The Tenth Cycle: A Thriller (A Rossler Foundation Mystery Book 1) (39 page)

It didn't take long for Daniel to notice a faint track across the fields which he thought may lead to the little town they were making for. The sky was beginning to brighten as the time for sunrise drew near, when he saw armed men in the distance, apparently moving toward them. As they had planned, the group scattered to both sides of the track each person finding cover as they could. When the armed group grew close Daniel could hear one of them saying, repeatedly, "Tenth Cycle." This was their codeword that these were friendlies, so he answered, "Rosslerite," and revealed himself to the men.

As soon as they saw that Daniel was safe, the rest also came out of cover. The men who had come to meet them offered water and food in the form of protein bars, and then positioned themselves before and behind the researchers, to escort them back to town. However, before they reached the town proper, they broke away from the trail and led the Rosslerites to a barn where they had concealed a van. They were soon on their way north to Highway 10 where they turned west for Montréal and an El Al flight to Israel.

A man who bore a remarkable resemblance to Akiva Beckman met the group as they deplaned, introducing himself as Baruch Beckman. "Brother?" questioned Daniel.

"Yes, Mr. Rossler. Akiva is my older brother. Welcome to Israel. Come with me, please."

They gathered their carry-on luggage, one bag containing a diplomatic pouch with their precious electronic devices in it, and followed Baruch to an area next to Customs, where most of their fellow passengers were undergoing searches of their baggage and short interviews to determine if they would be granted entry. El Al was one of the most secure airlines in the world, with armed sky marshals undercover on every flight, and most of the pilots having military experience. It was even the only airline so far to be equipped with infrared countermeasures systems, to combat the threat of anti-aircraft missiles. The Rosslerites, however, were traveling under diplomatic credentials arranged by Akiva. Neither their personal bags nor the diplomatic pouch would be searched, on orders from someone high in the chain of command. The names of their high-level protectors were not revealed to them, but everything had been arranged in the most luxurious manner possible.

After bypassing Customs, Baruch led them to a sturdy-looking seven-seater SUV and saw them safely ensconced in the back seats, their luggage stowed expertly, before he took the front passenger seat and directed the driver to an address in the city. He then turned to face them over his shoulder. Daniel noted with relief that the driver kept to the right lane, having decided he had driving dyslexia when vacationing once in Indonesia.

Baruch was giving them some information, to which Sarah had been paying close attention. Shaking himself to dispel the flight fatigue, Daniel now did the same, along with the others. "We have secured a large estate for your use. You will have a household staff to attend to shopping and cleaning needs. The estate is walled. Mossad agents will patrol the perimeter, so you have no need to be concerned for your safety. Do you have any questions?"

"Only about a million," Daniel answered. "This almost sounds like we are to be prisoners. I hope I'm wrong."

"I'm sorry if I made it sound that way," Baruch responded. "Nothing could be further from the truth. Our government wishes to extend to you the same courtesies we would extend to any important guest whose safety has been in question. Think of the head of a minor country, for example, who has been deposed by violence."

At this statement, Daniel and Sarah turned awestruck faces to each other, as did Martha and Sinclair. Raj seemed to take it in stride; he was just happy there was no one shooting at him from helicopters. Head of a minor country? But Baruch was still talking. "That said, I urge you to voluntarily stay within the walls of your residence as much as possible. We will endeavor to protect you, but our country is besieged at all times by our enemies, and those may be your enemies as well. As soon as the news of your discovery has been made public, malevolent forces will be seeking your whereabouts. When they discover that you are in Israel, certain assumptions will be made. At that point, we will ask you to consider the lives of our agents who protect you, and stay safe within the walls."

The initial headiness the group had felt on being informed of their living arrangements waned with each sentence. In fleeing the US, they had been concerned with their safety and that of their friends and loved ones. Now it seemed that a small army of strangers were prepared to lay down their lives to ensure it. It was humbling and dismaying at the same time. Any thoughts of tourist activities fled, leaving in their place the knowledge that the enterprise could not wait for rest and relaxation, nor any personal consideration. It was paramount that the public announcement be made as soon as possible, and work begun to unravel all of the secrets hidden in the blocks of the Great Pyramid.

However, at that moment, even more important was letting their families know that they were safe. They were sure that the Orion Society had discovered they'd flown the coop, so to speak.

"Baruch," Sarah said, in her most persuasive and feminine tones, "would it be too much to ask for you to contact your brother and ask him to let our families know we're safe?"

"Of course not, ma'am," he replied. "I'm sure it can be arranged. I'll check with Akiva," Baruch answered with no elaboration.

"Thank you so much!"

Martha then said, "Sorry to be so demanding but I am worried about Sinclair’s hand. Would it also be possible to arrange for a doctor to have a look at it and give it the proper treatment? He was wounded during our escape the night before last and I am worried complications might set in.”

Though Sinclair tried to wave off the attention, he was secretly pleased. In the past few days, this lovely woman had proved intelligent, resourceful, and caring, not to mention a great cook. Not since his wife had passed had he met such a paragon.

Sarah sat back to watch out the windows as they traveled through the unfamiliar but somehow familiar city.

Sarah's mental impression of Israel was always informed by pictures of the Holy Land in books she had read as a child. It came as a bit of a shock to see modern buildings instead of clusters of adobe. Throngs of people of diverse ethnic heritage traveled the sidewalks, swirling and rushing, passing buildings that might have been constructed in mid-twentieth century standing cheek-by-jowl with brand-new steel and glass structures. In many ways, it reminded her of New York, and she mentioned that observation to Daniel.

Baruch, anxious to show off his city, said, "Yes, you call New York the Big Apple, am I right?" Receiving nods, he said proudly, "Tel Aviv is the Big Orange." Sarah choked back a giggle, not wishing to offend the man. She wondered if he was also proud of the filth and trash in the streets.

There was no time to waste now. The attack as they left Stanstead had shaken them all badly, so in spite of jet lag and the distraction of the beautiful villa the Israelis had put at their disposal, the five of them got right to work. Raj and Sinclair were in charge of continuing to extract and translate the data, while Daniel and Sarah polished the article he would publish in the Times when a suitable verifying fact had been found in the coded material. That left Martha at loose ends, but she was soon busy organizing the household and directing the staff in keeping the four comfortable as they worked long hours.

Before an hour had passed, a doctor arrived to take a look at Sinclair’s hand, over his protest that it was all right. The doctor agreed, praising Martha for the first aid she’d applied, but handing over a course of antibiotics and some strong pain-killers in case Sinclair needed them. Martha looked on closely and promised to make sure the wound had proper care. Sinclair, though he protested the doctor’s attentions, found himself rather pleased that Martha was so eager to take care of him.

At noon, Martha invited the others to join her for lunch and a tour of the hexagonal villa, where she’d been exploring all day. Each wing was dedicated to a different type of room; six spacious bedrooms, each with its own bath, in the wing adjacent to the entry and leftward down the hall that connected the entire structure. The grand tour continued from where they were, the informal dining room being part of what Martha called the utility wing. In addition to the dining room and kitchen, there was a laundry room and a room containing the trappings of infrastructure such as the water heater and a panel that controlled the air conditioning system, along with various storage rooms that they didn't look into.

That left three segments of the hexagon to explore. The first contained several rooms devoted to entertainment, from a state-of-the-art theater room to a music conservatory that boasted a baby grand piano, several guitars, and a few instruments that Daniel assumed were native to the area. A very formal large parlor was there, along with a more informal room that Daniel would have called a family room, with seating groups, a television, and stereo system.

Next came a wing devoted to rooms that were outfitted as offices and conference rooms, of which Daniel, Sarah and Sinclair had already appropriated two for their use, one for Daniel and Sarah together and another for Sinclair.

Finally, the last segment contained several rooms with an enormous array of electronics equipment. Daniel pulled up short, amazed. He turned to Raj. "Did you have all this brought in?"

"No, I assumed you did," Raj answered. One room had two computers with the exact specifications they needed to deploy the entire project that was waiting on the external drive in the diplomatic pouch, along with various peripherals. Cables snaking through the walls revealed that the two rooms on either side of it contained mini-farms of cubicles, each with a computer on the desk, all apparently networked to the two servers in the central room. "This is going to be perfect!" Daniel crowed. "Man, I can't wait to fill these rooms with researchers."

They proceeded down the hall, Daniel explaining to Sinclair what they were thinking about handling all the new information.

Sarah had hung back with Martha, interested only in the fact of the computers, not the details. "Martha, are you sure you're going to be okay here with us? I mean, we practically kidnapped you, insisting you come."

Martha gave her a sweet smile, with a bit of mischief behind it. "It's okay, dear. At least you brought along someone to entertain me. "

Sarah's laugh rang out as she tucked her arm through Martha's. "Well, there is that."

The men were several yards ahead of them, and now stared back down the hall, wondering what was so funny. Seeing the women arm in arm, Daniel said, "We're probably better off not knowing."

Sinclair said fervently, "You can say that again. I have to tell you, son, I'm quite taken with the lovely Martha, but she scares the hell out of me."

"Oh?" said Daniel, surprised.

"Yeah. I haven't met a woman that charming, except for your Sarah, of course, since my Emily passed. And I'm not sure I'm willing to give up my golden years to another woman."

Daniel nudged him with an elbow. "Come on, live a little! Besides, we're planning to keep you busy through your golden years. You'll want a woman to go home to after a hard day's work translating and helping to run the world's most exciting non-profit organization."

"Hmmph, we'll see about that." Sinclair answered.

Daniel only smiled. He could already imagine what Sarah would say when he told her about this conversation, though he should probably leave out his part in it, or be ready to dodge some flying object.

Martha explained to the others that she had taken the liberty of instructing the staff where to put everyone’s luggage and that they’d be taking their meals communally in the breakfast room. Hearing no objections, she beamed at the group and showed them the intercom that would summon them for dinner later, then showed each party to their rooms to freshen up. Raj was heard to mutter that he had work to do, but everyone ignored him and thanked Martha for her thoughtfulness in making herself useful to the group in a way that she was most suited for. Sinclair was elaborate in his praise, turning Martha’s soft cheeks a becoming shade of pink.

~~~

Sarah occupied herself in unpacking, with Martha chatting comfortably from her perch on the foot of the bed. They had packed only their backpacks when leaving the US, which left everyone with a limited wardrobe. On the other hand, it appeared she wouldn't be going anywhere, so there would be plenty of time to acquire anything else she needed. Disappointed that neither she nor Martha had packed a swimsuit, she looked through her clothes to find something that would serve the purpose, but found nothing. There was a size difference anyway, Martha being several inches shorter than Sarah, and carrying a bit more weight around her middle, though she was still slim and fit for her age.

"I know," Sarah said. "Baruch told us to call him if we needed anything, and that the household staff would take care of shopping. Let's send for a swimsuit."

"Oh, I couldn't dear. That's frivolous."

"Martha, I refuse to swim alone, and the guys are busy. We need swimsuits."

Her objections overcome despite continuing protest, Martha finally told Sarah what size she wore and the type of swimsuit she'd prefer, a conservative maillot if possible, and even better if it had a bit of a skirt. Baruch told Sarah to speak to Rachel, whom she would find in her office off the kitchen, and it would be taken care of. Sarah and Martha found the dignified head housekeeper right where they'd been told, and explained their request.

"That is easily done," the woman said in a heavy accent. "Do you also need water shoes or sandals?"

"That would be great," Sarah answered. "A pair for me, too, I didn't think of that. And beach towels?"

"You will find those in the small cabana next to the pool," Rachel said.

"Perfect. Thank you Rachel."

"It is my pleasure."

~~~

The second day in Tel Aviv found the research well under way as Raj and Sinclair had managed to set the project up before breaking for the night. Sinclair's directive was to fully translate the index, and try to make sure that they had the numbering system set up correctly. They were going on the assumption that the numbers associated with each subject in the index referred to the skip sequence to find it within the massive data set. But, Daniel hadn't realized just how many ways there were to start the skip sequence, much less how many directions to run. Even beginning to extract the knowledge of the pyramid record was going to take an enormous effort. Sinclair needed help, and before they could get him any without causing problems down the road, they needed to get their foundation in order.

Accordingly, he was on a house phone to Baruch shortly after Sinclair left him, inquiring after the attorney they'd asked to be on hand.

"I can have him there any time. Is there anything in particular that you need him for?" Baruch asked. Instantly, Daniel's hackles rose. Surely it was none of the other man's business. Then he realized that perhaps the question was aimed at getting them an appropriate specialist.

"Yes, we need to arrange to set up a nonprofit foundation," Daniel said, hoping that would be enough of an explanation. He didn't want to go into their plans for the discoveries, fearing that Israel would withdraw its support if someone guessed that there would be no favoritism in the distribution of the knowledge.

"Very well. Will four o'clock be satisfactory?"

"That's fine," Daniel said, already beginning to think of the questions to ask the attorney. Sarah, impacted by jetlag, was taking a nap when she was awakened by Daniel gently shaking her shoulder. "Wake up, Love, the lawyer will be here any minute."

Still in a sleep-induced haze, Sarah sat up in alarm. "Lawyer?"

"Shh, Love, it's okay. The lawyer to help us with our questions about the foundation. Do you need some coffee?"

"Oh, yes, Daniel, that would be perfect," Sarah said with relief. When she tried to recapture whatever it was that had alarmed her about the word lawyer, it was gone. Nothing, probably. She was just muzzy from sleeping in the daytime. Before Daniel returned with the coffee, having endured a scolding from Ilana, the cook, for not just calling her to bring it, Sarah splashed cold water on her face, changed into fresh clothes and considered whether to put on makeup. No, she thought, I'll do without. Daniel always told her he liked her best that way, anyway. He complained that when she had her 'war paint' on, she looked like a caricature of herself. What a tribute to my skill in applying it, she thought with a hint of asperity. But then, he looked gorgeous without makeup. Why did women feel they had to wear it?

Just then, Daniel returned with her coffee, saying, "Drink up, Love, the lawyer will be here in five minutes."

"Oh, Daniel, would you find Martha and tell her I won't be able to swim with her until later?"

"Sure," he said. "Hey, we should all have a swim before dinner."

Ten minutes later, the lawyer greeted and introductions out of the way, Daniel, Sarah and the attorney, Mikhail Benjamin seated themselves around a conference table in one of the smaller rooms.

"How can I help you, Mr. Rossler?" Benjamin asked.

"Have you been told anything about why we're here?" Daniel countered.

"Not really. Only that you are a guest of our government, under the protection of political asylum. Do you require some assistance in defending yourself against your country's accusations?"

'No, nothing like that," Daniel laughed. "At least, not yet. What we need is assistance in forming a non-profit organization, preferably in the United States, as that's our home. Unfortunately, we had to leave before we could get it started."

"I see. How much do you know about forming a corporation of any sort in the US?" Benjamin asked.

"I know we need a business plan, a structure, some money for filing fees, and some sort of description for the business," Daniel said. "What else?"

"Forming a non-profit is similar, except that you also need a unique and easily communicable mission."

"I think we can handle that," Daniel said dryly.

"And, you must have sufficient funds to start up before you can begin fundraising."

"Again, not a problem. At least, I think it isn't a problem. By the way, we need to establish a bank account here, if Israel and the US have banking agreements. Can you ..."

"Yes, there is no reason you cannot have an account here, but I must warn you that it will be scrutinized by both our government and yours."

Sarah spoke up. "Mr. Benjamin, I assure you we are not tax evaders nor terrorists; nothing illegal will be going on. Neither government will have any reason to be upset with our transactions. But if it will help, we're prepared to explain any transaction we make. It will be quite transparent publicly, in fact."

Daniel was nodding. "We'd like to make it a corporate account for the foundation. But which comes first, the account or the foundation?"

"The foundation. Do you have a business plan?"

"Not really. We need to get a steering committee in place before we decide what to do," remarked Sarah, not noticing that her imprecise observation gave the wrong impression.

Benjamin's face showed his distress. "You do not even have an idea of what you want to accomplish with this foundation?"

"Oh, yes," chorused both Daniel and Sarah. Daniel took it from there. "We'd better tell you what it's all about, then you'll see the dilemma. I trust we're under attorney/client privilege? Or does that exist in Israel?"

"That's a complex question. The short answer is, as long as I am in the process of providing professional services, I'm prohibited from disclosing information you provide. However, there are certain exceptions related to judicial proceedings."

Daniel held up a finger, indicating he wanted to mull that over. Sarah was also trying to sort it out. Clearly Daniel was about to disclose the pyramid records, which apparently they'd need to do before this man could help them. But, under what circumstances might they find themselves in an Israeli court of law, with the need to keep it secret? She could think of several, none of which applied if they were going to disclose the secrets to the world soon anyway. She shrugged.