by John Lyman
In the back of the lumbering truck, Ben looked down at the bodies of the two dead security men stretched out between a row of wooden crates and nodded to one of the commandos who had just shot them. “Any idea why these two men were riding back here?”
“There must be something important back here, sir” the soldier responded. “The body of the driver is still up front in the cab. We didn’t want to throw the bodies out along the highway and give away the fact that one of the trucks had been hijacked.”
“Smart thinking,” Ben said. “There was a 5-man weapons team right on our tails. If they had discovered any bodies the game would have been over.”
“What happens when we reach the gate, sir?”
“We’ll have to throw the bodies out before we reach the compound and hope none of those roving teams discover them until after the sun comes up. Hang on to their uniforms and make sure our guy driving is wearing one when we reach the compound. Keep their weapons too.” The commandos exchanged knowing glances as they checked their weapons one final time, for they all knew that if an alert guard spotted an Israeli-made weapon lying next to the driver, their cover would be blown at the gate and they would be in the firefight of their lives with little chance of escape.
Moving around among the crates, Daniel pried one open with his new combat knife and lifted out what looked like a flat electronic panel floating inside a thick, clear plastic box. After a few more minutes of rummaging around inside, he waved Ben over and pointed inside. “Uh ... Captain ... I think you need to take a look at this.”
“What is it?”
“Take a look for yourself.”
Peering inside, Ben shook his head. “Sorry, Daniel. I have no idea what any of this stuff is.”
“That’s because none of this stuff is supposed to exist yet. You’re looking at computer components from the future.”
“The future! What in the world are you talking about?”
“Someone has jumped the technology gap tenfold, because I’ve only seen schematic-type drawings of stuff like this in classified technology briefings. Everything we’re looking at is still in the what if category. It’s like looking beyond the conceptual stage into the future, because supposedly this technology doesn’t even exist yet.”
“I’m still lost. What do you mean?”
“I mean that, up until this moment, these components were considered to be purely theoretical. Even the world’s top computer scientists have said we wouldn’t see anything this advanced on the horizon for at least the next twenty years. Here, look at this.” Daniel reached into a padded metal case and lifted out a small, cylindrical crystal. “If I’m correct, we’re looking at the components for a quantum computer. This crystal probably contains beryllium ions, an essential component for a system that uses quantum mechanics rather than conventional computing technology.” Reaching further down into the crate, he grabbed another padded case and opened it, revealing a metal disc inside. “And this is the pancake.”
“The what?”
“The pancake. Inside this disc are approximately 300 atoms suspended in a vacuum within a 15cm metal trap. I wasn’t sure what it was until I saw the laser components lying in the bottom of the crate. They attach this disc to a laser and use it to manipulate individual atoms. We’re talking about computing done at the atomic level. A system like this can eclipse the capacity of current computers by at least 80 orders of magnitude. That’s a one with 80 zeros after it. We’re getting into a very esoteric field here, but we’re looking at particles that transmit information in more than one location at the same time. Whoever developed this system has taken computing into a whole new dimension.”
Ben stared at the tiny crystal in Daniel’s hand and shook his head. “I’ll have to take your word for it, Daniel. This stuff is way over my head. I guess that explains why they had two guards riding back here.”
“Seems to me that they would have had even more security surrounding something as important as this,” Daniel said.
“These guys know what they’re doing,” Ben said. “We use this tactic all the time when we’re trying to maintain a low profile on intelligence missions. A lot of people would be shocked to find that nuclear warheads have been driven through the Negev Desert in broad daylight in the back of old pickup trucks. If you’re trying to guard something really valuable, the best security measure you can take is to make it look as worthless as possible. If you surround it with security vehicles, especially in a country like Iraq, it’s like waving a red flag in front of a bull. Saddam used to load big 18-wheeler trucks full of cash and have them driven down the highway without so much as a single security vehicle in sight. Besides, whoever is waiting for this stuff probably didn’t want to tip off their own security people that something this valuable was coming into the compound. Any of these low-paid guards could probably be bought off for the price of a new car.”
Screeching brakes sent the men’s nerves on edge as the truck approached the main gate and slowed before being casually waved through into the compound. After rolling to a stop in the floodlit courtyard, the Israelis in the back of the truck could hear voices along with the sound of truck doors slamming up ahead. Looking around, the Israeli driver stepped down from the cab and walked around to the back of the truck before quickly opening the canvas flap and motioning to Ben. It was time to go.
Peering out into the courtyard, Ben could see that the truck was sitting next to a single-story cinder- block building that looked like some kind of maintenance facility. Four garage doors with greasy fingerprints on the latches faced the courtyard, and at the end, away from the glare of the ever-present floodlights, they saw a side door with a darkened window announcing the fact that the lights inside were turned off.
After making a tactical scan of the area, the Israelis bolted from the truck and entered the darkened building. Their exit from the truck was none too soon, for just as they were through the door a group of men wearing lab coats swarmed around the back of the truck and began unloading the boxes inside.
In the distance, the Israelis could hear the throaty roar of a high performance engine as a bright yellow Lamborghini came tearing around the side of the palace and slid to a stop in a cloud of dust next to the men in white coats. Stepping from under the open gull-wing door, a dark-haired man with a beard stood under a spotlight that highlighted his Armani suit.
“Where is it?” The man’s thick Russian accent concealed a malevolent calmness.
“We’re still looking, Mr. Sokolov,” a security man answered.
Sokolov’s voice became progressively more menacing as he began to pace. “What do you mean you’re still looking for it? It was on the truck when it left the airport! It was scanned at the checkpoint! It has to be here somewhere! Where are the guards for this truck?”
“Probably in the restroom with the others.” Sokolov spun to see an older, heavyset man in a white coat walking in his direction. “It’s a long drive from the airport in Bagdad, Ilia.”
“Ah, Herr Doctor. Have you heard? They can’t find it! Wonderful security! I should have brought it here myself!” Sokolov turned to one of the security men. “I want those two guards brought to me as soon as you find them!”
“Calm yourself, Ilia,” the white-coated man said. “The trucks just arrived, and we haven’t unloaded everything yet. As you said, it was scanned at the checkpoint, and the computer didn’t register any stops until the truck arrived here. Don’t worry, we’ll find it. In all the time we’ve been doing this we haven’t lost a single item yet.”
“You’d better be right. We need to begin assembling these components right away. Is this all there is?”
“No, there are more boxes in trucks number 3 and 5. The security people broke up the shipment so everything wouldn’t be in one truck.”
“At least they did something right.”
The older man wrapped an arm around Sokolov and led him away from the trucks. “This is no time to lose control of that famous level head o
f yours, Ilia. This project is just as important to me as it is to you ... as it is to all of us. I’ve been waiting for this day for over ten years. My laboratory in Bern is making exact duplicates of these components, so if we need a replacement part it can be flown here in a day.”
“Yes, and you and your people have done an extraordinary job, Doctor, but we can’t afford to lose any of these components. If they fell into the wrong hands it would be a disaster. I want the men who were guarding this shipment interrogated. Is that understood?”
“I’ll speak to them personally. Now, go have a brandy and relax. I’ll supervise the unloading.”
Shaking loose from the man’s grasp, Sokolov returned to his car and pulled the door down before speeding off.
“Oh crap!” Daniel whispered to Ben inside the darkened building.
“What?”
“I just remembered. I still have the crystal in my pocket.” Daniel removed the crystal he had found in the back of the truck from his shirt pocket and handed it to Ben.
“Damn it, Daniel! Don’t ever take anything without checking with me first. This is probably what they’re looking for. We’re in deep kimchee now.”
“I think snatching the Acerbi kid is what’s really going to put us in deep kimchee,” Daniel said. “Do you have a definite plan, Ben, or are we just flying by the seat of our pants here?”
“Right now we’re falling without a parachute.” Ben peered through the window before turning back to face the men. “We need to follow those guys in the white coats and see where they take those boxes.”
Keeping an eye on the courtyard, Sergeant Efron suddenly ducked down. “I don’t think we’re going to have to follow them very far. They’re headed this way.”
Ben pushed his back against the wall and tried to think as his heart rate increased, because the building they were in had no place to hide. “Ready your weapons, men. As soon as they come through that door, open fire and head for the truck. We’ll crash the gate and head back down the highway while we radio the choppers to meet us.”
The Israelis spread out in the darkness and aimed their weapons at the four garage doors. Nothing but the sound of breathing could be heard as they waited, but nothing happened. After a few more seconds, Ben raised his head and looked back out though the window. The men were gone.
“Where the hell did they go?”
Daniel and the sergeant crowded in beside him and peered out into the floodlit courtyard. The place looked deserted. Except for a couple of lone guards standing next to a line of empty trucks, it seemed as if everyone had suddenly vanished.
“They must be in the palace,” Daniel said.
“But they were walking right toward us ... away from the palace,” Ben said, still peering outside. “What’s behind this building?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean they must have walked right past us and gone somewhere else.” Ben tapped Efron on the shoulder and nodded his head toward the door. “We need to find out what’s behind this building. You take the lead and leave two men here to watch our rear.”
“Yes, sir.”
Moments later, the sergeant was out the door, followed by the rest of the team as they made their way through the shadows along the side of the building. As soon as they reached the far end of the outside wall, they spotted several soldiers and the men in lab coats carrying boxes toward a doorway at the base of a large, three-story tower emitting volumes of steam into the clear night air from slats along the top of the structure.
“What is that thing?” Ben asked.
“It’s a cooling tower, sir,” the sergeant said.
“A cooling tower?”
“Yes, sir ... for air conditioning. But it’s huge. Even a building as large as the palace wouldn’t need a cooling tower anywhere near that size. That’s the type of cooling tower you see on top of eighty-story skyscrapers. I know. I used to work in the air-conditioning business before I joined the military. Whatever they’re trying to keep cool must be either very big or very hot ... or both. But there’s something else. See those big tanks over there? They’re full of liquid nitrogen.”
“What would they need that for?”
“Looks like they’re really trying to keep something cool, sir.”
“I think I might know what it is,” Daniel said, “but we’ll need to get inside and have a look before I know for sure.”
Ben pushed himself against the wall and looked at Daniel. “What in the hell are they up to in there? I need your best guess if I’m going to put my men’s lives at risk.”
Daniel gulped as he looked at all the blackened faces staring back at him. “Something very high-tech ... something that has to be kept cool to work properly. From what I saw in the truck, they’re obviously involved in some type of research program that involves computers, and if they have some of the new mega computers that I’m thinking about, that would explain the cooling equipment, because those things put out massive amounts of heat. It’s got to be a computer of some kind.”
Ben rubbed his temples and massaged his eyelids for a moment before raising his head and looking back out at the steaming tower. “OK ... we’re going in there. We have no other choice. Have your flash-bang grenades ready as soon as we hit the door.”
“That tower is just the tip of the iceberg, sir,” Efron said. “Whatever they’re trying to keep cool is probably deep underground.”
“Makes sense,” Daniel said. “This palace used to belong to Saddam Hussein, and all of his palaces had extensive underground bomb shelters with tunnels that led off in all directions.
Efron pointed off to his right. “There’s also a power station at the corner of the compound, sir. If you look closely, you can see wires leading to it from those big transmission towers outside the walls.”
“Why didn’t any of this stuff show up on our satellite photos?” Ben asked.
“If these are the guys behind the worm, they probably hacked one of our intelligence satellites and uploaded altered photos of the compound,” Daniel replied. “Whatever is down there, they’re using all of their resources to keep it a secret.”
Ben sat up straight and looked across the brightly-lit open space. “Well, Danny boy, we’re about to see if you’re right, because we’re going in.”
CHAPTER 31
In the lower cavern, Leo and the others were watching the small fire die down just as they heard the radio come alive. “Leo ... Lev ... come in. This is Danny Zamir!”
“Sounds like they’ve stopped jamming our communications,” the corporal said, reaching for the radio.
“Wait!” Lev said. “There’s a reason they stopped jamming us. The people who just blew that tunnel are probably listening to see if we’re still alive.” Lev looked down at the soldiers’ backpacks. “Do you have any more grenades, Niles?”
“We have six grenades, plus two satchel charges.”
“You have satchel charges?”
“Yes sir ... all Special Forces soldiers carry them, but if you’re thinking of blasting our way out through that tunnel we just came through you can forget it.”
“He’s right,” Leo said. “Another explosion will only make things worse. That tunnel was carved from soft limestone, and one more explosion will bring the whole thing down.”
Lev squinted off into the darkness at the end of the path. “I’m not thinking about the tunnel. I was thinking about the eastern wall at the end of this path ... the one that breathes.”
Leo could feel the hair rise on his forearms. “I hadn’t thought of that, but if air is really passing back and forth between cracks in the wall, there has to be another cavern on the other side. We might be able to blast our way into an area that leads to the surface. But what about Danny?”
“He’ll just have to wait. If our plan doesn’t work, we’ll break radio silence and let him know we need to be rescued.”
Leo’s green eyes came alive. “Well, there’s no time like the present. Let’s get moving.”
“How are you with satchel charges, corporal?” Alon asked.
“I know how to pull the cord and run, sir.”
“Do you mind if I place it?”
“Be my guest, mate.” The corporal slid the canvas-wrapped charge of C-4 explosive from his backpack and held it out to Alon. “Glad to be rid of that. I don’t like having that much explosive power bouncing along right behind me.”
After studying the wall for a few minutes, Alon felt tiny puffs of air coming from small cracks that ran up the face of a bowed-out section of the wall. Wedging the charge into a tight crevice near the base, he summoned the help of several of the other men to roll a small bolder in front of the package containing the explosives. “That will help direct the force of the blast toward the wall,” he explained. “Now, everyone move back and take cover.”
As soon as he was sure everyone was clear, he pulled the cord to the thirty-second fuse and ran. In the confined space, the explosion echoed off the surrounding walls as dirt and rock shot outward, obscuring the entire wall in a thick cloud until, finally, rays of light began to filter through the dust.
John was the first to let out a loud whoop when he saw the gaping hole that stood before them. “That’s sunlight!”
“Yes it is,” Alon said, beaming like a proud father.
The British corporal stood with his hands on his hips and stared at the fractured wall. “Well, would you take a look at that! Who would’ve thought? All this time and none of the engineers thought to blow a hole through that bloody wall.”
Blinking in the bright sunlight, Leo and Alon followed the two soldiers over the smoldering pile of rock through a large gaping hole, and as they stepped into a towering cave that was open to the sea, a blanket of warm humidity washed over them with the freshness of the ocean.