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Three men meet in the bowels of the earth in a room that is "fifty feet below ground level to avoid electronic listening devices" and plastered with maps of the Middle East. The purpose of the cloistered gathering is to come up with an inside source not only to confirm the creation of Iran's nuclear warheads, but to stop their plan to annihilate Jews and Muslims. Even though technology has run amuck in this over-two-thousand-year tension between the three people groups, the only means of a surveillance team zeroes in on two highly skilled ex-elite force members. The only problem is that they are Jews, which leaves Avi, the youngest of the three men, rather uncomfortable. Putting up a united front, Avi wears a façade knowing full well that he is not in agreement with the planned espionage. It is the beginning of lies and deception. Joe Smiga's military thriller is sated with deceit amid an impending nuclear attack.
Prologue
2010
The room is fifty feet below ground level to avoid electronic listening devices. Maps of the Middle East hang over all four of the walls. Each map is pock-marked with various colored pins and flags designating armies, suspected terrorists camps and civilian locations.
The three of them sit at a teakwood round table built for four. Their faces close enough to smell each other’s breath. Sweat pouring off of them even though the air conditioning is running on high. The room is a miasma of cigarette smoke laced with the aroma of strong coffee.
One of the men is young, green, wet behind the ears; what wisdom he has acquired has come from three years of training he has recently concluded. The two others are older. How much older is hard to say. Their hard fit bodies give no clue.
After a long pause in the conversation, Avi Singer, the youngster, pushes back from the table and heaves a sigh. “It feels like déjà vu to me,” said Avi throwing back his head.
Oh Great, “How can it feel like déjà vu, Avi, you weren’t even born when the last circumstance like this had to be dealt with,” spoke Yosef showing his frustration.
“Shlomo has been telling me all about Iraq’s reactor and what we had to do to protect ourselves. Now, it seems we are in the same situation all over again.” Same Shit Just a Different Day.
“It has always been like this, says Shlomo, Avi’s mentor. Where have you been young man? It’s been like this for over two thousand years, so why should it change now.”
“So, what can we do about it?” asks Avi sounding as if he is pleading.
Yosef spoke, “What we can do is be certain that our intelligence is correct. After we confirm what we believe, we must provide the prime minister with the facts. No hearsay, only the facts as we know them. Then it’s out of our hands.
“We lost three experienced agents over the last year on this project. Security on those sites must be super tight; our agents were very good at what they did. Somehow we must be certain that Iran is only months away from being able to create nuclear warheads.”
Shlomo stands up and walks to the counter to get his fourth cup of coffee. “This should have some good scotch in it instead of milk,” he states.
He sits down with the coffee and says, “Okay, Yosef where do you want us to begin?
We can’t just sit here and sweat. This gets us nowhere. We need to find an inside source, one that will confirm what we already believe.”
“Shlomo, you know we have never been able to penetrate the Iranians and even if we could, that could take months or years, we don’t have the luxury of time,” says Yosef.
“So what do you propose we do?” Shlomo exclaimed.
“I am aware of two very good ex-elite force members who might be exactly what we are looking for. They lived in the desert for months as a surveillance team.
“If we can get them to see firsthand what is going into and out of the sites we are concerned about, then possibly we will have our answers.”
“What! Put two Jews on Iranian soil,” says Avi. “What if they are captured, that is enough to make a declaration of war, then where do we stand?”
“Avi, we didn’t ask for this shit. The world is already aware that Iran’s president said Israel should be wiped off the map. Isn’t that a declaration of war?
“If you don’t want to be part of this decision making process, Avi, just say so!”
“As risky as I know it is, I feel that because of the time factor, it is our only choice,” says Shlomo.
“God help us to find out the reality of what is really happening. We need to make the right choices so that millions of Jews and innocent Muslims aren’t destroyed because of carelessness and egos,” says Shlomo.
“Yosef, I vote that we go ahead with this idea, Avi are you with us or not?”
“I guess I really don’t have a choice do I, since I am out voted anyway.” says Avi. “So I might as well make it unanimous.” Yes, always put a united front even though it’s not true.