by Paul Sims
“Wait,” Goran called out. “What’s that?” He pointed back towards the city. Boris squinted in that direction and saw a small dot in the air. Soon, to his relief, it resolved into a helicopter. Once it got close enough, he could see its security markings, but his celebrations were tempered when he saw that it wasn’t a gunship – only an unarmed transport.
“I don’t think he’s come to rescue us,” Talia said breathlessly.
Indeed, presumably noticing their predicament for the first time, the pilot veered his craft sharply away as another mortar bomb exploded just in front of the boat. He hovered uncertainly for a few seconds, then seemed to make up his mind to help. He swooped down and a security officer leaned out to the side and tried to engage their hidden assailant with a rifle. In riposte, after half a minute or so, a Surface-to-Air Missile came screaming from the same direction as the mortar. The pilot banked left and dropped, but the missile seemed to be a heat-seeker, and followed its target. It hit the ’copter’s engine and the aircraft disintegrated into a fireball.
The officer with the rifle was thrown clear of the explosion and fell into the sea where he ended up floating face down about twenty yards in front of the boat, just off the port bow. There was a short lull in proceedings, presumably while their enemies exulted over their kill. Goran used the time to manoeuvre the boat close enough to the floating man that Boris could snag him with a boat-hook and pluck him from the water. He laid the unconscious officer out on the superstructure, and Talia checked him over as Goran tacked the yacht away from the next bomb.
“He’s very badly concussed, and has a couple of cracked ribs, but I think he’ll survive,” she said, “– at least, as long as we do.”
“Look.” Anoushka pointed back towards the city, where another dot had appeared. “The helicopter must have called for help.”
This newcomer approached far more rapidly than before, and turned out to be a jet scrambled from the Restavic Down Skyport. It swung out from the shore, banked sharply and headed landwards.
Another Surface-to-Air Missile was launched from the woods behind the beach. It flew straight towards the jet. This time, however, its target had more speed and mobility, and the aircraft’s pilot was able to release a flare and pull its nose up just in time. The missile skimmed the plane’s fuselage and homed in on the decoy, exploding harmlessly over the sea.
The pilot fired two of his own rockets into the woods before soaring steeply upwards. There was a massive explosion as a small copse of trees was demolished. The aircraft circled over the area to confirm its kill, before slowing on its hover jets. It hung in the air, at a distance where the wash from its jets would not endanger the boat. Its pilot seemed to satisfy himself that they were OK, before making an odd three fingered gesture.
Talia and Anoushka waved their thanks, and Goran and Boris raised their arms in salute.
After a few seconds, the pilot fired his main jets, gained altitude, turned and flew back the way he came.
“That was close.” Talia sighed. “I wonder what that gesture meant.”
“It was vaguely familiar,” Boris said, “but I can’t place it.”
Once the plane had disappeared into the distance, Anoushka asked, “What do we do now?”
“I’m continuing on to the dacha,” Goran said. “We can make a landfall there quicker than at the Comet, and there’s no suitable landing place between here and there. What’s more, it’s where Major Drovsorsky will expect us to go.”
“Good idea,” Talia agreed. “Anyway, this man needs proper medical attention. Anoushka, could you give me a hand?”
Boris was about to volunteer in Anoushka’s place, but when he opened his mouth to do so, Talia gave him a frown and a slight shake of the head. He understood, and closed it again: Anoushka was clearly badly rattled, and activity was the best medicine Talia could offer her. The poor girl took a deep breath and acceded to Talia’s request.
Talia looked back at Boris. “This soldier has lost his rifle, but he’s got a pistol in his holster…” she said.
“He could easily have lost it in the water,” he replied, picking up on her unspoken suggestion.
“Yes,” she agreed, “the strap could have come undone when he hit the surface. Goran, is there anywhere on this boat that you could hide a gun?” she asked.
Goran gave her a wicked grin. “Oh, I can think of a few places… Anyway, I ought to go below and assess the damage. Hold the tiller for a minute or two, would you, Boris?” Talia removed the pistol and handed it to him as Boris took his place and he slid down through the hatch.
He was gone for some minutes, and when he returned, he looked concerned. “It’s just as I thought,” he told the others, “there’s a crack in the starboard hull and we’re shipping water. It’s not too bad – we’ll easily make it to the dacha – but she’s going to need quite a bit of work before I can take her out again. My poor Darling – you nearly lived up to your name today.”
As they neared the dacha, a helicopter with security markings flew over them and landed on the strand. Soon, they could see Major Valentine and Ivan waiting for them on the jetty.
“Comrade Heroes,” the Major called as soon as they were in earshot, “are you all right?”
“We’re fine,” Boris shouted back, “thanks to Goran’s skill and a fair slice of luck – and we rescued one of your men from the helicopter that was shot down. Talia has stabilised him, but he needs proper treatment.”
“Thank God you weren’t hurt,” the Major continued as he and Ivan helped them moor the catamaran. “I’ve brought a medical team to treat any of you that had been injured – they can look after the wounded man. Now would you all please come with me – I need to talk to you.”
Ivan helped the girls ashore, then stuck out his hand to Boris. His grasp as Boris took it conveyed more than just an aid. “I’m sorry about my bad manners earlier,” he said, sotto voce. “After what the Major told me about your yachting adventure, it’s obvious that something odd is going on. I’m still not sure what it is, but I don’t want to lose your friendship over it, and I somehow think we need to be able to depend on each other.”
The Major waited impatiently while Anoushka and Talia changed out of their wet clothes, assembled the party in the dacha’s sitting room, poured them all large glasses of vodka, and addressed them.
“My friends, I must apologise for deceiving you,” he began. “We’ve known for some time that members of the Telphanian-backed rebellion have been plotting to kill you, but we’ve taken the attitude that you were suffering from enough stress as it was, and it would be better to keep the knowledge from you. But now the cat is well and truly out of the bag.”
“But why do they want to – to k-kill us?” Anoushka asked with a shiver. She hugged her shoulders and bit her lip as Talia put her arm around her protectively.
“We don’t know for sure, Comrade Anoushka – we think it’s an attempt to deal a propaganda blow to the Republic – but I want you to be assured that your lives are under our full protection, and your security is our paramount concern. From now on you will be safeguarded by as many resources as we can spare, given the current situation with Telphania. In addition, I want you to take these and carry them with you all times.” He handed everyone a small personal communicator. “They provide direct access to Security Central. Use them whenever you need to. Just press the red button and you should be answered immediately. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to co-ordinate the search for the rebels who attacked you.”
The injured security guard had already been loaded onto the helicopter and, as soon as the Major was on board, it flew off in the direction of Restavic City.
Once it was out of sight, Boris turned to the others and said, “Why don’t we barbecue the fish I caught, and have a supper party here on the beach?”
“Do you think it’s safe?” Anoushka looked worried.
“Safe as anywhere. Remember those security men that came earlier for a ‘hike
in the woods’?” he reminded her.
“Yes…”
“I’ll bet they’re out there watching over us.”
She gave him a wan smile. “I hope so.”
The party was a welcome release from the stress of the day, and the barbecued fish and sausage were consumed in large amounts accompanied by slabs of bread and large glasses of vodka.
Their feral feline neighbour took the opportunity to scrounge up a meal, not that anyone begrudged her a tit-bit or two except Goran. When that curmudgeon lifted a stone and went to hurl it at their guest, Talia slapped his arm aside, her eyes flashing. They looked at each other unblinking for some moments, until Goran dropped his gaze, shrugged and pointedly turned to talk to Ivan. For the rest of the evening, Talia kept protectively close to the cat.
As things were winding down, Boris remembered what he’d overheard the previous night, and determined to make it as difficult as possible for them to be re-conditioned.
“Let’s sleep out under the stars,” he suggested.
Talia caught his drift immediately and said, “What a good idea – yes, let’s. It may be the last chance before it gets too cold. I’ll get some blankets.” The others chorused their agreement – all except Ivan, who grumbled about the discomfort, and insisted on dragging his mattress out from the dacha.
As they lay down and looked up at the stars, Ivan drew Boris’s attention to Talia and Goran going off in the bushes together. “Wonders will never cease,” he said, his eyebrows raised in amusement.
Chapter 9
Between the columns of greasy grey smoke, the sky was of a deep shade of blue, without the yellowish tinge Talia had grown used to on Ruine.
Bullets and laser bolts flew over her head as she crawled through the mud toward a wounded soldier. He was clutching his arm, blood streaming between his fingers. A badge on his shoulder showed the same capital ‘I’ superimposed on a capital ‘M’ that she remembered in connection with the fishing boat. The same badge showed on the left breast of her uniform, accompanied by a red cross on a white background and the nametag ‘Miller’.
As she bound the wound, she looked up and saw a face she knew – the face she’d seen in her vision of the park with the swans. She realised that this was her future fiancé, Jimmy; then, as she woke, it all changed, and she was looking at someone else. “Bartes?” she said.
The man she’d known as Boris smiled. He bent his mouth near to her and whispered, “So, you’ve recalled my real name, have you, Tanya?”
“I – ”
He touched a finger to her lips. “Careful – don’t give us away.”
“Yes, I remember who you really are – and my name, too. And I’m positive there’s lots more that will come to me as I think things through. What have you remembered?”
“Quite a bit, but I think it’s better if you work everything out for yourself. I’m glad that our minds are starting to clear, but we’re going to have to keep an eye on the others, to ensure they don’t give us away as their memories return. And keep playing your part as Talia, too. We may know our real names now, but we’ll need to use those we’ve been given unless we’re certain we can’t be overheard.”
The newly-rechristened Tanya lay back and started to examine her real memories. She was interrupted by the loud chug of a helicopter landing some yards along the beach. Disgorging Major Valentine, it took off again.
“What are you doing here, Major?” Ivan asked as Major Valentine approached them.
“I’ve come to see how everyone is,” came the reply, “and to share one of Comrade Goran’s magnificent breakfasts.”
“Coming right up,” Goran replied, and he disappeared into the kitchen while the others gathered on the veranda around the Major.
“Are you going to stay here and protect us?” Anoushka asked him.
“Comrade Anoushka,” he replied, slowly shaking his head, “I know that you must be shaken by yesterday’s attack, but I do have other duties.” She looked crestfallen. “I have, however, arranged for more security to be flown in. They’ll be arriving soon, but I must fly back as soon as they do.”
The food and coffee that Goran served was most welcome, and they all fell on it as though they were starving. Towards the end of the meal, Tanya had an idea.
“Comrade Major…”
“Yes, Comrade Talia.”
“I feel a bit guilty.”
He looked puzzled. “And why is that?”
“Well, Dr Julia expected me to do some reading over the weekend about the effects of exotic atmospheres on the human body, but in the excitement of the holiday, I completely forgot, and left the relevant books back at the Medical Centre.”
“I could have them brought here.”
Tanya managed to force a blush, and continued, shamefacedly, “I don’t even remember where I left them. I really need to go and locate them myself. And anyway, I feel that four and a half days is perhaps too long to leave my post unattended, and I would like to check that everything is running smoothly.”
“Very conscientious, Comrade Talia – I commend you for your devotion to duty. As it happens, I have arranged for a helicopter to bring Political Commissar Cheslenko here this afternoon, for the visit Comrade Goran arranged. I’ll arrange that it picks you up and takes you to the Medical Centre first.”
“Thank you, Major.”
“I’ll come too, if it’s all right with you, Major,” Bartes said. “Comrade Talia should have an escort in these perilous times.”
“Very gallant, Comrade,” the Major replied, “but quite unnecessary – my men will keep Comrade Talia safe. But if you fancy a scenic flight over the mountains, I’m positive we can find you a seat.”
After another quarter of an hour or so, a large troop helicopter arrived and disgorged a number of soldiers plus Josef and his friend Peter. Most of the soldiers disappeared into the trees, but a few started digging foxholes either side of the dacha. The Major consulted briefly with the Lieutenant in charge, made his farewells and left in the ’copter.
“That was exciting,” Josef said. “One of the soldiers even let me hold his gun.”
“Where have you been?” asked Goran, scowling.
Josef gave him a sullen look. “After we’d finished our lessons, we started talking about hovercart design with our tutor. Did you know that he raced them when he was young?” Goran shook his head disapprovingly. “We got so involved in our discussion that we didn’t keep track of the time, so when we did notice, we realised we couldn’t make it back here, so he let us sleep in his spare room.”
“Well, now you’re here, you can wash up the breakfast things.”
“But…”
“No buts. You and Peter can talk about hovercarts while you work.”
Josef ground his teeth and stamped away with Peter in train. Halfway to the dacha, he turned and looked back. “Comrade Boris,” he said, “when you have some time, could you come and talk with us? We’re thinking of entering for an amateur race in a couple of months, and we’d very much appreciate your advice – and, if possible, your help – in building a cart.”
Bartes followed them inside while Tanya sat and tried to recover her memories. It was like picking a scab – a tiny section falling away, then another piece lifting, and revealing –
– not new skin but old knowledge. True knowledge. The logo in her vision: M – I – Mercy Incorporated! She worked for the aid organisation, Mercy Incorporated. Now, why was she here, and not on Regni, where she’d been assigned as medic to Governor Anderson’s bodyguard? And what about the rest of her team?
Oh, whoever had done the brainwashing had been very clever. Her teams’ names had been changed, but mostly not so much: Tanya Miller – Talia Milanova; Bartes diCherval – Boris Dechorsky; Iain Browne – Ivan Baranov; John D’Arcy had been rechristened Johan Davidov; though why would their Team Leader, Richard Delmanes, known to all as RD, have been called ‘Goran’? Perhaps they thought a Team Leader should have a special name. Oh, but th
ey had a sense of humour. The full name they’d given him was ‘Goran Ardy’.
But there were others, too. She could see why Anna Lawrence, as the Governor’s Private Secretary, might be a target for abduction, but she had no idea why they would want Joseph Chaplet – after all, he was only the son of one of the Governor’s aides. Joseph’s father was a Baron, but – given their situation – it seemed unlikely that he’d been kidnapped for ransom. She didn’t remember Peter at all from before Ruine, but perhaps they wanted to add a local boy to the group to provide Joseph with a friend – and to spy on the team.
But who their enemies were, why they were on Ruine, and why their group should have been targets – she could only speculate. And the possibilities that occurred to her all filled her with foreboding.
Chapter 10
Bartes wandered into the kitchen of the dacha and joined the youngsters, who were starting to wash the dishes. He even gave them a hand – after all, RD was definitely being unfair.
“That’s moronic. Everyone knows the Atrix Swift exhaust system’s about twenty years out of date…” Peter was saying.
“OK, I’m not saying the Swift’s the best, but you must admit it’s half of the price of the Cinta Airbrave. If you can afford that many zellars, fair enough, but… What do you think, Comrade Boris?”
“Hmm?” For a second or two, Bartes had forgotten his current name. “Oh. Oh, yes. Well, as far as I know, you’re both right. It depends how much money you have to spend. How much do you have?”
Both boys looked embarrassed.
“Not a lot,” Peter admitted.
“That’s one of the things we wanted to talk to you about,” Joseph added.
“I see,” Bartes said. “You want to ‘borrow’ some from me. Doesn’t Goran give you pocket money?”
“Only a pittance,” Joseph told him. “I have to slave for him all day, and he acts as if I should be grateful for every cent.”
“I’m sure it’s not quite that bad,” Bartes said uncertainly. “Anyway, I’ll give it some thought. Now let’s get this chore done.”
