bl.necroscope2-第93章

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　best　advantage；　he　could　stay　out　of　sight　until　the　last　minute。
　And　so；　moving　with　some　agility　beneath　the　trees；　he　quickly　closed　the　distance　between　him　and　his　intended　victims　as　they　approached　the　gutted　ruins。
　In　order　to　maintain　his　cover　in　this　way；　Dolgikh　occasionally　had　to　lose　sight　of　his　quarry；　but　finally　he　reached　the　furthest　extent　of　the　cliff…hugging　trees　and　was　forced　back　down　into　the　lesser　undergrowth　of　the　old　track。　From　here　the　group　of　men　at　the　ancient　castle's　walls　were　plainly　visible；　and　if　they　should　happen　to　look　in　Dolgikh's　direction；　they　might　also　see　him。　But　no；　they　stood　silent　one　hundred　yards　away；　lost　in　their　own　thoughts　as　they　gazed　upon　that　which　they　intended　to　destroy。　All　three　of　them　were　deep　in　thought。
　Three？　Dolgikh　squinted；　frowned；　glanced　quickly　all　about。　He　saw　nothing　out　of　the　ordinary。　Presumably　the　fourth　man…that　young　fool；　that　traitor　Gulharov　…had　entered　through　the　broken　exterior　wall　of　the　ruins　and　so　passed　out　of　sight。　Whichever；　Dolgikh　knew　that　he　now　had　all　four　men　trapped。　There　was　no　way　out　at　their　end　of　the　defile；　and　in　any　case　they　had　to　e　back　here　to　detonate　the　charges。　Dolgikh's　leering　expression　changed；　turned　into　a　grim　smile。　An　especially　sadistic　thought　had　just　occurred　to　him。
　His　original　plan　had　been　simple：　surprise　them；　tell　them　he　was　investigating　them　for　the　KGB；　have　them　tie　each　other　up…finally　hurl　them　one　at　a　time　from　the　castle's　broken　rim。　It　was　a　hell　of　a　long　way　down。　He'd　make　sure　that　part　of　the　rotten　wall　went　with　them；　to　make　it　more　convincing。　Then；　at　a　safe　place；　he'd　climb　down；　make　his　way　back　to　them　and　carefully　remove　their　bindings。　An　〃accident〃；　as　simple　as　that。　There'd　be　no　escape　for　them：　the　nylon　cord　in　Dolgikh's　pocket　had　a　2001b　breaking　strain！　They　probably　wouldn't　even　be　found　for　weeks；　months；　maybe　never。
　But　Dolgikh　was　something　of　a　vampire　in　his　own　right；　except　he　fed　on　fear。　Yes；　and　now　he　saw　the　opportunity　to　give　his　plan　an　elaborate　twist。　A　little　extra　something　for　his　own　amusement。
　He　quickly　kneeled；　used　his　strong　square　teeth　to　strip　the　cable　down　to　its　copper　cores；　and　connected　up　the　firing　box。　Then；　still　on　one　knee；　he　called　out　loudly　up　the　trail：　〃Gentlemen！〃
　The　three　turned；　saw　him。　Quint　and　Krakovitch　recognised　him　at　once；　looked　stunned。
　〃Now　what　are　we　having　here？〃　he　laughed；　holding　up　the　box　for　them　to　see。　〃See？　Someone　is　forgetting　to　make　the　connections…but　I　have　done　it　for　him！〃　He　put　down　the　box　and　drew　up　the　plunger。
　〃For　God's　sake；　be　careful　with　that！〃　Carl　Quint　threw　up　his　arms　in　warning；　stumbled　out　of　the　ruins。
　〃Stay　right　where　you　are；　Mr　Quint；〃　Dolgikh　shouted。　And　in　Russian：　〃Krakovitch；　you　and　that　stupid　ox　of　a　foreman　e　to　me。　And　no　tricks；　or　I　blow　your　English　friend　and　Gulharov　to　bits！〃　He　gave　the　T…shaped　handle　two　savage　right…hand　twists。　The　box　was　now　armed；　only　depress　the　plunger；　and　…〃Dolgikh；　are　you　mad？〃　Krakovitch　called　back。　〃I'm　here　on　official　business。　The　Party　Leader　himself…〃
　〃…Is　a　mumbling　old　fool！〃　Dolgikh　finished　for　him。　〃As　are　you。　And　you'll　be　a　dead　fool　if　you　don't　do　exactly　as　I　say。　Do　it　now；　and　bring　that　lumbering　engineer　with　you。　Quint；　Mr　English　mind…spy；　you　stay　right　there。〃　He　stood　up；　took　out　his　gun　and　the　nylon　cord。　Krakovitch　and　Volkonsky　had　put　up　their　hands　in　the　air；　were　slowly　leaving　the　area　of　the　ruins。
　In　the　next　split　second　Dolgikh　sensed　that　something　was　wrong。　He　felt　the　tug　of　hot　metal　at　his　sleeve　before　he　heard　the　crack　of　Sergei　Gulharov's　automatic。　For　when　the　others　had　gone　forward　to　the　ruins；　Gulharov　had　stepped　into　a　clump　of　bushes　to　answer　a　call　of　nature。　He　had　seen　and　heard　everything。
　〃Put　up　your　gun！〃　he　now　yelled；　ing　at　Dolgikh　at　a　run。　〃The　next　shot　goes　in　your　belly！〃
　Gulharov　had　been　trained；　but　not　nearly　as　thoroughly　as　Theo　Dolgikh；　and　he　lacked　the　agent's　killer　instinct。　Dolgikh　fell　to　his　knees　again；　straightened　his　gun　arm　toward　Gulharov；　aimed　and　squeezed　the　trigger　of　his　weapon。　Gulharov　was　nearly　on　him。　He；　too；　had　fired　again。　His　shot　went　inches　wide；　but　Dolgikh's　was　right　on　target。　His　snub…nosed　bullet　blew　away　half　of　Gulharov's　head。　Gulharov；　dead　on　the　instant；　jerked　to　a　halt；　then　took　another　stumbling　step　forward　and　crashed　over　like　a　felled　tree…directly　on　to　the　firing　box　and　its　extended　plunger！
　Dolgikh　hurled　himself　flat；　felt　a　hot　wind　blow　on　him　as　hell　opened　up　just　one　hundred　yards　away。　Deafening　sound　blasted　his　ears；　left　them　ringing　with　wild　peals。　He　didn't　see　the　actual　explosion；　or　simultaneous　series　of　explosions；　but　as　the　spray　of　soil　and　pebbles　subsided　and　the　earth　stopped　shaking　he　looked　up…and　then　he　did　see　the　result。　On　the　far　side　of　the　gorge　the　ruins　of　Faethor's　castle　stood　much　as　before；　but　on　this　side　they　had　been　reduced　to　so　much　rubble。
　Craters　smoked　where　the　castle's　roots　were　bedded　in　the　mountain。　A　landslide　of　shale　and　fractured　rock　was　still　tumbling　from　the　cliff　onto　the　wide；　pitted　ledge；　burying　deep　the　last　traces　of　whatever　secrets　had　been　there。　And　of　Krakovitch；　Quint　and　Volkonsky　…Nothing　whatsoever。　Flesh　isn't　nearly　as　strong　as　rock。
　Dolgikh　stood　up；　brushed　himself　down；　heaved　Gulharov's　corpse　off　the　detonating　box。　He　grabbed　Gulharov's　legs　and　dragged　his　body　to　the　smouldering　ruins；　then　toppled　him　from　the　cliff。　An　〃accident〃；　a　genuine　accident。
　On　his　way　back　down　the　track；　the　KGB　man　rolled　up　what　was　left　of　the　cable；　he　also　collected　Gulharov's　gun　and　the　box。　Half…way　down　the　ledge　where　it　hugged　the　cliff　he　threw　all　of　these　things　into　the　dark　gurgling　ravine。　It　was　finished　now；　all　of　it。　Before　he　got　back　to　Moscow　he　would　have　thought　up　an　excuse；　a　reason　why　Gerenko's　supposed　〃weapon〃；　whatever　it　had　been；　no　longer　existed。　That　was　a　pity。
　But　on　the　other　hand…Dolgikh　congratulated　himself　that　at　least　half　of　his　mission　had　been　acplished　successfully。　And　very　satisfactorily。
　
　8。00　P。M。　at　the　Chateau　Bronnitsy。
　Ivan　Gerenko　lay　in　a　shallow　sleep　on　a　cot　in　his　inner　office。　Down　below；　in　the　sterility　of　the　brain…washing　laboratory；　Alec　Kyle　also　lay　asleep。　His　body；　anyway。　But　since　there　was　no　longer　a　mind　in　there；　it　was　hardly　Kyle　any　longer。　Mentally；　he　had　been　drained　to　less　than　a　husk。　The　information　this　had　released　to　Zek　Foener　had　been　staggering。　This　Harry　Keogh；　if　he　had　still　lived；　would　have　been　an　awesome　enemy。　But　trapped　in　the　brain　of　his　own　child；　he　was　no　longer　a　problem。　Later；　maybe；　when　（and　if）　the　child　had　grown　into　a　man　。
　As　for　INTESP：　Foener　was　now　privy　to　that　entire　organisation's　machinery。　Nothing　remained　secret。　Kyle　had　been　the　controller；　and　what　he　had　known　Zek　F？ener　was　heir　to。　Which　was　why；　as　the　technicians　dismantled　their　instruments　and　left　Kyle's　body　naked　and　drained　even　of　instinct；　she　hurried　to　report　something　of　her　findings…and　one　thing　in　particular…to　Ivan　Gerenko。
　Zekintha　F？ener's　father　was　East　German。　Her　mother　had　been　Greek；　from　Zakinthos　in　the　Ionian　Sea。　When　her　mother　died；　Zek　had　gone　to　her　father　in　Posen；　to　the　university　where　he　worked　in　parapsychology。　Her　psychic　ability；　which　he　had　always　suspected　in　her　when　she　was　a　child；　had　bee　immediately　apparent　to　him。　He　had　reported　the　fact　of　her　telepathic　talent　to　the　College　of　Parapsychological　Studies　on　Brasov　Prospekt　in　Moscow；　and　had　been　summoned　to　attend　with　Zek　so　that　she　could　be　tested。　That　was　how　she　had　e　to　E…Branch；　where　she　had　rapidly　made　herself　invaluable。
　F？ener　was　five…nine；　slim；　blonde　and　blue…eyed。　Her　hair　shone　and　bounced　on　her　shoulders　when　she　walked。　Her　Chateau　uniform　fitted　her　like　a　glove；　accentuating　the　delicate　curves　of　her　figure。　She　climbed　the　stone　stairs　to　Krakovitch's　（no；　she　corrected　herself；　to　Gerenko's）　office；　entered　the　anteroom　and　knocked　firmly　on　the　closed　inner　door。
　Gerenko　hear