Shahim studied his leader closely. The man was talking of an attack on the Pakistani leadership. This was not part of his plan. A direct attack on the government would, eventually, be necessary for the Agent to take control of the nation’s nuclear weapons, but only after Shahim had achieved control over some portion of the freedom fighters army, and trained them to the level necessary to make the attack successful.

Shahim could already see that this was going to be a halfhearted attempt, which the cleric didn’t really believe would work. Whatever their target, sending a new warrior such as himself meant that he was meant to fail, sacrificing himself to show the Pakistani government that they were serious, or probably just to dispose of said warrior, and the internal threat he represented.

“I have seen you fight, and I have seen the results of your operations. But these were small fry, not a test of a real martyr. So…” the cleric looked the warrior in the eye, holding his gaze as he said these next words, “…I am sending you to make an attempt on the prime minister’s life, or die trying. Is that clear?”

Shahim stared at him, then at the floor. It would do no good to argue with the cleric; he either had to kill the elected leader of the country, kill the cleric in front of him, or kill himself. There was no other option now that the order had been given. Neither avenue was desirable, but that was precisely the dilemma the cleric had intended to force on the man. He would need to consult with the Council to decide what to do next.

Chapter 30: A Very, Very, Very Fine House

Upon returning to DC from a quick trip back to Florida, Madeline had been shocked to see so many changes to the house, and to meet its new resident.

“Of course, officially,” said Neal, as he introduced her to Ayala and took her bag, “she lives next door.”

Madeline looked at him confused, and he laughed, walking off upstairs with her two heavy bags. “What the hell do you have in here?” he groaned as he climbed the stairs, his out of shape frame wilting under the weight of the clothes she had bought from home.

Ayala rolled her eyes at Neal then turned to Madeline, saying, “I’ll explain everything to you in a moment, my dear, but first, do you want a shower, or a cup of coffee maybe? You’ve just gotten off the plane.”

“No, thanks though. It isn’t a long flight and I do it all the time.”