Destiny's Puppets. Henri Mallet
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Gleb’s acquaintances cooperating with us. It’s up to you how to use them. You do realize that using any medication during this operation is not allowed. The impregnation must occur naturally and the pregnancy must continue as normally as possible. We need a healthy child. Think what else you might need and you will make a request. There is no time at all, go straight to the archive, and if you have any questions, then, since you need to act as quickly as possible, immediately contact me directly,» General Yershov slightly bowed his head and became like a predator that hunts.
Major Lazarev nodded slightly, “yes, you will not get bored.” But it’s true, he already wanted, as soon as possible, to be in the archive and in the pile of documents and dossiers to start looking for a solution to such an unusual problem.
2
Going along the corridor to the stairs Major Lazarev suddenly remembered when he was a kid his nanny Agatha told him fairytales about magic castles, countless treasures, kings, evil trolls and beautiful princesses. Enraptured, he was listening to these stories, holding his breath and wrapping himself up in a blanket, up to his nose. When Agatha turned off the light and left the room, he closed his eyes and pictured himself riding a beautiful white horse on a green lawn in front of an ancient castle where he was to meet a fair princess and kiss her. Afterwards they would walk in the park surrounding the castle, holding hands. If any trolls tried to capture the princess, he would instinctively fight with the nasty beast and save her. Anatoly realized suddenly he was grinning from ear to ear. In the building on Dzerzhinsky square such a smile among colleagues could cause, at least, bewilderment. He forced himself to focus on work, namely, princes and princesses, as strange as it may sound.
Speculating in this manner, Anatoly reached the archive. He produced his ID and permit to the security guard and waited for the arrival of the assigned employee. He did not have to wait long. The door opened: a quite tall woman of indefinite age was standing in the doorway wearing a figure-hugging uniform coat. She had a narrow ratty face and her light hair was done in a topknot. The cold look in her bleak eyes seemed to pierce right through him. Her beautifully curved lips failed to improve the first impression, but when she began talking, her voice turned out to be deep and pleasant.
«Good afternoon, Major Lazarev. I am Major Matilda Pokrovsky. You can call me Major Pokrovsky or just Matilda,» she said as she smiled and motioned to the door. Her eyes seemed to be scanning the figure and the face of the handsome major.
«Good afternoon, Major,» nodded Anatoly politely, «мay I just call you Matilda, and you can call me Anatoly.»
«Oh, you are like the others, you think that "Major Matilda" sounds like a lame joke?» she giggled.
On hearing these words Lazarev felt a sudden urge to give her a smack on the shoulder and laugh out loud. He followed the archivist to a small room where a security guard checked his ID and permit once again. Major Lazarev had to produce his documents two more times. It seemed to him that they were walking along countless corridors and staircases for ages.
«Here we are,» Matilda stopped with an expectant expression.
Major Lazarev had to produce his documents once again and the guard let them into the storage bay, whose door was very similar to the safe door from gangster movies.
«I’ve already prepared the documents for you. These are the dossiers of the citizens cooperating with us,» Matilda pointed to two big piles on the shelf, «this is citizen Roshin’s file, this one is Svetlov’s, his family and relatives. And these are the dossiers of the girls of aristocratic origin. What would you like to begin with?»
«Thanks for the prepared materials,» Major Lazarev nodded, «let’s begin with Gleb Svetlov.»
The woman moved over the chair for Anatoly, sat down on the next chair and opened one of the files.
«Would you like me to give a summary or do you prefer to deal with the file on your own?»
«Yes, please, run me through Gleb’s biography. This will help us speed up the process.»
Anatoly kept on asking questions and Matilda answered them. They studied dossier after dossier. A lot of time had passed before Lazarev realized that he was very hungry. A plan had already formed in his head.
«Let’s stop here. If I need something else, I will let you know. Please, prepare the data about these people,» Major Lazarev handed her a scrap of paper with some names. He got up, waited until Matilda closed the files and piled them up on the table. Then he stepped towards the door through which they had entered.
«Okay, Anatoly, I’ll get ready everything and the files with the data will be on your table in about an hour. Let me walk you out.»
3
Bang! Bang! Bang! The sound of pistol shots ricochet around the semi-basement that housed a well-equipped shooting range. The walls and the ceiling had soundproof panels and the floor had thick rubber sheets. The lamps on the ceiling made the place look a bit like a tunnel. Thick metal sheets called baffle plates were seen far in the distance and in front of the target holders. The smell of burnt gunpowder, gun firearm and rubber never left the shooting range.
Major Lazarev was standing in the pistol shooting section. He placed the rotating targets at a 10-meter distance and was practicing speed shooting. He has loved shooting since he was a kid and was very good at it. His favorite weapon was a Walther PPK. Therefore, when it was necessary to think over something important or came across a difficult task that required all his strength and knowledge from Anatoly Lazarev, he went to the shooting gallery, pondered there, and found his brilliant ideas and solutions, and gave preference to this particular weapon.
The shooting process made him concentrate and forget about everything around him; he heard and saw nothing. The world around him shrank and turned into a narrow cone, whose end stopped at the spot on the target and his own heartbeat was the only sound he could hear. And when the head was freed from all extraneous loads, then he loaded his task. The brain obediently began to free from the depths of memory the options suitable for solving, and then analyzing one by one, he left only the best in consciousness.
Major Lazarev reloaded the gun and stood at the ready. He saw that the targets had started to rotate and pulled the trigger. Bang! Bang! Bang! It was the fifth round and, laying the gun down, Anatoly Lazarev began examining the targets. He was pleased and complimented himself with satisfaction.
Just yesterday he was bathing in the sea and basking in the sun. He loved resting in the KGB sanatorium among palms and manicured lawns, but he soon got tired of doing nothing. When the communications officer found him on the beach and sent forward an order to break off his vacation and return to Moscow promptly, Anatoly gladly complied. The same officer took him to the airport and Major Lazarev took the first flight to the capital city. At the Moscow airport the Committee car was already waiting for him.
The sun illuminated only the roofs of Moscow houses, but from the western side, plunging the city streets into a kingdom of violet, reddish and bronze shades with emerald shadows. The day was drawing to a close. The hubbub of the birds fell silent, and in large flocks they settled on the roofs and trees for the night. On the vibrant and bustling city streets the smell of doughnuts was mingled with the odor of fallen leaves and the whiff of car fumes.
Major Lazarev was sitting in the spacious, but uncomfortable office of his boss. It was already his second visit there today, but there was now a file with the documents and the plan for the new mission on the table in front of him. Anatoly was describing his project of the fetation of the Crown Prince or Princess, and was supporting every stage of this plan with arguments and details. Usually, it was impossible to understand what was going on in the general’s head judging solely by his expression, but Anatoly Lazarev saw a tiny sliver of a smile one of approval. It was well known in the office that General Yershov was not capable of smiling, but it was obvious that the general liked his plan. Moreover, he had given Anatoly a free hand, limiting his discretion in no way.
«Larisa Panko belongs to European nobility; she has nice looks and good manners. She is ambitious, wilful and determined. She and Gleb work in the same theatre “Youth”. They are friends, and, what is more, they were once seen kissing. Larisa has already