Part II-Chapter 19: SIX MEN DOWN

 

 

Chapter 19

Six Men Down
(Ó 2009)

2:17 AM

The telephone next to the bedside of Noel Jaworski rang once loudly causing him to jump out of his sleep. “Jeez … what the …?” he said when he saw what the time was on the clock radio on the same table next to the phone. He grabbed the receiver and spoke in an annoyed tone, “Yeah … what … hello!”

“Ski?” Asked the voice of David Todd.

“Yeah … Dave … what the fuck?”

“Ski … get up … get dressed man. We gotta roll.”

The tone in David’s voice caused Noel to feel a tumbling sensation in the pit of his stomach. He then asked, “He … he’s come back … hasn’t he?”

“Apparently so bud. I just got off the phone with Xiang; he’s on sight right now. Get dressed; I’ll pick you up in ten, fifteen minutes.”

“Is he sure it’s him?” Noel asked.

“He never did say, but he didn’t have too. I heard it in his voice man. I never heard him sound that way. It was like … like … I don‘t know. I never heard him like that before.”

* * *
 

3:20 AM

They could see them for the last two miles of their drive to the northwest suburb, the reflections caused by the lights of all the emergency vehicles in the heavy humidity of the early warm August morning. They came off the exit ramp and then to the main road that led from the expressway. They then drove west for just under three miles where they found the street where the abandoned retail plaza was located, it was just south of the viaduct that was the road that led from the expressway. They turned left, then stopped their car on the east side of the fenced in building complex, it was inundated with emergency vehicles. Fire Rescue, ambulances, and many patrol cars of the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, all with their emergency lights flashing. They stopped and identified themselves to the Cook County Sheriff’s Deputies, who informed them on where they could find their superior, Captain Michael Xiang. David and Noel then proceeded to drive around the complex on the Southside as they were instructed, then turning to the entrance through the west gate. They exited their car and saw Captain Xiang, he was not alone, with him was Ernie Adams.

Noel then said as they both stepped up to them, “Well Ernie, I suppose that if you’re here, then all I need to ask is who’s the banger and what’s his name?”

Instead it was Xiang who spoke up. Michael Xiang looked very anxious as he spoke, “The banger’s name is not really known, he only goes by the moniker of ‘The General’. He is the leader of the Eight Ball Thugs.”

“The Eight Balls?’ David asked puzzled, “What the hell are the Eight balls doing way in the hell over here? This has got to be over forty miles from their turf.”

Xiang then looked around and then motioned the three men with his right hand to a secluded area next to the building that was the Chekov distribution area. “Come over there with me.” The three men followed him to the spot where he pointed too. Once there, Xiang looked around again to make sure that they were out of earshot of any of the other officers. “Gentlemen, we have ourselves a serious situation here, Ernie is already well aware of it. It appears that our vigilante has been here, and this time … well, this time he just may have stepped over a huge boundary. To start with, we have six men down.”

“Six!” Noel cried out, “Six men? What the fuck? He took out six fucking men?”

“Yes,” Xiang answered, holding his hand to tell Noel to make himself quieter, “six men are down, four of them are going to be alright. They may have concussions and possible internal injuries, however, it also seems that each of them has one of the ankles twisted so bad, that the tendons in them may be hyper extended or snapped all together. But they are going to be fine, maybe an overnight stay in the hospitals. It’s the other two though who were not so fortunate. First of all is this ‘General’ guy. He has the typical calling card of the vigilante, his spine was broken and he may be suffering paralysis from the waist down. We will have to see what the doctors say later.” Xiang looked around again and drew closer, “It’s what has happened to the last man that we all must be very concerned with, and not just what happened to him, but also to just who he is.”

David asked perplexed, “Who is it Boss?”

Michael Xiang look to him solemnly and answered, “Julian Chekov.”

David felt his blood rush from his head and face, “Julian Chekov! Shit man, you don’t mean the Julian Chekov, do ya Boss?”

“One in the same,” Xiang said, “and gentlemen what happened to Julian Chekov in that building is not good. He’s going to be able to walk, but he just may be suffering the worst attack off all, maybe even more than all the others put together, and I mean all the others. Freeman, Ortega, the Bartholomew kid, all of them.” Xiang looked at their faced, then he looked around again to insure that no one else could hear him, “First of all … he was blinded. Both his eyes were like plucked out and popped like little grape tomatoes.”

“Son of a bitch!” Noel said.

“But that’s not the worst of it. He was beaten very badly. Lost some teeth, he very well may have some broken ribs and beaten to unconsciousness. His shoulder is badly injured because he had a bayonet pushed clear through it. In fact … he was impaled in there … to the wall with it.”

“Holy shit.” David then said.

“But it doesn’t end there guys.’ Xiang said quietly, “The medics had to cut off his pants, they had too because Chekov was urinating himself and there was a lot of blood in the urine. They think that Chekov’s kidneys may have been badly damaged in the beating. When they cut off his pants they made another discovery.” Xiang then paused.

After a few seconds, David asked, “And that is?”

Xiang drew a breath and then said, “When the medics cut away Chekov’s pants, they found that Chekov’s testicles may have been crushed, as if they had been stomped on. I just spoke with the deputies who are at the hospital. Doctors are saying that the testicles may have to be removed. Julian Chekov has been castrated.”

Noel placed his hands on his groin and moaned, “Oh man, oh shit. Oh that’s hurting me right now.”

Xiang then said, “I needn’t tell you men how serious this is. First there’s the Feds.”

David then spoke up angrily and held up both his hands, “No! No, I don’t want to hear about the fucking Feds, or of anything they want, or have, on the Chekov’s. They had better not start to give us any shit at all because of Julian Chekov. I don’t give a shit what investigations they may have going on or just how fucked up any of them have become. If this were a mob hit from some other Russian Mafioso, or the Italian Godfathers, or what ever the fuck, then they just wouldn’t give a shit. They would just go on like business as usual and go to the next dirt bag. So I don‘t even want to hear about how we may have fucked up any investigation of theirs. Fuck them, I can turn it around too, if they were doing their job, the Chekov‘s would have been in prison a long time ago.”

“Duly noted,” Xiang said, “however it’s not the Feds I am worried about here David. It’s Julian’s father. He’s been informed and he’s on his way to the hospital at this moment. He’s not going to be too happy with this. He’s going to want blood, and right now there is no way he can get it, but believe you me, he is going to find a way. This is his most beloved son that this happened too.” Xiang paused for a moment and then said, “Then … there’s the vigilante himself.”

“How do you mean Boss?” Noel asked.

“You will see what I mean when you look in that building and see what he has done. This time boys, this time … he has outdone himself, he has truly proven just what a dangerous man he really is. Like you both have said before, thank GOD he’s on our side. Come, I’ll take you inside now.” Xiang then motioned to the three men and they followed him around the building to the entrance that was used by ‘The General’, Julian Chekov and their men. All lights inside were on as they entered. Xiang lead them to the back side room where ‘The General’ and Julian Chekov were found. Xiang did not have to point out where Julian Chekov was found, all their eyes were immediately drawn to it.

On the east wall there was a hole, around the hole was a bloodstain about eight inches in width. The blood had drained downward in a stream about two feet in length and the gypsum drywall had absorbed most of it, there was a coagulated puddle of Julian Chekov’s blood on the cement floor. “That’s where Chekov was found.” Xiang said, he then turned and pointed to a portion of the floor in the middle of the room, “Over there is where ‘The General’ was laying.”

Noel and David just quickly glanced to the section of the floor where Xiang pointed too, however their attention immediately returned to the hole and bloodstain on the wall. Both men stepped over and crouched down to either side of the bloodstain, looking to the hole on the wall. Xiang stepped over in between them and then he too crouched down, Ernie Adams stood behind him. “He was sitting up, unconscious, and leaning against the wall here.” Xiang continued, “Blood coming from his eye sockets, he had a military style bayonet that was stabbed completely through his shoulder here,” Xiang pointed to his own right shoulder, on the front where the joint socket was, “it was holding him up on the wall. We think that he may have been fighting with whoever did it to him.”

“Looks as though he lost.” Noel quipped.

“He did indeed.” Xiang agreed, “Come, let me show you the main room.” The three men then stood up with Ernie, and Xiang led them all to the open bay area. The tables still had packages of illegal narcotics stacked on them. “Two of ‘The General’s” men were in here, unconscious and hobbled.”

“Hobbled Boss?” David asked.

“Yes, hobbled. From what they could tell us, they were knocked unconscious and each had one of their ankles twisted so hard that they may have had the tendons or cartridges in them torn.”

“So, that they could not stand up or walk,” David said, “so that they could not help out ‘The General’ in any way.”

Noel then said, “Or to go after our guy.”

“Jeez, like that crazy bitch did to that guy in that Stephen King movie.” Ernie said.

“Exactly.” David answered.

“The same thing happened to Chekov’s men outside.” Xiang said, “One was beaten badly right next to Julian’s car, and the other we found about two blocks west of it in the housing complex back there. Both beaten and hobbled. That guy that was two blocks away is who was found first. That whole complex back there seems to be mostly inhabited by people who are in the country illegally, someone though at least called 911 here to report that someone had been badly beaten and they thought he was dead. Whoever it was called from one of those old payphones back there.”

Noel said, “Nobody back there then is going to know anything, and if they did, they wouldn’t tell us. If they’re all illegal’s, then nobody saw anything, even if they did.”

“That’s for certain.” Xiang said, “Come, let me take you outside to Julian’s car.” 

“I gotta leave you here guys,” Ernie then said, “I have to get to the hospital and check on what‘s left of ‘The General’. He’s at the same hospital that they took Chekov too. I’ll probably see Chekov’s daddy before you guys. I’ll see you all there.”

“See you there.” David said. Ernie then turned and left them. David and Noel then followed their Captain. They went back through the receiving room and out of the back door where they then crossed the old back parking area to the side gate, then crossing the back road to the parking area of the housing complex. They came to the darkened area where Julian Chekov’s black Mercedes-Benz was still parked. The driver’s door was opened and there was a large dent on it. The windshield had been cracked and resting on the hood was a half piece of red brick with some mortar on it. The hood was also slightly dented and scratched from the brick. 

“The driver was found here,” Xiang said pointing down to the side of the car behind the opened door, “again, badly beaten and hobbled. When we arrived the engine and air-conditioning were still running.”

“Sounds as if he were waiting for something.” David said, he then looked at the damage to the door, windshield and hood. He then looked across the parking lot and saw the back door of the receiving room. “And where was this last guy found?” He asked.

“Follow me.” Xiang answered motioning. The three men then made their way around the housing building and proceeded to head westward on the sidewalk. They crossed two streets and came to where Yakov was found. It was on a small patch of lawn next to another sidewalk near the side of the building which was lined with bushes and trees. “He was found here.” Xiang said, “The man found here was not beaten too badly, but he too was hobbled.” Xiang pointed westward down the street, “We think that our man then continued down that direction and disappeared. He may have had a car or motorcycle parked somewhere down there. We’re looking around and asking if anyone saw anyone running down there. We’re going to see if anyone noticed any vehicle that was never around before.”

“You really think you’re going to find out anything from these people back here Boss?” Noel asked.

“No, of course not, Xiang answered, “but we have to keep up appearances.” Then suddenly a ringing noise came Xiang’s belt, it was his cellular phone. He quickly answered it. “This is Michael Xiang … yes … go ahead.” Michael Xiang listened intently with whoever was on the other end. “Yes … yes … oh my God … yes … oh damn … yes indeed it does. Has his father arrived yet? No? Okay then … I’m coming there now with both Todd and Jaworski. I’ll do the best I can … thank you.” Michael Xiang then switched off his cellular phone and replaced back to its holster on his belt. He had an expression of concern on his face, he looked up to David and Noel, “Well, that was my man at the hospital, the surgeon’s just informed us that Julian Chekov must have what is left of his testicles removed, he has to be surgically castrated.”

“Oh shit!” Noel said grabbing his crotch.

Xiang paused quietly for a moment, and then motioned with his hand, “Julian’s father is on his way now to the hospital, come, and we all are going there now to meet him.”