Terra: The Beginning

ONE

22 HOURS EARLIER, TOBOLSK

Yuri Vladislav adjusted his his tie for the fifth time in twenty minutes. He was nervous. This was a very important client he was working with, and he could not afford to make mistakes. After all, the pay he was being offered was no small matter.

As he walked briskly along the gleaming, marbled corridors, he thought back to his days as a trainee under Valentin Kirchov, the most renowned and deadliest martial arts teacher in all of Russia. He was trained in 56 types of combat, and had taught Yuri everything he knew. Today, Yuri was the head of the most sought-after security and investigative agency in Tobolsk, which catered to very high profile clients, who wished to be protected and concealed from potential enemies, of which there were many. However, the comparatively lesser known features of his programme also allowed his clientele to seek out and capture their potential enemies, after which, it was no longer Yuri's problem. As long as his hands were kept clean, and filled with his due payments, Yuri was not concerned about his protegees' underhand activities.

Normally, Yuri did not take up cases personally, but this particular customer - who simply went by the name of 'Doctor' - had insisted on having him and him only. Of course, the monetary benefits were quite persuasive as well, so he had agreed. He was a bit rusty, having been out of the game for so long, but he remembered what his master used to tell him, time and again, during his training. There is no weakness, no pain, and no mercy. There is only the enemy, and the objective.

He stopped in front of the oak panelled door of the client's office, and rapped on it three times. "Enter."

He stepped into a cool, air conditioned room that was all clean, sharp lines. Every piece of furniture was either black or white, and spotlessly precise. It almost hurt to look at.

Yuri's gaze turned towards the far end of the room, to the giant plasma screen covering one wall. Besides this screen, and the two burly bodyguards stationed next to the exits, Yuri was alone. This client had never spoken to him face to face. Yuri was not perturbed by such behaviour. It was quite common for his prospects to conceal their identities from him. After all, that was why they came to him in the first place.

The screen suddenly glowed to life, and a giant logo pulsed in the centre - a globe encircling an ornate eye, with the initials E.T.R.A curved along the side.

"Mr Vladislav, welcome," intoned a deep, mechanical voice, emanating from the speakers beside the screen.

Voice disguised, and no video, mused Yuri. This person is taking absolutely no chances.

"Please, sit down. Have some refreshments."

A small panel in the floor slid open, and a plate of cookies rose up on a sleek platform with a soft hiss. Yuri took a cookie, but remained standing.

"Doctor, I have found the information you required," he said to the great eye in front of him.

"Ah, excellent. The carrier proves to be active?"

"My branches in England have found the male to be a match, and the other specimens are under surveillance. I shall have them brought to you in 2 days' time."

"That is good. Very good, Mr Vladislav," droned the voice. "You have done well. I shall expect you again in precisely 48 hours."

"Of course, Doctor."

"You are dismissed. Oh, and Mr Vladislav? Just eat the cookie next time, will you? You're crumbing all over my marble flooring." The screen went dark.

Yuri looked down at his hand, in which he had pulverized his cookie to powder without realizing it. He swept the room with the trained gaze of an experienced guardsman, but he could see no surveillance cameras, nor detect the tell-tale force field of a sensor system.

Best be careful, Yuri. This one is not messing around.

He dusted off his hands, turned on his heel, and exited the office.