I hurriedly said goodbye to my family again and went to Ukraine. Valery picked me up in Mariupol and took me to the abandoned factory on the outskirts of the city. The renovation had already begun, and Valery led me into a dilapidated three-story building in the factory area, and in the easternmost room on the third floor, Valery knocked on the door, and Valery and I opened the door and entered the room after a "please come in" from inside.

The room was clean, at least much cleaner than it looked from the outside, and had good lighting. There were three people sitting inside, and in addition to Paul and Berezov, there was one whom I had never met.

This man wears a pair of glasses, and the hair on his head is not much, which should be said to be sparse. But it's neatly combed. The beard on his face is very clean, and his eyes are very gentle and even a little lazy. He wears a shirt with a dark woolen tank over it. Because the room is heated, you don't need to wear a lot of clothes.

"Gypsies. You're finally here. I'm introducing you, this is Mr. Klinger. Our employer, who is in charge of the 17th Bureau. Paul introduced.

The man named Klinger smiled and held out his hand to me and said in a very calm and soft voice, "Hello." I've heard the reputation of the gypsies many times. ”

"Hello, Mr. Klinger." I said and smiled a little helplessly: "Actually, I prefer that I have no name." ”

Klinger was slightly stunned for a moment after listening to my answer, and then seemed to understand what I meant, and smiled: "Yes, this will allow us to live longer." He said, gesturing to the couch next to him and said, "Please take a seat." ”

When I sat down, Klinger took a file on the table and flipped through it, "You've got a great resume. You've fought with the Signal Banner, the GRU and you've come out of the way, and your opponents have a high opinion of you. He said, glancing at Berezov, who was standing against the window.

I glared at Paul, who was sitting next to me, because I didn't want people to know too much about me, especially if I recorded it like this. I glanced at what Klinger was holding and said, "Actually, I didn't get out of the way, in fact, I almost lost my life twice." ”

Klinger shook his hand and said, "If what your teammates and Berezov said is true, then I don't think it will be a simple luck that you are safe and sound here now." After a pause, he continued: "I have also learned from the Chechens about you, as well as the combat situation of Paul's team. In Grozny you were used as a fire brigade by the man named Habib, and the tasks assigned to you were almost complete until the entire line of defense collapsed. This cannot be explained by luck. ”

I smiled and said, "So sir, I shouldn't have come here today to praise me, right?" ”

"Of course. But I need to know that what I'm doing is worth it, and then I can move on to the next step. As he spoke, he threw the so-called resume on the table, "I want to know if you are really reliable and can work well with us." ”

"How do you work together? And who are you dealing with? I would like to say beforehand that I will not do anything to deal with my own country. I spoke.

"Of course not. To tell you the truth, your country is not in conflict with mine now, but more like a pair of difficult brothers. I'm going to deal with NATO, it's the Americans. Klinger said that his momentum suddenly changed, and he was no longer so tepid.

"Against them? Then I don't think it's a big problem. I said.

"No, no, no. Not only that, but our work in the future will be dangerous, no worse than in Chechnya. It's hard for your opponents to have any more militias and gang members. More will be professional soldiers, and opponents of the same level as the Veumata and GRU will be encountered. I've got to make sure you have the guts and determination to do this, or do it in the field? Otherwise, you'll have to be an instructor or something here. Klinger said.

I looked at Paul, and now I understand, it seems that this is a boss's screening of employees, which can also be said to be disadvantaged. He wanted to tell me that his bowl of rice was not tasty, and that he might not be able to swallow it until he could barely eat it.

I glanced at him and said, "Do you still need to train fighters here?" ”

"Of course! Now if you want to meddle in the civil strife of another country, it is much safer than sending your own people, training the locals, and arming them to send them back after the training. Didn't you work with the Yankees? Aren't they doing that? Klinger asked rhetorically.

Instead, Carl was the one who brought a lot of people to train Pablo. I looked at Klinger and said, "Sir, I don't think your resume says why I followed Paul to Chechnya, right?" ”

Klinger nodded, "That's weird to me, too. The news in Chechnya around the world does not describe him as paradise, but more as hell. Why the hell did you go to Chechnya? Money? Or a war maniac? Or what worries me the most, that you are an anti-Russian, but that is unlikely. ”

"Proof of it." I said.

"Proof? What proof? Klinger asked, confused.

"Prove that I'm a good fighter. I know the idea is very much. It's ridiculous or childish. But that's what I thought at the beginning. Of course, in Chechnya, I regretted having that idea. But later. Hehe, when I suddenly put down the gun for a while, I began to get bored again, and began to feel nostalgic for the days of war, and those comrades. Later I went to Colombia, and I think you know that. Every time I complete a task, although I am afraid, you may not understand the sense of satisfaction. The feeling of satisfaction makes me feel very comfortable, and it's hard to put into words. I said.

Klinger kept looking at me as I recounted, as if to judge from my eyes and words whether I was telling the truth. After a moment he spoke: "How did you feel in Hungary not long ago?" ”

"Feelings? Nothing to feel. Except for the last group of people who felt okay, the previous ones." I shook my head, "They're just like you say, ordinary people. It doesn't feel like anything for me. ”

Klinger let out a long sigh and said, "I know why you did this." You're a war maniac. You don't have to deny it, you are. I've seen quite a few people like you, who are also afraid, but fight like they are addicted, and fight with the same armed and trained people, not unarmed and defenseless people. Of course, you may not have been like this, and this may have come from the trauma of your war, the wounds of the war in Chechnya. ”

I waved my hand, "Whether it's or not." Is there anything else you want to know? ”

"Not for the time being. But I have something here that I need you to do. You don't include Berezov and his men. Klinger said, glancing at Paul.

Paul immediately said, "We're going to save people." Go to Iraq to save people. ”

"Iraq? Hasn't it become the world of the Americans? To save whom? I asked.

"A very important person. This man used to work for the Iraqi government, but now that Saddam's government has fallen, he has not escaped the clutches of the Americans. Fortunately, the Yankees have not yet been able to discover who he really is and what he has done before, but it will be sooner or later. So I have to bring him back from Iraq as soon as possible. Klinger said.

"I don't care who it is. I actually want to know what this guy looks like? And when do we leave and who goes? I asked.

Klinger smiled at what I said, pulled out a picture from a file bag on the desk and handed it to me. I took the picture and looked at it, and it was an outdoor photograph of an armored car with two people holding a man in handcuffs and shackles walking towards the armored car. The man could not see clearly, and he could see that this man was less like an Arab and more like an old man. Needless to say, we must have gone to save him.

"Just a picture? I couldn't see anything except that he looked like a Russian. However, it was obvious that he was very important, and he was escorted by the armed forces. "I pointed to the armored lane.

"Of course. Americans aren't stupid either, and the more people who can't easily prove their identity, the more valuable they are, aren't they? In my opinion, the Americans have not fully realized the value of this person, so being escorted by the armed forces is still an opportunity for us. Klinger said calmly.

I nodded and didn't speak, and Paul continued: "This time Berezov will not act with us. You and me, Sasha, Valery, Pinto, and Pyatov from you, a total of six people, acted together. I wanted to take Milk with me, but his leg wasn't completely healed yet, so I had to do that. ”

"Six people? Is there anyone on the ground to pick us up? I asked.

"Absolutely. These have been linked. When we get there, we will be met by the current resistance of the former government forces. Paul replied.

"Where's that to do it?" I asked.

Paul shook his head, "It's hard to say at the moment, so I'll have to wait until I get there." ”

"When are you leaving?"

"Tonight." Paul said and stood up, "It's a long way to go, so we need to hurry up and get going." ”

As Paul and I were about to leave the room, Klinger stopped the two of us and said, "Remember, if the rescue doesn't work out, be sure to dispose of the target." ”