Brad Thor - Blowback

“No, in the Ottoman tradition, the heir has been sent away for safekeeping and will not be called until the caliphate is ready. For lack of a better term, Akrep is the power behind the throne.”

“What power could he possibly have? He doesn’t even have an army.”

“He may not personally, but Turkey does. And after the United States, it is the largest army in NATO.”

“Are you saying the Ottomans can actually call upon the Turkish Army?”

“Eventually they will be able to, but right now it doesn’t matter. They have something much more powerful at their disposal.”

“Which is?”

“Fundamentalist Islam. Wahhabism, to be exact. The radical Muslim movement from which all modern Islamic terrorism has sprung.”

Harvath was all too familiar with the cult of Wahhabism and the sheer devastation it had wrought around the world. “So what are you saying? The Wahhabis are going to do the Ottoman’s work for them?”

“In a manner of speaking, yes. The Wahhabis would love nothing more than to see the Islamic world united as a single body, not just religiously, but politically as well. Even before Osama bin Laden became their most recognized adherent, the Wahhabis were calling for the reestablishment of the Muslim caliphate. The attacks of September 11 were a wake-up call to Muslims to rise up and seize power from the corrupt and apostate regimes that govern them.”

Once again, Harvath was transported back to his conversation with Jillian. “I don’t understand. How are the Ottomans going to use the Wahhabis? And what does it have to do with this illness?”

The Aga Khan looked at him and said, “Revolution.”

“Revolution? Where? Across the Muslim world?”

“Eventually, but first they must set an example-an example that will empower Muslims everywhere to rise up. It will happen in the holiest of countries most dear to all Muslims and a symbol of corruption and Western influence- Saudi Arabia.”

Harvath was stunned. “How can they hope to pull it off? The Saudis rule that country with an iron fist.”

“They have been very patient. With the help of al-Qaeda, the Wahhabis have been able to slowly infiltrate the ranks of the Saudi military and security forces. While there are many soldiers and policemen who are not loyal to bin Laden or the Wahhabi faith, there may not be enough of them to make a difference. Time and again in small skirmishes created by the Wahhabis to test the resolve of the military and police, it has been shown that Saudi troops and policemen will not fire on their own people.”

Harvath felt the blood go cold in his body. “And if American troops in the region try to help put down a revolt-”

“ Hannibal ’s weapon will be released on them, as well as in the United States. All the Wahhabis will need is twelve hours, twenty-four on the outside, to wrest power from the Saudi Royal Family and take full and unassailable control of the country. Saudi Arabia is the key to the illness, the revolution, everything. And as goes Saudi Arabia, to amend a quote from history, so goes the rest of the Islamic world.”

Harvath knew he was right. Considering the Wahhabis’ deep hate for America and the vast amount of military hardware the Saudi Monarchy had purchased and stockpiled from the U.S. over the years, the new Saudi Arabia, or whatever the extremists would end up calling it, would immediately join the league of rogue nations.

But that wasn’t all. With the Wahhabis’ well-defined social and religious agenda, their breed of radical, fundamentalist Islam would begin to spread to the neighboring states and sheikdoms. Much as the Soviet Union gobbled up its neighbors, the exact same thing would happen in the Middle East, with Saudi Arabia playing the role of mother Russia and places like Oman, Qatar, and UAE becoming the next Poland, East Germany, and Czechoslovakia.

As the movement pushed eastward, Pakistan would quickly collapse and along with it any hopes of keeping nuclear weapons out of the hands of the Wahhabis. As Indonesia, the most populous Muslim nation, joined and became the new China, the Western world would be plunged into a clash more devastating than anything it had ever known.

One thing was for sure, while the extremists might claim to be using the illness solely as a bargaining chip now, there was no question that when they were ready, they would set it loose it on the rest of the world.

“How did the Ottomans ever get the Wahhabis to agree to all of this?” asked Harvath.

“The Ottomans recognized the power of the Wahhabis and aligned themselves with them early on. That was how they were able to gain access to bin Laden and create al-Qaeda. It is a relationship of religion and politics-a match made in Paradise. The Wahhabis provided the spiritual justification for revolution and the establishment of a single Islamic state while the Ottomans provided the know-how and ability to run it efficiently. The one thing the Wahhabis recognize is that while they may have had a similar social agenda, the Taliban were defeated because they had no idea how to maintain the sovereignty of their country. That is something the Ottomans have more than proven they are capable of.”

Harvath’s head was reeling. “Without knowing how they are inoculating the Sunni, how the hell can we stop them?”

“You can’t,” said a voice from the other end of the room.

The Aga Khan recognized the voice immediately. “Akrep, “He said as the color drained from his face.

Watching the man as he crossed the room, Harvath now realized that the helicopter he had heard belonged neither to Claudia Mueller nor to the Aga Khan but to someone else who apparently had business at Château Aiglemont.

“I was right,” said Harvath as one of Ozan Kalachka’s two bodyguards stripped him of his weapons. “Everything does have its price with you, even friendship.”

“This isn’t about friendship,” replied Kalachka.

“I’m also willing to bet that this isn’t about your nephew either.”

Kalachka smiled. “Nephew? I don’t have any nephew.”

Harvath had underestimated the man yet again.

“I needed to find Tokay, and I knew you would lead me right to him,” said Kalachka.

“Why me? Why not Alomari?”

“Assassins have their place in this world, but he lacked your investigative skills. He also lacked the proper motivation. Not only is your entire country at risk, but someone you bore a serious grudge against was involved as well.”

“Rayburn.”

“Exactly. It all came together to form the perfect combination. I knew no matter what, you would find Emir Tokay for me.”

“But then why did you send Alomari to kill me?”

“I didn’t. In fact, when Alomari missed getting to Tokay before his kidnapping, I terminated his employment. Had he done his job, I never would have needed your services.”

“He found us in London, though.”

“He found you because he tortured the information about Dr. Alcott out of my colleague, Gökhan Celik. By going after Ms. Alcott and Emir Tokay, Alomari was trying to get himself back into my good graces.”

“Well, now that you’ve found Tokay, what do you intend to do with him?”

Kalachka looked at Harvath and smiled. “I’ve already done it. He’s dead.”

Without his radio, there was no way Harvath could contact Schroeder and verify whether or not he’d found Tokay, much less if he’d found the man alive. Glancing at his Kobold, Harvath realized that if Schroeder’s part of the operation had gone according to plan, he and Gösser would have already gotten to Tokay and moved him outside.

“So now that the last scientist has been silenced, you can set your sights on starting your own personal revolution, is that it?”