Chapter 42

The portal to Woodland was open and we used it to get to the other portal to the barn on my farm. A chain gate lead to my parents home. When I arrived they smiled and came to me. I could not hear their minds very well so they had not progressed that far. With my arms I got them to follow me the way I had come until we were in Albany, Georgia.

I said, "Hi, Mom, Dad. I bought a house here and you can use it. Just use cash all the time."

"Where are we, Hugh."

"Sorry. Albany, Georgia. Only an hour or so from Florida. Let's go meet our relatives."

Mom said hotly, "I can't go like this. I look a mess."

"You should go the way you are."

"But I have lots of photos to show them and the albums are at home."

"Then let's go get them. Little Tom can speak with his mind but you two are not at that stage yet. Nobody else knows anything about silver apart from a portal I bought from them. It was a lot like ours but it goes to a different world."

Mom and Dad were stunned but I got them to turn around and we went back again. Mom dug out all of our photo albums and got her camera. Dad and I did the carrying like any good draught animals would.

From our hotel we got into the rental car and we arrived at the house. Without saying a word the Brophys, they knew who they were. There was mass hugging and kissing from what should be complete strangers.

I ordered buckets and buckets of chicken and the fixings so nobody had to cook and we visited. When Martha said, "Where are you staying?" I had to speak first.

"They were going to stay at my motel."

"You will do no such thing! You'll stay here with us. This house is big and there's lots of room."

We sat and talked and tried to get my own family to go if they wanted but mostly they wanted to stay. The girls were listening about my past and this seemed to be important to them and they listened carefully.

Caiti though took Camsa away and brought Gail, Rebecca, and John Jr. with them. It now looked like two girls were going to try something neat with a headband and a coin.

The pictures were gone through and family traits were picked out if they were there or not. It was the oldest pictures that were of the same family that were the most interesting.

Before it got dark we went out to see what was left of a large plantation. Much of it had been sold off over the years but there was still a good sized farm left.

I managed to whisper to Mom, "What about the store Monday morning?"

"I better go back and make arrangements. I'd like to stay here a week of so."

Mom did go back to her house. Instead of using the phone, she drove over to some other relatives and put the burden on them for a week. When she came back, she packed clothes to suit the weather. I threw a pack of hundreds into the suitcase and Mom opened her mouth to yell at me but then closed it again.

When we got back to Albany I said, "If I'm not here, fly to Buffalo. Don't fly to Toronto. You'd need a passport. Go across the border in a bus or a taxi."

"I'll remember."

The next day was Monday and we were making our preparations to leave. The portal and the parts that went with it were now in Woodland. Dad was going to get the rental car and pay the milage. This way the two of them could get around.

I had not gone after the Marine Depot simply because it was too close to my new home. The city was small enough that all newcomers would be suspect.

Dad and Seth went over to my house and they watched the alarm people put in the best system money could buy. After that the decorator would have an allowance to decorate some of the house. The rest would be done by the family to their own tastes.

We waited until Gwen and the kids came home and we had a final meal. There was a tearful farewell and then Dad drove us to my house where we took the gate to London.

I phoned Reynolds and found that the engines had not been damaged. Cabot, the Engineer, was working on changing the screws and installing an external sump for each of the engines.

Reynolds had located a couple of tankers for sale. Both were small and fairly cheap so I instructed him to purchase both. They had to go through a refit because this kind of work would not be available in Bejek. The hoses, booms, and a helicopter deck would have to be put on. The latter was what military oilers had.

The crew had found seven more men that fit my criteria but I had to vet them before they could join my motley crew. The Captain and even Morgan had not spilled the beans though I had them watched.

Bakhtin was doing better. More of the cargo for the container ship was readied. It was mostly ammunition and weapons. They would still be in port for at least another two weeks. The frigate that cost me so much was now costing me more as the mob found one way or another to wring more money from Bakhtin and thus me. The patrol ship was ready to go and even had some half way serious weapons hidden below deck. If I wanted the ships out of there I would have to go and get them.

Getting to Russia proved to be a little difficult. I left the details to my travel agent, Bakhtin. He had to provide the papers under a new identity. We could not take guns but we took our silver including the portal which now had a painting in it and a piece of wood behind it as camouflage.

We flew to Montreal and stayed overnight but the next day we were on a commercial flight to Odessa, Ukraine. We stopped over in Spain for a few hours then we only stopped once in Milan. We had no guns with us naturally but we were allowed to keep our silver jewellery after it was registered.

Bakhtin had provided visas for us but they were forged. They were enough for us to get through customs. Osston for the first time was able to use the icon that translated though we could not reply in the same language.

With some American cash, I was able to find a pilot willing to take us to Mariupo. This was an industrial city on the north shore of the Sea of Azov. Rustov on Don was only a hundred and fifty klicks away.

We rented a car after a good night's sleep. The border with Russia was only fifty klicks away. Bakhtin's fake papers got us through the frontier but there was a lot of questions and we had to cool our heals for two hours. We had no weapons but the lightning gun and we did not want to use that. The men were just doing their jobs the way they should.

Part of the problem was Camsa and Caiti's ages. We had papers for this but they still had to be checked and then checked again. It was only after we were questioned separately and our stories matched that we were allowed through.

The trip to Rostov was only an hour more. We registered in a good hotel then went looking for Tverdislav Lobodin. Finding a good map of the city was not hard. Finding the Cyrillic names was not easy at all. I bit back on my pride and found the streets by asking a person at the desk. Other addresses were given and I used a pencil to mark them out.

We took taxis to the dock and saw the frigate for the first time. The vessel simply took my breath away. The ships were very modern. One private person had finagled his way to purchasing the bare hull after Russia fell apart. He was going to sell it to a country the same way other large countries sold their weapons. Bakhtin, of course, was not considered a country and I now worried even more that they would try to stiff him and me for the hundred and fifty million we had already put down.

The frigate had cost 208 million and the patrol ship another 27. Armaments was supposed to be an additional 130 million but was now 50 million more. The total cost was up to 415 million dollars and climbing. I did not like cost overruns when the government allowed it and the taxpayers had to foot the bill. I hated it even more when I was the one that was paying.

We drove around to the various addresses to get a feel for the city and the various neighbourhoods. There were three pictures of Lobodin in my collection as well as two of his security men. All three looked hard and ready to fight at the drop of a hat. I knew that this was going to be tougher than getting Bakhtin or the other two.

We could not speak the language and had to rely on others that knew both tongues. I could not trust anyone so I had to limit myself to what I could ask.

The best I could do was phone Bakhtin and ask him to send me somebody he thought would make a good Captain. He was going to provide crew anyway.

Bakhtin phoned me back and said he would send Dimitrievich Sakharov to see me. This would take time because the man was the current Captain of the container ship and now in St Petersburg.

The next day, the desk called our room to say we had a visitor. In a few moments we had a knock at the door and a tall aristocratic man stood there. "Hello, are you Mr Smith?"

"Yes, Captain Sakharov. Please come in."

The man came in as if he were a king and I had to look at what he did so I could copy it myself. I introduced the family and security the same way.

After we got seated, Dimitrievich said, "Do you wish our talk to be — public?"

"I do not hide facts from them."

"Very well. What is it you wish me to do here?"

"A few questions first, if I may?"

"Of course."

"I asked Kapsirko for a crew for two ships. He was to raise another for the container ship. I try to be ethical in my dealings and I am asking you now if you are capable of taking command of the frigate in the bay?"

"I was told about the ship. I have been on ships like that before. The weapons systems are highly illegal but I was assured that you had some strong political backing to protect us from the great powers."

"You will not be bothered by any major powers. There will be fighting, though. Are you prepared to take this ship into battle?"

"I am a soldier. I will do my duty if I am in command."

Caiti had gone to the washroom and when she came back she stood by Dimitrievich. In a moment the man went to sleep and I began to put the standard protocols in but because he would have command of a very powerful ship, I felt compelled to add a few more.

Nelson's book had talked extensively about the Heart of Opfu. I looked into the Captain's body and mind with this new information. I stayed for quite a while just investigating the new viewpoint. Nelson was certainly right but I could see some alternate ways of doing some procedures but now was not the time to try them.

When Dimitri awoke he said, "Was I drugged?"

"No, Captain. I just had to gain an edge. The frigate is a powerful weapon and I don't want an unstable man in control."

"What did you do?"

"It is a long story but I will make it short and you will be allowed to ask questions afterward. It all started with how my grandmother and I saw eye to eye on a great many things." Dimitri heard the story. Other than the portal, a new world, a war with the Church and the gold, I told him little else. He did not scoff at what I said.

"Can you prove any of this?"

I smiled and security held up a silver chain and I stepped through it and into the washroom. I did this a few times before doing it in reverse.

"I believe what I see even though I feel my eyes are not seeing what is real."

I reached into my pocket and brought out the Heart of Opfu and said, "Sit back Captain. I am about to look through your body for disease. This is part of our medical plan."

"I am healthy."

"You may be but I have to check. You represent a great investment and I have to protect it."

Dimitri sat back and I just sat in my own chair and looked through his body. He certainly was healthy but he was not perfect. He had some disk problems and I got his body to start working on them. I checked his brain for tumours and then his teeth. One tooth was odd. Caiti was behind the Captain and used her headband and coin so she and the rest of us could investigate the tooth. It was hollow and presently empty.

I continued my search as Caiti and now Fislu did the same with their methods.

When I was done, I asked, "Captain, you have a hollow tooth. That, to me, is indicative of a person that works for the government and may at some time need to end his life rather than reveal his secrets."

The man lost his cool but he stayed seated. "I was once in the KGB. I hope that doesn't prevent me from being the captain?"

"Do you work for any government organisation or report to any of them?"

Dimitri swallowed and thought. I could see he was ready to jump so I tackled him but he had fast reflexes and met me half way. With our numbers he was pulled down even though he fought very aggressively and very well I might add.

I helped him back into his chair. This time a lot more controls on the man. Nelson's words assisted me again. I breathed out and tried to relax before saying, "Name all the organisations or people you work for, Dimitri? Is Dimitrievich Sakharov your real name?"

"My real name is Ilya Chernovol — Sir. I work for Lt. Gen. Leonid Shengelai of the Federal'naya Sluzhba Bezopasnosti." This was the FSB which was the successor to the KGB.

I said, "Tell me what your organisation knows about me?"

"We know you have come across massive amounts of gold. Some of this you sell and the money goes into offshore accounts. You are purchasing small arms and now major ships. Bakhtin has been purchasing old and obsolete weapons that we feel you will use to take over a country. He is now seeking to purchase nuclear weapons."

I said, "The nuclear weapons were just to take them out of circulation."

"That is good to hear, Sir."

"Will the CIS allow me to leave?"

"They will not."

"What about Bakhtin and his ship?"

"His ship will be followed to find where it will go."

"Is it government opposition that is stopping the work on the ships?"

"Only partially. Lobodin wishes to gain more wealth."

"Is your organisation working with any foreign organisations concerning me or what Bakhtin is doing?"

"Only superficially. It is not good to let them know too much."

"How many others are working on the ships or procuring parts for Lobodin, that actually work for a security bureau?"

"I believe fourteen, Sir."

Belatedly I said, "Is this room bugged or do you have one?"

"I have one. The room is clean I believe."

"Shit, where's the bug?"

Ilya handed me the bug and I was familiar enough with this kind to turn it off.

"Is there a person monitoring our conversation?"

"Not likely, Sir. The receiver is in the rental car in the basement."

I felt like a weight had fallen off my shoulders. "Do you have anybody working with you presently?"

"Three in St Petersburg and one here."

"Where is he?"

"She is waiting in the lobby."

"How can I capture her without there being any scene or chance of injury?"

"I can call her up. She will come."

I remembered some of the stupid things I had done with Bakhtin and said, "What did you hope to gain tonight?"

"Only to present a good enough showing of myself and possibly introducing you to Faina."

"Is that the name she will use or her real name?"

"She will go by the name of Mariya, Sir."

"Call her up but act in character."

"Yes, Sir."

Thinking of the hollow tooth I said, "Does she have poison in her tooth or a bug?"

"She will only have a bug."

"Where is her receiver?"

"In my car."

Ilia had to stay as Dimitrievich or Dimitri. If I slipped then Mariya or rather Faina would know that the jig was up.

There was a knock at the door and the bug detector used on the room was hidden away. I opened the door for 'Dimitri' and saw a very pretty girl of around fourteen and I knew then that the Russians were onto me.

Dimitri said, "Hello, Mr Smith. This is my daughter Mariya. I did not want to leave her in the streets as we talked."

"You're right to bring her here." I looked at the very beautiful girl and said, "Hello, Mariya. Please come in."

In a very nice voice but spoken in poor English, she said, "Thank you, Mr Smith. You are a gentleman." This must have been her lines because she was very nervous. Her seductive clothing hid a worried girl.

Caiti acted like a child and held onto Mariya's hands long enough to render her unconscious. I picked the girl up and said to Dimitri, "Get the recording devices, please."

"Yes, Sir."

Fislu said, "I can see what you might do with that guy but what about this one?"

"Fislu, Honey, you're my wife. You're carrying our child. I guess Russia knows or suspects I like young ladies as well as the older ones. She was sent here as bait."

This was not enough it seemed but we could do little now. I used the heart to put as much control on the girl as I had on Dimitri. The new way was simpler and quicker than the way I used before. When the girl was mine, Fislu and Selna went over her with their headbands to find any abnormalities.

Dimitri knocked and was admitted. Caiti used the bug detector again and mentally told me, "He's clean."

I still was not good at clandestine acts and simply asked, "If our roles were reversed, you would ask me many questions. State the answers in order of importance."

"Yes, Sir. There are no bugs other than the two you know of and they are only linked to these recorders. There is no plan to storm the hotel and capture all of you, yet. That may come in a day or perhaps up to a few weeks. Faina was to take you to bed and see if you will reveal your secrets to her as you did to me. When all of you are captured, you will be separated and the authorities will question each of you individually to find out the most possible. Drugs would then be used. None of you will be allowed to leave Russia."

I got off track and asked, "The girl's young. How and why was she selected?"

"You are always with young women and girls. We have four older ones waiting if the previous ones don't interest you. They are all related so they could pass as my relatives. They were selected because the older two were caught dealing in heroin and the mother was arrested for prostitution. We gave all of them a chance to save their family."

"What about their parents?"

"The father abandoned the family and now is in Siberia working in the oil industry. The mother is, as I said, a prostitute."

I had to stay on track. Social injustice had to wait for later. "What can I do to get the ships ready?"

"You have somehow forced me to assist you, Sir. You should do the same to Tverdislav Lobodin."

"I like that idea. Now give me a plan that will keep security from taking any or all of us into custody."

"You can say that a great deal of gold is to be delivered in the next few weeks. You might gain possession of a nuclear weapon but not have it near so it could be seized."

"Is there a chance of Bakhtin actually purchasing some nuclear weapons?"

"There is a very good chance. Bakhtin's people are accepted while ours are not."

"What else would stall an attack on us?"

"Some or all of you could disappear and we would have to re-evaluate the situation. Basically, any delay has to encourage my leaders to believe they will get more by being patient."

"Dimitri, do you mind me calling you this name? I don't want to slip one time and bring attention to us."

"Dimitri is good, Sir."

"Well, again, if our roles were reversed, what would you do to get the ships to the Atlantic?"

"That would be impossible to do with the forces against you."

"Ok, now for more of the truth. I have some devices besides the gates that will do tasks for me." I brought out the silver tools and pointed to them in turn. "This is the Heart of Opfu and it encourages peoples' bodies to heal. I found out that it can do more but all related to the body. This fulcrum and lever will allow me to pick up a ship with no effort. Not only gravity but also inertia is nullified. I used this recently on another ship. The bow was elevated and most of the vessel was out of the water. The engines drove the ship forward at eighty kilometres an hour. My family has a personal shield and we can erect a larger shield that stops most projectiles."

Dimitri did not say anything for a few minutes and this I hoped was encouraging instead of depressing. "Sir, you talked of gates. Can a ship be transported through one?"

"I planned on doing just that when the time came."

"Since you did not suggest that you transport directly to the Atlantic, therefore there must be a limit on the distance."

"You're right. At present we are up to almost ninety kilometres but an eighty kilometre distance is quicker and easier to establish."

"Can you not go through the gate multiple times to reach the Atlantic?"

"We need to see the destination each time to establish the other end of the portal."

This required an explanation of portal technology. I told Dimitri everything I knew and then everything I suspected. As I figured, this took a while to digest.

"You could make a frog like advance if you had a long chain of small boats with those coins in them?"

"I could do that but sliding a frigate or even the patrol craft through would be very difficult."

"With enough time and more of your money, you could purchase four smaller ships. They could have very tall masts. A suitable pole could be used to connect two of the ships. This could be hoisted to the top of the masts to keep them separated and still provide support for the chain."

I had to think on this. "What is the beam of the ship?"

"I believe it is around thirteen and a half metres."

"How high is it?"

"I will have to guess and say about twenty five metres, Sir."

"What could it be reduced to?"

"Perhaps fifteen metres above the water line, Sir."

"So two small ships have to be more than thirteen and a half metres apart to allow the ship to go through?"

"Perhaps not much, Sir. The Snezhnogorsk could remain stationary and the two smaller ships pass on each side of her. There would be less problem with a wake."

A chain the size to pass the — Snezgorsk, sorry, how do you say it?"

"Snezhnogorsk, Sir."

I parsed out Snezhnogorsk and added, "The chain and boxes would weigh three hundred kilos. We could make a frame with wheels that can be supported by the deck. The crew set up the frame at one end. I or someone in my family will fix the far end of the portal. This will allow the patrol ship to sail through. The chain is lowered into a small ship which stays behind. The Snezhnogorsk uses another and smaller chain on the framework to allow the small ship and chain to catch up. This can be repeated many times or until your line of small ships has been exhausted."

"Do you have such a chain, Sir?"

"There is one but it is too heavy to carry with me. I came here to see what I can do to speed up the work."

Dimitri and I talked about the details now and I had to include him and the rest of the family in how to proceed.

He said, "I would suggest that you get word to Bakhtin to load the Astrakhan and get the ship out of Russian waters. There are many good Russian soldiers that could be crew the ships. They have the training and the ability to defend both vessels. These you must compel with whatever methods you have so the men will follow you."

"That sounds good, Dimitri. What about the actual movements of the two ships here?"

"The Snezhnogorsk and the Yeisk would individually go out for trials if you can get the authorities to not act prematurely. Can both ships be levitated?"

"The family can do this, too."

"Then I would suggest that during some dark night and when there is no satellite coverage, the ships speed through the portals like you said and during the time when they will be visible from the sky, you levitate them."

I used my laptop to write a long letter to Bakhtin. I included all of the people working for the navy or security. He had orders to not harm them but to slowly cut them out of the loop. I also gave orders to go after the nukes even if he had to spend more money. All of this was encrypted three times in different types of algorithms. Bakhtin had the keys so he could get the message but the United States or Russia would take years to get it.

The message was quite long and Dimitri was encouraged to advise me on what to suggest to Bakhtin to make this succeed. The computer and the message was taken downstairs and the message put on the net. I just hoped that the Russian security would not be quick enough to stop it. I checked one of my sites and saw that I had nothing important to receive.

There was one more place I had to go. We had recorded the radio broadcasts coming from one of the Russian portals. A person that spoke Russian said that the city in question was Tula. It was nearly a thousand kilometres north of here. If this was right, our trip back to Woodland would be a lot shorter. If we disappeared Russian officials could not very well capture us. This would give a longer time for the ships to be completed.

Tverdislav Lobodin had to be dealt with before I made a trip. Dimitri read the notes Bakhtin made on the man for me.

Dimitri said, "You have not paid the full amount for the ships yet. Lobodin will ask for more money to complete the work so he will be more than anxious to invite you to anyplace you wish to meet him."

"Do your people have bugs on him?"

"He is very security conscious and he actively searches for listening and video devices. We have not had much luck even when we used a laser beam on his windows."

"I'll call him now and set up a meeting. Give me your phone number." I would need to talk to him later.

Dimitri did as I asked and I said, "Take the girl with you. By the way, tell me about your family?"

"My wife died eleven years ago. I have three sons and a daughter. They are married and have children of their own, Sir."

"Do you actually know how to sail the — frigate?"

"I am quite capable, Sir."

Faina had been in the bedrooms with Caiti and Camsa. When they were called out, Faina looked more relaxed. I immediately asked Caiti, "What did you do to her?"

"We just got to know her. She's a virgin, you know."

"That makes it worse."

"What does?"

"How a country used a family and a young woman to try to snare me."

"Oh, she was willing to get rid of that obstruction. Her mother and sisters foolishly thought it was something to save for her husband."

I went downstairs and used a payphone to call Lobodin. It took a few minutes to get to the man himself.

After a greeting I said, "I'd like to have a meeting with you."

"I'd like that, too. Would you join me for breakfast at my home? Say, eight o'clock?"

"How long to get to your home from say, the harbour?"

"A half hour. I can have my car pick you up."

"There are a lot of us and I want to bring a man I hope will be the Captain of the frigate."

"Please, please, Mr Smith. It's not a frigate but a trading vessel."

"Silly me, you're right. It's just a small freighter."

Dimitri was told of the arrangements and he would meet us here at the hotel in the morning.

When we went to bed that night, the room already smelt of pussy so I guess Caiti's statement about getting to know Faina may have been more personal than I thought. I could not begrudge Caiti too much because I was still living in pig heaven. Causing the young woman to go against her principles was rape to me.

"Caiti, what did you do in here with Faina?"

"Camsa needed to relax so I showed Faina how to use the dildo on him. It took a while but eventually she wanted to try. I worked slow and she didn't object when I sucked on her. After that she didn't think too much. We didn't do anything bad."

"That's ok then. If she wants to play, fine, but no forcing."

"Ok. When are we going back to Georgia? I like it there."

I had to hide my surprise and said, "Not for a while. The people are nice there and I think a small town is a saner place to live."

"Me, too, but I like to go to the bigger places sometimes too."

The lovemaking was not as long because we had to get up early. The next morning, we showered and changed. The silver portal/picture frame was hidden in the basement of the hotel through the use of a chain gate. It was too large to carry and I didn't want to bring attention to it. Our chain gates had none of the nodes on them and the chains were wrapped around out necks as if this were one of the many types of jewellery we wore.

After a quick shower and change we left the rooms. It would be a certainty that somebody would sneak in and search when we were gone. Bugs were probably going to be found when we returned.

The arrival of the three cars was relayed to us and by the time I got downstairs Dimitri was waiting. Dimitri and I talked in the car as we drove. The conversation was informative but still suitable for public consumption.