Authors: Kevin Carrigan
As the smoke cleared, medical personnel stormed out of the hospital to treat the victims of the attack. The seriously injured were rushed inside while others received treatment at the scene of the incident. The rain continued to beat down making everything more difficult. QRF agents had swarmed the facility in search of President Bonsam but came up empty-handed.
In the midst of the chaos, QRF agents and medical personnel who were working together to treat the wounded pulled Holden, Clark, and Martineau from the limo. They were placed on blankets beneath a makeshift shelter just as two doctors arrived to conduct triage. All three had been pretty banged up when the limo flipped end-over-end, and the effects of the flashbang still lingered. Holden and Clark awkwardly stood up, much to the dismay of the medical personnel who were treating their injuries. Both men were still feeling woozy and they steadied each other as they stood. The doctor treating Martineau looked up and said, “She was knocked unconscious, but it appears that she has suffered no serious injuries.”
Clark was relieved as he knelt down beside Martineau.
Suddenly, the yells of a Secret Service agent pierced the air. As Clark and Holden looked toward the source of the disturbance, they saw an agent frantically waving for assistance and other agents racing toward him. “This looks serious,” said Holden. “Let’s go.”
Clark and Holden pushed their way through the crowd that had gathered. They looked down and saw the presidential military aide lying face down in the wet grass. His hand had been cut off at the wrist. The agent who had discovered him looked up and yelled, “We’ve lost the football! We’ve lost the football!”
The paranoia that had always been a part of Bonsam’s character had led him to develop a variety of plans for an escape should he ever be taken captive, and tonight those plans paid off. The stealth helicopter landed at a deserted airfield, and Bonsam quickly hopped out of it and boarded his getaway plane. This was no ordinary plane. Bonsam had had the plane secretly built for his personal use, and it was capable of reaching speeds over Mach 2. The plane took off the second Bonsam sat down, and headed due east.
Bonsam had also developed a myriad of contingency plans should his power as president be threatened. One such plan called for the sabotage of all the government computer network systems. Should the government leaders ever turn against him, he would retaliate with a nationwide cyber attack. Bonsam’s hackers had been persistently placing both software and hardware bugs throughout the government networks for years, patiently waiting for the day that they would be discharged. Now it was time to turn them loose.
As Bonsam’s getaway plane streaked across the Atlantic, he placed a call to the mastermind of his cyber attack. “It is time,” he said. “Execute the attack.” As he hung up the phone he looked at the nuclear football and smiled. Minutes later, computer network systems across the United States started crashing.
Chapter 71
That same night, Ixchel tossed and turned as images of the third and fourth symbols flashed over and over in her mind. It was the image of the fourth symbol that she found so disturbing. She had seen it before, she was certain.
But where?
The fourth symbol flashed in her mind again and it made her tremble.
Why do I feel so frightened every time I see it?
Frightened was an understatement. What she was feeling was closer to sheer terror. She lay there trembling, but eventually drifted off to sleep.
Hours later, Ixchel awoke with a start. The room was freezing cold and a light breeze blew through the air. She looked around quickly, and then she heard someone call out her name. The voice was soft and distant, but it still felt like it came from within her room.
She nervously stepped out of her bed. Suddenly a ghostly figure passed before her dresser mirror then disappeared into the darkness. She gasped as her eyes widened.
I must be dreaming.
“It is not a dream Ixchel, I am here.” This time the voice sounded as though it was very near.
This can’t be happening, I must be dreaming.
She remained motionless, gazing into the shadows. She felt a spiritual presence there in her room. Goosebumps covered her skin and a chill ran down her spine. Her heartbeat raced as she waited, wondering if she would hear the voice again.
“Come, Ixchel. I am here,” the voice gently called out. Ixchel remained paralyzed with fright. “Come, take my hand.”
Slowly a colorless hand emerged from the shadows. Moments later, the rest of the specter slowly materialized before her eyes. Ixchel stood frozen in fear. She was unable to move and unable to take her eyes off the figure looming before her. She was now looking into the eyes of her great-grandmother, Ixazaluoh.
Ixazaluoh appeared as though she were floating across the floor as she approached Ixchel. She wore a long white gown that flowed in the breeze. Her hand was still extended toward Ixchel.
Ixchel took her great-grandmother’s hand and stepped toward her.
How can this be? I must be dreaming. I want to wake up.
Together they stepped into the shadows, and Ixchel was instantly hit by another blast of wind that shook her to her soul. The blast took her breath away.
Ixchel’s head spun and she felt as though she were being transported to somewhere far away.
I am still in my room. I can still see the bed. Please let me wake up.
Still, she could not escape the feeling that she was somewhere else. It was somewhere distant, yet somewhere familiar. Unearthly surroundings appeared before her eyes and enveloped her. She felt as though she were entering another world.
This world was warm and filled with sunlight. Bright green parrots could be seen in the branches of the nearby trees as they squawked at one another. The screeches of howler monkeys could be heard coming from the faraway forests. Ixchel could smell the delicious scent of
hilachas
simmering in a cooking pot. She soon recognized everything around her. Her heart raced as she realized where she was. She was in
Sacatepéquez,
the Guatemalan village in which she had lived as a child. In her mind she heard Ixazaluoh’s voice again, “Look, Ixchel.”
Ixchel stepped further into her village and saw a little girl. The girl was sitting on the ground, drawing pictures in the sand with a small stick. “That’s me!” she gasped.
She was transfixed on the vision before her. Next she saw an old woman approaching the little girl. It was Ixazaluoh. She was dressed in a traditional Maya
huipil
,
a
boldly colored blouse
designed with intricate embroidery along the edges. Maya women had been wearing these ancient garments for centuries.
Ixazaluoh joined the little girl by sitting on the ground facing her. Ixazaluoh then took the stick from the little girl’s hand and wiped the sand between them smooth. Now it was Ixazaluoh who drew in the sand.
Ixchel moved further into the scene as an unseen force continued pulling her forward. It was as if she were an invisible observer who had traveled back in time. She kept hearing Ixazaluoh’s voice echo through her mind. This time the voice called out, “It is one.”
She was deep within the apparition now, standing directly behind the little girl. Ixchel had to see what her great-grandmother had drawn. Ixchel could no longer see the spirit of Ixazaluoh but she could still feel her presence. Again she heard Ixazaluoh calling from far away, “It is one.”
She leaned over the back of the little girl’s head and gazed down at the ground. What she saw made her blood run cold. It was the third and fourth symbols, just as they appeared on the tablet.
The force pulled on her again. She moved slowly in a wide circular path from behind the little girl toward the back of her great-grandmother. As she reached the midway point between the two, the force seemed to stop. Ixchel had a much better look at the symbols as she stood halfway between the little girl and Ixazaluoh.
She could now see the third symbol in much greater detail. It was no longer just a plain circle. Within the ring outline she could see several other small markings. As she stared at the symbol, images of celestial objects started flashing through her mind. The images slowly faded away, except for one. The image that remained was Earth. “That’s it!” she said. “The third symbol represents Earth!”
Deciphering the third symbol sent a rush of happiness through Ixchel. Then she slowly felt the force pull her onward. Moments later she was standing directly behind Ixazaluoh. For the first time she could see the symbols drawn on the ground from her great-grandmother’s perspective.
From this angle the fourth symbol was now above the third symbol, the Earth. As Ixchel stared at the fourth symbol, she felt the sensation that images were again going to flash through her mind. She closed her eyes and waited. It seemed like an eternity passed before an image finally developed in her mind. It faded in slowly. When it fully appeared, Ixchel was aghast by what she saw. It was a nuclear mushroom cloud.
Ixchel opened her eyes and saw that the little girl was looking up at her. “It is one,” the girl said. Ixchel looked back down at the symbols and finally realized that the two symbols were actually one. It was shaped exactly like an enormous nuclear mushroom cloud over the Earth.
Earth-fire!
She looked back at the little girl, who was now standing up. Ixazaluoh was no longer there. The girl’s arms were outstretched, as if she wanted a hug from Ixchel. Ixchel hesitated, not knowing what to do.
Ixchel’s vision became very blurry. For a few seconds the image of the little girl was fading away. In an instant, Ixchel’s vision cleared. Where the little girl had stood now stood a spectral image of Ixchel herself. The image stretched out her arms toward Ixchel. Then, Ixchel screamed in horror as her mirror image suddenly burst into flames.
Ixchel shielded her eyes with her arm as a blinding flash of light ripped through the air. She could still hear the sounds of the roaring fire before her, and caustic smoke burned her lungs as she tried to breathe. Slowly she lowered her arm and in terror peered back into the fire. Within the flames stood a laughing Emmanuel Bonsam.
Chapter 72
Daniel awoke to the sound of his cell phone ringing. As he lay there on his stomach, he opened one eye and looked at the clock on the nightstand next to his bed.
5:30, what the hell?
He threw his hand onto the nightstand and fumbled around for his cell. He finally found it, picked it up, and rolled over onto his back. His eyes were barely open and he didn’t even see the caller’s name as he pressed the answer button. He put the phone to his ear and paused for a minute as he cleared his throat. He was barely awake as he said hello.
“Earth-fire!” screamed Ixchel. “The symbol stands for Earth-fire!”
Daniel bolted upright. “Ixchel, what’s wrong?”
“We were looking at the symbols upside down. It is one. It’s Earth-fire, Daniel, Earth-fire!”
“Ixchel, please calm down. You’re not making any sense.”
“It’s Bonsam! The sky-fire was Kirk’s plane crash. The temple-fire was the Marriott explosion. Bonsam is connected to both. The last symbol is Earth-fire! He’s going to set the world on fire!”
“Ixchel, listen. Stay where you are. I’m coming right over.” Daniel tossed the phone back onto the nightstand. He jumped out of bed and threw on a pair of sweats. Then he grabbed his phone and his car keys and shot out of his apartment. Fifteen minutes later he was banging on Ixchel’s door.
“Oh my God, Daniel,” said Ixchel as she threw herself into his arms. “Oh, my God! Bonsam is going to destroy the world.”
“Ixchel, explain to me what you are talking about.”
“Come to my computer, I’ll show you.”
Together they quickly went to Ixchel’s computer desk. Her hands were trembling as she shook the mouse to wake up her computer. On the screen was an image of the tablet. She moved the cursor over the rotate button and clicked twice, and the image rotated 180 degrees.