CHAPTER 1

Desert Rose InnReno, Nevada

Oleg unzipped the small case, took a short pull on a Budweiserlong neck, and kept his eyes fixed on the TV chef who waspreparing a "Flaming Beehive."

He glanced at his watch and then back to the TV as he beganto assemble the parts.

"You can start with an eight-inch sponge cake, but I preferGenoese pastry about a half inch thick," the chef said.

He connected the gas piston and the pusher with the springand then fit the spring to the rear side of the pusher. The front endof the pusher went into the gas tube. He compressed the springand inserted the rear end of the pusher together with the springinto the passage of the sight bar. He pulled the pusher back andremoved it from the gas tube, inserted the gas piston, and thenslid the front of the pusher into the piston socket.

"So here's what we'll need for a perfect Flaming Beehive. Isuggest a quarter cup of Irish Mist whiskey and a quarter cup offine sherry. Now let's grab eight egg whites, a half cup of sugar,one quart of vanilla ice cream, two egg yolks, and one-and-a-halfcups of whipped cream."

He connected the hand guards, left side first, into the lowerband and pressed down until it clipped into the lugs on thesupporting ring. He fit the upper band to the end pieces of thehand guards and then turned the axle pin on the gas tube to letthe lug enter the recess on the band.

"Now, we place the Genoese pastry cake on a round woodenboard."

He connected the firing and trigger mechanism. Engagingthe recesses of the firing and trigger mechanism body with thestop-pin, he pressed them into the receiver, inserted the safetylever pin into the hole of the receiver, and turned the safety leverin the clockwise direction.

"I'm going to prick the pastry in several places with a fork.Pour the Irish Mist and sherry over and chill for one hour," thechef said, reaching into the refrigerator. "Since watching a FlamingBeehive chill for an hour is not exactly compelling television, we'lluse the one I made just before we went on the air."

His mind began to recite the assembly instructions with thesame military cadence he had heard a thousand times before.Connect the bolt to the bolt support, insert the bolt into the passage of thebolt support, turn the bolt so that its driving lug enters the shaped recess ofthe bolt support, and move the bolt forward as far as it will go.

"Let's preheat the oven to four hundred degrees. Beat eggwhites until stiff. Gradually beat in sugar."

Connect the bolt support and the bolt. Insert the guiding lugs of thebolt support into recesses of the receiver and move the bolt support forward.Connect the receiver cover together with the retracting mechanism.

"Now we top the pastry with a mold of ice cream. Beat eggyolks and add to the meringue."

Insert the return spring into the passage of the bolt support, insertthe lugs on the front end of the cover into recesses on the lower band;press the rear end of the cover to make the cover fit tightly to the receiver,turn the axle pin of the receiver cover forward to set it on the cheek platelimiter.

"It's best to pastry-tube this stuff on, using a plain tube,beginning at the top of the ice cream mold and continuing aroundand around to the base to simulate a beehive."

Connect the butt cheek plate. Put the cheek plate on the butt with itsfastener to the right, fit the loop onto the hook of the clip, and turn fastenerupward. Connect the optical sight.

"Be sure the ice cream and pastry are fully covered. Scoopout enough meringue from the top so you have the space to holda half eggshell later."

Match the slots on the sight bracket with the lugs on the left wall ofthe receiver; shift the sight forward as far as it will go and turn the handleof the clamping screw toward the objective, and let the handle lug enter therecess of the bracket.

"Bake two to three minutes or until meringue is pale gold.Garnish the base with maroons in syrup and colorful glazedfruits."

Connect the magazine. Insert the front hook of the magazine into theopening of the receiver, and turn the magazine toward shooter to let thelatch engage the rear hook of the magazine.

He carefully mounted the Pritsel Snaipersky OpticheskyPSO-1 optical sniper sight and inserted one round of the 7N1variant of the 7.62 × 54mmR rimmed rifle cartridge.

"Now let's place that half eggshell in the top space of thebeehive."

Oleg stepped over to the second-floor window on the backsideof his guest room at the old Desert Rose Inn on West FourthStreet in downtown Reno, Nevada, lifted the lower pane, andchecked his watch one more time. Thirty seconds.

"Fill the half eggshell with warmed Irish whiskey."

He rechecked the flash and sound suppressors one final time.Placing his right cheek on the cheek pad, he casually lookedthrough the PSO-1 reticle. The bottom left corner properlyranged the seven hundred meters between him and the target,a 1.7 meter man. The top center chevron was the main aimingmark. The horizontal hash marks for wind and lead correctionswouldn't be necessary given the weather conditions in Reno.

Oleg inserted the small point-of-view camera into the scopeand verified the image was recording on his laptop.

"Now we're ready to go. Serve flaming, sauced with sweetenedvanilla-flavored whipped cream."

The outside door to the laboratory opened and a five foot,six inch Japanese scientist walked out and down the sidewalkthe same way he had done the previous three days. As his handtouched the door handle of the white Toyota Camry, a single 7N1variant bullet from the 7.62 × 54mmR rimmed rifle cartridgeentered and exited his brain just above the right eye, renderingthe Japanese scientist immediately deceased with neither bangnor flash.

Oleg turned back to the TV before his target hit the pavement,and he began to disassemble the rifle. His Dragunov SVD sniperrifle had now successfully terminated seven biomedical researchscientists around the world.

"With some French couverture chocolate, pipe out some beeson paper and arrange them around the beehive after flaming.Magnificent. Next time you have a party, knock 'em dead with aFlaming Beehive and feature a vivacious twist of Irish whisky."

Oleg took another long pull on the Budweiser and thenflipped the channel.

CHAPTER 2

Camp was dead.

He stepped off the road into the full darkness of night, downthrough a shallow ditch, and up into some tall grass. He couldsee a faint white glow on the other side of the evergreens. Passingthrough the trees, his senses exploded with the cleansing smellof pine needles and a unique freshness in the air, aromas he hadnever before inhaled.

The reunion experience was overwhelming.

Camp was overcome with joy as his oldest and closest friends,now gathered at the edge of the pond, stood waiting for him.A thousand years seemed to pass with each long embrace, deepsmile, unhurried laugh, and the touching of hands. Hands wereholding hands, and none of the fourteen people were letting goof each other.

"How was it, Camp? Was it everything you dreamed of?"Liza asked, blue eyes piercing his thoughts.

"It was incredible! Liza, Enod, James, Nahla, Margaret ... Ican't even find the words." Camp reached over and caressed eachface as he moved down the greeting line. "Micah, Daniel ... ohmy, Rebekah ... Landon ... even Thomas. It's so good to seemy old friends again."

Camp's eyes...