Zane replied in a more subdued tone, “Thanks, Sam, for the advice. I will take it. You’ve given me something to think about as well. Have you talked to David yet?”
“He’s already sold half his shares. He’ll be finished in a few more months as well.”
“Any news from David about New York?” Zane asked.
“You know David, Zane. Always plays it by the book. He won’t say anything more than what we’ve learned on the news. He’s been putting in a lot of hours trying to track down the people who were behind this.”
“Okay. And Sam, all kidding aside—thank you for the recommendation on AQES. I really doubted it would ever amount to anything. I just hope I have the wisdom to use it wisely.” Zane finished with a thoughtful pause.
“I’ve have been thinking the same thought lately. This money has the potential to be a real blessing. On the other hand, if we let it, it could take control of our lives.”
Zane hung up the phone and sat at his desk in thought. Part of him was excited about the money he had made with AQES. The other part of him was worried that it had come too easily. Would he have the maturity to handle it wisely? Over the years he had learned that when he was in doubt about something, the best solution was to simply ask his heavenly Father for wisdom to make the right decisions. Zane got down on his knees and did so now.
“Father in heaven, I know I don’t have all the answers. Please give me the wisdom to honor you with this money. Please make it a blessing and not a curse. I thank you for this opportunity—please help me to use it wisely. I ask you Father, in Jesus’s name, amen.”
Zane got back up, sat down at his desk, and pulled out a piece of paper. Writing down his goals had always helped him get on track. Now he wrote a schedule for selling his shares of AQES. He would sell one thousand shares a week for the next twenty weeks. If they all sold at around these prices, he would make over two million dollars. What unintended consequences would such money bring? What new direction would it take his life? Already he could see that he had new concerns he did not have just thirty minutes ago. What was the biblical quote his mother always used to tell him? “To whom much is given, much is required.” Yes, that was it—and he was just beginning to feel the weight of those words now. “To whom much is given . . .”
The words brought back profound memories. Since Zane was a little boy, his parents had encouraged him and his brother and sister to set aside a portion of their money to help those less fortunate than themselves. They had never told him how much to set aside, but had left that up to his own preference. One of their rules was that he was required to use the money personally to help others. They told him it was his money, and it was his responsibility make sure it was used according to his purpose. Giving it to the church, they explained, was shirking his personal responsibility. Not that their church would not use it properly, but it was his, not their, responsibility. They had wanted him to have personal contact with those he helped.
He had quickly learned that life was challenging and often heartbreaking. As a young child he had looked in the eyes of those he helped. He had felt their humanity, shared their pain, their hunger, anger, sorrow, and joy. He remembered serving meals to children his own age at the homeless shelter on Thanksgiving Day. Taking clothes and other necessities to the orphanage and realizing the children there didn’t have the love and protection of parents like his. Those experiences had a profound impact on how Zane viewed his fellow human beings. They weren’t just a picture in the church bulletin—they were real, living, breathing human beings, each made in the image of their Creator.
Another point his parents had often reminded him of was that he should not be giving out of some sense of guilt for his better circumstances, but out of love. It had taken him many years to understand the difference between the two.
He didn’t know exactly what he wanted to do with all his newfound wealth, but one thing he could do was continue the traditions his father and mother had started so many years ago. He would set aside half of what he sold to be used specifically to fulfill the biblical mandate of helping the widow, the fatherless, and the poor, as well as sharing the gospel message. Yes, he would use the money to help those in his little sphere of influence. Make a difference in the lives of those whose paths he crossed in the short time allotted in this life.
To that end, Zane placed an order to sell one thousand shares of AQES at market open the next day. He also placed another nineteen conditional orders to sell one thousand shares of AQES at market every week until all the shares were gone.
The decision made and put into action, he felt somewhat relieved. Tomorrow he would open a separate account into which he would deposit half the proceeds of all his sales. Over the coming days, he would develop specific plans for the use of those funds. With a yawn, Zane turned off the light over his desk and prepared for bed. As he crawled under the covers, he thought about the Capernaum dig. It was only a few weeks away. He was really looking forward to it. With these pleasant thoughts, Zane, with some difficulty, finally fell asleep.
Chapter 40
Capernaum, Israel
Several thousand miles away, Rachael Neumann was just waking up at the dig site in Capernaum. The dig team had been setting up the camp for the past several days. Due to budgetary constraints, they were roughing it—there would be no hotel accommodations on this dig. A tent camp was set up for staff near the dig site. An additional area was designated for volunteers who wanted to camp on-site. To Rachael’s surprise, even Efran was staying on-site in his own tent. This was the first time she could remember an Israeli Antiquities supervisor roughing it like the rest of them.
So far, Rachael was working out the normal challenges of the undertaking and getting a feel for the layout of the dig site. The main area of activity was on what they believed to be the ruins of a first-century dwelling just outside the main ruins of Capernaum. About two thousand feet away and closer to the Sea of Galilee, on a somewhat lower elevation, were the remains of a Jewish synagogue. The original building had been quite impressive and was believed to have been built in the fourth century. Elaborate reliefs were carved into its white limestone blocks. Archeologists had found motifs of eagles, a seahorse, a menorah, pomegranates, grapes, rosettes, stars, pentagons, and hexagons. Below this synagogue, archeologists found what they believed were the ruins of another synagogue, apparently built in the first century AD.
The camp would be completely set up by the end of Friday. Starting the following week, work would begin at the ruins. Rachael was in charge of the debris sorting and disposal. All excavated earth was transported to large boxed screens they would set up over the next few days. Before the earth was disposed of, every bit of it was dumped onto the screens and sifted. They would be looking for any man-made objects, such as pottery, coins, or other artifacts. Once the earth was completely checked for any archeologically relevant objects, it was transported by wheelbarrow up the hill, across a road, and to a ravine about a quarter of a mile away. It was painstakingly slow work and brutally hard, but Rachael loved every moment of it.
Starting next week, volunteers would begin to arrive. From that point until the dig was completed, volunteers would cycle in and out, some staying a day or two and others a week or more. Without the volunteers, the dig would not be possible. There was just not enough money to hire people to do all the work. Thankfully, the volunteer coordinator had told them at the last staff meeting that the first several weeks at least were completely booked with promised help. If the current pace kept up, he assured them, they would not have a manpower problem for this dig. Rachael looked over her lists and notes one more time. She was as ready as she could be. Just a few more days and she would be getting her hands dirty. She smiled with anticipation.
Chapter 41
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Darius Zarindast was reading over the reports from the various members of the team. So far each of them had executed his or her part of the plan with perfection. It was now
spring, and Ralph and Gavin had the new factory running smoothly. Aquarius Elemental Solutions now had the largest private fleet of aircraft in the world. AES technicians were flying their machines all over the world, many doing several installs each day. Dubai International had become the busiest airport in the world. The infrastructure development for the elemental separators was such that iron ore mining companies and pipeline manufacturers were the best-performing sectors in world markets right now. AES had been the catalyst for a twenty-percent increase in world iron ore consumption. The shares which Dylan had purchased during the crash had tripled in value.
Darius’s one-hundred-and-fifteen-billion-dollar investment was now worth five-hundred-billion dollars. He was a major shareholder in each of the biggest iron producing and manufacturing firms in the world. Darius and AES had pulled the world out of the longest and most severe recession since the Great Depression. He was an international icon in the business world, a Midas whose touch would turn any company into gold. Not since J.P. Morgan or John D. Rockefeller had any one person had so much clout.
Despite this, Darius kept single-mindedly to his goal. The anger and hate inside him simmered just barely below the surface at all times. His plan to destroy the Order was almost in reach. Another six months and his plan could not be stopped. With his attack on Manhattan he had seriously crippled Western financial operations out of the eastern United States. Their consolidation to Chicago and London had made the system even more vulnerable.
Work had been completed on the newest Aquarius Elemental Separator. The new AES-1M could produce one million gallons of freshwater per minute. Ralph had incorporated production facilities in the new factory for these larger units, and they were producing two units each day. Darius had priced them at five hundred million dollars each, and already he had back orders for two hundred units. Most of the major municipalities in the world had ordered one or more. Darius had promised New York two of his AES-1000 units but instead provided them with the new AES-1M units. They would be coming online in several more weeks and would produce over two-hundred-and-fifty-million gallons of water each day for New York—one quarter of New York’s daily water usage at a fraction of the cost of their existing system. The new units had the added benefit of being able to separate more than one element from the water at a time.
Darius pulled up the most current interactive map showing the distribution of his machines throughout the world. Little blue dots showed where his AES-100s were located, and little red dots showed his AES-1000s. Little green dots showed the AES-1Ms. Right now there were five green dots on the map. New York had two, London one, Hong Kong one, and Dubai one. Over the next three months Darius would have his machines producing water in almost every major commerce and banking center in the world.
And then he would be ready for his revenge.
As part of his endgame, Darius began to borrow money. The major power brokers and moneylenders of the world fell all over themselves to loan him the funds he desired. Many of his enemies and their associates were among those who loaned Darius money. To all outward appearances, the money was being used to expand his empire. But through complicated financial vehicles and clever manipulations, Darius began to build highly leveraged positions in the financial markets. He started his positioning slowly so as not to raise any concerns. By the time anyone realized the true extent of what he was doing, it would be too late for the world financial markets.
Darius requested permission from the new democratic Iranian government for AES to open business relations with Iran. Permission was granted, and Darius immediately began to invest major sums of money in his Persian subsidiary. From there, the money was clandestinely diversified into precious metals and other hard assets. Over the next several months, Iran became the largest net importer of gold, silver, and other hard assets.
No one knew it was Darius behind the purchases. Most thought it was the new Persian government. Since Darius’s first announcement that his elemental separators could remove gold and silver from seawater, the prices of both had plummeted by fifty percent. Now Darius was buying up ever-increasing amounts which the world was only too glad to sell. When he executed the final part of his plan, the world would again run from equities and paper into the age-old safe haven of gold and silver. Only they would find that someone had gotten there before them.
As part of the quid pro quo, the new president of Iran requested release of the shares promised to the Iranian people. Darius granted it, and overnight he became a national hero in Iran.
Chapter 42
Tel Aviv, Israel
Marcus Nayat watched the front of the bakery from a window across the street. After Michael Goldburg showed him the flash drive he had found in the sewer, the Mossad had initiated twenty-four-hour surveillance of the bakery as well as the placement of cameras in the sewer line. There were several theories as to how the flash drives were being delivered to the Baker’s magnetic snare. They needed confirmation, though, so they would know what to look for when they set up additional sewer cameras in the sewer main. With time they would be able to determine exactly which sections of sewer line these messages were originating from. Then, tightening their surveillance net even further, they would find the buildings. Given enough time, they hoped, they could determine exactly which residences were sending the messages.
The message in the front window of the bakery said the baker would be back today. They had learned his name was Kadeem Malouf. He was an Israeli citizen of Jordanian birth. They knew he was in fact at his sister’s wedding in Jordan. He also had a large bank account in Jordan from which he never withdrew any money. Only deposits had been made to the account over the past several years. The origin of the deposits was being tracked down now by their financial investigative unit. From the preliminary reports, it appeared the money came from an offshore account in the Cayman Islands. The amounts were never very large, but over time they had added up to quite a modest sum.
Good old Kadeem would have been very well off had he decided to get out of the bakery business last week. This week, Kadeem had a new employer—he just didn’t know it yet.
* * *
Sam was proud of his new program. It was probably the best and most complicated piece of programming he had ever done. He had been working tirelessly on it since learning of the theft of his encryption software. He didn’t take kindly to someone stealing his work and using it for nefarious activities. For the past four months he had worked on a computer virus which would locate any computers which used encryption software based on his original program. His specific target was the Anaj software.
Since Sam knew David would never share the FBI files of people who had downloaded the junk mail from Google’s servers, he had to do it the hard way. He hacked into the servers of the Ukrainian Internet company responsible for the encrypted junk mail and added his own picture file to their outgoing distribution lists. In place of an encrypted picture file, everyone who downloaded Sam’s picture would instead install Sam’s special virus on their hard drives. The virus would only activate when it identified the Anaj encryption software on a computer. Once activated, it would send the computer’s IP to Sam. If it worked properly, he would soon know the locations of most of the computers using a pirated version of his software.
Chapter 43
Tel Aviv, Israel
Zane Harrison was glad to be off the cramped airplane. He’d landed in Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport thirty minutes before and was just beginning to get the blood flowing through his body again. He was stiff, sore, but excited. Few places in the world held so much significance for so many people as did the land of Israel, and Jerusalem in particular. Muslims, Jews, and Christians all claimed roots in the land. For thousands of years, blood, sweat, and tears had been shed on this piece of earth by millions of people. How true the ancient words of the biblical prophet Zechariah concerning Jerusalem:
Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, wh
en they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it. (Zechariah 12:2–3)
Zane picked up his luggage and made his way to the rental agency. Thanks to his newfound financial freedom, he would be able to rent a car this time instead of bumming rides or hiring a taxi. Zane rented a Hyundai i20 for the week. It was a small compact car which the rental agent said would get about twenty-three kilometers per liter. Throwing his luggage in the back, he headed for Galilee. Finally reaching Ami’ad Junction, he took Highway 90 to the Kfara Nahum Junction and then Highway 87. Highway 87 ran along the shore of the Galilee, and in the distance he could see the ruins of Capernaum.
The dig site was located just east of Capernaum National Park. To the west of the park was a Greek Orthodox church. Several hundred feet further west were the ancient ruins of a Jewish synagogue. Just south of the synagogue, between it and the Sea of Galilee, was the Church of St. Peter’s House, the traditional home of the apostle Peter. Stately and ancient olive trees stood just north of the dig site. In the uncultivated areas, the mustard plant grew with its profuse yellow blossoms.
Zane turned at the park entrance and then left on a small dirt road marked, in Hebrew and English, “Kfar Nahum Archeology Dig.” Turning into a small dirt parking area, he turned off the car and got out. Immediately he could smell and feel the moist air from the Sea of Galilee. He just stood absorbing the smells, sights, and sounds for several minutes. To think this was the very same place Jesus had walked with his disciples! In the distance he could see the hill where it was believed Jesus had fed the five thousand. What a beautiful and picturesque setting!
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