Nina walked into the bathroom and flushed the paper down the toilet, and then changed into her pajamas. She walked to the kitchen and took a bottle of corked wine from the refrigerator and poured herself a glass. She moved into the living room and picked up the remote from a nearby table. She took a seat in front of the TV and turned on RT News, the first 24-7 English-language news channel to air global news for the English-speaking community in Russia. It was also the organization that she now worked for. She had been hired away from the Gazeta by one of the news company’s executives. She met the man at a cocktail party hosted by the senior editor of the Gazeta. After an inquiring conversation, the exec later made her an offer, and Nina quit the Gazeta and went to work for RT News.
The program that was airing was hers, a prerecorded show, one in a series of planned interviews with district military commanders to give the public information on Russia’s military capabilities. She watched the interview she had conducted with the commander of the 6th Army’s Separate Mobilized Brigade located in Luga, 125 kilometers south of Saint Petersburg. It was a good interview; the audience learned a lot about the officer, but nothing secret about the unit’s activities. She was never allowed to video record anything sensitive that commanders didn’t want shown to the public, but she learned lots from touring the bases and having the various functions of some equipment explained to her—information that she would later pass to her handler.
As she sat sipping wine and watching the program, Nina thought of one day becoming a famous TV reporter. She was good at conducting interviews—Alex had told her that.
What would the CIA think of that? ‘You don’t want to get too high a profile, Nina, it will make it harder for us to meet,’ she imagined her handler saying, but what did the CIA and Allison know about her aspirations?
She got up to pour another glass of wine. Allison had become her third handler and knew much about her past reporting. In their first sit-down meeting at the safe house, Allison had told her the CIA was extremely proud of the work she was doing and that she had become one of the agency’s most valued assets.
“The earlier reporting and video coverage you provided on the institute was very good, and your current reporting activities can’t be replaced if something were ever to happen to you, Nina; that’s why we have to be extremely cautious when we meet like this. We don’t have anyone else who has access like you do, especially your ability to get inside some of Russia’s highly guarded military installations. No one can walk into the General Staff Building at the north end of Palace Square and make a request to visit a particular command like you can, Nina.”
If Allison’s comments were meant to boost her ego, they had, but not for long. Nina had served the CIA well in her existing capacity, but she needed something more than words to satisfy her craving for change. Getting access and passing information that she had obtained while making visits to elements of the 6th and 20th Guards Armies, and collecting information on the 76th Air Assault Division was becoming routine and not as exciting as it had been in the past. She had paid them back, Russia’s intelligence organization, for the way they had treated her grandfather, and she enjoyed being a spy for the CIA, but the excitement had begun to fade. She wanted to be more than just an “access agent,” as she was once referred to by Allison, or an average TV reporter at RT News. It was something she and Allison would soon have to deal with. Perhaps this new assignment, one in which she was working as a team member on an operation with people from the CIA, would change things. It was a different role for her altogether.
The doorbell rang. She drank down what was left of her wine and jumped up to answer the door. Alex was standing there with a sack in his hand. He was more than just an exec; he had become her lover, someone who could satisfy her physiological needs and at the same time boost her position at RT News should she decide to move in that direction.
She reached out, grabbed his arm, and playfully pulled him into the apartment.
“What took you so long?”
“Stopping to get these,” he said, setting the sack down on a foyer table. “Strawberries and champagne to celebrate your two-year anniversary with the station.”
He took off his coat and gloves, and tossed them onto a nearby chair.
“I was wondering if you’d remember,” Nina said, as Alex turned to face her.
He smiled and pulled her close; they kissed passionately. She pulled back.
“Let’s not let the champagne get warm, and I love strawberries. It was nice of you to remember.”
He saw the TV playing.
“Get back to your show while I uncork the champagne.”
Nina winked at him as he took his cell phone out of his pocket and laid it on the foyer table. She moved back to the couch as Alex walked into the kitchen with the bag of goodies. She slid into a prone position after waiting several minutes for him to come back. When he did, he was carrying the opened bottle of champagne and two glasses in one hand, and balanced a tray in the other. He noticed her provocative position, thinking of things to come later in the evening. Alex sat the items down and then filled the two glasses, handing one to her. She sat up, took the glass, and reached for a strawberry. She dipped it into the bowl of warm milk chocolate and popped it into her mouth. Seconds later, having nearly drained the glass of champagne, she stood, untied the string holding up her pajamas, and let them fall to the floor.
Alexander left later that evening, much later than he had expected, and was greeted by a very unhappy wife who smelled perfume when he walked through the door of their apartment. Nina, on the other hand, sexually satisfied, had fallen asleep and slept soundly through the night.
She was up and preparing to leave the apartment when she saw Alex’s cell phone laying on the foyer table. She mumbled to herself, “He’ll just have to wait until I get back to pick it up.” She had told him the evening before that she was going to take a few days off. She would be taking the train up to Moscow to visit her ailing grandmother, and she wouldn’t be back until Saturday evening. She forgot about Alex and his cell phone and took the elevator to the garage floor. Minutes later, Nina got into her small Lada and drove out onto Gorokhovaya Street.
Alexander Brzezinski was up early the next morning, having spent the night on the couch after his wife confronted him about the smell of perfume on his shirt. He was preparing to leave for work and couldn’t find his cell phone. Then he remembered having laid it on the foyer table in Nina’s apartment. He had to have it; he couldn’t get through the day without it. He needed to be in constant contact with the many people he worked with at the TV station. Alex couldn’t call Nina from home to tell her about the phone, not with his wife up and about, so he decided to try to catch her at the apartment before she left for the train station. He was sitting at a red light on Admiralalteyskiy Prospekt, looking at her apartment building on the adjacent corner, when he saw her vehicle coming out of the garage. She turned left onto Gorokhovaya Street, and, as the signal light changed, he drove through the light and turned right to follow her—anticipating that he would catch her at the train station.
He was several cars behind, watching and waiting for her to turn in a direction that would lead them to the station, but that never happened. Somewhat surprised, Alex continued to follow Nina, wondering where it was that she was heading. He thought about stopping and turning around; perhaps she was on an errand and wouldn’t be catching the train until much later in the day. He could also call her once he got to the office.
She suddenly took an exit and he followed, thinking that he could find a place to turn around.
Nina had been driving on one of the main thoroughfares heading out of the city. She never saw Alex’s car, even though he was just a hundred meters behind and the traffic wasn’t that bad given the time of day. She had lots on her mind, but surveillance wasn’t something that she was thinking about, although it should have been. Alex maneuvered around another vehicle and strained to watch as Nina turned off the main aven
ue onto a side street and then into a warehouse area. He didn’t know why, but he felt that something else was going on with Nina. He drove on past the turnoff and pulled over after turning the corner onto an adjacent lane. Alex decided to sit and watch; he could see the warehouses through a chain-link fence that encircled the area. He saw Nina’s car in front of a large warehouse door and watched as it rolled back to one side. Nina drove her car in, and the door closed seconds later.
What the hell is she doing here? He was completely baffled by her activity.
Nina had removed a remote control from the glove box to open the door. She drove in and parked her car. She got out, looked around, and walked over to an object near one of the walls. She opened the concealment device and removed a pistol and another small flip-top cell phone put there by Allison for Mike’s use. She stuck the pistol in one side of her coat pocket and the flip-top in the other. She moved to open the back side of the van to check that everything was there: the light stands, lights, electrical cords, and camera—everything she would need to conduct an interview. Satisfied that everything was in order, Nina got into the van, opened the warehouse door, and drove out, closing the door as she drove away.
Alex saw the door open and a beige van pull out. He could see that it was Nina driving. He waited until she was out of sight and then turned his car around in pursuit of his soon-to-be TV personality. She was becoming a big hit, and their ratings were going up. He caught up just in time to see her turn onto a freeway ramp. Traffic had picked up, so he sped up to keep her in sight. Later, Nina made a turn onto state road E-20 heading in the direction of Telezi. Wherever the hell she was going, it certainly was not to the train station. Alex followed her for a while, but not knowing where she was going, decided to end his surveillance; it was getting late, and he had appointments to keep. He took the next exit, turned around, and headed back into Saint Petersburg.
***
The security chief at the SAPHSTIN Institute was tired of being fooled by the person who had been stealing drugs from the infirmary. At first, it was noted that a few drugs were missing, but as weeks turned into months, more and more drugs began to disappear. They weren’t being carried out the front door, he knew that for sure, as most every employee, except for a few doctors, had their belongings searched as they were leaving the building at the end of a shift. He decided to have cameras installed to watch the infirmary and outside in the garden to monitor a gate adjacent to one of the streets running parallel to the garden. The drugs had to be getting out somehow, and someone could be taking them out through the gate. The cameras were installed very secretly without anyone knowing about them. The security chief could sit in his office and watch a monitor to view activity taking place in the garden or people entering and leaving the infirmary. He’d soon find the son of a bitch, or whoever it was stealing drugs, and have the police, who were located just two blocks away, lock his ass, or her ass away behind bars.
***
Hours passed. Time on security watch changed for each man and day became night and night became day again. There were twelve hours to go before Nina was expected to arrive. Mike was on an early evening watch. He was standing outside the cabin. He had stepped out to scan the area using night vision goggles (NVGs).
Had the Russian military been out there, they would have done more than just sit and watch the cabin as we did, he thought, realizing then that scanning the area had been a useless thing to do. He lit a cigarette. It was getting colder. He finished the cigarette, tore the filter apart, and stuck the remnants into his pocket and then walked back inside. Later that evening as Mike was sleeping, he felt a nudge and opened his eyes. He looked up. It was Rick shining a small flashlight off to an angle away from his eyes.
“Your watch,” he heard him say.
“OK,” Mike replied, getting up from the bunk and reaching for the flashlight. “It’s all yours. I’ll wake you at daybreak.”
Dawn came sooner than Rick had expected. It seemed as if he had just closed his eyes when he felt the nudge.
“Time to get the team ready and outside.” Mike didn’t know the exact time that Nina would arrive, but knew they had to be prepared for her arrival. The original message from the station had simply stated that the asset would arrive during the early morning hours after making the drive from Saint Petersburg. As a security precaution, Mike wanted the team outside and positioned away from the cabin until they could determine that Nina had not been followed. And for him to verify her identity.
***
At headquarters, Claire was feeling better about the operation as well after having read the no-concern message from Moscow regarding the Russian sub. She stood in front of the monitor in the Ops Center watching the replay of activity that had taken place in a small clearing located in the middle of the forest near the Narva Reservoir. She saw a van pull up and stop near the front of the cabin. Someone got out and walked onto the porch and then disappeared inside. Several minutes later, five men approached the cabin from different sides of the surrounding tree line. They closed in on the cabin. Hand signals were given, and Claire watched as individuals approached the van. One quickly opened a door, and another stood at the ready pointing his weapon inside. That man later made a motion with his arm, which she figured was an “all clear” sign. Then she saw another person move forward onto the porch. He, too, disappeared inside the cabin.
It’s Mike, she thought. He’s the only one who knows the coded phrase to confirm Nina’s identity. Minutes later, two people came out of the cabin to be met by the others. After what appeared to be an introduction and a brief discussion, they got into the vehicle to leave.
***
Earlier at the rendezvous point, the team had waited anxiously, expecting a van to show up at any time. One finally did, much later and much larger than Mike had expected. The vehicle slowly approached the cabin, stopping near the front porch. Mike and Rick watched through binoculars as a woman got out, looked around, and then entered the cabin. They waited several minutes before Mike gave the signal and they moved in. He later stood beside the cabin and watched while waiting for the van to be searched. When he got the “all clear” signal, Mike stepped onto the porch, pushed the door open, and stepped inside. He saw her sitting in a chair facing the door with one hand inside her coat pocket. In addition to the coat, Nina wore a fur hat and tight pants.
“Dasvidaniya,” she said.
“Good morning to you too.” Mike replied. “Do you have today’s paper?”
“Yes, a copy of the Rossiiskaya Gazeta. Will that do?”
“The Gazeta will do just fine.”
He stepped forward and Nina stood. She removed her hand from the grip of the Makarov pistol that had been aimed at his midsection and took off her hat. She shook her head to release the hair that had been folded up underneath her hat. She reached out to shake his hand.
She’s as pretty as her picture. Blond hair and all, he thought.
“My name’s Mike.”
“Mine’s Nina Lubikov. Nice to meet you, Mike.”
“Same here, Nina. We’re ready, if you are. The others are outside.”
“OK, but first I think some details are in order before we leave, just in case we get stopped somewhere along the way. I’m a reporter for RT television. I assume you knew that. If anything happens as we head in, you’re my cameraman and the others are simply part of my ground crew. You good with that?”
“Don’t know. What are the chances of us getting stopped?”
“It’s unlikely but we’ve got ninety kilometers to drive and several small villages and towns to pass through before we get there.”
“Then I don’t think me being your cameraman is such a good idea, especially if we get stopped and the cameraman has to do any talking. My Russian is very limited, but Rick, one of the other men, is fluent. He’ll take over the camera if that becomes the case, and I’ll become part of the equipment crew.”
“OK, no problem. The van is wide open, and you guys can
switch around as may be necessary.”
“Let’s roll, then. I’ll brief the others outside.”
They walked out to meet the rest of the team. Mike introduced Nina and gave them a quick briefing on the cover plan. They loaded up, the SEALs in the back and Mike in the passenger seat. Nina slid in behind the steering wheel and reached between the seats. She picked up a video camera and handed it to Mike. He took the camera and turned to look toward the back. He had a clear view of the team sitting at different locations. The portable light stands and other equipment he saw were probably things she normally used to conduct and record an interview, or it was stuff she had put there to make it look that way. He looked back at her and smiled. She started the engine, put the van into gear, and they drove away.
Chapter Nine
The Farmhouse
It was a monotonous ride for the team sitting in a windowless van, looking forward most of the time at Nina while she drove the roads leading them to the safe house. She occasionally looked in the rearview mirror to watch them, and when she saw one of them looking at her, she smiled.
“Our destination is located near Telezi, which is about twenty-five kilometers from the outer limits of Saint Petersburg. My first task, per my contact…”
“I assume that’s Allison,” Mike said. “She’s our emergency contact in case something happens to you or us while we’re on the op.”
“Yes, that’s right. Anyway, she told me to get you guys there today.”
“Well, so far, you’re getting a passing grade. How long will it take us to get there, and when do we move in closer?”
“Not long to get there. The roads are good, but as I said before, there are several small villages and towns we must pass through, so we could be delayed by traffic. I’d say about two hours of driving time. We should be there easily by noon or shortly thereafter.”
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