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"Two Deaths, No Funeral" Part 2 | ||
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Marksa prospekt (Road outside the SVR Headquarters) February 14, 2008, 2108 hours "Well, that was a little unexpected," Nikolai commented, his voice even and composed. "Yes, I must say that it even caught me by surprise, though I feel that this is not a done deal." "Yeah, the usual training crap, but we can handle that," he replied. "Maybe you can, but the years are catching up with me," Sergei reminded his young charge, "and I cannot run as fast as I used to." "So, you can still shoot possibles for fun, and there aint no need to run when everyone's dead." "True," Popov conceded. "Anyways, if you're real lucky you may get a desk job," Plekhanov said, the comment laced with facetious wit. "Yes, and maybe I will forbid you from seeing Yelena." Popov laughed, and his prodigy followed suit. "I forgot to tell you, you are staying the night with us." Nikolai looked up. "I am?" "Yes. It will be more convenient." "Ok, whatever you say." Only problem is, he thought to himself, the `funny business' ban. He couldn't understand it; it wasn't like anyone could hear them. "Is it ok if I pick up a few things?" "Yes." Sergei informed the driver and the car veered to the left. As always, the first thing he did upon alighting from the car was to scan the immediate area. It was as natural to him as breathing. Always a careful person, his (rather brief) training had brought out a side of him which he never knew existed, he didn't even consider being able to do a fraction of the things he now did daily. Shooting a pistol before. Part of it was down to Sergei, but even he said that a lot of it was instinct. Rare was the person who could shoot consecutive possibles. Virtually unheard of was the person who could shoot possibles to their hearts content. He fell into the latter group, along with Sergei. Had someone informed him of this ability back in England he would have promptly laughed at him or her. He placed the gold key in the lock and twisted, waiting for the click which indicated that the alarm had been tripped. He then raced inside and pinched in the correct code. The next port of call was the lavatory, and he sighed with pleasure as he relieved himself. After completing the bathroom routine he made his way to his bedroom, opened the wardrobe, and removed a few sets of clothing. He then pulled the paneling out from the back of the wardrobe and retrieved the weapons he had stashed there. The Berretta 9F9S went into the small of his back, along with a couple of ammo clips, and the HK MP5S he shouldered. The others he replaced, though he did take flashbang after a few seconds contemplation. Down the hall, he opened the fridge door and removed a bottle of milk. After flicking the lid off he proceeded to drain the bottle of its contents, then placed the empty vessel in the bin, before resetting the alarm and heading for the door. "What do you need this for?" Sergei asked, gesturing towards the MP5 slung across Plekhanov's shoulder. "Protection," Nikolai replied. "If she is that dangerous then you should never have asked for her hand in marriage." With that he let out a hearty laugh. "Like mother like daughter," was his retort, and it did have the desired effect of subduing Sergei's laugh. The car pulled up outside the Popov residence soon after. Plekhanov was the first to step out, and again he scanned the surrounding area, the weapon in his hand facing out towards any possible threat. Popov quickly followed, and both men made their way to the door, moving cautiously. Once at the door Sergei removed his key from his pocket and opened it, and just like his junior he promptly moved inside and punched in the alarm code. Plekhanov, in the meantime, kept watch outside. There was no way round his training he knew, and it was better to be safe than sorry. After a few seconds he got the call from Sergei and went inside, removing the gun and placing it under the stairs; Mrs. Popov did not like having firearms in the house. Despite this, Nikolai kept the Berretta, still in the small of his back. As he entered the living area Yelena came over and gave him a hug and a kiss. Her eyes went a little wide when her hands felt the pistol, but he just smiled gently and returned the kiss. She took his lead and relaxed a little. "What's with the surprise?" she asked. After a moments panic he realized that she meant his visit and not the gun. "I thought you'd like to see me. Besides, I missed you hun." He gave her a kiss, hoping that she wouldn't ask too many questions. Thankfully she relented. Dinner was served, and soon the mealtime conversation turned to the two women's days. Yelena had had a typical day at school, long and boring. Anastasiya had the day off, and had cleaned the house before cooking dinner. "Oh yeah," Yelena said, "I need to ask you something dad." "What is that?" Sergei inquired. "What was the function of the KGB? Its for a history paper I have to do," she explained. "The KGB's tasks encompassed four areas: the struggle against foreign spies and agents, the exposure and investigation of political and economic crimes by citizens, the protection of state borders, and the protection of state secrets. In addition, the KGB was charged with a wide range of preventive tasks, which were designed to eliminate the causes of both political and ordinary crimes," he elucidated. "In other words, the KGB was tasked with ferreting out potential threats to the state and preventing the development of unorthodox political and social attitudes among the population." "So it functioned like a cross between the army and the police." "I suppose in a way it did, though it was far more complex than that. The KGB had a variety of domestic security functions. It was empowered by law to arrest and investigate individuals for certain types of political and economic crimes. It was also responsible for censorship, propaganda, and the protection of state and military secrets, so I guess it did perform police-like tasks," he said to her, and got a smile back. "Thanks dad." She was about to take another bite from her fork when she remembered something. "One more thing: what role did the KGB play in the downfall of the Soviet Union?" she asked. "I'll answer that one if you want," Nikolai offered. Sergei nodded for him to continue. "Well, KGB spetsnaz forces were assigned to storm the Russian Parliament building early on 21 August 1991 and seize key leadership personnel, including Boris Yeltsin. Units assigned this mission included the Al'fa counter-terrorist group subordinated to the KGB's Seventh Main Directorate (Surveillance), and commanded by Hero of the Soviet Union, General Major Viktor Karpukhin. Another KGB unit was under the KGB's First Chief Directorate (Foreign Operations), and was commanded by an officer identified only as Col. Boris B." He gave a quick glance in Sergei's direction and was satisfied to see his partner look away. "However," he continued, "the commanders on the scene decided not to execute this plan, and some Al`fa subgroup commanders and personnel refused to take part in the action, which contributed to the failure of the coup against Gorbachev, and ultimately the collapse of the Soviet Union." He smiled at his fianc� and saw his smile returned. "Is that enough for you?" "Yes, this should get me top marks. "I should hope so," Anastasiya said to her daughter, "with the amount of work you do." "You'll do great Lena," Nikolai told her. They retired to bed soon after dinner, the two men saying they had a busy day at work and had to get there early. Yelena joined Nikolai, but Anastasiya stayed up to clear away the dishes. Nikolai headed straight for Sergei's study, popping his head round the door when he reached it. "Yes?" Sergei said upon seeing him. "What time we getting up?" he asked. "We leave at six, so� five should give us sufficient time." "Ok. Night." "Night." Nikolai entered the shower and, after closing the door behind him, stepped under the spray. Though he was a man who preferred a long hot bath, he could still enjoy the finer points of a shower. They fine hot spray enveloped his body, and for a moment he was able to lose himself. He had always enjoyed the effect of being enveloped in an anonymous coolness, and this was no different. For a moment his mind shutdown and his thoughts on what tomorrow would bring were put on the back burner. He lost track of time, but he guessed it must have only been a couple of minutes before he felt a soft hand touch his shoulder. He hadn't even heard the door open. He turned round, wiping the water from his eyes, and saw Yelena standing beside him. She smiled, and he returned the smile, taking in her beauty at the same time. I thought you said not in your parent's house, his eyes said to her. She gave a gentle smile as she looked into his eyes, then moved her hand� As they lay in bed, his arms around her, she turned her head to face him. "What is happening?" she asked. "What do you mean?" "I know something is going on. Is it dangerous?" she asked him, the concern in her voice clearly discernable. "Not yet," he assured her. "Can you tell me anything about it?" "Only that we may have to move. Other than that, I don't know much." He stroked her face gently and said, "Now, lets get some sleep." Return |
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