Shimony allowed everyone to bask in the glory of the Israeli Air Force for a minute or two before saying "I agree with the Air Force Commander, but I fear that there are other routes through which a nuclear device or bomb can be smuggled into Israel. I am sure that you all remember two such cases from our recent history. They became famous through the not entirely fictional novels of The Dreadful Alchemist and The Dreadful Renegade. I think the Iranians know they have no chance of penetrating our air space in an overt act of war. So they will try to devise other, less direct ways, by sea, land or air". This statement gave all the participants of the high level meeting food for thought.
The PM then directed a question at the Head of the IAEC "Can you give us an estimate of the power of such a device, if it exists, and assessment of the damage it may cause?"
The Head of the IAEC replied "With regard to the second question the answer is quite bleak – a nuclear bomb in the Tel-Aviv area would devastate the country. Even if the number of immediate casualties is similar to relatively primitive atomic bombs deployed in the World War, namely on the order of 100,000, the subsequent loss of life would be at least double, considering the population density. The economic consequences are unimaginable as this is the center of commerce and industry. I believe that the country would survive but life as we know it would change dramatically. Your first question, Mr. Prime Minister can perhaps better be answered by Mossad. I can only assume that it would be at least as powerful as the Hiroshima bomb." Everyone grew quiet although they had heard these estimates many times before and they were common knowledge even if not consciously acknowledged by every semi-intelligent citizen of Israel.
The PM realized that a dark mood descended on the conference room. He banged his left hand on the table to get everyone's attention and draw them out of their daydreams or nightmares. He said "Gentlemen, we have to prevent this from happening with all means at our command. With the physical evidence that David got us we can try convince our allies that a preemptive strike is inevitable. Preferably by a combined alliance of all countries that are threatened by a nuclear Iran. I mean not only the Western powers but to enlist the moderate Sunni countries, even the Russians who are not too glad to see another nuclear armed regional power on their doorstep. They may need some prompting and we, too, can use non-diplomatic measures to convince them that stopping Iran now is in their best interests."
As the meeting was coming to its conclusion the PM summarized "Shimony, get more information on the clandestine laboratory, its exact location, personnel and status. Use whatever means you see fit. Focus on the delivery methodology – so we can stop it before it reaches our shores. Air Force Commander, make sure your anti-missile and anti-aircraft systems are at a high level of readiness. Conduct exercises, test your systems, train the personnel operating these systems. Minister of Defense, I'll instruct the Minister of the Treasury to turn over the necessary funds for the Air Force and preparation of civil defense. Head of IAEC, I want your experts to interpret the significance of the results brought to us by Mossad. Gentlemen this is possibly the biggest threat on our country since the 1973 War. It is our responsibility to our children and grandchildren to prevent this catastrophe."
As they were leaving the room the PM asked Shimony and David to stay behind. "Do you know what is happening with the other hostages? I was pleased that Morris and Vicki didn't know that Inbal is my granddaughter and hope the Iranians don't find this out."
David looked at Shimony and said "Mr. Prime Minister, one of the scenarios we suspect is that the Iranians will agree to return the hostages and use them to somehow deliver the nuclear bomb. Maybe they will booby-trap the plane with a nuclear device. Perhaps they'll manage to reduce its size and weight so that it will fit in a suitcase and then we'll be almost helpless to prevent its delivery. I need your direct permission to continue to negotiate their release with Imam Mourtashef, because there are risks involved here, as I mentioned."
The PM said "I had feared that it would come to this - saving my granddaughter from Evin Prison at the cost of putting the country at risk. If it were a direct threat I would have not hesitated to resign, but in the present situation where the risk is still hypothetical I prefer to continue to lead this country. I am not sure I can completely trust whoever replaces me if I resign."
Shimony just said "Prime Minister, Mossad will do all in its power to have the hostages back safely and to avert the danger to the country."
November 4th, General Koliagn's office, Moscow
General Koliagin was in a foul mood once again. He was looking forward to hosting another meeting with Imam Mourtashef and David Avivi, but something in the back of his mind was bothering him. He couldn't figure the real motivation of both sides. On the one hand the Iranians were trying to demonstrate to the world that they were a respectable member of the international community. Since the 2016 elections the extreme outbursts against America and Israel were toned down – no more "Big Satan" and "Little Satan" banners and chants in "spontaneous" demonstration, no more "Death to America" shouts, even the outbursts and invectives against the Sunni Islamic countries were no longer heard in official speeches and in public gatherings. On the other hand there were disturbing rumors that the old guard and extremists were clinging to power and were up to something. He had received a report that several leading scientists and engineers had not been seen in public for some time. Russian agents had reported that collaborators within the Iranian administration hinted that a dramatic move is expected, but didn't know in which direction. One of the agents who had close ties in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard was told the IRG was cashing many of its investments and converting their assets into dollars and Euros, as if expecting a catastrophic event. The FSB operators in Germany had heard about a very strange sample that was brought by Mossad for analysis at the ITU nuclear forensics laboratories, but had not been able to get any details about the results. There also seemed to be an increase in the traffic between heads of Western intelligence services. Although these exchanges were either on secure communication lines or in tete-a-tete meetings the very fact that their intensity grew was an indication that something was amiss.
Koliagin also didn't trust the Israelis. He saw the warm welcome the first two released hostages received and his political analysts spent days dissecting and interpreting every sentence in the Israeli PM's speech at the press conference. The repeated threats about the dire consequences of Iranian violations of the nuclear deal were in contrast to the general atmosphere of rapprochement. He felt the Israelis knew something and that this was not an unsubstantiated warning. He understood that the Israelis wanted to wrap up the release of the hostages, in particular the return of the PM's granddaughter, but wondered what they were willing to give the Iranians in return.
No, General Koliagin was not happy. Conspiracy theories were the bread and butter in Communist countries, and people of his generation grew up suckling such stories with their mother's milk. He wanted to discover what each side was scheming.
***
David and the Imam arrived at the same time. Koliagin opened the meeting "This is our third meeting and I hope we'll continue to make progress. I am glad that our last meeting went so well and that the Iranians released two hostages, not just one as agreed, and that the Israeli Prime Minister himself acknowledged that humanitarian gesture and thanked Iran in public. I would like to see how we can help to further resolve the differences between your countries" he looked at David and added "and of course expedite the return of the remaining hostages."
David said "Before we start I would like to thank the Imam and convey our gratitude for the wonderful silk rugs that he had so kindly sent us".
The Imam adopted a jovial expression "You are welcome. I hope you make good use of them. The Islamic Republic of Iran is willing to proceed and release the remaining hostages. We have realized that our original demand that Israel dismantle its nuclear research centers and allow IAEA inspector free access would not be acceptable
, so we have changed our demands. There are more than fifty political prisoners in Israeli jails that we want released. They are mainly Shiite freedom fighters who worked for Hezbollah and we demand that they are to be returned to Lebanon promptly. In addition we demand all the bodies of dead Shiite freedom fighters also be returned to Lebanon. I have prepared a list of the prisoners. This is not negotiable. We insist that every single one of them will be released, regardless of the allegations against them."
David glanced at the copy of the paper that the Imam handed to him "I see that there are several terrorists with blood on their hands. They have been involved in the murder of innocent civilians. I need to consult with my government before agreeing to such a deal".
The Imam looked at General Koliagin and said "General, look at this proposed exchange. For each Israeli we are demanding only five of our people. Surely you recall other deals where the Israelis released more than one thousand prisoners for just one captive soldier! In the markets of Tehran this would be an offer no one can refuse."
David asked the general's permission to make a phone call. The general summoned his secretary and she escorted David out of the conference room and pointed at a telephone that was on her desk. David had his encrypted cell phone but decided to use the telephone she showed him. The call to Shimony was brief and, as the Russian FSB later heard from the recording of the call, the deal was immediately approved. Shimony emphasized that it should be done quickly.
David returned to the conference room and said that he got permission to agree to the proposal.
General Koliagin was pleased "It looks as we have reached an agreement. Honorable Imam, when do you wish to execute this deal?"
The Imam looked at David "As soon as the Israelis are ready. We have all the hostages in a safe place and can get them aboard the same private jet that delivered the first two hostages at a moment's notice. So I propose to carry out the exchange on the day after tomorrow. Our freedom fighters will be brought to the Lebanese border checkpoint and as soon as they cross into Lebanon the hostages will descend the plane's staircase and be reunited with their families. I suggest that both exchanges are simultaneously shown on TV." He grinned and added "A classic split screen event showing the joyous welcome by families and friends on both sides."
General Koliagin's instincts that there was some conspiracy involved were signaling to him that the speed with which this mutual agreement was reached was highly irregular. He decided to pursue the matter later and simply concluded the meeting saying he would be glad to continue to serve as the middle man.
November 4th, Mossad Headquarters, Tel-Aviv
David returned from Moscow and made his way directly from the airport to Shimony's office. He was surprised to see that Julia was there, but figured that she had some news about the murder of Sam and Ruby. Indeed, she said "I have collared Segan and questioned him. He was cooperative but adamantly declares that he had nothing to do with the murder of Sam and Ruby. He is sure that Alan Ross had contracted another firm to do the job in order to prevent them from giving any evidence that would surely implicate him in the elimination of the Iranian scientists. I believe Segan. So now you have to decide what to do about it".
Shimony thanked her and asked her to leave the office. As soon as the door closed behind her he said "David, I believe her. I think you can permanently remove her from your list of suspects. We'll deal with Alan Ross later and make sure that he pays dearly for these murders. Now, tell me exactly what happened in Moscow."
David repeated the conversation, not to say the negotiation that took place in Koliagin's office. Shimony heard him out and said "Well, now we have to really suspect the Iranians motives. The deal they offered us is too good to be true, and when something is too good it is probably not true. I couldn't care less about the 50 Hezbollah terrorists and certainly not about returning the bodies, but something smells fishy."
David agreed "Yes, I think that Koliagin was also suspicious. It is not like the Iranians to acquiesce so easily. I wonder if the private jet is the means for delivery of the device and the return of Morris and Vicky Aladgem was just a "dry run" to test us".
Shimony nodded "My sentiments exactly. We need to bring this to the PM".
David said "We should not allow the jet to land at Ben-Gurion airport near Tel-Aviv. Air traffic control can direct it to a remote air field. The best choice would be at Ovda air field that is mainly a military base that also accepts civilian flights, usually charter flights to Eilat. We can take precautions like transferring all our planes away from the base, install a powerful transmitter that will emit strong electromagnetic pulses to interfere with any electronic device on board and have a very small reception committee for the hostages. We can say that Ben-Gurion airport had to be closed down due to an emergency. So if indeed there is a nuclear device on the plane and it is not neutralized its detonation in the middle of nowhere will cause minimal damage".
Shimony said "I like the idea – start working. You have unrestricted authority to do whatever you see fit. I'll update the PM and tell him that the hostages may be at risk, in case the plane is booby-trapped, but the country is safe."
November 4th, Office of the Senior Assistant, Tehran
The Imam returned from Moscow and met with Senior Assistant and General Aslawi to report that their plan is working according to schedule. He told them about the negotiations and Israel's immediate agreement to the new toned down demands. He said "Every customer in the Souk knows that when something is unreasonably cheap it is either broken or stolen. The super-intelligent Mossad agent is probably used to the American way of doing business where the customer can return faulty merchandize and be refunded. This is not how the Middle East works."
The Senior Assistant said "Honorable Imam we commend you once again for pulling the wool over the eyes of the Zionists".
General Aslawi was more practical "So what is the schedule and how do we continue?"
The Imam said "The exchange is scheduled in two days' time. The fifty Hezbollah prisoners and dead bodies of the fighters will be brought to the border with Lebanon simultaneously with the landing of our jet with the hostages. The nuclear device will be placed in the same locked trunk in which we sent the Persian rugs last time. The pilot will get a key and be told that it opens the trunk but it will not work because we changed the lock. The device has a double triggering mechanism. It has an electronic trigger that can be set off by an encoded radio message. The message will be transmitted by a radio operator, one of our IRG officers, that we have positioned in a Hezbollah controlled enclave in southern Lebanon and has a range of 250 km – enough to cover Ben-Gurion airport that is about 200 km from the border with Lebanon. The officer will watch the TV coverage of the exchange and select the appropriate moment to send the signal. The fallback mechanism is mechanical and triggered by a change in air pressure. It is set to automatically go off exactly 15 minutes after the jet lands and its door is opened. We assume that the timing would be good even if we don't have direct control. This is a new type of device and the Chinese manufacturer assured us that it is foolproof."
The Senior Assistant asked "Do any of the plane's crew know what they are carrying?"
The Imam smiled "When they reach Allah they'll know for sure."
November 4th, Moscow
General Koliagin was chain smoking and his ashtray was so full that he used his empty coffee cup for the half-smoked cigarettes and ash. He couldn't rid himself of the feeling that he had all the pieces of the puzzle but didn't know how to arrange them. He called his secretary and she gave him her usual anti-stress treatment cuddling his head between her ample breasts and letting them brush his shoulders. Suddenly he shouted "Aha, it's the plane with the hostages". His secretary smiled and kissed the top of his head and he visibly relaxed.
November 6th, Evin Prison, Tehran
The activity in the hostages' cell was like a beehive ever since the previous evening when they were told they would be released the next
day. They all tried to gather their meager belongings in the plastic bags that Fatso had given them. Each was limited to a single bag so they had to select what to take back to Israel and what to leave behind.
Zorik wanted to leave everything behind him and to do his best to forget the time he and Inbal had spent in the prison cell. He did a quick mental calculation and realized that he had been incarcerated in Evin Prison since September 20th, a little over six weeks. Even if he added the time since his capture on Dal Lake in Srinagar, an event that seemed to be decades earlier, it was less than two months. He was amazed how much happened and how his life and perspective had changed in such a short time. Like all other prisoners he was looking forward to be reunited with his family and friends and to announce his wedding date. He and Inbal had quietly discussed this and decided that they would get married as soon as possible, they even considered asking the Imam to perform the ceremony. They would hold a small party for their closest friends and family and have no media coverage when, they refused to think in terms of "if", they were free.
The other hostages were also in euphoria. Jokes, old and new ones, were exchanged from one end of the cell to the other end. Fatso looked at the captives and thought he would miss bossing them around. He had been told that they would be taken to the airport at 10 am and was waiting for the guards as the time was approaching. A moment later a number of armed guards entered the corridor and Fatso joined them with the hostages as they marched to a waiting bus. They all boarded the bus with two guards in the back of the bus and two at the front. No one bothered to tie the prisoners or chain them to their seats – they were on their way to freedom and were not about to cause any problems. They started singing and clapping their hands and the guards watched them with benign smiles.
The Dreadful Patriot: A Thrilling Conspiracy Novel (Techno thriller, Mystery & Suspense Book 3) Page 22
