Kim Possible MAX: Volume 1, the Red Witch
Title: Chapter 2, Antonin Bratchenko
Summary: Kim plans to implement the next phase of her mission in Los Angeles. Shego touches bases with her contact in Vietnam.
Disclaimer: I own nothing and don't claim to own anything.
Warnings: Includes violence & gore, profanity, references to things like sex & drugs, and what some may consider intense scenes. Viewer discretion is advised.
Patriot44: The first chapter established the character of this story. In this one, I add to the story.
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Chapter 2 – Antonin Bratchenko
Los Angeles
Antonin Bratchenko stared down at the corpse of his son Kirill, which lay on a slab at the LA County Morgue.
Earlier today, around 10:00AM, he was approached by two LAPD detectives who "regretfully" informed him that his son was dead and that they had permission from a judge to detain him for questioning. His bodyguards were furious, but he agreed to go with them.
During questioning, the detectives revealed to him his son was just one of twenty men found dead at a scrap yard in South Los Angeles. They said that large amounts of cocaine and illegal weapons were found at the scene and it appeared Kirill was taking part in an illegal transaction. Naturally, Antonin said that he had no idea his son was involved in anything illegal.
It was earlier afternoon when they allowed him to leave, the police realized they couldn't keep the mobster much longer without a warrant and let him go. After having a car retrieve him from the police station and meeting with some of his people, he went to the morgue to retrieve his son's body.
He had to admit he didn't feel much sadness, he was not what you would call a family man and he didn't really care for his son. His mother was a different story entirely. If she were still alive Kirill's death would've ruined her. She had spoiled Kirill during his childhood. It had made him into what Antonin considered to be a worthless person, somebody uninterested in pursuing things other than early pleasures. But that didn't matter; his mother was dead and now so was he. The blood of the Bratchenko family had been spilt. would need to do something about this, not because he was a sentimental fool, but because he was a man and it was his duty.
Antonin covered up his son's body and turned to the only two of his men that he requested accompany him to the morgue, Timur Volsky and Alexander Nikulin.
Timur was a longtime friend and trusted advisor. He was short, old and fat and enjoyed every moment of it. He had a preference for leisure and never got excited about anything. After having spent much of his younger years as a hitman, he grew tired of such a violent lifestyle and resolved to live a more placid and secure existence. His position as Antonin's right-hand man allowed him to do this.
Alexander was a different story. He was tall and burly man who was much younger than Timur, being in his forties. He was also a much more violent and angry person, constantly looking for something to lash out against. Despite his abrasiveness, he was a loyal and diligent employee. It was for this reason that he served as Antonin's chief enforcer.
"This cannot go unanswered" he stated. "If the son of Antonin Yuliiovich Bratchenko dies and no one is made to suffer, then our enemies will think striking against us and our associates bears no consequence."
Timur had an inquiring look on his face. "You seem to think that Kirill was specifically targeted."
"That's because he was" the crime lord said in a tone that indicated he was in no mood to be contradicted.
Timur didn't want to push his luck, but he felt like he needed to "I don't mean to question you, but why are you so certain? This sounds like it was one of Kirill's deals. Couldn't it be possible that it was attacked by thieves who sought the fruits of the deal for themselves?"
Antonin furrowed his eyes "If that was the case then the cocaine and the guns would've been gone. The police told me they found both on the scene."
Timur was caught off guard by this information and said nothing, so Antonin continued "Whoever did this act did it solely for the purpose of killing. One or more of the twenty men found at the scene had been deliberately sought dead. I deduced it was my son as he was the only one there of any great importance."
Timur was thinking. Alexander had a suggestion of his own to give "How do we know their target wasn't the other guy? The leader of the other crew?"
"Guillermo Narvaez? He was no one, nothing. My son was the target."
The three men were quiet for a little while.
"You're right" Timur realized "I can see no other alternative. Somebody who is able to kill twenty men with such effectiveness would not waste their time with this unless your son was the target."
"Then it is understood what will be done" The elder Bratchenko stated calmly "Blood for blood."
"Do not worry Pakhan" Alexander began, not noticing the annoyed look on his master's face "I will not rest until the people responsible for this are dead and then I will-"
"You will do whatever I tell you do to Alexander!" Antonin shouted, interrupting his chief enforcer "Kirill was my blood not yours! If I tell you to not do anything and sit inside your house while we deal with it, then that is what you will do!"
Alexander lowered his head as he was scolded, it was not the first time he forgot his place.
The coroner entered the morgue "Mr. Bratchenko? Your funeral director is downstairs."
The Russian mob boss said nothing.
"Mr. Bratchenko?"
"Yes, I heard you…" He turned to Alexander "Go greet the undertaker. Tell him we will be with him shortly."
Alexander nodded quietly and went with the coroner, leaving just Antonin and Timur.
"Why did you shout at Alexander?"
Antonin growled "Because it is not for him to decide what action will be taken in response to my son's death, it is for me to decide."
Timur nodded somberly "What would you have with the one who killed Kirill?"
The old man closed his eyes for the longest time, when he opened them again he had much to say "There will be no hit contract. The person who did this must be brought before me alive. I will ask them why they killed my son. If they choose not to answer, they will be made to answer. Once I am certain I have the correct answer, I will shoot them in the head; just like they did with Kirill."
Antonin paused to see if Timur had anything to say. When nothing was said, he continued.
"A reward of one-hundred thousand dollars will be given to anyone who can provide information on the individual and/or individuals who were responsible for the killing at Witlow's Scrap Yard. The one who is able to offer complete and conclusive information will receive five-hundred thousand dollars."
This time, Timur did have something to say "That kind of money will undoubtedly attract imposters."
"Yes it will, and anyone who comes to us will be made to provide proof of the authenticity of their claims. If anyone is found to be lying for their own gain, they will be punished. I will have no tolerance for people wasting my time."
"I will see to it personally that your instructions are followed Antonin" Timur assured his friend.
Antonin looked back at its son body "And I will see to Kirill's funeral. It will be something tasteful and respectful. That should be enough."
"When do you want to have it?"
"Two days from now, the same cemetery where we had Olegev's funeral.
"Ah, yes. I remember where we buried Olegev" Timur said serenely "It is a good and peaceful place. The perfect spot for Kirill"
"I'm glad you think so" Antonin said coldly.
There was an awkward silence between the two.
"Antonin…Kirill was…"
"My son was an idiot Timur, and I was not very fond of him. You and I both know that and we don't have to pretend otherwise."
Timur sighed, apparently relieved by Antonin being so honest. "Yes, well…Let's not keep the undertaking waiting."
And with that they left the morgue.
Ten seconds later, the body nearest Kirill's body began to move.
The body sat up on its slab and threw off the sheet that had been covering it. Kim Possible smiled at her ability to hide in plain sight
Ho Chi Minh City
Believe or not, there was a bar in Ho Chi Minh City called "Charlie's." It had nothing to do with "Victor-Charlie" which was what the U.S. military referred to the Viet Cong during the war. Charlie was the nickname of the man who created it in the 1930s. Every time the bar got a new owner they gave it a new name, but most people just called it "Charlie's."
A lot of the bars in twenty-first century Vietnam were very modern and catered to the nightlife crowd. Charlie's was a quiet and rustic place, good for people who relished the tavern feel. Shego's contact Xiong was one of those people.
The people employing Shego favored a very "hands off" approach. The only time she ever spoke to them was over the phone, she had never met any of them and didn't even know their names, and from what she understood they wanted to keep it that way.
But of course that wasn't a very effective way to deal with someone like Shego. There would need to be a human component to manage things, that's what Xiong was for. It was his job to meet with Shego, provide her with additional information on her assignment and to explain what prior preparations had been made with her. He was also the one she called if something went wrong or she needed anything, but she was adamant about never having to do that.
Shego didn't know much about Xiong either. Apparently he had originally been involved with the Triads in Hong Kong, after that he did something with the Ministry of State Security (the Chinese equivalent of the CIA.) The rest of it was shrouded in mystery, obviously it lead up to what he was doing now as Shego's handler.
Shego and Xiong occupied the bar at Charlie's; Shego sitting on a stool and sipping some tea, Xiong smoking a cigarette while he leaned against the bar.
Three other people were in Charlie's, the bartender was one of them obviously, the other two were a couple of disreputable looking gentlemen sitting at the other end of the bar and having an animated conversation.
"He will be expecting you of course" Xiong was saying.
"And he knows who I am and who sent me?" Shego asked without look at Xiong.
"Of course, but he does not know what your ultimate purpose is."
The green-tinted woman allowed herself a smirk "I've got to hand it to you Xiong, the whole thing is pretty calculating."
The Chinese man smirked at the compliment "It is the best cover, because most of it is true. Only the bare minimum of deception is required."
"Are you sure he doesn't suspect anything?"
"No, he and all the rest of them are oblivious to the larger picture" Xiong took a drag from his cigarette as he thought about what he just said "His kind usually are… At least in my experience"
"I still don't understand why Li couldn't have explained all of this himself" Shego asked, referring to the man who called her on the payphone.
"Because it not his function, his job is to issue you your assignment. My job is to clarify and facilitate."
"You Chinese are all about function."
Xiong chuckled, taking it as a compliment "Is that a bad thing?"
"No, I've dealt with people who suffered from a lack of function."
"Yes I know, I've read your dossier. My God, quite a list of employers you've had. What a bunch of dipshits. What was that one guy called? Drakken?"
Shego's eyes lit up with fierce anger. Xiong recoiled slightly.
"Don't bring him up again" she hissed venomously.
"I'm sorry" was the uncharacteristically timid reply.
"I could give a fuck if you're sorry. I don't want to hear you talk about him again."
Shego looked at her glass of tea and realized it had broken under the power of green flames that had burst from her hands.
She noticed that the bartender and the two men at the end of the bar were staring at her. It was time to go.
"I have a plane to catch" she muttered dryly to Xiong "I will call you if I need anything."
"Fine" he said in an automated voice.
Shego exited Charlie's and vanished into the night of Ho Chi Minh City.
Los Angeles
Kim made herself a sandwich in the kitchen of her safe house.
After sneaking out of the LA county morgue, Kim had retrieved a vehicle she stashed a few blocks away and decided to rest before it was time to make her next move.
The safe house she was using for this mission was a small ranch style residential home in the Crenshaw District of the South Los Angeles area. She had access to four others like it in Los Angeles. One in Downtown Los Angeles, one in East Los Angeles, one in Hollywood, and one in Venice Beach. All of them made available to her by the government agency that currently employed her.
The inside was sparsely furnished. It had a living room with a single table in it, a kitchen with a refrigerator and some other amenities, one full bathroom, and a bedroom with a cot. There was also a shed in the backyard where Kim stashed her weapons and equipment. The place suited Kim just fine; she never stayed in safe houses for long, she was always on the move.
As Kim sat down to eat her sandwich, her Kimmunicator began to ring, signaling that Wade was calling her.
"What's up Wade?"
Wade Lode, now in his twenties and sporting a goatee, smiled at Kim as he ate from a can of Pringles. "I'm just here for an update. Are you still in Los Angeles?"
"Affirmative, I'm just about to make my move against Bratchenko"
"Did the beacon work?"
"Sure did, after killing Kirill I inserted it under his fingernail and was able to track his body to the LA County morgue. After camping out in there for a few hours, Antonin showed up and I collected intelligence through eavesdropping."
"Why didn't you just kill Bratchenko in the morgue?"
"Because that would have left most of his organization intact and cost me the element of surprise" Kim explained between bites of her sandwich "With both Bratchenkos dead, their henchmen would be made aware someone was after them."
"So what?" Wade said with a shrug "Antonin Bratchenko would be dead and your mission would be complete."
"My mission is to liquidate people who have a negative effect on society. This means I intend to take down as much of Antonin's crime family as I can, the more damage I do to it, the less powerful it is, the less powerful it is, the less likely Antonin's successor will be able to continue doing business with North Korea."
Wade nodded his head nonchalantly "Okay, I was just asking, you obviously know what you're doing."
"Do you have anything to tell me?" Kim asked as he put down what was left of her sandwich "Have there been any urgent developments at HARDCASTLE?"
He shook his head "Nothing they can't handle on their own. They want you focused on Bratchenko, he's too dangerous to be kept alive."
"I know, I read everyone's file including his." Kim smiled as she thought of something else. "How's Ron doing?"
"He's leading an operation in Middle East right now. Last time I heard, he has his hands full, but he's well."
Kim sighed happily. Ron Stoppable had come a long way since high school. All those adventures with her had left quite an effect on him. He was no longer just her sidekick, but he was his own man with his own accomplishments and his own reputation. He was still Ron, he would always be her Ron. Kim was proud to call him her husband and the father of her children.
"You okay there Kim?" asked Wade's voice.
"Hmm?…Yeah I'm fine, checking"
"Good luck with your mission."
Kim sat in silence for a minute, dwelling on her thoughts. Eventually, they drifted back to Antonin Bratchenko and that crucial bit of information he revealed in the morgue
"Two days from now, the same cemetery where we had Olegev's funeral.
"Olegev…" she repeated.
Kim picked up her Kimmunicator again and conducted an internet search using the words "Olegev," "Los Angeles" and "Obituaries." She could've had Wade do this, but it's not like she was busy.
The third article that came up seemed to be what she was working for. A list of Los Angeles obituaries for the week of April 29, 2008; she quickly scrolled down to "O"
Denis Nikitich Olegev, a Russian-American accountant and bookkeeper, was buried today after dying from cancer three days ago. The private funeral took place at Green Grove Memorial Park and was attended only by close friends and family.
While admired by most who knew him, Denis Olegev was a controversial individual as he was suspected by law enforcement and the press to be a money-launderer for organized crime figures. Out of respect for the departed and his loved ones, this will not be dwelled on.
Denis Olegev was 52 years old, he was born in Alaska to Russian immigrant parents. He leaves behind a younger brother named Daniil. A wife named Avreya, and two young adult children Kira and Michael.
Kim memorized the name of the cemetery Olegev had been buried in and accessed the GPS function in her Kimmunicator.
A map of Los Angeles with her current location marked appeared on the screen. She typed "Green Grove Memorial Park"' and pressed search.
It only took a few moments for an address to show up.
A predatory smile came over Kim's face.
…
Hopefully now you've got a better idea of what's going on. If you'll bear with me, I am going somewhere with this.