Page 79 of Cold Target

She walked past him into the corridor and used her access card.

She didn't need directions.

Down the corridor. Through the security door. Into the archive room.

The steel shelves stretched away into the dimness. She found the section she needed, pulled the first box, carried it to the table.

The work was methodical. Systematic. One file at a time.

It was amazing to her how the machinery of bureaucracy had continued to grind forward even as the empire was collapsing. Ivy focused on anything and everything that referenced special cargo or the ??-115 designation.

An hour passed. Then another.

Her eyes burned. Her back ached from leaning over the table.

She pulled another box. Opened it. Started working through the files until she came upon a folder marked with a red diagonal stripe. The kind that meant operational planning.

The cover page was in Cyrillic. She translated it slowly, carefully.

???????? ????

COLD TARGET.

Her pulse quickened.

She opened the folder.

The first page was a summary. Approved by someone whose signature was illegible but whose title was clear: Deputy Director, First Chief Directorate.

The objective was stated in clinical language. Strategic deployment of special munitions to achieve maximumpsychological and political impact in the event of armed conflict with the United States.

Five targets.

She read them twice to make sure she had it right.

The Pentagon.

The White House.

The Capitol Building.

The New York Stock Exchange.

And the Strategic Air Command headquarters at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska.

Each target had a detailed assessment. Structural vulnerabilities. Security protocols. Optimal placement for maximum effect.

The devices were to be pre-positioned. Sleeper agents would maintain custody. Activation would occur on command from Moscow.

It was a doomsday plan. A last-resort option. The kind of thing you hoped you'd never use but prepared for anyway.

Ivy photographed every page. Her hands were steady but her mind was racing.

This is what Kinsman probably had and he was most likely using Volkov as his consultant. Whether Volkov was being forced to help or was happy to volunteer his services, Ivy didn’t know and didn’t care.

The question was whether Kinsman would follow Operation Cold Target exactly or adapt it.

She remembered Joe had said Kinsman was methodical. Not creative. He followed doctrine. He trusted what had been proven.