Niko knew he had to leave her alone until she snapped out of it, even though every instinct told him to take her into his arms. He waited silently but remained at her side.
When she stopped rocking, she placed her hand on his thigh. “You are very good to me… but I will not talk about those men. I refuse to think about them.”
He squeezed her arm. “I won’t ask about them again. But I have a different question.”
She raised an eyebrow but remained quiet.
“Someday, I would like us to have a physical relationship. How about you?”
Vyper glanced at the floor. “I want to… but not today.”
Niko gave her shoulder a playful shove. “That means we have something to look forward to.”
Chapter 15
Sock Puppets
Washington, DC
Niko held Vyper’s hand while they made their way toward the Capitol dome three blocks away. It stood proudly above the crowd on this beautiful March morning. A month had passed since Vyper’s sock puppets began to spread anti-Russian propaganda, and it appeared this demonstration was a direct result.
The event was scheduled for 1:00, but thousands of protestors had already arrived—mostly young, more women than men, some with children.
Vyper slowed her pace and came to a stop. “Are you close enough to see what you want?”
Niko turned around. “I promised we’d walk along the edge of the crowd, and that’s exactly what we’ll do.”
He led her north, maintaining their distance from the throng of people, many of them waving hand-painted signs. The messages were anti-Russian: “Evil Empire,” “Beer not Vodka,” and “Make Russia Pay.”
“Very impressive,” said Vyper. “A few weeks ago, nobody was upset about the Russians. Now they are angry.” She winked. “I never thought anyone would pay attention to your messages.”
“I wasn’t sure it would work either. It’s amazing how easily people can be led when thousands of sock puppets keep pushing a common message. If the demonstrations in the other cities are half this size, we can call it a success.”
A man nearby held up a sign that read, “Freeze their money.”
Niko waved his arm in the direction of the sign. “I’m going to talk to him. Do you want to come with me?”
Vyper nodded and wrapped her arm around his as they walked over to the man.
“Excuse me,” said Niko. “We’re visitors here. What’s with the crowd?… the signs?”
“It’s the Russians.” The man set down his sign. “Embassy’s full of KGB spies and killers. We gotta kick ‘em out of the country. Freeze their money.”
Niko smiled. “Thank you.” He looked at Vyper. “Sweetheart, this is the demonstration we read about in the news.”
After they walked away, Vyper whispered, “He said the KGB, but—”
“I know. KGB, GRU… most Americans don’t know the difference. It doesn’t matter. He considers them killers, and that’s what’s important.”
Niko pulled Vyper closer to the heart of the crowd where some of the demonstrators screamed wildly while others cheered them on. Organized groups chanted their messages: “Damn senators are paid off by the Russians,” “They bought the damn election,” and “What will they blow up next?—the White House?”
Three burly young men carrying red plastic cups approached, singing, “One bourbon, one scotch, and one beer.” They shoved demonstrators out of their way. Some tried to flee, others stood their ground, trying to fight back, but the drunken trio kept pushing closer.
Niko tried to avoid the drunks, but the crush of people blocked his escape. The crowd pulled Vyper away. Her hand slipped from his fingers. Niko pushed and reached, touching but not grasping her outstretched hand.
Someone shoved him from behind, and he turned to see the tallest drunk push a woman aside. When the man began to take another step, Niko kicked the raised leg aside. He pushed hard on the drunk’s chest, knocking him into his friends and spilling his drink.
The ebb and flow of the human wave pushed Niko away from the drunk. He searched for Vyper, spotting her a few yards ahead. A stroke of luck opened a small gap in the crowd, and Niko pressed through it.
Barely five feet away, Vyper appeared, panic in her eyes, reaching out. A surge of people pushed them together. Niko grabbed her arm and pulled her nearer. Another gap appeared, and he pulled her through.
They escaped the knot of people, held hands, and ran toward an open area in the grass. When it was safe, they stopped, and she hugged him tightly.
She didn’t move—just squeezed him tighter—shaking and rocking.
Niko had wanted to see the demonstration up close, but he got more than he bargained for. He stroked Vyper’s hair. “You’re safe now. Let’s get the hell outta here.”
She released him. Her eyes were wet with tears. “I love you.”
Niko kissed her. “I love you, too.” They headed toward the parking garage.
When they reached the car, Vyper sat silently in the passenger seat. Niko got behind the wheel and headed south to the interstate. He glanced at her. “Are you okay? Did the crowd—”
She shook her head. “It was the big man. One of my fathers looked like him.”
“Are you talking about one of the foster families you lived with?”
She nodded. “Each family had a father. Some were nice. This one was not.”
Niko gripped the wheel tighter and almost missed his exit north. “You don’t have to talk about it unless you want to.”
“I was a virgin.” Her hands flapped. “He said no one would believe a retard… I never told anyone.”
The car drifted onto the shoulder, and Niko steered it back onto the road. His anger focused on the face of the tall drunk at the demonstration—same face as her rapist.
This was a fragile moment for the woman he loved. He fought to remain calm. “Couldn’t you tell his wife? Or someone from social services?”
“He was right. They would not believe me”
“Your foster father was a monster. Most men are kind. I wish I could hold you and make you feel better.” He took the exit north.
Her flapping started again but stopped when she placed her hands in her lap. “I used to wear baggy sweat suits, but it did not seem to help. He never gave up. Some of the other families had fathers like him… and brothers. I just let them. No one would believe the retard.”
Sonofabitch!
A horn blasted at him from the left. He jerked back into his lane. Niko squeezed her hand. “Those men were wrong! They should pay for what they did. You can speak up now, people will believe you.”
“No!… I want to forget them.” She grabbed her laptop from the back seat and opened it. “I have more important things to think about—like Sokolov.”
Niko wanted revenge, but she wanted to forget the men, so he’d try to put them out of his mind. Now he understood her fear of sex. He’d have to suppress his anger. Be patient.
Vyper tapped on her keyboard, then abruptly stopped. “I broke through Cybercade’s firewall. They are not monitoring county services any more. Apparently, the Russians moved on to another target. They are going after oil pipelines and refineries in Texas and Louisiana. Nothing active yet, just probing.”
The sign for Route 7 was up ahead. Niko moved into the right lane. “That’s alarming, but it’s Cybercade’s problem. We’re after Sokolov.”
“The hackers accessing the oil systems are coming through the dark net, using the same routes as Zatan’s team in Vladivostok.”
Niko turned into Vyper’s driveway and raised the garage door. “Hmm… another connection between Zatan and Sokolov. No doubt in my mind, they work together.” He pulled in and closed the door.