Ran from the Wolf
None of the recognised characters belong to me- they are the property of the wonderful Shane Brennan, CBS and the fantastic actors that portray them.
This follows on from my previous stories Man in the Mirror and Dying Embers- so it would make more sense if you read them first!
Some of you may recognise the title from a conversation Callen had with Arkady is season two…..
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Ran from the Wolf
The wind whistled through the small town, the solitary hotel having little in the way of guests as the harsh winter made itself known. A group of men huddled in the corner drinking beer and vodka and talking amongst themselves as they formulated a plan. The barmaid watched them carefully- hoping that they wouldn't scare off the tourists that the hotel relied on to stay afloat. So far they had been polite and kept themselves to themselves- yet there was something about their presence that felt menacing and caused a shiver to run through her despite the fact that she couldn't explain why.
"He is definitely in Bogoroditsk" one of the men whispered.
"Yes- the exact address is believed to be here" the second stated as he pointed on the map.
"And tomorrow is the day?"
"Yes- it is the date of appeal in Los Angeles- our instructions are clear, grab him and make him suffer. If he talks it gives us leverage with the other parties involved. Ivor made it perfectly clear, he won't tolerate us not achieving success in this" the apparent leader explained.
"And if he doesn't talk?" one queried.
"Then he will face his death- slowly and painfully" the leader responded, and his tone carried an edge of bitterness to it. The men raised a glass in silent toast to the comment, before each pushed their chairs back and headed off to bed- all of them aware that they would all need their energy ready for the following day.
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"Mr Callen is due to return to work tomorrow Miss Jones- do you have anything further on Arkady's whereabouts? I have no doubt that he will request a full update" Hetty queried with a grimace.
"He appears to be in Bogoroditsk Hetty- a small town approximately 120 miles out of Moscow. He has been there for approximately six weeks, and has kept a very low profile" Nell explained. "Chatter over the airwaves still suggests that there is a price on his head- but there has been little to show that his enemies know his location" she finalised.
"Anyway of making contact with him? He may not even be aware that the sentencing appeal is scheduled to start"
"No- nothing to even suggest an internet connection. Eric is doing some more digging, but so far nothing"
"If Mr Callen questions you on this- send him to my office" Hetty finished, keen to prevent her favourite agent from once more heading off to Russia on a fool's errand and risking getting himself killed.
"Will do" Nell agreed not willing to argue the point.
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Special Agent G Callen sighed as the muscles in his leg twinged as he stretched. He had been off on sick leave for four months and he was bored out of mind and frustrated that his leg was still not back to normal. The doctors had warned him that it may take a long time to regain full strength in it, but he had assumed that if he had pushed it he would be able to bring it forward- but so far his plan had not proved successful and he still found that even if he stretched before running it still needed a full rub down afterwards to prevent his muscles from painfully cramping up and leaving him limping. His therapy had continued throughout his enforced leave and his therapist had told him the usual story that he was doing very well- yet it did nothing to ease his concerns.
He stripped off as he limped into the shower and enjoyed the blast of hot water against his aching muscles. He was due to return to work tomorrow, and he had to admit he had concerns. He would never forgive himself if his weakness caused one of his team to be hurt, usually he was chomping at the bit to go back, but something about this time felt different- and he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.
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Arkady Kolcheck was not a happy man- he loved Russia, however he had chosen to live in the states for a reason. That reason had been the money, his contacts, his luxury mansion- basically he had everything he would ever need, yet here he was living out of a townhouse in Russia because he had got himself in a bind with an arms dealer.
He knew that the trial had gone ahead- but something in his gut told him that it wasn't safe to return to America just yet. He desperately wanted to check on his old friend Callen, knowing that the younger man had been injured, but he couldn't risk the traceable contact and his friend was so experienced at being a ghost it was impossible to get information on his recovery despite his extensive contacts. He owed his friend a lot after their most recent mission and he was more than certain that Callen would eventually call in the favour- it was how their relationship worked.
He looked around his surroundings- although a pretty town it didn't compare to the life of luxury that he was used to. He just needed to get through another couple of days and then he would move on- leave to visit another part of the country.
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Hetty sighed as she flicked through the file, glad that it was behind them. She had nearly lost her agent in the case and despite the nature of their business it didn't sit well with her. The agency had taken advantage of the fact that her agent would do anything required to achieve their mission, even if it had cost him his life. As much as she admired his tenacity, it still frustrated her and she couldn't help but feel guilt that she was the one that inevitably put him in the position.
She hadn't seen her injured agent for over a month, and was in some ways concerned about how he would be upon his return. Everyone had a breaking point- she just prayed that he hadn't met his.
End Chapter One
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