Jason Steed: Face-Off
Jason noticed the mood change in the rest of the ballet performers. Such was the mood, the deep pleasure of waiting derived not from just the performance they would give but being in Russia, building a sensation of togetherness, rolling vibrations of solidarity and giddiness and anticipation. It was flowing, a contagious happiness among the dancers and staff alike.
The coach stopped at a large red brick building that looked like a public library. It was more modern than the building they used in London. It was warmer, had a color TV in each dormitory with only Russian-speaking channels and had a well-stocked canteen. Each room slept up to four students.
Jason was to share a room with Rupert and Jonas;, the three of them had become friends although Jason still felt like an outsider. His lack of knowledge came through when they spoke of great dancers and their favorite ballets and dancers. Both Rupert and Jonas idolized Russian-born Rudolf Nureyev who had defected from Russia several years earlier. Jason had briefly read about him in the magazines Armand gave him.
It was obvious to Rupert and Jonas that Jason was not as enthusiastic as they were about ballet. But when it came to exercise Jason went above and beyond and worked harder than any of them.
Chapter Nine
Late in the evening they finally had some free time. Jason peered out the window from the room he shared. He could vaguely make out the back wall of the accommodation block. Jason guessed that beyond that was the river and on the other side steam from a boiler danced in the glow of a security light. He could make out the rooftops of the buildings. If Infinity was correct that was the Russian KGB secret service offices.
Jonas and Rupert had both crashed into their beds and were competing who could snore the loudest. Jason too was hit by fatigue and jetlag. It struck Jason that most of the students and staff would also be sleeping, as they too would be hit with the same fatigue.
He forced himself awake and tried to concentrate. He took off his belt; tucked inside the metal buckle was the battery. It was safe; another look out the window to check the KGB building. His eyes struggled to focus; the empty bed was calling him. Could he risk a ten-minute nap? No, Jason told himself he had a job to do and as soon as he had done it the sooner he could leave and not worry about wearing ballet tights again.
Jason dressed himself in black tights and black top; his ballet slippers were also black. If anyone caught him he could say he couldn’t sleep and wanted to practice. The outfit was perfect for what he wanted to do. He placed the battery in his underwear; having no pockets didn’t forward him any options. He turned off the light behind him and left the snoring chorus of his two roommates.
His ballet slippers were perfect for creeping along the hallway and down the stairs. Slowly he made his way to the back door and crept outside, gently closing it behind him.
Like an ocean wave crashing against rocks, Jason become alert and alive. The freezing cold night air tore away his fatigue. He was excited; for too long he had been dancing and acting. Now he was Jason Steed, Infinity’s greatest agent who was going to break into the KGB’s grounds and replace a battery in a secret listening device.
Jason was charged; this is what he lived for. His misguided thinking didn’t assess the dangers that could befall him. He enjoyed the thrill, the rush and danger of the situation. A boring mission it might be and he hoped to replace the battery without being seen. Although he would never admit it, the idea of getting caught and having to fight his way out also excited him.
Creeping down to the back wall was easy; climbing over it took a few seconds. He checked it was clear before slowly creeping down the bank to the river. He crouched down and took in his surroundings.
The KGB building had a wire fence, maybe six feet in height, no barbed wire so that was easily accessible. A large lamp at all corners of the building lit up the surrounding areas, but the building itself was in the shadows. He just had to run through the area lit up and make it to the shadows and he would be hidden.
He could see the smaller lights attached to the building. If Infinity’s intelligence was correct it would be the third light from the end. The only thing between Jason and the perimeter fence was the river. Infinity had instructed him to swim across; it would be too deep for him to stand.
Jason looked at the water in deep thought. He contemplated taking his clothing off. That would make swimming easier of course but if he got caught half-naked he would have some explaining to do. No he would swim fully clothed and stick to the ballet story if he got caught. He could say he slipped down the bank and the current took him to the other side.
“Agh.” Jason said under his breath as the freezing cold water penetrated his shoes. It was much colder than he expected. He forced himself on, his legs and body slowly becominge submerged. Jason cursed under his breath; the water was so cold he was already feeling numb. Without another thought he plunged forward and started to swim across; with each stroke his body wanted to shout out in pain.
Never before had he felt so cold. As he made it just over halfway he started to get angry. Infinity should have known better. Jason had no idea of the water temperature but it must have been just a few degrees above freezing. He forced himself forward. His strokes started to splash. He was now more desperate to get out of the water than he was worried about getting caught.
Jason put his foot down trying to touch the bottom to get out. It was a foolish mistake he went under, the cold water clinging to his face and hair. A few more strokes and finally he could reach the bottom. He climbed out of the river as fast as he could.
Without stopping Jason ran towards the building and the third lamp. Once in the shadows of the light he kept up the rapid pace, desperate to warm his body. Each lamp was no bigger than a shoebox. The glass cover was held in place with a large bolt. It was stiff but after a few attempts it started to unscrew.
Once he had that off he tipped out the dead moths and insects that had collected and looked at the lamp. Jason’s tongue poked out at the side of his mouth as he concentrated. A small transistor with a battery identical to his was behind it. He quickly plucked out the battery before replacing the new one; he took the old one with him.
His hands shook violently with cold as he tried to put the lamp back together. Eventually he managed to replace the cover and screw the locking bolt back on. After a quick check he ran back to the fence climbed over it in a flash and ran to the river.
This time Jason dived in. His body was freezing and he was concerned how much more he could sustain. His instincts told him to go faster and work harder. His muscles would produce heat as they worked hard. The return swim was quicker. He discarded the old battery in the river and was happy to get to the other side.
Jason climbed out of the river and up the bank, over the wall and back to the redbrick building. No one noticed him come back. He left a trail of water to the boys’ bathroom and he stripped and jumped into a hot shower. His skin was pink with cold; he sunk onto the floor of the shower and started to do push-ups.
He couldn’t remember feeling so exhausted or cold, but had learned at Sea Cadets that when your body is cold you need to warm it up with warm water and exercise. If anyone came in and saw him performing push-ups in the shower, they would probably think he was just a crazy ballerina, trying to keep fit.
It took over an hour to warm himself. Once he was warm he made his way back to his room, dropped his wet towel on the floor and fell into his bed. His body and hair still being wet wasn’t a concern since he needed sleep. The wall of fatigue had crippled him, and within a few seconds he was in the snoring competition with Rupert and Jonas.
The battery Jason fitted had immediately kicked the listening bug back into life. Infinity was once again able to eavesdrop on the Russian KGB. Disturbingly they overheard plans of an operation that involved the theft of Russian nuclear weapons by two KGB technicians. At least now they could monitor the situation. It was a strange situation in which Infinity found themselves. They didn’t want Rus
sian nuclear weapons falling into the wrong hands, but they couldn’t inform Russia without giving away the fact they had bugged the building.
Chapter Ten
“Jason get up; the rest of the students are practicing; we need you for tonight’s performance.” Armand shrieked, pulling the bed sheets off Jason. He quickly threw them back on again when he noticed Jason wasn’t wearing anything. “Oh sorry.” He paused. “Don’t you boys wear pajamas anymore?”
Jason rubbed his eyes and lifted himself up onto one elbow. After going to bed with wet hair it stuck up in all directions. He looked like a polar bear had tried to make out with a weed whacker. “What?” Jason yawned as he stretched.
“It’s nearly eight Jason. Rupert and Jonas said they couldn’t wake you. The other students are all downstairs rehearsing,” Armand gasped.
“I did it,” Jason said heavily laying his head back on his pillow and pulling the covers up to his neck.
“Oh you completed the mission.” Armand hushed. “Well good job. But now we have another job to do; it’s the performance tonight.”
“I’ve done what I came for. There is no need for me to put tights on ever again. My mission is over, close the door on your way out.” Jason yawned, turning over.
Armand angrily ripped the bed sheets off Jason’s bed.
“Jason we are counting on you. You are still under cover, get up and dressed.”
“Hey.” Jason shouted back trying to cover himself with his hands. “Get out.”
Armand ignored him, picked up a towel and threw it at Jason. “Take a shower and be downstairs in five minutes. It’s not over yet; if you don’t go on stage it will look suspicious to the rest of the dancers and our Russian hosts,” Armand said leaving Jason’s room.
It would be another twenty minutes before bad- tempered Jason Steed finally made it down to rehearsals. He wasn’t sure what Armand would do if he refused to go on stage. But felt he had no choice other than to go along with it.
Infinity agents across the globe had spent just over a week interrogating the last known acquaintances of Boudicea. So far no new information was unearthed; many believed she was dead. The trail went cold. But when new instructions came to be on the lookout for likely suspects who would be in the market for a nuclear bomb, Infinity started to uncover something. An Infinity agent working undercover in Germany as a buyer for such material suggested an Oriental woman had approached him.
The meeting between the agent and the woman was in a dark ally in Frankfurt. As well as being dark she kept her face well covered. The agent advised that she fitted the description. Experts at Infinity along with Quinton Roosevelt concluded that it was probably the same person. She would have the resources to blackmail Russian nuclear technicians and if anyone was brazen enough to try and steal a nuclear bomb from Russia and sell it to China it would be her.
Infinity hatched a scheme to catch her before she could proceed with her dastardly plan. They knew she had a weakness; that weakness was something they had and something she wanted, dead or alive.
Over the hundred years of Infinity’s existence fighting global crime, preventing wars where they could or helping the outcome of others, many times Infinity had put agents in danger. It was the world they lived in. A few had lost their lives and many had been injured. However never before had a junior agent been killed, seriously injured and used as bait.
“Desperate times call for desperate measures,” Quinton told the Infinity board. “A nuclear bomb in the hands of someone like Boudicea is unthinkable.”
Despite a few raised eyebrows, the board members of Infinity, that included two Presidents and three Prime ministers and leading politicians from various countries agreed. They would use the one thing Boudicea wanted as bait to lure her out into the open. Jason Steed was about to be a pawn in a very dangerous game.
The junior members of the British Royal Ballet Company came in an impressive third place. The Russian Bolshoi company won the event, second place was won by the French Ballet company. Jason performed well enough not to get noticed. His strength and flexibility was enough to keep any suspecting eyes off him. He was relived when it was over; he promised himself a second time he would never wear tights again for any mission.
The Royal Ballet Company flew back to London the following day. Jason expected to spend a night in London and then be flown back to his school in Turkey. When he arrived in London, Dexter met him with two men. By the bulge under their jackets Jason was certain they were carrying guns.
“Hey,” Jason smiled at them. “I never expected a welcome party.” He studied the two strangers. One looked about forty; he had a square-shaped short haircut that made him look more aggressive than he was; the other younger man was chewing gum. He looked cocky with his hands in his pockets and had a pale complexion with sharp features.
“Hello Jason. Well, give us a twirl; show us what you can do,” Dexter grinned.
Jason showed his true colors and replied with some of the best sailor curse words he knew.
“If I used that language when I was your age I would’ve had my mouth washed out with soap,” The younger cocky guy said.
“I’d love to see you try. I could do with a good workout,” Jason snapped back.
The younger man snarled at Jason, shook his head and laughed the remark off.
“Come with us Jason; we have a car outside the airport to take you home.” Dexter said taking Jason’s bag for him.
The two men followed closely behind looking from side to side to check no one was watching them. Bodyguard duty was a boring part of an agent’s job. It was generally given as punishment or to agents with less ability and who had more brawn than brains.
“And exactly where is home tonight? Am I staying at the Ritz? Nah, I guess Infinity wouldn’t want to pay for that. Or is it a bed and breakfast somewhere?” Jason asked.
“No Jason, home. Your home I’m taking you home. You will of course have plain clothes agents in various locations outside your father’s property,” Dexter said.
A large grin ran across Jason’s face before he frowned thinking he was being punked. “Okay I’m sorry for cursing at you. Where am I really going to stay for the night?”
“Your home Jason. I’ll explain it on the way,” Dexter said.
“Am I really going home?” Jason said trying to conceal a smile.
“Yes. Inform your father you’ve entered in the British under Sixteen Karate Championships. It’s normal for Infinity students to enter competitions. Connor often joins the under sixteen All-Blacks Rugby team in New Zealand. Other students who ride horses go to show jumping events and of course you know Cameron; she enters gymnastics events. Even your new friend Armand entered ballet contests when he was younger and an agent.”
Jason interrupted him. “I wouldn’t exactly say Armand is a friend.”
Dexter smiled and continued. “Enter the competition; we expect you to win it or at least place in the top three. You will then represent Great Britain in the Karate under Sixteen World Championship Competition. It’s two months away and will be held in Germany this year, so you better start practicing.”
“Easier said than done,” Jason gasped.
“Nonsense, when you were ten you won the Hong Kong Championships and beat Jet Lee. He went on to win the under sixteen World Championship in your absence, while you were on a mission in Jakarta. If you had entered you would’ve won; now you’re thirteen it should be easy for you.” Dexter said.
Jason nodded in deep thought. “There’s more to this than you’re saying.”
“Yes, always were the smart one weren’t you.” Dexter stopped, took out his gum and threw it in a trashcan before continuing. “At both the British Championship and the World Championship our best undercover agents will surround you for your protection. We believe Boudicea will make another attempt on your life.”
Jason looked horrified and stopped in his tracks. “So I’m what, bait? Not only have
I got to protect myself from the other competitors in the competition, I also have to be careful not to get shot, stabbed, poisoned or blown-up?”
“No pressure then,” the younger bodyguard laughed.
Jason approached him and stood in a fighting stance at the bodyguard. Right foot in front, left foot facing left, with his weight evenly balanced on each foot in a slight crouching position. “Maybe I should start practicing on you?” Jason said under his breath.
The bodyguard’s normally pale complexion suddenly looked paler, vaguely giving him the look of a sick vampire. Luckily for him Dexter walked between them.
“That will do Jason; they are here for your protection not for you to damage.” Dexter said before glaring at the young bodyguard. “Do yourself a favor and keep your mouth shut; you wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of him. He may look small but he has the sting of a thousand killer bees.”
A black Mercedes Benz van waited at the airport departure gates. As soon as the driver saw them coming he drove towards them, and they all climbed in the back. Jason took in his surroundings; the van had windows blacked out for privacy. It was equipped with cameras and listening devices. It also had some magnetic signs to place on the outside with various bogus names for plumbers and other service jobs.
“Dexter I’ve told you before I don’t lie to my father,” Jason said.
Dexter passed Jason a cold can of coke. “I know and you don’t have to. You are entering the Karate competition; your mission is to enter it, make sure you get to the final and attend the World championships in Germany. We will take care of the rest and Boudicea.”
Jason drank half of the can and held his smile back. He was secretly excited to enter the competition and he hoped to win.