"It's a curse. Every time I close my eyes, I'm afraid I'm sleeping my life away. Or that I'm missing out on something."
"Maybe that's why we have dreams."
"I don't have dreams. At least, none that I can remember. I guess that's why it's important for me to live mine when I'm awake."
"Rachel hardly sleeps, either. But with her, it's because she can't shut her mind off. She's always working on fifty problems at once, and she's afraid that if she shuts down for a while, she won't be able to get back on track."
Tavak glanced back. "She's having no problem right now."
"It's unusual for her. She must be exhausted."
"It's been a hectic few days." Tavak smiled. "Your sister is going to change the world. And what's more, she knows it. When you have that kind of purpose, it's hard to just shut down."
"If it was just her work, that would be okay. But sometimes I think that the work she's doing for my illness is pushing her over the edge. It's affecting her own health."
Tavak shook his head. "I don't believe that. She's found a way to focus her work in a way that may benefit you. Do you really think she would push any less hard if your situation suddenly resolved itself?"
"Suddenly resolved itself? That sounds ominous."
"Resolved in the best sense, of course. Your sister would find something else to focus her projects on. But you give her a sense of urgency, of impetus. Back at your house, you mentioned the clarity your disease has given you. I think it's given your sister the same clarity."
"I'll try to tell myself that."
"It's the truth."
"Whatever." She looked straight ahead. "I came up here to give you a warning."
"A warning? Now that does sound ominous."
"In a very short period of time, you've recruited one of the world's most brilliant women and one of the world's most powerful computer systems for your own purposes. The only reason you were able to do that is because you convinced her that it might help me."
"You're right."
Allie lowered her voice as a flight attendant passed. "Mr. Tavak, if I find you're using me and my illness to deceive my sister in any way, I'll take you down. I'll destroy you. You may not think I can, but I promise I'll find a way."
Tavak studied her for a long moment. He finally nodded. "I understand. And I assure you that I've been completely aboveboard with Rachel. I know how important this is to her—and you."
"For your sake, I hope you're telling the truth."
"I am. You're a good sister, Allie."
"Yes, I am." Allie unfastened her belt, stood up, and started back toward her seat.
"Allie… "
She turned. "Yes?"
His smile lit his face with sudden warmth. "I believe I may be glad you came along."
PULKOVO II INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA
As Rachel, Allie, and Tavak entered the busy arrivals terminal, Tavak gestured toward the customs sign. "That's our first stop."
"What then?" Rachel asked.
"Someone will meet us after we get through Customs. From there, we'll go—"
"John Tavak?" The tall, bald young man who had interrupted him was dressed in a Russian military uniform and spoke with a thick Russian accent.
"Yes?" Tavak answered warily.
"Come with me, please. All of you."
"Is there a problem?" Rachel asked.
The soldier adjusted the automatic rifle hanging from his shoulder. "Not if you follow me. This way."
Rachel and Allie looked at Tavak.
"It's not the time or place to ask questions. That gun appears to be an excellent argument." Tavak motioned toward the soldier. "This way… "
They followed the soldier through the terminal to a secured door, where he entered a numeric code into the keypad. He opened the door and gestured them through. They walked down a long hallway with a concrete floor and several closed doors.
Rachel turned to Tavak. "Tell me you're not on some kind of a watch list."
"I'm sure that's all been sorted out by now," he murmured.
"What?"
"I'm joking. I have no idea what this is about."
"Bastard."
The soldier pushed open another door that led outside, where they stepped out onto a narrow sidewalk. It was deserted save for a large, rotund man with a thick gray beard and a canvas bag slung over his left shoulder.
The man's eyes lit up. "John Tavak! Welcome to St. Petersburg. I see that your taste in traveling companions has vastly improved."
Tavak smiled and shook hands with him. "And I see that you still look like Santa Claus."
"I am your Santa Claus. No awful customs lines, no muss, no fuss." He shrugged. "Christmas has come early for you."
"Lev, meet the sisters Kirby. This is Rachel and that's Allie."
Lev bowed. "Enchanted and delighted. I hope you weren't alarmed by the escort I arranged. After your long journey, I wanted to spare you any more discomfort." Lev opened the canvas bag and produced a new-in-the-box Nintendo Wii game console, which he handed to the young soldier. "Here you are, my friend. Many thanks for a job well done."
The soldier looked at the box in his hands. "Our original deal was for two people. I didn't know there would be three."
"Last-minute addition," Allie said.
Lev reached back into his bag. "Right you are. What's a game system without the latest and greatest games? Here's an amazing new Indiana Jones game, plus a water-skiing challenge, and a couple of others. You'll have a good time with these."
The soldier nodded and stacked the boxes on top of the console system. "This will be fine. Thank you."
"Thank you, my friend. I'll be in touch."
The soldier walked back through the doorway and locked the door behind him.
Tavak turned back to Lev. "Since when did video games become the currency of choice around here?"
Lev shrugged. "Depends on who I'm dealing with. For men under thirty, few things are more valuable."
Rachel thought of Hal Demanski playing the alien shoot-'em-up with his fellow multibillionaires. Boys and their toys.
"I also have a gift for you." Lev handed a gun to Tavak. "I assumed you'd want your usual Magnum. Correct?"
Tavak smiled. "Correct."
Lev motioned toward the Mercedes parked at the curb. "Come. We have places to go."
In less than an hour, they found themselves walking through the wide, ornate corridors of the Hermitage Museum, once the Winter Palace for the Russian royals. Lev opened his arms at the majesty of it all. "Breathtaking, yes?"
Rachel looked at the massive chandeliers and gold leafing on the ceilings. Each room they had seen had featured intricately carved columns with more gold leafing on the base. "Yes. It's almost enough to make me understand why the starving citizens wanted the Romanov family's blood."
"That's no way to look at such things of beauty. If I didn't know better, I'd say you were a cynic."
Allie smiled. "You don't know better. But spend a few hours with my sister, and you will."
Rachel shook her head. "It's not cynicism to think about what things cost. And I'm not just talking about dollars and cents."
Lev turned to Tavak. "I think your friend is going to launch another revolution."