Biography and autobiography sometimes differ significantly, as there are some thingsyou cannot tell about yourself publicly...
The autobiography of the academic Arstanbek Altymyshev is impressive - he was awarded the Soviet State Awards, for many years of being a board member of USSR Cosmonautic Committee, researcher of mummy - medicinal bitumen(substance used in folk medicine), inventor of many adaptogens, and finally the man, who created the popular balsam "Arashan"whichwas made of tens of medicinal herbs...
But what theprofessor told me just before he passed away washe never disclosed to anyone, and he could not describe it in his official autobiography. Only now we can raise the curtain of secrecy of some of thefacts in his life...
It happened in seventies. The world was flooded by terror: Basks, "Red Brigades", Irish Republican Army, Palestinians... And along with traditional bombing and shooting they started to use poisons for curtain individual actions. A little prick in the crowd by umbrella's tip - that is it! Death would not come at once but only next day or after when all traces of poison would vanish. Obviously it was not dilettantes who brewed up such poisons.
One day I was invited to Moscow, where I was offered the mission to some remote places in the world, namely - Latin America. There, in a little town lost in selva, a certain former Nazi industrialist, from a number of those who promptly changed their personality, continents and masters after the war, had built in the jungle a gigantic den for snakes, and rumors were that he had collected reptiles from all parts of the world. Moreover - he gathered insects, weird funguses, poisonous fish and plants as well, and started mass production of poisons. In a few words - they offered me to do an industrial espionage, of course for the sake of lofty and high aims. To tell that I - the usual academic, was surprised was not enough! However they persuaded me...
I started to learn Spanish intensively. It was quite easy as it based on Latin which I studied in university and as pharmacologist had been improving throughout my entire career. Soon I could speak decently and even started to write.
The departure had been postponed for three times. At last they invited me to Moscow, allegedly to participate in Soviet Science Academy's conference, where I was told everything was ready. According to the cover story I was... Japanese, born and bred far from the original homeland. And my outlook contributed to that story. It was supposed the Spanish, which I spoke well by that time, would be enough in those remote parts, however half of the year I spent cracking the language of the Country of Rising Sun, quite successfully by the way.
I started my journey from Amsterdam and was at the scene the following day, and immediately felt sick - in Moscow it was minus forty Celsius, here in tropics - plus thirty, besides I was a bit scared. They greeted me well, drove me for sixty miles and placed in the luxurious cottage amongst the virgin forests. I used to walk around and observe everything. It struck me that far from any civilization they had managed to make everything here in a smart, and above all, in a most convenient way. Comfortable life, without the vanity of the world, just only the favorable researches - what else the true scientist would dream of?
They had given me the laboratory with staff and I engaged into active work. I roamed freely in the "den of snakes" with all creatures which the nature could imagine to make. For a first time in my life I saw the coral snake, the green mamba, the Egyptian cobra and the black widow. Later I also had an opportunity to work with all this super poisonous vermin.
One middle aged woman lived next to me. Well groomed, dressed with much taste, with well cut hairs and slim body she looked attractive enough. The only thing which would betray her age was her wrinkles, though skillfully covered by the neck scarf. Her name was Helen and occasionally we had a few words exchanges.
During weekends I often visited the neighbor town to meet the liaison agent. I submitted to him my reports, received money, as according to the contract the "Japanese" should had to live on his own expenses. And the bosses were mean enough; it took so much time once to justify fifteen dollars spent for beer. Nevertheless everything was going according the plan. Shortly afterwards I even invented new synthetic drug in cooperation with one Polish expat. I still have no idea whether they put it on a mass production or not. By that time three months of my practical studying has elapsed.
...The military coup caught me right in the lab, such events were not expected - I just had been at "the meeting" and had no any instructions for that case. Because of my absent-mindedness, very natural to many scientists, I did not pay much attention to this fact and continued my researches. Meanwhile the junta was ruling over the country, and as it became clear later, it seized the power partly thanks to the finances of the master of my den of snakes.
Several days passed, I was doing something over the retort when the door suddenly squeaked. Not being the real professional spy I startled unwittingly when heard Helen told me in Russian: "Don't be surprised, my father was a Ukrainian nationalist, in twenties he escaped from Soviets to America. Listen my advice - leave this place as soon as you can. There is an unwritten order - whoever reports the communist to authorities in this poverty stricken country will receive a colored TV, two communists - they get a car. And they can make a fortune if they inform about the real Bolshevik from Russia! Before I go I want to leave you something..."
She left on the desk the copy of telegram with my details - who I was, where from. It suggested keeping a secret surveillance on me before "the final decision would be made". Passing by my cottage I dashed to the nearest village where I hired the boat to escape...
In Soviet Consulate they stared at me with astonishment - who, what den of snakes? Finally they grasped that my Russian was "too juicy and foul" for Japanese and called for "appropriate" men, who promptly got me the ticket to Cuba with stopover in Lima, where the local policemen searched the plane, looking for a "Russian professor". And no one paid attention to the "pure-bred samurai".
The car in Havana was waiting right next to the boarding ramp...