Presidential Palace, Kiev
0500 hours, local time
Cobra Commander was alone in his office. He looked at the clock and knew he should be in bed, but he wasn't tired. In fact he had just come from his bed. He had sweet-talked his assistant enough to get her in bed with him, but that turned out to be a disappointment. She had the looks, but not the talent. It left him frustrated, which was a common emotion for him.
Over the years he had thought up many glorious plans that ended up failing for various reasons. Time and time again he had come close to achieving his desire for world domination only to be thwarted by the Joes, or by the incompetence of his own people. Then there were the times he was betrayed by his associates. He thought back to the disastrous alliance Cobra had formed with Cobra-La - the trial, his sentence, and his transformation to a snake. He was lucky because he had no memories of his time as a snake; in fact his first memory afterwards was waking up on a table and staring into the face of Destro. He still wasn't totally sure how or even why Destro brought him back, but he knew he would find out in due time.
He tried to block the unpleasant events of the past out of his mind, and focus on the present. He wasn't going to fail again. He would do everything in his power to secure a victory this time. It was the main reason he couldn't sleep right now. There were too many things happening at the same time. Destro had checked in earlier and Putin was falling into their pockets, exactly as planned. The Dreadnoks should also be reporting in soon about their quest to take out the Joes covert team.
As if on cue, there was a knock at the door. He yelled for the person to enter and instantly regretted his decision. Zarana, Buzzer, and Torch entered and by the expressions on their faces he could tell things did not go well. "Don't even tell me you failed," He spat out.
"If I wasn't forced to drag along these incompetents, I wouldn't have to report my failures!" Zarana shouted back.
"What were we supposed to do, Zarana? We had fifteen, no, twenty guns pointed at us!" Torch said.
Cobra Commander felt himself on the verge of losing control. "Everyone shut up! You were supposed to take out one man. How did that turn into twenty guns?"
"He had allies! And they all turned against us," Buzzer began to explain but was silenced by Zarana who took over the explanation. She told the Commander about trailing Shipwreck and facing him in the bar, and finally the end confrontation with the other Ukrainians.
When Zarana finished Cobra Commander turned his back on them. He was trying to determine his next plan of attack when there was another knock on the door. He hesitantly told the knocker to enter. This time Zartan, Zandar and Monkeywrench entered. Once again he had a feeling of dread. After entering the room, Zartan kneeled to the ground and said, "I must confess, Commander, our mission was not a complete success."
"Oh?" was all that the Commander was able to say.
"No sir, the Joes…the Joes escaped. And Thrasher had to seek medical attention due to a gunshot wound he received."
Cobra Commander became irate. He didn't give a shit about Thrasher's medical condition, all he knew is that both of his plans backfired and now there was going to be hell to pay. "Everyone, GET OUT OF MY OFFICE," He shrieked.
The Dreadnoks were frozen in place for a moment before they decided that leaving the room was the best option at the moment. Cobra Commander could hear them bickering as they walked out into the hall. He paused a moment, and then decided on his next course of action. He picked up the phone. "Get me President Yelchichev. Yes I am well aware of what time it is." He waited a few moments until Yelchichev answered. "Mr. President, I want you to order an attack on the embassies."
American Embassy in Kiev
0700 hours, local time
"I don't think we're a covert team anymore," Flint announced to Mary after barging into her office. He then noticed that Gorman was in the room, "I'm glad you're here, sir. This saves me a trip down the hall."
Gorman was not amused. "I believe you two have orders to carry out in Kirovhrad. What the hell are you doing in Kiev?"
"We were paid a visit last night by Zartan and his lackeys. Luckily for us, that whole group is incompetent, or you would have been burying two more agents," Flint replied. "We decided that the safehouse wasn't living up to its name and came up here this morning."
Mary looked visibly shaken, "Zartan? Doesn't he work for Cobra?"
"There's no way to know that." Gorman answered earning an irritated look from Flint.
"The only time Zartan works on his own is when he's trying to overthrow the Commander himself. This is very typical of Cobra Commander to hire out the Dreadnoks to do his dirty work. It also makes me wonder how accidental Alison's…" Flint paused as he swallowed hard, "Lady Jaye's death was."
"From all indications it was just a late night icy wreck," Gorman replied. "Such a shame to lose two agents in such an important political situation. It's a pity we can't replace them."
Flint stiffened while Mary looked on in horror. Gorman continued, oblivious to the reactions in the room. "What about the other agent? Did he abandon his post too?"
Flint was too angry to speak, so Dial-Tone answered for him "We had gotten a phone call from Shipwreck yesterday, but we haven't heard from him since. Hopefully, he was successful too. If it wasn't for him we wouldn't have been alerted to Cobra's attack."
Gorman turned to Mary, "See if you and Charlie can hunt Shipwreck down. Also see if you can verify this Zartan character and if he is indeed connected with Cobra. As for you two, I want you to return to Kirovhrad immediately. If you're nervous about another attack, you can discontinue your training sessions, and just lay low for the next day or two."
Flint finally lost the battle with his temper, "You have got to be kidding me! GI Joe was brought into this so we would have a chance of fighting Cobra, not to sit here idly by why they assassinate members of our team one by one."
"In case you forgot, Flint, you are not on the Joe team anymore. You are working with the Central Intelligence Agency under my jurisdiction. Any other member of your team also falls under my jurisdiction. We're an intelligence group, not a military one. We do not go into a situation shooting and then ask the questions. If you have a problem with this, I will have you on a plane back to the states so fast and replaced with someone who doesn't question my orders."
Flint was speechless. He glanced at Mary who nodded. She didn't agree with Gorman, but he was also her boss. Her hands were tied.
Flint rubbed his hand through his hair. He couldn't just let this matter drop without a final word. He didn't care if he committed career suicide, at the moment it didn't look like a job he wanted to keep. "That's just great. When you pass along the intelligence gathered you might as well tell them that my recommendation is to reassign the whole goddamn team. Let Cobra take over this God-forsaken country, and when the day comes that we wake up to the knowledge that dozens of nuclear warheads are heading towards our biggest cities, you can explain to the other people in charge that they did a real bang-up job of protecting the United States." He then walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
Gorman shrugged as Mary looked on, stunned at what she just witnessed. "Reason number seventy-five why I didn't want him working on this assignment in the first place. Can't keep his emotions in check."
Gorman's personal phone rang, ending the conversation. Turning his back to Mary, he answered his phone. For a few moments he was quiet but suddenly he whipped around in his seat. Placing the phone back on its cradle, he took a deep breath and then said, "Will you excuse me? I need to go to my office and continue this conversation."
Before Mary could respond Gorman left the office and hurried down to his own. Once inside he closed the door and began to talk. "He wants to do what?"
Yelchichev was on the other end sounding frantic. "I told you that he wants to attack both embassies. He called me at five this morning asking me to authorize it. I've spent the past two hours trying to talk him out of it but he won't listen. With Destro in Moscow you're the only one who might be able to reason with him."
Gorman could not believe his luck. "The fool will ruin everything if he does that. Tell him not to do a thing until I get there."
Ukraine Embassy, Moscow
0900 hours, local time
Destro paced around the small cryptography room that the embassy used for secure communications with Kiev. A Tele-Viper had finished transferring the television news feeds to standard videotape, and was re-rolling the recorded film into a satellite transmitter for Cobra Commander's people to review. The Baroness, having shed her disguise as Destro's female assistant, was on a scrambled radiophone, contacting Kiev's Military Intelligence Branch.
"Da, Colonel Petyakov," Baroness said. "I need the best agent available. I cannot supervise the operation against the GI Joes personally. With Zartan and his rowdy lot working on the internal situation, they are unavailable as well. I need someone with choice talents, and capable of recruiting an inside agent to facilitate the operation."
The Ukrainian Colonel of Army Intelligence ruffled through some files and replied to the Baroness's request.
"A former KGB Sparrow? She would do nicely," Baroness said. "We have a contact here among the Russian Mafia who can find out who is escorting the GI Joe team outside Moscow, and among them, the most susceptible to coercion. Very good, Colonel, you will be well rewarded if this mission succeeds. Get her in touch with us… yesterday. Spasiba, Colonel."
The Baroness put the phone down and turned towards Destro.
"Well?" Destro asked, raising an eyebrow under his mask.
"We have the perfect agent to run the operation against the GI Joe team," Baroness reported. "Her name is Anna Petrova Mischkin. She was trained by the KGB during the Cold War to be a Sparrow. It was a code name program for young, pretty, and physically fit women recruited into the First and Second Chief Directorates to gather covert intelligence and to recruit foreign agents."
"Their modus operandi was to work as prostitutes, fashion models, actresses, domestics, and mail-order brides in order to infiltrate countries through legal immigration loopholes. Second Chief Directorate also used them as Army nurses, radio operators and secretaries to spy on every level of the Army establishment. Once inside they would use powers of seduction to hook a target, and then leverage their ability to blackmail the target until the desired effect is reached."
"Mischkin was part of a KGB RIF when the Cold War ended, and she resided in Kiev when Ukraine split off from Russia. She was recruited into the Ukrainian Intelligence Service when we took over, and infiltrated the border area between Ukraine and Russia as part of an operation to probe the border defenses. So, she is already in place and has a functioning cover as 'Irina Petrova', a locally known figure. Outwardly, she is a prostitute among the other young ladies that service the Category II Reservist troops manning the westernmost border defenses."
"She also has a secondary cover as a Russian Army Nurse Corps Lieutenant ... Orumova, I believe, which she can play to get on and off the actual military base when the time is right. I have ordered her brought to a local safe house through the existing network of Moscow agents so that we can brief her. Have you talked to the mobsters yet?"
Destro replied, "I have met with them early this morning. They have an informant in the Army Personnel Office who owed them a huge gambling debt. The informant told them of special orders coming across his desk for four Spetsnaz Commandos, formerly assigned to the FSB Headquarters Guard Detachment at Number Two Dzerzhinsky Square, currently assigned to "Special Liaison and Security Duty outside of Moscow." Our Mafia friends did some further checking, and found that one of them, a Corporal Butyinskiy, was a known party. He frequented their prostitution and gambling racket, and has amassed some degree of debt."
"We will pay off his debt and give him a little bonus in exchange for him to help us disable the Joe team. The enforcer that collects his payments knows what to do already to set the stage. Butyinskiy will be coerced to contact and report to our Sparrow in the field after feeding the Mafia information on the GI Joe survey itinerary, which the mobsters are giving to us. 'Irina' will take over running him from there. I must call them in a moment to hammer out the details."
Sheremetyevo Government Barracks, outside Moscow
0900 hours, local time
President Vladimir Putin, flanked by four Spetsnaz troops and his normal Interior Ministry security escort, stormed into the anteroom of the barracks that the G. I. Joe team was using as their offices and temporary home. The four Joes, already awake and working, stood respectfully and snapped to attention.
"What is this about you talking on live television last night?" Putin growled. "You completely sidestepped my authority and broadcast your views to my people! You are a small fish playing in a very large pond, Starshina Hauser! Statecraft and politics are not your business!"
Duke shot back, "I am in the business of saving innocent lives and protecting the stability of the free world! I do not recall swearing any loyalty to you personally. My sworn duty is to serve and protect the American people, and the innocent civilians of the free world, including the Russian people that you took an oath to defend."
"My orders were to advise the Russian government about Cobra, a mission you have stalled at every turn. My team is tired of spinning our wheels and getting no results here. So, I advised the government by speaking out."
President Putin stepped forward until he was toe-to-toe with the slightly taller American. He waved an angry finger in Duke's face. "I plan to contact Ambassador Michaels at the Embassy and lodge a formal complaint with the American State Department concerning your actions. I should demand your recall to the United States! You have intruded upon something you have no right to involve yourselves in!"
Ambassador Michaels had been in the lavatory during the initial exchange, but came out when he heard the commotion grow. President Putin, upon seeing him, clammed up a bit. Michaels was likely in the barracks to get briefed by Duke about everything that had gone on the night before. He either knew everything already, or had yet to find out, but Putin knew that he should keep his cool.
"Did you say something about a diplomatic complaint, Mister President?" Ambassador Michaels said quietly. "I am here to listen. What do you have to say about my people, here?"
"It is not a concern yet, Ambassador," Putin said. "Perhaps this is not the time to make that decision." The Russian President turned his attention back to Duke, stepping back to give both of them a little breathing room.
"We're here to do our duty, Mister President," Duke said. "The Russian people expect us to be able to take the steps needed to protect the progress they've worked hard for over the past few years. Cobra is a direct threat to all of the initiatives towards peace with the West."
"Da, Starshina Hauser," Putin said. "I can appreciate the importance of doing one's duty. I did come here to request the favor of a mission from you. Since, as you so bluntly put it, we have had you 'spinning your wheels' here in Moscow, I wish to send you on a field trip."
"As the talks with Destro continue, the Minister of Defense and I could use an objective viewpoint on our defensive stance along the Ukrainian border, in the event of trouble. I need to know from an expert's opinion whether the Russian forces are not only able to secure our border, but whether they are also able to handle any potential civil disturbance situations. We anticipate there may be some uproar along the border, should some sort of agreement open up better relations between Moscow and Kiev."
"I have brought these four Spetsnaz men to assist and escort you during the trip. They shall serve as translators and guides, and have been ordered to work with my liaison officers at each military base to help you report your findings back to Moscow. I shall also like to have a report prepared for me to present to the Politburo regarding your survey, upon its completion."
Duke knew Putin was trying to suppress the team for a while. He wanted to object, but Michaels was giving him the look that said, That IS your mission here. Don't refuse right after you told him what your duty was.
Duke meekly replied, "When shall we leave, Mister President?"
"As soon as you can, please," Putin said. "The Politburo will be entering an unscheduled session at my request in a fortnight's time, in order to discuss Ukrainian relations, and the Minister of Defense wishes to be ready to report to them as well. Oh, and I ask that you limit communications to periodic progress reports through my liaison officers in the military posts."
"While I am talking to Destro, and extending him the customary diplomatic courtesies, I do not want him learning of our defensive posture from a stray telephone or cellular call made close to the frontier where their soldiers can listen in. It is statecraft, Duke. I am not showing Destro all of my cards, just as I did when Ambassador Michaels opened up relations here. I am not a political fool, you see."
Duke cast a knowing look at Scarlett. Having Michaels in the room did make Putin watch his tongue, and now he is trying to play salesman, to make his previous outburst pan out. The conversations ended a lot calmer than they started, and Putin eventually left after issuing some orders for the joint team's departure.
Ambassador Michaels spoke once Putin was gone and Duke reported the beginning of the conversation. "Duke, you did the right thing. You followed orders and only told the truth on TV last night. I saw the broadcast, and the CIA and Pentagon will have seen it by now as well. The Moscow station chief and his case officers were in the secure section at three-thirty this morning drafting a report to the Director of Central Intelligence.
"It took some balls to stand up to Putin and use the media against him. I am intimately acquainted with the Defense Minister and the CIA Station Chief knows the head of the FSB. They share our views on Cobra. I will let them know subtly that Putin is a political wildcard right now and may try to undermine your advisory efforts overtly.
"I will also let them know that Cobra may try to do something to you during your survey when you are in unfamiliar territory. Hawk would tell you to watch your backs. I'm telling you the same. Good luck. I will insure that you get any and all support from the Russian Army, GRU, and FSB Second Chief Directorate assets that you require. And they will be at your disposal, whether Putin says so or not."
Scarlett interjected, "Ambassador, thank you for the support. I do have a request. Can you focus some of that Russian support into locating and bringing back to duty the members of the October Guard? Colonel Brekhov and his associates are the best the Russians have at fighting Cobra, and we've encountered them a few times. We could really use their expertise and relative freedom of movement within Russia to flex that subtle muscle you're giving us."
Michaels replied that he would make every effort to secure that favor. He soon departed for the American Embassy, and the team began packing up their essentials, to leave for the survey trip.
Presidential Palace in Kiev
0930 hours, local time
Beth was not in a good mood. Granted, that could be said most of the time, but this morning she was feeling extraordinarily crappy. She knew she should be focusing on the task at hand, but her thoughts kept returning to the scene last night at the hockey game. She pops in and out of my life like some wayward godmother, and she has the nerve to criticize me now? If it wasn't for me she would have been killed days ago.
She loosened the last screw off the vent cover and hoisted herself into the shaft. Fuck Tom Cruise, this is the real Mission Impossible. Beth pulled out a penlight and pointed it down the shaft to get her bearings. She had bribed Cobra Commander's secretary to get a copy of his schedule. He was due to be in meetings and press interviews most of the morning, so she knew now was her chance. Technically, she still did not have total clearance to go in and bug the Commander's office, but she was tired of waiting. She had some hunches that she wanted verified and the sooner the better.
As she crawled her way through the twists and turns of the shaft, her mind turned back to Jaye. She thinks she is so high and mighty, yet her life is just about as screwed up. She claims she's happy, but she's really not. I may be a monster, but I'm a monster who's managed to maintain a relationship with a great guy. She felt her blood pressure begin to rise again. Beth wasn't paying close attention and scraped her shoulder against a jagged piece of metal. Her hand immediately went towards the cut as she gritted her teeth to keep from shouting a litany of obscenities. Once the initial pain had subsided the she pulled a napkin out of her pocket to wipe away the blood. Fuck. Probably have to get a tetanus shot now. Maybe this'll match one of the cuts from last night's beer bottle. This is just the cherry on the sundae of my week. As she put the napkin back in her pocket she took a deep breath and tried to relax. I knew I should've told Panda to find a way to keep her from coming here. Things never go the way you want when it becomes personal.
She pulled out the blueprints to the building and shining her light on it, she saw that Cobra Commander's office was just a couple of turns away. Silently, but quickly, she made her way until she was looking through the vent into his office. She removed her tools to begin working on removing the vent, but suddenly stopped. She heard movement below and straining to look below, she caught a glimpse of the Commander still in his office. Damn it all to Hell!
Not wanting to risk exposure by leaving and coming back at a later point Beth decided to wait him out. After a few minutes, the door opened and the Crimson Twins walked in. Maybe this won't be such a bust after all. Pulling a tape recorder out of her pocket she positioned it towards the vent, hoping it would pick up the conversation.
"Xamot, Tomax, I have a new assignment for you," Cobra Commander said.
"What about our all-important baby-sitting duties?" Tomax asked snidely.
"I do not have time for this insubordination," The commander yelled. "You are being reassigned. I want you two to lead an attack on The American and British Embassies. I want to send a message that I am not to be fooled with."
Beth's eyes bugged out her head and she had to keep herself from gasping at the news. While Hawk's plan all along had been to provoke Cobra into doing something rash, the general consensus was that any rash act would be pointed towards GI Joe or the military. Organizing an armed assault on innocent civilians added a new crease in the entire operation. She shook her head in disbelief as she refocused her attention to the ensuing conversation.
Xamot looked at his brother and then back to the Commander. "You can't be serious about attacking the embassies?"
"I am completely serious. The Joes were able to escape the traps I had set for them last night. I want to show the world that they do not have the upper hand. I will not be denied my rightful place as ruler of this world."
Not for the first or the last time the Twins found themselves wondering what was going through Destro's mind when he restored the Commander to his human self. "You do realize that you'll be starting an international war by attacking the embassies," Tomax said. "Neither government will take kindly to your attacking diplomats and their children."
"I don't care about them. International opinion is keeping them from barreling in here in the first place. "
Before the Twins could continue their side of the argument the door flew open and Gorman strode into the office. Slamming the door he continued to head towards the Commander. By the time he reached the Commander he was in Beth's line of sight. She stared wide-eyed as Gorman grabbed the Commander by the collar of his shirt. Beth began to mentally kick herself for not bringing a camera while at the same time praying that the tape recorder was working properly as Gorman began to speak. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
Cobra Commander squirmed slightly in Gorman's grasp. "I may ask you the same thing. How dare you put your hands on me."
Gorman let him go. "You'll ruin everything you fucking fool if you attack the embassies. I'm on thin ice as it is without you going gangbusters for no apparent reason. It's bad enough Yelchichev is calling me at my office crying about how you've gone to far."
"I thought you would be pleased with this decision, Albert. It'll save you the trouble of having to smuggle files out of the embassy now."
"Try looking at the bigger picture for once you son of a bitch. While you're raiding the embassy I'll have to explain to my superiors how my department missed the warning signs for a third time in a row. There are only so many times I can blame it on the incompetency of others."
Tomax raised his hand to stop the argument. "I think I have an idea that will satisfy both of you." Gorman and Cobra Commander turned to look at him. "I doubt either embassy will allow themselves to be taken quietly. I suggest we declare martial law."
"And create a public relations nightmare for the Americans," said Xamot. "In conjunction with declaring martial law we release what we know about the Joes. That should spark enough anti-American sentiment among our neighbors. The world will see it as another attempt by the Americans to flex their muscle wherever they please with total disregard for international opinion."
"If we tell the locals that we're declaring martial law to protect them it should keep discontent on the home front to a minimum," Tomax said. "A history of oppression from outsiders should help create hatred of America and foster the fear that another outside government will attempt to force their will on them."
Xamot picked up the thread from his brother. "That along with Destro hopefully announcing a new relationship with Russia will show that we legitimately want peace. It will eliminate the need for any bloodshed while sending the message that we know what's going on."
Cobra Commander spoke. "Excellent Tomax. You may earn your pay yet."
The Twins ignored the insult. "The earliest we could anything is probably this evening," Xamot said. "We need to release the information implicating GI Joe in a plot to topple our government. Yelchichev will need to be prepped. He'll have to address the country tonight explaining what's going on. I suggest we wait till after a majority of the workers have gone home for the evening to declare marital law. Less people in the city will decrease the chance of any protests."
"Won't that expose me," asked Gorman. "My superiors are already suspicious of everything going on over here. The releasing of the covert Joe plan may be enough to finally turn their eyes towards me."
"You still have some agents over here that are not connected to the Joes, correct," asked Tomax. Gorman nodded in response. "Start shifting evidence towards them as possible moles. We'll have Yelchichev explain that we want to search the embassy for further evidence of America's plan to topple our government. If we do our jobs right they'll be forced by the rest of Europe to let us search and that's when we can find evidence implicating whomever you pick that they're the mole. And at the same time it'll give us a formal reason to arrest the Joes."
Gorman smiled and nodded approvingly. "I've got just the agents in mind."
Cobra Commander turned back to his desk and waved his hand in their general direction. "I don't care how you do it. Just do it."
Gorman and the Twins walked out of the office and Beth's view, leaving the Commander alone. Beth stopped the tape recorder and started to back out of the shaft.
Somewhere between Kiev and Kirovohrad
1100 hours, local time
Dial-Tone was at the wheel. He had volunteered to drive since Flint was the one to drive up. Plus considering Flint's mood he had been afraid that Flint might crash them both into a tree. They had been on the road for over an hour without a word being spoken. Dial-Tone glanced over at his friend, who appeared to be sleeping. He was startled when a short time later Flint spoke.
"So married life is being good to you?"
Dial-Tone grinned, "It really is. Linda is wonderful. She understood the reason why I had to come over here. I feel bad deserting her with so little notice, but she encouraged me to go. She knew that I would regret it if I had let down the Joe team."
Flint nodded. "Must be nice to have someone care about you like that."
That's an understatement. While on the Joe team, Dial-Tone was basically a loser. Linda changed it all. She helped him come out of his shell, and he was eternally grateful for her. He wondered what he would do if he lost her.
Dial-Tone looked at Flint and once again, his heart went out to his heartbroken friend. He knew how much Flint loved Lady Jaye. On the Joe team they had been inseparable. He also knew that whatever happened after the team disbanded couldn't have broken the bond they had shared.
"Flint, I'm here if you need to talk about…things." The words sounded lame to him, but it was all Dial-Tone could offer.
Flint bowed his head. "Not much to talk about. I fucked things up, lost the best thing that happened to me, and now I can never get her back."
The two men went silent. Dial-Tone desperately tried to think up an appropriate response, but failed miserably. After a few moments, Flint was the one to break the silence.
"You're a lucky man, Dial-Tone. I hope you realize that."
Dial-Tone nodded. He looked at the clock and did the time conversion in his head. It was still very early morning back home. Linda would be waking up in a couple of hours. He should be able to make it to the safehouse to call her before she left for work. But in the meantime, he had to say something to comfort his friend. "I'm so very sorry about Lady Jaye."
Somewhere between Moscow and the Ukraine Border
The Tatra 818 heavy truck selected for the border survey was perfect for the job of carrying the small team of GI Joe advisors and their handful of Russian liaison personnel down to the Ukraine border for their evaluation of the defensive situation versus Cobra. The cab could seat six comfortably, eight in a crush, and had the unique, for military trucks, characteristic of four doors which made for rapid disembarking in the event of trouble. The cab even had a small storage bin behind the rear bench seat for personal gear, aside from the cavernous bed that could carry twenty thousand pounds of cargo. It was of East German manufacture and the vehicle's smooth ride on all eight wheels was a tribute to the precision and quality of Communist Germany's heavy industry.
Eight people rode in the truck: Duke and Scarlett in the rear seat, Lieutenant Colonel Alexei Ivanovich Dobunin, their ranking Russian Army liaison/translator and Spetsnaz commando, and Corporal Butyinskiy, a Spetsnaz man assigned as their guide and driver rode in front. In the truck bed were Snake-Eyes, Stalker, and two additional Spetsnaz escorts, Lieutenant Pyotr Ruchenko and Sergeant Valentin Mishkov, who had also been assigned to the four Americans as support and translators. Ruchenko and Mishkov had spent their Cold War careers training to impersonate NATO personnel behind the enemy lines as a precursor to Warsaw Pact assault. Their English was superb, spoken without an accent.
The Americans had been either wearing civilian clothes or their US Army Class 'A' working dress uniforms for their tasks in Moscow. For the field trip, they had switched to nondescript Russian battle dress utilities, in the well-known Spetsnaz pattern, including the blue and white striped Airborne tee shirt traditionally worn beneath the mustard and green, disruptive-pattern tunic. They still wore their US rank insignia on their collars and a patch with the US flag on their shoulders, to help distinguish them from the similarly attired Russians.
The small band of American and Russian soldiers began their trip many hours before, loading their Tatra on board an Ilyushin IL-76 "Candid" airlifter at Moscow's Sheremetyevo International Airport, and flew aboard that aircraft to Minsk International Airport, in Belarus, which was a former V-VS fighter base. Belarus still had a very close relationship with Moscow, and didn't complain that military missions were going through their capital city. The IL-76 always had a section of two Su-27 'Flanker' jet fighters close by for aerial escort, seconded from their normal patrol routines.
Upon disembarking, the Joes and Russians drove from Minsk to the Ukrainian border, with the first assigned survey stop about nine hours' drive away. The first part of their itinerary was to call on the 176th (Rogachev) Guards Motor Rifle Division, a Category II unit whose laager and training areas were on the border.
Category II units, while still bearing the brunt of internal military duties in the New Russia, were manned at about forty to sixty-five percent of strength during peacetime. Although such a staffing level was even less than the Cold War's typical seventy-five percent, the division had their full complement of equipment.
The Rogachev Guards Division could respond to an emerging crisis, fully manned, within fifteen days, which was a much better performance than other Category II and even some demobilized "elite" Category I divisions on the European side of Russia. The Rogachev Guards now occupied a position of strategic importance to Russia's defense; thus Moscow saw fit to funnel the division some good fortunes for its status and readiness.
The "Iron Division" rotated one of its three organic, reinforced regimental combat teams to the security of the Ukraine-Russia border. With the coming of the Cobra crisis, the Rogachev Guards seemed to be in a very high state of readiness, with their regiments ramping up through training, when not on the border making observations regarding the new hardware being fielded by Cobra and the Ukraine.
Arrayed against the border on Russia's side were the most modern BMP-3 infantry carriers in the Motor Rifle Regiment, bristling with large-caliber support weapons and anti-tank missiles, and a battalion of forty T-80M2 Main Battle Tanks of the 125mm type detached from the division's supporting Tank Regiment.
Rounding out the border strength of the Iron Division was a self-propelled battalion of twenty-four 152mm guns. Command Headquarters, Supply and Transport units, Combat Engineers, Signal troops, Chemical teams and Anti-Tank elements mainly using older equipment were given to the Regimental Combat Teams from among the Iron Division's supporting units.
All told, about 3,500 to 4,000 crack reservists, among them a sprinkling of "borrowed" regular soldiers, formed the Iron Division sector's first line of defense against Cobra. They even received support from a squadron of Mi-24 Hind-B attack helicopters from the 339th Assault Helicopter Regiment, a Category II unit from Russia's Frontal Aviation command.
Conventionally speaking, it was a force to be reckoned with. In actuality, the Division's full complement of BMP-3's were always on the line - full mobilization would require two regiments of the Division to mount up in BTR-80 wheeled carriers - with current regimental training needs accomplished by drawing additional BMP-3 vehicles from a Corps-level stock earmarked for readiness training.
With the Ukrainian threat, however, there was talk of audaciously reinforcing the Division with a Category III regiment trained on the BTR and permanently giving the Division a second regiment's worth of BMP-3 vehicles from the Corps stocks. The government's other plan, which was more likely, was converting the stocks held in the Division Pool to allow the Rogachev Guards to deploy two BMP-3 regiments against Cobra should open combat break out.
Either way, the Government did see some benefit to the Iron Division's strategic position, and wanted to be prepared, despite possibly stripping an infantry unit or prized BMP-3 vehicles from the Kola Peninsula or the Far East. Money was still tight.
When the GI Joe liaison team arrived at the Division's main training laager and base, about fifty kilometers from the border sector they were responsible for, the sun was still in the sky, although red-orange and low on the horizon. The liaison party was greeted by one of the 439th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment's mechanized infantry companies, arrayed in an honor guard formation at the base entrance. The 439th Guards was the Iron Division combat team currently assigned to training, and would be rotating to the border in a few weeks to let the 441st Motor Rifles (the "Snake Eaters") go inactive for a time of rest. While no one really publicized the itinerary of the survey group, it seemed that the Major General in command of the division, a professional fellow and war veteran named Votyinskiy, was pleased to be making their acquaintance.
American Embassy in Kiev
1200 hours, local time
Mary and Charlie were returning from a lunch/vent session at a local restaurant. Mary had been appalled at Gorman's reaction to Flint's report and needed to complain to someone. Charlie had needed to vent about Gorman continually stonewalling him every time he wanted to set up some listening devices in the Presidential Palace, so they took the opportunity to have an early lunch to bring their blood pressures down to acceptable levels. Both were surprised when they opened up the door to Mary's office to find Beth sitting at her desk. They weren't sure how to handle her and didn't get a chance to fully assess the situation before Beth began to speak. "You know, we really need to have a talk with the State Department when this is all over. I should not be able to flash a plain jane ID and be allowed to sit in here all by myself. If I were a less scrupulous person I'd have made copies of all sorts of stuff by now. Then again someone's beaten me to the punch so I wouldn't have to even if I wanted to."
Charlie looked at his wife, flabbergasted that not only was there a stranger in the office but a cocky one at that. "And just who are you exactly?"
"That's not important at the moment. I need you two to help me convince Wainright that he needs to get all the staff evacuated."
"And we're supposed to follow your requests because…?"
Beth sighed and wrote a number down on a slip of paper that she then handed to Mary. "Call this number and tell them that you've got Harkins in your office right now. Then tell them that Red Chief is our man and he's working with the snakes."
Mary saw that it was an American number. Trying to find guidance from Charlie all she got was a shrug. Figuring she had nothing to lose at this point she picked up the phone, asked for a secure line, dialed the number and handed the phone to Charlie. When he heard the line pick up he timidly said, "Hello?"
On the other end was Jeffries, Bellows personal assistant. He groaned and rubbed some crusties out of his eyes. "Is that you, Remington? Trying to get me back for waking you up earlier? Just because your girlfriend makes my life a living hell doesn't mean you get to pick up the slack when she's away."
"Um…no. I'm supposed to tell you that Harkins is in my office, Red Chief is your man, and he's working with snakes."
Jeffries sat up straight in bed, reaching for the lamp. "Please tell me Harkins is kidding."
"No, I don't think she's kidding."
"Assuming that Harkins is standing right in front of you, where are you?"
"The American embassy."
Jeffries was frantically thumbing through his notes. "Okay, that must make you Tommy. You and Tuppence follow orders from Harkins from now on."
Charlie looked at Mary, looked at Beth, and then turned back to Mary. "We're supposed to follow her."
Beth smiled. "Tell him we need to evacuate this embassy and all the other countries should do the same. Cobra is going to declare martial law this evening after all the workers have left the city and tell the world about the Joes in the Ukraine. Once they shut the city down they're gonna make a play on our embassy to get the last of Red Chief's intel and eliminate all traces of his involvement with Cobra. I think he's gonna work the intel so it makes it look like the two of you are working for Cobra."
"Are you serious?" asked Mary.
"I wouldn't be here if it wasn't serious."
Charlie's face blanched. He relayed Beth's message to Jeffries. "Christ, it's that bad? Don't answer that, you wouldn't be talking to me if it wasn't. Do what you need to do to get things organized on your end and I'll get things started on mine." Jeffries hung up the phone before Charlie could get another word in.
Charlie hung the phone up and then stared at Beth. "Did I just talk to Mini-Me?"
"What did he say?"
"That he'll get things working on his end involving evacuating the embassies. And something about some guy name Remington and his girlfriend who apparently gives him a hard time."
Beth chuckled at the latter portion of Charlie's comment. "Great. Then lead the way." She got out of the chair and walked out of the office, showing that she knew where Wainright was.
Mary and Charlie followed behind her. As they were walking Mary began to talk quietly. "Did you really speak to Mini-Me?"
"Yes. I don't know who she is, but she's got to be someone important enough to have his direct line."
They reached to door to Wainright's office and Beth just opened the door. As she walked in Wainright was in the middle of a meeting with Cornell. Before either man could speak Beth started the conversation. "Excellent, saves me the time of having to do this twice."
Wainright was already on the phone with security as Cornell turned towards Beth. "What is the meaning of this interruption? If this is a statement on security overall it's a wonder your embassies don't get bombed on a more regular basis."
"It's a wonder many things don't happen as often as they should. Anyway, I need both of you to get your staff and their families ready to immediately evacuate this country."
Cornell's face went white at the prospect as Wainright put the phone down. "Security says you have proper authorization." He saw Mary and Charlie trying to blend in with the background. "Just who the hell is she and what is this talk about evacuation?"
Before they could speak Beth stuck out her hand towards Cornell and Wainright. "So terribly rude of me not to introduce myself. My name is Beth Harkins and I work for the same firm that Mary and Charlie do. If all goes according to schedule you should be getting a call from the Secretary of State or one of his guys in a minute or so authorizing the evacuation of this embassy and that the other foreign embassies are doing the same." To emphasize the point she looked at her watch.
"Provided that what you're saying is correct, would you mind telling me the reason for this evacuation?"
"Basically because the head snake has finally snapped and wants to squeeze the hell out of us."
"The head snake?"
"I think she's referring to Cobra Commander," offered Mary.
"I realize that," snapped Wainright. The phone then rang and Wainright picked it up. "Hello?" He looked at Beth as he spoke to the person on the other end. After a few moments he spoke again. "Yes sir, I understand. We can probably have the first wave ready to leave within a couple of hours." He hung the phone back up. "You were right. We're evacuating as are the Brits."
"Then I think I had better be leaving," Cornell said as he stood up. "I get the feeling I'm about to receive a similar call from my government." Cornell walked out of the office, leaving Wainright alone with Beth, Mary, and Charlie.
"What is exactly going on here?"
"Suffice it to say, Cobra has reverted back to their old heavy handed ways. Mary and Charlie will stay with me. I'll be in Gorman's temporary office if you need me." She turned and walked out, leaving Mary and Charlie to shrug sheepishly at Wainright before moving to follow Beth. They followed silently behind as she made her way to Gorman's office. When she reached the door she turned towards them. "Everyone and everything here has been compromised. We're forcing Gorman's hand by evacuating the embassy. I doubt he's gonna be coming back here once he's notified of the evacuation, but if he does I'll take care of him."
She handed them an audio cassette and a piece of paper. "This tape proves that Gorman's involved. On the paper are directions to the house I want you to go when you're done here. In what time is left I've got to figure out just how bad the damage is. I want you two to grab anything regarding the whereabouts of the agents you still have out in the field and anything that looks suspicious, destroy what isn't of any use, and then gather up Flint and Dial-Tone. A man will be sent to get Shipwreck and Brant will bring the others. Then all of you need to get out of this country and get that tape to Bellows." Beth opened the door and entered Gorman's office before either of them could say anything to her.