Master

by Catherine Taylor

  She went silent and clutched onto him tighter. Jahn gritted his teeth, knowing he would have to see this through.

  “What happened to her?”

  “When Vera and Helga returned later that night and found us both alive, they started fighting over what to do with me. Vera was terrified that Poppa would find out what they had done. She begged me to forgive her and promised me that if I stayed silent, she would make sure my baby and I were set up with everything, and I could be a mother and it would all be perfect. She came back to Donetsk and I didn’t see anyone but Helga for the next three months and I came to like Helga. She bought me things for Greta and would cuddle her. I was happy and then Vera came back and had big arguments with Helga all that day. I didn’t know at the time what they were fighting about, but when I woke up the next day, Greta was gone. Helga was crying and wouldn’t look at me. Vera told me that Greta had gone to an orphanage. I searched for months afterwards, but I never found her.”

  The silence came again and Jahn was reluctant to move, even with her fingers digging into him painfully. What the hell could he possibly say? With all his intelligence, why hadn’t he worked it out long before this? He’d seen the stretch marks on her body, her interaction with her doll, the vacant stare at the baby items, and he had been stupid enough to ignore it all.

  Lena suddenly looked up at him and was smiling brightly. “You should teach me how to cook eggs and then I can cook breakfast for you.”

  Jahn felt his heart wrench at the sudden change in her and had to force a returning smile. “Tomorrow maybe. Today you just let me cook for you.”

  “Okay, but can we have breakfast now? I’m really hungry.”

  “Sure we can.” He stroked her hair just before she jumped up. “Anything you want.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Putting the last of the dishes away, Lena continued to indulge in her fantasy. Having made love to her handsome husband, she had bid him goodbye as he went off to work, leaving her to be the homemaker. She laughed remembering his grumpy face when she had asked for a kiss goodbye and had to settle for a reluctant peck on the cheek. Men could be so strange sometimes.

  She hated not being able to plan his dinner and cursed herself for not becoming more involved in her father’s restaurant. At least he had allowed her to do the washing up after a wonderful breakfast together. He had been quiet, but men like him always had things on their mind and it wasn’t her place to question him. He was the head of their household and her duty was to ensure he returned to a comfortable, tidy home.

  There was dusting to be done and vacuuming, and there was still the bed to make. She would be able to return his pillow and blanket to the bedroom. It was just silly not to continue to share the bed as they had the night before.

  The thought that she would be in his arms again made her heart beat faster. Again, her hands would be able to glide over the all the curves and contours and heat of his body. Her fingers could entwine in the thick ebony hair while he kissed her passionately. She did not want to speculate on what he would do to her body. That was his to know, to take charge of her and use her for his pleasure. She would be the willing recipient, awakened to sensations she had never dreamed of. Who knew she could feel so much happiness? Only once before had she ever felt this content.

  She quickly busied herself before the shadows of that memory ruined her mood. Straightening the sheets on the bed, she breathed in the lingering scent of their love-making. It was tempting to lie down and close her eyes, replaying the events in her head, while stimulating that tiny part of her body that had received so much attention from him. Just thinking about it made her clit pulsate. She liked how it did that, but the longer it lasted, the more need she had to feel him inside her, filling her, pounding into her.

  Lena shuddered and moaned at how powerfully exciting a memory could be. Calming herself, she concentrated on making the bed, deciding her behaviour was most inappropriate. Her energy was soon going into dusting and a thorough vacuuming, first through the kitchen and lounge and then back in the bedroom.

  It wasn’t going to kill much time. The apartment was small and Jahn kept it pristine, but Lena worked with enthusiasm, pushing and pulling the nozzle under the bed, working her way around to not miss a single ball of fluff. When something heavier began to rattle against the extension tube, she quickly switched the machine off.

  Removing the nozzle, she gave the tube a bang against the floor and was surprised to see a key fall out. Picking it up, she stared at it, curious to know what lock it belonged to. The only one she was aware of was the lock on the front door.

  Just opening the door to try the key made her feel guilty, having promised Jahn that she would not venture out again. When it didn’t fit, she was ready to dismiss it until another thought occurred to her. Poking her head out, she looked at the neighbouring door and saw that the lock had a similar shape. It was only a few steps away and would take seconds to try it and then she could be back inside without incident. She certainly hadn’t expected the key to slide in perfectly and unlock the door.

  * * * *

  They were an odd looking couple sitting on the park bench, the very attractive woman in her tight skirt and high heels, and her rugged, large companion in baggy black jumper and jeans stretched tight across his hips.

  Natasha’s mouth hung open and she shook her head slowly. “I’m not sure I heard right. What do you mean it’s all over?”

  “Just what I said,” Jahn replied staring out at the lake. “My mission, my life goal, whatever you want to call it, it’s over. I’m sending Lena home and then I’m out of here.”

  “You’ll understand if I seem a little shocked.” Natasha folded her arms. “I’m just going to roll with this for now. So, I take it you fucked up majorly with our girl.”

  Jahn laughed bitterly. “You have no idea.”

  “Oh, you would be surprised. I’ve seen you with the ladies, but usually it’s just you screwing them, not them screwing with your head.”

  “She did that alright and more.” He gave Natasha a lopsided grin. “You really need to have a good long think before you lose your balls. It’s not pleasant.”

  Natasha laughed loudly. “She really did a number on you. I need to meet this girl.” Her laughter died away. “So you finally found out that you’re not infallible.”

  “No, I found out that I’m a thorough prick. Whatever the little good I’ve done to ease my conscience, it doesn’t wipe away a thousand fucked up things I’ve done, all because I’m under the notion that the world owes me. What I went through doesn’t come close to what she’s going through.”

  “You lost your family.”

  “Lena lost a baby, had it taken from her and either dumped in an orphanage or possibly killed.”

  “Shit.” Natasha scowled. “How come we didn’t know that?”

  “Because no one mentioned it. I had that house bugged for three months, listened to a volume of useless information and not once did anyone say anything about a baby.”

  Natasha frowned at him. “And what did it matter? This was about finding Makarov and Lena’s purpose was to draw him out. What the hell is wrong with you? She’s been with you a few days. How does everything change in a few short days?”

  “Because it started long before that,” Jahn snapped. “I kept going back, listening to her in that bedroom, talking to her doll, painting this fucking picture of how beautiful the world could be if we weren’t all arseholes and were just kind to each other. She didn’t want to grow up and see the world as adults did. Every time that stepmother bitch came in and abused her… it just got to me.”

  “Did this have any influence on you planning to take her?”

  Jahn shrugged. “Maybe. I don’t know. Once I knew how close she was to Makarov, it was feasible that it would work.”

  “And it might, if you wait a little longer.”

  “And then what? Make her life a little shittier by killing her grandfather and handing her over to the old
man.”

  Natasha looked thoughtful. “You are right.”

  “About what?”

  “You are a prick.”

  Jahn grinned. “I am, and now I want to pick up what’s left of my humanity and get the fuck out of here. I advise you to do the same thing.”

  “And leave my home?” Natasha shook her head. “Unlike you, I do know my mission. There’s a lot of people with shitty lives and if I can make them a little better, I don’t need to examine my motives. Besides, I want to be around when they finally get the first open and out faggot President sitting in the Kremlin.”

  “I’ll think you’ll have a long wait,” Jahn laughed, but quickly grew serious again. “If I’m not around…”

  “You don’t owe me anything, my friend.” Natasha reached across and gripped his hand. “If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t even be here. I know it took you a while to accept me for who I am, but you still fought for me and you’ve helped me survive in a place that despises anyone like me.”

  “I’m a little more educated,” he shrugged. “And it’s surprising how easy I just think of you as female, except when you drop your pants of course.”

  Natasha grinned. “Yeah, well that’s just a matter of an operation to make me who I should have been in the first place.”

  “An operation you will never get here.”

  “I don’t know,” Natasha gazed out thoughtfully. “We’ve seen a lot of changes in the last ten years. Who would have believed that Ukraine would get back its independence, that we would become so open to the West? The world is starting to accept that people are more complex than just some heterosexual human being.”

  “Yes, but another institution has grown since we became so open; religion, and with that, they’ve another excuse to condemn you. To me, it just that they’ve exchanged one regime for another, something else to control the people.”

  “You’re such a pessimist,” Natasha groaned. “It’s good that Lena has taught you a few home truths. Maybe you should marry her and have a good woman to keep you in line.”

  “Maybe you should shut the fuck up, before I forget that you’re a woman and punch you in the face.”

  His remark sent Natasha into fits of laughter. “You’re a savage. I’d really like to think that one day you might just find true love.”

  “I’ve already found it,” Jahn remarked. “I have several women whom I’m deeply in love with every time I shove my cock down their throats.”

  “That is not love.” Natasha growled. “I say if this girl has your balls in her grip, then good on her. She’ll eventually get to your heart.”

  Jahn shook his head. “I’m not giving her the chance. I’ve already contacted Andrei Koltun and arranged to meet him. Once I am satisfied that he will agree to my terms, Lena will be handed over.”

  A beeping sound had Jahn launch to his feet and withdraw a small electronic pager from his pocket,

  “Fuck.” He began searching his pockets frantically, already heading back down the path.

  Natasha pulled her heels off and came after him. “What’s happened?”

  “The key, the fucking key. I must have dropped it. She’s found it. She’s gone into the room.”

  “Oh fuck, no” Natasha stopped dejectedly and watched him sprint down the path. She would have no hope in keeping up with him.

  * * * *

  The reason for the lack of personal items in Jahn’s apartment had now become apparent. Everything had been placed in this neighbouring apartment which was the mirror image in layout as Jahn’s. Its use as a living space had long been diminished. The kitchen had been transformed into some type of office, with filing cabinets and more books. A wardrobe and dresser were cramped to one side in what should have been the lounge. The majority of the area had been taken up by a computer.

  Lena had never had much to do with them, though they seemed to be everywhere now, the television-like monitor with its black silent screen, the keyboard, and a rectangular box with slots and holes. Wires and electrical cords snaked out of it all in an untidy tangle. There was a pile of flat black squares on the desk, and picking a few up, she was startled to see the top one labelled with ‘Petrenko.’ Shuffling through them, she found Andrei’s surname on another. There were names she had never heard of, but her search soon found what she was looking for. Her name stared back at her on two squares.

  Looking at the box, she could see a slot that was the same length as the square. After a few attempts, it slid inside snugly with a click. Lena waited, staring at the screen but nothing happened. There was a button on the box and her hand hovered near it, wanting to press it, but fearful of what it would do. The computer was intimidating, and eventually Lena lost her courage.

  Angrily she replaced the disks, undecided how she would deal with this. If she confronted him, Jahn would know she had been in this room and had left the apartment. Not that he would have a right to be angry, but she didn’t want that, even if he did have strange things with her name on them.

  All this was incredibly shattering to her fantasy. It brought back the reality of everything that she was trying to shut out, the fact that he had taken her for a purpose, that he had made quite clear that there was no permanency to their relationship. It was a reality that hurt.

  Her mind was telling her to get out, shut the door and forget that she had seen this room, but as her gaze swept around it, she knew that she needed to know more. The wardrobe became her next focus.

  There were clothes and shoes that looked harmless enough, but as she parted hangers, looking at each item, her search revealed something else she hadn’t expected. Pulling the hanger from the rail she stared at the familiar uniform. It had been years since she had seen them, but she had no doubt what it was. On the wardrobe shelf she could see the blue banded cap that went with it.

  The KGB had been dissolved four years ago and she knew little of its successor, the Federal Security Bureau. With the Soviet gone, there wasn’t supposed to be any of the clandestine activities that the KGB had been renowned for. Everything was supposed to be democratic, whatever that meant, or so her grandfather had told her.

  He had left the KGB several years before its demise, becoming part of the government who was bringing about these changes. Not everyone had been happy, but Lena liked that it had changed since her childhood days, where adults spoke in whispers and told her off for questioning things.

  How did Jahn fit into all this? Why hadn’t he gone on to government? He was smart enough, with all his book reading.

  Putting the uniform back, she began to rifle through the dresser, pausing at times to admire his underwear. In the bottom drawer she found a pile of certificates and soon discovered just how smart Jahn was. They were graduation certificates from several KGB institutes, including the Academy of Cryptography, the Institute of Foreign Languages and the Academy of Sciences. There were certificates in everything ranging from communications and engineering, to satellite technology and even medicine.

  Many of the dates overlapped one another, with several courses having been studied at once, over a ten year period.

  Lena laughed, “He’s a genius.”

  Buried among his records were pages that looked as if they had been ripped from a book. Lena found it hard to follow with its boring narration about satellites and some American project called ‘Zirconia.’ More interesting was a picture in the article of a group of men in laboratory coats, old men, or at least a lot older than the young man standing with them.

  With a head height above any of them and an unmistakable physique, Jahn presence was foremost though no names appeared anywhere in the document. With a little more incentive, Lena tried to reread the article to understand it. It spoke of this team of men responsible for the development of the most sophisticated anti-satellite systems in existence, and boasted of how the Soviet Union was winning the war in space.

  “As if we don’t have enough wars,” Lena scowled, putting the pages back.

  Her att
ention turned to the closed door, which would have been the bedroom in Jahn’s apartment. Lena did not expect to find a bed, but was totally unprepared for what she did find. Flicking a switch illuminated the room with a dim red glow. The walls looked to be painted black and a long table was central, set with trays and glass bottles of liquids. A thin nylon rope was strung across the room with several pegs. A glance at a shadowed wall, Lena saw photos pinned to it and knew at once that this was a darkroom.

  She was afraid to look and tried to back out, but her eyes kept returning to the photos. Having already seen some examples of his work, she wandered closer and flashed a look, not wanting more than a glimpse of what could be terribly disturbing. What she saw was much more alarming than she had imagined.

  They were pictures of her, of her father, Andrei, Gregor and Vera. They had been taken in the restaurant, in the street outside and even several inside their apartment. Oddly, there were photos of her grandfather, but these ones she had seen before. They were from the photo album in their house. Jahn had been in her home.

  There were notes attached to each photo, but Lena didn’t want to read them. It just felt wrong and all the joy of her day was rapidly seeping out of her. Turning she hurried from the darkroom and slammed the door after her, trying to dismiss an obvious conclusion. The KGB or the FSB, whatever the hell they were, they were trying to find her grandfather and Jahn was their agent.

  Was that the purpose of him taking her, to find out what she knew? Didn’t they just interrogate people for things like that? Everything else had changed. Maybe they used different methods now. Maybe they let their victims fall in love with their agents and give up information willingly. He must have been sorely disappointed to discover that she had no idea of his whereabouts.