by Dov Nardimon
Argentina was also the location to which the fleet would retreat in its entirety for repairs, should it be denied the option to return to Germany. The orders did not specify what cases meant they could not return to Germany; they could not acknowledge on paper the chance of a downfall, but in an oral briefing given to Vice Admiral Ostreicher, the navy commander instructed him as following:
“You are aware that Argentina is part of the thousand year Reich. It will be the first country in the new world, from which we’ll set out to conquer the whole of America. Our people are already there preparing the ground for takeover of the government if and when that will be required. Juan Peron, the ruling dictator, and many of the other heads of the current government are sympathetic to us and will assist us in realizing our vision. Berlin has transferred hundreds of millions of Reichsmarks to Peron in exchange for his willingness to accept thirty thousand men and women who hold leading positions in the Third Reich. Our people have built agricultural farms that look entirely innocent, but will be used as bases for our organization when the signal is given. One of the farms is designed to accommodate the Führer if need be. Eva Braun already visited it a few months ago to adjust to the notion. So if for any reason you are unable to return to Germany, and with specific instructions from me only, you will be able to lead the fleet to Argentina. In such a case, we will make sure to have your immediate family join you given the first opportunity to do so.”
When the Red Army arrived to the outskirts of Berlin and the Allies were only days away, Vice Admiral Ostreicher received the order he had been dreading for several weeks: “Progress at full speed to the alternative target country.” Apart from him, only the six submarine commanders and the supply ship commander knew of the destination. Now each of them gathered his crew members and delivered with typical German precision, which left no room for doubt, the news that they were never going to see their homeland ever again.
The commanders back at home stuck to their word with the same typical precision. Days after landing at Bahia Blanca in central Argentina, east of the Pampas lowlands and far away from the suspecting eyes of the representatives of the Allies in Buenos Aires, a special plane brought the crew members’ wives and children. Most of them settled in the picturesque mountain town of Bariloche on the lake of the same name. The idyllic mountain views reminded many of them of the familiar Tyrol mountains. Within a short time, a German school was built, proudly adorned by the swastika flag for many more years long after the fall of the Third Reich. The farms surrounding the town had been purchased in advance and used as bases from which the rise of the Fourth Reich was planned.
The vice admiral’s wife wasn’t one of the new settlers. She had been killed in one of the Russian bombings of Berlin days before the flight to Argentina. On that same plane was the wife of one of Ostreicher’s crew members who had been crushed to death in a marine accident on the last day of sailing when the vessels were making contact at the Argentine shore. News of his death had not yet made it to Germany when the families’ plane made its way, and so the officer’s widow found herself arriving at her husband’s funeral and into the comforting arms of the newly widowed Vice Admiral Ostreicher. One year later Alfonso Friedrich Ostreicher was born at the German hospital in Bariloche, son to the old admiral and his young wife, the widow of the deceased officer. Their marriage was that of convenience for both sides.
As the son of patriotic Nazis who paid a heavy personal price during the war, Alfonso was raised on the values of German culture and the Nazi doctrine. His studies at school took place in German with Spanish serving as a second language only. Their basic presumption was that one day German would be the dominant language all over the world. They used Spanish—the language of the inferior, non-Aryan people around them—as a necessary evil for day-to-day needs, but not for the teaching of culture and knowledge, which was to be done purely in German.
In the fifties, the president of Egypt, Gamal Abdel Nasser, was trying to develop nuclear missiles and weapons. The German scientists who had fled Germany and hidden in the Argentine farms were glad to assist in the completion of the Final Solution to the Jewish problem that had not been completed back in Europe during the war and had tried to put an end to the Jewish state. One of these scientists was Professor Gunther Von Halbrecht. Nasser’s presumptuous plans failed, partly thanks to the letter bombs Israel sent his scientists. One of the envelopes exploded in the professor’s hands, causing him to lose most of his fingers, as well as his eyesight. During World War II, the established Berliner professor had been one of the bright young talents enlisted in favor of the German War Machine and was a member of the team of Wernher Von Braun, the father of the German missile program. On the few nights he would let himself leave his work, the young Gunther Von Halbrecht liked spending time in a certain cabaret in Berlin. One night he met a beautiful, brown-skinned girl there and fell in love with her at first sight. He spent months staring at her, his imagination captivated, but he dared not approach her. The gifted scientist was helpless when it came to matters of the heart. Finally, the girl approached him and at once brought down the walls of inhibitions Gunther Von Habrecht had built around himself. The beautiful girl who had no financial means found in him the security she needed in Berlin, which was in the midst of war. Eventually they married, but not before the girl had proven to her lover that her family tree originated in South Bavaria and totally eliminated his concerns that there was gypsy blood flowing under her tanned skin. He could not afford risking the dilution of his family’s purity of race and certainly could not risk trouble with his superiors in the Nazi party.
The professor returned to Argentina from Egypt blind and helpless to his wife who was considerably younger and still hot blooded. As she nursed her blind husband, she found comfort in the arms of local young men, whereas the professor spent the rest of his days tutoring his daughter. Isabella had been born during the deployment to Egypt, and her upbringing included an intensive indoctrination in the Nazi ideals. Isabella resembled her mother in her appearance and temper, but inherited her father’s superior intellectual abilities.
The families of Isabella Von Halbrecht and Alfonso Ostreicher were neighbors, and the children grew up on the same set of values. In later years after getting his PhD from the University of Buenos Aires, Alfonso married Isabella who was ten years younger, and the two moved to Buenos Aires. Following his blind father-in-law, Alfonso specialized in nuclear physics and became a professor at the physics department. Isabella, who was drawn to biology, completed her three degrees in record time and established herself as the director of the genetic labs in the Biology Department at the University of Buenos Aires.
History is always repeating itself. When Professor Alfonso was invited by a Saudi millionaire to spend his sabbatical year at the University of Riyadh and assist, as the Saudi put it, in developing scientific abilities that would enable the Arab world to cope with the Jewish threat, he gladly accepted the challenge that came with a hefty advance check.
Alfonso had another reason for wanting to leave Argentina. Dr. Isabella Ostreicher, in her forties, was still an extremely beautiful and attractive woman—a fact she knew very well and was constantly reminded of by the admiring looks of the students she taught. Like her mother in her day, Isabella did not remain indifferent to those looks, and every year she would choose a student that needed some extra tutoring in the field of life sciences. Rumors of the flirtations eventually made their way to Alfonso, and although he could not verify them, he was glad for the opportunity to take a few years’ leave of the stressful, gossip-ridden Buenos Aires campus.
Isabella and Alfonso set out to the Middle East with a great sense of mission. What was originally supposed to be a one-year stay turned into five years, during which Alfonso became the head scientist of the research and development facilities. His wife, no less driven and motivated, took it upon herself to head the biological weapons laboratories and ran them with the assistance of some local lab techs, as wel
l as several Arab American college graduates who were recruited by the same unknown factors.
The report specified some addresses in Buenos Aires connected with the Ostreichers, as well as information about their children, who stayed behind and went to college in Argentina rather than accompany their parents on their mission in Saudi Arabia.
Ronit looked at her brother, speechless, and tried to hold back the tears. “What’s going to happen, Nir?” she finally asked in a whisper. “This is worse than anything I could have ever imagined.”
“Yes, if these Ostreichers are involved, we’re on to an elaborate, worldwide conspiracy against us. They can certainly be interested in developments that have to do with Ebola. I wonder what it is that drew their attention to Ebocell-Tech specifically.”
“That I can help you with. The Ebola is mentioned now and then as the ultimate biological weapon, if only it can be handled right. To do that you would have to crack its genetic code. The Ebola is only contagious by physical contact and isn’t airborne. It cannot survive in the open air for more than a few minutes. In order for it to be spread through the air, something fundamental in its physiology would have to be altered, and that can be achieved by penetrating its DNA and modifying it. They must not have their own solution to this problem and need Reuben and Eddie’s knowledge.”
“And Ebocell-Tech knows how to do that?”
“First, Ebocell-Tech can identify and even incorporate the DNA markers of different Ebola types. Also, as I gathered from Reuben, who wouldn’t go into too much detail, they stumbled across something that could turn the Ebola into the ultimate biological weapon.”
“That’s serious! Who else knows about this?”
“All the company employees, but they buried all the information. It’s kept in a safe that only Reuben and Eddie have access to.”
“What about Mickey? Does he know about this?”
“I find it hard to believe that Reuben kept anything a secret from Mickey.”
“Ronit, I’m going back to headquarters to fill in some people on this. It’s not just a matter of a simple kidnapping. We’re dealing with something much more difficult and complicated here. Anything that has to do with Saudi Arabia, Mossad works closely with the CIA on. Since 9/11, the Americans have listed Saudi Arabia as a pro-terrorist country. On the surface in international politics, they are still seemingly a friendly state, but that’s not actually true. I have to leave you now. Think you’ll be ok on your own?”
“Go ahead. There isn’t much you can do from here. I’ll be fine. You know you and I are made of the same stuff,” she said, smiling in an effort to demonstrate self-confidence.
Nir embraced his sister, kissed her on the cheek, and rushed back to the Security Agency headquarters.
Chapter 51
Alfonso exited the lab hall and went to call Mickey about the server stored at Eddie’s apartment. He left Isabella and Eddie in her office to continue working on copying Eddie’s files to her computer, making what Isabella felt was extremely frustratingly slow progress. Reuben and the guard were in the lab hall.
“There’s nothing else we can do right now. You should go back to the lab,” said Isabella.
“All right.” Eddie left the room and closed the door behind him. His mind was spinning, and his heart was pounding in his chest. He knew he was running out of time quickly and had to act right there and then before Alfonso and Mickey get their hands on the server. Reuben wouldn’t look at him for fear that he might give out the details of his conversation with Alfonso. Eddie went over to the monkeys’ cage and looked at them for a long moment. Once he made sure the guard wasn’t watching him, he swiftly opened the door of one cage and even managed to push the second cage closer to the edge of the stainless steel counter. He then stepped away from the cages. The two monkeys stood on the counter still overwhelmed by the sudden possibility of freedom. Eddie went over to the bathroom door and called at the guard, “I’m in the bathroom.”
The guard looked up at the sound of Eddie’s voice and suddenly noticed the monkeys standing on the counter, one of them sipping water from the leaky faucet in the sink.
“The monkeys, the monkeys!” shouted the guard, causing them to leap from the counter and start running around frantically all over the lab hall, knocking over and smashing test tubes and petri dishes to bits and pieces. The two monkeys that were still contained went into a complete frenzy, shaking the cage and bringing it closer and closer to the counter edge about to crash and fall down to the floor at any minute.
Eddie had time to get into the bathroom and peeked through the door. He saw Reuben and the guard shouting and hopelessly chasing after the monkeys. Isabella came out of her room running and joined the manic chase, leaving the door to her room open. She crossed the hall and opened the main door to call for help. Once she did that one of the monkeys leaped and escaped through the door and out into the hallway, passing the stunned guard who simply stood there dumbfounded.
Eddie took advantage of the chaos and swiftly entered Isabella’s room. He closed the door behind him and locked it from within. He knew this was his last chance to make contact with the outside world and call for help. He lunged at the phone, his heart racing, and dialed 9 for an outside line. There was a dial tone, then he pressed 00972, followed by Ronit’s cell number. The next few seconds felt like an eternity until finally it started ringing. Five rings later, Ronit picked up.
“Ronit, it’s Eddie. I only have a minute.”
“Eddie, listen. You’re in Saudi Arabia in the Saudi-Palestinian scientific incubators’ campus. Is there a Professor Alfonso there? And his wife, a Dr. Isabella?”
“In Saudi Arabia?! I thought we were still in Europe. Yes, Alfonso and Isabella are running the program. Ronit, pay attention, Mickey Rush is going to try and enter my apartment and steal the server that’s in my study. It’s hidden on top the closet under a pile of old clothes. Don’t let him get to it. I’m trying to escape this place; you have to help me.”
“Eddie, this is Nir, Ronit’s brother.” Eddie was surprised to hear another voice on the line. “You know where I work. We’re going to handle this. Isabella and Alfonso are second-generation Nazis whose parents escaped to Argentina.”
“You need to get your hands on Mickey. He’s the one who’s behind all this. He stole all our company equipment and transferred it here, and he’s in contact with the kidnappers.”
“Eddie, we’ll get him. We know exactly where you are, and we’re working on getting you out. Try and contact us again tomorrow.”
“I’ll try, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to. You need to check Mickey’s connection to bank accounts in Vaduz. That’s where he got the kidnappers’ investment money from.”
“Thanks, Eddie. You’ve helped us make some real progress. Don’t do anything rash before we talk again.”
“I have to go, but wait, if we’re in Saudi Arabia, you need to talk to Amit, my friend who got married just before we left. My parents have his contact information. His father-in-law’s company works in Saudi Arabia.”
“Take care, Eddie,” Ronit said, and the conversation was over.
“Do you know who Amit is, and what he has to do with Saudi Arabia?” asked Nir.
“I know he’s Eddie’s best friend from the army. They traveled together, and he stayed in South Africa when Eddie came back to Israel. Then later he married someone from a wealthy family that does construction, and now he works there. They had their second wedding in Israel recently, and he moved his flight up and came here early once he heard of Eddie’s illness. I think he’s meant to go back to South Africa any day now.”
“Track him down through Eddie’s parents, and get me in touch with him. Eddie must have mentioned his name for a good reason.”
Realizing he was in Saudi Arabia and not in Europe caused Eddie a real shock. He tried to stand up, but felt his legs were shaking. He sat there, motionless, for a full minute, grasping the severity of his situation. This wasn’t Spain or s
ome other European country he was in. This was a totally different scenario than what he had hoped for, and now it turned out the absolute worse was true—they had been kidnapped by an enemy state or an extremely powerful and resourceful terrorist organization. He pulled himself together, forced himself to get up, unlocked the door to Isabella’s room, went through the adjoining door leading to the bathroom, flushed, and exited to the lab hall.
Already present in the lab were the two techs, two guards, and Reuben. Alfonso still hadn’t returned and neither had Isabella who had run after the escaped monkey. On the lab floor that was covered in gray wall-to-wall carpets were strewn broken test tubes, and damp stains covered the spots where their contents had spilled to the ground. The closed monkey cage had fallen off the counter and lay on its side on the floor. The two caged monkeys were screaming, but everyone in the room had their eyes on the loose monkey that was standing in the corner of the room staring as if under hypnosis at his five evolutionary relatives who were slowly moving toward him. The two guards were holding blankets that they intended to throw on the monkey.
Eddie decided to blend in with the others and try to help capture the monkey. He managed to stop his legs from shaking, but his heart was still beating. He tried to focus on what was happening in the room and then suddenly noticed an ID tag that had fallen to the floor between him and the others who had their backs turned to him. Eddie moved closer to the tag and saw by the photo that it belonged to the on-call guard, the one who yelled, “The monkeys!” He was probably running after the monkey that escaped down the hall right now. Eddie quickly bent down, picked the tag up, and shoved it in his pocket. He also scooped up a small surgical knife that had fallen from one of the spilled drawers. The guards threw the blankets on the panicked monkey that became entangled in them. Eddie with his typical calmness stepped over to the moving bundle and picked it up.