by Dirk Patton
She laughed and tsked her tongue a couple of times.
“I believe we understand Americans better than they understand themselves. You will not have to fight to join us in Arizona. In fact, there are plans for us to provide assistance with what you are calling the exodus. Moving one million people across thousands of miles of ocean will be a logistical nightmare. You shall need all the help you can get.”
I frowned and shook my head.
“After all that Russia has done, why help? Why invite the enemy to live amongst you? Has Barinov finally grown a conscience?”
“I did not say you would live amongst us. There will be areas of the city designated for Americans. Yours to do with as you wish.”
“What’s the catch?”
“Catch?”
“Motive. What’s the real reason for the sudden benevolence?”
“Someone must grow the food. Maintain the basic necessities such as water and power. Homes will need cleaned. Mechanical systems must be operated. There are many things you Americans can do to repay the Comrade President’s generosity.”
“You’re talking about making us your slaves?”
“Not at all! Anyone who is unhappy is welcome to leave. But to stay, each person must contribute to the society.”
“The Russian society,” I said, failing to hide the disdain in my voice.
“Naturally.”
“And you think Americans will agree to this? With their only alternative being to leave for a blighted wilderness where they can’t survive?”
“They shall be free to make that choice. Does that sound like slavery to you? Having the freedom of choice?”
Part of me wanted to dive deeper into Barinov’s plans, but what was the point? None of this actually surprised me. The Russians had already attempted a land invasion of Hawaii with the intent of enslaving the population. Only a Hail Mary mission to get the Thor System up and running had allowed us to defeat their fleet before it arrived.
“But Barinov is dying,” I said, hoping to get her back on track.
“His health is deteriorating. I do not know if he is terminal.”
“And when you saw how my blood cured Admiral Packard, you rushed right out and got on the phone with him. Told him there was a miracle cure. Am I close?”
“Close enough,” she said.
“And it was just icing on the cake when he found out it was me.”
“I am unfamiliar with that particular American expression, but I understand the concept. So, yes, he considered this a bonus.”
“One thing I don’t get,” I said. “Why the drone attack the other night? What purpose did that serve?”
“It set the stage for us to acquire Mavis.”
I stared at her in shock.
“You did what?” I asked, unable to comprehend what she’d just admitted.
“All part of the plan,” she said airily.
“You killed hundreds of people. You could have killed my unborn children! You killed the man you’ve been sleeping with. All to kidnap a little girl. And you wonder why we’re your enemy?”
“You Americans,” she scoffed. “With your high and mighty principles that you expect the rest of the world to live up to, though you never do. Yet you act like you are as pure as the driven snow.”
“Don’t see us plotting to enslave an entire population.”
“Only because you no longer have the might to do so!”
I started to respond but shut my mouth at the last second. This was about to devolve into an argument and that didn’t serve my purpose of keeping her talking. I took a couple of deep breaths before continuing.
“So, when will Barinov be making his generous offer? Or has he called the Admiral already?”
“He is only waiting for word that you are in transit. We expect severe unrest from your population once the announcement is made.”
“Announcement?”
“President Barinov is going to share the news with the American people that Admiral Packard has been hiding from them. How do you think it will be received when one million people learn that their planet is going to die in only a few months?”
“He can’t do that!” I exclaimed. “There will be utter chaos.”
“Perhaps. Probably. But sometimes it is necessary to frighten people in order to convince them to choose the option that is best for everyone.”
“To become second class citizens, at best.”
“Of course! Nothing in life is ever free.”
“And what do you get out of all of this? A nice house and a stable of American slaves?”
She threw her head back and laughed long and loud.
“You think so little of me,” she said, feigning insult. “I shall sit at Comrade President Barinov’s side. Together, we shall rule over what remains of the world. Rebuilding it in our image.”
“Hope you like getting groped by wrinkled old men. But hey, look at the bright side! Once he gets some of my blood, he’ll be able to get it up again and you’ll have to fuck him, too!”
She glanced at me and to my great surprise, smiled. I waited for her to say something, but she turned into an industrial area and drove past several abandoned warehouses. We were close to a marina and I could see several large fishing trawlers tied up at the dock. Before we reached them, she pulled to a stop next to a rusty building and shut the engine off.
“Follow me,” she said, getting out and walking toward the structure.
I stepped out, taking a moment to look around and spotted three snipers who had the entire area completely covered. Memorizing their positions, I followed her through a side entrance and came to a surprised stop.
A single overhead light illuminated four large men surrounding a chair bolted to the floor. Joe Revard was tied to it, his entire face swollen and purple from a prolonged beating. Fortunately for him, he appeared unconscious. I hoped he wasn’t dead.
Viktoriya walked to a table where a hard-sided case lay. She released the catch and raised the lid, peering inside. Two syringes and a vial of liquid. She lifted one of the hypodermics and turned to face me with a smile.
“The Comrade President will never recover,” she said, walking slowly toward me.
“What is that?” I asked, a thrill of concern passing through me.
“The cure, of course! I’m going to administer it to you. By the time we reach California, your blood will be useless.”
“You think he won’t kill you for betraying him? You’re sealing his fate.”
“Ahh, but he will not know that until it is too late.”
“How the hell’s he not going to know he isn’t getting better?”
“Stimulants and the power of suggestion are amazing things,” she said with a broad smile. “By the time he realizes he has not really been cured, I will be in position to hasten his passing and assume power.”
“You really think all those Generals are just going to nod their head and say yes ma’am? Each of them already has plans on how to seize power. They’ll roll over you like you weren’t even there.”
She looked at me and smiled.
“Do you know my family name?”
I thought for a second then shook my head.
“Romanova. Of the House of Romanov. Does that mean anything to you?”
“Should it?” I asked, shaking my head.
“My ancestors ruled Russia for three hundred years until the Bolsheviks slaughtered almost every one of us in the February Revolution. Now, we will be restored to our rightful place when I assume my birthright. And those Generals? A few will resist, and they shall die. The others will support the return of a direct descendant of Catherine the Great!”
28
I stared at her with a mild degree of shock. Not that I haven’t met plenty of entitled, egomaniacal people in my life, especially since the attacks, but this was right up there with the worst. She was talking about restoring a dynasty that had been nearly wiped out over a century ago, and for what? To rule over a bligh
ted wasteland? Frankly, the last thing I’d want was to be in charge and have responsibility for everyone on my shoulders.
“We have a boat to catch,” she said, wiggling the syringe that contained the cure. “There will be plenty of time to talk during our journey.”
The last thing I wanted was the cure. I needed the edge the virus provided to get through this and hopefully come out the other side with Mavis alive and well.
“A last request.”
She frowned at me.
“You already had your last request when you began asking questions. No, it is time.”
She took a step forward and I did the only thing I could think of.
“Please! I’m begging you. All I want is to make a phone call and check on my wife. That’s all I’m asking. I’ll be the most docile prisoner you’ve ever had, just let me find out if Rachel’s okay or not.”
She stared at me for a long beat and I thought she was going to refuse. I would have if the roles were reversed. But there was more compassion within her than I thought. Returning the hypodermic to the case, she picked up a blocky device that looked like an older style cell phone.
“If you were hoping someone could trace this call and rescue you, this phone cannot be located.”
“Just wanna know Rachel’s okay. That’s it.”
“Very well,” she sighed. “Do you know who I should call?”
“Colonel Chapman.”
Shaking her head, she raised the phone and scrolled through a menu, then paused with her finger hovering over the screen.
“I am activating the speaker. If you attempt to give away any information, or say something I do not like, there shall be repercussions. Do you understand what I mean?”
I nodded and she looked into my eyes for several long seconds before placing the call. Moving closer, she held the device between us as Chapman’s phone began to ring. She stared at my face, watching my eyes the way a cat watches a mouse hole.
“Who is this?”
“Colonel. It’s John Chase. Viktoriya’s allowing me to make one final call. How is she?”
“I’m with your girl now. She’s doing much better and can’t wait to see you.”
“That is enough,” Viktoriya snapped, ending the call before I could respond. “Now, you have gotten what you wanted. No more delays.”
She snapped her fingers at the group of men as she returned the phone to the table and picked up the syringe. Two of them came forward to stand on either side of me. Both were larger than me and stood ready to restrain me if I resisted.
I took a deep breath and felt my heart rate accelerate. Felt the hot flush as adrenaline dumped into my system. The blood pounding in my ears drowned out whatever Viktoriya was saying as she approached with the needle.
In a smooth motion, I kicked out to the right. My foot snapped the big Russian’s knee from the side and he collapsed with a scream of pain. Spinning, I snapped an elbow into the other’s head with enough force to break his neck. Following through, I lunged after Viktoriya who had begun backpedaling the instant I’d attacked.
I was half a step away from locking onto her arm when the other two Russians slammed into me and we tumbled to the floor. One of them must have been a wrestler as he pulled me into a full nelson as the other worked to pin my legs. Normally, their approach would have worked. But I’m no longer normal.
Pulling my arms down against the hold, I made a sudden jerk and heard the wrestler’s elbow break. He howled in pain, releasing me and I snapped my head back into his face before he could move away. Twisting around, I grabbed the man trying to pin my legs and broke his neck like a twig.
Scrambling to my feet, I kicked the man with the broken elbow hard enough to lift him off the floor. I felt several ribs break and numerous internal organs rupture. His body shut down at that point, going into shock. Whirling to face the first one I’d attacked, I immediately lunged to the side when I saw the pistol in his hand.
There was the crack of a bullet whizzing past my head, then I was inside his reach with a grip on his gun hand. Squeezing and twisting, he screamed as his hand was crushed and wrist shattered. I hit him twice in the face, breaking nose and jaw, but he was continuing to fight. Slapping his good arm away, I rolled around his body, clamped his neck into the bend of my arm with a knee in his lower back and jerked backward until his spine snapped.
Pushing the corpse away, I leapt to my feet and looked for Viktoriya. She was nowhere to be seen and the door we’d entered through was swinging open. Running across the open space, I charged outside and very nearly lost my head. I’d forgotten about the snipers.
A bullet screamed past my face so close I could feel the shockwave of its travel. Diving to the side, another one blasted a chunk out of the asphalt an inch from my head, then I was rolling into the cover of some heavy equipment.
I lay there a moment, remembering where I’d seen the three shooters. Looked back at the open door and gauged how long it would take me to cover the open ground. Not wasting time, I gathered my legs and launched myself through the air. Hitting the ground running, I reached the safety of the door a second later, but not before I felt the sharp tug of a bullet pass through my arm.
Skidding on the smooth concrete floor, I ignored the wound and looked around. Ran to the closest dead Russian and ran my hands over his clothing, finding a cell phone in his pocket. Punching in Jessica’s number, I bounced on the balls of my feet in impatience as her phone began ringing.
“Yes?”
“Chief, it’s me. Need eyes on my location, now! You’re looking for Viktoriya. Last saw her on foot, but she may have boarded a boat in the marina!”
To her credit, Jessica didn’t ask any questions, just set to work.
“And put me through to Colonel Chapman.”
“Hold on, sir.”
There were a series of clicks, a loud buzz then his phone was ringing.
“Go for Chapman.”
“It’s John Chase. You’ve got Mavis?”
“She’s good. Say hi, honey.”
“Hiiiiiii!” Mavis yelled in the background.
“Your dog isn’t leaving her side.”
Relief flooded through me. I was almost certain that had been the message he was sending when Viktoriya called him for me, but there’s always that little sliver of doubt that you misinterpreted.
“Viktoriya got away. I’m pinned down in a warehouse. Three snipers.”
“Hold one,” he barked, then was back on the line in ten seconds.
“Air support inbound. Sit tight.”
“What about Rachel? Is she okay?”
“My men are with her at the hospital. She’s still with the docs. Waiting for an update.”
“Thanks, Colonel,” I said, feeling the adrenaline starting to burn off.
He disconnected without saying anything further, then Jessica came back on the line.
“Still searching for Viktoriya, sir.”
“See if Captain West can order a shut down on all marine traffic. No boats out. Maybe we can still catch the bitch.”
“I’ll pass on your request, but that’s not as simple as it sounds.”
“Worth a shot,” I grumbled, twisting my head around to examine my wounded arm.
“Sir, you’ve got two police units entering your area.”
“What?”
I hurried to the open door and peered out while staying far enough back that one of the snipers couldn’t get a shot.
“I’m in their system now,” she said, keys clacking loudly in the background. “Someone reported a man with a gun.”
Fuck. A civilian must have caught a glimpse of one of the Russian snipers and called it in.
“Those snipers still in place?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Do what you’ve gotta do, Chief, but get those cops to pull back. They’re walking into a killing zone.”
“Working on it,” she said as the pace of her keyboarding increased.
Son of a bitch! W
ould the snipers engage the cops? There really wasn’t a reason for them to. Viktoriya had successfully escaped. But then, why were they still here? If their job was to provide overwatch for her, they should have left when she cleared the area. Unless she hadn’t gone that far.
Every part of me wanted to rush outside and warn the cops, but that would have been suicide. Infected or not, a bullet to a vital organ was more than my body could recover from.
“Chief?”
“Got ‘em to hold back, sir, but they’re freaking out. Calling for SWAT and more are on the way to set up a perimeter around the area.”
I thought about that for a moment and realized it was a good thing. If my assumption that Viktoriya was still in the immediate area was correct, then she wasn’t going anywhere.
“Good job,” I said. “What’s the status on the air support?”
“You’ve got a helo inbound from the north, and Captain West just ordered a flight of Super Cobras to your location and he’s on the way. Sit tight, sir.”
“About all I can do at the moment.”
I got off the phone with Jessica and took another, longer look at my arm. The bullet had taken a chunk of flesh with it and I was bleeding like the proverbial stuck pig. Fortunately, one of the advantages of the infection was that I didn’t feel pain like I used to. I was aware of the injury, but it really didn’t hurt that much. Tearing a strip of fabric from my shirt, I tightly bound the wound.
The dead Russian’s phone began ringing and I answered immediately.
“Miss me?” Martinez asked brightly.
I could hear the roar of a helicopter in flight. Should have known it would be her.
“How far out are you?”
“Three minutes. Got some Marines in back with itchy trigger fingers. They’re looking forward to taking care of the snipers.”
“Watch your ass, Captain. Don’t know what else they may have or who else is in the area.”
“Really, sir? You think I hadn’t already thought of that? They take IQ points away when they gave you those Eagles?”
I shook my head and couldn’t help but smile.
“Then quit flirting with the jarheads and hurry the hell up,” I said before dropping the call.