The Vladivostok Incident

Chapter 16

A Girl's Fate

Shelton felt so fresh. He had just completed a very wonderful shower. Normally, being covered in dirt and grime wasn't that big of a deal to him, considering he dealt with it every day as part of his job. However, being covered in blood – some of it not even his – is a completely different thing altogether. As he stepped out of the shower, he stared at the clothes Rex had given him. Everyone got a new set of rags, which Shelton was grateful for. He didn't want to walk around town with those torn, bloody, dirty factory clothes anymore.

In the small bathroom Shelton felt relaxed. This was the only time he had to himself. He looked down at his right arm, where flesh met mechanics there was a purple discoloration, and the veins in his arm were deep and noticeable. It was just a minor blemish to Shelton, who considered himself to be a rather good looking young man. If anything, he thought it looked pretty badass and could be used as one helluva story to pick up women.

He dressed and stepped out of the bathroom, only to hear:

"Would you stop?"

He perked his ears up, positive it was a woman. He was disappointed when he discovered it was Lena.

Petras yawned – loudly. It had been hours since the doctor had left, and the moment he was out the door Andrei started to question Lena and everyone else about his son. No one had any clue. Naturally, no one had ever seen Andrei's son before. Still, he kept insisting that Lena just had to have known, since she "knows everyone in Eurasia."

"That was Antonio, and he's dead," she replied bitterly.

Sometime during the commotion, Antanas slipped out the door and didn't come back. He had taken a shower and put on his new clothes before immediately leaving. Everyone except Andrei noticed this; he was so caught up in figuring out information about his son he wouldn't have noticed if the hotel burned to the ground.

"Oh, for the love of Christ, let it go," Petras whined.

"Yeah, hurry and take your shower old man," Shelton suggested.

"And shave," added Petras. "That beard looks f*****g ridiculous on you."

Andrei growled, annoyed. He ended up stomping his way into the small bathroom anyway. As he closed the door behind him, the entire room let out a relieved sigh. Petras swung his head harshly to Lena and sent her a glare.

"What?" she snapped.

Before Petras could open his mouth and make a fool of himself, the door to the hotel room received several loud knocks. Lena, who was closest to the door, moved to answer; she peered through the peephole and saw Haystack waiting patiently for an answer. She unlocked the door and let him in without a word. He passed her a smile but could tell she wasn't interested in idle chatter. Besides, he was there with specific orders from Rex which were intended for Petras and Shelton.

In his hand he held an envelope. He waved it around and sang, "Rex has a special mission for you working class heroes."

"Tonight?" Petras asked. He wasn't too thrilled with the idea of going somewhere the minute they finally had a warm bed to sleep in.

"Ah, don't complain about it," Haystack smiled. He tossed the envelope at Petras. The youngster caught it, eyed it for a moment, and then ripped it open. Out spilled several hundred – maybe a thousand or more – marks. Both Petras and Shelton were speechless. "I convinced him to toss in a few extra coin for you," Haystack said, "I'd imagine you'd both like to get a drink or something. Been a rough ride."

"What's the money for?" Shelton asked.

"There's a list," Haystack pulled a folded piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to them. "Everything that's on that Rex needs. Don't worry, it's nothing like weapons. Just food and first aid supplies."

"This should be easy," Shelton thought aloud. The list contained things like bread, gauze, bottled water, and canned meat. If they didn't get lost in town it would be a quick task to complete, which meant more time to goof off. Shelton could feel his own heart beating in anticipation of a night on the town; he was positive Petras was just as anxious.

Haystack's smile grew a small amount, but fell right off his face when he realized Antanas was missing. "Hey, where's that rich guy?"

"Uh, he kind of disappeared," Petras said with a small laugh.

"Disappeared?!" Haystack shouted, confused.

"Yeah, he just kind of left," Shelton explained.

"s**t, you have to find him!"

Haystack never explained what the big deal was about Antanas, but he was visibly upset about the fact he had slipped out and "disappeared." Unable to let it go, he actually accompanied Petras and Shelton on their shopping spree in order to help find the aristocrat. This annoyed the two workers to no end. Just when they thought they were going to escape the watchful eye of the American mercenaries, they were under the suspicious gaze of Haystack.

They made a quick stop at a small shop in the working class neighborhood. At first, they had a tough time selling their marks; the business survived off government money, and the only way they could get an income was through the government issued vouchers. They ended up giving three times the amount the goods were actually worth, leaving them with little to spare.

Out on the streets Petras and Shelton juggled the grocery bags while Haystack peered around every corner suspiciously. He had never in his life visited a place he would consider "the slums." He had heard rumors that you should always be careful in such places, that the people who lived in the dirty parts of town were low-lifes, lazy, and probably crooks.

Shelton meanwhile strutted ahead without a care in the world. Petras was right behind him. Haystack grabbed Shelton by the shoulder to stop him. He asked, "What are you doing?"

"Uh, walking?" Shelton answered.

"What if there's someone dangerous around the corner?"

"Are all Americans so afraid of everything?" Shelton joked. His grin never changed when he said, "Don't worry about it. I grew up on the streets. If you don't want to get mugged you have to be fearless."

He twisted Haystack's hand off his shoulder and continued to move forward. Petras just offered Haystack a silent shrug as he, too, moved on. Haystack quickly followed. If he had taken the time to calm down and observe the town around him, he would have discovered that there were very few people on the streets. Those that they did pass paid them no mind.

They got three full blocks down the road when Shelton screeched to a halt. Petras, who was too busy staring into a window ogling a young woman, smashed into his back. "What the hell?!" Petras shouted.

"Shut up!" Shelton barked back, quietly. Petras, curious, leaned around Shelton and saw what had gotten his attention. Through a window of a small diner, just standing to leave, with a young woman, was Antanas.

"That slick bastard," Petras muttered under his breath.

Haystack twitched. There was the question of whether he should march right up to the aristocrat and demand to know what the hell was going on, or just let him have his free time while he was still able. In the end he wasn't able to make a decision, so he stood right behind Shelton and Petras while they observed the situation.

Antanas slipped out of the diner pulling the young woman along with him. They seemed to be familiar with each other. It wasn't until they walked under a streetlamp and took a seat on the bench there that Shelton and Petras recognized the woman as Valeriya, Antanas's sister-in-law. She was dressed much nicer than he; to compare her custom made gown to his baggy jeans and pull-over hoodie wouldn't be fair. Her hair was up and probably required a stylist; his was unkempt, which was highly unusual for him.

They were unable to hear the beginning of their conversation, but they caught the voice of Antanas ask, "When is my brother going to be here?"

"Tomorrow."

Something down the road caught Petras's attention. There was a building just down the road from the diner which, if Petras had to guess, must have been a brothel. This assumption was based primarily on the amount of men that went in and out; it was too far down the road for him to really get a decent look at it.

A gentleman was just leaving, but he wasn't leaving alone. He held the hand of a little girl who couldn't have been older than ten years old. As the man and the little girl walked down the road and they were in better view, Petras saw tears running down the little girl's face. She was so cute; her hair was well groomed, the dress she wore was a bit short and had a flower pattern. She reminded Petras of his own little sister.

Then it hit him. The scumbag who was about to walk by had probably just bought that poor little girl for s*x. Petras wasn't one to start a fight; he never felt obligated to stick his neck in harm's way for someone else, but there are some things not even a boy like Petras could forgive.

Unable to control his rage, he dropped the groceries and pulled his trusted switchblade knife. Shelton turned around when the groceries fell, but neither he nor Haystack was able to stop Petras from rushing towards the man.

Petras rushed around the corner and across the street. He intercepted the man just before he passed by Antanas and Valeriya. Although Petras was by no means a large man, he had built enough muscle over his years as a worker and he was running at such a speed that he was able to slam to the man completely off his feet and harshly against the diner's brick wall.

Antanas and Valeriya leapt to their feet in surprise. The little girl the man was escorting started bawling. Petras placed the switchblade up against the man's throat and yelled, "You sick f**k! What are you doing with that girl?!"

"I paid for her!" was the man's defense. Petras responded by punching the man as hard as he possibly could right in the nose. As the man slipped down to his knees, Petras tried to sort out his thoughts. He could kill the bastard; he'd never killed anyone before, but he was as close as ever at that very moment.

"Petras, you i***t!" Shelton shouted as he and Haystack made their way to the scene.

Antanas looked to Shelton. His attention then went between Petras and the crying girl. He was in a state of shock; he felt like the improbable just occurred before him, running into Petras and Shelton in the middle of such a big city. Yet that girl just looked so helpless, so scared, that Antanas wasn't sure if he should run or help Petras.

Petras picked the man up by his collar and slammed him against the wall again and the switchblade nearly fell out his hands. The blood rushed down the man's face. It didn't hide the grin the man managed to sneak through.

"Why are you smirking like that?" Petras questioned.

His answer came when he felt the man reach for something; Petras wasn't completely stupid, he knew that the man was trying to pull a weapon on him. Already enraged, and now in a life or death situation, Petras took the switchblade knife and as quickly as he could pushed it into the man's gut. He repeated this action several times until Antanas finally pulled him away. Petras felt satisfied. Despite the blood that covered his hand and stained his knife, he knew he had done a bit of citizen justice.

As the man collapsed to the ground, blood seeping out of multiple wounds and his mouth, Antanas quickly kicked his hand which held the pistol he was trying to draw against Petras. Roughly Antanas pried the gun out of the man's now broken hand. He knelt down so he could be somewhat level with the man as he lay dying.

Antanas tossed a quick gaze over his shoulder to make sure no one could see what he was doing; he didn't want either Valeriya or the little girl to see him kill someone. He placed the barrel of the gun against the man's temple. He then looked into the man's eyes, just to see what he was thinking. He saw fear, pain, maybe even remorse. Nothing he saw convinced him he shouldn't pull the trigger.

The crack of the gunshot was loud; even Antanas jumped a bit. He didn't realize how powerful a gun could be until the saw the flesh splatter against himself and the wall, or the exit wound, which exposed the man's brains to the world.

He stayed frozen for a moment, surprised at his own actions. Had he just jumped into this scene merely to prevent Petras from dirtying his conscience with murder? To his right he could hear the commotion the diner was starting because of the gunshot. Still, he wasn't rushed. First, he removed his hoodie and used it to cover the man's head; then, he stood slowly and turned around to face the others. He placed the pistol in the waistband of his pants.

Several very shocked faces peered back at him. He said, "We need to get out of here."

Without hesitating he grabbed Valeriya's hand and ran. Petras followed but stopped long enough to grab the girl. Shelton was right behind him. He stopped long enough to pick up the groceries Petras abandoned. Haystack was the last, still utterly dumbfounded as to what was happening. They somehow managed to escape the scene before either locals or the police arrived to arrest or severely injure one of them. Antanas ran all the way back to the hotel, and the confused others had no choice but to follow.

They barged into the hotel and stomped down the hall so loudly that Rex popped his head out his door to see what the commotion was about. What he saw was the aristocrat pulling along a well-dressed woman and Petras carrying a crying little girl. Shelton waddled by and Haystack stopped at Rex's room to explain what was happening.

Andrei, Lena, and the now awake Antoine were shocked when Petras kicked the door open. Naturally, they were much more shocked at the newcomers. Andrei was worried when he noticed both Petras and Antanas had their hands covered in fresh blood. Petras didn't let go of the little girl. He knelt down so he was level with her and squeezed her so hard he was afraid he might hurt her, but she squeezed back just as hard. She wasn't sure why, but she felt as though she could trust the young man who had rescued her from what would have been a truly damning fate. There was still plenty of fear in her, however, and she cried for the unknown on Petras's shoulder.

Antanas paced around the room, his hand ruffling the stubble on his chin. He couldn't recall the last time he'd killed someone – oh, wait, he'd never killed someone. At least directly anyway. People blamed him plenty for the deaths of factory workers, but to actually pull the trigger is a completely different story. Valeriya took a seat on the lone chair in the room and watched him with worry; she never questioned why she was brought to that beat up hotel or if she was safe there.

Shelton, meanwhile, huffed in annoyance as he set down the bags he carried. Everyone was so upset over a little girl they forgot the whole reason they left in the first place.

Rex pushed his way into the room. He was clearly pissed off. "What the f**k is going on?!" he shouted. Antanas stopped pacing, but Petras didn't let go of the little girl.

"Petras had to play the hero," Shelton murmured.

"Shut up!" Petras yelled. Shelton was shocked that the young man actually sounded angry.

"What the f**k am I going to do with her?" Rex asked. "Why the f**k did you do something so stupid?"

"She's just a little girl," reasoned Petras.

"Exactly! I don't have a use for her!"

"That guy," Petras snarled and ignored Rex. "That sick f**k – god dammit!"

Shelton felt his body slump when he thought he heard Petras let out a soft sob. "Come on, Petey," he whispered. He hoped the nickname would help calm him down. "You've lived in the working class district long enough to know stuff like this happens all the time."

Petras leapt up like a cat and yanked Shelton by his collar. He was teary-eyed but it didn't hide his disgust. "That's no f*****g excuse! You wanted me to just walk away?"

"She's lucky," Shelton said. "At least she wouldn't have starved to death."

The grip on Shelton's collar loosened; Petras hung his head. Antanas, annoyed, pushed Petras away and shoved Shelton against the wall. "What's the matter with you?" he asked. "That girl didn't ask for this."

"That guy didn't ask to get his brains blown out," Shelton countered. "You really think it's fair to kill someone for her innocence?"

"I do," was the matter of fact response. "Unlike you, she doesn't have any options. I highly doubt she wants to get sexually used and abused by disgusting pigs."

"Maybe she realized the only way to survive in this shithole of a world is to sell yourself," Shelton argued. "If you're not selling yourself to sick f***s, then it's to the fat cats, the union, or the state. But you wouldn't know anything about that, would you? It's bastards like you that created this f****d up place."

"Keep acting like a know-it-all and I'll show you that I'm not the pampered man you think I am," Antanas threatened.

Shelton didn't feel like playing around; he decked Antanas squarely on the cheek bone. Fortunately for the aristocrat, Shelton used his real arm so the damage wasn't devastating. It was still a strong blow, and Antanas stumbled back and cracked his lower back against a nightstand. He knocked over the lamp and the phone as he tried to balance himself. There was instant bruising, but probably the worst pain was in his back; he tried to stand but ended up falling back down. Valeriya was by his side immediately.

Rex noticed her for the first time and asked, "Why is she here?"

"f**k you!" Shelton yelled at his former boss. "God dammit I'm so sick of your smugness! You save one little girl from a cheap sin and you suddenly think you're the greatest guy on the entire f*****g planet. You have no f*****g clue what it's like to be on the streets! You're going to leave that little girl just like her parents did and she'll end up getting f****d by some sick bastard in a back alley somewhere. So congratu-f*****g-lations, you've prolonged her shitty life by one day!"

"Shelton – "

"And you!" Shelton interrupted Petras and pointed his finger at him. "Are you trying to get yourself killed? You're a god damn p***y! The only reason you charged after that man was because you still feel like s**t having let your dad sell Cyca!"

Now it was Petras's turn to punch someone. He connected with Shelton's nose hard enough he nearly broke it. "Don't ever say my sister's name again!" he demanded. "You could've done something! I wasn't strong enough, but you just let him get away with it!"

There was a moment of quietness; the only sounds were Petras's labored breathing, the little girl's sniffles, and Valeriya cooing to Antanas. Rex cleared his throat and said, "Feel better children? Now, listen closely: you can do whatever you want with that little girl, but I'm not feeding her. As for Miss Fedorov, you're going to be escorted back to your hotel by Marc. Any questions? No? Good. If you want to beat each other up, please do so quietly."

With that, Rex grabbed Valeriya away from Antanas and pulled her out of the room. Lena was there to help him up. Andrei and Antoine just looked at each confused. Shelton wiped the blood away from his face and watched Petras as he started to cry like a little kid who had just broken his favorite toy.

"I'm sorry," he managed to say in between sobs.

"Uh, it's okay," Shelton smiled.

The little girl made her way to Petras and pulled on his shirt to get his attention. He wiped his eyes and looked down at her; she held out her arms and said, "Please don't cry, Mister." Petras was able to hold back his wailing for about two seconds before the dams broke over her cuteness and he ended up sobbing on her shoulder. That was okay with her though; she was happy to return the favor.

"What a group of babies," Antoine joked quietly.