The colonel confirmed his assumption, “To a degree, we have. I was able to find Lana Wilson here in the US via discreet means, and Jean-Paul Merard in France. Ayala has also managed to track down Raz Shellet in Israel via her remaining Mossad contacts. Unfortunately, the others have been harder to get accurate information on without arousing suspicion, but we know their names and rough assignments, all except one.”

John nodded, “Except one.” He said gravely, “Yes, one of us is not following the same path as the others, and is, perhaps not surprisingly, having a less … predictable time during his stay on Earth.”

The colonel, Ayala, and Neal all knew who he meant, and they were a little worried where this was going.

“Shahim Al Khazar” continued John, “has been causing quite a stir in Pakistan. He has been a little too successful, perhaps. And because of this he has been forced to call more attention to himself than the Council would have preferred at this stage. I should tell you that it was him, and him alone, who assassinated the prime minister of Pakistan earlier in the year.”

The room was stunned. The incident had rocked the world, and security had been vastly increased in the region because of it. But the freedom fighters had also been emboldened by the unexpected victory, leading them to ever more violent, if often futile, acts.

John did not pause while the news sunk in, “The attack was an attempt by a power-hungry cleric to get rid of the Agent, who he perceived as a potential rival. When Agent Shahim succeeded in the impossible scheme and managed to survive to return to the insurgents’ base in the mountains, the cleric was forced to admit he had ordered the insane attack. He died ignominiously in the Waziristan Mountains the next day, but Shahim’s star rose sharply with his success. The leaders of the Taliban and Al Qaeda have decided that such a capable fighter should be sent somewhere where his skills would be of greatest advantage.”

John paused a moment and Ayala spoke up, “He is heading to Iraq?” she asked.

John shook his head and said, “That would be problematic, yes, but more for us than for you. No, actually it is much worse. The exact location of Shahim is difficult to say as he has had to leave his relay behind in Pakistan, but he is updating the satellites regularly using the laser built into his eye, and according to his most recent reports, he landed in New York a week ago.”

Chapter 35: Nobility Overall

After he surprised everyone with his success in Pakistan, it had been decided that Shahim Al Khazar should be sent abroad. Partially because the powers that be wanted him causing damage in America, and partially because Pakistan was so up in arms over his actions that neither he nor anyone else could achieve very much for the foreseeable future.