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

  Nagib hugged her and let her tears fall on his shoulder. He gently lifted her chin and looked into her eyes and when she managed a shy smile he kissed her eyes and then her lips in a comforting and soothing manner. Their kiss turned into a hungry, passionate kiss, and Alia pulled him to his feet and led the way to her bedroom holding his hand. Nagib knew that he needed to act as if he had little sexual experience and played coy, letting Alia take the initiative. After all she had been married and supposedly knew something about making love. He followed her lead and obeyed her tutoring and really enjoyed being seduced. Once in bed he did not care about her plain looks and actually enjoyed her full figure that was a welcome change after the skinny all-American girls he used to date in Albuquerque. In fact, since he had moved to Los Alamos a couple of years earlier he had not formed a serious relationship and had gone a long time without a woman. So it was expected that their first sexual encounter would not last long – she ascribed this to his lack of experience while he attributed it to the long period of abstention. Both were young and energetic so the second time around came shortly and this time both were more considerate and gentle, and with her firm guidance both were fully satiated, collapsing in each other's arms and snuggling comfortably. Afterwards, when they were sitting quietly and drinking a cup of tea Nagib told her about his parents' house that was bulldozed to the ground by the IDF and about the death of his brother, the Shahid. Alia asked him if he returned to comfort his parents after their loss and he replied that he didn't want to be noticed by the Israeli authorities as he had grand plans for avenging the injustice brought upon his family. She enquired what he had in mind but Nagib evaded the question saying that his plans had not yet been thought through and that he would be glad to share them with her. Alia offered her unconditional help to get back at the Israelis and held his hand tightly.

  November, 10th, Los Alamos, New Mexico

  Alia and Nagib decided to move in and live together, and as his apartment was slightly bigger than hers she terminated her lease and moved all her belongings to his apartment. They were required to notify the Lab security office of their new status, but as both were employees of the Lab this was not a problem and each kept their job. Alia's colleagues at the security office were thrilled with the news and congratulated her on her choice of a handsome partner, especially after her unsuccessful marriage to the cowboy. Nagib's colleagues were also glad to hear that he was at last settling down. His supervisor, Dr. LeClerk, who Nagib informally addressed as Brian, invited Nagib and Alia to a poolside barbecue party at his house, and it was attended by the whole group of the analytical chemistry laboratory.

  Alia called her parents in Durango and told them she had found the love of her life and they immediately invited her to bring him over for a visit. So, the following week-end Nagib and Alia left the Lab after work on Friday afternoon and took the four hour drive to Durango, arriving late in the evening. Despite the light snow the roads were open so there were no delays. Alia's parents were thrilled when Nagib wished them a good evening in perfectly accented Palestinian Arabic, but somewhat disappointed when it turned out that he was a Muslim. However seeing the radiant glow of their daughter's face and hearing that he was a non-practicing Muslim alleviated their concerns about the relationship. When it turned out that Nagib's parents lived less than 20 km from their village of Beit-Jala they started looking for common acquaintances and within minutes found quite a few – the game of Palestinian Geography brought them closer together. Alia's mother was busy in the kitchen preparing the favorite dishes that her husband and only daughter loved and blushed when Nagib gave her the ultimate compliment saying that it was just like his own mother's cooking. Alia's father was also glad to see that Nagib drank his share of red wine during the meal and then joined him on the cold veranda for a whiff of a nargilah. The week-end was very pleasant and Alia's parents smiled and did not protest when Nagib and Alia slept together in her childhood bedroom. On Sunday afternoon the young couple drove back to their apartment in Los Alamos and felt closer than ever and started to discuss wedding plans.

  November, 24th, Tel-Aviv, Israel

  Dr. Eugene Powers was combining business and pleasure by attending a conference organized by GICNT (Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism) in Jerusalem and spending a few days vacationing in Tel-Aviv. The conference, like most other conferences of its kind, was 90% politics and 10% science and technology. The senior delegate of each country, and there were over 30 countries represented here, read a dry statement about the dangers of nuclear terrorism and the importance of stopping it. It was practically impossible to find differences between the statements, even with a magnifying glass, although with a scanning electron microscope one could find some fine nuances. Eugene was bored out of his mind, but when his turn came he read the trite declaration drafted by the State Department and feigned as much passion as if Archimedes had just discovered the buoyant forces in his bath tub. He was glad when the conference was over and he was free to roam the beaches of Tel-Aviv that even in late November were crowded with fun seekers and health aficionados. He noted the large, practically windowless building close to the sea front and saw the armed security guards and knew that it was the Embassy of the United States. He was looking forward to having a home cooked dinner later that evening with his friend David Avivi, the Mossad agent.

  David and Eugene became close friends when they had worked together in Vienna on the case that became known in the popular press as the Dreadful Alchemist affair. So when he rang the bell of David's modest apartment in Ramat Aviv and the door opened he was received with big smiles and warm embraces by David and by his girlfriend, Orna. She had been the security officer of the Israeli delegation to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) when Eugene and his Russian colleague suspected some foul play with gamma radiation therapeutic sources and sought the help of Mossad. Orna had made the contact between Eugene and David and worked closely with them and the International Task Force.

  After a delicious home cooked dinner the three of them relaxed in the living room and over a few glasses of chilled homemade Limoncello chatted about their present work in as much detail as they could, considering their occupation. Orna told Eugene that after the affair in Vienna she had been given a citation of merit and was invited to join Mossad and work with David, which she gladly accepted. David didn't say much about his work but let Eugene understand that he was still involved in chasing the "bad guys" that posed potential threats to Israel's security. Eugene informed them that he was now posted in the Washington office of the NNSA, the National Nuclear Security Administration that operated under the Department of Energy. He said that his job involved a lot of travel to the National Laboratories that were supervised by the NNSA. David told Eugene about the time he had spent in New Mexico when his father was there on sabbatical, and Eugene mentioned that he had returned from a visit to Los Alamos just before heading to Israel. David knew better than to ask him what he did there so they discussed the tourist sites of New Mexico. As they were parting Eugene mentioned in passing that while visiting the Lab he attended a presentation on advanced analytical procedures that was given by, what he jokingly called, "a former close neighbor of yours". This intrigued David who asked Eugene what he meant by that and Eugene said that he was referring to a naturalized ex-Palestinian scientist, who was a graduate of NMSU. Eugene said he did not remember the name of the scientist but would look it up and send it to David upon his return to Washington.

  Eugene returned to his hotel on the beachfront and the next day went over to the nearby US embassy and filed a report about his informal contact with Mossad agents. David filed a similar report about his own informal contact with an NNSA employee. Both reports were put on file and no action was taken.

  November, 30th, Tel-Aviv, Israel

  David received the short e-mail message from Eugene with the name of the ex-Palestinian scientist from Los Alamos - Dr. Nagib Jaber. The name rang a bell so he called his father who instan
tly recollected that he had been on the examination panel in front of which Nagib defended his doctoral thesis. Dr. Benny Avivi recalled that he had been impressed by Nagib's defense and by his maturity that by far superseded that usually shown by American doctoral candidates who were generally very knowledgeable about their specific subject but without a wider viewpoint. Benny also remembered that when asked about his future plans Nagib had said that he wished to become a US citizen and work in one of the National Laboratories, preferably in New Mexico. David thought this piece of information was important enough to pass on to the Israeli Security Agency, the ISA, and perhaps get them to do a background check on Dr. Nagib Jaber, so he called his friend, "The Fish" who was now in a senior position at the ISA and told him the whole story. "The Fish", who earned his nickname for staying cool under fire like his cold blooded namesake, said he would look into it and get back to David if there was anything interesting to report.

  December, 16th, Santa Fe, New Mexico

  The wedding ceremony was very modest and held in the City Hall of Santa Fe in the presence of less than 20 guests. None of Nagib's relatives attended and from Alia's family only her parents were present. They invited some of their colleagues from the Lab who were mostly very conservative church-going types, so they were genuinely glad to see the young couple getting a formal "stamp of approval" and would no longer "live in sin". At Nagib's specific request, Professor Jack Chen was the guest of honor and informally even filled the role of the groom's father. The professor was getting ready to collect his retirement pension from NMSU and was looking forward to move to the Pacific coast and continue life as a consultant without any teaching responsibilities. Chen called for a toast honoring the young couple and wished good health, a happy life together and prosperity. He proudly mentioned the fact that although Nagib was originally a Palestinian and he himself had been an Israeli but both were now loyal US citizens and living proof that there could be a chance for peace between their two nations. Although some cynics thought that moving millions of Israelis and Palestinians to the United States was not a practical solution, the small crowd applauded and Nagib's face lit up with a big smile, but inwardly he felt uncomfortable for the planned betrayal of his mentor.

  December 19th, Honolulu, Hawaii

  After the wedding ceremony Alia and Nagib travelled to Honolulu for a short honeymoon. Nagib felt that he could fully trust Alia with his real objective, knowing full well that as his wife she could not testify against him, even if she wanted to do so. He was not surprised at her subdued reaction – she said that she now knew him well enough to realize that he was after something really big, not just promotion to a managerial position in the Lab. She emphasized that she would not do anything against the United States that gave her parents financial and physical security and a chance to a better life but would willingly participate in a plan that would hurt Israel that had been so bad for the Palestinian people and humiliated her personally. She said that she thought that he would be indebted to Professor Chen who did so much for him during his studies at NMSU and helped get a good job after his graduation. Nagib said that he worked very hard for his Ph. D. and that Chen benefited from his efforts no less than he did, and in any case Chen no longer lived in Israel or even considered himself as an Israeli patriot, so he had no qualms about inflicting destruction on Israel. Alia realized that he was really agitated and told him that he could confide in her.

  Nagib then told her about his turning point with regard to how he felt about the United States. He said that as a Muslim, not a religious fanatic just someone who was born as a simple Sunni Muslim, the American invasion of Iraq in 2003 allegedly to disarm Iraq of atomic, biological and chemical weapons was an insult to Islam. But what really offended him deeply was the treatment Saddam Hussein received after he was captured, especially when a US paramedic wearing latex gloves probed his mouth with a flashlight – and this degrading scene was recorded on camera and displayed repeatedly on global television and all networks. He said that even the worst serial murderers were not treated like this, as long as they were not Arabs. That was the moment he understood that he will never be considered as an equal in the US and vowed to avenge this affront to his people and co-religionists. He told her that he had secretly named his plan Adrestia. When Alia asked him for the meaning of this word he said that in Greek mythology Adrestia was the goddess of revolt, just retribution, equilibrium and balance between good and evil. She was often portrayed as handmaiden of Nemesis, the famous goddess of revenge. He added that the presence of foreign non-Muslim forces, he used the term Modern Crusaders, on sacred Arab soil like Saudi Arabia with its holy places, and Jewish control of Jerusalem (Al Quds, he said) was unacceptable.

  When Nagib laid out his plan to intercept a warhead during transport to or from the Lab she told him that there was no chance he could get away with it without a large armed force to back him up with the heist and then to smuggle the warhead out of the US and ship it to Israel. They discussed the matter and eventually came up with a few alternative plans. One plan called for obtaining a compact nuclear weapon from a US storage site in Europe. This would be viable if Nagib could get a proper security clearance and a pretext to visit the facilities in Europe as an expert in analytical chemistry and learn about the security arrangements and devise a way to steal or highjack a suitable item. This too, required the military and financial support of an organization not an act an individual could carry out. Another option was to purchase such a weapon from one of the republics of the former Soviet Union, but this had been attempted unsuccessfully by much better connected and well funded terrorist groups and allegedly even by some sovereign states.

  After a few sleepless nights and numerous daytime discussions Nagib and Alia hit upon a new idea. This held a much lower physical risk to them and didn't require use of armed force. They would somehow get hold of classified designs for the most advanced nuclear weapons in the Lab and use them to barter with a state that already had primitive nuclear devices or even inefficient weapons. They would hand over the advanced designs in return for a primitive device, even for an improvised nuclear device (IND). They could even make a demand that the IND would be delivered in an innocuous form in Israel, or at a site from which it could easily be shipped there. In order to do this they needed to gain access to the highly classified advanced designs and copy them.

  They returned to Albuquerque airport on Christmas day – when everybody else was heading in the opposite direction to Honolulu. They drove back to Los Alamos and settled back in their apartment. One main decision they reached while discussing their plans was not to start a family until the smoke, literally, cleared out.

  Chapter 3

  January 30th, Los Alamos National Laboratory

  Nagib, who was no longer supervised by Dr. Brian LeClerk, resumed work in his new position as the head of the section in charge of developing better analytical procedures to determine the isotopic composition and state of the fissile materials, the enriched uranium and plutonium, used in the nuclear warheads. This was part of the stockpile stewardship project for which the Lab was responsible. It was well known that nuclear weapons had a limited lifetime mainly due to the natural decay of the radioactive materials of construction as well as to chemical processes like corrosion or degradation. Therefore samples had to be taken periodically from warheads that were dismantled for this purpose. By "better analytical procedures" the management meant more accurate, more robust, higher throughput, faster and less expensive analytical methods. Nagib seized the opportunity to call for a meeting with the people from the operations division who were responsible for sending the samples and explained that no analytical result was worth the paper it was printed on (not literally, of course, as results were conveyed by computer software and electronic spreadsheets) if the sample was not a true representative of the bulk of the material. He insisted on having his own laboratory team collecting the samples. The operations division people, especially their manager Dr. Max Level, a
utomatically objected saying that the responsibility for sampling was theirs, as had been the custom for decades. The argument went on and on for several minutes with each side insisting that they should be in charge of the sample collection and as they could not reach an agreement they decided to go to the senior management for a ruling and made an appointment with the Deputy Director of the Lab for the next day.