POI: The Reasons Behind His Names: The Splintered Son - Part Four
Author's Notes:
Yes, I know there's no way Daniel could be a great tailor so quickly-but, let's face it. He is/will be Finch….
Legal Services Corporation Act: This was passed in July, 1974. I picked it because it sounds really boring.
Sergey Alexeyevich Lebedev is a Real Person. The Institute of Precision Mechanics and Computer Engineering is real, as is the Moscow Institute, but Victor Steklov is fictitious and what he does in this chapter was written to suit the needs of the story, not reality.
KPSS: Initials of the Russian name for the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
All foreign phrases are courtesy of on-line translators; please correct me if I'm wrong.
Franklin Square
Washington, D.C.
Friday, July 19, 1974
Day -10,032
The day was the fifth of the Sutterfields' family vacation in Washington, D.C. Monday had been spent on a walk that began at their hotel, the Statler Hilton on 16th Street NW. Although his father termed the day-long meander "a reconnoiter of enemy territory," Daniel enjoyed it because it gave him a change to gape like a tourist at all the famous sights.
The White House… the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial… the Jefferson Memorial… the Smithsonian… the Freer Art Gallery… the Capitol Building… Ford's Theater… the Russian Embassy-maybe not a famous sight, but it was only one block north of our hotel… oddly, it was the only stop on our walk where my parents didn't do their Boris and Natasha routine-yes, they were doing that again this year….
Tuesday was spent touring the White House and the Capitol.
My father actually asked the tour guide if anyone had signed up for the tour as Boris Badenov and Natasha Fatale… she said "No" then told Dad she was really impressed that he knew their last names… turned out she was a Rocky and Bullwinkle fan and could do most of their skits from memory… the tour was treated to lectures on the history of the White House and the presidents and trivia from Frostbite Falls from Mom, Dad, and the tour guide... the other tourists had a great time… I just smiled and pretended I didn't know them… at the Capitol, Mom left us for the Botanical Gardens while Dad and I used a pair of House gallery passes to watch "our Representatives in Inaction," as Dad put it… I wanted to see some of the impeachment hearings-remember, this was during Watergate when the House Judiciary Committee was trying to force President Nixon to turn over his secret tapes-but that had stalled while the Supreme Court decided whether to uphold the subpoena for them or not… if we'd been there a week later, I might have seen the articles of impeachment voted on… instead, Dad and I spent some time watching the House of Representatives discuss the Legal Services Corporation Act… and yawning….
Wednesday and Thursday was spent at the various museums that comprise the Smithsonian.
I could have spent a whole week there… we went to the Arts and Industries Building because the rocket and aviation collections were on display there while the Air and Space Museum was being built… then we went to the National Museum of Natural History… I gaped at the dinosaurs like a little kid… and the gems-everyone stares at the Hope Diamond, but the Star of Asia sapphire is the most beautiful stone I've ever seen… flawlessly blue with this six-rayed star perfectly centered… I plan to be rich, but I doubt I'll ever be rich enough to buy that gem from the Smithsonian… same goes for some of the statuary at the Hirshhorn Museum… I wonder what it feels like to see a statue of one's self? If I get rich and famous enough, I might find out….
On Friday, Mr. Sutterfield left before breakfast to met with some specialty photography suppliers. His absence left his wife to set the day's itinerary.
After breakfast, we walked to Franklin Square, a small park about four blocks from the hotel… I was wearing a light blue button-down shirt-collar open, and dark blue linen slacks… since I figured we were going to walk a lot, I chose some ankle boots that Mr. Eregov had recommended to me-he said they would be comfortable for walking and look better than sneakers… he was right … Mom was in tan Capri slacks and a magenta blouse with a white tennis visor to keep the sun from her face… she seemed upset about something-perhaps Dad going to his meetings without her-and she didn't say a word to me until we got to the park… it seemed an odd destination… the only thing of note in it was a memorial to Commodore John Barry, the first flag officer of the American Navy… it was a big bronze likeness on a pink marble base with a carved figure of Victory supporting it… assuming the statue was why we'd walked there, I stopped to look at it… Mom took a seat on a bench facing the street then she waved me over to her.…
Daniel sat down on the bench beside his mother, who then glanced around to see if anyone was close by. Since the only people in sight were on the sidewalk and intent on their own destinations, she turned her attention to her son.
"Give me your watch and your wallet."
Daniel removed the Timex from his wrist and his wallet from his hip pocket then he handed them to her without question.
It was an odd request, but it wasn't the weirdest thing Mom had asked me to do… I figured we were going to play some spy game … sometime to past the time until Dad finished his meetings … I was very wrong about that assumption….
Mrs. Sutterfield put Daniel's watch and wallet in her purse.
"In a few minutes," she told him, "a car will pull up to the curb. I want you to get into its back seat and go with the driver. Follow whatever instructions you are given to the best of your ability. When you are returned to this park, please walk back to the hotel and come up to our room."
She handed him a key with a Statler Hilton room tag on it. Daniel held it in his hand as he stared at his mother.
"Can I ask why?" he asked.
"No," she replied, her tight smile warning that he might not like the answer.
"Okay, then-can you tell me anything else?"
The strain in her expression vanished, replaced by the fond smile she used when she was proud of her son.
"You won't be asked to do anything illegal," she told him, "but your activities could be misconstrued if anyone ever learns of them."
"Does Dad know about this?"
Mrs. Sutterfield nodded.
"If I screw up, will it hurt your and Dad's work?"
She shook her head then said, "But you will disappoint your father, Mr. Lukin and me."
Daniel raised an eyebrow.
"In that order?"
The tight smile returned to his mother's face.
"This is such a wonderful opportunity that I will not spoil it for you."
Daniel leaned back on the bench. He turned the room key over in his hands as he wondered what was about to happen to him.
"What if I refuse to go?" he asked.
Mrs. Sutterfield twisted on the bench so she could look her son in his eyes.
"Your refusal will upset some very important and influential people-the sort one must not anger without reason. Is my word not good enough for you?"
He blinked at her vehemence.
"It's plenty good, Mom. I just wish we could do something-anything-without getting all mysterious about it."
His mother snorted then grinned at his complaint.
"It is an occupational hazard."
She then reached out and straightened Daniel's shirt collar then she smoothed his hair.
"It is also hard to admit that you're growing up," she told him. "In my heart, you'll always be the small boy we brought home with us-so scared and so brave."
Daniel ducked his head from her hair-smoothing.
"Aw, Mom."
"I know," she said with a chuckle. "My words embarrass you, but they are true. Whatever you do and whatever you decide, I will always be proud of you, my son."
Daniel smiled as his face warmed.
It's like when I first came to live with Mom and Dad… every time she called me her son, it made me feel wanted… wanted and loved… it still does….
"I love you, Mom."
Mrs. Sutterfield reached into her purse for a tissue.
"I love you too, Daniel, and here is the car. Go quickly-do not make them wait."
A black Mercedes sedan slowed to a stop at the curb before them. Daniel rose to his feet, following his mother's directions. When he reached the door, she called out to him.
"Viel Erfolg, mein Sohn."
Daniel waved at her as he entered the sedan. The moment he was seated, the Mercedes accelerated away from the park, taking Daniel with it and leaving Mrs. Sutterfield alone on the park bench.
The interior of the Mercedes was a soft leather whose color reminded Daniel of melted caramel. The windows were heavily tinted, making it difficult to see the passing scenery except through the windshield. The only other occupant was the driver, a man in his late forties with black hair shot with gray. He was burly, but not fat, and his summer-weight black wool suit fit him as though Daniel had measured it himself.
Except at the right armpit… it's lumpy there….
Daniel leaned forward to get the driver's attention.
"Hello?"
The man did not respond. Daniel tried greeting him in German, French, then Russian. When the driver failed to reply, the boy leaned back against the seat and sighed.
I could taunt him… see if I can make him talk… somehow, I don't think that is a good idea… I'm pretty sure that odd lump under his suit jacket is not body fat… if he's left-handed, it may mean he's armed….
Daniel waited until the man turned the steering wheel for a turn.
Sure enough, he's wearing a watch on his right wrist… I'm not only being driven to an unknown destination, I'm being taken by an armed man….
He swallowed hard to dislodge a lump in his throat.
I'm not petrified of guns like I used to be… the shooting range at Scout camp and some time with Mr. Lukin helping him clean and repair the handguns he owns helped me with that… but I don't like being around them… there's something unsettling about how a lump of metal can end a life so suddenly… of course, I'm not afraid of electricity or hammers or cars and all those things, used wrongly, are just as deadly… but there will always be something about a firearm that just isn't right….
Daniel watched as the car drove through the city.
We're making a lot of turns… no rhyme or reason to them that I can see… they're not due to one-way streets, either… he must be making sure we're not being followed… but Mom called this a wonderful opportunity… so I guess it's too soon to panic….
Eventually, the turning ceased and the driver settled on a easterly direction as determined by the sun shining on the windshield. Twenty minutes more and the Mercedes was driving past farms and bedroom communities. With nothing interesting to see, no conversation to occupy him, and a deep desire to keep from worrying about his immediate future, Daniel focused his mind on something completely different.
I really wish we'd taken this vacation last year and made our western trip this year… sure, I'd have missed meeting Ensio in person, but Alla got that internship she wanted and she is at the Soviet Consulate in San Francisco this summer… I know I could have talked Dad and Mom into stretching our trip that far-if only we had gone west this year instead of last year… as it is, I can't see her because I'm too far away… I can't call her because she's an intern and not allowed personal calls… I can't even write her… the method used to get my letters to her won't work while she's here… so I'm in Washington and she's in California and never the twain shall met… crap….
Daniel allowed himself a few minutes to wallow in pity then he watched the scenery again.
There's a town coming up… Annapolis… the Naval Academy is here somewhere, but we're not slowing down or leaving the highway….
After driving through Annapolis, the Mercedes crossed a long, high suspension bridge. Daniel watched the water far below him.
That's Chesapeake Bay-maybe it's time to panic… I could jump out the next time we turn-if the driver slows down enough… if I don't mind being shot in the back while I run away….
Daniel's stomach lurched at the thought. He swallowed hard against the nausea.
I'm not going to jump… and I'm not going to be shot… Mom and Dad would not send me on this errand-chore-adventure-whatever the heck it is-if they thought I'd be in danger… Mom even wished me luck-no, Mom didn't….
The boy stiffened in his seat as he remembered.
Mom wished me 'Good Success…' German differentiates between that and good luck… the first is for situations like tests and team try-outs… the second is for other stuff… but what kind of test requires a long ride through the countryside?
While Daniel was wondering, the Mercedes left the highway at a small town named Queenstown. The driver turned onto a county road that ran north through farmland until it reached its end.
There's a house here… a three-story, red brick Georgian-style house-authentic, not a modern copy… there's a circular drive leading to the front porch with separate parking at its side… beautiful lawn, well-trimmed trees and hedges… whoever owns this place is wealthy….
The driver pulled into the parking area and stopped next to another black Mercedes with a D.C. diplomatic plate. He exited the car and walked around to open Daniel's door.
"You are to come with me," he said in English with a Russian accent.
"Yes, sir," Daniel responded.
The driver led him through a green wrought iron gate to a courtyard that, judging from the tools and storage bins places against its walls, was used by whomever maintained the house. A wide wooden door at the far side of the courtyard opened as the driver approached it. A man in a charcoal gray suit, white shirt, and narrow black tie stood on the threshold. He appeared to be in his early fifties, and he combed his blond hair from a low part on the left side of his head. The scowl on his face showed their presence in the courtyard annoyed him.
"Is this Sutterfield?" he asked the driver.
"Da."
The driver turned to face Daniel then he indicated the door and the man with a tip of his head. At a lost for what to do next, the boy thanked the driver. To his surprise, the man grinned at him.
"I like quiet passengers," he replied. "You good like that."
With that said, the driver left the courtyard. Now alone except for the man at the door, Daniel gathered his courage and entered the house.
The room the boy entered was a mudroom, its wall lined with hooks for wet gear, the shelf over it holding hats and boot brushes. The man hurried Daniel from it into a large working kitchen. No one was at work, but three large trays of bread rolls covered with white cloths were on the counter.
Again, the man hurried Daniel from the kitchen into the adjoining dining room. He gave the boy little time to marvel at its ornate furniture or its carved woodwork as he led him through doors at the far end of the room. Daniel then found himself in a wide hallway with polished teak floors and impressive oil landscapes on its walls. Double oak doors to the boy's right marked the house's entrance, but it was a narrow open door to his left that caught Daniel's attention.
"Sir," Daniel said, a bit louder than he intended, "is that a rest room?"
The blond man spun on his heel to face the boy.
"It is," he said in Russian.
Daniel asked if he could use in, using Russian for his question. The man checked his wristwatch then said, "We must start in six minutes. When you are finished, enter the first door on your right."
Daniel took only three minutes. The first door on his right led to a library with walnut floor-to-ceiling shelves broken only by the hall door, two casement windows, and a narrow door in a side wall. In the center of the room stood a large mahogany desk with claw and ball legs that sank into the nap of the oriental rug under it. Tapestry-upholstered arm chairs flanked book tables centered before the two windows.
The only unusual feature in the room was a brown metal card table that someone had set in front of the mahogany desk. A matching folding chair was placed so that its occupant faced the desk. On the table's surface were a stack of scrap paper, two pencils with a small green plastic sharpener, and three ballpoint pens with caps Beneath the table was a metal wastebasket.
The man took a seat behind the desk then he pointed at the card table.
"You will sit there," he said in Russian. "I will administer each section of the examination and I will keep time for each section. If you do not know a word or do not understand the directions, I am allowed to explain, but only in Russian. Are you ready to begin?"
The urge to said, "Heck, no!" seized the boy, but he shook it off then before taking his seat at the card table.
"I am ready," he said, also in Russian.
"Good."
The man opened a drawer and removed from it a stack of thin bound booklets topped by several sheets of loose paper. He set all but one of the booklets to one side, leaving the loose sheets centered before him. The remaining booklet he placed by the sheets, open so he could read its contents.
"We will begin," he told Daniel, "with an oral examination of your knowledge of mathematics. You may not use paper or pencil for this section."
Thirty minutes later, Daniel was hiding a grin while his examiner made notes on sheet of paper.
I think I blew his socks off… all the marks he made on that paper were the same kind-that means I got every question right-there's no way I got them all wrong….
The man then handed Daniel one of the booklets. Inside were more mathematical problems, all in Russian.
Word problems, derivations, equations to be solved … he gave me forty-five minutes and I used only thirty of them-and those mostly to check my work… .
The man took the completed booklet from Daniel without looking at the answers written inside it.
Next up was an oral science exam… the first part was history so I made sure all my answers gave the correct Russian names-this definitely wasn't the time to insist Americans were the better scientists and inventors… the rest tested my knowledge of logic, the scientific method, physics, chemistry, geology, biology, electronics… he even asked me asked about meteorology… and all my marks were the same….
When that oral exam was finished, the man handed Daniel another exam booklet.
More science-and still in Russian….
After Daniel had completed that section, the man handed him a blank booklet and told him he had an hour to craft an essay in Russian on the importance of the work done by Sergey Alexeyevich Lebedev then to make a fair copy of his work.
I am very glad I knew who he was… I'll bet there weren't more than a dozen American kids my age y who knew Lebedev had designed the first Soviet computers: the BESM-1, the M-20, the BESM-2-that's the one that computed the trajectories for Luna 2, the first spacecraft to reach the Moon, and Luna 3, the first to send back photos of the dark side of the Moon… Lebedev is considered the father of the Soviet computer industry… the essay almost wrote itself… I checked my grammar and spelling carefully then I copied it in my best handwriting and handed it in with nine minutes to spare….
The blond man accepted the completed essay from Daniel. He then put the booklets and all but one of the loose sheets back into the drawer.
"Now," he said, "tell me about yourself."
The question was so open-ended that Daniel hesitated.
I don't know if he knows about the Committee and my parents… if this is a test of my ability to keep a secret, then answering with too much information will blow it for me… on the other hand, maybe I'm supposed to tell him about 'my service to the glorious Soviet Union'-yeah, like I'm proud of that… I guess the smartest thing to do is ask politely who this guy is… maybe his title or name will give me the data I need to decide….
Daniel drew in a deep breath.
"Well, I'm Daniel Sutterfield," he replied. "Is it permitted to ask your name?"
The man only stared coldly at him so the boy offered an apology for his impertinence.
Okay-so I go with the next safest course and tell him nothing about my parents' work… if he knows about it, he can always ask me to talk about it….
Daniel gave the professor his life story, emphasizing the training his mother had given him in Soviet history, dialectics, languages, communist doctrine, and also the practical skills taught him by his father. He spoke of the classes he was taking at Ferdinand High School, his high grades, and his city chess championships. The only question Steklov asked was whether Daniel had any experience with computers. The boy told him of the time he had spent on his father's terminal at McKenna Aerospace.
I told him about playing computer games on my father's terminal at McKenna… and how I printed out their source code so I could see how they worked-and two test adventures I wrote using what I had learned… I did not mention giving myself admin privileges on the school system's computer nor did I say anything about LPD… and I certainly didn't tell him how I hacked into the Pentagon's payroll program and made it print daisies on all the paychecks… you could call it an anti-war protest, but I really did it just for fun….
After Daniel finished answering the computer question, Professor Steklov made some notes then he put his paper into the desk drawer with the completed booklets..
"That completes this examination. There will be someone in the hall to take you to your next destination."
Before Daniel could speak, the professor rose to his feet and left the room through the side door. The boy sighed, both from relief that the testing was over and frustration that no one thought it necessary to explain anything to him.
Plus, I'm hungry… if whoever is waiting in the hall for me happens to lead me through the kitchen, I'm stealing a roll-baked or not….
Before he left the library, Daniel tried the desk drawers.
Locked… I should have guessed… nothing on the desk tells me who owns this place… maybe I can find a bookplate in one of the shelved books... this one looks like a first edition of "Profiles in Courage"… might as well look there….
There was no bookplate, but there was a hand-written dedication on its flyleaf.
To Anatoly Dobrynin … with the very highest regards….
The signature was a squiggle, but it was the name that transfixed Daniel.
He's the Soviet ambassador… this book proves I'm standing in the library of the Soviet ambassador… I rode in his car… I walked through his kitchen… I peed in his toilet… .
The sound of the hall door opening behind him made Daniel shove the book back into its space. He spun around to see a young woman enter the library. She was wearing a Bobbie Brooks skirted suit, the jacket light plum, the skirt a natural linen with horizontal stripes of plum, navy and parchment. Her light brown hair was styled in layers that brushed her shoulders with long bangs almost obscuring her brown eyes. The business suit made Daniel think she was much older than he was.
At least twenty-five… that is, until she put her hands on her hips and spoke to me in English with a Russian accent….
"Why do you keep me waiting in the hall after I flew across your country for the sole purpose of seeing you in person?"
Daniel felt his jaw drop open.
"Alla?"
She grinned at him, her smile dropping her age back to the eighteen he knew it was.
"Yes, it's me. Isn't it wonderful?"
"It sure is. What are you doing here?"
Alla tipped her head as though exasperated with him.
"I am seeing you. Of course, the official explanation is that the Consul General and his and his wife are in Washington on very important business, and they, being a very important couple, never travel with their aides, assistants, and me."
Daniel glanced at the open door.
"Are they here now?"
Alla shook her head, sending her feathered hair flying in a way Daniel found most enjoyable.
"No, but they are arriving for supper by six o'clock. I'm supposed to be overseeing the preparations for their dinner tonight, but the staff has that under control so I plan to spend some time with you before you have to leave."
She smiled as she peered closely at him.
"Do you want a tour of the grounds? I saw a chess clock in the solarium-maybe a game?"
Daniel nodded.
"A game," he replied, "and something to eat, if it's possible."
Alla's eyes went wide.
"They didn't feed you? We will rush to the kitchen and fix that."
Ten minutes later, Alla and Daniel were seated in a high-ceilinged room with wide arched windows on three sides. The windows framed a brick courtyard with a wrought iron fence and a wide expanse of lawn that stretched to the waters of Chesapeake Bay. They were seated at a small table in wicker chairs. Before them had been laid silverware, napkins, serving plates with sliced roast beef, cheeses, sliced bread, condiments, and a bowl of pickled beet salad with a serving spoon. A glass of whole milk accompanied the food.
Daniel smiled his thanks to the kitchen workers, who smiled in reply before returning to their duties. Alla ignored them as she took up a serving fork. The boy happily accepted the makings of a thick sandwich and a scoop of beets. Since Alla had eaten while Daniel was in the library, she carried the conversation while he ate.
She talked mostly about herself, which was fine with me… I hadn't heard her voice since before the FBI stopped our radio jawing… she was so much prettier in person… just listening to her made me all warm and happy….
"- so Comrade Kirilin called my father and told him I was going to America as a consular assistant. It is a great honor to be allowed to work in America."
Daniel swallowed the last of his milk.
"I'm sure it is."
"And," Alla continued, "then the Consul picked me to accompany him and his wife on their trip to your capitol city. This is a great honor, also. However-"
She paused to lean over the table and smile at Daniel.
"Seeing you today is the best of all."
Daniel ducked his head as his cheeks warmed.
"Well," he said, "considering I had no idea I would be here today, I'm glad it happened. You don't know why I'm here, do you?"
Alla glanced around the room as thought making sure they were alone then she moved her chair around the table until she was elbow to elbow with Daniel.
"The man you were with in the library," she whispered, "is Victor Steklov, a professor with the Institute of Precision Mechanics and Computer Engineering. It is part of Phystech, where I will be beginning in the fall.
Daniel jerked upright in his chair.
Wow… I never suspected that…
"And," she whispered, "that examination he gave you is the entrance exam given all applicants, the same one I took two years ago. Did you find it difficult?"
"No," he whispered back. "In fact, I think I aced it."
"Aced it?"
"Got all the questions correct. It's from World War One. A pilot who shot down all his opponents was called an ace."
Alla grinned at him.
"And you're an ace for shooting down all your questions."
"Yes, I guess I am, but do you know why I was given that exam?"
She stared at him as though amazed at his denseness.
"Because some very important people in the Kremlin pulled strings-is that the correct way to say it?"
Daniel nodded and Alla resumed whispering.
"They pulled strings to have Professor Steklov flown here to administer the exams and the interview. The KPSS knows you are a child prodigy and genius so of course they want you to attend the Institute."
Daniel felt his jaw sag at the news.
Child prodigy? Genius? The Communist Party--they know about me in the Kremlin? The entrance exam for the best university in the USSR? That's-that's….
Alla leaned closer, so close that Daniel, if he wanted, could look down the front of her jacket.
And I did want… pale white skin swelling up from a beige lace bra… wow….
"You know, education at Phystech is free," she told him, the whisper turning from hushed to husky. "Classes, books, housing, food-it's not like American colleges. Students also get a monthly stipend for spending. It will be so wonderful to be there with you. I will show you Moscow-it's such a beautiful city. We will explore it together, and I will introduce you to my family and the important people they know. We will play chess and-"
Somehow, while she was talking, her lips ended up on his.
Thanks to a couple of dates with Shelley Morrison, I knew what to do….
He leaned into the kiss and, when Alla opened her lips, he placed his hand on the nape of her neck and held her closer-just as a knocking sound came from the solarium door. Alla jerked away, her chair rocking sideways at the sudden motion. As she jerked, Daniel's hand slid from her neck to her breast. He quickly pulled it back, grabbing a napkin from the table to cover his actions.
Alla turned toward the door behind her.
It was the driver, the one who likes quiet passengers….
"What is it, Cherlin?" Alla snapped in Russian at the man.
"It is time for returning," the driver replied. "We leave in ten minutes. Professor Steklov suggested a trip to the toilet first."
Daniel ducked his head, more embarrassed by that reference than by being caught kissing Alla.
"Tell the professor I'll handle this, Cherlin."
Alla dismissed the driver by turning back to face Daniel.
"You have my lipstick on your upper lip," she whispered.
As soon as the driver left the doorway, Daniel rubbed the napkin against his mouth.
"Better?" he asked.
"Better would be no interruptions and more time," she told him. "Best will be you with me in Moscow, both of us together. You like?"
She put her hand on his then took his thumb in her fingers and stroked it, giving Daniel a strong reason to agree.
"I'd like."
"Then it's a date," she told him. "Now, you'd better follow instructions then I'll walk you to the car."
Daniel followed instructions. As he walked from the restroom to the car with Alla, he saw no one. Even the kitchen was vacant although a half-dozen Cornish hens on a butcher block and a heap of carrots partially chopped proved the kitchen had been cleared of workers before he entered it.
Outside, Alla glared at the driver until he turned to face the house, giving her and Daniel a small measure of privacy. She then accompanied Daniel to the rear passenger door.
"Remember," she whispered. "We have a date-two years from now, Moscow. Fall is beautiful and we can enjoy it together."
"Only if I'm accepted as a student," Daniel reminded her.
"You will be. I am certain."
She tipped her head and leaned close.
I knew what she wanted… I had to get tippy-toe-Alla was wearing heels… then driver coughed and we had to stop….
Daniel rolled his window down after he entered the Mercedes. Alla blew him a kiss through the opening.
"Two years," she told him. "May the months fly past until we're in Moscow together."
"Keep writing and it won't seem so long."
"I will, my ace."
The driver put the car into gear and drove to the road. Daniel twisted so he could see Alla through the rear window. She waved at him until the Mercedes turned onto the road then she returned to the house. The boy settled back into the seat with a glance at the driver.
His attention was on his driving… he said nothing during the trip back to D.C., nor did he say anything when I left the car at Franklin Square… he left me to my thoughts, which was a good thing because so much had happened, I wasn't sure what to think… I was honored that I'm worth bringing a Phystech professor from the USSR just to give me a test… scared that the Kremlin knows so much about me… proud that I did so well on that exam… really impressed by the ambassador's dacha -I want a place like it to spend my summers… annoyed I didn't get a full tour… and Alla… seeing Alla… hell, kissing Alla… that was-that was… that was the biggest crock of shit anyone has ever handed me….
Daniel's hands tightened to fists.
They label me a genius… do they really think I'm stupid enough fall for a honeypot? Did they really think I wouldn't see how Alla was throwing herself at me? Do they believe I'd sell my future for a kiss today and the promise of sex two years from now? Damn them-damn all of them… and damn Alla-I thought she was my friend, but she's nothing but a trap….
He closed his eyes to block out the sight of the Ambassador's Mercedes then he spent the rest of the long drive wishing things were different.
But they aren't different… Alla is a fake… she's a plant… the Committee arranged for her to act like my friend so they could get me to do what they want-go to Moscow and learn to be a Communist scientist for them…but they underestimated me-most people do… they let me know what's in store for me… that means I can take action to keep it from happening… maybe my parents will help me… if not, then I'll find a way to do it myself… because no way in Hell will I attend Phystech for them … I don't care how good Alla kisses… okay, I do care-I care a lot… but I'm never telling anyone how much her betrayal hurts….
Back at the hotel, Daniel found both his parents waiting for him in their room.
According to the alarm clock, it was almost four… no wonder they both looked anxious….
Mrs. Sutterfield greeted her son with a shaky smile then she asked how his day had been. Daniel gave his parents a mostly accurate summary of the day's events, including the surprise meeting with his pen pal, but omitting the kissing and his certainty about his location.
I don't think I was supposed to figure that out… and I don't want my parents thinking about me and Alla-or any girl… because-well, because they're my parents….
When he finished his tale, Daniel asked if they had known about the exam.
"We were told to expect it sometime this summer," his father replied, "and Mr. Lukin warned us it might be scheduled during our vacation. Doing it now saved them the trouble of getting that professor to Ferdinand-a good thing, since I'm not sure how I would have explained his presence if one of our neighbors asked."
"And I'm pleased you did so well," his mother added. "Now, we must wait to see if you are accepted to the Institute."
"No worries about that," Mr. Sutterfield told her. "Paul as much as said it was a done deal. It's perfect for you, son. You'll finish high school, graduate, then head to one of the best schools in the world-and it's free. We can't ask for more, can we?"
"No, Dad," Daniel replied. "We can't."
"And," his father continued, "you got to meet Alla. Did you manage to fit a chess game into your busy day?"
"Yeah, Dad, we did."
In a manner of speaking… since she was definitely toying with me… but now I know it's a game… and I know their strategy… and I know how to counter it….
His father grinned at him.
"Who won?"
Daniel faked a smile.
"I did, Dad. It wasn't even close."