Текст книги "Destiny's Puppets"

Автор книги: Henri Mallet

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Henri Mallet
Destiny's Puppets

(The first book from the series “Hail the spy!”)

Three fruits are boiling in the stew where the life’s mess is splashing:

The soul’s fate, the flesh’s fortune and the mind’s adventures…

Igor Guberman

1

The USSR. Moscow – France. Paris. 1963-1964.

The rising autumn sun has barely touched the roofs of morning Moscow, giving rise to long, transparent shadows. The golden light seemed to illuminate the city from beneath against the violet-blue sky and its orange clouds. The streets were already abuzz with that special bouquet of sounds typical of large cities.

From the outside the massive KGB building made of gray and pink granite on Dzerzhinsky Square looked calm and majestic. Inside the building, filled with offices, dungeons, archives, life was in full swing.

Major Anatoly Lazarev of the Special KGB Division sat in the chief's office and listened attentively to the information for his new assignment. He sat there pensively, running his hand through his light brown hair, which stuck out slightly from the top of his head giving its owner a slightly cocky appearance. General Yershov relayed amazing things, which is why the major’s eyes, deep blue with specks of gold, expressed, both, interest and confusion.

Major Lazarev has worked enough in the KGB and has long learned not to be surprised at anything, not to react in any way to various orders that he had to carry out. Inborn tact and excellent upbringing helped to maintain composure in critical circumstances, but it was also his distinguishing feature, one might say a life principle. Now he found himself ready not to believe what he heard. General Yershov introduced him to the course of affairs, identifying the main points and tasks. The new assignment turned out to be rather unusual.

The fact that always, both before and after the October Revolution, the special services monitored the life and movements of the Russian royal family, as well as all their close relatives, did not surprise Lazarev. But the fact that Emperor Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra Feodorovna, in addition to the well-known children Olga (1895), Tatiana (1897), Maria (1899), Anastasia (1901) and Alexey (1904), had another girl, but her birth carefully concealed, caused some wave of mistrust and interest.

The girl was born in 1907, after the birth of the heir to Alexey. The Emperor and his wife very much hoped for the birth of another son, but alas, the Empress gave birth to another daughter. Since the political situation in Russia at that moment was extremely tense, the announcement of the birth of the fifth girl would have been a shock for everyone and could have serious political consequences.

The royal spouses understood perfectly well that Tsarevich Alexey was in poor health, and a considerable number of male relatives from the branches of the Romanov dynasty were ready to inherit the royal throne and hoist themselves on it with great pleasure. Therefore, the birth of the Empress took place in an atmosphere of complete secrecy. Immediately after the birth of another daughter, but not a son, it was decided to give the girl to be raised in a reliable family in the Voronezh province.

Naturally, the Tracking Service took care of her life in a new family. The name was given to her Sophia. After the revolutionary events of 1917 and the change of power in the country, everything changed. Sometime later, the new government learned about the existence of a direct heiress of the royal blood in Russia. At the highest level, a decision was made – subsequent children will be born as possible from the successors of noble families, and all information about the real biological parents and about the foster families of these children will be recorded in the KGB archives. Thus, the royal blood will be maintained in the next generations in the same way as it was done for centuries before. And it doesn't matter if such children know about their noble origins or not.

«I don’t quite understand the reason for all this. Who needs the Tsar’s descendants now? Moreover, as is known, one of the tasks of Russian Special Commission for Combating Counter-revolution and Sabotage right after the revolution was to find and destroy all the Tsar’s relatives. How could it happen that the imperial couple had another daughter who survived?» Major Lazarev shook his head in surprise.

“A good politician must always have an ace up his sleeve. The times are changing, and the political tasks, too. Nobody knows how the situation will develop in the future.”

“But do you really admit the thought, that in our country the monarchy can be revived?”

“Lazarev, we are here to follow orders, not to discuss them. So, Sophia grew up, got married and gave birth to a daughter, and later, to a son. All this time officers of People’s Commissariat for Interior Affairs not only tracked the life of Sophia and her children, but directly or indirectly took part in their fate. The specialists were obliged not to show themselves in any way, to help Sophia and her children in every possible way, and if necessary, to protect them. This is in general terms a prelude to your assignment. How do you like the topic?”

«Quite unusual, but, as you said, we are here to follow orders.»

«In all the following generations of heirs to the throne we are mostly interested in boys, because only males can succeed to the throne. As I have already said, Sophia, the daughter of the royal couple, had a son, Gleb, in 1941. Now he is going to get married. This is his picture,» the boss handed Anatoly a big photo.

«Wow, this is Gleb Svetlov, an actor; I saw a film with him. He is the descendant of the tsars and the grandson of Nicolas II?» Major Lazarev looked at his boss in surprise.

“It turns out that so,” the boss narrowed his eyes, “we received information, he was going to marry one of the actresses. She does not fit him in terms of status; therefore, the birth of children in this marriage is undesirable. And someone at the very top,” the general pointedly raised his index finger, “came up with the idea to correct the situation and get the "right child" from Gleb Svetlov.”

Major Lazarev was looking at the photo in front of him.

«This tall handsome guy with bright blue eyes and a charming smile is the grandson of the Emperor Nicolas II,» Anatoly looked up and stared at his boss in sheer amazement.

«Now go to the archive. I have booked the required documents, they are waiting for you there. If you need anything else, you have been granted access to all top-secret documents on this topic. You have been assigned an archivist. She will be helping you to sort out the papers. You must find a suitable girl for bearing Gleb Svetlov’s child. I think I need not explain the importance of all this. You do understand that she must come from an aristocratic ancestry and be of perfect health. Her age is not important. What is important are her life story and looks. You must also ruin Gleb’s marriage to the actress and arrange his affair with our candidate before the confirmed pregnancy of the girl. It is not important whether Gleb will marry her or not. What really important is the smooth period of pregnancy and the birth of a healthy child, because this baby will be of royal lineage. Do you have a questions?» General Yershov lightly slapped his hand on the massive table and looked at Major Lazarev.

Anatoly was silent, forming a plan of action in his head.

«Yes, a weird matter, that’s why you interrupted my vacation and called me here,» he smiled.

«I won’t hide it from you – you have been chosen for this mission at the very top,» the general replied proudly, « the operation was named "Alexandrite"».

«I could not wait till the end of your vacation. Moreover, my deputy, Colonel Polyakov is ingratiating himself, willing to take my place. When he learnt about this mission he started fussing and even wanted to deal with it himself. But I decided that I cannot trust him with this delicate matter.»

«Why on earth would Colonel Polyakov want to fulfill this mission himself?»

«I even don’t want to waste time guessing.»

«Yeah, it is not worth it.»

«Well, I know about your non-standard approach to things, therefore I chose you. To speed up the process I requested everything we have on Tatiana Roshin in the archive. This is the actress that Gleb Svetlov wants to marry. We have also prepared dossiers for the girls of aristocratic origin who are more or less the same age as Svetlov. We have also prepared dossiers for all 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 worked for us. She was used for recruiting a foreign agent. It went OK, but she got pregnant. As soon as the Committee found out that she was in a familiar way, it was decided that this fact should be used as an additional pressure factor for the recruited agent. After that Larisa has not been involved in work. I have placed all my bets on her this time, because she is really blue-blooded. In order to ruin Gleb’s wedding with that actress Roshin I will use the director of “Youth” theatre Mikhail Fedorov. He is our active collaborator and I am sure there will be no problems. That’s all from me.» Major Lazarev took the file with the documents from the table and stood up, waiting for instructions.

«Well, on the whole, the plan is good. You will polish the details in the course of the operation. Off you go, down to work.» concluded General Yershov.

4

The autumn sky hung over Kronstadt. Low, dark gray clouds pressed heavily and breathed moisture. Screaming seagulls deftly maneuvered in the air currents on spread white wings, creating the illusion of confusion and anxiety. Gusts of wind brought splashes of sea water and the smell of diesel fuel. The project 613 submarine was visible at the long pier. In the light of the lanterns, its wet body shone silver.

The girl from radio communications was standing on the pier trying to protect her face from the gusts of the chilling wind. Her nearly black eyes were watching the submarine closely. Finally, people began coming down on the shore.

One of the sailors, short and lean, went straight to the girl. He was buttoning up his pea coat in motion and turning up his collar, trying to protect himself from yet another blast of wind. Surprise and aloofness could be discerned in his eyes, which were colored like the sea on a cloudy day.

«Nelly! What are you doing here? I told you that when I get free, I will call on you and we will go somewhere together,» almost shouted the man, his voice mingling with the sound of the wind and the waves, his low brow furrowed.

«Victor! I really need to talk to you! Now!»

The girl nervously took the young man by the arm and they walked fast to the host of lights on the shore. The sound of their steps was buried in the thunder of the waves beating against the pier and turning into greyish foam. Shrieking seagulls were a part of this familiar cacophony of relentless movement of salty water.

Several sailors who had come ashore from the submarine, exchanging remarks and chuckling, were watching the receding couple. The soggy autumn rear wind stole under their clothes and the sailors hurried to shore.

The low skies were getting darker by the second, making the street lamps along the road near the red brick barrack buildings of Kronshtadt seem brighter. Victor was walking with his head down, protruding his lower lip so that it nearly touched his nose. He always did it when he was displeased. And now he was extremely displeased! He had to solve another one of his girlfriend’s problems instead of enjoying his dinner and a game of chess in the club.

«Nelly, I am very tired, let’s meet and talk tomorrow,» Victor rolled his eyes up languidly, losing all hope of being released.

«No! Tomorrow may be late!»

The girl’s eyes turned into narrow black crevices, and her stiff dark hair looked as if she had been dragged through a hedge backwards. Victor looked at the rolling roaring waves.

«We have to get married! Without delay! All because of that apartment on Nevsky avenue! Let’s go to the general immediately and make a formal written request to get married!»

«Nelly! I have already told you: we shall get married. We do not have to do it on the spur of the moment! Calm down. I’ll go get some rest, and you do the same and we’ll discuss everything tomorrow,» Victor mumbled in an obsequious way, speeding up his pace.

«You don’t understand! This is our chance! I’ve already done everything myself, but in order to get the whole apartment we have to get married immediately, and it would be better if I got the certificate that I am pregnant!» Nelly’s voice turned into a kind of roar, she was clutching the sleeve of his pea coat and was hopping next to him.

«I reported my flatmate to the authorities and now she is going to be fired. Naturally, she will lose her accommodation! The second flatmate is so old and sick that she won’t last long. And you can be registered in my room only if you marry me!» The girl stopped in despair, clenched her fists and stamped her foot.

«Are you sure it will work out and we’ll be able to get the whole flat all to ourselves? And your roommate will be evicted?» Victor stopped, too. A thoughtful mien appeared on his face and a ghost of a smile settled on his plush lips.

«Of course, it will! I wrote to the head of the military base that Svetlana and his deputy are lovers and that I had nailed them in our room! She missed work several times, because I added medicine to her food and she couldn’t get up in the morning! You do realize that this is a smashing reason to fire her!»

Victor peered into his girlfriend’s eyes blazing with rage. He stood still for a while, staring at the light of the streetlamps and the round dance of varicolored leaves on the asphalt. The wind was getting stronger, stealing under his coat.

Nelly was looking at her fiancé, screwing up her eyes and awaiting approval. Her hair was messed up by the wind, but she took no notice. The girl was staring at Victor. It was obvious that thinking was not an easy task for him. One emotion was giving way to the next one, and this could be easily noticed to see on his handsome face, as if one was looking at the screen. Finally, he looked at Nelly. She tossed her head triumphantly. She won! Now everything will go according to her plan and they will get married, Victor will be registered in her room, and the old hag won’t last long. Nelly rubbed her cold hands and dragged Victor after her with enthusiasm.

«Come on, to my boss! He is expecting us.»

Victor had nothing to do, but to follow his girlfriend.

Half an hour later the girl, with a pleased grin on her face, darted out of her boss’s office and, holding her fiancé by the hand, went to the ground-floor of the building. She opened the door with the plate “Staff Only” and pushed Victor inside. She swiftly blocked the door handle with the mop and began pulling his trousers off.

«What are you doing? You want here?» the man listlessly took her by the wrist.

«Yes, here and now! I’ve been waiting for this so long. Look, the sooner I get pregnant, the better. With a baby we might get a bigger apartment, and you might be promoted,» whispered Nelly hotly.

The girl undid her uniform skirt and it fell down, showing her pale legs in cheap stockings with plain suspenders. Victor held out his arms, put them round her hips and pressed her body to his. He could feel her heart beating wildly.

«But it’s not convenient here; this place is full of dust. Next time, perhaps.»

Nelly stared at her fiancé in bewilderment. «Please, let’s do it now! For me,» she looked into his eyes with tenderness.

«No, I don’t feel like it. Let’s go.»

Nelly, without trying to conceal her mortification, put on her skirt, unblocked the door, pricked up her ears, looked out into the corridor and quickly plunged into the WC.

She was splashing cold water on her flushed face and tears were rolling down her cheeks, «he does not love me, no,» the words repeated themselves in her head.

«It does not matter. Everything will be my way. Now the main thing is to get pregnant, and it does not matter who the father is. The child will give me a certain status, and Victor is nearly my lawful husband,» the girl stopped sobbing, wiped away the tears, smiled at her reflection and went to meet Victor in the corridor.

«Everything might work out in the end,» he was pondering, «if I get registered in the apartment, I will continue my service in Leningrad and then I will be able to bring my mom here.» And anyway, he was going to marry Nelly.