The Rise of Kali by Ron Owen

Author:Ron Owen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Kali Hunter, Ron Owen, Action, Adventure, thriller, Crime
Publisher: Ron Owen
Published: 2018-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen: A New Timeline

IRAQI SCIENCE MINISTER Afra sat patiently in his office and watched the American scientist carefully examine his files. On the final day of inspections, the teams of U.S. nuclear technicians were being more thorough than usual.

“Mr. Jeffries, please, I do not mean to be rude.” Afra wrung his hands and mopped his sweaty brow. “I have an appointment with the president. If I do not leave now, I will be very late.”

“I am sorry Mr. Afra. Our instructions were to be thorough. This is our last day and if I miss anything I’m going to get an ass chewing from my boss.”

Afra scratched his head. “Ass chewing? I am sorry, your American slang escapes me.”

Jeffries laughed. “Ass chewing is when your boss gets mad and yells at you for not doing your job right.”

“Ah, yes, I see. But, if I do not leave soon. I will get this ass chewing from my boss. Please, Mr. Jeffries. Could I encourage you to hurry things along?” Afra’s mind went back to the unexplained disappearance of his predecessor, Mr. Nawal, the former science minister. Nawal went to the presidential palace two months ago to report to the president. No one ever heard from him again. Afra suspected Nawal rested somewhere in a shallow grave or languished in dark prison cell.

The president had wanted nuclear weapons for over 30 years and he’d run out of patience. The interference of the United Nations and the Americans had heightened his craving, not lessened them. The news Afra carried in his upper-right breast pocket might be the only thing to spare his life today.

Jeffries smiled. “Alright Mr. Afra, I’ll make you a deal. You stop looking over my shoulder and I’ll try to speed things up. Deal?”

Afra nodded and went to the other side of the room, finding an empty chair to occupy. He sat watching as the minutes ticked by. After an agonizing thirty minutes, Jeffries finally stood. “Alright, I believe I have everything I need. I’ll have my report typed up and we’ll be out of your hair by tomorrow.” Afra’s hand went to his thinning head of hair.

The American chuckled, “Out of your hair is an expression that means I won’t be bothering you anymore.”

The men shook hands and Afra snatched up the papers Jeffries handed him. He jammed them into his briefcase and hurried out the door. Jumping into his car, he raced toward the presidential palace, all the way on the other side of town, at rush hour.

Afra walked as fast as his stubby legs would allow down the hallway, his steps echoing off the walls. The high polish on the tile reflected his thick mid-section as he hurried along. A feeling of dread grew as he approached the President’s conference room. He was not the kind of man to be kept waiting.

He stopped just outside the door, straightened his tie and walked in. The president sat solemnly, looking first at Afra, then at his watch, while the other cabinet members waited.

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