The Uvalde Raider by Ben English (great books for teens TXT) 📕

and doing well in the final stage of delivery. They had transported the insidious killer nearly halfway around the world, and were now maneuvering it into the position needed to display its full, utterly horrendous potential.

That accomplishment, more than any other one thing, proved to Ezekiel just how resourceful and capable this individual terrorist leader really was. It also stood as irrefutable evidence as to how incredibly dangerous the Hezbollah operative could be when loosed in a world teeming with innocent people, masses of human beings unaware of the reckoning evil that lurked among them.

As in so many other feats, once one had the means and the power everything else became a mere question of logistics and will. Qassam had given ample attention to the logistics, and there remained no question whatsoever of his will to see this appalling plot of mass murder to fruition. Neither was there any doubt that when given the opportunity, he would do so again at another time and place.

The retired colonel thought hard, trying to come up with some improbable angle or weak point in what Qassam had said, or in what Ezekiel had personally observed. No matter how he tried, he still ended up drawing a blank. The plan was completely doable and there was precious little time left to stop it, save for a sudden and complete act of gross incompetence on the part of Qassam and his peers. Either that or some sort of Divine Intervention on the part of the unknowing multitudes, who would soon become the decimated ranks of dead or dying.

It is said that Divine Intervention is only brought on by prayer driven by faith. With nothing else that could be done at present, that was exactly what Ezekiel Templar did now. He began praying as fervently and earnestly as he had ever done before in his life, and hoping that an all-powerful God on high, with His own plan, was listening in.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

It was somewhere after five in the morning when two of the Hezbollah terrorists joined the guard at the door and made their way into the small room. They kicked and prodded the three hostages to their feet, but one allowed himself the simple humanity of assisting Ezekiel as the captives moved into the larger adjoining room. Micah suspected this was due to specific orders from Qassam, and for reasons other than those akin to any real sort of good intentions.

Standing there and blinking against the harsh artificial light, Micah immediately noticed that the previous pile of equipment and supplies were now absent. The maps were removed from the table, as were the assorted papers and ring binders. Save for an odd plastic bag or empty food container, it was much in the same condition as it had been in when he first arrived, and before Qassam and his Hezbollah terrorists came on the scene. In short, the place had been basically sanitized.

Independently but at the same time, the two other captives were glancing about and coming to the same conclusion. Whatever those assorted maps, guides, notes and supplies had to do with their captors’ assigned mission, that phase of the operation where they were useful had passed. Most likely they were now packed away for transportation to another location and/or destroyed for security purposes. That meant that preparations were coming to an end, the next phase would be the beginning of the flight to launch the attack itself.

Qassam stood in the middle of the room with a large smile on his face, evidently more pleased with himself and his evolving situation than he had ever been before. Mustafa stood nearby, arms folded and leaning against a large desk. There was not a hint of merriment appearing anywhere on his features and Micah was not in the least surprised. Rattlesnakes, be they human or otherwise, are incapable of emotion. All they exist for is the opportunity to destroy some other of God’s creatures.

“Good morning, gentlemen” Qassam began. “I hope you were able to get a bit of rest. This is going to be a memorable day for all, and each of us should have a clear head to remember the details.”

He motioned them over to the same overstuffed couch and Micah sat down, again careful in how he placed his handcuffed wrists and trying to avoid any tension on the devices. Max sat down next to him and Uncle Zeke joined them last of all, hobbling painfully across the room on his wounded leg.

“So that you may follow along for purposes of documentation to what is occurring, you need to know that we have completed the preparatory phase of our assignment. Actually, we made faster progress than hoped for and our timeline is now ahead of schedule. As you can readily imagine, transferring the VX was of particular concern; yet we accomplished it without incident.”

Outside, they heard an engine start on one of the Chevrolet Suburbans parked near the Boeing. It began pulling away, using nothing but its parking lamps to maneuver by. The Hezbollah leader turned and watched the vehicle go.

“Things have gone so well that I am sending my support team to get some well-deserved rest at the Albright residence. Once they have done so, they will return here. Together, both they and you will leave this area later in the morning and make your way to a rendezvous point. Following the completion of our mission, the elements of our group will join them as we begin the long journey back to where we came from.

I wanted to speak with you one more time before the next phase commences. As I have said before, no harm will come to you if you behave in a manner as to not cause any undue concern or difficulties. After all, you three will be able to give first-hand accounts as to the preparations for this event as they took