Necessary Retribution

by Mike McNeff

  “Speak up, Alex. Your silence is ruining a fine dinner.”

  “Tell me who it is…who sold the device?”

  “I plan to tell you, so you can kill him, because if you don't, we will. But I'm not telling you until we're released, so we have some negotiating to do.”

  Without taking his eyes off of Robin, Alex sipped his vodka. Robin returned Alex's look in between bites of meat and potato pie. It was an act, of course, and Robin's patience neared its limit.

  “I can't guarantee you will be released or even allowed to live.”

  Robin leaned back in his chair and let out a long breath. “Okay, Alex, we've played this game long enough. You already know I'm not connected with any government because you've contacted the usual suspects and they don't know us. You've already told them you're going to execute us and they said they don't care…and I'm still alive.

  “You're not going to kill me because you want to know more about me and my organization and you want to know who my clients are. So, you thought you'd try the smart method and use honey instead of vinegar. I, on the other hand, want to stay alive and so I've been counting on the reverse Stockholm Syndrome. But you and I are professionals and both of us are only going to be partially successful at our little game.”

  Alex finally laughed again and shook his head. “Perhaps you're right.”

  “I'm always right and the reason we're playing this silly ass game is because on your side you're not the boss. You have people you don't respect telling you what to do. I, on the other hand, have to play the game knowing other people are telling you what to do.”

  “Who is your boss?”

  “I'm the boss. Nobody tells me what to do. At some point, we are just going to have to trust each other. I have no desire to hurt you in anyway and I don't think you want to hurt me. You certainly could have killed me anytime, if you really wanted to.”

  “We can trust each other, but you must not put faith in my ability to influence my superiors. They do not like being told what to do. I cannot guarantee anything.”

  “That piece of honesty goes a long way with me, Alex. We'll work through it. I'm not without bargaining chips that'll influence your superiors.”

  “I hope your organization will not do anything stupid.”

  “I guarantee you won't think it's stupid.”

  Sergeant Lev Rogov edged closer to panic. He was astounded and alarmed at the conversation between the two secret agents seated at the table…and he was drunk. When the American started arguing with the GRU man, Lev thought he would meet his death in this fancy restaurant right along with the insane Robin. So, Lev started drinking the vodka, keeping up with the other two men. He smirked at the thought he was drunk and he would not live to endure the wrath of his wife…because the GRU man was surely going to kill him.

  Then he thought of his children and how his dedication and desire to be the best officer in Vladivostok now threatened their lives. This is the Soviet Union, the place where whole families disappear every day. The day for his family to disappear was at hand. Lev now knew he failed as a husband, father and officer. Tears were about to come when he realized the other two men were laughing. He fought to focus on their conversation.

  “Yes, I believe your candidate for hero of the Soviet Union is thoroughly drunk!” More laughter.

  “Lev, my friend, are you all right?” Robin asked.

  Lev tried to speak clearly, but he couldn't make his tongue work correctly. “Noooo, I am nooot ookay. I d-d-doo not w-w-ant tooo die and I d-do not want my flaamblee to die.”

  “Ease up, Lev. No one is going to kill you or your family.”

  “I-I thsshink youuu arrre insshaane!” Lev tried to hold a belch back, but gave up. The other two men roared with laughter.

  “Well, Alex, I think we should go to the hospital.”

  “Yes, our friend needs a bed.”

  “Come on, Lev, up we go.” Lev tried to work with Robin to stand up, but ended up just leaning on him. Alex paid the bill and the men went down the elevator. A valet brought the car for them and as they were getting in Lev turned to Robin and tried to talk. Robin understood the word drive in the jumbled sentence.

  “No, Lev you don't have to drive. You've done your duty for now.”

  Fifteen minutes later they arrived at the hospital and Alex took Lev to a room. Robin went to the nursing station near the surgery area.

  “Excuse me, is my friend still here?”

  Rada's voice came from behind him. “Your friend is in a private room. Where is Lev?”

  “He's here.”

  Rada came closer to Robin. “Is he as drunk as you?”

  “No. He's more drunk…but we're all alive.” Robin could see the import of those words was not lost on Rada.

  “Come with me.”

  Robin followed Rada to a private room and saw Mark in bed with his eyes closed. As Robin came closer, Mark opened his eyes.

  “I'm glad someone's having fun.”

  “You have no idea. How ya doin', bud?”

  “Apparently, I'll live.”

  “Actually, the doctor says you'll fully recover.”

  “I know, he told me. He also said it would be a long and painful journey.”

  “Yes, he did say that would be part of the deal.”

  “Are we going to get out of here, Rob?”

  “We're taking it one hour at a time, but it's looking promising.”

  “The doctor says we'll be going to Moscow in two days.”

  “That's the plan, so you better rest up.”

  “Yeah, I'm pretty sleepy right now.”

  “Night, night, brother. I'll check on you later.”

  Mark's answer was a snore.

  Robin turned to Rada, who looked tired and older since Robin had first seen her.

  “Rada, we're going to get out of here…all of us.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “I really can't go into much detail, but our organization isn't sitting around doing nothing. They'll be working on getting bargaining chips to get us out.”

  “Yes, but that will be for you, not us.”

  Robin put his hands on Rada's shoulders. “I'm the leader of this organization and I'm telling you, we are not leaving without you and your family.”

  “But what if we don't want to leave our home, our family and our friends?”

  “That I can't fix. In order for you and your family to be safe, you need to come with us. After some time passes, we can work on getting you back with your family and friends.”

  “Why do you care about us? We are nothing to you.”

  “I got you into this mess. You're good people. I can't let anything happen to you.” A moment of silence passed between them. “Rada, you're exhausted. Go get your husband and go home and get some rest. Don't be angry with Lev, he did what I asked and later I'll explain to both of you why.”

  Rada turned away and started for the door then turned back around. “I don't know if I should hit you or kiss you.”

  “I'm like that.”

  She came closer, kissed him on the cheek and left.

  TWENTY-EIGHT

  ERNIE PACED THE DECK of Kwan's boat. The team had been in contact with Colonel Sinchu, but now they couldn't raise him on the satellite phone. As the night wore on, he knew he had to act.

  “Marv, you and Willy do a recon and see what the hell's going on with the colonel. Mike you run the boat. Once you're feet dry, give yourselves thirty minutes to see what you can find out. If you can't make contact, get back and we'll scratch the mission for tonight.”

  “Sir, I would like to go also,” Gunner said as he came forward.

  “This is a recon job, Gunner. These guys have a lot of specialized training.”

  “I am a soldier, Major. I may not be as well trained as Marv and Willy, but I know enough not to get in their way. I also know all the places the colonel might be.”

  “That could be helpful, Ernie,” Marv noted.

  �
��All right, Gunner get moving. You guys take care of him.”

  “Oh, I think the ol’ Gunner here can take care of himself just fine,” Willy added.

  The men climbed into the RIB and with a salute disappeared into the night.

  Maria came out of Rick's room with a concerned look on her face.

  Emmett walked up to her. “You look worried, Maria. What's up?”

  “Rick is in critical condition. He owes his life to you. The doctors here have done a good job to stop all the bleeding and minimize the damage to his kidney, but they can't do more until he gains strength.”

  “I was afraid the bullet in his side hit the kidney.”

  “It did, but only on the lower end. It should still function properly.”

  “Then you're worried about his leg.”

  “Yes, it's badly damaged. The bullet glanced off the bone breaking it and the circulation has been affected. The longer we wait the more damage will occur.”

  Doug spoke up. “Rick's a tough ol’ bird and in damn good shape. He should be coming around in short order.”

  Maria looked at her fiancé and put her arm around him. “I know you want him to be okay and I'll watch him closely. We'll do the best we can.”

  “He's always been an agile, quick athlete. I don't think he could stand being crippled.” Pain laced Doug's voice.

  Emmett's deep voice came low and soothing. “Rick will fight, Doug, and with Maria here, he's in good hands. I think his chances are good.” Emmett's gut felt otherwise.

  Mike held the throttle low until the RIB bumped the shore and Marv and Gunner jumped out and pulled it up. Willy slung his medical pack on and the three men saluted Mike and moved silently through the shadows, stopping frequently to listen. After two hundred yards they could hear yelling interspersed with screams coming from a warehouse next to the one where Willy treated the soldier.

  They crept closer and as they came to the opening, Willy saw a man standing with a gun pointed at the head of Colonel Sinchu as they stood in front of an assembled formation of soldiers. Another man raised a wooden club and hit the side of the soldier Willy had treated two nights before. The soldier screamed. The man yelled at the soldier.

  “What's he saying, Gunner?”

  “He's demanding to know where they got the bandages and medicine.”

  “Who are they?”

  “Secret police.”

  The soldier moaned in pain, but said nothing. The secret police agent raised the club again. Willy nudged Marv and he nodded. The two men glided into the room. The agent with the club had his arm at full height when Willy squeezed the trigger of his silenced MP5 sending two rounds into the left side of the man's head, taking off the right side and sending the man in a turning dive onto the concrete floor. An instant later, the agent holding a gun to the colonel's head took two rounds from Marv's gun at the junction of the nose and eyebrows as he turned to look at Marv. The two rounds exited the back of his head spraying blood and brains on the colonel. The lifeless body crumpled to the ground.

  Colonel Sinchu and the assembled soldiers stood motionless as Gunner rushed to his mentor. Willy handed Gunner a package of moist towelettes and Gunner began to clean the colonel's face and speaking to him in Korean.

  “Gunner, tell the colonel we need to get these two assholes to the RIB and get this mess cleaned up,” Marv ordered.

  Gunner spoke to the colonel and he nodded and then gave some orders. Soldiers rushed forward and picked up the bodies and Marv motioned for them to follow him and they headed for the boat. Other soldiers produced pails and mops and started cleaning the remaining blood, brains and skull fragments.

  “Willy, I'm going to take the bodies back to our boat and dump ’em. Then I'll bring back a load of food.”

  “Rog.”

  Willy started treating the injured soldier by first giving him an injection of morphine. The clubbing did serious damage to the wound and ribs. Willy worked feverishly to stop the flow of blood. The soldier reached up and grasped his forearm. Willy looked at him and the soldier said something with eyes that spoke respect and warmth. Then life faded from those eyes. Willy immediately started chest compressions, but soon realized it was no use. The soldier had lost too much blood. Willy reached over and closed the soldier's eyes.

  “Did you hear what he said, Gunner?”

  “Yes. He said thank you for being such a good man and caring about us…the soldiers.”

  “He died a brave soldier. He took the beating and didn't say a word.” Willy looked at the colonel. “I'm sorry I couldn't save him, sir.”

  Gunner translated to the colonel. The colonel replied, “You did all you could. There is nothing to be sorry for.”

  Willy stood up. “Gunner, we have to make sure the secret police can't be traced to this place. How did they get here?”

  Again he translated to the colonel. “The colonel says their car is around the corner.”

  “We need to move it somewhere else, at least several miles away. Can you manage that?”

  “I'll see it is done.”

  “All right, in the meantime bring me any sick soldiers, so I can try to treat them.”

  Robin bolted up from the chair. Then he recognized Mark's room and realized he had fallen asleep. He stood up and moved his shoulders to try and ease the pain from the damage done by the cargo door. He also wanted to get rid of the pain from his hangover. He walked over and checked on Mark and was satisfied he rested comfortably. Robin made his way to the sink and filled a glass with water and drank it down. Then another. He sat back in the chair and let his head fall back against it, quickly falling back into an uneasy sleep.

  Once Mike and Marv got two miles from shore, Mike opened up the throttle and sped to the boat where Ernie waited. He came up along side of the larger boat.

  “What's going on? ” Ernie asked.

  “These two idiots.” Marv pointed to the bodies.

  “Shit, what happened?”

  “These guys are secret police. They were torturing the injured soldier and had a gun to the colonel's head. Willy and I decided to refer them to a higher jurisdiction. We need to sink these bodies.”

  “I have an extra anchor with chain. That ought to sink them,” Kwan offered.

  “Bring it here, please.”

  Kwan retrieved the extra anchor and helped Marv and Mike wrap the bodies in the chain. They fastened several parts of the chain together with wire. Once done, they eased the bodies into the sea. Mike then brought the RIB up on the rear of the boat. The men loaded both RIBs with food and medicine and then they headed back to Chongjin.

  Each RIB made four trips in the darkness. The process went quickly with the soldiers helping with the unloading. Ernie looked at his watch.

  “Marv, head back to Mike's RIB with Gunner and get back to the boat. I'll go get Willy. We'll get back by the other RIB.”

  “Okay, boss.”

  Ernie headed for the warehouse, stopping one hundred feet from it. The hair on the back of his head tingled and his gut got that “little voice” feeling. He slipped into the shadows and moved slowly toward a window. He got as close as he dared and staying in the shadows, maneuvered to get a look. Finally he saw the colonel and two men near him, but Ernie sensed there were more. They were dressed in civilian clothes and judging from the bodies Marv brought back, these guys were most likely secret police also. He moved back and forth looking for Willy, but didn't see him.

  The colonel looked calm, so Ernie didn't want to make a move, but he worried about the sunrise. He heard a movement to his left and stepped deeper into the shadows. The person moved quietly. A figure came into view…it was Willy.

  Ernie whispered quietly, “Willy, over here.”

  Willy froze and then grinned and came over to Ernie. “Boy, am I glad to see you. We gotta get outta here.”

  “Roger that. Let's move.”

  The men glided through the shadows ready for anything, their heads on a swivel.

  When they got
to the beach, Ernie abruptly stopped. “Shit, where's the boat?”

  “Don't tell me the boat's gone, Ernie. I don't need that.”

  “Well it's not where I left it.” Ernie thought for a minute. “Let's head over to the pier.”

  They moved to the pier stopping and listening, wary of an ambush or a trap. They got to the building closest to the pier.

  “Wait here, Willy. I'm going to check under the pier. If the boat is there I'll signal you.”

  Willy nodded.

  Ernie stepped out and as he did, Mike came out from under the pier and waved them over.

  “Come on, Willy!” They sprinted to the pier. “What are you doing under the pier? You were supposed to go back with Marv and Gunner, Mike.”

  “I sent them on so I could watch this boat. It's a good thing I did because two soldiers came and told me to hide from the secret police. If I hadn't been here, you might have lost your ride home. We'll push the boat out and paddle until we get about a mile off shore. Then we'll turn on the motor.”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  They pushed the boat out and started paddling. A faint pink glow peeked over the horizon.

  Kwan and Gunner were nervous.

  “Do you think we should go in and look for them, Marv?” Kwan asked.

  Marv looked at the growing sunrise. “Hell, no. If they were in trouble they'd call us. Just sit tight. They'll be here.” He scanned the horizon with binoculars and then looked with his naked eye. He thought he saw something and raised the binoculars again. “There they are! Get this boat fired up. We gotta get outta here as soon as we recover them.”

  Soon Mike brought the RIB up on the rear of the boat.

  Ernie jumped out. “Head us out 090° Kwan and step on it!”

  “Yes, sir!”

  “Everybody keep a sharp lookout. The secret police were back at the warehouse.”

  Gunner whirled around and looked at Ernie.

  “Don't worry, Gunner. It looked like the colonel had it handled.”

  Willy put his hand on Gunner's shoulders. “They were looking for the two we whacked. We got rid of all the evidence, so I'm sure the colonel laid a good story on ’em. It'll be all right. He'll probably call us when he's clear.”