Eternal Night

by Richard Turner

  Grace raised her right eyebrow. “And just how do you plan to accomplish this?”

  “Achlys is the product of generations of research and development into gene editing,” replied Sandesh. “It’s a very complicated science, but I’ll do my best to explain. All around the world, people are connected by something known as haplogroups. A haplogroup is a group of genes we inherited from our distant ancestors. To date, we have been able to identify twenty distinct and unique groups spread around the world.”

  “So, I’m uniquely different from, say, someone from Japan because of our haplogroups?” said Grace.

  “Very much so. In fact, thanks to Mister Dinu’s work, we’ve been able to dig down within these groups and target the genes that make people from northern China different than their cousins who live along the coast.”

  “This is all very fascinating, but how does this help bring about peace?”

  “Achlys is the answer. Very soon, Mister Dinu will deliver to me aerosol cans containing a chemical spray. If I were to use the can marked Haplogroup K in Australia, the effect would be disastrous for the aboriginal population living there.”

  Grace focused her mind, trying to absorb every word. “Disastrous how?”

  “Achlys is designed to alter a person’s genes. If I wanted to, I could render an entire ethnic group sterile, or I could design a virus that is only triggered when a person reaches a certain age, like puberty. Can you imagine the horror of millions of parents, knowing that their children will die in a matter of years and there is not a thing they can do to stop it?”

  “Varun, you’re making me feel uncomfortable. This doesn’t sound like you at all. Your life has been dedicated to eliminating suffering, not bringing it about.”

  Sandesh smiled. “Baroness, I have no intention of ever using Achlys. It is merely a weapon that I will use to blackmail the world’s nuclear powers to the negotiating table.”

  “And if they don’t come?”

  “Then we give them a demonstration of Achlys,” said Dimov. “We tell a nation ahead of time that we’re going to make them sick, and we follow through with our threat.”

  “We’ll release a flu or cold bug that will make enough people ill that they’ll have to believe that we have the means to wipe them all out,” added Sandesh.

  “Varun, what if this weapon of yours fell into the wrong hands?” said Grace. “The effects could be catastrophic.”

  “My dear, to prevent such a thing like that from happening, I have designed a foolproof plan,” boasted Dimov.

  “Which is?” asked Grace.

  Dimov’s eyes narrowed. “I bet you’d love to know.”

  “You’ve told me so much already. Why not let me hear your plan? I’m not just another pretty face. I may be able to offer you constructive criticism if I spot a flaw in it.”

  “I’m sorry, Baroness, but this is about as far as you need to know.”

  Sandesh canted his head slightly. “Krasimir, I thought we were getting together to discuss all aspects of the operation. In my mind that includes our safety plan.”

  “Not now, sir.” Dimov snapped his fingers in the air. The guard outside of the cafeteria walked in with his pistol drawn.

  Grace saw the weapon aimed at her chest and froze.

  “Krasimir, I demand to know—what is the meaning of all this?” said Sandesh, moving to place his body in front of Grace’s.

  Dimov grabbed his boss by the arm and yanked him back. At the same time, he drew his concealed pistol. “Sir, your new plaything is not what she appears to be.”

  Grace glared at Dimov. The charade was over. “So, how long have you known that I’m not really a baroness?”

  “I’ve always suspected,” replied Dimov. “But it was Nova Dinu who tipped me off that you are an imposter.”

  “Bugger,” muttered Grace. “I should have suspected the Stockholm syndrome could have set in with her.”

  “At first, she resisted, but after she learned that our aim was world peace, Nova became a very willing participant to the cause.”

  “Her father?”

  Dimov shook his head. “He still believes that if he doesn’t produce Achlys on time that we’ll kill his daughter.”

  Sandesh looked wide-eyed at Grace. “Please tell me your real name.”

  “Grace. My name is Grace Maxwell.”

  “I’ve heard of you,” said Dimov. “Although I never expected to ever meet you in the flesh. You’re a ghost. No wonder none of the pictures I took of you ever produced a result.”

  “Clare…I mean, Grace, why did you lie to me?” asked a heartbroken Sandesh.

  “I’m sorry that I lied to you, but I had to gain your trust so I could learn what you were up to,” she replied. “Varun, it’s not too late to stop what you’re doing. Halt your production of Achlys, and walk away from all of this.”

  Sandesh slid back down into his chair and stared down at the floor.

  “Who’s paying your bills?” Dimov demanded.

  Grace held her head high. “I’ll never tell you.”

  “No, I don’t suppose you will.”

  Grace stood, outwardly calm, with her legs slightly apart and her hands by her sides. Inside, she tensed, waiting for the right moment.

  “Lock her up,” said Dimov to the guard.

  The man reached over to grab Grace by the arm. With lightning-fast reflexes, she grabbed hold of the extended arm and yanked him off his feet. Grace pivoted on her heel and flung the surprised guard at Dimov, knocking his pistol out of his hand. Without hesitating, she spun around and ran for the door. Just as she was about to yank the door open, two more guards walked in. Grace snarled and leaped at the closest man. She never saw the Taser in his hand, but felt the sudden jolt of electricity as twelve hundred volts surged through her body. Her vision narrowed to a small hole, and then blackness enveloped her.

  “Search her, and then lock her in one of the maintenance rooms,” ordered Dimov. “I also want a guard on her, night and day.”

  “Yes, sir,” replied the guard with the Taser.

  “Be gentle with her,” said Sandesh.

  “Sir, she’s a spy,” countered Dimov. “You saw her in action. She could have killed you and me without breaking a sweat.”

  “But she didn’t. I want her treated fairly but firmly.”

  Dimov nodded and waved at the guards to deal with Grace. He faced Sandesh. “Sir, I’m sorry she turned out to be an imposter, but it’s better we found out now rather than later.”

  “Yes,” said Sandesh, weakly.

  “You should get some rest and try to let go of your feelings for her. We have a busy three days ahead of us.”

  Sandesh stood and nodded. He left the room, shuffling his feet as he walked.

  Dimov looked at his watch. After all that had happened, he knew it would be in his best interests to report in with his superiors. After the debacle in Africa, Dimov could almost feel the cold response that was about to come his way when he told them one of the world’s most enigmatic mercenaries had infiltrated their setup. Still, they had to be kept in the picture, or someone else would be sent out to eliminate him and carry on with the mission. Dimov would rather be chastised for incompetence than forfeit his life.

  38

  Nicosia, Cyprus

  Cardinal met Mitchell’s people at the airport and drove them to a quiet hotel on a hill overlooking an olive grove. After a quick round of introductions, they all took a seat outside at a dinner table to eat and discuss the way ahead.

  “Where’s Yuri?” asked Jackson, looking around.

  “He split the day after we arrived,” said Sam. “For once he was polite enough to leave us a note with his contact info. I called him just before you got here, and he’s already in Kazakhstan, looking up old contacts and seeing what he can learn about the island.”

  “As we used to say in the army, time spent on reconnaissance is seldom wasted,” said Mitchell.

  “What’s for dinner?” asked Jackso
n.

  “I’ve ordered us a mezze,” replied Sam.

  “A what?”

  “Think of it as a buffet of Mediterranean food, and you’ll be okay.”

  “I hope there’s lots of it.”

  Cardinal poured everyone a round of ouzo before recounting their experiences in Oman. Sam didn’t hide her feelings toward Grace, making Dawn squirm in her seat. Before Mitchell could pass on their tale, the food arrived. There were plates of hummus, falafel, spiced lamb, bread, cheese, pork, and tzatziki. As they ate, Mitchell recounted their harrowing adventure in South Sudan. Jackson, naturally, embellished the tale, making the lions sound like saber-toothed tigers on steroids.

  “Have you been getting daily updates from Jen and Fahimah?” Mitchell asked Sam.

  She nodded her head.

  “Anything new?”

  Sam took a quick look around to make sure no one was listening. “Jen passed on to me a couple of pieces of information. First off, Varun Sandesh hasn’t been seen in public since the incident at the grand prix. The media in Singapore reported that his superyacht is not in the harbor, leading to speculation that he is no longer in the country. When questioned, his spokesperson said Mister Sandesh is just taking some much-needed time off before the next round of public consultations on nuclear disarmament.”

  “Curious,” said Mitchell. “And what’s the other tidbit of info Jen was able to dig up?”

  “The next bit of info is about Spiridov Island.”

  “Such as?”

  Sam leaned forward and lowered her voice. “Over the past four years, a private company allegedly hired by the Russian government has been visiting the island to clean up some of the more toxic sites. It turns out this company has ties to the Sandesh Corporation.”

  “Figures,” said Jackson.

  “Did anyone ever check on this company to see if they were doing what they were paid to do?” asked Mitchell.

  “Jen couldn’t find any records to indicate anyone other than the cleanup crews have been on the island,” responded Sam. “So, I guess the answer is no.”

  “The Russians were probably bribed into accepting whatever report was produced after each visit to the island,” said Dawn.

  “I thought this island was in Kazakhstan,” said Jackson. “Why are the Russians still involved?”

  “The ownership of the island is disputed,” said Sam. “It may lie in territory claimed by Kazakhstan, but the Russian Federation is still arguing that it belongs to them. Regardless, the cleanup of the island is a responsibility of the Russian government. Hence their continued involvement.”

  “I suppose the only way we’re going to know what Sandesh’s people were doing on that island is by paying it a visit,” said Mitchell.

  “Do you think it could still be toxic?” wondered Cardinal.

  “It’s supposed to be clean, but we should get our hands on some masks and suits just to be safe,” said Mitchell.

  “I take it this means my and Cardinal’s little vacation in the sun is over,” said Sam.

  “I’m afraid so. I’ll give the general a call after supper to get his blessing. While I do that, Sam, you give Yuri a call and ask him where we can link up with him, and let him know about the biological-weapons-protection gear we’re going to need.”

  “Will do,” replied Sam.

  Mitchell looked at Dawn. “Get onto your network and see if anyone has seen or heard from Grace. If she’s still with Sandesh and he’s gone to ground, her life may be in danger.”

  “I’ll see what I can find out,” replied Dawn.

  Jackson stood and asked Mitchell to follow him outside. When they were alone, Jackson faced his friend. “Ryan, you know I’d never question you in front of the rest of the team, but what’s our game plan when we catch up with Grace and Sandesh? Our mission is to find and retrieve Grace. There was never any discussion about stopping whatever Sandesh is plotting. And as of right now, I’m not sure what he’s up to.”

  “Has that ever stopped us in the past?”

  “No, but I think you should discuss this with the boss when you call him. You’ve got a newborn kid, and I’ve got a family that needs me. If this is someone else’s mess that we’re tidying up, it would be nice if someone helped out for once. Look, we could have been killed the other day. We got lucky and are still on our feet, but it could just have easily turned out the other way. Ryan, I’m still not sure what Grace is up to, and to be honest, I’m not sure how much we can trust her. She screwed over Sam and Gordon to further her scheme. Who’s to say she won’t do the same to us?”

  Mitchell could hear the caution in his friend’s voice. He had always trusted and respected Jackson’s counsel. “Got it. I’ll let the general make the call this time. Perhaps it is time for the grownups to step up to the plate.”

  “Thanks, but you know what Washington will say when the general calls his friends. Sandesh is too high profile…he’s connected to this person or that party…etcetera. You just know that it’ll come back to us because there’s no one else around.”

  “So, you’d be okay with that?”

  “Yeah, I suppose. I just wanted to vent my spleen. I know the boss will do the best he can.”

  Mitchell led Jackson back inside and poured him another tall glass of ouzo. “Have another drink or two. It’ll help make tomorrow’s flight not seem so long.”

  39

  Aktau, Kazakhstan

  “Welcome to Kazakhstan,” said Yuri, with a smile on his unshaven face. In his hand was a sign that read Mitchell.

  Mitchell and Jackson strolled over to see him, while the rest of the team picked up their bags from their fight.

  “How come you’re so full of life?” asked Jackson, reaching his hands over his head to stretch out his back. “We’ve been on the go for the past fifteen hours.”

  Yuri leaned forward and lowered his voice. “Because I am your tour guide, and the local state security people are watching us. The Soviets may have left, but the state paranoia did not.”

  Jackson smiled. “Glad to meet you, Mister Uvarov.”

  “I have a van waiting for us in the parking lot,” said Yuri. “Please follow me.”

  A half-moon hung high in the star-filled sky. A warm breeze coming off the Caspian Sea made the weather outside pleasant.

  After loading everyone into his rented Hyundai van, Yuri drove out of the airport parking lot and headed out into traffic.

  “Where are we going?” asked Sam.

  “I’ve got you all booked into a hotel for the night,” he replied. “After you get settled in, I’ll fill you in on what’s going on tomorrow.”

  “Yuri, not that I’m questioning your skills as a travel agent, but why didn’t we just fly here to start with?” asked Cardinal. “Why did we have to stop in Azerbaijan for six hours?”

  “Because Kazakhstan is a huge country,” replied Yuri. “Trust me, if you had flown to the capital, you’d still be there. This was the fastest way to get you here.”

  “When are we flying tomorrow?” asked Mitchell.

  “First thing in the morning,” he replied. “Both the Russian and Kazak militaries keep a close eye on the island. So, I’ll have to fly just above the waves to confuse their radar systems.”

  “Any luck getting what we may need for our hop over to the island?” asked Jackson.

  “Da, everything is good to go,” replied Yuri. “I have an old friend here who owed me a favor. He’s the one who arranged for our helicopter, and all of the equipment you asked for.”

  “That’s good news,” said Mitchell.

  Yuri picked up a packet from the dashboard and handed it to Mitchell. “Inside, you will find the latest pictures of the island. Most of the abandoned test facilities are in the northern portion of the island, while the test sites are in the south. I’ve already selected a good LZ for the chopper. I don’t think you’ll need full biohazard suits, but carrying your respirators with you is probably not a bad idea while you’re there.”


  “Sound advice. Yuri, have you been able to dig up any more info on the island and Sandesh’s interest in it?”

  Yuri nodded. “According to my sources, the last time the island was visited by the people hired to clean up some of the toxic waste, they were there for close to a month. That isn’t surprising, considering that the island is a mess. What is interesting, is that a lot of construction supplies were flown from Aktau over to the island. This company was allegedly hired to remove waste, not build something.”

  “The plot thickens,” said Jackson.

  “Are there any visible signs of repairs or construction on the island?” asked Dawn.

  “I have yet to see the island myself, but my associate flew over it recently, and he told me that it looks no different than it did before the cleanup began.”

  “Is there any chance of getting our hands on the supply manifests of the equipment that was flown over to Spiridov?” asked Mitchell.

  Yuri shook his head. “None. There was a fire at the supply warehouse a week after the cleanup ended. And wouldn’t you know it, all the company’s records were lost in the fire.”

  “That’s damned convenient,” said Jackson.

  “Profitable, too,” said Yuri. “The owner made a small fortune when the insurance company said the fire wasn’t caused by arson.”

  “So, when it was all said and done, the insurance investigator must have gotten a little gift under the table,” said Sam.

  “Graft and corruption,” said Jackson. “It’s the same no matter where you go.”

  Yuri pulled up in front of a three-star hotel and waited while everyone got out. He looked at Mitchell. “I’ve already checked you into your rooms.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Ryan, I’ll be back at four in the morning to pick all of you up. Bring your bags with you. Knowing our luck, we’ll have to find a way out of here that won’t include coming back to this hotel.”

  Mitchell chuckled. “Got it. I’ll pass the word. And, Yuri, it’s good to see you again.”

  “You too.” Yuri waved, changed gears, and drove off.