Ziff under fire

Part 42 - Who is Toktakunov?

I woke up later in the morning worrying that I would be late for school and then I remembered it was Sunday and I had agreed to meet Licia and Miguel. Mom and Dad were asleep so I didn't wake them. I figured Grandma was sleeping upstairs with Emma and Beryl. I checked on Pacman who was curled up with Dunc, both of them fast asleep, so I walked to Licia's place alone.

Miguel was already there and, as soon as we were settled around the kitchen table, Licia asked, 'Okay what happened?'

Miguel and I finished Denny's box of donut holes as I told them about my adventures with Kozak in Germany. Miguel was fascinated while Licia was more concerned.

'You must have been terrified.'

'That is a totally inadequate word. When Kozak lost me on the battle field, I was on the front line either with the Wehrmach or the Canadian army in the middle of a war. It was insane and it just kept getting worse. I will never forget the appalling stench of dead bodies rotting and open latrines and the unimaginable noise of constant explosion and the horrifying sight of bits of bodies strewn about the ground. I cannot understand how those soldiers were able to function. I shall be having nightmares about it for years. There is nothing glorious about war.'

'The only good thing is that I am back and, by some miracle, still in one piece. Some of the others weren't so lucky.'

I went on to describe everything that had happened and they listened in rapt silence except for the odd question. Talking about it made me feel a little less anxious but, eventually, my voice got hoarse.

Licia's mother insisted on cooking eggs and bacon for all of us and after that we went over to Silverwood School to work on our giant snow monsters.

Dunc was waiting for us outside. 'How am I supposed to be yehr bodyguard when yeh dinna tell me where yeh are?' he grumbled. 'It's as well Triple Oh gave yeh that tracking device.'

We all decided to help Licia as she resumed work on what she claimed was a rooster, I thought it was an elephant and Miguel insisted it was a pig. Dunc thought it looked like a goose.

'You know,' I said. 'One thing bothers me. I wonder why Triple Oh sent the truck back with the uranium. He must have known the Russians would use it for a bomb.'

Licia nodded. 'That's logical. The Russians did build a bomb a few years later.'

'Maybe,' Miguel said thoughtfully, 'he was just trying to make sure history didn't get changed.'

About an hour later Dr Zhang arrived in the Terramax and walked over to us.

'Ah-um. We need to talk but not here. Come to my office.'

In the office, he tapped a password into his keyboard and looked annoyed when Yonnie and Treeka appeared. 'What happened to Oppy?' he demanded.

'All hail, Your Supreme Modesty,' Yonnie said. 'Greetings.'

Treeka interrupted. 'Toktakunov scrambled Great Mother Oppy's operating system again. So, Murga was able to use the electric bookcase. Luckily, Yonnie and I had back-up copies of her software so we were able to put her back together faster than the last time.'

'Ah-um, who is this Tick-tock-off?' Dr Zhang said angrily. 'And why is he interfering with my work?'

'Toktakunov works for Murga,' Treeka said cheerfully. 'And Murga wants to know how Lord Ziff uses the nexus to control gravity.'

'Well, that explains everything,' he snapped sarcastically. 'Ah-um. How did Ziff get into this?'

'I am sorry,' I said. 'You remember Murga is trying to extract the genetic information implanted by my grandfather. He used the electric bookcase because Triple Oh, aka agent Onderdonk of the Time Agency, is tracking other nexusus. That's how Triple Oh tracked me down in Germany.'