tc.redstormrising-第4章

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ecretariat；　instead　of　having　to　work　through　the　Council　of　Ministers　bureaucracy。　He　briefly　closed　his　eyes　to　thank　God…there　might　be　one；　he　reasoned…that　his　first　remendation；　delivered　only　a　month　earlier；　had　concerned　security　and　political　reliability　in　many　of　the　fields。　He　had　specifically　remended　further　Russification　of　the　largely　〃foreign〃　workforce。　For　this　reason；　he　did　not　fear　for　his　own　career；　which　up　to　now　had　been　an　uninterrupted　success　story。　He　shrugged。　The　task　he　was　about　to　face　would　decide　his　future　in　any　case。　And　perhaps　his　country's。
The　ZIL　proceeded　down　Leningradskiy　Prospekt；　which　turned　into　Gor'kogo；　the　limousine　speeding　through　the　center　lane　that　policemen　kept　clear　of　traffic　for　the　exclusive　use　of　the　vlasti。　They　motored　past　the　Intourist　Hotel　into　Red　Square；　and　finally　approached　the　Kremlin　gate。　Here　the　driver　did　stop　for　the　security　checks；　three　of　them；　conducted　by　KGB　troops　and　soldiers　of　the　Taman　Guards。　Five　minutes　later　the　limousine　pulled　to　the　door　of　the　Council　of　Ministers　building；　the　sole　modern　structure　in　the　fortress。　The　guards　here　knew　Sergetov　by　sight；　and　saluted　crisply　as　they　held　open　the　door　so　that　his　exposure　to　the　freezing　temperatures　would　last　but　a　brief　span　of　seconds。
The　Politburo　had　been　holding　it's　meetings　in　this　fourth…floor　room　for　only　a　month　while　their　usual　quarters；　in　the　old　Arsenal　building　were　undergoing　a　belated　renovation。　The　older　men　grumbled　at　the　loss　of　the　old　Czarist　forts；　but　Sergetov　preferred　the　modernity。　About　time；　he　thought；　that　the　men　of　the　Party　surrounded　themselves；　with　the　works　of　socialism　instead　of　the　moldy　trappings　of　the　Romanovs。
The　room　was　deathly　quiet　as　he　entered。　Had　this　been　in　the　Arsenal；　the　fifty…four　year　old　technocrat　reflected；　the　atmosphere　would　have　been　altogether　like　a　funeral…and　there　had　been　all　too　many　of　those。　Slowly；　the　Party　was　running　out　of　the　old　men　who　had　survived　Stalin's　terror；　and　the　current　crop　of　members；　all　〃young〃　men　in　their　fifties　or　early　sixties；　was　finally　being　heard。　The　guard　was　being　changed。　Too　slowly…too　damned　slowly…for　Sergetov　and　his　generation　of　Party　leaders；　despite　the　new　General　Secretary。　The　man　was　already　a　grandfather。　It　sometimes　seemed　to　Sergetov　that　by　the　time　these　old　men　were　gone；　he'd　be　one　himself。　But　looking　around　this　room　now；　he　felt　young　enough。
〃Good　day；　rades；〃　Sergetov　said；　handing　his　coat　to　an　aide；　who　withdrew　at　once；　closing　the　doors　behind　him。　The　other　men　moved　at　once　to　their　seats。　Sergetov　took　his；　halfway　down　the　right　side。
The　Party　General　Secretary　brought　the　meeting　to　order。　His　voice　was　controlled　and　businesslike。　〃rade　Sergetov；　you　may　begin　your　report。　First；　we　wish　to　hear　your　explanation　of　exactly　what　happened。〃
〃rades；　at　approximately　twenty…three　hundred　hours　yesterday；　Moscow　Time；　three　armed　men　entered　the　central　control　plex　of　the　Nizhnevartovsk　oil　plex　and　mitted　a　highly　sophisticated　act　of　sabotage。〃
〃Who　were　they？〃　the　Defense　Minister　asked　sharply。
〃We　only　have　identification　for　two　of　them。　One　of　the　bandits　was　a　staff　electrician。　The　third〃…Sergetov　pulled　the　ID　card　from　his　pocket　and　tossed　it　on　the　tablewas　Senior　Engineer　I。M。　Tolkaze。　He　evidently　used　his　expert　knowledge　of　the　control　systems　to　initiate　a　massive　fire　which　spread　rapidly　before　high　winds。　A　security　team　of　ten　KGB　border　guards　responded　at　once　to　the　alarm。　The　one　traitor　still　unidentified　killed　or　wounded　five　of　these　with　a　rifle　taken　from　the　building　guard；　who　was　also　shot。　I　must　say；　having　interviewed　the　KGB　sergeant…the　lieutenant　was　killed　leading　his　men…that　the　border　guards　responded　quickly　and　well。　They　killed　the　traitors　within　minutes；　but　were　unable　to　prevent　the　plete　destruction　of　the　facility；　both　the　refinery　and　production　fields。〃
〃And　if　the　guards　responded　so　fast；　how　then　did　they　fail　to　prevent　this　act？〃　the　Defense　Minister　demanded　angrily；　He　examined　the　photographic；　pass　with　palpable　hatred　in　his　eyes　〃What　was　this　black…ass　Muslim　doing　there　in　the　first　place？〃
〃rade；　work　in　the　Siberian　fields　is　arduous；　and　we　have　had　serious　difficulties　in　filling　the　posts　we　have　there。　My　predecessor　decided　to　conscnpt　experienced　oil…field　workers　from　the　Baku　region　to　Siberia。　This　was　madness。　You　will　recall　that　my　first　remend　last　year　was　to　change　this　policy。〃
〃We　have　noted　it；　Mikhail　Eduardovich；〃　the　Chairman　said。　〃Go　on。〃
〃The　guard　post　records　all　telephone　and　radio　traffic。　The　response　team　was　moving　in　under　two　minutes。　Unfortunately；　the　guard　post　is　located　adjacent　to　the　original　control　building。　The　current　building　was　constructed　three　kilometers　away　when　new　puterized　control　equipment　was　obtained　from　the　West　two　years　ago。　A　new　guard　post　was　also　supposed　to　have　been　built；　and　the　proper　materials　were　allocated　for　this　purpose。　It　would　appear　that　these　building　materials　were　misappropriated　by　the　plex　director　and　local　Party　secretary；　for　the　purpose　of　building　dachas　on　the　river　a　few　kilometers　away。　Both　of　these　men　have　been　arrested　by　my　order；　for　crimes　against　the　State；〃　Sergetov　reported　matter…of…factly。　There　was　no　reaction　around　the　table。　By　unspoken　consensus；　those　two　men　were　sentenced　to　death；　the　formalities　would　be　worked　out　by　the　proper　ministries。　Sergetov　continued：　〃I　have　already　ordered　greatly　increased　security　at　all　petroleum　sites。　Also　on　my　orders；　the　families　of　the　two　known　traitors　have　been　arrested　at　their　homes　outside　Baku　and　are　being　rigorously　interrogated　by　State　Security；　along　with　all　who　knew　and　worked　with　them。
〃Before　the　border　guards　were　able　to　kill　the　traitors；　they　were　able　to　sabotage　the　oil…field　control　systems　in　such　a　way　as　to　create　a　massive　conflagration。　They　were　also　able　to　wreck　the　control　equipment　so　that　even　if　the　guard　troops　had　been　able　to　get　a　crew　of　engineers　in　to　restore　control；　it　is　unlikely　that　anything　would　have　been　saved。　The　KGB　troops　were　forced　to　evacuate　the　building；　which　was　later　consumed　by　the　fire。　There　was　nothing　more　they　could　have　done。〃　Sergetov　remembered　the　sergeant's　badly　burned　face。　the　tears　flowing　down　over　the　blisters　as　he　told　his　story。
〃The　fire　brigade？〃　the　General　Secretary　asked。
〃More　than　half　of　them　died　fighting　the　fire；〃　Sergetov　replied。　〃Along　with　over　a　hundred　citizens　who　joined　the　battle　to　save　the　plex。　Truly　there　is　no　blame　to　be　assessed　here；　rade。　Once　this　bastard。　Tolkaze　began　his　devil's　work；　it　would　have　been　as　easy　to　control　an　earthquake。　For　the　most　part；　the　fire　has　been　put　out　by　now；　due　to　the　fact　that　most　of　the　fuels　stored　in　the　refinery　were　consumed　in　about　five　hours；　also　because　of　the　destruction　of　the　wellheads　in　the　oil　field。〃
〃But　how　was　this　catastrophe　possible？〃　a　senior　member　asked。　Sergetov　was　surprised　by　the　quiet　mood　in　the　room。　Had　they　met　and　discussed　this　affair　already？
〃My　report　of　December　20　described　the　dangers　here。　This　room　quite　literally　controlled　the　pumps　and　valves　for　over　a　hundred　square　kilometers。　The　same　is　true　of　all　of　our　large　oil　plexes。　From　the　nerve　center；　a　man　familiar　with　control　procedures　could　manipulate　the　various　systems　throughout　the　field　at　will；　causing　the　entire　plex　quite　simply　to　self…destruct。　Tolkaze　had　such　skill。　He　was　an　Azerbaijani　chosen　for　special　treatment　for　his　intelligence　and　supposed　loyalty；　an　honor　student　educated　at　Moscow　State　University　and　a　member　in　good　standing　of　the　local　Party。　It　would　also　seem　that　he　was　a　religious　fanatic　capable　of　astounding　treachery。　All　the　people　killed　in　the　control　room　were　friends　of　his…or　so　they　thought。　After　fifteen　years　in　the　Party；　a　good　salary；　the　professional　respect　of　his　rades；　even　his　own　automobile；　his　last　words　were　a　shrill　cry　to　Allah；〃　Sergetov　said　dryly。　〃The　reliability　of　people　from　that　region　cannot　be　accurately　predicted；　rades。〃
The　Defense　Minister　nodded　again。　〃So；　what　effect