The Kremlin's Candidate: A Novel

“I will not ask what a Yogi antenna is. But how does that help us?” said Benford.

“That’s Yagi, and it’s just what we need.” Hearsey turned to Mendelsohn, who opened the locker and took out a sleek desk lamp composed of a large ebony base, a stainless-steel, L-shaped arm, and a broad black shade. Hearsey smiled and put the lamp on the arm of the couch.

“Stick this lamp on your agent’s desk and plug it into the wall. That’s it. She can dictate, record, or type messages to Simon through this lamp, using the building’s electrical wires as a carrier, even with people present in the agent’s office,” said Hearsey. “Another feature: align documents along the base under the shade and you can photograph them, even while signing them, right in front of a secretary looking over your shoulder. And the lamp will tell her when an incoming message from Simon is waiting for her.”

“How’s it do that?” said Nate.

“An air vortex ring,” said Hearsey.

“What does that mean?” said Forsyth.

“It’ll blow in her ear,” said Hearsey.

“That can’t be a bad thing,” said Westfall.

Hearsey left after two hours, having demonstrated the functions of the desk lamp concealment for DIVA’s covert communications equipment. Hearsey told them the system was encrypted BOLERO, which crypt Simon found fatuous. Nevertheless, he was pleased. Hearsey had outdone himself, supported by the engineering brilliance of Frank Mendelsohn, whose nickname in the office, inexplicably, was Money Shot. The BOLERO transmitter/receiver was interactive, multifunctional, and protected from tampering by retinal-scan permissive-action link. Messages or images that Dominika loaded into the device would be stored until it detected the authentication code from the BATTLEFAT telemetry satellite in geosynchronous orbit above the Arctic Circle. In 3.5 seconds, Dominika’s stored messages would flood through the building’s electrical grid to the satellite, and simultaneous incoming messages would be read by the BOLERO lamp at the other end of the wall plug in DIVA’s office.

“Will these transmissions be detectable inside the building?” Nate asked. “Is it safe?”

“SVR comsec experts solved that problem for us,” said Hearsey. “They shielded the building against external eavesdropping, so our communications don’t emanate inside. We got lucky.”

“I have a question,” said Westfall, ever the analyst. “I understand that transmissions to satellites are vulnerable to radio intercept or direction finding.”

“You mean triangulation,” said Hearsey. “Not with this system. The power is low, like with your SRAC equipment, but, more important, transmissions are diffused. It’s the difference between tracing back a beam in the night sky to find the searchlight, and stuffing fog into a gunny sack.” Benford grunted approvingly at that, a metaphor he could understand.

Frank Mendelsohn then had explained principles of haptic (tactile) communication, organic user interface, and flexible display with bend interactions until Benford began going purple in the face. The not-insignificant consideration of getting the desk lamp into SVR headquarters without arousing suspicion appeared to be a problem until Nate said Dominika could carry it in herself as she moved into the Director’s office and chose new furnishings. The lamp would be cached to her by Moscow Station. Risky but doable. And once the lamp was on her desk, she needn’t step foot on the street to meet a case officer—personal meets would be reserved for when DIVA traveled outside Russia. Benford said they should deploy BOLERO as soon as possible.

DIVA would once more be online, and Benford could begin reading other gentlemen’s mail again, with the exception of the messages to and from MAGNIT. And that was the problem.

CIA’S EGG-DROP SOUP

Heat chicken stock and use a little to mix with cornstarch into a slurry. In the remaining stock add ginger, soy sauce, diced scallions, thin-sliced mushrooms, white pepper, and bring to a boil. Add cornstarch slurry, stir well, and simmer. Beat eggs vigorously in a separate bowl and slowly pour them into the soup while stirring the stock, so that the eggs cook and spread out in ribbons. An optional ingredient is kernel (or creamed) corn. Garnish with additional chopped scallions and serve immediately.

32

Snaggletooth