Globusz^® Publishing 

After he took a quick shower in his hotel room in Sheki, Azerbaijan, Abdula picked up his cell phone and called Mustaf to see how the men were doing on the freighter in Batumi, Georgia. Mustaf, who Abdula selected to run the Batumi leg of the project, was his brother-in-law. For many years, Abdula had a strict rule that no relatives were allowed into his organization. But after a constant barrage of nagging by his wife, Amira, Abdula relented and hired on Mustaf, who had a reputation for being shiftless and lazy. Abdula wanted no part of the man who previously had trouble keeping a job. Much to his surprise, he has been very pleased with Mustaf’s performance since he started working for him. Abdula figured that it had something to do with the fact that he told Mustaf that he would kill him and his entire family, including Amira, if he ever screwed anything up. Abdula still had to laugh when he thought about it. He dialed the cell phone number as he lied on the hotel bed waiting for Mustaf to answer.

In an interrogation room at the police station in Batumi, a cell phone was ringing on a table. Henry Carr and several Batumi policemen were seated around the table looking at the terrorist group leader, Mustaf, who they captured along with the freighter crew when the CIA seized the crates of cesium from their ship.

Henry said to the local police officer that was doing the translating, “Tell him to answer the phone and tell his people that everything is on schedule. If he says anything else, he will be shot immediately.”

The translator relayed the message to Mustaf, who nodded his head and looked nervously up at Henry who was now standing across the table from him. Mustaf nervously picked up the phone and stared blankly ahead like he was choosing his words carefully and then started screaming wildly in Arabic, words that obviously meant that he was captured and that their plan in Batumi was busted. Henry pulled his pistol out of its holster and shocked everyone around the table when he silenced Mustaf with a quick gunshot to the head. The terrorist fell straight back in his seat and was dead before he hit the floor. Henry picked up the cell phone from the table and heard Abdula say repeatedly, “Mustaf, Mustaf, what’s wrong.”

“Mustaf is dead, that’s what’s wrong,” Henry said.

“You’ll soon pay for your sinful ways, American,” Abdula said when he detected Henry’s American accent.

“Yeah, I know, I’ve been trying to change, but killing is such a hard habit to break, maybe I’ll start right after I kill you.”

Abdula hung up the phone, and cursed to himself. He was not overly worried about the captured cesium, because he was promised full payment as long as he delivered at least one of the shipments. He disappointed because he hasn’t lost a shipment in over ten years, and he prided himself on his reputation. He was also angry because he had to go back to Syria and tell his wife, Amira, that her brother Mustaf was killed. It wasn’t his fault, he rationalized to himself, he warned the woman that this line of work was dangerous, but she would not take no for an answer. He shook off the distraction and yelled to his men who were eating and watching television, “We can’t stay here, we have to move out now.” They packed up and exited the hotel and got back in the rental truck.

In the CIA’s Mercedes that was parked in a secluded location down the block from the hotel, while the others were trying to catch some sleep, Frank was sipping some coffee when he observed the movement at the hotel.

“They’re hitting the road again, Jack.”

“They didn’t stay very long,” Brad said as the group watched as the three terrorists hurried out of the hotel carrying their bags and getting into the blue rental truck.

As they watched the blue rental truck pull out and take the main road heading west out of Sheki, Hoskins cell phone rang.

“Yes, Henry.”

“We tried to scam the party that you’re pursuing, Jack, but our prisoner decided that he’d rather have us kill him than his boss.”

“I kind of figured something like that happened. The crew that we’re following was going to spend the night in a local hotel, but they just came sprinting out of there like the place was on fire.”

“You’d better be careful, Jack, the leader on this side, a young guy named Mustaf, was willing to die rather then turn in his partners. What’s odd is that I’ve seen my share of religious fanatics, and this guy wasn’t like any of them. He was acting out of pure fear, which means that there’s some scary dude out there some place, and it could be one of guys that you’re chasing.”

“I appreciate the warning, Henry, but they all scare me just the same.”

One of Henry’s men interrupted him and told him that the helicopter was ready at the airport.

“I have to run, we’re ready to head to Germany, I’ll give you a call later.”

“Thanks, Henry,” Hoskins said before hanging up the phone.

“It sounds like you know what spooked our boys,” Frank said to Hoskins.

“That’s right, they just found out that the cesium that went to Batumi was captured.”

“We’re going to be chasing them through a lot of uninhabited country,” Frank said, “Why don’t we just call in an air strike?” I have to believe that some heavy-duty napalm would fry that truck, melt those canisters and burn the cesium down to nothing.”

“Yeah,” Brad and David said enthusiastically.

Hoskins shook his head and said, “I wouldn’t mind ending this game right now myself, but we’ve got to be patient. Unless we are one hundred percent positive that an assault would assure the complete containment of every bit of that cesium, we can’t do it. We have to remember that we are covertly working in a foreign country and cannot risk any type of collateral damage from an explosion or from radioactivity. Our first objective is to secure the cesium, and our second is not to call any attention to ourselves or the cesium.”

“You know that you’re going to be second-guessed no matter what you do,” Frank said.

“That’s just part of the job,” Hoskins replied trying not to sound agitated.

“If we lose the cesium now and the bad guys do get to use it, we’ll be known as the guys who had the stuff right in front of them and let it slip away.”

“I made my decision, and I’m prepared to accept the consequences. Pull over and stop the car, Frank.”

When the Mercedes pulled over to the side of the road and came to a stop, Hoskins opened up his brief case and took out a small box. He flipped a switch on the box and a light started flashing. He turned around in his seat, looked directly at Brad and David and said, “You men were a major asset to us on this case, we wouldn’t be where we are if it wasn’t for you. Frank and I are going after the cesium no matter where it goes and we’re not coming back without it, because too many lives hang in the balance if we don’t. Since we really don’t need you beyond this point, I can’t ask you to risk your lives any longer. I want you to take this transponder and stay off the side of the road and keep out of sight. I’ll call the Embassy to get someone to come out here and take you back to Tbilisi and put you on a plane back to the States.”

Brad interrupted Hoskins and said, “If it’s okay with you, Jack, I’d rather stay and help you and Frank. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life wondering whether or not I could have helped save millions of lives if I stayed and helped you guys.”

“I agree,” David said.

Hoskins looked at Frank and then back to Brad and David.

“It’s your choice to make, are you sure you want to stay?” Hoskins asked as he took the transponder back from Brad and shut it off.

“Yes, sir,” Brad and David said.

“Well then, let’s move out, Frank.”

The CIA Mercedes continued tracking the terrorist blue rental truck across Azerbaijan. The traffic got thin as they passed through many of the small villages that are nestled in the forests and farm country as they make their way toward the city of Oghuz.