Splinter Cell

22

Lieutenant Colonel Petlow was tired. He had overseen the interrogation of the prisoners for nearly twenty-four hours. After the “Iraqi prisoner abuse” scandal that had rocked the world several months ago, the U.S. government was being overly cautious with regard to what could or could not be done during interrogation sessions. As a result, interrogations became matters of time. A lot of time.

The prisoner Petlow was most interested in, of course, was No-Tooth, whose real name was supposedly Ali Al-Sheyab. Petlow preferred to call him No-Tooth.

Although no one had realized it at first, No-Tooth had been wounded during his capture. He had taken a bullet in the side, but it hadn’t damaged any vital organs. The round had entered and exited, leaving a bloody hole that wasn’t noticed until No-Tooth had been booked and placed in a prisoner holding pen. Then the man fainted and was taken to a mobile army surgical unit to be stitched up. That’s when the doctors saw that the prisoner was already feverish and hosting a bad case of pneumonia. Such were the hazards of living as a nomad in an unstable country.

Petlow thought that No-Tooth’s condition might work to an advantage. The man was fairly drugged up and probably more comfortable than he had been in months. Armed with new directives from Central Command to find out the identities of specific individuals, Petlow decided to give No-Tooth a try before going to bed.

The surgical unit was housed in an air-conditioned portable building that had clean running water. Things had improved immensely since the days of Vietnam, when an army hospital was just as filled with deadly bacteria as the jungle itself. Depending on the seriousness of the wounds, an injured soldier or prisoner could find it pleasant staying in the hospital.

Petlow was aware of this when he entered with his interpreter. He filled out the necessary paperwork and asked the sergeant in charge to give them some privacy. After checking with the doctors, a folding screen was placed around No-Tooth’s bed and Petlow and the interpreter took seats beside him.

“Mr. Al-Sheyab, do you recognize me?” Petlow asked. The interpreter translated the questions and answers as the two men spoke.

No-Tooth grinned and nodded. They didn’t call him No-Tooth for nothing.

“I’d like to ask you some questions. Will you talk to me?”

No-Tooth grinned wider and shook his head.

“Why not?”

No-Tooth cursed in a language that Petlow didn’t understand. It wasn’t Arabic. Maybe Farsi? The interpreter left the prisoner’s words to Petlow’s imagination.

“But, Mr. Al-Sheyab, we’ve saved your life. You would have died. You had pneumonia. You’d been shot. Aren’t you comfortable now?”

No-Tooth shrugged.

“I suppose then, if you’re feeling fine, that we can move you back to the prisoners’ holding area,” Petlow said.

No-Tooth’s eyes widened and he shook his head.

“Why not? You seem to be doing better. I think I’ll have the doctor release you so we can interrogate you properly.”

“No,” the prisoner said. “What is it you want? Please, I feel terrible and I am in a lot of pain. Don’t move me.”

Petlow almost smiled. “All right. I want you to look at some photographs. I’m going to ask you if you can pick out a certain person, would you do that?”

The prisoner stared at Petlow and almost snarled. But he didn’t say no.

Petlow plowed ahead. He opened a folder containing several black-and-white photos of various Middle Eastern men. “Does the name Ahmed Mohammed mean anything to you?”

Again, No-Tooth grinned.

“I understand that Ahmed Mohammed is one of the leaders of your organization, is this correct?”

No-Tooth shrugged, but he did it coyly. Petlow took that as a yes.

“How about Nasir Tarighian?” Petlow asked. “Do you know Nasir Tarighian?”

This time No-Tooth’s eyes widened and he stopped smiling. He shook his head.

“Is it true that Nasir Tarighian is the man who provides the money behind the Shadows?”

No-Tooth refused to respond.

“You do know him, don’t you? Nasir Tarighian? Well, we know that Tarighian is the financial leader of your group, which calls itself the Shadows. I understand that you confessed to being a member of the Shadows when you were arrested.”

No-Tooth spoke in a monotone. “I am proud to be a Shadow. We will liberate the Middle East from Western oppression and return it to its Islamic roots.” He said it as if he was repeating a mantra.

“Mr. Al-Sheyab, I don’t believe you are a Shadow,” Petlow said.

No-Tooth’s eyes became fierce. He didn’t like being called a liar. “What do you mean?” he asked.

“I’m saying you don’t know if Tarighian is your leader or not. You can’t be a Shadow.”

“I am a Shadow! I am proud to be a Shadow! We will liberate the Middle East from Western oppression and return it to its Islamic roots!”

Petlow showed the prisoner the first photo. “You can’t say that this man is Nasir Tarighian, can you?”

No-Tooth scowled at the photo and said, “That’s not him! You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Petlow switched to the next photo. “We think this is Tarighian. Do you?”

“No! You stupid Americans don’t know a great man when you see one. That is Ahmed Mohammed.” Petlow knew that. Mohammed’s face had been well known to the authorities for some time.

Next picture. “Then I guess this can’t be Tarighian, either.”

“That’s not him.”

They went through seven photographs with negative results. On the eighth shot Petlow asked, “Well, we know this isn’t him.”

No-Tooth held up a hand. A visible change came over the prisoner’s facial expression, as if he had just looked upon his Lord and Savior.

“Nasir Tarighian,” he whispered reverently.

Petlow nodded and marked the back of the photo.

“Thank you, Mr. Al-Sheyab. Get some rest now, all right?” Petlow said.

No-Tooth looked at Petlow with confusion. He knew he had somehow been tricked into revealing something and his foggy mind allowed it to happen. He cursed once again at Petlow and the interpreter as the two men got up and left. The prisoner shouted at them, “I am a Shadow! I am proud to be a Shadow! We will liberate the Middle East from Western oppression and return it to its Islamic roots!”

Petlow hurried out of the hospital and ran toward his quarters. He had to get this information to Washington as soon as possible.

Sarah’s stomach growled for the sixth time since she began clocking the noises. She didn’t care, though. She was determined to see her hunger strike through. No matter how starved and weak she became, Sarah resolved not to eat the food they brought her. They had been consistent. One of them had brought her a separate meal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but until they let her go, she wasn’t eating. To hell with them. If they considered her a valuable hostage, she wouldn’t be worth much dead.

Most of the time it was one of those creepy Russians who came in. They said their names were Vlad and Yuri, which were probably fake — or else why would they tell her their names? Unless they really planned to kill her all along once they got what they wanted. This was the reasoning that motivated Sarah to go on a hunger strike.

She had been in the little room for two nights and was beginning her third day. Once she asked if she could go outside just to get some fresh air. They wouldn’t let her. Now the room smelled of her sweat. The bathroom stank due to bad plumbing. She showered daily just to feel better, but the last half-day hadn’t been easy. She was beginning to feel the effects of not eating. All she wanted to do was lie on the cot and sleep.

Sarah was dozing, daydreaming about an Asian barbecue restaurant in Evanston that she and Rivka liked to frequent, and her mouth started watering. Her stomach growled again and she willed herself not to think about it. It was hard. She missed her home. She wanted to leave Israel more than anything.

The sound of the key in the door startled her. It always did. The place was usually deathly quiet until that damned key rattled.

The door opened and she saw Vlad’s cold face peek inside.

“Go away,” she said.

“I brought your breakfast,” he said. He came in with a tray. The dish was covered, so she couldn’t see what it was. It smelled cooked, though, and that went a long way toward breaking down her defenses.

Vlad set the tray on the floor by the cot and then sat in the chair. “You’d better eat, Princess. We are becoming very tired of your behavior.”

“Go to hell,” she murmured.

Vlad chuckled. “You still have spirit, eh, Princess? Even after not eating for so many hours? What is it now, two days? That’s nothing. Do you know how you’ll feel in a week? Me and Yuri, we made a bet to see how long you will keep this up. He says you’ll eat tomorrow. Me, I think you have more willpower and will last another two days. What do you think? Is Yuri going to win, or am I going to win?”

“Take the tray and go. I’m not going to eat it,” she said.

“You know, Princess, I think what you need is a little more encouragement,” Vlad said. He scooted the chair closer to the cot. She looked at him with alarm and recoiled.

“Now, now,” he said. “Don’t be afraid of Vlad. I won’t hurt you. I make you feel real good. I have a way with the ladies. They all say so.” He reached out and stroked her hair.

“Get your fucking hands off me!” she spat as she jerked up and away from him.

This angered Vlad. “You little bitch!” he shouted. He grabbed hold of her shoulders and threw her back onto the cot. She struggled with him, but he moved his heavy body on top of her. She felt his scratchy, unshaven face against her cheek as he nuzzled her neck. Sarah attempted to fight him off, but she was no match for his weight and girth. When she felt his wet tongue on her ear, she lost control.

“No!” she screamed. “Help!”

Vlad covered her mouth with one thick hand. “Shut up!” he commanded. “It’s time you learn to obey your masters!”

She felt his other hand grope between her legs, and she tried in vain to kick him away.

Oh, my God, she thought to herself. This is what it’s going to be. It all comes down to this. She closed her eyes tightly and prepared herself for the ordeal that was surely coming.

“What the fuck are you doing?” It was an angry voice at the door.

Suddenly the horrible, heavy weight came off and she could breathe again. She was aware of a struggle in the room.

It was Eli. He had come in and pulled Vlad away. The older man stepped on the breakfast tray, causing it to spill its contents over the floor. Now the two of them were fighting. Vlad swung at Eli, but the young man was faster and more agile. He dodged the blow and sneaked in one of his own, hitting Vlad on the nose.

“You goddamned bastard!” Vlad said. He wiped his face and smeared blood over his upper lip. “I’m going to kill you!”

The door opened again and Yuri entered.

“Stop!” he shouted. “Stop it right now!” He pulled his Heckler & Koch pistol and pointed it at Vlad. “Move back, Vlad! Now!”

Eli and Vlad halted and lowered their fists. Both of them had traces of oatmeal on their clothes. The floor was a mess.

Vlad looked at his partner as if Yuri had betrayed him. “I was just going to have some fun. I’m going crazy here. This isn’t what we usually do — guard hostages. You know that.”

Yuri kept the gun pointed at him and said, “We do what we’re told because we’re well paid. Don’t forget that.” He looked at Eli. “And you, don’t you ever attack him again. If he acts up, as he sometimes does, you come and get me.”

Eli stood his ground, breathing heavily. “Keep him away from her,” he said.

Yuri took the gun off Vlad and pointed it at Eli. The VP70 appeared huge in his hand. “You don’t give me orders,” he said. “Never.”

“Fine,” Eli said.

The two stared at each other for a moment and then Yuri said, “Stay and clean up this mess. Let’s go, Vlad. Out of here.” Vlad grunted and left the room. Yuri kept his eyes trained on Eli and followed his associate out. The door slammed shut.

Eli turned to Sarah, moved to the cot, and sat down beside her. “I’m sorry for that,” he said.

Sarah whirled around and slapped his face. “Get out of here and take that tray with you,” she said.

Eli stood, rubbing his face. “I guess I deserved that. I have to clean this up.”

“Leave it, I don’t give a shit if my room’s a pigsty. It was a pigsty before it was covered in breakfast,” she said.

“Look, Sarah,” Eli said. “You’re just making this worse for yourself. I don’t have to be nice to you, you know.”

“Oh, really? You don’t have to be nice? You didn’t have to kidnap me, either!”

“Goddamn it, Sarah, all we want to know is how to reach your father. I know you have a way to get hold of him. If you don’t tell us, you’re going to suffer. I can’t stop that. Vlad will have his way with you. I guarantee I won’t be able to prevent it. And Yuri, if he gets started on you, it’s all about pain. Those guys are experts, Sarah. So far they haven’t been given the orders to hurt you, but if the orders come, they won’t hesitate to do it. Now, tell me, is your father here in the Middle East?”

Sarah folded her arms in front of her, still shaken by what had just occurred. Eli’s words frightened her, and she wasn’t sure what to do.

“Sarah. Talk to me. Is he in the Middle East? We have reason to believe he might be in Turkey at this moment.”

Sarah brought her knees up to her chin and buried her face. The tears came freely.

“I see,” Eli said. “Stubborn to the end. Fine. Well, you just think about it some more, then. Oh, and by the way, I

brought you something to read. Maybe it will help you make up your mind.” He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a folded newspaper. He tossed it on the cot beside her, picked up the tray and dishes, left the spilled oatmeal on the floor, and went out of the room.

After she heard the door lock, Sarah looked at the newspaper and saw that it was in English — and a picture of Rivka was on the front page. Sarah picked up the paper and stared at the front-page headline, her heart racing in terror.

The story related how a twenty-year-old woman was found strangled to death, her body lying in a trash heap in an alley. Police suspected Palestinian militants for the slaying, but an investigation was under way.

At the bottom of the page was a photo of both Rivka and Sarah. Sarah recognized it as one that Rivka’s parents had taken earlier in the week. The caption read: