General Kaminsky waited by the entrance to the pyramid. Ogorov was climbing the hierarchy of power. Kaminsky intended to climb with him. He was Ogorov's man.
"Minister." He clicked the heels of his shiny, high topped boots together.
"What is the situation regarding the intruders?" Ogorov's breath formed clouds of condensation in the cold air.
"I thought it wise to use our special detachment, rather than troops from the base. They're ten minutes behind you. Whoever they are, they will be killed or captured."
Ogorov said, "One of our people is with them. He informs me there are three Americans in the group."
"Americans? What are they doing here?"
"Probably CIA. It doesn't matter. Try not to kill them. I want to question them."
"That may not be possible."
The two men went inside and got into an elevator. It rose in seconds to the control room below the peak of the pyramid. The doors opened with a soft, pneumatic hiss. The room was brightly lit. Several technicians sat in front of instruments monitoring the status of Tesla's device. A digital clock centered on one wall counted down minutes and seconds and tenths of a second in large, red numbers. It showed just under fifteen minutes. The room smelled of tension and stale sweat.
Yuri Malenkov sat in front of the master control panel. A row of six digital gauges measured fluctuating power levels from Tesla's weapon. A screen above the gauges displayed a changing stream of numbers and coordinates. Yuri rose from his seat as Ogorov and Kaminsky came into the room.
"What is our status?" Ogorov asked.
"We are on schedule, Minister." He gestured at the screen. "I am about to activate the targeting sequence."
He flipped back a safety cover and pressed a red button. Gears whined beneath their feet. Outside, the metal walls of the peak above the control room folded back like the petals of a deadly plant. Yuri pressed another button. A blank monitor came alive with a live video stream from the peak. It showed the crystal amplifier and the targeting array.
"We can watch the beam discharge from here. Our sensors will lock on to ODIN and adjust the direction of the beam. Once we fire, the American satellite will be destroyed instantly."
"Good," Ogorov said. "Good."
They waited for ODIN to come within range.
CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE
The rungs of the ladder were slippery with ice, hard to grasp. Korov gave the order for lights as they descended. The roar of the falling water from the river made it difficult to hear. Each man wore a light on the side of his helmet. The lights illuminated concrete walls dark with moisture. They climbed down the ladder.
Nick was soaked with spray. He shivered. "We're nearing bottom," he called. "I see light."
His arms and back ached from the strain. The AK felt heavy on his shoulder. Getting a little old for this stuff. He pushed the thought aside. Keep moving. You'll be all right, just keep moving.
He reached a platform built out from the wall. The ladder continued on into darkness below. The platform opened onto a passageway. The passage ran straight and true for fifty yards or more. The walls were lined with white ceramic material and lit with strips that gave off bluish-white light.
Nick stepped away from the ladder and onto the platform. He took a deep breath, unslung his AK and took a few steps into the passage. He heard a faint buzzing sound. The air was warm. He sniffed.
Ozone.
The smell triggered a memory. Years back he'd been caught in a violent thunderstorm in the high mountains of Colorado. A bolt of lightning had struck the ground, not a hundred yards from where he'd crouched under a rocky overhang. The air had smelled just like this before it hit. Like electricity.
Korov joined him.
"Nick, take the point."
"Ronnie, Lamont, let's go."
They set out along the passage, close to the walls. There was no cover. The corridor was a shooting gallery. Nick had a pounding headache to go with the stiffness in his back.
"I don't like having that guy behind us," Ronnie said. "Ivanesky. This isn't like Texas."
"Yeah." The buzzing noise was louder. "There's a door up there, set back in the wall."
Korov caught up with them. "Nick, come ahead with me. Leave the others." He said something in Russian to his men.
"Wait here," Nick said to Ronnie and Lamont. He walked part way down the passage with Korov.
"We have a problem."
"What problem?"
"Captain Zhukov's chute was sabotaged."
Nick took that in. "You're sure?"
"Yes. Someone killed him." Korov was angry. "It had to be one of my men, or someone in the aircraft crew. I could not tell you before."
"Then we're compromised. What do you want to do?"
"We have two choices. We can abort, or we can continue."
Nick thought about what to say.
"Arkady," he said. "My mission is to destroy this installation. What's yours?"
Korov's face showed his tension. "I will be honest. My orders are to secure the installation, not destroy it. This makes a problem between us, I think."
"AEON knows we're here or Captain Zhukov would still be alive. What do you think they'll do with this after they knock down our satellite? Do you think Russia is safe? The Chinese have launched a network of satellites that can deflect the beam from this device back to earth. Anywhere on earth, including Moscow."
Korov raised his eyebrows. "I did not know that." China had long been a traditional enemy. It still was, in spite of trade alliances and public assertions of friendship.
"You can bet Vysotsky does. Once it's operational, whoever has this can target anyone, anywhere. Do you think he's just going to hand it over to the Kremlin? All that power?"
Korov remembered something Vysotsky had once said. They'd been in the General's office. Vysotsky had been drinking.
"We are patriots, Arkady, you and I. We believe in the destiny of our nation."
Korov had nodded agreement. General Vysotsky often confided in him when he'd been drinking. Vysotsky had mentored him, even treated him as a friend, but Arkady knew better. He was Vysotsky's subordinate, not his friend, in a system built on rigid obedience to orders.
Vysotsky emptied his glass, filled it again. "Our leaders are fools. I thought we had a strong leader again, but I was wrong. We need someone who is not afraid to act. Someone who will not be cowed by the American hegemony. Someone who understands our power. These men, they have no balls. If I was in charge, things would be different."
He waved his glass in the direction of the Kremlin. Vodka spilled onto his desk.
"No balls," he said again.
The weapon would give Vysotsky the power he longed for. Why hadn't he mentioned the targeting satellites? It came together in Korov's mind. Vysotsky hadn't sent him here because he wanted to hand the weapon over to Russia. Seizing control wasn't for the good of the Motherland, it was for the good of Vysotsky. The realization shook him to the core. It was a betrayal.
Nick was right. Vysotsky was using him.
"Arkady." Nick spoke with quiet urgency. "I know the President. He won't back off. This thing can start the next World War. We have to destroy it. If Zhukov was murdered, AEON knows we're here. There's no way we can get control, much less keep it."
The Russians and the Americans watched Korov and Nick talking. Lamont and Ronnie stood apart from the others. Ivanesky watched them with a cold stare.