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The Cassandra Compact
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Read The Cassandra Compact
Covert One: Book 2

The Cassandra Compact (2001) (edit title/settings)

by Philip Shelby (Author) (edit contributors)

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Description edit see section history

A spine-chilling tale of never-ending that relates untiring insecurity in the US as a result of a deadly virus thought to be extinct 20 yrs ago- a small-pox virus. it is transported under the nose of Russian security, vehemently transported to the one of the top but crazy US officers,... read more

Summary edit see section history

After a 30-year career that engendered dozens of bestselling novels of international intrigue, Ludlum died in the spring of 2001, just before publication of The Cassandra Compact, the second title in the Covert-One biotech series, and co-written with Philip Shelby.
After a long absence... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

After a 30-year career that engendered dozens of bestselling novels of international intrigue, Ludlum died in the spring of 2001, just before publication of The Cassandra Compact, the second title in the Covert-One biotech series, and co-written with Philip Shelby.
After a long absence from the United States Army Military Research Institute for Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID, a real military organization), Jon Smith continues to wander without meaning in his life, upset by the death of his fiancée, Sophia Russell. After meeting Sophia's old childhood friend, Megan Olson, an astronaut and scientist, he has begun to rethink his destiny.
The head of Covert-One, a relatively innocuous man by the name of Nathaniel "Fred" Klein, approaches Jon for his first assignment: the extraction of a Russian military scientist named Yuri Danko, whom, by coincidence, is also a good friend of Jon. Although Jon reaches Yuri and exchanges words with him, Danko is murdered by a pair of Sicilian assassins. Peter Howell - a former SAS officer and MI6 operative - acts as backup support for Jon, and quickly recovers a document off of Danko's body. Upon analysis, they realize that Danko tried to warn them about the theft of a smallpox sample from Russia's Bioaparat biological disease research center.
Jon travels to Moscow, where he meets Randi Russell, the sister of his dead fiancée and a CIA agent currently under the guise of a Moscow venture capitalist looking to recruit gifted young Russian trainees as computer analysts for the Central Intelligence Agency. She gives him the name of General Kirov as a trustworthy government liaison. After meeting Smith and being warned about the situation, he and his lieutenant/lover Lara Telegin warn the Russian president about the impending theft. Immediate orders are given to secure Bioaparat.
A Russian guard, however, steals the smallpox sample and gives to Ivan Beria, a Serbian terrorist who is being paid to take the smallpox out of the country. Beria treacherously murders the guard and immediately passes off the sample to Dr. Adam Treloar, a NASA scientist traveling to Russia under the pretense of visiting his dead mother.
At this point, Telegin has been exposed as the traitor within Russia's military, who warned the guard about the cordon to be set at Bioaparat. Kirov, devastated, agrees to help Smith out under all circumstances. They capture an image of Beria and Treloar on tape. Through computer enhancements done by Randi's protégé, Sasha, Treloar is exposed and comes within seconds of being captured by Smith.
Treloar has been secretly working for Dylan Reed, another NASA scientist and colleague of Megan Olson. Reed in turn has been working for Dr. Karl Bauer, the CEO of Bauer-Zermatt A.G., a pharmaceutical company known for its philanthropy - and its secrets during Nazi Germany in World War II. Bauer's allies in the U.S. Government, General Frank Richardson and Deputy Director of the NSA, Anthony Price are the main players in the scheme of the convoluted Cassandra Compact, which revolves around modifying the smallpox into a doomsday virus to use against the enemies of the United States.
Beria is ordered to kill Treloar, who is considered the weak link and a possible liability. After Smith recognizes a connection to NASA, Reed panics and orders Beria to kill Smith. Kirov and Smith, however, anticipating Beria's actions, disable Beria and interrogate him.
Meanwhile, Peter Howell discovers - after a failed attempt on his life - that the U.S. Military is connected to this entire scheme. He also uncovers the name of a Swiss financier who handles the money used by Karl Bauer, and with the help of Smith, he helps uncover the identity of Bauer as the leader of the entire scheme.
Randi, meanwhile, with the help of her protege Sasha, unlocks the files of the Cassandra Compact found upon Telegin's laptop, and pinpoints Richardson and Price as the moles in the United States government working for Bauer. Smith decoys both men into revealing their secrets to the President, and the moles are killed by a trap made by a team of Klein.
Reed smuggles the smallpox onboard the Space Shuttle Discovery, which is bedecked as a laboratory to monitor bacteriological phenomena in space. After the launch, Reed secretly modifies the smallpox to become larger and much more potent, gaining the ability to kill within minutes instead of weeks. He releases the smallpox onboard, killing most of the crew except for Megan Olson, who is revealed to be a Covert-One agent as well.
After shuttle lands back on Earth, Jon rescues Megan. Bauer, who kills Reed to keep the secret of the smallpox safe, takes the sample but is locked inside the spacecraft by Jon Smith. The auto-destruct sequence destroys the spacecraft, along with the doomsday strain and Karl Bauer, ending the Cassandra Compact. Megan, counted among the dead upon shuttle Discovery, is given a new identity and is reshaped by plastic surgery. The novel ends with Jon Smith laying flowers on Yuri Danko's grave - without whom the world would now be at the mercy of a madman.

Characters/People edit see section history

  • Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Jonathan 'Jon' Jackson Smith, M.D: A mobile cipher, hero of the plot who fights to not only avenge the life of his dead friend but also to save his own life.Previously an field doctor with the U.S. Army and an operative with army intelligence. Presently a researcher with USAMRIID and a field agent with the president's private, and highly secret intelligence network, Covert One.
  • Major General Oleg Kirov: General in the russian army, former KGB officer and selv-proclaimed "New Russian".
  • Adam Treloar: A nervous scientist working with NASA
  • Nathaniel Frederick 'Fred' Klein: Leader of the presidents private and highly secret intelligence network, Covert One. Answers only to the president.
  • Ivan Beria: A professional assasin and more importantly, the facilitator.
  • Nathaniel Frederick 'Fred' Klein: Leader of the presidents private and highly secret intelligence network, Covert One. Answers only to the president..
  • Dylan Reed: A scientist working on a shuttle launch from NASA
  • Dr. Karl Bauer: German bio-chemist. CEO of Bauer-Zermatt pharmaceutical company.
  • Yuri Danko: The person who actually came all the way to say the whole truth but was shot off before he could give a piece of his mind.
  • Peter Howell: Ex-Brittish intelligence officer and a good friend of John Smith's.
  • Randi Russell: A very skilled agent with CIA, stationed in Moscow. She and Jon Smith have a turbulent past together, and she at least uncounsciously blames him for the deaths of her sister Sophie, who was his fiancee at the time of hear death, as well her own fiancee's death who Jon had misdiagnosed.
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Organizations edit see section history

  • Covert One: A secret intelligence organization. It is organized by Fred Klein and answeres to the president of the USA alone.

First Sentence edit see section history

The caretaker stirred when he heard the crunch of tires on gravel.

Series & Lists edit see section history

This is book 2 of 9 in Covert One. (standard series)

Preceded by The Hades Factor, and followed by The Paris Option.

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. Philip Shelby (Author)

Other Contributors:

  1. Robert Ludlum (Creator)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Country: United States
Publication Date: 2001
ISBN: 1587240750
Page Count: 454

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