Necessary Retribution

by Mike McNeff

  Robin ignored the question. “Are you folks hungry?”

  “Yes!” Lev's son, Ilya, chirped.

  “Well good, Ilya. You are all going to the Leningradskaya Hotel. I'll be there later this evening. You can eat there. If I don't see you tonight, be ready to travel by nine in the morning.” Robin turned to Lev. “Lev please make sure Mark is put in a room with two beds and tell the front desk I'll be coming in later.”

  Alex appeared at the door with a tough looking female in a military uniform. “Are you ready?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good. This is Lieutenant Sonin and she will escort everyone to the hotel.”

  “I assume they can order meals there.”

  “Yes, of course.”

  “If the food they order exceeds any allowances, I'll send you the money. In fact, please see they are put in the best rooms. We'll pay for everything.”

  “That will not be necessary. They will be comfortable.”

  “Thank you, Alex.” Robin nodded to the Lieutenant. “Thank you, Lieutenant.”

  THIRTY-ONE

  GENERAL YAMUROV AND ROBIN sat in large wing backed chairs in front of a picture window looking out over Moscow. They smoked Cuban cigars with a glass of one hundred year old fine champagne cognac. Robin wanted to ask the name of the cognac, but didn't want to seem impolite. He just enjoyed the marvelous drinking experience.

  The dinner was delicious wild caught Russian salmon seasoned with ginger and dill. Their conversation was indeed lively and interesting. The general loved good books and his extensive library provided great starting points for conversation.

  The discussion did touch upon contentious issues between the United States and the Soviet Union, but it soon faded when both men agreed the Soviet Union was about to drastically change. Neither man professed to know the future. As the evening progressed, they were on a first name basis.

  Robin dragged smoke from his cigar and exhaled. Then he sipped his cognac. “You know Yosef, I really don't know why America and Russia aren't partners in this world. Even if the governments are at odds, the people have more in common than differences.”

  “There is some truth to that observation. While I serve the Soviet Union, I am not particularly in favor of communism. I think it creates more poverty than it cures. It certainly does not eliminate the upper class. Very few Russians can enjoy the dinner we just did.”

  “I study war. Not because I like it, I think it is a stupid endeavor. I study it because it brings out the best and the worst in the human race. Your country's stand against Germany in World War II was heroic in every way. So much so, that I am proud of your country, even though I'm not a Russian. On the other hand, I don't understand why you have to control the other countries that make up the Soviet Union.”

  “Actually, there is a very logical reason. Our borders are vulnerable, especially along our borders with Europe. Throughout history, we have been repeatedly attacked from the European Plain. We are also vulnerable to attack by China from the Mongolian Plateau, although to a lesser extent because of the harsh wilderness of Siberia. So, we extend our borders with satellite countries by forming the Soviet Union to protect Moscow and the Republic of Russia.”

  “I've never considered that before. I now have a better understanding of your nation's motivations.”

  Yosef smiled. “And what nationality are you? I believe you are American, but you have never said.”

  “Out of necessity, I've become a citizen of the world.”

  Yosef shifted in his chair and looked directly at Robin. “Do you know why you are still alive?”

  “Not really, I've just played the hand I was dealt the last couple of days.”

  “The Council of Ministers want you dead. You have angered them and you worry them. You have brought home the reality that no one is really safe in this world. I have been stalling the ministers because you remind me of myself in my years as a young agent and I think you can be useful in the future.”

  “Apparently, I haven't given them the same impression.”

  “No, and I assure you if any of those boys are hurt in anyway, you will not survive the following twenty-four hours. That is the only certainty of your situation. It's not personal, you understand.”

  “I do.”

  A man came into the room and whispered something into the general's ear. He swallowed the last of his cognac and stood up. “It is time for me to retire for the evening.”

  Robin stood and Yosef took him by the elbow and led him to a door.

  “This is the door to my study. There is somebody in there who would like a word with you. I will see you in the morning. Have a good evening, Robin.”

  “Good evening, Yosef.” Robin opened the door and stepped into the room. A woman who stood at the window turned to face him. He recognized her as the KGB agent he rescued from the terrorists in Mindanao. She stepped closer to him and in the low light, her face seemed the color of porcelain accentuated by her black hair which lightly curled around her dark eyes, small nose and lips appearing like oblong rubies in the low light. She was indeed beautiful…and dangerous, Robin reminded himself.

  She came closer and touched his face as she did the morning he rescued her. “My angel, it is good to see you again.”

  “It's good to see you're healing.”

  “I am, but I still have much healing to do.”

  Robin simply nodded. He looked into her eyes and saw a jumble of pain, fear, love and hardness he found unsettling. “I hope you're being given the time to become well. After what you went through, you need a lot of rest and time to sort through your feelings.” Robin felt like he talked just for the sake of it. He really didn't know what say. “What's your name?”

  The woman hesitated for a moment. “Svetlana, but I am called Lana.”

  “I'm Robin, Lana.”

  “I know.” She put her arms around his neck and whispered into his ear. “Be very careful, Robin. Powerful men do not want you to leave this country alive. If they do let you leave, the KGB will still be looking for you.” She pulled her head back keeping her arms around him. Robin started to say something when she put her finger on his lips. Then she rose on the balls of her feet and put her lips on his. She trembled and her tongue touched his lightly and briefly.

  Robin felt her fear and anxiety. She moved her head back and looked at him with those confused eyes. He pulled her to him, gently holding her trembling body. The embrace wasn't one of passion, but an embrace of healing. He felt her clinging to him and tasted the tears running down her cheek. Lana let her arms drop and ended the embrace. She touched his face again and left the room.

  Robin took a deep breath. That was one of the strangest experiences of my life. His thoughts were interrupted by Alex, who entered the room.

  “It's time to go to the hotel, Robin.”

  “Okay, Alex.” Robin looked at the door Lana went through. “Is she going to be all right?”

  “Do not be concerned for her.”

  “I already am.”

  “Robin, some day she may come to kill you.”

  “I don't think she'd kill me.”

  “You don't understand. She has no choice. She will do as she is told.”

  “Why?”

  “Please, Robin, we must go.”

  Robin looked back at the door and then at Alex. He walked out of the room without saying another word.

  THIRTY-TWO

  THINGS MOVED FAST THE NEXT MORNING. Alex came to the room Robin shared with Mark. He insisted the group leave immediately, but Rada hadn't finished changing Mark's bandages, so Robin and Alex had a few tense minutes. They finally made their way to the van waiting for them at the front of the hotel. The van had an escort of two black Volga sedans in front and a limousine and third Volga in the rear. Robin then understood Alex's urgency. Not everyone was willing to let his group leave. They were in the middle of a conflict in the Russian government.

  The convoy sped through the streets of Moscow with the Vo
lga sedans displaying flashing blue lights and screaming sirens. They weaved through heavy traffic as vehicles careened out the way, causing some accidents. This further raised Robin's concern. It pegged when Alex, seated in the front passenger seat, turned and handed Robin his Colt .45 and extra magazines.

  “Is it that bad, Alex?”

  “It could get very bad. Our government is in a crisis and you are part of it.”

  “Glasnost versus hard line communism?”

  Alex nodded.

  Robin checked to make sure a round was in the chamber and inspected the magazines. He put the extra magazines in his pocket and slid the gun into his waistband. He looked at Lev and Rada whose eyes were now large and fearful. “We're taking this one step at a time. We do as Alex says and we don't panic.”

  Robin could see a military airfield up ahead. He looked back and saw more blue lights behind the convoy. Up ahead, he saw vehicles gathering around the gate to the airfield. “Are they on our side, Alex?”

  “We are about to find out.”

  As Robin looked ahead, he saw gunfire erupt between the cars and people at the gate. He heard Alex say something to the driver and the van shot forward with a burst of speed. The lead Volga also increased speed and as it neared the gate, the people scattered. Only a few rounds were fired as the convoy crashed through the wooden bar across the road. The Volga smashed into two cars blocking the entrance, sending them spinning in opposite directions, but the Volga veered sharply to the left on a deflated front tire and rolled. The rest of the convoy raced to the tarmac.

  Robin could see a medium sized jet passenger aircraft on the tarmac with a platoon of soldiers around it. One of them waved the convoy forward and the van skidded to a stop next to the stairs leading to the door of the plane.

  “Get in the plane now!” Alex ordered.

  Robin jumped out of the van and helped Rada and the children get out. “Get in the plane, Rada!” Then he and Lev opened the back doors and lifted Mark's stretcher and headed for the stairs. Robin could see vehicles surrounding the plane. “Come on, Lev. We gotta move fast.” The two men went up the stairs as quickly as they could.

  Alex followed them into the plane. “Robin, get everyone into the rear compartment.”

  Robin and Lev carried Mark and Rada followed with the children. Alex came in and handed Robin his MP5 and tactical vest. He then hurried out of the plane. Robin stepped over and handed Mark his pistol and the extra magazines for it.

  “Rob, if they get this far, a .45 isn't going to do much good.”

  “It's a bargaining chip.” Robin looked at everyone. “Stay calm. General Yamurov must have a plan. We'll just have to see how this all plays out.”

  He went to the forward compartment, closing the door behind him, taking a position where he could see out of the aircraft. A man exited the limousine and walked over to a group of men being held at bay by the soldiers. After a brief discussion, one of the opposing group headed to the limousine with the first man. The opposing representative got into the limo while the first man stood outside.

  Fifteen minutes went by and the opposing representative left the limo and went over to his group. General Yamurov got out of the limo and came into the plane. “Robin, please put the weapon away. You already possess the most powerful weapon you could have in this situation.”

  Robin put the rifle down and took off the vest. “What's my weapon?”

  “The identity of the person who stole the nuclear device. You do have it, don't you?”

  “Yes.”

  Yamurov nodded with satisfaction as Alex led three men into the aircraft. Their faces were stern and heavy with concern. All of them were dressed in tailored suits and wore expensive watches and jewelry. They sat across from Yamurov and Robin with a table separating them.

  “Robin, will you please tell these comrades what you came to Vladivostok to do and what you saw.” Yamurov put his hand on Robin's arm. “The whole story please. Alex will translate.”

  Robin related the operation Mark and he conducted including seeing the transfer of the nuclear device. At the mention of the nuclear device, the eyes of two of the men grew in size. The other man's eyes narrowed. Robin told them he and Mark came to Vladivostok by boat and the RIB should still be where they stashed it. While he did talk about the sinking of the ship, he skipped much detail about the assault. He concluded by saying he came back to Vladivostok to return the device and seek medical attention for Mark.

  One of the man asked a question and Robin understood he asked about the identity of the man who sold the device.

  Yamurov turned to Robin. “I know this is sooner than you planned to identify the thief, but I am sure you understand the urgency.”

  Robin reached into his shirt and handed the general an envelope, who opened it and grunted with acknowledgment. He handed the envelope to the man sitting in the middle of the three. His face had a stony and grim look. The man's demeanor raised alarms in Robin.

  “Comrade Chairman, the license plate identifies the car as the one belonging to General Ivan Picushkin. The physical description matches that of Ivan. In addition, we have received word General Picushkin and two of his officers went on vacation three weeks ago and are now one week overdue. We had this information for two days, but we did not yet know Robin's information. It would seem we have a serious problem.”

  The sound of a helicopter landing close to the plane interrupted the conversation. Alex looked out the door and then announced the Soviet Premier had landed. Everybody rose to their feet, including Robin, as the premier entered the plane.

  The chairman curtly told Yamurov Robin had to leave.

  “Robin, will you please join your friends.”

  “Of course, Yosef.” Robin went to the rear compartment. When he walked in, all eyes were on him.

  “What is happening?” Lev asked.

  “The top officials of the Soviet Union are in the next compartment, including the premier.”

  Lev's mouth dropped open and his eyes almost came out of their sockets. “The premier is here?!”

  “Yes Lev, it's an interesting situation in there. Just stay calm.”

  “What's the interesting part, boss?” Mark asked.

  “Well partner, it appears the GRU hadn't told anybody about the nuclear device until now.”

  “You're kidding!”

  “No I'm not. All I can say is the three members of the Committee of Ministers here sure as hell didn't know.”

  The door to the cabin opened and Alex motioned for Robin to come with him. Robin walked into the middle cabin and saw two of the three ministers there. Alex led Robin to the next cabin forward. He opened the door and waved Robin in, closing the door behind him.

  Only three men were in the cabin, Yosef, the Soviet Premier and the Chairman of the Council of Ministers. The premier pointed to a chair. “Please sit.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Premier.” Robin knew the premier spoke excellent English.

  “Yosef tells me you speak passable Russian, but you are more comfortable speaking English.”

  “Yosef is a kind man. I've been told several times in the last few days my Russian is terrible by other less kind men. I understand your language very well, but I need to practice my own Russian much more.”

  “Well, this is no time for practice, so we'll speak English. Yosef told me of you a few days ago and of how you returned the nuclear bomb stolen from us. I would like to thank you for doing so.”

  “You're welcome, sir.”

  “I hope your friend found our medical facilities sufficient.”

  “We both found them to be excellent.”

  “Good, but now we have the problem of you, your friend and some Russian citizens, who apparently fear their own government more than they fear you, and three sons of our ministers here who are in the hands of your organization…so to speak.”

  “With all due respect, sir, all we have to do to solve that problem is get to Zurich and make the exchange.”

 
; The Premier studied Robin for a long moment. “Were you sent here to conduct operations against our country?”

  “No, sir and I have no desire to do so.”

  “Have you been here before?”

  “No, sir.”

  The premier became quiet again and Robin understood the man was testing his veracity.

  “I am told you do not do work for the CIA.”

  “I never said I didn't do work for the CIA. I said I am not with the CIA.”

  A slight smile came across the premier's face.

  “I am also told you would do work for us.”

  “As with any other client, if we like the mission, we'll do it.”

  “If we agree to this exchange, I have a mission for you.”

  “What would that be?”

  “Help us find General Picushkin.”

  “We'd accept the mission.”

  “What would the fee be?”

  “Given what the man has done, we wouldn't charge a fee.”

  The premier gave a surprised look. “You would do it for nothing?”

  “No charge to your government.”

  The premier sat back, folded his hands across his stomach and nodded his head in thought. “Thank you, Robin. Now if you'll excuse us, we have some final discussion to conclude.”

  “Thank you for your time, sir. It's been an honor.”

  The premier nodded and Robin went back to the rear compartment.

  “Where were you?” Lev asked.

  “I had a conversation with the premier. We'll soon know what is going to happen.”

  Lev just looked at Robin like he was an alien from space.

  Rada put her arms around her children and bowed her head.

  Mark smiled.

  Sounds of activity around the aircraft became evident. Alex opened the cabin door once again. “We are moving you to the forward cabin. It is best the family goes first and then we can carry Mark.” Alex looked at everyone. “We are going to Zurich.”

  THIRTY-THREE

  LUCY SANTOS SAT IN A CHAIR with her head on her husband's bed as she dozed. Doug walked over and put a blanket over her shoulders. She was exhausted from the trip, but refused to go to a hotel and get some rest. He leaned against a wall and sipped coffee.