Chapter 3
906 Words
Chapter Three
Kaliningrad, Kaliningrad Oblast
Olesya pulled into the hangar and cut the engine. The wind howled behind her until the roller doors shut, then it was silent except for the breathing of Olesya and her companions.
Gleb was waiting for them with four Zaslon soldiers in white-and-gray arctic camouflage. Olesya didn’t like the look on his face. Something was wrong.
‘Illarion is leaving,’ he said as Olesya got out of the vehicle. ‘If you rush to the helipad, you can catch him.’
‘Leaving where?’ Olesya pointed to her passengers. ‘Can you take—?’
‘To the infirmary.’ Gleb nodded, and the Zaslon soldiers moved to help the injured members of Sophia’s team. ‘They’ll be under guard.’
Olesya ran from the hangar, taking the side entrance out into the cold without stopping to button her coat. She sprinted across the snow to the east side of the base and spotted a helicopter perched on the helipad. Standing beside it, a pair of armed soldiers. On their upper arms, they wore black armbands with red emblems. Military police.
A cleanly shaven man in a suit and winter coat strode from the helipad toward Illarion, who waited to receive him. Her superior’s blue eyes, however, were watching her.
‘Commander.’ Olesya rushed toward him. ‘Where are you going?’
‘Moscow,’ Illarion said. ‘In my absence, you’re now the acting commander.’
Olesya eyed the suited man, who nonchalantly checked the time on his silver watch before saying, ‘You’re under arrest, Illarion.’
‘What?’ Olesya cried.
‘I’ve been summoned for a tribunal hearing,’ Illarion said. ‘It’s fine.’
Olesya’s stomach twisted. ‘Because of me?’
Illarion led her aside and spoke softly. ‘Because of the things we’ve had to do. It means there are concerns I need to address.’
‘What did we do?’ She glared at the suited man, then at Illarion. ‘It’s because of today, isn’t it?’ she asked. ‘We saved Wrocław—no, we saved—’
Illarion raised his hand to stop her. ‘I know what you did, but I still need to—’
‘We just saved Europe from a nuclear attack!’ Olesya yelled. ‘Do they not know this?’ She stared down the suited man. ‘I don’t care what the rest of the world says! I don’t care what Purity says! Do you…?’ She stopped, took a breath.
The suited man watched her with mild interest.
Illarion’s hand rested on her shoulder. ‘Please, Olesya. You need to let me go.’
‘I can’t.’ She gripped his hand. ‘I just need … I need you to tell me that we did the right thing. I need you to tell me what to do.’
He withdrew his hand. ‘You don’t need my approval. And you don’t need me to tell you what to do.’
Behind him, the helicopter’s engine revved, and the rotor blades roared through the night.
‘I do,’ she said. ‘I need you here. We need you here! Tell them…’ But her words were lost in the downwash of the blades.
Illarion saluted her, and allowed himself to be escorted away.
A pair of Zaslon soldiers parted to let Olesya into the infirmary. It smelt of ammonia, and the ceiling lights were always too bright for her. Damien sat, pale, on the end of a hospital bed, inspecting a new bandage on his arm with a sullen expression. Nasira was on oxygen in an adjacent bed, and Czarina sat in another, her pajamas spotted with blood and her forearm in a cast and sling. Opposite them, a nurse checked DC’s eyesight, and Gleb politely watched over them all, hands clasped behind his back.
‘I’m sure they appreciate your assistance,’ Gleb said to DC.
DC nodded to Olesya as she approached. ‘We haven’t been formally introduced. I’m DC.’
‘No kidding. I’m Olesya.’
Gleb turned to her. ‘Your new friends are being processed and placed in accommodation, under guard. For your safety and theirs,’ he said. ‘With the exception of DC here.’
Czarina looked up with glazed eyes. ‘Why are we caged up while he’s free range?’
‘It was Gleb who tipped me off today,’ DC said.
‘We already have a … working relationship,’ Gleb added.
Nasira removed her oxygen mask. ‘And we don’t?’
‘No,’ Gleb said. ‘Until we—’
‘Until I decide,’ Olesya cut in. ‘As acting commander.’ She put her hand on Damien’s shoulder. ‘Are you OK?’
‘Just a scratch.’
She turned to Gleb. ‘I need to speak with you.’
Together, they relocated across the hall to the empty briefing room. Olesya closed the door behind them, and Gleb walked round the table to stand beside Illarion’s chair. There was just enough light for Olesya to be certain he was scrutinizing her. He didn’t move an inch or avert his gaze, far surer of himself since they’d transferred to Kaliningrad.
‘Do you know where Ark is?’ she asked him.
‘Right now, he’s outside with Jay. Why?’
Olesya exhaled slowly. ‘Val’s dead.’
Silence, for a moment. He swallowed. ‘How do you know?’
‘I found her. The Fifth Column used dead bodies to set us up. Val’s was one of them.’
Gleb leaned on the table’s edge. ‘Was she … how did she…?’
‘I don’t know,’ Olesya said. ‘She was shot post-mortem. I didn’t see any other injuries, I couldn’t … there was no time. I’m sorry.’
Gleb’s lips trembled, then he pressed them together. ‘I understand.’
Olesya reached for the door handle. ‘Don’t tell Ark, please. Not yet.’
‘Why not?’
‘I’ll tell him myself,’ she said.
Gleb came around the table and faced her directly, his eyes red. ‘I don’t agree with what you’re doing, bringing those people here.’
‘You don’t have to.’
‘Cut them loose.’ Gleb’s lips twitched, eyes shimmering. ‘They can take care of themselves.’
‘We can’t even take care of ourselves,’ Olesya replied. ‘What chance do they have?’
- Writer
