"Jesus," Grant exclaimed under his breath, as he rolled his chair closer to the table. "Is it possible those might be entrances to underground facilities?"
"Anything's possible at this point, Captain," Prescott answered. "We know the Germans built tunnels in other parts of Poland for various reasons. The Russians could be using any of them."
Grant nodded, then asked, "General, can I assume our satellite was redirected to fly over that site only after receiving contact from the operative?"
"You assume correctly," Prescott replied.
Carr rested an elbow on his swivel chair, tapping his fist lightly against his mouth. "Grant, you think she's been captured?"
"Either it's pure coincidence, sir, or those soldiers have been underground the whole time."
Prescott changed the image to one taken at night. "As you can see, there aren't any lights, at least not visible from the satellite. Now that might be because of overgrown trees and shrubs, position of windows, etc." Prescott pointed to various places. "And then there's this." He switched to another image. "You can see several military vehicles inside the town. Utility vehicles, armored vehicles, transports. They're not always in the same position, which would indicate they're being driven, or at least moved. As far as personnel, large groups have never been spotted."
"With those vehicles exposed and moving around, they probably still don't know we've been watching them," Grant quietly stated. "When was the exact date you last heard from her?" Grant asked looking at Bancroft.
Bancroft readjusted his wire-rimmed glasses, then flipped through pages of a small, spiral-bound notebook. "She managed to call our secure line a week ago, 7 June. The message she left was in code."
"Is it possible she's no longer at that base?"
"We're confident she's still there. The situation in Poland, especially in that area, would make it nearly impossible for her to stray.
"Let's get back to how this exchange came about. This may be hard to believe, but she and Dotsenko were 'involved' before she accepted the Oleniv assignment. I don't think you need further details.
"Dotsenko was willing to do just about anything to get her out safely. As soon as we intercepted the transmission indicating the Russians located Reznikov, we started planning an exchange. So, we 'arrested' Dotsenko on charges of spying, then put him in a safe house under heavy guard. That's when we contacted Moscow and offered him for Reznikov. They didn't hesitate. They wanted Dotsenko."
"I'm really trying to understand," Grant said, with his brow furrowing, "why he's willing to risk his life to go back to help her, but more than that, why are you allowing him to go if he's been so valuable here?" Out of the corner of his eye Grant saw Carr keeping an eye on him.
"At this point he's the only one she trusts," Bancroft finally answered.
"Sir, can I ask … "
"Just a minute, Grant," Carr said. "Hank, how can you be sure Grant and his men won't run into the 'trust' issue themselves?"
Bancroft sat up straighter. "Captain Stevens doesn't have to concern himself about that issue, Mr. President. We'll see to it that … "
"With all due respect, sir, I beg to differ," Grant interrupted, keeping his intense brown eyes locked on Bancroft. "A trust issue isalways a concern."
Silence, until Carr spoke. "Hank, you know I can't send in Alpha Tango until you have some idea where she is on base, and I assume you still don't."
Bancroft shook his head. "He's refused to tell us, until he's back in East Germany, expecting us to 'rescue' him. Can I continue, Mr. President?" Carr nodded.
"We've picked up more than usual chatter, and not just from Drazowe. As you know, ever since the early 70s the Polish government's tried to help the economy by a massive increase in basic food prices. There were violent protests. Many people died. Now a new wave of strikes has undermined that government. The country's in serious trouble.
"Our intercepts revealed the government's planning to establish martial law, and probably within a few months. In the meantime, they've either tightened up or closed all exit points. Transportation services are heavily guarded." Bancroft took a deep breath. "We need to get her out before it gets worse."
Grant rolled his chair forward, propping his elbows on the table, squeezing one fist then the other. None of this was making any sense. Why trade a valuable asset, then hope you can get him out of East Germany, or maybe even Russia? Because he's the only one his "girlfriend" trusts?! Bullshit! In the world of espionage, a valuable asset like Dotsenko wasn't just given up that easily — even for a bastard like Reznikov. Let's roll the dice, Stevens.
"Grant," Carr called.
"Oh, sorry, sir." He cleared his throat, then locked his eyes on Carr. "Mr. President, you've put your trust in me and my men several times now. I'm hoping you'll at least consider what I'm going to propose."
Carr raised an eyebrow, hesitating briefly before responding, "It sounds like you're about to deviate from what we were all expecting, Grant."
"You might say that, sir. But as I said, it's only a proposal."
Carr glanced at each of the men sitting at the table, each face expressing surprise, and concern. He nodded toward Grant. "Go ahead. We're listening."
"What if someone could convince Dotsenko to give up his information, to tell us where she is without having to exchange him for Reznikov? Convince him he'd be safer here. Then, my team can go in and make the extraction."
"Just a minute," Bancroft said, holding up his hand. "If we back out of that exchange, the Russians are going to be mighty pissed!"
"And your point, sir?"
"My goddamn point is this isn't a good time to have them pissed, and we want Reznikov, Captain!"
Grant maintained his calm. "Do you have anyone else that could be exchanged instead?"
"They wanted Dotsenko, and that's who we're going to give them." Bancroft shifted his eyes to Carr. It was up to the President to give the final say-so.
But Grant wanted to make his point. He sat up straighter. "Excuse me, Director, but do you understand how much can go wrong with an op like this? And I'm not just talking about possibly losing my men. SpecOps have lost 'assets' in the past. Now you're talking about two 'assets' that'll be in harm's way, in communist territory, with a real possibility of collateral damage if civilians are at that location."
Bancroft pressed his back against the leather chair. "Don't you have enough confidence in your team, Captain?"
Grant's jaw tightened. "Sir, I could tell … "
"Hold it, gentlemen!" Carr interrupted. "You both need to cool off." Then he set his eyes on Bancroft. "Hank, you know what Grant and his men have done for us in the past. All he's asking is for us to consider his suggestion."
After several minutes of discussion, the President announced, "We'll go forward with the exchange as planned. Grant, I assume you and A.T. will take on the mission under those circumstances."
Grant drew in a deep breath. "Yes, sir. We will." But then, staying focused on Carr, he asked, "Sir, do I have your permission to talk with Grigori about the base? There's a good possibility he has knowledge about it, or at least that area. His input could prove to be invaluable."
Carr shifted his eyes to Bancroft. "Hank?" Bancroft remained quiet, tapping his index finger on the table, glancing back at Grant. "Hank! You know damn well we've used Colonel Moshenko's expertise in the past, and on top secret ops."
"Fine," Bancroft finally answered, gathering up his paperwork, and shoving it into the folder.