Nagib sat in the office of his new friend, Dr. Max Level, for an informal meeting about ways and means to improve the performance of their groups by carrying out joint work. They drank some reheated coffee from the filter machine that tasted bitter and burnt, and joked that its acidity was the best way to exterminate bugs in the gastrointestinal tract. Nagib couldn't help recalling the freshly brewed, thick, dark and bitter coffee that he had consumed as a youth in Palestine and that Alia prepared for him and served with sweet pastries whenever she wanted to pamper him. Nagib, as usual carried a small stick memory with 16 GBytes of memory, in blatant disregard of the security regulations that did not allow the use of any such items. He felt quite secure that he would not be found out as the stick memory was part of a pen that he had received from one of the vendors of chemical equipment at a conference on analytical chemistry in which he presented his research as a graduate student. He explained to Alia that one never knew when an opportunity to copy classified information would present itself so he was always prepared to seize such a chance. Max was in a very good mood as he was looking forward to a long vacation in Paris that was due to begin the next day. The phone on Max's desk rang and he picked up the receiver. After a short conversation Max apologized to Nagib saying that some emergency in the construction workshop needed his immediate attention. Nagib rose to leave the office but Max told him he would be back in a few minutes and they could continue their discussion.
Nagib noted that Max neglected to log out on his computer and quickly moved into Max's chair, removed his pen from the lab-coat's pocket and inserted his stick memory into the vacant slot. He entered the directory in which the classified files with the latest designs and blueprints of nuclear weapons were stored and started to download them onto his stick memory. He didn't have time to see exactly what those files contained so he just copied them blindly. He knew that the breach of rules would be noted by the software security system but also hoped that it would take them several minutes to block the computer and even longer to discover the physical location of the offending computer. As soon as the download was complete he removed the drive, assembled his pen with the hidden drive and returned to his seat. A moment later, when Max returned to the office Nagib said that he had to leave at once as one of his assistants called about a problem in the analytical laboratory. He wishes Max a pleasant vacation and told him that they should celebrate after he returned from Paris.
Nagib went to the security office and stopped by Alia's desk. He was welcomed by all the girls in the office who still envied Alia for her handsome and successful husband. When Colonel Groovey heard the commotion he peeped out of his own office and greeted Nagib whom he regarded as a major asset of the research and development division. Nagib smiled at all of them and asked Alia if they could have a word in private and both of them stepped out of the office for a moment. Nagib told her that the opportunity they had waited for presented itself and explained what he had done in Max's office. She paled and said that he may find himself in deep trouble and probably will be caught. He said that the temptation was too large to ignore and surreptitiously placed the pen with the stick memory in her pocket. Both realized that their life in Los Alamos was over and that they would have to flee as quickly and as far away as possible. He said they should leave the Lab immediately, return to their home to pack a few things and draw as much cash as they could from the ATM and then try to disappear for a while until they could make plans to leave the country. She returned to her office said that she was not feeling well and had to leave early. Nagib was already waiting in the parking lot and they took off.
Meanwhile a security guard, Albert Danillo, arrived at Max's office in response to the alarm triggered by the software security system that an unauthorized media storage device had been connected to a classified computer. He found nobody in the office and was told that Dr. Max Level had left for the day. The guard looked around and everything appeared to be in order so he reported to his superiors that everything looked to be in order and that he would further investigate the matter the following day. No one bothered to tell him that Max was going on vacation and would only return two or three weeks later because the people in Max's section were often harassed by the security guards and particularly disliked Albert who was always after them for one reason or another.
Max drove to his house where Minnie was already waiting with the packed suitcases and they drove to Albuquerque international airport to catch their flight to Paris via Chicago. He knew nothing about the events that took place in his office and with a clean conscience was determined to enjoy Paris.
Part 2. Getting out
Chapter 5
Nagib and Alia placed their laptop computer in its soft case, packed a few things in a couple of carry-on suitcases and as there was nothing of sentimental importance in the house they left everything undisturbed as if they planned on returning to it shortly. They decide to head to California assuming that they could blend in with the local large Arab and Muslim community and then plan their next step. They thought that the easiest way to get there would be by taking the I-40 that in that part of the world was also part of the historic Route 66, and drive through Arizona and Nevada until they reach the junction with I-15 in Barstow and then head to Los Angeles. They did not know how long it would take the Lab security office to discover what had really happened but reckoned that at most they had a couple of days before a nationwide manhunt began.
By the time they left Los Alamos and got onto the I-40 the sun was setting in the west and they headed directly in that direction driving at a pace that kept them flowing with the interstate traffic. Although they were in a hurry they did not want to draw attention to themselves by driving too fast or too slow. According to the electronic map they had the distance to Los Angeles was 884 miles and the estimated driving time was just under 14 hours. They reckoned that if they took turns driving and stopped for gas and services every 3 or 4 hours they could get to Los Angeles just after the morning rush hour ended. The drive was very smooth and they made good time so they were quite relaxed when they reached Kingman, Arizona. As they were passing through this little town it was close to midnight and there were very few cars on the highway. In one section of the road the posted speed limit was 30 mph and they were doing about 35 mph when a police car that was hidden behind a large billboard on the side of the road pulled out and followed them quietly for a couple of minutes. It then switched on its flashing lights signaling them to pull over to the side of the road. It was Alia's turn to drive while Nagib took a nap and for a second she panicked and considered trying to outrun the police. Nagib woke up, quickly assessed the situation and told her to stop by the side of the highway. The patrol car pulled up behind her and she could see in the mirror that the grossly overweight policeman barely managed to get out of his car and saunter over to her car. He held a large flashlight in his left hand and his right hand rested on his pistol. Politely he asked her to hand him her driver's license and car registration. When he saw that her name was Alia Jaber he took a long look at Nagib and asked them both to slowly step out of the car without making any sudden movements. They gingerly complied being careful not to do anything rash. He then asked them what they were doing in Kingman in the middle of the night and Nagib said they were on their way from New Mexico to Los Angeles where his uncle was in hospital with life threatening injuries after being a victim of a hit-and-run accident and they were hoping to reach him before he expired. The policeman had heard that one many times before so said that he understood their urgency but as they broke the speed limit they presented a hazard to all other people on the highway and it would be in their better interest to spend the night in the local police station until brought before a judge in the morning. Nagib and Alia were flabbergasted and at a loss. Once the policeman was convinced that they were not driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs he told them that there was an alternative. When they asked him what he meant he said that they could pay a fine of $250 on the spot and he would take care of all the paperwork in the morning and mail them a receipt. Nagib and Alia exchanged a knowing look and said that they would pay but he need not bother with the receipt. This was accepted and a quick cash transaction was made and within ten minutes they were once again on their way to Los Angeles. Nagib said that this reminded him of the roadblocks in Palestine where the police of the Palestinian Authority regularly improved their income by shaking down innocent drivers. The rest of the trip was uneventful and they made sure to slow down every time the highway passed through one of the small villages along the way.