Dawson flipped the radio back into receive mode. ‘Edwards, you copy that?’
‘Aye, sir. God has found a perch near the target and is ready if we need him.’
‘All right, men,’ Gates boomed out, ‘it’s time to saddle up.’
The SEALs zipped into their formfitting, black Neotex wet suits to protect them from exposure during the mile-long swim to shore. Over their chests, the SEALs donned Draeger LAR V oxygen rebreathers – a type of closed-circuit scuba gear that left no telltale bubbles on the surface to give away their position. They then attached a variety of weapons and equipment to their backs, waists, and thighs, transforming each SEAL into a mobile arsenal.
Once the squad was suited up and equipped, Gates, the dive supervisor, checked each man to ensure that the dive gear was right and that the weapons and other equipment were secure. The squad then performed the predive purge, ridding their bodies of built-up nitrogen before switching to pure oxygen for the dive. This last step was done for safety, reducing the possibility that one of the divers might suffer from oxygen deprivation should exhaled nitrogen pass through the CO2-absorbing crystals in the Draeger rebreather and take the place of life- sustaining oxygen.
Edwards checked his dive watch; it was time to go.
‘Admiral, Angel will be on station at oh-nine-thirty and awaiting your signal.’
‘Good hunting, Angel,’ Dawson replied, loud enough for the entire squad to hear.
One by one, the SEALs stepped off the stern jump deck and into the water. Smith and Martin Kilkenny looked on. When all seven were in the water, Edwards flashed a thumbs-up at Dawson and the two elderly men. Then the SEALs disappeared into the lake.
56
Moscow, Russia
‘ Zdravstvuyte, Bartholomew Georgievich,’ a squat thickset man said as Kilkenny and Cooper entered their suite at the Metropol. ‘How was your flight?’
‘Fine, Iggy,’ Cooper replied warmly. The two men embraced in a Russian bear hug. ‘It’s good to see you again.’
‘ Da. Like old times, but better.’
‘Iggy, I’d like you to meet Nolan Kilkenny. He’s the guy I told you about, the one who’s helping me out on this. Nolan, this is Igor Sergeevich Fydorov of the FSB.’
‘A pleasure,’ Kilkenny said, offering his hand.
Fydorov grasped it firmly with his thick-fingered paw and squeezed, all the while grinning and looking Nolan in the eye. Kilkenny smiled and returned an equal amount of pressure in what was obviously a test of strength. The bushy mass of hair that formed a single brow over Fydorov’s brown eyes furled as he bore down on Kilkenny’s hand. Kilkenny matched him and returned a tense smile.
‘Enough, you two,’ Cooper said, amused by the spectacle. ‘Call it a draw.’
Fydorov and Kilkenny released simultaneously, both relieved that it was over.
‘Your friend has quite a grip,’ Fydorov said as he massaged the blood back into his reddened fingers.
‘The same could be said for you, Mr Fydorov.’
In a friendly gesture, Fydorov slapped Kilkenny hard on the back. ‘Call me Iggy.’
‘Is everything set for our meeting with Orlov?’ Cooper asked.
‘ Da, everything is as we discussed. When I get your signal, Alpha will move in.’ ‘Alpha?’ Kilkenny asked.
‘Alpha is a Special Forces unit, like your SEALs or Deltas. The KGB developed the Alphas for use in Afghanistan. I was part of the unit that attacked the presidential palace in Kabul,’ Fydorov said proudly. ‘We spearheaded the Russian invasion in 1979. When that first mission began to go badly and we came under heavy fire, Brezhnev ordered that we be abandoned and left to die.’
‘Couldn’t stomach the disappointment?’ Kilkenny asked.
‘Politicians,’ Fydorov replied with disgust. ‘We escaped from that betrayal and became the KGB’s elite Special Forces unit. During the Battle for the Russian White House, when Yeltsin launched an eleven-day siege against Rutskoi and the Russian parliament, two Alphas entered the White House under a flag of truce and informed the rebels that they had thirty minutes to surrender, or Alpha would attack. The rebels surrendered immediately.’
‘Politicians,’ Kilkenny said.
‘When the KGB was broken up,’ Fydorov continued, ‘the FSB inherited Alpha, and we use them as a counter- terrorism assault unit. In their role as the government’s enforcer, Alpha recently took it upon themselves to remove a Mafiya chieftain who boasted of being untouchable by the government. As he walked from the steambath to his armorplated Mercedes 600, surrounded by bodyguards, a sniper nestled in a fifth-story window put two bullets in his head and one in his heart.’
‘Given that Orlov has surrounded himself with operators like Leskov,’ Kilkenny remarked, ‘it’s nice to know the cavalry will be there when we need them.’
‘Cavalry?’ Fydorov questioned, not understanding Kilkenny’s comment. ‘Oh, like in cowboy movies. Yes, we are the cavalry. Is there anything you require?’
Kilkenny shook his head.
‘No,’ Cooper replied. ‘I think we’re all set here. Nolan and I just need to get ready for our meeting with Orlov.’
Fydorov checked his watch. ‘It’s time for me to go as well. I have a taxi waiting for you – one of our drivers. He’ll make sure you get there. Good luck, to the both of you.’
‘Thanks, Iggy,’ Cooper replied.
‘We’ll see you when all of this is over,’ Nolan promised.
57
Moscow, Russia
After a quick shower to wash off the twelve-plus hours of travel and wake him up, Kilkenny emerged from his room in khaki pants, an open-collared button-down shirt, and a tweed blazer.
‘You look like a model for L. L. Bean,’ Cooper said.
‘Thanks, and judging by that old suit you’re wearing, Mr GQ, I’d refrain from making any more fashion statements. Glass houses, you know.’
‘Very funny, but we’ll pass for amerikanski biznesmeny,’ Cooper said with a wry smile. ‘Let’s get moving.’
At the main entrance of the hotel, the doorman escorted them to the curb and waved for one of the queued taxis to pull up. A battered yellow Lada stopped at the curb, and Cooper and Kilkenny got in.
‘The FinProm building on Prospekt Mira, da? ’ the driver asked, confirming the instructions given him by Fydorov.
‘ Da,’ Cooper replied.
The driver expertly negotiated the medieval maze of streets in Moscow’s core out to the Sadovoye Koltso. He followed the former garden beltway until it reached Prospekt Mira, where he turned and drove into Moscow’s northern periphery. In the distance, Kilkenny saw a three-hundred-meter-tall obelisk of polished metal.
‘What is that?’ Kilkenny asked.
‘What?’ Cooper replied absently. ‘Oh, that’s right. This is your first trip here. That tower commemorates Soviet achievements in space travel.’
