Agent Poe [3]

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Catherine sat inside the SovietSky Hotel lobby, looking at the fishes in the aquarium. There were exquisite species, kinds she had never seen, all colorful and spotted or striped with various colors. Catherine loved animals and she was getting particularly attached to a blue polka-dotted fish lying belly-up at the surface. She wondered if it was sleeping. The aquarium itself was as large as a dining hall, a massive hexagonal structure of clear glass that stood in the middle of the lobby. As she waited, the earpiece hidden inside her ears emitted a painful noise: Anna's voice. 4

"He'll be here any minute," said Anna. "Keep focused, remember, you told him in the morning that you did not believe him. When he comes up with a set of bodyguards - you have to look really surprised."5

"Surprise, I got it," said Catherine. 6

"Don't talk back, people will think you've gone haywire in the head," said Anna. 7

What a pain, thought Catherine. Although the entire team was supposed to be helping her, the three men had gone off to finish other projects and Catherine had been left with Anna only. 8

After what seemed hours of anticipation, a voice boomed over the speakers. "Miss. Jane Meyer is requested at the lobby desk."9

"Miss. Jane Meyer, please come to the lobby desk."10

"That's your cue, honey," said Anna on the earpiece. 11

Catherine briskly walked over to the front desk, where she was greeted by two men in black suits. 12

"Miss. Jane?"13

"Yes, I am."14

One of them leaned closer and whispered. "The President awaits you outside."15

Catherine opened her mouth and mock suprise and followed them, making sure her eyes were wide with fake surprise. 16

Outside, three stretch limousines were parked, along with multiple black cars and police motorbikes. The men politely opened the door and she climbed inside.17

"Cathy?" said a voice by her side. Catherine jumped and found herself staring at a vibrant man. His hair was black, though a handsome gray had creeped into the temples. Yakov looked dashing, his inquisitive eyes boring into her, the laugh lines on his face stretched to the limit. 18

"Yakov!" Catherine exclaimed, beside herself. 19

"I'm amazed, you look stunning!" said Yakov. 20

"Oh, you have to say that," said Catherine, giving him a friendly shove. "I cannot believe this, you're the President! I'm friends with a - a President - and of Russia!"21

"Unfortunately yes," said Yakov. "I could never tell you on the internet. Not that I didn't trust you. I did, but the internet is easy to track and all."22

"Of course, I understand, but still this is amazing!" said Catherine. 23

"You're actually coping with the shock well," said Yakov. 24

"No, no - I'm not, I'm flabbergasted," said Catherine hastily. 25

"Don't get nervous, it was more a compliment, he's not suspicious! You're doing great," Anna's voice said into earpiece. 26

"But you're right, I am coping well," said Catherine.27

Yakov laughed. "Great. We're now going to the Kremlin!"28

"Oh, good."29

"Do you know what it is?"30

"No."31

"The Kremlin is the White House of Russia. It's my official residence, and it's basically the centre of politics in Russia." 32

"Fascinating!"33

Catherine held down the tight fear building in her stomach. 34

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The Kremlin turned out to be fascinating indeed. It was a triangular congregation, consisting of four palaces and four gigantic cathedrals, all monumental to Russian architecture. Catherine appreciated the vivid use of color in the buildings. The paint was very bold: white and red and blue and yellow, with towers and minarets with engraved golden framework. Some of the towers had brilliant domes on top, that tapered to shiny points. It was all terrific. 38

After Yakov had given her a personal tour of the Kremlin (and by personal it meant having five guards stroll around with them) they went inside for lunch. 39

"This is all amazing, absolutely amazing," said Catherine. 40

Yakov flashed a handsome smile and ordered something to a waitress in fluent Russian. 41

"So, Catherine, I must seem very impolite, but tell me about your grandmother." 42

"Yes, about Grandma ... let's see, she was a woman ... a very old one. Yes, she was very, very old." 43

Yakov nodded. 44

"Make up something! You teach children, you should be good at lying!" Anna's voice blared over the earpiece. 45

Catherine continued. "She had cancer. When she was six, she was diagnosed with breast cancer." 46

"Breast cancer, you don't say. That early on! Very unique."47

"Yes, she was ... very - uh - unique." 48

"So, she continued with breast cancer all this time."49

"Apparently, she did. Amazing woman, god bless her. How good is this bread? So perfectly baked!" 50

"So, where did she live around here?" 51

“I don’t really know – can’t recall … Russian is a difficult language.”52

“So, you told me she was rich – what she do, I mean?”53

In a desperate attempt to change the subject, Catherine swept her plates clean off the table. The shattering china resounded in the dining room.54

"Oh, my - I am so very, very sorry!" said Catherine getting up. 55

"No problem, Cathy, no problem." 56

Catherine sat down with a guilty face as Yakov ordered the waitresses to clean up the mess. 57

Catherine thought she heard laughter coming through the earpiece.58

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That evening, Yakov returned to presidential business while she was escorted to SovietSky Hotel. Exhausted, though highly entertained, Catherine returned to her room with a light head from drinking too much champagne. The minute she entered, Anna flew from the canopy bed where she lay to greet her.62

"Excellent work, Catherine," said Anna. 63

"Thank you," said Catherine bashfully. 64

"A couple of weak moments, but pretty good, specially considering your position," said Anna. Catherine dropped onto the couch and poured herself some water. 65

"How long will this keep going?" said Catherine. 66

"A few days," said Anna, sitting down on the bed again and ruffling through some papers. "Our agents are on the inside. They say he'll be tackling the documents the day after tomorrow. Till then, we make ourselves comfortable. Get a feel for things!" 67

"Oh - okay," said Catherine.68

Suddenly, the door opened and Tom entered. He was the youngest of the team, though perhaps the most likable of all. He was thin and lanky, with a good-natured face and long, shaggy hair that contrasted visibly with his suit. His arms were laden with countless files. 69

"What are those?" Anna asked. 70

"Reports," said Tom.71

"Ah, all done?" said Anna. 72

"Yep."73

"Great, there's an attaché in the wardrobe," said Anna. "You can put them in there, then I'll lock up."74

"Lock up?" asked Tom. 75

"Aren't the reports done?" 76

"Yea ... but -"77

"No buts," said Anna. "From tomorrow we focus on the job at hand. It's much more important than your reports."78

Tom nodded and rummaged in the wardrobe. Catherine the attaché click and then Tom left. 79

"What reports?" Catherine asked. 80

"Oh, we keep track of all our little projects in Russia," said Anna absent-mindedly. "Tom and Dominic are in charge of the quarterly reports - we monitor the proceedings of different ongoing missions ... things like that. We're going to send off the reports with the nuclear files that you get us straight to HQ." 81

"Oh," said Catherine. 82

"Well, I think you should take a shut-eye ... get some sleep," said Anna, turning off her bedside lamp. 83

Catherine flinched as the room was enveloped in darkness. She always slept with a night light. 84

Oh, well, I was never a CIA spy either, she thought stifling a giggle. 85

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