“Good, then I humbly submit to the will of Almighty Allah and ask that I be sent back into the service of our Holy War. In fact, if the tribunal would care to hear them, perhaps I may even suggest some ways in which I might continue to serve our great cause?” With four bodies lying still warm at his feet, Shahim smiled pleasantly and bowed to the panel arrayed in front of him. The anathema of that smile scared them in ways even the brutal slaughter they had just witnessed could not.

* * *

Three weeks later the warrior Shahim Al Khazar clambered once more into his old cave deep in the Hindu Kush Mountains. His long buried relay now back in his possession for the first time since his departure for America, he placed the device in one corner and knelt to pray. Two men had apparently taken residence in the cave since he had left, but when news of Al Khazar’s return began to spread, they had quickly evacuated the chamber, fleeing his now legendary wrath.

As Shahim knelt on his prayer blanket, he felt the Council convene once more, and settled in for his first full-bandwidth Council meeting in months.

<Welcome.>

The eight Agents floated in their virtual circle and waited for the AI to detail its agenda. <I have prepared an agenda. We have six items to discuss.>

The Artificial Intelligence that chaired their meetings went through its list, various assignment changes, and new business. First on the list was the revised location and status of Shahim Al Khazar after the Agent’s return to Pakistan. His next moves would be discussed by the Council, but both Shahim and his new ally John Hunt were clear on what they thought had to happen next. The team had a defined, if risky, course to steer during the buildup to the impending attack on the satellites, and Shahim’s role would be pivotal. Now it was up to John and Shahim to subvert the Council’s will in order to align it with their own.

As Shahim and John thought about this in silence, the AI continued its agenda review, and they were both shocked from their reverie when the AI reached item number six on its list, <Finally, recent reports from four separate Centers for Disease Control in Europe and America have reported several cases of unexpected recovery from incurable communicable diseases, most notably there have been cases of unexplained and complete recovery from the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. It is our opinion that this should be investigated.>

Neither John nor Shahim allowed their shock to show on their faces, but nor could they believe that the antigen’s effects were registering so quickly. Had Ayala really been that effective in getting it out to the population? They sat in silence, allowing the meeting to run its course so they could learn more without showing their hand.