At face value, the message was proof that Cochrane had not only beaten him, but also had the guile to deliver something very special to the West. But the Russian knew that wasn’t the real reason why Cochrane had crafted the secret communication. Once, the MI6 officer had inadvertently taken something utterly dear away from the Russian. Now he was making amends.
He entered the building, approached the security desk, and spoke to one of the Bureau guards. “Agent Marsha Gage should be expecting me. I’m here to betray my country and collect my daughter.”
The guard frowned. “Name?”
“My real name’s of no use to anyone.” He smiled. “Tell Agent Gage that there’s a Russian intelligence officer in the FBI lobby, and he calls himself Antaeus.”
GLOSSARY
11e Brigade Parachutiste—An airborne unit containing most of the parachute units in the French army. The brigade numbers around 8,500 personnel and includes eight regiments. It is under command of a général de brigade (brigadier general). French paratroopers wear a red beret, except for the 2e Régiment Étranger de Parachutistes, which wears the French Foreign Legion beret (light green).
Agency—An abbreviation that refers to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
Agenzia Informazioni e Sicurezza Interna—Italy’s domestic intelligence agency.
AK-47—A selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62 × 39 mm assault rifle, first developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov.
Army Ranger Wing—The Special Forces unit of the Irish Defense Forces. It is Ireland’s premier hostage rescue unit.
Attorney General (U.S.)—As head of the Department of Justice, the attorney general is the top law enforcement officer and lawyer for the federal government of the United States.
Bureau—An abbreviation that refers to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Centro Nacional de Inteligencia—The intelligence agency of Spain.
CIA—The United States’ Central Intelligence Agency. One of only a handful of agencies worldwide that have global reach and presence, the CIA primarily obtains secret intelligence by recruiting and running foreign spies, though it is also active in a range of other espionage activities including covert paramilitary direct actions.
Coldstream Guards—The oldest regiment in the British army.
Critical Incident Response Group (CIRG)—A division of the Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch of the FBI.
Delta Force—Alongside DEVGRU (SEAL Team 6), the United States’ premier tier-1 special operations unit. Correctly termed 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (1st SFOD-D), the organization is usually referred to by its members as “The Unit” or “Delta.” It is modeled on Great Britain’s SAS.
DGSE—Direction Générale de la Sécurité Extérieure. France’s premier overseas intelligence agency, comparable to the CIA and MI6.
Directorate of Intelligence (CIA)—The division within the Agency that has responsibility for the recruitment and running of foreign spies with a view to obtaining intelligence from them.
DLB—Dead-letter box. A covert means of communication whereby two persons can pass information or items to each other without having to meet.
DO—Duty Officer. Typically a high-ranking intelligence officer who is required to man the headquarters of an intelligence agency at night or during holiday periods, in case urgent matters are communicated to the agency during those periods by one of its overseas stations.
Dragoons—The light cavalry units contained within most European armies.
FBI—Federal Bureau of Investigation. The United States’ domestic criminal investigation and counterintelligence agency.
French Foreign Legion—The part of the French army that comprises foreign volunteers who are commanded by French officers. Established in 1831, the Legion is renowned for its harsh training, deployment to some of the harshest and most dangerous parts of the world, and successful combat history.
French Foreign Legion 2e Régiment Étranger de Parachutistes—The elite airborne regiment within the Legion. All members of the regiment are parachute qualified.
FSB—Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation. Broadly equivalent to the U.S. FBI.
G7—A group consisting of the finance ministers of seven developed nations: the U.S., Japan, France, Germany, Italy, the U.K., and Canada (the seven wealthiest developed nations on earth by national net wealth).
GCHQ—The Government Communications Headquarters is the British intelligence agency responsible for providing signals intelligence to the British government and army. It is directly comparable to the United States’ National Security Agency (NSA).
Groupement des Commandos Parachutistes (GCP)—An elite pathfinder commando parachute unit in the 11e Brigade Parachutiste of the French army.
GRU—Glavnoye Razvedyvatel’noye Upravleniye, or Main Intelligence Directorate. The primary military foreign intelligence service of the Russian Federation.
Heckler & Koch HK416 rifle—An assault rifle designed and manufactured by Heckler & Koch.
Heckler & Koch MP5/10A3 submachine gun—A selective-fire submachine gun manufactured by Heckler & Koch.
Horse Guards Parade—A large parade ground in Whitehall, central London. It is the site of the annual ceremony of Trooping the Color, which commemorates the British monarch’s official birthday.
HRT—Hostage Rescue Team. The counterterrorism and hostage rescue unit of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. HRT is trained to rescue American citizens and allies who are held by hostile forces, usually terrorist and/or criminal.
Hussars—The light cavalry unit that originated in Hungary during the fifteenth century. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen was subsequently widely adopted by light cavalry regiments in European and other armies. A number of armored or ceremonial mounted units in modern armies retain the designation of hussars.
Intelligence Star—The award given by the Central Intelligence Agency for a “voluntary act or acts of courage performed under hazardous conditions or for outstanding achievements or services rendered with distinction under conditions of grave risk.” The citation is the second-highest award for valor in the Central Intelligence Agency, after the Distinguished Intelligence Cross.
IO—Intelligence Officer.
ISI—The Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence (more commonly known as Inter-Services Intelligence or simply by its initials ISI), is the premier intelligence agency of Pakistan, operationally responsible for providing critical national security and intelligence assessment to the government of Pakistan.
Kevlar—The registered trademark for a para-aramid synthetic fiber. Developed at DuPont in 1965, this high-strength material was first commercially used in the early 1970s as a replacement for steel in racing tires. Kevlar has many applications, ranging from bicycle tires and racing sails to body armor, because of its high tensile strength-to-weight ratio; by this measure it is five times stronger than steel on an equal weight basis.
Lancers—A type of cavalryman who fought with a lance. The weapon was widely used in Asia and Europe during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance by armored cavalry, before being adopted by light cavalry, particularly in eastern Europe. In a modern context, a lancer regiment usually denotes an armored regiment.