HOLY LAND

Part I: Faith-Based Resolution

By Eric Faynberg

45 minutes ago…

“We have late breaking news from Jerusalem, ladies and gentlemen. We now go to ANC foreign correspondent Daniella Rogers.”

“Yes, thank you again, Bob. I’m standing outside the site of the new X-Corporation office here in Jerusalem, where a press conference was expected to begin at any moment, but over the past few minutes, massive commotion has struck the city. According to reports, at this very moment somewhere else in Jerusalem, there is a terrorist act in progress. So far, sources say that the attack is unrelated to the X-Corp opening, although some seem to believe that the terrorists chose to use the X-Corp event as a distraction and a diversion.”

“Stay with ANC News as we continue to monitor this story.”

An hour and a half ago…

Warren felt sick to his stomach. He handed the picture of the teenager back to Nesrea, and sighed. He rubbed his forehead, and scanned his eyes back and forth between T’Challa, Janet, John, Ororo, and Nesrea. He felt their gazes burning a hole through him.

Even though all of them, with the exception of Nesrea, were all seasoned veterans of the ‘hero’ game, at the moment, he still felt the familiar tension of a boss-employee relationship. There was a rush of power that came with it, but it was also joined by quite a bit of pressure. Pressure to make a decision, and to make the right one, especially when his employees were the likes of Wasp and the Black Panther.

Luckily for Warren, when it came to business, he’d always been pretty confident with his instincts.

“Nesrea, are you sure we can prove this? Can we definitely link this back to al-Ghoul?” Warren asked the young Egyptian woman.

“Yes, Mr. Worthington, I believe we can,” said Nesrea. “It was very difficult, and we had to do a lot of research to get this information, as Ms. Munroe can attest, but it was worth it. I think you will be able to use this.”

Warren smiled grimly. “We know that Mousa al-Ghoul has been involved with practically every act of terrorism on Israeli soil for years, not to mention countless others all over the Middle East, and now we know he’s killed his own teenage son for being a mutant. The problem has always been that he’s been smart about it. Really smart. This guy has been just as bad as Arafat or Saddam, but he’s managed to keep the public in the dark about this. He has a pretty clean reputation. Now, with this information, we have the upper hand.”

“Would you like Nesrea to notify the authorities, Warren?” Ororo asked her fellow X-Man. “Since she is already familiar with the details, it would be sensible for her to be the one to let them know.”

“No, that’s all right, Ororo. I’ll handle it.”

“Well, Warren, I know you have a press conference to get to,” acknowledged Janet, “but this is important. The sooner we get this done, the better. This killer deserves nothing less.”

Warren looked at Janet, and then again scanned the eyes of the others. A sense of frustration set over him. Another familiar feeling set in on him. It was the feeling of impending disagreement.

Warren knew what he had to do, and he knew that it would be a move that would be quite unpopular with the others. They wouldn’t like it, but that wasn’t going to change his mind. Being in charge wasn’t about being well-liked, and it wasn’t about making the most popular decision.

It was about making the right one.

As cliché a point of view as that was, it was one that Warren had always subscribed to. Sometimes one had to do what he felt was right, no matter what.

This was one of those times.

“I understand your concern, Janet. Really, I do. At the same time though, I’m afraid we can’t go to the authorities with this right now, as much as I wish we could. I would like nothing more than to see al-Ghoul rot in a prison cell for the rest of his life, but we can’t afford to do that right now.”

“What? Why not, Warren?” asked Ororo, sharing a somewhat surprised look on her face with Janet.

“Because even if we go public about al-Ghoul, what do you think is going to happen? He’s going to go away for good right away?” asked Warren. “That’d never happen. In the meantime, he’d make life a living hell for us. We need to get this office open, it’s a huge step, and if we piss him off like that, he’d make sure this office went up in flames. Literally.”

“I know, this might seem difficult for you to accept, but we just can’t go to anyone about this yet,” Warren continued. “We have to use it to our advantage right now. T’Challa, of everyone, surely you can understand my thinking here.”

T’Challa looked sternly at Warren for a moment. “Yes, Worthington, I understand your decision here. It is an unsympathetic one, but unfortunately, it is the right one.”

“Yeah, I’m also going to have to go with Warren here,” added John. “I’d love to put this al-Ghoul prick down personally, but we need to play this smart. Besides, I’m sure we’ll have another chance later, and we’ll get him then.”

“Exactly, John. Scum like Mousa, he’ll give us plenty of chances to nail him in the future. For now though, we need to play him like a fiddle and get him to get his people off our backs. Once we’re all set up here, we’ll turn our attention to taking him down. We’ll get him next time,” explained Warren.

Janet looked at Warren, and shook her head back and forth slightly. “That’s all well and good, and I understand that we need an office here, but if there’s going to be a next time with al-Ghoul, it’ll probably mean there will be more blood spilt. You’re going to have to live with that somehow, then, aren’t you?”

“I really hope that isn’t the case, Janet, but you’re probably right. If I felt like I had a choice here, than I’d make a different decision, but I don’t think I do. If we drop the hammer on him now, you can bet that he’ll make sure blood gets spilt in his name anyway.”

“I don’t know, Warren. I just don’t know,” sighed Janet. She rubbed her back with her hand, while Ororo placed a sympathetic hand on her right shoulder.

“Trust me, Janet. I know what I’m doing, and I promise to you right now that someday we will take Mousa al-Ghoul and his network out. It just can’t be today,” Warren justified.

75 minutes ago…

The knock on the door came just as Warren had finished pouring himself another glass of Johnnie Walker Blue Label.

“Mr. Worthington?” a voice from outside the door asked.

“Yes, come in.”

The door opened, and a young man dressed in a short-sleeved white dress shirt and black slacks entered Worthington’s hotel room. The I.D. card, which hung around his neck, swung back and forth over the clipboard that he held, and tangled with the cord from the headset that sat on his head.

“I’m sorry to bother you, Mr. Worthington,” the staffer said.

“No, that’s quite all right,” interrupted Warren. “I was actually going to give you a call, Jeff. Would you please get in contact with Mr. al-Ghoul’s people and tell them that I need to speak with al-Ghoul as soon as possible?”

The young man nodded. “Yes, right away, sir. First though, there is actually someone here to see you right now. Hillel Mazar.”

“All right, send him in. Thank you, Jeff, and please make sure to call al-Ghoul’s people right away.”

“Yes, Mr. Worthington. Right away,” said Jeff as he exited the room, leaving the door open. After a moment, an older gentleman entered the room. Like Warren, Hillel Mazar wore a suit and tie. On his head, Mazar wore a kippah, the cloth skullcap usually worn by Jewish men.

“Mr. Mazar, please come in. Can I pour you a drink?” asked Worthington.

“No, thank you, that is all right. Thank you for seeing me, Mr. Worthington.”

“It’s no problem. What can I do for you, Mr. Mazar?”

“Well,” began Mazar, waving his arms as he spoke, “I believe you are making a mistake here, Worthington. Surely my opinion here comes as no surprise to you. I have spoken out against this ever since construction on this building began.”

Warren thought for a moment about how to respond for Mazar as he savored a gulp of his Blue Label.

Mazar was an important political activist, and among those leading the protests from the Jewish side against the X-Corp office in Jerusalem. He held pretty much the same amount of sway with his people that Mousa al-Ghoul held with his own. Unlike al-Ghoul, however, Mazar was not involved with terrorist activities. At least not to Warren’s knowledge.

“Mr. Mazar, since the protests have been by both Jewish and Arabic groups, I am going to assume you are aware that I spoke in this very room with Mousa al-Ghoul just a bit earlier today. He brought to me similar concerns as you are now, and I heard them out, but I am going to tell you just what I told Mousa. The X-Corporation is here in Jerusalem, and I am going to do everything in my power to make sure it stays.”

Mazar looked at Warren with frustration. “I am not fan of al-Ghoul, and rare is the occasion when I will stand on the same side of an argument as he. Today, however, I must agree with him. That said, knowing al-Ghoul, I am sure his conversation with you was…less than pleasant. I am not that man, Mr. Worthington. I am here voicing my concern to you, trying to remind you that many, many people in this city do not want to deal with the trouble that your office will bring.”

“I understand that, Mazar. On the other hand, though, there are people who DO want us here. There are people who need us here, because they don’t have anyone to stand up for them. There is still plenty of anti-mutant sentiment in Israel, and we need to change that,” explained Warren.

“Perhaps, but I must stand steadfast in my belief that opening this office here is not the way to do so. Only more problems will come of it, and my supporters and I will continue to voice our displeasure of your organization’s presence in Jerusalem. We will not make it easy for you here, Mr. Worthington, I am sorry to say,” Mazar retorted.

“That’s fine, Mr. Mazar, and you have every right to do so, as long as it is legal and non-violent. As long as you and your supporters don’t hurt anyone, then by all means, continue on. I look forward to the challenge of changing your minds.”

“I of course can not speak for every citizen, but I am not a violent man. Violence, I believe, must be resorted to only when absolutely necessary, and this is not such a case. Regardless, I will continue to be a loud and boisterous opponent of this office, and I can only hope that you will take to heart the concerns of the citizens of this city,” Mazar said.

Warren nodded and took another drink, before responding. “That we will do, Mr. Mazar, but the office will open. It will open and it will succeed, as will our mission here. We are going to make the world a better place for everyone, that is all we want. I would like to thank you for coming here and speaking to me, though, Mr. Mazar. I appreciate your civility and dedication, and I hope you can appreciate mine.”

“I can, Worthington, I can. I look forward to seeing a resolution to this situation. One that hopefully satisfies the concerns of my supporters and I,” Mazar said, extending his hand.

“As do I,” responded Warren, shaking Mazar’s hand.

65 minutes ago…

As the young female staffer placed the tray with mugs of coffee down on the long conference room table, she quickly exited the room, leaving the four former Avengers alone.

Janet Van Dyne sat alone at the head of the table, flanked on one side by T’Challa, and on the other by James Rhodes and Sam Wilson. Van Dyne looked sharp in her dark green business suit. T’Challa wore a stylish black suit, with a piece of traditional African headwear. Rhodes and Wilson both had on navy blue colored suits. Wilson wore a gray and blue striped tie. Rhodes was without one. The petite Caucasian woman, hunched over the edge of the table, was speaking in a low voice as her eyes alternated between the three dark-skinned men.

“Look, guys, I’m not calling for a mutiny or something here, you know what I mean?” Janet said. “I just want to make sure that everyone is on the same page. I believe in X-Corp, and I believe in Warren, or else I wouldn’t have joined up with this outfit. I just want to make sure that on this particular occasion, Warren isn’t making a mistake. Now, T’Challa has already voiced his opinion.”

“Yes,” began the Wakandan ruler, “while Worthington’s solution is quite insensitive to possible future casualties, unfortunately, I believe that his choice is the correct one. The X-Corporation needs this office here in Jerusalem, not only for the help it can bring, but also from a perception stand point.”

“What do you mean, Panther?” asked Sam. “Wouldn’t the public appreciate the fact that X-Corp was responsible in outing a political leader who was actually a terrorist? I would think that doing something like that would do nothing but help our rep.

“Perhaps, if it were as simple as you explained, Sam. However, it is doubtful that it would be anywhere near as easy as that. Mousa al-Ghoul is a powerful man, with powerful connections, and he is immensely popular among his supporters. Remember, throughout his career, al-Ghoul has been smart enough to keep his name clean, even though he is involved in so many shameful activities.”

“See, Sam, what T’Challa is trying to say is that the good guys aren’t the only ones who can be smart. It sucks, but that’s the way it is,” explained Jim.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Sam said, with a sigh.

“Trust me, man,” continued Jim, “I spent a hell of a lot of time working with one of the most brilliant guys on the planet, and Stark knew all about the way the media worked, but even a genius like him got burned sometimes. Point is, the media and the public’s view on things, it’s fickle, man. If you can control it, if you’re smart enough, that is, then you’re going to be on top.”

“Exactly,” T’Challa said, agreeing with Rhodes. “If we reveal what we know about al-Ghoul, he will do everything he can to bring us down with him. That is something that X-Corp cannot afford right now. The entire world knows of our plans now to open an office in Jerusalem. We are being seen as some kind of rebels, almost. We are fighting our way in, and not backing down. If we leave Jerusalem without opening this office, and al-Ghoul will make sure that happens if we try and destroy his political career, then we will be seen as failures. The public will lose respect for X-Corp, and all of the time and money that has been spent here will have been for naught.”

“T’Challa is absolutely right, and so is Worthington,” James said, nodding his head up and down. “Plus, I mean, Warren’s a good guy, he’s one of the original X-Men, after all. If he says that he promises to get Mousa al-Ghoul later on, he will. Guys like Mousa don’t stop. He’ll mess up again, and next time, X-Corp will catch him, and make sure everyone else does, too.”

“Yes, James is correct. Do you understand the reasoning now behind Warren’s decision, Janet? Sam?”

“Yeah, I think I do. It makes sense,” accepted Sam.

“I guess I do too,” Janet added. “I mean, I wasn’t thinking that Warren was a bad person or anything, Jim. I was just concerned that perhaps he didn’t have his priorities straight. Once you put it the way you guys just did, though, I suppose he is right. Let’s just hope this doesn’t come back to bite us in the behind.”

“I hope it doesn’t either. But if it does, we’ll be ready to bite back even harder,” Rhodes responded, with a slight smirk.

50 minutes ago…

Mousa al-Ghoul slammed the manila folder onto the desk furiously. For the second time in the day, al-Ghoul was standing in the hotel room of Warren Worthington. This time, though, the situation was quite different.

“How did you get this?” roared Mousa, furiously.

“It doesn’t matter how we got this information, Mousa. The fact of the matter is we have it, and now we can shatter the precious squeaky-clean image that you’ve managed to build for yourself out in the world,” Warren said, with a grin. “X-Corp has what it takes to show everyone just what kind of filth you are.”

“You wouldn’t dare, mutant!”

“Oh, believe me, I would love to. Boy, would that give me a great sense of satisfaction! I wonder, al-Ghoul, how would you feel if it was a rich American mutant like me who brought you down, ruined your whole career. How bad would that piss you off, Mousa?”

“If you were going to take this public,” al-Ghoul said, pointing toward the room’s door, “you already would have. Clearly, you want something. Which means I hold the upper hand.”

“Don’t flatter yourself, Mousa. I do want something, but if I don’t get it, I’ll just go with plan B: burying you.”

“Out with it then, Worthington. What is it that you want?”

“I want you to back off. I want you to leave X-Corp alone, and I want you to get all of your people to do the same. If you do that, then I forget about this,” said Warren, pointing to the folder lying on the desk. “Make no mistake though, if you don’t do exactly what I want, then I will take this out there, and I will turn up the heat on you like never before. I will ruin you, even if it means leaving Jerusalem without an X-Corp office. So the choice is really up to you, Mousa. As much as I want X-Corp to thrive in Israel, taking out Mousa al-Ghoul would be a hell of a consolation prize.”

Pacing around the room and rubbing his chin, al-Ghoul alternated stares between Warren and the folder, scowling constantly.

“I don’t have all day, Mousa. I have a press conference to get to,” said Warren, with a smile. “Either I announce the opening of this office, or I announce that I have some important information about you. What’s it going to be?”

“Very well,” al-Ghoul said, after staring at Worthington for a few more seconds. “My people and I will withdraw our opposition.”

“Then we have a deal. Go ahead, take the folder. Get it out of my sight.”

“Yes, it is a deal, Worthington, but beware. If you betray me on this, I swear, you and every one of your X-Corporation offices will burn,” threatened al-Ghoul.

“Yeah, well, you would know, wouldn’t you?” countered Warren, as al-Ghoul sneered at him.

With out responding, al-Ghoul picked up the folder, turned, and walked toward the door, Warren kept a steady eye on him. As al-Ghoul’s hand settled on the doorknob, Warren couldn’t help but open his mouth.

“He was your own son, man. How could you do that? Your own son?” Warren asked, half-disgusted, and half-bewildered.

“He was not my son. He was not human. He was like you,” Mousa al-Ghoul said without turning around, his hand never leaving the doorknob. He waited for a response, but didn’t hear one, and he opened the door and left, slamming it shut behind him.

Warren just stared, shaking his head in disbelief.

30 minutes ago…

“This is Daniella Rogers, with another ANC breaking news update here from Jerusalem. As ANC reported several minutes ago, news broke here in the city of a terrorist attack. Now, just about fifteen minutes later, it appears that the attack has been thwarted, as more information continues to come in.

“I am standing outside the new X-Corporation office here in Jerusalem, while the terrorist attack was apparently at a government building on the other side of the city. A group of masked and armed men, at the moment believed to be Palestinian, infiltrated the government building, and took all of the employees hostage. As of right now, the demands that they were making are unknown.

“Details of the rescue are still sketchy as well, but what we do know is that, it is the members of X-Corporation, all former superheroes, who are responsible for the operation. X-Corp CEO Warren Worthington, as well as former Avengers members including the Wasp, USAgent, and the Falcon, as well as the former X-Man Storm, all took part in the operation, among others. According to reports, Mr. Worthington was notified of the situation while in a meeting, preparing for the X-Corp press conference, and immediately left the meeting. Within moments, Worthington and the others left and quickly made their way to the other side of Jerusalem, where they were quickly briefed by Israeli military officials.

“Incredibly, with just moments of planning, the X-Corporation board members successfully saved the hostages, none of which were seriously hurt. Only several suffered minor injuries. All but one of the terrorists are in custody. One was unaccounted for, but Israeli officials are confident that he will be apprehended shortly.

“We now have some brief video footage to show you, detailing the end of the rescue effort. We apologize for the poor video quality, but in the commotion, this was all that was possible. Here you can see in this clip Warren Worthington himself, flying down from the roof of the government building, holding one of the terrorists. In this clip, you see him with his wings outstretched as he lands on the ground, bringing a female hostage to safety. This next footage shows John Walker and Sam Wilson, former Avengers, handing over apprehended terrorists to Israeli military personnel. Finally, this last clip shows one of the terrorists in the distance being apprehended by soldiers. We have been told that the soldiers were able to apprehend them because his attention was being diverted by the Wasp.

“As you can see, it has certainly been a chaotic day here in Jerusalem, and we’ve just learned that it isn’t over yet. After helping thwart a terrorist attack, apparently Warren Worthington is still planning to go ahead with the X-Corporation press conference. In addition, it appears many of the groups that had been protesting the office earlier in the day have withdrawn their opposition. It is believed that Worthington spent much of the morning today meeting with both Israeli and Palestinian political and religious leaders. Whether that has something to do with it, or if it is a reaction to the terrorist attack situation is anyone’s guess at this point.

“The press conference is set to begin in about a half hour, and ANC News will be back here with another update. For now back, back to you in the studio, Bob.”

15 minutes ago…

On Warren Worthington’s bed, the clothes he had been wearing just moments ago lay strewn about. The white dress shirt was stained and had a large tear along the side. Beside it lay a beautiful tie that too looked to be ruined. A few inches above them lay a suit jacket and pair of pants. The jacket looked fine, but a big rip ran along the right pant leg.

In the bathroom of the hotel room, the sound of running water suddenly stopped, just as a knock on the hotel room’s door came.

“Come in,” yelled Worthington from the bathroom.

Warren walked out into the main room, nude except for a towel covering his waist. He pushed his dripping wet blonde hair back as the door opened and a man walked in.

“Mr. Mazar,” Warren said, with a surprised tone, “what are you doing here?”

“I am sorry to interrupt, I know you still have to get ready, but I felt it was important for us to speak again,” Hillel Mazar said, apologetically.

“It’s quite all right. Please, what can I do for you?” Warren asked.

“What you and your people did just now, Mr. Worthington, it was very brave and very heroic.”

“Oh, please, Mr. Mazar. It’s what we do. Not to make light of the situation, but a couple of armed, untrained kids doesn’t compare to some of the things my people and I have seen in our careers. We’re just happy to help,” Warren said with a smile. As he spoke, he retrieved a new suit, shirt, and tie from his closet and turned away from Mazar, beginning to dress.

“No, no, it was a great act. You saved many Israeli lives today. We are all very appreciative and in your debt. I am very grateful for your heroism.”

“It was nothing, but thank you,” Warren said, as he buttoned his shirt.

“As a symbol of our gratitude, when you go to conduct your press conference, Mr. Worthington, you will not see my group and I protesting.”

“Wow, I don’t know what to say. Thank you, Hillel, that is very kind.”

“Understand that this does not mean that I am supporting X-Corporation,” Hillel explained. “However, for now, I will withdraw my opposition. You have earned this.”

“It is a very nice gesture,” Warren said appreciatively, as he fixed a new tie around the collar of his shirt.

“Later on, though, I can not promise that our paths will not cross again.”

“All I can say is what I said earlier. I promise that X-Corp will do whatever it can to try and appease everyone, as long as it doesn’t interfere with our work.”

“All right. Anyway, I will take my leave now and allow you to finish your preparations. Good luck to you, Mr. Worthington, and once again, thank you.”

“Thank you as well, Mr. Mazar.”

Now…

The cameras clicked and flashed all over the place as Warren stood at the podium in front of the newly unveiled X-Corporation: Jerusalem office. Behind him on his left side, standing in a row, were Ororo Munroe, T’Challa, Janet Van Dyne, Jim Rhodes, Sam Wilson, and Jamie Madrox. Behind his right side stood a number of X-Corp executives, and standing right next to Warren was a man of about thirty. He stood smiling, as the light from the cameras reflected off of his glasses.

“I’ve introduced you to several of the other X-Corp division heads,” Warren said, pointing to the heroes behind him, “and I’ve introduced you to some of the important behind-the-scenes people here at X-Corp,” he said, pointing to the executives on the other side of him. “Also, I’ve introduced you to the man who will be the division head here in Jerusalem, Mikhail Sorenstein. Mikhail is a man who rose quickly through the ranks of Worthington Industries and X-Corp, and he has been a top executive in the company for some time. He is a man of Israeli roots, and I feel that he is the perfect man to oversee our operations here.”

The cameras went to work again, as Warren took a sip of water from the glass he kept on the podium.

“It has been a strange day in Jerusalem today, to say the least, and we’ve all gone through a lot. However, when I came here, I made a vow that I would not leave this city without opening this office and promising the people of Israel that help is here. There are people in this country, as there are worldwide, who need the kind of help that only our organization can provide. I’m telling those people right now that X-Corp will do everything in its power to provide them with that help.

“Some people don’t want us here, and that is unfortunate. While we will do our utmost to make sure that we respect the wishes of all of our neighbors here, we will not stray from our goals. We are living in different and changing times, ladies and gentlemen, and the X-Corporation is here to try and make that transition easier for everyone.

“Thank you, and shalom!”