“You’re not saying…my…Dmitri was…” Yuri caught on and Aleksei nodded.
“As was I.” He said and that caused Ivan to drop the knife in the sink, curse, pick it up, and continue chopping after a brief glance back. “I did a lot of research, while I was away those extra months. Especially after I found…” he went to his bag and pulled out a manila envelope and opened it, laying out three birth certificates. One was for a girl, a sister that he planned to seek out information on as soon as possible. The other two were for himself and Dmitri. Also noted were four miscarriages between Aleksei and Dmitri, each of which Yuri touched lightly with his fingers, almost as if grieving silently.
“Baby girl…no name, but you were both given names. I wonder why that is.” Ivan said, peering down at the three documents bearing an official military seal. “I wonder…what they did with her. To her.”
“There were two types of children that resulted from these…breeding farms. The type like myself, intelligent to the point of obsessing over knowledge…and the type like Dmitri. You see, the idea was to breed men with my brains and Dmitri’s brawn.”
“Men like…Ivan.” Yuri whispered, but Ivan only shook his head.
“Nyet, Yuri, I was not part of program. Sergei is my papa…he is my papa right, Aleksei?” Ivan looked doubtful and Aleksei smiled reassuringly.
“Yes.” Aleksei lied, easily. It was bad enough he’d always know the truth of Ivan’s conception and parentage, the worried expression on Ivan’s face reinforced his suspicion it would be better that Ivan did not. “That is the only absolute certainty in all of this. The rest is merely speculation. But I do think that the Eugenics program left its mark on you.” Aleksei paused, took a bit of mushroom offered on the tip of Ivan’s chopping knife, and then continued. “I think, from what I can gather, you were perfection, or you would have been but for one thing. Your father wasn’t in the program, therefore, the military couldn’t touch you. The only characteristic you don’t show that all of us have is the obsessive behavior. If that’s the case, you’re beyond perfection you’re almost…divine…by their beliefs.”
Ivan blushed, then, to Aleksei’s surprise. “Yuri, go up in my rooms and get six notebooks in bottom bureau drawer. But do not open them until you get back down here, please. I do not wish Rosa to see them. Not yet.” They waited and Yuri returned, promptly, laying out the notebooks. “Does this count as ‘obsessive’ doctor?”
Aleksei opened the book with the most wear and gasped at the pencil sketch of a graphically naked woman. He flipped through the book, noting the first picture had been drawn thirteen years ago when Ivan would have been seventeen and newly recruited into the Russian Army. Giving it a rough estimate, he figured there must have been two hundred drawings to a book. “You really put yourself about freely, didn’t you?”
Ivan chuckled, then noted Aleksei had stopped at the last drawing in the newest book. “But not since her.” He added, then smiled fondly at the portrait of the sleeping, fully clothed, Rosa, drawn in the medical residency hall in London. “Not since her.” He repeated, then returned to the sink to continue preparing to cook.
“Well, it definitely counts as an obsession, and it throws something else into your profile. You’re an exceptionally talented…that’s enough Yuri, give it back…artist.” He tugged the book from Yuri, who’d been staring at each picture in detail, earning himself a frustrated growl. “Do you ever get enough?”
“No.” Yuri said, sullenly, slouching on his stool.
“So, that solidifies my theory that you were touched by that program. Our mother was pumped up on God only knows what. For sure, human-growth hormones in excessive doses, as was Lavrov. I was unable to track down what other chemicals parents and then expectant women were given. It seems someone higher-up doesn’t want that secret out there.” Aleksei stacked the notebooks and put them to the side, well out of Yuri’s reach, as he was still eyeing them almost hungrily.
“What happened to men in program? Why have not more come forward? Certainly there must be others who are…unusually tall or strong like myself and…and him.” Ivan gestured towards the cistern and a bit of what appeared to be tomato flew off of his knife. Yuri caught and ate it as if it were any other day. But it wasn’t any other day.
“Well, to be honest, the best I can figure is they’ve been…exterminated.” Aleksei said and Yuri had a sudden and violent coughing fit before chugging water. “Yuri?”
“Fucking…hot pepper. Thank you Ivan.” He gasped, bringing laughter from Ivan.
“Da, you are welcome.” Ivan turned back to face Aleksei, his expression serious once more. “I am guessing Sergei is only reason Dmitri still lives…if he still lives…”
“Yes. I was made to believe that my brother, who was then called only Viktor, had died. Not long after discovering my mother was pregnant with you, I…I was shipped off to boarding school in London.” Aleksei sighed and stared at the marble countertop. “For the longest time I hated Sergei, I believed he had sent me away, I believed he had done this because he was just as bad as Lavrov. Of course, I couldn’t have been more wrong, but Lavrov was all I knew of men…and as I’ve told you, he was no role model. Sergei adopted Dmitri shortly after Katya died in that car accident, he had just enough political clout to push it through. Katya’s name was put on the birth certificate instead of my…our mother’s. Our mother signed it in her stead.”
“And then not long after I was born.” Ivan said, and then suddenly, Yuri bolted from the house, before Ivan could grab him or Aleksei could call out to him. “Nyet, Aleksei. Let him go. He will be back. Not too many tigers in this particular area.”
“Tigers? There are no tigers here.” Aleksei snorted standing and starting out the door. “He was barefoot, Ivan…he’ll freeze.”
“You do not think they are called Siberian tigers because they are white, do you? Of course there are tigers. Do not worry about him, well, I know you will, but he can take care of himself. He has had bad shock. His whole world has been turned upside down. He needs time to think, to process and absorb, you know this because it has always been so. I will leave food outside for him and you will see, he will come home when he is ready. Not before.”
Chapter 53
Ivan flat refused to help with Dmitri’s medical attention, but he could not blame Aleksei for wanting to care for the man they now knew to be Aleksei’s little brother. So, he stood silently by as the doctor stabilized Dmitri, sewing up any wounds that hadn’t, in only twelve-hours, already healed. When they were done, and Dmitri was sleeping soundly on what had been Rosa’s ‘nest’, they made certain the cistern was securely locked and walked up the ramp together.
“Ivan…you do realize neither of you should be walking around right now…I’m not really sure Dmitri should even be breathing. He was…well…he appeared to be seconds from death yesterday. I mean, he was gray, his skin…he had lost so much blood.” Aleksei looked at the vials of blood he held in his hands. “I’ll need to get to a hospital to test this blood…if my medical license hasn’t been suspended…thanks to my brother.”
“You should not have been able to make shot like you did yesterday, either.” Ivan said, softly and Aleksei gave him a startled look.
“What are you talking about?” He asked, completely confused. “I’ve never fired a gun in my life.”
“Da, I know. Come to Oleg’s office, I will show you.” They went into the office, and Ivan dialed back the surveillance footage to the point at which Aleksei had come in and stopped Ivan from killing Dmitri. “You see? How did you do that?”
“How can I answer that when I don’t even remember…” He paused when the kitchen door slammed and they both hurried out of the room. A muddy, blood-covered Yuri was standing in the kitchen, rummaging through the fridge as if he were starving, cramming anything and everything in his mouth. “Yuri!” Aleksei cried out, causing the filthy man to raise up too quickly and hit his head on one of the shelves, nearly knocking over one of Ivan’s
precious vodka bottles. “What the hell happened? Are you injured? You’re all bloody…”
“Nyet…no I’m not injured…but if anyone comes around asking about a sheep massacre…I was here all night.” He said and Ivan chuckled. “I am going to have a shower…Ivan, can I use the incinerator to burn these clothes?”
“Da. Destroy all evidence of whatever you have done. Good boy.” Ivan said and Aleksei tutted at him in annoyance.
“He is not a boy, first of all, and second why do you encourage this? He’s killed someone’s livelihood…that’s not acceptable.” Aleksei started to get wound up but Yuri grabbed him with a blood-sticky hand and dragged him towards their rooms. “And apparently,” Ivan heard him say going up the hall, “A slaughter of the innocents has you quite turned on. Well, I can tell you…”
“Shut up, Aleksei.” The door slammed and Ivan sighed as Rosa walked into the kitchen, looking sleepy, her belly already beginning to show confirmation of what they’d not yet had a chance to test her for.
“Hello, beautiful.” Ivan said to her and she grumbled something, then paused and sniffed the air, turning in a circle, confused.
“Who is bleeding?” She asked, going then to the fridge and digging out several different types of raw vegetable. Some, he knew, she wouldn’t want to eat raw, but she was insistent on rediscovering what she liked, and didn’t like, on her own. “Ivan?”
“Yuri. Well, not Yuri, but he ran out last night for while, that is all you need to know.” Ivan started prepping a light meal for Dmitri. He hated the thought, but they did still need the bastard alive, if for nothing else, to prove Aleksei’s theory.
“Did man with one eye survive?” She asked, then, spitting out a bite of raw onion, distastefully. “I don’t like that one.”
“You will when it is cooked. Da, he survived.” Thus far, she refused to say his name or even acknowledge him so this question surprised Ivan. Until she responded to it.
“Too bad.” She said, carefully testing a small cherry tomato before eating several more of them, clearly enjoying them. “How he can survive such abuse?”
“The same way I can, I am afraid. But here, is not time for you to worry about him…or me…” He stopped and cocked his head to one side. “Oleg’s office phone is ringing, I better go and answer, might be uncle is on way for visit.”
“Sir, I do not…Russian Military vehicle is approaching, sir.” The guard at the gate stammered, his face pale. Most of these men were former military turned criminal, who asked to work far from the city to avoid detection from government officials. It wasn’t so bad, they were given a nice house on the compound so that they and, in some cases, their wives could live in great comfort. Oleg took care of his people. That was how he had risen to such power, and infamy. His people would literally do and had done anything for him. “What…what do I do?”
“They are probably coming to ask about tiger attack last night. Tell them nothing. Stall them as long as you can. Give me time to brief my brothers.” Ivan said, flicking the monitors over so he could see the gate from many angles. Then he pressed an intercom button. “Aleksei, Yuri. Get in office. Now.”
Rosa also heard the call and came running, her eyes wide with terror. “Ivan?”
“Go to our room, sweet one. I will come for you soon. Do not open door unless is one of us, okay?” She nodded and departed, her hands covering her belly protectively. He smiled, but only momentarily as a shower-wet Yuri appeared, now wearing clean black jeans and no shirt, though he was carrying one. Aleksei appeared just seconds after him, also half-dressed and looking more than a little flustered at the interruption. “Russian military is here.” Ivan said blandly.
“My God, Yuri, what did you do?” Aleksei asked, but it was more out of exasperation than a real need to know. Mistaking this, Yuri grinned and pulled on his shirt.
“Was only a couple dozen sheep. I don’t know what all the fuss is about.” He winked at Ivan, but Aleksei did not see the gesture and, thus, took him seriously.
“You…slaughtered…someone’s…that’s a lot of…” Aleksei sat heavily in the nearest chair, looking pale and likely to go into shock.
“Pull it together doc, you are going out to meet them.” Ivan said, and then walked him through the plan to get everyone out safely.
Chapter 54
Aleksei strolled out in the morning sun, wincing at the bright-white patches of slowly melting snow. He stretched his legs and did an entire show of getting ready to go on a run. Then he seemed to recognize that there were two soldiers standing warily by their olive-drab vehicle and he strolled over. “Good morning, gentlemen. What brings you out this way?”
“Local citizen complaint. You are preparing to go for run?” The taller of the two asked, and though he wasn’t even as tall as Dmitri, he was definitely formidable, threatening even.
“Da, I am. I run every morning…is good habit to be in. I am doctor, you know, though I am currently on hiatus.” When the man looked confused at this, Aleksei smiled slightly. “I am on vacation?”
“Ah. You would be better not running this morning, sir. Something tore up farm last night, not two kilometers from here. Killed almost every animal they owned, even brought down two horses. Strong, healthy horses, work horses from look of them though, damage was so bad is hard to tell for sure.” Thankfully, they didn’t realize just why Aleksei paled, all it did was make his half-disgusted, half-terrified expression all the more believable. “You are here alone?”
“Besides my private security, da.” Just as they’d planned, Ivan came around the corner, carrying two buckets of God-only-knew where’d he’d gotten it, gore. Aleksei could smell it all the way from where they were standing and he noticed one of the soldiers edged away, clearly repulsed.
“I thought you were alone.” The first guard said, then eyed Ivan. “He is enormous…why he is not in Army? We need soldiers his size…”
“Because, he has mental capacity of child of about six years old.” Aleksei turned and motioned to Ivan. “He loves soldiers, though. He really wanted to be in Army but you know they would not take him. Broke his dear heart. I guess I do not consider him someone because he is more child than man. Cannot act as an adult in any aspect; I am his legal guardian.”
“Still…would not want to piss him off.” The second man spoke for the first time, remaining as far away from the buckets Ivan was carrying while staying within earshot. From the greenish tinge to his face, Aleksei knew the man would rather have been any number of places than here.
Ivan drew near, avoiding eye-contact, which was hard as hell for an alpha, Aleksei knew, but he pulled it off masterfully, along with acting convincingly shy. “H-hello.”
“Pyotr, these gentlemen say there has been tiger attack…it was tiger, da?” Aleksei gave them a stern look and they both exchanged glances and nodded as they looked up at Ivan’s immense bulk. “So, when you take slop down to dump be careful. Tiger might be drawn to smell.”
“Are you real soldiers?” Ivan blurted out and stepped forward. One of the men, the first that had spoken, twitched his hand towards his service revolver, but stopped when he saw Aleksei’s furious expression. “I wanted to be soldier but Army would not take me. I cried for days.”
“They have to be going, Pyotr. Go and dump slop so we can have breakfast. I am going on my run. Okay?” Aleksei smiled at him gently as the soldiers simply observed.
“Okay, nice to meet you both. Maybe we can be friends.” Ivan gave them a smile and then loped off, grabbing the buckets and disappearing back around the house.
“I have heard of men big as him, back in war. But they were all killed off.” The second soldier said, earning a reproachful glance from the first. Clearly, this was not a topic to be discussed with civilians and though Aleksei’s curiosity was piqued, he said nothing.
“Take care out here, sir. Especially if you still plan to do your running.” They turned to depart, but as the driver rounded the tall vehicle to get in, a fist came out
of nowhere and dropped him like a stone. The second soldier pulled his service weapon and turned on Aleksei, failing to notice Yuri, dressed in solid white now, and crouching behind a snow pile. Seeing Aleksei in danger was all it took, Yuri leapt from crouching and plowed the man over, pinning and disarming him. Then, Aleksei stabbed a needle in his neck and pressed the plunger.
“Yuri,” Ivan grunted, crouching to put the second man on his left shoulder, he already had the first man on his right shoulder, “Go and get Rosa, give her white clothes. We will be going north into mountains. The closest base, their base, is south on only road so there is no going back that way, especially not in stolen military vehicle. Make sure she is dressed warmly. And there is no need to make her take off what she is already wearing.”
Yuri shot him an insulted look, but said nothing, simply loped ahead of them into the house. “Your strength amazes me sometimes.” Aleksei said, following him down to the cistern. Dmitri, to their surprise, was sitting upright in the bed, picking morosely at his food. When he saw them carrying two soldiers he started to get up, but Aleksei grabbed the pistol off of Ivan’s hip and leveled it at his head. “Nyet, you just sit back down, little brother.”
“What if I do not? You are going to shoot me? You are not man enough.” Dmitri sneered, his eye on the open cistern door. Aleksei turned, just slightly, and fired, winging Dmitri’s left ear. “God damn you, little bitch!”
“Next one will go right through your fucking eye patch, prick. Do not believe me? Keep running your fucking mouth.” Aleksei said as Ivan watched him in disbelief, wary of what Dmitri would do. After a moment, though, he chose the wise path and sat back down on the bed, but it was clear he was seething with rage. He wiped away the blood that was trailing down his neck from his ear, irritably, but said nothing more. Ivan went back to securing the two soldiers, sitting up right with their backs together, he bound them at their wrists, though not too tight. He had no intention of actually hurting them, this was just to keep them out of the way.
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