Assassin’s Revenge–A David Slaton Novel
Chapter 34: Thirty-Four
by Larsen, WardIn Chapter Thirty-Four, Slaton meticulously prepares for an impending operation by gathering intelligence on El-Masri’s residence. After purchasing a tablet, he accesses a real estate app to study the property’s layout, confirming details like its purchase price and history. Using photos from the listing, he sketches a detailed tactical diagram of the home, carefully noting exterior and interior features, including windows and room connections. His goal is to create an accurate blueprint for his planned infiltration, which he commits to memory.
Meanwhile, Mordechai follows Slaton’s instructions by maintaining his usual work routine at the IAEA. He attends meetings, including one addressing staff misconduct, while biding his time to gather critical information. Later, he visits the Travel Department under the pretense of needing El-Masri’s return schedule for a meeting with Director Ingalls. By leveraging his authority and dropping Ingalls’ name, he secures the flight details of El-Masri’s inspection team, learning they will arrive in Vienna late that night.
Mordechai then proceeds to El-Masri’s office area, where he encounters Ingrid, the deputy director’s assistant. He fabricates a story about urgent contracts needing signatures, aiming to gain access to El-Masri’s office. Just as Ingrid appears hesitant, a phone call interrupts their conversation, creating a diversion that Mordechai likely orchestrated. The chapter ends on a cliffhanger, leaving the outcome of his ploy unresolved.
The chapter highlights the calculated and covert efforts of both Slaton and Mordechai as they advance their respective missions. Slaton’s methodical approach to reconnaissance contrasts with Mordechai’s strategic manipulation of bureaucratic systems. Their parallel actions underscore the tension and precision required in their high-stakes roles, setting the stage for the next phase of their operation.
FAQs
1. What methods does Slaton use to create a tactical diagram of El-Masri’s home, and why are these methods effective?
Answer:
Slaton employs a combination of digital resources and manual sketching to create his diagram. He downloads a real estate app to access photos and layout details of El-Masri’s home, using these images to approximate room dimensions, window placements, and structural features. He cross-references these with a panorama shot from his phone for accuracy. Using a makeshift scale and cardboard straightedge, he drafts a detailed floor plan. This method is effective because it leverages publicly available information (real estate photos) while allowing him to create a precise, memorizable layout for operational planning—critical for his intended infiltration.2. How does Mordechai gather intelligence about El-Masri’s return schedule, and what tactics does he use to bypass security protocols?
Answer:
Mordechai visits the IAEA Travel Department under the pretense of needing El-Masri’s return schedule to arrange a meeting with Director Ingalls. He exploits his senior administrator status (verified by his blue-bordered ID) and name-drops Ingalls to override security concerns about inspection team confidentiality. By framing the request as routine and time-sensitive, he persuades the clerk to disclose the flight details. This tactic works because it appeals to bureaucratic hierarchy and urgency, bypassing standard secrecy measures without raising suspicion.3. Analyze Slaton’s approach to operational preparation. How does his process reflect his professional background and objectives?
Answer:
Slaton’s meticulous preparation—studying architectural layouts, memorizing sightlines, and noting potential entry points—reflects his training as an assassin or intelligence operative. His focus on geometric relationships (e.g., window angles for lines of fire) and tactical advantages (e.g., attic access) reveals a methodical, mission-oriented mindset. By creating a hand-drawn diagram, he ensures the information is tailored to his needs and minimizes digital traces. This process underscores his emphasis on precision, adaptability, and self-reliance, hallmarks of someone accustomed to high-stakes, solo operations.4. What role does deception play in Mordechai’s interactions with IAEA staff, and how does he manipulate social dynamics to achieve his goals?
Answer:
Mordechai uses calculated deception by inventing a plausible reason (contract deadlines) to enter El-Masri’s office and leveraging authority figures (e.g., Director Ingalls) to legitimize his requests. He exploits institutional hierarchies—flattering clerks, invoking urgency, and feigning familiarity—to lower guards. For example, he times his approach to Ingrid’s desk to coincide with a distracting phone call orchestrated by his assistant. These tactics manipulate social norms (trust in senior staff, bureaucratic compliance) to gather intelligence without direct confrontation, highlighting his understanding of organizational psychology.5. Compare Slaton’s and Mordechai’s methods of information gathering. What strengths and weaknesses does each approach demonstrate?
Answer:
Slaton relies on technical and physical reconnaissance (digital research, manual sketching), which offers granular control but requires time and skill. His strength lies in operational detail, but his solo approach lacks real-time updates. Mordechai, meanwhile, uses social engineering (deception, institutional access) to obtain specific logistical data quickly. His method is efficient but riskier—dependent on others’ cooperation and vulnerable to scrutiny. While Slaton’s process is stealthier and more self-contained, Mordechai’s leverages systemic vulnerabilities, demonstrating how interpersonal and technical tactics complement each other in intelligence work.
Quotes
1. “In an exercise he’d performed before, generally in the role of assassin, Slaton poised a pencil over one of the blank sheets of paper.”
This quote reveals Slaton’s methodical preparation and his dark professional history, hinting at his lethal expertise while demonstrating his meticulous approach to reconnaissance. It underscores the tension between his current mission and past actions.
2. “Those details aside, Slaton was confident he had what he wanted, and an image he would spend the next thirty minutes memorizing—one reasonably accurate tactical diagram of the home he was going to invade.”
This highlights Slaton’s transition from planning to execution, emphasizing his precision and the high-stakes nature of his mission. The quote captures the chapter’s focus on preparation and the looming threat of violence.
3. “Dropping the name of the director himself seemed to do the trick—Dr. Ingalls, certainly, was beyond reproach.”
Mordechai’s manipulation of bureaucracy to gain critical information showcases the theme of institutional trust and exploitation. It reflects the chapter’s exploration of how systems can be navigated—or subverted—for covert purposes.
4. “Never before had he gone inside alone. Ingrid opened her mouth as if to say something, and Mordechai seemed ready to forestall her words, when the phone interrupted them both.”
This moment of tension underscores Mordechai’s risky deception and the precariousness of his plan. The interrupted confrontation heightens suspense, marking a pivotal point in the chapter’s unfolding intrigue.