The Dreadful Patriot: A Thrilling Conspiracy Novel (Techno thriller, Mystery & Suspense Book 3)

by Charles Z David

  Fathi led the Imam to a nearby chemical hood in which a sealed plastic vessel with a green powder could be seen. He lifted it and said "This is what is called "green salt" for reasons that are obvious. From this we produce the fissile metal – plutonium or enriched uranium – from which the sphere you saw there is composed". As he pointed at the "hot cell" where the sphere was on display the plastic vessel slipped from his grasp and some very fine green powder escaped. Fathi immediately summoned two of his lab assistants and told the Imam to stand still. The two men quickly donned protective clothing that included a coverall suit, hoods, gloves and boots and paraphernalia needed for decontamination. One of them rushed the Imam and Fathi to a shower while the other one started collecting the precious green powder from the floor. Fathi kept apologizing until the Imam cut him short and told him to keep quiet. Meanwhile the lab assistant used a radiation detector to examine them and their clothes and with great relief assured them that they were at no risk.

  The Imam left the laboratory swearing that Dr. Fathi had crossed the line this time and was determined to punish him immediately after the nuclear device was ready. He made his way to the cell in which the Israeli hostages were held. As he approached "Fatso" stood up and came to attention. The Imam just signaled for him to open the cell door. The prisoners were lined up against the wall facing away from the door. The Imam spoke softly "Please turn around and look at me. I have some great news for you. We have started negotiations with the Zionist Entity from which you all come and have agreed to release one of you immediately as a gesture of goodwill and good faith. The rest of you will also be released pending the progress of the talks." He had to stop talking until the excited buzz in the cell ceased. He continued "I have elected you" pointing at Vicki Aladgem, but before he could say another word she cried out in Hebrew "I'll not leave without my husband". The Imam didn't need a translator to understand what was going on.

  Morris hugged his wife and whispered something in her ear. She shook her head and clung to him. He tried to console her but she would not listen. Zorik saw what was going on and understood that the Aladgems would not be separated without the use of force. He intervened "Honorable Imam, I think that after so many years of marriage they cannot bear to be separated. Could you please choose someone else, or better yet, release the two of them together?"

  The Imam instinctive reaction was to forcefully remove Vicki from her husband, but then thought about Zorik's suggestion for another moment. He realized that the buzz in the world press that would be created by an even more extensive show of generosity would greatly serve his grand plan. He said "I am touched by the faithfulness of this old couple. I'll release the two of them, as you proposed Zorik, but they will have to publicly praise our compassionate treatment of our hostages."

  Zorik explained to the Aladgems in Hebrew that they should acknowledge the Imam's generosity. Both of them got down on their knees and hugged the Imam's feet. Vicki even took off her scarf and dusted the Imam's shoes to remove some tiny green specks that she saw. The Imam looked down and motioned for them to rise. He told them to pack their meager belongings and follow him out of the cell. The suddenness of the change of the fate of Morris and Vicki affected all the hostages. Except for Zorik there was not a dry eye in the prison cell. Even "Fatso" appeared to be moved by the raw emotions. After all, the Aladgems were at his mercy for about two months and he got to know them a little and was impressed by their mutual care and devotion.

  The Imam left the prison with the two hostages and made the necessary arrangements to have them taken to the airfield where the private jet was waiting. The Iranian markings were covered temporarily by a sheet of silver paint. The pilot already had filed a flight plan that would take him from Tehran to Tel-Aviv – a route that wasn't in use since Khumeini's 1979 Islamic revolution. The flight plan was cleared by the air controllers in Turkey and had to circumvent the unsafe airspace of Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. Morris and Vicki were seated in the back of the plane. No shackles or even plastic ties were needed this time. After take-off a male steward offered them tea and pastries but they were too excited and just shook their heads.

  ***

  The press conference in Tel-Aviv was held at Ben-Gurion airport. The walls of the press room in Terminal 3 had witnessed many press conferences, mainly with officials and dignitaries, but there had never been such an emotional level of expectations. The old terminal had seen Israeli soldiers being returned from captivity in Egypt and Syria after the 1973 Yom Kippur War and of some live hostages and several dead bodies, but that terminal was now almost deserted. The Minister of Defense hosted the press conference with Shimony as Mossad Head at his side, while David stood in the wings and out of sight. The Minister of Defense opened by saying that the Prime Minister had some prior obligation and could not attend the conference. A few of the participants knew that the PM's granddaughter was one of the hostages who were still being incarcerated in Evin Prison. Obviously had she been on the plane then no prior obligation in the world would have kept him away. The Defense Minister continued by reading a formal statement "The State of Israel gratefully acknowledges the humanitarian gesture of the Islamic Republic of Iran. This could be the beginning of a new phase in the relations between our two countries. We have managed to convince the Iranians that Israel and Mossad had no hand in the tragic fate that befell some of their leading nuclear scientists. Israel apologizes and regretfully acknowledges that these deeds were carried out by a firm located in Berlin that was founded and headed by a former Israeli civil servant in the Prime Minister's office". He stopped speaking as his adjutant entered the room and handed him a piece of paper. The Minister read the message and a broad smile crossed his face. He said "I have just been notified that the Iranians have released not one but two of the prisoners – Vicki and Morris Aladgem. They are now well on their way to this airport and we expect their plane to land here shortly."

  A spontaneous round of applause broke out and one of the reporters raised his hand and asked "Will we be able to interview them?"

  The Minister gestured to Shimony to answer and he said "You will be able to see them for a moment but then we will have to take them to have a physical examination and debrief them. In a day or two they will hold a press conference together with the Prime Minister in Jerusalem".

  Several more hands were raised and questions were asked and answered. Most questions focused on the sudden change in the policy of Israel towards Iran and vice versa. The Minister of Defense summarized "Israel will no longer threaten the Iranian regime and will not interfere with the ties that it is building with the West and the US after the nuclear deal. Iran has reaffirmed its obligation to refrain from any military nuclear program but insists that it has the right to continue developing its peaceful nuclear infrastructure. Hopefully the rest of the hostages will be released soon and the good relations Israel had with Iran will be restored. Thank you ladies and gentlemen. You'll hear more from the released hostages tomorrow evening or the day after."

  October 28th, Ben Gurion Airport, Tel-Aviv

  The unmarked private jet landed at Ben Gurion airport, near Tel-Aviv. The control tower directed the Iranian pilot to a large hangar at the edge of the airfield. Before the passengers, in this case the released hostages, were allowed to disembark, four soldiers from the elite unit of the Israeli police approached the plane. Two other soldiers equipped with anti-tank missiles were out of sight from the cockpit but had their weapons trained on the plane. The pilot had turned off the engines and the hangar was very quiet.

  The Israeli officer connected a microphone and earphones to the slot in the plane's fuselage and told the pilot to open the doors slowly. A male steward stood at the door with his bare hands clearly in sight, held away from his body. He let down the staircase and moved aside. Morris and Vicki now appeared at the door and started to descend down the stairs. One of the soldiers led them away, while the officer with the microphone politely asked the pilot's permission to come aboard. Once th
e permission was granted two soldiers climbed up the stairs and entered the cabin. The crew consisted of the pilot and co-pilot and two male stewards. They were all smiling at the soldiers. The officer asked permission to search the plane and it was readily given by the smiling pilot, who in excellent English said "You are welcome to search the plane but I assure you everything is above board, what you say Kosher." The soldiers didn't respond and carried out a thorough search of the cabin. In the storage compartment they found a big box that looked like an old fashioned trunk, favored by rich passengers who went on long steamship cruises a century earlier. The officer motioned to one of the stewards to open the trunk, and after the pilot authorized the request, the steward opened it. The two Israeli soldiers pointed their weapons at the trunk, prepared for any unpleasant surprise. Indeed, they were surprised to see three expensive looking fine Persian silk rugs. The pilot said "These are gifts from Imam Mourtashef to your Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Mr. David Avivi" and signaled to one of the stewards to take them out of the box and down the stairs. The Israeli officer sensed the convivial ambience and asked the pilot if he needed anything. The pilot pointed at the fully stocked kitchenette and thanked the officer for his offer. He said they needed to refuel the jet and the Israeli officer laughed and said "Imagine that Iran is buying oil from us". After a couple of minutes permission was received and the Iranian jet taxied to the refueling pump following the directions from the control tower. Twenty minutes later it was airborne on its way back to Tehran.

  ***

  In the hangar there was a small reception committee that included a representative from the Prime Minister's office, another one from the Ministry of Defense and David Avivi from Mossad. Also present were the children and grandchildren of Morris and Vicki Aladgem, a psychiatrist and a senior physician from the nearby medical center. There was only one TV crew from the office of the Israeli Defense Forces spokesman. The edited video would be distributed to all the local and foreign news agencies. After being formally welcomed by the official representatives the excited freed hostages were given 15 minutes to meet with their family. Then they were escorted to a small office where they received a thorough medical examination. The psychiatrist was impressed that they were as sane as could be expected after the ordeal of their kidnapping in Turkey and two months in Evin Prison.

  They were seated on a sofa and drinking tea when David entered the small office and introduced himself. "I understand that your treatment in the prison was reasonable."

  Morris said "We, and the rest of the prisoners, were not tortured or harassed. There was one jailor who at times intimidated us but on the whole even he treated us well. We are especially grateful to Imam Mourtashef for choosing us to be sent home. We were so happy when he agreed to send me with Vicki that we kissed his feet." David told them that he had met with the Imam twice and played a modest part in their release.

  Vicki was excited to hear this. She said "I even cleaned his shoes with my scarf. I saw that he had dirtied them with some green very fine powder."

  David pricked his ears. As a physicist with some knowledge about nuclear materials he knew that there were many types of green powders, but there was one type that held a special interest for him. He asked Vicki if he could have the scarf and she willingly obliged and removed it from her neck and handed it to him. David took a close look and he could see the traces of the powder that she talked about. He then asked "What is the situation with the other prisoners?"

  Morris gave a detailed account about each of his former cell-mates. He said "There is this young guy, Zorik, who has spoken up for us when it was necessary. He and his girlfriend, Inbal, managed to boost our morale and keep our sanity. I was greatly surprised when he asked for religious tutoring but this brought us in touch with the Imam and he made sure that we were not ill-treated. Johnny, the Member of Knesset, was a big disappointed to us".

  David told them they would be taken to a 5-star hotel in Jerusalem where they will be guests of the government for a few days until their detailed debriefing ended. They would be allowed to see their family for a couple of hours every afternoon. He informed them that the PM has invited them for dinner and that they would attend a press conference with the PM after dinner. The date was set two days hence, allowing the Aladgems a little more time to get used to life as free people. Vicki and Morris thanked David for his help in arranging their release and for speaking to them so gently. David shyly shrugged and said that Israel was proud to have senior citizens like the two of them.

  ***

  Meanwhile the IDF spokesman spread the silk rugs on the floor and the TV crew cameraman was glad to take close up photos of the beautiful items. The spokesman told the good looking blonde TV reporter that the rugs were given as gifts to the Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and to the senior Mossad agent who negotiated the deal. She said she wished she had been given such tasteful and precious gifts. This was interrupted by a senior agent from the Israel Security Agency that said that the rugs would have to be screened for toxic chemicals, biological agents and explosive in case they were booby trapped. The reporter mumbled something about a Trojan horse but then said that she had enough footage of the gifts.

  ***

  David took the scarf in a plastic bag and immediately called one of his colleagues at the Israel Atomic Energy Commission and told him about the fine green powder on the scarf. Professor Eli Halevy was the chief scientist of the IAEC and told David he would meet him at his laboratory at the Soreq Nuclear Research Center in 30 minutes. When David arrived there Eli was waiting for him in the nuclear spectroscopy laboratory near the most sensitive detection system. David handed him the scarf and pointed to the region where the largest amount of green powder was visible. The professor looked at the dust with a large magnifying glass and hummed something unintelligible. He then took a small piece of two-sided adhesive tape and picked up some fine grains and placed the tape under a microscope equipped with a powerful camera, humming some more as he looked at it. David could see the image of the powder particles on the computer screen. The professor then took the tape and placed it in one of the detectors and the audible clicking indicated the presence of traces of a nuclear material. David instantly understood the significance of what he had seen and heard. He thanked Eli and said that he would get the material fully characterized. When the professor asked where exactly David said that he would send a sample to the most advanced laboratory in Germany. The professor approved the idea and agreed they had diagnostic and analytical capabilities that were beyond those he had access to.

  October 28th, Tehran Airport

  Imam Mourtashef received the report that the jet was on its way back from Tel-Aviv to Tehran and everything went as planned. He decided to personally meet the pilot and debrief him. He arrived at Tehran airport just as the plane was landing and waited impatiently for the pilot. The pilot was not surprised to see the Imam – after all the Imam had personally given him clear instructions. The pilot said "Honorable Imam, the Israelis behaved exactly as you had predicted. They were very suspicious at first and made me taxi to a side hangar and then a few soldiers surrounded the plane and after I released the hostages they boarded it and searched it. When they saw the big trunk they became apprehensive and aggressive. When it was opened they pointed their guns at it and when the Persian silk rugs were taken out and displayed they didn't know what to do with themselves. Their officer had a sense of humor because when I requested fuel he laughed and said that this is the first time Iran needs oil from Israel."

  The Imam commented "Yes, they are misguided Zionists but even I have to admit they are intelligent. Do you know if the rugs were delivered to their intended recipients?"

  The pilot replied "I never got off the plane so I don't know where the rugs were taken. I must say that they were very polite, even friendly after their initial suspicion was allayed."

  The Imam thanked the pilot and said "You did a good job. On the next trip you'll have many more hostages and
I expect that the Zionist leadership will show up in force to welcome them. After all, this is an excellent photo-opportunity and their PM never misses a chance to appear as if he really cares for his subjects. I bid you good night and I'll make sure that you receive praise and promotion for a job well done."

  Chapter 18

  October 29th, Germany

  David wrapped the scarf in a plastic bag and made sure that it would be in his carry-on luggage when he returned to Berlin the next day. He had to solve two problems during this visit to Germany. One was mostly personal, although there were some aspects that concerned Mossad – to discover who murdered Ruby and Sam. Although they were fired from Mossad they had still remained members of a select group of excellent field operators who had done a lot for their country. If Segan was responsible then he would have to be dealt with and held accountable for his treachery. If Ross or his sponsors did it, they would have to pay him another visit and make sure that he stayed alive just long enough to regret the deed. If it was done by the Iranians then it would be considered as if they had taken revenge for the elimination of their scientists and that account would be considered as settled. Julia was the one suspect that bothered David the most. If she had murdered Sam and Ruby then either she was "turned" and was working for some foreign country, or, and David considered this option as more despicable, someone high up in Mossad had sanctioned the killings. He just had to discover the truth or the question would haunt him.