The Kremlin's Candidate: A Novel полностью

Dominika sat in the tastefully appointed meeting lounge in the separate liaison reception center at SVR headquarters in Yasenevo, reminding herself not to bounce her foot in front of General Sun. A tray of salaka, smoked fish on buttered bread topped with melted cheese, was on the table between the armchairs, along with a sweating pitcher of kompot, a cold fruit beverage that was a staple in the liaison lounge, vodka being reserved for more ceremonious occasions.

Following the president’s order that Colonel Egorova establish a relationship with the MSS, she had seen the unctuous general three times, including once for lunch, but the conversation never extended beyond liaison niceties and nonsubstantive subjects. She needed to engage this doddering Chinese grandfather more closely, but had made no progress. Dominika had assessed the general each time to identify his motivations, discover his vulnerabilities, sniff for weaknesses—women, whiskey, money—but there was nothing. Further attempts to elicit who his Moscow contacts were, and whether he was engaged in classical recruitment operations, likewise came up empty. His yellow aura did not change appreciatively with his moods.

“Good morning, Colonel,” said General Sun. “Thank you for meeting me on such short notice. I apologize for the urgency of my request.” He was wearing his forest-green uniform, with a modest block of ribbons on his chest, and three bright-yellow stars on his epaulets, which were the same shade as the steady unperturbed halo behind his head. As usual, his eyes did not linger on her bust or legs—there had never been even the slightest whiff of prurient interest—and Dominika had shelved for the moment the idea of engineering a “bump” on the general with a Sparrow.

“It’s always a pleasure to see you, General Sun,” said Dominika. “How can I be of service?”

“The matter is delicate and embarrassing,” said Sun. “Our counterintelligence units have uncovered unsubstantiated indications that a high-ranking PLA officer recently may have been targeted for recruitment by an unknown service.”

“That is always an upsetting development,” said Dominika. The general clasped and unclasped his hands. Dominika forced her foot to stay still.

“I am pained even to raise it, but there are unsubstantiated reports of a possible meeting between a Chinese official and a young Russian in Macao. Nothing is substantiated; all we have is the single sighting.”

“What is your question, General?” said Dominika evenly.

“Forgive me, but I must ask you officially, as the Chief of Counterintelligence, are there any SVR recruitment operations in China?”

Dominika kept her face shut down even as the thought boiled from the pit of her stomach, crept up her spine, and volleyed around the top of her head. It’s Nate, she thought. I’m sure of it, I can feel it, it’s a false-flag pitch, Benford’s behind it, they’re up to their old tricks, pitching a Chinese officer as a Russian. Thanks very much, fellows, you could have given me some warning, but that wouldn’t have happened, not in a million years.

“General, I can answer with complete honesty that there are no human SVR operations, in China, or against Chinese interests anywhere,” said Dominika. Technically, she was telling the truth: there were no ongoing human recruitment operations, but that did not include massive Russian SIGINT and ELINT collection programs along China’s northern border and Far East Pacific Coast. General Sun smiled. He was aware of the distinction, and recognized the evasion.

“I never thought so myself,” he said. “But I had to ask. Please excuse the presumption.” His yellow halo was steady.

“But your counterintelligence problem remains,” said Dominika. “What are your next steps?”

“With the most welcome confirmation that your service is not involved, we can proceed to investigate other possibilities,” said the general.

“You have other leads to pursue?”

The general leaned forward in his chair. “Yes, a particular possibility with which I believe you can assist. Several weeks ago, assets in Hong Kong reported the arrival of a CIA officer on a limited temporary assignment, somewhat unusual, coinciding with the approximate time frame of the shady contact between an unknown Chinese official and an unidentified Russian.” Bozhe moy, my God, they’re already looking at Nate, she thought. Chinese counterintelligence is insidious. Keep fishing, you must learn as much as you can.