Chapter 74

Flashback – Ben – Leaving Moscow

I finished changing into my BDUs after the drunken fucking chick damn near ran me down. When I looked at the wooden crate in the back of the козел I knew what I needed to do. I closed up the back of the козел, climbed back into the driver's seat and began to drive again, making sure to scan the road for any interesting looking side roads where I could exit.

I saw an old weathered sign announcing the next side road lead to a quarry - this would be the perfect place for my needs. I took the exit for the quarry, put the козел in 4-wheel drive, memorized the reading on the odometer and continued down the road. After about five klicks I reached the quarry which was surrounded by what looked to be a ten foot chain link fence with barbwire on the top; there was a gate which was locked with a chain and padlock. The place looked like it hadn't been used for years and now the condition of the sign made sense.

I stopped the козел beside a small guard shack, hopped out of the driver's seat walked up to the shack and verified it was empty with a window broken out of the door and the door was unlocked. I opened the door, recoiled at the smell of alcohol and something I couldn't quite place. Then I realized it was the nasty smell of old rancid sex from the many condoms which littered a corner of the shack. I guess someone, possibly teenagers, used this as a place to hook up. I felt damn sorry for the girl who needed to come to such a nasty-assed place to have sex. I held my breath, went in and searched for a key for the gate in a key box on the wall. Unfortunately it was empty.

This was no problem because the козел had a winch on the front. I climbed back into the driver's seat, pulled the front of the Козел about ten feet away from the side of the gate, jumped out, spooled some cable off the winch and hooked it up to the side of the gate away from the opening. I made sure the winch's brake was set, climbed back into the козел and slowly backed up.

It didn't take much force at all and the hinges of the gate snapped right off. I loved it when a plan worked! I chose that side of the gate because the hinges looked old and would snap easier than the chain and padlock. I backed around and pulled the side of the gate toward the middle until there was enough room for my козел to pass. I disconnected the козел, drove inside to the edge of the quarry and knew it would be perfect for what I needed. My stomach growled and reminded me I hadn't eaten anything since the meal Tatiana lied to me about making. Yeah, I was still sore about the lie but I figured things pretty much evened out since she was most likely royally pissed about me taking off. And it wasn't like I didn't lie to her and almost everyone else about the function of my legs.

I went to the back of the козел, opened up the food container and was surprised as hell! Yuri had filled it to the brim with 24 hour officer rations. These were great and much better than our MREs because they contained real food in real cans.

I grabbed one off the top, took out my knife, slit open the camo Mylar bag and pulled out the box that was inside. I flipped over the bag to read that it contained the following items: Survival matches (6), dried salted fish jerky (nasty as hell unless you were Russian and happened to have been raised on the stuff), drink mixes (3), melted cheese (soft cheese sort of like Velveeta but more buttery), army crackers (6 packages), meat pate (tastes like smashed up Vienna sausages), American chocolate, instant coffee, sugar (2 packs), instant cream, mixed vegetables, nasty gelled pork, puree of plums, nice gum, apple sauce, tea, wet wipes (4), beef stew, goulash with potatoes, chicken and rice, and finally a hexamine stove.

It might seem like too much food, but it was your food for the whole day. However it was just over 4000 calories and since I wasn't going to be fighting I wouldn't need nearly that much. As I tried to decide what to eat for breakfast, I looked through the back of my Козел and I just might forgive Yuri for the prank he pulled on me: There was a box marked stove which I opened and inside I found a Russian clone of the Optimus 8R stove which was much better and faster than the damn hexamine tablet stove which came with the officer rations.

I decided to have the chicken and rice for breakfast along with some of the melted cheese and crackers. I peeled back the cover over the chicken and rice, fired up the stove and put it on to heat. While it was heating I opened up the melted cheese and one pack of crackers and began to eat them while I put some water in my canteen cup for some drink mix. I wanted some coffee but I was tired as hell and needed to catch a few winks so I decided to leave it for when I woke up. My meal was just getting warm enough to eat, the smell wafted through the air and made my stomach growl, when I had a surprise visitor...

Flashback – Jack and Masha – In Moscow

Tatiana had Banzai's entire chart doctored other than getting the fake medical appointments entered into the hospital computer system when she hit the proverbial stone wall. I figured I would use some of the money Banzai left for Masha to buy her car back to bribe the man who ran the records department in the hospital. We went into his office, he closed the door, sat down and Masha questioned, "Do you speak English because my fiancé does not speak much Russian?"

He looked at me and answered, "Yes I do have some English, now how might I give you service?"

Masha explained, "We would like for you to create several appointments in the computer system which correspond with doctor reports which are in his chart."

I sure as hell didn't like the way he glared at Masha and then rudely answered, "Are these the same falsified records which that nurse asked me to enter into the computer?"

Masha replied, "If you are talking about Tatiana, then yes it is the same records she asked you to enter into the computer."

He stood up and ordered, "That I refuse to perform! Now leave my office."

I gave him one of my best grins and asked, "Not even for five-hundred dollars?"

He turned his attention to me, glared at me and commanded, "Both of you leave my office immediately!"

I was just getting ready to beat his fat pompous ass when the door opened and Yuri walked in. He looked at Masha, me, and the dickhead that was standing behind is desk and asked, "Jack, Tatiana told me you are having some problems. Is this true?"

I motioned with my thumb toward the dickhead and answered, "Yeah Yuri, this prick won't help us fix Ben's records and the Major should be here soon."

Yuri opened the door, barked some orders in Russian and the whole damn office filled with the remainder of our Spetsnaz team. Yuri glared at the dickhead and started to bark at him in Russian. The dickhead looked shocked, he nodded his head and uttered many, " Даs" which I did understand. Yuri relaxed, looked at me and said, "Jack, the problem has been resolved. We came to take you and your lovely fiancée out for breakfast."

I thought for a moment and said, "Sorry Yuri, we already had breakfast and I'm not going to eat more."

Yuri gave me a disbelieving look and questioned, "Jack, I have never known you to turn down a good meal."

I shook my head and confessed, "Yuri, Masha has fed me so well I've put on weight and could barely fit into my service uniform. If I have any hope of fitting into my dress blues for the wedding I have to start losing weight right now."

Yuri laughed and promised, "Jack, do not worry about losing weight because Ben is missing and you will be taking his place on our team. Your time of vacation is over so now you will train with us daily."

I started to complain but Yuri's cell phone rang, he looked at it and said, "Excuse me, I need to take this in private. Please follow your team members to the waiting truck."

I complained, "Yuri, I'm in my service uniform because I'm meeting the Major."

Yuri laughed and answered, "We have BDUs for you and would you rather meet the Major or train with us."

Masha added, "Jack, do not worry about meeting the Major, we will have the doctors meet him and explain things when he arrives."

I laughed and answered Yuri, "Hell, if this is taken care of, then I'd much rather be with you guys than meet the Major."

I started to stand, Masha nudged me in the side and whispered in my ear, "Jack, find out what Yuri knows about Ben leaving."

I kissed her and whispered in reply, "Don't worry, I will find out all he knows but what did he say to the dickhead to change his mind."

Masha laughed and answered, "Jack he told him the whole Spetsnaz team would take turns beating him until he agreed to fix the computer records. Now get going my fiancé and don't get too hurt or too tired."

I walked out of the office and wondered what the hell Mash meant by her last words. Hell, I had trained with these guys before and it wasn't that bad...

Flashback – Tatiana – In Moscow

Masha walked up to me, smiled and said, "Tatiana the problem with Ben's computer records is taken care of. Now all we need is for the doctors to talk to the Major when he arrives at the hospital."

The мудак (bastard) had given me such a bad time about it, he even threatened to call the nursing supervisor. I was shocked that Masha was able to fix it so I inquired, "Masha, you must be a miracle worker, how did you get him to change his mind?"

Masha grinned and answered, "I didn't do anything. He was giving Jack and me a terrible time. Then Yuri came into his office with the whole Spetsnaz team and threatened him - after that he was more than happy to fix the records."

I laughed and related important background information, "Yuri had come into Ben's room while I was cleaning it up and asked me where Ben was. I told him Ben left to go kill the Chechens and he honestly looked surprised. I told him about your plan to keep Ben from getting in trouble and the problems I had with the мудак in the records office so he left quickly. I assume he went to the office where he found you. What did Yuri threaten the мудак with?"

Masha shocked me when she answered, "I didn't want to tell Jack the truth so I told him that they threatened to take turns beating him. Actually they said they would take turns raping him and his wife until he agreed to fix the records. He was more than happy to fix the records after he heard that."

I laughed and said, "I am surprised he didn't make a mess in his pants. By the way, where is Jack?"

Masha smiled and answered, "He is taking Ben's place on the Spetsnaz team and will be training each day with them from now on. I think it is good he will not be here when the Major arrives."

I frowned at Masha and told her, "Masha you do not understand, it is not a good thing that Jack is taking Ben's place."

Masha looked confused and questioned, "Tatiana, Jack has trained with the Spetsnaz before so I do not see any problems."

I frowned and informed Masha, "Ben told me that Yuri and the team took it easy on Jack because of his threats but they were terrible with Ben's training. They made Ben do twice the work because they wanted to see if they could 'break the American'."

Masha looked at me and said, "Jack is not a feeble old man, I am sure he will rise to the occasion. Now I need to go and wait for the Major's arrival."

I did not have the heart to relay to Masha some of the things Ben told me they made him do because their actions bordered on torture...

Flashback – Major M – at the Moscow hospital

I finally, after spending hours in the fucking Moscow traffic jam, arrived at the hospital. I walked in, expected to see Sergeant Reynolds but instead saw his bitch fiancée. I was still pissed at her for what happened last time I was in Moscow and wanted to rip her a new asshole but remembered how the Old Man wanted her and Jack to have a 'hell of a wedding'. So I walked up to her and said, "Hello Maria (I knew better than to use her diminutive name unless she said it was allowed), I expected Jack to either meet me at the airport or at least be here to report to me when I arrived."

The bitch smiled at me and answered, "Jack asked me to send you his apologies; with Ben being gone he is training full time with the Spetsnaz team."