Austin raised an eyebrow. “Anyone I know?”

“Probably, but I doubt if you'd believe me, so I'll keep my thoughts to myself for now.”

“How can you be sure that I didn't act with official permission?”

“I consider it highly unlikely that your government would tolerate a clandestine invasion of a foreign country.”

“Last time I looked, NUMA was part of the government.”

“You're not the only one I have kept tabs on, Mr. Austin. I have files on everyone of any consequence in NUMA, from your partner Joe Zavala right up to Admiral Sandecker. We both know that the good admiral would never allow a rogue operation.” The Russian smiled. “Unless it was under his control, of course.”

“Sounds as if you've done your homework,” Austin admitted.

“Knowing the inner workings of NUMA was vital in order to make your agency a part of the equation.”

“I don't understand. Why involve NUMA?”

“The intelligence services in both our countries have been infiltrated by the enemy. Those fighting men you saw today have all served with me for years. But even a tightly knit force can be compromised by a single person. NUMA's integrity is above reproach. On a more practical side, I need NUMA's global capacity for communications and transport, your incredible intelligence and research facilities.”

“Thanks for the endorsement, but I don't know if I can help. I'm only one person out of thousands at the agency.”

“Please don't be disingenuous, Mr. Austin. You could never have undertaken this mission if it were not for the tacit approval of Admiral Sandecker and Rudi Gunn.”

Austin was impressed with Ivan's knowledge of how things worked at NUMA. “Even if I admitted you were right on that score, I still don't have the power to give you everything you want.”

“When the threat to your country becomes apparent, you'll feel different. We need each other.”

“That's another problem. You still haven't told me what this threat is.”

“Only because I don't know.”

“Yet you're still convinced it's real.”

“Oh yes, Mr. Austin. Knowing the players in this drama, I'd say it's very real.”

Austin still didn't know how much to believe Ivan, but there was no mistaking the Russian's seriousness. “Maybe one of the Cossacks could tell us something.”

Petrov's lips tightened in a smile. “We both should have thought about that earlier. Their leader was the big man with the red beard. Dead men tell no tales, unfortunately.”

“Sorry, but it couldn't be helped under the circumstances. I'm curious. How long were you and your boys hiding in the woods?”

“Since dawn. We landed a few miles up the coast and made our way overland at night. I saw the fishing boat arrive and suspected you were on it. We didn't know you had landed and were quite surprised to see you pop up out of nowhere. Congratulations on a successful infiltration.”

Austin ignored the compliment. “Then you saw that the submarine crew was in trouble?”