The Hostess (English version)

ExperimentCentral Moscow. The Agency"What’s the urgency? You made me cancel my lecture. It is rarely done in September," said the thin middle-aged woman, sitting down in an old leather armchair.The tall man in front of her blocked a picturesque view out of the window of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. The room was old, freshly painted in a Russian style of renovation -- barely touched up. The cracks in the old wooden floor dated from the Khrushchev era and gave off a peculiar smell. The heating system should have been on display in a 20th-century museum. The furniture was solid old wood, unkempt. But the view was nice. And the basement, as far as Kira could tell, held the most advanced scientific laboratory in the world."It worked. Not for long, but we managed to link. I wanted to tell you in person," the tall man said.Kira stopped herself from betraying any emo…