"Inside Man"

Elliot-Mead Centre for Epidemiology, Toxicology and Virology

Staniek stepped out of the taxi. He paid the driver and walked towards two glass-panelled double doors, on the front of the immense whitewashed building in front of him. The chrome fronted doors and windows reflected the sunlight in a thousand different directions at once. A Japanese-inspired fountain trickled gently to one side, creating an oasis of calm in the heart of the big city. Staniek allowed himself a few moments to enjoy the serenity before walking ahead. Nothing less than being direct.

He approached the concrete behemoth in front of him and waited while the doors opened with a faint hum. The inside of the building was as impressive as the outside. Polished marble floors and pillars filled the vast atrium. In the centre like an island sat an oval reception desk complete with security guard. The walls were adorned with medically inspired art work. He stopped in front of a work he recognised, a print of Van Dyck's Saint Rosalie Interceding for the Plague-Stricken of Palermo. How far we have come he thought to himself. As if to reinforce this, the next image was a print of the DNA double-helix. Faith gives way to science. Such is the way of things.

Pulling himself away from the walls he walked towards the reception island, where a young, uniformed security guard sat looking bored. He looked up as Staniek approached.

"Can I help you?"

Staniek set down his case and loosened his scarf.

"Good morning. I am looking for a Dr Marco Cudicini please."

"Do you have an appointment?"

"No I don't. Do I need one?"

"Yes sir you do. This is a teaching centre as well as a research facility. All are staff are engaged in one way or another. You will have to arrange an appointment with Dr Cudicini himself, or we can request one for you. I'll need you to give me some details first. You know, procedures that need following."
"Of course."

"Do you have any contact details Mister?" He waited for Staniek to fill in the blanks.

"Molot. Dr Vanechka Molot."

"Hmm. Could you spell that for me please?"

"V-A-N-E-C-H-K-A, M-O-L-O-T."

"Great."said the guard in the casual, offhand American fashion that Staniek found amusing. "Well Dr Molot, thank you for your details and someone will be in touch. I'm sorry I can't be of any more help."

Staniek bent to pick up his case, waiting for the obligatory "Have a nice day,"

When it came he spoke to the guard again.

"Excuse me, but is there any chance you could call Dr Cudicini? I've travelled trans-Atlantic to see him, and I don't have his personal number."

"That's most irregular Doctor, we really do have to stick to the rules. Dr Cudicini himself helped write them. I don't think he'd be too happy if we broke them."

Staniek smiled ruefully to put the guard at ease. Was this the stereotypical minimum-wage rent-a-cop found in novels and films, or was he the real thing, a professional?

"Please, humour me." He flashed a warm smile at the receptionist who returned it before looking down at her keyboard. "If there is no answer or he tells you I have to book an appointment, I will, but please try. I don't want to waste any more of your time."

The guard looked at Staniek and then the receptionist. "Okay, but if he says no, you gotta go."

"Dobré."

The receptionist picked up the phone and dialled a number. After several rings she cradled the handset between her shoulder and head and looked at Staniek, "I'm afraid there's no... Oh hello Dr Cudicini, it's Janie at the front desk. I'm good, listen. I have a Dr Vanechka Molot here to see you, yes Vanechka, he..." she held the phone away from her ear momentarily "Thank you Dr Cudicini." She hung up and looked at Staniek.

"Ow! That hurt, that was so loud. Dr Molot, Dr Cudicini is on his way. He sounded very excited and said to book you straight in. Do you have any identification?"

Staniek produced a Lithuanian passport from his suit jacket and passed it over. The guard raised his eyebrows and gave Staniek the hard-eye.

"Oh" Janie said. "I didn't expect one of these."

Staniek cocked his head to one side, "It's legitimate."

The guard picked it up and examined it. "Sure looks like it to me. You'll forgive us both, but we don't get that many Lithuanian visitors."

"Not many at all and none of so regal a bearing as a matter of fact." A tenor voice reverberated in the atrium. "Of course translated, the name means the Kingly Hammer. A most appropriate name for one who seeks to destroy nasty little things such as viruses. A parental joke as well I recall, a pun on the old King's Evil. It has been a long time since I last heard the name. It's good to see you again Vanya."

Staniek turned, instantly recognising the voice, and the face."Marco Cudicini!"

The two men embraced.

Cudicini looked at the guard and receptionist and pointed to himself and Staniek "We studied together at Padua, Italy many, many years ago when his parents sent him there to the old seat of medical learning. He was extremely fortunate to be allowed to cross the lines those days. The stories I could tell you. When you said he was here, I could not believe my ears."

"I can't believe mine either. They're still ringing Dr Cudicini."Janie chimed in.

"I'm so sorry my dear, really I am. But, oh, how good to see you. No shadows this time?"

Staniek nodded. "No shadows, no followers, no inspections of the room. That's all gone."

Like any natural storyteller, Cudicini could not resist a captive audience. "Ha, we never did get into any trouble though did we? With the shadows around we always knew we'd be kept safe. Nobody dared mess with us, or them. Oh the things we got away with in those days. Wine, women song.."

"Studying."

"..Good food, studying yes, more wine, more women, more song. Not forgetting the obligatory meetings of the student Communist body, and the fun that entailed. Ha ha, oh to be that young again."

Aware of the looks he was receiving from the staff at the desks he added, "Vanya here had to do it. It was something of a rarity to be allowed to cross the Curtain in those days. We used to joke that he was allowed to join us because the big cheeses wanted to know what we were doing so they could improve their biological warfare programme!"

He allowed himself a chuckle, and was pleased that the two younger staff appreciated the joke.

"We thought they'd decided it was easier to send someone to study, than worry about spying! Naturally like any good Soviet citizen he was expected to show loyalty to the Revolution and encourage others. Back in those days, Italy was a hotbed of Communist sympathy after the Fascist era. Of course being extra curricular it provided many an opportunity for mischief I can tell you!"

Staniek smiled at the memory. He had chosen the name for two reasons, the first was as Cudicini had surmised, but the other was deliberately aimed at his controllers within the Kremlin. They had objected to the name on the grounds that it was unpatriotic, anti-revolutionary and imperialist, but in the end they had relented when he proposed the cover story and reasons for seeking to study. Again Cudicini had not been far from the truth, although the capabilities being enhanced were purely his own.

Intuitively aware of the changed mood Staniek put in a joke of his own. "So does this count as an official appointment?"

Cudicini's warm laughter was infectious, and neither Janie nor Evers could resist.

"I think so Vanya, I think so. Let's get you a pass printed. Janie, I'll be back for it. We're off to catch up."

Janie returned to her monitors, as Cudicini indicated to an adjacent office. Opening the door he allowed Staniek to step through first and then closed the door behind him.

"Good God man, you're in excellent shape. Let me look at you."

He turned Staniek's face to the side looking for cosmetic surgery scars. He found none.

"You've kept your youthful good looks after all this time. It must be nearly twenty-five years."

"Twenty-eight."

"Twenty-eight then. Have you discovered a cure for ageing that you haven't told me about?"

"Maybe. Those Soviet scientists were quite clever in their day."

"I shouldn't have expected anything more than that from you. So what's your current speciality?"

Staniek grinned. "Elimination."

Cudicini laughed. "Elimination? Ho- ho that's good. Who for, Pfizer? Bayer?"

"I work freelance contracts. If you can afford my services then I'll do the job. What about you?"

"Me? Oh I'm part of a senior panel of three doctors, and one of the two trustees of the centre. The other doctors are Toxicologist Douglas Stuart, and our finest Virologist Mikael Petrov. He too works freelance occasionally, alongside his teaching and research duties."

Staniek nodded. He already knew about the research conducted at the centre, Petrov's especially. Krannix had seen to that.

"Of course, I have heard of Dr Petrov. Enough shop for now Marco. I see Marianna is looking after you. A fine cook as always?" Staniek laughed gesturing at Cudicini's midriff.

Patting his stomach Cudicini laughed. "Of course. Never ceases to work culinary wonders that woman. Like her mother, and her mother before that. The old Italian heritage. Silvia inherited her mothers talent for cookery."

"And Mateo?"

"Mateo followed in my footsteps."

"He's a scientist too?"

"No he married a woman who can cook better than he!"

Tears of laughter rolled down both of their faces. "It's good to see you again Vanya. Now, what brings you to Chicago?"

"Looking up old friends Marco. Now that the Curtain is down and travelling is less restricted than it was a few years ago especially. The joys of the free market economy and the like; freedom is finally extending to all."

"You mean that although the Iron Curtain was gone the iron chains remained?"

"Da. My neighbours asked me what had changed when they saw the Berlin Wall come down. It took a long time to adjust, old friend, a long time. Still now I'm here, I intend to enjoy the new freedom I now have. Starting of course with spending some time here."

"Good. May I ask how long you intend to stay?" Cudicini asked.

"I'm not sure. A few weeks, a month perhaps. Certainly no longer than six weeks. It's a big world out there and I want to see as much of it as I can. Particularly the old enemy countries. See whether the old films were accurate or not."

Cudicini smiled at the last remark. "Well since you are here, forgive me for putting you on the spot like this, but do you still teach?"

Staniek paused and thought of DuBois. DuBois had certainly been taught a lesson, never cross the world's greatest assassin, and never, ever let anger or rage cloud your judgement.

He smiled again. "Not often."

"Then would you care to give a few guest lectures here? I'm sure that our students, staff and research fellows alike would be honoured to attend such a lecture, given by an esteemed a scientist as yourself."

Staniek thought for a few moments. Such an endeavour could leave him dangerously exposed. On the other hand, it could make Petrov's elimination easier. Win his trust, as he had DuBois'. Sometimes being conspicuous was the best camouflage available.
He shrugged. All operations carried a certain amount of risk. Why should this be any different?

"I would be honoured."