Nikolai

Nikolai hadn't been waiting in front of the medical room when Wojciechowski had called; he had in fact been a little ways away. It was only Werner who'd thought his arrival came almost upon calling, in truth, it took Nikolai about twenty minutes to get there. He'd been in a smallish room, larger than the average walk-in closet but smaller than a typical bedroom. He wasn't alone. Naturally the man with him was the Lagerführer. 

At the beginning of their night together the Lagerführer had been irritated, but within a few minutes of Nikolai's company, he'd calmed down almost completely. Nikolai had then whipped out a pack of Belomorkanal cigarettes (packed in a different case) and a bottle of vodka of which he'd ripped the etiquette off. "I always come prepared." He said with a large grin. The Lagerführer shook his head in disapproval. 

"You Russians are all alcoholics."

"I am not Russian, Joseph, and I am not an alcoholic."

"Say what you want." He replied and reached for the cigarettes. Nikolai let him take one and handed him the lighter. Unlike with Werner, he almost never lit the Lagerführers cigarettes for him. "You're friend Werner is a polite and quiet kid." 

"I agree. I could learn a thing or two from him." Nikolai joked. 

"But Wojciechowski is a handful, I assume he's told you all about him." 

"Not much, actually. Just that he's a brilliant doctor and almost had a cure for cancer." 

"Yes....prehaps that's why Dr. Ziegler kept him around for so long. I knew it was because of more than just 'experimenting'."

"Why do you think so?"

"Dr. Ziegler apparantly had a brain tumor. They're currently disecting his brain, they'll call me in when it's done."

"Dr. Ziegler had a brain tumor?" Nikolai asked in surprise. The Lagerführer nodded thoughtfully. 

"Not everyone is blessed with great physical strength." He mused more to himself then to Nikolai. 

"I am." Nikolai flirted. The Lagerführer became bashfull, but not in the sweet way women do, he became angry and more irritated than when he'd arrived. 

"You're only strong because you worked on the fields. That doesn't have to do with a good immune system or a strong-."

"It does, and you know it, Jospeh." He tapped him on the chin, which annoyed the Lagerführer very much. Nikolai was a very handsy man, and since the Lagerführer was one of the only men he'd been with he certainly liked to touch him even in non sexual places. 

"If you touch me again I'll convict you of the murder tomorrow." The Lagerführer said. But his anger had ebbed away already; it was impossible to stay angry at the dashing soviet for long. 

"Then how about you touch me?" The invitation from the equally intriguing as dangerous soviet spy made the Lagerführer crazy. He tried his best to answer a smart-ass response, but it wouldn't leave his lips. He was usually such a great speaker, but around this man all of his strengths turned against him. He ended up just shaking his head from side to side slowly. 

"I am going to kill you, Nikolai."

"Is death the only power you have over me?" Nikolai asked, challenging his friend and secret lover. The Lagerführer narrowed his eyes at him. What Nikolai said was true; the only power the Lagerführer had over him was prosecution and death. He decided to remain quiet, Nikolai was a master of words, he could turn anything he said to his advantage. 

The Lagerführer leaned forwards towards his friend. He unscrewed the vodka bottle and took a large sip, then stuck a new cigarette in between his teeth, lit it, all while staring into the russians bright blue eyes, and then he popped it out of his mouth to lean in and kiss his counterpart. 

Their night finished the vodka bottle and the entire pack of cigarettes. It was only by luck that Nikolai happened to be going to the bathroom outside nearby when the word got to him that he was needed at the medical building. He, being as polite as he was careful, quickly went back to the Lagerführer and told him that he needed rest, leaving abruptly but not without a goodbye. 

When he'd found Werner, in the condition he was in, he'd felt pure hate towards the polish doctor. He hadn't met Wojciecchowski yet, and this was not a good first impression. But he agreed to cooperate. Not because he wanted to, or felt he could, but because Werner needed him. He thought it a terrible idea to cut open the poor boys skull and several times, as Wojciechowski and him hauled the boy onto the operating table, he had the urge to strike Wojciecjowski down and take Werner away, somewhere safe. But he knew they wouldn't get far; it was pointless trying to save a doomed man. 

"What are we going to do exactly?" Nikolai asked. 

"I haven't decided yet. Cracking his skull open is far too risky here, we'll have to drill..." He said thoughtfully. "I'm afraid so. Yes. We'll definitely have to drill a hole into his skull."

"There is no other way to do this? There's no one else with a tumor?"

"No."

"And you can't chemically make one?"

"No." Wojciechowski eyed Nikolai suspiciously, he was just as petrified as Werner had been! But that of course, wasn't true. "There isn't."

"Well then." Nikolai said with a smile. "Let's get it over with."