Tags:
thriller,
Espionage,
Time travel,
Holocaust,
middle east,
Egypt,
nuclear war,
Jews,
Terrorism,
spy,
mormon,
Assassins,
Los Angeles,
new york city,
Terrorists,
iran,
suspense action,
rio de janeiro,
quantum mechanics,
bahai,
judiasm,
fsb,
mossad,
black holes,
counter espionage,
shin bet,
state of israel,
einstein rosen bridge,
tannach,
jewish beliefs
Gan, a
beautiful suburb of Tel Aviv where she lectured at Bar-Illan
University, Rachael was deep in thought – but not so much so as to
not be able to already itemize the things she would need for the
Sabbath meal this evening.
A quick visit to the kosher meat market for a
hearty chicken and vegetable soup, then the bakery for dairy-free
bread would complete the checklist.
"How did Yishai and children fair during my
two week absence?" She wondered. With a mental shrug she pulled
into the first food to do parking lot. It had been a while
since she saw her family, so this would be a special meal. Yishai
could burn water, a genetic trait both children appeared to have
inherited. Though, in the case of the children, it was more likely
that they realized that, should they cook one meal well, it may
prove an indictment against them for future preparations. She was
certain that they had been living on frozen pizzas and fast
food.
Arriving at their flat, her children had to
be cajoled into the family room by their father. Video game in the
hands of Shmu’el, mobile phone a permanent fixture in the hands of
his older sister Sarah who if not talking with or about boys, could
be found texting with, or about boys.
"Did you bring us a souvenir?" Their first
line of inquiry, coupled with faces belying anticipation. Souvenir?
Then Rachael remembered that she and her husband Yishai had agreed
to tell the children that she had traveled to Paris for a
conference on String Theory. "String Theory!" The instant retort
from Shmu’el followed. "You mean to tell us Physicists still don’t
know how to tie their shoes!" Mercifully, Yishai saved her from
having to fabricate yet another little white lie by holding her in
his arms, kissing her, then telling the children to carry in the
groceries.
Prayers to begin the Sabbath and the
traditional welcoming of the Sabbath Queen, followed by a delicious
meal, were accomplished with few problems. Not typical for a
household with two teenagers, but mom had been away for a while so
there was a welcome respite from the norm.
"So, can you talk about it?" Yishai started
the pillow talk that night.
"You know I can’t."
"If I guess, will you confirm?"
"In the unlikely event that you guess, I’ll
have you shot. Well, interrogated first, then shot. Execution to be
deferred until after you welcome me back home properly!"
~ ~ ~
While the work week in Israel typically
begins Sunday morning, the staff of The Project had a few
days off to make up for the absence from their loved ones and to
allow them some time to get immediate concerns taken care of as
there would be many more lengthy absences in the foreseeable
future.
The days with her family passed much too
quickly and now she found herself returning to The Project .
She could not help but feel a sense of anticipation, excitement
even, and more than a little foreboding as she drove her little
gas-saving compact to the drop-off / pick-up area.
Hers would be but one part of The
Project , and she would have only a basic understanding, where
needed, of the part the others played. One of the many rules was
that they were not to talk about their work with one another when
not actually conducting work. The common room and recreational
areas were strictly non-work. Hidden cameras and microphones were
everywhere – even in their private living areas. These not
only protected them from intruders and internal espionage, but they
also served to assure rules were being followed to the letter. The
fate of the nation, and even perhaps the Jewish People as a whole,
was riding on The Project .
She knew that there were two more facilities
of The Project in other parts of the country. A location
such as the Negev Nuclear Research Center in the Negev Desert area
called "Dimona," the reputed site of a nuclear reactor and weapons,
would be ideal for a location of The Project . Even Rachael,
with her security clearance, had not been allowed to breach its
steel-reinforced,
Heidi Hunter, Bad Boy Team