Time Pirate 6, page 3
“Well,” Andreev huffed, and then he leaned forward to place his entwined hands on the table.
It was a sign the meeting was about to get serious, and the rest of the Russians in the room leaned forward as well. Svetlana started to tap on the tablet she had while Artyom peered over her shoulder. Ivan straightened up like he was waiting for orders, and Eel nodded because clearly we were about to switch to his mother tongue.
“One of our operatives was able to follow Val’s trail,” Svetlana said in Russian as a world map appeared on the large screen behind Andreev.
A red dotted line started to trace a path from LA, south to Mexico, then across the Atlantic to Portugal. From there, the line bounced over to Germany and then to Moscow before it started to head east across the vast stretch of open land that was the Russian steppes.
“Damn,” I whistled. “That’s a lot of traveling in a short amount of time. He must’ve used a teleporter at some point.”
“He used one to reach Mexico and then to go from Portugal to Germany,” Svetlana replied.
“But why not inside Russia?” I asked. “Isn’t that their headquarters? It seems like they’d have one there.”
“Yes, but one of Oleg’s other subordinates has control over most of the Russian facilities,” Svetlana explained.
“In fact, it was rather risky for him to return to Russia at all,” Andreev said. “If what we suspect about the battle for control is true.”
“Before we get into all that, who is this guy?” I asked. “Is his name even Val?”
“He is Valik Novikov,” Svetlana replied and tapped at the tablet again.
A moment later, Val’s picture was plastered over the map, and I heard myself growl when I saw it. He was a good-looking guy, with dark, wavy hair and chiseled features. But there was something feral about his eyes that made me distrust him on sight, and not just because I’d seen him shoot up Cloud Jones’ home in his search for the mind control device.
“He was born in a farming community in Gornyi Altai,” Svetlana continued. “His parents are both teachers, though he hasn’t been in communication with them since he left home at age sixteen.”
“Did he go away to school?” I asked.
“Hardly,” Svetlana sighed. “He was recruited by Oleg at least a year earlier. We believe he was making deliveries for Oleg initially. When he left home, he joined Oleg as his… assistant.”
“Which means what?” Flora asked.
“Val was determined to move up in the organization,” Andreev said. “So he did whatever Oleg wanted, whether that was procuring a whore for the night or killing someone who’d simply made Oleg angry.”
“Got it,” Flora sighed.
“As you can probably guess, he was quite successful at that,” Svetlana said. “But he made plenty of enemies along the way.”
“No surprise there,” I said.
“As long as Oleg was alive, he was able to keep the in-fighting among his minions under control,” Andreev noted. “But now that he’s dead, they’re locked in a war to take control of the group, and Val is determined to come out on top.”
“And that’s why he needs the mind control device.” I nodded, but before anyone could say anything else, I tapped on the table. “And Oleg?”
“He’s dead,” Eel said flatly.
“So, we’re sure there isn’t another Oleg clone out there somewhere, just waiting to be revived?” I asked.
“So far, we’ve seen no indication they have another clone,” Artyom said. “But… until we eradicate Oleg’s DNA, there will always be a chance of his return.”
“Christ,” I murmured. “Alright, so Val wants the mind control device to become the big, bad leader. But the others must know about it as well.”
“Oh, you can be sure of that,” Andreev agreed. “At least by now they do.”
“It’s why the attack in LA was so… messy,” Ivan said. “He was determined to get to it before anyone else figured out what was in the video.”
“But Oleg knew it was there,” I pointed out. “That was the whole reason he left DC.”
“Yes, but that doesn’t mean he shared what he knew with all of his subordinates,” Svetlana said.
“So we’re assuming Val was still close to Oleg, and that Oleg told him about the device.” Flora gave Svetlana a questioning look, and the physicist nodded in agreement. “Then he was still one of Oleg’s favorites.”
“Very much so,” Ivan sighed. “And yet, there is still much we don’t know about the man.”
“This all sounds so insane, and if I hadn’t seen him destroy Cloud Jones’ house myself, I’d think this was just the drunken ramblings of a paranoid Russian,” I said, which earned me a chuckle from Ivan and an angry stare from Eel.
“You mentioned it was dangerous for Val to return to Russia,” Flora said quickly. “And he certainly had plenty of other places he stopped along the way where he could’ve stayed.”
“Russia is dangerous for him since most of the country’s under control of two other Oleg minions who are also very close to Putin,” Svetlana explained. “There will be a price on Val’s head. But his own power base is there, and though he doesn’t have the manpower the others do, he learned how to rule like Oleg. His people are extremely loyal, and they will defend their territory and their leader with their lives.”
“And he’s more vulnerable outside Russia,” Eel noted. “There are too many factors he can’t control.”
“Got it,” I said. “So, where is he?”
Svetlana tapped her tablet again, and Val’s face and the map disappeared. In their place was the picture of a beautiful lake surrounded by mountains. It was an aerial shot, and even that wasn’t enough to show the full scale of the lake.
“Lake Baikal,” Andreev said.
Another image popped up that looked like a sandy shore along the same lake. Just to the left were several poles wrapped with hundreds, if not thousands, of colorful ribbons. I’d seen something like it before in pictures of the Himalayas, and I wondered if these bright pieces of cloth served the same purpose.
“Olkhon Island,” Andreev added. “Our operative tracked Val to this location. He contacted us to let us know Val was there and that he’d arrived on the island, but we haven’t heard from him since.”
“How big is this island?” I asked.
“It’s the largest island in the lake,” Svetlana said. “It covers just over two hundred and eighty-one square miles.”
“Holy crap,” I muttered. “That’s a lot of places to hide.”
“We believe he’s stayed close to the main town,” Svetlana assured me. “Our operative sent the coordinates for the dacha.”
“Lucky for us,” I chuckled. “Or else we might be there for months.”
“Indeed,” Andreev agreed.
“There’s just one problem,” I said.
“Just one?” Flora huffed.
“Oleg could track the pocket watch.” My hand drifted toward the pocket, and a quick check confirmed the watch was still there. “And from my short conversation with Val, I think he can as well.”
“So he’ll know when you arrive,” Eel grumbled. “Well, that makes this all a waste of time.”
“You could leave the watch with us,” Svetlana suggested. “We have a vault in the lab where it would be safe.”
“And now we’re a bank,” Artyom huffed.
Svetlana and Ivan both nodded at me, and Ivan even grinned. Andreev gave me a measured stare but didn’t say anything. Eel, on the other hand, folded his arms over his chest and snorted like he knew what my answer would be.
I certainly trusted the Good Guys with some things, but the pocket watch wasn’t one of them. Even if Svetlana and Artyom put it in the lab safe and were the only two with access, I found it hard to believe the two could resist the temptation to pull it out and study it while I was running around Olkhon Island.
“Tell me something, do you have any idea how they might be tracking it?” I asked. “I mean, you’ve taken a lot of readings.”
Svetlana looked at Artyom when he grunted, and then the two went into a long conversation that involved so many technical terms that I finally gave up on trying to follow along. I glanced at Flora, who was scowling as she tried to keep up, though I thought she might’ve had some idea of what was going on.
At least I wasn’t the only one at the table who seemed lost by the discussion. Ivan sighed heavily and then pulled out his cellphone. A moment later, he started to tap on the screen like he was playing a game.
Eel looked even surlier, and he watched the two physicists with obvious impatience. The only one who didn’t react was Andreev, who seemed content to let the two scientists hash it out, at least for now.
“What are they saying?” I whispered to Flora.
“I can’t follow all of it,” the Dutch woman admitted. “But I think they’ve been working on a way to track the mind control device. They think Val is using something similar with the pocket watch.”
“But can they figure out how to keep him from tracking it?” I asked.
“Not sure yet,” she said.
The discussion went on for another three or four minutes, and then Andreev finally pounded on the table with his palm. The physicists quickly fell quiet, and everyone turned to look at the Commander.
“Here’s my problem,” the ultra-muscled man said. “We can’t leave the device in Val’s possession. If he doesn’t already know how to use it, he soon will. And then it will become that much harder to stop him.”
“Okay,” I said and glanced at Flora.
I had a feeling I wasn’t going to like what he said next, and the gray-eyed beauty seemed to agree.
“If the team can’t find a way to prevent Val from tracking the watch, then there are only two options,” Andreev said. “You either leave the watch here, or someone else will complete the mission.”
“We have many well-trained operatives who could complete the mission,” Eel smirked. “And they would be willing to do it without arguing.”
“I’m not arguing,” I snapped. “I’m the one who reminded you that he could track the watch.”
“Are you willing to leave the watch?” Andreev asked, and the stare he gave me was like a dead weight that pinned me to the chair.
“No,” I said decisively.
“You could leave it with us,” Flora whispered in English. “The girls and I would take care of it.”
“I know you would,” I said. “But it would also make you a target. I doubt Val’s the only one looking for the watch, and I don’t want to leave you three alone with it until I’m sure it’s safe.”
Flora looked like she wanted to protest, but she nodded and then turned back to Andreev.
“Then it’s settled,” Andreev said. “Frankie won’t--”
“Well…” Svetlana interjected and then looked at Artyom. “We think we might be close to a solution.”
“That’s good,” I said as I leaned forward.
“Close isn’t done,” Andreev pointed out.
“But you know how they’re tracking it,” I pushed. “That’s the hard part, right?”
“Y-Yes,” Svetlana agreed hesitantly and then looked at the older physicist again.
“We think they’re tracking the distortion of chronons,” Artyom said.
“Chronons,” I repeated. “Um, is that like chroniton particles in Star Trek?”
“Star Trek,” Artyom huffed. “Drivel. A chronon is a quantum of time. Indivisible, discreet, and your watch is proof that chronons exist and time is not continuous.”
“We believe it’s the reason you can’t be seen on video clearly after you’ve time traveled,” Svetlana added. “The chronons may also be tied to your cell phone, but we haven’t finished working out the dynamics yet. We’ve been working on other projects…”
“Like tracking Val,” I said with a nod. “But do you have a way to, I don’t know, block the chronons?”
“We can’t block them,” Artyom huffed and rolled his eyes. “But we can hide them from the trackers Val is using.”
“That’s good,” I said as I ignored the Commander’s glare. “How soon could you have something ready?”
Another long discussion in Russian followed, though Andreev looked less patient this time. He tapped his finger a few times on the table, and Eel kept a careful eye on his superior. The Sergeant was still a puzzle to me who seemed to alternate between hating me and cracking jokes with me. Admittedly, most of the jokes were at my expense, but there were moments when we really seemed to get along.
But I knew Eel would always put the Good Guys and Commander Andreev first, and the Sergeant was probably able to read the one-time Russian soldier better than anyone. So, while Eel watched Andreev, I watched Eel, because I figured he would know sooner than anyone else when Andreev was going to put an end to the debate.
When Eel suddenly sat up straight and looked expectantly at his boss, I knew what was coming next. I saw Andreev take a deep breath, and both Artyom and Svetlana stuttered to a close on their conversation.
“We’ve been working on a possibility,” Artyom said to Andreev and then looked at me. “It has a great deal of potential not just with chronons, but we’re still in the early stages.”
“We might have something you could use by Saturday.” Svetlana said the last word like it was more of a question, and she looked at the grumpy man next to her for confirmation.
“Yes, Saturday,” Artyom agreed.
“Even Saturday may be too late,” Andreev noted. “We’ve already lost contact with one operative.”
“We have many good soldiers who would volunteer for this,” Eel repeated with a scowl. “Many, many Good Guys who would complete the assignment.”
“I’m sure you do,” I said. “But I think the pocket watch gives me an advantage.”
“As long as Val doesn’t take it from you,” Eel grumbled.
“No one else has,” I said as I raised an eyebrow. “Though many have tried.”
Eel rolled his eyes, but he sat back when Andreev tapped the table again.
“Eel’s right,” Andreev said. “It’s risky sending you to the island with the watch. We know Val wants it. It makes more sense to leave it with us.”
“He won’t get it,” I insisted. “And no offense to the Good Guys, but I need to be sure Val won’t be bothering me anymore. The only way I can guarantee that is to be there myself, and where I go, the watch goes.”
“Spoken like a true Russian,” Ivan chuckled. “Ah, Andreev, what’re you worried about? Frankie has passed every test you’ve given him. There’s no one better qualified than him to face Val.”
Eel tsked but didn’t say anything.
“All I need is some way to hide the watch from his tracker,” I said. “If I do that, Val won’t even know I’m there.”
“And he won’t be expecting Frankie,” Ivan pointed out. “He’ll be looking for more Good Guys.”
“I wouldn’t be too sure about that,” Andreev said. “Not after the attack in LA.”
“Look, just get me to the island, and I’ll take care of Val,” I said.
I returned the Commander’s steely gaze with one of my own, and for a few moments, the room was absolutely silent as we stared at each other. I saw Andreev’s blue eyes study my every move, so I stilled my muscles and kept my eyes locked firmly on his face. I wasn’t sure the soldier was sold on my participation, but he looked away first, and I had to fight not to grin.
“If,” Andreev said sharply, “they can find a way to conceal the watch by Saturday, then I’ll let you join the operation. After that, I’m sending someone else.”
It wasn’t great, but it was probably the best I could hope for. Besides, it gave me time to figure out another way to get to the island if Svetlana and Artyom couldn’t find a way to shield the watch. Of course, the fastest way would be with one of the teleporters, but I wasn’t sure if I could convince Svetlana and Ivan to send me without Andreev’s approval.
What I really needed was to start working on my own basement lab, where I could create my own teleporter and whatever other cool devices I could come up with. Well, whatever cool devices my secret group of physicists could develop, and since I didn’t even have a secret group of physicists yet, that plan would have to wait.
Which meant I might be stuck on a very long flight to Russia if Svetlana and Artyom couldn’t work their usual magic.
“Fine,” I muttered. “Just keep me updated.”
“Of course,” Svetlana agreed and offered me a half-hearted smile. “We’re very close.”
Artyom snorted at that, but after a quick look from the plain-faced physicist, he turned it into a shrug.
“We can have something for Saturday,” the grumpy old man said. “I can’t promise it will work, but we’ll have something.”
Andreev seemed satisfied with that, so he stood up and motioned Eel to follow. Clearly, the meeting was at an end, and the muscled man and his lanky shadow left the room without saying anything else.
“I guess we should return to the lab,” Artyom sighed. “Since we now have to finish this design by Saturday.”
“We’re not the only ones working on it,” Svetlana whispered. “Inessa, Luka, and Vadik are also involved.”
“They’re not as brilliant as we are,” Artyom noted as he got to his feet. “But it does mean we have people working on it around the clock.”
“It will be fine,” Svetlana said and patted my hand.
“I trust you,” I said with a smile. “I have no doubt you’ll save the day once again.”
Svetlana laughed so hard she snorted, and she grabbed her husband’s arm when he joined in.
“Thank you, Frankie,” she said between guffaws. “No one appreciates us the way you do.”
“Yes, yes, he’s wonderful,” Artyom muttered as he shuffled toward the door. “But I have a sample in the incubator…”
“We’ll see you Saturday!” Svetlana called over her shoulder as she followed Artyom from the room.
“Ah, Frankie,” Ivan said, and he patted my back so hard that he almost knocked me over. “Thank you for saying that. Sometimes, the science teams don’t always get the credit they deserve.”
