Rasputin's Prodigy

by Michael Weinberger

  “So, what is that and why re we interested?” I asked.

  “That,” Chris said triumphantly, “is a forklift.”

  It had been chilling to hear Pha tell us the story of how Lei had driven the forklift through the roll-up door of the warehouse, enabling Pha to get away while sacrificing her own freedom in the process. I doubt Lei had realized it at the time, but in letting the little girl get away, she may have just given us the means to get to her back as well. Chris reconfigured the satellite images on the computer in order to give us a consistent live feed so that we could watch the location. gathering as much intel as we could before setting out.

  “Now check this out,” Chris announced as he switched the video from the earlier in the day feed, to the current live feed. Now the forklift couldn't be seen, but there were enough lights on and figures moving around to rival a shopping mall during the Christmas rush. Seeing the sheer volume of people was staggering, given that the place had looked more or less abandoned from the earlier feed that day.

  Then we saw air tanks being rolled into view on carts, coming from one warehouse and going into another. The satellite imagery was too ‘zoomed-out’ to see what they were specifically doing with the canisters, or even tell why they were moving them, but given the general haste with which the people were working it seem like there was some kind of deadline in place.

  As we watched the screen I heard Sasha call out from the other room, and Igor answering from just behind me. I turned, seeing him staring at the computer screen along with the rest of us, while he started dialing his cell phone.

  “Important call?” I asked.

  He only grunted his reply and then, begin speaking quickly in Russian to whomever he had been connected with on the other end. I watched Igor turn his back on us, and got the sense that something wasn't right about our “friend.” I was about to follow Igor and try to get some answers from him, when the sound of a phone ringing came from the computer we were all watching.

  All eyes turned to Chris expecting him to have performed some kind of goofy program, but he frowned and looked as perplexed as the rest of us. The ringing stopped, and after a brief pause it began again, but this time with an icon that had popped up in the corner of the screen. Hesitantly, Chris slid the cursor over to the icon and clicked on it, and the ringing silenced.

  A window opened on the screen, and we all were graced with the image of Major Robert Larson's smiling face.

  “Well, looks like the gang all there,” the Major said with a chuckle as his eyes panned through the room.

  “Larson? What the hell?” I stammered out.

  Chris was a little more direct, “How are you doing this?”

  Larson looked a bit indignant as his eyes locked on Chris, “Oh, come on Chris. You're an accomplished hacker, but do you really think your skills are on par with the criminals that work for our government?”

  “You've been keeping tabs on us the whole time?” I asked, although I already knew the answer.

  The major shrugged, “Mostly we were just watching your location, while monitoring whatever you were keeping under surveillance via the satellite connections on your computer.”

  “You have a tracker on my baby?” Chris turned to me, “I feel so violated.”

  “You need a hug?” I mocked.

  Larson chimed in, “You boys can hug it out later, right now I only have a second to tell you that your surveillance video was seen by the “Big Brother team” at Langley, and that steps have already been taken in reaction to it.”

  And just like that the conversation turned dangerously serious.

  “What steps?” I asked.

  Larson shook his head, “Can't say, but I'm sure you remember what they're reaction was to the potential biological threat in Thailand.”

  I remembered that when the government received the location of Dr. Whelan's lab and the biological weapons he had been concocting within, the military started raining missiles down on the lab and planned to level the surrounding geography with a MOAB, the largest non-nuclear bomb ever created. The fact that there were villages of natives, as well as Lei, Chris and myself at ground zero didn't deter the decision to unload serious ordinance on top of us at all. Not even a little bit.

  Chris turned to me, “Deja vu?”

  “So the CIA is going to drop bombs on us again?” I accused.

  “No,” Larson stated confidently, “you're in Russian territory. The information will be passed to their Russian equivalent, and any decisions will be made by their people.” Larson paused to consider, and then added, “I think our people will be offering some very strong recommendations as how to act, but ultimately the choice is going to be Russia's, at least from an official standpoint.”

  “What does that mean?” Chris asked.

  “It means that if there are any indications that the biologic entity might already be in play, or if the Russian government doesn't act as the CIA would officially advise, then there's a chance that some more ‘unofficial’ steps will be taken to ensure the safety of the world.”

  I let out a disgusted sigh, “So the policy will be to advise, recommend a course of action to the Russian's, and assuming they don't act in the manner recommended, the CIA will just do what they want to do anyway?”

  Larson smiled, “It's possible, but I can't say more than, it would be within character for something like that to happen. Welcome to the world of covert operations.”

  “Major...” I tried to take a breath to calm myself. I wasn't feeling the same kind of rage as I had before getting the dose of serum I needed, but there was still some residual desire to lash out at what was angering me, “Robert, Lei is still being held in that warehouse. How much time do we have?”

  “I don’t know my friend, and that's why I'm giving you the head's up. The wheels are going to move a lot slower than before, working through contacts and liaisons between our two governments, but the threat won't be ignored for the sake of politics for very long. You likely have between twenty-four and forty-eight hours, to get her out and become gone, and that’s my best possible guess.”

  I nodded, “Any idea how the Russians will react?”

  Larson considered the question, “The very same way our government did in our Thailand adventure. If they want to contain the problem they'll launch the missiles and enact a ‘scorched-earth' protocol. If they want to try to make the biologic part of their own arsenal, they'll send in the troops. But I can't say for sure which decision they'll make. The boys at Langley will be pushing for the ‘scorthed-earth’ option, not only because they want to see the area contained, but because they also don't want Russia to gain access to such a potentially dangerous weapon, so...”

  “Which,” I added, “may be all the motivation the Russian government needs to try to take the weapon for their own use.”

  Larson nodded, “That would be a typical, if not an archaic, cold-war maneuver. But remember, even if they do send in the troops, there may still be missiles flying in anyway.”

  “Any chance you will be coming with the cavalry?” Chris asked hopefully.

  Larson looked crestfallen as he replied, “I just can’t say. Sorry.”

  I stood up straight, “All right, thanks for the warning, but we've got work to do.”

  Larson smiled a strained smile and nodded, “Understood. Good luck guys.”

  The video disconnected as Chris and I stared at the screen for an instant more, and then I put my hand on his shoulder and said, “C'mon, it’s time to go.”

  Chapter 35

  William watched as small day-packs were loaded into the trunk of Igor's car, and as various “thank you and goodbyes” were said all around. Alpha cast a glance his way, but William just stared back stoically, until Alpha broke his gaze and climbed into the front passenger seat. Chris and Steve loaded themselves into the rear seats, while Igor sat in the driver’s seat getting ready to start the vehicle. Sasha had remained behind at the farmhouse, and was none too happy about it. T
he petite man was pacing and cursing in Russian at being left behind while the rancher's wife tried to console him. Eventually he simply sauntered off in a huff with a flurry of hand gestures and foot stomping.

  William never moved until he watched the taillights of the vehicle disappear down the dirt road that had brought them to the ranch. When he finally returned to the main house he found Pha sitting quietly on the bed and, from her expression, William could easily tell she was troubled. No words were spoken, but the simple placement of a gentle hand on the small girl's shoulder spoke volumes.

  Pha looked up at her adopted father, tears welling in her eyes as she spoke in Thai, “I thought I was going to be alone again. I was so scared because, even if I escaped, there are no alleys here to sleep in, no one speaks a language I understand, and there are no policemen or public 'safe houses' for me to run to.”

  William and nodded as he patiently listened to every word as Pha continued, “But father, now Lei is all alone.” William frowned and started to rise from the bed, but Pha caught one of his fingers before he could walk away.

  Pha bowed her head to William, “Please father. When they brought her to me I felt safe again. I felt like she would die before she would let anyone hurt me. She is the reason I am here, but now she is all alone.”

  William looked down at his hand and the grip Pha had on him. His eyes took in the little fingers that encircled his middle finger, as they held on tightly. His eyes traveled up that tiny arm to the face that looked back at him pleadingly. William sighed and gently pried the girl's fingers from around his own. He opened his mouth as if to say something, then thought better of it and simply shook his head, “No,” before turning to walk from the room.

  “Please help me save Lei,” Pha called after him.

  William froze, as the child's words seemed to echo in his mind. He inclined his head slightly back in Pha's direction, then angrily continued his walk away and into another area of the ranch house.

  Chapter 36

  Based on the satellite images that Chris had pulled up of the surrounding area, we were able to get Igor to drop the three of us off within a mile of the warehouse, while strategically placing a dense amount of forest between ourselves and our destination. Igor did not accompany us as the plan called for him to stay with the car in case we needed a backup getaway plan. The trek through the woods was a silent one, but not as a result of any kind of need for stealth. I think we were all too focused, or maybe just apprehensive, about whether or not the three of us were going to be able to pull off what seemed like an impossible rescue. Given the number of Dimitri's people we had seen on the satellite feed the odds were decidedly against us, and the chances would be better if we were able to sneak in and out without being detected. If we were exposed, then this would probably go down as a final, “blaze of glory” type of last stand attempt against overwhelming odds.

  Once we arrived, Chris was going to have to study the landscape around the perimeter of the property to find a suitable location for setting up his sniper's nest. This location was also dependent on where Alpha, who was going to stand alone against the aforementioned onslaught of Dimitri's people, if it came to that, would decide he could have the best chance of holding out against such overwhelming numbers. His best bet would be similar to the tactic the Spartans used at Thermopylae. The Greeks used the natural landscape in order to pigeon-hole their opponents into a space that forced them to abandon the idea of attacking from multiple directions. The landscape the Spartans chose acted as a funnel so only a handful of enemies could be in the front line at one time, thereby limiting the number of opponents they had to fight at any given moment.

  The task that fell to me was either finding Lei, killing Dimitri or both. Frankly, I didn't much stand a chance against Dimitri in the first place, at least not in a fair fight. I had decided just after my escape from Dimitri's building in Nazran that, should it come to a standoff between the ancient Russian and myself, it wasn't going to be a fair fight, and I had prepared accordingly. The only unknown was Nicholas. The big man was a legendary warrior and military commander in his own right, and if he engaged me as I was fighting Dimitri, I wouldn't stand a chance, regardless of whether I brought my “sneaky toys” or not.

  We reached the outskirts of the forest, staying within the tree line as we peered through binoculars at the warehouse in the distance. The sun was setting behind us, which further helped to shield our movements from observation, despite the fact that the whole place still looked as if it were abandoned and empty in the pre-sunset light.

  “How long until nightfall?” I asked Chris, who had looked up the information before we had left the ranch house. Chris lowered his binoculars and checked his watch, “Just shy of an hour, why?”

  “I'm thinking about doing some recon of the buildings to see if I can get a better idea of where they might be holding Lei.”

  “Didn't the child say she was in the main building?” Alpha volunteered, “in one of the office spaces?”

  “Yes, but that was where they were before the escape attempt, I am guessing the have moved her to a place where they could keep her under a better form of lock and key.”

  Chris volunteered, “You're also assuming that they always wait for nightfall before they come out. The images we saw only showed one night's activity, and there's no way we can say for sure that there is any kind of a schedule they are sticking to.”

  I laughed, “You think they were all in there watching a movie that suddenly ended at sundown and they all went out for fresh air at once?”

  Chris scowled at me, “I make the jokes around here, and in any case, what I am trying to say is that we really don't know if that was something random on that particular night, or if it was a part of a regular routine. It's not as though they are going to burst into flames if they move into the daylight.”

  I agreed, but asked, “Don't you think it might be worth the risk?”

  “There are four warehouses,” Alpha noted, “and you think you can do a proper inspection of each, taking all the precautions necessary to keep us from being discovered and yourself protected, and still get back to us before sundown?”

  I chuckled, “Well when you put it like that, no I don't think I could do that. What I can try to do is sneak up to each building, and at the very least look through a damn window. Maybe I'll find Lei, or more likely I'll just see where the majority of them are laying low before sundown. Who knows?”

  Alpha was unconvinced, “If you are caught or killed, then this whole plan, which is unlikely to succeed in the first place, is ruined. Any chances of getting Lei back are over.”

  I shrugged, “Having a better understanding of what we are up against would increase our odds of grabbing Lei and getting us all out of here alive.”

  Chris just watched as Alpha looked at me, suddenly his expression dropped and his whole body drooped. I was about to ask if he were all right when he stiffened and seemed to recover completely. There was a new steely look in his eyes and a confidence in his demeanor as he nodded at me.

  “Go,” was all he said.

  I frowned and turned to Chris who shrugged and then slid the bolt closed on his sniper rifle, effectively securing a round into the chamber. “I'll cover you from here as best I can, but you're on your own if you go around the buildings and out of my line of sight.”

  I gave Chris a quick salute to show that that I understood him, and without another word, stood up and taking off as fast as I could for the closest building. No alarms or voices were raised as I reached my initial destination, so I gave myself a moment to recover from the sprint. Once I had my breath back under control I slowly worked my way round the building until I came to the first window. Grime and what seemed like years of weather damage covered the glass rendering it impossible to see through. No sound of anything stirring came from the interior and I would have bet it was empty. Still I made my way carefully to the next window, now scanning for any security systems that might have been in place.
Seeing none, I stopped at the next window, this one equally opaque from the effects of time, but the lower left corner of the glass had a small circular break about the size of a silver dollar that I could put an eye to and peer through. Inside were rows upon rows upon rows of gas canisters. Each canister looked to be around six to seven feet long and must have weighed over two hundred pounds. They were arranged horizontally on pallets, how many pallets there were I couldn't easily count and didn't bother to try, but I did notice that each pallet held a neatly stacked set of twelve canisters. Given the weight and the type of aircraft that we had guessed they would be using I couldn't imagine how more than a single canister could be installed on such lightweight planes. Any more than that and the distance the plane could travel would be severely limited, assuming they'd be able to fly at all.

  There were no office spaces or any places where Lei could have been secured, so I looked back to the trees where I knew Chris and Alpha were set up and flashed hand signals in an attempt to relay that I was about to move to the next building. My hope was that Chris would see me through his scope and get the idea.

  I worked my way to the edge of the warehouse and quickly peered around the corner. Seeing no one, I bolted to the next building and assumed a position beneath a window similar to the position I had previously held at the first building.

  This particular building looked like a central office, connected to another warehouse which reminded me of those self-storage places. The office space looked disheveled, as if a strong wind had blown through, scattering papers and tipping over desks as it went, but was otherwise unremarkable. I could see that the office had a large window on the far side of the room that appeared to be some kind of observation spot for the warehouse beyond. Moving further down the side of the building I found the door and checked to see if it was locked.