Don't Order Dog (20 page)

Dr. Tatyana Aleksandrov looked up from her computer and noticed with surprise that it was already 8:23pm. She turned and glanced at the window. The view from her second floor laboratory offered little more than the concrete and corrugated steel that comprised the buildings within the large industrial complex, now muted under the ink-black lid of night. The cold Baltic wind whispered incessantly against the thick glass.

Tatyana leaned back in her chair and slowly stretched her small, five-foot four-inch frame before taking off her wire-frame glasses and methodically rubbing her tired, deep-green eyes. Her stomach grumbled in hunger, and she remembered that the silver-rimmed tea cup sitting on her desk was empty.  She looked at her computer screen, noted the speed of the data compiling in her latest thermal simulation, and decided she had at least another hour before she could call it a night. If Tatyana had a husband or significant other, her work schedule might have created an issue. But she did not have a husband or significant other. In fact, despite being only thirty-four and reasonably attractive, she didn’t really have any close male friends. Tatyana considered this as she grabbed her teacup and started walking towards the cafeteria.

The second floor of the Baltisky Research Center was silent as Tatyana paced quickly down the long corridor off empty laboratories and offices. The emptiness didn’t bother her. She’d spent enough late nights in the building to be comfortable with this, and she knew Pavel the night guard was sitting in the security room downstairs. Of course, she also knew that Pavel very much liked his vodka, perhaps almost as much as he liked his naps. But still she didn’t worry. Regular exercise had kept the muscles on her lean frame toned and strong, and nearly a year of boxing lessons had given Tatyana the confidence to rarely worry about her own personal safety.

She slowed slightly to peer into the dark office of Dr. Volkov as she passed. He had probably left hours ago, but for the last several months Tatyana often found excuses to walk past his office to steal a glance. Even at this late hour she couldn’t resist the urge to look. It had been this way since April, when she had noticed him watching her intensely during a staff meeting. He had approached her afterwards with an unexpected proposition, and that same evening they had quietly locked themselves in Volkov’s office after the rest of the staff had left. Tatyana still vividly remembered the feeling of her colleague’s warm breath against her neck and muscular chest pressing down on her as she’d lain across his desk.

She still didn’t know why he’d acted so coldly afterwards, barely saying goodnight to her as he left, but Tatyana assumed it had something to do with a wife and a family that had never been mentioned. Apart from a few quickly averted glances, he had avoided any contact with her since, and she now passed by his office with a lingering tinge of frustrated excitement. 

As usual, the lights in the second floor cafeteria were turned off. Tatyana stepped into the darkness and swept her hand along the wall until she found the switch. The long rows of overhead fluorescents suddenly stirred to life, filling the large room with flickering yellow-white light. She winced at the sudden brightness before turning towards the corner of the room where the vending machines
were located. 

“
Dobroi nochi.”

Tatyana jumped in shock, nearly dropping her teacup as the low male voice pierced the silence. She looked up to see a lone man sitting in the corner of the room, smiling at her from the table where she normally sat and ate her dinner.

“Good evening,” Tatyana replied breathlessly in Russian. 

“Please,” the man said, gesturing for her to come and sit at the table.

Tatyana stood motionless, examining the man. He was young and didn’t look Russian, with noticeably tan skin and short, curly hair that was dark like his eyes. His outfit, comprised of a sweater, jacket and pants, were a matching shade of black that gave the man the sophisticated look of an artist, or perhaps a cat burglar. But his handsome face, stretched with a welcoming smile, appeared warm and genuinely friendly. Sensing no threat, Tatyana stepped towards the table and slowly sat down across from him.

“Vy govorite po-angliyski?” t
he man asked her.

“Yes, I speak English,” Tatyana replied in crisp English, nodding her head slowly.

“Oh good,” the man replied in English with a relieved sigh. “Because I’ve just recited everything I know in Russian, and if you didn’t, this conversation would be very awkward.”

Tatyana smiled. “Are you American?”

“Yes. Well, sort of,” the man replied. “I mean, I’m probably more American than anything else. But I really hate to be defined so categorically.”

Tatyana stared at him, confused.

“Look, I’m sorry. I know my presence here must be very odd to you.” The man reached into the breast pocket of his jacket as he spoke and felt around for something. “I doubt you often get unexpected visitors showing up in the cafeteria at this hour of the evening. But if you had any idea what I’ve gone through to be here, I think you would start to appreciate the seriousness of the situation, and the importance of this meeting.” 

Tatyana’s eyes widened in surprise. “So you are here because of me?”

“Indeed I am,” the man said with a smile. His eyes flashed with excitement as his hand found the item he was looking for and pulled it from his jacket. “In fact, Dr. Tatyana Aleksandrov, I’m here to end your life as you know it.” He extended his hand towards her, a small object wrapped in foil pressed between his fingers. “Would you like a piece of gum?”

Tatyana blinked vacantly at the man, wondering if she’d heard him correctly. “What did you just say?”

“Would you like a piece of gum? It’s spearmint.”

Tatyana pushed
her chair back from the table. “What did you say before offering me a piece of gum?”

The man lo
oked at her with a blank stare. “I said I’m here to end your life as you know it. But please, don’t get up.”

A thin glaze of cold sweat suddenly coated her skin as Tatyana slowly stood up. She
could feel her heart pounding beneath her blouse as she stepped behind her chair and glanced around the room. “Is this a joke?” she asked. “Are you completely a lunatic?”

“Not that you’re in the mood for an English lesson, Tatyana,” the Amer
ican replied, holding her stare. “But the correct way to say that would be “
are you a
complete lunatic?
” I know it’s seems like a subtle difference, but that’s the right way to say it. Now please, sit back down and try to relax.”

“Who the hell are you?” Tatyana demanded. The sound of her own voice, shaky and frightened, was even more unnerving than the man sitting in front of her.   

“Me? Oh, I’m afraid we just don’t have enough time to get into that right now. Honestly, Dr. Aleksandrov, I don’t think you’d find me all that interesting even if we did.”

Tatyana continued looking around the room.
What the hell is happening?
she thought as the dark-haired American calmly sat and watched her. She considered throwing herself onto the man and using everything she’d been trained in her boxing classes to physically subdue him, but another, more rational voice in her head told her this was a very bad idea. She glanced at the nearby wall and noticed the old intercom box, just a few steps away. There was a chance that the intercom was connected to the security office downstairs. Tatyana decided even if it wasn’t a good chance, it was probably her only chance. She swallowed back the fear in her throat and met the American’s eyes.  

“W
hy you would want to kill me?” she asked matter-of-factly. “I’m hardly worth the trouble.”

The man grinned as he slowly unwrapped the piece of gum in his hand. “You’re a very modest woman, Dr.
Aleksandrov, but please. That’s like Yuri Gagarin landing after the first manned voyage into space and saying ‘it was just a little spin around the planet.’ As for killing you, I–”

Tatyana suddenly bolted towards the wall and smashed her fist against the speaker button. “Pavel! Pavel! Te nuzgna mne v kofetirie sechas! Pavel! I need you
now
!” She released the button and stared desperately at the speaker, waiting for a response from the security guard. A numbing silence filled the room.

“I’m afraid Pavel is in no condition to join us right now,” the man replied flatly. He crossed his leg and glanced nonchalantly at his watch. “Last time I checked, his blood-alcohol level was about three-times the local definition of intoxication, and he was pretty comfortably stretched out on the floor of the security office.”

Tatyana stepped away from the intercom and turned to face the American. A sudden awareness of her own breathing came over her as the air in the room seemed to take on a dense, oppressive weight. The man met her stare with a knowing, almost sympathetic softness.

“You didn’t let me finish. You asked me why I would want to kill you.”

Tatyana gave him a slight nod. The American examined the unwrapped piece of gum in his hand for a moment before popping it into his mouth. He stared silently at her as he chewed, appearing to Tatyana to be deep in thought. She found the man’s state of calm to be nearly unbearable.

“The truth is that I do
not
know why anyone would want to kill you, Dr. Aleksandrov. I only know what I’ve been asked to come here and do.” 

He paused and looked down at something next to his chair. Tatyana noticed his backpack for the first time as he reached down and quickly pulled out a small, cloth-wrapped object and placed it on the table. She glanced at the object and noticed a long cylinder of matte-black steel protruding from the end. A paralyzing wave of fear struck
her as she realized she was looking at the barrel of a handgun.
“Now,” the man continued, “there are some things I need to explain to you, but I know this information isn’t going to be easy to process. Dr. Aleksandrov, are you listening to me?”

Tatyana pulled her
eyes from the gun and looked up at the American.

“Physiologically speaking, Dr. Aleksandrov, you’re starting to go into a state of stress-induced shock. Your pulse is becoming more rapid, but ironically also more weak, and as a result your body is not getting the oxygen it
needs to function properly.” He rested his hand on top of the weapon and gave Tatyana another sympathetic smile. “It’s really a study in contradictions when you stop to consider it,” he continued. “Your skin is becoming wet from the fear-induced production of sweat, but a lack of blood flow is causing your skin to become cold. Your mind is racing to find a solution to this dilemma, but the reduced blood flow is impairing your ability to complete even basic cognitive tasks. Put simply, your body is literally fighting
itself
right now – and I can tell from experience that the outcome is going to go one of two ways.”

He paused and care
fully unwrapped the handgun. 

“Either your adrenal glands are going to start pumping a truckload of epinephrine into your system and turn you into superwoman for about forty-five seconds
. Or your oxygen deprivation is going to lead to
syncope
, which is just a fancy term for fainting, and you’re going to end up sprawled across the floor.”
Tatyana stood motionless as the American quickly inspected the weapon, then laid it gently back on the table with the barrel aimed at her chest. Her legs suddenly felt like lead weights attached to her waist.

“Either way, I don’t have much time to tell you a few things.”

“What does it matter if you’re going to kill me?” Tatyana asked. 

“I know it seems strange, but I’m required to do this before we continue.”

“You Americans are all completely fucking insane!” Tatyana yelled at the man with a sudden rage. The sound of her own heartbeat seemed to grow to a deafening level. The American studied her intently, recognizing the change. He began speaking in an even, practiced tone.
“Dr Aleksandrov, there are times when we are asked to make sacrifices for the greater good. This necessity doesn’t make the sacrifice less painful, nor can we allow the pain of what’s to come make the sacrifice seem less than necessary.”

Tatyana only half listened as the crazy American calmly recited his speech. She was convinced the man was going to shoot her the instant he finished his rehearsed monologue, and the certainty of this knowledge sent another wave of terror through her body. Her hands began to shake beyond her ability to control them.

“The circumstances in which you now find yourself are not directly the result of your actions, but whether you recognize it or not, you are a key part of something much bigger than anything you can now imagine.”

Tatyana ignored the pounding in her head and kept her eyes fixed on the man. She sensed that she only had a few moments left, but she forced her body to remain still. She knew if she simply ran, she had almost no chance of making it out of the building alive. The research facility’s security system was old, but it still took several seconds to disarm the night alarm that unlocked the main personnel doors.
She needed another option.   

“Last year, during your research into a phenomenon known as thermal resonance, you uncovered something highly unexpected
. Something that surprised your scientific colleagues, not to mention yourself. What you didn’t – and apparently still don’t – fully comprehend is the magnitude of the potential impact those findings could have on… well, on everything.”