[Finally, another chapter is ready! Yes, I guess I've been slacking on the re-edits. But, as it stands AT THIS MINUTE, I only have one additional partial chapter ready to revise. After that, well, we'll see where it goes.
Down to the wire, here. What's going to happen? Well, Mike'll save the world, of course. How, though, is a better question. And what about the double-dealing Chechnik? And does Putin have something nasty up his sleeve? All these questions - and more! - answered in THIS CHAPTER!
So why are you reading this? Go ahead!
Adam]
CHAPTER 51
Gereshk was finally alone now.
All his men received their instructions, and money, and had flowed out into the streets to mix with the commuters heading home. They disappeared into the sea of humanity easily; modern, cosmopolitan Moscow paid them no heed at all. He had bade farewell to the last and closed the heavy steel door, throwing the ancient bolt to a horrendous screech. Small wonder it hadn’t been locked.
The bakery was a good refuge. It appeared that the owner was on vacation for a week, so he wouldn’t have to worry about an intrusion early in the morning. That didn’t matter so much any longer. All he needed was another day. Less, actually. He planned to detonate the bomb at noon, the peak of the day, when the most people would be crowded into the city and the device could reap the maximum devastation, all for the glory of Allah.
It would also make the morning news in America. Another blow to the Great Satan, that even such a city as Moscow could be laid waste to by the defenders of the faith. Pity he wouldn’t be around to enjoy it, but faith demanded martyrs, too. His only regret was that he would not be around to see the chaos, destruction and death he sowed.
Even if he’d planned to abandon the weapon - a thought which had occurred to him once or twice - that option was now gone. The timing mechanism had been damaged in the firefight, so he would be forced into an alternate method. More basic, less technical. The irony didn’t bother him, that the product of the Russian’s technology should come down to this: man, hammer, bomb. Wham.
Fortunately, this warhead had last seen life with an impact detonator, which had remained intact through shipping and subsequent events. One solid whack on the nose and the bomb should explode, bringing Allah’s wrath down upon the Russian infidels.
Less than a day, now.
===============================
The Cosmos 2224 was part of a now-defunct missile launch warning system the Soviet Union had placed in orbit. Most observers assumed that it carried only visible spectrum and infrared optics, those being most useful for detecting the launch of any kind of spacecraft from Earth. However, the Soviets had also installed a rudimentary gamma ray detector, to help distinguish between a nuclear threat and other satellites such as commercial birds or NASA’s shuttle fleet passing through its patrol area.
Although the network was now inoperative, some of the individual satellites still had power and fuel remaining, and so continued their task of examining the planet below for anomalies.
On this pass over Moscow, 2224 was active instead of sleeping. The general mobilization of all resources had reached far enough down the chain to order it powered up. It peered down from its lofty perch upon the bustling city. Numerous gamma sources were noted, recorded, and transmitted down to its control station before it returned to its dreamless electronic sleep.
Murphy couldn’t prevent it transmitting; he had too much else on his plate. But it was a Russian bird, and so the Keldara lacked the same instantaneous access to the data as they had with most American satellites. Thus, it was nearly thirty minutes before the unexpected and totally unlikely gamma hot spot was downloaded to their server.
The action, and panic, when the alarms screamed more than made up for the delay.
===============================
“Bozhe moi!” The involuntary oath slipped from Lieutenant Sankovsky’s lips as his terminal lit up. He fumbled for the phone.
===============================
“We have found it,” announced Chechnik, closing his mobile. “Off Khoromniy Tupik. I’m having the data downloaded to you now, and the address.”
“How far away?” asked Mike, already jogging towards the car.
“Two kilometers, perhaps.”
Inside the car, Anisa was already tapping at her tablet. “Found it. Location matches that of a - Kildar, it’s a bakery! Called The Black Loaf!” She called directions to Jitka, who dropped the car into gear, followed by the rest of the team.
“Fitting place for a fucking blackass Chechen bastard,” growled Chechnik.
“Ah, ah, ah!” scolded Mike. “Remember, you turned him in, not the other way around. Come to think of it, I want you to stay in the limo. Out of sight.”
“It is my duty -”
“Stuff your duty. I’m worried that, if he’s still holding a grudge after all these years, one look at you and he sends us all to Valhalla. Second point, we‘re trained in stealth ops and in condition for it; you aren‘t. You‘ll slow us down and potentially blow our approach. So. In the limo, voluntarily or not. Your choice; I don‘t care. We have plenty of rigger tape.”
“I hadn’t considered that,” said Chechnik. “Rigger tape not necessary. I shall remain here and await your success.”
“You seem very sure of our abilities.”
With a very Russian smile, Chechnik said, “I am. And if you fail? I shall never know it. One request, though, may I use my phone while I wait? I would like to keep track with my office.”
“No, but don’t worry. We’ll leave you a tablet to play with,” consoled Mike. “Something to keep you occupied. Anisa, don’t we have one of the original designs? The ones for Shota and the Mules before his little operation?” he asked in Keldara, hoping that Chechnik hadn’t mastered the dialect yet.
“I believe so, Kildar. I use it for entertainment. It’s a wonderful e-book reader.”
“You have some suitable ones uploaded?”
“Oh, I think so,” she replied with a twinkle. “How about The Chinese Outlaw’s Quiet Lady, The Parisian Heir’s Depraved Captive, and The Italian Millionaire’s Irrepressible Mistress? Oh, and I think I have a copy of Scientology on there.”
“That’s evil, Anisa. I don’t even want to know why you have that last title.” In Russian, he said to Chechnik, “I think we can make sure you’re not bored.”
Traffic was a nightmare. Although his Keldara were typical third world drivers, for such values of ‘driver’, there was little they could do with solid lines of cars and lorries blocking both sides of the road. Even Chechnik’s help was only able to shave a few minutes off the total time, but soon enough Anisa announced, “Find a place to pull over. We don‘t want to get any closer, in case there are patrols out.”
“Teach your grandmother to suck eggs,“ said Jitka.
That was the easy part. They simply stopped where they were, traffic and parked cars be dammed, and unassed. Horns blared, then died, as the impatient drivers took a closer look at the uniforms and the lethal-looking rifles. Military actions were not uncommon in Moscow, and the populace had long since learned how to deal with them: avoid making a scene and leave the area immediately. More than a few pulled as far off the road as they could, stopped, got out of their car and started walking. Quickly. When the shooting was over, they’d come reclaim their transport.
Anisa, through her hacks into the planner’s server, had called up a blueprint of the bakery. It showed four rooms, plus a bathroom: a large public space in the front, an industrial kitchen, an office next to the kitchen, and a storeroom across the rear.
“Two entrances, here and here,” said Mike to the gathered troops. “Only good line of sight is through the front; Sveryan, you’ll need to find a perch. This location looks promising. There’s an emergency ladder, but if it’s in the same shitty condition most are, you’ll need ropes and a grapple. You brought the Barrett?”
“Yes, Kildar, and the Mannlicher.”
“Take the Barrett. We might need the heavier round.”
“I understand. Penetration.”
“And hold your fire until ordered! We don’t know the situation; we can’t have civilian casualties. But when I give the word, or you see action near the bomb - take the shot! Through people, if need be.”
Sveryan and Gregor Makanee, his spotter, headed out.
“Vil, you, one squad and your heavies to the front. Your second leads the other squad and bottles ‘em up at the rear. Heavy assault entry. If it‘s breathing when you go in, it’s not when you leave. Do NOT shoot the bomb, and remember your assigned vectors.”
“Yes, Kildar.”
“Katrina, you, Adams, Arensky and the girls follow along. Stay close but out of sight. I don’t need my WMD expert or a big chunk of my Intel team at risk from a stray round.”
“And why me, Michael?” asked Kat, anger at being behind the action evident in her voice and stance.
“You’re there to keep a watch over them, you and the Chief. I figure between you, any random muj won’t have a prayer.”
“Oh,” she said, mollified. “We can do that. The Chief’s good enough to keep up with me.” She dimpled.
“And Chief?” he said, rolling his eyes slightly.
“Yeah?”
“ake-May ure-say at-thay e-thay ick-pray ays-stay ith-way e-thay ar-cay. Tries to leave? Oot-shay im-hay. Understand?”
“Got it.” Chechnik would stay with the car, or he’d be shot. Mike didn’t like surprises.
“Anisa, can you shut down their phone and computer lines? Without dumping the power? That‘s step one in the official ‘Take Down Terrorists‘ playbook the Russians use, and I think that Geresk’s clever enough to figure it out.”
“Give me a few minutes and I can. Uh… How much of the network can I take down?”
“As much as you need. Get started.” He turned to the teams. “We move when she signals that they’re down.”
The plan was simple enough. Mike would do the initial approach as if a regular customer and eyeball the interior. It was possible that the weapon had simply been planted in the store without anyone’s knowledge, in which case it was his moral obligation to clear any civilians. It wasn’t likely, though. Then it would be a hard and fast entry, nasty if there were hostages, but then it always sucked to be one of those. They’d deal with that fallout after the bomb was recovered.
More probably, the Chechens had taken over the bakery completely and were simply putting on a front, waiting. If so, as long as the Russian Army didn’t screw it up, the Keldara would have the advantage of surprise.
“Kildar?” said Grez, looking up from her own tablet.
“What’ve you got?”
“I found their website. Apparently, this bakery closes at two every day.” It was well after that.
“Shit.” That made things simpler, in some ways, and more difficult too. If they were closed, he couldn’t just walk in and look around. They’d be going in blind, or nearly so. On the plus side, they wouldn’t have to worry about customers, and there might not be any workers around.
“Okay, change of plans. I’m going to enter through the back and look around, then signal.” Nods all around. “Set teams for entry. God eyes, any watchers?”
“Negative, Kildar. No guards visible, nothing on thermal,” answered Gregor over the radio.
In the failing light, Mike re-dressed.
No camo or makeup. Button-down shirt, coat, slacks, and he was a moderately successful businessman on his way home. The dark suitcoat‘s pockets concealed a couple of Vanner’s toys, diminished the bulk of his Kevlar vest, and his Browning was in a holster under his arm.
Getting back into his casual sneak mode, he walked around the block to the storefront and passed by, totally disinterested in dark windows.
He didn’t see any movement in his pass, but that didn’t mean anything one way or another. He walked to the end of the block and doubled back quickly, ducking down an alleyway before he returned to the frontage.
Another alley, wider, led past the backs of the stores, obviously for deliveries. He shed the coat, shirt, and shoulder holster. He thought about shedding the vest, too, but decided reluctantly to keep it. He had to put it under the t-shirt, though, and that was going to be uncomfortable. At least it wasn’t summer in the sandy-ass desert.
The Browning got tucked into his pants and hidden under the t-shirt, and the micro video system looked like a smart phone. In fact, that had been one of the design considerations. Now, he was just a worker taking a shortcut.
He stopped before crossing the window set into the steel door. He placed a hand on it. Solid. The lock looked easy enough; he’d been forced to renew his picking skills with Mouse’s presence in the house. He had to be better, it was his competitive nature. No signs of wires for an alarm, though they could be mounted on the inside, though it was unlikely. Still, he had tools for that, too.
Kneeling, he threaded the fiber-optic camera under the door jamb and peered at the view. Nothing but sacks to the left, doorway ahead, and - bingo! Nuclear warhead, one each, partially crated for transport. Was the top open? He’d have to risk the window. The peek didn’t reveal anyone inside the storeroom. His senses on high alert, he moved.
The camera was pulled back out and lifted to window level for an instant, capturing a quick view. He studied it. Poor resolution or no, he could tell that the back room was empty, so he risked a longer view.
===============================
“What are you doing?” asked Jitka suspiciously. Chechnik had retrieved his phone and was about to make a call.
“It is getting late, and my wife expects me for supper. I simply wish to call and tell her that I am delayed.”
Jitka looked thoughtfully at him. No phone calls, that was the order. But a man, facing death, with family… He relented. “Very well, but I need to listen.”
“Of course,” Chechnik replied easily, dialing Putin’s number. After a single ring, it was answered.
“Chechnik? Where are you?”
“Hello, dear! Sorry, I’m going to be late getting home.”
Putin had spent fifteen years on active service in the KGB and quickly deduced the situation. “Has he found the bomb?”
“Yes, of course I’ll be home tonight. It’s simply a matter of wrapping up some work.”
“Excellent! I am on my way, with the troops you had briefed. You did brief them?”
“Yes, yes. Very soon.” Of course he had briefed them. Hand-picked them, too. Called in many favors, and would owe many more if he lived through this. It meant that he could rely on them, at least.
“Good.” Putin hung up.
“Love you too.” He ended the call before the electronics witch could think to query his phone for the call’s actual location.
===============================
Fifteen minutes of random observations had revealed no movement inside, so Mike decided to risk picking the lock. The mechanism itself was almost childishly easy, but age had nearly frozen the tumblers in place. Gently, slowly, he turned the tools, straining to hear the slightest scrape or groan of metal. Millimeter by millimeter, he felt it retract.
After what seemed an eternity, the bolt finally finished slotting home. Mike took another look through the window, gripped the door handle, tensed, and pulled.
The door moved about a quarter-inch and froze. Barred. That took another five minutes of finessing with fishing line to lift and lower it before tying the line to the door handle to keep it from dropping. Silence was his ally. “Can you guess my name?” he sang quietly as he pushed against the door.
“Damn!” he swore under his breath. He felt the first tremors of resistance from age. Maybe the door was warped, too. That’d figure. Probably should’ve gone with the explosives entry, but too late now. Besides, he was stubborn and determined to see it through his way. Truth be told, he was enjoying the challenge.
He patted his pockets, hoping to find some sort of lubricant. Graphite, silicone, anything.
Shit. Nothing.
No time to search, or wait. And he really didn’t need the jokes that would come with the Kildar asking for some lube. Wherever the Chechens were, they could come back at any moment. He had to hope that they hadn’t left anyone behind to guard. They could be in evening prayer, making peace with their god. Fine. He’d introduce them.
With a surge, he yanked the door open. One single screech of protest was all the door emitted, though, and he was through and in front of the bomb.
Nothing. No sounds, no movement. He stood on the balls of his feet, poised to move in any direction. He knew his men were preparing to make entry and back him up.
He stood and looked down into the box. Yes, that was it. Big, dull grey metal casing, open at one end - open? What was going on with that? Curiosity aroused, he looked down.
Ah. A hole in the box he hadn’t noticed told the tale. The timer must’ve been hit, and they were trying to rig an alternate…
The shot hit him in the left shoulder and spun him around. Fuck! He’d taken just a second too long, forgotten the first rule of engagements: do your job, let others do theirs! He lingered at the bomb when he should have cleared the room and moved, leaving it for others. That was the fucking plan! He was getting old, rusty, or maybe just distracted. Too much shit going on. Too much to think about. All this while he continued the spin the bullet had started.
One man, dressed in faded Russian fatigues, holding an old Makarov PM 9mm. Dark hair, brown eyes, olive skin. Medium build. A couple scars Mike could just see in the semi-darkness.
“Away from Allah’s vengeance,” snarled the man, gesturing.
Carefully, Mike inched away from the box. Could he play innocent? No, probably not. “I’m moving,” he said, activating the sub dermal transmitter. “It’s just you and me.” He clicked his teeth three times. That was the ‘balls to the walls’ signal. “All Father!” he heard in the earpiece.
“Faster!”
He inched a bit further, out of the entry lanes and lines of fire. He didn‘t need to be blue on blue again. It took him away from the bomb, and that’s what the man wanted. Get him talking, keep his attention for a few more seconds. “How are you going to set it off? The timer’s smashed to shit.”
“Coming,” said Adams in his earpiece. “Thirty seconds.”
“You won’t be around to see it, infidel! You and the rest of your city will be a glorious beacon to the faithful!”
“My city? I don’t think so. I’m not from here.”
“Keep him talking. Vil’s working on the front door.” Just blow the fucker! he wanted to shout, but couldn’t.
The muj was confused but the pistol didn’t waver. “Kiev. St.Petersburg. Wherever. You have no business being here and will pay for your presence.”
“I don’t think so,” contradicted Mike, still not moving any farther. It might piss him off, but he had to keep him focused on the immediate threat.
“Ten seconds,” said Adams. “Fuck. Car. Twenty.”
“No? Who will save you? Your Christian god? Your Jesus?”
“No. But where has Allah gotten you, Gereshk? You are Bursuk Gereshk, yes?”
“How do you know my name?” He took a threatening step towards Mike and away from the device. He was now perfectly in line with the door.
“Does it matter? I know your name, like I knew the late Emir. Haven’t you wondered why you weren’t contacted? Or are you too stupid to realize that you’ve failed?”
“The Emirate will never fall! Allah has revealed it to His servants!”
“Like Ibrahim?”
“Yes!”
“Ibrahim’s dead too, and he was a fake. He lied to you all.”
“Five seconds. Stand by to drop on my signal.”
“No! Ibrahim was the best of us!”
“Now he’s just like the rest of you - dead. You’re it, Gereshk. The last one.”
“Then I shall fall a martyr!”
“Drop!” Mike spun and fell to the floor.
Gereshk lunged forward towards him, pistol raised, but Mike was no longer there. Getting shot was one way to get rid of the rust. The adrenalin pumping through him made Mike move faster than the muj’s eyes could follow in the shadows.
Three shots rang through the storeroom. All three rounds penetrated Gereshk’s back and emerged perfectly in the sniper’s triangle, below the throat and above the breastline, shredding the heart and lungs and spraying Mike liberally with blood. Gereshk’s body collapsed to the floor, just shy of his goal.
He spat blood. Not blue on blue, but close. Still, a miss was as good as a mile, or some similar shit.
Vil lowered his rifle. “Sorry, Kildar,” he said apologetically. “Towel!” he yelled over his shoulder.
“No problem, Vil. Nice shooting.” He reached down and pulled the Makarov from Gereshk’s outstretched hand.
“I’ll take that,” said Katrina, crowding in. “I can use it for practice.”
“Sure,” Mike said, bemused. He flexed his shoulder. There was a little grating inside, but no extra wetness, or the pain that came with full penetration. The vest had caught most of it. From the front, he could hear Vil’s men bitching about not being able to use their demo packs and not having enough targets. He ignored them, and the pain. There’d be enough chances for them to wreak havoc.
“Okay. Let’s get this packed up and ready to roll. We’ve got a long trip home!”
===============================
Fifteen minutes later, the trucks had been maneuvered through the alleyway and the bomb safely loaded. The impact detonator was separated from the bomb, in a different truck, in fact. No chance of accidental detonation.
They were outside debating what to do with Gereshk’s body.
“Fuck ‘em. Leave it to rot,” was Adams’ opinion.
“It’s not fair to the shopkeeper,” said Vil, the voice of reason. “He didn’t ask for this.” The letters for the owner’s vacation had been found among the papers on the desk.
“I think -” began Mike, but was interrupted.
“Drop your weapons!” blared a harsh electronically enhanced voice. They were suddenly, shockingly illuminated by floodlights. How had they snuck up on him, and who were they? Russians, for sure - but whose?
“No!” Mike said to Vil, who was beginning to raise his rifle. “They’ve got the drop on us. Let’s see if we can talk our way out of this.” Taking out his pistol and catching each Keldara’s eye, they all, reluctantly, lowered their weapons to the ground. Even Katrina placed her precious M-4 at her feet. Her eyes promised murder, though. And it probably wouldn’t matter who.
“Better.” A figure, backlit, moved toward them. The stride proclaimed pride, and cockiness, at the same time. It was the stride of a man assured of his place in the world, and the power at his command. It was a stride that screamed, ’Incoming asshole!’ to both Mike and Adams.
“Michael Jenkins. Kildar of the Keldara, leader of the Tigers of the Mountains. What a pleasure to see you again. I am pleased to tell you, you and your men are under arrest.”
“Vladimir.” Mike’s voice dripped venom. “Did your lackey tell you where we were?”
“Oh, no, no need for him to tell me anything. We simply tracked in on his phone. He’s been a good soldier today. Perhaps to make up for other mistakes, but I didn‘t take any chances.”
“I see.” The fury in Mike’s eyes boded ill for Chechnik’s future.
“So. You have completed your mission, yes? Retrieved the last bomb, and now like all good mercenaries you are going to skulk off into the night? I think, not.”
“We’re not mercenaries, Putin. We’re simply helping out.”
“And being very well paid for it, yes. All a matter of semantics, and totally irrelevant. You see, I’ve just captured a nuclear terrorist. That ought to help when I run for the presidency again in 2012 - ‘Vladimir Putin, Savior of Moscow‘. Has quite a ring to it, doesn‘t it?”
“I don’t care if you take the credit,” ground out Mike. “Take the bomb, too. Be a hero, even though you let my men take all the risks and do all the bleeding again. We’ll just be on our way.” He turned as if to go, ignoring the arrest declaration.
“No! Not the stupid Chechen you gunned down,” Putin clarified. “You.”
“What?” He had to be fucking kidding! He locked eyes with Adams and nodded. This could get very bloody, very quickly.
“You were behind it all - the hijacking, the plotting, the emirate. All an elaborate plot to reap millions of dollars in blood money and take your revenge on Chechnik and me. You were going to allow this last sap to detonate his weapon in Moscow, murdering millions of innocent people, all to have your vengeance.” Putin seemed to glow as he wrote his own copy.
“Very pretty story, Putin. One problem. None of it’s true.”
“No? And who will contradict me?”
“Besides me? And the United States government? And my entire staff? Gee, Vlad, you’ve really got me there.”
“Nobody believes the Amis when it comes to the Motherland. And you and your staff will all be dead, so I really can’t see the problem.”
“Dead?” Oh, this was not on. Maybe Lasko should have taken the shot he wanted. Too late for that now.
“You didn’t think I would leave you alive, did you? After what you did to me? Pity to waste such beautiful women,” he added, staring at Anisa, Grez, and Kat. “But whores are cheap.” Mike turned to glare at the bastard. He was going to take them down, hard, as soon as Putin spike the order. The hand behind his back flashed a signal to his men.
Death and glory.
“Colonel, are your men ready?”
“Yes, Minister,” said Chechnik, emerging from the shadows.
“Good. Farewell, Kildar.”
A single shot from behind him broke the night. Putin looked down at the red stain spreading on his shirt. His mouth formed a surprised ‘O’, then blood gushed from his mouth down his chest. He tried to lift his hand to wipe away the offending mess as his legs collapsed.
“Who..?” He fell to his knees. “I had you,” he burbled, and dropped on his face.
Unseen hands cocked unseen rifles. The Keldara reached for their rifles, or pistols, or even grenades, as they prepared for their invitation to Valholl.
“Stop!” boomed Chechnik. “Rifles at port arms!”
Mike was totally bewildered.
Chechnik walked forward, nudged the Prime Minister with his foot.
“Is he alive?” said Mike.
“I sincerely hope not. I don’t think I could survive him contradicting my story.”
“What story is that?”
“Why, the Prime Minister, in a valiant attempt to defuse a case of nuclear terrorism, had his life taken by the vicious terrorist who was then killed by the troops Putin had wisely brought with him. Isn’t that correct, Lieutenant Sankovsky?”
Putin’s aide stepped up. “Exactly as you say, Colonel. Private Andrei Tomachek dispatched the murderer of our heroic Minister.”
“Vil!” called Mike. “Give Chechnik your gun.” Wordlessly, Vil complied. “Now the ballistics will match.”
“One more thing. I need the weapon that killed Putin - I have to plant it with Gereshk‘s body.” Chechnik turned to someone behind Mike who everyone had ignored heretofore.
He wasn’t really surprised at the shooter. At first, he’d thought it was Adams’ work; he always carried at least two backups, and was a steady man in the clutch. But no, he was just smiling and muttering. Not a militia man; he knew the sounds of all their weapons. Maybe one of the Intel girls? Anisa was more than capable of handling herself. No, not her either, he could hear her talking quietly with Grez. That left just a little redheaded ball of chaos.
Katrina. Her light footsteps were unmistakable.
Giving up a gun in an ‘iffy’ situation? To a man she knew - knew! - that Mike held in contempt? He braced himself for the next shot.
It didn’t come.
Instead, to Mike’s utter surprise, Katrina just walked forward, wiping the handle and trigger of the Makarov. She handed it to the Colonel.
“Pity. I’d so wanted a souvenir.”
===============================
They had to leave the nuke behind as well. “We can’t very well have Putin the martyred hero with no proof, can we?” explained Chechnik. Mike couldn’t disagree. He wondered how Chechnik had pulled it off. It distracted him from the pain as the impact wound on his shoulder was tended.
“And what happens to you? There’s going to be consequences, you know,” Mike inquired.
“Undoubtedly. Between Sankovsky and I, we should be able to hold any summary judgment at bay long enough. As it turns out, these are my hand-picked men, not the late, lamented Prime Minister‘s. A little something I‘ve been keeping quiet since your sniper missed -”
“He didn’t miss. He hit the ordered target.”
“No matter. Since his encounter with the sniper, shall we say? In any case, now is as good a time as any, I suppose.”
“For what?”
“For me to take up my retirement. After all, I’ve just endured the terrible trauma of seeing my Prime Minister murdered; I’ve devoted my life to the service of the state; and it will conveniently clear up any loose ends. And these men have endured years of virtual slavery in the Army, with very little compensation. I think someone ought to address that situation.”
“So what are you going to do?”
“I had thought of going to America, but so many of my fellows have done so that it’s lost the appeal. So, I rather fancy Thailand. Bangkok, in particular. I’ve heard that there are opportunities for men who have information and the guts to use it. Some time on the beach will do the men a world of good. Put any second thoughts to rest. Then, a mild heart attack will prevent my return home, even if they should try to recall me to duty. After all, this job is a killer.” He nudged Putin’s body with his boot.
“After Pankisi, I never thought I’d say this, but - Thank you, Erkin.” Mike held out his hand.
Chechnik took it. “And after Pankisi, I never thought I’d hear it. You’re welcome, Michael.”
“After things settle down, if you’re ever in Georgia, drop by.”
“What about the ‘other’ list?”
“I’ll make sure you’re off it,” Mike said with a smile. “But call first. Just in case.”
Adams wasn’t quite as happy.
“That nuke is worth over a quarter of a billion dollars, Mike! You can’t let them walk away with it!”
“Yes, I can. First, Chechnik is right: he needs the bomb to prove his story.“
“What about the pony bomb you have buried with the DVDs?“
“Good thought. One problem. It ain’t here. If I’d had it with us, that would work. I don’t, so it won’t.“
“Send Hardesty back. He can be back here in three hours.“
“And how long do you expect Chechnik to keep the fact that the Prime Minister of Russia - Prime Minister, Ass-Boy! - is dead under wraps?“
“We do have control of the local network, remember? Nothing‘s getting in or out of here until we say it does.“
“Second, our job was to recover the nukes - we did that. Sure, it‘s not with the others, but at least it‘s back in the proper hands.”
“So they can lose it again?”
“Don’t think that’ll happen. A little birdie said that security is going to be supplemented on any US-bound convoys.”
“Believe it when I see it.”
“And third - did you forget about the Emir’s little stash?”
A dumb look came over Adams’ face. “Shit. You know what? I did.” A grin gradually spread. “I can see how that might change things a bit.”
“You think maybe?”
“What stash is this?” Kat asked.
Mike whirled around. “Okay, who’s been teaching you sneak?”
She pointed. “The Chief. He said he’s not as good as you, but that I’m a natural. Hiro‘s given me some pointers too. I don‘t have to think about it any more, it just happens.”
He faced Adams. “You didn’t. Tell me you didn‘t.” He rested his face in his palms, just for a moment. Bad enough with the Mice sneaking around; what was going to happen if a Kat went hunting them?
“I did - she is! Damn, your kids are going to be tough to keep track of! Besides, serves you right.”
“Whatever. You just earned yourself diaper duty, Uncle Ass-boy.“ He raised his voice. “Vil!“
“Kildar?“
“Get the bomb out of the truck and let’s get home. Beer and steaks when we get home.”
“Now that sounds like a hell of a plan,” agreed Adams.
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