Read Online John Gardner by Goldeneye - Free Book Online

stone steps that led to the outside world, grinned at a security camera, pushed open the door and stepped into the cold, bleak landscape.
    As he did so, a voice echoed from a concealed speaker -“CoMr.ade Grishenko, you are using an emergency exit.
    You have been told before, this is illegal. Get back to the technical area as quickly as possible.”
    “Come up and stop me.” Boris was obviously always doing this kind of thing, and had little tolerance for authority, knowing he was probably the most essential computer technician they had.
    He pulled out a packet of Marlboro cigarettes. He had bought a huge amount on his last leave, paying with the hard currency the technicians earned. Putting a cigarette between his lips, he flicked at the wheel of his lighter. The flame spluttered for a second and was blown out, as if by some sudden strong wind.
    Grishenko raised his eyes. The dark shape of a helicopter was descending onto the landing pad some fifty yards away, its rotors stirring the powdered snow into a white tornado.
    The Tigre has landed, Xenia Onatopp thought grimly.
    She popped the sleek canopy and undid her safety harness, reaching down to sling an Israeli-made Uzi onto her right shoulder. She already had spare magazines in pouches on her belt.
    “Ready, General?” She spoke into her headset, hearing the general’s snarl of response -“Let’s get on with it. I’ve been ready for some time now.
    They were both in uniform, Xenia with the insignia of a colonel, her partner with that of a general. Bond would have recognised the general immediately, for the last time he had seen him General Ourumov had a gun to the head of his old friend Alec Trevelyan.
    Boris Grishenko did a swift disappearing act as soon as he spotted the two officers.
    Now, Ourumov kept step with Xenia as they marched purposefully along the side of the ruined building, where ice and snow had been cleared from a path which led to the main door, down wide concrete steps, along a corridor to a security door. A guard sprang to attention and saluted, though General Ourumov seemed to hardly notice the man. He knew exactly what he was doing, looking straight into a camera placed almost at eye level and clearly speaking his name “General Arkady Grigorovich Ourumov. Head of Space Division.” There were a series of fast bleeps as the system went through its voice recognition routine, then the steel security door opened and the pair were through into the most sensitive area where the Duty Officer snapped to attention, his second-in-command hastily rising and buttoning his jacket.
    “General, if I’d known you were coming..
    Xenia muttered, “You’d have baked a cake, yes.
    “You’d have been ready for me, I think, Major. This is an unscheduled test of the Severnaya facility. A war simulation. We shall be test firing GoldenEye. Report status.” He looked up and could see that the computer scientists and technicians behind the thick tinted glass were moving, craning from their work-stations to see what was going on. “Jump, man. Report status,’ Ourumov barked at the major.
    “Status normal, sir. Two operational satellites: Petya and Mischa, both in ninety-minute earth orbit at one hundred kilometres.”
    “Good. Here’s the authorisation code. Hand me the GoldenEye, today’s access numbers and the key, please. I am timing you as from now.” He had already thrown a plastic card down on the small counter, now he ostentatiously brought his left arm up and studied his watch.
    The major almost fell over himself trying to get things done correctly, punching in the numbers to unlock the metal gate in front of the safe, using the palm print pad to ID himself, them tapping in the safe’s code of the day.
    The lock beeped different tones - like a digital telephone, then clicked open.
    Xenia gestured to the other officer and said that he should open the safety door through to the technical area.
    “On a wartime basis, Captain, this entire facility