Soon, they were moving. Nir had no opportunity to reflect or even think at all as he held on to Dima’s back. He didn’t like the closed-in feeling of being trapped underwater, and the scuba gear was making him feel claustrophobic. On top of that, the continual movement of the underwater scooter kept the saltwater passing over and through his cuts and gouges. Letting his brain shut down, he lost track of time.

He felt the deceleration before he saw the boats. When they surfaced, he spotted two Morena rigid-hulled inflatables with two men on each one. As they drew alongside, the Shayetet 13 commandos tied off the underwater scooters and hauled the men in. Nir was pulled in first, followed by Dima. With surprising gentleness, Dima toweled Nir off, then wrapped him in a blanket. One of the batwings handed Nir a communication bud, which he placed into his ear.

“This is Team Lead,” he said.

The cheering on the other end was deafening. Once again, tears came to Nir’s eyes. I am not going to cry in front of Shayetet 13. I’ll dive back into the water first!

“How are you, Team Lead?” Nicole’s voice. For a time, he hadn’t known if he’d ever hear it again.

Pushing down his emotions, he said, “Been better. I’ll survive. Where’s Imri?”

“We have no contact with him. We scrambled the cell service around the boat, which left us without coms. This is the first we’ve heard from your team since the op started.”

Nir’s relief at his rescue now turned to agitation. His body screamed for rest and medical attention, but as long as Imri was still out there, he wouldn’t leave. The rest of the team was finishing loading in.

“Boss, you okay?” asked Doron.

“I will be when Imri gets here. When and with what are we rendezvousing?”

“We’re being picked up by a sub five kilometers from here. They’re waiting for us now.”

There was a stir in the water, and an underwater craft surfaced, followed by a second and a third. The first pilot removed his mask, and Nir breathed a sigh of relief.

“You think the whole world waits on you, Zaid?” Nir called out.

“Okay, Boomer.”

On his com, he heard Liora say to someone, “Esh! I told you he’d say it.”

Once Imri was aboard, Nir asked, “You get the chopper grounded?”

“It’s not going anywhere. How’re you doing?”

Nir just nodded. His words were gone. His energy was gone. His will to even sit up was rapidly leaving.

“Preparing to blow the boat,” Liora said.

Somehow, Nir had forgotten about this part. The whole purpose behind his capture and torture. The final act that would open the Saudi skies to the Israeli Air Force so they could crush the Iranian nuclear program once and for all. Operation Bezalel was actually happening.