The Caliphate by André Gallo (books to read for 13 year olds .TXT) 📕

the five army reservists turned left into the corridor, away from the stairs. The beam from Steve’s flashlight cut into the darkness.

     As they moved, Shoshanna said, “The laser is at the end of this corridor. It’s behind a vaulted door and a digital pad. But I can get in.”

     “Izem, how many fighters do you think are guarding the laser? How many are left?”

     “I think five or six. Hussein is still on the roof with maybe five men. So it’s Habib, al Khalil’s Tunisian scientist, and probably al Khalil himself, plus the fighters.”

     They soon reached the vaulted door, which Steve recognized from his prior exploration.

     “Is this the only entrance?” he asked Shoshanna.

     “There is a door in the back, for deliveries of equipment. But I’ve never been there and I don’t have the combination.”

     “When she gets the door open, I’m sure the Salafists are going to make this a killing zone,” he told Izem, “anyone who steps through that door is dead.” He asked the other Israelis, “Anyone know how to open the door in the back?”

     One of the reservists stepped forward.

     “Yes, it’s in back of the cargo platform.”

     “Come and show me. Izem, once this door is open, keep the guys inside busy but don’t try to go through. We’ll attack from the rear.”

     Steve took the five Israeli reservists with him, using a corridor he Steve had passed through before. Instead of turning toward the back stairs, they headed for the back of the building and turned again at the end of the corridor. They were on a wide wooden platform the height of a truck bed and running through the whole building. The platform was separated from the outside by two wide, sliding metal shutters. There were two doors that led inside from the platform. One was the width of a three-car garage; the other was another vault door.

     The reservist pointed to the large door and said, “That one opens from the inside only. This smaller door opens with a number combination and a thumbprint.”

     Then they heard to noise of machinery, of gears working, and of metal grinding against inadequately lubricated metal.

     The reservist said, “That’s the roof opening. That means they’re close to firing the laser gun again.”

    Steve pulled him to the vault door, “Go ahead, we have to get in there to stop them.”

     The reservist slung his weapon over his shoulder and set to work under Steve’s flashlight.

***

Inside, al Khalil said, “Habib, I don’t know what is taking you so long. But that is probably all right. It is giving our brothers in Cairo and Damascus time to either force or negotiate their way into power. I am going to talk to Salim. Be ready to fire in a few minutes.”

     He reached Salim almost right away.

     “Salim, what is the reaction to our second ultimatum. We are getting ready to fire again.”

     “Algeria is won. El Maghrebi was on TV a few minutes ago. He announced the new Islamic Republic of Algeria. There is fighting in a number of other countries.”

     “What about Saudi Arabia?”

     “The al Saud family is negotiating to hang onto power, but the Wahhabists seem to have the upper hand. It is not a done deal. The royal family is buying them off. No need to laser Cairo. I am in talks with the president. He has agreed to speak with you directly.”

     “Have him step down first, in favor of the Ikhwan. You can be the temporary leader until I arrive. Contact the army and prepare an immediate invasion of Israel after I laser Tel Aviv, which will be any minute now.”

***

Steve and his squad were inside. They carried flashlights that revealed the space to be an office on the side of the spacious, high-ceilinged portion of the warehouse occupied by the laser. Steve still heard firing at the other end of the warehouse. It had to be Izem keeping al Khalil’s shooters busy. The reservist motioned to their right as they came out of the office.

     “The control room for the laser is three doors down from here,” he said.

     The sound from the roof stopped.

     As Steve and his men emerged, a fighter in front of the door identified by the reservist shouted and shouldered his assault rifle immediately. He went down as two of Steve’s men fired at him. Steve ran forward with Izem and the others behind him. He reached the door in back of the dead guard, opened it with one hand with his rifle shouldered. Al Khalil and Steve’s eyes locked for an instant. Steve stepped inside firing.

     Al Khalil and Steve fired at the same time. Al Khalil’s first bullet, fired with the AK-47 held at hip level, crashed into Steve’s left side and the rest of al Khalil’s burst went off to Steve’s left and up. Steve’s short burst punched al Khalil back, stitching him from the groin to the chest. Al Khalil fell against a chair, which toppled over as his body fell to the floor. Habib had his hands raised in the air from the moment that Steve rushed into the control room.

     Holding his side, Steve moved toward Habib, leveling his AK-47 at him.

     “Close the roof. Shut off the laser.”

     Steve leaned against a desk in excruciating pain.

     It wasn’t until he heard the roof move back that he realized al Khalil’s dream of a new Caliphate was over, that the Salafists’ goal of imposing their harsh version of God’s law on mankind was also over—for now.

    He blacked out.

     It was 16:03 hours.

EPILOGUE

Marshall had accepted Ambassador Hastings’ invitation to stay at his residence until Steve’s medical status became clearer. It was Sunday. Hastings,