| "Old Friends" | ||
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Hollie's Flat May 16, 2008, 1017 hours Lima Time He awoke to the smell of a cooked breakfast, chiding himself for having overslept despite the fact that he could take the day more leisurely, at least for now. He raised himself up off the floor, feeling the tiredness still in his arms, the sleepy ache that indicated for him to stop putting pressure on them. He had a cure for it, and the cure was one hundred press-ups. Though not his easiest exercise he did not let up until he had completed the set. "What a lovely sight this early in the day," Hollie's flatmate said, walking into the room carrying a plate in one hand and a glass of orange juice in the other. He didn't reply. Picking himself up off of the floor he made his way into the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind him. His small bag was still there he saw. Removing the boxers he had on he slipped into the shower and turned it on, a fairly warm setting this time as his body had taken enough abuse (sitting in a squalid environment for prolonged periods counted as abuse) in the past two days to be granted abstention from his `tests'. The warm water flowed over his body, washing away the dust and dirt which had become attached to him during his surveillance. He quickly washed himself, and during that process he heard a small thump at the door which caused him to smile. Good thinking, he congratulated himself. Stepping out of the shower he grabbed one of the towels that was hanging up and dried himself off, taking care not to get water over the floor. Removing a toothbrush from his bag along with some toothpaste he began his bathroom routine. Once finished he unlocked the door and made his way back into the sitting room. The seductress was sitting on the couch by his bag forcing him to move close to her in order to gain access to his clothing. He ignored her as much as he could, taking out some underwear along with a pair of dark trousers and a white shirt. He then returned to the bathroom to get changed, away from prying eyes. Not only did he want to protect his modesty but he also had to conceal the silenced pistol, and it wouldn't do for his watcher to see anything that could arouse suspicion. Returning to the sitting room he took a seat away from the temptress, hoping that the space between them would give him a fighting chance. "So, Nick, what do you do?" she asked him. "I'll tell you once I know your name," he replied, giving him a few seconds to work out an answer. "I'm Lauren. Hollie hasn't told me much about you�" she replied, trailing off in a way that called for him to tell her all about him. "Well, I was born near here, grew up here, went to school here�" he trailed off, implying that there was nothing more to say. "So how do you know Hollie?" "I used to work with her," he responded, "a couple of years back. We were quite good friends, but when I moved we lost touch." "Where did you go?" Lauren asked, moving forward slightly on the couch. "I got a job down south, reporting for a local newspaper. It was good money and a nice area. I guess you're wondering why I came back. Well, I'm on assignment here, covering a story which is high profile and therefore top secret." He saw her eyes flicker at that, the interest manifest in her expression. "What I mean by top secret is that if I do well then I'll get promoted, so I don't want anyone else knowing what it is. I could make a lot of money off of this." That should have him covered. He looked down at his watch, making sure that Lauren saw the gesture, then turned back to her. "I have to get going. Not sure when I'll get back, but it shouldn't be too late. Tell Hollie we'll have a takeaway tonight, my treat. If you stick around you can have some too." Equality Park May 16, 2008, 1100 hours Lima Time Walking around the park (which had been renamed since he was last here, no doubt in response to some racial issue that often plagued the area) gave him a chance to pick his spot, learn all of the routes to that spot, and all of the exits. Once he was satisfied he pulled the newly purchased mobile phone from him pocket and dialled the number, hoping that both his memory was correct and the number hadn't changed. The connection went through, and after a few rings he heard a voice. "Hello?" "What is your location?" he asked the man on the other end of the line. "No shit, is that�" "Yes, its me," Nikolai said, cutting him off. "I'm at home at the moment." "Good. Meet me at Equality Park in one hour. Do not tell anyone where you are going or who you have spoken with. I will be sitting on the bench by the big oak tree. This isn't a joke," he added unnecessarily. The fact that he was dead to his contact yet talking to him now was indicative of the seriousness of the situation, something the contact respected. "Ok, I'll be there." "Bye," Nikolai finished, thumbing the cancel button and breaking the connection. Equality Park May 16, 2008, 1210 hours Lima Time His eyes watched the road from his position on the bench. He watched the traffic flow down his contact's likely approach route, wondering if he still had the same car and looking out for it nonetheless. What he was doing was carried a big risk, but he knew that there were still people he could trust, people who had known who he was before and would not reveal who he was now, even if they didn't really know who he was now apart from a walking corpse. The dangers involved with a meet such as he had set-up were necessary is his mind if he was going to be able to track down his demon, as so far He had proven to be an elusive game. Does He know I'm here? Nikolai wondered. If He did then it would explain why he couldn't find Him; the bastard would have made himself disappear. No, Nikolai thought, He doesn't know that I'm after him. He thinks I'm dead. His eyes caught the swash of yellow in the traffic; he focused on the object, identified it, sought out the driver, and identified him. It was all good. He watched as the driver made his way over to the bench, though he continued scanning the area in case his contact was being followed, but there were no signs of surveillance (despite the fact that there were typically few signs of surveillance from a competent person he was skilled in detecting their presence) and so he allowed himself to relax slightly, though he remained alert. As the man drew nearer Nikolai stood, as when they were close enough they embraced, friends once more. "Hello Sondi." Moving back so he could take Sondi's hand he introduced himself. "I am Nick." "Huh?" The look of surprise on his face told Nikolai that the whole situation was confusing for Sondi, and he needed him to be focused if he was going to get the information needed. "Lets sit down," he said, taking a seat on the bench. Sondi followed suite. "I am working for the Government now, more precisely MI6. That is why I was announced dead in Russia. When I went to the embassy to tell them that I was alive I ended up joining MI6, mainly to work on international drug trafficking. I apologise for you attending my funeral, but you must understand that I couldn't let anyone know that I was alive. My life now depends on that." "I understand. It's just good to see you alive and well," Sondi replied, his emotions having subsided as he heard the explanation. "Why did you ask to meet me?" he asked, remembering that he had been called here. "I need some information. Its concerning a former member of our group." "Daniel?" "Yes. Mr Odds has come to our attention, and I have been assigned to investigate him. Maybe they thought that my previous friendship with him would help. Anyway," he said, returning to the point, "I need to know his whereabouts. There have been some unconfirmed reports, and it is my job to confirm them." "I haven't seen him since the funeral," Sondi told him. That caught Nikolai's interest. "He went to my funeral?" "No, Dave's funeral." Sondi was surprised with his friend's reaction. "Didn't you know?" "No. I must have been out of the country." "It was shortly after your death." "What happened?" "Someone stabbed him in the back. He was found dead in his house. Some people thought that it was suicide; his girlfriend was killed the week before. I know it wasn't. I mean, you can't stab yourself in the back now, can you? It was a stupid suggestion. If you ask me then Dan had something to do with it, it was just too much of a coincidence that he left straight after. Something happened there, something to do with Sonia, Dave's girl, and that got both of them killed. It may sound a bit far-fetched, but it isn't as if he has done something similar before, just without the killings." Nikolai's mind was working overtime now. If Odds had taken Sonia and Dave had found out, would he have killed them? It was certainly possible. After all, Nikolai knew he was a back-stabber. That's it, he thought. Dave was stabbed in the back, literally, and that was the link that Nikolai needed. It was all starting to make sense now, more pieces had fallen into place. "Thank you. I will remember this." "There is something else, I'm not sure if its relevant or not." "Go on," Nikolai said. "Soon after the shit hit the fan and Dan left someone else also disappeared." "Fat Bastard," Nikolai announced, getting a nod from Sondi. "Yeah. He just upped and went. Anyway, apparently he was headed for London. I dunno if that ties in with anything, or if it helps at all, but I just thought you would like to know." "Thank you Sondi. Maybe someday I will get to explain more to you, but for the moment I have to go. I trust you will not mention any of this to anyone." "Not a word," Sondi replied. "Goodbye my friend." The two men shook hands, then embraced once more before parting. Nikolai took the exit he had identified as his primary earlier on, not stopping until he was away from any potential pursers in the back streets. Return |
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