She had practiced the maneuver several times; it wasn’t that difficult to do. She felt the ring, turned it over, facing down, and then pushed the top cap to the side. She waited until the man was nearly at the bench before standing up and bumping into him. Her hand rested against his neck as she steadied herself to keep from falling.
“Prasteete, excuse me,” she said.
“Yes, of course,” he said, as his knees began to buckle while trying to get around Allison to look for Nina.
Nina had hurried crossed the street before reaching Palace Square and was walking back up the other side toward the apartment. She didn’t see Alex as she looked back across the street. She had expected him to still be behind her, but he wasn’t there. Back at the bus stop, Allison steadied the man she suspected as being an FSB operative and moved him toward the bench. It had taken but a few seconds for the serum to kick in. It wasn’t a killer drug, just a serum potent enough to make someone dizzy and weak before lapsing into an unconsciousness state. When she looked at the man seated on the bench beside her, the streetlight was just bright enough that she could that that it was Alex, Nina’s boss from RT News. Allison was relieved. At least it wasn’t the FSB who had been following Nina, but what was she going to do with him? She couldn’t just leave him sitting there, which would have been the case had the man been an FSB operative. She took out the phone and called Nina. She answered right away, looking across the street to see Alex and her sitting on the bench.
“Are you nearby?”
“Yes.”
“Quickly, get your car and come pick us up.”
“Is he OK?”
“Yes, just sedated. Now hurry.”
Nina quickened her pace and hurried to the apartment building. She walked down the ramp into the garage and minutes later drove out, catching the signal light at the intersection on green. She turned right and drove down Admiralalteyskiy Street. Minutes later, she made a U-turn and drove back toward Allison. It was dusk and getting darker as she slowed down. She turned the signal light on and stopped at the curb next to the bus stop. She reached over and opened the passenger door. Allison stood and pulled Alex to his feet. She struggled with his weight but managed to drag him out to the car. She pushed him in.
“Take him to the warehouse,” she said, closing the door. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
Chapter Ten
Chain of Command
Claire was sitting in the director’s office. It was Wednesday morning, and they were having their weekly meeting. She was in the process of bringing him up to date on operations of significant importance. She had covered most everything the director would be interested in hearing about, saving the update on NEEDFUL QUEST for last. That’s when they were interrupted by Mary, his secretary. It was a call coming in from the president. She sat prepared to listen to a one-sided conversation but was surprised when the director requested a few minutes of private time. She got up and walked out, pissed. She stood for a few moments, looking at the scenery through the outer office windows before finally taking a seat near Mary’s desk.
“He shooed you out, didn’t he?” Mary asked.
“Yes, he did. Am I the only one he does that to?”
“Oh, no, Claire. Everybody gets that treatment if it’s the president calling.”
“Thanks. That makes me feel a little better. Being the deputy director of operations, you’d think I’d be cleared for anything they’re going to be discussing.”
“He’s a funny man.”
“Who’s a funny man?” the director asked, standing in his office doorway.
“You are,” Claire stated.
“Well, come back in and tell me about it.”
You’re damn right I will, she thought, getting up from the chair.
Claire followed the director back into his office and didn’t waste any time confronting her boss.
“I thought we had an agreement,” she said.
“What are you talking about?” he asked with a perplexed look on his face.
“The agreement we had that you wouldn’t keep me in the blind about operational discussions between you and the president.”
“And you think I’ve broken the agreement?”
“Why else would you ask me to leave?”
“Because I wanted a private word with the president. I’m entitled to that. As I recall, the agreement we had, and still have, pertains to me not making a unilateral ops decision based on specific or implied direction from the president without talking to you first. I don’t believe our agreement means that I’ve got to keep you within arm’s length when I need to talk to him about a private matter or agency business.”
Claire thought about that for a moment and then answered. “Things have been a little stressful lately, and I obviously jumped to an unfounded conclusion. Please accept my apology.”
“Accepted. Now, tell me, why are you so uptight? Is it the Mauldin op?”
“That and the fact that I’m having to deal with assholes like Taylor over at navy. He thinks that I’m just another dumb blond who’s screwed her way to the top of the organization.”
“Well, we both know that’s not true, don’t we? Want me to talk to him?”
“Thanks, but that won’t be necessary. I can take care of it myself.”
“OK, then, let’s pick up where we were before being interrupted by the president.”
“There’s not much more to tell you. The team lost a day of time at Checkpoint Charlie. That’s the bad news. The good news is that they’ve reached the safe house at Telezi without any further difficulties.”
“Are we sure about that?”
“Yes. If you recall, we saw imagery of them at Charlie, and yesterday I saw the overhead of them at Delta.”
“What was the problem at Checkpoint Charlie? Anything serious?”
“I don’t think so, J. D. The imagery I looked at showed two military vehicles parked at the cabin. We suspect they were there when the team arrived. Shocklee radioed in and requested that we delay the asset’s arrival for twenty-four hours. We did, and the military eventually left. The asset arrived on Tuesday, and they left without any further delay. If things go as planned, which I believe they will, they’ll grab Mauldin on Friday and then start to make their way back toward Estonia.”
“So if something goes wrong or if they get caught, when can we expect to hear about it?”
“They’re eight hours ahead of us timewise. That means it will be very early here on Friday morning when they go in after Mauldin. As you know, they’re traveling incognito without any personal identification. If, by chance, they get caught, it will take time—hours or perhaps even days—before one of them is broken. And that will depend on who’s doing the interrogation: the police, the border guards or the FSB.”
“Is Bill Brandson aware of the delay, and does he have any concerns?”
“Yes, he is, and no, he doesn’t have any concerns, or at least he didn’t when I spoke to him after Shocklee called requesting a delay in the pickup time at CPC.”
“Should I alert the president?”
“No, I don’t think so, not now. You told me before that you had briefed him on the op, so I wouldn’t give him any cause to worry without having something more concrete to go on.”
“OK, good point. How is it going to work?”
“Sorry. How’s what going to work?”
“The act of nabbing Mauldin and them getting out of Russia?”
These are questions he should have asked before the operation was launched, she thought. Is he going to start second-guessing the decision to go after Mauldin now that we have him in our sights?
“As we discussed before, J. D., the attendant routinely brings Mauldin out for a walk in the garden that encompasses the back side of the institute during the middle of the afternoon. He sits him on a bench that is out of sight from the main building and handcuffs him to it. He goes out a nearby gate, gets in a car that he has parked close by, and leaves to take ca
re of his drug business. He’s normally gone about twenty minutes. That’s why time on target is so important. Before the operation commences, one of our assets will drive the street that runs parallel to the fence to make sure nothing of concern is taking place and to confirm that the attendant’s vehicle is parked nearby. That asset will call the team to let them know that it’s OK to start the operation. After the team gets the “all clear” call, they will depart from the warehouse that is seven kilometers away. Any questions so far?”
“No, we’re good. Please continue.”
“One of the SEALs will be the driver of the van that they will use to get to the institute. He’s an expert driver. Our asset, the one we talked about before, will be with the team the entire time. Upon arrival, they will park on the side of the street a good distance from the gate and watch for the attendant to come out and leave. Once he’s gone, they will drive up and stop in front of the gate. Shocklee will be the first out to check the status of the gate. We are confident that he’ll be able to open the gate if it automatically locks when closed.”
“And if not?” questioned the director.
“Then they will be equipped to go over the fence. Also, while this is taking place, one SEAL will remain in the van with the engine running. One SEAL will be on security alert outside the van and watching for the attendant in case he returns earlier than planned. He will take appropriate action to neutralize the attendant if he comes back before the team has extracted Mauldin.”
The director interrupted. “What does that mean, take appropriate action to neutralize him?”
“Render him harmless; killing him will be a means of last resort.”
“That’s what I was hoping you were going to say. Go on.”
“Once inside the grounds, Shocklee will inject Mauldin with the serum provided by Dr. Peters to sedate him as the other two SEALs work to free him from the bench; they’ll place a hood over his head and carry him out to the van. Everyone will load up and drive away, getting out of the city as quickly as possible.”
“Sounds good, but what happens when the attendant returns and finds that Mauldin is gone?”
“Now that’s a good question. There is a restroom building not far from where the attendant will have handcuffed Mauldin to the bench. The gate will be left opened by our guys when they leave. We think that the attendant will tell institute authorities that Mauldin must have gone out the gate while he was using the restroom, but your guess on that issue is as good as ours.”
“This all sounds simple, but you once told me there’s always a chance that something could go wrong at the most inopportune time. Let’s say they must make a run for it, for whatever reason, I don’t know, maybe they are being pursued. What happens?”
“We’ll have an asset on the street to run interference if they are being pursued. Once in the clear, the team will have the option of hiding in the warehouse or continuing toward the border. Another option is to head to the farmhouse to hide out there for a spell. What about the ambassador? Have you made a decision on whether he’s to be brought in on the operation?”
“Just now,” he said. “It seems that the odds might be stacked against us, and, yes, I know that I approved the operation, but that’s not what concerns me. I’m hedging against advising the ambassador given his satirical and sometimes hypocritical attitude about CIA activities. If he’s briefed, he might not keep it to himself and breach security by blabbing it back to the secretary over at Foggy Bottom. Rest assured, I don’t have a problem with the secretary knowing about the operation; she’s already been briefed. It’s the means the ambassador might use to communicate with her, asking for guidance. By not advising him, and if something goes awry, he won’t be lying when he says he didn’t know anything about a rogue CIA operation.”
The director’s phone rang.
“Excuse me a moment,” J. D. said.
He answered. It was Mary, again, reminding him of the time.
He ended the call and placed the handset back in its cradle.
“My next appointment is here. Thanks for the update. Hopefully, you’ll be in here on Friday morning telling me that the unexpected didn’t happen and our guys are safely at Checkpoint Charlie with Mauldin.”
“I hope so,” she replied. “What about the ambassador?”
“Thank you,” he said, as she got up to leave. “Let’s keep him in the dark.”
***
Earlier in Saint Petersburg, the traffic was horrible as Nina drove the freeway heading back to the warehouse. She looked at Alex several times, worried that he might become conscious. Several thoughts crossed her mind as she drove past one car and then around another.
What are we going to do with him, and when did he begin his surveillance?
If Allison had just left him alone and not interfered, this would be an entirely different situation. She could have confronted him later, after passing Allison, and perhaps determined in a much more benign manner just how much he had accidentally learned about her activities and the operation. It was a different situation now, and for his sake, and the sake of the operation, Nina needed to develop a cover story to alleviate everyone’s concerns and to satisfy Alex’s meddlesome curiosity.
Soon after watching Nina drive away, Allison headed to a side street where her car was parked. She got in and called Randy. She knew that she didn’t have a lot of time, given the short time the serum would be active, but she had to take enough time to explain to him what had happened. It was important that he be able to decipher what she had to say in order to effectively report it on up the chain. She dialed his number and when he answered, Allison told him what had happened, of the plan to take Brzezinski to the warehouse, and that they would keep him sedated until the chain decided on a course of action.
Allison paused and a few seconds later ended the call, hoping that Randy had captured everything she had conveyed. She started the engine and spun car wheels as she pulled away from the curb, heading to the warehouse.
Within minutes after Allison ended their call, Randy was on a secure call with Brandson.
“That’s right, Bill, she said that Nina was coming to a meeting with her and detected surveillance. They aborted the meeting and Allison took out the guy tailing her, thinking that it was an FSB operative. It turned out that it wasn’t; it was Nina’s boss. I don’t know the exact details, but Allison later determined, after taking the guy out with a ring slap, that it was Brzezinski. She managed to sit him on a nearby bench as the serum was taking effect. She signaled Nina to get her car. They put him in and Allison ordered Nina to take him to the warehouse. I’m pretty sure that Allison didn’t recognize that the man following Nina was her boss, given that it was almost dark; otherwise, she had no reason to interfere. Allison will call me when she gets to the warehouse and has had a chance to debrief Nina. The plan is to keep the exec sedated until we can figure out what to do with him.”
“Damn it to hell, how could this have happened, Randy? Are you sure you’ve got all the details correct?”
“Yes, it was a cryptic call, but I’m pretty sure I understood exactly what she was telling me. Hopefully, we’ll find out more when Allison calls me back after the debrief. Do you want me to put this in a cable and inform headquarters of what’s happened here?”
“Hell no, not yet,” Brandson replied. “I don’t want headquarters second-guessing us or telling us how to suck eggs. We need to determine whether the op has been compromised and what to do about her boss. You just make sure when Allison calls back that you validate her story. Call me back as soon as you hear from her. I’ll be waiting here in the office.”
***
Nina had started to formulate a cover story that she could use with Alex. She played it out mentally as she sat in front of the warehouse waiting for the door to finish opening. She blinked after hearing the door bang open and then drove in. She turned off the engine and closed the door. She sat behind the steering wheel further developing the cover story. Given their r
elationship, Alex was probably just concerned about her well-being. She was certain that he knew nothing about the operation or her relationship with the CIA. She had to convince him to agree that he would not tell anyone about her activities if she told him secret details of what she had been doing. If he agreed, she would say that she had been working for the GRU, Russia’s military intelligence organization, who suspected that a group of military men were selling equipment on the black market. She was the one who initially discovered the nefarious black-market trade and informed the GRU who later enlisted her help to solve the case. Nina could say that the warehouse was provided by the GRU, that it was their van, and that it was their agent who drugged him thinking that he was possibly one of the corrupt officers who had been following her. She’d have to discuss the cover story in more detail with Allison when she got there, but from her perspective, Nina thought it was a good story.
She got out of the car and nervously walked around to the passenger side. She opened the door to give Alex some air, as it had become stuffy inside her small Lada. She started to think of the team and of her safety.
What if he wakes up before Allison gets here, or what if he doesn’t buy the story?
Thinking that she had better be prepared for the unexpected, Nina turned and walked toward the wall where the concealment device was located. She was unaware that Alex had begun to stir. He had opened his eyes and saw her walking away from the car. In a matter of seconds, he had regained his senses. He got out of the car, slowly, and started walking toward her, wondering what had happened and where in the hell they were. Nina had her back to him. He saw that she was fidgeting with something. She didn’t hear him as she reached in to get the Makarov. She grasped the pistol with her finger on the trigger and put it in her coat pocket ready to be used. She felt the grasp of his hands before hearing his voice.
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