The Night Gods III- The Triumph Of Evil- XVII: The Man Of Peace

Artwork by @marty-art on Steemit... With many thanks!

While the New Hollywood was busy fawning over the new presidential candidate, Dick and his intrepid patriots were doing some checking of their own. A movie was in the planning stages showcasing U'Bamah's early life and meteoric rise to prominence on the political stage. David and Uwe were hard at work scouring the darknet for leads to help unravel the mystery of why a virtually unknown Palestinian would rise suddenly to global prominence. Perhaps some of the answers lie in the message Przybysz and Ann were bringing from Vanessa's cousin Gwendolyn.

"This is odd," Uwe mused a perplexed look on his face.

"What, did you find something?" David asked."

"It's more what I didn't find," Uwe said. "Everything I've found is mostly from Israeli Intelligence- it shows that this guy is a terroist... then he just falls off their radar."

"What's the last thing you've got on him?" David asked. "That will at least give us a point of reference- something to go on."

"The best I can tell," Uwe began, "is that he went from Iraq- working for Al Queda- to Syria. Then, just before the war starts, he just disappears. Then he shows up again in Geneva."

"He probably went to Europe with fake papers," Dick, who had just come in, mused.

"That's what I figured too," Uwe added. "What I can't figure out is how did a terrorist suddenly become the man of peace."

"He's right," David put in, "it just doesn't make any sense."

"There's more that doesn't make any sense too," Dick mused. "Nobody runs for president without the Councils' backing... How did some nobody from Palestine get the attention of the Councils- that's what doesn't make sense to me."

"When are Prz and Ann due?" David asked. "Maybe they have something."

"Later this afternoon," Dick replied.

In Geneva, Baraq awoke in a sweat from a vivid and terrifying dream- this one profoundly different from any of the others... In this one he was a participant rather than a spectator. The previous dreams featured only the blurred face of his father and the victims. On this night, the victim was Lord Penrose's daughter Gwendolyn, and Baraq himself the killer. He arose at once and went to the bathroom to towel off. When he glanced into the mirror, the reflection was not his own... It was that of Eddie Phillips- his father. He quickly looked away and then back, relieved that the image that looked back was his own.

Baraq laid back down, but sleep eluded him- the dream kept replaying itself in his minds eye. He was apalled by it, sickened... However, there was something else in it, scintillating and repellant at the same time- something that attracted him. The image of Gwendolyn, her beautiful eyes full of terror, mesmerized him. Her skin so soft and pliant beneath his knife. He had begun to doze off again, the image of Gwendolyn in his thoughts when he shook himself awake. What if the dream was a prophesy... an image of events to come... He went immediately to Hassan's room to wake him.

Przybysz and Ann arrived in late afternoon as promised, with Anica in tow. Accompanied by Ann she went off to find Barbara to tell of her great adventure. Przybysz went to find Dick with the message from Gwendolyn.

"How's life in the jet set?" Dick asked with a grin.

"Interesting," Przybysz replied, "that's for sure. I met with our counterparts in Italy... wonderful people, dedicated. There's one you'd particualrly like, a priest- formerly 82nd Airborne if you can believe it."

"Now he's a priest?" Dick asked surprised.

"When he isn't busy killing people," Przybysz smiled.

"I like this guy already, "Dick said. "So, what's the important message?"

"It's about this U'Bamah guy," Przybysz told him.

"We've been doing a little checking on our own," Dick told his friend. "He was a terrorist... the last thing we had he was in Syria- then he turns up in Geneva."

"He left Syria as a refugee," Przybysz said. "He went to Germany, then Paris- from there to Geneva with a guy called St. Simone... Council."

"So what's the message?" Dick asked.

"This guy is bad news," Przybysz began, "he hasn't changed a bit- he's still a radical. I'm not positive what they're up to, but I'm pretty sure peace isn't it... not any kind of peace we'd want any part of. Gwendolyn, Vanessa's cousin says he scares the shit out of her."

"What are we supposed to do?" Dick wanted to know.

"Good question," Przybysz replied. "I'm not sure there's anything we can do at this point. If we start broadcasting anything to sway the election, he'll come after us... this guy is no Oliveira. Oliveira was stupid, a thug- this guy is evil... and cunning."

"What do we do?" Dick asked.

"Keep gathering information," Przybysz told him. "After the election, we'll see. I don't know what else to do."

"What about taking him out?" Dick suggested.

"He's too well guarded, you'd never get close enough," Przybysz replied. "Gwendolyn says there's something different about this guy... something almost supernatural."

"Are you going all spooky on me pal?" Dick laughed.

"I'll give it to you the way she told me," Przybysz began, "you know in the Bible- the antichrist that comes to power promising peace... she thinks this is the guy."

"You don't believe that stuff do you?" Dick asked incredulously.

"I'm not discounting it and neither should you," Przybysz responded. "I haven't met this guy yet, but I have spoken to Gwen and she's scared shitless of him... and she's not the type to scare easily."

"Now that you mention it, it does kinda make sense," Dick said. "I just always thought it was something way in the future."

"Looks like the future might be now," Przybysz told his friend.

"On a less supernatural note," Dick said, "how's married life?"

"Better than I ever imagined, Przybysz replied, "she's an incredible person, Dick. I had no idea..."

"Hey," Dick slapped his forehead, "this makes sense to me now."

"What?" Przybysz inquired.

"I didn't think of this when you mentioned the supernatural thing," Dick said, "the Council- you said they serve some Ancient Ones, or something like that..."

"Yeah, but I didn't have anything to do with that aspect," Przybysz told him. "The Doctor and his friends were mostly businessmen. From what I understand it was like a trade-off... The Night Gods are supposed to be the gods of this world. They let the Council prosper in exchange for an occasional war- something like that."

"Yeah, but Penrose, Beck and those guys," Dick began, "you said they were different- sick evil guys... and this U'Bamah, if your Gwen is right, fits right in... I see it now- it's a perfect fit."

"I'm glad that you do," Przybysz said confused, "because I don't get it at all."

"It's all in the Bible," Dick told him, "Revelations- something like seven years of peace, or something like that, I'm not an expert- maybe your priest friend..."

"Father Tony," Przybysz said.

"Yeah," Dick said, "ask him. If I'm not wrong, after seven years or so of peace all hell breaks loose- literally. Wars, pestilence, disease, stuff like that. Something like two-thirds or three quarters of the world's population wiped out... that kind of stuff."

"Holy shit," Przybysz interjected.

"Yeah, exactly," Dick returned with a grim smile.

"If you're right," Przybysz said, "this is it."

Przybysz sank into a chair covering his face with his hands. Thoughts of Ann and Anica darted through his mind. "We gotta stop this guy- but how?"

"I could be wrong..." Dick replied.

"You really think so?" Przybysz looked up at his friend.

"No," Dick shook his head mournfully... The magnitude of what was happening was sinking in.

(For links to previous chapters go to Chapter XV)

https://steemit.com/fiction/@richq11/the-night-gods-iii-the-triumph-of-evil-xv-the-loveboat
https://steemit.com/fiction/@richq11/the-night-gods-iii-the-triumph-of-evil-xvi-a-platform-of-peace

GIF by @papa-pepper