Treason, page 28
They needed another way out. McNeil tried the Zaslon radio, but there was nothing but static. They were too far underground. Harrison examined the four elevators opposite the control center doors. Based on the floor indications, all four were at the main lobby level of the building. He was loath to use one, but also didn’t want one to open behind them, full of Russian soldiers. He pressed the Up button, hoping to pull each elevator down to their level and lock it in place, but none moved. The red L glowed from the indicator panels. The Russians had beat them to it, locking the elevators above them.
Another idea occurred to Harrison. The security center, which controlled the codes to the security locks, was on the third floor underground. If Harrison could gain access to an elevator shaft, he could climb up to the third floor and attempt to enter the security center, forcing personnel to open the National Defense Control Center doors from there. He explained the plan to McNeil, who directed him and Senior Chief Stone to proceed.
Harrison requested C-4 and associated detonating equipment from a breacher, which he placed in his backpack, except for the detonator cord snips, which he jammed into the elevator door seam. Stone did the same and the two men pried the doors open. They peered into the dark shaft. On the right side was a metal maintenance ladder attached to the wall that ascended into darkness, but there was no easy way to get to it. Harrison took his backpack off, then went in first. He worked his way around the entrance, his back to the elevator doors, his heels on a small ledge. When he could advance no farther, he leapt for the ladder.
His hands slipped down two rungs before grabbing hold. Stone tossed him his backpack, then Harrison climbed a few feet, making way for Stone, who accomplished the same feat. The two men began their climb, which Harrison figured was about a thousand feet. The light faded and both SEALs lowered their night vision goggles into place. They passed no exits for a while, then reached a set of doors with the number 5 painted on them. They continued up two more levels, stopping when they reached the third level underground. Exiting the elevator shaft would be more difficult than entering, however.
They couldn’t jump from the ladder onto the door ledge. Instead, Harrison grabbed the nearest elevator cable and swung to one closer to the door. From there, he gained a foothold on the narrow door ledge, then pushed himself to an upright position against the door. He worked his way to the other side as Stone followed, and the two men were soon standing with the door seam between them.
They repeated the process with the detonator snips, but more carefully this time. They didn’t have much leverage and if they fell backward, it’d be a long drop to their deaths. They gained a finger hold, then slowly pried the doors apart, flooding the elevator shaft with light. After lifting up their night vision goggles and retrieving their MP7s, they peered past the doorway into the corridor. It was empty.
After stepping into the hallway, Harrison checked the schematics again, then led the way to the security center. When they reached the last intersection, they halted and Harrison peered around the corner. Down the hallway was the door to the security center. A badge panel was affixed to the wall and a camera was mounted above the door. Harrison took aim at the camera and fired his MP7, destroying the camera with a single round. With so many cameras in the facility, hopefully it would take a while for someone to realize this one wasn’t working and even longer to investigate.
Harrison moved swiftly toward the door and swiped his security card. The light remained red. He tried again and it still glowed red.
Senior Chief Stone tried his card, to no avail. It looked like their security cards were now worthless.
Harrison examined the door, evaluating where to place the C-4. The door was heavily reinforced and he had no idea if the amount of C-4 he’d brought with him would do the job. As he evaluated his options, an alternative came to mind.
He pulled out the building schematic again and examined the ventilation system. There was a duct running overhead down the corridor, with a branch entering the security room.
Senior Chief Stone said, “We can’t fit. The duct’s too small.”
“We can’t,” Harrison said, “but Christine might.”
They were on the same floor as Christine. Harrison examined the schematic again, recalling the Zaslon operator saying she’d be in either the cell block, the standard interrogation rooms, or chemical interrogation room. He decided to check the cell block first.
They moved swiftly down the hallway, entering the prisoner cell section. There were small windows in each door, and Harrison peered through each one as they passed by. They were empty. They swept by the normal interrogation rooms, which were also empty. That left one place. The SEALs approached the door and peered through the window. The faint light entering the room from the hallway illuminated a woman in bed.
Both SEALs entered the room and Harrison turned on the light, revealing Christine strapped to a bed, with the contents of an IV bag dripping into her arm. Her eyes fluttered open and she turned away from the harsh overhead lights while her eyes adjusted. Both SEALs stopped beside her bed, and Stone unstrapped her ankles as Harrison examined the IV bag. There was no telling what was inside. He removed the needle from her arm and she turned toward him. Her eyes met his and several emotions played across her face as he unfastened her wrist straps.
After both hands were freed, Christine sat up, then punched him in the face.
“You dropped me!”
He knew she’d be angry when they met again, and also knew her well enough to know her rage wasn’t spent. He grabbed her wrist.
Christine swung her left hand, but Harrison caught her fist in his palm.
“We’ll talk about this later.”
“You’re damn right we’ll talk about it later! You—”
“Shut up and listen, Chris.” Harrison spoke in a tone he rarely used with her, and Christine clamped her mouth shut. “We’re pinned down and need your help. Got it?”
Christine nodded tersely, then yanked her hands from his grip.
Harrison went on to explain, and he could tell she was struggling to push her anger aside and focus on the information. When he finished, he asked, “Do you understand?”
Another nod.
“Follow me,” he said.
Christine fell in between Harrison and Stone as they entered the corridor.
When they reached the ventilation vent near the security center, Harrison lifted Stone up and the senior chief removed the vent, revealing a two-foot-wide opening.
He dropped Stone onto the floor and turned to Christine. “Head that way,” he said, pointing toward the security door, “and take the first ventilation shaft on the right. The duct into the security room is even smaller, but I think you’ll fit.”
Harrison gave her his pistol, which she slid inside her waistband into the small of her back. Then she removed her shoes, so her bare feet would give her traction in the confined space.
“Ready?” Harrison asked.
Christine nodded and Harrison grabbed her waist with both hands, then lifted her until her head and arms were inside the ventilation shaft. Then he slowly released her as she pulled herself inside and disappeared.
86
MOSCOW, RUSSIA
Christine pulled herself through the ventilation duct, getting a feel for how fast she could move without creating noise. It was a tight fit, but there was enough room to pull with her arms and assist with her feet. After a twenty-foot crawl, she reached the opening to her right, as Harrison had predicted. She studied the opening for a few seconds. It was too small, even for her.
She rested her forehead on the ventilation duct as emotions swirled inside her. Moments earlier, her anger had ignited when she’d seen Harrison standing over her bed, looking down at her, just as he’d done while holding her hand as she dangled from the cliff. She hadn’t planned to hit him, but it felt good nonetheless.
Her anger was dissipating, replaced by frustration. If Kalinin didn’t gain access to the command center and assert control over his military, countless lives would be lost. She examined the opening again, then decided to give it a try. If she angled her shoulders at a forty-five-degree angle, she might fit. Getting out might be a problem; she could end up stuck in the ventilation shaft like a canned sardine.
She inserted both arms into the shaft and tilted her body. Slowly, she worked her way into the duct, forced to remain at an awkward forty-five-degree angle. Once inside the smaller duct, her progress slowed. Her arms were fully extended in front of her, so she couldn’t use them to pull herself through. That left only her toes to propel her forward.
Wriggling like an earthworm, she moved forward inches at a time, keeping her movements slow to avoid making noise while traveling through the metal conduit. Fortunately, the hum of electrical equipment and cooling fans in the background helped mask the sound of her transit.
Up ahead, light filtered through a vent cover. She worked her way toward it, eventually reaching the opening. Through slits in the vent cover, she peered down at two men seated at control consoles, monitoring several dozen video displays.
The duct opening was the same width as the ventilation shaft and she concluded she could fit through. She grabbed the cover with one hand, holding it in place, then pushed back the retaining clips. Carefully, she tilted the cover and pulled it into the shaft, placing it gently on the other side of the opening. Now came the hard part—getting out.
Ideally, she’d drop down feet first. But she was on her stomach, and even if she moved forward and placed her feet above the hole, her knees didn’t bend that way. There wasn’t enough room in the ventilation shaft to turn over, either. That left headfirst, crashing onto the hard floor ten feet below. Unfortunately, there wasn’t another choice.
She stuck both arms through the opening, followed by her head, then looked around. The two men were seated with their backs to her. Christine focused on remaining as quiet as possible until the last moment. She worked her way forward until her upper body hung from the opening. With one last wriggle, she fell from the ventilation duct like a fish squirming free from a fisherman’s grasp. She arched her body at the last second to avoid landing headfirst, bracing her fall with her hands. She hit the floor with a loud thud.
Both men swung around, surprised to find a woman lying on the ground. Christine reached behind her back and retrieved the pistol, then leveled it at the nearest man. He’d risen from his chair, but froze when he saw the gun. Christine shifted her aim toward the other man, who remained seated, then back to the first man while she pushed herself to her feet.
Christine kept the gun pointed at the nearest man as she backed away. When she hit the wall, she found the knob and opened the door. Harrison and Stone surged inside, aiming their MP7s at the two men.
Harrison spoke in Russian as he advanced, and the man who was standing returned to his chair and faced his console. Harrison was ordering them to do something, but both men remained seated, staring straight ahead. He repeated the same order, this time with an angry tone. When neither man complied, Harrison put a bullet in one man’s head.
The man fell sideways onto the floor, a red pool spreading out beneath his head. Harrison swung his MP7 toward the second man and spoke again. This time, the man entered several commands in his keyboard. There was movement on one of the displays. Two large doors slid open, revealing Commander McNeil and two other SEALs. They passed through the entrance, their MP7s drawn, followed by President Kalinin. Other SEALs, retreating from both ends of the corridor toward the opening, also entered, dragging their wounded along.
Harrison spoke again. When the last SEAL passed through the opening, the doors began to close, sealing the entrance as Russian soldiers arrived.
One of the soldiers swiped his badge on the security panel, but the doors remained closed.
87
MOSCOW, RUSSIA
As McNeil led the two breachers and President Kalinin into the control center, they took immediate fire. Three bullets struck his tactical vest, stopped by the armor plate, while the two other SEALs were hit as well. Kalinin dove for the floor, rolling against the nearest console. McNeil and the other two SEALs likewise ducked for cover on the third level, which consisted of a balcony tier running along the back and both sides. Russian soldiers were firing from both ends and from the ground level below. When the soldiers spotted Kalinin, some stopped shooting. The incoming fire eased, then stopped. McNeil ordered the same for his men.
The Russian soldiers spoke among themselves, some of the conversations becoming heated. McNeil concluded the rank-and-file Russian soldiers had no idea what they were defending the control center from, aside from an armed assault. When President Kalinin had appeared amongst the black-clad SEALs, his presence had given them pause.
An officer on one side was berating his men, ordering them to open fire again. McNeil aimed his MP7 and put a bullet in his head, while another SEAL did the same to an officer on the other side. Additional SEALs surged into the control center, fanning out along the back balcony as the control center doors closed behind them. McNeil ordered them to hold their fire.
Kalinin poked his head above the console and grabbed a microphone at the station, pulling it to the edge of desk. He spoke in Russian, giving a short speech, then one by one, the soldiers placed their weapons on the floor and stood. The SEALs moved swiftly along the top tier, gathering the weapons and ensuring the Russians were disarmed. McNeil looked over the balcony; the soldiers on the main floor had also put down their rifles.
McNeil signaled to Kalinin that it was clear and the Russian president slowly stood. He pulled the microphone to his mouth again and talked for a short while. In addition to the Russian soldiers, there were two dozen personnel on watch on the ground floor, wearing the green, blue, and tan jumpsuits of their respective military branches. The watchstanders turned to their consoles, and McNeil spotted a supervisor moving behind them, giving direction.
Kalinin took a seat at the center console on the third level, and the one-hundred-foot-wide video screen on the far wall morphed into sixty black squares arranged in five rows. Images of military commanders slowly replaced the dark squares, with most of the video being grainy headshots of army and aerospace generals, some rubbing the sleep from their eyes. When the final black square was replaced with video, Kalinin spoke for several minutes.
When he finished, every square went black again, but not until each officer repeated the same phrase, which McNeil translated to “Yes, sir.”
President Kalinin spoke into the microphone again and the supervisor on the main floor looked up at him, then gave additional directions to his watchstanders. A list of Russian four-letter codes appeared on the left side of the screen, the text color of each switching from red to green. McNeil beckoned to a SEAL who spoke Russian, who approached and translated. Kalinin had directed the command center to activate the emergency broadcasting system, tapping into every Russian television and radio station feed so he could address the entire country. It was 4 a.m. in Moscow, but the president’s speech would be broadcast repeatedly throughout the day.
When the final television station on the list switched to green text, the supervisor below reported that they were ready. Kalinin sat up in his chair, then began.
88
WASHINGTON, D.C.
It was quiet in the Situation Room as the president and his advisors followed the events in Russia. They’d gathered seven hours ago as Michigan’s SEALs began their journey ashore, watching satellite images as they emerged from the Black Sea into a secluded cove. Two helicopters landed and the infrared images of Navy SEALs and President Kalinin had boarded them. It’d been a long wait during the transit to Moscow, then the unit dropped from the helicopters skimming low over the Moskva River. Nothing had been heard from them since.
Things took a turn for the worse at 3 a.m., when the SEALs were supposed to enter the Ministry of Defense building. Russian soldiers emerged from a nearby building, inside the perimeter of the SVR and FSB forces and hidden from their view. Several dozen soldiers rappelled over the concrete embankment of the Moskva River, then entered the same tributary tunnel the SEALs had. There was dead silence in the Situation Room; the mission had been compromised.
The president waited, the tension ratcheting up when GRU Spetsnaz brigades arrived at the perimeter of the Ministry of Defense building. The GRU troops halted when confronted by the SVR and FSB Spetsnaz, content to form a perimeter around them. The SVR and FSB troops would not escape either.
The information technician’s voice came across the Situation Room speakers. “Mr. President. General Wheeler from NATO’s Allied Command Operations center is requesting a videocon.”
“Put him through,” the president said.
The satellite video display on the far wall was replaced with General Wheeler’s image. “Mr. President,” he began, “I have good news. Russian troops are starting to retreat.”
Wheeler’s report injected a jolt of energy into the Situation Room. The president’s advisors sat up at the table and in chairs along the cramped room’s perimeter.
“If you’ll go to split screen,” Wheeler said, “we’ll send you an additional feed.”
The president ordered the monitor on the far wall split in half. Wheeler’s image moved to the left and a map of Europe appeared on the right, with red icons along the Vistula and Siret Rivers and the Carpathian Mountains, opposed by blue icons of various shades. The image zoomed in on the Vistula River, where several red icons were moving eastward. The image shifted to a satellite view and zoomed in further, showing armored personnel carriers and tanks forming into convoys on nearby roads, headed east.
General Wheeler added, “The Russians are pulling back along the entire front: Poland, the Carpathian Mountains, and Romania.
The president replied, “Thank you for the update, General. We believe President Kalinin has defeated the military coup and ordered the withdrawal.”
