“Well, I—” Charles began.
A single shot created a perfectly round hole in the cockpit glass of the aircraft. The pilot slumped sideways in his seat, the answer to his question never received.
Gladstone and Portman slid the doors open, picked a target, and trained their weapons.
Aslanov approached the passenger compartment. “Enough! You will not be permitted to leave. Alive or dead; it really doesn’t matter to me. You are all under arrest by order of the Russian Federation,” he bellowed over the noise.
One of the ground crew opened the cockpit door, checked the pilot for signs of life, and shut the engines on the aircraft down once more. The dying whines cast a sombre melody on the unfolding scene.
“Aslanov! This is an outrage. You have killed one of my men. I am the envoy to the United Kingdom and an officer of the British Army. Do you have any idea what you have done, man? What is the meaning of this?” Charles demanded.
“Out. All of you. You two, surrender your weapons immediately, or my men
will
shoot you,” Aslanov sneered at the two spooks.
“Lieutenant Colonel Shepherd, Ma’am. Your orders?” Gladstone asked, calmly.
“Stand down, gentlemen. Live to fight another day. You are outgunned, we have no choice. Do as the man said: surrender your weapons,” Evie ordered.
There was no way such a small force could overpower so many heavily armed men, at least not without unjustifiable losses. Evie had no doubt about Aslanov’s lack of respect for life.
*****
As the dramatic events unfolded in the port base, high up on the mountain, two civilians pondered their fate.
Gora Lyavochorr Mountain, rebel stronghold, present day.
Something was going on in the camp. I felt the air of anticipation and excitement in the charged atmosphere. The news given to us by Viktor Seuchencko, took us by surprise. I thought about the implications of what the man had said, not just for the now, but long into the future. When Barbie had finally managed to calm down enough to speak, I looked at her with eyes full of sorrow and remorse.
“I should never have dragged you into this. You’re so young still. You saved my life, for that I’m forever in your debt, but I can’t ask you to take on someone else’s fight. It’s my bloody-mindedness that got us here, my selfish need to live long enough to see my kids. I’m sorry, Barbie.” I attempted to apologise.
“Shhh—don’t, Simon. Please don’t.” She sighed. “I’m training to be a nurse. It was my duty to help you, just as you helped me. It seems we have more people that need
our
help now. Both of us. If you’d told me last year that I’d be here, now, in this place, I’d have laughed ‘til I cried.” She smiled.
“If we do this, if we help these people, we could die. You do know that, don’t you?” I pushed.
“Yes. I know, but look at us, Simon. We are unique in the world. That’s a big place to be alone in. We need their help to put us right again, to find a cure for what we have inside of us. If not, we face a lifetime of running away from one person or another, don’t you see?”
“But if we run, we stay alive,” I mused. “It’s not our war here. We could get back to England, they’ll have people there who can help us, surely.”
“Do you really think, looking around us now, that we’d make it back to England alive? Honestly?” Barbie pushed.
“No. I doubt we would. Better to be in the hands of friends than enemies. We will help these people. I mean, how bad can it be?” “
Everything in its place, a place for everything
,” my father’s voice echoed.
Even for a couple of freaks of nature like you two!
the goading voices added.
Viktor sat patiently at his desk, thumbing through the folders. He took intermittent sips from the glass of fine brandy. “Have you reached a decision, Simon?”
“I think we have,” I said, boldly.
“And what have you decided?”
“We will help you in your cause, on the condition that you help us return to England when it is done. You know, it’s funny. For the last few years I’ve daydreamed of retirement, of a place in the Mediterranean somewhere, my family together. I’d be a grandfather, perhaps. The kids would come over for holidays, and I’d get to see some of the world finally.”
“Be careful what you wish for, Mr Lloyd.” Viktor smiled. “My men will protect you. My scientists will begin work to try to undo what has been done to you, or at least create a vaccine.”
“You’ll need samples, right?” Barbie asked.
“We have them. From the glasses, bedding, your old clothes, the cutlery you have used since you were here. Forgive me, but we had to take precautions, just in case you decided to leave us.” Viktor smiled. “What you hold could change the face of humanity forever, in the wrong hands.”
Now that I thought about it, we’d bagged our old, mucky clothing, and it was duly taken away. I had no idea that it would be used for testing. Shrewd. Very smart.
“So, what’s the plan from here on in, Mr Seuchencko?”
“My men have picked up a couple of British soldiers. They are looking for you. One of my operatives, Yaromir—you remember him from the cabin on the outskirts of the port, yes? He is bringing them here as we speak. First, I will find out their intentions towards us, then depending upon what they say, we will prepare a plan for the immediate future. In the meantime, you two should eat and rest.”
“You’re going to torture them for answers?” Barbie panicked.
“Miss Carter, I am not an animal. We do not believe the two soldiers to be a threat to either us or you. Indeed, from what Yaromir has already told us, they know more about you, Mr Lloyd, than we do. Their information could prove useful, as could their skills.”
“I apologise, Mr Seuchencko. I—”
Viktor held up his hand, to silence her mid-sentence. “You were not to know, Barbara. This is a different world to the one you come from. I can assure you, it is not as you see in the movies on western television,” He smiled. “The two soldiers saved Yaromir’s life. They had no cause to, save for who he was, a man up against unfair odds. They did not know if he had seen you two, yet they risked their lives to save him. That is the mark of honourable men, of true soldiers. I respect them for it.”
“When do the soldiers arrive here?” I queried, eager to meet the men after Viktor’s revelation.
“They should arrive shortly. Can you not see the excitement in the camp?” Viktor gestured with his hand enigmatically. “Come, we will go to meet them, welcome them.”
Viktor stood, his tall, lean frame enhanced by the surroundings of the cavern. His suit fell effortlessly back into place, not a crease or line showing. He straightened his tie, replaced his gold pen to his jacket pocket, and rounded the desk to walk with Barbie and me. He was, I mused, an impressive character, a man who commanded presence wherever he went. I put him in his late sixties, yet he fared much better than I did.
Still, he didn’t work the graveyard shift in a railway points hut in the middle of Yorkshire
. I grinned. Viktor smiled back, unaware of my assessment. “Come, young Petrov escorts our guests.”
Barbie took a short breath in at the mention of Volkov’s son. She really was keen on the lad.
The camp buzzed with the imminent arrival. The gunshots in the night air had echoed around the mountain some time ago, and a hastily formed scouting party had been formed and despatched to find out what was going on.
The group of men came from the darkness of the forest, signals given to validate their identity and intent. I watched as Petrov smiled towards Barbie, the beaming grin returned as she shifted her weight from left to right foot alternately. The young soldier stood before General Volkov, saluted, and gave his report in Russian. The general turned, motioned the two black-clad soldiers forwards with him to greet us, and introduced them in turn to our party of three.
“Viktor, I present to you Staff Sergeant Stewall and Sergeant Cross, British Army. Gentlemen, this is Mr Seuchencko, our commander.”
“General Volkov, thank you. Refreshments for our guests, if you would be so kind,” Viktor requested.
I saw instant recognition in the face of the sergeant. His eyes locked onto mine as if he knew everything about me there was to know. It gave me an uneasy feeling about what those things might be. After shaking their hands himself, Viktor introduced us to the two men.
“Simon, Barbara, please meet Staff Sergeant Stewall and Sergeant Cross.”
The short, stocky staff sergeant approached first. He smiled at Barbie, took her hand gently, and shook it. When he spoke to acknowledge the introduction, it came as a bit of a surprise to hear the broad Scottish accent.
“Pleasure to meet you both. We have been tracking you two for a while now. I’m Chris.” Stewey grinned, his offhand nod towards me was as much of an acknowledgement as I was going to get, though I picked up another smile to Barbie.
The sergeant’s gaze still hadn’t left me as he appraised, yet he smiled as he approached to formally introduce himself. “Sir, I’ve heard a lot about you over the last few months. It is good to finally meet you. I’m Nathan. Barbara, good to meet you too. We have much to discuss.” He held his hand out to me at more of an angle to take something than for me to shake it.
As our palms touched, Nathan whipped his hand away sharply. I froze, my hand left suspended in front of me. After a few awkward seconds, the soldier took my hand in his, this time with a grip I feared might crack a few bones. He smiled, and his eyes met mine for an instant as I tried to figure out what that was all about. He let go of my hand to replace it with Barbie’s, and the moment had passed.
Viktor lead us back to the cavern room where fresh food and drink had been laid out upon the elongated table. Petrov took the weapons and kit from the visitors, with assurances that it was for storage, not as an act of aggression. Their sidearms remained. My eyes fixed on the protruding handle of Nathan’s gun, a Glock, tight to his waist—similar to those we’d been trained to use by Petrov.
Popular gun
.
They see fit to let you loose with a gun? You should point it at your own head and pull the trigger, do your ex-wife and kids a favour.
I tensed as the inner voice goaded me, sorely in need of a drink to quell the demon.
Nathan had a cool air about him, a deadly confidence that I hadn’t seen in anyone quite so strongly since our introduction to Viktor’s daughter, Janishka. Below that, I sensed a man of thought, compassion perhaps, hard to tell at this moment as his guard remained up.
Chris displayed a flair of daring, a man used to living by chance. His eyes flicked to the surroundings but I doubted he’d be admiring the rock patterns as I had done. Both men looked as though their journey here had been long, arduous, and possibly spread over a couple of days without sufficient sleep or washing facilities. The growth upon each face made them look rugged, mercenary even. We instantly recognised the next face to appear at the doorway of the cavern.
The light from the outside dimmed as it fought to get around the frame of the mighty Yaromir. He smiled heartily at Barbie and walked forwards with his tennis-racket-sized hand outstretched to greet us once again, akin to a brother greeting his siblings.
My hand found his, engulfed to insignificance as he shook, before he turned to Barbie, forgoing the handshake for a less formal hug. The man dwarfed her slight build, and mine, come to think of it.
“Yaromir!” Barbie cried. She whooped as his thick arms entombed her.
“Da, Barbie, Simon. It is good to see you, my friends.” He sat with us, a nod of respect to the two soldiers he already knew, passed between them.
“Please, gentlemen, feel free to take food and drink.” Viktor waved to the impressive array laid out on the table top.
Stewall stood instantly, casually walked to the table, and filled two glasses. On his way back, he handed a glass to Nathan.
“Mr. Seuchencko, you know why we are here, I assume,” Nathan stated.
“Yes, Sergeant Cross. I do. It seems we share the same goal, you and I. What I propose is a sharing of information. Undoubtedly, the Russian Federation troops will attempt to take our guests here. You know as well as I do that what they carry within them has the potential to change history.” Viktor nodded.
“Aye, that it does.” Chris added. “What can we do to help?”
Just like that, two military men and a powerful Russian leader, each unsure of where they stood, forged an accord. There were no formal agreements and no endless politics of why and how, nor any hint of underhanded one-upmanship that I frequently saw within the various political parties of the UK. Right there, over glasses of water, deep within a mountain fortress, two forces agreed to work as one. For us.
“Excellent. Welcome to the resistance. First, tell me all about your journeys. After that, I must meet with my daughter.” Viktor smiled.
For well over an hour, we each told our stories, the atmosphere one of comradeship in the face of what would inevitably come. Cross and Stewall gave new information regarding the original viral strain, its effects, and the outcome of the outbreak in the UK some months ago. They told Viktor that the
Baltic Wanderer
had been tracked by UK intelligence, whereby a small party had been sent to Murmansk to aid the Russian Federation in the isolation of any potential viral threat. Indeed, they said, two of their best scientists were actively helping as they spoke. The two soldiers talked briefly amongst themselves, seemingly trying to decide just how much to reveal, before Nathan addressed me directly. I had to swallow my heart back down as it ricocheted in my chest.
“We have known about you, sir, since shortly after the original outbreak. Your wife, Charlotte, and children, Tom and Holly, played an instrumental role in ending the chaos back home,” Nathan began.
“They’re alive? Charley, my kids, you’ve seen them?” I choked.
“They are alive and well, all of them. You should be proud, your kids are gorgeous, your wife too, sir,” Nathan added.
“We’re … we’re divorced.” I shuddered. “You don’t know how good it is to know they are safe. Thank you, thank you both, and please c-call me Simon,” I blubbed.
Barbie wrapped her arm around my shoulders as I sobbed.
General Volkov entered the cavernous room, his expression one of anguish. In his hand he held a single sheet of paper, a communication intercepted and decoded by the team of radio operators, based at the stronghold. He approached Viktor, and for a few minutes, they spoke in Russian. Only Yaromir could understand what was said, and I noticed he, too, took on the same grave expression. Yaromir stood as Viktor addressed us all.
“The Russian Federation have arrested your people in Murmansk. We have decoded a radio message that confirms the presence of a Dr Evelyn Shepherd and Dr Charles Fitzgerald. They are being held at the port base. This is not good,” Viktor stated grimly.