The Illuminati (37 page)

Klein sat up in bed. He knew his friend would never violate security procedures by discussing such information by phone, unless it was a severe crisis. They had often been through life-threatening situations, and Facimadi had always responded exactly according to the book before.

“Explain!” Klein commanded, as he bolted out of bed.

“The missile facility at Gobi has been sealed off: Amitt is inside. They have gone on internal power and cut of all communications to the outside. I believe he is going to launch a missile!”

“But why? Why now?” Klein asked in disbelief, as he tried to sort through his options. Had Amitt really gone mad?

“He had a meeting with the American emissary, Razzak,” Facimadi replied. “The American told him they would not allow Israel to launch an attack on the Chinese. According to my sources, Amitt went crazy; he is truly insane.”

“What are the options?” Klein asked, suddenly feeling weary to the bone.

“Not many,” Facimadi replied, as he reviewed the latest intelligence reports. “And none of them good. We could never storm the complex. It is well-guarded and practically impenetrable from the ground.”

“What about shooting the missile down as it leaves the silo?” Klein suggested.

“My people tell me that the bombs will be armed once they are launched. It is possible that the cobalt bomb will go off if the missile is destroyed in flight.”

“You mean they have not installed the fail-safes?” Klein asked incredulously.

“Apparently not. Amitt ordered the launch before the safety systems could be installed. The only fail-safe will be the barometric sensors. But destroying the missile could confuse the sensors and initiate an explosion.”

“So what do you suggest, my friend?”

“We have no choice but to wait and hope that Amitt is only bluffing. If he attempts to launch a missile, I will ask the Americans to destroy the site with nuclear weapons.”

“You mean bomb our people with nuclear weapons?” Klein asked in disbelief.

“What other choices do we have? If we allow Amitt and his fanatics to continue, they will destroy the entire world. At least in the Gobi the damage will be isolated to a remote area.”

“But what about the fallout? It will kill millions.”

“The Americans have neutron bombs in Europe. They have never admitted it, but we know they have them. We will ask them to saturate the complex with these weapons. At the very least, they will disable the electronics for the launch systems.”

“And kill all the Israelis inside the complex and those guarding the facility?”

“Unfortunately that is true. I would estimate the casualties at ten thousand,” Facimadi said grimly.

“What makes you think the Americans would consent to do such a thing?” Klein asked.

“Because we have already announced to the press what Amitt has in mind. We also told them that the United States is next on his list of targets. Razzak has assured me that the U.S. will retaliate swiftly rather than be blackmailed by Amitt.”

“You do realize what this will mean to Israel?” Klein asked sadly, as visions of world reaction flooded his mind. “We will cease to be a totally sovereign nation. The world will demand our adherence to international rule.”

“It is still better than becoming the butchers of the world,” Facimadi said as he reached to disconnect the line.
Perhaps it is time we admitted that it is we who are attempting to become the master race today
, he thought as he dialed the number he had been given to reach the American emissary.

As CIA reports of the actions at the Gobi missile complex flooded in to the secretary of defense, they were immediately forwarded to the office of President Alton, where her press secretary, Mary Foust, was putting the finishing touches on a press release outlining the threat Israel posed to America. In her impromptu press meeting, the president stressed the point that her ambassador, Amir Razzak, had done everything possible to convince the Israeli government to dismantle the so-called doomsday bombs and seek a peaceful solution to their dispute with the Chinese. But the Israeli leader, Moshi Amitt, had threatened to use the weapons on the United States if the U.S. interfered.

Later, the new secretary of defense had taken the podium to explain that the Israeli SX-14 missiles had a range of seven thousand miles and were fully capable of reaching targets in the United States.

The response was immediate and overwhelming from the American public. The latest Insta-pol showed that anti-Semitic sentiment was running at nearly 90 percent. More than 80 percent of all voters favored a preemptive strike against Israel before they could launch the cobalt bombs.

The face of Amir Razzak was shown on every network nearly all day long. The president made it extremely clear that she felt the country's only hope of resolving this issue lay in his hands.

As mock-up shots of what a cobalt bomb was capable of doing were shown on prime time TV, the panic that ensued rivaled that of the Cuban missile crisis during the early 1960s. Americans, used to living in a society relatively free from the threat of nuclear war since the Eastern European agreements, were frightened and angry.

Stores were stripped of all available goods within hours. Gas masks, which would be of no real use in a nuclear attack, sold for hundreds of dollars. Basements were hurriedly converted into bomb shelters. The media had a blitz on to scare the daylights out of as many people as they could with each new dramatized broadcast.

The sentiment against anyone Jewish grew to the point of frenzy. American Jews were blamed for the presumed aggression coming from Israel. Christians were carried along in the rising tide of anger since so many had previously come out in support of Israel. Flights to and from Israel were banned, and Insta-pol surveys continued to show an increasing support for preemptive strikes against the Jewish homeland.

At the Gobi missile site, the inexperienced crews were making little progress in preparing the first SX-14 for launch.

“I am sorry for the delays, Rabbi,” the young colonel apologized. “We are having difficulties with the guidance system. It is controlled by inertial gyros, and we have been unsuccessful in reprogramming them.”

“What is the problem?” Amitt bellowed at the frustrated young officer. “We are ten hours behind schedule now!”

“We need the trained system engineers to reprogram the guidance package, but they refuse to assist us,” the young man responded.

“They are traitors to their country!” Amitt screamed as he threw the headset he was wearing against the wall. He was clearly becoming more and more unstable. He knew his future and, perhaps, his life were on the line. Several units of the secret police had attempted to break through the blockade of the facility, but had been beaten back. If he failed to launch the rockets on China, he would quickly lose the support of the Jewish people. Already the news media carried reports of citizens speaking out in favor of Jacob Estine, the former prime minister, who openly condemned the proposed aggression.

“We can hit a target as large as China with a minimal guidance system, can't we?” Amitt railed at the shaken colonel.

“Yes, sir,” he replied with some confusion. “But we need to target a remote area to limit the civilian casualties for such a demonstration.”

“I don't care what we hit! Launch the missiles immediately.”

“We have only a single missile that is capable of being launched at this time, Rabbi. But if we launch without specific parameters, we will have to disable all in-flight controls and rely only on telemetry guidance. Otherwise the systems will conflict and cancel themselves out.”

“I don't care what you have to do,” Amitt said, forcing himself to respond in a calmer tone. “Just do it.” He knew the younger officer was worried. He also knew if he lost his support he would have no chance of seeing his plan succeed.
If I can launch the bomb on the infidels, they will have no choice but to withdraw
, he thought.
And Israel will be committed
.
The experts we need will have to help us
.

“How long until you can launch?” Amitt asked the colonel calmly.

“In thirty minutes, Rabbi,” the nervous young man replied. To launch a missile with a faulty guidance system and a fully armed weapon like the cobalt bomb was against everything he had been taught in missile school. He was wavering in his convictions.
What if the missile goes off course?
he asked himself.
It could conceivably hit any target within six thousand miles—including our own country
.

Amitt softened his approach as he said to the doubtful young colonel, “Don't worry. God is with us. We will not fail. If we don't teach the infidels a lesson, Israel will exist no more.”

The colonel slipped back into Amitt's camp as he absorbed the assurance he so desperately wanted to believe. “You're right, Rabbi,” he stated resolutely. “We will succeed. We launch in thirty minutes.”

With the inertial guidance system disabled, along with virtually all of the missile's fail-safe mechanisms, the countdown progressed steadily. The minimal crews raced up and down the access platforms, folding them back so that the missile would not hit them during liftoff.

For T-five minutes until launch, the missile launch system's automatic sequencer took control. Except for a major fault detection, or a manual override from the commander's console, nothing could stop the launch.

“T-four minutes and counting,” the sergeant acting as the flight controller said over the P.A. system.“All personnel evacuate the launch area.”

The remaining few personnel who had been securing the platforms hurried toward the control center. Once they had all left the silo, a single figure made his way to the second level, which housed the umbilical cable providing power to the explosive bolts. These bolts held the missile to its launch platform and would be blown after the rocket motors ignited. The final test before committing the missile to its target would be a verification that the explosive bolt circuits had continuity, because if the rocket motors ignited without the bolts blowing, the missile would tear itself apart on the launcher.

Using a large pair of cable cutters, the Mossad agent cut through the umbilical cable feeding the hold-down bolts.

“T-one minutes and counting,” the sergeant announced. The agent ran for the silo exit door. His job was done. Now he wanted to get as far away from the launch as he could.

“T-minus thirty seconds,” the sergeant announced, his voice wavering. There was a tremendous shudder throughout the control room as the forty-ton blast doors protecting the missile in silo three were blown off. To the ground troops less than one half mile away, the blast sounded like a small atomic explosion. They watched in fascination as the huge steel and concrete doors were launched skyward, only to thunder back a few hundred yards away.

“The missile is on internal power,” Colonel Shuman announced to Moshi Amitt over the intercom.

Amitt could feel his spirits rising. They would annihilate the infidels. Then they would deal with the United States. Nothing could stop them now!

As soon as the blast was heard, the army assault team leader, Colonel Hahn, knew what had happened. He immediately placed a satellite-link call to Mossad headquarters.

“My God!” Colonel Hahn shouted to Jerome Facimadi when he answered the urgent call. “They have blown the blast door on silo three; they're going to launch!”

“That fool! He's going to do it!” Facimadi said as he reached for the red phone linking his office to that of Levi Klein, and placed a call.

Klein heard Facimadi's news with disbelief. “I never thought he would actually launch the missiles,” he said as he envisioned the missile hurtling toward its target. “I'm afraid it is the end of us all.”

“Perhaps not,” Facimadi replied. “I met with Razzak, the American emissary, earlier today. He assured me that the United States has no desire to attack Israel, but he said the president has authorized him to use the carrier
Enterprise
to neutralize the launch facilities at Gobi, at our request.”

“What good will that do?” Klein asked. “He will have launched the missiles by then.”

“I think not, my friend,” Facimadi replied. “The Mossad is not without resources. The missiles will not launch, but we must act swiftly before they can correct the damage my men have inflicted.”

“But you said the doors have opened.”

“Only the first silo's blast doors were blown. Apparently they are having difficulties getting the others operational. That missile will not be launched right away. But I need your help, Levi. The Americans have converted one of their cruise missiles to a low-yield nuclear weapon that can take out the Gobi complex. I need your approval to use it.”

“You mean launch an atomic bomb on our own men?” Klein exclaimed. “What about using the neutron bombs?”

“Razzak assures me there is not enough time to secure a neutron bomb. It is either use a single, low-yield bomb, or risk an all-out war with our own allies,” Facimadi said. “If even one of those cobalt bombs is used, we will be outcasts from the world, if there is any world left.”