IN A SUBTERRANEAN CHAMBER with walls of limestone blocks six men stood around a stone table of inlaid jasper, jade and malachite. Two men dressed in flowing Arab wear, faced four others in western business suits. Pale light from the stone fireplace reflected on their faces. The cobbled floor, rutted by centuries of wear, felt uneven underfoot.
The Arab wearing a checkered headscarf spoke. "I am the Supreme Leader and have met your demands. My inspectors tell me all is ready." His companion, a large bearded man in black robes and a white scarf, nodded agreement, and then added, "It has taken my Supreme Leader months to assemble the gold and melt it into uniform ingots."
The Russian and his translator confronted them across the table. Two bodyguards stood in the darkened corners of the chamber. The Russian, dressed in a tailored black suit, challenged the Arabs. "Months of negotiations mean nothing to you." He spit out the words. "My auditors tell me you are short ten million U.S. dollars. Your actions are intolerable." He spoke in his native language. His interpreter, standing beside him, translated in Arabic.
The Supreme Leader raised his head in disbelief. "That is not possible. My Chief Disciple has supervised our efforts personally. You demanded payment in a manner untraceable through established banking procedures, and I have complied. I calculated our payment using the value of gold we agreed to earlier. My inspectors weighed the bars many time to ensure everything is in order. They assure me there are 3,676.5 pounds of gold bars at our transfer point, as you demanded."
The Russian eyed the Arab and sneered. "Our deal is $100 million in pure gold. Pure gold is 24 karats, as you must know. Hundreds of samples reveal the gold is on average 21.5 karats: contaminated with 2.5 karats of worthless base metals. You are not dealing with a fool. I have sold arms to countless factions, who conduct coups, revolts, political uprisings and wars around the globe. You seek to buy a most unique weapon." In a loud and angry voice he shouted, "Do you think you can cheat me?"
The interpreter, an American, translated the question.
Humbled, the bearded Arab bowed his head, knelt beside the Supreme Leader, and clutched his gold embroidered robes. "Forgive me my most holy descendant of the Prophet Mohammad. Their auditors told our inspectors of this error minutes before this meeting. I will arrange to deliver 367.5 pounds of pure 24 karat gold worth 10 million dollars by week's end. May Allah the Magnificent testify to my innocence, as I speak"
The interpreter quickly told the Russian of their promise. "Tell them I will accept their gold. I am suspicious of their explanation, but I have invested too much time in these negotiations to walk away."
Both Arabs exchanged hurried words. The big man, visibly humiliated, stared at the stone floor, head bowed. The Leader ordered him to put wood on the fire, then spoke to the Russian. "I will correct this oversight. You should have no further concern. What is of concern to me is a guarantee you have what you say you have to sell. I need proof."
As if he expected that demand, the Russian pulled documents from a briefcase and spread them on the table on top of the End User Certificates. He explained. "These are secret drawings. The notes are in Russian, as you would expect. The photographs are both old and new, some with a digital date. This should confirm your research. A team of our experts will train your people when you are ready. That's part of our deal."
The Supreme Leader listened to the translation and studied the documents. "You must guarantee that my purchase will be set before me in a timely manner. Are you prepared to meet my demand?"
The Russian countered. "Here is what I propose: you will name the point of transfer. If I agree, we will each appoint observers to oversee the transfer." He leaned forward, placed his hands flat on the stone table, and stared directly into the eyes of the Supreme Leader. "Before any work begins we will exchange ten male hostages to be held in a secure and secret place of our choice. You will appoint an armed guard to watch my hostages, and I will appoint an armed guard to watch yours. You and I will make daily contact with our transfer observers. If either side reports the trade is compromised, the other side will kill one hostage a day until the problem is resolved." He moved his face within inches of the Supreme Leader, his jaw muscles flexed, "I pay my hostages well and have never lost one." He offered a thin smile. "I suspect you have martyrs to serve as your hostages?"
The translator explained this complex arrangement in detail. The Supreme Leader listened and conferred briefly with the bearded man. "I agree. I name this chamber as our final exchange point. The item I am buying from you, and the gold I am paying you, will be moved here. Agreed?"
The Russian responded. "Yes. You need only sign the two End User Certificates laid out on this table to consummate our deal. You must know, these certificates describe procedures recognized internationally. We will sign both documents and each of us will keep one."
The Arab ordered his companion to bring him a pen. With no further words, he and the Russian hunched over the ancient table and added their signatures to the documents. No one spoke, until the Russian said, "Everything is in order. This deal is done."
The Russian retrieved his copy of the agreement, stepped back, and leered at the Supreme Leader. "I will watch the future with interest. You have at your disposal a unique opportunity never before available to anyone. Properly carried out your actions will be felt around the world." With a smile he added, "The future will be changed forever."