xp_logs | Operation: зимний солдат

Amanda and Ororo meet a contact from the Russian embassy to get information on the destruction of the numbers station North was using to report in. There are some oddities, and possibly an urban legend from the old days of the Soviet Union.

The dichotomy of Central Park never ceased to amaze Valentin Titov. 843 acres, nearly 5 percent of the entire area of Manhattan, devoted to a landscaped park surrounded by buildings on every side. The number of obscure pathways and playgrounds and other recreational areas had made it an ideal place for dead drops and clandestine meetings during the height of the Cold War. Those days were mostly past Titov, who had been put out to pasture in one of the last "reductions in force" of what was now the FSB. These days he actually spent more time performing his nominal duties as a cultural attache to the Russian Embassy. And the occasional duties for an off-the-books side job, which was the reason he was seated on a bench watching runners and cyclists go by as he waited.

A blonde girl appeared, walking an energetic chocolate Lab and accompanied by a tall black woman. Joyita strained at her leash, glad for the unscheduled walkies while Amanda scanned the benches for their contact. Ah, there he was. Slipping the leash free from Joyita's collar, she let the Lab barrel off to play with some other dogs while she approached Titov. "~Do you mind if we sit?~" she asked, indicating the spot next to him in her rough but servicable Russian.

Secret meetings in Central Park were another new experience for Ororo; before moving to the brownstone she had thought the park was best used mainly for sunbathing in the summer and ice skating in the winter. Leave it to the 'trenchcoat brigade' to pervert even that, she thought to herself, watching the grizzled-looking man on the bench through narrowed eyes as he nodded his assent to Amanda's inquiry.

"~Be my guest, young lady,~" Valentin replied. And she was quite young, almost depressingly so. But sadly, the most aggressive parts of field espionage had always been a young person's game, and Valentin had to admit that those years were long past him now. That didn't mean he didn't still have a role to play in the game, but these days it was in providing information. Her statuesque companion made him feel more comfortable, at least, since she was clearly a bit older than the blonde.

"Thank you." Amanda switched to English and sat, fishing a tennis ball out of her jacket pocket and tossing it for Joyita to chase. "It's a nice day, isn't it?"

"Quite nice," Valentin murmured. "I enjoy springtime in New York." He cocked his head sidelong at Amanda as he fished a few papers out of an inside jacket pocket and handed them to her - copies of a report on the destruction of the shortwave station North had been using. "I am curious, why the interest in this particular station?" he asked.

"One of our operatives was meant to be using it as a relay," Ororo told him, glancing over Amanda's shoulder at the papers. "When his transmissions halted we became suspicious and investigated. Not an unheard of turn of events, mm?"

"Huh," Amanda was scanning the report. "Semtex? A bit old school, isn't it?"

"In a way," Valentin answered. "Explosia still manufactures Semtex, but these days it is highly regulated by a government ministry, and contains a chemical 'taggant' to aid detection." He tapped at the paper Amanda held. "The Semtex used in this case was from an older, untagged batch."

"So someone used old Semtex to blow up a remote numbers station. Our contact mentioned it was used for something called the Winter Soldier project. Would that be a factor?" Amanda asked, as Joyita came back with the ball and she threw it again, harder this time.

Valentin snorted, a noise of dismissive amusement. "You believe those...oh, what is the English...old wives' tales?" He tapped the side of his nose. "The Winter Soldier is a myth, a product of equal parts vodka and gossip."

"Myths often have their basis in fact, Mr. Valentin," Ororo told him, not exactly enjoying the man's disdainful tone. "And gossip often carries a grain of truth."

"Pah!" Valentin exclaimed. "An American agent, turned to the service of Mother Russia and the Party? If such a creature had existed, they would have turned them over to the propagandists, to parade in front of everyone." He shook his head. "No, the Winter Soldier is the dream of young soldiers, eager to prove their loyalty and belief."

"Thanks any way. For the information." Amanda hastened to end the meeting, mostly because they weren't really getting anywhere with this line. They'd gotten all they'd get. "Whether or not there's fairy tales involved, it's useful to us."

"Then I shall say dasvidanya, ladies. I am glad to have been of some help." Valentin settled a cap on his head, gave Joyita a scratch behind the ears, and walked off.