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that the data will be compromised, rendering
the entire operation useless.”
    “I see.”
    “There is a solution for everything,” he said. “I will maintain
all data so that a lab in Pakistan has the chance to emulate the progress of
what we are doing inside Mount Damavand. If Ahmadinejad falls back on his word,
then at least you’ll have the necessary information to replicate the
technology.”
    “You’ve considered your options well,” said al-Zawahiri.
“Impressive.”
    “I’m a soldier of Allah’s army. I plan for every
contingency.”
    “And what about the Ark of the Covenant?”
    “It’s safe inside the facility in Damavand,” he answered. “Once
the nano project is complete, then the Ark will come into play.”
    Although al-Ghazi could not see al-Zawahiri, he knew the
old soldier held a pleased look about him.
    “ Allahu Akbar ,” the old soldier finally said.
    Al-Ghazi nodded,
smiled. “ Allahu Akbar .”
    The line was
severed.
    Al-Ghazi then removed
the SIM card from the phone, destroyed it, and quietly watched the people of Tehran mill about as he sat back and enjoyed his Sharbat .
     

 
     
     
    CHAPTER NINE
    Vatican City , Domus Sanctæ Marthæ
     
    On the edge of Vatican City but
adjacent to St. Peter’s Basilica lies the Domus
Sanctæ Marthæ, the residential quarters of the Cardinal Electors who
are housed there prior to entering the conclave to elect a newly appointed
official upon the passing of the pope.
    Three days after
his arrival, Cardinal Bonasero Vessucci took up residence in a dormitory room
overlooking the Basilica.
    To be back at Vatican City held something special for him, the air of the plaza bearing its own
uniqueness unlike anywhere else in the world. Or so he believed.  
    In the days that
followed his arrival, politicking began, the camps congregating with
discussions as to who would provide the best possible leadership and guidance,
and whether or not the names bandied about were more conservative or liberal in
ideology. Like last time, Cardinal Vessucci’s name entered discussions as a
leading candidate alongside Cardinal Giuseppe
Angullo, whose camp banded with the late Pope Gregory’s in the last election
and caused Vessucci to lose by a marginal count and ultimately his exile by
Gregory. In exchange for Angullo’s collusion entitling him the papalship, Pope
Gregory would grant Angullo Vessucci’s old post as the Vatican’s secretary of state, the second highest position in the Church.
    Now with less
than a year under his belt and the leading title as the Church’s secretary of
state, Cardinal Angullo was positioned to take it all despite talks amongst the
Electors that members within his camp had defected. No reasons were given other
than that his position had been severely weakened with his major components of
support now gone.
    Nevertheless, Angullo’s
camp remained strong with Vessucci trying to corral as many of the cardinal’s
defectors with powerful politicking.
    Vessucci was
gathering momentum.
    By the end of
the third day as the sun was beginning to set, Bonasero Vessucci made his way
to the papal chamber. The doors were guarded by two members of the Swiss Guards,
who were holding traditional halberds. When the cardinal stood before the doors
the guards, out of obligatory courtesy, opened them and allowed the cardinal passage
into the chamber.
    The doors closed
softly behind him, the snicker of the bolt locking into place barely
perceptible to the cardinal’s ears.
    The room was
large and vast, the scalloped drapery hanging still as Vessucci crossed the
floor in a room that appeared more sepulchral than hallowed.
    He stood at the threshold
of the balcony that overlooked the city in its glory with the Egyptian obelisk
and the colonnades within clear view. People milled by the thousands; vacationers
mostly, with their digital cameras and touristy attire. And the sky was a
perfect blend of reds and yellows with the onset of a darkening sky.
    He