by Rose Fox
“No, commander, I didn’t promise anything.”
“Oh, come on, Sayid.”
“We’ve already been here for too long,” he replied and walked to the end of the corridor and, for a moment, he appeared to be enjoying the role of guide that he had undertaken.
He made a sign to Sharif and they both stood in front of the sand wall. A moment earlier Sharif was certain it was the end of the tunnel.
Sayid raised his arm and a beam flashed from a tiny lens that was inserted in the seam between the wall and the ceiling. A door opened in the wall like an aperture in a camera and a buzzing sound like a siren rising and falling sounded. Pale red light illuminated the inner space.
“Infra-red light for night vision.” Sayid explained. “It turns on when the door opens and each hour for five minutes.” He was silent and then added, “Ah, they also take photographs there.”
They entered and Sharif laughed. In the red light Sayid looked like a devil surrounded by a read halo. Then the heavy smell of mold attacked his nostrils. In a hollowed out niche lay the emaciated, boyish figure with closed eyes, reminding Sharif of Egyptian mummies. Sharif knew that she spoke Arabic so he spoke out loud.
“Why did you separate them and put her in here?”
“Shhh, lower your voice, How did you say earlier? She’s a female, so she has to be looked after differently.” Then he added at once, “no, not really. I have no idea what the reason is.”
Abigail’s eyes opened. She slowly turned her face towards both of them and Sharif discerned her apathy and lack of interest. She turned her gaze back to the ceiling, but a tear drained to the corner of her eye. Sharif noticed that Sayid was observing him as he gave him a piercing look, so he spoke cautiously.
“Do you know her name?” Sharif inquired.
"You said you know Hebrew, so ask her.”
“You’re right, wait, she not even looking at us.” He spoke to Abigail, who stared at the ceiling.
“Hi, don’t get a fright, it’s only me. Say your name out loud, in Hebrew.”
Abigail turned her face towards him again and stared at him. Her eyes were blank and Sharif choked. In a momentary flash, he thought she was dying and he spoke to her in a concerned voice in spite of the soldier standing beside him.
“Abigail, it’s me. Just don’t despair and now, say your name out loud.” Sayid looked at Sharif intently and said, “I heard that you know her name.”
“Her country reports about her by name but she doesn’t respond at all. Either she doesn’t speak Hebrew or I’m not speaking it properly.”
“Okay, try again then we have to go,” Sayid insisted impatiently.
“Hey, do I have to kick you to get a reaction? Apparently tomorrow they’re going to take you and Adam away from here on trucks. What’s your name?!”
Abigail spoke in the direction of the ceiling, without opening her eyes. “I heard you. I’m Naima! Na-ima!”
A sudden buzz was heard and the red light flashed. Sayid pulled Sharif by his shirt and turned towards the entrance as Sharif followed him.
They went out and miniscule points of light illuminated the long corridor looking like stars studding a black sky.
Sayid paused to talk and Sharif understood that he was responding to a call on his earphone. Sayid listened and answered, “yes, everything’s ready.” He threw a glance at Sharif and remarked, as he walked, “I understand we’re leaving tonight.”
Sharif wanted to ask at what time precisely and how the departure would be orchestrated, but decided to keep quiet. Sayid stopped.
“Okay, listen, tonight a car will come to take them both and I will be the driver.” He continued walking and shouted to him from the entrance. “You wait here.”
Sharif couldn’t contain himself and called out to him, “Sayid, why did they arrange for you to travel without an escort?”
Sayid stopped, pondered for a moment and then smiled broadly. He liked Sharif’s remark that reflected his concern for Sayid. “Don’t worry, friend, from the last stop a helicopter will escort the car to its destination. Does that make you feel better?” and he continued walking to the ladder.
“Helicopter?” Sharif mumbled. “What helicopter?”
Sayid did not tell Sharif that he had been told on his earphone that in a few minutes a team would enter to anesthetize the hostages and prepare them for the journey, nor did he tell him that the departure would begin at 12:25am.
* * *
It was a particularly dark night, a night without moonlight or stars. Nothing was visible, not even one meter away.
The large vehicle was mustard colored, and under cover of dark was almost completely invisible. It was driven by Adjutant Sayid, the guard responsible for the hostages in the new tunnel. It was one of the reasons he had been chosen for the role.
The plan was to load the two hostages on the vehicle and set off under cover of dark without an escort in order to dispel suspicion. Even now, Sayid still did not know his destination and would be instructed to go westwards or until further instructions.
At precisely eleven, Sayid set out slowly to the cave.
The car moved gently on the road and Sayid focused on the light that beamed out ahead of him. When the hands on the dial of his watch pointed to 12:10 the gentle swaying of the car stopped and he knew that he had gotten on to the better paved road, indicating how close he was to the cave. The headlights illuminated the barbed wire of the fence and Sayid slowed down and stopped close by it. He doused the headlights and at that moment the car disappeared as if it had never been there.
Here he waited till exactly 12:20 when he turned the lights on again. Driving slowly, he searched for the mark above the cover of the tunnel that was known to only a very few people. After driving continuously for two or three minutes, Sayid spat out a curse because he was certain he had missed the sign. He turned the wheel, made a U-turn on the spot and drove back parallel to the fence.
Suddenly, the beam fell on a dark tree trunk lying on the sand and he tensed in surprise. Sayid was familiar with every grain of sand round the entrance to the cave and it was weird to find a tree trunk lying there but, for the present, he was more concerned about that mark he wasn’t able to find in the fence and decided to leave the matter of the tree trunk for another time. A half minute later the beam of the headlights lit up a wire that hung down the fence. He switched off the headlights, pulled a flashlight out of his trouser pocket and its pale green light illuminated the fence as he pressed his foot down on the sand.
At that same moment a splendid circle of light burst out of the entrance that opened up and it cast a beam of light into the dark night sky.
He descended on the elevator and walked confidently to the room of the first hostage. According to the plan, he knew that he would find them anesthetized and asleep.
When he finally reached the end of the corridor he looked for Sharif and called out his name. Sayid knew that Sharif was supposed to wait for him here but he didn’t notice him. At the end of the corridor, he saw the guard leaning on the wooden wall, his head leaning back, as he snored gently. He poked him and the guard jumped, straightened up and mumbled an apology which Sayid cut short.
“Come with me, Ahmad,” Sayid ordered and wondered again where Sharif was.
“Yes, sir, Adjutant, (First Lieutenant),” the soldier replied and saluted again.
They entered the niche. Adam lay with his eyes shut and his mouth open. Sayid ordered him to release the collar from the sleeping man’s neck.
“What about the ropes?” the guard whispered, “should I release his legs?”
“No, let’s pick him up together and take him to the car on the ground above,” Sayid instructed and glanced around once more, looking for Sharif.
* * *
Since nightfall, Sharif had lain on the sand, close to the fence, waiting for any possible scenario, alert to any sound.
In the distance he had seen the car approaching right in front of him. He hadn’t take
n into account that the driver might veer off the road right up to where he lay. His heart pounded hard as the car drew closer and almost ran over him. He buried his head in the sand and held his arms tightly beside his body till he looked like a single dark mass.
He waited anxiously for the car to move on and when the headlights illuminated him Sharif looked like a section of a dark tree trunk to Sayid. When the car turned round, Sharif picked his face up from the sand, opened his mouth and inhaled deeply, gasping with relief.
The car stopped, the headlights were doused and Sharif quickly crawled under it to hide as fast as he was able. The waiting sorely tried his patience and he tensed at every rustle in the air, but the silence was so complete as to make him fear the sound of his own breathing.
Suddenly a crack appeared. The round cover opened and a faint light emanated from it. A second later the cover was completely removed and a circle of light was beamed up into the sky, like a geezer of water bursting out of the bowels of the earth.
Faint voices were heard and two figures trod heavily on the sand. Sharif realized they were carrying a load. Another pair of legs appeared beside the car and a groan was heard. The rear doors opened and another pair of legs disappeared. One of the two doors slammed shut and two pairs of legs turned again to come down into the beam of light and disappeared into it. The cover closed and the light disappeared.
Then, Sharif quickly got out from under the car and climbed into it through the back door. He saw Adam, who moved his head restlessly from side to side. Sharif stroked his face and Adam passed his fingers over his thick, sticky beard and mumbled some unintelligible syllables.
Now, Sharif quickly looked for somewhere to hide in this part of the vehicle. He pressed close to the back of the rear seat near Adam’s head and tried to lift the plastic cover, spread out on the luggage compartment. He pulled it hard and when that did not succeed, he pulled a pocket knife out of his pocket and inserted the blade under the oilcloth that was stuck to the bottom. He did the same on the other side and then pulled hard, slid underneath it and covered himself with it. Sharif pressed himself into the hollow in the back of the rear seat and covered his slender frame with the sticky oilcloth.
Sharif waited like this under the plastic carpet, curled up and huddled under the oilcloth and musing that he apparently had plenty of time. He knew that it would be more complicated to transfer Abigail, who was located at the end of the corridor, behind the sand wall.
He came up with an idea. He could look for a cell phone in the car and try to inform someone in Israel that he was on the way towards Lebanon with the hostages.
The car was idling quietly, ready for the journey. Sharif glanced at the driver’s seat. The indicator lights shone on the radio device and, without giving it much thought, he crawled out and climbed over the back seat, reached the driver’s seat. He immediately texted the first words that came to mind, and then thought about where he should send the message. The only number he could remember was the judge’s phone number, the number of the very man, who was lying wounded in this car, a number he knew by heart because he used to call it so often.
He punched in the number, pressed ‘Send’ and quickly returned to his hiding place.
After a few seconds he went back to the device again to erase the message he had sent. He wondered if anyone would be able get online and check the use of the instrument or restore the text message he had sent. Sharif surmised that if they discovered the message, they might carry out a thorough search of the car and its surroundings and then all would be lost.
It was 1:55 when the message was sent and Sharif closed his eyes and prayed to his God to transmit it.
* * *
Chapter Twenty Nine
Sharif’s text message was received at the council’s headquarters on the hostage’s telephone, which was being guarded. The metallic sound indicated an incoming message, alerting the soldier on duty. He went to the phone, which was still lit and when he read the contents of the message, he couldn’t believe what he saw. He read it again and almost screamed.
In the seconds that followed he began to make the moves he had rehearsed over many hours of training but never believed would ever really happen.
First, he called Dr. Einstein and shouted into the phone:
“Doctor, a message was received on the phone of the judge being held hostage. Here, listen. I’ll read it to you.”
I’M WITH THEM AND THEY’RE TRAVELLING EASTWARDS.
THERE WILL BE STOPS ON THE WAY AND A HELICOPTER AT
THE END. SEND IN BACK-UP. I AM UN-ARMED.
When he finished reading the message he distanced the phone from his ear because the scream that emanated from it was deafening.
Within five minutes the members of the Council were called to meet in the ‘the pit’, the most secret place they could arrange for the present.
At 2:15, after midnight a military vehicle drew up at the checkpoint at the government offices in Tel Aviv and the driver’s papers were checked by the guards.
Sitting beside the driver was Brigadier General Job Drori, a star among the upcoming officers, who were rising in rank. According to his wristwatch, the meeting he understood to be an emergency one was due to start in a quarter of an hour. Only an hour earlier he had filed his papers and prepared to go home for a half-night’s sleep when he received the call requesting him to come straight to the meeting without delay.
Brigadier General Job was the last to arrive and was surprised to find Albert sitting together with everyone and not at the head of the table.
“Today I am one of you,” Albert stated, “you are all Chairmen of the Council and I am just the moderator. Not one of us is more important than the others today because we are faced with a huge task.” He gazed around, looking at each of them. “I ask you all to check whether your shoulders are powerful enough, both for the rank they bear and for this mission.”
Alongside Albert sat his personal friend Ronnie Shurok and Dr. Amir Bornstein, the doctor, who had retired with the rank of Colonel from his service as commander of medical services in the navy. Albert decided to co-opt him onto the Council team because of his professionalism. Dr. Amir dealt with cranial injuries and was a brain trauma expert. He was also called in at very short notice and made the trip in fifty five minutes flat, driving at record speed, travelling close on an ambulance driving a woman in labor to the Maternity Hospital near the government offices. Justice Tal sat beside him. He was a close friend and colleague of the hostage and his demeanor was grave and full of concern. In spite of the hour none of those present appeared to be excessively fatigued.
“Gentlemen,” Albert explained, “I apologize and ask for your understanding,” and they all stared at him. “Now, please open your bags and pour the contents on this table.”
Laughter was heard from everyone but all the respected participants picked up their bags and spread the contents out. There were earphones connected to thin red wires that startled the soldiers and they came in to examine them. There were empty glass test tubes in sealed nylon bags besides a doctor’s bag and booklets of prescription forms. A small blue spring for flexing hand muscles and a squashed stale sandwich lay beside the Judge’s bag. Small squares of silver paper, joined together in groups of three, containing condoms, fell out of Job’s bag.
“Interesting,” Albert laughed as he noticed the silver packages. “You keep telling us you never have a spare moment, right?”
“Sorry, he experiments with them. He fills them with water to check how many liters it takes till they burst,” Ronnie chuckled.
Although it was clear what the packages contained, the soldiers asked Job to open one of them and display its contents accompanied by everyone’s giggles and Albert thought to himself that it was actually not the proper thing to do to carry out a check like this in everyone’s presence.
The contents of the bags were returned and placed on a cart that was rolled into the room. A soldier rolled it back out of the conference room
and shut the door behind him.
More embarrassment followed when soldiers entered and asked them all to open their shirt buttons and spread their arms to their sides to check for listening devices on their person. Albert also raised his shirt to reveal a chest covered in graying curls.
All the tests and teasing lasted about five minutes.
“Gentlemen, to work!” Albert rallied them and the smile disappeared from his face.
“Tonight’s the night,” he said. His excitement was obvious.
“We received a message that the hostages are now being transferred in an easterly direction to a destination that is still not clear and that there will be a number of checkpoints on the way.”
Beads of perspiration appeared above his upper lip and he wiped them away with his fingers.
“We also know that they will be escorted from the last checkpoint by a helicopter that will follow them.”
“Who is following them now?” Ronnie inquired.
“We have put out an alert and we have people on to them, spread out in the field and prepared for any surprises.”
“Have you noticed that there is no moon tonight and that it’s especially dark?” Job interjected.
“Good for you, you beat me to it.”
“Why are they transferring them?” Ronnie wanted to know.
“We don’t know why. The truth of it is that till today, we had no hint of where they might be located.”
Silence reigned and Job inquired, “who reported they were being transferred?”
“Well, it’s like this,” Albert sighed. “At 1:55 a text message came to one of judge Ayalon’s telephones.”
“To the Judge’s telephone? Really?” Dr. Amir probed.
“Yes, a test message informed that the hostages were on their way. Wait, let’s read the message we received.”
Albert asked one of the soldiers to bring him the page and when it was brought in, Albert perused it briefly and passed it on to the others.
The five of them, including Albert, who had read the message several times, were very excited. The judge was the last one to hold the page and his fingers trembled. Dr. Amir began thinking aloud. “If that message was sent to one of Judge Ayalon’s telephones, then perhaps it was sent by someone really familiar with him, who remembered the number.”
