Chapter 43

On the morning of the supposed arrival of the train, Baich had already posted men on all the rail lines to look for special trains. These were not the only ones to report because the men set to watch Baich also had to report but they said what I wanted.

A train from Saratov peaked our interest. The city was about 650 kilometres away. Four hours after the information came in, Baich received a phone call.

"Mr Baich, I want you to gather your primary team and go to Bolokovka to await a shipment."

"At once, Sir. Are their any special instructions?"

"Use the warehouse in that city. There's already a lot of security on this particular shipment. All of you will remain with the shipment until it is delivered to the main warehouse."

"I understand, Sir. Will there be anything more?"

"Have you found any trace of Driscott and his people?"

"No, Sir, but we found where they had first fled."

"Where was that?"

"A small warehouse on Sholokhova Street."

"That isn't one of ours?"

"No, Sir."

"I want those people found. This is a critical time."

"We're doing our best, Sir. Is there anything else?"

"No."

"Goodbye, Sir."

The phone was hung up and Baich said, "I have to hurry to appear to follow Mr Dubkova's orders."

"Then do so, Mr Baich." It stood to reason that with Dubkova's resources he would have learned my name.

Baich sent orders to summon his primary team. The bus we had been using was brought from the basement. In the next fifteen minutes the vehicle was loaded with weapons and seventeen men. Two were Baich and one of his lieutenants.

The men started to come into the apartment. They were going to form the spearhead for our invasion of the house or just supplement it if my plan worked. The ones that were in the lead would wear no kevlar vest but had those medallions that we could spare. It was hoped that those that looked unprotected would get shot at more and take the heat off those with regular body armour.

The city of Bolokovka was nearby and a fraction of the size of Tula. We were all nervous and even Vasiliy showed the strain. Dealing with nuclear weapons was not something most people commonly did.

All of us, that could do the job, monitored the coins that Baich carried with his group. Caiti yelled at us finally when she saw some light. We quickly meshed with her and saw the inside of a steel lined wood box. I could see Baich pointing and acting very adamant. An army officer or a person dressed as one didn't like the situation.

Baich had specific orders and we saw large military boxes being loaded into the one we were watching from. When seven boxes were loaded, the door was shut and no light entered.

Caiti immediately opened the gate. I reached through the gate and found the boxes very heavy. The fulcrum was uses to transport them into the apartment. Vasiliy was a versatile man and unlocked the cases for the seven bombs and we removed them. Good Tula rocks went into the bomb cases and everything was put back as we had found it. It was good that we had hurried because the box was opened to inspect the cargo before it was closed again.

Ten minutes later a cell phone on the table rang twice and stopped. Caiti opened the gate one more time and we stripped the contents out once again. Moltatas and her detail, along with Osston and I, got into the box. I hung a silver chain on two hooks on the back side. The portal frame was hung on the side and once I put the key to it, the portal opened. I could not use a radio but I did use a stick with a shirt on it as I called mentally to Section M.

The box shifted as it was carried out by a forklift. It took less than a minute for it to be set down, while people from Woodland came to my call. Osston and I were looking through the box with our headbands and the coins. I gave my orders and some students were ready to come and join us. The gate connecting this room with the warehouse in Bolokovka was shutdown. The man transporting our box got off the machine and left, going down a concrete lined corridor.

Caiti used a chain gate to link Tula with Woodland through our open portal. She and Fislu gave more explicit orders. Mercenaries were arriving already but it was not time yet to use them.

The large room we were in had no windows or doors but there was one portal and it was smaller than the one we used to transport equipment to Woodland. The walls had television cameras mounted on them and some of them covered our hiding spot. The floor was interesting because it had coloured stones set into it when the concrete was still soft. The floor was then ground to highlight the rock. The pattern in the rocks would be enough to fix a gate when the time came.

Caiti was at the other end of the gate linking the apartment with our box and also just a few metres behind me in Baich's apartment. She asked, "What are they doing?"

Osston said mentally, "Nothing yet. If they can see into the box, we're in trouble.

We were in the box for a half hour until Baich returned to his apartment. Baich whispered to me, "Sir, it seemed to work. The keys were given to the driver. He appeared to think that the steel box was the way they were shipped originally."

I said, "Thank you, Mr Baich. You did very well." The interpreter gave my words in Russian. This seemed to please the man. The smile left the man's face when the phone with the special ringer rang again.

"Hello, Sir. Baich here." There was a pause and he said, "I will be right there."

Baich looked at me and said, "I am summoned to the house. Perhaps Mr Dubkova does not like the box."

I stepped out of the box and into the apartment. "You did a good job. It's possible he will just wonder about it's purpose. Just stick to our plan." The interpreter again gave my words.

The family took turns in the box to check if there was any activity. I had the troops stand down on both worlds. The ones here spread out through the apartment and Larisa served the people what she had available. A few people were summoned from Woodland and now our people had to do the translations. These two teams had to work together.

Baich had a coin in his wallet, various Russian coins and a few of ours were in his pocket. Others were in his shoe and his car. This way we could keep in touch with him through a small loop in a chain.

Snow had fallen and it was not a quick drive to the house. The gates around the property opened for Baich and he drove up the roadway to the house. A man was standing there and directed the car to the carriage house.

Baich said in a whisper, "This doesn't look good. He means for me to stay and I have no reason to do so."

The interpreter said for me, "You're my slave and I value your service. I'll do what I can to protect you."

"Thank you, Sir."

One of the doors to the garage opened and Baich drove in and parked. The door was closing even before Baich got out of his vehicle. A man met him and escorted him down a hall, down some steps, and further along another corridor. This had to be a way for the servants to get to the main house. Along the way I saw a lot of cameras.

Our man was taken into a room and he removed keys, his gun and holster. Usually he was allowed to keep his wallet but not this time. Baich removed his coat just before a man used a wand over Baich's body looking for metal and bugs. This time he went just below the knee and not to the floor.

Baich took his coat and handed it to the man after he put the wand down. I could see a decision being made and the coat was squeezed to feel for weapons. The hands stopped at the coins and then felt them again. Through the partially opened gate I heard Russian. The interpreter whispered to me. "He can put it on."

They walked out of the room and followed the same corridor. There were more cameras and now openings that were probably housing remotely controlled machine guns.

Eventually a heavy door was passed and concrete steps going up were seen. They climbed three short flights and stood in front of a door. It took a minute and I heard some Russian. My interpreter said, "The guard is explaining that it's coins." Baich removed the coins and turned around before he showed the coins to the camera. This time it was a very heavy door that slid to one side into the concrete wall.

We were in the house proper now. There was a stone floor that was polished to perfection. It was a minute later that I knew we were in the area for servants, not guests.

I caught a small glimpse of what a real palace was like. It made my own in Limka look almost shabby. Baich came to a door with two guards. I saw holes in the walls for machine guns. Nobody said anything but in a few seconds the doors slid aside and then closed with a metallic thunk. This was just an anteroom with chairs and two more guards.

Baich walked forward but here questions were asked. One man talked into a transmitter. There was a wait of five minutes before the next set of doors opened. The room was much like a library. A large desk was to one side and a man of fifty with greying hair looked up from his work then back to the papers. Nothing was said until the man signed the bottom of a document and put the sheets in the out pile.

Without preamble he said, "Why did you have the metal box fabricated?" My interpreter did his job so I could understand. The icon would not read the man's ideas through a gate.

"The military boxes clearly stated what they contained. This I thought would happen. The steel box would protect us and keep the contents from prying eyes. I knew this shipment was important enough to warrant this extra precaution. The forks of the truck would be strapped to the box for increased safety."

"You have never done this before."

"Sir, I have never had to deal with a cargo like this before."

I was getting ready to open a gate when Osston said mentally, "The room is lined with machine guns. Their size will defeat our shields." I looked through his eyes and saw that this was true.

The silver haired man said, "I will have the box properly tended to. You may go."

"Yes, Sir."

Baich and his escort left and the man was already looking at the next bit of paperwork.

Once he had passed the two sets of doors, Baich said, "I need to use the washroom."

Nothing was said but they stopped before a door. Baich went in with his escort. In a moment my view changed to a maelstrom of water. I searched for another coin and found the portal opening back in the library. Baich must have put a coin on top of some furniture.

The family was with me and more than a few of those from Section M. I got some of the latter to find the other coins and see what they found. My old coin was now in a dark container full of water and shit. I studied outside the container by the light in our apartment and found a dark passage with dust on the floor. The coin was moving and may just end up in a septic tank outside.

I quickly opened a portal and stepped through. Selna was behind me but could not get past me. "What are you doing?"

"If the coin goes into the septic tank it will be lost. That would still put it outside the house. You heard how the grounds are protected. This is better."

"Then get out of the way so I can get in."

"Just the two of us. You go one way and I'll go the other. We better get some good flashlights. See what you can find. Look for trip wires and cameras."

Selna came through. I said to Camsa, "Monitor Baich for us."

"Yes, Sir."

Selna and I had our shields up and both of us were well armed. We looked around for details in the neighbourhood until we were given some long flashlights.

We made little progress because we went so slow. We concentrated on the walls, floor and ceiling looking for power wires. There were some but they were very old. We both looked for any place it might branch off to power some cameras or other equipment.

Selna reported finding another tank with a pump. This area had been cleaned of most of the dust. My route must not have been used for many years.

Porta had to come in, too, and she went my way because of the dust. When she got close, I said, "Isn't this fun?"

"Yes it is. You take the floor and the right wall and I'll take the ceiling and the left." She was a little bossy but then again she was female.

"Sounds like a plan."

We worked faster but not twice as fast. The corridor branched left and right. Porta took the left and we continued on. Camsa said from his position, "Baich is driving away now. I just put a medallion into his pocket and activated it. Do you want me to stay with him?"

"Why did you put a shield on him?"

"Well, it doesn't cost anything and he was nervous. We have lots of them now. I figured he'd have an accident in the snow."

"Ok, Camsa, stay with him."

"I'll do my duty, Sir."

"I know you will, Camsa. By the way, get the mercenaries equipped with medallions, too."

"Yes, Sir."

It was five minutes later that Porta said, "Husband, I found — "

Camsa interrupted. "They're shooting at Baich. He's going all over the road. His car is being hit."

We interfaced with Camsa's mind and saw what he saw through the small gate and through the coin. Camsa said, "I can get to his car and shoot at the car chasing him."

It was not that dangerous but I said, "Take Vasiliy with you."

I could feel Camsa's joy. He just grabbed the much larger man and pushed him through a gate he made and into the back seat of Baich's car. There was some rapid fire talk as bullets struck the car and the shields of those in it.

Baich's car slowed down and then hit a parked car. The shooter's car stopped behind it and I saw two men get out through Camsa's senses. They hurried to the wrecked car but before they could fire two streams of lead struck them.

The three fled their car and got in the one just vacated by the dead men. I watched what Camsa was looking at. He was looking behind him for pursuit. It took ten minutes for the car to arrive here at the security building. It was ten more minutes for the shaken man, Vasiliy and Camsa to make it through the security systems to the apartment.

Larisa had been told what happened and she got out a water glass and poured vodka into it. She took a healthy swallow before refilling it. By the time Baich made it to us she had the glass ready. He drank the glass in three swallows and then sat down.

"He tried to kill me! Why?"

Vasiliy said, "He doesn't like original thinkers and perhaps you're not acting as servile as you used to do. He was worried that your conditioning was failing."

"He's going to try again. He's going to call his men to come and get me."

Vasiliy said, "Relax. Those men are ours now, not his. You better finish copying all those files."

"That's it! He has some way of knowing that I was copying files."

"You may be right."

"I got the files copied. Others were doing it for me. The records are on disks and I have copied the disks as well."

"Good man. Now don't worry. You did a good job of planting those coins and that was a great idea of using the sewer."

Baich had to smile and then said, "Yes, I guess it was original."

Porta, Selna, and I had stopped when this action was taking place. Selna got my attention and said, "I found something."

"What is it?"

"A hidden passage."

This was a palace and I guess this would be natural. Porta and I met at the juncture and both of us hurried down to where Selna was standing. We put our coins to the wall and saw a corridor separated by about a metre and a half of cut stone. There was not enough detail to anchor a gate. We had to find a thinner section of wall or the regular method.

Ten minutes later, I heard Fislu say, "Dubkova just got a phone call and he looks a little pissed. The interpreter said that he ordered a man to have his spies that work in this building take Baich out."

"Thanks, Sweetie. Keep monitoring the situation please."

"Of course, Husband."

It took almost an hour to find some cracks that went right through the stone and then a levered arrangement to open the door. The back side was just too dark and still too similar to other areas for a gate to work. Sonna and Caiti arrived to help me. I didn't mind the latter coming but she had to be extra careful. A fall would injure her more than us. Two of the security people wanted to come but somebody had to guard our backs. Fislu sent some of Section M in here to do the reconnoitring.

We moved through the house. Everything was stone, brick, concrete or iron. The palace was huge and so were the length of the tunnels. We could see into rooms with the aid of a coin but all the peep holes were painted or plastered over. We found hidden entrances. Some were cemented shut and had steel wedges in them to make sure the hidden entrance was not opened.

There were spiral staircases made of iron that were still strong. We went up all the way and one would even take us to the roof.

It was getting late when we found the barracks. There were fifty men at least and I counted seventy beds. There had to be different shifts. Our people searched for where the officers would stay but could not find this area. We were even able to get near the library but the passage was blocked off and I saw automated guns on the other side of the wall.

A smile came to my face and I strung my chain on the wall and energised it. I then picked out the bricks in front of me the same way I removed bullets from people.

When the hole was big enough I slipped in and put the safeties on seven different guns until I came to another blocked area. In between was an opening to the library that was used to service the guns.

Through the next wall I found more guns and even gas cylinders. The pins for the bottles were conveniently nearby so they could be extracted safely. There was another hidden entrance and this led just behind Dubkova.

I said to the family, "Let's get the troops ready. I can take the top dog from behind."

It was Fislu that said, "Vasiliy wants more time. Osston has been making a map of what we found. Our troops will follow his orders, too."

"How long?"

"He says at least an hour."

"Ok, I'll keep looking but this guy is going to have to go to bed some time."

I opened a lot of passages that had been blocked and found more hidden doors and not all had been wedged shut. Some areas had electronic traps and I warned the others. Getting past this area was as easy as tossing a coin.

An hour had passed and I had not finished my investigation. I guess learning about secret passages was intrinsic to the boy in me. I was the last person in position but I had to travel further. The family went over the plan with me. I saw in Fislu's mind the map and the disposition of troops. It looked good to me and it must have looked good to Vasiliy because he set it up. The girls and the few men from Bejek were anxious to get in and fight. I wanted as little death as possible and this information was passed on one more time.

My chain was hung on the barrels of two guns and I visualised what was only a few metres away. Fislu said, "Vasiliy said to start."

It didn't sound auspicious but I energised my gate and stepped through. Dubkova had been looking into his computer monitor and must have caught a movement. I took no pity and pounded him with my fist and dragged him away from his desk. He didn't get a chance to do much as I started to pound and pound him and then I pounded him some more. I saw Caiti with the head wound, Fislu with the wound to her shoulder, and Selna wounded in her leg. I even punched him for hurting Moltatas.

I pulled myself together and saw that Dubkova was in pretty bad shape now. He was alive though. Gunshots were heard in the house and more outside the door. Again I didn't have any tie wraps so I used a couple of lamp cords. I put my prize in the hidden corridor and came out the hidden entrance with the chain in my hand.

I heard banging on the doors and men's voices. The men outside the door were four of Dubkova's guards. Dubkova must not have allowed the doors to be opened. They were certainly strong enough to resist the men. I wanted to take the guards but not by killing them. The chain was strung up on some furniture and I stepped back into the apartment. The girls were well armed. Everybody but a few were off fighting.

My interpreter was healing well but not really able to fight yet. I said to him, "Come with me." He got up and I added, "Do you have a shield?"

"Yes, Master."

I said to a pissed off Caiti, "Do we have some extra medallions?"

"We do. Why can't I fight? I have a shield and I can use a gun."

"Didn't it occur to you that I love you. You were just injured and you have to heal first. Another reason is that you have to guard our backs."

"Selna's fighting."

"She had a leg wound not a head wound."

Caiti gave me a medallion and the interpreter and I went back to the library. I fished out a bloody Dubkova and formed a shield around him. I gave instructions to the interpreter and he used a commanding voice to talk through the doors. The activity on the back side stopped immediately.

The interpreter found the switch on the desk and the doors could be opened. The four men rushed in with guns drawn but saw their master with a gun pointed at his head. This is where their conditioning was tested. They were commanded to kill me but also protect their master at all costs. The latter command must have outweighed the first and their guns were put on the floor.

The interpreter removed the guns and I remembered again that I had no tie wraps. The interpreter did, though, and tied their hands behind their backs as well as their ankles. They were lead back to the anteroom and the door closed behind us.

We walked through the house and we managed to get some to surrender. Some tried to shoot me and I had to shoot them. Soon I had a detail following me herding the captives.

There were bodies everywhere but not one of them was a mercenary or one of our people. We stayed in the upper floor and came to a place where there was some firm resistance. Section M was getting behind them all the time and dragging one out of the group without even shooting. This didn't stop the defenders from shooting the kids but they wore shields.

It was when Dubkova was shown to them that they finally gave up and our troops moved in to secure them. In the centre of the group were some young women and some children. One I had seen through the portal at one time.

The fighting lasted well over an hour. Our people had flooded the area and this is possibly what had reduced the casualties to the number we had. Two mercenaries had been badly hurt. They had blundered into the path of some heavy machine gun bullets. The shockwave from striking the shield was transferred to the body. Both would live but they needed a lot of attention.

We used the garage and other large areas to house the prisoners. The rest of us worked on saving those we could. Vasiliy was all over the place finding holdouts or just servants that were hiding.

I expected to find the army at the walls or in helicopters but apparently nobody had been instructed to summon the military. Then again, a rich and influential man would not want others to deal in his matters. Caiti eventually was allowed to come to the palace but only after Selna took over her duties. The security building was important to us. Section M went through the house looking for people hiding in the passages we used. I also wanted to find the large room with our steel box in it. If or when it was found nobody was to go in it. The priests could see through the other side of the portal if they had an observer.

The problem with getting the two ships and the container ship released was not as vital now that the house and gate were captured. We could get the long chain delivered that would transport the ships but we may be able to attack the Church through Tula much more effectively.

Bakhtin got another heavily encrypted message but this time it was sent from London. His orders were to get the ship moving.

I phoned Dimitri openly from that city too. Since everybody would be listening to the call I said, "Hello, Captain."

"Hello, Sir. I noticed by the display on the phone that you are no longer in Russia."

"I had a small matter to look into. I'll be coming back in two to four weeks. I trust that the ships will be ready?"

"I am having a great deal of difficulty, Sir."

"Look, Captain! Do what you are paid to do or I will find somebody else to do your job."

"Sir, The ships are not under my control. I have been canvassing for crew and so far I have found few that are suited to paint the deck, never mind take care of the major systems."

"Is money a problem?"

"That is part of it, Sir."

"I'll bring ten kilos of gold for each man that I find suitable. I'll also give five more as a signing bonus."

Dimitri acted shocked and gasped. "You have that much?"

"Four hundred men I wanted. Find them for me or I'll get them in China, the United States or the United Kingdom."

"I may be able to get them if I offer that kind of money."

"Your share will be three times that so don't fail me. Many men would do a great deal more for a lot less. You better tell that fool that I'm going to pick up the ships. If they are not done, I'll sink them in the river and forfeit the money I paid him."

"I'll work at my utmost, Sir."

"That is what I am paying you for. Take the ships out to the Black Sea and test them. This was in our contract. I don't want delays when I come."

"Yes, Sir. On a personal matter, my uncle Yuri asked about his grandson."

"The young man is doing well. I wish you could find sailors as good as he is. He acts odd sometimes and the family is keeping a close eye on him."

"He's from a good family but he had a rough time."

"Don't worry about the man. He's going to get rich just like the rest."

"Is there a way I can contact you with details?"

"No. I'm too busy and never in one place long enough."

"Would you ask Vasiliy to contact his father or his grandfather?"

"He's old enough to not need to be attached to his parents or their parents."

"I'll give my regrets to them and say that he's still too busy."

Yuri was the last code word I wanted. Dimitri was having problems as he said. Part from Lobodin and part was the reluctance of the military to part with some of their better crews to take part in a spook deal.

The grandfather did not exist but was part of Vasiliy's cover story. I was going to have to phone Dimitri tonight and do it from Russia.

Mom and Dad had got back from Georgia by now and they heard what I knew and suspected about the Duchovny family. Mom and Dad were not told about the fight and I could not stay long enough to tell them what they could be told. It would take much too long and I knew only a portion of what I needed.

Loca came to Tula to see the new world but I gave him the job of mapping out the house and the passages. He had never seen so much opulence before so he was happy to do this for me.

That night I pulled out a piece of paper and called Dimitri. I let Vasiliy do the reporting for me so Dimitri would know that everything was probably true.

When the report was over I got on the phone. Dimitri said, "You were certainly active. I live in a dangerous world but I don't have death follow me around like he does you."

"Dimitri, I have something a great many people want and a great many people want me dead."

"Vasiliy said that you contacted — your world."

"It is only mine because I choose to be associated with it."

"What are you going to do with — what you found?"

"They will not harm Russia."

"I hope not. They could do a lot of damage."

"I'm well aware of that. Have your superiors decided to give you the men?"

"Six tonnes of gold was a good inducement. They are now calling up the men I wanted before. I took the Yeisk out. There was some major problems but I was able to put enough pressure on Lobodin to get them fixed. I had only a dozen men with me but we did quite well. The Snezhnogorsk is further behind and Lobodin has had his tail twisted. This means that Lobodin is looking to have me killed."

"You must have twisted hard?"

"I threatened to tell the FSB if the ship was not done on time. My superiors heard this threat and loved the way it was delivered."

I said, "I need to acquire a type of camera used for aerial surveillance. These could be found in military surplus in the United States but they are still rare. Soon I am going to need it to see where we are going to advance to."

"They have fixed lenses so you have to attain great altitude to allow the film to be in focus."

"I will see what I can find. We have military surplus in this country, also."

"I like that. It makes my job easier. When you have time and wish to chat simply phone me. I'm thanking you once more for loaning me a very competent man. He made all of this work."