The Queen of the Two Moons
The assistant went through the descending procedure with us to make sure we knew the drill, which we had not actually done before. When he finished, we saw the skyscraper and heard the pilot’s signal to get ready. I started to hum the theme soundtrack from Mission Impossible subconsciously and could not get rid of it. I was sure that no one could hear it, because of the noise of the helicopter’s engine. It became a real earworm278, but it kept my spirits up279.
The assistant opened the side door, checked the thick rope that was attached to a bar on the fuselage of the helicopter. He found it satisfactory280 and with the palm of his hand upwards he gave us a sign to get on our feet and get ready to slide. I went first. The helicopter was hovering281 a few meters above the roof, and I clearly saw the H sign in the middle of the big circle on the roof. The sliding took a few seconds, but it took my breath away. It was both scary and exciting. I was humming my song even louder when I stood on the roof, holding the rope for Marco. He joined me momentarily. We gave a thumbs up to the assistant and started to run towards the exit door where we saw James waiting for us. As we entered the building, James shut the door, muffling the sound of the helicopter flying away. He was wearing his black security uniform, complete with a walkie-talkie282 and a handgun in a holster283 on his belt.
“We’ve got three minutes,” he said. “No talk beyond this point.”
We nodded and followed him downstairs. The lab was two floors down. As we were running down, I put the glove on and activated it. I was getting better and faster at it.
Our target was the in middle of the floor and it had no windows that we could use to get inside. So we had to take corridors with motion detectors to get to the door of the lab, open it and do the job. It was good because I could not imagine either Marco nor myself climbing the wall and making holes in the glass with some laser cutters.
James could not deactivate the detectors, but he was the chief security officer who would get the notification of the breach first. That would give us a few minutes, which was enough, before the rest of the security team would arrive to check the reason for the alert. James was going to stall284 them for another minute or two.
We ran down the corridor, taking multiple turns, and got to the lab in two minutes. James gave us a sign to hurry up and went to check if there was any commotion285. Marco punched the code for the door lock that James had sent to the Committee two days ago. It didn’t work. Marco punched it in again.
Nothing.
“James,” I whispered loudly. “What?” We heard him say.
“The code doesn’t work,” Marco said, and we saw James’s head from around the corner.
“Well that’s the only one I got,” he said and thought for a second. “Shoot it and get ready for some action.”
Marco took out his handgun, Ruger Super Redhawk Alaskan, and pointed at the lock.
“Now, I know why they gave me this. You could hunt a big game286 with it,” Marco said. “Just point and shoot.”
I turned away from the door, and he fired at the lock. The shot rang out across the whole floor. If it went unnoticed, then the security team consisted of seriously deaf people. Unfortunately, it wasn’t, and we heard the alarm right away. James’s walkie-talkie lit up.
“I heard that too,” James was yelling to his soon-to-be-ex colleagues. “I’m on it. Stay put287 and wait for my orders.”
The lock was shattered, but it took a bit of pushing to get in the lab. At last, I was in and saw the already familiar glass container, but…
“There are no vials!” I yelled.
“What do you mean?” Marco came from behind.
“I mean, there are no freaking vials!” I was getting nervous.
“Let’s check around,” Marco said and started to look for any other glass containers. I joined him.
The lab was quite small, about twenty square meters. There were two long tables with microscopes, flasks, test tube racks, beakers, and other stuff I did not know the names of. The glass container that was supposed to hold the vials was in the far-right corner next to two white storage units with transparent sliding glass doors. There was a fume hood288 in the left corner.
“Where could they hide…” As I was trying to think, my eyes were wandering around the lab, and I saw safety storage cabinets that usually are built to store hazardous289 materials. Viruses are very hazardous, right? “Marco, you’ll need to shoot again.”
Marco turned around and saw what I was pointing to. We heard some noises outside.
“Go to the other side. I’ll check here!” We heard James’s voice, and he appeared in the doorway. “What’s taking you so long?” he hissed through his teeth.
“Just another minute, James.” Marco said and pointed his gun at the cabinets.
James disappeared to deal with the situation in the corridor when Marco sent another bullet from his powerful gun into yet another lock. He didn’t get it at first and had to shoot two more times until the doors of the cabinet swung open, and we saw a neat row of full vials on the shelves.
“Let’s do it!” he yelled. “I’ll go and help James.”
I touched the vials with my hand and felt the glove doing its magic. There were more vials on the shelves than I expected, and I had to repeat the process two more times to make sure that I covered all the inventory. Meanwhile, I heard some yelling and shots outside. Marco ran in with some blood on his face.
“You got shot?!” I shrieked.
“Just a scratch. We gotta leave now!”
I couldn’t agree more. “I’m done. Let’s go.”
We left the lab. James was holding off the security on the left side of the corridor. There were some yelling and bullets flying from around the corner, but James made sure that his former comrades did not see who was shooting at them.
“Go to the other side. There’s another door up to the roof,” he said and shot blindly around the corner.
We took the right corridor, which was still empty and ran for the door. I punched the code on my phone to let the pilot know that we were on our way. According to the plan, the helicopter was going to land and pick us up from the roof. No more ropes.
We got to the door.
“James! Come on!” Marco yelled.
James appeared from around the corner and ran towards us. As he was approaching the door, one of the security men appeared from around the same corner and started to shoot. James tripped and fell.
Marco caught him, dragged290 him in and I sealed the door from inside. “He got me,” James said, out of breath.
“Can you walk?” Marco asked.
“I think I can,” he said and tried to stand up.
“Let’s move then,” Marco said and placed James’s hand around his neck. I saw a big dark stain around a bullet hole in James’s back between his shoulder blades291.
We took the stairs and dragged James one floor up when we heard some loud bullet pelting the door we had just used to enter the stairwell and sealed from inside. James was getting weaker, and Marco had to carry him on his back.
“The door won’t hold long,” James said, exhausted.
“One more set of stairs and we’re there,” I said. “Marco, give me your gun!” Marco reached for his holster and took out his 480 Ruger.
“It’s very powerful,” he said and gave it to me.
“Go and I’ll cover you,” I said, and I heard some people running up from down below.
We reached the exit door. I opened it and saw the helicopter hovering a meter above the landing spot. The pilot’s assistant was waving to us to hurry up. I let Marco and James go through, shot the remaining bullets down the staircase, slammed the door shut and ran to the helicopter.
One center to go.
I am writing this as Marco is finishing packing our stuff. We are leaving for the airport in two hours. We’re flying to Taiwan. Our last destination is hidden in the mountains on the eastern side of the island, which, according to Albert, is a lot more beautiful than its western side. It’s a 12-hour flight and I’m looking forward to catching up on292 my movie list and catching some z’s293 as well. There will probably be two or three movies, three meals and a few hours of sleep. It’s been a month since our last mission that resulted in a lot of shooting practice and the unfortunate but not lethal bullet wound. James survived and has been getting treatment in one of the Committee’s locations.
Earlier today, Albert informed me that he had made some modifications to the glove and the container I would be carrying it in.
“No one can take the glove out of the case without destroying it, except you,” he told me, showing me the new case that looked pretty much like a small, black, hard-shelled suitcase. “Even if they get their hands on the case and somehow open it, the glove will self-destruct in a matter of seconds. There is a sensor on the lock that responds only to your hand with pulse.”
“With pulse?” I asked, slowly realizing what that meant. “So, if I’m dead, they won’t be able to use my hand?”
“Correct. You must be alive to open it,” he said and left me with the case.
An hour ago, Irene came to see us and say goodbye. Yana was on her way to Europe and had bid her farewell two days ago. Irene told us that James was recuperating294 well and was going to rejoin the team in a few weeks. We chatted about some details of this trip, which included the fact that we did not need to take most of our equipment with us, except for the glove and a charger, but the main surprise she saved for last.
“You might meet Natalie,” she said. Natalie was the third leader of the Committee who spent most of her time in Asia. “She’s looking forward to meeting you both.”
“This is great, but why couldn’t we meet her over Zoom or something?” I asked. “She’s quite mysterious, isn’t she?” Over the past couple of months Irene, Yana and I became so familiar that I sometimes forgot that they were not just pleasant ladies to talk with, but powerful leaders of a big and serious organization.
“I’m afraid she can’t risk being on any online platform outside her formal capacity, which I can’t divulge295 at this point just yet.” She gave me one of her motherly warm smiles and covered my hand with hers. “You just be careful out there and we’ll see you back in a week or so.”
She stood up, walked to the doorway of our living room, stopped, and turned.
“By the way, did Albert tell you that you’re flying first class?” she asked with a smile and left.
It went without saying296 that we were not upset by that development.
I was as happy as a clam at high water297 when I saw all the amenities298 that were at our disposal on the plane. Neither Marco nor I had flown the first class (premium class on the Two Moons). The food was amazing, we had a bar which we extensively researched299, and the bed sheets were so soft and smooth that I fell asleep as soon as my head touched the pillow. Out went the movies and the entertainment. I wholeheartedly300 focused on enjoying the bed, the food, the bar, and the bathroom, which had a shower. What?!
I felt a bit ashamed that I did not want to leave the plane when we arrived in Taipei International Airport. Was I wrong to want it to last? I could tell that Marco felt the same way.
A black Toyota minivan was waiting for us outside the terminal. Our driver was a Taiwanese man, Mr. Yang. He was very friendly and spoke good English. He told us that we were going to stay in a hotel until receiving further instructions. Meanwhile, we were free to explore the city which, according to him, had a lot to offer.
And explore we did. Taipei is an amazing and colorful place. I wished I had been here under different circumstances. If I were, I would definitely give the shopping streets, food streets and the night markets their dues. We had only scratched the surface301 when we received a message to get back on the road, and that meant more time with lovely Mr. Yang and some beautiful sceneries of the eastern coast on the way. It almost felt like a holiday again, which, unfortunately, it was not.
Albert was right. The ocean on our left side and the mountains on our right side were breathtaking.
The trip took about three and a half hours down the coast.
“There is an exceptionally beautiful national park here, called the Taroko National Park. It is one of the nine national parks in Taiwan and was named after the Taroko Gorge302,” Mr. Yang told us when we stopped for gas. “We’re going to take that route and go deeper up in the mountains. My associate will be waiting for us with the necessary equipment.”
We took a turn off the highway and passed some picturesque303 places with a lot of people taking photos. I guessed that was the park area. I wanted to take a few pictures myself of the waterfalls and simple suspension bridges, but we passed the crowded places, and the winding road took us farther up the mountains. After an hour, we stopped near a simple two-story building that was surrounded by a white brick wall with faded, red iron gates.
“This is where you’ll gear up,” Mr. Yang said and motioned us out the car. “You go ahead, I’ll wait for you here.”
The gates opened and we saw a quite beautiful young Taiwanese woman who smiled and invited us to enter.
“My name is Delia, and I’ll help you to get ready,” she said, and showed to the building.
The living room inside looked spartan and clean. There were only a few wooden chairs, a couch, and a bamboo coffee table with a steaming ceramic teakettle and small teacups without handles. In the corridor there was a concrete staircase with light brown wooden handrails304 that led to the second floor. I noticed a small kitchen in the back.
“Some tea before we begin?” she asked. “That would be great,” I said. “Thank you.”
Delia poured some green tea in the cups and handed them to us. The tea was refreshing.
“The equipment is upstairs,” she said. “Please, get some rest. Feel free to use the bathroom. Are you hungry?”
“I could eat305,” Marco said and looked at me. I nodded. We had not had any food after we got off the plane and I had the munchies306 myself.
“Good.” Delia smiled. “I’ll bring some food from the kitchen.”
She went to fetch some food and came back with a tray piled with hot dishes (vegetables, fish, and seafood) and a couple of small bowls of rice. She placed it on the table, along with two pairs of chopsticks.
“Enjoy your food.” She smiled again. “I hope you like fish and you aren’t allergic to seafood.” I liked Delia. “Don’t you want to join us?” I asked.
“I’ve already eaten. Thank you. I’ll come back in half an hour, and we’ll begin.” “What about Mr. Yang?” Marco asked. “We should probably call him as well.” “Don’t worry about him,” she said. “He’ll have time to eat later.”
She left the room and went upstairs. We sat down and had our delicious lunch. Using chopsticks was a bit tricky but we managed well. No stains on our clothes.
An hour later we were fed, rested and ready to proceed. We thanked Delia for her hospitality307, took our gear (the glove charger for Marco) and were back in the van with the ever-positive Mr. Yang.
“We have a one-hour window to finish our work,” Mr. Yang said. “The place we’re going to is twenty minutes away from here. You’ve been briefed about the premises, but I’ve just been told that there were some changes.”
Marco and I looked at each other. Changes? Again? That did not sound good.
“The vials have been moved down to the basement for extra protection. Apparently, they put two and two together and finally realized that the two incidents before weren’t accidents.”
“Do they know about us?” Marco asked.
“They have your images from CCTV cameras from the last place you visited.”
“Why weren’t they monitoring the airports?” I asked. “I mean, they could’ve stopped us there, right?”
“They could’ve, but they didn’t. Lucky for us, right?” “So what are we doing?” Marco asked.
“Do you like hiking?” Mr. Yang asked and started the engine. “I guess,” I said. “Are we going on a hike?”
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Примечания
1
Мы разберёмся с этим.
2
невозможный, невероятный, невыполнимый
3
множество
4
если подумать об этом
5
to go downhill (выражение) – постепенно становиться хуже
6
впоследствии, потом, позже
7
растрёпанные, взъерошенные, взлохмаченные
8
нимб, ореол
9
план расставания
10
решать, решаться, принимать решение
11
Ты серьезно?
12
вдруг, внезапно
13
вот прямо сейчас (Прим. авт.: Разница с right now в том, что больше похоже на very soon (очень скоро) и не так срочно, как right now (прямо сейчас). Выражение также имеет довольно неформальный оттенок, потому что в нём смешивается усиливающее слово (right) со словом, смягчающим интенсивность (about), что немного противоречит логике.)
14
треснуло (о звуке)
15
Тебе лучше (Прим. авт.: сокращённая форма You had better)
16
намёк на сострадание
17
хладнокровие, спокойствие
18
шутка, выходка, проделка
19
на всякий случай
20
Куда она теперь должна была идти? (Прим. авт.: Выражение to be supposed to + глагол используется, когда по контексту от кого-то/ чего-то ожидается какое-то действие, т. е. кто-то/ что-то должен что-то сделать.)
21
всё же (Прим. авт.: after all (дословно “после всего”) используется со значением “несмотря на любые указания или ожидания обратного”. )
22
наизусть
23
в неверии
24
подчинилась
25
инициировано, вызвано
26
механизм выживания
27
детские коляски
28
“Небесный” нос. (Прим. авт.: Этот нос имеет треугольную форму и характеризуется изгибом вверх. Мостик обычно высокий и прямой, а кончик обычно острый. Ноздри характерно расширены.)
29
понять (Прим. авт. понять что-то, особенно что-то странное или из ряда вон выходящее; принять то, что не особо хочется принимать)
30
замешательство
31
всем известный факт, общеизвестно
32
пожала плечами
33
стирать, подчищать, вычеркивать
34
наверстать упущенное, обменяться свежей информацией
35
протянула
36
взорвалась
37
обезуметь
38
бесконечный поток
39
обочина
40
завизжали
41
взволнованный, возбужденный
42
уставилась, пялилась
43
её осенило, до неё дошло
44
маcсивные
45
ускоряющийся
46
непреклонный, твёрдый
47
расплывчатый
48
запутано
49
узнать правду о (ситуации) (идиоматическое выражение)
50
исчезла
51
в зеркале заднего вида
52
бездумно
53
видимо, очевидно, явно, вероятно, по-видимому
54
очевидное
55
сосредоточенно
56
цвета морской волны
57
странно
58
силуэт
59
остался
60
подошёл, приблизился
61
свитер с высоким воротом
62
потеряла сознание, упала в обморок
63
сознание
64
шептались, говорили шёпотом
65
опухли
66
хотела пить
67
Кхе-кхе. Гм. (междометие) (Прим. авт.: используется для обозначения шума, издаваемого при откашливании, обычно для привлечения внимания или выражения.)
68
смутно, неясно
69
прокладывал путь (Прим. авт.: устойчивое выражение)
70
исчезла
71
временами, время от времени
72
не покрытый рубцами, шрамами (Прим. авт.: здесь имеются в виду психологические шрамы.)
73
завершить, сделать совершенным
74
живущий отдельно, разобщенный
75
неловко
76
обратиться к нему
77
нет другого способа сказать это
78
оказалось
79
краткое изложение, резюме
80
в двух словах, вкратце, кратко (Прим. авт.: идиоматическое выражение)
81
яма
82
ключ к разгадке, нить, улика
83
испытывать галлюцинации, наваждения, иллюзии
84
преуменьшение
85
перекрещивания
86
смешивающихся
87
частота
88
туда и обратно
89
к сожалению, к несчастью
90
избегать
91
заново познакомиться
92
точны, правы (Прим. авт.: разговорное выражение)
93
средство, лекарство
94
погибали, умирали
95
копировать, делать копию
96
Это становится для меня привычным. (Прим. авт.: выражение to grow on (someone) означает, что что-то/кто-то становится знакомым и желанным кем-то; что-то/кто-то становится для кого-либо привычным.)
97
Прим. авт.: в данном предложении лучше перевести эту фразу как “вообще”, т. к. героиня выражает удивление. Вне контекста она может означать “прежде всего” или “в первую очередь”.
98
доминировать, господствовать
99
понять отсылку (Прим. авт.: это выражение, которое обычно используется в качестве положительного подтверждения отсылки к поп-культуре или технического жаргона, сказанных кем-то другим.)
100
распространение, распределение, разброс
101
противоядие
102
Напротив, наоборот, даже наоборот. (Прим. авт.: оn the contrary используется для усиления отрицания того, что только что подразумевалось или утверждалось, путем предположения, что дело обстоит как раз наоборот.)
103
как можно быстрее (Прим. авт.: аббревиатура выражения as soon as possible.)