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Page 353
Yulin tapped on the door and waited for it to be opened by one of the shock army soldiers who now overran the Kremlin. Inside, he found Aleksandr Cherny standing at a frosted window, through which could be seen the snow-covered garden. In one corner of the room a porcelain stove radiated heat. In another, a table with the remnants of a meal stood. A samovar steamed nearby. To Yulin's surprise, a bottle of French brandy stood open. Cherny rarely dranksetting an example to the people, he called it, railing against the Russians' fatal addiction to vodka and other hard liquors.
Cherny turned. General Yulin was shocked at his appearance. He had aged perceptibly. He held a glass of tea in both hands, as though he required the heat of it to warm his hands, even in this stifling room. Without preamble, Cherny said, ''We have captured the head of the beast, but there is worse to come."
Is he testing me, Yulin wondered. Is he asking for advice or only probing at my loyalty? Cherny's gaze was full of suspicion and hostility.
"Kondratiev strutted into the Spassky Tower with all the hubris and arrogance of a folk hero. After what the son of a bitch has done, I wanted to kill him with my bare hands." Cherny almost spat out the words. "How is it that the security forces did not warn me of his presence?"
"You must remember, sir, that the abilities of the former KGB are much degraded," Yulin said stiffly. "Some units are unreliable, and others no longer function. We are in the process of dismantling the entire internal security apparatus, Excellencyat your orders."
"Did Zenobiev brief you?"
"Yes, Excellency. But surely you can't believe Russian renegades planted a nuclear device in Hudson Bay? Or that it was done on General Kondratiev's orders?"
Cherny cut him off. "I know it, you idiot. Stop arguing and listen. We have less than a day and a half before the thing detonates." He slammed his glass down so roughly that it

 
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