| "From There to Here" | ||
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Plekhanov Residence May 4th, 2008, 1000 hours "Hello?" Nikolai said into the phone. It was ten o'clock in the morning, and he'd had to leave the room lest he disturb Yelena. He padded down the stairs as he spoke with the man on the other end of the line. It was the Suited Man, and he was offering Nikolai the chance to DJ in a new club that had just opened over in America. Nikolai agreed to go, as was the plan. The Suited Man informed him that a private jet would be standing by to take him over to America as soon as possible, and that accommodation would be provided by the club until such a time as he decided to buy his own place. It all sounded good, so Nikolai said he'd be at the airport at three in the afternoon. He then called Sergei to tell him it was on. Sergei gave him some information, and then the phone went dead. He placed it in the charging cradle before walking into the kitchen to get himself some drink. He settled for apple juice, pouring a large glass then draining it. His thirst now quenched, he decided that he'd do a little early morning training. RGZS Outdoor Training Forest May 4th, 2008, 1042 hours Wearing woodland fatigues, and with pistol in hand, Nikolai scanned the area. Somewhere out there in the forest Innokentiy was lurking with the intent to `kill' him, so he had to be cautious in his movement. Nikolai was now completely focused on the task in hand, and he was determined to increase the lead over his adversary to three wins. As the team members got to know each other they soon learned each person's strengths and weaknesses. It had been determined that Nelli was the best sniper, closely followed by Svyatoslav Belov. The best tactician was by far Yevgeniy Lukin, though Maksim did run him a close second. Best operative was the hottest topic of debate, with the operatives split between Nikolai and Innokentiy. Nikolai had natural ability and skills while Innokentiy had strength and experience. It usually came down to what they had eaten in the last hour; it was that close. And now they were in the hunt again. Plekhanov Residence May 4th, 2008, 1204 hours Feeling invigorated after the `hunt' despite losing to a piece of sheer luck, Nikolai had decided to wash then head home. Standing over his bed he looked at the empty suitcase and sighed. He hated packing, but began taking clothes from his wardrobe and filling case. He took enough clothes to last him a week. Next he packed some toiletries: a toothbrush, some toothpaste, a comb� the usual. Then he turned to the record box which was sitting in the corner. He went over and picked it up, brought it over to the bed and set it down. He then opened the lid revealing a foam padded inside, and began taking records from the pile on the bed and putting them in the box. He had to whittle down his collection to a meagre eighty records, and that took some doing. Then he remembered that he also had a couple of record bags, each capable of storing forty records each. He rummaged around for them and eventually found them lying towards the back of the wardrobe. He packed them, then set the bags and the box by the front door. All he had to do now was kill some time before he went to the airport, and the TV was sure to be able to help him with that. Sheremetyevo Airport May 4th, 2008, 1432 hours The Suited Man was there to greet him. The taxi had dropped him off at the main terminal, and it had taken him a few minutes to locate the small building that housed the office where he was supposed to go. He shook the man's hand and was led into the office. The `office' was barely large enough to house the desk that dominated the room despite its average size, and the seat he was offered was just about able to hold his weight; it groaned as he sat down, the wood creaking in protest. They discussed the formalities of the trip, going over all of the aspects that he needed to know. He asked several questions and got the replies that he expected. All in all the meeting took less than twenty minutes, and he soon found himself reclining in a plush seat aboard a very well appointed Gulf Stream private jet. The single stewardess was stunning, and Nikolai mused as to whether she was a part-time model or actress. The plane slowly built up its speed until he felt the nose lift and the plane take off. Pushing the seat back as far as it would go, Nikolai relaxed and closed his eyes. He thought about Yelena and their unborn child. Was it a child yet? Probably not, seeing as `it' was only two months old, or two months since being conceived, or two months in growing� Above New York May 4th, 2008, 1837 hours Lima Time The rocking motion was disturbing; he wished it would go away. It didn't. He opened his eyes and focused on the flight attendant who was shaking his shoulder. "Sir," she said, "the plane will be landing shortly." "Thank you." He set the chair so that it was upright again, and concentrated on regaining his composure. He started out of the window at the clouds and sighed. He never seemed to be looking at these clouds when he was happy; he was always on a mission. Just once, he thought, I'd like to look at these clouds with Yelena by my side.A bleep announced the fact that the seatbelt signs had just been illuminated, and their approach towards the American airport would begin shortly. He buckled up and turned back to watch the clouds. The landing was smooth, and before long the aircraft had stopped in its designated area, marked out by the same codes used all over the world at airports. He undid the belt and stood up, stumbling slightly as the blood began circulating into his legs. He grabbed the few things he had brought onboard and walked over to the steps. After thanking the flight crew he disembarked, feeling the cold air hit him like a formless wall, enveloping his body. He shook the feeling as he made his way down the stairs and into the waiting vehicle. Hotel Destiny May 4th, 2008, 1955 hours Lima Time He arrived at the hotel shortly before 8pm. He stepped out of the car and felt the cold air hit his face just like it did when he got off the plane, though this time he was able to move into a warm place and know that he would be able to stay there for a while. The hotel staff promptly took him to his room, and when the door opened he couldn't help but whistle. The room was huge; there were at least three couches in the expansive living area, and doors leading of to what Nikolai guessed to be the bedroom, kitchen, and more by the look of it. To call it a penthouse suite would have been a major understatement: it was huge. After his bags had been dropped off he took a moment to look around. He checked out the bedroom first, and was surprised by the luxury he found in there. I could get lost in that, he thought as he gazed at the king-sized bed that was set along the far wall with bedside tables on either side. He opened one of the many wardrobe doors and found that they were actually walk-in wardrobes.Tiredness overcame him � his body clock was shot to shit - and he decided to finish his little search of the place in the morning. For the time being he would sleep. Slipping off his footwear not caring about the fact he was still fully dressed, he fell onto the bed and slowly let the blackness envelope him Hotel Destiny May 5th, 2008, 1207 hours Lima Time He awoke the next morning feeling a great deal better, and spent the rest of the morning exploring his new (temporary) residence. He spent a good two hours checking out every single part of the suite, and then set about packing away the few possessions he had brought along. If he were to avoid creating suspicion then he knew he would have to start furnishing the suite and making it his own. If he didn't questions would be asked, and his cover blown. He'd only been an `illegal' once, but that had taught him more than he'd needed to know, and so now he would use the lessons he had learnt on that mission to help him succeed on the current one. He was just settling down to watch some TV when he heard the sound of someone knocking on the door. He got up and walked over to the door. Looking at the small video monitor hanging on the wall he saw a man wearing a sharp suit, and it took him a second to realise that it was Alexei. He composed himself, then opened the door by punching in the correct number sequence on the pad by the door. With a click the door opened. "Can I help you?" he asked. "Yes, I think you can. I am the owner of Club Samovar, and I heard that you were sent to me after helping out my associate in Russia." He smiled. "May I come in? It will be much more comfortable to be sitting down whilst discussing our business." "Sorry. Yeah, come on in." As Alexei walked through the door another two men followed, both dressed in suits. One looked like businessman or a manager of some kind; he looked like he had some power. The other man looked like either a bouncer or a bodyguard; the suit was ill fitting, the fabric straining to keep the bulging muscles in check. Nikolai led them into the living area and offered them one of the many comfortable seats that were positioned around a beautifully crafted coffee table. The Samovar contingent sat back in the soft leather of the sofa and admired the room. Seeing as the club was paying for the room he wondered why they were all studying it; surly they must have seen it before they rented it. Then he noticed that it wasn't so much Alexei as the other two, and that made sense because Alexei had probably been here before, and in any case the intelligence on him showed that he was acclimatised to living at the more expensive side of the spectrum, so such visions of grandeur as were before his eye's now were nothing out of the ordinary. "So," Nikolai said, breaking the silence, "what can I help you with?" Alexei smiled again. "Let me introduce myself. I am Alexei Pavelevich Konstantin, owner of Club Rossya in Russia and Club Samovar here in the USA. In fact, Samovar had its opening night on Friday." "I heard. I am Yevgeniy Ivanovich Zakharov," Nikolai told him as he offered his hand. The two men shook. "You had a problem at your club last night," he explained, "And I helped out by playing a set. The man at the club asked for my number, and this morning I got a call asking if I would be interested in DJ-ing over here in the new club, and seeing as I was planning on living out here anyway I accepted the offer and� well, here I am." "My associate in Russia informed me that you impressed the crowd greatly. Please tell me what type of music it is that you play, because I was told that it was not the usual for the club." "Well, I don't like Trance and all that shit," he told him, "So I play Garage, both US and UK. I've got friends in England and over here who send me records. You see I can't get them back home because nowhere sells them, so I have to import them. Anyway, I could do US Garage sets at your club, or a mix of US and UK, but I won't be playing Trance." He stopped himself, not wanting to go too far, just far enough so that Alexei knew he was a serious player. "I also drop in a few choons from other music styles such as R'n'B and Funky House." "Well, I look forward to listening to you." Alexei smiled once more. "Is everything to your satisfaction?" he asked as he gestured to the suite. "Yes, its all amazing," Nikolai replied. Lets see if he likes me, he thought. "One thing I could do with would be a couple of decks and a mixer, you know, to practise on when I'm not at the club." "That can be arranged. Do you have any specific equipment in mind?" "Well, until I get paid I wouldn't like to spend too much," Nikolai said. Alexei made a dismissive gesture with his hand. "Money isn't a problem. As long as it is within reason you can have it. As you will see I like to take care of my staff. Write down what you need and I will make sure you receive it by tomorrow." This could be a great opportunity for me to get some hot stuff, Nikolai thought. He wrote down his list: 2 x Technic SL1210 MKIII (Turntables) 1 x Stanton VRM-10 (Mixer) JBL PA System (Speakers) Matrix STR-3000H (Amplifier) All in all it was an expensive system, coming close to five hundred thousand rubles or ten thousand pounds depending on how he chose to look at it. He couldn't wait to get his hands on them; he could almost feel the metal on his fingers. Just thinking about it got him excited, and he was sure Alexei could sense it. It was the perfect cover. He was really looking forward to this mission. It seemed more like time off than a dangerous surveillance operation. Club Samovar May 6th, 2008, 2000 hours Lima Time He alighted from the Limo and made his way towards the entrance of the club. There was already a queue forming up as people tried to beat the rush by getting in at opening. The queuing ravers were all dressed up; the men in smart/casual trousers and shirts and the women in tops and skirts of varying length. The air was cool and some of them were shivering as they waited admittance to the club. Nikolai didn't have to worry about queuing up; he simply walked past the queue towards the door. Some of the clubbers noticed the record box he was carrying (it was a blue-tinted perspex Technics one) and a few of the females leant over to try and kiss him or hand him a phone number; he walked on past them, thinking only of Yelena. He'd forgotten how much attention one could get by simply playing records. For some a DJ was a valuable prize; girls would often do anything to pull a DJ. Nikolai wasn't single, so he managed to ignore all of the advances as he made his way to the door. The bouncer stopped him with his body. Before the man had a chance to speak, Nikolai showed him the record box. This didn't work as he had thought it would. The bouncer didn't seem interested, and instead of letting him in he simply spoke into the small microphone attached to the collar of his large coat. A few seconds later another bouncer appeared at the door. The first one gestured towards Nikolai, and as the second one turned to look Nikolai saw that it was the same bouncer who had accompanied Alexei to Nikolai's hotel suite the day before. The bouncer seemed to recognise him from the previous day from the way he signalled for him to come into the building, which he did, making his way over to the two bouncers. "I'm sorry about that but we have to check these things," the second bouncer said to him. "We take our security seriously." Nikolai smiled, "Its Ok, I understand." "Good. The Boss will see you upstairs." The bouncer whistled at a suited man and shouted, "Take him to the Boss." Club Samovar, Third Floor May 6th, 2008, 2006 hours Lima Time He was led through the back and into an elevator which took him to the third floor of the building. He stepped out and followed his `guide' down the corridor. There were a number of doors, though all of them were shut, denying him the opportunity to gather some intelligence. He was going to have to start soon, otherwise this whole exercise will have been for nothing. The `guide' stopped outside of one of the doors and knocked. After a second or so the door opened. Whoever had opened the door began talking with the `guide', and after a brief conversation the door was fully opened revealing the room: a large felt covered table with comfortable chairs three-quarters of the way round. Most of the seats were occupied, and one of them was taken by Alexei. He recognised Nikolai immediately and stood to greet him. "Hello Yevgeniy Ivanovich!" "Alexei Pavelevich, it is an honour to be here." "Are you looking forward to tonight?" Alexei asked. "Yeah, it should be good," Nikolai replied with a nervous smile. Alexei turned to the rest of the people in the room and explained. "This is Yevgeniy Ivanovich Zakharov, a new DJ we discovered back in Russia. He helped us out in Rossya, and now we are helping him out. It will be his first time playing in this club." He turned to Nikolai, then said, "You will do fine. What time do you play?" "I think I'm on at ten." "Then you have time. How do you like to relax before you play?" Alexei asked. "Well," he said, gesturing to the cards on the table, "I like to play a bit of poker when I can." Alexei laughed. "I'm beginning to like you. Maria, we have another player." Alexei sat back down in his seat as a strikingly beautiful woman dealt out the cards. Nikolai sat down in the empty seat by the extra set of cards that had been dealt. There were two cards in front of him. He was about to ask what poker they were playing when Alexei seemed to read his mind. "Texas Hold'em. We are in America after all." "You read my mind. Just make sure you don't make a habit of it." The laughter from the table put him at ease, and he felt ready to earn himself some money. The man at the door brought over his chips and set them down in front of him. Nikolai began stacking them in a pyramid before saying, "I take it this is coming out of my first wage packet." "Not everything in life is free, Yevgeniy Ivanovich," was Alexei's reply. After over an hours worth of play the seven men had been reduced to three, Nikolai, Alexei, and a heavyset third man who Nikolai didn't know. Round was the chip leader with just over half of the chips; Alexei was second with about a quarter. Nikolai looked at his meagre stack and feigned disappointment. He was drawing them into a trap he had spent the best part of an hour constructing, and it was nearing the time when he would spring the trap and take the cash.Maria dealt the cards. Nikolai paid his small blind (Alexei, on his right, had the `dealer' button) and looked at his hole cards. The seven of diamonds and the three of clubs. Nothing. He decided to get back some of the chips he'd lost. Round raised $100 and Alexei called. "Call." Maria dealt the flop: queen of hearts, six of spades, seven of hearts. "Raise two-fifty," Round said. "Fold," was Alexei's decision. He pushed his cards away, leaving only Nikolai and Round in this pot. "All in," Nikolai announced. That immediately put Round on edge. Round weighed up his options, then decided. "Call." So you want to play, he thought. Good. The Turn card was dealt: nine of clubs. That didn't help Nikolai. With one card left all he had was a pair of sevens, and judging by the smile that had just crept onto Round's face he had something a lot better. The River card. Last chance saloon. Maria dealt the River card, the final card, and Nikolai's face sunk. Round laughed at this, glad to have gotten rid of yet another player. It was only when the two players cards were turned over that Round stopped laughing. His eyes darted from Nikolai's two hole cards to the board. The River had been a three of spades, and that gave Nikolai two pair with threes and sevens, and this beat the pair of kings that Round had. Nikolai smiled broadly as he collected his winnings from the pot. Twenty minutes later all of the chips sat in front of Nikolai. Alexei congratulated him on a very good game but he shrugged it off, citing beginners luck as his reason for success. "Nonsense," Alexei countered. "I believe we carve out our own luck in life. We profit from the misfortune of others, just as you have profited from the other player's misfortune tonight." Return |
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