Out of habit, Jack’s eyes began to scan the ‘security’ room upon entry. With that same level of awareness in mind, he rounded the nearby small desk, making sure his back was not facing the door – the room’s only means of ingress or egress – but instead keeping it within sight at all times. At the same moment he silently cursed himself for not having his gun with him, in his peripheral vision he saw Anatoly position his body as if to reach under the desk. Even as Jack began to assume a posture of defense, ever cognizant of his surroundings, out of the corner of his eye he noticed Anatoly raise his right hand as if in surrender. Years of training that honed amazing reflexes was the only thing that prevented Jack from attacking Anatoly.

“Whatever you’re doing, Chernikova,” Jack began slowly, his voice a low warning as he eyed Anatoly the entire time, “you really need to clue me in if you wanna keep breathing.”

To his credit, Anatoly maintained the quiet, reserved demeanor that he’d exhibited mere minutes earlier. Yet, there was no mistaking the sense of caution in his tone. “I seek not to retrieve a weapon, Agent Bauer,” he began. “Please, stand down. And do not become alarmed by what transpires next.”

Anatoly spoke slowly and precisely and executed the same motions as he trailed his fingers along the edge of the desktop before allowing his hand to slide beneath its burnished surface. Seconds later, the entire hardwood surface of the “desk” was transformed into a glass panel similar to the surface of a scanner’s pane. Jack looked on as Anatoly opened the top drawer adjacent to the lower left corner of the desk; his hand disappeared beneath the desktop surface once more, obviously to enter a code on a keypad of some sort.

With a nod of his head Anatoly beckoned Jack to come around. “If you would, Agent Bauer, simply reach into the drawer to my left and with your right hand turn the makeshift doorknob, much the way you would a regular doorknob; only do not release it until the equipment indicates the scan is complete,” he explained. “When done, immediately place your palm here.” He pointed to a designated area of the desk’s surface that was approximately the size of an 8x10. “The same instructions apply; do not remove your hand until notified the scan is complete.”

Less than three minutes later, Jack was done.

“You now have access to floors 27 and 28 of Svyatilishche, and all the amenities contained therein.” When Anatoly’s statement was met with a blank stare from Jack, he continued. “These floors, for the Cassadines, are. . . dom vdali ot doma.”

“Home away from home,” Jack translated, nodding.

“Akh! Vy govorite po-russki ?” {Ah! You speak Russian?}

Jack gave a wry half smile as he shook his head. “Yedva ... prosto razgovornyy - dostatochno, chtoby proyti.” {Barely...just conversational—enough to get by.} “Again, barely.”

“Well, nevertheless, a commendable effort!” Anatoly nodded, impressed. “Now, back to the access. As I was saying, the top two floors of the hotel are reserved solely for Cassadine family use and on occasion their honored guests.”

Anatoly went on to explain to Jack in order to access the two restricted floors, whether by stairs or elevator, he was required to use his palm print each time; the print was scanned on a diagram located above the control panel (for the elevator) or staff security code keypad (for the stairs).

“Understand, you will not be granted access to either floor – you literally will not be able to exit the elevator cab or stairwell – unless you scan your palm. This must be done each time you access either floor. Once you are on the floor, you may gain access to your room or any facility – unless, of course, due to security reasons we have restricted the area – simply by turning the doorknob. A keycard is not required to gain entry to your suite or any of the various areas on the floor; again, you need only turn the doorknob of the room you wish to enter.” Now it was Anatoly’s ruggedly handsome visage that bore a half-smile, this one more knowing than wry in response to Jack’s now curious gaze. “The scan we just performed recorded your handprint as well as your fingerprints; this data has been electronically stored in the hotel’s security database.” A curt almost imperceptible nod of his head signaled the conversation was over. Anatoly extended his hand which Jack accepted, returning the firm determined shake. “Nice to have made your acquaintance, Agent Bauer.”

“Same here, Chernikova,” Jack nodded.

“Again, welcome to Svyatilishche,” Anatoly said. “Now if you will excuse me, I will summon Kirill who will escort you upstairs. . .”

Watching Anatoly depart Jack got the feeling that this would not be the last time he crossed paths with the Russian warrior. As he took in his surroundings once more, Jack could only shake his head and marvel as his words from long ago floated back to him. . .

“There’s luxury. . .and then there’s this!”