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Mishka
Chapter Three: Wardrobe
“You’re late, MacGyver.” The man was already sliding the pistol into a shoulder holster as he spoke.
MacGyver grinned at him and tossed his duffel bag on the bed. “Hi, Pete. Blame Jansen—he kept us circling over the Baltic Sea until he was sure I could recite the Dutch national anthem from memory.”
“He was just doing his job,” Peter Thornton said. “After all, you’re here to complete a mission… not to make passes at pretty Russian athletes. Was she?”
“Was she what?” MacGyver asked, blithely.
“Was she pretty?”
“Was who pretty?”
“The girl who was trying to break down your door! Really, MacGyver—I could hear almost everything you two were saying!”
“Yeah?” MacGyver set his satchel on the bed and unzipped it, trying to cover the fact that he was blushing. “I don’t remember…”
“Humph! Well, she sounded pretty.” Pete walked to the door and turned the lock. “I don’t have to remind you that you need to be careful, right? This mission is going to be very tricky…”
“Are you kidding?” MacGyver gestured to the track suit he was wearing. “The mission is going to be the easy part! The hard part is going to be making it through the Trials.”
“You should meet your contact before the end of the Trials… you won’t have to actually go on to Moscow--” Pete broke off when he saw the look on Mac’s face. He went on more gently, “Mac, you realize that even if you do win, it's out of the question for you to compete in the actual Games.”
“I know, Pete. I wouldn’t be here if not for the mission…” No amount of effort could completely keep a trace of bitterness out of MacGyver’s voice. “… and the mission is my first priority, I promise. But I’ve got to make it look like there is nothing more important than winning… or I’ll stick out like a sore thumb!”
Pete nodded and watched in silence as MacGyver unpacked. In the closet, he found an array of clothes already hanging there… courtesy of the DXS. “Oh, no… a tux! Peeeete…” Mac ended with a petulant whine.
Pete held up a hand to forestall argument. “There’s a formal dance scheduled on the first night of the Trials… you can’t wear your tracksuit to that. And because you also have to make several trips into the city, I brought you some appropriate clothes. And of course, this.” He handed MacGyver a small envelope. Mac opened it and withdrew a key. “That goes to a locker out at the Finnlines Ferry service terminal. It contains new sets of passports, extra cash, and travel papers. In case you have to make a… a hasty exit. That key looks like every other key to every other public locker in the country… if someone finds it, they’ll never be able to tell where it goes.”
“Good.” Mac glanced at his watch. “I’d better go touch base with the coach… or I’ll be running laps until the next Olympics!”
“Don’t worry about Coach Maarten; he’s been working with the DXS for many years—this is not our first Olympic op, you know—and he’ll cover for you when you need to be elsewhere. But don’t miss your events—”
“—Like I would!” MacGyver retorted dryly.
“—And don’t miss your contact appointments! The man you are to meet is named Gorodisch. He works in the offices of the Red Army, and he’s been a DXS informant for about a year.”
“Only a year?” MacGyver raised an eyebrow. “His information is reliable?”
“Extremely. He provides the most sensitive material coming out of the USSR. But he is edgy and extremely shy—he has to be! The KGB is on the alert that there is a leak… but they can’t figure out who or how. Anyway, before he will help us, he insists on having total control of the meetings. He’s going to want to watch you for a while before he contacts you. So go to the meetings and wait patiently. When he feels comfortable, he’ll make contact.”
“Okay, okay… I got it, Pete! You gonna tell me how to run my races, too?”
“No, but I do have some pointers for you regarding your fencing… you really should keep the tip of your epée a few inches higher….”
“Hey!” Mac gave Pete a playful scowl as the older man laughed at him. “Very funny.”
Pete eyes were twinkling with amusement. “Anyway, don’t worry about Coach now… your first contact is in about half an hour.”
MacGyver sighed and turned toward the closet. “Which outfit am I supposed to wear for this one?”
Pete’s grin broke into a wicked smile as he handed MacGyver a towel.
~~~tbc
 Everyone, sometimes, needs a camel.
Old troubleshooters never die...
They just wait til the last moment and then rescue themselves!
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