Tom Clancy's op-centre_ mirror image - Tom Clancy [79]
George kept the operative in a chokehold for several seconds to teach her a lesson, and then released her. As she sucked down air, he helped her to her feet.
"Impressive," she gasped, rubbing her throat with her left hand. "But you missed one thing."
"What, ma'am?"
She showed him the letter opener in her right hand. "I grabbed it when you brought me down. The way you were holding me, I could've stuck you anywhere."
Rubbing her throat, Peggy returned to the map while Private George looked at the letter opener and silently cursed himself. It didn't bother him that a woman had bested him; in training, Sondra and he had knocked each other around mercilessly. But on a mission, missing something like the letter opener would have meant the difference between living and dying.
Still standing by the closed door, Aho said, "Now that the introductions have been made, perhaps you'd care to go to work?"
Peggy nodded.
"When you reach the boat at the harbor," Aho said, "your password for the boat will be 'wonderful stempost.' The response is 'handsome dragonhead.' Private George, I've already explained the process of gaining access to the midget submarine to Ms. James. I've also given her money and the Russian uniforms you're to wear." He grinned. "We have more Russian uniforms here, and better fitting, than the Russians do." He took a sealed packet from his inside jacket pocket and handed it to Private George. "Here are the papers identifying you as a Principal Shipboard Starshina Yevgeny Glebov and Senior Sailor Ada Lundver in the Russian Navy. You're the Sailor, Ms. James, assigned to coastal mapping and buoy refurbishing. This means that if anyone sees you, you'll have to look like you're following Private George's orders."
"He doesn't speak Russian," she said. "How will that work?"
"You've got a ninety-minute boat ride and a ten-hour submarine trip to teach him some basics," Aho said. He put his hat back on. "And that covers everything, I believe. Further questions?"
"None, sir," George said.
Peggy shook her head.
"Very well, then," said the Major. "Good luck."
George picked up the heavy rucksack containing his gear and jogged after Major Aho, who opened the door, walked into the hallway, and shut the door behind him.
George stopped short to avoid running into the door. "Officers!" he said with a disgusted sigh as he reached for the knob.
"Don't!" Peggy barked.
George turned around. "Excuse me?"
"Put your gear down," Peggy said. "You and I aren't going anywhere yet."
"What do you mean?"
She took an instant camera from atop a filing cabinet. "Smile," she said.
As Major Aho left the building, a woman and her dog were standing by the calm waters of the South Harbor, watching him. Valya had ridden her bicycle from the apartment of their longtime Helsinki operative, a retired Finnish policeman, and had leaned it against a high lamppost while she walked away from the cone of light. When she was safely hidden in darkness, she let the dog rest from its short run-- a cuddly, less energetic springer spaniel having replaced the wild Jack Russell terrier she'd used against the British agent in St. Petersburg. Valya didn't need to deactivate anyone here: she had come over simply to watch and report back to Colonel Rossky.
It had been easy for the Operations Center to track the jet from the United States, and even easier for her to follow the Major and his American friend when they left the airport. Now her driver was waiting out of sight on Kanavakatu, by the tall, majestic Uspensky Cathedral, and she was watching to see what the Finnish officer and his spy did.
His two spies, she noted as two companions joined Aho when he walked toward his car.
When she was sure they were going inside, Valya tugged on the dog's collar and it began to bark loudly, twice, twice again, and then two more times.
"Ruthie!" Valya shouted, tugging on the leash a second time. The well-trained dog fell silent.
Major Aho looked over, apparently failed to see anyone in the darkness, then slid into the passenger's side