The Seventh Pillar (16 page)

"Suicide vest?" he asked.

"The son of a bitch had it under his robes." Monroe wasn’t wearing his shades. His eyes were tired and sad. "It could have been worse."

"It’s a fucking disaster," Nick said. "How could it have been worse?" His left arm was in a sling. His shoulder felt like someone had soaked it in super glue and nailed the bones together for good measure. He couldn't lift his arm higher than his waist.

"It would have been worse if we’d been killed. It would have been worse if we hadn’t recovered any intel. But we did."

"Was it worth it?" Selena asked.

"We’ll know more tomorrow."

"Eight of our guys," she said.

Monroe drained his glass. "It's a war. People die in wars."  He looked at his watch. "I haven’t slept in twenty-three hours. I’m going to my hotel."

"What’s next?" Carter asked.

"Briefing. 0900 at the FBI field office."

"Will they have anything new?"

"Those guys were their own. They’ll have something."

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

Bausari contemplated the view from the apartment window. So much water. So unlike the vast sands of the Egyptian Sahara, where he'd spent his childhood, before he realized Allah's will.

It was time. The signs were obvious to anyone who was a true student of the Book. Even the Infidels. They spoke of it, but their blindness to the teachings of the Messenger and their belief in a false messiah kept them from seeing the truth.

There were many signs the Day was at hand, all prophesied centuries ago. The destruction and chaos in Baghdad. The raging civil war and devastation in Syria. Earthquakes. Volcanoes. Floods. Violent storms. Fish dying by the millions. All signs of the Day.

Al-Bausari had brought the Holy symbol of judgement to America from the cave in Africa. He'd brought the substance from Sudan. Now both were here, in this Godless city, in this great whore of a country.

Soon, the world would see. Soon, the tide of Islam would sweep all before it. A thousand years of peace would begin, the world at last united in the one, true faith.

Aban brought him a tray with juice and the medicines. The pain was increasing. Even the pills didn't help much now. Worse, Bausari felt himself growing weaker. But he would live long enough.

"Thank you, Aban."

There was a knock at the door.

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

"Bausari went north?" Carter and Selena were on the satellite phone with Stephanie.

"Unless Hemmings is lying. He says Bausari's men planned on driving up the coast."

"Where?"

"We don't know. He could be anywhere from LA to Canada."

Monroe had vanished back into wherever spooks vanished to. The FBI was busy trashing al-Qaeda cells in Southern California. The intelligence recovered from the raid on the mosque was good news for Homeland Security. It didn't help the families of the agents who'd died. A folded flag made a poor substitute for the man who'd earned it.

Nick rubbed his shoulder. "Why up there?"

"Could be lots of reasons," Stephanie answered. "Busy ports along the coast, high population, lots of hi-tech and defense industries. High symbolic as well as practical value."

Stephanie continued. "He wants high casualties. All he needs is a battery for a power source and someone with the right kind of electronic knowledge. If they don't know the activation codes, they can bypass them. If they make a mistake and it goes off, Bausari doesn't care. Those meds Selena found in the cave are for terminal cancer. He's a dead man walking and he knows it."

They contemplated that.

Steph said, "The video has gone viral. The Islamic world is in an uproar."

"Again." Nick shook his head. "We just got through that."

Selena spoke. "Are we sure the sword is real?"

Steph's voice sounded clear on the satellite link. "It appears to be. It doesn't matter. People think it is. It gives a lot of credibility to Bausari. It symbolizes the Red Death in the Islamic prophecies."

"Red Death?"

"Literally, death by the sword. Or you could just say it symbolizes death." She paused. "Nick, you can't cover LA and there's a huge presence there looking for him. I think he went farther, but I admit it's a hunch. I think you should go on to San Francisco. There's nothing between LA and there that makes for a big enough target. I sent a car for you. Your plane leaves in two hours and your tickets are at the counter. You're already cleared with security for your weapons. By the time you get to San Francisco we might have a better idea of where he's gone."

"Does the video give up anything?"

"Not yet. It was done on a ship, probably the one that brought Bausari to Mexico. Langley's working with the Mexicans to see if anyone in the cell they broke up knows more than they told us. The Bureau is about to raid a cell in LA. Something may turn up."

"We'd better hope it does," Nick said.

CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

A black Lincoln limo took them to the airport. They watched the video of Bausari on a television in the back of the car.

"What's the story on this sword?" Carter turned off the TV.

"Mohammed had nine swords that we know about. You can see them in Turkey and Egypt. They're venerated in Islam. Kind of like being able to look at Christ's sandals or robe, if you were a Christian."

"How do they know they belonged to Mohammed?"

"All well documented, associated with famous battles when he was uniting the desert tribes, or given to him in presentation or tribute. Mohammed was a hands-on warrior. He led his troops and slew his enemies and those swords of his are drenched in blood. They're as much a symbol of Islam as anything else. It's sometimes thought of as the religion of the sword."

"Convert or get your head chopped off?"

"Yes. The Qur'an is filled with references and commands from Allah to spread the religion in every way possible. It was a bloody time."

"You said there were nine. What's this one Bausari has?"

"That's what's got everyone upset. There's a legend about a tenth sword. It's supposed to remain hidden until the Day of Judgement and the coming of the Mahdi. It's associated with a prophecy of war and upheaval before the Last Days. Usually it's seen as a story predicting a leader will act as the 'tenth sword' of Islam, conquering everything and slaying unbelievers. There was even a ruler in tenth century India who took that name. But I don't think anyone thought there was a real, physical tenth sword that belonged to the Prophet. In Islamic prophecies there's the Red Death and the White Death. The Red Death is war and slaughter, symbolized by the sword."

"And the White Death?"

"That's plague. Think two of the Four Horsemen in Christian tradition and you've got the picture. We're talking about the Apocalypse."

"And Bausari thinks he's meant to start the ball rolling."

"That's right. He thinks he's going to open the path for the Mahdi's appearance and initiate the Day of Judgement."

"With the tenth sword."

"Yes."

"Which means with death and war. Like setting off a nuke."

"That's right."

"Shit."

"That sword will start trouble everywhere."

"When will he do it? Set off the bomb?"

"Soon, I think. There's a solar eclipse later this month and a lunar eclipse two weeks later. In the prophecies, if that happens during the month of Ramadan, it's a sign the Mahdi has come. An eclipse of both sun and moon within a month."

"But this isn't Ramadan."

"No," Selena said. "But it's probably close enough for Bausari. I think he'll wait until then."

"Then we'd better find him before that."

They headed into the airport.

Neither noticed the dark complexioned man in the ill-fitting suit who followed them in. His name was Nine. He stood two places behind them at the ticket counter and heard the agent confirm their flight and gate. Nine stepped out of the line and walked over to the windows and speed dialed his cell phone.

"They're going to San Francisco," he said.

"What flight?"

Nine gave the number. "Shall I kill them?"

"We'll have someone there."

Nine closed his phone and walked back out into the LA smog.

CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

The flight was smooth. They came in over the Bay and landed at San Francisco International. It held bad memories for Carter. This was where Megan had died, at the end of the same runway where their plane taxied toward the terminal. He hadn't thought about her much, lately. He wasn't sure what to make of that. For now, he put the thoughts aside. He knew they'd come back and haunt him later.

They left the plane and headed for the exit and ground transportation. Selena had reserved a room at the Mark Hopkins.

Nick's ear began to burn. It was like fire running along his head. He stopped dead on the terminal floor.

"Something's going to happen. Put your bag down. Turn around, get your back against mine."

She didn't hesitate. She set it on the floor and stood behind him, facing the other way. Seconds later the attack came, sudden and vicious. Two men from opposite directions. Steel gleamed in each man's hand.

There was no time for guns. Nick blocked the thrust and tried a forearm strike. He took a hard shot to his injured shoulder. It missed the nerve center. Adrenaline flooded him and he entered the zone.

The zone was a place where time changed. An altered state where everything slowed around him. It didn't always happen. When it did, life hung on the edge. It was as if he'd entered a dimension where everything moved in slow motion. Except him. He could see the moves of his attacker coming. He simply wasn't where the blow was supposed to land and could counter with ease.

This man was good. But in the zone, Nick had the advantage. He easily slipped a high kick to his head. The attacker's foot passed through space where Carter should have been. Nick drove three hard punches into his enemy, right below the sternum. The knife came up as the man doubled over and Nick stepped to the side in a fluid ballet of death, twisting the arm up and over and snapping the elbow.

The man screamed. Nick drove fingers stiff as iron into the throat. The man went down. Time speeded up again. He turned. Selena was in a fight for her life, parrying and striking. It was Mali all over again. She was bleeding where the knife had slashed her arm. As Carter moved toward her she spun and landed a blow directly over the heart. Her opponent faltered. She uttered a primal scream, a wild yell that echoed through the airport. She struck again, her face contorted in fury.

It was over. People were screaming and running in all directions in the terminal. Carter could see security guards headed their way. He bent down and pulled back a sleeve on one of the bodies. He knew what he would find.

The ambigram of the assassins.

Later, in their room, Selena fingered the bandage on her arm. "How did you know?"

"The ear. The ear never lies. When it gets like that, bad things are going down. It's usually right then or it's about to happen. It's been that way since I was a kid."

She gave Nick a  look of appraisal. Of approval. "You were way above your level, back there. I've never had opponents like these people. They're world class."

"I was in the zone, or he would have had me. You know about the zone?"

"Where everything slows down?"

He nodded.

"It happened to me twice in competition. No one can beat you then. Not if you know what to do."

"We'd better call in. Let Steph know what's happened. What I wonder is why they came after us. And how did they know where we were?"

"Maybe it's revenge. For Mali"

"It could be. Or they think we know where to find Bausari. But we don't know anything. We don't even know where he's gone."

"Remember how we did it in Africa?"

"We made assumptions."

"So, start assuming. We know he went north."

"No, we don't know that. What we know is Hemmings says he heard Bausari's men say they were going north."

"We have to start somewhere." Selena brushed a hair away from her eyes. "If he didn't go north, we're in trouble anyway."

"Great," Nick said. "We've got more than twelve hundred miles of coastline and the rest of the country where Bausari could have gone. North of San Diego narrows it down by twelve miles from the Mexican border. Helps a lot."

"Hemmings thinks they were talking about a long drive."

"If it's true. If it is, assumption number one is that Bausari wouldn't stop until he got as far as here, at the soonest. If he stayed on the coast."

"Bausari isn't just another terrorist with a bomb. He's the one making way for the Messiah. He wants to start a war. And he's dying. He's running out of time. I can't see him making a long journey inland somewhere when he's got a target rich environment right here in the West." Selena rubbed her bandage, caught herself and stopped. "If you were Bausari, what would you do to create the most impact with a nuke?"

"Kill a lot of people. Blow up something symbolic."