The Ghost of Flight 666

CHAPTER 42: Coffee With Friends

Slade awoke in an apartment and not in a hospital. That was strange, he thought, because he recognized the effects of anesthesia wearing off. He didn’t fight it. He allowed himself to drift comfortably in and out of sleep until such time as his bladder told him it was time to rise.

Putting on a robe, Slade took care of things, made some coffee and went out on the balcony of his room and sat down to enjoy the view of Tel Aviv.

Killer and Bernstein met him there.

“Director Gann congratulates you on a job well done Slade,” Bernstein told him. “He passes on that even the president was pleased.”

“I must have screwed something up then,” Slade smirked, sipping his coffee.

Killer laughed, slapping Slade on the back. “Thanks for leaving most of the freighter guys and almost all the jihadists in Singapore alive! You’re slipping. My boys finally had something to do!”

“You cleaned everything up then?”

“Sure, you know how badly those guys shoot,” Jake said. He dug in his pocket and produced a photo. Handing it to Slade, he said, “Thought you might like this for your trophy wall. It’s the shark that gummed you!”

“That tiger almost bit me in two!” Slade protested.

“It was a nurse shark Jeremiah,” Killer laughed. “Only a six footer at that; you probably woke him up on the bottom. Probably scared him as much as he scared you.”

Slade perused the picture of four grinning Deltas holding a six foot nurse shark full of bullet holes.

Killer chuckled, and added, “His teeth were barely long enough to get through your wet suit!” Then he shrugged and shook his head. “You know, it’s kind of embarrassing to have a Delta Force scared of sharks.”

“I guess you’re going to kick me out then,” Slade sighed, putting the picture face down on the table.

“Can’t,” Killer shrugged. “You still killed the shark and an awful lot of bad guys.”

“Speaking of bad guys, I got a special cable this morning,” Ari told them. “As you may know, in light of the horrific crimes committed by ISIS in its rampage across Syria and Iraq the Pope has approved the use of force to stop them.”

“No I didn’t know that,” Slade said gravely.

“It’s significant for it to have gone that far, but the Pope has gone farther,” Ari said. “Cardinal Martel contacted me this morning. The Vatican is of course working through diplomatic channels, the Holy Father sees to that, but Cardinal Martel has been instructed to see if there are certain people within the Free World that would be interested in comparing notes, sort of streamlining things behind the scenes.”

They all looked at each other. Finally Slade said, “If that will cut the red tape I’m all in. We were close this time; very close.”

“That feeling is not so unique. I’m afraid it’s not shared by all, however. There are too many in positions of power who seem to blind themselves to the obvious. Perhaps those of us actually fighting the battle can overcome not only the obvious enemy but the blind friend as well.”

“We need to,” Slade sighed. “The price of failure is too severe. We can’t leave that kind of world to our children.”

The Iranian President Aliaabaadi met Colonel Nikahd in front of the presidential residence. He led the colonel inside. They joined Ayatollah Hayayi for tea in the reception room. The Ayatollah was curt. He got right down to business.

“We cannot allow this setback to further aggravate our plans,” he told them both. “I am already hearing it from our ISIS and Al Qaeda confederates as well as the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia. Our Shia-Sunni alliance is cracking. The rise of ISIS is not something we anticipated.”

“It has, however, created an unexpected strength in our understanding with our Al Qaeda brothers,” Nikahd said. “The ISIS barbarians prey on them as well as the Shia who fall into their hands.”

“We should encourage the Americans to view ISIS as a grave threat,” Aliaabaadi said. “Perhaps then the Americans can take care of that problem for us.”

“That would be a great help,” Hayayi assented. “Though I hate the idea of using the Devil for our deeds it is all too clear that our greatest threat is ourselves. We risk various factions even various communities going forward without coordinating with us. ISIS is one example. Had they waited two years they might have done us a great service. Now, however, they risk focusing the West on the threat we pose them. Hamas is another example. Of what use was it to anger the Zionists before we were ready to strike? Their rocket attacks and the ensuing Zionist offensive nearly ruined this latest operation before it got started.”

“To that end we have some problems with our brothers in London,” Nikahd reported.

“Problems? What problems?”

“The community has implemented sharia in our neighborhoods and conquest by the right hand; they’ve been taking Western women and girls for their harems. It is all right and well of them to do so, of course, but those in Manchester have been caught. The resultant trial may very well send things out of control.”

Hayayi sighed, “It will be the downfall of our people if we do not learn the patience required for conquest. What good is it to wait ninety-nine years when all that is needed is to wait one hundred? We have fallen short many times before. My fear is that if we do so again we may not be given another chance.”