Abuse of Power - Michael Savage [107]
Heathen behavior, Haddad thought, but typical of a country run by infidels whose greed and base interests knew no bounds.
She babbled on. But it wasn’t that part of the city’s underground that he was interested in. He had done enough research on his own to know that there was something far more useful to him than a Chinese history lesson. Bloggers had announced the general area of the entrance; she had saved him having to search for it. Fault line maps created by the U.S. Geological Survey—charts showing dip, azimuth, depth, and other data used by San Andreas Geophysical Operations for threat assessment—had unwittingly delineated the tunnels themselves. The route for the assault was planned. Haddad merely had to see the tunnels for himself, make sure they were clear.
Finally, trying not to show his impatience, he directed her towards his needs.
“What about the bunker you referred to in one of your articles?”
“Ah,” she said. “Even fewer people know about that, maybe some old-timers and a handful of urban explorers like me.”
“When were they built?”
“During the Second World War,” she said. “San Francisco was considered a very vulnerable target if the war were ever to come to our shores, so the military built a massive underground bunker in preparation for an attack.”
“How could people not know about this?”
“Because it was a military secret to begin with. After the war ended the place was completely sealed up so that nobody would find it.”
“That seems a waste. Surely they’ve utilized it—say, for storage?”
She shook her head. “Some cities did things like that. New York, for instance. Stocked them with canned goods in case of a nuclear attack. It scared people so they stopped. It was easier just to pretend the bunkers didn’t exist.”
“And you’ve managed to find a way inside the bunker?”
She smiled. “Yep.”
“And it truly leads to this place you told me about?”
She gave him a sly smile.
Haddad felt a sudden flash of anger and wanted to slap the smile from her face. Why couldn’t she just answer the question? He did not have time for games.
“When can we go there?” he asked. “This—this is too exciting.”
The smile widened. “That’s where we’re headed right now. Normally, I’d have to blindfold you.”
“Are you serious?”
“Sort of,” she admitted. “Only a few people know about this spot and we don’t want it to become common knowledge. But I can trust you, right?”
“Of course,” Haddad said. “With your life.”
* * *
They took a gently winding road along the bay.
Haddad looked out at its clear blue waters, marveling at its beauty as he watched the distant sailboats bob along its surface. He had always loved this view, with the Cliff House Restaurant, the Marin coastline beyond, and the tattered sea-swept ruins of the Sutro Baths on the shore below—which had once been the world’s largest indoor swimming establishment until it burned down before Haddad was even born.
And yet, it was soon to be so different.
By his hand.
There were times when he wished that he could simply go back to his college days, when life was less complicated. When he could hate without having to rein that in, so he could carefully engineer an expression of that loathing. And to be honest, though he had been here to learn and to study the ways of the infidels, there were times he envied them their blissful obliviousness to the world and its dangers. He wondered what life would be like without a larger goal than making money and raising infidel children. He wondered if, in his lifetime, he would ever know the peace and contentment of a Sharia world.
They drove around a bend along Point Lobos Avenue, until they came to a large car park on their left, near the Sutro Baths. Tally pulled in and found a spot, then shut off the engine and turned to Haddad.
“Okay,” she said. “Almost there. We’re in a national park so we have to be aware of other visitors and watchful eyes.”
“I’ll trust you to guide me without incident,” Haddad told her.
She smiled again. “You are just so damn cute, you know that?”
She parked, then leaned over and kissed him, making it