The Greatest Game

by J A Heaton

“Isn’t Kholm the town the smuggling Gate was near?” Daniel remembered out loud. “And why don’t they exchange the nuke in the mountains, instead of in a city controlled by the US?”

  “Let’s go bump into Reza and ask a few questions,” Rex said. “He should know.”

  16

  “Here he comes now,” Rex said as he peered through his binoculars. Rex handed them to Daniel for a look.

  Several armored personnel carriers and Humvees were coming into view from the east, but the cars in the middle were what interested Daniel and Rex. An armored black limo flew Iranian flags from above its headlights.

  “I can’t believe we’re helping provide safe passage for this guy,” Rex said.

  “Good to see that Qaqramon’s men didn’t attack the convoy on the way here,” Daniel said jokingly. “Wouldn’t that have been ironic if the Taliban unknowingly killed Qaqramon’s buyer?”

  “I would not put it past them,” Rex said. “The infighting amongst different factions and warlords never ceases to amaze me. Besides, Qaqramon already has the one million down payment. If we’re lucky, the Iranian will lead us to the nuke and Qaqramon.”

  Minutes later, Daniel and Rex met up with the Humvee they would be riding in. General Jones told them that the Iranian diplomat politely declined a friendly meeting with the military base commander, and so there was no way Daniel and Rex could question him. The next best idea was Daniel and Rex riding along in the patrol vehicle, ostensibly to provide friendly security support to the Iranians. Perhaps the Iranian, if it were Reza or a colleague, would collect the nuke from a dead drop or via a brush pass.

  “They didn’t seem too happy about having two of our Humvees following them around the city,” Jones had said, “but in the end they accepted our generosity, probably figuring that nothing could go wrong.”

  Once their patrol vehicle met up with the convoy, they escorted the black limo into the city and towards the mayor’s office.

  “I have a bad feeling this is going to be a total letdown,” Daniel said to Rex as they waited inside their vehicle outside the mayor’s office in Mazar-i-Sharif. Daniel and Rex’s Humvee was in front of the black limo, and one more was parked behind it. The Iranian was meeting with the mayor of Mazar-i-Sharif, and he had at least two armed men with him. Perhaps a third armed bodyguard was with the driver.

  “I thought being a spook was loads of fun and excitement,” Rex said. “You mean it’s not?”

  “I bet the CIA is the most boring bureaucracy in the world,” Daniel said, thinking back to his hours and hours of plugging through translations and reports.

  “Even the IRS?” Rex said.

  “Tax law is one of the most exciting ways to catch bad guys,” Daniel said. “So, yeah, I think the IRS probably is a lot more exciting than CIA.”

  “Well even though he’s never visited Mazar-i-Sharif,” Rex said, “it does make sense that an Iranian diplomat would visit. Since Iran borders Afghanistan, they would want to invest in the well-being of Afghanistan for the future.”

  “I guess,” Daniel said. “We’ve got to figure out a way to talk with this guy.”

  “Leave that until the end,” Rex said. “Let’s see if he deviates from his plan or does anything suspicious.”

  “Him being here at all is suspicious,” Daniel pointed out. “Meeting with local imams to ‘build bridges’ between Shiites and Sunnis is suspicious.”

  “That’s worked out really well over the last thousand years, hasn’t it?” Rex quipped.

  When the Iranian left the mayor’s office and returned to his limo, Daniel and Rex got their first good look at him.

  “Our nuke buyer in the flesh,” Daniel said, recognizing his nose. “Lead us to the nuke, buddy.”

  The next stop was a meeting with the local imams. The visit was, so far, unfolding as expected.

  After more waiting and a long silence while Reza was meeting with the imams, Daniel said to Rex, “You know General Stanley up at K2?”

  “Little bit. Why?” Rex asked.

  “Stanley told me the stories I had heard about General Jones were true,” Daniel said. “But I haven’t heard any stories. You know what he was talking about?”

  Rex gave a slight grin.

  “Officially, Jones was with the CIA in Afghanistan in the 80s,” Rex said. “He met with Mujahideen fighters to supply them against the Soviets.”

  “He’s an experienced guy with an intelligence background?” Daniel said.

  “Unofficially,” Rex continued, “because, you see, the United States could have no official involvement against the Soviets back then in Afghanistan, or anywhere, lest World War Three erupt, General Jones went off the reservation several times.”

  “And did what, exactly?” Daniel asked.

  “The story goes that his Mujahideen contact didn’t meet him one time,” Rex began, “so Jones went looking for him. He found where his contact had been ambushed and Soviet Spetsnaz soldiers torturing Afghanis. Jones took out the Soviet Spetsnaz men. When he was done, only Jones walked away. That’s unofficially, of course.”

  “Damn,” Daniel said.

  “And he did things like that multiple times,” Rex said. “He would go and meet with the Mujahideen, and then before coming in, he’d go off on his own and kill commies. The Afghanis even had a name for this legend. They called him Alexander the Great, after the warrior who had extended his empire even to present-day Afghanistan centuries ago.”

  “Wow,” Daniel said.

  “The CIA was loads of excitement for Brigadier General Alexander Jones,” Rex said.

  They watched Reza leave his meeting with the imams and reenter his vehicle. Moments later, their vehicles were crawling through the city again.

  The driver spoke over the radio and then reported to Daniel and Rex.

  “They say they’re gonna meet back up with the next convoy heading to Kabul soon. They thanked us for our help, and they look forward to future visits.”

  “We can’t let this chance pass by,” Daniel said. “We can’t let Reza move around and do whatever he wants.”

  “Agreed,” Rex said. “But I don’t think his bodyguards are too interested in tea. Remember, it’s from the top that we can’t hurt this guy.”

  “But we can help him,” Daniel thought out loud. He noticed something passing outside his window and asked, “Where are we?” He looked across out Rex’s window, and then he looked back. “I know this place. This is… We’re going by Oybek’s apartment.”

  “What?” Rex asked.

  “This apartment building we’re going by on the right,” Daniel continued, “that is the apartment building where Oybek lives.”

  “We’re not stopping there,” Rex said.

  “But what in the world?” Daniel said. “How big of a coincidence is that?”

  “Weird, but I don’t know what the hell to make of it,” Rex observed.

  “Hey,” Daniel called up to the driver. “Could you create some sort of fender-bender and make it seem totally accidental?”

  “What are you talking about, sir?” the driver asked over her shoulder.

  “We need a diversion, something to go wrong so that he gets out of his limo.” He turned to Rex and said, “I just got a bad feeling when we drove by Oybek’s apartment.”

  “You want me to do what?” the driver asked.

  “You’ve got to make it look like an accident,” Daniel reiterated.

  “I’ll have to radio the general,” the driver said.

  “Do it,” Rex insisted.

  The driver spoke over the radio and then turned to look at Daniel and said, “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

  “We’re sure as hell not providing safe passage for this guy,” Rex joked with a grin as he braced himself for the collision.

  Without warning, she slammed on the brakes. The limo’s tires screeched behind them, but Daniel didn’t hear the anticipated crunch of metal.

  A movement to Daniel’s right alerted him.
/>   “Look out!” Rex yelled.

  Before the driver could react, an RPG flew from their right, narrowly missed them and the Iranians, and exploded upon impact on the building to their left.

  The attack had begun.

  “Guard the rear!” the patrol driver yelled over the radio to the Humvee behind the black limo.

  Daniel looked out his window behind them and saw rubble from the exploded building. It had fallen on the black limo, immobilizing it.

  Firearms rattled from the surrounding rooftops. Daniel watched the limo’s front passenger door open, releasing one of the bodyguards who fired his gun in response.

  The bodyguard dropped to the ground, struck by an ambusher’s bullet.

  The roar of the rear patrol’s machine gun filled the street. But the machine gun couldn’t reach down the alley, the origin of the RPG.

  I need the Iranian alive, Daniel thought to himself, to track him to the nuke and the exchange.

  “We might not have to worry about him being our buyer after all,” Rex yelled.

  “I can’t get back to that rubble,” the driver yelled. “I’m going to go around the block and come up through the alley.”

  Daniel turned and saw bullets riddle holes in the limousine. Reza was trapped inside.

  “Okay,” Daniel yelled. “I’ll see you then.”

  Before the driver could throw her vehicle into gear, Daniel pushed open his door and flung himself out.

  Without enough time to cuss out loud, Rex instinctively threw himself out and went after Daniel.

  Daniel hurled himself through the smoke towards the ruined limousine. The two remaining guards plus the driver were taking cover on the limo’s driver side and firing at the rooftops and down the alley. The driver turned briefly towards Daniel and Rex as they came through the dust, but he diverted his weapon away when he saw their American uniforms.

  “We need to get your boss into the other vehicle and out of here,” Daniel yelled to one of the bodyguards.

  The driver looked Daniel and Rex up and down, hesitating to allow his charge into the care of the US military. But he knew they were right.

  Reza could not stay where he was.

  Rex pulled his handgun and fired towards the shadows on the rooftops and down the alley. The two guards pulled Reza out of the limo and shielded his body as they hurried towards the rear Humvee. Daniel and Rex continued firing at the invisible ambushers. The Iranian driver followed but fell down when a bullet destroyed his knee.

  Once they had thrown themselves into the back of the rear patrol vehicle, the driver threw it into reverse to leave the scene of the attack.

  “We have the diplomat,” the driver announced over the radio. “I’ll meet you at the rendezvous point for the convoy.”

  Daniel took several deep breaths before he looked over at the diplomat sitting with him in the rear.

  “I don’t believe we’ve met,” Daniel said. “My name is Daniel.”

  The Iranian hesitated before accepting the handshake.

  Does he think I know about him and the nuke? Daniel wondered to himself.

  The gunfire faded into the background. As they drove away, the front patrol vehicle made its way around the block and down the alley, successfully wiping out the ambushers with the top mounted machine gun and taking out the man who had fired the RPG.

  When the mayhem was over, several insurgents were dead, one of the Iranian bodyguards was killed, and the Iranian driver injured. He died moments later.

  But Reza was unharmed.

  The driver turned down a side street, accelerating to get them away from the danger. He radioed the base about the attack and Reza. His radio call ended with a somber note: “My partner is hit, bleeding bad. I’m going to need immediate medical attention when we arrive.”

  Reza and his bodyguard sat opposite Daniel and Rex in the rear with their backs pressed against the side.

  An Iranian bodyguard pointed his gun at Rex and then Daniel, and Reza said, “Stop this vehicle now.”

  “What are you doing?” Daniel yelled. He knew he couldn’t draw his weapon quickly enough, and Rex did not have his gun ready either. “We just saved your life.”

  “There’s no stopping,” the driver shouted. “My partner is hit and needs help. Fast.” The man in the front passenger seat groaned as he leaned lamely to the side.

  The bodyguard turned his gun towards the back of the driver’s head.

  “There will be no warning shot,” Reza said. “Stop.”

  “You think we’re trying to kidnap you?” Rex asked incredulously.

  The driver cursed and slammed the brakes. The lumbering Humvee screeched as it came to a halt in the narrow side street lined with two-story concrete buildings.

  “Your Jeep backed into us, stopping us so that they could fire the RPG at us,” Reza argued. “And now you’re taking me to the US base to kidnap me. You would claim I died in the attack.”

  “The RPG nearly killed me too,” Daniel said. “Whoever tried to kill you is probably still looking for you. You’re going to be an easy target on the streets.”

  “I will not be made your prisoner!” Reza yelled back.

  The Iranian diplomat opened his door and began to get out. His bodyguard held his gun steady, trained on Rex and Daniel.

  Daniel raised his hands in the air to show that he wasn’t armed and asked, “Where will you go?”

  The driver yelled before Reza could answer. “We need to get out of here. My man’s going to die!”

  Reza got out of the car, and Daniel opened his door to join him on the street.

  Rex released one of his creative expletives and exited behind Daniel. The vehicle roared away, leaving the five men alone.

  Reza and his two bodyguards stared down Daniel and Rex on the street with pistols pointed at them.

  Daniel wondered if it would have been less painful to die from the RPG than be gunned down by Reza’s bodyguard here.

  The Iranian diplomat backed away slowly and gave Daniel and Rex a warning.

  “Don’t follow us to the Northern Alliance headquarters,” Reza commanded. Daniel knew this was inside the city, containing the ANA prison that previously held Aziz. “And if I encounter you again, we will kill you. This is where we part ways.”

  “The convoy back to Kabul leaves soon,” Daniel said. “If you go to the Northern Alliance base, you won’t be able to make it to the rendezvous point in time.”

  “I don’t trust you Americans,” Reza said. “I won’t be going with your convoy.”

  “Somebody wants you dead,” Daniel said. “And it’s not the United States.”

  And it shouldn’t be Qaqramon, Daniel thought to himself. Then who?

  “Suit yourself, don’t trust us, but how long can you stay here?” Daniel asked. “The Northern Alliance base was attacked just days ago. You are not safe there, either. Whoever tried to kill you in the ambush can attack you at the Northern Alliance headquarters.”

  “I am an Iranian diplomat, on a diplomatic mission,” Reza said slowly. “My country neighbors Afghanistan, and we have far better reasons than the United States to make sure Afghanistan becomes a peaceful and stable nation.”

  “If you kill us,” Rex said, “then you will have the United States against you. Diplomatic immunity be damned, you’ll be deemed an enemy combatant, and then the US military will hunt you down and kill you.”

  Daniel wanted to press for more and tell Reza he’d listened in on his meeting with the Taliban warlords at the spring. He considered telling Reza he knew about the man’s involvement with Qaqramon and the nuke to see how Reza would react.

  But Daniel was at Reza’s mercy and needed Reza to lead him to the nuke.

  Surviving isn’t enough, Daniel thought to himself. I need to get something out of this.

  “After today’s convoy,” Daniel said, “the next convoy isn’t for another two days.” Daniel was bluffing. “The convoy will ensure that you get back to Kabul safely, but only if you�
��re able to stay safely at the Northern Alliance base that long. “

  “My embassy will be sending more men now, and they will have me out of this city by tomorrow night.”

  Daniel and Rex stared at the Iranian. Reza and his men slowly backed off. Daniel and Rex mirrored their movement and backed away.

  “Remember: if I see you again,” Reza warned one last time, “you will die.” The Iranians turned and hurried towards the Northern Alliance base.

  Once they were out of sight, Rex said to Daniel, “I wanted to tell that smug bastard we knew why he was really here. But we don’t want him to back out of the deal now.”

  “I felt the same,” Daniel agreed. “But odds are, he confirmed the exchange is going to happen tomorrow night. The convoy leaving in two days didn’t seem fast enough.”

  “We already knew the exchange was happening soon, probably tomorrow,” Rex said.

  “And now we know it won’t take place in Mazar-i-Sharif,” Daniel said. “Reza plans on leaving the city.”

  Rex gave Daniel a slap on the back, seemingly proud that they had managed to get a shred of information from the diplomat and survived.

  “You hopped out of a car twice and faced down death,” Rex said. “Is that what the CIA teaches their analysts? I don’t know if you’re brave, or foolish. Either way, let’s get back to base before your luck runs out. I can promise you, if I encounter Reza again, it will be him that dies, not me.”

  17

  “One American is dead,” General Jones said solemnly when they arrived back at the base. He looked at Daniel. “Another American is seriously injured and in critical condition. One Iranian bodyguard is dead, and Reza thinks we were trying to kidnap him. Did you get anything out of that brief meeting with Reza to make the loss of life worth it?”

  Neither Rex nor Daniel could answer the question for several seconds. Finally, Daniel said, “When we get the nuke and save thousands of lives…”

  “So, let’s get him,” Jones urged. “I agree with your assessment that Reza’s desire for timely transportation confirms our belief that the exchange will take place tomorrow. Additionally, I agree it seems likely the exchange will take place outside the city. I put my money on Qaqramon’s village.”