Author's Note:
Totally love the weekends because I can write multiple chapters in one day XD
Let's keep going!
【Chapter 7: В тихом омуте черти водятся】
ー V tihom omute cherti vodyatsa. ー
ー In a quiet lagoon, devils dwell. ー
The next day, Red Square, Moscow 7:53
It was a bright winter morning in the Red Square of Moscow. Despite the cold, the wide streets were bustling with cheerful tourists from all over the world, having come for their winter holidays. The Red Square was, after all, the central square of Moscow and the best place to start when visiting the city. Coupled with the fact that it was surrounded by historical buildings on all sides, it had always been a popular tourist destination.
Giorgio and Evan, whose hotel was situated right next to the square, were passing through the area as they made their way towards the metro. Their meeting with Aleksandr and Natalya at the Politsiya headquarters was scheduled to start at nine, about an hour later. They had left their hotel early so they could take their time without having to rush. Walking next to Giorgio, Evan lightly spun around once, taking in his surroundings.
"Look at how wide this place is!" Evan exclaimed, his excitement barely diminishing although he had walked through the site a few times in the past few days. "Saint Basil's Cathedral, Kremlin and the GUM Department Store all visible from one spot!"
"Finally researched about them last night, did you? Good," Giorgio said, amused. "Here's one for you. The Red Square's considered Moscow's central square as all the major streets originate from here. That, and its colour is actually blue while the shape's a rectangle."
Evan laughed, recalling how he had certainly heard some locals call the square the 'Blue Rectangle' in some online videos during his research. He certainly enjoyed sticking with Giorgio, who was very well-read and knowledgeable. He had always been a source of interesting tidbits about the world around them.
The two of them were just about to carry on towards the metro when they saw a crying little boy, probably about ten years of age. Upon seeing how all the passersby either didn't care about him or just gave him worried glances without doing anything, Evan's big brother mode kicked in.
"Hey, hey, what's wrong?" He asked gently, quickly approaching the boy and kneeling down in front of him.
The boy was sobbing intensely, eyes and cheeks red. He had probably been crying for hours. Evan felt sorry for him. The boy, however, answered him in Russian, and Evan remembered that a lot of the people here didn't speak English. Giorgio, standing next to him, looked equally perplexed. Either way, Evan decided to try and communicate.
"Look, I'll try to get someone to talk to you, alright? Everything will be okay," Evan said as gently as he could with a smile, holding the boy's shoulders reassuringly and hoping that his tone and gestures would get his point across.
Luckily, he seemed to have succeeded. The boy nodded a little nervously, rubbing his tears away.
"Good boy," Evan said with a grin, ruffling the boy's hair in a friendly manner.
"Perhaps he was separated from his parents, or is just lost in general, seeing how wide this place is," Giorgio guessed, noting how the boy was all alone and carrying nothing.
"A police station would probably be a good place to go to. They can't turn down a citizen in need. See one around?" he suggested, twisting a little and searching the horizon.
"You're probably right," Evan agreed, standing up and looking around worriedly as well.
It was at that moment that he felt the feather-light, almost unnoticeable slip of his beloved wallet exiting his pocket.
"Quoi (What)?!"
Evan saw a different boy taking off at lightning speed. A split second after that, Giorgio felt well-trained little hands, agile and dextrous as a monkey, snatch his own wallet. It was the boy who had been crying miserably earlier, grinning triumphantly as he took off with Giorgio's wallet and his partner in crime.
"PUTAIN! Stop!" Evan yelled angrily, immediately running after the boys. Giorgio followed closely behind, equally furious.
The boys, having pickpocketed many times before, knew that they couldn't outrun the adults, so they dashed into the crowds of tourists at the square, using them to slow their pursuers down. Evan fought back the urge to shout a stream of curses. Giorgio saw the boys run into the arches of the crowded GUM Department Store.
"This way!" Giorgio called out to Evan.
Pulling back out of the crowd, they ran to the side, looking to enter the GUM stores from a less crowded point of entry.
Meanwhile, the boys, not seeing Giorgio and Evan behind them, thought that they had gotten away scot-free. They slowed down as they arrived at one of the quieter corners of the stores, where nobody passed by. Catching their breaths and hiding behind a turn, they peeked to see if they were still being followed.
Once they saw that all was clear, they cheered excitedly and thanked each other for yet another success, with faces of angels but hearts of devils. They turned and were just about to walk away when Giorgio suddenly appeared down the corridor.
"Looks like your luck's run out, boys," he said, unimpressed by their misconduct.
The boys, aghast, turned around to run away, but immediately stopped when they saw Evan blocking their path on the other side, cracking his knuckles in irritation.
"Seeing how well-coordinated you are, it looks like you've been at this for a while," he said sternly. "Can't let you grow up rotting into wanted criminals, so I guess we're taking you to the police station, and calling your parents for some disciplining."
The boys, despite having no idea what Giorgio and Evan were saying, could very well feel their seething anger, and knew that it wouldn't end well for them. Bursting into tears, they made a last-ditch attempt to run past Evan, who only caught them too easily by the scruffs of their necks.
"At least apologize and return our wallets!" Evan said, sighing in exasperation. Giorgio walked up to him, taking back their stolen wallets from the little rascals, who only continued to cry.
"So what now? I feel like I'm the bully," Evan said dejectedly, still holding onto the children. "I mean, we got our wallets back. Maybe we should just warn them and let them go this time...?"
"No. Mistakes are best corrected early. This is also for their sake and hopefully, they'll learn something from it," Giorgio said. Evan looked at the boys, still somewhat unsure.
"If you're worried about them, I'll step in to make sure that the police and their parents aren't too harsh," Giorgio assured. Evan smiled at him.
"Thanks."
"Prastite!"
They were just about to leave when they heard someone suddenly call out to them. They turned around.
A neatly dressed man was running hurriedly towards them, shouting quickly in Russian. Everything on him from his hat to his scarf, double-breasted long coat, gold watch and shoes screamed expensive. His dark hair, neatly gelled back, gave him a slick, businesslike look.
Two towering men in black suits and sunglasses with notably expressionless faces followed behind him faithfully. They were possibly personal bodyguards of sorts. As they came closer, Giorgio and Evan noticed that they looked strikingly similar, most likely identical twins.
The arriving men brought with them three crying boys, who caused the faces of the kids in Evan's custody to twist in horror. They seemed to have recognized the three boys. More partners in crime? The rich-looking man stopped in front of them.
"Zdravstvuite. Smirnov, Dorofei Petrovich. Rat teebya videt'," he said quickly to them. Giorgio and Evan stared at him, then looked at each other, barely catching a single word.
"Euh... Sorry?" Evan asked, lifting an eyebrow. Noticing how lost the two looked, the man realized that they probably didn't speak his language.
"Ah! Forgive me for that. I'm Dorofei Smirnov. Pleased to make your acquaintance," he said in perfect English with a friendly smile, making use of language skills he had most likely developed for his international business. Being able to communicate gave Giorgio and Evan some relief.
"Giovanni Bardi and Jean Romée. Pleased to meet you, too!" Evan replied, introducing Giorgio and himself with their aliases to keep their identities secret. Giorgio nodded, before looking towards the crying boys Dorofei had in tow.
"What happened?"
"Well," Dorofei began, "I heard that there have been some pickpocketing incidents around here lately. To think that the culprits are little boys! My bodyguards caught them when they were trying to pickpocket us."
"Oh! The same thing happened to us here. How many of them are there?" Evan asked, somewhat annoyed that they were numerous.
"According to the boys I caught, five of them in total, all brothers. They said that they were supposed to meet up around here after today's 'job'," Dorofei explained, before looking at the boys Evan was holding.
"I see that you have the remaining two. If you don't mind handing them over, I have some business with them. You probably can't speak with them in Russian, so I'll take care of things from here," he said, voice and expression becoming serious.
The boys gulped nervously. Evan looked at Giorgio. Giorgio himself didn't look like he knew what to do either, so Evan turned back to Dorofei.
"Okay..." Evan said cautiously, slowly letting go of the boys. In his mind, he was ready to take action if Dorofei decided to do anything that might harm the children.
The boys, afraid that trying to run away would just worsen the situation, decided to be docile and obedient, quietly walking over to Dorofei. Dorofei gathered all five of them in front of him and then, with much strictness, proceeded to scold them severely in Russian.
Evan cringed, not envying the boys' position in the slightest. Giorgio took a step back nervously, looking away from the intense onslaught. Just when they were thinking of stepping in to ask Dorofei to forgive the boys, a sudden change came.
Dorofei addressed the children gently, with the love of a father. The boys stopped crying, now looking up at him and nodding calmly as they listened. Once his talk had finished, they all hugged him, thanking him profusely. Dorofei laughed and hugged them back, patting their backs compassionately.
Despite having no idea what had been said, Giorgio sighed in relief and Evan smiled, believing that everything had ended well. The five children then went off with one of Dorofei's bodyguards, happily waving at Dorofei, who waved back at them with equal enthusiasm.
"So, what did you say to them?" Evan asked, grinning.
"You see, they seem to be orphans," Dorofei stated, looking up and pondering. "Troubled family, divorced parents... Their mother whom they were left with soon committed suicide. They were suddenly left to fend for themselves in the streets, so they turned to pickpocketing the tourists. Despair truly drives men to do such unthinkable acts, doesn't it?"
Dorofei had a distant look in his eyes, as if a lot of things were running through his mind. Giorgio and Evan listened silently, wondering how their morning commute had led to a run-in with such a hairy situation. Dorofei turned to them.
"Since I was in a position to act, I simply scolded them and told them that it's never too late to change. They can be so much more in future if they'd direct their courage and resilience in the right direction," he said.
"They understood and agreed to stop pickpocketing, so I told my bodyguard to get them into a proper orphanage and see to it that they're treated and educated well."
Hearing the news, Evan's eyes lit up, full of wonder. Seeing Dorofei's appearance, he certainly looked like he had the money and influence to pull off everything he said.
"You're such an angel! Are you for real?!" Asked Evan in amazement.
"Always eager to put in everything I have if it means bettering society," Dorofei said with a smile.
"Oh, listen! We have such similar outlooks! Glad to be able to meet you, Mr. Smirnov. You've given me some hope in humanity," Evan laughed and they shook hands excitedly. Giorgio watched them with amusement. Dorofei then looked at his watch.
"Oh, look at the time! I need to attend a business meeting, so I'll be going," he said, tidying his coat and hat. "How about you, gentlemen? Not on your way somewhere?"
Evan bit back a curse that almost escaped his lips as he plunged a hand into his pocket for his phone. Before he could pull it out to check the time, the Kremlin Clock in the Red Square chimed twice, confirming the time for him. 8:30.
"Tonton! We're dead meat!" Evan exclaimed in horror.
"Guess it's time to run," Giorgio replied a little nervously.
"See you, Mr. Smirnov! Hope your meeting and business go well," Evan wished him.
"You, too! Hope we can meet again in future if the chance ever presents itself," Dorofei replied, and they went separate ways.
Politsiya Headquarters, Moscow 8:59
Giorgio and Evan sat waiting in their designated meeting room, breathing ragged, tired from all the running. Adding to that, it was a Thursday and they had caught the train at the metro during rush hour, causing the ride to be congested, crushing and hotーeverything far from comfortable. Even so, they felt quite pleased that they had managed to make it just in time.
Evan thirstily gulped down more of the water that they had been offered. Giorgio patted him on the back to help him calm down. Soon enough, Natalya and Aleksandr arrived, bringing with them thick folders, papers and a laptop. Giorgio and Evan stood up to greet them, before taking a seat again to begin the meeting.
"Yes. Gentlemen, I sent you some reports last night, so I'm sure you've read them," Aleksandr began. "They're just brief summaries, though. So I'll give you a recap right now along with all the details."
Giorgio and Evan nodded. Aleksandr proceeded to take out papers and photos from his folder. Natalya helped him lay them out on the table. Giorgio and Evan leaned in to look.
"These are photos of the interior of Volkov's base, as well as of any objects of interest that we've found there," Aleksandr said.
"This one's their stash of illegally produced weapons and ammunition in the basement. And this one, exactly as Agent Bernard had mentioned last week, androids."
Giorgio studied the photo carefully, seeing it for the first time. The room was full of computers and cables. Four androids with perfect human-like forms laid seated against a wall, as Evan had said, like broken dolls. Whether or not they were functional, their design and production certainly didn't look cheap.
What he found puzzling though, was that the androids weren't made with the build of a full-grown man. Compared to the rest of the room, they were rather small. Giorgio guessed that they were probably only the height of children who would barely reach his chest. Despite looking similar, they were all slightly different. He imagined that Evan, being in a hurry to obtain intel during his visit, coupled with the bad lighting of the room, must have missed those details.
"Did you manage to retrieve the blueprints I saw as well?" Evan asked.
"Yes! Here they are," Aleksandr said, pulling out two huge folded pieces of paper from his folder. He spread them open on the desk for all to see.
"To our surprise, there are actually two very different blueprints," he said. "One's of a hi-tech battle android, codenamed 'Blacksmith'. It has weapons built in, much as we had feared. We have not been able to find any of them in Volkov's base, though. They were probably being made and kept in another place. As for the other one..."
Aleksandr pulled the other blueprint over. "An android the size of a child. This seems to be a blueprint of the androids in the photo. They don't seem to have any weapons on them though, seemingly made only to function and mimic human movements."
Aleksandr leaned back and looked at Giorgio and Evan. "We actually took them apart to look for clues. But there was no software or AI installed in them, so we have no idea what their actual purpose is. We're guessing that they were probably made to be technical assistants, unless Volkov's boss is into something sick."
Evan grimaced. Giorgio pulled the blueprint towards himself and studied it. He looked at the bottom-right corner of the paper, spotting a few words in Russian which had been written in bold, seemingly with great fervor.
"What do the words here mean?" He asked.
"..." Aleksandr paused for a moment, his expression turning grave as he answered.
"We are our own Gods. Without torture, there is no science."
"The latter is a Russian proverb. It means that to gain wisdom, you must endure adversity. To gain something, something else must be sacrificed," he translated and explained.
"Sounds like a nice proverb to learn from," Evan mused, "But if it's them saying it, I imagine that they can't possibly be up to anything good."
"That would be it about the androids at Volkov's base. Next, let's see Volkov's autopsy," Aleksandr continued. Taking the cue, Natalya nodded and took out papers and photos from her folder, lining them up on the desk.
"This is Volkov's autopsy report," she said, pointing it out, "Volkov seems to have been a chronic heavy drinker. According to our medical examiners, he suffered from alcohol poisoning and was on his way to developing a severe case of cirrhosis. His liver was practically falling apart."
She looked up at Giorgio and Evan. "You probably didn't see any of the symptoms since he was all covered up by his thick jacket, but our examiners predicted that if he had gone on with no proper treatment, he would have had only a few months left to live."
Evan gritted his teeth in distress, remembering his fight with the man. "They predicted it accurately, alright. Man's breath smelt like alcohol when I wrestled him."
And then memories of the fight, along with Sergei's cryptic words, came back and struck him.
"Wait...! Volkov's confidence didn't look like that of a man who knew that he was about to die. Instead, he mentioned something about being close to overcoming the fragility of human bodies. Do you think that whatever science they're doing had something to do with that?" He quickly suggested. Natalya and Aleksandr exchanged puzzled glances.
"We'll continue the investigation with that possibility in mind," Aleksandr replied, quickly pulling out a notepad and jotting down the new information. He put it away afterwards and opened his laptop.
"In the meantime, I've extracted more files from the computers at Volkov's base. With new data, we were able to decode and unlock one of the three transmission files that Agent Bernard retrieved for us at the start of this mission."
"You were?! What's in it?" Evan asked eagerly.
"Direct communications between Volkov and his boss. Volkov seems to have always obtained his weapons and supplies from him, operating under his direct orders. He was also behind the construction of the gold mine and factory. A little more cracking and digging fortunately allowed us to discover his identity," Aleksandr said, typing away and opening folders.
Giorgio and Evan's eyes widened in surprise. Were they that close to completing the mission?
"Tell us," Giorgio said.
"Surprisingly, he doesn't have any criminal record, being one of Moscow's top investors and a millionaire. He's even seen by many as a benevolent fatherly figure and a charitable man," Aleksandr said. He turned his laptop around to let Giorgio and Evan see the man's photograph and profile, much to their shock.
"Dorofei Petrovich Smirnov."