The Curtain. David T Maddox

than they knew. They left to gather their new teams and to flesh out the details of their areas of responsibility.

       The Greater Threat

      In an old rent house off of Bell and 17^th, a group of eleven committed and trained Jihadists prepared for action. They were part of a much larger effort intending to bring America to its knees, but their charge was not to cripple the economy or kill millions. That assignment had been given to others. Their job was to create terror by removing any remaining sense of peace and safety, while targeting those among the infidels who were declared enemies of the faith, the Christians and Jews, and others whose death would so traumatize the masses that they would be paralyzed with fear for the safety of those they loved – and would demand their government bow to the requirements of the Jihad. It would be a glorious victory over America – the Great Satan.

      The house was rented by three college students who had been sent to enter the United States legally on student visas. This was all part of a new strategy intended to make discovery more difficult and to protect the greater plan if a portion failed or an individual was captured. The three students’ sole contribution to the effort was to provide a safe place for ten of the eleven warriors to sleep, plan and prepare their attacks. The three would never be told anything about the plans. They were not allowed to attend any of the planning meetings or to discuss operations with any of the eleven. They had been directed to attend classes, work hard, do well in school and stay out of trouble. They were to keep their Jihadists views to themselves. They were to socialize and seek to make non-Arab friends. They were to be Americans in dress, language and custom. The goal was to present themselves as secular Muslims to break the American stereotype of young Arab males being dangerous religious fanatics. They would be forgiven for what they did against the purity of the faith for it was only done to facilitate killing infidels.

      Of the eleven, one had remained in the country after finishing graduate school and now was teaching history in a local junior high. The ten had come into the country through America’s soft underbelly – the Mexican border. They were in Williams illegally but possessed ample identification, including multiple social security cards, drivers’ licenses, passports, credit cards, and lots of cash. With multiple identities, they had the security of movement and protection from a mistake using any particular ID. The credit card accounts were addressed to post office boxes in multiple cities other than Williams, but the bills were picked up online and paid by bank transfers.

      There were many such groups that had been sent in over the past two years as part of the greater plan. The goal was that no state containing a major city would be without such groups, each operating independently, yet simultaneously. Williams had been chosen as the place to test the operational concept and work through the bugs before it went national. For now, the others must wait.

      Of the eleven, only Abdul Farsi understood the outline of the greater plan, but few of the operational details. Those were known only to an elite council, meeting at that very moment far beneath the earth in a safe room constructed in a cave on the Pakistani/Afghan border. After the death of Osama bin Laden, the leadership had returned to the safety of the caves where the drones could not see or go. What Farsi knew was that cells were being established in college towns throughout the United States. Mosques were being constructed near all major college campuses by friendly Arab governments. Teachers were being sent to either convert young infidels or change opinions. Eyes were always to remain open, searching for recruitment possibilities.

      The other major effort Farsi knew of was in American prisons. This was the place to find angry, experienced men and women of violence who could be used almost immediately. Teaching hate and revenge would not be a problem, and it could be done under the flag of religion. Chaplains were recruited and trained to advance the cause of the faith and the agenda of the Jihad.

      The outline of the greater plan, as Farsi understood, was to establish two kinds of operational units in the United States. Others would target Americans and American interests outside. The first was a tactical terror unit, which was what Farsi headed in Williams. The second was an economic destruction unit which would use the selected domestically available weapon of choice to inflict significant damage on the economic infrastructure of America. Again, not a single attack, but a coordinated campaign. It would take patience, persistence, and much blood to bring America to its knees – but it could be done, and quickly.

      Farsi liked teaching school because it gave him a priority work permit, allowing him to remain in the United States and eventually become a citizen. He could travel in and out of the country without suspicion, as long as he chose his destinations carefully and used other ID for travels to meet with the Jihad leadership in countries that would raise concerns. It was really not that difficult. He would fly from the US to either an adjoining country or to a Western European nation and from there, use false ID to travel to his real destination. He would return the same way leaving no record of suspicious activity.

      Much thought had been put into this new approach, and he had been privileged to be part of developing the initial concept. He had been in that cave as part of the meeting when the domestically available weapon of choice had been selected. It had been his recommendation. Having been educated in America and having lived among the infidels for all these years, he understood their vulnerabilities and weaknesses. He knew what would work and what was readily available.

      As the teams prepared to meet separately, Farsi left on a walk to pass by the selected sites for the initial attacks to gather additional operational details and to think through escape scenarios. He drew no attention, appearing to be a graduate student walking between classes on campus. The team leaders had already been briefed, and his presence was no longer necessary for the moment. His physical contact with the group would be minimal. He had become a most valuable asset to the Jihad and must be protected in the event of discovery or failure. He would not be involved in the actual field operations and lived elsewhere in the city.

      The leader of the first team was Kalb Sawori. His team met downstairs. Sawori understood from Farsi that his team’s mission was to begin a concentrated effort to attack the enemies of the faith by striking selected churches and synagogues, killing some of the infidels indiscriminately while striking terror in the hearts of others who worshiped this enemy of the faith. They needed to be shown that their god could not protect them. For now, the cover would be to kill people of color if they had the opportunity. This, they hoped, would create confusion and misdirect the investigation into who was responsible for the killings. In the Williams’ test, they would not publicly take responsibility for their acts. Ensuring proper tactics and learning how people and the authorities would respond was what leadership was seeking to confirm before releasing a much larger national effort. When the effort went national, they would go public and claim responsibility.

      The leader of the second team meeting upstairs was Allahabad Doeg, a hardened veteran of the fight in Afghanistan and Iraq. He knew how to kill Americans from experience and hated all Americans of any age with an unholy passion. His view of how to deal with Americans was how the ‘Jewish God’ told their first king to deal with the Amalekites who had opposed them on their exodus from Egypt. The whole exodus thing was just fiction in his eyes, but the instruction was what he liked. The command was to go and attack and completely destroy everything they had – to kill men and women, children and infants, oxen and sheep, camels and donkeys.¹⁵ Doeg joyfully accepted his current assignment to kill children and infants. That would send a message that these infidels needed to hear – convert or die. Surrender to the Jihad or be destroyed by its power. Nothing would be able to stop them. America must pay for its interference in the homeland and its opposition to the faith.

      Had the Curtain been parted for even a moment, darkness would have been revealed so complete that it would have appeared impenetrable. Present for the meetings were Keepers and Tempters galore including those named Liar, Anger, Hatred, Jealously and Pride. Also present was the one called Death, a direct report to the Dark Master. He was here because of the importance of Jihad to the overall plan that the human creatures perish. Success would require much blood, but it also required a one world government and religion. Both were in play through the Jihad.

      There were no Guardians and no Providers present, for none in attendance at the meetings sought guidance from a light within. There was