Divide and conquer - Tom Clancy [108]
Lawrence told him.
"There are some gentlemen who need to be escorted to their offices and then from the grounds."
"Unarmed, sir?" Cain repeated.
"That's right," Lawrence said.
"There won't be any trouble."
"Right away, sir."
"Wait outside the door when you're finished," the president added.
"The men will be joining you in just a moment."
"Yes, sir." The president hung up. He regarded the four men.
"One more thing. Information about your participation in these events must not leave this room. Amnesty will not be based on anything I intend to do for you. Pardoning you would be a sin. It will be based solely on the absence of news." The men turned and walked toward the door. Megan Lawrence stepped aside. Hood's eyes met hers. The First Lady was glowing with pride. They were obviously thinking the same thing. She was the only Lawrence who would be stepping aside this day.
Saint Petersburg, Russia Tuesday, 12:53 p.m.
In most intelligence agencies it's often difficult to tell night from day. That's because conspiracy and espionage never rest, so the counter terrorists and spy busters also work around the clock. Most are usually fully staffed. The distinction is even less noticeable in the Russian Op-Center because the facility is below ground. There are no windows anywhere. But General Orlov always knew when it was afternoon. He knew because that was when his devoted wife called. She always rang shortly after lunchtime to see how her Sergei's sandwich was. She phoned even today, when she had not had time to prepare a bag lunch before he left.
Unfortunately, the call was brief. It often was. They usually had longer conversations when he was in space than they did at the Op-Center. Two minutes after Masha called, Orlov received a call from Odette. He told Masha he would have to call her back. She understood.
Masha always understood. Orlov switched lines.
"Odette, how are you?" the general asked eagerly.
"I'm very well," the woman replied.
"We accomplished our mission." Orlov was unable to speak for a moment.
He had been worried about Odette and concerned about the mission. The fact that she was safe and triumphant left him choked with pride.
"We terminated with complications," Odette went on, "but we got away.
There were no other injuries."
"Where are you now?" Orlov asked.
"At the U.S. embassy," she said.
"Mr. Battat is getting medical care. Then I'll be going to the police station. I had to show my badge to a hotel worker, but I think I'll be able to work it out with my superior. The Harpooner set a fire. I can tell the captain that I went there to see if I could help."
"So you don't want to leave, then?" Orlov asked.
"I think there will be some interesting problems because of all this," she said.
"I'd like to stay for a while."
"We'll talk about it," Orlov said.
"I'm proud of you, Odette. And I know someone else would be, too."
"Thank you," she said.
"I think Viktor was looking out for me today. So was David Battat. I'm glad you asked him to come along." Odette gave Orlov additional information about what had happened. They arranged to talk again in six hours. If it became necessary for Odette to leave Baku, there was an Aeroflot flight she could catch at eight p.m. Orlov took a moment to savor the victory's many rewards. First, having won the battle against a tenacious enemy. Second, having made the right decision to send Odette and Battat into the field together. And finally, having been able to help Paul Hood. Not only did it repay an old debt, but it hopefully opened the door to future close collaborations. Odette said that Battat had spoken with Paul Hood. There was nothing Orlov could add to that.
Orlov would call him in a few minutes. First, however, he wanted to brief the staff members who had been involved in the hunt. He was about to send for Grosky and Kosov when the men came to his office door. Kosov was carrying a rolled-up blueprint.
"General," said the outgoing Kosov, "we have some news."
"Good news?" Orlov asked.
"Yes,