by W. R. Benton
“I am alive. Did you bring me any vodka? My pain is rough at times, between shots of morphine.”
Pulling his thin coat open, he pulled a new pint of vodka from an inside pocket. He handed it to his friend and said, “Take a long drink, because she was doing paperwork when I interrupted her, so she's busy.”
Romanovich must have downed about half the bottle before he pulled it from his lips and said, “See if you can get me another bottle in here later this evening. I will stay drunk and worry about the hangover later.”
“I heard you had been burned over 60% of your body.”
“I have minor burns over all of me, but the serious burns are to the side of my face and my right leg. I have lost an eye, but at first I thought I had lost them both. I have no idea how that happened. They had spoken of taking the burned leg off and I told them, 'hell no, I'll keep it and live, or I die with it.' I have to admit, when I sit in the whirlpool and watch the dead flesh wash away from my leg, the pain is so severe at times, I wish they had cut it off.”
“Lena told me you were going to live, and I just did not see how that could be.”
“The devil is scared of me, and God wants me to change a great deal before he will take me.” Boris laughed, but it brought him pain.
Out of nowhere, the two officers heard a series of explosions.
“I hope they did not have a plane blow up while they were working on it, because those were loud.” Boris said.
The window in the hospital room suddenly exploded as a line of machine-gun bullets walked down the length of the room. The nurse ran in, only to collapse as bullets struck her in the chest and head. She was dead before she struck the floor.
A siren began to wail, and both of the men in the room knew they were under attack. Pulling Boris from the bed, ripping the monitors from his chest, and bringing his IV, Ilik moved to the basement. Boris had a fresh IV, so he could leave him because he had a battle to fight. He noticed the Major still held his bottle of vodka firmly in hand. A minute later nurses, doctors, and the wounded capable of walking were moving toward the basement as well.
“Who is this man blocking the stairs and what are the extent of his injuries?” a Colonel asked.
“He is a burn victim of the airliner crash a couple of days ago. I do not know the extent of his injuries, but his nurse is dead, and this may be the safest place for him and you. I have to go now, sir, but take good care of him, because he is my friend.”
When he walked out of the hospital, Ilik was amazed by the number of fires and damage done to the Fort. For some reason, it reminded him of old footage he'd seen as a kid of the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. Flames flickered and danced, and along with long columns of smoke and dust filled the air. Screams were heard, but it was difficult to tell which were screams of pain and which were screams of anger.
When he reached his unit they were all ready to go, so he led them to the area that had been breached by the tanks. He'd taken the time to grab his Bison and pack along with his belt and canteen. On his belt he had a knife, pistol, three grenade pouches and first aid kit.
Before they reached the broken fence, the radio came alive and they were ordered to a second area, this one on the western side of the base. It was completely opposite of where they were heading now.
Unexpectedly, a Chinese attack helicopter flew down low and sent a long burst of cannon fire toward them, but luckily only struck two men. One lost his head and a big part of his chest, and the other lost his left arm. The wounded man was quickly doctored up, dragged out of the way, and placed behind a huge oak log. Ilik then called in the man's position, and continued on his way.
When the fuel tanks exploded everyone dropped to the ground, some screaming that nuclear weapons were being used. A huge fireball rose in the sky from where the fuel used to be stored. Once on their feet again, Georgiy had them double time toward their assigned area.
They arrived just as the partisans came running through a gaping hole in the fence line.
Dispersing his troops, Ilik moved to the commander and reported his company had arrived to assist. The sounds of battle made it almost impossible for anyone to think clearly, because they were so loud. Bullets filled the air as screams were heard from those freshly hit, moans and yells from the injured wanting a medic, and prayers from the dying. Grenades exploded with loud booms, and overhead an air battle was taking place between the Chinese and Russians.
The Russians had less than a dozen aircraft in the air and one by one their resistance was shot down. Too quickly, the air belonged to the Red Chinese.
“Sir, if you look, you will see the aircraft are ignoring us and attacking with force on the eastern side of the Fort. This is not the main threat!” Georgiy yelled to be heard.
The Major in charge turned to speak when a stray round took him in the middle of his face and his skull exploded, splattering blood, brains and shards of skull out behind him.
The radioman handed Ilik the handset and said, “Base on the line for the commander, Captain.”
“Base, Cobra One, the previous commander is dead. Be advised I am only facing infantry and no aircraft. I repeat, I am facing no aircraft.” He screamed into the radio to be heard.
“You are to remain in place. We have other assets being sent east, over.”
“Copy and out.”
Like most battles, when it was all said and done they were bone tired, physically and mentally. The Americans pulled back slowly in a disciplined manner and were soon gone. Captain Georgiy stood, looked the area over, and realized he'd had about a dozen people in the two companies killed and maybe twice that many injured. Everyone was up and helping the wounded, and the dead were being placed together, lined up, so they'd be easier to load in the trucks that would come for them.
Some of the soldiers, not needed to treat the injured, stood and turned in complete circles seeing nothing but flames and smoke in the air. Most wore a tired expression, like someone who'd been awakened before they were fully rested. One woman stood and silently cried, while a man sat in a foxhole shaking his head from side to side, both reacting differently to being in combat.
Less than an hour later, a small convoy of six trucks brought members from the base civil engineers unit along with enough fencing to repair the broken stretch of wire. They'd brought two squads of men to provide security, and all combat troops were ordered to return to the operations center. Of course, they were to walk back.
Ilik gathered the two companies, and as a single mass of soldiers they began to move toward the more populated part of the base. Along the way they picked up the man who'd lost an arm to the helicopter and carried him on a stretcher. The other wounded in battle by the fence had been left for the civil engineers to take to the hospital. None of those left behind were critically hurt.
The walk gave them a chance to see all the damage done by the Chinese, and it was extensive. Crashed aircraft from both sides were seen near the flight-line, and the fire department was still fighting fires at a number of places. The fuel tanks were left to burn out on their own, while hospital patients were being taken to the base gymnasium and schools. All around him Ilik saw death, destruction, and fires still burning or smoking. He heard the pitiful cries of those dying and the deep soul cutting moans of the injured. With all his years in the military, he'd never experienced anything as devastating as this minute was for him. The viciousness and strength of the attack shocked him deeply, and he knew he'd relive this moment for as long as he lived. Never would his mind allow him to forget.
Back in the company area, the soldiers were dismissed, only to have Master Sergeant Danovich detail most of them to one part of the base or another helping those units in need of more people. The dead and injured had to be collected and cared for, the fires needed to be put out, and there were countless piles of brass from fired bullets as well as discarded weapons of all kinds. Georgiy knew thousands of things needed done, but his first task was to see if Lena and Boris were okay.
He had to walk by the brig on his way to the hospital, so seeing a lot of senior troops in the area, he walked near enough to hear them talking.
“Are you not the commander who brought the two Chinese in for us?” a Full Colonel asked.
“Yes, sir, I am.”
“Did you know Colonel Zakhary Leonidovich was killed in this raid and both captives are gone?”
“No, sir, I was out in the field with my men and women. I am sorry to hear of his death.”
“Both of the Chinese are gone too, so that was the purpose of their mission. The brig guards were murdered in cold blood, too.”
This is war, and I doubt they were murdered in cold blood, Ilik thought, but said nothing to the Colonel.
“If you will excuse me, sir, I must see to my men and women receiving care at the hospital. I understand they were taken to the base gymnasium and schools after the hospital was bombed. Do you know if that is right, sir?”
“That is correct and you are dismissed, Captain.”
When Georgiy saluted the Colonel, the man waved him off as if he were a fly. That irritated the Captain, but once again he kept his mouth shut. He turned and walked away, moving toward the gymnasium.
He saw Lena working and she looked like hell; he was sure she'd been through the pits this day. He approached her from behind and said, “Hello, my love, are you tired yet?”
She quickly turned, smiled and then flew into his arms. He heard her crying and wondered how much was relief and how much was fatigue. He knew she'd been working over 12 hours and probably closer to 16, but in war you worked as long as the job took.
“When do you get off?”
“In just a few minutes, but I cannot leave the building. All of us are stuck here until this emergency is over. I will be able to eat and sleep here though.”
“Have you seen Boris?”
She broke eye contact with him and said, “Yes, I have seen him, but you will not find him in here or one of the schools. He was killed in the bombing, and most of those in the basement were crushed by falling concrete when the build collapsed. I am so sorry, Ilik, because I know you loved him like a brother.”
“Boris, dead? But he was fine when I left him at the hospital. He cannot be dead!” The Captain's eyes blinked rapidly for a minute or so.
“Honey, he had to be dead when they pulled him from the rubble, because his chest and head were crushed. There was nothing we could do for him.”
Georgiy was stunned and couldn't believe, after surviving the plane crash, Boris was killed during an air raid. Why? What purpose would God have in saving him and then taking him? It made no sense to him.
“Come with me, and I will get us a couple of green frogs and we can eat together. Then, if you want, we can curl up in a corner and grab some sleep.” Lena said, hoping the death of Boris wouldn't change the man she loved.
“Yes,” Ilik said with a forced smile, “let us do that.”
Morning dawned with rain and thunder. Finally, the night before all medical personnel were released and told to report back at noon the next day. Ilik noticed just before he'd turned the light off it was 0200, so ten hours later she'd be back at work. He had to be at his job in another hour, and he'd already showered and shaved.
He was dressing in his camouflage battle dress uniform when he heard her ask, “Are you okay? I was worried about telling you of Boris, because you two were like brothers.”
“I will have a drink in his memory tonight, and life goes on. If nothing else, combat has taught me about death, and while I do not fear dying, it hurts each time I lose someone special in my life. I feel like a big chunk of my heart is ripped off with each death.”
“I can understand that.”
“It has also taught me that each soldier lives inside their own little world and no one, except maybe a family member, lover, or wife, cares what happens in that world. By that I mean we are born alone, we live our lives alone, and we die alone. No matter how much we are loved by someone, they cannot enter our little world because there is a physical barrier. The closest we come to entering someone's world is when we make love to another, but it ends so quickly. But, I think, I really do, that during sexual orgasms, we briefly become one. We become one in body, mind, and soul. Life is pure loneliness. Often, while in a crowded room or surrounded by others laughing, they think they are having a good time, only it's the vodka talking.”
“Oh, you are depressed this morning.”
He kissed her on the tip of her nose and said, “No, not really, and I have felt this way for years. Death is as important in life as birth. How long we live, princess, is not important, but what we do with those years we have is very important. Take Boris; he was an excellent Sergeant, and beyond any doubt, there are many men and women alive today because he once lived. He trained his people hard, he gave them discipline, and he gave all of them pride in themselves. Now, since we all live alone inside, pride in ones self is important. We know no one better than ourselves, and just a little pride can make a big difference.”
“You are talking too deep for me at this hour. I am going back to sleep.”
“Sleep, baby, and I will be here when your shift finishes tonight.”
Once in his office, he began to read the names of those injured and killed in the attack. When he'd walked to work this morning he'd seen many buildings, cars, trucks and aircraft smoldering and smoking. The damage was extensive. He wasn't surprised to find a four page, single spaced, typed report of the many injured and dead. He quickly found Major Boris Romanovich, and shook his head at the senselessness of this death.
We cannot win a partisan war, not if the people are on their side. Now, with the Chinese aiding them, we will never beat the Americans. I am fighting, but only to survive my tour so I can return to Russia and retire. I would love to marry Lena, but I am not sure what her parents would say about our age differences he thought as he sipped his morning tea and looked at the after action reports filed.
The tanks had been easy to follow, even from the air, but then rain washed most of the tracks away overnight. Headquarters was thinking of bringing Spetsnaz to find the main headquarters of the resistance and having them call in air strikes against the position. Then they would enter and kill everyone they found alive. The problem was, Spetsnaz was spread thin right now because they were needed everywhere.
What Lieutenant Colonel Jora Ruslanovich, Base Operations commander, wanted to do would be expensive but probably would work well, only it would be slow. He wanted to have the whole state flown over by special aircraft using infrared radar. He also insisted that more photography interpreters were needed to identify things in photos, and photos were low cost. The Russians had aircraft that could fly like a bat out of hell and take high quality photos all day long. He made the suggestions and then took a seat at a recent meeting.
Glancing at the calendar on his desk, at 1000 hours Ilik had to be at the base chapel for funeral services for Boris. He was also one of the officers that would pack his friend's coffin onto a super cargo plane to be transported home for burial.
At 0800, he went to the daily Commander's briefing called 'stand up.' If the Commander asked you a question, you stood up (thus the name) and gave him an answer. Lord help you if you did not know the answer to his questions, because an ass chewing would soon be delivered, and as you stood, too.
Most of the meeting was spent covering the damage done to the Fort, casualties, crash recovery of both Russian and Chinese aircraft, and discussing how badly the chemical attacks had done. No one would have thought that after the gas had been delivered to most of the counties around the state, thousands of partisans remained to attack the Fort. Future gas attacks were off and would not even be discussed.
Then, Olegovich asked the Fort military police, “How did the Americans gain not only access to the brig but to the prisoners as well?”
“Sir, I sent a majority of my people to assist against the attacks of which there were four attack p
oints.”
“How many men were left at the jail?”
“Five men, sir. One outside by the entrance door, one manning the desk, one mounted on a tower along the fence, one cleaning the inside of the jail cells, and a dog handler with a German shepherd walking between the two fences. Uh, but two squads remained on the roof, sir.”
“Where are those men today, Major?”
“Uh, dead, sir.”
“How was access gained to the building?”
“We think C-4 was used to enter the compound after the dog and handler were killed. Then the lone guard outside the entrance door was killed, and once inside the partisans killed the remainder of my guards and Colonel Leonidovich, head of our anti-partisan unit.”
“You think? I seriously doubt you know the meaning of the word, think! How did they gain access to the jail, if the door was locked on the inside?”
“As I said before, sir, we do not really know. I think they used C-4 or a thermite grenade. We are currently running an analysis to see what kind of explosives were used, sir.”
“No need, you fool, they got in anyway! And, if you cannot tell the difference in metal that was melted versus metal that exploded, you are useless to me. I want the jail replaced with windows and doors that cannot be blown open using traditional explosives.”
“A thermite grenade can cut through steel and partisans have them, so I need to discuss the door designs with Moscow, as well as cost figures. I suspect it will not be cheap.” the Commander of base supply said.
“In the meantime, I want the jail guarded 24/7 and by a platoon of your police officers.”
“Sir, no one is locked up at this time.”
“I did not asked you that question, did I? From now on, as long as you serve under me, the brig will be guarded well and around the clock, every day of the year. I cannot believe we lost two Chinese prisoners, and all because you sent all your folks off to fight somewhere else without orders. We have many infantry units on this Fort, Major, but only one Police Force. By rights I should fire you because I feel you are incompetent, but I honestly do not have a replacement. Sit down and think about what I have told you this morning. If I had a replacement, you would be on your way to Siberia right now.” the Colonel's face was red, and it was clear to all that he was pissed.