The Dreadful Renegade: A Thrilling Espionage Novel (Techno thriller, Mystery & Suspense) (22 page)

He said "Stalin appointed
Lavrenti 
Beria, the head of the NKVD (a predecessor of the KGB),
to oversee the production of plutonium in the USSR. When the first batch had been produced and purified Beria visited the laboratory and was shown a metallic sphere. He was told that it was plutonium but being ever suspicious he asked how he could verify it. The chief scientist who was head of the project, Igor Kurchatov, told him that plutonium emitted radiation that caused its temperature to rise, and told Beria to touch it and feel the heat. Beria felt the metallic sphere and found that it was indeed hot. He thought for a moment and asked how he could be sure that it wasn't heated in an oven before his visit, but was later convinced that it was genuine plutonium".

The general laughed and said that it was a nice story but wondered if it was relevant so Anwar told him that when they presented Nagib with the device the only test he would be able to perform without an analytical laboratory would be to feel the temperature of the plutonium core and promised that it would be naturally hot regardless of the quality of the plutonium. When he saw that the general was in a good mood he told him another anecdote. "After Beria was convinced that the plutonium was genuine he consulted Stalin and asked him which scientists and engineers should be awarded medals for the success of the project. Stalin's simple answer was to give medals to those he would have executed if the project failed". The general said that as much as he hated communism and Stalin he had to admit that he was a very practical man.

Anwar didn't like to be away from his research and his laboratory but had started to enjoy the proximity to the corridors of power and being in the nerve center where important decisions were made. He called Alma and arranged to see her in the evening telling her that he had to go to Karachi on an important mission the following day. Alma, as usual said she would be delighted because they had barely seen each other during the last week. She then called Linda and said she had to cancel their date because Anwar wanted to see her. Linda asked if there was any special reason and Alma blurted that he told her he had to go to Karachi. Linda said that she understood and they could meet the following evening. She immediately called Blakey and informed him of this development. Blakey realized this could be the best chance to find Nagib and Alia in Pakistan and told all his agents to head to Karachi and wait for him there.

July 24
th
, Karachi

Nagib and Alia were excited when Junaid told them that Rahman would arrive with one of the leading physicists from PINSTECH and assured them that they would have some good news concerning the delivery of the two "gifts". The past few days had been very peaceful – they were not aware of the presence of the Iranians or that the North Koreans were desperately trying to find them. Nagib was relieved that the memory stick, or thumb drive, in his pen had not been discovered. He noticed that someone had gone through his laptop computer in search for the files with the blueprints and knew that the hidden files had not been copied because attempts to do so without the correct sequence of passwords would cause the computer to shut down. When Junaid was taking a shower he whispered to Alia that he had expected such an attempt and was grateful to the pimpled youngster in Pasadena for the software protection he had installed in what seemed to be ages ago but was in fact a little more than one month. His pen was in public display in his shirt pocket, as it was at all times, and he used it to write notes or sign for hotel deliveries.

***

Linda arrived in Karachi on a morning flight from Islamabad and joined the meeting of the American agents, not only from the CIA but from all the agencies, that was held in the Karachi office of the largest US trade partner in Pakistan. Naturally it belonged to a defense contractor whose main line of business was to sell US made armaments and spare parts to the Pakistani military. All in all there were about a dozen men and two women chatting and having coffee or sodas when the CIA station chief, George Blakemore, entered the room. Blakey proceeded to explain that their mission was to follow Dr. Anwar Usman and Rahman Chenna when they landed in Karachi later in the afternoon and see if they met with two American citizens, Nagib and Alia Jaber, and if the opportunity presented itself to snatch the Americans and bring them to a safe location. In the old days he would have handed out photographs of all the people concerned but he simply sent the photos to their cellphones.  He then divided the agents into two task forces – one section consisting of eight people in four cars was responsible for following the Pakistani scientist and intelligence agent from the airport to wherever they were going and the second group was put in charge of forcibly snatching the couple and included only agents that had diplomatic immunity in case the kidnapping attempt failed and the operatives were arrested. Blakey said that the CIA had received an unconfirmed message that the renegade couple could be in one of the most expensive hotels, enjoying life at the expense of the Pakistani taxpayer, or more probably thanks to the US financial aid to Pakistan the American taxpayer was footing the bill. Blakey added that in case the couple could not be captured alive the fallback position would be to eliminate them (what used to be called "terminate with extreme prejudice" in the good old days) and retrieve the files. One of the more intelligent agents asked what would happen if there were copies of these files that they could not recover. All Blakey could say was that they thought it would be counterproductive for Nagib to make copies. The meeting dispersed and Linda found herself in the car with Blakey and another embassy official who drove the car. They headed towards the best hotel in Karachi expecting that the trail would end there or at one of the other up class hotels on the same street.

Anwar and Rahman were on board a small private jet that belonged to the Pakistani intelligence services. As the plane landed at the Karachi airport they were met by an escort of three jeeps packed with heavily armed members of the elite unit of the Pakistani Special Forces. The drivers turned on their flashing lights and sirens and headed to the hotel in which Junaid and the couple were staying. The small convoy made so much noise and the flashing lights could be seen from miles away so the American agents in charge of following them had no difficulty in doing their job with their eyes closed. On the other hand, the second task force reached the hotel and realized that there was not a chance in hell that they would be able to snatch Nagib and Alia in view of the heavily armed guards. Blakey called off the force, thanked them for their efforts and told them to return to their routine jobs.

Nagib and Alia were waiting restlessly in the suite when Anwar and Rahman arrived with an armed escort. After a brief introduction Anwar, Rahman and Nagib retired to a corner of the suite and held a quiet conversation. Anwar told Nagib that the two small nukes had been constructed according to the blueprints and they were now in Islamabad waiting for his approval. Rahman said that shipping arrangements were made and added that the Pakistanis expected to receive the other designs after Nagib's inspection. Nagib smiled broadly and said that he appreciated the fact that the agreement had been honored by the Pakistanis and that he would fulfill his part as soon as the devices were in his custody. Meanwhile Alia and Junaid packed all their clothes and were ready to leave as soon as the men finished their little conference.

The entourage left the suite in which the American couple and Junaid had spent a very enjoyable time. For the couple this was a period of relief that afforded them a feeling of security that they had not had since they left Los Alamos over a month earlier, and both of them realized that once they left Pakistan with the devices, or even without them, they would have to constantly look over their shoulder because a myriad of intelligence services will be after them. As they made their way through the hotel's lobby they were observed by Linda and Blakey who were having coffee in the corner and by the Iranian agents who were sipping tea in the opposite corner. The North Koreans were not in the lobby although one of their agents was parked 50 meters behind the three jeeps. None of the agents bothered to follow the entourage because they had all figured out that they were on the way to the airport for a flight back to Islamabad.

The group got into the middle jeep and the convoy of three vehicles made its way back to the airport where the private jet was parked with its engines turning. Nagib and Alia accompanied by Rahman and Junaid as well as Anwar and two armed bodyguards boarded the waiting jet. Rahman told the couple that they would be taken to a safe house that belonged to the Pakistani intelligence services and would be discretely taken to see the devices at a hangar in PINSTECH. He said that the dimensions of the devices were small enough so that they could comfortably fit into a standard 29" suitcase of the type that had a rugged hard-sided shell. Rahman said that two such suitcases were ready but the devices would be placed inside them only after being inspected and approved by Nagib. 

July 25
th
, Islamabad

Nagib and Alia spent a sleepless night in the safe house to which they were taken the previous evening. They were on the second floor of the two storey building and armed guards were placed on the roof of the building, in the lower floor and outside the front and back doors. The reason they had so little sleep was obvious – they now reached the most dangerous stage of their journey to Pakistan, because once they handed over all the designs there was absolutely nothing to prevent the Pakistanis from reneging on the deal and arresting them, or more likely just make them disappear. Alia suggested that they hand over the thumb drive with the files protected by a password and send the password only after they felt safe with the devices on European soil, or far away from Pakistan. Nagib liked the idea but was not sure the Pakistanis would accept this last minute change because of two reasons - they might fear that he would not keep his word and hand over the password and in addition they would feel offended because he didn't trust them and that would be a sign of disrespect. Furthermore, the Pakistanis could be justly worried about the couple's safety in view of the fact that quite a few intelligence organizations were after them, and especially the Americans would not hesitate to eliminate them on sight, so that they wouldn't be able to deliver the passwords.

In the morning Rahman came to the safe house to take Nagib and Alia to inspect the devices. Once again a convoy of three jeeps manned by armed soldiers was waiting to take them to PINSTECH. Nagib realized that the institute was located in Nilore, which was on the outskirts of Islamabad. On the way to the site Rahman proudly told him that most of PINSTECH's former directors had obtained their doctorates in the West, mainly the UK, US, Canada and Japan, but the current director got his doctorate in nuclear engineering from Peshawar University. They used one of PINSTECH's side entrances and once Rahman showed his ID they were waved through with no further checks. The two escorting jeeps parked near the gate and the jeep with Rahman, Nagib, Alia and the driver who was obviously also from the intelligence services, drove up to a small hangar. As they approached the hangar its doors opened and they drove in and parked by a small cubicle that served as the temporary office. Anwar was already waiting for them there and when they got out of the car he came forth to welcome them.

Alia noted two standard 29" suitcases in the middle of the hangar and saw that the agent who had driven their jeep was now holding a video camera and recording everything that took place in the hangar. Anwar who was holding a radiation detector led them towards the suitcase. He opened it just as one would open a suitcase with clothes, and placed the detector close to the metal pipe that was strapped to one side of the suitcase. The detector's clicking sound increased a little in volume and in frequency indicating the presence of some type of gamma emitting material. However, when Anwar stepped back a few meters the clicking ceased. Anwar showed Nagib that the reading from the detector was around one count per second (1 cps in scientific jargon) that was pretty much the background level in that hangar. He closed the suitcase and placed the detector so that it touched the suitcase and the reading increased very slightly to 2 cps.

Anwar looked at Nagib's reaction and said "OK, so you know there is something radioactive in the suitcase, and you know that external radiation is very low, but you probably want to know if there is any plutonium here, don't you?"

Nagib said "Yes, can you convince me that this is the real thing?"

Anwar asked him "As a scientist from Los Alamos National Laboratory you have probably heard the story about Beria's visit to the laboratory that produced plutonium".

Nagib smiled "Of course, I know it. Can I touch the device to feel if it is hot?"

Anwar responded "By all means, please put on the polyethylene gloves and touch the metal pipe". Nagib adorned the gloves and hesitantly touched the pipe, feeling that it was slightly warmer that the surrounding objects. 

He said "Well, I am sure that you did not heat this pipe before we got here and believe that the heat comes from the decay of some radioactive material. How do I know that it is plutonium and not something else?"

Anwar, who had anticipated a degree of skepticism, signaled to Rahman to bring his laptop from the small office. When the laptop was switched on, Anwar searched the files and displayed a spectrum. He explained that this was a display of the intensity of the signal from alpha-particles as a function of the particle energy, and pointed to distinct peaks that he said arose from alpha-decay of plutonium atoms.

Nagib studied the spectrum and said "I am now convinced that the material from which the spectrum was recorded was indeed plutonium. I take your word that this material is inside these pipes". 

So in a formal tone Rahman, looking at the video camera, said "Dr. Nagib Jaber, do you formally acknowledge that these two suitcases contain a small nuclear device?"

Nagib faced the camera and said "I do, and I hope that they were constructed according to the blueprints I gave you."

Anwar said "I solemnly testify that they were, but with a small caveat – they have not been tested. I would be grateful if you now fulfill your part of the deal and hand over the other blueprints". Anwar then explained to Nagib how to detonate the suitcase bombs and said that it was very simple because the devices did not have a sophisticated
Permissive Action Link (
PAL
) that is installed to prevent unauthorized arming or detonation of a 
nuclear weapon. Anwar said that all they needed to do was to make sure that the battery pack was fully charged and set the digital timer that was much like the type used on microwave ovens in every modern household.

Now came the tricky part that Nagib and Alia had discussed the previous evening. He said "I am fully ready to complete the deal as soon as we are out of Pakistan with the two suitcases" and waited for Rahman's reaction.

As expected Rahman, barely controlling the anger in his voice, said "The agreement was that as soon as you inspected the devices and approved them you would deliver the rest of the schematics". 

Nagib protested "But if I give you the blueprints while still in Pakistan you can simply arrest me and take back the two devices and there is nothing I can do about it. I need some kind of insurance or at least strong assurances that this won't happen".

Rahman looked flabbergasted and said that he needed permission from General Masood to alter the agreement and left them standing in the middle of the hanger while he stepped into the small office to call the general. 

Meanwhile Anwar looked at the situation rationally and said to Nagib "I understand your apprehension and am sure that we can find a viable solution. As one scientist to another I can say that if the Pakistani authorities had any intention to renege on the deal they could have done so any moment after you stepped on Pakistani soil. Remember that officially you never entered the country and no one who cares about you knows where you are, and you are certainly in no position to go to the American embassy – they would probably shoot you first and carry out an investigation later."

Nagib replied "So what do you propose?"

Anwar said "The best solution for everyone is that you turn in your American passports and Rahman will issue you with original Pakistani passports and allow you to leave the country. The two suitcases can be sent as part of a "diplomatic pouch" that is immune from being searched to any Pakistani embassy of your choice. You will go there and collect the suitcases that will be handed to you as soon as you deliver the rest of the blueprints. What do you think of this?"

Nagib consulted with Alia and after a few minutes said "This sounds reasonable but we need to retain our American passports to enter the US freely."

Meanwhile Rahman returned all worked up with a red face and ready for an outburst, but Anwar said "Before you say anything please listen to the following proposal" and reiterated the discussion. Rahman nodded and said that it was a good solution although the general had other ideas about how to terminate the negotiations, and then laughed and said "Nagib and Alia you must be dreaming of being able to use your US passports ever again. The minute they will be used for buying an airline ticket, presented at a passport control booth at any border crossing in the world or used in a hotel, car rental agency or anywhere else the NSA will know about it instantly and within minutes you'll be under arrest if not worse." Nagib thought about this for a minute but held on to the American passports saying that he would feel better with them. Rahman said that it would take 24-hours to issue Pakistani passports and asked them if they wanted any particular names on them. Alia said she always liked the name Fatima and suggested that for her husband Munir would be nice. Nagib agreed and said that their last name should be something symbolic that represented their objective and suggested "Abu Jihad". Everyone smiled and Rahman invited Munir and Fatima Abu Jihad to accompany him back to the safe house. They left the hangar after making sure that the suitcases were stored in a locker and a guard was posted at its door. The convoy made its way back to the safe house.

***

In the evening Anwar arranged a date with his girl-friend after calling her and telling her that he wanted something special to celebrate a breakthrough. Alma did not know what to expect but his jovial mood was contagious and she sang to herself softly while cooking his favorite dishes. She was surprised when he turned up on her doorstep at the appointed time and took a bottle of wine out of his bag and presented it to her with a big smile. This was quite unusual as they seldom drank alcohol together. Of course, he had no idea that she and Linda regularly consumed a couple of wine bottles whenever they spent an evening with each other. She opened the wine bottle and filled a couple of glasses and asked him what they were celebrating. Once again he smiled and said he wished to make a toast.

She looked at him as he said "Alma, it is time we got married"

Before he could continue she burst out laughing and said "Yes, but who will take us?" when she saw the astonished look on his face, she added "Of course, I agree. I love you."

Anwar suddenly felt relieved because for a moment he thought she was serious, and said "There is something else I wish to celebrate. You must have noticed that I had been distraught recently, and you know that I was away from my laboratory at PINSTECH on a special assignment. Well, now this problem has been solved and I'll return to the laboratory in a couple of days."

Alma suggested that they drink another glass to commemorate that and before long the bottle was empty. She went into the kitchen and brought out another bottle. He was a bit surprised to see that she had wine in the house and when she saw his inquisitive look she said that a girl-friend had given it to her and told her to open it if there was a very special reason, so his marriage proposal was indeed a good reason. Anwar didn't enquire who the friend was and that was just as well because Alma didn't want to tell him about her relationship with Linda.

Once they had consumed dinner and the two bottles of wine they retired to the bedroom to seal the deal in the most pleasurable way. Anwar had noted that their lovemaking had become much more intense and enjoyable during the last few months and attributed it to his own improved technique. This contributed to his ego and he felt elated that he had made her an active partner in their love life, not realizing that Alma guided him every step of the way. Alma was glad to see him in such a good mood and said "I would love for you to share this problem and its solution with me, if you can without breaching any security issues." He said "You know I cannot tell you all about it, but as the problem is solved I can tell you about something that happened today that concerns plutonium. In your work at PINSTECH you have come across this material and you know that the grade of plutonium cannot be determined by alpha spectrometry because the two important isotopes, plutonium-239 and plutonium-240 are practically indistinguishable. Today, I managed to convince another scientist that low-grade plutonium was high-grade material." She asked who the scientist was and he said "Someone who now calls himself Munir Abu Jihad and he will be very famous soon, so remember the name". Both of them fell asleep with a satiated smile on their face.

***

Blakey and his staff at the American embassy were frustrated because they failed to stop Nagib and Alia. What was even worse from their point of view was the fact that the couple had been no more than a few meters from them in the hotel lobby in Karachi and there was nothing they could do about it because of the heavily armed entourage that accompanied them. Blakey's informers reported that the special jet had landed in Islamabad and that another armed convoy escorted the passengers to an undisclosed location. Blakey felt that the horses were about to leave the stable and that there was no way to bring them back. None of his contacts could provide any useful information except to say that the big project overseen by General Masood, whatever it was, appeared to be coming to an end.  Blakey turned to Linda and asked her if she could use her own contact to figure out what was happening and Linda said she would try to arrange a meeting with Alma.

***

The Iranians and North Koreans were no better off than the Americans. They knew that something big was afoot in Islamabad and deduced that it concerned PINSTECH but none of their agents and collaborators could supply any useful details. The Iranians heard from one of the guards of the side gate that a small convoy headed by an operative of the Pakistani intelligence services entered the site and one jeep drove to a small hangar while the other two remained at the gate. The jeep's windows were shaded and he couldn't see who was inside but noted that there were silhouettes of a man and a woman seated in the back seat. He added that the small hangar was well guarded and that was quite irregular because it was usually empty. The Iranian who received this report told the guard to keep an eye on the hangar and report any activity. He also called his North Korean colleague and in an unusual gesture shared the information with him.