“Thank you, Anna. That scared the shit out of me,” said Eddie. “So, any side effects?”
“He probably will not remember the last several hours, so he will wake up surprised to see you,” said Anna. “You will need to recap the situation for him. And give him the painkillers I put in the kit.”
Victor poked his head in the back door.
“OK, let’s get out of here,” he said, keeping one eye on the alley.
“You drive, I’ll stay back here,” said Eddie. “Anna, we’ll keep you updated. We should be in Helsinki tonight.”
“Please be safe,” she said with a soft voice and caring eyes that caught Eddie.
“We will,” he said with a reassuring smile. “By the way, I never asked you what you thought of Minnesota?”
“Cold.”
“You may have missed our summer. We call it July. You should give us another chance.”
Anna smiled, then disconnected the call.
Victor climbed into the driver’s seat, easing it back to its original position. As he turned the key of the Volvo, high beam headlights shining through the windshield blinded his eyes.
“Shit,” said Victor.
They felt thumps on both sides of the car as it dropped, first the left side then the right. Eddie leaned over Peter to shield him from the silenced bullets. The Volvo’s tire pressure monitoring system flashed on the dashboard. They could hear voices coming towards them. Victor cranked the steering wheel left and the gearshift into drive and wedged the car into the wall of the building at a thirty-degree angle.
“Get out!” he yelled as he forced his door open just enough to squeeze through.
Eddie swung the driver’s side passenger door wide and climbed over Peter. He pulled his patient out, squatted down, and lifted him over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry. Victor shielded them with the open door then they both began running back down the alley.
“Go!” said Victor, pointing Eddie back towards the street. He turned to assess his attackers who were climbing over the Volvo barrier.
“Get Borg!” shouted one of them in a Russian accent. “Alive!”
55
Blinded by the glare of the headlights, Victor still could not see who was coming at him, but he had a good guess it was the same ones responsible for Stuart's death. Still, a force deep inside glued him to the spot, ready to cause any delay so that Eddie could escape towards the street. He would grab, block, or tackle the men coming at him, anything to gain a few seconds, even if he took a bullet. The young man he brought into this mess was now unconscious on Eddie's back. He stepped back and to the side a few steps to set his line of defense and move out of the high beams, squinting to make out the outlines of movement. He counted two men approaching with another staying on the opposite side of the car.
"Stay there! Don't make me shoot!" said Victor in a warning shout, hoping they would buy his bluff of holding out his clasped hands aimed at them. The two men hesitated then kept coming. Not able to stop both of them, he picked out the smaller, quicker man on the right. He readied himself for a full sprint forward when he heard a yell from behind him. He spun around to see Markus’ van stopped on the street perpendicular to the alley. Eddie looked back towards Victor, then looked back at the van. In a rush of adrenaline, Victor reverted to his original plan, picking out his target again.
"Victor, come on!" shouted Eddie.
Victor looked back to see Eddie lowering Peter into the open van door and three men rushing towards him with guns drawn and pointed beyond him. One raised his weapon, firing off a shot that echoed off the brick walls. The two attackers halted, both dropping to a knee to take cover. Victor sprinted towards the van past the three, providing cover for him.
"Keep going, Victor," said one.
Victor glanced over as he ran to see Markus running past him. He threw himself into the back of the van with the three guardian angels close behind. The last one slid the door shut as the van pulled away.
Breathing heavily, Eddie looked at Victor and let out a sigh of exhaustion.
"Your aim sucks,” said Victor, leaning his head back.
“We can’t shoot anyone in this country, just scare them off,” said Markus, catching his breath. “But you’re welcome.”
Victor smirked and gave Markus a thumbs-up.
Peter stirred, moaning, and holding a hand to his forehead. Eddie remembered that he had left the painkillers in the Volvo.
"What happened to him?" asked Markus.
"We took the chip out," said Eddie.
"We?"
"Well, I did with Dr. Lehtinen on the phone."
"You did a surgical procedure in the back of a Volvo?" said Markus.
Eddie shrugged. "He will need some pain killers when he wakes up," he said, looking around the inside of the cargo van outfitted with electronic monitoring equipment. Markus reached under the front passenger seat and pulled out a military first aid kit.
"These will have to do for now," he said, tossing three packets of ibuprofen to Eddie. "First, we have to get all of you out of St. Petersburg."
"How? My helicopter?" said Victor.
"No, Dmitry made a call and grounded it. I suggest a different mode of transportation," said Markus swiping open a tablet computer.
“What?" said Eddie.
"Allegro," said Markus. "We're heading there now."
Eddie shrugged again.
"It's the high-speed train from here to Helsinki," said Victor. "About three and a half hours."
"Won't they stop us at the station?" said Eddie.
"Not if we can get boarded and gone before Dmitry calls more of his friends," said Markus. "We slowed them down back there, but my guess is they’ll catch up.”
“And the chip is out, so they can’t track Peter,” said Victor. “It’s back in the Volvo.”
"What about him? I don't think he'll be able to walk yet," said Eddie.
"What did you give him?" asked Markus.
"Propofol. He'll be groggy for another hour."
"We'll grab a wheelchair at the station. It will get us on quicker," said Markus.
Victor avoided eye contact with him, waiting for the other shoe to drop from Markus.
"Are we good?" said Victor.
"For now. It would have helped if you would have been straight with me," said Markus tapping on the tablet.
"Yes, well, you people don't need to know everything," said Victor under his breath.
"We do if you expect us to rescue your ass," said Markus, raising his eyes but not his head. “You can thank Dr. Lehtinen.”
Victor nodded but said nothing. He looked back at Peter, who had fallen asleep again, then at Eddie.
"He’ll be OK. We'll get both of you home," said Victor. "You did well. I could use you on my team."
"You should stick to satellites," said Eddie with a hand on Peter's shoulder. "You have a lot to learn about humans."
56
The white van skidded to a stop just outside the Finlyandsky railway station in the heart of St. Petersburg. As Eddie helped Peter to his wobbly feet, Victor and Markus scanned the street and sidewalk for any sign of trouble. Only the statue of Vladimir Lenin stared at them, close to the steam locomotive badged 293 on which he made his triumphant return to Russia in time for the October Revolution in 1917. Ironically, getting out of Russia was the primary objective for this group. Instead of using the bustling front doors under the soaring art deco clock spire, Markus directed them to use the side entrance under cover of darkness. Eddie lowered Peter into a curbside wheelchair, his chin slumped on one hand.
Markus left his two men on watch at the door, just in case Dmitry figured out their plan of escape. He kept his back to the train as the others boarded the first-class cabin car. Peter was strong enough to climb the four steps, greet the train crew with a groggy smile, and stumble into a brown leather window seat. Eddie took the aisle seat next to Peter. Victor and Markus took up positions in front and in back of them.
&nbs
p; "They'll check our paperwork before we stop at Vyborg," said Markus as he crouched in the aisle next to Eddie. "They take on passengers there, but I doubt Dmitry's boys can get to the station before we do. After Vyborg, we are clear to Helsinki."
"And once we get there?" said Eddie.
"I have a car waiting to take you to the airport. You're on the last flight to London then on to Minnesota. We'll debrief in Helsinki before you leave."
"Thanks, Markus. We owe you," said Eddie with a fist bump.
Ten minutes after leaving the station, uniformed Russian and Finnish customs officers visited each passenger to stamp their passports. The Finnish officer, a young man in his early thirties, recognized Victor. His enthusiastic greeting piqued the curiosity of the Russian officer, but then Markus stepped back to confer with both. After flashing his own government credentials, both control officers moved on. Markus watched them proceed down the aisle, noting the Russian agent looking back twice at Victor then Peter.
The Allegro stopped at Vyborg without incident then crossed the Finnish border at 140 miles per hour. Peter had progressed to full consciousness, which, unfortunately, included the pain of a fresh cut on his forehead. Eddie passed him four ibuprofen and the bottle of complimentary Finnish spring water handed to him at boarding. Peter downed the pills then took in his surroundings.
"What in the world is going on? Where are we?" he said with a dazed look at Eddie.
"We're on a train from St. Petersburg to Helsinki. Mr. Niemi is in front of us, and we have another friend behind us," said Eddie gauging Peter's ability to comprehend.
Peter processed the new information for a moment.
"Why?"
"This will take a while to explain," said Eddie. "But first, let me ask, what do you remember of the last twenty-four hours?"
Peter touched his forehead and felt the gauze pad covering the source of his pain.
"Not much. I remember going to a bar with Aleks. Did I get in a fight? Why is my head throbbing?"
Eddie looked around at his neighbors in the cabin. Other than Victor and Markus, there were only an older couple who had not taken their eyes off the large picture window next to them since the train left the station. Eddie leaned on his left forearm tilting his head into Peter.
"I'll tell you everything, but it ends with us going home to Minnesota."
"So far, so good," said Peter taking another swig from the water bottle.
“Are we still friends?” asked Eddie.
“Of course, why wouldn’t we be?” said Peter with a furrowed brow.
Eddie sighed with relief.
“Let’s just say you went away for a little while but now you’re coming back.”
Peter shook his head slightly with a half a grin.
“Coach, you need a vacation.”
The Allegro pulled into Helsinki Central Station under the massive, glass cathedral roof covering a dozen tracks. Markus and Victor stood and joined Eddie and Peter in a pre-exit huddle.
"Our car is waiting. I have three men on the platform," said Markus. "They are wearing Finnish flag pins on the right lapel of their coats and will escort us through the main terminal building then out the door."
"Do you expect any trouble?" said Victor.
"No, not really. We are just taking every precaution to get you safely out of Finland," said Markus.
Eddie gave a comforting pat on Peter's back.
"We'll be fine. Markus knows what he's doing," he said.
The four of them stepped off the train, met by a pin-wearing agent who led their way with the other two following behind.
"You might want to take that off," said Eddie, pointing to Peter's jacket.
Peter looked down to see the FC Leningrad quarter-zip from the night before. He pulled it off and tossed it in a garbage can before they entered the central station.
Inside was a bustle of humanity crisscrossing their path; parents hanging on to energetic children, business travelers staring down at phones, and gray-haired couples peering up at arrival-departure boards.
"We're heading straight across to the south doors," said Markus. "Stay close."
Eddie could see the ornamental doors waiting for them. He just wanted this game of travel hopscotch to be over.
"So Benny will be at the airport?" asked Peter.
"Yep, that's the plan. Markus made arrangements," said Eddie.
"Coach, thanks for everything. I know that—"
"Victor! Peter!"
They both turned to their left to see a smiling woman approaching with open arms.
“Helen?” said Peter.
She went in for a hug but was stopped by the two trailing Supo agents.
"It's OK, she is my assistant," said Victor, holding up a hand and glancing at Markus.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Niemi, I was just so excited to see you both," said Helen.
"It's quite alright, Helen. Why are you here?" said Victor.
"I am meeting my sister from Oslo who is visiting for the weekend," she said.
Markus nudged Victor impatiently.
"Well, I'm afraid we need to get to the airport," said Victor.
"I understand. Peter, thank goodness you are OK. One more hug before you go."
Helen pulled Peter close with a tight grip on his shoulders. She raised up on her toes, so her mouth was next to Peter's ear.
"Peter, listen carefully. This is a gun in your side. You are leaving with me. Otherwise, I will kill you and anyone who tries to stop us."
Before he could answer, she spun him around, holding him in front of her like a shield.
"Peter, please tell these men our little secret. Quietly."
Markus and the Supo agents reached for their weapons.
"Wait," said Peter holding up a hand. "I need to go with her.”
Markus' eyes darted from Helen to his agents and back to Peter.
"Why?" said Markus.
"She has a gun," he said. "If I don't leave with her, she will use it."
Helen scanned the group with wide eyes.
Victor glared at Helen.
“Helen! You?"
"Yes, me, Victor. All we want is Peter. If you come after us, he will die."
Markus surveyed the vicinity. Passersby were giving curious glances at the standoff. There would be too much collateral damage to innocent lives, not to mention Peter, Eddie, or Victor. He needed to let this play out.
"OK. We will let you leave," said Markus in a calm, measured voice. "But you will not make it out of the city, let alone the country."
"Supo? Really? Amateurs," said Helen as she tugged on Peter's shirt to back up. "Hold my hand, Peter. If you let go, bad things will happen."
Helen and Peter joined hands. She kept the gun under her coat pointed at Peter, walking backward to monitor Markus and his men. After several steps, Helen turned and led Peter to the south doors that led to the street. Markus spoke to the agents on either side of him, without diverting his eyes.
"Go back out on the terminal and make sure they don't get on the return train to St. Petersburg.," he said to his right then turned his head slightly to the left. "You follow them but keep a safe distance. See what car they get into. I will call border control. They do not leave this country."
"You can't just let them leave?" said Victor with wide eyes.
"Mr. Niemi, we will handle this," said Markus, with a quick glance at him.
Eddie rubbed his head, looking down at the floor for answers. His mind raced through options, as Peter blended into the crowd with Helen, swinging their joined hands back and forth like some kind of perverted game. Markus began creeping towards them.
“He can’t get away,” said Eddie to Victor without taking his eyes off Peter. There was no reply. Eddie took a quick peek to his right, but Victor was gone.
“Where’s Victor?” he blurted out.
Markus spun around scanning, then looked at Eddie.
“Dammit.”
They both sprinted toward Helen and Peter.
Suddenly, a man burst from behind a kiosk, head lowered, and tackled Helen with a shoulder planted in her side. They both went sliding across the granite floor. Peter broke away. Helen rolled over pointing the gun at Peter. Victor grabbed a fist full of her hair and yanked her back as he thrust his other hand at the gun to knock it down.
Helen spun back, sticking the gun in Victor's side. He tried to parry it, but then recoiled as the bullet entered his chest. He clutched the wound, groaning, as blood seeped between his fingers. Peter dove behind a wall as the nearby passengers scattered. Helen rose to her feet and calmly took three steps to round the corner of the kiosk, where Peter huddled.
"Time to go, sweetheart," said Helen raising the muzzle eighteen inches from Peter’s face.
A muffled shot landed with a thud. Peter shuddered. Helen dropped to her knees. She hit the floor face first.
"Peter, it's over," said Markus, lowering his weapon as he crept towards Helen’s body. He stepped over Victor, assessing his condition.
He put one foot on Helen’s gun and slowly slid it away from her body.
"Peter, walk over by Eddie," said Markus nodding his head in that direction.
"What about Victor?" said Peter, seeing him motionless on the granite.
Markus glanced up at Peter then looked away.
Peter's shoulders dropped as he looked at Eddie, who motioned him over.
Eddie hugged Peter, who began to sob on his coach's shoulder.
"I'm sorry," said Peter, shaking with emotion.
"You did nothing wrong, Pete."
Markus stood over Victor, calling for an EMT on his phone. The FC Kotka owner’s eyes were squeezed shut in pain. Eddie and Peter crept over to his side, kneeling next to him. Peter put his hand on Victor’s good shoulder. He responded with a turn of his head.
“Mr. Niemi, I don’t know what to say,” said Peter. “You saved me. Thank you.”
Victor opened his eyes a crack.
“I almost got you killed, Borg,” he said, wincing, “Go home. I’m sorry, for all of it.”
Peter nodded.
“Alonso?” said Victor, his eyes closed again.
“Yeah, I’m here, Victor,” said Eddie on one knee behind Peter.
The Playmaker Project Page 27