Chapter Text
I.
The crew begins descending to the bottom of the hill using the steep mountain path. Carrying only shovels and buckets of water the group of men reaches the rocky landing hundreds of feet below and they start digging. The large metal parts of the ventilation system for the underground bunker are there already, having been delivered the night before by a helicopter. The crew works fast, the people are taking turns with the digging so as to not to waste time in the hot weather. From the top of the mountain they are barely visible in their sand-colored gear and headscarves.
The man watching them from the top turns around and looks at the technicians working there. Similar to the heavy parts of the vents for the bunker, the SA-3 surface-to-air missile system was brought to the summit the day before. The technicians are now assembling the system in an expedited manner; there are multiple other locations throughout the canyon with similar cargo awaiting for them. Once they are finished with all the SAMs, which should not take more than three days, the missiles will arrive and the site will be ready for the operation. The man takes a look around the mountainous area and the canyon. He doesn’t know if the operation will take place during the next few weeks when the weather would still be warm or later. If they wait with leaking the information about the uranium enrichment facility, the first time the American spy satellites would scan the area would be in the winter when snow covers the slopes.
He reaches there and pulls down the shemagh which covers his face and takes a sip of water from his flask. All of them are fully dressed despite the heat; they all wear headscarves and sunglasses to protect themselves from the unforgiving sun which appears to be within arm’s reach above their heads. His otherwise pale skin is now tanned and he’s wearing a mustache like all the local men. He is looking in the southern direction where the mountain range continues. From where he’s standing the turquoise of the Gulf is not visible, but it is there, with Bahrain and the US Naval Forces Central Command on the other side of the water. He spits in the dirt in disgust and pulls the shemagh up.
They are about to finish installing the first SA-3 system, when a silver dot, a helicopter appears in the distance. The technicians continue working undisturbed until the aircraft gets close, at which time the clouds of dust whipped up by the rotors of the helicopter make them stop and brace. The helicopter lands on the makeshift pad and a man jumps out. He’s a young man with dark hair and mustache; he is wearing a green uniform and a cap. The aircraft takes off right after and the passenger goes there to meet the other man.
“Salam alaykum, my friend,” the man in the green uniform says. He reaches out and they shake hands.
“Alaykum salam, Reza,” the other man replies. Next to them the technicians wrap up the work and below the mountain the digging crew appears to be completing their task as well. The newcomer inspects the site and he’s asking questions.
“What can we expect once the intel about the uranium facility reaches the Americans?” he asks.
“If they bite, they’ll send a B-2 Spirit bomber with a Massive Ordnance Penetrator bomb. Precision guided bunker-buster. It’ll be an Air Force operation.”
The other man nods.
“What about the Navy?” he asks.
“For fighter jets, it’s a suicide mission due to the missiles. That being said, I’m concerned about the proximity of the airfield. In any case, if the Americans bite and they choose to attack, the airfield can suffer a preemptive strike. There can be casualties.”
Reza puts his hand on the other man’s shoulder.
“I will relay this information, Bradley,” he says. “This is excellent work, as always.”
The digging crew begins their climb from the bottom and the technicians pack up their tools. The helicopter returns to take them to the next SAM assembly site. Bradley Bradshaw sits next to the window; it’s too loud inside the aircraft and nobody is talking. Bradley is watching the enormous mountains and he thinks of the journey that has led him here.