Don't own Chuck
Devon was nervous coming back from the Navy pier which was aggravated when the silence of the night was broken by the sound of two fire crackers followed by the dogs in the neighborhood barking. He went to the window and saw a woman walking down the street away from a car with dark windows parked across the street.
"Geez, this… whatever this is, has gotten me feeling jumpy. I should've known what was going to happen when she showed up on our door step," said Devon as he stood in the window looking out.
"Will you get away from that window and sit down. Listen, Sam is in the back so hold it down. I don't want to make her worry."
"Worry? If I were her I'd be terrified but she takes it all in stride. Someday she'll make a good combat surgeon with nerves of steel."
"Something you could use right now. Don't you think you're exaggerating a little? Look this wasn't even Sarah's fault…"
"None of this is their fault yet it happens and keeps on happening. I don't want to say they bring it on themselves but you have to wonder, don't you?"
"Devon, sit down and get a grip. My family has given a lot to this country and I'm not going to sit by and let you or anyone else take any of that away."
"I'm sorry it's just… well unsafe… not safe… oh I don't know anymore. You know what I want to say," said Devon as he went into the kitchen and came back with a bottle of wine and a glass.
"Where's my glass," asked Ellie as she looked at Devon while he poured wine in the glass then handed it to her.
"This is for you. The bottle is for me. I'd put it in a brown bag if I had one," said Devon as he took a hit from the bottle. Ellie just shook her head but before she could say anything Sam came in.
"I think Bunny needs to be changed. I heard her crying before," said Sam then she turned around and went back to Clara's room.
"See what you've done," said Ellie. "I think she's overheard you. You'd better get it together. I don't want my niece to feel like we don't want her here. Chuck and I went through that and I know how it feels like. I won't have her caught in the middle. Relatives can be worse than wolves," said Ellie as she got up to check on Bunny.
"This is strange," she thought as she walked down the hall to the guest bedroom. "If she need to be changed why wasn't she still crying?" She got her answer when she opened the door. Standing there in front of her changing Bunny was Mary.
"Mom, what are you doing here? Where did you come from," said Ellie as she looked around the room and saw the window was open. "You know normal people come through the door but why am I wasting my breath telling you what normal people do?"
"It's nice to see you too Eleanor. Now can you pass me the baby powder someone needs their little tushy powdered," said Mary as Bunny laughed and tried to put her toes in her mouth. "Yes, you are and were a little stinker," she said which made Bunny laugh that much more.
"I heard a familiar voice back here," said Sam. Her eyes got big and she let out a scream that could be heard four blocks over. "You're here," she said as she ran over and hugged her. Then she ran out and dragged Clara back in.
"See I told you it was Nanna Mary and you didn't believe me," said Sam. Clara and Sam smiled from the doorway. It wasn't long before Devon came back and saw Mary holding Bunny.
"Oh, it's you," said Devon with a look that expressed how he felt. "I should've known when it rains it pours." Ellie gave him a look.
"What Devon is trying to say is welcome. When did you get in town and why didn't you call? We've missed you."
"That's right," said Sam. "A whole lot. Please tell me you don't have to go away soon. You just got here and I don't want you to go away."
"Sweetie, that's the nature of my work," said Mary as she bent down and kissed her on the forehead. "I have to go away but that doesn't mean we shouldn't spend as much time as possible together. Let's go into the living room. Where's Sarah at?"
"She had to say behind at the Navy pier after everything that happened to help clean up the mess. There were crazy people shooting at Russians."
"Yeah, it was really wild… like what you see on TV with people running and screaming," said Clara. "But we got pulled away before we could see any of the real action."
"I think you two have seen enough action for one night," said Mary. "You two go get ready for bed and I'll come in and tuck you both in."
"Can you tell us a bedtime story," said Sam. "Please… like the ones you used to tell Chuck and aunt Ellie. You know the Frost Queen."
"Okay but let's pick another story for you two and we'll make it our own. So that it will be just ours from now on. Would you like that?" They both nodded. "Okay now get ready for bed," said Mary as they both ran out. "As easy as interrogating without the broken fingers."
"Yeah, I'm not even going to mention how messed up that is," said Devon as he watched the girls disappear back in Clara's room. "What the heck happened tonight? I knew when Sarah showed up trouble was going to follow…"
"I would hold up with the finger pointing. What happened on the Navy pier doesn't explain the two Russian assassins that were outside in the sedan watching you guys when you came home. If I were to guess I'd say they were GRU or some organization like that. What have you been up to that put you on their radar?"
"They had to have been after Sarah," said Devon. "Who would want to send two people after us? She's here by herself…"
"I know but these came here after they broke into the archives at your hospital so you can't sluff this off on Sarah. What have you two been up to? Or better what have you been up to for the General?"
"Oh, crap the General did ask us to look up a file for her. But she said it wouldn't look odd if a doctor looked at the record."
"I guess she was wrong or the content was so sensitive that whoever looked at it was and is considered a loose end that needs to be tied up. I think you guys need to think about staying in a safe house until this situation is resolved."
"I don't like being a loose end," said Ellie as they sat down in their living room. "I need to call Sarah and tell her to get home."
"Don't tell her I'm here. I'm sure Beckman has told her to report in if she sees or hears from me," said Mary as she picked up the wine bottle and looked at the label. "Do you have anything stronger?"
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Stanis was sitting up in bed reading the latest issue of Golfer's digest when they wheel in Viktor. Stanis looked up over his magazine recognizing who they were bring in to be his roommate. Along with Viktor two agents walked in they looked over at Stanis so he nodded back returning to his magazine. The orderlies situated Viktor and a doctor looked over his chart then pulled a nurse over telling her what other labs he wanted run.
"Well, this is all we can do for now," said the Doctor to the two agents. "I've ordered a troponin test to check on the protein levels in the patient's blood stream. The result will tell me if he's had a heart attack. Until I get the results back I want to keep him here under observation."
"Very well one of us will post on the door outside," said the one man. The doctor nodded then left. They walked over to Stanis.
"How's it going? We heard about what happened in the Director's office. You were lucky they didn't hit anything vital."
"That's what people say but I can tell you this isn't any fun lying on my back all day. I'm happy they bought the farm because if they hadn't I'd be looking for payback. I just hope I still have a job when I get back. The Director probably already has replaced me."
"Not from what I heard," said the other man. I heard he said he didn't want anyone but you. Do you want a cup of tea or something? We're switching off taking turns watching the door?"
"No, I'm fine. I just want to get out of here. However, around supper time if one of you makes a run for food let me know especially if you go to Teremok. I'm so tired of hospital food you can't image."
"Something can be arranged later on," said the one man then they left to take up their position on the door.
"How can you read that bourgeois magazine," said Viktor as he looked over at Stanis behind his magazine. "Golf is a sport of the elite… a sport for the oppressors of the proletariat."
"You wouldn't be calling it a sport if you saw the way I play. You've obviously never played it and I will agree it's not cheap but when you're really stressed out just going to the driving range and hitting the crap out of a few balls can make all the difference."
"When I get stressed I just break out my copy of the 'manifesto' and read then soon I understand everything has a purpose and meaning."
"Yeah, and that meaning or purpose is to screw everyone else over. What good has fifty years plus of communism done for us? I mean besides killing millions of our own people. Let's not start talking about the gulags, the reeducation camps and the mental health facilities and don't say I'm lying because you've seen the reports the same as I have."
"Exaggerations and besides if you want to make an omelet you have to break a few eggs," said Viktor. Suddenly, Stanis magazine came hurling at him. "Ouch! What was that for?"
"I can't believe you had the nerve to compare all the people killed under the purges to making an omelet. There's something wrong with you people."
"How do you know something is wrong with us? It could be the other way around," said Viktor as a nurse came in picked up Stanis' magazine off the floor then handed it to him.
"Please, you two need to learn to play nicely together. There's a shortage of rooms in the hospital so you two are stuck with each other," she said as she handed Stanis back his magazine then she went over to Viktor.
"This won't take long," she said as she took a test tube attaching it to a syringe. "Make a fist," she said as she found the vein. You're going to fill a small prick."
"See that even my blood is red," said Viktor as she took the blood she needed to run the doctor's tests. "See all done," said the nurse as she taped off a catheter she left in. "I'm leaving this in just in case we need to draw more blood of give you an injection…"
"Maybe you can give him a brain while you're at it," said Stanis as he looked over the magazine and smiled.
"Like I said you two had better chummy up to each other or if you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything." There was deafening silence in the room as Stanis continued to leaf through his magazine.
"Well, you two do whatever you like just don't make too much noise. Your doctor should be in to see you in about a half an hour until then," she said as she readied a syringe. "This should keep you calm," she said as she gave it to him in his catheter. "That's a sedative that will make you drowsy."
"Thank you, nurse," said Stanis as he turned the page of his magazine. She looked over at him and held up a syringe. "Oh no, you're not getting near me with that thing."
"Then I would watch my manners or you can join your friend. I'm leaving now and I had better not hear a peep out of either one of you for the rest of my shift." The nurse left and Viktor drifted off to sleep.
"I wonder what he's dreaming about. How many sheep are on his collective jumping a fence into his bourgeois farmer next to his so he calls his local commissar who has his neighbor arrested then he confiscates the neighbor's farm and sheep. For the good of the people of course." He laughed and yawned at the same time.
"A little shut eye would do me some good," he said as he sat his magazine on the table next to his bed then closed his eyes. He had no idea how long he'd been asleep when he heard a noise outside in the hallway that woke him up. A man in a white lab coat came in.
"Oh Doc, you're here already," said Stanis as he yawned. He noticed a bulge in the back of the man's lab coat. He saw the man take the cap off a syringe he had in his pocket. "Hey Doc, do you mind filling my pitch with water. If you don't feel like it I'll understand. I'll just ring for a nurse."
"No, no, I'll get it for you," said the man. He put the cap back on the syringe then pocketed it. He came over got Stanis' pitcher filled it with water then sat it back on his bedside table.
"Thanks Doc," said Stanis. The man smiled at him and even filled his glass. "I really appreciate that but I could've done that myself."
"Well I was here," he said then he went back over to Viktor and pulled the syringe out of his jacket pocket. But when he did he gave his back to Stanis.
"Mister, you can put that syringe down. Fool me once shame on you fool me twice… well that's not happening. Turn around slowly with your hands where I can see them."
"I don't know what you're talking about," said the man as he turned around to look down the barrel of a Makarov that Stanis kept under his pillow.
"As I said fool me once but there will be no twice. I could see you weapon under your white coat and the picture on your badge doesn't even look like you. You didn't even look at Viktor's chart or Comrade Topo's."
"Looks like I should've taken you out first," said the man as he glanced over at the door. Stanis already figured the fake physician had taken out the guard but what if…
[Down in the Lobby]
It was a dreary afternoon when Igor and Anatoly pulled up in front of the entrance. The rain was just starting to come down as they jumped out of their Lada. Hospital security came running out to tell them they couldn't park there. But they flashed them their badges and shoved them out of the way.
"National emergency, Federal'naya sluzhba bezopasnosti Rossiyskoy Federatsii FSB," they yelled as they ran for the elevator. "Any luck getting the guys watching Viktor to answer?"
"No, the call keeps going to voice mail," said Anatoly as he put away his phone. The doors of the elevator opened and they jumped on.
"This isn't good," said Igor as he pulled his weapon. "I recommend you do the same," he said as the bell rang and the doors opened. They were about to step off when they heard two gunshots in rapid succession.
"K Chertu, we're late," said Igor as then ran down the corridor. In the middle of the hallway was one of their men.
"He's gone," said Anatoly as Igor went on down to the room. Outside slumped over in a chair next to the door was their other man. Igor took his pulse but there was none.
"He's gone too." They started to go inside on the floor was a man by the door but before they knew anything there was a gunshot and part of the door frame blew off. Igor and Anatoly dove back outside.
"Sorry, Director was that you," yelled Stanis. "I thought you were these guys back up. You can come inside I'll hold my fire."
"Stanis, what the heck happened," said Igor as he and Anatoly walked inside. There were two bodies on the floor and a large pool of blood.
"The fake doctor tried to give Viktor an injection. I think it's poison," he said as he went on to tell them how he knew the man was an imposture. "…then his partner bolted in so I dropped him and the fake doctor tried to draw so I took him out too."
"Two out three… not bad," said Anatoly as he checked the bodies for identification. Stanis gave him a look. "The Director, you missed him."
"Oh that… that was because I pulled the shot when I saw who he was."
"When you're better you can teach Anatoly how to shoot. He's a little rusty and that's me trying to be nice. Now let's find a real doctor and wake up Comrade Topo. I want him to have a good look at what his comrades had planned for him. I think he might be a little more cooperative now."
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Stefan and the rest drove away from the Navy pier as they heard sirens and saw flashing blue lights behind them. Everyone just sat quietly as they went through melt down. Vlad pulled out a flask took a hit then started it around.
"Dymtro, I don't know if you should take a hit. That might not go to well with your blood pressure medicine or any of the other medicines you have to take."
"Just shut up and pass me the flask. I'll worry about my own health. Stay with the van we need to have a getaway vehicle ready was what you told me… a bunch of malarkey was what that was. You just didn't want me in the nest. Well, I guess the laughs on you because you did need me here after all."
"Okay, we're sorry we lied to you but it was for your own good and I'll admit for ours too," said Oleg as he took a hit then passed it on. "So Foma what's the deal? Who were those people?"
"I don't know who they were but I think they don't want you to answer my questions. Some years ago, a man by the name of Peter Petrovich defected and was brought here. There was an accident and supposedly he and his family died in the accident. However, now we're not so sure. Did you guys help anyone disappear like that?"
"If they defected and the center wanted them back we would've bagged and tagged them. Faking their death would've been a good way to get them out. The Americans wouldn't know they'd been grabbed until they showed up back home. But the name doesn't ring any bells."
"How about the rest of you? Does this make you think of someone? There has to be something or they wouldn't have sent the wet team."
"You should ask Odo wherever he's at," said Sasha. Everyone looked at her. "Well he should. This is the type of operation he would've been involved in."
"Who is this Odo and how do I find him," said Stefan. There was something else about Odo that his friends weren't saying. "Come on I have to know. You realize these people will send others to finish the job they started."
"Odo arrived shortly after you left and he was a winner, a real Bolshevik and when I say Bolshevik I mean it in every negative sense you can imagine. He reported back to the center every time we did something he didn't like. We were being corrupted by living decadent lifestyles in the west. He became insufferable to the point he had to go."
"Don't tell me you took him out in the woods and capped him," said Stefan. He felt partly to blame for leaving them.
"No, nothing like that," said Alla. "We just gave him a little something to drink and we baked him some special brownies then took him to a men's lounge and turned him loose to graze."
"So, you took him to a lounge and he had a few more drinks. I'm missing something?" said Stefan as he saw funny expressions on his friends' faces.
"No, you don't understand. The men's lounge was a men's lounge as in there were no women or the women inside weren't women."
"Oh… oh, I see and what happened to him," said Stefan as he tried not to think.
"We went crazy and started drinking a lot afterwards. He changed his name then went out west before the center could grab him and make him go back home."
"I got a card from him once from a city call Primm in Nevada," said Sasha. "But he'd be the one to talk to because he was into that type of clandestine ops. He was the guy who used to come up with a plan on how we got people in and out of the country."
"So, he would have the skillsets to make someone disappear?"
"Most definitely."