Beyond the Breaking Point - Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Finn never liked sitting in one place for too long. Now, four hours after his incident with the bear, he was sitting in the enormous dining room, waiting for Andrei to make an appearance like he had promised.  

Finn had come here thirty minutes ago. In that time, Finn had shifted in his seat twenty-four times, inspected his silverware twice, folded and unfolded his napkin five times and was shining his spoon.  

Finn only had to wait another minute before Andrei Sokoloff came strolling into the room through a doorway that must have led to the kitchen because he was followed by a train of waiters and, surprisingly, a cook. Finn hadn’t asked for food, but he was glad when he saw it making its way across the huge room.  

“Borus! I’m sorry to have kept you waiting... but the meeting with the doctor, well… it took a little longer than expected,” Finn’s heart dropped. There was no way that meant good news.  

“Is she ok? She’s not going to die is she?” Andrei seemed surprised,

“Die? No… She has a broken rib, a sizable wound in her side but other than that she’s perfectly fine,” Finn thought that was an awfully long list of injuries to be “just fine.”  

Finn looked longingly at the tray of food that was wheeled to him. Andrei sat down across from him on the round table and silver platters of something that smelled delicious were set before each of them. A cook with a red goatee and a toque Blanche stepped forward, introducing the platter before a waiter in a black suit lifted the round lid and revealed the marvelous dish.  

“For an entree, Beef, Buraki, with a main course of Pelmeni and Morozhenoe for desert,” For the past six hours Finn had been speaking Russian but he really felt like he was in Russia when he tasted the delicious foods. The first course, Buraki, was a beef broth stew with chunks of meat in it, the Pelmeni was, in a word, Russia’s equivalent of Dumplings and the Morozhenoe looked like a Sundae and it tasted like creamy, rich, wonderful ice cream. Neither Finn nor Andrei talked during the consumption of these fine foods. Finn had just finished when the cook made a statement in a deep, accented voice. “I can clearly see you did not enjoy the meal at all Mr. Sokoloff,” The cook was referring to Finn and he watched the waiter take his spotless plate and bowls and put them on the cart. Finn smiled,  

“Not at all,” The cook’s laugh boomed around the room before he ordered one of the waiters to begin taking the cart away.  

Andrei sat farther back in his seat and gave a contented sigh. Finn’s thought turned, once again, to Vandal, the threat given to the CIA. When would this man tell him where Vandal was hiding. Finn was searching the room for possible eavesdroppers when Rei entered the room through the white door on the wall Finn was facing; the wall Finn had came through an hour ago. She was dressed in brand new clothes, a blue and red shirt with the symbol of superman in the center and ripped jeans, Finn thought he could see a faint outline of a bandage where her wound was and she moved stiffly, attempting not to cause unnecessary pain to her broken rib. Finn was transfixed as Andrei got up and fetched a chair from one of the surrounding chairs and made a motion that indicated that she should sit in it. Finn had to pull himself out of… wherever he had went when Andrei asked him a question for the second time.  

“Borus? How long did it take you to carry her all of the way to the truck,” Finn silently scolded himself for not listening.

“About an hour…” The edges of Rei’s lips pulled upwards again, her eyes began searching his. Finn was unable to continue speaking.  

“Borus… I want to thank you. You saved my life…” Finn’s mouth opened. Surprisingly, words came out.  

“I… Didn't do that much, I just… shot a bear,” That sure makes a lot of sense. Finn scolded himself mentally again.  

“It… really means a lot to me. I’d say thank you again but… I guess words can only go so far,” Finn thought that a word from her meant more than a lot of other things but he stayed silent. “Maybe, tomorrow... we could go to Petersburg? See the Hermitage…?” Finn liked that idea, even if it didn't have anything to do with the CIA or his “Mission.”  

“I’d like that,” Rei looked relieved, her eyes closed and her smile widened slightly, “I’d like that a lot.” Silence hung in the air for about ten seconds before Rei stood up, wincing slightly as she did so.

“I’m going to go get some food, I’ll see you tomorrow morning?” Finn nodded his head.

“Sure, See you then,”

***

“Borus? Are you even listening?” Finn shook himself out of the daze he found himself in.  

“Of course, I am? What else would I be doing?” Finn saw that Rei knew exactly what else would “distract” him, “Don’t… answer that,” A smile broke out on Rei’s face and she began laughing.  

“Come on, it's almost time to visit the museum,” Rei had been showing Finn the various places he should “remember seeing” for the past two hours. Finn would have been bored by now if his particular guide didn't interest him so much.  

Rei made a motion for Finn to follow her and began walking back the way they had come when Rei had deemed a statue of Nicholas I worthy of the time she had allocated to seeing sights around St Petersburg. Finn followed, putting one foot in front of the other as he brainstormed new conversation starters. By the time he caught up to Rei she had already stuck her hand out into the street, attempting to stop a Taxi for the short drive to the Hermitage. Finn thought the gesture looked like someone attempting to hitch-hike but he didn't comment on his thought. He just stopped a few feet away from Rei. Finn then considered the risk of moving another foot or so closer and decided to take it. Rei didn't seem to notice as a Russian Taksi seemed to peel away from a line of traffic and pull into a space between two parking spaces. He rolled down the window and Rei told the driver their destination.  

“Get in when you're ready,” the Russian yelled this command over the sound of his radio. Finn opened the back door on the left side and let Rei get in before getting in himself, slamming the door shut as he did so.  

Finn shifted awkwardly in his seat as he got buckled. Rei popped a pill, assumingly a pain med, into her mouth and then was silent. After about two minutes of awkward silence, Finn spoke.

“Rei?” Rei moved her gaze from something on the toe of her black leather boot to Finn, her eyes locking into his. Finn had to steel his resolve to keep talking intelligibly. “Why was that bear chasing you?” At the mention of the bear, Rei seemed to remember her broken rib and flesh wound, wincing slightly as she replied. “I don't really know what happened. One moment, something was rustling in a tall bush, the next, a bear with a trap on it’s foot started to charge at me. I thought I was going to die until… I stumbled into you.” Rei moved her gaze back to the toe of her boot. Finn, sensing the conversation was over, looked to the ground as well.  

***

The towering image of the Hermitage Museum loomed up on the horizon. Thirty seconds later. The Taxi stopped, Finn opened the door to his right and got out of the vehicle. Rei paid the driver while Finn watched her, hoping she wouldn’t notice. Rei settled on a price and paid the obviously upset driver. The Taxi sped off, zig-zaging its way through the various other people who had decided to make the trip on foot.  

Finn turned around. The countless pillars and overhangs cast a shadow big enough to swallow two smaller museums inside of it’s massive area. This shadow now engulfed Finn as he stared up at the towering building. The Taxi sped away, and Rei emerged beside Finn.

"It's beautiful isn't it,"   

"Yeah, it's pretty great,"   

"I know I've asked you before but... You've never been to St. Petersburg?" Finn was at a loss.

"Well, I have it’s just... I wasn’t paying much attention then... In any case I've never seen the Hermitage,"

"Whatever. Let's go," With that, Rei turned and began walking up ascending steps. Finn followed her slowly, not willing to pass her or fall behind. When he reached the top of the stairs he hurried forward to open the glass doors for Rei. Rei entered without a word and Finn did the same. The floor of the museum they had flown to St. Petersburg to see looked like white marble and it was actually overly glossy, polished concrete. Finn opened the second and last set of doors for Rei when a man with a sloppy tie and suit practically pushed his body into Finn's, causing them to collide and Finn to stop in his tracks and glare at the man who was only a little taller than he was. The man didn’t waste time with acknowledging Finn's glare. He only whispered in a hoarse voice one word.  

"Run." Finn didn’t pay any attention to the man. Why should he? He must have heard wrong. The man looked over his shoulder and began hastily making his retreat from the scene. The man must have been a nut job. He should learn how to behave in public, not running into strangers and telling them to "run."

Finn, now clear of the entrance area where the two sets of glass doors still stood, began to jog after Rei who placed herself in front of one of the desks.  

"Tickets for two please," Finn felt a little bad for letting Rei pay for his ticket. After all, Finn could have bought a fourth of the Museum with money he owned/inherited. But, to be fair, Rei had said during the ride that the entire trip was an "Elaborate thank you" for saving her life. If it made her feel better about herself to pay for the trip, so be it.  

"What business do you have in the Hermitage?" The lady at the desk, a middle aged woman with short dark hair and a kind complexion, looked Finn in the eyes as she presented this question. Rei smiled as she answered for him.  

"Were just looking around," The lady smiled back as she took another wad of money Rei gave her and in return produced two tickets.

"Enjoy your stay," Rei smiled and left. Finn again began following Rei as she led him through a crowd of people surrounding what looked like a stuffed Mammoth. Finn felt uneasy; he felt watched. He could feel someone's gaze on the back of his head. Finn turned around, trying to find the source of his uneasiness. The crowd of people seemed absolute, fur coats, neon colored dresses, suits and tee shirts were all Finn could see.  

"Borus... what are you doing? Do you feel ok?"

"Yeah, I'm... fine," Finn didn’t feel fine. He felt watched, again.  

"Well, we have..." Rei took a moment to pull out an iPhone 6 from the pocket of her ripped jeans and check the time, "Six hours to see this place," Finn felt lightheaded. He needed to sit down somewhere.

"Is there a bench somewhere? I need to... sit, down," Rei looked a little confused but took Finn's hand and led him away. Finn blindly followed, a hand to his temple to quell a sudden headache.

“Here, sit down,” Rei led him into a nearby butterfly habitat, in the middle of where the bench she now motioned to resided. When Finn sensed he had reached his destination, he sat down as Rei, again, asked if he was feeling okay.

“I just have a headache,” Rei looked over her shoulder, then back at Finn.

“Here, take this,” Rei handed Finn a pill, popping it in his open fist and then sitting down next to him. Finn looked at the pill, it looked like a pain med, probably Rei’s. Finn’s head throbbed. He didn't really want to administer whatever this pain med had in it to his body, headache or no, but at the same time, he didn't want Rei to be offended.

Finn put his hand to his mouth, pretending to swallow the pill that was still in his hand afterward.

“I’ll be right back, stay here, ok?” Finn nodded, he wasn't going anywhere in his condition.

Rei pulled her phone out of her pocket and began making a call, walking away from the noise and distractions. Finn put his head in his hands again. Trying to quell a headache that raged in his head.

***

“You know you practically condemned him to death right?” Ms. Hawk’s question seemingly went completely unnoticed by Gregory Finch. He just kept staring at his cup of tea.

“I’m aware of what I did.” Finch was having his afternoon tea on the top of the CIA building with Ms. Hawk, who dutifully waited on him, just like always.

“Your heartless.” Ms. Hawk seemed to be even more annoyed with him than normal. The sun shone down on Finch’s normally cold and pale face.

“I have a heart. If I didn't I would be dead.” Finch paused a moment. “Please pass the toast,” Ms. Hawk passed him the plate containing his late afternoon entree.

“You care that you sent that kid into the heart of one of our most dangerous cases,”

“I did not condemn him. There is a good percent chance that he completes his mission,” Ms. Hawk raised her left eyebrow, something she did often.

“You know that Vandal sent an assassin to kill him.” Finch’s face was still blank. He began cutting his piece of now almost cold toast into perfectly symmetrical pieces. “You know that Mr. Sokoloff mansion has been burned.” Finch’s face remained blank. “You have to pull him out of there, we can't let Vandal do what he wants, we need to interrupt his plan,”

“Ms. Hawk, the hardest part of being a man of great power is that you have to make difficult decisions,” Gregory Finch lifted his fork, a tiny piece of sliced toast on the end, into his mouth, chewed exactly ten times, and continued. “Sometimes, you have to make compromises. Sacrificing the few, to save the many.” Ms. Hawk looked like she was beginning to understand what Finch was getting at, realization dawning on her face. He continued anyways. “For example, giving your enemy something he or she wants in exchange for something you want,” Ms. Hawk’s bright green eyes hardened.

“What did Vandal give you, in exchange for Finn,” Finch finished chewing his second bite of toast.

“Time.” Finch lifted his teacup, his back perfectly straight as he took a sip of tea, then placed the cup back down on the glass table he had requested to be set up on the roof.

“You know where Vandal is already, don’t you.” Finch’s expression didn't change in the slightest. His face wouldn't be out of place on a statue. Ms. Hawk, as skilled as she was at reading him knew the answer. “Do you know why Vandal wants Finn?” Finch looked up from his plate, straight into Ms. Hawk’s eyes.

“Of course, I do, Ms. Hawk. I know everything.”

***

The butterfly habitat was beautiful, the various different specimens hung on near invisible string from the ceiling, swaying ever so slightly in the occasional draft.

Finn’s headache had still not gone away, not like he had hoped. Finn reconsidered taking the pill Rei had gave him, only to decide better of it, again. Finn’s head was in his hands now, his elbows planted firmly on his knees. Zach once said, that if you thought about nothing and rubbed the flap of skin between your thumb and index finger your headache will go away. Finn did this now. There wasn't much that Zach said that wasn't true, and he proved himself again. Before three minutes were up, Finn’s headache was gone.

Finn stood up. Hoping to find Rei he set off in the direction she had gone off in. She had probably seen something that interested her during her phone call and wandered off to gawk at it. Finn decided this was the reason she was absent as he made his way across an artificial river made of glass, taking a shortcut across the habitat to the open hallway Rei had entered. He soon reached it, passing a man with glasses, a terrible comb-over and almost as wide of a smile as Andrei Sokoloff, Almost. Finn weaved his way around this man and began half running down the empty hallway, passing smaller hallways that branched off into different parts of the museum and the signs that accompanied them. Finn stopped dead in his tracks and scowled at the signs, and then glanced down the hallway in the direction he had originally intended to go. In the end, Finn decided better of peeling off his original course and continued down the hallway. The floor was polished white concrete, cold to the touch and slippery. Finn could hardly see it when he finally broke free of the empty hallway and broke into the room he had originally came through. The mammoth was in plain sight, frozen in time in the middle of the room, about to step on/crush some sort of wolf. There weren’t as many people in the room this time, and Finn didn't have much trouble searching it for any sign of Rei, there was none. Finn had turned around and was about to go back into the abysmal hallway when a call echoed throughout the massive room behind him.

“Borus! My son! Wait for me!” Andrei Sokoloff had made his way through a crowd surrounding the Mammoth when he must have saw Finn. Shouting loud enough to be heard from fifty yards away he succeeded in making Finn stop mid step and turn his head. It was a good thing too, because at that moment a bullet slammed into the wall right in front of Finn’s forehead.