Chapter 19d04

Chapter 19 (Draft 04)

The rain poured from the heavens that night and at the time it was probably a very good thing. It meant the students of the university campus would be off the streets, attending instead to their studies and the philosophies of man. The knolls and property surrounding the Wetzler School of Medicine, a building only recently renamed in honor of its dead division head, was well lit; a testament to the fact the medical staff inside always worked a little later than everybody else. The rain slammed into the walkway that ran in a straight line one hundred yards from the building's front to the street below. The thunder rolled in the blackness overhead as the doors suddenly flew open and five men and two women hurried outside.

"Robert, what's going on? Are we in some kind of danger?" Kari stopped in her tracks when she felt the rain hitting her. She looked up and cursed the sky again.

"Just keep moving toward the street. I'll explain everything when we're in the car," Robert yelled back over the rumble overhead.

FBI Agent Ramirez was pulling Doctor Howard along by his bicep, the doctor's hands still handcuffed behind his back. Koslov had his gun out as he led the way, pausing only slightly to look for anybody suspicious around them. He then jabbed a finger into his ear to speak.

"We're outside now, front of the building, heading east toward the street. Have the cars ready, copy?"

For his part, Ethan had completely thrown his trust into Robert's care. Like Kari, he was completely ignorant about what might be happening, but when it came to Sally's safety he decided to obey precisely the orders given him. Whatever questions he had could certainly wait. He held tight to Sally's hand as the group hit the sidewalk and then moved as quickly as they could toward the street without breaking into a run.

Robert reached back to grab Kari's hand. "Koslov?"

"Cars are on the way, five minutes!"

"Bullshit, five minutes. We might not have that much time."

"The woods on the other side of the street will give us cover," Koslov replied. "We can stake out a defensive position there if we have to."

"Robert. Are we in danger? What's happening?" Kari said, as she broke into a jog to match Robert's pace.

"Yes, we are," he said looking over at her. "In fact, we're in some serious shit right now. Keep moving and I'll explain everything later."

The group finally reached the street and then stopped.

"Roman, where's the God damned car? I could have called my mother and got a faster response!"

The agent was talking into his ear again. He looked back at Robert. "One minute. We stay here!"

Robert let go of Kari's hand and then removed his gun. The cop and the two agents encircled the group, their guns pointing into the open areas surrounding them.

"Here they come," Koslov said, pointing at the two sets of headlights speeding up the street.

Robert frowned as the vehicles came into view, two black vans in staggered formation.

"Are you sure they're your people?" Robert said worriedly.

"Definitely not!" Ramirez yelled out. "Everybody DOWN!" He shoved Howard to the ground and Robert did the same to Kari. Ethan dropped, pulling Sally down and covering her body with his own.

The vans screeched to a stop and the side doors flew open. In an instant, three hooded men with black ski masks jumped out of the first vehicle followed quickly by three more from the second. They moved with precision, like a SWAT team holding small machine guns.

"Drop you weapons!" yelled one of the men with an eastern dialect.

"Seattle Police Department!" Robert yelled back, pointing his Glock at them. "Drop those weapons now!"

"FBI!" Shouted Ramirez. "Lower your weapons or I will be forced to fire!"

For a moment, both sides seemed frozen in time, long enough to hear the thunder rolling over their heads. The back of the vans flew open and two more men jumped out with AKs."

"Roman — talk to these cocksuckers!" Ramirez said nervously. "Tell them our people are on the way!."

"Закройте испортить!" one of the Russians yelled back, jabbing the barrel of his machine gun forward.

Koslov took a small step forward, his gun moving to take aim at the Russian who had spoken. "Женщина в середине, покрытой человеком - тот, который Вы хотите. Если она убита, мы - все мертвые!" he blistered back at the man.

Nobody moved. Nobody was breathing. Koslov took a step back and then raised his free hand as if to calm the armed men standing in front of them. "Я буду заботиться об этом," he told them. He then turned quickly and fired his weapon at Ramirez's forehead and Kari and Sally screamed. Ramirez was dead before he hit the sidewalk and Koslov turned again to point his weapon at Robert.

"Drop it, detective!"

Robert was shell shocked. He looked down at Ramirez's head pouring something black onto the rain-soaked walk, his vision tunneling as he looked horrified back up at Koslov. He was immediately slammed on the side of the face and the world went black.

Robert awoke to the sound of crying.

"Robert, please wake up. Please, please open your eyes for me." It was Kari's voice. She sounded worried. He could feel her pressing something soft into the side of his face. He instantly remembered the Russians, the sidewalk outside the university, Ramirez being shot. Robert bolted up, but someone slammed a boot into his chest to put him back down.

"Спуститесь!" yelled one of the Russians. Robert could barely see the barrel of a gun pointing at his face in the darkness.

"Stop it," Kari screamed. "Leave him alone!"

The Russian lifted his boot as Kari leaned forward over him.

"Robert. Can you hear me?"

"Yeah, I hear you fine. What's going on? Where are we?"

"They hit you. You might have a concussion." She looked around and sniffed. Although it was too dark to see anything, he could tell they were on the move. "We're in the van now. They have Sally, Ethan and Glad in the other van."

She leaned in close to look at the side of his head. "Robert… I don't understand. Were those other two men with the FBI?"

"Yeah, they were."

"Then why did one of them shoot the other?"

Robert tried to move, but found his wrists tied behind his back. "I guess Koslov was working for Bezuhov."

"Working for who?"

Robert tried to think. Bezuhov had his mole in the FBI all along. No wonder they couldn't get anything on Bezuhov when he was talking to Kari's uncle. Koslov was probably warning him about the warrants. Robert looked up at the dark outline of Kari above him.

"I'll explain later."

"Who are these people and what are they going to do with us?"

That, Robert thought, was a very good question. It was obvious Bezuhov wanted Sally and perhaps Kari's uncle, but he still wasn't sure why. Even with his head still spinning, it didn't take Robert long to realize he and Kari didn't fit into the picture in any important way. He suddenly didn't like the idea of being separated from the others.

"I don't know," Robert answered her honestly before the obvious hit him. Both he and Kari and maybe Ethan were all dead. They had all witnessed one of Bezuhov's FBI moles killing his partner. Certainly Koslov's position as one of Bezuhov's men in the Bureau would be vastly more important than three prisoners.

Robert looked up at Kari again, his fear building. "Hug me," he whispered to her.

"What?" Kari whispered back.

"Please… hug me, Kari."

He could see her outline moving forward and when she was against him he whispered into her ear, "Kari, we're in very serious danger. I want you to promise me that if you get a chance, you'll try and get away." He could feel the fear increasing in her body. "Don't say anything, just listen to me. They're probably going to kill us unless we break away. Promise me you'll try even if I can't go with you."

"Oh Robert, I'm so scared… I'm so scared."

"So am I, but I want you to promise me you'll run if you get the chance."

"Достаточный разговор, Вы два!" Spat the Russian again, kicking Robert in the side.

He could feel Kari squeezing his hand. For now… it was enough.

The van continued on its way, the steady strobe of the streetlamps intermittently displacing the darkness through the windows. It was enough to see the four men seated stoically on benches around them; they were staring at Kari. Their eyes looked dead, almost drugged.

Robert knew the city very well. He tried to concentrate on the path and turns the van was taking. He listened for anything that might give him a clue about their heading. He squeezed Kari's hand a hard again and she immediately came forward.

"Watch for any signs, anything to tell us where we're going."

"I am," she whispered back.

That's my girl.

There was a flash of something green outside and Robert could see Kari in the fading light looking up interestedly. There was another flash and Robert saw a sign with Interstate symbols. Interstates five and four-0-five, but were they north or south of the city? He saw another sign for the airport. They were heading south.

They drove for another hour before Robert could feel the van slowing. It finally stopped in front of a warehouse, there was a honk, and the double doors began to open. The vans moved inside, the doors flew opened and the prisoners pulled out.

"Remember what I said, Kari," Robert said nervously, looking around to see their captors pushing Ethan, Sally and Howard deeper into the building. Robert and Kari were then forced to follow.

They were led into an inner building and eventually to a large living space in complete contrast to the rest of the warehouse surrounding them. There were comfortable couches and chairs, ornate rugs and beautiful paintings on the walls. There was a fully stocked bar, a large desk, several television sets pushed into one of the walls and, Robert's eyes widened, a telephone sitting on the desk.

The guards escorting them moved to the sides of the room and then turned to watch them, their guns left purposely in plain sight. To the left, a large fireplace crackled warmly and several pictures sat upon its mantel. Next to the fire was another couch where a teenager and a young boy sat staring at them. The boy who looked like a common field hand of Latino decent was petting a sleeping puppy on his lap.

"Dad?" one of the boys mumbled. "Dad!" The teenager suddenly leapt from the couch and ran forward, but it wasn't until he almost crashed into Doctor Howard that Kari recognized him.

"Benny! Oh my God, it's Benny!" Kari cried out.

Still handcuffed, the doctor started to cry tears of overwhelming joy at seeing his missing son again.

"My boy, my dear son," he moaned, kissing to top of Benny's head again and again as Kari came forward to hug the two of them.

"Ah, a family reunion," came a dry voice from the right. The group looked around to see eight people walking forward in black lab coats lead by an old man in an electric wheelchair.

"How very nice. Certainly, Doctor Howard, you have earned this moment fully." The old man said, stopping in front of them to smile.

Kari looked around at Bezuhov and then back to Howard. "Uncle Glad, do you know this man?"

"Yes he does, Miss Dietz, he most certainly does. Your uncle has been in my employ for nearly a year now."

Kari frowned at the man.

"How do I know your name?" the old man said. "Miss Katherine Dietz — Kari for short. Your mother is Doctor Howard's sister, of course, which is how you were able to gather so much attention to your friend's unusual condition. You graduated five years ago from the Seattle University School of Nursing with minimum effort and grades." The old man seemed to sneer at her. "You should learn to apply yourself more, young lady. You're much more capable than you think," he added grandfatherly. "You are currently dating…" he turned in his wheelchair to face Robert.

"Robert Michael Coleman, Detective Second Class of the Seattle Police Department. Mother's name is Patricia and your father's name was Patrick; Pat and Pat. I thought that rather comical when I read your file. I must say, detective, you've been giving my men fits over the last few months… with all your snooping and prying."

Robert huffed and then thought to leverage whatever knowledge he had of the man. "Alexander Bezuhov of the old Soviet KBG, founder of the Red Mafia, one hundred and three years old, currently living in Los Angeles. You're a long way from home, sir."

Bezuhov smiled back. "It is pronounced Ah-lek-s-ahn-der. And the only reason you know so much about me, detective, is because I allowed my man to give you that information. You don't know how many people have died trying to earn what I freely gave to you."

"What your man gave to me? You mean that murdering son of a bitch, Koslov?"

"Now — now, detective. I suggest you hold onto your anger until I give you a truer, more personal, reason to feel exasperated." The look on Bezuhov's face changed to resemble something already dead. Robert did not answer as the old man turned his chair again.

"Mr. Ethan Dodge, born in Danvers Nebraska, distant relative of General Ethan M. Dodge… of Promontory Summit fame, owner and proprietor of Ethan Books and Stationary; a traveler of many countries in the desperate search for good literature." Bezuhov cocked his head as if the study him.

"I take it you found something by Tolstoy in my homeland in which to make a profit? You Americans do seem to gravitate toward the aristocracy."

Ethan didn't respond and the old man smiled.

"I've never known a man engaging in so passionate a quest to pass up the opportunity to discuss their obsessions, Mr. Dodge. Not a fan of the Count?"

Ethan swallowed hard. "I have… a first English edition of The Kingdom of God Is Within You, published in 1894."

Bezuhov rolled his eyes. "A societal org chart based on the literal interpretation of the word of God." The old man stopped to think. "Tell me, Mr. Dodge, what you do think of the writer's opinion that any government that wages war is an affront to Christian principles?" Ethan did not respond. "I personally believe changing society into something non-violent would be disastrous to the survival of man. After all, protecting one's self is a part of our nature, wouldn't you agree?"

Ethan looked around at his friends and then slowly shook his head. "To think, 'That this social order with its pauperism, famines, prisons, gallows, armies, and wars is necessary to society; that still greater disaster would ensue if this organization were destroyed; all this is said only by those who profit by this organization, while those who suffer from it – and they are ten times as numerous – think and say quite the contrary.'"

Bezuhov rolled his head back to laugh, which immediately lead him into a fit of uncontrollable coughing. The doctors in black came forward quickly, but he stopped them with an exaggerated and flapping wave.

After the old man had recovered, he looked up at Ethan again. "Well done, young man. I see my reports stressing your sharp intellect and recall for doggerel were not exaggerated. Your keen recollection might spawn the belief you penned those words to paper yourself. I presume you to be as aspired as Gandhi by the man, but Tolstoy was a fool. Certainly you can see your standing here with your friends proves that, don't you?" The old man's eyes turned deadly cold. "I should thinkSergey Kozlov brought more to the world of literature than did the Count."

"I'm not surprised," Ethan replied flatly. "Like you, Kozlov's fairytales refused the sharp distinctions between good and evil."

The old man smiled again and then leaned forward. "I'm afraid the evil found here with me will be easily discerned, Mr. Dodge."

Frightened, Sally stepped forward to thread her hand under Ethan's arm and Bezuhov turned slightly to smile up at her.

"Ah — and here we have the leading lady of the show. Mrs. Sally Carmichael of Shubert Nebraska, ninety-three years young." Bezuhov rolled forward to examine her more fully and Sally stepped back in response. Bezuhov looked somewhat disappointed by her reaction to him.

"Fear me not, madam. After all, I am your biggest admirer and contributor to your continued good health."

"Why have you brought us here? What do you want?"

Bezuhov turned and rolled back. "What do I want?" He looked to Howard. "What is it we want, doctor? Maybe you can explain it to her."

Howard looked terrified. Now that he had found his son again, it was clear he was desperate to appease the man in the chair.

"To study her condition."

"Specifically?" Bezuhov added.

"Specifically... the things that have caused her aging process to reverse."

"Very good. Thank you, doctor."

"But, to what end?" Sally asked him. "How would kidnapping me benefit you?"

"I do apologize for insisting on this step, Mrs. Carmichael, but your unfortunate decision to leave the university left me with very few options. It is most critical that we continue studying your case." He began to cough again.

Sally looked furious. "So I am to be kept here as your prisoner and expected to submit myself to whatever you need from me?"

Bezuhov's expression turned cold. It terrified Sally even before he spoke. "If you expect your friends to survive my company and to live a fruitful life in the years ahead... yes, I most certainly do."

Sally couldn't respond. She found herself reaching back to Ethan again. His hand was very cold. He was frightened too.

Bezuhov turned again. "Now then, I hope all of you will choose to accept my hospitality without succumbing to the temptation or thoughts of escape. I will warn you of this only once… that would be most unwise." The rubber under his wheels squeaked as if to emphasis his point.

"Although you all look to be in equal good health, you should understand that I do not think of you as equals. In all of nature, there is a pecking order and so it is true here as well. If I am displeased with your actions during our time together or if Mrs. Carmichael is not satisfyingly willing to continue with our tests, then there will be consequences. And I'm afraid the others will have to suffer those consequences." He looked at Robert.

"Detective Coleman, you are the truest danger to me here. The only reason you're not already dead is because I was afraid my killing you would not allow this time of quiet discourse with Mrs. Carmichael. But if anything should happen to make me regret my earlier decision to keep you alive, you would be the first to leave us."

His head turned to face Ethan. "Mr. Dodge would then move to the top of my 'thou shalt be first' list, although I did struggle somewhat between choosing you over Miss Dietz in the order of things. Although I believe it would be equally traumatic to Mrs. Carmichael to see either if you die, I have thus defaulted once again to the one who would be the most dangerous in my presence. There is an old Bratva saying: 'The strongest of two is always the first to go.'"

He looked again at Kari. "And besides, the manner in which an execution takes place, especially when it involves a young and beautiful woman, can be very useful when enforcing a point." There was movement to the side and they all turned to watch the men in black set their rifles down to remove their ski masks. They were all staring at Kari.

"Young Benny Howard would be next — although I doubt his father would be of much use to me afterward, so I should think they would leave together if that time should come." He turned again.

"And then… there is Mrs. Carmichael who shares the top of the food chain while in my presence with one other." He paused. "Oh, but where are my manners?" He slowly rolled to the left and toward the couch where the young Latino boy sat with his puppy.

"Levántese!" the old man whispered.

The boy moved the puppy off of his lap and slowly got to his feet.

Bezuhov smiled cordially and then turned to face group again.

"I'd like you all to meet Tiago Lopes of Brazil." Bezuhov looked at the boy. "Diga hola, Tiago."

The boy looked terrified as he slowly raised his hand to say, "Hola."

Kari immediately came forward to look down at the boy. "Hola, Tiago." She bent down to peer into the boy's eyes and then around at his body and arms. She reached out to touch his face, but the boy stepped back. "It's okay, I won't hurt you. I'm a nurse."

"Ella es una enfermera," growled a voice behind her and Kari could see the boy's eyes soften toward her. She reached up again to smooth his black hair back and then felt around his chin.

"You will find Tiago in perfect health, Miss Dietz. I wouldn't allow the boy to fall ill in my care."

"Who is he?" Kari asked unconsciously, as she inspected his hands and arms. There no answer until Kari looked back.

"Who is he?"

Bezuhov was staring at the boy and then whispered, "The future." The old man turned to face the group.

"Do any of you speak Spanish or Portuguese?" Nobody replied. "No? That's a shame, because I am sure you would find Tiago quite knowledge for one so young; it's disappointing to know you won't be able to take advantage of his wisdom." He turned again to face Sally.

"So, Mrs. Carmichael, I trust you understand the position I'm putting you in. I expect your complete cooperation over the next few weeks as we work to finish our tests. Can I count on your collaboration?"

Sally was frightened, but she understood well the risks to her friends if she refused. "I don't seem to have a choice in the matter, given you might hurt my friends otherwise."

The old man smiled. "Thank you, madam."

"Sally, you don't have to agree to this." Robert cut in. He then looked at Bezuhov. "He's probably going to kill us anyway."

"Now-now, detective… you shouldn't frighten the ladies with your morbid assumptions."

"I'm a police officer who witnessed your man murdering an FBI agent. We know who you are and that you kidnapped Benny Howard. You probably abducted the Brazilian boy as well. I have no delusions about our future with you… and neither should Sally."

Bezuhov smiled and then rolled forward. Two men with guns came forward as well, but were halted by an invisible tic of annoyance that the old man needed their assistance. He looked up at the detective.

"So young," Bezuhov said sympathetically. "Detective Coleman, you lack an appreciation of time and what one moment, one extra minute of it, can buy you in this living world. If you live as long as me, you might understand how precious time can be, even if only to take a breath unimpaired. You should learn to cherish whatever time has been granted you to enjoy." The old man turned again and rolled into the waiting crowd of doctors in black. "Decide not the value of time now, detective. Remember… 'nothing 'gainst time's scythe can make defence save breed, to brave him when he takes thee hence.'"

Bezuhov looked back over his shoulder at Ethan who whispered, "William Shakespeare."

The old man smiled again before exiting the room as one of the guards tossed something to Robert. He caught it and looked down. It was the key to Howard's handcuffs.

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