by Rob Carnell
"Your wish is my command."
When Ali returned at 2pm Kamal was at his desk.
"Come, sit down Ali, we have much to do."
"What is it that you desire me to do Sir?"
"Ali, I have some papers here for us both to sign. I am giving you full control of my complete business interests. You will head all corporations and investments, including the overseas electronics factories."
Ali was stunned. He was not an ambitious man and had no real desire to be a mogul, he was a simple man.
"Sir, I am not worthy to do this. There must be someone else" suggested Ali.
"Ali, I have groomed you for this position. It is because you did not crave this role that you are the ideal candidate. You have a master’s degree from Columbia. I know you will do a wonderful job."
"I will of course try sir. Can I report progress, or call on you for advice if needed?"
"I am afraid that will not be possible. I will be travelling overseas and do not wish to be disturbed."
Kamal held out a pen to Ali, and began to push forward papers for him to sign one at a time. There was no time for Ali to read these legal documents. He just signed each one where Kamal had indicated with a yellow stick on note. One of these documents indicated that Ali would act as executor of Kamal’s will in the event of his death, and divide his assets according to the list that Kamal had attached.
"When will you be back to take charge Sir?" asked Ali when all the documents were completed.
"I am afraid I have no idea. Who knows? Perhaps I will even decide to retire permanently." Kamal made this sound like a joke, but he was deadly serious.
When Ali had left, it was time to make some more financial arrangements.
Kamal fired up an internet connection on his desktop PC. He clicked on an entry in his Favorites folder for a small private bank in Lucerne Switzerland. His family had been using this super secure bank for nearly a hundred years. Swiss Bankers take their business very seriously. Kamal’s accounts with this bank, and indeed a number of other banks, allowed one hundred percent anonymity for Kamal’s black operations.
When his transfer had been completed, he did the same for another account in Cayman Islands.
Then other accounts in Monaco, Bermuda and Luxembourg all followed suit.
It took Kamal more than two hours of transfers to ensure that worldwide terrorism was funded forever.
Next he called a contact in the U.S.
"I have a task for you. I want you to send a note to a journalist. Pick a famous one. Tell them that there was a nuclear weapon on board the light aircraft shot down with the missile."
Next he wrote a note and had it hand delivered to a contact in town. He was the first link in the chain and the note took a week to finally arrive, hand delivered to his mentor.
Dearest Friend,
I have done my utmost to help further our cause over the last ten years.
Unfortunately my son Muhommad has been murdered by a U.S. missile and now is the time for me to begin a more direct role in our Jihad.
I will personally be conducting an attack on the U.S. It is best if you know nothing more about this. I have been planning this for nearly three years, and now I am going to personally take the lead role in this. Regretfully, we will not meet again in this life.
I have transferred all my black funds to Brotherhood groups. We will be well funded for the future.
Please choose another to head our cause.
I am certain that U.S. intelligence will eventually realize that I am targeting them.
Can I please ask that you organize some diversions to help make my task easier? You will know what is best.
I have obtained a spare special weapon of the type we discussed. It will be found in a false floor under the desk in my office. Collect it at your leisure.
Thank you for your friendship and showing me the right way forward.
You are an inspiration.
Kamal
Chapter 43
King Khalid International Airport
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
* * *
"GOOD MORNING Sir, a beautiful day for travel" chirped Alain Mattieu. Alain was Kamal’s personal pilot and he was walking around the luxury business jet doing his pre-flight checks when Kamal arrived.
Kamal had recruited Alain on the personal recommendation of The Sheik. An ex-French Foreign Legionnaire, Alain had worked as a mercenary in Africa. In addition to being a superb pilot, he could be relied on to be discrete as well as tough if the need arose.
This was not to be the first trip to Russia in his luxury Cessna Citation jet.
Pashwari had been doing business in Russia for years and even spoke basic Russian, but this was the first time he had ever been to Minsk.
"Yes Alain it is. I am looking forward to our journey. Is the freight loaded?"
"Yes, there were seven small wooden crates delivered this morning. They are already strapped down in the cargo hold in the rear."
"Excellent. How long will our flight to Minsk take?" asked Kamal as he climbed the stairs.
"Depending on winds and Russian air traffic control, I think around five hours" said the lovely co-pilot Felicity Marsh. She was dressed in the standard pilots outfit with a peak cap covering her long red hair.
It had taken an international search to locate a co-pilot with all the qualities Kamal required. Felicity was a flight instructor in Dublin Ireland when she had been contacted by Alain and recruited. Money was no object, and she was very well compensated.
As soon as Kamal was onboard, Alain also climbed the steps then pushed the button which automatically folded and stowed the stairs, and latched and secured the door.
"Make yourself comfortable Sir. I will get us underway as soon as I can."
As soon as Alain was in the cockpit and the door was latched, Kamal wasted no time in changing out of his traditional white robes. He stripped naked, then went into the bathroom and took a shower and shaved off his beard. Then he dressed into jeans, a t-shirt and jogging shoes.
Kamal was thirsty, so he went to the refrigerator and grabbed some ice cubes which he threw into a small glass.
On the wall was a small sized painting of the Last Supper. No-one ever suspected that it was a real Da Vinci. Kamal pressed a hidden latch and a false panel behind the painting opened revealing a large supply of top shelf liquor. He grabbed two baby bottles of Chivas and splashed them over the ice before strapping himself into his seat for takeoff.
A few minutes later, the engines spooled up and they taxied to the holding area. Shortly afterwards they were cleared for takeoff and sped down the runway.
Kamal was able to do some email before they leveled off at their cruising altitude of thirty four thousand feet.
The door from the cockpit opened and Felicity the co-pilot came into the main cabin headed for the bathroom.
When she returned she was naked and carrying a blanket.
She stayed with Kamal fulfilling his every wish until Alain announced "We will be beginning descent in thirty minutes."
Then she kissed Kamal on the cheek, showered, and re-dressed into her uniform. She calmly returned back to the flight deck to assist with the pre-landing checks.
They descended quite quickly, traffic around Minsk was light and they were cleared for an immediate landing.
"A perfect landing as usual Alain" commented Kamal as Alain lowered the steps. Felicity was charged with the post flight shut down.
Kamal and Alain both had put on jackets, as the weather was much colder away from the Middle East.
"Thank you sir, this plane is a dream to fly."
There was a large shiny black van ready to meet them. There was no driver and the keys were in the car. A map was on the passenger’s seat.
Alain was surprised when Kamal helped him load the seven crates into the van.
He was even more surprised when Kamal announced "Alain, I will be here for some time. I don’t want to advertise the fact that
I am here, so I want you to get some rest, and then return home."
"Sure, that’s no problem sir. When should I come back to pick you up?" asked Alain.
"I am afraid I don’t know exactly. Let me contact you and let you know."
"Ok, see you soon" said Alain who was already thinking about refueling and the return journey the next day. Kamal drove away.
Kamal wished Felicity could stay with him, but she needed to help fly the plane home.
Perhaps he would have been less interested if he had known that Alain and Felicity were planning on enjoying their layover in every way possible.
Kamal’s destination was a rendezvous with a heavy briefcase that was already in safekeeping.
Chapter 44
White House, Press Conference
Washington D.C.
* * *
AS THE President strode to the podium there was complete pandemonium.
The President held up his hand and had to wait for an extended period of time for silence before he could begin. He did not use any notes or a teleprompter.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I am sure you will all have read the article in this morning’s newspaper about the incident in the Gulf two days ago. The paper raised speculation that a nuclear payload was involved. We have previously released all the information that we could in relation to this matter."
There was a flurry of questions, and the President again raised his hand for silence.
"On my specific instruction, we intentionally omitted to mention the fact that a nuclear weapon was onboard this light aircraft."
The press gallery erupted with the noise of characters being typed into Blackberries and iphones.
"This was my decision alone, and I stand by that decision as it is a matter of National Security. I take full responsibility for this omission, and I very much regret that this information has been released so soon. This premature release may affect our ability for locate the masterminds of this attack. It is not always in the best interests of the people to know everything quite so soon when it may interfere with an ongoing investigation."
"Sometimes the administration must make a decision to balance the right of the people to know on one hand, with the security of the nation on the other."
"We are already chasing firm leads to find the people responsible for this act of terrorism against the people of the United States. Those responsible will be brought to justice."
"I give you my solemn promise to avenge this atrocity. There will be no trial. This is an act of war upon us. The full might of the U.S. military will descend upon the culprits of this heinous act."
The President left no doubt that there would be no questions as he turned around and walked from the room.
Game On was the Washington Post headline the following morning.
Chapter 45
White House, Oval Office
Washington D.C.
* * *
"HOW THE hell did the press find out about the nuke?" President Connolly asked his CIA Director Adam Scott.
"Sir, we immediately took the journalist who broke the story into custody in the interests of national security. She co-operated fully and didn’t even try to give us that crap about protecting her source. Apparently she got a telephone call from a guy with a deep accent telling her that there was a nuke on the plane. I don’t believe she knows anything more than that."
"What have you done about finding the source?" asked the President.
"We traced the journalist’s telephone logs. The call came from a pay phone in Boston. We have hit a dead end" explained Scott.
"I am serious about what I said at the press conference today. Find me a target! I want to hit back hard and send a message to these people that they don’t mess with us. They need to know that Weapons of Mass Destruction are off limits."
"I can’t believe that this is just a suicide thing. To get a hold of the nuke would have been a major exercise in itself. There is no way this is just one guy. Find the group that did this. If it is the last thing I ever do, I am going to make them pay" explained President Connolly.
Chapter 46
Boatyard
Minsk, Russia
* * *
DIMITRI THE boat builder once again made the trip from the shipyard to the bar. He used the bar’s pay phone to report his progress. His new instructions from his unknown controller were for him to "Wait beside the boat tomorrow at midnight."
The next evening was freezing, typical for Russia at that time of year. Dimitri was trying to keep himself warm when a small van drove up right at the appointed hour. A tall dark man with a strong build stepped from the van. He did not bother introducing himself.
"Help me unload the truck" said Kamal.
Thirty minutes later the seven crates and one heavy suitcase were sitting beside the boat.
"Dimitri, it is time to lay the lead inside the keel" said Kamal.
"Climb inside the boat and I will pass this suitcase up to you. It is heavy, do not drop it" Kamal warned.
After the case was safely on board, Kamal carried the case down into the boat, he lay down on the hull and carefully lowered it with a rope into the hollow space of the keel.
"Now go back down and pass the lead ingots up to me and I will help fill the keel" Kamal explained.
Dimitri climbed down the ladder, grabbed an ingot, then climbed halfway up the ladder and passed it to Kamal. While he went back down to get another, Kamal placed the ingots one by one tightly around the suitcase. After two tons of ingots had been laid, the case was almost covered. Kamal pulled a wire from the top of the case and let it flap on the deck.
Next, they poured bags of lead shot into the cracks between the ingots. When placement of the lead was complete, they mixed buckets full of resin with additional hardener to counter the extreme cold. Then they poured this slurry over the lead. It slowly seeped through the small spaces between the shot and ingots until the whole keel was a solid mass. All that was visible of the black suitcase was the wire on the floor.
They waited one hour to ensure the resin had begun to set, and they each went to get some sleep.
On the following days, Kamal paid Dimitri to work fulltime on the boat. Kamal worked shoulder to shoulder with Dimitri to ensure that everything was done properly, but also just to keep an eye on him. The crates Kamal had brought with him on his jet contained all the accessories and deck hardware they needed to get the boat completed except for the engine.
They installed an old diesel truck engine that Dimitri had bought and had converted to a marine engine. This drove a stainless steel shaft and bronze propeller.
Next they installed bulkheads to separate the cabins and strengthen the craft. The floors were fitted, then water and fuel tanks installed.
When all was ready for launch, the craft was lowered into the water by a crane that they had borrowed from the shipyard.
The masts and rigging were second hand, and these were lowered down from a bridge over the little tributary.
It looked a little rough, but Kamal was more focused on performance than aesthetics. He was certain that the little ship would be seaworthy.
The boat was dubbed Surprise by Kamal who enjoyed the irony that many would be truly surprised when he reached his final destination.
Within two weeks, after a lot of hard work by both men, the ship was deemed by Kamal to be complete and ready to set sail. After many years running his empire, Kamal had enjoyed using his physical strength and dexterity to help build his ship; additionally, his efforts were fueled by his desire for vengeance and raw hatred for the U.S. He was anxious to move forward with the next stage of his plan.
Although he had fiberglass skills, Dimitri had no sailing skills as he had never been out on a boat before. Kamal was unconcerned by this as he was an accomplished seaman. Having learned to sail expertly during his courtship of the ill-fated Geraldine, he had further honed his skills sailing the Greek Islands with his family during holidays.
The n
ext day Kamal and Dimitri fired up the engine and motored out into the bay. Soon the sails were set and the Surprise was on its way making four knots eastward down the coast.
"Bring me my duffel bag from below" Kamal commanded after a couple of hours sailing. Dimitri, who was feeling a little sea-sick, unsteadily made his way below to fetch the bag.
"Sit up on the side rail and you will soon feel much better. You will appreciate the power of the wind and the vastness of the sea" said Kamal, and Dimitri could not have been prouder.
"You are a warrior for our cause Dimitri, Allah will remember you" stated a solemn Kamal. He pulled an old World War II vintage Walther P-38 automatic pistol out of his bag and shot Dimitri through the left eye. The lifeless body tumbled into the freezing ocean.
It was the first time that Kamal had actually shot someone himself. He had murdered a few people with a knife and had ordered and financed the deaths of hundreds of people throughout the world; but, a gun felt different. Kamal admitted to himself that pulling the trigger had given him a sense of excitement that bordered on sexual. His penis had hardened remembering the terror on Dimitri’s face in the moment that he realized that his life was over.
Kamal stroked the bracelet around his wrist, remembering the passion he had experienced with Geraldine, his first love, and his first victim.
Kamal smiled as he pulled a handheld GPS unit from his bag, setting a course farther down the coast where the boat would stop for enough provisions of fuel, water and food adequate for his long journey.
In his mind Kamal did not consider failure as an option. He was more than ready to kill any and all who got in the way of his desires, just as he had done with Geraldine.
Chapter 47
CIA Headquarters
Langley, Virginia
