Chapter 13: Pray For Me

[Alonso "Alfy" Leno]

"Um, cool." Kaschei came off as akward to Alfy.

"You want to come in to my place?" He wasn't sure if Kaschei would be comfortable going to someone elses apartment he barely knew.

"Or your place?"

[Kaschei Bessmertny]

"Your place is fine, I am here afterall." Kaschei states. He figures he doesn't have much leverage over Alfy, which does make him feel a tad awkward and as a whole, incredibly frustrated. He crosses his arms in discontent, but does his best to appear somewhat pleasant so that Alfy is more likely to help him.

"The problem is that someone of value to me has been captured by the Manalists. I believe that he is in a Manalist prison, but am not entirely certain of this. It is related to a bank in London and the Creditors, who have a strong relationship to the Temple."

[Alonso "Alfy" Leno]

"Here, come with me." Alfy walks Kaschei to a room near the front entrance, opening it and stepping inside.

It surprises most people to see a room like this in a apartment building in this shape, but Alfy's place was in tip-top shape and over-decorated in a religious them throughout the entire house.

"Yeah, this is the pad. Down the hall is my crib, but we can just hang in the front lounge. We can't smoke out here though, the smell seeps through to the front easy."

The managers of the place made sure that it seemed as clean as possible, and Red Leaf had an unmistakable smell.

"So, where's this man at? This prisoner?"

[Kaschei Bessmertny]

(for plot purposes I am pretending he has more information than would be realistic)

"As far as I know, there are only two or three major Manalist prisons in Europe. One in Russia, another in Helsinki, and the final one in Rome. So, one of those three. I don't believe that he is in Russia, so, my guess would be Helsinki or Rome." Kaschei states. "But, since you are an actual church member, you might be more privy to that information." Kaschei states.

[Alonso "Alfy" Leno]

"No, not really. The prisons get crowded with deviants and cursed sometimes and I don't care to pay attention who goes in or out. Hell, they may or may not even write down the prisoners name and check him in sometimes, especially if they don't want others to know. In fact, that's just kind of normal for all prisoners they think are worth keeping." Alfy idly shrugged his shoulders.

"But I have a lot better chance of finding him than you, huh?" Alfy chuckled lightly.

"It wouldn't be smart to handle it by phone though, a simple look-through of the prisons is all I can garuntee. I bet I know where he is if he's one of yours though."

[Dr. Lonnrot Kukkanen]

I let my smile turn upside-down and let my arms drop to my sides. Li was a cold person, but at least she was a valuable in the world of business. The Manalists now owned everything, and that occasionally holds me back. Fortunately, my patience outweighs my arrogance and I can put up with them.

I turn and lead Li into my office.

"I am pleased to see you 'mam," I say for the sake of keeping a large amount of respect. I always have the feeling that if I give Li even the smallest of disrespect, I'll lose my head or something worse. I know what happens in the Manalist prisons, and I'd prefer to avoid them if I can.

"We already have sponsors from Genetech, Sota, and other organizations. The Black Wings, led by Tyler Bargrin have also agreed to stand guard and protect visitors from...unseen...harm that may occur," I tell her as I walk around my desk and sit in my chair.

"That all sound good? I'll write up a report and send it out to your superiors ASAP," I tell Li. "Anything else?"

[Kaschei Bessmertny]

"I don't think you quite understand. I want something more than just information. I would like you to get him out. Of course, we can negotiate the appropriate payment, but, I think I will need more than just the information." Kaschei states evenly.

[Li Violette]

"Yes, your work is funded by various groups, but there are some who want to make sure that your work is not catering to the weak." I reply.

"Scrag expressed some concern..."

"You see, according to the Manalists, mental illness is a weakness and a curse...so, those who suffer from those diseases should not be helped but left to suffer. Some of the funders just want to make sure you aren't treating anyone. The Anti Drug commission was concerned that you might even be offering drugs to people."

[Alonso "Alfy" Leno]

"And I'm very willing. But there's something I'm interested in finding too, a knowledge. Information. Do you know anything about bonsai gardening? Ancient japanese used to grow miniature trees with that practice, and it is important for me to learn some of this. Unfortunately, ancient knowledge of past cultures is hard to come by these days, but you seem like a well-read guy."

Alfy was certain Kaschei saw what he wanted with bonsai gardening.

"I remember talking about getting a sapling for you, but I decided to go beyond that. I want to develop the first hydroponic red leaf, the most potent red leaf to have ever been grown."

He smiled to himself.

"But besides that business, you simply bank-roll this and I'll get your man out."

Alfy was a skilled priest, of course he could feel something supernatural about Kaschei, and thought that could mean he might know something about the ancient times.

[Kaschei Bessmertny]

"Very clever. It's a wonder that Genetech never imagined that." Kaschei states. He smirks and is surprised by this. His mood instantly improves to the point where his smile is no longer fake. "Yes, I would be very interested in supporting that. I will find information for you and can provide you with the funds you need. I think...anything to break up the Manalist monopoly on Red Leaf would be worthwhile. It's an excellent idea. You are the first person to impress me with..something...for a long while now. Everyone is so mediocre...so small minded."

He folds his arms and steps back towards the door. "You can visit me in Moscow about this once you have...Alexei. His name is Alexei."

[Jack Kruschev]

I look up to the huge building that is known to me as merely "Lonnrot's Office." The building is painted white and stangely drone-like compared to the study halls surrounding it.

I walk into the office just in time to see Lonn close the door of his office. Taking a seat, I wait.

[Alonso "Alfy" Leno]

"Fuck yeah, the books pay off. You can call me, sometime, I'm easy to get a hold of."

Alfy quickly gives his cell phone number, followed by his apartment phone number.

"I'll see what I can do, after I catch some sleep. I'm pretty confident I'll get Alexei. I'm not such a junior priest anymore, since we last talked. I'm starting to get some real attention from the church."

Alonso is sometimes described as dismissive, and probably appropriately so. He excuses himself and walks Kaschei out, so he could hurry back to his bed and burn a pipe-bowl of red leaf before settling into bed.

Alfy very soon forgot why he was leaving his apartment when Kaschei caught him on the way out, and that thought alone kept him up too long to get a good sleep.

[Kaschei Bessmertny]

Kaschei left with a good feeling. He came there with the impression that the slimy priest would want money or even out right refuse to help. Well, the priest wanted money, but it would be something that Kaschei had an interest in anyway. Kaschei was pleased with his good fortune. Of course, he would never tell Alexei the details of this. Alexei should worry and feel deeply indebted to Kaschei, even fearful. And this too would be a little prize from all of these events. Now, there was just one problem...the fact that the bank in London was being watched by the Creditors no doubt. Kaschei could deal with them well enough, and had withdrawn a good portion of money before things went down. But...it was still something to think about.

In any event, Kaschei teleported back to Moscow to his home...and began searching for information on Bonsai trees. He had quite a large collection of books, most of them very old...but it was a lot of information to pour through.

[Dr. Lonnrot Kukkanen]

I realize what Li is getting to and also realized that if I go through with my plans to assist the weak while everyone is distracted, I may get caught. Clearly, I am being watched and need to change tactics.

I stand in from my seat and walk over to my large bookshelf. I take the Book of Manala from the alphabetized row and set it on the table.

"I live my this book, Li," I state, "I remember its teachings that I learned as a young child and will always remember why it is so important. I will not help the weak; it's against Father Manala's teachings. I do plan to strengthen a few test subjects that I've been working on the Anthony West of Genetech, but only as a show of how Genetech has improved its work and how the mind can strengthen the body."

[Li Violette]

"Very well. Just file the full report on your work. I will see you at the Banquet for the Blessed and perhaps we can discuss this further then." I state in a business like tone. I pause and close my eyes for a moment, letting out a light sigh.

"Have a good day, Dr. Lonnrot."

And with that I leave the Dr. to his work.