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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
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  78. 77
  79. 78
  80. 79
  81. 80
  82. 81
  83. 82
  84. 83
  85. 84
  86. Afterword

“Yes,” Tatyana said. “That’s why she was set up, isn’t it? Given the institute? So things would be done correctly?”

“Well they weren’t done that way.”

“Why not?”

“There are some questions about Ivanovna and her team. Questions about their reliability. Their patriotism.”

“Patriotism?” Tatyana said. This wasn’t good. If the doctor was drawing suspicion, it wouldn’t be long before that suspicion spread to her. She would have to warn Sofia.

“They never wanted to develop bioweapons,” Tatyana said.

Igor looked at her. “Well, they should have put those feelings aside in the defense of the Motherland, wouldn’t you say?”

“Of course,” Tatyana said, remembering who she was speaking to.

“NATO has been boxing us in for two decades. We’re surrounded by a ring of advanced missile systems. We need new weapons.”

“But taking production out of the scientists’ hands. That was a mistake. Now we have casualties to deal with.”

“Yes we do.”

“And cover up.”

“That is correct.”

“How many?”

“So far, four,” Igor said.

“Four,” Tatyana said. It was tragic, but acceptable, she supposed. Inevitable, even. When you were dealing with something this dangerous, people died.

“Hundred,” Igor continued.

“Hundred?”

“Four hundred,” Igor said again.

“Four hundred deaths?” Tatyana gasped.

Igor nodded. “At least.”

Tatyana was standing by the door. Distance was something she tried to maintain in that office. There was a reason the directorate insisted Igor’s secretary be a woman in her sixties.

He’d screwed the daughters of so many generals it finally caught up to him. They hadn’t been able to strike him directly, his position afforded him certain protections, but they’d succeeded in getting the old battle ax assigned permanently to his office. Of course he’d fucked her too, but no one seemed to care about that.

Tatyana stepped closer to the desk and sat on the ornate wooden chair. She felt numb.

“How did this happen?”

Igor licked his lips again. “We’re looking into it.”

“Was there an attack?”

“No. Just an accident.”

“An accident? Four hundred people, Igor.”

“Like Reactor 4.”

In the aquarium, all accidents were compared to the one accident that could never be forgotten. Chernobyl Reactor Number 4. The accident that brought down the entire communist system.

“But four hundred? It can’t be. Are you sure?”

“There’s no doubt.”

“We never knew it was this lethal, did we?”

“The scientists had an idea,” Igor said. “But Yevchenko didn’t fucking listen.”

19

Ramstein Air Base was located southwest of Frankfurt, about halfway between Mainz and the French border, and was as large as a city. Over fifty-thousand American service members were stationed there, along with their families, support staff, and civilian and military contractors. All told, the base had a population roughly equal to that of Savannah, Georgia.