The Tesla Secret

by Alex Lukeman

  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 passed them outside to a restricted area. A car waited to take them to the General Aviation building.

  Their plane was a Dassault Falcon 20, a French jet with a range of about 2000 miles. The Dassault was much favored by the power elite of Europe. Like the American Gulfstream, it was an efficient, luxury business plane available with many options. Twenty minutes after they boarded, they were in the air.

  They changed into Russian uniforms.

  "It is about four hours to Chelyabinsk, " Korov said.

  Ronnie had a small leather pouch in his hand.

  "What is that you are holding?" Korov asked.

  "This? This is a jish. I always have it with me."

  The jish was Ronnie's personal medicine bundle. He only took it out when he was nervous about a mission. Ronnie had told Nick that the jish was like a living person. It had to be cared for, interacted with, respected. Otherwise it became no more than superstition, a good luck charm.

  "What is in the bag?".

  "Oh, a few things. Corn pollen. A pinch of earth from each of the four sacred mountains. A few other things."

  Ronnie had never told Nick or anyone else exactly what was inside. It was bad medicine to talk much about it. He slipped the jish back in his pocket.

  Nick changed the subject. "How do we get from Chelyabinsk to the objective?"

  "We fly and we jump," Korov said. "You are all qualified. It will be a low altitude night jump. The anti-aircraft batteries will be informed of a training exercise. We will have the proper codes. They will not see us leave the plane."

  They settled in for the flight. Nick fell into a half sleep, his mind filled with vague images. He woke to the monotone drone of the engines and looked at his watch. He'd been asleep for an hour and a half. He rubbed his eyes. Korov came over and sat down next to him.

  "You were uneasy in your sleep," he said. "You are all right?"

  "Yeah, fine. What happens when we get to Chelyabinsk?"

  "My team will meet us. They will have weapons for you."

  "How do they feel about working with Americans?"

  "They will follow orders." He paused. "Nick, I am in command here. We are clear on this?"

  "We are. It's your operation."

  "Good." Korov checked his watch. "We are less than two hours from Chelyabinsk. We will be in the air soon after that. Let's go over the plan now."

  For the next hour they reviewed the satellite photos. They discussed the defenses and possible complications. Both men knew there were things about this mission that could get them killed. Both had years of experience. Except for the bizarre nature of the target and their unlikely alliance, it was just another assignment. The uncertainties went with the job. Neither of them expected everything to go smoothly. The best they could do was anticipate problems and prepare mentally for every possibility they could think of. Training was a given. Preparation was what kept you alive.

  Professionals, getting ready for another day at the office in Special Ops.

  CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN

  Selena came into Harker's office, using a cane. Stephanie jumped up and hugged her. Selena winced.

  "I'm so glad to see you. We were so worried about you."

  "I'm fine. Six months and I'll be up to speed."

  Selena was pale. She sank into a chair and let out deep breath.

  "Maybe longer," she said.

  "There's no rush." Elizabeth handed her a headset and a control. "The team is about to land in Chelyabinsk. You'll be able to hear everything. I want you to monitor the Russians. Just in case."

  "I understand. Nick can hear us?"

  "Yes. The others can't. Just press that button to transmit. When you press it twice, it will alert him so he won't show surprise. Then you can talk."

  Selena donned the headset, adjusted the volume. She
could hear the engines and the sounds of men talking in Russian in the cabin. The engine noise made it difficult.

  "Do the Russians know we can listen?"

  "No."

  "I'm going to test it out." She pressed the button twice. "Nick, this is a test. If you can hear me okay, just cough. Like you're clearing your throat."

  She heard him cough, once.

  "Okay, you're five by five." She paused. "For the record I thought about it, what you said. We're good."

  Cough, cough.

  "We'll talk when you get back."

  Cough.

  It felt like a weight off her chest. She'd thought about it every day. Every long night. The job. Nick. She hadn't thought about much else. Whatever happened between them in the future, she didn't want him out where he could get killed thinking she wasn't behind him.

  "What was that," Elizabeth said.

  "Like I said, a test."

  Elizabeth and Stephanie looked at each other.

  "Good," Elizabeth said.

  CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT

  The Russians were all Special Forces, hard men. Captain Ilya Zhukov was second in command after Korov. Senior Sergeant Bukharin was recognizable in any army as a career non com. Sergeant Ivanesky was the third man. Korov made the introductions. Ivanesky gave Nick a hard look and walked away with a few words to Korov. Selena's voice sounded in Nick's ear.

  "Someone is unhappy with you. He says he will do his job but he doesn't have to like any of you. He said he's going to check on the chutes."

  Nick coughed.

  "You must excuse Sergeant Ivanesky," Korov said. "His father was a helicopter pilot in Afghanistan. One of your stinger missiles killed him."

  "He doesn't like us. Can we trust him?"

  Korov bristled. "He is Spetsnaz. He will obey orders without question. Ivanesky is one of my best men."

  The Americans were dressed as the others, in gray and black and white camouflage uniforms and black jump boots and berets. Nick wore the rank markings of a Major. Anyone looking at the group would have seen nothing out of order. A small group of soldiers going somewhere. Ronnie could have been from the Siberian steppes. The only thing unusual was Lamont's skin color. People would guess he was from one of the former Soviet Republics in the south. Unusual, but not unknown.

  Korov had provided AK-47 carbines for their primary weapon.

  "I thought about the new AN-94," he said, as he handed Nick a rifle. "It's accurate, but trouble in the field."

  "How so? I thought the 94 was replacing the AKs."

  "They're supposed to. But they're too complicated. Expensive. Very good for accurate, high rate of fire but difficult to maintain. They jam, they catch on your clothes. I don't like them. We stick with these. Besides, you are familiar with them."

  "Half the world is familiar with them," Nick said. Half the world was, usually the half that hated America.

  Their ride was an Antonov AN-72, nicknamed the Cheburashka by the Russians after a popular cartoon character. The name came from the unusual engine configuration, two huge jets mounted forward on the tops of the wings like giant ears. The plane had been in production since the 80s. A large cargo door in the rear made it ideal for their purpose. Thinking about a jump at low altitude at night made Nick's back ache in anticipation.

  The air crew ignored the Americans, assuming they were Russian, though they'd given Lamont odd looks. As long as everyone kept their mouth shut, they'd be all right. They all knew a few Russian phrases and words. An airman brought Nick a cup of steaming black tea and he thanked him in Russian. The man nodded and returned forward.

  Each man had a small pack in addition to his parachute. The Russian parachutes were their newest stealth model, almost invisible from the ground, similar to the American design. Korov had gone over the differences with them. Still the same procedure. Jump. Pull cord. Land. Assuming the chute opened. They almost always did.

  Ronnie, Nick and Lamont sat on one side. The fuselage was lined with strap benches, just like in the states. When you came down to it, the military forces of the world were much the same everywhere. What was different was the degree of professionalism. The Russian elite forces had that in spades.

  Korov and his men sat on the opposite side of the plane. Nick was too wired to doze off. Ronnie turned his jish over in his fingers, reciting a Navajo prayer to himself. His lips moved silently. Lamont sat with his eyes half closed. Sergeant Ivanesky stared at them. When Ivanseky saw Nick notice him, he looked away.

  "We'd better keep an eye on that one," Nick said to Lamont.

  "Yeah. I noticed. He doesn't like us much."

  "Selena said one of our missiles got his father. In Afghanistan."

  "Explains it. I wouldn't like us much either."

  Korov spoke into his headset, listened. He got up and came over to Nick.

  "We are ten minutes away. Get ready. We jump together. I will lead, you come last."

  "Got it."

  "There is little wind. Snow on the ground, it will show tracks. We are coming in at 2000 feet."

  The cargo door dropped open and the engines slowed. The plane lost altitude and speed. The inside of the cabin turned freezing cold as the wind sucked all the heat into the Russian night. They formed up. The engines maintained a steady beat. The light over the open door changed from red to green.

  "Go," Korov yelled in Russian. He leapt into the darkness. The others followed close behind.

  Nick didn't like low altitude jumps. That close to the ground, there was no room for error. He kept his knees bent tight together and his stomach taut. The chute opened with a familiar jolt that grabbed him in the groin. The night sky was cloud covered. There was no light. The air smelled of coming snow.

  The landing zone was flat, free of boulders or trees. The ground came up in seconds, a white blur emerging from the darkness. The snow cover wasn't enough to cushion the shock. Nick hit hard and rolled. Warning stabs of pain shot up his spine.

  He was last man down. He pulled in his chute and ignored the pain. The others had gathered around something. Nick walked over and looked down at the body of Captain Zhukov. He lay shattered on the ground, his chute tangled about him. The bones of his legs stuck out through his bloody uniform. It was a bad way to begin.

  Korov was stone faced. "Leave the chutes over him."

  They covered the body.

  "The river canal is that way," Korov said. "We go there and follow it in."

  He set off at a fast trot. The snow crunched under their boots. Someone's equipment creaked. The pyramid loomed on their right. They ran until they came to the canal and followed it to the shaft. Water from the Irtysh River plummeted down over the edge and out of sight. Freezing spray drifted over the opening. Steel rungs covered with a thin coating of ice descended at precise intervals along the side of the shaft.

  Korov gestured. "Nick, take the point. I will come last."

  Nick slung his AK muzzle down and began the long climb to whatever lay below.

  CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE

  If there had been a window in Elizabeth's office, she could have looked out on a warm Indian Summer afternoon. There was no window. She had a satellite display on the wall monitor instead.

  They had infrared visual on the objective. Selena, Stephanie and Elizabeth had been listening to the mission unfold. The jump. The death of the Russian captain. They watched the luminous heat signatures of the men run toward the river canal, turn, and reach the black hole of the water shaft. They heard Korov tell Nick to start down.

  The shaft was visible only as a dim heat gradient. Selena watched one of the green figures detach itself from the others.

  She clicked her microphone button twice. "We can see you and hear you, Nick. We might lose you under ground." She stopped. What should she say? She didn't want to distract him. "I'm with you. We're watching."

  Cough.

  Then he was gone. The others followed down the ladder. The three women watched until all that remained on the screen was d
arkness.

  "This is the part I hate," Steph said.

  "What do you mean?" Selena rubbed the surgical scar on her abdomen, still fresh. It itched.

  "The waiting. To see how it turns out."

  To see if they come back. The unspoken thought.

  "It can't be that bad," Selena said. "How about some coffee?"

  "Oh, oh," Elizabeth said.

  On screen, the infrared image flared. A large heat source moved into view.

  "What's that?" Selena asked.

  "A helicopter coming in."

  "What's it doing there that early in the morning?"

  "Good question. That's not normal." Elizabeth swore under her breath. "It's trouble. Selena, get Nick."

  She pressed her transmitter button twice.

  "He's not responding."

  "See what I mean about the waiting?" Stephanie said.

  CHAPTER SIXTY

  Ogorov ducked under the whirling blades of his helicopter and walked toward the pyramid. Tonight they would use the weapon for the first time. He'd gotten word the site had been penetrated and radioed ahead to warn Kaminsky.

  General Kaminsky waited by the entrance to the pyramid. Ogorov was climbing the hierarchy of power. Kaminsky intended to climb with him. He was Ogorov's man.

  "Minister." He clicked the heels of his shiny, high topped boots together.

  "What is the situation regarding the intruders?" Ogorov's breath formed clouds of condensation in the cold air.

  "I thought it wise to use our special detachment, rather than troops from the base. They're ten minutes behind you. Whoever they are, they will be killed or captured."

  Ogorov said, "One of our people is with them. He informs me there are three Americans in the group."

  "Americans? What are they doing here?"

  "Probably CIA. It doesn't matter. Try not to kill them. I want to question them."

  "That may not be possible."