Project Black Rock
Part 7: As Milo Slaviakc
The bus trip to Sarandë took several hours longer than the schedule indicated. For one thing the vehicle that finally arrived was an old worn out wreck that should have been retired years ago. It had bad shocks, poor springs, and no A/C. Astro didn't mind the lack of comfort, but it was clear that the other passengers wished they had chosen an other means of transport. Halfway to their destination, one of the bus's bald tires blew out and they had to wait standing out in the heat while the drive changed the tire. It was probably lucky that the vehicle even had a serviceable spare and the tools to change the tire. Astro had given some thought to volunteering to help with the labor, but realized that he'd blow his cover doing so.
After he left the bus stop, Astro now had to find Slanovicz. He had the the man's current address and using his built in satellite up link Astro pulled down directions once he established a GPS fix on his current location. Slanovicz's apartment was a few miles from the bus depot on the other side of Sarandë. Astro picked up his suitcases and started walking. He was able to keep up a quick pace and estimated he could cover the distance in under twenty minutes.
Master Spy's flat had a view of the Ionian Sea, and you could smell the salt air from the street. The city was a major tourist attraction, and most of the real estate in the area was quite expensive. Slanovicz's family had owned the old building since the early '50's, though the property hadn't been well maintained in recent years.
Astro pulled on the door bell cord and waited. He heard the tingle of the door bell one story up, followed by heavy footsteps on creaky wooden stairs. A slot in the door slid open and a bloodshot eye appeared. The peephole closed as quickly as it had been opened and the door opened a crack, held back by a heavy chain.
"Who are you?" a thick voice asked in Albanian.
"It's me, Milo Slaviakc" Astro answered in the same tongue. "I just came in from Moscow, and need a place to stay."
The door closed and Astro could hear the chain being unlatched. A second later the door opened again, this time a little wider. Master Spy was dressed in a what appeared to be heavy flannel pajamas, over which he wore a woolen robe. He was standing in a pair of well worn open back leather slippers. He held a large brandy snifter in his left hand.
"You're late." Slanovicz told him. "I suppose your bus was delayed."
"As a mater of fact it was." Astro answered.
"You can have Zarin's old room." Slanovicz said, closing the door behind Astro. "Follow me."
Alexandr mounted the stairs and motioned for Astro to follow him. Astro followed Slanovicz up the stairs, one suitcase in each hand. They reached the top of the narrow, winding stair case, landing on the wood floor of the second story. An old worn, thread bare carpet covered the hallway. Slanovicz pushed open a door to reveal a small, but comfortable looking room. A double size bed with the headboard underneath a small window looked like it hadn't been slept in for a score of years. It had a clean blanket and sheets on it, but it looked like it had been made up years ago and left as is. There was a small wash room with a toilet in the corner of the room, and an empty closet next to it.
"You can put your suit cases in the closet and unpack later." Alexandr told his guest. "I'll be down the hallway in the kitchen. Freshen yourself up and meet me there."
Master Spy left the room and slowly walked down the hallway. Astro put his luggage in the closet, he looked in the bathroom mirror and straightened out the cap on his head. Then he exited the room and walked toward the kitchen.
Astro entered the kitchen and stood in the doorway. He looked around, carefully examining his surroundings. The kitchen, like the rest of the house was clean, but ancient. The paint was cracked and peeling in places. The plaster in the walls and ceilings were likewise in need of repair. The wood floors needed sanding and varnishing. He then listened in the electromagnetic spectrum carefully. All was quiet, nobody was listening in. Astro looked at his host, sitting at the table. It was clear to him that Slanovicz had seen better days. Finally, Astro broke the silence.
"Hammond sent me." Astro announced.
Alexandr Slanovicz carefully looked him over.
"It might not be safe to talk here." Slanovicz whispered, putting a vertical finger to his lips.
"Believe it or not, your house isn't bugged." Astro told him.
"How do you know?" Master Spy demanded.
"I have a bug detector with me." Astro answered. (In truth, he had a bug detector inside of him.)
"Very well, I'll trust you," the old Albanian sighed, "It's not like I have a choice in the matter."
Master Spy pointed to a chair and motioned for Astro to sit down. He swirled the contents of the snifter he held in his left hand and then brought the glass to his lips and finished the remaining contents in one huge gulp. Astro looked at his host's bloodshot eyes and wondered how useful Master Spy was going to be to him. He pulled the chair away from the table and sat down, folding his hands in front of him.
Somewhere on the other side of the world in a laboratory buried deep underground, political prisoners doing slave labor were assembling the final parts for the jet black aircraft. Various scientists and chemists, who were coerced into working for the corrupt regime, were attempting to recreate a secret rocket fuel formula from bits and pieces of decrypted files. Ye-jun No admired the aircraft that had been re-created from the plans he'd managed to grab from the Albanian fool who had dared to try and extort a kings ransom from Kim Jong-un's regime. No had felt proud of himself for how he had deceived and swindled Master Spy by leading him along just long enough to have his crew of elite hackers break into the systems where the plans had been hidden. Breaking the encryption had been the easy part.
Now that he'd given Slanovicz the boot, Ye-jun No discovered that that crafty old geezer had kept one hole card up his sleeve. The critical rocket fuel formula wasn't hidden in the same electronic vault as the plans for the aircraft. Instead, there were bits and pieces of useless information, just clues but no real substance. When his scientists had tried to re-create the special fuel formula from what had appeared to be the real data the end result had been a titanic explosion that killed a dozen workers and destroyed the most advanced laboratory in the country. Fortunately that facility was miles away from the laboratory where Mastercar was now being built and tested. While the project had been set back a few months, all was not totally lost. His chemists assured him that they were close, and would be able to reconstruct the real formula in time. Ye-jun No had given Kim Jong-un his personal assurance that all would be ready. Now he had to make good on his promise. He pressured his indentured servants and laborers under the threat of death to make good on those promises.
Slanovicz starred at Atom for a few minutes.
"I don't know your face, I doubt anybody in this country does." Master Spy said. "You'll do."
"Hammond said you wanted to make a deal." Astro told him. "You kept something from the Koreans."
"Yes, Supercar's rocket fuel formula." Slanovicz laughed. "My ace in the hole. Ye-jun No thought he could rob me blind. He almost did. The bastards strung me along long enough to trace back to where I'd hidden Supercar's plans. Then the send me packing, with just a pittance of what those secrets were worth."
"Why did the Koreans want Supercar?" Atom asked.
"You have very little imagination if you ask that." Master Spy laughed.
"I can imagine quite a bit." Atom said. "I need to know exactly what the threat is."
"The Koreans haven't exactly kept the fact that they were trying to build their own nuclear weapons a secret." The Albanian explained. "But it seems that they have managed to keep secret the fact that they actually have managed to build several of them. I think they may have even managed to go thermonuclear."
"They have the H bomb?" Astro gasped.
"I can't prove that." Master Spy said. "But I highly suspect it. What the Koreans don't have is a delivery system. Their missile program looks impressive, but it isn't capable of doing the job. The Russian Migs that they have would be easily shot down. Supercar is fast, stealthy, and indefensible against."
"Their target?" Astro asked.
"Japan." Master Spy said. "Kim Jong-un planed on attacking when Japan is the most visible on the world stage. When he can cause the biggest political statement."
"The Olympic games." Astro said.
"Yes." Master Spy answered. "But I think he might try something sooner. A test."
"The rocket fuel." Astro asked.
"It's well hidden." Alexandr assured him. "I took great pains to find a way to hold onto it so that it couldn't be taken from me."
"I'll need for you to hand it over to me." Astro told him.
"No." Master Spy laughed. "You will get me out of the country. I wish to disappear to someplace where I can be safe and comfortable, and without want."
"I'll have to contact Hammond." Astro replied. "I'll need to find a location with a clear view of the sky where I can't be seen, just in case."
"I take it you have a satellite phone link with you." Master Spy said. "My attic should meet your needs. There is a cupola on the roof that can be opened up from inside. You won't be seen from there, especially if you wait till after dark."
"Given the time difference, that would probably just work out." Astro agreed.
From the roof of the building Astro had a clear few of the sky. His built in radio transceiver enabled him to use the US military satellite network to call General Hammond who was still back at the Japanese Ministry of Science. The connection was quickly routed though the General's modified Blackberry phone.
"I've made contact with Alexandr Slanovicz." Astro told him. "He claims to still have the formula for Supercar's secret fuel, and he wants asylum to a place where he can disappear. He's very paranoid that he is being watched, but his apartment is clean as far as I can tell."
"He may be right." The General replied. "My contacts in the CIA have reason to believe that the Koreans may be keeping an eye on Master Spy from a distance. Even though Albania is a free democracy with open access, getting him out of the country safely might pose a bit of a challenge if the CIA is correct. The safest way to get him out of the country might be with Supercar."
"But without the secret rocket fuel..." Astro began.
"Mike Mercury and Henry Deacon think they've fine tuned her engines to the point that we can operate Supercar at low Supersonic speed up to about 55,000 feet. She won't handle like a fighter or be able to operate in space, but with one midair refueling she will cross the Atlantic."
"If Mike brings along a recharge tank for me, I'll be able to provide air support for Supercar." Astro said. "But unless I have to actually directly assist them I'll keep back out of sight. I don't think we want me to let Master Spy know what I am."
"Good thinking." Hammond agreed. "Very well, I'll contact you again in twenty four hours and let you know the timing of Slanovicz's extraction. You get him ready, and make sure that he can hand over that fuel formula when we get him back here."
"Roger, and out." Astro terminated the contact.
Astro descended the stairs from the attic and passed by the kitchen on the way back to his room. He found Master Spy asleep at the table with an empty bottle of brandy lying on the table in front of him.
"Phew, he's really plastered!" Astro sighed, as he gently lifted the snoring old man out of the chair to carry him back to his room. Slanovicz remained out like a light as Astro removed his robe and got him into bed. He felt sorry for the old relic from the cold war, and hoped that his mission would end on a good note for everyone involved.
Astro slowly, and quietly inspected the entire house, he took a careful look out the windows on all four sides. He cranked up his hearing and vision to full sensitivity, but did not detect anyone watching the building from at least a half a mile away. Feeling that they were safe for the night, he returned to his room and went to bed himself. He set his sensors to wake him if anything strange should happen, otherwise he'd be up at sunrise.