Chris Kuzneski - The Hunters

Cobb studied Jasmine’s face. She was upset about something. He could see it in her eyes and the way she clenched her jaw. ‘So, what did you want to talk about?’

Jasmine glanced away. ‘Jack, I’m worried.’

‘I can see that. What about, specifically?’

‘I remember all the drilling, all the lessons I was taught back in Florida, but … you saw me in the field. When that punk attacked me, it all …’ She tried to pinpoint the feeling the memory elicited. ‘It all went away. Just vanished.’

Cobb smiled kindly. ‘Let me ask you a question.’

She took a deep breath and met his gaze. It was clear from her expression that she didn’t want to back away or back out. She was looking for something to get her back on track.

‘Do you want to get attacked again?’ Cobb asked.

‘No!’ she blurted, her voice filled with anger.

That was exactly what he wanted to hear.

‘There you go,’ Cobb said. ‘You said it yourself: you know how to prevent it. What you didn’t know was how it was going to feel. How you were going to feel. But now you do.’

She nodded slowly, trying to absorb his message.

‘Pro athletes often talk about the speed of the game. It’s something you can’t fully grasp in a practice session. You have to experience it to understand it.’

‘Are you talking about adrenalin?’

‘Partly. But it’s more than that. It’s about making correct decisions under fire. A fist coming at you demands that you move or block. You don’t have time to remember complex moves, and there’s no need to. You just have to reply to whatever move is put on you. You’re being choked from behind? You know where your opponent’s eyes are for gouging, where the groin is for grabbing, where fingers are for bending back. Simply do what you’ve been taught.’

‘You make it sound pretty easy, when you think about it,’ Jasmine said.

‘Actually,’ Cobb laughed, ‘I’m saying it’s pretty easy when you don’t think about it.’

Just then, they heard a noise inside the cabin. They both looked at Sarah, who was now sitting up on her bed.

‘I’ll tell you what I’m thinking about,’ Sarah complained. ‘That if you really wanted me to get some rest, you wouldn’t be talking in my doorway.’

Cobb smiled. ‘So, you’re saying you’re better?’

‘I’m good enough.’

‘Glad to hear it.’

She looked at Jasmine. ‘Thanks for looking after me.’

Before Jasmine could answer, Garcia interrupted in their ears. ‘I got it!’

‘What’s that?’ Cobb asked.

‘What the Black Robe wanted,’ he said.

Cobb looked at the two women with encouragement. He was glad they were back on speaking terms. ‘One drama finished, another ready to begin …’

Garcia was at his workstation, focused on a device that resembled a small spider that had died on its back with its legs up.

Papineau stood behind him, peering over his shoulder. ‘Very apt. It even looks like a bug.’

Both of them looked up when the foursome entered. Cobb led the way, followed by Sarah, Jasmine, and McNutt, who joined the others when they came through the freight car.

‘Where’d you find it?’ Cobb asked, noting the six sticky antennae legs and the tiny central hub, no bigger than a Tylenol.

‘In McNutt’s car, inside an outlet plate,’ Garcia said. ‘At first I thought it actually was a daddy long legs, but a daddy long legs doesn’t lie flat like this did.’

Cobb nodded. ‘It’s KGB all right. Or at least ex-KGB.’

‘The KGB was that sophisticated?’ Jasmine asked.

McNutt laughed. ‘Oh, they’ve got a long history with bugs. Once they planted a listening device inside a Great Seal of the United States, which they gave as a gift to the US Ambassador in Moscow. It worked for six years. When we finally discovered it, the KGB had the entire construction crew essentially make the newly built US Embassy in Moscow one gigantic listening device. That lasted for ten years. And when it was finally discovered, there were so many bugs in the place we actually had to tear the whole thing down!’

‘See?’ Garcia interjected, holding up the device. ‘The legs are a mixture of transmitters and microphones. It really is a clever design.’

‘Are they listening now?’ McNutt asked pointedly.

‘Nope. I clipped all the wires and crushed the processors.’

Cobb shook his head sadly. ‘Stupid of me. I should have told you to just find it. We could’ve used it to throw the Black Robes off track.’

McNutt clapped him on the shoulder. ‘The good news is there’s no telling how many others he installed before skulking away.’

‘Good point,’ Cobb said. ‘Hector, take Jasmine and go tell the train workers to look for any more, just to be on the safe side. While you’re out there, check with Dobrev to see if there’s anything more he wants or needs. The sooner we get this show on the road, the better it’ll be.’

‘Don’t worry,’ Garcia said. ‘If they’re out there, I’ll find them.’

‘Not worried at all,’ Cobb smiled.

‘On the road?’ Sarah asked. ‘On the road to where?’

‘We follow the prince’s most likely trail,’ he told her. ‘Anything is better than waiting here for the next Black Robe.’ Cobb turned to the Frenchman. ‘You better get ready, Papi.’

‘Get ready?’ Sarah repeated. ‘What does he have to get ready for?’

‘His speech,’ Cobb said.

Papineau straightened his tie. ‘I am attending the official launch of the Eastern Euro Trans Energy Study at the Leningradsky rail terminal across town.’

McNutt, Sarah, and Jasmine looked at their employer in surprise.

‘What do you mean?’ Sarah demanded.

‘I mean that I will be suffering through many hours of boring speeches from a variety of low-level Russian dignitaries while toasting many glasses of middling vodka. Then I will board a non-luxury train and lead the study toward the Bering Strait — in the opposite direction of you.’

The trio continued to stare at Papineau.

Cobb let them stare for a while. ‘You didn’t think he was coming with us, did you?’

McNutt looked from Cobb to the Frenchman, realized the beauty of the plan, and then grunted in realization. ‘Oh, I get it! You’re the decoy.’

‘Exactly,’ Papineau said. ‘If it hadn’t been for our black-robed friend, you might have gone completely unnoticed. But now I have to do my best to lead the hounds away.’

‘Don’t you need me there as translator?’ Jasmine asked.

Papineau looked at her with mock disdain. ‘Now, you don’t think a man as important as I am has just one interpreter, do you? Besides, I need you to stay here and take care of Andrei.’

Jasmine nodded. ‘It will be my pleasure.’

Cobb glanced at Papineau. ‘Any final words?’

He smiled at Cobb. ‘Hit the road, Jack — but stay in touch.’

The public launch of the new American-European survey was going exactly as Papineau expected. Talk, talk, more talk, and then even more talk about nothing that had yet been done. But as he sat on the upraised dais at track number one of the Leningradsky rail terminal, listening to the fifth speech declaring collaboration, dedication, and international cooperation, it gave him time to consider his confrontation with Cobb.

Everything Cobb had questioned about the delivery of the train and the weapons resonated with the Frenchman. Cobb had said nothing wrong or unfair. The main reason Papineau couldn’t reply honestly was because he didn’t know all the answers. He understood that it was the recovery of the letter from the Brighton Beach estate and its delivery that had set things in motion, but he wasn’t aware of the specifics. He knew his colleague had numerous connections in Russia and throughout Eastern Europe, but the speed and ease with which Papineau’s most recent requests had been fulfilled was truly impressive.