by Laura Acton
“Grab more normal saline and morphine. I want to be covered if any more of them are hit.” Patch said in hushed tones when Mike walked towards him.
Mike nodded and pivoted to return to the narcotics section.
The door opening caught them both off guard. A night watchman entered and yelled at Mike to freeze, not noticing Patch behind the door he just swung open. Acting swiftly, Patch grabbed the man, putting him in a rear naked chokehold, and applied pressure to cut off the flow of blood. He did not want to kill him, only choke him out. Patch held on until the security guard went limp in his arms then bent and laid the unconscious man on the floor.
Mike glanced down at the guard as he rushed back after acquiring the morphine and saline. “Excellent. He’s gonna have a headache when he wakes.”
Patch arched a brow. “At least he will wake.”
The two took a moment as Mike pointed out each item and translated Russian to English to double check he gathered all Patch needed.
“That everything?” Mike asked.
“Yeah,” Patch said as he zipped up the pack.
Mike slipped the rucksack back on as Patch turned off the light. The room flooding with light again confused him. Staring at Patch, Mike observed a thoughtful expression prompting a further query. “We miss something?”
A sensation in Patch’s gut made him flip the switch. He pulled out his phone and brought up the treatment options for tetrodotoxin and scrolled down. After reading, he fixed his gaze on Mike. “I have faith in you as a pilot, but too much crap can go wrong. Need a plan B for Blondie. Hope it won’t be necessary, but I would rather be prepared. Find me dialysate solution, best if it has five percent dextrose. Grab as many as will fit in your bag. I’ll get the bagging and cannulas.”
“Sure, what is that for?” Mike inquired as he hurried to the solutions section.
As Patch strode for the area in which he spotted the necessary supplies, he said, “Might need to perform peritoneal dialysis.”
Mike had no clue what that was, but the word dialysis he understood.
After securing the new items, Patch thanked Mike for his efforts, and they exited the room closing the door behind them. They reversed their path and departed the clinic in no time flat. Both poured on the speed as they ran back towards the Cherry Club.
Sacred Heart Abbey
Andrei paced the hall outside the room where his wife and son slept. It was the middle of the night but sleep eluded Andrei. His family was being torn apart, and his heart ripped to shreds. Over the past few days, he found it increasingly difficult to maintain his faith. How can this be the Lord’s plan for me? Have we not suffered enough?
This was supposed to be the vacation of a lifetime combined with charitable work. Andrei wanted to show his children the place of his youth. He fondly recalled his summers as a boy playing on the shores of the Caspian Sea. Innocent days filled with fun … he wished to share his joy with his kids.
He also sought to teach them by example that generosity and kindness outweigh selfishness and indifference and provide them tangible proof of the beauty of life. To that end, he and Tatiana planned this trip to visit the places they donated to for the last five years.
After relocating nine years ago, their life had been blessed, and they sought out charitable groups in Russia and Georgia to help the less fortunate. Andrei chose the Sacred Heart Abbey in Makhachkala because the sisters offered him spiritual and emotional support after his parents passed away. Tatiana chose an orphanage in Tbilisi, Georgia where she grew up.
Andrei stopped to stare at the cross on the wall as his mind rolled back fourteen years. When he was twenty-three, he traveled to Tbilisi on business for his former employer. While there he accepted an invitation from his client, Nador Janashia, to join his family for dinner. That night he met Nador’s seventeen-year-old daughter, Tatiana. Her parents understood love didn’t adhere to ages, and a six-year difference isn’t much the older one gets.
Society possessed different views though, so they only engaged in correspondence, and occasional family dinners at Nador’s and Irina’s home until Tatiana turned eighteen. During that year they shared sweet kisses on cheeks and learned about each other’s lives via talking and writing. A month after her birthday, they married in a simple ceremony. Tatiana bid goodbye to her little sister and parents and moved to Makhachkala with him.
They enjoyed a happy life in Makhachkala, until the company he worked for went out of business. With a three almost four-year-old, a newly pregnant wife, and no income, life became hard. His father and mother opened their home to them when things got real tight. Losing his job started a chain of events which tested his faith and culminated with their decision to move to Canada searching for a fresh start.
As Tatiana’s soft wails reached his ears, Andrei turned his eyes to the door. His distraught wife was awake and crying yet again. The events of the last few days dredged up all kinds of painful memories for her. In the year of trials, not only had he lost his ability to support his family financially, but both sets of their parents died, and Tatiana’s sister went missing.
Three months after they began living with his parents, they both died. Victims of a fire which claimed twenty lives. Senseless deaths. Pallets of heavy barrels blocked the exit. Their deaths would have been prevented if the management followed National safety protocols.
While still grieving his parent’s deaths, Tatiana was slammed with heartache two months later when her sister disappeared. Nador became riddled with guilt, blaming himself. Tatiana’s father believed had he not stopped at a bar to enjoy a celebratory drink with a co-worker, he might’ve prevented her disappearance or realized she was missing sooner.
When no ransom demand came, the police concluded she ran away, but none of the family believed that for a second. After five months of searching day and night, Nador committed suicide by jumping into the Mtkvari river. He didn’t know how to swim and drowned. Less than a month later Tatiana’s mother was killed at work during an armed robbery of the store.
After Irina’s death, they decided to make a new start someplace without a dark history. Once in Canada, things began to turn around. Tatiana maintained steadfast faith and shored him up when he faltered. Their decision to give back brought such joy to their lives.
That is until three days ago when the bottom fell out of his world again. The sunshine of his life was gone. It only took a moment. Tatiana collapsed, and Andrei brought her to the sisters for help. Twelve-year-old Luka was also a mess. His little boy blamed himself, but it was not his fault.
Andrei fully recognized this was his own fault. He left his kids alone on the beach when he went to buy sodas for them at a nearby vendor. Gone for about five minutes he returned to find chaos. A massive rogue wave had rolled in, catching everyone by surprise. Lifeguards and adults scurried to assist children pulled under by the tide.
He found Luka surrounded by adults. Swamped by the wave, Luka lost hold of his sister. His boy inhaled so much water he collapsed after crawling out of the water. A lifeguard said Luka had been conscious for a few moments and told him something, but the man didn’t understand English.
A search for his precious daughter turned up nothing. The authorities believed she was pulled out into the sea by the undertow. They assured him they would search and if her body showed up, they would contact him.
When Luka awoke in the hospital, he claimed to have seen his little sister carried away by a man who he described in remarkable detail. Despite the eyewitness account, the politsia were less than helpful. They assumed Luka dreamt up the abduction because he couldn’t accept the death of his sibling. Andrei believed Luka, and so did Tatiana, but with no help from authorities to locate their daughter they were on their own.
Andrei’s thoughts halted when Abbess Mary Catherine came bustling down the corridor with three other sisters. Not entirely on our own. The sisters have been a godsend caring for Tatiana and Luka while I go out searching.
“Abbess,
I think Tatiana needs more sedative. She is crying again,” Andrei said with concern.
Mary Catherine stopped a moment. “I’m sorry Andrei I cannot check in on her at this moment. I must be going now. I cannot be late. I will send Sister Esther to Tatiana.”
Andrei nodded. “Thank you.”
Mary Catherine placed a quick hand on Andrei’s shoulder after reading his distress. “Keep faith, Andrei. The Lord shall see you through this trial.”
Tears clouded Andrei’s vision, and he only nodded in short, fast bursts. It was so difficult to maintain faith. His little girl was out there all alone. He now understood the despair Nador must’ve felt before he took his life.
As the sisters left, Andrei dropped to his knees and bent his head in prayer as tears rolled down his cheeks. “Dear Lord, protect my sunshine. I put her in Your hands. Please help me find her or send someone strong and caring to protect and comfort her until she can be returned to our loving arms.”
Makhachkala Airport
Frustrated by his delay, Dom came to a stop in the airport parking lot. He should have arrived forty minutes ago. A flat tire and no jack put him behind schedule. Driving through the construction zone of a new high-rise, to dispose of the pack at the bottom of one of the eighty-foot deep pylons which would be filled with concrete tomorrow, he must’ve run over a nail.
He couldn’t risk being seen so he couldn’t flag down a passing motorist. Instead, he hoofed it about half a mile before finding a vehicle, breaking into the trunk, and absconding the jack. He left the owner enough cash to repair the damage and replace what he took. Rushing back to the car, he put on the spare and hurried on his way again.
Being late bothered him, especially after the call from Mike. With William’s son poisoned, time was of the essence. Losing Dan to save his daughters was not something he wanted. He sent up numerous prayers to keep the boy alive until they reached adequate medical facilities. With his awareness of the nervous and muscular system involvement associated with tetrodotoxin, Dom understood there was little to be done. Dom most feared muscle paralysis.
Depending on the severity, it would inhibit Dan’s breathing ability, cause cardiac arrhythmia, coma, or death. Even if the neurotoxin didn’t kill him, Dan would be in for a rough ride. Mike’s quick briefing indicated Dan already exhibited many troubling symptoms … abdominal pain, nausea, headache, sweating, numbness, and tingling. And if that weren’t enough, he faced an excessive loss of body fluids, some of which were not very pleasant.
Dom’s unsavory past actions, in the name of Country, resurfaced making him shudder as he recalled a previous use of tetrodotoxin as a means to a desired outcome. He remembered the man’s hypersalivation, profuse sweating … the body odor permeated the tiny interrogation room. Though, compared to the stench of vomitus and diarrhea which followed, a little BO was mild.
The bloody swine eventually broke, and they located and rescued the hijacked bus of thirty-six school children hidden in a sealed bunker before they suffocated. The rotter, who had posed as the bus driver to abduct the children with the intent of trading them for the release of his imprisoned cohorts, later succumbed due to complications. Dom never regretted his action … the life of one evil soul in exchange for thirty-six innocent souls.
With his understanding of this neurotoxin, Dom realized Dan’s survival depended on the quantity of poison he ingested and Patch’s ability to provide supportive care and manage Dan’s airway while his body pissed, shat, and vomited the poison out. If Dan survived twenty-four hours, he had a decent chance of recovering without any residual effects. Though, Dom possessed no knowledge of diquat, so all bets were off.
Approaching the terminal at a brisk pace, Dom shifted to other thoughts. Though he didn’t know yet whether the unit successfully exited with his girls, they had rescued fifteen children. That action alone ensured those valiant men went down in history as heroes … at least in his mind, and perhaps the children’s too. Goodness will come from the evil my girls endured.
With the help of Sister Mary Catherine, the juveniles would be cared for and reunited with their families if their home situation was appropriate. If the homes were unsuitable or the parents did not want them, the sisters agreed to place the children with loving families.
He diverted some of Panin’s funds into an account to be used exclusively for helping the youths rescued from Savelievich’s house of horrors. Those children required emotional support to recover from the abuse. Simply getting them out was not enough. Dom ensured each youngster would receive what they needed to move forward and hopefully enjoy a happy life.
Dom comprehended, should his daughters be liberated, they would need counseling too. It hurt him deeply to think of what his sweet girls went through. He wanted to hug them right this second, but he must ensure things were set so they could exit this country. He gave Anna-Marie’s and Nicolette’s passports to Mike. The entry stamps had been easy to forge. It now appeared as if they entered Russia legally, so no suspicions would arise when they left.
Entering the building and heading for customs, Dom became aware of increased activity which should not be taking place at this time of night. He caught sight of two politsia officers and fell in step behind them as they strode toward a security officer. When they stopped, so did Dom and he covertly moved close enough to eavesdrop on their conversation.
What he overheard caused Dom to pivot and rapidly stride away. He needed to inform Blaze’s unit not to come to the airport. With an alert to apprehend and detain Maksim Gennadiyevich Ivanov and his massive bodyguard in connection with the murder of several dozen people at a local club, their exit strategy must change.
If he had arrived on time, he would’ve been on the plane and unaware of this new development. Dom began thinking of ways to covertly exfil Dan and Mason from the country. Getting Mason out would prove more difficult with his distinctive size and scarred face.
As he exited the terminal and pulled out his phone to contact Mike to tell them to wait for him at the rendezvous point, Dom halted when his eyes landed on a discarded advert lying on the ground. He smiled at the image of a guardian angel. Lord, thank You for Your divine intervention by delaying my arrival with a missing jack. You certainly work in mysterious ways. Please, hold Daniel Broderick in Your arms and help him.
The Price of Being Prometheus
39
May 29
Cherry Club – Back Alley
Mason carried the girls out the back door of the kitchen into the alley. He went straight for the van driven by Anastasia and the sliding door opened for him. His eyes widened as he spotted a scantily-clad woman inside with ten barely dressed juveniles. He juggled Dom’s girls attempting to lay them down without adding more bumps or bruises. Doing so proved awkward.
Natia moved forward when she noticed the massive man having trouble. She reached out her hands offering to help. He nodded, and she took the littlest girl and held her as he arranged a blanket on the floor.
Spreading out the cover, Mason asked Anastasia, “Who is the woman?”
Anastasia smiled. “Natia. I’ll explain later. Are you riding up front or in the back?” She put the vehicle in gear, preparing to leave.
“Back.” After lying Nicolette down, Mason retrieved Anna-Marie and laid her next to her sister. Their lack of underthings shocked him. He picked up Anastasia’s discarded dress to cover them before climbing in and peering back at the club door.
Carrying Ripsaw, Winds followed Blaze out and strode towards the second van driven by Brody. Blaze opened the sliding door for him. Shifting Ripsaw’s weight again, he teased, “Time for a diet, Rippster. I swear you weigh a ton. Did you really need to eat six slices of pizza at dinner?”
Appreciating Winds’ humor as relief at finally being out of the damned brothel, Ripsaw struggled to clamp down on his pain, as he retorted, “Be glad I’m not Mason.”
“Yeah. No kidding.” Winds cautiously lowered Ripsaw. He took a moment to assess him allowing his
concern to show.
“Go. I’m okay,” Ripsaw said as he scooted back making room for Blondie.
Winds nodded and hustled over to Anastasia’s van recognizing that Papa Bear needed to ride with Goldilocks. He jumped in the front passenger seat and prepared to defend them if needed. He glanced back at the children and smiled. “We did good tonight.”
Dan stayed inside, guarding their six as the others made their way to the black delivery vans. With so many people it would be a tight fit in each, but a sense of pride and confidence flickered to life inside. My plan worked … mostly. Dom’s little girls and all those others are out safe.
He swiped the rivulet of sweat from his brow as he leaned on the doorjamb for support. He wanted to spit out the excess saliva but leaving trace elements wouldn’t be smart. Swallowing was difficult. He rubbed his neck with tingling fingers and wondered what the hell Panin slipped him. If he were honest with himself, he was scared.
“Blondie, we’re in. Time to leave,” Blaze called out as he finished situating Ripsaw.
Dan waved in acknowledgment not wanting to speak since every time it reignited the fire in his throat. He turned and took two steps out of the kitchen when the pinging of bullets striking the metal door beside him made him pivot. Dan fired off a quick burst of shots, not able to aim as his vision blurred and his head swam. When he refocused, two men lie dead on the floor.
His eyes searched for the last man and caught sight of him taking cover behind the butcher block table. As his eyes lost focus again, he fired hoping for a hit as pain flared in his gut. Vision returning, he saw the man stand. He had missed. Though given the fact he couldn’t see, it wasn’t too surprising.
Hot, searing pain stabbed his stomach, bringing back images of the red-hot needles The One used when torturing him. His knees buckled and the guard sneered as he leveled his gun at him. The sound of two shots, one behind and one in front of him caused Dan to jerk. The additional expected pain of a gunshot, or lack thereof due to death, surprised Dan. All he experienced was the same unrelenting burning in his belly and throbbing head.
