Natalia’s Game. Крейг Т. Бушар
he says. His tone suggests he knows more than he is letting on. “What kinds of cognitive functions”’ I hold his eye contact, blinking slowly and buying myself time.
“Mathematical functions,” I say. “Sometimes more.”
He inches towards me, his eyes piercing. “What else?”
I do not break. The air between us grows hot. I break. “Decisions. Sometimes they change the course of my dream. I can have conversations with others inside a dream. The staff here seem to find that significant.” He nods, satisfied. I’m flustered but keep a straight face.
“Good enough,” he says, “but that makes you one-in-a-thousand, not a one-in-a-million. I won’t comment on your looks. Adding that to the equation might put you closer to one in a million.”
With a straight face, I admit, “Flattery will get you everywhere. Tell me, in your country, doesn’t such a statement set you up for a sexual harassment claim? I noticed how you looked at me today. Thank you, by the way.”
“Natalia, we aren’t sitting on a couch in my country. we are next to your bedroom in Romania. And did I?”
He is testing me. Flirting. I am not used to this, but I play along.
“Notice me? Yes, I think you did.”
He says, “Hmm. Might that be because I appreciated your English skills, your elevated IQ, or that body? Or might it have been because you couldn’t take your eyes off me? I suggest we talk about it now.”
“General, why… now?”
“Because there is no time like the present. It’s not every day a woman I don’t know introduces herself beautifully half-dressed. I liked it.”
“My choices were limited. I didn’t bring a lot of clothes with me,” I say, trying to maintain a straight face. For me, Thomas is refreshingly not Romanian PC.
I continue, “Since you seem to have a special ability to make me comfortable, I’ll tell you more about my dreams.”
“Okay.”
“I can see events in the future.”
He’s in. Thomas stares at me. “That would make you one in a million. How often do you have a predictive dream, Natalia?”
“I told the staff that it’s happened a few times. But, in truth, it happens often. My last one was thrilling and scary. I’m not talking about it, especially to you.”
He doesn’t give up. “What kind of future events can you see?”
I’m not mentioning Chanel, that’s for sure.
“It depends. When I’m relaxed during the day,I see pleasant things in the future at night. When stressed during the day, I’ll dream about whatever problem I created or cleaned up. That can become a bad dream or even a nightmare. In my job, I deal with situations involving violence. Enough about me, General. The SRI could terminate me for sharing that information. By the way, I debugged my cottage the moment I arrived. I always do. They think I’m special, and they allow it. Your turn.”
“I can hear the waves. I suggest we take a walk on the beach, and we can talk more there.”
Fraternizing with Americans is risky, and the beach is outside the perimeter, making it a forbidden zone. Yet I know I can learn much from this man if we spend time alone. “Please give me a minute.” I disappear into my bedroom.
I return wearing a blue bikini and nothing else.
She doesn’t have a tan line – what an incredible physique. Brushing my arm with hers, she goes outside. Is she always this impulsive? One of my rules in life is: It’s never too soon. So out I go, knowing that “too soon” tonight could get me in trouble.
On the beach, a few minutes later, she is a natural. She’d be a star on 5th Avenue or the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. Natalia doesn’t waste time in the sand. Instead, she splashes her way through the shallow water. Not a ditsy move. She has a purpose.
“Hurry up, old man. Violating the perimeter will trigger laser sensors; they don’t extend into the water.” She’s something else. I take off my pants and shoes, hide them nearby, jump in, and swim with her a quarter-mile around the boundary. A quarter-mile in the water for me is a challenge. I suck it up.
Out of breath and back on the beach, she squeezes the water from her hair. “Are you okay?” She takes my arm, and we walk. American girls typically don’t take a man’s arm. Neither do the Asians. The Europeans do, and so do the Russians. I like the feeling; it allows me to relax. The bikini doesn’t hide much, and I know that pressing against me makes it easier for her to determine my heart rate. Natalia is a pro, a stunning pro.
“So why did you come here, General Thomas?”
“I came for two reasons. First, to attend the SRI Board meeting tomorrow and provide my perspectives on the state of the World Order. I guess they are looking for outside opinions to validate their plan.”
“And the second reason?”
That’s controversial. To be discussed later, when the only thing coming between us isn’t a bikini and water droplets clinging to her skin.
“If you don’t mind, Natalia, I’ll come to that later.” She gives me a half-nod, perhaps surprised, but also perhaps not.
She surprises me with her next question: “Are you married, General Thomas?”
I blink. “No, I’m not. And please call me Crew.”
“Why not? I’m sure many women have been interested in you, Crew.” She struggles a little to use my first name.
“I learned hard not to put someone I love in harm’s way. Marriage has never been an option. I can’t prioritize a woman before the national interest.”
Natalia isn’t put off. “How many times have you been in love?”
I admit the truth: “Twice.”
“That’s not many. What happened to the two girls?”
“They are dead. Both got in harm’s way.”
She stares wide-eyed at me, not expecting such an honest answer. I say, “What about you?” Like two dead women aren’t a big deal.
“What about me?”
“How many times have you been in love, Natalia? I’m sure many men have wanted you.”
“Never.” I take her hand as we walk. She lets me, brushing her thumb over mine to show her acceptance. We keep bumping shoulders.
“It’s rare, almost unique, that an intelligence operative rises to the level of general. Please tell me, how did you do it?”
I’ve never been asked this question. “I guess I never cared about the title of general. The bravest warriors were not generals. Neither were the greatest scientists, men like Einstein, Tesla, Hawking, and Andre Linde. ” She shows me a quizzical look.
“I made discoveries consistent with quantum physics and applied them. No one else could do that, so I moved up.”
My voice is clear, and my tone shows no stress. She notices.
“I see. What kind of things? I know I’m pushing the limits of our deal.”
“Yes, you are. But I’ll tell you anyway. I organized a military unit pursuing sound-and-light-wave mastery merged with energy generation. Over time, we figured out a technique to manifest, project, switch, and teleport. It’s the last frontier of covert intelligence.”
What? I’m speechless and puzzled. I can’t figure out why he is telling me this. We continue making our way through the sand.
He breaks the silence. “Tell me something special about you.”
“Like what?”
Well, let’s start with the basics,