by David Archer
The van had turned off the highway sometime earlier and the road underneath it had become rather rough. The seven prisoners bounced around in the hard plastic seats, but they didn’t complain. No one had told them how long the ride would be, but it wasn’t like they had any choice in the matter.
Then the van turned again, this time on to what sounded like gravel. They rolled along slowly for about five minutes, weaving around as if it was dodging obstacles, and then it came to a stop. They heard the front doors open, and a moment later, the side door slid back.
Leschinsky and Boris climbed out, but the guards made no move to indicate that the prisoners should get up. They sat where they were for several minutes more, but then Leschinsky came back to the van. He said something in Russian to the guards, then looked at the prisoners.
“All right,” he said. “You can come out now. We’re going to take you inside the house and show you to your rooms, and then we’ll take those chains off. We’ve brought along some clothing for each of you, so that you can shower and change when you wish. You might want to do so quickly, though, because the cook is preparing to make your dinner.”
The guards climbed out of the van and watched as the prisoners followed, and then they started toward the house. They got only a few feet when Leschinsky stopped them, then spoke quickly to one of the guards. The man passed his automatic rifle to one of his comrades, then took out a key and began removing the handcuffs and shackles.
When he was finished, he tossed them inside the van with a clatter, then took his weapon back. Leschinsky motioned again and the prisoners, now walking freely, followed him into the house.
They went up to the second floor, where a number of bedrooms were fully furnished. Randy and Jenny, because they were supposed be married, were given one room to themselves. Noah, Marco, Dave, Jim and the other man were each given a room of their own. There was a pair of large paper bags on each bed, and Leschinsky explained that those contained new clothing in each of their sizes and a pair of soft shoes each.
“As I said,” Leschinsky said, “you may take the time now to shower and change clothing. When you are finished, come down and join me in the dining room. Dinner will be served in about an hour, so you should have enough time.” He glanced at Jenny and Randy. “Depending, of course, on how you use it.”
He turned and went down the stairs and the guards followed him. Noah watched and saw that they apparently took up stations on the ground floor. He went quickly into his room and checked the windows, and wasn’t surprised to see that they were covered with steel bars.
He went back out to the hall, where the rest of them were still milling around. He caught the eye of the extra man and walked up to him. “Sam Winston,” he said, holding out a hand.
“Tony VanHorn,” the man replied. “I work at the Consulate General’s office in Vladivostok. Somehow, these idiots have the idea that I was mixed up with this other bunch who blew up some big shot.”
“Yeah, well, don’t feel too bad. Harold and I were just trying to pick up some spare change, and somebody told us there was lots of money stashed in the office of that prison we just left. Probably not the brightest thing we’ve ever done.”
Jenny carefully maneuvered herself to stand close to Noah, and Randy and Marco got into position around them. With VanHorn still close by and talking, it was unlikely anyone could hear them speak softly to each other.
“How did you end up in the middle of this?” Jenny asked.
Noah kept looking at VanHorn, but spoke at the side of his mouth. “Did you honestly think Neil was going to let us sit back and watch you die? He was freaking out, so I talked the boss into letting us come after you.”
“And you got yourself caught,” Jenny hissed. “How did that happen?”
“I know you won’t believe me, but it was actually part of the plan. The idea was that Harold and I would get inside and try to make contact with you. Obviously, things didn’t go according to plan.”
“No shit, Sherlock. So, what are we supposed to do now?”
“Sarah and Neil knew what to do. They recruited someone to help, someone with the power it took to get the messages to us in the prison. I don’t know what they’ve got planned out, but just be ready. They’ll be coming for us.”
“I don’t see how,” Jenny said. “We don’t even know where we are, so it’s doubtful they do.”
“They’ll find out. By now, the boss has figured out who we recruited and will be backing their play. There are probably at least a dozen intelligence agencies watching this situation, so it won’t be long before they know where we’re at. Just stay ready, because we’re going to be leaving. See what you can come up with for improvised weapons, because we’re going to need to do our part from the inside when it goes down.”
“Will do,” she replied. “Just really hope you’re right. If they can’t find us, we’re probably all going to die.”
“Can’t argue with that,” Noah said. “As far as I can tell, everyone from the Moscow area who has seen our faces is here with us. Looks to me like they might be planning to eliminate us and put in some puppets. They want to eliminate anyone who would know the difference, too.”
“Oh, geez, are you always this cheerful? I didn’t want you to agree with me, I wanted you to tell me everything was going to be okay.”
“It probably will,” Noah said. “Neil seemed pretty determined to get you back. Sort of reminded me of me, when Sarah was taken.”
Jenny didn’t say anything else, but took Randy’s hand and walked into their room. Noah pretended to talk to VanHorn for another moment, then turned and went into his own bedroom. Two minutes later, he was in the shower and letting the water run as hot as it could go.
* * * * *
Catherine’s GPS directed her to the address she’d been given, and she parked the BMW next to the big SUV. A moment later, as she was climbing out of the car, a tall, thin young man stepped out and looked at her.
“Hello, Neil,” she said. “I’m supposed to tell you that Molly sends her regards.”
Neil stared at her for a moment. “And you are?”
“Catherine Potts,” she replied. “I’m MI6, but I’m also the E & E London station chief. I worked with Camelot a couple of times in the past. The last time was on the Adrian affairs.”
“How did you find us?” Neil asked. “We never told Molly where we were.”
Catherine shrugged. “I haven't the foggiest how she knew, but Allison gave me the address. Perhaps you let it slip inadvertently?”
Neil motioned for her to come inside, then held the door open as she did so. “I’m pretty sure I didn’t,” he said. “The only thing I can figure is that she somehow pinpointed my computer. It’s got a direct satellite connection, so I suppose that’s possible. I imagine I could figure out how to do it, if I took enough time.”
He pointed at Sarah and Monica and introduced them. Catherine shook hands with both of them and then joined them at the table.
“I’ll get right to the point,” she said. “Have they notified you yet that our people have been moved?”
Sarah nodded. “Yes,” she said. “Molly sent us an email about it just a little bit ago.”
“Good. Allison filled me in on all of that just a short time ago, just before I left our embassy to come to see you. Now, what’s the plan and what can I do to help?”
Neil filled her in on the mercenaries McDermott had sent down, and that they were already on the way to the estate to begin observation. “As soon as we hear back from them on what the situation looks like down there, we’ll probably just tell them to go for it. That’s what I’ve got in mind, anyway. Don’t get me wrong, I’d rather be down there myself, my girlfriend is in the middle of all this…”
Catherine did a double take. “Wait, what? Your girlfriend?”
“Yeah. My girlfriend is Cinderella.”
Catherine’s eyes were just about to bug out of her head. “I know I can’t possibly have heard you cor
rectly,” she said. “I’ve never met Cinderella, but I’ve been privy to a couple of her after-action reports. Are you sodding stupid? I mean, I know she’s very good at what she does for the organization, but she’s a bloody psychopath! I’ve read where she’s literally skinned men alive, starting with their most important bits and cauterizing as she goes along!”
Neil looked like he was about to snap, so Sarah jumped in the middle of the conversation. “Catherine, relax. Yes, she can be pretty violent when she’s out in the field, but when she’s with Neil—well, she’s just about the sweetest little thing you’ve ever seen. From what I understand, she’s just naturally submissive on the inside, but she never gets to let that side of herself out except when she’s with Neil.” She held out her left hand so that her rings could be seen. “And it’s not just them,” she said. “Camelot and I got married a few months ago.”
Catherine’s mouth opened three times, but no sound came out. Finally, she just grinned at them. “Well, I suppose everyone needs some love in their lives.” She looked at Neil. “I apologize, Neil. I should never have gone off like that when I don’t even know the girl. It was wrong of me, and I hope you’ll forgive me.”
Neil sniffed, then shrugged. “I’m over it,” he said. “When you meet her, you’ll understand.”
Sarah nodded. “Seriously, she’s a very nice girl. Well, when she isn’t killing people.”
Catherine started to say something, but thought better of it. Instead, she began telling them about Anya and the things she had learned from her. It took almost twenty minutes, and the longer she talked, the more frantic Neil was becoming.
Neil was ready to take off toward Stolbovaya immediately, but his phone rang at that moment. He glanced at it and saw that the call was coming from Yury, then answered quickly. “Yes?”
“We have found the location and have scouted it carefully. There are fifteen soldiers on guard and about a dozen civilians. Some of the civilians seem to be under guard and are not permitted to wander far from the house. I am thinking these are the prisoners.”
“I’m thinking you’re right,” Neil said. “Have you come up with a plan to get them out?”
“There will be resistance,” Yury said. “The soldiers appear to be well trained, and they do not expose themselves. We would do best to go in as quietly as we can and take them down one by one. In this way, we can reduce the resistance before we must engage fully.”
Monica’s phone rang at that moment and she looked at it in surprise. Her eyes went wide, and she looked up at Neil. “It’s Boris,” she said. She motioned for the others to be quiet and put the phone on speaker. “Go ahead,” she said.
“This is Petroski,” Boris said. “Because you sent me to see those prisoners, I felt you would want to know that they have been relocated. They are at my family’s estate south of Moscow, to keep them safe while we're learning what we can of the stories that surround them.”
“Boris, are you alone?” Monica asked.
“Yes. I must speak quickly, though, because it is forbidden to have a phone here. I must go…”
“No, hold on. Boris, I think that you are in danger. I've come across information that makes me believe there's a plan to kill all of these prisoners and replace them with agents who will pretend to be the sleepers. If they do that, anyone who knows the truth will become a liability.”
There was silence on the phone for a moment, and then Boris came back. “If you are correct, then I am already dead.”
“Not necessarily,” Monica said, smiling at Neil. “Go to the prisoners and find the big, blond man. Tell him that his tiny new friend says rescue is coming within the hour. Tell him to make sure his people are prepared, and then I want you to try to get to somewhere safe. It could be a closet, it could be a bathroom, just lock yourself in somewhere. Will you do that for me?”
“I will,” Boris said. “I will go and tell them now. I must get off this phone.”
The call disconnected and Monica put the phone down. Neil began speaking again.
“Yury, we have someone inside that house who is going to alert the prisoners that rescue is coming. They will do whatever they can from inside to help in the fight. Give them one hour from now before any shooting starts, and then go and get them out.”
“One hour,” Jacob said. “Yes, sir.”
Neil’s line also went dead and he put the phone on the table. He looked at the three women and smiled nervously. “Am I the only one here who just plain hates waiting?”
“Oh, no, luv,” Catherine said. “I detest it. Look, what happens after?”
“After?” Sarah asked.
“She means after extraction,” Monica said. “We are counting on the mercenaries. Supposedly, they have all the transportation and equipment necessary. When they call, we’ll set up for them to meet us at my airplane. It’s big enough to get us all out of the country, quickly.”
“That’s assuming there’s not an alarm out for them already,” Catherine said. “What have you got in mind in that case?”
“Well, the original plan was for Noah to fly us out,” Neil said. “There’s a small twin-engine plane waiting on a private airstrip, and we can go under radar and get into Poland. The embassy there can get us out on a diplomatic flight, so nobody will actually know what happened to us.”
Catherine pursed her lips and looked at him. “Well, I think that would best be an option of last resort. Only I wish there were a way to ensure no alarm goes out, once they’ve escaped.”
* * * * *
One of the things the big mansion had over the prison was a library, and Noah had wandered into it. He browsed through the titles, most of which were written in Cyrillic, but he was surprised to find an entire section of books written in English. There were Westerns, classical literature, a few science fiction novels, and even some discount romance novels. Noah chose one of the latter and sat down in an overstuffed chair to read.
Noah had begun reading romance novels when he was in high school. Back then, his best friend Molly was his girlfriend, not so much because of any romantic feelings between them, but because neither of them wanted to actually invest in the effort into a relationship, nor did they want to be ridiculed for not having one. The solution, Molly had explained to Noah, was for them to simply pretend to be dating.
Noah, having no emotions, wasn’t really sure how to act with a girlfriend. Molly had explained a few things to him, but she had also given him a stack of tawdry romance novels to read. They helped him understand how to act when other people were around, and he even learned a few things about how to please a girl. He had tried some of them on Molly, who knew exactly what was going on, but still did her best to be surprised each time.
In the last couple of years, since he had met Sarah, he had often thought about the romance books he had read back then, and on more than one occasion he had reminded himself that buying a few might be a good idea. Somehow, though, he just never got around to it. Since there was nothing to do at the moment but wait, he logically felt that it was a perfect opportunity to try to learn some new romantic ideas and techniques.
He heard Boris come into the library, but continued reading. One part of his mind could read while another part kept track of what was going on around him. After a moment, he knew that Boris was simply standing not far from his chair and watching him, so he tucked a finger inside the book and looked up at the Russian.
Boris was carefully standing with his back to the door, so that anyone coming in would not be able to see his face at all. When he didn’t speak at first, Noah gave him a quizzical look and cocked his head to one side.
Boris licked his lips nervously and began to whisper. “I have a message for you, from your tiny new friend. In one hour, you and your people must be ready. Rescue is coming, but you must help those who come by doing what you can from inside.”
Noah nodded slowly, to show that he understood. Then he winked. “Personally,” he said, “I just like reading about all the hot
sex scenes in these books. Have you ever tried one?”
Boris’ eyes widened for a moment, but then he realized that Noah was only offering camouflage. Neither of them wanted the Colonel or any of the guards to realize what they were talking about, so Boris chuckled and shook his head. “I think I prefer something more adventurous, such as a war story.” He turned and walked out of the room, and Noah resumed reading.
He counted off ten minutes in the back of his head and then put the book back on the shelf. He walked out of the library and up the stairs, noting that all of the guards were still staying on the ground floor. Knowing that Colonel Leschinsky was still convinced they were some type of spies, though, he expected the house to be bugged in several different ways. Keeping the guards downstairs, he was sure, was simply an attempt to get them to talk to one another.
Marco was laying on his bed, so Noah walked into his room. “Hey, Harold,” he said. “You ready for some fun and excitement?”
Marco looked up at him. “I think chasing ants around the room would be more fun and excitement than anything happening at the moment. What have you got in mind?”
“Oh, I don’t know. I was thinking, maybe in about forty-five minutes or an hour, we might try to get some kind of a game going. Maybe something a little challenging, something to rescue us from this boredom. You interested?”
Marco shrugged. “Sure. Anything beats this crap. You want to see if we can get the others involved?”
“Yeah, let’s give it a try. I’ll tell you what, though, you talk to the little hellcat and her husband. Okay? I’ll get the other guys.”
Marco laughed, but headed toward the room Randy and Jenny were sharing. Noah glanced through the doorway as he passed it and saw that they were laying on the bed, each of them facing outward with their backs to one another. They both looked around when Marco entered the room and began talking to them, but Noah went on in search of the other men.
He found Jim doing sit-ups in his room. “Hey, man, you got a minute?” Noah asked.
Jim stopped his workout for a moment and looked up. “What do you want?”