In the heart of the old Soviet Union, a mining tycoon has declared himself tsar of Russia. Claiming Romanov ancestry and backed by billions of dollars, he is determined to overthrow the current Russian government-while distracting the with a man-made natural disaster. All along America's eastern seaboard lie pockets of methane hydrate-a notoriously unstable compound know as "fire ; Detonation of this compound could create a tidal wave big enough to destroy a major city. But there's one thing this power-hungry madman didn't count on: Kurt Austin and his Special Assignment Team are about to make a few waves of then own.