“Probably somewhere over the Arctic Ocean,” Irina answered.
Rachel nodded and walked a few steps closer to the edge of the gently lapping water.
“Why are there not big waves?” Irina asked, looking for a topic to distract Rachel from her thoughts.
“I don’t know,” Rachel said in a far off voice.
After a few more minutes of silence, Irina sat down on the sand and began unlacing her boots. Removing them, she rolled her pants legs up to her knees and waded into the water.
“It is warm!” She smiled. “We should swim while they are fixing the plane.”
Rachel nodded, but didn’t answer. Slowly, Irina walked out of the water and came to stand in front of her.
“When I was seventeen, I was in love,” she began, waiting until Rachel shifted her attention and looked at her. “I was in a special program in Russia, run by the GRU. Children with higher than average intelligence and certain aptitudes were identified and taken from their parents. We were sent to a very special school. I was only six when I was taken.”
Moving next to Rachel, Irina sat on the warm sand and rested the rifle across her knees.
“From the very first day, we were only ever allowed to speak English. American English. The use of slang and idioms was encouraged, and we were required to watch several hours of popular American television shows each day. An entire town had been constructed, an exact copy of a small town in the Midwest, and this is where we lived.
“We were made into Americans. Each of us had a surrogate mother and father that were former KGB agents who had lived among the Americans. They taught us too, as well as ensuring we had the proper attitude about our education.
“There was this boy who was two years older than me. He was the smartest. The best athlete. The best looking boy at the school. His school name was Tom, but his real name was Vasilly. All of the girls dreamed of being his girlfriend, but he kept to himself. Completely dedicated to his training.
“But as I got older and began to look more like a woman than a child, he noticed me. Out of all the other girls, he noticed me! We began to talk. Then go to movies together. And we fell in love. Perhaps it was only teenage infatuation, but it still feels as real as anything I have ever experienced.
“Then one night, I met him in the park and he was so upset. He was leaving the next morning for his first assignment. He did not know where he would be going. We held each other and cried, wanting to stay together even though we both knew that someday we would be called on to fulfill the mission we had been trained for since we were small children.
“We made love. It was the first time for both of us. When it was over, he asked me to leave with him. At first, I thought he meant to go on his mission with him. But he meant for us to run away. To sneak out of town and leave Russia so we could be together.”
“What did you do?” Rachel asked, taking a seat next to Irina.
“I said yes. I loved him. I could not imagine living without him. So we made plans, sitting there on the grass in the dark. We would each go back to our homes and pack some clothes. Half an hour later, we would meet near the north fence and slip out into the night.
“I went home and gathered my belongings, then snuck out of my bedroom window. He was waiting for me, and together we left the town. I still do not know where it was, and we were soon lost in a forest. Once the sun came up and we knew directions, we headed west. Eventually, we believed, we would reach some part of Europe, where we could disappear into the population.
“We walked much of the morning, never finding an end to the forest. Neither of us had thought to bring food or water and we were hungry and thirsty. By night, I was frightened that we would die in the forest. We fell asleep holding each other after making love again.
“During the night, soldiers dispatched by the school found us. We were handcuffed and put on a helicopter and flown back to the town. We had not gone very far, so it was a short flight. When we arrived, the large park where we had first made love was brightly lit. All of the students and their parents were standing in a circle around a large bandstand.
“A General was standing on the platform, waiting for us. We were made to stand in front of the whole town while the headmaster of the school explained the crimes we had committed. Then he said that the punishment for crimes against the state was death.
“Vasilly cried out. Said he had forced me to go with him. Begged for mercy for me in exchange for his confession of guilt. I screamed that he was lying, that we had done it together. He shouted me down, raging at the headmaster that he was the only one to blame.”
Irina stopped speaking, staring across the water as she remembered. Rachel reached out and took her hand.
“What happened to Vasilly?”
“The headmaster shot him in the head,” Irina said, tears rolling down her face. “Then he shouted at all of the assembled people that this was the punishment for betrayal.”
“I’m sorry,” Rachel said, squeezing Irina’s hand.
“You see,” Irina said after a long stretch of silence. “Vasilly would not have it any other way. He was a man, just like Major Chase. They will sacrifice anything to protect those they love. He did not surrender to only save Hawaii. Or his wife. He was thinking of you, too.”
Rachel was crying now, both of them staring at the ocean through glistening tears.
“He was satisfied with only punishing Vasilly?” Rachel asked, sniffing.
“No. He was going to shoot me, too. The general intervened. Saved me. Took me with him when he left. Back to Moscow where I was sworn in to the army and assigned to the GRU.”
“Why?” Rachel asked.
“He was my uncle. My real uncle. My mother’s brother. He was the one responsible for my having been sent to the school. My parents were alcoholics. Bad. It was his way of making sure I had an opportunity at life.”
They sat for a long time, holding hands and thinking about the men they’d loved and lost.
“I’m sorry for asking,” Rachel finally broke the silence. “But I thought you were… um, well… preferred girls.”
“I do,” Irina answered, releasing Rachel’s hand and wiping her eyes. “For several years after Vasilly was killed, I was alone. Finally, at my uncle’s urging, I began to date. But it never felt right. Not like it did with Vasilly. Every man I spent time with was either intimidated by my position in the GRU, or using me in an attempt to curry favor with my uncle.”
“So you gave up?”
“I do not know if that is the right way to say it. I lost interest. Then, while on assignment in the UK, I met a British journalist. A woman. She awakened feelings in me that I had not had since Vasilly. Our affair was intense, but brief. Unfortunately, it came to the attention of the embassy in London because of a stupid social media post with a picture of her and I kissing. I was recalled to Moscow, and once again, my uncle’s intervention saved me.”
“Saved you?” Rachel asked.
“Homosexuality in Russia is a crime,” Irina said with a sad smile. “Prison.”
“Are you serious?”
“Very,” Irina nodded. “By this time, my uncle was a very powerful man. He was able to stop the investigation and have me assigned as a sleeper agent in America. He saved my life. Again.”
Rachel was looking at Irina, shifting her eyes when movement on the sand caught her attention. A single infected male, a hundred yards away, stumbled towards them. She raised the suppressed rifle and shot him.
“Nice shot,” Irina said, standing and pulling her shirt over her head. “Now, I am going to go for a swim in this wonderful water. If you want to join me, no need to worry. I am not attracted to you.”
She smiled and peeled her clothes off before turning and running into the sea. Rachel laughed in surprise, a moment later shedding hers and following Irina.
They splashed and swam for twenty minutes. Refreshed, they returned to the beach and flopped onto the sand to dry in the sun. Rachel’s heart still ached, but the sharing of Irina’s pain had reminded her of why John had sacrificed himself. Part of her healed as she lay there, soaking up the late afternoon rays.
“Ma’am?” Rachel started when a male voice spoke from behind her.
She sat up quickly, crossing her arms across her bare breasts and pulling her knees close to her body. Irina reacted in the same way, the two of them looking over their shoulders at the intruder. It was one of the Rangers who had been on the plane with them. He had come to a stop several yards away and was studiously looking at the top of a tall palm tree.
“What’s wrong?” Rachel asked.
“There’s some news, ma’am. And we’re getting ready to leave.”
“Thank you, Sergeant,” Rachel said. “We’ll be right there.”
“Yes ma’am,” he said, unable to resist stealing a glance at the two naked women as he turned and headed back to the runway.
“How long do you think he was standing there before he said anything?” Irina asked as they began brushing sand off their bodies and pulling clothes on.
“Probably long enough to have some good dreams tonight,” Rachel laughed.
Irina looked up and smiled at her. Moments later they were ready and headed for the plane. As they walked up, several of the Rangers had to look away in attempts to hide smiles.
“Oh, grow up,” Rachel said loud enough for all of them to hear.
There were some surprised looks and a couple of chuckles.
“We’ve got a change of destination,” the Ranger who had come to the beach said.
“Why?” Irina blurted.
“Hostilities have resumed between us and the fucking Russkies,” he said, unaware of who and what Irina really was. “We’re bombing the hell out of them. But that’s not why we’re heading north.”
“North?” Rachel asked in surprise.
“Yes, ma’am. The Russian plane carrying the Major went down over Ellesmere Island. Right by Greenland. There’s a survivor on the ground.”
“He survived?” Rachel shouted, stepping forward.
“Ma’am, I’m sorry, but we don’t know who survived. Pearl can only see a single body on thermal. It’s cloudy there. It could be one of the Russians.”
“I got ten bucks says it’s the Major. That fucker’s too mean to die.”
The Ranger who spoke up earned a look from the Sergeant.
“I’ve got twenty!” Rachel smiled at the man before turning back. “What are we waiting for? Let’s go!”
“We’re waiting for the men I sent to the quartermaster’s building, ma’am. It’s cold there. Very. We need the right gear.”
Rachel began pacing, hope swelling in her chest. That son of a bitch! She should have known he’d find a way to escape.
“Why us? Greenland is a very long way away. How long to get there?” Irina asked, happy for Rachel, but tempering her excitement for the moment.
“3,600 miles,” the pilot said as he walked up, a large pack hanging over his left shoulder. “Us, because everyone else is busy fighting. Should take us about eight and a half hours.”
“In that?” Irina asked, pointing at the C-130.
“No, ma’am,” he said. “That would take most of a day. Navy was nice enough to leave a C-40 sitting on the tarmac, just waiting for us.”
He pointed, Rachel and Irina looking across a broad expanse of taxiways. A large jet sat gleaming in the sun.
“That looks like a commercial airliner,” Rachel said, surprised.
“That’s because without the Navy paint, you’d see it at most any airport,” the pilot said. “In the civilian world, it’s called a Boeing 737.”
9
After talking to Lucas Martin on the sat phone, Igor had thought about his options, then called the only number programmed into the phone. The young SEAL officer who had given it to him, Lieutenant Sam.
“Go for Sam,” the man had answered, a note of curiosity in his voice.
In broken English, Igor identified himself. Sam quickly remembered the big Russian.
“I was going to call you,” Sam said, surprising Igor. “We’re moving. Radioactive fallout coming into the region and it’s too hot to stay. Going to pick you up on our way east.”
“I need go Russia,” Igor replied. “Need plane.”
“Why do you need to go to Russia?” Sam asked suspiciously.
“Friend in trouble.”
Igor felt that was all the explanation that was needed. They spoke for a few more minutes, Sam ignoring the request for a plane. He gave Igor instructions on where to meet them as they traveled along Interstate 90, then disconnected the call.
For several minutes, Igor sat in the leather recliner. Dog’s chin was resting on his leg and he absently rubbed his furry head as he thought. He had understood perhaps half of what the American had said. But, like any Russian, he had a healthy fear of radiation after the Chernobyl disaster in his home country.
Deciding it was best to go with the SEALs and find a way to get on a plane, Igor spent close to an hour preparing to leave their new home. With Dog trailing along, he’d gone into the garage and refueled the side-by-side UTV from two, five-gallon plastic containers. Taking a moment to check the oil, he went back into the house and gathered his gear.
Packing the cargo area of the small, off-road vehicle, he added several jugs of water. Going into the back yard, he paused when Dog emitted a low growl. Igor followed his eyes and saw movement at the edge of the tree line. Thinking it was an infected, he drew his knife with a sigh and began to step forward. He froze in his tracks when an animal emerged from the forest.
It was a large cat. Mountain Lion, he believed the Americans called it. Very big and strong. At least 100 kilos. The animal stood fifty meters away and stared at the man and dog. It was a tawny color with a tuft of black fur at the tip of its long tail. Its eyes glowed yellow in the moonlight as it calmly observed them.
Halfway between them was the tree where Igor had hung the plastic bags of fresh venison from the deer he had killed earlier in the day. Had the big cat smelled the raw meat? Or was it just exploring territory that no longer teemed with humans?