The following morning the newspapers and the other media were full of the attack on the National Synagogue and the destruction of the Ark. The Prime Minister was watching the latest TV News on her office soft-screen when her personal secretary announced the arrival of Ben Marks.
“We are getting a lot of coverage on this incident Ben,” the PM said as Ben walked in.
“Yes we are, it seems to be world-wide, and the media seems to have picked up on the leak that the Palestinians were to blame.”
“Ben I have to congratulate you, the idea of substituting the real Ark for the replica and keeping the security as low as it was, has paid off, we have the perpetrators, the Palestinians are looking bad and we have our Ark safe and sound,” said the PM.
“But we still have not got those responsible, especially Sitta, and Zubeidi, Mam,” lamented Ben.
“True, but these terrorists may lead us to them,” suggested Goldbloom.
“I doubt it, they probably don't know Sitta and there may be an intermediary between them and Zubeidi.”
Wednesday 4th December 2031. 11:40 hrs (local time).
Brigadier Bergman was overseeing the accommodation and debriefing of the six terrorists, when the Minister arrived. The six had been transported from the synagogue and placed in separate rooms; each had been kept awake by means of lights and noise, in order to maintain sleep-deprivation. All six were feeling the after-affects of the adrenalin rush gained during the raid and capture, so the combination of lost sleep and the adrenalin crash had made them vulnerable. Of the six one was a British citizen, two were Germans, and the remaining three were all from Arab states, it was thought that the British member was the group's commander. The pictures that Ben had taken earlier had been sent to the British MI6, the American CIA and NSA, the European Security Hub, which were the foremost security services outside of Israel. Only the CIA had responded so far and identified one of the group as a US born person of Saudi descent, who was wanted for a racial attack on a Jewish person three years earlier in New York.
Just as the Minister was deciding to contact his cousin Abe at the British MI6 the document printer connected to the European hub started to whir into activity. The documents were from MI6 who had identified the Brit'. His name was Jason Mark Fletcher, an ex-member of the British Special Air Services SAS, who had been drummed out of the service in 2030 for the use of excessive force, in dealing with a possible informant in a central African country. The file contained a complete record of Fletcher's life from earliest school days on. “Right,” said the Brigadier, “That will be our starting point, looking at this; I think we will have Mr. Fletcher talking his head off by this afternoon.”
“No use of torture Brigadier, we need to be clean and seen to be clean over this, I want a full video record of all interrogations without any unaccountable periods, understand,” ordered the Minister.
“Yes Sir, I understand perfectly,” the Brigadier assured Ben.
The two Israelis walked one behind the other through the corridors and passageways of the Mossad HQ, which was a rabbit-warren of passages and stairwells that reached well over fifty meters below street level. The interrogation rooms were on the lowest level but one, each was equipped with multi-camera video and a full range of non-evasive conditioning equipment.
One Mossad officer was waiting outside the interrogation room and opened the door for the Brigadier, then entered the room with him. The Minister entered a room at the end of the passage, which was the video room where all feeds were monitored and recorded. The room contained three operatives who stood as the Minister entered.
“Please, relax,” said Ben, “just ignore me. Can someone put room nine on the large screen please?” The picture changed to a quartered picture of the three people in room nine. Both the Brigadier and the other officer sat at a steel table, to which Jason Fletcher had been manacled by his wrists and ankles. The Brigadier and the officer just sat there staring at the terrorist, who was feeling obviously uncomfortable.
“Don't expect any action for the next hour or so Sir,” said one of the video room operatives, “they will just sit and stare for at least an hour, and we have found the technique very unnerving.”
“I can imagine,” said the Minister, “I didn't know about this method.”
“We have been using it for just over a year, with some good results, some times the subject breaks down screaming and crying and volunteering all the information they have.”
“OK, thanks,” said Ben “I think I may come back later then.”
Ben returned to his office almost the same distance above ground as he had been below ground.
The UN inspectors arrived at the border post at almost exactly mid-day to request access to Iran. They joined a twenty plus vehicle queue and it had taken them a full twenty minutes to reach the border post. The UN had received no communications from Iran since the resolution was passed on the 25th of November, neither had there been an automatic diplomatic acknowledgement, an ADA from the country. The UN inspectors were accompanied by a detachment of UN troops as, essentially, body-guards, this made up the three vehicle cavalcade, now waiting at the border. “Your papers please,” asked a border guard, abruptly. The senior inspector handed over a wad of papers, identifications and certifications, from the United Nations Security Council. The guard walked away with the papers and disappeared into the border post, fully twelve minutes later he returned with the papers and handed them back through the open window. “Your papers are not in order,” he stated.
“With respect,” said the senior inspector, Jack Blair, “these papers are in order and have been certified as such by the United Nations.”
“Iran, no longer recognise United Nations,” said the guard.
“I have not been informed that your country has withdrawn, there is a procedure for this that has not been followed. We are authorised to make inspections of illegal installations within Iran,” insisted Blair.
“You have no authorisation, from Iran government.” the guard almost shouted, “Please turn you vehicles around and leave this area.” The guard eyed the other two vehicles, one of which now had its side doors open, with three of the detachment stood in the doorway holding automatic weapons.
Suddenly the border guard had his right hand on his side-arm and the armed guards that had been wandering around now became interested and took the safeties off their weapons. “You will leave, NOW,” ordered the guard.
“OK, we are leaving,” assured Blair, and reluctantly the three LIMO's rose into the air and turned west with the second vehicle's doors still open and their weapons continuing to point at the border guards until they were out of sight. Within minutes Jack Blair was on his com- unit to the deputy Director General of the UN, reporting that they had been refused entry into Iran.