“On what specific date?”
“That was something Labron claimed to have been unaware of since he was to receive orders from the Bangladeshi as to the ‘timing’ of the operation. Obviously, those orders have yet to be received.”
“How do you know this?”
“Labron had on his possession a burner cellphone, unused. The assumption is that contact will be coming soon. At that time, we’ll attempt to triangulate the Bangladeshi’s origin point when he calls.”
“And, of course, you’ll notify the Vatican of the results?”
“Of course. That is a constant between our two agencies, to give and to receive.”
“Thank you, Commander Leibowitz,” said Father Essex. “We appreciate your efforts on this matter.”
“Look,” Leibowitz continued, “if the Bangladeshi is moving towards Vatican City, there’s a good chance that he’s already arrived, and the weapon placed. This is, of course, speculation. But the timeframe of their departures, as indicated by Labron after we were able to mine him for all he was worth, implied that the remaining operatives had ample time to reach their destinations. The Bangladeshi might be standing at your front door looking in, as we speak. The Americans share a similar problem with the Man from Munich and have launched a nationwide hunt.”
Fathers Essex and Auciello continued to stare at Leibowitz’s transparent and ghostly image on the Plexiglas screen. Then from Father Auciello: “Of course, Commander Leibowitz, the Vatican appreciates your agency’s involvement in all this. Be assured that we will leave a direct channel open for immediate communication.”
“Understood.”
Once the onscreen interaction between the three ended, Fathers Auciello and Essex determined that having close council with the pontiff was paramount. What had been confirmed to a degree was that the Goliath Chamber, once a thing of myth, was real. The Unholy Trinity that was alleged to be encapsulated within this tomb that served as their eternal and unescapable chamber, was considered to be something of fiction. Yet these demons took on a different form, a different shape. These monsters did not possess the diaphanous wings of demons but were the technical makings of men willing to profit from misery and mass chaos. Fiction had become reality with the monsters that made up the Unholy Trinity very real. They may not have appeared as they had in the biblical versions, but they were just as awful and infinitely deadly.
Now that the Antichrist had been laid to rest, the world was now on the hunt for Satan and the False Prophet.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
The Apostolic Palace
Vatican City
It was late evening inside the pontiff’s chamber when Fathers Essex and Auciello asked Pope Clement XV for a moment of his time due to great urgency. With the priests sitting across from the pontiff outlining the recent intel regarding the movement of a WMD with the Vatican a target, the pontiff listened and nodded. When everything had been spelled out, the pope simply stared at a fixed point on his desktop.
And then from His Holiness, he asked, “And this has been absolutely verified? That the Vatican is a primary target?”
“No,” Father Auciello answered. “The intel from the Mossad strongly suggests to a high degree that the information obtained is factual, and that the device is headed for Vatican City.”
“Still, it’s conjecture at this point.”
Father Auciello nodded lightly. “But something we need to strongly consider, regardless.”
Pope Clement XV started to drum the fingertips of his right hand against the desktop, the rhythm in perfect measure. As a means to thin the herd of the Vatican Knights to set a course for the Nocturnal Saints to operate without interference, he had sent a majority of the Knights on missions that were considered by the Society of Seven—a democratic league of cardinals who agree or disagree on mission parameters—as unnecessary. But since the pontiff no longer engaged or listened to this team of advisors, he made his decision without their input. And the reason, of course, was the ulterior motive that the Vatican Knights would be beyond Kimball Hayden’s reach, should Kimball decide to call upon them. What had been left behind was a severely weakened crew of three Vatican Knights with Kimball, Isaiah and Nehemiah serving as the onsite team.
“Galvanize Vatican Security,” the pontiff finally said. “Have them search every building including the Palace of the Governatorate, the Basilica, the Palace of the Tribunal, the Mater Ecclesiae Convent, every station people have access to. Close the city borders and tell the masses that the closure is due to an observance, but don’t specify what that observance is. The media will take care of that with baseless speculation.”
“How long should we close the borders for?” asked Father Essex.
“As long as it takes to discover the operators transporting the devices, or the devices themselves.”
“That could take days, weeks, maybe months.”
“Do you prefer that we allow the barbarian who stands at the gate to waltz in with a weapon of mass destruction?”
“Of course not.”
“Then what would you propose?”
Neither priest had an answer, at least not one that provided a safety net.
“Exactly,” stated the pontiff as he eased into his seat.
“Perhaps, Your Holiness,” Father Auciello began, “it would be best if you leave the Vatican for a safer haven.”
“Until it’s been undeniably proven that someone’s trying to annihilate the city, only then will I leave. But until then, I will remain seated upon the papal throne. I have all the faith in the world when it comes to my security team, not to mention the Swiss Guard.”
“Your Holiness,” this coming from Father Essex whose British accent was strong, “the yield may be powerful enough to destroy the city, even from Rome.”
“Then,
