| While the American CIA agents checked the dead Russian agents,making sure no sudden and a deadly surprise might be unleashed from someone who might have survived,Steven Mac Dantosch looked over his shoulder for his friends.They have already been at his side and Melissa Charleroi rushed up to him and hanged on his neck. -�Steven,this a miracle�This is a miracle��-She whispered to his ears while kissing him as if she did not have this opportunity for months.He was no less happy.If not the Americans he would most certainly be dead by this time.He also kissed her openly and had a feeling he would need days to come to satisfy himself with the desire to love and once again love her.This desire was so strong like if he stayed under the sun�s rays for too long days and without one drop of a refreshing water.Every kiss was a drop of crystal clear and fresh water.Then there was a turn for Tadek Vangard who simply came up to him and took him into his arms while patting him on his shoulder. -�We can never again be so uncareful as we were.This was playing with fire.�- He whispered to his friend. -�Yes,yes,Tadek�We should have accepted the ambassador�s invitation and agree to stay within the Embassy compound.�- Steven Mac Dantosch answered.They looked now towards the American agents.There were ten of them and with those who went after Carlos,fourteen or fifteen.They were still busy with their identification work over the dead Russians. -�How have they managed to get here so unnoticeably?�- Tadek Vangard remarked,having in mind of course the American CIA agents. -�They must have spied on us,from the very beginning we got out of the Embassy�- Steven Mac Dantosch made all knowing looks. -�Then,this time it happened to be our big luck.�- Melissa Charleroi�s eye still shined with happiness. -�Oh,and what a luck!�- Tadek Vangard agreed. -�They could have intervened much earlier,before Carlos managed to get to us but I don�t blame them for this.They saved us from them.It�s a matter of fact!"- Steven Mac Dantosch put a full stop over the remarks.One of the Americans came up to them.He shook hands with them. -�Hello.I�m colonel Theodore Mac Gare.Welcome with us.�- He introduced himself. -�We thank you for what you have done.I would probably be dead and my friends would certainly be treated in a cruel way if you didn�t do what you did.�- Steven Mac Dantosch thanked him wholeheartedly. -�You owe this to Mister Ambassador.He issued a special order to have an eye on you,without harassing you,naturally.No harm could reach you.Badly enough,we haven�t foreseen Carlos might strike on you so soon and�in the deep of the night.Luckilly,we got alarmed somehow,and were able to track you down nearly in the last minute.�-Then,colonel Theodore Mac Gare smiled to Steven Mac Dantosch and added:�You had a genial fight.True to say I have never seen such an ultimate encounter so far.There was some magics in it.I never thought it possible.� -�Nothing is impossible.�-Steven Mac Dantosch joked,paraphrasing a popular say.They approached together the other agents and exchanged �hello� with them. -�Let�s go before the first inhabitants appear here.It�s getting late.Within less than an hour there is already an early morning.You don�t mind I take you with us to the Embassy,don�t you?�-The expression on the face of the colonel mirrored his feeling they should not object. -�What about the dead Russian agents?�- Tadek Vangard asked,with a thrill in his voice.-�We have no time for them.I feel sorry on behalf of the early morning strollers who will discover the corpses but we realy can do nothing.It�s better to leave them here.The Chinese authorities will do what�s necessary.They will also have a theme to protest to the Soviets.No country likes foreign spies on its soil.Even if they're dead.Let�s go.� -They got inside three jeeps who appeared before them suddenly out of nowhere,three jeeps with modified engines which enabled them to move without slightest hint of noise.The innovation of the kind one could see only in the James Bond movies.Colonel Theodore Mac Gare sat with them.The other agents packed themselves into the other jeeps.Once they found themselves outside of the Taoranting Park they have heaven a sigh of relief : no one saw them.They went towards Tienanmen Square and then,along Jianguomenwai Dajie,to the Ritan Embassies Compound in which the United States Embassy was situated,alongside many other embassies.No whatever procedures followed once they found themselves within the Embassy.A few of the agents still accompanied them to their temporary living quarters.Then,they were left alone there,enjoying privacy in separate bedrooms.They were not locked and were happy to realise they could go out any time they wished.There was a splendid garden just out the door.They were,however,tired and decided to go to their beds.They were woken up around eleven a.m. by an old but energetic woman who called herself Madame Dazy.She was a sort of a maidservant.They went to their bathrooms and then,washed and dressed nicely,and met again in a waiting hall.Madame Dazy was due to come punctually at the midday hour and take them to the dining-room. -�Tadek,do you have the strategy with you?�- Steven Mac Dantosch asked. -�Yes,I have.But�I understand we don�t give it away as long as we do not have the iron clad assurances we talked about during our first meeting with the Ambassador.� -�That�s right,Tadek.They have to give us something in exchange.I must be able to go to the States and try to prove my innocence there,without any interference from FBI for five years.� -�I am sure you get it,Steven.They don�t have any other choice.They must have the strategy which is a strategic one and will do all the necessary steps to get it.� -�I wish you are right.�-Punctually at the midday hour Madame Dazy appeared before them and asked to follow her.They did it and were astonisched to realise once again how many labirynths there were in this Embassy compound.A newcomer left without a guide would certainly lose himself.The dining room happened to be not just an ordinary one.It was more of a hall,due to its monumental size than a room.Every piece of the dining room,whether the table with silvery complets on it,or the walls,or anything else remained one this was one in which dined the Ambassador of the United States.Nothing but riches and riches.There was no slightest a doubt in the air that Ambassador Daniel Parkinson intended to have lunch together with them.They did not have to wait long time for him.He appeared in the presence of his wife,Eleonora Parkinson,an older woman but thin,distinguish and moving with a grace of an arristocratic lady.They greeted each other somehow with a high dose of acting. -�Sit down to the table,please.�- Ambassador Parkinson said.-�Yes,I know everything.I am happy my people managed to free you from the hands of the KGB spies and Carlos especially.� -�We thank you,Sir.�- Tadek Vangard took voice on behalf of his friends.-�If not you and the agents we might be now in a terrible situation.I feel dread when I think about it.� -�And I,most probably,would be dead.�- Steven Mac Dantosch remarked. -�Don�t say this,Steven.You know you can never let yourself going down and certainly not get yourself shot.�- Melissa Charleroi looked at her boyfriend angrily. � -�You see now,my friends,I was right when I proposed to you to stay in this Embassy�s compound.You should have already given the strategy to us then.�- Tadek Vangard and Steven Mac Dantosch exchanged their glances between themselves.Before they managed to say anything wife of the Ambassador,Eleonora Parkinson,said aloud what was sitting inside her mind. -�Darling,you expierenced definitely too many bad things,unsuitable to your age.I feel thrilled and have no words�How is it possible people can do what they�ve done to you?!�Heavens,I can�t stand it.�-She looked,naturally,at Melissa Charleroi and her face was pained. Melissa Charleroi bited her lips and it seemed she would burst with cry at any time.It looked the memories of evil returned to her.She managed to keep herself whole somehow and smiled faintly at the wife of the Ambassador. -�Please do not concern yourself with it.I would prefer not to think about my past.�- She asked the first lady at the table.Eleonora Parkinson agreed with her but still looked very much concerned.A variety of food was brought by waiters and they could begin to treat themselves.There were all the sorts of seefood on the table,including reddish salmon and black kaviar.Ambassador Parkinson joked at one moment and said kaviar was brought illegally from Siberia in the Soviet Union.The Russian kaviar was appreaciated around the world as the best one.Finally they could delight themselves with the coctajls of variety of fruits from the woods with delicious ice creams.It seemed the lunch helped a lot because they felt themselves relaxed,almost as much as was the habit of Ambassador.They became also more talkative and it seemed there was no theme they would not talk about.From worldwide affairs to sport,to classical and popular music.The moment,however,when Ambassador Parkinson began to talk about strategy Beehive they weighed every their word once again. -�It�s better for you if you give up strategy Beehive and give it to me.�-Ambassador suggested. -�Why?�- Tadek Vangard asked. -�You know quite good how many dangers you risk as long as you have it.It�s time to close this chapter.Besides,the free world needs a case against the Soviets��-At that moment Eleonora Parkinson proposed to Melissa Charleroi to go to the park and both of them excused themselves. -�Time is gold.�- Ambassador Parkinson still tried to convince them.-�It is possible we can still save lives of many our active men and women if we can decode who are the traitors.The strategy fingers them out as you yourselves said it to me in our previous meeting.And also,once we show the strategy to the world everybody can see for himself the real face of the rulers at the Kremlin.You should really give it to me.� -�We want to do it,Mr.Ambassador.�-Steven Mac Dantosch answered coolly.-�But first is first.Why it is so difficult for the government of the United States to grant us this little we asked for? I already know your answer,Sir.You don�t want to do a precedence.I don�t care for it.I must have guaranteed a permission to enter the United States and a five year no-interference from FBI�I don�t agree for anything else.Can you imagine what would happen if we gave you the strategy right now,Sir? I would be treated as a criminal and arrested.Sooner or later.nobody would be interested in my case.The same would happen with my friends.You don�t seem to listen to me when I am saying I have not killed Eduardo,the boyfriend of my sister.And nobody would listen.I am assumed to be the killer as if the verdict was already handed out.I have no choise,Sir,as to keep the strategy as a sort of a leverage.�-Ambassador Daniel Parkinson looked troubled. -�Hmm,I see you persist in your opinion.In the meantime every hour and minute is deadly important�Well,I connect myself with Washington yet today.I hope there will be a positive reaction to your request.Feel yourselves within this Embassy like at your homes.But�don�t go outside.I mean outside the Embassy.I am sure the Soviet agents wait there,hidden in the shadows and will do it,days and nights,in order to get you caught.Excuse me,I must go.�-The tone of Ambassador Parkinson's voice was cool and theatrical.He got up from behind the table,went towards the door and then disseappearred there behind the door.They waited yet for Melissa Charleroi and when she returned from the garden,together with Eleonora Parkinson,they said goodbye to the wife of Ambassador and went to their quarters.They had a dilemma,a Shakespearan one:to give or not to give what equalled the real Hamlet's dilemma:to be or not to be.They wanted to get rid of the strategy which seemed to burn their fingers almost as much as if they were harmed by a real fire.But they could not understand the hesitations of the United States� government. -�Why we have to wait so long for the decision?�- The question was on their minds and they could not find an answer to it.They were determined to keep the strategy for as long as there will be a definitive answer from the President or someone from within the inner circle.Strategic importance or not,they had no other choice�.
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