Ivan’s unspoken agenda concerns Violetta, the love of his life, now married to the soon-to-be confirmed City Schools Superintendent.  Further complicating his search, Ivan detects that Chinese operatives (with diplomatic immunity) have arranged Adam’s kidnapping from a DC airport—they have strict orders to protect a pending billion-dollar book deal for all of California that begins with San Diego City Schools.  These Chinese books contain a new deadly drug that can be injected into the pages of school textbooks.

The throughline of The Watchmen is a race against an election day deadline, an unwitting hospital staff in Pittsburgh, a clumsy FBI, and several Chinese assassination teams.  Using “black ops” skills and associates, Ivan must covertly locate Adam and return him safely to San Diego in time to qualify as a legal candidate.  Moreover, the “ops man” still needs to discern what has happened to Linus as well as how he can causally reconnect with Violetta.