"Quite a nice view."
Max was sitting to the left side of Colonel Zaitsev while the secretary-he couldn't remember her name, but it sounded something like Aliena- sat on his right. They had been on the road an hour and were now entering the city of Moscow. The beautiful fields, dotted with a bit of leftover snow from last week's storm, were being replaced with buildings more than three stories long amid asphalt and cemented pavements.
"Yes, indeed it is." Zaitsev smiled as he puffed on a cigar. He noticed Max stare at the cigar and his smile grew wide across his pudgy face. " Da, this cigar is from Cuba, A gift from our dear comrade Fidel himself."
Max wanted to ask' If I had two sh*ts and I give one to Nadya and another to Alexei, how many would I have left to give to you?', but instead he just feigned interest and nodded.
" I take it you read up on the details of your next assignment?" Zaitsev continued.
"Yes, though I find it hard to believe," Fyodorv responded, turning to stare out at the streets of downtown Moscow. The rising sun made the colorful domes of St. Basil's cathedral sparkle.
"What part of it don't you believe?" the KGB director asked.
" Maybe the whole idea that a foreign doctor was taken to a Secret Brain facility in Siberia, was experimented on and turned into a huge, expressionless creature and massacred everyone," Max replied as they drove through Red Square. "Now, you are asking me to abandon my previous mission and take on this one where I hunt for an imaginary creature from a school kid's nightmares and retrieve it for the Motherland. Have you been reading that much fairy tales like what's it called....oh, yes, Der Grossman ? I really can't take this seriously."
"I figured you would be skeptical. " Zaitsev laughed, his round belly jiggling. "However, General Ilyas Leonidovich himself was present during the whole incident and had seen the creature itself."
Max gave the secretary a ' he has got to be kidding ' look. She just smiled and shrugged in response.
"Might I remind you that he had not only approached us for help in retrieving Stroynyy Muzchina, but also our rivals in the GRU as well?" Zaitsev added, taking a puff of his cigarette.
" Wait, he approached you for this?" Max's eyes narrowed. " So he is the one behind this, but why is he busting his a$$ to not get only us involved,but the GRU as well? It sounds like he is smoking something other than cigars."
" The general has seen the creature up close and what it is capable off," the colonel informed him. " I believe his story to be credible which is why I intend to collect the reward for capturing the bioweapon. No way am I going to let Dragunov and his GRU thugs reach it before I do!"
Max noticed a fire light in the eyes of the director. The fire that meant that he would stop at nothing to win the game. He exchanged an intrigued look with the secretary when they stopped in front of a tall, yellowish building complex. It seems that they have arrived at Lubyanka building, the KGB's base of operations. Upon stepping out into the cool morning air, armed guards escorted the three inside.
" You want to know what the difference is between us and the GRU?" Zaitsev asked.
Uh, how about no? Max thought. He was prepared for another long winded rant from the Colonel.
"We are both responsible for the defense of the homeland by the means of espionage and counterespionage,"Yuri began, taking in a puff of smoke. "However, Dragunov and his cronies are only responsible for foreign intelligence while we have to bear an extra weight in domestic surveillance in addition to foreign. "
The colonel wanted to continue as they entered the bottom floor of the building which had a dark brown wood interior design, but an aide ran up to him to report something. Probably about some surveillance that might prove to be nothing at the end.
" He likes to hear himself talk, huh?" Fyodorov asked the secretary as they waited for him to finish.
Alyona smiled as she crossed her arms. " Colonel Zaitsev is quite a character,"
"Aliena, is it?" Max asked.
" Alyona," she corrected.
He laughed. "Oh right, all these names get me mixed up. What happened to the previous secretary Zhanna?"
"She was transferred elsewhere, but other than that, I don't know." She shrugged and turned her attention back to her boss, who had finished the debriefing with the aide. He had a grave expression on his face as they regrouped with him.
"One of our bases in south Afghanistan was attacked this morning," Yuri Zaitsev grumbled as they made past the bustling crowd of office workers.
"Oh, which group claimed responsibility?" Max asked.
" As of now, it is unclear, but we know that there were no survivors, " Yuri glumly replied. They stopped in front of two armed guards who checked their IDs before letting them through. "However, it would be a matter of time before the Mujaheddin claim responsibility."
"Wait...no survivors?" Max glanced back at the guards. Do they get younger as time goes by?" Where is this base? Was there not guards on duty?"
Zaitsev sighed. " The report that came in told of a great amount of carnage and death found at Helmand base."
"Wait...Helmand base?" He froze in his tracks. " Impossible! I was just there! That place is fortified by two sets of fences and guards patrolling every waking second! There is no way insurgents can penetrate that place. Unless...you suppose this is an inside job?"
Alyona and Zaitsev halted and turned around.
"He could have a point," Alyona told her superior.
"We will investigate that possibility, but first we need to get you set up for your first mission in the coming months," Zaitsev replied. The guard in front of his office waved all three of them in upon seeing Zaitsev.
"In the coming months?" Max frowned. "Why would I have to wait that long? What would I be doing until then?"
As they entered the first room, Alyona went to her desk.
"Care for some coffee, you two?"she asked.
"Sure," Zaitsev responded. Max just nodded. The KGB colonel turned back to the operative. " I need time to set the connections and plan how we are to approach this. I can't send you into the field without having a plan. That is a novice error. In addition, I need someone to keep tabs on Dragunov's dogs. While this is happening, you will be on paid leave until I can put things together."
Max sighed. "I see." He was prepared for a long month of having nothing to do but drink and watch some propaganda channel regurgitate why Premier Brezhnev was the Soviet's best choice to lead the state. "It looks like I may have to find something better to do with my spare time like read a book or play some darts."
"Oh, there is plenty for a man like you to do in a country as beautiful as ours." Yuri winked as he entered his desk and sat down.
Max crossed his arms."Oh? Name something."
"Anyway, let's get back on track."
Zaitsev went to his desk and sat down, waving off the question.
Wow, how does he fit in it with all the wait he has gained? Max wondered.
"You will be activated once I get everything together," Zaitsev continued. "But first, let me tell you that you will not be alone on this mission."
"Of course I will let you tell me that I will not be alone," Max quipped while bearing a mischievous smirk . " Oh? How many people will be liable to me."
" You will be assigned a partner for your missions from now on,"the KGB director rambled on. "However, in addition to that, you will have some extras assisting you in foreign lands."
"Hold up."Max raised his hands."First off, I never asked to be partnered up with anyone. Secondly, why waste good agents embedded in the most godforsaken areas of the world when they could be doing something more productive like searching for American spy rings in the Motherland?"
Zaitsev crossed his fingers on his desk."Agent Fyodorov, as good as an agent you are, this mission is far too dangerous for you to manage alone. Have you forgotten what Stroyyny Muzchina is capable of? For crying out loud, look at what happened last year at the secret brain facility and more recently, the base in Afghanistan. It is time for you to meet Petro Danilenko, your new partner. "
Danilenko?A Ukrainian? he wondered as he looked behind him.
Entering through the door was a boy with a youthful looking appearance. He had what Max thought was babyface and the fact that the boy had his dirty blonde hair cropped so short didn't hide the fact that he was in his late teenage years. His icy blue eyes gazed at the two men in the room as he stood right next to Fyodorov. Max noticed that despite his impassive face, the boy's eyes betrayed a hint of nervousness.
He looks fresh out of the academy, Max thought to himself.
" Danilenko, meet Agent Fyodorov," Zaitsev introduced the two to each other. "He is one of the best agents in the field. You will be working with him on this mission."
"Excuse me? One of the best? " Max narrowed his eyes. "I am the best!" He turned to the newbie. " Keep that in mind, kid."
Petro just smiled at the conceited agent.
" Arrogant as always, aren't you?" Zaitsev rolled his eyes. " I suppose your track record wouldn't help in stopping that boost in your ego. Now, before we part ways, do any of you have any questions for me?"
Petro and Max exchanged glances, Finally, Max spoke up.
"I think I have an important one that was boggling my mind since this morning," Max spoke.
Zaitsev sat back. "Well, let's hear it."
"Where is that damn coffee?!"
Let the game begin!
43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzwpk4PctjS
