Fighting fire with fire

The doors of the operating room burst open as the stretcher crashed through them, Constance was still unconscious, while Frances was giving her a cardiac massage straddling the stretcher and the rest of the Drake Industries medical team were pushing them along.

- Prepare several bags of plasma for transfusion, a dose of adrenaline and charge the defibrillator, - Frannie shouted. - She just went into cardiac arrest.

The doors closed behind the stretcher while the doctor's voice was still echoing. Ruslan stood frozen outside the operating room until a hand on his shoulder snapped him out of his reverie. His brother Jack was looking at him with concern.

- Come with me, I've brought you some clean clothes from Stanley, - he said kindly as he directed his brother to the staff locker room so he could wash himself up.

Ruslan looked at himself in the dressing room mirror. His gloves and clothes were soaked with Connie's blood and his face and hair were blackened with soot and smoke. A couple of fire trucks had transported them from the burning orphanage to Drake Industries, at Ruslan's own request, so that Connie could have the best medical care. During the trip, Ruslan always carried his friend in his arms, while continuing to hold back the bleeding. He now realized the seriousness of Constance's condition, seeing that he was completely covered in her blood.

Jack Drake was waiting outside the locker room, concern etched on his face. After a few minutes Ruslan finally came out.

- Ruslan, what happened? - Jack asked.

- Someone set a fire at the orphanage... - Ruslan began.

After he finished telling him about the eventful rescue of little Heather, Jack Drake sighed deeply with sadness.

- So, you don't know who shot Connie?

- No, when I managed to get out of the building, she was already unconscious and wounded on the floor - Ruslan answered.

- What are you going to do? - his brother asked.

- First, I must warn Connie's parents and bring them to London.

- Do they have a phone?

- No Jack, they live in the countryside, not in the city.

- Then we'd better send someone to pick them up with a car and bring them straight here, - Jack explained to his older brother. - I'll take care of it.

- Thank you, Jack, - Ruslan said with a crestfallen face.

- So, what's the next step?

- Find whoever did this, rescue Alex and make him pay, - said Ruslan with a steely look on his face. - With blood and fire if necessary.

The tone of his older brother's voice made Jack turn to look at him. What he saw made him tremble with fear. Ruslan's face was contracted in a grimace of anger and hatred. Jack had never seen his brother so furious. Ruslan's countenance gradually relaxed, and he turned to Jack.

- How are the children? - the elder of the two Drake brothers asked suddenly.

- Fine, scared, but fine, - Jack answered. - The medical staff examined them, we took them to the changing rooms so that they could clean up and we prepared a change of clothes for each of them thanks to the textile section of the factory. Right now, they are with Cathe in the garden, having a little picnic with food from the canteen. Catherine wanted to keep them distracted.

- Thank you, - Ruslan said quietly. - I'd better go and have a look at them.

- Sure, I'll stay in case there is any news about Connie's condition - Jack answered, giving his brother an affectionate pat on the back. - I will also ask among my contacts if they know anything about Alexandra.

Ruslan nodded silently, put his hand affectionately on his brother's shoulder, and walked out the door to the waiting room. Jack Drake was left alone with his thoughts, still worried about what his older brother might do if he found the orphanage raiders, he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

In the garden, the children were clustered around Catherine Drake, who was telling them a story to entertain them. Ruslan approached, and his sister suddenly stood up and came over to hug him.

- Are you all right? - she asked, placing her hand on her brother's cheek.

- Yes, I am, - Ruslan answered. - How are the children?

- They are still a little scared - Catherine replied turning to them for a moment but turning back her eyes back to her brother she continued. - You haven't eaten anything since this morning, have you?

- I have no appetite.

- Come on, - she urged. - You've got to keep your strength up.

Catherine forced her brother to sit down with her and the children to eat something, while she continued to tell them the story, which had them totally captivated. Ruslan unwillingly bit into a sandwich, while his gaze was lost in the greenery of the garden, thinking of Constance, of the burnt orphanage. Suddenly, he noticed someone tugging at his left sleeve. Turning to look, he saw little Heather, with her teddy bear.

- Are you all right? - she asked innocently. - You look sad.

- I'm just a little worried, - Ruslan answered kindly.

- About Connie and Alex? - the shrewd little girl asked.

Ruslan smiled at Heather's keen insight.

- Yes. We're good friends, and I'm worried about them, - Ruslan replied.

Little Heather paused to look at Ruslan, then at her stuffed animal, then back at Ruslan, with a thoughtful look on her face and a frown of concentration. After a few seconds with a determined expression, she held out the teddy bear to Ruslan.

- You can borrow it, - Heather said decisively. - It always helps me not to be afraid.

Ruslan looked in surprise at the girl, who was offering him the only possession she had been able to save from the orphanage and for which she had risked being locked up in the flames. The kindness and candour of that little girl had managed to calm the doubts and fear in Ruslan's heart. Putting an affectionate hand on her head, Ruslan smiled at her.

- Thank you, Heather, - he replied. - But I think your little bear would like to be with you better. After all, he waited for you to rescue him from the fire.

The little girl thought again, and after a few more seconds she answered.

- You are right, he waited for me - she said quietly.

And hugging the stuffed animal tightly, she smiled from ear to ear, with her little eyes closed in pure happiness, showing a smile with a small tooth missing. The candid smile of that little girl despite everything she had lost in the fire, her innocence, caused Ruslan to smile in return. Suddenly Ruslan felt them hanging around his neck, and when he opened his eyes, he saw that little Heather had hugged him tightly.

- You rescued us both too, - she said, still smiling. - Thank you, Uncle Ruslan.

Catherine Drake's lilting laughter caught her brother's attention. Her older sister smiled at the touching scene. Heather let go of Ruslan and sat down next to him to eat her own sandwich. Ruslan bit into his again; he seemed to have regained his appetite.

Jack Drake hurried out of the clinic into the garden and headed straight for Ruslan and his sister Catherine. He looked very upset, for some reason. Ruslan got up as soon as he saw him approaching and went to meet him.

- Jack, what's wrong? - Ruslan asked worriedly. - You look like a bundle of nerves.

- You have a phone call, Ruslan, - said Jack. - You must come with me. Right now!

Ruslan signalled his brother to go ahead, he had never seen Jack so upset. The younger Drake was an experienced lawyer, so he knew how to keep his nerves in check to prevent them from clouding his judgment. But at that moment he seemed totally overwhelmed by that phone call. When they reached the clinic's reception desk, Ruslan approached the off-hook handset resting on the counter behind which two employees were busying themselves with paperwork. Ruslan held the phone to his ear and started the conversation.

- This is Ruslan Drake, to whom am I speaking?

- Well, well... Ruslan... Drake - the voice on the other end of the phone elongated his name pompously, that voice sounded familiar to Ruslan. - It's a pleasure to talk to you Mr. Drake. I hope the timing is not... let's say... inopportune.

- Get to the point - Ruslan said to his interlocutor on the other end of the line.

- You see, Mr. Drake, we have a friend of yours here, - the voice said.

On the other end of the receiver there were sounds of scuffling and a shriek of pain, followed by a loud slap. An all-too-familiar voice came out of the receiver.

- Ruslan! - the terrified voice of Alexandra Hayden, his childhood friend, startled Ruslan. - How's Connie?! Is she all right?!

Another struggle sounded and Alex's voice trailed off on the other end of the line. The original caller turned back to Ruslan.

- That's right, how's your friend Sergeant Perry? Ah! Sorry, that's right, she's an ex-sergeant now, isn't she? - the voice said on the other end of the phone.

Ruslan's grip tightened around the receiver.

- Are you the one who shot her? - Ruslan asked with a veiled threat in his tone of voice.

- And what if I was? - the voice replied pedantically.

- I'm going to kill you, - Ruslan replied without a single inflection point in his voice.

- And what about your other little friend? Alexandra.

- What do you want? - Ruslan asked his interlocutor.

- A face-to-face meeting - the voice answered. - Come to the Iron Hand headquarters. If you manage to reach me, I will return your friend to you. If you fail, I will return her to your family in pieces by correspondence. You have one hour. Tick, tock, tick, tock, Mr. Drake.

The telephone receiver exploded to pieces under the grip of Ruslan's right hand. He was so furious that he couldn't contain himself. He dropped the pieces of the handset and headed for the exit with determination. His brother Jack tried to stop him.

- Ruslan, what's wrong? - Jack asked.

- That was the guy who shot Constance - Ruslan kept moving towards the door, but his brother got in the way.

- Ruslan, you can't go alone, - Jack said with concern. - They will kill you.

- Jack - Ruslan's gaze was as steely as steel. - They have Alex, and they'll kill her in an hour if I don't show up.

- It's obviously a trap, Ruslan.

- I know, - Ruslan answered his brother. - But I have to go.

Ruslan walked around his brother and through the door. Jack followed him and stood under the lintel.

- What do we do? - he asked behind his older brother's back.

Ruslan turned to Jack.

- Everyone stay at Drake Industries, you'll be safe here. Get Patrice and Stanley here. And contact Arthur, he'll be able to help. I hope.

Jack hugged his brother.

- Come back in one piece.

Ruslan nodded quietly and walked down the gravel garden path towards the exit. Once outside, he climbed into a cab, which set off for central London.

A few minutes after Ruslan's departure, Abygaile Mackintosh and his brother Gregory arrived at Drake Industries. As they entered, they greeted Catherine, who was still looking after the children, and watched as Jack approached them with a look of circumstance on his face.

- Is something wrong, Jack? - Gaile asked.

- Where do I start? - Jack replied despondently. - They've set fire to St. James' Orphanage, shot Constance and kidnapped Alexandra.

Gaile and Gregory were speechless. Gaile looked around the garden.

- Jack, where is Ruslan? - the younger Mackintosh asked.

- He's gone to save Alex, - Jack replied. - We got a call from the guy who supposedly shot Connie and forced Ruslan to go to his lair or Alex would be killed.

- But it sure is a trap! - Gaile burst out.

- I'm sure Ruslan knows, but he still felt compelled to go - Gregory interjected.

- We must go and help him - Gaile's determination was evident in his voice.

- He didn't tell me where he was going, - Jack said. - I only heard something about the Iron Hand.

- Then there's only one place he could have gone, - Gregory replied.

Gaile took off running towards the gate of Drake Industries. Gregory didn't have time to hold her back, he turned to the younger Drake brother.

- Jack, I need to speak to your family. It's of great importance.

- My father is in surgery with Connie, - Jack explained. - But my mother is fully conscious now. Come with me.

As they rode the freight elevator up to the second floor of the clinic, Jack inquired about Greg's motives.

- What's wrong, Gregory? - Jack asked. - Why is it so urgent that you talk to us?

- I've been investigating some inconsistencies that have been cropping up over the past few weeks. And I've come to a terrible conclusion.

- What conclusion? - Jack's worried expression paled in comparison to Gregory's.

- There is a traitor among us, - Greg said quietly.

Jack, surprised, could not answer. The elevator reached the second floor and Gregory shot up in his wheelchair, pulling Jack out of his stupor. Together they headed to see the Drake matriarch.