Bengal's quarters. He is currently getting ready to go on duty when his comm console beeps and Slick appears on the monitor.

"Mr. Bengal, I'm getting a call for you from a Samantha McTeague. She says its urgent."

"Let's have it."

Slick's image goes away and is replaced by Samantha.

"Sam, good to hear from you again."

"Its good to see you too Bengal. I heard you made first officer. But that's not why I called. I need your help. I've uncovered some secret plot and I need more information on what it is."

"Can you tell me about it?"

"I don't know enough about it. And if I could, I wouldn't over an open channel. Can you come to where I am?"

"Where are you?"

"Kamchatka. Please hurry."

Sam's image goes off. Bengal makes his way to Emerald's office and tells her about it.

"And you trust Miss McTeague?"

"She helped us out during the Ocean Blue crisis. I trust her. Please captain, she's in trouble and is asking for my help."

"Very well. You can take one of the mini-jets with you. Good luck Bengal."

"Thank you ma'am."

From the deck of the Retriever an arrow shaped small jet, the size of a sedan, takes off like a Harrier and flies off toward the Kamchatka Peninsula. Soon Bengal finds himself over land and brings his plane into a landing in a forest clearing. Samantha McTeague walks out of the tree line and heads for him.

"Thanks for coming Bengal. Nice plane by the way."

"Its a nice little prototype Mission Control is hoping will become the next big thing in travel. Now then, what's the trouble?"

"Former members of the Russian military and the KGB, plus fugitives from Saddam's regime, are trying to hatch some sort of scheme to attack the U.S."

"And.....this is news why?"

"Bengal! These guys look like they might actually pull it off!"

"How?"

Sam looks around the clearing nervously.

"Come on, let's talk at my hotel."

They go into the town of Kamchatka and head for Sam's hotel. Bengal has a hood and jacket on so people don't stare at him. They go into Sam's room and she takes out a device that makes a faint beeping noise.

"Bug scanner. My room has been bugged since I came here. Were safe for now. For two months I've been trying to get information on three men working in this area."

Sam hands Bengal a folder and find pictures of three men inside.

"Nikita is a former Russian General who was 'dismissed' after the Soviet Union collapsed. A hardliner, we was deeply distressed to watch his beloved Soviet Union collapse. He doesn't seem like a terrorist but then again you can never tell. Kirill there was a KGB interrogator, a very good one I'm told. And Abdul there was a torturer in Iraq during Saddam's regime. I don't know how, but all three of these men are conected in a plot to attack the west coast of the U.S."

"I ask again, how?"

"That's the problem, I don't know!"

"Are any of them here in town?"

"Nikita is. He's one floor above me in this hotel."

"I think we should confront him."

"With what? I have no evidence."

"Then maybe we should get it. Do you know what room he's in?"

"Yes."

"When he leaves I'll get into his room and do some snooping."

"Not bad. Your on."

*****

One floor above. Nikita is talking to Kirill and Abdul on a computer monitor.

"The Interpol woman knows nothing of what we're doing." says Nikita "And the Road Rover operative that came with her might do a little sneaking around today."

"What do you plan to do with him?"

"Give him to you of course. I hope neither of you has lost your touch?"

"No sir.

"Good. When I have him, I'll bring him and then tie up my business here. We shall have our revenge on the West before you know it."

Nikita signs off.

*****

The door the Nikita's darkened hotel room opens and Bengal creeps in with a flashlight. He methodically goes around the room, looking everywhere. He goes into the bathroom and suddenly find Nikita there with a tranqualizer gun. He fires and Bengal goes down. Two burly guards appear from a retactable wall and haul Bengal away. Meanwhile in Sam's room, a man enters with a pistol and a silencer. He takes aim at the bed and fires all his rounds into the bed. He goes up to check his work but is attacked by Sam who was hiding behind the curtain. She disarms him and with her knee at the small of his back holds one arm behind him.

"Not a shout!" she whispers "I saw what they did to Bengal. Where are they taking him?"

The gunman is silent for a moment. Sam wrenches the man's arm and he yelps in pain.

"Where?!"

"The mountains!"

"What are they planning?"

"I don't know."

Sam wrenches his arm again.

"I don't, I swear it! But you will be too late to stop him if you can find his base."

"Don't bet on it."

Sam clubs him over the head and then leaves. She gets into a rental car and heads for the mountains. After some distance she comes to a turnoff with a gate warning in Russian that its KGB territory and that "traspassers will be shot."

"I'm sure." scoffs Sam

She drives off and parks it out of site. She then scales the gate after checking for security systems and hikes up.

"Hmm, fresh tire tracks. There here all right."

*****

Bengal comes to and finds himself held up by ropes tied to his wrists that go into the wall while he dangles several inches above the floor. The room is a cement box with one door, a table and a chair where two men watch him.

"Good, he's awake. Now we can begin."

"Kirill and Abdul I presume?"

"Correct." says Kirill.

"What do you want with me?"

Abdul punches him in the gut.

"We'll ask the questions fang face." says Kirill "Abdul."

Abdul takes a cattle prod from the table and walks behind him.

"Tell me about the weapons on your ship."

Bengal stays silent. Kirill nods and Abdul thrusts the cattle prod into his side. Bengal groans in pain.

"What are the shield frequencies of your ship?"

Bengal looks up in surprise.

"Oh, yes. We know about that little trick. The frequencies!"

Bengal merely spits at the floor. Kirill nods and abdul thrusts the prod again at a higher setting.

*****

Sam is sneaking through a ventilation shaft. She finds a control room of sorts and see's Nikita and several of his men conferring.

"What does the weapon do sir?"

Nikita goes to a computer monitor worthy of Parvo and shows a futuristic looking boat.

"I call it Hurricane. It's an unmaned mini-sub left over from the Cold War. It's completly automated so it can do its work. As soon as I launch it it will head for the U.S. and launch its deadly cargo of a biological agent developed a few years before the Soviet Union collapse. We may have lost the Cold War, but we shall have our revenge."

Distant screaming is heard.

"What's that?"

"That" says Nikita "Is Kirill and Abdul working on the prehistoric cat. He should have stayed dead."

Sam is shocked by what she's heard and goes down the vent toward the screams. As she gets closer they get louder and louder. She finally comes toward the vent overlooking the interogation chamber.

"Your only making this harder on yourself, smilodon." says Kirill.

"How about we pull out his sabers." says Abdul "That might get a response."

"Good thinking."

Abdul tosses away the cattle prod and picks up a pair of nasty looking pliers and advances on Bengal.

"Stop!" shouts Sam

She kicks the grating away and raises her pistol. Kirill raises his and the room explodes in gunfire.

to be continued......