He let the phone ring nearly a dozen times before hanging up. This wasn’t a good sign. In the past, Kaparov’s cell phones always went to voice mail in half that time. He tried the number one more time, achieving the same dismal result. His next call went to Sanderson, who picked up immediately.
“How are we looking?” Sanderson said.
“Everything is on track. The bratva deal has been sealed. Five-point-two million dollars. Just for the record, nobody is happy about that number on my end.”
“Of course not. The concept of ‘you get what you pay for’ is anathema to bureaucrats. Frankly, I’m surprised you got off that easy,” Sanderson said.
“Oh, I fully expect to be shaken down for more as we get closer to the objective. You’ll have to cough up the rest. Given the look on Manning’s face when I gave him the figure, I can’t imagine wrangling another dollar out of them…let alone a million,” Berg said.
“I’ll cover the rest. If my guess is right, they won’t call you directly. They’ll shake the team down at the worst possible moment. I’ve prepared Farrington for this possibility.”
“Good. Farrington will contact ‘Viktor’ directly from this point forward.”
“Viktor. Vektor. That’s the best he could do?”
“Viktor doesn’t sound like much of a conversationalist. He’s been my direct contact from the start, but he isn’t the brigadier that Reznikov originally contacted. He’s probably someone highly trusted within this brigadier’s own personal network. One of his most loyal boyeviks,” Berg said. “Viktor will personally oversee bratva operations in Novosibirsk, so Farrington can expect to meet him face to face. He expects to hear from you once the team is assembled in Russia.”
“That works fine. Any progress with your friend in Moscow?”
Berg winced at the mere suggestion of Kaparov’s existence. He knew that his own line was secure and that Sanderson’s satellite phone couldn’t be intercepted by anyone outside of the NSA, but it still made him nervous. It was bad enough that Sanderson was leveraging his knowledge of Kaparov. He didn’t need anyone within his own organization leaning on him in the future. His agency had a bad habit of applying too much pressure to valuable sources. They squeezed and squeezed until the source popped, which was an easy thing to do sitting behind a desk, where no real dangers existed.
“He’s not answering his phone at the moment. Give him some time. I know he’ll come through. He knows the stakes,” he answered.
“All too well perhaps,” Sanderson said. “My people took one hell of a risk in Moscow on his behalf.”
“On my behalf. He’s invaluable to us. I’ll bring him around, even if I have to fly to Moscow myself to convince him.”
“Cold War old-timers’ reunion?” Sanderson asked.
“I’ll make sure you get an invitation.”
Berg’s desk phone rang. The digital readout screen of the STE (Secure Terminal Equipment) phone unit indicated that the call was encrypted. Further examination of the data presented confirmed that the call had been rerouted through the CIA’s call redirection center.
“Terrence, let me call you back. I have an important call from Moscow,” Berg said.
“My team needs that information before leaving Argentina,” Sanderson stated.
“I understand. You sound like a fucking broken record sometimes.”
He quickly transferred calls.
“You’re still at work?” he said as a greeting. “I thought you might have been on the Metro.”
“Of course I’m still at work. I don’t work lazy capitalist hours. What is it you have there? Working nine to five? Ridiculous,” Kaparov said.
“I think that was a movie starring Dolly Parton,” Berg said.
“Country music combined with massive tits. Now there is something America can be proud of,” Kaparov said.
“Sounds like you’re in a good mood. Out for a walk?” Berg asked, noting the sound of car horns and buzzing motors in the background.
“I’m just enjoying a peaceful cigarette amidst the carbon monoxide cloud of Moscow’s interminable rush-hour traffic.”
“Very poetic,” Berg said.
“Literature was never one of my strong suits in school. Why do I get the feeling that my time out of the frying pan was short lived?”
“Am I that transparent?” Berg asked. “I might be calling to wish you well.”
“I’m doing wonderful,” Kaparov replied. “Shall I hang up now?”
“I’d appreciate if you didn’t. We’re very close to crossing the point of no return with the operation we discussed, but there are still quite a few unknowns.”
“Even with our mutual friend’s information?”
“He provided enough details to get the operation approved, but he hasn’t set foot on the grounds in over three years,” Berg said.
“Damn it! Do you understand the level of scrutiny surrounding that program? Especially now?”
“I can imagine,” Berg said.
“No! You cannot! I have already been personally warned by my director not to pry into a certain northern city. Accessing information regarding the facility in question would certainly raise alarms.”
“And exactly how are you supposed to do your job as director of the Bioweapons/Chemical Threat Assessment Division?”
“Very fucking carefully, that’s how. For now, I’d prefer to avoid initiating any inquiries having the faintest connection to our mutual friend,” Kaparov said.
“Do you have any personal knowledge that could shed some light on security protocols or response procedures?”
“Sure. I spend all of my time analyzing and assessing the vulnerabilities of locations that pose no threat to Russia. Maybe you’ve forgotten, but the facility in question isn’t exactly advertised for its true purpose.”
“But it’s one of two legitimate repositories for something that concerns your division,” Berg said.
“If I suddenly show an interest in the facility, it will raise eyebrows. If the facility in question is breached soon after, I’ll face a firing squad…if I’m lucky.”
“We can always get you out,” Berg stated.
“Two in one month? Do you get a prize if you reach a certain number?”
“You know I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important. Is there any way to do this without attracting attention?”
“I might have some paper files with the information you seek. I’ll have to do the digging myself. We conducted a routine security assessment of the facility sixteen months ago, about five months after they upgraded to a more automated security posture. Contract security force, cameras, motion detectors. Nothing too exotic.”
“Why didn’t you tell me this from the beginning? This is exactly what I’m looking for.”
“Because I wanted you to sweat a little. See how long it would take you to try and leverage the favor your friends did on my behalf,” Kaparov said.
“I wouldn’t have leveraged that.”
“I didn’t sweat you long enough,” Kaparov replied.