A closed van was driving just ahead of the bus. It had a large trunk in its middle section and half a dozen fully armed guards were seated around it. The trunk was tied firmly to special metal rings that were welded to the floor of the van. Dr. Fathi himself was seated next to the driver. Unlike the bus the atmosphere in the van was solemn, although Fathi was the only one who knew that they were literally sitting on a nuclear bomb. The van stopped just short of the private jet and the trunk was loaded onto the plane. Fathi gave an order and everyone got off the plane and left him alone with the trunk. He unlocked it and set the dual triggering mechanism. The transmitter had been carried by an IRG officer on a direct flight from Tehran to Beirut the previous day and was now on location in southern Lebanon. Fathi took a second look at the mechanical triggering device and shook his head in disgust. This mechanism had not been tested due to the short notice he was given by the Imam a mere 36 hours earlier. He had tried to express his reservations about the hasty way the project was unfolding but was told to keep his opinion to himself.
When Fathi finished his preparations he closed the trunk and locked it. He made sure that it was firmly secured in place with the steel cables. He descended the stairway and was met by the pilot. He gave the pilot a thumbs up sign and handed him the fake key. He didn't want to say another word to those people who he knew were condemned to death in a nuclear blast. At least they would suffer, he thought, and then wondered how cynical he had become.
The pilot and co-pilot took their seats and the two cabin stewards prepared for take-off while the hostages boarded the plane and took their seats. They buckled up and tried to relax but the tension and excitement were too great and they clung to the armrests with both hands. Zorik looked around him and saw that the crew was watching them calmly so he loosened up a little. The cockpit door was closed but it looked as if it was not the reinforced type that commercial planes had installed after 9/11. He just speculated what would happen if the hostages decided to overpower their captors and take control of the plane. He knew he could fly it but didn't think this would ever happen.
The twin engines revved up and the plane taxied to its take-off position. The control tower wished flight IRG101, as it was now called, a pleasant and safe journey and within minutes it was airborne and heading west.
Chapter 20
November 6th, Ovda air field, Negev, Israel
The large air force base was empty, except for a couple of civil aviation planes in which David and a dozen elite unit soldiers arrived in and three military helicopters. There was one other helicopter that was chartered by the Israeli TV channel and carried an airborne camera crew. Another camera crew was waiting on the ground right next to the runway. The base personnel were taken by buses to the nearby resort town of Eilat. They were told that they deserved a day off and the government had funded a day of fun and games on the shores of the Red Sea.
The Iranian plane, flight IRG 101, was directed to land at Ovda air field by the control tower of Ben-Gurion airport. The pilot was informed that an emergency situation had developed and a Jumbo jet was stranded on the runway so the field was closed. The pilot reported this to his controller in Tehran and was told to proceed as directed. He asked for assistance and was given a vector by the Ovda control tower. He was a bit surprised to see that he was escorted by a single F-16 fighter jet. He didn't see that three other F-16's were flying high above him because his radar couldn't see directly upward. He also didn’t know that the lead F-16 pilot had been instructed to shoot his plane down if it deviated from its flight path.
The Iranian jet approached the Ovda air field and given permission to land on runway 02/20. The landing was much rougher than usual and the plane hit the ground with a thud that sent the hearts racing of everyone on board. The trunk in the hold of the plane was jarred by the impact but remained in place thanks to the steel cables that tied it down. Zorik didn't appreciate the pilot's skills but he didn't know that the control tower sent him to land downwind so his ground speed was higher than his airspeed when he actually touched down.
The airborne and ground based TV crews filmed the landing of the Iranian plane and it was aired live. The plane taxied to the anxiously awaiting reception committee but the fuselage door remained closed for a long moment even after it had come to a full stop. David understood that the Iranian pilot was waiting for permission from Tehran and acknowledgement that the Hezbollah prisoners and bodies were freed and were crossing into Lebanon. He wasn't sure what would happen when the Iranians would discover that the flight had been diverted away from Ben-Gurion airport and he thought of giving the soldiers the signal to shoot out the front tires of the plane. Finally the door opened and the staircase was released by one of the stewards. The first to appear at the doorway was Johnny the Member of Knesset and the rest of the hostages followed him. They were really surprised to see such a small reception party but they were told that the flight had to be diverted from Ben-Gurion airport. The hostages were taken to the two civil aviation planes that were waiting and the planes took off immediately on their way to the official reception at Ben Gurion airport.
David made sure that the electromagnetic signals were jammed and then approached the open door, accompanied by three of the Israeli soldiers and his colleague from the IAEC. He formally asked the pilot for permission to come aboard. The pilot approved his request and asked whether his plane could be refueled. David said that as soon as he completed a search of the plane's hold a tanker would come by and refuel the plane. The pilot just indicated that it was OK with him. David boarded the plane and went straight to the large trunk. He asked the pilot to open it and both were surprised when the key didn't work. David called one of the soldiers and told him to force the lock. The soldier took out his commando knife and removed the hinges of trunk without touching the lock. Very carefully, lifting the lid just a fraction, David peered inside and an uncontrolled cry escaped his lips "Watch out, there is a bomb in here".
David's colleague pulled out a radiation detector and placed it near the trunk. They all heard it clicking, indicating that radioactive material was present. The pilot said "Now I understand what that weird scientist was doing in Tehran and why he locked the trunk and gave me this useless key."
David said "What are you talking about?" and the pilot told him all about Dr. Fathi and the time he spent alone with the trunk. David immediately instructed everyone to get as far away from the plane as possible warning them that the plane may be booby trapped. He thought that it was a necessary precaution if conventional explosives went off but knew that it would be quite futile in case of a nuclear detonation. Before he could repeat this warning everyone had scattered away and there no one else in sight.
David carefully further lifted the trunk's lid and saw pieces of some kind of a mechanical device strewn on the bottom of the trunk. Apparently the rough landing had broken it, or perhaps it was fragile from the beginning. The IAEC man pointed at a small antenna and said that it was probably some part of a remotely operated switch. David took a close look and saw that it was connected to a small box from which two electric wires led to a larger box. There many very fine wires that came out of this second box and it didn't take a genius to figure that they led to an array of detonators. David gingerly opened the small box and removed the two AA batteries that powered the receiver ensuring that the bomb couldn't be triggered by a radio signal. He looked at his colleague and saw that he was perspiring profusely and his eyes were tightly shut. He smiled "If you can hear me you are still alive. OK from here on we'll get the bomb-squad experts to dismantle this device". He exited the plane and called everybody back.
He called the Iranian pilot and showed him the dismantled device. He then addressed the entire crew "You were used by ruthless people who sent you to your death. Fortunately, you were all saved by some divine intervention. We know that you were sacrificial goats just like those innocent animals that don't know what awaits them. I strongly recommend that you don't return to Iran beca
use you'll certainly be accused of sabotage. You will now be the guests of the Israeli government and will soon be sent to any destination of your choice. We don't take innocent hostages."
The jamming device was switched off and David made a few phone calls.
November 6th, Tehran
Imam Mourtashef and General Aslawi were watching the live TV broadcast in the Senior Assistant's office. They couldn't believe their eyes. On one part of the screen they watched the Hezbollah people crossing the border into Lebanon and on the other part they saw flight IRG 101 landing on a desert strip in the middle of nowhere. The Imam turned up the volume and heard the reporter say that the flight was diverted there due to an accident on the main runway of Ben Gurion airport. He checked the map and saw that that airfield, Ovda base, was more than 400 km from the south of Lebanon and realized that it was out of range of the transmitter that was supposed to send the triggering signal. He kept watching expecting the mechanical trigger to function 15 minutes after the door of the plane was opened. He looked at his watch and waited. After 30 minutes he realized that the nuclear explosion was not going to happen. He looked at his two colleagues and sadly said "I think we have reached the end of the road". They nodded but did not say a word.
November 6th, Ben-Gurion airport, Tel-Aviv
The press conference was held in the largest available room at Terminal 3 of Ben Gurion airport. Despite the late hour it was standing room only. The Prime Minister's press secretary said "Thank you all for coming to this very special event. Israel has many reasons to celebrate today, so we have a busy schedule here. First, the released hostages will be officially welcomed in a small ceremony with the entire government of Israel. Then one of them will tell us all about their plight in the infamous Evin Prison in Tehran. After that the Prime Minister himself will deliver a special statement to the people of Israel and then will take some questions from the press. So at this time I wish to invite all the released hostages that were freed today to come to the podium. First I call upon Zorik Shemesh and Inbal Sabatani who were captured in Srinagar". The young couple stepped forth holding hands to the applause of the audience. The press secretary continued "Please wait with your applause until I have presented all the hostages. Please welcome Shulamit and Nate Levy and they are from Haifa and were captured in Tbilisi, Georgia. Then look at these two young men, Ari and Avi, who were kidnapped brutally while on vacation in Thailand. These are Yanna and Eyal who were enjoying the sands of Dahab, in Sinai and found themselves in prison in Tehran. Finally, here's the man who needs no introduction, Yonathan Shmaryahu our MK whose disappearance was a major event. You all know him as Johnny and he is accompanied by his bodyguard, Oded. Here's Johnny!" he announced but was booed by the more sophisticated members of the media for his tasteless antics.
Zorik stepped to the podium "I was requested by my fellow hostages to tell you a little about our time in prison. Although we were captured in different countries, by different people, we all ended in the same cell, as well as Vicki and Morris Aladgem who were released earlier. We were treated quite well by our captors. They didn't torture us or try to extract classified information from us. It quickly became apparent that they were holding us as bargaining chips for some reason. Evin Prison is a formidable place where for decades whoever was in power in Iran used it to lock up real or imaginary enemies and members of the opposition. We knew that we would not be rescued by some military operation – it was impossible to do so in the heart of Tehran, but we also knew that our government would do whatever it could to free us". The loud applause continued for several minutes until the hostages were beginning to get embarrassed. Zorik added "Thank you, but real thanks are due to our government".
The press secretary held his hand up and when the audience grew quiet he welcomed the Prime Minister. The PM appeared to be in an extremely good mood. His usual artificial smile was replaced by a genuine smile that grew larger as he stepped up to the podium. "I am very pleased to welcome the hostages. We have sent medical aid and rescue experts to different points of the globe that suffered from natural disasters like floods and earthquakes because of moral obligations to help those in times of distress. You know that this government would do everything within reason to help our own people. Inbal and Zorik, please come here" when the young couple approached he kissed Inbal and hugged Zorik while patting him on the back. He continued "This beautiful and clever young lady is my granddaughter and this handsome young man will soon be her husband. Both of them represent what we want our future generation to be like". The applause almost brought the roof down as Inbal and Zorik returned to their seats. The PM paused for a moment to signal that he was moving to a more serious subject. "A few days ago I thanked Iran for releasing Vicki and Morris but warned them that if they were found to be in violation of the nuclear deal they had signed they would be severely punished by the international community. Earlier today they took advantage of the hostage release situation and placed a nuclear device that they had clandestinely constructed on the plane that brought the hostages back home". He motioned to his press secretary who unfolded two large photographs of the device and the plane. "Thanks to the information our Mossad agents gathered we were prepared for that. The plane was diverted to an airbase in the Negev and the device was neutralized". He stopped talking and waited for the astonished audience to calm down. He had to pause for some time while text messages with "stop press" notes were sent by reporters to all the leading news channels. The TV crews were elbowing one another to get a closer view of the PM and the photos of the device and plane. Finally he was able to continue "The international community will not sit still until this fanatical, extremist evil regime is replaced by a sane regime that represents the people of Iran. I will now take a few questions".
No one spoke for a moment and then everyone seemed to be speaking at once. The press secretary tried to gain some control but had to give up. The level of excitement exceeded all previous records. Finally one of the reporters gained the PM's attention and shouted "Does Israel consider a punitive or preemptive strike against Iran?"
The Prime Minister put on a solemn expression "Israel retains the right to react against its enemies in the appropriate time and place. I hope this will not be necessary if sanity returns to Iran and the international community. Thank you all, I would like to spend some time with the hostages." The PM walked away from the podium.
Epilogue
The counterrevolution in Iran took place a few days after the plot was unveiled. It was not as bloody as the Islamic religious revolution was but a number of Mullahs and Imams were hanged in Azadi Square and several others were lynched when they tried to escape. Some nuclear scientists and engineers disappeared and their families never heard from them again. The Islamic Republic of Iran became simply Iran. Terrorist movements that were supported directly or indirectly by Iran disappeared or lay dormant when their funding and supply of weapons dwindled to a trickle.
Alan Ross passed away in a dentist's chair at the clinic of one of the best dentists on Harley Street in London. No foul play was suspected nor was any responsible. Apparently Ross suffered a stroke when the dentist's assistant mistakenly focused the powerful lamp on his eyes instead of on his mouth. She had prepared him for a routine check but the bright light triggered some unknown trauma and he had an aneurism that caused the stroke. Not many people mourned him.
Segan died in a freak accident while on vacation with his fiancé at Iguazu Falls in Brazil. For some unknown reason he plunged to his death from the boat that took tourists to observe the famous Falls from beneath one of the curtains of gushing water. Apparently he stood up with his camera to take a photo of his fiancé with the falls in the background and stumbled over the low guardrail to the horror of the other tourists. They could only watch helplessly as he was being pummeled by the tremendous downpour of gushing water. The investigation did not find any fault with the crew of the boat or with any of the people who were on it. His body was sent for burial in Israel as he h
ad instructed in his will. One of the tourists on the boat trip, turned out to be an Israeli citizen and he volunteered to escort the body. It looked as if all the arrangements for flying the body had been arranged in advance.
Julia Carmon completed her term as Head of Mossad station in Berlin and upon her return to Tel-Aviv was promoted to head a section that dealt with keeping close tabs on former Mossad agents, a kind of internal security department. She was not too happy with the new assignment but saw it a stepping stone to a more senior position. She tried to get reunited with her ex-husband but he had already started a new family with a younger woman who had given birth to their twin daughters.
The Prime Minister's plan to replace Shimony with one of his supporters had to be postponed. The PM had decided to have an early general election as his popularity after the Iranian Nuclear Affair, as it became known, had skyrocketed. After all, for years he had said that the Mullah regime in Iran couldn't be trusted, that the nuclear deal was a ruse and that Iran continually strived to arm itself with nuclear weapons and become a nuclear power. Now, that he had been proven correct, he believed that he would be able to gain a majority for his party. He didn't want to rock the boat by letting Shimony, who had also gained credit, go without a good reason that could be publicly justified.
David Avivi decided to take a year off his work at Mossad and complete his Ph. D. in physics at the Weizmann Institute of Science. His thesis dealt with the theoretical astrophysical aspects of fusion reactions. He sincerely hoped that the topic would remain theoretical and would never get any closer than the distance between Earth and Sun.
The Dreadful Patriot: A Thrilling Conspiracy Novel (Techno thriller, Mystery & Suspense Book 3) Page 23