by Dave Edlund
“Oh, they are. But that doesn’t mean it’s Russian.” Ross paused for a moment. “I think this is Kazakh.”
Lacey and Stephens were focused on Beth Ross, hanging on her words. “Kazakh is the native language of Kazakhstan, and it’s spoken by a majority throughout most of the country,” Ross explained.
“And Russia operates several military and scientific research facilities in Kazakhstan, including missile and laser research. It makes sense,” Lacey said.
Peter gently placed the air blower on the table, and Jim zoomed in on the label. Even though Peter didn’t read or speak Russian or Kazakh, he could still interpret much of the printed information.
“It’s a twelve volt blower, the specs are given here,” Peter pointed with a screwdriver to the label. Again, the printing used the Cyrillic alphabet.
“The air blower is of Russian manufacture,” Beth observed. “Let’s see the batteries.”
“First, I want to get the explosive charge out of the way,” Peter said. It was packaged in a military-green plastic box. Even with the detonator removed, Peter felt his pulse quicken as he adroitly removed four mounting screws that held the explosive-filled box to a partition panel inside the case. Once free of its mountings, he turned it over and immediately concluded it was devoid of any markings. “Looks like a non-descript box—could be from anywhere.”
Jim shared the images, turning the box so all six sides were photographed.
“Magnum, the detonator and charge are going to Ramstein. Package them up, detonator separate from main charge, and see to it that Colonel Garrett gets them on a flight ASAP. He understands the priority, but respectfully remind him anyway.”
“Yes, sir.”
Peter moved on. “Now I’ll remove the batteries.”
The power supply was substantial—about the size of a motorcycle battery—and it was heavy enough that Peter held it with two hands as he set it down, although he tried to minimize his handling of it. “Probably sufficient energy stored here to keep the machine in standby, waiting to be activated, for at least a month.”
Beth Ross studied the label, black printing on a white and green background. The battery casing itself was black plastic. But what was most interesting was a short message, hand-printed, at the bottom of the label.
“Yes, the battery is also Russian made. However, see that handwriting on the label?”
“What does it say?” Peter asked as Jim zoomed-in the camera until the image dominated the frame.
“I’m pretty sure that’s a QC certification, a name and date, but like before, that’s not Russian. It’s Kazakh.”
Lacey looked into the camera, making virtual eye contact with Jim and Peter. “If Ross is correct, that means the device was most likely assembled in Kazakhstan, not Russia.”
“There’s no mistake in my translation,” Ross said. “Remember, I grew up with a Russian grandmother, and was fluent in Russian by age seven. And I majored in linguistics in college. After graduation, I completed a 48-week course in Russian at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey. Kazakh is a Turkic language while Russian is Indo-European. They’re completely different in grammar and vocabulary. To Westerners the written words look similar because the Cyrillic alphabet is favored now. But that wasn’t always the case. Kazakh was first written in Arabic script. With Russian domination of Kazakhstan beginning in the early 20th century, use of Arabic script was banned. Anyone who is fluent in one language or the other can easily tell them apart.”
“It does make sense,” Peter said.
“Why do you say that?” Jim asked.
“Well, look at it this way. Someone has manufactured smallpox based on a U.S. strain of the virus in order to make it look like America used biological weapons. We’re pretty sure it was Russia, and the Kremlin would have to know we would suspect them. So, they can’t afford the risk of actually making this aerosol device on Russian soil. At the minimum, it gives them plausible deniability.”
“Peter has a good point,” Lacey said.
“Stephens, where are the significant Russian research facilities in Kazakhstan?” Jim asked.
“Give me a minute, sir.” She was already typing in the query. MOTHER, the SGIT super computer, would have a summary in seconds.
“Let’s keep going, Peter. Maybe there are some marks on the sheet metal assemblies or other parts that’ll give us more clues.”
With the battery and control boards removed, it was a simple matter to unplug the wire harness and expose the ducting, and a box that presumably contained the weaponized virus.
“See if you can get a clear shot of the wires,” Peter suggested. Jim focused on some letters on the insulation.
“The wire is of Russian manufacture,” Ross said.
“Now you should be able to move the camera into the case. See this spot?” Peter pointed again with the screwdriver. “Looks to me like a stamp of some sort.”
Ross studied the image. “Sir, can you zoom in a bit more?”
Jim moved the camera closer and played with the zoom and focus. “That’s max magnification,” he said.
It was indeed a stamped mark on the sheet metal ducting, but not writing. Rather it was a symbol. Ross typed a search command and waited momentarily for the results. When it displayed on her laptop, she turned the PC around to the video camera.
The picture was a circle with a turquoise blue center and a yellow rim. Superimposed over the blue center was a yellow horse.
“This is the coat of arms for the Jambyl Province, or Oblast, of south central Kazakhstan,” Ross explained.
“Bingo!” Stephens nearly jumped out of her chair. She began reading from her monitor. “Sary-Shagan. It’s the major Russian missile test range in Kazakhstan. Also laser weapon development and testing and, back in the Soviet era, a nuclear test site. Mostly high-altitude air bursts to study EMP effects. The facility lies on the western shore of Lake Balkhash.”
Jim said, “The site is very remote. Good location for weapons research and development.”
“There’s a strong cultural tie between Russia and Kazakhstan—” Lacey was saying when Ross interrupted her.
“That cultural tie, to the extent you can legitimately call it that, is recent. It only goes back a hundred years or so to when the communists seized control of Kazakhstan. The Kazakh people have more in common with Asians, having descended from the Mongols when Genghis Khan invaded and settled the land.”
“Miss Ross,” Lacey said, “I understand your dislike for the government under President Pushkin. But you will remain focused and professional.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Ross answered.
“What I started to say, Commander, is that President Pushkin sees a cultural connection with Kazakhstan as evidenced by a similar alphabet and the fact that Russian is commonly spoken by the Kazakhs. The land has also been under Russian control, gaining independence with the fall of the Iron Curtain. There are strong trade agreements between the two countries, including energy and other strategic resources, while at the same time Kazakhstan has turned its back on the West. It does not take a vivid imagination to picture Pushkin invading northern Kazakhstan following the same logic as the invasion of Eastern Ukraine.”
Jim rubbed his chin, a habit when he was deep in thought. “So you’re suggesting that the government of Kazakhstan is functioning as a Russian puppet?”
“In essence, yes. Some analysts within the DIA openly speculate that Kazakhstan will be the next Crimea, invaded and annexed by Russia.”
Peter, who had been listening intently, felt he knew where the analysis was leading. “I’d certainly feel better if we had more evidence before concluding that this device was manufactured on the shore of Lake Balkhash.”
“The package will be delivered to Ramstein Air Base tonight,” said Lacey. “They have a well-equipped lab and can analyze the chemical composition of the explosive and detonator. But I’m betting they confirm both are Russian military. So, I don’t see how that helps us. We
already know the Russians are involved.”
“I’m confident,” Peter said, “this aerosol dispersion device was not assembled in a clean and sterile environment. There simply is no need for that given the nature of how the device operates.”
“I’m not following you,” Jim said. Lacey and the other analysts were listening carefully, trying to understand where Peter’s comment would lead.
“Well, the device draws in air and then expels the fine virus as a dust or aerosol. Since ambient air is drawn through the device, why go to the trouble to assemble it in a clean environment? It’s going to get exposed to dust and other air pollutants during operation anyway.”
“Okay,” Jim said. “But so what?”
“We need to look for a fingerprint that will confirm the location of assembly. That fingerprint is pollen and dust.”
Lacey and Stephens were nodding as Peter spoke. “I agree, sir,” Lacey said. “If the machine was assembled at Sary-Shagan, there will be traces of pollen from native plants.”
“The risk,” Peter said, “is that there may not be much native vegetation in that part of Kazakhstan. If I’m not mistaken, it’s very arid.”
Stephens read from her laptop. “The Ili River delta is close to Sary-Shagan, and it’s lush—coastal cane, several varieties of reeds, and willows.” She tilted her head and frowned. “Fairly common plant species—pollen analysis may not provide a definitive answer.”
“That’s why it’s vitally important to also examine dust that is adhered to the plastic box housing the battery as well as other surfaces inside the case. Plastics are susceptible to acquiring a static charge, which attracts dust, so it’s likely we’ll find material on the box and elsewhere. We have to capture the dust particles and then analyze their chemical makeup using x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy inside the chamber of an electron microscope.”
Jim objected. “But any samples—pollen or dust or whatever—that may be found are already compromised since the device has been opened to Minsk city air. Not to mention the handling under our examination here.”
“Your argument would be valid if we were trying to prove the machine was assembled in Belarus,” Peter said. “But that’s not the challenge. We want to know if, at any time, the device has been in the vicinity of Sary-Shagan. If the answer is yes, then the most likely reason is because it was assembled there.”
Jim was convinced. “You sound like you know what to look for, Peter—where to find dust and pollen samples,” Jim said.
“I’ve done this before, if that’s what you mean. The magnetic impulse guns my company develops go through rigorous testing in the field before we release the design to production. Part of that testing is to disassemble a prototype gun and examine it for contamination by dust, dirt, and grit. Because the weapons generate strong magnetic fields, particulates that are predominately iron and nickel will accumulate around the solenoids, potentially causing a short circuit. We capture the contamination then analyze its composition using an electron microscope.”
“Good. I want you to collect your samples now. Do you think there is an electron microscope at the BSU campus?”
Peter recalled Dmitri’s comments when they met and he was planning to take them on a tour of the chemistry facilities. He had mentioned an electron microscopy lab. “Yes, it’s my understanding they do.”
“Can you operate the microscope?”
Peter nodded. “Yes, I should be able to get a simple elemental analysis of any particles we capture off the inner componentry.”
“Good. What do you need?”
“Well, some cotton swabs and adhesive paper labels, and a piece of wax paper. Oh, and a pen and pad of paper… and several paper envelopes.”
Jim sent Iceberg and Magnum in search of the items. “Start with the hotel manager. The office should have file folder labels. Maybe housekeeping has cotton swabs, and check the kitchen for the wax paper. And get some disposable latex gloves!”
Next, Jim addressed Lacey who was still on the video feed. “Lieutenant, find out where we’re to send the virus package. I’ll inform Garrett; he can commandeer a second aircraft once he knows the destination.”
With a new objective, Peter returned to examining the components inside the case, as well as the plastic case itself. He squinted his eyes as he looked along the hinge and the metal reinforcement wrapping the edge of each half of the molded case, spotting areas to sample. Also, on the blower housing, which was plastic, he found a thin, grey-white coating of dust. He’d sample that with the adhesive label, same for the plastic battery box, and the fiberglass printed circuit boards.
Peter had mentally completed his course of action just as Iceberg and Magnum returned with the requested goods. He set to work documenting the sampling locations on a sheet of paper, in every case also drawing a simple sketch of the location from which the sample was acquired.
Carefully, Peter folded the adhesive labels between sheets of wax paper. Later, he would peel the labels off and, hopefully, the dust particles would still be retained by the sticky layer. Cotton swabs were wiped over edges and grooves to collect the particulates, and then each was placed in a separate labeled envelope.
It took about fifteen minutes to complete the task. The last action was to remove the metal compartment that was suspected to contain the virus agent. Peter donned a pair of disposable gloves and held his breath while backing out a few screws that held it in place. Once free of its mountings, Peter slipped the metal box into a zip-lock bag. Finally, they closed the case, and Gary and Jim sealed it inside two plastic bags, taping the seams tight. Later, it would be ferried to Germany.
Chapter 40
Minsk
PETER PLACED HIS HAND ON Jim’s arm. “You do know there’s another machine out there. We have to find it.”
“With no clue as to where it is? We’ve gone over this already.”
“The situation has changed. I think I know where it’s been deployed.”
Jim studied his friend, looking into his steel-gray eyes, searching for any sign of uncertainty—and reading only confidence. “Right now our job is to get these samples analyzed. Whatever we find has to be communicated immediately to President Taylor.”
“That’s the wrong priority. So what if we know the machine was assembled in Kazakhstan. There’s another one out there, and when it activates it’ll expose thousands of innocent people; maybe tens of thousands.”
“We have our orders.” Jim let the message sink in before continuing “Let’s get the analysis done first. Then we will go hunting for the second aerosol device. Okay?”
Reluctantly, Peter agreed.
“What makes you so certain you know where the second device is?” Jim asked.
“A process of elimination. First, the case would have to be placed at a location that is under control of the militia.”
“Okay, that narrows down the field of search to the airport and a handful of buildings in downtown Minsk. It would take days to thoroughly search those locations.”
“Not days, an hour at the most.”
Jim didn’t attempt to hide his skepticism.
“Look, the aerosol needs to be released into the atmosphere. That means the machine will be on a rooftop, like the one at the chemistry building. Furthermore, it will be most effective if it’s on a very high roof to yield a greater dispersion area.”
“That would be the control tower at the airport. That’s got to be the tallest building.”
Peter shook his head. “No, not the airport. Based on what the Marines were saying, that was an intense battle and now it’s under military control until further notice. So there won’t be commercial flights landing and taking off, which means few people to potentially be exposed to the virus. No, the location is Minsk. And the tallest building is the KGB Headquarters, which is also under control of the militia.”
“Given the sensitive political situation, it’ll be some time, maybe weeks, before anyone is allowed to search the KGB Headquarters.
”
“This rain is expected to break up soon, and when it does, when the weather clears, the machine will activate.”
“How do you know this?”
“Because that’s how the aerosol machine we captured is constructed. It’s probably a simple logic sequence. With this weather moving out, the barometric pressure will rise and the relative humidity will decrease within hours. There may even be a gentle wind, all the better. As this information is recorded, the microprocessor will recognize the pattern and conclude that conditions are right. At that time it will activate the machine. The blower will be powered up, and the compartment holding the smallpox virus will open allowing a jet of air to entrain the tiny dust-like virus particles and spread it into the atmosphere.”
“From the top of the KGB Headquarters it could expose all of downtown Minsk.” Jim imagined the machine spewing out an almost invisible, deadly dust cloud.
“Yeah, and when it’s done and the virus has been dispensed, some pro-Russian KGB officer will remove the case and destroy the evidence.”
“It’s the perfect plan… and we’re gonna make sure it doesn’t happen.”
Peter’s lips curled upward slightly, not quite a grin but close. “Knew you’d see it my way.”
“First, let’s get to the lab and analyze these samples.”
s
Within a few minutes, Jim had his team rounded up along with Captain Diaz and Peter. With ammunition supplies replenished, they boarded the Osprey. The samples, nineteen in total including three control samples, were placed inside an expandable file folder donated by the hotel business office.
Jim’s plan was simple. The Osprey would shuttle the men back to the BSU campus, landing as close as possible to the chemistry building. He and Peter would find the electron microscopy lab. As Peter was analyzing his samples, Jim would communicate the results to Lacey.
With the massive tilt-rotors in a full horizontal position, the aircraft functioned like a gigantic helicopter. It hovered a foot above the pavement, the tail door open and its ramp against the asphalt. The pilot deftly avoiding clipping any streetlights lining the wide avenue.
