Chapter 3

We got out our Franklin Bilbles and read a couple of chapters and prayed for this mission and for God to be our guide in the way to go.

It was 2345 when we pulled out and headed for the area where I was to find the road. I did not know what I was going to find. It looked like a town on the satellite map, but when you looked at it on the road map, it showed no town or streets.

I found the grave marker. It looked like it was one left by Cain when he buried Abel! It was a pile of rocks that had a name chiseled out in a language that I did not recognize.

The road was very small. It was going to be rough going. It looked like it had not been traveled in hundreds of years. At 0130 we found ourselves in a ghost town. It looked like it had been destroyed in the Iran- Iraq war of the 60's. The road wound through the mountains. The night vision goggles must have been a new issue. They were the best I had ever had.

We were able to move at a good clip in the Anton-Impulse. The path through the border was so rough there was no fence. I guess the Iranians thought no one could pass through at that point. Several times we thought we'd lost the trailer because it was not equipped with leveling jacks like the Anton was.

We reached the border road at 0500 and turned right. We knew turning left would only result in ending up in at a dead-end.

We could see the road and knew we could spot anyone coming by the light reflections on the horizon. We could then cut on our headlights and when they met us act stupid.

Airplanes would not be able to see us from the air without lights. We managed to get to the road leading away from the border before daylight.

We reached Chananeh before we saw anyone. A Revolutionary Guard truck was approaching us around 0800 Iran time. I stopped the Anton by the driver's door.

The man on the passenger side got out and came around the front of the truck. There were two left in the cab. The one in the center had the uniform of an officer; I assume he was in charge. Three other men approached from the back with guns pointing in our direction.

"Get out of your vehicle with your hands up," the man who came around the front said in Iranian.

"What is the problem, sir?" I said in Russian, sounding as confused as I could as we got out and raised our hands in the air.

"Do you speak Iranian?" he asked in broken Russian.

"No, I am sorry," I lied.

"What are you doing on this road? It is a dead-end," he answered again, speaking in broken Russian. He spoke in a suspicious tone.

Yes sir, I already know that. The reason I was going this direction, I was told there was a shortcut but it ended in a dead-end," I replied.

"Where are you trying to go?"

"Andimeshk," I answered.

"Where did you come from?"

"Khairabad," I answered.

"Ok, you turned the wrong direction. Go straight now or you will find yourself back in Khairabad."

He then turned, spoke to his fellow soldiers in Iranian, and made fun of my stupidity. They all laughed. Lona and I just stood with stupid looking grins on our faces.

He turned back to me and said, "Do you have papers?"

"May I lower my hands so I can get them?

"Yes, you may both lower your hands but do not try anything."

I pulled out my papers and handed them to him. I was very deliberate. I did not want to create any suspicions.

"I will need hers too."

Lona said, "Mine are in my purse; may I get them?"

"Nahor, watch her while she gets her papers."

He looked at my papers and smiled. Lona then handed him her papers. He looked at them. He looked at the trailer.

He said to the others in Iranian, "This man sales guns. He even sales Russian guns."

To me he said, "Vladimir, do you have some guns for us?"

I saw my chance for us to make some headway. I said in Russian, "I would like to know who I am talking to. What is your name? Maybe I have something that will interest you."

He turned to me and smiled and said, "My name is Navid. Your papers say you are a gun salesman. Do you have Russian guns?"

I decided to push it as far as I could. These soldiers were the top military personnel Iran had to offer, though not quite as good as Navy Seals. Their guns were still just normal Iranian Army issue.

"How many men are with you, Navid?" I asked.

"There are six of us," he answered.

"If you men can come up with 1,000 dinar and your old handguns, I will supply you with GSH-18 guns," I said.

Navid turned around as if to speak to his fellow soldiers, then without turning back around said to me in Iranian, "If we can't come up with that much, will you come down in price.

I almost fell for the trap of checking to see if I understood Iranian. I just stood there looking at the back of his head, as if waiting for him to tell his fellow men what I said.

"He does not understand Iranian. He is just standing there waiting for you. He did not even blink," said the driver. He turned back around and repeated it in Russian.

"I have to make some money. I am doing you a favor by selling them to you at cost. I am hoping to sell your guns back in Russia, and make my profit," I explained as started toward the back of the trailer.