The Roswell Conspiracy by Boyd Morrison Read Free Book Online Page B

good men.”
    “At least they died for their country.”
    They had been a loyal part of his foreign intelligence service team before Colchev’s failure, and now the former SVR operatives wouldn’t even get the honor of a Russian state funeral. He unrolled his window and breathed in the cool desert air. When his team had achieved its mission, he would make sure Golgov and Popovich’s part in the operation was recognized, that they would receive the honor they deserved as heroes of the Motherland.
    Colchev snapped back to focus on his goal now. Because Fay Turia had no xenobium, their path was clear.
    “How are the preparations going?” he asked.
    “We’re almost ready. The last shipment arrived this morning, and they should be finished loading it by the time we get back.”
    Zotkin turned onto a road going north into Alice Springs.
    “What about the CAPEK vehicle?” Colchev asked.
    “It is in working order, and we have a meeting set up with the project lead tomorrow morning.”
    “Excellent.”
    “And your informant still says the Killswitch will arrive on time?”
    Colchev thought back to the message on the discussion forum. The username they’d agreed on had been compromised, so the pre-arranged replacement had been used. The only thing it said was, “Confirmed,” meaning the operation was a Go according to plan.
    “The Killswitch will be here in the morning,” Colchev said. “Do you have all the documentation in order?”
    “The uniforms, vehicles, and papers are all ready.” Zotkin cleared his throat. “What about Nadia? Did you get Icarus from her?”
    “Everything went as expected.”
    “I knew she’d never join us.”
    “I didn’t think she would.”
    “But you let her live.”
    “We are patriots, Dmitri. So is Nadia. You would have me kill one of our own?”
    “If necessary.”
    “It wasn’t necessary.”
    Zotkin grunted but didn’t say more. How to deal with Bedova was the one disagreement he and Colchev had. Zotkin had advocated wiping out her whole team as soon as she delivered Icarus, but Colchev knew that killing a fellow member of the SVR would make their reintegration into Russia much more difficult once the mission was over.
    “If we see her again, we’ll do what we have to,” Colchev said.
    Zotkin gave another grunt, but he seemed satisfied.
    As they continued driving, they went over details of the operation. Although they had planned it down to the last detail, there were always contingencies to consider. A mission this complex required precise timing and complete understanding of the situation by all involved. The biggest question mark was his man on the inside of Lightfall. If he came through, the rest of the operation would go smoothly.
    By the time Zotkin turned into the warehouse parking lot, Colchev was confident they were as ready as they could be.
    The depot had once been used as a transfer station for trucks bound for Darwin and Adelaide, but it had been shut down years ago. Through a shell company, Colchev had rented it out as a staging point for their own operation, and the owners had asked no questions about their business.
    Four semi trailers and a shorter truck were backed up to the warehouse loading platforms, and two SUVs occupied the lot. He and Zotkin got out and went into the warehouse, where a forklift was busy moving a pallet from the small truck to one of the trailers. Half a dozen men were assisting in the work.
    Colchev stopped the forklift driver. “How long until you’re done?”
    The driver pointed at the trailer closest to them. “This is the last load. We should be done setting the rest of it up in two hours.”
    “What about the detonators?”
    “Ready for rigging.”
    “We’ll do it tonight. From now on, I want two men on watch, rotating every four hours.”
    “Yes, sir.” The forklift driver carefully set down the pallet and went back to the small truck for another one.
    His men formed a chain to move the pallet’s load,