Act 6: Burning Ray Revealed
"I was as a gem concealed;
Me my burning ray revealed."
Quran.
Amanda couldn't take it any more. The Passion play had proceded past her
several minutes ago and Lee had not yet returned so she left her position by
the wall and shouldered her way through the crowd. Words from the 18th Psalm
filled her thoughts as she searched after her husband...
"For who is God but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God?....
The God who girds me with strength...
He makes my feet like hinds' feet....
He trains my hands for battle..."
Her heart was racing as she breathlessly followed after the two men. From
her position, she could tell that the man in the black hooded sweatshirt had
not yet noticed Lee as they raced through the crowded streets. Lee was
quickly closing in on the malefactor when the man turned right unto King
Fasisal Street and disappeared into a throng of people headed toward Haram
Esh-Sharif.
That glittering gem, the Dome of the Rock, loomed over the city from its
position on the Temple Mount up ahead. Many residents walked along the road
to attend Friday prayers at the El-Aqsa mosque. Amanda was finally catching
up to Lee as she saw him look over the heads of the crowd in an attempt to
find the man in black.
"Lee!" Amanda yelled out, "Lee!"
Lee stopped in his tracts. "No..that can't be who I think it is.." he hoped
as he turned his head. "Oh, no" he said as he saw his wife run up behind him.
Exasperated, he said, "Amanda! I thought I told you to stay put!"
Amanda looked squarely into her husband's eyes and said, "Lee, you know you
shouldn't run off without assistance! Anyway, who's gonna watch your back,
huh?"
Lee looked heavenward and did his best not to lecture. He grabbed his wife's
hand. "C'mon Amanda! I think he's headed for the Dome."
Amanda nodded her head in satisfaction. She hadn't come half way round the
world to prop up a wall! She held Lee's hand tighter as they approached
the Chain Gate.
Lee paid for their tickets granting them entrance to the Dome of the Rock.
As they walked along the esplanade, Lee spotted the man in black washing his
feet at the El-Kas Fountain. 'What a shame that a few extremists can give
a black eye to an entire group' Lee thought as they approached the man.
The man in black stood up and started to walk toward the Dome but was cut
short when Israeli law enforcement burst unto the scene. Lee heard several
youths cheer as someone said that people standing at the Moor's gate were
throwing rocks over the Western Wall. Amid the confusion of police and
passersby, Lee continued to guide Amanda after their man. That's when he
saw his mentor.
Lee watched as a worse-for-the-wear Harry was manhandled through the entrance
of the Dome. Lee now wondered if these Hezbolah extremists had started the
rock throwing incident as a diversion from what was about to take place.
Lee and Amanda went unnoticed in the large crowd as they sprinted up the steps
toward the Dome, past the qanatir, and stepped inside the Dome. "Stay with
me." Lee ordered as they followed Harry and his kidnappers down into the
bowels of the Dome.
This was the place where it was rumored that Abraham went to sacrifice Issac.
Where Muhammad left the Earth on his Night Journey, and where the western
allies supposedly hid a few small nuclear warheads in the 1950's.
Lee could hear Mosama maliciously deride Harry. "Are we at the right spot
old man? We have your wife you know..."
Lee winced as he heard the brute lie to his friend.
Mosama continued, "We're going to kill your precious wife if you don't help
us. Now, where is the vault?"
Lee shook his head and uttered "There's no vault pal!" under his breath.
He motioned for Amanda to come beside him as they crouched behind a boulder
and watched the scene play out before them. Lee whispered, "Amanda, I need
you to go over to the El-Aqsa and tell the Israeli authorities that we need
their help. This is *more* than an issue of National Security."
Amanda squeezed Lee's arm and kissed his cheek as she whispered back, "Okay.
I'll be right back. I love you." Love, respect, and honor for her husband
shined in her eyes.
Lee smiled at his wife. Knowing that she loved him and supported his
decisions did more for his heart than she could ever know. "I love you too,
be careful" he whispered tenderly as watched Amanda slink back up the Well
of Souls to the inner ambulatory above. He then turned his attention to the
situation at hand.
He could hear Harry say, "Look, there's *no* warheads buried under here, unh!"
Harry doubled over as an extremist punched him in the stomach. Lee wanted so
badly to jump in and apprehend Harry's attackers. 'There's just too many of
them' Lee surmised.
"Look old man! We've played enough games!" Mosama bellowed, "*Show* me
where the bombs are!"
Harry shook his head slowly and wiped his face with his hand as he nodded
over to a particular cave under the Dome. "It's over there."
Mosama grinned venomously and motioned for his men to start drilling through
the stone. The worshippers above were too far away to hear the underground
rumblings.
Lee knew there weren't any warheads and he knew that as soon as Mosama found
that out too, Harry was as good as dead. "I hope they hurry!" he murmured as
he waited for Amanda to return with the Israeli authorities.
Mosama gave a shout of glee as his men broke through the cave wall into a
hidden compartment. Lee was shocked! 'Nah, couldn't be...real? Even if
there were warheads hidden here, Harry would never...' Lee shook his head in
an effort to regain his focus. He watched Mosama and his men brush past
Harry and fill the once concealed room.
Mosama picked up a very dusty suitcase sized container. Harry leaped out of
the way as the terrorist leader opened the box. A small bomb went off,
causing a small avalanche of rock to collapse upon the cave. Mosama and his
men were buried alive under the rubble. Moans could be heard coming from
his wounded men.
Lee ran up to Harry and yelled, "Booby trapped! Harry! There *are* warheads
somewhere down here?"
Harry looked like a cat who swallowed a canary as he turned, stone-faced, away
from Lee and said, "It's about time you showed up."
Tag comin'!
"I was as a gem concealed;
Me my burning ray revealed."
Quran.
Amanda couldn't take it any more. The Passion play had proceded past her
several minutes ago and Lee had not yet returned so she left her position by
the wall and shouldered her way through the crowd. Words from the 18th Psalm
filled her thoughts as she searched after her husband...
"For who is God but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God?....
The God who girds me with strength...
He makes my feet like hinds' feet....
He trains my hands for battle..."
Her heart was racing as she breathlessly followed after the two men. From
her position, she could tell that the man in the black hooded sweatshirt had
not yet noticed Lee as they raced through the crowded streets. Lee was
quickly closing in on the malefactor when the man turned right unto King
Fasisal Street and disappeared into a throng of people headed toward Haram
Esh-Sharif.
That glittering gem, the Dome of the Rock, loomed over the city from its
position on the Temple Mount up ahead. Many residents walked along the road
to attend Friday prayers at the El-Aqsa mosque. Amanda was finally catching
up to Lee as she saw him look over the heads of the crowd in an attempt to
find the man in black.
"Lee!" Amanda yelled out, "Lee!"
Lee stopped in his tracts. "No..that can't be who I think it is.." he hoped
as he turned his head. "Oh, no" he said as he saw his wife run up behind him.
Exasperated, he said, "Amanda! I thought I told you to stay put!"
Amanda looked squarely into her husband's eyes and said, "Lee, you know you
shouldn't run off without assistance! Anyway, who's gonna watch your back,
huh?"
Lee looked heavenward and did his best not to lecture. He grabbed his wife's
hand. "C'mon Amanda! I think he's headed for the Dome."
Amanda nodded her head in satisfaction. She hadn't come half way round the
world to prop up a wall! She held Lee's hand tighter as they approached
the Chain Gate.
Lee paid for their tickets granting them entrance to the Dome of the Rock.
As they walked along the esplanade, Lee spotted the man in black washing his
feet at the El-Kas Fountain. 'What a shame that a few extremists can give
a black eye to an entire group' Lee thought as they approached the man.
The man in black stood up and started to walk toward the Dome but was cut
short when Israeli law enforcement burst unto the scene. Lee heard several
youths cheer as someone said that people standing at the Moor's gate were
throwing rocks over the Western Wall. Amid the confusion of police and
passersby, Lee continued to guide Amanda after their man. That's when he
saw his mentor.
Lee watched as a worse-for-the-wear Harry was manhandled through the entrance
of the Dome. Lee now wondered if these Hezbolah extremists had started the
rock throwing incident as a diversion from what was about to take place.
Lee and Amanda went unnoticed in the large crowd as they sprinted up the steps
toward the Dome, past the qanatir, and stepped inside the Dome. "Stay with
me." Lee ordered as they followed Harry and his kidnappers down into the
bowels of the Dome.
This was the place where it was rumored that Abraham went to sacrifice Issac.
Where Muhammad left the Earth on his Night Journey, and where the western
allies supposedly hid a few small nuclear warheads in the 1950's.
Lee could hear Mosama maliciously deride Harry. "Are we at the right spot
old man? We have your wife you know..."
Lee winced as he heard the brute lie to his friend.
Mosama continued, "We're going to kill your precious wife if you don't help
us. Now, where is the vault?"
Lee shook his head and uttered "There's no vault pal!" under his breath.
He motioned for Amanda to come beside him as they crouched behind a boulder
and watched the scene play out before them. Lee whispered, "Amanda, I need
you to go over to the El-Aqsa and tell the Israeli authorities that we need
their help. This is *more* than an issue of National Security."
Amanda squeezed Lee's arm and kissed his cheek as she whispered back, "Okay.
I'll be right back. I love you." Love, respect, and honor for her husband
shined in her eyes.
Lee smiled at his wife. Knowing that she loved him and supported his
decisions did more for his heart than she could ever know. "I love you too,
be careful" he whispered tenderly as watched Amanda slink back up the Well
of Souls to the inner ambulatory above. He then turned his attention to the
situation at hand.
He could hear Harry say, "Look, there's *no* warheads buried under here, unh!"
Harry doubled over as an extremist punched him in the stomach. Lee wanted so
badly to jump in and apprehend Harry's attackers. 'There's just too many of
them' Lee surmised.
"Look old man! We've played enough games!" Mosama bellowed, "*Show* me
where the bombs are!"
Harry shook his head slowly and wiped his face with his hand as he nodded
over to a particular cave under the Dome. "It's over there."
Mosama grinned venomously and motioned for his men to start drilling through
the stone. The worshippers above were too far away to hear the underground
rumblings.
Lee knew there weren't any warheads and he knew that as soon as Mosama found
that out too, Harry was as good as dead. "I hope they hurry!" he murmured as
he waited for Amanda to return with the Israeli authorities.
Mosama gave a shout of glee as his men broke through the cave wall into a
hidden compartment. Lee was shocked! 'Nah, couldn't be...real? Even if
there were warheads hidden here, Harry would never...' Lee shook his head in
an effort to regain his focus. He watched Mosama and his men brush past
Harry and fill the once concealed room.
Mosama picked up a very dusty suitcase sized container. Harry leaped out of
the way as the terrorist leader opened the box. A small bomb went off,
causing a small avalanche of rock to collapse upon the cave. Mosama and his
men were buried alive under the rubble. Moans could be heard coming from
his wounded men.
Lee ran up to Harry and yelled, "Booby trapped! Harry! There *are* warheads
somewhere down here?"
Harry looked like a cat who swallowed a canary as he turned, stone-faced, away
from Lee and said, "It's about time you showed up."
Tag comin'!