“Boker tov, Captain.” The deep wheezing voice was both formidable and familiar.

“Shalom, General. We were right, they are here looking for the Al Azif, and now they are taking me right to it.”

“Good, good work, Addy. I knew it was right to send you. Do they have a firm lead?” he asked.

“Yes, Uncle,” she said, confidently.

He laughed, sounding more like air brakes than anything human – he was wheezing more than usual. She could imagine the small, grizzle-haired man almost lost in his favorite red leather chair. But appearances would be deceptive – there was no frailty or weakness in the old warrior. General Meir Shavit was the head of Metsada, the Special Operations Division of the Mossad, and had served his country for over fifty years in both military theatres and dedicated intelligence services.

From his headquarters in Tel Aviv, he oversaw a staff of around two thousand. Though the Mossad was classed a civilian bureaucratic security operation, it was one of the most structured and professional intelligence services in the world; and also one of the deadliest. General Shavit’s Metsada was Israel’s well of poison, and Adira the sharpest dagger he dipped in it.

She smiled; glad now that their relationship was as strong as ever. “We will be in Alexandria tonight. They believe the Book is secreted somewhere on or around the island of Pharos.”

“Pharos? Hmm, interesting. I will have a two-man team waiting for you. But be warned, Addy, you are not the only ones seeking the Book. The man the Americans met, this Dr Hussein ben Albadi, has been killed, along with all of his staff. The remains displayed signs of extreme surgical torture. Addy, they have someone on their trail, someone ruthless.”

Adira ground her teeth. “If they step in front of me, they will fall.” Her face was grim as she spoke.

“I know, my dear. Show them no quarter.” He wheezed for a moment and Adira waited, her concentration intense. “Addy, we must have the Al Azif. We must know what it contains. If there is a solution or cure for the falling earth, then Israel must be cured first. Strength, honor, and good luck, Captain Senesh.”

She straightened. “I will not fail you, Uncle.”

“I know you won’t.”

The line disconnected and Adira sat down, her tired eyes on the garden, but her mind spinning with plans. Her eyes gradually closed, and soon the plans continued in her dreams.

Chapter 14

Centre for Advanced Military Science – Deep Research facilities

General Decker stood with hands clasped behind his back and stared through the two-inch-thick military grade Perspex into the twenty-by-twenty foot reinforced cubicle. His hands were damp, and he wished some of that moisture were in his mouth.

Looking at the thing inside made him feel physically ill. He saw what it looked like now, but he had seen the footage of what it had looked like when it was captured – it made him want to vomit.