Necessary Retribution

by Mike McNeff

  Emmett went with the team to cover the exchange of the Russians for Robin and Mark, leaving Doug and Maria to take care of Rick and Lucy. Cái and David visited often and were all over the hospital making sure Maria had everything she needed and Rick had the best nurses.

  Doug worried about Rick. Maria said the repairs went well, but Rick's weakened condition did cause concern. She added that Rick's top physical condition was key to the success of the surgery. A weaker man would've died.

  Rick stirred and Doug put his coffee down and stepped to the head of the bed. Rick's mouth moved, but his eyes were still closed. Doug saw them moving like they wanted to open. Then they did open and Rick tried to blink his surroundings into focus. Doug reached over and gently nudged Lucy. She lifted her head and looked at Doug. He nodded toward Rick and Lucy rose up so Rick could see her.

  Rick blinked a few more times and looked at Lucy. “Well hello there, beautiful.” Rick's voice was a barely audible hoarse whisper, but it was music to Doug's ears and he could tell it had the same effect on Lucy.

  Lucy put her hand on Rick's forehead. “Hello there, you Latin lover. How are you feeling?”

  “Like shit, but awfully glad to see you.”

  Doug pushed the nurse call button. Rick didn't look good at all and a second later, he vomited. Lucy immediately tried to clean up the mess as two nurses hurried into the room and took over. Doug pulled Lucy back as the nurses worked. Five minutes later, Maria came in.

  Lucy trembled and cried as she watched the medical team work. Doug tried to put himself in between Lucy and the scene on the bed, but Lucy wouldn't submit and insisted on watching. Doug had to be satisfied with just holding her back.

  Maria and the nurses cleaned Rick up and got him settled. They administered drugs to minimize nausea and pain.

  Maria walked up to Lucy and hugged her. “Hi, I'm Maria and I'm the team doctor. This big lug next to you is my fiancé.”

  “I know, Doug has told me all about you and everything you've done for Rick. I'm so grateful.”

  “Don't worry too much about Rick. Right now things look worse than they really are. His body has taken horrific punishment, but he is a very strong man, physically and mentally. He will be fine in time.”

  Lucy choked back a sob. “Thank you, so much.”

  “I'm just glad I could be here to do what I can.”

  “Lucy…” Rick's voice croaked.

  Lucy hurried to Rick. “I'm here, Babe.”

  Rick took her hand in his. “Glad you are, honey. I'm going to be okay. We'll just take it one day at a time.”

  Lucy leaned over and kissed Rick on the forehead. “You rest. I'll be here.”

  “Who has the kids?”

  “Wanda is watching them for now and both grandparents are on their way. They'll be fine.”

  Rick nodded and then slipped off to sleep.

  “Doug, I think you better get Lucy to the hotel so she can get some sleep. I'll stay with Rick until you get back.”

  “Yeah, she's going to crash soon.” Doug walked over and gently took Lucy by the arm. “C'mon, Lucy. You need to get some sleep. Maria is going to stay with Rick until I get back. When you get some rest and some food, I'll bring you back.”

  “I can't leave Rick and I couldn't sleep anyway.”

  “Lucy, how do you think Rick's going to feel if you get sick or collapse from exhaustion? He's going to be out at least for a day or two. You need to take care of yourself, so you can take care of him.”

  Lucy looked at her husband and then bowed her head. “You're right. I at least can rest a little bit.”

  “And get a good meal. Let's go.”

  Ernie stood at the bottom of Fatboy's lower door at the Paris airport. Emmett, Willy and Marv came down the stairs. Eric Newman stood at the top of the stairway.

  “We'll send the ladies and Chucky back over, Eric. We'll see you in London in a little bit.”

  “Roger, boss.”

  The four men walked over to the door of the corporate jet the team rented to run the hostage scam. The door opened and Chucky and the ladies came down the ramp.

  “Thanks, Chucky. You and your friends did a great job.”

  “Enjoyed every minute of it. Just get Robin back.”

  “We will. See ya in London.” They shook hands and Ernie climbed the stairs into the business jet. He saw the three young men surrounded by Guardians. They were all joking except for one, who sat in the middle of the three. He looked at Ernie with a concerned face.

  “How is everyone doing?”

  The concerned young man looked around. “I get the feeling we are not going skiing in Switzerland.”

  Gary, who had the most interaction with the three while they were at the villa, walked over and stood in front of the three men. “Ernie, let me introduce you to our friends. This is Yuri,” Gary said pointing to a heavy set young man sitting to the left. “The young man sitting in the middle is Stephan and the gentleman on the right is Georgy. Gentlemen, this is Ernie.”

  “Good to meet you all. We are in fact going to Switzerland, but the skiing will be up to you and your fathers.”

  That statement captured the attention of all the young men. “Our fathers have talked to you?” The concerned one asked.

  “Yes, they asked us to find you, make sure you're all right and bring you to them in Zurich and that's what we're doing. So, sit back, have a drink and relax. We'll be there in about an hour.” The jet's engines started and soon they were taxiing.

  Gary smiled at the men. “You guys have had a good time, right?” The three nodded their heads. “There's nothing to be nervous about. In an hour you'll be with your fathers.”

  The jet roared, raced down the runway and lifted into the air.

  After they were moved to the forward cabin, Robin heard men and the definite sound of equipment coming onboard. He also heard muffled discussions and a few orders being given. Then things quieted and the jet took off. Robin understood enough to know a contingent of Spetsnaz boarded the plane. For the next two and a half hours, he tried to swallow the lump growing in his throat. If anything goes wrong, this will be a blood bath and a disastrous international incident. I hope to God everyone stays cool and calm. About the only good thing about all this is everybody involved are pros…except those young men. Robin took a deep breath. Shit! They could be the wild card in all of this. I hope the guys are keeping them happy.

  Robin looked over at Lev and his family. He felt a pang of regret he got the honest policeman involved in all of this. He knew he owed it to Lev to get his family safely out of this mess. Then he looked a Mark. The kid has been a good troop through all of this. I gotta get him home. Robin rested his head against the back of the seat as he felt the jet tremble through slight turbulence as it descended into Zurich.

  THIRTY-FOUR

  ERNIE WALKED AROUND THE PERIMETER of the business jet surveying the situation. As requested by Bill Grassley, the two aircraft were instructed to taxi to a remote parking area on the northeast end of the Zurich airport. Ernie could see several Swiss Army armored personnel carriers strategically placed around the area, their cannons and machine guns pointed at the two aircraft. Grassley relayed the Swiss Army's edict they expected a peaceful exchange and they would not tolerate any violence. Ernie wholeheartedly agreed. He hoped the Russians did too.

  He headed back to the stairway to the door of the aircraft. He looked at Emmett stationed at the front of the aircraft and then at Willy at the rear. Their weapons were hidden underneath their jackets. Ernie also noticed the Russians had deployed their own sentries around their aircraft. He climbed up the stairs and walked over to the three young Russians. “Are you ready to go home, gentlemen?”

  Yuri and Georgy both nodded in agreement, but Stephan remained still. Ernie walked past them, picked up his satellite phone and walked to the rear of the aircraft. He waved Burke to come back to him.

  “Keep an eye on Stephan. His attitude could bring us trouble we don't need.”
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  “Yeah, I noticed. I'll watch him.” Burke went back up front.

  Ernie punched in the number for Fatboy.

  “Jamie here.”

  “Hey Jamie, it's Ernie. Connect me to Yamurov.”

  “Roger. Standby.”

  After a brief delay, Yamurov answered, “Good evening, Ernest. I hope you are well.”

  “I am, General, and I hope the same for you.”

  “Thank you. I trust our young friends are still well.”

  “They're fine, General. Yuri and Georgy are in good spirits. Stephan seems a little put out with us, but I'm sure he'll get over it.”

  “Ah, Stephan can be a hot head and he so loves western culture. He is probably not too happy to have his good time cut short.”

  “Shall we start the exchange before our Swiss friends get nervous?”

  “Yes. I suggest you and I meet at the exchange point to make sure all goes well.”

  “I think that's a good plan. I'll start out now.”

  “It will be a pleasure to meet you in person.”

  Ernie ended the call and walked forward tossing the phone to Gary. “We'll use the radios now.”

  “We're ready.”

  Ernie went down the stairs and saw a distinguished looking man about sixty years old coming towards him. They met on a walkway in between the two aircraft and shook hands.

  “General Yamurov, it's an honor.”

  “It is very good to meet you Ernest. Do you have a military rank I should address you by?”

  “I prefer being called Ernie.”

  Yamurov chuckled. “You belong to a very peculiar organization.”

  “I prefer to believe I belong to a very special organization.”

  Yamurov studied Ernie for a moment. “Yes, I can see why Robin has such confidence in you and your men.”

  This statement made Ernie fill with pride for a moment.

  “Shall we start the exchange, General?”

  “Yes, let's start by you sending Yuri in exchange for the Russian family your Robin has seemed to have adopted.”

  “All right.” Ernie keyed his portable. “Gary, bring out Yuri.”

  “Roger.” Gary appeared at the door with Yuri at the same time Rada started down the stairs of the Russian plane with her children in hand and Lev behind her. They approached Yosef and he gave Lev a piercing look.

  “Are you sure you want to do this, comrade?”

  “To be honest, Comrade General, I really don't know what to do. I just think it is better for us to go with Robin now and take time to sort everything out.”

  Yosef's gaze softened and he sighed. “Yes, it is probably better for you and your family now. Godspeed to you.”

  “Thank you, Comrade General.”

  The family went past Ernie, Gary and Yuri. Yosef waved Yuri forward. “Yuri! Go to your father.”

  Yuri walked quickly to the stairs and scampered into the plane.

  “Georgy for Mark?” Ernie asked.

  “Yes, that will be good.”

  Gary brought Georgy out as two Spetsnaz soldiers carried Mark out. Marv and Rocky walked up to the Spetsnaz men, saluted them and took hold of the stretcher. The two Spetsnaz men stepped back. Rocky thanked them in Russian for being careful with Mark. Gary handed Goergy over to them and the soldiers saluted and took Georgy into the plane. Marv and Rocky carried Mark into their plane.

  Yosef smiled at Ernie, but a commotion inside the business jet erased it. Stephan could be heard yelling and screaming. Burke and Rocky appeared in the door with Stephan in arm locks. He still yelled and tried to kick both men.

  The Spetsnaz sentries produced weapons and started to move forward. Emmett and Willy went to prone positions, weapons ready, but still not visible.

  “Stop you idiots!” Yosef yelled to the Spetsnaz men. “Put those weapons away!” The Spetsnaz soldiers hesitated. “Do as I say before you get us all killed!”

  Stephan's father, the Chairman of the Council of Ministers appeared at the door. “No! Get my son! Don't listen to him!”

  “Andrey, look around us! The Swiss Army is coming! Do you want us all to die!”

  The Chairman suddenly realized the totality of the situation as did the Spetsnaz soldiers. They immediately put their weapons away.

  Yosef yelled to the Russian plane, “Alex, get out here and get Stephan.” Then he turned to the Spetsnaz sentries. “You two help control him. He is the problem.”

  Alex sprinted down the stairs as Burke and Rocky brought the struggling young man to the exchange point. Alex grabbed him and the Spetsnaz men put him in arm locks again. Stephan kicked one of the Spetsnaz men and paid for it. The Spetsnaz soldier smashed his fist against Stephan's head, and the young man went limp. He was dragged not too nicely into the plane.

  “Okay, Yosef, please bring Robin out.”

  “In a moment, Ernie. You have my word I will send him out, but I need a moment with him to finalize an agreement we have.” With that, Yosef spun on his heels and went into his plane.

  Robin heard the commotion and started for the middle cabin when Yosef came into the forward cabin and sat down, wiping his forehead with a handkerchief.

  “I'm afraid one of the young men acted badly out there and created quite a scene. Our Spetsnaz also reacted quite unprofessionally. Your people however, performed flawlessly. I am convinced more than ever I want you as an ally and not an enemy.”

  “Okay, so what are we doing?”

  Yosef handed Robin a large thick envelope. “We have completed an inventory of our strategic and tactical special weapons. All of our strategic weapons are in place. However, we are missing at least three tactical nuclear weapons and maybe one biological weapon. Unfortunately we don't know exactly.”

  “How come you don't have an accurate count?”

  “Picushkin controlled all the records. They are not in good order.”

  “And you think Picushkin is the culprit.”

  “He and his two security officers are the logical suspects, but I think we need to keep an open mind on this. The envelope contains all the information we have on the situation. Are you still willing to help us?”

  “Of course.”

  “And we still have your promise of confidentiality?”

  “Absolutely.”

  Yosef rose from his seat and held out his hand. Robin stood and took the offered hand. Then Yosef put his hands on Robin's shoulders and kissed him on each cheek. “I wish you were a Russian, my friend.”

  “That's a very nice compliment, Yosef.”

  “And one more thing, Robin. The chairman wants you dead and I don't think he is going to change his mind. Always be careful.”

  “I'll be careful.”

  “Let's finish the exchange.”

  The two men walked into the middle compartment where Robin was greeted with a mixture of looks ranging from admiration to pure hatred. He did not miss the looks were also directed at Yosef. They went down the stairs and Robin could see the relief on Ernie's face.

  “Here is your commander, Ernie. Thank you for your professionalism. I hope we can meet sometime under friendlier circumstances.”

  “Thank you, General. I hope we can, too. Goodbye.”

  “Goodbye.”

  Robin looked at Yosef and saluted him. Yosef nodded and they parted.

  As they walked up the stairs, Ernie put his hand on Robin's shoulder. “I guess we're in the big leagues now.”

  “Let's get going and I'll fill you in on just how big the league is.”

  “First why don't you tell me what the hell we're going to do with the Russian family you brought to us.”

  “Oh, yeah, I better talk to them.”

  “That'd be a good idea. They're about to jump out of their skins. Also, Rob, Rick is in serious condition in Taipei. He's going to make it, but it was touch and go there for a while.”

  “You can tell me more in a minute. Is he in good hands?”

  “Oh yeah! Maria flew in to take care of him. S
he is now our team doctor by her decree.”

  “Good.”

  Robin entered the aircraft and walked over to Lev and his family as Ernie ordered the pilots to take off. Robin sat down across the aisle.

  “How are we doing?”

  “We are scared,” Rada said.

  “You don't need to be. First of all, you won't have to worry about money. I'll see you're taken care of. Second of all you can be American citizens in a matter of weeks, if you choose to do so. Third…

  Lev interrupted Robin. “We can be American citizens?”

  “Yes,”

  “Can we still stay Russian citizens?”

  “If I can maintain contact with General Yamurov, I'm sure that can be arranged.”

  Rada's back stiffened. “We are not beggars and we do not need to be treated like children and supported by you. We can earn our living!”

  “Rada…,” Lev began in an imploring voice.

  Robin put up his hand and smiled. “It's okay, Lev.” He looked at Rada. “I never expected to support you. In fact, Rada, you already have a job if you want it.”

  “What would that be?”

  “In the last two days, several members of our team have been injured. Besides Mark, one other member was seriously hurt. We need a medical team to tend to our needs and the needs of our families. We already have a doctor, I'm offering you the job of team nurse.”

  Rada sat speechless for a good thirty seconds and Robin had to stifle a chuckle.

  “What would my salary be?”

  “What do you think it should be?”

  “I believe the salary should be the same as my salary at the hospital, Three Thousand, Six Hundred Rubles a month.”

  “Let's see, that would be roughly about Eighteen Hundred US Dollars a month. How about we pay you Ten Thousand Dollars a month to start. That would be the equivalent of approximately Twenty Thousand Rubles a month.”

  Rada's eyes, along with Lev's, grew wide and Rada went speechless again.

  “Things are different in America. You both have good skills and good work ethics. You can be successful in America, especially since you speak English so well and since your children speak English, they will have little problem adjusting to American schools. Why don't you relax and talk over what you want to do. I have to tend to other business, then we can talk about this some more.”