Authors: Russell Blake
“You think it was connected to this?”
“Hard to say for sure. Of course, we suspect it is, but there’s no way to know. He had several other operations going concurrently. And he lived in Estonia, where traffic fatalities aren’t exactly unknown. So it could have been his bad day, or it could have been related. Unfortunately, we don’t have anyone else with a sufficiently developed cover to resume the discussion, which leaves us with plan B. Which is you.”
“Me.”
“Our dealer has a big party every year for his birthday and likes to ship in hired talent. Prostitutes with a penchant for sadomasochism. He also appreciates beauty. We originally had a more seasoned agent going in with the other operative we’ve managed to slip in, but she met with an accident as well, so she’s unavailable.”
Maya frowned. “Those are a lot of accidents.”
“We’re sure this was unrelated.” Lev didn’t elaborate, and Maya knew better than to push.
“What’s the assignment?”
“You’ll fly to Rome, where you’ll meet the woman who coordinates things for him. From there, you’ll go to Singapore and then travel by boat for the party on the island. Actually, you’ll arrive the day before. We’re hoping you’ll be able to search the grounds, and if you can locate the agent, destroy it.”
“What if we don’t find anything, or don’t have free access?”
Lev ignored the question. “We’ve got satellite footage of the complex, and there are a number of buildings on the periphery of his property. We believe that’s where he stores his weapons. Your job will be to get into those buildings, search them, and if you locate anything suspicious, blow it up.”
“And then how do we make it out of there alive?”
“That’s where the local navy will come into play. You’ll have satellite communications gear. When you need them to send in the cavalry, send the coded message to our team, which will be in the area, and they’ll see to it that the navy’s there within half an hour.”
“Again, what if there’s nothing to find?”
“Then you fly out several days after the party, and nobody’s the wiser.”
“Right. But we’ll be prostitutes. Am I correct that I’m being asked by the Mossad to have sex, probably twisted sex at that, in order to provide a cover story for a fishing expedition?”
Lev sighed. “I’m not going to lie to you. Nothing about this is going to be easy or pleasant. And I’m not going to demand that you go. In the end, you have to decide. I’d suggest that if it goes down that way, you develop severe food poisoning. That should dissuade even the most determined pervert.”
“Why me and not someone more seasoned?”
“The arms dealer likes young women with a certain quality. Exotic beauty. Mystery. We have any number of operatives, but few that would qualify as international beauties. You’re one of them.”
“So this is based on how I look?”
“Partially. They won’t be expecting you to be a covert operative.”
“No, just a whore.”
“Look, you signed up for this duty. We got you out of a hell of a jam, and now we’re suggesting that it’s time to pay it back. If anyone could do this, we’d send anyone, not be asking you to do it.” Lev took a deep breath, and his expression softened. “If you locate the agent in the first day or two, you might well be able to avoid the more…distasteful aspects of the assignment.”
Maya blinked. “Tell me what this nerve agent does. What will I be looking for?”
“It’s dispersed as an aerosol – airborne. It results in paralysis of the respiratory system, hemorrhaging, and death. Victims drown in their own blood as their lungs give out. If it was to be used in a crowded area…our experts tell me that we could expect hundreds, or even thousands, of casualties. It would be in a canister, or canisters. Metal. Pressurized.”
“Is there an antidote?”
Lev shook his head. “Not that we’ve been able to find.”
“Where did it come from?”
“We have our suspicions, but nothing concrete.” He pointed to two black-and-white photographs, one of them blurry. Asian men standing by a truck, talking, taken with a telephoto lens. “We got word that these two are negotiating a deal for the gas.”
“Who are they?”
“Indonesian separatists with a healthy hatred for Israel and her supporters. They claimed responsibility for the recent bus bombing in Bali. Killed an entire Jewish tour group from New York. A massacre. We also believe they’re responsible for the botched attack in Singapore on the synagogue, although, not surprisingly, nobody’s taking credit for the failed ones.” Lev paused. “These are very ugly players, and if they have access to the resources that would enable them to buy the agent, it could only mean a major strike. I don’t need to tell you how serious this is. The stakes are off the charts.”
She sat in silence, considering the assignment, and then turned to Lev. “When’s the party?”
“In three days. You’d need to fly out tomorrow, after getting an orientation on the satellite system and the incendiary devices we’ll send you in with.”
“Through airport security,” she reminded him.
“Don’t worry about that. You’ll be equipped with thermite grenades disguised as cosmetics. The other operative will transport the satcomm gear. Everything will be undetectable.”
Maya gazed through the window at the dumpster, where a line of ants was climbing the side. “What happens if I say no?”
“Then we’ll have to go with only one operative. I won’t mislead you – that will seriously diminish our chances. But I’ll understand.”
“And it will increase the risk to the other operative – another young woman like myself,” Maya stated flatly.
“Yes.”
She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the seat. “How long do I have to think about it?”
“I need to know before you get out of the car.”
Chapter 27
Jakarta, Indonesia
Putra and Wira were sitting in a run-down restaurant near the waterfront, populated by sailors, working girls, and the riffraff that preyed on the unsuspecting in ports the world over. Wira patted his stomach after finishing his feast of greasy cui mie and belched softly while Putra picked at his gado-gado. Wira glanced at the adjacent empty tables and hunched forward.
“The funds are ready to be transferred. They are sitting in a bank in Singapore awaiting my instruction.”
“Our brothers in America are a wonderful resource. But how did you get it to Singapore without triggering the anti-money-laundering alarms? I thought it was impossible to divert large sums anymore,” Putra whispered.
“No, it was actually very easy. Our American partners took in the donations using their charity. Then the charity invested the proceeds with a sympathetic hedge fund located in the British Virgin Islands. That fund purchased five million dollars of derivatives contracts from another hedge fund located in Hong Kong. The contracts were options that were fixed around the price of crude oil, and when the price failed to drop, they expired worthless.”
“I don’t understand.”
“To the outside world it was an investment – a bet gone wrong. And the contra-party just happened to be a friendly Hong Kong hedge fund, which then took the five million and distributed it to the account of a group in Singapore that specializes in high-risk investments, among other things.”
“Ah. So our group.”
“Exactly. The source of the money is above reproach, so there is no question about where it came from. Because it was commingled with the rest of the Hong Kong firm’s funds, there is no way to make a direct connection, even if you understood what to look for, which nobody does. And the transfer mechanism – the derivatives contracts – are not regulated, so we are home free. Trillions of dollars’ worth of derivatives change hands every day. It is the perfect washing mechanism.”
To Putra it all sounded like gibberish. He marveled at how Wira could master so many disciplines with such apparent ease, and shook his head. “When do we make the transfer to the dealer?”
“I have arranged for half the money to be wired tomorrow and the rest when we have the gas in our possession.”
Putra checked the time. “Then we are set. The boat is waiting for us in the harbor. I told the captain to expect to leave within the hour.”
“You have everything? The guns?”
“In my bag. Although from what I understand, the island is heavily guarded, so we shouldn’t need them.”
Wira barked a dry laugh. “That will be the day.”
“We’ll be at sea for the better part of forty-eight hours. I hope the waters are calm.”
“As do I. But you have to admit, a commercial fishing boat is a masterful way to transport the canister. Nobody looks twice at them. It is perfect for our purposes.” Wira gestured to the waiter, who approached and cleared the plates away.
“I hope so.”
“My friend, this is the big step we’ve been waiting to take. With this weapon, we will be able to send the dogs running in fear. Their world will never be the same. It is the culmination of a lifetime of battling an oppressive regime, and our names will be spoken in hushed tones through the ages, as are those of other heroes of the struggle.”
Putra smiled. “It is an honor to be involved.”
Wira stood. “Come. We must get to the boat. For the beginning of a journey that will change the world as we know it.”
They departed the restaurant, two unremarkable men wearing shabby clothes, anonymous in the most populous city in Java. But both had a swagger to their step, an importance born of their mission and the knowledge that they would soon be on the front page of every newspaper on Earth.
Chapter 28
Rome, Italy
Maya met her counterpart Natasha at Leonardo da Vinci Airport in Rome, as Lev had arranged, in the business class lounge of Alitalia. She was a stunning beauty from Latvia, her midnight-black hair complementing slate-gray eyes, her poise far beyond that of a woman of twenty-two years old. She wore stylish black Jimmy Choo pumps and form-fitting Prada slacks that made Maya feel like a poor relation in her summer dress, jean jacket, and cowboy boots – part of the wardrobe that the invisible Mossad fashion elves had chosen for her look.
“We’ve got three hours before we’re supposed to meet this Carla woman,” Natasha said as she plucked a cherry from her soda and placed it carefully on the napkin by the side of the sweating glass.
“Do you have any more information than what was in the briefing?” Maya asked.
“No. I’ve been nosing around with some of my contacts in the escort world, but haven’t been able to find anything that could help us.”
“What’s your plan for locating the gas?”
“I have none, other than to get to the suspicious buildings as soon as possible and nose around.”
Maya frowned. “How do you want to work this?”
“No offense, but I do better alone. Your role is as more of a backup. Which if we’re lucky, we won’t need.”
“This wasn’t really explained to me in those terms. I got the impression we’d be working together.”
Natasha’s face softened. “We will. But we have to be careful about alerting them that we’re there for any reason other than to be sexual playthings for a rich sadist, and if we’re obviously tag-teaming, it could look suspicious. I say we get a sense of the lay of the land, and then we make it up as we go along. I don’t know what to expect any more than you do, but our best option is to be flexible. And Sonya, there can only be one mission leader, so I’m afraid my word goes on this.”
Maya had been given the name Sonya for the trip, replete with French passport and driver’s license.
“I’m not trying to butt heads.” Maya paused, remembering her only other operation and how that had gone, but bit back the urge to comment. “Do you have the satellite gear?”
“Of course. It’s built into my carry-on bag. Looks like part of the carriage system on the scanners, or even with a physical inspection.”
“I have the thermite. Same thing – disguised, along with a knife. You’d never guess looking at the containers. But some assembly required.”
“Let’s hope we get a chance to use them. How much did they tell you about the nerve agent?”
“The basics.”
“Apparently high heat will neutralize all these sorts of gases. So when we locate it, the thermite grenades should destroy the agent on ignition.”
“It better. The alternative doesn’t sound pretty.”
“No. It doesn’t.”
“Any idea what we’re walking into on the island?”
“No, although the live sat feed picked up a decent number of armed men. At least a dozen on each shift. That’s all the intel I have, I’m afraid.”
“It isn’t much, is it?”
“No, but I’ve seen worse. Is this your first time out?”
“One of them,” Maya admitted.
“It’s a constant struggle between the field and headquarters. The planners think we’re a bunch of prima donnas, and we tend to think they’re completely unrealistic and out of touch. But we often get instructions that are flat-out dangerous, and that’s where the friction comes in. I won’t do something without fighting it if it feels like some ivory-tower scheme cooked up by a suit who’s been out of the field for a decade.”
“Does this look like one of those?”
“No, unfortunately, this is exactly what it looks like: they have no alternative but us. No backup that can be there in time to help. And no way out except for some questionable native naval support, which I don’t have a ton of faith in. I never do. One thing you learn quickly in this job – never trust the locals. They’re usually incompetent, corrupt, or both.”
“That’s reassuring.”
Natasha eyed her. “How old are you, Sonya?”
Maya stiffened. “Nineteen.”
Natasha shook her head. “Christ. Okay, here’s the stuff they don’t teach you in training. First, assume it’s all going to fall apart, and plan your escape before you do anything else. Operations can blow up for a thousand reasons, none of which will matter to you if you can’t get away. Know how you’re going to get out, or you probably won’t. Second, stay completely detached emotionally, no matter what happens. That’s going to be particularly important on this assignment. Remember that you’re doing whatever you have to do for the mission, and leave it behind once you’re out of there. Third, it’s never personal. Think of what we do as the same as being an exterminator. They send us in when there’s an infestation. You take care of the problem as efficiently as possible and move on. Don’t let yourself think too much, and don’t ever stray from the objective.”