Chapter 14:

Ezra's first thought when he awoke was that his head really hurt. He reached out to rub his forehead, but was surprised when his hands wouldn't move from behind his back. It took a minute for him to realize that his hands were cuffed. He desperately tried to pull his hands out of the plastiCuffs, but it soon became evident he was fighting a losing battle.

"I already tried to get them off for you," a familiar voice stated. "They won't come off."

Ezra turned his head to let his eyes focus in on his location. He was sitting on the concrete ground. The only light coming into the cell was from a small window with bars on it. The source of the voice was huddled in a corner. The events of the last few hours came rushing back. Nick was sporting a bloody lip and looked like he was about ready to cry.

"Ezra, are they going to kill us?" the teen's voice quivered. Nick had been forced to grow up quickly because of the life he had been forced to live, but at this moment he seemed much younger.

"Come here and sit next to me Nick," Ezra stated. He was glad to see that the youth was not handcuffed. Nick scooted over until he was right next to undercover agent.

"Do you know what happened?" Ezra asked.

"I was running really fast and could hear Ellie yelling behind me. I remember something hitting me in the head and then waking up in this cell." A sudden thought seemed to come across the boy's mind and his face filled with horror.

"Buck!" he yelled. "They shot Buck!"

The same thought had crossed Ezra's mind. Although he was very concerned about his friend, there was nothing he could do for him here in this cell. He thought about his cellphone call and prayed that his friends had gotten there on time.

"Shhh Nick," Ezra soothed. He could feel the boy shaking next to him and wished his hands were free to put around him. The door to the cell opened. Ezra had to squint his eyes against the sudden burst of light.

"Well, I see that both of you are awake now." Ezra watched as the man from the car walked into the cell. It was Ellie and Nick's uncle.

"Hello Nikolai, My you have grown. You were just a little boy the last time I saw you, but you are growing into a fine man. You've got the Lebedev chin but you have your mother's eyes," Misha said in a soft voice as he took a step towards the teen.

Nick leaned hard into Ezra, his body shaking more. Although he was obviously scared, Ezra was surprised to see a familiar look spread across the boy's face.

"Stay away from me!" he hissed through clenched teeth. Ezra wondered if Nick realized how much he looked and sounded like his sister.

Misha frowned at the boy. The man spoke very good English, but it was heavily accented. Misha turned to look at Ezra.

"The Lebedevs have always had a talent for finding their prey." He looked at Nick and a hard look crossed his face. "and weak stomachs to never finish the job ."

"If you mean my dad not wanting to kill innocent people then you're right!" Nick answered. Ezra was surprised at the youth's tenacity. He could feel the shaking in the boy stop.

"So that bitch you call a sister has turned you against me too I see," Misha said frowning. "Pity, I could have used you."

He turned his head and thought a moment. A sick smile spread across her fact.

"You realize I did most of your sister's training right? I watched her kill many of these innocent people you talk about."

"You're a liar!" Nick yelled. "Ellie would never…."

"I suppose she hasn't told you about what actually happened when the Bratva sent her to get the Opium out of Northern Afghanistan then?"

Nick covered his ears.

Ezra turned to look at Misha. He recognized the word. Bratva was the Russian slang word for Brotherhood. The general term given to any group involved in the Russian crime syndicate.

"I remember a village that was being particular difficult. I watched her set a grenade outside the tents and…."

"That's enough!" Ezra stated, seeing the tears streaming down Nick's face as he tried to prevent his uncle's voice from entering his ears.

Misha glared at Ezra, but he did stop talking.

"I don't know what you have planned Mr. Lebedev, but surely it can be achieved without the use of the boy. Do whatever you wish with me, but leave the boy alone."

Misha just laughed.

"Believe me Mr. Standish, the boy does serve a purpose. My lovely niece that you seem quite fond of has money and information that rightly belong to me. Little Nicolai is going to help me get them."

"Like I said, I trained pretty little Elena since she was twenty years old. She has the same weak spot as her father and that's family. A very bad quality in a KGB officer I might add. All I have to is threaten the boy here, and she'll give me whatever I want."

"He's your nephew!" Ezra growled.

"I already said family was not important to me," Misha laughed.

Ezra said something under his breath just loud enough for Misha to hear. He was rewarded with slap in the face that sent his head flying backwards into the brick wall. Ezra winced when his skull connected with the concrete.

"I would shoot your right now Standish, if I didn't need you!" Misha growled.

He slammed the door behind him, casting the room into darkness once again. It took Ezra a moment to let the pain subside. He was seeing spots even in the darkness.

"Are you alright?" Nick asked, edging closer to him.

"Quite alright, I assure you," Ezra answered, knowing that he wasn't completely telling the truth.

"What did you say to him?" Nick asked.

"Something that I am sure your sister would not want me to repeat to you," Ezra answered.

"It was in Russian, I heard that much," Nick answered. "It must have been really bad, because you sure made Misha angry."

"That was my intended result," Ezra answered. "It was in the Mat dialect."

"Really?" Nick asked. "Nobody in my family would let me talk like that."

'It's a good think too. No gentlemen would use such vulgarity except in the most extreme circumstances," Ezra answered. The Mat dialect was considered so vulgar to most Russians; it was actually considered a crime if someone heard you speak it in public.

"Could you teach me some?" Nick asked. "You know, only to use in extreme circumstances?"

Ezra couldn't prevent the smile from spreading across his face. He would have found it more amusing if not for the circumstance he found himself in.

"Perhaps," Ezra answered, letting his tone of voice get more serious. "But first you need to tell me everything about you and your sister. I'm tired of only getting part of the story."

Chris sprinted up the steps taking two, sometimes three at a time. His emotions were running raw as he walked into the office. Vin was talking on the phone when he walked in. He hung it up as soon as he saw Chris.

"He's out of surgery and in stable condition," Chris stated. He had called earlier to him know Buck's condition, but he knew Vin would wouldn't relax until he heard it in person.

Vin breathed a loud sigh of relief.

"Where's Ellie?" Chris asked.

"She's in the break room. I figured that…."

"Is she talking?" Chris asked, interrupting his friend.

"Go easy on her Pard, she's in rough shape. She tripped when she was running and hit her head pretty hard on the sidewalk ."

"I'll think about going easy when I know that Ezra is safe," Chris growled, not waiting for Vin's response. "I should have arrested her the minute I got that damn file."

"What file?" Vin asked. Chris walked into his office, grabbed the file and tossed it on Vin's desk before walking into the conference room.

The sudden movement had scared Ellie. Vin had obviously disobeyed his orders and uncuffed her. She knocked over the coffee cup sitting in front of her. The hot liquid burned her hands and made her wince.

Chris had planned what he was going to say to the young woman while driving back, but he had forgotten as soon as he looked at her. Her eyes were bloodshot from tears she had cried, her skin was very pale and her hands were shaking. A raw blue patch of bruised skin that he assumed was from the fall Vin had mentioned.

"Agent Larabee…." Ellie started to say.

He felt his anger subsiding. Chris didn't wait for her to finish, He walked over and grabbed two rags. He handed one to her and wiped up the spilled coffee on the table with the other.

"Thank you," she stated. "Buck?" she asked

"He's going to be okay," Chris stated with a small smile. He walked over to the coffee pot and looked inside.

"Vin make this?" he asked. Ellie nodded her head. "No wonder it burned your hands so bad," he stated. "I'll make us some better stuff."

"Did you find Ez…" she continued to push.

."Still missing," he stated with no emotion.

"Then my brother is still…" Ellie tried to ask her voice cracking as tears threatened to fall again.

Chris felt his heart wretch at the sound of pure desperation in her voice. He put the Folgers can down and sat down in the chair next to Ellie. He grabbed hold of her hands.

"We'll find Nick and Ezra, Ellie."

She didn't pull her hands away, but looked at him in surprise.

"Why am I not on my way to a prison cell right now? I'm assuming you already know who I really am. "

"Why do you assume that?" he asked.

"Because I could see that you never really believed the whole story I gave you. I could see your concern about Ezra. I know all about honorable men like Agent Larabee. You will stop at nothing to protect those you care about and to find the truth." She paused. "You all remind me of my father. "

"I think that…." Chris started to say but he was interrupted when Vin walked into the room. He was carrying the file in his hand. He tossed it on the table, looking furious.

"Are you are one of the most wanted terrorists in Europe, that you are responsible for the deaths of at least twenty prominent politicians and destroyed an Afghani village for not agreeing to distribute poppies…."

"I did not blow up that village!" she yelled. Her outburst surprised both the men. It took them a few seconds to recover.

"But you don't deny anything else?" Chris asked. Ellie's eyes lowered and she clutched her hands together.

"Did you work for your uncle?" Chris asked gently. "Did he threaten your family like he did your father?"

"He didn't need too," Ellie answered. "In fact it didn't take much convincing." She paused. She looked at the two agents with a look of sad resolve. "Look if you want to interrogate me, I'm not going to be a problem. Hell, I'll slap those cuffs back on myself, but please find my little brother first."

"That's our main priority Ellie," Chris answered, "but I have a feeling your history is going prove critical to finding them both." He paused and took her silence for acquiescence

"When you started working for your uncle was it for the KGB?"

"Yes," Ellie answered simply.

"Why?' Vin asked. "Why would do you do that after everything that happened to your Dad?"

"Why does any young person join the military join the military or do something stupid against the wishes of their parents?" Ellie asked, rubbing a hand through her hair. "I was young, stupid and hot headed. Misha talked about the former glory of Russia, of what it once was and what I could help it be. I had traveled through Europe growing up. I saw the successes and wealth of the western world. I didn't understand why my own motherland couldn't be similar. My uncle taught me to blame it on the villains of the UK, the US, and everyone who stood in the way of Russia's glory. He also blamed it on men like my father who were too cowardly to take the necessary risks. " Her voice lowered in volume. "I know it doesn't make sense, but…."

Chris held up his hand for her to stop. It did make sense and it made him sick. He had seen too many men corrupt the impressionable minds of youth. Even his own special forces was not blameless. How else could a leader convince a unit of young men into situations that meant almost certain death?

He opened the file.

"Scotland yard wants to talk to you about the suspected poisoning deaths of three Russian men who were feeding information to the British government in London."

"That was during my freshman year of college," Ellie answered. "You could call it my test run. My mission was to befriend the men and build up a relationship. You know bond with them over fond memories of Mother Russia and all that bullshit. I reported their movements back to my uncle or one of the men that was working for him."

"And how did you poison them?" Vin asked.

"I lured them to the pub, but it wasn't me who put the poison into their drinks. Actually, I never saw the man who did it."

'It says that the agents who were killed were embezzling money in London and were only cooperating with the Brits so they wouldn't be arrested."

"I didn't know anything about that," Ellie answered. "All I was told that they had betrayed Russia. At the time, that was enough for me."

"Tell me about Dragen Popanov," Chris stated, looking down at the file.

"Who?" Vin asked. "Wait, was he that Serbian guy who was assassinated in broad daylight in Athens a few years ago? Whoever took that shot was one hell of a good…." He stopped talking and looked at Ellie in amazement. "Was that you?"

"There are some certain perks to being a woman with my particular skillset," She answered grimly. "You tend to go unnoticed."

"What connection did he have to hurting Russia?"

"Some of my uncle's friends shipped him weapons so he could engage in his ethnic censing efforts," Ellie answered. "Popanov never paid them back."

Chris glanced down at the files. He knew that there was a long list of daring assassinations. Despite his evil intentions, Chris had to admit that Misha had turned Ellie into an impressive weapon. He wasn't condoning Ellie's actions, but the men and women she had "taken care of" were far from innocent. He looked her in the eyes and she lowered them in shame.

The cold hearted Elena Lebaneva that was described in the file did not match the Ellie Gordon he had come to know. Ellie Gordon was completely devoted to her brother and adored by her community. She was trying to redeem herself. More importantly, Ezra trusted her. He trusted his friend's judgment more than any black and white dossier. He was almost ready to forgive and forget, except for…

"And what about Angalizi?" Vin asked. His friend got the to the question before he did. Ellie closed her eyes and sighed.

"A sin I will answer for the rest of my life," She whispered quietly.

"I thought you said that you had nothing to do with it," Vin stated coolly.

"I didn't bomb the town," Ellie answered, "But it was my fault those families died." Chris and Vin looked at her.

"The Russian drug rings and even some ministers in the government have been involved in production and trade of cocaine for a long time now. Afghanistan supplied a cheap supply poppies. Two years ago, I began second guessing what I had been doing. It was the first time I had killed a man in his own home and was actually close enough to watch the life leave his eyes. I had been forced to hide in the closet while his teenaged son found his body. I only saw Nick's face as I watched the boy cry over his father's body. Whatever crimes this man had committed, they weren't bad enough prevent his son from loving him. I began to wonder why I thought I had the power to decide who lived or died." A faraway look crossed her eyes as if she wasn't aware she was even in the room.

"This was around the time the time that my uncle heard of the little village of Angalizi. Members of the Chinese crime ring were paying the town a pretty high price for their poppies. My uncle wanted those poppies, but he offered them a much lower rate. They refused. He tried to threaten them. But it still didn't work. He told me that I should destroy the village to make a statement to the other villages. If Angalizi was wiped off the map, it would send a message to the other villages. I went to the village and began setting the fuses for the bombs and…." She stopped talking and seemed lost in her own thoughts."

Vin looked like he was about to say something, but Chris cut him off with a look. He knew that they just need to sit and wait…."

"I couldn't go through with it," she answered in a shaky voice. "Corrupted politicians were one thing, but little kids…." She didn't finish her sentence. "I went home to Russia and begged for my father's forgiveness. I cried like a little girl in his arms, completely lost and confused." She wrapped her arms around herself as if mimicking the long ago embrace. She leaned forward. "Instead of being ashamed, he told me that he was proud of me. He was proud that I had finally seen the errors of my ways." She paused and hugged herself tighter. "I thought that I had been hiding my sins and my work from my father all those years, but he had known everything. He told me he had an escape plan for many years. We would all be moving to France as soon I had seen the error of my way. Nick was already in boarding school in Norway and we would disappear with the large bank accounts he had created. I went to Norway a few days later and he told me that me the he and my stepmother would join us later, except that…." She stopped and her voice choked and she was unable to finish.

"They died in the fire set by Misha," Chris finished quietly. Ellie nodded her head and dropped her head onto her arms. Her whole body shook as she fought back tears.

"I know that he knew my uncle was coming after me. He stayed behind to give me a headstart," She raised her head and looked at Chris and Vin. "I know that he and Katiya sacrificed themselves for us. I should have been the one to stay behind while he and Katiya went to Nick! I didn't deserve for him to die for me!"

This time she was unable to stop the tears that flowed from her eyes. She buried her face in her hands and said something that sounded like a prayer in Russian. He and Vin were both caught off guard. After reading the file, Vin had appeared skeptical during the questioning, but Chris watched his face fill with pity. Vin reached out to put a hand on her shoulder, but Ellie pulled away.

"Please….don't."

She forced herself to take a deep breath and regained some of her composure.

"How is any of this relevant to finding my brother and Ezra?" she asked. Her eyes narrowed, but their no fight in her voice.

"But that village was still blown up," Chris stated.

"That was my uncle," he stated. "He blew it up himself and told the rest of the world it was me who did it. In the Russian secret circles, he told everyone who mattered that I hadn't followed orders. There's a Russian death warrant on my head. I wanted to turn myself over to a European country, but I had to keep Nick safe from Misha…." She started to cry again. "And I can't even do that."

When Vin tried to comfort her this time, he was much more forceful. He grabbed her hands when she tried to pull away and forced her to look at him.

"You said your father was an honorable man?" he asked harshly.

"Yes," Ellie answered.

"And you believe his judgments were always right?"

"Always," she answered.

"Then why are you any different?" Vin asked.

"That's not…." Ellie started to say, but Vin interrupted her.

"You kept Nick safe for two years Ellie," Vin's voice softened only slightly. "You've got a chance to rescue him now. You can't answer always if you fail him now."

Ellie's tears slowly stopped falling and she got a pensive look on her face. Chris looked at Vin gratefully. Vin didn't say usually say much, but when he did it was always spot-on.

"You're not going to arrest me?" she asked after a few minutes.

"Should I?" Chris asked.

"It's the law," She sighed. "And I'm tired of living on the wrong side of it," she said. Then she looked up, "but I need to get Nick back and take care of Misha once and for all."

"We'll talk about this once we all get Nick and Ezra back," Chris answered. He held out his hand. Ellie shook it. A cold look overtook the grief. He was glad that he was not Misha Lebanov.

"My grandfather had met Khrushchev during the war when he was a soldier and Khrushchev served as commissar. The two became very good friends. My grandfather was killed. Khrushchev survived. After the war, he hired my grandmother as secretary and he took special interest in her sons, my father and uncle. He almost became like a father to them. Khrushchev's own son had been supposedly shot down during the war."

"Supposedly?" Vin asked.

"There are rumors that the son defected to the Germans and Stalin had him shot when they caught him despite Khrushchev's pleas," Chris stated, knowing the story. "But there was never any proof."

"Proof has a funny way of disappearing in Russia," Ellie said darkly. "Whatever happened, Khrushchev took an instant liking to the boys and got them involved in the security organization. They both instantly rose through the ranks and were involved in counter intelligence during the cold war. My dad often boasted about how he had served in France while still feeding information the Kremlin."

"Were they responsible for arresting civilians as well," Chris asked rather coldly. He knew that the original and real purpose of the KGB had been to root out and oppress political dissent.

"Not at first," Ellie stated. "Khrushchev was somewhat lax on freedom of speech. Not many realize that Khrushchev, although still a ruthless dictator had began making some positive reforms .Besides my father and Misha served with the First Chief Directorate which was in charge of espionage. All that changed when Yuri Andropov was put in charge. He began bringing back many of Stalin's old policies. Authors began disappearing, artists died under unusual circumstances. Hell, if he had stayed in power any longer, I wouldn't have been surprised if the Gulags started showing up again."

Both Vin and Chris heard the hostility in her words. She paused.

"At this point my father was looking for ways to get out of the KGB. The signs of the Soviet collapse were all over and he wanted nothing more than move to the West. You see while in France he had a met a beautiful Romanian woman who had defected to Paris, got her pregnant, and was now in love her andwith his baby daughter. This was not the case with my uncle. He quickly rose through the ranks and was known for his ruthlessness. When I was older, I heard stories that he never married a woman because he was in love with the KGB.

She paused.

"My father was planning to move to France with his family to get away, but little did know how his world would come toppling down. You see my mother had been a plot by Misha to get my father to stay. As soon as my father threatened to move, she ran to Misha and deposited me with him. I was basically held hostage as my father was forced to continue to work for the KGB.

"What?" Vin and Chris asked, dumfounded.

"What kind of man would take a child and…" Chris thought it had been Adam…He shook his head to get rid of the thought.

"You mean to say that your mother…." Vin asked.

"She never really cared about me," Ellie stated, sadness evident in her voice. "She lied to my father and I for four years and as soon as Misha asked, she turned me over and took her money. I haven't seen or heard from her since." She paused.

"This is doing nothing to helping find Ezra or my brother. Please you should be out there right now instead of listening to me!"

"Ellie, I have a feeling that your family history is going to be key to finding your brother and Ezra. Please…" Chris didn't need to finish his sentence. Ellie kept talking.

"I lived with Misha while my father was forced to work in Hungry. I was returned with a promise that I would be taken again no matter where he tried to run."

"We didn't really have much to worry about once my father returned from working in the Eastern Block. The Communist government was a mess and they spent more time working on its survival then spying on other countries. My father even met and fell in love with another woman, Katiya. She became the mother I never had. Not long after Nick was born."

The telephone in the bullpen started to ring,

"I'll be right back," Vin said getting up.

Ellie shivered, but Chris wasn't sure it was from the cold.

"You want some coffee?" he asked.

.

"Please," she stated.

Chris got up and poured two cups of coffee.

"Would you like something to eat?" he asked, looking around to see what was in the cupboards.

Ellie shook her head.

"When was the last time you ate?" Chris asked.A small smile crept across the Ellie's face.

"I had a sandwich at the coffee shop with Ezra a while ago."

"I thought you were supposed to be eating at that fancy French restaurant," Chris said.

"We missed the dinner reservation," Ellie answered.

Chris chuckled as he grabbed a box of crackers and set it down in front Ellie.

"You should eat something, This isn't much, but it will prevent from fainting on us."