The Last Odyssey (Sigma Force #15) - James Rollins Page 0,91
survival had reached her father, it implied Joe had made it safely to those in authority.
“Luckily,” her father continued, “the Morning Star is equipped with a sophisticated communications system, capable of bouncing signals all around—not only is it masking my location, but it’s making it look as if I’m teleconferencing from my hotel room in Hamburg.”
Elena finally found her voice. “Dad, what the hell are you doing here?”
“Ah, yes, that’s why I came down here during a break at the summit.” He lifted a hand to the table by the glass wall. “Come and I’ll explain.”
She wanted to tell him to fuck off, but she also wanted answers, so she followed him to the table. They took the remaining two seats, joining Monsignor Roe and Rabbi Fine.
Nehir came along and stood nearby.
As they settled to the table, her father glanced around and asked, “What do you know about the Apocalypti?”
Roe flinched, his eyes widening and staring hard at her father, but the priest remained quiet.
“I never heard the term,” Elena admitted. “Unless it’s plural for Apocalypse.”
Her father smiled. It was the wry, boyish grin that had won him four terms in the Senate. “I suppose, in a way, that’s true. I learned of the group during my second tour in the Middle East. During a combat mission, my infantry troop rooted out an Apocalypti cell in Baghdad. A prisoner was taken, along with a great number of texts. While guarding the man, I learned about who they were and what they were about. After talking with him, after reading the core texts of the Apocalypti, I was swayed. I recognized that we shared a common goal.”
Elena glanced to Nehir, to Kadir. “Are . . . are you saying the prisoner secretly converted you to Islam?”
Her father gave a short laugh. “Of course not. I’m as devout in my belief as they are in theirs. I know they’re wrong. And they know I am. But like I said, we both share a common goal.”
“Which is what?” Elena asked.
“To bring about the Apocalypse by any means necessary.”
Elena felt her heart drop even farther in her chest. She pictured the horrific weapons stored in Hunayn’s dhow—and the radioactive hellfire that fueled them. The group here must be planning on using the dreadful power and the lost knowledge hidden in Tartarus to bring about a global war, to unleash Hell upon the world at large.
Her father continued. “After we bring about Armageddon, we’ll let the chips fall where they will. Ambassador Firat believes he will become the legendary Mahdi of his faith, the twelfth imam who’ll guide the world to its end. Whereas I follow the teachings of Christian scholars who view Armageddon’s path and outcome very differently.”
He shrugged. “But it is not only our two religions. The Apocalypti accept all who would see the world end according to their own beliefs. The Rapture and Tribulations of the evangelicals. The Hindus who await Kalki, the final incarnation of Visnu. Buddhists who watch for the appearance of the seven suns that will destroy the world. Even those of Jewish faith, who share some form of apocalyptic vision.”
He waved to the rabbi. “I’m sure you’re familiar with the prophetic books of Zechariah and Daniel.”
Rabbi Fine frowned. “Indeed. They speak of a Messianic Age, when the Jewish diaspora would gather in Israel, and a great war would ensue, during which time the Jewish messiah would return, and a new world would be born out of that destruction.”
Her father nodded, an exalted glow rising in his eyes. She knew her father was devoutly Catholic, discovering the depth of his faith after Elena’s mother died of breast cancer two decades ago. It was one of the reasons many considered him to be the new JFK—only her father adhered to a far stricter code of moral ethics than Kennedy.
Or so I thought.
Elena challenged her father. “So, you’re telling us the Apocalypti are a coalition of religious zealots that adhere to a shared apocalyptic viewpoint.”
“Not to be a stickler, but your use of ‘religious zealots’ implies a level of blind faith. In fact, we are open to multiple viewpoints. We include many members in the scientific field. In fact, we have members who have no religious affiliation at all, strict atheists, who cling to their own versions of the Apocalypse. Whether it be something current like climate change or a global pandemic or something far in the future revolving around the end of the universe.”