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Page 304
He said, "Here's the rest of the story, Mrs. Neville, a piece that just fell into place today. A Russian GKNT technician has defected to us and is recuperating at Bethesda. Academician Arkady Karmann was aboard that submarine you saw in Hudson Bay. In fact, it was he who initialized the systems on the device now poisoning the environment up there. That submarine was scuttledsank with all hands in the Caribbean, except for Academician Karmann, who by some miracle escaped. The man had a profound change of heart and somehow managed to travel to the United States on his own, determined to find and warn the authorities in Washington. To me, that is a measure of his credibility.
"Now," Kellner said, "Karmann has informed Colonel Morgan that the missile he planted and armed in Hudson Bay is probably damaged and cannot fly, but that its warhead is still alive. It is worse than we suspected, Mrs. Neville, a very large missile with a nuclear warhead. The device was timed to launch, then explode in space over the North American continent on December 7, the day of the planned coup in Moscow."
He stood up, tall, thin, and almost cadaverous, Anna thought. He resembles an Old Testament prophet. Jeremiah, the purveyor of doom. Her mouth was dry.
"Our defcon standsit must, because we have to be prepared for whatever might happen if the device in the bay really does explode," Kellner said evenly. "There are already arguments upstairs about whether or not all this is not just some deceptive Russian scheme, maskirovka, to frighten the American government into submission. If you think we have diehard cold warriors in this country, you should meet those in Russia, in Moscow. They're still yearning after the old glory days, when they had full access to the purse strings, to absolute power." He ran a hand over his mouth, pulling absently at his cheeks.
"Morgan, Arkady Karmann, and Avery Peters will be flying north as soon as transport can be arranged. Canada is sending

 
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