vide! f,r all the nece!!ary !tipulati,n!. , need t, !ay 9e intend t, !end the !a)e ulti)atu) t, different Eur,pean g,vern)ent!, th,ugh n,t all ,f the). Et 9ill chiefly c,ncern the g,vern)ent! ,f Gritain, .rance, Ger)any, Genelu2, P,rtugal, S9eden, and .inland, 9hich are ),!t infected by the plague ,f E!la). We;ll -eep ,ut Spain, the ble!!ed c,untry ,f Etaly, and )aybe Greece t,,, 9h,!e g,vern)ent! have !h,9n the)!elve! ),re l,yal t, their ,9n p,pulati,n! and have ta-en up a harder line again!t the :u!li) ,ccupier!.C Geert <an unf,lded a )ap c,ntaining !everal c,pie! ,f the d,cu)ent ready t, be di!patched t, the appr,priate Eur,pean ,fficial b,die! ,n the nati,nal and all/Eur,pean level!. 5e t,,- a !heet fr,) it and, -eeping it at !,)e di!tance fr,) hi! gla!!e!, read it al,ud*

UD"E:A"U: ", 9hatever Eur,pean G,vern)ent! it c,ncern! / 5ere9ith the @entral @,))and ,f the Enternati,nal Diberati,n Ar)y let! the leader!hip ,f the related c,untry -n,9 that the EDA 9ill c,ntinue it! )ilitary ,perati,n! ai)ed at liHuidati,n ,f the :u!li) p,pulati,n re!ident in the c,untry ,n acc,unt ,f it! h,!tile attitude and terr,ri!t activitie! unle!! thi! p,pulati,n leave! the c,untry ,f it! ,9n free 9ill. En thi! c,nnecti,n 9e de)and* 1. "hat the G,vern)ent ta-e! )ea!ure! t, enc,urage the) t, leave f,r the c,untrie! ,f their ,rigin, u!ing )ilitary f,rce, if nece!!ary. &. "hat the re!p,n!ible g,vern)ent! !h,uld 9ithdra9 all -ind! ,f !,cial !ecuritie! and 9elfare fr,) the alien p,pulati,n in Hue!ti,n.

1&3

3. Pr,hibit e)pl,y)ent ,f repre!entative! ,f that p,pulati,n in all indu!trial, agricultural, !,cial, and p,litical field!. (. Gan the :u!li) religi,n 9ith it! t,talitarian ide,l,gyN unc,nditi,nally cl,!e d,9n all the ),!Hue!, and ban all the activitie! ,f relevant club! and !,cietie!. E!la) in Eur,pe )u!t be f,rbidden and ,utla9ed becau!e a religi,n that ha! )urder, int,lerance, !editi,n, vi,lence, and !lavery at the ba!e ,f it! injuncti,n! )u!t n,t be t,lerated. Et! pr,hibiti,n theref,re d,e! n,t entail any breach ,f religi,u! freed,) in any 9ay unle!! a religi,n )ean! )urder and vi,lence. 0. E))ediately !t,p the never/ending fl,9 ,f all f,rtune !ee-er!, ,r !,/called refugee!, fr,) the :idea!t and ,rth Africa int, the c,untry. "h,!e ,f the) 9h, have been naturaliKed ,ver the year! )u!t be denaturaliKed and f,rcibly repatriated t, the c,untrie! ,f their ,rigin. L. "he y,unger generati,n! ,f :u!li)! b,rn and educated in Eur,pe )u!t be repatriated bact, the c,untrie! ,f their parent!; ,rigin unle!! they fully integrate and reject the t,talitarian ide,l,gy ,f E!la) a! 9ell a! it! e2ternal indicati,n!. ?. E))ediately cl,!e d,9n all A!ylu) See-er!; @enter! and repatriate the !,/called a!ylu) !ee-er! h,)e, 9ith a fe9 e2cepti,n! ,f ca!e! that are e2plicitly ba!ed ,n real p,litical gr,und!. '. @l,!e d,9n the ,ffice! and ban the unhealthy practice! ,f the i)),ral W,rld A)ne!ty and ,ther ,rganiKati,n! that act in defen!e ,f alien and ,ther cri)inal! in Eur,pe in fal!e rec,gniti,n ,f their Aright!C that d, n,t and !h,uld n,t e2i!t 9ith regard t, their cri)inal nature that de!erve! t, be unc,nditi,nally puni!hed. 3. Diberate and rid Gelgiu) ,f the :u!li) u!urper! ,f p,9er in that c,untry, and indict ,r dep,rt the). 1%. .ull re!t,rati,n ,f the freed,) ,f !peech practically ab,li!hed by the lefti!t fa!ci!) in p,9er that i! lenient and allied t, E!la). En ca!e y,u refu!e t, !ati!fy the!e de)and! the EDA 9ill c,ntinue the acti,n! ai)ed at achieving the !a)e g,al! 9ith )ilitary )ean!, 9hich 9ill lead t, civil 9ar and unnece!!ary bl,,d!hed. We;ll !ab,tage a nu)ber ,f infra!tructure! 9ithin the c,untry li-e da)aging rail! ,f the railr,ad! by di!)antling the). We;ll bl,9 up dy-e! and )ine the river! and canal!. We;ll !ab,tage the airp,rt!. And it;! ,nly f,r a !tart. Ef y,u;ll !ee- c,nfr,ntati,n 9ith the EDA it c,uld entail incalculable cala)itie!, 9hich can be av,ided by unc,nditi,nally ta-ing the ab,ve/)enti,ned )ea!ure!. AEn ,ne ),nth, beginning 9ith the 1/!t ,f <uly ,f thi! year, the EDA 9ill !u!pend it! )ilitary activitie! in the relevant c,untrie! ,f We!tern Eur,pe pending the auth,ritie!;! reacti,n in c,)pliance 9ith ,ur la9ful de)and!.

1&(

@entral @,))and ,f the EDA 8,nald 7,!! !aid, AE gather that 9ithin the c,)ing ),nth 9e;ll f,cu! ,n the ,perati,n in E!rael. , d,ubt it;ll reHuire all ,ur re!,urce! t, achieve thi! end.C 5e turned t, 8an Av!hal,). A@,l,nel, 9hen can 9e !tartJC AWe are prepared t, !tart any day fr,) n,9, 8,nald.C AWhat ab,ut the eventual A)erican reacti,n, "i)JC "i) grinned and ran hi! finger! thr,ugh the !h,c- ,f hi! hair. AE gue!! !,)e pe,ple c,uld hardly buy it. Gut then n,b,dy 9ill a!- the). E;) certain the negative reacti,n in Eur,pe 9ill be traditi,nally ),re pr,n,unced, 8,n.C A5,pe 9e can live 9ith that.C 8,nald !hrugged. AEt 9ill n,t be the fir!t ti)e. "he 9,rld, E ta-e it, ha! already g,tten acHuainted 9ith ,ur )eth,d! ,f per!ua!i,n. Pe,ple -n,9 9e )ean bu!ine!!, but if E a) t, be fran- E;d rather !ay E d,n;t care a tin-er;! cu!! 9hether they accept it ,r n,t. I,u ju!t can;t hu),r every,ne.C 5e !hrugged again. "he v,ice ,f <ean .auvet cut in. A5,9 are 9e !upp,!ed t, bring the ulti)atu) t, the attenti,n ,f the g,vern)ent!, 8,nJ Gy )ean! ,f the EnternetJC AWe;ll )ail it, <ean, t, be ,n the !afe !ide.C AE !ee. "hey 9ill certainly n,t reli!h it. Gut it !erve! the) right. "hey c,uld have d,ne it ,n their ,9n, 9ay bac-, if ,nly they had had p,litical 9ill and clear c,n!cience.C After the appr,val ,f the ulti)atu) "i),thy @raig and 8an Av!hal,) f,r)ed a !eparate gr,up in ,ne c,rner ,f Arrig,n;! living r,,) 9here a !)all de!- !t,,d, cr,9ned by a lapt,p c,)puter. Dater they 9ere j,ined by Gilly S-elint,n, @aptain Ging 9h, !at in a chair that 9a! d9arfed by the bulging )a!! ,f hi! large b,dy, <uan D,peK, and <en! 5an!en. Gina, eyeing thi! !eparate gr,up ,f )en, di!appeared in the -itchen a 9hile and !,,n reappeared 9ith a tray ,n 9hich !t,,d a c,ffeep,t and !everal !)all cup! f,r e!pre!!,. "here 9ere ca-e!, t,,, laid ,ut ae!thetically ,n a larger p,rcelain plate 9ith a dainty ,rna)ent ,f tiny blue fl,9er! circling r,und the ri) ,f the plate. "he ca-e! 9ere h,)e)ade and l,,-ed appetiKing. Gina put the tray ,n the l,9 table ne2t t, the )en and di!creetly retired t, j,in @arl, in the ,pp,!ite c,rner ,f the living r,,). Gut n,t bef,re !he received the gratitude f,r the treating. .,r a 9hile they 9ere !ipping at the !tea)ing h,t fragrant blac- liHuid, crunching the delici,u! ca-e!. "hen "i),thy @raig t,,- hi! !eat ne2t t, the lapt,p, !9itched it ,n, then turning t, Gilly a!-ed, AEt;! age! bac- E !a9 y,u la!t, GillyB I,u;ve been d,ing Huite 9ell E heard, Gilly. I,u carried ,ut b,th ,perati,n! in the :editerranean Sea al),!t hand!/d,9n E ta-e it.C

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AWell, "i), E 9,uldn;t !ay hand!/d,9n, but E;) fine a! 9ell a! )y c,)rade! are. "h,!e 9h, !hared )y l,t in the ch,pper. I,u c,uld call it real luc-. Gut E d,n;t tru!t luc- that )uch, f,r E rely ),re ,n ,ur c,llective e2perience and )y !pecial flair f,r danger. "h,ugh luc- / ,h ye! / y,u;re right, "i). Et;! real i)p,rtant, t,,.C A5,9;! 8iddy 8,,JC A"han-! a l,t, "i),C he fla!hed hi! u!ual daKKling !)ile at "i),thy @raig, Ahe;! fine. Gut E )i!! her )uch.C 5i! face !uddenly changed the e2pre!!i,n and beca)e ),re !eri,u!. A5,pe y,u;ll get the 9ell/de!erved leave after the ne2t ,perati,n in E!rael.C AEf E !tay alive, ,f c,ur!e. At lea!t if the da)n luc- let! )e c,)e bac- t, 8iddy 8,, in ,ne piece.C A8,n;t da)n y,ur luc-, Gilly, y,u;ll need it. A! f,r the re!t E ,nly !ay a)en t, it.C At thi! ),)ent 8an Av!hal,) a!-ed all ,f the) t, get acHuainted 9ith the pl,t ,f the f,rthc,)ing ,perati,n in E!rael. "i) faced the lapt,p and 9a! prepared t, type a9ay at it! -eyb,ard the general !che)e and !pecific! ,f t9, !ecret attac-!, ,ne ,f the) in A!!ur. Et 9a! there E)a) i!ay, the n,t,ri,u! !piritual and ide,l,gical leader ,f the Phili!tine!;! terr,ri!t ,rganiKati,n, c,ncealed hi)!elf in a hide ,ut. A 8a!!,) rec,nnai!!ance gr,up had recently f,und ,ut the !ecret l,cati,n ,f the hide,ut. "he l,cati,n ,f Abu Dala in 7a)Allalah 9a! 9ell -n,9n and it 9a! a )atter ,f ,ut9itting hi! b,dyguard!. S, the )ain ta!- 9a! t, thr,9 the) ,ff their guard. "he ,perati,n ,f -idnapping the t9, terr,ri!t leader! did n,t pr,)i!e t, be an ea!y ,ne. A !ec,nd deci!i,n 9a! )ade ab,ut a !i)ultane,u! attac- ,n the bigge!t a!ylu) !ee-er!C center! in Eur,pe t, !h,9 t, the auth,ritie! that the auth,r! ,f clau!e !i2 ,f the Ulti)atu) )eant bu!ine!!. "hi! acti,n 9a! t, be underta-en ),!tly in 5,lland, Ger)any, and Gritain, 9here !uch center! ,utnu)bered th,!e in the re!t ,f Eur,pe. "he ,rder 9a! prepared acc,rdingly. @5AP"E7 &1 :arcel, a guard ,f the AS@, !at at hi! de!- in the recepti,n cubicle, 9atching a late !h,9 ,n "V. Et 9a! hi! night !hift and he ju!t put a!ide the ne9!paper he had read. :,!tly, !p,rt! ne9!. 7eading b,,-! 9a! n,t hi! h,bby. Gut he read hi! ne9!paper! in!tead and regularly 9atched "V. "he AS@ lay at the di!tance ,f !everal )ile! fr,) Udrecht. Et 9a! the very AS@ 9here Seli) Gula) had ,nce lived, 9aiting f,r hi! re!idence per)it. "he va!t c,)p,und ,f the AS@ included !everal large redbric- building!. En the !)aller ,ne, the d,ct,r!; recepti,n r,,) 9a! h,u!ed, 9here a !ic-/nur!e 9a! al9ay! ,n duty during the night h,ur!. "he direct,r;! ,ffice 9a! ,n the fir!t fl,,r, but after five ,;cl,c-, there 9a! n,b,dy in the ,ffice.

1&L

"he recepti,n cubicle ,f the AS@ 9a! ,n the left !ide fr,) the entrance d,,r. Gy day, there 9ere ,ther e)pl,yee! in the cubicle t, !,lve nu)er,u! pr,ble)! ,f the a!ylu) !ee-er! ,r an!9er their endle!! Hue!ti,n!. Gut n,9, he 9a! al,ne, facing a l,ng night 9ith the "V !et f,r all hi! c,)pany. :,!t a!ylu) !ee-er! 9ere in their r,,)!, but there 9ere !till !,)e pe,ple in the recreati,n hall!, 9atching "V li-e :arcel ,r playing che!!. S,,n they 9,uld di!appear t,,, and the ,nly ),ve)ent! and !,und! 9,uld !tay ,n ,nly in :arcel;! recepti,n cubicle ,n the "V !creen. Et 9a! then that :arcel caught a vague ),ve)ent ,ut ,f the c,rner ,f hi! eye right 9ithin the cubicle be!ide hi). 5e rai!ed hi! eye! and fr,Ke. A blac- figure 9ith a )a!- ,n the face p,pped ,ut right in fr,nt ,f hi). "he figure 9a! h,lding a pi!t,l in the right hand trained ,n hi)N the f,refinger ,f the left hand t,uched that place ,f the )a!9here the lip! 9ere !upp,!ed t, be. An,ther )a!-ed figure l,,)ed in the d,,r9ay ,f the cubicle, eHually ar)ed 9ith a pi!t,l. :arcel re)ained 9here he 9a! but put up hi! hand! in t,-en ,f hi! readine!! t, c,,perate. "he 9h,le !cene t,,- n, l,nger than a !ec,nd. <en! 5an!en and hi! 8ani!h c,)rade!, 5an! Gri2 and May M,ld, -ept the)!elve! cl,!er t, the underbru!h ,f the f,re!t that !urr,unded the A!ylu) See-er!; @enter. Given the h,ur ,f the day, daylight 9a! already gradually turning int, gray du!-, )a-ing the !had,9! in the f,re!t gl,,)ier. Gut the three 8ane! f,und it ),re !uitable f,r e2ecuting the ,rder they had received fr,) the @entral @,))and ,f the EDA. "hey 9ere ar)ed 9ith a )achine gun, !)all p,rtable pi!t,l/li-e fla)e/thr,9er! hidden in inn,cent/l,,-ing !uitca!e!, deadly anti/tanhand/grenade!, and :,l,t,v c,c-tail!. A 9h,le ar!enal ,f 9eap,nry de!tined t, per!uade the inhabitant! ,f the AS@ and ,rganiKati,n! ta-ing care ,f refugee! t, !t,p the practice ,f !ee-ing ea!y life f,r the) and cut ,ff the practice ,f ince!!ant pu)ping ,f para!ite! int, the c,untry a! a 9arning f,r the l,cal lefti!t! 9h, in!i!ted that the c,untry c,uld !till receive a Huarter ,f the 9,rld;! p,pulati,n. 6n three !ide! the AS@ 9a! !urr,unded by the den!e pine and beech f,re!t, and it! va!t c,urtyard faced a ),t,r9ay. "he 8ane! had previ,u!ly )ade t9, rec,nnai!!ance hi-e! here and had a plan ,f the AS@. ,9 they !tayed in the bu!he! cl,!e t, the bac- bric-/9all ,f the AS@, 9aiting f,r the de!cent ,f c,)plete dar-ne!!. "hen they 9,uld !tri-e. With deadpan face!, they !ee)ed ab!,lutely !elf/p,!!e!!ed but 9ere ,n their guard, and e2changed !canty 9,rd! ,nly in ca!e! ,f utter nece!!ity. When it had bec,)e c,)pletely dar-, they dee)ed the ti)e 9a! ripe t, attac-. "hey ),ved n,i!ele!!ly ar,und the 9all ,f the c,)p,und t,9ard the ),t,r r,ad that 9a! practically free ,f car! at thi! ti)e ,f night. "he three )en put ,n their )a!-! and, having )ade !ure the c,a!t 9a! clear, and pre!u)ably n,b,dy 9,uld )eddle 9ith their acti,n, they appr,ached the fr,nt gate ,f the AS@. Et 9a! cl,!ed ,nly f,r car! but 9a! ,pen f,r pede!trian!. "hey glided li-e !had,9!, 9hich 9ere even dar-er than the dar-ne!! ,f night, trying t, -eep the)!elve! invi!ible ,n the edge ,f the va!t c,urtyard that 9a! lit ,nly by a

1&?

c,uple ,f lantern!. "here 9ere a fe9 car! in the c,urtyard. <en! cauti,u!ly tried the d,,r/ handle ,f the fr,nt entrance, -eeping hi)!elf in the dead angle ,f vi!i,n fr,) the d,,r)an;! 9ind,9, 9hich 9a! the 9ind,9 ,f the cubicle. 5e felt relief at ,nce. "he d,,r 9a! n,t l,c-ed up. 5e n,dded t, hi! c,)rade! and )ade a !ign t, f,ll,9 hi). 5an! and May !ilently ac-n,9ledged hi! !ign and ),ved cl,!er. <en! pre!!ed. "he d,,r ea!ily ,pened. "hey entered and !t,pped, !Huinting at the gla!! cubicle, 9here the guard 9a! 9atching "V a! the !,und! that i!!ued fr,) hi! cubicle c,nfir)ed. "hi! 9a! an au!pici,u! ),)ent. "here 9a! n,b,dy in the l,ng pa!!age ,n the gr,und fl,,r ,f the building. "he light in it 9a! di))ed. "hey lingered ju!t a !plit !ec,nd ,ut!ide the cubicle. "hi! ),)ent 9a! crucial.. .,r they did n,t -n,9 9hether the guard 9a! ar)ed. <en!, trying n,t t, catch the attenti,n ,f the guard, ca!t a gingerly glance in!ide the cubicle. "he guard 9a! c,)pletely ab!,rbed by the !h,9 ,n the !creen. <en! n,i!ele!!ly ,pened the d,,r ,f the cubicle and Huic-ly entered. 5an! re)ained !tanding in the d,,r9ay, and May M,ld;! ta!- 9a! t, 9atch the entrance d,,r. P,inting hi! pi!t,l at the guard <en! !aid in Engli!h, AStay putB , funny ),ve)ent! ,r E;ll bl,9 ,ut y,ur brain!. ,9 !tand up. Sl,9ly. .ace the 9all, !pread y,ur leg!, and place y,ur hand! ,n the 9all ab,ve y,ur head.C With,ut a 9,rd, :arcel ,beyed hi) and did all he 9a! t,ld. Et 9a! difficult f,r hi) t, tear hi! eye! fr,) the ,rifice! ,f the t9, gun/)uKKle! p,inted at hi) a! he 9a! hypn,tiKed by the). <en! Huic-ly !earched the )an and, t, hi! !urpri!e, f,und n, 9eap,n ,n the guard;! b,dy. "hen <en! and 5an! Gri2 gagged :arcel and tied up hi! hand! and feet 9ith the r,pe they had !pecially f,r the purp,!e. "hey i))ediately cut the teleph,ne cable, left :arcel ,n the fl,,r ,f the cubicle, and reentered the di)ly lit pa!!age. "here 9a! !till n, ,ne in it, and they ),ved al,ng the 9all, -eeping their gun! at ready. "hi! ti)e they had aut,)atic gun! and light fla)e/thr,9er!, -eeping the) in b,th hand!. "hey ),ved cauti,u!ly al,ng, 9ith,ut )eeting a !ingle living !,ul. Et 9a! then that they !uddenly heard v,ice! ,f )en leaving a recreati,n hall. "he v,ice! and !tep! gre9 l,uder fa!t a! they appr,ached t,9ard the t9, )ilitant! 9h, !t,pped i))ediately. Ab,ut five )en e)erged fr,) ar,und the c,rner. All ,f the) l,,-ed a! typical :u!li)!. 6n !p,tting the t9, )a!-ed )en in blac-, they !t,pped apparently perple2ed by the !trange !ight. "he further acti,n ,f the 8ane! 9a! re!,lute and fa!t. P,inting the )uKKle! ,f the aut,)atic gun! at the) they ,pened a r,und ,f fire. "he :u!li)! fell ,n the fl,,r nearly !i)ultane,u!ly !t,ne dead. <u!t t, )a-e !ure, 5an! !h,t thr,ugh the head ,f ,ne ,f the), 9hen he n,ticed a 9ea- ),ve)ent ,f hi! ar). :aybe it 9a! ag,ny. Gut they had t, be !ure. At fir!t, a !tunning !ilence filled the pa!!age after the freHuent and deafening !h,t! ,f the aut,)atic gun!. Gut ,nly f,r a c,uple ,f !ec,nd!. S,)e9here in the pa!!age! ,n b,th fl,,r! d,Ken! ,f d,,r! began t, ,pen n,i!ily and e2cited v,ice!, !,)e ,f the) fe)inine, filled 9ith !heer terr,r and hy!terically v,ciferating reached d,9n and )ade the attac-er! !lightly nerv,u!, alth,ugh they

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had been prepared t, face the reality ,f -illing 9,)en and children. "hey f,und it a very hard j,b t, d,, but there 9a! n, ,ther 9ay ,ut. "he AS@ 9a! t, be de!tr,yed t,gether 9ith it! inhabitant!. En the ne2t fe9 )inute!, n,b,dy !h,9ed up ,n the gr,und fl,,r apparently f,r fear ,f 9hat 9a! happening ,n it. "he t9, 8ane! 9ere j,ined by May M,ld. 5e !aid al),!t in a 9hi!per, AE had t, -ill the nur!e ,n duty in the d,ct,r!; recepti,n r,,). She tried t, alar) the p,lice by teleph,ne. S, E !h,t her dead.C AShe get the p,lice ,n the ph,neJC <en! a!-ed. A ,, !he didn;t have ti)e f,r that. E cut the cable.C AG,,d f,r y,u, May.C <en! c,))ented. "hey pr,ceeded t, ),ve, all the three ,f the), d,9n the dar-ened pa!!age, -ic-ing at the d,,r! ,n their 9ay ,r !h,,ting the l,c-!, and -illing the in)ate! ,f the cell/li-e r,,)!. "he c,ncrete 9all! ech,ed the !,und! ,f !h,,ting 9ith a red,ubled deafening f,rce a),ng the h,rrified crie! ,f the victi)!. Gl,,d !pla!hed pr,fu!ely again!t th,!e 9all! in large red bl,tche!, creeping !l,9ly d,9n t, the fl,,r in little rivulet! and thread!. 6ften the bl,,d 9a! )i2ed 9ith the gray )a!! ,f !)a!hed brain!. When they reached the fir!t fl,,r by the br,ad !tairca!e, they 9ere )et by piercing !hrie-! ,f fear and de!perati,n ,f h,rrified :u!li)!. "hey ble9 up the l,c-! ,f the !)all r,,)! 9ith their pi!t,l! and p,inted the )uKKle! ,f their fla)e/thr,9er! at the h,rrified )en 9ith their fa)ilie!. "he three 8ane! u!ed the !)all fla)e/thr,9er! devel,ped by ar)a)ent! engineer! in 8en)ar-. "heir purp,!e 9a! !etting the 9h,le place ,n fire bef,re la9 enf,rce)ent agent! arrived. "he fire fr,) the !)all but efficient fla)e/thr,9er! hi!!ed 9ith daKKling flare! ,f 9hite/,range fla)e!, abruptly !t,pping the terrified high/pitched v,ice! ,f the :u!li)! in the cell/li-e r,,)! / )en, 9,)en, and children / turning the) in n, ti)e int, carb,niKed b,die!, hardly rec,gniKable a! bel,nging t, living pe,ple ju!t a !ec,nd bef,re. "he pungent !)ell ,f the charred hu)an fle!h hung heavily in the heated air. "he entire gla!! ,f all pane! bur!t 9ith heat that burned the pe,ple and piece! ,f furniture the ),)ent the )uKKle! ,f th,!e 9eap,n! 9ere trained ,n the). "he curtain! and bedcl,the! caught fire fa!t. S,,n the 9h,le fir!t fl,,r 9a! in raging fla)e!. En a pa!!age ar,und the c,rner, the :u!li)! barricaded the)!elve! in a recreati,n hall. "he 8ane! thre9 a p,9erful grenade again!t the d,,r. Dightning and thunder bur!t in the !plintered d,,r and !ent hundred! ,f !)all piece! ,f h,t )etal int, the b,die! ,f the )en 9h, had retreated t, the 9ind,9!. "he thunder,u! bla!t ,f the !ec,nd grenade and the fla)e! fr,) the hi!!ing fla)e/thr,9er! reached the) there fatally. ,9 the 9h,le !pace ,f the fir!t fl,,r 9a! caught in furi,u! fla)e! and !tifling !),-e. "he 8ane! retreated ,nt, the !tairca!e and de!cended. "he hu)an crie! died d,9n and cea!ed. 8,Ken! ,f the inhabitant! ,f the AS@ lay dead. "he fire caught the r,,)! d,9n!tair! and !9iftly advanced, dev,uring the !trip! ,f carpet! ,n it! 9ay. "he 8ane! !et fire t, the r,,)! ,f the gr,und fl,,r, bef,re they retreated t, the recepti,n cubicle, 9here the b,und and gagged :arcel !till lay ,n

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the fl,,r, hi! eye! bulging fr,) their !,c-et! and glaKed ,ver 9ith a nu)bing fear ,f death. "he three 8ane! ign,red hi) and glided ,ut!ide thr,ugh the fr,nt d,,r, then !9iftly di!appeared int, the dar-ne!! ,f night and 9,,d! that caught the reddi!h reflecti,n fr,) the raven,u! fire. "he en,r),u! c,nflagrati,n 9a! 9ildly raging in!ide the large building, it! ,)in,u!ly red t,ngue! darting ,ut the 9ind,9! and lic-ing at the dar-ne!! ,ut!ide. "he infern, 9a! gaining ),re and ),re f,rce and !pace in!ide the building, threatening t, t,rch the nearby f,re!t !eparated fr,) the burning building ,nly by a l,9 bric- 9all. "he branche! ,f the neare!t f,re!t tree! !tretched danger,u!ly cl,!e t,9ard it and c,uld catch fire any ),)ent. "he 8ane! 9ere careful t, plunge int, the !hrubbery and never cea!ed t, ),ve a9ay fr,) the t,rched building ,f the AS@. "hey Huic-ened their pace a! they heard the 9ailing !,und ,f !iren!. "hey did n,t -n,9 9hether the !iren! 9ere th,!e ,f a fire brigade ,r p,lice. Pr,bably b,th. "he 9h,le acti,n had n,t ta-en ),re ti)e than an h,ur ,r !,. ,9 their ),!t i))ediate c,ncern 9a! t, di!appear fr,) the place a! !9iftly a! p,!!ible. "hey 9ere running fa!t t, 9here their car 9a! par-ed ,n a dirt r,ad that cr,!!ed the f,re!t and the ),t,r9ay. Et 9a! hidden in the deep dar- !had,9 ,f the f,re!t tree!, invi!ible fr,) the ),t,r9ay. Alth,ugh <en! and hi! )en 9ere ),ving ha!tily, they tried t, )a-e a! little n,i!e a! p,!!ible. "he ru!tle ,f the half/r,tten ,ld leave! ,n the gr,und 9a! al),!t inaudible under their !tep!. "hey didn;t !t,p until they reached their car. May ,pened the b,,t and they put all their 9eap,n! there , e2cept f,r their pi!t,l! that they -ept at ready, ju!t t, be ,n the !afe !ide. "hen they g,t int, the car and <en! !tarted it. "hey had t, ride all the 9ay up t, Udrecht, 9here they 9ere t, get rid ,f the 9eap,n! at a place 9here they, a! 8,nald 7,!! had t,ld the), c,uld !afely hide the). Dater, they 9ere t, leave the c,untry a! !,,n a! p,!!ible. <en! put the car in gear and dr,ve it in the directi,n ,f the ),t,r9ay. Et! tire! ru!tled !,ftly ,n the carpet ,f the la!t year;! leave!. "hen it reached the a!phalt ,f the ),t,r9ay and !9ung ,ff t, the left, gaining !peed a! it raced further int, the dar-ne!! ,f night. .ar behind the) the t,p! ,f the tree! 9ere illu)inated 9ith a reddi!h glea) fr,) the big fire ,n the ,ther !ide ,f the f,re!t. "he treet,p! !t,,d ,ut clear and !harp again!t that reddi!h bac-dr,p. A! the car accelerated it! !peed the red glea) began t, fade a9ay far behind the). ,b,dy tal-ed, each ,f the) deep in hi! ,9n th,ught!. After all, they 9ere Scandinavian! and n,t e!pecially tal-ative by their very nature. "he ne2t ),rning, all Eur,pean )edia 9ere full ,f ne9! ab,ut the )y!teri,u! fire! that c,)pletely ruined the a!ylu) !ee-er!; center! in a nu)ber ,f Eur,pean c,untrie! and -illed al),!t all ,f their inhabitant!. En all the ca!e! the ar!,ni!t! / f,r the p,lice didn;t d,ubt that it had been the 9,r- ,f ar!,ni!t! and pr,fe!!i,nal -iller! / had been careful t, di!appear fr,)

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the !cene ,f their attac-!. :,!t ,f the -illed a!ylu) !ee-er! 9ere !h,t, judging by their !h,t/ 9,und!, and their b,die! burned d,9n ,nly a !h,rt ti)e later. :any ,f the), th,ugh, 9ere burned alive. En 5,lland !everal big AS@ 9ere burned d,9n and their in)ate! -illed. Gut in ,ne ca!e a guard, a! if by )iracle, !urvived the cala)ity and t,ld the auth,ritie! ,f 9hat had befallen hi). 5e hi)!elf !uffered fr,) a fe9 burn! and 9a! h,!pitaliKed at the Acade)ic 5,!pital in Udrecht. 6n the fatal night, he 9a! ,n duty at the recepti,n ,f the big AS@ !everal )ile! fr,) Udrecht. "he p,lice inve!tigat,r !pent h,ur! tal-ing 9ith hi). @5AP"E7 && At AK/Sahar A!arda) the Supre)e @,uncil ,f E!la) 9a! al!, !itting at appr,2i)ately the !a)e ti)e. All the i)p,rtant dignitarie! ,f E!la) 9ere attending it. "he )eeting 9a! chaired, a! u!ual, by Abu Dula Gar Mebab. "he ,ther! 9ere U!taba!hi Seli) Gu!tafa A!!f,,l, E)a) Abdylda "abubara-, E)a) a!ral a!!al and ,f c,ur!e Eh)ed Gey 9h, did all the !ecretarial 9,r-. "here 9a! yet an,ther gue!t, a very !pecial ,ne 9h, had ju!t arrived fr,) Eur,pe t,gether 9ith hi! y,ung 9ife. Seli) Gula) had recently )arried Sebuni!!a .arjaKAllalah, and !he had acc,)panied hi) all the 9ay t, ilia. 5e had been ,rdered t, urgently return t, hi! c,untry, 9here an h,n,r 9a! a9aiting hi). 5e didn;t -n,9 yet 9hat -ind ,f h,n,r it 9a!, but being a ),de!t y,ung )an, he did n,t pre!! Hue!ti,n! ab,ut it. 5e had left Sebuni!!a in a !)all r,,) rented !pecially f,r the ,cca!i,n ,f their arrival in @air,, n,t far fr,) AK/Sahar. "he face! ,f the pre!ent i)a)! 9ere gl,,)y. Gabel had fallen. A :u!li) nati,n that had b,a!ted ,f it! !trength 9a! n, ),re a fact,r ,f great )enace n,t ,nly t, E!rael ,r, f,r that )atter, t, all the ,ther big ,r !)all Ereb nati,n! that Gabel b,rdered ,n. A ),urnful !ilence prevailed in the dar- !,ul! ,f the i)a)!. Wa! it the 9ill ,f Allalah the Al)ightyJ Et c,uldn;t have been ,ther9i!e. Gut the great Abu Dula;! 9i!d,) 9ent far. 5e rai!ed hi! b,th hand!, the 9hite! ,f hi! eye! r,lled up9ard a! if he had !uddenly bec,)e blind. AAllalah i! greatBC Abu Dula e2clai)ed, ech,ed by the ,ther! pi,u!ly. "hen he !aid, A6h, believer!B "he l,t! ,f thi! !inful 9,rld are in the hand! ,f the :erciful the Al)ighty Allalah. ,thing happen! 9ith,ut 5i! !upre)e 9ill. ,thing ,n thi! earth ,r el!e9here. 5u!!ein G,u!liyah i! a true believer, but he i! a 9ea- believer. 5i! !tatue! and p,rtrait! 9ere di!played every9here in Gabel. "hat 9a! a !eri,u! breach ,f Allalah;! behe!t!. Such lac- ,f l,yalty t, the D,rd ,f the W,rld! 9a! t, be puni!hed. 5u!!ein;! prayer! did n,t and c,uld n,t reach Allalah, f,r 5u!!ein !inned. "hat;! 9hy 5u!!ein 9a! defeated at the hand! ,f the big Satan hi)!elf i)per!,nated in the ar)ed h,!t! ,f A)erican and ,ther infidel!.

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Allalah;! trial and c,nvicti,n ,f 5u!!ein G,u!liyah ha! ,ccurred. "hi! )u!t be a g,,d le!!,n t, all the ,ther :u!li) leader!, f,r it i! their duty t, be hu)ble and faithful t, Allalah. Gut 5e, the Al)ighty and :erciful ha! n,t f,r!a-en 5i! true believer!. 5e ha! ,nly taught the) a !evere le!!,n f,r their ,9n benefit. Det u! be grateful f,r 5i! )ercy. We !till have a f,r)idable !tr,ngh,ld in A!!ur 9here Pre!ident Ga!hil 8a!!a rule! !upre)e, )ay Allalah ble!! hi). W,rd reached u! that 5u!!ein G,u!liyah;! c,urage,u! 9arri,r and ,ur friend General <afar Gar 5a)ir ha! fled unhar)ed and f,und a!ylu) in A!!ur, Allalah ble!! hi).C Abu Dula fell !ilent a9hile and a radiant cunning !)ile t,uched hi! thin lip!. AAnd 5u!!ein G,u!liyah;! che)ical and bi,l,gical 9eap,n! have f,und their 9ay int, A!!ur. Allalah -eep! 5i! 9eap,n! !ecret until the h,ur ,f truth c,)e! al,ng and all <e9! and @hri!tian! 9ill be ju!tly !laughtered, Allalah be prai!ed. 5e and 5e al,ne define! the l,t ,f the 9,rld. Di-e li,n ra)pant, 5i! W,rd !tand! ,ut in the h,ly Our;an, and 5i! pr,)i!e t, have all th,!e da)ned infidel! !laughtered i! fir) and un!ha-able. And a pr,)i!e i! a pr,)i!e y,u -n,9. 8ear friend!, n,9 9e have a),ng!t u! a y,ung her,, a true 9arri,r ,f E!la) 9h, !,)e ti)e ag, departed fr,) here a! a fledgling and c,)e bac- a! a gr,9ling invincible li,n. 5ere i! ,ur ,9n Seli) Gula) in hi! n,ble per!,nBC Seli) 9a! c,nfu!ed, perple2ed and did n,t -n,9 9here t, hide, he 9,uld be glad t, fall thr,ugh the gr,und if he c,uld. At the !a)e ti)e hi! y,ung eg, 9a! ,verfl,9ed 9ith 9ave! ,f pride. Everyb,dy turned in hi! directi,n and 9a! !taring at hi) 9ith curi,!ity and appr,val in the eye!. All the!e 9hite/bearded i)a)!B 5e 9,uld give hi! life f,r the). "he ,nly thing that )ight !till prevent hi) fr,) d,ing it 9a! hi! reluctance t, e2change hi! bel,ved Sebuni!!a f,r the !eductive and eternally virginal Paradi!e 9h,re!. ,t yetB "hen hi! na)e!a-e U!taba!hi Seli) Gu!tafa A!!f,,l !aid 9ith a !carcely hidden pride treacher,u!ly vibrating in hi! v,ice, A"hi! n,ble and c,urage,u! y,uth u!ed t, be )y be!t !tudent.C E)a) Abdylda !aid, l,,-ing flu!tered. AAnd )ine t,,BC Eh)ed Gey l,,-ed pr,ud ,f hi! b,!,)/friend and a little jeal,u!, t,,. E)a) a!ral a!!al, @,))ander/in/@hief ,f the Allalah Party and a great e2pert at deep Our;an !tudie! 9a! eyeing Seli) at thi! ),)ent a! if he 9ere hi! father but !aid n,thing. Et 9a! E)a) Abdylda "abubara- 9h, !aid, A6ur Seli) Gula) ha! bec,)e !uch a her, becau!e he -n,9! the h,ly Our;an by heart. Et;! a g,,d e2a)ple f,r ,ther y,ung )en. "he better y,u -n,9 the h,ly Our;an the ),re p,9erfully y,u defeat y,ur unbelieving ene)ie!.C "he ,ther i)a)! n,dded their head! appr,vingly and !aid in a ch,ru! / A5earB 5earBC

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A"hat;! a preci,u! !trategic th,ught, ,h inc,)parable and 9i!e E)a) Abdylda,C Abu Dula !aid, a bit envi,u! that thi! brilliant idea bel,nged t, !,)e,ne ,ther and n,t t, hi)!elf. Gut in the 9,rld ,f learned 9i!d,) !uch thing! d, happen !,)eti)e! even a),ng great !ch,lar! ,f thi! )agnitude. S, thi! h,n,rable a!!e)blage ,f the ),!t brilliant !tar! ,f E!la) !trategy and 9i!d,) 9ent ,n t, di!cu!! the recent fall ,f Gabel and 5u!!ein G,u!liyah in the light ,f Gabel;! in!ufficient belief and id,latr,u! 9,r!hip ,f 5u!!ein G,u!liyah;! per!,nality. Gut they deeply regretted the be!)irching pre!ence ,f the Allied tr,,p! ,f the We!t in Gabel and heaped their h,pe! ,n Allalah;! :ercy and the !till unc,nHuered A!!ur under Pre!ident Ga!hil 8a!!a. En the )iddle ,f thi! di!cu!!i,n Abu Dula !aid, A6h, the 9i!e ,ne!, the ,ther day the great Ga!hil received the .rench .,reign :ini!ter 8i)anche de Villain and they di!cu!!ed the pre!ent !ituati,n the ble!!ed land! ,f true believer! and 8i)anche de Villain gave 9ar) greeting! fr,) Pre!ident :erdac and a pr,)i!e t, !upp,rt A!!ur again!t A)erica and Wil)an 9ith all p,!!ible )ean!. Ef need be .rance c,uld give a!ylu) t, the fallen leader!hip ,f Gabel. .,r .rance ha! )illi,n! ,f :u!li) fighter! 9h, are prepared t, cut the thr,at! ,f all the infidel! !till living there 9ith the high per)i!!i,n ,f Pre!ident :erdac, thu! re!t,ring the n,ble .rench traditi,n ,f guill,tine. Ef A)erica ever attac-! A!!ur, .rance 9ill re)ain true t, her fir) principle ,f defending the !acred land! ,f E!la) again!t A)erica and ,ther infidel!. "ruly, 9hen the h,ur ,f ,ur triu)ph c,)e!, 9e 9ill re)e)ber their l,yalty t, u!, and 9e;ll -ill ,ff ,nly the da)ned <e9! and all the @hri!tian! in .rance. We;ll liberate .rance fr,) the !uperflu,u! !cu) ,f infidel! !till infe!ting that c,untry. "h,!e 9h, 9ill be c,nverted t, E!la) 9ill re)ain alive and 9ill be g,,d citiKen! ,f .rance. E heard that b,th :erdac and 8i)anche de Villain are ready t, get circu)ci!ed t, !tay in p,9er li-e the -ing ,f Gelgi!tan.C "he!e tiding! 9ere received by the n,ble and 9i!e i)a)! 9ith tre)end,u! jubilati,n. ASuch g,,d ne9! !h,uld be celebratedBC E)a) Abdylda e2clai)ed 9ith enthu!ia!). Abu Dula clapped hi! hand!, and a y,ung !ervant entered the r,,) and b,9ed in a9e. A.etch u! tea, helva, and !,)e fruit,C he ,rdered. "he b,y retired t, e2ecute the ,rder. After the tea pau!e !,)e ,f the i)a)! left e2cepting Abu Dula, E)a) a!ral a!!al, Seli) and Eh)ed Gey. Abu Dula glanced at Seli) th,ughtfully a9hile. ASeli), )y dear b,y, y,u;ve c,)e here all the 9ay fr,) Eur,pe n,t f,r n,thing. ,9 it;! the right ti)e t, tell y,u the rea!,n ,f y,ur c,)ing bac-. E d,n;t 9ant t, -eep y,u l,ng in the dar- regarding that y,u -n,9. , need t, tell y,u that the n,ble ta!- y,u face i! !trictly cla!!ified. "he great E)a) a!ral a!!al here 9ill tell y,u all ab,ut it.C "he per!,n referred t, -ept Seli) in hi! piercing gaKe, 9ith,ut uttering a 9,rd. "hen he !hifted hi! eye! t, Eh)ed Gey, let the) linger ,n the face ,f the ,ther y,uth a9hile, and !aid, ADi!ten, Seli), carefully t, 9hat E;) g,ing t, tell y,u n,9.

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We;ll !end y,u the day after t,),rr,9 t, Phili!tine a! ,ur !pecial agent t, pr,tect Abu Dala again!t a p,!!ible atte)pt ,n hi! life. 5e ha! hi! b,dyguard!, ,f c,ur!e, but 9e are n,t !ure they are efficient en,ugh the!e day!. ,9 that the A)erican! have ,ccupied Gabel y,u can never tell 9hat happen! ne2t in the ,ccupied territ,rie! ,f Phili!tine. S, y,u are app,inted captain ,f Abu Dala;! per!,nal b,dyguard!, and y,u 9ill be re!p,n!ible f,r hi! preci,u! !afety and life, -eeping a 9atchful eye ,n hi! cl,!e!t a!!,ciate!. En ca!e ,f need y,u;ll d, y,ur duty and give up y,ur ,9n life t, pr,tect hi). .,r y,u -n,9 that the 9ar in Gabel 9a! ab,ut Phili!tine and E!rael that ,ccupie! it. I,u can leave y,ur 9ife Sebuni!!a, being Huite !ure ,f her !afety, in ,ur pr,tective !helter. We;ll pay all the )aintenance c,!t! t, -eep thing! g,ing 9ell 9ith her. S, y,u needn;t 9,rry ab,ut that. .r,) ti)e t, ti)e !he;ll be able t, c,)e ,ver t, vi!it y,u. All the ti)e y,u;ll be at Abu Dala;! c,)p,und at 7a)Allalah. 5e -n,9! all ab,ut y,u, and he ha! per!,nally appr,ved ,f y,ur app,int)ent. We ,f Allalah;! Party 9ill al9ay! be there f,r y,u in any ca!e ,f e)ergency. I,u can rely ,n ,ur full !upp,rt. All y,u;ll have t, 9ill be t, give u! a ph,ne call. S, 9hat d, y,u )a-e ,f it, ,h, Seli)JC APr,per 9,rd! fail )e t, e2pre!! )y gratitude f,r y,ur tru!t that h,n,r! )e. "h,ugh E;) n,t !ure E have truly de!erved it. Gut E;ll be happy t, die f,r the ju!t cau!e ,f E!la). And E;ll give up )y life f,r the great leader ,f Phili!tine! Abu Dala. I,u can depend ,n that.C a!ral;! lip! ab,ve hi! blac- beard !pa!),dically changed int, !,)ething that )ight be interpreted a! a !)ile. AE didn;t e2pect ,ther 9,rd! fr,) an e2perienced 9arri,r ,f Allalah. ",),rr,9 y,u;ll get all the nece!!ary paper! and the day after t,),rr,9 y,u;ll be !)uggled int, the territ,ry ,f Phili!tine. A! y,u;ve already heard y,ur 9ife Sebuni!!a 9ill be ta-en g,,d care ,f. And E;ll )eet y,u !,)eti)e! at Abu Dala;! c,)p,und. Ge !ure ,f that. G,,d luc-, Seli). Allalah the Al)ighty the :erciful ble!! y,u.C a!ral !t,,d up and Seli) 9a! e2cu!ed fr,) the !acred pre!ence ,f the great E)a) and 9arri,r ,f Allalah. Gef,re Seli) left hi! ,ld friend Eh)ed Gey t,,- hi) t, a !eparate r,,). AI,u l,,- great, ,h, )y Seli), )y ,ld palB I,u;ve bec,)e !uch a great her,. And c,ngratulati,n! ,n the ,cca!i,n ,f y,ur )arriage. She i! !9eet and l,vely E heard. What a luc- f,r y,uB I,u )u!t be really happy n,9. Gut let )e a!- y,u !,)ething. 8, y,u !till 9rite p,e)!JC Eh)ed Gey a!-ed, h,lding Seli) by hi! hand and l,,-ing eagerly int, hi! eye!. AShe )u!t have in!pired y,ur ne9 ge)! ,f p,etry, n, d,ubt. E;) dying t, !ee the) and ,f c,ur!e the very !,urce ,f in!pirati,n, if y,u d,n;t )ind.C 5i! eye! 9ere glinting 9ith curi,!ity and plea!ure t, !ee hi! friend again after a l,ng ti)e ,f !eparati,n. Seli) l,,-ed !lightly c,nfu!ed. A6h, Eh)ed Gey, E;) n,t really 9,rthy ,f all that eul,gy. E a!!ure y,u. All the ),re !, !ince E didn;t 9rite a line 9hile E 9a! in Eur,pe. Sebuni!!a de!erve! far ),re than that. A

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!i)ple p,e) 9,uld never e2pre!! a! )uch a! E really feel f,r her. S, E preferred t, be!t,9 )y l,ve ,n her rather than )ere verb,!ity. And ,f c,ur!e E;ll intr,duce y,u t, her, if y,u deign t, vi!it ,ur hu)ble d9elling t,),rr,9, ,h, Eh)ed Gey.C A"hat !uit! )e perfectly, ,h, Seli)B E 9ill ),!t certainly c,)e al,ng. And y,u !,und c,nvincing ab,ut 9riting a p,e) that c,uld be dedicated t, y,ur 9ife, h,9ever perfect and !ubli)e it c,uld be. I,ur very argu)ent !,und! r,)antic en,ugh a! if it 9ere a p,e) ,f high Huality.C "he friend! !h,,- each ,ther;! hand! l,ng and 9ar)ly bef,re they parted. Deft al,ne, Seli) c,uldn;t help !)iling, thin-ing ,f hi! friend;! enthu!ia!) and fran- curi,!ity. "heir r,,) 9a! furni!hed 9ith gari!h carpet!, a cupb,ard 9ith !,)e cr,c-ery, ,ne very l,9 )ah,gany table, a p,9erfully l,,-ing 9ardr,be, and a large c,njugal c,uch right ,n the fl,,r c,vered 9ith bedcl,the!. "he carpet! re!ted ,n the fl,,r and hung ,n all the 9all!. Gy night the r,,) )u!t be i))er!ed in a reddi!h light ,9ing t, the red la)p!hade that c,vered up the ,nly la)p al),!t ,n all !ide! e2cept it left beneath it ,nly a !)all light circle ,n the table. Apart fr,) the entrance d,,r there 9ere t9, d,,r! ),re, ,ne ,f the) leading t, a tiny -itchen 9ith a ga! range, and the ,ther hid behind it a lavat,ry 9ith a 9a!h!tand. I,u c,uldn;t call thi! d9elling rich, but Sebuni!!a and Seli) 9ere Huite happy ab,ut it. And the rea!,n 9a! ,nly t,, apparent. "hey 9ere beginning their life here t,gether f,r the fir!t ti)e. "hey 9ere hu!band and 9ife and their ne9 life here in the heart ,f @air, felt li-e a ne9 l,ng/ e2pected and de!ired t,y f,r -id! 9h, 9ere happy ab,ut it and !en!ed the )agic ,f that i)pr,bable )iracle 9ith all the fre!hne!! ,f their y,ung !,ul!. After he had left AK/Sahar, Seli) raced h,)e li-e !,)e,ne 9a! cha!ing hi). 5e even didn;t n,tice pe,ple in the !treet, !,)e ,f 9h,) turned their head! t, eye hi) 9ith !urpri!e, pr,bably thin-ing he had !t,len !,)ething and 9a! trying t, get l,!t in the cr,9d. Gut he had ,nly Sebuni!!a ,n hi! )ind and 9a! very i)patient t, !ee her, t, t,uch her, t, )a-e !ure !he 9a! here 9ith hi), and !he 9a! hi!. Wa!n;t it a true 9,nder that he 9,uld h,ld her in hi! hand! in a )inute ,r t9,J Gut 9hat if !he 9a!n;t thereJ What if the 9h,le thing 9a! ,nly a play ,f hi! i)aginati,nJ 6r )aybe he 9a! drea)ing and 9a! ,n the p,int ,f 9a-ing up and )i!!ing herB "hen he f,und hi)!elf !tanding in fr,nt ,f the d,,r, and !he ,pened it f,r hi). 5e entered and t,,- her in hi! ar)!, hi! eye! plunging int, the blac- aby!! ,f her eye!, 9hich radiated l,ve, under!tanding, and dev,ti,n. "hi! 9a! happine!!B And it 9a! true, and it 9a! hi!. "heir lip! )et in a de)anding l,ng -i!!. "heir b,die! pre!!ed again!t each ,ther 9ith a h,t de!ire. Still gripped in a fir) e)brace, they 9ent !traight t, the br,ad c,uch and fell ,n it, -i!!ing and giggling and !tripping each ,ther t, the !-in. "heir 9ar) na-ed b,die! )et. Seli) dev,ured her na-edne!! 9ith )adly de!ir,u! eye!. She ),ved languidly her heavy thigh! apart, baring the !lightly !9,llen !lit ,f !9eetne!! ri))ed by blac- curly hair. 5er r,bu!t

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calve! curved !educingly beneath the full r,und -nee!. "he nipple! ,f her !)all but fir) brea!t! !t,,d ,ut a! if challenging the den!e hair ,n Seli);! che!t t, bury the) f,rever in an eternal )eeting. 5i! !e2 g,t !9,llen and beca)e hard li-e a large ,bl,ng piece ,f dar- )etal at the !ight ,f the lu!ci,u! gener,!ity ,f Sebuni!!a;! b,dy, 9hich felt 9ar) and !il-en at a t,uch and 9a! clinging t, Seli);! ,9n b,dy 9ith all the f,rce ,f the hungry )aternity in!tinct. With a p,9erful ),ve)ent he thru!t hi! !9,llen !e2 int, her, and !he uttered a !h,rt !Hueal li-e a frightened rabbit. 5e 9a! thru!ting hard 9ith an accelerati,n ,f rhyth), hi! panting )i2ed 9ith Sebuni!!a;! and hi! ,9n pa!!i,nate ),an!. 5i! ),ve)ent! 9ere bec,)ing ),re freHuent 9ith each thru!t. Sebuni!!a;! !hapely and r,bu!t leg! envel,ped hi! l,in! and ),ved in uni!,n 9ith Seli);! thru!t!. "i)e nearly cea!ed t, e2i!t f,r the). Suddenly Seli) uttered a 9ild, al),!t fierce bea!tly h,9l and hi! b,dy, h,t and !9eaty, !an- heavily ,n Sebuni!!a;! b,dy, hi! !e2 !till vibrating deep in!ide her 9ith the la!t dr,p! ,f 9ar) !per). "hey -i!!ed each ,ther again. "hi! ti)e ),re !,ftly. Sebuni!!a;! large eye! 9ere glinting in the dar-ne!! ,f the r,,) li-e t9, )y!teri,u!ly brilliant !tar! ,f the fir!t )agnitude. Et !ee)ed that all her l,ve energy 9a! fl,9ing fr,) the) int, Seli);! eye!. "hey )ade l,ve t9, ),re ti)e!, each ti)e their hungry c,iti,n la!ted l,nger and ),re i)petu,u!ly. "hen, e2hau!ted and !ati!fied, they fell a!leep in each ,ther;! tight e)brace a! if they 9ere afraid t, get !eparated by f,rce. "heir y,ung !leep 9a! happy, !,und, l,ng, and 9ith,ut drea)!. Eh)ed Gey arrived after the n,,n prayer ju!t ,n ti)e t, be treated t, a c,uple ,f cup! ,f h,t fragrant !tr,ng tea 9ith !9eet helva at Seli);! place. 5e !carcely had ti)e t, catch !ight ,f Sebuni!!a 9h, di!appeared in the -itchen. 5i! eye! glittering 9ith a curi,u! and apprai!ing e2pre!!i,n in the) 9ere f,rced t, tear the)!elve! 9ith difficulty fr,) the delightful ,bject ,f hi! appreciati,n and turned t, it! happy p,!!e!!,r. AWhat a 9,nderful trea!ure y,u;ve g,t here, ,h, happy Seli)BC Eh)ed Gey e2clai)ed e2citedly. At thi! ),)ent, Sebuni!!a entered the r,,) !,)e9hat !elf/c,n!ci,u!, bright pinc,l,r !uffu!ing her chee-!. She br,ught a tray 9ith tea thing! and a b,9l ,f helva, put all ,f thi! d,9n ,n the table in fr,nt ,f her hu!band and hi! friend 9h,!e delighted eye! e)barra!!ed her a little. She turned and 9a! ,n the p,int ,f di!appearing in the -itchen again, ready t, leave the t9, )en t, their c,nver!ati,n. Gut Seli) !aid 9ith in!i!tence, ASebuni!!a, )y l,ve, plea!e d, h,n,r u! 9ith y,ur )agic pre!ence. Parta-e ,f thi! tea 9ith u!. , fearB :y ,ld pal Eh)ed Gey d,e!n;t bite. 5ave a !eat plea!e.C Sebuni!!a ,beyed her hu!band;! hu)ble reHue!t and j,ined the) at the l,9 table, !till !lightly e)barra!!ed by the pre!ence ,f the ,ther y,ung )an 9h, 9a! pretty attractive hi)!elf. "heir c,nver!ati,n 9a! ),!tly f,cu!ed ,n Seli);! app,int)ent and hi! !ecret trip t, 7a)Allalah.

13L

AEt;! a great h,n,r t, !erve under !uch a legendary her, a! Abu Dala,C Eh)ed Gey !aid, turning t, Sebuni!!a a! if t, c,)f,rt her in vie9 ,f her parting 9ith Seli) bef,re l,ng. @5AP"E7 &3 "he !c,rching !u))er !un 9a! e2ce!!ively !earing the !treet! ,f <eru!ale), bur!ting 9ith their daily life de!pite the heavy heat beating ,n the great city;! inhabitant! and gue!t! 9ith an eHually )ercile!! f,rce. Pe,ple tried t, !,ften it! effect by c,n!u)ing unbelievable Huantitie! ,f nearly fr,Ken )ineral 9ater. <e9i!h and f,eign 9,)en 9ere 9earing br,ad/bri))ed !tra9 hat! f,r pr,tecti,n. 8e!pite the early ),rning h,ur!, the city;! )ar-et! and !h,p! 9ere filled 9ith l,ud/v,iced, ge!ticulating, and bargaining pe,ple 9h, tried t, ign,re the !un and the !ultry air. Sultry but n,t !tuffy a! ,ne )ight e2pect at thi! ti)e ,f the year de!pite the pr,2i)ity ,f the <udaean de!ert 9ith it! dry incande!cent air. <eru!ale) lie! at a higher altitude, !urr,unded by 9,,ded ),untain! 9ith !,)e !ettle)ent! !cattered ,n their t,p!. "hi! envir,n)ent !,ften! the air a little in the city, 9ith,ut di)ini!hing the !c,rching f,rce ,f the heat. "he 6ld @ity 9a!, a! u!ual, pac-ed 9ith ),tley cr,9d! ,f curi,u! t,uri!t! craning their nec-! t, l,,- in the directi,n! !ugge!ted by the guide!, !9arthy l,cal pe,ple 9earing chec-ered ,r 9hite %ufiyas, nu)er,u! pilgri)! ,f all den,)inati,n!, and dar-ly clad de!pite the cru!hing heat, 6rth,d,2 <e9! 9ith l,c-! dangling under their blac- hat! in ti)e t, the !tride! they )ade. Gut they 9ere far ),re c,ncentrated in the !treet! ,f We!t <eru!ale). S,)eti)e!, ,n a city bu! ,ne c,uld ,b!erve !,)e,ne 9ith a %ufiya ,n hi! head peacefully !itting ne2t t, an 6rth,d,2 <e9. Each ,f the) ran the ri!- t, fall a victi) t, a vici,u! terr,ri!t attac-. Such attac-!, t,,, had bec,)e part and parcel ,f the city;! life. At lea!t ,ut9ardly, n,b,dy di!played any particular c,ncern f,r an eventual danger. Gut it 9a! n,t a )atter ,f carele!!ne!!. 7ather it 9a! a -ind ,f fatali!) that per)eated all !,cial life in E!rael fr,) t,p t, b,tt,). Wally and Pi-e 9h, had recently arrived in <eru!ale) 9ith !,)e ,ther )ilitant! 9ere having a c,uple ,f h,ur! ,ff and 9ere all,9ed t, underta-e a 9al- in the !treet! ,f the fa),u! city. "hey !,,n g,t !, fa!cinated 9ith the )agnificent !ight! ,f that city 9hen they !t,,d ,n :,unt Sc,pu! that they decided t, ta-e a bu! t, Huic-ly g, d,9n t, the 6ld @ity 9here they unani),u!ly decided t, d, !,)e !ight!eeing. ,t 9ith,ut a !ecret th,ught t, b,a!t ab,ut it later, alth,ugh !till a9are ,f the fact that they 9ere here n,t ,nly f,r plea!ure. "hey entered the 6ld @ity thr,ugh the Di,n Gate that i! ne2t t, the l,cal baKaar and deepened int, the narr,9 !treet! ,f the 6ld @ity, )a-ing their 9ay d,9n the !treet leading fr,) the Gate pa!t the Ant,nia .,rtre!!, and headed f,r the Via 8,l,r,!a. 6n their 9ay they ca!t curi,u! glance! ar,und and a c,uple ,f ti)e! entered tiny !,uvenir !h,p! 9ith th,u!and!

13?

,f alluring thing! ,n di!play, acutely feeling ,n the)!elve! the h,peful glance! ,f the ,nly t,, eager !eller!. "hey cr,!!ed ,ver a fe9 ),re !treet! in the labyrinth ,f the 6ld @ity and 9ent d,9n the Via 8,l,r,!a, -eeping !ilent ),!t ,f the 9ay f,r fear ,f bla!phe)y that they )ight n,t be able t, c,ntr,l, c,n!idering their bad, th,ugh !p,ntane,u! habit ,f ,ften u!ing the f,ul language. Any9ay, they felt a9ed by the feel ,f the h,line!! ,f thi! place. Pi-e, th,ugh, 9a! apparently le!! in c,ntr,l ,f hi)!elf 9hen, ,blivi,u! ,f the h,line!! in Hue!ti,n, unintenti,nally 9,uld blurt ,ut hi! u!ual ,b!cenitie!. Di-e n,9, 9hen they !t,pped t, eye a !h,p full ,f 6riental ,bject!. AE !ay, Wally, th,!e fV E )ean the da)n Phili!tine! !ell real trea!ure! here.C AI,u;d better !hut up, if y,u can;t -eep y,urV 9ell, E )ean t,ngue, Pi-e. Ge!ide!, l,t! ,f the!e trea!ure!, a! y,u put it, )ean n,thing at all. <u!t a l,t ,f jun- f,r !tupid t,uri!t!. Gut pr,bably they g,t real thing!, t,,. What really b,ther! )e n,9 i! the Hue!ti,n 9here 9e c,uld buy ,ur!elve! a drin-.C 6n the 9ay t, the <affa Gate they !t,pped again t, gaKe at vari,u! religi,u! ,bject! di!played f,r !ale in ,ne ,f the !)all !h,p! 9hen a Phili!tine !treet b,y ,f appr,2i)ately t9elve ,ffered t, !ell the) a f,lder ,f vie9 card!. "hey had already b,ught !,)e at ,ne ,f the !h,p! ,n their 9ay, !, they refu!ed. "he b,y pr,ved ,btru!ive and in!i!ted. Gut Wally and Pi-e ign,red hi) and 9ent their 9ay. "he b,y g,t behind the) and they 9ere ,n the p,int ,f f,rgetting hi), 9hen Pi-e felt !,)e,ne 9a! trying t, trip hi) up. A f,,t !)aller than hi! ,9n clutched at hi! right f,,t but 9a! t,, 9ea- t, let hi) fall. Pi-e furi,u!ly jer-ed hi! f,,t, glancing fr,) the c,rner ,f hi! eye at hi! ,pp,nent. Et 9a! the Phili!tine b,y 9h, had un!ucce!!fully tried t, pu!h ,ff hi! vie9 card! t, the) ,nly a ),)ent ag,. "he b,y d,dged Pi-e;! i))inent -ic- adr,itly and !9iftly )erged 9ith the cr,9d. All the!e )aneuver!, in!tantane,u! a! they happened t, ,ccur, 9ere n,t l,!t ,n Wally 9h, hi)!elf 9a! ta-en una9are! t, the p,int that he didn;t d, ,r !ay anything, ju!t li-e Pi-e 9a!. Pi-e 9a! already ,n the p,int t, pur!ue the little !li)eball, but Wally grabbed hi) !9iftly by the !leeve, A5ey, c,)e ,ff it, Pi-eB What;! y,ur pr,ble)JC AGi))e a brea-, WallyBC A , 9ay, Pi-e. We d,n;t 9ant any real tr,uble 9ith l,cal !cu)bag! right n,9. 7ela2, ,-ayJ We can;t bl,9 ,ur j,b ju!t becau!e ,f all th,!e grungy ),therfuc-er!, re)e)berJ I,u;ll get y,ur ,pp,rtunity yet t, get the li-e! ,f hi).C A6-ay, b,!!B E g,t the )e!!age. Gut if E had )y 9ay E 9,uldn;t pa!! up the chance ,f grabbing the filthy Phili!tine a!!h,le and teach hi) a g,,d le!!,n. E 9,uld du-e hi) ,ut pr,perly.C AI,u;ll get the da)n chance yet, Pi-e. .,r !ure. Ef n,t thi! ,ne, then !,)e ,ther a!!h,le, n, !9eatBC

13'

"hey pa!!ed under the arch ,f the <affa Gate and t,,- a bu! t, g, t, We!t <eru!ale) in !earch ,f !,)e b,,Ke f,r the)!elve!. <u!t t, -ill the la!t h,ur ,f their free ti)e. "he !)all, th,ugh efficient ta!- f,rce that 9a! ready t, ,perate in the :idea!t 9a! ,n the p,int ,f being launched int, the part ,f E!rael;! territ,ry ,ccupied by the Phili!tine!. <en! 5an!en headed the field ,perati,n in full c,,rdinati,n 9ith the @entral @,))and in Eur,pe and @,l,nel 8an Av!hal,) in E!rael. "hi! ,perati,n 9a! t, be bac-ed up by the Apache helic,pter cre9ed by Gilly S-elint,n and hi! )ate!. "he ,perative gr,up c,n!i!ted ,f three cell! c,))anded by @aptain Ging, <uan D,peK and hi! )ilitant!, and the 8ani!h gr,up 9h, had recently acc,)pli!hed the !ucce!!ful attac- ,n an AS@ in 5,lland under <en! 5an!en. "he tenth )e)ber ,f the ta!- f,rce 9a! a Ger)an )ilitant 9h,!e na)e 9a! Murt Stilling, a f,r)er !-inhead fr,) @,l,gne. 5e 9a! an un!urpa!!ed !peciali!t in e2pl,!ive! and a g,,d !h,t at that. "he elite gr,up 9a! t, penetrate int, the city ,f 7a)Allalah at nightti)e. 6n the eve ,f the ,perati,n they !tayed a fe9 day! at the MibbutK A5aGinahC ju!t t9, )ile! a9ay fr,) 7a)Allalah. All 9a! ready f,r the night ,f the attac-. "he ,rder 9a! received a fe9 h,ur! bef,re nightfall. Seli) glanced ,ver acr,!! the large de!- at the c,))anding ,fficer ,f the b,dyguard!; unit ,f Abu Dala at the latter;! re!idence in 7a)Allalah. "he ,fficer, A tall heavy )an 9ith an en,r),u! blac- ),u!tache and piercing eye!, plunged int, nu)er,u! !pecific! ,f pr,tecti,n ,f Abu Dala;! preci,u! life. A),ng ,ther thing!, the b,dyguard! 9ere t, re)e)ber their ,bligati,n t, pray t, Allalah five ti)e! each night, a!-ing 5i) t, )a-e the) !tr,nger in the pr,tecti,n ,f the great Phili!tine leader. A! a )atter ,f fact, it 9a! t, be rec-,ned 9ith a! ,ne ,f their ),!t terrible 9eap,n!, by n, )ean! t, be di!regarded. And that 9a! under!tandable en,ugh. .,r 9h, c,uld be ),re per!picaci,u! and 9i!er than Allalah hi)!elf t, -eep an eye ,n 5i! ),!t faithful f,ll,9er! and !ervant! li-e Abu DalaJ Seli) )et Abu Dala ,n the day ,f hi! arrival in 7a)Allalah. 5e 9a! given a fav,rable audience 9ith the !t,c-y )an 9earing hi! -ha-i unif,r) and the piebald %ufiya a! 9ell -n,9n a! hi! l,ng f,2/li-e n,!e and hi! !ly !hifty eye!. When they )et, they -i!!ed the air near each ,ther;! ear! thrice, and the great little )an p,inted t, a chair be!ide hi). Seli) !at d,9n gingerly a! if ,n !),ldering e)ber!, utterly c,nfu!ed by the pre!ence ,f the legendary Abu Dala 9h, a!-ed hi) bluntly, AAre y,u a9are, y,ung )an, that y,u are facing Pre!ident and General in ,ne per!,nJC 5e grinned. A"hat )ean! the Pre!ident General.C AIe!, )y seid, E a),C Seli) replied !,)e9hat unhappily a! if caught in the cri)inal ign,rance ,f all the title! ,f hi! ne9 e)pl,yer. "he latter !a9 Seli);! c,nfu!i,n and the e2pre!!i,n ,n hi! face !,ftened a little. 5e a!-ed,

133

A5ave y,u already been in!tructed a! far a! y,ur daily dutie! are c,ncernedJC AIe!, )y !eid. E 9a! fully in!tructed 9hen E left @air,.C AEven if y,u !ee a ),u!e tre!pa!!ing the invi,lability ,f )y re!idence here y,u !h,uld i))ediately -ill it, t, !ay n,thing ,f real hu)an intruder!. E! that clear t, y,u, y,ung )anJC AVery )uch !,, )y !eid.C AE;) glad t, hear it. What 9a! y,ur na)e againJC ASeli) Gula), )y !eid.C AAll right, Seli) Gula). Ef y,u d, y,ur 9,r- diligently en,ugh and 9ith true dev,ti,n, y,u 9,n;t be f,rg,tten by ,ur gener,!ity. I,u )ay rely ,n that.C A"han- y,u, )y !eid.C A@all )e my &eneral in future, Seli).C AIe!, )y General.C Abu Dala !t,,d up and even gave hi! hand t, Seli) bef,re he let hi) g,. "he great general;! face puc-ered int, !,)ething li-e a fatherly !)ile. Seli) felt tre)end,u!ly h,n,red and 9a! ready t, give up hi! life f,r the great general and Daureate ,f the ,bel PriKe f,r Peace. "hen he 9a! !h,9n int, hi! pre!ent h,)e, 9hich turned ,ut t, be a t9,/!t,ried h,u!e Huite near the re!idence ,f Abu Dala hi)!elf. "he f,ur r,,)! ,f the h,u!e 9ere c,Kily furni!hed and air/c,nditi,ned. Seli) felt pr,ud and finding all the nece!!ary thing! !tarted 9riting a l,ng latter t, Sebuni!!a. 5e had an h,ur left bef,re he 9,uld be e2pected t, be at hi! p,!t at Abu Dala;! c,)p,und. Gy night, 9hen ju!t an,ther incur!i,n ,f the E!raeli ar)y int, the city ,f 7a)Allalah ,ccurred, the tan-! and ar),red vehicle! cau!ed the u!ual de!tructi,n ,f the h,u!e! 9here the her,ic terr,ri!t! ,f the Sa)ah -ept the)!elve! hidden. After !everal h,ur! ,f patr,lling the half/e)pty !treet! ,f the city the ar)y unit! 9ithdre9 bac- bey,nd the de)arcati,n line, dividing the territ,ry ,f <udaea that 9a! ,ccupied by the Phili!tine! and that ,f E!rael pr,per. E2cept they left ten )en in fatigue! 9h, )erged 9ith the blac-ne!! ,f night in the direct vicinity ,f Abu Dala;! c,)p,und. "hey cr,uched and ),ved !9iftly in the directi,n ,f Abu Dala;! c,)p,und that had been heavily da)aged ),nth! bef,re during the encircle)ent and !iege by the E!raeli ar)ed f,rce!. "hey appr,ached the re!idence e2tre)ely cauti,u! and alert, then !plit up and !pread ,ut !, that they c,vered a large !ecti,n ,f the re!idence c,)p,und. "hr,ugh their night vi!i,n gear they !ighted the ar)ed guard! 9h, -ept 9atch ,ver the terrain in fr,nt ,f the re!idence building. , d,ubt, there 9ere ),re at the flan-! and behind the building. "he night !ee)ed t, be !till but 9a! fraught 9ith !urpri!e! and un-n,9n trap!. En the nearby hill! at a )ile;! di!tance fr,) 7a)Allalah an Apache ch,pper !t,,d ,n the gr,und in the in-y, nearly ,paHue dar-ne!! ,f night. @,))ander S-elint,n and hi! cre9 !at in the c,c-pit prepared t, get the ch,pper int, the air any ),)ent. "hey had radi, c,ntact

1(%

9ith the elite gr,up and c,uld f,ll,9 the ),ve)ent! ,f the gr,up ready t, !tep in 9henever they 9ere called ,n t, d, !,. "he )en 9ere careful t, -eep !ilence and be ,n their guard, 9atching the terrain 9here their ch,pper !t,,d. "heir j,b 9a! tran!p,rtati,n ,f the eventual pri!,ner, but in ca!e ,f need they 9ere t, bac- up the attac-ing gr,up ,n reHue!t. 6nly in ca!e ,f an e2tre)e nece!!ity, ,f c,ur!e. "he ,perati,n had t, re)ain a! AHuiet;! a! p,!!ible.C "he night air 9a! 9ar) and filled 9ith dry !)ell! ,f the nearby de!ert. "hey 9,uld be happy t, get ,ff and !tretch their leg! ju!t by 9al-ing ar,und the ch,pper but n, )ean! c,uld leave it. "he call fr,) the ,perative gr,up urging the) t, c,)e ,ver c,uld reach the) any ),)ent n,9. S,, they 9ere prepared t, ha!ten t, the prearranged !p,t t, pic- up their 9,uld/be pri!,ner f,r further tran!p,rtati,n. 6r if the 9,r!t ca)e t, the 9,r!t and a real vici,u! fight br,-e ,ut their j,b 9,uld be t, give all the nece!!ary bac-ing t, the )ilitant! and t, pr,vide f,r the tran!p,rtati,n int, the bargain. "hi! 9a! an a9e!,)e j,b they had been ch,!en f,r that reHuired all ,f their e2perience and preci!i,n. S, they -ept 9aiting in !u!pen!e and even 9ere getting i)patient, but they !en!ed it 9a! due t, the !tate ,f nerve! they had g,tten int, and did their ut),!t t, -eep the)!elve! in chec-. "he enf,rced !ilence ,nly added up ),re edge t, their ,rdeal. Gilly S-elint,n punched in a certain nu)ber, u!ing hi! radi,teleph,ne t, )a-e a call 9hen he dee)ed the ti)e 9a! ripe t, d, it. "hen he !aid in a l,9 v,ice int, the )i-e that 9a! ),unted in hi! hel)et, A5unter, 5unter, thi! i! 5a9- !pea-ing. 8, y,u read )eJ 6ver.C At fir!t, the !tatic 9a! the ,nly an!9er he g,t. 5e repeated hi! call !everal ti)e! bef,re he heard the abrupt tinny v,ice that !,unded al),!t in hi! head, A7,ger. 5unter here. G,t a pr,ble) there, 5a9-J 6ver.C "he v,ice 9a! hardly rec,gniKable a! that ,f <en! 5an!en fairly di!t,rted by the !tatic. A7,ger. , pr,ble), 5unter e2cept E 9ant t, -n,9 if E have t, !tep in right n,9. Ge!ide!, E 9anted t, chec- up ,n thi! radi, lin-. 6ver.C A7,ger. Ef need be 9e;ll call y,u, 5a9-. , !9eatB 6ver.C A7,ger. 6-ay, 5unter, E g,t it. And E;) prepared. 6ver.C A7,ger. 5a9-, 9e;ll -eep y,u inf,r)ed. "han-! f,r the call, any9ay. 6ver and ,ut.C Gilly !9itched the radi, ,ut, !hrugged a! if he 9ere puKKled a little, ca!t a Huic- glance at hi! cre9)en t, )a-e !ure they hadn;t fallen a!leep, and 9in-ed at the) rea!!uringly. After the interrupti,n, the !ilent night vigil began all ,ver again. "he !tate ,f !u!pen!e re!u)ed it! p,9er ,ver the). 8uring hi! night 9atch Seli) 9a! entru!ted 9ith the guarding ,f the )ain entrance t, Abu Dala;! c,)p,und. ,9 he 9a! pacing t, and fr, in fr,nt ,f the half/ruined faFade ,f the building, trying t, )a-e a! little n,i!e a! p,!!ible and ,ften !t,pping t, give ear t, a !lighte!t ru!tle in the gra!! ,r !t,ne! pr,bably )ade by a liKard ,r !,)e night bird. All 9a! Huiet. 6r !ee)ed that 9ay.

1(1

5e tried hard t, c,ncentrate e2clu!ively ,n hi! ta!- and t, av,id thin-ing and fanta!iKing ab,ut Sebuni!!a. .,r thi! c,uld be unnerving and, c,n!idering hi! duty ,f the ),)ent even danger,u!. Suddenly he fr,Ke. :aybe it 9a! ,nly the e2aggerated 9,r- ,f hi! i)aginati,n highly alert t, any !u!pici,u! !,und. 5e th,ught he heard !,)ething ),ve in the pitchy dar-ne!!. 5e had an electric t,rch but 9a! in n, hurry t, u!e it f,r fear ,f bec,)ing an ea!y target f,r !,)e,ne lur-ing in that dar-ne!!. "hen a hardly audible !cratching !,und repeated it!elf ,nce again but 9a! ,f !h,rt durati,n and !t,pped a! !uddenly a! it had begun. Seli) tried t, place the directi,n it had c,)e fr,) and e2erted hi! ear t, catch ),re ,f the !,und, but all 9a! Huiet again. A fe9 ),)ent! pa!!ed bef,re he c,uld breathe ),re freely. 5e c,n!idered re!u)ing hi! rhyth)ical ),ve)ent! t, )a-e a le!! !ure target f,r any,ne t, 9h,) it )ight ,ccur t, ta-e ai) at the !,und ,f hi! !tep! de!pite the pitch dar-ne!! ,f the night. "hen he l,,-ed at hi! 9ri!t9atch, r,lling up the !leeve ,f hi! !hirt and !a9 it 9a! e2actly the ti)e f,r prayer. 5e Huic-ly !pread hi! !)all carpet ,n the gr,und and dr,pped ,n hi! -nee! t, !ay hi! prayer. Et 9a! t,, late, 9hen an al),!t !,undle!! but e2tre)ely painful lightning i)pl,ded in hi! head, relea!ing a th,u!and ,f !hiny ),tley !par-! 9ithin the field ,f hi! vi!i,n and 9ent ,ut a! he 9a! falling thr,ugh int, the aby!! !till blac-er than the night that ,pened beneath hi) and !9all,9ed hi) up. "hen all thing! turned int, n,thingne!!, cea!ed t, e2i!t. <en! 9hi!pered, A ,9 c,)e ,n, Det;! !plit up guy!. :,ve it. :,ve real fa!t. :a-e n, !,und. Ge cauti,u!BC "he ,ther nine )en ),ved in the dar-ne!! in a !urpri!ingly !,undle!! 9ay in the dar-ne!!, 9hich 9a!n;t dar-ne!! f,r the). .,r they 9ere eHuipped 9ith the night vi!i,n gear. Each ,ne ,f the). Murt Stilling 9a! t, head directly f,r the )ain entrance 9here he !a9 the greeni!h !hi))ering figure ,f the guard 9h, had !uddenly !t,pped pacing in fr,nt ,f the d,,r and n,9 !t,,d li!tening t, !,)ething 9ith !u!pici,n hi! hearing had ju!t caught. ,9 it;! ti)e, Murt th,ught, and acted acc,rdingly. 5e !9iftly and !,undle!!ly crept up ,n the guard fr,) behind. "he )an 9a! ,n hi! -nee! and cr,uch, )uttering !,)ething that !,unded li-e a prayer. 5e rai!ed a hefty ha))er/li-e t,,l and hit the praying )an;! head 9ith it! !harp end. "he guard;! b,dy at ,nce 9ent la2, d,ubled up, and !,ftly tu)bled d,9n ,n the gr,und 9ith,ut a! )uch a! a !)alle!t !,und. Murt leaned ,ver the lifele!! b,dy and hit hi! head hard t9, ti)e! ),re, t, )a-e !ure the )an 9a! dead. "hey )anaged t, catch una9are! all the guard! ar,und the c,)p,und in the !i)ilar 9ay. An,ther guard, th,ugh, that <en! hit 9ith ju!t !uch a ha))er/li-e 9eap,n uttered a 9heeKing !,und ,f ag,ny in a vain atte)pt t, rai!e an alar). <en! !9,re under hi! breath and the !ec,nd bl,9 cut it ,ff al),!t a! !,,n a! it !tarted, and the b,dy didn;t ),ve any),re. "he c,a!t 9a!

1(&

clear n,9. Still they 9ere ),ving int, the building 9ith an utter cauti,n, turning their :13! in all directi,n! t, )eet any lur-ing a)bu!h 9ith deadly fire. Gut the entire building !ee)ed t, be plunged int, dar- !ilence that 9a! n,t t, be tru!ted. "hey 9ere !plit up in pair! and that )ade thing! ),re c,)ple2, but they c,uldn;t act ,ther9i!e. "hey penetrated the re!idence fr,) five !ide! but !, far )et 9ith n, re!i!tance. "hat )ade the) d,uble their cauti,n. En ,ne c,rrid,r a bulb 9a! burning, plunging the pa!!age int, uncertain di) light. <en! and @aptain Ging !uddenly fr,Ke, directing the )uKKle! ,f their :13! at the !,urce ,f a !,ft !,und they caught fr,) the ,pp,!ite directi,n ,f the pa!!age, th,ugh they 9ere !ure the feeble !,und )ight have c,)e fr,) their c,)rade! appr,2i)ately at thi! juncti,n ,f t9, pa!!age! in the building, and 9here they 9ere t, )eet each ,ther acc,rding t, the plan. "he !,und pr,ved indeed t, have i!!ued fr,) the ,ther t9, )ilitant! c,)ing t,9ard the). "hey p,pped ,ut ,f the dar-ne!! ,f the tran!ver!e pa!!age and <en! rec,gniKed Wally and Pi-e, the t9, y,ung A)erican fighter! ,f @aptain Ging;! unit. "hey )ade !ign! ,f rec,gniti,n and j,ined their eff,rt! n,9 t, ),ve in the directi,n ,f Abu Dala;! bedr,,) that 9a! d,ubtle!!ly guarded ),re vigilantly, c,n!idering the per!,n 9h, 9a! a!leep there at the ),)ent. "he f,ur )ilitant! 9ere ),ving 9ith,ut ha!te, chec-ing up ,n every !tep they )ade, and l,,-ing thi! and that 9ay in ,ddly aut,)atic, even !,)e9hat jer-y ),ve)ent!. "hen they !a9 the). "9, un),ving figure! !t,,d li-e dar- !had,9! in fr,nt ,f the d,,r that <en! and hi! c,)rade! -ne9 fr,) the lay,ut ,f the building. Et 9a! the d,,r leading int, Abu Dala;! bedr,,). "hey dr,pped d,9n ju!t ,n ti)e t, av,id the aut,)atic r,und fired by the t9, guard! at the d,,r. "he bullet! 9hiKKed ,ver their head!. "he deafening !,und ,f the fire c,uld have a9a-ened even the dead, t, !ay the lea!t, ,f the ,ther inhabitant! ,f the building, including the b,!! hi)!elf. "he f,ur )ilitant! i))ediately ,pened their ,9n fire in re!p,n!e and 9,unded ,ne ,f the guard! 9h, dr,pped d,9n ,nt, the fl,,r. "he ,ne 9h, 9a! intact dr,pped ,f hi! ,9n 9ill t, c,ntinue hi! fire fr,) that p,!iti,n. <en!, Wally, and Pi-e began t, creep t,9ard the guard, -eeping fire ince!!antly, 9hile @aptain Ging turned and !9ung ar,und the )uKKle ,f hi! 9eap,n in the directi,n fr,) 9hich they had ju!t appeared. 5e 9a! an2i,u! t, !ecure their rear. <u!t in ca!e. Gut n,b,dy cr,pped up fr,) that directi,n. At lea!t f,r the ti)e being. .r,) hi! p,!iti,n <en! ,pened fire fr,) hi! :13 ,n the ,nly re)aining guard, and ,ne hi! bullet! hit the Phili!tine in hi! head. "he head ,f the b,dyguard e2pl,ded, !ending a gu!h ,f b,ne!, bl,,d, and brain in !)all piece! and in all directi,n!. "he bl,,d/red )e!! !,iled the fl,,r and the 9all behind hi) in a 9ide radiu!. 5i! headle!! b,dy dr,pped d,9n and re)ained ),ti,nle!!. "he bl,,d c,ntinued t, fl,9 fr,) the t,rn nec-, increa!ing the puddle in 9hich the b,dy lay.

1(3

"hen the three )ilitant! hurled a c,uple ,f grenade! again!t the d,,r and it e2pl,ded in th,u!and! ,f tiny !harp piece! a)id all the deafening ru)ble and daKKling ,range fire and !),-e. 6n their 9ay they !h,t dead the 9,unded guard. "hey bur!t int, the r,,) de!pite the !),-e and fire. And !a9 Abu Dala fully clad and h,lding a pi!t,l in hi! right hand, ai)ing at the intruder!. 5e fired at the), but hi! hand 9a! !ha-y and he )i!!ed the) gener,u!ly. 5i! ja9 9a! tre)bling, t,,. 5e l,,-ed unu!ually e2cited, )ad 9ith b,iling rage, and yelled at the) fiercely, AGet a9ay, y,u A)erican pig!B 8,n;t y,u !ee E;) General Abu Dala in )y ,9n per!,nJ 8,n;t y,u -n,9 E;) the Pre!ident ,f thi! c,untryJ A9ay, get l,!tBC "he air 9a! cri!p 9ith the !)ell ,f !),-e and the beginning fire that 9a! rapidly catching the infla))able ,bject! and !tuff! in the bedr,,). An accurate !h,t fr,) <en! 5an!en;! gun -n,c-ed ,ut the pi!t,l fr,) Abu Dala;! hand 9ith,ut )a-ing a! )uch a! a !cratch ,n it. "he pi!t,l clattered ,n the fl,,r, 9hile it! ,9ner 9a! being fa!t and deftly ,verp,9ered. A5,9 dare y,uVC Abu Dala began in an utterly ,utraged and tre)bling v,ice, hi! eye! bulging. Gut <en! cut hi) !h,rt, hi! ,9n eye! narr,9ed t, icy !lit!. AShut up, y,u dirty ilian !9ineB And get y,ur f,repa9! behind y,ur bac-, y,u ugly pig ,f terr,ri!)BC "hen he !ecurely gagged the great leader and deftly )anacled hi! hand!, giving hi) n, ti)e t, c,)e t, hi! !en!e!. Gut right at thi! ),)ent l,ud !h,t! 9ere heard fr,) the pa!!age behind the !hattered d,,r9ay. "hey pu!hed their pri!,ner int, the neare!t c,rner and t,,- a cauti,u! l,,- at the !cene in the pa!!age. @aptain Ging 9a! !till ,n the fl,,r and 9a! !h,,ting r,und after r,und at !i2 ,r !even ar)ed figure! 9h, 9ere an!9ering @aptain Ging;! fire 9ith their ,9n 9eap,n!. <en!, Wally, and Pi-e ,pened fire 9ith,ut he!itati,n and hit three ,f the Phili!tine a!!ailant! fatally. "he ,ther three !,ught c,ver behind the left c,rner ,f the pa!!age in the de!perate h,pe t, cut ,ff the 9ay f,r the )ilitant! 9h, held the pri!,ner. Gehind the bac-! ,f the )ilitant! the fire 9a! getting ),re furi,u! and p,!!e!!ive. @aptain Ging 9a! 9,unded in the fle!h ,f hi! left ar) and tried t, !t,p the bl,,d by pre!!ing hi! right hand ,n it. Gut it cau!ed ),re pain and didn;t help at all. <en! !t,le al,ng the 9all, trying t, reach the c,rner, an anti/tan- grenade fir)ly !HueeKed in hi! hand, the !afety device ,ff. 7eaching the c,rner, he !9ung bac- hi! ar), hurled the grenade r,und the c,rner 9ith,ut !h,9ing hi)!elf, and pre!!ed hi! b,dy t, the 9all. "hey c,uld !ee part ,f the e2pl,!i,n f,r a !plit !ec,nd. "hen <en! cr,uched a! l,9 a! he c,uld, )ade a l,ng leap f,r9ard, turning ar,und hi! a2i! in the ),ve)ent, and !i)ultane,u!ly ,pened fire ,n the !urviv,r! ,f the e2pl,!i,n. All thi! ti)e Wally and Pi-e -ept Abu Dala bet9een the)!elve!, h,lding hi) by hi! ar)!. @aptain Ging, !till bleeding, cl,!ely f,ll,9ed <en!, !h,,ting in the !a)e directi,n. <en! turned t,9ard the ,ther! and )ade a !ign t, f,ll,9 hi)N the rapid e2change ,f fire 9a! ,ver. "he Phili!tine b,dyguard! lay ,n the fl,,r dead.

1((

AOuic-B :a-e ha!teB .,ll,9 )eBC he raced ,ut!ide the building. "he ,ther )ilitant! Huic-ly f,ll,9ed hi) at hi! heel!. "hey nearly dragged their pri!,ner, pu!hing and pulling hi) uncere),ni,u!ly. 5i! bulging eye! 9ere darting )alici,u! l,,-!, hi! facial e2pre!!i,n 9a! full ,f e2plicit hatred. 5e 9a! trying t, re!i!t but 9a! n, )atch f,r the y,ung A)erican!, p,9erfully built and athletic. At ti)e! he )ade t,nele!!, bell,9ing !,und! thr,ugh the gag, but n,b,dy cared. Sh,t! 9ere !till re!,unding in the re),te !ecti,n! ,f the building, 9here the re)aining !i2 )ilitant! f,ught bac- the Phili!tine!, c,vering the retreat ,f the -idnapper! 9ith their pri!,ner. Gradually and !l,9ly, !till firing ,cca!i,nal but accurate !h,t!, the gr,up ,f !i2 ),ved in the !a)e directi,n. "hey )anaged t, -eep the Phili!tine pur!uer! at a re!pectful di!tance. <en! )ade a call ,n Gilly S-elint,n, a!-ing hi) t, !ucc,r the). A7,gerB 6n )y 9ayB 6ut,C Gilly !h,uted int, the )i-e nearly deafening <en! 9ith hi! l,ud v,ice. <en! calculated that the flight ,f the ch,pper 9,uld ta-e five t, ten )inute! at ),!t. "hey )u!t h,ld their gr,und until that ti)e again!t the fiercely attac-ing gr,up ,f Abu Dala;! b,dyguard unit. ,9 Murt Stilling, the Spaniard!, and the 8ane! fired bac- 9ith preci!i,n, u!ing the advantage ,f their night vi!i,n. "he ,b!tinacy ,f the attac-er! 9a! 9ea-ening 9ith each pa!!ing )inute. .,r the -idnapper! 9ere 9ell/trained and each ,f the) had a 9h,le ar!enal ,f ),dern deadly 9eap,nry. "he re!idence !t,,d already in fla)e! that 9ere lic-ing the dar-ne!! driving it int, the re),te!t haunt! ,f the c,)p,und. Et 9a! at thi! ),)ent that the fighting partie! !uddenly heard the h,9ling !,und ,f the ch,pper turbine. "hen the ch,pper p,pped ,ut fr,) n,9here t, give the la!t t,uch t, the battle. Et! Gatling )achine/gun began t, ha))er a9ay, !,9ing death a),ng the attac-ing Phili!tine!. "hen a )i!!ile 9a! fired at the c,)p,und and a gigantic c,lu)n ,f daKKling ,range fire acc,)panied by the r,lling ru)ble 9a! thr,9n up li-e fr,) an erupting v,lcan,. "he attac- ch,-ed and died, and the attac-er!, if there really re)ained any, !t,pped !h,,ting. "he vertically driven !t,r)y 9ind fr,) the p,9erful r,t,r! ,f the Apache 9a! !, !tr,ng that it nearly -n,c-ed the )ilitant! d,9n ,n the gr,und. "he ch,pper landed, it! r,t,r! !till circling in the air and <en! !p,tted Gilly S-elint,n in the c,c-pit ,f the gun!hip. 5e ge!ticulated e2citedly, )a-ing !ign! t, appr,ach. Pu!hing Abu Dala in fr,nt ,f the)!elve!, the ,perative gr,up appr,ached the c,c-pit. All ,f the) 9ere alive and in ,ne piece e2cept that t9, ,f the) / @aptain Ging and Murt Stilling 9ere 9,unded but c,uld 9al-. "he ,ther )ilitant! 9ere already ta-ing care ,f their 9,und!, u!ing the lull that had fallen after the interference ,f the ch,pper;! cre9. "hey pu!hed Abu Dala 9h, had bec,)e inert int, the ch,pper. 5e !t,pped being high/handed and l,,-ed pretty !,)ber n,9. <uan D,peK t,,- a !eat be!ide hi) t, -eep a 9atchful eye ,n hi). "heir fir!t !t,p,ver 9a! t, be at the ba!e in @alabria bef,re they c,ntinued their flight t, an,ther de!tinati,n !,)eplace

1(0

in Eur,pe. "he flying -illing )achine i))ediately cli)bed int, the air and !,,n 9a! ,ut ,f !ight. "he )ilitant! headed f,r their jeep, 9hich had been par-ed n,t far fr,) the re!idence. Et 9a! hidden behind a ruined h,u!e, pr,bably de!tr,yed by the E!raeli! earlier, 9hen they had been hunting d,9n the terr,ri!t! fr,) the Sa)ah brigade. "he h,u!e !t,,d l,,-ing ,n the !treet 9ith it! panele!! blind 9ind,9! in 9hich ,ne c,uld !ee n,thing but dar-ne!!. "hey f,und their jeep in g,,d c,nditi,n, but chec-ed up ,n it t, be ,n the !afe !ide. ,b,dy !ee)ed t, have ta)pered 9ith it during the -idnapping ,f Abu Dala and the en!uing battle. "he 9ay bac- t, <eru!ale) 9,uld n,t la!t l,ng, but they had t, pa!! thr,ugh a chec-p,int ,n their 9ay. <en! 9a! cal). 5e -ne9 that @,l,nel 8an Av!hal,) 9,uld be per!,nally there and 9,uld en!ure their !afe pa!!age. , ann,ying Hue!ti,n! 9ere e2pected t, be a!-ed. "hey all felt tired, nearly e2hau!ted. Gut they al!, felt !ati!fied. "heir incredible ta!- 9a! acc,)pli!hed. @5AP"E7 &( Sebuni!!a lay ,n her c,uch 9ith her face buried in the pill,9! that 9ere !,a-ed 9ith her tear!. 5er b,dy 9a! tre)bling all ,ver. "he pain ,f the l,!! 9a! unbearable, unthin-able, and it 9a! burning int, her very !,ul. Seli) had been interred 9ith h,n,r! ,nly the day bef,re in ,ne ,f the ce)eterie! in @air,. 5er t9, br,ther! Gada) and Eat)uc- had c,)e ,ver all the 9ay fr,) :,r,cc, t, !hare her grief, alth,ugh they had )et Seli) ,nly ,nce during their !i!ter;! 9edding in Eur,pe. "hey 9ere dutiful br,ther! 9h, valued the fa)ily lin-! ,f their ),untain clan !, )uch and 9ere !, pr,ud ,f the) that they dee)ed it a! di!h,n,r n,t t, attend their br,ther;!/in/la9 funeral. S,, they 9ere !itting here in their bereaved !i!ter;! h,u!e 9ith a !,)ber !,le)nity ,n their rude pea!ant face!. Unli-e their !i!ter, they 9ere far le!! educated. A! children they had attended a Our;an !ch,,l, 9hile their parent! had been deeply c,nvinced that !,)e -n,9ledge ,f the Our;an 9a! !ufficient and that it 9a! the final li)it ,f all -n,9ledge that 9a! needed t, bec,)e g,,d ca)el breeder!. Sebuni!!a 9a! different. At the age ,f fifteen !he had left f,r 5,lland t, grab at her luc- and !ucceeded in her endeav,r. She )anaged t, reach an i)pre!!ive educati,nal level after !he had entered Udrecht Univer!ity and graduated fr,) it. She had )arried Seli) 9ith,ut !ee-ing per)i!!i,n and ble!!ing fr,) her parent! ,r her br,ther!, f,r that )atter. Gut the fa)ily had accepted her )arriage, ,n learning all ab,ut Seli) fr,) her br,ther! 9h, had c,)e t, re!pect hi) greatly f,r hi! her,ic deed! ,n h,n,r ,f E!la). "hat al,ne had put hi) ,n a !,rt ,f pede!tal in their fa!tidi,u! eye!. Gut deep d,9n

1(L

their c,n!ci,u!ne!! they !till retained a certain feeling ,f re!ent)ent regarding the fa)ily )atter! and did n,t Huite f,rgive her independence in th,!e fa)ily )atter!. Gut they 9ere n,t even a9are ,f the e2i!tence ,f thi! !ecret feeling in their !i)ple !,ul!. And, int, the bargain, they 9ere g,,d faithful :u!li)!. Sebuni!!a;! i))en!e grief 9a! gna9ing at her li-e a th,u!and ja9!, never relinHui!hing it! helli!h grip ,n her aching heart and )a-ing her b,dy !hudder a! in ag,ny. Gada) and Eat)uc- !tared at her 9ith cauti,u!ly appr,ving eye!, but they 9ere puKKled by the !ee)ingly !trange fact that !he did n,t e2pre!! her grief in a l,ud/v,iced -eening and !hrill 9ailing and did n,t tear ,ut her hair a! it 9,uld beh,,ve a 9,ebeg,ne :,r,ccan fe)ale. "heir !i)ple ru!tic brain! c,uld neither dige!t it n,r rec,ncile the)!elve! t, thi! unacceptable lac- ,f ,bvi,u! attribute! characteriKing a 9,)an in grief. Et !ee)ed a bit unnatural t, the), but they -ept !ilence, 9atching the c,nvul!ive !huddering ,f their y,unger !i!ter;! b,dy and yet re)aining ,nly half/c,nvinced. She had eaten n,thing that day, but they had and even ,ffered !,)e f,,d t, her, but !he did n,t even l,,- their 9ay. "hey 9ere very )uch ali-e. "hey 9ere b,th nearly br,nKe/!-inned, ,n the !turdy !ide, 9ith blac- curly hair and lu2uriant ),u!tache! that 9ere )eant t, !h,9 ,ff their )a!culinity a! )any :,r,ccan )ach,! 9ere 9,nt t,. 6ver the late!t year!, a !,rt ,f deep, al),!t unbridgeable cha!) had ta-en !hape bet9een the). "hey 9ere uneducated pea!ant! fr,) a re),te ),untain village, and !he 9a! a graduate ,f a pre!tigi,u! Eur,pean univer!ity. "hi! 9a! a ca!e 9hen bl,,d tie! )eant little. "he d,,rbell rang a c,uple ,f ti)e! and Eat)uc- !t,,d up t, an!9er it. When he ,pened the d,,r, he !a9 Eh)ed Gey !tanding there. E;) a friend ,f Seli) he !aid, and E c,)e here t, !ee h,9 hi! 9id,9 i!, and 9hether !he 9ant! anything. Eat)uc- !ilently !tepped a!ide and let the vi!it,r int, the living r,,). Sebuni!!a lifted her head fr,) the pill,9 and turned her face, 9et and !9,llen 9ith tear!, t,9ard Eh)ed Gey. 5e n,dded t, Gada), di!regarding hi! !c,9l, t,,- a chair and, ),ving it cl,!er t, Sebuni!!a, !at d,9n in it. 5i! face 9a! an2i,u!. 5e leaned !lightly t,9ard her. APeace be up,n y,u, !i!ter, d,n;t t,rture y,ur!elf, f,r y,ur dear hu!band i! n,9 in the place that beh,,ve! hi) and hi! )erit!. We all feel bereaved, but 9e !h,uld never f,rget that everything i! in the hand! ,f Allalah, the Al)ighty the :erciful.C She n,dded and !at up ,n her c,uch, ta-ing a hand-erchief and 9iping her face reddened fr,) tear!. APeace be up,n y,u, ,h, Eh)ed Gey, than- y,u f,r y,ur trying t, c,n!,le )e. Gut E d, )i!! hi) !,VC and !he bur!t int, !,bbing again. 5er t9, !tern br,ther! 9ere 9atching the !cene !ullenly, !till ta-en abac- by the une2pected vi!it. "hen Sebuni!!a, trying t, pull her!elf t,gether, p,inted t, her br,ther!. A:eet )y elder br,ther!, ,h, Eh)ed Gey. Gada) i! )y elde!t br,ther. And the ,ther ,ne i! Eat)uc-.C

1(?

Eh)ed Gey !t,,d up, appr,ached the), and !h,,- hand! 9ith each ,f the), th,ugh they !till l,,-ed !ul-y. Gada) !aid, Ali!ten, !i!ter, )aybe 9e;ll drin- !,)e tea, n,9 9e g,t a gue!t. Will y,u )a-e it f,r u!JC Eh)ed Gey l,,-ed up!et becau!e Sebuni!!a 9a! hardly able t, d, anything in her !tate ,f c,)plete pr,!trati,n. 5er br,ther! !ee)ed t, ign,re that. Gut !he )ade an eff,rt and !t,,d up t, prepare tea. "he )en 9ere !itting !ilently a 9hile, then Gada) a!-ed, AWe !a9 y,u during the funeral and 9e -n,9 y,u;re Seli);! friend, but h,9 c,)e y,u c,)e here t, !ee hi! 9id,9 ,nly a !h,rt ti)e after the burialJC AGecau!e y,ur !i!ter need! !upp,rt and !,)e c,)f,rting n,9 Seli) i! n, ),re.C "he br,ther!; face! re)ained !ullen and !t,ny. Eh)ed Gey;! an!9er did n,t !ee) t, have !ati!fied the). Gut they !aid n,thing until Sebuni!!a ca)e in, h,lding a tray 9ith tea thing! ,n it. She put it ,n the table and began t, !erve up tea. Gada) and Eat)uc- i))ediately began t, bl,9 ,n the h,t tea and t, !lurp it n,i!ily. AWhat ab,ut y,ur!elf, Sebuni!!aJ Why d,n;t y,u drin- !,)e tea 9ith u!JC Eh)ed Gey a!-ed an2i,u!ly, 9hich pr,v,-ed ),re !c,9ling ,n the part ,f the !evere br,ther!. Eh)ed Gey and Sebuni!!a ign,re their di!plea!ure. Sebuni!!a, 9ith,ut ca!ting a! )uch a! a glance t,9ard the) !at d,9n at the table, buttered a !lice ,f bread f,r her!elf, and p,ured tea int, a !)all cup. "he br,ther! 9ere eyeing her accu!ingly, f,r !he had refu!ed t, eat anything 9hen they had a!-ed her t,. Gut n,9, 9hen an ,ut!ider a!-ed her !he did 9hat he a!-ed 9ith,ut a !lighte!t de)ur. "hi! 9a! !u!pici,u! in their eye!. "heir rude face! beca)e n,9 li-e heavy !t,r)y cl,ud! ,n the p,int ,f d,9np,ur. Gut b,th Eh)ed Gey and Sebuni!!a pretended n,t t, n,tice it and 9ent ,n 9ith their tea a! if n,thing !pecial ,r !ini!ter 9a! bre9ing in the at),!phere ,f the c,Ky living r,,). ,b,dy tal-ed f,r a 9hile. After tea Eh)ed Gey t,,- hi! leave ,f Sebuni!!a, a!-ing her t, ta-e care ,f her life again, pr,)i!ed her t, c,)e al,ng again, n,dded t, her br,ther!, and, turning ,n hi! heel!, left. Gada) and Eat)uc- felt a !en!e ,f relief* the !u!pici,u! intruder 9h,!e )eddling pre!ence irritated the) 9a! g,ne, but hi! uninvited attenti,n! t, their !i!ter 9ere n,t l,!t ,n the) and )ade thing! l,,- 9,r!e. After Eh)ed Gey had left, Sebuni!!a de!pite her depre!!ive !tate, cleared the table, !9all,9ing up the un!t,ppable tear!, and !till !hivering feveri!hly, reached her c,uch and dr,pped ,n it again, ,blivi,u! ,f her br,ther! 9h, decided t, ta-e a 9al- in the bu!tling !treet! ,f @air,, eager t, di!cu!! the !ituati,n in the ab!ence ,f their !i!ter. Gut n,9 it 9a! the h,ur ,f prayer and they )anaged t, find a !)all but elegant ),!Hue, 9here they paid their tribute t, E!la) by t,uching the carpeted fl,,r 9ith their f,rehead! and lifting up the rear),!t part! ,f their b,die! in ha!ty c,nvul!ive ),ti,n!. After the prayer they c,ntinued their 9al- d,9n the !treet and !,,n une2pectedly f,und the)!elve! in a bu!ily ani)ated c,))ercial !treet. Et 9a! lined up 9ith innu)er,u! !h,p! all ,f the) filled 9ith e2cited n,i!y v,ice! ,f !eller! and buyer! bargaining ,ver vari,u! te)pting )erchandi!e. "hey 9ere !l,9ly

1('

9al-ing pa!t all th,!e !h,p!, ta-ing their ti)e, and ca!ting curi,u! glance! int, the), !urpri!ed at all the unthin-able trea!ure! they !a9 ,n di!play in the). Suddenly they !t,pped !tr,ngly attracted by !,)ething a! if by !heer f,rce ,f fa!cinati,n. "hey !t,,d in fr,nt ,f a !h,p, gaKing. "he !h,p 9a! !)all but 9a! full ,f vari,u! !ide/ar)!. "hey entered t, ta-e a cl,!er l,,-. "he ,9ner ,f the !h,p 9a! a !t,ut ilian 9ith a 9ell/ gr,,)ed blac- beard and a 9hite turban ,n hi! head. APeace be up,n y,u, )y !eid!BC he greeted the) 9ith an affable !)ile playing ,n hi! lip!. "hey an!9ered the greeting, n,dding their head! and i)pre!!ed by 9hat they !a9 behind the c,unter and ,n the 9all! ,f the !h,p. A),ng the variety ,f ar)! ,f all !iKe!, f,r)!, and ,rigin they !p,tted a curved !aber that ,ccupied a hu)ble place in ,ne c,rner ,f the !h,p. Pretending a !lightly indifferent curi,!ity a! if lei!ure 9a! their ,nly ),tivati,n, they n,dded t, the ,9ner !,)e9hat c,nde!cendingly and a!-ed, p,inting t, the !aber, A6h, !eid, 9hat;! that ,ld rubbi!h ,ver thereJC A , rubbi!h, )y !eid!, it;! an Endian tul9ar. Very !harp, very efficient, if y,u -n,9 9hat E )ean. I,u 9anna ta-e a cl,!er l,,- at itJC G,th 9,uld/be cu!t,)er! n,dded 9ith a !ha) n,nchalance. "he !h,p-eeper t,,- the tul9ar and pre!ented it t, the attenti,n ,f Gada) and Eat)uc-, glibly prai!ing it! Hualitie! t, the !-ie!. AD,,-, )y !eid!, here E ta-e thi! hand-erchief f,r in!tance,C he pr,duced a red !il-en hand-erchief ,ut ,f n,9here, t,!!ed it in the air, and !9iftly placed the tul9ar;! blade under it. "he hand-erchief fell ,n the blade and 9a! cut int, t9, part!. Gut the t9, :,r,ccan! did their be!t t, re)ain !ee)ingly uni)pre!!ed. "he !h,p-eeper !aid n,thing, b,ring the) 9ith hi! eye! in 9hich the pred,)inant e2pre!!i,n 9a! that ,f greedy eagerne!!. AS,, 9hat d, y,u !ay, )y !eid!JC Gada) !hrugged indefinitely. AEt;! ,ld and can;t be u!ed effectively n,9aday!, 9ith all th,!e ),dern firear)! )uch in de)and.C AE d, have the), t,,. Wanna !eeJC Gada) !h,,- hi! head in t,-en ,f negati,n. A@an 9e ta-e a cl,!er l,,-JC he a!-ed. ASureBC "he !h,p-eeper gave hi) the tul9ar f,r a cl,!er in!pecti,n. Gada) turned it in hi! hand!, feeling the c,ld !teel under hi! finGeertip!, !ecretly ad)iring it! handi9,r- and it! ,rna)ented haft but ta-ing care n,t t, !h,9 it t, the !h,p-eeper. "he e2pre!!i,n ,f hi! face at the ),)ent 9a! ,nly idle curi,!ity. 5i! br,ther i)itated hi) and pretended t, be ),re intere!ted in ,ther ar)! that 9ere ,n di!play in the !h,p / dagger! and !9,rd! ,f all type! and !hape!, !aber!, dir-! and all -ind! ,f -nive!. "he !h,p-eeper 9a! 9aiting patiently.

1(3

AWhat d, y,u 9ant f,r thi!JC Gada) a!-ed ca!ually. "he !h,p-eeper i))ediately ju)ped t, hi! Hue!ti,n, A"hree hundred d,llar!B E;) ,ffering y,u a very cheap price, )y !eid!.C A"hree hundred d,llar!J .,r thi! ,utdated ru!ty -nifeJ "hat;! a little t,, far/fetched, )y !eid.C AEt;! n,t a -nife. E gue!! y,u -n,9 better than t, !ay 9hat y,u are !aying, )y !eid. I,u -n,9 Huite 9ell thi! n,ble !aber i! a! !harp a! it u!ed t, be a hundred year! ag,. 6-ayB Say, t9, hundredJ <u!t f,r y,u, )y !eid!. Gut 9hat 9,uld be y,ur ,9n priceJC A"9enty d,llar! 9,uld be t,, )uch. We 9,uld buy it ,nly f,r fifteen.C AI,u;re brea-ing )y heart, )y !eid!. "he n,ble !teel d,e! n,t de!erve !uch hu)iliati,n. A hundredJC Eat)uc- turned t, the entrance d,,r a! if being ,n the p,int ,f leaving the !h,p. 5i! br,ther put the tul9ar ,n the c,unter and !aid, AthirtyBC A.ifty, )y !eid!B "hin- ,f it! unu!ual !harpne!!.C "he !h,p-eeper put up hi! hand! de!perately a! in a prayer. "he br,ther! eyed each ,ther in a !ilent !cene, then Gada) turned t, the !h,p-eeper. A6-ay, agreed. .ifty.C "he !h,p-eeper ann,unced the end ,f the bargaining. 5e pr,duced hi! pur!e fr,) the nu)er,u! f,ld! ,f hi! dre!! and gave fifty d,llar! t, the !h,p-eeper 9h, put the tul9ar in it! richly ,rna)ented !cabbard, 9rapped up the purcha!e int, a large piece ,f fabric t, )a-e it le!! c,n!picu,u!, and handed it t, Gada) 9ith a !light b,9. AAllalah;! peace be up,n y,uBC he !aid. "he br,ther! re!p,nded li-e9i!e and left the !h,p. Gada) carried the purcha!e in hi! hand, !en!ing the elated pride ,f a 9arri,r de!pite hi! pea!ant ,rigin. Eat)uc- grinned 9ith !ati!facti,n a! he 9a! 9al-ing be!ide hi! br,ther. Sebuni!!a had given the) a -ey !,,n after their arrival, !, they had n, difficulty in entering the apart)ent 9ith,ut di!turbing their !i!ter 9h,, e2hau!ted by the grief, lay a!leep in her bed. "he ne2t ),rning after tea !erved by Sebuni!!a 9h, 9a! pale and !ilent the br,ther! left, !aying they 9,uld be bac- !,,n. "he h,ur 9a! !till early but the h,t ray! ,f the ri!ing !un 9ere already beginning t, !c,rch the bu!y and n,i!y th,r,ughfare! and Huieter du!ty by!treet! ,f @air, 9ith gr,9ing inten!ity. Sebuni!!a;! th,ught! 9ere invariably 9ith her late Seli) 9h,!e i)age !till haunted the). She never cea!ed t, ),urn hi), 9hile !he lay in bed, unable t, d, )uch ab,ut the h,u!eh,ld. Dater, !he th,ught, E;ll get up and prepare a )eal f,r )y br,ther!. She her!elf had n, de!ire t, eat a thing. Alth,ugh her br,ther! had bec,)e !tranger! t, her, !he did n,t feel their pre!ence a! a burden. "hey 9ere a !,rt ,f di!tracti,n f,r her )ind, 9hich 9a! ,n the p,int ,f g,ing craKy, plunging her int, the aby!! ,f night)are! gri)acing and gibbering at her, never relinHui!hing their frightening grip ,n )ind.

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S,)eti)e! her th,ught! 9ent t, the i)age ,f Eh)ed Gey 9h, 9a! !, -ind a! t, have c,)e al,ng t, !ee and !upp,rt her in th,!e unbearably painful ),)ent! in her life. She had a !en!ati,n ,f deep gratitude t, hi). Et 9a! !till early en,ugh 9hen her br,ther! entered the h,u!e. Et 9a! Gada) 9h, appr,ached. A6h, Si!ter, get up and get ready t, g, t, the )ar-et 9ith u!. "he ta2icab 9e;ve )ade an app,int)ent 9ith 9ill be here any )inute n,9.C She g,t up 9ith,ut de)ur and di!appeared in the bathr,,) fr,) 9hence !he reappeared later fully dre!!ed f,r the trip. Eat)uc- 9a! h,lding t9, hefty bundle! in hi! hand!. Suddenly they heard an in!i!tent h,,ting ,f a ta2icab h,rn in the !treet ,ut!ide the apart)ent. Sebuni!!a and her br,ther! left and l,c-ed it. An ,ld .,rd ,riginating fr,) the fir!t half ,f the la!t century !t,,d right in fr,nt ,f the d,,r. She th,ught that )aybe it! true place 9a! in !,)e )u!eu) ,f ,ld/ti)er! than in the craKy !treet! ,f thi! i))en!e )etr,p,li!, 9hich, ir,nically, 9a! in pr,ud p,!!e!!i,n ,f ,nly three traffic light!. Gut the vehicle !ee)ed very !paci,u! even f,r f,ur pe,ple. "he cabby 9a! a dapper br,nKe/faced and !-inny )an 9ith an ,ver!iKed ),u!tache hiding half ,f hi! face ,ver!had,9ed by an eHually en,r),u! turban that 9a! !upp,!ed t, be 9hite but in reality 9a! gray becau!e ,f du!t and dirty !p,t!. 5i! face, half/hidden in thi! 9ay, l,,-ed indifferent and deadpan behind the !u)ptu,u! abundance ,f the ),u!tache. 5e put the car in gear and, after a fe9 deafening !h,t!N it jer-ed f,r9ard li-e a h,r!e that had ju!t received a la!h 9ith a 9hip. "hey r,lled d,9n the intricate )aKe ,f @air, !treet!, and it 9a! i)p,!!ible f,r Sebuni!!a t, gue!!, 9hich 9ay they 9ent. Gada) and Eat)ucc,ntinued t, -eep a gl,,)y !ilence all the 9ay. "hey !at in the bac-!eat ,f the car, -eeping their li!tle!! !i!ter bet9een the) and their )y!teri,u! bundle! in their hand!. "hey had been riding !, ,ver t9enty )inute! n,9, but !he !till !a9 n, !ign ,f the big )ar-et her br,ther! had )enti,ned bef,re. Et l,,-ed li-e they 9ere g,ing in the directi,n ,f the ,ut!-irt! !,)e9here in the !,uth 9here the de!ert began. Suddenly the car !9ung ,ff int, a va!t 9a!te gr,und ,n the far !ide ,f 9hich !t,,d half/ruined drab ad,be !hac-! 9ith blind 9all! ,verl,,-ing the uneven cheerle!! l,t that !tretched ,ut int, the de!ert that l,,)ed ,n the h,riK,n. Gut the l,t 9a! n,t c,)pletely e)pty. "here 9a! a !)all caravan ,f f,ur ca)el! lying ,n the gr,und. A )an 9earing a l,ng 9hite galabiya and a r,und cap ,n hi! head lay in the !had,9 ,f ,ne ,f hi! ca)el!. 5e had a l,ng grayi!h beard and br,nKe 9eather/beaten !-in. Each ca)el 9a! che9ing it! cud ince!!antly, rhyth)ically ),ving it! ja9! and !l,bbering greeni!h !aliva fr,) it! l,ng/lipped !n,ut. "he ancient .,rd pulled in t, the caravan and ca)e t, a !udden !t,p, 9ith,ut attracting the !lighte!t attenti,n ,f the f,ur ca)el! that c,ntinued t, che9. "heir che9ing !n,ut! e2pre!!ed n,thing but haughty c,nte)pt ,f the ),dern )ean! ,f l,c,),ti,n repre!ented in thi! ca!e by the ,utdated .,rd.

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Sebuni!!a a9,-e 9ith a !huddering fr,) her !ic-ly ,blivi,n, 9hen Gada) and Eat)ucune2pectedly !eiKed her by her hand!. AWhat;! happening, br,ther!J E d,n;t !ee any )ar-et here.C Eat)uc- pr,duced a r,pe fr,) hi! bundle and they !tarted t, tie her hand! behind her bac-. AGr,ther!, ,h, dear br,ther!, 9hat are y,u d,ingJ What har) did E d,J @,)e ,ff itB St,p it plea!eBC 5er v,ice, h,ar!e 9ith fear and fru!trati,n, !,unded i)pl,ringly. Gut they didn;t utter a 9,rd, and the cabby 9a! !itting Huietly at hi! 9heel, 9ith,ut a! )uch a! turning hi! head t, l,,- bac- at 9hat 9a! g,ing ,n. Gada) deftly thru!t a gag int, her ),uth, cutting !h,rt her plaintive entreatie!. 5er b,dy 9a! 9riggling bet9een her br,ther!, tightly gripped by the). Gut her de!perate atte)pt t, free her!elf fr,) her b,nd! 9a! c,)pletely u!ele!!. Gada) and Eat)uc- g,t ,ut ,f the car and pulled, n,t 9ith,ut a c,n!iderable eff,rt, their de!perately re!i!ting, !truggling, and )u)bling !i!ter fr,) the car. 6nce ,ut!ide the car, 9hich i))ediately da!hed a9ay in a gray cl,ud ,f du!t, they )ade Sebuni!!a !it ,n the gr,und 9ar)ed by the !un that 9a! creeping up9ard and getting ),re fer,ci,u! ,n it! 9ay. Gada) appr,ached the ,9ner ,f the caravan, 9hile Eat)uc- !tayed near hi! !i!ter t, -eep a 9atchful eye ,n her. Sebuni!!a !t,pped her futile re!i!tance and 9a! ),aning n,9 pite,u!ly, trying t, catch the attenti,n ,f her br,ther 9h, l,,-ed the ,ther 9ay. .r,) thi! di!tance they c,uld n,t hear the c,nver!ati,n ,f Gada) 9ith the caravan driver, but it 9a! clear that they had )et bef,re. At la!t Gada) and the )an fini!hed their tal- and b,th ca)e up t, Eat)uc- and Sebuni!!a 9h, 9a! !till !itting ,n the gr,und, !9inging t, and fr, and uttering pite,u! !,und! thr,ugh the gag. Gut her eye! betrayed her under!tanding the !ituati,n and 9ere ),re than el,Huent, 9ith a nu)b !upplicati,n and !uffering in the). "he caravan )an, Gada), and Eat)uc- then t,,- Sebuni!!a by her -ic-ing feet and ar)pit! and lifted her !till 9riggling b,dy ,ff the gr,und. "hey dragged the de!perate y,ung 9,)an t,9ard the ca)el! and put her ,n ,ne ,f the), tying her an-le! fir)ly t, the !addle. All thi! ti)e Gada) and Eat)uc- did n,t utter a 9,rd bet9een the) and never addre!!ed a !ingle ,ne t, their unf,rtunate !i!ter. "hen they and the ,9ner ,f the caravan ),unted the ,ther three ca)el! and the caravan !et ,ut in the directi,n ,f the de!ert glea)ing ,n the h,riK,n in the ray! ,f the !c,rching !un, 9ith the )aje!tic !ilh,uette! ,f the Pyra)id! in the bac-dr,p. 8e!pite her de!perate !ituati,n, Sebuni!!a re)e)bered that they had cr,!!ed the ile ,ver a bridge ,n their 9ay t, the vacant l,t and it da9ned ,n her that they 9ere riding 9e!t9ard int, the Dibyan 8e!ert, pa!t the Pyra)id!. She !t,pped ),aning, 9hen !he lap!ed int, a !,rt ,f t,rp,r becau!e ,f her terrified !tate, ,f utter e2hau!ti,n, and the ba-ing heat. 5er br,ther! and the guide -ept !ilent, !itting !traight in their !addle! 9hile the ca)el! 9ere !tepping lightly ,n the dry gr,und ,f the de!ert that they had reached !,,n bef,re l,ng. "he

10&

la!t p,verty/!tric-en d9elling! ,f the gigantic city had already di!appeared behind the h,riK,n and the va!t !pace ,f the de!ert !urr,unded the) )aje!tically ,n all !ide!. "he !c,rching heat 9a! gaining ,n inten!ity 9ith every )inute, but the y,ung 9,)an did n,t !en!e it, being a! !he 9a!, in a !tate ,f c,)a. 6r at lea!t very near t, it. "he caravan c,ntinued it! 9ay, )arching f,r9ard !till farther and farther fr,) the city, never )a-ing a halt. Sebuni!!a;! c,)at,!e c,nditi,n 9a! the ,nly )erciful fact,r in the!e circu)!tance! ,9ing t, 9hich !he did n,t feel a terrible thir!t that 9,uld have hara!!ed her cruelly, had !he n,t been nearly unc,n!ci,u! ,f 9hat 9a! g,ing ,n ar,und her. S,)eti)e! her dry and already crac-ed lip! tried t, f,r) 9,rd! !,undle!!ly a! if !he 9ere in a !tate ,f hallucinati,n each ti)e !he l,!t her a9arene!! ,f the reality ,f thing! and circu)!tance!. Suddenly the caravan ca)e t, a halt, the ca)el! !tarted t, dr,p ,n their -nee!, and the rider! began t, di!),unt. Apart fr,) Sebuni!!a 9h, half hung in the !addle, ,blivi,u! ,f the 9,rld ar,und her. "he land!cape 9a! du!ty, drab, and !hi))ering 9ith heat. Ab,ut t9, hundred yard! fr,) 9here they !t,pped there 9a! a br,9ni!h chain ,f l,9 hill! 9ith large r,c-! and ba!alt f,r)ati,n! pr,fu!ely !cattered acr,!! their t,p! and !l,pe!. A fe9 vulture! and eagle! 9ere !l,9ly circling in the h,t air, in !earch ,f prey ,n the gr,und. Under their feet the !and felt deep and h,t. "hey dragged Sebuni!!a d,9n fr,) the !addle and laid her ,n the gr,und, right ,n the !and. "he )en dran- !,)e 9ater fr,) the fla!-! and tried t, give it t, Sebuni!!a. "hey !ucceeded ,nly in 9etting her dry lip! by !pilling !,)e ,f it ,n her face and ),uth. She ,pened her eye!, but there 9a! n,t )uch c,n!ci,u!ne!! in the). "hey !ee)ed h,ll,9, e2tingui!hed, and even in!en!itive t, the !urr,unding!. "here !h,ne n, real life in the). Gada) !tepped fr,) hi! !i!ter a!ide and !aid t, he in a :,r,ccan dialect, ASebuni!!a, ,ur cri)inal !i!ter. I,u have br,ught !ha)e and di!grace ,n ,ur fa)ily by having a !u!pici,u! relati,n!hip 9ith a !tranger after the her,ic death ,f y,ur la9ful hu!band. "h,ugh he had never been ch,!en f,r y,u by y,ur ,9n fa)ily a! ,ur h,ly :u!li) Da9 pre!cribe!, 9e pard,ned y,ur )arriage, c,n!idering y,ur hu!band 9a! a her, and defended the n,ble :u!li) cau!e. ,9 he enj,y! hi! 9ell/de!erved interc,ur!e 9ith hi! virginal 9h,re! in Paradi!e under the benev,lent eye ,f Allalah 5i)!elf, be 5e prai!ed and gl,rified f,rever and ever. Prepare t, die, !i!ter.C Sebuni!!a did n,t !ee) t, get the !en!e ,f Gada);! 9,rd! and lay ,n the gr,und apathetic, her eye! did n,t )anife!t any c,)prehen!i,n ,f 9hat 9a! happening t, her. "hen the guide unpac-ed three !h,vel! fr,) a bale fa!tened ,n a ca)elC !addle and handed t9, !h,vel! t, the br,ther!, -eeping ,ne t, hi)!elf. "hey !tarted digging ,ut a deep pit in the !and, 9hich 9a! a pretty ardu,u! j,b becau!e the thin !and !trea)! 9ere c,n!tantly fl,9ing bac- int, the pit. S9eat, t,,, began !trea)ing d,9n their face! and they had t, !t,p t, 9ipe it ,ut. Et !tung their eye! vici,u!ly and blurred their !ight, but the did n,t !t,p until a deep h,le 9a! )ade in the earth.

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"hey grabbed the al),!t unc,n!ci,u! Sebuni!!a and !HueeKed her int, the pit, 9hich 9a! narr,9 but large en,ugh t, receive the b,dy ,f the y,ung 9,)an. 8uring the pr,cedure !he ca)e t, her!elf again and !tarted !crea)ing at the t,p ,f her v,ice. 5er !crea)! 9ere une2pectedly l,ud, piercing, !,ul/!hattering. "he )en !9iftly filled the pit 9ith !and, d,ing it in furi,u! ha!teN and ,nly 9hen Sebuni!!a;! head re)ained ,n the !urface ,f the gr,und her !crea)! that 9ere gradually bec,)ing 9ea-er and 9ea-er, then turned int, a thin -eening, then int, h,ar!e !tifled !,und! until they finally !t,pped. Gut !he 9a! !till alive, f,r her eyelid! 9ere palpitating and her crac-ed lip! 9ere trying t, catch !,)e h,t air int, her bur!ting lung!. She 9a! al),!t blinded by the daKKling !unlight, but a thr,bbing !,und 9a! buKKing in her head and thu)ping again!t the 9all! ,f her !-ull, piercing it, pre!!ing and !HueeKing it nearly t, the p,int ,f bur!ting it. Et 9eighed ,n her brain li-e t,n! ,f granite. "he air 9a! a! den!e a! the !and that i)pri!,ned her b,dy and 9a! getting dar-er 9ith every pa!!ing )inute. Gada) )ade a !ign t, the !ilent Eat)uc- and the y,unger br,ther handed hi) the tul9ar that he had un9rapped a fe9 ),)ent! ag,. Gada) pulled ,ut the !aber fr,) it! !cabbard and !9i!hed the air 9ith it. "he blade !ang, cutting the air. "hen he !9ung bac- the tul9ar and ch,pped ,ff Sebuni!!a;! head in ,ne preci!e bl,9. A f,untain ,f !carlet bl,,d gu!hed ,ut fr,) 9hat had been Sebuni!!a;! nec- and the ,)in,u! puddle gre9 Huic-ly ar,und the place 9here Sebuni!!a;! b,dy 9a! buried in the !and. 5er head 9ith her hardly rec,gniKable face and hair c,vered 9ith bl,,d h,pped a9ay li-e a -ic-ed ball and r,lled a fe9 feet a9ay d,9n the !light !l,pe in the uneven gr,und. "he puddle ,f bl,,d 9a! !till gr,9ing. "he )en 9h, 9ere !tanding f,r a fe9 !ec,nd! a! if they 9ere in t,rp,r ca)e t, the)!elve! 9ith a !hudder and began !h,ving ),re !and ,n the !tu)p ,f the nec- and the bl,,d ar,und it. "hen Eat)uc- t,,- hi! !i!ter;! head by the g,ry hair and buried it n,t far fr,) the place 9here her b,dy 9a! buried. G,th pit! 9ere !hall,9 en,ugh f,r the circling vulture! t, get at the ),rtal re)ain! and fea!t c,pi,u!ly up,n the). Eat)uc- handed hi! br,ther a 9hite rag, and Gada) p,ured !,)e 9ater fr,) a fla!- ,n the blade ,f the !aber and th,r,ughly 9iped ,ut the bl,,d!tain! ,n the 9hite rag. 5e put it in it! !cabbard and 9rapped it up in a piece ,f fabric. "hey !till didn;t !ay a 9,rd t, each ,ther. "he three )en inv,lved in the dra)a dr,pped ,n their -nee! and bade t, Allalah, than-ing 5i) f,r 5i! )ercy that they lac-ed. "hen they ),unted their ca)el! again and e)bar-ed ,n their 9ay bac- t, the great city, leaving the c,rp!e ,f the p,,r y,ung 9,)an t, the dubi,u! )ercy ,f the vulture! 9h, 9ere already beginning t, c,)e d,9n ,n 9hat n,9 9a! due t, the). When they !at ,n the ign,)ini,u! hill,c- the caravan 9a! d9indling in the !hi))ering di!tance until it di!appeared c,)pletely behind !,)e di!tant r,c-!. "he falling !tillne!! 9a! br,-en ,nly by the !Huabbling vulture!. @5AP"E7 &0

10(

Several h,ur! after )idnight, the din ,f ch,pper r,t,r! br,-e the cal) ,f the 9e!tern b,rder ,f A!!ur but rai!ed n, 9,rried !u!pici,n! in the thinly p,pulated area ,f that c,untry ble!!ed by the rule ,f it! dictat,r Ga!hil 8a!!a. "he n,i!e 9a! c,)ing fr,) the G,lan 5eight! pa!t the !)all t,9n ,f Saynab. En the al),!t c,)plete dar-ne!! ,f that !,uthern night, an unidentified @hin,,- tran!p,rt helic,pter 9a! practically invi!ible even f,r the vigilant eye! ,f the A!!yrian b,rder guard!. Gut they 9ere peacefully a!leep !ure ,f their very pre!ence being !ufficient t, frighten ,ff any p,tential ene)y 9h, 9,uld never dare t, infringe the h,ly b,rder! ,f their c,untry. "he helic,pter landed in the valley al!, invi!ible in the pitch/darc,ver ,f night. When it r,!e in the air again !h,rtly after landing it 9a! far le!! heavy than bef,re, f,r it had left a gr,up ,f pi,u! dervi!he! in their a)ple 9hite r,be!, leaving the) in the b,!,) ,f the pr,tective night. Deaving the) in the )iddle ,f n,9here. "hey 9ere tal-ing al),!t in 9hi!per! !, that an ,ut!ider, !h,uld ,ne have !h,9n up at the place and ti)e ,f the c,)ing ,f the h,ly dervi!he! 9,uld have never gue!!ed the !acred )eaning ,f the !p,-en 9,rd!. Et 9,uldn;t have been a )i!ta-e ,r a !inful and theref,re puni!hable deviati,n fr,) the l,fty teaching! ,f the n,ble Our;an t, !upp,!e that th,!e dervi!he! 9ere n,ne ,ther than per!,nally )aterialiKed Pr,phet! ,f the great Allalah 5i)!elf !ent t, c,rrect the depl,rable err,r! ,f the 9,rld, e!pecially th,!e ,f the faithful. "he dervi!he!, ,r Pr,phet! f,r that )atter, i))ediately !et ,ut in the directi,n ,f E-!a)ad, the gl,ri,u! capital ,f A!!ur, 9al-ing hu)bly ,n f,,t a! beh,,ve! the h,ly )en ,r even Pr,phet!. "he 9ay 9a! l,ng and ardu,u! but the dervi!he! ign,red the p,tential hard!hip! ,f the r,ad that they illu)inated 9ith pretty ),dern t,rchlight! that 9itne!!ed ,f the unHue!ti,nable fact that Allalah;! heaven 9a! in p,!!e!!i,n ,f the late!t techn,l,gy that the de!picable We!tern 9,rld pretended t, have devel,ped. Gut the!e light! 9ere n,t the ,nly ,ne! t, ble!! the eye! ,f the n,cturnal 9anderer!. "he 9h,le h,riK,n in fr,nt ,f the) 9a! brightly lit up by a va!t !ea ,f ,ther di!tant light!. "he light! ,f a big city. "he light! ,f the gl,ri,u! E-!a)ad, the re!idence ,f the great leader Ga!hil 8a!!a. "he dervi!he! 9ere )arching t,9ard it and t,9ard the incipient da9n that 9a! ready t, light up the !-y and u!her in the ne9 day. Each !tride br,ught the) nearer their g,al. "he !-y and the c,untry ar,und the) 9ere bec,)ing lighter 9ith the pa!!ing ,f ti)e !, that )any particular feature! ,f the terrain 9ere ),re di!cernible. "hi! ,dd pr,ce!!i,n 9,uld have never !urpri!ed any,ne ,f the native! 9ith it! !ee)ing eccentricity, f,r they 9ere 9ell accu!t,)ed t, !i)ilar vi!itati,n! underta-en by all )anner ,f h,ly pe,ple f,r edifying c,nte)plati,n ,f the city 9h,!e hi!t,ry 9a! l,!t in the legendary )illennia ,f it! re)ar-able e2i!tence. Et! fa),u! ),!Hue! and !hrine! 9ere 9ell/-n,9n all ,ver the :u!li) Ea!t, and l,t! ,f pi,u! :u!li)! 9ere eager t, !ee that )agnificent city 9ith their ,9n eye!.

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"he city duly )et thi! bunch ,f dervi!he! 9ith ),rning prayer! r,lling d,9n the minarets li-e ),rning greeting! ,f r,,!ter!. "he day 9a! beginning 9ith g,lden !unlight, !,und! ,f bubbling 9ater in early/h,ur narghile!, and !)ell! ,f blac- c,ffee in!ide the !)all cafe! !pra9ling all ,ver E-!a)ad. ,b,dy !ee)ed !urpri!ed at the pr,ce!!i,n ,f h,ly )en, f,r dervi!he! ,ften preferred t, 9al- ab,ut in bunche! li-e that. "hey !ee)ed in a ca!ual ),,d and lei!ured. And they did n,t tal- )uch. At lea!t the )aj,rity ,f the). A c,uple ,f the), th,ugh, 9ere e2changing an ,cca!i,nal 9,rd in fluent Ereb. All ,f the) 9ere carrying their bel,nging! in carefully tied up bundle!. 6ne ,f the) !ee)ed an auth,rity a),ng the), a great i)a), by all acc,unt!. S,)eti)e! he !p,-e t, the) in a very l,9 v,ice, apparently putting the) 9i!e ,n !,)ething. 6n their 9ay t, a de!tinati,n that ,nly they 9ere a9are ,f they !t,pped by in a cafe, nearly e)pty at thi! early ),rning h,ur, t, !9all,9 a fe9 cup! ,f !tr,ng blac- c,ffee. En the pre!ence ,f the ,9ner they e2changed !,)e 9,rd! but ),!tly -ept !ilent, intent up,n their ,9n th,ught!. After a 9hile their leader !t,,d up, )ade a !ign t, the), and they f,ll,9ed hi) t, the d,,r, re!u)ing their 9andering )i!!i,n. "he ,9ner ,f the !)all cafe f,ll,9ed the) 9ith re!pectful eye!, !tanding !till in the d,,r9ay and 9atching the) ),ve a9ay and di!appear behind the neare!t c,rner. "he ba-ing n,,n caught the) !itting ,n the !ide ,f a r,ad ,n the p,,r ,ut!-irt! ,f the city ne2t t, an una!!u)ing !t,ne h,u!e 9ith a veranda !urr,unding it ,n all !ide! in the c,)p,und ,f the !t,ne h,u!e. "hey had ta-en ,ut their frugal lunch fr,) the bundle! they carried and dev,ured the f,,d 9ith an undervi!h/li-e appetite, 9a!hing it d,9n 9ith the c,)),nplace @,la fr,) pla!tic b,ttle!. "hey 9ere leaning again!t a high drab 9all that apparently !urr,unded the garden and f,r)ed ,ne line 9ith the fr,nt balu!trade ,f the veranda ,verl,,-ing the r,ad. Et al!, pr,duced, th,ugh !,)e9hat !cantily, a li-ene!! ,f a !had,9, 9hich any9ay 9a! )uch better than n,thing at all. ", be preci!e, the nu)ber ,f the eating dervi!he! did n,t e2ceed a d,Ken )en 9h, e2cept that they 9ere r,bu!t and !tal9art, l,,-ed Huite peaceful in their l,ng and l,,!e/fitting 9hite r,be!. :ean9hile their leader 9a! tal-ing t, the) al),!t under hi! breath, and even the be!t ear! in the 9,rld that )ight be lur-ing behind the garden 9all 9,uldn;t be able t, catch a !ingle 9,rd ,f 9hat 9a! being !p,-en ,f. "heir face! 9ere !all,9 ,r br,nKe, 9ith ju!t a hint ,f unnaturalne!! ab,ut the). A! if they 9ere in the habit ,f u!ing )a-e/up ,r !,)ething, but thi! c,uld be ju!t an illu!i,n due t, the h,t !un. .,r ,ne c,uld never !upp,!e, even f,r a ),)ent, that the rule! ,f the dervi!h 6rder! 9,uld !ternly pre!cribe t, their )e)ber!, Allalah ble!! the) all, t, ca),uflage their face!. After their )eal, !,)e ,f the) !pra9led ,n the gr,und t, ta-e a nap. While ,ther! re)ained !eated a! if they 9ere !un- int, a pr,f,und trance in a -ind ,f )y!tic rappr,che)ent 9ith the divine e!!ence ,f Allalah. And the ,nly ),ve)ent ,ne c,uld n,te 9ith the) 9a! that ,f their finger! !,rting ,ut the blac- ,r ruby grain! ,f !,)ething that l,,-ed appr,2i)ately li-e the @ath,lic r,!arie!. A peaceful and pi,u! pictureB

10L

"he !un 9a! already declining t, the h,riK,n, but the dervi!he! !tayed put 9here they had been bef,re, 9ith,ut a! )uch a! budging a finger t, c,llect their bel,nging! and c,ntinue their 9eari!,)e r,ute. :ean9hile there 9a! a hu)an traffic in c,n!tant ),ti,n t, and fr,) the !t,ne h,u!e in the vicinity ,f 9hich the dervi!he! had pitched their te)p,rary ca)ping. Which 9a! )a-e!hift and 9ith,ut tent! any9ay and hardly de!erved t, be ter)ed a! ca)ping. "he pe,ple 9h, entered and left the h,u!e thre9 ,nly a ca!ual glance ,n their 9ay at the dervi!he! under the 9all ,f the e!tate in all pr,bability bel,nging t, !,)e great h,ly )an. Gy all acc,unt! the re!ident! ,r re!ident ,f the h,u!e had !,)ething t, d, 9ith the h,ly cau!e ,f E!la) becau!e )any ,f the) !ee)ed t, be Huite i)p,rtant i)a)! 9h, vi!ited !,)e,ne !till ),re i)p,rtant ,f the !a)e pr,fe!!i,n. S, the lingering pre!ence ,f the dervi!he! 9,uld n,t !urpri!e, far le!! !tun any,ne in !uch a place. Et 9a! the ),!t natural thing in the 9,rld f,r the) t, enca)p here. "he pitchy blac- !,uthern night fell a! Huic-ly and une2pectedly a! it u!ually did in th,!e latitude! and, c,n!idering the 9hite r,be! ,f the dervi!he!, they 9ere !till vi!ible 9here they !at ,n the gr,und due t, the c,ld ray! ,f a de!ert ),,n. "he evening h,ur! 9ere !l,9ly creeping a9ay t,gether 9ith the ),,n that 9a! creeping in the fir)a)ent be!pangled 9ith innu)erable bright !tar!. "he h,ly dervi!he! 9ere !itting ,r lying al),!t i)),vably 9here they had dr,pped ,n the gr,und by day. S,)e vague !ilh,uette! ,n the veranda c,uld hardly be di!tingui!hed in the !had,9 ,f night, and ,nly 9hen ,ne ,r t9, ,f th,!e )y!teri,u! figure! ,n the veranda !tepped cl,!er t, it! balu!trade fl,,ded in the !ilvery ),,n!hine ,ne c,uld gue!! they )ight be ar)ed guard! placed there f,r pr,tecti,n ,f the i)p,rtant re!ident! ,f the enig)atic h,u!e l,,-ing !, inn,cent by day. "hey c,uld be e!ti)ated a! f,ur in nu)ber, all in all. "here )ight be ),re ,f !uch guard! in!ide the h,u!e. Gut 9h, caredJ Et 9a! the ti)e ,f !9eet undi!turbed drea)!. En!ide ,r ,ut!ide the h,u!e, n, )atter 9here. .,r the h,ur ,f )idnight 9a! appr,aching. "he guard! ,f the h,u!e 9ere caught una9are!, !tunned, and ,verp,9ered by the Adervi!he!C in !uch a !h,rt ti)e and 9ith !, little n,i!e that n,b,dy !ee)ed in the lea!t di!turbed in!ide the h,u!e. "he b,die! ,f the f,ur e2ternal guard! lay n,9 !t,ne/dead ,n the fl,,r ,f the veranda. "he fal!e dervi!he! had -illed the) 9ith ha))er! and -nive! and after9ard! )ade !ure they 9ere really dead. ,9 they 9ere !tanding in fr,nt ,f the entrance d,,r and cauti,u!ly tried the d,,r/handle. "heir b,die! 9ere ten!e 9ith readine!! t, ,pen fire, !h,uld a nece!!ity ari!e, but they 9ere ),re intent t, rai!e a! little n,i!e a! p,!!ible. "he envir,n)ent !urr,unding the) 9a! e2tre)ely h,!tile and danger,u!. Et 9a! the leader ,f the gr,up, <uan D,peK, 9h, turned the handle and ,pened the d,,r a little, flattening hi)!elf t,

10?

the !ide ,f the d,,r9ay and leaving the d,,r !lightly ajar. "he EDA )ilitant! di!gui!ed a! dervi!he! !t,,d n,9 9ith bated breath and utterly ten!e nerve!, 9ith the )uKKle! ,f their :13! trained ,n the d,,r. ,thing happened. <uan !,ftly pu!hed the d,,r ),re ,pen and 9ith an ut),!t care peered int, the ,pening. "he antecha)ber 9a! e)pty ,f pe,ple, but the la)p hanging fr,) it! ceiling 9a! burning, !ending a !canty light ,n the 9all! and fl,,r ,f the narr,9 r,,). <uan )ade a ge!ture t, hi! )en and they !9iftly and n,i!ele!!ly !lipped int, the antecha)ber, 9ith <uan f,re),!t. "he d,,r leading int, the re!idential part ,f the h,u!e had t, be n,t !, ea!y t, let the) int, the inner),!t pre)i!e!. ,9 a! bef,re, they had t, act in an e2tre)ely careful 9ay. En ca!e ,f need, they 9,uld rather prefer t, u!e their deadly ha))er! and -nive! than the thundering gun! they 9ere ar)ed 9ith. .,r thi! c,uld 9,r!en their own !ituati,n, actually bl,9 the 9h,le ,perati,n and e2p,!e the)!elve! t, the :u!li) barracuda! and be at their )ercy, if anything. 6n the ,ther hand, the un-n,9n circu)!tance! c,uld c,erce the) t, u!ing the firear)! and 9a-e up the 9h,le neighb,rh,,d. And that 9,uld be fraught 9ith dire c,n!eHuence!. S, they 9ent ab,ut their 9,r- 9ith a! )ach accuracy and preci!i,n a! they c,uld )u!ter up at the ),)ent. .ailure 9a! n,t e2cluded, but <uan !h,ved the th,ught ,f it a! far int, the haunt! ,f hi! c,n!ci,u!ne!! a! he p,!!ibly c,uld, trying t, give the pri,rity t, the alternative ,f failure. Gut he 9a! a b,rn reali!t and c,unted 9ith any p,!!ible ,utc,)e ,f the 9h,le bu!ine!!. 5e gingerly tried the handle ,f thi! d,,r. Et gave in and turned 9ith a l,9 !Huea-. E))ediately !,)e,ne !tarted t, ,pen the d,,r fr,) 9ithin. A guard;! head pr,truded thr,ugh the narr,9 ,pening and i))ediately received a !tunning bl,9 9ith the !harp end ,f a ha))er. G,th b,dy and head c,llap!ed int, the antecha)ber half ,ut ,f the d,,r9ay. "here ca)e an e2pl,!i,n ,f e2cited v,ice! fr,) behind the half ,pen d,,r, and a r,und ,f aut,)atic gun fire i!!uing fr,) the ne2t r,,) nearly bu!ted <uan;! eardru)!, but f,rtunately hit n,b,dy, f,r all the )ilitant! had flattened the)!elve! either t, the 9all! ,r t, the fl,,r ,f the anter,,). Gut the !ituati,n n,9 !uddenly 9,r!ened, f,r the ,perative gr,up betrayed it! pre!ence t, the ene)y. ,9 they had t, act in feveri!h ha!te. A l,!! ,f ti)e c,uld be fatal. <uan and the fir!t t9, )en bur!t int, the r,,) behind the d,,r, ,pening fire ,n their 9ay and -illing t9, guard! !tati,ned in that r,,). "hey -ic-ed ,ut the !ec,nd d,,r and cru!hed int, the r,,) behind it. "hey !p,tted an ,ld frail )an half/clad, apparently di!turbed in hi! !leep, and n,9 !itting ,n a l,9 c,uch. 5e had a l,ng gray beard and hi! eye! 9ere blin-ing in a puKKled 9ay. "he ,ld )an !tretched hi! right hand t,9ard the intruder! and !h,uted in a high/pitched trilling v,ice. AWh, are y,uJ What are y,u d,ing hereJ A9ay 9ith y,uB @lear ,utBC AShut up, !tin-ing ,ld g,atBC

10'

With,ut 9a!ting )any 9,rd! <uan and hi! a!!,ciate! grabbed the ,ld )an by hi! hand! and feet, thru!t a gag int, hi! ),uth, and Huic-ly raced ,ut ,f the r,,), f,rcibly dragging hi! 9ea-ly re!i!ting b,dy t,9ard the entrance d,,r. "hey 9ere ,ut!ide in n, ti)e, 9hen they caught a rhyth)ic !,und appr,aching the h,u!e at a fa!t rate. <uan grinned. "hat 9a! Gilly S-elint,n;! ch,pper. 5e had c,))unicated 9ith Gilly by radi, ju!t an h,ur ag,N and they had fi2ed the ti)ing ,f Gilly;! arrival ,n the !cene. "he ch,pper landed fa!t and the )ilitant! f,rcibly pu!hed the -idnapped ,ld )an t,9ard it. 5e refu!ed t, 9al-. "hen t9, )en gripped hi) fir)ly by hi! l,ng beard and dragged hi), giving hi! beard vici,u! jer-!, t,9ard the ch,pper. "hey handed the ,ld )an ,ver, 9ith hi! hand! pr,vidently )anacled, int, the care ,f Mevin and Patric- 9h, dragged hi) i))ediately int, the ch,pper, 9here they fa!tened hi) t, a !eat. Gilly ,nly 9aved 9ith hi! hand, n,dded t, <uan 9ith a br,ad grin ,n hi! face, and the r,t,r! !tarted t, r,tate vehe)ently. "he ch,pper r,!e int, the air and 9a! already turning it! ,btu!e pr,9, 9hen a 9h,le hell ,f aut,)atic gunfire 9a! l,,!ed ,ff fr,) the r,ad that led t, d,9nt,9n E-!a)ad. "he )ilitant! !p,tted ar),red vehicle! appr,aching the h,u!e fr,) that directi,n. "he heavy fire 9a! c,)ing fr,) th,!e vehicle! and )ade the) dr,p d,9n ,nt, the gr,und and get their ,9n firear)! ready t, return the fire. 6ne ,f the vehicle! !t,pped and a Stinger )i!!ile 9a! fired at the ch,pper. 8e!pite the earne!t !ituati,n, <uan c,uldn;t !uppre!! an ir,nic grin ,n hi! )ade/up face. What fuc-ing jer-!B 5e th,ught. "hey 9ere !h,,ting at ,ne ,f their greate!t :u!li) fav,rite! E)a) i!ay, the leader ,f the n,t,ri,u! terr,ri!t gr,up -n,9n a! Sa)ah. .,rtunately, the Stinger )i!!ed the ch,pper. Et e2tingui!hed ),!t ,f it! light! and 9a! already putting up at a fa!t !peed a !afe di!tance bet9een it!elf and the ar),red vehicle! ,n the gr,und. "he difficultie! ,n the gr,und, th,ugh, 9ere being far fr,) ,ver yet and !ee)ed t, be gaining f,rce 9ith the ),)ent. "he )ilitant! !a9 the h,!tile !,ldier! ju)ping ,nt, the gr,und fr,) the vehicle! and Huic-ly ta-ing up their p,!iti,n! ,n b,th !ide! ,f the r,ad. "he e2change ,f fire bet9een the !,ldier! and )ilitant! 9a! gr,9ing in inten!ity. Gut n,b,dy in <uan;! gr,up 9a! hit by the !cattering bullet! that 9ere 9hiKKing pa!t the). A"he gee-! d,n;t appear t, have the )ean! ,f night vi!i,n, se'ores. We d,. .ireBC "hey fired ti)e and again, u!ing the night vi!i,n fi2ed ,n their 9eap,n! and hit three ,r f,ur ene)y !,ldier!. <uan had a !en!e ,f apprehen!i,n that their !ituati,n c,uld 9,r!en !till ),re if h,!tile reinf,rce)ent! arrived t, the !ucc,r ,f the !,ldier! fr,) the t9, ar),red vehicle! that apparently had arrived ,n a tip fr,) the h,u!e 9hen the acti,n had !tarted. Generally he felt !ati!fied becau!e the ,perati,n 9a! !ucce!!ful. "hat did n,t e2clude the unea!y feeling gna9ing at hi! !t,)ach. "hey had t, retreat n,9. ,9 ,r neverB

103

A p,!!ible !cenari, ,f thi! !ituati,n had been f,re!een and di!cu!!ed during the debriefing that had preceded the ,perati,n. "hey al!, had g,ne ,ver it 9hen they had !at 9ith their bac-! leaning again!t the garden 9all. ,9 9a! the ti)e t, act acc,rding t, the plan. <uan and a Ger)an )ilitant 9h,!e na)e 9a! 5einK Gunde!tag crept a! far a!ide fr,) the ,ther! a! they p,!!ibly c,uld, -eeping up their return fire and d,ing their ut),!t t, hit the target!. Et 9a! a di!tracting )aneuver )eant t, avert the ene)y;! attenti,n fr,) the )ain b,dy ,f the ,perative gr,up and get the ene)y fire f,cu!!ed ,n the). "he ,ther )ilitant! 9ere t, retire t, a prearranged place under c,ver ,f night and 9ait f,r <uan and 5einK Gunde!tag there. "he )aneuver turned ,ut efficaci,u!. "he h,!tile fire really !9itched ,ver t, the place 9here <uan and Gunde!tag let their :13! relea!e their deadly )e!!age t, the ene)y !,ldier!. "hey !ee)ed t, have hit ),re ,f the) by n,9. Still there 9a! n, !ign ,f any reinf,rce)ent! ha!tening t, the !ucc,r ,f their tr,,p!. Pr,bably their headHuarter! had decided that the t9, ar),red vehicle! 9ere ),re than !ufficient t, defeat the de!picable ene)y. "he night 9,re ,n. G,th <uan and 5einK 9ere ch,,!ing their target! and !h,,ting 9ith a! )uch preci!i,n a! luc- 9,uld have it. "hey !i)ultane,u!ly crept a9ay 9henever an ,pp,rtunity pre!ented it!elf. Et 9a! at thi! ),)ent that the A!!yrian! !h,t fr,) a r,c-et gun that illu)inated the !urr,unding! fr,) a high altitude. "hi! ti)e an A!!yrian bullet hit 5einK Gunde!tag in hi! head the ),)ent he duc-ed ,nt, the gr,und. A5ang ,n, 5einKBC <uan al),!t !h,uted int, hi! ear, but it appeared unnece!!ary and t,, late, any9ay. 5einK Gunde!tag r,lled ,ver in ag,ny and abruptly !tiffened, hi! hand! flung ab,ut hi) carele!!ly a! if he decided t, ta-e a ti)e/,ut f,r a nap. 5i! b,dy lay n,9 ),ti,nle!! be!ide <uan 9h, reached ,ut and felt the pul!e ,f hi! a!!,ciate. "here 9a! n, life left in hi! b,dy any),re. 5einK Gunde!tag 9a! !t,ne dead. <uan had n, ti)e t, let hi! th,ught! d9ell ,n thi! une2pected l,!! ,f hi! c,)rade. "here 9a! ,nly a fa-ed up Gabyl,nian pa!!p,rt ,n the b,dy ,f 5einK that !,)eh,9 ,r ,ther 9,uldn;t betray the identity ,f the -illed )ilitant. <uan, t,,, had !uch a fa-e hi)!elf. "hr,ugh hi! night vi!i,n he !p,tted a patch ,f !hrubbery !everal yard! fr,) the place 9here he lay. "hen, during a !h,rt lull in !h,,ting he !9iftly g,t up and !printed t, the !hrub f,r hi! life. When the A!!yrian! re!u)ed their fire he 9a! al),!t !afe behind the bu!he!. .r,) there he )ade in the !a)e directi,n hi! gr,up had !lipped a9ay. 5e caught up 9ith the) after a half/ h,ur.At daybrea-, they )anaged t, reach a certain place that had been agreed up,n 9here the !a)e @hin,,- tran!p,rt helic,pter 9,uld pic- the) up. "he agree)ent had been reached 9ith the a!!i!tance ,f @,l,nel 8an Av!hal,). "he p,int 9a! t, h,ld ,n until the ch,pper 9,uld c,)e f,r the). <uan did n,t d,ubt the A!!yrian! 9,uld !tart l,,-ing f,r the) every9here. Et 9a! ,nly a )atter ,f ti)e. "hey !till had !ufficient )uniti,n! t, )eet the ene)y if they had t,. 6nly ab,ut t9enty )inute! 9ere left bef,re the fa)iliar @hin,,- tran!p,rt helic,pter 9a! e2pected t, arrive. "he !un 9a! already ri!ing ,n the h,riK,n and it! fir!t ray! lighted the

1L%

!l,pe! ,f the nearby G,lan 5eight!. When the hu))ing !,und ,f the appr,aching big ch,pper and !i)ultane,u!ly the a r,ar ,f engine! fr,) ar)y truc-! c,)ing up fr,) the ,pp,!ite directi,n reached the !)all gr,up ,f )ilitant! 9h, began vig,r,u!ly t, 9ave 9ith their hand! and 9eap,n!, l,,-ing inc,ngru,u! in their 9hite r,be!. "he ),ve)ent ,f the ar)y truc-! l,aded 9ith !,ldier! 9a! ha)pered by the r,ughne!! ,f the terrain and the bad dirt r,ad they 9ere u!ing t, appr,ach their target. "he truc-!, f,ur in nu)ber, !uddenly ca)e t, a !t,p and the !,ldier! began dr,pping fr,) the) ,n the uneven gr,und and !tarted running in the directi,n ,f the ,perative gr,up. "he @hin,,- 9a! c,)ing d,9n ready t, land, but it! )achine/gun! )ade a r,und ,f fire at the appr,aching tr,,p! in a 9ide !9eep. "hat cau!ed a ),)entary c,nfu!i,n a),ng the A!!yrian !,ldier! and the heavy )achine landed. .a!t t, grab at the ),)ent ,f cha,! and panic cau!ed by the deadly fire fr,) the big ch,pper in the ene)y ran-!, the )ilitant! !printed t,9ard it. Et! d,,r ,pened and the )ilitant! 9ere helped in ,ne by ,ne. "hey heard the vici,u! bar-ing ,f the A!!yrian )achine gun!, but the helic,pter 9a! already in the air and turned in the directi,n ,f the G,lan 5eight!. "he A!!yrian tr,,p! c,ntinued !h,,ting, but )i!!ed. And it 9a! a narr,9 e!cape f,r the cre9 ,f the big ch,pper and the EDA )ilitant!. <uan felt upbeat and pr,ud. "he -idnapping ,perati,n had been beautifully perf,r)ed 9ith ,nly ,ne hitch )arring the 9h,le picture* the death ,f hi! friend 5einK Gunde!tag. "hin-ing ab,ut it cl,uded <uan;! ),,d and br,ught ,n a gl,,)y change in it. 5e th,ught n,9 ab,ut ,ne thing. S,,n en,ugh, than- G,d, that danger,u! )i!!i,n that turned ,ut t, be !ucce!!ful 9,uld bec,)e hi!t,ry. Gut c,uld !ucce!! be ju!tly regarded a! !ucce!!, if it! real price 9a! t, be paid in hu)an live!J @5AP"E7 &L 8,nald 7,!! half reclined in hi! c,Ky ar)chair that !t,,d in the living r,,) ,f hi! h,)e in Udrecht. 5e 9a! 9atching the late!t devel,p)ent! in the 9,rld 9ith !,)e p,rti,n ,f b,th hu),r and irritati,n. "he !,/called A9,rld leader!C ve2ed hi) in particular. "heir endle!! hyp,critical ,utp,uring! ab,ut de),cracy and hu)an right! 9ere n,9 ),!tly directed again!t the EDA a! the ),!t danger,u! ,rganiKati,n in the 9,rld, thu! re!huffling the f,r)er p,litical pri,ritie! and placing the E!la)ic terr,r and aggre!!i,n ,nly a! !ec,ndary after the EDA ,n the !cale ,f terr,ri!t threat! in the 9,rld. 8irty c,9ard!B "rait,r! ,f their ,9n pe,ple!, he th,ught bitterly. "hey hadn;t even an!9ered the EDA;! ulti)atu). At lea!t n,t directly. :,re,ver, they had given t, under!tand that their pre!ent intran!igent p,!iti,n 9a! t, re)ain unalterable 9ith regard t, the de)and! !tated in the ulti)atu). S, )uch the 9,r!e f,r y,u, a!!h,le!, 8,nald th,ught furi,u!ly, un9ittingly clenching hi! fi!t!. We;ll give the) a little pu!h in the right directi,n by !ab,taging railr,ad line! and bridge! in .rance and Ger)any.

1L1

"hat 9ill cau!e a c,n!iderable pr,ble) in the ec,n,)ic infra!tructure. And that 9ill be ju!t f,r !tarter!B ,9 that he 9a! al,ne in hi! h,u!e after Una had left f,r Ereland t, !ee her daughter, he dev,ted ),!t ,f hi! ),rning h,ur! t, vari,u! rep,rt! and c,verage ,f live event! by the vari,u! 9,rld )a!! )edia de!pite hi! aver!i,n t, their ,utrage,u!, un!crupul,u!, ven,),u!, and pr,v,cative di!t,rti,n ,f truth. 5e even c,n!idered "V a! hi! per!,nal ),rtal ene)y. 5i! hard feeling! br,ught hi) t, !uch a degree ,f n,n/acceptance ,f their attitude that he c,uld hardly bear even the !ight ,f !,)e the )edia;! ),!t -n,9n e)pl,yee!, li-e ,ne ,f !,)e :idea!t rep,rter! ,f the @ @ Gh,ula E)in. Perhap! !he 9a! the ),!t partial and )alici,u! ,f all. 8,nald dete!ted her very l,,-!, 9atching her in un),ving c,ncentrati,n. "hi! Ereb 9,)an had eye! that gli!tened li-e t9, fat blac- c,c-r,ache! fattened ,n hatred and !pite and a ven,),u! t,ngue. She )ade n, !ecret ,f her pr,/terr,ri!t !y)pathy e!pecially 9hen it 9a! ab,ut the Phili!tine !uicide -iller!. 5e had already given an ,rder t, e2ecute her ,n !ight, if !he 9,uld ever cr,!! the 9ay! ,f EDA )ilitant! 9h, had already !ucce!!fully c,nducted t9, daring abducti,n! in that regi,n. A! a )atter ,f fact, thi! ven,),u! :u!li) adder ,f defa)ati,n 9a! hardly even 9,rth 9a!ting bullet! ,n her paltry per!,n 9ere !he n,t an ,ut!p,-en cha)pi,n ,f :u!li) terr,r. "he -idnapped :u!li) cri)inal! had been tran!p,rted t, ,ne ,f Eur,pean c,untrie! and 9ere a9aiting n,9 their ,9n e2ecuti,n. "he t9, a!!h,le! did n,t need any c,urt pr,ceeding! ,r !,)ething. "hat 9,uld be an unnece!!ary 9a!te ,f ti)e. "hey 9ere guilty all right and their cri)e! 9ere 9ell -n,9n and ,bvi,u! t, any,ne 9h, had ever f,ll,9ed their ,di,u! p,litical career. Gut bef,re their e2ecuti,n, they 9ere g,ing t, per!,nally ta!te 9hat they had d,ne t, th,u!and! ,f ,ther pe,ple. A day ,r t9, ,f !uffering 9,uld be a g,,d and ju!tified prelude t, their 9ell/de!erved death. 6f c,ur!e, the !,/called 5u)an 7ight! ,rganiKati,n! li-e the n,t,ri,u! W,rld A)ne!ty 9,uld ,pen their f,ul ),uth! t, !crea) f,r help, but they 9ere univer!ally -n,9n t, have al9ay! defended the cri)inal !cu) ,f the 9,rld, by !tanding up f,r that !cu);! Aright!C 9h, had ,nly ,ne right / t, be e2ecuted 9ith,ut any legal pr,cedure if their ab,)inable cri)e! 9ere ,bvi,u! en,ugh. And in the ca!e ,f the Phili!tine ringleader and hi! !piritual c,unterpart they 9ere ,bvi,u! en,ugh. "h,!e A5u)an 7ight!C activi!t! 9ere n, better than the !cu) they defended. ShitB ", ca),uflage their activitie! they adv,cate real p,litical victi)!, thu! putting the) ,n the !a)e level 9ith vari,u! villain!. "hey ju!t a!- f,r being e2ecuted and they 9ill get their 9ay. , d,ubt ab,ut that. :aybe !,,ner than they c,uld e2pect. 8irty liar!. "he !,/called hu)an right! had never e2i!ted. What had really e2i!ted 9a! the right ,f the !tr,nge!t, and that 9a! pr,ven every da)ned day that had ever !h,ne ,n the 9,rld ,f vi,lence and inju!tice !ince the di!ea!e called hu)an-ind infe!ted it 9ith it! f,ul pre!ence. 5u)an right!. :y legB "he ,nly right they have i! t, be )achine/gunned ,n !ight t,gether 9ith their un!,licited cha)pi,n!. Gut 9e;ll !pare bullet! f,r the t9, Sa)ah pig!. A g,,d r,pe 9ill be g,,d en,ugh f,r b,th ,f

1L&

the). "he th,ught ,f having the t9, ra!cal! a! the EDA;! pri!,ner! 9a! deeply !ati!fying. I,u c,uld ju!t i)agine the upr,ar their e2ecuti,n in Eur,pe 9,uld cau!e in the )a!! )edia and a),ng !,)e c,nceited Eur,pean p,litical !ch)uc-! 9h, had the in!,lence t, call the)!elve! A9,rld leader!C. "he i))inent event ,f e2ecuti,n ,f the t9, cri)inal! 9a! t, !,ber the) up and let the) !ee that there 9a! a !tr,ng en,ugh ,pp,!iti,n, at lea!t in Eur,pe, that 9,uld never t,lerate the cri)inal indulgence ,f the ruling riff/raff in E!la);! ge,p,litical aggre!!i,n and terr,r. 6n the ,ther hand, thi! e2ecuti,n 9ill let the) thin- t9ice bef,re they reject the EDA;! ulti)atu). "he -idnapping ,f Abu Dala and E)a) i!ay had already created a !tir in the 9,rld, e!pecially in the :iddle Ea!t. "he 9,rld;! )a!! )edia 9ere Huite hy!terical ab,ut it. 5e grinned )alici,u!ly. "hat 9,uld !erve the) right. Eur,pean c,urt! 9ere da)n t,, lenient t,9ard terr,ri!t defendant! and u!ed a l,t ,f red tape in handling legal ca!e! ,f :u!li) terr,ri!t!. S,)e ,f :u!li) terr,ri!t! and cri)inal! never reached a decent c,urt pr,cedure, being relea!ed bef,re it. Di-e the n,t,ri,u! Abu I,y, in the pre/E!la) Gelgiu), 9here he had u!urped p,9er and turned the c,untry int, a :u!li) ),narchy 9ith :u!li) la9! regulating p,litical and !,cial life in Gelgiu). Gut 9e !till have ,ur pe,ple there, 8,nald th,ught, 9h, 9ill ,rganiKe an ar)ed upri!ing there in due ti)e. When 9e ever lay h,ld ,f the a!!h,le 9e;ll hang hi) and hi! a!!,ciate! by their !tin-ing Ereb nec-!, 9ith,ut giving a! )uch a! a da)n t, finding ,ut incri)inating fact! that, f,r that )atter, are a! ,bvi,u! and abundant a! the !and in their da)ned de!ert!. @,n!tant reference by l,t! ,f hyp,crite p,litician! t, the !,/called internati,nal c,))unity, e!pecially by un!crupul,u! ,ne!, edged in hi! )ind li-e the blade ,f a raK,r. "he very n,ti,n ,f internati,nal c,))unity had been created artificially and freHuently flaunted a! a !hield f,r and ju!tificati,n ,f their ,9n !u!pici,u! and unclean activitie!. 5e had never regarded thi! internati,nal c,))unity a! really e2i!ting, c,n!idering all the c,nflict!, c,ntradicti,n! that 9ere irrec,ncilable, c,lli!i,n! ,f h,!tile intere!t!, 9ar!, p,litical and ec,n,)ic intrigue! and !, ,n did n,t !ugge!t a !lighte!t idea ,f a 9,rld unity. <u!t the ,ther 9ay r,undB "he U D it!elf 9a! an e2a)ple ,f ab!ence ,f !uch unity. S,, all the bull!hit c,ncerning the !,/called internati,nal c,))unity 9a! n,thing ),re than a !heer da)ned lie, a purp,!eful di!t,rti,n ,f reality in fav,r ,f di!h,ne!t p,litician! and )a!! )edia. "he!e )a!! )edia )anipulated and f,r)ed ,pini,n! ,f )illi,n! ,f f,,l! all ,ver the 9,rld e2actly the 9ay it had been d,ne in the c,))uni!t 7u!!ia ,r naKy Ger)any. 8,nald;! th,ught! drifted t, Una. 5e )i!!ed her greatly and c,uldn;t !uppre!! hi! de!p,ndency becau!e ,f her ab!ence. 5e 9anted her de!perately even ,n the fir!t night after her departure, alth,ugh he had been braced f,r it in advance. Et had !,)ething t, d, 9ith her daughter;! engage)ent. All 9a! n,9 left 9a! t, patiently 9ait f,r Una;! return t, hi! 9ar) eager e)brace.

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5e !t,,d up t, get a can ,f beer fr,) the fridge. Gut he changed hi! )ind, ,pened hi! bar, and p,ured hi)!elf a g,,d )ea!ure ,f Glenfiddich )alt. Et 9,uld balance ,ut hi! !y!te) )uch better. 5e needed a drin- badly n,9 that hi! rejecti,n ,f reality had g,ne !, far. 5e d,9ned it at a gulp, p,ured a ne9 ,ne, and g,t prepared t, 9atch a !ci/fi !erial ,n "V, 9ith hi! fav,rite act,r! and actre!!e! !tarring. Et 9a! a g,,d di!tracti,n fr,) the th,ught! ab,ut Una ,r the inju!tice ,f the 7ed Eur,pean ruler! and their f,ul/),uthed el,Huence. When the !erial !tarted, he 9a! glad t, !ee the A)erican Eri!h girl 9h, played the part ,f a high/tech e2pert ,n b,ard a .ederati,n !hip becau!e, in a 9ay, !he re!e)bled hi! Una. E2cept that the character ,n the !creen 9a! c,ld and unre!p,n!ive t, pa!!e! )ade by her c,lleague! 9h, happened t, have a cru!h ,n her. She re)inded ,ne ,f an unappr,achable 7,)an ve!tal virgin. 8,nald 9,ndered 9hether the actre!! behaved li-e that in real life. Pr,bably n,t, f,r by all acc,unt!, !he 9a! t,, !e2y f,r the attitude her part reHuired. She 9a! perfect in her perf,r)ance, and that placed her ,n the li!t ,f really talented actre!!e!. En fact, )any actre!!e! ,f Eri!h ,r Scandinavian e2tracti,n had the advantage ,f b,th g,,d l,,-! and talent. 5e !ipped hi! 9hi!-ey, care!!ing 9ith hi! eye! the i)age! ,n the "V !creen. "he her,e! ,f a !erial 9,re 5all,9een )a!-! and acted li-e they 9ere alien!. "hey !Huabbled and ga)bled, and !truc- c,))ercial deal! a! if the 9h,le Univer!e 9a! patterned after the 9ay! and habit! ,f )an. 6nly the A)erican! in the !erial l,,-ed li-e n,r)al pe,ple. All that bull!hit 9a! ridicul,u! en,ugh but it 9a! !,,thing t,,. After all, there 9a! n,t !, )uch difference bet9een ),dern !h,9 biK and that ,f ,ld 7,)e. 6nly the techniHue! 9ere different, but the idea! behind the) 9ere )uch the !a)e. When the !h,9 dre9 t, it! end he !9itched ,ver t, a @ @ pr,gra) 9here brea-ing ne9! 9a! ,n. Et 9a! ab,ut the recent abducti,n! ,f the t9, Phili!tine leader!. A! u!ual, the )edia f,und their !capeg,at in E!rael, but it !tr,ngly denied it! inv,lve)ent. 5e grinned. "he bl,,dy a!!h,le! 9,uld never c,)e ,ff it. "he !creen !h,9ed !cene! ,f ri,t! and di!,rder -ic-ed up by the aggre!!ively furi,u! Phili!tine ),b!. 8,nald felt an unc,ntr,llable fury !urge 9ithin hi). "he !9ini!h !cu) !h,uld be )achine/gunned and b,)bed t, let the) ta!te their bl,,dy paradi!e. Et 9a! f,r the Ahu)an right!C ,f the!e dirty ani)al! that the n,t,ri,u! W,rld A)ne!ty pleaded. ,t that 8,nald rejected the 9h,le c,ncepti,n ,f hu)an right!. Ga!ically, he 9a! p,!itive ab,ut the). "hey 9ere fi2ed in the 9ell/-n,9n 8eclarati,n ,f 5u)an 7ight! year! ag, and the,retically there 9a! n,thing 9r,ng 9ith the). "he p,int, th,ugh, 9a! they 9ere ba!ed ,n the l,fty ideal! ,f hu)an e2i!tence in their ideal f,r), but all thr,ugh the hi!t,ry ,f )an-ind they had never been, c,uld have never been, realiKed in any hu)an !,ciety, n, )atter h,9 hard pe,ple tried t, e!tabli!h the) a! la9. S,)eti)e! they 9ere c,nvinced they had the) 9ithin reach. Gut in the l,ng run, they 9ere a! far fr,) the) n,9 a! they had al9ay! been. S, the ,nly c,nclu!i,n )u!t be h,ne!tly )ade that the!e right! !i)ply did n,t e2i!t e2cept ,n paper, and that didn;t )ean a da)n. Gut pe,ple acted under an illu!i,n that they really e2i!ted, but they didn;t. "hey perver!ely u!ed

1L(

the n,ti,n ,f hu)an right! t, adv,cate the intere!t! ,f their ,9n p,litical ,r ec,n,)ic gr,up!. "rying t, l,,- ,bjective in the eye! ,f pe,ple and pr,ceeding fr,) a fal!e but very p,pular c,ncepti,n ,f pe,ple;! eHuality, they ended up adv,cating the 9,r!t blac-guard! the 9,rld ha! ever !een. "he 9,rld had recently learned 9ith a ga!p that the driven a9ay Gabyl,nian ruler 5u!!ein G,u!liyah had f,und p,litical a!ylu) in the :u!li) Gelgiu). "he pr,te!t! ,n the part ,f the United State! yielded n, re!ult!. "he Gelgian! 9ere ada)ant in their deci!i,n. .urther),re, Gelgiu) had ad,pted a ne9 la9 that gave the Gelgian c,urt! the right t, legally pr,!ecute th,!e 9,rld leader! 9h, 9aged 9ar! el!e9here in the 9,rld and 9ere accu!ed ,f vi,lati,n ,f hu)an right!. Acc,rding t, thi! fre!hly ba-ed la9 Pre!ident Wil)an ,f the United State! ,r any general ,f the Pentag,n 9h, had ta-en part in !uch )ilitary ,perati,n! abr,ad 9,uld face trial and i)pri!,n)ent, if caught in the territ,ry ,f Gelgiu). 8,nald !hrugged hi! !h,ulder!, 9,ndering h,9 far thi! 7ed in!,lence c,uld reach. "he "V picture! changed n,9 t, ,ther !cene! ,f vi,lence that pre!ently 9a! ta-ing place in Eur,pe. "he anti/gl,bali!t h,,ligan! 9ent ,n their de!tructive !pree, flaunting their red flag! and ,di,u! p,rtrait! ,f the f,!!iliKed Marl :ar2. 8,nald grinned. 5e recalled a c,nver!ati,n 9ith @arl, Arrig,ni, 9hen they had di!cu!!ed that ,ld/fa!hi,ned tr,uble)a-er and 8,nald called hi) @arl, :arl,, a! a j,-e. Gut after Arrig,ni;! pr,te!t 8,nald !ugge!ted a .rench ver!i,n / @harl,t :arl,t. Watching the vi,lent !cene! in .rance and S9itKerland, 8,nald th,ught ab,ut the t9, ca!e! 9hen the EDA had det,nated a fe9 b,)b! 9ith !hrapnel right in the )iddle ,f !uch pr,ce!!i,n!. "he anti/gl,bali!t! 9h, declared they 9ere again!t any !,cial inju!tice and p,litical abu!e ran a),- again!t all that had n,thing t, d, either 9ith !,cial inju!tice ,r p,litical abu!e. "he interference ,f the EDA did n,t !ee), th,ugh, !tr,ng en,ugh becau!e it had n,t taught the) a g,,d le!!,n a! yet, alth,ugh at that ti)e )any -illed and 9,unded had fallen. .r,) n,9 ,n the EDA 9,uld get the) ,n a ),re regular ba!i!. 5e 9,uld !ee t, it. :aybe a fe9 incendiary b,)b! !pla!hing ,ut high/te)perature fire 9,uld d, the j,b. "he !9ini!h 7ed !cu) )u!t be taught an unf,rgettable le!!,n. S, )uch f,r their hu)an right! n,n!en!eB 5e grinned again. "here 9,uld be n, breach ,f de),cracy in giving the) a le!!,n. Any9ay th,!e creep! had never de),n!trated peacefully. "hey !i)ply de!erved their p,rti,n ,f retributi,n. , d,ubt ab,ut that. "he Eur,pean biggie! u!ed ,nly p,lice f,rce. "he da)ned chic-en!B "hey 9ere !lave! ,f their ,9n da)n inefficient !y!te). A real de),cracy )u!t be able t, defend it!elf 9ith aggre!!ive crac-d,9n! ,n any vi,lent nut! that 9r,ngly fancied they 9ere i)p,rtant and u!ed vi,lence t, !h,9 it ,ff. "he EDA 9,uld ta-e care ,f that. :ean9hile he -ne9 fr,) the EDA !,urce! ,f inf,r)ati,n that the c,nfr,ntati,n bet9een the vari,u! Eur,pean auth,ritie! and the :u!li) p,pulati,n had inten!ified ,ver the la!t year!, e!pecially after the !tr,ng acti,n! ,f the EDA that had challenged b,th the auth,ritie!

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and the :u!li) terr,ri!t )ilitant!. A 9ave ,f the en!uing vi,lence that 9a! called f,rth by direct and indirect cla!he! bet9een the h,!tile partie! inv,lved the Eur,pean g,vern)ental auth,ritie! in thi! c,nfr,ntati,n ,n all p,!!ible level!. G,th the EDA and :u!li) terr,ri!t! thre9 letter/b,)b!, envel,pe! 9ith p,i!,n,u! p,9der!, and ,ther !i)ilarly n,2i,u! and deadly !ub!tance! int, th,u!and! ,f letter/b,2e! 9ith,ut !ending the) by )ail. "he re!ult! 9ere h,rrend,u!. Pe,ple 9ere afraid t, ,pen 9hatever )ail they f,und in their letter/b,2e!. "he !ituati,n had bec,)e e2tre)ely ten!e and )enaced t, gr,9 int, an all/,ut civil 9ar, inv,lving thi! ti)e the three h,!tile partie! !i)ultane,u!ly. "he 5igh @,))and ,f the AE"6 # ,rth A)erican / Eur,pean "reaty 6rganiKati,n$ 9a! already !tarting a !9eeping )ilitary ca)paign again!t the ,ther t9, partie! that 9ere engaged in bitter fighting. "hat d,ubled the ri!-! and increa!ed the !train ,n the EDA and it! 5igh @,))and. "he an2i,u! th,ught! ab,ut thi! and hi! ,9n re!p,n!ibilitie! c,ncerning pl,tting )ilitary acti,n! ,f the EDA and hi! ,9n leader!hip tugged at hi! )ind day and night regardle!! ,f the fact that he received a very !tr,ng !upp,rt fr,) hi! c,)rade!/in/ar)!. 5e had n,thing t, be repr,ached f,r. 5e did hi! be!t. Gut n,9 the c,)plicated fr,nt they 9ere fighting ,n d,ubled, rapidly bec,)ing t9, fr,nt! in!tead ,f ,ne. @,n!eHuently, the !truggle 9a! bec,)ing harder and bitterer, t,,. "he per!,nal !afety ,f the EDA;! 5igh @,))and )e)ber! 9a! n,9 ),re fragile and un!table. Gut that tr,ubled hi) le!! than the th,ught ,f the ri!ing need! ,f their ,perative unit!. "hat included a))uniti,n and acHuire)ent ,f ne9 ar)!. 5e rac-ed hi! brain! ,ver the!e thing! c,n!tantly, a! hi! c,lleague! did t,,. A teleph,ne ring )ade hi) al),!t !tart 9ith it! !uddenne!!. 5e t,,- up the receiver that lay be!ide hi). "he v,ice ,f Geert <an !,unded a! if he 9a! !itting right ne2t t, 8,nald. Gut it ca)e fr,) a far di!tance. AG,,d evening, 8,naldBC A5i, GeertB What;! upJC AG,,d ne9!, b,!!. We -eep the t9, pig! in a !afe place, 9hich i! a cave in the l,cal ),untain!. "hey b,th acted fairly difficult in the beginning until 9e did let the) !ee their !ituati,n in it! true light. "hen their attitude beca)e le!! !elf/a!!ured. ,9 9e -eep it that 9ay.C AG,,d f,r y,u, Geert. Are y,u pa!!ing ,ver t, !tage t9, ,f the ,perati,nJC ASure. All i! ready f,r that. And 9e;ve ch,!en the right place f,r di!playing the t9, dead rat! 9h, 9ill be !,,n dangling in the refre!hing at),!phere ,f the i)p,rtant ),t,r9ay that y,u -n,9.C A5,9 fineBC A"hat 9ill cau!e a real !tir in all Eur,pean 9a!p!; ne!t!.C A ,t ,nly here, Geert. <u!t i)agine the reacti,n every9here in thi! 9,rld. "he )ad 9ill get )adder ,n learning the g,,d ne9!. , d,ubt ab,ut that.C AE;ll -eep y,u inf,r)ed, 8,n.C

1LL

AVery 9ell. "a-e care, Geert. And the be!t ,f everything t, y,u and ,ther c,)rade!/in/ ar)!.C ASure. Sa)e here.C "he c,nver!ati,n ended, leaving 8,nald in an upbeat ),,d. "hi! )u!t be celebrated, he th,ught 9ith !ati!facti,n and c,llected the b,ttle ,f Glenfiddich fr,) the bar. 5e p,ured a bri)ful and !tarted !ipping at it, again !9itching hi! attenti,n t, the "V !creen, 9here an intervie9 9a! being held 9ith !,)e a!!h,le fr,) the U 5u)an 7ight!;! @,))ittee 9h, 9a! tal-ing !,)e nutty balderda!h ab,ut the )i!erable !ituati,n ,f inveterate cri)inal! in !,)e A)erican !la))er!. 8,nald !9irled hi! 9hi!-ey in the gla!! and held it up t, the !creen, A5ere;! t, y,ur crap, fuc-ing nut!. @heer!BC 5e d,9ned the re!t ,f the g,lden liHuid, !t,,d up, !9itched ,ff the "V !et and !at d,9n at the -eyb,ard ,f hi! P@ t, !end an E/)ail t, Una. "hen he t,,- ti)e t, !urf f,r an h,ur ,n the 9ave! ,f the Enternet in !earch ,f fre!h inf,r)ati,n c,ncerning the recent !tate ,f affair! in Eur,pe and the :idea!t. 5e ,utprinted !,)e ,f the ),!t i)p,rtant devel,p)ent! f,r later c,n!iderati,n and 9ent up!tair!, deciding it 9a! ti)e t, turn in. Gef,re he fell a!leep hi! th,ught! 9ent t, Una again, trying t, )a-e a picture in hi! i)aginati,n ,f 9hat !he )ight be d,ing at that preci!e ),)ent and caught hi)!elf !)iling !heepi!hly 9hen he !a9 her in hi! )ind. @5AP"E7 &? "he !un had gradually appr,ached the 9e!tern h,riK,n and n,9 fell behind the blac- r,ugh ,utline ,f the 9,,ded Auvergne :,untain!, leaving behind a !h,rt/lived but rich cri)!,n hal, that plunged the 9e!tern ),untain! int, al),!t a c,)pletely in-y dar-ne!!. "hi! ),untain,u! c,untry 9a! the reign ,f !hepherd! 9ith their fl,c-! ,f !heep and g,at! and 9a! l,!t a)id!t the 9ild land!cape! ,f the .rench :a!!if @entral. Et;! 9here the river 8,rd,gne ta-e! it! p,9er fr,) the nu)er,u! !,urce! and 9aterfall! racing d,9n fr,) the green !ide! ,f the ),untain!. And r,ll! it! )a!!e! ,f 9ater t, 9here it )eet! 9ith the Gar,nne and t,gether they f,r) their c,)),n e!tuary called Gir,nde t, )erge their 9ater! 9ith th,!e ,f Gay ,f Gi!cay. 6ne va!t cave ,f a ),untain facing the )a!!ive !ilh,uette ,f :,unt :auriac 9a! the !cene ,f bu!y and !trange activitie! that t,,- place there c,)pletely unn,ticed by the ,uter 9,rld that 9a! ab!,lutely ign,rant ,f 9hat 9a! g,ing ,n there. At ,ne ti)e thi! cave had been aband,ned and f,rg,tten by !hepherd! and their fl,c-! and n,9 gave !helter t, pe,ple 9h, g,t ab!,lutely n,thing t, d, 9ith the rai!ing ,f any d,)e!tic ani)al!. :,re,ver, they l,,-ed li-e para)ilitary fighter! 9h, had fitted ,ut thi! cave a! ,ne ,f their ba!e!. .r,) the air the entrance t, the cave 9a! 9ell di!gui!ed !, that neither plane! n,r ch,pper! ,r any ,ther bu!yb,die!, f,r that )atter, c,uld ever di!c,ver the -ind ,f activitie! g,ing ,n there.

1L?

"he va!t cha)ber! ,f the cave 9ere changed int, r,ughly cut r,,)! !erving vari,u! purp,!e!. 6ne ,f the) l,,-ed li-e a -ind ,f dunge,n c,n!i!ting ,f three r,,)!, t9, ,f 9hich 9ere e)pty. "he third ,ne, th,ugh, 9a! ,ccupied by t9, e2,tic/l,,-ing )iddle/aged )en ,ne ,f 9h,) 9a! rather !habby and un!haven and the ,ther individual 9a! ,lder and rather frail and had a l,ng gray beard that 9a! dirty, l,ng unc,)bed, and tangled. "hey 9ere )anacled and c,n!iderably li)ited in their ),ve)ent!. "he ,lder ,ne freHuently )uttered prayer! j,ined by hi! cell/)ate. <u!t a c,uple ,f !tep! a9ay an,ther !paci,u! cha)ber h,u!ed ,ther pe,ple 9h,!e pri!,ner! the ab,ve/)enti,ned individual! happened t, be. e,n la)p! )ildly p,ured their pale light the frugal furni!hing! ,f the pre)i!e!. 7ight in the )iddle ,f the cha)ber !t,,d an en,r),u! table that apparently !erved f,r ta-ing )eal!. At an ,pp,!ite 9all a !paci,u! bar 9a! leaned again!t it. "here 9ere al!, a c,uple ,f de!-! 9ith c,)puter! ,n the). "he electricity 9a! pr,duced by a -ind ,f !,lar batterie! n,t far a9ay fr,) the hidden entrance t, the cave. .r,) thi! cha)ber a !h,rt pa!!age led t, an,ther, !)aller ,ne that 9a! eHuipped 9ith vari,u! ,dd/l,,-ing in!tru)ent! that l,,-ed li-e they 9ere u!ed f,r t,rture!. Apparently the r,,) 9a! eHuipped and u!ed a! a t,rture/cha)ber. "he five pe,ple !itting at the big table in the big cha)ber 9ere Geert <an 8e--er, <uan D,peK, @aptain Ging, Wally, and Pi-e. @aptain Ging par-ed hi! bul-y fra)e in a chair that threatened t, fall apart under hi! heavy 9eight but !,)eh,9 !tayed in ,ne piece. Geert <an !at in an ar)chair be!ide hi), facing the ,ther three 9h, 9ere !eated at the ,ther !ide ,f the table. At the ),)ent, they 9ere in the )id!t ,f a di!cu!!i,n that c,ncerned the t9, captive! a9aiting their l,t in the dunge,n cell. Geert <an !aid, A8,nald 7,!! ha! given the green light f,r !tarting the pr,cedure.C 5e glanced ,ver at @aptain Ging and hi! a!!,ciate! and a!-ed briefly. AAre y,u readyJC AAb!,lutelyBC A"hen there i! n,thing ),re t, di!cu!!. <u!t pr,ceed 9ith y,ur ta!-.C AIe!, !irBC @aptain Ging !aid and !t,,d up, Wally and Pi-e f,ll,9ing !uit. Geert <an re)ained in hi! chair, p,uring a cup ,f !tr,ng blac- c,ffee fr,) the c,ffee )achine that !t,,d in the )iddle ,f the table. @aptain Ging t,gether 9ith hi! )ilitant! and <uan D,peK 9h, c,uld fluently !pea- Ereb di!appeared in the narr,9 pa!!age that led t, the dunge,n. Wally 9a! carrying a !h,rt 9hip 9ith a thin th,ng. "hey ,pened the barred entrance t, the dunge,n. "he pri!,ner! lay ),ti,nle!! ,n the !t,ne fl,,r ,f the cell. "heir eye! 9ere cl,!ed, but they did n,t !ee) a!leep. "he )ilitant! eyed the) 9ith a c,ld gaKe, and then Wally -ic-ed the b,dy ,f Abu Dala 9h, happened t, be ne2t t, the t,e ,f hi! heavy b,,t. Abu Dala did n,t even 9ince. @aptain Ging rai!ed hi! v,ice, AGet up, y,u dirty !9ineBC

1L'

Abu Dala did n,t budge, but hi! eye! ,pened. 5e didn;t !ay a 9,rd. @aptain Ging 9in-ed at Wally. Wally lifted hi! 9hip and br,ught it d,9n 9ith a !9i!hing !,und ,n Abu Dala;! bac-. "he !hirt bur!t under the vici,u! bl,9 and a big red !tain Huic-ly began t, c,l,r it! t,rn edge!. A dull ),an ,f pain e!caped Abu Dala;! ),uth already !)a!hed in a previ,u! c,nfr,ntati,n 9ith hi! t,r)ent,r!, but a !ec,nd )ercile!! bl,9 ,f the 9hip br,ught hi) t, hi! feet. "9, angry/l,,-ing 9elt! appeared in the bl,,d!tained !lit! ,n hi! bac-. "he ,ther pri!,ner, E)a) i!ay, !t,,d up ,f hi! ,9n 9ill in an atte)pt t, av,id further hu)iliati,n. "he f,ur )ilitant! pu!hed their captive! in fr,nt ,f the) and ,rdered the) t, 9al- ahead. Alth,ugh the t9, pri!,ner! !huffled al,ng 9ith !,)e difficulty and !l,9ly, they !,,n entered the cha)ber c,ntaining the ,)in,u!ly l,,-ing in!tru)ent!. 8uring the !,)ber pr,ce!!i,n n,b,dy uttered a 9,rd. 6nly a !)all na-ed bulb !u!pended in the )iddle ,f the uneven vaulted ceiling lighted thi! cha)ber. AI,u )ay be !eated, gentle)en,C @aptain Ging !aid t, the pri!,ner!, p,inting t, the !t,ne fl,,r. 5i! v,ice !,unded deri!ively. "he :u!li)! a9-9ardly and 9ith !,)e difficulty l,9ered the)!elve! ,n the fl,,r, relap!ing int, their previ,u! !tate ,f dull apathy. "heir eye! 9ere fuKKy and e2pre!!i,nle!!. Abu Dala 9a! !till 9earing hi! 9ell/-n,9n chec-ered turban that by n,9 had bec,)e untidy and !,iled. Wally t,,- a cigarette fr,) a pac- he had pr,duced fr,) a brea!t p,c-et ,f hi! fatigue! and lit it 9ith hi! lighter in an unhurried ge!ture. 5e deftly e2haled !),-e ring! fr,) hi! ),uth right in the face ,f E)a) i!ay 9h, l,,-ed the ,ther 9ay. "he Sa)ah !piritual leader 9a! very clearly in dudge,n, hi! little half/blind piggi!h eye! !uddenly glea)ing 9ith hatred. A6h, y,u d,n;t li-e it, d, y,uJC Wally a!-ed, hi! t,ne bec,)ing )enacing. A8,n;t t,uch hi), y,u A)erican !9ineBC "he rauc,u! v,ice ,f Abu Dala !,unded une2pectedly. @aptain Ging 9in-ed at Wally again. "he at),!phere ,f the cha)ber 9a! bec,)ing cl,!e. Wally )ade a !tep t,9ard Abu Dala and reaching ,ut, t,,- h,ld ,f Abu Dala;! chec-ered turban and t,re it ,ff hi! head, revealing a large baldne!! that had been hidden under the turban. Abu Dala;! eye! 9ere bulging and glittering 9ith i)p,tent rage. Wally grinned !pitefully and !tubbed ,ut hi! cigarette ,n Abu Dala;! !9eating bald head. "he half/!),-ed cigarette hi!!ed in the !9eat and g,t e2tingui!hed, leaving a pungent )i2ed !)ell ,f burnt !-in and t,bacc, in the air ,f the half/dar- cha)ber. "he Phili!tine vainly tried t, h,ld bac- the ag,niKing r,ar ,f pain that e!caped fr,) hi! thr,at. 5i! 9h,le b,dy began t, feveri!hly !hiver. "he eye! beca)e bl,,d/!h,t. "he burnt !p,t ,n hi! head 9a! ugly. AI,u d,n;t reli!h it, ehJ I,u fuc-ing !,n ,f a bitchB I,u gue!! y,u can !pit ,ut ju!t any fuc-ing garbage in )y face ,r in the face! ,f the!e ,ther gentle)en pre!ent here and get a9ay

1L3

9ith itJ I,u are 9ay gr,!!B And d,n;t c,unt ,n a free treat)ent at !,)e fuc-ing health/re!,rt ,r !pa.C Wally;! revengeful fury !ee)ed b,undle!!. Suddenly Abu Dala lifted up hi! bl,,d/!h,t eye! and cried ,ut in a !ta))ering fal!ett,. AI,u have n, right t, treat )e thi! 9ay. I,u;ll be !everely puni!hed f,r thi!B E;) Pre!ident and GeneralB 8, y,u -n,9 thatJC A6h, y,u are, aren;t y,uJC @aptain Ging lifted hi! heavy bul- fr,) the chair. 5e !l,9ly, even lei!urely, appr,ached Abu Dala, hi! big hand! clenching int, huge fi!t!. A.,r u! y,u;re ,nly a dirty t9,/bit Ereb high9ay)an 9h, -ic-! up a !tin-ing r,9, trying t, get the 9h,le 9,rld inv,lved, and per!i!tently a!-! t, be hanged. Gut until that really happen! E;ll rearrange y,ur face a little.C Abu Dala !aid n,thing, but hi! eye! 9ere glea)ing 9ith !pite and fear li-e th,!e ,f a c,rnered rat. @aptain Ging !9ung bac- hi! right ar) and dealt hi) ,ut a !tinging punch ,n the !ide ,f hi! ja9 that !ent the Phili!tine !liding a c,uple ,f )eter! a9ay ,n the !lippery !t,ne !lab! ,f the fl,,r. Gl,,d gu!hed fr,) the nearly br,-en ja9 and ),uth, c,l,ring the gray !t,ne! li-e a red liHuid dye fr,) an ,verturned p,t. Abu Dala ga!ped f,r air, )a-ing ,dd !,bbing !,und!. 8uring the fall hi! head had al),!t )et 9ith the !t,ne that c,uld have fini!hed hi! )i!erable life there and then. Gut hi! luc- 9anted that hi! head bu)ped again!t a heap ,f ,ily rag! that had been u!ed f,r cleaning engine!. "he ,ther )en !tared !lightly ta-en abac- by 9hat they 9itne!!ed. E)a) i!ay began !h,uting in a thin v,ice and !ha-ing hi! )anacled hand! at the )ilitant!. AEnfidel d,g!B I,u;ll burn eternally in Allalah;! hell f,r all y,ur accur!ed d,ing!, y,u ju!t 9ait and !eeBC Pi-e !uddenly g,t )ad li-e a deliri,u! ber!er- and ju)ped ,n the ,ld i)a). A@hill ,ut, !tin-ing g,atB I,ur fuc-ing Allalah i! ,nly a hell;! devil 9h,;! n,thing c,)pared 9ith ,ur G,d. G,t it, dirty !tin-ing !9ineJC 5e grabbed the i)a) by hi! l,ng gray beard and !h,,hi) 9ith !uch a fierce f,rce that the ,ld )an;! head 9a! nearly t,rn ,ff fr,) hi! b,dy and he began t, 9heeKe. "hen i!ay !uddenly beca)e Huiet and !pat in Pi-e;! furi,u! face li-e an adder !pit! it! ven,). Pi-e did n,t e2pect anything li-e that and in!tantly !,bered up. 5e glanced bac- at c,)rade! 9h, !i)ply !t,,d !taring a! if !truc- nu)b by 9hat they !a9. A !ec,nd fit ,f fury ,ver9hel)ed Pi-e, but thi! ti)e he )anaged t, c,,l ,ff, !h,t an ,)in,u! glare at the recalcitrant ,ld i)a), and )ade f,r the !tac- ,f t,,l! di!played ,n a l,9 table in ,ne c,rner ,f the cha)ber. 5e !truc- a )atch and lighted a ga! !t,ve that !t,,d ne2t t, the table 9ith the t,,l!. :ean9hile <uan D,peK appr,ached E)a) i!ay and leaned ,ver hi). "he ,ld )an;! c,l,rle!! eye! 9ere al),!t blin-ing 9ith tear!. <uan !aid t, hi) in Ereb, A6h, E)a), y,u !h,uld have never c,ntradicted y,ur ,pp,nent!. A! y,u have !een, it yield! little re9ard. And y,ur cau!e i! l,!t. S, 9hy u!e futile threat!J I,u d,n;t -n,9 9h, 9e are and 9hat ,ur purp,!e i!. S, E;ll tell y,u n,9. We;ll cru!h E!la) all ,ver the 9,rld regardle!! ,f )illi,n! up,n )illi,n! ,f it! f,ll,9er! 9h,) y,u call true believer!, including

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y,ur!elf. And b,th :acaca and :arKina, the id,latr,u! place! ,f y,ur 9,r!hipping ,f the great devil Allalah are b,th d,,)ed. I,u )ay believe )e.C E)a) i!ay 9a! i)pre!!ed by the fluent and i)peccable Ereb !p,-en by the dar-/ c,)ple2i,ned )an and !ee)ed puKKled. "hen he eyed <uan 9ith !u!pici,n. AI,u !pea- g,,d Ereb, ,h !tranger. 5,9 c,)e y,u are t,gether 9ith the!e accur!ed bla!phe)ing d,g!JC AE;) ,ne ,f the).C AAre y,u an ErebJC A ,, E;) n,t.C AI,u;ll be puni!hed by Allalah f,r y,ur c,n!piracy again!t the :u!li) pe,ple.C A"hat;! a l,t ,f bull!hit y,u;re telling )e. I,ur Allalah i! n, ),re than a fal!e id,l. "he ,ne y,u 9,r!hip in the f,r) ,f a blac- !t,ne. "he true G,d f,rbid! 9,r!hipping pagan i)age!.C A6h, E !ee, !tranger, y,u err here entirely and y,u d,n;t -n,9 a thing ab,ut ,ur belief.C ASa)e hereBC AAllalah can;t have a !,nBC E)a) i!ay e2clai)ed irritably. A5ere E !ee eye t, eye 9ith y,u, ,h E)a). 5e can;t, indeed. <u!t becau!e he;! li)ited in hi! p,9er!, 9herea! the true G,d can d, anything 5e ch,,!e! t, becau!e 5e i! G,d. And the !t,ne y,u 9,r!hip can;t d, a thing becau!e it;! dead )atter and n,t a living G,d. 5,9ever, E d, believe y,ur Allalah truly e2i!t!, !t,ne ,r n, !t,ne. And he i! the devil in per!,n.C AGe9are h,9 y,u bla!phe)e, !tranger. I,u;ll be puni!hed li-e E !aid.C "he E)a);! half/ blind eye! glea)ed 9ith ,utright hatred. AEn,ugh ,f thi! bull!hit,C !napped <uan D,peK, AI,u de!erve y,ur l,t, E !ee. Pi-eBC ASirJC A8, y,ur duty.C AAye, !irBC <uan D,peK retreated a c,uple ,f !tep! a!ide, letting Pi-e pa!! t,9ard the i)a) 9ith an ir,n r,d )ade red/h,t in the fire ,f the ga! !t,ve. "he i)a) didn;t even l,,- up. An anticipat,ry grin played at the c,rner! ,f Pi-e;! lip! 9hen he appr,ached the red/h,t end ,f the r,d t, i!ay;! beard. A pungent !)ell ,f burnt hair i))ediately filled the !pace ,f the cha)ber. Gut the i)a) didn;t even bat an eyelid until the h,t r,d t,uched hi! !-in. 5i! face 9a! di!t,rted 9ith pain and, f,rgetting hi! dignity and hi! !upercili,u! attitude he let ,ut a piercing !creech that al),!t deafened all the pre!ent in the cha)ber. Abu Dala even g,t up ,n hi! feet and !h,uted in a fit ,f indignati,n. AWhat are y,u d,ing, !cabby d,g! t, thi! venerable ,ld )an 9h,!e feet y,u are n,t even 9,rthy ,f lic-ingBC Pi-e turned t,9ard hi). 5i! v,ice hardened t, a !harp edge. AStrip t, the !-in, !9ineBC AE d,n;t ta-e ,rder! fr,) !cabby d,g!,C Abu Dala !aid 9ith !c,rn. AE !aid !tripBC Pi-e repeated and hi! fi!t !la))ed int, Abu Dala;! ),uth. "he c,ntact 9ith Pi-e;! fi!t jer-ed Abu Dala;! head up and bac-. 5e !9ayed, l,!t hi! balance, and heavily

1?1

tu)bled d,9n li-e a bull under a butcher;! -nife. A !trea) ,f bl,,d !eeped fr,) hi! br,-en n,!e and !pla!hed ,ver hi! dirty t,rn !hirt. Pi-e )a!!aged hi! brui!ed -nuc-le! 9ith a 9ry grin. "hen Wally !tepped up cl,!er and began t, rip ,ff Abu Dala;! cl,the! that 9ere n,t )any by the ti)e he had arrived at hi! pre!ent c,nditi,n. Pi-e 9a! helping hi). Abu Dala re!i!ted a! !taunchly a! he c,uld but g,t a !)a!hing bl,9 ,n hi! ear. A thin thread ,f bl,,d began t, !eep d,9n hi! nec-. "he )ilitant! t,re ,ff hi! tr,u!er! t,, and left hi) na-ed t, the !-in and clutching at hi! cr,tch. "hen @aptain Ging and Wally pulled hi! hand! and leg! apart !, that Abu Dala;! genital! 9ere 9ithin reach ,f Pi-e;! terrifying r,d that n,9 9a! 9hite/h,t becau!e during Pi-e;! and Wally;! !cuffle 9ith Abu Dala 9ith the purp,!e ,f t, ta-ing ,ff hi! cl,the! @aptain Ging had en,ugh ti)e t, ta-e the r,d fr,) Pi-e;! hand and )a-e it 9hite/h,t in the fire. AS,, y,u g,t !)art E !ee,C !aid Wally t, Abu Dala, Aand y,ur t,ngue i! )uch t,, l,ng f,r y,ur teeth, filthy ba!tard, ain;t itJC 5e turned t, Pi-e. ADet hi) ta!te it, Pi-e.C Pi-e began t, gradually appr,ach the unbearably h,t r,d t, Abu Dala;! genital!. "he hair in hi! cr,tch !tarted t, curl up, !),ldering. Abu Dala c,uld n, ),re 9ith!tand the heat even at a di!tance and ),aned, gritting hi! teeth. "hen, 9hen the 9hite/h,t tip ,f the r,d finally t,uched hi! peni! 9ith a vici,u! hi!!ing and crac-ling a heartrending !creech f,ll,9ed that nearly t,re the )ilitant!;! eardru)!. Abu Dala !9,,ned. Deaving hi) ,n the fl,,r they ,rdered E)a) i!ay t, ta-e hi! cl,the! ,ff. Di-e Abu Dala bef,re hi) i!ay tried t, re!i!t the !tr,ng hand! ,f the )ilitant! and, li-e in the previ,u! ca!e, in vain. S,,n hi! gaunt !craggy b,dy 9a! na-ed t,, and !hivered 9ith a nerv,u! !h,c-. A , fear, ,ldieB I,u;re g,ing t, y,ur fuc-ing paradi!e !,,n en,ugh,C @aptain Ging tried t, cheer up hi! victi) in hi! ),c-ing 9ay. AI,u 9ill fuc- the virginal 9h,re!. ", tell the truth E;) in a puKKle / 9ith 9hat t,,lJC 5e p,inted t, i!ay;! !hriveled ,rgan and grinned. ASee)! li-e y,ur Allalah 9ill have t, !9eat, )a-ing a ne9 in!tru)ent ,f l,ve f,r y,u. "hi! ,ne 9a! u!ed ,verly. :aybe a hundred year! ag,.C "he in!ulted i)a) -ept !tubb,rnly !ilent. A@an y,u !ing, ,ld )anJC Wally a!-ed, trying t, be earne!t, but all he g,t in re!p,n!e 9a! a !ullen !ilence. Pi-e flic-ered a glance at hi). A:aybe 9e c,uld find ,ut.C AWhy n,tJC Wally agreed. With a !udden ),ti,n they grabbed the ,ld )an by hi! !h,ulder! and turned hi) ,ver ,n hi! face. "hen Pi-e appr,ached the tip ,f the heated r,d t, the i)a);! flabby butt,c-!. Wally dre9 the) apart, laying ,pen hi! anu!. 5e laughed, AE gue!!, 9e can pu!h y,u f,r9ard t, that !9eet paradi!e ,f y,ur!, ,ldie. Allalah 9ill be, ,f c,ur!e, e2tre)ely happy t, receive y,u per!,nally there, and 9hile he;ll be )a-ing a ne9 pric- f,r y,u y,u;ll drin- up a 9h,le river ,f 9ine in c,)pen!ati,n f,r y,ur having been a fuc-ing teet,taler all y,ur life.C

1?&

Pi-e !h,ved the n,9 red/h,t r,d bet9een the dra9n apart butt,c-!, and after a !h,rt !creech ,f pain the i)a) !9,,ned li-e hi! )ate bef,re. AE th,ught they 9,uld be ),re !taunch, the :u!li) a!!h,le!.C @aptain Ging !hrugged hi! !h,ulder! in a ),c- be9ilder)ent. AEn their ,9n c,untrie! they are Huite u!ed t, !uch plea!ure! becau!e they practice the) ,n a daily ba!i!.C AI,u;re right here,C <uan cut in, n,dding hi! head, Abut d,n;t f,rget the !cu) li-e the!e t9, practiced the Aplea!ure!C ,n ,ther! but have never ta!ted the) per!,nally.C AWellBC @aptain Ging laughed. A"hey )u!t be a9fully grateful t, u! f,r granting the) their chance.C AGet the) n,9 bac- t, their cell and let the) !tay put there until they regain c,n!ci,u!ne!!. And give the) !,)ething t, eat.C <uan ,rdered and after a 9hile added, A!,)ething 9ith p,r-. Gut they )u!t n,t n,tice that until later.C @aptain Ging !hrugged 9ith a grin fr,Ken ,n hi! face. AAt lea!t if they d,n;t -ic- the buc-et bef,re, c,n!idering ,ur treat)ent ,f the) t,day.C AWe;ll give the) !,)e re!pite bef,re 9e re!u)e,C <uan !aid and turned t, g, and j,in Geert <an 9h, 9a! !till in the big vault. "he ,ther! fir!t lifted the al),!t lifele!! b,dy ,f E)a) i!ay and carried it bac- t, the dunge,n. Dater, they returned f,r the b,dy ,f Abu Dala. G,th 9ere left nude in their cell, their !habby, t,rn, and dirty cl,the! thr,9n carele!!ly ,n the fl,,r ,f the dunge,n in ,ne heap. After !everal h,ur! had pa!!ed, b,th pri!,ner! ca)e t,. 8ue t, their be)u!ed !tate ,f )ind they c,uldn;t realiKe h,9 )uch ti)e had really pa!!ed. "hey 9ere given !,)e br,9ni!h liHuid t, eat. Gut it !)elled fairly g,,d and 9a! Huite te)pting. Et l,,-ed li-e n,r)al !,up. And it 9a! 9ar) and inviting. "he ,ld )an, th,ugh, didn;t t,uch it f,r !,)e ti)e, even didn;t give it ,ne glance, trying t, -eep hi! pride al,ft. Ge!ide!, e2hau!ti,n curled it! nu)bing e)brace ar,und hi! b,dy that felt !,re and beat. 5e felt t,, 9ea- at the -nee! t, get ,n hi! feet and grip the b,9l half filled 9ith the !,up. 5e leaned again!t a 9all li)ply and !uccu)bed t, the t,rp,r that ,ver9hel)ed hi). 5e lay !ilently ,n the gr,und, trying t, -eep hi! bac-!ide a9ay fr,) any t,uch 9ith it, hi! feature! dra9n in a painful gri)ace. Abu Dala 9a! le!! fa!tidi,u!, and alth,ugh he 9a! ),re u!ed t, better )eal! than the ,ne he 9a! ,ffered he attac-ed it 9ith a hungrier greedine!! than he 9,uld have cared t, let )anife!t it!elf. 5e began !lurping it n,i!ily regardle!! ,f the dull !tare E)a) i!ay 9a! giving hi). Abu Dala didn;t care thi! ti)e. 5i! face that had bec,)e e)aciated ,ver the la!t fe9 day! 9a! t9itching 9ith an unbearable pain in hi! gr,in. "he ,ld i)a), th,ugh, c,uld n,t 9ith!tand the te)ptati,n l,ng and !tarted drin-ing the nutritive !,up in hi! turn. When they 9ere fini!hed 9ith eating a -ey clanged in the l,c- ,f the barred d,,r t, their cell and Pi-e let hi)!elf in, a bea)ing grin 9a! playing ,n hi! face li-e that ,f an adverti!er in a c,))ercial.

1?3

AWell, ,ld b,y!, get up and f,ll,9 )e. "here;! ),re entertain)ent re!erved f,r y,u. I,u )u!t be real grateful 9e pay y,u !, )uch attenti,n. :,ve itBC "hey !ilently !taggered t, their feet and !huffled painfully t,9ard the d,,r, 9ith Pi-e f,ll,9ing the). A@,ngratulati,n!, ,ld b,y!B I,u;ve ju!t eaten a fine !,up in 9hich p,r- ha! been b,iled.C "he pri!,ner! gre9 pale and d,ubled up 9ith !pa!)! ,f v,)iting ,n the fl,,r. Pi-e gl,9ered in a bad/te)pered 9ay. AI,u;ll have t, lic- it up, ,ld gee-!BC 5i! v,ice 9a! furi,u!. AWe d,n;t have t, clean y,ur fuc-ing !hit after y,u. , 9ay, a!!h,le!B I,u;ll d, it y,ur!elve! if y,u !tay alive. ,9 ),ve itBC En the t,rture/cha)ber the bulb gli))ered ,n a! dull a! ever. Et! p,,r di) light ,nly added up ),re gl,,) t, the clau!tr,ph,bic at),!phere ,f the cave vault. "he f,r)idable t,rture t,,l!, a! ,ld and pri)itive a! the 9,rld;! )edieval hi!t,ry, 9ere !cattered acr,!! the r,ugh !urface ,f the 9,,den table, pell/)ell 9ith !everal c,ffee/!tained cup!. "he!e t,,l! l,,-ed li-e they had been b,rr,9ed fr,) a )u!eu) dedicated t, the hi!t,ry ,f hu)an-ind;! ),!t evil and dar- a!pect!. 6nly @aptain Ging and Wally 9ere pre!ent in the cha)ber. "he ),)ent Abu Dala and E)a) i!ay entered it, acc,)panied by the di!)ally grinning Pi-e 9h, felt !trangely elated in anticipati,n ,f 9hat 9a! !,,n t, f,ll,9. @aptain Ging ge!tured t, the pri!,ner! t, !it ,n the fl,,r. "he !,rely e2hau!ted ,ld )en !an- !l,9ly t, the gr,und 9ith,ut de)ur. "hey 9ere tired and their !pirit 9,uld have l,ng been br,-en c,)pletely had they n,t been head!tr,ng fanatic!. @aptain Ging;! ),uth t9i!ted int, a har!h !)ile ,f c,ntent)ent a! he 9atched hi! pri!,ner! f,r a fe9 !ilent !ec,nd!. ADet;! get !tarted 9ith ,ur !e!!i,n,C he !aid t, hi! pri!,ner! al),!t a)iably. 5e turned t, Abu Dala, AWe;ll begin 9ith y,u. .,r !tarter!, !trip ,ff y,ur pant!.C Abu Dala didn;t budge a finger. @aptain Ging -nitted hi! eyebr,9!, hi! gray eye! cl,uding. 5e !hrugged and n,dded t, Wally and Pi-e 9h, under!t,,d hi! !ign at ,nce. "hey 9ere ,f the -ind that did n,t need t, be begged t9ice ab,ut thing! li-e that. E))ediately Wally grabbed Abu Dala by hi! !h,ulder! and Pi-e began t, peel ,ff Abu Dala;! dirty pant!, )eeting 9ith al),!t n, re!i!tance. "he ,ld terr,ri!t felt t,, tired f,r that n,9. E)a) i!ay 9a! cr,uching ,n the fl,,r and !ee)ed !tiffened in that p,!iti,n. .,r a ),)ent a th,ught cr,!!ed @aptain Ging;! )ind that heart failure ,r a )ental brea-d,9n that c,uld !tri-e the ,lder )an at any ti)e 9,uld !p,il the fun. S,, he decided n,t t, pre!! hi! luc- and ta-e ),re ti)e in their dealing 9ith the t9, pri!,ner!. :ean9hile, Abu Dala lay ,n the gr,und c,)pletely in the nude and 9ith an uncertain e2pre!!i,n ,n hi! face. 5i! eye! 9ere dull and bl,,d!h,t. Gut in reality hi! nerve! 9ere

1?(

!tretched taut and hi! head p,unded li-e a !ledgeha))er. 5e tried hi! be!t n,t t, !h,9 t, hi! t,r)ent,r! hi! real )ental c,nditi,n that 9a! cl,!e t, the fringe ,f panic. 5i! )ate;! eye! 9ere l,,-ed li!tle!! and apathetic, th,ugh thi! i)pre!!i,n )ight be a !i)ple illu!i,n 9hen it 9a! ab,ut the u!ually !harp/)inded and alert )a!ter)ind ,f ,ne ,f the ),!t feared and ,di,u! terr,ri!t gr,up! ,f the 9,rld. 8e!pite hi! pre!ent )i!erable c,nditi,n, he )ade a !taunch eff,rt t, get a grip ,n hi)!elf. "he ten!e at),!phere in the cha)ber !ee)ed t, be gaining it! frightening ),)entu) bit by bit. Pi-e 9a! already bu!y at the !t,ve, )a-ing a pair ,f t,ng! h,t in it! fire. "he ,ther t9, )ilitant! 9ere 9atching the pr,cedure 9ith a blend ,f curi,!ity and c,nfident e2pectati,n. "he t9, pri!,ner! didn;t even glance at their t,r)ent,r!, 9aiting 9ith re!ignati,n f,r 9hatever the infidel! 9ere pl,tting f,r the). "hey e2pected neither )ercy n,r c,n!iderati,n f,r their age ,r any )erit that they had. All thing! c,n!idered, they had n, )erit! 9hatever in the eye! ,f their t,r)ent,r!, t, !ay the lea!t ,f their age that !ee)ed t, be irrelevant here. @aptain Ging and Wally appr,ached Abu Dala and !eiKed hi! ar)! and leg! in their fir) grip, 9hile Pi-e lifted the t,ng! fr,) the fla)e ,f the !t,ve. "he t,,l had bec,)e red/h,t. Pi-e f,und it !ufficiently h,t f,r the f,rthc,)ing ,perati,n. ,9 5e !t,,d in fr,nt ,f Abu Dala held in the !tr,ng hand! ,f @aptain Ging and Wally 9ith hi! terrible t,,l !tarting t, appr,ach the already )ai)ed genital! ,f the terr,ri!t. 5i! eye! bulged fr,) their !,c-et! 9ith !uch di!)ay that he !ee)ed t, be ,n the p,int ,f !9,,ning. E)a) i!ay lifted hi! head and glared at the) but !aid n,thing. .,r a l,ng ),)ent a ten!e !ilence )ade the e2cited breathing ,f )en audible, then it 9a! br,-en by the cal) v,ice ,f @aptain Ging, AGet it d,ne, Pi-e.C "he heart/rending !creech i!!ued fr,) the 9idely ,pen ),uth ,f Abu Dala a! the red/h,t t,ng! t,uched hi! genital!, gripped the) in their helli!h vice 9ith hi!!ing and !),-ing, and then t,re the) ,ff hi! de!perately 9riggling b,dy that 9a! being held by the t9, !tr,ng )en 9ith a huge e2erti,n ,f all their f,rce!. Suddenly Abu Dala;! b,dy !,ftened it! terrible ten!i,n and 9a! n,9 hanging li)p and lifele!! bet9een the). Abu Dala had !9,,ned. "hey dr,pped hi! b,dy ,n the gr,und and !,ught E)a) i!ay, 9hile Pi-e put hi! ear ,n the barrel/li-e brea!t ,f Abu Dala and t,,- ,ne ,f hi! hand! t, feel the pul!e. 5e 9a! trying n,t t, l,,- at the victi);! cr,tch that had bec,)e carb,niKed, and !,)e yell,9i!h liHuid 9a! !l,9ly ,,King fr,) the large !inged 9,und. AE gue!! the ,ld geeKer i! !till alive,C he !aid in a l,9 v,ice. "he d,,r !uddenly ,pened and a tall )an h,lding a !)all !uitca!e entered the cha)ber. 5e 9a! )iddle/aged, pr,bably in hi! !i2tie!, had !par!e grayi!h hair, and 9,re !pectacle! ,n hi! thin n,!e. Et 9a! an EDA d,ct,r 9h,, li-e !,)e ,f hi! ,ther c,lleague!, 9a! -ept 9ithin reach during field ,perati,n!. 5e !tepped cl,!er t, Abu Dala;! b,dy and leaned ,ver it.

1?0

While the d,ct,r, 9h, had e2changed ,nly a c,uple ,f !ilent n,d! 9ith the )ilitant!, 9a! attending t, the pri!,ner, Pi-e !tr,de t, the table, 9here he ch,!e !,)e -ind ,f 9hip 9ith a lithe )etallic 9ire fa!tened ,n ,ne ,f it! end!. 5e t,,- h,ld ,f it and !tr,de bac- t, 9here hi! c,)rade! 9ere lifting the ,ld i)a) t, hi! feet. "here 9a! a l,9 9,,den !t,,l in the cha)ber. "hey heaved the i)a);! 9ea-ened b,dy and ea!ed it ,n the !t,,l. "hen they 9aited until the d,ct,r gave an injecti,n t, Abu Dala;! ),ti,nle!! b,dy and di!infected and bandaged the terrible 9,und that had ta-en the place ,f the genital!. "hen he r,!e t, hi! feet, n,dded t, the )ilitant!, !aying that Abu Dala 9a! !till alive, and Huic-ly left the pre)i!e!. "hey !tripped the r,be fr,) E)a) i!ay;! bac-. While they 9ere bu!y 9ith it, he didn;t utter a !,und. ,9 hi! b,dy lay acr,!! the !t,,l, 9ith hi! head and ar)! hanging li)ply ,n ,ne !ide ,f the !t,,l, hi! hand! t,uching the gr,und. 5i! -nee! and feet 9ere !pread ,n the ,ther !ide. Pi-e;! ar) !9ung the 9hip 9ith all hi! )ight and br,ught it d,9n f,rcibly ,n the na-ed bac- ,f the i)a). "he )etallic 9ire !9i!hed thr,ugh the air vici,u!ly and landed 9ith a !harp tearing !,und ,n the e2p,!ed bac-. A painful ),an bur!t fr,) the ),uth ,f the ,ld i)a) and an angry 9elt ,n hi! bac- !tarted t, ,,Ke bl,,d. 5e f,und the !trength, th,ugh, t, )utter a 9rathful cur!e thr,ugh hi! clenched teeth that 9a! hardly audible but clear en,ugh f,r the) t, hear. A8a)n y,u all, accur!ed infidel!. Allalah 9ill puni!h y,uBC he !Hua9-ed. AWell, 9ell, 9ell. D,,- 9h,;! tal-ing n,9B E th,ught he 9a! a!leep and drea)ing ,f hi! paradi!e full ,f 9h,re! 9aiting f,r hi),C @aptain Ging !aid in a ),c- ad)irati,n, but hi! eye! 9ere narr,9ed gray !lit! beneath the cl,!e/cr,pped t,p ,f hi! head. AGive hi) !,)e ),re ,f it, Pi-e. :aybe it;ll 9a-e up hi! hard/,n. <u!t f,r !tarter!. "here are !,)e guy! 9h, can get it ,nly 9hen they are 9hipped ,r -ic-ed, ,r !,)ething li-e that.C APervert!BC Wally n,dded -n,9ingly. APer)i!!i,n t, !pea- freely, !irJC AG, ahead.C AE d,n;t thin- it 9ill 9,r- ,ut thi! 9ay f,r the pathetic ,ld !tin-er.C AWhy n,tJC ASi)ply becau!e there i! !, little left ,f hi! pa!t gl,ry that, all thing! c,n!idered, he ha! g,t al),!t n,thing f,r a g,,d hard/,n, !ir.C @aptain Ging !hrugged. A"hen he;ll have t, u!e hi! fuc-ing finger! f,r the j,b. Di-e le!bian! d,. @,)e ,n. Det;! )a-e hi) h,t.C Pi-e lifted the 9hip ,nce again and la!hed it acr,!! E)a) i!ay;! bac-, )a-ing the !-in bur!t, and ,pening a bleeding ga!h in it. "he i)a);! 9h,le b,dy jer-ed fr,) the !harp pain and a pr,l,nged high/pitched h,9l e!caped hi! feveri!hly dry bl,,d/ca-ed lip!. "he !,und 9a! bl,,d/curdling and inhu)an li-e that ,f a dying d,g that 9a! hit by a car. Pi-e gave hi) a c,uple ,f la!he! ),re, but the i)a) did n,t feel the) any l,nger. 5e;d !9,,ned li-e hi! )ate bef,re. Wally ,pened the d,,r and bec-,ned t, !,)e,ne. Et 9a! the d,ct,r again 9h, ca)e in. 5e chec-ed up ,n the i)a) and ann,unced that he 9a! alive but in a grave !tate ,f

1?L

!h,c-. 5e bandaged the bac- ,f the ,ld )an, 9hich 9a! ,ne big bl,,dy )e!!. "hen he t,,an,ther l,,- at Abu Dala, and !ati!fied, turned t, @aptain Ging and !aid that b,th their captive!, th,ugh in a very precari,u! c,nditi,n, !till retained ele)entary !ign! ,f life. When he left, the )ilitant! carried b,th pri!,ner! bac- int, their dunge,n. Pi-e !aid, AE need a drin- n,9. Gadly.C Wally grinned 9ryly, AS, d, 9e, Pi-e.C @aptain Ging glanced at Pi-e 9ith a rea!!uring !)ile. A , pr,ble), Pi-e, y,u g,t it all de!erved, b,y. Det;! g, t, the big cha)ber and )a-e u! a c,uple ,f drin-!.C "h,ugh Pi-e did hi! be!t t, let n, ,ne !ee it, he c,uldn;t help !hivering a! the )e),ry ,f the 9rithing b,die! ,f the captive! tugged at hi! )ind. 5e tried t, drive the bl,,dy picture a9ay, but it didn;t g, a9ay, and he gave up the atte)pt. 5e -ne9 the ,nly dra!tic re)edy again!t the pric-! ,f c,n!cience 9a! b,,Ke. @aptain Ging and Wally did n,t feel any better than Pi-e. "he ,nly th,ught that -ept the) afl,at ,n the !urface ,f )adne!! b,re ,n the fact that their captive! 9ere ruthle!! and danger,u! :u!li) terr,ri!t! 9h,!e c,n!cience, if any, 9a! burdened 9ith atr,citie! and cri)e! that !urpa!!ed a ),!t rich i)aginati,n. S, the puni!h)ent 9a! har!h but 9ell de!erved and !erved the) right. 8,nald 7,!! unf,lded a thic- c,py ,f the Griti!h A"i)e!C and hi! eye i))ediately caught a fat/lettered yelling headline ,n the fr,nt page* "5E :ESSE G AGU DADA A 8 E:A: ESAI .6U 8 5A GE8 GI "5EE7 E@MS E .7A @EB GU7S" 6. VE6DE " 6U"7AGE E "5E :E8EAS". Geneath the headline 9ere the picture! ,f t9, !tripped t, the buff and )utilated c,rp!e! hanging fr,) the thic- b,ugh! ,f the !a)e big tree. Acc,rding t, the paper their eye! had been burnt ,ut 9ith a heated ,bject. "he e)pty !,c-et! 9ere ca-ed ,ver 9ith dried bl,,d. 5,9ever, the t9, c,rp!e! had been identified 9ith )uch preci!i,n that left n, d,ubt 9hatever c,ncerning the t9, per!,n! 9h, had been t,rtured and e2ecuted in thi! h,rrible 9ay far a9ay fr,) their ,9n c,untry. E)a) i!ay 9a! hanged by hi! beard fa!tened t, a b,ugh ,f the tree, hi! b,dy charred fr,) hi! feet up t, hi! 9ai!t. "here 9ere trace! ,f fire underneath the tree. Piece! ,f charc,al and the gray du!t ,f a!he! 9ere !cattered ,n the gr,und. Abu Dala;! c,rp!e, th,ugh, unli-e that ,f E)a) i!ay, 9a! intact by the fire. Et ha! finally c,)e t, pa!!, 8,nald th,ught 9ith a feeling ,f deep !ati!facti,n, even relief, and !tarted t, read the !pecific! a)ply pr,vided by the c,))unicati,n. "he!e !, badly )utilated c,rp!e! had been f,und at the !ide ,f a bu!y ),t,r9ay n,t far fr,) @ler),nt .errand. 8,nald;! eye! Huic-ly ran acr,!! the page and f,und 9hat he had e2pected becau!e he hi)!elf had !een t, it the ,ther day that it !h,uld be d,ne / the b,ld acti,n 9a! clai)ed by the EDA, n,9 9ell/-n,9n t, the br,ad public. A! a re!ult, a vi,lent hurricane ,f rage !9ept i)petu,u!ly acr,!! the :idea!t, Eur,pe, ,rth A)erica and el!e9here in the 9,rld.

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A fe9 h,ur! later, 8,nald 9atched Pre!ident :erdac ,f .rance vig,r,u!ly ge!turing ,n "V in an atte)pt t, give the furi,u! :u!li)! and the 9,rld t, under!tand that .rance had n,thing t, d, 9ith the event. 5e begged the pard,n ,f :u!li) leader! that it had ta-en place in hi! c,untry and had a hunch that it 9a! a purp,!eful intenti,n ,f the EDA. 5e al!, pr,)i!ed t, Huic-ly catch Athe perpetrat,r! ,f the terrible cri)e!.C @r,9d! ,f :u!li)! in Eur,pe and el!e9here that t,,- part in gigantic de),n!trati,n! that !piraled ,ut ,f c,ntr,l and !9,re vengeance ,n a large !cale. "he cl,!e/up! ,n "V !h,9ed face! t9i!ted 9ith hatred and bea!tly rage. "hey de)anded an i))ediate death t, E!rael, the United State!, and threatened t, ta-e acti,n again!t Eur,pean citie! and infra!tructure de!pite )any a!!urance! given by vari,u! Eur,pean ruler!. "h,!e p,litician! ardently pr,)i!ed t, crac- d,9n Huic-ly and efficiently ,n the EDA and it! leader!hip. Gut the :u!li)! paid n, attenti,n t, their a!!urance!. En Eur,pe they !et car! and building! ,n fire and furi,u!ly f,ught the ri,t p,lice. "hey began t, -ill Eur,pean! and their children in the n,9 un!afe !treet! ,f big citie!. "hey carried ,ut !uicide/b,)bing attac-! in the ),!t vulnerable place!. Place! li-e railr,ad !tati,n!, f,r e2a)ple. "hey !ab,taged the r,adbed! in une2pected !p,t! cau!ing terrible train cra!he! ,r det,nated re),te/c,ntr,led b,)b! hidden ,n train!. Victi)! 9ere c,unted by the th,u!and. "he !ituati,n 9a! 9,r!ening by the h,ur. 8,nald th,ught it 9a! ti)e t, dra!tically inten!ify the EDA;! activitie! and fight bac- the en,r),u! 9ave ,f vi,lence ,n the part ,f the :u!li)!. "he @entral @,))and ,f the EDA 9a! t, )eet urgently. , ti)e 9a! t, be 9a!ted. "hey had t, addre!! the ne9 :u!li) attac-! in an urgent )anner and n,t let thing! get ,ut ,f hand, bef,re it 9a! t,, late. 8,nald u!ed hi! u!ual c,)puter c,de t, dru) up the EDA chief!. @5AP"E7 &' "he early ),rning air ,f @air, 9a! filled 9ith the trilling !,und! ,f ),rning prayer ca!cading fr,) the innu)erable )inaret! ,f the gigantic city. "he !un, ju!t ab,ve the h,riK,n, 9a! already beating d,9n 9ith it! 9hite heat ,n the ,pen !Huare! and !paci,u! th,r,ughfare!. "he at),!phere in Abu Dula;! ,ffice 9a! Huite ten!e, f,r during the late!t ),nth! thing! b,th in Eur,pe and :idea!t had been devel,ping int, a ),re and ),re 9arli-e vi,lence that de)anded readju!ting !trategy and re!,urce! t, )eet the ne9 circu)!tance!. A6h, )y dear true believer!, 9e are gathered here t, elab,rate ,ur reacti,n t, the vi,lent upri!ing ,f infidel! in Eur,pe and their declarati,n ,f a t,tal 9ar ,n E!la). Allalah -n,9! 9e have been 9aging 9ar ,n the), a h,ly 9ar, fr,) the very beginning ,f ,ur c,nfr,ntati,n 9ith the). Gut they have gr,9n t, a real great )enace f,r E!la) and it i! ,ur re!p,n!ibility t, 9ard ,ff their atte)pt t, de!tr,y ,ur religi,n and pe,ple. Allalah 9,uld never f,rgive u! !uch 9ea-ne!! ,n ,ur part if 9e caved in the !acred !truggle again!t the infidel ene)y and g,tten defeated in!tead ,f 9inning a !9eeping vict,ry f,r 5i). "he infidel! attac- n,9 ,ur ,9n

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p,pulati,n in ,ur Eur,pean c,l,nie!. "hey -ill ,ur true believer!, ,ur children, and ,ur 9,)en 9herever they can. "hey bl,9 up ,ur !acred ),!Hue!. "he Eur,pean auth,ritie! can;t !t,p the). 6ften ,ur valiant fighter! engage in battle! 9ith the). Gut that;! n,t en,ugh. "hey 9ant u! t, leave Eur,pe. We;ll never d, it. Eur,pe bel,ng! t, u! by right ,f Allalah;! 9ill. We have en!laved the Eur,pean! by )a-ing the) grant u! their !,cial !ecuritie! and )a-e !pecial la9! that )u!t pr,tect u!. Which n,9 they d,n;t. Gut their p,pulati,n 9,r-! f,r the :u!li)! living there t, feed, give !helter, and vari,u! privilege! t, ,ur pe,ple there. A large part ,f their !alarie! i! !ubtracted thr,ugh ta2e! in fav,r ,f the :u!li) p,pulati,n. And it i! again!t the!e la9ful privilege! that the accur!ed EDA dare! t, fight, a! 9ell a! ,ur pre!ence there, again!t the privilege! granted t, ,ur pe,ple by Allalah. "he Eur,pean auth,ritie! d, little t, !t,p the). "he EDA u!e! clu!ter b,)b! ,n ,ur pe,ple. "hey have -idnapped, t,rtured, and e2ecuted t9, ,f ,ur great leader! Abu Dala and E)a) i!ay. A7evengeB 7evengeBC Abu Dula;! audience ech,ed, A7evengeB Allalah i! greatBC "he 7ect,r ,f AK/Sahar 9ent ,n, A6ne ,f ,ur great !tate!)en, 5u!!ein G,u!liyah, i! in hiding becau!e ,f the US aggre!!i,n in Gabel. "he ,ther Gabyl,nian leader! are in hu)iliating captivity. All ,f thi! )ean! 9e )u!t ta-e the cau!e in ,ur ,9n hand!. 6h, dignitarie! ,f Allalah, ,ur 9i!e and 9,rthy gue!t fr,) Per!ia Ayat,llah Sardar .,c-upjani ha! t, inf,r) u! here ,f i)p,rtant ne9!.C E)a) Abu Dula ge!tured t, the Ayat,llah in Hue!ti,n t, addre!! the audience. "he latter !tr,-e hi! gray beard 9ith dignity and -ept !ilence f,r a fe9 ),)ent!, hi! eye! fi2ed ,n the fl,,r in fr,nt ,f hi). "hen he lifted the) and !9ept 9ith their blac- fire the face! ,f the ,f the pre!ent i)a)! 9h, gre9 ten!e 9ith curi,!ity. A:y dear true believer!, de!pite the fact that 9e bel,ng t, t9, different !trea)! ,f ,ur E!la) religi,n, the!e t9, !trea)! )erge n,9 int, ,ne p,9erful river ,f c,)),n ju!tice and 5,ly War. En the face ,f ,ur unclean f,e! and !,)e ,f fic-le and treacher,u! :u!li)! 9h, are ign,)ini,u!ly ,n the !ide ,f ,ur f,e! 9e are united and ready t, defeat the). :y dear true :u!li)!, 9e have p,9erful nuclear b,)b! in Per!ia n,9.C 5e 9a! interrupted by the jubilant !h,ut! ,f hi! li!tener!, AGl,ry t, E!la)B Allalah i! greatBC When the e),ti,n! ,f the li!tener! finally abated, he !aid, AI,u -n,9 that Guc-i!tan ha! the) t,,, but the :u!li) pe,ple !till bear the y,-e ,f it! un9,rthy ruler! 9h, have betrayed the h,ly :u!li) cau!e. "h,!e ruler! hu)iliate their :u!li) c,untry by fa9ning up,n the infidel We!tern leader! li-e Pre!ident Wil)an and hi! allie!. We -n,9 a )uch better u!e f,r ,ur ne9ly acHuired nuclear 9eap,n!. 7u!!ia ha! helped u! t, pr,duce the), but 7u!!ia 9ill be the fir!t t, regret it. .,r 9e 9ill never f,rgive the) the !uffering! ,f the @hec-)ec- pe,ple. "he infidel pre!ident! Wil)an and 7a!putin 9ill !,,n enj,y the c,n!eHuence! ,f their unclean pl,tting again!t the n,ble :u!li) pe,ple!. "hey;ll !uffer the c,n!eHuence! fr,) the very )ean! li-e they have at their di!p,!al. "hey;ll be beaten 9ith their ,9n 9eap,n!. Gl,ry t, AllalahBC

1?3

AAllalah i! greatBC "he unani),u! cry ,f hi! enthu!ia!t li!tener! )et hi! la!t 9,rd!. "he v,ice! ,f the t9, repre!entative! ,f the @hec-)ec- rebel! 9ere e!pecially l,ud. ,9 Abu Abdu Abdullalah ,f the Mu9alda t,,- the fl,,r. 5e t,9ered li-e a r,c- ,ver the audience. A:y !eid!, dear true believer!,C he !aid, Athe ne9! 9e;ve ju!t heard )ean! a gl,ri,u! vict,ry f,r E!la) in the 9h,le 9,rld. We are n,t afraid t, die, but the unclean infidel! and !,)e ,f their !,/called :u!li) allie! are. We 9ill n,9 9ait f,r an ,pp,rtunity t, !tri-e. And ,ur !tri-e 9ill be deadly f,r the). We;ll defeat the accur!ed A)erican! and their Eur,pean allie! and c,nvert the re!t ,f their infidel p,pulati,n, Allalah 9illing, t, E!la). Allalah i! ,n ,ur !ide. 5e appr,ve! ,f all ,ur d,ing! ,n 5i! behalf. Allalah i! great, ,h, true believer!.C Abdullalah c,ncluded hi! !h,rt !peech a),ng the general cheer! ,f appr,val and crie! AAllalah i! greatBC E)a) Abdylda "abubara- !aid, A6h, true believer!B "he h,ly Our;an ,rdain! that every true believer -ill every infidel regardle!! ,f hi! ,r her age f,r the eternal gl,ry ,f Allalah. Et i! the !pirit ,f the h,ly Our;an, c,nveyed by it! very letter!, that give! u! the !acred behe!t ,f -illing infidel!, e!pecially 5ebre9! and @hri!tian!. .,r the fir!t ,ne! have !t,len ,ur hi!t,ry and the !ec,nd ,ne! aver that Allalah can beget a !,n. E d, 9itne!! that Allalah the Al)ighty can never d, !uch a thingVC Spar-le! ,f hilarity !tarted t, dance in the ,ther9i!e !ad eye! ,f Eh)ed Gey 9h, al!, attended thi! )eeting ,f i)p,rtant :u!li) dignitarie!. 5e l,9ered the) Huic-ly !, that n,b,dy !h,uld n,tice hi! reacti,n t, the 9,rd! ,f hi! !uperi,r. Et 9a! the fir!t ),)ent ,f a !,)e9hat better ),,d f,r hi) cau!ed by the funny 9,rd! ,f E)a) "abubara-. 5e !till c,uld n,t ,verc,)e hi! great !,rr,9 in c,nnecti,n 9ith the death! ,f hi! be!t bel,ved friend and Sebuni!!a. Et 9a! her death that had )ade hi) revi!e !,)e ,f the d,g)a! ,f the :u!li) la9 and !ecretly d,ubt !,)e idea! that had been put f,r9ard ,ver a th,u!and year! ag, by !,)e,ne 9h, had been ),re e2pert in ca)el! and )ilitary tactic! than phil,!,phy ,f religi,n. 5ence i!!ued the ruthle!! )ilitant !pirit ,f E!la). Et 9a! ),re difficult f,r hi) n,9 t, -eep hi! d,ubt! pent up in hi! )ind. A !lighte!t betrayal ,f the) 9,uld entail hi! incarcerati,n and !l,9 terrible death. 5e felt 9ith !,)e degree ,f !urpri!e that hi! daily dutie! at AK/Sahar 9ere gradually bec,)ing cu)ber!,)e f,r hi). Gut he did hi! ut),!t n,t t, let any,ne n,tice it, lea!t ,f all E)a) "abubara- 9h,) he de!pi!ed and dee)ed f,,l and ign,ra)u! becau!e the i)a) 9h, -ne9 really n,thing bey,nd the Our;an had al9ay! cheri!hed the ,pini,n that -n,9ledge ,f the Our;an by r,te and ability t, recite it fr,) )e),ry 9a! Huite en,ugh t, be c,n!idered e2tre)ely !ch,larly and 9i!e. 5e, Eh)ed Gey, -ne9 better than thatB .,r if y,u l,,-ed at the 9,rld thr,ugh the di) !pectacle! ,f the Our;an;! ide,l,gy y,u;d !ee it ,nly in blac- and 9hite 9ith,ut any tran!iti,nal nuance!. .r,) hi! per!,nal e2perience, he -ne9 the 9,rld t, be far ),re i)plicated and c,l,rful. Even 9ithin the fra)e ,f traditi,nal :u!li)

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culture. Suddenly he e)erged fr,) the depth! ,f hi! th,ught! a! if fr,) a drea), !tartled and alerted by the v,ice ,f the ne2t !pea-er. Et 9a! the ra!ping v,ice ,f E)a) a!ral a!!al, the c,))ander ,f the )ilitant Allalah Party !tati,ned in Daban, that 9a! ha))ering ,n the eardru)! ,f hi! li!tener! 9ith angry, even furi,u! ,vert,ne!, AA! !,,n a! 9e get it in ,ur hand! 9e;ll u!e it again!t the archene)y E!rael. <u!t ,ne 9,uld be en,ugh t, clean the h,ly Ereb earth fr,) the accur!ed 5ebre9!. Ef the 9,rthy Ayat,llah .,c-upjani and hi! 9i!e c,lleague! fr,) the ruling 8ivan ,f Per!ia ever bring the)!elve! t, e2ecute their ,ld drea) ,f finally 9iping ,ut the 5ebre9 ,ccupier! fr,) ,ur earth. :ay E re)ind y,u, ,h, 9,rthy and 9i!e Ayat,llah, that in ca!e 9e d, that there 9ill never be any ri!- ,f infecting y,ur n,ble feet 9ith the 9ater that the feet ,f the accur!ed 5ebre9! t,uch in rainy peri,d!. And if y,u -ill ,ff all ,f the) in Per!ia, 9hy n,t in the land ,f Phili!tine! t,,J "he G,rdian -n,t 9ill be cut ju!t 9ith ,ne g,,d nu-e.C AGut 9hat ab,ut the Phili!tine! living there, ,h, 9,rthy E)a) a!ral a!!al. "hey;ll be victi)! ,f !uch a b,)b t,,.C A:aybe n,t all ,f the). "he ,ther! 9h, 9ill die 9ill die f,r the n,ble cau!e ,f their ,9n liberati,n and 9ill und,ubtedly de!erve Allalah;! Paradi!e 9ith all it! a)enitie!.C AEt;! a brilliant idea, ,h, 9,rthy E)a) a!ral a!!al but a little pre)ature,C the ,ld Ayat,llah !aid 9ith a !light irritati,n in hi! v,ice, Athe 9h,le 9,rld i! n,t Huite ready t, accept it. And 9e;ll have t, rec-,n 9ith it! attitude and ,pini,n! f,r !,)e ti)e, 9r,ng a! they )ay be. Gut E d, a!!ure y,u that a! !,,n a! the ),)ent ,f acti,n i! ripe 9e 9,n;t he!itate t, d, it. S,, a! y,u !ee, it;! ,nly a Hue!ti,n ,f ti)e, ,h, 9,rthy E)a).C E)a) a!ral a!!al ,nly b,9ed hi! head in !ign ,f ac-n,9ledge)ent ,f thi! !uperi,r argu)ent. Ayat,llah c,ntinued t, bring hi! inf,r)ati,n t, it! c,nclu!i,n. AE 9ant t, a!!ure y,u, )y 9,rthy !eid!, that unli-e ,ur neighb,r! in the ea!t 9e are g,ing t, u!e ,ur nuclear advantage !,lely again!t the infidel We!t, 9hich 9e c,n!ider ,ur 9,r!t ene)y. 6ur ea!tern :u!li) br,ther! 9ill be engaged 9ith the pagan! ,f Endia. Which i! le!! ,f ,ur c,ncern than A)erica;! )eddle!,)e ,)nipre!ence and encr,ach)ent! ,n the land! ,f E!la) at )any p,int!. We;ll have t, train ),re ,f ,ur y,ung true believer! t, handle the nuclear 9eap,n!. S, 9e e2pect y,u, )y 9,rthy and 9i!e !eid!, t, help u! recruit the) f,r thi! n,ble purp,!e. "he !upervi!i,n and guidance 9ill be pr,vided by the 9,rthy Abu Abdu Abdullalah, E)a) a!ral a!!al, and the y,ung Eh)ed Gey 9h, ha! )ade a brilliant career 9ith y,u here, ,h, E)a)! Abu Dula and "abubara-.C 5i! eye! d9elt ,n the c,nfu!ed Eh)ed Gey f,r a 9hile, then !hifted t, the t9, dignitarie! pr,clai)ed re!p,n!ible f,r the )enti,ned career. Eh)ed Gey felt c,nfu!ed and ill at ea!e, hi! eye! g,t fi2ed ,n !,)ething ,n the gr,und, !,)ething they did n,t really !ee. 5e 9i!hed he had never g,tten entangled in the 9h,le affair. Gut n,9 it 9a! t,, late f,r hi) t, bac- ,ff. 5e had t, face the c,n!eHuence! ,f hi! ,9n career and activitie! at AK/Sahar. "he death ,f hi! friend! had ,pened hi! eye! and let hi) !ee thing! in a different light. Gut li-e a blind )an, he

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c,uld n,t yet ta-e hi! bearing! ,f the ne9 !ituati,n 9ith,ut !,)e -ind ,f guidance fr,) !,)e,ne he tru!ted. 5e )i!!ed hi! friend! and he felt c,)pletely al,ne. 5e had t, rely ,n hi! ,9n flair t, find an!9er!. Ge!ide!, he did n,t -n,9 e2actly 9hat the ,ld Per!ian had ,n hi! )ind 9hen he had e2pre!!ed a de!ire t, entru!t hi) 9ith !upervi!i,n and guidance. What !upervi!i,nJ What guidanceJ 8idn;t he need ,ne hi)!elfJ "he!e and ,ther Hue!ti,n! 9ere 9hirling in hi! tr,ubled )ind 9hile the di!cu!!i,n 9ent ,ut!ide hi! c,n!ci,u!ne!! ,n. At la!t 9hen he e)erged fr,) the c,nfu!i,n ,f hi! feeling! and th,ught! he n,ticed it 9a! ,ver. "he )en in the r,,) 9ere ta-ing leave ,r )a-ing arrange)ent! 9ith each ,ther ab,ut a vi!it in a cafe that 9a! cl,!e by t, ta-e !,)e c,ffee ,r have a narghile. AEh)ed GeyBC 5e glanced bac-. "he t9, E)a)! Abu Dula and Abdylda "abubara- 9ere appr,aching hi) fr,) behind, their bearded face! bea)ing 9ith !)ile!. 5e !t,pped and b,9ed hi! head n,t !, )uch ,ut ,f hu)ble feeling! a! ,ut ,f fear t, un9illingly di!play hi! true feeling! ,f d,ubt and he!itati,n. AE!n;t it a great h,n,r f,r a y,ung )an t, be app,inted t, the great ta!- al,ng 9ith the valiant Abu Abdu Abdullalah and E)a) a!ral a!!alJC E)a) Abu Dula began an enthu!ia!tic tirade, paying n, heed t, Eh)ed Gey;! !tate ,f c,nfu!i,n, 9hich 9a! Huite ,bvi,u!. AGut ,f c,ur!e, ,h, 9,rthy and 9i!e Abu Dula, it;! Huite clear that the y,ung )an de!erve! thi! great h,n,r, d,e!n;t heJC Abdylda "abubara- c,ntributed t, the cha,! ,f feeling! ,f Eh)ed Gey. A , d,ubt, ,h, 9,rthy and learned Seid Abdylda, ab!,lutely n, d,ubt ab,ut it. All the ),re !,, !ince y,u;ve been hi! tut,r and )ent,r during the la!t year! ,f hi! !tudie!.C Abu Dula !hifted hi! !crutiniKing eye! t, Eh)ed Gey. AAre y,u happy, )y b,yJC Eh)ed Gey !uddenly g,t c,ntr,l ,f hi)!elf and pretended a !)ile ,f !ati!facti,n. AI,u bet, Seid Abu Dula. E d, feel h,n,red by the great Ayat,llah, but it;!...C he he!itated. AWhatJC Abu Dula a!-ed !,)e9hat i)patiently. AEt;! ,bvi,u! that E d, n,t de!erve it.C AI,u d,, ,h, Eh)ed GeyB Gey,nd any d,ubt.C E)a) "abubara- !p,-e, Ait;! ti)e f,r y,u t, e)bar- ,n a high )i!!i,n, ,h, Eh)ed Gey. Ge ready t, receive in!tructi,n! ,ne ,f the!e day!.C And patting hi) paternally ,n hi! bac-, b,th learned dignitarie! 9ithdre9, leaving hi) al,ne and c,nfr,nting hi! ,9n th,ught! that in hi! )ind 9ere the ,nly c,)pany n,9 he had f,r c,nver!ati,n. Et 9a! n,,n and the heat 9a! increa!ing it! pre!!ure ,n all living creature! that tried t, !ee- refuge 9herever they c,uld. Eh)ed Gey decided t, g, h,)e, )a-e !,)e tea, and )aybe d,Ke ,ff f,r a 9hile t, give hi! !y!te) a badly needed re!t.

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"he ne2t ),rning he 9,-e up ar,und eight ,;cl,c- fr,) the teleph,ne ringing. 5e t,,- up the receiver and rec,gniKed the v,ice ,f E)a) "abubara-. 5i! !uperi,r urged hi) t, c,)e ,ver t, the univer!ity a! fa!t a! p,!!ible. .,r Eh)ed Gey 9a! e2pected t, get a very i)p,rtant ,rder in c,nnecti,n 9ith the c,nver!ati,n the day bef,re. 5e ju)ped ,ut ,f hi! bed, !9all,9ed a !)all cup ,f c,ffee Huic-ly prepared ,n the ga! range in the -itchen, and raced ,ut ,f the d,,r ,f hi! apart)ent. 5e t,,- a city bu! and arrived at AK/Sahar in n, ti)e. "he h,ly E)a)! Abu Dula and "abubara- 9ere already 9aiting f,r hi). APeace be up,n y,u, ,h, Eh)ed Gey,C E)a) Abu Dula greeted hi) 9ith a !,le)n, even !tern e2pre!!i,n ,n hi! face. AAllalah i! )erciful t,9ard y,u.C And he ge!tured t, the y,ung )an t, ta-e a !eat in fr,nt ,f the). When he l,9ered hi)!elf ,n a thin cu!hi,n, cr,!!ing hi! leg!, he glanced ,ver at the t9, i)a)! Hue!ti,ningly. E)a) Abu Dula -ept !ilent f,r !,)e ti)e, !tr,-ing hi! beard pen!ively. 5i! c,lleague "abubara- gaKed at the piece ,f the blue !-y in vi!ible in the ,nly 9ind,9 in E)a) Abu Dula;! ,ffice. "he !ilence 9a! br,-en at la!t by E)a) Abu Dula. A6h, Eh)ed Gey. What 9e tal-ed ab,ut ye!terday ha! n,9 bec,)e a tangible reality. An ,rder fr,) the Mu9alda;! leader!hip i! in and E 9ant y,u t, get acHuainted 9ith it n,9.C 5e e2tended hi! hand t,9ard Eh)ed Gey 9ith a piece ,f type9ritten paper in it. 6n carefully !tudying it, he lifted hi! eye! t,9ard the !ilent i)a)!. Et 9a! clear b,th ,f the) 9ere truly a9ed by 9hat they had read in it. "he letter ,rdered hi) t, get ready fa!t and leave f,r Per!ia 9ere he, al,ng 9ith ,ther y,ung recruit!, 9a! t, be trained in handling l,ng/range )i!!ile! 9ith nuclear 9arhead! and learn h,9 t, target and launch the). "he training reHuired !,)e ti)e, !, hi! )i!!i,n 9,uld be rather pr,l,nged, he c,uld gue!!. AE! it clear, ,h, Eh)ed GeyJC E)a) "abubar- !earched the y,unger )an;! face f,r an an!9er even bef,re he c,uld reply. AIe!, )y !eid!. All i! very clear t, )e. E;) h,n,red and ready t, ,bey the !u)),n!.C Abu Dula !aid, Athe addre!! i! there, t,,. S, d,n;t l,!e )uch ti)e. ",),rr,9 y,u;ll get ,n a plane b,und f,r Per!ia. 5ere i! the tic-et and !,)e ),ney t, help y,u ,n y,ur j,urney. 6nce there, y,u;ll get all the facilitie! y,u;ll need.C 5e gave Eh)ed Gey tic-et and ),ney and b,th i)a)! g,t ,n their feet. Eh)ed Gey i)itated the). G,th gave hi) their ble!!ing! and -i!!ed the air near hi! chee-!. 6nce in the !unba-ed !treet, he !till c,uldn;t Huite believe hi! ,9n !en!e!. "he )ain feeling 9a! that ,f uncertainty and an2iety. :aybe it 9a! hi! de!tiny. After the unti)ely death ,f hi! friend! he felt he )ight be the ne2t t, f,ll,9 !uit. 5e dr,ve a9ay the gri) th,ught and c,ncentrated ,n hi! i))ediate ta!-!. "i)e 9a! pre!!ing and he !et ,ff f,r hi! h,)e t, pac- up hi! thing!. ,9 he faced a ne9 life, un-n,9n and full ,f !urpri!e!. 5e felt ready t, accept it, but deep in!ide a half/!tifled !en!e ,f treacher,u! d,ubt 9a! gna9ing at hi! !t,)ach.

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@5AP"E7 &3 6n a !h,rt leave, Gilly S-elint,n j,ined hi! fa)ily 9h, lived in a !paci,u! c,nd,)iniu) ,n the ,ut!-irt! ,f Atlanta. 8iddy 8,, and their -id!, the t9elve/year t9in daughter! Pipi!ha and :i)i!ha, 9ere ju!t a! happy t, !ee their hu!band and father a! he hi)!elf 9a!, c,)ing bac- fr,) hi! )y!teri,u! )i!!i,n! !,)e9here in Eur,pe ,r G,d -ne9 9here el!e. Pipi!ha and :i)i!ha had n,ticeably gr,9n up in the ab!ence ,f their father and 9ere Huic-ly devel,ping int, bri!- teener! and already fatally ripening int, t9, y,ung 9enche! al9ay! ready f,r )i!chief! inn,cent and le!! inn,cent, eager f,r their fir!t r,)antic adventure!. "hey 9ere !)art en,ugh t, u!e their prec,ci,u! l,,-! t, !cr,unge 9hatever they c,uld fr,) y,ung guy! their age, giving the) in e2change giggle! and !nigger! a! a !ign ,f their benev,lence. G,th 9ere big and plu)p f,r their age. Even t,, plu)p, f,r that )atter, being all t,, inclined t, c,n!u)e danger,u! Huantitie! ,f all !,rt! ,f !9eet! de!pite their ),ther;! vain 9arning!. "heir ,ver!iKed !tature d9arfed any 9hite girl fr,) their !ch,,l and )ade her l,,- li-e a puny !tunted runt. "hey 9ere Huite p,pular at !ch,,l, but their pr,gre!! in !tudie! lagged, in a 9ay, behind their puberty. 6ut9ardly, they 9ere hard t, di!tingui!h and b,th 9ere f,nd ,f )a-ing dupe! ,f every,ne, including their cla!!)ate! and e!pecially teacher! 9h, had !till difficultie! in identifying the). "hey enj,yed their c,nfu!i,n, unable t, c,nceal their plea!ure. "hat 9a! an ine2hau!tible !,urce ,f huge fun f,r the). Gut , e2cept f,r their prec,ci,u! b,dily devel,p)ent they re)ained -id!. "heir j,y t, !ee their father bac- 9a! !p,ntane,u! and candid. 6n the evening ,f hi! arrival h,)e hi! 9ife a!-ed hi) 9hether they c,uld n,t thr,9 a party in h,n,r ,f hi! !afe c,)ebac-. 8iddy 8,, 9a! a lu!ci,u! bu2,) fe)ale 9ith a ch,c,late !hade ,f her !),,th !-in, an en,r),u! hal, ,f Afr, ,n her head beneath 9hich a pair ,f big blac- eye! radiated a never/dying upbeat 9ar)th, n,t 9ith,ut !,)e !-itti!h challenge. 5er !tr,ng b,dy 9a! a perfecti,n that ,nly a fe9 9,rld fa),u! fe)ale tenni! player! c,uld b,a!t ,f de!pite and even c,unter t, her already ,verripe age. She 9a! li-e a live br,nKe !tatue called t, life by a brilliant Afr,/A)erican Pyg)ali,n. 5er r,und hip! and !tr,ng calve! had an irre!i!tible f,rce ,f attracti,n a! if it e)anated fr,) the b,dy ,f !,)e p,9erful African l,ve g,dde!! 9h,!e char)! )ight be fatal f,r )ale! 9h, 9,uld never )atch up t, her 9ith their !h,rt/lived inadeHuate pa!!i,n. Gut that ,f Gilly S-elint,n 9a! a different !t,ry. "hey 9ere a perfect c,uple, invariably attracting everyb,dy;! attenti,n, 9hen they 9ere !een ,ut!ide their c,nd,. Even ),re !,, in the c,l,rful and b,i!ter,u! c,)pany ,f their -id!. "hey had innu)erable friend! in all 9al-! ,f !,ciety but preferred t, enj,y each ,ther;! c,)pany 9hen left al,ne. Gilly glanced int, the laughing eye! ,f hi! 9ife and replied t, her !ugge!ti,n, a br,ad i)pi!h grin ,n hi! face,

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ASure. We can thr,9 a party ju!t f,r the t9, ,f u!, can;t 9eJ E!pecially, later in bed. E can hardly 9ait f,r that.C A6h, y,u;re a ba!tard, Gilly. A !ha)ele!! !e2i!t,C !he gru)bled and )ade a !ha) ),ve)ent 9ith her fi!t a! if t, !tri-e hi) but c,uldn;t help giggling. 5e caught her hand and pulled her t,9ard hi! bra9ny b,dy, pre!!ing hi! lip! ,n her!. En that ),)ent Pipi!ha and :i)i!ha ca)e h,)e fr,) a !ch,,l di!c,theHue and !aid they 9ere hungry. 8iddy 8,, )ade a light !upper f,r the) in the -itchen and j,ined her hu!band in the living r,,). 5e 9a! 9atching "V and !he ne!tled cl,!e t, hi), putting her head ,n hi! !h,ulder. 6cca!i,nally, bur!t! ,f laughter fr,) the -itchen reached the). "he t9in !i!ter! pr,bably 9ere e2changing their i)pre!!i,n! ,f the their di!c,theHue e2perience!. .r,) ti)e t, ti)e, they even !crea)ed and h,,ted, c,)pletely ab!,rbed in their little !ecret!. AGilly,C 8iddy 8,, !aid al),!t under her breath and !at !traight, turning her face t,9ard hi). AIe!, h,neyJC AI,u didn;t !ay h,9 l,ng y,u 9ill !tay 9ith u!.C AAb,ut ten day!, baby.C A6hB "hat;! real n,t l,ng, babyBC AE can;t help it, 8iddy. E really can;t. , )atter h,9 hard E 9,uld 9i!h t, !tay 9ith y,u and ,ur -id! y,u -n,9.C AGut 9hy, Gilly, 9hyJC AI,u -n,9, baby, E can;t tell y,u. E;) !,rryC AE! it cla!!ified ,r !,)ethingJC AD,,-! that 9ay, h,ney.C She !ighed and pre!!ed her!elf t, hi), -i!!ing hi! !h,ulder. 5e !tr,-ed her hair and care!!ed her ear, 9ith,ut tearing hi! eye! ,ff the "V !creen. :aybe it 9a! the be!t 9ay n,t t, let her l,,- int, hi! eye!. AE )i!! y,u !, )uch, Gilly, y,u can;t i)agine.C 5e chuc-led g,,d/naturedly. AS, d, E, babe. I,u ta-e the 9,rd! ,ut ,f )y ),uth.C G,th 9ere !ilent f,r a 9hile, their eye! 9atching a !itc,) 9ith blac- act,r! ,n the !creen, but their re!tle!! th,ught! 9ere !tubb,rnly !traggling a9ay fr,) it n, )atter h,9 they tried t, c,ncentrate. A5,neyJC 5e turned hi! face t, her. AWhatJC AE! it danger,u! ,ut thereJC Gilly turned hi! eye! a9ay. A , fear, baby 8,,, d,n;t fret ab,ut it.C A@,)e ,n, babyB I,u;re trying t, c,,l )e ,ut. E -n,9 y,u thin- E;) a !illy bli!! ninny and trying t, h,,d9in- )e.C A"hat;! n,t the ca!e, babe.C

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She p,uted a little but then th,ught better ,f it, !ighed and put her head ,n hi! !h,ulder again. Pipi!ha and :i)i!ha !t,pped giggling in the -itchen and j,ined their parent! in the living r,,). "hey g,t l,unged ,n the fl,,r and !tarted t, f,ll,9 the "V !h,9. 6n the !creen a large 9,)an c,uldn;t !HueeKe her giant butt,c-! int, an ar)chair. When !he finally )anaged t, !it the ar)chair br,-e and the lady fell ,n her bac-, e2p,!ing her p,9erful upper thigh! all the 9ay up t, her gr,in. "he girl! giggled )errily, trying t, i)itate the p,!iti,n ,f the lady ,n the !creen but g,t !c,lded by their ),ther and !ent t, bed. "hey 9ere very lively fr,lic!,)e girl!, )aybe a little t,, curi,u! t, learn gr,9nup thing!, but they 9ere never fr,9ard. "hey ju)ped t, their feet and -i!!ed their parent! g,,d night, then 9ent up!tair! t, their r,,), !till giggling and tea!ing each ,ther ,n their 9ay. Deft al,ne, Gilly and hi! 9ife decided after a 9hile t, g, up t, their bedr,,), t,,. Gilly t,,- a b,ttle ,f b,urb,n and a c,uple ,f gla!!e! fr,) the bar and 8iddy 8,, !9itched ,ff the "V !et. Up in their bedr,,) they li!tened. "he girl!; r,,) 9a! Huiet. , !,und 9a! heard. Apparently, the t9in! had fallen a!leep. Gilly and 8iddy 8,, ha!tily g,t undre!!ed and tu)bled ,nt, the crunching !heet! ,f their large bed. Gilly thru!t int, her 9ith the f,rce ,f a l,ng/!tarved )ale and a l,9 ),an e!caped the !en!u,u! lip! ,f 8iddy 8,,. "hey 9ere )a-ing l,ve f,r ab,ut t9, h,ur! until, e2hau!ted, they fell a!leep in each ,ther;! e)brace li-e t9, 9ell/!culptured l,g!. "he ne2t ),rning f,und the) ta-ing c,ffee in the living r,,) and 9atching ),rning ne9! ,n a "V pr,gra). "heir daughter! 9ere !till !leeping in their r,,), 9hich i! n,t unc,)),n in the 9ay! ,f the very y,ung. "he alar)ing ne9! fr,) the 6ld W,rld had bec,)e a daily r,utine. "hey 9atched fierce !treet battle! in Eur,pe 9here the !ituati,n !ee)ed t, have largely !lipped ,ut ,f c,ntr,l. "he !,/called United Eur,pe beca)e an a),rph,u! c,ngl,)erati,n ,f !tate! 9ith different ec,n,)ic level!, ,ften inc,)patible, !ince it had ab!,rbed the c,untrie! ,f Ea!tern Eur,pe and We!tern A!ia. S, n,9, it 9a! c,)pletely unable t, face and c,pe 9ith the innu)erable ne9 pr,ble)! that had ari!en in the c,ur!e ,f c,nfr,ntati,n ,f the t9, h,!tile culture! in Eur,pe and el!e9here / the l,cal Eur,pean culture and that ,f E!la). E!la) that !tr,ve after c,l,niKati,n ,f the Eur,pean territ,ry, u!ing the !,/called Arefugee channel!.C Suddenly the u!ual r,utine ,f current ne9! ,n "V 9a! interrupted a! the anch,r ann,unced brea-ing ne9!. Et 9a! ab,ut the late!t devel,p)ent! in the :idea!t. Gilly !tiffened 9ith an utter c,ncentrati,n, trying n,t t, )i!! a !ingle detail ,f 9hat 9a! being rep,rted. "9, pr,)inent fe)ale figure! 9ere -illed in different place!, b,th ,f the) 9ere Ereb!. G,th victi)! 9ere a n,t,ri,u! @ @ rep,rter in the :iddle Ea!t Gh,ula E)in and a f,r)er )ini!ter ,f Pr,paganda in Abu Dala;! @abinet 5ag an A!!ah9y. Gh,ula E)in and her ca)era)an 9ere !h,t dead during c,verage ,f a peace pr,ce!! event. Gh,ula and 5ag an A!!ah9y 9ere !h,t in their head!N Gh,ula;! ca)era)an 9a! ),rtally 9,unded and died a fe9 )inute! after her death. "he intervie9 9a! ta-ing place ,n

1'L

the ra)part! ,f the Ea!tern <eru!ale), 9hen t9, )a!-ed and heavily ar)ed )en une2pectedly appeared behind the gr,up ,ut ,f n,9here and ,pened a preci!i,n fire, -illing all the three per!,n! ,n the !p,t. "he head! ,f the t9, 9,)en e2pl,ded in f,untain! ,f bl,,d )i2ed 9ith brain !ub!tance. "he ca)era)an 9a! 9,unded in hi! abd,)en and gr,in and died a fe9 )inute! later. When the E!raeli p,lice arrived, the t9, !niper! 9ere l,ng g,ne. ,b,dy -ne9 9here becau!e at the ),)ent the ,nly 9itne!!e! 9h, 9ere rather far fr,) that place 9ere Ereb -id! playing ball. When the !h,,ting !tarted and the participant! ,f the intervie9 fell, hit by the bullet!, the -id! t,,- it ,n the heel and t,e. Dater they 9ere identified by the Phili!tine p,lice and interr,gated. Gut thi! interr,gati,n yielded n, lead! that )ight be c,nducive t, any detecti,n ,f the perpetrat,r!. , e2cept f,r the fact that they had !een the )a!-ed )en 9ith gun! in their hand! cl,!e ,n the victi)! fr,) behind and ,pening fire, and then di!appearing a! fa!t a! they had appeared. Any further de!cripti,n 9a! vague, in!ufficient, and ,ften c,ntradict,ry becau!e the -id! felt !uddenly i)p,rtant and atte)pted t, give detail! that 9ere )eant t, e)belli!h their !t,rie!. "he )edia !p,-e ,f n,thing el!e that day, che9ing the !a)e cud f,r h,ur!. "he leader! ,f the United Eur,pe, e!pecially th,!e ,f .rance, Gelgiu), and Ger)any 9ere !t,r)ing ,n "V, v,9ing vengeance and threatening t, intervene. Gut !,)e ,ther Eur,pean c,untrie! li-e Etaly, S9itKerland, 8en)ar-, Greece, ,r the c,untrie! ,f Ea!tern Eur,pe, being le!! tr,ubled by the !a)e pr,ble)!, t,,- up a far ),re c,)p,!ed p,!iti,n in the )atter. 8eep in th,ught, Gilly felt a )i2ed !en!e ,f !ati!facti,n and an2iety, f,r he -ne9 full 9ell 9hat it )eant t, hi) and hi! c,)rade!. "he ri!-! ,f ta-ing part in c,)bat and ,ther acti,n! ,f the EDA 9ere gr,9ing fa!t, but any th,ught ,f bac-ing d,9n didn;t even cr,!! hi! )ind. 5e 9,uld have t, face 9hatever ca)e hi! 9ay. 8iddy 8,, darted a glance at her hu!band. AWhat;! y,ur angle ,n it, babyJC Gilly;! e2pre!!i,n 9a! i)penetrable. 5e ,nly !hrugged hi! !h,ulder!, hi! eye! !till fi2ed ,n the "V !creen, and !aid n,thing. .,r a ti)e, they 9ere !ilent. "hen he a!-ed, AWhat are y,u up t, t,day, babyJC A hint ,f a !)ile t,uched hi! lip!. AE d,n;t -n,9, h,ney. What d, y,u !ugge!tJC A:aybe 9e c,uld ta-e the -id! !,)eplace entirely ,ut!ide the city and try a barbecueJC She brightened. AA c,,l idea, babyB Why n,tJC 8iddy 8,, g,t ,n her feet and 9ent up!tair! t, 9a-e up Pipi!ha and :i)i!ha 9h, 9ere !till fa!t a!leep. 6n a9a-ening they 9ere !leepy and unc,)prehending, but 9hen they 9ere t,ld ,f 9hat 9a! e2pected fr,) the), they i))ediately ju)ped ,ut ,f their bed!, 9a!hed the)!elve!, and ate their c,pi,u! brea-fa!t, chatting happily ab,ut the f,rthc,)ing day trip and barbecue. "he ,ther -id! fr,) the !a)e c,nd, 9,uld pr,bably bur!t 9ith envy. Dater they 9,uld ta-e a big plea!ure in telling the) all ab,ut their trip. Gilly 9ent t, the garage t, chec- up ,n their @hevy and dige!t the late!t ne9! that )ight be fraught 9ith c,n!eHuence! f,r hi). "here 9a! !ufficient ga! tan-ed up recently by 8iddy

1'?

8,, 9hen !he had g,ne d,9nt,9n t, d, !h,pping. Gilly !at d,9n ,n a nearby !t,,l t, c,ncentrate ,n 9hat he had ju!t heard ,n "V. 5e had n, !y)pathy 9ith the t9, 9,)en 9h, bel,nged 9ith the h,!tile ca)p, but the incident 9,uld pr,bably bear ,n hi! ,9n neare!t future, ,ne 9ay ,r the ,ther. , 9ay, !irB ",day he )u!t decidedly c,ncentrate ,n ,ther thing! ),re !uitable f,r hi! fa)ily and hi)!elf. Di-e the trip and barbecue. "he c,ur!e ,f hi! th,ught! 9a! interrupted by 8iddy 8,, and the -id! 9h, appeared in the d,,r9ay ,f the garage burdened 9ith ba!-et! full ,f pr,vi!i,n! and !,ft drin-!. "hey ,pened the b,,t ,f the @hevy and !tarted l,ading everything int, it. 8iddy 8,, turned t, Gilly. A8, y,u have any idea 9here 9e 9ill be headed t,JC AGilly fla!hed a full !h,9 ,f hi! teeth at her in hi! br,ade!t grin. A ,t a !lighte!t idea, baby.C A6h, n,JC A5ang ,n, baby. "ell y,u 9hat. 5,9 ab,ut a nice ride t, the Appalachian!J "hey are ne2t d,,r.C She grinned bac-. AI,u;ve g,t a great head ,n y,ur big !h,ulder!, Gilly S-elint,n. I,ur !ugge!ti,n l,,-! Huite appealing.C At thi! ),)ent the e2ten!i,n teleph,ne in the garage !tarted ringing and 8iddy 8,, 9h, 9a! the neare!t t, it ha!tened t, grab the receiver. She 9a! li!tening a fe9 !ec,nd! and !aid, A<u!t a ),)ent plea!e,C and glanced at Gilly. AEt;! f,r y,u.C 5e !tr,de t,9ard her and pre!!ed the receiver t, hi! ear. "he v,ice in it !,unded fa)iliar. Et bel,nged t, "i),thy @raig 9h, 9a! calling fr,) e9 I,r-. A5ell,, GillyB "i) !pea-ing. 5,9 are y,u, ,ld chapJC A5i, "i)B I,u aren;t calling )e ju!t t, tell )e that bull!hit. S, c,)e ,nB .ire a9ay. 8,n;t )a-e )e die fr,) curi,!ity. E;) ,n the p,int ,f leaving f,r the Appalachian! 9ith )y fa)ily.C AS,rry, Gill. Very !,rry indeed.C A5eyB What;! the big dealJC A7eal !,rry, Gill. E d,n;t 9ant t, d, thi! t, y,u right n,9. Gut E g,t t,. "he p,int i! that the @@ ,rder! y,u t, i))ediately return t, y,ur ba!e. "here;! n, 9ay t, bac- ,ff, ala!. I,u g,tta c,)ply and be there n,t later than t,),rr,9. "here;! a direct flight fr,) Atlanta t, D,nd,nN and y,ur tic-et ha! already been ,rdered. E;ll )eet y,u at Gat9ic-. E g,t t, be there t,, by t,),rr,9. S, !ee y,u there. And Gilly...E really feel a9ful ab,ut 9hat E had t, c,))unicate t, y,u, but E didn;t have any ch,ice y,u -n,9.C A6M, "i). E;ll be there ,n ti)e, n, fear.C 5e t,!!ed the receiver ,n it! cradle and turned t, 8iddy 8,,. "here 9ere dejecti,n and pain in her eye!. She felt her -nee! give 9ay beneath her. "he pre),niti,n 9a! all t,, !tr,ng in her and !he nearly fainted 9ith it. 5e ,pened hi! ),uth t, tell her !,)ething, but !he 9a! the fir!t t, !ay, !taring !traight at hi! face.

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A8,n;t. E g,t it already. I,u needn;t e2plain. All E can !ay E;ll be l,,-ing f,r9ard t, the day 9hen 9e can finally have a great barbecue in the Appalachian!.C "ear! !t,,d in her eye!. 5e attracted her and planted a l,ng -i!! ,n her lip!, 9ith,ut paying attenti,n t, the t9, girl! 9h,, c,ntrary t, their habit, 9ere !, di!app,inted that they hardly c,uld utter a 9,rd. And they c,uldn;t h,ld in chec- their tear!, t,,. Gilly !aid in a l,9 v,ice, nearly under hi! breath. AGelieve )e 9e;ll g, there a! !,,n a! E;) bac-, baby. "hat;! a pr,)i!e.C Gut !he didn;t reply a 9,rd, ,nly pre!!ed her!elf t, hi) very tightly, her b,dy !hivering 9ith !,b!. 5e t,,- her by her chin and lifted her face. AE l,ve y,u, baby.C AE l,ve y,u, t,,.C She buried her face ,n hi! che!t again and hugged hi). 5e l,,-ed ,ver her head at the girl! 9h, huddled t,gether ne2t t, the b,,t ,f the car, giving their parent! a l,ng !ilent !tare !, uncharacteri!tic ,f the). 5e let g, ,f hi! 9ife, -i!!ing her tenderly ,n the tip ,f her n,!e and !Huatted bef,re hi! daughter! t, hug the). AE pr,)i!e E;ll c,)e bac- !,,n. And E;ll call y,u and y,ur ),ther Huite ,ften. Et;! a pr,)i!e, )y bug!BC AGut, 8ad, 9ill y,u really ta-e u! t, the Appalachian! t, have a barbecueJC :i)i!ha a!-ed in a di!c,n!,late, al),!t plaintive t,ne. AA pr,)i!e i! a pr,)i!e. E pr,)i!ed that t, y,ur ),ther and E;) pr,)i!ing that t, y,u.C Pipi!ha !aid n,thingN ,nly l,,-ed at her father 9ith her big blac- eye!. :i)i!ha n,dded !adly in t,-en ,f ac-n,9ledge)ent ,f their father;! pr,)i!e. En !ilence, they all began t, unl,ad the heavy ba!-et! fr,) the b,,t, the di!app,int)ent !till lingering ,n their face!, including that ,f Gilly hi)!elf. "hen they trudged 9ith the full ba!-et! bac- t, their -itchen. "he girl! did n,t even pr,te!t thi! ti)e, but they 9ere very !ad and unu!ually Huiet. Gef,re he left in the evening, an,ther !h,c-ing rep,rt during the ne9! h,ur ,n "V ca)e li-e a thunder fr,) a clear !-y. En Ger)any f,ur c,n!picu,u! !,ciali!t!, p,pular )e)ber! ,f @hancell,r 8rec-)ann;! party, had been f,und hanged ,n tree! in ,ne ,f Gerlin;! par-!. A !t,r) ,f pr,te!t! r,lled acr,!! the c,untry and later in the day a !p,ntane,u! de),n!trati,n ,f pr,te!t 9a! ,rganiKed by the party 9h,!e )e)ber! the victi)! 9ere. Gut it 9a! di!rupted, t,,, by !everal b,)b e2pl,!i,n! -illing and 9,unding !everal pe,ple right in the )iddle ,f the )anife!tati,n. ,b,dy clai)ed the b,)b attac-. Et 9a! in the 9a-e ,f the ne9! that Gilly S-elint,n t,,- leave ,f hi! fa)ily and h,)e. 5e a!-ed a !te9arde!! ,n hi! 9ay t, D,nd,n t, bring hi) a d,uble 9hi!-ey t, help hi) d,Ke ,ff the re!t ,f the 9ay. When he 9,-e up 9ith a !tart, the plane 9a! landing at the airp,rt ,f Gat9ic- and !,,n t,uched d,9n ,n ,ne ,f it! run9ay!. @5AP"E7 3%

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"hey g,t t,gether in the c,Ky little Sc,tti!h t,9n ,f Pitl,chry at the h,u!e ,f their friend and field c,))ander Angu! :actaggart. All thing! c,n!idered, they had n, ,ther 9ay than t, pa!! f,r a gr,up ,f t,uri!t! largely intere!ted in vi!iting !,)e fa),u! di!tillerie! ,f Sc,tland. "he h,!t, Angu! :actaggart, 9a! a large )an, very h,!pitable and ,pen/)inded, a bachel,r ,f ab,ut 0', 9ith an large bl,nd beard ri))ing hi! ruddy face, 9ith !par-ling )erry blue eye! bea)ing hi! g,,d/nature and unbeatable ,pti)i!). Gut he 9a! al!, a c,urage,u!, !taunch, and l,yal fighter f,r the Eur,pean cau!e. All 9ere here, including Gilly S-elint,n and "i),thy @raig. 8,nald 7,!! !tarted !pea-ing. A.riend!B At thi! ),)ent 9e face n,thing le!! than a civil 9ar raging in Eur,pe, 9ith three partie! inv,lved / ,ur!elve!, :u!li)!, and g,vern)ental tr,,p!. "he :iddle Ea!t and ,rth Africa are afla)e 9ith the rage ,f fierce civil and !ectarian 9ar!. E!rael and A)erica are engaged in )ilitary acti,n! again!t the Mu9alda and )illi,n! ,f it! adherent!. G,th Endia and it! :u!li) neighb,r! are ,n the brin- ,f full/!cale nuclear 9ar. "he c,nflict ha! reached a very high degree ,f inten!ity. Gi,l,gical 9eap,n! are n,9 9idely u!ed b,th by :u!li)! and by u!. "he bub,nic plague, tubercul,!i!, !)allp,2, anthra2 and ,ther c,ntagi,u! di!ea!e! are !preading cata!tr,phically fa!t acr,!! the Eur,pean c,ntinent. "he Eur,pean h,!pital! d,n;t have !pare r,,) f,r patient! )any ,f 9h,) die at h,)e. Encinerat,r! 9,r- by day and by night r,und the cl,c- but can hardly burn up th,u!and! ,f danger,u! dead b,die! )any ,f 9hich )u!t be pic-ed up fr,) the city !treet!. "hey are the di!a!tr,u! re!ult ,f the )utual bi,l,gical attac-!. A! far a! 9e are c,ncerned, E a!!ure y,u that 9e can;t act ,ther9i!e. We have been f,rced t, u!e every p,!!ible and even i)p,!!ible )ean! 9ithin ,ur reach t, fight ,ff the aggre!!ive :u!li) fanatic!. We 9arned Eur,pe ,n ti)e, but it ch,!e n,t t, li!ten t, ,ur 9arning!. S,, it;! n,t ,ur fault that the Eur,pean auth,ritie! !tand ada)ant in their !tubb,rn tenacity t, pr,tect the ene)ie! ,f Eur,pe and ree!tabli!h la9 and ,rder in th,!e Eur,pean c,untrie! 9here di!,rder and anarchy have reached their ape2. En the United State! the ne2t electi,n ca)paign ha! begun. "he @,))uni!t! 9h, are the !ec,nd f,rce in @,ngre!! try t, play d,9n the real threat ,f E!la) and it! terr,ri!t activitie! in the 9,rld and -eep Pre!ident Wil)an under fire f,r hi! great eff,rt! t, fight bac- :u!li) terr,ri!) and pr,tect the c,untry fr,) it! brutal and de!tructive attac-! that c,!t A)erican! hundred! ,f live! all ,ver the entire 9,rld. "hey !i)ply f,cu! ,n !,)e ec,n,)ic difficultie!, a!cribing the) t, hi! ad)ini!trati,n, alth,ugh they are the direct re!ult ,f the i)perative nece!!ity t, 9age an all/ ,ut 9ar ,n E!la). "hi! )ean! that 9e;ll have t, g, ,n 9ith ,ur fight, by all )ean!. "he n,rthern and central part! ,f the Eur,pean c,ntinent a! 9ell a! England ,n thi! !ide ,f the @hannel are real h,tbed! ,f !-ir)i!he! and battle! bet9een the :u!li) ,ccupier! and u!. Gelgiu) i! tee)ing 9ith :u!li)! and their fighter! 9h, n,9 f,r) a va!t )aj,rity ,f the p,pulati,n. Et ha! bec,)e a ba!e f,r their )ilitary !allie! and terr,ri!t acti,n! again!t the l,cal p,pulati,n! ,f .rance, 5,lland, and Ger)any. "he picture i! c,)plicated by )ilitary c,unter/ acti,n! ,f the United Eur,pe;! tr,,p! de!pite their ,9n di!c,rdance ,ver 9h, t, fight again!t.

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Etaly, 8en)ar-, P,land, and !,)e ,ther c,untrie! prefer t, fight the rebelli,u! :u!li)!, 9herea! .rance, Ger)any and England try t, pinp,int the e2act l,cati,n! ,f ,ur ,9n unit! and de!tr,y u!, clearly !h,9ing their p,!iti,n in fav,r ,f E!la). "he !,/called United ati,n! Deague i! largely )ade up ,f :u!li) terr,ri!t !tate!. And that )ean! thi! league i! very far fr,) being tru!ted. <u!t the ,ther 9ay r,undB "hi! !,/called internati,nal ,rganiKati,n !tin-! ,f terr,ri!). "a-e the la!t !peech )ade by the 7u!!ian Pre!ident 7a!putin at the !,/called General A!!e)bly ,f 9hat call! it!elf pre!u)ptu,u!ly the United ati,n! Deague. Gut 7a!putin, thi! creature ,f the ,nce t,talitarian 7u!!ia;! MGG, i! n,thing ),re than a little creep and a l,!er. Et i! 7a!putin 9h, ha! failed t, !uppre!! the @hec-)ec-!; :u!li) terr,ri!) at h,)e and n,9 trie! t, lecture ,n h,9 t, fight terr,ri!). 5e i! preci!ely the ,ne 9h, ha! ar)ed the terr,ri!t Per!ia 9ith nuclear 9eap,n!. S, here y,u have ,ne ,f the large!t c,untrie! in the 9,rld that, t, a large e2tent, !upp,rt! terr,ri!) in ,ther c,untrie! ,f the 9,rld and cann,t c,pe 9ith terr,ri!) !tic-ing ,ut it! head b,th at h,)e and nearly every9here abr,ad, a! 9ell a! the n,t,ri,u! 7u!!ian )afia. Ef E 9ere 7a!putin E 9,uld have rather !hut up in place ,f )u)bling the ridicul,u! !hit that he dare! t, utter in public. 6ur ,9n p,!iti,n theref,re ha! bec,)e )uch ),re difficult and vulnerable, 9hich )ean! 9e !h,uld be ),re fle2ible regarding ,ur tactic! and ),re vigilant and alert regarding p,!!ible infiltrati,n ,f ene)ie! in ,ur ,9n ran-!. Gut E gue!! 9e;ll have t, ta-e the ri!-! becau!e playing it !afe 9e 9,n;t achieve anything. S, 9hat 9,uld y,ur !ugge!ti,n! be in ter)! ,f thi! !ituati,n, gentle)enJC <uan D,peK !p,-e fr,) 9here he 9a! !eated, A"here i! a change ,f the !ituati,n in )y c,untry, t,,. I,ung Spani!h !,ciali!t! united their re!,urce! and created !pecial Ah,c- brigade!C t, fight u! there. "hey bur!t int, pea!ant h,u!e! in !,)e di!tant village! and un!crupul,u!ly grip l,cal )ale!, t,rturing the) t, find ,ut inf,r)ati,n ab,ut u!. S,)eti)e! 9e are f,rced t, engage in !h,,t,ut! 9ith the), trying t, !ave inn,cent pe,ple. "he cruelty ,f th,!e y,ung!ter! and their big,try are incredible. "hat;! a ne9 fact,r that 9e face and have t, rec-,n 9ith in Spain n,9. Alth,ugh, it;! t,, early t, !tri-e a pe!!i)i!t t,ne yet, E gue!!. Gut the 9h,le picture bec,)e! ),re c,)plicated becau!e ,f the terr,r act! ,f the Ga!Hue!.C A"han- y,u, <uan, f,r thi! inf,r)ati,n. We;ll 9,r- ,ut )ea!ure! t, grapple 9ith thi! pr,ble) t,,. ,9 E;) g,ing t, a!- all ,f y,u t, li!ten t, the !u))ary that ,ur c,lleague Pr,fe!!,r 8r. W,lfgang Sch9ab ha! prepared t, !ub)it t, y,ur -ind attenti,n. 8r. W,lfgang Sch9ab t,,- ,ff hi! gla!!e!, 9iped the) clean, and put the) ,n again. 5e eyed hi! friend! HuiKKically, but hi! v,ice 9a! !eri,u! 9hen he !p,-e. AGentle)en, E have gathered the late!t inf,r)ati,n c,ncerning the legi!lative activitie! ,f the United Eur,pe;! g,vern)ent and Parlia)ent and )ade !,)e re!earch int, the legi!lati,n ,f at lea!t !,)e ,f the Eur,pean !tate!. E d,n;t 9ant t, b,re y,u 9ith unnece!!ary and purely

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legal !pecific!, but E;ll try, at lea!t, t, give y,u a general picture ,f the !tate ,f affair!.C 5e c,ughed, cleared hi! thr,at, and c,ntinued. AA! y,u all und,ubtedly -n,9, ,ver the late!t year!, 9hen lefti!t g,vern)ent! ran ,fficial thing! in Eur,pe, they ad,pted vari,u! la9! that gave )any right! and privilege! t, cri)inal! at the e2pen!e ,f li)iting the legal right! ,f citiKen!. En the fir!t place they have ab,li!hed, referring t, Phu)ane rea!,n!;, capital puni!h)ent f,r h,)icide 9ith ,r 9ith,ut )itigating circu)!tance!. Gut ,ver a nu)ber ,f year! they have reduced any puni!h)ent f,r h,)icide c,n!iderably !, that any )urder ,f citiKen! ha! bec,)e legally al),!t t,lerable. :,re,ver, any phy!ical re!i!tance ,f victi)! again!t )ugger!, burglar!, and all !,rt! ,f h,,ligan! ha! bec,)e illegal, acc,rding t, the late!t legi!lati,n in Hue!ti,n. Et i! thu! that legal pr,tecti,n ,f cri)inal! again!t eventual re!i!tance ,f victi)! ha! bec,)e a real fact ,f everyday life. "he functi,n ,f p,lice ha! c,n!eHuently bec,)e ),re ,r le!! dec,rative. "he cri)inal under9,rld triu)ph! gleefully ,ver the ,lder legal !y!te)! that envi!aged ),re !eri,u! puni!h)ent f,r theft, )ugging, r,bbery, )urder and !, ,n. "he ne9er legi!lati,n )a-e! the!e cri)e! p,!!ible. "he real c,nditi,n! ,f i)pri!,n)ent in )any Eur,pean c,untrie! have bec,)e a !,rt ,f paradi!e ,n earth. E )ean life ,f detainee! in pri!,n! ha! bec,)e highly de!irable f,r the riff/raff that de!erve! n, better than penal !ervitude ,f hard lab,r ,r e2ecuti,n. "hi! -ind ,f !,ciali!t legal Phu)ani!); turn! again!t la9/abiding citiKen! and !eri,u!ly Hue!ti,n! their 9ell/being and !ecurity. Why d,e! thi! happenJ Ef y,u l,,- at the!e thing! phil,!,phically y,u;ll !ee that at the ba!i! ,f thi! depl,rable and t,tally unju!t phen,)en,n lie! the f,ll,9ing indi!putable fact* b,th the cri)inal under9,rld and !,ciali!t Plegi!lat,r!; !hare the !a)e cri)inal nature. "hieve! 9,uld pr,tect thieve!. "hi! i! ,ne ,f the uglie!t a!pect! ,f the Pi)pr,ved; ),dern de),cracy, a de),cracy that !tin-! becau!e it i! c,)pletely changed by the lefti!t! bey,nd any rec,gniti,n. S,)e !,ciali!t! call the)!elve! that 9ay becau!e they !trive f,r better !,cial c,nditi,n! ju!t f,r the)!elve!. Di-e, f,r in!tance, pr,fitable )ini!terial and ,ther i)p,rtant g,vern)ental -ey p,!iti,n!. 8ecepti,n, fraud, and !candal,u! c,rrupti,n in the higher and l,9er echel,n! ,f p,9er are ,nly !,)e ,f their !,phi!ticated )eth,d! ,f e2pl,iting pe,ple. E 9,uld n,t )enti,n the already 9ell/-n,9n fact how the!e Pladie! and gentle)en; c,)e t, p,9er by creating an illu!i,n ,f free electi,n!. Gut a! !,,n a! they ta-e the rein! ,f ruling in their hand! they begin their cri)inal activitie! again!t their ,9n pe,ple!. ", !ay n,thing ,f the fact that they enrich the)!elve! at the e2pen!e ,f th,!e pe,ple!, de!pi!ing their intere!t!. S,ciali!) i! n,thing el!e than a -ind ,f lefti!t fa!ci!) cleverly di!gui!ed in Pde),cratic; attire. Gut thi! -ind ,f !,ciali!) and true de),cracy are inc,)patible. 6n the ,ther hand, it ha! lately bec,)e a v,gue ,f !,)e -ind t, p,!e a! a n,n/lefti!t party ,r a c,aliti,n ,f n,n/lefti!t partie!, but thi! i! n, ),re than )erely cutting a da!h t, deceive pe,ple 9h, are t,, gullible. "hey all bel,ng, in fact, t, ,ne and the !a)e party / the party ,f un!crupul,u! cri)inal cr,,-!. And that i! 9hy, )y dear friend!, they pr,tect their ,9n !,rt by adapting their Plegi!lati,n; t, the Pneed!; ,f the cri)inal under9,rld, paving the 9ay f,r it!

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repre!entative! and creating better c,nditi,n! f,r it! cri)inal activitie!. "hi! i! 9hy they prefer t, puni!h inn,cent pe,ple 9h, prefer t, defend the)!elve! and cater f,r real cri)inal! 9h, !,9 !)all and big ti)e cri)e and death a),ng the p,pulati,n. A! a re!ult ,f !uch p,litical intrigue! and )anipulati,n! the elect,rate ,f !,)e Eur,pean c,untrie! ru!h ab,ut blindly li-e fl,c-! ,f be9ildered !heep bet9een the right/9ing centri!t partie! and the !,ciali!t partie! ,f th,!e c,untrie!, dra9ing n, finaliKed c,nclu!i,n! and learning n,thing fr,) the le!!,n! ,f the pa!t. Spain i! ju!t ,ne ,f !uch e2a)ple!. And it i! far fr,) being the ,nly ,ne. E! there any real re)edy at all again!t the!e !,cial di!ea!e!J ", )y )ind ,nly ,ne, a -ind ,f rev,luti,n again!t the r,tten cri)inal !,ciali!) that ha! u!urped p,9er in t,day;! Eur,pe, 9earing vari,u! )a!-! that include th,!e ,f Prighti!t!;. "here i! ,ne thing ),re t, tell y,u, gentle)en. "hi! !,/called legi!lati,n c,ntain! !evere puni!h)ent f,r th,!e 9h, li-e in the c,untrie! 9here tyranny rule! !upre)e are -n,9n a! di!!ident!. Et i! n,t f,r n, particular rea!,n that the ruling !,ciali!t! have deprived pe,ple ,f their right! t, freely and publicly e2pre!! their la9ful ,pini,n! c,ncerning thing! that have been tab,,ed by th,!e c,rrupt g,vern)ent! t, av,id !evere critici!). "hing! li-e freed,) ,f !peech / ,ne ,f the e!!ential freed,)! characteriKing real de),cracy. "hat;! 9hy they crac- d,9n ,n th,!e 9h, dare t, e2pre!! their di!agree)ent ,ver thing! li-e illegal i))igrati,n ,r puni!h)ent ,f cri)inal!. 6r, f,r that )atter, the elect,ral !y!te)! ,r plebi!cite in Eur,pe that th,!e !,ciali!t cr,,-! have unc,nditi,nally ),n,p,liKed. "he!e are the fact!, dear friend!, E 9anted t, !hare the) 9ith y,u t,day.C AE g,t a Hue!ti,n f,r y,u, 5err pr,fe!!,r 8r Sch9ab,C "i),thy @raig a!-ed. ASh,,t, Pr,fe!!,r 8r @raig,C 8r Sch9ab !)iled enc,uragingly. AEn ,rder t, fight, even defeat the di!a!tr,u! legi!lati,n in Eur,pe 9hat -ind ,f rev,luti,n 9,uld y,u !ugge!t that y,u )enti,ned in y,ur !u))ary, 8r Sch9abJC AWell, it depend!, y,u -n,9. 6ur ),ve)ent can already be l,,-ed up,n a! !,)e -ind ,f rev,luti,n. Gut, ,f c,ur!e, ,ur re!i!tance, if j,ined by a )aj,rity ,f citiKen!, c,uld gain a ),)entu) enabling it t, achieve it! g,al! ,n a br,ader !cale 9ith an active participati,n and efficaci,u! !upp,rt ,n the part ,f large )a!!e! ,f c,)),n pe,ple. "hen y,u c,uld c,n!ider it a! rev,luti,n, c,uldn;t y,uJC AE c,uld indeed, 8r Sch9ab. Et 9,uld largely be the !a)e pr,ce!! 9e had in A)erica, 9hen ,ur brave ance!t,r! !par-ed ,ff ,ur ,9n 7ev,luti,n that led ,ur c,untry t, it! great achieve)ent! in all field! ,f life. And 9e had a !ec,nd very !ignificant rev,luti,n 9e call the @ivil War that led t, ab,li!hing the !lavery in ,ur c,untry. Ef 9e gained ),re !upp,rt f,r ,ur cau!e fr,) the inv,lved Eur,pean nati,n! 9e c,uld 9in, in the l,ng run.C A"hi! 9,uld be the fir!t anti/!,ciali!t rev,luti,n in the 9,rld,C 8,nald 7,!! laughed. "hen he !hrugged. AE;) certain ,f ,ne thing, any9ay, and that i! t, !t,p E!la) advancing up,n Eur,pe in the fir!t place and p,!!ibly el!e9here in the 9,rld. And E;) ab!,lutely !ure ab,ut

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,ne thing, at lea!t. "hat it;! g,tten t, be ,ur true pri,rity. Gut, ,f c,ur!e, it 9ill bring ab,ut ),re reverberati,n! in the 9,rld than even 9e c,uld p,!!ibly i)agine.C "hey !at up al),!t a! late a! the !)all h,ur! ,f the c,)ing ),rning, di!cu!!ing the late!t event! and 9,r-ing ,ut ne9 tactic! and !trategie! t, live up t, the 9,r!ening !ituati,n in Eur,pe t,rn by ,ld and ne9 c,nflict! and ne9 c,nfr,ntati,n!, the funding ,f the EDA and !upply ,f 9eap,n! and )uniti,n! being by far n,t the la!t Hue!ti,n! ,n their agenda. "heir h,!t Angu! :actaggart !a9 t, it that they had c,ffee and )alt 9hi!-ey and all that 9ent 9ith the) in !ufficient Huantitie!, al9ay! ta-ing an active part in the di!cu!!i,n!. Et 9a! 9hen they 9ere already dra9ing nearer t, the end ,f their c,nference that Geert <an, hi! face unu!ually grave and even vi!ibly pale, appr,ached 8,nald and leaning t,9ard hi) !aid !,)ething al),!t under hi! breath. 8,nald l,,-ed up and !udden alar) leaped in hi! eye!. I,u !ureJC AAb!,lutely, 8,n. "here;! n, )i!ta-ing it. 6ur ,9n intelligence !ervice ha! e!tabli!hed it a! a fact / y,ur h,u!e in Udrecht beca)e a !ta-e,ut ab,ut a 9ee- ag,.C A"hat;! a real un!ettling piece ,f ne9!, Geert. "he fact i! hardly enc,uraging, but E;ll have t, face up t, it. What d, y,u )a-e ,f it y,ur!elfJ "he 8utch auth,ritie! have pinp,inted )e ,r )aybe they are a9are ,f )uch ),reJC 8,nald tried t, pre!erve a deadpan face. 5i! eye! beca)e narr,9 !lit!. Alth,ugh he did hi! be!t t, get a grip ,n hi)!elf deep in!ide he felt hi! nerve! 9ere !tretched taut t, the b,rder ,f panic. 5i! head p,unded li-e a dru) r,ll and he !uddenly felt 9ea- at the -nee!. Gut he didn;t all,9 hi)!elf t, let g, ,f hi! !elf/c,ntr,l. 5e c,llected hi! th,ught! and !aid, fi2ing a c,ld gaKe ,n Geert <an, AS,, they have finally trac-ed )e d,9n.C 5e )ade a pau!e and !l,9ly added, Aafter all thi! ti)e ,f )y living there 9ith,ut fear ,f detecti,n.C AE thin- y,u !h,uldn;t !h,9 up at y,ur place f,r a 9hile, 8,n. At lea!t until 9e -n,9 better 9hat;! g,ing ,n there. And 9e can put ,ur ,9n guard! t, 9atch the place.C AE gue!! y,u;re right, Geert. E !ee n, ,ther 9ay ,ut. At lea!t f,r the ti)e being. We;ll !ee later h,9 thing! are g,ing t, 9,r- ,ut. D,,-! li-e y,u;ve !aved )y a!!, Geert. I,u !h,uldn;t )enti,n it yet t, any,ne ,f ,ur c,lleague! here. 6r d,e! !,)e,ne -n,9 !,)ething ab,ut it alreadyJC A6f th,!e pre!ent here ,nly @arl, Arrig,ni d,e! becau!e he i! partly re!p,n!ible f,r ,ur intelligence !ervice a! y,u -n,9, but y,u can rely ,n hi! di!creti,n. A! f,r !aving y,u, 8,n, it;! !till t,, early t, tal- ab,ut that y,u -n,9. We;ll !ee 9hat 9e can d, ab,ut that, any9ay.C Arrig,ni, a! if he felt 9hat 7,!! and 8e--er 9ere tal-ing ab,ut he appr,ached the) 9ith a 9,rried e2pre!!i,n. 5e turned t, <an Geert a!-ing, A5ave y,u t,ld hi)JC AIe!, @arl,, he -n,9!.C AWhat;! y,ur angle ,n it, 8,nJC

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AVery little indeed. Gut E feel E )u!t ta-e it very )uch int, c,n!iderati,n.C AG,e! 9ith,ut !aying, 8,n. :aybe y,u need ),re pr,tecti,n ,n ,ur part.C AEf y,u d, that, @arl,, and they n,tice, they 9ill be ,n their guard and 9e;ll never find ,ut their true intenti,n!. And 9e certainly need t, -n,9 the).C A@an;t but agree 9ith y,u, 8,n,C Arrig,ni !aid 9ith a !ad !)ile, Cbut ,ne 9ay ,r the ,ther, 9e;ll have t, -eep a 9atchful eye ,n the) fr,) n,9 ,n that 9e;ve caught a gli)p!e ,f their !u!pici,u! activitie! near y,ur h,u!e.C ASure. Gut d,n;t betray y,ur pre!ence t, the).C AWe;ll certainly d, that. 8,n;t y,u 9,rry, 8,n.C "hi! ti)e the !)ile playing at the c,rner! ,f @arl,;! lip! beca)e )errier and ),re !elf/a!!ured. A:aybe y,u !h,uld c,n!ider g,ing int, hiding in Etaly, 8,nJ E;ve been a!-ing )y!elf ab,ut that Huite f,r a 9hile. At lea!t !ince 9e !p,tted the) t, !ta-e y,u ,ut.C AE gue!! 9e !h,uld fir!t !ee 9hat they are up t,, @arl,, bef,re E )a-e any definite deci!i,n.C @arl, Arrig,ni !ighed and !hrugged, AWell, 8,n, y,u g,tta )a-e the la!t deci!i,n y,u -n,9, but E;) !ure y,u !h,uldn;t ri!- y,ur life.C AE;ll certainly d, )y be!t t, -eep ,ut ,f tr,uble, but neverthele!!, E;) c,nfident E !h,uld 9atch ,ut better than !, far and al9ay! !tay ,n )y guard fr,) n,9 ,n , t,,.C At thi! ),)ent Angu! invited everyb,dy 9ith a !9eeping ge!ture ,f hi! large pal) t, the en,r),u! ,a-en table in the !paci,u! dining r,,) ,n 9hich !eductive helping! ,f haggi! 9ere !tea)ing in the earthen p,t! and 9aiting f,r the !tarved gue!t!. Several b,ttle! ,f )alt 9hi!-ey 9ere al!, part and parcel ,f the lu2ury )eal. "he 9hi!-ey 9a! AGlenfiddichC ,f the be!t Huality. A! he !l,9ly )ade hi! 9ay t, the table 8,nald tried t, !h,ve a!ide all ,f hi! apprehen!ive th,ught! and c,ncentrate ,n the delici,u! Sc,tti!h dinner. Still, he c,uld n,t help feeling 9,rried. 8i!turbing th,ught! li-e i)p,rtunate autu)n flie! 9ere !tubb,rnly returning and pr,dding at hi! inner eg, de!pite hi! eff,rt t, get a grip ,n the). 5e !tared vacantly at hi! )eal and tried t, c,njure up a hilari,u! !)ile ,n hi! face each ti)e a t,a!t 9a! pr,p,!ed. 5i! th,ught! 9ent t, Una 9h, 9a! !taying at her h,)e in Ereland and !,,n 9a! e2pected t, c,)e ,ver and j,in hi) in Udrecht. 5e decided t, call her i))ediately and prevent her fr,) c,)ing. "hat !ee)ed Huite a delicate ta!-. 5e didn;t 9ant t, frighten her becau!e ,f hi! fre!h pr,ble) ,f getting inv,lved in an eventual c,nfr,ntati,n 9ith the auth,ritie! in Udrecht. 5e 9a! n,t !ure h,9 t, brea- it t, her in a ),!t careful 9ay 9ith,ut actually telling the true rea!,n! ,f preventing her fr,) c,)ing ,ver. 5e )u!t thin- ,f !,)ething c,nvincing en,ugh in ,rder n,t t, hurt her. When he 9a! fini!hed 9ith hi! )eal, he and Geert <an t,,- leave ,f everyb,dy, e!pecially ,f the h,!pitable Angu! :actaggart, called a cab and left directly f,r the airp,rt ,f Edinburgh.

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6n hi! 9ay there he al!, ph,ned Una and t,ld her t, put ,ff her vi!it until he 9a! ready 9ith !,)ething he had fir!t t, arrange urgently. 5e did hi! be!t n,t t, let hi! v,ice betray hi! ,9n apprehen!i,n!. Dater, he th,ught he had !ucceeded, and thi! )ade hi) ),re c,)p,!ed and deter)ined t, c,nfr,nt 9ith dignity 9hatever 9a! c,)ing hi! 9ay. Una did n,t !ee) t, have any pre),niti,n ,f c,)plicati,n! that )ight cr,p up in future and !,unded a! !he u!ually had, upbeat and 9ell/di!p,!ed. "hi! )ade hi) feel ),re rela2ed !ince it enabled hi) t, -eep Una ,ut ,f the da)ned thing at !uch a crucial and unpredictable, ),)ent. Gut he c,uld n,t -eep ,ut hi! ,9n unea!y th,ught! cr,9ding in up,n hi) li-e a pac- ,f rabid d,g! that 9ere c,rnering hi). En the pa!!enger cabin ,f the Airbu! he !p,tted a f,lded up c,py ,f a l,cal ne9!paper tuc-ed int, the bac- p,uch ,f the !eat in fr,nt, dragged it ,ut and unf,lded it. Several page! ,f it 9ere full ,f rep,rt! ab,ut ar)ed !-ir)i!he! bet9een Eur,pean! and :u!li)! practically in all c,untrie! ,f the United Eur,pe 9h,!e tr,,p! tried t, interfere and !uppre!! b,th !ide!. Et 9a! an ,dd f,r) ,f civil 9ar / b,th l,cal! and :u!li) c,l,ni!t! 9ere engaged in a 9ide/!pread land di!pute n,t unli-e that in the :iddle Ea!t. Vari,u! p,litical ,b!erver! and c,))entat,r! )enti,ned the unu!ually ,rganiKed f,r) ,f the Eur,pean re!i!tance that 9a! already univer!ally -n,9n a! EDA. "he :u!li) ruling cliHue in Gelgi!tan !ent it! tr,,p! t, ,ther Eur,pean c,untrie! t, help fight ,ff nu)er,u! ,perative gr,up! ,f the EDA, but they tended ),re t, l,,ting the l,cal Eur,pean p,pulati,n, ,ften -illing )en and raping 9,)en. An airh,!te!! interrupted hi! reading by ,ffering hi) a drin-. 5e !uddenly felt he needed it. 5e t,,- and d,9ned the 9hi!-ey 9ith gratitude. "hen he peered ,ut the 9ind,9 ne2t t, hi) and n,ticed that the Airbu! began t, perf,r) a ban-ing )aneuver t, )a-e a landing. 5e !p,tted the tall !tructure! and aircraft ,n the gr,und ,f the A)!terda) airp,rt. 5e felt !lightly flu!tered a! he 9a! driving hi! car fr,) the Schiph,l Airp,rt;! par-ing l,t and thi! feeling ,nly 9,r!ened 9hen he 9a! appr,aching hi! h,u!e in Udrecht. A feeling ,f pre),niti,n, cl,!e t, fear, 9a! !ignaling t, hi), ,ddly en,ugh, thr,ugh hi! abd,)en. "he nearer he appr,ached hi! h,u!e the ),re hi! head p,unded li-e a dru) in 9hich hi! ,9n )i!giving! 9ere l,c-ed up and trying t, brea- f,rth. S,)eh,9 he )anaged t, get a grip ,n hi! nerve! that 9ere !tretched taut. 5e finally !ucceeded t, 9ard ,ff the danger,u! feeling ,f panic and c,ncentrated ,n 9hat he ,ught t, d, in ca!e ,f real danger. 5e had n, !idear)! ,r !,)ething li-e that. "hey 9,uld have been detected at the Griti!h airp,rt during all )anner ,f c,ntr,l bef,re the flight. And he al!, c,ngratulated hi)!elf that he 9a! prudent en,ugh n,t t, have hidden the) in hi! car. Gut he had a !ecret hiding place f,r a c,uple ,f firear)! he -ept in hi! h,)e. 5e 9a! n,t !ure they 9ere !afe there in ca!e ,f an une2pected !earch. 5e !hrugged in an inv,luntary reacti,n t, hi! ,9n th,ught! and !t,pped at the red light!. When, at la!t, hi! h,)e ca)e in !ight, he pulled up and !t,pped. All. !ee)ed a! Huiet a! it had al9ay! been. 5e g,t ,ut t, unl,c- the gate and ,pen the d,,r ,f the garage 9ith hi! re),te

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c,ntr,l. "he d,,r !lid ,pen nearly n,i!ele!!ly. All !ee)ed Huiet. 5e !ighed 9ith relief and turned t, hi! car t, get in and par- it in the garage. "hat;! 9hen he felt t9, pi!t,l! pr,pped !i)ultane,u!ly again!t the bac- ,f hi! nec- and hi! left !h,ulder blade. 5e ga!ped. AWhat the hell BC A gruff v,ice cal)ly ,rdered in 8utch, AI,u;re under arre!t, :r. 8,nald 7,!!B 5and! ,n the carB Spread y,ur leg!BC 5e 9a! ha!tily !earched. 6n finding n,thing !u!pici,u! ,n hi! per!,n, ,ne ,f the )en read hi! right! f,r hi). AI,u have the right t, -eep !ilent. Anything y,u !ay can be u!ed again!t y,u. I,u have a right f,r att,rney...C .r,) the c,rner ,f hi! eye he caught !ight ,f ,ne ,f the )en behind hi). 5e !uddenly felt 9ea- at the -nee! but did 9hat he 9a! being ,rdered. S,, he had 9al-ed right int, the trap 9ith,ut having ta-en any u!ual precauti,n! de!pite the 9arning he had received fr,) hi! intelligence !ervice. ,9 he paid the price ,f hi! ,9n carele!!ne!!. "he t9, plain/cl,the! )en !9iftly )anacled hi! hand! and, -eeping hi) bet9een the), ha!tily t,,- hi) t, a p,lice patr,l car that !t,,d par-ed at !,)e di!tance ,n the ,ther !ide ,f the !treet. 5e hadn;t !p,tted it after hi! arrival. 5e 9a!n;t certain 9hether it had been there bef,re he 9a! !eiKed by the agent!. "hey pre!!ed hi! head int, the car, pu!hing hi) ,nt, the bac- !eat and p,!iti,ned the)!elve! ,n b,th !ide! ,f hi). "he 9h,le !pace in fr,nt ,f the h,u!e 9a! !uddenly tee)ing 9ith unif,r)ed p,lice)en ar)ed 9ith gun! at ready. "he patr,l car al),!t i))ediately jer-ed f,r9ard and Huic-ly gained !peed, turning al),!t at each c,rner. 8,nald and hi! capt,r! did n,t utter a 9,rd 9hile the car 9a! )aneuvering in and ,ut vari,u! !treet! until after a l,ng ride it !uddenly ca)e t, a !t,p in fr,nt ,f a large ir,n gate in a t,9n!hip 8,nald c,uld n,t rec,gniKe. 5ere the agent! g,t ,ut ,f the car and uncere),ni,u!ly dragged hi) ,ut, t,,, and pu!hed hi), !till -eeping hi) bet9een the t9, ,f the), int, the narr,9 !pace ,f the ,pening gate, 9hich a! !,,n a! they 9ere in!ide cl,!ed again behind the). "hey t,,- hi) t, a t9,/!t,ried building the entrance d,,r ,f 9hich !t,,d already ,pen. "hey let the)!elve! in, dragging hi) int, the f,yer 9ea-ly lit by a c,uple ,f na-ed bulb! hanging fr,) the ceiling. S, 9a! the r,,) int, 9hich they pu!hed hi). "here 9a! ,nly ,ne bulb in it. "he r,,) 9a! al),!t de!titute ,f furniture , e2cept f,r a l,ng de!- 9ith a c,uple ,f teleph,ne! ,n it and !,)e chair!. "hey )ade hi) !it ,n ,ne ,f the chair! ne2t t, the 9all facing the de!-. G,th agent! re)ained in the r,,), ea!ing the)!elve! in t9, ,ther chair!. 6f all the chair! in the r,,) there 9a! ,ne !till un,ccupied behind the de!-. "hey -ept an unea!y !ilence, 9hen the d,,r ,f the r,,) ,pened ,nce again and a third plain/cl,the! )an entered it, n,dding t, the ,ther t9,. 5e t,,- hi! !eat at the de!- and after a fe9 !ec,nd! ,f eyeing the captive he !aid, P:r. 8,nald 7,!! E ta-e itJC

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8,nald didn;t budge in hi! !eat, trying t, endure the !teady gaKe ,f the )an behind the de!- 9h, l,,-ed fiftyi!h, 9ith a l,ng cleanly !haved narr,9 face and piercing gray eye! 9h,!e e2pre!!i,n 9a! rather n,nde!cript at that ),)ent. 5e intr,duced hi)!elf, 9ith,ut ta-ing hi! gaKe ,ff the detainee;! face, ADieutenant Pi)perd,n- van Graa-!el ,f 5er :aje!ty;! Secret Service.C 8,nald !till !h,9ed n, intere!t 9hatever in the per!,nality ,f hi! vi!/a/vi!. "he latter didn;t !ee) di!turbed in any 9ay by 8,nald;! !ilence and lac- ,f intere!t. 5e 9ent ,n, AWe -n,9 f,r !ure, !ir, that y,u are the retired Pr,fe!!,r 8,nald 7,!! b,rn in Sc,tland and living at pre!ent in 5,lland in the city ,f Udrecht. I,u can;t deny that, can y,uJC "he )u!cle! ,f 8,nald;! face !till )ade it l,,- deadpan. AWell, :r. 7,!!. We can tell y,u ),re ab,ut y,ur!elf and y,ur intere!ting activitie! ,ver the la!t c,uple ,f year! than y,u can gue!!. Geginning 9ith y,ur auth,r!hip ,f the n,t,ri,u! P:anife!t, ,f Diberati,n.; "hat ign,)ini,u! raci!t and terr,ri!t in!tigati,n again!t peaceful :u!li) re!ident! ,f the United Eur,pe.C 5e pau!ed. AAnd E )u!t be fran- 9ith y,u. I,u;ve given u! a hell ,f a ti)e and eff,rt t, bring t, light the character ,f th,!e activitie!. ,9 9e are dead !ure y,u are the !upre)e leader ,f the !,/ called Enternati,nal Diberati,n Ar)y that ha! cau!ed cha,! in Eur,pe !ince the beginning ,f it! Pca)paign;. Det u! put it thi! 9ay.C 5e !till -ept hi! al),!t unblin-ing eye! ,n 8,nald;! face. A6nly n,9 9e;ve !ucce!!fully carried ,n thi! ,perati,n. And that )ean! 9e are g,ing t, have a da)n l,t ,f fran- c,nver!ati,n! 9ith y,u, :r. 7,!!, 9hether y,u 9i!h it ,r n,t.C .,r the fir!t ti)e 8,nald ,pened hi! ),uth and !aid 9ith a gh,!t ,f a 9ry grin ,n hi! lip!, AWhat;! y,ur pr,,f, !irJ I,ur accu!ati,n !ee)! t, c,)e ,ut ,f the thin air. Any9ay, E d, in!i!t ,n calling )y att,rney. "hi! arre!t i! illegal.C "he narr,9 face ,f the lieutenant that re)inded ,ne ,f a ferret !h,9ed !,)ething li-e a grin in re!p,n!e t, 8,nald;! pr,te!t. 5e n,dded and !aid, Abe )y gue!t.C Gut he )ade n, ),ve)ent t, pr,vide 8,nald 7,!! 9ith a teleph,ne. "hen he a!-ed, A8, 9e have t, c,n!ider y,ur !ugge!ti,n a! the fir!t !ign ,f c,,perati,n bet9een u!JC 8,nald f,rced cal)ne!! up,n hi)!elf. 5e !hrugged hi! !h,ulder! 9ith,ut an!9ering. A:aybe y,u need !,)e re!t and reflecti,n bef,re 9e c,ntinue ,ur tal-. E 9ant t, play it !traight 9ith y,u, ,-ayJ And believe )e, :r. 7,!!, ,ur tal-! 9ill be nu)er,u! and l,ng ,ne!. I,u can be !ure ,f that.C 5e turned t, the t9, agent! !ilently pre!ent in the r,,), Ata-e hi) t, hi! ne9 d9elling.C "hen he !aid t, 8,nald, A:aybe 9e !h,uld ap,l,giKe f,r n,t giving y,u a! !paci,u! a h,)e a! y,ur! i!.C 5e pau!ed again, A!ir.C

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"he t9, g,rilla! t,,- 8,nald by the elb,9! and !teered hi) ,ut ,f the r,,). After a !h,rt 9hile, he 9a! pu!hed int, a !)all cell in 9hich a bun- and a l,9 tiny table 9a! all the furniture he 9a! !upp,!ed t, u!e. A -ey crea-ed n,i!ily in the l,c- behind hi) and he 9a! finally left al,ne 9ith hi! n,t Huite e2pected ne9 pr,ble). 5i! and hi! c,lleague!; 9,r!t apprehen!i,n! had c,)e true. Ge!ide!, yet an,ther th,ught gna9ed at the edge ,f hi! c,n!ci,u!ne!!. 5i! arre!t had g,ne !),,thly, 9ith,ut any interventi,n ,n the part ,f the EDA. Gut )aybe it had been nece!!ary, t,,. ",, )uch !h,,ting 9,uld have been t,, ri!-y in the circu)!tance!. "he th,ught cal)ed hi) d,9n t, a certain e2tent and he !at d,9n ,n the bun-, trying t, thin- l,gically ab,ut 9hat had happened t, hi) and it! p,!!ible c,n!eHuence!. 5i! cell had ,nly ,ne very !)all barred 9ind,9 al),!t near the ceiling. Di-e 9hat he had already !een in thi! h,u!e the cell 9a! lit by a !)all bulb and de!pite it! di) radiati,n j,ined by the gl,,)y light ,f the cl,udy evening thr,ugh the tiny 9ind,9 high up the dar- green 9all ,f the cell 8,nald had an i)pre!!i,n that he 9a! plunged int, a !,rt ,f all/pervading half/ dar-ne!!. 5e felt e2hau!ted and yielding t, hi! c,nditi,n he lay d,9n ,n the narr,9 bun-, but !leep didn;t c,)e. En!tead, de!pite hi)!elf, he tried t, th,r,ughly analyKe the p,!!ible cau!e! ,f 9hat had happened. 5e had been ),re ,r le!! 9arned by hi! c,lleague! but !,)eh,9 had n,t been able t, bring hi)!elf t, believe in the p,!!ibility ,f the di!a!ter !, !,,n right after hi! arrival fr,) Sc,tland. 5e 9a! repeating t, hi)!elf ,ver and ,ver that n,9 he 9a! in the deep !hit becau!e ,f hi! ,9n fault. 6ne ,f the ),!t recurring Hue!ti,n! 9a! nagging at hi! )ind c,ntinually. 5ad been ,ther -ey pe,ple ,f the EDA arre!ted, apart fr,) hi)J Ef that 9a! the ca!e then 9h,J 5e repeated the Hue!ti,n t, hi)!elf ,ver and ,ver again, th,ugh he 9a! 9ell a9are ,f ,ne thing 4 it 9a! t, n, purp,!e. Gut hi! tiredne!! t,,- the upper hand and at la!t he !ee)ed t, be drifting ,ff t, !leep de!pite the bulb ab,ve hi) 9h,!e i)p,rtunate di) light !eeped even thr,ugh hi! eyelid!. Dater hi! !leep 9a! ),re li-e a !9,,n. "he ne2t ),rning after !,)e )inute! ,f !ilence Dieutenant Pi)perd,n- van Graa-!el l,,-ed up at 8,nald 7,!! !itting in fr,nt ,f hi), n,dded a)iably and !aid in a n,nchalant )anner, A ,9 let u! put bru!h a!ide all the f,r)alitie!. I,u )ay !i)ply call )e Pi)p if y,u all,9 )e t, call y,u 8,n. "hi! c,uld help u! under!tand each ,ther better than if 9e u!e the f,r)al )anner.C 8,n !aid n,thing t, that. 5e ,nly th,ught / the gin- ),!t pr,bably thin-! E;) a dingbat if E can that ea!ily be trapped in hi! cheap c,rdiality. 5i! night;! !leep had n,t been ,ne ,f hi! be!t. Ge!ide!, he had n,t been given a chance t, !pea- t, hi! la9yer. 5i! hand! 9ere )anacled again. "hi! irritated hi) a l,t, alth,ugh he already gue!!ed that he 9a! dealing 9ith a !pecial branch ,f the 8utch Security that, if need be, c,uld play it ,ther9i!e than the u!ual legal r,utine and 9,uld n,t !tic- t, the e!tabli!hed rule! ,f public per!ecuti,n. 5e 9,uld have t, be very )uch ,n hi! alert 9ith the!e pe,ple.

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everthele!!, he repeated hi! de)and t, !pea- t, hi! att,rney. Dieutenant Pi)p, th,ugh, preferred t, ign,re the de)and and that !ee)ed t, c,rr,b,rate 8,n;! 9,r!t apprehen!i,n. AD,,- here, 8,n...C AS,rry, !ir, E didn;t give y,u per)i!!i,n t, call )e that 9ay,C 8,nald interrupted. A6-ay, ,-ay, :r. 7,!!, y,u 9inB Det u! !tic- t, the rule! ,f etiHuette then. ,9 if y,u;ll e2cu!e )e E;ll be the ,ne t, a!- Hue!ti,n! here. Plea!e re)e)ber that 9e -n,9 y,u are the leader ,f the ,utfit called EDA and that auth,riKe! u! t, put a! )any Hue!ti,n! t, y,u a! 9e find nece!!ary.C A"hen a!- )y att,rney.C A"here 9ill be n, att,rney, :r. 7,!!, y,u -n,9...C A ,, E d,n;tB ADet )e fini!h, !ir. "hi! i! a ca!e ,f !pecial inve!tigati,n and y,u 9ill be -indly a!-ed t, play acc,rding t, our rule! that, a! y,u )aybe c,uld gue!!, have n,thing t, d, 9ith the 9ay! and )eth,d! ,f the e!tabli!hed legal !y!te). Et;! ab,ut the !ecurity b,th ,f thi! c,untry and that ,f the 9h,le United Eur,pe. E h,pe y,u fath,) the gravity ,f the !ituati,n that e2i!t!, f,r that )atter, due t, y,ur ,9n eff,rt! a! 9ell a! th,!e ,f y,ur ,ther acc,)plice!C 8,nald !hrugged and !aid n,thing. AGy the 9ay, :r. 7,!!,C Dieutenant Pi)p 9ent ,n, eyeing hi) c,ldly. AWh, are theyJ "heir na)e! plea!e. We -n,9, f,r in!tance, that ,ne ,f y,ur ),!t i)p,rtant aide! i! a 8utch)an. We are eager t, )a-e hi! acHuaintance. E! he fr,) thi! cityJC 8,nald -ept !ilent, hi! eye! fi2ing an ab!tract p,int ,n the Dieutenant;! de!-. ,t a )u!cle t9itched in hi! face. AS, y,u ch,,!e n,t t, !pea- E ta-e it. Well then.C 5e pu!hed a butt,n ,n hi! de!- and a !ilent guard put hi! head thr,ugh the d,,r9ay. A"a-e the pri!,ner t, hi! cell,C he ,rdered curtly. Gac- in hi! cell 8,nald !u))ariKed in hi! )ind all 9hat had happened t, hi) in the !h,rt ti)e after hi! arre!t and decided t, !tand hi! gr,und a! fir)ly a! he c,uld. Dieutenant Pi)p had n,t adduced any plau!ible pr,,f ,f hi! accu!ati,n! again!t 8,nald. S, 9hy !h,uld he yield hi! ,9n p,!iti,nJ 5e decided t, g, ,n !tic-ing t, hi! tactic! ,f !ilence 9hatever the price. 6r at lea!t he 9,uld 9ait and !ee 9hat 9a! g,ing t, happen. "hey )ight hardly t,rture hi). "h,ugh it 9a! difficult t, be that !ure ,f it if he had t, deal 9ith the !ecret !ervice. ,b,dy -ne9 their real practice!. Et c,uld be they had !,)e !ubtle )ean! ,f e2t,rti,n ,f inf,r)ati,n fr,) their pri!,ner!. 5e !9,re t, hi)!elf he 9,uld be ,n the alert 9hile he really c,uld. 8ay! 9,re ,n. Dieutenant Pi)p !till c,uldn;t get a 9,rd ,ut ,f hi! !tubb,rn pri!,ner during hi! interr,gati,n !e!!i,n!. "hi! cau!ed deep fru!trati,n in hi), e!pecially c,n!idering the i)patience ,f hi! !uperi,r! 9h, never cea!ed t, urge hi) ,n. Darge p,c-et! ,f civil 9ar

&%%

9ere raging in )any c,untrie! ,f the United Eur,pe. "he interdependent Eur,pean g,vern)ent! 9ere de!perate t, find ,ut the r,,t! ,f the EDA. Gut n,9 that they had the !u!pected leader ,f the )ilitant ,rganiKati,n in their hand! they did n,t !ee) t, be better ,ff in )a-ing any pr,gre!! in their inve!tigating the )atter. 8,nald 7,!! 9,uldn;t utter a 9,rd. Still the pr,cedure re)ained largely in the 8utch hand!, th,ugh, ),!t pr,bably 9ith participati,n ,f ,b!erver! fr,) ,ther c,untrie!, becau!e 5,lland 9a! traditi,nally c,n!idered a! the legal capital ,f the United Eur,pe. Dieutenant Pi)perd,n- van Graa-!el 9a! !till tru!ted 9ith the ta!- ,f finding ,ut the truth, th,ugh the i)patience ,f G,vern)ent ,fficial! gre9 9ith each pa!!ing day that br,ught ne9 c,)plicati,n! and hu)an di!a!ter! int, the life ,f b,th Eur,pean and :u!li) p,pulati,n. "he lefti!t Eur,pean g,vern)ent! 9ere !ecretly di!cu!!ing applicati,n ,f ),re Aper!uadingC )eth,d! ,f interr,gati,n !ince their ide,l,gy ad)itted a A9iderC range ,f interr,gati,n )eth,d! Ain ca!e ,f utter needC, but innu)erable parlia)entary c,))i!!i,n! 9ere vigilant en,ugh t, !tic- t, the letter ,f c,n!tituti,nal la9! and prevented t,, Keal,u! adherent! ,f Adra!ticC )eth,d! fr,) pu!hing their cau!e t,, far. And that )eant delay in ,btaining preci,u! inf,r)ati,n de!pite the heavy pre!!ure put ,n the) by the 9ar that 9a! deva!tating b,th ec,n,)y and p,litical !tructure, t, !ay n,thing ,f innu)er,u! ca!ualtie! and victi)!. 8ay! turned int, 9ee-! and 9ee-! turned int, ),nth!. 8,nald al),!t l,!t trac- ,f ti)e. Gut he did n,t change hi! tactic! ,f !ilence. Until ,ne day he 9a! undeniably c,nfr,nted 9ith !,)e d,cu)ent! f,und after the g,vern)ent;! c,)bing ,ut ,perati,n! ,n a large !cale and c,nnecting hi) directly t, the )ilitant activitie! ,f the EDA. :,!t ,f the) ,n vide, tape!. 5e !hrugged ,ff the ne9 evidence but 9a! f,rced t, c,))ent ,n it, defiantly di!clai)ing it. Gut he felt he 9a! l,!ing the !,lid gr,und fr,) under hi! feet. Alth,ugh he c,ntinued t, deny any evidence again!t hi), the very nece!!ity ,f denial engaged hi) int, further tal- 9ith hi! interr,gat,r. Dieutenant Van Graa-!el )anaged t, pr,v,-e hi) int, !harp critici!)! ,f E!la) and it! p,pulati,n in Eur,pe. "he lieutenant;! ,9n attitude t,9ard E!la) 9a! Huite p,!itive, even t, the e2tent ,f al),!t !e2ual ad,rati,n. And that led even t, h,t di!cu!!i,n! 9ith 8,nald 7,!! during the interr,gati,n h,ur!. At that ti)e Dieutenant Van Graa-!el 9a! ,n the p,int ,f per!,nal c,nver!i,n hi)!elf, 9hich 9a! largely due t, the fact that he had !c,red n, particular vict,rie! 9here the ,ther !e2 9a! c,ncerned. 5e h,ped that bec,)ing :u!li) 9,uld enable hi) t, acHuire a far better advantage 9ith regard t, c,nHuering 9,)en 9h,, 9ithin the traditi,nal culture ,f E!la), 9ere n, ),re than !lave! blindly ,beying ,rder! ,f their )ale ,9ner!. 6ne day Dieutenant van Graa-!el !aid t, 8,nald, P:r. 7,!!, E;) auth,riKed t, tell y,u that t,),rr,9 y,u;ll be tran!ferred t, "he 5ague and the !pecial jail ,f the Enternati,nal U "ribunal. .r,) n,9 ,n, y,ur ca!e 9ill be c,n!idered by the Enternati,nal 5ague "ribunal.C

&%1

5e )ade a 9ide ge!ture 9ith hi! hand!. AE d,n;t -n,9 9hether it 9ill )a-e y,u any happier, but it l,,-! li-e 9e !plit and pr,bably y,u;ll !hed n, tear!.C 5e giggled at hi! ,9n j,-e happily. 8,nald !hrugged, AI,ur charge again!t )e E ta-e it, !till re)ain! n,t pr,ven. I,u;ve achieved n,thingC A6h, ye!, 9e have. I,u betB We have vide, d,cu)ent! at ,ur di!p,!al that pr,ve y,ur direct inv,lve)ent 9ith the EDA. And y,ur per!,nal leader!hip ,f the EDA i! n, ),re hyp,thetical than the u!ual !,lid fact! ,f life. I,u can be !ure ,f that, :r. 7,!!. Et i! n,t 9ith,ut rea!,n that y,ur att,rney :r. 7,b Van 8aal ha! n,t ha!tened t, y,ur !ucc,r. 5e ha! been a great help t, u! in the un)a!-ing ,f y,ur real activitie! ,ver the la!t year!. Et;! a pity he did it t,, late. Gy d,ing it earlier he c,uld have averted at lea!t )aj,r di!a!ter! cau!ed by y,u and y,ur ,utfit in Eur,pe and el!e9here. Gut 9e have pard,ned hi) becau!e he 9ill be ,ne ,f the chief 9itne!!e! ,f the pr,!ecuti,n in c,urt.C AWhat ab,ut hi! !9,rn duty ,f n,t revealing hi! client!;! !ecret!JC Dieutenant Pi)p ch,rtled. AA! far a! that i! c,ncerned, :r. 7,!!, d,n;t y,u 9,rry. 5e ha! changed hi! pr,fe!!i,nal ,rientati,n. And he c,n!idered it hi! duty t, reveal y,ur terr,ri!t activity t, u!. We are n,t afraid t, di!cl,!e the identity ,f ,ur !ecret inf,r)er t, y,u, :r. 7,!!, becau!e !,,ner ,r later y,u 9ill be c,nfr,nted 9ith hi) and y,u 9,n;t be able t, thin- ,f any !ubterfuge t, di!pr,ve hi! te!ti),ny. And let )e tell y,u !traight, :r. 7,!!, y,u 9ill never !ee y,ur per!,nal freed,) again, a! far a! E can !ee. S, y,u 9,n;t be able t, d, anything t, hi). <u!t be !ure ,f that. either y,u n,r y,ur friend!.C 5e grinned c,)placently and ,rdered the turn-ey! t, ta-e 8,nald a9ay, 9ith,ut !aying a! )uch a! g,,d/bye. En the evening, bac- in hi! cell, he th,ught ,ver he;d been t,ld by the lieutenant. Van Graa-!el;! allu!i,n! )ight have been ,ne ,f the 9ay! t, inti)idate ,r at lea!t fru!trate hi). Gut n,9 he 9a! !,)eh,9 !ure there )u!t be !,)e truth in 9hat the lieutenant clai)ed. After the revelati,n ,f Dieutenant Pi)p it 9a! clear 9here the lea- had ,ccurred. What c,uld 7,b;! ),tivati,n have beenJ "here had never been any !ign ,f 7,b;! being capable ,f betrayal. At lea!t any vi!ible !ign ,f it. Wa! it becau!e ,f hi! generally intr,vert characterJ 6r 9a! there any ,ther rea!,n that )ight n,t be !, e2plicitJ Et 9a! i)p,!!ible in 8,n; pre!ent !ituati,n t, !,lve the )y!tery ,f the!e c,nundru)!. Gut 9hat the lieutenant had n,t t,ld 9a! 9hether 7,b had been their infiltrant fr,) the very !tart. 5e )ight have been, ,f c,ur!e. Well, ju!t in ca!e inf,r)ati,n ab,ut the bul- ,f the EDA;! !trategy and field acti,n! had really lea-ed ,ut he 9,uld then try t, u!e the !ituati,n at lea!t t, the advantage ,f the cau!e. 8a)n the ,ld Van 8aalB 5e had al9ay! been a !l,bbery ,pp,rtuni!t but !ee)ed a g,,d pr,fe!!i,nal. 8,nald th,ught that fr,) n,9 ,n he had n, ,ther ch,ice than t, lay hi! card! up,n the table. ,t all ,f the). S,)e ,f the), at lea!t. Gut he !h,uld play the) 9ell and be utterly careful ab,ut that. 5i! di!advantage 9a! that ,ver the late!t ),nth! !ince hi! arre!t he had had n, clue 9hatever a! t, the !tate ,f thing! in Eur,pe and the 9,rld. Dieutenant van Graa-!el preferred

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t, -eep hi) c,)pletely in the dar- ab,ut 9hat 9a! g,ing ,n. And that 9a! the harde!t part ,f it all. "he tribunal / he th,ught 9ith a 9ry grin. Suddenly an idea cr,!!ed hi! )ind, perhap! le2ically derivative ,f the 9,rd AtribunalC. Ie!, that 9a! it. $ure%aB "he 5ague "ribunal c,uld be turned int, a !,rt ,f tribune. A brilliant ,pp,rtunity ,f !preading their idea!. At lea!t if the !e!!i,n! 9,uld be ,pen b,th f,r public and pre!!. :aybe he 9,uld fall a !acrifice t, hi! ,9n idea and 9,uld ulti)ately bec,)e it! victi). Gut f,r the !a-e ,f their c,)),n cau!e at lea!tB "he th,ught )ade hi) al),!t happy and even i)pr,ved hi! !leep. 5i! la!t !leep in that cell. Even the na-ed bulb under the ceiling did n,t b,ther hi) any),re. ,t that he didn;t feel it! !teady light thr,ugh hi! eyelid!. Gut n,9 that he felt in!pired by hi! fre!h idea the da)n bulb didn;t )atter that )uch. 5i! ,nly regret, f,r the ti)e being, 9a! that he 9a!n;t updated a! yet ,n 9hat 9a! g,ing ,n ,ut!ide hi! pri!,n. "hat night he didn;t drea) and n, night)are! t,rtured hi) 9ith vi!i,n! ,f hi! per!,nal freed,) that 9a! l,!t in !,)e grue!,)e 9ay. "hi! ti)e all 9a! Huiet and 9hen he 9,-e up in the early ),rning he even felt he had had a g,,d night;! re!t. 5e pu!hed hi)!elf int, a !itting p,!iti,n ,n hi! bun- and tried t, )u!ter hi! th,ught! t, face up t, the un-n,9n that that 9a! a9aiting hi). After the u!ual ),rning pr,cedure! and the brea-fa!t that 9a! al9ay! the !a)e every ),rning he 9a! )anacled and put bet9een t9, unif,r)ed and heavily ar)ed p,lice)en in an ar),red car 9ith !)all barred 9ind,9!. Dieutenant Pi)perd,n- van Graa-!el didn;t !h,9 up, but a! !,,n a! 8,nald and hi! guard! 9ere in the car it 9a! put in gear and dre9 a9ay fr,) the -erb. "hen, !9inging ar,und, it 9hi!-ed thr,ugh the ,pen gate, gaining !peed and the high9ay leading t, the 5ague. @5AP"E7 31 8,nald c,uldn;t !ee )uch ,f the place he 9a! being ta-en t, , e2cept f,r the di)ly lit pa!!age! he 9a! being led thr,ugh, hi! hand! )anacled. 5e c,uld ,nly !ur)i!e that he 9a! n,9 in!ide the !pecial jail ,f the Enternati,nal 5ague "ribunal. S,)e9here here :il,!ic 9a! being -ept, t,,. "he fa),u! :il,!ic 9h, had !een n, end t, hi! legal pr,cedure ,ver the pa!t fe9 year!. Wa! there the !a)e fate in !t,re f,r hi), t,,J 5e 9a! ,rdered t, face a 9all 9hile the guard! 9ere ,pening the d,,r ,f a cell that 9a! !upp,!ed t, be hi!. At la!t he 9a! pu!hed int, it. "he guard! t,,- hi! )anacle! ,ff and the -ey crea-ed ru!tily behind hi! bac-. 5e t,,- in the cell that fr,) n,9 ,n 9a! t, be hi! d9elling. Et 9a! !lightly larger than hi! previ,u! cell in Udrecht but furni!hed )uch in the !a)e 9ay. "he table, th,ugh, 9a! !,)e9hat larger ,r !ee)ed t, be !,. "he bed 9a! very )uch li-e hi! bed ,r rather bun- in the ,ther pri!,n ,r 9hatever it 9a!. Gut unli-e previ,u!ly there 9a! at lea!t ,ne chair in the cell. "he ,nly 9ind,9 9a! high up the 9all and heavily barred, and fr,) the )iddle ,f the ceiling a bulb hung very )uch li-e the ,ne in the previ,u! cell. S,, he c,ncluded, there 9a! little change in hi! !ituati,n.

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5e ea!ed hi! b,dy int, the chair 9ith !,)e enj,y)ent, even relief, and grinned 9ryly. Even in jail y,u can have y,ur little plea!ure!, pr,vided y,u are n,t t,, pa)pered and d,n;t reHuire t,, )uch fr,) life. Why n,t, da)n itB After a cheerle!! and chairle!! !tay in that ,ther cell, thi! 9a! at lea!t !,)e i)pr,ve)ent. E!pecially if y,u re)e)bered the fa),u! refrain fr,) V,ltaire;! ASadigue ,r 8e!tinyC / Aall change! f,r the better in thi! be!t ,f all 9,rld!C. 5i! ,9n ,pti)i!) gre9 t, the e2tent ,f feeling the fir!t pric-! ,f hunger. And a! if in an!9er t, ,ne ,f hi! natural nece!!itie! a dinner 9a! br,ught t, hi) and, the !)all 9ic-et in the d,,r having been ,pened, thru!t ,n a tray int, hi! cell. 5e deftly caught it and t,,- it t, the table. "he )enu l,,-ed i)pr,ved, t,,. "here 9a! a hint ,f )eat in the !,up and he had genuine )eatball! f,r the !ec,nd c,ur!e. 5e felt a! if a !tiff drin- 9,uld d, hi) a 9,rld ,f g,,d, but that !ee)ed ,ut ,f the Hue!ti,n f,r the ti)e being. 5e felt raven,u! and attac-ed hi! )eal, uncritical ,f it! Huality. Et 9a! after the )eal that he under!t,,d it 9a! by far ),re delici,u! than the ,ne! he had eaten at the Secret Service jail in Udrecht. Several day! pa!!ed !ince he;d been tran!ferred t, the 5ague and n,thing happened. Until ,ne day he 9a! ta-en t, the building 9here the "ribunal held it! !itting!. 5e 9a! led by the f,ur guard! int, the d,c- in the c,urtr,,) fr,) 9here he faced the three judge! ,ccupying their !eat! and the Public Pr,!ecutri2 :r!. @arla della .,nte t, the right ,f the). "he judge! 9ere the !a)e that c,nducted the unfini!hed trial ,f :il,!ic. "hey 9ere !till bu!y 9ith it. Gut n,9 they burdened the)!elve! 9ith a ne9 trial / that ,f 8,nald 7,!!. 5e !canned the pe,ple a!!e)bled in the va!t hall t, 9itne!! the trial. "here 9ere al!, )a!! )edia j,urnali!t! attending the c,urt. :uch t, hi! per!,nal gl,ating !ati!facti,n, he !p,tted the @ @ celebrity @hri!ta 5,r!eface a),ng the) in the c,urtr,,). "here 9ere !,)e ,ther pe,ple pre!ent 9h,) he c,uld n,t identify. :aybe they 9ere repre!entative! ,f the United Eur,pe;! ruling cliHue. Gut he 9a! n,t t,tally !ure ,f that. Et 9a! nine ,;cl,c- in the ),rning 9hen a v,ice !ang ,ut, Aall ri!eBC "hree judge! )ade their appearance in a !,le)n pr,ce!!i,n and t,,- their !eat! in the high/bac-ed chair!. "hen a judge 9h, !at in the central chair and 9a! apparently the @hair)an l,,-ed in 8,nald;! directi,n, cleared hi! thr,at, and !aid, A8efendant, plea!e tell u! y,ur c,rrect na)e, nati,nality, birthplace, and birthdate.C "hi! ti)e, hi! already finally deci!i,n )ade, 8,nald t,ld the c,urt 9hat he 9a! a!-ed t,. AI,u have n, att,rney at pre!ent E ta-e it, :r. 7,!!. S, y,u can ch,,!e a la9yer bef,re thi! c,urt pr,ceed!. En ca!e y,u have n, ch,ice ,r p,!!ibility t, ch,,!e ,ne an att,rney pr, de, can be app,inted by thi! c,urt right n,9.C AE need n, att,rney. E can defend )y ca!e, if there i! ,ne, ,n )y ,9n.C A"he legal pr,cedure reHuire!, th,ugh, that every defendant !h,uld al9ay! have an att,rney, :r. 7,!!.C AE refu!e t, c,ntact any la9yer. E really d,. E have t,ld y,u !,.C "he judge! c,n!ulted 9ith each ,ther f,r a fe9 !ec,nd!. 6bvi,u!ly they decided n,t t, 9a!te ),re ti)e ,n that pr,ble) and the judge in the central chair 9h, by all acc,unt! 9a!

&%(

the @hair)an ,f the "ribunal !tarted reading fr,) a !heet ,f paper he 9a! h,lding in hi! hand!, A8efendant 8,nald 7,!!, y,u are indicted f,r gen,cide ,n the ba!i! ,f raci!), being the principal auth,r ,f the in!tigating raci!t and terr,ri!t in!tructi,n entitled P:anife!t, ,f Diberati,n; and creating an illegal )ilitant ,rganiKati,n that 9age! a ruthle!! raci!t 9ar again!t :u!li) citiKen! and :u!li) re!ident! ,f Eur,pean c,untrie!, u!ing the )eth,d! banned by the civiliKed de),cratic !tate! and thu! brea-ing the la9! ,f th,!e !tate!. Et 9a! y,u 9h, t,gether 9ith y,ur acc,)plice! )a!ter)inded c,n!piracy again!t de),cracy and it 9a! y,u 9h, )a!ter)inded the gen,cide. I,u and y,ur illegal ,rganiKati,n have c,))itted blatant cri)e! again!t hu)anity and the de),cratic principle! ,f eHuality and free e2erci!e ,f religi,u! vie9!, and a variety ,f vari,u! culture! in the free de),cratic c,untrie! ,f the United Eur,pe. :,re,ver, y,u have c,))itted unprecedented cri)e! ,f gen,cide, t,rture, and )urder in the c,untrie! ,f the :iddle Ea!t and have -illed it! ,ut!tanding leader! li-e Abu Dala and !,)e ,f hi! allie!, having previ,u!ly t,rtured the). I,u and y,ur a!!,ciate! ,f the EDA are accu!ed ,f !ubver!ive activitie! again!t the Eur,pean g,vern)ent! ch,!en de),cratically by the pe,ple! ,f Eur,pe. 8efendant 8,nald 7,!!, d, y,u rec,gniKe y,ur!elf guilty ,f all the!e cri)e! c,))itted by y,ur!elf and by y,ur acc,)plice!JC AE d,n;tB Milling fanatical terr,ri!t! i! n,t gen,cide. Et i! ju!tice.C A6h, reallyJ We have !ufficient evidence again!t y,u and the EDA headed by y,u and y,ur acc,)plice!.C 8,nald 7,!! !hrugged and replied t, hi! pr,!ecut,r!, A"hi! i! n,t the gi!t ,f the )atter, I,ur 5,n,r. "he e!!ential p,int i! in the de),cratic rec,gniti,n ,f the difference ,f ,pini,n! in a !,ciety that dee)! it!elf de),cratic, but 9here, in fact, all p,9er i! u!urped by cr,,-! 9h, have !,ld the ideali!tic principle! ,f de),cracy t, the fa!ci!t tyranny and ide,l,gy ,f E!la). And th,!e cr,,-! have !uppre!!ed and raped all the principle! ,f de),cracy and decency.C AWhich d,e! n,t ju!tify vi,lence, t,rture! , and )urder u!ed by y,ur cri)inal ,rganiKati,n a! the Public Pr,!ecutri2 i! g,ing t, de),n!trate t, thi! c,urt, 9hich de),n!trati,n either 9ill per!uade thi! c,urt ,r di!!uade it a! c,ntrary t, the true and !,lid fact!. S, n,9 the Public Pr,!ecutri2 :r!. @arla della .,nte i! being a!-ed t, pre!ent her ca!e t, thi! "ribunal.C 8,nald 9a! !tunned by the fl,9 ,f detail! enu)erated by the Public Pr,!ecutri2. Gut !he had little t, !ay ab,ut hi! ,9n activitie! e2cept by bit! and piece!. 5e felt b,th a)u!ed and hurt by thi! !,rt ,f belittle)ent ,f hi! per!,nal c,ntributi,n int, the cau!e ,f the EDA. 6f c,ur!e, 7,b Van 8aal had n,t been that )uch inv,lved in all their )eeting! and deci!i,n )a-ing. Gut he und,ubtedly -ne9 en,ugh t, 9itne!! again!t hi). 8,nald 9,ndered if 7,b !till had acce!! t, the 5eadHuarter! ,f the EDA 9hile he / 8,nald 7,!! / 9a! here. "he da)age already cau!ed by the trait,r c,uld hardly be ,vere!ti)ated. 8,nald 9a! cl,!e t, de!perati,n becau!e he 9a! helple!! t, 9arn the EDA. :ean9hile the fir!t !e!!i,n dre9 t, it!

&%0

end and !,,n 8,nald 9a! ta-en bac- t, hi! cell. "here 9a! )uch t, p,nder ,n. S, he ate up hi! dinner rather ab!tractedly, hi! th,ught! never relinHui!hing the event! ,f the day and c,nclu!i,n! that !tarted t, 9,rry hi). Gut he felt tired t, the e2tent ,f c,)plete e2hau!ti,n and the ),)ent he undre!!ed and hit the bun- he 9a! !,und a!leep, bulb ,r n, bulb burning. "he ne2t ),rning he 9,-e up early f,r hi! daily r,utine ,f u!ing hi! t,ilet and 9a!h!tand and eating hi! brea-fa!t. A turn-ey ann,unced t, hi) that he !h,uld be ready f,r that dayC !itting ,f the "ribunal. "here 9a! n,thing )uch t, be d,ne t, get ready. , e2cept f,r adeHuate parrying eventual Hue!ti,n! ,n the part ,f the judge! and the Pr,!ecutri2. S,)ething he had been )ulling ,ver Huite hard bef,re he fell a!leep ye!terday. "he !trategy t, be ad,pted by hi) had t, be rather ,ffen!ive than defen!ive / he th,ught / and he !h,uld -eep hi)!elf 9ell prepared ju!t f,r any !,rt ,f Hue!ti,n! that 9,uld be directed at hi), ,r rather again!t hi). With the )eaning t, catch hi) una9are! ,r trap hi) ,ther9i!e. 5e felt li-e a !,ldier in a trench, ready f,r a !ignal ,f attac- / hi! ,9n ,r that ,f hi! ene)ie!. After hi! brea-fa!t that 9,und up 9ith a cup ,f un!av,ry c,ffee, he )ade a !h,rt ride in an ar),red p,lice )inibu! t, the c,urth,u!e acc,)panied by at lea!t f,ur heavily ar)ed )ilitary p,lice)en. "hen he reappeared in the n,9 fa)iliar d,c- in fr,nt ,f the three <udge! ,f the "ribunal and the Pr,!ecutri2 and t,,- hi! !eat 9ith a cal) dignity. After a futile debate ,ver att,rney the judge! ,ffered t, app,int but 9h,) 8,nald 7,!! refu!ed t, accept the c,urt pr,ceeded it! !itting 9ith n, la9yer repre!enting 8,nald , e2cept f,r hi)!elf. "he @hair)an !aid, A8efendant 8,nald 7,!!, d, y,u plead guilty ,f having planned and carried ,ut an all/,ut raci!t gen,cide again!t pe,ple ,riginating fr,) the "hird W,rld c,untrie! 9h, re!ide in the c,untrie! ,f the United Eur,pe and c,nfe!! the religi,n ,f E!la)J 8, y,u ac-n,9ledge helping creati,n ,f the illegal clande!tine and cri)inal ,rganiKati,n -n,9n a! Enternati,nal Diberati,n Ar)y and in!tigating it! vi,lent activitie! again!t :u!li) pe,ple n,t ,nly in Eur,pe but al!, ,ut!ide ,f itJC AE plead n,t guilty becau!e E d, pr,te!t again!t the 9,rding ,f thi! charge that i! n,thing el!e but a di!t,rti,n ,f the virtual truth ,f the )atter and theref,re the argu)entati,n ,f the charge in )y ,pini,n i! 9h,lly untenable.C AE2plain y,ur!elf ),re !pecifically, defendant 7,!!,C the @hair)an in!i!ted. AWhat y,u call gen,cide, judge, i! ,nly the la!t )ean!, 9hich the indigen,u! Eur,pean pe,ple! 9ere f,rced t, re!,rt t, after )any vain and fruitle!! pr,te!t! again!t c,l,niKati,n ,f their c,untrie! by irrelevant and ,utright h,!tile pe,ple initially pretending t, !ee- the !,/ called Pa!ylu); in their c,untrie! finally inundated by the) ,n a )a!! !cale. "hey created nu)er,u! h,tbed! ,f cri)e and h,!tile pr,paganda in Eur,pe again!t the very pe,ple 9h, gave the) !helter, again!t the pe,ple 9h,!e daily bread9inning 9a! heavily ta2ed by their ,9n auth,ritie! in fav,r ,f the ene)ie! 9h,;d bec,)e their neighb,r! and lived at the e2pen!e ,f l,cal pe,ple. "h,!e g,vern)ent! preferred t, c,ntinue the p,licy ,f !addling their

&%L

,9n pe,ple! 9ith nu)er,u! para!ite! 9h,) they helped t, ta-e bread ,ut ,f the ),uth! ,f Eur,pean children and give it t, cri)inal! and terr,ri!t! fr,) ,ut!ide. Everything 9a! given t, th,!e h,!tile alien! / h,)e!, ),ney, j,b!, !,cial and )edical a!!urance!, all at the e2pen!e ,f the Eur,pean pe,ple! and in the na)e ,f fa-e hu)anity. En return, the!e pe,ple! 9ere f,rced t, )a-e up 9ith cri)e, terr,r, dirt in their !treet! and furi,u! hate in their ,9n h,)e c,untrie! 9here the c,rrupt lefti!t g,vern)ent! gave all the unde!erved pr,tecti,n and !,cial advantage! t, the greedy fanatical h,rde! ,f alien! 9h, paid f,r th,!e advantage! 9ith !c,rn, fraud, and cri)inal behavi,r. "he ,nce high Huality ,f daily life ,f Eur,pean! gradually and !teadily deteri,rated 9hile that ,f the uninvited invader! gre9, dra9ing fr,) three !,urce! / the tre)end,u! !,cial !upp,rt and pr,tecti,n fr,) the l,cal Eur,pean auth,ritie!, financial aid fr,) the :u!li) c,untrie!, and illegal drug! trade 9h,!e additi,nal ai) 9a! t, p,i!,n the Eur,pean y,uth, purp,!efully turning that y,uth int, K,)bie!. "he ,nly -ind ,f c,))unicati,n 9ith ,ther culture! and religi,n! E!la) ac-n,9ledge! i! vi,lence. And that, c,n!eHuently, i)plie! the undeniable fact that they under!tand ,nly the language ,f vi,lence. "heref,re, the ,nly 9ay ,f dealing 9ith the) i! the 9ay ,f vi,lence. When the lefti!t partie! had all p,9er in their hand! in Gelgiu), rebaptiKed n,9 a! :u!li) Mingd,) ,f Gelgi!tan, they yielded that p,9er t, the )ilitant :u!li) gang led by the pre!ent P: Abu I,y,. "he ),)ent they !eiKed all p,9er in that c,untry, !pecial :u!li) gr,up! under Abu I,y,;! ,rder! ble9 up and burned d,9n all the <e9i!h !ynag,gue! and dr,ve the <e9i!h p,pulati,n int, !everal rapidly created !pecial c,ncentrati,n ca)p! 9here they built ga! in!tallati,n! t, -ill the <e9! ,n a )a!! !cale ju!t li-e the naKi! did ,ver half a century ag,. And y,ur "ribunal d,e!n;t budge a finger in defen!e ,f th,!e victi)! ,f :u!li) vi,lence. "hat i! n,t gen,cide in y,ur eye!. Gecau!e Eur,pe ha! al9ay! per!ecuted and -illed the <e9!. And n,9 9hen the :u!li)! d, it y,u prefer t, l,,- the ,ther 9ay. Et i! c,nvenient f,r y,u thi! 9ay, i!n;t itJ Gut the !a)e l,t can befall thi! c,untry, t,,, and it 9ill be rebaptiKed a! 5,llandi!tan...C he 9a! !uddenly interrupted by @arla della .,nte 9h, pr,te!ted, A6bjecti,n, I,ur 5,n,rB "he defendant ha! !9erved fr,) the gi!t ,f the )atter. E d, pr,te!t.C ASu!tained,C 9a! the @hair)an;! an!9er, Ay,u )ay pr,ceed, defendant 7,!!.C A"han- y,u, I,ur 5,n,r. Di-e E !aid, ,nly ,ne 9ay ,ut re)ained / that ,f vi,lence again!t vi,lence. "here 9a! n, ,ther 9ay t, !ha-e ,ff the y,-e ,f E!la) and it! gr,9ing p,pulati,n in Eur,pe, apart fr,) u!ing a heavily ar)ed f,rce...C At thi! p,int the @hair)an interrupted 8,nald, A8efendant 7,!!, plea!e be ),re !pecific a! far a! y,ur ,9n per!,nal part in creati,n and leading the EDA i! c,ncerned. Spea- ),re t, the p,int.C AE a) ),!t happy t, have been the ,ne 9h, had the h,n,r ,f devi!ing and creating the Enternati,nal Diberati,n Ar)y that i! the ,nly in!tru)ent ,f clean!ing the !uffering Eur,pe fr,) the danger ,f h,!tile culture!N the danger that threatened t, 9ipe ,ut the very )e),ry ,f

&%?

the great Eur,pean culture fr,) the face ,f the earth. We, the ,nly re)aining patri,t! banned and !uppre!!ed by the ruling lefti!t partie!, 9ere able t, ta-e dra!tic acti,n again!t the 9,r!t evil in the 9,rld, defending the ),!t !acred value! and the ,riginal principle! ,f true de),cracy again!t b,th the aggre!!ive E!la) and deceitful Eur,pean lefti!t!.C "he judge !itting t, the left ,f the @hair)an a!-ed, A8efendant 7,!!, E;) curi,u! t, -n,9 9hy d, y,u c,nnect the lefti!t p,litical partie! ,f Eur,pe t, the !,/called E!la) )enaceJC A"here e2i!t! a direct ide,l,gical and p,litical c,nnecti,n.C JJJ AE;ll try t, e2plain. Et i! 9ell -n,9n that the ide,l,gy and p,litical !y!te) a! 9ell a! the !,cial ,rder ,f E!la), all ,f the) fully ba!ed ,n their !acred b,,- Our;an, have created a -ind ,f t,talitarian rule pervading all 9al-! ,f life. "hu!, it i! ba!ed ,n t,talitariani!). "he 9,rld ha! plenty ,f e2perience ,f ,ther t,talitarian !y!te)! in )any re!pect! a-in t, that ,f E!la). Such a! c,))uni!), nati,nal/!,ciali!), and ju!t !,ciali!). What they have in c,)),n 9ith E!la) i! ab,li!hing ba!ic de),cratic right! ,f c,)),n pe,ple li-e the freed,) ,f !peech, 9hich i! ,ne ,f the ba!ic n,ti,n! ,f de),cracy 9ith,ut 9hich de),cracy i! n, de),cracy. All the!e t,talitarian !y!te)! lace up the ),uth! ,f l,cal pe,ple, f,rce their ,9n t,talitarian principle! up,n the), !trangling every initiative in vari,u! field! ,f p,litical and religi,u! life. Gut E!la) i! even far 9,r!e than the Eur,pean t,talitariani!). Et ha! fully en!laved and brain9a!hed 9,)en, having turned the) int, d,cile d,)e!tic !ervant! 9h,!e ta!- i! t, bear children and rai!e the), and t, ,cca!i,nally give up their live! in terr,ri!t activitie!. Et prefer! t, -eep the) ign,rant a! the Gactrian e2a)ple ha! clearly !h,9n. @,))uni!), ati,nal S,ciali!), and S,ciali!), 9hich i! ),re hyp,critical than the fir!t t9,, en!lave pe,ple !piritually. E!la) d,e! it b,th !piritually and b,dily. "hat;! 9hy it i! 9,r!e and reHuire! a d,uble eff,rt t, fight it bac- and even -ill it a! the 9,r!t evil ,n the planet Earth...C @arla della .,nte ju)ped t, her feet again, turning t, the @hair)an, A6bjecti,n, I,ur 5,n,rB "he defendant i! )a-ing a pr,paganda !peech that i! irrelevant...C ASu!tained,C the @hair)an !aid. 8,nald re!u)ed, ADi-e E !aid, the purp,!e ,f creati,n ,f the EDA, 9hich ha! gr,9n int, a p,pular ),ve)ent, 9a! and re)ain! a bitter unc,)pr,)i!ing !truggle again!t E!la), it! allie!, and adherent!. E!la) d,e! n,t under!tand any ,ther language e2cept the language ,f utter vi,lence.C "he judge t, the right ,f the @hair)an a!-ed, AGut there are )any ),derate :u!li)! 9h, prefer n,t t, f,ll,9 the path ,f vi,lence.C

&%'

AIe!, judge, there are. E agree. Gut y,u can r,ughly divide the) int, t9, gr,up! / th,!e 9h, pa!!ively accept the ,rder! ,f their ruler! and can ea!ily be in!tigated t, c,))it vi,lent act! under certain circu)!tance! and turn a! vi,lent a! the activi!t!. 6nly ,n a larger !cale. <u!t l,,- at th,!e innu)erable cr,9d! ,f raging :u!li)! in the !treet! ,f their ,9n and Eur,pean citie!, at their fanatical devili!h face! di!t,rted by fury and bea!tly hatred. "hey )ay !ee) P),derate; !,)eti)e!. Gut they f,r) a va!t )aj,rity. "he ,ther gr,up c,n!i!t! ,f ,nly a fe9 fairly rare intellectual! 9h, d, n,t repre!ent the true nature and !pirit ,f E!la) and theref,re d, n,t c,unt. "hey are a very !)all gr,up, indeed. A P),derate; E!la) d,e! n,t e2i!t. "here are !ch,lar! that !upp,rt the Pthe,ry; ,f ),derate E!la), but they are u!ually univer!ity ,rientali!t! 9h, cann,t d, better than !pread )yth! ab,ut a Ppeaceful; E!la). "hey are !i)ply e)pl,yed by the pr,/E!la) lefti!t g,vern)ent! t, c,nfu!e the )ind! ,f the c,)),n p,pulati,n. "hey !i)ply d, their h,)e9,r- received fr,) their high/placed lefti!t e)pl,yer! 9h, abu!e their p,9er t, pur!ue their ,9n end!. "a-e Pre!ident :erdac, f,r in!tance. 5e i! a !tinging di!grace f,r hi! ,9n c,untry ju!t becau!e he i! a nerd given full p,9er by the .rench :u!li), pr,/:u!li), and anti/Se)itic ele)ent!...C @arla della .,nte ju)ped again, A6bjecti,n, I,ur 5,n,r, the defendant in!ult! ,ne ,f the 9,rld leader!... ASu!tained, :)e Pr,!ecutri2. Det the defendant r,und up hi! !tate)ent. Et;! i)p,rtant f,r u! t, learn the )echani!) and ide,l,gical bac-gr,und ,f the EDA;! gen,cide activitie!. I,u )ay pr,ceed, defendant. Gut y,u )u!t -eep cl,!er t, the p,int.C 8,nald 9ent ,n, A"he !,urce ,f :u!li) in!pirati,n, a! i! 9ell -n,9n, i! their !acred b,,- Our;an devi!ed al),!t ,ne and a half th,u!and year! ag, in a di!tant de!ert by the 9ild f,ll,9er! ,f a half )ad)an 9h, 9a! called by hi! adherent! Pr,phet :ah,)a. "hi! b,,- 9a! c,)p,!ed by the) ,n the ba!i! ,f Pr,phet :ah,)a;! 9ild raving! full ,f hatred and Ker, t,lerance ,f the ,ther t9, great religi,n! ,f the 9,rld that e2i!ted in that regi,n. En thi! re!pect, 9e can dra9 a parallel bet9een the idea! ,f the i)pi,u! Our;an and, parad,2ically, th,!e ,f 5itler e2pre!!ed in hi! n,t,ri,u! P:ein Ma)pf; that !a9 light ,nly half a century ag,. G,th b,,-! are full ,f hatred ,f <e9! and call f,r their phy!ical de!tructi,n. "he evil Our;an al!, call! f,r -illing @hri!tian! and all ,f th,!e 9h, d, n,t accept E!la) a! religi,n and a 9ay ,f life. .,r E!la) i! ),re than ju!t a religi,n. Et i! an ide,l,gy that )elt! p,litical and !,cial !y!te)! int, ,ne and turn! pe,ple int, !lave!. G,th Pr,phet :ah,)a and 5itler in!tigated hatred again!t the <e9i!h pe,ple ,nly becau!e the <e9! 9ere a),ng the fir!t )e!!enger! ,f G,d ,n Earth.C Pr,!ecutri2 @arla della .,nte ju)ped up again, al),!t in a fury, her face cri)!,n 9ith indignati,n a! if !he;d been ,utraged per!,nally, A6bjecti,n, I,ur 5,n,rB We d,n;t need t, li!ten t, the defendant;! per!,nal religi,u! c,nvicti,n! and the,rie!. "hey are irrelevant. 5e )u!t be ),re !pecific in regard t, hi! per!,nal inv,lve)ent 9ith the gen,cidal cri)e! ,f the !,/called EDA.C

&%3

ASu!tained. "he degree ,f relevance 9ill be e!tabli!hed in the c,ur!e ,f thi! interr,gati,n. Gut E d, agree 9ith y,u, :)e Pr,!ecutri2, that the defendant i! e2pected t, d9ell ),re ,n hi! ,9n and hi! illegal ,rganiKati,n;! cri)inal activitie!. Plea!e, defendant, pr,ceed n,9 9ith the full e)pha!i! ,n y,ur per!,nal a! 9ell a! the EDA;! cri)inal acti,n! that led t, the civil 9ar n,9 raging al),!t all ,ver Eur,pe. I,u are the )a!ter)ind behind it and y,u )u!t n,t ,nly ac-n,9ledge y,ur cri)inal activitie! but al!, reveal t, u! the full !cale ,f the). "hi! c,uld enable the g,vern)ent ,f the United Eur,pe t, deal 9ith the !ituati,nN and, 9h, -n,9!, )aybe y,ur !incere c,nfe!!i,n! c,uld lead t, )a-ing y,ur per!,nal c,nditi,n ea!ier.C AEn ,ther 9,rd!, y,u 9ant )e t, betray ,ur ),ve)ent and )y c,)rade!/in/ar)! and friend!, I,ur 5,n,rJC AWe 9ant y,u t, be prudent. Ge!ide!, gen,cide ha! been c,nde)ned by a nu)ber ,f internati,nal treatie! and agree)ent! a! a greate!t cri)e again!t hu)anity. What d, y,u )a-e ,f it, defendant 7,!!JC AS, )any pe,ple, !, )any vie9!, I,ur 5,n,r. E c,n!ider e2ter)inati,n n,t fr,) the pr,!pective ,f it! general definiti,n and in thi! re!pect, E feel inclined t, !hare y,ur angle ,n it. Gut 9hat E really )ean i! that under certain circu)!tance!, e2ter)inati,n )ay bec,)e the ,nly efficient 9eap,n again!t !uch a dire ene)y a! E!la) and it can be ju!tified a! !uch 9hen there i! n, ,ther )ean! t, fight bac- the gl,bally pernici,u! evil. Ie!, E d, ac-n,9ledge the fact that E really have c,ntributed t, the cau!e ,f it! e2ter)inati,n, intending it a! a nece!!ary inti)idating )ean! t, achieve the g,al! ,f ,ur re!i!tance ),ve)ent. E !a9 n, ,ther 9ay ,f e2pul!i,n ,f the !9,rn ene)ie! ,f ,ur We!tern !,ciety fr,) the Eur,pean territ,ry. Gut E;) pr,ud ,f it becau!e it ha! 9,r-ed t, a large e2tent and 9ill d, !, until n,t a !ingle ene)y ,f the Eur,pean! re)ain! in Eur,pe. E d, n,t plead guilty becau!e E thin- p,!itive ab,ut thi! !pecific f,r) ,f e2ter)inati,n 9hen the freed,) ,f Eur,pe and the 9h,le n,n/:u!li) 9,rld i! at !ta-e. Ge!ide!, the !,/called P)ulticultural; !,ciety in Eur,pe p,!e! a definite threat t, the traditi,nal Eur,pean culture! that characteriKe Eur,pe. "he hi!t,rical face ,f Eur,pe i! )ulticultural en,ugh, 9ith,ut any i)p,!iti,n ,f t,tally alien, even h,!tile culture! ,n it. D,,at 9hat ha! happened in the f,r)er S,viet Uni,n. "he c,))uni!t! tried t, create the !,/ called S,viet, !,ciali!t culture and i)p,!e it ,n the pe,ple! ,f the !,viet 7ed E)pire a! a !ub!tituti,n ,f their ,9n traditi,nal culture!. And 9hat ha! ulti)ately bec,)e ,f their eff,rtJ Where i! n,9 thi! e)pire that !ee)ed !, p,9erfulJ Et ha! fallen apart, vani!hed. "hat;! ,ne ,f the rea!,n! 9hy 9e put up a !tr,ng re!i!tance t, the atte)pt! ,f We!tern !,ciali!t fa!ci!t! t, repeat the failed S,viet Pe2peri)ent; at the e2pen!e ,f the l,!! ,f ,ne ,f the ,lde!t culture! in the 9,rld. A culture, E repeat it, i! )ulticultural in it!elf, 9ith,ut alien ad)i2ture ,f adver!e ele)ent! in it! !tructure!. "hat;! 9hy 9e;ve ch,!en t, defend it again!t th,!e adver!e and !ubver!ive ele)ent! t, the be!t ,f ,ur ability.C

&1%

AWhat d, y,u )ean by the Pli)ited; and P!pecific; f,r) ,f eradicati,n that y,u are !, pr,ud ,fJC the Pr,!ecutri2 a!-ed !c,rnfully, ign,ring 8,nald;! la!t pr,n,unce)ent and trying t, re!train her anger. At lea!t ,ut9ardly. AI,u;re b,ring 9ith y,ur !tupid Hue!ti,n! and a!!erti,n!, :)e Pr,!ecutri2. "he )eaning Pli)ited; i! u!ed in ter)! ,f f,cu!!ing the brunt ,f puni!h)ent ,n the !ubver!ive h,!tile ele)ent!,C 8,nald !aid. AWatch y,ur language, defendant 7,!!,C the @hair)an !aid. AGut y,ur cri)inal )ilitant! -illed al!, :u!li) children. E!n;t that di!gu!tingJC @arla della .,nte in!i!ted. Shrugging, 8,nald 7,!! c,ntinued, AI,u have t, de!tr,y the), t,,, in the l,ng run. Et d,e!n;t )atter at all 9hether the :,r,ccan!, f,r e2a)ple, plague y,u a! gr,9n/up! ,r if it;! their ind,ctrinated pr,geny that d,e! it. Gut any 9ar 9hatever i! a dirty bu!ine!!. A! f,r :u!li) children, they are very ,ften u!ed by :u!li) gr,9n/up! t, a!!ault and !,)eti)e! -ill ,ur ,9n !eni,r citiKen! and ,ur ,9n -id!. "he :u!li) fanatic! in ),!Hue! ea!ily incite the). "hey are t,ld by their gr,9n/up! that, f,r e2a)ple, t, !teal fr,) the infidel!; !h,p! and !uper)ar-et! i! a Ph,ly; bu!ine!!, 9hile !tealing in their ,9n :u!li) c,untrie! i! puni!hed by cutting ,ff hand!. Ge!ide!, :u!li) children ,ften 9aylay <e9i!h children ,n their 9ay t, !ynag,gue and !t,ne the). We did intervene in !uch ca!e! t, pr,tect the victi)! ,f !t,ning attac-!. S,)eti)e! 9e 9ere f,rced t, ,pen fire ,n !,)e ,f th,!e evil y,ung!ter! t, teach the) a g,,d le!!,n. I,u c,uld call it gen,cide, but 9e prefer t, c,n!ider !uch acti,n! a! pr,tecti,n ,f the 9ea- and helple!! again!t the evil, ruthle!!, and aggre!!ive. 8e),cracy )u!t be !tr,ng and able t, defend it! value! in a ),re efficient 9ay than it really d,e!. 6ther9i!e, it i! d,,)ed t, death. E!pecially n,9aday! 9hen the lefti!t trait,r! )i!u!e it f,r their ,9n di!h,ne!t end!. 6ur fight i! a fight bet9een civiliKati,n and the vici,u! ,b!curanti!t tyranny. And ,nly )eth,d! ,f eradicati,n can 9ipe it ,ut. "he :u!li)! have by n,9 l,!t all the )ar-ing! ,f hu)an being!. "hey de!erve n, better.C "he Pr,!ecutri2 !ee)ed di!gruntled, even red in her face, but ,bvi,u!ly g,t a grip ,n her!elf and !aid, AE d,n;t have further Hue!ti,n!, I,ur 5,n,r,C and !at d,9n. "he @hair)an cleared hi! thr,at and !aid in a level v,ice, A"hi! c,urt 9ill be adj,urned till ten ,;cl,c- t,),rr,9 ),rning.C Everyb,dy !t,,d up and 8,nald;! hand! 9ere )anacled again. 5e 9a! led a9ay. When 8,nald 7,!! 9a! bac- in the pri!,n, he !tarted t, pace up and d,9n in hi! cell, )ulling ,ver hi! dial,gue 9ith the )e)ber! ,f the "ribunal. 5e h,ped the repre!entative! ,f the )a!! )edia 9h, attended the c,urt pr,ceeding! 9,uld !pill the bean!, ,ne 9ay ,r the ,ther. S,,ner ,r later. 5e did n,t -n,9 h,9 )atter! !t,,d 9ith the EDA at thi! ti)e. 5e badly )i!!ed hi! friend!; !upp,rt. 5e )i!!ed Una, her l,ving attenti,n, her very pr,2i)ity. 5e felt l,ne!,)e. A bitter !)ile t,uched hi! lip!, he 9a! a l,ne A9,lfC that 9a! c,)pletely ,n hi! ,9n. Gut he

&11

!h,uld n,t give in. Gy n, )ean!B Ef he gave in right n,9 their 9h,le cau!e 9,uld be l,!t irretrievably. ,t that he ,vere!ti)ated hi! per!,nal r,le, but a virtual l,!! ,f hi! leader!hip, e!pecially if he caved in n,9, 9,uld largely lead t, a l,!! ,f ),rale in the ran-! ,f the re!i!tance ),ve)ent. 5e )u!t be e!pecially careful n,9 that a certain p,!!ibility ,f lea-age fr,) the c,urt pr,ceeding! really e2i!ted due t, the pre!ence ,f th,!e repre!entative! ,f the )a!! )edia 9h, 9,uld be ,nly t,, happy t, ta-e it ,ut ,n hi) f,r hi! negative attitude t,9ard the). Gut thi! 9,uld !erve hi! cau!e better than they c,uld i)agine. E can u!e the bl,,dy ba!tard!, he th,ught 9ith !,)e !ati!facti,n. Ef the EDA ca)e t, learn ,f hi! !taunch unc,)pr,)i!ing !tance, it 9,uld -eep up their ,9n ),rale and efficiency. 5i! friend! 9,uld at lea!t learn ),re ab,ut hi). "hi! th,ught end,9ed hi) 9ith ),re !ta)ina and ),ral !trength t, face up t, 9hatever ca)e hi! 9ay at the trial. "hen hi! th,ught! f,cu!ed ,n 9hat )ight be g,ing ,n in Eur,pe n,9 he had been i!,lated ,ver the la!t ),nth! 9ith,ut any even )ini)al inf,r)ati,n. En the intere!t! ,f the trial, they t,ld hi). 5e 9,ndered 9hat the EDA 9a! d,ing n,9 9ith,ut hi). 8id they g, ,n 9ith their daily !truggleJ And if they did 9hat 9ere their acti,n! n,9J "he!e Hue!ti,n! preyed ,n hi! )ind al),!t every )inute ,f hi! current pri!,n life. @5AP"E7 3& "he ne2t day the trial 9a! bac- in !e!!i,n and the ne2t charge again!t 8,nald 7,!! 9a! c,n!idered. "hi! ti)e it 9a! ab,ut the c,nte)pt by 7,!! and hi! illegal and cri)inal )ilitant ,rganiKati,n ,f the principle ,f )ulticultural c,e2i!tence in Eur,pean c,untrie! a! ad,pted by the de),cratically elected g,vern)ent! and !,ciety. Gut even bef,re that, the )e)ber! ,f the "ribunal in!i!ted ,n clarifying the circu)!tance! ,f the atr,ci,u! )urder ,f Abu Dala and E)a) i!ay. When 8,nald 7,!! 9a! urged t, e2plain that he !aid, AI,u, ladie! and gentle)en, d, n,t repre!ent the !a)e principle! that the Enternati,nal @,urt at ure)berg did. "hey tried the t,talitarian tyranny ,f ati,nal S,ciali!). ",day y,u repre!ent largely the !a)e type ,f tyranny. 6nly y,u di!gui!e it a! de),cracy. I,u defend the t9, fa!ci!t creep! / the chief Phili!tine terr,ri!t Abu Dala and ,ne ,f the leading terr,ri!t! ,f the 9,rld E)a) i!ay. We have e2ecuted b,th ,f the). And E;) pr,ud ,f it.C At thi! ),)ent Pr,!ecutri2 @arla della .,nte r,!e fr,) her !eat and !aid, AI,ur 5,n,r, )ay E re)ind the "ribunal the 9ay E)a) i!ay 9a! e2ecuted ,r, t, be ),re c,rrect, brutally -illedJ AG, ahead.C "he @hair)an !aid. AE)a) i!ay 9a! hanged by hi! beard and burned up t, hi! 9ai!t 9ith a fire fr,) bel,9. "hi! 9a! an unheard ,f atr,city. Wa! it by y,ur ,rder, defendant 7,!!JC

&1&

AEt 9a!. Gut it 9a! n,t unheard ,f. "hi! i! 9hat the :u!li)! ,ften d, t, We!tern pri!,ner! if they get an ,pp,rtunity. And a retaliati,n ,f thi! -ind i! a g,,d re)inder t, the) that they !h,uld e2pect n, better treat)ent. "hat;! the ,nly language they under!tand. A! f,r Abu Dala, 9e didn;t apply thi! )eth,d t, hi) becau!e hi! beard 9a! n,t l,ng en,ugh. S, 9e !i)ply hanged the creep.C A"he 9h,le 9,rld 9a! ,utraged at the atr,ci,u! )urder ,f the frail ,ld )an and ,ne ,f the re!pected 9,rld leader!,C the Pr,!ecutri2 c,))ented. AE c,uldn;t care le!!. Gy re),ving that filth 9e rendered a g,,d !ervice t, the 9,rld. ", hell 9ith b,th creep!.C 8,nald;! v,ice !,unded irritated. AWatch y,ur language, defendantBC the @hair)an rai!ed hi! v,ice. AEt;! difficult t, d,, :r. <udge, e!pecially if ,ne re)e)ber! the di!gu!ting 9ay the da)n Abu Dala 9a! al9ay! pr,tected by the 9,rld de!pite the fact that he headed the pe,ple ,f )urderer! 9h, illegally ,ccupy E!rael;! territ,ry and have !9,rn t, de!tr,y the <e9i!h !tate and !laughter all ,f it! pe,ple in a !ec,nd, even bigger h,l,cau!t.C "he @hair)an !aid, Abut the Enternati,nal @,))unity regard! it ,ther9i!e, defendant.C A6nly th,!e 9h, d,n;t have brain! en,ugh ,r clear c,n!cience can;t !ee ,r d,n;t 9ant t, !ee the truth ,f reality. "he br,ad )a!!e! ,f pe,ple 9h, c,n!titute the p,pulati,n ,f the 9,rld d,n;t have a !ay in all thi!. S,, y,ur AEnternati,nal @,))unityC c,n!i!t! ),!tly ,f leading p,litician! ,r fanatic! 9h, are n, ),re than cr,,-! and cri)inal!N in ,ther 9,rd!, th,!e 9h, )anipulate the )ind!, heart!, the very !,ul! ,f th,!e br,ad )a!!e! behind 9hich they try t, c,nceal the)!elve!, pulling all the !tring! in their ,9n intere!t!. I,u -n,9 it even better becau!e y,u defend their intere!t!, t,,. "heref,re, y,ur !,/called ju!tice i! c,rrupt.C AEf y,u !h,9 c,nte)pt ,f thi! "ribunal again, defendant 7,!!, y,u 9ill ,nly 9,r!en y,ur ,9n !ituati,n.C ADi-e E !aid, E c,uldn;t care le!!,C 8,nald !aid in a defiant v,ice. 6ut ,f the c,rner ,f hi! eye he caught @hri!ta 5,r!eface 9h, 9a! feveri!hly typing ,n her lapt,p. "he bitch 9,uld later pr,vide her 9riting! 9ith !leaKy c,))ent! a! !he al9ay! u!ed t,. Gut a! far a! that 9a! c,ncerned he c,uldn;t care le!!, either. Det the) !pread ne9! ab,ut hi) that 9,uld und,ubtedly reach hi! friend!. "he Pr,!ecutri2 r,!e fr,) her place again, AI,ur 5,n,r, E in!i!t up,n the defendant;! e2plaining h,9 he and hi! illegal ,rganiKati,n br,-e the la9! ad,pted by the United Eur,pe;! ruling e!tabli!h)ent c,ncerning the )ulticultural principle ,f !,ciety in t,day;! Eur,pe. "he !a)e principle, by the 9ay, that ha! al!, been d,)inating the A)erican !cene fr,) the very beginning! ,f that nati,n a! y,u all -n,9. 8efendant 7,!! and hi! ,utla9ed ,rganiKati,n have c,))itted a c,n!tituti,nal cri)e by having vi,lated the!e la9!. @an y,u, defendant 7,!!, e2plain t, thi! c,urt the ),tivati,n behind the vi,lent acti,n! again!t the Eur,pean )ulticultural !,ciety ac-n,9ledged by it! legally ch,!en g,vern)ent!JC

&13

"he @hair)an glanced ,ver at 7,!!. AAn!9er that Hue!ti,n, defendant, 7,!!.C AWe d,n;t c,n!ider the cri)inal Pla9!; ad,pted by the ruling cliHue ,f the United Eur,pe a! valid f,r u!, neither d, 9e accept the) in principle becau!e ,f their depraved nature that 9,r-! again!t the e!!ential intere!t! ,f all Eur,pean pe,ple!. "he!e Eur,pean pe,ple! have never a!-ed t, be i)p,!ed alien culture! ,n the). "he deci!i,n 9a! )ade by the Eur,pean !,ciali!t ruling cliHue! 9h, have never ta-en int, c,n!iderati,n the intere!t! ,f their ,9n pe,ple! but have been acting b,th de!pite the) and again!t the). "he!e pri)itive !,ciali!t! rec-,ned ,nly 9ith the greedy intere!t! ,f the big capital and their ,9n per!,nal pr,fit!. "he Ger)an !,ciali!t! 9ere the fir!t t, d, it. , ,ne -n,9! 9hy they let the unHualified :u!li) 9,r-er! !tay in Eur,pean c,untrie! after the latter had d,ne their 9,r- and 9ere t, leave f,r their ,9n c,untrie!. 5yp,cri!yJ A 9i!h t, retain cheap !ervant! ready t, d, any hard 9,r-J Why did they ch,,!e, f,r that )atter, bac-9ard, illiterate, and c,)pletely unHualified pe,ple a! Pgue!t 9,r-er!;. "hey c,uld have ch,!en far ),re !-illed, Huieter, and unpretenti,u! @hine!e ,r Ea!t Eur,pean!J Why did they prefer :u!li)! 9h, 9ere fanatical, illiterate, in!,lent, arr,gant, aggre!!ive, and p,tentially danger,u!J .,r t9, rea!,n!, E ta-e it, the greedine!! ,f ruling !,ciali!t cliHue! and their p,litical blindne!!. Dater they 9ere f,rced t, ju!tify !,)eh,9 their p,litical )y,pia and !tupidity. Ge!ide!, their natural hyp,cri!y and fal!eh,,d a! 9ell a! their tendency t,9ard d,)inati,n )ade the) ad,pt the cri)inal la9! f,rbidding critici!) in the be!t traditi,n! ,f the c,))uni!t 7u!!ia. "heir fir!t illegal attac- ,n the freed,) ,f !peech clearly !h,9ed it. E2a)ple! ,f thi! nature can be a)ply !upplied by Ger)any and 5,lland that have d,ne a9ay 9ith thi! c,n!tituti,nally i)p,rtant principle by !uper!eding it 9ith the hyp,critical la9! again!t the !,/called Praci!); that the ruler! tend t, interpret it in a c,)pletely 9r,ng 9ay in relati,n t, it! ,riginal )eaning. 8id the pe,ple! ,f Eur,pe a!- t, be !addled 9ith h,!tile p,pulati,n! and culture!J 8id an h,ne!t nati,n9ide di!cu!!i,n ab,ut it ever ta-e placeJ "he highly placed cri)inal!, in their arr,gant and in!,lent 9ay, have never c,nde!cended even t, a!- their pe,ple!; ,pini,n ,n that !c,re. :,re,verB "hey 9ent ,ut ,f their 9ay t, play Pg,,dy/g,,die!; in fav,r ,f the ),!t fiendi!h pe,ple in the 9,rld t, ,pen the d,,r! f,r the) and let the plague ,f h,!tility and terr,r int, their h,)e!. .,r the !a-e ,f the !,/called Pinternati,nal !,lidarity; and fal!ely interpreted eHuality they betrayed their ,9n pe,ple! and c,untrie!. "hi! i! 9hat E call the greate!t cri)e ever c,))itted again!t hu)anity. After the ),n!tr,u! cri)e! ,f the nati,nal/!,ciali!t! and c,))uni!t!, ,f c,ur!e. All the three ugly face! are the face! ,f the !a)e ),n!ter 4 th,!e ,f the antichri!t predicted by the h,ly Gible in 9hich E believe. Gut it! uglie!t face, and E;) !ure it i! it! authentic face, i! that ,f E!la), 9hich i! n, )a!- ,f decepti,n but i! the real hide,u! !n,ut ,f a true ),n!ter. "he h,rrid heritage ,f the gl,bal cri)inal! and )a!! )urderer! li-e @arl, :arl,, Denin, Stalin, 5itler, the @hine!e !,ciali!t tyrant :a,, 5u!!ein G,u!liyah, and

&1(

the Pinn,cent; hyp,crite 8rec-)ann i! bad en,ugh, but the ancient heritage ,f the )ad)an fr,) the far/a9ay de!ert! i! )uch 9,r!e and )uch ),re baleful.C "he Pr,!ecutri2 9anted t, -n,9, A8efendant 7,!!, E !ee n, l,gical c,nnecti,n bet9een y,ur c,)plaint! c,ncerning the e!tabli!hed p,litical partie! and g,vern)ent! ,f Eur,pe and y,ur accu!ati,n! ,f E!la).C A"here i! !uch a c,nnecti,n, :)e Pr,!ecutri2. E!la) i! n,t ,nly a religi,n in the u!ual !en!e ,f the 9,rd. Et i! al!, ide,l,gy, !,cial ,rder, and p,litical !y!te) / all ,f the) 9h,lly ba!ed ,n t,talitariani!) and en!lave)ent, ,n the ,ne hand. 6n the ,ther hand, the Eur,pean and 7u!!ian p,litical !y!te)! are ba!ed ,n the !a)e t,talitariani!). Gut in We!tern Eur,pe it i! )a!-ed 9ith p,litical hyp,cri!y, an illu!i,n ,f Pde),cratic; diver!ity and ver!atility ,f p,litical ch,ice, a !e)blance ,f c,n!tituti,nal de),cracyN in ,ther 9,rd! / a big lie. Gut b,th !y!te)! have the !a)e f,undati,n / that ,f t,talitariani!). 5ence the rappr,che)entBC Gut :r!. Gra))a!hila ,bjected, AWhat y,u a!!ert i! ,nly y,ur ,9n illu!i,n! and )i!c,ncepti,n! ba!ed ,n fal!e pre)i!e! that have led t, vi,lence yet unheard ,f, breach ,f the Eur,pean @,n!tituti,n and Eur,pean la9!, cri)e! again!t hu)anity eventually ai)ed at a large/!caled gen,cide ,f n,n/Eur,pean p,pulati,n. 8, y,u dare t, deny that, defendant 7,!!JC AE d,, :)e Pr,!ecutri2.C AAnd 9hy, )ay E a!-JC AE d, n,t c,n!ider :u!li)! a! hu)an being!.C 8,nald !aid 9ith an edge t, hi! v,ice. AE l,,- up,n the) a! being! that are 9,r!e than rat! infe!ted 9ith plague.C A"hat;! n,t a hu)ane ,utl,,-.C @arla della .,nte c,))ented 9ith ir,ny. A", !ay the lea!t. I,u -n,9 y,ur vie9! are very cl,!e t, th,!e ,f 5itler.C A5itler 9a! an anti/Se)ite ju!t li-e y,u pe,ple in p,9er are, e!pecially 9hen y,u deny E!rael;! and all the <e9i!h pe,ple;! right t, defend their very e2i!tence again!t th,!e fanatical and ruthle!! )urderer! 9h,) y,u perver!ely call Phu)an being!.;C A:aybe !,)e ,f the).C @arla della .,nte interrupted hi), !,)e9hat irritated, t,,. A:u!li)! are ),!tly peace/l,ving pe,ple ju!t li-e all the ,ther pe,ple in the 9,rld a! their religi,n teache! the) de!pite terr,ri!t cri)e! that !,)e ,f the) c,))it.C 8,nald !ee)ed cr,!!. AI,ur !,/called anti/raci!) la9! ad,pted by the un!crupul,u! lefti!t! are n,thing el!e than !),-e/!creen and hyp,critical pr,tecti,n ,f cri)inal tra!h fr,) vari,u! part! ,f the 9,rld 9h, illegally !)uggle the)!elve! int, Eur,pe and el!e9here, ),!tly f,r cri)inal purp,!e!. E!pecially :u!li)!, 9henever and 9herever they !ee their chance. En reality, the!e la9! have n,thing t, d, 9ith fighting raci!). E )enti,ned hyp,cri!y becau!e 9hen :,r,ccan! attac<e9! ,r their children the auth,ritie! and their p,lice l,,- the ,ther 9ay. I,u d,n;t call that raci!)B Gut 9hen y,u pr,tect pe,ple fr,) raci!t aggre!!i,n y,u call it raci!) ,nly becau!e it;! again!t the aggre!!i,n that i! c,))itted by :,r,ccan!. Di-e E !aid, the!e la9! are n,thing

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el!e than a breach ,f ,ne ,f the ),!t i)p,rtant principle! ,f de),cracy / freed,) ,f !peech, freed,) ,f e2pre!!i,n ,ne;! ,9n per!,nal ,pini,n!. Where there i! n, freed,) ,f !peech there i! n, de),cracy. Peace/l,ving pe,ple and religi,n indeedB .at l,t y,u -n,9 ab,ut their religi,n and ide,l,gy ba!ed ,n it. Peaceful :u!li)!B :y f,,tB I,u d,n;t even !ee 9hat they already d, in Eur,pe, ,r pretend n,t t, !ee. 5,9 they terr,riKe Eur,pean pe,ple, e!pecially the 9ea-er ,ne!, li-e ,ld pe,ple 9h,) the p,lice neglect t, defend. "hey d, a! if the pr,ble) d,e! n,t e2i!t. And !, d, y,u. I,u try )e f,r an atte)pt t, defend the), but y,u d, n,thing t, i)p,!e la9 and ,rder ,n that tra!h.C "he @hair)an interrupted 8,nald;! ,utbur!t. A , e),ti,nal deviati,n! plea!e. Spea- cl,!er t, the p,int.C AE !i)ply replied t, the ungr,unded accu!ati,n ,f that )ada).C P:ada) Pr,!ecutri2.C "he @hair)an in!i!ted. P:ada).C 8,nald 7,!! !nubbed. Gy the l,,- ,f her, @arla della .,nte 9a! b,iling 9ith fury, but 9ith an eff,rt ,f 9ill !he g,t a grip ,n her!elf and turned t, the @hair)an. AE have n, ,ther Hue!ti,n!, f,r the ti)e being, I,ur 5,n,r. Gut E )u!t in!i!t up,n c,n!idering the evidence that the Pr,!ecuti,n ha! at it! di!p,!al and up,n interr,gati,n ,f the 9itne!!e! ,f the Pr,!ecuti,n,C !he !aid and !at d,9n. "he @hair)an ,f the "ribunal decreed t, c,n!ider the evidence and li!ten t, the 9itne!!e! ,f the Pr,!ecuti,n. "he trial 9a! t, be re!u)ed the ne2t day. "hen he briefly ann,unced the adj,urn)ent and 8,nald 7,!! 9a! ta-en t, hi! pri!,n again. What in A)erica 9a! u!ually referred t, a! Endian !u))er prevailed in the !lightly hu)id 6ct,ber air ,f d,9nt,9n !treet! in A)!terda). .,r Wally and Pi-e it 9a! the la!t evening in the city ,f canal!. @aptain Ging 9a! already in "he 5ague and they 9ere !upp,!ed t, j,in hi) there the ne2t day a! !,,n a! he called the). "hey didn;t -n,9 9hen thi! 9,uld happen and did their be!t t, enj,y their !h,rt !tay in the )agnificent city. "hi! ti)e yet an,ther A)erican EDA )ilitant !hared their c,)pany. Er,nically, hi! na)e 9a! 8utch 5,lland and he had c,)e 9ith the) by air ,nly at !h,rt n,tice a c,uple ,f day! ag,. 5e 9a! a !,)e9hat !cra9ny guy, th,ugh rather athletically built, 9h,!e tall fra)e t,9ered ,ver b,th ,f hi! ne9 c,lleague! de!pite the fact that they 9ere n,t preci!ely pig)ie! the)!elve!. Wally and Pi-e 9ere p,!itive that he had j,ined the) ,nly becau!e ,f the funny c,)binati,n ,f hi! na)e!. Gut he hi)!elf 9a!n;t !, !ure ,f that, th,ugh he didn;t )ind hi! c,)ing ,ver here. 5e 9a!n;t t,tally !ure hi! ance!t,r! 9ere really 8utch but neither did he e2clude thi! a! p,!!ible, alth,ugh he 9a! ju!t a u!ual Ayan-C fr,) e9 England ,r, t, be ),re preci!e, fr,) the !tate ,f e9 5e)p!hire. "he tri,, at the ti)e ,f thi! 9ar) 6ct,ber evening, 9ere enj,ying life at a !)all cafe that !ee)ed t, be thriving regardle!! ,f the difficult ti)e! ,f civil 9ar! raging in Eur,pe. 5ere, in

&1L

the heart ,f the very traditi,nal d,9nt,9n di!trict called <,rdan and at thi! cafe the 9ar !ee)ed hundred! ,f )ile! a9ay. "he A)erican! 9ere !eated in a c,rner ,f thi! typically 8utch bar, !ipping at their a)ber/c,l,red lager c,ntentedly. "heir c,nver!ati,n 9a! ju!t a !)all tal- ab,ut n,thing in particular. "hey carefully av,ided the)e! that )ight be related t, the) and their !tay in 5,lland. Gut, alth,ugh they did their be!t t, -eep a l,9 pr,file, that did n,t !p,il the plea!ure ,f c,n!u)ing the g,,d liHuid !tuff t, their heart!; c,ntent. 8i))ed light! 9ere already ,n and the cafe 9a! gradually filling. :,!tly 9ith l,cal pe,ple. 8u!- 9a! already de!cending ,n the !treet! ,f the city and !,,n ,nly city light! 9,uld gli))er in the dar- ,f night. A l,t ,f pe,ple !,ught refuge fr,) the br,,ding uncertaintie! ,f e)ptying !treet! 9here n,9aday! danger )ight perfidi,u!ly lur- even in !ee)ingly !afer place!. "he )ur)ur ,f v,ice! in c,nver!ati,n and cl,ud! ,f cigarette !),-e 9ere !9i))ing freely in the !,)e9hat rela2ed at),!phere ,f the bar. 6n the ,ther hand, the pe,ple !ee)ed ju!t a! re!erved a! u!ually the 8utch 9,uld be until they g,t drun- en,ugh t, a)plify their v,cal perf,r)ance. ,b,dy paid )uch attenti,n t, the A)erican tri, in the c,rner ,f the cafe, 9hile everyb,dy 9a! ab!,rbed in their ,9n c,nver!ati,n and c,)pany at table. "hat added up t, the feeling ,f c,Kine!! the A)erican! e2perienced, -n,9ing full 9ell h,9 fragile that feeling )ight be in the face ,f an unpredictable !ituati,n that )ight cr,p up Huite une2pectedly and Huite nearby. 8utch 5,lland !canned hi! 9ri!t9atch th,ughtfully f,r a a9hile and fidgeted in hi! chair re!tle!!ly. A"i)e t, leave, guy!. We;re g,nna )i!! ,ur fuc-ing train f,r "he 5ague.C Wally n,dded in agree)ent, AI,u;re fuc-ing right, 8utch. @,)e ,n, Det;! g,. Until it;! t,, late.C 5e !t,,d up and the ,ther! f,ll,9ed !uit, leaving a tip f,r the 9aitre!!. "he ,ther cu!t,)er! in the cafe gave the) a !h,rt half/intere!ted l,,- and at ,nce returned t, 9hatever they 9ere di!cu!!ing. 6nce in the !treet, the three A)erican! !tarted t, 9al- in the directi,n ,f the @entral Stati,n. ight had already fallen and th,ugh the h,ur 9a! n,t yet late the !treet! 9ere e)pty. "he A)erican! carried gun! hidden ,n their b,die!. Gut they had been in!i!tently in!tructed n,t t, u!e the) e2cept in very de!perate !ituati,n!. "he night 9a! cal) and rather 9ar) in !pite ,f the !ea!,n and everything !ee)ed Huiet. "here 9a! n, ,ther !,und e2cept the )uffled )ur)ur ,f their ,9n v,ice! and the !teady cl,p ,f their heavy b,,t!. Et 9a! then that !i2 dar- figure! p,pped ,ut fr,) the dar-ne!! ,f a !ide alley and !tarted ),ving t,9ard the). "here 9a! !,)ething ,)in,u!ly )enacing ab,ut the). En the light ,f a !h,p/9ind,9 the A)erican! clearly !a9 9h, they 9ere dealing 9ith. Si2 y,ung :,r,ccan! ar)ed 9ith heavy !tic-! did n,t !ee) t, c,nceal their purp,!e. "hey appr,ached the A)erican!, !,)e ,f the) 9earing a na!ty grin ,n their !all,9 face!. 6ne ,f the), a !Huat guy, rai!ed hi! !tic-, ai)ing it again!t Wally and balanced it in the air. 5e 9a! ,bvi,u!ly enj,ying the ),)ent ,f hi! !uperi,rity.

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AD,,-! li-e y,u;re a fuc-ing yan-,C he !aid in Engli!h. A "i)e t, !catter y,ur fuc-ing brain! ,n thi! !ide9al-, dirty yan-BC With,ut a 9,rd, Wally )ade a feint 9ith hi! left hand 9hile hi! right fi!t !)a!hed int, the !ide ,f the y,ung :,r,ccan;! face. A ice try, ratBC Wally breathed ,ut. AGet ,ut ,f )y 9ayBC 5e f,ll,9ed up 9ith an,ther !9ift and cru!hing bl,9, ai)ed preci!ely at the bridge ,f the y,uth;! aHuiline n,!e, !ending hi) !cra)bling ,n the gr,und. "he y,uth grunted and g,ry !pittle !h,t fr,) hi! !)a!hed n,!e and ),uth. At fir!t the ,ther five :,r,ccan )ugger! l,,-ed a! if they 9ere in c,n!ternati,n, then they !crea)ed abu!e in Engli!h at the A)erican! and rai!ed their !tic-! t, attac- the). ,9 8utch, Pi-e, and Wally 9ere ready f,r the). "hey had t, be Huic-er. A"he .ilthBC 8utch bar-ed at an,ther :,r,ccan and 9ith,ut 9aiting f,r hi) t, )a-e up hi! )ind 8utch !truc- ,ut 9ith hi! i)pre!!ive clenched fi!t right at the n,!e ,f the :,r,ccan, putting all hi! 9eight behind hi! bl,9. 6ne ,f the :,r,ccan! ai)ed at Pi-e;! head, but at the la!t ),)ent Pi-e )anaged t, d,dge the bl,9 and the !tic-, )i!!ing hi! head ,nly graKed the !ide ,f hi! nec-. ,9 the :,r,ccan 9a! caught ,ff guard and Pi-e;! right fi!t !ent hi) reeling d,9n. Pi-e began t, -ic- at hi! b,dy 9ith hi! heavy b,,t!, !)a!hing the face and abd,)en ,f the :,r,ccan. "hr,9ing a9ay the !tic-! the :,r,ccan! 9h, !till re)ained ,n their feet, dre9 -nive!. "he !-ir)i!h gre9 pretty !eri,u!. 8utch 9a! the fir!t t, be ready. 5e pic-ed up hi! Duger, 9hich 9a! re!ting fi2ed t, hi! right leg, and ai)ed it at the l,,)ing face di!t,rted 9ith hatred. A da)ped !h,t at cl,!e range rang in the air and the f,urth :,r,ccan c,llap!ed t, the gr,und 9ith a large g,ry )e!! !pu)ing 9ith bl,,d bubble! in the !p,t 9here the face had been bef,re. AS)art alec-BC 9a! the ,nly c,))ent fr,) 8utch. 5e !pitefully -ic-ed the b,dy ,f the dead :,r,ccan 9ith the t,e ,f hi! heavy b,,t. "he re)aining t9, :,r,ccan! i))ediately, ch,!e t, beat it a! fa!t a! they p,!!ibly c,uld, 9ith,ut 9aiting t, !hare the l,t ,f their c,)rade!. P,lice !iren! 9ere heard 9ailing at that ),)ent and the three A)erican! br,-e int, a run and di!appeared in the !a)e alley fr,) 9hich the :,r,ccan! had c,)e ,ut t, attac- the). Wally and Pi-e -ne9 the labyrinth ,f !treet! in that part ,f the city becau!e they had been there a fe9 ti)e! bef,re. Waving 9ith hi! hand Wally bar-ed, A@,)e ,n, Det;! g,B :,ve it, guy!BC "urning hi! bac- ,n the), he raced f,r9ard, hi! a!!,ciate! cl,!ely f,ll,9ing !uit. "heir !tep! ech,ed thr,ugh,ut the e)pty !treet! h,ll,9ly. "he 9ailing p,lice !iren! !uddenly died a9ay and the ,nly !,und prevailing n,9 9a! the beat ,f their heavy b,,t!. S,,n they caught a gli)p!e ,f di!tant pa!!er!/by and ),re light!. "hey !l,9ed d,9n their running and 9ere n,9 ),ving at a fa!t !teady pace, !ure ,f their directi,n. "he @entral Stati,n 9a! already 9ithin Huic- reach and they )ade the be!t ,f their 9ay t, the !tati,n 9ith,ut ar,u!ing any,ne;! !u!pici,n. And they )anaged t, catch the la!t train b,und f,r "he 5ague.

&1'

Gac- in hi! pri!,n cell 8,nald ate up hi! dinner al),!t 9ith,ut n,ticing it. Already a c,uple ,f h,ur! later he 9,uldn;t be able t, tell 9hat he had eaten f,r dinner. 5i! th,ught! 9ere c,n!tantly lingering ,n vari,u! highlight! ,f the trial. With,ut n,ticing it, he !tarted t, pace the cell, deep in th,ught. ,9 hi! )ind refu!ed t, d9ell ,n hi! ,9n Adefen!eC in c,urt. Et c,njured up !,,thing picture! ,f h,9 he 9,uld brea- jail in future. A th,ught that )ade hi! e2i!tence 9ithin the!e f,ur 9all! ),re endurable. At lea!t f,r the ti)e being. .r,) ti)e t, ti)e, he a!-ed hi)!elf ,ver and ,ver again 9hat -ind ,f evidence he 9,uld be c,nfr,nted 9ith at the re!u)pti,n ,f the trial. 6f ,ne thing he 9a! certain / Van 8aal 9,uld be at lea!t ,ne ,f the 9itne!!e!. "hat 9a! clear en,ugh. What 9a! the real ),tivati,n ,f the ,ld fart t, betray the)J 5e had !ee)ed t, be g,ing 9ith the purp,!e ,f the EDA all al,ng. "here had never been any !ign ,f di!c,ntent ,r di!agree)ent. 6-ay, t, hell 9ith hi), he th,ught. What 9a! really i)p,rtant 9a! hi! eventual brea-a9ay fr,) pri!,n. 5e tried t, c,ncentrate ,n that but !a9 n, i))ediate 9ay ,ut. :aybe hi! friend! c,uld help hi). Gut he 9a! ,ut ,f t,uch 9ith the) and didn;t -n,9 h,9 t, e!tabli!h any -ind ,f c,ntact 9ith the). "he 8utch turn-ey! !ee)ed ,ut ,f the Hue!ti,n becau!e they 9ere ab!,lutely l,yal t, their j,b and 9,uld never ri!- their future and career f,r hi! !a-e. ShitB "here !ee)ed t, be n, 9ay ,ut. 5e !t,pped pacing the cell and tu)bled d,9n ,n hi! bed 9ith,ut ta-ing ,ff hi! cl,the!, face up and c,nnecting hi! hand! under hi! head. 5i! eye! 9ere ,pen but didn;t !ee the ceiling. En hi! th,ught!, he 9a! free again until he !uddenly 9,-e up fr,) hi! daydrea)ing, regi!tering 9ith the c,lder part ,f hi! )ind that even the 9ilde!t th,ught! c,uldn;t be )agical en,ugh t, change hi! pre!ent c,nditi,n. "he race ,f hi! th,ught! !l,9ed d,9n and t,tally changed their directi,n 9hen he fell thr,ugh the layer! ,f hi! 9a-ing c,n!ci,u!ne!! int, the real) ,f drea)!. 5i! drea)! changed a! he re!tle!!ly t,!!ed in hi! bed. A c,uple ,f ti)e! he th,ught he gli)p!ed Una and even felt h,rny, but her unreal haKy pre!ence in hi! drea) )elted a9ay each ti)e he !tretched hi! hand! t,9ard her. "he !craping ru!ty !,und in the l,c- ,f the cell d,,r r,u!ed hi) fr,) hi! uncertain drea)! t, the hard reality ,f jail and trial. After hi! brea-fa!t, he braced hi)!elf f,r ne9 verbal battle! and )aneuver! ,f the trial. 5e prayed t, G,d t, be given ),re !trength and be fir) en,ugh in !pirit. 5e needed thi! !trength ,f !pirit badly. Gut the !en!e ,f unea!ine!! did n,t la!t l,ng. 5e felt cal) after a fe9 !ec,nd!. And a fe9 !ec,nd! later, at the ),)ent ,f being led a9ay fr,) hi! cell he 9a! al),!t indifferent t, h,9 thing! 9,uld 9,r- ,ut f,r hi). 6f ,ne thing he 9a! t,tally !ure / he 9,uld never give up hi! p,!iti,n. At lea!t n,t 9ith,ut a hard fight. When the !,und ,f a -ey !creeched in the l,c- ,nce ),re, he 9a! ready. "he guard! )anacled hi! 9ri!t! again and led hi) a9ay. 6n hi! 9ay t, the Palace ,f <u!tice hi! th,ught! 9ere c,ldly f,cu!ed ,n 9hatever he 9a! t, face in the c,urtr,,) and ,n building up hi! ,9n p,!iti,n. 5e even felt !ati!facti,n at the idea ,f !preading hi! vie9! bey,nd the 9all! ,f the c,urtr,,) and catching the !,ul! and )ind! ,f br,ad )a!!e! ,f Eur,pean! 9h, per!,nally felt the y,-e ,f

&13

E!la);! pre!ence in Eur,pe. 5i! th,ught! 9ere interrupted 9hen the car pulled up at an entrance int, the building ,f the "ribunal. @5AP"E7 33 8,nald 7,!! !p,tted hi) at ,nce. 7,b Van 8aal c,9ered unc,)f,rtably in hi! place, trying t, appear a! inc,n!picu,u! a! he c,uld. 8,nald caught ,nly a gli)p!e ,f hi) and !hifted hi! !tare the ,ther 9ay, pretending indifference. When at la!t the judge! entered the c,urtr,,), everyb,dy r,!e and the trial re!u)ed. "he @hair)an !aid, A:r!. Gra))a!hila, y,ur 9itne!!BC Pr,!ecutri2 @arla della .,nte invited Van 8aal int, the 9itne!!/!tand in the capacity ,f the chief 9itne!! ,f the Pr,!ecuti,n. After he had been !9,rn in acc,rding t, the r,utine ,f legal pr,cedure, !he appr,ached t, the 9itne!!/!tand, her u!ually !tern face 9earing a hint ,f !,)ething li-e a !)ile ,bvi,u!ly ai)ed at rea!!uring her 9itne!!. A:r. Van 8aal, d, y,u -n,9 the defendant !itting in the d,c- in fr,nt ,f y,uJC Van 8aal n,dded and !aid, AIe! E d,, )a;a),C in a l,9 v,ice and 9ith,ut l,,-ing at 8,nald 7,!!. AA little l,uder plea!eBC ,ne ,f the judge! !aid. Van 8aal repeated hi! reply !,)e9hat l,uder thi! ti)e, !till 9ith,ut l,,-ing in 8,nald;! directi,n. @arla della .,nte re!u)ed her Hue!ti,ning. A"ell thi! "ribunal the na)e ,f the per!,n in the d,c-. AEt i! Pr,fe!!,r 8r. 8,nald 7,!!, )aCa).C AWhat 9a! y,ur relati,n!hip t, defendant 8,nald 7,!!JC AE u!ed t, be hi! att,rney.C A5,9 l,ngJC ASince he !truc- a deal 9ith )e t, c,nduct !,)e ,f hi! bu!ine!! and attend t, hi! financial intere!t!.C A@,uld y,u be ),re !pecificJC A.,r ,ver ten year!.C AAnd y,u 9ere fa)iliar 9ith the defendant;! activitie! and 9ay ,f life l,ng after he retired E ta-e itJC AIe!, )a;a).C AAnd 9hat 9a! the nature ,f th,!e activitie!JC AA! far a! E -n,9, at the ti)e :r. 8,nald 7,!! did !,)e re!earch 9,r- in the field ,f p,litic!.C AEf y,u -n,9 ),re ,f that c,uld y,u tell thi! "ribunal 9hat -ind ,f 9,r- it 9a!.C AWell, he did n,t !hare 9ith )e that )uch e2cept during ,cca!i,nal di!cu!!i,n! 9hen he !aid he had devel,ped certain idea! c,ncerning the p,litical, !,ci,l,gical, and ethnic !ituati,n

&&%

in Eur,pe. 5e 9a! c,nvinced Eur,pe 9a! in a deep p,litical, cultural and e!pecially ethnic cri!i! and badly needed a radical change.C AWhat -ind ,f change and 9hat 9a! the 9ay ,f achieving it acc,rding t, hi! p,int ,f vie9JC AWell, fir!t ,ff, he l,,-ed f,r c,ntact! 9ith li-e/)inded pe,ple thr,ugh the Enternet and ,n finding the) did hi! be!t t, get in t,uch 9ith the). "hey u!ually )et at each ,ther;! place! and di!cu!!ed 9ay! ,f radical change ,f the !ituati,n in Eur,pe, 9hich they f,und critical.C AE have t9, Hue!ti,n! n,9, :r. Van 8aal. u)ber ,ne i! / 9hat -ind ,f pe,ple are theyJ And E 9,uld appreciate if y,u gave the "ribunal their full na)e! and 9hat c,untrie! they repre!ent. Unf,rtunately, they are n,t in cu!t,dy yet. Gut E;) in n, d,ubt that they 9ill be apprehended, br,ught t, trial, and indicted. We have already i!!ued a 9arrant ,f arre!t f,r th,!e ,f the) 9h,!e na)e! are -n,9n t, u!. And the !ec,nd Hue!ti,n i! 9hat 9ere the 9ay! ,f achieve)ent ,f the !,/called radical change in Eur,pe )enti,ned by y,u and 9hat 9a! preci!ely the nature ,f !uch a changeJC "he judge !itting t, the left ,f the @hair)an !aid, A:ada) Pr,!ecutri2B E thin- y,u c,uld !ave u! ),re ti)e by n,t in!i!ting up,n the defendant;! e2planati,n ,f their !pecific )eth,d! t, achieve their purp,!e becau!e it 9a! fully clarified by the) in the n,t,ri,u! d,cu)ent called the :anife!t, ,f Diberati,n. "hey 9ere clear en,ugh in that d,cu)ent.C She blin-ed and !aid, AIe!, I,ur 5,n,r, 9e have added up thi! d,cu)ent t, the bul- ,f evidence a),ng ,ther thing!.C "hen turning t, Van 8aal again !he urged hi) t, enu)erate the na)e! ,f 8,nald 7,!!;! acc,)plice!. Une2pectedly 8,nald;! v,ice cut in. A6bjecti,nBC 5e turned t, the @hair)an, A:ada) Pr,!ecutri2 ha! ju!t referred t, the pe,ple )enti,ned by :r. Van 8aal a! Pacc,)plice!;. "hi! i! a pri,ri and n,t pr,ven.C "he @hair)an ign,red 8,nald;! ,bjecti,n and !aid t, the Pr,!ecutri2, AG, ahead 9ith y,ur interr,gati,n, :r!. Gra))a!hila.C ADet;! have their na)e!, :r. Van 8aal, and the r,le! they played in dra9ing up the infa),u! :anife!t, ,f Diberati,n a! 9ell a! the 9ay! ,f putting it int, practice.C Van 8aal !aid !,)e9hat gl,,)ily and 9ith a hint ,f uncertainty, AE happen t, -n,9 ,nly !,)e ,f the) becau!e E attended ,nly a c,uple ,f their c,nference! 9hen they )ade i)p,rtant deci!i,n!. I,u -n,9, in ),!t ca!e! E 9a! n,t invited t, the). Gut E d, -n,9 the right hand ,f :r. 8,nald 7,!!. 5i! na)e i! Geert <an 8e--er and he i! a 8utch citiKen.C A8, y,u al!, happen t, -n,9 hi! pre!ent 9hereab,ut!JC :r!. @arla della .,nte 9anted t, -n,9. AUnf,rtunately, E d,n;t.C

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A5i! ,ther a!!,ciate!J At lea!t th,!e 9h,) y,u d, -n,9,C !he in!i!ted. AE !a9 the .rench)an <ean .auvet and <en! 5an!en ,f 8en)ar-.C AWhat can y,u !ay ab,ut the)JC AG,th ,f the) are active )e)ber! ,f the EDA. <ean .auvet, a! far a! E -n,9, ha! a na!ty grudge again!t the .rench Pre!ident. And <en! 5an!en 9a! ,ne ,f the fir!t t, put int, practice the 9ilde!t idea! they th,ught ,f and he 9a! ,ne ,f the ),!t c,n!i!tent and fierce!t e2ecut,r! ,f th,!e )ad plan!.C A@an y,u be ),re !pecific ab,ut their activitie! and c,ntributi,n! they;ve )ade t, the cri)inal plan! ,f the EDA leader!hip ,f 9hich they 9ere part and parcelJ And....C She didn;t fini!h her 9,rd! and fr,Ke. A !trange c,)),ti,n li-e !cuffling 9a! !uddenly heard fr,) behind the cl,!ed entrance d,,r in the bac- 9all ,f the c,urtr,,). "he air ,f the c,urtr,,) at thi! ),)ent 9a! ripped up by a !udden !harp bar- ,f aut,)atic gun! rattling !i)ultane,u!ly. "he b,dy ,f the "ribunal;! @hair)an jer-ed in a prep,!ter,u! ),ve)ent a! hi! che!t and nec- !purted ,ut cri)!,n !pla!he! ,f bl,,d and c,llap!ed bac-9ard!. 5i! thr,at 9a! gurgling it! death rattle. 7,b Van 8aal c,llap!ed fr,) hi! !eat in the 9itne!!/!tand, hit by !everal bullet! at the !a)e ti)e. 5e lay ,n the fl,,r bleeding fr,) all hi! 9,und!. Gut he already didn;t feel the), f,r he 9a! !t,ne/dead. 8,nald cr,uched in hi! d,c- a! a c,ld ripple ran fr,) hi! !h,ulder/blade! d,9n t, the ba!e ,f hi! !pine. "he ,ther t9, judge! be!ide the @hair)an 9ere -illed li-e hi) ,n the !p,t. A bullet !h,t thr,ugh the head ,f @arla della .,nte and !he fell in a heap ,n the fl,,r and !pra9led there, her leg! !h,9ing fr,) under her turned up !-irt indecently. She lay n,9 9ith,ut ),ti,n, the ),!t part ,f her face 9a! bl,9n ,ff, and a ru!hing fl,9 ,f bl,,d !pla!hed ,n the fl,,r fr,) the terrible 9,und. 5er brain! )i2ed 9ith bl,,d 9ere !cattered ar,und her head and ,ne eyeball 9a! hanging d,9n fr,) it! !,c-et li-e ,ne eye !hared by the three )ythical 9itche!. "he de!ult,ry fire c,ntinued, -illing the guardian! 9h, had been caught una9are! and didn;t have ti)e t, !natch ,ut their ,9n gun!. "hey lay be!ide the d,,r! ,f the c,urtr,,) and ,n b,th !ide! ,f 8,nald;! d,c- in 9hich he inv,luntarily cr,uched, n,t under!tanding yet full 9ell 9hat 9a! happening. A v,ice near hi) !aid, A8,nB Et;! )e. Geert. @,)e ,nB Det;! beat it fa!tBC Geert t,,- a !tep t,9ard the neare!t guard 9h, lay ,n hi! bac-, hi! eye! !taring at n,thing, t, )a-e !ure he 9a! !t,ne dead. Sati!fied, he t,,- 8,nald by the elb,9 and dragged hi) al,ng. Gut 8,nald already ca)e t, fr,) hi! !tup,r, hi! )ind !hifted int, gear and he t,,- a gun thru!t at hi) by 8utch 5,lland 9h, 9a! ,ne ,f the a!!ailant! and 9h,, al,ng 9ith Geert <an 8e--er, happened t, be ,ne ,f the neare!t t, 8,nald. En the cha,! ,f the !ha)ble!, 8,nald !a9 hi! ,ther c,)rade! ar)ed 9ith aut,)atic gun! and firing in a hard c,ncentrati,n ,n the pe,ple in the c,urtr,,). .r,) the benche! 9ere the repre!entative! ,f )a!! )edia 9ere !itting ),an! and piercing !h,ut! ,f the 9,unded 9ere

&&&

heard. 5e 9anted t, !ee 9hat had happened t, @hri!ta 5,r!eface, but Geert <an 8e--er did n,t all,9 it, urging hi) t,9ard ,ne ,f the e2it d,,r! ha!tily, 9hile the ,ther! began their retreat, t,,. 6ut!ide, they heard the 9ailing ,f p,lice !iren! and the chugging ,f !everal gun!hip! appr,aching the !Huare in fr,nt ,f the Palace ,f <u!tice. "he gr,up ,f a!!ailant! 9ith 8,nald 7,!! in their )id!t !printed a9ay int, the uncertain !helter ,f narr,9 !treet! f,r at lea!t !,)e c,ver h,9ever untru!t9,rthy they !ee)ed t, be. "hey 9ere running a! cl,!e t, the h,u!e 9all! a! they c,uld and 8,nald !a9 they 9ere ab,ut a d,Ken in nu)ber. S, their attac- ,n the c,urt building 9a! a de!perate atte)pt cl,!e t, in!anity. Gut they had pulled it ,ffB And that 9a! 9hat really c,unted. 6r c,uld they be !, !ure they had pulled it ,ffJ "hi! craKy ,perati,n 9a! n,t fini!hed yet. At lea!t, until they 9ere in !afety and in ,ne piece. Gut he, full ,f ad)irati,n and gratitude, f,und ti)e t, !ay t, Geert <an, AGeertBC 8e--er half turned t, 8,nald a! he c,ntinued t, run, a )ute Hue!ti,n ,n hi! face. 8,nald, al),!t ,ut ,f hi! breath, )anaged ,nly t, !ay, AWhat a !tunning ,perati,n, Geert. "han-! a l,tBC 8e--er !h,uted ,ver hi! !h,ulder, A , !9eat, 8,nB We c,uldn;t all,9 the creep! t, -eep y,u. ,9 ju!t f,cu! ,n ,ur ,9n e!cape. 8,n;t tal- any ),re, 8,nB Det;! vani!h fr,) here fa!tBC "hey turned int, yet an,ther narr,9 !treet, the din fr,) the r,tating ch,pper r,t,r! 9a! gr,9ing !teadily !,)e9here Huite nearby. "he b,ld d,Ken pre!!ed the)!elve! again!t th,!e 9all! and entrance d,,r!, trying t, )a-e the)!elve! invi!ible, a! ,ne ,f the ch,pper! pa!!ed ,verhead very l,9, it! engine r,aring deafeningly. "hey 9ere n,9 9aiting f,r it t, return. "h,!e fe9 !ec,nd! ,f 9aiting 9ere ten!e 9ith apprehen!i,n. Gut n,thing happened. "he ch,pper pil,t had pr,bably )i!!ed the). "hey lingered a )inute ,r t9, l,nger, then re!u)ed their running, trying t, -eep a! cl,!e t, the 9all! a! it 9a! p,!!ible. "he !treet! 9ere de!erted and that )ade the) ),re !ure ,f the)!elve!. "h,ugh they felt un!een eye! ,n their bac-! f,ll,9ing the) 9herever they turned. With,ut interrupting hi! running, Geert <an 8e--er thre9 at 8,nald the 9,rd! ,f rea!!urance, AWe;ve g,t car! n,t far fr,) here. Det;! g, thereBC Iet an,ther din fr,) the r,t,r! ,f a helic,pter 9a! appr,aching, but they 9ere already in ,ne ,f the alley! 9here tree! and !hrub! gre9. S, they f,und c,ver under the tree! right ,n ti)e 9hen an,ther ch,pper p,pped up fr,) bey,nd the r,,f ,f a nearby h,u!e, !till hunting the). Gut thi! ti)e the !treet tree! hid the) !afely fr,) the pil,t!;! vie9. <udging by the r,ar ,f the ,ther ch,pper!, the hunt did n,t !t,p and they 9ere !till in danger ,f being di!c,vered. .,rtunately, the further 9ay t,9ard the car! led al,ng thi! alley and they c,uld -eep the)!elve! under the pr,tecti,n ,f the tree!, but any ),)ent p,lice and g,vern)ent !,ldier!, 9h, 9here und,ubtedly l,,-ing f,r the) every9here, c,uld e)erge fr,) behind any c,rner,

&&3

)a-ing their e!cape i))ea!urably ),re c,)plicated and danger,u!. 5e already !p,tted <en! 5an!en and the )en ,f hi! unit a),ng hi! re!cuer! / @aptain Ging 9ith Wally and Pi-e and 8utch 5,lland a! 9ell a! <uan D,peK 9ith hi! Spaniard!. Suddenly, all the )ilitant! !t,pped in their trac-!. A ne9 gr,9ing !,und ,f appr,aching ch,pper! 9a! r,lling again t,9ard the). "hi! ti)e t9, p,lice ch,pper! !h,9ed up ,verhead and !h,9ed n, !ign! ,f flying el!e9here. "hey 9ere !l,9ly )a-ing narr,9 and 9ider circle! ab,ve their head!, al),!t cutting the t,p! ,f the tree! under 9hich the )ilitant! 9ere c,9ering. 5ad they been detectedJ A! if in an!9er t, that Hue!ti,n the ch,pper;! )achine/ gun! !tarted t, rattle a9ay their fury and a rain ,f cut t9ig! and leave! !h,9ered up,n the EDA )ilitant! fr,Ken under the tree! and bu!he! ,f the alley. "he bullet! 9hi!tled ,)in,u!ly ar,und the). Et 9a! their great luc- that the )achine/gunner! 9ere firing up,n the tree! and bu!he! at rand,) a! if they 9ere blindf,ld. A 8ane and a Spaniard 9ere hit and !lightly hurt by t9ig! c,)ing d,9n ,n the) fr,) the treet,p!. 8,nald;! b,dy al!, felt !,re and beat, alth,ugh he re)ained intact, leaning tightly again!t the trun- ,f a tree. E2hau!ti,n curled it! e)brace ar,und hi). 5i! nerve! 9ere !tretched taut and hi! th,ught! 9ere !cattered de!pite hi! eff,rt t, -eep the) under c,ntr,l. Et 9a! at thi! ),)ent that a r,ar ,f yet an,ther ch,pper cut thr,ugh the air, fa!t appr,aching. Et! !had,9 !9ept the lane bet9een the t9, r,9! ,f tree!. A fe9 !ec,nd! later they heard a b,,)ing !,und ,f an e2pl,!i,n. S,)e ,f the), 8,nald in that nu)ber, cauti,u!ly peered ,ut fr,) their c,nceal)ent. What they !a9 !taggered the). 6ne ,f the attac-ing ch,pper! 9a! c,)ing d,9n in !),-e and fla)e! and a! it di!appeared behind a tall building a !ec,nd )ighty e2pl,!i,n !ent a vibrati,n acr,!! the earth. A pillar ,f blac- !),-e r,!e fr,) the directi,n 9hither the da)aged ch,pper had di!appeared. "he re)aining t9, ch,pper! !ee)ed t, be cha!ing each ,ther and b,th 9ithdre9 fr,) the !cene. Geert <an;! eye! 9ere glittering 9ith j,y and he 9a! all !)ile!, !trangely c,ntradicting their plight. A8id y,u rec,gniKe the la!t ch,pperJC 5e a!-ed gleefully. 8,nald re)ained uncertain and ,nly !hrugged hi! !h,ulder!. AE didn;t really !ee. Everything 9a! !, fa!t...C AEt 9a! the Apache gun!hip ,f Gilly S-elint,n that !h,t d,9n ,ne ,f the ch,pper! 9ith a r,c-et and cha!ed a9ay the ,ther. Gilly 9a! -ept inf,r)ed and !t,,d by. We 9ere real luc-y, 8,n,C and he turned t, the ,ther!. A@,)e ,n guy!, Det;! g,B :,ve itBC "hey re!u)ed their running and !,,n 8,nald !p,tted t9, big blac- jeep! par-ed at the end ,f the alley. "hey all !printed t,9ard the), th,ugh n,b,dy tried t, ,b!truct their 9ay. "he alley 9a! c,)pletely e)pty ,f ,ther pe,ple, apart fr,) the)!elve!. S,,n they 9ere putting th,!e jeep! in gear, but each ,f the) !till !en!ed !,)e -ind ,f danger !till lingering in the air. "hey 9ere n,t !ure that )any !treet! 9ere bl,c-ed by b,th p,lice and g,vern)ent tr,,p!. "here )ight be chec-p,int! e!tabli!hed at the e2it! ,f the city.

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"he blac- jeep! !ped al,ng the labyrinth ,f !treet!, their tire! !creeching at the abrupt turn!. When they hit a 9ide th,r,ughfare 9ith !,)e traffic ,n it, they !l,9ed d,9n t, be le!! c,n!picu,u! and ),ved f,r9ard in ,ne ,f it! lane! in the directi,n ,f ,ne ,f the city;! e2it!. Gut their ),ve)ent 9a! !l,9ed d,9n 9ith freHuent jer-y !t,p! ,f a traffic ja) apparently cau!ed by the general panic. Geert <an 9h, 9a! at the !teering 9heel ,f the fir!t jeep !p,tted a chec-p,int 9ith tr,,p!, p,lice, and a barricade ,f ir,n bar! 9ith barbed 9ire !tretching acr,!! the 9h,le 9idth ,f the th,r,ughfare bey,nd 9hich there 9a! a large !Huare. "he traffic beca)e !l,9er and !l,9er, ),ving ,n !pa!),dically 9ith an increa!ing ti)e ,f each !t,p. All the car! ahead ,f the) that had already reached the chec-p,int 9ere being !earched )eticul,u!ly. "he )en in the jeep! g,t their gun! ready. "here re)ained ,nly a c,uple ,f r,9! ,f car! bef,re they c,uld reach the line ,f the chec-p,int. "he )ilitant! -ept their 9eap,n! l,9 !, that the pe,ple in the car! ),ving al,ng the parallel lane! c,uld n,t !p,t anything !u!pici,u! in the t9, jeep!. All the car! jer-ed f,r9ard and !t,pped, jer-ed f,r9ard and !t,pped, each ti)e gaining ,nly a f,,t ,r t9,. .r,) their jeep! 8,nald, Geert <an, and their )en c,uld a!!e!! the nu)ber ,f 9ell/ar)ed p,lice and !,ldier! at ab,ut thirty )en. Ge!ide!, there 9a! ,ne ar),red car that !t,,d par-ed cl,!e t, ,ne !ide ,f the r,ad. An ,ver9hel)ing f,rceB Gut there 9a! n, ,ther 9ay ,ut e2cept ),ving ,n. An idea t, turn int, a !ide !treet didn;t even cr,!! any,ne;! )ind, f,r their jeep! 9ere al),!t c,)pre!!ed by ,ther car! ,n all !ide!. A rever!e ),ve)ent 9a! a! unthin-able a! any !ide )aneuver. S,, they had t, c,ncentrate ,n an eventual !h,,t,ut that !ee)ed inevitable and h,pele!! f,r the). Gig dr,p! ,f !9eat !t,,d ,n Geert <an;! f,rehead. When 8,nald glanced bac- ,ver hi! !h,ulder, he c,uld !ee the re!,lute face ,f <en! 5an!en leaned f,r9ard ,ver the !teering 9heel ,f hi! jeep. <en! n,ticed 8,nald;! gaKe and thru!t up hi! thu)b a! a !ign ,f having all under c,ntr,l. A flitting grin t,uched hi! lip! and vani!hed the ),)ent the ,ther car! jer-ed f,r9ard again. 8,nald turned t, Geert <an. AWill 9e )a-e it, GeertJC "he 8utch)an !hrugged hi! !h,ulder! and replied 9ith a Hue!ti,n. AWhy n,tJC "hen reflected ,ut l,ud. AAny9ay, 9e;ll d, ,ur ut),!t t, brea- thr,ugh, th,ugh, h,ne!tly, the 9h,le thing l,,-! t,ugh en,ugh t, !care the !hit ,ut ,f )e. Gut d,n;t 9,rry, 8,n, E 9,n;t chic-en ,ut. I,u can be !ure ,f that.C AE a), Geert. E;) ,nly a!-ing )y!elf 9hether 9e;ve g,t the gut! t, pull it ,ff.C ,9 ,nly the dar- blue @hevr,let in fr,nt ,f the) ),ved ,n t, be !earched. "9, !eni,r p,lice ,fficer! 9ere !canning the driver;! paper! 9hile three !,ldier! !tarted ru))aging in the car;! b,,t and peering under the pa!!enger!; !eat!. "he driver and hi! )ale pa!!enger 9ere ,rdered t, get ,ut ,f the car f,r the purp,!e. "hey !t,,d at !,)e di!tance fr,) their vehicle, !),-ing 9ith a n,nchalant air and 9atching the )ilitary )a-ing the !earch in their car. "he p,lice ,fficer 9h, 9a! !tudying the driver;! paper! returned the) t, their ,9ner 9ith

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a p,lite !)ile and invited the t9, )en t, get bac- int, their car. "hey !tarted the engine and put their car in gear. Et began t, ),ve f,r9ard, gaining the !peed fa!t. 8,nald;! hand! !pa!),dically !HueeKed hi! Duger 9ith hi! nearly nu)b finger!, an unea!y th,ught thr,bbing in hi! )ind, n,9 it;! beginning... Et 9a! then that the vibrating r,ar ,f a ch,pper;! engine and r,t,r! ripped thr,ugh the air ,verhead and the fa)iliar !ilh,uette ,f Gilly S-elint,n;! Apache !uddenly e)erged fr,) behind the neare!t building! al,ng the right !ide ,f the r,ad. "he 9h,le !ituati,n changed in n, ti)e. "he Apache;! Gatling )achine/gun! !tarted their lethal bar-ing and a hail!t,r) ,f bullet! in a 9ide range hit the p,lice)en and tr,,p! c,)pletely caught ,ff guard, bringing d,9n !,)e ,f the) in a heap ,f already dead b,die!. 6n the !pur ,f the ),)ent, b,th Geert <an and <en! 5an!en !tepped ,n the ga! pedal! ,f the jeep! 9ith,ut 9aiting and, hitting 9ith their bu)per! the neare!t p,lice ,fficer! 9h, !urvived the ch,pper;! attac-, ru!hed headl,ng under the c,ver ,f Gilly S-elint,n;! gun!hip. "hey left behind the !cene ,f death and de!tructi,n in n, ti)e and !,,n hit ,ne ,f the br,ad ),t,r9ay! leading a9ay fr,) "he 5ague. , ,ne ,f the )en in the jeep! had )ade even a !ingle !h,t during the c,)),ti,n cau!ed by Gilly S-elint,n. "he 9h,le !cene had ta-en up ,nly a fe9 )inute!. 6r )aybe it !ee)ed !, n,9 that they 9ere !afe. 8,nald preferred t, judge the !ituati,n rather a! relatively !afe becau!e any real !afety 9a! !till very far fr,) being 9ithin reach. G,th jeep! 9ere !peeding a9ay t, the n,rth ,f "he 5ague in the directi,n ,f .rie!land. A fi!hing b,at ),,red in the harb,r ,f the !)all fi!hing village ,f 5arlingen 9a! 9aiting f,r the). A! !,,n a! they arrived, the fi!hing b,at 9,uld ta-e the) t, the c,a!t ,f ,rthern ,r9ay 9here they 9ere !upp,!ed t, ta-e and h,ld again the rein! ,f the 9idely !pread but highly centraliKed EDA in their hand!. "he e)bittered battle ,f culture! and faith! c,ntinued in it! 9ay9ard and unpredictable 9ay. With each pa!!ing h,ur they 9ithdre9 farther and farther a9ay fr,) "he 5ague, ch,,!ing the ),t,r9ay! that led the) up t, the n,rth ,f the c,untry. A6ur Pr,phet @u!t,dian Gilly 9a! ju!t ,n ti)e t, rever!e the cata!tr,phe.C 8,nald 9a! grinning fr,) ear t, ear. Geert <an n,dded. AWa! it t,, na!ty f,r y,u !ince y,u had g,tten y,ur!elf int, that !hit, 8,nJC A"hing! l,,-ed real bad f,r )e, Geert. "hey did try t, )a-e )e l,,- li-e the principal tr,uble)a-er and !hit!h,,ter. And they 9ere da)n near the truth. E!pecially, that bitch @arla della .,nte 9ent ,ut ,f her 9ay t, paint )e a! blac- a! !he p,!!ibly c,uld.C AWell, !he 9,uld have d,ne y,u an h,n,r if !he had painted y,u a! blac- a! ,ur ,ld Gilly, 9,uldn;t !heJC Geert <an fla!hed a grin at 8,nald 7,!!, all,9ing hi)!elf t, tear hi! gaKe ,ff the r,ad f,r a !plit !ec,nd. 8,nald n,dded hi! head. AShe !urely 9,uld, if the genuine blac- hadn;t helped !end her !che)e! 9here they bel,nged / t, hell. And y,u, guy! 9ere Huite fanta!tic, t,,. E can give y,u that. E;) !,rry E

&&L

haven;t than-ed y,u yet, Geert. S,, E;) d,ing it n,9. And E 9ill !ay the !a)e thing t, the guy! in the ,ther jeep 9hen 9e have arrived.C AA! far a! E a) c,ncerned, 8,n, y,u;re 9elc,)e. Gut 9e all th,ught it 9a! indi!pen!able and the unani),u! deci!i,n 9a! )ade t, pull y,u ,ut ,f that !hit by all )ean!.C AE d,n;t even -n,9 h,9 t, pay y,u bac-.C Geert <an grinned again. A"hat 9,n;t be nece!!ary, 8,n.C "hen Geert <an !)iled br,adly. Gut hi! !)ile 9a! cunning. A6ne ,ther thing, 8,nBC .,r a !plit !ec,nd he t,re ,ff hi! gaKe fr,) the r,ad ahead and turned hi! head t, face hi! friend. "hen he turned hi! attenti,n t, the r,ad again. AS,rry, 8,n, but E nearly f,rg,t t, tell y,u ab,ut Una.C 8,nald;! e2pre!!i,n beca)e 9,rried. AIe!. What ab,ut herJC A.ir!t, !he 9a! deva!tated f,r a 9hile !ince y,ur arre!t and di!appearance in jail. Gut then !he did her be!t t, l,cate y,u and get in t,uch 9ith y,u. "hat pr,ved ne2t t, i)p,!!ible in the fir!t day!. She never gave up. Dater, 9hen the ne9! !eeped int, the )edia !he )anaged t, pinp,int y,ur l,cati,n. She learned that y,u 9ere tran!ferred t, "he 5ague f,r trial and ca)e ,ver there. 6ut ,f cauti,n, !he c,uldn;t di!cl,!e her ,9n per!,n t, the judicial auth,ritie! in ,rder t, )eet y,u. Gut !he 9a! -ept inf,r)ed by u! ,n a daily ba!i!. She in!i!ted ,n !t,r)ing the c,urth,u!e and 9anted t, ta-e part in y,ur liberati,n, but 9e rejected that idea f,r the !a-e ,f her !afety. ,9 !he -n,9! y,u;re free and l,,-! f,r9ard t, )eeting y,u.C AWhereJC 8,nald;! v,ice !,unded i)patiently. Geert <an !hrugged 9ith,ut tearing ,ff hi! gaKe fr,) the r,ad. AE;) afraid E d,n;t -n,9 that part, 8,nald.C 8,nald !Huinted at hi) a! if !earching Geert;! face f,r an an!9er. Geert re)ained i)perturbable, giving the r,ad a !lightly e2aggerated attenti,n. Gut 8,nald, de!pite the Hue!ti,n! in hi! )ind, felt happy and relieved ,ver the ne9! ab,ut Una. 6ne ,f the )en !itting in the bac- !eat turned hi! head t, peer at the ,ther jeep and pa!t it. 5i! face didn;t !ee) fa)iliar t, 8,nald 7,!! and he a!-ed hi). AE d,n;t thin- E ever !een y,u bef,re, !ir. Wh, are y,uJC AE;) an A)erican fr,) 8etr,it, !ir. a)e i! Gert MuKl,9.C A"han- y,u f,r y,ur c,ntributi,n, :r. MuKl,9.C A@all )e Gert, !ir.C A"han- y,u, Gert.C A ever )enti,n it, !ir. Di-e :r. 8e--er !aid it 9a! indi!pen!able t, !ave y,u fr,) the hand! ,f th,!e !ch)uc-!.C Gert MuKl,9 l,,-ed ab,ut f,rty and 9a! a p,9erfully built )an, th,ugh a bit !Huat. 5e had gray eye! and !lightly curly bl,nd hair. "he ,ther A)erican! / @aptain Ging and hi! three a!!,ciate! 9ere f,ll,9ing in the !ec,nd jeep. A"ell )e Gert, if it;! n,t a per!,nal !ecret, 9hat are y,u by pr,fe!!i,nJC

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Gert bared hi! teeth in a br,ad grin. AA car )echanic, !ir. "hat;! 8etr,it f,r y,u if y,u d,n;t )ind. Everyb,dy i! e2pected t, deal 9ith )a-ing car! ,r repairing the). Et;! the la!t 9hat E did.C AE !ee,C 8,nald n,dded, A Ef thi! da)n jeep brea-! y,u;ll get it in 9,r-ing ,rder again, 9ill y,uJC ASure thing, !ir.C 8,nald turned t, Geert <an, AEn the !la))er E 9a! ab!,lutely dev,id ,f all inf,r)ati,n ab,ut 9hat 9a! g,ing ,n in the 9,rld and E -ne9 n,thing ,f h,9 9a! ,ur EDA d,ing. @,uld y,u tell )e ju!t in fe9 9,rd!, f,r the ti)e being at lea!t, 9hat;! g,ing ,n ar,und u!. <udging by y,ur b,ld attac- ,n the "ribunal, the EDA h,ld! ,ut t, the la!t.C ASure, E can inf,r) y,u, 8,n. "he fight i! g,ing ,n acr,!! Eur,pe and el!e9here in the 9,rld. En Eur,pe, e!pecially in the n,rthern part! ,f it, the da)ned :,r,ccan fe)ale fru)p!, th,!e !carecr,9! 9ith head!carve! ,n their !tupid upper e2tre)itie! and their !h,plifting pr,geny, can hardly be !een in Eur,pean !treet! any ),re. And that !pea-! v,lu)e!. 5,9ever, 9e;ve g,t t, deal a l,t 9ith their !9a!hbuc-ling )ale ruler! 9h, have fa!hi,ned the !,/called !h,c- brigade! ,f !elf/defen!e. And they ,ften turn their ar)! again!t the g,vern)ent tr,,p!. Well, de!pite it! c,)plicated pattern y,u c,uld call all -ind! ,f th,!e c,nfr,ntati,n! a full/!cale civil 9ar n,9 raging all ,ver the ,rth and ,rthWe!t ,f Eur,pe. En the !,uth ,f Eur,pe, th,ugh, the l,cal p,pulati,n ha! ta-en the cau!e in it! hand 9ith,ut t,, )uch ,pp,!iti,n ,n the part ,f their auth,ritie!. 6ver the la!t ),nth!, the !harp p,lariKati,n ,f the Eur,pean p,pulati,n in ter)! ,f ,pp,!ed, even h,!tile idea! and p,litic! ha! gr,9n largely. En )any c,untrie!, e!pecially th,!e ,f the n,rth9e!t ,f Eur,pe, it ha! devel,ped int, a full/!cale civil 9ar raging the ,pp,!ed partie!. "he fa!t !preading epide)ic! ,f infecti,u! ,r ,ther -ind! ,f lethal di!ea!e! li-e bub,nic plague, anthra2, eb,la and !,)e ,ther ,f the) c,ntinue t, -ill ,ff )any :u!li)! re!iding in their Eur,pean ghett,!. Et;! a -ind ,f recipr,city. We retaliate the) f,r e2actly the !a)e bi,l,gical attac-! they c,))itted again!t u!. "he ec,n,)ic cha,! ha! gr,9n i))en!ely. "he !,cial !tructure!, e!pecially in the big c,untrie!, are def,r)ed ,r t,tally de!tr,yed due t, the civil 9ar. "he pe,ple are p,lariKed t, the e2tent ,f !h,,ting each ,ther literally ,n !ight if they happen t, get t, -n,9 each ,ther;! p,litical vie9!. P,!itively thin-ing p,litician! in Gritain and the United State!, li-e Ge,rge W. Wil)an, are under fierce attac- by the lefti!t partie!, li-e the @,))uni!t! in A)erica. "he @,))uni!t candidate! f,r the f,rthc,)ing pre!idential electi,n! and @,))uni!t !enat,r! and c,ngre!!)en g, ,ut ,f their 9ay t, !ully the h,ne!t na)e ,f Pre!ident Wil)an f,r hi! )anful and far/!ighted !truggle again!t the :u!li) tyranny in Gactria, Gabel, and el!e9here.

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"he bea!tly cr,9d! ,f !,ciali!t fa!ci!t! in Eur,pe and A)erica de),n!trate their hatred ,f ju!tice, but at lea!t in Eur,pe 9e d, ,ur be!t t, deal 9ith the) by planting b,)b! right in the )id!t ,f their vi,lent de),n!trati,n!. "he intran!igent Phili!tine ,ccupier! ,f E!rael;! territ,ry !till 9age their bitter 9ar ,n E!rael;! p,pulati,n / again!t n,t ,nly E!rael;! )en but al!, again!t the c,untry;! ,ld pe,ple, 9,)en, and e!pecially children. "he un!crupul,u! Phili!tine !uicide terr,ri!t! prefer t, -ill babie! and !ch,,lchildren. "he E!raeli ar)y trie! t, fight the) ,ff, but the 9h,le da)n anti/ Se)itic fa!ci!t 9,rld c,nde)n! the) f,r their rightful !elf/defen!e. "he AEA #A)erican Entelligence Agency$ ha! detected a 9ide!pread :u!li) pl,t again!t the 9h,le We!tern 9,rld in ter)! ,f nuclear aggre!!i,n again!t it. An active anti/We!tern nuclear f,rce i! being !et up in c,untrie! li-e Per!ia, A!!ur, and Erebi!tan. "he ide,l,gical center! re)ain, a! bef,re, in ilia, "ehiraH in Per!ia, and e!pecially in Erebi!tan 9here nuclear ba!e! have already been created. "he h,tbed ,f ide,l,gy and nuclear !trategy ha! ),ved t, the city ,f :acaca in Erebi!tan 9h,!e ruler! have the a)biti,n t, d,)inate the 9,rld n,t ,nly financially but al!, !trategically. S,, li-e E !aid, the :u!li) c,untrie! get ready f,r nuclear 9ar. "hi! i! the general picture, 8,n, ,f the !tate ,f affair! in the 9,rld at pre!ent. Gut E g,t !,)e g,,d ne9! f,r y,u, t,,. "he nu)ber ,f ,ur v,luntary financial d,n,r! ha! increa!ed ,ver the la!t ),nth!. :any ,f the) have inve!t)ent! in very lucrative venture!. And that ha! enabled the) t, !,lidify ,ur cau!e, 9hich they naturally !ee a! their ,9n cau!e, t,,. And that enable! u! t, br,aden ,ur !truggle c,n!iderably. We have !everal ba!e! in Eur,pe n,9 9here 9e -eep ,ur ne9 c,)bat/ready aircraft. We;ve g,t ,ur hard9are !ta!hed a9ay a! far apart a! the ),untain! ,f ,r9ay and in @alabria and Sicily in Etaly. And n,9, apart fr,) Gilly S-elint,n and hi! death Pr,phet!, 9e have !everal ,ther trained c,)bat pil,t! at ,ur di!p,!al. And, 8,nBC Geert <an )ade a !ignificant pau!e, glancing at 8,nald;! face f,r a !plit !ec,nd and enj,ying the interr,gative e2pre!!i,n ,n it. 5e 9a! l,,-ing f,r9ard t, the effect ,f 9hat he 9a! g,ing t, c,))unicate t, hi! friend. AWe;ve )anaged t, )a-e a very i)p,rtant deal 9ith the c,rrupt 7u!!ian )ilitarie! and the end ,f the !t,ry i! that n,9 9e have a p,9erful nu-e at ,ur di!p,!al, 8,n, e!pecially due t, the )ediati,n ,f the 7u!!ian general Garry Alida!,v. 5e helped !)uggle the b,)b acr,!! the 7u!!ian b,rder.C 8,n c,uld hardly believe hi! ear!. AI,u d,n;t !ay !,BC AEt;! true, 8,n.C Geert !i)ply !aid. 8,nald beca)e e2cited. AGut it;! real great, GeertBC ASureBC Geert <an !aid and 9ent ,n 9ith filling 8,nald in. AA! f,r y,ur i)pri!,n)ent, 9e g,t an al),!t full inf,r)ati,n fr,) the da)n )a!! )edia 9h, never -eep their blabbing t,ngue! Huiet.C A8id y,u -n,9 ab,ut 7,b Van 8aalJC 8,nald a!-ed.

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AWe did. "hat;! 9hy he 9a! ,ne ,f th,!e 9e -illed 9hen 9e bur!t int, the building ,f the "ribunal. We !t,le up ,n the guard! fir!t and cut their thr,at! 9ith,ut n,i!e and then 9e )ade ,ur une2pected appearance in the c,urtr,,). We had planned all thi! bef,re at a !pecial !e!!i,n ,f ,ur headHuarter!. Every,ne 9a! f,r it, 8,n.C A6h, GeertBC AIeahJC AE 9,nder 9hat happened t, that bitch @hri!ta 5,r!eface ,f the @ @.C AE !p,tted her, 8,n, in the c,urtr,,). Gut E gue!! n,thing happened t, her. She 9a! typing a9ay ,n her lapt,p, even th,ugh hell br,-e ,ut there. E 9,uld und,ubtedly have !h,t that piece ,f !hit, but E c,uldn;t, f,r 9ant ,f ti)e. She )u!t have had a narr,9 e!cape, f,r all E -n,9. Gut E;) certain !he;! n,t 9,rth a bullet t, be 9a!ted ,n her.C A"han- y,u ever !, )uch again.C 8,nald put a! )uch !trength in hi! 9,rd! a! he c,uld. A6h, 8,nB E nearly f,rg,t t, tell y,u. 8, y,u re)e)ber the )y!teri,u! )urder ,f the chair)an ,f the 8utch branch ,f the @hri!tian A!!,ciati,n f,r E!rael Pr,fe!!,r 5enP,tgieterJC ASure, E d,.C A"he ca!e i! !,lved n,9. At l,ng la!tB Et 9a! the late "rula 8ui!burg 9h, had hired t9, :,r,ccan c,ntract hit)en t, -ill hi) in retaliati,n f,r hi! fir) !tand f,r E!rael and the <e9i!h pe,ple. "he bitch hated hi) f,r hi! !harp unc,)pr,)i!ing critici!)! ,f her anti/Se)itic and pr,/Phili!tine activitie! and her di!graceful !upp,rt ,f the Phili!tine terr,ri!) in E!rael;! territ,ry.C A5,9 9a! it !,lvedJC AWe did it, 8,n. We caught th,!e :,r,ccan! and learned Huite by chance 9hat they had d,ne. We e2ecuted the) by burning their ball! and g,uging ,ut their eye!.C AEt !erved the) right, Gert. "hey g,t 9hat they had been a!-ing f,r.C "hey 9ere riding in !ilence f,r Huite a lengthy ti)e. 8,nald 9a! dige!ting the ne9! in a th,ughtful ),,d and Geert <an f,cu!ed hi! attenti,n ,n the r,ad. "he ,ther! l,,-ed ,ut f,r a p,!!ible pur!uit. Geert -ept up a !teady !peed. A !,)e9hat rela2ed !ilence fell a),ng the ,ccupant! ,f the ru!hing jeep. Geert;! eye! Huic-ly glanced ,ver at 8,nald, hi! hand! fir) ,n the 9heel. A<u!t ,ne ),re thing, 8,n. An e2/!ergeant ,f the US ar)y 9h,!e na)e i! <,hn PiKKa i! n,9 in c,))and ,f ,ur !pecial unit! that c,)b ,ut the !,uthern c,a!t! ,f Eur,pe t, detect and de!tr,y illegal i))igrant!, ),!t ,f the) :,r,ccan! and ,raf!, 9h, try t, land ,r have already landed, ,r even th,!e fr,) !un-en b,at! 9h, 9ere fi!hed ,ut fr,) the !ea by the l,cal c,a!t guard! and br,ught ,n land. "he re!pective unit! under <,hn PiKKa ),nit,r the) and then !tri-e 9hen they have traced the) d,9n t, the recepti,n center! that pr,ce!! the). Gut the :u!li) !ch)uc-! are d,gged en,ugh t, g, ,n 9ith their ,9n pr,gra) ,f !tealthy infiltrati,n, alth,ugh <,hn PiKKa and hi! )en d, their ut),!t t, -eep the) bac-.C

&3%

AD,,-! li-e the !ch)uc-! in Hue!ti,n get ch,-ed 9ith this PpiKKa.;C 8,nald laughed. AI,u g,t a p,int here, 8,n. S,)eti)e!, e!pecially 9hen a big carg,/!hip appear! ,n the h,riK,n, Gilly S-elint,n and hi! cre9 are a!!igned t, bac- up <,hn PiKKa;! unit! by )a-ing !h,rt 9,r- ,f the intruder!.C 6nce in t,9n, they headed f,r the Huay, 9here they at ,nce !p,tted the fi!hing b,at they 9ere l,,-ing f,r. Et 9a! an ,ld ve!!el that had !een better day!. A ,r9egian flag fluttered at her !tern. "he b,at didn;t cut a t,, elegant figure ,n the 9ater. She had a certain li-ene!! t, an ,ld/!tyle clu)!y flat/ir,n 9ith the ,nly difference that thi! ,ne didn;t !in- t, the b,tt,), )aybe due t, the fact that it 9a! !ecurely ),,red. Gut the pr,ud na)e !he carried 9a! the .al- #falc,n$. A narr,9 gang9ay led right fr,) the gun9ale d,9n ,nt, the plan-! ,f the pier. "he jeep! ca)e t, an abrupt !t,p al,ng!ide it. Gut everyb,dy !ee)ed t, be in n, ha!te t, get ,ut ,f the). Until a tall )an 9ith br,ad !h,ulder!, and 9earing a thic- gray 9,,len turtlenec- 9ith a )arine cap ,n hi! grayi!h hair !h,9ed up ,n the b,at;! dec-. 5e !tepped ,n the gang9ay, 9ent d,9n 9ith,ut ha!te, and appr,ached the jeep!. With a large pipe that 9a! !),-ing in hi! b,ny hand, he l,,-ed li-e a cla!!ical pirate captain fr,) children;! b,,-! ,f adventure!. 5i! faded blue eye! in the reddi!h face 9ere blin-ing fr,) under hi! bu!hy gray eyebr,9!. 5e lifted hi! cap in greeting and !aid in a !lightly accented Engli!h, AG,,d day, gentle)en, E;) S-ipper Dar!en. 5ave y,u g,t anything t, !ay t, )eJC 5e 9a! eyeing 8,nald 9ith a l,ng gaKe. AIe!, !ir. E;) 8,nald 7,!! and the!e are )y )en. We have t, cr,!! ,ver t, ,r9ay ,n b,ard y,ur !hip E ta-e it.C S-ipper Dar!en ,nly n,dded hi! head, turned ,n hi! heel!, and 9ent bac- t, hi! !hip 9ith,ut a! )uch a! l,,-ing bac-. "he )en 9ere already aband,ning the jeep!, ta-ing their 9eap,n! 9ith the) and f,ll,9ing the ,r9egian !-ipper. :ean9hile the c,a!t !ee)ed clear and n, ,ne !h,9ed up t, hinder the e)bar-ati,n. 5aving a!cended the gang9ay, they all di!appeared thr,ugh the hatch in the dec- , e2cept f,r the !-ipper. "he la!t )ilitant 9h, happened t, be 8utch 5,lland 9a! ,n the p,int ,f cli)bing d,9n thr,ugh the hatch but lingered f,r a !ec,nd t, a!- the !-ipper a Hue!ti,n that pr,bably hara!!ed hi). AWill thi! fi!hing b,at be able t, 9eather the ,rth Sea !t,r)! bef,re 9e reach the ,r9egian !h,re!JC A<u!t 9atch )e,C 9a! all the !-ipper !aid in reply. 5e 9a! the ,nly ,ne 9h, re)ained ,n the dec- ,f hi! !hip f,r !,)e ti)e, !canning the c,a!t f,r any une2pected !urpri!e!. All 9a! Huiet ,r !ee)ed !,, e2cept that the aband,ned jeep! c,uld pr,v,-e !,)e,ne;! !u!pici,n. Gut that 9,uld pr,bably happen later. "hey 9,uld be g,ne at the ti)e 9hen the auth,ritie!; curi,!ity c,uld lead the) t, certain c,nclu!i,n!. Pr,vided the jeep! 9,uld n,t be !t,len by th,!e intere!ted bef,re the !pecially app,inted ElA;! )en ca)e t, ta-e care ,f the). 5e ,rdered t, hi! t9, cre9)e)ber! t, !tart the engine and t, ca!t ,ff the ),,ring line! ,f the fi!hing b,at. "he !-ipper hi)!elf t,,- hi! !tand at the !teering 9heel a!tern. ,9 the fi!hing

&31

b,at 9a! !l,9ly veering her b,9 !ea9ard. "he l,ng flat c,a!t ,f .rie!land gradually began t, d9indle until it entirely di!appeared bey,nd the h,riK,n. 8,9n in the !paci,u! cabin bel,9 the dec- the !)ell ,f fi!h 9a! very !tr,ng. Et t,,- h,ur! f,r the) t, get u!ed t, it. "here 9ere berth! and c,t! in the cabin t, acc,)),date n,t ,nly the three cre9)e)ber!, including the !-ipper, but there 9ere !pare c,t!, t,,, th,ugh n,t en,ugh f,r all ,f the EDA )ilitant! n,9 ,n b,ard the !hip. S,, !,)e ),re )attre!!e! 9ere thr,9n d,9n ,n the dec- t, acc,)),date th,!e ,f the) 9h, 9ere n,t luc-y en,ugh t, get the berth!. Gut that c,n!tituted n, pr,ble) f,r the ,perative gr,up 9h, 9ere gallant en,ugh t, yield the !pare berth! t, each ,ther. Gut the pr,!pect ,f cr,!!ing the !ea all the 9ay t, ,r9ay did n,t !ee) !, attractive t, th,!e ,f the) 9h, 9ere pr,ne t, be !ea!ic-. A"he ),re chance t, !ave the victual!,C the !-ipper laughed. "he ),)ent their ve!!el 9a! in the ,ffing, !he !tarted r,lling and pitching and )a-ing !,)e ,f the )en ru!h up ,nt, the upper dec9here they hung acr,!! the gun9ale! and ble9 their c,,-ie! ,verb,ard in g,,d c,ncert, Pi-e and Gert MuKl,9 a),ng the). "he !-ipper, 9h, held the !teering 9heel in hi! hand!, 9atched the) fr,) the dec-/h,u!e 9ith hi! c,ld faded eye!, then !hrugging hi! !h,ulder! f,cu!ed hi! attenti,n entirely ,n the c,ur!e ,f hi! !hip. Et !tarted t, driKKle and vi!ibility 9,r!ened. When they pa!!ed by and left behind the i!le ,f Vlieland, the 9ind increa!ed it! !trength. "he 9ave! had that grayi!h leaden hue that i! natural f,r th,!e part! ,f the ,rth Sea during peri,d! ,f na!ty 9eather. "he 9ave!, at !,)e place! fr,thy, 9ere n,t ,f the )agnitude that )ight l,,- threatening. At lea!t in the eye! ,f !ea)en li-e S-ipper Dar!en. 5e 9a! puffing a9ay at hi! pipe i)perturbably. "he b,9l ,f the pipe in the f,r) ,f de),n;! head 9ith a !harp g,atee 9a! letting ,ut a thin !purt ,f blui!h !),-e that 9a! curling and dancing in the 9ind that ble9 in thr,ugh the ,pen 9ind,9. S-ipper Dar!en 9a! c,ntent that at la!t he 9a! returning h,)e. 6n the ,ther hand, he 9a! rather apprehen!ive ,f !,)e une2pected inHui!itive c,a!tguard! ,r any ,ther gunb,at! that )ight !h,9 up at any ),)ent, cut ,ff hi! c,ur!e, and de)and that he !h,uld !t,p f,r their in!pecti,n, unnece!!arily c,)plicating and endangering their live!. G,d -n,9! they had t, brave en,ugh danger! 9ith,ut that aggravati,n int, the bargain. 5i! !till !harp/!ighted and alert eye! ,cca!i,nally !lid al,ng the haKy h,riK,n, ju!t t, be ,n the !afe !ide. "here 9a! n,thing !u!pici,u!, apart fr,) the va!t !pace ,f the !ea and dar- cl,ud! that r,lled in a b,iling )a!! ab,ve itN b,th al),!t ,f the !a)e leaden gray c,l,r. S,)eti)e! the blac-ened !-y 9a! lit up by lightning fla!he! and rain fell in c,ntinu,u! t,rrent!, 9hipped by the 9ind. "he dru))ing ,f the rain ,n the !-ipper;! bridge inten!ified a! !tr,ng gu!t! ,f the 9ind dr,ve it again!t the !hip;! decand rigging in al),!t c,)pact !heet! ,f 9ater. Gut the !)all !hip !truggled ,n ,b!tinately, 9all,9ing thr,ugh the bill,9! ,f the r,ugh !ea. 8,9n in the cabin 8,nald 7,!!, Geert <an 8e--er and <en! 5an!en g,t t,gether t, c,nfer ,n the ne2t c,ur!e ,f acti,n after their arrival, 9hile S-ipper Dar!en -ept hi! vigil at the hel), trying n,t t, be put ,ff hi! c,ur!e by the raging ele)ent!. .,r hi) it 9a! n,t f,r the fir!t ti)e.

&3&

5e had !een 9,r!e in the pa!t. S, he 9,uldn;t cave in n,9 ju!t a! he had never d,ne that bef,re. , 9ayB 5e 9a! here and hi! pipe 9a! n,t yet e2tingui!hed and that 9a! a g,,d !ign. 5e -ne9 hi! bu!ine!!, any9ay. A !had,9 !lid pa!t ,ne ,f the 9ind,9! ,f the dec-h,u!e and it! d,,r !uddenly jer-ed ,pen, letting in rain and 9ind,9. A figure e)erged fr,) the d,,r9ay and ha!tily !hut the d,,r behind it! bac-. Et t,,- a fe9 !ec,nd! f,r S-ipper Dar!en t, rec,gniKe the face ,f 8,nald 7,!! 9h, 9a! n,9 !ha-ing ,ff ),i!ture fr,) hi! cl,the! very )uch in a )anner ,f a 9et d,g. "hat )ade the !-ipper grin at the c,)ic !i)ilarity ,f the ),ve)ent. After braving the hell ,ut!ide, 8,nald held ,n t, !,)ething that !ee)ed relatively !teady. Ef ,ne c,uld call !teady the dancing dec-h,u!e and 9hat 9a! in it. 5e !)iled 9ea-ly at S-ipper Dar!en. APlea!e, !-ipper, c,uld y,u tell )e 9here 9e are n,9JC A"he ,r9egian n,dded.C , pr,ble), !ir. We are n,9 ab,ut t9enty )ile! ,ff the c,!t ,f ,r9ay, ,r t, be ),re preci!e 9e are n,t far fr,) the city ,f Stavanger. And 9e are heading f,r the envir,n! ,f "r,ndhei), ,ur final de!tinati,n a! y,u -n,9.C 8,nald n,dded and 9a! ab,ut t, leave the bridge 9hen an,ther )an !h,9ed up in the d,,r9ay, ,ne ,f the t9, cre9)e)ber! ,f the !hip. 5e !aid !,)ething t, the !-ipper in ,r9egian. Gut Dar!en replied in Engli!h. AI,u;re ju!t ,n ti)e, il!. Get y,ur hand! ,n thi! da)n hel). <u!t !tic- t, the !et c,ur!e and d,n;t fall a!leep.C A8,n;t 9,rry, !-ipper. I,u -n,9 )e,C the !ail,r !aid, ta-ing ,ver the hel) fr,) the !-ipper. Dar!en !lapped 8,nald ,n the bac-. AE;d be da)ned if y,u refu!ed t, !9all,9 a gla!! ,f genuine ,r9egian aHuavit in thi! !atanic 9eather. @,)e ,n, Det;! g, d,9n. il! here ha! already had hi! fun. ,9 it;! ,ur turn, :r. 7,!!. Det;! n,t )i!! it. I,u are )y gue!t.C "hey left the bridge f,r the 9et dec- that 9a! ri!ing and falling li-e a bull in r,de, that 9a! trying t, t,!! d,9n a c,9b,y fr,) it! bac-. Gut even in the cabin 8,nald 9a! f,rced t, h,ld ,n t, !,)ething and f,cu!ed ,n -eeping hi! ,9n balance t, av,id being hurled again!t !,)ething hard. 5e felt that 9ay f,r a 9hile until S-ipper Dar!en c,njured up a b,ttle ,f !tr,ng ,r9egian aHuavit that he !hared 9ith hi) and th,!e ,f hi! c,)rade! 9h, 9ere !till able t, drin- !,)e ,f it. 5aving d,9ned the burning liHuid at ,ne gulp, 8,nald !,,n !en!ed it! !,,thing effect in hi! !y!te). "he )aj,rity ,f the ,ther )en preferred t, cling t, their !9inging c,t! ,r h,ld ,n t, !,)ething el!e t, !ave their b,die! fr,) c,lli!i,n 9ith each ,ther ,r 9ith !,lid ,bject! in the cabin. "he very idea ,f c,n!u)ing !,)ething 9a! utterly repellent t, the), all thing! c,n!idered. :,re than half ,f the) 9ere !ea!ic- and felt that ,nly dry land 9,uld cure the). Gut in their pre!ent c,nditi,n the idea ,f ever reaching any dry land at all !ee)ed unreal, ju!t n,thing but 9i!hful thin-ing. @5AP"E7 3(

&33

Eh)ed Gey )i!!ed ilia, @air,, E)a) "abubara-, the )e),ry ,f hi! dear friend Seli) Gula), and Seli);! l,vely Sebuni!!a. Gut hi! life in Per!ia 9a! n,t a! !ad a! hi! )e),rie! 9ere. En fact, it )ade th,!e )e),rie! !9eeter again!t the bac-dr,p ,f Per!ia;! r,!e garden! and al),nd/eyed Per!ian beautie!. 5e 9a! -een ,n the fa),u! p,et!; c,)petiti,n ,ften held 9ithin the !u)ptu,u! 9all! ,f Per!ia;! beautiful ),!Hue!. 5e li-ed the rich and very n,i!y baKaar! 9here y,u c,uld enj,y the !9eet !herbet at the peril ,f y,ur teeth, ,r ta!te vari,u! thing! 9ith,ut buying the) and bec,)e !, replete 9ith the) that y,u didn;t need y,ur dinner el!e9here. 5e li-ed the refre!hing f,untain! !, !ilvery in the ),,nlight ,f the 9ar) velvet night! that re)inded hi) ,f hi! native ilia. Gut each day br,ught a !hare ,f ,ther thing!, different than th,!e !9eet 9a-ing h,ur! 9hen he 9a! free t, r,a) in the n,i!y !treet! ,f "ehiraH, the capital ,f Per!ia. Each day he attended b,th the,retical and practical le!!,n! in nuclear balli!tic! and all -ind! ,f gadgetry related t, nuclear techn,l,gy. "he le!!,n! 9ere given t, the) by 7u!!ian !peciali!t! 9h, u!ed tran!lat,r! becau!e they c,uld n,t !pea- any ,ther language e2cept their ,9n. "hat 9a! a l,ng/!tanding 7u!!ian traditi,n inherited fr,) the ti)e! 9hen the c,untry had been run by pe,ple 9h, c,uld n,t !pea- even their ,9n language decently en,ugh. "hey 9ere -n,9n e2pert ,nly in f,ul language. Alth,ugh Eh)ed Gey did n,t -n,9 a 9,rd ,f 7u!!ian, he had a hunch that hi! 7u!!ian teacher! u!ed at lea!t a )i2ture ,f techn,l,gical and f,ul language! if y,u judged 9hat they )eant by their int,nati,n. Gut the tran!lat,r! rendered ,nly the techn,l,gical part in Per!ian. When they are fini!hed 9ith their di!cl,!ing their nuclear !ecret! t, u! and g, bac- t, their ,9n c,untry, Eh)ed Gey th,ught, 9e;ll !ettle an ,ld !c,re 9ith 7u!!ian pig! f,r 9hat they have d,ne t, the faithful @hec-)ec-! and f,r their rejecti,n ,f Allalah and E!la). All the !tudent!, Eh)ed Gey a),ng the), had little lei!ure ti)e. Apart fr,) their daily !tudie!, they 9ere t, ta-e part in all religi,u! !ervice! and attend lecture! ,n h,9 t, 9age h,ly 9ar ,n all infidel! in the 9,rld. Eh)ed Gey preferred t, !pend hi! fe9 h,ur! ,f lei!ure either ra)bling in the )ar-et place and li!ten t, the pr,fe!!i,nal !t,ryteller! 9h, entertained their public 9ith traditi,nal Per!ian legend! ,r, thin-ing ,f hi! dead friend Seli) Gula), he 9ent t, vari,u! ),!Hue c,urtyard! 9here p,et!; c,)petiti,n! 9ere u!ually held. "he p,e)! he li!tened t, 9ere in ),!t ca!e! !trictly traditi,nal 9ith,ut !lighte!t deviati,n! fr,) the !tiffened cla!!ical f,r)! ,f the pa!t )illennia. Gut !,)eti)e! ne9 p,e)! 9ere recited in 9hich their auth,r! all,9ed the)!elve! t, brea- the ,ld traditi,n and c,)e ,ut 9ith !,)ething t,tally ne9. Di-e ver!e! c,ntaining i)precati,n! ai)ed at Pre!ident Wil)an and the We!t ,n the 9h,le. :any ,f the recited p,e)! 9ere dedicated t, Allalah and the auth,r!; b,undle!! dev,ti,n t, 5i). "he!e ver!e! 9ere even ),re pa!!i,nate than th,!e ab,ut l,ve. S,)e 9ere n,!talgic and referring t, the ti)e! 9hen the We!t had n,t )eddled 9ith the lu2uri,u! and ind,lent 6rient, n,t !)eared yet 9ith hateful inn,vati,n! i)p,rted fr,) the accur!ed We!t in ,rder t, c,rrupt the faithful :u!li)!.

&3(

S,)eti)e! Per!ian girl! 9ere all,9ed t, entertain the attending public 9ith their ela!tic langu,r,u! dance!. "heir dar- eye! 9ere glittering )y!teri,u!ly fr,) under the blac- 9ing! ,f eyebr,9! invariably c,)pared by the enthu!ia!tic p,et! t, the velvety blac-ne!! ,f Per!ian night!. An ,cca!i,nal gli)p!e ,f an an-le 9,uld cau!e !ecret jubilati,n ,n the part ,f the ravi!hed !pectat,r! and ar,u!e de!ire that had t, be !uppre!!ed at lea!t ,ut9ardly. .,r the la9! ,f the :u!li) Per!ia 9ere very !trict in relati,n t, 9,uld/be perpetrat,r! ,f th,!e puri!t la9! and envi!aged !evere puni!h)ent! li-e ca!trati,n ,f the culprit! ,r pr,hibiti,n even t, l,,- at the ,ther !e2 f,r 9hich, in ca!e! ,f vi,lati,n ,f thi! la9, they c,uld be even !entenced t, burning their eye!. "here 9ere ca!e! 9hen recalcitrant culprit! 9ere ca!trated and blinded, but thi! 9a! )eant t, )a-e their l,t ea!ier becau!e they c,uld n,t be !educed any ),re. Gut thi! d,uble puni!h)ent 9a! u!ed ,nly ,n rare ,cca!i,n! if the guilty party had )erit! in the pa!t and de!erved !,)e -ind ,f cle)ency. Gy ta-ing the!e )ea!ure!, the ruthle!! Per!ian Ge)!/ ,f/Allalah 9h, ran the c,untry intended t, pr,tect the preci,u! virtue! ,f y,ung pe,ple again!t depravity bef,re they g,t )arried. After all, y,ung )en c,uld )arry a! )any girl! a! they c,uld !upp,rt and they c,uld !ati!fy their natural in!tinct! legally and at full capacity ,nly after )arriage. "he puni!h)ent by ca!trati,n 9a! n,t practiced t,, freHuently, but given it! benefit f,r the ab,ve/)enti,ned virtue!. it 9a! t, carried ,ut in br,ad public. "he !a)e 9a! valid f,r blinding 9ith a red/h,t piece ,f ir,n. Eh)ed Gey did n,t feel l,ne!,)e becau!e he had t9, ne9 friend! 9h, 9ere Per!ian!. G,th 9ere appr,2i)ately ,f hi! age and !hared the !a)e vie9! and the !a)e h,ly hatred ,f the We!t. 6ne ,f the) 9a! Mhuye) Gey, a tall, !tr,ngly/built y,uth 9h, 9a!, li-e Eh)ed Gey, intere!ted in p,etry, 9hich 9a! a traditi,nal pr,pen!ity in th,!e ge,graphical latitude!. "he ,ther y,uth;! na)e 9a! .,c-bu) Saday. 5e 9a! !Huat ,f !tature and 9a! ),re intere!ted in fe)ale! than in 9riting h,pele!!ly pathetic and u!ele!!ly tearful p,e)! ab,ut the). A! far a! the re)aining part ,f their appearance and character! 9a! c,ncerned, b,th !hared the !a)e !all,9 c,l,r ,f !-in and the pitch blac-ne!! ,f hair and eye!. G,th hated the We!t and 7u!!ia, including their 7u!!ian in!truct,r!. 6ne ,f the 7u!!ian! ,ften u!ed a f,ul language again!t .,c-bu) Saday during cla!!e! ,n the launching )echani!) ,f a l,ng/range r,c-et. .,c-bu) Saday !ee)ed unable t, gra!p the l,gic ,f it! 9,r-ing fa!t en,ugh and Ieg,r,v 9h, happened t, be the in!truct,r at the ti)e u!ed a f,ul phra!e. S,)ething li-e Afuc- y,ur ),therC, a! the Per!ian tran!lat,r later t,ld .,c-bu) Saday, having )ade hi) fir!t pr,)i!e t, -eep !ilent ab,ut that. .,c-bu) 9a! a vindictive and ranc,r,u! y,uth and !9,re revenge. "he 7u!!ian in!truct,r! ,ccupied an apart building in thi! )ilitary c,)p,und n,t far fr,) "ehiraH and had independent facilitie! that enabled the) t, enj,y a relatively aut,n,),u! living. Encluding guKKling alc,h,l in ),n!tr,u! Huantitie!, a! their cu!t,) 9a!. "hey 9ere g,,d !peciali!t!, but al!, great drin-er!, truly l,adie!. Unbridled b,,Ke partie! 9ere their ,nly

&30

entertain)ent, given the fact that getting in t,uch 9ith the ,ther !e2 9a! c,)pletely ,ut ,f the Hue!ti,n. E!pecially, in !,ber c,n!iderati,n ,f the ab,ve/)enti,ned la9!. Strictly !pea-ing, b,,Ke 9a! al!, f,rbidden by the !a)e la9!, but the Per!ian auth,ritie! preferred t, l,,- the ,ther 9ay a! far a! that breach 9a! c,ncerned, ch,,!ing t,lerati,n in e2change ,f inf,r)ati,n. S, the 7u!!ian! had b,,Ke/up! ,n a regular ba!i! and !ee)ed !ati!fied t, !uch an e2tent that they f,rg,t all ab,ut the e2i!tence ,f the ,ther !e2 and it 9a! ,n thi! rea!!uring fact,r that the Per!ian auth,ritie! 9i!ely c,unted. Even th,ugh in the !tate ,f bli!!ful int,2icati,n a perfidi,u! urge t, !ee- adventure! re)ained !till active and at lea!t th,!e ,f the) 9h, )iracul,u!ly !till retained an ability t, ),ve u!ed their all f,ur! in a feeble but per!i!tent atte)pt at e2pl,rati,n ,f the pin- 9,rld !urr,unding the). Such b,ld atte)pt! ,ften led the) t, end up in a ditch 9ith !e9age that invariably c,ntained hu)an urine and faece! pr,duced by the 9h,le c,))unity ,f the va!t )ilitary c,)p,und. 6nly !ub!eHuent !h,9er! and da)n We!tern laundr,)at! !aved the) fr,) carrying the t,, !u!pici,u! ar,)a !preading fr,) the). 8uring ,ne ,f !uch night!, the in!truct,r 9h, had in!ulted .,c-bu);! ),ther 9a! f,und dead in the !e9age ditch. 5e 9a! !ee)ingly dr,9ned in the !e9age liHuid )i2ed 9ith the ab,ve/)enti,ned pr,duct! ,f hu)an anat,)y. "he incident 9a! !,,n f,rg,tten, but the !ati!fied !)ir- ,n the !en!ual lip! ,f .,c-bu) Saday 9a! n,9 rather per)anent a! 9ell a! an enig)atic e2pre!!i,n ,f hi! c,al/blac- eye!. 6ne day he 9a! pr,bably in a !pecial ),,d, f,r he felt he c,uld n,t h,ld bac- !,)e !ecret ,f hi! and !aid t, Eh)ed Gey and hi! !ide/-ic- Mhuye) Gey after yet an,ther le!!,n ,f nuclear balli!tic!. A:y friend!, E g,t !,)ething i)p,rtant t, tell y,u if y,u !9ear t, -eep the !ecret E;) g,ing t, brea- t, y,u a! !ecurely a! grave! -eep the !ecret! ,f th,!e 9h, have aband,ned thi! !inful 9,rld.C AG, ahead, ,h, .,c-bu). I,u can certainly rely ,n u!, y,ur b,!,) friend!. I,u have n,thing t, fear, ,h, .,c-bu). .,r 9e -n,9 h,9 t, -eep !ecret!. "he heart! ,f the n,ble are grave! ,f !ecret!,C Eh)ed Gey enc,uraged hi! ne9 friend. .,c-bu) l,,-ed ar,und 9arily and ),ti,ned hi! friend! t, lean cl,!er t, hi). At the ),)ent they 9ere the ,nly ,ne! pre!ent in their d,r) and 9ere c,)f,rtably !itting ,n their bed!. A6n the night,C .,c-bu) Saday re!u)ed, Athe decea!ed 7u!!ian !-un- 9a! dr,9ned E happened t, be n,t far fr,) the place. When E !p,tted a dar- figure e)erge fr,) the building 9here th,!e 7u!!ian pig! live, E f,ll,9ed it inc,n!picu,u!ly, trying t, -eep )y!elf in deep !had,9!. "he )y!teri,u! figure, ,bvi,u!ly 9,n-y ,n it! leg!, appr,ached then cl,!e t, the edge ,f the ditch and unKipping the pant! !tarted t, ta-e a lea- right int, the ditch. At the ),)ent the figure l,,-ed bac- and in the ),,nlight that 9a! bright en,ugh at the ti)e E rec,gniKed the very pig 9h, had had the nerve t, in!ult )y ),ther;! na)e. With,ut l,!ing ti)e E !t,le up,n the creep and pu!hed hi) int, the ditch 9here he bel,nged. After he fell, E -ept hi! dirty head under the !urface ,f the f,ul liHuid f,r !,)e ti)e. "hen E )ade !ure the

&3L

fart 9a! !t,ne dead and then f,,ted all ,ver the place t, )uddle up )y ,9n trace! and thr,9 ,ff the !cent any p,tential inve!tigati,n bef,re E returned t, ,ur d,r) 9here every,ne 9a! a!leep and didn;t n,tice )y ab!ence and !tealing bac- later. "hat;! h,9 E puni!hed the f,ul/ t,ngued 7u!!ian gu)p. Any9ay, n,b,dy !ee)ed !, cut up ab,ut hi), apart, ,f c,ur!e, fr,) hi! 7u!!ian cr,nie!.C 5e 9a! glad t, have unburdened hi)!elf ,f hi! terrible !ecret becau!e he -ne9 hi! friend! 9ere tru!table and c,uld under!tand and fully agree 9ith hi! ),tivati,n. 8uring prayer! and 9hile attending lecture! and practical le!!,n! the three ne9 friend! had bec,)e in!eparable. 6ne day, it 9a! ann,unced that Ayat,llah Sardar .,c-upjani 9,uld )a-e a !peech and lead prayer! at the training center. At the ti)e ,f hi! arrival, there gathered a large cr,9d in the va!t c,urtyard ,f the Grand :,!Hue ri))ed in ,n all !ide! by p,rtic,! that !t,,d ,n the territ,ry ,f the center. Attendance ,f the trainee! 9a! ,bligat,ry. S, n,9, Eh)ed Gey and hi! t9, ne9 cr,nie! !t,,d in the fir!t r,9! 9aiting f,r the great Ayat,llah t, appear bef,re the a!!e)bly ,f the faithful. "he unani),u! cry AAllalah i! greatBC bur!t ,ut ,f nu)er,u! thr,at! a! the )aje!tic ,ld )an )ade finally hi! appearance in hi! dignified unhurried )anner. 5e )ade the u!ual :u!li) ge!ture ,f greeting by t,uching hi! f,rehead, !h,ulder, and heart and b,9ed !lightly. 5i! audience 9a! e2cited and jubilant. Gut he rai!ed hi! right hand and a re!pectful !ilence fell ,n hi! li!tener!. A6h, the faithful ,f Allalah,C he !aid in a cal) v,ice, AEach ti)e E utter decree! ,n behalf ,f Allalah the Al)ighty y,u !h,uld !h,9 y,ur l,ve ,f 5i) by ju)ping ,n the !p,t a! l,ng a! y,u can.C 5e )ade a dignified pau!e, eyeing hi! audience !ternly. "hen, rai!ing hi! hand! t,9ard the !-y he dra9led in a !ing!,ng v,ice, AAllalah i! greatBC And 9hile he )ade a pau!e the cr,9d began t, ju)p ,n the !p,t. "he y,uth! ju)ped up ea!ily li-e f,,tball!, but the ),re elderly !ee)ed t, have ),re pr,ble)! 9ith thi! e2erci!e and de),n!trati,n ,f b,undle!! dev,ti,n. "he ju)ping rhyth) ,f the y,uth! gradually increa!ed 9herea! that ,f the elderly 9a! !l,9ing d,9n. Gut t, their great relief, Ayat,llah .,c-upjani rai!ed hi! hand again a! a !ign t, !t,p ju)ping. A6h, faithful brethrenB Allalah the :erciful beh,ld! y,ur dev,ti,n and appreciate! it. ,9 E 9ill a!- th,!e 9h, hate E!rael, A)erica, and all the We!t and are ready t, !end death t, the) in the f,r) ,f h,ly nuclear r,c-et!* !h,9 y,ur great hatred, ,h bel,ved by Allalah, by ju)ping again. Allalah i! greatBC "he cr,9d !tarted ju)ping again in an accelerating rhyth). "hi! ti)e, th,ugh, the !acred e2erci!e 9a! la!ting l,nger than the fir!t ,ne. Several ,ld )en dr,pped dead, but the y,uth! c,ntinued their enthu!ia!tic ju)ping 9ith,ut paying attenti,n t, the). "he ,ld )en 9ere pr,bably n,9 in Allalah;! paradi!e, rejuvenated, and already )ade l,ve 9ith the h,ly Virginal Wh,re! ,r having b,,Ke under the benev,lent eye ,f Allalah 5i)!elf. "hey had already g,t their re)unerati,n, but the y,unger ,ne! had t, de!erve !uch h,n,r yet. Watching

&3?

the dead b,die! ,f the ,ld )en they felt envi,u!, but the r,ad ,f life they had t, neg,tiate 9a! !till l,ng t, g,. "he h,ly Sardar .,c-upjany 9ent ,n t,tally unc,ncerned ab,ut the death ,f the luc-y ,ne!. After all, they 9ere already in heaven enj,ying their ne9, happier and 9ell/de!erved life. A6h, Allalah;! dear faithfulBC Ayat,llah re!u)ed. A S,)e ,f y,u have n,9 f,und y,ur 9ay t, Allalah;! paradi!e and are n,9 !tanding bef,re 5i! )erciful all/!eeing eye!. I,u 9h, are !till here 9ith u! have t, fulfill y,ur !acred dutie! here bef,re you give y,ur acc,unt t, Allalah the Al)ighty the :erciful. Very !,,n y,ur training 9ill be ,ver. "he nuclear r,c-et! 9ill be trained ,n the accur!t f,e! ,f E!la). Et 9ill be y,ur !acred ta!- t, launch the) 9ith !teadfa!t heart! and fir) hand! a! beh,,ve! the true and faithful !ervant! ,f Allalah, 5i! h,ly na)e be prai!ed. 6ur te)p,rary ,rth M,rean friend! / te)p,rary until the ti)e 9e c,nHuer the) f,r the !a-e ,f E!la) / 9ill launch their r,c-et! !i)ultane,u!ly 9ith u!. "heir nu-e! are trained ,n the !a)e target! a! 9ell a! ,n <apan, t,,. We have a !ecret treaty 9ith the). Gut f,r the ti)e being, 9e )u!t -eep !)iling at the un!u!pecting We!t. .,r decepti,n and lie! f,r the cau!e ,f E!la) are !acred lie! appr,ved ,f by Allalah the Al)ighty the :erciful. Et i! ,ur !acred duty indeed t, tell the) lie! right in their ugly face!, e!pecially c,ncerning E!rael. We )u!t create an i)pre!!i,n in the 9h,le 9,rld that it i! E!rael that i! at the r,,t! ,f all tr,uble. We )u!t fabricate diver!e d,cu)ent!, tape!, and vide,! ,f all -ind!, even fa-e ,ne!, in 9hich 9e;ll !h,9 the prep,!ter,u! irrelevancy and illegality ,f her very e2i!tence. Allalah i! great, ,h, faithful. ,9 y,u )ay ju)p.C "hey began ju)ping / up and d,9n, up and d,9n / the e2pre!!i,n ,f h,ly hatred ,f all E!la);! f,e! enn,bling their face!. Eh)ed Gey and hi! cr,nie! 9ere trying t, ,utju)p the ,ther!. "he general ),,d ,f un!pea-able enthu!ia!) prevailed. "hen the great ,ld )an ble!!ed the a!!e)bly and retired a! )aje!tically a! he had appeared bef,re the). After the cere),ny ,f )eeting 9ith Sardar .,c-upjani, the b,die! ,f the luc-y dead 9ere c,))itted t, the earth 9ith )any h,n,r! due t, their )e),ry. .,r their !,ul! 9ere already enj,ying the e2Hui!ite char)! ,f paradi!e life. At la!t, the )e),rable day ,f Eh)ed Gey and hi! fell,9 !tudent!; graduati,n ca)e. "heir 7u!!ian in!truct,r! had already g,ne h,)e t, face their !ub!eHuent fate ,f 9hich they didn;t -n,9 a thing. And the Per!ian !uperi,r! ,f the y,ung !tudent! )ade -n,9n t, the) the c,ncrete target! t, be hit by the !everal en,r),u! !trategic nuclear r,c-et! that 9ere placed in their undergr,und !haft! and c,nnected t, c,)puter targeting !y!te)!. "he!e target! 9ere Wa!hingt,n, e9 I,r-, D,! Pr,phete!, @hicag,, D,nd,n, :,!c,9, E!rael, and 8elhi / eight !trategic nu-e! f,r each ,ne ,f th,!e accur!ed infidel citie!. Eh)ed Gey 9a! app,inted t, launch ,ne ,f th,!e r,c-et! ,n E!rael. 5e felt happy ab,ut that. 5e th,ught that hi! be!t friend Seli) Gula) f,und hi! death at the hand! ,f !,)e,ne fr,) E!rael. 8uring the app,int)ent cere),ny that 9a! c,nducted by a !pecial c,))ittee ,f Per!ian !eni,r ,fficer! and Ge)!/,f/

&3'

Allalah, he a!-ed a Hue!ti,n ab,ut the :u!li) p,pulati,n ,f E!rael 9h, 9,uld inevitably be victi)! ,f a nuclear bla!t in that c,untry. "he an!9er 9a! that !,)e ,f the) 9ere c,llab,rat,r! and trait,r! and it 9,uld !erve the) right t, be !ent t, hell f,r their ),rtal !in ,f a!!i!ting the f,e! ,f E!la). And the truly faithful :u!li)! 9h, 9,uld l,!e their earthly live! 9,uld be c,n!idered a! !aint! 9h, truly de!erved a far better life in Allalah;! paradi!e by p,!!e!!ing the )erit! ,f all dev,ted :u!li)!. S,, there 9a! n,thing 9r,ng 9ith that. Eh)ed Gey b,9ed l,9 bef,re the c,))ittee, e2pre!!ing hi! e2tre)e gratitude f,r the enlighten)ent he 9a! ble!!ed 9ith. .,c-bu) Saday 9a! t, target :,!c,9, 9hich 9a! a !,urce ,f great !ati!facti,n t, hi). And Mhuye) Gey 9a! t, ai) at n, le!! than Wa!hingt,n. 5e 9a! b,th plea!ed 9ith hi! ta!and a9ed by it. "hey 9ere app,inted a! c,))anding ,fficer! ,f the !pecial cre9! that 9ere t, ,perate th,!e giant r,c-et!. After the ,fficial di!tributi,n ,f ta!-! that 9a! held !trictly cla!!ified, the y,ung ,fficer! and their cre9! 9ere left t, the)!elve! t, celebrate the ,cca!i,n 9ith a grand tea/drin-ing and ),untain! ,f vari,u! ca-e! and !9eet!. "he three cr,nie! and their c,)pani,n!/in/ar)!, the ,ther ,fficer!, !at late int, the night, di!cu!!ing their de!tiny ,f revengeful puni!hing !9,rd! in the hand! ,f Allalah 5i)!elf. "hey c,uld hardly believe their ,9n luc-. "he gate! ,f the 9ell/de!erved paradi!e !t,,d ,pen f,r the) and Allalah 9a! ready t, )eet and e)brace the) in 5i! red,lent garden!. And, ,f c,ur!e, each ,f the) 9,uld be a9arded 9ith !eventy virginal 9h,re! and river! ,f b,,Ke. "hen they decided t, f,und a ne9 !,ciety ,f friend!hip and eternal l,yalty t, each ,ther. And fr,) that ti)e ,n, they !tarted t, call the)!elve! the Gr,therh,,d ,f ,ble @ha)pi,n!. @5AP"E7 30 After a fe9 day! ,f braving the angry ele)ent!, the .al-;! !-ipper !et her c,ur!e f,r the high, ),untain,u!, and !evere/l,,-ing !h,re! ,f ,r9ay, pa!!ed thr,ugh an archipelag, ,f !)all i!land! in the ,r9egian Sea, and 9a! n,9 appr,aching the deeply cut )eandering labyrinth ,f the ,r9egian )ainland. After !,)e ),re h,ur! ,f 9all,9ing in ,r9ay;! c,a!tal 9ater!, .al- !-irted r,und !,)e ,f the bigger i!land! t, enter the ),uth ,f the big fj,rd ,n 9h,!e !,uthern c,a!t lie! the big city ,f "r,ndhei) 9ith it! high ,ld cathedral dating bac- t, the ,ld Vi-ing ti)e!, 9hen the place 9a! called idar,!. "hey pa!!ed bet9een the t9, !)all t,9n! in the ),uth ,f "r,ndhei)!fj,rden, Gre-!tad and Val!et, 9here ferryb,at! carried pe,ple fr,) ,ne c,a!t t, the ,pp,!ite ,ne. "he .al- entered the br,adening 9ater !pace ,f the fj,rd, -eeping t, it! le!! p,pulated ea!tern c,a!t. "he !heer !l,pe! ,f the t,9ering !h,re 9ere c,vered by the vegetati,n t,uched by the fir!t breath ,f autu)n. A pale !un peered thr,ugh the thinning cl,ud! t, )a-e the 9ater! l,,- deeper blue. ,9 the .al- chugged ,n peacefully pa!t the variegated c,l,r! ,f the !h,re. "he fi!hing b,at f,ll,9ed it until it reached the n,rthea!tern bend ,f the fj,rd, leaving the city ,f "r,ndhei) 9ith it! ea!ily vi!ible

&33

idar,! @athedral far t, the !,uth. "he "r,ndhei)!fj,rd beca)e 9ider and the city !,,n vani!hed bey,nd the va!t !pace ,f 9ater. "he high and dar- fur 9,,d! cr,9ned the t,p ,f the !h,re! that !tretched far int, the fj,rd, 9ith,ut !ee)ing t, have an end t, it. Et! ),n,t,ny 9a! interrupted ,nly ,nce by a !)all fi!hing t,9n Vanvi-an and a nu)ber ,f )aje!tic 9aterfall!. .urther ,n, the nature ,f the !h,re g,t 9ilder, 9ith ),re 9,,d! prevailing. "he !evere n,rthern beauty ,f thi! l,cality 9a! breathta-ing. Al),!t all ,f the )en ,n b,ard the fi!hing b,at 9ere a!!e)bled ,n her dec-, 9atching the !h,re! ,f the fj,rd gliding pa!t the). S-ipper Dar!en 9ith the invariable pipe in ,ne c,rner ,f hi! ),uth 9a! ar,und, t,,. A dec- hand !t,,d at the hel). ,b,dy, fa!cinated by the )aje!tic !ight!, !aid a 9,rd. "he general !ilence 9a! br,-en ,nly by the hubbub ,f the engine and ,cca!i,nal !harp crie! ,f !eagull!. Dater in the day, they !p,tted the plan-! ,f a jetty ahead ,f the). "he !-ipper t,,- the pipe ,ut ,f hi! ),uth 9ith an unhurried ),ve)ent and !aid !,)ething in ,r9egian f,r the )echanic in the engine r,,)N then ,rdered the dec- hand in Engli!h, A5el) t, p,rtBC "he fi!hing b,at !l,9ed d,9n her ),ve)ent and turned the b,9 t,9ard the jetty. Several figure! 9ere !tanding ,n the 9,,den plan-! ,f the jetty ,bvi,u!ly 9aiting f,r the b,at t, ),ve nearer. 8,nald !hifted hi! 9eight ,n the railing he held 9ith hi! hand! and !lightly leaned ,ver it, peering at the clu!ter ,f pe,ple ,n the plan-!. 5i! eye pic-ed up the figure ,f a 9,)an that 9a! a),ng th,!e pe,ple. AD,,-! li-e a recepti,n c,))ittee,C 8utch 5,lland !aid. 5e happened t, be !tanding at the rail ne2t t, 8,nald 9h, c,uldn;t tear ,ff hi! eye! fr,) the fe)ale figure ,n the jetty. AIeah,C he )u)bled indefinitely. "here 9a! !,)ething fa)iliar ab,ut that 9,)an even at thi! di!tance. Geert <an 9h, 9a! tal-ing t, the !-ipper !uddenly br,-e ,ff hi! c,nver!ati,n and !Huinted at 8,nald 9ith a half/!)ile. 8,nald didn;t catch hi! glance, f,r he 9a! !taring at the 9,)an, trying t, figure ,ut 9h, thi! 9,)an 9a!. Suddenly an e2pre!!i,n ,f rec,gniti,n lit up hi! face. Ie!, there 9a! n, d,ubt left any),re. "he 9,)an ,n the jetty 9a! UnaB 6h, G,d, h,9 incredible, he th,ught in a happy i)pul!e. 5i! hand! gripped the )etal ,f the railing 9ith a !pa!),dic e),ti,n. 5i! 9h,le b,dy 9a! !inging 9ith happine!! t, !ee her, t, be able t, -i!! her !, !,,n. Geert <an;! v,ice interrupted hi! th,ught!. A"hi! i! the an!9er t, y,ur Hue!ti,n y,u a!-ed )e in the jeep, 8,n.C AI,u -ne9 it all al,ng, Geert, and didn;t tell )eJC "here 9a! an undert,ne ,f repr,ach in 8,nald;! v,ice. A"hi! 9a! intended a! a !urpri!e f,r y,u, 8,n.C 5e chuc-led. A<u!t t, )a-e y,ur ),n,t,n,u! life a bit happier.C AWell, if y,u l,,-ed at it fr,) thi! angle...C 8,nald began but 9a! !uddenly interrupted by the )aneuvering ,rder! fr,) S-ipper Dar!en. "he .al- 9a! !l,9ing d,9n the !peed and turning her b,9 t,9ard the jetty. "hen the !-ipper t,,- ,ver the hel) fr,) hi! dec- hand and began )aneuvering the fi!hing b,at hi)!elf, ,cca!i,nally giving c,))and! t, the )echanic

&(%

in the engine r,,). "he engine 9a! n,9 9,r-ing in rever!e, !l,9ing d,9n the f,r9ard ),ve)ent ,f the !hip and finally !t,pping it. "hen, the hubbub ,f the engine returned and the !hip began her diag,nal ),ve)ent t,9ard the jetty. "he gr,up ,f pe,ple ,n it 9ere 9aving e2citedly and !h,uting !,)ething. 8,nald !a9 Una;! bl,nd hair !trea)ing in the 9ind and her flu!tered l,vely face. "he )aneuver t,,- a fe9 )inute! ),re and the !hip finally ca)e t, !t,p al,ng!ide the jetty and ),,red t, it. "he gang9ay glided ,nt, the 9et plan-! ,f the jetty and the cr,9d ,f pe,ple ),ved nearer. 8,nald rec,gniKed all the )e)ber! ,f the EDA 5eadHuarter! 9h, 9ere a!!e)bled here ,n the jetty. Et 9a! i)p,!!ible t, !ay !,)ething t, Una yet becau!e the )en b,th ,n the jetty and ,n b,ard the !hip 9ere e2changing 9,rd! ,f greeting!, c,ngratulati,n!, j,-e!, and re)ar-!, hardly 9aiting f,r the ti)e ,f landing. Una;! glittering eye! 9ere riveted ,n 8,nald;! eye!. G,th 9ere f,rced t, e2change ,nly 9aving greeting! 9ith their hand! f,r the din )ade by the v,ice! ,f ,ther pe,ple. AGut E d,n;t !ee Sa!-ia, Geert.C 8,nald turned t, Geert <an 8e--er. Geert !hrugged it ,ff 9ith an uncertain !)ile. AE;) puKKled t,,, 8,n. E h,pe all i! 9ell 9ith her.C At thi! ),)ent the gang9ay 9a! !ecured and the pa!!enger! ,f the .al- tr,tted d,9n the gang9ay ,nt, the jetty. 8,nald f,und Una crying in hi! e)brace and 9hi!pered 9,rd! ,f c,n!,lati,n and enc,urage)ent int, her ear. And !he 9a! clinging cl,!e t, hi) a! if afraid t, l,!e hi) again. En!tead ,f 9,rd! they e2changed -i!!e!. When 8,nald finally l,,-ed ar,und, !till fir)ly h,lding Una cl,!e t, hi! che!t, hi! eye! pic-ed up Gilly S-elint,n;! face in the cr,9d. Gilly n,ticed hi! !tare and 9aved, hi! u!ual !)ile bec,)ing a daKKler. 8,nald and Una appr,ached Gilly ar)/in/ar). 8,nald, leaving Una f,r a ),)ent, hugged Gilly and tapped hi) ,n hi! bac-. AW,rd! fail )e, Gilly. "han-! a l,t, @,))ander, f,r !aving ,ur live!. I,u appeared ,n the !cene ju!t ,n ti)e t, give u! c,ver.C AI,u;re 9elc,)e, 8,n. "hat 9a! a r,utine j,b f,r )e y,u -n,9.C Una planted a -i!! ,n Gilly;! chee-, than-ing hi) heartily f,r !aving her friend;! life. Gilly !aid t, 8,nald 9ith the daKKler !till lingering ,n hi! face. AD,,-, 9h, 9e are having hereBC "i),thy @raig 9a! )a-ing hi! 9ay t,9ard the) thr,ugh the cr,9d. A5ey, 8,nBC 5e !aid. A5,9 d,e! it feel t, be freeJC "hey gave each ,ther the traditi,nal g,,d A)erican hug. After that, the !)iling W,lfgang Sch9ab, <ean .auvet, @arl, Arrig,ni and <uan D,peK, each in hi! turn, greeted and hugged 8,nald 7,!!, vig,r,u!ly and j,yfully !ha-ing hi! hand. "hey 9ere tal-ing ani)atedly, al),!t !i)ultane,u!ly. Gut 9hen the fir!t e2pre!!i,n! ,f !ati!facti,n t, !ee hi) in ,ne piece 9ere allayed, 8,nald t,,- "i),thy @raig a!ide and, -eeping "i) at the length ,f hi! ar), a!-ed a! he l,,-ed int, hi! eye!. A"i), 9hat;! the late!t ne9! fr,) the White 5,u!eJC "i) laughed. AAll in due ti)e, 8,n. .ir!t get !,)e re!t. E gue!! a g,,d )eal i! 9aiting f,r u! all in the ca)ping.C A@a)pingJC

&(1

"i),thy @raig e2plained. AIe!. ,t far fr,) here. We have b,ught the !ite 9ith it! h,u!e! and all that;! in!ide fr,) a ,r9egian ",uri!t @a)ping @,)pany that ,9ned thi! ca)ping bef,re. , Hue!ti,n! a!-ed. ,9 l,,-B UnaB 8,nB Everyb,dy;! already 9al-ing in the directi,n ,f the ca)p. Det;! g,, t,,. We d,n;t 9ant t, )a-e a !h,9 ,f u! here. 6ur ene)ie! c,uld !p,t u! here any ),)ent.C "hey !tarted 9al-ing up the gentle !l,pe in !ingle file, f,ll,9ing a path leading thr,ugh the thic-et ,f c,nifer!. After ab,ut f,rty )inute!; 9al-ing in !ilence they e)erged fr,) the c,nifer thic-et int, a va!t clearing 9ith !everal ,ne/!t,ry 9,,den h,u!e! !,)e ,f 9hich 9ere rather l,ng. A thin !purt ,f !),-e 9a! eddying ab,ve the r,,f fr,) the chi)ney ,f ,ne ,f the) in blui!h curl!. 6n the far !ide ,f the ca)ping ,pp,!ite t, the path that led d,9n t, the fj,rd they had ju!t left behind !t,,d the !a)e dar- c,nifer f,re!t bey,nd 9hich the high !l,pe! ,f a ),untain ridge r,!e ab,ve the tree! that !urr,unded the ca)ping. "he t,p ,f the ridge 9a! already c,vered 9ith va!t patche! ,f !n,9 that hung ab,ve the gray bald !l,pe! 9here ,nly drab lichen! c,vered the) bet9een the abundant !cree and b,ulder! that 9ere !cattered li-e ,ld grave!t,ne! ,f !,)e l,ng/f,rg,tten ancient ce)etery. "he biKarre !hape! ,f !,)e b,ulder!, th,ugh, 9ere ),re li-e tr,ll!, ugly and enig)atic and ready t, ju)p ,n any,ne 9h, 9,uld dare t, neg,tiate the !l,pe! 9here they 9ere e)bedded. "h,!e nearly !heer !l,pe! ,f the )a!!ive ridge l,,-ed gri), f,rbidding, and rig,r,u!. "hey had a br,,ding at),!phere ab,ut the). "he line ,f 9,,d! began at the l,9er part ,f the neare!t !l,pe and !tretched d,9n right t, the edge ,f the clearing 9here the h,u!e! ,f the ca)ping !t,,d. A g,,d place f,r danger,u! !lal,), 8,nald th,ught. "i),thy @raig turned t, 8,nald and Una 9h, 9ere 9al-ing in hi! !tep!. A"hat;! ,ur ca)ping here. What d, y,u !ayJC AE find it Huite !ati!fact,ry, alth,ugh E haven;t yet !een the h,u!e! fr,) 9ithin. E d, h,pe 9e;ll be hidden a9ay here very 9ell , e2cept f,r the ,pen !-y, ,f c,ur!e.C "i),thy @raig laughed again. A6fficially, it i! !till a t,uri!t ca)ping f,r the re!t ,f the 9,rld. .,r the ti)e being, it 9,uld hardly cr,!! !,)eb,dy;! )ind t, ta-e a better l,,- here.C AWinter 9ill be !,,n !etting in y,u -n,9. And it;! ,r9ay, "i). Actually, 9e;vere n,t !, far fr,) the P,lar @ircle.C 8,nald !aid. AWe g,t Huite a perfect heating !y!te) here, 8,n. , fear. We are fully ready t, c,nfr,nt te)perature! bel,9 Ker, and !n,9drift!, f,r that )atter.C "hey reached and entered a h,u!e, 9hich 9a! the l,nge!t. En!ide, it 9a! 9ar) and had a l,ng c,rrid,r 9ith )any d,,r!. At the end ,f thi! c,rrid,r, a gla!! d,,r !h,9ed a va!t r,,) 9ith a nu)ber ,f table! c,vered 9ith neat 9hite tablecl,th!. "he 9h,le gr,up ,f pe,ple fr,) the !hip 9ith S-ipper Dar!en and hi! t9, dec- hand! and th,!e 9h, 9ere !tati,ned here

&(&

entered thi! dining/r,,) and t,,- their !eat! ar,und the table!, the cheerful hubbub ,f their v,ice! i))ediately filling the r,,) a! they entered it. 8,nald, Una, and Geert <an 8e--er t,,- ,ne ,f the table!. Gut ,ne chair re)ained !till e)pty. @atching the !,)e9hat !urpri!ed l,,- ,n 8,nald;! face, Geert e2plained. A"hi! i! a !eat re!erved f,r Sa!-ia, 8,n. She i! !upp,!ed t, be bu!y in the -itchen, arranging a dinner f,r u!. She;ll be here any ),)ent n,9.C While they 9ere 9aiting f,r their dinner t, be !erved, Geert <an t,ld the) ab,ut an incident that had ,ccurred a !h,rt 9hile ag,. "he 8utch tr,,p! in Gabel had !h,t a Gabyl,nian in an aggre!!ive angry cr,9d that had tried t, attac- the). "he !,ldier 9h, had d,ne it 9a! n,9 accu!ed ,f vi,lating the hu)an right! ,f the ene)ie! and 9a! facing a trial. "he We!tern ar)ie! l,!t the right t, !h,,t their ene)ie! under the pre!!ure ,f the W,rld A)ne!ty. Ef they did they vi,lated the hu)an right! ,f th,!e ene)ie! and that 9a! unacceptable and puni!hable. Ef y,ur ene)y attac-ed y,u y,u;d rather dr,p dead than ,pen fire. A !,ldier !h,uld never f,rget that ),dern 9ar 9a! n,ne ,ther thing than pr,tecting the hu)an right! ,f the ene)y. AEf y,u d, brea- the!e regulati,n! y,u are liable t, !tand trial f,r hu)an right!; vi,lati,n, e!pecially if y,u c,n!ider the aggravating circu)!tance that th,!e creature!, th,ugh ,n t9, leg!, c,uld hardly be Hualified a! Phu)an!;, let al,ne the !i)ple fact that they are y,ur and y,ur c,untry;! deadly ene)ie!,C Geert <an !u))ed up hi! !t,ry. A@raKy ti)e!,C 8,nald c,))ented 9ith a fr,9n ,n hi! face, Silence fell a),ng the) f,r a 9hile. Gut gradually their ),,d! i)pr,ved a! they c,n!idered the ab!urdity ,f the ca!e in a funny light. "he pe,ple 9h, had c,)e here fr,) the !hip l,,-ed happy t, be ,n fir) land again and 9ere l,,-ing f,r9ard t, having a g,,d )eal. 6nly the three ,r9egian !ail,r! 9h, had been hardened by their life at !ea did n,t !ee) a! e2cited a! the ,ther! ab,ut the pr,!pect ,f eating ,n fir) land. "hi! 9a! n, )aj,r pr,ble) f,r the). "hey c,uld feel eHually at h,)e ,n b,ard their fi!hing b,at, t,,. A !trapping bl,nd y,ung 9,)an 9ith a full b,!,) and a pin-i!h face 9ith blue eye! / n,t unli-e Una, ,nly a bit taller and y,unger / ca)e up t, the table and had her !eat 9ith Geert, 8,nald, and Una. Sa!-ia 9a! i))ediately intr,duced t, Una becau!e they had never )et bef,re. She 9a! an unpretenti,u! ea!y/g,ing girl and Una f,und her, a! !he t,ld 8,nald later, li-able. "he dinner 9a! being !erved by a c,uple ,f !ilent and !)iling pretty ,r9egian girl! and the hubbub ,f v,ice! gre9 in pr,p,rti,n t, c,n!u)pti,n ,f beer and !tiffer liHu,r!. A c,uple ,f day! later, all )e)ber! ,f the EDA 5eadHuarter! 9h, happened t, be ar,und g,t t,gether in ,ne ,f the ca)ping;! r,,)! f,r a very i)p,rtant !itting. Gert <an 8e--er 9a! in chair and gave the fl,,r t, 8,nald. 5e 9a! )et 9ith a 9h,lehearted applau!e fr,) ,ther )e)ber! ,f the 5eadHuarter! 9h, th,ught ,f hi! ,rdeal in a !,ciali!t/run !la))er. Since the

&(3

day! ,f hi! incarcerati,n, )uch had changed in 5,lland. Acc,rding t, the late!t ne9! fr,) that c,untry debate! had been held in Parlia)ent ,ver the late!t pr,p,!al ,f the Mingd,) ,f :,r,cc,. Et 9a! ab,ut the hard pr,ble)! cau!ed by y,ung :,r,ccan! nearly in all 8utch citie! and t,9n! / h,,ligani!), theft!, burglarie!, h,)icide, and raci!t ,r ju!t 9ant,n attac-! ,n citiKen! ,f the ,ther gr,up! ,f the p,pulati,n. Since the p,lice 9a! f,rbidden t, ta-e any preventive )ea!ure! again!t the) f,r fear ,f acting in the A!pirit ,f raci!)C the y,ung :,r,ccan! enj,yed an en,r),u! freed,) ,f licenti,u! behavi,r. What :,r,cc, !ugge!ted 9a! a full e2ten!i,n ,f it! juri!dicti,n t, !,)e part ,f the 8utch territ,ry 9here all :,r,ccan re!ident! 9,uld be !ettled under the !aid juri!dicti,n. Get9een the etherland! and the ne9 :,r,ccan territ,ry a !tate b,rder 9a! t, be be e!tabli!hed. .r,) that ti)e ,n, thi! territ,ry 9,uld be granted the na)e ,f A.e!drechtC and be ,fficially c,n!idered a! part ,f :,r,cc,. "here 9a! ,ne c,nditi,n, th,ugh. "he 8utch g,vern)ent 9,uld be under a !trict ,bligati,n t, pay 9elfare t, all the inhabitant! ,f .e!drecht ,n a regular ba!i!. "h,!e 8utch citiKen! 9h, re!ided in the 9,uld/be .e!drecht !h,uld leave it, in ca!e ,f need f,rcefully li-e the <e9i!h c,l,ni!t! in E!rael, and be repatriated t, 9hat re)ained ,f 5,lland. "he citie! ,f Udrecht and 7,ttenda)n )u!t be included in .e!drecht in vie9 ,f the pred,)inant )aj,rity ,f the :,r,ccan p,pulati,n in th,!e citie!. "he !elf/rule in .e!drecht 9,uld be acc,untable ,nly t, the central g,vern)ent ,f :,r,cc,. "he 8utch lefti!t g,vern)ent and it! )aj,rity in Parlia)ent f,und the :,r,ccan pr,p,!al 9i!e and ti)ely. "he g,vern)ent and the )aj,rity ,f lefti!t :P! in the c,ur!e ,f debate! agreed that !uch c,nce!!i,n! c,uld and !h,uld be )ade f,r the !a-e ,f peace in the c,untry. After a 9ea- re!i!tance ,n the part ,f the puny right 9ing fracti,n!, a p,!itive re!,luti,n ,n !ece!!i,n 9a! pa!!ed and ad,pted by b,th g,vern)ent and Parlia)ent. "he e2tre)e lefti!t Green! in!i!ted up,n further recepti,n ,f the 9ide 9ave ,f a!ylu) !ee-er! fr,) all part! ,f the 9,rld after the !ece!!i,n t,,. "he Green! ),ved a bill ,n that !c,re in Parlia)ent. And it 9a! accepted and turned int, a la9. @itiKen! 9h, 9,uld a! )uch a! fr,9n ,n that 9,uld publicly be !tig)atiKed a! raci!t! and 9,uld be )ade t, pay large fine!. "he re)aining 8utch territ,ry retained it! f,r)er na)e ,f A5,llandC, alth,ugh !,)e h,t enthu!ia!t! 9h, 9ere craKy ab,ut anything that 9a! ne9 !ugge!ted ,ther brand/ne9 na)e! li-e A@anali!landC, ADittle A)ericaC, AWhi!tlelandC and !, ,n. Ge!ide!, a ne9 calendar h,liday 9a! decreed t, annually celebrate the !ece!!i,n a! A8ay ,f the 8efeat ,f 7aci!)C. 8,nald 7,!! )i!!ed hi! h,)e terribly n,9 that he -ne9 that he pr,bably 9,uld never !ee it again, the ),re !, that n,9 Udrecht happened t, be right in!ide the territ,ry ,f .e!drecht. And at the ),)ent, it 9a! i)p,!!ible t, find ,ut 9hat had bec,)e ,f hi! h,)e, hi! c,)f,rtable !tudy 9ith a rich library full ,f rare b,,-!, hi! c,Ky bedr,,)!, and a !paci,u! -itchen. All that 9a! n,9 in :,r,ccan hand!. 5e )ade a re!,lute eff,rt t, cha!e a9ay the n,!talgic th,ught! ,ut ,f hi! )ind. A deep 9rin-le furr,9ed hi! f,rehead. 5e !aid after an eff,rt t, f,cu! hi! th,ught! ,n 9hat he 9a! g,ing t, !ay.

&((

ADadie! and gentle)enB Et l,,-! li-e it fall! t, ,ur l,t t, decide up,n the )ain!trea) ,f event! that 9ill define the 9ay! and vici!!itude! ,f ,ur )uch !uffering 9,rld t,day. We have t, ta-e the 9h,le burden ,f liability up,n u!. And that 9,n;t be an ea!y deci!i,n, E -n,9. Gut 9e are c,nfr,nted 9ith it t,day ine!capably. S, let;! face it 9ith a! )uch deter)inati,n a! 9e can feel in ,ur heart!. "he ti)e li)it i! up,n u!. Et i! t,day that 9e decide t, defend 9hatever i! left ,f ,ur civiliKati,n ,r leave it t, it! peril. We;ll d, it either t,day ,r never. ,9 E 9ill a!- ,ur c,)),n friend Pr,fe!!,r "i),thy @raig t, !u))ariKe the actual p,litical !ituati,n in the United State!. "hat 9ill help u! )a-e ,ur deci!i,n.C "i),thy @raig;! face, affable and friendly, th,ugh !lightly ir,nical at ,ther ti)e!, n,9 !ee)ed pre,ccupied, even !,)ber. 5e !p,-e ab,ut the gi!t ,f the )atter 9ith,ut prea)ble. ADadie! and gentle)en, the p,litical !ituati,n in the State! threaten! t, bec,)e very unfav,rable f,r ,ur cau!e. "hing! are beginning t, ta-e a bad turn f,r ,ur ),ve)ent there. A! y,u all -n,9, the ne2t pre!idential electi,n! are i))inent and there are !,)e indicati,n! that ,ur c,))uni!t rival! )ay get the upper hand and dra!tically change the p,litical c,ur!e ,f the United State!, )a-ing the c,untry ),re t,lerant t,9ard it! 9,r!t ene)y / the :u!li) 9,rld. Gy c,))itting the)!elve! t, ta-ing thi! treacher,u! and c,9ardly !tance in regard t, t,day;! danger,u! !ituati,n in the 9,rld, they 9ant t, fa9n up,n the ign,rant p,pulace incited by the pr,/:u!li) )a!! )edia. Et bec,)e! i)p,!!ible f,r the White 5,u!e t, launch under the!e circu)!tance! a deci!ive attac- ,n the ),!t blatant clerical center! ,f E!la) and 9ipe the) ,ut fr,) the face ,f the earth f,r g,,d. "hi! indi!pen!able ta!- fall! t, the l,t ,f ,ther! / th,!e 9h, !ee the ,)in,u! danger and are ready t, deal 9ith it in a ),!t deter)ined 9ay. 6r !hall E put it in clearer ter)!J En )y ,pini,n, it fall! t, our l,t t, de!tr,y the h,tbed! ,f tr,uble. Gy d,ing thu!, 9e;ll brea- the !pine ,f the ),!t repul!ive, E !h,uld !ay, the uglie!t and ),!t danger,u! evil in the 9,rld / E!la). "hi! evil d,)inate! ,ver ,ne third ,f the 9,rld, but it ha! already e)bar-ed ,n the r,ad ,f c,nHuering the re!t ,f the 9,rld 9ith the purp,!e ,f en!laving it f,r the !a-e ,f the evil they 9,r!hip. A! 9e -n,9, c,l,niKati,n ,f Eur,pe ,n a )a!! !cale g,e! ,n uninterrupted 9ith a)ple a!!i!tance ,n the part ,f the c,rrupt lefti!t ruler! ,f the United Eur,pe. We have been fighting b,th E!la) and, in a nu)ber ,f ca!e!, al!, th,!e ruler! and 9e have achieved !,)e p,!itive re!ult!, t,,. Gut unf,rtunately, they have n,t led t, !en!ible en,ugh change!. "he :u!li)! put up a very !tr,ng, even fierce ar)ed re!i!tance t, u! and they get )uch help fr,) their ,9n c,untrie!, including Erebi!tan, A!!ur and Per!ia, in the fir!t place. En c,n!iderati,n ,f the pre!ent !ituati,n, 9hich i! fraught 9ith dire c,n!eHuence! f,r G,th Eur,pe and A)erica, E put f,r9ard a nu)ber ,f !ugge!ti,n! f,r y,ur c,n!iderati,n and !ub!eHuent appr,val ,r di!appr,val.C 5ere "i),thy @raig )ade an inviting ge!ture 9ith hi! hand and a )an in hi! fiftie!, 9earing the :arine pil,t;! unif,r), !tr,de f,r9ard and !t,pped at the !ide ,f "i),thy @raig, facing the audience. @raig 9ent ,n after thi! !h,rt interrupti,n that he had cau!ed.

&(0

AAll,9 )e, ladie! and gentle)en, t, intr,duce a retired :arine pil,t t, y,u. A pil,t 9h,;! ready t, ta-e it up,n hi)!elf t, carry ,ut the difficult ta!- ,f de!tr,ying the 9,r!t h,t bed ,f h,!tile pr,paganda and an i)p,rtant !,urce ,f :u!li) in!pirati,n / the citie! ,f :acaca and :arKina.C 5e !t,,d up and put hi! hand ,n the left !h,ulder ,f the ,fficer. ADadie! and gentle)en, E give y,u @,))ander Grian 6;8,,dleBC And added, A9h,;! )y per!,nal friend and a friend ,f ,ur 9ell/-n,9n her, here Gilly S-elint,nBC "he intr,ducti,n 9a! received 9ith a t,tally unani),u! and 9h,lehearted applau!e. @,))ander Grian 6;8,,dle 9a! a p,9erfully built burly guy 9ith a cre9 cut ju!t !tarting t, g, gray. 5i! eye! 9ere light and c,ld. 5i! Huiet )anner !h,9ed !,)e degree ,f re!ervati,n. Several )inute! had pa!!ed bef,re "i),thy @raig re!u)ed hi! addre!!, f,r everyb,dy !ee)ed t, be tal-ing e2citedly and !i)ultane,u!ly. When the e2pected !ilence returned, he pu!hed the neare!t chair f,r @,))ander 6;8,,dle t, have a !eat be!ide hi) and then c,ntinued. ADadie! and gentle)enB @,))ander 6;8,,dle, li-e E !aid, i! ready t, launch ,ur p,9erful nuclear b,)b ,n the city ,f :acaca in Erebi!tan becau!e the United State! Ad)ini!trati,n cann,t d, it, given the pre!ent p,litical circu)!tance! in the c,untry. Gut in !pirit they 9ill be 9ith u!. I,u -n,9 that Pre!ident Ge,rge W. Wil)an i! ,ne ,f the greate!t pre!ident! the United State! ,f A)erica ha! ever had in the c,ur!e ,f it! hi!t,ry.C A ne9 bur!t ,f applau!e f,ll,9ed hi! 9,rd!. A5i! fir) !tance again!t the 9,rld terr,ri!) and hi! unprecedented c,urage and f,rtitude in the face ,f the va!t )aj,rity ,f evil f,rce! in that 9,rld that rage again!t hi). "hi! val,r,u! pre!ident 9ill never be re9arded en,ugh e2cept by G,d 5i)!elf 9h, i! in p,!!e!!i,n ,f the ulti)ate truth. Gut he i! li)ited by hi! ,ffice t, ta-e an efficaci,u! )ea!ure again!t the 9,r!t f,e ,f the 9h,le )an-ind / E!la). "hat;! 9hy it i! up t, u! t, d, the j,b f,r hi) and, f,r that )atter, f,r thi! very )an-ind that i! ,ften blinded and f,,led by the )a!! )edia and the !ca) ,f di!h,ne!t ruler!.C 5e fell !ilent ,ver9hel)ed by hi! e),ti,n!. <en! 5an!en ju)ped up fr,) hi! chair, hi! eye! glittering, and hit it 9ith hi! clenched fi!t. A"he ti)e i! ripe, ladie! and gentle)enB E !ugge!t that 9e v,te ,n it if any,ne !till nur!e! d,ubt!.C 8,nald n,dded. AE !upp,rt the idea ,f v,ting.C "i),thy @raig 9h, !ee)ed t, have already fully adju!ted hi)!elf t, the place !aid, AEf 9e u!e ,ur nu-e, there 9ill be c,llateral da)age E;) !ure.C AGy c,llateral da)age y,u )ean death ,f civilian p,pulati,nJC 8,nald a!-ed. ASure.C AGut y,u -n,9 better than any,ne that they are !cu) and de!erve their l,t in ca!e they bec,)e victi)! ,f nuclear b,)bard)ent.. Et 9,uld !erve the) right. Et;! the) 9h, are the

&(L

vanguard ,f E!la) c,nHuering and c,l,niKing Eur,pe. "he 9,rld 9ill be better ,ff 9ith,ut the).C AE d,n;t d,ubt, ,f c,ur!e, the c,rrectne!! ,f !uch a deci!i,n, 8,n. :y Hue!ti,n 9a! a!-ed f,r the !a-e ,f pure f,r)ality. <u!t t, )a-e the i!!ue clear f,r everyb,dy pre!ent here. .,r thi! deci!i,n 9ill be e2tre)ely i)p,rtant f,r the de!tinie! ,f the 9,rld. And E -n,9 9here t, get a ball,t/b,2. E;ll fetch it.C 5e r,!e and left the r,,). After a c,uple ,f )inute! he reappeared, h,lding in hi! hand! a !)all br,9n 9,,den b,2 9ith a !lit in it! lid. A5ere y,u are, ladie! and gentle)enBC 5e ann,unced, putting the b,2 ,n a table in the )iddle ,f the r,,). "hey Huic-ly prepared piece! ,f paper 9ith Aye!C ,r An,C !cribbled ,n the) 9ith !,)e,ne;! ballp,int pen. "he re!ult ,f the v,ting 9a! the unani),u! yes in fav,r ,f u!ing the nu-e again!t :acaca. W,lfgang Sch9ab put f,r9ard a !ugge!ti,n ,f giving it the na)e ,f (peration )rusade. And everyb,dy 9a! unani),u! ab,ut that, t,,. .,r it l,,-ed li-e a ),dern cru!ade. 6nly a ),re a9e!,)e ,ne. "here 9a! an une2pected gue!t a),ng the )e)ber! ,f the EDA 5eadHuarter!. "he E!raeli @,l,nel 8an Av!hal,), 9hen 8,nald 7,!! p,inting at hi) a!-ed hi! c,lleague! f,r a fe9 )inute!; attenti,n, !aid !,)ething that puKKled everyb,dy. ADadie! and gentle)en, E )ay a!!ure y,u that y,ur c,rrect and ti)ely deci!i,n 9ill be very i)p,rtant f,r the fate ,f )y c,untry. E!rael i! ab!,lutely n,t afraid ,f any retaliat,ry nuclear c,unterattac- ,n the part ,f :u!li) c,untrie! becau!e 9e have devel,ped a reliable !y!te) ,f defen!e that can bring bac- their ,9n nuclear r,c-et! up,n the)!elve!, right in the directi,n fr,) 9here they are initially launched. And !,)e :u!li) c,untrie! already have nu-e!. We are 9ell a9are ,f thi! fact. E can;t be ),re !pecific ab,ut it becau!e the detail! are cla!!ified.C "hi! !h,rt c,))unicati,n cau!ed an ,vati,n ,f appr,val fr,) the li!tener!. @arl, Arrig,ni )ade an,ther !ugge!ti,n / t, clin- gla!!e! t, !eal their deci!i,n and )a-e it l,,-, a! he th,ught deep d,9n, le!! danger,u!. "hat 9a! 9elc,)ed, t,,. "he ta!- ,f carrying it ,ut 9a! entru!ted t, @,))ander Grian 6;8,,dle. Gut he had t, !tay in the ca)ping f,r a 9ee- t, 9,r- ,ut and !ub)it a plan that 9a! t, be )ade 9ith a high preci!i,n t, the la!t )inute detail and di!cu!!ed by the 5eadHuarter!; gr,up. "he e2tre)e !eri,u!ne!! ,f the !ituati,n 9a! ,bvi,u! t, everyb,dy a! 9ell a! the a9e!,)e liability that 9ent 9ith it. 8,nald and Una 9ere r,a)ing in the 9,,d, f,ll,9ing it! path! ,ut!ide the ca)ping. A5,9;! GraniaJC 8,nald a!-ed. AShe i! !till in Slig,, 9,r-ing ,n a big re!earch pr,ject.C Una !aid 9ith a hint ,f pride in her v,ice. 8,nald n,dded, 9ith,ut a!-ing 9hat -ind ,f pr,ject it 9a!. AG,t a b,yfriendJC Una laughed. A6f c,ur!e, 8,n. W,uld y,u e2pect her t, be a blue !t,c-ing at her age and 9ith her l,,-!J Gut !he i! a prudent girl and 9,n;t let her!elf tal-ed int, !,)e inappr,priate

&(?

l,ve affair. "he b,y i! her c,lleague 9h, !hare! her intere!t!.C "hey 9al-ed !ilent f,r a 9hile, then Una !aid in a l,9 v,ice. AE;) glad !he i! ,ut ,f all thi!. Slig, happen! t, be far a9ay fr,) ),!t pr,ble)! ,f the 9,rld. She live! in the 9,rld ,f @eltic legend and E prefer t, -eep it that 9ay. She d,e!n;t have t, !hare the danger! ,f ,ur life.C AGut !he -n,9! !,)ething ,f y,ur ,9n activitie! E ta-e itJC AShe d,e!. Gut ,nly a fe9 thing! that E 9a! f,rced t, tell her in an!9er t, her Hue!ti,n! each ti)e E 9a! ab!ent f,r t,, l,ng. She;! 9,rried y,u -n,9, but E try t, play it d,9n f,r her !a-e.C AI,u;re right.C 8,nald n,dded in agree)ent, letting a fe9 !ec,nd! !lip by bef,re he changed the the)e ,f their c,nver!ati,n. AWhat d, y,u )a-e ,f ,ur t,day;! deci!i,n, UnaJC AE f,und it hard but nece!!ary, given the !ituati,n in the 9,rld.C She !aid cauti,u!ly. 5er )anner !ee)ed a bit re!erved, but 8,nald -ne9 her. And he -ne9 !he )eant it. 8,nald n,dded again. AWhat the "artar h,rde! did n,t acc,)pli!h 9ay bac-, 9hen they c,nHuered and ,ccupied the Ereb 9,rld and ilia f,r a 9hile, 9e;ll have t, fini!h n,9, )any centurie! later.C She glanced up at hi). AWhat did they n,t acc,)pli!hJC AWell, they 9ere in a hurry t, return t, their far a9ay h,)e in ,rder t, have ),re influence ,n intrigue! at the 5igh @,urt ,f their va!t and un!table e)pire in "artary. S,, they left thing! in ilia, 9hich 9a! the )ain !piritual and clerical center ,f E!la) in th,!e ti)e!, a! they had been bef,re their c,nHue!t. "hey c,uld have br,-en E!la);! !pine ea!ily and f,r g,,d. "he ancient pre/E!la) traditi,n! 9ere !till !tr,ng in the :iddle Ea!t at the ti)e and ju!t ,ne deci!ive ),ve again!t that )urder,u! religi,n and ide,l,gy )ight have 9,r-ed. Ef they had ch,!en t, ),ve t, :acaca then, they c,uld have de!tr,yed the very !y)b,l! ,f that evil. ,b,dy 9,uld have )inded ,r even n,ticed it. ,9 thi! 9h,le l,u!y 9,rld !tart! yelling f,r help hy!terically a! !,,n a! !,)e,ne dare! t, ,pen hi! ,r her ),uth if ,nly t, utter a verbal critici!). E!pecially th,!e da)n athei!t !,ciali!t! 9h, l,,- the ,ther 9ay 9hen it;! ab,ut religi,u! fanatici!) that lead! t, !lavery and cri)e even in We!tern c,untrie!.C "hey 9al-ed ,n in !ilence. Una 9a! dige!ting 8,nald;! 9,rd!. She !hared hi! feeling! t, a large e2tent. 6ther9i!e, !he 9,uld never have ta-en part in their ,rganiKati,n;! d,ing!. .,r a 9hile they 9ere 9al-ing !ide by !ide, in deep th,ught. "he f,re!t ar,und the) !uddenly parted, )a-ing place f,r a large 9ide and !t,ny ledge c,vered 9ith gra!! bet9een t9, b,ulder! that !t,,d al),!t erect ,n it. "he edge ,f thi! 9ide pr,jecti,n d,)inated a deep aby!! in a !heer fall ,f it! 9all d,9n t,9ard the gray !urface ,f the fj,rd. "he !ight 9a! breathta-ing and they !t,pped ju!t a c,uple ,f feet fr,) the edge ,f the aby!!, ta-ing in the )aje!tic pan,ra)a that !urr,unded the). At fir!t, they !t,,d in !ilence. W,rd! failed the).

&('

"hen, Huite une2pectedly, Una !nuggled t, 8,nald, burying her face ,n hi! che!t, and he !tarted t, !tr,-e her g,lden hair, pre!!ing her t, hi! ,9n b,dy 9ith f,rce. All their e),ti,n! f,r each ,ther that hithert, had been pent/up and had hardly been !h,9n in fr,nt ,f their c,lleague! ,verfl,9ed the) n,9. Una !aid int, 8,nald;! che!t, A8,n, ,h, 8,n. E 9a! !, !cared f,r y,u 9hen they !natched y,u a9ay fr,) )e and fr,) ,ur friend!. E 9a! !, !cared and E )i!!ed y,u !, badly, h,ney.C AE -n,9, )y l,ve. E 9a! !cared, t,,, e!pecially in the beginning. And E terribly )i!!ed y,u, t,,. "hat 9a! !,)ething real a9ful. Gut E !,)eh,9 )anaged t, retain )y h,pe. "hat helped a l,t. E 9a! thin-ing ab,ut y,u day and night.C A6h, 8,n, )y darling, it 9a! )y idea t, raid the c,urth,u!e in "he 5ague. At fir!t, it !ee)ed craKy and pe,ple 9affled t, accept it, but later ,n, it t,,- r,,t in their )ind! and heart!. "hey 9,r-ed ,ut a plan and put it int, practice. And here y,u areBC She added, turning up her face t, hi! and !)iling. 5e hugged her again, 9hi!pering, Athat;! )y girl. Ef y,u ,nly -ne9 h,9 grateful E a) t, y,u....C 5e didn;t fini!h becau!e !he !ealed d,9n hi! lip! 9ith a l,ng -i!!. "hey !t,,d there f,r !,)e ),re )inute!, tightly cla!ped in each ,ther;! e)brace. "hen they 9ere !ilent again and li!tened t, the !harp crie! ,f !eagull! br,ught by the 9ind fr,) bel,9 the ledge. "hen they turned t, g, bac-. Gut they 9ere n,t in a hurry. A"here )u!t be )u!hr,,)! and berrie! in the f,re!t. Et;! their !ea!,n n,9.C Una !aid and glanced at hi) a! if !he 9a! inviting hi) t, !tart pic-ing up the gift! ,f the l,cal 9,,d!. Gut !he -ne9 there 9a! n, ti)e f,r that and !ighed. 8,nald;! hand, re!ting ,n her !h,ulder 9hile they 9ere 9al-ing, patted it 9ith tenderne!!. A:aybe 9e;ll !pare an h,ur ,r !, t, pic- the) up. See)! li-e there;! a brighter !ide t, thi! p,-y h,le ,f a place after all.C 8,nald !aid 9ith a !)ile, trying t, l,,- cunning, th,ugh he did n,t feel !, !ure ab,ut that. ,9 the dar- c,nifer f,re!t t,,- the) up again int, it! )y!teri,u! depth!. 8,nna !uddenly laughed, )a-ing 8,nald glance at her 9ith a l,,- ,f puKKle)ent in hi! eye!. AE caught )y!elf at the th,ught that 9e any )inute )ight bu)p int, !,)e l,cal d9arve! ,r tr,ll! 9h, are the -in ,f ,ur Eri!h leprechaun!, al!, hiding the)!elve! a),ng ,ld tree!.C AI,u;re right, h,ney. E i)agined !,)ething li-e that bef,re. 6nly that 9a! in the f,re!t! ,f Etaly and in!tead ,f gn,)e! ,r leprechaun! E !a9 ny)ph! and dryad! in )y i)aginati,n.C 5e !hrugged in a ),c- !urpri!e. AE!pecially, 9hen E 9andered cl,!e t, 9aterfall!.C With,ut n,ticing it, they e)erged fr,) the f,re!t and f,und the)!elve! in their ca)ping. "hey )ade f,r the !)all hut that 9a! all,tted t, the) and !t,,d !, cl,!e t, the f,re!t that it 9a! half c,ncealed by tall dar- !pruce! li-e a f,re!t fairy;! h,u!e. 8,nald 7,!!, "i),thy @raig, @,))ander Grian 6;8,,dle, @,l,nel Av!hal,), @,))ander Gilly S-elint,n,and Geert <an 8e--er )et in ,ne ,f the !)aller r,,)! ,f the big h,u!e. G,th pil,t! !ub)itted their plan ,f nuclear attac- ,n :acaca in Erebi!tan. @,))ander

&(3

6;8,,dle 9a! !cheduled t, fly an ./1L that n,9 9a! at the EDA;! di!p,!al. Et 9a! ba!ed in the ),untain! ,f @rete and already ar)ed 9ith a nuclear b,)b. "he pr,ble) 9a! t, !teal int, Erebi!tan;! air!pace 9ith,ut being !p,tted by the !,phi!ticated radar ,f the AWAM! !,ld t, that c,untry by the United State! during the pre!idency ,f Willard @rapt,n. "he b,)ber 9a! c,vered 9ith a !pecial c,ating the che)ical c,)p,!iti,n ,f 9hich 9a! !upp,!ed t, be invi!ible f,r the radar in!tallati,n! b,th ,n the AWAM! and ,n earth. 5,9ever, all !,rt! ,f precauti,n! 9ere t, be f,re!een t, av,id a )i!ta-e that )ight pr,ve fatal f,r their purp,!e. "hey 9ere c,nferring al),!t all day l,ng and reached a nu)ber ,f deci!i,n! that 9ere e2pected t, lead t, a !ucce!!ful c,)pleti,n ,f the )i!!i,n. @,))ander 6;8,,dle t,gether 9ith a cre9 )e)ber he didn;t -n,9 yet 9ere t, leave the ca)ping in t9, day!; ti)e f,r 6!l, and ta-e a flight fr,) there t, the city ,f Era-li,n in @rete. "hey 9,uld )a-e their 9ay fr,) Era-li,n t, a !ecret ba!e in the central ),untain! ,f the i!land. "here they 9,uld have t, get ready f,r their a9e!,)e ta!- and 9ait f,r further ,rder!. @,))ander Gilly S-elint,n and @,l,nel 8an Av!hal,) 9,uld acc,)pany the) t, 6!l,. "hen they 9,uld have t, !plit. Gilly S-elint,n and 8an Av!hal,) 9ere t, leave f,r E!rael and 9ere e2pected t, be j,ined there by Gilly;! cre9)en. Mevin PiKKicat, and Patric- M,9al!-i 9ere already in E!rael and 9aiting f,r Gilly t, c,)e ,ver. Gilly 9,uld receive very i)p,rtant cla!!ified in!tructi,n! fr,) @,l,nel Av!hal,). 8an Av!hala) 9,uld al!, d, hi! ut),!t t, e2tend t, Gilly any help Gilly, Mevin, and Patric- c,uld u!e t, carry ,ut their ta!-. Winding up the c,nference, 8,nald tried t, find the right 9,rd! f,r b,th pil,t!, each ,f the) 9ith hi! !pecific ta!-. 5e glanced ,ver at @,))ander Grian 6;8,,dle. AE h,pe, @,))ander, 9e;ll !ee y,u in ,ne piece after c,)pleti,n ,f y,ur hi!t,ric )i!!i,n. At lea!t y,u 9,n;t be al,ne ,n it. "here 9ill be cre9 )e)ber! 9h,) y,u 9ill )eet in @rete and in 9h,) y,u 9,n;t be di!app,inted. E can a!!ure y,u ,f that. And n,9 plea!e )eet the fir!t ,f the), :r. 8utch 5,lland. 5e u!ed t, be a navigating ,fficer in civil aviati,n, but he;! g,t a very g,,d e2perience.C 8utch 5,lland !t,,d up, appr,ached @,))ander 6;8,,dle and b,th )en e2changed a hand!ha-e in ac-n,9ledge)ent ,f their future c,,perati,n. :ean9hile, 8,nald c,ntinued. AI,u;ll have en,ugh ti)e t, learn the ,ther cre9)e)ber! and their !pecial Hualificati,n!. All ,f the) are very g,,d !peciali!t! and -n,9 their trade in!ide ,ut. E h,pe y,u;ll get per!uaded !,,n en,ugh. We all 9i!h y,u g,,d luc-.C 8,nald !)iled. AE;) p,!itive y,u 9ill !ucceed. And E per!,nally than- y,u in advance, @,))ander. We;ll be in t,uch.C 5e e2tended hi! hand t, @,))ander Grian 6;8,,dle, 9ith,ut changing hi! !eri,u!, even !,)e9hat gl,,)y e2pre!!i,n ,n hi! face, n,dded in agree)ent, and fir)ly 6;8,,dle;! hand. "i),thy @raig, 8an Av!hal,), Gilly S-elint,n and Geert <an 8e--er, each in hi! turn, !h,,@,))ander 6;8,,dle;! hand. Gilly S-elint,n fla!hed hi! u!ual daKKling grin at Grian 6;8,,dle. AWelc,)e ,n b,ard, @,))anderBC Suddenly, he grinned br,adly and pr,p,!ed.

&0%

A5,9 ab,ut ta-ing a 9ee dra) ,f g,,d ,ld 9hi!-ey, gentle)enJ E g,t a c,uple ,f b,ttle! ,f e2cellent <a)e!,n in )y r,,). E invite y,u all t, j,in )e in reli!hing it! un!urpa!!ed Hualitie! if y,u -n,9 9hat E )ean. W,uld y,u !hare it 9ith )eJC Alth,ugh @,))ander 6;8,,dle;! ,ffer ca)e une2pected, a! if ,n the !pur ,f the ),)ent, n,b,dy !h,9ed reluctance at hi! ,ffer. "hey !tarted 9al-ing al,ng the c,rrid,r, laughing and e2changing j,-e!, t, 6;8,,dle;! r,,) at the ,ther end. Grian 6;8,,dle and 8utch 5,lland 9ere 9al-ing !ide by !ide and engaged in a -ind ,f !h,p/tal-. Gut !,,n they had t, interrupt their c,nver!ati,n. "hey !t,pped bef,re the d,,r t, 6;8,,dle;! r,,). 5e pr,duced a -ey fr,) hi! brea!t p,c-et and ,pened the d,,r. "hey entered the !)all r,,), very )uch in the ),,d f,r celebrati,n and l,,-ed f,r9ard t, the c,nfr,ntati,n 9ith the ,ld <a)e!,n. A:ay E invite )y friend Una 6;8,nnell, @,))anderJC ASureB Why n,tJ An Eri!h lady 9ill be a 9elc,)e c,)pany in dealing 9ith <a)e!,n, 9,n;t !heJC 8,nald u!ed 6;8,,dle;! teleph,ne t, call Una and a!-ed her t, c,)e ,ver. She agreed and in a )inute -n,c-ed and entered the r,,), a big !)ile playing ,n her lip!. "hey !at late until al),!t the !)all h,ur!, but the drin- 9a! n,t the )ain rea!,n ,f their !haring each ,ther!; c,)pany that night. "he b,,Ke 9a! rather a prete2t. "hey !i)ply needed c,))unicati,n in the face ,f the neare!t future that partly 9a! being deter)ined by the). Et 9a! !,)e -ind ,f )utual ),ral !upp,rt they needed and the feel ,f each ,ther;! elb,9 9ithin cl,!e reach. "he !ilent dar- 9,,d !urr,unding the ca)ping ,n all !ide! 9a! the ,nly 9itne!! ,f thi! !trange night life ,ccurring 9ithin it! very heart. "he full ),,n, n,9 vi!ible in the clear !-y, 9a! !hedding it! bright light ,n the !n,9! ,f the ridge t,p! that !hi))ered in that light li-e c,ld !ilver, daKKling in it! !plend,r. A c,uple ,f day! later b,th c,))ander! / Gilly S-elint,n and Grian 6;8,,dle 9ith 8utch 5,lland and @,l,nel 8an Av!hal,) vani!hed fr,) the ca)ping. "hey 9ere ,n their 9ay t, their re!pective ta!-! c,nfr,nting the). A! f,r the pe,ple re)aining at the ca)ping, they did 9hat they had d,ne bef,re / planning and ta-ing deci!i,n! that )ight dra!tically change the de!tinie! ,f the 9,rld. Una 6;8,nnell and 8,nald 7,!! 9ere n,9 t,gether, but !,)ber 9inter cl,ud! 9ere b,iling ,n the di!tant n,rthern h,riK,n b,ding n, g,,d f,r the 9,rld already deva!tated by it! endle!!ly recurring tribulati,n!. "hat )ade the) feel unea!y and uncertain ,f their per!,nal future. @5AP"E7 3L En the f,rbidding ),untain,u! terrain ,f the ",ba 7a-a- 5ill! in the !,uth/ea!tern b,rder di!trict ,f Gactria the !l,pe! ,f the ),untain! 9ere !heer and al),!t dev,id ,f vegetati,n, 9ith !cree ,verhanging danger,u!ly a narr,9 path 9inding al,ng a dried up !trea)/bed. Et 9a! a de!,late G,d/f,rg,tten place 9h,!e gray !terility 9a! p,pulated ,nly by prey bird! and

&01

vari,u! reptile!. "he !carcity ,f vegetati,n 9a! n,t c,nducive t, feeding the caprine !pecie! and that acc,unted f,r their unc,)),n rarity. "he 9h,le land!cape 9a! 9ild and ragged. Gut the ),untain air 9a! clean, cri!p and invig,rating, f,r it 9a! !till ),rning. "9, bearded )en dre!!ed in l,,!e dar- cl,the! that al),!t reached d,9n t, their heel! and 9earing 9hite turban! 9ere f,ll,9ing the path at a !l,9, !,)e9hat lei!urely pace, deep in c,nver!ati,n. 6ne ,f the) 9a! Abu Abdu Abdullalah 9h, ,cca!i,nally glanced at hi! Huietly !triding c,)pani,n 9ith vi!ible re!pect, even 9ith a hint ,f !ervility. "he )an 9h, 9a! 9al-ing ne2t t, Abu Abdu Abdullalah had a dar- beard that hung fr,) hi! el,ngated face l,9er than hi! che!t and cal), piercing eye!. 5i! ge!ture! 9ere unhurried and !elf/a!!ured. "hi! )an 9a! n,ne ,ther than 6!)an Gean Dadidan in per!,n, the ),!t danger,u! and 9anted terr,ri!t )a!ter)ind in the 9,rld. G,th )en 9ere carrying gun! that 9ere charged. "hey f,und a l,9 b,ulder be!ide the path and decided t, !it d,9n ,n it. A6h, Abdu, )y friend,C Gean Dadidan !aid, Athe fiendi!h United State! ,f A)erica !till e2i!t! and put! it! unclean pre!!ure ,n the n,ble 9,rld ,f E!la). We )u!t inten!ify ,ur attac-! ,n th,!e infidel!.C 5e pau!ed and ch,,!ing a !)all !and!t,ne cl,d !tic-ing ,ut ,n a ridge ,f the ,pp,!ite !l,pe t,,- an unhurried ai) and !h,t. "he cl,d e2pl,ded in a !)all f,untain ,f debri! that rained d,9n the !l,pe. A hint ,f !ati!fied !)ile t,uched the ,ther9i!e !tern face ,f the terr,ri!t leader. 5e turned t, hi! c,)pani,n. AE thin- it;! high ti)e t, puni!h the devil in a far ),re efficient 9ay than 9e have d,ne !, far. And thi! ti)e, ,h Abdu, it l,,-! li-e 9e;ll achieve far better re!ult! than 9hen 9e de!tr,yed a c,uple ,f their !-y/!craper! in e9 I,r- and ,nly a !)all part ,f Pentag,n. "hi! ti)e, )y dear friend, 9e can defeat the devil in a )ultilateral nuclear attac-, f,r 9e n,9 have !everal ba!e! eHuipped 9ith )ighty nuclear r,c-et! that 9ill c,)plete Allalah;! 9,r- ,f de!tructi,n in the ca)p ,f 5i! 9,r!t ene)ie!. 5i! retributi,n 9ill n,t delay, ,h, Abdu.C AAllalah i! great.C Abu Abdu Abdullalah !aid, i)pre!!ed by the great Gean Dadidan;! 9,rd!. A5e 9ill bring d,9n and finally e2ter)inate the devil, ,h, 6!)an the 9i!e!t,C he !aid. An eagle 9a! circling in the !-y ju!t ab,ve the g,rge 9here the t9, )en !at ,n the b,ulder. Abdullalah, p,inting t, it, !aid t, Gean Dadidan. AD,,- at that eagle, ,h, 6!)an the p,9erful, y,u are li-e thi! n,ble bird in it! deadly ability t, reach f,r it! prey and -ill it and a! l,fty a! it i! in Allalah;! !-y.C Gean Dadidan;! e2pre!!i,n did n,t change. 5e 9a! u!ed t, freHuent flattery ,f hi! ad)irer!. Gut the dull glitter ,f hi! eye! betrayed the dar- inner fire that burned in hi! unfath,)able !,ul. A flitting !)ile t,uched hi! thin lip! in an!9er t, Abdullalah;! flattering re)ar-. Gut he didn;t !ay anything f,r a 9hile and !tared at a p,int in !pace that 9a! vi!ible ,nly t, hi)!elf. "hen he turned hi! dar- face t, hi! friend again.

&0&

AIe!, Abdu )y friend, the 9,rld face! n,9 a great change. After 9e;ve defeated the ene)y, thi! 9h,le 9,rld 9ill be c,nverted t, E!la) f,r g,,d and let the bright gl,ry ,f Allalah the Al)ighty !hine in it, ju!t a! 5e ha! bidden u!. 5i! great na)e be ble!!ed. 5e teache! u! / hate and -illB 5ate and -illB Allalah i! great.C AAllalah i! great,C Abdullalah ech,ed the 9,rd! ,f hi! interl,cut,r. "he eagle in the !-y !uddenly fell d,9n ,n !,)ething it had !p,tted ,n the gr,und in the g,rge n,t far fr,) the t9, )en and r,!e int, the air again 9ith !,)ething beating in it! p,9erful lethal cla9!. Pr,bably a r,dent. G,th )en f,ll,9ed the eagle 9ith their eye! a! it 9a! flying a9ay until it di!appeared behind the neare!t cre!t ,f r,c-! 9here it pr,bably had it! ne!t. Gean Dadidan and Abdullalah -ept !ilent f,r a 9hile, fa!cinated by the hunt ,f the eagle and al!, f,cu!ed ,n their ,9n th,ught!. Et 9a! early ),rning yet, but the day pr,)i!ed t, be 9ar) 9ith,ut the burden ,f ,ppre!!ive heat becau!e thi! tr,ubled !u))er 9a! already ,ver. Suddenly Gean Dadidan !ugge!ted. ADet;! !h,,t in h,n,r ,f Allalah the Al)ighty the :erciful, ,h, )y 9,rthy friend Abdu.C 5e !h,t in the air 9ith,ut 9arning. Abdullalah !h,t in the air, t,,. "hen they !tarted !h,,ting freHuently a! if in c,)petiti,n, 9ith a childi!h glee in their eye!. "he !h,t! cl,!ely f,ll,9ed each ,ther and their reverberati,n! in the g,rge r,lled ,n, cau!ing a !pree t, !pill !)all and bigger !t,ne! ,ver ,ne ,f the ledge! ,verhanging the path in a danger,u! pr,2i)ity ,f the t9, trigger/happy !h,t!. "hat !,bered the) up and they !t,pped their 9ant,n fire. G,th r,!e t, their feet fr,) the b,ulder and retraced their !tep! bac- t, the cave, 9hich 9a! te)p,rarily turned int, a !helter and headHuarter! f,r the leader!hip. And it 9a! fr,) there that they i!!ued ,rder! f,r the faithful and 9aged their h,ly 9ar again!t all bitter ene)ie! ,f E!la) a! 9ell a! ,ther nu)er,u! infidel! in the undying h,pe t, e2ter)inate all ,f the) and )a-e E!la) triu)ph all ,ver the 9,rld. Di-e it had been in the byg,ne centurie! ,f E!la);! heyday in the territ,rie! 9here it held it! !9ay and auth,rity in the :iddle Age!. With ,ne difference, th,ugh / there 9,uld be n, ),re ene)ie! t, c,nfr,nt it. "he 9h,le 9,rld 9,uld live acc,rding t, the :u!li) la9! and it 9,uld have t, accept the). "he t9, pr,)inent :u!li) leader! !huffled bac-, leaping !,)eti)e! fr,) !t,ne t, !t,ne, in the directi,n ,f their h,)e in a 9ell/di!gui!ed cave. "he be!t rec,nnai!!ance unit! ,f the United State! ar)y and their allie!, a! 9ell a! the tr,,p! ,f the renegade ruler! fr,) the neighb,ring c,untry had n,t been able t, di!c,ver it a! yet. Gut they -ept ,n their !earch in the h,pe t, unc,ver the leader!hip ,f )ilitant terr,ri!). "he va!t and rugged terrain 9a! n,t c,nducive t, thi! purp,!e, but they never !t,pped their !earch. Gean Dadidan and Abdullalah 9ere utterly cauti,u!, c,n!tantly ,n their guard, and changed their re!idence each ti)e they g,t 9ind ,f i))inent danger. "he cave that 9a! fitted ,ut a! Gean Dadidan;!, Abdullalah;! and their f,ll,9er!; d9elling and headHuarter! fr,) 9here they ),nit,red event! in the 9,rld and i!!ued ,rder! f,r their

&03

terr,ri!t net9,r- 9a! 9ell/ca),uflaged. "heir pe,ple 9h, al!, !hared thi! cave 9ith the) ,r ,ccupied ,ther cave! n,t far fr,) thi! ,ne 9ere ),!tly the Galaban ,u!ted fr,) their p,9er in Gactria and a fe9 fighter! fr,) Erebi!tan 9h, 9ere cl,!e a!!,ciate! ,f Gean Dadidan and Abdullalah. "he furni!hing! ,f thi! rather !paci,u! cave that led !everal hundred )eter! int, the b,9el! ,f the earth 9ere !i)ple and unpretending. "he r,ugh 9all! ,f the cave 9ere partly c,vered 9ith carpet! a! 9ell a! it! fl,,r that had been cleared and evened bef,re it 9a! c,vered 9ith thic- rug! that da)ped pe,ple;! !tep! 9hen they 9al-ed here. "here 9ere al!, cu!hi,n! f,r !itting and pill,9! f,r !leeping !cattered every9here ,n the fl,,r. Several l,9 table! !erved f,r )eal!, f,r 9riting, and f,r u!ing vari,u! !,phi!ticated eHuip)ent li-e a p,rtable radi, !tati,n, rec,rder!, vide, ca)era! and even a c,uple ,f lap t,p c,)puter!. Gac- in the cave, 6!)an Gean Dadidan a!-ed Abdullalah t, invite the i)a)! 9h, 9ere the )e)ber! ,f Gean Dadidan;! 5igh @,uncil. 5e 9anted the) t, c,)e ,ver in ,rder t, attend hi! rec,rding ,f a ne9 tape f,r the 9,rld;! benefit and i)p,rtant deci!i,n/)a-ing. After half an h,ur ,f 9aiting, the )e)ber! ,f the 5igh @,uncil cra9led up ,n their bellie! t,9ard Gean Dadidan f,r hi! ble!!ing and f,r -i!!ing hi! patent/leather !h,e!. 5i! )ur-y !)ile 9a! c,nde!cending, th,ugh a bit i)patient, t,,. "hen the cere),ny ,f rec,rding a ne9 tape #a -ind ,f Gean Dadidan;! fata99a$ began. Dater, ,ne ,f Erebi!tan;! "V !tati,n! 9,uld br,adca!t f,r the 9,rld;! benefit and f,r :u!li)! in particular. 6n thi! tape Gean Dadidan ann,unced c,)plete defeat ,f all E!la);! ene)ie! in the neare!t future and the c,)ing d,)inati,n ,f E!la) ,ver the 9h,le 9,rld. 5e called ,n the 9,rld;! p,pulati,n t, urgently c,nvert t, E!la) ,r ,ther9i!e be prepared t, be -illed in the na)e ,f Allalah the :erciful. "he addre!! 9a! !h,rt but t, the p,int. "he tape 9a! then handed ,ver t, the c,rre!p,ndent ,f Erebi!tan;! radi, !tati,n AErratanaC. "hi! c,rre!p,ndent 9a! accredited by the !tati,n in Hue!ti,n at 6!)an Gean Dadidan;! field headHuarter! and 9a! pre!ent at thi! cere),ny in the cave. En a fe9 day!, the addre!! 9,uld be br,adca!t and bec,)e 9idely !pread all ,ver the 9,rld by the 9,rld;! )a!! )edia. 6!)an Gean Dadidan !9ept the i)a)! 9ith hi! eagle eye!, n,9 a degree ),re hectic than al9ay! and began hi! addre!!. A6h, the 9i!e!t ,f the 9i!eB At la!t the !acred day ,f truth i! brea-ing. Allalah the Al)ighty the :erciful, 5i! a)e be ble!!ed, ha! given u! 5i! 5igh @,))and t, de!tr,y the 9,rld ,f infidel! 9ith their ,9n ar)!. "he 9,rld i! ,n the p,int ,f bec,)ing :u!li) li-e hundred! ,f year! ag,. Gut thi! ti)e it 9ill be the whole 9,rld. , ),re infidel!B Allalah i! greatBC AAllalah i! greatBC "he i)a)! yelled at the t,p ,f their v,ice!, trying t, ,utcry each ,ther. Gean Dadidan repeated, hi! hand! ,ut!tretched t,9ard the high ceiling ,f the cave. AAllalah i! greatBC 6nce again the reply ca)e r,lling li-e !tr,-e! ,f thunder, increa!ed and ech,ed by the va!t cave !pace!. AAllalah i! greatBC Allalah i! greatBC A8eath t, all infidel!BC

&0(

When the h,ly v,ciferati,n ,f the i)a)! died d,9n under the i)peri,u! c,))anding ge!ture ,f their great leader, !ilence beca)e ab!,lute. "hi! ti)e n, ,ne in the cave dared even t, pr,duce a! )uch a! the !,und! ,f breathing. Gean Dadidan !tr,-ed hi! l,ng dar- beard f,r a 9hile, hi! eye! h,t li-e t9, !),ldering e)ber!, then re!u)ed hi! addre!!. A6h, "he 9i!e!t ,f the 9i!eB "he great Abu Abdu Abdullalah and )y!elf 9ill c,))it ,ur t,day;! fata99a, Allalah the Al)ighty the :erciful 9illing, t, y,ur high c,n!iderati,n. We have n,9 nine big l,ng/di!tance r,c-et! guided by reliable c,)puter !y!te)! and carrying p,9erful nuclear 9arhead!. "he!e r,c-et! are !tati,ned at vari,u! :u!li) ba!e! a! f,ll,9!* f,ur ,f the) in Per!ia, pr,duced there and ai)ed at the accur!t E!rael, :,!c,9, D,! Pr,phete! and @hicag,, three in A!!ur, !)uggled in fr,) Guc-i!tan and ai)ed at Wa!hingt,n and e9 I,r-. "he ,ther three 9ere !)uggled int, Erebi!tan, purcha!ed fr,) ,ur ,rth M,rean friend! f,r ,il. Dater ,n, 9e;ll de!tr,y the) t,, becau!e they are pagan infidel!. We;ll de!tr,y t9, citie! in Eur,pe 9ith the nu-e! fr,) Erebi!tan / D,nd,n and :adrid. "he third nuclear gift 9ill be !ent t, @anberra in Au!tralia, an i)p,rtant ally ,f the A)erican devil. "hey de!erve it f,r their acti,n! in Gabel, f,r !ending their un9elc,)e infidel !,ldier! t, it, and t, the Ea!tern Pacific i!land!. We;ll bring the 9h,le 9,rld t, the n,ble feet ,f Allalah, ble!!ed be 5i! na)e. Allalah i! greatBC AAllalah i! greatB Allalah i! greatBC ech,ed the 9,rthy i)a)!, all flu!tered and a! if afla)e in ec!ta!y. Gut Abu Abdu Abdullalah turned t, hi! friend Gean Dadidan a face that l,,-ed !,)e9hat c,ncerned. A6h, the l,ftie!t Saint ,f E!la)B "hi! divine fata99a 9a! truly !ent t, u! fr,) heaven and r,de ,n the clean 9hite cl,ud! ,f Allalah the Al)ighty the :erciful. Will y,u plea!e interpret, being the 9i!e!t per!,n in thi! and Allalah;! 9,rld, ble!!ed be 5i! na)e, 9ill y,u plea!e interpret it, E repeat, f,r the benefit ,f th,!e 9h, are in the dar- in relati,n t, the de!tructi,n ,f D,nd,nJ "hat city ha! already bec,)e :u!li) in the !teady c,ur!e ,f ,ur 9i!e c,nHue!t ,f England. "here are )illi,n! ,f the faithful living and g,ing t, ),!Hue! there.C 6!)an Gean Dadidan n,dded )aje!tically a! if he -ne9 the Hue!ti,n 9,uld be rai!ed and !tarted t, interpret that place in the divine fata99a. A6h, )y l,fty friend!, 9h, are the ),!t beautiful ,rna)ent and pride ,f thi! 9,rld. D,nd,n i! d,,)ed t, peri!h even 9ith the faithful and their nu)er,u! in!tituti,n! in it becau!e it !till re)ain! the lair ,f the bea!t 9h,;! the cl,!e!t a!!,ciate ,f the United State! and Satan. A! f,r ,ur dear brethren 9h, live there, E )u!t c,nfe!! that E envy their !ubli)e l,t becau!e they 9ill all be ta-en by Allalah in hi! l,ving hand! and !et high in 5i! ini)itable and !plendid Paradi!e 9here th,!e luc-y ,ne! 9ill !tart their lu2uri,u! !e2 life 9ith b,,Ke...C 5i! la!t 9,rd! 9ere dr,9ned by the i)a)!; ec!tatic, enraptured infatuati,n 9ith !uch a great pr,!pect ,f re9ard and in l,ud prai!e ,f Allalah. 5e 9a! the .ather ,f un!pea-able bli!!, the greate!t Auth,r ,f the c,)ing de!tructi,n ,f the infidel 9,rld, but ab,ve all el!e the :erciful 9h, 9ill !h,9 !, )uch ,f hi! )ercy and divine gener,!ity f,r hi! faithful f,ll,9er!.

&00

AAllalah i! greatB Allalah i! greatB D,ng live 6!)an Gean Dadidan, Allalah;! puni!hing !9,rd, 5i! hu)ble and great !ervantBC "he great leader and !-ilful @,))ander/in/@hief ,f the f,r)idable Mu9alda rai!ed hi! hand, de)anding Huietude. A6h, the 9i!e!t ,f the 9i!e!tB All the!e in!tallati,n! are ,nly 9aiting f,r ,ur 9,rd t, launch the ju!tified 9rath ,f Allalah the :erciful ,n the accur!t and d,,)ed head! ,f all infidel pig! and d,g! and their a!!,ciate!. And 9e;ll get the !ign ,f Allalah t, !tart their final de!tructi,n, Allalah 9illing. And n,9, )y dear friend!, 9e are g,ing t, celebrate the g,,d ne9! by drin-ing tea and eating fruit, !herbet, and vari,u! !9eet!.C 5e clapped hi! hand! i)peri,u!ly and !everal !lave! i))ediately )ade their appearance, carrying !tea)ing !a),var!, refined cr,c-ery, !ilver !p,,n! and b,9l! filled 9ith fruit and !9eet!, 9hich they put in fr,nt ,f the i)a)!. Gean Dadidan )ade a !ign t, !tart their !u)ptu,u! fea!t and t,,- hi! !eat ne2t t, Abu Abdu Abdullalah. 5e 9a! the fir!t t, ta-e a !)all cup 9ith a delicate ),ve)ent ,f hi! thin l,ng finger! and began !ipping the fragrant h,t liHuid a! if he 9ere -i!!ing it. "he red ball ,f the !un 9a! dr,pping bey,nd the h,riK,n ,f the egev de!ert, gilding it! va!t !pace! 9ith !pectral r,c- f,r)ati,n! and the fa!t dar-ening !-y. "he Huaint !tructure! ,f an airba!e br,-e the h,riK,ntal line ,f the de!ert n,t far fr,) the dry Wadi ahal Sin that 9a! filled 9ith 9ater ,nly during !pringti)e. 5aving given a !h,rt life t, gra!! and fl,9er!, the 9ater evap,rated under the !c,rching breath ,f !u))er hamseens that ble9 ,ver fr,) the barren de!ert! ,f Erebi!tan. "he air ,f the de!ert 9a! dry, clean, and healthy. Gut Gilly S-elint,n !carcely n,ticed it, given hi! freHuent !eparati,n fr,) 8iddy 8,, and the -id! 9h,) he al9ay! )i!!ed a9fully. 5e lived in ,ne ,f the l,9 barrac-! ,f the E!raeli egev airba!e t,gether 9ith Mevin, Patric-, and @,l,nel 8an Av!hal,) 9ith hi! per!,nnel. "he neare!t !ea 9a! the 8ead Sea the envir,n! ,f 9hich 9ere a! h,t in !u))er a! the !urr,unding rugged de!ert. "he airfield 9ith three barrac-!, the c,ntr,l t,9er, 9areh,u!e!, and !,)e ,ther !tructure! 9a! !urr,unded 9ith a f,r)idable high fence ,f barbed 9ire 9ith ,b!ervati,n t,9er! at it! c,rner!. "he la!t ray! ,f the !un t,uched the 9ind,9pane! ,f the barrac-! that fla!hed 9ith !carlet reflecti,n, then they vani!hed, and bef,re l,ng, the !plendid de!ert night lit th,u!and! ,f fla)ing !par-le! in the velvet fir)a)ent. A full ),,n !h,ne ,n the 9ild land!cape ,f the de!ert )a-ing it l,,- !pectral and unreal li-e a craKy ),rbid creati,n ,f a ),dern painter. Gut it 9a! beautiful and !trangely attractive. Gilly S-elint,n rai!ed hi! eye! fr,) the enchanted phanta!)ag,ria ,f the ),,nlit de!ert up t, the !par-ling !-y and yielded t, the fl,,ding feeling! ,f n,!talgia and fanta!iKing ab,ut hi! h,)e, e!pecially ab,ut 8iddy 8,,.

&0L

Sitting ,n a bench near the 9all ,f hi! barrac-, he 9a! !, ab!,rbed in hi! th,ught! that he didn;t hear the !tep! ,f !,)e,ne 9h, 9a! appr,aching fr,) the barrac- ,pp,!ite t, hi!. "he l,9 v,ice ,f 8an Av!hal,) interrupted Gilly S-elint,n;! n,!talgic th,ught!. AG,,d evening, Gill. 8,n;t E intrudeJC Gilly fla!hed a ready !)ile at the c,l,nel and ),ved ,n the bench )a-ing r,,) f,r 8an t, !it d,9n. "he c,l,nel l,9ered hi)!elf ,n the bench be!ide hi). 5e glanced at Gilly !ide9ay!. AGeautiful night, i!n;t itJC And 9ith,ut 9aiting f,r Gilly;! reply, he !aid in a l,9 v,ice. AA penny f,r y,ur th,ught!BC Gilly !hrugged. AWell, t, be fran- E )i!! )y fa)ily a little.C AS, d, E,C !aid 8an Av!hal,), n,dding. Gilly a!-ed hi) !,ftly. A"ell )e ab,ut y,ur fa)ily a little.C A"here;! n,t !, )uch t, tell. E have a 9ife 9h,!e na)e i! Sarah and !he i! a !ch,,lteacher and a daughter. :y daughter Anat i! t9enty year! ,ld and !erve! in the ar)y. G,th live in 5aifa. :y 9,r- )a-e! )e ab!ent fr,) )y h,)e f,r l,ng peri,d! ,f ti)e, !, E !ee the) ,nly ,cca!i,nally.C AE have t9, daughter!,C Gilly !aid. AE d,n;t !ee the) ,ften en,ugh, either.C 8an !uddenly laughed. A"hat;! the life ,f a !,ldier f,r y,u.C After a !pan ,f !ilence he leaned f,r9ard, pic-ed up a !)all !t,ne fr,) the gr,und and t,!!ed it in the air. A"hat;! 9hat the da)n Phili!tine! d, t, u!,C he !aid turning hi! face t, Gilly. A"hey ,ccupied the ancient land ,f ,ur f,refather! that had been all,tted t, the) by the a)e 5i)!elf and n,9 the Phili!tine! 9age a full/!cale 9ar ,f terr,r ,n u! in the h,pe t, drive u! a9ay. Gut 9e have n,9here t, g, t,. We;ll never aband,n thi! land, 9hich i! ,ur! by the divine right. "he Phili!tine! )ay !tay and live here ,nly in peace. Gut they prefer t, in!i!t ,n their ab!urd clai) and have !9,rn t, ,u!t u! fr,) ,ur ,9n land. S,, they leave u! 9ith n, ,ther ch,ice than de!tr,y at lea!t th,!e ,f the) 9h, fight u!. E!pecially th,!e ,f the) 9h, !end !uicide -iller! t, -ill ,ur civilian! and children. We can;t all,9 the) t, get a9ay 9ith it. Unf,rtunately, the e2ecuti,n ,f the archcri)inal! Abu Dala and E)a) i!ay taught the) very little. Pr,bably becau!e they feel a l,t ,f !upp,rt fr,) :u!li) c,untrie! and Eur,pean ruler!. Ge!ide!, 5u!!ein G,u!liyah ha! n,t been caught yet and it;! hi) 9h, i! behind all the terr,ri!t vi,lence in Gabel. 5e al!, c,ntinue! t, in!pire the Phili!tine cri)inal! t, per!i!t in their vici,u! terr,ri!t attac-!. S,, 5u!!ein G,u!liyah i! al!, ,ur pr,ble). 5e in!tigate! the), t,,. Gut the 9,r!t ,f the) all i! the n,t,ri,u! Mu9alda led by 6!)an Gean Dadidan and hi! a!!,ciate!. I,ur Spani!h rec,nnai!!ance gr,up di!gui!ed a! :u!li)! have )anaged t, infiltrate the Mu9alda and pinp,int the e2act 9hereab,ut! ,f th,!e creep!, at la!t. S, n,9 that 9e;ve g,t all the clue! ,ur a!!ign)ent i! t, catch Gean Dadidan and Abu Abdu Abdullalah dead ,r alive and -ill their acc,)plice!. We;ll have t, turn the t9, cri)inal! ,ver t, the A)erican )ilitary auth,ritie! in Gactria if 9e get the). "hat;! 9hy, a),ng ,ther thing!, y,u

&0?

are here 9ith y,ur cre9, Gilly. ",),rr,9 ),rning at eight ,;cl,c- 9e;ll !tart 9,r-ing ,n the guideline! and l,gi!tic! ,f the 6perati,n @ru!ade 9ith participati,n ,f all th,!e 9h, are inv,lved in the ,perati,n. Get the picture, GillyJC ASure, E d,, 8an. Gut bef,re 9e !plit up t, g, t, ,ur r,,)! n,9 E g,t thi! ,ther thing t, a!y,u, 8an. Ef y,u d,n;t )ind, ,f c,ur!e.C ASh,,t, Gilly.C AE thin- E heard y,u !ay !,)ething ab,ut the ability ,f E!rael t, turn bac- a nu-e r,c-et in ca!e ,f an attac- ,n the c,untry. "hat !,und! ,dd, t, !ay the lea!t, but y,u 9,uldn;t g, int, !pecific! )uch, 9,uld y,uJ @,uld y,u perhap! enlighten )e ,n the )atter a littleJ .,r E;ve been thin-ing hard ab,ut it the!e la!t day!, trying t, figure ,ut h,9 !,)ething li-e that i! p,!!ible. And if it i!, h,9 it 9,r-!.C AE gue!! E can. Gut 9ithin certain li)it!, ,f c,ur!e. We have partly decla!!ified the general principle ,f ,ur ne9 defen!e !y!te) in ,rder t, let ,ur ene)ie! -n,9 that any nuclear attac,n E!rael c,uld entail dire c,n!eHuence! f,r the attac-er! the)!elve!. Gut ,fficially, 9e haven;t divulged it yet becau!e 9e 9ant t, teach the) a le!!,n t, let the) !ee 9hat terrible c,n!eHuence! their ,9n aggre!!i,n again!t u! can d, t, the). A! f,r the technical !pecific!, they re)ain !trictly cla!!ified, f,r the ti)e being. "here i! a certain under!tanding bet9een E!rael and the United State! that ,ur !ecret c,uld be !hared 9ith ,ur A)erican friend! but ,n certain c,nditi,n!. .ir!tly, they )u!t n,t !hare it 9ith their Eur,pean allie! 9h,) 9e d, n,t tru!t. 6r any,ne el!e, f,r that )atter. Sec,ndly, the A)erican ,fficer 9h, i))en!ely helped u! again!t ,ur ene)ie! ha! been in A)erican jail f,r year! becau!e ,f hi! help. Alth,ugh he i! ,ur her,, he ha! been unju!tly c,nvicted f,r hi! )anful and ti)ely acti,n. We have been al9ay! in!i!ting up,n hi! being relea!ed. Unf,rtunately, t, n, effect yet. S,, y,u !ee that;!, t,,, ,ur p,int n,9. "he third p,int i! un,fficial, th,ugh. Et;! ab,ut the f,rthc,)ing pre!idential electi,n! in the United State! 9here there e2i!t! a real chance f,r the @,))uni!t! t, 9in the!e electi,n! and they are ),re bia!ed ,ver all the!e year! in fav,r ,f the :u!li) 9,rld becau!e ,f it! ,il re!,urce! and f,r p,litical rea!,n!. We fear that a @,))uni!t pre!ident 9,uld betray u! a! the @,))uni!t e2/Pre!ident Willard @rapt,n did. S, the p,int i! in the balance y,u -n,9. "hat;! 9hy 9e !till 9affle t, !hare ,ur anti/air defen!e 9ith the State!, f,r the ti)e being, unle!! 9e get reliable guarantee! ,n that !c,re. S,,ner ,r later, that 9ill happen E h,pe.C AGut h,9 d,e! it 9,r- in principleJ E d, n,t 9ant t, pry and t, priKe that !ecret fr,) y,u, y,u -n,9, but E;) curi,u! h,9 it 9,r-! generally if y,u -n,9 9hat E )ean.C A , !9eat, GillB Di-e E !aid, it;! half decla!!ified f,r !,)e ,f ,ur allie! and 9hat E )ean i! that at lea!t thi! -ind ,f inf,r)ati,n 9e can !hare 9ith ,ur EDA friend!. "he p,int i! that n,9 9e can u!e !pecially devel,ped r,c-et !y!te)! that can create very !tr,ng electr,/)agnetic f,rce field! ar,und the) 9hen they intercept ene)y r,c-et! carrying nuclear 9arhead! and !uch an intercept,r aut,)atically !9itche! ,n it! electr,/)agnetic tug

&0'

f,rce and catche! the ene)y r,c-et in it! field, )aneuvering it !, that the nuclear r,c-et turn! it! n,!e right bac-, in the ,pp,!ite directi,n, t,9ard the pad it 9a! launched fr,). And thu!, it hit! it! ne9 target, 9hich i! then n,thing el!e than it! ,9n launching pad. "hat;! all E can tell y,u, Gill.C A"han-!, 8an, any9ay. Et;! a f,r)idable 9eap,n E gue!!, !, y,u guy! are right t, -eep it that 9ay. E )ean cla!!ified and all.C AI,u;re 9elc,)e, Gill, y,u -n,9. We tru!t y,u ab!,lutely. I,u -n,9 that. I,ur per!,nal bac-gr,und i! y,ur be!t guarant,r. "hat;! 9hy E;ve been fran- 9ith y,u.C AE;ll never let y,u d,9n, 8an, by divulging 9hat y,u;ve t,ld )e.C AE -n,9.C 8an Av!hal,) !aid curtly and r,!e t, g, t, hi! barrac-. AG,,d night, Gilly.C "hey !h,,- hand! and Gilly r,!e, t,,. "he h,ur 9a! late and he )u!t have a clear head the f,ll,9ing day. Gut bac- in hi! r,,) in the barrac-, 9hen he had undre!!ed, -ic-ed ,ff hi! !h,e!, d,9ned a dra) ,f b,urb,n, and tu)bled int, hi! bed he !tayed a9a-e, th,ugh, f,r Huite a l,ng ti)e yet. .,r ab,ut half an h,ur ,r !,, thin-ing hard and 9,ndering if they c,uld pull ,ff the 9h,le thing, 9ith,ut paying a price that )ight turn t,, high. "hen he c,llap!ed int, an unea!y !leep, t,!!ing in hi! bed re!tle!!ly. 5e th,ught he !a9 gli)p!e! ,f 8iddy 8,, in hi! drea)! and hi! girl! !tretching i)pl,ring ar)! at hi). Early the ne2t ),rning the ,perative gr,up g,t t,gether in ,ne ,f the barrac-! t, di!cu!! the l,gi!tic! ,f the c,)ing ,perati,n in the !,uthea!tern regi,n ,f Gactria. "hey 9,uld fly ,ver there in three helic,pter! / Gilly S-elint,n;! Apache gun!hip and t9, huge tran!p,rt @hin,,- helic,pter! that 9,uld carry a !)all but effectively ar)ed and trained !pecial gr,up ,f E!raeli c,))and,! under @,l,nel 8an Av!hal,). 5e had a detailed !atellite )ap ,f the terrain 9ith the c,nventi,nal !y)b,l! ,f the cave! 9here the Mu9alda leader! and their )en -ept the)!elve! hidden a9ay. Pr,fe!!,r "i),thy @raig had !upplied the )ap ,nly a 9ee- and a half pri,r t, the !tart ,f the ,perati,n in the egev de!ert in E!rael. "he channel! thr,ugh 9hich "i),thy @raig 9a! in p,!!e!!i,n ,f that )ap re)ained hi! ,b!cure per!,nal !ecret. 6ne circu)!tance, th,ugh, 9a! clear. Ab,ut t9, 9ee-! bef,re, he gave an a!!ign)ent t, pr,cure !uch a )ap the ),)ent it 9a! -n,9n t, the AEA, 9here the Mu9alda leader!; preci!e 9hereab,ut! 9a!. Given they 9ere t, av,id the va!t h,!tile territ,rie! ,f A!!ur and Per!ia, they 9ere f,rced t, ta-e a r,undab,ut )ariti)e 9ay t, reach their g,al. Endia c,uld !erve that purp,!e be!t ,f all if they c,uld launch their ,perati,n fr,) it! territ,ry. After tal-! held in e9 8elhi, 9hich re)ained un-n,9n t, the n,!ey )edia, a !ecret agree)ent had been reached bet9een the Endian auth,ritie! and the E!raeli 8a!!,) acc,rding t, 9hich the three helic,pter! 9,uld fly ,ver the Endian territ,ry unha)pered and 9,uld be !upplied 9ith fuel at !,)e place! arranged bef,rehand. "he helic,pter! 9ere t, be tran!p,rted ,n b,ard an Endian carg,/!hip ,ver t, Endia fr,) 9h,!e territ,ry they 9ere t, launch their ,perati,n. "hi! ,perati,nal gr,up 9a! !ubdivided int, t9, ,perati,nal unit! t, be carried by the t9, huge tran!p,rt ch,pper!. "he!e

&03

unit! 9ere !ub,rdinated t, lieutenant! I,!!i A!h-el,ner and a-h,n Gib,r. "he @hin,,-! 9,uld be fl,9n by t9, pil,t! / :aj,r Avru) Galag,ula and @aptain Avigd,r "!ip,ri. Gilly S-elint,n 9a! e2pected t, give a !tr,ng c,)bat bac-ing t, b,th unit! ,f c,))and,!, n,t ,nly c,vering the) 9ith a barrage, if nece!!ary, but al!, ch,-e d,9n any atte)pt ,f active re!i!tance. G,th unit! 9,uld cl,!ely c,,perate acc,rding t, the already 9,r-ed ,ut plan that 9,uld enable the) t, catch Gean Dadidan;! gr,up una9are! in the ",ba 7a-a- 5ill!. "he fact,r ,f !urpri!e )u!t play a very i)p,rtant r,le. En ca!e they )anaged t, catch Gean Dadidan and Abu Abdu Abdullalah alive they 9ere t, turn the) ,ver t, the A)erican )ilitary auth,ritie! at their Gactrian airba!e at Garda). "hey 9ent ,ver the 9h,le plan t, the )inute!t detail, trying t, ,)it n,thing that )ight be ,f c,n!eHuence. "he ,perati,n re)ained, th,ugh, an eHuati,n 9ith !everal un-n,9n Huantitie! that )ight b,!,) danger f,r the), t,,. "he briefing la!ted l,ng int, late aftern,,n and 9a! interrupted ,nly f,r a !h,rt re!t and dinner. @,n!u)pti,n ,f !pirit! 9a! f,rbidden. "he )en 9ere !upp,!ed t, !tay c,)pletely !,ber and clear/headed pending the end ,f 6perati,n @ru!ade. :,unt @ar)el;! huge )a!! cr,9ned 9ith the high/ri!e building ,f "echni,n b,re the !treet! ,f 5aifa ,n it;! terraced !l,pe! and re)inded ,ne ,f a bear !leeping by the !ea. Again!t it! bac-dr,p the gilded cup,la ,f the fa),u! Gaha;i te)ple 9a! !hi))ering di)ly in the ray! ,f the ),rning !un. .ar d,9n, at the f,,t ,f the ),untain in 5aifa;! p,rt the r,utine ,f hectic daily activitie! 9a! a! u!ual a! it had al9ay! been. E2cept that at ,ne ,f the )any pier! three helic,pter! 9ere being l,aded and reliably !ecured ab,ard an inc,n!picu,u! carg,/!hip that flaunted a faded Endian flag at her !tern. "he 9hite letter! ,f the carg,/!hip;! na)e / Endian Endeav,r / 9ere n,ticeably !tenciled again!t the blac- bac-dr,p ,f the !hip;! hull that at !,)e place! 9a! c,vered 9ith ru!ty !p,t!. "h,!e three helic,pter! / t9, @hin,,-! and ,ne Apache / !ee)ed li-e ju!t an,ther purcha!e )ade by Endia t, eHuip the e2i!ting helic,pter hard9are in the c,untry 9ith !,)e ),re !peci)en! ,f thi! -ind. All the three ch,pper! 9,re the u!ual ca),uflage paint but had n, in!ignia t, de!ignate their nati,nality. "he entrance t, the pier 9a! bl,c-ed up again!t any curi,u! l,iterer! by )ilitary guard! 9h, !crutiniKed the paper! ,f th,!e 9h, 9ere auth,riKed t, enter the pier. "he Endian cre9 9a! bu!y ,n dec- and el!e9here, helping t, fa!ten the three ch,pper! t, guarantee their !afety during the 9h,le pa!!age t, the p,rt ,f :u)bay in Endia. Al!, during the pa!!age the three ch,pper! 9,uld be chec-ed and !pruced up !, that the pil,t! and cre9! c,uld be ab!,lutely !ure ,f their reliability and effectivene!!. "he pe,ple 9h, had already e)bar-ed ,n the !hip c,uld be !een ,n dec-. "hey l,,-ed a l,t paler than the br,nKe/!-inned Endian cre9)en. "here 9a! al!, a blac- )an in civilian cl,the! a),ng the). "hey 9ere pr,bably departing ,n b,ard that !hip, n, Hue!ti,n! a!-ed. At lea!t there !ee)ed t, be n, ,ne 9h, )ight have put Hue!ti,n!. "he guard! at the entrance ,f the pier 9ere n,t b,thered ab,ut it either. En a c,uple ,f h,ur!, 9hen the ch,pper! 9ere !ecurely fa!tened ,n dec-, the ),,ring cable! 9ere thr,9n ,ff the cleat! ,n the pier and

&L%

!lipped up the !hip;! hull. All 9a! Huiet 9hen !he ),ved ,ff fr,) the pier and !tarted )aneuvering it! 9ay ,ut ,f the p,rt 9ater!, heading f,r the ,ffing. "he :editerranean Sea 9a! richly blue a! it u!ually 9a! at thi! ti)e ,f year, 9ith the !un hitting the !hip;! decun)ercifully and )a-ing it h,t t, the t,uch. Gilly S-elint,n 9earing a red "/!hirt )ade hi! appearance ,n dec- 9here the ch,pper! 9ere !ecured and began t, critically !crutiniKe hi! Apache. A ),)ent later hi! cre9)en Mevin and Patric- j,ined hi). ASee)! li-e it;! 9ell !ecured in it! place,C Gilly !aid, turning hi! face t,9ard hi! friend!. Mevin had a Hue!ti,n ,n hi! lip!. A8, y,u have any idea, Gill, h,9 l,ng ,ur pa!!age c,uld la!tJC Gilly S-elint,n !hrugged. AEf all i! 9ell )aybe a 9ee-, )aybe ),re, f,r all E -n,9.C Patric-, a! u!ual, did n,t !ay anything, hi! eye! )ur-y 9ith hidden th,ught!. Gilly fla!hed hi! brighte!t grin at hi). A5ey, Pat, 9hat;! y,ur pr,ble)J Endige!ti,n ,r !,)ethingJ Why n,t celebrate ,ur ta-ing fare9ell ,f the dry landJC Patric- glanced ,ver at Gilly !,)e9hat ),,dily. All he !aid 9a!, AE g,t a b,ttle ,f P,li!h v,d-a AWyb,r,9aC in )y !uitca!e. We can !hare it if y,u 9i!h.C A6h, ye!, 9e can !hare it, Pat, y,u can rely ,n that,C Mevin !aid 9ith a br,ad r,gui!h grin ,n hi! face. AWell, guy!, it;! a g, thenBC Gilly !aid. A ,9 E;ll ta-e a cl,!er l,,- in!ide ,ur gun!hip, )a-e !ure all i! 9ell there t,,, and then E;ll j,in y,u in ,ur cabin, ,-ayJC ASureBC Mevin n,dded and turned t, g,, hi! gl,,)y partner f,ll,9ing hi). Deft al,ne, Gilly g,t in!ide hi! ch,pper and began hi! r,utine chec-/up, trying t, !ati!fy hi! perfecti,ni!t !en!e. Ab,ut half an h,ur later, he returned t, hi! cabin t, j,in hi! cre9)en t, celebrate their departure, a! pr,)i!ed. "he E!raeli c,))and,! and their !uperi,r! 9ere !itting 9herever they;d f,und a place t, !it and 9ere chatting in 5ebre9 in a lively 9ay, ,ften interrupting their tal- 9ith bur!t! ,f laughter. "hey !ee)ed t, be in their be!t ,f ),,d!. ,b,dy !uffered fr,) !ea!ic-ne!!. Gut that 9a! part ,f their nature ,r )aybe even training. S,)e ,f the) 9ere 9earing the 6rth,d,2 %ipas fa!tened 9ith !pecial !afety pin! ,n their head!. "hey 9,uld ta-e the) ,ff !,,n, f,r the !hip;! c,ur!e 9a! !et f,r the SueK @anal. "he pa!!age ,f the SueK @anal 9a! ),!tly uneventful e2cept that ilian urchin! ,n the 9e!tern ban- ,f the canal )ade a !h,9 ,f their na-ed behind! in )alev,lent der,gati,n, a! they pre!u)ably th,ught, ,f infidel! ,n b,ard the !hip! pa!!ing al,ng the canal. Pr,bably it 9a! their idea ,f !erving Allalah. "hey ,bvi,u!ly didn;t -n,9 in their infantile inn,cence that

&L1

their perf,r)ance ,nly a)u!ed the !aid infidel!. "he ilian ,fficial! fr,) P,rt Said 9ere c,ntent 9ith their u!ual bribe!. S,, everything l,,-ed the u!ual r,utine. After the pa!!age ,f the canal, the di!tance bet9een it! t9, ban-! 9idened after El Su9ei! and ,n pa!!ing a !)all i!land, the !hip c,ntinued her c,ur!e bet9een the !h,re! ,f the 7ed Sea. "he !un beat d,9n fiercely ,n the !hip;! dec- and everything that 9a! ,n it. Et reached even further d,9n thr,ugh the ,pen hatch9ay!. 8an Av!hal,) 9h, 9a! !tanding at the rail and 9atching the land fa!t di!appearing bey,nd the h,riK,n re)e)bered a fe9 line! ,f a p,e) he had read a l,ng ti)e bac-. Et referred t, the 7ed Sea a! A!har- !,upC. 5e had read !,)e9here ,r !een ,n "V that thi! !ea 9a! tee)ing 9ith !har-! li-e a beehive 9ith bee!. Gilly S-elint,n changed the directi,n ,f hi! ,9n th,ught!, c,njuring up in hi! )ind the l,vely i)age! ,f hi! fa)ily. Et had ta-en a l,ng ti)e bef,re the !hip began t, pa!! by the !cattered gr,up ,f !)all i!land! that r,!e fr,) the !ea and bef,re it! !h,re! began t, narr,9 int, the Strait ,f Gab el :andeb and 9idened again in the Gulf ,f Aden. "he AEndian Endeav,rC c,a!ted the barren !h,re ,f Ie)en heading f,r the Arabian Sea. Dife ,n b,ard the !hip had even bec,)e !,)e9hat ),n,t,n,u! and 9a! diver!ified ,nly by card ga)e! played by the E!raeli c,))and,!. 8an Av!hal,), and Gilly S-elint,n 9ith hi! )en and )e)ber! ,f the Endian cre9 j,ined the). Al),!t all ,f the), e2cept th,!e 9h, -ept 9atch, tried t, -eep the)!elve! bel,9/dec-!, !ee-ing !helter fr,) the fiercely h,t !unlight. @ard!, tal-!, "V, and l,ng/dra9n Endian vide,fil)! 9ere the ,nly f,r)! ,f entertain)ent b,th f,r the cre9 and their pa!!enger!. "he n,n/Endian pa!!enger! 9ere )uch a)u!ed, 9atching ,n the !creen the traditi,nal villain! 9ielding their l,ng 9,,den !tic-! ,r thru!ting vici,u!ly l,,-ing fi!t! at their !uffering victi)!, 9ith,ut really t,uching the). "he devel,p)ent! ,n the !creen 9ere interrupted by freHuent !pell! ,f !inging and dancing. "he !ea 9a! cal) t, everyb,dy;! great relief and ,ften there 9a! n,t a !ingle cl,ud in the !-y. 6n pa!!ing S,-,tra, a !,litary i!land in thi! part ,f the !ea, the !hip c,ntinued it! c,ur!e in the endle!!ly va!t 9atery de!ert ,f the Arabian Sea, heading !teadily t,9ard the Endian p,rt ,f :u)bay. "he 9eather f,reca!t received by radi, al!, re)ained !teady and the !hip;! captain @handragupta 8hill,n 9a! in the be!t ,f hi! ),,d!. 5e 9a! at the b,9 ,f hi! !hip 9hen he heard a v,ice fr,) behind. AGupta <ee, 9hen d, y,u thin- 9e;ll be in :u)bayJC 5e glanced bac- and !a9 the face ,f 8an Av!hal,) peering at hi) Hue!ti,ningly. 5i! ,9n dar- feature! changed their u!ually c,)p,!ed e2pre!!i,n int, a !)ile. A",),rr,9 at n,,n, :r. Av!hal,). Appr,2i)ately.C "he !hip ca!t anch,r, a! agreed, 9ithin !ight ,f the bu!y p,rt ,f :u)bay but 9a! n,t t, be ),,red at ,ne ,f it! pier!. All the three ch,pper! 9ere ready t, ta-e ,ff and head f,r their de!tinati,n. "he c,))and,! 9ere di!appearing 9ithin the bul-y bellie! ,f the ch,pper! ,ne

&L&

by ,ne and each t,,- hi! place a!!igned t, hi) there bef,rehand. 8an Av!hal,) 9a! t, b,ard the ch,pper 9ith the unit ,f Dieutenant I,!!i A!h-el,ner. "he flight 9,uld ta-e )any h,ur! t, get t, their fir!t de!tinati,n in the Great Endian de!ert ,f 7aja!than. .r,) there, they 9ere t, fly ,ver the va!t territ,ry ,f Galuchi!tan and reach the ",ba 7a-a- 5ill! 9here the lair ,f Gean Dadidan and hi! a!!,ciate! ,f the Mu9alda had been l,cated. .ir!t they 9ere t, land in the vicinity ,f the city ,f <,dhpur f,r tan-ing purp,!e! and then )a-e a !h,rt !t,p near the !)all b,rder t,9n ,f Mi!hangarh t, the n,rth9e!t ,f <,dhpur. "hi! city 9a! ,ne ,f the brilliant je9el! ,f the great 7ajp,,t culture ,f the prince! ,f 7aja!than 9ith it! )agnificent hi!t,rical place!. Gut the !pecial gr,up 9,uld ,nly catch a flitting !ight ,f the), being in a hurry t, reach their g,al. "he general ),,d ,f the )en 9a! f,cu!ed ,n their a!!ign)ent rather than t,uri!t !ight!eeing, alth,ugh they c,uldn;t but ad)ire the fa),u! Gate ,f Endia arch 9h,!e )a!!ive and i)pre!!ive !tructure r,!e high ab,ve the !eafr,nt ,f :u)bay. "hey 9ere ad)iring it even at a )ile;! di!tance. Acc,rding t, the plan, they 9,uld n,t !et f,,t ,n :u)bay;! !,il but 9,uld fly fr,) the !hip directly t, the city ,f <,dhpur in the n,rth. When the b,arding ,f the ch,pper! 9a! ,ver all the three t,,- ,ff ,ne by ,ne / the @hin,,-! and Gilly S-elint,n;! Apache / and !,,n the great financial and c,))ercial heart ,f Endia !cattered ,ver a large area began ),ving a9ay fa!t under the bellie! ,f the ch,pper!. "he Apache )ade up the tail ,f the !)all ch,pper !Huadr,n. Gef,re l,ng the la!t building! and !habby !lu)! ,f the giant city 9ere behind and the ch,pper! c,ntinued their flight ab,ut a th,u!and feet ab,ve the gr,und. "he flight 9a! cal) but la!ted !everal l,ng h,ur! bef,re they arrived at <,dhpur 9here the ,perati,nal gr,up g,t rather di!app,inted becau!e their re!t ti)e 9a! li)ited t, a !h,rt durati,n. "hen the ch,pper! 9ere up in the air again and after a c,uple ,f h,ur! ,f flight arrived at their de!tinati,n ,n the Endian territ,ry bef,re they )ade the la!t big ju)p int, the un-n,9n. "hi! la!t lap ,f their race 9,uld lead the) t,9ard the f,rbidding range ,f ),untain! in the b,rder regi,n bet9een Galuchi!tan and Gactria. "here 9a! a !)all airba!e ,f the Endian Air .,rce at Mi!hangarh near the b,rder. Et 9a! at thi! airba!e that the three ch,pper! finally arrived. "he ch,pper! !t,,d n,9 ,n the territ,ry ,f the !)all Mi!hangarh airba!e !urr,unded by a f,rbidding barren land!cape. 5ere the 9h,le gr,up, including the cre9 ,f the Apache gun!hip, 9,uld get it! final re!t and ,nce again g, ,ver the tactical plan ,f the ,perati,n. "he ti)e at their di!p,!al 9a! !h,rt. "hey chec-ed up all their eHuip)ent, including the night vi!i,n in!tru)ent! that 9,uld be indi!pen!able during night h,ur!. .,r the plan 9a! t, attacthe cave! by night, t, )a-e the ene)ie!, even if alerted by the buKKing ,f the appr,aching ch,pper!, ),re vulnerable and c,nfu!ed a! )uch a! p,!!ibleN alth,ugh they )ight be better acHuainted 9ith the terrain 9here they had been hiding f,r ,ver a year. ,9 the )en had t,

&L3

!tay 9ithin the li)it! ,f the airba!e and be prepared t, depart at any ti)e. Et 9a! here that the ne9! ab,ut the arre!t ,f 5u!!ein G,u!liyah reached the). 5e 9a! caught una9are! in hi! hide,ut near hi! native city ,f "ir-it !,,n after he had !ecretly arrived there fr,) Gelgi!tan via A!!ur, h,ping t, head and c,,rdinate an ar)ed upri!ing again!t the allied tr,,p!. Et 9a! a great !ucce!! ,f A)erica and it b,,!ted the ),rale ,f the )en engaged in catching Gean Dadidan and hi! acc,)plice!. "he general ),,d 9a! vibrating 9ith elati,n and readine!! t, ta-e acti,n. All the )en tried t, rela2 ,n the eve ,f their flight. 5ard liHu,r! 9ere f,rbidden, th,ugh. S,, they 9ere rec,))ended t, !ee- ,ther f,r)! ,f rela2ati,n. Et 9a! card ga)e! f,r !,)e ,f the). "hey 9ere al!, per)itted t, 9rite letter! t, their fa)ilie! 9ith,ut actually )enti,ning their real activitie!. S,)e ,f the) u!ed thi! !pan ,f ti)e t, d,Ke ,ff. Early ne2t ),rning the ch,pper! t,,- ,ff and headed f,r the b,rder. "he land!cape bel,9 9a! barren and nearly ),n,chr,)atic. Et! gray ),n,t,ny 9a! br,-en ,nly by an ,cca!i,nal r,ughne!! ,f the terrain and a pa!!age ,f caravan! ,f l,aded ca)el! a! if n,thing had changed here ,ver hundred! ,f year!. S,,n the blue ribb,n ,f the Endu! 7iver cra9led bac- bel,9 the). After that the territ,ry 9a! very !par!ely p,pulated and actually it 9a! ea!y en,ugh f,r the pil,t! and navigat,r! t, f,ll,9 their r,ute 9ith,ut having t, fly ,ver t,9n! ,r even any big village!. "he !un li-e a !,litary !entinel !t,,d high in the !-y 9hen they had t, circu)navigate a c,uple ,f !)all t,9n! ju!t t, -eep ,n the !afe !ide, f,r the territ,ry they 9ere flying ,ver 9a! p,pulated by :u!li)!. A! h,ur! !lipped by, the !u!pen!e 9eighing ,n the ),,d! ,f the )en in the ch,pper! 9a! !teadily building up, alth,ugh they did their be!t n,t t, let it !h,9 in their face!. "he !un 9a! already ,n it! 9ay t, the h,riK,n, !ending it! h,t g,lden ray! acr,!! the nearly barren de!ert land!cape! bel,9 that !,)eti)e! 9ere br,-en by !)all patche! ,f cultivated land. En the far di!tance in fr,nt ,f the), they gradually !tarted t, di!cern a far/a9ay range ,f high ),untain!, 9hich !ee)ed unreal and !pectral at thi! di!tance and c,uld be ea!ily c,nfu!ed 9ith cl,ud!. "he eye! ,f :aj,r Avru) Galag,ula left the c,ntr,l in!tru)ent! f,r a !ec,nd. 5e turned t, 8an Av!hal,) 9h, 9a! !itting be!ide hi). A"he ",ba 7a-a- 5ill!,C he !aid int, the vibrating )i-e that 9a! fi2ed bef,re hi! ),uth. A6ur de!tinati,n.C 8an Av!hal,) n,dded and peered ahead at th,!e haKy c,nt,ur!. "hen he u!ed hi! !tr,ng bin,cular! and !a9 the !evere/l,,-ing ),untain range 9here the un-n,9n 9a! lur-ing, a! if laying an a)bu!h f,r the). 5e felt c,ld running al,ng hi! !pine. 5e turned t, the pil,t. AE! ,ur calculati,n c,rrect, Avru)J Shall 9e reach the ),untain! ,n ti)eJC AWe;ll reach the) preci!ely at du!-. And 9hen it get! dar- 9e are !upp,!ed t, be ab,ve ,ur target,C :aj,r Galag,ula replied in a !elf/a!!ured )anner, hi! e2pre!!i,n i)pa!!ive. 8an Av!hal,) turned t, the )en !itting behind the) and hi! gaKe re!ted ,n the face ,f Dieutenant I,!!i A!h-el,ner in 9h,!e eye! at the ),)ent he !a9 a Hue!ti,n.

&L(

AWhat;! y,ur pr,ble), I,!!iJC he a!-ed. A!h-el,ner;! v,ice !,unded Huite cal) in c,ntradicti,n t, hi! e2pre!!i,n. A , pr,ble), !ir. E ju!t 9,nder h,9 far are 9e !till fr,) ,ur target.C AEf that;! y,ur pr,ble), I,!!i, E can tell y,u that 9e;ll be there after du!-. 5,9 are ,ur )enJC A"hey are in a very g,,d c,nditi,n, !ir.C A"hat;! enc,uraging ne9!, I,!!i.C "hen he !9itched ,ver t, the ,ther ch,pper! t, inHuire after the ),rale ,f the )en there and t, b,,!t their !pirit! a! be!t he c,uld. @aptain Avigd,r "!ip,ri and Dieutenant a-h,n Gib,r rep,rted that all 9a! 9ell 9ith the) and their )en. Gilly S-elint,n al!, reaffir)ed the e2cellent c,nditi,n ,f hi! cre9. A"hi! i! n,t their fir!t ,perati,n, 8an, re)e)berJ E;) !ure 9e;ll pull it ,ff a! 9e did in the pa!t.C Gilly;! v,ice, !lightly di!t,rted and tinny, !,unded upbeat and even !aucy. AE h,pe !,, Gilly. "hi! i! ,ur ,nly chance t, get ,ur hand! ,n the !li)eball!. We are n,t e2pected t, bl,9 it.C ADi-e E !aid, 8an, 9e;ll pull it ,ff. , fearBC 6ver an h,ur had pa!!ed, bef,re the haKy c,nt,ur! ,f the di!tant ),untain! beca)e !harply ,utlined again!t the evening !-y. "he !un 9a! !l,9ly r,lling d,9n t,9ard the). "he three ch,pper! 9ere n,9 fa!t appr,aching the f,rbidding rangeN and even bef,re it turned int, a blac- !ilh,uette 9ith the !-y ab,ve it ablaKe 9ith )agnificent !un!et c,l,r! they 9ere already flying 9ithin it! deep cany,n! guided by the in!tru)ent! ,f night vi!i,n. "hey 9ere heading f,r a certain !)all plateau fr,) 9hich a pa!! led acr,!! the l,9 cre!t ,f a ),untain and d,9n int, the valley 9here the t9, big cave! had been pinp,inted a! the late!t !helter ,f the Mu9alda )a!ter)ind!. Et had bec,)e Huite dar- a! the three ch,pper! landed ,n that !)all plateau and !9itched ,ff their r,t,r!. Gilly S-elint,n and hi! cre9, th,ugh, re)ained ,n b,ard their gun!hip, ready t, ta-e ,ff again 9hen the right ti)e 9a! due. 8an Av!hal,) and the lieutenant! re)inded their )en again ,f the ut),!t nece!!ity t, di!patch the !entinel! placed bef,re the entrance! ,f the cave! a! n,i!ele!!ly a! p,!!ible. "he c,))and,!, u!ing their night vi!i,n and careful n,t t, cau!e the neare!t !cree t, !tart danger,u!ly falling d,9n, began their al),!t !,undle!! neg,tiating the pa!!. Gean Dadidan 9,-e up 9ith a !tart and !truggled t, a half/!itting p,!iti,n, re!ting ,n hi! elb,9!. @,)plete dar-ne!! !urr,unded hi) ,n all !ide!. 5e tried t, !9itch ,n all ,f hi! !en!e! and realiKe 9hat had r,u!ed hi) fr,) hi! light !leep. 5e c,uld hear the !n,ring ,f Abdullalah acr,!! a fe9 )eter! fr,) hi! ,9n i)pr,vi!ed bed 9ith it! hard )attre!! and ,ne thic- 9ar) blan-et. 5e li!tened. "here 9a! !,)ething in the air. S,)ething he tried t, gra!p, !uddenly bec,)ing all ear!. Unc,)),nly alert, he !tiffened and in a !plit !ec,nd caught an al),!t i)perceptible ),ve)ent in the dar- ,f the cave. Et ca)e a! a barely audible hint ,f a !trange !,und bet9een Abdullalah;! !n,ring fit!. "he dry lip! ,f Gean Dadidan 9hi!pered, A6h,

&L0

Allalah.C At the !a)e ti)e, hi! right hand crept under the thin pill,9. En a !pa!),dic atte)pt, he fu)bled f,r hi! l,aded rev,lver that he u!ed t, -eep there during hi! !leeping h,ur!. Et 9a! then that a daKKling bea) ,f a t,rch blinded hi) and the al),!t dead !ilence ,f the cave e2pl,ded int, !everal !h,t! that rang ,ut in the h,ll,9ne!! ,f the cave deafeningly, ech,ing and reverberating in it! nu)er,u! cha)ber!. Et !ee)ed the hell it!elf br,-e f,rth at the ),)ent. "he )a!-ed dar- !had,9 in fr,nt ,f hi) 9a! 9earing the night vi!i,n g,ggle! and l,,-ed li-e an alien ),n!ter fr,) !pace. "he figure 9a! h,lding aut,)atic 9eap,n! in b,th hand! and ,n n,ticing Gean Dadidan furtively thru!ting hi! hand under the pill,9, a l,9 v,ice hi!!ed, A ice try, buddyB 8,n;t ),veBC "hen it added a fe9 9hi!pered 9,rd! t, an,ther !had,9 p,pping ,ut fr,) the dar-ne!! behind the light bea) ,f a t,rch. "hi! figure appeared t, be p,9erful and deft en,ugh t, i))ediately grab Gean Dadidan;! b,th hand! and Huic-ly !lip a pair ,f )anacle! that clic-ed l,c-ed ,n the). "he 9,rd! e2changed by the intruder! 9ere being !p,-en in an un-n,9n language that !lightly re)inded Gean Dadidan ,f hi! ,9n ),ther t,ngue. Still, c,nfu!ed a! he 9a!, he c,uld n,t place the language !p,-en by hi! capt,r!. "here 9a! a !cuffle in the cave 9h,!e !,und! 9ere c,)ing fr,) the directi,n ,f Abdullalah;! bed. "9, ),re !h,t! rang ,ut again. 6ut!ide the cave ,ther !h,t! 9ere heard. "hey 9ere inter)ingled 9ith the upr,ar ,f a ch,pper;! r,t,r! that !ee)ed t, be c,)ing fr,) !,)e9here ab,ve the ,pen !pace bef,re the ),uth ,f the cave. "h,!e 9ere fired by heavy aut,)atic 9eap,n! and )achine/gun! 9ith ,cca!i,nal bla!t! ,f b,)b! !,)e9here in fr,nt ,f the cave. Gean Dadidan !tubb,rnly 9riggled in the hand! ,f hi! capt,r! 9h,!e nu)ber !uddenly gre9. 5i! v,ice, !trengthened by the h,ll,9ne!! ,f the cave, !,unded !tent,rian and )ultiplied by the ech,e! in it! va!t !pace. A6h, :y faithful brethrenB En "he a)e 6f Allalah, help )eB AbdullalahB Where are y,uJ Mill the infidel!BC AWill y,u !hut up plea!eJC a v,ice 9ith threatening ,vert,ne! in it !aid be!ide hi). "he ,9ner ,f the v,ice 9a! al),!t invi!ible but danger,u! en,ugh, given the circu)!tance!. Gean Dadidan 9a! hu!tled a9ay up t, the e2it fr,) the cave bef,re he c,uld gra!p ),re clearly 9hat 9a! happening t, hi). 5e 9a! al),!t dragged right acr,!! the c,rp!e! ,f hi! f,ur b,dyguard! 9h, lay !tiff and very dead. "he !h,,t,ut ,ut!ide the cave 9ent ,n. Et 9a! e!pecially e2ten!ive by the entrance t, the ,ther big cave 9here Gean Dadidan;! )ain gr,up re!ided. "he Mu9alda ringleader rai!ed hi! eye! t, the !-y in the h,pe t, !ee Allalah;! Pr,phet! c,)ing t, !ave hi) fr,) the tenaci,u! hand! ,f the perfidi,u! infidel!, but all he !a9 9a! a r,aring gun!hip h,vering ju!t ab,ve hi) and -eeping hi! )en fr,) the neighb,ring cave at a di!tance and p,uring up,n the) ince!!ant deadly fire. Di-e the Pr,phet ,f 8eath hi)!elf, it 9a! !,9ing Huic- death and perditi,n a),ng the true f,ll,9er! ,f the head ,f 9,rld terr,ri!). ", 8an Av!hal,), 9h, 9a! per!,nally in charge ,f Gean Dadidan;! capture, it !ee)ed an al),!t unbelievable )iracle that the f,r)idable terr,ri!t 9a! in their hand! and alive. Gut 9here, in hell, 9a! hi! u)ber "9,J 5e 9a! !upp,!ed t, !hare the !a)e cha)ber in Gean

&LL

Dadidan;! cave, 9hich n,9 9a! in the hand! ,f the attac-ing c,))and,!. Even th,ugh u!ing t,rche! and night vi!i,n, they !till c,uld n,t find a trace ,f hi) , e2cept f,r hi! )u!!ed up bed. 5e had di!appeared a! if hi! Allalah had given hi) pr,tecti,n by )a-ing hi) invi!ible. 8an Av!hal,) a!-ed hi)!elf 9hether there 9ere ,ther e2it! fr,) the cave. 5e turned t, hi! )en and ,rdered. A@,)b the caveB D,,- if there i! an,ther 9ay ,ut fr,) thi! cave. Abdullalah 9a! here and c,uldn;t have fallen thr,ugh the earth.C "he terr,ri!t! tried t, barricade the)!elve! in the ,ther cave. "hey 9ere ),re nu)er,u! and pr,bably had plenty ,f )uniti,n! t, -eep ,ff the attac-er! by putting up a barrage ,f fierce fire. WhiKKing bullet! ric,cheted fr,) the !t,ne!, !ending !9ar)! ,f !par-le! int, the night air. "9, ,f the c,))and,! fell dead. Dieutenant I,!!i A!h-el,ner 9a! 9,unded in hi! left thigh, but f,rtunately, the bullet had )i!!ed the b,ne. Ab,ut half a d,Ken ,f dead terr,ri!t c,rp!e! 9ere !cattered bef,re the entrance t, the cave. "he re!i!tance ,f the living 9a! n,9 relentle!!. "he battle threatened t, la!t l,ng, )aybe until da9n, 9hen Gilly S-elint,n br,ught hi! Apache al),!t t, the level ,f the cave;! ),uth and Patric- M,9al!-i fired ,ne deadly )i!!ile 9ith hi! e2pert preci!i,n right int, it. "he bla!t 9a! terrible. .la)e! and cl,ud! ,f blac- !),-e belched fr,) the blac- ,pening ,f the cave al,ng 9ith ch,-ed crie! ,f the dying 9ithin it. "hat !ee)ed t, have effectively fini!hed ,ff the la!t h,tbed ,f re!i!tance and the c,))and,!; unit led by Dieutenant a-h,n Gib,r, 9earing )a!-!, entered the !ec,nd cave, 9ith )uch precauti,n. 5ere, there 9ere )any b,die! ,f the -illed !cattered ar,und the fl,,r ,f the cave. Gut neither in thi! cave did they detect any trace ,f the vani!hed Abu Abdu Abdullalah. When all 9a! ,ver, the c,))and,! !earched b,th cave! th,r,ughly and finally di!c,vered a !ec,nd, narr,9er ,pening in a re),te cha)ber ,f Gean Dadidan;! cave. "he riddle ,f Abdullalah;! di!appearance 9a! thu! !,lved. 5e had )anaged t, !lip ,ut ,f the cave during the general c,)),ti,n, leaving hi! chief in the hand! ,f the intruder!. Et 9a! u!ele!! t, !tart hunting hi) d,9n in the terrain that he ,bvi,u!ly -ne9 better and c,uld be hiding any9here 9ith,ut )uch chance ,f detecti,n. "i)e 9a! pre!!ing and the ),!t i)p,rtant terr,ri!t figure ,f the 9,rld 9a! their captive. "he ,ther )an c,uld !tay at large f,r !,)e ti)e l,nger. 5i! h,ur 9,uld c,)e !,,ner ,r later. "hey had t, leave thi! place n,9 and ta-e Gean Dadidan t, the airba!e Garda) in Gactria. "he t9, dead c,))and,! 9ere ta-en ab,ard the @hin,,- pil,ted by Dieutenant "!ip,ri. "he heavily guarded Gean Dadidan 9a! put in Avru) Galag,ula;! ch,pper, 9here 8an Av!hal,) c,uld -eep an alert eye ,n hi). Dieutenant A!h-el,ner, hi! leg bandaged, 9a! 9ith 8an Av!hal,), t,,. "h,ugh he li)ped, he !ee)ed unc,ncerned . Pr,bably he tried t, c,nceal, at lea!t ,ut9ardly, that he 9a! !uffering fr,) the pain cau!ed by hi! 9,und. Any9ay, he 9a! given pain-iller! and n,9 reclined ,pp,!ite the captive, !c,9ling at hi). Gean Dadidan, th,ugh, pretended n,t t, n,tice hi), !taring ab!ently at an invi!ible !p,t in the !pace ,f the ch,pper;! cabin. A!h-el,ner, ,n the c,ntrary, never t,,- ,ff hi! eye! full ,f !Huea)i!h !c,rn and hatred fr,) the !9arthy face ,f hi! ,pp,nent.

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"he three ch,pper! t,,- ,ff fr,) the plateau and headed t,9ard Garda) in the heart ,f Gactria. Et )u!t ta-e the) a c,uple ,f h,ur! t, reach it. En 8an Av!hal,);! headpiece the v,ice ,f Gilly S-elint,n a!-ed, A8an, d, y,u read )eJ 6ver.C A7,gerB E d,, Gilly. 6ver.C AWe pulled it ,ff, 8an, li-e E !aid. 6ver.C AI,ur c,ntributi,n 9a! great, Gilly. "han-!B 6ver.C A8,n;t )enti,n it, 8an. We g,t the !cu)bag n,9, and that;! the i)p,rtant thing. We are in c,ntr,l. 6ver.C APity 9e )i!!ed the ,ther guy. 6ver.C A", hell 9ith hi), 8an. 5e;ll be caught !,,ner ,r later. , fearB 6ver.C AI,u g,t the p,int, Gill. 6ver.C A5,9 ab,ut the priKe ,ffered by )y g,vern)ent t, th,!e 9h, 9,uld catch hi)J 6ver.C AAll the participant! ,f the ,perati,n in ca!e ,f !ucce!! are entitled t, get it and 9ill be cut in ,n it, including the fa)ilie! ,f the -illed in the acti,n. 6ver.C AEt;! great, 8an. "han- y,u. 6ver and ,ut.C Gean Dadidan !till didn;t ,pen hi! ),uth but !ee)ed li!tening t, a c,nver!ati,n in 5ebre9 ne2t t, hi). "hen hi! lip! !tretched int, a hint ,f grin. A8irty <e9!BC 5e )uttered in Ereb, hi! !,)ber eye! beginning t, fla!h 9ith un!pea-able hatred. 5e had been captured by the <e9!B "hat 9a! a di!grace he had never e2pected t, ,ccur. And n,9 it 9a! a fact. A! if Abu Dala;! and E)a) i!ay;! capture and e2ecuti,n 9ere n,t en,ugh. A6h, AllalahBC he ),aned, A8,n;t leave )eBC I,!!i A!h-el,ner c,uld n,t re!train hi! 9rath any),re and !aid in Engli!h, Ay,u dirty !tin-ing Ereb pig, there i! n, t,rture in the 9,rld that c,uld n,t be u!ed ,n y,u.C Suddenly Gean Dadidan a!-ed, A9here are y,u ta-ing )e t,,, ,h, unclean <e9JC I,!!i !hrugged 9ith a )alici,u! grin. APerhap! t, y,ur A)erican friend! 9h, 9ill be happy t, give y,u a hearty recepti,n. I,u can be dead !ure ,f that, !-un-. A! f,r being unclean, !, E can tell y,u that y,u y,ur!elf, the li-e! ,f y,u, all y,ur pe,ple, and y,ur pathetic Allalah / that;! 9h, are really unclean. Ef y,u -n,9 9hat E )ean.C G,th beca)e !ilent again and tried n,t t, peer at each ,ther any ),re. Gut after a 9hile, Gean Dadidan !hifted hi! eye! t,9ard ,ne ,f the !,ldier! !itting nearby. A"ell y,ur chief 9h,ever he i! that E need t, -n,9 9here y,u are ta-ing )e t,,C he !aid in hi! accented Engli!h. "he !,ldier peered at Dieutenant A!h-el,ner Hue!ti,ningly. "he ,fficer n,dded in the affir)ative. "he !,ldier !t,,d up and 9al-ed t, the pil,t;! cabin. 5e t,ld 8an Av!hal,) ab,ut Gean Dadidan;! de)and. "he @,l,nel fr,9ned. AI,u )ay tell the creep that E d,n;t ever tal- t, :u!li) pig!. 5e;! being ta-en t, 9here he bel,ng!, that;! all.C

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"he !,ldier Huic-ly returned and pa!!ed ,n Av!hal,);! an!9er in Engli!h. Gean Dadidan;! e2pre!!i,n re)ained unchanged. 5e !aid n,thing and fell !ilent al),!t t, the end ,f hi! f,rced j,urney. Ef ,nly hi! eye! c,uld -ill, hi! capt,r! 9,uld have been dead bef,re the ch,pper landed. Gut the flight c,ntinued uni)peded and uneventful. :any ,f the )en d,Ked ,ff t, the acc,)pani)ent ,f the r,ar ,f the p,9erful r,t,r!. At Garda) the captured terr,ri!t leader 6!)an Gean Dadidan 9a! turned ,ver by the c,))and,! t, the A)erican general 9h, had arrived at the ba!e t, ta-e the pri!,ner t, the United State! ,n b,ard a !pecial tran!p,rt plane. "he captive 9a! 9atched by !pecial agent!. "he cere),ny ,f turning ,ver 9a! curt. "he 9,rd! e2changed bet9een 8an Av!hal,) and the general ,n that ,cca!i,n 9ere t, the p,int and n,t )any. "here 9ere !everal Apache gun!hip! ,n patr,l ab,ve and ar,und the territ,ry ,f Garda) ju!t t, be ,n the !afe !ide, 9hile 6!)an Gean Dadidan 9a! being put ,n the plane b,und f,r Wa!hingt,n. A),ng the patr,l ch,pper! 9a! the Apache ,f Gilly S-elint,n. A c,uple ,f day! later, the ,perati,nal gr,up left in their ch,pper!, g,ing bac- t, E!rael. Gilly S-elint,n acc,)panied the) part ,f the 9ay. 5i! de!tinati,n lay farther a9ay, in the ),untain! ,f @alabria. "hey fle9 ,ver the territ,ry ,f the f,r)er S,viet republic ,f Ge-i!tan, then ,n t, the !,uth ,f 7u!!ia, )a-ing a !h,rt !tay there f,r re!t and tan-ing. .r,) there, the E!raeli! 9ent h,)e, after Gilly S-elint,n and hi! cre9 had ta-en leave ,f their ne9 friend! and headed f,r their ,9n de!tinati,n. Actually, n, ,ne -ne9 that far in the n,rth ,f Eur,pe, near a ,r9egian fj,rd, a great celebrati,n t,,- place a! a tribute t, a happy c,)binati,n ,f pr,fe!!i,nali!) and her,i!) that had been !h,9n by a !)all gr,up ,f pe,ple 9h, had captured ,ne ,f the 9,r!t and ),!t danger,u! terr,ri!t! in the 9,rld, badly 9anted by ju!tice. "h,!e pe,ple in ,r9ay 9ere pr,ud that three ,f the participant! in the re)ar-able event 9ere )e)ber! ,f their ,rganiKati,n. Whatever the c,nflict/inciting 9,rld )edia averred ,n that !c,re, the hu)iliating bl,9 inflicted ,n the 9,rld terr,ri!) 9a! a fact. Gut thi! terr,ri!) 9a! !till far fr,) being c,)pletely defeated and it! )enace 9a! !till lur-ing in an uncertain future. @5AP"E7 3? After hi! flight fr,) Gactria Abu Abdu Abdullalah e)erged fir!t in Per!ia, then in A!!ur, and later !ecretly vi!ited hi! acc,)plice! in Erebi!tan. 5e 9a! Gean Dadidan;! deputy and after the capture ,f the Mu9alda leader, Abdullalah, being hi! deputy, 9a! n,9 c,n!idered a! e)ergency leader ,f that f,r)idable relentle!! ,rganiKati,n. 5e changed hi! na)e f,r hi! !afety !ince the ti)e ,f hi! flight fr,) Gactria and n,9 9a! called Abdu Abdu. "he fata99a t, !tart nuclear attac- again!t the We!t had already been appr,ved ,f by the inv,lved partie! and the re!pective launching unit! 9ere ,nly 9aiting f,r the final ,rder. "he target! 9ere

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-n,9n and the tactic! ,f the inevitable attac-! had been 9,r-ed ,ut bef,rehand. "he cunning and deft Abdu Abdu 9a! every9here and n,9here. Even hi! acc,)plice! didn;t -n,9 f,r !ure hi! e2act 9hereab,ut! e2cept 9here he happened t, be at each particular ),)ent. A h,rrible ),)ent ,f )an-ind;! hi!t,ry, unprecedented yet, 9a! appr,aching unha)pered and un!u!pected. "he Mu9alda !ucceeded in -eeping it! nuclear pl,t !ecret and un-n,9n even t, the be!t rec,nnai!!ance agencie! in the 9,rld / A)erican and Griti!h. "he captured Gean Dadidan did n,t ,pen hi! ),uth de!pite the great eff,rt t, e2tract inf,r)ati,n fr,) hi). S,)e pe,ple 9ere ,f the ,pini,n a bit ,f t,rture )ight have helped, but !uch a !tep 9,uld have been c,ntradict,ry t, the principle! ,f the !,/called 5u)an 7ight! and !, 9h,le pe,ple! ,f A)erica and Eur,pe 9ere put at a great ri!- ,f being !acrificed t, th,!e principle!. Ge!ide!, there 9ere !uch )ilitant ,rganiKati,n! li-e W,rld A)ne!ty that 9,uld i))ediately ,pen their big ),uth! in defen!e ,f thi! danger,u! and )urder,u! ),n!ter becau!e he happened t, ),ve ,n t9, leg! and utter !,)e articulate !,und!. 6nly the E!raeli 8a!!,) and the @entral @,))and ,f the EDA had a high degree ,f !u!pici,n and 9ere ,n the c,n!tant alert. "heir di!creet 9arning!, e!pecially that ,f 8a!!,) did n,t ta-e effect 9ith )any ruler! ,f Eur,pe 9h, 9ere !till -ept fa!cinated by E!la) and 9ere c,nvinced that ,nly !,)e fanatic! and Afunda)entali!t!C 9ere re!p,n!ible f,r terr,ri!t attac-! ,n peaceful civilian! and children, ,ften their ,9n civilian! and children, t,,. @,))ander 6;8,,dle in the ),untain! ,f @rete 9a! 9aiting f,r a !ignal t, !tart ,n hi! ,9n )i!!i,n. 5e 9a! al!, prepared t, ta-e ,ff at any ),)ent n,9. A6h, divine Abdu AbduB Allalah, 5i! na)e be ble!!ed, 9ill ble!! y,u. At l,ng la!t 9e;ll clean!e the earth fr,) all <e9i!h, @hri!tian and pagan infidel! in c,nf,r)ity 9ith Allalah;! behe!t f,r u! that ca)e d,9n ,n a cl,ud directly fr,) the !-y. Allalah i! greatBC E)a) Abu Dula !aid in hi! u!ual high/fl,9n 9ay. "he hubbub ,f v,ice! r,!e in a gleeful jubilati,n. Abdu Abdu;! audience chanted, lavi!hing prai!e! up,n Allalah and flattery up,n the )an 9h, had bec,)e their great leader, given the fact, very !ad f,r the), that their greater leader Gean Dadidan 9a! n,9 A)erica;! pri!,ner. "he 5igh @,uncil ,f E!la) 9a! a!!e)bled in ,ne ,f the !pecial c,uncil r,,)! ,f @air,;! AK/Sahar A!arda), 9ith 7ect,r Abu Dula Mebab in chair, acc,rding t, the traditi,n. "he great 9arri,r and the S9,rd ,f E!la) Abdu Abdu 9a! !eated ne2t t, hi). En the beginning, they had been l,ng di!cu!!ing 9h,!e h,n,r it really 9a! t, be !eated ne2t t, the ,ther. "hey didn;t reach unity ,f ,pini,n ,n that, but they finally agreed that it 9a! )utual. A6h, l,fty E)a)!BC Abdu Abdu !aid. AUnf,rtunately, 9e are f,rced t, cr,!! ,ut the accur!t na)e ,f the thr,ne ,f evil / Wa!hingt,n / fr,) the li!t ,f the infidel citie! that are d,,)ed by Allalah / 5i! na)e i! great / t, c,)plete de!tructi,n.C "he )ur)ur ,f utter !urpri!e r,!e fr,) the i)a)! right in fr,nt ,f Abdu Abdu. AWhy, ,h, divine S9,rd ,f AllalahJC Abu Dula a!-ed.

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A6ur Saint Gean Dadidan i! n,9 being -ept there. Ef 9e !ubject the city t, nuclear b,)bard)ent ,ur great leader 9,uld peri!h and 9e can;t let it happen. S, E have devi!ed, ,h, l,fty ,ne!, a ne9 plan t, ca!tigate the capital ,f infidel! 9ith,ut cau!ing a fatal da)age t, ,ur bel,ved great leader.C AAnd 9hat i! thi! n,ble plan ,f y,ur!, ,h, divine Abdu AbduJC Abu Dula 9anted t, -n,9. AErebi!tan and Per!ia have already given their final c,n!ent t, put their civil aircraft at ,ur di!p,!al !, that 9e c,uld u!e the) again!t the ene)y by l,ading the) 9ith )ighty e2pl,!ive! and !uicide pil,t!, in the na)e ,f Allalah, 9ill fly ,ver the ,cean and ra) the) int, the White 5,u!e, Pentag,n, and ,ther ,fficial !ite! ,f the ene)y;! city, 9ith,ut d,ing any da)age t, the jail 9here ,ur bel,ved great leader i! being guarded. And 9here he !uffer! at the hand! ,f the infidel!. Dater 9e;ll devi!e !,)ething t, get hi) free. After that, 9e;ll bring ,ur !acred 9,rt, it! end by de!tr,ying the city 9ith a p,9erful nuclear b,)b.C Abu Dula Mebab ju)ped up in an utter e2cite)ent, hi! eye! gli!tening 9ith ad)irati,n and turned t, Abdu Abdu. A6h, divine S9,rd ,f AllalahB I,ur 9i!d,) i! un!urpa!!ed.C 5e !9ept the i)a)! 9ith the burning glance ,f hi! piercing blac- eye!, A6ur @,uncil 9ill gladly !ancti,n y,ur plan that 9ill de!tr,y the 9a!p!;! ne!t ,f all infidel! and !ave the preci,u! life ,f ,ur bel,ved great leader.C All the i)a)! a!!e)bled here unani),u!ly appr,ved the !trategic plan! pr,p,!ed by Abdu Abdu. "hey !ealed up their hi!t,ric deci!i,n by a great tea drin-ing and a dance perf,r)ed by fe)ale !lave!. Everyb,dy 9a! happy. Et 9a! a fine !pring day ,f early :arch 9hen the nuclear f,rce! ,f E!la) !i)ultane,u!ly received the ,rder t, launch their nuclear guided )i!!ile! again!t their target!. En c,untrie! ,f ),derate cli)ate pe,ple 9ere rej,icing in the beauty ,f !pring and it! thrilling pr,)i!e!. "he gigantic e9 I,r- @ity 9a! !i))ering, even b,iling, 9ith all -ind! ,f n,n/!t,p life day and night, 9ith !treet gang! c,)p,!ed ,f f,reigner! fr,) the third 9,rld hunting d,9n each ,ther, ,r d,ing their u!ual )ugging, pillaging and )urdering bu!ine!!. And )aybe n,!talgic, re)e)bering the ti)e! ,f Al @ap,ne, they 9ere in the de!perate h,pe ,f )a-ing life in the city ),re e2,tic by )a-ing it ),re danger,u!, depending ,n h,9 )uch they 9,n. Gut the heart ,f the great city, :anhattan, 9a! !afe and the city;! leader!hip 9a! !ure ,f being ,n the 9ay ,f eradicating and eli)inating at lea!t the big ti)e cri)e in the 9h,le city ,f e9 I,r-. S,, the huge ),tley cr,9d! ,f l,cal! and t,uri!t! tee)ing in the beautiful :anhattan !treet! 9ent t, )illi,n! ,f their !pecial de!tinati,n!, rej,icing in the 9ar)er day! ,r !i)ply enj,ying the !)all ,r large gift! ,f life be!t,9ed ,n the) by the )agnificent city. 6n that !unny day, an interc,ntinental r,c-et 9a! rapidly appr,aching the city fr,) the ea!t. Suddenly a daKKling !ec,nd !un fla!hed in the blue !-y, al),!t eclip!ing the ,riginal !un, 9hich, ju!t f,r a !plit !ec,nd, !ee)ed even dar-er be!ide the une2pected intruder in the

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!-y. "he !ec,nd !un !tarted rapidly gr,9ing in all directi,n!. A gigantic ball ,f fire and b,iling 9ave ,f !t,r)y heat c,vered the city 9ith a ),n!tr,u! tu),r that began t, turn int, a huge )u!hr,,) under 9hich all life cea!ed in a )atter ,f !ec,nd!. "he !a)e phen,)en,n ,ccurred in @hicag, and D,! Pr,phete! preci!ely at the !a)e ti)e. "he nuclear r,c-et! had n,t been intercepted becau!e they pr,ved t, be invi!ible f,r the A)erican ),nit,ring !y!te)!. :illi,n! up,n )illi,n! ,f pe,ple peri!hed 9ith,ut being a9are ,f 9hat 9a! happening t, the). "hey all died / 9ere g,ne, ter)inated, burnt a9ay alive in a !plit !ec,nd all ,ver a va!t territ,ry. Pre!ident Ge,rge W. Wil)an, hi! advi!er! and )e)ber! ,f the Ad)ini!trati,n 9ere at @a)p 8avid 9hen a huge pa!!enger airliner ,f the AErebi!tan Airline!C cra!hed int, the White 5,u!e in Wa!hingt,n 8@, cau!ing a c,)plete de!tructi,n and en,r),u! c,nflagrati,n in the 9h,le ,f the c,)p,und. An,ther airliner 9ith a nuclear b,)b ,n b,ard e2pl,ded during it! flight ,ver D,! Pr,phete!. "hi! airliner 9a! u!ed becau!e D,! Pr,phete! 9a! rather unattainable f,r :u!li) l,ng/range )i!!ile!. e9 I,r-, @hicag,, and D,! Pr,phete! 9ere c,)pletely ruined and ablaKe. "he radi,active fire! 9ere !t,r)ing acr,!! the) and !preading int, the adjacent territ,rie! far bey,nd th,!e citie!, de!tr,ying 9hatever they )et ,n their deadly c,ur!e. S,,n after that, t9, ),re pa!!enger airliner! bearing p,9erful c,nventi,nal e2pl,!ive! / ,ne fr,) Erebi!tan and ,ne fr,) A!!ur / cra!hed int, the building! ,f the State 8epart)ent and Pentag,n, burying the) under the ),untain! ,f burning debri!. "hree ),re airliner! ,f the !a)e nati,nalitie! that targeted the building! ,f the White 5,u!e, .GE and @EA 9ere intercepted ,n ti)e by the US air defen!e and de!tr,yed ab,ve the ,cean the ),)ent it beca)e clear f,r 9hat purp,!e th,!e airliner! 9ere de!tined. Gut thi! happened ,nly after the fir!t t9, airliner! had cau!ed de!tructi,n and death. .,r !,)e ti)e, all life !ee)ed t, have been paralyKed and !t,pped in the va!t and p,9erful c,untry, ,ther9i!e !, dyna)ic, bur!ting 9ith vari,u! activitie!, and carrying ,ut th,u!and! ,f pr,ject!. Pe,ple in it! large, !till intact regi,n! 9ere in utter c,n!ternati,n the fir!t ),)ent! after the c,,rdinated nuclear bl,9. "he ne9! ,f 9hat had happened reached the Pre!ident and hi! !taff practically in n, ti)e. Gut they c,uld n,t aff,rd any l,!! ,f ,rientati,n ,r cave in t, de!p,ndency at that crucial ),)ent. S,)e fa!t and dra!tic acti,n had t, be ta-en i))ediately. "he c,untry, even th,ugh paralyKed by the gigantic di!a!ter, 9a! 9aiting f,r deci!i,n! t, be ta-en 9ith,ut a !lighte!t pr,l,ngati,n. "hat day in A)erica c,incided 9ith the ti)e 9hen night light! !tarted t, illu)inate the bu!tling !treet! ,f D,nd,n, :adrid and :,!c,9. En all ,f the!e citie! cr,9d! ,f pe,ple 9ere already cheri!hing their plea!ant e2pectati,n! acc,rding t, their age, habit!, and p,!!ibilitie!. :,!t pe,ple already l,,-ed f,r9ard t, a plea!ant change after the ru!h h,ur!. "hey 9,uld !,,n cr,9d !h,pping )all!, !uper)ar-et!, cafe!, re!taurant!, theater! and di!c,theHue!. En

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th,!e h,ur! ,f lei!ure and re!t even !,)e p,,re!t begging cripple 9,uld !ee- !,)e !canty j,y that he ,r !he al,ne c,uld appreciate if luc- pr,ved ),re benev,lent t, her ,r t, hi). Suddenly the evening !-ie! 9ere daKKlingly lit up by a !,urce ,f light a th,u!and ti)e! brighter than the !un. A gigantic bla!t 9ave al,ng 9ith en,r),u! tidal 9ave! r,lled all the 9ay fr,) the Engli!h !h,re t, hit the c,)plicated 8utch pr,tecti,n !y!te) ,f da)! and di-e!, ingeni,u!ly built ,ver hundred! ,f year! t, pr,tect the D,9 @,untrie! fr,) furi,u! attac-! ,f the !ea. 5aving de),li!hed that !y!te) in n, ti)e, they fl,,ded the etherland! and large part! ,f l,9er Gelgiu) / .lander! / !9a)ping the!e c,untrie! nearly c,)pletely and leaving ,nly a c,uple ,f !)all i!land! a! flat patche! ,f land ri!ing l,9 ju!t ab,ve the !urface ,f the treacher,u! 9ater!. En 9hat had been 5,lland and .e!drecht ju!t an h,ur bef,re ,nly the city ,f Udrecht re)ained intact, a! if by )iracle. "he relatively ne9 p,lder!, 9here ,nce an inner !ea had peacefully 9a!hed the 8utch inner !h,re!, 9ere i))ediately buried under the en,r),u! )a!!e! ,f !ea9ater that !t,r)ed far int, the land and rec,nHuered the territ,rie! that 9ere drained dry in the pa!t. ,9 the triu)phant !ea re!t,red it! d,)inati,n 9ithin even greater b,undarie! than ever bef,re. Si)ultane,u!ly, the 9,rld;! t9, capital! ),re 9ere 9iped ,ut fr,) the face ,f the earth by p,9erful nuclear e2pl,!i,n! / e9 8elhi in Endia and @anberra in Au!tralia. "he radi,active fall,ut began t, !pread it! pernici,u! effect ,ver va!t territ,rie! ,ut!ide the urban center! hit by nuclear b,)b! directly, fatally affecting l,cal p,pulati,n!. 5urricane!, thunder!t,r)!, and di!a!tr,u! earthHua-e! played hav,c 9ith br,ad )a!!e! ,f di!)ayed and panic/!tric-en pe,ple al),!t every9here ,n the face ,f the earth. 5uge fire! br,-e ,ut in )any citie! and t,9n!, even th,ugh they 9ere at c,n!iderable di!tance! fr,) the nuclear/ infe!ted epicenter!. "he frea- peculiarity ,f !,)e ,f th,!e hurricane! and t,rnad,e! c,n!i!ted in the fact that they 9ere very h,t and highly radi,active. A fe9 h,ur! later, fl,,d! began t, !t,r) the l,9er c,a!t! ,f the c,ntinent!, cau!ing )illi,n! up,n )illi,n! ,f helple!! victi)! t, die dr,9ning. "hey 9ere fl,undering in the fl,,ding angry 9ater! that !uc-ed the) d,9n in b,iling 9hirlp,,l! de!pite their de!perate eff,rt! t, !urvive and try t, reach !,)e dry land. :an-ind 9a! n,t Huite a9are yet that it 9a! br,ught right int, the epicenter ,f an irrever!ible gl,bal cata!tr,phe and 9a! already ,n the very brin- ,f t,tal e2ter)inati,n. A gigantic 9ave ,f di!a!ter! al!, !truc- the Au!tralian c,ntinent, di!rupting every -ind ,f n,r)al life there. <u!t li-e )any ,ther area! ,f the 9,rld hit by :u!li) nuclear b,)b!, @anberra !hared the unf,rtunate fate ,f 5ir,!hi)a and aga!a-i, ,nly ,n a far ),re h,rrible and tre)end,u! !cale. All ,f the!e tragic devel,p)ent! entailed natural di!a!ter! a! the planet !tarted t, react t, the nuclear b,)bard)ent!. "he gl,,)y dar- cl,ud! ,f cata!tr,phe 9ere aggl,)erating all ,ver the 9,rld, hanging threateningly ,ver it! c,ntinent!. Eh)ed Gey and hi! cre9 9ere already at the launching pad in the early ),rning h,ur!, getting the giant r,c-et ready f,r the launch and d,ing the la!t/)inute chec-/up ,n all ,f it!

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part! and )echani!)!. Et! nuclear 9arhead p,inted right t, the Kenith li-e a f,refinger ,f a giant in a )enacing ge!ture. Et! target 9a! una)bigu,u!. Et 9a! E!rael. Eh)ed bey;! )en ju)ped 9ith j,y li-e children at the pr,!pect ,f the final i)pending !,luti,n ,f the A<e9i!h pr,ble)C. Since every :u!li) believer hated the <e9!, th,ugh ,ften n,t -n,9ing 9hy. Such trifling )atter! never cr,!!ed hi! ,r her )ind. Et 9a! en,ugh that the h,ly Our;an ,rdered the) t, hate the <e9! and never accept the e2i!tence ,f the <e9i!h State. S, Eh)ed Gey;! )en 9ere pr,ud t, finally carry ,ut the injuncti,n! ,f the h,ly Our;an. A! f,r Eh)ed Gey, he felt flu!tered and a little nerv,u! but tried t, f,cu! ,n hi! i))ediate ta!-, f,ll,9ing every acti,n ,f hi! cre9 9ith a ten!e c,ncentrati,n and giving a helping hand n,9 and then. "he !un 9a! !hining brightly and !pring !ee)ed ),re li-e !u))er in the!e latitude!. Allalah i! graci,u! t, u!, Eh)ed Gey th,ught 9ith a feeling ,f pride and c,nfidence. ,9 the c,untd,9n f,r the launch began and all ,f the) 9ere 9aiting f,r it, 9ith their heart! beating 9ithin their che!t! li-e bird! that tried t, bur!t ,ut ,f their cage!. Eh)ed Gey 9a! n, e2cepti,n t, the general ),,d ,f e2hilarati,n. Allalah 9,uld certainly a9ard the) divinely f,r the final de!tructi,n ,f the <e9i!h State and, c,n!eHuently, f,r the final !,luti,n ,f the <e9i!h Hue!ti,n. "he 9h,le 9,rld 9,uld be grateful t, the) f,r the riddance ,f that tr,uble!,)e nati,n. , d,ubt ab,ut that. Alth,ugh deep d,9n he 9a! n,t Huite certain ,f the 9ay in 9hich that nati,n 9a! dee)ed tr,uble!,)e. Per!,nally, he had never had pr,ble)! 9ith any <e9!, f,r either in ilia ,r in Per!ia there 9ere n,t !, )any ,f the) left, after a va!t )aj,rity ,f the) had left th,!e ble!!ed c,untrie! f,r E!rael. 5e rather c,n!idered the) a! f,,l! 9h, un9i!ely left the bli!!ful paradi!e ,n earth. Gut ,f c,ur!e, it 9a! their ,9n pr,ble). "he gr,und !huddered a! the giant r,c-et b,,!ted ,n fire and in cl,ud! ,f !),-e r,!e int, the air and gaining vel,city di!appeared in the blue !pring !-y, leaving a l,ng 9hite train behind it that )ar-ed it! deadly directi,n. En the fir!t ),)ent! f,ll,9ing the launch, Eh)ed Gey and hi! cre9 fr,Ke in a9e, but a bit later the l,ng pent/up !en!ati,n! t,,- the upper hand. "heir !pirit! leaped a! they !tarted laughing, !inging, dancing, e)bracing and c,ngratulating each ,ther li-e raving lunatic!. "he general jubilati,n la!ted f,r !,)e ti)e until Eh)ed Gey !uddenly re)e)bered they 9ere t, 9atch the ),nit,r! and f,ll,9 the c,ur!e ,f their r,c-et. "hey g,t !eri,u! and !tarted 9atching the ),nit,r!, !ure that their r,c-et 9,uld hit the target 9ith the preci!i,n they had !et f,r it. Sec,nd! tic-ed a9ay int, )inute!, then fir!t !y)pt,)! ,f perple2ity !tarted creeping int, Eh)ed Gey;! )ind. ,9 he !en!ed deep d,9n there 9a! !,)ething 9r,ng happening. "he rea!,n 9a! the ),nit,r! behaved in a c,nfu!ed 9ay, cau!ing initial alar)ing pric-! ,f d,ubt in hi). S,)e9hat later they plainly !h,9ed the reverse c,ur!e the r,c-et had une2pectedly ta-en a! if c,ntrary t, the la9! ,f nature. "hat 9a! c,)pletely ine2plicable. :ean9hile, hi! cre9)en n,ticed it t,,. "heir face! 9ere puKKled and their eye! !,ught hi!, )utely e2pecting an e2planati,n. Gut he 9a! at a l,!! hi)!elf. With each pa!!ing )inute, the nu-e 9a! )a-ing di!tance bet9een it!elf and it! launching/pad fatally !h,rter. .ir!t, a gri) !ilence fell a),ng hi! !,ldier!. "hen it e2pl,ded in a rapid

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ca!cade ,f an2i,u! Hue!ti,n! addre!!ed t, Eh)ed Gey 9h, feveri!hly but un!ucce!!fully tried t, e2plain the frightening phen,)en,n al!, hi)!elf, let al,ne t, hi! !ub,rdinate!. "hey all !uddenly felt li-e hunter! fallen int, their ,9n trap!, helple!! and frightened. A fla!h in the !-y and r,aring reverberati,n! ,f the v,ice ,f gl,bal death !9itched ,ff their c,n!ci,u!ne!! and !ent the) int, the e)pty aby!! ,f death. En a fe9 )inute!, a va!t area in and ar,und "ehiraH 9a! turned int, a burned ,ut de!ert ,f radi,active debri! in 9hich even the !lighte!t trace! ,f hu)an! 9ere indi!cernible. What c,uld burn 9a! burning. .ire 9a! raging li-e a 9ild bea!t br,-en free fr,) it! cage and deva!tating all ,n it! 9ay. "he ,nce brilliant capital ,f Per!ia 9ith it! beautiful ),!Hue! ad,rned 9ith )ulti/c,l,red tile! in e2Hui!ite ),!aic pattern! lay in !),-ing ruin!. @a)p 8avid 9a! the chief )ilitary 5eadHuarter! ,f the United State! ),biliKing the p,9erful )ilitary and hu)an re!,urce! ,f the c,untry and c,,rdinating the functi,ning ,f it! diver!e !y!te)! and )ilitary ,perati,n! ,f it! ar)y and navy abr,ad. "he !taff )e)ber! ,f the White 5,u!e, at lea!t th,!e ,f the) 9h, !urvived the cata!tr,phe in Wa!hingt,n, c,uldn;t aff,rd a ),)ent;! re!t in their atte)pt t, -eep the Ad)ini!trati,n in charge ,f event! de!pite the cata!tr,phe and the appr,aching pre!idential electi,n!; ca)paign. Which !ee)ed n,9 ,ut ,f place and ti)e, given the urgent nece!!ity t, give the guideline! t, the great nati,n in th,!e fatal circu)!tance!. Gut the @,))uni!t Party in!i!ted ,n ta-ing ,ver the p,9er fr,) the 7epublican! and it! )ain candidate <,hn Gaby-i!! Gr,n-y 9ent ,ut ,f hi! 9ay t, ju!tify hi! na)e and -i!!ed a rec,rd nu)ber ,f babie! in ,rder t, pave the 9ay t, the White 5,u!e. 6ne ,f the ba!ic -eyn,te! ,f hi! electi,n ca)paign 9a! t, ap,l,giKe t, 5u!!ein G,u!liyah, relea!e hi) fr,) pri!,n, and ree!tabli!h hi) in Gabel a! pre!ident. A"hat 9,uld be a nice 9ay,C he !aid, At, c,rrect Pre!ident Wil)an;! )i!ta-e ,f having invaded that c,untry.C Ge!ide!, he had t, be !9eet t, hi! Eur,pean lefti!t c,lleague! and t, !h,9 hi! !,lidarity 9ith the). "a-e th,!e higher c,urt! ,f la9 in Ger)any. Wa! it n,t a g,,d e2a)pleJ "hey acHuitted !,)e ,f the direct acc,)plice! ,f Gean Dadidan;! Mu9alda. A.,r lac- ,f evidence.C S,, 9hy n,t f,ll,9 !uitJ A! f,r Gean Dadidan... hi! hu)an right! !h,uld be guaranteed, in the fir!t place. Even t, the e2tent ,f !etting hi) free f,r the !a-e ,f pr,tecting hi! hu)an right!. Even de!pite the fact that Gean Dadidan 9a! the bigge!t -ingpin ,f terr,ri!) in the 9,rld. Gut he did have hi! hu)an right!, didn;t heJ And that 9a! ),re i)p,rtant. "he i)p,rtant thing 9a! t, beat Ge,rge W. Wil)an ,n all fr,nt!. Gut 9hen hi! ca)paign 9a! already in full !9ing, ru),r! filtered thr,ugh Huite une2pectedly that the great Senat,r Gr,n-y -ept a !ecret hare) ,f c,ncubine! 9h, 9ere dying t, e2p,!e hi) in e2change f,r ),ney. "he actual Pre!ident ,f the United State! Ge,rge W. Wil)an 9a! h,lding an urgent c,nference 9ith the )e)ber! ,f hi! !taff that 9a! attended by the Secretary ,f State 7ichard P,9er!, Vice Pre!ident <,hn Sn,dgra!!, 8efen!e Secretary 8,nald Greenfield, @hair)an ,f the <,int @hief! ,f Staff General Wilf,rd Udall, the 8irect,r ,f the @EA <a!,n 8utt,n and the

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8irect,r ,f the .GE Stanley Wilberf,rce. "he fact that the !ucce!!ful nuclear attac- ,f E!la) ,n the United State! c,uld n,t have been deterred ,n ti)e 9a! really e)barra!!ing becau!e it )eant that the ene)ie! !till c,uld u!e their !tealth )i!!ile! and civil aircraft and that the previ,u! defen!e !y!te)! again!t p,!!ible air/attac-! 9ere n,t efficient. Et 9a! apparent fr,) the recent nuclear cata!tr,phe. "he !harp/felt 9eight ,f guilt lay heavy ,n everyb,dy;! )ind becau!e it 9a! Huite clear that the late!t techn,l,gical devel,p)ent in !uch :u!li) c,untrie! a! Per!ia, A!!ur, and Erebi!tan had been ,bvi,u!ly )i!!ed ,n a large !cale by the leading A)erican rec,nnai!!ance center!, and that the bul- ,f the gathered cla!!ified inf,r)ati,n 9a! ),re gue!!9,r- than any clear/cut data. ,9 intr,ducti,n ,f ne9 defen!e !y!te)! al,ng 9ith ,ther e)ergency )ea!ure! including retaliati,n 9a! ,n the agenda. "he E!raeli A)ba!!ad,r attended thi! e)ergency c,nference t,, and hi! pre!ence )eant that the ne9 E!raeli defen!e !y!te) 9a! t, be di!cu!!ed and ad,pted by the United State! in e2change f,r ),re A)erican !upp,rt ,f E!rael;! cau!e in the :iddle Ea!t. "he c,)plete de!tructi,n ,f "ehiraH 9a! pr,,f en,ugh ,f the efficiency ,f the ne9 E!raeli defen!e !y!te). AWhat 9,uld y,u !ugge!t n,9, given thi! a9ful !ituati,n, 8,nJC "he Pre!ident a!-ed ,f the 8efen!e Secretary 9ith a 9,rried l,,- in hi! eye!. 8,nald Greenfield did n,t let the gra!! gr,9 under hi! feet, AAn e2ten!ive b,)bing attac- ,n A!!ur, Erebi!tan and Per!ia, !ir.C AWhat ab,ut ,ur )ilitary allie! in Eur,peJ "hey !ee) reluctant t, !hare ,ur vie9! ,f the !ituati,n. What d, y,u !ay t, that 8ic-JC Pre!ident Wil)an turned t, the Secretary ,f State. AE d,n;t thin- they are n,9, !ir. "hey are c,rnered by the aggre!!ive :u!li) terr,ri!) a! )uch a! 9e are. E already chec-ed ,n it by getting in t,uch 9ith the). "hi! ti)e they 9ill fully !upp,rt u!, f,r they are victi)! ,f the nuclear attac- ju!t a! 9e are. Even .rance, alth,ugh !pared by :u!li) terr,ri!) thi! ti)e, i! an2i,u! t, ta-e an active acti,n de!pite the va!t :u!li) p,pulati,n in the c,untry. En ca!e ,f need, the .rench are ready t, crac- d,9n ,n the). All 9e need i! c,,rdinati,n ,f ,ur acti,n!.C A"han- y,u, 8ic-.C "he Pre!ident !aid curtly. A"hat;! a rea!!uring piece ,f ne9!.C "urning t, <a!,n 8utt,n, 8irect,r ,f @EA, Pre!ident Wil)an a!-ed, A<a-e, 5ave y,u g,t any u!eful inf,r)ati,n fr,) Gean Dadidan yetJC A ,thing a! yet, !ir. 5e refu!e! t, c,,perate. <u!t li-e 5u!!ein G,u!liyah d,e!.C After a pau!e he added, Aperhap! if 9e 9ere per)itted t, u!e the special means 9e c,uld ,btain ),re p,!itive re!ult!, !ir.C A"hen E d, auth,riKe y,u t, u!e the), c,n!idering 9e d,n;t have any ,ther 9ay ,ut. <u!t try that angle, <a-e. We badly need ),re inf,r)ati,n ab,ut Mu9alda;! further intenti,n!, let al,ne their hide,ut!.C <a!,n 8utt,n n,dded in ac-n,9ledge)ent ,f the Pre!ident;! 9,rd!. AWe;ll d, ,ur be!t, !ir, and a! !,,n a! 9e can.C 8efen!e Secretary 8,nald Greenfield cleared hi! thr,at and !aid,

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AWe )u!t retaliate i))ediately, :r. Pre!ident. Gef,re the A)erican pe,ple c,nde)n u! f,r ta-ing n, c,unter/)ea!ure!. 6ur reply )u!t be Huic- and nuclear.C AI,u have the green light, 8,n. En )y @apacity ,f @,))ander/in/@hief E ,rder y,u t, launch a nuclear attac- ,n the r,gue !tate! that dared attac- u! / Per!ia, A!!ur, part! ,f ilia and Erebi!tan de!pite it! ,il re!,urce! / right n,9B @,n!idering E!rael;! vulnerability, u!e ,nly de!tructive c,nventi,nal b,)b! in the neighb,ring A!!ur and ilia. Gut !ubject b,th Per!ia and Erebi!tan t, an all/,ut nuclear attac-. Darge part! ,f Per!ia )u!t be 9iped ,ut fr,) the face ,f the earth, ,ne ,f the 9,r!t r,gue !tate! in that regi,n. Et i! ,ur duty t, rid the 9,rld ,f the 9,r!t evil ever -n,9n t, the !uffering )an-ind. Get d,9n t, e2ecuti,n ,f thi! deci!i,n, 8,n.C AIe!, !ir,C the 8efen!e Secretary !aid and t,,- up ,ne ,f the ph,ne receiver! t, get in t,uch 9ith hi! depart)ent. Et 9a! at thi! ),)ent that @hair)an ,f the <,int @hief! ,f Staff General Wilf,rd Ud,ll 9h, had been tal-ing ,n the ph,ne al),!t under hi! breath !uddenly ann,unced al,ud, A:r. Pre!ident, ladie! and gentle)en, !,)e,ne ha! f,re!talled u!. A p,9erful nuclear b,)b ha! been det,nated in Erebi!tan.C "he Pre!ident turned t, the E!raeli A)ba!!ad,r 9ith a Hue!ti,ning e2pre!!i,n ,n hi! face. "he A)ba!!ad,r caught that l,,- and !h,,- hi! head in a decidedly negative )anner. "here 9a! a ),)ent ,f !ilence in the r,,). En the ),untain,u!, de!ert, and !par!ely p,pulated area ,f We!tern @rete called Def-a 6ri, ju!t t, the n,rthea!t ,f Sa)aria Men, G,rge, the land!cape 9a! ragged but !uitable f,r 9inter !-iing. Et 9a! ne2t t, i)p,!!ible t, n,tice either fr,) the air ,r fr,) the tr,dden path! lin-ing l,cal village! a naturally hidden entrance t, a cave that 9a! pr,tected fr,) indi!creet eye! by jutting r,c-!, th,ugh it 9a! Huite vi!ible if ,b!erved fr,) an i))ediate di!tance in fr,nt ,f it. What caught the eye a! a !trange an,)aly c,ntra!ting 9ith the !urr,unding r,ugh !cenery 9a! an arr,9/!traight !trip ,f tar)ac leading fr,) and t, the entrance ,f the cave. "9, hu)an figure! 9ere appr,aching thi! entrance al,ng the tar)ac !trip. "hey 9ere deep in c,nver!ati,n and !ee)ed t, ign,re the 9ild beauty ,f the !urr,unding!. An aut,)atic gate ca),uflaged ,n it! ,ut!ide r,lled fr,) ,ne !ide ,f the entrance t, the ,pp,!ite ,ne and cl,!ed the cave c,)pletely, )a-ing it invi!ible t, any ca!ual ,r curi,u! eye. 6n pre!!ing the entrance butt,n, @,))ander Grian 6;8,,dle turned t, hi! ne9 navigat,r 8utch 5,llander. A"hi! 9ay 9,uld be 9ay !afer than -eeping the entrance ,pen.C 8utch 5,llander ,nly n,dded in agree)ent but !aid n,thing. "hey b,th )ade a fe9 !tep! t, their brand/ne9 fighter/b,)ber !tanding in the cave, it! fu!elage and 9ing! gli))ering in the ne,n light! fl,,ding it fr,) the 9all! and ceiling. A billi,naire !ecretly !y)pathiKing 9ith it! cau!e had b,ught it f,r the EDA.

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A !)all gr,up ,f )en, ab,ut five ,f the), all )e)ber! ,f the gr,und cre9, 9ere chec-ing up ,n vari,u! )echani!)! ,f the plane, )a-ing !ure they 9,uld n,t fail during the i)pending )i!!i,n. "he )en 9ere d,ing their 9,r- pain!ta-ingly, eager n,t t, )i!! anything that )ight be faulty. "hey !aluted the c,))ander and hi! navigat,r a)iably and e2changed a fe9 9,rd! 9ith the). "hi! 9a! the la!t )inute chec-/up. "he plane 9a! already tan-ed up 9ith fuel that had been !upplied by a ch,pper t9, day! bef,re. "he 5/b,)b 9a! ,n b,ard the plane and in full c,)bat readine!!. Ge!ide!, thi! fighter/b,)ber had an air/t,/gr,und )i!!ile 9ith a tactical at,)ic 9arhead, t9, c,nventi,nal )i!!ile! f,r !elf/defen!e again!t unf,re!een th,ugh p,!!ible gr,und/t,/air ,r air/t,/air )i!!ile attac-!, and a c,)binati,n )achine/gun ),unt. "he general de!tructive p,9er carried by the plane 9a! hardly i)aginable. G,th pil,t! n,dded their head! in !ati!facti,n. Grian 6;8,,dle t,uched the !),,th )etal !urface ,f it! fu!elage 9ith hi! finger! and !tr,-ed it li-e a live creature. "he plane 9a! c,vered 9ith !pecial )a-e/up paint di!gui!ing it and )a-ing it invi!ible f,r radar. Grian turned t, hi! navigat,r, AEt;! a reliable airplane, 8utch. E pil,ted the li-e! ,f it. E tru!t it li-e E tru!t )y!elf.C AWhen d, 9e ta-e ,ff, GrianJ E )ean acc,rding t, the ,rder y,u;ve received fr,) the 5eadHuarter!.C A",),rr,9 ),rning at !i2 ,;cl,c-, 8utch. Ge ready by the ti)e.C AShall 9e celebrate it t,nightJC A , 9ay, 8utch, 9e )u!t be in g,,d f,r) and f,cu!ed ,n ,ur ta!-. "hi! )i!!i,n i! Huite crucial y,u -n,9. , hard feeling!, 8utch. We;ll )a-e up f,r it later 9hen 9e are thr,ugh 9ith it.C AEf 9e are thr,ugh, Grian.C AWe;ll be thr,ugh all right, 8utch. , fear. With thi! beauty here there;! n, rea!,n t, d,ubt the !ucce!! ,f ,ur )i!!i,n, E can a!!ure y,u.C AE;) glad 9e;ll d, it, Grian. E;ve been l,,-ing f,r9ard t, it. Ever !ince 9e 9ere tru!ted 9ith the ta!- E;ve been l,,-ing f,r9ard t, raKing t, the gr,und that da)ned den ,f th,!e fanatical !cu)bag!.C A",),rr,9 9e;ll be there t, let the) enj,y their fancy heaven 9hatever can be. Det;! g, have a g,,d night;! !leep. We need it n,9.C "he t9, )en reached their ha)),c-! in a !ecluded part ,f the cave !eparated fr,) the plane by a 9ide !creen. "hey turned ,n the light 9ithin the !pace li)ited by the !creen and g,t undre!!ed bef,re they crept int, their ha)),c-!. Grian u!ed a re),te c,ntr,l t, !9itch ,ff the light. Gut he lay l,ng a9a-e thin-ing, till he heard 8utch 5,lland;! !,ft !n,ring and began c,unting bef,re he, t,,, fell thr,ugh int, the real) ,f drea)!. S,,n, b,th pil,t! and their gr,und cre9 )e)ber! 9ere fa!t a!leep apart fr,) t9, pe,ple ,f their gr,und cre9 9h, -ept 9atch ,ut!ide the cave.

&?'

@,))ander 6;8,,dle and 8utch 5,lland 9ere ,n b,ard the plane already at !i2 ,;cl,cin the ),rning, it! t9, engine! dr,ning l,9ly, and it 9a! ready t, ta2i f,r9ard ,nt, the tar)ac run9ay ,ut!ide the cave. A )an !tanding ne2t t, the cl,!ed gate activated it. "he heavy gate r,lled al),!t n,i!ele!!ly and after a c,uple ,f !ec,nd! the large entrance gaped 9ide in the !teep !ide ,f the ),untain. "he plane !tarted ),ving f,r9ard, began ta2iing ,ver the !),,th tar)ac !urface, and !t,pped d,Ken! ,f yard! ,ut!ide the cave, it! engine! gradually changing their t,ne, rai!ing their !,und t, a deafening h,9l. En the !,ft da9n light ,f the ri!ing !un, the i)peccably 9hite !n,9 patche! ,n the ragged t,p! ,f the !urr,unding ),untain! 9ere !hi))ering pin-, )a-ing the 9h,le pan,ra)a l,,unreal and fabul,u!ly beautiful. "he air 9a! Huite !till and that 9a! a g,,d !tart. "he plane darted ,ff increa!ing it! !peed and ju!t a fe9 yard! bef,re the end ,f the tar)ac !,ared up in the air, leaving the tar)ac run9ay and the ),untain far bel,9. "he danger,u! )i!!i,n began. 8utch 5,lland had already 9,r-ed ,ut the r,ute and let @,))ander 6;8,,dle !tay ,n that c,ur!e !teadily. "hey 9ere ab,ut thirty th,u!and feet ab,ve the !urface ,f the :editerranean Sea, !till in vie9 ,f the !,uthern c,a!t ,f @rete 9ith it! ),untain chain! gradually vani!hing int, the haKy di!tance. AE !ay, @,))anderBC "he v,ice ,f 8utch 5,lland !,unded !,)e9hat faceti,u!ly in Grian 6;8,,dle;! earph,ne!. A5ave y,u g,t a 9ife and -id! bac- in the State!JC AIep.C AWhat;! her na)eJC A<,hn.C AI,u d,n;t !ay !,BC AE d,.C A:aybe <,anJC A ,. Et;! <,hn.C A7eallyJ Are y,u -iddingJ E! !he a heJC AGy n, )ean!. E;) n,t gay, 8utch.C A"hen 9hy, ,n earth, i! !he na)ed <,hnJC AWell, her ),ther 9a! a fanatical fe)ini!t and u!ed t, !ay that be!ide! tr,u!er! and j,b! 9,)en !h,uld !hare )en;! na)e!, t,,, in ,rder t, achieve a ),re c,)plete degree ,f eHuality. "hat;! 9hy !he and her hu!band decided t, baptiKe their daughter a! <,hn. E u!ed t, -n,9, f,r that )atter, a lady called 6liver.C 8utch 5,lland !hrugged and Hu,ted 5a)let;! 9,rd! in ter)! ,f c,))entary* A"here are ),re thing! in 5eaven and Earth, 5,rati,, "han are drea)t ,f in ,ur phil,!,phy.C A"hat 9,uld e2plain it, 8utch,C Grian agreed and a!-ed if 8utch 9a! )arried. A ,pe. Gut E g,t a girlfriend in e9 I,r-...C 5e giggled. A5er na)e i! <erry.C

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A6hBC Grian 9a! !urpri!ed in hi! turn. A5,9 c,)e y,u a!-ed meJC AE h,ped y,ur ca!e 9,uld !,und different.C "hey b,th bur!t laughing. :ean9hile the fighter/b,)ber 9a! !teady ,n it! c,ur!e acr,!! the !ea, it! engine! dr,ning peacefully. After !,)e ti)e, the ,rth African c,a!t ca)e int, vie9 ,n the h,riK,n far ahead ,f the). 8utch 5,lland interrupted hi! entertain)ent t, give the pil,t the regular c,/,rdinate! ,f their plane;! 9hereab,ut! in relati,n t, the c,a!t and the di!tance t, it. 5i! eye! 9ere glued t, the !tripe ,f dry land ahead ,f the). "he fighter/b,)ber 9a! dra9ing nearer t, it. "hey 9ere t, !nea- int, the ilian air !pace far t, the 9e!t ,f the river valley and fly un,b!erved ,ver the Dibyan 8e!ert and then, !teering ea!t9ard, fly ,ver a va!t artificial la-e. "hen they 9,uld head !traight f,r the !h,re! ,f the 7ed Sea, fly ,ver it and get cl,!er t, their target. "hey 9ere n,t afraid ,f getting caught by any !,phi!ticated radar !y!te)!. "he ilia;! giant capital 9a! p,,rly !upplied even 9ith ele)entary !treet traffic light!, let al,ne 9ith ),dern reliable and !,phi!ticated radar !y!te)! and 9ell/trained tea)!. "he ,nly thing! the ilian )ilitary 9ere really intere!ted in 9ere unif,r)! 9ith gari!h chevr,n! and gr,,)ing their ),u!tache!. 8utch grinned at hi! ,9n th,ught! and !tarted hu))ing a tune ,f Sacha Sachi 9hile he 9a! f,cu!ed ,n elab,rating the detail! ,f the fighter/b,)ber;! further c,ur!e. When he 9a! deep in hi! calculati,n! a thin 9rin-le furr,9ed hi! )eager face. "he !lightly ),c-ing v,ice ,f Grian 6;8,,dle in the earph,ne! al),!t )ade hi) !tart. AWhat a great cr,,ner y,u c,uld have bec,)e, 8utch, had y,u n,t ch,!en the carrier ,f navigat,r. We happen t, be cr,!!ing the !h,reline n,9.C 5,lland;! eye! narr,9ed. AE;) 9ell a9are ,f it, Grian.C Grian 6;8,,dle chuc-led. A , hard feeling!, 8utch. E;) n,t repr,aching y,u. E;) !tating the fact ,f ,ur cr,!!ing ilia;! b,rder illegally. S, 9e;d better be ,n the l,,-,ut.C 8utch !hrugged hi! !h,ulder!. AWe;ve been ,n ,ur guard all al,ng, ,ne 9ay ,r the ,ther.C "he dar- !urface ,f the !ea under the belly ,f the fighter/b,)ber 9a! relieved by the yell,9i!h ),n,t,ny ,f the de!ert that !ee)ed dev,id ,f any !lighte!t !ign! ,f life ,r hu)an activity. "here 9ere n, cl,ud! bel,9 ,r ab,ve the) and a very clear vi!ibility all,9ed the cre9 t, !earch, uni)peded, the va!t !pace ar,und the) f,r anything that )ight face the) 9ith an une2pected pr,ble). Gut the air ar,und the) and the de!ert;! !urface bel,9 !ee)ed lifele!! under the !un that p,!!e!!ed c,)plete !9ay ,ver thi! part ,f the 9,rld. S,,n the dar!trip ,f the !ea di!appeared behind the) and ,nly t9, c,l,r! d,)inated in the !pace / the blue ,f the !-y ar,und the) and the yell,9 ,f the de!ert far bel,9. A green !p,t, !pla!hed ,n the grayi!h yell,9ne!! ,f the de!ert far bel,9 the), !uddenly ca)e int, vie9. AAn ,a!i!,C 8utch e2plained. "he green !p,t 9a! d,tted 9ith d9elling! that l,,-ed tiny and hardly vi!ible fr,) thi! altitude. Grian heard the v,ice ,f hi! navigat,r in hi! headph,ne!.

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A "he ,a!i! ,f Si9a i! right bel,9, Grian. Et;! a g,,d land)ar- indicating that 9e are ,n the right c,ur!e.C Grian n,dded. A7,ger, 8utchBC "he ,a!i! !,,n di!appeared, giving 9ay t, the dull ),n,t,ny ,f the de!ert. After an h,ur ,f flight 8utch !aid, A"i)e t, change the c,ur!e ,f ,ur -ite, GrianBC 5e gave the preci!e data f,r the )aneuver t, the pil,t. "he fighter/b,)ber veered t,9ard the ea!t and n,9 it 9a! fa!t appr,aching the artificial la-e in the ile valley. "hey !p,tted bel,9 the) the thin thread ,f a caravan ,f ca)el! cr,!!ing the !and! ,f the de!ert. Apart fr,) that, there 9a! n, vi!ible indicati,n ,f any ,ther life in the va!t !pace ,f the de!ert. "he dr,ne ,f the fighter/b,)ber;! engine! !,unded !teady and even. Ab,ut f,rty )inute! ,f flight br,ught int, !ight a blue !trip ,f 9ater ,n the h,riK,n. AE !ay, Grian.C AIeahJC AG,t !,)ething t, a!- y,u.C ASh,,t.C AWhat d,e! y,ur girlfriend l,,- li-eJC A6h, thatB Well. I,u -n,9 the tal- !h,9 h,!t Vic-i Gla-e ,n "VJC AE gue!! E !a9 her a c,uple ,f ti)e!. A da!hing lady.C A"hat;! h,9 )y girlfriend l,,-!. E )ean n,t e2actly li-e Vic-i Gla-e but !he i! built li-e her.C A6hB What;! !, !pecific ab,ut herJC AWell, 8utch, fir!t ,ff, !he;! )y type. Sec,ndly, !he;! g,t a ),!t beautiful 9ell/!haped pair ,f leg! in the 9,rld.C AI,u d,n;t !ay !,BC .,r a 9hile 8utch 5,lland 9a! bu!y 9ith chec-ing ,n the preci!i,n ,f their c,ur!e then cleared hi! thr,at and re!u)ed the t,pic. A5ey, GrianBC AWhatJC AE figure Vic-i Gla-e;! leg! are a bit ,n the r,bu!t !ide, Grian. Ge!ide!, !he behave! li-e a cheerleader.C AWhat;! 9r,ng 9ith being cheerleader, 8utchJ AIeah, Grian, )aybe it depend! ,n the angle y,u ta-e a l,,- fr,) at thing!.C AE find Vic-i Gla-e very !e2y. And )y girl i! very !e2y, t,,.C AWell, if y,u !ay !,...C 8utch;! v,ice trailed ,ff. .,r a 9hile he !ee)ed t, have !un- deep in th,ught. S,,n they !a9 a high range ,f ),untain! ri!ing right in fr,nt ,f the). "he 7ed Sea 9a! behind th,!e ),untain!. ,9 they braced the)!elve! f,r flying ,ver the) and Grian 6;8,,dle 9a! already lifting the n,!e ,f the plane t, cli)b up9ard. "hey c,uld clearly !ee the f,rbidding ragged ),untaint,p! 9h,!e !l,pe! plu)bed d,9n, f,r)ing deep g,rge!

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i))er!ed int, dar- !had,9!. 6n pa!!ing in cl,!e pr,2i)ity ,f !,)e ,f the pea-!, they caught a gli)p!e ,f the deep blue 9ater !pace bey,nd the la!t !pur! ,f the ),untain!. Suddenly 8utch 5,lland bur!t ,ut laughing, AS,)ething funny ju!t cr,!!ed )y )ind, Grian.C Grian 6;8,,dle glanced at hi) a!-ance, AWhat;! the big idea, 8utchJC A ,thing. 6nly E ju!t re)e)bered that !,)e p,et 9h, happened t, travel in the!e part! called the 7ed Sea P!har- !,up; becau!e it! 9ater! are very 9ar) and are tee)ing 9ith !har-!.C AE;d rather n,t ta!te it,C Grian re)ar-ed. Grian;! hel)et and g,ggle! hid hi! e2pre!!i,n and 8utch c,uld n,t fath,) hi! ),,d. Gut he n,dded in agree)ent and !aid, A either 9,uld E ju!t becau!e it;! the da)n !har-! that 9,uld be 9illing t, ta!te ,ur fle!h.C Grian !uddenly grinned, A"hat 9,uld be a gl,,)y, even fatal pr,!pect f,r y,u.C AWhy ,nly f,r )eJ .,r y,u t,,, E gue!!. E ad)it thi! p,!!ibility. "hat;! 9hy E d,n;t feel )uch f,r c,)ing int, cl,!er c,ntact 9ith thi! !ea.C 5e )ade a l,ng pau!e. A8, 9e have any anti/!har- !tuff ,n b,ard, GrianJC "he v,ice ,f 8utch 5,lland !,unded !eri,u!ly thi! ti)e. A"h,ugh it )ay !,und funny, 8utch, 9e g,t;e). Dife/belt! and parachute!, t,,.C A"hat;! very far/!ighted, Grian. "he -n,9ledge that 9e g,t;e) at lea!t give! h,pe. "han-! f,r the inf,r)ati,n.C AI,u;re 9elc,)e,C 9a! the curt reply ,f the pil,t. Gut after a fe9 !ec,nd! he !aid, AWhat really b,ther! )e at thi! ),)ent, 8utch, i! n,t the da)n !har-!.C AWhatJC AEt;! the fuc-ing AWA@! that th,!e a!!h,le! have b,ught fr,) the US. E;) n,t Huite that !ure ,ur di!gui!e 9ill 9,r- if they happen detect ,ur pre!ence.C "he grin ,n 5,lland;! lip! 9a! deri!,ry. A:aybe the AWA@! 9ill. Gut E a) n,t !, !ure 9hether their Ereb cre9! 9ill.C AWhyJC AGecau!e, li-e y,u !aid, they are da)n g,,fball!.C ADet;! h,pe they are.C "hey -ept !ilence 9hile the plane left the c,a!tal !trip behind and n,9 had the va!t and dar- !urface ,f the A!har- !,upC under it! belly. "he cl,!er they appr,ached their intended target! the ),re uptight each ,f the) felt deep d,9n. ", the e2tent, that even 8utch didn;t have any de!ire t, li!ten t, hi! fav,rite )u!ic. "hey 9ere ,n their guard n,9, f,r the navie! ,f !everal We!tern c,untrie! 9ere patr,lling th,!e 9ater! day and night. And they 9ere eHuipped 9ith the be!t radar techn,l,gy. Grian and hi! navigat,r !h,uld g, ,ut ,f their 9ay t, e!cape detecti,n bef,re it 9a! t,, late. Gut n,thing !ee)ed t, c,)e in !ight at the ),)ent ,r brea- the !urface ,f the !ea. "here c,uld be !ub)arine!. "he !a)e th,ught ,ccurred t, b,th ,f

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the). Et 9a!n;t that ea!y t, !p,t the), let al,ne ,n ti)e t, e!cape ,b!ervati,n fr,) 9ar!hip!. Gut they 9ere faced 9ith n, ,ther ch,ice than t, ta-e unav,idable ri!-! in ,rder t, reach their target! ,n the ,ther !ide ,f the !ea. "he ),re they l,nged f,r reaching the ,pp,!ite c,a!t ,f the !ea !afely the !l,9er ti)e !ee)ed t, cra9l by. A! if it did !, ,n purp,!e. Gut b,th )en 9ere deter)ined, th,ugh, t, be patient and -eep their !en!e! ,pen. "hey had t, be !harp, alert. <u!t in ca!e. Gut n,thing !u!pici,u! 9a! in !ight, n,thing happened 9hen they reached the )ariti)e regi,n ,f Sajeh in Erebi!tan !,,n en,ugh. "hey fle9 ,ver the !tructure! ,f a p,rt, !till uni)peded by any air defen!e in!tallati,n!. Et t,,- the) n,9 ju!t a fe9 )inute! t, reach their target / the city ,f :acaca. "hey 9ere flying n,9 thirty th,u!and feet ab,ve the gr,und. "he city 9a! !preading it!elf bel,9 the) 9ith a gigantic ),!Hue in it! center. An agitated !ea ,f 9hite/cl,thed pe,ple, ab,ut a )illi,n ,f the), 9a! )illing ar,und a large blac- )ete,rite li-e fr,thy 9ave! ,f an en,r),u! 9hirlp,,l. Grian gritted hi! teeth and )uttered in a fit ,f an angry feeling. AS, that;! 9here the vici,u! heart ,f Evil i! thr,bbing.C 5i! eye! beca)e t9, narr,9 !lit!, 9hile hi! lip! f,r)ed al),!t inaudible 9,rd!, Ada)n !lave! ,f Satan, 9e;ll get y,u n,9. 5ere c,)e! the ju!t retributi,n f,r 9hat y,u did t, A)erica and Eur,pe. "hi! ti)e it 9ill be a real p,,r l,,-/,ut f,r y,u, a!!h,le!.C 8utch 5,lland ,verheard hi! 9,rd! the perfect audibility ,f 9hich 9a! )ade p,!!ible by the headph,ne!. AWe;ll !t,p the) f,rever n,9, Grian. And E;) dead p,!itive E 9ill never have a !lighte!t c,)puncti,n. everBC A either 9ill E,C Grian re!p,nded. 5e !9itched ,n the b,)b/relea!ing )echani!) and -ept it in the A!tand byC p,!iti,n. "hen he perf,r)ed a !pecial )aneuver t, dr,p the parachute 9ith the b,)b attached t, it. 5e pre!!ed the butt,n and the deadly device 9a! relea!ed fr,) it! b,)b rac- and began dr,pping d,9n. After a fe9 !ec,nd!, 9hen the parachute 9ith the 5/b,)b !u!pended under it! blue d,)e ,pened, the fighter/b,)ber 9a! already far fr,) it! target. Gut b,th pil,t! 9ere !till in a p,!iti,n t, 9atch 9hat 9a! g,ing ,n in the di!tance. At fir!t, they !a9 a !udden gigantic fla!h that f,r a !plit !ec,nd eclip!ed even the !un in the !-y. A d,)e ,f daKKling fire 9a! gr,9ing up fa!t and !pread in all directi,n!. An incredibly huge 9all ,f thi! fire r,lled at a tre)end,u! !peed fr,) the epicenter ,f the bla!t. Et 9a! higher than the highe!t tidal 9ave ever !een in the ,cean and in a !plit !ec,nd it !c,rched and evap,rated 9hatever it )et ,n it! 9ay / building!, ,ver a )illi,n ,f 9,r!hipping pe,ple, the entire city. "he blac- r,c- in it! epicenter evap,rated c,)pletely, leaving n, trace. "hen a c,l,!!al )u!hr,,) ,f 9hirling !),-e r,!e t, !tunning height! in the !-y. A hard bla!t 9ave, alth,ugh 9ea-ened by the di!tance, reached the plane and it !tarted a 9eird dance in the air bef,re Grian g,t it under c,ntr,l. Gut it t,,- a l,t ,f eff,rt and !-ill t, return it t, a !teady flight. "he ,)in,u! cl,ud ,f the di!a!ter ,n the

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h,riK,n 9a! !till ri!ing t, en,r),u! height!. Di-e G,d;! vindictive finger !Hua!hing a di!gu!ting l,u!e, 8utch th,ught in a9e. Al,ud he ,nly !aid, A9e;ve )ade it, GrianBC A"hat 9a! the fir!t part ,f ,ur ta!-, !, let;! get d,9n t, the !ec,nd ,ne,C Grian replied. AE h,pe it;ll 9,r- thi! ti)e t,,,C 8utch !aid. AWe;ll )a-e it 9,r-, 8utchC ,9 they 9ere flying ,n t, the n,rth ,f the 9iped ,ut city ,f :acaca, leaving the terrible deadly cl,ud !till vi!ible behind the). "hey )ade f,r their !ec,nd target / the city ,f :arKina t, de!tr,y the ",)b ,f Pr,phet :ah,)a. "he flight t,,- the) ,nly a !h,rt ti)e t, get the) t, it. :arKina ca)e in !ight pretty !,,n and Grian 9a! already underta-ing the )aneuver that 9a! nece!!ary t, level the r,c-et at the ",)b. "hi! ti)e it 9a! 8utch 5,lland;! j,b t, fire the at,)ic r,c-et a! !,,n a! they 9ere !ure it 9,uld hit preci!ely the target. "he radiu! ,f the at,)ic de!tructi,n 9,uld be li)ited and !)aller thi! ti)e, alth,ugh n,t 9ith,ut fatal c,n!eHuence! f,r the l,cal p,pulati,n. When all the data ,f the in!tru)ent! c,incided 9ith the ti)e ,f firing the r,c-et and the ",)b 9a! in the r,c-et !ight 8utch pu!hed the butt,n relea!ing the r,c-et 9ith the at,)ic 9arhead. After the daKKling fla!h, a !ini!ter )u!hr,,) ,f blac- !),-e r,!e high in the air li-e a t,rnad, bringing fire, de!tructi,n, and death t, 9hatever it caught in it! night)ari!h grip. "he ",)b evap,rated a! if it had never been there. Et di!appeared al,ng 9ith the large cr,9d ,f 9,r!hipper! gathered there. A !ec,nd bef,re they 9ere there. "he ne2t ),)ent n,thing 9a! left there e2cept the dreadful e)ptine!! ,f c,)plete de!tructi,n and death. early the entire city 9a! 9iped ,ut al,ng 9ith the ",)b. Grian barely d,dged the danger,u! effect ,f the at,)ic bla!t by veering the c,ur!e ,f the fighter/b,)ber right ,n ti)e, but he c,uld n,t entirely e!cape the terrible turbulence the bla!t 9ave cau!ed t, the plane. Et t,,- hi) a tre)end,u! eff,rt t, level the flight ,f the fighter/b,)ber and return it t, !teadine!!. A"here )u!t have been !,)e c,llateral da)age, Grian.C 8utch 5,lland;! v,ice 9a! feigned !adne!!. A:aybe ,ver a )illi,n ,f jer-!.C Grian 6;8,,dle !hrugged indifferently, AWhat a !ha)eBC G,th pil,t! felt it 9a! their piece ,f luc- that !, far they hadn;t been di!c,vered by any defen!e !y!te) ,f Erebi!tan, alth,ugh they -ne9 it e2i!ted and even 9a! !,phi!ticated en,ugh t, detect the) and bring the) d,9n. "hey c,uldn;t believe their luc- but 9ere !till cauti,u! t, rej,ice in it. 6n the ,ther hand b,th felt a great pride and !ati!facti,n that they had really !ucceeded in their )i!!i,n ,f cru!hing the infa),u! head ,f the 9,rld;! ),!t ,bvi,u! evil. Grian 6;8,,dle !et the c,ur!e ,f the fighter/b,)ber f,r the n,rth/n,rth/9e!t t, head f,r the de!ert ,f egev in E!rael f,r refueling and a !h,rt re!t bef,re re!u)ing their flight bac- t, their ba!e in @rete. "here e2i!ted a !ecret agree)ent bet9een the EDA and the E!raeli 8efen!e :ini!try ,n that !c,re. "he liai!,n ,fficer ,f that :ini!try @aptain I,!!i Pi2el 9,uld be in t,uch 9ith the) 9hen they arrived. En fact, he 9a! already 9aiting f,r the) at the airba!e and

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he 9,uld be re!p,n!ible f,r their recepti,n, acc,)),dati,n and 9,uld !ee t, their ,ther need!. Gut n,9 their r,ute t, the n,rth lay bet9een the Ereb de!ert ,f 8ufan and the )ariti)e regi,n ,f Sajeh. "he danger ,f being attac-ed by the Ereb anti/aircraft f,rce! 9a! !till there. S,, they re)ained ,n the c,ntinu,u! alert. .,r a 9hile, they did n,t e2change a 9,rd, !till under the i)pre!!i,n ,f 9hat they had d,ne. 8utch 5,lland 9a! the fir!t t, brea- the !ilence. AE gue!! it;! the beginning ,f E!la);! end, Grian.C Grian !hrugged indefinitely. AWh, -n,9!J :aybe ju!t the ,ther 9ay r,und. "he entire :u!li) 9,rld )ay ri!e again!t the We!t n,9.C A"hey haven;t g,t en,ugh unity a),ng the)!elve! f,r that, Grian. At lea!t f,r a 9hile !,)e -ind ,f !tup,r c,uld paralyKe the) bef,re they c,)e t, and react acc,rdingly t, 9hat had befallen the). And it !erve! the) right, f,r E;) c,nfident they are n,t hu)an being! but de),n! and de),n! de!erve t, be e2ter)inated the 9ay bedbug! ,r c,c-r,ache! are. "he ver)in )u!t be e2ter)inated 9ith -er,!ene ,r p,i!,n and the hu)an/l,,-ing ver)in li-e the :u!li) de),n! )u!t be de!tr,yed 9ith nu-e!, ga!, napal), and epide)ic di!ea!e!. "he ,nly 9ay ,f dealing 9ith that !cu) i! !h,,ting the) ,n !ight.C A:aybe they 9ill try t, d, !,)ething li-e that t, u! t,,. :aybe n,t. Whichever 9ay y,u c,n!ider it they d,n;t have !uch ar!enal! ,f 9eap,nry a! 9e d,. Any9ay, 9e )u!t be prepared f,r revenge and retaliati,n.C Grian 6;8,,dle c,))ented in a neutral v,ice. After Grian;! re)ar- they -ept a l,ng !ilence, each ,f the) i))er!ed deep d,9n int, hi! ,9n th,ught!. Grian -ept the fighter/b,)ber flying at the altitude ,f thirty th,u!and feet ab,ve the !urface. ", the right ,f the) they c,uld !ee a l,ng ragged range ,f ),untain! that l,,-ed f,rbidding, de!,late and lifele!!, li-e a lunar land!cape. ", their left, a blue !trip ,f the 7ed Sea !tretched a! far a! the eye c,uld reach. Suddenly their attenti,n 9a! caught by an ,bject that the in!tru)ent! identified a! a gr,und/t,/air )i!!ile appr,aching their fighter/ b,)ber at a great !peed. "hey had t, react real fa!t. While Grian 6;8,,dle 9a! engaged in a )aneuver d,dging a direct i)pact ,f the appr,aching )i!!ile, 8utch 5,lland t,,- ai) and fired the air/t,/air )i!!ile they had. "he ene)y )i!!ile deviated fr,) it! c,ur!e a! Grian thre9 the fighter/b,)ber a!ide in a !teep turn. "he t9, )i!!ile! 9ere n,9 heading f,r each ,ther. Et t,,- the) a !plit !ec,nd t, c,llide and pr,duce an en,r),u! ball ,f fire. "he plane !huddered fr,) the bla!t 9ave and 9a! thr,9n ,ff it! c,ur!e ,nce again. A"hat 9a! a real narr,9 e!cape, GrianBC 8utch 5,lland e2clai)ed ,ver9hel)ed by hi! feeling!, in a !tate ,f terrible agitati,n. AI,u can !ay that again. <u!t l,,- ,ut f,r ),re attac-! that )ay c,)e ,ur 9ay.C AAye, aye, !irBC 8utch 5,lland replied. Gut a! ti)e 9ent by, the attac- 9a! never repeated again and in ,ver an h,ur;! ti)e the fighter/b,)ber fle9 !afely int, the air!pace ,f egev 9ith,ut any further incident. "hey 9ere running l,9 ,n fuel, but the !tructure! ,f the egev airba!e 9ere already in !ight and fa!t appr,aching, and in the )ean9hile all their tr,uble! !ee)ed t, be ,ver. Gut 9ere they ,ver f,r the re!t ,f the 9,rldJ

&'0

"he f,ll,9ing day after the nuclear b,)bard)ent ,f :acaca and :arKina the :u!li) 9,rld c,uld n,t !till bring it!elf t, gra!p and dige!t 9hat had happened. Wa! Allalah !, angry 9ith the) that he let !uch a9ful uni)aginable thing! happenJ En the fir!t h,ur!, after the inf,r)ati,n had been br,ught h,)e t, all the :u!li)! in the 9,rld they 9ere !tunned t, the degree ,f c,)plete !tup,r and inacti,n. Gut later ,n, the fir!t )ar-! ,f an unprecedented fury 9ere beginning t, !urface. Et t,,- a turn f,r the 9,r!e in !,)e n,n/:u!li) c,untrie! 9here the !,/called :u!li) )in,ritie! lived. En 7u!!ia, ju!t 9ithin a fe9 day! after the c,)plete at,)ic de!tructi,n ,f :acaca and :arKina, it! large :u!li) p,pulati,n !tirred up a large/ !cale ar)ed rebelli,n again!t the n,n/:u!li) 7u!!ian )aj,rity and the central g,vern)ent. "he reacti,n ,f the bigge!t and ),!t influential p,litical party / the PASP #Party ,f Anti/ Se)itic Patri,t!$ / laid the bla)e f,r the ri,t! ,n the <e9! de!pite the inc,nte!table fact that the la!t <e9i!h e)igrant had left the c,untry a year bef,re. A! u!ual the party in Hue!ti,n averred ,n the ba!i! ,f the celebrated APr,t,c,l! ,f the Sage! ,f Si,nC that any di!a!ter natural ,r cau!ed by hu)an being! 9a! the inevitable c,n!eHuence ,f perfidi,u! intrigue! and c,n!piracie! 9,ven by the !aid <e9!. A! a pr,,f they Hu,ted a p,pular 7u!!ian !,ng that had lyric! li-e, f,r in!tance, Aif y,u d,n;t have 9ater in y,ur faucet, n, d,ubt, the <e9! have !uc-ed it ,ut.C Since there 9ere n, ),re <e9! left in 7u!!ia the PASP e2tended thi! ne9ly c,nc,cted definiti,n ,f <e9! t, pe,ple 9h, 9ere n,t ethnic <e9!, but acc,rding t, the ne9 definiti,n th,!e pe,ple 9ere n,9 c,n!idered a! <e9!. "hi! c,ncepti,n that 9ent further than ever bef,re included all th,!e 9h, happened t, be 9ell educated ethnic 7u!!ian! ,r th,!e 9h, didn;t have the luc- t, be 7u!!ian!. .,r e2a)ple, if they had the )i!f,rtune ,f being @hine!e ,r <apane!e, n,t t, )enti,n a 9h,le l,t ,f African!, Afr,/A)erican!, ,r ative A)erican!, E!-i),! and !, f,rth. .r,) that ti)e ,n, they 9ere regarded a! <e9! !, that they c,uld be c,)f,rtably accu!ed ,f all i)aginable and uni)aginable !in! and cri)e!. "he PASP 9a! headed by a retired 7u!!ian general 9h,!e na)e 9a! Salty-. Under hi! e2pert leader!hip the PASP turned int, an ar)ed para)ilitary ,rganiKati,n the ,fficial ),tt, ,f 9hich 9a! / AGeat the -i-e! / !ave :,ther 7u!!iaBC "here 9a! al!, a large and rather p,pular party ,f 7u!!ian p,!t/c,))uni!t! headed by :P 5,,ligan,v. "hi! 7P@P !hared the PASP;! ide,l,gy and 9a! cl,!ely allied t, it. ",gether they f,r)ed a )ilitant United .r,nt 9h,!e ta!- 9a! t, re!,lutely i)ple)ent the Afinal !,luti,nC ,f the <e9i!h Hue!ti,n. General Salty- and :P 5,,ligan,v beca)e be!t friend! e2cept that they harb,red a !ecret !u!pici,n in regard t, each ,ther. Each ,f the) !u!pected the ,ther ,ne ,f being a <e9. 6ther9i!e, their relati,n!hip 9a! e2e)plary. "he re!ult ,f the!e devel,p)ent! 9a! that three di!tinct p,litical gr,up! p,pped up in the c,untry / the Allied .r,nt ,f PASP and 7P@P, the )aj,rity ,f ,ther ethnic 7u!!ian! Hualified a! <e9! by the PASP and the )ilitant :u!li) p,pulati,n. "he!e three p,litical and religi,u! gr,up! a! 9ell a! !,)e !)aller ,ne! fiercely c,nfr,nted each ,ther in a large/!cale )ilitary c,nflict. A deva!tating civil 9ar began hara!!ing the c,untry that had already been deva!tated

&'L

by it! leader! 9h, ter)ed the)!elve! true de),crat! and had lin-! 9ith the ,rganiKed cri)e and all )anner ,f fraud. "he !ituati,n in the n,9 nu)er,u! EU c,untrie! 9a! rapidly deteri,rating, t,,. E2ternal and internal c,nflict!, uncea!ing !trea) ,f ne9 i))igrant!, !treet c,)bat! ,f vari,u! p,litical and religi,u! gr,uping! b,rdering ,n civil 9ar, unre)itting purp,!eful attac-! ,f the EDA, cultural difference!, and the !harp c,ntra!t ,f ec,n,)ic level! crippled and even paralyKed the already !ha-en infra!tructure! ,f the leading EU c,untrie!. "he lately ad)itted c,untrie! did n,t c,nf,r) t, the higher level ,f the )e)ber! and !,,n beca)e a heavy burden under)ining the ec,n,)y ,f the ,lder EU c,untrie!, 9hich 9ere n,9 fl,,ded by an unprecedented !trea) ,f 9,r-er! fr,) the Ea!t. "h,!e i))igrant! created a )a!! une)pl,y)ent f,r l,cal 9,r-er! and paved the 9ay f,r their angry di!c,ntent. "he general !ituati,n in Eur,pe 9a! Huic-ly deteri,rating. And the envir,n)ental di!a!ter 9a! beginning t, !h,9 ,)in,u! fatal !ign! ,f the entire )an-ind;! decline and p,!!ibly it! eventual death. @5AP"E7 3' "he 9ar!hip! ,f the US avy in the Gulf received a direct ,rder fr,) Wa!hingt,n t, !tand by f,r launching l,ng/range nuclear )i!!ile! again!t target! in Per!ia and Erebi!tan. "hey 9ere ,rdered t, fini!h ,ff the air !tri-e! that had been begun by ,fficially un-n,9n attac-er! 9h, had de!tr,yed the :u!li) !acred citie! :acaca and :arKina and a target in Per!ia. .,r fear ,f retaliati,n Wa!hingt,n decided t, inflict p,9erful pre/e)ptive !tri-e! again!t the ),!t i)p,rtant target! in th,!e c,untrie! that re)ained !till intact. "he naval c,llege including the :arine @,rp! and Seal! 9ere in the !tate ,f red alert. "he captain! and c,))anding ,fficer! dec,ded the cla!!ified in!tructi,n!. "he Si2th .leet ,f the US avy 9a! ta-ing up it! battle f,r)ati,n in the :editerranean Sea ,ff the c,a!t! ,f A!!ur and ilia. Et trained it! tactical )i!!ile! ,n all the )ilitary ba!e! ,f A!!ur, including the l,cati,n! ,f para)ilitary gr,up! 9h, 9ere preparing an attac-, acc,rding t, inf,r)ati,n received fr,) the @EA. "he attac- ca)e !i)ultane,u!ly at )idnight, !tri-ing all the de!ignated target! in Erebi!tan, Per!ia and A!!ur, cau!ing large fierce fire! in Erebi!tan;! ,ilfield!. Gut n,t ,nly Erebi!tan;! ,ilfield! 9ere afla)e. "he ),!t i)p,rtant ,ilfield! ,f Gabel and Per!ia al!, burned !ending !9irling !),-e cl,ud! int, the planet;! at),!phere 9here they !pread all ,ver the 9,rld. "he ad)i2ture ,f !),-e particle! in the at),!phere fr,) the burning ,ilfield! and erupti,n ,f ,ld and ne9ly b,rn v,lcan,e! c,ntributed t, p,,r light every9here ,n the planet;! !urface by hindering it! pa!!ing thr,ugh the cl,ud! and ,ften cau!ed dirty at),!pheric precipitati,n. "he cr,9ded and !pra9ling capital! ,f Per!ia and Erebi!tan / "ehiraH and the city ,f 8hayir lay in radi,active ruin! cau!ing ),re )i!ery and death.

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En A!!ur @,))ander/in/@hief ,f the Allalah Party E)a) a!ral a!!al peri!hed in the A)erican air attac- a! 9ell a! the bul- ,f hi! para)ilitary ,rganiKati,n. "h,!e 9h, re)ained in life and active fired d,Ken! ,f )ediu)/range )i!!ile! at E!rael and partly de!tr,yed !,)e ,f E!raeli village! al,ng the b,rder. En retaliati,n, E!raeli fighter/b,)ber! de!tr,yed the re)nant! ,f the Allalah Party;! para)ilitary unit!. Et 9a! an ea!y ta!- f,r the fighter/b,)ber! becau!e ),!t ,f th,!e para)ilitary unit! 9ere !tati,ned right ne2t t, the E!raeli b,rder. "here 9a! )uch c,llateral da)age a),ng the civilian p,pulati,n ,n b,th !ide! ,f the b,rder. "he 9ar!hip! ,f the US avy ,ff the c,a!t ,f ilia fired d,Ken! ,f p,9erful )i!!ile! at the de!ignated target! in the ilian citie! ,f @air, and E!-enderia, p,unding the) ince!!antly and cau!ing i))en!e deva!tati,n and !9eeping death ,f c,untle!! pe,ple in the c,nge!ted urban c,ngl,)erate!. "he AK/Sahar A!arda) -n,9n a! the h,tbed ,f :u!li) aggre!!i,n 9a! turned int, heap! ,f ruin! in the c,ur!e ,f the ,perati,n. "he i)p,rtant i)a)! 9h, had in!pired the h,ly 9ar ,f E!la) again!t the We!t peri!hed in the fla)e! ,f napal). ,t far fr,) the !),-ing ruin! ,f the i))en!e city ,f @air, the ti)ele!! Pyra)id! and Sphin2 re)ained )iracul,u!ly intact. A! a re!ult ,f !9eeping b,)bard)ent! that ,ccurred right ne2t t, the), a hidden !ecret cha)ber 9a! laid bare under the pa9! ,f Sphin2 in the thic- layer ,f !and accu)ulated there ,ver th,u!and! ,f year!. "he cha)ber appeared t, have c,ntained 9ell/ pre!erved papyru! and parch)ent !cr,ll! a! 9ell a! c,pper and ba-ed clay tablet!, a 9h,le library ,f the). "hey !ee)ed t, be ,f very ancient ,rigin, literally fr,) antediluvian ti)e!. "hey 9ere c,vered 9ith a -ind ,f 9riting c,)pletely un-n,9n t, !ch,lar!. Dater, 9hen they g,t int, the hand! ,f th,!e !ch,lar! !,)e ,f the) ca)e t, the c,nclu!i,n that th,!e 9riting! ,riginated fr,) the fabul,u! Atlanti!. "he di!c,very 9a! )ade ju!t ,n ti)e becau!e icy !i),,)! fr,) the great de!ert !tarted t, bl,9 and 9,uld have c,vered the )y!teri,u! library again. Gut the US )arine! !aved it in the c,ur!e ,f their landing ,perati,n n,t ,nly fr,) the fury ,f the !i),,)! but al!, fr,) the fury ,f th,!e :u!li) !urviv,r! 9h, 9ere ab,ut t, attac- and burn d,9n the ancient library becau!e it! b,,-! 9ere n,t 9ritten in Ereb. And be!ide that !in, they apparently did n,t c,ntain the 9,rd! ,f the h,ly Our;an. "he US )arine! !ty)ied the) in fulfilling their pi,u! intenti,n!. "he !cr,ll! 9ere tran!p,rted t, the US 9ar!hip!. A<u!t chec-ing t, !ee if they;ve arrived, @aptain.C @,l,nel 8an Av!hal,);! v,ice !,unded Huiet and !elf/a!!ured ,n the ,ther end ,f the teleph,ne/line. @aptain I,!!i Pi2el replied in the affir)ative, AIe!, @,l,nel, they ju!t arrived at ,ur ba!e.C A5ave y,u already tal-ed 9ith the cre9!, @aptainJC AIe!, !ir. "he Apache helic,pter i! )anned 9ith ,ne Afr,/A)erican and t9, @auca!ian A)erican! and the fighter/b,)ber 9ith t9, @auca!ian A)erican!. "heir na)e! a! y,u -n,9, !ir, are cla!!ified.C

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A , big deal, @aptain. E happen t, -n,9 the) per!,nally. "hey are reliable and )eet all the reHuire)ent!. When they are fini!hed 9ith their dinner ju!t a!- the t9, @,))ander! t, give )e a buKK. 6-ayJC AIe!, !irB E;ll let the) -n,9.C A"han-!, @aptain.C 6n the ,ther end ,f the line @,l,nel 8an Av!hal,) hung up and the line 9ent dead. @aptain Pi2el eyed the receiver f,r a !ec,nd and dr,pped it int, it! cradle. "h,u!and! up,n th,u!and! ,f :u!li) believer! gathered ,n :,unt a,! in fr,nt ,f and in!ide the A!!a :,!Hue in <eru!ale), their face! di!t,rted 9ith hate and rage. "hey 9ere )illing all ,ver :,unt a,! and l,udly chanting !l,gan! li-e A8eath t, E!raelBC and A8eath t, A)ericaBC "heir clenched fi!t! 9ere furi,u!ly !ha-ing ab,ve the !ea ,f head! and all eye! nearly bulging fr,) their eye/!,c-et!. :any ,f the) ju)ped t, give vent t, their e),ti,n!. 6ther! 9ere running t, and fr, in c,)plete di!,rder, n,t -n,9ing h,9 t, reach f,r the thr,at! ,f their ene)ie!. "he )aj,rity 9a! ar)ed 9ith Mala!hni-,v! and !h,t in the air, 9ith n, heed t, !paring a))uniti,n. S,)e pe,ple g,t under feet and 9ere tra)pled t, death. ,b,dy paid real attenti,n t, the). "hi! 9a! in the ,rder ,f thing!. En!ide the A!!a :,!Hue, the @hief E)a) 9h, 9a! re!p,n!ible f,r ad)ini!trati,n ,f :,unt a,! 9ith it! Sacred ",)b and A!!a :,!Hue, 9a! )a-ing a fiery harangue t, the galvaniKed audience 9h, ,ften interrupted hi) by chanting ju!t ,ne 9,rd 4 A8eathBC A8eathBC !,)eti)e! diver!ified 9ith A8eath t, <e9! and We!tern d,g!BC AAllalah the Al)ighty 9ill ble!! y,u all, ,h believer!BC the @hief E)a) v,ciferated in hi! turn a! if reciting hi! !,l, part ,f the ch,ru! !c,re li-e a ch,ru! leader in a Grecian tragedy. "he c,nc,ur!e ,f raging :u!li)! ,ut!ide the ),!Hue !ee)ed t, be increa!ing 9ith every pa!!ing )inute. Gradually the chanting 9a! turning int, a pr,l,nged deafening h,9l in 9hich 9,rd! c,uld hardly be )ade ,ut. Gecau!e ,f thi! deafening n,i!e fr,) the raging cr,9d! they did n,t hear the dr,ne ,f an appr,aching helic,pter. Et 9a! t,, late 9hen it une2pectedly p,pped ,ut fr,) behind the :,unt ,f 6live! t,p and, flying l,9, in a !ec,nd ,r t9, 9a! ab,ve the upturned face! di!t,rted 9ith rage and hatred and chanting !l,gan!. Suddenly, the Apache ch,pper dr,pped a h,rrible and deadly hell ,f fire fr,) napal), clu!ter, che)ical b,)b! and ,pened )achine/gun fire. En a !plit !ec,nd, the A!!a :,!Hue !t,,d in fla)e!. "he ne2t ),)ent, it 9a! turned int, a heap ,f fiercely burning ruin!. "he hu)an )a!! in and ar,und it 9a! caught in a 9hirl9ind ,f all/incinerating de!tructi,n and death. 5u)an v,ice!, bla!t! ,f clu!ter b,)b!, and the unrelenting rattle ,f the ch,pper;! Gatling )achine/gun! 9ere h,9ling li-e a giant t,rnad, fr,) the devil;! ,9n hell, driving the cr,9d! ,n :,unt a,! and the A!!a :,!Hue int, a 9,r!t branch ,f that hell. "he ruin! ,f the ),!Hue 9ere turned int, a daKKling t,rch that 9a! !pitting bright l,ng t,ngue! ,f !ini!ter fire li-e pr,tuberance! far int, the !c,rching !),-y air. 5u)an v,ice! filled 9ith h,rr,r, i))en!e !uffering, and da)nati,n ch,-ed 9ith !),-e fr,) the !ea ,f fire ,r burned alive 9ere n,t heard any),re. "he air haKy 9ith the i)penetrable !),-e ab,ve and ar,und the ),untain 9a! filled 9ith the

&'3

!)ell ,f r,a!ted hu)an fle!h. "he fiery !t,r) c,ntinued it! deva!tating rage all ,ver the ),untain l,ng after the deadly ch,pper had left. "he place 9here the A!!a :,!Hue had !t,,d 9a! e)pty. "he !urface ,f the va!t !Huare in fr,nt ,f the place 9a! !tre9n 9ith a blac- )a!! ,f the charred re)ain! ,f 9hat had ,nce been hu)an b,die!. "he !tern feature! ,f Patric- M,9al!-i;! face l,,-ed unruffled 9hen he and Mevin PiKKicat, relea!ed hell ,n the cr,9d! bel,9 the belly ,f the ch,pper. "heir )ain target, th,ugh, 9a! the A!!a :,!Hue that after a 9hile 9a! al),!t evap,rated int, the air filled 9ith !),-e and fla)e! fr,) napal), che)ical and clu!ter/b,)b! and the deadly fire fr,) the ch,pper;! Gatling )achine/gun!. "hey targeted the big ),!Hue and fired t9, )i!!ile! 9ith ulti)ate de!tructive p,9er devel,ped lately in the lab,rat,rie! ,f the EDA in the USA. "he )i!!ile! hit the targetN t,rching it and 9rapping it in a daKKling ph,!ph,r,u! fire and blac!),-e li-e night in hell. Gilly S-elint,n 9a! 9h,lly f,cu!ed ,n )aneuvering the Apache ab,ve the t,p ,f the ),untain, bringing it cl,!er t, the )ain target. 5i! face 9a! c,vered 9ith big dr,p! ,f !9eat that gradually )ade their 9ay d,9n, )a-ing hi! c,llar 9et, t,,. 5i! c,ncentrati,n 9a! t,, ten!e t, pay )uch attenti,n t, hi! cre9. 5e -ne9 all t,, 9ell that they 9,uld never let hi) d,9n and 9,uld !tubb,rnly pur!ue their ta!- d,9n t, it! final c,)pleti,n. 6f that he 9a! dead !ure. 5i! ,nly c,ncern 9a! ab,ut the ri!- ,f hi! ch,pper being hit in retaliati,n fr,) the gr,und bel,9 the). 5e !aid int, hi! )i-e, AWatch ,ut f,r the gr,und, guy!. "here )ay c,)e a !urpri!e attac- fr,) !,)e,ne there.C A , fear, @,))anderBC Mevin;! v,ice !,unded Huiet and !elf/a!!ured. We are -eeping an eye ,n the a!!h,le!.C A! u!ual, M,9al!-i !aid n,thing, ,nly hi! eye! g,t a !teely !hade in the). G,th cre9)en did their be!t t, !,9 death and de!tructi,n 9ith a! )uch preci!i,n a! they had acHuired in the c,ur!e ,f their nu)er,u! raid! bef,re. "hi! part ,f the ,ld city ,f <eru!ale) 9a! already ,)in,u!ly !hr,uded in creeping fiery !),-e, )a-ing Gilly S-elint,n u!e the c,ntr,l! t, !end the ch,pper higher up in the air t, av,id the blinding effect ,f the !),-e. 5e !p,-e int, hi! )i-e again. AAll right, guy!, 9e )ade itB "i)e t, !-id,, 9hile 9e can. We;ll have a !ch),,Ke ab,ut that later 9hen 9e are !afe en,ugh, ,-ayJC A , !9eat, @,))ander,C Mevin !aid, Ay,u -n,9 u! a bit.C "he ch,pper )ade a ju)p in the air li-e a rearing !teed, )ade a turn, and headed !,uth9ardN leaving death and burning ruin! behind it. While the :u!li) 9,rld tried t, )u!ter up it! j,int f,rce! t, retaliate f,r the de!tructi,n ,f the !acred place! ,f E!la), the We!t 9a! n,t )uch better ,ff, e!pecially the United State! ,f A)erica, 9hich had t, !uffer the brunt ,f the :u!li) attac-!. "he Phili!tine! in E!rael had g,tten 9ildly furi,u! ,ver the de!tructi,n ,f the A!!a :,!Hue that 9a! raKed t, the gr,und ,n

&3%

:,unt a,!. "heir deadly !uicide brigade! 9ent ,ut ,f their 9ay t, attac- the E!raeli pe,ple, ),!tly 9,)en and children, by bla!ting b,)b!, 9herever they c,uld penetrate. "he !ituati,n 9a! ,n the agenda ,f a briefing that 9a! t, be held at the !ecret ba!e in the de!ert ,f egev. "he nu)ber ,f pe,ple 9h, 9ere t, attend the briefing 9a! li)ited t, the cre9! ,f Gilly S-elint,n;! Apache, the fighter/b,)ber ,f @,))ander 6;8,,dle, !,)e repre!entative! ,f the E!raeli !ecret !ervice!, Pr,fe!!,r "i),thy @raig and 8,nald 7,!! 9h, b,th had arrived fr,) ,r9ay f,r the ,cca!i,n. "he briefing 9a! in full !9ing 9hen it 9a! ann,unced that the Phili!tine )ilitant! prepared a 9ide range ,f vici,u! !uicide attac-! in E!rael and Gabel. "he E!raeli !ecret !ervice! had intelligence that th,!e attac-! 9ere t, ta-e place the f,ll,9ing night. A -ind ,f hectic at),!phere reigned a),ng the participant! ,f the briefing. "he ),re !, that the A)erican! felt 9,rried becau!e ,f 9hat 9a! g,ing ,n in their ,9n c,untry. "hey 9ere c,n!tantly thin-ing ,f their fa)ilie!, fearing f,r 9hat )ight bec,)e ,f the). 6n the ,ther hand, they 9ere i)patient f,r ta-ing revenge ,n the :u!li)! f,r 9hat they had already d,ne t, their c,untry. @,))ander Gilly S-elint,n;! th,ught! 9ent t, 8iddy 8,, and hi! daughter! al),!t every )inute 9hen hi! attenti,n 9a! n,t riveted ,n hi! i))ediate ta!-!. "he briefing la!ted f,r ab,ut an h,ur and the plan ,f attac- ,n the Phili!tine AKag regi,n 9a! ready t, be e2ecuted. "he fighter/b,)ber ,f @,))ander 6;8,,dle and the Apache ,f @,))ander S-elint,n 9ere t, ta-e ,ff in !everal h,ur! and head t,9ard AKag @ity that 9a! their )ain target in the regi,n. "he actual rea!,n f,r the attac- ,n AKag @ity 9a! the 9ell/ e!tabli!hed fact that that the )ain Phili!tine !uicide brigade! 9ere !tati,ned in the !,/called Arefugee ca)p!C and they al!, recruited ne9 v,lunteer!, including children, t, attac- target! in E!rael and Gabel. "he ta!- 9a! t, deva!tate the area and, a! far a! p,!!ible, t, raKe it t, the gr,und. G,th the Apache and fighter/b,)ber 9ere !ufficiently ar)ed 9ith napal), clu!ter and che)ical b,)b!, a l,t ,f a))uniti,n f,r the )achine/gun!, and a9e!,)e )i!!ile! 9ith tre)end,u! de!tructive p,9er. Et 9a! agreed that Gilly S-elint,n and hi! cre9 9,uld be the fir!t attac-er! and @,))ander 6;8,,dle 9ith 8utch 5,lland 9,uld p,p ,ut ten )inute! later t, c,ver S-elint,n;! ch,pper and !ub!eHuently j,in in the attac-. "heir a))uniti,n e2hau!ted, S-elint,n and 6;8,,dle 9,uld Huic-ly leave the !cene. "hen fifteen ,r ),re E!raeli helic,pter gun!hip! 9,uld enter the air!pace ,f AKag and )eth,dically fini!h up the j,b. "he fact,r ,f !urpri!e 9,uld certainly play a deci!ive r,le. And the durati,n ,f the 9h,le ,perati,n 9,uld depend ,n h,9 !,,n the city 9a! de!tr,yed. "he briefing ,ver, 8,nald 7,!!, "i),thy @raig, and @,l,nel 8an Av!hal,) retired t, the ba!e;! )e!!, 9hile the ,ther participant! 9ere !trictly ,rdered t, have a !ub!tantial re!t bef,re the ,perati,n. "he three )en had their !eat! at a table in a !ecluded c,rner ,f the )e!! and ,rdered drin-!. A !)iling 9aitre!! i))ediately appr,ached the) t, ta-e their ,rder!. 8,nald 7,!! and "i),thy @raig 9,uld have Sc,tch ,n the r,c-! and 8an Av!hal,) ,rdered a !)all

&31

gla!! ,f v,d-a 9ith le),n. "he 9aitre!!, !till !)iling, t,,- their ,rder! and 9ent ,ver t, the bar. 8,nald, 9atching the deeply c,ncerned face! ,f hi! c,)rade!, )ade an eff,rt t, c,njure up a f,rced grin ,n hi! ,9n face. AWell, gentle)en, E gue!! thi! ,perati,n 9ill d,t the PE;!; in the )atter ,f !,lving the Pin!,luble;! pr,ble) ,f the :iddle Ea!t.;C ADet;! h,pe thing! 9ill 9,r- ,ut f,r the be!t,C "i),thy @raig !aid, -nitting hi! br,9 th,ughtfully and trying t, let hi! v,ice !,und c,nvincingly. A"he Phili!tine! 9ill und,ubtedly lay the bla)e at ,ur d,,r. E )ean E!rael.C 8an Av!hal,) !aid !hrugging hi! !h,ulder!. A<u!t a! u!ual. "hey 9ill bla)e E!rael the 9ay they have al9ay! d,ne it. Even th,ugh they 9ill get a hard beating they 9ill g, ,ut ,f their 9ay t, reach ,ut their )urder,u! hand! t, perpetrate ),re !uicide -illing! in ,ur bac-yard. Gut E a!!ure y,u that 9e are n,t that !tupid t, let the) d, it 9ith i)punity,C and after ta-ing a !ip ,f hi! v,d-a added, A,ur b,rder! are l,c-ed up !afely thi! ti)e. And they include <eru!ale), ,f c,ur!e. We have already thr,9n ,ut the tr,uble)a-er! and the re!t are afraid t, l,!e their civil privilege!. "he Phili!tine bandit! and filthy cri)inal! have n,thing t, l,,- f,r in ,ur capital. E!pecially n,9 that they have l,!t the !,/called !acred place / the A!!a :,!Hue that 9a! built by the Ereb ,ccupier! ,f ,ur land in the pa!t.C AI,ur ai) t, pre!erve <eru!ale) a! the c,untry;! capital 9ill be achieved, G,d 9illing, and ai) happen! t, be the !a)e,C 8,nald 7,!! c,))ented curtly. 8an Av!hal,) n,dded in agree)ent and !aid cal)ly, AWe can carry ,ut ,nly !)all/ti)e ,perati,n! 9ith ,ur gun!hip!, y,u -n,9, ,r !h,rt/lived tan- raid! in ,rder t, eli)inate ringleader! ,f th,!e !uicide brigade!. Gut ne9 ,ne! 9ill i))ediately appear in their !tead li-e t,ad!t,,l! after rain. E!rael cann,t aff,rd any really !9eeping ,perati,n! 9ith l,t! ,f c,llateral da)age and !, ,n. I,u -n,9 the 9,rld 9,uld !tin- li-e hell ab,ut it.C 5e )ade a pau!e and glanced ,ver at 8,nald;! face acr,!! the table, Abut E gue!! 9e c,uld bear ,ur c,)),n re!p,n!ibility f,r a )uch br,ader and deadlier ,perati,n 9ith,ut paying t,, )uch attenti,n t, c,llateral da)age and thing! li-e that.C 8,nald 7,!! n,dded. AS,)e nece!!ary e2tirpati,n i! part ,f ,ur !trategy, a! y,u -n,9, 8an, e!pecially 9hen it;! ab,ut the !urvival ,f ,ur ,9n and y,ur culture! and life !tyle!. And E can a!!ure y,u 9e;ll !tic- t, having it ,ur ,9n 9ay a! 9e have already d,ne in the pa!t, 8an. All thi! happen! largely due t, the fact that lefti!t ruler! have turned Eur,pe int, a h,tbed ,f :u!li) terr,ri!) by all,9ing the :u!li)! t, c,l,niKe al),!t all Eur,pean c,untrie!. Et i! becau!e ,f thi! that the hand! ,f the EDA are untied and are n,t !ubject t, any ,f th,!e c,))uni!t/in!pired internati,nal ,bligati,n! and la9!. *e have n,t )ade the) and 9e d,n;t have t, ,b!erve the). "he Phili!tine a!!h,le! and )adcap! have been a!-ing f,r their ,9n

&3&

de!tructi,n l,ng en,ugh and n,9 it;! c,)ing their 9ay. , d,ubt ab,ut it, @,l,nel. We;ve g,t engaged ,nly ,ne Apache ch,pper and ,ne fighter/b,)ber in thi! ,perati,n, but their cre9! are e2perienced and -n,9 their j,b t, perfecti,n a! y,u happen t, -n,9. Gut ,ne 9ay ,r the ,ther, the accu!ing finger ,f the !,/called Pinternati,nal c,))unity; 9ill be p,inted at E!rael, 8an. E!pecially !,ciali!t p,litician! 9h, betrayed their ,9n c,untrie! in the pa!tN and t,day they re)ain the !a)e trait,r! and c,9ard! in the face ,f E!la) that dictate! it! 9ill t, the). All th,!e de!picable c,9ard! are d,ing i! fa9ning the)!elve! t, )urder,u! E!la) rather than really !erving the !ecurity ,f their ,9n c,untrie! in a really efficient 9ay. :,re,ver, their giving in t, E!la);! clai)! i! c,nducive t, it! deadly terr,r attac-! again!t civiliKati,n. 8,)inati,n ,f left fa!ci!t !,ciali!), a! y,u -n,9, ha! led t, c,rr,!i,n ,f legal !y!te)! in )any c,untrie! and turned decency int, i)),rality. S,, in )any 9ay!, de),cracy ha! degenerated int, danger,u! and i)),ral licenti,u!ne!!. "hat;! 9hy, apart fr,) E!la), 9e are f,rced t, fight the) ju!t a! 9ell. E heard the lefti!t! in E!rael are perhap! the 9,r!t type ,f trait,r!.C 8an Av!hal,) !hrugged. AWe !hall ,verc,)e a! 9e did in the pa!t. Ef Eur,pe ever dare! t, try t, invade E!rael, 9e;ll have unf,rtunately n, ,ther ch,ice left t, u! than t, re!p,nd 9ith a nuclear bac-la!h. I,u -n,9 9e;ll intr,duce ,ur gun!hip! int, the acti,n in !upp,rt ,f y,ur ,perati,n in AKag and giving it the la!t t,uch. And it 9,uldn;t )atter )uch 9h, did it. We 9ill be accu!ed ,f having carried ,ut the 9h,le ,perati,n ,ne 9ay ,r the ,ther. "i),thy @raig cleared hi! v,ice and !,)berly l,,-ing int, hi! gla!! ,f 9hi!-ey !aid, AEt;! getting harder and harder f,r u! A)erican! t, defend E!rael in the face ,f gr,9ing anti/Se)iti!) in thi! da)ned !atanic 9,rld. E!pecially n,9 that the @,))uni!t! are breathing in ,ur bac- in the late!t pre!idential race. <,hn Gaby-i!! Gr,n-y i! a treacher,u! guy ju!t a! hi! party predece!!,r Willard @rapt,n u!ed t, be. @,))uni!t <,hn Gaby-i!! Gr,n-y and hi! !upp,rter! 9ere n,t !Huea)i!h ab,ut g,ing t, the length! ,f bribing !,)e fa)ilie! ,f the victi)! 9h, had fallen under the vici,u! :u!li) attac-! ,n e9 I,r- @ity. "he purp,!e ,f the @,))uni!t! 9a! t, )a-e the) e2pre!! their di!c,ntent ,ver the 9ay the 7epublican! 9ere c,nducting their ,9n ca)paign f,r reelecti,n ,f Ge,rge W. Wil)an a! Pre!ident. "he b,,!t in Wil)an;! fav,r ca)e fr,) the fil)/)a-er! 9h, had )ade a !pecial d,cu)entary t, !h,9 hi! p,!itive r,le in hi! pr,)pt reacti,n t, the :u!li) attac-! and hi! per!,nal part in A)erica;! retributi,n f,r th,!e attac-! in Gactria and Gabel.C A6ne 9ay ,r the ,ther, gentle)en,C 8,nald put in, AE;) per!,nally inclined t, !ee thing! in a ),re p,!itive light 9hatever the ulti)ate ,utc,)e ,f it all )ay be. Any9ay, y,u E!raeli! are d,ubly pr,tected / by y,ur efficient defen!e !y!te) and by G,d. I,u have n,thing t, fear. Gut the 9,rld ,f gentile! ha!. Det;! h,pe the ,perati,n, p,!!ibly 9ith,ut really ea!ing the ten!i,n in the regi,n, 9ill at lea!t teach the Phili!tine! a g,,d le!!,n. E pr,p,!e a t,a!t t, that.C "he ,ther! rai!ed their gla!!e! t, each ,ther in rec,gniti,n ,f 8,nald;! 9,rd!.

&33

After a recent attac- ,f E!raeli gun!hip! that had !ucce!!fully de!tr,yed a car 9ith three leader! ,f a terr,ri!t gr,up in it, AKag @ity l,,-ed li-e a di!turbed 9a!p!; ne!t. @r,9d! ,f Phili!tine! 9ere !currying ab,ut the !treet! ,f the ,verp,pulated city li-e angry c,c-r,ache!. :any ,f the) fr,thed at their ),uth! in a helple!! fury and di!charged their 9eap,n! int, the air. :en, 9,)en, and children all fru!trated and furi,u! becau!e ,f the l,!! ,f their -in, uttered da)nati,n and e2pletive! directed at E!rael and all the <e9! in the 9,rld. "he at),!phere 9a! e2tre)ely ten!e a! if it 9a! filled 9ith a pre),niti,n ,f ),re di!a!ter that c,uld yet c,)e. :en 9ere !narling terrible threat! and 9,)en and children 9ere hy!terically !Huealing li-e infuriated rat!. "hey !h,,- their fi!t! and increa!ed the te)p, ,f their !en!ele!! !currying ab,ut !treet!. Gut that 9a! in their nature and they c,uld n,t help it. "he day 9a!, a! u!ual, h,t and pr,)i!ed t, bec,)e h,tter in the aftern,,n. Gut the fe)ale! 9,re their l,ng gray greatc,at! and blac- head!carve! de!pite the !tifling heat ,f the air. "he !treet! 9ere al),!t fully gridl,c-ed 9ith the). "he general hy!teria in the den!ely pac-ed !treet! ,f AKag 9a! gr,9ing, !, n,b,dy t,,- n,tice ,f a l,9 ru)ble that 9a! rapidly changing int, the r,ar ,f engine! c,)ing fr,) behind the flat/r,,fed h,u!e! ,f the city. Suddenly a !had,9 turned up fr,) n,9here and cau!ed a 9all ,f all/burning fire t, !tart ru!hing acr,!! the r,,f! and !treet! a),ng bla!t! ,f clu!ter b,)b! and the rhyth)ical rattle ,f )achine/gun!. Et !ee)ed the 9h,le hell br,-e ,ut in the !treet! dev,uring pe,ple alive ,n it! t,rnad,/li-e 9ay f,ll,9ing in the 9a-e ,f the deadly Apache gun!hip. Pe,ple 9ere burning li-e t,rche!, ru!hing ab,ut in de!perate and vain atte)pt! t, put ,ut the tenaci,u! fla)e! but 9ere d,,)ed t, bec,)e charred b,die! bey,nd rec,gniti,n. "he h,t 9ave fr,) the napal) fl,9ed ,ver the !treet! li-e v,lcanic lava !9eeping a9ay and burning d,9n all ,n it! 9ay / pe,ple, h,u!e!, and plant!, leaving behind ,nly a !ea ,f raging fla)e!. "he che)ical b,)b! ch,-ed pe,ple ,n the gr,und t, death and the cl,ud! ,f !),-e rai!ing t, the !-y inten!ified the i)pre!!i,n ,f a v,lcanic erupti,n. "he ch,pper 9a! d,ing it! 9,r- li-e the Pr,phet ,f 8eath 9ith,ut pity, 9ith,ut )ercy, and already the fire de!tr,yed half ,f the city 9hen the ch,pper headed t, a clu!ter ,f building! 9here the ringleader! ,f the Phili!tine deadly gang! 9ere !upp,!ed t, live. "he ch,pper targeted the) relea!ing a c,uple ,f )i!!ile! that raKed th,!e building! t, the gr,und. Gut in the heat ,f the air/raid that -ept the) bu!y hitting their target!, Gilly S-elint,n and hi! cre9)en did n,t n,tice a !)all gr,up ,f )en ,n the gr,und 9h, left a b,)b !helter, lugging t9, Stinger )i!!ile! ,n their !h,ulder!. Et 9a! Mevin PiKKicat, 9h, 9a! the fir!t t, !p,t the), but it 9a! already t,, late. AGilly, l,,- ,utB 6ver thereB "hey are ai)ing a )i!!ile at u!BC AE !ee, Mev,C Gilly )uttered al),!t under hi! breath. A Stinger 9a! ,n it! 9ay t, the ch,pper and Gilly S-elint,n tried t, e2ecute a d,dging )aneuver a! fa!t a! he c,uld. Alth,ugh the fir!t Stinger )i!!ed it! target, the ,ther ,ne cl,!ely

&3(

f,ll,9ed it and the ch,pper g,t a direct hit ,n it! r,t,r that in!tantly caught fire. All happened t,, fa!t f,r the cre9)en t, c,)prehend 9hat happened. "he Apache ch,pper dived d,9n li-e a fla)ing fireball, trailing a l,ng curling train ,f blac- !),-e behind it. Et di!appeared in!tantane,u!ly int, the very Ar)agedd,n cau!ed by it!elf a 9hile bef,re. A"he a!!h,le! br,ught d,9n Gilly and hi! )ate! ju!t n,9BC 8utch 5,lland;! 9,rd! ech,ed li-e a !tri-e ,f thunder in the headph,ne! ,f @,))ander 6;8,,dle. 8utch 5,lland p,inted t, the train ,f !),-e behind the falling Apache bef,re it hit the gr,und in a gigantic e2pl,!i,n ,f fire that 9a! even ),re terrible than the !ea ,f fire already raging ar,und the !ite ,f it! cra!h. "hey 9atched !,)e !treet! under the belly ,f their fighter/b,)ber 9here !)aller cr,9d! ,f raving Phili!tine! gathered in place! relatively free ,f fire. A ,9 9e;ll fini!h the j,b Gilly and hi! )ate! began,C Grian 6;8,,dle !aid thr,ugh hi! clenched teeth and pic-ing a large gr,up ,f pe,ple )illing ,n the gr,und thre9 the fighter b,)ber int, a dive up,n the), relea!ing a !erie! ,f clu!ter, che)ical, and napal) b,)b! ,ne f,ll,9ing the ,ther. "h,!e pe,ple had a Stinger t,, but had n, ti)e t, launch it. Et! bla!t ,n the gr,und g,t )i2ed 9ith the bla!t! ,f clu!ter, che)ical, and napal) b,)b! creating a ne9 huge )u!hr,,) ,f fire and !),-e. En it! burning and !tifling e)brace the pe,ple ,n the gr,und 9ere !9ept ,ff a! if they had never e2i!ted. Grian 6;8,,dle 9a! )aneuvering ab,ve the burning city in !earch ,f pe,ple ,n the gr,und and if he happened t, unc,ver the), he relea!ed clu!ter and napal) b,)b! t, 9ipe the) ,ut fr,) the face ,f the earth. S,,n the 9h,le city lay in ruin! and fla)e! 9ere raging and dev,uring fa!t 9hatever they f,und ,n their 9ay. Grian 6;8,,dle c,uld !ee n, ),re target! in the !ea ,f fire and !),-e. 5e handled the c,ntr,l! t, turn bac- t, the ba!e in the de!ert. "hi! ti)e he and 8utch 5,lland 9ere i))er!ed in their th,ught! and didn;t e2change a 9,rd, deeply t,uched and up!et by the death ,f Gilly S-elint,n and hi! cre9)en. "heir b,die! c,uld n,t even be rec,vered f,r funeral and there 9a! the pr,ble) ,f brea-ing the terrible ne9! t, their fa)ilie!. "he ,nly c,n!,lati,n 9a! the indi!putable fact that the ,perati,n had been carried ,ut !ucce!!fully and AKag @ity and ),!t ,f it! p,pulati,n did n,t e2i!t any),re. S,)e pe,ple d,9n there )ight be !till alive but they 9ere n, threat t, any,ne. When 8utch 5,lland l,,-ed bac-, he !a9 a giant cl,ud ,f !),-e ri!ing high in the air ,ver the h,riK,n again!t the blue ena)el bac-dr,p ,f the !-y. 5e al!, !p,tted a !9ar) ,f E!raeli helic,pter gun!hip! that 9ere p,pping ,ut fa!t fr,) bey,nd the h,riK,n and !trafing the already burning gr,und 9ith ),re b,)b! that cau!ed ne9 bla!t! at !h,rt interval! every9here acr,!! the city. e9 c,lu)n! and curtain! ,f !),-e r,!e high in the air li-e an irregular c,l,nnade ,f !,)ber t9i!ter! !9eeping a9ay the 9h,le area. "he c,c-pit ,f the fighter/b,)ber 9a! her)etically cl,!ed and 9ell air/c,nditi,ned, but 8utch 5,lland th,ught he !en!ed !),-e in the c,c-pit air and that it! te)perature 9a! 9ar)er than nece!!ary. 5e !aid n,thing t, Grian ab,ut 9hat he !en!ed, fearing t, be 9r,ng

&30

ab,ut it. 5e tried t, c,ncentrate ,n ),re plea!ant thing!, but they !ee)ed t, be evading hi). S,, he !t,pped t, thin- ab,ut the). "he picture! ,f de!tructi,n he had c,ntributed t, !eiKed h,ld ,f hi! )ind and !ee)ed reluctant t, relinHui!h it. 5e didn;t l,,- bac- any),re. Sh,rtly after that, the de!ert ,f egev began t, cra9l under the belly ,f the fighter/b,)ber. Et t,,- the) ,nly !everal )inute! t, get bac- t, their ba!e. "he !a)e day, the 9,rld )a!! )edia !p,-e ab,ut n,thing el!e than the full de!tructi,n ,f the A!!a :,!Hue in <eru!ale) and ,f AKag @ity. "he nu)ber ,f victi)! 9a! !, i))en!e that even cauti,u! calculati,n! put the figure at ar,und ,ne )illi,n. "he e),ti,n! r,!e high, e!pecially in the :u!li) 9,rld, and gre9 fa!t int, a )a!! hy!teria and then rage and call! f,r revenge. "he United Eur,pe lay al),!t all the bla)e at the d,,r ,f E!rael, and it! 8irect,rate urgently c,nvened it! Parlia)ent t, di!cu!! a p,!!ible )ilitary inva!i,n ,f E!rael. "he Eur,pean accu!ati,n! f,und !upp,rt in 7u!!ia. "he br,ad )a!!e! ,f pe,ple in!tigated by the Eur,pean :u!li)! and anti/Se)itic ele)ent! de)anded har!h repri!al! again!t the Pr,)i!ed Dand. "he Eur,pean ruler! called ,n the USA t, j,in the) but they al!, declared that they 9,uld act 9ith ,r 9ith,ut US help. En the United State! the br,ad public 9a! utterly c,nfu!ed by and b,gged d,9n in the intrigue! ,f the pre!idential electi,n! ca)paign. "he ,nly :u!li) nuclear p,9er 9a! Guc-i!tan 9here lately the terr,ri!t :u!li) partie! had prevailed and it! ne9 g,vern)ent and br,ad )a!!e! ,f p,pulati,n unani),u!ly decided t, vent their rage ,n Endia and declared a h,ly 9ar again!t that c,untry. "he Guc-i!tani l,ng/range )i!!ile! carrying nuclear 9arhead! 9ere trained ,n )aj,r Endian citie! in the va!t and den!ely p,pulated area! in the n,rth and in the !,uth ,f Endia. En Endia a !tate ,f e)ergency 9a! declared t,,, and the Ar)ed .,rce! ,f the c,untry 9ere n,9 in the !tate ,f high alert. Di-e Guc-i!tan, Endia 9a! ready t, launch it! nuclear )i!!ile! at any ),)ent and the fragile relati,n! bet9een the t9, c,untrie! had reached an utter degree ,f ten!i,n. "he nuclear 9ar bet9een Guc-i!tan and Endia br,-e ,ut !uddenly, 9ith,ut any previ,u! declarati,n and b,th c,untrie! !tarted it !i)ultane,u!ly. , ,ne c,uld be certain 9hich !ide 9a! the fir!t ,ne t, begin it. Et la!ted !h,rtly 9ith the re!ult that 9a! di!a!tr,u! n,t ,nly f,r the participant! but al!, f,r the re!t ,f the 9,rld. Guc-i!tan 9a! c,)pletely 9iped ,ut and va!t field! ,f radi,active cl,ud! c,vered the !),-ing ruin! in the ,ver9hel)ing part! ,f the Endian !ubc,ntinent and large area! ,f S,uth A!ia, -illing )illi,n! up,n )illi,n! ,f pe,ple n,t ,nly in the 9arring c,untrie! but al!, in the va!t regi,n in all directi,n! bey,nd their b,rder!. 7ed @hina 9arned the re!t ,f the 9,rld that in ca!e ,f nuclear ,r any ,ther aggre!!i,n again!t it it 9,uld underta-e a p,9erful nuclear attac- again!t the aggre!!,r unc,nditi,nally. Gut the dire c,n!eHuence! ,f the nuclear 9ar 9ere felt all ,ver the va!t territ,ry ,f @hina ju!t

&3L

a! !harply a! in the re!t ,f the 9,rld. :illi,n! up,n )illi,n! ,f the 9h,le @hine!e p,pulati,n 9ere danger,u!ly !ic- 9ith radiati,n di!ea!e. :any ,f the) 9ere already d,,)ed t, death. "he h,!tilitie!, th,ugh, bet9een Guc-i!tan and Endia !t,pped !,,n becau!e al),!t n, ,ne 9a! left t, c,ntinue the). "he great ancient civiliKati,n ,f Endia 9a! ruined and p,i!,ned 9ith radiati,n ,ver the va!t territ,ry. "he deva!tati,n ,f Guc-i!tan 9a! al),!t c,)plete. "hi! !h,rt but h,rribly de!tructive 9ar delayed the i)pending )ilitary e2pediti,n ,f the allied f,rce! ,f Eur,pe and 7u!!ia again!t E!rael. Gut they did n,t rev,-e their agree)ent t, puni!h E!rael de!pite the public declarati,n! ,f the EDA that t,,- the re!p,n!ibility up,n it!elf. "he 9h,le 9,rld 9a! r,lling fa!t int, the aby!! ,f it! !elf/de!tructi,n and death. "he !cale ,f hu)an and natural cata!tr,phe! gre9 fa!t li-e an en,r),u! avalanche in ),untain! !liding d,9n and !)a!hing all ,n it! de!tructive 9ay. "hat baleful cata!tr,phe had bec,)e irrever!ible. @5AP"E7 33 uclear b,)bard)ent! ,n !uch an unprecedented !cale !tepped up and precipitated the fatal change! in the planet;! cli)ate. "hey cau!ed it! blue !-y t, turn int, a gray c,ntinu,u! !hr,ud bl,tted ,ver the c,ntinent!, here and there reflecting ,)in,u!l light! fr,) nu)er,u! raging incendiarie! and large/!cale v,lcanic activitie!. "he 9h,le earth acr,!! large area! ,f it! !urface feveri!hly !h,,- 9ith earthHua-e! a! if it 9a! in ),rtal !pa!)!. "he !un n,9 hid it!elf per)anently behind the heavy thic- layer ,f p,i!,n,u! cl,ud!. Pe,ple all ,ver the 9,rld had the !en!ati,n ,f being be!ieged by the raging ele)ent! that turned e2tre)ely h,!tile t, the). "he air;! te)perature fell bel,9 Ker, b,th in the n,rthern and !,uthern he)i!phere!, decrea!ing the u!ual f,ur !ea!,n! t, ,ne / 9inter. E2cept at the eHuat,r 9here te)perature! !till fluctuated bet9een ju!t a fe9 degree! ab,ve and bel,9 Ker,. Sn,9fall! and heavy bliKKard! ca!tigated the ,nce tr,pical vegetati,n that 9a! already dead ,r dying. Gigantic !t,r)!, di!a!tr,u! typh,,n!, and de!tructive t,rnad,e! hara!!ed all the c,ntinent! ,f the 9,rld. Ennu)erable thunder!t,r)! cau!ed irreparable cala)itie!, -illing pe,ple caught and electr,cuted in the). Gilli,n! ,f lightning fla!he! 9ere the ,nly illu)inati,n in the f,rbidding gl,,)y !-ie! 9here al),!t h,),gene,u! b,iling cl,ud! 9ere t,rn and pierced by the daKKling c,b9eb! ,f lightning and cri)!,n/c,l,red reflecti,n ,f innu)erable v,lcanic erupti,n!. e9 v,lcan,e! p,pped up in ),!t une2pected regi,n! 9here !uch !ei!)ic and v,lcanic activitie! had never ta-en place bef,re. "he 9,rld cata!tr,phe 9a! in it! full !9ing 9hen nuclear 9inter began t, !tri-e the planet, changing it! appearance fr,) laughing blue and green t, the ),r,!e and ),urnful gray and deadly 9hite. After the deva!tating fl,,d! the ,cean! and !ea! ,f the n,rthern and !,uthern he)i!phere! 9ere c,vered 9ith ice, creating glacier! that ine2,rably cra9led t,9ard large area! ,f dry land, de!tr,ying ,n their 9ay citie! and all that !till lived. An unprecedented epide)ic ,f di!ea!e! !pread all ,ver the 9,rld 9ith a

&3?

lightning !peed. S9eeping !tarvati,n !truc- the 9h,le )an-ind 9ith c,n!eHuence! that increa!ed the death/rate ,f pe,ple every9here. "he p,pulati,n ,f Africa and S,uth A)erica, !truc- 9ith the unu!ual c,ld 9eather, !uffered tre)end,u! l,!!e! by the )illi,n. Gut even under the!e appalling c,nditi,n! Eur,pe, the .ar Ea!t, and ,rth A)erica 9ere fairly better ,ff than the re!t ,f the 9,rld, th,ugh the leaving !tandard! even there vi!ibly 9,r!ened. En )any c,untrie! ,f the 9,rld anarchy prevailed in the daily life ,f !,ciety. "hi! life ,ften turned int, daily !truggle f,r !urvival. Gang! ,f cri)inal! al,ng 9ith c,)),n pe,ple pillaged and ravaged !h,p! and 9h,le !h,pping )all! in big citie! and !)aller t,9n!, ,ften 9ith i)punity. ,r)al life in the) 9a! c,)pletely ,r nearly c,)pletely di!rupted. 8anger and deadly )ugging ,n their !treet! 9a! a c,)),n phen,)en,n becau!e they 9ere hardly p,liced n,9. Even in the ),re indu!trialiKed 9,rld the !,/called Huality ,f life dr,pped t, a l,9e!t level ,r cea!ed t, e2i!t alt,gether. "he deep 9ater! ,f "r,ndhei)!fj,rden 9ere fr,Ken in the )id!t ,f !u))er. 8eep !n,9 c,vered the ice ,f the fj,rd and it! 9,,ded ban-!. "he chief EDA ba!e !ituated in thi! l,cati,n 9a! n,9 better di!gui!ed than ever under the thic- !n,9drift! c,vering the gr,und. "he r,,f! ,f the ca)p;! !tructure! 9ere c,vered 9ith !n,9 and beca)e practically invi!ible fr,) the air. Dife here al!, beca)e )uch harder due t, irregular !upplie! fr,) ),re civiliKed part! ,f the c,untry. 8ue t, the general p,litical and ec,n,)ical cha,! in the 9,rld, the leader! ,f the EDA 9ere beginning t, l,!e their c,ntr,l ,f event! and their grip ,f !trategy el!e9here. "hi! !ituati,n 9a! bec,)ing ),re uncertain and unc,ntr,llable ,n a daily ba!i!. "he inhabitant! ,f the ca)p 9ere le!! !ure ,f their p,!iti,n and didn;t -n,9 h,9 t, handle thi! !ituati,n. "hey 9,uld !pend a large part ,f each day, !itting in c,nference and di!cu!!ing guideline! t, be 9,r-ed ,ut under the!e ne9 circu)!tance!. Gut the general ),,d tinged 9ith be9ilder)ent and c,nfu!i,n 9a! pred,)inant. Et !ee)ed ne2t t, i)p,!!ible t, c,)e t, any deci!i,n that 9,uld !,lve the ne9 pr,ble)! they faced n,9 due t, the huge and h,!tile cli)atic, !,cial, and p,litical change! that !c,urged the 9,rld after the nuclear AblitKC. , ,ne -ne9 f,r !ure 9hat t, e2pect ,n the part ,f the neare!t future, let al,ne a re),te ,ne. "he u!ual r,utine ,f daily e2i!tence !ee)ed irretrievably di!turbed, 9ith the re!ult that the 9h,le 9,rld ,rder, h,9ever i)perfect it u!ed t, be, 9a! n,9 thr,9n ,ff it! balance that c,uld never be re!t,red again. Ge!ide!, the !ad ne9! ,f Gilly S-elint,n;! death and that ,f hi! cre9)en that 9a! br,-en by 8,nald 7,!! ,n hi! return fr,) the :iddle Ea!t had a deva!tating effect ,n everyb,dy;! ),,d and )ind. Pr,fe!!,r "i) @raig had g,ne bac- t, the State! ,n a difficult )i!!i,n t, brea- that ne9! t, the fa)ilie! ,f Gilly S-elint,n;! Apache cre9 br,ught d,9n by the ene)y fire. Everyb,dy )i!!ed the cheerful Gilly S-elint,n. "heir tru!t in their ,9n apparent invulnerability 9a! n,9 !ha-en. Gilly S-elint,n and hi! cre9)en had 9,n at the price ,f giving up their ,9n live!. "he )e)ber! ,f the EDA 5eadHuarter! !till clung t, their faith in their ,9n cau!e, 9hich beca)e an e!!ential p,int ,f their life n,9. "he ,nly big

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AbutC 9a! 9hether they 9,uld be able t, c,ntinue their activitie! in thi! ne9 deva!tated and declining 9,rld. And 9hat 9a! the p,int ,f all thi! n,9 that b,th !ide! !ee)ed t, have been defeatedJ 8e!pite the!e circu)!tance!, general fru!trati,n, and 9,r!ened c,nditi,n! ,f life here in thi! f,rl,rn 9eather/hara!!ed c,rner ,f the 9,rld, 8,nald 7,!! did hi! be!t t, -eep up the de!p,ndent !pirit!. 5e felt the fir) !upp,rt ,f Una 9h, never failed t, be 9ith hi) 9henever he tried t, -eep thing! g,ing a! if n,thing had happened t, the 9,rld. Gut it 9a! difficult f,r hi) t, -eep up the illu!i,n. .,r hi) and Una, t,,. 6nly during the night h,ur!, in the hut that 9a! their! n,9 and in each ,ther;! pre!ence they gave vent t, their true feeling!. 6n )a-ing l,ve, they 9,uld lie a9a-e f,r a 9hile and Huietly di!cu!! their !ituati,n and that ,f their c,lleague!. Gut even they 9ere n,t Huite !ure ,f any clue! they th,ught ,f 9,uld help !,lve the cri!i!. 6ne night, a 9ee- after 8,nald;! return fr,) the :iddle Ea!t they gave the)!elve! up t, their l,ve)a-ing. A !)all !t,ve in the c,rner ,f the r,,) ne2t t, their bed pr,vided en,ugh 9ar)th f,r the) t, t,!! a9ay the large 9ar) blan-et, alth,ugh b,th 9ere na-ed. "he phy!ical eff,rt c,vered their b,die! 9ith !9eat. At fir!t, the !,und! they )ade 9hen b,th 9ere cl,!e t, ,rga!) )uffled a l,9 ru)bling !,und that !ee)ed t, be c,)ing fr,) n,9here. Dater, 9hen they lay !ide by !ide deadbeat but !ati!fied and happy, Una;! head ,n 8,nald;! brea!t and their ar)! ent9ined in a fir)ly clinging e)brace, the !trange l,9 !,und recurred. When they heard it, b,th fr,Ke 9ith attenti,n, at ,nce ,n their guard. "he ru)bling c,ntinued and !uddenly the r,,) !h,,- !everal ti)e!, each tre),r harder than the previ,u! ,ne. "hey Huic-ly ju)ped d,9n fr,) their bed and began t, feveri!hly put ,n their cl,the!. "he ru)bling !,und 9a! gr,9ing l,uder acc,)panied by !h,c-! that )ade the 9all!, fl,,r, and ceiling ,f the hut tre)ble and r,c- li-e a !hip caught in a !t,r). "hen the tre),r! gre9 !tr,nger and it da9ned ,n 8,nald and Una that they !h,uld Huit the hut a! fa!t a! they c,uld. 6nce ,ut!ide, they !a9 t, their h,rr,r that the ,ther !tructure! ,f the ca)p 9ere !9aying danger,u!ly in the di) light ,f the n,rthern 9hite night. "he ru)bling !,und 9a! c,)ing fr,) the ),untain ridge be!ide the ca)p, but in the fr,Ken haKe ,f the air they c,uld n,t di!tingui!h ,ther detail! than the !ha-ing ,f the hut!. Di-e the)!elve!, ,ther pe,ple began aband,ning their d9elling! fa!t. Et !ee)ed t, 8,nald a ble!!ing that they did it 9ith,ut panic. "hey 9ere all !tanding -nee/deep in !n,9drift!, !,)e ,f the) !hivering becau!e they had ,nly thin cl,the! and barely had ti)e t, put ,n !,)ething 9ar)er in !uch a terrible ha!te. W,lfgang Sch9ab, Geert <an 8e--er 9ith hi! girlfriend Sa!-ia, b,th acc,)panied by <ean .auvet )ade their 9ay thr,ugh the thic- !n,9drift in the directi,n ,f 8,nald and Una. "heir figure! c,uld hardly be identified in the haKe that ar,!e fr,) the !n,9/c,vered gr,und and g,t thic-er 9ith each ne9 tre),r ,f the gr,und. "he ru)bling !,und 9a! gaining ,n the f,rce 9ith the )inute and 9a! turning int, a c,ntinu,u! h,9l. Pe,ple !h,uted )a-ing an eff,rt t, let the)!elve! heard, but their v,ice! 9ere dr,9ned in that terrifying h,9l that !ee)ed t, c,)e n,9 fr,) the very entrail! ,f the earth that had !uddenly bec,)e enraged.

&33

AMeep cl,!er t, )eBC 8,nald !h,uted int, Una;! ear and grabbed her by the hand. Et 9a! then that they heard a ne9 !,und that added it!elf t, the general din. "hey !uddenly !a9 a gigantic 9hite cl,ud r,lling d,9n fa!t t,9ard the). "he terrified pe,ple 9ere yelling ju!t ,ne 9,rd* AavalancheBC "hey 9ere de!perately trying t, run in the directi,n ,pp,!ite t, the ,nc,)ing avalanche ,f the !n,9 cl,ud 9ithin 9hich they heard the thunder/li-e clatter ,f large r,c-! and !)aller !t,ne!. Gut the deep !n,9drift! )ade the) get !tuc- li-e in a 9,r!t night)are, )a-ing any fa!t pr,gre!! i)p,!!ible. En the )eanti)e, the !n,9 cl,ud 9a! catching up 9ith the pe,ple 9all,9ing in the !n,9 and l,!ing the !ha-ing gr,und fr,) under their feet. "he frightened crie! ,f the pe,ple 9ere n,t heard any),re thr,ugh the h,9l ,f the raging ele)ent!. 8,nald did hi! be!t n,t t, let g, ,f Una;! hand and he !a9 her terrified eye! 9idely ,pen and l,,-ing at hi) 9ith h,rr,r, her ),uth al!, ,pen but he c,uld n,t hear her. 5i! ear! 9ere filled 9ith the gl,bal n,i!e ,f the avalanche that caught the) and !ent the) r,lling 9ithin it! grip and c,vering their b,die!. 8,nald 9a! !till h,lding Una;! hand 9ith a de!perate f,rce but ,f a !udden felt a hard bl,9 again!t the right !ide ,f hi! head and the ne2t ),)ent a c,)plete dar-ne!! envel,ped hi). "hen he !en!ed n,thing ),re. "he !t,r) ar,und hi) cea!ed it! raging !,und!. 8,nald 9,-e up ,r rather ca)e t, fr,) hi! ,blivi,n. "he fir!t da9n ,f hi! c,n!ci,u!ne!! t,ld hi) that he had l,!t the !en!e in hi! ar)! and leg! and c,uld n,t even budge hi! head. A c,)plete dar-ne!! per)eated 9ith an ,paHue !ilence !urr,unded hi). @hilly ),i!ture fr,) )elting !n,9 filled hi! ear! and n,!tril! )a-ing it difficult f,r hi) t, breathe al),!t t, a degree ,f !uff,cati,n. Gut !,,n he di!c,vered that he 9a! d,ing it 9ith hi! ),uth that )ade the !n,9 tha9 ,ff, at lea!t )a-ing it p,!!ible f,r hi) t, breathe, th,ugh half/ch,-ed and c,nvul!ively. 5e had n, clue t, h,9 l,ng he had been lying here unc,n!ci,u!. 5i! fir!t th,ught! 9ent t, Una that )u!t have !tayed be!ide hi). 5e 9anted t, )a-e !ure ,f that but !till c,uld n,t budge hi! hand. 5e lay f,r a fe9 !ec,nd! thin-ing. Gut hi! th,ught! !ee)ed t, be !l,9 a! if they al!, 9ere )aterially !tuc- in the !n,9 grave. 5e felt a dull pain in the right !ide ,f hi! head and re)e)bered the hard bl,9 he had received bef,re he l,!t hi! c,n!ci,u!ne!!. 5e tried t, ),ve, h,ping t, !hift the p,!iti,n ,f hi! b,dy. Gut all he )anaged 9a! t, ),ve hi! head a little but i))ediately felt the painful thr,bbing in the right !ide ,f hi! head increa!e it! inten!ity. At fir!t he aband,ned hi! eff,rt t, ),ve but then th,ught that if he 9anted t, !urvive and !ave Una he !h,uld ,verc,)e the pain in hi! head and the !tiffne!! ,f hi! b,dy. All ,f 9hich !ee)ed i)p,!!ible t, d,. Ge!ide!, he felt a !trange dr,9!ine!! ta-ing p,!!e!!i,n ,f b,th hi! b,dy and c,n!ci,u!ne!!. "hat rang a bell in hi! )ind that if he let hi)!elf !lip int, ,blivi,n again it c,uld be f,r ever. 5e )ade a de!perate eff,rt t, !tay a9a-e by )a-ing hi! head r,ll fr,) !ide t, !ide and pr,v,-ing a !harp pain in hi! head;! 9,und. "hat 9,uld at lea!t -eep hi) a9a-e and give hi) a chance t, thin- ,f a 9ay t, e2tricate hi)!elf fr,) thi! deadly !ituati,n and help Una 9h,, he felt, 9a! !,)e9here cl,!e t, hi) and

3%%

pr,bably needed ),re help than he did. With hi! teeth he peeled ,ff the gl,ve! fr,) hi! al),!t in!en!itive hand! and !tarted t, rub hi! finger! again!t each ,ther trying t, re!t,re the bl,,d circulati,n in the). Et !ee)ed t, hi) that it la!ted l,ng until he felt the burning pain in hi! finger!. 5e even ),aned but then pulled hi)!elf t,gether. 6verc,)ing the pain, he !tretched hi! right hand ,ut and hi! aching finger! ran again!t Una;! face. 5i! finGeertip!, n,9 that the !en!e ,f t,uch 9a! returning int, the), ran all ,ver her face. Et felt a! hard a! c,ld )arble. 5e !huddered and tried t, call her by her na)e, already -n,9ing deep d,9n in hi! heart that it 9a! in vain. Still n, re!p,n!e. "he icy !ilence, he felt, 9a! re!p,n!e en,ugh. A6h, n,BC "he 9,rd! 9ere f,r)ed ,n hi! lip! in a rauc,u! 9hi!per, alth,ugh he th,ught he 9a! yelling the) deafeningly. "ear! !tarted t, run d,9n hi! chee-! and al),!t i))ediately fr,Ke. 6r at lea!t it !ee)ed t, hi) that they did. 5e began 9riggling ),ve)ent!. Gut all he achieved 9a! the falling chun-! ,f !n,9 fr,) the !n,9 gr,,ve that had f,r)ed ab,ve hi! face fr,) hi! breathing. 5e ran hi! finger! acr,!! Una;! face again in the faint h,pe that )aybe he had been )i!ta-en the fir!t ti)e he had d,ne it. Gut the !en!ati,n ,f fr,Ken )arble c,ld )ercile!!ly re)ained a! hard a! it had been bef,re. 8,nald tried t, ),ve hi! leg!. 5e c,uld hardly feel the). 5i! feet !ee)ed dead and had bec,)e li-e alien ,bject! that did n,t bel,ng t, hi! b,dy. Gut he did n,t !t,p trying t, ),ve the) a! hard a! he c,uld. At la!t, !,)e circulati,n !tarted t, return int, the). "hat 9a! a g,,d !ignN a very g,,d !ign that hi! feet 9ere n,t yet injured by fr,!tbite a! badly a! he 9a! afraid that they 9ere. 5e inten!ified hi! ),ve)ent! until he felt an unbearable pain in hi! t,e!. 5e f,rced a pathetic !)ile up,n hi! lip! that di!appeared at ,nce a! he )anaged t, turn ,n hi! !ide in the h,pe t, !ee Una. Gut he c,uld n,t !ee her face in the dar-ne!! ,f the !n,9 grave. A !harp pain ,f grief !h,t thr,ugh hi! 9h,le being, !ha-ing, and hitting hi) 9ith a full i)pact ,f h,rrible and unacceptable a9arene!! ,f her death. 5e 9anted t, die, t,,. <u!t t, fall thr,ugh, bac- int, the aby!! ,f unc,n!ci,u!ne!! and death, t, j,in her ,n her v,yage t, the un-n,9n. "hen a th,ught ,ccurred t, hi) that it 9a! at lea!t hi! duty t, give hi! bel,ved ,ne an h,ne!t burial. Gut fir!t he had t, free hi)!elf fr,) hi! ,9n burial in the !n,9 grave. 5e did n,t -n,9 h,9 far d,9n fr,) the !urface ,f the !n,9drift they 9ere. Any gue!!9,r- 9a! ,f n, u!e. 5e had t, find it ,ut hi)!elf. 5e !hifted hi! p,!iti,n !everal ti)e!, cau!ing ),re chun-! ,f !n,9 and piece! ,f dirt t, fall ,n hi), chilling hi! face ,nce again. Gut he did n,t pay attenti,n t, it any),re, trying t, c,ncentrate ,n digging 9ith hi! gl,ved hand! feveri!hly, cau!ing ),re !n,9 and !)all !t,ne! t, p,ur d,9n ,n hi! b,dy and face. Gut by n,9 he had gr,9n ),re in!en!itive t, it, trying t, !h,ve !n,9 and !)all !t,ne! under hi! b,dy and never !t,pping t, dig a9ay at the r,,f ,f hi! !n,9 pri!,n. 5e didn;t -n,9 h,9 l,ng he 9,uld be f,rced t, d, it. Gut he 9ent ,n d,ing it, f,r deep d,9n in the !ubc,n!ci,u! he !en!ed thi! 9a! hi! la!t chance and the ,nly 9ay ,ut. Ge!ide!, he de!perately 9anted t, ta-e a better l,,-, al!, the la!t ,ne, at Una;! face. 5e 9,uld bury her. 5e did n,t care 9hat 9,uld happen after that. 5i! b,dy and hand! de!perately !truggled again!t the layer ,f !n,9 ab,ve hi), n,t -n,9ing 9hether he 9,uld

3%1

)a-e it after all. "he gl,ve! beca)e 9et and c,ld, and !tarted t, hurt hi! finger!. 5e clenched hi! teeth in pain but did n,t relinHui!h hi! ta!-. Suddenly a puff ,f fre!h freeKing air breathed at hi! face. A h,le in the !n,9B A 9ave ,f ne9 h,pe fl,9ed ,ver hi) giving hi) a ne9 !trength. 5e d,ubled hi! eff,rt and !,,n, rai!ing hi)!elf ,n hi! elb,9! pu!hed hi! head thr,ugh the h,le. Et 9a! daylight, but !,)ber cl,ud! !tretched their blan-et acr,!! the earth and created an i)pre!!i,n ,f per)anent t9ilight. "he t,p! ,f the neare!t !pruce! l,,-ed li-e tiny !hrub! d,tting the !urface ,f the c,ld 9hite de!ert. 5e )ade the h,le bigger and half/r,!e in it. 5i! feet 9ere !till half/nu)b. 7e)aining ,n hi! elb,9!, he pulled up hi! -nee! t, hi! chin. "hen he r,lled ,nt, hi! right !ide and !l,9ly r,!e t, hi! feet. 5e c,uld hardly -eep hi! balance but he cauti,u!ly !ta)ped hi! feet in an atte)pt t, bring ab,ut ),re bl,,d circulati,n in the). Still feeling uncertain, he )ade hi! fir!t !tep and put hi! right f,,t ,nt, the thin cru!t ,f ice ,ver the !n,9. Et di!appeared in the !n,9 up t, hi! -nee. 5e felt it a! an enc,uraging !ign and gingerly )ade an,ther !tep f,r9ard. 5e felt a !trange influ2 ,f 9ar)th behind hi! bac-. 5e turned hi! b,dy and head in that directi,n and !a9 a red !hi))er in ab,ut a )ile fr,) the place 9here he 9a!. "he r,,f! ,f !,)e !tructure! ,f their ca)p !tuc- ,ut fr,) the r,ugh/!urfaced !n,9field li-e ,dd alien !ilh,uette! again!t the reddi!h bac-dr,p ,f the !trange lu)ine!cence. An une2pectedly 9ar) 9ind 9afted ,ver fr,) the directi,n ,f the red lu)ine!cence. 8,nald !t,,d ),ti,nle!!, li!tening t, the !trange ru!tling !,und that !ee)ed t, be c,)ing fr,) under the !n,9drift!. A !,und li-e ,ne )ade by running 9ater. "he r,lling reverberati,n! ,f thunder, angrily ru)bling at uneven interval! in the nearby ),untain!, dr,9ned thi! !,und, but he c,uld di!tinctly hear it in th,!e interval!. 5e 9a! puKKled by all the!e !trange phen,)ena, hi! )ind trying t, place the). "hen it da9ned up,n hi). 6f c,ur!eB "hat 9a! itB "he !,und ,f running 9ater )eant that the !n,9 c,vering the gr,und 9a! )elting at the ),)ent. Gut 9hat cau!ed itJ "he )y!teri,u! red !hi))er in the di!tanceJ Pr,bably ye!. Gut 9hat 9a! the red !hi))er in it!elfJ All the!e Hue!ti,n! vani!hed at ,nce 9hen he ca)e t, thin- ,f Una !till buried under the !n,9. 5e l,,-ed d,9n and !a9 a !)all part ,f her b,dy that beca)e vi!ible after he had !cra)bled ,ut fr,) the !n,9 grave. 5e had t, e2tricate Una;! b,dy fr,) it! icy grave and bury it in a ),re decent 9ay. Gut he had n, ,ther t,,l! t, 9,r- 9ith e2cept hi! hand! that 9ere !till gl,ved. S,, he !et ab,ut d,ing it 9ith,ut he!itati,n, th,ugh he felt dead/beat, di!pirited, and very hungry. 5e had t, pull hi)!elf t,gether, t, bring hi)!elf t, )a-e the eff,rt, urged ,n by the irre!i!tible l,nging t, !ee her face again. "he !n,9 9a! gradually bec,)ing 9et and )elting. 5e !Huatted d,9n, leaned ,ver, and !tarted t, ha!tily dig thr,ugh the !n,9 9ith hi! gl,ved hand!, running the ri!- t, !hred the). ", hi! !urpri!e the 9,r- turned ,ut ea!ier than he had th,ught and !,,n Una;! deathly pale face appeared fr,) under the par-a !he had barely )anaged t, put ,n ju!t bef,re they raced ,ut fr,) their c,llap!ing hut. 5i! heart !an- and he ran hi! finGeertip! ,ver her icy dead face. "ear! di))ed hi! eye! 9hile he 9ent ,n 9,r-ing feveri!hly 9ith hi! hand! in the painful

3%&

eff,rt t, dig ,ut her 9h,le b,dy. 5e had l,!t the c,unt ,f ti)e and ),ved )echanically li-e an aut,)at,n. 5i! b,dy 9a! aching but 9ar) n,9. Et had bec,)e )uch 9ea-er and felt li-e 9et c,tt,n. "he pang! ,f hunger began t, pric- hi) ),re perceptibly. 5e 9a! trying t, di!l,dge all th,ught ,f f,,d fr,) hi! )ind. "he painful 9,r- 9ent ,n !l,9ly, but at la!t he )anaged t, pull Una;! b,dy fr,) it! !n,9 grave. 5e lay e2hau!ted be!ide her 9ith hi! tre)bling ar) ar,und that c,ld and lifele!! but ,nce !uch a 9ar) b,dy. 5i! ,9n b,dy !h,,c,nvul!ively and he lay !, bleary/eyed, l,,!ing trac- ,f ti)e. 5e t,,- a better l,,- ar,und hi). Suddenly he n,ticed a change in the !n,9field ar,und hi). "he di!t,rted fra)e9,r-! ,f the half/ruined ca)p h,u!e! revealed the)!elve! ),re and ),re, a! the !n,9field ar,und the) 9a! )elting. 5e glanced ,ver at the place 9here their hut had !t,,d. Ef he tried t, )a-e hi! 9ay there and ru))aged ab,ut in the ruin! he )ight find a !h,vel t, )a-e Una;! grave 9ith and ),!t pr,bably !,)e f,,d f,r hi)!elf. 5e !tarted t, trudge 9ith difficulty thr,ugh the !n,9 and ),i!ture that 9a! f,r)ing under it in the directi,n ,f 9hat 9a! left ,ver fr,) Una;! and hi! d9elling. Each !tep 9a! 9,n 9ith )uch painful e2erti,n ,f hi! b,dy. 5i! l,c,),ti,n 9a! !l,9 and deliberate a! if he 9ere trying t, c,pe 9ith it after a l,ng and 9a!ting di!ea!e. Pa!!ing )inute! !ee)ed t, hi) li-e endle!! h,ur! the ,nly purp,!e ,f 9hich 9a! t, t,rture hi). 5i! 9h,le b,dy felt li-e a !t,)ach aching 9ith hunger. 5e fell !everal ti)e! int, the c,ld !lu!h under hi) but )ade it a p,int t, !tubb,rnly get ,n hi! feet again. At la!t he c,uld reach ,ut 9ith b,th hand! t, catch h,ld ,f the neare!t 9,,den bea) that u!ed t, be part ,f a 9all and jutted ,ut fr,) the gr,und ,bliHuely. 5e !t,pped t, pau!e and rec,ver hi! breath f,r a !h,rt 9hile. 5i! b,dy al),!t refu!ed t, ,bey hi). 5e felt rather than th,ught that he had t, ,verc,)e hi! 9ea-ne!!. Gy n, )ean! !h,uld he give 9ay t, it. After ,nly a fe9 )inute! that !ee)ed eternity, he )ade by gue!!9,r- t,9ard the place in the ruin! that had been their -itchen 9here he h,ped t, find f,,d. :,!t li-ely, there 9ere !,)e pr,vi!i,n! left in the fridge. 5e had t, find the) if he 9anted t, !tay alive and give Una a decent place ,f final re!t. A! if a burial 9ith,ut c,ffin c,uld be called decent. Gut hi! th,ught! didn;t g, further than 9hat he c,uld d, the ne2t ),)ent. :aybe later he 9,uld thin- ,f !,)ething. When he 9,uld have filled hi! !t,)ach. Dater he 9,uld !ee 9hat 9a! t, be underta-en after the burial. Ef he ,nly c,uld !urvive it. Una had bec,)e hi! alter eg, that 9a! n,9 cut ,ff fr,) hi! ,9n fle!h and )ind and the pain ,f the l,!! !ee)ed gl,bal t, hi). 5e felt it! burning edge phy!ically. 5e c,uld thin- ,f n,thing el!e. "he fu)bling in the cha,! ,f the c,llap!ed 9,,den fra)e9,r- ,f the hut pr,ved t, be ),re difficult than he had i)agined. Gut he 9a! defiant and held ,n t, hi! ta!- tenaci,u!ly. 5e ),ved a!ide the rubbi!h fr,) the fridge in 9hat u!ed t, be -itchen and ,pened the d,,r ,f the fridge. S,)e ,f the pr,vi!i,n! 9ere !till g,,d, th,ugh the fridge didn;t 9,r- any),re. "he ,ut!ide te)perature pre!erved the) in g,,d c,nditi,n, e!pecially hard !au!age!, chee!e, and a fe9 vegetable!. 5e pulled ,ut a pla!tic bag fr,) the upper

3%3

dra9er ,f the -itchen table and put the pr,vi!i,n!, )atche!, !everal can! ,f @arl!berg and Gud9ei!er beer, and a big -nife int, the bag. 5e !tu)bled up,n hi! ,9n bac-pac- that partly 9a! ca-ed 9ith dried )ud and !craped ,ff the )ud a! be!t he c,uld. 5e put ),re ,f the pr,vi!i,n! int, it. ", relieve the pang! ,f hunger and diKKine!! he l,9ered hi! tired ,ut b,dy ,n a fallen bea) and ate a piece ,f dry !au!age and !,)e chee!e, 9a!hing the) d,9n 9ith a can ,f Gud9ei!er. When he felt !ati!fied, he !tarted t, l,,- in the !)all lean/t, that 9a! half/ ruined and f,und a !h,vel and a l,ng r,pe. "hen he )ade f,r the place that had been their !leeping/r,,) and t,,- the large Huilt that they had u!ed 9hen they had !lept t,gether. 5e r,lled it up and h,i!ted it t,gether 9ith the !h,vel ,nt, hi! !h,ulder, t,,- the pla!tic bag, and lugged it all, bent under it! burden, !lipping up and !tu)bling ,ver the fallen bea)!. 6nce ,r t9ice, he nearly fell int, the !lu!h. "he 9ind that 9a! bl,9ing n,9 fr,) the red !hi))er 9a! 9ar) and !9eat tric-led d,9n int, hi! eye!, !tinging the) li-e hell and blurring hi! eye!ight. 5e trudged ,n t,9ard the dead b,dy ,f Una. "he gr,und under the layer ,f !n,9 and !lu!h 9a! fr,Ken and hard. 8,nald;! hand! 9ere !,re and c,vered 9ith bli!ter! and ly)ph 9hen he 9a! fini!hed 9ith digging. "he h,le in the gr,und 9a! pretty !hall,9, but that 9a! ju!t ab,ut a! )uch a! he c,uld have d,ne. 5e !at ,n it! )uddy edge 9ith hi! leg! dangling in!ide it. Wearine!! and pain t,,- p,!!e!!i,n ,f hi! 9h,le b,dy. Gut hi! )ind 9a! e)pty, dev,id ,f any l,gical ,r at lea!t c,he!ive thin-ing. 5i! acti,n! and ),ve)ent! 9ere al),!t aut,)atic. "he ru)bling ,f the thunder in the ),untain! 9a! c,ntinu,u! and had bec,)e an ac,u!tic bac-dr,p that acc,)panied hi! hearing !ince the ti)e he had regained c,n!ci,u!ne!! and ri!en fr,) hi! !n,9 grave. 5e had g,tten u!ed t, it. 5e )ade an eff,rt f,r the u)pteenth ti)e and cra9led t, Una;! b,dy. Et had l,ng bec,)e !tiff 9ith rig,r ),rti!. 5e r,lled it up in the va!t blan-et, tied it up 9ith the r,pe at b,th end! and lifting it in hi! hand! -i!!ed the !p,t 9ere her head 9a! and l,9ered it gingerly int, the i)pr,)ptu grave. 5e t,,- breath !h,rtly and !tarted t, fill up the grave t, the acc,)pani)ent ,f thunder until a !)all ),und )ar-ed the place ,f Una;! la!t re!ting place. 5e tied t,gether t9, !tic-! ta-en fr,) the ruin! and )ade a cr,!! that he erected at the head ,f the grave. "hat 9a! all he c,uld d, f,r Una, given the circu)!tance!. "i)e !lipped by al),!t i)perceptibly, but it 9a! difficult t, !ay 9hether it 9a! day ,r night becau!e ,f the c,ntinu,u! t9ilight du!-. "he red !hi))er in the di!tance !ee)ed t, have increa!ed it! inten!ity ,ver the la!t h,ur!. En hi! )ind, he !,)eh,9 a!!,ciated thi! red lu)ine!cence 9ith the peal! ,f thunder becau!e 9hen it ru)bled the light inten!ified it! !hining that even at thi! di!tance !ee)ed t, bec,)e higher and h,tter. 8e!pite thi! circu)!tance and p,!!ible danger 8,nald in!tinctively re!,lved t, )a-e hi! 9ay in that directi,n, thin-ing that the !n,9 c,ver )ight have )elted ),re, )aybe even t, the gr,und, ,ver there. "hi! being the ca!e, hi! 9ay )ight pr,ve free fr,) !n,9 and he 9,uld be able t, )a-e f,r the ban- ,f the fj,rd.

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With hi! lip! pale fr,) hard!hip! and e2hau!ti,n, he t,uched the rude cr,!! ,n Una;! grave. Eyeing hi! ,9n c,ntrapti,n 9ith gna9ing !adne!!, he th,ught ab,ut hi! dead friend! and c,)rade! 9h,!e b,die! lay buried under the c,ver ,f )elting !n,9. S,,n they 9,uld be e2p,!ed t, the ,pen air. Gut he had n, f,rce left t, give the) decent burial! they de!erved. 5e tried t, cha!e the unbearable th,ught a9ay. 5e had n, ch,ice. "hen he ca!t the la!t glance ,ver the !cene ,f de!tructi,n and )uttered prayer! f,r the rep,!e ,f their !,ul!. "hen he h,i!ted hi! heavy bac-pac- ,nt, hi! aching bac- and !tarted 9al-ing ,r rather trudging in the directi,n ,f the read light. 5e !en!ed at ,nce that 9al-ing beca)e perceptibly ea!ier due t, the )elting !n,9 the level ,f 9hich !an- )uch l,9er than it had been a c,uple ,f h,ur! bef,re. Gut the 9ater that the gr,und 9a! i)pregnated 9ith ,ften turned it int, )ud and at ti)e! he had t, !Huelch ,n thr,ugh it. Suddenly it !tarted raining. "he rain 9a! blac-, pr,bably )i2ed 9ith !,)ething that l,,-ed li-e a!he!. S,,n hi! par-a 9a! c,vered 9ith dirty 9et !tain!. "he air 9a! getting 9ar)er a! he appr,ached cl,!er t, the !,urce ,f the red !hining. "he rain !t,pped a! !uddenly a! it had begun. 5e !a9 9hat it really 9a! at ab,ut ,ne hundred yard! fr,) it! !,urce. ,9 he c,uld plainly !ee the !),-ing ),untain that had turned int, an erupting v,lcan, ,n ,ne !l,pe ,f 9hich a fl,9 ,f incande!cent lava 9a! running d,9n and )ade it! 9ay thr,ugh a ravine in the f,re!t/c,vered area t,9ard the fj,rd. "he gr,und al,ng the c,ur!e ,f the lava fl,9 9a! free fr,) !n,9. 8,nald decided that if he t,,- the !a)e directi,n he 9,uld reach the fj,rd real fa!t, t,,. 5e re!u)ed hi! 9ay al,ng the lava c,ur!e )a-ing an eff,rt t, 9al- Huic-er. ,9 he 9a! 9al-ing acc,)panied by r,lling peal! ,f thunder fr,) the ne9 v,lcan,. 6cca!i,nally he had t, 9al- acr,!! br,-en terrain that !l,9ed d,9n hi! pace. S,)eti)e! he had t, cli)b ,ver fallen tree/trun-! and f,rce hi! 9ay thr,ugh the undergr,9th and !hrubbery. "here 9ere n, tr,dden path! here and the 9ay t, the fj,rd 9a! l,nger and ),re i)pa!!able in thi! part ,f the area than the 9ay bet9een the ca)p and the fj,rd. S,)eti)e! he 9a! f,rced t, cra9l ,n all f,ur!. 5e n,ticed that the fl,9 ,f lava t, hi! left !t,pped in a depre!!i,n f,r)ed in the gr,und bef,re ri!ing t, the edge ,f the !teep precipice facing the fj,rd. :aybe it la!ted f,r an h,ur and a half, )aybe !everal h,ur!. 5e 9,uld never -n,9, but the 9ay he ch,!e finally led hi), de!perate and e2hau!ted, t, the fj,rd the va!t !pace ,f 9hich he c,uld gli)p!e thr,ugh the gap! bet9een the trun-! and branche! ,f the la!t f,re!t tree!. 8ragging hi! !,re feet 9ith difficulty, he neg,tiated the !teep de!cent t, the level ,f the fj,rd in a c,uple ,f painful ),)ent! and n,9 !t,,d ta-ing in 9ith hi! infla)ed eye! the de!,late landing/!tage dev,id ,f any !ign! ,f life and a 9,,den barn acr,!! fr,) it. "he ,pen d,,r ,f the barn 9a! being ),ved by the gale bl,9ing fr,) the !n,9y de!ert ,f the fj,rd. "he d,,r !la))ed again!t the barn;! 9,,den 9all, )a-ing l,ud dry !,und! li-e pi!t,l !h,t!. Gef,re he entered the ,pen barn, he felt the i)peri,u! nece!!ity t, ta-e breath and he l,9ered hi! aching

3%0

b,dy ,nt, a -n,tty l,g that happened t, lie ,n the fr,Ken gr,und be!ide hi! feet. 5e !at ,n it rigidly f,r a 9hile and then !tarted t, fu)ble in hi! bac-pac- until he pr,duced an electric t,rch fr,) it and r,!e t, hi! feet t, enter the barn. 5e clic-ed ,n hi! t,rch in the di) light ,f the barn and ca!t a glance ar,und. En ,ne ,f the c,rner!, he !p,tted a !n,9),bile that !ee)ed t, be in a g,,d c,nditi,n. 5e re)e)bered riding a !n,9),bile )any year! bac-, 9hen he had d,ne it in ,rthern @anada. :aybe he had n,t l,!t the -nac- and !till c,uld ride it. After all, it 9a! hi! ,nly h,pe t, aband,n thi! part ,f ,r9ay that !ee)ed t,rn fr,) the re!t ,f the 9,rld. ", !tay here even f,r a !h,rt 9hile l,nger )eant certain death, t, !ay the lea!t. S,, he regarded thi! !n,9),bile a! a g,d!end. Gut fir!t he had t, )a-e !ure it 9a! in g,,d 9,r-ing ,rder. 5e -nelt d,9n ne2t t, it and gave it a th,r,ugh chec-/up. "he !n,9),bile 9a! n,t e2actly brand/ne9 but 9a! Huite ,perati,nal and 9ell lubricated. :,re,ver, there 9ere !everal cani!ter! ,f fuel f,r the !n,9),bile heaped up in the ,pp,!ite c,rner ,f the barn. Gut the ti)e 9a! late and bef,re he tried ,ut the !n,9),bile and it! reliability, he !h,uld ta-e a !,und re!t !,)e9here here in the barn. Given he 9,uld !pend thi! night here, he )u!t be thrifty 9ith u!ing the batterie! ,f hi! t,rch. S,, he had hi! )eal 9hile the in!ide ,f the barn 9a! !till di)ly illu)inated by the du!- light fr,) ,ut!ide. "hen he cl,!ed the d,,r and 9rapping hi)!elf in the 9,,len blan-et that he carried in hi! bac-pac- he lap!ed !,,n int, a dr,9!y !tate that gradually turned int, an unea!y !leep right ,n the 9,,den plan-! ,f the barn;! fl,,r be!ide the !n,9),bile. 5e 9a! al),!t !ure that n,b,dy 9,uld c,)e t, clai) it, f,r the !urr,unding terrain !ee)ed t, be c,)pletely e2tinct. 6nly an angry gale 9a! bl,9ing and h,9ling ar,und the ,uter 9all! ,f the barn li-e a hungry va)pire. S,,n en,ugh, he did n,t hear it any l,nger. "he !n,9),bile 9a! tan-ed up in the early ),rning h,ur!, and 9ith the igniti,n !9itched ,n it! engine ca)e t, life. 8,nald 7,!! )ade !ure he had ta-en all that 9a! indi!pen!able f,r a l,ng and danger,u! run in the )id!t ,f the 9hite de!ert, including the rati,n he had ta-en fr,) the ca)p. 5e t,,- t9, ),re additi,nal cani!ter! ,f fuel but 9a! n,t !ure f,r h,9 l,ng it 9,uld la!t. At lea!t ,f ,ne thing he 9a! certain. 5e 9,uld try t, reach the ),uth ,f the fj,rd. Dater he 9,uld !ee. A !tr,ng gale 9a! bl,9ing ju!t ab,ve the n,t t,, !),,th !urface ,f the fr,Ken fj,rd. "he !ight gave hi) the !hiver! t, thin- ,f venturing int, the 9hite )i!t! ,f thi! de!,late chilly de!ert. Gut he had n, ch,ice. Et beca)e a )atter ,f !urvival f,r hi) t, reach the latitude! that lay farther t, the !,uth. Apart fr,) 9itne!!ing the ,)in,u! change! in the ,ld Earth;! at),!phere and ge,l,gical !tructure he did n,t have any clue a! t, 9hat 9a! really happening in the 9,rld. Any9ay, he 9a! ready t, !tart the ride. With the bac-pac- !trapped t, hi! bac- and the t9, e2tra cani!ter! ,f fuel l,aded he !tarted the engine and the !n,9),bile glided ,ver the !),,th !n,9 !urface ,f the fj,rd gradually increa!ing it! !peed. 8,nald had prudently c,vered hi! face 9ith hi! 9,,len )uffler again!t the freeKing head 9ind, leaving ju!t a !lit f,r the eye!. Ge!ide!, he put ,n the g,ggle! he had f,und in ,ne ,f the

3%L

t,,lb,2e! ,f the barn. All that enabled hi) t, pr,tect hi! face and eye! again!t the !tr,ng icy 9ind that 9,uld )eet hi) during the ride. 5e headed f,r the 9e!t, gliding al,ng the !teep ban-! that r,!e vaguely in the )i!t, ju!t in the )iddle ,f n,9here. "he j,urney int, the un-n,9n had !tarted and there 9a! n, 9ay bac-. 8,nald ten!ely f,cu!!ed hi! attenti,n ,n the c,ntr,l ,f b,th !n,9),bile and directi,n. "he gliding created an illu!i,n ,f flying thr,ugh the )il-y !pace ,f an unreal and h,!tile c,untry that 9a! )enacingly cl,!ing in ,n hi) and 9a! ready t, cru!h hi) t, hi! death. Gut he c,uld al!, c,n!ider hi)!elf luc-y becau!e the bliKKard !9eeping acr,!! the va!t 9hite e2pan!e ,f the fj,rd 9a! bl,9ing in hi! bac-. "he t9ilight du!-, th,ugh, !ee)ed per)anent, 9ith,ut any di!tinct difference bet9een day and night. Gut it al!, pre!ented a -ind ,f pr,tecti,n f,r hi! eye! again!t the ),n,t,n,u! 9hitene!!. "he ride 9ent ,n !),,th and uneventful and he h,ped t, reach the ,pen !ea !,,n en,ugh. "he ),n,t,ny ,f !),,thne!! 9a! n,t br,-en neither 9hen he arrived in 6!l, n,r !tayed there f,r a night. Et re)ained that 9ay 9hen he ventured acr,!! the !n,9/c,vered S-agerrat,9ard 8en)ar-. 6n reaching it, it 9a! a )atter ,f a day t, reach the Ger)an b,rder that he cr,!!ed 9ith,ut c,)plicati,n!, alth,ugh the Ger)an b,rder p,lice !crutiniKed hi! paper! li-e th,!e ,f ,ther ),t,ri!t!. "hey f,und n,thing !u!pici,u! ab,ut the). 5e did hi! be!t n,t t, let the fear !h,9 ,n hi! face and t, -eep c,,l during the in!pecti,n. "hey let hi) c,ntinue hi! 9ay. 5e heaved a !igh ,f relief and entered a r,ad!ide cafeteria. "he )enu here 9a! a! !canty a! it 9a! any9here in the Scandinavian c,untrie! he had pa!!ed thr,ugh. Gut he 9a! glad t, !pend a 9hile under the r,,f ,f the cafeteria, f,r ,ut!ide, the churning blac- cl,ud! ,f the dar-ened !-y 9ere l,9 and heavy. 6n the 9h,le, the 9eather did n,t pr,)i!e a nice ride becau!e uninterrupted !n,9!t,r)! and bliKKard! c,ntinued t, hara!! all living being! ,n the !urface ,f the earth and 9ere ,ften acc,)panied by lightning and thunder, b,lt! !trafing the c,ld air and illu)inating the nearby h,u!e! in their livid light. Sipping blac- c,ffee, 8,nald f,rced hi)!elf t, thin- that hi! ardu,u! j,urney 9a! already near it! end, alth,ugh he had t, g, all the 9ay acr,!! Sa2,ny fr,) end t, end. 5e 9,uld !ee Udrecht and hi! h,u!e !,,n en,ugh, 9hatever )ight have happened t, it. Si)ultane,u!ly, he 9a! afraid ,f 9hat )ight pre!ent it!elf t, hi! eye!. 5e -ne9 that the :,r,ccan! 9h, ter)ed the)!elve! :u!li) @,uncil ,f :,r,ccan E)a)! !upp,rted by the ,raf! fr,) .rance had !eiKed p,9er in Udrecht. "hey ,ccupied all the g,vern)ent ,ffice! in Udrecht and 9ere ruthle!! in ea!tabli!hing the :u!li) la9! that n,9 ruled ,ver the !urviving 8utch piece ,f dry land that ,fficiallly b,re the na)e ,f .e!drecht. Sh,rtly after, ,n having tan-ed up, 8,nald c,ntinued t, f,ll,9 hi! r,ute in the directi,n ,f 5a)burg. "here 9ere ,nly a fe9 car! and truc-! heading in the !a)e directi,n al,ng the fr,Ken ),t,r9ay. "heir tire! 9,re chain! le!!ening the danger ,f !-idding and c,lli!i,n. 5e

3%?

9a! n,t certain 9hether he had the right ,f driving hi! !n,9),bile here, but by all acc,unt!, n, ,ne !ee)ed t, be c,ncerned ab,ut it. 5e didn;t !ee traffic c,p! any9here, 9h, )ight be e2pected t, p,lice the ),t,r9ay!. "he very !ign! ,f life ,n b,th !ide! ,f the r,ad !ee)ed deranged and derailed. 5e 9a! than-ful t, Pr,vidence that thi! far n,thing unt,9ard had happened during hi! j,urney. ,thing. , e2cept f,r Una;! h,rrend,u! death. 5er )e),ry 9a! irreplaceable in 8,nald;! feveri!h )ind. 5er l,!! 9a! gna9ing at hi! !,ul day and night unre)ittingly. 5e readily let hi)!elf be engulfed in the ince!!ant pain cau!ed by hi! ,9n )a!,chi!). "he battle 9a! l,!t and hi! ,9n life !ee)ed li-e a gr,te!Hue !urr,gate ,f 9hat it had been bef,re the cata!tr,phe in 9hich he 9a! ,ne ,f inc,ntr,vertible inve!t,r!. 5e did n,t regret hi! pa!t. "he 9,rld 9a! a!-ing f,r 9hat befell it. :aybe it 9a! the beginning ,f it! end, ,f it! crucial cri!i! bey,nd 9hich a great un-n,9n 9a! l,,)ing li-e a gl,bal gh,!t that )ade a bid f,r revenge. 5e by/pa!!ed the a9e!,)e 9ide area ,f 5a)burgN and after a 9hile, tan-ed up and !tayed ,vernight at a !)all h,tel ,n the ,ut!-irt! ,f Gre)en. Et 9a! hi! la!t halting/place bef,re he cr,!!ed the va!t ice and !n,9/c,vered gulf that 9a! f,r)ed after the fir!t fl,,d! that had dr,9ned the ,ld Mingd,) ,f the etherland! li-e Atlanti! in the depth! ,f the !ea. 5e 9,uld try t, penetrate the E)irate ,f .e!drecht and the city ,f Udrecht, th,ugh hi! ,9n vague ),tivati,n evaded even hi! ,9n rea!,ning. "he r,utine ,f hi! j,urney all the 9ay acr,!! ,r9ay, 8en)ar-, and Ger)any 9,uld c,)e at it! end the f,ll,9ing day. Whatever lur-ed 9aiting f,r hi) bey,nd the fr,Ken gulf 9a! t,, enig)atic t, rac- hi! brain! f,r an an!9er. 6n that day a !tr,ng freeKing gale ble9 right in hi! face and )ade hi! final lap int, a t,rture by c,ld. 5e didn;t -n,9 any),re 9hy he had ch,!en Udrecht a! hi! de!tinati,n. Perhap! becau!e hi! very brain! 9ere fr,Ken ,r dead. 6r b,th. Gut he 9ent ,n and ,n and ,n, 9ith,ut putting Hue!ti,n! t, hi)!elf, 9ith,ut even trying t, under!tand hi! ,9n ),tivati,n. 5e !en!ed he had n, future ju!t li-e all ,ther !urviv,r! ,f thi! gl,bal h,l,cau!t. And thi! !n,9 and ice de!ert in place ,f the ,nce thriving b,i!ter,u! life in the!e part! 9a! pr,bably the ),!t c,nvincing and el,Huent pr,,f ,f the inevitable end. 5i! g,ggle! 9ere !tuc- up 9ith !n,9 du!t and he ,ften !t,pped the !n,9),bile t, clean the). "he !ight ,f the gh,!t/li-e city vie9ed fr,) a certain di!tance in the )iddle ,f the icy de!ert !ee)ed li-e a biKarre )irage in the freeKing air, unreal and f,rbidding. Udrecht 9a! hardly rec,gniKable and it pr,duced an i)pre!!i,n ,f being lightly !u!pended bet9een the ,)in,u! thunder,u! cl,ud! hanging ,ver the city;! highe!t p,int! !,)e ,f 9hich di!appeared in the fuKKy )i!t! and the n,9 va!t 9hite !pace! ,f the gulf 9here bliKKard! !9ept ,ver it! !urface in cl,ud! ,f !9irling !n,9 du!t. 8,nald 7,!! !t,,d al),!t up t, hi! -nee! in the !n,9drift, leaning ,n hi! !n,9),bile and !taring at the intricately edged !ilh,uette ,f the city 9here he had !pent a large part ,f hi! life. ,9 it l,,-ed )y!teri,u!, i)pregnable, and even h,!tile a! if it i)pugned hi! right t, return

3%'

t, it. 5e 9a! !trenu,u!ly deliberating 9ith !,)e difficulty a! if the c,ld inhibited the pr,ce!! ,f hi! thin-ing. "hen he 9,-e up t, ta-ing a certain deci!i,n and re!,lutely g,t ,n the !n,9),bile, !tarting it! engine. A! it ca)e t, life, the vehicle jer-ed f,r9ard and began t, dev,ur the re)aining di!tance t, the !pectral i!land. "he c,ld 9ind 9a! 9hi!tling a !,)ber dirge in hi! ear!. 5e clenched hi! teeth in the !tubb,rn deter)inati,n t, reach the city at any price 9hatever it )ight c,!t hi). Gut he 9a! g,aded ,n by !,)e pure in!tinct, una9are ,f the true ),tive that dr,ve hi) t,9ard the un-n,9n. 5e had ,nce had a h,)e there. And perhap! it 9a! a -ind ,f ),tive !i)ilar t, that ,f a driven t, e2hau!ti,n h,r!e that Huic-en! it! pace a! it appr,ache! it! h,)e !table. Any9ay, 8,nald had a purp,!e and he 9a! deter)ined t, !tict, that purp,!e. 5e danger,u!ly ran again!t r,ugh !p,t! in the ice !urface !everal ti)e!, 9here !n,9 c,vered the) li-e the !ea c,vered peril,u! reef!. "h,!e j,lt! nearly -n,c-ed hi) ,ut fr,) hi! !eat but he !,)eh,9 )anaged t, h,ld ,ut and !tabiliKe the vehicle that !-idded ,n, )a-ing pr,te!ting n,i!e! li-e a living being. 6nce a particularly big ice/hu)),c- ,b!tructed the 9ay ,f the !n,9),bile. 8,nald failed t, !p,t it in g,,d ti)e and 9a! -n,c-ed ,ut and f,und hi)!elf badly brui!ed and 9eltering in the deep !n,9drift. 5i! vehicle fell ,n it! !ide and !-idded a c,uple ,f )eter! further until it !t,pped, it! engine g,ne dead. 8,nald felt hi! ar)! and leg! and a!certained hi)!elf ,f their functi,ning. Apparently, he g,t ,ff 9ith a fe9 !uperficial injurie!. 5e than-ed G,d that it 9a! n,t 9,r!e. "hen he g,t fir!t ,n hi! -nee!, 9incing fr,) pain and ra-ing the !n,9 9ith hi! hand!. Gradually, he g,t ,n hi! feet and !9aying 9ent t, the !n,9),bile. Et t,,- hi) a great eff,rt t, rai!e and chec- it. .,rtunately, , e2cept f,r a fe9 dent!, the vehicle 9a! !till able t, functi,n. En a c,uple ,f !ec,nd!, it! engine ca)e t, and 8,nald )anaged t, )a-e it 9,ragain. 5e re!u)ed hi! race acr,!! the 9hite de!ert t,9ard ,ne ,f the city;! !uburb! that he -ne9 9a! the neare!t t, hi! f,r)er h,)e. 5i! eye! inv,luntarily !earched the ban- t,pped by a r,9 ,f h,u!e! in an atte)pt t, detect !,)e -ind ,f ),ve)ent. Gut all !ee)ed Huiet, even lifele!!. 5i! th,ught! 9ent t, a p,!!ible ,b!tacle in the f,r) ,f :,r,ccan b,rder guard! ,r !,)e -ind ,f ,ther vigilante! 9h, )ight intercept hi) in hi! fir!t atte)pt t, cr,!! int, the city. 5e c,uld n,t !p,t any !ign! ,f life in the city at thi! di!tance, 9hich, any9ay, 9a! n,9 getting !h,rter by the )inute. 5e c,njectured n,9 that he 9a! facing at lea!t three g,al!* t, !teal un,b!erved pa!t the putative :,r,ccan b,rder guard!, t, hide hi! !n,9),bile in a !afe place, and the third ,ne 9a! t, find a !helter f,r a night. Gut thi! la!t ,ne !ee)ed even ),re ri!-y than the fir!t. 5e really did n,t have any ch,ice in that ),)ent e2cept t, e2p,!e hi)!elf t, the danger ,f being di!c,vered. 5e did n,t 9i!h even t, thin- ,f 9hat )ight happen t, hi) in that ca!e. 5e turned hi! !n,9),bile at a right angle t, 9here the land gradually !l,ped d,9n t,9ard the fr,Ken !ea. 5e cur!ed under hi! breath. "he rebu-e 9a! addre!!ed t, the engine that )ade n,i!e and )ight attract unde!irable attenti,n.

3%3

"he !n,9),bile entered the !l,pe. And after a fe9 )inute!, 8,nald !p,tted !,)ething that he decided 9a! a gift fr,) G,d. What he !a9 9a! a -ind ,f lean/t, at the bac- 9all ,f an apparently uninhabited h,u!e. "he acce!! t, the lean/t, pre!ented n, pr,ble)!. "here 9a! !ufficient r,,) f,r hi! !n,9),bile in it. 5e leaned it again!t the 9all and !p,tted !,)e ,ld tra!h heaped up in ,ne ,f the c,rner! ,f the lean/t,. 5e ru))aged in it and f,und a padl,c9ith a -ey !tic-ing ,ut fr,) it. 5e 9eighed it in hi! hand thin-ing ab,ut l,c-ing up the lean/ t, 9ith thi! padl,c-. Et 9a! then that he heard a faint ru!tling and !en!ed !,)e,ne;! pre!ence behind hi! bac- in the d,,r9ay ,f the lean/t,. 5e fr,Ke. Very cauti,u!ly, 8,nald turned hi! head in the directi,n ,f the !,und. At fir!t, he !a9 ,nly a !ilh,uette ,f a hu)an figure !tanding in the d,,r9ay. "he figure !lightly ),ved, al!, cauti,u!ly. 8,nald cleared hi! thr,at, AWh, the hell are y,uJC AG,,d Hue!ti,n.C "he h,ar!e v,ice c,)ing fr,) the d,,r9ay 9a! !pea-ing 8utch. "he figure ),ved again 9ith,ut changing the di!tance bet9een it!elf and 8,nald. En the ),ti,n it let the du!-y light fr,) ,ut!ide the lean/t, reveal it! feature!. Et turned ,ut t, be a )an ab,ut 8,nald;! !iKe, 9earing tatter! and an untidy di!heveled beard that 9a! ,f drab c,l,r. A draft fr,) the d,,r 9afted a Hueer !)ell fr,) the )an that cau!ed a !ic-ening !en!ati,n in 8,nald;! thr,at. Gut 9hat 9a! really unu!ual ab,ut the )an 9a! an en,r),u! lu)p 9rapped up 9ith a dirty bandage !,a-ed thr,ugh 9ith cl,t! ,f bl,,d and pu!, 9hich 9a! dangling ,ut!ide the ,pen fly ,f the )an;! tr,u!er!. A8,n;t ),ve any further, !ir, ,r E;ll be f,rced t, bl,9 ,ut y,ur brain!,C 8,nald;! v,ice !,unded threateningly en,ugh t, c,nvey the idea that he )eant it t, the ,ther party. 5e )ade the padl,c-;! )etallic b,dy l,,- li-e a 9eap,n in hi! clenched fi!t. "he )an )ade a c,nciliat,ry ge!ture giving 8,nald t, under!tand that he had n, bad intenti,n!. AWh, are y,uJC 8,nald repeated hi! Hue!ti,n. "he an!9er 9a! une2pected, A ice !n,9),bile.C 8,nald !hrugged c,nte)ptu,u!ly. AI,u -idding )eJC "he )an c,ughed clutching hi! brea!t and !aid, !till !pea-ing in 8utch, AG,d f,rbidB :ay E !it d,9n, !irJC AGe )y gue!t. Gut y,u !till didn;t an!9er )y Hue!ti,n, 9hich 9a! plain en,ugh. S, E repeat it again / 9h, are y,uJC "he )an )ade a c,uple ,f !tep! in!ide the lean/t, and l,9ered hi)!elf ,n an ,verturned 9,,den b,2 ne2t t, the entrance. 8,nald 9a! 9aiting, ten!e, 9ith,ut ta-ing hi! eye! ,ff the intruder. 5e braced hi)!elf again!t the !n,9),bile, !till trying t, pretend he had a gun in hi! hand. "he )an 9h, carried a -ind ,f bag a! dirty a! he hi)!elf put it ,n the gr,und be!ide hi! badly 9,rn ,ut !h,e!. 5e ble9 hi! n,!e and !pat in fr,nt ,f hi)!elf. 8,nald didn;t budge a

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)u!cle, !till 9aiting f,r !,)e -ind ,f e2planati,n fr,) that d,9n/and/,ut and ,n hi! guard. <u!t in ca!e. "he )an !uddenly !aid, AAll,9 )e plea!e t, intr,duce )y!elf. "he na)e i! Mab,uter V,! and ,nce E 9a! ,ne ,f the la!t leading p,litician! in thi! c,untry. When it 9a! !till a c,untry, at lea!t, and b,re the pr,ud na)e ,f the Mingd,) ,f the etherland!. At the ti)e, E headed the Dab,r Party and the fracti,n ,f that party in Parlia)ent. I,u;ll hardly believe thi! !eeing )e in thi! 9retched c,nditi,n.C 8,nald;! attitude 9a! n,9 le!! ten!e than bef,re. "he !)elly vagab,nd in tatter! and 9ith an ,dd bandage hanging ,ver fr,) hi! fly )anaged t, !et 8,nald;! curi,!ity ag,g. ,9 he 9a! li!tening 9ith attenti,n t, 9hat the )an calling hi)!elf Mab,uter V,! intended t, tell hi). :ean9hile the latter 9ent ,n 9ith hi! !t,ry. AA! y,u pr,bably -n,9, !,,n after the fl,,d the l,cal :,r,ccan! !eiKed all the p,litical and ad)ini!trative p,9er in the re)aining part ,f 9hat f,r)erly 9a! 5,lland becau!e they f,r)ed a )aj,rity and 9ere )ilitarily !upp,rted by the .rench ,raf!. "hey e!tabli!hed ne9 la9! and ne9 rule! in Udrecht that they rena)ed. S,, n,9 it bear! the na)e ,f .e!drecht and i! regarded a! part ,f :,r,cc,. :,r,cc, it!elf, a! 9ell a! )any ,ther c,untrie! in ,rth Africa, ha! bec,)e a gigantic !n,9 and ice de!ert, 9ith i))en!e glacier! cra9ling d,9n fr,) the t,p! ,f the Salta :,untain!. P6ur; :,r,ccan! t, 9h,) 9e had given ),re right! than t, ,ur ,9n 8utch p,pulati,n and all,9ed the) t, live largely at the e2pen!e ,f the 8utch n,9 beca)e ruler!. 6ne ,f the ne9 la9! they ad,pted in the fir!t day! ,f their rule 9a! ab,ut a!ylu) !ee-ing pr,cedure!. "he p,int i! that )any ,f the 8utch pe,ple 9h, had )anaged t, !urvive and e!cape the fl,,d arrived in thi! city ,n the i!land and a!-ed the :,r,ccan auth,ritie! f,r a!ylu), re)inding the) that ,nce they had granted a!ylu) t, the :,r,ccan! and all,9ed the) t, !tay. "he :,r,ccan ruling @,uncil ,bjected t, thi! argu)ent, !aying that if the 8utch 9anted t, be granted a!ylu) in the f,r)er Udrecht they had t, be c,nverted t, E!la). W,)en )u!t 9ear the !a)e l,ng trenchc,at! and head!carve! and )en 9ere t, underg, the ,bligat,ry ,perati,n ,f circu)ci!i,n. ", thi! purp,!e, the :,r,ccan auth,ritie! app,inted !pecial e2pert! that 9ielded !harp a2e! and had 9,,ded bl,c-! f,r pr,ce!!ing the 8utch )ale ne,phyte!. "he ne,phyte! 9ere t, put their )e)ber! ,n the bl,c-! and the :u!li) e2pert! ch,pped ,ff the f,re!-in ,f each )e)ber !pread ,n the bl,c-. "hen the )e)ber! in Hue!ti,n ,r 9hat 9a! left ,f the) 9ere cauteriKed 9ith )atche! ,r cigarette lighter! f,r di!infecting and !t,ppage ,f bleeding !i)ultane,u!ly. E per!,nally happened t, be ,ne ,f th,!e a!ylu) !ee-er! and 9a! t, underg, the !a)e ,perati,n. "he e2pert E 9a! a!!igned t, )i!!ed and ch,pped ,ff a centi)eter ),re than ju!t )y f,re!-in. "he re!ult 9a! that de!pite the di!infecting pr,cedure 9ith )atche! #the e2pert 9h, )u!t c,nvert )e t, E!la) did n,t happen t, be in p,!!e!!i,n ,f a cigarette lighter at the ti)e$, )y 9,unded )e)ber fe!tered terribly and ran the ri!- ,f gangrene. After a c,uple ,f day!, E 9a! !ent t, the !a)e e2pert and he ch,pped ,ff a little ),re ,f it. "he re)aining !tu)p !,,n

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!9elled and beca)e a tu),r filled 9ith pu!. E can;t de!cribe the pain E have g,ne thr,ughN it;! bey,nd any de!cripti,n.C 8,nald;! eye! inv,luntarily lingered ,n the )an;! dirty and !tin-ing bandage. 5e al!, n,ticed that Mab,uter V,! 9inced fr,) pain pretty ,ften. Gut he didn;t feel )uch !y)pathy f,r the unluc-y ne,phyte. "he latter c,ntinued hi! biKarre !t,ry. ASince that ,perati,n E;ve been r,ving ab,ut the city, h,)ele!! and !ic-, living ,n the !canty piece! ,f bread pe,ple gave )e a! al)!. E g,t )y re!idence per)it after all but E 9a! fuc-ed up, if y,u;ll pard,n the e2pre!!i,n. E;ve been !leeping in thi! lean/t, !ince a 8utch 9,)an 9h, live! in thi! h,u!e -indly !uffered )e t, !tay here ,vernight. S,, that;! )y rather !ad !t,ry, !ir, a! y,u can !ee.C 8,nald !hrugged in an al),!t li!tle!! ge!ture. AE;) afraid E can;t !y)pathiKe 9ith y,u, :r. V,!, f,r E ,nce u!ed t, -n,9 y,u a! ,ne ,f the fierce!t adv,cate! ,f the :u!li) !cu). P6ne )u!t reap a! ,ne ha! !,9n;, y,u -n,9. Et;! the re!ult ,f y,ur ,9n and y,ur party;! d,ing!.C A"ell y,u 9hat, !ir.C "he v,ice ,f Mab,uter V,! !,unded )u!ingly 9hile hi! eye! !tared at 8,nald 7,!!, !teady and unblin-ing. AE gue!! E )ight -n,9 y,u fr,) !,)e9here. I,ur face !ee)! fa)iliar t, )e but E !till can;t place it. E ju!t -n,9 ,ne thing f,r !ure and 9hat E )ean i! that y,u )u!t be !,)e,ne illegal f,r the :,r,ccan! here in the city.C 8,nald grinned 9ith a !hade ,f ir,ny ,n hi! lip!. A:aybe fr,) that !en!ati,nal 8,nald 7,!! trial that t,,- place 9hen the :,r,ccan! 9here ju!t beginning t, e2pand their c,nHue!t ,f thi! c,untry.C AI,u d,n;t !ay !,B I,u;re -idding )e.C Gut in the eye! ,f the vagab,nd fla!hed !,)ething li-e a !udden rec,gniti,n. A8, y,u )ean t, !ay y,u;re that 8,nald 7,!!JC AA p,!!ible c,njecture.C AGut if y,uVC AE -n,9,C 8,nald !aid Huic-ly. AEf E get int, their hand!Vif y,u ever dareVC 8,nald;! eye! l,c-ed ,n t, th,!e ,f Mab,uter V,! threateningly. AGe !ure, E 9,n;t d, anything ,f the -ind. Et;ll never be t, )y advantage. Gy n,9, E -n,9 the da)n :,r,ccan! t,, 9ell t, d, anything ,f the -ind. S,, y,u needn;t 9,rry, :r. 7,!!. And E gue!! y,u 9ere right then.C AWhich d,e! n,t rule ,ut that at that ti)e y,u 9ere after )y bl,,d ju!t li-e the re!t ,f the).C "he vagab,nd;! eye! darted d,9n9ard and f,r a ),)ent, he !ee)ed t, be f,cu!!ing hi! attenti,n ,n hi! bandaged !tu)p that ,nce had been hi! genital li)b. "hi! !cene !truc- 8,nald a! funny and he c,uldn;t !uppre!! the grin ,n hi! lip! ju!t f,r a fracti,n ,f a !ec,nd. A6-ay, :r. V,!, Det;! bury the hatchet!. Et;! n,t e2actly the ti)e f,r di!c,rd!. A! y,u have

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!hre9dly ,b!erved E;) pretty illegal here and a) running certain ri!-!. Gut thi! ti)e, E have a !i)ple and peaceful intenti,n ,f vi!iting the place that ,nce u!ed t, be )y ,9n h,u!e. E can;t tell y,u the rea!,n ,r ),tive behind it, but li-e y,ur!elf E;ve l,!t everything that E had in )y life and thi! l,ng/!uffering city, at lea!t a! E feel n,9, i! the ,nly place in the 9,rld that ha! been attracting )e !ince the cata!tr,phe began. E l,ng t, -n,9 9hat ha! bec,)e ,f )y ,ld h,)e.C A5,9 c,)e y,u are n,t attracted t, y,ur native Sc,tlandJC AE l,!t all c,ntact! 9ith it l,ng ag,. Gut here E had a pretty rich library that 9a! the ),!t valuable p,!!e!!i,n that E had.C AGut y,u can;t d, anything ab,ut it n,9, y,u -n,9.C 8,nald n,dded in agree)ent, A ,, E can;t and E -n,9 it. Gut E ju!t can;t !t,p )y!elf d,ing it. Ge!ide!, E;ve g,t n,9here t, g, t,.C AAre y,u ready t, legiti)iKe y,ur!elf by c,nverting t, E!la) the hard 9ay E didJC A , 9ay, :r. V,!B E;) n,t prepared t, cave in t, the :u!li) filth that ea!y. Unli-e y,u and y,ur party c,)rade!, E;ve never been prepared t, c,n!ign )y ,9n principle! t, ,blivi,n and let the da)n :,r,ccan! ch,p ,ff )y li)b ,r let any,ne el!e, f,r that )atter, d, it ju!t f,r the dubi,u! right ,f !taying alive and having a life that can hardly be called !,.C AGut if they catch y,uVJC 8,nald !hrugged again indefinitely. AWhat 9ill be 9ill be. ,9 let;! turn t, ,ur pre!ent !ituati,n here. E d,n;t li-e the idea ,f y,ur !taying in thi! lean/t, 9ith )y !n,9),bile. ,t that E d,n;t under!tand that y,u c,uld hardly g, far en,ugh 9ith al),!t n, ),re fuel left in it.C AE !9ear t, G,d E 9,n;t t,uch it 9ith a finger, :r. 7,!!.C ASince 9hen did y,u !tart t, appeal t, G,d, given the fact that y,u and all y,ur party buddie! did n,t particularly e2cel in pietyJC Mab,uter V,! did n,t utter a !,und, !taring !traight ahead a! if he 9ere ab!,rbed in hi! ,9n th,ught! and did n,t hear 8,nald;! la!t 9,rd!. "hen he fidgeted nerv,u!ly and !aid in a l,9 v,ice, al),!t under hi! breath, a! if hi! 9,rd! 9ere c,)ing fr,) a greater di!tance. A:r. 7,!!, 9hatever ,ur byg,ne di!crepancie! )ight have been in the pa!t, at thi! ),)ent a! y,u !ee, E a) n,t in a p,!iti,n t, underta-e !,)ething again!t y,u. E;) a cripple 9ith 9h, -n,9! h,9 )uch ti)e left t, linger ,n in thi! ruined and peri!hing 9,rld. Ef y,u give )e !,)ething t, eat and drin- E 9,uld !tay here until y,u are bac- and -eep a 9atchful eye ,n y,ur vehicle. Alth,ugh, ,n the ,ther hand, E )u!t c,nfe!! there i!n;t )uch E c,uld d, in ca!e ,f real need.C 5e fell !ilent 9hile 8,nald !ee)ed t, c,n!ider it ,r pretended that he did. A6-ay,C he !aid at la!t. A5ave it y,ur 9ay then. E;ll ,nly ta-e a l,,-, f,r the ti)e being. :aybe there i! !,)ething E c,uld d, ab,ut trying t, get bac- !,)e valuable thing! E had there 9ell hidden 9hen E 9a! f,rced t, aband,n )y h,u!e in a hurry and leave the) in a hiding/ place -n,9n ,nly t, )e. And it 9a! n,t a !tr,ngb,2, E can a!!ure y,u.C

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8,nald gave hi! f,r)er ide,l,gical ,pp,nent !,)e f,,d and a !)all b,ttle ,f cheap 9hi!-ey that he had in hi! bac-pac-, n,t 9ith,ut ta-ing a fe9 gulp! fr,) it hi)!elf. AStay put 9hile E;) a9ay,C he 9arned. A5,9 !afe are the !treet! ,f UdrechtJC A"hey are !afe and n,t Huite !afe at the !a)e ti)e becau!e the :,r,ccan patr,l! ),nit,r the !treet! day and night, and if they happen t, catch !,)e,ne 9h, ar,u!e! their !u!pici,n they -ill hi) ,n the !p,t. Such a victi) )ay be Huite inn,cent, but that d,e!n;t 9,rry the :,r,ccan ruler!. "hi! can )a-e it ),re difficult and ),re danger,u! f,r y,u t, ),ve ab,ut in the city, y,u -n,9. Gut y,u are !upp,!ed t, be fa)iliar 9ith it, aren;t y,uJ Geing in thi! griev,u! c,nditi,n, E can;t be ,f )uch help t, y,u. S, )aybe y,ur -n,9ledge and e2perience 9ill )a-e it !,)e9hat ea!ier f,r y,u t, !teal acr,!! the city un,b!erved by the :,r,ccan patr,l!. A 8,nald 9a! ab,ut t, g, 9hen he heard Mab,uter V,! again. A5ey, 8,naldBC AWhatJC AWatch y,ur bac-.C 8,nald grinned f,r the fir!t ti)e in )any ),nth!. A , fear. E 9ill.C 5e put hi! gun int, the left inner p,c-et ,f hi! par-a and a c,uple ,f cartridge clip! in a !ide p,c-et !, that he )ight ea!ily reach the) in ca!e ,f need. All thi! ti)e Mab,uter V,!! 9a! 9atching 8,nald;! ),ve)ent! 9ith !,)e degree ,f curi,!ity, 9ith,ut ),ving fr,) hi! place. 8,nald didn;t even l,,- hi! 9ay. ,9 all hi! attenti,n 9a! fully ab!,rbed in getting prepared f,r hi! ,uting in the city full ,f danger!. "hen he !tepped re!,lutely and Huic-ly pa!t the cr,uching Mab,uter V,! int, the d,,r9ay and di!appeared int, the thic-ening du!- ,f the fr,Ken ,uter 9,rld. @5AP"E7 (% "he 9h,le planet 9a! caught in the vice ,f nuclear 9inter. "he ,cean! beca)e fr,Ken deep d,9n t,9ard the !,uthern he)i!phere 9here a !traight ,f 9ater that 9a! !till 9ar)er than t, the n,rth and t, the !,uth ,f thi! !traight !tretching al,ng the eHuat,r, it! breadth varying ,n average fr,) a d,Ken t, !everal d,Ken! )ile!. "hi! !traight 9a! edged 9ith icefield! and iceberg! ,n b,th !ide! and per)anently hara!!ed by )ighty !t,r)! that ,ften br,-e large piece! ,f ice that 9ere then driven al,ng thi! channel. "he 9h,le at),!phere 9a! !et in ),ti,n and all !,rt! ,f at),!pheric di!turbance! !9ept acr,!! the icy de!ert! that 9ere being f,r)ed every9here, b,th ,n land and !ea, in the te)perature! falling far bel,9 Ker,. Gigantic thunder!t,r)! 9ere raging ince!!antly acr,!! the ravaged !urface ,f the planet acc,)panied by c,ntinu,u! di!charge! ,f electricity in the f,r) ,f daKKling lightning KigKag! ,n a gl,bal !cale, fr,) h,riK,n t, h,riK,n, that cau!ed deafening r,ll! ,f thunder. "he thicblac- ,r gray cl,ud! per)anently c,ncealed the !un and ,ther heavenly b,die! fr,) pe,ple;!

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vie9. "he lightning fla!he! ca)e in their place. "he n,9 la!ting lightning fla!he! that )ade even !n,9 and ice l,,- livid li-e a gl,bal !hr,ud that n,9 c,vered the b,dy ,f the dying earth. @iviliKati,n! 9ere c,llap!ing every9hereN 9ilderne!! ,verhung by the churning blaccl,ud! full ,f lightning and thunder 9a! advancing. En )any place! ,f the 9,rld ,ld and ne9 v,lcan,e! 9ere erupting and the gr,und !huddered under the feet ,f the re)aining )an-ind al),!t ince!!antly. "he ),aning gr,und r,!e and fell li-e 9ave! in ,cean!. "re)end,u! creva!!e! ,pened under the very feet ,f pe,ple engulfing the) in the dar- greedy gut! ,f the earth. GliKKard! carrying cl,ud! ,f !n,9 du!t ble9 acr,!! the i))en!e !pace! ,f the ne9 de!ert!. 6ften they 9ere )i2ed 9ith !and fr,) the planet;! great !and de!ert!. "h,!e bliKKard! ,f fr,Ken !and grain! la!hed ruthle!!ly 9hatever they happened t, )eet ,n their 9ay. "he nu)er,u! t,rnad,e! t,!!ed pe,ple, their h,u!e!, and vehicle! int, the fr,Ken air. "hey hit the citie!, 9rea-ing hav,c and creating cha,! that entailed c,)plete de!tructi,n ,f 9hat 9a! left ,f ec,n,)y. General anarchy threatened t, c,nHuer the derailed 9,rld and t,!! the 9h,le )an-ind int, the aby!! 9here rearing vi,lence, !tarvati,n, and death held their c,)plete !9ay. "he 9,rld 9a! declining and ag,niKing. "he te)perature ,f the air 9a! !everal degree! bel,9 Ker,. Sn,9drift! and ice c,vered the !treet! and canal!. A !tr,ng gale 9a! bl,9ing !teadily, !9eeping fine !n,9 du!t al,ng the !treet! and )a-ing !n,9drift! at !,)e place! deeper. 7,ll! ,f di!tant thunder acc,)panied the hu!-y v,ice ,f the 9ind in the na-ed tree! that !t,,d li-e gr,te!Hue !-elet,n! 9rithing 9ith c,ld. 8ay had already bec,)e ,ne c,ntinu,u! blac-ne!! pierced here and there by ,cca!i,nal light! !hi))ering un!teadily thr,ugh )il-y !n,9 )i!t! that 9ere half/tran!parent and !h,9ed !urreali!tic ,utline! ,f l,nely hu)an figure!, tree! !huddering in the 9ind, and di!)ally t,9ering !had,9! ,f h,u!e!. "here 9ere n,t t,, )any pe,ple in the !treet! ,f Udrecht. All 9,)en 9,re l,ng gray c,at! reaching d,9n t, their heel! and head!carve!. "hey 9ere 9al-ing ha!tily 9ith,ut ca!ting a glance a!ide. "he )aj,rity ,f rare )ale! !ee)ed t, be h,)ele!!. "hey 9ere the 8utch 9h, had re!idence per)it! in return f,r circu)ci!i,n. Gut they had n, place t, live in. ,b,dy e2cept the) c,uld tell 9here they !pent their night!. S,, they r,a)ed the !treet! in !earch ,f f,,d in garbage can! ,r begging. Each ti)e 8,nald caught a gli)p!e ,f the 9hite turban! ,f :,r,ccan patr,l! he turned int, a !ide !treet pretending a ca!ual air. Gut a! !,,n a! he th,ught he 9a! ,ut ,f their !ight, he Huic-ened hi! pace. 5e 9a! careful n,t t, ,veract, fearing t, attract t,, )uch attenti,n. everthele!!, he fu)bled 9ithin hi! par-a f,r hi! gun 9ith a !ilencer. <u!t t, be ,n the !afe !ide. At lea!t it gave hi) a feeling ,f !afety. 5e pa!!ed an alley9ay and ,n it! ,ther end he !a9 a fr,Ken canal in the di) light ,f the !treet ga! la)p!. 5e !t,le al,ng the canal, -eeping cl,!er t, the h,u!e! )any ,f 9hich did n,t have any light at all. Gut he -ne9 that he 9a! )uch cl,!er t, hi! h,u!e n,9. Et ,ccurred t, hi) that the 9,rd Ahi!C in relati,n t, the h,u!e that ,nce u!ed t, be really hi! 9a! n,9

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irrelevant. Et bel,nged t, the ene)y. Such ene)ie! c,uld e)erge at any ),)ent. Gut ,f ,ne thing at lea!t he 9a! !ure / they 9,uldn;t catch hi) ,ff guard. 5e 9a! prepared f,r the) and he had n,thing t, l,!e. Ef nece!!ary, he 9,uld rip ,ff a! )any ,f the) a! he c,uld al,ng 9ith hi) int, the hereafter. Ie!B 5e 9,uld !ee the h,u!e that u!ed t, be hi! !,,n en,ugh. "here 9ere ,nly t9, ,r three bl,c-! t, g,. 5i! right hand 9a! in hi! b,!,), re!ting ,n the butt ,f hi! gun that hung under hi! left ar)pit. 5i! eye! !earched the narr,9 !ide9al- right in fr,nt ,f hi) and did n,t catch ,n ti)e the t9, turban! that p,pped up fr,) n,9here and n,9 barred hi! 9ay. En the du!-y light fr,) the neare!t !treet la)p he c,uld !ee the !all,9 face! under the turban!, the face! ,f t9, :,r,ccan patr,l)en that !t,,d grinning at hi) and p,inting their aut,)atic! at hi! belly. 6ne ,f the) ,rdered -eeping a certain di!tance fr,) hi). A5and! upB .reeKeBC 5i! )ate !aid, ASh,9 y,ur re!idence per)it, ,h, !tranger.C "hat 9a! a )i!ta-e ,n hi! part, f,r 8,nald pretended t, fu)ble in the inner p,c-et ,f hi! par-a but in!tead ,f pr,ducing hi! paper! he 9a! fa!t en,ugh t, dra9 hi! gun and !h,,t b,th ,f the) at cl,!e range. G,th :,r,ccan! fell dead at ,nce. "he 9h,le thing ca)e t, pa!! !, Huic-ly that it l,,-ed a! if !,)e third un!een and )y!teri,u! f,rce 9a! in play. 8,nald ca!t a glance ar,und but !a9 n, ,ne in the i))ediate vicinity. 5e didn;t linger ,ver the t9, b,die! 9h, lay dead acr,!! the !ide9al- and !lipped int, the neare!t gate9ay that led in the directi,n ,f hi! ,ne/ti)e h,)e. S,,n he !t,,d in fr,nt ,f it gaKing ten!ely at the dar- 9ind,9! behind 9hich n,thing !ee)ed t, ),ve. 5i! !en!e!, th,ugh, t,ld hi) that the h,u!e 9a! n,t uninhabited and that th,!e 9h, )ight live in!ide 9ere ),!t pr,bably :,r,ccan!. "hey c,uld u!e the alar) !y!te) he had let in!talled year! bef,re. E2cept in the bac-yard, 9here he had hi! !pecial hiding/place 9ith je9el! that !till )ight c,)e in handy if pr,perly inve!ted. 5e h,ped that if there 9ere :,r,ccan! in the h,u!e they did n,t -eep a 9atchd,g in the bac-yard garden. :,r,ccan!, li-e )any ,ther :u!li)!, 9ere -n,9n t, refrain fr,) -eeping d,g! becau!e they c,n!idered the) a! i)pure ani)al!. "here 9a! an acce!! t, the bac-yard fr,) behind, 9here a cycle/path ran pa!t the ,uter fence and !eparated it fr,) the private !hed! that bel,nged t, the ,9ner! ,f the h,u!e!. ", get there he had t, cli)b ,ver the ,uter railing! that pr,tected acce!! t, the !hed!. "he railing! c,uld be appr,ached fr,) the !treet that ran parallel t, the ,ne 9here he 9a! n,9. 5e turned ar,und the neare!t c,rner and in a c,uple ,f )inute! !t,,d facing the tall ir,n gate that ended in rather !harp p,int! at the t,p. "he gate 9a! l,c-ed. 5i! ,nly h,pe 9a! that ,nce at,p ,f the gate he 9,uld !ucceed in !HueeKing hi! behind bet9een th,!e !harp p,int! and !,)eh,9 dr,p d,9n ,n the gr,und. ", thin- ,f it 9a! )uch ea!ier than t, i)ple)ent it. Gut 9here 9a! the ch,iceJ 5e t,,- a cl,!er l,,- at the ir,n bar! ,f the gate 9ith the help ,f hi! electric t,rch that he had prudently ta-en al,ng. What he !a9 )ade hi! heart !in-. "he l,ng ir,n bar! had bec,)e c,vered 9ith a thin layer ,f ice. "hat )eant ),re difficulty in getting ,ver. Gut did he have any ch,iceJ Duc-ily, he had a three )eter! l,ng c,il ,f r,pe in

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,ne ,f hi! par-a;! large!t p,c-et!. "a-ing a g,,d l,,- ar,und ,nce again, he )ade !ure that n,b,dy 9a! cl,!e in vie9. "hen he unc,iled the r,pe, )ade a l,,p ,n ,ne end ,f it and, !9inging it ab,ve hi! head, atte)pted t, catch ,ne ,f the p,int! ,n t,p ,f the gate. 5e )i!!ed and nearly !9,re l,udly but caught hi)!elf ,n ti)e. A ice try,C he )uttered and repeated the atte)pt. At the f,urth atte)pt, he caught ,ne ,f the p,int!. "hen ),ving hi! gl,ved hand! al,ng the r,pe and clutching it 9ith hi! feet he pulled hi)!elf up and nearly achieved the )iddle ,f the gate. "hen the r,pe !lipped bet9een hi! hand! and he ca)e d,9n, hi! leg! dangling f,r a !ec,nd in the air. .,rtunately, he -ept hi! balance and landed ,n hi! feet, !till !HueeKing the r,pe in hi! hand!. 5e had t, repeat the )aneuver again. And he had t, repeat it t9ice bef,re he finally reached the p,int! ,f the gate and )anaged t, h,ld ,ut there. "he harde!t ta!- ,f all 9a! t, !9ing ,ne ,f hi! leg! ,ver the !harp p,int! and !it a!tride, !HueeKed bet9een t9, ,f the), 9ith,ut i)paling hi)!elf. "hi! ti)e, !uch an atte)pt c,uld be ,nly ,ne. S,, he t,,- hi! ti)e in perf,r)ing it. U!ing hi! hand! bet9een the gate p,int! he lifted hi! b,dy f,r a !plit !ec,nd ab,ve the) and !9ung hi! ,ther leg ,ver the railing!. ", !lip d,9n the r,pe 9a! a )atter ,f ,ne !ec,nd. Et 9a! a 9,nder he !ucceeded in hi! perf,r)ance, he th,ught, al),!t di!believing he had )anaged it. 6nce bel,9, he !t,,d Huiet, li!tening. ,thing ),ved. 5i! finger! 9ere bitterly aching fr,) the biting c,ld de!pite the !,lid gl,ve!. 5e peeled the) ,ff and, 9incing fr,) h,t pain, rubbed hi! finger! again!t each ,ther u!ing !,)e !n,9. When the circulati,n ,f bl,,d 9a! re!t,red, he pulled hi! gl,ve! ,n again. "he c,)f,rtable feeling did n,t c,)e bac-, but at lea!t the pain in the finger! 9a! )uch le!! burning n,9. 5e turned, clic-ed ,n hi! t,rch, and f,ll,9ed the cycle/path bet9een the encl,!ure! ,f the neighb,ring h,u!e! and the !hed! that bel,nged t, the) t,9ard the hedge ,f the bac-yard 9here a 9ic-et/gate 9a! the ,nly entrance t, it. "he t,rch bea) 9a! dancing ,n the cycle/path that 9a! free fr,) ice ,r !n,9. En a )atter ,f !ec,nd!, he f,und hi)!elf in fr,nt ,f the 9ic-et/gate that gave entrance t, the bac-yard ,f hi! f,r)er h,u!e. 5e pu!hed the gate and heaved a !igh ,f relief, !9itching ,ff the t,rch. "he gate 9a! n,t l,c-ed, !, he t,,- a !tep in!ide and then !t,pped li!tening again. Gut all !ee)ed Huiet. "here 9ere n, light! in the -itchen at the bac- ,f the h,u!e. Perhap! the ne9 inhabitant! 9ere already a!leep, given the late h,ur. Ef at lea!t they really e2i!ted and 9ere n,t the re!ult ,f hi! lively i)aginati,n. 5e !t,,d f,r a fe9 !ec,nd!, trying t, ta-e in the !ituati,n. ,thing !u!pici,u! caught hi! attenti,n, th,ugh he !trained hi! hearing ability in an eff,rt t, catch even a !lighte!t !,und. 5e c,uld hardly re!i!t a te)ptati,n t, e2pl,re the h,u!e, but the th,ught ,f a p,!!ible danger lur-ing behind it! )ute 9all! prevailed. 5e )ade a fe9 !tep! in the directi,n ,f the hiding/place then !t,pped and li!tened again. E2cept the di!tant thunder and ru!tling ,f the 9ind in the bu!he!, n, ,ther !,und reached hi). 5e n,ticed that the rage ,f the thunder!t,r) gre9 l,uder every )inute. Et 9a! appr,aching. 5e )u!t )a-e ha!te. Gliding n,i!ele!!ly al,ng the bac- 9all ,f the h,u!e, he reached it! re),te!t c,rner partly c,ncealed by the na-ed t9ig! ,f a dead bu!h.

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5e pu!hed the) a!ide and clic-ed ,n the t,rch again. 5e rec,gniKed the t9, l,,!e bric-! that 9ere held in place by 9hat l,,-ed li-e putty but it 9a! a ca),uflage f,r a hidden !ecret )echani!). Et 9a! a thin !lat the ,ut9ard edge ,f 9hich 9a! c,vered 9ith hard rubber ,f the !a)e the c,l,r a! the real putty that )ade bric-! !tic- t,gether. 5e pu!hed hard the edge 9ith hi! finger! and the t9, red bric-! thru!t the)!elve! f,r9ard but re)ained half e)bedded in the 9all. 5e grabbed the) and pulled. "hey ca)e ,ut c,)pletely and he dr,pped the) ,nt, the gr,und. "he thunder 9a! r,aring n,9 al),!t ,verhead and it began t, !n,9 heavily. Paying little attenti,n t, the deafening peal! ,f thunder and the beginning 9hite bliKKard, 8,nald pu!hed hi! hand int, the ,pening and pulled ,ut a )ediu)/!iKed )etallic b,2. "he -ey t, it had al9ay! hung ,n a !)all !ilver chain ar,und hi! nec- t,gether 9ith a !ilver cr,!! ,f the !a)e !iKe. 5e fu)bled under hi! par-a, trying t, reach and unbutt,n hi! flannel !hirt under the 9,,len !9eater. Et 9a! rather an e2cruciating ,perati,n. "he !harp c,ld 9ind t,uched hi! !-in !i)ultane,u!ly 9ith hi! finger! that 9ere al),!t a! c,ld a! the air. 5e gr,ped f,r the little -ey and !eparated it fr,) the chain. When he ,pened the b,2 a !igh ,f relief e!caped fr,) hi! lung!. En the n,9 feeble bea) ,f the t,rch a dia),nd nec-lace, g,lden bracelet! and ring! 9ith rubie!, !apphire!, and e)erald glea)ed li-e !tar! ,f h,pe and pr,)i!e ,f a ne9 life. 5e !la))ed the lid ,f the b,2 and it! aut,)atic l,c- clic-ed. "hen he put it a9ay in the big brea!t p,c-et ,f hi! par-a, feeling it! !,)e9hat unc,)f,rtable but rea!!uring 9eight. 5e Huic-ly !h,ved the t9, bric-! bac- int, the ,pening and dre9 hi)!elf up t, hi! full height. "he 9ind and !n,9 9ere la!hing hi! face. 5e turned hi! bac- t,9ard the) a! he 9a! ,n the p,int t, head f,r the gate and leave the place a! fa!t a! he c,uld. ,9 that he felt the a!!urance ,f hi! further life pre!! again!t hi! b,!,), even hi! !tep! beca)e !pringy. 5e didn;t feel the biting c,ld. 5i! heart 9a! !inging. "he daKKling blui!h light !uddenly ripped ,pen the !-y and the 9h,le !pace and !truc- int, the gr,und ju!t a c,uple ,f yard! fr,) 9here he 9a! 9al-ing. "he deafening r,ar ,f the thunder c,uld have rai!ed the dead ,ut ,f their grave!. Gut 8,nald did n,t hear it. 5e fell int, the blac- aby!! ,f unc,n!ci,u!ne!!, perhap! !in-ing int, the 9ide/,pen gate ,f the death it!elf. Et )ight have felt li-e i))er!i,n int, the b,tt,)le!! blac- 9ater! ,f a c,ld ,cean 9h,!e titanic 9ave! 9ere raging far ,n the invi!ible !urface. Gut 8,nald did n,t hear, did n,t !ee, and did n,t !en!e it any),re. ,t even blac-ne!! ,r e)ptine!!. @5AP"E7 (1 8,nald 7,!! ca)e t,. 5i! leg! and ar)! 9ere !tiff and nu)b fr,) c,ld. Sl,9ly, he ,pened hi! eye!. 5e lay !pra9ling ,n hi! bac-, !till in the garden ,f the h,u!e that u!ed t, be hi!. Gut he felt there 9a! !,)ething a)i!!. 5e had hi! par-a ,n, but there 9a! n, trace ,f 9inter ,r thunder!t,r). "he ,bliHue ray! ,f the ri!ing !un fl,,ded 9ith ),rning light the tree! and bu!he! that !t,,d in bl,!!,).

31'

"here 9a! n, indicati,n ,f the nuclear 9inter. 5i! fir!t th,ught! 9ere, Aa) E in paradi!eJC Gut the Aparadi!eC re)inded hi) ,f hi! f,r)er garden t,, )uch f,r that idea t, be !u!tained. 5e rai!ed ,n hi! elb,9!, 9incing fr,) the a9-9ardne!! ,f hi! p,!iti,n. 5i! leg! 9ere !till nu)b and he turned clu)!ily t, gain a better p,!iti,n and t, pull up hi! -nee! cl,!er t, hi! elb,9! and )anaged t, get ,n all f,ur!. 5e felt circulati,n ,f bl,,d gradually returning t, hi! !tiff b,dy and tried t, help it by ),ving hi! leg! and hand! in turn. Et !ee)ed h,ur! t, hi) bef,re life !urged bac- t, hi! li)b!. ,9 they 9ere aching dully. 5e tried t, ign,re the pain and )ade an eff,rt t, get ,n hi! feet. After a !ec,nd ,f !truggling, he finally !t,,d erect and t,,- a better l,,- ar,und hi). Et 9a! hi! f,r)er garden all right. A! 9ell a! the h,u!e. Still there 9a! !,)ething ab,ut it that felt 9r,ng, but he c,uldn;t gra!p 9hat. "he 9ar)th !ee)ed !udden and unu!ual after Huite a l,ng peri,d ,f nuclear 9inter that n,9 !ee)ed t, have )iracul,u!ly di!appeared. Where, h,9, and 9hy had it g,neJ "hi! and ,ther Hue!ti,n! 9,uld re)ain unan!9ered until he g,t a chance t, !ee and learn ),re. 5e felt the bulge ,f the je9el b,2 in the inner p,c-et ,f hi! par-a, 9hich l,,-ed ,ut ,f place in thi! late !pring !ea!,n that !truc- hi) a! Huite une2pected and )iracul,u!. 5e !till re)e)bered the lightning b,lt and 9,ndered 9hether he 9a! !till alive. "he feel ,f hi! b,dy and the thing! that !urr,unded hi) c,nvinced hi) in a p,!itive 9ay. Gut hi! )ind did n,t !ee) yet t, be ready t, accept thi! fact! after 9hat had befallen hi). :aybe he had landed in an,ther f,r) ,f life after hi! deathJ 5e put a!ide thi! and ,ther Hue!ti,n! until he e2pl,red the reality. 5e !p,tted a bench at the !ide ,f the -itchen that he hi)!elf had ,nce put there. 5e !at d,9n ,n it t, better ta-e in the 9h,le !ituati,n and try t, ,utline hi! ne2t c,ur!e ,f acti,n. 5e 9a! getting 9ar) in hi! par-a a! the !un r,!e higher in the !-y. Still, he c,uld n,t bring hi)!elf t, ta-e it ,ff. S,, he ,nly Kipped it ,pen and )ade !ure that hi! gun 9a! !till in it! h,l!ter under hi! left ar)pit. "hen he turned and )ade a fe9 !tep! t,9ard the 9ic-et/gate 9hen he !uddenly fr,Ke. 5e heard the d,,r ,f the -itchen ,pen behind hi! bac-. 5e !t,pped and !t,,d !t,c-/!till a !ec,nd, then he br,ught hi)!elf t, turn and ca!t a Huic- glance bac-9ard. What he !a9 )ade hi) rigid 9ith a)aKe)ent and incredulity. 5i! eye! 9idened in utter be9ilder)ent. "he )an 9h, had ju!t e)erged fr,) the -itchen d,,r9ay 9a! a 9hite @auca!ian. Gut that 9a! n,t 9hat )ade 8,nald !, !h,c-ed. Et 9a! the )an;! !tunning appearance. 5e 9a! 8,nald;! t,tally perfect d,uble. "he ,ther )an;! e2pre!!i,n 9a! very )uch the !a)e a! that ,f 8,nald. "hey b,th !tiffened in c,n!ternati,n, b,th 9ith dr,pping ja9! and g,ggle/eyed. .,r 9hat !ee)ed a l,ng 9hile, neither ,f the), c,)pletely flabberga!ted, c,uld breathe a 9,rd. "he !cene la!ted a c,uple ,f )inute!, bef,re 8,nald;! d,uble f,und hi! ability t, !peaagain and he a!-ed in preci!ely 8,nald;! v,ice a predictable Hue!ti,n, hi! eye! retaining the !a)e inHuiring e2pre!!i,n. AWh, are y,u and 9hat are y,u d,ing in )y gardenJC Et 9a! the fir!t ti)e that 8,nald felt !,)e -ind ,f rela2ati,n. 5e !)iled une2pectedly and !aid 9ith !,)e hu),r.

313

AG,,d Hue!ti,n, !ir. E gue!! E ,ught t, put it t, y,u, t,,. E;) 8,nald 7,!!.C AAre y,u -idding )eJ " a) 8,nald 7,!!BC And added, Aif y,u -n,9 9hat E )ean.C "he !ituati,n 9a! rapidly bec,)ing c,)ic. Et 9a! 8,nald 7,!! nu)ber t9, ,r 9h,ever he 9a! that !)iled fir!t. A<udging by y,ur unu!ual appearance in thi! ti)e ,f the year and, !ay ... ahe) ... in !,)e ,ther re!pect!, li-e y,ur preten!i,n ,f being )y na)e!a-e, E feel E;d rather invite y,u t, )y h,u!e and 9e c,uld try t, !traighten thing! ,ver a 9ee ,f b,,Ke. Ef y,u d,n;t )ind ,f c,ur!e.C "he ,riginal 8,nald 7,!! f,und the idea ,f the i)p,!t,r #he !ecretly th,ught$ very )uch enticing, given the ab!urd !ituati,n and gave t, under!tand t, hi! !trange d,uble that he 9a! l,,-ing f,r9ard t, the ,ther 8,nald;! -ind invitati,n. AD,,-! li-e y,u c,uld u!e !,)ething t, che9 ,n and !,)e b,,Ke int, the bargain, n, d,ubt ab,ut that,C the h,!t !aid. AI,u g,t a p,int here,C 8,nald nu)ber ,ne !aid, AE;) fa)i!hed.C "he ,ther 8,nald bur!t ,ut laughing. AWelc,)e t, the clubB E;) fa)i!hed, t,,.C 6ne c,uld ea!ily !upp,!e that !,)ething that l,,-ed li-e burge,ning tru!t 9a! due t, !,)e -ind ,f )utual attracti,n, even !y)pathy that b,th ,f the) !tarted t, feel f,r each ,ther. 6r at lea!t it !ee)ed li-e that. Any9ay, the ,ne 9h, played the h,!t invited the ,ther 9ith a ge!ture t, enter the h,u!e thr,ugh the -itchen d,,r. A@,)e ,n inBC 8,nald 7,!! f,ll,9ed hi). Gut the ),)ent he entered the -itchen he 9a! !tunned by 9hat he !a9. "he -itchen;! uten!il! and all ,ther eHuip)ent 9ere preci!ely the !a)e a! he had left the) in the pa!t and they 9ere in their u!ual place! 9here he had put the) bef,re. 5e did hi! be!t n,t t, let the ,ther 8,nald n,tice hi! !urpri!e. 8,nald nu)ber t9, led 8,nald nu)ber ,ne thr,ugh the -itchen int, the !paci,u! !itting/r,,) that 9a! furni!hed preci!ely the 9ay it 9a! 9hen the latter 8,nald had been f,rced t, leave hi! h,)e in ha!te. "hi! fact rather c,nfu!ed hi) than helped clear up thing!. "he )ain c,nfu!ing fact,r re)ained the pre!ent h,!t 9h, 9a! ,r !ee)ed t, be 8,nald;! alter eg,. 5e felt li-e in a drea) that in a 9ay !ee)ed t, be a-in t, a night)are. "he v,ice ,f hi! d,uble )ade hi) al),!t !tart. A6-ay, 8,nald, have a !eat 9here y,u ch,,!e t,. "here;! plenty ,f r,,) here. 8,n;t be !hyB :a-e y,ur!elf at h,)e. E gue!! b,th ,f u! need a drin-. I,u can;t run int, y,ur!elf, E )ean int, y,ur d,uble every day ,f y,ur life.C 5e )ade a pau!e, then pr,ceeded. A:y gue!! i! y,u are hungry, t,,. S,, E;ll fi2 !,)ething t, eat and drin-. I,u;re a Sc,t by birth, E !en!e. S, a 9ee gla!! ,f g,,d ,ld 9hi!-ey 9,uldn;t hurt y,u.C AS,und! g,,d t, )e,C the fir!t 8,nald agreed. AWill y,u glance thr,ugh that ne9!paper 9hile E fi2 u! !,)ethingJC 8,nald the vagab,nd, !till a)aKed, n,dded in the affir)ative and caught the thicne9!paper that 8,nald the h,!t !h,ved t,9ard hi) acr,!! the l,9 c,ffee table. "he ),)ent 8,nald the h,!t di!appeared behind the -itchen d,,r 8,nald the vagab,nd t,,- in the fr,nt page 9ith eager eye!. :,!t headline! hinted at vi,lence and death ,ccurring ),re ,r le!!

3&%

every9here in the 9,rld. Gut there 9a! n,thing ab,ut the nuclear 9ar ,r cli)ate change!. "hat 9a! ,dd. 5e leafed thr,ugh the paper ha!tily but did n,t )anage t, di!c,ver anything ,n that !c,re, , e2cept f,r a !h,rt article that )enti,ned )enacing gradual change! in the 9,rld;! cli)ate. Gut it did n,t )enti,n any radical change! in it at all in the recent pa!t. 8,nald c,uld n,t help having an eerie !en!ati,n that there 9a! !,)ething fi!hy ab,ut the 9h,le !ituati,n. Gut 9hat, ,n earth, 9a! itJ "hi! !udden change ,f cli)ate a! if n,thing had happened. 5i! d,uble 9h, l,,-ed li-e hi!V cl,neB What had happenedJ "he ,ther 8,nald 7,!! entered the living r,,) in thi! ),)ent. 5e 9a! carrying a tray deftly balancing a b,ttle ,f 8,nald;! fav,rite Glenfiddich, t9, gla!!e!, a b,ttle ,f !,da, and a di!h ,f ,ld pithy chee!e cut in cube!. A5ere y,u areBC 8,nald the h,!t !aid cheerfully putting the tray ,n the br,9n c,ffee table and l,9ering hi! ,9n 9eight ,n the !,fa acr,!! fr,) 8,nald the vagab,nd. A"hat 9,uld d,, f,r the ti)e being,C he !aid, A9e can have a ),re !ub!tantial )eal later, E h,pe. Et;! ju!t f,r !tarter!. 5ave y,u !een the paperJC AE have. Still E can;t gra!p ,ne thing.C ADi-e 9hatJC A5,9 c,)e the cli)ate ,f the planet c,uld have changed !, radically ,vernightJC AWhat d, y,u )ean by P,vernight;J Et d,e! change indeed becau!e ,f the -n,9n h,th,u!e effect. Et ta-e! ),nth! and year! bef,re y,u n,tice the change. Gut ,n the 9h,le, y,u;re Huite right. "he indu!trial activitie! in the 9,rld are really bec,)ing !uicidal. We are cutting the very tree/branch ,n 9hich 9e !it.C 8,nald the vagab,nd !aid, A,ne ),re thing, 8,nald.C ASh,,tBC AWhat ab,ut the :u!li)! and E!la) ,n the 9h,leJC "he Al,calC 8,nald;! eyebr,9 r,!e in utter be9ilder)ent. AWhat d, y,u )ean the AMaK ... 9hat did y,u call itJC A"he :u!li)! and E!la),C 8,nald the gue!t helped. AS,rry, 8,nald, but E;ve never heard a thing ab,ut it. E d,n;t -n,9 9hat y,u )ean. E really d,n;t.C ,9 it 9a! 8,nald the gue!t;! turn t, get utterly !tunned. 5e 9a! !taring at hi! h,!t 9ith di!believing and unc,)prehending eye!. When he f,und the ability t, !pea- again he !i)ply a!-ed, AI,u -idding )eJC AWhy !h,uld EJ Gut E h,ne!tly repeat E really never heard ,f the thing! y,u )enti,ned. What are they if E )ay a!-JC AWell, it;! all ab,ut th,!e 9h, pr,fe!! the bl,,dthir!ty and )urder,u! religi,n ,f E!la) and 9,r!hip the devil na)ed Allalah. I,u -n,9 !,)ething ab,ut thatJC AStill d,e!n;t ring a bell, E;) afraid. And y,uJ 5,9 c,)e y,u;re tal-ing ab,ut the!e thing! that E never heard ,fJC

3&1

8,nald the gue!t 9a! afraid t, be th,ught ,f a! Anut!C by hi! h,!t and feveri!hly !,ught an e2planati,n in hi! )ind.C Al,ud he !aid 9ith a hint ,f h,pe in hi! v,ice, AWell, thi! religi,n h,ld! it! !9ay ,ver ,ne third ,f the 9h,le 9,rld;! p,pulati,n.C "he ,ther 8,nald !hrugged 9ith a puKKled e2pre!!i,n ,n hi! face. AD,,-! li-e !,)ething vaguely fa)iliar. Still E haven;t g,t a definite clue ,f 9hat y,u;re tal-ing ab,ut. @an y,u be ),re !pecificJC AWhat ab,ut the :iddle Ea!t pr,ble)!JC P"he :iddle Ea!t pr,ble)!J Which c,untry d, y,u )eanJC AWhat ab,ut Per!ia, Gabel, ilia, Erebi!tan, E!rael and !, ,n. At lea!t Eran 9a! ,nce called Per!ia but generally n,t any),re.C AWhat y,u call Erebi!tan d,e! n,t e2i!t at all. "h,ugh E!rael !,und! fa)iliar, any9ay.C AE;ve never heard ,f Egypt.C AI,u;re u!ing unc,)),n ge,graphical na)e!. Are y,u an alien then, :r. 8,nald 7,!!J 5ave y,u !t,len )y identityJC AAn alienJC 8,nald 7,!! nu)ber ,ne )uttered t, hi)!elf. A:aybe. Gut E;ve never ever !t,len any,ne;! identity. E;ve been 8,nald 7,!! !ince E 9a! b,rn.C "he h,!t !h,,- hi! head di!appr,vingly. AI,u !h,uld n,t try t, pull )y leg, :r. 7,!!, ,r 9h,ever y,u are. "he ,nly thing that )ight ju!tify, t, a degree, y,ur !tate)ent! i! ,ur !tunning re!e)blance a! if 9e 9ere t9in!. 8e!pite 9h,ever y,u clai) t, be, y,u l,,- h,ne!t en,ugh t, )e becau!e y,u !,und !incere 9hen y,u tal- ab,ut c,untrie! that d, n,t e2i!t any),re ,r have never e2i!ted at all, f,r that )atter. Plea!e tell )e ),re ab,ut y,ur!elf if y,u are 9illing. :aybe it;ll clarify the )y!tery. "he p,int i! y,u d,n;t Huite l,,- li-e a l,,ny ,r )aybe E;) prejudiced in y,u fav,r. @,)e ,n, 8,nald, d, it plea!e f,r y,ur ,9n !a-e and f,r )ine, t,,. We have plenty ,f ti)e t,day.C A6-ay,C the gue!t agreed n,dding hi! head and !tarted hi! l,ng !t,ry that la!ted f,r !everal h,ur! ,n end. "he !unlight ,ut!ide vani!hed giving in t, du!-. G,th interl,cut,r! had !at up late int, the night by the ti)e 8,nald c,ncluded hi! )arvel,u! !t,ry. AWell,C 8,nald;! h,!t !aid th,ughtfully, Athi! entire incredible !t,ry !,und! li-e it all ha! happened in reality. Gut if it;! true then the ,nly c,nclu!i,n that ,ccur! t, )e at the ),)ent happen! t, be the ,nly ,ne / y,u are really fr,) an,ther 9,rld, ),!t li-ely an alternate reality that )ay e2i!t in the ti)e/!pace c,ntinuu). And the thunderclap ,r !,)ething li-e that )ay have tran!p,rted y,u here t, this ver!i,n ,f the 9,rld. E )ean t, ,ur Earth and t, thi! city.C A8, y,u )ean UdrechtJC A6h, G,d, n,B Et;! Utrecht.C AI,u bull!hit )e.C AWhy !h,uld EJC AEt !,und! ali-e, th,ugh.C AEt d,e!. En a 9ay.C

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AD,,-! li-e E can;t d, ,ther9i!e than j,in y,u in y,ur ,pini,n, f,r E !ee n, ,ther da)n e2planati,n. Ef that i! the ca!e then b,th ,ur 9,rld! are very )uch ali-e, , e2cept f,r !,)e detail! that )ay have been in!ignificant f,r the general trend ,f devel,p)ent in b,th ,f the). Gut after even a !h,rt acHuaintance 9ith a c,uple ,f y,ur paper! that y,u gave )e t, read, E under!tand that 9hat y,ur 9,rld i! g,ing thr,ugh n,9 l,,-! ),re ,r le!! li-e the initial pha!e ,f p,litical hi!t,ry ,f )y 9,rld ju!t bef,re it faced the cata!tr,phe it 9a! 9a! driven t,. And E 9a! per!,nally in!tru)ental in !peeding up the 9h,le pr,ce!!, E )u!t adnit,C 8,nald added in a )atter/,f/fact v,ice fi2ing a !earching l,,- ,n the ,ther 8,nald;! )u!ing face. A6-ay, 8,nald, E gue!! 9e c,uld c,ntinue ,ur tal- t,),rr,9. ,9 E;ll give y,u ,ne ,f the upper bedr,,)! and 9e;ll fall int, the !9eet e)brace ,f :,rpheu! if y,u d,n;t )ind it.C A"han-! a l,t, 8,nald, f,r !heltering a p,,r alien.C 5e c,uldn;t get rid ,f the !en!ati,n that he 9a! tal-ing t, hi! ,9n reflecti,n in a )irr,r that in reality, 9h, 9a! al!, an alien in relati,n t, hi)!elf. 5i! h,!t !h,9ed hi) int, the !)aller bedr,,) that he e2pected t, find preci!ely li-e hi! ,9n. And he 9a! n,t )i!ta-en ab,ut it. Et was li-e a replica ,f the bedr,,) in hi! ,9n h,)e. 6n an,ther planet that ,nce 9a! hi! h,)e 9,rld. "hi! 9,rld 9a! !tunningly li-e the ,ne he had inv,luntarily aband,ned. "he h,!t gave hi) fre!hly 9a!hed bedcl,the! and everything he needed f,r the night and then left hi) t, hi)!elf. 8,nald t,,- a !h,9er in the !)all cubicle ,f the bathr,,) ju!t acr,!! fr,) the d,,r ,f hi! bedr,,). "hen he g,t under the 9ar) blan-et and very !,,n g,t !ub)erged in the haKy, un!table, and blurred reign ,f :,rpheu!. Et felt very )uch li-e it u!ed t, be in the 9,rld ,f hi! ,rigin / c,nfu!ed but !,,thing. "he f,ll,9ing ),rning b,th 8,nald! 9,-e up late and 9hile the gue!t 9a! l,,-ing thr,ugh !,)e ),rning ne9!paper!, the h,!t 9a! ab,ut t, fi2 their brea-fa!t. 6r it 9,uld be rather ),re !uitable t, be called lunch. .,r it 9a! nearly n,,n, 9hen they 9ere ready t, get refre!hed after their night vigil and a l,ng !leep in the ),rning. "he gue!t 9a! eager t, learn the late!t event! ,n thi! !trange planet that re!e)bled hi! ,9n 9,rld in !, )any re!pect!. At table, they fl,,ded each ,ther 9ith Hue!ti,n!, trying t, find ,ut a! )uch a! p,!!ible ab,ut their 9,rld! and ab,ut the)!elve!. AEt;! li-e a AStar "re-C !ituati,n,C 8,nald the h,!t !aid. AI,u g,t the bl,,dy PStar "re-; ,n y,ur "VJC 8,nald the gue!t a!-ed utterly !urpri!ed. AWhat a !trange c,incidenceBC A8,n;t f,rget there are )any !uch c,incidence! 9ith re!pect t, ,ur, let u! put it thi! 9ay, t9in 9,rld!,C the ,ther 8,nald !aid and added, AE !till find it hard t, believe it, but the fact! are hard en,ugh t, accept the) at their face value.C A"here i! !,)ething, th,ugh, that !tart! t, 9,rry )e i))en!ely, 8,nald,C the gue!t !aid th,ughtfully. 5i! d,uble l,,-ed up Hue!ti,ningly. ADi-e 9hatJC

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AWell, y,u !ee. What E )ean i! y,ur 9,rld. E;) beginning t, thin- that y,ur 9,rld i! in the !a)e great danger that ,ur! 9a!. Et can end up in the !a)e di!a!tr,u! fatality that ha! befallen )y 9,rld.C A6h, y,u needn;t e2plain it t, )e. E !ee it clearly en,ugh. And E d, agree 9ith y,u. Gut 9hat c,uld individual! li-e )e d, t, !tave ,ff a cala)ity li-e y,ur!J E gue!! n,thing at all.C A8,n;t y,u d, the !a)e thing E did ,n )y planetJC AG,d f,rbid, n,B E;) a peaceful )an, 8,nald.C AAnd that )ean! 9e are n,t c,)pletely identical. What d, y,u d, f,r y,ur livingJC A:eJ E;) retired n,9. Gut E u!ed t, teach lingui!tic! at the l,cal univer!ity.C 8,nald the gue!t laughed. AWe b,th are identical in thi!. And E 9a! retired, t,,. Gut E ,rganiKed, a! y,u -n,9 n,9, the ar)ed re!i!tance b,th again!t the f,reign ,ccupati,n and the c,rrupt and treacher,u! auth,ritie!. And E had )any friend! 9h, 9ere li-e/)inded.C "he h,!t !hrugged. AAny9ay, here ,n thi! planet 9e are pr,bably ),re alienated fr,) each ,ther a! individual!. Perhap! 9e di!tru!t each ,ther t, a degree. 6f c,ur!e, 9e have ,ur friend!hip! and preference! here, t,,. Gut in here they d,n;t g, far en,ugh t, get pe,ple ,rganiKed f,r !uch activitie!. S,cial !ecuritie! and per!,nal individuali!) have )ade the) carefree and indifferent t, thing! that in !,)e We!tern !,cietie! are c,n!idered tab,,. 6f c,ur!e, thing! differ fr,) c,untry t, c,untry, but ,n the 9h,le, the We!tern !,ciety i! under)ined and largely da)aged ),rally and p,litically by th,!e 9h,) 9e aut,)atically app,int a! ,ur ruler! becau!e 9e are blindf,lded by the). "hey are pretty independent ,n u!, their elect,rate!, de!pite the cunning electi,n !y!te)!. @,n!eHuently, if !uch a ),ve)ent li-e y,ur! ca)e int, being it 9,uld be nipped in the bud by a )ere p,lice f,rce. Any9ay, ,n y,ur planet it ha! led t, the gl,bal de!tructi,n y,u;ve t,ld )e ab,ut.C AEt 9a! n,t our initiative. Et 9a! a reacti,n ,n ,ur part t, the !9eeping c,nHue!t ,f Eur,pe by the :u!li) devil/9,r!hipper!. +hey 9ere the aggre!!ive !ide, re)e)berJ Ge!ide!, the 7ed !cu)bag! har)ed Eur,pe i))en!ely by letting E!la) in and being liberal t, the :u!li)!. 5aving !eiKed a finger, E!la) 9anted b,th hand and ar). Ef E 9ere given a !ec,nd chance n,9, E 9,uld n,t 9affle t, d, the fighting all ,ver again. E2actly 9hat E did in )y !truggle again!t the), becau!e the alternative 9,uld be !lavery and E 9,uld rather die fighting than vegetate in the ruthle!! and ign,)ini,u! clutche! ,f the devil/9,r!hipper!. :aybe thi! ti)e E 9,uld be by far better prepared f,r the ,rdeal ,f the ap,calyp!e if E faced it ,nce again. Ef our Eur,pe had !,ld it!elf t, the) l,c-, !t,c- and barrel than-! t, the er,ding activitie! ,f vari,u! irre!p,n!ible )ulticulturali!t! did n,t )ean yet that every,ne 9a! ready t, buy it. 6ur Eur,pe 9a! helple!! t, re!i!t the) ju!t becau!e ,ver a peri,d ,f appr,2i)ately thirty year! it had devel,ped a !,rt ,f !y)bi,tic relati,n!hip 9ith the c,nHuering p,9er ,f E!la) that had ch,!en i))igrati,n and infiltrati,n a! their 9ay t, )a-e the)!elve! )a!ter! ,f that part ,f the 9,rld in their !ucce!!ful eff,rt t, en!lave and t, bend it t, their 9ill. "he 7ed! helped

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the) a l,t by intr,ducing their hyp,critical and di!graceful la9! again!t di!!ident!. ", !ay n,thing ,f E!la);! deprivati,n ,f 9,)en ,f their hu)an and c,n!tituti,nal right!. 8e!pite thi! very !ad !ituati,n )any ,f ,ur Eur,pean! 9ere n,t prepared t, be i)pelled t, lic- the a!! ,f ju!t any :u!li) that happened t, cr,!! their 9ay. Ge!ide!, it 9a! the 7ed! and their )a!! )edia that fanned the frenKied anti/A)erican and anti/E!rael hy!teria in Eur,pe. (ur United Eur,pe 9a! f,unded ,n the fal!e and !i)plified principle! that 9ere ba!ed ,n !ha) ),rality. Ge!ide!, they preferred t, c,n!ider all th,!e :u!li) !tate! a! if they !hared the !a)e -ind ,f eHuality and ide,l,gy. Et 9a! ,ver the late!t d,Ken! ,f year! ,f the la!t century that ,ur planet !a9 the rec,))ence)ent ,f the ,ld :u!li) deter)inati,n t, bec,)e the ,nly 9ay ,f life and the ,nly ,fficial religi,n in the 9h,le 9,rld. A religi,n that repre!ented n,thing le!! than a -ind ,f ,b!curanti!t )edieval ide,l,gy, ruthle!! and pri)itive, ),re a-in t, that ,f t,talitariani!) ,f ),dern ti)e!. And t,talitariani!) 9a! the 9ay ,f life and la9 that har!hly d,)inated the !cene in all c,untrie! ,f the :u!li) 9,rld. Diberali!) and E!la) de!tr,yed the Eur,pean identity already at the initial !tage ,f the ap,calyp!e. "hat;! 9hy Eur,pe c,uld n,t !upp,rt the United State! ,f A)erica ,n ,ur planet that tried t, fight ,ff the !9,rn ene)y ,f ,ur We!tern civiliKati,n. 8ue t, the fact that Eur,pe ,n )y planet g,t b,gged in the !9a)p ,f c,9ardice E!la) gre9 n,t ,nly !tr,nger but al!, )uch ),re i)pertinent. "he !,/called Phu)anitarian; ,rganiKati,n! li-e W,rld A)ne!ty did a l,t t, !ubvert de),cracy by binding it hand and f,,t, 9hen de),cracy tried t, defend it!elf. Ef y,u 9ant t, !ave de),cracy ,r at lea!t 9hat i! left ,f it, y,u !h,uld fight liberali!). .,r liberali!) 9ill de!tr,y de),cracy in the true !en!e ,f thi! 9,rd. We did ,ur ut),!t t, debun- the har)ful, unhealthy idea! ,f vari,u! far/lefti!t and )ulticulturali!t ruling partie! that tried t, g, ,ut ,f their 9ay t, !trangle the Eur,pean cultural heritage, 9hich 9a! ,riginally )ulticultural in Eur,pe and 9a! the inalienable part ,f thi! heritage. Gut th,!e )ilitant P)ulticulturali!t!C f,rcibly f,i!ted up,n Eur,pean! inc,)patible, even h,!tile culture! li-e E!la), trying t, inculcate the) in ),!t Eur,pean !,cietie!. With,ut even any !lighte!t !ucce!!, E )u!t !ay. A! f,r the :u!li)!, E;ll never regret 9hat E !tarted a! a re!i!tance ),ve)ent again!t their d,)inati,n in ,ur Eur,pe. En ,ther 9,rd!, E acc,)pli!hed a certain ta!- ,n )y planet. ", put it all in a nut!hell / the :u!li)! 9anted a h,ly 9ar, they g,t it, and E d,n;t feel c,)puncti,n ab,ut it.C AWhat 9a! the general reacti,n ,f the 9,rld t, the EDA activitie!, 8,naldJC A"he 9,rld, e!pecially the lefti!t 9,rld, 9a! !Huealing li-e a pig being !laughtered at the hand! ,f ine2perienced butcher!. 6ur planet;! ver!i,n ,f y,ur Earth;! U 6 ad,pted d,Ken! ,f hyp,critical re!,luti,n! c,nde)ning ,ur activitie!, 9hich, a! a rule, 9ere advanced ),!tly by :u!li) and Eur,pean c,untrie! repre!ented by the 7ed!. Et 9a! the 7ed! 9h, c,ntributed ),!t t, the pr,ce!! ,f gl,baliKati,n ,n ,ur planet. 6ur planet;! ver!i,n ,f gl,baliKati,n )eant a c,nHue!t ,f the 9,rld by the dubi,u! alliance ,f E!la) and the 7ed athei!t Phu)anitarian!;. Et 9a! the) 9h, 9ere al9ay! eager and ready t, inject ),re ,f their 7ed p,i!,n int, the vein! ,f the !ic- and dying 9,rld. We c,uldn;t have accepted, ,f c,ur!e, 9hatever change!

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they br,ught ab,ut by their d,ing!. S,, 9e did 9hatever 9e c,uld t, bitterly fight the) and their fiendi!h plan!.C AAll right, 8,nald, E !ee it y,ur 9ay t,, becau!e 9e are beginning n,9 t, face pr,ble)! that l,,- very )uch the !a)e a! th,!e ,n y,ur planet. Gut ,ne 9ay ,r the ,ther, the re!ult ,f the !truggle 9a! h,rrible acc,rding t, y,ur !t,ry. Whatever l,fty ideal! y,u pe,ple f,ught f,r, 9hen the cata!tr,phe ,n y,ur planet began )any 9ere h,pele!!ly jin2ed and brain9a!hed. E;) c,nfident ,ur ,9n 9,rld face! very )uch the !a)e pr,ble)! and, ala!, the !a)e ,utc,)e. S,, 9e are !till behind y,u f,r a 9hile. Gut the general trend i! very ,bvi,u!. We d,n;t have !uch an ar)y a! y,u had, , e2cept f,r a fe9 !)aller !eparate gr,up! 9h,!e purp,!e i! purely eg,ti!tical and 9h, are ,utla9ed by l,cal auth,ritie!. Gut E )u!t fran-ly c,nfe!! that the !ituati,n ,n this planet i! in n,t any better than it 9a! ,n y,ur! bef,re the great cata!tr,phe. And E d, fear it;ll bear the !a)e fruit. I,u;ve g,t n, 9ay t, get bac- t, y,ur planet. S, y,u 9ill nece!!arily !tay here and )aybe !uffer the !a)e ag,ny ,nce again. Gut, li-e E !aid, y,u d,n;t have any ch,ice. S, it;! up t, y,u t, arrange y,ur life here a! be!t y,u can. 5,9ever, it l,,-! li-e E;ve g,t n, ch,ice either but t, help y,u ,ut. At lea!t E;ll !ee 9hat E can d, f,r y,u at the initial !tage ,f y,ur life ,n thi! Earth. 6n c,nditi,n, ,f c,ur!e, that y,u -eep )u) ab,ut y,ur true ,rigin. 6ther9i!e y,u;ll get y,ur!elf landed up in !,)e l,,ny bin, at be!t.C AWhat )ight be 9,r!eJC AI,u )ight get !lain by l,,nie! 9h, are at large. :,re,ver, they c,ntr,l large part! ,f ,ur planet. "hey are ruthle!! !cu) and !t,p at n,thing 9hen they !ee- t, -ill !,)e,ne they have ta-en a di!li-e t,. I,u )u!t be utterly cauti,u! in dealing 9ith any,ne y,u;ll c,)e acr,!!. E al),!t regard y,u a! )y t9in br,ther. E 9,uld n,t )ean y,u ill. Gut 9hat 9e;ve g,t here i! a 9,rld ,f evil, gl,bal inju!tice, cri)inal activitie!, vici,u! vi,lence, !,cial ineHualitie!, and 9hat n,t. A! y,u )ay -n,9 t,, / E )ean fr,) y,ur per!,nal e2perience ,f y,ur 9,rld / it;! a hard ta!- t, live n,r)ally in a 9,rld c,ntr,lled by evil f,rce!, ruthle!! and deadly a! they are.C AActually, E have f,und it ,ut t,, fr,) 9hat E read in the ne9!paper! y,u gave )e t, l,,thr,ugh and fr,) !,)e "V pr,gra)! that l,,- li-e they have been )ade ,n )y planet. I,u !p,-e t, )e in ter)! ,f )y per!,nal e2perience. Gut 9,uldn;t thi! e2perience, if E c,uld !hare it, )ean a !tern 9arning t, y,ur ,9n planetJ Ef thing! are devel,ping here the !a)e 9ay they did ,n )y planet, it 9,uld ,nly pr,ve )y p,int. "hen the !a)e baneful fate ,f )y planet )ay, ),!t !urely, befall y,ur!, t,,. 5,9ever, any 9arning ,f thi! -ind, E a!!u)e, 9ill be t,tally in vain, ju!t a v,ice yelling in the de!ert, if y,u -n,9 9hat E )ean.C AE d, and E;) a9are ,f it all, 8,nald.C "he h,!t !aid cal)ly. A6n the ,ther hand,C 8,nald the gue!t grinned Huite !uddenly, A all that !ee)! t, b,il d,9n t, at lea!t a 9ee h,pe ,f !urvival f,r )e, 8,nald, d,e!n;t itJC En hi! turn, the h,!t replied 9ith a )erry grin, t,,.

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A , d,ubt ab,ut itB I,u !ee) made f,r it. Gut there;! ,ne thing ),re E;ve g,t t, tell y,u, 8,nald.C ADi-e 9hatJC AI,u )u!t get financially independent, ,ne 9ay ,r the ,ther. At lea!t y,u !h,uld try t, get a j,b, 9hich, given y,ur age and !ituati,n, !ee)! ne2t t, i)p,!!ible. E can;t aff,rd ... ahe) ... y,u -n,9, t, help y,u any further than )a-e y,ur fir!t !tep! here. And 9h, -n,9!J :aybe y,u;ll be luc-y en,ugh t, run int, !,)e,neN !ay, a fe)ale, 9h, c,uld )a-e y,ur !,j,urn in thi! difficult 9,rld feel le!! hard.C "he gue!t !h,t a !urpri!ed and !,)e9hat !ad glance at hi! h,!t. Gut the latter ha!tened t, !,,the hi! gue!t;! !till aching 9,und! that br,ught bac- )e),rie! ,f Una 6;8,nnell. AWell, E -n,9BC 5e e2clai)ed 9ith a guilty air. AGelieve )e, E -n,9 9hat it )ean! t, have l,!t y,ur be!t girlfriend. What 9a! her na)eJ UnaJ everthele!!, life g,e! ,n in ),!t ,f it! )anife!tati,n! de!pite ,ur l,!!e!. Et ha! 9hat 9e call it! tender !ide, th,ugh it )ay n,t al9ay! be a! tender a! 9e )ay 9i!h.C 5e !niggered at hi! ,9n hint ,f le!! plea!ant p,!!ibilitie! c,ncerning l,ve and !e2. With,ut )irth, th,ugh. AS,, 9hat d, y,u !ay t, all thi!JC AE gue!! E;ll ta-e that chance.C AGut E !till d,n;t !ee h,9 y,u c,uld )anage t, -eep y,ur life g,ing. What E )ean i! h,9 y,u are g,ing t, )a-e t9, end! )eet. En a 9ay, it !till c,ncern! )e becau!e E regard y,u a! )y t9in br,ther, re)e)berJC AE d, and E;) very grateful t, y,u. I,u )ay c,n!ider )e a! y,ur debt,r. E;) c,nfident that E;ll pr,vide f,r )y e2i!tence ,ne 9ay ,r the ,ther. Et;! a )atter ,f ti)e and a bit ,f luc- if y,u -n,9 9hat E )ean. Gy the 9ay, have y,u g,t a girlfriend y,ur!elfJ Gut y,u;re n,t e2pected t, an!9er )y Hue!ti,n if y,u find it irrelevant.C AE 9,uld find it fairly irrelevant, a! y,u put it, n,t t, reply t, y,ur Hue!ti,n. E d,n;t try t, )a-e a terrible !ecret ,f it. E d, have a girlfriend. Still ,ddly en,ugh, !he bear! a different na)e than y,ur! did. 5er na)e i! Eileen and !he live! in the Eri!h city ,f @,r-. We;re very cl,!e friend!. 5ave al9ay! been. She teache! Eri!h )yth,l,gy, culture, literature, and 6ld Eri!h at a c,llege there. S,)eti)e!, !he i! a gue!t lecturer at "rinity @,llege in 8ublin. What !hall E tell y,u ),reJ We pay regular vi!it! t, each ,ther 9hen ti)e and ,ur daily r,utine! all,9. Gut let )e tell y,u 9hat, 8,nald. I,u !tand a fairly g,,d chance ,f finding a nice girlfriend !,)e9here in ,ur in thi! 9,rld, t,,. Ef y,u feel li-e that, ,f c,ur!e. Gut 9hat 9,uld y,u plan at lea!t f,r the neare!t futureJC "he gue!t;! e2pre!!i,n and the !light !hrugging ,f hi! !h,ulder! 9ere indefinite. AE;) n,t !, !ure ,f it yet,C he !aid !l,9ly, !taring right in fr,nt ,f hi), Abut ,f ,ne thing, E;) !ure. E;ll d, )y be!t t, adapt )y!elf t, the c,nditi,n! e2i!ting in y,ur 9,rld. And d,n;t y,u fear, 8,nald, E;) Huite p,!itive E;ll find )y 9ay here. @,uld y,u, f,r !tarter!, ta-e )e t, Ant9erp in y,ur carJ Ef y,u 9,uldn;t find it burden!,)e, ,f c,ur!e.C

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A , pr,ble) at all, 8,naldBC "he ,ther 8,nald e2clai)ed g,,d/naturedly. AGut c,uld y,u at lea!t !hare 9ith )e 9hatever y,u;re up t,JC AWhy n,tJ I,u g,t a p,int there. And the ),re !,, !ince E tru!t y,u. E )anaged t, bring al,ng !,)e ,f )y valuable! fr,) )y planet that )ay be ,f !,)e value here, t,,. Ef E ,nly c,uld e2change the) f,r ),ney E c,uld ch,,!e a place t, live in, buy )e a h,u!e and try t, arrange )y inc,)e in ,ne ,f the Eur,pean c,untrie! that have le!! pr,ble)! 9ith unde!irable f,reigner!. S,)e9here in the Eur,pean S,uth ),!t li-ely.C AWell. I,u !ee) t, have the )ettle t, carry y,ur!elf thr,ugh. E;ll !urely get y,u there. 5,9 ab,ut t,),rr,9JC ASuit! )e fine.C A6-ay then. I,u can ta-e a g,,d 9al- in the !treet! ,f Utrecht and !ee if y,u di!c,ver any difference! 9ith the city ,f Udrecht ,n y,ur planet. Gut let )e plea!e acc,)pany y,u, f,r there )ay be Hue!ti,n! ,n y,ur part, ,r even unf,re!een pr,ble)!.C AEt;! ,-ay 9ith )e, 8,nald.C 6nly a c,uple ,f day! later, after a !ucce!!ful and lucrative vi!it t, Ant9erp, 8,nald t,,- a 9ar) fare9ell ,f hi! d,uble that 9a! !, h,!pitable all the ti)e he !tayed 9ith hi). 8,nald the gue!t decided t, leave f,r the !,uth ,f Etaly. 6ut ,f precauti,n, he ch,!e t, depart u!ing a c,ach ,f the Eur,line! @,)pany b,und f,r Etaly. En the bu!, he -ept hi! briefca!e in hi! hand! never parting 9ith it becau!e he -ne9 hi! life depended ,n it. 5i! j,urney 9a! uneventful and he arrived !afely acr,!! .rance and S9itKerland in :ilan. 6nce there, he changed f,r an,ther c,ach, 9hich t,,- hi) t, aple! in a )atter ,f h,ur!. 5e !tayed ,vernight in that city b,iling 9ith life and )irth, a! if all the )enacing pr,ble)! in the 9,rld did n,t e2i!t. "he ne2t day he left f,r @alabria in a c,ach b,und f,r 7eggi, di @alabria. :,!t ,f the ,ther pa!!enger! 9ere l,cal 9,)en. Gut he 9a! n,t !et t, g, all the 9ay t, that big city. 5e 9,uld get ,ff ,n arrival in a !)all !ea!ide t,9n picture!Huely !HueeKed in bet9een the !ea and the ragged and au!tere/l,,-ing A!pr,),nte :,untain!. Even th,ugh he 9a! in thi! alternate reality n,9, 8,nald 9a! certain he 9,uld )anage t, adapt hi)!elf t, it f,r the re!t ,f hi! day!. 5e felt ju!t a bit giddy but at the !a)e ti)e elated, t,,. 5i! eye! ab!,rbed the beautiful land!cape! al),!t 9hiKKing pa!t hi) and the di!tant ,ne! that 9ere !9i))ing )aje!tically bac-9ard 9ith !,)e reluctance t, vani!h behind a! if they had n,t really e2i!ted and 9ere ,nly hallucinati,n! b,rn in a fevered i)aginati,n. 5e tried t, c,ncentrate ,n 9hat 9a! a9aiting hi) in hi! ne9 life, but the painful t,r)ent ,f hi! )e),ry 9,uld ruthle!!ly and in!eparably pur!ue hi) li-e a l,ng blac- !had,9 in the !l,9ly g,ing ,ut bl,,d/red light ,f a !in-ing !un. "hen the )e),ry ,f Una 9,uld ,verc,)e hi) and 9,uld n,t relinHui!h hi) f,r )any h,ur! ,n end. Ge!ide!, he 9a! afraid ,f the future. 5e 9,uld !eethe di!tant h,riK,n and the !-y ab,ve it f,r the fir!t ,r at lea!t any !ubtle !ign! ,f di!a!ter and 9,uld heave a huge !igh ,f relief each ti)e he did n,t detect the). ,9 thi! ne9 9,rld 9a!

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hi! la!t re!,rt and he feared even t, thin- ,f 9hat )ight happen t, it if thing! g,t ,ut ,f hand. .ear lur-ed deep in!ide hi).

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