by Brian Lumley
Trask understood, and said, ‘Which left General Suvorov as the sole heir to whatever he could steal from Sunside/Starside. He knew that the Gate would lead him into an alien world, knew about the gold, and wanted it for himself
‘The gold and whatever else he could find there,’ Turchin answered. ‘A whole new world, which he would annex and rape for its riches. And he would have control of the Gate. Why, in retrospect it seems perfectly obvious: if Suvorov had wanted these things for the good of his country, for Russia — which was what he told me — then surely he would have explained his purpose to everyone; to his military colleagues and the whole country, and not just… not just to me.’ He turned his face away.
‘He told you he was going through the Gate? And you didn’t try to stop him?’ Trask believed he understood something of the predicament Turchin must have faced, but wanted to hear it from the horse’s mouth.
‘How could I stop him?’ Turchin threw up his hands. ‘After the Perchorsk Complex was flooded, a task force of military engineers was sent in to strip and salvage lead from the shielding in the ravine. That was what I was led to believe, though later it turned out that wasn’t all they were there for. Anyway, many of these men were long-term criminals from the punishment garrisons at Beresov and Ukhta. Hand-picked by Mikhail Suvorov, they had been given the choice of serving out their sentences or serving him: his first step towards securing Perchorsk. In return, and after the job was done and everyone else had moved out, Suvorov let them stay on and turn the dry upper levels into living quarters serviced by hydroelectric power from the dam. They had vehicles, and documentation that allowed them to resupply themselves from Beresov. From then on they were the “official” team of engineers, responsible for servicing and running the dam. As for the dam’s continued existence: that was easily justified in that the bulk of its electrical power had been re-routed to the service of local logging camps and other communities…’
‘And you were in the dark about all this?’ Despite Trask’s respect for the other — and the fact that so far the Premier’s every word had been the truth — still he was relentless in his pusuit of all the answers.
‘I was kept in the dark about it!’ Turchin told him. ‘Ben, I don’t control the armed forces and I never have. If they want me to know something, then they tell me. And if I require their services, I tell them. And that’s it.’
‘Bringing a democracy to life isn’t easy,’ Trask said. ‘Neither is killing Communism!’ said the other, then went on to explain: ‘Oh, they are still there, the hard-liners. And so we’re — how do you say it — between a rock and a hard place? The old guard on the one hand, and all the greedy opportunists, like Suvorov, on the other. Do you know what happens to a Russian bank if it runs out of money?’
Trask shrugged. ‘It goes bankrupt?’
‘No, they turn it into a pizza house! Huh! Among the Muscovites, that is currently a “joke.” Here’s another that’s not so funny: what does a General do when there’s no money
to fund his parades or pay his troops, and his pension’s only good for cheap vodka and cabbage soup?’
And Trask nodded. ‘He goes gold-prospecting. But you know, no one lives forever. Not me and not you. Somewhere there must be documentation on the Perchorsk Project, the Gate, the complex, and everything that happened there. While we’re alive, of course we’ll do our best to protect such records, such secrets. But when we’re dead or no longer in office — what then? If not Suvorov, sooner or later someone else would have tried it.’
‘I thought of that a long time ago,’ said Turchin. ‘Also, I liked Nathan and I’m sure I would like his people. There was something about him that was very Russian, you know? And in my way, well, I’m a humanitarian, too… you’ll just have to take my word for that. So, I took what precautions I could.’
‘Precautions?’
‘Long before Mikhail Suvorov found out about Perchorsk, I was destroying everything I could find on that place. Every bit of documentation, records, reports, you name it. Not the experiment, you understand, not the Projekt itself — for it’s better that men should learn from their mistakes — but the horror that came after it, the very knowledge of a vampire world. And I was quite successful, perhaps even too successful. For now… why, even the so-called Opposition knows a lot more about it than I do, and certainly more than anyone else!’
‘We always did,’ said Trask.
‘Of course you did, yes — and of course you do — for you have even been there, to Nathan Keogh’s world in an alien parallel dimension. But isn’t that a peculiar circumstance in itself, since Perchorsk and the Gate lie deep inside my homeland? And if you were me, wouldn’t you feel… left out?’
‘Not really,’ Trask shook his head. ‘No one who saw what I saw, experienced what I experienced, would ever want to go back there. Believe me, you must consider yourself fortunate. And as for General Mikhail Suvorov: well, you can consider him unfortunate. He’s dead, Gustav.’
‘Oh?’ And Turchin lifted a great bush of an eyebrow. ‘Does that explain it, then? The accident or vandalism or whatever it was at the Romanian Refuge? Was that Suvorov?’
‘You know about the Refuge?’
‘I have my sources.’ Turchin shrugged.
For the moment at least Trask let that one slide and said, ‘No, it wasn’t Mikhail Suvorov — but it was as a direct result of his “invasion” of Sunside/Starside. That was what brought it about’ And he quickly told the Russian Premier everything that had happened, including the fact that three Great Vampires were now at large in the world, and that he and E-Branch were trying to hunt them down.
‘And that is why you’re here?’
‘We believe that one of them is here in Australia, yes.’
And Turchin said, ‘Ah! Then that would explain why initially you were on the other side of the continent, and not here in Brisbane. And so it’s a pure coincidence that the trail has led you here: you think that he — your “man,” shall we say? — is close by.’
‘He’s not far away, that’s for sure,’ said Trask. ‘And now I have a question for you.’
‘Go ahead.’
‘If you knew we were in the west, in the Gibson Desert on the other side of Australia, why did you ask my headquarters if I’d be attending the conference? Also, how did you know we were in Western Australia in the first place?’
‘That’s two questions,’ Turchin smiled.
Trask nodded. ‘Yes, but please don’t spoil things by lying to me on either one of them.’
‘To you?’ Turchin raised that eyebrow again. ‘Do you think that’s likely, Ben?’
‘No, because I know it isn’t possible,’ said the other. ‘I was reminding you of that fact, that’s all.’
‘I don’t need reminding,’ the Premier told him. ‘And I say again, I’m not here to lie to you but to ask for your help. And now you ask how I know so much. Very well, then listen:
‘When our Russian equivalent of your E-Branch failed — and failed so very spectacularly at the hands of Harry Keogh — then ESP as a weapon was largely discredited and the Russian organization disbanded. Or at least it was “officially” disbanded. For our military commanders, down-to-earth fellows who would rather put their faith in conventional spying techniques, wanted nothing more to do with it. Which made it an ideal tool for a Premier who—’
‘—Who was pretty much powerless but desperate to keep an eye on things,’ Trask finished it for him. ‘You yourself, Gustav. You are now in charge of the Opposition!’
‘Covertly, yes. What’s left of it,’ Turchin nodded.
‘And you’ve been using your mindspies to watch us?’
‘Don’t look so hurt, Ben! Haven’t you been watching me and mine?’
Trask thought about it and grinned… and was serious again in a moment. ‘But you still haven’t told me why you asked my HQ if I was attending the conference?’
The other smiled. ‘It was my way of telling you that I was attending
, without spelling out a request to meet with you.’
‘Still sharp as a tack,’ Trask said. And: ‘Okay. So, as you now know, I too have a problem… shit, I mean the whole world has a problem! Three of them, and big ones. But yours has to be urgent, too, and probably personal, else you wouldn’t be taking chances talking to me. Obviously we need to make a deal, and we will, a mutually beneficial arrangement. But I can’t do or promise anything until I know what your problem is.’
‘Urgent, yes, definitely,’ said Turchin. ‘But personal? Not any longer, not after what you have told me. For it seems to me our problems mesh, becoming one and the same. Very well, I know one of yours — or ours, as it now appears — and the worst of them at that: that there are vampires in our world. But somehow I think there’s a lot more than that to it. Am I right?’
‘A tangled skein, yes,’ Trask nodded. ‘But synchronous, all coming together at the same time. And meanwhile our time is flying. So okay, you first Just what is your problem, comrade?’
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX Dilemmas, Dreams, And Deadspeak
‘My problems, plural, are not so simple,’ said Gustav Turchin. ‘Suvorov told a handful of his military cronies that he was onto something big,’ also that he’d probably be incommunicado for a while, but in the event he was gone for too long they should come to me for answers. Well, some eighteen months ago they started to ask questions, not too many, for with Suvorov out of the way they had been playing their own hands. These are people with small armies of their own, funded by the drugs trade, I suspect, for they certainly can’t be getting it through official channels. Why not? Because the bank is broke.’ Anyway, sooner or later they’ll become more insistent, and I’m the one whom they’ll squeeze for information. Obviously I don’t want to tell them anything about Perchorsk, so what can I tell them?
‘Next problem:
‘The Perchorsk complex is still dry, the Gate stands open, and the Wamphyri are back in Sunside/Starside. Which means, of course, that the Gate has to be closed. But how, since Mikhail Suvorov’s gang of criminal “engineers” are still in control up there, standing guard on the place and waiting for his return? Which brings up another question: how long before some of them decide to follow him through the Gate?
‘Well, despite that the complex is isolated, remote, still I can’t attack it. Even if I had the military muscle I wouldn’t dare use it for
fear of attracting the rest of Suvorov’s “colleagues” to Perchorsk. There you have it: it’s a vicious circle, and frankly I can’t see any easy way to break out of it.’
‘Me neither,’ said Trask, frowning. ‘But that doesn’t mean it’s hopeless. In E-Branch I have a good many first-class problem-solvers, and I promise I’ll do what I can. But first let me get it straight. No one else knows about Sunside/Starside’s mineral riches?’
‘Now that Suvorov is dead, no. Not that I’m aware of.’
‘And there are no documents to lead anyone in that direction?’
‘None that I know of.’ Turchin shook his head.
‘Then what it boils down to is this: you’ve got to find a way to tell Mikhail Suvorov’s cronies he’s dead, while simultaneously ensuring that they don’t go looking for him.’
‘What?’ Turchin was at once alarmed. ‘And without telling them how or where he died, surely — that is, if you would save Nathan’s world from uttermost destruction! For if you think for a moment they wouldn’t go searching for Suvorov, you’re wrong. They would. And they would see what they would see, and having seen it… then they would turn a whole world into a nuclear, chemical, and biological wasteland!’
‘Zfthey managed to get back here to tell about it,’ said Trask. ‘But in any case you’re right: eventually we’ll have to get into Perchorsk and close the Gate, for good this time.’
‘Precisely. Until which time the problems remain…’
Trask was silent for a moment, then said, ‘As for the one we’ve just formulated, how to get into Perchorsk and close the Gate: I may soon have the answer to that one at least. But not right now. It’s something I’m working on.’
‘Harry Keogh could have done it,’ said Turchin knowingly, perhaps wistfully.
‘Harry’s dead,’ said Trask.
‘But Nathan isn’t/ said Turchin. ‘And he owes me.’
Trask shook his head. ‘No, Nathan can’t help us. Not right now. He has problems of his own, in Sunside/Starside. And there isn’t any way we can contact him.’
But didn’t you say you were working on something?’
‘Something, someone, yes. Don’t ask me any more about it.’
Turchin nodded. ‘I see…’
‘But don’t lose hope,’ Trask told him. ‘Like I said, we’ll do what we can. Meanwhile you’ll have to sit tight, play dumb.’
‘Play dumb?’ Turchin snorted. ‘I may be the Premier, but I can’t hold these people off forever! Suvorov and a good many men, scientist and soldier both, have gone missing and they believe I have the answers. And when I won’t supply them, then they’ll think I’m involved.’
‘Then keep out of their way for as long as you can.’
‘I intend to,’ said Turchin. ‘That is the other reason I’m here in Brisbane. Because it keeps me out of Russia. And that’s why those “friends” of mine in the other car, those—’
‘Those goons?’
‘—Why those goons are here, yes.’ Turchin tried to smile but it was a futile effort. ‘To make sure I’ll find my way back home again. Hub!’
‘You could seek political asylum.’
‘Which might solve my problem, but it wouldn’t solve ours, yours, Russia’s, or the world’s.’
‘So what will you do?’
‘These conferences look like they’ll go on forever. Certainly for the rest of this year. Here, and in London, Brussels, Rio de Janeiro, Calcutta, you name it. I shall attend them all, one after the other if that’s at all feasible. And of course I shall sweat and worry, and wait for you to come up with an answer.’
‘And at the same time do something for me,’ said Trask. ‘Ah, yes! Your problems/ said Turchin. ‘I had almost forgotten that this isn’t a one-sided affair. So then, what can I do for you?’
‘It’s all part of the same problem,’ Trask told him. ‘Remember that and it might give you an incentive. First, call off your mindspies. If we’re to work together — or at least on the same wavelength — you don’t need to be watching me. But on the other hand I do need them to be watching out for me. Or rather, for vampires. But there’s more than one kind of bloodsucker involved here. You mentioned the illicit drugs trade. It’s no big secret how the so-called Russian Mafia are flushing your people and your country down the toilet. But in another way, a different way, they’re also connected with our problem in general. So here’s what I want you to do…’
And he quickly explained what he wanted: information from Turchin’s side on the Moscow Mafia’s connection with Marseille, with specific reference to Luigi Castellano’s organization and its operation in the northern Mediterranean. And:
‘This man Castellano is of particular interest to us,’ he finished up. ‘He’s a dark horse indeed. My people in the Branch haven’t so far been able to pin him down, and Interpol has next to nothing on him. I mean, it’s not unusual for a drugs boss to keep a low profile, but this one’s near-invisible. And frankly, I want his backside in a sling.’
Turchin looked doubtful. ‘But doesn’t this smack of common or garden police work? How does it fit into the big picture?’
‘I’m trying to help someone who may soon be in a very good position to help me — or us,’ Trask answered. ‘If I scratch his back, with a bit of luck he’ll scratch ours.’
And Turchin nodded. Til see what I can do. Is there anything else?’
‘You can try to find out just exactly what we’ll be going up against if or when we do try to take Perchorsk,’ Trask said.
The Russian Premier looked at him; indeed, his dark, glinting eyes b
ored into him as he inquired, ‘With a British force, do you mean? In which case you might require a route of access. Not to mention one of egress, an escape route.’
‘Good idea,’ said Trask. ‘You can look into that, too, by all means. And you can think how to give us cover in the event of political flak, that is if we were seen to be involved. But at the moment I don’t see it as a problem. It’s like you said: Perchorsk is remote, isolated.’
‘Oh? And you can come and go into foreign lands and alien places at will, can you?’ And now Turchin’s gaze was even more intense.
But Trask only said, ‘We’ve talked enough, and our time’s up.’ Then he switched on the intercom and said: ‘Mr Smith, the hotel, if you please.’
In a little while, Turchin said. ‘Well, it seems our business is done for now. But if that’s all you want, and if things eventually work out, it would appear I get the best of the bargain.’
Trask looked at him and shook his head. ‘I understand what you’re saying, Gustav, but I think it’s a very narrow viewpoint. The way I see it, the whole world gets the best of the bargain. Which is to say, we all come out of it alive… and as men.’
Turchin shrugged and answered, ‘Yes, yes, of course you’re right. Still, on a moment-to-moment basis, one’s own skin is oddly precious.’
But Trask only said, ‘How about one’s soul?’
And a little later, while Turchin thought about that — if he thought about it — the limo arrived at his hotel…
… And Trask was long gone before the second limo drew up where Turchin stamped ‘angrily’ to and fro, waiting for his minders.
Tfw^He grunted as they got out of the car. ‘Couldn’t at least one of you have made an effort to stay with me?’
‘But Premier—’ the senior man began to protest.
‘No buts.” Turchin snapped. ‘I shall report your inefficiency back in Moscow. And I’ll also be making a strong complaint here.’