by Tom Hron
He blinked. Now it all made sense—good sense. The United States wasn’t about ready to let a weapon’s charge and theft of a Stone Age knife stand in the way of getting the technology of the Werewolf, arguably the best killercopter in the world, not when the Army was still retrofitting the Apache. In his crazy need to escape, he’d come up with the biggest intelligence plumb that one could imagine. Maybe it was time to bargain a little . . .
“Will all the charges be dropped and my arrest wiped off the record?” he asked.
“Of course.”
“What about the two park rangers who arrested me? They’ll just try arresting me again.”
“I understand there’s a park in Alabama that needs janitors.”
“I want five million dollars.”
She looked at him with her dark eyes. “A million is enough, and don’t press your luck.”
What did she mean by that remark? He started worrying. It made no sense to provoke an investigation, and it was time to cut and run. The peripherals wouldn’t matter if the government got what they wanted.
“Would you like me to deliver the Werewolf to a specific location?” he asked.
“Just give me its location.”
“I’d like a written agreement first, one that includes an immunity clause.”
“Mr. Colter, it seems that you’re more than a lucky fool.” She laughed. “How would you like working for me on a part-time basis? The intelligence community is made up of several elements, the CIA and FBI being the bestknown ones. But there are several others that focus on specific problems, such as the Defense Intelligence Agency and the National Reconnaissance Office.
“We’re facing new challenges, world situations that no one could have anticipated, crises that require special attention. As an example, did you know the Russian Mafia is secretly becoming a world superpower, as unbelievable as that seems, or what would you say if I told you the Red Chinese contributed large sums of money to the last presidential campaign. Can you see why I might need a man like yourself for a field activity?”
He sensed it was a bad time to say no. “Will I have to give up my independence?” he asked. “I want the right to say yes or no based on the job you offer me. I’m also worried about who would know about me, and I would need anonymity to protect my friends and myself.”
“I promise no one will know your name except the director and me. We’ve taken steps to protect our field assets since the Libya killings where Ambassador Chris Stevens and three others were murdered. Intelligence is still repairing the damage the administration did when they dumped it all back on the CIA when it was the White House who was calling the shots.”
“Then I’d like working for you.” He stood and walked to a window. What had he gotten himself into? He guessed it really didn’t matter, just as long as he got to choose the assignments he wanted. Besides, the taste for new challenges was still the sweetest thing. He turned. “May I step out and use the phone? I’ll be back in a minute.”
“Yes, and when you return I’ll have our agreement finished.” She lifted a laptop bag from the floor and opened it.
He walked down the hall, found a pay phone, and called Simon’s number again. It picked up on the first ring, and Molly came on the line, full of anxiety.
“Jake, they’re both gone. Simon hasn’t come back from Canada, and he said he’d come back right away.”
His breath rushed out. His excitement over Corbett’s sudden appearance, the million dollars, and his imminent release had caused him forget to ask himself the obvious question. How had he really won his freedom? The answer seemed clear.
“Did he say why he was leaving?”
“To hide Sasha. He said it was too dangerous for her to stay here any longer.”
“Do you still have time to cancel the attorney you found me?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Call him and say I’ve been released from custody, then meet me at the airport in four hours. I’ll be home by then.”
“Tell me what’s happening.”
“I’m really not sure, but it’s important that I get finished here. I’ll talk to you in a little while.” He hung up. His freedom had cost him his best friend, maybe Sasha as well, and the loneliness was already haunting him. He walked back to the conference room and saw Ann Corbett finishing her work.
“Who called the director?” he asked.
She looked up. “I wasn’t told, and as I said before, we protect our assets regardless. Please understand it’s normal procedure that I wouldn’t be given that information.”
“Does the director know?”
“I can’t answer because I don’t know. In any case, why do you care? You’ve just made a million dollars.”
“The money won’t make up for what I’ve just lost.” Then he hung his head, wishing he could fix things some other way.
Two hours later he sat staring at Denali as Alaska Airlines began its descent into Anchorage. It seemed the shining mountain was the only eternal thing in his life, and Simon’s words whispered again, “Look at the mountain.” Had his friend somehow anticipated the outcome of their trip?
Molly was waiting for him when he walked off the airplane. What should he say? He sensed that she’d solved a little of the riddle by herself, because she was nobody’s fool.
“Whose airplane did Simon use?” he asked.
“I don’t know the guy’s name, but I know where it was tied down. It was only parked a little ways from here.”
They drove away from the terminal and he saw his red hangar in the distance, the first time he’d seen it in several months. He still felt the loss of his best friend, but there was the joy of coming back home, too.
Suddenly, Molly cried, “The airplane’s back and I never thought to look after you called. But why are red and yellow ribbons tied to its wing struts?”
He couldn’t believe his eyes, because prayer flags were flying in the wind just like back in Buryatia. Wiping away his tears, he said, “Simon gave up his freedom so I could have mine, and he’s telling us to move on with our lives.”
“Where did he go?” Molly stared at him.
“Back to Russia. He was some kind of a spy when he was younger, and we brought back old memories, although I think he’s watching the Mafiya now, not the military. He went back to protect us.”
She paused, then looked at the airplane once more. “Will he ever come back? My God, he didn’t even take his share of the diamonds.”
“Someone once said hope is the last to die, and everything that takes place in life is for a purpose. Both are Buddhist sayings that Simon believed. We’ll see him someday when we least expect it, except where did he take Sasha?”
“White River, a little place just across the border that he said you knew about. I want to get over there before she leaves for Vancouver. She can’t come back here, because she’ll be arrested.”
“Not if I marry her.” He smiled, despite his heartbreak, because Simon would want him to be happy. The prayer flags were a message of love and peace, the renewal of one’s spirit, and tomorrow would be a new beginning.
Molly paused again, then wiped her own eyes. “It’s time for me to go home and see my grandson, isn’t it? I’ve been gone too long.”
“Yes, but can I call you if I need more help? Maybe we should look for Sasha’s father next summer. You got time for another trip?”
“We could even look for Simon.” Molly smiled. “Wow, wouldn’t he be surprised?”
Then they drove away, at peace with themselves, leaving their loneliness behind. Both had found their lives again.
Contents
PART ONE—THE VAGABONDS
CHAPTER ONE
AKADEMGORODOK, SIBERIA
CHAPTER TWO
THE BROOKS RANGE, ALASKA
CHAPTER THREE
THE ANCHORAGE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
CHAPTER FOUR
ANCHORAGE
CHAPTER FIVE
NOME, ALASKA
<
br /> CHAPTER SIX
THE FAR EAST
CHAPTER SEVEN
LAKE BAIKAL
PART TWO—THE SPIES
CHAPTER EIGHT
MOSCOW
CHAPTER NINE
BRATSK, SIBERIA
CHAPTER TEN
THE TRANS-SIBERIAN RAILWAY
PART THREE—THE WANDERERS
CHAPTER ELEVEN
THE SAKHA REPUBLIC
CHAPTER TWELVE
ULAN UDE, SIBERIA
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
THE BRATSK AIRPORT
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
THE BARGUZIN MOUNTAINS
PART FOUR—THE HUNTERS
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
WOLVERINE
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
THE MARCHA RIVER
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
THE RIVER OF BONES
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
THE BERING STRAITS
CHAPTER NINETEEN
FOGGYTOP MOUNTAIN
Table of Contents
PART ONE—THE VAGABONDS
CHAPTER ONE
AKADEMGORODOK, SIBERIA
CHAPTER TWO
THE BROOKS RANGE, ALASKA
CHAPTER THREE
THE ANCHORAGE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
CHAPTER FOUR
ANCHORAGE
CHAPTER FIVE
NOME, ALASKA
CHAPTER SIX
THE FAR EAST
CHAPTER SEVEN
LAKE BAIKAL
PART TWO—THE SPIES
CHAPTER EIGHT
MOSCOW
CHAPTER NINE
BRATSK, SIBERIA
CHAPTER TEN
THE TRANS-SIBERIAN RAILWAY
PART THREE—THE WANDERERS
CHAPTER ELEVEN
THE SAKHA REPUBLIC
CHAPTER TWELVE
ULAN UDE, SIBERIA
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
THE BRATSK AIRPORT
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
THE BARGUZIN MOUNTAINS
PART FOUR—THE HUNTERS
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
WOLVERINE
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
THE MARCHA RIVER
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
THE RIVER OF BONES
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
THE BERING STRAITS
CHAPTER NINETEEN
FOGGYTOP MOUNTAIN
