by E. L. Pini
The next thing I remember was Kahanov’s voice.
“RP! RP, can you hear me? Stay with me, RP. Avner! Medic! Stay with me.” His voice faded and multiplied, rolling like distant waves, humming with a strange metallic echo.
I heard him but couldn’t see anything. I felt weightless and immaterial, and I yelled at him to check on Verbin and the baby, but nothing came out.
Soon, I could hear nothing, too.
Epilogue
In a private hospital room, at the end of a secured hallway, stood the DM—who apparently used to be a lawyer—reading aloud the marriage agreement between Dr. Rosa Luxemburg-Verbin (hereinafter referred to as “The Bride”) and Avner Ehrlich Ne’eman (hereinafter referred to as “The Groom”).
“A. The bride and groom will love each other forever and behave accordingly: with love, patience, honor and friendship. B. This contract shall remain in effect for as long as the bride and groom love each other. C. Witnessing this union are Mrs. Bella Kaufman and Misters Ami Kahanov, Efrayim “Froyke” Dashevski, Professor Ram Gorni and Moshe Halevi. I, Moshe Halevi, Esq., by the power apparently invested in me, hereby declare these two wed. They have sworn in front of these witnesses to honor the contract, as it is written, in its entirety. The groom will now provide the ring.” He paused, and a brief, mischievous smile appeared on his face. “RP! The ring!”
He had never called me that before.
Verbin scrambled to retrieve a small leather pouch from her bag and handed it to me. “This is the ring you bought me,” she grinned and kissed me on the cheek.
“I haven’t authorized any kissing yet,” said the director, who began filling some wineglasses.
“Wait a minute,” said Kahanov, grabbing the microphone from the portable stereo system. “This is your DJ, Amiiii…. Kahanov! Now dance, you bastards! Dance!” He pushed play on the wedding march.
Bella wiped away a tear and hid behind Froyke, who also seemed somewhat tearful.
The director raised his glass. “All right, friends, we’re done here. Some of us lounge in bed all day”—he nodded toward me—“and some have to work for a living.”
He set down his wineglass, opened the door for Bella and left.
“Where are you going?” I asked from my bed, but he didn’t reply.
Glossary
AISI—Agenzia
Informazioni e Sicurezza Interna – The domestic intelligence agency of Italy.
CornerShot—a weapon accessory allowing the operator to aim and fire around a corner, without leaving cover.
DM—The director of the Mossad. Equivalent to the IDF’s chief of staff.
EEI—essential elements of information. The top priority items of intelligence information that are vital for timely and accurate decision making.
Flotilla 13—An elite commando unit of the Israeli Navy (the Israeli equivalent of the US Navy SEALs). Specializes in sea-to-land incursions, counterterrorism, sabotage, maritime intelligence gathering, hostage rescue etc. The unit is trained for sea, air and land actions.
GRU—The military intelligence service of the Russian Federation.
IDF—Israel Defense Forces. The military forces of the State of Israel. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel. Headed by its chief of staff, who is subordinate to the defense minister.
KGB—The main security agency for the Soviet Union before its collapse.
Kidon—(lit. “Spear”)—The Mossad counterterrorist unit.
Matkal (nicknamed “The Unit”)—An elite special mission unit, subordinate to the Military Intelligence Directorate of Israel. Primarily a field intelligence-gathering unit, conducting deep reconnaissance behind enemy lines, Matkal is also tasked with counterterrorism and hostage rescue beyond Israel’s borders (the Israeli equivalent of Delta Force in the United States).
MI5—The domestic security service of the United Kingdom.
MI6—Foreign intelligence service of the United Kingdom government.
Mossad—(lit. “The Institution”) Israel’s foreign intelligence agency (Israeli equivalent of the CIA). It is responsible for intelligence collection, covert operations, and counterterrorism. Unlike the government and military, the goals, structure and powers of the Mossad are exempt from the Basic Laws of Israel. The director answers directly to the prime minister.
PJP Grenade—Portable Jammer Pack made by Netline, in the shape of a hand grenade. Designed for blocking the signals of radio-proximity fuses, for radio-detonated bombs and improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
Oketz—(lit. “Sting”) The independent Canine Special Forces unit of the IDF. The unit specializes in training and handling dogs for military applications, such as sniffing out explosives.
Shin Bet—The Israel Security Agency (often nicknamed “the Service”) is Israel’s internal security service (Israeli equivalent of the FBI). One of three principal organizations of the Israeli intelligence community, alongside IDF intelligence and the Mossad. Responsible for safeguarding state security, exposing terrorist rings, interrogating terror suspects, providing intelligence for counterterrorism operations in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, etc.
Spetsnaz—A Russian umbrella term for Special Forces. Historically, Spetsnaz referred to special military units controlled by the GRU. It also describes special purpose units, or task forces.
The Pit—the IDF’s command center bunker, located under the government central facility in Tel Aviv.
UAV—Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, commonly known as a drone.
Unit 504—The Human Intelligence Division, one of the IDF’s most classified units. It deals in the recruitment and activation of secret agents around the borders of Israel, operating in the gap between the Mossad and the Shin Bet.
Unit 8200—Israeli Intelligence Corps unit responsible for signal intelligence collecting and code decryption.
Unit 9900—Israeli Intelligence Corps Visual Intelligence Unit, responsible among other things for satellite intelligence and airborne reconnaissance.
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31 Red berets in the IDF are worn by paratroopers, and several commando units, such as Matkal. -TK
32 A former prime minister of Israel (1999-2001). -TK
33Intifada is an uprising against oppression. In the Palestinian context, it refers to attempts to “shake off” the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, ranging from strikes and protests to violent acts and attacks on civilian population. -TK
34In Islamic law, a waqf is an inalienable charitable endowment, usually the donation of a building, plot of land or other assets for Muslim religious or charitable purposes.
35 In old Hebrew custom, an official engagement (in which the bride is “sanctified” to the groom) can also result from intercourse. This was later prohibited by the Talmud.
36 Samur (lit. “weasel”) is a Combat Engineering Corps unit which specializes in finding and destroying smuggling tunnels and hidden weapon caches. -TK
37 A Hebrew acronym for “Judea, Samaria, Gaza”—a geographical area, roughly corresponding to the West Bank and Gaza Strip combined. -TK
38IDF call signs: Starling—company sergeant major; Crown—commander; Screwdriver—operations officer; Teddy Bear—Israeli armored Caterpillar D9R bulldozer. -TK
ithin
