by Saul Herzog
Sofia Ivanovna sat motionless in the back of a military helicopter as it landed. Wind whipped down from the Urals so ferociously the entire chopper swayed over the helipad.
When they took her from the hospital, they never said where they were going. Four soldiers simply appeared in full hazmat gear, pointing assault rifles at her. She could still see the red laser dots when she shut her eyes. She’d known they would come and had forced Olga to leave before they arrived.
“Someone needs to stay to treat these people,” she’d said when Olga objected.
The soldiers brought her to the roof, where the Mil Mi-24 waited, engines running.
It flew out over the city so low Sofia felt like she could reach out and touch the tops of the trees. In the frozen forest, they sparkled in the moonlight like glass ornaments.
From the chopper, she was brought through the frigid cold into an aircraft hangar. It was as cold inside as outside and she wasn’t dressed for it. She was still in her medical scrubs. If they’d believed the outbreak was contagious, they never would have transported her like that.
The hangar was lit by powerful overhead lights and she could see that it was in the process of becoming a staging area for whatever was going on in Yekaterinburg. Soldiers and federal officers of the MVD police ran about, assembling equipment and weapons for airlift into the city.
In the midst of the chaos, standing serenely as if immune to it all, was an elegant woman with dark hair, a knee-length coat, and a silk scarf. Sofia recognized Tatyana instantly.
Tatyana strode toward her and said, “Doctor Ivanovna, thank you for coming.”
“I had no choice,” Sofia said. “I was brought at gunpoint.”
Sofia nodded and Tatyana led her to the back of the hangar. They passed crates of military equipment and climbed a metal staircase that led to an office overlooking the hangar floor. Tatyana held the door and Sofia hurried inside. She was relieved to see an electric heater in the office and went straight to it.
“I’ll get them to bring you something warmer to wear,” Tatyana said.
Sofia warmed her hands by the heater as Tatyana made a call on her cell. “I’m with the doctor,” she said. “She needs warm clothing.”
“Thank you,” Sofia said when she hung up.
“I’m sorry you were brought by force,” Tatyana said. “The military gets skittish in these situations.”
“As they should,” Sofia said.
Tatyana nodded.
The two stood and looked at each other a few seconds, sizing each other up.
It was Sofia who spoke first. “What did you do with the virus?” she said.
Tatyana’s expression changed to one of alarm. “Don’t talk about that here,” she hissed. “They could be listening.”
“I need to know.”
“They’ll kill us both.”
“I have to know what you did with it,” Sofia said, holding her ground.
Tatyana went to the door and made sure no one was standing outside. “I got it out of the country,” she said.
“To the Americans?”
Tatyana nodded. “If it’s as bad as you say, then they need to have a chance to defend themselves.”
“I agree,” Sofia said. She felt a sense of relief knowing that someone other than Yevchenko and his cronies knew about the virus. If the Americans knew, they would be formulating a response. They would be coming up with a plan to get the virus out of the GRU’s hands. To destroy it. They had to.
Tatyana cleared her throat. “Regarding the bacillus,” she said, “I know you’re not going to believe me, but we’re on the same side.”
Sofia looked out the window to where the soldiers were gearing up for a full-scale containment operation.
“I’m sorry, but I highly doubt that,” she said.
“I can’t do anything about the military response,” Tatyana said, following her gaze.
“They’re going to kill people,” Sofia said.
“People are already dying.”
“Because of them. Because of their ineptitude.”
Tatyana shook her head. “I’m not here to argue with you, doctor.”
“Well,” Sofia said, “maybe you could tell me why you are here.”
“I’m here to warn you.”
“Warn me about what?”
“They’re getting suspicious, Sofia. Why do you think they took production out of your hands?”
“Because I would have insisted on doing it safely.”
“They see the world differently than you do,” Tatyana said.
“You can say that again.”
“I’m just saying, be careful. For your own sake. For your team’s sake.”
“It’s a bit late for that, wouldn’t you say?”
Tatyana sighed.
Sofia looked at her. She didn’t want to argue.
“I also need your assessment of the outbreak,” Tatyana said.
“Outbreak?”
“Or whatever you want to call it.”
“I’d prefer to call it a leak.”
“All right,” Tatyana said. “In here, just you and me, you can call it whatever you like.”
“They won’t be able to hide the truth,” Sofia said.
“Sofia, that’s exactly what they’re going to do.”
“Everyone knows about Biopreparat here,” Sofia said. “They’ve grown up with the stories. There have been leaks in the past.”
“I’m aware,” Tatyana said.
“Then you know that if the government simply admitted what was happening instead of orchestrating a cover-up, a lot of lives would have been spared.”
Tatyana nodded. “If you’re looking for openness today, I’m sorry to be the one to disappoint you.”
There was a knock on the door. Tatyana opened it and a soldier came in with a military parka.
“Thank you,” Tatyana said and handed it to Sofia.
Sofia put it on.
They waited for the soldier to leave.
There was a seat and Tatyana indicated for Sofia to take it. Tatyana sat across from her.
Sofia liked to think of herself as a good judge of character, but when she looked at Tatyana she wasn’t sure what she saw.
Tatyana seemed to know emotion was a waste of time, and she did not give the impression she was someone who wasted time.
“I’m a doctor,” Sofia said. “I don’t know what role you have here, but I presume it’s not the same as mine.”
“My role is to protect the interests of the state,” Tatyana said.
Sofia nodded.
“That’s not so different from yours,” Tatyana said.
“My role is to save lives.”
Tatyana shook her head. “I’m sorry, doctor. I think we both know that’s not true. In a different world, maybe. But not in this one.”
Something in Sofia rose up, some well of emotion. She knew Tatyana was right. She was no longer a doctor, she was a bioweapons scientist. She was the scientist who’d created this pathogen. And that truth made her want to scream.
“You know they threatened me,” she said, “threatened my whole team.”
“That’s how things work sometimes.”
“They threatened to give us smallpox.”
“I’m sorry,” Tatyana said.
“I never would have done this if I’d had a choice.”
“We all work at gunpoint,” Tatyana said.
Sofia looked at her and realized it was true. Neither of them wanted this. Neither of them wanted the world to be this way. They didn’t want to see school children clawing at their necks, struggling to breathe, while scientists worked on creating diseases rather than curing them.
“What do you want from me?” Sofia said. “Why have you brought me here?”
“I’d settle for an antidote,” Tatyana said.
“To the bacillus?”
“Yes.”
Sofia shook her head. “There is no antidote,” she said.
�
�I don’t see how denying an antidote helps the situation. At the very least, we’d need it to inoculate our own troops on the battlefield.”
“I’m not denying it, Tatyana. We don’t have one.”
Tatyana took a moment to process the information. It was the first time Sofia had seen her flinch.
“Hundreds have died already,” she said. She spoke more quietly now. Almost in a whisper.
“I know that,” Sofia said.
Tatyana shook her head. “How can you create a weapon and not have an antidote?”
“Tatyana,” Sofia said. “This is nothing. This is a sideshow. Compared to the damage the virus will cause if it gets out, this bacillus is a drop in the ocean.”
Sofia watched Tatyana’s reaction. It seemed she was only now truly realizing what it was they were up against.
“Last time we met,” Sofia said, “I told you they’d asked for a biological Chernobyl. I was lying. The truth is, the virus in that vial, if it gets out, it’s not Chernobyl we’ll be looking at, it’s a full scale holocaust.”
21
Tatyana’s flight to New York went via Helsinki. Her plane was delayed because of snow, and she decided to use the relative safety of the terminal to make a phone call. Once inside the US, the risk of being followed by her own side increased significantly. Despite the passing of three decades, the GRU never lost its Cold War fear of defections. It was well known within the agency that more GRU agents were killed in the US by their own side than by the CIA.
Before making the call she went to the washroom. She’d purposefully allowed her phone battery to die on the plane. She had a charger in her bag and crushed the connector under the heel of her shoe. The transit terminal in Helsinki was a known GRU transfer point and there was no room for error.
The pay phones were located next to a huge wall of glass overlooking the runway and she’d heard of agents being watched there from inside planes.
It wasn’t ideal, but there was nowhere she was safe from the GRU’s watchful eye. She may have been a good girl. Obedient. She never complained, never asked for anything, and never said no to her bosses, no matter the request.
But she knew there were no guarantees. They watched everyone. And they would be watching her.
She went to the newsstand and browsed the magazines. She grabbed a new charger, a bottle of water, and some potato chips. She always acted under the assumption they were watching her. Every move she made was calculated. She did nothing that could be used against her. Every action had an explanation. If it was all eventually to be analyzed under the cold microscope of paranoia, she would be ready.
She paid for the things and found a seat near the pay phones.
She opened the charger and plugged her phone into an outlet by her seat. She got up and threw the packaging and the broken charger into the trash. Then she went to the closest pay phone and kept her back to the window. She looked at every passenger and airport staff member within sight.
She had an Hermes scarf in her hair and she took it off and held it casually in her hand. When she dialed, she let it drape over the number pad. An automated voice from the phone company asked for payment, a high international rate, and she fed it a twenty Euro bill.
She dialed a Manhattan business called Village Mail Service. It was a twenty-four hour place that handled UPS and DHL packages, provided copy services, and took passport photos.
She’d selected it because it had no security cameras, accepted cash, and was too small for anyone in there to watch her unnoticed.
It was owned by an Indian family and Tatyana’s contact was the son, Ayaan. She’d introduced herself to him by asking about his Eagles jersey, he wore it every day, and then by bribing him with season tickets to the Giants.
“You’re in New York,” she’d said to him one afternoon in their postcoital bliss. “It’s time to prove your loyalty.”
“Village Mail?” she said into the phone.
“That’s us.”
“I need to speak to Ayaan.”
“Who’s this?”
“His mother.”
“Funny.”
“Is he there?”
“You should be a comedian.”
She sighed. “Who’s this?” she said.
“His cousin, Raj.”
“Well, when’s he in, Raj?”
“Not until tonight.”
She hung up and a torrent of change fell noisily into the tray under the phone. She fed it back into the machine and dialed Ayaan’s cell. He’d better pick up. She’d invested a lot in him. He had some very specific sexual preferences and she expected to be paid for her services in full.
“Hello?”
“Ayaan?”
“Yes.”
“It’s me.”
“Where the fuck have you been?”
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s been weeks.”
“I’ve been in Russia.”
“The police were here.”
“About the mailbox?”
“Yes.”
“What did they say?”
“They wanted to know who rented it.”
“You didn’t tell them, did you?”
“Of course not, but I’ve got family here. Immigration issues. I can’t afford trouble.”
“Calm down, Ayaan. You did nothing wrong.”
“They wanted to know why I accepted cash. Why no ID was provided.”
“It’s not a big deal, Ayaan.”
“There are rules about it. The federal mail.”
“Have they been back?”
“No.”
“See.”
He took a breath.
“Look, I’m going to be in town,” she said. “I want to see you.”
“When?”
“Tonight.”
“Where?”
She could practically hear him salivating.
“I don’t know yet. I still have to get a hotel.”
As far as Ayaan was concerned, she was a Russian literature professor who attended conferences in the city and liked to get naughty while she was there. She told him she was married, which was why everything was always on the down-low.
She’d offered him no real explanation for why she needed the mailbox but let him suspect it had something to do with Russian academia, government restrictions, the chance of a job offer from an American university.
He hadn’t expected the police.
Not that it mattered. She’d be done with him soon.
“My father is angry at me for accepting cash,” Ayaan said. “He thinks I’m stealing from him.”
“Is the box still empty?”
“Yes.”
“Did the police do anything with it?”
The slightest pause, then he said, “No, nothing.”
“Don’t lie to me, Ayaan.”
“I’m not the one who’s been lying.”
He was done. He was scared. Meeting him now would be risky. She’d get what she needed and cut him loose.
“Just tell me what they did,” she said.
“They’re watching the box with a camera.”
She nodded. Lance was watching. It made her breathe a little easier.
“I’ve got to go, but watch that box. If anyone comes, anyone at all, I need to know.”
She hung up and scanned the terminal. No one.
She fed the remaining change back into the phone and called her operator in Moscow. The devil was in the details. If Igor ever asked why she’d used a pay phone in Helsinki, this was the reason.
The operator answered and Tatyana identified herself.
“Proceed,” the operator said.
“Tell the boss my flight’s been delayed in Finland,” she said.
22
Laurel and Roth were in the back of the Escalade on their way from the airport when Roth got a call from the head of the lab at Ramstein. He put it on speaker.
“Sir, there’s been a leak. All four technicians are dead,” McKinsey s
aid.
“Listen to me,” Roth said. “Seal the lab. Under no circumstances is anyone to go in there. You’ve seen the numbers on this virus.”
“Yes I have, sir.”
“Just stay there. And stay by the phone. I’ve got to figure out what we’re going to do.”
Roth hung up and looked at Laurel.
She said, “Sir, you need to shut down the base.”
“It’s one of the largest in the world,” Roth said. “They run half of Europe out of that place.”
“Call the president, sir. Do it now. If this thing gets out,” she said, tapping her briefcase which contained the virus analysis, “it’s going to be on us.”
Roth nodded. He called the president immediately. They had to wait a few minutes while the operator handled the authorization and then the president’s voice came on the line.
“Mr. President,” Roth said. “We have a situation.”
“That doesn’t sound good, Roth.”
“We need to lock down Ramstein Air Base.”
“That’s impossible, Roth.”
“I’m sorry, sir. This is a level five threat.”
“Roth, come on.”
“I’m serious, sir.”
“You better be deadly serious, Roth. Level five is an existential threat.”
“I assure you this is justified, sir.”
The president was silent for a few seconds. “You got everything under control, Roth?”
“Yes, I do, sir. Shutting down the base is a precautionary measure. But it’s something that has to be done. No one can be allowed in or out. No one at all.”
“The Germans are going to be all over my ass,” the president said.
“I’m very sorry about that, sir.”
“All right,” the president said. “I’ll make the order. But I need you to come in and explain what’s going on.”
“I’ll be right there, sir.”
Roth hung up and called the Pentagon. He made sure the order to shut down the base was being passed on immediately and he asked to speak to the base commander in person. They connected him and he told the commander that in addition to locking down the base, he wanted a protective cordon placed around the CIA lab.