The Oracle Philon

by Gerald J Kubicki

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Malcolm wound up driving the entire distance to the edge of the Eye of the Sahara. Kaley was supposed to take over at the halfway point, but just before it was her turn to drive, she turned in her seat and got up on her knees in a provocative pose. She leaned over the console and whispered in Malcolm’s ear. It sent a chill down Malcolm spine.

  “I think that you should team up with me tonight,” she breathed into his ear. “The temperature will be quite cool and our body warmth would help us sleep better. Otherwise, you’ll have to snuggle with Simon.”

  “Er…thanks,” he responded as he looked into her blue eyes. He thought that they were pleading. “I could use the warmth.”

  “I’m just thinking of you Malcolm,” she said sincerely. “Will you drive my leg of the journey?”

  Malcolm sensed a bribe, but was happy to receive it. “I’ll drive the rest of the way,” he quickly announced to everyone. Nobody argued.

  ***

  When they were close to the edge of the Eye of the Sahara, Malcolm asked another question, but this time it was not out loud and not meant for anyone in the vehicle. “How far away is the Effort’s camp?” The immediate replied that came back in his head was two miles.

  “Let’s camp here,” Malcolm said to everyone. General Stone dialed the TACP team on his satellite phone and told them the team’s intentions. The reply was immediate.

  “Roger that. We’ll find the best spot, stay in the vehicle until we clear the area.” A few minutes later the all clear sign was given and everyone piled out of their vehicles.

  Five tents were quickly erected in a circle and a gas barbeque was placed in the middle. Three lighting pods were set up pointing inward. Inside the circle there was plenty of light. Two TACP members were assigned the first shift of guard duty and everyone else settled down to eat a meal prepared by one of the TACP team. No one discussed sleeping arrangements.

  Malcolm realized that Kaley had fooled him one more time when Captain Kane mentioned that the night was going to be especially hot and advised everyone to leave their boots on their feet when sleeping, otherwise a snake or scorpion might crawl inside to sleep.”

  “I’ve already had the experience,” Malcolm commented dryly as he looked directly at the now innocent acting Kaley West. She had told him it would be cool. It was a trick to get him to do all the driving.

  Lisa looked directly at Malcolm and blinked. “I’ve seen what he is thinking. He’s angry with you,” she leaned over and whispered to Kaley. “You’ve once again made promises to him that you have no intention of keeping. You need to fix that,” she ordered in an annoyed voice and then looked away.

  Kaley nodded her head in acknowledgement. She knew that she had reverted to her old personality and needed to fix things with Malcolm.

  But before Kaley could reluctantly stand up and head over to Malcolm, the sergeant from the TACP team planted himself directly in front of her.

  “Hi, my name is Bob Pepper,” he said charmingly and offered his hand. “Want to go for a walk?”

  Kaley had finished standing by then. It was clear that the TACP member was a good foot taller and probably out weighted her by over a hundred pounds.

  “You just want to grab my ass,” Kaley spat out as she used her precognition sense.

  “Why would you say that when all I want to do is get to know you better,” he replied in a hurt little-boy voice.

  “They’ve got money riding on whether you’ll let him grab your ass or not,” Lisa told Kaley after she had pinged Sergeant Pepper to gain the information.

  Kaley glared at the huge soldier for a few seconds and then spoke. “Tell you what,” she said with a sassy smile. “If you can get me to the ground before I put you down, I’ll let you have all the grab ass you want. But if I put you down first, I get to do the same to you,” she offered. “And I want all the money from the bet too,” she negotiated.

  The other members of the TACP team who had bet against Sergeant Pepper quickly agreed with hoots and hollering.

  “Sounds like I can’t lose,” the man replied as he considered her challenge like it was a flirt.

  “Oh, believe me you will lose and regret this,” she responded in a snippy voice. “Let’s get it on then.”

  “Don’t do it man,” Malcolm shouted. “She is very devious and loves to prey on men. She’ll make a fool out of you.”

  “Don’t fuss pal,” Sergeant Pepper said in dismissal. “I’ve handled friskier dames than this one before. I promise that I won’t hurt her — just going to grab her ass.”

  “But I’m the one who is going to bust your ego, wimp,” Kaley threatened as she removed her gun belt and vest.

  The sergeant did the same and then pulled off his shirt and stood bare chested. “I’m ready.”

  Kaley suddenly unbuttoned and tossed aside her shirt as well. “I don’t want to get it dirty and I want to give you a little more incentive big boy,” she said with a lopsided grin. She still wore her sports bra. She then assumed a defensive martial arts position and waited for an attack.

  “You go first,” Sergeant Pepper offered and waved his hand for her to attack first.

  “Nope, you go first,” Kaley replied as she concentrated on her opponent. This confused the TACP member. His style was all about aggression and putting people down early. And yet she was letting him attack first. He began to wonder if this was some sort of a trap and instead of attacking, he just kept circling.

  “We’re going to put a five minute limit on this,” the captain yelled out after a few minutes of non-fighting. “Otherwise we may be here all night.”

  Suddenly, Bobby Pepper attacked. He went for a quick take down by dropping to the ground and sweeping his leg out to knock her down. But Kaley was in full anticipation mode and simply jumped up in the air. Pepper’s leg missed her legs by two feet.

  When she returned to the ground, she stomped her boot on his hard belly and stepped back.

  “Give up,” she taunted. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “And I’m trying to not hurt you.” Pepper roared back.

  “Well quit being a sissy and give me everything you’ve got,” Kaley sneered and went defensive again. “I can handle it.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Sergeant Pepper croaked and performed an athletic move by kipping up into a standing position. He immediately attacked with a hand bar move meant to get past her defenses and reach her small body. He was pretty sure that once he grabbed her, it would be all over.

  The problem was that once he reached where she was, she wasn’t there anymore. She had expected his attacked, moved to the side and now was behind him. She shoved him in the back with her foot and he went flying into one of the heavy vehicles just outside the circle.

  He roared with anger as he realized that this tiny athletic blond chick was making him look like a fool. He had to correct that. He came fast and hard the next time. He faked left then right and charged like a bull. Only she had already moved and was now riding on his back like he was a horse. She patted his head several times like he was a small boy and taunted him. Like before he couldn’t quite reach around to grab her. When he finally could, she wasn’t there — she was on the ground behind him. She kicked him in the back of his left knee, which quickly dropped him to the ground on his knees in pain.

  Kaley then leaped in the air and planted both of her feet in the middle of his large back. It jolted him forward and face down into the dry sand.

  “Kaley wins,” the captain quickly sang out. The MAD team was relieved that no one was really hurt.

  “Alright, you win,” Sergeant Pepper said gallantly. “Help me up will you.”

  Kaley reached out with her hand. The sergeant grabbed her hand and yanked her close to his body while capturing her in a bear hug. He immediately reached out and grabbed her ass. Everybody was stunned and shocked. It had happened so fast.

  “There now we are even,” he shouted.

  “Oh yeah!” Kaley ex
claimed sarcastically. “I let you do that.” Kaley then hand chopped the sergeant on the side of his neck paralyzing the arm that held her. She then slapped him hard across the face. Before there was any more damage, he raised his arms in surrender and Kaley slid out onto the sand.

  “You owed me that,” he uttered defensively.

  “No harm done,” she replied sweetly. “If you’re going to wrestle with someone, a girl like me can expect roaming hands.”

  “You’re a good sport,” Sergeant Pepper said as a compliment.

  “Now give me the damn money,” she said forcefully to the captain and held out her hand. “And make sure this Cretan never gets too close to me again or I’ll put him down hard.”

  “I hear you loud and clear,” the captain replied while laughing. “You’re one helluva a fighter,” he added with admiration.

  Malcolm suddenly realized that the entire confrontation had been arranged to display the fighting skills of the MAD team and especially Kaley. He wondered who arranged it.

  Kaley now headed to one of the tents. “I’m going to bed now,” she announced. “Are you coming Malcolm?”

  Malcolm scrambled to his feet with the greatest feeling of anticipation that he had ever felt in his life.

  “I’m sleeping in my clothes,” she said when they were inside the tent.

  “Alright,” Malcolm agreed.

  “And if I feel anything poking me, I’m going for my knife,” she said sadistically.

  “Not even a little feel,” he pleaded.

  “That depends if you want to stay whole.” She replied jokingly.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Malcolm woke up on his back the next morning when he heard people milling around outside. He turned his head and was surprised to find Kaley comfortably scrunched up next to him. Her warm body was very soothing; her beautiful bare leg was planted across his legs. Her bright cobalt-blue eyes were staring directly at him. She said nothing. She still had most of her clothes on, but had slept next to him all night without making any complaints about groping or sexual harassment. She had promised to sleep with him and she had.

  “No sex,” she had said when they had ended their banter the night before. Malcolm understood that she was attempting to fulfill the promise she made during the ride to the location. Even if it didn’t include sex — it made him happy to see and feel the real Kaley West.

  He stared back at her and soon discovered that she had changed her mind. Lust was now in her eyes. The look was so provocative that Malcolm felt a chill run down his spine again. Her hand went to his chest and started to rub it. He turned towards her, but suddenly the whole tent shook violently. They were rudely interrupted by someone banging on the tent frame.

  “Get up,” Lisa yelled. “We’re having breakfast now and the men want to get started.”

  “I’ll be right there,” Kaley replied. She threw off the sleeping bag and pulled herself out like she was a butterfly coming out of its larva. She arched her back and stretched. It only teased the aroused Malcolm.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to stay in bed a little longer?” Malcolm said in a husky voice.

  “We’ll take time later,” she promised. “Right now you need to find out where we can find the Effort’s camp and where the Effort men are currently located. Can you do that?”

  He tried to not let disappointment slip into his voice when he said, “I already have the location of their camp and where they are. I did it before you woke up.”

  “Were you staring at me while I slept?” she asked as she ran a comb through her golden hair.

  “Of course not,” he responded indignantly. A smile was on his face when he said it. “After all, there are so many pretty decorations in this tent to look at, why would I look at you?”

  Knowing that he had watched her sleep made her feel somehow comfortable inside. All the other men she had ever slept with had not let her sleep.

  “Hurry up,” she said and punched him in the arm. She then bounded out the tent opening.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Meanwhile the now crazed Dr. Raja had reached Karachi with the deranged mercenary Dax. They had used the credit card that the banker had given him to use for supplies. Dr. Raja was surprised when all the purchases he made, including airline tickets, were all approved. Dr. Raja also inquired about the checking account balance. He was delighted to find several thousand Saudi riyals available for him to use.

  It meant that Sheikh Ali Farhat, the banker, hadn’t cut his funds off yet, even with his own bank. Dr. Raja hoped it meant that he was dead.

  Once they left the airport in a rental truck which carried their gear, Dr. Raja placed a call on his cellphone to the two men who had set off the Switch in the Devil’s Triangle for him. They had arrived in Karachi only a few hours earlier. The men agreed to meet him in a park named Benazir Bhutto Park at eight o’clock that night. It was a huge park right on the inland waterway of Karachi harbor. It was usually very sparsely occupied — especially at night.

  They arrived there after eating a much needed meal in a downtown restaurant. Dr. Raja relieved his men of the Switch and then unceremoniously ordered Dax to shoot them. He didn’t want anyone around who could identify him or his partner. Besides they had failed him. They no longer fit into his plans.

  They now needed a place to stay. Dax knew some criminal thugs in the big city and they soon found a small warehouse for the professor to rent. It was in the far northeastern section of the city and pretty much off the beaten path.

  As soon as they were settled into the warehouse, they went looking for an Iman who could talk to Allah.

  At first, they visited several mosques without success. They discovered that while nearly every one of the twenty-six million people in Karachi were Muslim, there were several different sects to the religion. The majority of people in Pakistan were followers of the Sunni Islamic faction. They decided to concentrate on only that sect to find their Iman.

  They also found that there was no shortage of religious leaders in Karachi, just a shortage of qualified religious leaders. It seemed that anyone could be declared an Iman. They were around every corner. To become an Iman, all someone had to do was to be knowledgeable of the teachings of the Koran. They just had to gather a following of people who would support them financially. The Iman then would preach to and lead them in prayers. Iman could also earn money by providing Halal certification of food and other products. No education or age limit existed, but an Iman had great influence on how his congregation viewed the world. Unfortunately, they were so busy controlling their sheep, that they had little time to become worldly.

  The Iman they interviewed were all eager to earn extra money, but when Dr. Raja asked them for a list of accomplishments, especially involving actually communicating with Allah, all that any of them could do was quote how many followers they had recently picked up for their mosque. “It’s caused by Allah’s will,” was the common answer.

  ***

  They eventually found and hired a very old Iman that first day. He claimed that he spoke with Allah on several occasions. His proof was some scribblings on some paper he pulled from a pocket somewhere in his robe. He passed them to Dr. Raja with shaking hands.

  “I write these when I’m in a trance,” the Iman named Chodary said seriously.

  Dr. Raja discovered that he could read the notes. They were all religious based rhymes and geared to gathering a larger flock of followers. Could be, thought Dr. Raja.

  “Are you interested in earning huge sums of money?” Dr. Raja asked the old man.

  “I’ll do it for my congregation,” The Iman responded and thrust out his chest. But the glimmer of riches and fame filled his eyes.

  “Okay,” Dr. Raja said. “You have the element we need — greed.”

  Within a few hours, Dax had rented a different vehicle, and the three of them along with the Switch device traveled out of town. They soon were standing alongside the Hub Dam. It was about forty miles north the c
ity and provided most of the drinking water for the insatiable Karachi residents.

  “Why are we here?” the holy man asked solemnly.

  “We are going to test your skills,” Dr. Raja patiently replied. “All you have to do is use your skills to aim the water spout,” he explained.

  “Waterspout! What waterspout?” the clergy asked in confusion.

  “The one that we will create using this device,” Dr. Raja said and showed him the markings on the Switch. “I will make all the calculations and set the device to activation. All you have to do is will the direction in your mind and pick a place to set the waterspout down in the reservoir.”

  The suddenly very nervous Iman told Dr. Raja that he wasn’t sure he could do it. “What if I can’t control it? What if it is not Allah’s way?”

  “There’s no payday if you don’t try,” Dax said with a hint of anger. He believed the Iman was a con-artist.

  “All right, I’ll do it,” the religious leader muttered when he realized that Dax had made a threat.

  Dr. Raja performed all the necessary calculations and activated the device. “Now concentrate on where the waterspout will touch down on the water and where it will go. The Kirthar National Park is just off to your left. Send the spout that way,” Dr. Raja suggested.

  The Iman closed his eyes and appeared to be straining with determination. He pressed the button and a bolt of white light left the Switch. It headed out over the reservoir.

  Everything looked promising. Dax and Dr. Raja watched as a menacing storm cloud suddenly appeared over the reservoir. The cloud began spinning and growing in size. It darkened and became angry — then violent — shooting off lightning in every direction. Soon a funnel formed and reached out from the bottom of the cloud. It appeared that the cloud wanted a drink of water as the funnel continued spinning downwards towards the reservoir. When the funnel touched the water, a waterspout developed over the middle of the lake sucking up huge amounts of water and spinning tightly. It was now a menacing and also a mesmerizing site to the men on the shore. As the waterspout picked up speed Dr. Raja watched in anticipation of it moving towards the park.