CHAPTER FOURTEEN: JOINT OPERATIONS
Closing the large oak door to behind her, Vorona exhaled a deep sigh of relief. She leaned against the door, indicating that her "acting" was temporarily suspended now that the four were safely in the room.
A room, Scarlett thought, that looked to be the size of some people's houses. It was enormous - it looked like the room belonging to a European princess with too much wealth on her hands.
"It's nice to meet you, and I mean it this time," Vorona smiled. "As you know by now, I am Vorona, Russian Intelligence."
Jinx returned a smile, but Mayday and Scarlett were still in the process of mentally transitioning to the situation, now that the first round of acting was over.
Jinx introduced herself and Sierra Team. "…and it's good to be here," she said, quite chipper and never the bashful one. Jinx winked at Vorona, "The airline flight across the Atlantic wasn't pleasant."
Scarlett smiled at Jinx's last comment. Airline flight, I wish. My butt's still sore from those uncomfortable red cargo seats on our C-130. I swear there was turbulence the entire way across.
Vorona spoke with a hush. "We are safe to speak in here, but we must be quiet. Many random areas in the house are bugged, and have camera. Dr. Walker is very paranoid. Very rich, too, and can afford much security.
"I am at risk by even inviting you here, but my country says it is for the best. I think so, too, from what my superiors tell me. Now listen. Dr. Walker is not just paranoid, but a maniac. He works for terrorists; he is a terrorist. We know he is involved with the EMP bomb; we suspect at minimum he is helping to fund it. Maybe more.
Vorona continued, "I know where they have your American soldiers. Dr. Walker owns a place in a small town called Wolken. They have a large prison there that they are most likely using to keep them in. I can get you the map for this place. I overheard him talking to someone he called The Wraith. Apparently, this Wraith is the guard of your Americans. Most likely the head of the prison."
Scarlett spoke up quietly; "That's just outside the rendezvous point where Tango and Echo Teams are heading. But they are on strict orders to remain radio silent; even over secure communications, we aren't allowed to contact or rendezvous with them until we have enough information to give them the location of Dr. Bennett. They don't have much to go on."
Vorona seemed disheartened at the mention of the doctor's name. "Dr. Bennett. We do not know where Dr. Bennett is. Once your Americans were captured, they moved the entire EMP research program. My guess is they knew you Americans were coming – and now they will be trying to complete their program even faster. I have been trying to find out where the program and scientists were moved, but have been unsuccessful. If we are to find out where, we will need to get the information from Dr. Walker."
If Vorona didn't have the attention of the three American operatives, she certainly did now. "Tonight may be our best chance to find out. I have a plan, but it is something I could not execute by myself. It is a team effort.
"Dr. Walker is hosting some 'out of town' guests that we believe are connected to one of the Borovian warlords. Our guess is he may go into detail about the EMP program since he seems to be financing a large part of it and, hopefully, reveal its location in the process. The only problem is…"
Vorona had a look on her face that the other girls didn't like. There was obviously some kind of catch.
The Russian operative cleared her throat, looking at the three girls. "We need one girl to get close to Dr. Walker and the other guests. By close, I mean…how you say…"
Trying to dance around the subject as much as she could while finding the right English words to use, she finally just blurted it out. "Which one of you girls are best at… exotic dancing?"
Jinx shrugged, but Mayday couldn't help but look at Scarlett and giggled. Not just with any regular laugh, but with a snicker and a look that said "I know allll about your 'dancing' history, Scarlett!"
Oh my goodness, Scarlett thought as she looked up, exasperated; her cheeks were instantly flush, matching the color of her bright auburn hair. She held her hand out as her mouth opened as if she wanted to say something to Mayday, but words failed to come out. How did Mayday know?
Better yet, how do I get out of this?