The Dreadful Patriot: A Thrilling Conspiracy Novel (Techno thriller, Mystery & Suspense Book 3)

by Charles Z David

  David said "Your only guarantee is my word. Take it or leave it but you know the alternative so I advise you to accept this." He left the basement and a few moments later returned with a video camera, a tripod and the newspaper that was published on that day. Udi untied Ross and took him to a chair that was placed in front of a white bed sheet that was hung from one of the basement walls. Ross asked for a glass of water and a couple of aspirins and after getting them indicated that he was ready to begin.

  Meanwhile, Udi asked David quietly "How did you know that he had a fear of dentists?"

  David answered "You don't have to be a rocket-scientist, as the Americans are fond of saying, to know that many people have dental phobia. Nowadays a more appropriate term is used post-traumatic stress disorder caused by previous traumatic dental experiences. Regardless of the exact term, most people who grew up a few decades ago, or even today in areas where modern dental care is not available, shudder when they hear a dental drill near them. This guy, Alan Ross, grew up in rural Iran as Ali Rashid, so it stands to reason that he has developed dental phobia." Udi was impressed and then David added "While he was still unconscious I took a look at his teeth and saw that he had not been to the dentist in quite a long time – so from there on it was simple logic…"

  ***

  David was pleased with the video recording. It actually contained two parts. In the first short part that was filmed with Ross facing the camera he stated his name and his position in the Foreign Office as well as a few details about his childhood in Iran and his original name. In the second part Ross was filmed as a dark silhouette on a bright background so he would not be recognized and he gave a full account of his meeting with Segan's organization, without giving his name, and of the actions that were taken to fulfill the contract. Only after some prompting by David, who remained off camera and his voice was distorted, did he mention the opposition groups in Iran that provided him with operational information. It took some more prompting to get to admit that the funding for the whole operation was given by the Saudis. There were two points he refused to discuss, no matter how much "persuasion" was deployed – whether the action was approved by the Foreign Office and what were the final goals of the project. David was not very happy with Ross's obstinacy regarding these points but reasoned that even without an explicit answer to these questions the video was convincing. In his view, every analyst could figure out the second point and no one would be able to prove the involvement, if any, of the British FCO.

  He decided that he would show the second part at his upcoming meeting with the Imam at General Koliagin's office and use the first part only if he had to do so to convince them that it was not a just a bogus video. He considered getting Segan on video to confirm Ross's statement but knew that it was a formidable task, and in any case, it would be difficult to persuade skeptics that it was not another fabricated confession.

  October 25th, Tel-Aviv

  David returned to Tel-Aviv with the two video clips. He had instructed Yehuda Tobias to release Alan Ross in the afternoon and to make sure that he wouldn't be able to locate the safe house or identify any of the Mossad agents that were involved in his kidnapping. In fact, the only one Ross got a good look at was Mata and she was already on a plane back to Israel accompanied by David early in the morning. In any case, he doubted if Ross would report the incident to anyone. He thought that Ross would have to go into hiding and disappear from sight because the Iranian intelligence services would surely place him at the top of their "most wanted" list as soon as they figured that he was behind the elimination of their nuclear scientists. David wasn't sure what would happen to Segan once his own part in the operation became known. Probably, he reckoned, Segan would be out of business. David felt a little sorry for him – after all, he was a badly misguided patriot. He may have caused a lot of damage to Israel and directly to several Israeli individuals but his deeds have certainly impacted the Iranian nuclear program and perhaps also the stability of the regime. He may have meant well but didn't consider the consequences.

  One thing still troubled David – who was responsible for the murder of Sam and Ruby? He wasn't sure if the Iranians did it, or perhaps Segan or even Ross. At this point he was quite certain that Julia didn't do it but a shred of doubt still lingered in the back of his mind. He decided that if he could spare the time he would return to Berlin and try to discover the truth.

  David entered Shimony's office and the old man rose from his chair and hugged him warmly. David said "Here's the video. Ross admitted everything and confessed that he was the one who hired Segan's firm. However, he held back on two points. He refused to say whether the Foreign Office knew and approved the contract and what the final goal of the operation was. I am under the impression that the FCO was in the dark and he worked for someone else on his own initiative and that the objective was to destabilize the Mullah's regime. If the second part is correct then he was probably working, directly or indirectly, for the opposition factions in Iran. From his confession and Segan's disclosure it looks as if the funding was by the Saudis. I believe that their failure to purchase a nuclear weapon from Pakistan prompted them to make sure that Iran did not possess a nuclear device. This coincides with our own policy and that of the rest of the civilized world and even of Russia and China who are not too happy to see a nuclear Iran on their doorstep. So I think that it is in everybody's best interest to pretend that this never happened."

  Shimony was impressed by David's analysis of the situation. "David, you did a great job. Now I have another mission for you. General Koliagin has invited you and the Imam to another meeting in Moscow. He indicated that the Iranians are more flexible – probably they are beginning to have their own doubts about our involvement in the operation against their scientists. You now have more evidence to prove the point. So go there and do whatever you can to get them to release the hostages. You know that the PM has a personal interest in this and has authorized you to act and make far reaching promises if necessary. The meeting is set for the day after tomorrow so try to rest a little and prepare for it."

  Chapter 17

  October 27th, Moscow

  The meeting in Moscow, hosted again by General Koliagin, started with a much friendlier atmosphere. Imam Mourtashef even smiled when he entered the conference room and agreed to shake hands with David. Koliagin looked at his two guests with inbred suspicion and wondered what was going on. The two dire enemies that had previously treated each other with evident animosity now behaved as if they were old friends. He opened "Honorable Imam Mourtashef and admirable Mr. Avivi I am glad to welcome you here once again. I am sure that reaching an agreement between your two countries would serve the interests of your governments as well as those of Russia and the region. I am not so sure that some dictatorial regimes, especially those that benefit from the conflict between your two countries would take a similar view. I can already see that you two have come here today ready to reconcile your differences."

  The Imam nodded "Yes, the democratic government of the Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to listen with an open mind to the representative of the Zionist Entity."

  David expected some acerbic rhetoric of this kind and showed no emotions when he said "I tried to tell you at our last meeting that Mossad and the Israeli government had no involvement in the elimination of the Iranian nuclear scientists. I now have a video testimony from the person who instigated the whole affair and a written testimony from the head of the firm that carried out the contract. I'll screen the former in a few minutes and meanwhile you can see copies of the testament I mentioned." He gave each a document that was based on Segan's account of the contract that his firm received and carried out. It only provided scant details about each of the assassinations but there was no doubt that the essential elements were correct, and even some unpublished details attested to the authenticity of the testimony.

  The Imam read it slowly and Koliagin could see that the mention of each scientist and the way he met his fate visib
ly shook the Imam. Koliagin himself just glanced at the document and noted "David, this testimony is not signed. You could have concocted the whole thing".

  David had expected this reaction and simply said "I could have easily forged a signature to please you, but I believe that after seeing the video you will understand why no signature is needed."

  The Imam looked up from the document and simply stated "This looks convincing as far as the details of the murders of my people are concerned. But again, if Mossad sanctioned these murders then you would obviously know all the details. This document could have been written by anybody who ordered or carried out the heinous murders, not only by a renegade ex-Mossad operative as you claim. Let's see your video and then judge the authenticity of the document you presented as a testimony. I doubt if any court would accept it at face value."

  David sighed inwardly although appeared to be nonchalant. He asked the general's permission to screen the video and General Koliagin responded "I am now really curious. Please go ahead."

  David took hold of the remote controller and turned on the overhead projector. He inserted his thumb drive, manipulated the mouse and clicked on the icon of his video. Nothing happened at first so the general looked at the Imam and David and said "I guess we have to reboot the computer, just as you both need to do so with the relations between your two countries." David smiled at the witticism but the Imam reverted to his poker face and didn't respond.

  Finally the video was on. David tried to read the expressions on the Imam's face and on the general's face. At the beginning neither had shown any emotions but as Ross, actually his silhouette, continued with his narrative they appeared to be fascinated by the revelation of the contract. The Imam kept wondering if Ross had a mole inside the IRG or the secret laboratory and feared that its secret existence was compromised. The general was more interested to find out who Ross was and to lay his hands on him and on Segan. David figured that the body language of both of them indicated their skepticism and cold detachment.

  David asked them if they wanted to watch the video one more time and both nodded. When it reached the end David switched off the projector and waited to hear their impressions. General Koliagin spoke first "Why did you hide the identity of the person in the video and the man who gave the testimony you showed us earlier? This makes your whole story less credible and raises the question if this is just a clever red herring." The Imam nodded again to indicate that he agreed with the general.

  David turned the projector back on and said "I was afraid that you would want more proof. So I'll show you the first part of the video and hopefully this will convince you that Mossad was not behind the elimination of the scientists." He screened the part where Alan Ross gave his name, his former name in Iran and his position at the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office. David noticed that the body language of the Imam and the general had changed and they were now in a receptive pose. He figured that they were now assured that Israel and Mossad had nothing to do with the contract.

  The Imam said "We had always known that the head of the Iranian desk at the FCO was a supporter of the opposition. Of course we knew that he was a former Iranian but we had never suspected that he would be actively mixed up in a dastardly attack on the democratically elected regime. I cannot but wonder if it was possible that his masters at the Foreign Office didn't know what he was up to. If there is any proof of government involvement this would lead to a major crisis between the UK and Iran."

  The general was still interested in the identity of Segan. He said "We've also come across this Alan Ross character but thought that he just another of the British civil servants that were self-appointed experts on Iran. I also question the behavior of his bosses at the FCO – is it possible that they knew nothing about his activities? I tend to believe you, and Ross's statement, that Segan's firm operated on purely capitalistic grounds without any moralistic guidelines. I believe that Mossad condones his participation in the contract. I only don't understand why he is still alive after all the trouble he caused."

  David looked directly at the Imam and said "I hope you are convinced that Israel had nothing to do with your scientists. We now need to negotiate the release of the hostages you are holding in your prison."

  The Imam made a show of deliberating the issue. He said "I now believe that the Zionist Entity had nothing to do with the murder of our scientists, but there are many other reasons for regarding you as our enemies. Your Prime Minister keeps threatening us that your air force will attack us, he keeps calling us liars and claims that we are deceiving the world and not following our obligations under the nuclear deal, he keeps trying to turn the American administration and congress against us, he keeps blaming us for supporting terrorists in the Middle East and elsewhere, he keeps inciting the Europeans against buying our oil and trading with us. Why should we be concerned about the fate of a dozen Israelis?"

  General Koliagin wanted to make some progress so he proposed "Honorable Imam, why don't you start negotiations with the Israelis? Your country is ten time bigger that theirs so what are you afraid of?"

  The Imam responded "If the Zionist Entity will stop meddling in our internal affairs and publicly admit that it was a former Mossad agent that was responsible for the murder of our scientists we would be willing to release one hostage as a gesture of goodwill, and then continue to negotiate."

  The general was pleased with this declaration while David suspected that the Iranian had some ulterior motives. So he cautiously asked "Which one will you release first and what more do you want?"

  The Imam pretended that he didn't hear the second part of the question and said "We'll select one of the hostages – probably one with medical problems – and send that person in a private jet directly to Tel Aviv. You will publicly commend the humanitarian behavior of the Islamic Republic of Iran and hold a press conference parading the hostage and praising our regime."

  David agreed and the left the room after thanking General Koliagin for his hospitality. All three were satisfied with the outcome of the meeting, but the Imam was the happiest. After all, his scheme had made one more step towards completion.

  October 28th, Moscow, Tel-Aviv and Tehran

  Three press conferences were held simultaneously in Moscow, Tel-Aviv and Tehran.

  In Moscow, General Koliagin announced that an agreement was reached between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the State of Israel on the release of an Israeli hostage that was held in Evin Prison. He emphasized that it was a gesture of goodwill by the Iranians. The international press that was summoned to the general's office was caught off guard. They thought the press conference would be another boring propaganda opportunity about the Russian policy in Middle East and that the general would express his country's continuous yearning for world peace. After the announcement the general's press secretary said that he would take a few questions.

  The correspondent for the official Russian television network asked "Does this mean that there were direct negotiations between Iran and Israel?"

  The general said "I have personally hosted two unofficial meetings between representatives of both countries. At the first meeting both sides were suspicious of one another but at the next meeting their attitude had changed and they demonstrated some flexibility. This does not mean that Iran and Israel are about to resume diplomatic relations but it is a small step in that direction."

  The next question came from CNN "General Koliagin, can you give more specific details about the negotiations. What exactly did the two sides agree to do?"

  The general expected that and procrastinated "Naturally, I cannot give the details of the meetings. But the two press conferences that are held at this very moment in Tehran and Tel-Aviv will elaborate what each side gave and what it received. Next question."

  The CNN correspondent insisted and said "A follow up question, general. Why would the Iranians make such a gesture of goodwill. They had publicly and persistently blamed the Israelis for murdering their scientists. Wh
at changed their attitude?"

  The general was becoming impatient "This is the last question and my answer is the same. Each side will explain what it received and what it had given at the press conferences that are held at this very moment in Tehran and Tel-Aviv. Thank you all for coming here".

  ***

  Imam Mourtashef stood in front of the raised podium in the press room at the Majlis and waited for the small gathering of reporters from the electronic and printed media to focus on him. He said "I am glad to announce that the representative of the Zionist Entity acknowledged its indirect responsibility for attacking our brave nuclear scientists. The Supreme Leader and the Council have accepted their apology that these heinous acts were carried out by a former agent of Mossad. As a gesture of our goodwill we have agreed to release two of the secret agents that are held as our prisoners. Thank you all for attending."

  There were no questions in line with the usual practice in these events. After the press conference the Imam went straight to Evin Prison. First he went to laboratory in Basement S to oversee the activities there. Dr. Fathi was surprised to see him again, just a week after his previous visit. The Imam went directly to the "hot cell" where he had seen the metallic sphere on his last visit and was disappointed to see that it was in exactly the same position. He looked at Fathi and raised his bushy eyebrows with an unspoken question.

  Fathi said "Honorable Imam, as I told you on your last visit the core of the nuclear device, the fissile material, is ready. We are now working on the implosion mechanism that includes the conventional explosive that will compress the core to a supercritical mass and the triggering system that will provide the simultaneous and perfectly symmetrical detonation. In addition we are working on the packaging of the device to ensure that it is shielded from external electromagnetic radiation and that it withstands the perils involved in its transportation. These things require careful testing to ensure that the device works as planned and they cannot be rushed. Before you go I would like to show you the chemicals from which we have produced the metallic sphere."