The Cardinal of the Kremlin - Tom Clancy [254]
"Clear, Comrade Chekist."
The guard snapped to attention, then pushed open the door. The outside guards saluted and were rewarded with nods. The driver held open the back door. Gerasimov stopped and turned.
"Put him in back with me, Vasiliy. You should be able to cover things from the front seat."
"As you wish, Comrade."
"Sheremetyevo," Gerasimov told the driver. "The cargo terminal on the south side."
There was the airport, Ryan thought. He stifled a belch that tasted of wine and sardines. The motorcade entered the airport grounds, then curved to the right, bypassing the regular entrance to the terminal and heading out onto the aircraft parking area. Security, he noted, was tight. You could always depend on the Russians for that. Everywhere he looked were rifle-toting soldiers in KGB uniforms. The car drove right past the main terminal, then past a recent addition. It was unused, but looked like the alien spaceship in Spielberg's Close Encounters. He'd meant to ask somebody why it had been built, but wasn't yet in use. Maybe next time, Ryan thought.
The formal goodbyes had been made at the Foreign Ministry. A few junior officials stood at the bottom of the stairs to shake hands, and nobody was in a hurry to leave the heated comfort of the limousines. Progress was correspondingly slow. His car lurched forward and stopped, and the man to Ryan's right opened the door as the driver popped the trunk open. He didn't want to go outside either. It had taken most of the drive to get the car warm. Jack got his bag and his briefcase and headed for the stairs.
"I hope you enjoyed your visit," the Soviet official said.
"I would like to come back and see the city sometime," Jack replied as he shook the man's hand.
"We would be delighted."
Sure you would, Jack thought as he went up the stairs. Once in the aircraft, he looked forward. A Russian officer was in the cockpit jump seat to assist with traffic control. His eyes were on the curtained-off communications console. Ryan nodded at the pilot through the door and got a wink.
"The political dimension scares the hell out of me," Vatutin said. At 2 Dzerzhinskiy Square, he and Golovko were comparing their written notes.
"This isn't the old days. They can't shoot us for following our training and procedures."
"Really? What if Filitov was being run with the knowledge of the Chairman?"
"Ridiculous," Golovko observed.
"Oh? What if his early work on the dissidents put him in contact with the West? We know that he personally intervened in some cases-mainly from the Baltic region, but some others, too."
"You're really thinking like a Two man now!"
"Think for a minute. We arrest Filitov and immediately thereafter the Chairman meets personally with a CIA man. Has that ever happened before?"
"I've heard stories about Philby, but-no, that was only after he came over."
"It's one hell of a coincidence," Vatutin said as he rubbed his eyes. "They do not train us to believe in coincidences, and-"
"Tvoyu mat'!" Golovko said. Vatutin looked up in annoyance to see the other man roll his eyes. "The last time the Americans were over-how could I forget this! Ryan spoke with Filitov-they collided as though by accident, and-"
Vatutin lifted his phone and dialed. "Give me the night superintendent This is Colonel Vatutin. Wake up the prisoner Filitov. I want to see him within the hour What was that? Who? Very well. Thank you." The Colonel of the Second Chief Directorate stood. "Chairman Gerasimov just took Filitov out of Lefortovo fifteen minutes ago. He said that they were taking a special trip."
"Where's your car?"
"I can order-"
"No," Golovko said. "Your personal car."
* * *
26
Black Operations
THERE was no hurry, yet. While the cabin crew got everybody settled in, Colonel von Eich ran down the pre-flight checklist. The