5th May
17:35 GMT +4
Another limousine drives slowly up the driveway of General Kerimov's home.
"Nothing on that one, either."
I don't look round when Tula speaks. No magic users so far. It's gotten to be routine. General Kerimov has invited a large number of people from all across what was once the Soviet Union. Some of them I could write off as old comrades in arms. Others are clearly more recent business acquaintances. But the rest…
Richard brings up the faces of the most recent set of passengers on his terminal. "Oleksander Hryshchuk and Dariya Osipenko. Both of them work for the People's Party of Ukraine. No significant criminal record."
The rest are politically active sorts from around the former Soviet Union. There hasn't been any sort of public announcement that such a gathering was taking place, and no one we've seen so far was a 'face' for any sort of campaign. These are advisors and deal makers, people who can be dumped if they do something '
brave' in public. Just the sort you'd send to a meeting called by a ex-Soviet General with a big idea he wanted to share with you.
But I'm sure that the Director knew it was happening when he suggested that we come here. So, what, was he hoping we'd just charge in and disrupt it? It isn't as if the Justice League aren't going to be keeping an eye out for Ms Molotova regardless of what we turn up here. And he must know that we're not anything like stupid enough to just leap right in.
"Okay, thinking out loud here. Two political parties of any significance in modern Russia. Unified Russia and the Communist Party of the Russian Federation. Unified Russia was founded by Boris Yeltsin and has been in power since nineteen ninety six. The Director works for their current leader.
"
Wallace looks up from the video feeds from the bugs he's monitoring. "What, you think the General's trying to restart the Soviet Union? And the Director wants
us to stop them?"
"But he must know we wouldn't
care about that.
"
"Ah, bringing back the Soviet Union sounds like the kind of thing we'd care about to me, Oh El."
I shake my head.
"The Justice League doesn't get involved in the internal politics of nation states. Case in point: the ongoing Bialyan civil war. If the Russian Communist party somehow won an election and their neighbours wanted greater political or economic integration, good luck to them. But if that's what he's after, Unified Russia would be happy to talk to him. Or them. In terms of the political reality, life under either party would be quite similar. They're even starting to take major nationalised companies back into state ownership. Unified Russia is very much in favour of close relations with its neighbours. Right now, having good relations with Moscow is a good way to bring your gas bill down. I'm struggling to work out what he's got to offer that they couldn't get by working with people already in government.
"
"Maybe they just… Really like Communism?"
"Why? A nationalist police state has all the advantages of a communist one, as far as the ruler is concerned. And doesn't leave them shackled to an unworkable economic model. The only thing it lacks is a unifying morality, and you'll note how much more pro-Orthodox Christianity the current President is than his predecessor. If I had to guess, I'd say it's just attracting people who didn't win positions of power in the new state as it developed. They're just… Looking for an alternate route to power.
"
"No one we've seen so far has been an oligarch or a representative of one. Some of the oligarchs have come to terms with Unified Russia, some are keeping their heads down and a few are starting their own political movements.
None want communism back because it would threaten their livelihoods.
"
Roy's still watching
his monitoring equipment, but he looks a bit more thoughtful than a few empty rooms really warrant. "So what's this guy got that's got everyone so excited?"
Wallace shakes his head. "Can't be Molotova. He's barely had her a day. And even if he woke her up right now he's got no way to know whether or not she'd be willing to cooperate."
"And if he showed her off to anyone, Russia would hear about it and could openly come down on him like a tonne of bricks.
" I shake my head again.
"I've got to say, if we hadn't seen the Demon Constantine I'd be suggesting that we just leave.
"
Roy presses a button, switching from one trivial conversation to another. "Yeah, well, we
did, and until we find out what he's up to we're stuck here."
Wallace suddenly
jerks, then tries to relax a little. Too late, we're already all looking at him. "Ah…" He looks around the room. "It was just-. The Demon Constantine comes from Hell, right?"
Richard smirks. "This is
usually where Demons come from."
"So… He could have talked to anyone who's died and gone to Hell, right? Basically every bad guy in history."
"No. To go to Hell you have to have associated yourself with a mythos that
includes Hell. Otherwise you'd just go… Wherever.
"
"But that includes Edward Clariss. I don't remember anything about him picking up another religion.. and.. he's..
dead, so..?"
"It's a possibility. But it would be rather hard for the Demon Constantine to find him, if he'd even heard of him.
"
"Do you think super speed soldiers would be enough to do whatever it is he wants with Russia?"
"Um. Maybe. But the old Soviet Union tried for over a decade and couldn't get it quite right. None of.. these people have the sorts of contacts they'd need to get a research program up and running-.
"
"Except for
Doctor Conrad Bortz of
Genetech, New York." Richard turns around, pulling the image from his monitor and transferring it to his hologram projector. We see a car carrying a thin and slightly ragged-looking man with a mop of orange hair and bushy eyebrows. As we watch he fiddles with his tie, clearly uncomfortable with it. "Think he'd be able to do the research?"
Ring, review personal history? O
oh dear.
"Yes, though I'd point out that researching super speed isn't actually a crime.
"
"Maybe not, but a super powered arms race d
oooesn't exactly sound like something that would help world peace."
"It wouldn't get that far. All we'd have to do is tip off the US authorities and Genetech would lose its export licence. I doubt that the US really wants a super power arms race either.
"
Wallace looks directly at me. "Unless they're offering Doctor Bortz a job
here. How friendly is this guy with the Azerbaijani authorities?"
"Friendly enough that he could set up a laboratory without too much hassle. But we still don't
know that he's got a source-.
"
"We do
now."
Raquel points to her monitor, drawing all of our attention. Standing next to General Kerimov as he greets his guests is a man in tight fitting blue trousers and a loose white shirt, open at the chest to display his man-cleavage. It looks like some sort of ill-advised seventies hang over, and to be fair that's the last time anyone saw its wearer.
Max Mercury shakes Doctor Bortz' hand.
"Think they could study
him?"
Max Mercury, who at some point told Mister Garrick that he derived his speed from a potion given to him by a Native American shaman. And if someone like
that could make it, a modern laboratory should be able to crack it pretty quickly.
I raise my left hand to my ear.
"Ring, get me Aqualad.
"