Parallelogram : Day Two : Chapter 66

Five Days, Nine Hours, Twenty Minutes

Arthur Pendley felt his Blackberry vibrate on his belt.

He stepped away from Watanabe, moving to a private area of the Crypt. Leaning against one of the humming upright compute consoles, he snatched the wireless unit from his waist and brought it up to see. Opening his Direct Message folder, he read:

AMIR: We are pleased with what you have done.

The senator had one of the Crypt monitor's tuned to CVN constantly. He had always felt that he owed it to his country – by virtue of his position – to stay on top of breaking news, and, certainly, what he had done – destroying a secret United States spy submarine on test maneuvers in the Persian Gulf – constituted 'breaking news' ... but the reality was that only a handful of people would know what truly had happened. As the news channel had reported, pundits believed that the deep waters were little more than a shield for some Middle East nation to test a nuclear weapon. Pendley knew such a strike would accomplish multiple objectives: not only would the White House be treated to a first hand observation of what his Temporal Ray could do, but also the situation in the Middle East would destabilize quickly given the vastly theorized probability that some nation – some small independent state – was testing nukes in those waters. Iran would blame Israel. Israel would blame Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia would, quite predictably, blame the United States for providing such a weapon of mass destruction to only God, Mohammad, or Allah knew. The President's recent talks to stabilize that violent corner of the world would fall apart, and all of it could be blamed on a rogue nation, not Arthur Pendley.

He knew this would please the Elders. After all, the organization lived for striking fear into the hearts of people of all nations in the name of whatever purpose they served today ... so long as it was anti-American. Making ordinary US citizens believe that the terrors of the Middle East had developed nuclear weapons on this President's watch would only force more and more pressure on Campbell to capitulate ... and, of course, Pendley would be the secret key in that capitulation.

Smiling to himself, Pendley typed:

PEND: I wish I had felt your faith earlier.

AMIR: Earlier I was not convinced of your resolve.

PEND: I am saddened to know that you doubted me.

AMIR: I still doubt you.

Pendley closed his eyes and shook his head in disgust. How could the Elders doubt him now? Hadn't he shown them that – with a single strike – the fate of the world could be easily turned over to them? What did he need to do in order to prove his loyalty? His faith? His willingness to cooperate? Once he was given control of the nation's resources, he would also need the assistance of the Elders to do what no living person before had ever accomplished: bring peace to all nations of the world. Under the threat of the temporal ray and the league of terror known as the Elders, no nation would lift a finger to defend itself. The result of such disobedience? Being eliminated from the face of the planet. That was a risk too great for any people to make.

PEND: How can you doubt me?

AMIR: You can earn our trust with one simple task.

It was never simple, he knew. It was hardly simple when it came to terrorists. They wanted control of the world, and even Pendley wasn't willing to surrender that kind of power to them. He was perfectly comfortable sharing that control ... so long as he maintained his finger over the controls of the Temporal Ray. That would be his insurance to maintaining a status quo never before seen in the history of mankind: true, unimpeachable peace. He would deliver it, or he would die trying. He long ago accepted that fate. But ... what more could the Elders require of him?

PEND: What is it?

AMIR: Destroy the American White House.

The senator's heart skipped a beat. Of course, he had contemplated what a bold strike would accomplish ... but he didn't want to wake the sleeping giant. He knew – if he struck an American landmark – he would unleash a kind of retribution upon himself, upon anyone who had cooperate, upon anyone in any nation that supported his ideals that would make any war in history pale by comparison.

PEND: That would be unwise.

AMIR: The President is no friend of yours.

PEND: I do not wish his death.

AMIR: The President will not be there. Certainly he has been evacuated.

PEND: You will stir the American people from their sleep.

AMIR: The Elders will claim responsibility.

PEND: The Elders are not a household name.

AMIR: This attack will make them one. Your people will never forget it.

PEND: There are many targets that will do this.

AMIR: I want the White House destroyed.

Pendley felt a drip of sweat by his ear, and he reached up, wiping it away angrily. He ground his teeth together as he looked around the Crypt. He wanted to make sure that no one else was watching. He wanted to guarantee the privacy for this entire affair.

PEND: I will take it under consideration.

AMIR: Why do you delay?

PEND: I have already destroyed their submarine.

AMIR: I have thanked you for that.

PEND: I have given them time to consider it.

AMIR: Time is our ally, not theirs.

PEND: That is my point.

AMIR: When will you speak with them again?

PEND: In less than one hour.

AMIR: Then you will destroy the White House if they do not comply.

PEND: I will consider it.

AMIR: You will do it if they do not comply.

PEND: I WILL CONSIDER IT.

He hoped that typing in all capital letters would convince Amir that he was no longer willing to debate the topic. So far as he knew, the Crypt was under his command, and he wouldn't allow the influence of any other nation or group to usurp its control. So long as he was here – in the command center – there was nothing any military could do about it. He was sealed into a coffin well beneath the streets of Washington D.C., and no terrorist – here or aboard – would pose any threat to his sovereignty.

AMIR: Do not be too proud of what you have done.

The senator knew he was being threatened, and it was over. He would no longer allow himself to be manipulated by the Elders. He would no longer allow their influence. He wanted their willing participation in this attempt to create a New World Order ... but this? This was madness. This was no different that the current United States foreign policy, and he would have no part of this.

PEND: Contact me in one hour.

AMIR: The Elders do not take orders from you.

PEND: Then I am through with you.

He switched off the connection.

The sinking feeling he sensed in his heart told him that this was quickly spiraling out of any possibility of returning to a sense of normalcy ... not there was one to begin with.

END of Chapter 66