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〃And Rasputin had a bad chemical imbalance； too？〃 Jack wondered aloud。
〃Maybe。 I don't know much about that； except he was supposed to be a crazy kinda priest； wasn't he？〃
〃Not a priest； some kinda mystic civilian。 I suppose today he'd be a TV evangelist； right？ Whatever he was； he brought down the House of Romanov…but they were pretty useless anyway。〃
〃And then Stalin took over？〃
〃Lenin first； then Stalin。 Vladimir Ilyich checked out from strokes。〃
〃Hypertensive； maybe； or just cholesterol buildup and he clotted in the brain and that did him。 And Stalin was worse； right？〃
〃Lenin was no day at the beach； but Stalin was pretty amazing…Tamerlane e back to the twentieth century； or maybe one of the Caesars。 When the Romans reconquered a rebellious city； they killed everything there was； right down to the dogs。〃
〃Really？〃
〃Yeah； but the Brits always spared the dogs。 Too sentimental about them；〃 Jack added。
〃Sally misses Ernie；〃 Cathy reminded him in female fashion…almost； but not totally irrelevant to the conversation。 Ernie was their dog back home。
〃So do I； but he's going to have a lot of fun this fall…duck season soon。 He'll get to retrieve all the dead birds out of the water。〃
Cathy shivered。 She'd never hunted anything more alive than the hamburger at the local supermarket…but she carved up human beings with knives。 Like that makes any sense； Ryan thought with a wry smile。 But the world had no rule that required logic on its surface…not the last time he'd checked。
〃Don't worry； babe。 Ernie will like it。 Trust me。〃
〃Yeah； sure。〃
〃He loves to go swimming；〃 Jack pointed out； extending the needle。 〃So； what interesting eyeball problems at the hospital next week？〃
〃Just routine stuff…checking eyes and prescribing glasses all week。〃
〃No fun stuff； like cutting some poor bastard's left eye in half and then sewing it back together？〃
〃That's not a procedure；〃 she pointed out。
〃Babe； I could never cut into a person's eyeball with a knife without tossing my cookies…or maybe fainting。〃 The very thought of it made him shiver。
〃Wimp〃 was all she had to say about that admission。 She didn't understand that this was a skill not covered in the Marine Corps Basic School at Quantico； Virginia。
Mary Pat could feel that her husband was still awake； but it wasn't a time to talk； even with their personal hand…jive technique。 Instead she was thinking about operations…how to get the package out。 Moscow would be too hard。 Other parts of the Soviet Union were no easier； because Moscow Station didn't have all that many assets it could use elsewhere in this vast country…intelligence operations tended to be centered in national capitals because that was where you could place 〃diplomats〃 who were truly wolves in sheep's clothing。 The obvious counter for that was to use your government capital just for strictly government…related administrative services； distanced from military and other sensitive affairs； but nobody would do that； for the simple reason that government big shots wanted all their functionaries within arm's length so that they …the big shots…could enjoy their exercise of power。 And that was what they all lived for； whether it was in Moscow； Hitler's Berlin； or Washington； D。C。
So； if not out of Moscow； then where？ There were only so many places the Rabbit was free to go。 Nowhere west of the wire； as she thought of the Iron Curtain that had fallen across Europe in 1945。 And there were few places where a man like him could plausibly want to go that were convenient to CIA。 The beaches at Sochi； perhaps。 Theoretically； the Navy could get a submarine there and make the snatch； but you couldn't just whistle up a submarine； and the Navy would have a cow over that； just for having it asked of them。
That left the fraternal socialist states of Eastern Europe； which were about as exciting as tourist spots as central Mississippi in the summer： a good place to go if you got off on cotton plantations and blazing heat； but otherwise why bother？ Poland was out。 Warsaw had been rebuilt after the Wehrmacht's harsh version of urban renewal； but Poland right now was a very tight place due to its internal political troubles； and the easiest exit point； Gdansk； was now as tightly guarded as the Russian…Polish border。 It hadn't helped that the Brits had arranged for the purloining of a new Russian T…72 main battle tank there。 Mary Pat hoped the stolen tank was useful to somebody； but some idiot in London had bragged about it to the newspapers and the story had broken； ending Gdansk's utility as a port of exit for the next few years。 The DDR； perhaps？ But few Russians cared a rat's ass about Germany； and there was little there for them to want to see。 Czechoslovakia？ An interesting city supposedly； landmarked with imperial architecture； and a good cultural life。 Their symphonies and ballet were almost on a class with the Russians' own； and the art galleries were supposedly excellent。 But the Czech…Austrian border was also very tightly guarded。
That left。。。 Hungary。
Hungary； she thought。 Budapest was also an old imperial city； once ruled sternly by the Austrian Hapsburg dynasty； conquered by the Russians in 1945 after a nasty； prolonged battle with the German SS； probably rebuilt to whatever former glory it had enjoyed a hundred years before。 It was not enthusiastically munist； as they'd demonstrated in 1956； before being harshly put down by the Russians； at Khrushchev's personal orders； and then under Andropov's stewardship as USSR Ambassador reestablished as a happy socialist brotherhood； though one more loosely governed after the brief and bloody rebellion。 The head rebels had all been hanged； shot； or otherwise disposed of。 Forgiveness had never been a Marxist…Leninist virtue。
But a lot of Russians took the train to Budapest。 It was the neighbor of Yugoslavia； the munist San Francisco； a place where Russians could not go without permission； but Hungary traded freely with Yugoslavia； and so Soviet citizens could purchase VCRs； Reebok running shoes； and Fogal pantyhose there。 Typically； Russians went there with one suitcase full and two or three empty； and a shopping list for all their friends。
Soviets could travel there with reasonable freedom； because they had econ rubles； which all socialist countries were required to honor by the socialist Big Brother in Moscow。 Budapest was； in fact； the boutique of the Eastern Bloc。 You could even get X…rated tapes for the tape machines that were manufactured there…rip…offs of Japanese designs； reverse…engineered and made in their own fraternal socialist factories。 The tapes were smuggled in from Yugoslavia and copied…everywhere； everything from The Sound of Music to Debbie Does Dallas。 Budapest had decent art galleries and historical sites； good orchestras； and the food was supposed to be pretty good。 An entirely plausible place for the Rabbit to go； with every ostensible intention of going back to his beloved Rodina。
That's the beginning of a plan； Mary Pat thought。 That was also enough lost sleep for one night。
〃So； what happened？〃 the Ambassador asked。
〃An AVH spook was having coffee one table away from where my agent made a drop；〃 Szell explained in the Ambassador's private office。 It was located on the top floor； in the corner…in fact； in the quarters once occupied by Jozsef Cardinal Mindszenty during his lengthy residency at the U。S。 Embassy。 A beloved figure both in the eyes of the American staffers and the Hungarian people； he'd been imprisoned by the Nazis； released by the arriving Red Army； and promptly returned to prison for not being enthusiastic enough over the advent of the New Faith of Russia； though； technically； he'd been imprisoned on the far…fetched charges of being a raging royalist who wished to return the House of Hapsburg to imperial rule。 The local munists hadn't been overly strong on creative writing。 Even at the turn of the twentieth century； the Hapsburgs had been about as popular in Budapest as a bargeload of plague rats。
〃Why were you doing it； Jim？〃 Ambassador Peter 〃Spike〃 Ericsson asked。 He'd have to reply to the venomous； but entirely predictable； munique that had arrived with the