A moustachioed and mutton-chopped man, amateurishly depicted, gazes at you with sad eyes…

A moustachioed and mutton-chopped man, amateurishly depicted, gazes at you with sad eyes. A plaque reads: "K. Mazov." There is a spider web in the lower left corner of the portrait.

"Who is K. Mazov?"

"Well, my amnesiac friend, Mazov is the father of scientific communism. His theories about economic history greatly influenced -- some would even say sparked -- the Antecentennial Revolution."

"Why would someone have a portrait like this?"

"Looks like some radical -- or radicals -- were hiding out here but left a long time ago."

"Could someone have stopped through here recently?" (Conclude.)

"You mean, like Ruby? No. I think we've stumbled on a piece of history." He looks at the dust.

"Could it be connected to the Mazov bust we found in the student's room?"

"Millions of depictions of Mazov have been produced. They're not all connected -- besides, that looked like some student. The youths always go for this kind of stuff..."

"Maybe I should move in here. Seems cozy."

"I won't stand in your way -- but only after we're through with this case."

"A long time ago? How long?"

"Half a century? This was probably part of the network of defence posts the communards built against the amphibious landing." He looks around.

"I think the purpose of this bunker was to produce propaganda. It would have had radio equipment back then, but that's all been looted."

"What's this still doing here?"

"What most people think of as history has a tendency to linger in run-down neighbourhoods. Martinaise being what it is, no one has gone through the trouble of cleaning out the old bunkers."

A good hiding place for someone who's up to no good.

"So... this must have been the hiding place of some naive leftists?"

"Yes, some radical -- or radicals -- were hiding out here but left a long time ago."

"So... this must have been the hiding place of some antitraditionalist murderers?"

"So his ideas tend to stir up trouble?"

"Yes. And it looks like some latter-day radicals were hiding out here but left a long time ago."

"So my comrades were here."

"If you wish. At any rate, looks like some Mazovians were hiding out here but left a long time ago."

The lieutenant does not seem to share your enthusiasm.

Wonder: who is K. Mazov?

The man in the portrait looks back at you silently. He knows who he is, but he isn't telling.

"Look, Kim! It's Comrade Mazov!"

"Yes, I can see that. Looks like some communists were hiding out here. They left a long time ago."

The lieutenant does not seem to share your enthusiasm.

"It's that Mazov guy. This must have been the hiding place of some naive leftists."

"Some radical -- or radicals -- were hiding out here. They left a long time ago."

[Leave.]

"It's Kras Mazov, the idol of murdering traitors."

"It's Kras Mazov! What a troublemaker he was."

"Yes. Looks like some latter-day radicals were hiding out here. They left a long time ago."

Brush the dust off the portrait.

Years' worth of dust is shaken off. The full head of hair, matched by an ample moustache and sideburns, look a bit silly.

Someone crouches, heels digging into wet sand. Hands sweep across the sand, grains sticking to the frayed skin of the fingertips. An old man sits on a slab of concrete and taps his fingers against the glass of a scope... you shudder.

Kras Mazov (nom de guerre), was an economist and a theoretical historian. He was a leading figure in the Graad side of the Turn-of-the-Century Revolution, where he headed the Eleven Day Government. Mazov is considered the father of scientific communism (Mazovian thought or Mazovianism).