Solomon's Private File #117
These stories about Stephen and Solomon take place starting in
1950's. Stephen wrote about his life in letters to a penpal, and then
in a secure blog, in case he lost his memory again, in the master
computer in his school for gifted students, which he started attending
in 2016 in a new incarnation, until his death. Now his son Solomon is
attending the same school, and is writing in his own secure blog for
his future incarnations.
All characters are fictitious, even if some of them might have names
that belong to some actual people, or act like people we know.
Solomon is 18 in this story, in the Spring of 2045.
Solomon's Private File #117 "Identified in Russia"
START Page
I felt a stirring in the house in Moscow. I ported to my room there,
and stopped the breathing image. I went out to join my team. They
looked at me in awe. I said, "Your expressions. What is the cause?"
Smith said, "How you managed that mission, and your martial arts.
Amazing!" Major said, "He explained how much thought you used in that,
to manage the people. Amazing!" I said, "Now that has been expressed,
it can be dismissed. Unless you wish to go hungry." They really did
want to eat. After that, I said, "Because of the special insulation in
this apartment, radio waves may not pass through it. The remote
controls have a repeater and wire to an antenna on the roof. There is
another one for the telephones, for the internet, and the camera gifts.
One camera in the store uses near infrared." I took out a computer pad
and used the app to select that camera. I said, "Look in the jewelry
case. This ring. The stone will glow, only visible to this camera, when
a psychic is nearby. Such a person will likely feel it, and may want to
purchase it." Smith said, "Would they suspect something?" I said,
"Probably not. He who made it said that it is not uncommon for gems to
have psychic reactions, after having been worn for a long time by
somebody with a powerful personality. That might be known to those we
seek." Major said, "Is there a radio in it?" I said, "Unfortunately,
no. It could be detected. In the cameras, probably not, because of all
the other electronics in them, which some cameras actually have, to
communicate with printers and even the internet."
Smith said, "You really think these things out!" Major grinned. I
said, "It is like a game. We need to think better than they do. In
chess you need to think not only about your own moves into the future,
but your opponent's as well. Chess is easy compared to this. And real
life is much more interesting." They really agreed with that. I said,
"The store is not yet open. We have time to learn about each other's
capabilities. Please describe your fighting abilities." Smith said,
"Third degree black belt in Chinese Kempo. Some Ninjutsu. Extensive
weapons training. Some explosives." Major was impressed. He said,
"Brown belt in basic fighting. Firearms training. Long distance runner.
Olympics alternate." Smith was impressed. I said, "I sense your
curiosity about my abilities. Master of martial arts. Many of them. All
weapons. Trained from early childhood to be the best in everything.
Extremely fast reactions. If you want to know how fast, too late. Humor
is extra." Chuckles. Smith said, "Just how good are you in martial
arts?" I said, "I think you will not believe." He said, "Please." I
said, "I can strike with Chi." He looked really surprised. I said,
"Major, I understand that look. You wish a demonstration." He said, "I
do!"
There was a salt shaker on the table. I said, "Isolating such a small
target for a thrust with Chi is VERY difficult even for experts." I
took a stance two meters from the table, and executed a palm thrust
strike in the air, toward the salt shaker. It flew off the table. I
said, "With a different focus it would have exploded." They looked at
me in awe. I said, "Staring at me will not help you to improve your
skills." They nodded. I said to Smith, "Eastern martial arts evolved
from Temple dances and copying animal movements. There was very little
real science in it, and it is often so, today. One of the biggest
faults in it is lack of energy management. You waste a lot of energy in
unnecessary movement, and in being tense. And that slows you, too. What
was the secret of the speed of Muhammad Ali?" He nodded and said, "I
see. He was relaxed." I said, "Why did that increase speed?" They both
didn't know. I said, "An arm held tensely in position, must relax the
opposing muscles to begin new movement. That is an extra step. Straight
punch to my hand." He took a stance and did that. I said, "Now, don't
set yourself. Just decide to do it without thought." Smack! They were
amazed. I said, "Er, ouch." I shook my hand, and they chuckled. I said,
"Another thing. You took a stance, practically shouting to the world
that you know a martial art, and they should be prepared for your
attack. And you showed you would punch by withdrawing your arm a little
before it moved forward. Your second strike didn't show those things.
Much better for a spy in a difficult situation. The best weapon is one
your opponents never see, even after they fall. Never show the enemy
what you can do, more than is absolutely needed. If he is not killed,
he will be better prepared the next time, and so will those he shares
his knowledge with. That could mean the difference between your life
and death." They nodded.
I said, "Most Chinese styles stress fluidity in motion. In the
beginning it looks weak, and it is. As one progresses, one learns how
to include power in the strike at the end of it, by tensing the whole
body at the last second. A very advanced student can eliminate the
beginning, and only concentrate on the very last part of the strike.
You saw that with my opening the box." More awe and nods. I said, "A
great student can tense his body in such a short time at the end of the
strike, and then relax, it is almost undetected by most people, making
the strike look impossible." Smith said, "Bruce Lee's 2cm strike!" I
said, "Yes, but better."
I said, "Now, physics. Blocking power against power is very
dangerous, and not just a waste of energy. Slow motion side sweep block
to my straight punch." He did that, sweeping my arm aside. I said, "You
do that to an iron bar, you could break your arm. Try it this way.
Notice the twisting of the wrist and the slant of the forearm." He did
it, and said, "It felt different. Less impact." I said, "Some of the
force was deflected downward, and shared by more of your arm in
rotation. If you do that same block with an open hand, with the wrist
bent down, you can trap that arm." He said, "I know that technique, but
didn't know it could be used as a simple block." I said, "I am not
trying to retrain you, but show you that you can apply thinking and
science to fighting, more than has happened in the past. Much of
martial arts today is a sport now. In real life, we can't take time to
change clothes and find a soft surface to fall onto. And there are many
reasons to fight, and different results to plan for and manage. Systema
SpetsNaz is good for the military, but not so good for civilian use and
for spies. Different objectives."
I said, "First customer. Let us watch." We went to the tablets. An
uneventful transaction. I said, "An example of the boring part of a
spy's life." The major said, "I don't think it's possible for anybody
to be bored in your presence." I said, "I don't remember giving you
permission to embarrass me." Chuckles. I said, "How are most spies
attacked?" Even Smith didn't know. I said, "From behind, most often
when held in front at gunpoint." They nodded agreement. I said, "And
that is stupid. You move, and the gunman will fire. Move fast, and he
will shoot the man behind you." They were surprised. I said, "And then
roll forward under the gun, and you can take out the gunman. Do it
well, and you will have his gun. I think you can guess the rest. The
key to all this is knowing what the man behind you is doing." Smith
said, "The window!" I bowed slightly. Major said, "You plan even in
teaching!" I said, "And that is a lesson, too. Thinking and planning
into the future, can help you to HAVE a future."
More came into the store. I said, "Oh, this is interesting. You don't
see it? Watch how they move, and what they are aware of." Major said,
"They act like spies!" I said, "But not quite as hansom." Chuckles.
Smith said, "They are no ordinary criminals. Well organized. Can we
look outside?" I showed him on his tablet how to do that. He said, "And
there he is. The lookout." I said, "Remember the vehicle." He said, "A
mistake. They should not have had that within view of the store." I
said, "We all make mistakes. That can't be avoided. We hope the ones we
make we can survive the learning of. Oh! Did you see that reaction?"
Major said, "He actually jumped. Did the ring react?" I said, "It did.
And he is not the leader." Smith said, "I caught that. He signaled a
man in the middle of the group." I said, "More of interest. It reacts
to him, too. At a higher intensity. He is a better psychic." I was
typing on my tablet. I said, "We have the address the car is registered
to. Better area than this. The smaller man. Describe his problem."
Major said, "He doesn't use one arm well." I said, "Infrared camera
shows part of it is of a lower temperature. It is wrapped. Probably a
wound." Major said, "Expensive trainers." Smith said, "The toe area of
the shoes is unusual." I said, "For climbing." He said, "Oh! I should
have thought of that." I have him a small smile, and said, "Yes."
I said, "Does anybody think we should have a drone in the air now?"
Smith said, "I'll do that. I admit I was too fascinated by this to
remember it." He went. Major said, "I admit to the same." I said, "I
refuse to admit that." Chuckles. He whispered, "He is not of Russia." I
said, "Tell me why you think that." He said, "You and he have been very
careful to not cause him to have to say anything only a Russian would
say. And unlike our last mission, you have not mentioned patriotism." I
said, "And I have yet to authorize you to be intelligent." He laughed
silently. I said, "You know the reasons I had for choosing him for this
mission." He said, "I think so. Different skills we need here, and so
we can learn from each other." I said, "Sometimes different nations
cooperate with each other on a mission that is important to both, when
what one country knows about another, is also being stolen." He said,
"Oh!" I said, "There have been many fingernails shortened over this."
He shook all over, trying not to be heard laughing. When he could, he
said, "Your humor is magnified by your lack of expression in saying
it." I said simply, "I know." More silent laughter. I said, "Please do
not let him know you know. It will be interesting to see if he comes to
suspect it." He said, "More training." I said, "I know." More silent
laughter.
Smith came back in and said, "Drone is in the air. Amazing
technology. New batteries." I said, "Yes. Will give 36 hours of
flight." He said, "Almost completely silent. Are these used elsewhere?"
I said, "It is one of those things that if you know, you would have to
shoot yourself." He said fast, "Don't tell me!" I said, "Agreed. You
might miss." Chuckles. I said, "They are leaving. Notice the order in
which they enter the car." Major said, "I would not have thought of
that. Hierarchy on display!" Smith nodded. I said, "An important way
for an assassin to identify his target from a distance." Smith jumped a
little. Major noticed, and nodded to him. I said, "Interesting how we
can learn about others, even in the most innocent of situations." Smith
said in admiration, "You are very devious." I said simply, "I try."
Chuckles.
I said, "They are leaving, and with two gift cameras. A question.
Should we inform our police comrades of our interest in those
particular people?" I looked at Smith first. He said, "I would not.
More secrets told, the less they are secret." Major said, "I would
tell, but for an important reason, no. They are not spies. They would
act differently when the thieves return, and they may notice that. The
result would be dead police." I said, "Both valid reasons. But from
past meetings, they know more about our targets than we do." He said,
"At the end of the day, we have a meeting and ask for details of all
the customers, every day." Smith said, "Good idea." They nodded to each
other. The drone followed them to the same address as the car
registration. Smith said, "Another mistake." I said, "These kinds of
people share one of our own common failings. Arrogance. We must always
guard against it, or we die." They nodded. I said, "We have another
curse. Love." Major said, "Please explain." I said, "We must keep a lot
of secrets, and keep odd work times. That puts a severe strain on love
and trust. And it makes us vulnerable. The Superman issue." Major said,
"I don't understand. The movie superhero?" Smith said, "He had to
conceal his identity in another one, so his loved one wouldn't be in
danger from people who were trying to find and kill him." I said,
"Kidnapping an agent's relatives is very common. Slightly less common
is turning a wife against a husband by kidnapping her brother or
sister. Many agents and their wives have been turned this way, because
there is seldom an escape from it but through death. Love, the best of
what we can ever experience, can cause our destruction. It is a great
sacrifice to be without it, but our commitments demand it. We will
never be appreciated for that, but we don't work for appreciation, but
out of duty and patriotism."
Smith had tears. I motioned to the Major, and he hugged him. I said
to him, "If you ever wish to talk about it, you know we will
understand." He nodded. I said, "Their house is not near. We should not
leave the drone on it, but on a nearby building with a flat roof." He
wiped his eyes and said, "That one good?" I said, "Seems so." I said,
"Now we have to do something we really do not want to do." Major said,
"What is that?" I said, "Nothing. I sense your frustration. I share it.
We want to go there and arrest them. But who are they selling the
information to? How are they acquiring it? Are there more of them? I
think we should know these things before we take action." Smith said,
"Can't we do anything now?" I said, "Something is being done now. We
know their address from two sources. I have been sending messages. Any
telephones that are registered to that address are going to have an
added feature soon." Grins. I said, "We would like to have a device in
their car." Major said, "But if we approach them, we will be detected."
I said, "Baker Street Irregular." Smith grinned widely, and said, "Our
night visitor!" He said to Major, "From Sherlock Holmes." He said, "Oh!
Good idea." I said, "Yes." Chuckles. I said, "But we have to convince
him to do it, and to not sell it to them. It is possible that he
dislikes them. We could work on that." He said, "Not the demon!" I
said, "I have no intention of frightening myself with that." Chuckles.
I said, "Light hypnosis might help."
We had lunch. The rest of the afternoon was spent watching the store,
and the two of them practicing martial arts. Major and I went down to
the store after it closed. Smith stayed behind to monitor our own
surveillance systems. I said to the police, "Please tell us what you
know about all the customers today." They did, being frustrated when I
wouldn't tell them which ones we were most interested in. They closed
and left. I put an extra infrared camera to cover the outside of the
back door. Upstairs, I said, "An illustration of a mistake. I should
have had a camera to cover the back." They looked at me in surprise. I
said, "Yes I can make mistakes, but not for world wide broadcast."
Chuckles. I said, "Do you think the thieves will strike tonight?" I
looked at the major. He thought. He said, "They work at night. They
sold things in the morning. That must have been from that night. They
should rest before the next job. So not tonight." I looked at Smith. He
said, "Very good!" Major was not at all displeased at that. I said,
"Because this interferes with their life rhythms, they would be more
tired than normal, so I agree."
I said. "Will the child come tonight?" Major grinned and said, "If he
can, he has to. This is like candy to him." I said, "Same hour?" He
said, "Probably. He would need to be at home at some time." Smith said,
"If he has a home." I nodded. I said, "Speculate?" He said, "A guess.
He does have a home, or we would have seen more of him around here." I
nodded. I said, "So he can't be used to plant the tracking device in a
distant part of the city." Major said, "But he would know other
children who could, for payment." I said, "Who should we be to them?"
Smith grinned. Major said, "I don't know. There are advantages and
disadvantages to all I can think of." I said, "A clue. They will visit
us. How will we explain the equipment?" Still no clue. I nodded to
Smith, who said, "I suspected what you would choose, but I think I was
wrong." I said, "Investigative reporters." They both said, "Oh!" I
said, "That way they can make no connection to us and the police, and
that we are not criminals would cause them to trust us more. Smiling
will help. You couldn't wait?" Chuckles.
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Grant
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