Phoenix

24. The Enemy And The Foe

Russia.

Here we go.

“лошади" Adam called out to a taxi-cab as they stood by a pavement on a busy road. They had arrived in Russia about an hour ago to execute their carefully detailed plan. It sounded easy when Adam explained it, but he knew it was going to be a long run in the park. “Okay so do the Russians have a separate word for taxi-cab?” Adam’s gaze burrowed into him from his right, blaring of fatigue and frustration.

Jason’s lips twitched in amusement of Adam’s worn-out state. “I studied Russian Adam, I only know how to write it; speaking it is another strenuous task on its own”

Adam snorted, dipping his hands into both sides of his pocket and rocking his shoulders gently. “Good, at this rate, we’d be getting the company back in let’s say…never!”

He also wasn’t in anyway enjoying the current charade.

Of course they had informed no one of the details of the mission they were currently embarking on. Slandering; would be an understatement to ascribe the level of scrutiny their claims would have ignited. There was no way in hell they could inform anyone until they had gone and done it.

Adam’s plan was simple. All they had to do was masquerade themselves as an anarchy journalist group seeking for information that would help in eventually battling the oppression of the elites in their society; which the Lawrences happen to be amongst. Of course the cult would show and demonstrate fealty to the business magnates but Adam seemed to believe for some reason that the right bargain would strike up a mutual cord.

But he wasn’t so hot on the idea.

In fact if anything the simple plans of late he had undertaken had taught him anything was that they all led to an oblivion which would later cost a lot to recover from. His current predicament was already an oblivion on its own, the last thing he wanted was to descend totally into an abyss.

Sashaying closer onto the busy road, he halted and waived his right arm in the air momentarily. He could see Adam chuckling silently in mockery of his actions from the pavement but he was going to show him who was smarter. The Russians were strong headed people, the only way to grab their attention was to take the bull by the-

Voosh!

A car zoomed past him, sinking into a pot-hole and spewing up tiny droplets of water at him that rain must have emptied into the hole. Gasping, he staggered back in astonishment in a bid to escape the sputtering rise of the water but he was too late; his brightly-colored brown jacket was marred with black conspicuous blots of dirty fluid.

Adam exploded in raucous laughter before striding forward to join him by his right. “Okay so we seriously need to get serious with this”

Jason gritted his teeth, his stare cold and icy and void of any emotion. “I hate this place”

And suddenly for some reason, a cab finally pulled up ahead of them and they boarded the vehicle instantly. They had both packed lightly figuratively, literally they had packed nothing at all. All what they took along them was Adam’s briefcase nothing more and his ostentatious Rolex wrist-watch upon Adam’s insistence. When he enquired as to why he had to don such exquisite accessory; Adam had explained that time is of the essence and they had to keep track of it every single second.

But he knew his friend had something else in mind.

After a bout of brief silence in the first minute of the ride, the driver spoke up. “куда?”

Jason and Adam both glanced at themselves in incomprehension before Adam spoke up. “Our Russian is bad”

The driver who was a total bald-head; had a large scar just hanging out of his flamboyant sleeve imprinted on the base of his neck; the mirror upfront had been totally disfigured making it impossible for them to get a glimpse of his face from where they sat.