Tatiana and Alexander: A Novel(116)

to give it to him."

Slamming a magazine upward into his machine gun, Alexander said, "So where is this Vlasov when you need him? He thought he was helping the Nazis, except the Fascists and the Communists and the Americans all seem to have one thing in common. They all despise traitors." Alexander took out his army knife from his boot and bent over Pasha, who flinched. Looking at him with surprise, Alexander shrugged and cut the ropes that tied Pasha's hands. "Andrei Vlasov was captured by the Germans, spent time in their prison and was finally turned over to the Soviets. You've been fighting on the side of Vlasov who's been a nonentity in this war for years. His glory days are over."

Pasha stood up, groaned under his compressed and aching body being in one position for too long, and said, "My glory days are over, too."

They stared at each other. Compact Pasha reminded Alexander of Georgi Vasilievich Metanov, Tatiana's father. Pasha looked up and said, "We're a fine pair. I command what's left of Vlasov's men, a nearly extinct breed. My battalion is first on the line of defense because the Germans want us all to be annihilated by our own people. And you are being sent in to kill me, commanding a penal battalion full of convicts who can't fight, can't shoot, and have no arms." He smiled. "What are you going to tell my sister when you see her in heaven? That you killed her brother in the heat of battle?"

"Pasha Metanov," said Alexander, motioning him to come, "whatever I was put on this earth to do, I'm almost sure it was not to killyou . Now come. We've got to put an end to this senselessness. You're going to tell your men to lay down their arms."

"Didn't you hear what I told you? My men will never surrender to the NKGB. Besides, do you have any idea what's ahead for you if you continue onward?"

"Yes. The Germans will get trounced. Maybe not by us on this f*cking hill, but everywhere else. Have you heard about the second front? Have you heard about Patton? We're going to meet the Americans on the Oder river near Berlin. That's what's ahead. If Hitler had any sense he would surrender and spare Germany an unconditional humiliation for the second time this century and maybe save a few million lives in the process."

"Does Hitler seem like the kind of man who would unconditionally surrender? Or care about saving one life, or a million? If he's going down, he's going down dragging the whole world with him."

"He's certainly doing that," said Alexander, and was about to whistle for Ouspensky when Pasha put his hand on Alexander to stop him.

"Wait," Pasha said. "Let's think this through for a minute, shall we?"

They sat down on a log and lit their cigarettes. "Alexander," said Pasha, "you've really done it by not killing me."

"I have, haven't I?" Alexander smoked. "One way or another we need to figure it out immediately. Or you and I won't have any men left to command."

Pasha was quiet. "And then just you and me in the woods?" he asked.

Alexander glanced at him. What was he saying? Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html

Leaning in, Pasha said, "I will have my men surrender if you will guarantee not to give them up to the NKGB."

"What do you propose I do with them?"

"Absorb us into your unit. We have arms, we have shells, we have grenades, mortars, carbines."

"I was going to take your weapons no matter what, Pasha. That's what the vanquished do--they surrender their weapons. But your men? Are they going to switch and fight for the other side now?"

"They will do what I tell them to do."

"How can they do it?"

"What do you suggest? Dispersing?"

"Dispersing? Disbanding? Do you know what that's called? Desertion."

Pasha was silent. "Alexander, there is no hope. There are five hundred thousand men over that hill."

"Yes, and thirteen million men are coming over that hill to kill them."

"Yes, but what about you and me?"

"I need your unit's arms."

"So you'll have my arms. You've got nineteen men. What on earth are you thinking?"

Alexander lowered his voice to a whisper. "Don't worry about what I'm thinking. Just..."

"Just what?"

"Pasha, I need to get inside Germany. I need to live long enough to do it."

"Why?"

Because the Americans are coming to Berlin. Because the Americans are going to liberate Germany, and they're going to liberate the POW camps, and eventually they're going to liberate me. But Alexander didn't say any of this.

"You've lost your mind," said Pasha.

"Yes."

Pasha stared at Alexander for a long time, in the crackling, wet, absorbing woods, standing miserably next to him, his cigarette burning bleakly to ash between his ravaged fingers. "Alexander, don't you know about the Germans? Don't you know anything?"

"I know everything, but I still have hope. Now more than ever." He glanced at Pasha. "Why do you think I found you?" Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html

"So you could torture a dying man?"

"No, Pasha. I'll help you, too. Just--we've got to get out of here. You and I. You have medical kits?"