Zara's Game

by Jo Black

‘You better find a good friend then hadn’t you Bishop, because as you are now aware, your hosts aren’t so easily bought off.’

  ‘You want me to betray my country to the goddamn Russians.’

  ‘When the time comes you can decide who best serves your interests. If you want protection Bishop, you need to be something worth protecting. It’s regrettable we couldn’t find a more amicable trade to make, your belligerence in the matter was...foolish.’

  Bishop shook his head. ‘Who’s the idiot getting fucked in the bear suit now I guess. I under-estimated you Green.’

  ‘People usually do. It can be an expensive lesson.’

  ‘What assurances do I have?’

  ‘My word. Beyond that, none.’

  ‘I guess you leave me no choice do you...’

  ‘Not really.’

  ‘How’s this work then?’

  ‘You give me the dossier. I’ll get you a seven-day stay of execution with the Cuban Foreign Minister. If the dossier is genuine, and not some garbage you knocked up, and we get Zara back then you’ll get your status restored.’

  ‘That simple huh?’

  ‘That simple.’

  Bishop shook his head. ‘Why is it always the little guy that gets fucked?’

  ‘Because he’s the little guy,’ Alex said.

  ‘So how does the little guy get to be the big guy?’

  ‘He doesn’t.’

  ‘I could have taken their side, back then, sold Zara out. I didn’t. I backed the wrong team and look where it’s got me.’

  ‘A wealthy retirement in Cuba...’

  ‘At the mercy of the Kremlin’s attack dog.’

  ‘You’ll find the Kremlin a little more generous a benefactor than the U.S taxpayer was.’

  ‘But a lot more unpredictable.’

  ‘Do we have a deal Bishop?’

  ‘You have a deal. Wait here. I’ll get the dossier.’

  Bishop got up and left the room. Alex looked at Nish. ‘What?’

  ‘Why did we fuck about with Trevor if you had a much better plan B up your sleeve?’

  ‘I wanted to keep it in-house. Now the F.S.B Cuba Station Chief is on the phone to the Kremlin telling the boss we’ve got Bishop here in Cuba. It’ll make things more complicated getting our place at court returned when I have to answer why I used what he gave me for my benefit and not theirs.’

  ‘Well Trevor royally fucked that plan up.’

  ‘He most certainly did.’

  Bishop returned with a silver case, put it down on the table and pushed it across to them. ‘Combination is nine-one-one.’

  ‘Fitting.’

  ‘I thought so. Six-Six-Six and it discharges sulphuric acid into the contents and seals it electronically.’

  ‘Do I want to know what’s in here?’

  ‘I don’t know. You looking to retire to Cuba as well?’ Bishop said holding his mojito up as a sarcastic toast before downing it. Alex shrugged. ‘I might consider it.’

  ‘Well do me a favour. Don’t buy a neighbouring property. You are the last person on earth I want over for a barbeque.’

  ‘Oh Bishop. You’ll hurt my feelings.’

  ‘You’ll get over it...’ Alex and Nish got up. ‘Tell Zara I said hi, and sorry how it went down.’

  ‘You can tell her yourself,’ Alex replied. Bishop frowned. ‘You stole that money in her name as well. You’re not the only one in this enterprise who needs to fund their retirement privately. Make sure you keep her sixty million safe. If she has trouble collecting her share, she knows a very resourceful debt collector.’

  ‘You duplicitous motherfucker. We had a deal.’

  ‘And we still have a deal. Your unfinished business with Zara is another thing altogether. Enjoy your siesta Mister Bishop, for your sake let’s hope we don’t meet again.’

  Alex and Nish departed. Bishop shook his head and buried it in the palms of his hands quietly cursing his endless run of bad luck. He picked his mojito glass up, realised it was empty and launched it through the window in a pique of anger.

  37

  Gilad tossed the newspaper across the table with a look of disdain. ‘I suppose you think this is a joke do you?’

  ‘I don’t follow...’ Alex said with a frown.

  ‘Gadaffi’s sudden interest in the Libyan film industry. Zionist terrorists running amok in Libya committing acts of bestiality against wild bears. Bears. In fucking Libya. The fucking desert.’ Gilad was apoplectic with rage. Hani did his best to suppress his own mirth, dabbing his mouth politely with a handkerchief.

  ‘Ah that. We had nothing to do with that,’ Alex said as Nish felt a sudden need to clear his throat with a cough.

  ‘Oh really? You had nothing to do with that. I suppose it’s just a wild fucking coincidence that your winter camp in the Libyan desert is overrun with bears recently important from Siberia.’

  Alex frowned. ‘Is it? I wasn’t aware, in case you didn’t realise, we were in Cuba chasing down your information leaks to get my bloody wife back.’

  ‘So you have no explanation for this?’ Gilad opened his briefcase and took out several satellite surveillance photographs of Alex’s camp and tossed them across the desk. Alex flicked through them, and frowned at all the red circles around (what appeared to be) large black bears with a analyst red pen notes: “are those – bears?!?” He passed it across Nish who stopped then passed one photo back with the grainy, but still recognisable, outline of Trevor giving the satellite the middle finger. ‘I’ll ask again, is this some idea of a sick joke? You just doing this to make a point? Because it’s a pretty dangerous joke. This is how wars start.’

  ‘Oh come on Gilad. A paranoid schizophrenic making some B-film porno about marauding bears in the desert? You don’t expect anyone to take that seriously,’ Alex said incredulous.

  ‘I don’t give a fuck about the bears. What I do give a fuck about is the very clear anti-Semitic narrative. I mean the title: “The Goy with the Bear Tattoo”. The ever-so punchy catch line: “Watch the International Jewry wiped from the face of Planet Earth as the bears learn to fight alongside their righteous Arab and African brothers to return The Holy Land to its rightful owners, the blessed sons of Allah.” That’s nothing more than Gadaffi propaganda dressed up with a load of bullshit for simpletons.’

  ‘He does appear to have made some editorial changes since we learned of the project,’ Nish replied. ‘To be fair Gilad, it did start out as a straightforward Islamic fundamentalist terrorists kidnap an American zoologist in the Libyan Desert action flick. But it seems to have undergone some narrative change since we removed our involvement.’

  ‘And what was your involvement in this clearly provocative insult to the State of Israel?’

  ‘It’s Trevor. There really is no explaining it,’ Nish said.

  ‘Try. I’ve got a bunch of F16’s warming up their engines as we speak ready to wipe your film set off the planet if I don’t get a very good explanation right now of how this abomination was born, and what you intend to do to kill it.’

  ‘Trevor was subcontracted to make a hostage tape involving Bishop’s daughter-’

  ‘Well she’s not actually his daughter as it happens, but that’s another story-’

  ‘And, Trevor being Trevor went a little off tangent after the job was done, and may have persuaded Gadaffi to fund the...cinematic abomination. As you put it. Without our involvement, authority, or knowledge.’

  ‘You need to put your house in order Alex, or we’ll do it for you.’

  ‘Look, I’m sure it’s just a coincidence.’

  ‘A coincidence? Your former subcontractor is filming an anti-Zionist propaganda film, and there just happens to be a bunch of wild Russian bears, not known for their nativity of the Libyan Desert, running around your camp. You do understand I’m the head of Mossad, and we are in the intelligence business.’

  ‘I understand, but these satellite images are highly ambiguous.’ Alex shrugged. ‘We’re Russians. We’ve been away f
rom home a long time, the boys get homesick. They like hunting bears. We couldn’t go to the woods, so we brought the bears to them.’

  ‘So you’re bear hunting? In the desert. One question. Where is the sport in hunting bears in the desert? It’s not like there is a lot of trees for them to hide behind.’

  Alex shrugged. ‘Nobody said it was fair on the bears...’

  ‘I don’t know which is worse, the script of this propaganda bullshit or the fiction you’re now feeding me to cover it up.’

  ‘Gentlemen, as much as I would like to indulge you further in discussions over this... whatever this is-’ Hani waved nonchalantly, ‘We are here to advance the more pressing matter which we agreed to arbitrate.’ Gilad sat fuming on the sofa glaring at Alex. ‘I believe Alex was successful in recovering the documents. We’ve facilitated this meeting so that Gilad may verify their authenticity, and provide proof of life as requested by Alex in return. Subject to everyone’s satisfaction that all is in order then we will move to arrange an exchange. Is everyone in agreement?’

  ‘You’ve not heard the last of this Alex, mark my words, you tell your associate Trevor that Mossad will be paying him a visit to discuss reworking his script.’

  ‘I’m sure he’ll value your contribution to his project. Shall we move on now? If you’re expecting me to apologise for something I’m not involved in Gilad, you’ll have a long fucking wait. And before you go riding off on your high horse I suggest you remember you’re implicated in the abduction of my wife. So I don’t give a flying fuck how offended you are about Trevor’s stupid bear film. You send your F16’s; the wreckage will fetch a decent price at the scrap market. And the pilots will earn a handsome bounty from The Man In The Cave who’ll make a video with them you’ll find far more distressing to the Israelis than anything Trevor can come up with...’

  ‘You are swimming in very treacherous waters these days Aleksei. Let’s get on with this, I have better things to do than treat with the agents of terrorists and despots.’

  ‘I would have thought that was Mossad’s core trade,’ Nish said sharply.

  ‘A little civility if you please Gentlemen, kindly remember you are guests in my house.’

  ‘My apologies Hani, Gilad is so easily provoked.’

  ‘I’ll show you provoked...’

  ‘Enough!’ roared Hani. He snapped to his feet. ‘This childish bickering is tiresome and pointless. Have you nothing better to do with your time than fret over such trivialities? Do not waste my time with your petty nonsense! Now conclude your business!’

  Slightly taken aback, the room fell into an uncomfortable silence. Clearly chastised, Gilad’s tone dropped to a mutter. ‘You have the dossier for verification.’

  ‘I do. Do you have the proof of life?’

  ‘I do. Then let us begin.’

  ‘Nish.’ Nish took the silver case and placed it on the table. He entered in the digital code 911 and removed both the dossier and videotape from the case.

  ‘And you vouch for the originality from the source?’ Gilad asked.

  ‘I do.’

  ‘And are you aware of any copies you or any others hold in their possession?’

  ‘I’m aware of none.’

  ‘Very well.’ Nish slid the dossier across to Gilad. He opened it and flicked through the pages checking them. Hani, being a spymaster, could not resist reading over Gilad’s shoulder. ‘Hani, if you please, your present brief is to arbitrate not involve. If you wish to gather intelligence do so without impeaching the neutrality of this meeting.’

  Hani smiled at being caught. ‘Merely curious as to how such a clash of monumental power has come to pass. For my own curiosity, nothing more.’ Gilad closed the folder and passed it back to Alex. ‘Are you satisfied as to the authenticity of the dossier?’

  ‘I am satisfied.’

  ‘And the tape?’

  ‘You have a player?’

  ‘There is a video player available. To prevent tampering with the value of the contents it enables playback only. Does that satisfy you Alex?’

  ‘It does.’

  ‘Then you may proceed.’ Gilad took the tape. Hani’s aide showed him over to the corner where the player and T.V were set so he could view it without revealing its contents to the others. He set it to play. Hani smiled graciously at Alex, with a glint in his eye suggested mischief was called for. ‘I hear Trevor’s film is to be shown in competition at the Dubai Film Festival...’

  ‘Hani... Tut tut. I don’t think we need to put any more petrol on that particular political bonfire, do you?’ Alex said with a raised eyebrow.

  ‘Forgive me. I could not resist a little snipe at my friend in the corner’s lack of perspective in the matter. I am curious. Do the bears not get hot, in the desert?’

  ‘Apparently that’s why the Islamic, sorry, Jewish terrorists were skinning them.’

  ‘Who came up with this ridiculous notion?’

  ‘Megan, the star, has an interest in PETA, the animal rights organisation. Let’s just assume Trevor accommodated her creative input out of carnal desire,’ Nish replied.

  ‘I like it. You have been happy enough to produce endless films castigating all Muslims as wild-eyed psychotic terrorists Gilad, will you not afford us poor Arabs at least one return shot at your expense?’

  ‘I will not.’

  ‘So much for equality in the media. It seems everyone is the villain but they...’ Gilad returned with the tape. ‘Are you satisfied my friend?’

  ‘I am satisfied.’

  ‘And so. Your proof side of the bargain to fulfil. Proof of life?’

  Gilad took a cassette out of his briefcase and tossed it across at Alex. Alex took it. ‘It’s just a straightforward hostage tape. No bears.’

  ‘Wasn’t directed by Trevor then I presume,’ Nish said. Alex took the cassette and went over to the player. He put the headphones on and played it. Zara was sat against a white wall. Alex felt a cold shiver run up his spine. She held up a newspaper dated from the previous day.

  ‘My name is Zara Scott. I can confirm I am in good health and have not been mistreated. If the terms of the offer are accepted I will be returned unharmed.’ The video cut to black. Alex rewound the tape and paused it, staring at Zara.

  ‘Is everything as you expect Alex?’ Hani asked over his shoulder. Alex stared at Zara, heart beating out of his chest. He suppressed his emotional reaction as best he could before he answered. ‘Yes.’ He stared for another thirty seconds, memorising Zara’s face before reluctantly removing the tape. He took it and handed it back to Gilad.

  ‘Then you are both satisfied and we can proceed to the arrangements for the exchange.’

  ‘The principal has requested certain conditions for the exchange to be met. In light of the recent accident in Tunisia he would prefer to ensure no further accidents take place before, during, or after the exchange.’

  ‘What does the principal propose?’ Hani asked.

  Gilad removed a sealed envelope and passed it across the desk. ‘These are the co-ordinates for the exchange, to take place in international waters at the stated time. The principal will allow you seventy-two hours to make suitable logistic arrangements. You are requested to present the information in person, with no more than two of your men to accompany you — unarmed.’

  ‘And what concession does the principal offer for our security if we are to treat in such a fashion?’ Alex asked.

  ‘None.’

  ‘That is hardly equitable,’ Alex said. There was a long uncomfortable silence.

  ‘Your reputation for devilment precedes you Aleksei, you cannot expect any more favourable terms than this,’ Gilad replied.

  ‘Hani?’ Alex asked.

  ‘It does seem unreasonable for Alex, who is acting in good faith in my opinion, to present such an opportunity to a known adversary to take advantage of his vulnerability. I do not consider this an honourable display of intentions from the principal.’

  ‘Your objection is noted Han
i, but there will be no negotiation.’

  ‘Why? Is he that afraid of me?’

  ‘No. He wants to see.’

  ‘To see what?’

  ‘How far you are willing to go for her, he wants to see if you’ll really risk your life for hers.’

  ‘It’s all just a game to him, isn’t it?’

  ‘That’s all this is to anyone Alex. The great game. That is what we play, for this round these are the rules of the game. It is your choice if you wish to play.’

  Alex looked at Hani. He glanced across at Nish. Nish shook his head. They all knew it was a trap. ‘I wish you to send a message to the principal,’ Hani interjected.

  ‘I will.’

  ‘You tell him that Mister Green’s friendship is greatly valued to my king, and to the people of Jordan. Regardless of his political influence with those who feel they have Jordan at their service, if some terrible tragedy were to beset Mister Green, Ms. Scott, or any of their associates during the conclusion of a deal we are bound to arbitrate, not only would we take this as a personal insult to our honour, but also an act against those we hold dear. Jordan will be bound to avenge such actions, and your principal and his associates would find themselves and their business operations most unwelcome in these lands, and those of our allies in the region. You will make this clear.’

  ‘I will give him your message.’

  Alex looked at Hani and nodded his gratitude; he turned his attention to Gilad. He smiled softly. ‘There is honour amongst Arabs. They can be the noblest of people, and the most hospitable. If you saw past your quarrels with them you would understand better that the closest of friends make the bitterest of enemies. Very well. You may tell your principal I will agree to his conditions. I will come as a man of peace, it will for him to determine if I leave as such. Peace be upon you brother Gilad. Now fuck off out of my dear friend’s house and be about your master’s business. My friend may be too gracious a host to throw you out on the street where you belong, but I share no such polite virtue.’

  Gilad took the tape and put it back in his case. He got up, clearly annoyed. ‘I’d have let you keep that. But your lack of manners continues to be your undoing.’