Death's Twilight

by A. J. Leavens

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Zhullany Airport, Kiev December 6, 2308 07:57:26 (T-Minus 06:22:02:34)

  Hotaru sped away from Zhullany airport on her mission to get to Crimea as fast as possible. With eleven hours to go, she put the hover on auto and settled in for the ride. She transferred the date from her Tablet to the windshield and used her fingers to manipulate the data. On the left side of the windshield, she placed all the data she had copied from Abujamal's computer, arranging into groups by disease - Cancer, Smallpox, and Heart Disease.

  As she sorted, the Cancer category became the largest, and she consolidated Smallpox and Heart Disease into one category to make room on the windshield. Fully sorted, she then pulled all the information on 0247893 and placed it on the right side of the windshield. His partner, Kozel was there, his trip to Crimea, and the meeting with Principal McDonald all played prominent roles in the information she had gathered, allowing her to formulate a plan.

  On a whim, she activated the hover's onboard computer system.

  "Computer, search data on screen and show any correlations found between the two groups, no matter how tenuous."

  "Working. One moment, please."

  Different pieces of data brightened then darkened as the computer accessed them and then moved on. It was hard to follow the path that the computer took in its work, but Hotaru felt as if she was being treated to her own personal fireworks show. She glanced out the window to see the city's edge as they travelled onto Crimea. Farm land lay fallow, ready for next year's plowing and planting. Factories in the distance had smoke stacks that belched dark grey smoke into the air. Clothing, Hotaru thought to herself. That's what they manufacture here.

  A double chirp from the computer brought her out of her reverie and back to the task at hand. Three pieces of data had been highlighted: A newspaper article containing the obituary of a Milena Sturmvich from ten years ago, a picture of Abujamal from about ten years ago, and the government-issued ID card belonging to one Dmytro Kozel. What was the connection there? Did Abujamal and Kozel know each other? One thing was for certain. She needed to get to Dmytro Kozel before she got to 0247893. Not only would it help her sort out Abujamal's information, it would also provide her the most reliable link to 0247893.

  She deactivated the windshield's display, disengaged auto, and cranked the wheel hard to the left, spinning the hover in a one hundred and eighty degree spin that pointed her back to Kiev. She jammed her foot down on the accelerator, and sped back toward her new target: Dmytro Kozel.

  "Computer. Locate iCorps Diplomatic Liaison Officer Dmytro Kozel."

  "Working. One moment please."

  Hotaru pushed the hover as fast as she could, swerving around slower moving vehicles on the M05. The maneuvers earned her many dirty looks, but she had bigger concerns than upset drivers.

  "Subject located. Officer Dmytro Kozel. Malfunction. Officer Dmytro Kozel found in two places."

  "Two places? Elaborate."

  "Officer Dmytro Kozel found at personal residence Karpats'ka St 62A, and on flight seventy-six from Kiev to Paris. Flight took off seventeen minutes ago. Estimated time of arrival of flight seventy-six is one hour, seven minutes, sixteen seconds."

  "Computer. List on screen the two individuals."

  The screen showed identical pictures of Kozel's ID card.

  "Computer. Show types of identification used to verify target."

  Words appeared under the two pictures. Under the picture on the left, Hotaru read the words ID Card. Under the picture on the right, she read Fingerprint and Retinal.

  "Computer, which one is on flight seventy-six?"

  A red border flashed around the picture on the left.

  "Damn!" The real Kozel was at home. And that meant that 0247893 was getting away from her.

  She placed the hover on auto, allowing her time to think. On one hand, she would be able to unravel more of Abujamal's mystery by talking with Kozel. On the other hand, every minute her Target got farther away, and harder to find.

  "Computer. Auto drive to Karpats'ka St 62A, priority alpha."

  The on-board computer began a navigation program that weaved and swerved through traffic to a residence in a quiet neighborhood. Coming to rest in front of a bungalow with grey siding and blue curtains in the windows, the computer announced her destination.

  "You have arrived at Karpats'ka St 62A."

  Hotaru got out of the hover, and headed through the wooden gate and then up the narrow walkway. She mounted three steps before coming to a red door. She looked for an announcer bell, but could not find one. She raised her hand, and rapped solidly three times on the door.

  Moments passed, and Hotaru knocked again. This time, she heard movement from within the dwelling. Seconds later, she heard the unmistakable sound of a deadbolt being opened, and the door swung inward.  In front of her, a man of average height, with dark hair and violet eyes stared at her.

  "Can I help you?" He asked.

  "I hope so, sir. My name is Hotaru Kogame." She raised her iCorps ID Card. "I am looking for a man by the name of Dmytro Kozel." 

  "I am he." Kozel replied. "What does this have to do with?"

  "I am seeking information on patients in connection with a Doctor Husain Abujamal.”

  "And you need me why?"

  "Your name was on the list of people I've been sent to question. It seems that Doctor Abujamal has been making some serious claims against the government of Northern Europe."

  Kozel nodded, unsure where she was going. "I still don't see how this concerns me."

  "You are the brother of Milena Sturmvich, are you not?"

  "Yes." Kozel slumped, shoulders collapsing under the weight of a bad memory. "She was my sister. She passed away three years ago. Today would have been her thirtieth birthday."

  "I'm sorry to hear that. May I come in? It would be a little less conspicuous than me questioning you on your porch."

  Kozel stood to the side, holding the door for Hotaru.

  "Please. We can use the piano room."

  As Hotaru entered Kozel's residence, she marveled at the amount of stuff that was in Kozel's house. There were figurines, pictures, knick knacks and rugs of all shapes and sizes. She followed Kozel into a room on the left.

  Stepping through the doorway, Hotaru was surprised to be in a room that seemed too big to fit in the house. From the outside, she hadn't been able to see the extent of the side of the house, but Kozel and his wife had obviously added on to the house for this specific purpose. Dark brown mahogany floors were buffed to a high sheen. Sand colored walls were divided a third way up the wall with wainscoting of the same wood as the floor.

  Across from the window, a large mahogany bookcase was filled with books. Actual books. A quick glance at the titles included works by Yates, Shakespeare, and Crichton. A recessed nook held a glass pedestal backlit by a soft white light. Resting on the pedestal was a hardcover copy of The MVP - a book by turn of the millennium author Scott Sigler. One of Sigler's best works, it had obviously earned a place of honor in Kozel's heart. Two oversized wingback chairs sat on either side of the bay window, providing a convenient place to read.

  What really took Hotaru's breath away, though, was the grand piano that sat in the center of the room. Polished to a high gloss, the lid had been propped open, revealing the inner workings. Hotaru was speechless.

  "Do you play?" Hotaru asked after she had recovered her voice.

  "No. Lyuba, my wife does. She's been teaching the kids the basics. I think Vasylyna might be able to master it, but Yakiv won't." Kozel said, chuckling. "He has hands like mine."

  "I haven't seen a real piano in years. It's beautiful."

  "Thank you. We worked very hard to be able to buy it. Now you said something about Milena?" Kozel indicated the chair closest to the piano, and then sat in the other, sinking into the soft leather.

  "Yes," Hotaru said, recalling the reason for her visit. "We have recently discovered information that indicated a potential attack on the iCorp
s medical system. While searching the information seized in the raid, we found information on your sister. She died of cancer, did she not?"

  Kozel nodded. He was about to speak, but Lyuba came through the doorway carrying a tray with two steaming cups. She set the tray down between Hotaru and Kozel, and turned, leaving the room without saying a word. Beside the cups rested a plate filled with assorted baking - cookies, breads and tarts - along with a small bowl of sugar and a pitcher of cream.

  "My wife, Lyuba." Kozel indicated, pointing the way that Lyuba had gone. "Always the hostess. Please, help yourself."

  Hotaru took one of the cups of coffee, plopped two cubes of sugar in and began to stir. She took a sip and smiled as the warmth of the liquid went down her throat.

  "Your wife makes great coffee," Hotaru said.

   "She makes great everything. Anything in the kitchen, and she is a goddess." He placed his cup on the table. "To answer your question, yes, Milena died from cancer. Aggressive throat cancer. One day she was fine, the next day she found a lump next to her trachea. Three days later, she was dead. There was...nothing the doctors could do."

  "I'm sorry. And there was no indication prior to this lump that developed instantly to her having cancer?"

  "You make it sound like we made it up."

  "No." Hotaru said. "I'm just verifying the data. Some of the data recovered suggests that cancer was being used as a weapon, taking out specific targets. There is no conclusive proof, but we are researching to our fullest capacity."

  Kozel sat forward, mouth open. "And you think someone, not cancer, killed my sister?"

  "As I said, we have no proof."

  "And what does this have to do with this Doctor Abujabu, or whatever?"

  "In all the cases we have data on, Abujamal was the attending physician."

  Kozel stood rapidly, anger evident on his face, fists balled at his sides.

  "He killed my sister?"

  "Again, we have no proof. And we wouldn't be having this discussion if he hadn't died two days ago at his office in Moscow."

  Kozel sat again, anger deflated at having no target to direct it at.

  "I guess he reaped what he sowed, then."

  "Perhaps. Which brings me to my next question. Where is Slade Meechan, Emissary 0247893?"

  He looked up at her, alarm registering on his face.

  "I don't know. I haven't seen him since yesterday."

  "Really? That strikes me as surprising, seeing as you gave him your ID card to board a flight to Paris."

  Alarm turned to shock, then confusion as Kozel wrestled with the idea. "I did no such thing! I have my ID card right here-" He stood, reaching into his pocket, pulling at a string attached to his belt. As his hand followed the string to its conclusion, he was shocked to see the end devoid of his ID card.

  "I see that you take care of the things that are important to you." Hotaru said, accusingly.

  "You have no-"

  "I'll ask again. Where is 0247893?"

  "You just told me he was in Paris. Why are you asking me?" Kozel said.

  "Because I think you're covering for him. Hiding him."

  "I told you, I haven't seen him since Crimea yesterday around one pm. He told me to go back home, and he ran the other way."

  "And you didn't follow him?"

  "No! He told me someone was coming for him. Wait! You're that someone. You're here to kill him!"

  "I have orders to Deliver to him. Nothing more." She said. She wasn't sure how much Kozel knew, and there was no point in telling him information he didn't need to know.

  Kozel stood from his chair, pointing toward the front of the house.

  "You may leave now, Ms. Kogame." He said, icily. "Please keep me informed about your investigation of that doctor, but I have nothing else to say to you."

  Hotaru stood, taking one step toward the doorway, but having no intention of leaving.

  "On the contrary, Officer Kozel. I believe that you will tell me everything you know about Emissary 0247893, including his mission, and any other information you learned while working with him."

  "I will not." Kozel shifted his weight from foot to foot. He glanced around the room, looking for a way to force her out of the house.

  In the blink of an eye, Hotaru had crossed the distance, and had Kozel's right arm twisted high behind his back. He grimaced, and had his teeth clenched tight to keep from screaming in pain.

  "You will tell me, Officer Kozel. One way or another, you will tell me."

  Though Kozel outweighed Hotaru by twenty kilograms, incapacitating him allowed Hotaru to force him forward, toward the piano. As they closed the distance, Kozel put his right foot out against the piano, pushing back against her. She released his arm, and he spun around, ready for the attack. Hotaru launched herself against him, a right hook swinging directly at his head. He ducked backward, feet slipping effortlessly on the wood floor beneath.

  Before he could recover, he felt his feet knocked from beneath him. She had swept his legs out, and as he fell to the ground, she moved to a position in front of him, jumping on him as he connected with the floor. The impact knocked the wind out of him, and the piano lid shook free from its prop slamming down, a dissonant chord echoing in the room. He raised his hand to his head, protecting his head and neck, and tried to knock her off using his knees.

  "Where. Is. Slade?" Each word was punctuated by a punch to his ribs. She let off for a second so he could answer.

  "I told you! I left him in Crimea!"

  Hotaru jumped up, rearing back with her right foot. She brought it forward with deadly accuracy, connecting with the soft tissue around Kozel's kidneys.

  "Where is he?!?

  Kozel rolled into the fetal position, his only instinct that of self-preservation. She kicked again, her foot meeting his elbow, and he was rewarded by a cry of pain. As she recovered, Kozel rolled to his hands and knees, trying to catch his breath. When her foot buried itself in his stomach, he realized his mistake, and fell prone, gasping for breath.

  "I..told..you..." was all he could manage. He placed his palms on the floor, preparing to rise once more. He was roughly hauled to his feet, and slammed against the piano.

  "Officer Kozel. You are trying my patience." He could see a crazed look in her eyes. Like the look Slade had had during that fight outside McDonald's Office.

  "I honestly don't know." He said quietly, unable to produce more than a whisper with the amount of air in his lungs.

  "Then I have no use for you." Hotaru said.

  She reached back, and quickly delivered a punch straight to his Adams apple. His hands went reflexively to his throat as he tried to force air into his lungs through a damaged airway. He started to cough, a choking, hacking sound that reverberated through the strings of the piano, sending a discordant echo throughout the room. As he dropped to the floor, Hotaru delivered a kick to the side of Kozel's head that sent it rebounding off the sturdy leg of the beautiful instrument.

  Hitting the ground, Kozel's body unconsciously fought for air as the wound in his head sent streams of blood onto the mahogany floor. A pool of crimson liquid began to form, flowing around the outline of his body seeking the easiest path. Still struggling for breath, his body shuddered twice before becoming motionless. Still frustrated with her lack of information, Hotaru began to kick the body repeatedly, screaming in frustration with each kick.

  She might have kicked the body for another few minutes, venting frustration, if it were not for the sound of the girl's scream that dragged her forcefully out of her rage. Looking up, Hotaru saw a young girl of about twelve pointing at the body of her father.

  "NO!" Vasylyna screamed. "NO! WHAT DID YOU DO?" Her hands were balled into fists, tears streaming down her face. Hotaru looked from the girl to Kozel's body to her blood stained shoes and pants.

  "I..." Hotaru began, but before she could continue, Lyuba and Yakiv were in the doorway alongside Vasylyna. Lyuba took a step toward Hotaru before her sight fell to Kozel's body
, and she collapsed with grief at the loss of her husband.

  Hotaru fled the room, opening the front door and running to her hover, tears of her own beginning to form. Inside, she shut the door, and sped away.

  "Computer." She said between sobs. "Auto-drive to Zhullany airport.