Author's Note:
I'm certainly having fun researching about Russia as I write. Loving everything 3 times more than I did when I first started writing Chapter 1! XD
A friend said that the more languages and cultures you learn, the more things you will love. How true~
Anyways, this time we'll have a surprise guest. Enjoy!
【Chapter 9: наломать дров】
ー Nalomat' drov. ー
ー Mangle the firewood. ー
The Red Arrow, Moscow–Saint Petersburg Railway 1:12
There were three main ways to travel from Moscow to Saint Petersburgーby plane, by train or by bus. But as airports were far away from city centers, and because bus rides tended to be long and uncomfortable, trains had become the most popular and recommended way of transport. Such was Dorofei's explanation to Giorgio and Evan.
"I've checked your documents. Your skills will be a blessing to have," Dorofei had said. "My main research facility's located near Saint Petersburg. I was just planning to go and see how it's doing myself. Why don't you come to the city when you're ready for work? I'm sure you'll be amazed by what I have to show you!"
So Giorgio and Evan had agreed. Dorofei had kindly bought them their tickets as welcome gifts. One train they could ride was the high-speed train, the Sapsan, which would take only four hours of travel. But Dorofei's recommendation had been the Red Arrow, an overnight sleeper train with an eight-hour journey, departing from Moscow at midnight. This chance to ride Russia's most popular train was not to be missed!
Following that, after reporting to Aleksandr and Natalya about their progress, Giorgio and Evan had packed up immediately, boarding the Red Arrow the next night after the party at the Federation Towers.
An hour after the red train had left Moscow behind, the two were nicely settled down in their VIP car. It was a charming ride. The deep red of the seat and curtains accentuated the luxury of the Red Arrowーthe train which had carried elites since Soviet times. Their private compartment was quite spacious, containing sleeping berths, a table with refreshments, a television and a bathroom. To further increase the comfort, the car had a low noise level and a well-maintained ventilation system.
Evan sat next to the window, browsing through the travel brochures of Saint Petersburg that he had hurriedly swept up at Moscow's station upon departure. Giorgio, on the other hand, was busy with his final preparations. After making sure that a hidden camera, which he would later attach to the front pocket of his shirt, was working, he proceeded to contact a friend for aid.
"The boss owes me a free dinner for this surprise mission. I was having my winter holiday!" The voice of Agent Wesley Lambert of the VSSE could be heard complaining over Giorgio's phone.
"Guess there's no telling when you're required to save the world. Sorry for contacting you at the last second," Giorgio laughed. A sigh came from the other side.
"I guess it can't be helped, then. Count me in," Wesley said eagerly, successfully switching back to his optimistic work mode.
Wesley and Giorgio had grown to be close friends over the years, both agents being sophisticated individuals with a love for intelligent discussions. Wesley himself was one of the VSSE's smartest, holding a doctoral degree in engineeringーthe perfect person Giorgio could turn to in order to pretend to be an engineer while knowing next to nothing about the field.
Wesley agreed to provide support during their infiltration. With the plans made, Giorgio finished the call, tidying his things to rest for the night. Evan watched him, leaning back.
"I want to talk with Alan..." he said wistfully, thinking of Wesley's partner agent, who got along with him so easily due to their similarly playful nature and bright personalities.
"You can talk with him as much as you want when we get back. Just a little bit more before this mission's over," Giorgio assured him as he placed the last of his things back into his bag.
"Guess that's something to look forward to." Evan grinned. "So what plan did you and Wes come up with?"
"I give him a live feed and he tells me things that I don't know, so we can pretend that I'm a genius," Giorgio said lazily, shuffling into a relaxed position on his seat, "It would have been enough to just locate Smirnov's research facility, but infiltrating further to see what he's really up to would be great."
"Find out as much as possible and get out quickly. Okay," Evan confirmed. They had done the same at Sergei Volkov's base a while ago and made surprising discoveries. There was no telling what Dorofei might be hiding.
"Natalya did say that she managed to get the contact details of one of Dorofei's close friends at the partyーA doctor," Evan continued. "Volkov was sick. I wonder if Dorofei's sick, too. What's the rich man doing with a doctor?"
"Who knows." Giorgio shrugged. "Natalya's investigating him, so let's hope it yields something." He stood up and stretched, then opened and tidied his sleeping berth to get ready for bed. "By the way, how's your arm?"
Evan was reminded of his wounded left arm. It had been just a flesh wound, so it was recovering quite well. He swung his arm a little to test it.
"I don't think I can strain it much yet, but if it's just to support my aim, I should manage," he said. "If we have to split up, I can protect myself."
Giorgio wasn't really happy with the notion of having to split up, considering that it was the cause of Evan's wound in the first place. But they were so close and it was only the two of them searching a wide place. He studied Evan, who looked fearless as ever despite what happened.
"Just don't push yourself too hard. Retreat when you have to," Giorgio said, climbing into his berth. "Let's rest for now. Long day tomorrow."
Evan smiled, glad that Giorgio had decided to trust him.
"Good night."
Secret research facility, unknown island 9:44
The Red Arrow had arrived at Saint Petersburg as scheduled approximately an hour and a half ago. One of Dorofei's employees had been there to pick Giorgio and Evan up. They had then been escorted to a private helicopter, immediately flying towards a secret research facility located on an unknown island off the coast of Saint Petersburg, passing the Neva Bay.
Once they had arrived on the island, they had met up with one of Dorofei's twin bodyguards, who said that he would bring them to Dorofei. Hoping to learn a few things, Evan tried to chat the man up as they walked.
"I read up on Saint Petersburg on the way here. Nice city. If only we had come here in June, we'd have the chance to see the White Nights Festival..." he said regretfully.
"Yes," the bodyguard replied frankly, continuing to walk without looking at him or showing much interest.
"How about you? You're usually in Moscow. Have you ever gone to the festivals?" Evan asked excitedly.
"Yes."
"..." Evan stared at him quietly, discouraged by the emotionless and curt replies. Giorgio observed the man curiously.
The tall, bulky man seemed to be a man of few words. With his expressionless face, neither of them could tell what he was thinking behind his sunglasses. But the way he dressed and carried himself showed that he was a professional. Giorgio and Evan wondered if the coldness was just the way they did things here.
"Well," Evan tried again eventually, "At least tell me your name? I think we'll be seeing each other a lot. What should I call you?"
"Kuznetsov."
"...Mr. Kuznetsov. Alright..." Evan said.
Kuznetsov didn't seem interested in elaborating any further afterwards, so Evan decided to keep quiet, not wanting to get on the man's bad side by annoying him.
Kuznetsov had then left them with Dorofei, who had warmly welcomed them and brought them on a tour to see his research facility.
The building was large and had been built with a minimalist designーslick and clad in whites and grey, having a futuristic look. The first thing that Giorgio and Evan noticed was robots everywhere, much like in the gold mine factory. Evan ducked as a drone flew by, carrying building materials from room to room. Scientists and engineers stood about debating and discussing new structures to be made. In the wider areas, computers and robotic arms ran the production line.
Surprisingly for Giorgio and Evan, they had not spotted any battle androids being produced anywhere. Had Smirnov decided not to show them to new employees? Even so, the gigantic machines that the engineers were working on caught their attention.
"What's that, if I may ask?" Giorgio inquired, motioning to a mechanical, pillar-like cylindrical structure that occupied a large area in the middle of the room they were in. It went 3 stories high upwards almost reaching the roof of the facility, but it had also been built downwards through the floor.
Evan moved towards the railing surrounding it and peered down, seeing that it stretched over ten floors below ground. The walls surrounding the machine underground were open, and it was only fenced by waist-high railings such as on this floor. Lights and noises showed that there were activities being carried on underground as well.
"That's a supercomputer that we're currently developing," Dorofei answered Giorgio proudly, "It could be the future of the human race."
"...What does it do?" Giorgio asked again, his interest piqued. Dorofei remained quiet for awhile, before answering.
"I'd be very happy to tell you, Mr. Bardi. But I must apologize because its details are currently still confidential, shared only amongst the computer's engineering team," he said, "Shame really. Someone like you would've enjoyed listening to stories about it. But it's nearing completion, so I'll be sure to tell you when the time comes."
"Well, I'll look forward to that," Giorgio said, making a mental note about the computer but deciding not to push it for now. He then looked at his watch.
"Why, Mr. Smirnov, it's about lunch time. Do you mind if the three of us have lunch together?" Giorgio suggested.
"That's a pleasant idea. Why not?" Dorofei said, amused, "I certainly want to know more about the people I'll be working with!"
"Thanks, Mr. Smirnov." Giorgio nodded, then called out to Evan, who was still inspecting the supercomputer by the railings. "Jean, shall we?"
Evan, however, didn't respond to him. Instead, he swayed, his grip loosening on the railings as he slid down, falling weakly onto the floor.
"Jean!" Giorgio exclaimed, immediately rushing to him. Dorofei followed.
"Mr. Romée! What's wrong?" Dorofei asked, frowning worriedly as Giorgio pulled Evan into his arms.
"Anemia. This happens from time to time," Giorgio said. "Jean, you alright?"
"...Yeah," Evan said weakly. "I have my medicine with me. I should be fine if you let me lie down for awhile. Sorry for being a bother on the first day of work."
"Don't be silly. Your health comes first!" Dorofei said with care. "I'll get you a room. Just rest for today, alright?"
With that, Dorofei stood up and turned around, taking out his phone to ask for a room to be prepared. Evan looked up at Giorgio and winked quietly, glad that the little act they had put on had gone perfectly well.
It was a research facility, so the bed that Evan had been laid on in the small room wasn't the best. This wing of the facility seemed to serve as the workers' sleeping quarters. Since it was work hours, nobody was around outside. Perfect.
Giorgio had gone with Dorofei for lunch a while back, or, from their point of view, to dig up information from the man by interviewing him. Meanwhile, having successfully freed himself from everyone's attention for the day, Evan had his own task.
He sat up on his bed, unzipping his jacket to reveal his concealed gun. He popped out its magazine to make sure that it was fully loaded, before pushing it back in. Then he pulled a little medicine box out of his coat pocket, which, instead of pills, hid his earpiece. Evan placed it in his ear and contacted Aleksandr.
"Bernard here. We're in."
"Sokolov here. Good to hear that everything went smoothly. Continuing with Phase 2 of the operation. We're counting on you," Aleksandr replied.
"Alright. I'll call you again. Hope things go well," Evan said, before ending the call.
He then reached into his other coat pocket and took out a small GPS device, turning it on. Bending down, he carefully stuck it under his bed, watching it beep for a moment to make sure that it was functioning properly.
There. Aleksandr and the politsiya should be able to locate this secret research facility now. Time to move on to Phase 2.
Phase 1 was to locate Dorofei's base of operations. Phase 2 was to squeeze out as much intel as possible.
While Giorgio had gone to talk to Dorofei directly, Evan's job was to somehow find the facility's mainframe computer and connect Aleksandr to it, so he could hack into it and dig up all the information they needed.
Evan didn't see the mainframe during Dorofei's tour of the above ground levels, so he suspected that it was underground. Dorofei had not openly shown them the lower levels of the facility, making Evan wonder if the battle androids were down there, too. Only one way to find out, but alas, his search for an elevator or stairs that led underground was in vain.
Evan moved to avoid being spotted by another security camera as he walked, hiding in a blind spot behind a pillar. He sighed in irritation as he wondered where to look next. His gaze then trailed to the room where they had seen the supercomputer, which gave him an idea.
Smirking smugly, Evan quickly sneaked into the room. Grabbing one of the many thick and long cables that were strewn all over the floor, he quietly made his way to the railings around the supercomputer, peering down momentarilyーif by any chance he slipped, it would be a long fall to his death.
But work needed to be done quickly, so he fastened a part of the cable he was holding onto the railing and threw the rest down. He moved over to the other side of the railing and, holding his breath, grabbed tightly onto the cable and slid down.
Evan found it quite unfortunate that the cable's length had stopped short halfway before he could reach the lowest floor. As dropping down 5 stories by himself wasn't an option, he swung himself over the railings of the nearest floor he could reach, stumbling as he landed, but landing safely. He straightened himself, staying on alert in case there was anyone around.
Luckily for him, there wasn't. Instead, mechanical sounds from other sections of the floor resounded in the air. Evan wondered if this was another robot-run production floor. Seeing some light from an adjoining room, he decided to head that way. What he saw shocked him to the core.
A gigantic room spread before him, with numerous production lines putting together machines and weapons into humanoid forms. An army of the finished androids was being amassed at one section of the room, confirming the suspicions they had. They were mostly metallic skeletal frames, standing still and inactive. Evan quickly contacted Aleksandr.
"Lieutenant Sokolov. The android army! I'm seeing it!"
"Agent Bernard!" Aleksandr exclaimed. "Are you alright? Are they attacking you? I'll dispatch my men there immediately!"
"No, no! They seem to still be inactive. None of them are moving," Evan assured him. "Give Giorgio some more talking time before you send anyone here. I'll see what else I can find myself."
Aleksandr sighed in relief. "Alright. Just be careful."
"Okay," Evan replied with a nod. He turned around and was just about to explore the room further, but suddenly stopped dead in his tracks.
Kuznetsov had just entered from the other side of the huge room, black suit and sunglasses standing out in stark contrast against the white of the facility. Evan dived behind a pillar.
Kuznetsov stood across the room, looking over the railing to oversee how the production was going. Evan watched him carefully. He could hear a beep through his earpiece as Natalya came online.
"Agent Bernard."
"Busy," Evan whispered back.
"Urgent!"
Evan glanced back at Kuznetsov. He hadn't moved from his position, and was probably too far to hear or notice him.
"Fine, make it quick!" He told her.
"We just arrested the doctor whom I was investigating. He said that the 'Blacksmith' androids are already active around the facility and are protecting Smirnov. They seem to be more advanced than we thought, having the ability to quickly track down their targets. Careful if you see one and try not to get into a fight with them," she said hurriedly.
"I will. Thanks," Evan replied. "But first, I'll have to sneak past a certain Kuznetsov."
"...Who?" Natalya asked.
"Smirnov's bodyguard, Kuznetsov," Evan repeated. Natalya gasped in horror.
"'Kuznets'...! 'Blacksmith'!" Natalya exclaimed.
Evan's heart skipped a beat at the surprise. A stiff, emotionless voice suddenly spoke up from behind him.
"Mr. Romée, fancy finding you here. Are you lost?" said Kuznetsov. He didn't even give Evan a chance to reply as he continued, his mechanical arm opening up and transforming into a blaster.
"I'm afraid you've seen too much."
