Page 2 of End Game (William Warwick #8)
F OR SEVERAL REASONS, V LADIVOSTOK was the chosen venue for the meeting between the two heads of state, primarily because of its proximity to the border of both their countries, meaning that the leaders could return to their capitals with very few prying eyes aware that the get-together had ever taken place.
The press had not been invited to attend, and if the story had leaked, the meeting would have been cancelled.
The two presidents met in a railway carriage at the far end of a shunting yard, with no tall buildings overlooking them.
The carriage had once been part of the Trans-Siberian Express , and exuded the kind of gracious opulence of a bygone age that was considered appropriate for such a momentous occasion.
On arrival, only moments apart, both dictators took their places at each end of a long table.
They sat in large, high-backed chairs with cushions to make them appear taller.
The two remaining seats at the table were occupied by their ambassadors to London.
Half a dozen senior mandarins sat around the outside of the carriage, notebooks open, pens in hand.
‘Does that mean that Russia will be boycotting the London Olympics?’ asked Hu Jintao.
‘Certainly not,’ said Putin. ‘We must appear to be magnanimous, while not losing any and every opportunity to compare the London Games unfavourably with Beijing.
The Olympics have long been a symbol of power and prestige.
Every four years, athletes from across the globe come together to compete, while every country in the world looks on. All eyes will be on the host city.
‘The city that is chosen and given the opportunity to host the Olympics reveals what everyone thinks about that country, but the world is behind the times. They still trust the British – and we cannot allow that to continue. It is vital that we demonstrate to every country around the globe that power is shifting and it’s no longer the West that holds the cards.
If we were able to destroy Britain’s reputation, we would at the same time destroy the trust other countries place in them.
Once we’ve achieved that, we become more powerful.
’ He paused. ‘With that in mind, comrade, I will ask my Ambassador to London to brief you on our plans.’
He turned to his right and nodded.
Anatoly Mikailov, the Russian Ambassador to London, had been carefully selected for the job.
Mikailov had been educated at Harvard and Oxford, and many people in London and Washington counted him as a respected colleague, while he considered them nothing more than fairweather friends.
His new mission was to ensure the London Olympics were perceived as a disastrous failure from which they would never recover, and he’d already begun to put detailed plans in place to achieve that outcome.
‘For a start, London’s budget will be less than half of Beijing’s,’ he began.
‘However, you can be sure the British will put on a good show,’ he added, with an exaggerated posh accent.
‘One must remember, theatre is in their DNA, and they will be performing on the largest stage on earth. To that end, I have selected a team who have been working on a dozen different scenarios, which cannot be revealed yet, for obvious reasons, but I can assure you that any one of them will make London wish they had never been selected as the host city, as their reputation will be in tatters.’
Putin gave a faint smile. ‘And how about you comrade?’ he asked, as he looked towards the other end of the table.
The Chinese leader didn’t respond, but turned to his right and nodded at his London Ambassador.
‘Although we intend to work closely with you in the build-up to the London Games and during the opening ceremony,’ began Wei Ming, without referring to a note, ‘it has already been agreed that you will take the lead once the Games begin, but we will be in sole charge of what takes place at the closing ceremony.’
‘If they ever get that far,’ said Mikailov, loud enough for his leader to hear.
‘Naturally,’ the Chinese Ambassador continued as if he hadn’t been interrupted, ‘the Olympics will have tight security measures in place, so the strategy we have agreed on is simple: distract the police with as many irrelevant, time-consuming inconveniences as possible, thus keeping their eyes away from our ultimate goal: our own particular closing ceremony .’ He smiled.
‘To that end, we have selected a highly trained team led by a woman who’s lost count of how many people she’s killed.
Most of our operatives are more frightened of her than the enemy. ’
It was Hu Jintao’s turn to smile.
‘And may I ask what exactly she has planned?’ asked Putin, raising an eyebrow.
‘The downfall of what’s left of the British Empire in a single evening,’ said Wei Ming. ‘A disaster that the rest of the world will agree could have been avoided, if only the British had been better prepared to deal with security threats.’
A faint smile crossed Hu Jintao’s lips. ‘I can assure you, last month’s terrorist attack on the London underground will be nothing compared to what we have planned for the closing ceremony.’