The Greatest Game

by J A Heaton

  He grabbed one end of a cord, braced himself for the cold, and jumped into the spring, something he had never done before.

  The cold shocked Daniel, but he dove below and attached the cord to a handbag. He swam up and broke the surface, gasping for breath and fighting against the frigid water. Walters helped Daniel out of the pool and wrapped a blanket around him.

  Walters watched with amazement as Daniel rose, grabbed the cord, and began hauling the handbag out of the water. He soon heaved it from the pool and onto dry ground.

  Daniel opened Nigora’s handbag, and Walters confirmed its contents.

  Walters gave a nod to Daniel who exhaled deeply.

  Nigora had told the truth.

  Daniel looked down into the water where he knew Aziz laid dead. He pulled out Aziz’s knife, stained with Qaqramon’s blood.

  He dropped the knife into the water and silently made a wish.

  Daniel turned his back on the spring and walked away, hoping to never return or think about the place again.

  Daniel and Walters boarded the helicopter and took off into the darkness.

  “The package is recovered,” Walters reported to General Jones over the radio.

  Walters clutched the case containing the nuke and watched as Daniel lay on the floor of the helicopter, shuddering and crying.

  23

  Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

  About two months later.

  March 21, 2002.

  Most inhabitants of Tashkent were on the streets to celebrate, whether it be at a parade or at city parks. Daniel and Rex, recovered from their mission in Afghanistan, were walking in the city as well, but they weren’t celebrating. The people were observing Navruz, the lunar new year, a holiday that predated Islam’s arrival to Central Asia. Women wore bright clothing, unique local dresses that could identify which village the young woman was from.

  Daniel and Rex walked near the giant statue of Tamerlane, an ancient ruler, and glanced at the men playing chess in the park. Daniel gripped his bag tightly, hopeful his gift would do some good.

  “You sure you want to see her again?” Rex asked. “It’s been more than two months, but…”

  “Be patient,” Daniel said, still looking at all the happy but unknown faces passing by who could hardly be bothered by the odd pair of Americans.

  Then, it finally happened.

  A shorter and more portly man wearing a shiny blue suit approached Daniel and Rex and told them they were invited. Before they proceeded, the man rooted through the bag Daniel carried. He scoffed at the contents. But the man was soon convinced that neither Daniel nor Rex were armed. Daniel thought he noticed the slight bulge of a firearm under the man’s coat. In a country like Uzbekistan, anybody who carried a concealed gun had to be somebody.

  Daniel and Rex followed the man through the crowds. They left the giant roundabout and entered an ornate teahouse. Men sat about drinking tea and eating the local favorite rice pilaf, or osh, as they called it, having undoubtedly left their frustrated wives at home on this holiday. But women wouldn’t dare raise an objection. The tall ceiling and ornate woodwork spoke to the expense of this teahouse. Anybody who dined here was wealthy, powerful, and probably hired so much staff at their homes that their wives didn’t have to lift a finger.

  The three went through the teahouse towards the back. After passing through the beaded doorway and into a dim room, Daniel saw a young woman seated at the far end of a rectangular table. Two large men stood on either side behind her, wearing perpetual snarls on their faces.

  The woman, of course, was Nigora. But she was transformed from a simple village girl to a cosmopolitan young lady. Instead of black hair to her waist, it was expertly done up with pins, accentuating her slender neck. Her nails were precisely manicured, and her tight-fitting outfit, though it covered her completely, was flawless.

  Daniel stood speechless. He had always known that Nigora was beautiful, but here she seemed to be a model.

  “Hello,” Nigora said.

  “Hello,” Daniel replied. “God has blessed you here. It is clear you knew exactly how to get what you wanted. Was your wish granted?”

  Daniel wondered exactly how she had put the one million dollars to use.

  “You see?” she said, motioning with her hands at her glamorous surroundings. “I have all that I want here. And more.”

  “Then please accept my gift,” Daniel said as he extended the bag in her direction. The portly man came and took the bag and carried it to Nigora.

  As Nigora pulled out its contents, Daniel explained, “Beautiful fabric from Tashkent that you always wanted.”

  Nigora gave a smirk. “That is no longer in fashion.” She pushed the gift back towards Daniel.

  He ignored the ingratitude and asked, “What do you do here? I’m happy you are doing so well.”

  “What I do here is my business,” Nigora said. “I invited you out of respect for my father.”

  “I’m sorry to say, but Bobo died,” Daniel said. “I didn’t know it at the time, but he died the night we last saw each other.”

  “You see? I was right to leave him behind.”

  “In his death, he saved Rex’s life. And the lives of others. I wanted you to know that your father was a hero. And Rex wanted to thank you for what your father did.”

  Nigora sat still, her eyes betraying nothing. She didn’t ask for more explanation.

  “I want to know, Nigora,” Daniel started, but he paused. After a few moments, he continued. “I want to know what happened to you. Before, when I lived with your family, you were different. And then, when I came back…”

  Nigora gave a cold stare as if to ask, “So what?”

  “What happened to you?” Daniel demanded.

  “I never changed,” Nigora said. “You simply never knew me in the first place. I was only what you imagined me to be. A simple, harmless, but beautiful girl who would be obedient to her husband.”

  “Whatever Qaqramon did to you, why did you—”

  “I didn’t do what I did because of something Qaqramon did to me,” Nigora interrupted. “Qaqramon was an opportunity. I stepped forward to become his wife. And then I waited for the next opportunity. It finally came.”

  Daniel’s feet felt stuck to the ground as he stood, dumbfounded.

  “And, yes,” Nigora continued, “you were always merely an opportunity for me. After my father forbade our relationship, I had to wait. I’m not placing my fate into the hands of others anymore.”

  For nearly six years, I’ve imagined what it would have been like if I had taken Nigora when she offered herself to me at the spring, Daniel thought to himself. But she’s not at all who I imagined.

  Unable to recover well, Daniel asked again, “What is your business in Tashkent?”

  “The other reason I welcomed you was to warn you not to interfere,” Nigora said.

  “What are you doing that you think I would interfere?” Daniel asked. Daniel was growing more certain that Nigora was involved with the Russian mafia. Her million-dollars had bought her way into a game that was dangerous, yet lucrative.

  “Our time is done,” Nigora said definitively.

  Daniel decided he needed to change the subject.

  “I visited your village,” Daniel said quietly. “Forty days, as is your custom, after your father’s death. And your brother’s death. It seemed the right thing to do.”

  Nigora gave no sign of hearing, or caring, what Daniel had said.

  Daniel turned to leave, and Rex followed.

  “I forgot my brother had died,” Nigora said. Daniel turned back. “That was my old life. And it’s time for you to get on with your life. And remember, do not interfere.”

  Daniel took one last look at Nigora and his rejected gift on the table. Daniel passed through the beaded door with Rex behind him. On the street, colorful crowds swam around them, celebrating Navruz. Daniel and Rex walked in silence, immune to the surrounding festivities. Daniel eventually reached his hotel where
he laid down and tried to sleep before his flight to America.

  Washington D.C.

  Two days later.

  March 23, 2002.

  Jenny picked Daniel and Rex up from the airport and took them to her place. After they both had showered, Jenny took them out for a burger and a beer.

  With the time change, Daniel had no idea what time it was, just that it was dark. They ate and drank for hours, thankful to finally have time to relax with a friend without fearing for their lives.

  After it got late, and Daniel noticed that sparks were flying between Jenny and Rex—he had to laugh at the macho SpecOps soldier showing interest in the geeky computer girl—Daniel left the two alone and walked towards his mother’s house.

  Daniel was surprised to see that his mother was awake.

  “You’ll be happy to know that I will be working in D.C.,” Daniel said as they embraced. “At least for a little bit.”

  “It’s still early tonight,” his mother said. She stepped back. “You need to get out on the town and find a girl. Please tell me your trip helped you get over that girl from over there.”

  Holding back tears, Daniel told his mother, “Yeah. I’m over her. The war killed her. And her whole family.”

  His mom gave him another silent hug, knowing better than to ask for the details. She had learned that lesson from being married to a military man for so long.

  After releasing the hug, Daniel turned to head upstairs to go to bed.

  “Don’t forget,” his mom said.

  “Oh yeah,” Daniel said. “I almost forgot.”

  Daniel went to say hello to his mom’s newly adopted puppy.

  24

  A commendation letter from Officer Carter and General Jones waited for Daniel’s return in his cubicle. Daniel smiled when he read the P.S. from Jones: “You owe me a new motorcycle.”

  Daniel wondered if he was returning to the mostly dull life of translation and analysis behind a desk, though now with slightly more pay. And so, the meeting with Officer Carter the next morning, on a Saturday, was a surprise.

  “Daniel, Rex, and Jenny,” Officer Carter said with more levity than Daniel had ever witnessed, “congratulations on the successful completion of your mission.”

  “Maybe now isn’t the time to ask this,” Jenny said nervously, “but now that this is over, do I still have a job, or…”

  “You better still have a job,” Rex said.

  They all turned their heads when Officer Carter’s office door opened without somebody knocking.

  After a few seconds, Daniel recalled the man’s name. Peters. He had been attached to the National Security Adviser and had sent Daniel to Afghanistan.

  Officer Carter gave a surprised look.

  “Carry on,” Peters said. “I wanted to be here when you told them.”

  Officer Carter continued. “The CIA, in conjunction with the military, is forming unique units, unlike any other that have previously existed in the United States. Bringing together a blend of analysis, human intelligence, computer expertise, and military force, these new units will be on the front lines fighting terrorism in the United States and abroad. We want you three to be part of such a unit. You will be the nucleus, but you will recruit more teammates.”

  “We’ll have to think about it,” Daniel answered before anybody else could say a word. “We need until Monday morning. I don’t want to make a major decision with jet lag.”

  “We should discuss it over coffee,” Jenny added.

  “Okay, you three. Enjoy yourselves. I’ve got work to do,” Officer Carter said.

  As Daniel, Rex, and Jenny got up to leave, Jenny turned around and asked Officer Carter, “So, do I still have a job? Should I come in on Monday? Or…”

  “She’ll see you Monday,” Peters said.

  “Yes, I will,” Officer Carter agreed.

  Peters stayed with Officer Carter to continue planning the future of the new units they were forming.

  “You know,” Peters said, “there’s one thing I never figured out about the Soviets leaving a nuke in Afghanistan.”

  “What’s that?” Officer Carter asked.

  “How did Qaqramon know to find the guy in Berlin to get the information out of him?”

  “That’s a damned good question,” Officer Carter said. “If there were other nukes with the one we recovered, let’s hope knowledge of them died with Qaqramon.”

  “You don’t think whoever told Qaqramon about the Uzbek in Berlin knows more?” Peters asked.

  “That’s why we’re forming these new units,” Officer Carter replied.

  In the mountains south of Mazar-i-Sharif, a goat herder walked by a tiny crevice that would serve as an entrance into one end of a cave. In the history of the world, human beings had previously visited this cave twice. The first instance had been the loyal KGB Colonel, who went by Misha, plus his hired hands from Tashkent, including Rustam. They had dutifully dug out the cave, installed a vault, and put the secret cargo inside.

  The second visitor to this cave was Qaqramon, having learned its exact location from Rustam, the lone surviving laborer in Berlin. Qaqramon had not only successfully located the cave, but he had also opened the vault. Inside, he found what he had hoped for, and he nearly succeeded in what he’d planned to do with it.

  But on this day, a goat herder passed by the cave without entering. Over the next decades and centuries, few would pass in the vicinity, but none would notice it, let alone enter.

  The secret left behind by the Soviet Union and their failed Afghan war remained unknown, though men and nations would exchange lives to gain what was abandoned in that cave. Qaqramon had removed one atomic weapon from the vault, leaving behind three more for later use. But Qaqramon never told anybody before his death.

  THE END.

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  The Greatest Game: A Daniel Knox Thriller Book 1.

  Copyright © 2019 John Heaton.

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  Flannel and Flashlight Press.

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