"Ms. Harper?"
"Yes."
"Follow me."
No names and no pleasantries, just a brisk walk down the corridor.
The woman stopped at a door. Swiped her card, held the door open.
"You'll work in here. The files you requested have been pulled,” she said, gesturing to stacks of folders, binders and papers piled high on the table.
The room was small. Maybe ten feet by twelve. A table, two chairs, a lamp with a green shade. No windows, computer or phone. Just a secure space for reading classified material that couldn't leave the building.
The walls were bare except for a small placard listing security protocols.
Ivy sat down in one of the chairs. It was uncomfortable. Probably intentional. They didn't want people getting too comfortable in here.
She grabbed one of the binders and started reading.
An hour passed.
And then another.
Ivy wished she could use the bathroom, but she didn’t want to leave the room. And she was thirsty.
She plugged away at the stack of papers but found nothing marked Volkov.
Finally, she came down to one more folder. It was red with diagonal white stripes and had classification markings on the cover.
SECRET//NOFORN.
Secret, no foreign nationals. Not the highest classification, but high enough.
Ivy opened the folder.
The pages inside were photocopies, slightly blurred. Typed reports, some in English, some with Russian text and English translations clipped to them. Dates in the upper right corners. Classification markings on every page.
Ivy turned the page and stopped.
The photograph was small, black and white, clipped to the top of the page. A man in his late thirties. Thin face. Dark hair. Glasses. He was looking slightly away from the camera, as if he'd been caught mid-conversation.
*Volkov, Dmitri Aleksandrovich. Born 1951, Leningrad. Education: Moscow State University, PhD in Chemical Engineering, 1976. Employment: Soviet Ministry of Defense, Chemical Research Division, 1976-1988. Specialization: Nerve agents, binary weapons systems, delivery mechanisms.*
Ivy read slowly, taking in every word.
*Subject is considered a leading expert in organophosphate compounds and their weaponization. Published seventeen classified papers on chemical agent stability and dispersal methods. Led research team at Sverdlovsk-19 facility from 1982-1987. Security clearance: Highest level.*
*Status: Disappeared March 1988. Last known location: Sverdlovsk-19 research facility. Circumstances unknown. No body recovered. No communication since disappearance. Presumed defection or abduction. Investigation ongoing. Priority: High.*
*Note: Subject's disappearance coincided with increased security measures at Sverdlovsk-19 following suspected breach. KGB investigation inconclusive. Western intelligence agencies have no confirmed contact with subject. Current whereabouts unknown.*
Ivy read it twice. Then a third time.
A Soviet scientist. One of their best. Specialized in nerve agents—the kind of weapons that could kill thousands in minutes. Binary systems, which meant weapons that were safer to transport because the lethal compounds only formed when mixed.
Disappeared two years ago. Not defected—disappeared. No contact with Western intelligence.
No body.
