stupidity, when he acted so cautious in regard to our wellbeing. No similar standard for himself. But then I’ve known this about him for years. He has the luck of a genie, or maybe he’s like the proverbial cat with nine lives.
“Are you hoping for a bigger audience once that cigar sets off the smoke detector above your head?” I pointed to the standard circular model on the wall near my door. Amy’s suite sat between Alistair’s and mine, and she snickered while opening her door. I met Cedric’s mock indignation with a devilish expression of my own. “Hold off on stoking that thing and I’ll get us in here in just a moment.”
“Then quit playing around and open the goddamned door, dude!” he teased.
A few moments later we were all gathered around the table near my window. Dark enough inside the room to turn the overhead light on, I kept the window sheers closed.
“Okay, make sure everyone reads over this several times tonight, so that there are no fuck ups. Am I clear?” said Cedric, after handing each of us a copy of our official itinerary for this mission. “First, we’ll talk about your transportation, which is the only thing not listed on here. There’s a Mercedes SUV parked in the back of this establishment, and inside it, you’ll find all the outboard gear you’ll need while camping in the Alborz mountains. Sam Daniels, our main Middle East contact out here, has already taken care of that. You’ll find plenty of dry food, water, and Gatorade, too—enough to last a week.”
“Is that how long you expect this to take?” Alistair voiced his concern almost absently, while flipping back and forth between the first and last pages. “What happens if things don’t go quite the way you expect? Will the agency be ready to help out at a moment’s notice?”
All great questions, my boy, and each one was borne from experience. Our Chilean disaster from two years ago came to mind the quickest.
“Not only will we be ready, but we’ve equipped you with satellite cell phones, radios, and three flare guns in case you need us.” Cedric handed the Mercedes’ keys to me. “But we believe you should be in and out of Stanislav’s camp with the information we need within two to three days—four to five days tops. Oh, remember the cameras. You’ve got em’ in your wristwatches, and in the top button of your jackets—aside from the cell phones and the standard Nikons we’ve already packed inside the Mercedes.”
“It says here that I’m supposed to let Stanislav take me hostage, as a ruse to get me close to the FGRs?”
I think we all heard the fear and skepticism in Amy’s voice as she flipped back to the first page.
“That’s correct,” Cedric confirmed, his serious tone gaining a compassionate edge. “Now, I know this might be worrying you, given what we all know about Petr Stanislav. But, you’re going to have to trust us on this, Amy. We’ve done a ton of research on this cat, and we’re certain he will make every effort to assure your comfort while he seeks new information from you regarding your father’s research.”
She nodded slightly—a sure sign she wasn’t completely buying what he told her about her parents’ murderer.
“And you expect for these Russian assassins to look upon my feigned expertise in the same light as hers?” Alistair in no way hid his disdain.
He wasn’t buying anything at this point. Yet, I sensed he fully intended to go along with the plan. The strange power of a damsel in distress had gained the upper hand on any concerns he had for his own welfare. Or, he knows from experience that I’ll risk all life and limbs to save him.
“Yes, I do,” he said, emphatically, and then reached over and grasped Alistair’s shoulder. “You will be protected by your extensive knowledge of this area, the people, and your ability to navigate through Sanskrit.”
“There’s Sanskrit involved here?” He sounded surprised.
“Yes, there is,” Cedric
“Are you hoping for a bigger audience once that cigar sets off the smoke detector above your head?” I pointed to the standard circular model on the wall near my door. Amy’s suite sat between Alistair’s and mine, and she snickered while opening her door. I met Cedric’s mock indignation with a devilish expression of my own. “Hold off on stoking that thing and I’ll get us in here in just a moment.”
“Then quit playing around and open the goddamned door, dude!” he teased.
A few moments later we were all gathered around the table near my window. Dark enough inside the room to turn the overhead light on, I kept the window sheers closed.
“Okay, make sure everyone reads over this several times tonight, so that there are no fuck ups. Am I clear?” said Cedric, after handing each of us a copy of our official itinerary for this mission. “First, we’ll talk about your transportation, which is the only thing not listed on here. There’s a Mercedes SUV parked in the back of this establishment, and inside it, you’ll find all the outboard gear you’ll need while camping in the Alborz mountains. Sam Daniels, our main Middle East contact out here, has already taken care of that. You’ll find plenty of dry food, water, and Gatorade, too—enough to last a week.”
“Is that how long you expect this to take?” Alistair voiced his concern almost absently, while flipping back and forth between the first and last pages. “What happens if things don’t go quite the way you expect? Will the agency be ready to help out at a moment’s notice?”
All great questions, my boy, and each one was borne from experience. Our Chilean disaster from two years ago came to mind the quickest.
“Not only will we be ready, but we’ve equipped you with satellite cell phones, radios, and three flare guns in case you need us.” Cedric handed the Mercedes’ keys to me. “But we believe you should be in and out of Stanislav’s camp with the information we need within two to three days—four to five days tops. Oh, remember the cameras. You’ve got em’ in your wristwatches, and in the top button of your jackets—aside from the cell phones and the standard Nikons we’ve already packed inside the Mercedes.”
“It says here that I’m supposed to let Stanislav take me hostage, as a ruse to get me close to the FGRs?”
I think we all heard the fear and skepticism in Amy’s voice as she flipped back to the first page.
“That’s correct,” Cedric confirmed, his serious tone gaining a compassionate edge. “Now, I know this might be worrying you, given what we all know about Petr Stanislav. But, you’re going to have to trust us on this, Amy. We’ve done a ton of research on this cat, and we’re certain he will make every effort to assure your comfort while he seeks new information from you regarding your father’s research.”
She nodded slightly—a sure sign she wasn’t completely buying what he told her about her parents’ murderer.
“And you expect for these Russian assassins to look upon my feigned expertise in the same light as hers?” Alistair in no way hid his disdain.
He wasn’t buying anything at this point. Yet, I sensed he fully intended to go along with the plan. The strange power of a damsel in distress had gained the upper hand on any concerns he had for his own welfare. Or, he knows from experience that I’ll risk all life and limbs to save him.
“Yes, I do,” he said, emphatically, and then reached over and grasped Alistair’s shoulder. “You will be protected by your extensive knowledge of this area, the people, and your ability to navigate through Sanskrit.”
“There’s Sanskrit involved here?” He sounded surprised.
“Yes, there is,” Cedric
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