This evening in Moscow.

[Kolya]

Names, times, faces, and places probably changed to protect the innocent...and the guilty. Maybe.

I have returned to Moscow. One of my contacts wanted to meet outside the Lubyanka. He claimed to have some seriously actionable information about a certain someone that needs to be dealt with as soon as possible. Given the nature of this information, I agreed to meet him immediately. I raced over as fast as I could, bringing Lyosh with me.

My informant showed up with an aluminum-lined baseball cap and small white filter mask. The rest of his disguise as a Japanese tourist was astoundingly accurate. There even was an Asian tour group checking out the Lubyanka square. This guy is the best informant I have ever developed. After he told me everything that he had for me, I was getting ready to return to my Explorer.

The sky turned black and there was rolling thunder, and bright powerful and very vivid lightning strike, like looking at a welder's torch without eye protection. The wind picked up dramatically, blowing debris in small circles. Soon the rain would start. I could smell it. I caught out of the corner of my eye my informant running for the front of the Lubyanka. I suddenly felt his purpose. He was there to free the prisoners. I suddenly knew my purpose. I had to stop him.

"Stop!" I shouted, and just then the rain started pouring in buckets. My visibility was very limited. I started running after the informant who was almost at the doors of the building. But I was too late. The entire front side of the building at the lower floors burst open and 100s of prisoners came pouring out, yelling, hooping, hollering, and waving their arms maniacally in the air.

There was a bright strike of lightning before me and I saw a large worm moving quickly across the square scoop up the prisoners in its mouth and it bolted for a small cave opening nearby. I ran into the cave and there were a lot of people already there, probably seeking shelter from the rain. I passed through a small passage which sloped steeply downward. The worm was carrying them down the passage, and I ran after it. People were everywhere. I drew my pistol and tried to get people to move out of the way. And they did.

But the worm was well out of range. Upon reaching the bottom of the sloping passage the worm jumped into a tunnel which it just fit, absorbed some more people milling about, and took off like a shot down the tunnel. As I started to jump down to give chase I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Kolya, damn it, what th ehell are you doing?!" Lyosha's voice sliced through the darkness and sound of people chattering. "Kolya!" he shook me and when I blinked things were coming into focus again. I could see the Metro platform, the benches, the stairs, the decorations, and the people rushing in and out the station, either waiting for the next wagon or heading on out somewhere else. I rubbed my eyes and blinked rapidly trying to get the rest of the fog out. Lyosha just sort of peered at me; he was waiting for me to tell him why I had tried to run down my most valuable informant, chase a dark purple tour bus, and then draw my pistol to fire on Metro wagons.

I looked at him. "I don't know. Things turned really strange there for a few minutes."

"Yea?" he said sarcastically.

"Seriously. It was a lot like that night in the forest up in Piter. Dark, but this time it was stormy."

He cut me off. "The boy?"

"Not that I saw."

"The cat?"

"Not that I saw."

"Nightmare Ron?"

"Not that I saw."

Lyosh developed a sort of furtive look on his face. His eyes sort of rolled up into the back of his head. He looked at me as his face returned to normal. "Supernasty evil," he said softly.

I smirked. "We standing outside the Lubyanka."

He had his head turned like a dog listening to the ground but the look he managed out of the corner of his eyes was worth a thousand words. He chuckled anyway. I really do not know how Sasha can get away with saying stupid shit stuff like that. Whatever.

"In the Metro," he clarified.

"It's a big station."

He flashed me the shut-the-hell-up look as he concentrated. He motioned with his head and I followed him to the east side of Lubyanka square. We descended the long escalators down past the sleeping babushka in the guards booth.

"Too many people," he said.

I couldn't agree more, of course.

Nonetheless we walked all the way across to another exit out of the station. There a guy was selling pirated DVDs on the stairway, and a street sweeper was shooing a cat away. I recognised it immediately. Lyosh and I made eye contact. We ran after the cat which was able to run faster than any normal cat should be able to run.

[GhostSpider]

Ever hear of the cheetah?

[Kolya]

I'm talking about a house cat.

[concrete_Angel]

Well, they do get pretty fast. How much faster are we talking?

[Kolya]

I didn't have my radar gun with me but it was down the street and around the corner faster than the cars. Cheetah sprinting speeds let's say. Maybe faster.

[GhostSpider]

That's one hell of a house cat. Must be a great mouser.

[Kolya]

Somehow I am afraid it's a lot more than that.

[Natasha]

Seems it is. Like I said, call me.

[Ron Caliburn]

In a flat out race, the human is faster than a house cat - but they got turnign and acceleration like all get out - any obsticles and you're lost in the dust.

If I could move like a cat I wouldn't have taken so many bumps the last year.

[Kolya]

Let's get some breakfast, girl.

[Natasha]

Oh?
On my way