The Project 05 - The Tesla Secret

a weapon no one else can match. Like the A-Bomb after Hiroshima. They must think they can exert enough pressure to stop a war before it gets going."
    "Why do our enemies always underestimate us?" Ronnie asked.
    "Because our politicians give them good reason to," Nick said.
    "Rice won't wait," Elizabeth said, "and he won't negotiate. I can guarantee that. I've briefed him. If we don't destroy this weapon, he will. That means a pre-emptive strike against Russia and that almost certainly means nuclear war. No one wins."
    Not again, Nick thought.
    Harker touched a key. The picture on the monitor changed.
    "Vysotsky was able to get pictures of the installation."
    The pyramid was large, made out of stone, and shaped like the pyramids at Giza in Egypt. A gleam of metal shrouded the peak.
    "There's only one direct way in." She changed the picture and pointed at a road leading to the pyramid. "Right down that road, through three armed checkpoints and the main gate."
    "So what do we do, drive up and ask for a tour?"
    "Very funny, Ronnie. Even Vysotsky can't get us in that way."
    "You said one direct way." Nick tugged on his scarred ear. "Does that mean there's an indirect one?"
    "Yes." She put a new photo on the screen. "They've brought in water from the river and built a shaft where it drops out of sight. Vysotsky says it meets up with a network of channels underneath the pyramid."
    "What are they for?" Lamont wondered.
    "It's something to do with how Tesla's device is powered."
    "You want us to go in through there?"
    "It's the only way."
    "Do we have plans of the interior?"
    "No. But Vysotsky is sure there is access. They have to be able to maintain the system. Look."
    She zoomed in on the shaft. Ladder rungs were visible on one side of the shaft. Water from the river plunged over the edge. It would be like climbing down by a waterfall, but it could be done.
    "Vysotsky will handle operational details once you're on his turf. Korov will meet you in Turkey and bring you across the border on a plane with the right transponder codes for the Russian air defenses. From Turkey you're going to Chelyabinsk. Vysotsky will get you and Korov's team to the target."
    "What's our plan for extraction?"
    "We can't get you out by air from the objective. Vysotsky will have a fast boat on the river. He wants to get Korov back and that's the best guarantee for your safety I can think of. If you have to run, get south to Kazakhstan."
    "That's a long way."
    "Yes."
    "No backup from here."
    "No."
    "Deniable?" That meant if something happened the US would have no official knowledge of them and would do nothing to aid them.
    "Yes."
    Ronnie and Lamont didn't look happy. Nick just shook his head.
    "Korov will have Russian uniforms and weapons for you."
    "None of us speak enough Russian to understand what's going on."
    "I have a solution for that. Selena will be here with me. You'll wear a two-way satellite uplink. We'll be able to hear everything and you can talk to us. She and I will listen in real time and keep you aware of what's said. Korov knows English. We have to trust Vysotsky."
    "That's a lot of trust."
    "I haven't gotten to the hard part yet."
    Lamont sighed.
    Harker said, "The purpose of this mission is to destroy the installation. Once Vysotsky is in control he may want to change his mind. You have to make sure that doesn't happen."
    "That would mean going up against Korov and his Spetsnaz buddies," Nick said. He thought about the night they'd all gotten drunk together in Washington. Nick liked Korov, they all did. "You're putting us in a bad situation."
    "We cannot permit Russia to have this weapon." Harker's voice was hard. She began beating a tattoo on her desk with her pen. "Not under any circumstances. If you have to go up against Korov, you do it. Are we clear?"
    "Yeah," Nick said. "We're clear.

CHAPTER FIFTY- SIX

    The flight to Ankara was uneventful. The terminal at Esenboğa International Airport was a long, sleek stretch of white laid out on the Turkish plains. Sweeping curves rose to a roof high above stone floors polished to a glass-like shine. It reminded Nick of DIA in Denver. There were even mountains outside in the distance. But it was a long way from Colorado.
    Korov met them as they came off the plane. They shook hands all around.
    "There is no need to clear customs," he said. "We will not leave the airport except on our plane."
    They followed Korov to the far end of the terminal. Guards took one look at Korov's papers and