Chapter 40: Making Contact
"Alright, that's Ruse, just up ahead," John announced, a smile lining his face as he gestured to the city skyline that grew larger with each mile they covered. "And just beyond that lies the Romanian border."
"How much further do we have to travel before we're even in Romania John?" Ted was quick to ask as Cody and Randy continued to silently look out the windows.
"Ruse is located on the right bank of the Danube River, which serves as a natural border between Bulgaria and Romania. A bridge connects the city to Giurgiu, and because we'll be crossing from one country to another, expect some border security to check our papers and all the good stuff that comes with it," John calmly explained as they bypassed a sign that stated they had just crossed into the city limits. "Due to the good relations the countries have, the security should be pretty on the lax side."
"Well, if we were talking from a purely human standpoint that is," Randy quietly piped up. "The Romanian coven is strong and powerful enough to keep their own sets of eyes and ears at the border crossings if they wish."
"Considering how powerful Mr. S is within the coven, consider those border checkpoints watched and guarded, doubly so most likely," Cody added, shaking his head. "I can conjure up a large scale illusion that should give us some cover, but I can't make any promises that it'll be effective on every single vampire that's possibly on guard."
"Hmm, we should know more once we talk with my contact," John mumbled as he watched an 18 wheeler pass them by. "Shouldn't be long now."
"Where exactly are we meeting this contact of yours John?" Randy asked, turning his eyes to their smirking driver.
"We're meeting Kozlov deep in the downtown area, close to the bridge," He announced, a sudden thought coming to mind. "Um, when did you guys last feed?"
"We had a quick bite before we flew in from Copenhagen," Cody announced. "We all agreed that we wouldn't feed again until we were deep in Romanian territory."
"Hmm, makes sense. . ."
They fell silent after that, watching the scenery pass them by as they traveled deeper into the city. Eventually, John pulled the car off the highway and into the heart of the downtown area. Due to how late into the night it was, the streets were mostly empty as the four took in the mix of old architecture styles that lined the streets.
After driving a couple miles along one of the city's largest boulevards, John smirked as he found the street they were looking for. He turned the car into a quiet one way stretch of road driving it all the way to the street's dead end before putting it in park right in front of the brick wall, close to where the dead end sign was written in Bulgarian.
"Where exactly are we meeting your contact again John?" Ted was quick to ask as he looked around the block they were parked in. Despite it being a dead end, the block did have its share of businesses, including a Chinese restaurant that was just closing up, a gym, a thrift shop, and a bike depot.
"The gym on the corner," said John as he jutted his thumb to said establishment. "Kozlov's day job is as an investor and businessman who specializes in gyms, saunas, and spas within the Eastern European market. He makes quite a lot of dough in that area."
"And yet he also serves as an informant for you?" Randy asked as John cut the engine. "How in the world did you manage to snag him as a contact?"
"I first met him while I was working a solo mission in his native Kiev . . . He hired the organization to look into some potential business partners of his that he didn't entirely trust, and I got tasked with the job."
"So, he hired you to do an in-depth background check, pretty much?" Cody asked, smirking despite himself.
"Yeah, and boy, what I found was a doozy," John grumbled as the four exited the vehicle. "Most of the people turned out okay, but two ended up having way too many dealings with a hardcore crime ring based in Paris and Lyon."
"The same ring at the center of the Lumiere Moon Case?" Ted asked.
"The same exact one," John mumbled, shaking his head at the memory. "We had been trying to find a way into that werewolf-run cesspit ever since we found out that they had a huge stake in the Almada human trafficking ring over in Portugal. . . Kozlov's suspicion ended up being that way in."
"I remember that case," Randy mused as John started leading them forward. "That werewolf crime ring ended up being taken down for good as a result of your findings. The trafficking ring . . . not so much."
"You don't have to tell me twice. . . Sure, we managed to put a big dent in those operations, but we couldn't cut it down at the source. They move their operations too much, too quickly, and have only gotten stronger since they were originally taken down a peg."
"I heard that they've focused less on human trafficking since the takedown mission took place," Ted mumbled as John guided them into the alleyway that separated the gym from the Chinese restaurant.
"They have, but in its place, the ones behind the Almada syndicate have branched to other . . . business ventures," John mumbled. "But enough about the Almadas! That's for another day . . . We have another issue to worry about after all."
"Hmm, I hope Kozlov doesn't mind having a few late night visitors," Ted mused as they came to a stop at the gym's side door.
"Considering what I've already done for him, he shouldn't," John grumbled as he tapped his knuckles along the metal surface. He took a step back when he was done, the three vampires ears perking up when they heard the sound of footsteps approaching from inside.
Soon enough, the door slowly swung open to reveal a tall, stocky man that looked at John curiously before turning his gaze more harshly on his three companions. While Ted and Cody kept their eyes on the man's face, Randy was more willing to size him up, letting his blue eyes move up and down his body before stopping to look him eye to eye.
"May I help you?" the man asked, raising his eyebrows as he looked around the group.
"It's me Kozlov," John announced, taking his pendant off quick enough to reveal his true self before putting it back on. "It's good to see you again."
"Huh, it's been a while Cena. . ." said the man, his English dampened by his Ukrainian accent.
"Likewise Kozlov," John conceded as he stretched out his hand, smirking when Kozlov finally shook it after some hesitation. "I believe you have some information for me and my team."
"I do, but it's best if we don't speak out here . . . Come on, we can talk inside."
"Is this a standard gym, or does it specialize in a specific category?" Cody decided to ask, cutting into the silence as the four stepped inside the building.
"This gym specializes in combat sports, mainly boxing and wrestling. That's why you see all the rings around the place," Kozlov was quick to say as he led them to the back. ". . . Anyway, my business plans are not what you're here to discuss."
"Not exactly . . ." John mumbled, managing to sound a little guilty as they entered the office, which was surprisingly big enough to fit all five of them comfortably. "I believe you have some information for us."
"I do, but let me just say, you guys have gotten yourselves into some real serious shit if the Romanian coven is asking the Bulgarians to keep a closer eye on their border checkpoints." Kozlov mumbled as he sat down at the lone desk within the room.
"The Romanians did what now?" Ted asked, his eyes widening in disbelief. "They've managed to convince the Bulgarians to help them out in their dirty work?"
"It's not like they're actively looking for you four," Kozlov pointed out as he started typing away as he turned on his computer. "Apparently, the Romanians thought it would be a good idea to warn the Bulgarians, and all the other neighboring covens for that matter, to watch their country's border checkpoints for any strange activity tonight. . . Since it's the Romanians that are taking the lead on this, all possible information that results from these heightened watches will go straight to them."
"Relations between covens can vary from country to country, but the Romanians have been doing their due diligence on strengthening their relations with their neighbors over these past few years." Kozlov mumbled. "None of the other covens questioned the warning, so I suggest you keep your eyes out when you cross the bridge."
"We'll keep that in mind," Randy mumbled, shaking his head. "So, what else did you manage to find out?"
"Well, once John made contact with me and filled me in on what was happening, I had to cash some favors I had in Romania to get any info, but I managed to get something." The Ukrainian mumbled as he pulled up a file.
"What did you manage to find out?" Cody asked.
"I have an old contact who works as a guard at the Romanians' main HQ. He managed to overhear Mr. S talking on his phone while he was waiting for his ride home earlier tonight," Kozlov explained. "Apparently, they've moved your girls."
"Moved them?" Ted asked as both Randy and Cody stood up a little bit straighter. "Moved them where?!"
"That. . . I'm not exactly sure," Kozlov quietly mumbled as he turned his computer screen around, revealing to the four men what was displayed on screen: a map of Bucharest and its surrounding areas, with certain areas being highlighted by red dots. "What you all are seeing right now are all the places within Bucharest that are owned by the Romanian coven."
"Damn that's a lot!" Cody grumbled. "Do you know which ones are owned by the coven and which are owned specifically by Mr. S and his family?"
"No; they don't make any such distinctions when cataloguing the properties. As long as it's owned by either a member of the coven or the coven itself, it's categorized the same way."
"And let me guess . . . They don't specify who exactly owns what in the paperwork?" Randy asked, slightly irritated with the situation.
"Nope; if a member buys a piece of property, all they have to do is let the coven know and that's it." Kozlov mumbled, shaking his head. "And please, don't get me started on the map of the entire country. . . Gave me a headache just by looking at it."
"Crap, we're trying to find three needles in a very expansive haystack," Cody mumbled, shaking his head. "Is there any way we can lessen the search grid?"
"Luckily for you, you can," Kozlov mumbled as he turned his screen back to himself. "Like I mentioned before, I had to cash in some favors . . . Some pretty big favors."
"Vlad, what exactly did you do?" John asked as he watched the man take out an envelope from within the desk.
"One of my contacts in Romania knows another guy that works within one of the coven's regional offices as a programmer. In my hands is the credentials that he uses to get into the coven's main database," The businessman announced as he handed the envelope to John. "You'll have to use it quickly though. For security reasons, the Romanians have their workers - except for the executive members - change their security credentials every two weeks. The next time they change them is tomorrow at noon. Try to use it after that time, and, well, you're out of luck."
"Well, can't we just access their database with the computer we have right here?" Ted asked, pointing to the computer.
"If only things were that easy," Kozlov mumbled as he shut the device down. "The Romanian Coven's database is spread out only to computers that are active and registered within their official buildings and offices. If you try to access the database with an unregistered computer, you will only earn yourself the attention of their extensive security team, and trust me, they are very good at tracking their targets down."
"Alright, we need to find a coven office, access a computer there, scan their files till we get what we want, and do it all before noon tomorrow while also avoiding Romanian suspicion . . . Should be easy enough," Randy mumbled. "You wouldn't happen to know where the nearest coven office in Romania is would you?"
"There's an outpost in the northern outskirts of Giurgiu, but it'll likely be outfitted with security at this point. . . Your next possible option is in Bucharest itself."
"With so many heavy hitters converging on Bucharest for their coven meeting, that city is too dangerous an option to consider with the little information we currently have," Cody pointed out, shaking his head. "Giurgiu is our best shot at this point."
"It's not going to be easy getting in there," Ted mumbled, his eyes moving to the Ukrainian. "You wouldn't happen to have schematics for the outpost stored away in this room somewhere do you?"
"Sorry, can't help you there. Building schematics are something that the Romanians are very keen on protecting for the sake of their security," Kozlov mumbled as he got up from his seat. "I can give you directions to the place, but other than, you're on your own."
"Hmm, we're used to it. . ." Randy mumbled as he stepped out of the office, Ted and Cody following suit as John lingered behind with Vladimir.
"We're really gonna have to up our stealth game if we want to make sure we get in and out of that outpost undetected," Cody mumbled.
"We have infiltrated buildings undetected before, and we can certainly do it again," Ted reminded them, smirking as he crossed his arms over his chest. "For both of your sakes, we just have to."
"We didn't need the reminder Ted," Randy quipped as the three neared the exit. ". . . Even if you made a good point."
". . . I didn't hear that!" Ted quipped back, playing deaf as he looked around like he was searching for something in the distance. "Did you just say that I made a good point?"
"Oh stop it. . ." Cody grumbled, smirking as he punched Ted in the arm while Randy led them outside. Though he didn't show it, even he was receptive to Ted's sudden burst of humor, seeing it as a good way to cut into the tension that had built over the past few minutes.
The three waited by the car as John finished talking to Kozlov inside. Eventually, the two emerged, shook hands, and separated, with John moving toward the car's driver seat while Vlad went back inside.
"Done catching up on old times Johnnie Boy?" Randy dared to ask as the four entered the vehicle.
"Vlad was simply griping at me for all the favors he had to cash in for our benefit. That's all . . ." John mumbled, but it was obvious to the three vampires that the man was lying. ". . . You guys don't believe me do you?"
"Not in the slightest. . ." Cody mumbled as John put the key into the ignition. "Care to enlighten us?"
"I will, once we're at the outpost. For now, sit back, relax, and watch out for anyone that looks like they're possibly a part of a vampiric security force," John mumbled as he took out a sheet of paper and handed it to Randy. "Here, those are the directions that will take us from here to the outpost. You direct while I drive."
A/N: Please review!