Gabovich was about to reprehend Teresov for asking such a ques beginning to become a problem in all operations in Fisikous as the prospect of turning over the facility to the Lithuanians got closer and closer to reality. As part of the treaty between the Commonwealth of Independent States and Lithuania, the CIS was to turn over possession of all former Soviet land, bases, and facilities to Lithuania by the year 1995. The CIS could take all products and equipment made or brought into the country prior to the first of June 1991 out of those facilities and return them to the Commonwealth, subject to continuous scrutiny and verification by the CIS and Lithuania.

According to the treaty, the research and products made in the Fisikous Research Center, including the stealth bomber, belonged to the CIS. The problem was, the CIS did not know anything about it. The Fisikous170 bomber was developed in near-total secrecy by a group of Soviet scientists, and its existence was kept off the books by the KGB and the Soviet Air Force for years. Viktor Gabovich, as senior KGB officer in Lithuania, became the driving force behind the project, tightening security at the facility, building a defense force around the facility of near-regiment strength, and recruiting the best and brightest scientists and engineers to work there-including his prisoner, David Luger.

When the Fisikous- 170 program was canceled by the Soviet government in mid-1991, just after the August coup attempt, work continued on a part-time basis, with funds supplied by the Gabovich's "special projects" account. As a "black" program, the Fi-170 enjoyed almost unlimited funding and support until 1992, when the newly formed Commonwealth of Independent States disbanded the KGB and the CISLithuania treaty went into effect.

Gabovich still enjoyed considerable power in Lithuania and throughout the region, mainly because of the strength of the "private" army and his former KGB intelligence network, which was still intact, but the gradually weakening Commonwealth and the rapidly strengthening Lithuanian influences in the area weakened that power.

When he lost Fisikous, he would lose all he cherished-power, wealth, and influence. He, along with most of the Soviet scientists in the Fisikous Research Center, had nothing to return to back in the Commonwealth. They would lose everything they had if Fisikous closed down.

Dr. Fursenko met up with Gabovich a few moments later, after the Lithuanians had departed. "Is Doctor Ozerov going to be all right?" he asked, worried.

"I think so, Doctor." He paused for a moment, then added, "I should apologize for my colleague's behavior-"

"Nonsense, General," Fursenko interrupted. "Doctor Ozerov may be a little.., eccentric but he is a welcome addition to the engineering team. You know he's right, of course-our computer models do computer radar

em

..

lobal propagation. But, General.., will Ivan... uh, Doctor Ozerov, be able to finish the modifications to the stealth computer-model applications as you said he would? He seemed very discombobulated this morning."