by Rob Carnell
Chapter 79
White House, Oval Office
Washington D.C.
* * *
"WHAT CAN you tell me about the guys responsible for the attack in the Gulf?" asked President Connolly.
"We are making some progress" explained CIA Director Scott. "The weapons were traced back to an arsenal in Northern Russia. The commander made some money on the side by allowing the sale of three suitcase nukes."
"Shit, 3, you must be kidding!" uttered the President.
"I am afraid not sir. We believe the second nuke is onboard a small boat and is headed for us. We don’t have a target yet, but we are preparing a list of high value targets close to waterways. The Statue of Liberty is our best guess so far. We see this as a hit on a thing, not a person unless we get something else to suggest another agenda."
"Ok Adam. But for Christ’s sake, find out who is behind this. I want a cruise missile up his ass pronto."
"Yes Sir. We are running a joint operation with the Russians on this. They don’t want the blame for this and they are being really helpful. Some of their methods of extracting information are outside what we would consider acceptable. We need all the help we can get" replied Adam Scott.
"Call me the minute you get something more, this is your number one priority."
Chapter 80
Capital Apartment Block
Apartment 209
Downtown, Washington D.C.
* * *
AT LEAST Matt had cleaned the apartment before he went overseas. He had no idea how long he would be away, so he just cleaned almost everything out of the refrigerator and threw it in the trash. He didn’t want to find a penicillin factory inside when he returned home.
Matt’s former live-in girlfriend Tracy had left without fanfare about six months earlier. She was a police officer. With the hours they both worked, it was almost like they were strangers living in the same house. Her departure was not at all unexpected. There had been no-one special since.
Matt was certainly not the tidiest guy in Washington. In fact he tended to live by the Oscar Madison credo from the Odd Couple. There were clothes, papers and mess strewn from one end of the apartment to the other, but this was normal to Matt so he didn’t even see it.
It was Natasha’s turn to be shocked as Matt opened the door to his apartment to let her pass.
"My god Matthew, your apartment is magnificent! A total mess though. Your kitchen is large enough to cook for the whole Russian army here! And the bathroom is so nice, I could spend the whole day in there."
She thought how she would start with a hot bubble bath in the large tub; however, after the long flight they were both exhausted so she settled for a quick shower and retreated to the guest bedroom. Not trusting herself, or Matt, she made sure to lock the door before she crawled between the sheets and slipped into slumber.
The next morning while Matt slept, Natasha got up early. She gathered all the clothes around the apartment and threw them in the bath. Then she tidied up everything else.
When it looked better, she cooked a quick breakfast of bacon and eggs. There was not much choice since that was all that was in the refrigerator! She found a frozen loaf of bread, so she was able to make toast as well.
"Wake up, breakfast is served" yelled Natasha from the kitchen.
"Wow, thanks, I am famished!"
After breakfast, Matt had cleared the table and cleaned the kitchen.
"So, you are beautiful, smart, you are a great cleaner and you can cook. Maybe I should marry you" joked Matt.
"Maybe you should" said Natasha. She was not sure if she was joking or not.
It was time to get to work. They both knew they had lots to do if they were going to find the bomb in time to avert a major catastrophe.
Matt setup both computers on the dining room table and tested the internet connections. Both worked just fine.
Natasha asked "How do we split up the jobs, or do we both look for both weapons?"
"I was thinking that perhaps you should work on the Russian boat thing since Russian is not my forte. I can chase the Saudi Arabian end. What do you think?"
"Whatever you say daaarling" she said in her best sexy Russian accent.
Matt called Bill Simpson "Bill, I am working on the Arabian connection, Natasha is looking for the boat. I think we can probably work fine from here, besides I know this is top security stuff. The fewer people that know what we are doing the better."
"Fine with me buddy, don’t forget to call me at 4pm everyday with an update. Find those things quickly."
They worked tirelessly. Natasha searched for satellite coverage of the Minsk area on the day the boat was launched. She checked for both Russian and U.S. satellites, but there were no images available.
Matt kept working the Caliph Hotel angle. In addition, he was checking everything he could to find any new terrorist intelligence from Saudi Arabia.
Natasha was surprised when there was a knock on the door. She lunged for her handbag and the hidden knife.
"Relax Natasha, I ordered pizza on the net, I am hungry!"
Finally, after a hard day of research, they both felt they were making
progress, but it was time to call it a day.
Natasha stood and declared "It is time for me to sleep. I am way past
productive."
"Me too," said Matt, but they were interrupted by the ring of Natasha’s call
phone.
Natasha grabbed the handset but did not recognize the number showing on
the screen, but did notice that the Russian number was unknown to her.
"Hello, Major Karpov" she spat in Russian.
"Major, this is Ivan at the boatyard in Minsk. You gave me your card. Am I disturbing you, I heard strange beeps when I made this call?" she heard in her ear.
She covered the microphone and announced to Matt "We may have something from Minsk", and she pressed the loud speaker button so Matt could listen in.
"Go ahead Ivan, what do you have for us?" said Natasha.
"I asked around some of the other boat builders. Finally I found out that one of the men has some pictures. He took some photographs when Dimitri and the other man launched their boat and lowered the masts from the bridge down onto the boat" said Ivan.
"Ivan, what time is it there in Minsk?" asked Natasha.
"It is nearly midday" announced Ivan.
"Can you get those pictures and be at the boatyard in two hours?" asked Natasha.
"I will ask if the man would let me have them, but he is not very friendly" Ivan suggested.
"Ivan, you can offer to share the thousand dollar reward that I will arrange for you if you wish. That may speed things up considerably" Natasha offered.
"That is more than we both earn in a month, I will be beside my boat in two hours with the pictures" Oleg was suddenly very anxious to help.
"I will send a man to meet you and pick up the pictures. He will give you the money. If you find out anything more for us, make sure you call me again".
Natasha hung up immediately. Then she called her father, Oleg Karpov.
"This is Natasha, we have a lead."
"Excellent my dear daughter, what do you have?"
"One of the workmen at the boatyard in Minsk has unearthed some photographs of the mysterious man we are seeking. He is willing to sell them to us for a thousand dollars. Can you arrange to have the money delivered and the pictures collected?"
"Of course, I will see to it. When I get them I will have them scanned and sent to you in Washington by email. Let me know the second you have anything more. President Arkadin is asking me for constant updates. He is still nervous that we may be blamed for the attack" explained Oleg.
"Thank you, father. Goodbye for now."
Natasha and Matt adjourned to their rooms content in the feeling that they were really making progress. They just wondered if it was enough.
Matt had trouble sleeping. The stress of the impending nuclear disaster co
mbined with the beautiful woman sleeping on the other side of his wall was a potent combination. He ventured into the kitchen for a glass of water when he accidently bumped into Natasha as she emerged from the bathroom, dressed only in a towel. She spun around, loosening the towel, and before she could recover herself he noticed a black birthmark on her back.
The intimacy of their hallway mishap combined with his desire to run his tongue over that birthmark, and the rest of her for that matter, made falling asleep even more challenging. When he finally did fall asleep, he dreamed of making love to her.
Chapter 81
King Khalid International Airport
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
* * *
NEITHER MATT nor Natasha had slept much on the flight. They were both reading their background biographies on the honeymoon couple that they were pretending to be. The dossier was extremely detailed and they needed to get their cover story just right. After they had tested each other, Natasha tore they papers up and dumped then in the bathroom.
Matt and Natasha concluded immigration formalities, and cleared customs. They pushed the trolley carrying their bags out of the secure area and the heat assaulted their senses.
They soon spotted a uniformed driver holding a sign. The greeting was for them. On the whiteboard sign in ornate script were the names Mr. and Mrs. Cook, their identities for this leg of their investigation. Since their cover story was that they were on their honeymoon, they walked hand in hand.
"I am Hamid from the Caliph Hotel, welcome to Riyadh" announced the driver.
"Thank you for meeting us Hamid" said Natasha.
"It is my pleasure, please follow me. I hope you enjoy your visit to Riyadh" said Hamid as he relieved Matt of his trolley.
Soon the limo was loaded and they were on their way.
"How long is the trip to the hotel?" asked Matt.
"It is not too far, only around thirty minutes I think. Please help yourself to cold drinks from the cooler in the console."
They grabbed a couple of ice cold bottles of water and downed them in unison.
The traffic was still very light at 8am. The limo was stopped at a red light when a black van with tinted windows pulled up beside them.
The van’s side sliding door opened and two men wearing balaclavas over their heads and carrying AK47s opened the doors of the limo and pulled Matt and Natasha out. They had no time at all to react, and besides they were unarmed anyway.
When the driver tried to intervene he was savagely clubbed over the head with the barrel of a gun, opening a horrible gash in his forehead and he fell to the ground.
Matt and Natasha were bound hands and feet with plastic ties, and had a black bag placed over their heads. They felt hands lifting them, and they were thrown beside each other in the back of the van.
Matt’s heart rate was off the dial, he was absolutely terrified. Natasha was equally scared, but sensed Matt starting to shake and she tried to calm him down "We will be ok darling" and received a kick in the stomach for her trouble.
Matt and Natasha both silently prayed that their cover stories would survive the interrogation they know was imminent.
"No talking" said a voice in heavily accented English.
Nothing in Matt’s cover story mentioned his ability to speak Arabic, so he decided to keep this to himself. He did pick up a few snippets. One guy was obviously the brains of the outfit. The others deferred to him in all matters.
They were driven around in circles for what seemed like forever.
Eventually, the van slowed down and turned left. Matt felt instantly cooler and guessed that they were now inside a building.
When the van finally stopped, the rear door was opened and the ties on their feet were cut. They were pulled roughly from the van.
"Do not try to resist, or you will be shot" calmly said another voice with authority.
They were still blindfolded when they each felt a strong hand grab them on the forearm and lead them through a series of doors. They were stripped naked and their belongings searched. Then they were separated and seated in chairs in rooms out of earshot of each other. Their feet were cuffed to the legs of the chair.
This was Arabian territory, so Matt was the most valuable detainee. He would be the first victim.
Matt heard steps on the floor and sensed a group of people gathering around him.
A bucket of cold water was thrown over Matt’s head making it difficult to breathe through the black sack over his head.
"Who are you?" asked the questioner.
"My name is Matt Cook" announced Matt.
Matt felt an unexpected backhanded slap across his face.
"Who are you really, and why are you here?"
Matt stuck with his cover story. He knew that he was as good as dead if his kidnappers even suspected he was CIA.
The cover story was good. The interrogator was good. He kept asking the same questions in different ways, hoping to trap Matt with a lie. Matt just stuck with the story. He did not make up anything that was not in the cover. Anything else, he just told the truth.
They wanted to know about where he was born, his schooling, and his job.
He even asked quite intimate questions about their sex life and Matt was grateful that he remembered the birthmark on Natasha’s back. When he mentioned this, there was a break in proceedings to go check his story with Natasha.
Matt was grateful when they left him alone, but sorry that Natasha was in for similar treatment.
A few moments later another voice asked all the same questions. It all started again and went on for hours.
"We are not barbarians, we will give you refreshments. Do not remove your blindfold until I am out of the room. If you see my face you will be shot" explained his captor in poor English.
"Yes" replied Matt with a dry throat.
Matt felt his hands being released and the door opening and closing.
"You can remove your blindfold now. When you are finished, put it back on. Do you understand?"
"Yes, thank you."
Matt removed the blindfold and placed it on the table in front of him. On the table was a bottle of water, an apple and a piece of cheese.
First he drank half the bottle in one gulp. Next he ate the apple. The cheese was next. Then he finished the rest of the water. When he was done, he pulled the blindfold back on and waited for his captors to return.
The whole thing happened multiple times.
Matt had no idea how long they had been there, but Riyadh was in the same time zone as Moscow, so he was supposed to check-in with Bill Simpson at midnight every night and Matt guessed they now knew he was in trouble.
While this was happening to Matt, Natasha was getting similar treatment.
Before they started with the questions they checked for the birthmark Matt had detailed.
She felt hands all over her body and the mark was rubbed with a cloth to see if it was real.
The questions started in the same way "Who are you?"
"Natasha Cook" was the answer and this too was greeted with a slap.
Natasha was a far more experienced agent than Matt and she had no trouble staying in role. She was hoping Matt was also able to cope.
Eventually she too was left alone. Then it all started again. Natasha was fed at the same times as Matt.
There were more questions later in the day, but in reality, they had no idea at all about time. They were asked questions about every entry stamp in their passports. Once again, they both stuck with the story.
There was a long wait, and finally their captors recuffed their hands and released their legs.
Again they were thrown together in the back of the van.
They were driven for a much shorter time before being seated next to each other.
"I regret the necessity of detaining you, but we are fighting for our very existence. Spies are common here and our jihad must remain strong" said the voice.
"Count to 100 then you may remove your b
lindfolds. We will be watching. If you take them off too soon and see our faces, you will be shot. Do you understand?" said the voice.
"Of course we understand, thank you" replied Natasha.
Both Matt and Natasha took this threat seriously and both really did a mental count to one hundred, though in different languages.
Their eyes were assaulted with the sunlight after having been in the dark for more than twenty four hours.
When their pupils contracted so they could see, they found themselves seated together on a bench in a deserted park.
Within seconds they were surrounded by armed U.S. marines from the embassy.
"Captain Williams sir, are you ok?"
"Yes I think so. Did you follow the signal from my cell phone?" asked Matt.
"Of course sir. We got to the warehouse where you were being interrogated about four hours ago. We had audio from your phone, and we managed to get a video feed through the ceilings and walls" explained Williams.
"Why didn’t you come and get us out?" asked Natasha.
"We determined you were in no immediate danger. There were crosshairs on all the bad guys. If things deteriorated we would have stepped in. But we determined that it was safer to wait them out" explained Williams.
For a second time they got to ride in a hummer.
Chapter 82
Caliph Hotel
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
* * *
WHEN THE taxi arrived at the hotel, they noticed a police car in the driveway. Matt ran over and spoke to the officer.
"Officer, can you help us?"
"Are you Mr. Cook?" asked the uniformed policeman.
"Yes, how did you know?" asked Matt.
"Because you are the first guests from the Caliph ever to be kidnapped" replied the man.