The press conference was going to begin shortly and would be televised globally on every major news network around the world. It would also be live on the Internet on all conceivable news sites, large and small. The anticipation of the speech by the Muslim world was palpable. The reaction to the speech by Israel and the Western World was fearful. Word had spread quickly that Iran’s president had claimed that the Islamic Messiah had arrived. The world was eager to hear just what, in fact, that meant in the eyes of President Hadi Samani.
Samani contemplated the recent developments that had led him to this moment. These developments confirmed for him the transformative inertia that had been ushered in along with the Promised One, the Twelfth Imam. The Zionists and the Americans did their best to cause destruction and chaos at Esfahan, but Allah miraculously limited the interruption and the Russians were able to have the plan back online and creating uranium fluoride in an astounding sixty days.
Thanks to some meticulous reverse engineering that Iran had employed after being hit with the first Stuxnet computer virus, the Natanz facility was prepared with a backup system that automatically deployed upon detection of any virus similar to the Stuxnet worm. This backup was designed to override and combat any new, oncoming virus while simultaneously repairing any damage such a virus might be able to accomplish in the time that the back up was still deploying. Unfortunately, it had not worked as hoped and a good amount of damage was still done. But, it worked enough to truly mitigate the damage and downtime at Natanz. The backup served to sufficiently thwart the hopes held by the US and Israel that the Stuxnet 2.0 attack would purchase significant time, in the form of delay or destruction, on the Iranian nuclear countdown.
Bushehr was also prepared. Several ambitious apprentices were shadowing Azad’s every move during his research and were fully up to speed with all of his progress and discoveries. They seamlessly took over once Azad was killed. The key research at Bushehr did not miss a beat when Azad was assassinated and not a single interruption in the fast tracked timelines was felt.
Feeling as if the wind was strongly at his back and all his faithfulness was being rewarded, Hadi Samani confidently began his address to the world:
“I come to you today as a committed servant of the global community and of all of those who value justice, equality, and fairness. The world is suffering as I speak despite the great wealth that exists in the hands of the few, and despite the sophisticated tools of technology that has so changed the way many around the world live their lives. Food shortages, wars, uprisings, massive unemployment, and lifestyle degradations of extraordinary measure plague our world like never before. Currencies are losing worth and national economies are faltering at an astonishing rate. Some of these problems are not unique to this period in history. I know this. But, the convergence of these problems, and the severity of their increasing nature, are unique to this time in history. The common factor that is also very unique to this time in history is the existence of both Israel and the United States of America.
Samani paused for effect, letting his words sink in. He then raised his arms and his voice as he asked, “Where was Israel one hundred years ago? Where was America three hundred years ago? What real contribution are they to our modern world? I will tell you. They are the problem. They contribute imperialism, war, pollution, greed, bigotry, and pain. This is the legacy of such nations. The world was far better off and full of balance prior to their existence. I am here to announce that the existence of both of these nations are near its sunset, and that the entire remnant of Judaeo-Christian civilization will, in short order, by overcome by the tenants and truths of Islamic civilization and thought.
Samani paused to take a quick drink of water and then continued. “I can say this today with absolute authority because the wait is over. The sweet scent of worldwide peace is upon us. I have told you before that I had received a temporary visit from Imam Al-Mahdi. But now, I am honored to proclaim that our beloved Messiah is now here. The Twelfth Imam, the Mahdi, is finally here and His presence and power on Earth will now be permanent. He will soon be visible to all and will make known His power through miracles unimaginable. He will have his hand over the control of the weather and spread his dominion over the crops of the earth. These are just a few of the astonishing works he will perform.
“His presence signifies a new era of tolerance, love, equality and equity for the oppressed of the world. No longer will the bully powers of the western world flaunt their wealth and overextend their military might. The Mahdi will save the world from such aggression. The downtrodden will be lifted, the poor will be fed, and the abused will be sheltered. Praise be to Allah.
“And what does the beloved Mahdi ask of the citizens of the world in return for his works? He simply requires natural submission to His majesty and His reign in the name of Allah, with his chief deputy Jesus of Nazareth by his side. This will be a reciprocal function that will extend out of the hearts of the entire world by a way of ease and love. Service for Mahdi and submission to Islam will be a worldwide state of normalcy and reality. There will be those who resist, but they will be seen for what they are: people who reject global justice, who block the fulfillment of long promised peace, and who stand in the way of equity for all. What does one who rejects such things deserve? One who rejects such virtues would indeed deserve death.
“But make no mistake, as the will of the Twelfth Imam is that none should suffer and that all would joyfully embrace the leader of the new age. The Caliphate is coming and submission to Islam will be the cornerstone of the new world order. Blessed be Allah.”
Samani took no questions after his speech and wore a huge smile as he walked away from the podium and out of the light of the cameras and flashes. He knew the entire world was watching and that the global press would be talking about nothing else for days to come. He knew his words would be dissected, attacked, and also, by some, embraced with joy. His enemies were also watching, as he expected. They had been put on notice. Israel and America knew full well the implications of his claim of the arrival of the Twelfth Imam. Samani had been dreaming for this day for years and years, night after night of petitioning. The sunset for the west is indeed near, and Iran finally now has the nuclear tools to complete the hastening of the setting of the West’s sun. Praise be to Allah.
CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO
THE MCINTYRE RESIDENCE, ROMEO, MICHIGAN
In his favorite leather chair, Blaze sat still in silence. Fresh off a call with Liam McCardle, his mind was reeling and his heart was alert. Resisting the urge to be overwhelmed, Blaze tried to assimilate recent events. The murders of his wife and son. The torture of Arash Jafari. Zack Batt’s success in Bushehr. Samani’s announcement of the arrival of the Twelfth Imam. He attempted to assemble all the pieces in his mind to ascertain what it all meant—geo-politically, spiritually, prophetically, and personally.
The pain from the loss of Diem and Shane was ever-present but Blaze had learned to deliberately push it away on most days. As a warrior, he knew that emotions could not be ignored and that sorrow must be revered and managed, but it was the managing that was key. He had to own it and not allow it to own him.
Operation Persian Trinity invaded his thoughts. On the surface, the mission appeared to be a great success. Esfahan worked out in the end, despite his Farsi foul up. Zack had a clean hit on the researcher in Bushehr. Jafari manned up and took care of business at Natanz and somehow lived to breathe another day after his interlude at Evin. But with Samani’s recent announcement, it was clear the Iranian regime was more brazen than ever and exuded a frightening confidence that filled Blaze with trepidation.
McCardle had called him almost immediately after the live Samani speech. It was, of course, through a spiritual and prophetic lens that McCardle viewed Samani’s speech.
He reminded Blaze of the warning of the scriptures that in the end of days there would be many false messiahs coming and performing mira
cles that would deceive many. Samani made clear that the Twelfth Imam was messianic in nature and was here to perform miracles and bring about worldwide peace, albeit via the sword of radical Islam and in the form of a caliphate. The timing of Samani’s speech led Blaze to believe that Operation Persian Trinity did not stifle the Iranian nuclear program nearly as significantly as he, Gallagher, and POTUS had suspected. Samani would not announce the arrival of Mahdi without nuclear capabilities ready and at his fingertips.
McCardle also voiced his concerns that the Samani speech would be a tipping point. Israel would not sit still with such a message being sent. Both Israel and the United States knew full well the implications of the purported arrival of the Twelfth Imam. The hadiths made it very clear that He was only to be revealed when the world was in a state of chaos. Samani said that the Twelfth Imam “would soon be visible to all”. If that was the case, global bloodshed and war would have to precede. When McCardle pointed this out, chills shot up Blaze’s spine. The words hung in the air like a heavy mist.
The only question at this point was who would strike first.
McCardle posited that if the world was truly on the precipice of the war of Gog and Magog, it would be Iran, along with their Arab and North African neighbors, that would swarm Israel with the assistance of Maksim and Russia.
If the good Lord was delaying the fulfillment of Ezekiel 38 and 39, it could be Israel that pre-empts and attempts to mitigate worldwide catastrophe.
As if divinely rescued from the deep trajectory of frightening thoughts, Blaze was temporarily diverted from pondering doomsday to take a call from his old buddy Bernhard Miller.
“Hey old pal. I’m sorry I haven’t been able to get in touch sooner.”
Bernie and Blaze had not spoken since the loss of Diem and Shane.
“It’s okay, I wasn’t much for talking for quite some time, but I did get the check with the life insurance proceeds. Thanks for taking care of that so quickly. Not exactly how I envisioned becoming a multi-millionaire, but I’m thankful to not have to worry about money now for a long time.” Blaze was at ease and his tone made clear to Bernie that he was doing okay.
“Well, I’m glad you can at least take the worry of finances off your plate so you can deal with everything else. Although, it sounds like your hanging in there okay, uh?”
“Yeah, just like Rocky said ‘it’s not how hard you hit, it’s how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward’. Who’d a thunk it that it’d be Sly that would help me maintain through such hard times? Now all I need is Mickey to resurrect and coach me back into the war zone of life.” Blaze laughed softly and Bernie reciprocated, glad to hear Blaze being light hearted.
“How’s Dennis holding up?”
“That boy is tough. He’s got McIntyre blood running through his young veins for sure. He’s been mostly staying with his aunt so I can get my act together, but he has been like solid granite. Amazing. The Lord’s blessed him with some serious maturity and coping capabilities for such a young kid. I’m so proud of him.” Blaze’s voice was full of emotion and joy as he praised his only surviving son.
“Great to hear Blaze. I’ve been worried about you but I knew you’d emerge with strength.”
“I’ll be fine, just gotta figure out my next move, or mission, as it usually ends up being. How are you holding up in the tumultuous world of finance?”
“Same old rollercoaster, but I’m managing. The gravy days are over and will probably never come back, but I find my optimism in hard to find places and hold onto it for dear life.” Bernie’s voice trailed off. It was clear to Blaze that business was tough.
Blaze’s phone vibrated. Another call was coming in. It was Chuck.
“Bernie, I gotta pop smoke here buddy, got an important call coming through that I have to grab. Thanks for calling. Good lookin’ out.”
“No worries. Hang tough pal.”
Blaze hung up with Bernie and quickly switched mental gears again.
“Chuck, what’s up?”
“You got a few minutes? I got some intel I need to brief you on. It’s important.” Chuck’s voice was urgent, serious and direct. No surprise there.
“Sure. I’m all ears.”
“A sport bike was found ditched in a corn field off of I-75, somewhere near the Ohio / Michigan border. They found prints on the handlebars and a few on the frame. We think this is our guy.”
Silence hung in the air and Chuck Gallagher was not about to break it. He was not happy to be the messenger for anything regarding the tragedy that Blaze was still enduring on so many levels.
“How do we know it’s definitely him?” Blaze felt his heart beat with a vengeance. His mind raced—planning exactly that.
“We’ve got a full dossier on the guy. It will be sent to you shortly. He’s a Mexican gangbanger from Laredo. A teenager. We believe he has connections to the cartel, but we don’t have a smoking gun on that yet.”
“So the cartel link to Hezbollah is looking to be a pretty strong working theory? First, the rape trees, and now this. Any leads on the attacks on the families of the other agents?” Blaze was struggling to repress his rage and ask logical questions.
“We’re still working on that, but preliminary signs point right to cartel involvement, just like the prints on the bike.” Gallagher knew that the investigation was still thin with results at the moment, but that momentum was going in the right direction.
“So it stands to reason, we really might have our man after all. Any links yet to a mole at Langley?” Blaze’s fantasies of revenge extended not only to the killer of his family, but also to the traitor that set him up.
“Nothing yet, but we are vigorously mining data and we’re pretty sure that we’ll find something. Hopefully sooner rather than later.” Gallagher was increasingly confident with the agencies ability to utilize their vast electronic reach to get the pieces of this puzzle they needed. The controversial data repository in Utah didn’t hurt.
“What’s his name Chuck?” Absolute rage boiled in Blaze’s voice.
“You can’t act on this Blaze. We have to handle this as an agency, the right way. But know that we are handling it.”
“Chuck….what’s his name?” Blaze was no longer asking. He was clearly and defiantly demanding.
“Juan Herrara.”
CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE
THE OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, JERUSALEM, ISRAEL
He had been up all night. And this time it wasn’t Abigayil that kept him from rest. It was of course, this time, the implications of Hadi Samani’s announcement to the world. Chaim Simmons was not one to give in to anxiety. Typically, anxiety gave in to his relentless ambition and resolve. This time, however, in a time of unusual stress and trepidation, he felt as if he was about to collapse from the weight of the nuclear-laced anxiety that plagued him.
His breakfast sat there half eaten as he contemplated his situation. He did what he only knew to do in times of anxiety. He identified one action that he could focus on and complete that would mitigate the weight of his anxious feelings and hopefully give him a sense of positive forward movement. The last thing his nation could afford was a prime minister suffering from a bout with indecisive mental paralysis. He picked up the phone and dialed the white house.
After several rings, he heard Jack Fitz’s voice on the other end. “Chaim, how are you this morning?”
“Not good. And I think you already know that.” Chaim was in no mood to dance around with preliminary niceties.
“You’re obviously referring to Samani’s announcement. I suspected we’d be speaking today after that event.” Jack said with sensitivity in his voice.
No attempt at sensitivity was going to soften Chaim Simmons’ temper. “I think we’re at the redline Mr. President.” Chaim just came out and said it. If Fitz didn’t understand the context by now, he never would.
“Now Chaim, I understand that Samani’s announcement is great cause for alarm, but I don’t think this is the redline. There are many positive developments that indicate this could be all a big bluff. They’re wounded from Operation Persian Trinity and its successes. Their people are in great strife due to the economic sanctions. Their ability to get the bomb has been stifled. This is not the moment for Israel to act. I see this announcement as a sign of Iran’s weakness. If anything, they’re trying to send the West a false signal that they have the nuke so that they are not hit first.” Jack wasn’t even sure if he believed the theory he was positing to Chaim, but it rolled off his tongue as if it was a natural explanation of his position.
“Jack, I respect your optimism and your commitment to unfettered diplomacy, but what if you’re wrong? What if you’re dead wrong? What if Operation Persian Trinity, in reality, barely put a dent in their plans? What if Russia’s assistance was so strong that any setbacks were immediately addressed and remedied? And as for the economic sanctions, what if the mullahs and Samani see the sanctions as nothing but a helpful tool to galvanize their nation against the west as a strong pretext for nuclear war? Israel can’t risk its life on hoping your position is true with all these questions looming and unanswered.” Chaim was more explanatory than he thought he would allow himself to be, but he had to do all he could to drive home his position to Fitz.
There was a dead silence that hung for a good forty seconds before Fitz managed to begin a response. “Chaim, there are still things we can do. Please, give me a little bit of time. I’ll call Koslov and lean on him to mitigate the situation. I’ve been making great inroads with him lately and I believe I can have some influence. I think you’re taking this Twelfth Imam stuff way too seriously. This is just window dressing to take the attention away from their real domestic issues. You can’t allow them to provoke you on the basis of this Messianic claim. It’s exactly what they want. Don’t give it to them, Chaim.”
Blaze Page 29
