The Hellfire Institute for Special Weapons Research was located among a cluster of military buildings not far north of Red Square in Moscow.
Sebastian Shaw wore a long, double-breasted russet coat and a silver-black helmet that looked metallic but had an unusual texture. He led a young girl by the hand. Her skin and hair were unnaturally white, but her eyes were a vivid green.
Two tall, slender twins in black suits followed behind him, along with a close-cropped man in an army uniform who looked like a soldier and a strange-looking young man with long hair.
They strode up to the institute's rooftop landing pad, where a black-painted Mi-8 military helicopter was waiting. Colonel Sergei Kriki, the institute's actual director, stood nearby, respectfully awaiting them.
"Master, the helicopter is ready to take off at any time. The man in charge of Murmansk Naval Base is Major General Robert Rostislav. Once we control him, we can quickly take over the entire Murmansk Port."
Colonel Kriki was visibly excited, his face alight with fervor as he gazed at the man before him.
The eyes visible through Shaw's helmet showed some satisfaction. He curled his lips in amusement, recalling the days when he had kept his head down and endured under Colonel Kriki's command.
Suddenly, the burly, stern-faced colonel seized Shaw's hand as if possessed and frantically kissed the back of it, babbling about his loyalty.
Bang!
Shaw kicked Kriki away, disgustedly shook his hand, and shot a stern glare at Nina Ivanovna, who was giggling behind her hand beside him.
Nina hadn't grown much taller. She was barely over five feet, dressed in a black fur coat and a thick fur hat that made her look round and rather cute.
"Can't you stop leaving people with such disgusting thoughts? Uncle doesn't