The Mind Man

Chapter twenty four

Omer returned to his chair and flopped down into it. He read the fax once again and placed it down on the table in front of him. He looked towards the swirling snow flurries outside his window. This was a strange turn of events and he wondered what it all meant. He couldn't understand why this nervous individual in London was interested in his affairs here in Northern Iraq. What did he mean by 'get the guy in the fax - he can help your cause'? Picking up the pages he turned towards the end of the article and read the paragraphs concerning the Australian. It seemed this man had money. Maybe he was interested in funding their campaign. They were always on the lookout for new revenue streams. But he would come through a middle man or an agent surely, not a junior working at a British government agency. 

He read over the suggestion that the man was using telepathy for financial gain. Omer thought about the word telepathy. It was not a familiar English word for him and he wasn't quite sure what it encompassed. His comprehension of the term was something pertaining to the mind or brain. Maybe this man in the article was some sort of gifted genius or virtuoso, but he still couldn't see how this could benefit their fight for autonomy. 

He read some more and saw the word "accident" again and this time it reached out at him and something stirred in Omer's mind. Accidents were something he could relate to. They needed more "accidents" to occur against the Turkish people; especially a spate of fatal ones. Maybe this was what the young man in the licensing agency was hinting at. It hardly seemed credible but Omer's intuition began telling him that what he had experienced was a possible sign. Omer's mind flickered into life as thoughts began coming together. It had to be a sign he reasoned. There was no other way to explain the arrival of the fax and the enormity of its contents. He decided he could not ignore the information which had come to him and he had to act on it however improbable it all seemed. 

He indulged his imagination with the thought of many catastrophic events happening, one after the other with many fatalities all without explanation. Then his organization could claim responsibility. There would be panic within the general masses, as they would not know what was causing the carnage and when another tragedy would occur next. They would demand answers from their government but the leaders would be powerless to act. To retain order the PKK would have all its demands met - anything to stop the accidents from happening and to prevent further deaths of innocent civilians. If the article he was reading was suggesting this then the Australian must be found. Anyway, the benefits were too great to ignore this opportunity, and the guy in London must have some higher understanding otherwise he would never have bothered to send the fax. He would have sent it at great personal risk, which even on its own gave the concept an elevated status. 

Omer jumped to his feet and paced the floor back and forth. He removed his heavy jacket and threw it on the table together with the fax sheets. He had forgotten about the cold. This was a momentous change in their strategy. This Colin guy had just offered the organization a magnificent victory. It was as if God had reached down and placed a road map for the liberation of the Kurdish people on the table in front of him. And he, Omer, was the recipient, the Chosen One. He had to act. He could not turn his back on God's will. His task now was to find this Australian, before other people interpreted the article in a similar vein and he ended up in the wrong hands. The author of the article promised to print an exclusive interview with this man, so she must know where he was. She would lead them to him and she was easy to find. 

Omer was filled with renewed energy and determination. Their efforts were being reborn and rekindled. Turkey would now bow before them and fulfill all their demands. His mind raced. Why just Turkey? Why not Syria, Iran and Iraq as well? The excitement rushed through him. It would mean they could return to their original idealism that of creating an independent Kurdish state for all the Kurdish people. 

He must contact Abdullah Ocalan at once and tell him the good news. His hand paused over the handset on the satellite phone. He thought for a moment. Who would rule this new independent state? Their current leader was imprisoned on an island in the Sea of Marmara. The answer brought a smile to his face. His hand moved away from the handset. He would call Ocalan later perhaps.