| "Eagle-Eye on the Sky" | ||
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Sergei's Office May 27, 2008, 1014 hours Sergei sat opposite him, a serious expression on his face. It was a sight that he had seen before, but not one he treasured. They had been friends for a number of years now, having first met back when both men were in the Spetsnaz. Popov had been his superior then, though he had never made a point of showing his authority over his friend, treating him more as an equal. It had proven beneficiary to both, their combined skills having been at the root of every success the unit had, and the failures had been so complete, the fault of inaccurate intelligence or an over-ambitious commander, that it didn't matter who was on the team. Their reputations had blossomed, but eventually Sergei had moved back to the KGB and their friendship had ended against their wishes. He had tried to find out how he was doing, but the secrecy in the KGB and later the SVR denied him at each attempt, and it was only when he had agreed to join the RGZS that he had begun to wonder whether they would be reunited. It had not been outside the realm of possibility, and when Sergei had been announced as the Commander he had been genuinely delighted for him, despite finding himself ranked lower once more. But, as they had before, the two men had worked together as equals, rekindling the friendship that each had thought lost. "You wanted to see me?" "Yes," Sergei replied. "I'm sorry to have called at such a late hour but this is urgent." Innokentiy caught the concern in his boss' voice, wondering what the cause was. He then realised that this wasn't going to be a normal briefing; something in the air told him that things were irregular. The rest of his team hadn't been summoned, nor had any of Team Myech. In fact, he was already in the middle of an intelligence-gathering mission, tracking Arkady Mihailivich Bukharin and his associates, learning all they could about him and his organisation before planning an assault that would remove both from play. It was therefore strange that he would be called in for what he correctly assumed would be a new assignment. "It is not a problem, Seryozha," he replied. "I need you to recover one of our agents." "Ok. Who is it?" he asked. He didn't need to ask about his current assignment; Morozov would probably take over, or maybe even Tarasov. Though it was only fair that Morozov took over, seeing as he was second-in-command of Kinzhap, in a way he knew it would be better for Tarasov to take control. Morozov had yet to grasp the finer points of talking to those of lower rank than him, and following his orders wasn't as straightforward as it should be. Sergei interrupted his chain of thought when he revealed who the agent was. "Its Nikolai." That threw him. Why would he need to recover Nikolai? The kid was too good to get himself into trouble. That wasn't true though, was it? Anyone could be the victim of bad luck, even one as good as Nikolai. It must be bad for Sergei to ask him to recover his son-in-law-to-be. "What is his status?" "He is operational, on a S and D in London. He is also pitch black," Sergei told him, meaning that he was not communicating with the RGZS, or anyone for that matter. "What about his target?" If he knew the target he could track Nikolai down that way. "I do not know," Sergei admitted to him. What the fuck does that mean? He asked himself. How could Sergei not know the target? It didn't make sense. All missions had to be approved by him, and because of that he would know all of the targets. And with their relationship being what it was Sergei would have had Nikolai's targets engraved in his mind�"Shit," he said, his mouth working before his brain could stop it. This wasn't an RGZS mission. What was it then? A personal mission? A mission for another agency? "He has been tracking someone he knew, someone who poses a threat to him," Sergei explained. "He did not tell me the man's name, but a connection has been made. The connecting man is a Daniel Odds, believed to be currently residing in London. His name has cropped up with a couple of murders, one the other day, and as far as I know the murdered man knew Nikolai from his old life. I've worked the data myself and it is the best I could come up with. I'm afraid you'll have to do the rest yourself." His face told the story; he was sorry he couldn't help him any more. "Don't worry Seryozha, I will find him," he told his boss, the conviction manifest in his voice. "One question: why are you bringing him in?" "Yelena needs him. The baby has started to make its presence felt and she feels she cannot cope without him." Their eyes met across the table. "You have been a loyal friend and a great companion. I have ten good people in the two teams, but you are the best. Now that is between you and me. Nikolai may well overtake you and me soon, but I still believe that you at the top, and that is why I know you will find him." "Consider it done my friend. I will keep in contact with you, and will not reveal my whereabouts to anyone." "Thank you my friend." "Who will be taking over the surveillance of xxx?" he asked, curiosity getting the better of him. "I will put Myech with your team, and have Tarasov in charge. I hope you understand that it is nothing against Morozov." "Do not worry, I believe you are making the right choice." He stood, and Sergei mirrored the move, moving around from his desk as he did so. The two men embraced, then he turned to leave. "Udachi i khoroshego nastroeniya," he heard Sergei say to him. Good luck and keep well. Return |
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