Pandora's Ark

CHAPTER FORTY

In the Warehouse District in southern Tehran, al-Ghazi stood alongside al-Sherrod and other personnel who milled about a stockroom the size of a football field. The massive area was vacant, the surrounding floor, for the most part, littered with debris and rubble, the building having been abandoned long ago. Pigeons alighting on the overhead beams continued to pass their droppings to the floor. And the windows, which lined the top tier just below the roofline, were oxidized, cracked or broken. In the center of the warehouse was a raised platform surrounded by lights powered by generators. On the center of that platform lay the Ark of the Covenant, its lid off and to the side, a gold aura fanning out from its shell against the cast of the reflecting light.

Al-Ghazi stood back with his hands clasped behind the small of his back and watched his team rig the Ark with a false bottom.

Before leaving the facility at Mount Damavand, Sakharov’s techs had engineered a flat box made of a composite not detectable by x-ray, and then infused it with nanobots. The flat box, approximately covering the entire floorboard of the Ark and an inch high, would be undetectable once the false bottom was set in place. Pinprick holes unseen by the naked eye would perforate the false flooring. The holes appearing like gaping chasms to the bots, since a hundred thousand could fit on the head of a pin, thereby providing numerous escape routes once the sound waves stimulated the bots into action.

They would then take flight and devour anything organic within a fifteen minute period, killing without impunity, conscience and simply by design.

Al-Ghazi watched as his engineers carefully laid the flat box containing the nanobots along the floor of the Ark, then fitted the false bottom over it so that the interior appeared uniform and untouched. In further examination they passed scopes and wands capable of detecting alien composites not existing at the time the Ark was created. This was done so as not to draw suspicion from scholars examining the Ark, and then warranting further scrutiny should they detect anomalous blends not historically existing at that time, such as the composite structure of the flat box, which was the last thing al-Ghazi wanted. X-rays were then taken from every angle, the nano container and false bottom going undetected, the bots all but invisible.

Al-Ghazi was pleased.

“Should the initial run succeed, Ahmad, then you will be cast in history as a savior.” Al-Sherrod smiled with his little, yellow teeth.

But it wasn’t about punctuating his place in history, he thought. It was about shining in the eyes of his God.

In silence they watched the tablets of the Ten Commandments returned, the lid resettled. The Ark was now ready as it sat there caught within its own nimbus of light, its glow moving, living, writhing, taking on a life of its own.

“So how will you introduce it to the infidels?” asked al-Sherrod. “Now that Umar is no longer the instrument to perform such duties.”

“I have contacted an Islamic cleric respected by all religious and political authorities,” he answered. “He is a man who believes that Islamic teachings should be taught by way of peace rather than jihad — a true pacifist. I told him that the true Ark of the Covenant was a negotiable item and will be granted as a relic for cherishment to be shared by all, should he follow certain guidelines.”

“And how will that benefit us? We agreed that Vatican City would serve as Ground Zero. Placing it within the authority of Muslim cleric will serve us no purpose.”

Al-Ghazi raised a hand and patted the air, the gesture telling al-Sherrod to ‘hold on.’ “The Ark is also symbolic to the Jews regarding their Exodus from Egypt under Pharaoh’s rule and Moses’ journey to Mount Sinai, where the commandments were created by the ‘finger’ of God. This segues into the interest of the Catholics, who use these commandments as the governing laws of their religion.”

Al-Sherrod waited.

“Should the good cleric want to lay his eyes upon the Ark,” continued al-Ghazi, “then he is bound to share the Ark in good faith with all denominations that hold a related interest and share in its opening. The Jews. The Muslims. The Catholics — everyone.”

“And he is in full agreement?”

“He is a pacifist who is naïve and believes that such a venture is warranted in promoting good will between the faiths. He sees this as an opportunity to show the world that the Muslim approach to religion is truly the path of goodness and peace.” Al-Ghazi walked to the Ark and placed a palm against its gold shell, his face a blend of yellow and gold within its glow. “I have set the parameters,” he went on dispassionately, “by telling him that if this was truly his goal, then he needs to display the Ark at a site for all to share with religious and political dignitaries in attendance.”

Al-Sherrod continued to remain silent as al-Ghazi stepped away from the Ark.

Al-Ghazi faced him. “This cleric doesn’t even know that I’m setting him up as the vehicle to achieve the means,” he said. “By offering the Ark to promote good will on his behalf, he is duty bound to adhere by my negotiations without the dignitaries knowing that I am the one calling the shots. The cleric is merely voicing my demands through his proxy.”

“And he is in compliance with this?”

Al-Ghazi nodded. “Unwittingly for him, yes. He is negotiating with the Zionist and Catholic factions as we speak. The terms are as follows: The Ark of the Covenant will be shared by all under mutual authority for the opening to be held at Vatican City, and then summarily thereafter transported to a neutral site, which we’re indicating to be Switzerland. He will receive the Ark by way of Jordan, so that it will not be traced back to us.”

“And these factions readily agreed for the viewing to be held at Vatican City?”

“Not by the Muslim and Jewish constituency, of course. But the supporting argument was that there were no neutral grounds in Israel for Muslims, and no neutral lands in the Arab states for Jews. Vatican City, however, provided neutrality for all religions without fear of retaliation.”

Al-Sherrod smiled, obviously impressed. “This cleric, he is esteemed, yes?”

“Very. He is known to be a gentle man of great faith unwilling to raise a hand in the name of jihad. Everybody knows this. But he will get the job done by my direction not knowing that he is partaking in jihad, nonetheless.”

They looked at the Ark, realizing that Sakharov’s demons were ready to be released.

“You know they will open the Ark and examine it to make sure there is nothing amiss,” said al-Sherrod.

“They will find nothing,” returned al-Ghazi. “The composite of the flat box is undetectable, as is the false bottom. Their dogs, their Geiger counters, their electromagnetic meters or biological detection systems will detect nothing until it’s too late.” For the first time al-Ghazi smiled.

Sakharov’s technology in its whole was the perfect killing machine.

And in his mind’s eye, he could see himself pump his fist in victory. Allahu Akbar!

When the set up of the Ark was completed, once the gears were set in motion, al-Ghazi chose his team wisely.

He had chosen a team of four; all committed to the service of Allah, all claiming to be equally at peace with surrendering their lives without further consideration. They had been warriors in past skirmishes — whether it was on the front lines during the Iranian war, or later finding service with al-Qaeda after freelance fighting. Either way, they were highly skilled in combat techniques.

In his setting of his satellite office which overlooked the dust-laden air of the busy Tehran streets, al-Ghazi briefed his team who sat wherever a seat was available.

“You are al-Qaeda,” he told them. It was the way he started every briefing, always reminding those as to who and what they were, soldiers of war. “You have been given a wonderful opportunity for martyrdom,” he said. “A wonderful opportunity.”

And then al-Ghazi assigned them their duties in explicit detail from their arrival in Vatican City to their final moment of their lives. Sayyid, the most experienced in computer technology, was assigned to be the trigger man to initiate the program that stimulated the bots. The other three would act as buffers keeping anyone from getting close.

They would go in silently, set up a station where the frequency from Sayyid’s could be engaged, and set the nanobots alight. All he needed was thirty seconds.

Thirty… seconds.

Should security attempt to stop them, then they would come up against the buffers.

Reaching into the drawer of his desk, al-Ghazi removed a brand new laptop and slid it across the desk toward Sayyid. “There’s a program embedded in that computer as an encrypted cipher,” he told him. “It’s encrypted to ensure that the data on board will not be appropriated from outside sources, should you be compromised. You will commit to memory a series of commands that will enable you to decipher and initiate the process. On the final command a series of speakers within the flat box will set off sound waves that will stimulate the bots. Only you will have this information, Sayyid, and no one else. Not even your team.” He fell back into his seat, looking casual. “Do you have any questions?”

“None, al-Ghazi.” Sayyid took the laptop and ran his fingertips over the smooth cover, a seemingly loving caress.

“Then Allah will favor you all and Paradise will be yours,” he said. And then: “Allahu Akbar!”

In unison from his team: “Allahu Akbar!”