It took the two men only ten minutes to expose the top of the box, and another half an hour to secure the ropes around its bottom and raise it from the ground with the winch. They carefully placed it on the pick-up's deck and gathered around it, keeping their distance. After Lara took a few measurements of the radiation level and pronounced it safe to approach as long as they didn't spend too much time close to it, they removed the lid and parted the top of the tarpaulin with a sharp knife. The olive colored object, with the distinct marking of radioactivity, were clearly seen. Le Docteur bent down and inspected the item closely, using a magnifying glass. He was glad to see that there were no signs of corrosion on the exterior of the device and said so aloud.
Lara was skeptical, "This is no indication of what is going on inside. After all, this weapon was manufactured half a century ago, and the conventional explosives surrounding the physics package", she was referring to the fissile materials in the core of the nuke, "could be damaged by the radiation emitted from the nuclear materials inside."
Le Docteur shrugged, "As I said yesterday, we'll need a nuclear scientist to dismantle the device and study it." He was thinking that there were two or three possible places to find such an expert who would be willing to help them — a fellow Muslim from Iran or Pakistan, a Muslim scientist from the former Soviet Union, or an engineer from North Korea. Finally, he said, "Give me a couple of weeks to find an able and willing scientist. Meanwhile, we need to find a place to keep the item. Rudolf, do you think we could find an isolated farm or house in the area?"
Rudolf thought about it and said, "I am not familiar with this part of Germany. I think that there may be too many questions if we turn up here. Perhaps we should look for a place where law and order are not as rigidly imposed."
Fatima said, "I once met a guy from Slovakia and spent some time in his family's house. It was not far from the town of Banska Bystrica, on the outskirts of a small village called Krne. I hope I am pronouncing the name correctly. They had a summer house that they rented to tourists. It was well isolated — no immediate neighbors and surrounded by trees. It had a closed two-car garage. I can contact my friend and ask if the house is available for a short-term rent."
Le Docteur liked the idea. The drive from Coburg to that remote part of Slovenia was not too long, about eight and a half hours and crossing from Germany into Austria and then Slovakia was not supposed to be problematic for citizens of the European Union. He had once spent a skiing vacation in the mountains and passed through the town of Banska Bystrica on the way to the ski resort. He nodded his approval and asked Fatima to contact her friend.
Chapter 6
The drive from Coburg to Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia was uneventful. Once again, Le Docteur and Lara were in the lead car, followed by Rudolf and Fatima in the second-hand minivan that they purchased in Coburg, after returning the pick-up to the rental company. The nuke was in the back of the minivan, covered by a rug, upon which luggage and household items were piled high. They stopped for the night near Bratislava and Le Docteur drove to the local international airport to pick up Dr. Yuri Bakavlev, the Chechen scientist whom he had recruited for the project.
Bakavlev was well known in anti-Russian circles, and his reputation proceeded him among radical Muslims. He grew up in a small village in Chechnya, that consisted of a collection of five dilapidated houses, that were all owned by members of his extended family. As a boy, his exceptional mathematical talent was recognized by his teachers, and he was sent to study physics in Moscow when he was fifteen. After earning a doctorate in nuclear physics at the age of twenty, in 1980, he was invited to join one of the clandestine atomic cities of the Soviet Union. He had been trained as a specialist in designing and building advanced nuclear weapons. All was well, and he was looking into a brilliant career as a scientist, until three events changed his life. The collapse of the Soviet Union and its grand scientific infrastructure left him without a job. The war in Chechnya showed him that as a Muslim he would always be considered as a second-rate citizen in the Russian Federation and a perpetual suspect of anti-Russian activities. Thirdly, and most importantly, his entire family was burned to ashes in their homes when Russian planes dropped Russian-made incendiary munitions on the village where his family lived.
He was glad when he was contacted by Le Docteur and didn't ask any questions when it was implied that he would get an opportunity to even the score with the murderers of his family. As he cleared the customs at Bratislava and stepped into the crowd waiting to receive the arriving passengers, he saw a man holding a cardboard sign with his name. He approached and identified himself and received a warm embrace from Le Docteur. Le Docteur scrutinized the man. He could tell that the man had suffered a lot in his life, as evident from his stature. He was close to sixty, but despite his unhealthy outward physical appearance there was a glitter in his eyes, that Le Docteur interpreted as a sign of hope to get his revenge. He said, "Dr. Bakavlev, welcome on board. I have a car waiting. Where's your luggage?"
The scientist lifted his small carry-all, "This is all I travel with." He looked cautiously around, "I hope you were not followed. The FSB is still trying to eliminate me." He laughed silently, "They think that I have special skills and knowledge. They don't realize that I have not entered a scientific laboratory in the last two decades, and that whatever I know is probably outdated."
Le Docteur unlocked the car doors, "Don't worry about them, soon you'll give them a real reason to find you…", he saw the question on the scientist's face, and added, "We'll make them pay for all the evils and injustice that they did to your people in Chechnya and to all the Muslims."
On the way to the hotel, Le Docteur told the scientist about the American atomic artillery shell they had found and a little about each member of his team. "Lara is my partner and she has proven herself as a capable, brave and daring member of NEMESIS. You may have heard about the American renegade jet-fighter pilot who stole a plane and bombed a naval base in San Diego." The scientists nodded, and Le Docteur added, "She is also my girl-friend, if I can use the term juveniles call their lovers. Then we have Fiona, whose real name is Fatima. She has carried out daring acts in the name of NEMESIS in France, Portugal and Italy. Finally, we have a German anarchist who doesn't know that we are all Muslim members of NEMESIS set out to seek revenge. He is a bit confused and seeks guidance from us. Fatima keeps him on a short leash and he follows her around like a lost puppy."
Bakavlev shook his head, "He is the weakest link. I don't like Christians, or for that matter any non-Muslims, if we don't need him we should dispose of him. This is an unnecessary risk."
Le Docteur shrugged, "I have often thought about doing it. However, we may still need him for our project. We'll dispose of him when he is no longer an asset."
They reached the hotel and Le Docteur made the introductions. Bakavlev looked at the two women and the German youth and smiled, "It is a pleasure to meet such fine looking brave anarchists. If I were three or four decades younger I would be honored to take an active part in your group's activities. Now, I can only serve as an advisor."
Le Docteur interrupted, "Yuri, you are a vital part of our group. Without you, we would be able to inflict only minor damage on our enemies — but with your help, we'll teach them a lesson they'll never forget."