The Dreadful Renegade: A Thrilling Espionage Novel (Techno thriller, Mystery & Suspense) (4 page)

April 20
th
, Los Alamos National Laboratory

Max entered the small conference room with a big smile and immediately switched on his laptop and connected it to the overhead projector. Nagib could hardly believe his eyes – on the screen there was a detailed diagram of one of the most advanced warheads in the US nuclear arsenal. Max described each component, its exact dimensions, materials of construction, and once he started to describe the problems that were encountered enlargements of the relevant areas were displayed. Nagib had to clear his throat and drink some cold coffee before he allowed himself to speak. He said that they should address one problem at a time and asked Max where he thought they should start. Max zipped through the presentation until he found the best view of the problematic component and reviewed the problems that they had encountered with that component. Before long a brainstorming session was in full gear with the analytical chemists raising questions and making proposals after hearing the answers from the operations people who had hands on experience with the component. Nagib and Max exchanged a look that showed how pleased they were with the way the two teams were interacting.

In the evening Nagib returned home and told Alia about the way the meeting had progressed and said that they had struck gold or at least a gold bearing vein. Alia suggested that they go and celebrate at their favorite restaurant and Nagib readily agreed. So off they went, ordered the best and most expensive bottle of wine, and drank it raising toasts to each other. That night they got very little sleep as both were feeling a need for close physical contact and a strong desire for each other.

May 3
rd
, Tel Aviv, Israel

"The Fish" called David Avivi and apologized for the long delay, since it had been almost half a year since David asked him to check if the ISA had any information on Dr. Nagib Jaber. "The Fish" said that Nagib had left the Middle East several years earlier, which David already knew, and the ISA had nothing on him regarding any illegal activity. However, he added, his brother Yassir may he rot in hell, had been a prime target of the ISA. Apparently, Yassir was convicted for kidnapping and murdering a young Israeli student near Hebron and given a life sentence by a military court. However, he was released from prison with many other terrorists in return for an Israeli soldier and banished from his home to Gaza. There were reports that he was killed by an Israeli drone while attempting to fire a rocket on an Israeli town near Gaza. David asked if Nagib had any known contacts with Palestinian terrorist organizations and "The Fish" said that he was not suspected of any wrongdoings. David thought that this information should be passed on to the Americans and called his friend, Dr. Eugene Powers in Washington DC. Eugene received David's call and said he would look into the matter and get back to him.

May 4
th
, Washington, DC

Eugene called the Deputy Director of Los Alamos National Laboratory and conveyed the information he had received from the Israelis. The Deputy Director said that he knew Dr. Nagib Jaber personally and that he was highly regarded as a responsible and trustworthy scientist and had recently been promoted to head his own section in the analytical laboratory. He related the episode of the attempted cooperation with the operations division and told Eugene that Nagib had passed the polygraph test without a hitch. He commended Nagib's initiative to work hand in hand with Dr. Max Level and said that he believed this would further the Lab's stewardship project. Eugene asked him if the new information did not bother him at all and the Deputy Director invited him to come out to Los Alamos and interview Nagib himself if he still had concerns about him. Eugene asked if he could bring his Israeli colleague to the interview and the Deputy Director told him that only US citizens were allowed on site, and when Eugene suggested locating the meeting off-site the Deputy Director cut him short and said that he needed to promptly leave for his next appointment. Eugene got back to David and told him that he would personally go to Los Alamos to meet with Nagib, but didn't tell him about the conversation with the Deputy Director.

May 30
th
, Los Alamos National Laboratory

Nagib was deeply frustrated – here he had access to even the minor details of the most advanced warheads but could not download the information and certainly not remove it from the Lab. He couldn't get an electronic copy of the blueprints, he couldn't photocopy the schematics, he couldn't smuggle a camera to take photographs and most certainly couldn't get samples. Even worse, he was "invited" to meet a big shot from the NNSA who was scheduled to come to the Lab the following week. He discussed this with Alia after he got back home. She told him that she had overheard a conversation in the security office between the Deputy Director and her boss about the planned visit of the man from the NNSA regarding the reliability of key personnel with respect to national security issues. Now Alia and Nagib connected the dots and got a picture they did not like one bit. They considered their options: should they flee immediately or find some excuse for avoiding the meeting or continue to bluff their way, and decided to go with the latter option. That night they didn't much sleep, but unlike the sleepless night they enjoyed a few months earlier, this time it was the fear of being found out, or even arrested that drove the sleep away. 

June 5
th
, Los Alamos National Laboratory

Dr. Eugene Powers was received with formal politeness by the Lab's Deputy Director and by the chief of security Col. Dick Groovey. He told them about his concerns that Dr. Nagib Jaber may have an urge to avenge his brother's death and the destruction of his parents' home by the Israelis, and what was even more disturbing that he may wish to take it out on the US as it is the greatest supporter of Israel. The Colonel repeated what the Deputy Director had told Eugene that there was no evidence that Nagib was not what he claimed to be – a loyal US citizen – and that he had successfully passed the polygraph test just three months earlier. Eugene acknowledged this but said that in the Middle East revenge is best served cold and that Nagib may still harbor his feelings of retribution and that he wished to personally assess Nagib's attitude by interviewing him.

The Deputy Director left the room and Nagib was called in to the Colonel's office. After the formal introductions Eugene told Nagib that his family's history worried the chief of security at the NNSA and that he wanted to clarify a few points.

"Dr. Jaber, are you still in contact with your family?"

"I speak to my parents on the phone once or twice a year. They are now quite old and suffering from different ailments so I try to follow their health situation".

"How do you feel about the death of Yassir, your only brother?"

"I am sad that he died the way he did, but he believed that he was fighting for a good cause so he was probably glad to sacrifice his life."

"What do you think about his cause?"

"Obviously I don't condone it or believe in it. I don't think that killing an Israeli or firing rockets at residential areas are good things".

"Have you visited your parents at all since you came to study in the US?"

"No, at first when I was a doctoral student I couldn't afford it. After graduation, when I was employed by GCL and had applied for a Green Card I couldn't take the time off and was afraid that I would lose my temporary status".

"Why didn't you visit them after your brother's death, when you were already a full-fledged citizen and had a good job here at the Lab?"

"I didn't see a point in returning to Palestine – my brother was dead and there was nothing that could be done. I had also heard that Arabs were treated badly by Israeli authorities, even if they were US citizens and did not want to suffer humiliation".

"I understand that you are now married and that your wife, Alia is also employed here".

Here the Colonel intervened and said "Alia is one of the best workers in my office and she was born in the USA and raised here, not naturalized". Nagib added "She feels like an all-American girl and had done her utmost to forget her Arab heritage and she can barely speak Arabic although she understands quite a lot".

"Why didn't you invite your parents to come to your wedding? Is this how you respect your parents?"

"Dr. Powers, I already told you that they are old and frail and for them to apply for a visa and travel so far would be more of a punishment than joy".

"How do you feel about the US government and its policy of almost unconditional support for Israel?"

"I am grateful to the US for the opportunity it gave me to obtain a good education, work in a challenging job and get a chance for a better life than I could ever dream of in Palestine. I feel that I should repay the US government by working in this place and making a contribution, albeit a modest one, to this country's security".

To this Eugene said "Nagib, I am impressed by your patriotism" but thought that Nagib had been a little too glib. He concluded by thanking Nagib and the Colonel for their time and said that he had a plane to catch back to Washington.

Nagib went back to his laboratory and was very pleased with himself, believing that his piece in the interview was perfect, especially after hearing the last comment made by the man from the NNSA. When he returned home that evening and told Alia about the interview she responded with a huge smile and said that she had already heard Colonel Groovey muttering something about bureaucrats from Washington going around casting doubts about the patriotism of honest, hard working, loyal Americans and had figured out that he was referring to Nagib. They had a good laugh about the level of security in one of the most secret facilities in the US saying that here were the two of them, amateur spies that were operating freely inside the Lab without getting caught, simply because they were American citizens and therefore considered beyond suspicion. Nagib said that in Palestine the authorities would not bother to interview him politely in a nice, air conditioned office, but would simply throw him into a cold cellar and threaten to pull out a few fingernails until he proved his innocence or admitted his guilt.  

It was Friday night and Alia told Nagib that he deserved a special treat for his brilliant behavior during the interview. Nagib smiled and asked what she had in mind and she shyly said that she would try to match his performance by doing what women did to please their husbands in the "old country" and told him to relax on the sofa and close his eyes. She took a kefiya that they kept in a drawer in their bedroom and tied it around his eyes making sure that he could not see anything. Then poured him a tumbler full of the finest whiskey they had in the house, added a couple of ice cubes and placed it in his hand. She brought her laptop computer, and on YouTube she found belly dance music with a darbuka drum solo and switched on the speakers. Nagib started smiling as his expectations were building up. Next she went to the bedroom, put on her most delicate perfume, removed her clothes and wrapped all the scarves she could find around her naked body. By the time she returned to the living room Nagib had finished his drink so she gently kissed him on the lips and removed the tumbler from his hands and refilled it. She glanced at his crotch and was pleased to see the bulge that was forming there. As if by mistake, her elbow rubbed against it and she was rewarded by a sharp intake of breath and a sigh. She said that Nagib could now look but not touch and removed the kefiya from his eyes and used it to tie his right hand to the sofa. When he saw what she was wearing he knew that this would be a night to remember but did not know what else she had in stock for him. Alia slowly started gyrating her hips to the sound of the rhythmic music allowing her breasts to move unrestricted under the scarves.  She moved towards Nagib and ordered him to remove one scarf without using his free hand, dancing closer and closer to him until he could catch the edge of the scarf with his teeth. She then moved sensuously away so the scarf fell off. She continued her ritual until the last scarf was removed. By that time Nagib was moaning with expectation and told her to free him, but Alia placed her finger on his lips and told him to be patient. She bent down and removed his shoes and socks while her forehead pressed upon his erection. Nagib wriggled on the sofa and tried to pull her towards him with his free hand but she smacked his hand away and told him to wait. She untied the kefiya from the sofa, replaced it on his eyes once again and instructed him to stand up. She then slowly continued to remove all his clothes and told him to sit back on the sofa. By now Nagib's erection had reached unprecedented proportions almost causing him physical pain and he could barely stop himself from pulling Alia to the sofa and respond to his body's primal instinct. She was pleased by his reaction and in a low husky voice instructed him to take her on the carpet without removing his blindfold. She pulled him on top of her and within seconds both exploded in the most intense orgasm that surpassed anything they had previously experienced. After they caught their breath, she removed his blindfold and hugged him tightly saying she would never let him go. He smiled and told her that whatever happened they would stay together forever. They got up from the carpet and walked hand in hand to the bedroom where they continued their lovemaking.

When they woke up it was almost noon and after having coffee they had a serious discussion about the future. Alia repeated her idea that they settle down in Los Alamos like good Americans, start a family and lead a normal life and forget about the plan. Nagib said he was tempted to do that but the urge to inflict damage on the Israelis would not fade away. Alia insisted that they had a great opportunity to live happily in the US and should let others avenge the injustice inflicted on the Palestinian people, but Nagib remained adamant that it was their duty. She promised him more pleasures like they had the previous night, but by now the fires of passion that had driven him senseless before had cooled. He repeated his speech about honor of his people, respect to family values of revenge and duty to their homeland and the Palestinian people. Alia said that she would follow his lead and felt that the immediate danger of being exposed had passed, but nevertheless they should act quickly.