Charina – Salvation - Volkoff
Alexei Volkoff was one of the most powerful men in the world. His influence was on par with the leaders of small countries.
Seeming to come out of nowhere, preferring to speak in the Queen's English yet claiming a Russian childhood, Alexei Volkoff what something of an enigma.
There wasn't anything enigmatic about his lust for power, nor his ruthlessness in achieving it.
He sat on top of a global weapons empire, with his transactions, not only earning him billions, but also changing the world, influencing history.
It wasn't his concern if that change was for the good or the bad.
Volkoffs walls protected him from intruders and assassins. His political connections protected him from everything else.
Alexei Volkoff was one of the most powerful men in the world. He's influence was on par with the leaders of small countries.
Until, he wasn't.
Until one morning in August, when the President of Russia decided he was a threat.
Whether it was because of the level of influence Alexie was reaching, or because of a fear of betrayal, or if it was because of a horoscope, or perhaps a Tarot card reading, nobody knew why, but the Russian President decided he didn't want Alexei Volkoff around anymore.
If you combined all of Volkoff's forces around the world, he had a small army, the fraction of those which he had at his fortress like headquarters were still substantial. Altogether his defenses would prove difficult and costly to even a decently sized assault team. Not so much the Russian Army.
Missiles were expensive, as was jet fuel, so when the breaking news reported that Volkoff was head of a secret, terrorist organization, his headquarters were already under attack by Government forces, and it was in the form of artillery fire.
There was no assault team to drive back, only exploding shells to be destroyed by.
Starting at the perimeter, Russian artillery walked its way around the fortress, destroying the outer buildings and drove the survivors into a center of an explosive destruction you didn't survive. Alexie was in his tower office, which allowed him a 360 degree view of his property. His presence was probably a trigger for a forward spotter, because that is where the first shell hit. And hell existed on earth for a brief period of time. Churned dirt and burning rubble was a terrifying testament to the power of an artillery barrage.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
The team was stunned, looking at the footage of a plot of land, more than a city block sized, that consisted only of churned dirt and burning rubble.
Coming to his senses, Chuck incredulously asked, "And Mom was there?" his eyes wide in disbelief.
"Yeah Son, she was, and I think still is. She was able to trigger a May Day signal we set up, and that was after the barrage ended. I don't know if she is OK, but I think she survived it."
We'll then we need to get going. What's the plan, Dad?
So, his dad laid out what he had in mind, and Team Carmichael set about pulling it all together.
Chuck set about putting together the tech gear, while Carina turned to the armory to secure their weapons. Meanwhile, Casey went to the motor pool to prepare the vehicles. Since it was Russia, they didn't have time to jump through all the hoops aircraft would require.
Their Ducati V4 motorcycles were customized for the Company, having a top speed nearing 200mph and armed with a full defensive package. They had no forward facing guns or rockets, to avoid causing a steering disruption at high speed. Besides WTF are you doing attacking someone from an exposed and unstable platform like a Motorcycle? All of its weapons were rearward facing because you are supposed to be running away from the enemy at nearly 200 MPH. And, any enemies behind you were fucked. Caltrops, Smoke, and Lubricant were all available to complicate pursuit. If the pursuers were really persistent, there were flash bang and regular grenades, which could be launched rearward. It was designed to get you someplace fast and safe. Chuck considered, On the bikes, full throttle, we can be there, hopefully, before nightfall. It had to be soon enough.
Chuck and Carina would Ride and Casey and an agent would follow in 2 vans. One tactical, one medical.
At someplace along the way, They would meet his dad, and Carina would turn over her V4 to him and wait for Casey to pick her up.
The ride was uneventful, as they were past any trouble, before it had a chance to occur. They managed to outrun Murphy and his bad luck law.
They met Stephen just outside a local market in a small town in Belarus, and even the transfer between Stephen and Carina even went smoothly.
It was a clear evening, so the light was still pretty good, when they reached the general area of the signal. Its GPS location was somewhere in the nearby fields and woods, too cluttered to allow the motorcycles. So they continued on foot, cautiously proceeding, scanning the area, looking for danger. In the near distance, the ruins of Volkoff's fortress provided a visible reminder of how dangerous this area could be. But, it was the smell of smoke and destruction that provided the most impactful experience.
Chuck and his dad move through the light woods, in the dusk, like ghosts. They fear they would find a ghost, when suddenly, a bloody apparition arose in front of them, and lowered its hood.
"Mary!"
"Mom!"
She falls into Stephen's arms, whispers, "Thank god you are here", as she lapses into unconsciousness.
Stephen gently lays her on the ground, as Chuck pulls his backpack off, kneels next to them, and starts pulling out medical supplies.
They dress her wounds the best they can. The bulk of her injuries seem to be to her front, her clothes and general appearance indicating that she faced some kind of blast. She has a goose egg on her head, and from the way she held her body, before she collapsed, her right arm may be injured, and she has a bandage, tourniquet on her upper right leg.
She would later explain that when she heard the first explosion, she decided to deal with whatever was happening from the outside. So, she grabbed her guns and go bag, and ran to the sub-basement, as the world outside rumbled. This isn't just an incursion, this is something big. She realized that it was time to get out, so she paused and sent her distress signal to Stephen. Then she ran into a tunnel that she knew would lead her to the outside world, beyond the walls of Volkoff's fortress.
Mary had made it to the tunnel, when everything above her was pulverized and the tunnel itself was feeling the impact. She had been close enough to see the door, set in the middle of the original cave opening, which was her path to the outside world. Prior use of the door provided the knowledge that the wood paneling surrounding the door covered a thick layer of earthen works, which filled the rest of the cave's opening around the door, allowing its appearance from the outside look relatively natural, somewhat concealing it. That knowledge didn't provide any protection as the entirety of it virtually disintegrated and blew inward, pelting her body with projectiles of debris. She was far enough back that the door landed in front of her, but the debris hit her like a shot gun blast, the worst of it being from a large splinter of wood that pierced her thigh, and a broken forearm and injured forehead from a couple of the larger pieces. If she had been further along, she would not have survived the blast, it was incredible that she survived as it was.
After treating her the best they could, Chuck moved to away to stand sentry, while Stephen stayed by Mary's side, nervously tending to her the best he could.
A few hours later, as darkness set in, Chuck's phone rang, it was Casey.
"Don't shoot me. We're the lights that will be coming up the road shortly." Casey stated by way of greeting.
Carina asked, surprised, "How did you guys get here so fast?"
Casey answered, "Let's just say, we tested the maximum performance ability of these vans. And if I happened to be using one of our Interpol transmitters, to avoid any interference from the local police, it was purely accidental.
Chuck replied, "Well, slow down now, Speed Racer, I need to make my way back to the road. We are off the road a little ways, and our motorcycles are hidden in the brush. How far are you from the last turn off?"
Casey told her and Chuck calculated they were only a couple of minutes away. "Okay, well, slow down and I'll be out to the road as soon as I can."
He told his dad what was going on, looked down, tenderly at his Mom, then as a graver look passed over his face, he told his Dad. You've got a lot of explaining to do, when we get back."
Stephen nodded, never looking up from his unconscious wife. Stephen Bartowski didn't know what the future held for him, he just knew that he was luckier than he deserved that Mary was alive.
oooooooooooooooooooooo
Staying in contact on the phone, Chuck waved Casey down, and directed him to a small clearing.
"So, your mom is alive? You found her?" were Casey's first questions.
"Yes, thank God. She is battered and unconscious, but she is alive."
Casey nodded, and helped Carina and the other agent grab everything to take.
With a stretcher and medical gear in hand, they followed Chuck to his mom.
The team sprang into immediate action, tending to Mary, setting up an IV, and prepping her for movement. Once she was stabilized, they administered a tranquilizer, so she wouldn't move while they were tending to her. Stephen stood up, stepped back, and hovered.
Side-by-side they watched the team take care of everything and get Mary loaded into the Medical Van.
Over 24 hours Chuck's world had dramatically changed.
Casey drove the Tactical Van, while the agent drove the Medical Van, with Stephen riding in the back with Mary.
Chuck and Carina rode the V4's.
Next stop, The Villa.