The Yanti (35 page)

“How much did she give you for it?”

“Five hundred million dollars.”

“In cash?”

He nodded. “Cash, diamonds, negotiable bonds.”

“What was the specific designation of the bomb you sold her?”

“It was a very old bomb. One we retired in 1957, named MK-41. Back then, it could only be delivered by a B-36 jet plane or larger.”

“Why would she want such an old bomb?”

“It was the most powerful bomb the U.S. ever constructed. It gave off a potential blast of twenty-five megatons.”

“That’s the equivalent of twenty-five million tons of dynamite?”

“Yes. It was never actually tested. But there’s no reason to
think it won’t work. In the fifties, we tested bombs with yields close to fifteen megatons.”

“Did Sheri worry—because of its age—that it wouldn’t work?”

“Part of our deal was that I would have the detonator replaced with a modern mechanism. It’s the plastic explosives in the detonator portion that degrade with age. The nuclear components can sit for decades and not be affected.”

“So you primed her bomb with a brand new detonator and sold it to her. Didn’t you worry what she was going to do with it?”

“She assured me it was going to be used against an Arab nation that’s hated inside the Pentagon, and everywhere else in the world for that matter. She also assured me that the blast would not be traced back to the U.S.”

“How could she make that last promise?”

“The age of the bomb helps. I doubt anyone would recognize what it was—after it detonated. Except an internal Pentagon expert.”

“But to deliver such a weapon . . . How much does it weigh?”

“Nine thousand pounds.”

Ali shook her head. “It all sounds so neat and clean. You get half a billion dollars, and this woman who just walks into your office gets to buy a bomb that I assume can level practically any city on Earth.”

“It could do that, yes.”

“May I ask you a question, General?”

He squirmed in pain. “Go ahead.”

“I’m sure you must have considered it.”

His arm was killing him. “Just ask your question!”

“What if she decides to blow the sucker off in downtown L.A.?”

“She won’t do that. She’s an American citizen and she loves this country. She’s also a devout Christian. She hates Islam.
Her goal in life, she confided in me, was to wipe that heretic religion off the face of the Earth.”

“A devout Christian? Boy, I wonder what the Jesus I read about in the Bible would have to say about someone like her.”

“She won’t use it here.”

“It’s so heavy . . . How will she get it out of the country?”

He didn’t answer her question, just tried to readjust his aching arm.

“You’re not telling me everything you know,” Ali said.

“That’s not true.”

“Right. Sure. When and where did you give her the bomb?”

“Two days ago. Not far from Edwards Air Force base.”

Ali was surprised she’d only had the bomb such a short time.

“At that time, did she arrange to rent an Air Force bomber?”

“No.”

“Then how is she supposed to get these twenty-five megatons over to this evil Arab nation?”

“That was never my concern.”

“How convenient.” Ali paused. “Did she ever talk to you about the explosive force—how it radiates—if the bomb is detonated underground?”

Kabrosh swallowed thickly. “No.”

Ali sighed. “You’re lying.”

He looked up. “I’m not, I swear it.”

She leaned forward. “I can do a lot worse to your other arm. This is your last chance. Did Sheri Smith want detailed information about how the power of the bomb would radiate when placed deep inside a cave?”

He hesitated. “She wanted our secret data on all our underground nuclear tests for the last twenty years.”

“Were you able to get it for her?”

“I was able to get her some of it.”

“Did it satisfy her?”

“I don’t know. She kept asking for more. Look, I’ve answered . . .”

Ali interrupted. “Could a bomb of this power—carefully placed deep inside a potentially active volcano—help trigger an eruption?”

Kabrosh was a long time answering. “She asked me that.”

“What did you tell her?”

“That there was no way to know for sure.”

“General Kabrosh. What are you going to do after I leave here?”

“Probably go to the hospital and have my arm treated.”

“But at some point you’re going to call Sheri Smith, right?”

“I’ve no reason to call her. Our business is finished.”

“Ours isn’t. I need to know where that bomb is.”

“The last I saw it, the bomb was on a truck twenty miles outside of Edwards.”

“Two days ago?”

“Yes.”

“What direction was the truck headed?”

“North.” He added, “Not that that means anything.”

Ali sat a long time in thought. The general looked worried.

“What are you thinking?” he asked finally.

“You’re a dangerous man to leave walking around.”

He got
very
anxious. “I’ve been cooperative. I’ve told you everything I know.”

“When she calls, or you call her, you’ll be cooperative all over again. You’ll tell her I was here, and everything you told me. That might cause her to alter her plan.”

“But you don’t know her plan!”

Ali played with the gun. “This might surprise you, but normally I’m not a cruel person. Unfortunately, lately, situations
have demanded the worst of me.” She paused. “You sold a bomb knowing it would be used to kill millions of people. You did it for money. That was your only motivation.”

Kabrosh stared at her with pleading eyes. “I have a wife. I have twin daughters. They’re good people. I took the money for their sakes. My daughters have children and . . .”

Ali had raised her hand. “Quiet.”

He fell to his knees, pleading. “I swear, I won’t tell Sheri Smith I even met . . .”

“Shut up! I’m thinking!” He fell silent. Ali added, “Are any of your family or friends going to come by in the next two days?”

“No.” He was speaking the truth.

“Do you have rope and duct tape in this apartment?”

He looked uneasy. “Yes.”

“Okay. I’m going to tie you up—very tight—and return later, when I get the chance. Then, depending on the status of the world at that time, I’m either going to kill you or let you go. But whatever happens, the money you took from Sheri Smith, you’re to give it to the poor in Africa. You’re to sell both your new homes and not keep a penny for yourself. Deal?”

“But I have to go to the hospital. The bones of my arm have to be set.”

“No. I want you to live with the pain, and reflect on the pain your evil deeds would have caused millions of people if I hadn’t shown up this morning.” Ali paused. “Deal?”

He sounded beaten. “Deal.”

Ali stood and tucked the gun in her belt. “If you attempt to escape while I’m tying you up, I’ll break every bone in your neck. Two days ago I did that to a school buddy of mine, and that was a guy I used to have a crush on.”

General Kabrosh proved very cooperative as she tied him up.

T
he relocation of the elemental army to Uleestar did not go easily. In fact, it soon became apparent to Ra—and Geea and Drash for that matter—that the bulk of the army could not be gathered onto the fairy island—at least not in a day’s time. For that matter, it was going to be difficult to simply transport the elementals to Karolee—the wooded lands surrounding the fairy capital.

The obstacles were enormous. First there was the sheer size of the army. Flying around on Drash’s back, trying to organize the situation, Ra and Geea could see millions of elves, fairies, dwarves, and trolls. There just as well could have been
hundreds
of millions. Geea admitted a portion of the army was still backed up against the Morray Mountains—in the far east.

Yet, studying Geea, Ra began to get the impression that the fairy queen was not determined to get everyone to Uleestar. He began to see she merely wanted to create a focal point where the Shaktra’s wrath would fall. A place where Doren would attack with what strength was left her.

But Geea warned that—even with the dragons on their side—her sister’s power was great. Over the years, Doren had
marked millions of elementals. They were mindless thralls, that would quickly spring into fierce warriors at an instant’s notice. Even worse were the elementals that had been attacked by scabs, had their brains eaten, and were now the walking monsters known as scaliis. Both the marked thralls and the hideous scaliis had backed off Vak’s army since his surrender, and since the dragons had been shepherding the army toward Mt. Tutor.

Now all that had changed. The Shaktra knew it had been tricked.

“Doren must be furious at the dragons’ shift to our side,” Ra said as they flew toward the fleet of ships anchored in a bay on the coast of the green sea. To save time, the dragons were ferrying as many elementals to the boats as possible, rather than all the way to Uleestar, which was much farther north. But Geea said she might change their transportation technique if the Shaktra attacked soon.

To Ra’s surprise, Geea shook her head.

“Doren probably anticipated this,” Geea said. “She’s clever—she knew there was a chance she’d lose the dragons. They’re hot-tempered—no pun intended. They’re hard to control period. Remember, Doren’s immediate goal is to invade the Earth. That would be easier with more elementals on her side. She will definitely hit Uleestar hard, try to kill the heads of the different armies—myself, Vak, Drash, Balar. She’ll figure that if all us leaders fall, then the elementals will turn back to her as their leader.”

“Will they?” Ra asked.

“Probably.”

“But they hate the Shaktra!” Ra protested.

“It doesn’t matter as much as you’d think. Doren will have the power. Enough elementals dislike humanity anyway. It’s an old prejudice. If Vak, Balar, Drash, and myself are gone, the
majority will feel compelled to follow her. At the same time, if the fight goes against Doren, she can still unleash millions of scabs and scaliis on the Earth. That’ll cause global panic.”

“Will her creatures enter the Earth using different mountains?” Ra asked, remembering how Kilimanjaro and Pete’s Peak were linked.

“Yes.”

“Then why don’t we concentrate on securing Tutor?”

“It’s too late. The interior of the mountain is filled with scaliis and scabs.”

“How do you know?”

“When I rested on the high kloudar, I was able to leave my body and study what was going on throughout the land. Doren has planned well for this day. There are layers and layers to her plans.”

Ra was worried. “I hope you’ve made some plans of your own.”

She smiled. “But of course.” She added, “At least we have Nira now, awake and holding the Yanti.”

“She’s just a child!”

“I admit she’s a wild card. I’ve no idea what she has planned, I just know she’ll do the unexpected.”

“How come she’s so powerful?”

“She’s a goddess. She’s of the violet ray.”

“She’s your younger sister?”

“Yes.”

“Why wasn’t she made queen of the fairies?”

“The position was offered her but she turned it down. She was not here long, in this world, before she desired to rest in the kloudar and be born on Earth.”

“She purposely chose Sheri Smith to be her mother?”

“Ironic, isn’t it?”

Ra shook his head. “You have to know, on the Isle of Greesh, I did nothing but stand outside the forbidden door. I don’t understand this Entity you and Ali spoke of.”

“Nor do I, really.”

Ra was surprised to hear that. “You couldn’t examine their chamber while out of the body?” he asked.

“I couldn’t get near it. It was totally blocked off.” Geea added, “Until Ali went inside. Then I could see.”

“But what if they jump into this war on Doren’s side?”

“They can’t. They’re constrained to use agents they’ve already corrupted to their cause.”

“The marked thralls and the scaliis were never brought over to their side. They just had their lives stolen from them.”

“Because Doren acted as their agent and created the monsters.”

“Where do you think your sister is now?”

Geea pointed to Tutor. “She’s in there, busy unleashing her plans.”

“Can you see what they are?”

Geea hesitated. “I have my guesses.”

Ra studied the dragons that flew alongside, ferrying the elementals to the boats. “The dragons joined us so quickly. I fear they could turn on us just as quick.”

Geea nodded. “They’ll all be craving their dust soon. But I’ve taken steps to secure Denzy. They can go there for brief treatments.”

Ra had to laugh. “They don’t want treatments! They want parties!”

Geea nodded. “Sad but true.”

“May I ask a blunt question?”

“Why, Ra, darling, all your questions are blunt! Just as Jira’s were!”

Ra felt embarrassed being called “darling” by the queen of the fairies.

“Your goal is to lure Doren to Uleestar so you can fight her, right? One-on-one? You’re going to try to kill her, aren’t you?”

Geea nodded. “Ali’s going to try to do the same on Earth.”