johngardner.goldeneye-第14部分

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


　
　Kill　her　if　necessary。　　You　can　do　that　for　me？〃
　〃Do　it？　　It　would　be　a　pleasure；　General。〃
　〃Keep　in　touch。　　Remember　this　is　very　important　to　all　of　us。〃
　〃I'm　starting　the　hunt　this　very　moment；　General。　　It's　the　kind　of　task　I　enjoy。〃　Yes。　　Yes；
　
　that's　Wade's　Ten　Cent　Tour　James　Bond　had　visited　St。　Petersburg　only　once　before；　but　that　was　in　the　middle　of　the　Cold　War　when　it　was　still　Leningrad；　and　his　memories　of　the　city　remained　very　clear。　　He　recalled　its　beauty；　the　sense　of　history；　for　this　place　was　founded　by　Peter　the　Great；　had　bee　Russia's　centerpiece；　its　〃window　on　Europe'。　　It　was　also　the　cradle　of　the　October　Revolution；　something　a　lot　of　people　would　now　prefer　to　forget。
　
　On　his　last　visit　he　had　e　as　an　enemy；　he　knew　the　score　and　was　aware　that　anyone　could　betray　him。　　This　time；　on　arriving　at　St。　Petersburg's　international　airport；　he　could　almost　smell　the　decay　and　the　lack　of　direction　which　had　e　with　the　downfall　of　munism。
　
　Like　many　others；　he　felt　that　had　the　changes　e　from　within　the　munist　Party；　Russia　would　not　have　been　in　the　freefall；　crime　and　drug　infested　bankruptcy　which　stemmed　from　the　sudden　collapse　of　a　ruling　government。
　
　Instead　of　surveillance　teams；　Bond　now　kept　a　wary　eye　out　for　criminals。
　
　The　queue　for　taxis　was　made　up　mainly　of　well…dressed　businessmen　…　the　Western　captains　of　industry　trying　to　cash　in　on　the　needs　of　this　emerging　new　Russia；　and　make　themselves　an　honest　penny　on　the　way。
　
　He　spotted　his　contact　just　to　the　right；　away　from　the　queue：　big；　burly　and　reading　a　Russian　gardening　magazine。
　
　As　he　walked　up　to　the　man；　Bond　smiled　and　spoke　the　contact　phrase。　〃In　London；　April　is　a　spring　month。〃　The　American　accent　was　almost　too　obvious。　　〃What　are　you？　　The　weatherman？〃　Bond　scowled；　and　the　American　continued。　　〃Codes；　cloak　and　dagger。　　That's　all　gone；　pal。　C'mon；　the　car's　over　there。〃　He　led　the　way　to　a　piece　of　scrap　metal　that　had　once　been　a　Moskovich；　but　it　was　Bond　who　leaped　to　open　the　door　with　an　〃Allow　me。
　
　The　American　began　to　slide　into　the　driver's　seat；　a　broad　grin　on　his　face　until　Bond　trapped　him　between　seat　and　door；　his　pistol　carried　onto　the　aircraft　in　the　special　briefcase　which　shielded　it　from　the　magic　eyes　and　metal　detectors　…　jammed　into　the　man's　side。
　
　〃Now；　talk　to　me。〃　His　face　had　taken　on　the　granite　look　of　anger。
　
　There　was　a　long　silence；　then；　〃OK。　　In　London；　April　is　a　spring　month；　while　in　St。　Petersburg　we're　freezing　our　asses　off。　　That　near　enough？〃　Bond　shook　his　head。　　〃No。　　Show　me　a　rose。
　
　〃Aw；　Jesus　H。　Christ〃　He　undid　his　belt　and；　while　Bond　shielded　him　from　onlookers；　the　bulky　American　showed　him　a　small　tattoo　of　a　rose　on　his　right　hip。　　Under　the　rose　there　was　one　word　…　Muffy。
　
　〃Muffy？〃　Bond　asked；　then　went　to　the　passenger　door　and　slid　in　beside　the　American。
　
　〃Yeah；　Muffy。　　Third　wife。〃　The　American　stuck　out　his　hand。
　
　〃Jack　Wade。　　CIA。〃
　〃Bond。　　James　Bond；　and　you　know　where　I'm　from。〃
　〃If　I　didn't　know；　I　would　now。　　You　guys　never　change。
　
　Cold　War's　over；　yet　you　still　go　around　with　your　codes；　your　cloaks；　your　daggers。〃
　〃The　idea　is　to　remain　as　safe　as　possible。　　I　thought　the　CIA　still　understood　the　meaning　of　tradecraft；　and　the　fact　that　we're　all　still　in　business。〃　Wade　started　the　engine；　which　coughed　and　spluttered；　then　fired　properly。　　It　sounded　like　an　old　two…stroke　lawnmower。　　〃We　do；'　he　laughed。　　〃I　knew　who　you　were。
　
　Thought　I'd　have　some　fun。〃
　〃Well；　I　wouldn't　advise　it。　　Keep　to　the　rules　and　regulations　or　you　might　just　find　yourself　sharing　a　cell　with　your　nice　Mr。　Ames；　or　worse。　　I　understand　the　KGB　have　merely　changed　their　name。　　With　the　instability　around　here；　we　could　all　find　ourselves　back　in　the　business　as　usual　game。
　
　〃Ah；　the　Great　Game　as　you　Brits　call　it。〃　He　slowly　eased　the　car　out　into　the　traffic。
　
　〃I　haven't　heard　anyone　call　it　the　Great　Game　recently　…　except　melodramatic　authors　and　journalists。〃　Wade　lifted　his　eyebrows。　　〃OK；　Jim　〃James；'　Bond　snapped。　　〃Never　Jim；　and　certainly　not　Jimbo。〃
　〃OK；　sorry。　　I　thought　I'd　just　drive　you　around　so　that　we　can　talk。　Show　you　the　sights　as　it　were。
　
　〃The　car's　clean？〃
　〃Except　for　the　exterior　and　a　few　Snicker　wrappers。
　
　He　threw　the　magazine　he　had　been　reading　into　the　back　seats。
　
　〃You　do　any　gardening？〃
　〃Not　if　I　can　help　it。　　Now；　you're　the　local　expert　so　let　me　hear　your　words　of　wisdom。
　
　〃Wisdom　isn't　really　in　fashion　over　here　at　the　moment。
　
　They　told　me　you　wanted　information；　I've　been　ordered　to　give　it　to　you。　　So　〃So　what　do　you　know　about　Janus？〃
　〃Hey；　look　at　those　buildings；　isn't　this　the　most　wonderful　city　you've　ever　seen？　　Look；　the　Winter　Palace；　and　there's　the　Alexander　column。　You　got　one　like　that　in　London；　yes？　　Some　sailor。〃
　〃Admiral　Lord　Nelson；　yes。　　Mr。　Wade；　don't　play　the　goofy　Yank　with　me。　Now；　Janus。
　
　〃You　could　write　what　I　know　about　Janus　on　a　pin　head；　James。　　In　a　word；　zilch；　zipsky。〃
　〃That's　two　words；　let's　have　some　more。
　
　〃Seriously；　there　are　very　few　on　the　subject　of　Janus。
　
　Nobody　claims　to　have　seen　him。　　That's　because　they'd　be　admitting　they　knew　him；　but　there's　no　doubt　that　he's　connected。　　He　has　lines　into　government；　the　military；　even　the　Russian　Intelligence　Service　…　a　rose　by　any　other　name：　KGB。　　Also；　the　rumour　is　that　he　lives　on　an　armoured　train。〃
　〃An　armoured　train？　　Like　the　ones　so　popular　with　the　leaders　of　the　Revolution？〃
　〃I　wouldn't　know　about　the　Revolution；　but　that's　the　story。〃
　〃Where　the　devil　would　he　get　an　armoured　train？'　〃Easy。　　You　can　get　almost　anything　if　you　can　afford　it。
　
　As　you're　taking　Jack　Wade's　ten　cent　tour　of　Petersburg；　let　me　show　you　a　couple　of　things；　before　you　check　in　to　your　luxury　five　star　hotel。〃　Wade　drove　them　down　the　Nevsky　Prospekt；　across　one　of　the　many　bridges　and　onto　the　aptly　named　Accross　the　Neva　Avenue。
　
　From　there　he　headed　out　into　suburban　St。　Petersburg；　making　occasional　ments　…〃See　that　decaying　pile　of　buildings？〃　Flapping　a　hand　in　the　direction　of　a　series　of　large　block…like　structures。
　
　〃That　was　one　of　the　largest　military　barracks　in　this　city。　　It　just　got　left　when　the　Sovs　were　still　in　power；　and　it's　gone　to　pieces　since　the　munists　were　outlawed；　because　there　isn't　enough　money。
　
　When　the　boys　came　back　from　Afghanistan　there　were　just　not　enough　barracks　or　housing　for　them　…　veterans　home　from　the　war。　　That　place　could　have　kept　a　regiment。　　They　just　let　it　fall　apart。〃　Later；　he　told　Bond　that　the　Hermitage　…　the　world　famous　museum　of　art：　part　of　the　Winter　Palace　…　had　grave　problems；　not　the　least　of　which　was　serious　rising　damp。
　
　〃They've　also　got　the　Germans　and　the　French　demanding　their　paintings　back；'　Bond　nodded。　　〃And　most　of　the　stuff　didn't　belong　to　Germany　anyway。　　All　plundered　from　Nazi…occupied　Europe　and　then　plundered　by　the　Red　Army　when　they　moved　into　Berlin。〃　Finally；　almost　out　into　the　country；　Wade　stopped　his　ancient　car　and　led　Bond　over　to　the　top　of　a　high　embankment　from　where　they　could　look　down　on　a　huge　railway　siding。
　
　The　buildings；　loading　bays　and　platforms　were　in　a　state　of　decay；　but　the　actual　railway　lines　seemed　clean　and　clear　of　debris。
　
　〃A　military　depot；　Wade　explained。　　〃This　was　the　Petersburg　area　marshalling　yard：　the　place　where　they　loaded　those　intercontinental　ballistic　missiles　that　used　to　have　us　worried　…　the　ones　they　ran　around　the　country　on　trains　so　they　were　rarely　in　the　same　place　twice。　　They　also　took　them　out　to　silos　from　here　as　well。〃
　〃This　where　Janus　gets　his　armoured　train？〃　Bond's　voice　took　on　a　serious　tone。
　
　〃There's　a　lot　of　old　rolling　stock　around；　yes。　　Most　of　the　moving　missile　trains　were　heavily　armoured。　　They　also　had　armoured　carriages　for　important　military　and　political　figures；　they　could　travel　in　the　proverbial　lap　of　luxury。
　
　During　the　return　journey；　back　to　the　centre　of　the　city；　Wade　gave　him　a　huge　grin。　　〃Show　you　something　else；　Jimb。　　I　mean　James。
　
　Little　place　they　call　Statue　Park。〃　Like　the　railway　depot；　it　was　on　the　outskirts　of　the　city：　a　park　in　name　only。　　Yes；　there　were　trees；　and　at　one　time　the　place　had　probably　been　a　small　park；　for　there　were　also　a　couple　of　benches；　but　no　formal　paths。
　
　At　first；　Bond　thought　it　could　be　an　exhibition　of　modern　sculpture；　but　as　they　left　the　car；　he　saw　that　the　sculpture　was　not　modern；　nor　was　it　in　its　finished　state。
　
　Strewn　between　the　trees；　scattered　around　the　more　open　spaces　he　saw　statue　upon　statue；　symbol　upon　symbol；　ruined；　broken；　ripped　from　plinths；　dragged　from　original　sites；　carted　here　and　dumped　like　trash　thrown　into　a　land　fill。　　The　statues　were　of　people　like　Marx；　Lenin　there　were　a　lot　of　Lenins　…　and　great　metal　or　stone　hammer　and　sickle　emblems。　　They　came　in　different　sizes；　from　very　large　to　medium。　　He　thought　that　any　active　munist　could　pick　up　anything　from　a　small　to　extra　large　Lenin。
　
　On　one　of　the　medium　Lenin　statues　…　done　in　bronze　…　someone　had　spray　painted　an　instruction　in　Russian。
　
　Even　if　Vladimir　Ilyich　Lenin　had　been　alive；　it　would　have　been　anatomically　impossible　for　him　to　obey　that　particular　order。
　
　〃You　see；　James；'　Wade　grinned；　〃when　Yeltsin　outlawed　the　munist　party；　people　could　not　go　out　and　shoot　or　beat　up　the　old　munist　leaders。　　So　they　were　forced　to　do　the　next　best　thing。
　
　〃They　toppled　all　the　icons　of　the　munist　regime。
　
　Lenin；　Marx；　even　the　odd　Stalin　who　should　have　been　moved　long　ago　anyway。　　Statues　in　stone　and　metal。　　The　people　went　out　and　threw　them　down　…　pushed；　pulled；　used　bulldozers　or　tow　trucks。　　It　was　a　real　mess。　　Then　the　city　began　to　clear　things　up。　　They　dumped　all　the　statues　in　this　crummy　little　park　close　to　the　municipal　land　fill。　The　trees　here　were　to　shield　visitors　from　the　fetid　horror　of　the　City　Dump　Number　Four。　　Now　they're　not　bothered　by　people　seeing　this　stuff。〃
　〃It　certainly　wouldn't　bother　me。〃　Wade　grinned　again。