The Vladivostok Incident

Chapter 6

Snow Day

Upon leaving the hospital Shelton discovered that they had managed their way into town without causing uproar by claiming to work for ZL Industries. "We were delivering these vehicles when we were attacked by anarchists!" they had alleged. No one questioned them; you never questioned ZL workers. The town itself was a completely lucky find, as it had one of the only adequate hospitals within miles. It was Antanas who suggested it. In fact, he was the only one who knew about it. He flatly stated he had used it several times, and it wasn't even open to the public.

They were to take a straight path to Urgal. There, they would board a train and hit Vladivostok with a couple days to spare. Exhausting was the best way to describe the journey. They couldn't have many rests or they may run the risk of being late. The first day was the most uneventful. The group traveled for only a couple of hours before it started to snow. With much endurance they pushed through the storm. That lasted only for about three hours before the sudden snowfall turned into a complete blizzard. Low visibility made it difficult to stay on the path. The end result was a lone Antoine walking outside of the warm vehicles, leading them down the path with Bonaparte yapping at his heels.

Eventually he grew cold and tired, not to mention the men stuck in the jeep were freezing as well. He gave up and used the last of his energy to approach the jeep where Rex was a passenger. "Sorry, sir," he said with a small laugh. "I'm freezing my balls off out here." Of course he would be as he was only wearing a scarf for protection from the cold, aside from his normal thin jacket and pants.

"There's a decent sized town about thirty miles from our current location," the driver informed them.

"Thirty miles? How far is that?" Antoine asked.

"Close to fifty kilometers," the driver clarified.

"He can't last that long," Rex said of Antoine. A quick look at the young man would have made that obvious; his teeth were clattering, his eye brows were frosted, and his body shook. The temperature was well below freezing and the wind chill dropped it even more. Antoine wasn't one to give up, this Rex knew, so for him to admit defeat against the weather he must have been close to collapsing. With a sigh, Rex said, "Get your ass into one of the IFVs and we'll send someone else out."

"Thank you, boss!" he chirped. He wasted no time in rushing towards the closest IFV and leapt on top. One of the men inside had already opened the hatch to let him in. He took a seat right next to Shelton and with a big grin said, "Boy am I glad you grease monkeys think ahead. An IFV with the capability to carry us troops while keeping us safe sure is nice."

"Uh, yeah," Shelton clumsily responded, unsure of what to say. As far as he knew, the idea of incorporating a personnel carrier with the capabilities of a tank wasn't anything new. Comfort was the biggest difference between the Timur and other models and that didn't have anything to do with Shelton. To him, comfort should come second to actual usefulness. Light but durable armor that would allow easy maneuverability but still withstand attacks from small arms and most support weapons. Armament on the Timur included 40mm autocannon and a mounted machine gun, both with a wide range of motion. Originally, Shelton had suggested mounting either a chemical laser weapon or a vortex ring gun onto the Timur. The idea was shot down, as it would be "too expensive to undertake."

Red was the dominate color inside the IFV's protective walls, due to the fact the light came from a couple of low glowing red bulbs. It seated six men, not counting the driver or gunner, in rows of rather plushy seats. There were tiny vents at the feet of each man where warm air circulated through. Although he may have fought the added expenses to comfort when he had the fortune of working on the development committee, he was thanking God for them at that moment. Just seeing the frozen Antoine made him realize how terrible it must have been out in the blizzard. The ride was mostly silent, except the occasional "Report?" a man would ask. Some of the other men were asleep; Shelton wished he could, but found himself preoccupied with his arm.

Antoine noticed Shelton opening and closing the hand. "I guess there's no need for you to see my legs. We're pretty much one and the same now," he said with a small smile. He blew into his hands as he tried to find warmth. "This blizzard isn't exactly what we were hoping for."

"Do you think it will last long?"

He shrugged, "Don't know. To be honest I've never seen snow like this before. I just hope wherever we stop we aren't pushed out of town."

About an hour later they finally pulled up to the small town the driver had mentioned. It was for the most part completely abandoned. At one time it was a mining town that prospered greatly, but the war had taken its toll. First, the Eurasian forces occupied it. Then the Chinese invaded, which caused skirmishes to break out in the streets. Most people fled the town, while others were killed or tried to simply survive. In the end, the Chinese destroyed the railroad and the developed roads so that any ore mined would have nowhere to go. What remained was a scared, poverty stricken town.

The sight of several military vehicles rolling into their town had sent memories and fear rushing through the hearts of the townsfolk. The harsh storm was behind them by the time they reached their destination. Still, a day's rest was being asked, and for good reason. Rex complied, but there was still a problem of getting the people to comply with him. No one in town wanted to associate with anyone resembling a military man; no one could blame them, either. Many were already inside their homes, and the rest retreated there when the military vehicles rolled into town. It was a pain to even find a person to talk to, let alone find somewhere to stay.

Luck was on their side when an annoyed Antanas popped his head out of the IFV and demanded to know what the holdup was. "It's cramped and smells in here. When are you going to get us a place to sleep?" he demanded.

"I'm doing the best I can, Mr. Fedorov," Rex snapped back. "Why don't you do something about it, you worthless son of a b***h?"

He was never one to accept challenges, but being trapped in the IFV any longer would be worse. The cold had already turned his ears red, and he wasn't even completely out of the vehicle yet; that gave him more incentive to hurry it up. Without a word to Rex or the others, he leapt out of the vehicle and trotted on the frozen ground. The soldiers watched the aristocrat in mild amusement. Something about a sharply dressed grown man stomp and pout his way through a snow storm was entertaining. A place caught his eye immediately. It was a medium sized shop, and although it looked rundown, it could hide the vehicles easily.

Where would they be without me? Antanas thought as he tried to find an entrance. It was made of bricks and had two shop doors, neither of which would open. There was one, heavily frosted over window; he placed his hands and face against it and peered in. It was dark inside, but it appeared to be empty. His hopes were dashed for moment. The outside cold and the thought of returning to the IFV were unacceptable. He padded around the window, seeing if it would open. When he discovered it wouldn't move he prepared to break the window open. I can't believe I've been lowered to this level. Breaking into shops?

He took in a deep gulp of the frozen air as he tried to convince himself to bash the window. It wasn't that he felt bad about it; he was a Fedorov, after all, and felt that he had a right to break into an abandoned shop if he felt like it. Instead, he was more afraid of the pain that might follow smashing his freezing, bare hand against glass.

"Can I help you?" a voice behind him asked. He jumped straight up and spun around too quickly. His dress shoes were not made for the ice and snow, he ended up slipping.

After catching himself against the brick wall, Antanas focused his sights on the source of the voice. In front of him stood a young woman, clad in a heavy coat and scarf, with a young child gripping her hand tightly. His eyes lingered there for a moment; he saw the fourth finger was naked. Before he responded he glanced over her shoulder in the hopes that the soldiers weren't watching. If they were preoccupied, he was using this as his chance to escape from their ridiculous plan. Unfortunately, they were all watching intently, praying that he would come through for them.

With a sigh he said, "Maybe you can. Do you know who owns this?"

She titled her head and squinted her eyes, confused. "You must not be from around here," she concluded. He wanted to roll his eyes at the obvious statement, but remained perfectly still. His blue eyes dug down into her curious brown ones in an attempt to instill fear or authority; he knew for a fact that he could stare down any opponent at any time. Instead of scaring the young woman, he ended up frightening the child that was with her. When it moved to get closer to the lady, Antanas broke his stare. As he looked away the lady asked him, "Do you need a place to stay?"

"Well…" he looked over her shoulder again. This time, she followed suit. She saw the military vehicles and frowned.

"Are they your escorts?" she asked.

"Huh?"

"Your escorts," she repeated. "You are aristocracy, aren't you?"

He quickly shot his eyes around. First of all, in a small town he felt he had the right to be paranoid over muggers. Secondly, since he knew the Eurasian – and possibly Chinese – army was after him, he didn't want to run the risk of being overheard. When his eyes fell back on hers, he glared and stuttered, "Of course not! What makes you think that?"

"Only an aristocrat would be foolish enough to stumble about in a snow storm with only a tailored suit," she remarked. It was his turn to frown. It didn't last long, as she placed both of her gloved hands over his red ears. "Follow me," she said to him as her hands left his ears and reached for his wrist.

She pulled him along down the alleyway just to the side of the shop. Snow had avoided the small opening, but the ground had a layer of ice which caused Antanas to slip and slide on the cracked concrete. They skidded to a stop just outside a small steel door. Behind them, the child from earlier mimicked their actions, but stopped further away when Antanas shot a confused look at it. The lady wiggled around with the door and popped it open. Before entering, she smiled at him and said, "You can call me Sonya."

"Uh, Antanas," he said. "My name is Antanas Fedorov."

Inside the shop was a bit warmer than outside; certainly, it seemed much warmer without the chilly breeze. There was no electricity, and it was completely bare except a couple of old mattresses and a couple of crates and barrels. Sonya rushed to the large doors and opened them, while the young child began to rummage through one of the barrels. The soldiers perked up upon seeing the shop doors open. They were thrilled when the woman waved her hands happily for them to enter. They moved quickly and were all inside and comfortable within no more than two minutes.

Everyone ended up wrapped in wool blankets, huddled together and near a fire Sonya had started in a large steel tub. Many of the soldiers had opted to rest in the IFVs. For the most part, they were once against separated between workers and mercenaries. Petras complained about having nothing to eat but Rex told him they had to ration their food, especially since they had taken on four more mouths. Once again, Sonya came to their rescue, when she offered to cook them a large pot of stew. Most of the soldiers turned down the free food, but none of the workers passed up the chance to get something in their stomach.

The young child that was with Sonya only got a small portion of the meal. Petras saw the hungry look on his face and offered some of his own. "That's very nice of you," Sonya said in place of the little kid.

"It's no problem," Petras smiled. "Kids need a lot to eat so they can grow healthy. Besides you let us stay here, so…"

"Yeah," Andrei butted in. "It's appreciated. But I have to wonder why a young lady like you lives in an empty shop."

"It belonged to my family," she explained. "Now days, you have to sleep where you can. I'm very fortunate to have a place like this."

Shelton listened in with little interest. Whatever reason she had to live in a shop wasn't his business. The food that she had given them was decent at best, but then again it didn't seem like she had much food to spare. The soldiers probably recognized that right away. The selfish or starving were the only ones who dared accept the food. Out of all the more selfish people in the group, Antanas was the only one who declined the offer. No one noticed besides Shelton; maybe they did but didn't feel the need to comment. It struck Shelton as odd. Antanas was the type of man who would resort to violence to get what he wanted – Shelton had seen this for himself before. Hunger is a discomfort, so why would he willingly wait for nourishment?

So Shelton observed Antanas for a few moments. His blanket was being used a cushion against the cold concrete floor, instead of being wrapped around him; he tilted his head slightly, as if he was secretly listening in to all the conversations in the room; but his blue eyes were distant as they stared uninterested towards the fire.

"Are you thinking about your wife?" Shelton asked, as he petted the sleeping dog next to him.

The room grew silent. Antanas noticed the shift in attitude and only snorted. "I really envy the working class sometimes," he said. "I'm a Fedorov, a purebred aristocrat. I married an Emerson, nobility from the province of Rome. Only idealists would truly believe love is the sole factor in deciding marriage."

"You didn't answer his question," Petras pestered.

"I'm thinking about how I hope the Chinese take good care of her," he answered with an honest smile. "They can start by burning her feet so she can't run away, and then they can cut off her thieving hands." He stood up from his seat. The silence had become uncomfortable, as no one in the shop had a clue as what to say. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a few hundred marks. Sonya was surprised when he offered it to her and said, "Thanks for letting us stay the night here, and for offering us food."

When she didn't take it, he grabbed her hand and placed it there. With everyone watching, he disappeared into one of the IFVs. "Um," she stared at the wade of money in her hand. A few hundred marks could feed them for months. "I don't know what to do with this," she said with a nervous laugh.

"Antanas doesn't hand money out to everyone," Andrei commented. "You should thank him, and be sure to spend it wisely."

"I will," she assured him.

"If you feel someone crawling in your bedding at night, that's probably him," Petras joked.

Sonya ignored Petras's remark and said, "I'd like to make food worthy of him."

"You should wait until the snow lets up a little before venturing outside," advised Andrei.

"That probably won't be until morning," Lena predicted. It was the first time she had bothered to enter a conversation since the workers arrived, so they were a little shocked. She was rested next to Antoine by the shop window. Both of them gazed out towards the white sky, on the lookout for possible hostiles.

Rex noticed the workers silence and said, "I probably should have introduced you to her earlier. That's Lena. She's my second in command."

"Just about the right age for you, eh, Shelton?" Andrei teased.

"Don't joke!" Shelton shot back.

"She's off limits," Rex growled. "We'd have a lot of complications if I allowed my men to go after any woman they wanted, especially when the only woman they're around all the time is Lena. Animals can get territorial."

"Besides," the man next to Rex, Marc, added, "Antoine's got claim on her."

"Why's that?" Shelton asked.

"Found them together," said Marc. "What? You didn't really think we started together, do you? We've been picking up anti-Chinese terrorists for a long while. I've been a part of this gang for three years now."

"Three years? But didn't Rex say he just escaped a labor camp a year ago?" asked Andrei.

"I did," Rex clarified.

"Then how are you the one giving all the orders?" Shelton inquired. "Shouldn't that be to the one with the most experience?"

"He has the most experience," Marc answered. "He's spent more time in the military than anyone here. Since we're trying to run a quasi-military organization, we need his knowledge."

"She's useful for gathering information," Rex said in an attempt to shift the attention away from him. "Men are more likely to be questioned if caught around a restricted area. Lena is usually just escorted off the premise and offered a cup of coffee."

"But because she's a woman, isn't she in more danger?" Andrei questioned.

"By what?" Antanas's voice blurted out. He had exited the IFV and made himself comfortable in his old spot. "The only kind of guy that would bother with a gun bunny is the type of man who wants to be topped."

"I'd be topped by a girl, if she was cute enough," Petras smirked. Lena shot a glare over her shoulder, which Petras didn't have to see; he could feel her eyes on him.

"Alright, alright!" Rex barked. The cold air, coupled with the retorts and insults that had been passed around, made the shop's atmosphere stiff. They also had to be well rested for what was certain to be a tiring journey the next day. "All of you girls get your asses to sleep. We've got a hell of a day tomorrow."