After Killian had left, Rodion took a moment to center himself and think of how he’d explain his findings to his brother. Should he even go tonight? All they found out was that Dima could be in trouble, not where he was or how he was. His hands twitched with nervous energy; it was probably best to get it all out now. He’d never sleep otherwise. He huffed out a sigh of frustration, glanced at the mismatched teacups, swore at them, and grabbed his coat.

Knocking on Georgi’s door was the second-hardest thing Rodion had ever done. His hand hovered over the paneling. He could just leave now. Save the conversation for later. His brother would be none the wiser. He froze, wrestling with his courses of action until a soft rustling behind him broke his concentration. He turned to the noise.

Georgi stood there in the hallway, shopping bag full of what looked like glass bottles and other foodstuffs perhaps. He shifted from one foot to the other awkwardly, the glass clinking against each other loudly.

“Rodya. Did you find something already?” His brother’s face was lit up with hope and Rodion felt his stomach sink even more. There was no escape. Fate had chosen his path for him, it seemed.

Rodion only nodded in response, he was still too tongue-tied to find the right words. Georgi made his way into the apartment and held the door open for Rodion to come in as well. Just like the last time they spoke; the two brothers took their places in the living room.

“So, what did you find? Is Dima okay?” Georgi asked. Rodion paused while he tried to collect his thoughts, there was just so much to explain and all of it was bad. His stomach felt like it was made of molten lead.

“We think that something happened to the Anna Karenina”, Rodion told him.

“Something happened?”, Georgi looked confused, “And who do you mean by we?”

“I asked Killian to help me with this. She has access to a lot more information than either of us could get to”, Rodion explained.

“Killian? Anna Killian? I thought you two weren’t talking anymore?” Georgi asked. Of anyone, he knew the most about how their relationship had crumbled. He’d been Rodion’s emotional support during the breakup. He’d heard so many stories that Rodion had never dared tell his mother.

“Yeah, I sent a few messages to people I thought would have any information, and she was the only one to reply. She’s a captain now. She told me that the Anna wasn’t the first ship to disappear”.

“So, it’s confirmed the ship’s disappeared?”

Rodion shook his head and withdrew the tablet from his coat pocket.

“Not exactly, but close enough. We don’t have tracking on her since she’s Martian, but I’ve sent the captain several messages and heard nothing back. Also, there’s this:” Rodion brought up the graphic that Killian had put together and placed it where his brother could see it. Georgi picked up the tablet, studied the graphic then looked at Rodion for context.

“All of those ships were supposed to pass through that zone of space. All of those ships disappeared”, Rodion stopped, hesitant to highlight the next piece of evidence, “Now, look at the Anna’s intended path”.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Georgi stared back down at the graphic, then his eyes widened. He understood now.

“The Anna…she’s been out long enough to mean that she went through there too…”, Georgi tilted his head, calculating something. “Ship had to have went through there recently…” He leaned forward, placed the tablet back on the table and put his head in his hands. “Did any of the missing ships’ crews come back?”

Rodion set his jaw, this was the question he didn’t want to answer. “No. The only one they were able to find again was a guy who missed his ship-out”.

“That- No - That means that if the Anna disappeared like these others, then. Then…” Georgi’s face twisted in anguish. He stood suddenly and went into the kitchen.

Rodion didn’t see him for a few minutes, then he returned with a bottle of samogon and two teacups. His hands shook as he poured the liquor out. He offered one to Rodion who refused then gulped both down one after the other.

“I can’t be sober for this”, he explained. His eyes were red, like he had been trying to keep back tears.

Rodion felt a flash of worry. His brother had struggled with alcohol problems in his early years. Georgi couldn’t afford to spiral back into alcoholism. Not now, not while he had Alisa to take care of. He needed to give Georgi some hope. Something that would keep the darkness at bay while they figured everything out.

“Look, Georgi, the thing is, we don’t know for certain that the Anna disappeared the same way as the other ships. Killian and I, we’re going to figure this out. No matter where Dima is, we’re going to get him home”, Rodion consoled.

Georgi just nodded in response.

“In the meantime, you shouldn’t drink too much of that shit”, Rodion gestured at the drink. Georgi smiled slightly in response.

“You’re one to talk… If I remember your teenage years right, you could put away more of this shit than I ever could”, he noticed Rodion’s worried expression, “I know. I know. I’ll take it easy. I just need some time to… process this”.

“Do you need me to stay?” Rodion asked, “I don’t mind staying over if it would help”. If he could stay, he could encourage his brother to drink more water than alcohol.

His brother shook his head. “I’ll be fine. I just need some time to myself, but I appreciate your offer”.

“Okay”, Rodion felt hesitant to leave his brother in crisis, “If you need anything…”

“I’ll call. I know”, Georgi finished for him, “I appreciate you, really”.

The two stood, Georgi was already looking a bit unsteady from the alcohol. They embraced then Rodion left. He still didn’t feel any better, even after getting the bad news off his chest. If anything, he felt like he made things worse.

When he returned to his apartment, he checked his messages for anything back from Captain Conolly. Nothing.

He checked the Read-Receipt marker for confirmation that his message to Dima had been read. Also, nothing.

The message hadn’t been opened yet.

It had been a week now since Georgi had come to him with the problem and three weeks since Dima’s last contact. Had his message even been received? How would he find that out? He needed someone who could track the message’s path across the comms satellites. There was one person who might help. He opened his conversation with Killian.

RODION S: Can you come over tomorrow?

He cleaned up his apartment while he waited for her response. If Killian was coming over at any point tomorrow, he might as well tidy up tonight and save himself the embarrassment of the last time she visited. Even if she wasn’t coming the place needed a good clean anyways and he couldn’t fathom sleep now. There was still too much of that nervous energy. That feeling of dread that wound its way through his insides.

It felt oddly good to clean, as if by setting clutter to order he could bring order to the chaos of his family’s lives. It surprised him how quickly the years of mess took shape into a semblance of order. They’d never be perfect, but at least they were better. He’d reached a sort of meditative state by the time he heard the ring of a new message tone.

CAPT. KILLIAN: I can, but I don’t get out of work until late. Can you tell me what’s going on?

RODION S: It’s about the case. I’d prefer to explain in person. I can wait.

CAPT. KILLIAN: That’s worrying…

CAPT. KILLIAN: I’ll let you know when I’m coming over.