by Summer Lee
Chapter the Fifteenth
ACHAVA QUICKLY PACED, as Anthea rolled her eyes for what seemed like the thousandth time.
“Enough, Achava!” Anthea bellowed. “We can only do something when Sam gets back! You knew that was the case when you trusted him with his plan. You’re seriously making me crazy!”
Achava stopped briefly to glare at her. “I would apologize, Anthea, if I had not done so continuously since I first started to pace. I am a newly married woman. Sam and I have yet to spend any time together to... be married.”
Anthea laughed. “Oh, I understand now! Ha ha!”
Achava gave her attention to the sounds of several vehicles approaching. “Do you hear that?”
Anthea looked in the direction of the sound. “I would have to be deaf not to. I don’t know how the intruders got here with machines, but that will probably be a question for them after we capture them.”
“We have to defeat them, before we can question them, Anthea,” Achava replied, impatiently. “We have to defeat them, only if they are a threat.”
“Our ideas of what a threat is, will always be different,” Anthea responded, with a cold stare toward the sound.
Achava and Anthea looked at each other. They remained patient, as the vehicles came into view.
The vehicles were all 4X4 military trucks that resembled a mix between a jeep and a hummer. The AIL M325 Command Cars had open back areas, similar to a pickup truck, to carry up to twelve soldiers and radio equipment. Each truck was a faded brown color, showing their age. They were each fitted for up to four 7.62 mm machine guns. The lead M325, was the only one of the approaching vehicles that had four weapons equipped. The rest only had two each.
The convoy of fifteen vehicles came to a stop several yards in front of the sisters.
Both women could see the men inside the first truck dressed in camouflaged uniforms. The headgear resembled puffy berets.
One man got out of the cab of the lead vehicle. His rank of captain was represented by three dark silver bars, three light silver bars, and three gold bars on each sleeve. He walked with confidence, as he approached Achava and Anthea.
“Ladies,” he started, with a smooth, calm tone. His smile was almost charming. “You know who I represent and possibly even why I’m here.”
“You assume a lot, Seren,” Achava replied, while looking at his captain’s bars.
He chuckled. “Good. You are familiar with my rank. I am Seren Yigael Ben-Shahar. This is my I.D.F. squad. Again, you already know that.”
Anthea folded her arms impatiently in front of her. “What does the Israeli Defense Forces want with two demure women? We couldn’t possibly be that much of a threat to the military.”
He glared at her as his smile faded. “Let us not play these games, Anthea. I have been aware of you girls’ exploits for quite some time.”
“You speak of games, Seren?” Achava gritted her teeth in anger. “You come out here to let us know that you have watched us? Not only are you not welcome, but I wonder how you even found your way here.”
His smile returned, with an evil twist on the ends of his mouth. “I have my secrets, as you two have yours. I am not here to compare abilities or contacts. I do not like to mince words, so I will be blunt. You are now not to make any further moves, without the consent of the I.D.F.”
“What?” Anthea exclaimed. “What gives you the right? We answer to no one but God! Take your pathetic excuse for an army and leave, before I get upset.”
The captain shot Anthea a surprised look. “You would risk alienating the entire Israeli military, simply because you desire not to be leashed? It is because you should be leashed, that I am here! You prance around Israel, and even the world, as if you own it. You give no thoughts to the consequences of your actions. The damage you have created is cause enough for us to arrest you for crimes against Israel! Not to mention bringing to light the very artifacts and treasures that should not be tampered with! You claim to answer only to God and yet you have no proof. You are two spoiled brats, who just so happen to have a Biblical lineage. You have taken more than advantage of your heritage. You will disgrace Israel no more!”
Achava held out her arm to hold Anthea from attacking. She tried to contain her anger as well. She knew that was what he wanted. She would not give him a reason to use the force at his disposal. Achava thought back to the time before she met Sam. She was the spiritual guardian of the soul of Israel. Everything was under control back then.
After shirking her duty, the I.D.F. had taken over. She felt guilty, but she would not let it show. “If you, or Israel, thought that we were crossing some sort of line, then why have you not approached us earlier with your concerns?” Achava attempted to defeat him with the truth. The last thing she wanted, was an all-out war on Israeli soil with the Israeli military.
“Your ego is amazing,” he replied, his face turning red with anger while attempting to maintain self-control. “Do you think that the Israeli government answers to you? To females? You should be married and pushing out babies, not trying to control things that were never meant to be controlled. I wanted to intervene earlier when the plane went down on our soil and killed many people. Our government kept me on a leash and told me lies. They said that you would grow out of your recklessness. You were supposed to become more responsible. I listened to leadership, as I saw you covet our treasures and sometimes even destroy them for your own sake. For the sake of your lineage.”
“That’s not fair, Seren!” Achava rebutted. “We saved Israel and the world several times over! You cannot make these accusations without proper proof! Proof that you will never have, because we were righteous in our missions!”
He gave Achava a look of disdain. “Your righteous missions? Again with your arguments! Where were these arguments, when you should have been reporting your actions to us? What kind of holy missions allow you to bypass our country’s government? We could have assisted you and your illegal band of criminals, had you gone through the proper channels! In fact, I have proof that you have never contacted us for anything, once you started your crusade! You helped destroy Solomon’s Temple and King Herod’s treasure chamber! How is that righteous? You have also committed sins against our country by keeping objects of great Biblical value to yourself!”
Achava’s anger surfaced with full force. “You dare accuse me of sins against Israel, when I was only trying to protect her?”
“Protect her from what?” he replied, while stepping closer to her. “How can you possibly use that as an excuse, when you are keeping her greatest treasures from her? Who were you protecting her from, Achava? Who?”
“From everyone!” she responded. She regretted her reply, almost as soon as she said it.
Captain Ben-Shahar smiled, as he calmed down and stepped back away from the sisters. The look on his face told Achava that he heard exactly what he wanted or needed to hear. “From everyone,” he said, with his original calm tone. “Everyone is a blanket statement, Achava. It includes Israel. Why do you feel the need to protect anything from Israel? Is it not the land of your birth?”
“Why do you play word games with me?” Achava answered, as she noticed Anthea remaining quiet. “What is your objective?”
He smirked. “My objective is simple. That which is Israel’s should remain in Israel. If you would have come to us from the beginning, there would be no need for me to be here now.”
Anthea looked like she would explode. It was as if she couldn’t restrain herself anymore. “So, you are here to declare war on us!”
“Have I declared war on you?” He looked back at his men, who watched silently. “Have I declared war on them?” They all shook their heads.
“You are trying to goad us into an act of war,” Achava said, while still trying to figure out his real reason for being there.
“As I have said, I have not declared war on you,” he repeated. “I am but a messenger from my beloved homeland. I have been sent by those who do offer a declara
tion of war as one alternative.”
Achava was shocked. She never realized that keeping Israel out of the loop would be considered an act of war. “How do I know that you are even who you say you are, Seren?”
The captain shook his head. “Is that what this has come to? You are so paranoid that you suspect everyone around you. We are... should be your allies. You know that. I shouldn’t have to explain that to you multiple times. Should I? Is that really necessary? Who I am, is who you see before you. Can you make the same claim? Your paranoid nature is further proof that you have something to hide. Only the guilty feel that kind of paranoia. I am sure that Judas felt it when he betrayed Christ.”
“Don’t use Jesus against me,” Achava said, in a serious tone. “He is the only one who can judge me.”
“I agree,” Captain Ben-Shahar said, calmly. “Also remember that you cannot hide behind that to justify your crimes. You cannot expect Him to continue to forgive you if you continue to sin against Israel. God has protected Israel for centuries, Achava. Why would He favor you over us now?”
“It’s not as simple as that,” she replied, frustrated. “It’s...” She wasn’t sure what else to say. Her arguments probably sounded like the acts of the spoiled brat that the captain had compared her to. She even started to question herself.
“I see the confusion in your eyes, Achava.” He moved closer to her. “That means that you know the words I speak are the truth. The truth is subjective to one’s own understanding. Sometimes we convince ourselves that we are doing things for the right reasons, only to find out later that we justified our actions by saying that they were missions appointed from God Himself. In actuality, it was our own desires we served. You shall have no other gods before Him, Achava. That includes us.”
Anthea narrowed her eyes at the captain.
He smiled. “I’m sorry. That is my master’s degree in psychology talking, but it is not shrouded in self-fulfilling prophecies. It is not shrouded at all. It is simply the truth. No matter how you look at it, you cannot deny the undeniable. We do not want to go to war with you. We want only to work with you. We have come in peace, Achava. What say you?”
“You’re a son-of-a-bitch.”
Chapter the Sixteenth
SAM MATERIALIZED IN THE MIDDLE OF ACHAVA’S and Captain Ben-Shahar’s conversation. He appeared right beside his wife and was at a loss for words for what he was witnessing.
“What’s the I.D.F. doing here?” His question was directed more to Achava than to the captain.
“Samuel Godfrey, I presume,” the captain said, without flinching. He didn’t seem shocked by Sam’s sudden entrance. “I am Seren Yigael Ben-Shahar of the Israeli Defense Forces. Unfortunately, I have neither the time, nor the patience, to catch you up on my conversation with your wife. Suffice it to say that I am giving these two ladies an opportunity of a lifetime.”
Sam shared his puzzled look with his wife. “What’s this all about?”
“We’ll talk about what happened to you after we get past this mess,” Achava said, with frustration in her voice. “As far as what’s going on now...”
“Uh-uh, Achava,” Captain Ben-Shahar interrupted. “This business is between Israel and two of its rogue citizens. Despite the fact that Mr. Godfrey has on numerous times trespassed on our soil while committing vile acts against our homeland, we are only interested in the powers who have a possibility of making things right.”
“Whoa! Whoa! What?” Sam started. “What the heck is going on? Why are you accusing me of vile acts against your homeland? Do you have any idea how many times I helped to save your country and the world?”
The captain rolled his eyes and looked at Achava. “This self-serving business must be contagious with those associated with you, Achava. Please curb your monkey before Israel gains an interest in his activities.”
“Monkey?” Sam exclaimed with anger, his face turning red.
Achava stood between the two men. “Do not fall into his trap, Sam. He wishes to provoke us into war.”
Sam had a look of disbelief. “War? How can you claim war against three people? We’re not terrorists! This is ludicrous!”
“I will repeat myself only once more,” the captain stated, with more authority. He looked back at his men. They manned the machine guns on each truck, as several more took out their weapons and aimed them at the trio.
“Are you kidding me?” Anthea bellowed. “By drawing your weapons on us, you’ve instigated an act of war! Are you completely insane?”
Captain Ben-Shahar remained silent, as he cocked his head. He refused to repeat his demands. He waited for Achava to give her answer.
Anthea turned toward Achava. “There’s no way we can tell if they are possessed or if they are one of our enemies in disguise! They blatantly pushed us to attack! That means that their offering us a so-called choice was just a formality. A prelude, if you will, for their desire for war against us!”
Achava shook her head, as she did her best to retain some ounce of calmness. “We cannot allow them to push us.” She turned to the captain with pleading eyes. “Captain Ben-Shahar. We will not answer your demands, because of the way you have presented them. We will be willing to meet with actual representation of the Israeli government, so that we may come to a peaceful resolution that will benefit both parties.”
The captain laughed. “Achava. My dear Achava. You obviously do not understand the circumstances, or the demands themselves. You continue to look at the situation through your own greed and ignorance. I have peacefully given you the demand of Israel herself and still you make excuses to delay the inevitable. You disgrace our country by your very presence. Please be aware that if you do declare war against Israel, we will be forced to include your husband in any punishment given out. You understand that you have put me in a precarious situation. One in which I will have no trouble deciding to side with against you. I always stand with the nation of my birth. The very same nation where He who you claim to serve, was also born and raised. He who sacrificed Himself for the world in this very country. He whom you mock, by trying to drag His name down along with your own.”
“No!” Achava had enough. “I have done all for the sake of my Heavenly Father! It is He who directed my path into the Valley of the Shadow of Death and beyond, for the sake of all of the Biblical artifacts! The same ones that were never meant to see the light of day or meant to fall into the hands of those who would use them in an evil way!
“I rebuke you, Lucifer! For it must be you in disguise to judge me without a fair trial! I listen to you no more, blasphemer! You do not have the best interest of Israel at heart and I will listen to no one other than He who has made this world which I help to protect!”
“You then declare war against the land of your birth?” The captain declared. His eyes were wild. “So be it!”
“Wait!” Anthea yelled, as she rushed toward the captain. “Give my sister a chance! She even trusted me when I attacked her! She is not on trial here!”
“Be gone from my sight, woman!” The captain backhanded Anthea and knocked her on the ground.
She ran her hand across her mouth and saw blood running down her fingers. She grinned. “The good captain is more than he reveals!”
Captain Ben-Shahar turned to face his men before Sam or Achava had a chance to react. “Fire at will!” he shouted.
Sam’s eyes widened as he froze. He could not comprehend what was happening. Yet, he knew that had to be what Man was talking about.
“You want war?” Anthea touched her arm, as she stared to grow in size. “Then war is what you will get! Be careful what you wish for!”
“No!” Achava cried out, as Sam dropped his pack and started to dig through it.
Anthea drew first blood. At 25 feet tall, she picked up the vehicle that Ben-Shahar exited from and threw it back toward the other vehicles. It hit the first one and exploded upon impact.
She then turned back toward the captain. “I will not sit by and watch ano
ther righteous person be crucified for defending imposters in this country!”
The captain backed up behind the onrush of armed soldiers. He had an evil grin on his face, as he faded into the sea of soldiers, gone from view.
The soldiers released full complements of ammunition into the giant Anthea. They didn’t seem to affect her at that size. She swatted several soldiers at once with the swoop of her oversized hand.
Achava dropped to her knees and started to cry. She then looked up. “Father! It appears that the country I have defended is now trying to kill us! Guide me, Father! Help me! Please.”
Two soldiers with RPG launchers set up their shots and aimed at Achava. Sam pulled out the Sling of David and clutched it tight for all he was worth.
He tried to comfort his wife, while watching out for any incoming attacks. He also tried to keep an eye on Anthea. He watched as she fought valiantly to defend their honor. She bravely destroyed vehicle after vehicle with her massive fists. All the while, she absorbed an enormous amount of bullets from automatic weapons with the palms of her hands.
It all seemed like everything was going in slow motion. Sam was in shock at what he had returned to. Achava appeared to have lost all hope in her country. “I’ve been betrayed,” she said.
He noticed that the only one who did anything proactive was Anthea. She fought like the warrior she was. He admired her perseverance, as she reeled back from the barrage. He was proud of the mighty warrior. He assumed that was the way all warriors would want to go out. In battle.
He watched, as she took out dozens of soldiers for the sake of righteousness. For the sake of friendship. He hadn’t gotten to know the new Anthea well, but what he saw, he liked.
Sam assumed that they were now at war with Israel. Real war. It appeared that the stakes were never higher than at that moment.
As Sam turned his head to view the battle, his vision was blurred. It all happened way too fast. Faster than he was ready to deal with. Even his martial arts training could not have prepared him for what was happening. Nothing could have.
