Vodka was one of those tastes that lingered. Smacking his lips Alfred shivered in the cold November air. The wind touched his bare skin, soothing down the muscles with long fingers fluttery like seaweed draping around the ankles of swimmers. Alfred was cold, curtains blew breezily in the fridge morning with snow swirling in drifting like poplar trees cotton in late spring.
He was alone in the bedroom, the door opened, his cloths where cast aside, and he recalled like a ghost the bitter nectar of the evening before. Yawning he clambered off the bed shrugging on thick sweater. Scratching the morning stubble he came out of the room into the kitchen and living room. It was empty. Hollow in the gray wall, bleached white. All except for the yellow paper he placed on the wall. 'Wednesday collect from Feliks'.
Oh yeah that was today. He grunted his hand flopping around for his glasses.
Actually the entire place was dead silent. Unnervingly so. He opened the door, at the mat outside the door was the morning propaganda; beside that curled up into a ball, Arthur. His arm under his head and his eyes firmly shut, cradling an alcohol bottle like a child.
Alfred closed the door. Awe-man. He had such a good night too. Picking up his pants and shirt he began to pat down his jacket for his wallet, maybe have some chocolate too.
It was missing. Actually, looking around the place looked ransacked.
Alfred drifted over to the coffee machine, luckily everything seemed to be still there. He made his cup of god's substance.
With a clearer mind he looked around sipping on the biting black stuff.
The prostitute was gone. She ransacked the place for money running off with the phone, wallet, and the god damn chocolate.
"That bitch" Alfred breathed.
Anger pulsed through his and him slammed open the front door. Arthur didn't flinch.
"Wake up!" Alfred ordered. When he was met with a grumble he grabbed Arthur's collar dragging him into the room.
Arthur woke like lighting. As soon as hand touched the back of his neck he jerked to life with a re-birthing roar. Life took to his limbs and half way through the door he twisted out of Alfred's grip jumping up to glare at Alfred.
"You ass!"
"We've been robbed."
"Serves you right for bringing a whore here!"
Alfred shut the door. Calmly sipping on his coffee "She took my chocolate."
"What?"
"I have priorities. The whore took my chocolate." Alfred growled.
Arthur stared for a second longer. Admitting defeat the man walked into the kitchen, "Do we have any more booze, because I think I need some more."
Ivanna was having a terrible morning. She popped another chocolate in her mouth with glee. Well, she had the chocolate to compensate for the problems of her job. But boy, that boy was loaded. Chocolate? And Eastern German at that too. As much as she hated her job, Ivan had been right about the man being a fool American.
She flipped through his wallet once more noticing he had no papers. It confirmed it. She only knew one Feliks that could forge papers well enough to get past Ivan, and he was in a gulag. 'Was' being the words of great importance
Or something, she didn't keep track. Poor little Vanya had some explaining to do. She was actually really excited to see him squirm. It was hysterical watching a giant squirm. She also had some research to do. Little Vanya wasn't supposed to be making deals behind her back and yet Feliks was somewhere close by and that was dangerous. He knew people, he'd seen battle plans, and while he didn't know the current ones, he sure as hell knew who could find them.
She counted the rubles again for fun; her mind trailing back to Little Vanya's older sister, Irena. Yes Vanya wouldn't be hard to get information from at all, a little tug and little nudge in the right direction, reminder of the debt he still owes the General and presto. Digging a little deeper into the wallet she pulled out a crumpled photo of two young men in uniforms. Strikingly alike she had to peer to see which one was which. Flipping the photo around she read the little caption made out in English. Lieutenant Alfred F. Jones, US Marines, Sergeant Mathew R. Williams Royal Canadian Air force, Korea 1949.
She smiled at the picture, a twin how cute. I wonder what the other half is up to. She made a mental note to contact some agents and find out. Stuffing that back in the little pocket she continued to rummage around.
She was worried about the Americans. Rolling around the little flash drive in her palm she frowned at it. If it was so important why did the idiot America not hide it better. Hell, it was easier to find than the wallet.
She shrugged popping another chocolate in her mouth, he was an idiot.
Back in America Alfred had worked partially with public officials and intervening suspects for their records and any sign of commitment to the USSR. After the grand influx of people in '56 the government had learned about this files that were kept on every single person in the USSR.
It was a frightening prospect actually. Like a card of dates, tract records, everything down to what parties you were associated with. And there was a huge library of them. Ginormous. Big enough to make the library in Washington look like pigeon poop.
Between Alfred and Arthur they were inside those things faster than you would think considering the heavy security on them.
Splitting up they turned to wander down the endless isles both looking for somebody they recognised.
His fingers dusting the files with its loveless black leather; Alfred paused.
Pulling out a large file he opened to the first page immediately recognising the scowling face of a dirty young man. It was the forger they'd go see in a few hours, Feliks Łukasiewicz. Scanning the general entry Alfred sat down on the cement floor reading.
He was Polish. Alfred dully noted that the licorice sound language was Polish. Born in 1930's he was 16 by the end of the war, playing a large role in the resistance during Polish occupation. Alfred was shocked; that made the young looking man in his thirties. He was an active socialist. There is a distinct lack of information during the time after the war and to '56. Actually when Alfred squinted he could see it had been erased and typed over. An active part of the revolt in Poland which had got him arrested and 'tried' as an anti-communist. His sentence was sort and simple life in a gulag in Siberia.
That confused Alfred. Form what he could tell, the man worked and lived out on a ranch outside of the city. But there was no guard, and it had been simple enough for Feliks to speak alone; and imply his revulsion of the communist regime. Obviously, he was under no pressure to hold his tongue, or simple bad at holding it. It also made his fear of Alfred and Arthur clear as it would be incredibly easy to report him, he probably wouldn't even get a kangaroo trial, hell a bullet would go through that man's head so fast there would be no time for a blink.
But then who got him out of the gulag?
He picked up a grainy image peering hard into the photo. There he was prison uniform and all standing in line with other men. He had been at the gulag for a time.
The secretary was there, so it was Mr. Braginski? It actually made sense to Alfred. Since Mr. Braginski was, as far as Alfred could tell, a head quite a few shady corporations or at least funding them lead, it made Feliks' abilities and skills mastered during the war incredibly valuable. Also incredibly dangerous to the United States of America. But he was anti-communist. It could be worth Alfred's while to offer sanctuary, a guy like that knows how to find those state secrets that Arthur and Alfred where looking for.
Alfred's throat clenched.
Mr. Braginski could create document and falsify papers with a newfound ease that a proper democratic society could not. The man could sign off the world to war, with a few clever signatures and the contacts which he for a fact had. That put the beast man into a new light. He was dangerous, far more dangerous than he seemed at first.
Quietly Alfred pocketed the file into his jacket. He would make Arthur go through it thoroughly and look up other contacts of Feliks. They needed to go get that man on their side and fast. (They would also need a phone and Alfred again cursed the bitch that stole his damn chocolate).
Getting back up he turned around going backwards to the b section. It was a long walk down the corridor that swallowed Alfred like his impeding realisation of the delicacy of the situation. Like a storm cloud building and gathering, only for the farm to look up and scramble to tie down his crops before the bad weather hit. Except that it's awfully hard to tie down your crops with no tarp.
He made it though. Trailing down the corridor he stopped by the Braginski's. Opening a few to peer at the picture then closing it again when it wasn't him.
Alfred doubted that he would find Mr. Braginski. But he really wanted to; if not for the simple reason to avoid empowering the man in his mind by not knowing Mr. Braginski's first name. Calling the monster as a sir, or mister placed an unwanted power in Alfred's mind.
He opened one file, shocked to find a girl he recognised from yesterday glaring back. It was the younger pretty one.
Natasha Braginski, sixteen years of age and a known dancer.
He honestly wouldn't have guessed. But the girl was slight if Alfred's memory was correct. She was also a student still.
And nothing else.
There was information scratched out though. From the staple pages that looked like they had been ripped out. Suspiciously the information under next of Kin was scribbled out with pen, beside it the word "none".
Living residence "none". And that was a lie, an obvious one too.
Thoroughly confused Alfred pocketed the file along with Feliks'. He checked the next file in case he might recognise someone else, but the face was some old woman he had never met.
Trying not to get lost Alfred headed out, bribing the guard with a few extra coins he left with the files in his safe hands. Along on the steps he waited a half hour before Arthur came out.
Toris was almost sorry that he went to visit Eduard. He had to though; Ivanna came by ordering him to pick up the armful of evidence she 'found', she had already dropped off telephone recordings but after a long talk with Ivan she sent Toris out. Armed with the men's flash drive and more recordings of the telephone conversations he knew he had to bother Eduard.
Didn't mean he wished he could avoid it though. The man was connected to piles of cords and large machine chugging away with the life of a frozen moth. Eduard himself was shouting and slapping the computer around when Toris came in the little office across the hall from the Police precinct.
"Hej." Toris called dropping cheap wine as a token of friendship but more realistically because Eduard would be down that bottle by this evening to wash his frustration away. Peering he stared at the radio Eduard was fiddling with on the side. The telephone haunted the space beside it but was covered in papers and dust, he never used it. Eduard was terrified of people listening into his conversations.
"Shh, I almost have the rat!" Eduard pressed his glasses further up his nose and suddenly barked in triumphant slapping on the recording machine. To display the victory he un-plugged the monstrous head phones. A tinny voice came through speakers. Toris frowned as he tried to listen harder. He didn't recognise the language. After a few seconds a second crackly voice higher this time filtered through.
"What is that?"
"The tapes from the phone line you gave me." Eduard flipped through papers. "Finally managed to connect to the second phone to get the full conversation. It's outside of the USSR. That was hard, you should praise me."
Toris laughed as the door rattled. One of the officers, Tsvetan, peered into the room.
"Hey we are heading out for lunch. Hej Toris." He smiled, walking into the room Dimitri was following him grumbling rapidly in Romanian.
"Shut up Dimitri. I don't care." Tsvetan growled leaning forward "Oo you got it to work?"
"Sure as hell. I have no idea what he is saying." Eduard frowned "Care to give it a try?"
Dimitri suddenly lean forward listening for a while before nodding "It's a romantic language. Not Romanian or French; Spanish maybe?"
Eduard nodded "Can you translate it?"
His bit his lip leaning back clickinghis tongue he shrugged "I could try. I don't speak Spanish though."
"Ivan wants a report on this." Eduard added as persuasion.
"He wants that report tonight. The big meeting with these guys is tomorrow." Toris added, "I've got a flash drive. Ivanna and Ivan tried to get into it, its password protected."
Picking it up he inserted the drive into the computer fussing for a few minutes, Eduard shook his head "I'll need the password. If there is too many attempts I think the drive will delete the information on it. We're just going to have to stick with the translations."
Scrunching up his nose Dimitri groaned running his hand through the blond locks "I don't know about your translation Ed. I have date."
"You? With something that is alive and breathing and not a child?" Tsvetan gasped mockingly "Who is the amazing species?"
"Shut up Tsvetan." Dimitri growled "Go tell it to your bacteria."
"Low blow." Tsvetan laughed "You ate about half the batch of yogurt yesterday."
"I didn't Sorin and Dinu ate it all."
Tsvetan gave Dimitri a look. The man laughed brushing his friend off with a grand gesture
"Still I have a date. And for the record she's lovely, unlike some people."
"Whoever do you mean?" His friend groaned rolling his eyes "You are a child."
"But you still haven't moved out." Dimitri snickered "later Toris, We're hungry. Want anything?"
Toris and Eduard shook their heads.
"Your loss. I'll get started."
He raced out of the door slamming the wooden door leaving the little light alone to light the room.
"Can you believe that he is considered one of the better cops?" Tsvetan laughed shaking his head "I still can't believe it."
"As long as he gets back my money if I'm robbed I don't care." Toris shrugged "I've got to go. I'm going to get Natasha, should I pick Ravis up from school too?"
Eduard nodded, "That'd be great thanks."
"Could you grab Dinu and Sorin while you're there? I'll be by later to pick them up from your place."
Toris nodded, "Ok. See what you can do with the flash drive, Ivan was pretty keen on it, thinks there a big tracking device on it."
"What about Feliks?" Tsetven asked, "Ivanna filed a report for his arrest this morning."
Sighing Toris shrugged rubbing his face, "Christ I don't know. I can't find him, he hasn't gotten in contact with me. If you see him could you… please?"
Both men nodded. Sighing Toris pulled open the door, light flooded the room.
"Take it easy on yourself Eduard."
"I think you need to stop being a hypocrite." Eduard replied. "Good luck with Feliks."
Laughing Toris waved leaving the dingy room. "Thanks."
They stopped at the bar, for Arthur. Then got on a truck to the little ranch the Pole lived on.
The ride was silent as always; with Alfred wanting at least some sort of word to be said. But nothing ever was. It was like some great big tube attached to your brain sucking everything out through a tiny straw. It was a huge relief to see the building show up. As they got off walking towards the house Alfred felt his stomach drop. Everything was dark.
The monstrosity that was call a dog was chained to a post barking his head off. They eased up to the door opened it and looked around.
Nothing. Feliks was gone, long gone.
Scrambling now Alfred grabbed Arthur and hauled his ass back to the apartment. They needed to talk now.
Bounding up the stairs Alfred raced down the hall, Arthur yelling at him from behind. Slamming the doors open he tossed the files on the table pulling off his scarf. Arthur came in behind closing and locking the door.
"What's up."
Alfred handed Arthur the file. As Arthur read it he gave Alfred a couple of horrified looks, "shit."
"That's what I thought too. We have to find this guy. Get him to America, he's too valuable to be left here. And anti-communist too."
"We have no idea where he went."
"Think you can track him down?"
Arthur bit his lip flipping through his little black book he grunted distraught showing on his face. Closing the book he pinched the bridge of his nose his eye brow furrowing together. Normally Alfred would make fun of how his eyebrows almost took over his face when he did that. Made them seem enormous.
"I think I know who to call. We need a phone that whore took ours."
"There's an American base not too far from here. Grab our shit and let's go."
They booked it to the stop. Came panting as they crashed through the door. The other America swore at them plenty but they ignored it. Arthur startled dialling up people and Alfred calmed the guy down enough to make him leave them alone.
After five hours Arthur collapsed on the couch Alfred was napping on. Grunting Alfred stirred casting sleepy eyes at the Brit.
"Got our contact. Took damn forever, fucking Francis owes me for this."
"How do we get in contact with him?"
"I'll find out in an hour. Gotta call make to make final arrangements I told the frog we don't have much time, made things difficult. That Pole might be out of the country or with Braginski by now."
"Who's our contact?"
"Either a German who lives or lived in East Germany, Francis is trying to get a hold of him, best man for the job all that crap, or there's some Serbian in the area as well. Not a secure contact, and defiantly not to be trusted."
"So we're hoping for the German?" Arthur nodded sighing he sunk into the chair puttering off as he dozed, "Wake me in an hour."
Alfred grumbled but kept vigil. Going over the files again he once more stopped on the file of the pretty Braginski girl. She felt familiar, and not just because he seen her once before. But more than that. He brushed it off, probably seen her on the street or something.
Eduard came by earlier than Toris expected to pick up his adopted brother Ravis. He announced that he couldn't get into the drive, and Ivan would just have to deal with it. A few minutes later Tsetvan came by for Dimitri's son, Sorin, and little brother, Dinu. He had to rush off to argue with Dimitri; apparently the guy was stood up. Toris offered his land line Ivan forced him to have. Tsetvan refused instead dashing off with the kids. Toris packed his own things; he had some work left at the office. Natasha insisted she wanted to join him .Bundling up they headed out.
The streets where bitterly cold. The sun was still in the sky, feeling closer to a hanging bulb with the distinct lack of warmth radiating. It felt more like it was absorbing all the warmth from Toris than giving it.
Natasha was walking beside him rolled up in a cosy wool scarf. Her eyes just peeked through but her hair was up showing the tips of her ears and they turned pink with the cold.
"Your hair is up." He commented, she peered up with her dark eyes "You look very pretty. I'll have to warn Ivan to keep an eye on his pretty sister."
She rolled her eyes but Toris knew she was blushing and bubbling under happiness. Smiling sweetly he grinned, "You didn't have to come with me. I might be in the office for a while."
"It's fine." She answered immediately "Is Vanya there?"
Toris shrugged taking her back from her, "Probably. Usually works late."
She wrinkled her nose shrugging and glaring at the cement buildings around her "He's been working more since those American's came."
"You have the coat right?"
She nodded looking down at the big bundle in her arms.
They walked in silence, until the tall building came up. Natasha hurried on ahead. Dashing over to Toris's desk she pressed the intercom button letting it buzz to her brother.
Static only came out and she buzzed again.
"Yes?" a tired voice filtered through.
"Are you busy?" she asked
The machine clicked off and Toris settled down into the desk besides her busy typing away on the type writer calming ignoring the computer showing the blue screen of ultimate death.
"An hour." Ivan said.
Natasha struggled to hide her disappointment. Flopping down she pulled out her writing assessment. Toris didn't bother to hide his enthusiasm; she was finally going to school again.
An hour had passed when Ivanna came down the stairs. She smiled widely with her thick red lips and vibrant makeup.
"Natasha! Darling!" she called, Natasha jumped a little turning in her large chair she was curled up reading.
"Ivanna."
"Darling, are you coming with me tonight?"
Natasha was pressingly aware of the sharp clacking of Toris and he struck the keys with vehemence.
"No, thank you Ivanna." Natasha spoke "I am going to school tomorrow."
"Oh darling." Ivanna sighed fixing her cap slowly and buttoning up her coat "How busy can you really be? Tonight there is a lovely man, looking just for a young thing like yourself."
"Ivanna."
The two woman turned Ivan was in the door way. He had not shaved, his bread poking through with messy hair.
"Leave. Get some other whore. I already explain the situation to you." Ivan barked.
Natasha popped up to her feet passing Ivanna to hug her brother. A warm arm wrapped around her shoulders like a big warm blanket. He smelt like Vodka, and smoke. But Natasha didn't mind, she missed Vanya's smell, he use to smell like wind and trees, back when they all lived together on the farm… Natalia wouldn't dare complain; she would take was she was given.
Ivanna's heels clacked out of the foyer.
Ivan sighed releasing his sister. On her tip toes she pulled down his coat to kiss him on the cheek in greeting.
He laughed reaching into his pocket hauled out a chocolate "Here. Warm you up."
"Hankou." She murmur plopping the sweet substance into her mouth "How are you Vanya? Well I hope?"
He sighed shaking his head, "Better. Stay away from Ivanna, far, far away, da?"
She nodded, following her brother back up into the cavern of his building.
It had not even been an hour before the door slammed open in Ivan's office next door. Groaning Ivan glanced up as Eduard, Dimitri and Tsvetan ran in. Natalia scowled over her tea and cookies that Ivan had set out for the two of them.
Natasha liked Tsvetan, she had always thought that he was a cool guy. Very calm and not easy to work up most of the time, she had spent a lot of time over at Dimitri and Tsvetan's place because of Duni who was close to her age, and Irena loved to fawn over. But right now she was ready to send them both scampering, tails between their legs.
They marched in barking like a pack of wild dog scrambling over each other to share the news, whatever that was.
Eduard finally made sense of the rapid language war that always seemed to occur when Ivan's men came together.
"Ivan we got the report that you wanted. Dimitri translated it. From the sounds of it there are a few American spies in Moscow."
Ivan nodded slowly, "Da."
"Within the conversation with one of the American's he was speaking to some woman in the west, they were inquiring about getting proper identification. The woman on the other line referred them to Tino"
Now that was certainly interesting. Natasha placed her book down on her lap looking up at the trio fidgeting under Ivan's stare.
"We have reason to believe Tino referred them to Feliks. There was no mention of the Pole in any other conversation we have."
Toris face fell a little. Feliks had gone into hiding; probably with some people he knew from before. Chances of finding him in the chaos with the Americans was getting slimmer.
She spoke suddenly ending the conversation "Two men came up to him asking to talk, he thought they were Americans and so accidentally spoke too loud."
Ivan was now listening intently; she relished the attention from her brother for a second longer.
"Did they say their names?" Ivan asked
Natasha closed her eyes scrunching her face back up. They did, didn't they? It was a strange last name, she recalled. But their faces where too blurry to even see let alone put a name to them.
"I don't recall." She said opening her eyes. "The coat I gave you might be theirs. It's defiantly not from the Soviet Union."
"It's a WW2 bomber coat." Ivan replied running a hard through his hair "Where is Feliks? Blasted Pole, thinks he can do whatever he wants. That idiot. This is getting complicated."
"He's probably with old alliances." Eduard said glancing at Toris. The Lithuanian shook his head slowly
"This would be a lot easier if you cooperate Toris." Ivan murmured
"I'm not going to sell out Feliks without a guarantee. And you can't promise anything."
"Well no use beating a dead horse, da? So let's assume that the Americans who went to Feliks are the same American's trying to get into government through me; which means that they don't have their papers. Because I have them" Ivan mused out loud lifting the coat looking around the room, "Which means that we're still in the clear. We have the papers and evidence to incarcerate them for life. We need to stop them from finding Feliks before we do."
Ivan chuckled "And they are obviously undercover, trying to buy time before the USSR catches them and detains them permanently. But we also have the drive."
"I can't get into the drive." Eduard said, "Its password protected. I need the password or else the information will be deleted."
"That is there only saving grace, that and Feliks." Ivan murmured, "Tsetvan, Dimitri I want you two to take over the investigation for Feliks. Tomorrow when they come, if they come we will arrest them."
Reaching into his coat Ivan pulled out a thick leather wallet, with notes crammed into the sides. Causally he flipped it open pulling out a picture. Natasha peered over his shoulder to see, it was twins. One with darker tan skin and shorter hair and other slightly taller by much paler and with longer hair.
She recognised the two immediately, well really only one she recognised.
"That's the talkative one Vanya" Natasha said pointing at the man on the right hand side
Ivan nodded, "Andre Tolstoy."
Flipping the picture over, he read out the words on the back. The date Natasha could almost understand, but it was just after the war, in the mid-fifties.
"Sergeant Alfred F. Jones US Marines and Lieutenant Mathew Williams Royal Canadian Air Force." Ivan chuckled reaching into the coat pulling out the passport information, "Alfred F. Jones from the United States on a visiting visa and Arthur Kirkland from the United Kingdom.
"I want to help."
Ivan sighed tucking the papers and photo back into the coat. "No, you will go to school tomorrow. You do more by keeping out of this than you think Natasha."
Leaning forward he pressed a sweet kiss on her forehead "You keep me happy."
The real mystery is why I can't spell any of the names. Haha.
Sorry about the late reply school came down like the foot from Monty Python. So here is the long awaited chapter!
Did you guys like it? Do you hate it let me know!