Episode 5 #5
“Kidnap you and go somewhere they’ll never find us.
” Lisa sighed. “I never let myself think like this.” He fell back onto his back, looking up at the ceiling and laughed, low and broken.
For a long time he said nothing. Then he raised his fingers, playing them through streaks of light from the sun dying towards the horizon outside. “I’m tired, Rei. Perhaps I’m a coward.”
“Why?”
“Because part of me would rather have four more weeks with you like this and nothing more, than face the rest of a natural life without you or Alexi. It’s fucked.
I know it’s fucked. But sometimes Alexi is the only relief in this hell.
Both the giver and the taker of pain. Even though I run, I always crawl back to him like a dog. ”
Sevastyan
Sevastyan sealed his briefcase and gave the dirty warehouse office one last look.
Every surface was accounted for. The cameras and footage were destroyed.
The computers were wiped. Bak Sahyuk’s most vulnerable location was ready for authorities to raid without wider impact to the Merchari.
Two of his associates were stacked in one of the industrial freezers, packed inside bags of rice.
They hadn’t put up a fight. One tray of donuts laced with sleeping aids had put them on the floor.
The cold was doing the rest. Bloodless and silent had been one of the requirements.
The warehouse was in a busy, if run-down, area of town with packed low-income housing on two sides and a gas station across the street.
Sevastyan picked up his box of records and hard drives and walked out into the sunshine. He dragged one foot and scratched here and there as he shuffled along, his dirty clothes a match for the trash in the alley.
In a public park five blocks over, he changed into jeans and a hoodie and transferred his load into a sports bag.
From there he walked into a nicer neighborhood, picked his car up from a service alley, and drove north, changing again, this time back into the veneer of his international art dealer. There was one more stop to make.
The southern Californian coastal town was subdued by what passed as winter weather this far south, but it was not empty.
Parking, however, was easy to find. His new vehicle matched his cover—red, sleek, and less than a year old.
The boardwalk was almost empty. White sand stretched out towards dark water that rolled in and out under an ice-colored moon.
Outdoor heaters eased the slight nip in the air.
By Russian standards the temperature was balmy.
He slid into a bar with a mural of parrots two meters high flung over its exterior.
Inside was dimly lit with loud splashes of color, still matching the parrot theme.
A woman, Mara, with long honey-colored hair and wearing a tight blue dress without straps or sleeves, sat at the bar. He lowered himself down next to her.
She smiled. “Long time no see.”
“Long time.” Sevastyan leaned towards her, holding his breath, and kissed the air on either side of her face. She did the same in return. They pulled apart. Sevastyan waved at the bartender and slapped a twenty on the high counter. “Rum and Coke.”
The Hispanic man holding down the fort grunted and nodded, his hands busy loading up a flight of shots.
Sevastyan turned towards his contact. Mara pushed a napkin towards him. He took it, swiping the packet from under it and transferring it into his sleeve. He spread the napkin flat, playing with it. “I need the target operational directly afterwards. There will be consequences if they aren’t.”
“I’ll bank my reputation on this,” Mara said.
She brought her drink to her mouth without actually imbibing and set it back down.
“First dose should induce extreme submissiveness. Subject will be absolutely inclined to follow any suggestion or order, even to their injury. Phrase your directions and questions appropriately. Side effects can include dry mouth and a memory gap for the duration of the influence. That’s usually a selling point.
There could be weakness and nausea for several days after. ”
He didn’t need to be told how the drug worked. He had clear memories.
“Acceptable.” He put his hand into his pocket, transferring the packet from his sleeve to his pants. He tapped his phone, wiring money to the woman’s account. “Thank you for making it out tonight.”
The bartender pushed a cold glass of rum and coke towards Sevastyan and glanced at the woman’s drink, still mostly full. “Can I get ya’ll anything else?”
Mara smothered a yawn and smiled at the bartender. “Just a quick drink after work, sorry, Joe. I’m about done.”
“Me too, me too.” The barkeeper patted the counter and moved towards other customers at the other end.
Mara turned back to Sevastyan. “Avoid a second dose if possible. There are two, if you need them. I can’t guarantee operational ability of the subject if a second dose is used.”
“Understood.”
Sevastyan motioned to the sandy outer portion of the bar where there were still tables and places to sit but no roof or floor.
No one else was taking advantage of the space.
They moved out under the cold stars. He lowered his hand with his drink, holding it by the top with all five fingers.
A flick of his wrist and some of the contents sloshed out onto the sand.
“Been a while since you were in California,” Mara said.
“Europe keeps me busy,” Sevastyan replied. “Haven’t seen you abroad in a while either.”
She laughed softly. “You know me. I have my lab, my people. The money is good. Why travel? My ankles swell on planes.”
They made small talk for another twenty minutes, then left their empty drinks on the bar and separated on the boardwalk.
It was time to go home. A red eye out of LAX would have him back in a few hours.
Sevastyan
The red eye was almost easy. Every minute meant he was closer to Rei and further away from his work in California.
At O’Hare he collected his checked luggage and lingered by the doors to the curb, calling a ride.
It was early, but he texted Ellisandre.
They texted back.
He checked with the driver and changed his drop-off point.
With three minutes to spare, he arrived first. The table from their last visit was open again.
The place was even quieter than last time, the sign for being open having just been flipped around as he walked up.
Sevastyan gave the server a nod of his head.
The short, Central American looking young man waved at him. “Give us a minute. Register’s not open yet. What can I start for you?”
“Just tea, please. No caffeine.”
“Not been to bed yet?” The man smiled and shook his head.
“Red eye.” Sevastyan smiled back.
“Apple spice coming right up. We got breakfast sandwiches.”
“I’ll take one. Whatever you recommend.” Sevastyan dropped into the seat where he could see the door.
Ellisandre sailed in wearing a massive coat over a tracksuit, no make-up.
They made eye contact and Sevastyan let some tension flow out of his body.
They might not like what he was about to do, but just seeing them pulled some of the poison of the last few days out of him.
Ellisandre paused by the counter, ordered coffee, and approached, taking the seat Sevastyan had used a few days before. “You’re back.”
“Back.” Sevastyan smiled.
“And tired.” Ellisandre looked him over.
“Red eye. Didn’t sleep at all. I’ll get rest after this.” He pushed the small package he’d picked up at the bar the night before across the table. “A solution.”
Ellisandre picked it up. “To?”
“Me.”
Ellisandre opened the small package and looked inside, then closed it. “Explain.”
Sevastyan nodded towards the server who was approaching with two hot drinks, one black drip coffee and one tea.
“Sandwich is coming in a minute. Sugar and cream are right there.” The server nodded towards the little cluster of condiments already on the table.
Ellisandre flashed the man a bit of a smile and took the coffee. Sevastyan nodded, wrapping his hands around the tea. The apple spice smelled good, like one of the places he’d once frequented in Berlin.
More customers entered. The server called out a good morning to them in Spanish as he headed back towards the front. Sevastyan fussed with the little sealed containers of cream without meaning to use them, leaning forward on the table.
“I trust the chemist. It takes twelve hours to leave the system. I’ll be vulnerable until it’s gone, liable to obey suggestions and orders without the ability to reconsider. Have you ever heard of Devil’s Breath?”
Ellisandre’s eyes widened by a fraction. They covered the bag with their hand. “Have you considered the side effects?”
“Yes. Believe me. I know the side effects.” Raska had enjoyed that night.
The muscles around Ellisandre’s eyes tightened.
Sevastyan sighed. “Use it when we’re alone, somewhere safe. I’ll feel sick after, but normal during. It will be dangerous to interact with anyone else.”
“I’ll have to clear my schedule. So will you.”
“I’m not sure . . . I’m not certain if I can go through with it if I know you’re going to use it.”
Ellisandre stared him in the face. “Rate how much you trust this chemist.”
“More than a hospital pharmacy.”
Ellisandre dragged the paper bag off the table and palmed it, putting it into their coat. “I don’t like this.”