“It helps my concentration,” he said with good cheer, washing down a mouthful of caviar. He gave Trout another teeth-rattling pound on the back. “This is so incredible to see you, my friend, I'm glad you called to say you would be in the neighborhood.”

“It's wonderful to see you again, Vlad, although it was a little difficult getting through to you.”

“We're connected to the outside by a single telephone. That's the beauty of this place. It's the Lost World. Only we are the dinosaurs.” He roared with laughter at his own joke. “We are paid practically nothing, but we can pursue our work with little in the way of expenses.” He lifted the bottle, smacked his lips and poured himself another two fingers of vodka. “Enough about me. Tell me what brought you to the Black Sea.”

“You've heard of the NUMA research vessel, Argo?”

“Oh, yes. I've been on her, in fact. A few years ago. She's a wonderful ship. I would expect nothing less from NUMA.”

Paul nodded in agreement. “Garnay and I are doing some research in connection with the Argo's most recent survey. I remembered you were at the university and thought I'd give you a call to let you know we were in the neighborhood.”

Austin had asked the Trouts to look into Ataman Indus- tries while he and Zavala checked out the submarine base. Ataman's headquarters were in the port city of Novorossiysk, on the northeast comer of the Black Sea. Trout immediately thought of Orlov, who had been a visiting professor at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, because he remembered that the professor taught at the university in Rostov near Novorossiysk. When he'd called Orlov, the professor said he would never forgive Paul if he and Gamay didn't come to visit him.

“You had no problem getting here?” the professor inquired.

“Not at all. We were lucky to catch a commercial flight to Novorossiysk on short notice. The university arranged for a cab to pick us up at the airport, and here we are.” He looked around at the bucolic setting. “Let me get my bearings. We're between Rostov and Novorossiysk?”

“That's right. Novorossiysk is the port for the oil fields in I the Caucasus. It's also a Hero City full of large ugly monuments commemorating the heroic resistance of the people during the Great Patriotic War.” Orlov turned to Gamay. “Paul has lauded your skills as a marine biologist. What sort of work have you been doing?”

“Before coming to the Black Sea, I was in the Florida Keys looking at coral damage from industrial runoff.”

Orlov gave a shake of his head. “It seems that we Russians are not the only environmental barbarians. I am involved in a study of Black Sea pollution. What about you, Paul?”