200Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsNVCbBfpd2
"Death to America," Arastoo Mazanderani muttered under his breath. "Death to America."
His white lab coat swirled as he turned away from his chemistry lab. Arastoo held a beaker in each hand. Success lay within his grasp. He had concocted the form of the plague currently surging in San Francisco, California, USA. In his mind, he viewed himself as a hero. In his hands lay the destruction of the Muslim world's long-time enemy.
Arastoo aimed to destroy those who openly flaunted the words of the Quran.
"If two men among you are guilty of lewdness, punish both of them. If they repent and amend, leave them alone" (Quran 4:16).
Bile rose in Arastoo's throat as he thought of the PRIDE parades in major American cities such as San Francisco. News broadcasts of the celebrations irked him. A white fire rushed through his blood.
The sins of America railed against all the sacred teachings of Mohammad. Instead of repenting, the American people created a festival for those who exhibited their vulgarities. They deserved a horrific punishment. Allah provided Arastoo with the brains to concoct such a retribution. His strong willpower would rebuke those who disregarded Allah's holy word. If his concoction destroyed more than those he aimed for, all the better.
Arastoo Mazanderani did not view himself as a fanatic. His goals, he believed, were perfectly sane. In his dreams, Allah spoke to him. If he succeeded in destroying the LBGTQ community, his name would appear on every true Muslim's lips. Arastoo would become venerated as a true prophet of Allah. He imagined the praise Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would bestow upon him.
For three long years, he worked on a new strain of the Plague. Shut up in a laboratory deep within the mountainous Takht-e-Soleiman range, he perfected his concoction. His assistant, Zeeba Bahrami, remained isolated with him.
A solitary outpost perched across the way containing four guards. They did not suspect the presence of the laboratory. Arastoo and Zeeba remained well concealed. No one could discover their hidden lair among the maze of natural tunnels within the mountains. Amongst many blind alleys, only one clear path led to their hideaway. However, no one would think to look for them in Takht-e-Soleiman.
Other than Zeeba Bahrami, no one knew his location. His father, Gulzar Mazanderani, believed he worked on a secret assignment. He allowed the family patriarch to believe he received orders from the Ayatollah himself. However, that was not the case. Arastoo took his orders only from the Prophet Mohammad and, ultimately, Allah.
"Allahu Akbar," Gulzar exclaimed when Arastoo gave him the news. Although the father was not as fanatical as the son, he firmly believed in the teachings of Mohammad. He did not understand how the Ayatollah chose Arastoo Mazanderani for such a divine purpose. However, the honor pleased him.
Gulzar raised Arastoo in the teachings of the Quran. As long as his son followed the correct procedures, Allah assured him a place in Paradise. Five times a day, they knelt facing Mecca and prayed. Fajr (at dawn), Dhuhr (following midday), Asr (during the afternoon), Maghrib (sunset), and, finally, Isha (nighttime) marked their days.
Arastoo did not mind locking himself away from civilization for a long duration. Believing his delusions of grandeur, he bent to his holy work. The separation from his family in Bandar Abbas did not bother him. Although he did not fully understand, his father, Gulzar Mazanderani, believed his work was necessary. Anahita, his mother, placidly accepted his absence, and his wife, Yasmina, had no say in the matter. A true believer, she lived solely by her husband's rule. It never occurred to her to question Arastoo's actions. His sisters, BahAr and Mahasti, obeyed their father.
******
“Allahu Akbar,” Arastoo exclaimed as a form of greeting.
Zeeba Bahrami entered the laboratory to begin the day. She covered her knee-length black skirt and white blouse by donning a white lab coat. Her bespectacled brown eyes met Arastoo’s, and she repeated his pronouncement. For a brief moment, they grinned. Then they turned solemn.
Zeeba was brilliant. If she had not shown potential, Arastoo would have passed her up. He did not particularly like to work closely with women. He believed in the inferiority of the opposite sex. However, his female companion provided an exception.
Similar to Arastoo, Zeeba received her chemistry degree at Oxford. They shared many classes there and became acquainted through their common interests. When he felt he could completely trust her, he filled her in on his zealous plans. She immediately concurred.
Fanatically against Western Civilization, Zeeba cast a critical eye on the Brits. Her first-hand experience confirmed her beliefs. It strengthened her faith in Allah, Mohammad, and the Quran. Alone, in the evenings, she spoke to Arastoo about her misgivings. The lewdness of the American people troubled her.
"Without them, the world would be a safer place," Zeeba firmly declared. Someday soon, she believed, Sharia Law would replace their evil practices. Muslims would overcome the Christian-run countries.
Arastoo heartily agreed.
Together, they planned to annihilate the LBGTQ community in San Francisco. It presented a beginning. If their theories concerning the plague worked, they planned to move on to other cities, such as New Orleans and Key West. They never counted on the virus swiftly spreading by itself in their simple minds. Shut off from the rest of the world, Arastoo and Zeeba naively planned further attacks.
However, the epidemic sent its tentacles forth. Whole populations sicken. Multitudes died. Continuing its journey across America, unsuspecting travelers carried it to Europe and Asia.
Leading scientists remained baffled by the new strain of the once eradicated disease. They had no means to fight it immediately. President Abraham Q. Morton ordered America to shut down. Working people obeyed the order to return home and isolated. The economy slid to an instant standstill. All over the world, travel bans appeared. Civilization focused on stopping the spread. However, once it started, it became impossible to stop.
“Here’s to success!” Zeeba announced, raising a beaker. Arastoo grabbed one and clinked it against hers.
Absently, she pushed her thick-cut glasses back on her nose. They constantly slid down, irking her.
“Death to America,” Arastoo practically shouted. His voice eerily echoed back from a deep tunnel. “Death to America.”
Fortune played a part in bringing them to the Takht-e-Soleiman range. Arastoo believed Allah cloaked their journey. Stealthily under the dark of night, he and Zeeba moved their equipment into the caves. The climb proved treacherous. However, they succeeded wonderfully. Even the guards across the way had no idea they hid there. Allahu Akbar indeed.
Arastoo felt Zeeba's eyes on him. He smiled pleasantly in her direction. Other than a working relationship, he did not find her attractive. Deep in his heart of hearts, he did not like women. Dutifully, he married his wife, Yasmina, through an arrangement. But demons possessed him. While he studied at Oxford, he felt drawn to London. In the nights, an unseen force set his footsteps toward Soho. Convincing himself he wished to leer at the gay men, an alien pulsation throbbed in his groin. His desires awakened, and he fled.
Back in Oxford, Arastoo prostrated himself before Allah. Chastised, he solemnly promised to annihilate lewdness from the earth. Cleansed by faith, he concocted his plan to develop the plague and spread it into LBGTQ communities.
Zeeba Bahrami, on the other hand, deeply loved Arastoo. She entered upon his fanatical plan to get closer to him. The severe young woman rarely felt passion. Her mind flowed with chemical equations, not romance. Even as a youngster, she remained an outsider amongst her schoolmates. In America, nerd or geek described her perfectly.
Short and slim, Zeeba kept her dark hair trimmed and serviceable. Her thick glasses caused a googly appearance in her eyes. Young men avoided her. Defensively, she declared she hated them. She looked at Arastoo differently.
Arastoo ignored her 'come on' glances. Zeeba held back her desire to advance the situation. She did not realize Arastoo viewed her only in the professional sense. They shared a love of chemistry and conversed on that topic. Other than chatter, she meant nothing to him.
The mountain laboratory reeked of sexual tension. More attune than Arastoo, Zeeba's emotions rose. Lacking male attention in her youth drew her to reckless behavior. A declaration of love hung on the tip of her tongue. The right look or word from Arastoo would set her off. She felt sure he would reciprocate.
Arastoo and Zeeba continued to refine their new plague strain. As soon as they unleashed it on New Orleans, they would become lovers. Success would drive Arastoo into her arms. Zeeba believed it.
Hidden in their mountain hideaway, Arastoo Mazanderani and Zeeba Bahrami innocently laid their devious plans. A half a world away, the foremost American Intelligence Agencies zeroed in on their location within the Takht-e-Soleiman range. Working around the clock, they quickly tracked the origin of the plague. The Pentagon formulated a mission to reconnoiter and destroy the secret laboratory. Congress's approval and the President's signature were the last necessity.
Headed by Delta Force Squadron G, Lt. Col. Talbot prepared his team to move at a moment’s notice.
Lt. Col. Oliver Talbot hated waiting; his men felt the same impatience.
ns 15.158.61.51da2
