“I’d laugh if it weren’t so true,” said Berg. “I’m going to reach out to someone in Russia who might be able to help. It’s a long shot, but I’m convinced it’s an opportunity to unravel the entire sleeper network. Sergei Kozlov, the GRU general who passed information to your mother in Saint Petersburg, knew more than three names. He likely had access to the entire roster. That’s what I suspect he was going to offer the CIA—but he never got past the second meeting. Kozlov may not have been the only senior-level officer at the GRU with access to that information. I’m hoping my contact can point us in the right direction—so we can arrange a chat with one of those officers.”

“That sounds like something my team could pull off,” said Rich. “With a little inside help. We don’t have any assets in Russia right now.”

“I might be able to help with that, but it’ll be a long shot,” said Berg. “We have to approach this from as many angles as possible. Your mother got the sense that the sleeper network was building up to something. That it had accelerated its pace. That’s what convinced her to kidnap Wilson. I get the same sense that we’re up against a deadline. Maybe not an endgame, but something pivotal.”

“And we may have accelerated their timeline with our actions over the past few days,” said Devin.

“Correct,” said Berg. “Every time we hit them without delivering a crippling or mortal blow, they make an adjustment, though they may not have much flexibility with a major deadline. It’s something to consider when we’re planning how to proceed.”

“If we’re looking for more angles of attack, I think we should approach MINERVA—whether I’m still employed or not,” said Devin. “Given Jolene Rudd’s connection to the DEVTEK honey-trap ploy, I think it’s fair to assume that MINERVA has not been compromised. Not by anyone involved in the planning or execution of MINERVA’s operation.”

“What would be in it for MINERVA?” asked Rich. “Aside from doing their patriotic duty to the United States.”

Devin couldn’t tell if Rich was being sarcastic.

“I see two ways to draw them in. The first would be to give them the opportunity to best serve their client. MINERVA is all about client satisfaction. With our information, they could inform DEVTEK that the risks to the company extend well beyond industrial espionage—to possible product sabotage and ruin. I could see them setting up another sting and integrating us into that operation. The other approach is to pay them as a client to boost our surveillance and counterespionage capability,” said Devin.

“Or offer them the DEVTEK information as payment for their services,” said Marnie.