Getting a device into Israel would be much more challenging. There would be no problem sending the suitcase to the Pakistani embassy in Jordan, Lebanon or Syria that bordered on Israel, but getting it across the border through the official checkpoints was something else, especially as Syria and Lebanon had no regular border-crossing arrangements with Israel. The only viable alternative would be to smuggle the suitcase and Nagib of course, with other terrorists but the chance of success was low because those borders were closely watched by the Israeli Defense Force. Nagib then came up with the idea that the Sinai Peninsula that belonged to Egypt had lately become an unruly place. Islamic State supporters freely launched attacks on posts of the Egyptian Army and police forces. They attacked roadblocks, camps, vehicle depots and population centers and inflicted severe damage and death. They adopted the heinous practice of making video recordings of mass executions of Egyptian soldiers and public beheadings of officers. In addition there were other factions that tried to take advantage of the situation and smuggle drugs and refugees or work-seekers into Israeli territory or across the border into Israel or right through the southern part of Israel into Jordan. There were also tunnels that were dug from the Gaza strip that were prepared by Hamas and its supporters to carry out armed raids into Israel. Any of those could be used to get Nagib with his suitcase into Israel. Once inside he could count on the assistance of Palestinian radical factions to take him to the population centers in Tel Aviv, Haifa or Jerusalem where the bomb would have the biggest effect. Rahman said that although Pakistan wanted to maintain its good relations with Egypt the opportunities of getting across the border in Sinai were the most promising and said that he would see what could be done about it, with the obvious solution of sending the suitcase to the Pakistani embassy in Cairo. Nagib should encounter no problem flying from Islamabad to Cairo and using his Pakistani passport to enter Egypt.
This plan was in contradiction to Alia's original statement that she did not want to do anything against the United States that afforded her family a chance for a better life, but was a result of the fact that Nagib was the one who would have to cross Sinai into Israel because a woman didn't stand a chance to survive the expected hardships in the company of a wild bunch of men. The plan also called for some coordinated timing so that the two events would take place simultaneously. Alia started to have second thoughts and then came up with a new idea that depended on the good will and ability of the Pakistani intelligence services. So she asked Rahman if his service could equip them with fake passports from European countries, like Greece or Turkey where their darker skin color would be the norm, or even from Scandinavian countries in which many immigrants from North Africa and the Arab world now resided legally. Rahman said that it would take time and could be done but wondered aloud how that would solve the problem of getting the suitcase bombs through airport security and customs without diplomatic immunity. After some further discussions they decided to continue with the original plan. Rahman was pleased that the details for their departure from Pakistan were finalized because he feared that their plan would be discovered by the official government who would terminate it. In addition he feared that the "suicide" of the former defense minister would alert the authorities to open a real investigation of the circumstances of his death and that may foil the whole plan.
Linda had arrived in time for dinner but as soon as entered Alma's apartment and exchanged their usual loving and tender kisses Alma pulled Linda to sofa and said that she had some exciting news and proceeded to tell her about the upcoming wedding. Linda was not totally surprised because she knew that deep down Alma was not a rebel and would follow the norm in Pakistan and stick to the standard life style and raise a family. Same-sex marriages were nonexistent in Pakistan and even having an open affair with a member of the same sex could get both members of the couple in serious trouble with the law. Linda was truly glad that her close friend and lover was so happy and although she knew that she would really miss her relationship with Alma she felt no resentment.
After dinner that was consumed quickly to allow them to spend more time in an intimate fashion they moved to the bedroom. Their lovemaking was extremely slow and gentle as they both knew this would have to be the last time in view of Anwar's marriage proposition. After feeling fully satiated Linda cuddled with Alma and asked her how Anwar had proposed — wondering if there were dramatic gestures that she deemed as pathetic — and was glad to hear that Anwar had been very civil and straightforward because, based on what Alma had told her about him, she had come to respect his intellect. Alma excitedly related everything that happened the previous night with Anwar and even told Linda about the low-grade plutonium that he presented as high-grade material to a foreign scientist with a funny name. Linda said she had no interest in stuff like plutonium but asked what she meant by a funny name and Alma said that it was Munir Abu Jihad. When Linda enquired what was so funny about the name she said that Abu Jihad meant "father of the holy war" which she considered as hilarious. They made love once more and Linda wished Alma all the happiness in the world with Anwar and left with tears in her eyes while Alma stood sobbing at the door.
As soon as Linda was in her car she called Blakey and asked him to meet her immediately. By the time she reached the embassy Blakey was already there and he led her to the safe conference room where she told him about Anwar, the plutonium and Munir Abu Jihad. Both realized that this was the new name Nagib Jaber would be using and that plutonium was involved although they were not quite sure what low-grade material meant. It was late afternoon in Washington, DC so Blakey called Eugene on a secure line and updated him on these recent developments. He also said that he had a gut feeling that the elimination of the minister of defense a few hours after they spoke to him at the embassy was related. Eugene said that he had talked to a professor at Georgetown University who was an expert on Pakistani politics and got a long lecture about the two factions in the Pakistani administration and the rivalry between them, in particular with regard to national pride and the country's nuclear arsenal.
Eugene deliberated whether to call his Mossad colleague David Avivi and share the shocking news with him and decided that due to the fact that special nuclear materials, SNMs as fissile materials were called, were involved it would be beneficial to alert Mossad and get its experienced agents to help track the culprits and plutonium. David was woken up by Eugene's call and when Eugene said that he had news of extreme importance and urgency that he could not divulge on the phone he agreed to fly to Washington and meet face to face as soon as possible.
Alia and Nagib, now holders of Pakistani passports with the names of Fatima and Munir Abu Jihad, spent what they realistically considered as their last night together. Alia asked Nagib if he had any second thoughts about the plan that would most likely lead to their deaths and he looked at her and said that it was their historical role, their historical duty, to avenge the crimes committed by Israel and their American ally against the Palestinian people and Islam. Alia noted a new resolve in his eyes that were staring into empty space and avoiding eye contact with her. She asked him once more if he did not prefer to start a family and leave the business of taking revenge to others but he insisted that it was their responsibility. She tried once again and said that they could make a major contribution to the strength of Islam by delivering the advanced blueprints to Pakistan, but he said that they would probably never use them against the West for fear of retaliation. Alia looked at him once again and wiped a tear from the corner of her eyes and said that history will remember him as a true champion of the Palestinian cause and as the person who made the biggest contribution ever to the Ummah, an Arabic word representing the entire nation of Islam.