The Russians were quite hospitable considering that they think we are spies. They gave us rooms in a 5 star hotel overlooking what would be a beautiful view of the sea if it wasn't so dark and stormy. The hotel is great, though. They have a nice sized pool, and the rooms themselves couldn't be better. They have a few restaurants in the lobby. Everything that we need. The only catch, of course, is that we can't leave.
The Hotels staff were very nice to us giving us plenty if time and space to get accustomed to the new environment. Apparently the U.S.S.R is talking to the Icelandic government about the terms of our release. I don't see why this is so complicated; I know that UAFS-USSR relations are tense right now, but we are far from war. Oh well. I don't make these big decisions. I hope that we are released soon, because the scientists are very concerned that the data they have collected from the sharks will be useless, and all of the funding for this very expensive research program will go to waste. Some of the scientists try to bring this up to the liaison that the Russian government. He smiles and says in accented Icelandic: "Do not worry, Doctors. This business should not take very long at all, and if all goes well you might be back out on the water within a week." I am not so sure, and neither are the scientists or the crew of the ship. A young officer named Zander Morrixi seems to be the most concerned, even scared, though he is trying to hide it. I'm not altogether sure what is going to happen myself.
[Nathaniel's POV]
After hanging up with Smirnov, I walk over to the other side of the Kremlin building. I come to a small supply closet, at the end of a dark hallway, the only hallway in the building with no security cameras. I made sure of that. I step into the closet, close the door, and press my hand against the back wall. There is a faint whirring sound as the computer reads my fingerprints, and then the wall swings open and I step into the hidden tunnel.
I walk through the tunnel (which is more like a well lit underground hallway) until I arrive at the room. I sit down at one end of the table, and at the other end sits a masked man.
"Hi there, Q." I say.
"Hello, Nathaniel," Q says through a voice disguising mask. "Or should I say, Xavier Lord."
"You know, Q, there's really no need for you to wear that mask here. There's no way that anyone else could possibly find this place." I remark.
"You can never be too careful, Nate. Even here." He replies. "So what are you going to do about these Icelanders, whoever they are?"
"I don't know yet. They could be scientists, and I'm ninety-five percent certain that they are, but I don't know for sure." I respond. "And I want to be completely certain, without a doubt, that they are before I set them free."
Q is silent for a little while as he contemplates this. "Well, good luck to you," he finally
says. "And as always, make sure that they do not find out about me, or about any of our plans."
"Will do. Anything else?"
"No. That's all." Q says. I stand up and begin to walk away, then I hear Q say "Oh by the way, be extra careful; I'm getting a strange vibe about this."
[Dr. Johansson's POV]
The captain, Stevenson, has called a meeting in one of the hotel rooms. As soon as the meeting is called to order, everyone starts talking at once.
"They are keeping us prisoner here!"
"Unless we are released soon, all of our data will be for nothing!"
"We can't stay here much longer!"
"Silence! All of you!" shouts Stevenson. "They will release us soon, and when they do, we can get back to our research!"
Shouts ring out. "We can't trust them!" "They're lying to us!"
A young, dark-haired scientist steps forward. I recognize him as Morrixi, one of the scientists on my submarine.
"I have a plan for escape!" He says. "We have to tie all of our sheets together and rappel down the building. Once we reach the harbor, we can get our ship back!"
Stevenson steps forward. "Doctor, that is a foolish and asinine plan! For starters, we're on the 30th floor. If so much as one knot comes undone, we all die! Also, as soon as we leave the hotel, we will certainly be apprehended by the police, or worse, the NKGB. We have no choice but to stay."
I know that the captain is right, but I still think that our whole situation seems suspicious. Very suspicious. I can clearly see that the young doctor, Morrixi, is unhappy with the outcome of the meeting. He walks away quickly, and I make a mental note to keep a sharp eye on him. The rest of the day is filled with waiting around and watching international news. Every hour a guard comes and checks in with every room, making sure that we are all "Well cared for". Under international law we are allowed to be held for a maximum of seven days under class three living conditions. After the seventh day we are allowed to request to be moved to an embassy.
A few days later and we are still held in the hotel. It is roughly noon and we are all on our way down to the restaurant for lunch. The russians had updated us on their progress on our release and said for it to be within the seven day limit. They were very open and straightforward with their plans and dealings, this was concerning me a little. We hoped for the best and continued on with our day. One big thing that stood out was now there was always a guard trailing us whenever morrixi was present. I have a feeling they know about his plans of escaping and I am fine with that.
After lunch we decide to go for a swim and just unwind. Something that the rest of the crew was grateful of.
"Captain, sir?" I say as I catch up to him.
"Yes Johansson?" He replies sounding stressed and concerned.
"I was thinking that we- I mean you could let the crew have the rest of the day off to relax?"
"I do not see why not? Why did you ask me anyways?" He says as he stops and turns facing me.
"Well, we still take commands from you. It was in the manual… Whenever the crew is stranded in a foreign location the chain of command is still in effect until returned to home port."
"I appreciate your understanding of the regulations, but you all are free to do whatever as long as it is within the rules."
"Thank you sir" I respond as I bow and head in the opposite direction. I look back to see him on his way, that went better than I expected
Once I exit the elevator to our floor I see that every room has a letter pinned to the door. I get to mine and see my roommates already sitting and reading to themselves. I sit down and try to read it for myself when Dr. Hendrix starts reading aloud.
Richard Vaughn
Krexindänt Director Second Degree
Sparrow Valley , PD 77821-112-94
Dear crew of the Lief Erikson,
You are receiving this letter to verify that, as per your request, you are being discharged from Sparrow Valley, PD 77821-112-94.
Effective immediately, your term of foreign residence at our Sparrow Valley Holding Facility has been terminated. Your Declaration of Sovereignty will be retracted in one week following this notice. Your accommodations must be cleared out by the morning of October 26 2045. You have until the end of the allotted time slot to return to your vessel and return all objects that are the property of Sparrow Valley Holding Facility. Before you leave tomorrow morning, you will be required to meet with the head of the human resources team to discuss your discharge and conduct an exit medical evaluation.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding this letter, don't be afraid to talk to any human resources manager or personnel.
Signed,
Richard Vaughn
Krexindänt Director Second Degree