"You killed some of my people doing this," I said, cold rage flooding my body. "They died for nothing ― for your charade."
"If we destroy that nuclear weapons facility, their deaths will be more important than you can possibly imagine," Yuri shot back. "I sympathize with the loss of your men, but do you have any conception of how much life will be lost if those weapons are made available to Iraq and Iran? Or, for that matter, Turkey?"
"Now wait a minute. Turkey isn't-"
"We had our reasons for wanting to sever your ties with Turkey and the Mediterranean," Yuri continued as though I had not spoken. "Turkey is a growing regional power, one that threatens our very stability. They are the gateway for the Muslim hordes that would rip Ukraine in two."
"And now who's being paranoid about borders?" I asked.
Yuri looked outraged. Finally, his expression relaxed and he gave me a small smile. "I had known that you were very blunt, Admiral Magruder. I should have remembered that."
"What if I do agree to help you?" I asked. "I don't even know if it's possible, but supposing it is?"
Yuri held up two fingers. "First, you will do what you find most honorable in the world ― stopping wars before they start. While I cannot promise you that your role will ever be publicly known, you will have the eternal gratitude of Ukraine ― and Russia as well. From that new relationship, I think you will find a number of benefits flow."
"You want me to spy for you?" I asked incredulously. Surely Yuri wasn't offering me money to be a paid informant? If he knew anything about me, he knew just how utterly ludicrous that would be.
"No, of course not. Well, actually, we would ― but I would not insult you by making that offer. No, what I had in mind was something far more personal. The truth about your father?"
I sat back, stunned. Was this the deal? My assistance in arranging for the destruction of a nuclear facility in exchange for the truth about my father? The utterly bizarre nature of this exchange was beginning to wear on me.
"Tell me everything. Then I will decide."
Yuri shook his head. "I cannot. First, I do not have all the answers. No one person does. It will be a journey, a matter of piecing together small bits of evidence to obtain a complete picture. However, I think you will find our assistance quite helpful in this regard."
His dark eyes studied me for a moment, as though deciding how much I already knew. "There have been rumors," he continued carefully, "about Russian participation in the debriefing of American prisoners of war in Vietnam. Most of them are false. Some of them are true."
"And my father?"
Yuri spread his hands out before him. "I cannot say for certain," he said bluntly, and there was a ring of truth I recognized in his voice. "I suspect he might have been interrogated here ― in this very camp. In fact, I am almost certain that he was brought here from the first place you visited and held for quite some time. After that, the trail is not entirely clear."
"There were other rumors as well," I said. "That American POWs were taken to Russia for further interrogation. What do you know about that?"
"it is possible. Again, I cannot offer you complete answers. Only our assurances that we will do everything we can, including opening archives so secret that their existence is barely acknowledged." A small, satisfied expression came over his face. "We have intelligence agencies that are quite capable of tracking down information, even when the trail is very, very cold. The GRU, the KGB ― they still exist, although they carry other names now. Their full resources would be placed at your disposal."
"First off," I began, "I have no proof that any of this is true. None at all. Now, I'm not accusing you of lying," I continued, holding up one hand to forestall comment, "but you must admit that this entire scenario is inherently improbable. The story you tell, the promises you make ― on the face of it, there's some degree of plausibility, but you haven't shown me any hard proof."
"Second, you would have to understand that I cannot promise to keep any secrets for your country. My superiors will have to be told the true story ― not all of them, of course, but the ones that matter. Like my uncle. He deserves to know what happened to his brother. I will leave it up to him to decide who else to tell."
Yuri nodded slowly. "I understand the need for proof," he said. "I can supply that ― at least in part measure. The truck they are preparing will take us within surveillance range of this facility I spoke of. You will be able to verify it for yourself, at least to the extent that you can do so while there. I believe if you query your U.S. intelligence assets, you may find that they have other confirmation as well."
He paused for a moment, then continued. "And as to the need for secrecy, while your position is regrettable, I understand it completely. We know we cannot expect any promises on your part. However, when information you have may endanger private citizens or other sources, we will ask you to use your own discretion in disclosing that information to your people. Fair enough?"
I nodded slowly, still overwhelmed by the strategic problem that Yuri had dumped squarely in my lap.
"What's in it for you?" I asked.
Yuri's face was grim. "My country. These weapons must be eliminated. I have a number of reasons for suspecting that Ukraine may be the first target."
"Such as?"
"You know our country somewhat," Yuri said. "The east and the west sectors of Ukraine are radically different. The eastern has more in common with the Middle East, the western with Europe. Until now, we have had more in common with each other than with the outside world, but that might not always be true. Ukraine would form a perfect staging point for Middle Eastern forces to threaten both Russia and Europe. If there is anything in my power to do so, I will not see foreign troops standing on Ukrainian soil again. Not in my generation, and not in my son's. Can you understand how very important that is to us? I doubt it. America is a bastion, protected from land invasion by the oceans that surround her. You have never felt the pounding of enemy bombs on your cities, seen hordes of enemy soldiers flooding into your country. But for us, the prospect is very real ― and not so remote." He eyed me coldly for a moment, then said, "You consider yourself a patriot, Admiral Magruder. I know this about you. Do you find it so unbelievable that a Ukrainian officer would regard himself likewise?"
The question hung in the air, demanding an answer. I knew that there were other men in the world that felt as passionately about their nations as I did about the United States, and often our interests culminated in war. And from my studies in history, I knew what Yuri said was true. Ukraine had every reason to fear tactical nuclear weapons, in a way that America would find hard to understand.
But could I do this? Cooperate with the Ukrainians in order to prevent a war? Or was I trying to rationalize it, a motive born out of the deep-seated need to find out what had happened to my father?
"I'll need to get back to my ship," I said finally. "No promises yet, but I will try to verify what you've told me. And yes, I understand why you've approached me in this way. And you must know how desperately interested I am in the fate of my father. But I can make no promises yet ― not until I know what you say is true."
Yuri stood, scraping the chair back across the concrete floor. "That is all I can ask for. Come, let us see if the truck is ready. I will take you as close as we can get to the Chinese facility, and you can see that part for yourself. Then we will arrange transportation so that you may return to your carrier. After that, I will rely on your word as a military officer. And on your sense of honor. Fair enough?"