Debt of Honor - Tom Clancy [237]
"This is an open line, Sergey Nikolay'ch." Which was partially true. The phone call was routed through the American Embassy in Moscow on a secure circuit, but from there on it was a standard commercial line, probably, and therefore subject to possible bugging.
"You need not be overly concerned, Ivan Emmetovich. Do you recall our conversation in my office?"
Oh, yeah. Maybe the Russians really did have the Japanese counterintelligence chief under their control. If so, he was in a position to know if the phone call was secure or not. And if so, there were some other cards in his hand. Nice ones. Was he offering Ryan a peek?
Think fast, Jack, Ryan commanded himself. Okay, the Russians have another network up and running…
"Sergey, this is important: you did not have any warning?"
"Jack, on my honor as a spy"—Ryan could almost hear the twisted smile that must be framing the answer—"I just had to tell my President that I was caught with my fly unbuttoned, and the embarrassment to me is even greater than what—"
Jack didn't bother listening to the embroidery. Okay. The Russians did have another spy network operating in Japan, but they had probably not received any warning either, had they? No, the danger from that sort of double-dealing was just too great. Next fact: their second network was inside the Japanese government itself; had to be if they had PSID penetrated. But THISTLE was mainly a commercial spy net—always had been—and Sergey had just told him that the U.S. had been foolish not to have activated it sooner. The novelty of what he knew distracted Jack from a more subtle implication surrounding the admission of fault from Moscow.
"Sergey Nikolay'ch, I'm short of time here. You are building to something. What is it?"
"I propose cooperation between us. I have the approval of President Grushavoy to make the offer." He didn't say full cooperation, Jack noted, but the offer was startling even so.
Never, not ever, not once except in bad movies had KGB and CIA really cooperated on anything important. Sure, the world had changed plenty, but KGB, even in its new incarnation, still worked to penetrate American institutions and remained good at it. That was why you didn't let them. But he'd just made the offer anyway. Why?
The Russians are scared. Of what?
"I will present that to my President after consulting with Mary Pat."
Ryan wasn't yet sure how he would present it. Golovko, however, knew the value of what he'd just laid on the American's desk. It would not require much insight to speculate on the probable reply. Again, Ryan could hear the smile. "If Foleyeva does not agree, I will be most surprised. I will be in my office for a few more hours."
"So will I. Thanks, Sergey."
"Good day, Dr. Ryan."
"Well, that sounded interesting," Robby Jackson said in the doorway.
"Looks like you had a long night, too."
"In an airplane, yet. Coffee?" Jack asked.
The Admiral shook his head. "One more cup and I might shake apart."
He came in and sat down.
"Bad?"
"And getting worse. We're still trying to tally how many uniformed people we have in Japan—there are some transients. An hour ago a C-141 landed at Yakota and promptly went off the air. The goddamned thing just headed right in," Robby said. "Maybe a radio problem, more likely they didn't have the gas to go anywhere else. Flight crew of four, maybe five—I forget. State is trying to run a tally for how many businessmen are there. It ought to generate an approximate number, but there are tourists to consider also."
"Hostages." Ryan frowned.
The Admiral nodded. "Figure the ten thousand as a floor figure."
"The two subs?"
Jackson shook his head. "Dead, no survivors. Stennis has recovered her airplane and is heading for Pearl at about twelve knots. Enterprise is trying to make turns on one shaft, and is under tow, she's making maybe six. Maybe none if the engine damage is as bad as the CO told us. They've sent a big salvage tug to help with that. We've sent some P-3's to Midway to do antisubmarine