VANGUARD(47)

“We have a lot of that stockpiled, so take what you need. I…” Sophie grinned, catching her own mistake. “The Rev can get you more within forty-eight hours. Anything else happening?”

“Yeah, four more cases of dysentery.” Anjali’s face wrinkled with annoyance. She had an intense personal dislike of diarrheal diseases in her ward.

“Tough,” Sophie said with a grin. “I’ll order more bedpans.”

“Your lack of sympathy is noted.” Anjali made a face. Sophie turned to the Rev for an account of his interactions with the Commandant.

Commandant Jaros had been intrigued by the team’s efforts to stop the pneumonia. He had asked many questions about Michael’s condition and Sophie’s wellbeing.

“I think he misses you,” said the Rev uncomfortably. “But here’s the kicker. He wants either Sergei or Sevastian to report to him tomorrow, then return with us in the evening. Double-checking our stories, no doubt.”

An uneasy silence filled the room. The guards couldn’t have overlooked the fact that Sophie slept with the so-called guinea pig patient. Commandant Jaros would no doubt find that interesting in the extreme.

“I’ll take care of it,” she finally said.

“You’re not going to do anything rash, are you?” The Rev looked worried.

“Hardly. I’m going to make them an offer they can’t refuse. Just let me make a phone call first.”





-





The person at the other end of the line picked up almost immediately. “It’s me,” she said. This person didn’t need to be reminded about the risks of cell phone lines.

“Understood. We received your message. Thank you, dear. Those words are so inadequate, but thank you. Have you seen improvement in…?”

“Yes.” She sensed the relief at the other end of the line. “You two can talk in a minute. First, I need a big favor, and you’re the only person connected enough to pull it off. I’m going to send you an email in a few minutes. Can you read it and give me a fast answer, yes or no?” Sophie had a military-grade encryption program on her laptop; if the Soviets were monitoring their email traffic (and she had to assume they were), the encryption level alone on this correspondence would catch their eye. She just had to trust it would hold – or at least hold long enough to carry out her plan.

“Absolutely. I’ll be waiting for it.” They exchanged a few more pleasantries while she walked to the infirmary. She peeked in and saw Michael awake in bed, looking grumpy and bored. He brightened when he saw her.

“Hang on.” Sophie extended the phone to him. “Don’t use any names, and speak English.”

He nodded and put the phone to his ear. “Hello?” he said cautiously. His eyes widened with surprise and happiness. “Yes, it is really me. I am okay. Really, I am okay…no, please do not cry.” She could see joy in his eyes as she left the room with her laptop under her arm.

A man needed privacy when he talked to his dad.





-





The response to her request came back more quickly than she’d hoped.

Sophie,

First, Signe and I send our undying thanks for finding him and bringing him this far. We cannot tell you how grateful we are.

I know you have much more work to do in order to get him the rest of the way home. I’m happy to tell you that your request can definitely be accommodated. I called my contacts in the proper department, and they can make the arrangements. These kinds of requests are more common than you’d expect, and can be managed quickly and discreetly.

Here’s the information we will need when the time comes…

Sophie sighed in relief and headed to her quarters where she dug into her bag to get what she needed. She went out, everything jammed under her arm, to find Sergei and Sevastian. They were, not surprisingly, having a smoke. She invited them to a small room and closed the door. One by one, she put the items on the table between them.

“Gentlemen,” she said in Russian. They looked at her without expression, laying their weapons down within reach. “Your Commandant requests one of you return to the camp tomorrow and spend the day with him, while the other remains here to guard the prisoner.” Sergei and Sevastian glanced at each other, then back at her.

“The Commandant will require a full report,” said Sergei. “Do you wish us to tell him that your Orlisian lover is recovering?”