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“Grudgingly,” I said, sliding down the opposite wall. “It wouldn’t kill you to pretend you’re actually interested in what I have to tell you.”
“Fine. Oh, please, FNG! Tell me everything you know. I’m dying to hear this story,” he said, faking the enthusiasm that he should be feeling upon listening to such an amazing story.
“I don’t buy it, but I’ll tell you anyway because it truly is an amazing story.” Clearing my throat, I got back in the mood. “As I said, it was a dark and eerie night.”
“That’s not what you said the first time.”
“Do you want to hear this or not?”
He mimed zipping his lips, so I continued.
“Ivan and I were out on patrol in the city. As a former KGB agent, he didn’t have a great trust for anyone, and that included men from his own city. He always told me the city was filled with men that worked against the Russian government for profit, but finding out who they were was difficult. Not many wanted to talk for fear of what would happen if they were caught. After the Cold War, many people fell into even greater poverty, despite the fact that the new government was supposed to change the political atmosphere in Russia. But those that were already in power retained their status, making the working people desperate to find a means of supplementing their income. It truly was a terrible, despairing time.”
43
FNG
Russia.
Sometime during his stay with Ivan at 11:32:12.
“What exactly are we looking for?”I asked Ivan as we drove through the city.
While most of the city was shut down for the night, other areas were just starting to come to life. Women looking for an additional payday stalked the streets looking for their next prey. Men in fancy suits paid a dime a dozen for them, refusing to pay what they were worth. It was truly a desperate situation for most of Russia’s citizens.
“We are looking for anything suspicious,” Ivan said, taking us down another dimly lit road. “My people are desperate for change, but it will never happen this way.”
“What way is that?”
He pointed at the dozens of women that walked the streets. “It is too late for the change that is needed. The people want power, but have had to resort to demeaning themselves for an additional ruble. And the money they make will never help them in the long run. They become desperate with every day that passes. Violence and anger fill the minds of my people. It makes them do crazy things.”
“Are we here to stop them or help them?”
He slowly turned to me. “Stopping them is helping them. We must show them that they are only destroying themselves.”
“But if they don’t fight back, who’s going to help them?”
He shrugged. “Russia is not known for helping the people. Yet, they are very loyal to their motherland.”
“So, what’s the?—”
I was cut off when Ivan suddenly jerked the car to the side of the road and slammed on the brakes. I threw my hands out to keep from hitting the dashboard, then looked out the window, trying to find the threat.
“What is it?”
He shoved the car in park and slowly undid his seatbelt. “Make no sudden movements.”
I did as he asked, slowly unbuckling as my eyes scoured the area to see what he was watching for. Then I saw it. A woman pushing a stroller was stopped on the sidewalk next to a building. At first, everything looked normal. Then I saw the fear in her eyes and tears running down her face. And the detonator in her hand that she held away from her body.
“Is that a?—”
“Yes.”
“She doesn’t really have a baby, does she?”
“It’s possible. But she may not be the one that forced her to hold the detonator. We must move quickly, and you must do whatever I tell you to.”
“Right,” I nodded. “No problem there. I’m great at following orders.”
