The Tesla Secret

by Alex Lukeman

  "He loves you. Anyone can see that, the way he looks at you. You quit what you're doing, you think you'll lose him?"

  Selena said, "It's more than that. He relies on me. They all do." She was saying too much, but she didn't care. "If I quit, I let them down. I put them all at risk."

  They began the slow walk back to Selena's room.

  "You think you're responsible for Nick? For his safety, and, uh, the others, whoever they are?"

  "Yes. No, I know better. But I can't get over what happened. It was Nick's fault."

  As soon as she said it, she started crying again. Arlene looked distressed.

  "Oh my. Girl, you do have a problem. What are you going to do?"

  "I don't know."

  "You talk with him about it yet?"

  "No. I pushed him away. He didn't come back for a week." Selena got control of herself. "Since then everything's been wrong between us. Like we're strangers."

  "Then I guess you better start talking. Looks like you're going to get your chance."

  Selena saw Nick coming from the other direction. He had a dozen red flowers in one hand. She brushed tears away from her face with the back of her hand.

  "Anyone who brings you roses can't be all bad, " Arlene said.

  CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

  Elizabeth called Alexei Vysotsky in Moscow.

  "Director. We seem fated to work together."

  "I take it Adam has contacted you."

  "Yes. A package by way of UPS, if you can believe it. He seems determined on detente between our two organizations. He suggests a joint operation, not unlike what you and I did before."

  "How much did he tell you?"

  "Enough."

  Elizabeth picked up her silver pen. "We have to act, Alexei."

  She could feel him hesitate, thousands of miles away.

  "How well do you understand what is happening here?"

  How much should she say? Vysotsky was referring to the internal power struggle he was waging with Ogorov and the FSB. He was losing. There was no tactical advantage in concealing her knowledge.

  "I am aware you are in a difficult situation and cannot trust many of your own people. Ogorov seems bent on getting control of your security services. Of course, it is AEON directing him."

  "I've been watching him closely since our meeting in Denmark. He has been using state funds, materials, deploying troops. All without anyone in the Kremlin seeming to notice."

  "How could that be possible?" Elizabeth asked.

  "It isn't possible. That is what worries me. Were it not for his attempts to subvert my organization, or his membership in AEON, I would applaud him for building this weapon. As it is..."

  Vysotsky left the sentence unfinished.

  It was a game of world chess with consequences far more important than the toppling of a wooden king. Vysotsky wanted to take Ogorov off the board. In that, she was his ally. But then he would want to keep the weapon for Russia. In that, they were opponents.

  Elizabeth had no illusions. Vysotsky was a nationalist, a right-wing patriot. He was ambitious. He would try and get control of the weapon. It would give him a very big stick, perhaps big enough to propel him into the Kremlin without the trouble of another sham election. Russians were always looking for a strong leader. She had to make him see that if the Federation possessed Tesla's secret there would be war. The United States would not permit it. She had to make him see reason. Whether he did or not, the weapon would still have to be destroyed.

  The objective was deep inside Russia and well guarded. Her team would never get close without his cooperation. Maybe she could play to his male ego.

  "What do you suggest, Alexei?"

  She put just a hint of uncertainty in her voice, a woman asking for the superior judgement of a powerful man.

  Vysotsky laughed, a deep belly laugh. "Very good, Elizabeth. But I know you better than that. You mustn't try to use your considerable charm on me."

  In Moscow, Vysotsky couldn't see her smile. "It was worth a try."

  "I would have been surprised if you had not."

  Choose your words with care. "Alexei, I will be frank. In your place I would want to eliminate Ogorov and keep the weapon intact. But it must be destroyed."

  "Oh?"

  "If Russia gets this weapon it will have bad results."

  "If we had told you there would be bad results, would that have made a difference when you built your atomic bomb?" She could hear annoyance in his voice.

  "Of course not, but that was a different time. There is no defense against this weapon. It will destabilize everything. There are people here who will see it as an unacceptable threat. I am certain it will lead to war if we do not act together, a war neither of us can win. Both our nations will be destroyed."

  She waited. When he spoke again, there was resignation in his voice.

  "There are elements here as well that would not hesitate to use such a device."

  "So far, no one knows Ogorov has built this thing. I believe Adam wants us to work together because it is the only way my government can be certain the threat is eliminated."

  "You mean your President."

  "I have to tell Rice what Ogorov is planning. I know the President. He doesn't want another war, certainly not with Russia. He will not act against you if there is another way to ensure our security. I need your assurances. If I tell him my team is going in and will verify destruction of the weapon, he will wait and take no counter measures. He will prepare them, but he will not use them."

  "You are putting me in a difficult position, Director."

  "Once this weapon is operational, the entire world is hostage. Adam has told me that AEON sent up twelve satellites in the last year that can relay the beam back to earth. They form a targeting grid that covers the globe. Neither the White House or the Kremlin is safe."

  "If Adam, whoever he is, is correct. What if this is disinformation?"

  "The satellites are there, I have verified it. As can you. I remind you that Adam prevented a disaster for the Federation. Why would he mislead us?"

  "There are always hidden agendas."

  "Neither one of us is comfortable with him, I admit. But my gut says we have to trust him on this. We know Ogorov is part of AEON. The pyramid is there. It all adds up. Plus there's more."

  "More?"

  Elizabeth told him about the Mafra Library. She told him about Mexico. She told him about Tesla's experiments with Telluric currents.

  "All of that confirms Adam's information. Ogorov is building a design that uses the unlimited power of the earth's magnetic field. We believe he found something in Mexico to help him amplify that power and make Tesla's design work."

  "What was it?"

  "In Mexico? I don't know."

  "Ogorov has powerful friends. I cannot move openly against him."

  "Then we must move secretly. A small strike team, experienced. My people and yours. Nick and Korov work well together. What do you think?"

  Rice was waiting to hear the outcome of this conversation. If Vysotsky didn't agree, things were going to get complicated in short order. Complicated and dangerous.

  "All right," Vysotsky said. "But Korov will command the mission."

  "Agreed."

  They talked until they had the outlines of an operational plan. The team would leave for Russia as soon as Vysotsky had made his preparations. They agreed on communication protocols between them and ended the conversation.

  The team. She thought about Selena. No one else on the team spoke Russian. Damn it, why did she have to get herself shot?

  Elizabeth felt guilty for the thought. It looked like Selena would recover. Her body would heal, but what about her mind? She'd almost died. How would she come back from that? And then there was Nick. Since Mexico he'd been even more taciturn than usual. Moody. Trouble between him and Selena could affect his judgement. Affect the team. How would he resolve it? How would Selena?

  Elizabeth didn't know. If she could have read Sele
na's mind at that moment, she would have realized that Selena didn't know either.

  Part Three

  CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE

  Korov looked inside the small box Vysotsky handed him. It contained shoulder boards with the two stars of a Lieutenant Colonel, a significant promotion, difficult to gain.

  "Thank you, sir."

  "You earned it, Arkady. You've done well with the Americans. They will be part of a new mission and you will be in command."

  Vysotsky passed several photographs across his desk. They were taken from a distance with a telephoto lens. The pictures showed a large, distinctive shape, camouflaged to fool aerial observers.

  "This is what the traitor Ogorov has been constructing. It is located on the Siberian plain, near Irtysh."

  "A pyramid? Why?"

  "It is a design of Nikola Tesla. You know who Tesla was?"

  Korov nodded. "Of course."

  "The pyramid powers one of Tesla's inventions, a weapon that projects an unstoppable, destructive beam."

  "Why here? There is nothing here, only a village and an old base."

  "Tesla's design draws upon the earth for its power. The pyramid is near the juncture of the Ob and the Irtysh rivers. It has been explained to me that there are strong earth currents at this location. It is isolated, difficult to attack except with missiles. There are anti-aircraft defenses. Bombers would be intercepted long before they reached their target."

  "It could be attacked on the ground."

  "Exactly. But that would require an invasion or an internal force."

  Korov saw what was coming. "You want me to penetrate this installation. With the Americans."

  Vysotsky opened his desk drawer and took out the vodka and glasses he always kept there.

  "Yes."

  "We could be shot for treason."

  "We could." Vysotsky poured the drinks. "But we will not be shot. Not if you succeed."

  He watched Korov closely. It was one thing to send him on a mission with the Americans to Texas or Italy. It was another to attack an objective within his own country. He poured the vodka.

  "Na Zdrov'nya," he said. They downed the liquor. Vysotsky poured another.

  "You will remember that AEON was behind the Demeter operation."

  Korov knew all about AEON.

  "Ogorov is not working for the Motherland. He is working for AEON and his own advancement. He is very close to using this weapon. If he succeeds, it will draw us into war with the United States."

  "He can't believe we could beat them!" Korov was shocked. "What is the target?"

  "The Americans are about to launch a new spy satellite, more advanced than the others they have. It is a major upgrade to their systems. I think that is the target."

  "This weapon could reach it? It does not use missiles?"

  "It could reach it." Korov shrugged. "Perhaps Ogorov thinks the United States will not know how their satellite was destroyed. There is no hope of that. We must stop Ogorov and gain this weapon for the Motherland. Then Russia will have a powerful bargaining tool with the West. It will be like the end of the Great Patriotic War, when atomic weapons made them supreme. Now it is our turn."

  Korov finished his vodka. "You do not wish to destroy it."

  "Of course not. I wish to control it."

  "The American Project team may not agree."

  "That is a problem you will solve, if it arises."

  He poured another drink. They raised their glasses.

  "To the Motherland," Vysotsky said.

  CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR

  Nick sat by Selena's bed in Bethesda. The doctors were ready to discharge her for outpatient treatment. The numbness was almost gone, but she couldn't begin workouts any time soon. The surgery was healing. The doctors said there was a possibility of permanent damage, but the prognosis was good. She'd be almost normal in a year, they said. She was determined to make it sooner.

  "We need to talk," he said.

  "Yes. We do."

  "Harker is sending the team to Russia. We're going to take a look at what AEON is building over there."

  "That's what you want to talk about?"

  "No, but it's relevant." He looked out the window. The sky was dirty gray. Rain was coming. "I have a bad feeling about it."

  She felt something twist in her gut. His sixth sense. It wasn't like him to worry about a mission. Then she understood.

  "You think you might not come back."

  His silence told her the answer. He'd never said anything like that before.

  "Why do you keep doing this, Nick? We could leave, make a life together. Where we don't have to look over our shoulder all the time. Where no one is shooting at us."

  He said, "I don't know if I can explain."

  "Try me."

  "You're a civilian." She started to say something. He held up his hand. "I know, that's not exactly right anymore. You've proved yourself. But you've never been in the military. You don't understand why I think the way I do."

  She could feel herself getting angry. "Don't you dare patronize me. What's the military got to do with it?"

  "I'm not trying to patronize you. When I say civilians don't understand, it's the truth. It's not possible if you haven't been in the service. Think about how you felt before you came into the Project. Can you say you understood what it was like to have people try their damndest to kill you, or what it felt like to kill someone? Any idea of what was necessary to stay alive?"

  Selena remembered the Chinese soldier she'd shot. The first man she'd killed. She would never forget his face, the neat pattern of bloody holes across his chest. Holes she'd put there. His death had changed her.

  "No."

  "I was trained from day one to understand that. You never had that training. Civilians never have that training. Civilians call people like me murderers and go home and sleep in nice warm beds because people like me keep the wolves from the door."

  He paused. "You asked why I keep doing it. There are a lot of wolves out there. Our enemies aren't going away any time soon. That's why."

  She looked at him for a long moment. Where anger had been she felt only sadness.

  "I need to know where you stand," he said. "I know it's hard for you. I don't fault you for blaming me, but we have to get past it."

  "I don't blame you." She plucked at her blanket, turned away and looked out the window. "I did at first. It wasn't your fault. I should have been more savvy." She turned back to face him.

  "You've been pushing me away." He paused. "Selena, I can't deal with that. It's messing up my head. I need to know if we're good or not."

  He looked resigned. She'd never seen him look like that, ever.

  "Something changed when I got hit," she said.

  He waited.

  "It scared the hell out of me. I thought I'd never walk again. I'm not sure I can keep doing this. Or if I want to."

  He nodded. "I understand that. The first time I got hit, I was near the end of my tour. I almost quit. I'm glad I didn't. Hell, I wouldn't have met you."

  "You'll never quit. Will you?"

  "It's what I do. At least while I'm still fit enough to do it."

  "And if I don't do it with you?"

  "As long as I have you to come back to, it wouldn't matter. You could still work with Harker. You'd be safe. You don't have to go in the field."

  And I can wait and see if you come back alive or in a box.

  She said, "They're letting me out of here tomorrow."

  "That's great."

  "Elizabeth is putting me on a desk until I'm all the way back physically."

  "See? Like I said." He smiled.

  She saw that smile and she wanted to take him in her arms. But something held her back. She couldn't forget that his mistake had almost gotten her killed. She'd had faith Nick would always get it right, always be able to give her a fighting chance just by his presence, his experience. That faith was shattered.

  "Give me some time."

  "Selena...
"

  She stopped him. "It's the best I can do. Can you handle that?"

  He nodded. "I guess I have to."

  CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE

  Ronnie, Nick and Lamont looked at the latest satellite pictures of the objective. Banks of missile and anti-aircraft batteries were scattered around the site. They stood out in stark contrast against ground covered with snow.

  "Ogorov's been busy," Nick said.

  Elizabeth was tight lipped. "Vysotsky says the installation is complete. He thinks Ogorov wants to use it against ODIN. I think he's right."

  "What's ODIN?" Lamont asked.

  "Our latest secret spy satellite, set to launch tomorrow. It's the most sophisticated surveillance technology on the planet."

  "How does Vysotsky know about that?"

  "I don't know, Nick. But he's a spy, after all. It's hard to keep a project that big under wraps. Once ODIN is operational, it will make ECHELON obsolete."

  ECHELON was NSA's extensive system for capturing digital and wireless communications all over the world. It was one of the technological cornerstones of America's security, critical in a world where terrorism was the business of people with cell phones and fax machines. If ODIN was good enough to relegate ECHELON to second tier status, it could be a game changer.

  "A single eye that sees everything," Nick said. "Just like the Norse god."

  "That's right." Elizabeth picked up her pen. "If they knock down that satellite it will start a war."

  "Don't Ogorov and the others realize that?" Ronnie asked. "Are they really that stupid?"

  "It appears that they are. You don't build a weapon like that and then sit on it. Remember, AEON is behind this. If they knock out ODIN they will have demonstrated that they have 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."