31
GELENDZHIK, RUSSIA
General Andropov strode down the hallway, passing the dead soldier sprawled on the floor with only a glance. He turned into Kalinin’s study where Colonel Savvin awaited, while several other soldiers searched the room’s bookshelves, lighting fixtures, and decorations.
“How did this happen?” Andropov asked.
“We’re not sure, General. The guards posted outside Kalinin’s room were found inside his bedroom, unconscious. They haven’t been revived yet. All we have is the report from Danilov,” Savvin glanced in the direction of the corpse in the corridor, “saying Kalinin had escaped and that he was pursuing both of them.”
“Both of them?”
“Kalinin was with a woman.”
Andropov’s anger began to build. “You were supposed to keep the staff sequestered for the night, letting only those required for essential services return to the mansion in the morning. How did this woman get inside?”
“She wasn’t a servant,” Savvin replied. “They are all accounted for.”
Andropov’s face turned crimson. “You were supposed to search every room before setting security. How did you miss her?”
One of Savvin’s men entered the study, holding a purse. He handed it to Colonel Savvin. “We found luggage in one of the bedroom suite closets and this in the bathroom. We missed it the first time; the room was neatly made up.”
Savvin opened the purse, finding a wallet. He pulled out a government ID card.
Christine O’Connor.
“How did we not know America’s national security advisor was here with Kalinin?”
Savvin was about to answer when one of the soldiers called out. He had flipped a rosette to the side, revealing a security pad. Other soldiers began tapping on nearby wood panels, identifying one with a distinct, heavy sound. Tools were brought in and the paneling stripped, revealing a metal door.
“Blow it,” Andropov ordered.
Explosives arrived and were placed along the seams. Andropov and the other men waited in the hallway while the explosives were detonated. Upon reentering the study, they found the door still intact, but slightly ajar. Several soldiers pushed the heavy door aside, creating an opening into a small, concrete room. A soldier entered, weapon drawn. Lights flicked on, illuminating another door at the far end. The soldier pressed the door control and it slid open, revealing a dark passage.
Andropov turned to Colonel Savvin. “Kill both of them, then we will frame O’Connor. After what she did to Chernov and Gorev, it will be easy.”
Savvin called for more men on his radio. A moment later, two dozen soldiers arrived and disappeared into the tunnel.
“I will return to Moscow,” Andropov said, “to oversee the military campaign from the National Defense Control Center. Keep me informed.”
32
KRASNODAR KRAI, RUSSIA
They’d been running for fifteen minutes, their flashlights illuminating a tunnel that seemed to stretch on forever. They had passed through several intersections where Kalinin consulted a map on his ruggedized smart phone, selecting a path each time. The tunnel began to slope upward, rising each time a new path was selected, and the temperature dropped as time wore on. Kalinin, who held the lead, remained quiet, his breathing steady even though they maintained a brisk pace. Although Christine no longer spent six hours a day training for gymnastics meets, she still worked out three times a week and had no problem keeping up.
The tunnel turned sharply and when they rounded the corner, Christine spotted a pinprick of faint white light in the distance, growing larger as they continued. They soon reached the end of the tunnel; a gated opening partially overgrown with vines.
Kalinin pulled back the gate and pushed his way through the vegetation. Christine followed, stepping onto a narrow ledge cut into the side of a cliff above a narrow river. They worked their way along the ledge until it widened to a hillside rising from the cliff. Christine followed Kalinin, who kept close to the river for about an hour. Fatigue began to set in, and Christine realized she’d been awake for over twenty-four hours. Kalinin, however, showed no signs of tiring.
He kept glancing up the hillside, with Christine wondering what he was looking for, until he turned and headed up the slope. He slowed and walked carefully, stepping on vegetation instead of bare dirt so he didn’t leave footprints. Christine did the same, following Kalinin until they reached a small bump in the hill, overgrown with brush. Kalinin pried the vegetation apart, revealing a dark recess beneath a rock outcropping, which he examined with his flashlight.
“This is one of my hunting hideouts,” he said, then he crouched down and slipped through the opening, disappearing as the vegetation closed behind him.
Christine followed him through the brush, entering a small recess about the size of a phone booth on its side. Kalinin sat against the wall, the ceiling a few inches above his head, then propped his flashlight up like a miniature lamp. The hillside below was visible through a few gaps in the foliage. Christine sat beside Kalinin, mimicking his flashlight placement.
Kalinin pulled the three spare pistol magazines from his backpack, inserting a new one in his pistol and the other two in his pants pockets, then placed the partially full one he’d extracted from the pistol in his backpack. He examined Christine. She had no pockets, either in her skirt or blouse. Her extra magazines would have to remain in her backpack. Kalinin rummaged through his backpack some more, pulling out a water bottle and a package of dry rations.
“Eat and drink,” he said.
“Then what?” Christine asked. “What’s your plan?”
“I have none at the moment. Our immediate priority is to stay alive. We must minimize movement during the day. There are no reconnaissance satellites assigned to this area, but Andropov will reassign one if he’s smart. We can move at night. Although we will be detectable by infrared, there is enough wildlife in the area to blend in.
“I must figure out who I can trust,” he said, “which is a catch-twenty-two problem. Until I know who I can trust, I cannot contact anyone. But to learn who I can trust, I must reach out. I must decide quickly, though. If we do not obtain assistance soon, we will be killed.”
“Killed?”
“As a hostage, I was a valuable asset and would have been kept alive for a while. Our escape has accelerated Andropov’s long-term plan for me. He knows I’ll have his head if I regain control and I am certain he has ordered my execution. He will not let you live to serve as a witness.”
Christine contemplated their predicament and decided to keep her response light. “I have to hand it to you, Yuri. You really know how to show a girl a good time. What do you have planned for our second date?”
Kalinin laughed. “If there is a second date, I’ll take you wherever you want.”
“I’ll think on that,” Christine said. “In the meantime, is there anyone at all you can trust?”
“Director Hippchenko is the only one on the list at the moment. But there are many SVR commanders he must work through to come to my aid, and I am not sure about their loyalty. There is no telling to what extent Andropov’s treachery extends, and I cannot underestimate the measures he has taken to strip me of allies.”
Christine pondered the situation for a moment, staring at the ground. Then she looked up, realizing there was one potential ally Andropov would not have considered.
“We’ll help,” she said.
“We?”
“The United States. We’ll rescue you and take you someplace safe where you can figure out how to defeat the coup.”