"The Fish" called David Avivi and apologized for the long delay, since it had been almost half a year since David asked him to check if the ISA had any information on Dr. Nagib Jaber. "The Fish" said that Nagib had left the Middle East several years earlier, which David already knew, and the ISA had nothing on him regarding any illegal activity. However, he added, his brother Yassir may he rot in hell, had been a prime target of the ISA. Apparently, Yassir was convicted for kidnapping and murdering a young Israeli student near Hebron and given a life sentence by a military court. However, he was released from prison with many other terrorists in return for an Israeli soldier and banished from his home to Gaza. There were reports that he was killed by an Israeli drone while attempting to fire a rocket on an Israeli town near Gaza. David asked if Nagib had any known contacts with Palestinian terrorist organizations and "The Fish" said that he was not suspected of any wrongdoings. David thought that this information should be passed on to the Americans and called his friend, Dr. Eugene Powers in Washington DC. Eugene received David's call and said he would look into the matter and get back to him.
Eugene called the Deputy Director of Los Alamos National Laboratory and conveyed the information he had received from the Israelis. The Deputy Director said that he knew Dr. Nagib Jaber personally and that he was highly regarded as a responsible and trustworthy scientist and had recently been promoted to head his own section in the analytical laboratory. He related the episode of the attempted cooperation with the operations division and told Eugene that Nagib had passed the polygraph test without a hitch. He commended Nagib's initiative to work hand in hand with Dr. Max Level and said that he believed this would further the Lab's stewardship project. Eugene asked him if the new information did not bother him at all and the Deputy Director invited him to come out to Los Alamos and interview Nagib himself if he still had concerns about him. Eugene asked if he could bring his Israeli colleague to the interview and the Deputy Director told him that only US citizens were allowed on site, and when Eugene suggested locating the meeting off-site the Deputy Director cut him short and said that he needed to promptly leave for his next appointment. Eugene got back to David and told him that he would personally go to Los Alamos to meet with Nagib, but didn't tell him about the conversation with the Deputy Director.
Nagib was deeply frustrated — here he had access to even the minor details of the most advanced warheads but could not download the information and certainly not remove it from the Lab. He couldn't get an electronic copy of the blueprints, he couldn't photocopy the schematics, he couldn't smuggle a camera to take photographs and most certainly couldn't get samples. Even worse, he was "invited" to meet a big shot from the NNSA who was scheduled to come to the Lab the following week. He discussed this with Alia after he got back home. She told him that she had overheard a conversation in the security office between the Deputy Director and her boss about the planned visit of the man from the NNSA regarding the reliability of key personnel with respect to national security issues. Now Alia and Nagib connected the dots and got a picture they did not like one bit. They considered their options: should they flee immediately or find some excuse for avoiding the meeting or continue to bluff their way, and decided to go with the latter option. That night they didn't much sleep, but unlike the sleepless night they enjoyed a few months earlier, this time it was the fear of being found out, or even arrested that drove the sleep away.
Dr. Eugene Powers was received with formal politeness by the Lab's Deputy Director and by the chief of security Col. Dick Groovey. He told them about his concerns that Dr. Nagib Jaber may have an urge to avenge his brother's death and the destruction of his parents' home by the Israelis, and what was even more disturbing he may wish to take it out on the US as it is the greatest supporter of Israel. The Colonel repeated what the Deputy Director had told Eugene that there was no evidence that Nagib was not what he claimed to be — a loyal US citizen — and that he had successfully passed the polygraph test just three months earlier. Eugene acknowledged this but said that in the Middle East revenge is best served cold and that Nagib may still harbor his feelings of retribution and that he wished to personally assess Nagib's attitude by interviewing him.
The Deputy Director left the room and Nagib was called in to the Colonel's office. After the formal introductions Eugene told Nagib that his family's history worried the chief of security at the NNSA and that he wanted to clarify a few points.
"Dr. Jaber, are you still in contact with your family?"
"I speak to my parents on the phone once or twice a year. They are now quite old and suffering from different ailments so I try to follow their health situation".
"How do you feel about the death of Yassir, your only brother?"
"I am sad that he died the way he did, but he believed that he was fighting for a good cause so he was probably glad to sacrifice his life."
"What do you think about his cause?"
"Obviously I don't condone it or believe in it. I don't think that killing an Israeli or firing rockets at residential areas are good things".
"Have you visited your parents at all since you came to study in the US?".
"No, at first when I was a doctoral student I couldn't afford it. After graduation, when I was employed by GCL and had applied for a Green Card I couldn't take the time off and was afraid that I would lose my temporary status".
"Why didn't you visit them after your brother's death, when you were already a full-fledged citizen and had a good job here at the Lab?"
"I didn't see a point in returning to Palestine — my brother was dead and there was nothing that could be done. I had also heard that Arabs were treated badly by Israeli authorities, even if they were US citizens and did not want to suffer humiliation".
"I understand that you are now married and that your wife, Alia is also employed here".
Here the Colonel intervened and said "Alia is one of the best workers in my office and she was born in the USA and raised here, not naturalized". Nagib added "She feels like an all-American girl and had done her utmost to forget her Arab heritage and she can barely speak Arabic although she understands quite a lot".
"Why didn't you invite your parents to come to your wedding? Is this how you respect your parents?"
"Dr. Powers, I already told you that they are old and frail and for them to apply for a visa and travel so far would be more of a punishment than joy".
"How do you feel about the US government and its policy of almost unconditional support for Israel?"
"I am grateful to the US for the opportunity it gave me to obtain a good education, work in a challenging job and get a chance for a better life than I could ever dream of in Palestine. I feel that I should repay the US government by working in this place and making a contribution, albeit a modest one, to this country's security".
To this Eugene said "Nagib, I am impressed by your patriotism" but thought that Nagib had been a little too glib, so he concluded by thanking Nagib and the Colonel for their time and said that he had a plane to catch back to Washington.
Nagib went back to his laboratory and was very pleased with himself, believing that his piece in the interview was perfect, especially after hearing the last comment made by the man from the NNSA. When he returned home that evening and told Alia about the interview she responded with a huge smile and said that she had already heard Colonel Groovey muttering something about bureaucrats from Washington going around casting doubts about the patriotism of honest, hard working, loyal Americans and had figured out that he was referring to Nagib. They had a good laugh about the level of security in one of the most secret facilities in the US saying that here were the two of them, amateur spies that were operating freely inside the Lab without getting caught, simply because they were American citizens and therefore considered beyond suspicion. Nagib said that in Palestine the authorities would not bother to interview him politely in a nice, air conditioned office, but would simply throw him into a cold cellar and threaten to pull out a few fingernails until he proved his innocence or admitted his guilt.