got to know Minister Dogin when he was still the Mayor of Moscow. Is that all correct?'
'Yes, sir.'
Orlov moved even closer, his voice barely above a whisper. 'You've served your country and the military vigorously for just over twenty years, risked your life and reputation. With all of this experience, Colonel, tell me: didn't you learn not to sit down in the presence of a superior officer unless given leave to do so?'
Rossky's face flushed. He rose at once, slowly, his posture rigid. 'Yes, sir.'
Orlov remained seated on the desk. 'My career has been different than yours, Colonel. My father saw firsthand what the Luftwaffe did to the Red Army during the War. He passed his respect for airpower to me. I spent eight years in the Air Defense Forces, flying reconnaissance for four years, then helping to train other pilots in ambushes— drawing enemy aircraft into killing grounds of antiaircraft fire.' Orlov stood and looked into Rossky's angry eyes. 'Did you know all of this, Colonel? Did you study my dossier?'
'I did, sir.'
'Then you know I've never had to formally discipline any of my subordinates. Most men are decent, even the conscripts. They only want to do their jobs and he rewarded for the work they do. Some make honest mistakes, and there's no reason to spoil their records because of that. I will always give a soldier, a patriot, the benefit of the doubt. Including you, Colonel.' Orlov came closer until their faces were inches apart. 'But if you try and go around me again,' he said, 'I'll catch you and have you returned to the academy— with a notation of insubordination on your record. Are we clear on that, Colonel?'
'We are— sir,' Rossky said, nearly spitting out the word.
'Good.'
The men exchanged salutes as the General turned and headed toward the door.
'Sir?' Rossky said.
Orlov looked back. The Colonel was still standing at attention. 'Yes?' Orlov asked.
'What your son did in Moscow— was that an honest mistake?'
'It was stupid and irresponsible,' Orlov said. 'You and the Minister were more than fair with him.'
'It was out of respect for your accomplishments that we were, sir,' Rossky said. 'And he has a great career ahead of him. Did you ever read the file on the incident?'
Orlov's eyes narrowed. 'I've never had any interest in it, no. '
'I have a copy,' Rossky said. 'It was removed from the records in general staff headquarters. There was a recommendation attached to it. Did you know that?'
Orlov said nothing.
'Nikita's company Senior Sergeant recommended expulsion for guliganstvo. Not for defacing the Greek Orthodox church on Ulitsa Arkhipova or beating up the priest, but for breaking into the academy supply depot to get the paint, and for striking the guard when he tried to stop him.' Rossky smiled. 'I think your boy was frustrated after my lecture about how the Greek armed forces sold weapons to Afghanistan.'
'What's your point?' Orlov asked. 'That you were able to teach Nikita to attack helpless citizens?'
'Civilians are the soft underbelly of the same machine that runs the military, sir,' Rossky said, 'a perfectly valid target in the eyes of the spetsnaz. But you don't want to debate established military policy with me.'
'I don't care to debate anything with you, Colonel,' Orlov said. 'We have an operations center to launch.' He started toward the door, but Rossky's voice stopped him.
'Of course, sir. However, since you've asked to be kept aware of everything pertaining to my official activities, I will log the details of this conversation— which now include the following. The charges against your son were not dismissed. The Senior Sergeant's report was simply not acted upon, which isn't the same thing. If it were ever called to the attention of the personnel directorate, it would have to be acted upon.'
Orlov had his hand on the doorknob, his back to the Colonel. 'My son will have to bear the consequences of his own deeds, though I'm certain a military judge would take into account his intervening years of service, as well as the way in which the records were suppressed and then released.'
'Files sometimes show up on desks, sir.'
Orlov opened the door. Corporal Belyev was standing there and saluted smartly. 'Your impertinence will be noted in my own log, Colonel,' Orlov said. He looked from Belyev to Rossky. 'Would you care to add to the entry?'
Rossky stood stiffly beside his desk. 'No, sir. Not at present, sir. '
General Orlov walked into the hall and Belyev entered the Colonel's office. She shut the door behind her, and the General could only imagine what was taking place behind the soundproof door.
Not that it mattered. Rossky had been put on notice and would have to follow the rules to the letter? though Orlov had a feeling that rules might begin to change once the Colonel got Interior Minister Dogin on the phone.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Griff Egenes returned to the Oval Office.
'State troopers are on the way to Forest Road,' he said, 'and one of my teams is choppering in from New York. They'll have this lunatic before the half hour.'
'He won't fight them,' said Burkow.
Egenes sat heavily. 'What do you mean'?'
'I mean, we've given him what he wants. He'll spout some radical crap and let himself be taken.'
'Shit,' said Egenes. 'I really wanted to squeeze him.'
'Me too,' said Burkow.
The National Security Chief turned to Mike Rodgers. Though the mood in the Oval Office was grim, Burkow owned the gravest face of the group.
'So, Mike?' Burkow asked. 'Who are these creatures and how do we squash the rest of them?'
'Before you answer,' said the President, 'can someone tell me if the Russians have anything going militarily that can snowball into an invasion? Aren't we supposed to watch for these things?'
Mel Parker, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the administration's silent man, said, 'While Ekdol was busy dictating terms of unconditional surrender, I rang Defense Secretary Colon. He called the Pentagon. I'm told that several Russian divisions are on maneuvers right at the Ukrainian border. Pretty big numbers compared to what they usually do in the region, but nothing that would have sent up a warning signal.'
'No troop movements anywhere else?' Rodgers asked.
'NRO is putting all their resources into finding out,' Parker replied.
'But the border could be a staging area,' the President said.
'It could very well be,' said Parker.
'There's the goddamn problem,' said FBI chief Egenes. 'All this downsizing. We have too few HUMINT resources. A satellite can't tell us about foot soldiers bitching about tomorrow's march or what it says on a map inside a field tent. That's where the real intelligence is.'
'That's a problem,' Rodgers agreed, 'but it has very little to do with this situation.'
'How so?' asked Rachlin.
'The truth is,' said Rodgers, 'this Groznyite didn't buy himself a thing.'
'What do you mean?' asked Tobey, who had been silent as she took notes for Burkow.
'Assume there's an invasion,' Rodgers said, 'say Russia goes into the Ukraine. We wouldn't intervene.'
'Why not?' she asked.
'Because then we'd be at war with Russia,' Rodgers said, 'and what do we do next? We don't have the capacity to wage an effective conventional war. We proved that in Haiti and Somalia. If we tried, casualties would be heavy and they'd be all over TV. The public and Congress would shut us down faster than a crap game in church. And we can't go in with missiles, bombers, and big-scale attacks because of the collateral damage and civilian casualties.'
'I'm crying big, fat, Betty Boop tears,' Burkow said. 'It's a war. People are going to get hurt. And if I'm not mistaken, the Russians fired the first salvo against a bunch of civilians in New York City.'
