Petrov led them into the main cabin. Austin had only to take a quick glance around to see that this was no tourist boat. Most of the built-in furniture had been removed, leaving a stationary table in the center and padded benches along the perimeter. Dimitri and Veronika sat on the bench with four men in camouflage uniforms. They were busy cleaning an impressive array of automatic weapons.

“I see your Boy Scouts are preparing for their merit badges in marksmanship. What do you think, Joe?”

“I'm more interested in the Girl Scout,” Zavala said. He went over and struck up a conversation with the young Russian woman.

Austin gave Petrov a questioning look.

“I know you said that a quiet approach was necessary,” Petrov said. “I am in complete agreement. These people are only here in reserve. Look, there are only six of them. Not a whole army.”

“They're packing more firepower than both sides at the battle of Gettysburg,” Austin observed.

“We may need it,” Petrov said. “Come to my cabin and I'll bring you up to date on the situation.”

Petrov led the way to a compact stateroom and picked up a large envelope on the bunk. He extracted a number of photographs from the envelope and handed them to Austin, who held them close to the light streaming in through the porthole. The photos showed various views of a long, grayish island with a doughnut-shaped mountain in the center of the landmass.

“Ivory Island?” he said.

“The views were taken by satellite over the last several days.” Petrov produced a small magnifying glass from his pocket. He pointed to an indentation in the south side of the island. “This is the natural, deepwater harbor that the icebreaker, which supplies and transports the expedition, uses in coming and going. The ship dropped Karla Janos off here two days ago to join an expedition already in progress.”

“What's the nature of this expedition?”

“Science fiction. Some crazy Russians and Japanese hope to find DNA from a woolly mammoth that can be cloned into a live creature. Look, here on the other side of the island, where the permafrost had been eroded, there are natural inlets.”

Austin saw an elongated shape lying in a cove. “A boat?”

“Whoever owns it didn't want to be seen or they would have come into the main harbor. I think the assassins have arrived.”

“How soon can we get there?”

“Ten hours. The boat will do forty knots, but the distances here are vast, and we may be slowed by ice.”

“We don't have that long.”

“I agree. That's why I have made contingency plans.” He glanced at his watch. “In forty-five minutes, a seaplane will arrive here from the mainland. After it refuels, it will take you and Zavala to a rendezvous with the icebreaker Kotelny, which is between Wrangel Island and the polar ice. A trip of about three hours by air. The icebreaker will transport you to Ivory Island.”