Power Play

CHAPTER 14 GADZHIYEVO, RUSSIA

Two hours after leaving USS Michigan behind, the three Navy SEALs approached their destination. Harrison examined the navigation display, illuminating the SDV cockpit a faint luminescent green, as he made the last turn in the canal system. He idled the SDV propulsion as he aimed the mini-sub toward the port side of the canal.

Barnacle-encrusted wood pilings materialized from the underwater haze as the SDV coasted toward them. Harrison maneuvered the SDV alongside the pilings, letting them pass slowly down the port side of the vehicle. Harrison shifted propulsion into reverse, and when the SDV slowed to a halt, he secured the engine. After a few taps of the controls, the SDV drifted downward, coming to rest on the canal bottom. Harrison and the other two SEALs pulled themselves from the SDV, then swam to the surface, pulling themselves onto a narrow dock built parallel to the canal. Harrison assessed their surroundings.

Novikoff’s home was a hundred feet inland, separated from the canal by an open expanse of grass populated with a few trees, with tall hedges running down each side of the property from the house to the canal. The backyard was illuminated by a single light above a set of French doors opening to a flagstone patio containing a dormant fire pit surrounded by several chairs. There was no indication of security cameras, but that was no guarantee the house perimeter wasn’t being monitored.

Harrison led the other SEALs toward the nearest hedge, which they followed until they reached the house, then worked their way to the French doors. There was a security panel beside the doors with a red light illuminated. Petty Officer Carver pulled a radio frequency detector from his tactical vest and determined the system was wireless. After scanning for the frequencies used by the security system, he shifted the detector to jamming mode. Not only would they jam the signal between the sensors and the control panel, but they’d disable the system’s anti-jam feature — a signal sent to the monitoring station if it detected it was being jammed. Carver activated the jammer, then pulled out a set of universal keys. On the third try, the door unlocked.

The SEALs raised their weapons, then Harrison opened the door. They surged into the house, faintly illuminated by the backyard light. There was no one present in what appeared to be a family room. Harrison led his team through Novikoff’s home, searching each room. The living room, dining room, and kitchen were unoccupied.

Harrison led the team down a narrow hallway containing three doors. He stopped by the first one, turned the handle slowly, and pushed the door open. It was an empty bedroom. Harrison opened the next door, which revealed another empty room. That left the door at the end of the hallway. With this being the last room in the house, there was no more need for stealth. Harrison turned the knob slowly, then burst into the bedroom, followed by the rest of his team.

There was a man asleep in bed, who stirred but didn’t awaken. Stone and Carver did the honors, pulling back the bedsheets and grabbing the man by his arms, lifting him to a sitting position facing Harrison, who aimed his MP7 at him. The man’s eyes grew wide and his mouth dropped open. A quick look at the man’s face verified he was their target.

Speaking in Russian, Harrison informed Novikoff that he’d be taking a trip with them tonight. If he offered any resistance, he’d kill him. When Novikoff was asked if he understood, he nodded quickly.

Novikoff was instructed to don a sweatshirt and pants, as well as thermal underwear if he had a set, which he did. The underwater trip to Michigan would be in chilly water and they hadn’t brought a dive suit for Novikoff, not knowing his size. Novikoff did as he was instructed, then Stone led him from the bedroom, followed by the other two SEALs.

They turned off the backyard light as they exited the house. Upon reaching the canal dock, Carver descended to the SDV, returning with a set of dive gear, which he helped Novikoff into. Once properly outfitted, Carver helped Novikoff into the water, guiding him into the backseat of the SDV. He settled in beside him, wrapping a thermal blanket around the Russian.

Harrison and Stone slipped into the front compartment of the SDV, and it lifted off the canal bottom and reversed course, heading out toward their rendezvous with USS Michigan.