Blackmail

19 ARISH, EGYPT

The Sinai Peninsula in the northeast corner of Egypt, with the Mediterranean Sea to the north and Red Sea to the south, serves as a land bridge between Africa and Asia. Given Egypt’s arid climate and vast desert terrain, it’s counterintuitive that almost half of the peninsula’s northern coastline is a swampy lagoon: three hundred square miles of brackish water and marshland separated from the Mediterranean Sea by a narrow limestone ridge.

As a result, Arish is the only major city along the Sinai coast. Serving as an outpost during the Egyptian dynasties and fortified during the Roman and Ptolemaic eras, Arish is a city with a great deal of history and very little to show for it: a litter-strewn beach giving way to a sprawling city of low-rise cement-block buildings. Even so, Arish is one of the country’s better holiday destinations — less than two hundred miles from Cairo — and as close as many will come to the clear blue waters and pristine sands of the Menorca coast or French Riviera.

Not far from the palm-fringed coastline, Anton Belikov worked quickly in the dark, attempting to gain access to a small building. The temperature south of Arish had dropped significantly after sunset, and for that, Belikov was thankful. Although the temperatures in the Arctic, where Belikov and his team had worked less than forty-eight hours ago, were frigid, he preferred the colder climate. That was expected, however, since Belikov was from Norilsk, Russia, located above the Arctic Circle and encased in snow up to nine months each year.

The door unlocked and Belikov pushed it slowly open. There was no one inside, only automated equipment. Belikov activated the pale blue light strapped to his forehead, providing just enough illumination for him to tend to his task. Moving swiftly toward the massive machinery, Belikov slid a black duffel bag from his shoulder, laying it carefully on the ground. As he worked in the faint blue glow inside the building, the other members of his platoon were working at various points farther inland.

It didn’t take long and everything was soon in place, with one last item remaining. It had been disconcerting at each previous location — with the equipment controlled remotely — and this time it was no different as he entered the required sequence of numbers. The panel activated, confirming proper operation. Belikov wrote down the GPS coordinates and, after collecting his empty duffel bag, headed to the exit. After securing the light on his forehead, he stepped into the cool night.