“Call in the interns,” Alexei barked into the intercom.

Within minutes, Viktor received a call from dispatch.

“What is tollsgate?” the voice of the unknown dispatcher asked.

“It is a bridge,” Viktor replied with the code word of the day.

The dispatcher confirmed that the code was correct, then demanded to know his present location.

“Just left American airspace, approximately 300 miles off the coast of Maine. Estimated arrival time in Minsk is ten hours with the Glider,” Viktor said.

“Establish the Farstahl protocol.”

Viktor had approximately forty-eight hours to initiate the Farstahl protocol before the boss came calling on him. Viktor put down the drink he was enjoying. Time to get to work.

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Viktor headed toward the rear of the jumbo jet that was part of The Collective’s private fleet. There were two compartments in the rear of the jet for storage and communications. Viktor opened the storage compartment and saw Len, bound to a sleeping bed. Viktor could never sleep on planes; lying down on them always gave him nausea. He hoped Len was feeling nauseous.

“Enjoying your accommodations, Comrade?” Viktor said with a smile on his face.

“Who are you?” Len demanded.

“I’m the UPS driver, here to deliver a very important package to a very important customer. Now go back to sleep,” Viktor said as he shot Len with another tranquilizer dart.

Viktor made sure that the package was secure, then shut and locked the compartment door. He entered the communications compartment. A barren desk and a seat attached to the floor were the only pieces of furniture. Viktor felt along the side of the desk and found the button that opened the compartment just in front of the desk. Viktor took the laptop out of the compartment, powered it on, and connected it to the nearest satellite. Viktor followed the instructions for the Farstahl protocol, then put the equipment away and returned to his drink.