The Voronov Plot

The Voronov Plot is the fourteenth book in the Blake and Mortimer comic book series. It was released in 2000.

Plot

January 16, 1957, a rocket took off from the Baikonur cosmodrome on the orders of the general Oufa of the Red Army that seeks to keep its lead over the United States in the conquest of space. As the Professor Piotr Ilioutchine had feared, the rocket is hit by a meteor shower and his head falls back on Earth. The team sent the recover having died under mysterious circumstances, Dr. Voronov, responsible of a clinic of the KGB, is responsible for this mystery. His assistant, Nastasia Wardynska, discovers that the head of the rocket is infected of mutant bacteria, the "bacteria Z", which caused death within 24 hours by simple contact. But the Kremlin orders are formal: officially, this case never happened. Defying the orders of Ufa, Voronov force his assistant to continue his research to understand why young rats turn out be healthy carriers. In London, Captain Francis Blake and order William Steele, respectively heads of MI5 and MI6, are discussing a worrying situation: Steele received a report about the bacterium Z and the willingness of Voronov to be used as a biological weapon against the West. His spy, who turns out be Nastasia Wardynska, recruited by Captain Blake ten years previously, promises to send a sample of the bacteria next month. One night at Baikonur, Nastasia steals a tube test containing the bacteria and sends it to his contact in Moscow, Sergei Pouskachoi. But Voronov realizes, and after having confirmation of the betrayal of his assistant, makes lock up at the headquarters of the KGB in Moscow, Lubyanka, the custody of the general Orloff and the colonel Ilkor. In addition, the latter intervenes to prevent the exchange of the precious parcel between Pouskachoi and an agent of MI6.

Mis abreast of events, Blake decides to surrender himself in the USSR to deliver Nastasia and retrieve the sample. To do this, it takes as a cover identity of Mac Taser, interpreter of the Professor Philip Mortimer, official guest at the International Congress in Moscow. On-site, the two friends take contact with Edgar Reeves, the scientific attached to the Embassy of the United Kingdom and the MI6 agent. They are developing a plan to deliver Nastasia, but Reeves Secretary, Miss Sneek, is actually a mole and informs Orloff of the presence of Mortimer. Colonel Ilkor, alias Olrik, is so certain that Blake is located in the vicinity. At a concert organized after his lecture, Mortimer gets closer to his friend Professor Ilioutchine in order to get information about the bacteria. But while the Russian talk of young rats, Voronov surprised the two men behind the scenes and stops Ilioutchine while Mortimer narrowly escapes death.

The next day, Blake seeps into the Lubyanka disguised as a KGB officer with a fake transfer order about Nastasya, but Olrik awaits and unmasks him. After having taken over the colonel, Blake and Nastasia manage to escape at the end of a chase through the city. However, Nastasia is severely injured in the head by a bullet fired by Olrik and she faints right after having indicated Blake "the doll has a black head. The same night, Blake travels to the Leninskiye Gory Park to meet Pouskachoi, but Olrik waiting for him again. About to be captured, the captain is saved by the arrival of Reeves and Mortimer who discovered the betrayal of Miss Sneek. After a shootout, Mortimer began pursuing Olrik, who manages to throw the sample into the Moskva River. In the Park, Pouskachoi utters before dying the sentence "the world of childhood", the name of a shop of toys in Moscow. Mortimer, protected by its guest status, decides to go and get back without problem a Russian doll that contains the bacterium z. sample

Quelques days later, both British are back in their country through a deception. While Professor Mortimer and his team start their research on the bacterium, Captain Blake reported to the Committee of security. He advises do not prevent, for the moment, the Americans of the threat, for fear of starting a new world war and feeling there's something else going on behind this whole affair. In Moscow, Voronov, mad with rage, charge Olrik to retrieve or destroy the sample stolen by suggesting that the Kremlin is involved. He decides to put his plan to run, and in the following days, several personalities American and European die suddenly. On its side, thanks to a mole placed at the CSIR, Olrik manages to retrieve the samples and set fire to the laboratory. Fortunately, Mortimer had put away a sample and this last one is duplicated and sent in several laboratories across the country to reduce the risk.

Alors that the dead of personalities around the world if keep coming, Mortimer travels to Liverpool, where one of his colleagues has discovered that it is the thymus of the young rats that allows them to resist the bacteria. When a new Security Committee, Blkae learns that three near the Soviet leaders died. It includes Voronov, nostalgic of Stalin, played alone and trying to destabilize his country from the inside and the outside to take power. The British secret service decide to prevent the Russians and Blake proposes a collaboration to the Russian Ambassador that accepts. At Baikonur, general Oufa, made aware of the situation, is responsible for overseeing Voronov, but, determined to settle scores the doctor, he gets killed in the laboratory by Voronov, who flees.

Grâce to the documents exchanged between the two tentatively Allied blocs, Mortimer is how the bacteria comes into contact with the targets of the doctor: these are children who offer them flowers and kiss. The Professor recalls as soon as a few days before the Queen Mother herself was approached by a young Soviet child, but she is still healthy. Understanding that this girl is the key to the cure, he went urgently to Liverpool, but Olrik is already on site and is heading the port where a Russian cargo ship is waiting with the girl. With the help of Honeychurch, Mortimer arrives first at the port and organizes a trap for Olrik, who is arrested.

The girl, Grâce, is revealed to be suffering from sickle-cell anaemia, and Mortimer manages to create a vaccine against the bacteria from her blood. At the same time, the Soviets arrested general Orloff and the other coup leaders and work with fonts from around the world to dismantle the network of sleeper agents. They ask what we back Olrik in order to find Voronov that the British accept on the condition that Nastasia able leave the USSR freely. The Exchange takes place on October 3, 1957, on a bridge over the Elbe River separating the two Germanys during which Olrik manages to escape. The next day, Nastasia shows offer a post to the CSIR by Mortimer while the societiques just launched Sputnik 1.

English publication

The first publication in English is by Cinebook Ltd in September 2010. It includes information on the creation of this album.