Brown, Dale - Patrick McLanahan 02 by Day of the Cheetah (v1.1) Read Free Book Online Page B

...”
                 “You
have learned well, but that is not the point, Mr. James. We have never placed a
deep agent in the American air force’s cadre. He would have little chance of
surviving the security screening. It is very intense, especially for a pilot
candidate. They check every move from present day to birth, check his parents,
his relatives, his neighbors—”
                 “And
Kenneth James will pass with flying colors,” Maraklov said excitedly.
                 “But
the applicant for a security clearance initiates the process with a detailed
report on his background, relatives, addresses,” Roberts said nervously. “You
would have to supply every detail of James’ life from memory —you could not risk being caught with a dossier on yourself.
And the process is repeated every five years while in the service. Could you do
that?”
                 “Of
course, sir.”
                 Roberts
hesitated, but only for a moment. If any other student had made that confident
a reply he would have dismissed it as bravado. But not Maraklov. The boy knew
his counterpart so well... it was almost frightening. Beyond any of the other
student-target linkages.
                 “You
will need plastic surgery,” Roberts said. “And if the scars and bruising from
surgery do not heal in time, you will be discovered.”
                 “I
assume James will be in Hawaii until July,” Maraklov said. “The summer
orientation course starts in mid-July, as I recall. That gives us five weeks
before we need to intercept James. Five weeks is time enough for my scars to
heal. And the surgery would not need to be extensive, sir. My ... his parents
won’t be visiting very often. And plebes are not allowed visitors until
Thanksgiving. By then his appearance will have changed enough to explain any
minor differences—” his voice dropped, sounding depressed—“if my parents notice
at all.”
                 Roberts
scarcely noticed James’ changing moods, his juxtaposing of himself and the real
Kenneth James, the angry, distant look. But he was too busy marveling at
Maraklov’s extensive knowledge of even the most esoteric bits of information.
                 “This
will have to be approved by Moscow,” Roberts said, sounding as excited as
Maraklov had earlier. “But we have a chance to do it. .. And if we do, it will be the espionage coup of the
century—”
                 “Yes,
sir,” James agreed, though he was not thinking about espionage coups, or
success or failure.
                 He
was thinking, I will be . . . complete. Yes, that was the word. For the first
time in my life, I will have a chance to become a complete person. Thanks to
Ken James . . .

 
    Wednesday, 1 July 1985 ,
2103 EET
     
                 It
was late that evening. As usual Katrina Litkovka, known as Janet Larson, was
finishing a stack of paperwork, clearing her desk and preparing the Academy
administrator’s morning business. She heard the outer office door open. Before
she could look up from her desk, Maraklov was in her office and had slammed the
door behind him.
                 Katrina
knew it was Maraklov, but it still took a moment for the shock to wear
off—after all, it had only been a few weeks since Andrei Maraklov had had his
new face. This new one was thinner, with a higher forehead and a stronger,
squarer jaw. The quality of the plastic surgery was excellent—the scars were
nearly invisible and the bruising had all but subsided. This Ken James could be
considered very handsome—except right now what she felt was a stab of fear.
Maraklov, if recognizable, was also much more a stranger now, unpredictable as
any other intruder.
                 She
forced down the anxiety she felt and managed an authoritative edge in her voice
. . . “You are not to be here after hours, Mr. James.”