Blackmail

93 OMSK, RUSSIA

Captain Martin placed his rucksack on the ground and, after sorting through its contents, retrieved the desired items. One was a material he was familiar with, having employed C-4 explosive many times. The other was an item he hadn’t seen before, although it was easily identified as a detonator. A bit exotic, he thought, with an integrated design leaving no wires between the electronics and detonator. Also missing was a remote initiator, and after pondering its absence, he realized the detonator was activated via a remote cellular or satellite signal.

With the items laid out before him, Martin focused next on where they’d be used. The Omsk Oil Refinery was a massive installation: a maze of metal facilities, pipelines, and storage tanks. While researching his target, Martin learned that the Omsk Oil Refinery, in addition to being Russia’s biggest, was one of its best, winning Industrial Product gold prizes for its Euro-98 Super Petrol and Euro Diesel for cold weather conditions.

Not for much longer.

The men in his unit carried twelve sets of detonators and C-4, and Martin selected several key locations: the catalytic cracking gasoline and diesel fuel hydrotreatment units, the AT-9 distillation unit, and the nine biggest storage tanks. He gathered his men around before they set out on their tasks, reminding them of the warning they’d been given. Once it’s been activated, do not move the detonator.