The Mark of the Rebel
Page 21
Mashal and Zamir enjoy their tea and a meal then head straight for the coast to meet the truck at the shipping port. They know any time they spend resting gives the enemy time to find any mistakes they might have made and track them down. They also know the end game is still ahead. Syria was a successful test and Masha could not have been more pleased, but the real test lay ahead, and his destiny still calls to him. They drive until they reach the container ship that is waiting for them.
Sahila lets Tarek know that they will pay him what he asks, and they want to leave as soon as they can. He assures them he will get them out within a few days.
Sahila is reading a book in the bedroom when Yaqeena rushes through the door.
“You have to see this.” She declares and shoves the phone in Sahila’s face.
Sahila jerks her head back to look at the screen. “What? What are you doing?” She asks annoyed by the interruption. “I was reading a book.” She informs her sister.
“Yes, but the book is not as good as this.” Yaqeena insists.
Sahila focuses on the screen and her eyes grow wide. The text reads, “The Office of the Secretary-General of the United Nations would like to speak with you. We understand this may be difficult for you to meet in person at this time, so an online meeting can be arranged. Please respond with some days and times that you are available to meet with the Secretary-General at your earliest convenience.” Sahila’s mouth opens in disbelief.
Yaqeena starts to laugh and sits next to her sister and hugs her. “I know right?” She lets out a suppressed squeal. “Who would have expected this? I was as surprised as you when I read it.”
“Do you think this is real?” Sahila asks still stunned. “How do we know this is genuine?”
“It is from an official UN address. I think it is real, but I don’t know. You’re right, we should check. We can contact our technology friends online and they can help us,” Yaqeena suggests.
“Yes, I think we should,” Sahila agrees. “We should be careful. Who knows who our government might have told about us?”
“Okay, I will go contact them now.” Yaqeena got up to go but turned back with a smile. “I’m sure it’s real, but I will verify it.”
“Don’t tell Tarek about this,” Sahila warns.
Yaqeena smirked. “Don’t worry sister, I won’t tell that snake anything.”
Sahila sits back as her sister leaves the room and looks at the ceiling. Her life has become a flood of emotions. The tide will not recede, it is constant. She stares and wonders if the latest news is true. Is she really going to speak with the Secretary-General? Does he even know who she is? Has he seen one of her videos? She suddenly feels self-conscious. What will she say to him? She thinks of things she might say and the rehearsal of things to say continues until she closes her eyes to imagine the conversation. She has not recovered from the hike or the up and down moments of adrenaline from all the events of late. She drifts off to sleep as Yaqeena contacts their online resources. It takes a few hours of waiting but it is confirmed. The message is real. They give times for a meeting and are messaged back to confirm a meeting within the hour. Their hacker friends give them instructions about how to set the meeting up to avoid being located and they start the meeting with a distorted video. The video calms down, but the audio is garbled and hard to understand. It takes a moment longer of both ends trying to understand the other when the feed clears up.
Sahila smiles. “Hello, Secretary-General.” She waits for him.
“Hello. Thank you for speaking with me so quickly,” he starts.
“Of course, Mister Secretary,” she emphasizes.
“I wanted to speak with you personally. We have been keeping up with your story through your videos. I am sorry for the tragedies you have endured. I would like to learn more about how you would like to address the issues you have spoken of, but I think we are short of time. As you have noted in your latest video, the nuclear threat is too great for humanity. There is too much war in our world. Too much suffering. We at the United Nations agree with you.”
She smiles as her confidence soars and relief sweeps across her. “Thank you, Mister Secretary.”
“It is I who should be thanking you. Your words have caused people to take notice and to begin to demand that we change the world as we know it. Governments with weapons that can destroy entire cities threatening each other with such destruction is no longer acceptable. That day has passed; a new day has come. You are the standard-bearer for this cause. I will be grateful if you will accept the position of World Peace Speaker. It will be an official office with the resources and protection of the United Nations at your disposal. We can discuss the specifics and how you would like to approach the position later, but I would like you to consider the position and all that you might be able to do with such a large platform.”
She looks at Yaqeena and back at the screen. “I don’t know what to say Mister Secretary. This is so big.”
“You do not need to give me an answer today. Take your time to think it over,” he assures her.
“Oh no, Mister Secretary. I don’t need to think it over. It will be my honor to serve humanity in such a role. I am humbled that you will even consider me,” she clarifies.
“That’s wonderful news!” He smiles broadly. “I would like to offer you all our resources right away to help you with whatever you need. I don’t know where you are. We suspect that you are in Lebanon, but regardless of your location we can assist with transportation, protection, and anything else you might need.”
“Thank you, sir. We can use some help. We need transportation to New York. I have a rally to attend there on the sixth and any help will be great,” she informs him.
“Oh yes. I understand you have a meeting planned. Of course, our office can assist with it all. My office will make arrangements and I look forward to meeting you in person soon,” he states bringing the conversation to a close.
“Yes sir, I look forward to it as well.” Sahila sits with tears of joy forming.
Her sister can stand it no longer and hugs her from the side as the meeting concludes and they sit together crying tears of joy, tears of relief.
***
Port of Tripoli, Lebanon
Mashal has smelled the ocean many times before with his family. They went together to the ocean with his uncle’s family many times. He would breathe the salt in the air in deeply and feel at peace. The sound of the ocean’s waves and the feel of the natural rhythm of the water was water relaxing. He loves the ocean. If he was not on a mission to change the world he might live by an ocean. There is no time for that now. The ocean smell here is faint, but the smell of oil and gas is strong. The industrial smells of the harbor overwhelm the smell of the ocean. It reminds him of the reason he is on this journey. Greed for oil and the resources of his country and those around him brought the godless Americans and other Western countries to his doorstep. They contaminate everything they touch. The entertainment they pander is full of sex and hedonism. The West has no understanding of his people or their devotion to purity. He will educate them in a way that others before him had tried and failed. He will succeed and bring them to their knees in submission. Then maybe he will be able to enjoy the ocean once again in peace but today they are headed to Egypt and then to New Orleans. From New Orleans all things are possible. They will be on United States soil and can head in any direction. It will take less than a month and he will be ready to fulfill his destiny.
To be continued…
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