Survivalist - 15.5 - Mid-Wake

by Ahern, Jerry

  Shepicked up her shawl, the copilot of the J7-V smiling at her as he passed to open the exit hatch.

  Sheslung her M-16 cross-body beneath her right arm and started from the aircraft.

  Chapter Ten

  Natalia Anastasia Tiemerovna sat in the chair. It was quite comfortable, really, or perhaps it was only her fatigue and lack of sleep and the tension which now— temporarily, she knew—had eased.

  She had seen John Rourke as she had been brought here to Marine Spetznas Headquarters in the same dome as the Headquarters Building and its torture chamber. He had been resting quietly in the infirmary. She had checked his chart. She had enough knowledge of medicine from her own training at the KGB’s Chicago School before the Night of the War, and additional training when once she had posed as a nurse in order to perform a termination, to realize that, according to the chart at least, John was being given appropriate care. Vitamin shots, a glucose IV, and mild sedation for rest. He seemed to have suffered no permanent ill-effects.

  She had bent over his bed and touched her lips to his forehead, then gone on with Kerenin.

  His office was very personal-looking, a Chinese assault rifle on the wall behind his desk, photographs of training companies along the walls, trophies, medals in glass cases.

  The medical technician, a woman, was very gentle as she placed the IV. “Does that feel comfortable, comrade major?” The IV would regulate the flow of the truth drugs into her bloodstream.

  “Yes—thank you,” Natalia told her.

  She had asked to be allowed to change from her perspi-ratinn-snakp.d. sand-filled clothes. She had asked for a

  dress.Dresses did not exist here. She had been given the blue uniform that the civilians wore. Or at least she assumed they were civilians. She had been allowed a shower, but there was no such thing as a hair drier. She had toweled her hair as dry as she could, and refused to wear the blue scarf that was part of the female civilian uniform.

  Hershoulders and neck felt damp from her hair and she was slightly cold now.

  Andalready, she could feel the truth drug starting to take effect. She focused on John Rourke/Wolfgang Heinz. She would protect John’s identity—protect …

  Kerenin’svoice was very smooth, soft, gentle-sounding. “You claim that you are more than five centuries old?”

  Shehad to be patient with him, Natalia reminded herself on one level of consciousness. “Of course not—we did not age in the cryogenic chambers, major.”

  “Explainto me what you remember of meeting this John Rourke whom you later joined. And why is he not here?”

  Sheattacked the question immediately. “John Rourke is consulting with the German military high command concerning my husband’s strategic posture. You must remember that John Rourke is unofficially considered the leader in the war effort against my husband and his armies. He is the man to whom they all look for courage and inspiration. If he were here—”

  “Thelighting device found on the person of this Colonel Wolfgang Heinz who accompanied you,” Kerenin interrupted. “It bears the Roman letters J.T.R. and a word I am told might be pronounced ‘Zippo.’ “

  “Manyof the Germans still smoke.”

  “Whatis that?”

  “Thesmall cylinders of leaf material wrapped in white paper which I carried. They are cigarettes. I could use one now. The things Colonel Heinz carried are cigars.” Her head ached when she thought of John Rourke/

  WolfgangHeinz. “You light them and inhale the smoke into your lungs.” “That is insane.”

  “Itwas a habit long years ago, and many of us still cling to it.”

  “Whatdo the Roman letters and the word ‘Zippo’ refer to?”

  Therewas a terrible pain behind her eyes. She had been taught to resist drugs. These were strange drugs. “Zippo is the manufacturer’s name and the initials identify the lighter more specifically.” To defeat a truth drug, one told the truth as much as possible, she had learned—how long ago?

  “Allright. Your guns—why do they have these birds on the barrels? I am told they are American symbols.”

  “Theywere given to me by Sam Chambers, who was the President of United States II.”

  “Whatis that?”

  “Agovernment formed after the death of the American President during the Night of the War or just afterward. It was headquartered near the border between Texas and Louisiana in the United States.” The more truth she could tell, the better.

  “Howdid you meet this John Rourke?”

  Thankthe Judeo-Christian God Kerenin didn’t know John’s middle name or he would never have believed the business about the lighter, she thought. Was there time for a prayer? A quick one. Help me, she prayed, help me to save this man who is Your best and brightest hope for the world. Amen. “Yes—I met John Rourke after the Night of the War.”

  “How?”

  “Therewas a war. No one told us who initiated it. There was an ultimatum from the American President to our Premier.”

  “ThisChambers person?”

  “No—hewas President after the other President died.” She had to cling to the thread. “There was an ultimatum for us to leave Pakistan. We invaded from Afghanistan.

  Someoneordered the missiles to be launched. We were never told who first launched, the Americans or ourselves. And after the Night of the War, my uncle, General Varakov, was given command of the Army of Occupation and he headquartered in Chicago, a city in the midsection of the United States. My husband was given command of the KGB for the United States. They never got along.”

  Heruncle and her husband had hated one another, her uncle a decent man, a good soldier, a loyal Communist.

  “Vladmirhad a list of people he wished killed or incarcerated, among them Sam Chambers, who was the only surviving member of the Presidential cabinet and the next man in line to become the President. My uncle wished him captured alive so that negotiations could get underway to stop the violence, because there was always resistance to us from the first. The American people enjoyed a constitutional right to keep and bear arms for their own defense, and we encountered armed resistance to our regime at every turn.”

  “Civilianspossessed arms?”

  “Civiliansfought for their country and did themselves proud in the end.”

  “Howdid you meet Rourke?” Kerenin’s voice insisted.

  Nataliatold him. “I went into the desert with a man named Yuri who was very adept at portraying Americans. We were set upon by men I later came to call Brigands. Outlaws. They killed Yuri and severely injured me. I killed them. John Rourke and his friend Paul Rubenstein were traveling from New Mexico to Georgia—those are states in the United States—by motorcycle, and they found me after my vehicle became disabled. I would have died otherwise.”

  “ThisRourke is an American, I know. This Rubenstein?”

  “Ohh,a fine American, major.” “How did they travel when you were discovered?” “They traveled by motorcycle. It is like a car and a bicycle. A two-wheeled machine.”

  “Whydid they travel during a war?”

  “Johnis married to a woman named Sarah and they have two children, Michael and Annie. But they were allowed to grow up when John used the cryogenic chambers.”

  “Youare getting ahead of yourself, Major Tiemerovna.”

  “Johnwas searching for his wife and children and Paul was helping him. They became friends after the crash of the airplane.”

  “Airplane?You said they traveled by means of these motorcycles.”

  “Onthe Night of the War, John was in Canada, a country north of the United States. He was trying to return to his family in Georgia, and the airplane was diverted and the pilot and crew were unable to land the aircraft, and John did it. In New Mexico. The airplane was diverted that far. There were many people killed and many more injured. Paul told me about it all. John set out for Albuquerque, a town. A city. Paul and some other men went with him. To get help. The other men were more interested in saving themselves. Only Paul stayed with John
. They found what they could to help and John—he is a doctor of medicine, you know?—worked at a hospital set up in a church—”

  “Whatis a church?”

  Shetold him. “A place that is usually quiet where you go to pray to God.” “God?”

  “TheSupreme Being who is the ultimate cause of the universe, some say. And He watches over us.”

  “Whatdoes one do when one prays?”

  “Youask God for wisdom or strength or courage, you ask Him to help other people.”

  “Ahospital—is this place where you pray?”

  “Therewas a tremendous fire in Albuquerque and there were many burn victims. John and Paul helped however they could. Then they drove a car back to the airplane.” And she started humming.

  “Whatare you doing?”

  “Paultold me they played a song by the Beach Boys, I

  think,in the car.”

  “Whatare Beach Boys?”

  “Asinging group. For entertainment. They drove to the airplane.”

  “Thesinging group—no—”

  “No—Johnand Paul. But Brigands had attacked the airplane and killed most of the people and kidnapped a stewardess.”

  “Awhat?”

  “Aflight attendant. Usually women. John and Paul fired at them and they escaped. John and Paul burned the bodies of the dead and then went after the Brigands. That was how Paul learned how to ride a motorcycle and shoot a gun.John and Paul faced about forty or so of them. But the woman they tried to rescue was killed. But John chased the killer down and killed him. Then they started to cross the country to get back to Georgia. And Paul had a family in Florida.”

  “Andthis is how Rourke and this other man found you?”

  “InTexas. They took care of me, took me with them. I think John knew all the time that I was a Soviet agent.”

  “Hefound incriminating documents?”

  “Hewas in the Central Intelligence Agency before that.”

  “Whatis this?”

  Shetold him. “The CIA was like the KGB, in a way.” “Then he arrested you.”

  Sheshook her head and it made her head swim a little. “He helped me. He treated my wound. He restored my body. He shared everything with me. He and Paul. And then we met the Brigands who were raiding all the towns and, to save some prisoners, John fought some of them man-to-man and we pretended to join them. Then this other group came and there was a big battle and the helicopters came.”

  “Atype of aircraft? Helicopters?”

  “Yes—a typeof aircraft. My husband’s soldiers were in them and Paul had been hurt badly and John surrene

  deredso Paul wouldn’t die.”

  “Thenif he was captured, this Rourke—how is it that—”

  “Ipromised they would be released. Vladmir would not release them. I helped them to escape. Vladmir punished me. My uncle tried to have Vladmir killed by John Rourke. And it almost worked. And then I was sent to Florida and—”

  “What?You get ahead of yourself again.”

  “Myuncle thought I needed a different assignment.”

  “Whathappened to Rourke?”

  “Weseparated. I thought I would never see him again. I had fallen in love with John, you see. And he fell in love with me, but he still loves his wife and he is a very honorable man and so we were never able to …” Natalia started to cry.

  Chapter Eleven

  TheChairman, leader of the First City, had asked her to join him for breakfast. He had sent word by a messenger. Annie had told him that she would be honored, by messenger.

  Inher suite of rooms there were closets and they had been empty until she had hung in them the few things she had brought with her—a few extra blouses, an extra skirt. The other things—underwear, stockings, the cleaning kit for her handguns and her rifle, the whetstone for her knife—she had placed in the drawers of one of the two lovely dressers in the bedroom.

  Anothermessenger had arrived, asking if she would honor the Chairman by accepting a small and unworthy gift. She had smiled and said yes. Women had returned a few moments later with their arms loaded with clothing. She had seen things like these—in the videotapes her father had stored at the Retreat, in picture books as a little girl, and to a degree among the few very pretty things Natalia had brought with her to the Retreat.

  Thewoman in charge of the other women had told her to select however many or few items she wished. Annie had been unable to comprehend so many things because all of her adult life, with the exception of the time spent in Iceland, she had made all her own clothing. And the habit remained. In Iceland, she had begun making her own clothing again.

  Shehad settled on six very pretty dresses, reasoning that to have taken less would have been rude and that

  therewould never be any hope of taking more with her.

  Shestood in front of the full-length mirror now, studying herself. She had never seen herself look so—so—so sophisticated, she decided. It was a chong-san, if she remembered the right word. Of green silk—at least it felt like silk—it was sleeveless, high-necked, and came to the middle of her calves, but there was a deep slit up the side, halfway to her left thigh. And the stockings she wore, they were also silk. So was the underwear. Natalia had silk underwear, the only time Annie had ever seen silk.

  Shehad arranged her hair atop her head, held in place with two things that looked like thin spikes and had large gemstones at one end and were very pretty. The stones were also green.

  Shewore no jewelry other than her wedding ring and her watch. She took off the watch, too mannish. She would never take Paul’s ring from her finger.

  AnnieRourke Rubenstein heard the knock at her door. “Just a minute!” she called out. The one problem with the dress was that there was no place to hide a gun. She had never gotten used to the idea of a purse, never owned one in her adult life. “Shit,” she said under her breath. The gunbelt, aside from being bad manners, would look terrible with the green silk dress.

  Anniesat down on the edge of the bed. If they wanted to kill her, they could have killed her while she slept. Or they could poison her at breakfast.

  Shestood up, opened one of the dresser drawers, and put her gunbelt and the leg sheath for the Tanto inside and closed it. Her father would be angry with her for going unarmed. She closed her eyes. There had been another dream. Her father was calm, she knew. And Natalia was struggling. She had tried contacting Paul. Michael. There was no way to contact them, their radios turned off, she had been told.

  Anniestood up and walked to the door, sniffed, made a smile on her face—the lipstick tasted funny—and opened the door.

  Itwas the Chairman himself. She had seen him from a

  distanceshortly after she had arrived.

  “IfI may speak with such boldness, you are very beautiful, Mrs. Rubenstein.”

  “Andyou are very flattering.” She smiled. “There has been no word from my husband or my brother?”

  “Onecan only assume, Mrs. Rubenstein, that all goes well in their attempt to penetrate the encampment of the Soviet leader and resolve this perplexing situation concerning the whereabouts of your father and the Russian woman who is his companion.”

  “Onecan only assume, sir.”

  “Andnow—please join me. It is a rare thing for me to breakfast with a woman so beautiful.” He stepped back from the door and Annie stepped into the corridor, closing the door behind her. She had already made up her mind. If there was no news by midday, she would go after Paul and Michael herself. She could not take another dream.

  Chapter Twelve

  “Howwere you given these firearms with the birds you say are eagles?”

  “Theyare American Eagles. Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be the national bird of the United States.”

  “Whowas Benjamin Franklin?” Kerenin asked her.

  “Afamous American; what they called a ‘founding father.’ “

  “Aturkey—it is another bird?”

  “Yes.”

  “Tellme about
the guns.”

  “I wasin Florida,” she told him. “And it was discovered that the Florida peninsula was about to fall into the sea. An artificial fault-line had been created during the Night of the War. John allowed himself to be captured in order to save as many people as possible by alerting the Cuban—”

  “Ahh—Cuba.Our historic ally.”

  “Whatwas I…” Her head wasn’t aching as badly, but she was feeling mildly nauseous.

  “AboutJohn Rourke coming to save people in this place called Florida.”

  “Hecame and no one wanted to believe him. And I realizedthat I had to. And I helpedhim and there was a massive evacuation. Why was I tellingyou this?”

  “Aboutyour guns.”

  “ThePresident,” she said slowly, “of U.S. II gavethem to me because he said he couldn’t give a medal to me even if he had one.”

  “Howdid you escape the Americans?”

  “No—theAmerican President gave the guns to me and let me go. There were some people who wanted to—to hurt me. John didn’t let them.”

  Shedidn’t hear Kerenin’s voice for a moment, then, “Major Tiemerovna. Tell me. How is it that you came to sleep for five centuries as you said earlier?”

  “Vladmirhad the Womb planned then Rozhdestvenskiy took it over.”

  “Ido not understand,” he said.

  Shewas very tired. She tried to tell him. “After John killed Vladmir—”

  “Butyou say your husband is still alive. Is this another Vladmir?”

  “No—everybodythought that Vladmir was dead but some of his KGB Elite Corps personnel took him to the Underground City and—”

  “Isthis the Womb?”

  “No,“she answered and the nausea swept over her and she felt herself falling… .