State Of The Union

I’ve been reviewing FEMA’s worst-case scenarios,” said the president to Harvath over an encrypted satellite link, “and not only is there no safe way we can evacuate the cities we think the Russians may be targeting, but if they hit more than four of our major metropolitan areas, our emergency response capabilities are going to be stretched to the max. Even if they only detonate a fraction of the devices they have, this is going to be the worst disaster the world has ever seen. Not only will the loss of life and injuries be terrible, but can you imagine UN planes and helicopters being shown on TV bringing in food and medicine because America’s infrastructure has been so badly decimated we can’t take care of our own citizens?

“We absolutely can’t let that happen. Do you understand me? Wecannot let that happen.”

After agreeing, Harvath listened as the president continued to speak and then handed him off to various experts and analysts from the CIA and Department of Defense who briefed him that Rick Morrell and his team were wrapping up their operation and were being sent to rendezvous with him for his next assignment.

It was three hours later when Harvath was finally able to close the dome’s wooden hatch and replace the collapsible field antenna and satellite radio into his backpack.

Climbing down the stairs, Harvath rejoined Alexandra in the church.

“That was a very long phone call,” she said.

“You know how it is when you haven’t talked to people in a while,” replied Harvath.

“You said you might know where the mobile command system is. Did you find it?”

“I did better than that. I also found Stavropol.”

“How?”

“The location of the mobile system was more of a hunch than anything else. During the Cold War, the Soviet Union’s spyships were on the cutting edge of signals intelligence, but in the modern era, the way intelligence was being gathered rendered most of them obsolete and they were reassigned to other duties. That got me wondering if maybe one of these spyships was being used to transport the mobile command system. I learned a fair amount about them in the Navy. There was theBal’zam class, thePrimor’ye class, and then I remembered another class-theGagarin class.

“Only one ship was ever made in theGagarin class-The Cosmonat Yuri Gagarin. It was adapted from the unfinished hull of a tanker to control Soviet spacecraft and satellites from the open ocean. And best of all, it sports four huge dish antennae each the-”

“Size of a house?” interrupted Alexandra.

“And then some.”

“But how can you be sure theGagarin is what we’re after?”

“Because our National Reconnaissance Office has satellite imagery of it along with three nuclear icebreakers leaving port in Arkhangel two days ago.”

“That still doesn’t mean-”

Now it was Harvath’s turn to interrupt. “Did you know that Stavropol was using a satellite phone?”

“No. I assumed he was using a cell.”

“Cell phones will operate sometimes up to a couple of miles out to sea, but it depends on how built out the network is back on dry land. A satellite phone is much more reliable in this case and Stavropol knew that. What he didn’t know was that you were going to be able to get a hold of his number.”

“Why? Were you able to trace it?”

“Yup.”

“But I thought those phones were encrypted,” said Alexandra.

“They are,” replied Harvath, “128-bit digital encryption standard, but he’s using one of the same models that embedded reporters used during the war in Iraq. The U.S. Military had to tell them to turn them off in many situations because they could broadcast their position via GPS.”

“And that’s how you found him?”

“That’s how we found him. The NSA was able to use his mobile ID number and pinpoint his whereabouts.”

“So where is he?”

“In the White Sea, just off the Kola Peninsula.”

“Most of which lies north of the artic circle and it’s almost the end of January,” responded Alexandra. “What are we supposed to do?”

“We’re supposed to stop him, of course,” said Harvath.

“Of course. And how are we supposed to do that? Wait, one thing at a time. Why don’t you start by telling me how we’re supposed to get out to a ship floating in the middle of an ice-encrusted sea. Is one of your American submarines going to take us there?”

“Not as long as the Kola Peninsula is still home to Russia’s Northern Fleet.”

“Then how?”

“Stavropol is going to help us.”

“How nice of him,” said Alexandra, her voice laden with sarcasm. “Why would he do that?”

“Because you have something I’m sure he’ll want.”

“And what’s that?”

Harvath smiled before responding. “Me.”

Alexandra was silent.Had he lost his mind? He wanted to give himself up to Stavropol? The man would kill him in an instant.

“Oh,” continued Harvath, “and just to sweeten the deal, we’re going to throw in a nice little man-portable nuclear weapon. Does that sound fair? Do you think he’ll go for it?”

Now she knew he was crazy. “What are you talking about? You don’t have any man-portable nuclear weapons.”

“Not yet. You and I are going to pick one up.”

“Just like that?”

“Just like that.”