They installed an old diesel truck engine that Dimitri had bought and had converted to a marine engine. This drove a stainless steel shaft and bronze propeller.
Next they installed bulkheads to separate the cabins and strengthen the craft. The floors were fitted, then water and fuel tanks installed.
When all was ready for launch, the craft was lowered into the water by a crane that they had borrowed from the shipyard.
The masts and rigging were second hand, and these were lowered down from a bridge over the little tributary.
It looked a little rough, but Kamal was more focused on performance than aesthetics. He was certain that the little ship would be seaworthy.
The boat was dubbed Surprise by Kamal who enjoyed the irony that many would be truly surprised when he reached his final destination.
Within two weeks, after a lot of hard work by both men, the ship was deemed by Kamal to be complete and ready to set sail. After many years running his empire, Kamal had enjoyed using his physical strength and dexterity to help build his ship; additionally, his efforts were fueled by his desire for vengeance and raw hatred for the U.S. He was anxious to move forward with the next stage of his plan.
Although he had fiberglass skills, Dimitri had no sailing skills as he had never been out on a boat before. Kamal was unconcerned by this as he was an accomplished seaman. Having learned to sail expertly during his courtship of the ill-fated Geraldine, he had further honed his skills sailing the Greek Islands with his family during holidays.
The next day Kamal and Dimitri fired up the engine and motored out into the bay. Soon the sails were set and the Surprise was on its way making four knots eastward down the coast.
"Bring me my duffel bag from below" Kamal commanded after a couple of hours sailing. Dimitri, who was feeling a little sea-sick, unsteadily made his way below to fetch the bag.
"Sit up on the side rail and you will soon feel much better. You will appreciate the power of the wind and the vastness of the sea" said Kamal, and Dimitri could not have been prouder.
"You are a warrior for our cause Dimitri, Allah will remember you" stated a solemn Kamal. He pulled an old World War II vintage Walther P-38 automatic pistol out of his bag and shot Dimitri through the left eye. The lifeless body tumbled into the freezing ocean.
It was the first time that Kamal had actually shot someone himself. He had murdered a few people with a knife and had ordered and financed the deaths of hundreds of people throughout the world; but, a gun felt different. Kamal admitted to himself that pulling the trigger had given him a sense of excitement that bordered on sexual. His penis had hardened remembering the terror on Dimitri’s face in the moment that he realized that his life was over.
Kamal stroked the bracelet around his wrist, remembering the passion he had experienced with Geraldine, his first love, and his first victim.
Kamal smiled as he pulled a handheld GPS unit from his bag, setting a course farther down the coast where the boat would stop for enough provisions of fuel, water and food adequate for his long journey.
In his mind Kamal did not consider failure as an option. He was more than ready to kill any and all who got in the way of his desires, just as he had done with Geraldine.
Chapter 47
As usual, the morning started early for Bill Simpson. Since the kids had left home and his wife divorced him, he seemed to drift in to work earlier each day. He knew this would have to change, but he genuinely loved his work and believed that he could make a difference, he had no doubt that his was the best job in the world.
At 6.45am he received a call from security.
"Director Simpson, this is Tom Burns in the gatehouse. This is a little unusual sir, but I have a foreign national here telling me you are expecting him but he is not on the visitor list."
"Bill was perplexed at the thought, he was not expecting company and was busy beyond belief, where the hell is he from?"
After taking the visitor’s business card, the six feet four inch tall former marine gunnery sergeant lifted a phone and informed his boss that the man’s name was John Smith and that he worked for Athena Imports. Burns qualified this information saying that "he doesn’t look like a John Smith to me, sir."
"I see. Gunny, is he overweight with a bald patch and speaks with a Russian accent?"
"Sir, yes sir." He instantly replied but kept kicking himself for Marine speak.
"Thanks gunny, I know this gentleman and his visit is of extreme National importance. I want you to personally escort him to my office urgently. Can you leave your post right now?"
"Sir, yes sir, I will escort him immediately."
"Just one more thing gunny. There is no need for the formality of logging this particular visitor in, give him an ID tag and bring him right up."
The gunnery sergeant Burns had always respected Bill, who was also a former marine. Corp loyalty went a long way in the US military, and Tom knew that this must be a matter of national importance. He grabbed the Russian by the sleeve, grabbed an id tag from the rack beside the door with his other hand, and took off with the Russian in tow.
It took all of three minutes for the expected knock on Simpson’s door.
"Burns escorting Mr. Smith, sir" bellowed through the closed door.
Bill opened the door and was immediately embraced by his Russian counterpart.
"Thanks Tom, I appreciate your help on this one." After three years here, Bill still could not reconcile the way his marine comrade looked in a civilian suit. He still wore it just like a uniform, perfectly pressed and the only blemish a slight crease under the arm where the outline of his weapon was faintly visible.
Burns just winked, turned around and marched out. He might not look quite right in a suit, but he was all business.
Oleg was a little surprised to see that the office was not empty. There was a young man already seated at the round table in Bill’s office.
"Oleg Peotyr, this is Matthew John Peterson. Matt is my best analyst and is working with me on this one."
Matt rose and shook hands with the Russian bear. At twenty seven, Matt was a rising star in the intelligence business.
After they all sat, there was a hush in greetings and Oleg was the first to break the eerie silence.
"Bill and Mat, I am sorry to intrude with no notice. I have not slept since our conversation yesterday. I immediately called the commander of our weapons base in Vladivostok who told me nothing was amiss, but his voice told another story. I commandeered an aircraft and flew there with an armed detail.
"Before I go further, Bill, I am sorry, but I must ask if Matt has your confidence?" This was Russian speak for "Is Matthew security cleared to hear this?"
"Matt is the best and brightest guy on our team he has a masters from M.I.T., and also holds the record for pistol qualification on the range. He is security cleared, speaks fluent Russian and Arabic, and I trust him with my life", Bill meant every word.
"Impressive, it is my pleasure to work with you my young friend" the Russian beamed.
"I will continue. When my team arrived at the facility, we locked down the complex and immediately began inspecting their records.
As well as regular armaments, this building was also home to some old, largely forgotten items from our past. The records showed that there were three LM4 suitcase nuclear weapons in storage there.
We immediately searched the location, and found the storage locker empty.