The Dreadful Alchemist: A Thrilling Espionage Novel (Techno thriller, Mystery & Suspense Book 1)

by Charles Z David

  January 3rd and 4th, Athens, Greece

  Ollie and Agda arrived on a direct flight from Stockholm and checked into one of the hotels near the National Archeological Museum since their meeting with the Golden Dawn contact was set for noon the next day at the entrance to the museum. Agda was in a very romantic mood brought about by leaving cold, dark, snow covered Stockholm behind for what she expected to be a vacation in the sun with a little time devoted to business meetings. A couple of drinks in a nearby tavern enhanced her mood, while Ollie was preoccupied with thoughts of executing his plan to disengage himself from Agda for a few days.

  Nevertheless, after they had returned to their hotel room, when Agda slowly undressed and as he once again saw the garish tattoos that covered most of her body he stopped worrying about the future. Agda went into the bathroom and came back into the bedroom with nothing on her except two cloth belts she had removed from the toweled dressing gowns provided by the hotel. With a lurid smile she tied a belt on each hand, removed Ollies belt from his jeans and tied it to her right foot and lay on the bed face down. Ollie understood what was on her mind and, reluctantly at first, but then with more enthusiasm, took the loose ends of the cloth belts and tied them to the head posts of the bed. Agda started wriggling with anticipation but then Ollie surprised her by removing his leather belt from her foot, and instead of tying it to the bottom of the bed as she had expected he started slapping her buttocks with the belt in an irregular rhythm. After each slap Agda raised her buttocks waiting for the next slap and when it failed to come she immediately started writhing and with a low throaty voice begged for more. When her backside turned red from the increasingly harder beating Ollie, opened the minibar refrigerator and took out some ice cubes, wrapped them in towel that he placed on the red welts and ordered her not to move. Agda began to uncontrollably shiver thrusting her pelvis up and down and trying to rub herself on the sheets. Ollie who could barely hold himself back knew that the longer he made her wait the more both of them would enjoy the encounter, but then lost his own self-control and lay on her and within seconds he entered her soaking wet womb. She kept her body completely still and only her vaginal muscles contracted spasmodically tightening around his manhood and releasing it. Ollie also tried not to move but his body responded to the contracting muscles and he started to shake. As they both reached their climax, Ollie pulled her chin back putting an ever increasing strain of her delicate neck vertebrae. Just before snapping he released his hold and they both let everything go as they experienced such an orgasm that they thought an earthquake had hit Athens…

  The next day, after having a late breakfast, they sauntered over to the museum. The sun was bright in the sky and the temperature was around 7C , about 15 degrees warmer than in Stockholm, so that the sun and warmth made them happy. As they started ascending the stairs to the museum a handsome young man approached them and asked them in English if they had seen the dawn and the rising sun. This was the code for the meeting and they responded by saying that they liked the purity of the air – which, of course, was not quite true for Athens, even in winter. The young man introduced himself as Niko. He jokingly asked them whether they were really interested in archeology or were ready to follow him to the meeting. Ollie smiled and said that if the exhibits in the museum had waited for over 2000 years to be viewed by them then they could wait another few years.

  Niko led them to a car in which a driver was waiting and directed them to the back seat. They drove out of the congested center of town towards the marina in Piraeus. They entered a small building on Akti Moutsopolou and Niko signaled for Ollie to go up to the second floor while asking Agda to sit down at one of the small tables near the entrance and offering her some Greek coffee. Agda realized that he could not take his eyes off her and was quite flattered by the attention of this handsome dark man. She felt that the energy radiating from him was like that emanating from Ollie but the two men were like negative and positive images on film. On the drive to the marina Ollie had felt the mounting tension between Agda and Niko and saw that it perfectly suited his plan for leaving Agda for a few days in Greece while he continued his journey to Syria. So he was quite glad to leave them alone drinking coffee on the ground floor while he climbed the stairs to the second floor to take care of the business for which he had allegedly come to Athens.

  On the second floor Ollie saw an open door leading into a small conference room. A large oak wood table occupied the center of the room and many marine ornaments such as a small anchor, a yacht's steering wheel, a folded sail and many photographs of large fish lined the walls. Two men sat on chairs arranged around the table. The senior man with a full head of white hair and an aristocratic look invited Ollie to sit down. The other man was the person that had attended the meetings in Umea and Corfu as the representative of the Golden Dawn and he made the introductions between Ollie and Guido (no last names given). Ollie gave them a short progress report and told them that the project was short of funds and the Greeks were expected to contribute their share of one million Euros as promised in Corfu. Guido outlined the dire financial situation in Greece, which was nothing new, and offered to help by sending two of their own people to work on the production of the fissile material instead of paying cash. Ollie said that they needed qualified professional people who could keep a secret and safeguard the location even from their own bosses. Guido said that he was well aware of this and the people he had designated complied with these qualifications. Both were engineers with experience in handling radioactive materials as they had worked in the National Radiation Protection laboratory until they were fired three months earlier. Furthermore, Guido said that the Golden Dawn movement and he personally could vouch for them. Ollie said that funds were a priority but that he understood their predicament and was willing to have Professor Modena interview the two candidates, so he asked that they be sent to Milan the next day and he would arrange for the professor to meet with them. Before parting he said that he had to go away on business for a few days and asked if they could provide someone to escort Agda and show her around Athens until he returned. Guido said that Niko was available and if they all agreed he could play host to Agda.

  Guido descended the stairs to the ground floor and in Greek briefed Niko on his new assignment while Ollie told Agda that he had to leave Athens for a few days but that if she wished she could stay and be entertained by Niko. A brief look was exchanged between Agda and Niko and they both agreed to the new plan. Ollie said that he had to leave shortly and asked to be driven back to the hotel to collect his clothes, so they all got back into the car and returned to the hotel in the center of Athens. On the way there Niko outlined a program for Agda's visit to Athens that included visits to the main tourist sites and a taste the nightlife in the famous tavernas where Greek food was served and folk shows were performed. They all liked the plan - each for their own reasons.

  Before leaving Athens Ollie called the professor and told him to meet the new candidates for an interview in Milan the next day, and that adding them to the small workforce could enable them to work three shifts and increase their output. This could enable them to get back on schedule for production of the fissile material.

  January 5th to 7th, border between Turkey and Syria

  Once again Ollie donned local clothes to hide his Scandinavian features and blond hair and as dusk set in he followed his guide down the narrow streets of a village through which ran the unmanned border between the two countries. After crossing the virtual border they avoided the Peshmergah fighters and made their way deeper into the Syrian controlled area, passing through deserted villages and along dusty roads that were now covered with a thin layer of snow that had turned into ice in many places. After marching for five hours the guide told Ollie that he had to continue on his own as they had reached an area controlled by the Islamic State troops. Ollie paid the guide and asked him to meet him again at the same place after 48 hours promising to double his fees if he returned on time.

&
nbsp; Ollie found a ruined house, spread his thin blanket on the floor and lay down waiting for the sun to rise as he feared that approaching the ISIS held territory in the dark would be too dangerous. At dawn he rose and for the first time after almost a whole year bowed towards Mecca and prayed. At this stage he was not sure if his dedication to Islam was as strong as it had been while he fought with the ISIS troops but the memory of Fatima and his promise to the dead Supreme Commander kept him going. He exited the ruined building and waving a white rag tied to a stick continued on his way south until he saw the black flag of ISIS flying on a Toyota jeep with a four wheel drive.

  Slowly approaching the jeep he took off his kefiya exposing his blond hair and shouted in Arabic that he wanted to speak with their leader. He was answered by a short burst from an AK47 aimed at the ground near his feet. Without flinching he shouted that he was the head of the fabled Ollie's Butchers unit and the firing stopped. He was ordered to come closer with his hands raised. The troops he saw were nothing like those he remembered. Instead of a group of self-confident, fearless warriors, dressed in battle fatigues and armed to their teeth he saw a group of disheveled troops, poorly dressed with lifeless expressions. They all appeared to be red-eyed and under the influence of hashish or some other drugs. Nevertheless, one of the older soldiers recognized his name and volunteered to take him to their local commander.

  Ollie followed the soldier to the jeep and they drove a few kilometers back to another village that was only partly destroyed. He was led to the largest house in the village and although the front door was missing the house was occupied by the local ISIS commander and some of his troops. The smell of cooked food reminded Ollie that he had hardly eaten since leaving Athens two days earlier. A tall, haggard looking, bearded man invited him to have some soup, bread and water and to join him in prayer before sitting down to eat. He introduced himself as Abu-Alli, the commander of some 250 ISIS fighters in charge of one of the sectors closest to the border. He told Ollie his troops were holding back the Peshmergah forces but the air attacks by the coalition air forces made this increasingly difficult and added that every day he lost some of his soldiers in battle and others through desertion. The air raids by the Syrian air force, that had recently received support from Iranian and Western forces, were decimating his troops and although they had a few Russian made Strela and US made Stinger shoulder fired anti-aircraft missiles which tried to keep away low flying helicopters and aircraft, the damage from the aerial raids was still severe. Ollie inquired who was now in the position of Supreme Commander and Abu-Alli told him that ISIS had effectively split into two main factions; one was led by Ahmad Nuseirat and the other, smaller and more extreme group, by Ibn Tutta. Nuseirat was willing to cease fighting and reach an agreement with the governments of Syria and Iraq if they promised amnesty and allowed him to remain in control of a small area bordering on both countries. They were inclined to agree if the fighters would lay down their arms. Ibn Tutta, on the other hand, had sworn to continue fighting until the new Caliphate was established and the whole world acknowledged that Islam was the only true religion and accepted it or until the last of his men became a Shahid and earned his place in heaven.

  Abu Alli then explained that he supported Ibn Tutta, who saw himself as the new Supreme Commander, and that he was in fact his top lieutenant. He said that this was the main reason so many air raids were directed at his unit.

  Ollie asked to meet with Ibn Tutta as soon as possible and Abu Alli offered to take him to his hiding place. The US had placed Ibn Tutta at the top of their most wanted list and had posted a reward of 50 million US dollars for information on his whereabouts so he had gone into a safe haven deep in a cave in the hills east of Ar Raqqah, the unofficial capital of ISIS controlled areas. The trip from the border vicinity to Ar Raqqah took over 5 hours as they had to avoid roadblocks set up by other opposition factions, so by the time they arrived the sun was setting. Before being allowed into the presence of Ibn Tutta, Ollie and Abu Alli were frisked by the bodyguards that ensured that they empty their pockets and left them almost undressed before they admitted them for their audience with the new self-proclaimed Supreme Commander and Caliph. The room in which Ibn Tutta sat was actually a large excavated space inside the cave that provided shelter from aerial attacks. Ollie felt uncomfortable about discussing the secret project in Abu Alli's presence but could not think of a way to get him to leave the room without offending him, so solemnly said that what he had to say to them both was for their ears only. He asked Ibn Tutta to send away everyone else and waited until the bodyguards and entourage left them alone.

  In a low voice Ollie revealed the plan concocted by the dead Supreme Commander without divulging the status of the project and its exact location. He knew that there was no point in going into technical details with the two Arabs whose scientific background was practically nonexistent. He emphasized that the ultimate objective was to initiate a religious war between Christians and all Muslims, especially the moderate regimes that were corrupted by the Western culture, precipitating this by exploding an improvised nuclear device in the heart of the Old City of Jerusalem. The plan was that first the Jews would be blamed for clearing the way to build their Third Temple on the site where mosques and churches prevented this construction. Then the Christians would suspect that the Muslims were willing to sacrifice their third most holy shrine in order to destroy the place where Jesus had set foot on his way to the cross and where, according to the tradition of most Orthodox Christians he was buried before being resurrected. The Muslims would naturally suspect Christian extremists who had relatively easy access to nuclear weapons and soon a global religious war would begin. In the aftermath, the Muslims would claim what was rightfully their place as the dominant force, imposing their own version of world order. Ibn Tutta and Abu Alli were speechless and impressed by the magnitude and sophistication of this plot.

  After a few minutes Ibn Tutta, who although he had little formal education did have political savvy, shrewdly asked if the Chinese would not seize the opportunity and take control of the world themselves. Ollie frankly stated that they had thought that the Chinese would also be drawn into the global conflict but would be in no position to be an active player, but that was a speculative unknown factor. Ibn Tutta offered financial assistance as he had gained control of most of the monetary assets confiscated from banks by ISIS when it was at its prime, but Ollie was afraid that he would not be able to explain to Andreas where these funds had come from and declined the offer.

  However, Ollie made a request that when the stage was getting set for the final act – detonation of the device in Jerusalem – he would need cooperation from Palestinians loyal to the cause and willing to sacrifice their lives for it. Ibn Tutta told him that as that time approached he should contact Sheik Khalil, the head of an extreme Islamic movement in Israel in Umm al-Fahm, and use the code word al Tahrir al Islami (freedom of Islam). Meanwhile Ibn Tutta would make sure that Sheik Khalil received instructions to assist Ollie with anything he required even to the point of sacrificing his own life and the lives of his disciples if necessary. Ollie thanked him for his support and said that he would not be in touch and that his actions would speak for him.

  After they had finished their meeting they all prayed together, had a modest dinner and went to sleep in Ibn Tutta's secure cave. For Ollie, a full night's sleep was a luxury he had almost forgotten. The next morning Abu Alli drove him back towards the Turkish border where he was to meet his guide in the evening. The trip was uneventful and Ollie reached the meeting place an hour ahead of the scheduled time so he was able to verify that no unpleasant surprises awaited him when the guide arrived. They crossed back into Turkey without being detected or challenged the same way they had left it two nights earlier.

  January 9th, Athens

  As soon as Ollie crossed from Turkey into Greece he called Agda at the hotel. He was not really surprised when a male voice answered the phone and upon hearing Ollie's voice preten
ded that he had the wrong room number. He called the hotel exchange again and asked for the same room number and this time the phone was answered by Agda who said she had just stepped out of the shower. Ollie told her he would arrive at the hotel three hours later and that she should start packing her things as they were flying back to Stockholm later that night. Agda motioned to Niko to take off the clothes he had just put on as he had begun to get dressed after hearing Ollie's voice on the phone and said they had time for a short farewell party.

  In fact, Agda did not see much of Athens during the last four days but saw quite a lot of Niko and managed to teach him to satisfy her needs in the way she liked most. Niko was reluctant at first to use violence to enhance her pleasure but gradually got into the same game himself and started to enjoy it too. Their farewell party almost led to mutual mutilation as they sought their last share of mutual elation, but as the clock advanced they quickly showered separately, got dressed and Niko left the room while Agda packed her clothes and checked out of the hotel. When Ollie arrived he found her sitting in the hotel lobby with a long drink in her hand and an enigmatic smile on her face. He asked her if she had had a good time in Athens and her smile broadened, so he too smiled and said that they had to fly back to Stockholm but they could return to Athens another time if she wanted.