How a Cat came of age (A Catwoman origin story) Chapter 14 : Moskva, by way of deception

Moscow was warmer than Selina had expected. With it's centuries old buildings, the city exuded history. It had the aura of a place that had seen and experienced much. During her stop over in Bombay, Selina had sold the jewels Ra's al Ghul had given her and had the money transferred to various bank accounts.

On landing in Moscow, she decided she would relax for a bit, and spent her first day shopping and site seeing. She bought dozens of things for Holly - clothes, hand made purses, shoes, jewellery and of course Russian Nesting Dolls. She remembered how Holly loved the little set she had. She'd surely love to get an authentic one.

Every now and then, Selina would notice an outfit that might look good on her sister, Maggie. Or an antique that Maggie might like would catch her eye. She would think of buying it, but wouldn't. What was the point? Her sister had rejected her. She didn't even want to know what Selina had been through or why she had to do what she did. She had chosen a path of sanctimony and repression. And there was nothing Selina could do for her.

Sometimes, in her moments of vulnerability, Selina would think of the childhood she and her sister had shared. Of all times she had taken beatings from Brian so Maggie would be spared. Of the times Selina would steal food from local vendors because she couldn't bear the thought of her little sister going to bed hungry.

And that same sister had rejected her.

Was it because Maggie had been raised by those snobs who wouldn't let Selina see her? Had she grown up to be just like them? Who knew? It was best not to dwell on it. Selina would continue to keep tabs on Maggie through Gwen, just to make sure she was safe. But as far as she could tell, their relationship was over. Best to focus on the little sister she did have. Holly, who loved her and didn't judge her.

From the second day onwards Selina got to work.

It had been approximately fifteen months since the KGB, followed by the USSR itself, had been dissolved. Or rather, neutered and renamed. Some of it's former agents had refused to join the newly formed FSK*. At least, the ones with some pull who could refuse, had. Dreams of Soviet supremacy being dead and buried was humiliating enough. Having to work for this new smaller, weaker organisation was a prospect that they found unacceptable. A few of them continued to serve as "outside consultants". These were the former agents whose expertise was invaluable.

The man Selina Kyle seeked, the one known in espionage and criminal circles as "the man with a thousand faces", was one such former KGB spy.

It was by pure happenstance that Selina had come to know of him.

Nearly two years earlier, she had been sent by her former employer Tatsuo Hasigawa to find out why Hiroto Sasaki, a powerful member of Japan's Opposition party had stopped paying his tribute to them.

Selina broke into the politician's mansion and hid in the shadows and observed Hiroto. The latter being none the wiser. She was expecting to find some sign that his loyalty had shifted to the Kiyama's.

However, what she did discover was something far worse. And much more intriguing. At around eleven pm, when the servants and other family members had gone to bed, a middle aged man paid a visit to the Sasaki residence. Selina recognized him as the Cabinet Secretary for Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. The two men shook hands before agreeing to go upstairs to Hiroto's study/lounge. Discreetly, Selina slinked upstairs before they did and hid behind a bookshelf. She watched as they made small talk for a bit, before the Cabinet Secretary went into the adjacent bathroom. However, the man who came out in a few minutes was someone completely different! He had a completely different face, different hair, even different body language.

An impostor! But how could his disguise be so perfect?

Selina turned on the video camera she carried as they conversed. She also took some pictures for good measure. It appeared that the man, the impostor, was from the USSR. And Hiroto Sasaki was handing over certain documents to him. From what she heard, they appeared to be related to Japan's internal security. This Hiroto was a bigger scumbag than Selina had thought.

As the conversation ended, the impostor stood up, and before leaving he handed Hiroto a paper bag and told him to dispose of it. Selina had noticed that he had been carrying it when he came out of the bathroom. She wondered if it contained some kind of mask. She had to know.

Shortly after, when Selina cornered him with her whip around his neck and her knee pressing into his chest, a terrified Sasaki apologised over and over again for not paying his tribute on time. Selina let him grovel for a bit, before it got annoying.

"Shut up and listen." Selina snapped, "I've already taken all your wife's jewellery from your safe. I'll give it to the Boss and tell him you're terribly sorry. And that you'll never repeat such an act of disrespect."

"All the jewellery? But...."

"I said shut up! Now, you're going to tell me who that man was and what you were talking about. I can tell he was from the Soviet Union, and if you even think of lying to me, I'll know. You won't like what I do afterwards."

"No! No.... I'll tell you. I don't know his name. Or what he really looks like. But I know he is with the KGB."

"Yeah, I figured. You say you don't know what he looks like. But you just saw his face."

"No, I didn't. You see, that was not his true face. He is known as the Man with a thousand faces. Even as he took off his disguise, he only replaced it with another disguise. That is what he does..... as I said, I have never seen his real face."

Selina was fascinated. She got off of Hiroto and grabbed the paper bag that the imposter had given him. She opened it to find a wig, contact lenses and flesh toned pieces of what looked like some kind of latex. They were shaped like parts of a person's face - chin, cheekbones etc.

"What the hell is this stuff?" She asked, holding one of the prosthetics in her hand. It felt eerily similar to human skin, both in texture and temperature.

"I don't know..... I guess, part of his disguise..."

"Yeah, obviously!" Selina replied rolling her eyes. "And what did you give him? What were those documents about?"

"They were security arrangements, for the visiting US Secretary of State"

Selina deduced the rest of it on her own. The imposter most likely worked for the KGB. And the organisation was probably looking to work some mischief to embitter relations between Japan and the US. Something that would undoubtedly hurt Japan more.

Selina gave Hiroto Sasaki a disgusted look before asking him what else he knew about this "man with a thousand faces".

"And if you lie to me Sasaki, I'll know. And I'm going to make sure the Japanese government knows you're a filthy little traitor."

"No! Please! I've told you all I know. I really don't know much. Please I swear on my children!"

"Any idea where he lives?"

"No, not at all. He just finds me on his own

Selina left the Sasaki mansion with the jewels for the Obayun, and remnants of the imposter's disguise. The first thing she did after that was send an anonymous tip off to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, warning them about the security threat. She then decided to pay the Cabinet Secretary's residence a visit. She felt there might be a chance that the impostor was actually living there. However, it turned out to not be the case. The Cabinet Secretary, the real one, had been out of the country for the last two days.

Next, she had the skin those prosthetics analyzed. It cost her a small fortune to find out exactly what those things were made of. Turned out, they were made from a very rare kind of latex that grew in Indonesia, mixed with the secretions of a rare fungus that grew in Peru. She had deduced that it was the fungus whose trail she needed to follow, as it was exceedingly rare and it's use was still unknown to the world at large. She had had the pieces of the "mask" thoroughly analysed. The fungal secretions had properties that made this particular latex bond with skin without causing any damage when pulled off.

Selina paid a few more visits to Hiroto Sasaki's mansion. Unbeknownst to him or his family, she would wait for the impostor to visit again. After several visits yielded no results, she finally saw the man there again. Of course, it would impossible to know that it was who she had seen disguised as a Cabinet Secretary, as he was once again disguised as a distinguished, middle aged Japanese man. What gave him away to Selina, as she watched while perched on an overhead beam, was Sasaki's submissive body language when talking to him. His cowardice notwithstanding, Sasaki was a powerful man and only someone who was holding something over his head could make him assume such a meek tone and posture. He was being reprimanded on the assassination attempt on the US Ambassador going sideways.

As soon as the impostor was out the door, Selina set off after him. She followed his car on her bike, and parked at a distance from him when he stopped outside an apartment building.

Selina stealthily followed the man as he entered an apartment. After spending a few minutes trying to figure out a way to get in, she was able to enter through a window. Unfortunately, the place was empty. She looked around, trying to find some clue about the man but it looked as though no one had lived in the flat in years. There were no clothes in the closets, no food in the kitchen and the old furniture was covered in dust. She couldn't hang around much longer as she was expected to join the Hasigawas for lunch. As she rode back to the estate, she realized with dismay that the old cleaning lady she had passed on the way to the elevator was probably the imposter. Not only that, the man knew she was following him

Selina made many failed attempts to recreate those prosthetics from the same material. She decided that if she was going to be able to create this magic, she'd have to learn from the master himself. She tried to catch him at the Sasaki residence again, but after months of no-show, she realized she had missed him. A few months later when the USSR was disintegrated, it became very unlikely that the man would return to Japan again, or would work with the same person if he did. As Hiroto Sasaki had outlived his usefulness, Selina sent all evidence she had of his treason to Japan's law enforcement.

During a vacation in Indonesia with Holly, Selina tracked out exactly where that very special fungus grew. It was on one of the many small islands that constituted the archipelago. She spied on the few families that grew them and saw them extract the gel like secretions, bottle them and send them off to a man in Jakarta. Selina considered questioning this man, but then decided against it. If this channel truly was going to lead her to the man with a thousand faces, it would be best not to arouse his suspicion in any way. She had a feeling he was very well connected and probably had multiple eyes on the supply of his essential raw material. She did, however, do some digging and found out that those fungal secretions were only being sent to one city - Moscow. To any one of four different warehouses, probably as a way of throwing anyone trying to track down the imposter off his scent.

Now in Moscow, Selina had found those four warehouses that recieved that very special delivery. Any one of them could recieve the package at random. After over a month of studying the activity of each warehouse and painstakingly following their deliveries, Selina finally had the address where the fungal secretions were being delivered.

Selina spent several days studying the place. It was a two storey house in a nice part of Moscow, surrounded by a well kept garden and with two luxury cars parked in the garage. It's occupant was a man who looked to be in his early fifties. There was a housekeeper, a chef and a gardener. Plus there were the security guards who would be stationed right outside. They worked in shifts, such that there were two men present there at all times. Selina also noticed a much younger woman, late twenties probably, who came over every now and then. She figured the woman was the guy's girlfriend, and judging from the way they acted around each other, their relationship wasn't more than a few weeks old.

The man himself went by the name "Sergei Morozov" and was supposed to be a government bureaucrat. Though there was a good chance it was a fake identity. From the outside, his life looked pretty mundane. He woke up early, went for a jog, went to work at the Kremlin, and came home in the evening. A rather boring routine.

Selina's suspicions were confirmed when she actually broke into the house one night when this Sergei Morozov was out with his lovely lady friend. The house itself was fairly luxurious. It had the appearance of belonging to someone who was, as they say, "not rich but comfortable". She broke into every room, opened every safe and finally found all the proof she needed in the basement. There, in several glass jars were stripes on latex being soaked in a kind of liquid. The smell told Selina it was the same fungal extracts used in the impostor's mask. This was it.

Later that night, Selina waited in ambush as Sergei Morozov came home after his date. He and his lady friend, her name was Vera, spent some time doing what new couples do. He seemed quite taken with her. Once she left and Sergei was in bed, ready to go to sleep, is when Selina decided to strike.

Morozov had just reached the edge of slumber when his covers were suddenly pulled off of him. He sat up in bed with a start, and saw a feminine figure standing in front of his bed. He immediately reached for the gun he kept in the hidden compartment in the headboard, only to find it gone. He then reached for the button on the wall right next to his bed, which would summon his security guards. He pressed it frantically, but to no avail.

"Your security guards are not coming, Mr Morozov" Selina Kyle said in her deep hauntingly beautiful voice, "I knocked them out and left them tied up, I also disabled the alarms for good measure."
"Who.... WHO ARE YOU? WHO SENT YOU?" Sergei demanded, feeling both anger and fear.

"Calm yourself, Sergei! No one sent me. I don't work for anyone. I'm here to learn from you."

"Learn from me? Learn WHAT?" Sergei was getting more and more agitated.

"No need to get worked up." Selina said, maintaining her eerily calm demeanour, "I know you're the one they call "the man with a thousand faces". I want you to teach me how to be the woman with a thousand faces. In return, I can make you very very rich."

Morozov still tried to play dumb.

"The man with..... I don't know what you're...."

"Please spare me those flimsy lies. I've been watching you Sergei. I know what you're hiding in your basement. I know you've been training FSK spies in the art of disguises. But you don't teach them everything you know, do you?"

Sergei was silent. Selina could tell from his body language that he was contemplating escape.

"Don't even think of running off Sergei. Anyway, if you teach me everything you know, I promise to make you a very rich man."

"Hmmph!" Sergei scoffed, "how much money do you offer, young lady? Hundred thousand Roubles? Five hundred Thousand? Why should I risk my neck for you and whatever sums you offer?"

Selina smiled and pulled out her Trump card.

"Let me explain your current situation to you in greater detail Mr Morozov. I don't offer a few hundred thousand Roubles. I can give you the equivalent of millions of US Dollars. All you have to do is make me a master of disguise just like yourself. If you refuse however, the CIA is going to find out that the man with a thousand faces, the one who did so much of the KGB's dirty work is currently employed by the Kremlin. And of course, before you worry about what the CIA might do, you'd have to worry about what the Kremlin, or the FSK, will do to you for getting compromised."

"You couldn't!"

"Oh couldn't I? I was able to track you down and figure out who you are. You think I'd have trouble getting all this information to the US establishment?"

Sergei was silent for a while before he asked, "if I teach you all I know about disguises, you'll pay me and leave me alone?"

"Yes. You'll never see me again."

"Ten million US Dollars. That's my price."

This was much more than what Selina had expected this to cost. She would have to work extra hard to steal that much. But the man's skills were truly invaluable and she wanted them.

"Deal!" Selina told him, before asking "when do we begin?"

"Tomorrow is Thursday, yes? We begin your training on Saturday. But young lady, you haven't told me your name yet!"

"Catherine. Catherine Whipps."

Selina left Morozov's residence wondering if all this had gone a bit too smoothly.

She was back in the comfort of her fully furnished apartment. It was a two bedroom flat she had rented under her fake identity. She decided to turn in for the night.

The next evening, after a day of errands, working out and sightseeing, Selina got comfortable on her couch and dialed Gwen's number. It had been a week since they had talked.

"Hey girl!! You doin' ok?" Gwen Altamont asked in her cheerful voice. Something about the way she spoke always sounded so East End to Selina. Like the sound of something familiar. Of the home, however horrible it may have been, that she had left behind.

"I'm fine Gwen, thanks. Did you get the three grand I sent you?"

"Yeah, of course. But Selina, you don't need to keep sending me money! I'm glad to watch over your sister for free."

"No Gwen, I do need to pay you. Every second you spend watching over Maggie is time you could have spent making money. I need to compensate for that loss."

Selina smiled as she imagined Gwen rolling her eyes.

"Ok smartass!" Gwen said with a good natured laugh. She paused for a second before she spoke again, "Ok, listen. I have news. Maggie left the convent."

"She did?" Selina exclaimed, this was unexpected. "When?"

"Just two days ago. I'd have told you as soon as I found out if I actually had your contact information. Anyway, it appears she's applying to colleges."

"That's great news!" Selina meant what she said. She and her sister may not be on speaking terms, but she was all too relieved to know that Maggie was moving on. She did wonder what had brought this on.

"Gwen, did something happen? Did she fall out with them or something?" Selina's relief began to give way to worry.

"Selina, it seems like she and the Mother Superior disagreed on something. It was big enough to make Maggie leave. Anyway, now she's rented a studio apartment in Park Row and yesterday she started her job as a cashier at the Daggett Mall."

"You said she was applying to colleges. She'd probably need money."

"Well, yeah! Of course. My sources tell me she wants to get into Gotham University. And that place ain't cheap."

"Where are her foster parents? Last I heard they left Gotham."

"Yeah, they moved to the mid west. And it looks like Maggie hasn't been in touch with them. So she can't count on them to pay for her education. She'll probably have to settle for a community college."

"No she won't. Gwen, I'm gonna send you jewels worth about seventy grand. I want you to sell them and somehow get the money to Maggie. But you're gonna have to do it in a way that she doesn't find out it's from me."

"Sure, Selina. But how would I do that?"

Selina thought for a second. Inheritance? No.... that wouldn't work. The relatives of their mother that she and Maggie knew would never have that much. Even if they did, they wouldn't leave such a huge sum to Maggie. The disdain those people had for them was more than obvious, even when they were kids.

Then, an idea struck her.

"Gwen, what if she wins some kind of contest. You told me she enters essay competition, didn't you? Of course, you'd still have to come up with a way to get the money into her back account and make it look legit."

Such a huge prize money would no doubt seem odd, but Selina hoped Maggie would keep the money anyway.

"That's a good idea Sel. Consider it done. Maggie is going to GU yet! Um..... Selina, I've been meaning to as you something. Those packages you gave me, should I still hold on to them?"

Selina considered the packages she had given Gwen before returning to Japan, and it's contents being proof of her and Eiko's amorous relationship. It had been over seven months since she had ditched the Hasigawas. None of them came after her. For all she knew, Eiko hadn't been looking for her. But still, it didn't hurt to hold on to her insurance policy.

"Gwen, I think you should keep them intact. You probably won't need to send them, but there's still a chance that you might. I'll let you know if or when they need to be destroyed."

"All right, Selina. Whatever you say!"

"Thanks Gwen. I.... I appreciate everything you're doing..."

Selina thought she saw movement from the corner of her eye.

"I'm gonna call you in another couple of days, ok? Thanks again!"

"Anytime Sel!"

Selina hung up and with lightning speed, she pounced on the curtain. The guy wasn't very good at hiding. He was good at throwing punches though. Selina recieved a blow to the face that left her with a bruise over her cheekbone. She didn't let it affect her however and within seconds, she had the guy pinned down.
The second guy who tried to ambush her from behind ate a hard kick to the chin. The fight lasted barely 30 seconds, before Selina had both men knocked out.

Sergei Morozov was startled awake in the middle of the night by a rustling coming from the hall closet. Annoyed at having been awoken from a deep sleep, he stumbled over to the closet. He had expected to find a rat there and had all intentions of giving his housekeeper a piece of his mind, the day after. What he found instead was the two young men he had asked to follow the woman who came to visit him the night before, and silence her permanently. They were bound and gagged and looked terrified.

"Misha! Dimitri! What are...."

"Mr Morozov! I'm surprised at you!" That same deep, yet feminine voice that Sergei had woken up to the previous night, spoke from behind him. He turned around to find Catherine Whipps standing right there.

"You..."

"Yes, I'm right here. You know Sergei, if you didn't want to share your skills with me, you could have just said no. I wouldn't have liked it, but but sending these little boys to take me out, now this is just rude!"

Sergei was truly astonished. These two young men, Misha and Dimitri were both ex convicts who had gone to prison for multiple armed robberies and several murders. They were six feet three inch, and six feet two inches tall respectively. He kept them on his payroll to deal with "difficult" people, sometimes at the behest of the Kremlin. They had never failed to get the job done, be it intimidation or murder. Until tonight. They looked as though they had been given the beating of a lifetime, with their eye sockets bruised and faces swollen. Misha's shoulder looked dislocated.

And this young woman had done all of this?

This Catherine Whipps was clearly no ordinary woman. She had some amazing skills. The fact that she had been able to get to him was impressive enough. But what she had done tonight proved her formidability beyond any doubt.

Sergei quickly dismissed his boys before addressing Catherine.

"Come, let us have a drink in the lounge and and converse."

"Oh? Do you have more men down there, ready to ambush me?"

"No no! My lady. I assure you, you are safe. No more tricks."

Sergei poured for them some of his best vodka and got straight to the point.

"Who are you Miss Catherine Whipps? Who are you really? If you want me to train you, you have to answer this question. Are you a spy? An agent of some....."

"If I was a spy, I wouldn't have asked you to teach me all your skills. I would have taken you in, so whatever country I'm from could hold you captive and force you to reveal all you know. What I am, Mr Morozov is a criminal. A thief to be exact. And I aspire to be the greatest thief the world has ever seen."

"Hmmm.... and in order to do so, you want to learn how to assume any appearance necessary."

"You're getting the idea."

"How did you find out about me?"

"That's not important. Just know that no one ratted you out. You just made a small mistake."

"You're the one who pursued me in Tokyo, aren't you?"

He was good. Selina didn't answer, just have him a smirk and a shrug. Sergei responded with a knowing smile.

"You say you're a thief. Is that how you intend to pay me? By stealing?"

"Yes. You'll have your ten million USD in installments."

Had it not been for the humongous sum of money she offered, Sergei may have tried to get the woman recruited into the FSK. She would make an exceptional spy. She spoke Russian quite fluently, but her imperfect accent gave away the fact that she wasn't really Russian. He could teach her upw to correct that. She was also breathtakingly beautiful, which meant she could be used for many different kinds of missions. This "Catherine" didn't strike him as the scrupulous kind. She could become a formidable weapon to be used against Western nations.

However, the ten million dollar she offered, and was no doubt capable of getting him, took that possibility off the table. Sergei wanted that money more he wanted to serve Russia. Neither the country, nor it's espionage organisation, were what they had once been. He wanted to get out and make a fresh start elsewhere. Preferably in one of those developed European countries. He was fluent in nearly a dozen languages and would be able to fit in easily. If training this thief was his ticket out of there, so be it.

"All right. I'll teach you. I've perfected my technique over a period of several years, but I'll share with you the results of my painstaking endeavors, and I'm sure that within the next eight to nine months, you'll have the ability to wear any face you desire."

"Not just faces, Sergei. You're also going to teach me voice modulation and how to imitate postures and body language. I've seen what you're capable of doing."

"Of course. You want the whole package. But, before we begin, you will pay me two million dollars upfront. I want another two million after I've taught you how I create my prosthetics. Three million after you have learned voice modulation. And the final three million after you have learned to copy the body language and mannerisms of whoever you wish to imitate."

"We have a deal. Just give me a couple of days to arrange your first two million."

"Certainly. We begin the day after I get the money."

Even for a master thief like Selina Kyle, planning an executing heists that would yield two million, that too in just a few days, was a challenge. Luckily, Selina had gotten to work just a few days after her arrival in Moscow. Before her first meeting with Morozov, she had spent about a week broking into the homes of some of the city's richest oligarchs. She had also contacted local fences, mainly through Gwen's influence. She had a sum quite close to two million USD in her possession. She collected the difference the very next evening.

As promised, the day after the money was deposited in Sergei Morozov's Swiss bank account, her education under him began. And it would turn out to be one of the most exciting chapters of Selina's journey. Sergei taught her how to process the fungal secretions and exactly for how long the latex was to be dipped into it. The process was difficult to say the least, and was an exercise in biochemistry. Selina's favourite lessons were how to mould the processed latex into the contours of the face of a human being. Sergei was clearly a master of anatomy, with very minute and detailed knowledge of the human form.

Between her lessons, and stealing to fund her education, Selina's schedule was packed.

About six weeks had gone by, when Selina finally met Vera Abashev - Sergei Morozov's girlfriend. They were just coming out of his basement, after Selina had finally moulded the perfect cheekbone, when the housekeeper informed Sergei that Miss Abashev had dropped in. The lady did not wait to be escorted to Sergei and sauntered over to him. After she had finished kissing him and complaining that he was busy all the time, she noticed Selina standing right there.

"Vera, my darling! Allow me to introduce you to Catherine. She's my niece. Catherine, this is my lady love, Vera!"

"Charmed" Selina said, holding out her hand.

"Charmed as well!" Vera returned the greeting while shaking the offered hand.

"My love, you never told me you had a niece."

Vera tried to sound sweet and pleasant, but Selina could tell she was annoyed. Her eyes, the twitch of her lips indicated that she could tell Sergei was lying. However, it seemed that the emotion she felt wasn't jealousy, rather..... it was discomfort. She didn't like the fact that Selina was there, but not because she saw her as competition.

"Well, you see" Sergei said caressing Vera's face, "her mother.... my sister and I are no longer close. But I felt that I should reconnect with my niece. She is my blood after all."

"It's true..." Selina added, "mother has been very angry with uncle Sergei ever since she found out that uncle had kept father's multiple extramarital affairs from her."

This caused Sergei to give Selina a cold look, as if telling her to shut up.

"But," Selina ignored the look and impishly continued, "now that father is gone and mother has decided not to hunt down his mistresses, uncle and I felt we should spend more time together."

"Oh! Well.... that's nice" Vera seemed to like the way Selina wasn't even trying to sound convincing. "I do hope I'll see more of you, Catherine."

"Same here! Should I call you Auntie Vera?"

Soon enough, Vera moved in with Sergei. This made having Selina's lessons there a bit tricky. However, Sergei told Vera some cock and bull story about how he was merely helping Selina study biochemistry. And that she would very attending Moscow State University the following year. Interestingly, Vera suggested that Selina, or rather, Catherine move in with them.

"I think it would be fun if you and I could spend more time together. We'll go shopping and spend your uncle's money!"
Vera had said, all the while Sergei concealed his discomfort with expert skill.

Selina knew Vera wanted to keep her close. But why? What was this woman up to? Selina decided to take up the offer.

Sergei had already told her, in no uncertain terms, that she was not to bring her loot to his house. So she would just keep her stolen goods at a safe house before they could be sold. Selina wasn't sure if Vera was aware of her nocturnal activities. Sergei obviously wouldn't tell her. However, the sudden increase in theft from the city's museums and homes of oligarchs was making the news. If she ever caught Selina sneaking out, would she connect the dots? Perhaps. Perhaps not.

Two months into living with Sergei and Vera, Selina's suspicions about Sergei's lady not being what she appeared were finally confirmed.

Selina had had plenty of time to explore the house when she was observing Morozov before their first meeting. She was able to figure out the secret passageway, that went from behind the chest of drawers in the downstairs hall closet, and led to a trap door in the garden. She used it to go in and out of the house unnoticed.

One night when re-entering the house through the secret door, Seline saw a shadow move past the hallway. It was a feminine figure and was heading towards the basement. Selina didn't have to guess who it could be. She hid in the darkness and watched Vera pick the lock of the basement door, before entering it. As soon as she had descended into the basement, Selina stood at the door and listened. The clicking sounds told her pictures were being taken. Now, her curiosity was well and truly piqued.

Vera wasn't doing anything with Sergei's interests in mind. That much was obvious to Selina. And whatever Vera had planned for him would undoubtedly interfere with her training under him. If not end it prematurely. There was still quite a lot she needed to learn, and to ensure that she did, she'd have to interfere with whatever Vera was doing.

Selina Kyle would not be a world class thief if she couldn't swipe a laptop without it's absence being noticed for a few hours. Even if the said laptop was kept locked in a suitcase with a seemingly unpickable lock. Even if it was disguised to look like a vanity case.

Accessing Vera's files and emails was quite tricky. But Selina was able to do it. What they revealed caught Selina off guard, to say the least. It all made Vera's actions seem understandable. Under different circumstances, Selina would have helped her. However, not right then. She couldn't let Sergei be taken down before she had all the know-how she needed. Selina downloaded some of the files, and then deleted them from Vera's laptop. She couldn't let her send them to her superiors. Vera would certainly notice, and Selina wondered how she would react.

It had taken a superhuman effort on Vera's part to maintain her composure when she realized that her laptop had been tampered with and one of the files deleted. It contained information about a weapons deal that Moscow was about to sign with Cairo.

Surely Sergei wouldn't have done this. If he had discovered her secret, she'd be dead by now. There was only one person who would. His so called niece. Although Vera had suspected right from the start that that's not what she was.

Was this "Catherine" with the FSK? Was she here to protect Sergei?

Unlikely. If she was, Vera would have been exposed by now. But she needed to find out. A woman capable of doing what Catherine had, could not be underestimated. If Vera was going to handle her, she'd have to do it tactfully. In a way that wouldn't arouse Sergei's suspicion. If she suddenly disappeared or met with an "accident", it would certainly solve the problem. Sergei however, would not be fooled into thinking it was only an accident. The fact that it happened shortly after Vera moved in with him would not go unnoticed.

Poisoning her food would not be an option. Catherine always insisted on cooking her own meals and ate in her room.

Vera would just have to find a way to get close to her.

Selina was just about to go work out in Sergei's home gym when she ran into Vera.

"Oh! Catherine, I was looking for your uncle. Have you seen him?" Vera asked innocently, as she came pretty close to Selina.

"I... think he went out this morning. Didn't he tell you?"

"No, it seems he doesn't have time for me these days."

"I'm sorry to hear that Vera."

"Yes.... I've been pretty lonely here. I suppose, because Sergei is so much older than me, we have very little in common.

Selina could see where this was going and decided it would be fun to play along.

"Well.... Vera, maybe you need to spend time with someone your own age." She said, closing the distance between them.

"I was actually hoping you and I would have some fun together. You seem like such a fascinating woman Catherine, and I've scarcely had the opportunity to get to know....."

Vera had to stop when the housekeeper came in to clean up.

Selina smiled at Vera and went about her business.

The next day, in the early evening, Selina and Sergei were in the gazebo where she was practicing her voice modulation with him. She imitated the housekeeper's voice almost perfectly, and Sergei was just pointing out the few flaws in her technique. They changed the subject when they saw Vera approach them.

"Sergei, darling!" She said as she kissed her boyfriend on the cheek, " there's a phone call for you. Mrs Petrov said you'd be out here."

"Thank you beautiful!" Sergei said as he walked back to the house.

When Sergei was out of earshot, Vera said to Selina, "Catherine, you.... you haven't told your uncle about our conversation yesterday have you?"

"No, why would I? Are you feeling any better?"

"After talking to you, yes I am. But Catherine, I don't want to cause a rift between you and your uncle...."

Selina had to struggle not to smirk. She herself had used similar tricks to get what she wanted, many times.

"Don't worry Vera. It'll be our secret." She winked at her before going back inside.

Vera and Selina's "friendly" interactions with Catherine continued for the next several days. Combined with some well time touches and complements Confident in her abilities to seduce and manipulate, she was certain that her target would be confused and possibly distracted. So she felt comfortable donning a wig and putting on the French accent she had perfected and meeting up with her associate in a restaurant that was located a considerable distance from Morozov's house. She assured her colleague that she would retrieve the file she had lost. And given how important it was, containing details of Moscow's weapons deal with Cairo, it would not have been destroyed. Vera did not notice the old man sitting at the table right next to her, who had take several pictures of her and her companion.

Back at the house, Sergei Morozov was marvelling at the way Catherine had created the perfect disguise all by herself. He was rather proud of his student, in spite of what he had planned for her.

"Perfection. Sheer perfection is what you have achieved today my dear! It was impressive enough when you could look and sound like other women, but making yourself look like the opposite sex? That is truly a feat. And mind you, I do not pay such compliments often."

"Why thank you sir! You honour me!" Catherine said, still in character as an old British gentleman.

"So you have learned to create faces, you have mastered body language. Now with just a little practice, you'll perfect the ability to pick up accents. And then, I get what I was promised. Yes?"

"Of course! I have you final three million with me, you'll have it at the end of this month. Now I should probably go change. Your girlfriend will be home soon."

Vera had decided it was time to make her next move. That night, when Sergei was called away for an emergency meeting and would be working late till about two in the morning, she stealthily entered Catherine's bedroom. She knew the file the latter had stolen had to be on some kind of device. She would have to sedate her and look for it.

"Hello Vera! What can I do for you?" Catherine's voice came from the bed veiled in darkness. Vera did not give away that it had startled her.

"I'm just so lonely here Catherine. And I'm cold. I require warmth. Your uncle isn't here. Will you keep me warm?" Vera said, sitting beside Catherine on the bed and loosening the strings of her robe.

Selina was rather enjoying this. It was good to finally be on the receiving end of seduction, that too by a beauty so well versed in the art.

"With pleasure!", she said in a breathy whisper, before pulling Vera into bed with her.

Vera wanted to seduce her, Selina would give her the satisfaction of thinking she had done so successfully.

Vera on the other hand, had not expected Catherine to be able to make her lose her mind with pleasure. The wave upon wave of erotic bliss assailing her body made her nearly forget why she was there. The needle she had hidden in the pocket of her robe was now just out of reach. Unfortunately, Catherine shoved it off the bed just as she was about to reach for it. It was as if the woman could read her thoughts.

After her third orgasm, Vera was quite spent. Catherine gently caressed her face, and asked "are you warm now?"
"Yes..... thank you" Vera whispered back. She meant those words. This was the best sex she had had in years.

"Well then," Catherine said as she picked up Vera's robe and gave it to her, "you should probably go sleep in the master bedroom. My uncle will be home soon and it wouldn't do for him to find you here."

Vera simply put on the robe, fixed her hair and walked out.

Once safe and alone in the bedroom she shared with Sergei, she held her head in her hands and tried to compose herself. What the hell just happened. She went into Catherine's room to seduce her, make her let her guard down and sedate her. She didn't go in there to get her brains fucked out. And yet, that's what happened!

She looked into her pocket and found that the needle soaked in a powerful sedative was gone. Meaning Catherine had figured out Vera's game.

Great!

The next evening, Sergei was taking Vera to an event at the Kremlin. She had sweetly asked him to help her pick out a dress. As she was going through her many dresses in the walk in closet, asking Sergei's opinion on each one, she found something that should not have been there. Two photographs. One of her, in her rental car, putting on a blond wig. The other of her wearing the same wig and sitting in a restaurant with her fellow agent. The latter had been taken from a table just a few feet away. She immediately put them in her purse. She couldn't make any excuses at the moment. If she suddenly complained of a headache, Sergei would know that something was amiss. She had to go to the event, with worry and uncertainty tormenting her.

As Sergei and Vera were greeting all his colleagues and seniors, Vera suddenly began acting very uncomfortable. When Sergei asked her what was wrong, she told him she wasn't feeling good. As Sergei was expected to be at the table soon, he couldn't spend any time fussing over her. He asked her to tell the driver to take her home, and to drive back after dropping her off. Vera however, said she would rather go to her own apartment which was closer. Sergei asked her to take care and that he would come to her as soon as the event ended.

Vera needed to let her colleague know that his picture had been taken and was in Morozov's home. She had considered using a pay phone on the way, but decided against it as the driver would surely tell Sergei. As soon as she entered her apartment, she immediately opened her Compaq box and was about to turn on the communicator inside when she heard Catherine's voice from behind her.

"Fascinating info you have on Sergei", Catherine said as she closed the door behind her, "I mean, I knew he was a cut throat KGB agent once, but this? This even surprised me!"

Vera wasted no time. It was now imperative that this Catherine be dealt with. Otherwise, not only would she be tortured and killed by the FSK, this entire mission would also be derailed. A quick stab with a tranquilizer would do it. Then she'd just have to dispose of her.

Unfortunately for her, not only did Selina block her move, but also put her in an armbar. Vera almost stabbed her in the leg but Selina flipped both of them over and had Vera pinned under her.

"Vera!" Selina said, as they struggled for control, "we don't have to be in each other's way. Listen to me! Stop struggling or you'll doom us both!"

Vera decided to comply. No sense in wasting her energy, may as well listen to what this woman had to say.

"Fine. Talk"

Selina relaxed her hold on her.

"I know what you're trying to do. You work for Mossad, don't you?"

Vera didn't answer, just waited for Selina to continue.

So she did.

"Sergei Morozov, if that's his name, was the same KGB spy who disguised himself as an IDF Colonel, and led hundreds of Israeli commandoes into a trap set by the Hezbollah. Your country has been waiting for revenge for seven long years. I would imagine Mossad wants him alive. But before they get him, they want information about his work in the Kremlin. Information that you have been passing on to your colleagues. Is that correct?"

Vera still said nothing. Her silence replied in an affirmative.

"I want you to know that I sympathize with your cause. And we can help each other."

"Who do you work for? CIA? Have they decided to meddle into this?"

"Oh hell no! I don't work for anyone. I'm just a criminal aspiring for greatness. I'm paying Sergei very generously to teach me some of his special skills."

"So, what now? The masks are off. What do you plan to do?"

"Well, I've intercepted your messages to you superiors and I know that you plan to take Sergei down right after the arms deal with Egypt has been signed." Selina said, getting off of Vera and the two women sat down on the couch. "That's not going to happen before the next two weeks. However, Sergei might be arrested by Russian authorities before then."

"What? What are you talking about? Arrested for what?"

"Have you heard of Vladimir Putin? The head of the Committee for External Relations of the Mayor of Leningrad. He has been understating prices and permitted the export of metals, in exchange for food aid from countries like France and Italy. Aid that never arrived **. All of this would not have been possible without written approvals from Sergei Morozov's office."

"Go on." Vera said, starting to connect the dots.

"Now, a case against Putin has been building for a while. If he gets investigated, which can happed any day now, he is going to throw Sergei under the bus."

"So.... what are you suggesting?"

"I'm suggesting you lay off for a while. I still need just a few more lessons with Sergei and I can't let you take him down so soon. Putin's investigation will also be delayed. I'll make sure certain documents go "missing" from the office of the City Legislative Council. As soon as I've learned all I need to, I'll let you have him."

"I'm sorry? Let us have him?"

"Yes Vera. Let you have him. Because if you get in the way of my education. I can expose you and your coworkers and ruin this mission you've been working on for so long."

Vera considered this. This woman certainly could do that.

"All right. If I do as you say and let you have him for for.... what? Another month? How do I know you won't just help him escape? You don't exactly gain from helping us. Helping Sergei would be more convenient for you."

"Actually no. It wouldn't be. As soon as I pay him the final instalment of his fee, it's very likely that he will try to have me killed. I'm a means to an end for him. He has been teaching me diligently because he needs to make it look real, but he does not plan to let me live with all of his skills. So, I'll have to have him stripped of his power and his freedom before I am to pay him the last of his fee. I could have just let the Russian law enforcement deal with him, but as I said Vera, I do sympathize with your cause."

Vera wasn't left with many options. So she took the only option.

"Ok Catherine, I'm going to trust you. I'll convince my superiors that we need to delay Morozov's capture by another four weeks. At the end of those four weeks, you will hand him over to me. Till then, we keep up our masquerade."

"Deal!" Selina said, extending her hand, which Vera promptly shook.

For the next two weeks, things went on as they had been for the past eight months. Selina was quickly perfecting all her skills. Vera was playing the role of the loving girlfriend. And Sergei Morozov was looking forward to an early retirement and spending the remainder of his life in luxury.

Then, something unexpected happened. Vladimir Putin, the civil servant in collaboration with whom Sergei was stealing from the Russian government, threw him under the bus sooner than expected. New witnesses came forward and evidence was found making it clear that a major scam had been conducted.

Putin agreed to cooperate with the investigation and very skillfully made Morozov into the main, if not sole, culprit.

Sergei now had every reason to escape the country immediately. He has already made a sum of seven million off of Selina, more than enough to afford him the kind of carefree existence he desired. It was all safe and secure in several Swiss bank accounts. All he needed was a private plane that would get him to Kiev. From there, he would fly to Paris. Working in cahoots with other governments wasn't an option for him. All major European powers wanted his blood, given the kind of work he had done for the KGB. However he couldn't imagine living anywhere but Europe. None of this would be a problem for him however, as the real face of the man with a thousand faces was still unknown to the world. He would just put on another disguise and simply disappear.

He had also ordered one of his boys, Misha, to set his house ablaze for good measure. With everyone inside it. Including Catherine and Vera, and all his servants. Just in case someone decided to look into his basement. Just in case his servants or Vera remembered seeing him go down there frequently with Catherine. And Catherine? She was a criminal and not a Russian citizen. He doubted any record of her even existed. Or if that was even her name. But she was a dangerous woman and he didn't want her causing any trouble for him. He knew that it was she who chased him in Tokyo years earlier.

It was best to cover all the bases, so no connection to him could ever be drawn. He was a product of the fabled KGB. Disappearing is what they did best.

Unfortunately for Sergei, it was not Misha who answered his phone call. Misha and Dimitri were being held captive in an abandoned factory by Selina Kyle. She had taken away their phones and used the skills Sergei had taught her to imitate Misha's voice.

Besides instructions to burn down the house, Sergei also told them to destroy their phones and leave town. And that he would have their payment deposited into their accounts. The poor lads obviously heard none of this as they were once again bound and gagged by the same woman.

Sergei hadn't gone to work that day, but hid in a motel room till the late afternoon. In the disguise of a blonde German tourist. Just making arrangements for his escape, just as arrangements for his arrest were surely underway. Only when he got a call from the pilot that the plane was ready did he step outside. A cab had been called for him, as per his request. The driver, a skinny young fellow, politely held the door open for him as he got in and ordered to be driven to the nearby airport.

However, Sergei Morozov never reached the airport. Instead, he woke up in an abandoned warehouse. Gagged and hands are feet tied up. The doors locked. The first thing he saw in front of him was Misha and Dimitri, who were in the same state as he. The second thing he saw was the face of the taxi driver lying on the floor, along with a wig of brown hair. He immediately recognised the realistic latex mask as the work of his student, Catherine Whipps. Before he could even process what had happened, the door of the warehouse opened and as he saw the people approaching him, Sergei regretted not taking his own life while he had the chance.

It was at around four in the evening, when Vera was in her bedroom trying to dial Catherine's cellphone and not getting any response. News of the scam involving Sergei Morozov's had just been broadcasted. Vera knew that she needed to act quickly. She was about to call in her fellow agents and tell them they probably needed to watch all airports, as Sergei would surely try to escape. If they lost him now, they may never find him again. The thought of Israel's martyred heroes not getting their justice made her sick to her stomach.

Thinking Catherine had probably decided to help Sergei after all, Vera was just about to leave the house when Mrs Petrov, the housekeeper, came to her. She held a package in her hands.

"A delivery man left this for you, miss. He said it was a present from a friend."

Vera hurriedly opened the package and found a small painting inside. A painting of a bird with it's wings spread. The birds eye had been coloured much brighter than the rest of the painting. At the bottom of the canvas were the words : "where evil will face the wrath of God".

Wrath of God.

As in Mossad's Operation Wrath of God?

This was sent by someone who knew who Vera was.

Catherine?

Vera looked at the painting carefully. The bird was shaped just like Moscow's Central Administrative Okrug. The colour used to write the words at the bottom were the same colour as the bird's eye. On a map of Moscow, this was an old industrial area and filled with many abandoned factories.

Vera drove to a designated stop to meet her and her colleagues, and one of them confirmed that a paint factory that had been shut down, was located in the area marked by the eye.

It took about 20 minutes for a team of Mossad agents to descend upon the old paint factory, break into it and find the man they had been looking for, for seven long years. Israel would finally have her revenge and the sacrifice of her soldiers would not be in vain.

As they were cuffing Morozov and shoving him into a van, one of the other agents picked up the mask and wig that was left behind. He held it up and asked "what the hell is this? It can't be his. He is already wearing a wig."

Vera, who knew damn well who would have donned that particular disguise, simply shrugged. She only wished she'd had the chance to thank "Catherine" properly.

As for Catherine Whipps, or rather Sophia Lemarr, she was already on a flight to Rome. She intended to spend a weekend there just to unwind and prepare for the next leg of her journey.

In a few days, Elva Barr would board a flight to Bombay and from there she would travel to the state of Kerela. Where an entirely new world of eternal truths would be revealed to her.