Robert Thomas - The Bear - Red Star Rising

“Someone got away?” Anya was wide-eyed in disbelief. “What the hell?”

“We followed them into the warehouse, but we couldn’t get close enough. At least one got away,” Sasha replied. “We’ve got to move, now.”

Danil and Ivan stumbled through the door and the team was out into the street, the cold from winter’s night raking across their sweaty, exposed skin. Polina sprinted toward the car. Every second counted as Ivan and Sasha dragged Danil forward. Anya reached the car second and had the doors open on the running vehicle. She stood there silently trying to drag them forward.

“Come on, come on,” Polina demanded. She could see the three silhouettes stumbling forward. At last, they made the car and Ivan nearly threw Danil into the back seat. Anya slammed the door after him and jumped into the front seat, her rifle tucked down between her legs.

Polina stomped on the accelerator, the tires squealing as rubber struggled to grab the cold asphalt. Ahead, two cars turned the corner, their tires sliding in the gray slop, stopping with their headlights pointed at the club. The doors burst open as bullets flew into the club. It was like watching a movie, one that Polina didn’t want to see the ending to. She turned abruptly left, letting the rear wheels slide around, pointing the car in the opposite direction as rounds found the rear of their vehicle.

“Go girl, go!” Anya shouted.

Sasha looked over his shoulder as Danil half-lay against him. One set of headlights from behind turned and headed toward them.

“We’ve got company.”

“I see them.” Polina put her foot down firmly on the pedal and the car hurtled down the dark street. She veered left just as another salvo bounced around them. She drove wildly, turning in and out of any street that may throw them off her trail. For the first time in her life, she wished for traffic. It would have been good cover, assuming their friends had any reservations about shooting and filling a public street with lead.

“Do you know where you’re going?”

“Not a clue, Sasha,” she yelled back.”

“What the hell happened back there?” Sasha grabbed the front seat and leaned forward. “What happened to Donald?”

Anya laid her head back on the seat recounting the story. She had left Danil not knowing he had been shot. She needed to make sure no one was in the other room. She shot the final target before sitting down on a broken chair. She needed a minute to collect herself. She put her face in her hands, letting the tears run across her fingers. She gathered herself and turned back down the hall. That’s when she heard a familiar voice, one she hadn’t expected to find on the second floor. As she relayed Donald’s words, the others were stunned.

“Fucking bastard is right,” Polina said.

Traffic began to get heavy as Polina exited onto a busier thoroughfare. The lights in the mirror had vanished but she didn’t let off.

“How’s Danil?”

“I’m okay, Anya.” Danil nearly chocked at his words. “I want to thank you for what you did back there.”

“What are we going to do now?”

“We follow the plan, Ivan.”

“How do we do that? If you hadn’t noticed, Danil isn’t in shape to get onto public transportation.”

“I’m aware of that, Lieutenant.” Sasha’s tone was curt. “You however are fine. That part of the plan is still in place. We’ll drop you and Polina at a train station. All your IDs and papers are in the trunk. That part hasn’t changed.”

“We can’t just leave you with Danil in the shape he is.”

“That’s an order, Lieutenant.”

The sound of bullets bouncing off the car caught their attention again. Ivan and Anya each leaned out their window and returned fire.

“Where did they come from? I thought we lost them!”

“They must have fallen back to track us. We need to lose them, Polina. I wouldn’t be surprised if they called for help.”

“Hang on.”

She punched the accelerator and the car’s engine surged. Another burst from Ivan and Anya and the trailing car fell back. Polina swerved from lane to lane as she began to dodge the heavier traffic. Though still dark, the city would begin to wake up in the next few hours, and this was likely just the start of it. The train station. They needed to find the nearest train station.

“You sure this is how you want us to do it?”

“I’m sure Ivan. Even when things go wrong, the best policy is to follow the plan.” Sasha extended his arm through the open window and shook the hand of his team member. “We’ll get Danil out. You two get each other out.”

Ivan resisted the urge to snap off a perfect salute to his commanding officer. It wasn’t the right place; it wasn’t the right time. Sasha watched as the young couple walked into the train station, the doors closing behind them.

“Good luck,” he said under his breath. “Anya, let’s get going.”

Ivan stood inside the terminal as he watched the sedan pull away, its tail lights lost in the gathering traffic. He hiked his pack higher on his shoulder, just another traveler in the eyes of strangers. He smiled at Polina as he turned toward the terminal and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. They were traveling as a couple. That was also part of the plan. They needed to play the part, and she didn’t seem to shy away.

The line was short and as they stepped to the counter, the agent was yawning as she asked them their destination.

“We’re headed to Warsaw,” Polina said as she laid her arms across the counter. She was beginning to get nervous. Funny, she thought, just minutes from an armed confrontation and she was sweating talking to an agent from the railroad. Maybe it was the adrenaline beginning to leave her body. Ivan stayed close as he looked down at them, his face a blank canvass.

“Best I can do is book you through Minsk. After that, you’ll have to make your own arrangements when you get there.”

“Oh,” Polina said with a raised eye. “Why is that? You can’t book us all the way through?”

“No. Russian Railways has no agreements with them west of the city. Here, we share tracks.” The agent looked up, her smile fading the closer it came to quitting time. Morning was just around the corner and her long shift was nearly over.

Polina looked up to Ivan as he squeezed her shoulder. His eyes were focused in another direction. She resisted the urge to follow his stare. Her job was to get the tickets. She laid Ivan’s identification on the counter as she fumbled for her own. She pulled her ID from her pocket laying it atop his. The agent typed in the information before handing their papers back with the tickets. Polina nodded with a tired smile as she turned and wrapped her arm around Ivan’s waist.

“Time for our journey to begin, love,” she said as she followed Ivan’s stare. She knew instantly his concern as she caught sight of two Russian policemen standing near a corner, their eyes fixed on Ivan. She pulled him around and faced the other direction. “We don’t have anything to fear,” she whispered as she leaned in close. “They know nothing about us.” She reached up and stroked his cheek. It was wet with perspiration. “They probably have never seen anyone as tall as you,” she said with a smile only a girlfriend could manage.

They made the far end of the building easily, watching the crowds begin to gather. Moscow was waking up and travel seemed to be the order of the day. Still thirty minutes before they needed to board, they plopped themselves on a bench and leaned close, Ivan’s arm making its way back around her shoulders. Polina laid her hand on his leg. He was still nervous.

“Stop bouncing your leg.”

“Sorry. Nervous habit. I get that way when I have to sit.”