Brief

An American hotel mogul and his wife witness a horrific terrorist attack and find themselves used as mouthpieces by an Islamic jihadi group who have pledged to destroy the States in revenge for the war in Iraq. The couple must crack the Egyptian hieroglyphic code embedded in their hotel's restaurant menu decoration to help stop them from activating sleeper cells in the US.

What We Liked

Politically current theme of terrorism striking at the heart of the States makes this a potential tent pole screener. Two good leads in the husband and wife team who help crack the terrorists' code, and a decent bad guy, plus the very real horror of the US infrastructure being destroyed with bombings.

Film: The concept has the potential for a big tent-pole actioner, with plenty of suspense and terse political dialogue. There are numerous scenes of terrorists attacking major US transportation targets, with resulting loss of life, that will grip an audience. The Egyptian hieroglyphic codes make an intriguing visual device.

TV: Although it's on a grand scale, this could be adapted for television, or a streaming series about sleeper cells embedded within the US who are activated to simultaneously destroy major transportation targets. It resonates with a very real fear American citizens have of Middle Eastern refugees hiding their terroristic intentions.

Key points:
Topical political subject matter (Islamic terrorism).
Exotic backdrop (Cairo).
Fast paced global setting.
Gripping action set pieces.
The urgency of the leads cracking the code before the terrorists can do any more damage.

Synopsis

Cairo, present day. ELDON DAVIS (62) and his wife KIMBERLY (late 50s) are flying over the pyramids in a helicopter flown by their long-time buddy, BILLY (50s).

They have recently built a stunning hotel with a view of the ancient ruins, as part of their global Jewel Hotels. They have even helped organize several bus loads of American children to tour the site, and notice that the Egyptian government has paired them with several other buses of underprivileged Egyptian children.

So, they are horrified when the buses explode, the result of a terrorist bombing attack. Billy quickly sets down the chopper and Eldon and Kim rush to help the kids but there are, tragically, very few survivors.

They take two injured Egyptian sisters, TALIA and AFRAA (12-13) and one American teenager boy to the hospital. They soon meet the girls’ worried parents, ZARA and NAWAR AHMED (both 40s). Eldon’s daughter CATHY (30s), a doctor, calls in from Miami and offers to treat them with the top restructuring surgery. A few days later, Nawar and her daughters are flown to Miami and put up in Eldon’s Jewel hotel there on his dime.

Meanwhile, a Trump-style president CLYDE TRENTEN (60s) is foaming at the mouth to ‘nuke the terrorists’ except his security heads don’t know who the assailants are until an Islamic radical group, the ISS, takes responsibility. They quickly put a plan together and, using a new high tech surveillance data, they target the leaders and drone bomb them.

What Eldon doesn’t know is that Zara was raised by FAAZ (50s), the founder of ISIF (Islam Saddam Iraq Forever), created after the US invasion of Iraq in search of weapons of mass destruction. However long it takes, they will get revenge on the States.

To that end, they have trained and smuggled thousands of Iraqis into the US under refugee status. These men have infiltrated every branch of American commerce, from airports, trains, oil refineries, malls and shipyards.

Their instructions come coded in the Egyptian hieroglyphics that decorate the menu of the main restaurant in Eldon’s Cairo hotel and that change as needed. The myriad sleeper cells in the country are prepped and ready for action.

With tourism suddenly devastated in Egypt, Eldon comes up with a plan, to persuade Helsinki, where the first anti-terrorism conference is to take place, let them move it to Cairo. Luckily, Finland agrees, if nothing else to show the terrorists they will not win.

However, Eldon and Kim are shocked when they receive an anonymous letter from ISIF informing them that they want justice and revenge for America’s ‘unfair’ war on Iraq. ISIF have chosen Eldon and Kim to be their mouthpiece. They are not to go to the authorities or their daughter Cathy will be harmed.

They are given as sheet of hieroglyphics and a decoder to follow messages directed to Eldon and Kimberley only from the terrorists.

In the States, the President is in Miami giving a gung-ho anti-terrorism speech when the airport behind him explodes! Multiple other major airport hubs are also targeted – from Boston to Seattle.

The President is rushed to Air Force One and sped to an underground bunker in Colorado. It is proof that the threats outlined in the letter sent to Eldon are real.

The attacks obviously cause mayhem across the States; all commercial traffic is halted and goods and services run dry. But the next attack is just round the corner as ISIF hits several major rail hubs, followed a few days later by attacks on secondary airports.

ISIF send Eldon another letter with a coded message which he is to read out in public. ISIF demands that all US troops leave the Middle East and that President Trenten should resign and hand himself over to Iraq to go to prison.

The UN calls a panicked meeting of major global leaders to discuss what to do. All Western countries will support the US financially – but they urge Trenten to play along and pretend to concede as everyone hustles to track down the terrorists.

The heads of the CIA, FBI, DHS and NSA are terrified of requesting Trenten to step down but to their great surprise, Trenten grows a pair and offers to follow the ISIF demands as a way to stop them attacking his country.

Eldon and Kim secretly fly back to the States and meet with the above agencies, telling them about the hieroglyphic codes.

They also meet up with Cathy to talk about her two young patients. They are agog when they spot some childhood drawings in her briefcase – and she tells them that their father taught them how to write in hieroglyphics.

They realize Zara must be behind it – he is connected to ISIF! The girls’ work also help them figure out some remaining unsolved clues, which prove to be specific target locations.

Back in Cairo, Eldon invites Zara over to the hotel to give him the update about his daughters’ medical status – but once he’s in the room, the security guard tasers him and cuffs him.

Eldon calls the US authorities and tells them of his scoop. Then he and Kimberley lay into Zara, reminding him that he’s defending a former leader (Saddam) who brutally killed his own people. Kimberley even slaps his face!

Having got to the bottom of the terrorist cell targeting the States, Eldon and Kimberley fly off in their private jet to their private villa in Bermuda for some well-earned R&R!

About The Author

Frank Julius is an experienced hotelier who escaped the Hungarian revolution and made his way as an immigrant to Canada. His profession led him all over the world, consulting with executives in Europe, Asia and Russia. As such, his writing displays a high level of sophisticated, worldly and knowledgeable technical detail that lend his thrillers authenticity and gravitas.