Dear Colonel,

It has been so long since we last met. Has summer come to Russia yet?

I realize it is sudden, but I have a request that only you can handle, old friend. You already know from the television conference the other day that a response to the incident at Arklay has been ordered.

The mail calling for X Day Procedure has already been sent. There are stirrings behind closed doors calling for a “disposal” of the entire facility. However, I just cannot help but feel it is a waste, what with our guardian of Crete.

I apologise for having to make this request of you, but could you fly to Raccoon and recover the prototype for me? There is cause for the urgency of this request. Hidden forces are at work, trying to back me into a corner.