He guessed it was probably 9.
“I’m sorry, Mary Pat. You know I don’t do this often.”
“Is something wrong, Mr. President?”
“No. Well… I don’t know.” He took a second to compose his thoughts. “You know my hunch, right? That Volodin has been behind the spate of attacks on the worldwide energy sector.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And my working theory is that he is doing this to affect energy prices, specifically natural gas and oil, to bolster his economy?”
“Right.”
“Well… if he was planning on invading Lithuania, wouldn’t that have the same effect?”
She thought it over. “That’s a question for Les Birnbaum, I guess, but as DNI I feel pretty confident in fielding it. Yes, tanks crossing into a NATO member state will have more effect on energy prices than everything Volodin’s done to date. That is, assuming he has done the things you suspect. In fact, I can’t imagine anything that would have a greater effect than a Russian war with a NATO power.”
“Exactly. And wouldn’t Volodin know none of this other stuff was important if ultimately he planned to invade?”
Mary Pat said, “Yes, of course he would. So, you don’t think he actually plans on invading?”
“Maybe not. The Borei coming to the East Coast, the troops on the border, the chaos in the energy sector. The uptick of attacks in Ukraine. What if he’s not trying to foment war? What if he’s trying to foment fear? Instability.”
“Interesting theory,” Mary Pat said, but Ryan could tell from her voice she wasn’t on board. “You think he’s bluffing on his attack?”
Ryan had been thinking about this. He said, “He might be. He can’t win a protracted war and he knows it. The only game he can win is a game of chicken. He keeps upping the stakes incrementally, and at some point we’ll either confront him or stand down. He’s putting all his money on us backing down.”
She said, “Escalation dominance.”
Ryan nodded. “Escalation dominance. Yes. He looks like he is the one in control of events, simply by virtue of the fact he is the one making moves. Right or wrong, whether they work out for him or not. It’s been his modus operandi for years.”
Mary Pat said, “I see it in the media when they talk about Volodin as the chess master. Sometimes, unfortunately, I see it in my own staff. They make a list of everything Volodin has done, and they point to it and say it’s proof of his plan, regardless of the fact that nothing he has done has ultimately worked for him.”
Ryan nodded in the dark office. “Five snap decisions in a row looks like a plan if you write them down.” He rubbed his eyes. “Maybe if we can push enough NATO into Lithuania he’ll come up with some other measure to declare victory. I don’t know what, but I do know one thing.”
“What’s that, Mr. President?”
“I know if we don’t get troops into Lithuania, his tanks will roll right over that border in the next week. If that happens, Volodin will be unstoppable. Lithuania will be just the first domino to fall.”
40
Tatiana Molchanova checked her appearance in a handheld makeup mirror and realized the interior lights of the SUV didn’t give her enough illumination to see if she needed to pluck her eyebrows. She sat in the back of the Suburban while the rest of her team climbed out and pulled bags from the back, and she took her time touching up her makeup. Tatiana never went out in public without looking perfect, because she was a celebrity, and airports were nothing if not crowded public spaces.
This was not to say Tatiana was a complete diva, really; she knew she’d be lugging something on this trip sooner or later, even if it was just her roll-aboard and her purse.
Finally she slipped out of the vehicle and stood with the others in her crew outside Terminal 1 at Moscow’s Vnukovo International Airport. It was four p.m. and there was a lot of activity around her, but even passengers rushing to catch flights turned to look her way. Many pulled out cameras and took pictures of one of the most famous women in the country.
Tatiana smiled at the attention without slowing to make eye contact with anyone. Instead, she put her mirror back in her purse and waited for the audio technician to finish stacking up the gear so they could go.
Her mobile rang and she answered it without looking. “Allo?”
“Tatiana? It is Lidiya Maksimova, from the office of the president.”
Tatiana’s eyebrows furrowed with concentration. “Yes, Lidiya. How are you?” Molchanova knew Lidiya well; she was one of Volodin’s top appointment secretaries.
“I am fine. I am in the vehicle directly behind you. We are to bring you directly to the president for a meeting. Here at the airport. Shan’t take any time at all.”
Tatiana looked to the street, to the four-door Jaguar directly behind where the Channel Seven car was parked. “The black Jaguar? Well… okay, but I do have a plane to catch.”
“Your plane will go nowhere without you, Tatiana. I can assure you of that.”
Valeri Volodin’s aircraft always flew out of Terminal 2 at Vnukovo. Tatiana knew he had been up in Saint Petersburg today and would just be returning about now, but she’d had no plans to meet with him.
As surprised as she was by this, she told the others in her party she’d meet them on board the plane, and she climbed into the Jaguar with only her purse.
Fifteen minutes later she was brought on board the president’s plane and escorted into Volodin’s office. He had just landed, and much of the staff was already out on the tarmac or in the hangar, but Volodin seemed to be in no rush to leave.
He stood and crossed the small office, his hands outstretched. He appeared calmer and more at ease now than he was during his interview a few nights earlier.
“Miss Molchanova, thank you for coming today.”
“Yes, of course.” Together they sat close on a love seat across from his desk. She could smell his cologne. “I want to thank you for allowing me this opportunity to visit you on your aircraft. This is very thrilling.”
He smiled like a Cheshire cat, still holding on to her hand. “My duties are so numerous and stressful, I have forgotten the thrill of entering my own aircraft.” He softened his grip, but only a little. “I miss the days when I was just a simple, obedient, hardworking agent of the KGB.”
Tatiana beamed at him.
“Any idea why I asked you here?”
“I am at a complete loss, Mr. President.”
“You are flying out tonight to Copenhagen. Tomorrow you will interview the President of the United States.”
“Yes. My producers communicated this with the Kremlin as soon as our request was approved by the embassy. We solicited a list of questions to your office, and I have been given my notes from Lidiya. I believe everything is in order.”
Volodin smiled a little. Molchanova thought he seemed pleased by her discomfort. “You are not on the firing line, my dear. No reason to be so defensive. On the contrary, I have a favor to ask.”
She let her relief show. “Of course.”
“I want you to do something for me. A bit of statecraft.”
“Statecraft?”
“Yes. Would it excite you to know that you will be engaging in high-level communications between the Russian Federation and the United States of America?”
Tatiana Molchanova brought her shoulders back and lifted her chin. “That would excite me greatly, Mr. President. But… why me?”
“Because you have the intelligence and qualities to see this through.” He held up a finger. “And you have proven yourself a reliable conveyer of Russia’s interests.”