Mosul, Iraq
Absorbed in the story, the fish-monger flipped to the next page.
Jonah Chapter 3
"And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying,
Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee."
Abdul stopped reading and his eyes were drawn back the words, “Arise, go to Nineveh…” Nineveh…he thought to himself and then realized with a start that he was right beside the ruins of ancient Nineveh.
“Arise, go to Nineveh!” The words sounded like they came from nearby and were spoken directly to Abdul himself. He looked around startled, but saw no one in the room with him. “And preach unto it the preaching that I bid you.” The voice repeated. Then Abdul knew it was the Lord’s command to him. He bowed his head and began to pray; a heavy burden was on his heart to tell others about the risen Saviour who had saved Jonah and could save all anyone from so great a death.
“….so help me Lord. Give me courage and strength to tell all men about You. In Jesus name, Amen.” Abdul’s work roughened hands gently reached for the precious Bible, then cradling it as a mother would her babe, he slipped it under his mattress. Suddenly the earth shook violently. At the same instant, a thunderous roar split the air. Abdul, who had been trying to rise, was knocked off balance and fell face first onto his cot. He scrambled to his feet and yanked open the heavy street door. A thick smoke consisting of dust and debris hung low over the city, blocking out all sunshine.
Then the screams began. They were screams of pain and anger that burst from thousands of hearts all across the great city. Abdul shuddered and was about to slam his front door shut, when he stopped, remembering God’s command to the disobedient prophet, Jonah. What was it that God had said? Something like “Go.” Somewhere in the city were people who needed to hear about God. How could they hear if he did not go? All this flashed thru Abdul’s mind in an instant. And armed with this knowledge, the harsh cries seemed to change into begging, pleading ones.
And so, forgetting all about the events of the past five minutes, the wayward Iraqi rushed into his shop, grabbed several emergency kits stuffed full of cloth and bandages, and obeyed God’s call. He ran straight towards the center of the city which was the hardest hit.
Absorbed in the story, the fish-monger flipped to the next page.
Jonah Chapter 3
"And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying,
Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee."
Abdul stopped reading and his eyes were drawn back the words, “Arise, go to Nineveh…” Nineveh…he thought to himself and then realized with a start that he was right beside the ruins of ancient Nineveh.
“Arise, go to Nineveh!” The words sounded like they came from nearby and were spoken directly to Abdul himself. He looked around startled, but saw no one in the room with him. “And preach unto it the preaching that I bid you.” The voice repeated. Then Abdul knew it was the Lord’s command to him. He bowed his head and began to pray; a heavy burden was on his heart to tell others about the risen Saviour who had saved Jonah and could save all anyone from so great a death.
“….so help me Lord. Give me courage and strength to tell all men about You. In Jesus name, Amen.” Abdul’s work roughened hands gently reached for the precious Bible, then cradling it as a mother would her babe, he slipped it under his mattress. Suddenly the earth shook violently. At the same instant, a thunderous roar split the air. Abdul, who had been trying to rise, was knocked off balance and fell face first onto his cot. He scrambled to his feet and yanked open the heavy street door. A thick smoke consisting of dust and debris hung low over the city, blocking out all sunshine.
Then the screams began. They were screams of pain and anger that burst from thousands of hearts all across the great city. Abdul shuddered and was about to slam his front door shut, when he stopped, remembering God’s command to the disobedient prophet, Jonah. What was it that God had said? Something like “Go.” Somewhere in the city were people who needed to hear about God. How could they hear if he did not go? All this flashed thru Abdul’s mind in an instant. And armed with this knowledge, the harsh cries seemed to change into begging, pleading ones.
And so, forgetting all about the events of the past five minutes, the wayward Iraqi rushed into his shop, grabbed several emergency kits stuffed full of cloth and bandages, and obeyed God’s call. He ran straight towards the center of the city which was the hardest hit.
- KBR
______________________________________________________
Mosul, Iraq
After making a right down an old narrow ally and two lefts, Abdul came to the paved streets of the city and stopped short. Buildings lay in smoking ruins, leveled by the explosion. A middle-aged woman lay in the street groaning. She clutched her bloodied knee in both hands trying in a vain attempt to soothe the pain. Abdul took a step towards her and the movement caught her eye. She eyed him narrowly as he came closer. “You lucky pig.” She hissed. “Lucky you not to be caught in that thing…and you walking around as fit as a fiddler with no injuries!!!”
“Ma’am-“ began Abdul
“You beast!” Abdul had reached the woman by this time and knelt on the dirty, sooty ground beside her.
“Look, maybe the reason God spared me is so that I can help others like you.” He said gently.
“God!” spat the woman. “I hate Him and have no use for any God. An’ if what you say is true, then He’s to blame for my lyin’ here hurt. Owwwww!” she cried. Abdul pried her hands off her leg.
“Hold still now…” he cautioned as she nearly hit him with her fist in an attempt to get her hands free. “Ahm just tryin’ to take a look at your injury, that’s all.” Then, taking his fish flaying knife out of his pocket, he deftly slashed the off the woman’s pant leg just above the knee. “Let me tell you a story.” He offered as he worked to tie up the broken vein that was exposed. Since she offered no objection, he began.
“One day, a long, long time ago there lived a man named Jonah….” Abdul went on, telling the old story of the prophet of God who weas sent to warn a nation of coming judgement. Meanwhile, as he talked, he tightly bound up his patient’s broken bone the best he could. When he finished, the woman eyed him narrowly,
“Uh, thanks mister. Not now, not now…maybe some other time I’ll think about what you said.” With that said, she spun around on the ground and then turning her back, she hobbled away.
After making a right down an old narrow ally and two lefts, Abdul came to the paved streets of the city and stopped short. Buildings lay in smoking ruins, leveled by the explosion. A middle-aged woman lay in the street groaning. She clutched her bloodied knee in both hands trying in a vain attempt to soothe the pain. Abdul took a step towards her and the movement caught her eye. She eyed him narrowly as he came closer. “You lucky pig.” She hissed. “Lucky you not to be caught in that thing…and you walking around as fit as a fiddler with no injuries!!!”
“Ma’am-“ began Abdul
“You beast!” Abdul had reached the woman by this time and knelt on the dirty, sooty ground beside her.
“Look, maybe the reason God spared me is so that I can help others like you.” He said gently.
“God!” spat the woman. “I hate Him and have no use for any God. An’ if what you say is true, then He’s to blame for my lyin’ here hurt. Owwwww!” she cried. Abdul pried her hands off her leg.
“Hold still now…” he cautioned as she nearly hit him with her fist in an attempt to get her hands free. “Ahm just tryin’ to take a look at your injury, that’s all.” Then, taking his fish flaying knife out of his pocket, he deftly slashed the off the woman’s pant leg just above the knee. “Let me tell you a story.” He offered as he worked to tie up the broken vein that was exposed. Since she offered no objection, he began.
“One day, a long, long time ago there lived a man named Jonah….” Abdul went on, telling the old story of the prophet of God who weas sent to warn a nation of coming judgement. Meanwhile, as he talked, he tightly bound up his patient’s broken bone the best he could. When he finished, the woman eyed him narrowly,
“Uh, thanks mister. Not now, not now…maybe some other time I’ll think about what you said.” With that said, she spun around on the ground and then turning her back, she hobbled away.
- KBR
________________________________________________________
Mosul, Iraq
Abdul turned sorrowfully and headed several steps down the street. An old man with a full grey beard sat on an overturned brick in the middle of the road. His clothes were full of ashen dust, like one of the walking dead. Sensing Abdul’s gaze, he looked up.
“My old woman…she was killed – dead…the building there fell…and she couldn’t get away in time….we were married for fifty-seven years…but now – she’s gone!” He sobbed.
“Hold on, sir, where are you going now?” asked Abdul as the old man tried to stand on shaky legs.
“Back home I reckon.”
“Do you live alone, sir?”
“No, well…yes I do. There – ain’t no Martha now…”
“I tell you what, would you like to stay with me in my garret back of the fish market?” hurried on Abdul without giving him time to reply. “It’s not much or fancy, but it’ll do.” The old man eagerly agreed, so off the two went, Abdul leading the way. He told the story of Jonah to a captivated listener. Halfway thru the story, the old man interrupted with, “That’s good, son, real good. Tell me more.” But Abdul had no time to say more for they had arrived at Abdul’s humble home. After he dropped off his guest and made him as comfortable as possible, Abdul headed right back into the heart of the city. He spent all night out helping meet other’s physical needs while telling them of Christ who could meet their spiritual needs.
Abdul turned sorrowfully and headed several steps down the street. An old man with a full grey beard sat on an overturned brick in the middle of the road. His clothes were full of ashen dust, like one of the walking dead. Sensing Abdul’s gaze, he looked up.
“My old woman…she was killed – dead…the building there fell…and she couldn’t get away in time….we were married for fifty-seven years…but now – she’s gone!” He sobbed.
“Hold on, sir, where are you going now?” asked Abdul as the old man tried to stand on shaky legs.
“Back home I reckon.”
“Do you live alone, sir?”
“No, well…yes I do. There – ain’t no Martha now…”
“I tell you what, would you like to stay with me in my garret back of the fish market?” hurried on Abdul without giving him time to reply. “It’s not much or fancy, but it’ll do.” The old man eagerly agreed, so off the two went, Abdul leading the way. He told the story of Jonah to a captivated listener. Halfway thru the story, the old man interrupted with, “That’s good, son, real good. Tell me more.” But Abdul had no time to say more for they had arrived at Abdul’s humble home. After he dropped off his guest and made him as comfortable as possible, Abdul headed right back into the heart of the city. He spent all night out helping meet other’s physical needs while telling them of Christ who could meet their spiritual needs.
- KBR
________________________________________________________
In a hospital in Mosul, Iraq
The lights in the hospital ward grew dim. A small group of nurses stood beside the nurses’ station gossiping in low tones. A young handsome medic softly closed a room door and walked up the corridor to join the nurses. The group grew strangely silent as he walked up. Seeing their silence that had replaced animated chatter, Dr. Anderson asked, “What is it, girls?” No one answered for a long moment.
Suddenly the blonde nurse burst out, “It’s disgraceful, that’s what!”
“What is?” the doctor asked in an annoyed tone. Noticing her friends stares, the blonde hastened to explain herself.
“It’s just that, well – you wouldn’t understand cause, um – it’s a girl thing –“ she babbled, her face turning bright red in embarrassment.
“It’s the food prices, Doc.” cut in another nurse. “When Jennie here went to the store yesterday, she paid 4.50 for just one loaf of bread!”
Another joked, “With as much bread and cheese as she eats a week, soon she’ll spend over twenty dollars on just bread alone.”
“Yes, n’ that’s not all,” put in the blonde. “it rose fifty cents from last week!” The doctor laughed heartily.
“Oh, you girls! Can’t you see that when there’s a war, the price of food is bound to rise a little? It’s called common sense. Use it.” He turned to go but then stopped and called back over his shoulder. “Yeah Jennie, it’s a girl thing alright cause only you would ever worry over pennies.” The girl in question colored hotly and was about to send back a stinging retort when Doc Anderson said, “Aww now, don’t get riled. You’re awful sweet ya know, and you what else? You’re gonna be my assistant today.”
“Oohhh favorite!” groaned a jealous nurse. In the midst of all the joshing, no one noticed a room door that hung partly ajar right beside the nurse station; that is until the door gave a squeak. Jennie spotted the open door first and she also saw an eye peeping out of it. She marched straight for the door with the doctor on her heels. Cautiously pushing open the door, no one was in sight. A bed in the far corner of the room held an apparently fast asleep teenage girl.
“You can’t fool me, I saw you do it!” said the indignant nurse. Instantly, the girl’s eyes flew open and she gave an impish chuckle. “Why are you up, Aini?”
“I’m bored and tired of waiting for another night to pass. When’ll you let me go anyway?” complained Aini.
“Oh, well whenever you’ve recovered enough, of course.” the doctor cautiously answered.
“Can’t I go now?” she whined. Jennie was getting annoyed.
“Aren’t we taking good enough care of you?”
“Oh, yeah, but I want to run free. You don’t even let me out of my own room.”
“Good grief, Aini!” exclaimed the properly horrified doctor. “You’re ribs have to heal first. And that takes time – a long time. Speaking of ribs, I want to check on the tape job and how they’re healing before I go.” Five minutes later the doctor said, “It looks a lot better, but you must be very careful, Aini. Any sudden movement or impact could jar the ribs out of place. I will let you walk around some, but you must promise me to listen to the nurses and be careful.”
"Yeah, sure,” was the only response Doc Anderson got.
“You promised me now,”
“Huh, yeah.” With a sigh, the doc and Jennie left the room. When it was safe, Aini stuck out a long red tongue in the direction of the closed door. “You just watch: I won’t listen.” She muttered rebelliously.
- KBR
______________________________________________________
Black Mesa
Tansy stifled a laughed as she entered the workout room.
“I’m too fast for ya man. You can’t touch me man.” Matt taunted Mikhail as he danced around him. He shuffled his feet and threw jabs into the air. “Check the footwork.” Matt crowed.
Trevor stood off the side, his arms folded across his chest as he waited for the inevitable mistake the exuberant Matt would make.
Mikhail kept his eyes on Matt as the younger man continued his antics.
Matt lunged toward Mikhail then jumped back just a quickly but lost his balance and fell backward landing on his backside with a jolt.
Mikhail shook his head as he stepped forward and feigned a killing blow to his throat. “All that fancy dancing around and your backside is bruised. But take heart my young friend, the pain in your behind lasted only moments before I killed you.”
Matt grumbled under his breath as he got to his feet. “Your turn Trevor.” He waved a hand toward Mikhail.
“Actually if you boys don’t mind, I’d like to talk to Trevor for a few minutes.” Tansy interrupted.
“Hi Tansy.” Matt said loudly. “I didn’t notice you walk in.” He looked uncomfortable. “So how long have you been standing there?”
“Long enough.” Mikhail intoned blandly. “If you had been paying attention like I told you, you would have noticed her come in. You must always be aware of who and what is around you while fighting.”
“I know, I know. I was just goofing around.” Matt looked Mikhail in the eye. “When it really counts, I’ll be ready.”
“You had better be. You may be the only thing standing between a member of this family and the GF.” Trevor said seriously.
Matt nodded. “Come on Mikhail, lets go eat some popcorn and prop our feet up on the coffee table. That’s sure to drive my mom nuts.”
Mikhail hid a grin as he followed Matt from the room. “I do not understand why you insist on driving your mother nuts. She is a wonderful woman.”
Tansy and Trevor missed Matt’s reply as both men walked out of ear shot.
“You wanted to talk to me?” Trevor asked.
“Yes. I wanted to make sure you are doing alright.”
“I’m okay.” Trevor shrugged. “I can’t change that Zoe’s gone, and in a way I happy for her. She’s home now.”
Tansy nodded as she crossed the room to sit on one of the weight benches. “I know you miss her, we all do. I only met Zoe a few times, but she seemed like a remarkable young woman. I thought there was sparks between you two and I just assumed you two would end up together quite awhile ago. I could tell you wanted more, but Zoe seemed a bit reserved even though it was obvious she felt the same.”
Trevor leaned a hip against the weight rack. “It was a little complicated. Actually it was a lot complicated.” He heaved a sigh. “When I realized that I was in love with Zoe I told her and she said she loved me too. I wish that had been all there was to it, but….”
Tansy gave him an encouraging nod. “Go on.”
“You know Zoe had an identical twin right?”
Tansy nodded. “Jade.”
“Yeah, Jade.” Trevor shifted a bit as he looked down at the floor. “Well, I decided that I needed to tell Zoe the I had slept with Jade. Needless to say that put a damper on things.” Trevor looked up at Tansy. “I wanted Zoe to know, she deserved to know. Back in high school it was a…I don’t know how to put it…I guess a challenge to bed the Phillips twins. I was a couple of years ahead of them in school, and I’d heard of them and the guys talking about having both of them. I thought it was sick. But one night at a party Jade and I hooked up. I was a junior and she was a freshman. After that if we saw each other at a party and we weren’t with anyone we’d hook up.”
Trevor looked back a the floor. “One night right before my senior year I was at a party drunk and saw Jade. I walked up to her and asked if she was there alone and she said yes. So I grabbed her hand and led her out to my car. I leaned down and kissed her and immediately realized it wasn’t Jade. It was Zoe. I didn’t know what to do. For a fleeting second I thought to myself, ‘I could be the guy who had both twins.’” He shook his head with disgust. “It makes me sick that I even thought it. Thankfully one of my buddies jumped on my back about then and we started wrestling around. Zoe took off and that was the end of it.”
“That certainly explains Zoe’s reservations.” Tansy said.
“Yeah.” Trevor said ruefully. “I avoided both Jade and Zoe my entire senior year. A few years later I ran into Zoe at a concert. We hung out and pushed our way to the front of the crowd. I spent the night trying to keep her from getting smashed against the barricades. After the concert we went to get a pizza and she told me how Jade had humiliated her by confessing to their whole church the life they had both led in high school. She was furious with her sister. I didn’t realize how furious until I saw them arguing the next day at the mall. That was the last time I saw Zoe and Jade together. The next time I saw Zoe was right of the rapture when she wrecked her car and wound up in the hospital where I was working.”
“So Zoe couldn’t get past you having slept with her sister?” Tansy asked.
“It wasn’t so much that Jade and I had a sexual relationship, it was the fact that Jade never told Zoe. Jade bragged to Zoe about every single guy she was with, but she never mentioned me.” Trevor stretched his shoulders. “Zoe thinks, er thought it was because Jade was in love with me.”
Tansy’s eyebrows shot up.
“Zoe said their sophomore year Jade mooned over some guy. She told her to get over it, but Jade insisted this guy was the guy she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.” Trevor grimaced. “Zoe was positive that guy was me. That’s what she was having a hard time with. It really seems silly now….I kind of understood at the time, but now…” He shook his head. “Neither one of us will never know. I think that’s what bothers me the most, we were both wasting time on the past that we forgot our future was a limited amount of time.”
Tansy stood and hugged Trevor. “You loved each other. You told each other. That’s more than some have ever gotten.”
Trevor hugged Tansy back. “I know, and I’m grateful for the time I had with her. I just don’t want anyone else to miss out on what Zoe and I missed.” Trevor let go and stepped back. “I need to talk to Nathan and Renee. Those two love each other and are wasting time. I know they’ve been praying about marriage and feel like the Lord is leading them to it, but they keep trying to second guess it. They need to trust the Lord, not second guess Him like Zoe and I did. But we let our doubts get in the way. I don’t want Renee and Nathan to make the same mistake.”
“You want me to talk to them with you?”
“No. You and Maddie start planning a wedding.” Trevor grinned.
- Zags
________________________________________________________
Babylon, Iraq
“Myers!”
Earl looked up from his computer screen to see his supervisor approaching. “Yes ma’am.”
“Mr. Reed is wanting an update.”
“I still haven’t found them.” Earl said trying not to grit his teeth.
Lacey leaned a hip against his desk and raised an eyebrow. “So what’s the problem?”
Earl gave Lacey a level look. “Like I told you, I’d lived in the area for about ten years, but didn’t know everybody’s history. I know Shade grew up in the Boise City area and I think I remember somebody telling me Maddie grew up in Keyes…”
“Yeah, yeah.” Lacey interrupted. “Lots of farms and ranches to hole up in between the two…blah, blah, blah.” She rolled her eyes. “Mr. Reed is getting impatient. He wants them found. He’s sure these people will know where Frank Keller is hiding.”
“It would really help of we could find somebody from the area to help. Somebody who was a lifelong resident.” Earl said sarcastically.
The sarcasm went right over Lacey’s head. “The area was sparsely populated before the disappearances a couple of years ago. It was even more so afterwards. That’s why the Pontentate decided it was a perfect location for a Center. As far as finding someone from the area, we’d have better luck finding a needle in a haystack right now. There is a war going on in case you’ve forgotten.”
Earl hadn’t forgotten. Everyday on his computer screen the ravages of the war filled his vision as he checked to make sure no illegal planting or harvesting was going on. “So what’s Reed’s deal with wanting to find this Keller so bad?”
Lacey looked at Earl with a surprised expression. “He’s a traitor to the Pontentate and the Global Family you nit wit! He must be found and made an example of!”
“I know all that, but doesn’t it seem like it’s a bit more personal than that?”
Lacey stood to her full height and stared down her nose at Earl. “If Mr. Reed has personal reasons it’s not your business. Your business Myers, is to find Frank Keller or you may find yourself the one being made an example of.”
“Myers!”
Earl looked up from his computer screen to see his supervisor approaching. “Yes ma’am.”
“Mr. Reed is wanting an update.”
“I still haven’t found them.” Earl said trying not to grit his teeth.
Lacey leaned a hip against his desk and raised an eyebrow. “So what’s the problem?”
Earl gave Lacey a level look. “Like I told you, I’d lived in the area for about ten years, but didn’t know everybody’s history. I know Shade grew up in the Boise City area and I think I remember somebody telling me Maddie grew up in Keyes…”
“Yeah, yeah.” Lacey interrupted. “Lots of farms and ranches to hole up in between the two…blah, blah, blah.” She rolled her eyes. “Mr. Reed is getting impatient. He wants them found. He’s sure these people will know where Frank Keller is hiding.”
“It would really help of we could find somebody from the area to help. Somebody who was a lifelong resident.” Earl said sarcastically.
The sarcasm went right over Lacey’s head. “The area was sparsely populated before the disappearances a couple of years ago. It was even more so afterwards. That’s why the Pontentate decided it was a perfect location for a Center. As far as finding someone from the area, we’d have better luck finding a needle in a haystack right now. There is a war going on in case you’ve forgotten.”
Earl hadn’t forgotten. Everyday on his computer screen the ravages of the war filled his vision as he checked to make sure no illegal planting or harvesting was going on. “So what’s Reed’s deal with wanting to find this Keller so bad?”
Lacey looked at Earl with a surprised expression. “He’s a traitor to the Pontentate and the Global Family you nit wit! He must be found and made an example of!”
“I know all that, but doesn’t it seem like it’s a bit more personal than that?”
Lacey stood to her full height and stared down her nose at Earl. “If Mr. Reed has personal reasons it’s not your business. Your business Myers, is to find Frank Keller or you may find yourself the one being made an example of.”
- Zags
________________________________________________________
Black Mesa
Renee looked up from the computer screen to see Becca standing next to her. “Hey.”
“Hey.” Becca said back. “Looks like you broke the security.”
Nathan grinned as he leaned over and rubbed Renee’s back. “Yep. About an hour ago. I knew she could do it.”
Renee gave Nathan a soft smile.
“I wanted to talk to you guys about something.” Becca hedged. She looked up to see Trevor making his way toward them.
“Hey Becca.” Trevor said as he stopped next to Nathan’s chair. “Could you give me few minutes alone with Nathan and Renee? I want to talk to them about something.”
Becca gave Trevor a searching look and then shook her head. “I wanted to talk to them. It’ll only take a few minutes.”
Trevor gave Becca a disgruntled look. “I really need to talk to them. Can’t what you need to say wait a minute?”
Becca opened her mouth to respond when Renee interrupted. “I have an idea, why don’t the two of you go across the room and argue so I can get some work done. When you figure out who gets to talk to us first then come back.”
Both Trevor and Becca frowned at Renee, but turned to walk across the room.
“Look, I really need to talk to them right now.” Becca started.
“Well so do I. It’s important. Since Renee broke the security codes we’ll be heading out again soon.”
“I know.” Becca interrupted. “Whatever you need to talk to them about can…”
“No it can’t.” Trevor interrupted.
The two glared at one another. “Stop interrupting me.” They said in unison.
They frowned at each other harder. “Stop that.” They said at the same time.
Trevor shook his head. “Look…” He said right along with Becca.
Becca’s lips began to twitch. “Okay..” She said at the same time Trevor said it.
The two of them burst into laughter. After a few moments their laughter subsided and Trevor indicated with his hand that Becca go first.
“What do you want to talk to them about?” Becca asked.
“Well since we seem to be of one mind at the moment, I’m thinking the same thing you want to talk to them about.” Trevor grinned.
“Shall we just talk to them together just to save them the hassle of listening to the same speech twice?”
Trevor nodded. He extended his elbow and Becca wrapped her arm around his. “So how are we gonna say it?” Trevor asked as they started across the room.
“I say we just say it.” Becca said impishly. “We wouldn’t them to have any doubts no would we?”
Making a face of mock horror Trevor agreed. “No, we wouldn’t want to cause and confusion either.”
“Then we’re agreed.” Becca said as they stopped behind both Renee and Nathan.
“Agreed about what?” Nathan asked turning in his seat.
Renee craned her neck around to look at the two of them. “What are you smiling about?”
Becca looked up at Trevor and at his nod they said in unison, “You two should get married already.”
Renee looked up from the computer screen to see Becca standing next to her. “Hey.”
“Hey.” Becca said back. “Looks like you broke the security.”
Nathan grinned as he leaned over and rubbed Renee’s back. “Yep. About an hour ago. I knew she could do it.”
Renee gave Nathan a soft smile.
“I wanted to talk to you guys about something.” Becca hedged. She looked up to see Trevor making his way toward them.
“Hey Becca.” Trevor said as he stopped next to Nathan’s chair. “Could you give me few minutes alone with Nathan and Renee? I want to talk to them about something.”
Becca gave Trevor a searching look and then shook her head. “I wanted to talk to them. It’ll only take a few minutes.”
Trevor gave Becca a disgruntled look. “I really need to talk to them. Can’t what you need to say wait a minute?”
Becca opened her mouth to respond when Renee interrupted. “I have an idea, why don’t the two of you go across the room and argue so I can get some work done. When you figure out who gets to talk to us first then come back.”
Both Trevor and Becca frowned at Renee, but turned to walk across the room.
“Look, I really need to talk to them right now.” Becca started.
“Well so do I. It’s important. Since Renee broke the security codes we’ll be heading out again soon.”
“I know.” Becca interrupted. “Whatever you need to talk to them about can…”
“No it can’t.” Trevor interrupted.
The two glared at one another. “Stop interrupting me.” They said in unison.
They frowned at each other harder. “Stop that.” They said at the same time.
Trevor shook his head. “Look…” He said right along with Becca.
Becca’s lips began to twitch. “Okay..” She said at the same time Trevor said it.
The two of them burst into laughter. After a few moments their laughter subsided and Trevor indicated with his hand that Becca go first.
“What do you want to talk to them about?” Becca asked.
“Well since we seem to be of one mind at the moment, I’m thinking the same thing you want to talk to them about.” Trevor grinned.
“Shall we just talk to them together just to save them the hassle of listening to the same speech twice?”
Trevor nodded. He extended his elbow and Becca wrapped her arm around his. “So how are we gonna say it?” Trevor asked as they started across the room.
“I say we just say it.” Becca said impishly. “We wouldn’t them to have any doubts no would we?”
Making a face of mock horror Trevor agreed. “No, we wouldn’t want to cause and confusion either.”
“Then we’re agreed.” Becca said as they stopped behind both Renee and Nathan.
“Agreed about what?” Nathan asked turning in his seat.
Renee craned her neck around to look at the two of them. “What are you smiling about?”
Becca looked up at Trevor and at his nod they said in unison, “You two should get married already.”
- Zags
______________________________________________________
Andrew watched Mark trying to pace in a small area of the safe room and noticed he was growing very edgy. Christina had a small bout with claustrophobia and was trying to make the best of the accommodations. He slowly made his way across the room and grabbed Mark by the arm pulling him to the side.
“We are really cramped and squeezed into this small space so we need to find somewhere else to hide. I am thankful to Yoshi and Ester for allowing us to stay here, but they don’t really have the room for us. I think it’s time you and I scout the area for another spot to call our home. Are you with me?”
Mark smiled for the first time in two days and gave him a thumbs up to the idea. “I agree that we are imposing on their kindness and need our own space. The quicker we find something, the better we will all be.”
The two men approached Yoshi and the Rabbi with Andrew taking the lead, “While we appreciate you allowing us to share your space, we feel we are only adding to the already cramped conditions and need to find our own place to stay. I still have a few contacts in Jerusalem and plan to try to find one of my friends to see if he can give us a place to stay. I am not sure he is still stationed here with all the changes, but we are going to try and find out. Maybe with our GF uniforms we can blend in and no one will ask questions.”
The Rabbi stretched out his hand to Andrew saying, “My son, you are welcome here as long as you need the safety of our room for I know we won’t be in this place much longer. We certainly understand if you wish to find other accommodations. We need to pray for your safety and that the Lord will lead you to your friend.”
“Father, we ask that you guide Andrew and Mark in their quest to find their friend. Please keep them safe. We know You have plans for these two brave believers and will use them only to glorify You. Give them the wisdom to know whom they can trust and who will do them harm. We give You all the praise and ask for Your continued blessings. In Jesus’ Holy name we pray. Amen.”
Andrew grabbed his backpack and Mark placed his gun into its hiding place as the two men ascended into the unknown. Andrew gingerly turned the knob on the door leading to the street and peered outside. Mark followed closely behind watching every movement of the few people walking about on the street. They could see soldiers down the street questioning a young woman and they decided to turn the opposite way hoping to avoid them. One soldier pushed the woman to the ground and raised his gun aiming it toward the woman’s face. She cried out, “Please don’t kill me. I only wanted to visit the wall for my morning prayers.” The soldier again pushed the woman with his gun and laughed, “So you think you are going to the wall as usual. Things are different now. You can’t just go wherever and whenever you wish. The curfew is still active and you are out past curfew. The punishment for going against the law is death.” She again held her hands up to the soldier pleading, “Please, I will just return home. Please let me go home to my family.” The lead soldier decided to take care of the situation, “You have violated the law and it is out of our hands. Soldier, prepare to carry out the sentence.”
Mark rushed the soldiers yelling, “Are you out of your minds? This woman has done nothing to warrant death. You will stand down per my orders.”
The soldier holding the weapon turned sharply facing Mark, “And by what authority do you speak?”
Mark stood over the man, “I am an officer in the GF Army and you, sir, are just an enlisted soldier of no rank. I have authority over all of you per my rank. You will stand down or be punished to the full extent of the rules of conduct befitting a lower ranking member of the GF Army.” Mark was giving his best performance and praying they would buy his act.
Andrew reluctantly decided it was time to join his comrade and help him before he got himself killed. His long strides and air of superiority made the soldiers stand at attention as they saw Andrew approaching. “What is going on here, men?”
The soldier with the gun spoke first, “We stopped this young woman for being out before curfew has been lifted. She has broken the law, sir.”
“It is our duty while on patrol to flush out those going against the Potentate’s law regarding visiting the Wailing Wall before 0900 hours and she is on the street a full two hours before the time that is allowed. Sir, she has clearly defied the law and the punishment is death without question,” the lead soldier explained.
Andrew raised his voice, “While it is true she has violated the law, you are mistaken about the punishment. The punishment is not death unless there is resistance and she clearly is not resisting you. She is only to be detained and asked to return to her home until the appropriate time the curfew is lifted. You will need to be given more instruction regarding the handling of the people of the land. Return to your patrol and only approach those that are truly breaking the law.”
A younger soldier watching the exchange between Andrew and the patrol leader decided he would take control of the situation and aimed his gun at Andrew and prepared to fire. A shot rang out and the young man fell to the ground writhing in pain and grasping his leg. In an instant all eyes were on the person who had fired the shot and before them stood four Mossad operatives. She placed her gun back into the holster and approached Andrew, “Hello my friend, what pray have you gotten yourself into now?” He threw back his head and laughed, “What a pleasure it is to see you, my dear!”
Mark looked at the man and woman as they embraced and gave each other a hearty pat on the back. The woman was extraordinarily beautiful with long flowing black hair with eyes to match. Who was she and how was she connected to Andrew? He turned to see the soldiers pulling up their injured fellow soldier and moving away from the scene. The woman shouted, “Where do you monsters think you are headed? I didn’t say you could leave.”
The soldiers stopped and turned to face the woman. “We will be on our way now and finish our patrol before the end of our shift,” said the leader.
She moved liked a cougar ready to pounce on its prey and said to them, “You are free to leave for now, but you will cease this nonsense of trying to kill people for walking on the streets. If I find you trying to harm another of my people in this manner, I will not be responsible for what happens. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes.” The lead soldier acknowledged the woman with the greatest respect and the men turned and walked away.
Andrew knew Mark had lots of questions and he was ready to introduce him to one of the most remarkable women he had ever known with the exception of Claire. He grasped her arm and drew her to him and whispered in her ear. They both turned toward Mark as Andrew began to speak, “Mark, I want you to meet my best friend, Ashira. She is one of the highest ranking operatives of Mossad and also the most decorated among her peers. I would gladly fight by her side any day and know she would out match almost any of our most elite and highly trained officers.”
Ashira smiled and turned to the four men who accompanied her. These are my fellow warriors, Daniel, Ziv, and Efraim. They are the most trusted of men and you can trust them with your lives, I assure you. Now, you two come with me I have something I wish to show you. That is if you aren’t afraid.”
Mark laughed, “I am in awe, but certainly not afraid.”
“Well, my friend, you should be afraid……very afraid,” Ashira said.
- P4H
______________________________________________________
Black Mesa
Mikhail stopped his pacing and sat at the table. “There’s something you all should know about the man you have invited into your family.”
All talk about the wedding ceased.
Shade closed his Bible and gave a nod. “Everyone, come to the table.”
Within moments everyone was seated around the table their attention focused on Mikhail.
“As you all know, I am a killer.” Mikhail began. “I want you know under no uncertain terms that that is what I am.”
He looked around the table and saw that no one had flinched at his words. With a inward sigh Mikhail began. “Before I was born, my mother met a young man. It was love at first sight according to my mother. She was eighteen and the man was twent four. For months they spent every moment they could with one another. This man was in Russia doing research. He was a student.” With a shake of his head. “At least that is what he told my mother. It wasn’t until after my mother discovered she was pregnant with me that she discovered who and what my father was. When she discovered he had lied to her she cut all ties with him and told her family the whole sordid truth. Not surprisingly her family disowned her and put her out of their home. With nowhere to go she moved to St. Petersburg and gave birth to me.”
Mikhail paused, crossed his arms and began tapping his bottom lip with his finger. After a few minutes he let out a breath and began speaking again.
“As an unwed mother she was ostracized and tried to find honorable work. She worked many hours cooking and baking at our home along with working in restaurants washing dishes to make a living for us. We had a small apartment in a filthy crime infested neighborhood, but it was all we could afford. My mother ran a gauntlet every time she left the apartment. She was a very beautiful woman and men constantly made lewd comments to her. Many offered to make her their mistress while others wanted her to work in brothels. My mother always refused. Many of the men made threats against me saying they would call the authorities and have me taken away if she did not give them what they demanded.”
He paused again and leaned his head back against the chair. “This is when my mother went to the police. It was the biggest mistake she ever made. Many of the police in our neighborhood were criminals themselves, taking bribes, running drugs, etcetera. The policeman she spoke to was one of these men, and he decided to “offer” his protection for a price. He wanted her as his mistress. My mother refused his offer.”
Mikhail clenched his fists. “It was a few days later that some neighbors chickens were mutilated. This same policeman came to our apartment and told my mother that several of our neighbors had told him the thought they had seen me in the vicinity. I hadn’t been, and when my mother denied it. He told her since he had no definitive proof, there was nothing he could do, but he was watching me. The rumors spread and the mutilations continued and soon I was a devil child who mutilated my neighbors animals.”
“I’m willing to bet it was that cop who was mutilating the animals.” Conrad voiced aloud. Several nods went around the table.
“That was my mothers suspicion as well, but we had no proof.” Mikhail nodded. “This went on for several months then one night my mother burst into the apartment in tears. The policeman had caught her on her way home from work and told her if she did not become his lover he would cut me into pieces. We left that night. We took nothing with us just the clothes on our back and what money my mother had. We took a train to Moscow and found an apartment in another crime riddled neighborhood and my mother found work in a bakery. Every morning and night I would walk my mother to and from work carrying a small knife in my pocket. We lived in relative peace for several years until one day I came home from school to find a man in our apartment trying to force himself on my mother. I was thirteen and had grown strong.”
Again Mikhail’s fist’s clenched tight. “We fought and I threw him out of the apartment and down the steps. I followed him out the door as we continued to fight. He struck me so hard I hit the side of the building and went down. He then kicked me and started to walk back into the building. I grabbed my knife out of my pocket and stabbed him in the back. He turned to me and reached out to grab me when I stabbed him again. I kept stabbing him until he dropped to the ground. I then ran upstairs to our apartment to check on my mother. We sat together waiting for the police.”
Mikhail gritted his teeth. “We were both stunned speechless when the policeman from St. Petersburg walked into the apartment. He had this smug smile on his face. I stood and raised my knife. He merely smiled again. ’I see my brother could not resist your beauty either.’ He said. Both my mother and I were stunned. I had just killed a policeman’s brother.”
“Oh boy…” Mo muttered.
Mikhail shuddered. “My mother understood the implications immediately. The policeman told my mother that she would not tell the police that his brother had tried to rape her or he would see to it that I was cut into pieces before the night was through. If she agreed to become his mistress he would see to it that I would be protected during my time in prison and he would personally see to it that I would be released on my eighteenth birthday. My mother agreed.”
“Dirty rotten…..” Trevor muttered.
“I was not so naïve. I knew the moment my mother had agreed to become his mistress, that some day I would be murdered. This was not a man of honor and his word meant nothing. I was arrested and my mother did as she was told she said their was no attempted rape. She also called my father and told him about the situation. She knew my father was the only person who could keep me alive.”
“Your father?” Shade asked.
“Ricardo Morrata.”
- Zags
______________________________________________________
Mosul, Iraq
Outside Aini's window, the sky turned from a dull grey to a dusky pink. Then, the first rays of the sun gradually crept over the horizon lacing the pink with delicate golden threads. Aini, wrapped up in her own thoughts, failed to notice the beauty outside. Her side began to hurt again with every breath she took. She sat curled up in bed thinking about what she overheard the nurses saying. “It can’t be! There’s no war going on.” Aini thought furiously. “They just hate the Potentate and all that he’s done for the world. He’s such a great man…He’d never let a war happen.” In spite of her self assurances, the nagging thoughts refused to stop bothering her. “How could something huge like a war be faked? It could be the rumor mill starting up again, but…it makes no sense…That’s it! Rumors started by some nutcase with too much time on his hands.” She snickered and having reached that conclusion, she sank back onto her pillow with a sigh.
Outside her window, the sun had risen fully now and looked like a golden ball of warmth. Aini dozed. The breakfast cart rattled down the corridor just beyond her room. Then without warning, the door burst open. In strode a brusque business like guy. He bore a white paper plate to Aini and set it on the end of the bed. The teen hungrily snatched up the plate and called a thank you at the breakfast guy. But the abrupt bang of the room door was her only answer.
On the plate sat a scrambled egg and two thinly sliced pieces of toast with a film of butter spread over each one. As hungry as Aini was, she stared at the food. Hadn’t the nurses said something about food prices? Yes, they were rising. That explained why the food portions were smaller. She wolfed down breakfast but remained troubled. “Has the Potentate no control at all?” She thought he could fix things – anything! “He promised to bring hope and change to the whole world…now there’s food shortages and supposed war…and either it’s not working or…he’s – a – liar?!” Aini determinedly pushed such thoughts out of her head. Then she tossed the paper plate onto the floor, rolled over, and went back to sleep.
Sometime later in the morning Aini was jolted awake by a tremendous roar. The entire room shook violently, then all was calm again. She could feel shock spreading rapidly across her abdomen and could only lie still, hardly daring to breath. She felt so helpless and scared! The feeling made her want to scream. If only someone would come or her mother still lived! What was happening? Surely this couldn’t be an earthquake. She cast a worried glance out the window.
The once bright, sun-filled sky was now dark with swirling clouds of dust and debris. In the background, Aini could hear muffled screams and moans. Many people everywhere were injured for very frightened. Some sobbed for lost loves ones they would never see again. The dead were the fortunate ones. They escaped six more years of the most horrible sufferings the world has yet to see.
But Aini was not aware of what was going on all around her. She leaped out of bed and ran to her room door.
Outside Aini's window, the sky turned from a dull grey to a dusky pink. Then, the first rays of the sun gradually crept over the horizon lacing the pink with delicate golden threads. Aini, wrapped up in her own thoughts, failed to notice the beauty outside. Her side began to hurt again with every breath she took. She sat curled up in bed thinking about what she overheard the nurses saying. “It can’t be! There’s no war going on.” Aini thought furiously. “They just hate the Potentate and all that he’s done for the world. He’s such a great man…He’d never let a war happen.” In spite of her self assurances, the nagging thoughts refused to stop bothering her. “How could something huge like a war be faked? It could be the rumor mill starting up again, but…it makes no sense…That’s it! Rumors started by some nutcase with too much time on his hands.” She snickered and having reached that conclusion, she sank back onto her pillow with a sigh.
Outside her window, the sun had risen fully now and looked like a golden ball of warmth. Aini dozed. The breakfast cart rattled down the corridor just beyond her room. Then without warning, the door burst open. In strode a brusque business like guy. He bore a white paper plate to Aini and set it on the end of the bed. The teen hungrily snatched up the plate and called a thank you at the breakfast guy. But the abrupt bang of the room door was her only answer.
On the plate sat a scrambled egg and two thinly sliced pieces of toast with a film of butter spread over each one. As hungry as Aini was, she stared at the food. Hadn’t the nurses said something about food prices? Yes, they were rising. That explained why the food portions were smaller. She wolfed down breakfast but remained troubled. “Has the Potentate no control at all?” She thought he could fix things – anything! “He promised to bring hope and change to the whole world…now there’s food shortages and supposed war…and either it’s not working or…he’s – a – liar?!” Aini determinedly pushed such thoughts out of her head. Then she tossed the paper plate onto the floor, rolled over, and went back to sleep.
Sometime later in the morning Aini was jolted awake by a tremendous roar. The entire room shook violently, then all was calm again. She could feel shock spreading rapidly across her abdomen and could only lie still, hardly daring to breath. She felt so helpless and scared! The feeling made her want to scream. If only someone would come or her mother still lived! What was happening? Surely this couldn’t be an earthquake. She cast a worried glance out the window.
The once bright, sun-filled sky was now dark with swirling clouds of dust and debris. In the background, Aini could hear muffled screams and moans. Many people everywhere were injured for very frightened. Some sobbed for lost loves ones they would never see again. The dead were the fortunate ones. They escaped six more years of the most horrible sufferings the world has yet to see.
But Aini was not aware of what was going on all around her. She leaped out of bed and ran to her room door.
- KBR
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