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Crouching Tiger: Chapter 6
By Marissa
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"We are now boarding flight 622, non-stop to Moscow."
Mac gathered her belongings and went to board the plane. She was now on the final leg of her journey.
A tall, brown-haired man soon filled the seat next to her. "Hello," he said pleasantly in Russia.
Mac smiled back at him and also answered in Russian. "Hello."
"What brings you to Russia?" he asked Mac in perfectly unaccented American English.
Mac tried to no avail to wipe the shocked look off her face. "How'd you know?" People had always commented on her slight accent when she spoke Farsi, but she had always assumed that her Russian was flawless.
The man shook her head. "It wasn't your accent. I'm just good at picking up on small details. To be honest, if it wasn't for your shoes, you could've fooled me."
Mac glanced down at her Nike sneakers and mentally made a note to change them as soon as possible. "I'm Sarah," she said.
"Alex," the man replied, shaking her outstretched hand. "So, what is a beautiful American woman like you doing going to Moscow?"
"I'm on my way to meet a friend."
Alex nodded. "He must be a happy man knowing that you're visiting him."
"I hope so," Mac replied softly, her features clouding for a moment. "What do you do Alex?" Mac asked, eager to change the subject.
"I'm a writer for Moscow's Moskovskie Novosti. You?"
"I'm a lawyer."
"Ahhh. There are many of those in America I hear."
"Yes, quite a few."
Mac talked with Alex for the majority of the flight, mostly about Russia and a few current events. Mac was amazed at how fast the time went and before long the plane was touching down in Moscow.
"Well Sarah, it was nice talking to you and enjoy your time in Moscow."
"It was nice to meet you too Alex."
Alex handed Mac a small slip of paper. "Here's my number. Don't hesitate to call me if you need anything. I'm free for dinner any time as well."
Before Mac could reply Alex was gone. She smiled to herself. The people she met sometimes....
Mac took a taxi to the Hotel Metropol Moscow, located in downtown Moscow. After she was shown to her suite, she quickly stripped off her clothes and took a hot shower. Once she was through she sat down on the bed a dialed Webb. The phone rang until the answering machine picked up, but Mac hung up the receiver before leaving a message. That done, she quickly settled down for a long nap.
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Harm sat in a small café near Red Square reading a local newspaper. He had less than a week left in Russia before his agency would force him to leave.
The RVS had informed him yesterday that he would be spending the rest of his life in the British Virgin Isles. There he would have a small house and a steady, but rather small income. It wasn't a bad way to spend the rest of his days, but for some reason it didn't satisfy Harm.
He was an outsider, stuck between two worlds. In one world, he was Harm Rabb Jr., wanted for espionage and doomed to spend time in prison. In the other world, he was Ivan Arkadeyevick, a former spy with no future, forced to live out the rest of his days alone in the Virgin Isles.
Harm sighed and got up to leave. Some person he was to be with. Ever since returning to Russia he had done nothing but mope around. Harm shook his head. Enough of feeling sorry for himself. Today he had decided to go site seeing. It had been many years since he'd been to Russia simply for pleasure, and the way things were looking, it probably wouldn't happen again for a very long time.
Well, Harm thought, here goes nothing.
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Mac awoke and had a moment of panic until she remembered where she was. She glanced at the clock and saw that it was only eleven in the morning. She picked up the phone and tried once again to call Clayton Webb. This time it went though.
"Webb."
"Webb, this is Mac."
"Mac? Where are you?"
"I'm in Moscow."
Mac could hear the agent sigh. "So what now?"
"I need to meet with one of your contacts. Preferably someone who knows something."
"Do you have any idea how much you're going to owe me after this?" Clayton asked her. "I actually just got some information today from one of our insiders. I'll see what I can do."
Mac gave him the number of where to reach her then sat back and waited. Nearly an hour had passed when the phone rang.
"Webb?" Mac asked.
"Okay, it took some coaxing, but she'll meet you in the Public Library at three. I assume that you can find where that is."
"Thanks Webb."
"Don't thank me, I'm just doing my job. Now go do yours."
Mac hung up the phone and called the front desk for a cab. She then changed her clothes, making sure to not wear her Nike tennis shoes. Once that was completed, she went down to the front lobby and onto the street where her taxi was waiting.
"To the Public Library please," she said to the driver in Russian.
It began to lightly rain as the car pulled up in front of the library. Mac had no sooner stepped inside the library than the rain began to really pour.
The inside of the building was warm and musty smelling. Mac glanced at the clock on the wall. It was only two and that meant that she had an hour before this "contact" was going to meet her.
Mac found a newspaper and sat down on a chair close to the entrance and began to read.
"Is this seat taken?" a voice asked in Russian.
Mac looked up to find a gorgeous blond woman staring intently at her. "No, please." Mac responded, gesturing to the chair next to her.
The blond woman sat down next to Mac and immediately dropped her voice. "The information you seek is in the large print volume of War and Peace. I hope that it will help you."
As quickly as she appeared, the blond woman was gone and Mac went off to find the War and Peace novel that she had spoken of. The book was in an out of the way spot in the very back of the library. When Mac pulled it from the shelf a large file fell out. She took the book and the file and retreated to a small table in the corner. Once she was settled, Mac opened the file and began to read.
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Crouching Tiger: Chapter 6
By Marissa
XxXxXxXxXxX
"We are now boarding flight 622, non-stop to Moscow."
Mac gathered her belongings and went to board the plane. She was now on the final leg of her journey.
A tall, brown-haired man soon filled the seat next to her. "Hello," he said pleasantly in Russia.
Mac smiled back at him and also answered in Russian. "Hello."
"What brings you to Russia?" he asked Mac in perfectly unaccented American English.
Mac tried to no avail to wipe the shocked look off her face. "How'd you know?" People had always commented on her slight accent when she spoke Farsi, but she had always assumed that her Russian was flawless.
The man shook her head. "It wasn't your accent. I'm just good at picking up on small details. To be honest, if it wasn't for your shoes, you could've fooled me."
Mac glanced down at her Nike sneakers and mentally made a note to change them as soon as possible. "I'm Sarah," she said.
"Alex," the man replied, shaking her outstretched hand. "So, what is a beautiful American woman like you doing going to Moscow?"
"I'm on my way to meet a friend."
Alex nodded. "He must be a happy man knowing that you're visiting him."
"I hope so," Mac replied softly, her features clouding for a moment. "What do you do Alex?" Mac asked, eager to change the subject.
"I'm a writer for Moscow's Moskovskie Novosti. You?"
"I'm a lawyer."
"Ahhh. There are many of those in America I hear."
"Yes, quite a few."
Mac talked with Alex for the majority of the flight, mostly about Russia and a few current events. Mac was amazed at how fast the time went and before long the plane was touching down in Moscow.
"Well Sarah, it was nice talking to you and enjoy your time in Moscow."
"It was nice to meet you too Alex."
Alex handed Mac a small slip of paper. "Here's my number. Don't hesitate to call me if you need anything. I'm free for dinner any time as well."
Before Mac could reply Alex was gone. She smiled to herself. The people she met sometimes....
Mac took a taxi to the Hotel Metropol Moscow, located in downtown Moscow. After she was shown to her suite, she quickly stripped off her clothes and took a hot shower. Once she was through she sat down on the bed a dialed Webb. The phone rang until the answering machine picked up, but Mac hung up the receiver before leaving a message. That done, she quickly settled down for a long nap.
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
Harm sat in a small café near Red Square reading a local newspaper. He had less than a week left in Russia before his agency would force him to leave.
The RVS had informed him yesterday that he would be spending the rest of his life in the British Virgin Isles. There he would have a small house and a steady, but rather small income. It wasn't a bad way to spend the rest of his days, but for some reason it didn't satisfy Harm.
He was an outsider, stuck between two worlds. In one world, he was Harm Rabb Jr., wanted for espionage and doomed to spend time in prison. In the other world, he was Ivan Arkadeyevick, a former spy with no future, forced to live out the rest of his days alone in the Virgin Isles.
Harm sighed and got up to leave. Some person he was to be with. Ever since returning to Russia he had done nothing but mope around. Harm shook his head. Enough of feeling sorry for himself. Today he had decided to go site seeing. It had been many years since he'd been to Russia simply for pleasure, and the way things were looking, it probably wouldn't happen again for a very long time.
Well, Harm thought, here goes nothing.
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
Mac awoke and had a moment of panic until she remembered where she was. She glanced at the clock and saw that it was only eleven in the morning. She picked up the phone and tried once again to call Clayton Webb. This time it went though.
"Webb."
"Webb, this is Mac."
"Mac? Where are you?"
"I'm in Moscow."
Mac could hear the agent sigh. "So what now?"
"I need to meet with one of your contacts. Preferably someone who knows something."
"Do you have any idea how much you're going to owe me after this?" Clayton asked her. "I actually just got some information today from one of our insiders. I'll see what I can do."
Mac gave him the number of where to reach her then sat back and waited. Nearly an hour had passed when the phone rang.
"Webb?" Mac asked.
"Okay, it took some coaxing, but she'll meet you in the Public Library at three. I assume that you can find where that is."
"Thanks Webb."
"Don't thank me, I'm just doing my job. Now go do yours."
Mac hung up the phone and called the front desk for a cab. She then changed her clothes, making sure to not wear her Nike tennis shoes. Once that was completed, she went down to the front lobby and onto the street where her taxi was waiting.
"To the Public Library please," she said to the driver in Russian.
It began to lightly rain as the car pulled up in front of the library. Mac had no sooner stepped inside the library than the rain began to really pour.
The inside of the building was warm and musty smelling. Mac glanced at the clock on the wall. It was only two and that meant that she had an hour before this "contact" was going to meet her.
Mac found a newspaper and sat down on a chair close to the entrance and began to read.
"Is this seat taken?" a voice asked in Russian.
Mac looked up to find a gorgeous blond woman staring intently at her. "No, please." Mac responded, gesturing to the chair next to her.
The blond woman sat down next to Mac and immediately dropped her voice. "The information you seek is in the large print volume of War and Peace. I hope that it will help you."
As quickly as she appeared, the blond woman was gone and Mac went off to find the War and Peace novel that she had spoken of. The book was in an out of the way spot in the very back of the library. When Mac pulled it from the shelf a large file fell out. She took the book and the file and retreated to a small table in the corner. Once she was settled, Mac opened the file and began to read.
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