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Back The Asset
Chapters (86)
  1. Foreword
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. 5
  7. 6
  8. 7
  9. 8
  10. 9
  11. 10
  12. 11
  13. 12
  14. 13
  15. 14
  16. 15
  17. 16
  18. 17
  19. 18
  20. 19
  21. 20
  22. 21
  23. 22
  24. 23
  25. 24
  26. 25
  27. 26
  28. 27
  29. 28
  30. 29
  31. 30
  32. 31
  33. 32
  34. 33
  35. 34
  36. 35
  37. 36
  38. 37
  39. 38
  40. 39
  41. 40
  42. 41
  43. 42
  44. 43
  45. 44
  46. 45
  47. 46
  48. 47
  49. 48
  50. 49
  51. 50
  52. 51
  53. 52
  54. 53
  55. 54
  56. 55
  57. 56
  58. 57
  59. 58
  60. 59
  61. 60
  62. 61
  63. 62
  64. 63
  65. 64
  66. 65
  67. 66
  68. 67
  69. 68
  70. 69
  71. 70
  72. 71
  73. 72
  74. 73
  75. 74
  76. 75
  77. 76
  78. 77
  79. 78
  80. 79
  81. 80
  82. 81
  83. 82
  84. 83
  85. 84
  86. Afterword

“Just don’t let him escape. Don’t let anyone talk to him. Don’t let him talk to anyone.”

“You got it, boss.”

Roth left the apartment and went back to his car.

“Where to now, boss?” the driver said.

“White House.”

“You got it.”

They passed through the White House security post off 17th Street and pulled up to the secure entrance of the Eisenhower Building.

The building, which was where Roth usually met the president because it was more discrete, was essentially an enormous palace. Built in the style of the French Second Empire, it contained over two miles of corridor and the most ornate decor, modeled after the Louvre.

Roth was taken to the four-story library where he was told to take a seat.

There were some leather sofas, imported from London in the 1850s, and a large log fire burning in the hearth next to them. He took a seat, passing a twelve-foot-high globe made of gold and opal.

This palace was the very center of American power. It had been built to house the State, War, and Navy Departments and administer the forces that were to become the greatest means of international power projection the world had ever known.

This palace was where American power was born.

It was where American hegemony first found its footing on the global stage.

And Roth knew all too well that if it had been born there, it could die there just as easily.

53

Lance flew to Istanbul from Dulles on a Turkish Airlines business class ticket. On the flight, he studied the schematics for the compound, as well as the other information Roth had been able to gather for him. It wasn’t like the package a handler could have produced, most of the information had been hastily written up by Roth himself, but considering the circumstances it wasn’t bad.

At Istanbul he had a twelve hour layover and paid for access to a lounge where he showered and got some sleep.

When his second flight landed at Koltsovo Airport outside Yekaterinburg he was ready for action.

He entered Russia on one of the passports Roth had given him, his cover being that he was a contractor for a French engineering firm. Lance had been ready for some mishaps, the planning for the operation was not up to usual group standards and Roth had been afraid to bring anyone in to assist, but after a few questions the border official let him through without incident.

At the airport he rented a Volkswagen from Hertz and drove toward the city on a new airport highway that traced the Iset River.

Roth had a weapons cache in an apartment not far from the airport and Lance took the third highway exit. The cache was in an old apartment block overlooking a Leroy Merlin supermarket.