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Exit Code
As Abdalrahman moved down the gangplank and stepped onto the dock, careful not to lose his balance on the slippery wood, he caught his first sight of Dr. Malcolm Shurish. He wasn’t sure if he was happy to see the man, or if he wished to strangle him. In some ways, he held Shurish personally responsible for the capture of his nephew. In fact, it was Shurish who managed to send word to Abdalrahman and let him know of Sadiq’s imprisonment. Abdalrahman had come to America immediately, bringing a crew of his best and most talented soldiers.
Abdalrahman stopped a few feet shy of Shurish, and when he saw the man bow low to him and then step forward and kiss his shoulder in traditional fashion, he let his anger melt away. There was no way Shurish could have stopped the American, Cooper, from going to Afghanistan and destroying everything Abdalrahman had worked so hard to achieve. Then again, he wondered, since Sadiq had been brought to the United States, how much Shurish had done to try to rescue his nephew from the American infidels. Only time would tell.
“It is a pleasure to see you again, Colonel,” Shurish said. “I prayed Allah would bring you safely to us, and he has heard me.”
“It is good to see you, as well,” Abdalrahman lied. “Thank you for sending word so quickly.”
“When I heard of Sadiq’s whereabouts, I knew you would want to know he was alive.”
“Absolutely, and in this you have done right.” Abdalrahman began to walk toward the car he noticed was waiting for him. “What of our plans with Carnivore? How soon can we be ready?”
“I am not certain. Sadiq’s capture has caused serious delays,” Shurish replied, falling into step next to Abdalrahman’s quick strides. “I’m trying to decipher copies of his work, but I’m having trouble.”
“How much do the Americans know?”
“I can’t be sure.”
Abdalrahman stopped suddenly, turned and stared into Shurish’s equally dark eyes. “For a man with a formal education, who has served on this front as long as you have, you don’t seem sure about many things,” he said, barely containing his anger.
“I beg your forgiveness, Colonel,” Shurish said. “Although I don’t believe I have anything to apologize for. As I understand it, even your men fell under the tenacity of this man called Cooper.”
“Your remarks strike me as seditious and insolent,” Abdalrahman said with a warning expression before turning and continuing toward the car.
The silence was heavy until they were seated and riding toward Shurish’s suburban home in Arlington, which would serve as a base of operations for Abdalrahman’s men until he could decide what their course of action would be.
“I don’t mean to be disrespectful,” Shurish said quietly, “but I’m sure you can understand my position.”
“I’m sure I cannot, so why not explain it to me.”
“I’ve found Cooper,” Shurish stated.
Abdalrahman felt an immediate twinge of hope—hope for vengeance. “You have my interest. Go on.”
“I had him followed. Somebody in government tried to insert him inside DARPA as a spy. Fortunately, I figured it out and faked an assassination attempt. As it turned out, I believe Dr. Matthew Cooper, who obviously isn’t a real scientist—”
“Obviously,” Abdalrahman said, interjecting.
“—was looking into Tyra MacEwan’s disappearance.”
Abdalrahman shook his head with agitation. “Forget the woman for a moment. You said you know where Cooper is.”
“He’s in Boston. I sent men for him, but as yet I’ve not heard from them. Very soon, he will either be dead or our prisoner.”
“Very good, Shurish. I’m impressed. And what about the woman, MacEwan?” the colonel asked.
“Lenzini has her under surveillance. We must keep her alive.”
“Why?”
“I believe she’s the only other one who has the technical knowledge required to complete the work if we cannot retrieve Sadiq in a timely manner.”
“I’d think it difficult to convince her to help us,” Abdalrahman said.
“She can be troublesome,” Shurish said, nodding.
“Yes, she has already caused us many problems.”
“If there is anyone to blame for Sadiq’s capture, it would be her and not me.”
“I see. Did it escape notice that it was you who was supposed to keep her under control?”
“I tried,” Shurish said in protest. “It never occurred to me that she and Fowler would actually discover our work inside Carnivore. I thought allowing her to go work with Fowler would serve as a distraction.”
“That is the trouble, Shurish. You think too much and act too little. This is not proper for a soldier of the NIF.”
“But as you have succinctly pointed out on numerous occasions, Colonel, I am not a soldier.”
“Do not think yourself so clever as to be indispensable, Shurish,” Abdalrahman said. “Or so help me, I will cut off your head and grind you into meat for lions. Effective immediately, I am in charge of this operation.”
“You have no authority to—”
“I have every authority!” Abdalrahman could feel his face flush. “Weeks have gone by. Weeks! What have you done? Can you tell me that? Are our people in place? Has Lenzini finished his work? Are we ready to commence operations?”
“I need Sadiq’s help.” There was almost a whining tone in Shurish’s voice. “You must free him.”
“How? Can you tell me? Am I to commit my entire force to freeing him? My nephew is locked up in prison somewhere behind meters of barbed wire, concrete and iron. What would you propose I do? Do you think I’m so deluded that I envision myself just walking into this place and taking him from under their noses? He is guarded by well-armed and well-trained personnel, and I am quite certain the government has determined his value to us. They are no doubt subjecting him to horrors I cannot even imagine.”
“Phah!” Shurish countered. “They are civilized in my country.”
“Did I just hear you correctly?” Abdalrahman shouted.
Shurish’s expression revealed he was thinking very carefully before giving an answer. “While I do not agree with my government, I was born here and that makes me an American. This is my country and my people.”
“No, my friend,” Abdalrahman replied, forcing himself to stay calm. “You are mistaken. You chose to sell them out to us and for a very hefty price, as I recall. Because you realized that after our first major victory here you would never have the same chances as before. We are your country and your people, now, and this is something you should never forget. If you ever say anything like that again, I will kill you. Do you understand me?”
Abdalrahman watched with satisfaction as Shurish squirmed in the seat of the luxury sedan before swallowing hard and nodding. He dropped his gaze, not choosing to look at the terrorist leader. Yes, Shurish was definitely proving himself to be a liability. He wouldn’t live forever. He was not loyal to the cause of the jihad, and that meant he couldn’t be trusted. But for the moment, Abdalrahman needed Shurish, which meant he’d have to tolerate him.
Once the remainder of his forces had joined him and he’d rescued Sadiq and destroyed Cooper, then he would put an end to Shurish’s life. In the meantime, he had more important worries and challenges ahead of him. There would be plenty of time to kill Shurish later.
“For now, we will await word from your men about Cooper,” Abdalrahman said, “although I am not confident the news will be good. If they fail to destroy Cooper, then I will deal with him personally. And then we will finish our business with the Americans.”
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