158181.fb2 House of Acerbi - читать онлайн бесплатно полную версию книги . Страница 31

House of Acerbi - читать онлайн бесплатно полную версию книги . Страница 31

CHAPTER 30

It was well after midnight when the Carmela dropped anchor in the deep blue water off the coast of France near the mouth of the fast-flowing Aude River. As Lev and the captain had predicted, their departure from the Spanish harbor after dark had been uneventful. Short on manpower and tasked mainly with stopping new arrivals, the Spanish Navy had decided not to concern themselves with boats trying to leave, thus allowing the Carmela to slip past the harbor entrance without interference.

Down in the yacht’s grand salon, almost everyone onboard was watching CNN via satellite. All across the globe, in every city, town, and village, people had gathered around their televisions to watch the latest news on the spread of the pathogen and the efforts to bring the epidemic to a halt. They sat in their homes and waited, because in truth, there was nothing else they could do. Their fate was out of their hands, and those who believed in God were praying for deliverance.

In the United States, where millions had already succumbed to the virus, the President was in the Oval Office preparing to address the nation. He was sitting behind the familiar Resolution Desk, the same desk used by President Roosevelt during the Great Depression and World War II-the same desk used by Kennedy during the Cuban Missile Crisis-and as the President looked down at its polished but nicked surface, he was struck by the fact that the word resolution had been an appropriate moniker for a desk used by the leader of the free world. So, it was with a sense of resolution that the President now faced a row of cameras, waiting for his cue to begin speaking.

In small towns across the country, people had come together to form little islands of safety across a land filled with terror. In these areas, the rule of law had prevailed, and people shared and sacrificed for the sake of their neighbors. In other areas, mostly urban, panic and lawlessness had begun to rule the streets as the people fought for food and supplies while trying to protect their families from marauding bands of thugs who crawled from their dens to take advantage of the grim situation. Waiting for the President to speak, people from coast to coast gathered behind locked doors, hoping against hope that he was about to announce the crisis was nearing an end and that life would soon return to normal.

When at last the gray-haired image of the President appeared, he looked tired and defeated. Peering into the camera with a blank expression, he began to speak in a halting monotone.

Good evening. Tonight … as I speak to each and every one of you … it is with great sorrow. As many of you undoubtedly already know, a deadly virus is now spreading across our nation. Because of the sheer number of victims, our ability to ensure that you receive the best medical care, along with other basic services such as food, power, and clean drinking water, has been greatly diminished by the enormity of a crisis that no one could have imagined.

Many experts, both at the Centers for Disease Control and at many of our finest medical institutions, believe that, for the most part, the virus has run its course. For the past several hours, reports of new cases have begun to dwindle, but the cost in human lives and suffering has been staggering in its magnitude.

America is not the only country experiencing this plague against mankind. It has circled the globe and has affected almost every country on earth. Nowhere in the world is safe from this disease. For years now, we have feared that the day would come when a deadly epidemic like this would suddenly appear, leaving millions of victims in its path. Tonight, I am deeply saddened to announce that day has arrived.

Over the next twenty-four hours, I will be meeting with other world leaders to discuss our options for the future in the wake of this terrible assault against humanity. Something must be done to prevent something like this from ever happening again, and it is to that end that the world must come together as a single unified force for the survival of our species. For now, I can assure you that your government is doing everything in its power to bring aid and comfort to those in need. Please, for everyone’s sake, try to remain in your homes, and above all, let calm and reason dictate your actions. Thank you, goodnight, and may God bless America.

Onboard the Carmela, those going ashore turned away from their TV screens and began making preparations. Some of them had mixed emotions about leaving the yacht. For many, it was their home, a place of safety away from a world in turmoil. A few still believed that going ashore was foolhardy, while others saw the wisdom of it in the face of dwindling supplies.

Standing on the top deck next to the helicopter, Leo and Moshe felt the stiffening breeze on their faces as they looked out at the lights along the French coast.

“Beautiful night, isn’t it, Cardinal?”

“Yes. Everything looks so normal from here. Have we been able to communicate with the farm?”

“The compound has a state-of-the-art command center modeled after the new Mossad communications facility in Tel Aviv. They can talk to anyone, anytime, anywhere. We can even monitor images in real time anywhere in the world using satellites that belong to other countries.”

“Isn’t that kind of like a government thing?” Leo asked. “I mean, what do the French have to say about having a facility like that in their country?”

“They don’t know about it. The fact that we possess that kind of technology is a closely guarded secret. For the past several years, red tape and government permits have delayed the open export of new military technology from other countries to Israel … probably to appease the Mid-East peace process.”

“I guess it goes without saying that your intelligence community had a hand in some of this.”

“They did,” Moshe winked. “They play a large role in acquiring the technology we need to survive as a nation, and to that end they installed the equipment we’re using at the farm in France. Our government needed another surveillance base in Europe, just in case.”

“In case of what?”

“Just in case,” Moshe smiled. “You said it yourself, Cardinal. We always have a back-up plan for everything.”

“Why are you telling me all of this, Moshe?”

“Because, Cardinal, you are a part of us now. We’re like one big family, and we have to trust one another. The Spanish scientists who have recently joined us are a different story. They have yet to prove themselves, so for now we all have to be in agreement before we share anything of a sensitive nature with them.”

“What about the people at the compound in France?” Leo asked.

“Most are all sayanim … volunteer non-Israeli Jews and Christians who provide logistical support around the world to the State of Israel. The farm leaders are all former Israeli katsas. All those at the compound have proven themselves to be trustworthy, as have you. You are part of an inner circle now, and as such, you must be constantly on guard in your discussions with others.”

Leo watched Moshe’s lime green fly fishing shirt billowing in the wind. The former IDF general and Mossad field agent, or katsa, as they were called, was usually a man of few words. Leo had no doubt that this discussion was not the result of a chance encounter on the top deck, but a focused warning about just how much information the Israelis wanted to share with outsiders.

Message received, Leo thought to himself as he looked back out toward the coastal lights.

“I’ll be careful what I discuss with outsiders in the future, Moshe.”

Moshe laid his hand on Leo’s shoulder. “No harm, no foul, Cardinal. But even though we already knew the Spanish scientists were aware that the virus was manmade, we still don’t know exactly how they found out about it. We need their help in the fight against this plague, and so far there’s no reason to believe they are not what they appear to be, so please feel free to discuss any scientific information about the pathogen with them unless we specify otherwise. As far as our operational capability, that must remain our secret unless we decide they have a need to know for some reason.”

Lev ambled up to the two men and pulled a cigar from his shirt pocket. Holding his hand to block the wind, he lit it with a match and gazed out at the dark sea as the bluish smoke whipped away in the breeze. “The wind is beginning to pick up. We need to launch the chopper and get the first group ashore as soon as possible.”

“How many people are going ashore?” Leo asked.

“All of the Bible Code Team, along with the Spanish scientists, plus some of the security and communications people here on the Carmela. Alex and the rest of the crew will remain onboard. We can resupply them from shore if need be, and they have the two speedboats if they have to make a quick run to shore for some reason.”

“We need to call Nava,” Moshe said, running a hand over his shaved head. “I’m sending Alon in first with John and Ariella. You two will be on the second flight with Dr. Mendoza, followed by Evita and Dr. Diaz. I’ll be on the last flight after some of the others have been ferried ashore. I figure Nava will be making at least seven flights tonight.”

In the bluish glow of the moonlight above, they saw Nava walking toward them dressed in her flight suit and holding a pair of night vision goggles in one hand and her helmet in the other. She tilted her head and sniffed at the breeze.

“The wind’s picking up.”

Lev smiled down at her with the cigar clenched in his teeth. “We know. We were just getting ready to call you.”