Rahman asked them if they had ever visited the Bradbury Science Museum in Los Alamos or the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History in Albuquerque, and Nagib who suspected where this supposedly innocent question was leading to answered that as a scientist who lived in the area for some years he had done so on several occasions. Rahman then said that he had noticed that Nagib's birthplace was listed as Palestine and asked how he had an American passport and Nagib gave him a slightly modified version of the truth, only neglecting to mention that he had worked at the Lab. Rahman then decided to take another step forward and mentioned that his duties also involved gathering information related to military intelligence and planning, both conventional and unconventional. Nagib, too, took another step and said that they may have a commodity that could possibly interest the Pakistani government, but he was afraid that it would be wasted and rendered worthless if it ended in the wrong hands. When Rahman asked what he meant by the wrong hands Nagib somewhat enigmatically said that in the right hands the commodity would be fully utilized.
Rahman thought that before having a completely open discussion he should learn more about the couple and their motivation and looking at Junaid suggested that the four of them meet for dinner. Nagib said that they were a bit short for cash and Rahman told them not to worry, it was his treat, and named a fancy restaurant near the center of town that was also within walking distance from their hotel. So they parted and planned to meet again at 8 pm for dinner.
Shortly before 4 pm Alia and Nagib left the embassy and she told him that they were probably dealing with the right person. Although they had no experience with intelligence officers and secret agents they were both convinced that the title of scientific attaché was only a façade for an operative of the Pakistani intelligence service. Nagib felt elated that things had gone so smoothly, particularly after the dealings with the North Korean and Iranian agents whom he suspected and feared. Alia was slightly more reserved but also sensed that they were on the verge of the breakthrough for their grand plan.
The day of June 25th is a day that Ammer and his wife, Zenab, would try to forget for the rest of their lives. As if the visits by David and Greg were not enough, as the evening set on Frankfurt, the North Korean Kim appeared at the front door of their home in what they had always regarded as a quiet suburb of Frankfurt. Kim took one look at the couple and almost failed to recognize the frightened, traumatized man who opened the door as Ammer, the successful, self-confident business man who had driven him and the Iranian agent, Mahmoud, to Boppard the previous evening. Ammer was on the verge of weeping when Kim asked him where Nagib and Alia were and without any prompting told Kim that he thought they had moved to Brussels. He did warn Kim that other intelligence agencies were also trying to find the couple. Kim, who had intended to eliminate Ammer and whoever was unfortunate enough to be present in the house, decided that murder would just complicate things and have the German police and Interpol on his trail, so uncharacteristically disobeyed his orders and left the house quietly. As he was leaving he saw Mahmoud and a couple of bearded goons come up the pathway. So he stopped in his tracks and pulled Mahmoud aside and briefly gave him an update on the situation. He suggested that they combine their forces and search for Nagib together and then share the information. Mahmoud was not very enthusiastic about the idea of cooperation, especially in view of how North Koreans were regarded in Europe, but thought that he would worry about sharing the data after they had it in their hands, quoting to himself "Never sell the bear's skin before one has killed the beast". So the Iranian and North Korean agreed to join forces in the hunt and made arrangement to meet in Brussels at noon the next day.
When Alia and Nagib entered the restaurant they were guided to the table where Junaid and Rahman were already seated. They looked at the crowd in the restaurant and felt underdressed as all the men were wearing tailor made suits and the ladies fancy gowns. Rahman was in a cashmere wool dark suit with a green tie, probably electing the color of Islam, and Junaid in a white dress that accentuated her smooth dark skin. She noticed the couple's awkwardness and told them not to worry because there was no formal dress code and tourists often appeared in casual clothes like theirs. Nagib noticed that both Pakistanis were drinking what appeared to be club soda with lemon rind but then got a whiff of gin and understood that appearances were not everything and that gin and tonic looked just like club soda. Alia noticed that Junaid and Rahman were on very friendly terms with one another and was sure that they were sleeping together.
The conversation during dinner was about Brussels as a tourist attraction and the contrast between the big European city and small town USA on the one hand and Islamabad, the bustling capital of Pakistan on the other hand. After the main course had been served Rahman used that small talk as an opening to probe Nagib and Alia about their plans as well as about their beliefs and ideals. Nagib hesitantly said that they were not sure what they wanted to do, beyond fighting for a better world. Rahman asked what they meant by that and Nagib talked about correcting historic evils, bringing justice to the Muslim people and getting retribution for the deeds of the colonialist powers. He mentioned the episode of the capturing of Saddam Hussein and the humiliation of a great Arab leader in the hands of the US. He also said that he had left Palestine as a young man hoping to build a better life for himself far away from his homeland but events that occurred there — the destruction of his parents' house and the murder of his brother — did not let him forget where he had come from. He added that Alia had also suffered abuse and humiliation from the Israelis when she visited her family. Rahman kept glancing at Junaid to see how she took this story and saw by the glitter in her eyes that she too was impressed by it. Nagib was a bit ashamed about his outburst and became very quiet. Alia looked at him with admiring eyes and then asked Rahman and Junaid how they felt about the American involvement in Pakistan. Junaid looked at Rahman for approval and then said that like many Pakistani patriots they felt that the ruling class was only interested in its own self-preservation and ignored the common people. The masses wanted revenge for the loss of territory and population to India in the war of 1971 and in several border skirmishes and felt that the Americans were holding them back and supporting India while betraying Pakistan. They also didn't like the fact that US intelligence agents were using Pakistan as the staging ground for their actions against the radical Islamic factions in Afghanistan with total disregard of the sovereignty of Pakistan. Rahman added that there were many middle and low ranking intelligence officers who shared similar views, and some of leading scientists and engineers in the nuclear weapons establishment abhorred the treatment that AQ Khan, who was considered by all Pakistanis as a national hero, received from the government that was forced by the Americans to put him under house arrest. Alia wondered whether Rahman and Junaid would not be considered by the mainstream government officials as traitors that are set on betraying the legitimate government of Pakistan. Wisely she kept the thought to herself.