Russian Amerika: Chapter Thirty Six

36 - Tetlin Redoubt

    A quarter bottle of vodka filled the void behind Crepov's belt and fogged his brain when someone pounded on the door. Katti jumped like she'd been burned. Her jumpiness always pissed him off.

    He lurched to his feet with a growl. This time he wouldn't take his anger out on the woman. With a violent jerk he pulled the heavy wooden door open creating a minus 30øC gust of wind.

    Two Special Unit cossacks stared balefully in at him. He pulled up short; concentrated on the extreme cold, let it burn at the scar on his face to clear his head. They both towered over him.

    "We must go immediately to headquarters and you must be with us," the biggest and ugliest one said.

    "I get my coat." Crepov pulled his parka off its peg. He knew when to walk with the wind.

    Katti shivered behind the door, ready to shut it as soon as possible. Most of the warmth in the single room had vanished along with his drunkenness. He hurried out, pushed between them and strode rapidly toward the operations building.

    The cold robbed him of anger. By the time he stormed past the sentry he had decided to first listen to the colonel before telling him to put this job sideways up his anus. He stiff-armed the office door open and jerked to a stop.

    Valari wore the insignia of a major and the corporal had a third stripe. No good, he reflected, the man will always be a corporal.

    The two flanked the colonel who glowered from behind his desk.

    "Good of you to come out on a night like this, Bear," he said with no hint of sarcasm. "We need your special skills."

    Crepov saw the man's eyes flick over his scar before recapturing his gaze. He let himself glance at the other two. Nobody smiled in condescension tonight. He realized they didn't want him here any more than he did. His interest flared.

    "For what?"

    "Something happened at Chena Redoubt. We need you to go take a look."

    "Why don't you send one of your wonderful helicopters?"

    "Do you refuse to go?" Valari asked softly, raising her eyebrows and tilting her head.

    Her manner reminded Crepov of an attack dog anticipating trouble. In a rare flash of insight, he realized how well she fit that description. She was just more dangerous than other bitches.

    "I need as much information as possible to make judgment," Bear said flatly.

    "We cannot put an aircraft closer than a kilometer to Chena Redoubt," the colonel said tiredly. "They get shot down."

    "What!" Bear's brain reeled with implications. "Chena Redoubt is not under the control of the Imperial Army?"

    "Nor is Tanana Redoubt. Bridge Redoubt is under heavy attack and the odinochkas around Fort Yukon, Huslia and Koyuk do not answer us at all. We believe the Dena' Separatists are responsible. Either that or a well-organized mutiny."

    "It must be mutiny, a very large mutiny," Bear muttered, more to himself than to anyone else in the room. "The Indians aren't organized enough to pull off something this big." He regarded the three of them thoughtfully.

    "You can get me within two kilometers, can't you?" He added a smile for the pure spite of it.

    "Of course we can." The colonel wouldn't rise to the bait. Crepov finally noticed the purple pouches under the man's eyes. "Can you leave immediately?"

    "Yes. Within the hour."

    "Would you like company?" Valari asked neutrally.

    "You would be welcome," he said slowly. "But only if you left your pet corporal here."

    "I'm a sergeant," the man said through clenched teeth.

    Crepov gave him an amused look. "Your arm says that. But we know differently, don't we?" He turned and hurried back into the night.

    Maybe he would find Grigoriy Grigorievich at Chena Redoubt. That would make it all worthwhile.

    He grinned fiercely as the cold burned at his scar.