The Forever Spy

by Jeffrey Layton

  * * *

  The Ella Kay powered northward across the Strait of Juan de Fuca, bound for Rosario Strait and then Guemes Channel and Fidalgo Bay. Steady rain was falling; a storm brewed to the south. Yuri stood alone on the workboat’s main deck near the stern, staring at the churning wake. It was alive with tiny flashes of purple and crimson as the phosphorous-based sea life reacted to the turbulent flow of the vessel’s whirling propeller.

  Laura and Maddy were always on his mind. After turning Deep Adventurer loose, he had requested to speak with Laura. Wang refused, reminding him that would only occur when he had provided the acoustic recordings of the American submarines.

  Yuri remained optimistic that he could recover the contaminated data; it was not an unusual problem with the seabed recorders. But he needed to create doubt in order to convince Wang to allow him to redeploy Deep Adventurer. It was to ensure that Wang and company released Laura unharmed.

  When Wang took a break to use the head, Yuri removed the self-destruct module from the recording pod and installed it inside the AUV’s forward compartment.

  Instead of commencing a new search in the western reaches of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the Deep Adventurer headed east and descended. It currently rested on the sand bottom 260 feet down near the main shipping channel of Admiralty Inlet.

  Now armed with over ten pounds of military-grade plastic explosive—not the small charge Yuri had alluded to—the autonomous underwater combat vehicle stood by for Yuri’s orders.

  CHAPTER 51

  “Mr. President, I don’t think we can afford to keep this situation under wraps much longer. The media jackals smell blood.”

  “What are you hearing?”

  “That we know what happened but are not talking.”

  “Well, they certainly have that one right for a change.” President Tyler Magnuson stared over his desk at his national security advisor. It was mid-morning. The two men were alone in the Oval Office. POTUS grimaced as he asked, “Has the Navy confirmed the initial report?”

  “Yes, sir,” Peter Brindle said. “The tanker was definitely struck by a rocket torpedo, but there’s a complication.” The advisor leaned forward a bit. “It might not have been the Russians after all. It turns out the North Koreans have the capability.”

  “What?”

  “The CIA has a credible report that the North Korean Navy has at least half a dozen of the Russian rocket torpedo knockoffs manufactured by Iran. They apparently made some kind of trade—missile parts for the torpedoes.”

  “Good Lord, when did all of this happen?”

  “We don’t know when the trade occurred. The agency is rechecking shipping records for the past couple of years. They might find something, but you know how devious both of them are.”

  “Go on.”

  “Anyway, a CIA asset in China made the report about the rocket torpedoes a month ago. The individual involved is with the PLA Navy, so the intel’s credibility is high. The agency had not yet processed the report, but that all changed after the tanker was blown up.”

  President Magnuson leaned back in his chair. He gazed at the map mounted on a nearby wall panel. He had taped the NOAA chart of Prince William Sound to the wall himself. After mulling over the situation he turned back to face Brindle.

  “What about those recordings? I thought we had hard evidence that the submarine was Russian.”

  “That’s right, sir. What the hydrophones picked up in the Hinchinbrook Entrance was a Russian boat. But in light of the North Korean connection, it’s possible that what was picked up might have been the playback of another recording.”

  “You mean it could have been faked?”

  “It’s possible. The Navy Department’s underwater acoustic experts could not rule it out. Apparently, our submarines have been using false recordings to hide some of their own operations.”

  POTUS glowered, clearly agitated.

  “There’s more, sir. The Navy indicated that if the North Koreans were involved, they would have used a diesel submarine to sneak into Prince William Sound. When operating on batteries, they are incredibly quiet. The monitoring hydrophones would never pick it up if it was operating in stealth mode.”

  “It wouldn’t have to be a nuclear submarine?”

  “No. They could have modified one of their diesel boats to make the trip across the North Pacific. Once they reached Prince William Sound, they would switch to battery power. They’re much quieter than nuclear plants. No pumps, turbine, or steam plants to worry about.”

  The president raised his hands in frustration. “This is just great. I’ve got an environmental disaster on my hands that was the result of an act of war, but I can’t pin it on anyone.”

  “Not yet—at least.”

  “What about Sakhalin, any news on what happened there?”

  “Just what our satellites picked up. The LNG plant appears to be a total loss. The crude oil terminal might be salvageable.”

  Magnuson stood up, signaling the meeting was over. “You watch, Peter. That son of a bitch in the Kremlin is going to try to blame that mess on us, too.”

  “I wouldn’t be surprised.”

  * * *

  “Where is she now?” asked Nick Orlov, speaking in Russian. He was in his Vancouver hotel room. It was 7:40 A.M.

  Nick listened to the caller’s response and said, “Keep on her at all times but don’t let her catch on. She’s expert at spotting tails, and she’ll have her guard up, even around here.”

  Nick waited for his subordinate to complete his report. “Very well, keep me posted,” he said, and terminated the call.

  Nick set his cell phone on the desk by the window wall. His hotel room had a commanding vista of Burrard Inlet with towering Grouse Mountain in the distant background. But the low-pressure front flowing over BC’s lower mainland obscured both vistas this morning. Torrents of rain pelted the windowpanes as forty-knot gusts buffeted the high-rise building.

  Nick was mildly hung over. He and Elena had killed two bottles of wine during their two-and-a-half-hour dinner. The vodka nightcaps didn’t help.

  Despite his elevated blood alcohol content, all systems were “go” when they took the elevator to his room. The sex was everything Nick had remembered—and hoped for. Elena was a superb lover.

  After two whirlwind round-trips, both fell asleep.

  Elena climbed out of Nick’s bed two hours earlier. She took a shower, dressed, and after a quick farewell peck to Nick’s forehead, she walked out of the hotel room.

  Once she’d departed, Nick dialed his cell phone, connecting with the two-man surveillance team from the San Francisco consulate. The SVR officers had followed their boss to Vancouver. Nick ordered the men to trail Elena when she exited the hotel garage in her Mercedes. The team had already installed a GPS tracker on the sedan.

  The SVR surveillance team leader called in a progress report. Elena drove straight to her condo apartment, where she remained for an hour before again using her automobile. She headed to the trade mission and went into her office.

  Wow, she’s already at work—and on Saturday. Nick was amazed at the woman’s stamina.

  After showering, Nick dressed and walked out of the hotel room, carrying his overnight bag. The top of his skull pulsed. He needed a cup of coffee and a couple of aspirin.

  As he headed for the hotel lobby, Nick wondered if he was on a wild-goose chase. He still could not fathom Yuri’s assertion that Elena was working for the People’s Republic of China. Yet he had heard her make the blackmail demands to Yuri.

  It must be part of the operation she’s involved with.

  Nick also worked with the PRC, part of Russia’s new alliance to constrain the USA both economically and militarily.

  Nick would return to San Francisco in the afternoon, but he ordered the SVR team to monitor Elena for the next forty-eight hours. If nothing turned up, he would recall the officers and let Yuri know that Elena was a dead end.

  It was the least he could d
o for his friend.

  CHAPTER 52

  DAY 28—SUNDAY

  Yuri Kirov and Commander Wang sat at a large table in the conference room. They were alone this afternoon at Northwest Subsea Dynamics. Occupying half of the tabletop was NOAA chart 18471: Approaches to Admiralty Inlet. Scattered across the remainder were dozens of data sheets.

  Yuri keyed his laptop, pumping out another color plot of acoustic recordings from a high-speed printer in a corner of the room.

  Wang tossed aside a ten-page collection of plots and said, “I had no idea there is so much traffic in that part of the Strait. This is going to take forever to sort out.”

  “If you could refine the time periods you’re interested in, that would help.”

  Yuri resurrected the acoustic digital recordings from the underwater recorder’s memory pack. He adapted code that NSD and Laura’s company had developed to analyze raw side-scan sonar imagery and the in situ oceanographic data.

  “I have a couple of dates that we know for certain it was operating in the Strait. I’ll look them up.”

  “Okay.”

  Wang removed his iPhone from a coat pocket. He read off the dates from a cloud-based file.

  Yuri consulted the Dell, opening a date file. He studied the output for a minute. “What was the time on the first one?” he asked.

  “Around fourteen hundred hours, local time.”

  “Ah ha, got it.” Yuri fingered a flurry of commands on the laptop’s keyboard and issued the print command over a wireless circuit. The HP spit out half a dozen sheets.

  Wang walked to the printer and examined the acoustic recordings, one sheet at a time. After scanning the last sheet, he looked up, a smile breaking out—the first Yuri had observed in several days. “I think we have it. Everything fits.” He walked to Yuri and handed him the hard copies.

  It only took just an instant for Yuri to make the connection. “This is a surface contact. I thought you were looking for submerged recordings.”

  “We are, but this particular recording is also useful.”

  Yuri studied the data before commenting further. “I assume the timing corresponds to the transit of an Ohio through the area.”

  “Yes, it was outbound at that time.”

  “And it was shadowed?”

  “What?”

  “Escorts.”

  “Yes, how can you tell?”

  Yuri pointed to the plot. “There are multiple propeller recordings in the recording.”

  “Ah, yes.” Wang consulted his cell phone. “It was escorted by a Coast Guard cutter and two barricade workboats, one on either side.”

  “Okay. What’s next?”

  Wang repeated the second date.

  Yuri keyed in the request. The new date was seventy-two days later than the first.

  Wang reviewed the second data set.

  “How does it look?” Yuri asked.

  “It’s a match.”

  “So the boat completed its patrol and was returning to Bangor when it was recorded the second time.”

  “Correct. We have confirmed recordings of its propeller’s output for two separate surface passages.”

  “Are you happy now?”

  “Of course.”

  “Then let’s end this op. I’ve complied with everyone’s request. It’s time to release my family and let us have our lives back.”

  “You’re not done yet. Both of our navies want the data from the second pod. You know why.”

  “I don’t even know if the recorder is still there,” said Yuri. “Besides, we’ve never managed to record one Ohio boat submerged. When in stealth mode, their acoustic fingerprints are like a hole in the water—virtually impossible to detect.”

  Wang gestured to the color plots scattered across the conference table. “We need all of this data analyzed for both surface and submerged contacts. Plus if your machine finds the other recording pod, we need that data analyzed, too.”

  “Dammit, Wang, I’m not going to do anything more until you release Laura and Madelyn. When I’m convinced they’re safe I’ll finish the work.”

  “That’s not the arrangement we had.”

  “I don’t care. You can go screw yourself.” Yuri turned away, staring blindly through the window and the parking lot landscaping beyond.

  “You are leaving me no choice but to report your refusal to cooperate to both of our superiors,” said Wang.

  Still facing the window Yuri said, “You can tell the SVR and the FSB to screw off, too.”

  Commander Wang retreated, fearing he’d pushed too hard. “Look, I understand the position your government has imposed on you. It is not fair.”

  Yuri snapped back, facing Wang. “You’re damn right about that.”

  “Try to look at it from my point of view. We’re both in the same business. I have an operation to complete, which I suspect is similar to what you have had to do in the past. As the mission commander, I have some leeway. I will speak with my supervisor and make your request known. Perhaps we can make an accommodation without having to involve the SVR.”

  Yuri perked up. “Good. All I want is to get this over with.”

  “I know.” Wang stood. “I need to leave for a meeting.” He reached forward and collected the data sheets scattered across the tabletop. “I will use that opportunity to discuss your request.”

  “Okay.” Yuri also stood and helped gather the remaining sheets. He handed them to Wang and said, “I’ll keep working on this stuff. You can reach me on my cell.”

  CHAPTER 53

  “Is he causing trouble again?” Elena Krestyanova asked, speaking into her cell. She was in her high-rise Vancouver apartment this early evening, sitting on a living room sofa. She wore a knee-length bathrobe with a towel wound around her scalp. She’d just walked out of the bathroom after a forty-minute soak when her phone chimed.

  “He’s stopped cooperating,” Kwan Chi said. “There’s still much more that he must do.”

  Kwan was alone in his stateroom aboard the Yangzi. Five minutes earlier, Wang had briefed him by satphone while sitting in an SUV in NSD’s parking lot.

  “What does he want?” Elena asked.

  “He’s demanding that we release the woman and child. But without them as leverage, how can we expect him to complete the assignment?”

  Elena stretched her shapely legs onto the sofa and contemplated her toes. She’d have to find time for a pedicure soon. “Kirov is in a precarious position. He can’t go to the American authorities because of the possible repercussions to Newman. He will protect her and the child at all costs. He believes the SVR is part of the operation, so he can’t expect any help from Russia. That leaves him only one option—cooperate and hope that the SVR leaves him alone once he’s completed the mission.”

  “So he’s bluffing.”

  “That’s the way I see it.”

  “Do you have any suggestions?”

  “Go ahead and release Newman and the child but detain Kirov until he’s completed his work. He’ll go for that.”

  “That’s my conclusion, too.”

  “So you plan to release them?”

  “Yes, tomorrow. I’d like your assistance with that matter.”

  “Why?”

  “We need to keep the veil of your security services upfront. He has to believe he’s really working for Russia and not me.”

  “I’m sure he knows nothing about you.”

  “Commander Wang suspects Kirov believes the PRC is involved far more than what he was originally told. And that is dangerous for all of us.”

  Elena could not fault Kwan’s thinking. If Yuri discovered that she had deceived him on behalf of the PRC by holding Laura and her child hostage for a $5 million payout, Elena’s head would be first on his chopping block.

  Elena calculated the solution. After completing the mission, Yuri simply had to go. Only that would guarantee her and Kwan real peace of mind.

  Elena said, “I understand. What would you like me to do?”r />
  * * *

  Yuri sat at his desk at 7:20 P.M. He had NSD’s offices to himself. Bill Winters was on the phone. He’d left several voice mails for Yuri.

  Still working in Barrow with his crew, Bill provided a detailed progress report on NSD’s monitoring of the Chukchi Sea oil spill. Deep Explorer continued to excel, only requiring routine maintenance during scheduled recharging of the batteries. The constantly shifting sea ice shuttled the trapped oil northward and eastward in response to subsurface currents. Deep Explorer kept track of the migrating spill on a daily basis.

  Yuri was more than pleased with the report.

  “That sounds terrific,” Yuri said. “Please convey my thanks to the team. There will be substantial bonuses for everyone.”

  “I will, and they really have been doing a terrific job.” Winters shifted gears. “I’m glad you called me back because we have another opportunity up here I need to talk to you about.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Remember that test we did with the microbes?”

  “The oil-eating bacteria?”

  “Yeah. After the Explorer injected the stuff, those little critters ended up consuming ninety-five percent of the oil in the test pockets. The Coast Guard and EPA went ape shit when they got results back. The U. of Alaska Fairbanks is currently brewing up a new batch, scaled up about fifty times from the first run. The Coasties want to start full-scale cleanup operations for trapped oil located on our side of the boundary line with Russia. The Canadians also want in on the action.”

  “Where do we fit in?”

  “They plan to ferry the stuff out to the ice pack on a fleet of choppers, drill holes in the ice, and then inject the bacteria right into the trapped oil. They want us to keep track of the cleanup with Deep Explorer.”

  “That’s great, but how can you do that as well as track the overall spread of the spill?”

  “If I had the Adventurer up here, we’d have it covered. When can you ship her up?”

  The request stunned Yuri, who knew he should have anticipated it. All along, Deep Adventurer had been held in reserve as a backup.

  “I’m almost done with the testing. Maybe in a couple of days I can send her north.”