The Project 02 - The Lance

everywhere. Purple crocuses, yellow daffodils and green shoots lift ed through the remaining patches of snow. Green leaves had appeared on the aspens in the front yard. But for Elizabeth, spring had been colored by anger.
    " It's not fair," she'd said.
    " No, it's not. What do you think you should do about it?"
    " Can't you do something?"
    " Not really. It has to be worked out between your teacher and you."
    " But she doesn't want to work anything out. She's mean and she's stupid."
    " If that's true, you have to rethink your relationship with her. She's the teacher, she's got the power. But only if you give it away to her. You're the one who really has the power over yourself. You know you weren't cheating, whatever she thinks. Who's right, her or you?"
    Elizabeth had smiled, in spite of herself. "I am."
    " If I were you, I'd put it down to the experience of people, how they can be difficult and unfair, wrong headed sometimes. You'll be graduating in a couple of months. You'll be gone on to college and there won't be anything she can do or say to affect you. Plan your next steps, put her in the past. You can't change people. They are the way they are."
    They are the way they are. You can 't change them. Plan your next steps. The Judge's words echoed in her head. He was right. She'd have to wait and see what Dysart was going to do. She needed to prepare in case he turned out to be a problem.
    However he'd found out Nick was in Israel, the Project was compromised. Elizabeth had a contingency plan for that possibility. She'd never had to use it.
    She took out her sat phone and sent a short , pre-programmed burst. A classified encryption chip broke the message into indecipherable scrambled pieces that were reassembled by a matching chip at the receiving end. Even if intercepted, the message would mean nothing in the wrong hands.
    Alpha Red. 3P.FC.XG.E5.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

    Carter looked at the message on his satellite phone.
    Alpha Red. 3P.FC.XG.E5.
    Jesus, what now? Alpha Red was the equivalent of the Titanic sending up flares. He sent a burst acknowledging the message. He decided to keep Arslanian's flash drive to himself for the moment.
    He and Rivka were in Herzog's office, watching the arrival of President Rice on television. Air Force One taxied to a precise halt at the end of a long red carpet. The carpet was lined on both sides by a platoon of honor guards in white and blue uniforms. Daniel Ascher, the Prime Minister of Israel, waited with key members of his cabinet at the end of the red pathway.
    The President appeared at the door of the plane and waved. He descended the steps with his security detail, followed by the Secretary of State and the National Security Advisor. He stopped to speak with one of the soldiers standing at attention, then continued on to the welcoming party. The two leaders shook hands.
    Rice was here to try and get agreement for establishing a Palestinian capitol in East Jerusalem, captured during the 1967 War. East Jerusalem was the Old City, the heart of three religions. Most people in the region, Muslim, Jew and Christian alike, were opposed to any solution that gave up any part of Jerusalem to anyone. There were large protests planned and threats of violence. The Prime Minister and the President had their work cut out for them.
    Ari turned off the monitor . He leaned back and steepled his fingers in front of him.
    " So. Tomorrow your President speaks to the world from in front of the al-Aqsa Mosque, to call for peace."
    Nick tugged on his ear. "You don't sound enthusiastic."
    " I think it will create trouble, not peace."
    "You must have serious security issues."
    "Security will be maximum. We're placing armored vehicles and troops around the Temple Mount. Only one hundred people are invited for the speech, all fully vetted. Rice and the Prime Minister will be surrounded by security people from half a dozen agencies. The Waqf has been difficult, but they have decided to cooperate."
    " The Waqf?"
    " That's the Muslim authority for the Mount," Rivka broke in. " Waqf means holding in Arabic."
    Ari sighed. "T here will be many problems because of this speech. As usual, politics gets in the way of common sense."
    " Any luck on the mall bombing?"
    " The bomb was in a backpack. One hundred and thirty-seven dead and over two hundred more wounded. We're still counting. No one has yet claimed responsibility."
    Ari clenched his hand into a fist, made an effort to straighten his fingers. He picked up