MOSCOW, 2025
In the 15th underground level of a Central Moscow government building, a Russian secret committee convenes under dim lights. Cigarette smoke drifts over a massive oval table as men in dark suits murmur over glasses of dark liquid. Among them is
Mironow — officially “retired,” unofficially indispensable. He is tasked with keeping the Alaska meeting under control, whatever it takes.
I am Special Agent Mironow, former General KGB Markow.
Both my names are fictional.
SUMMIT IN THE NORTH, 2025
An unprecedented summit between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump is scheduled in Anchorage, Alaska. The location is no mystery — the entire Northern Lights Grand Hotel is booked solid with security, press, and staff.
But the two leaders are not there. They are hidden away in a separate, undisclosed “safe house” somewhere in the city, known only to a handful of people. One of those who know is Special Agent Mironow.
CHINA, 1991
…We headed toward the railway bridge across the river. The night was moonlit and quiet. The valley seemed to have frozen in a clear smokey ice. We moved slowly, trying not to be detected. We were tasked with dismantling the railway track behind the bridge to prevent the enemy from using their armored train in the offensive.