Mierkin? And close the door, will you?”
But Warnikov just stood there, licking his lips and swallowing with a repetitive nervous twitch. “Will you come out to the fence with me?” he said. His eyes hardly blinked.
Hell no, I don’t want to go out there. I hate the cold. I hate the snow. I hate people coming into my nice little sanctuary in the middle of the night. “Why?” he found himself saying. “What’s out there?”
“ Just come with me,” said Warnikov. “It’s Mierkin. I don’t know what’s happened to him.”
“ What’s happened to him?”
“ Yes.”
“ Is he okay?”
“ I don’t know. Just come with me.”
“ Why was he out at the fence?” Kurskin already knew the answer: to smoke. Idiots, he thought. You can smoke inside where it’s nice and warm. Barkov’s a hundred miles away . No one’s gonna say anything.
“ Are you coming with me?”
Kurskin huffed a little, then thought it would do some good to get some fresh air. Some fresh cold air. He’d been thinking about Tobolisk long enough.
Kurskin went to the door and looked outside. The sun had sunk below the horizon, casting everything in featureless black silhouettes. It’d be dark in 15 minutes.
“Hang on,” he said, then opened an unmarked door in the corner and entered. After a few seconds, sounds of switches being thrown were followed by the compound’s lights coming on. The sodium vapor glow barely reached into the radar room. Kurskin appeared again, and closing the door to the little room, walked past Warnikov without even looking at him.
“ Let’s go,” he said as he exited the radar room.
9
The Siberian sky ran purple as the sun disappeared. The soldiers climbed into the canvas shrouded Jimmies, grabbed blankets from underneath the benches and covered up. Vukarin went from truck to truck and helped tie down the flaps in an effort to keep the wind out. Radchek stood by the Maultier and stared off into the night. He was tired, exhausted even, but he had to set an example. The Red Army did not defeat Hitler by being soft. He glanced into the half-track’s cab.
Barkov sat with binoculars, scanning the tree line through the windshield. It had taken less than an hour to hike back to the trucks from the plane. Once there, they had all dipped into the MRE’s, eating as much as they could stomach. All except Barkov. He didn’t eat. Not a single crumb.
“ All bedded down, sir,” Vukarin said while trudging toward him through the snow. His voice was soft. Twenty-four hours without sleep did that to a man. “Did he say how long we’d be here?”
The lieutenant followed Radchek as he navigated around to the rear of the half-track. “Two hours,” said the captain.
“Longer than I thought,” Vukarin nodded.
“ Yes,” said Radchek, then added, “How is Corovich?”
They looked back toward the lead truck. The sleeping private could be seen through the Jimmie’s windshield. “He’s fine. Mild concussion, but he’ll live.”
“Good,” said Radchek. “Because the colonel wants him to lead the second team north.”
Vukarin smiled. “Thank Christ,” he said. “I thought I’d have to do it.”
10
Talia slid a heavy beam across the door, then draped a thick blanket over it. Nick stirred at the sound, then opened his eyes. Facing a wall, it took a minute or two before he remembered where he was:
In a cabin. With that woman.
He had no idea how long he had slept, but he felt better. Though his head still ached, his mind was clearing, and that was a good thing. For the moment at least, he wasn’t in any obvious danger.
Nick took stock of his surroundings. In a corner by the bed, he saw things he hadn’t noticed before. A shelf stacked with notebooks and papers. A pair of wire-rimmed glasses. A shaving kit. Hanging from a wall hook, a large parka and ermine hat. On the floor, big fur-lined boots. There were also some old
But Warnikov just stood there, licking his lips and swallowing with a repetitive nervous twitch. “Will you come out to the fence with me?” he said. His eyes hardly blinked.
Hell no, I don’t want to go out there. I hate the cold. I hate the snow. I hate people coming into my nice little sanctuary in the middle of the night. “Why?” he found himself saying. “What’s out there?”
“ Just come with me,” said Warnikov. “It’s Mierkin. I don’t know what’s happened to him.”
“ What’s happened to him?”
“ Yes.”
“ Is he okay?”
“ I don’t know. Just come with me.”
“ Why was he out at the fence?” Kurskin already knew the answer: to smoke. Idiots, he thought. You can smoke inside where it’s nice and warm. Barkov’s a hundred miles away . No one’s gonna say anything.
“ Are you coming with me?”
Kurskin huffed a little, then thought it would do some good to get some fresh air. Some fresh cold air. He’d been thinking about Tobolisk long enough.
Kurskin went to the door and looked outside. The sun had sunk below the horizon, casting everything in featureless black silhouettes. It’d be dark in 15 minutes.
“Hang on,” he said, then opened an unmarked door in the corner and entered. After a few seconds, sounds of switches being thrown were followed by the compound’s lights coming on. The sodium vapor glow barely reached into the radar room. Kurskin appeared again, and closing the door to the little room, walked past Warnikov without even looking at him.
“ Let’s go,” he said as he exited the radar room.
9
The Siberian sky ran purple as the sun disappeared. The soldiers climbed into the canvas shrouded Jimmies, grabbed blankets from underneath the benches and covered up. Vukarin went from truck to truck and helped tie down the flaps in an effort to keep the wind out. Radchek stood by the Maultier and stared off into the night. He was tired, exhausted even, but he had to set an example. The Red Army did not defeat Hitler by being soft. He glanced into the half-track’s cab.
Barkov sat with binoculars, scanning the tree line through the windshield. It had taken less than an hour to hike back to the trucks from the plane. Once there, they had all dipped into the MRE’s, eating as much as they could stomach. All except Barkov. He didn’t eat. Not a single crumb.
“ All bedded down, sir,” Vukarin said while trudging toward him through the snow. His voice was soft. Twenty-four hours without sleep did that to a man. “Did he say how long we’d be here?”
The lieutenant followed Radchek as he navigated around to the rear of the half-track. “Two hours,” said the captain.
“Longer than I thought,” Vukarin nodded.
“ Yes,” said Radchek, then added, “How is Corovich?”
They looked back toward the lead truck. The sleeping private could be seen through the Jimmie’s windshield. “He’s fine. Mild concussion, but he’ll live.”
“Good,” said Radchek. “Because the colonel wants him to lead the second team north.”
Vukarin smiled. “Thank Christ,” he said. “I thought I’d have to do it.”
10
Talia slid a heavy beam across the door, then draped a thick blanket over it. Nick stirred at the sound, then opened his eyes. Facing a wall, it took a minute or two before he remembered where he was:
In a cabin. With that woman.
He had no idea how long he had slept, but he felt better. Though his head still ached, his mind was clearing, and that was a good thing. For the moment at least, he wasn’t in any obvious danger.
Nick took stock of his surroundings. In a corner by the bed, he saw things he hadn’t noticed before. A shelf stacked with notebooks and papers. A pair of wire-rimmed glasses. A shaving kit. Hanging from a wall hook, a large parka and ermine hat. On the floor, big fur-lined boots. There were also some old
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