Zorik tried to enquire "How did we get to Tehran? My last memory is that we were in Islamabad".
Akbar just mumbled "Well, you were asleep for three days after being sedated. Once again, will you behave nicely?"
Zorik nodded and Akbar took a key out of pocket and opened the lock on the chains. Zorik stretched his hands and as blood began to circulate the pain in his arms and face intensified. Zorik bit his lips and repeated the question he had asked the fat man, "Where is my girlfriend?"
Akbar's face did not show any emotion "She is unharmed and is being questioned right now". Zorik said he had to go to the bathroom and Akbar released Zorik's feet that were still chained to the bed and he pointed to a bucket in the corner of the room.
Zorik relieved himself and then asked the question that had been on his mind from the moment they were kidnapped "What do you want to do with us?"
Akbar's response was not informative "We have yet to decide that. Meanwhile you will be interrogated and if we are satisfied with your cooperation you will be allowed to join the other hostages." Zorik did not know whether to be glad that he was not the only captive in Evin Prison or to be worried about that.
Akbar departed saying "You will get some food and water and we'll come back for you in later" and left the cell. Within minutes the fat man returned with a plastic tray on which lentil soup and pita bread and a bottle of water were laid out.
Inbal regained consciousness and found herself on a bed with her feet chained to the bed posts. She looked around and discovered that she was all alone in a cell with bare walls and a massive metal door. A small panel in the door slid open and all Inbal could see was a pair of black eyes looking her over. Then the door opened and in came a tall woman wearing a hijab that covered most of her face and dressed with an abaya that failed to disguise the features of her supple body. Before Inbal could say anything, the woman said "I am Farzaneh and in charge of your wellbeing here in Evin Prison. If you behave and cooperate you will be allowed to join the other hostages, but if not then you will regret the day you were born." Inbal was speechless when Farzaneh added "You are probably wondering what happened to your boyfriend. I can tell you that he has been very cooperative and told us all about you and your relationship. We promised him that he will be allowed to see you". Inbal was no fool and was well aware of the most basic strategy interrogators all over the world used to get their subjects to talk. She said that she needed to use the toilet and promised not to cause any trouble and to cooperate fully. Farzaneh unchained her and lead her to the corner of the cell where a small section was enclosed by a screen.
The interrogation of Zorik and Inbal was quite short and carried out in separate rooms. Their captors didn't really care who they were or what they did in Israel. They only wanted to know if they had relatives in Israel who would be able to raise a public outcry for their release from captivity. Fortunately Inbal and Zorik managed to hide the fact that Zorik was a fighter pilot in the Israeli air force, and more importantly that Inbal's grandfather was the Prime Minister of Israel. They assumed that the Iranians were treating them humanely because they had some strategic objective and could not be bothered with personal details.
Finally, they were allowed to meet in Zorik's cell after their separation that lasted just a few days but seemed to them like eternity. Although they knew that they were being watched by their captors and were sure that they were recorded on video their relief at seeing each other alive was so great that they couldn't refrain from hugging each other. Zorik whispered in her ear that they were probably on camera and Inbal quickly understood that she should not say anything that may raise the suspicion of their captors that they were anything but a young couple who were kidnapped at random while on vacation. After 10 minutes the door to the cell opened and the fat jailor prodded them to follow him. Inbal had a nickname for the sadistic fat jailor and whispered to Zorik that she called him "Shamenchic" which could be translated as Fatso. Zorik barely managed not to chuckle as he knew that it would just enrage Fatso and lead to further abuse.
They were led through a long corridor and passed several metal doors that were locked with a heavy metal bar that was placed across the steel door and secured on both sides. Almost all of the cells were occupied by people that were crying for God's mercy in Farsi and every now and then they could clearly hear the intimidating voice of an interrogator and occasionally the unmistaken whistle of a whip that was immediately followed by loud weeping. Zorik tried to whisper in Inbal's ears that some of the sounds were just recordings but the fat jailor shoved him away before he could get the message across. Inbal was obviously affected by the sounds and a look of apprehension crossed her face. They continued down the corridor until they reached a large cell that did not have a solid door but was surrounded by thick metal bars. Two armed guards were seated at a small table outside the cell and were drinking tea and chatting. Zorik noticed a leather whip studded with metal balls that lay beside the table. He could instantly tell that those inside the cell were obviously Israelis. None appeared to have open wounds or broken limbs and Zorik assumed that were also held as bargaining chips. Inbal looked at them and at the bars and remembered the time as a child when her parents took her to the zoo and how she pitied the poor animals in their cages. Now, she realized, she would be one of those inside the cage and had to exhibit self-control to avoid weeping. Fatso shouted something in Farsi and all the inmates cringed and turned to face the wall. When he was satisfied that no one was looking at him he drew a large key from his pocket and unlocked the cell door while the two guards stood up and took positions on both sides of the door.
Fatso shoved Inbal and Zorik and they stumbled into the cell. Zorik held out his hand to stop Inbal from falling and said aloud, in Hebrew, that they were also Israelis. As soon as the cell door clicked closed the inmates that were facing the wall turned around, and inspected the newcomers for a long moment. The oldest prisoner who looked as if he was in his sixties said "Welcome aboard to the gates of hell."
Zorik smiled and replied "Thanks for the welcome, but we prefer not to enter through these gates. I am Zorik Shemesh and this is my fiancée Inbal Sabatani".
The old man said "I am Morris Aladgem" and pointing at a woman his age added "this is my wife, Vicki and we are from Bat-Yam". He then motioned to a couple that appeared to be in their late forties and said "These are Shulamit and Nate Levy and they are from Haifa. Those two young men are Ari and Avi who thought they would have a great time in Thailand after their three years army service and got this trip to Tehran as a bonus".
All the inmates nodded in acknowledgement. Zorik asked them how long they had been in prison and how they there and each couple told their story.
Chapter 4
Morris and Vicki were enjoying their vacation in the touristic village of Kemer in Antalia, Turkey. They had purchased one of the luxury "all-inclusive" deals that offered a full week's vacation for the price of two nights with breakfast, if you were lucky, in a hotel in Paris, Rome or London. There were mostly German and Scandinavian tourists at the resort, but as almost everyone spoke a little English and this was the common language used by the staff and guests. Some of the staff had lived in Germany as guest-workers and spoke fluent German much to the delight of some of the German tourists whose English was very basic. There were few other Israelis at the resort so the Aladgem couple kept pretty much to themselves. At meal time, which was almost at every hour of the day and night, "all-inclusive" meant that you could eat and eat until you couldn't eat anymore, the couple sat a small table close to the large window that afforded a lovely view of the Mediterranean coast. In the late afternoon they would take a leisurely stroll along the beach, watch the sun set in the sea and then head back to the hotel for another sumptuous dinner. Soft drinks were included in the price but for alcohol there was an extra charge. Nevertheless, Morris and Vicki were utterly enjoying the vacation and every evening ordered a bottle of wine that helped maintain their good mood. However, after three or four days of overeating they became a little restless and went over to the front desk and asked if there were any special recreational activities offered by the hotel. The woman in charge of guest relations opened a brochure that offered a myriad of activities from organized tours of the old town and the famous necropolis nearby, to yacht trips, jeep tours in the mountains and bus tours along the shoreline. As Morris was looking at the brochure a colorful pamphlet displaying a hot air balloon caught his eye. He pointed to it and told Vicki that for years he had wanted to take a hot air balloon flight and frequently dreamt about it at night, and here they could do it for a very reasonable price. Vicki saw how excited he was and after enquiring about the safety of the flight agreed to be a little adventurous. They asked the woman to book them on a balloon flight and after making a phone call and speaking in rapid Turkish she told them that a taxi would pick them up at 6 am the next morning and that they should wear warm clothes. She explained that she was told that the hot air balloon could not fly in strong winds and that just after dawn, or before the sun set, the air was usually very still and conditions were ideal.