Originally published: New York : G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2002.
Kurt Austin, leader of NUMA's (National Underwater and Marine Agency's) Assignments Team and the protagonist-hero of Serpent (1999) and Blue Gold (2000), returns to take on a mining tycoon who has proclaimed himself the czar of Russia. The U.S. opposes this move, fearing that, with the country's economy at an all-time low and the power of organized crime at an all-time high, Russia's legally elected president will be ousted from office.