He transferred his attention back to the one who called himself Father Abraham. The old coot sure knew how to give a stemwinder. He’d been at it for over fifteen minutes already. God’s will, blah-blah. Everlasting glory, blah-de-blah-blah. Try as he might, Chopper couldn’t keep his thoughts from drifting off-topic. This gig wasn’t exactly what he had in mind when he came back to the states. He’d just finished a stint with a security operation in Iraq and decided to pick up a side job when old Abe contacted him. Leroy Hunt was behind the referral.
He and Leroy went way back. Two Bama boys who joined the service during the first Gulf War. Both found they had a natural talent for the military and liked the life. Chopper couldn’t remember exactly when Leroy started dressing up like a matinee cowboy and talking like Slim Pickens, but he didn’t really care either. Hunt always completed a mission with no foul-ups, and that was all that mattered.
Unfortunately, in their last conversation, Hunt had breezed over the details about who these Nephilim characters were. As a rule, Bowdeen tried to steer clear of religious types. He’d already gotten his fill of fanatics in the Middle East. They tended to make war a messy business when it ought to be cut and dried. He was a mercenary. He was willing to take a bullet for the right price, unlike those camel jockeys who were just itching to die for Allah to score points in heaven. He couldn’t beat their price no matter how steeply he cut his own rates. This Nephilim bunch didn’t seem all that different from their towel-headed brethren in the desert. Especially once Chopper forced himself to concentrate on what Abe was telling them.
The old man had worked them up into a fine lather by now. He was on a roll. “My sons, you are God’s chosen, destined to play a vital role in the Lord’s plan for this earth. He has commanded the Nephilim to lead the world out of darkness and you, my sons, will be at the forefront of that march. You are about to be trained in the skills of combat that you may become mighty soldiers of the Lord. You will take your place in glory alongside the great heroes of the past. With Michael who drove Adam and Eve from Eden with a flaming sword. With Joshua who destroyed the walls of Jericho. With King David who crushed Goliath in the Lord’s name. Just as all these valiant ones live on in our memory so shall you, my sons. Your names shall endure forever, and your reward shall be great in the kingdom of heaven.”
It was classic religious cliché. Pump up a bunch of losers with low self-esteem by telling them how important they are to the cause. How much glory they’re going to achieve by becoming cannon fodder. Chopper had heard it a thousand times before, but as he scanned the faces before him, he could see them drinking it all in. Their eyes had the fiery, dazed look of the true believer. He didn’t dismiss it all as holy smoke. Belief was a powerful thing. Sometimes Chopper thought of it as the ultimate weapon. If you could get a man to believe in something deeply enough, he’d be willing to commit any atrocity in its name.
Chopper sensed that the endless preamble was winding to a close. He stood up to take the podium and give these kids a lecture on basic combat skills. After that would come weeks of weapons training. Teaching somebody to fire a gun assumed the existence of a target. He wasn’t sure who these Nephilim boys were supposed to be aiming at. He brushed the notion away. So what? He was a gun for hire. He’d never before questioned who the target was as long as he got paid. And he was being paid handsomely for this gig. What the hell did it matter who they wanted to destroy? As he stepped over to the microphone, an uneasy sensation in his gut told him that someday he might regret not asking that question.
Chapter 34 – Sleight Change of Plan
Cassie stood up and dusted off her hands. “Phew, that’s a relief.” She watched as Erik and Griffin moved the lily stone back into position.
“Any word on where our Nephilim buddies are at?” Fred asked, arranging smaller rocks around the perimeter to make their excavation less obvious.
“Last Maddie could find out, they were searching shrines on the eastern side of the mountain,” Erik replied. He squinted across the plateau toward the mountain range in the distance. “I’d say that means close. They could get here any time now.”
“Then it’s a good thing we got the fake artifact in place first,” Cassie observed.
Griffin consulted his wrist watch. “I know it isn’t even midday, but I’d suggest we clear off. It could be rather awkward if we were to encounter them while making our exit.”
“Got that right.” Erik leaped to his feet. “The bait’s in place. We don’t need to wait for the rats to take it. Maddie is still monitoring Hunt’s phone calls to Metcalf. We’ll know the minute they dig it up.”
The four teammates gathered their equipment and hiked the half mile back to the Jeep. They had just finished stowing their gear when Cassie picked up the jacket she had tossed across the hood. She reached into one of the pockets and
