Before the Dead Walked, page 15
Just minutes before the scheduled departure, heavily armed Russian soldiers boarded the train and took up strategic locations along the length of the train. Barely had these men boarded, when a mighty lurch shuddered along the entire expanse of cars. Slowly at first, the train pulled away from the station. Once underway, it would only make four scheduled stops before entering Mongolia.
One of those stops was Yekaterinburg. The city, founded in 1723 by Peter the Great, was known as the capital of the Urals. Known as the Great Divide, the Ural Mountains created the natural border between Europe and Asia so that the cultural and architectural influences of European and Asian civilizations come together in this fascinating and cosmopolitan landscape. This is also where Romanov, Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, was executed with his entire family by the Bolsheviks in 1918, following 78 days of imprisonment. There was a church dedicated to their memory and the site provided a powerful insight into the turmoil of the Russian Revolution.
Yekaterinburg was also home to an enormous Soviet military installation, which was abandoned in 1993. The Yekaterinburg Military Museum was famous for displaying fragments of the U2 American spy-plane, flown by Gary Powers, shot down in this area in 1960 during the Cold War.
It was on the other side of Yekaterinburg, where Maxwell Darby and his fellow Rangers awaited the arrival of the Trans-Siberian Express. The plan was not to hijack the train, but to covertly board it as it slowed dramatically to make the grade leading up into the Ural Mountains.
The terrain was mountainous, with rounded foothills rather than lofty peaks at first, before reaching the Urals. The scenery was dotted with occasional broad valleys and laced with numerous creeks; hillsides were thickly covered with pine and spruce trees. Moisture from the previous night’s rainfall glistened in the morning sunlight, causing the forest to sparkle. This wilderness was untouched and unspoiled by the destructive hand of man, except for the twin ribbons of steel which lay across it like some thin silver snake.
“This place looks so majestic,” said Sergeant Ramirez as he surveyed the area.
“That’s not why we’re here though, is it CWO?” Darby made a point of saying.
Collins shook his head. “After studying GPS, I picked this location because it lies at the top of a three percent grade. That, plus that switchback over there means our train will be traveling at greatly reduced speed. As it exits the tunnel, it will be slow enough for us to board, but not slow enough to allow troops to get off, in case there are any aboard.”
Just then, they all heard airplane engines sputtering overhead.
Everybody looked up.
“That’s one of ours,” Sergeant Stillwell said while pointing up. “It’s a C-130, coming in very low, probably trying to avoid Russian radar.”
“It’s none of our concern, Sergeant,” Darby said in no uncertain terms. “We stick to plan.”
“Maybe they could be to our advantage,” CWO Collins stated, as if for the record.
“Are you pulling rank on me?” the First Sergeant wondered.
“Not on your life, Top,” Collins quickly countered. “I’m just stating the obvious.”
Darby reconsidered his options. It might be to their advantage to investigate.
The cargo plane was coming down in flames, pieces coming off and falling away. It was airborne, but operating on just one engine. Suddenly the remaining engine skipped a beat and cut out.
“She’s going to crash!” Specialist Thomas exclaimed.
They all heard the sound of impact, tearing metal and ear-cringing echoes of destruction. Just then, a mushroom cloud of smoke and flame rose up over the hillside, followed by a muffled explosion.
“Damn,” Darby said. “Now, because of the blasted Code of Conduct, I’m required to investigate, because there might be Americans on board.”
“You don’t have to go look on account of us, Top,” Specialist Powers felt he should say. “Nobody here will report you. I think our lives are more important. Hell, that plane might have crashed, because it was full of zombies, did you think of that?”
“Or goats,” Specialist Thomas added.
Sergeant Ramirez looked at Sergeant Stillwell, who looked at CWO Collins. They all shrugged in unison, as if it had been rehearsed.
Darby shook his head. “You guys are a great help. Come on.”
“What about the train?” Specialist Thomas protested.
“It won’t be here for hours, you idiot,” Darby said over his shoulder. “Come on, you losers, it’s only over that next hill.”
So the Rangers headed in that direction, in single file, but still cautious. Sure, they were out in the middle of nowhere, but that didn’t mean the possibility of danger was any less.
It turned out to be a strenuous hike, all uphill. When the Rangers reached the crest, they had quite a view of the surrounding terrain. Perhaps 100 feet short of a stretch of flat ground, the C-130 had crashed.
The nose gear had collapsed and all 4 prop blades were bent at crazy angles. The Rangers could spot bowed flanges, shorn bolts, ripped torsion, and ground scars immediately. The shredded sections of the airplane were strewn across the small butte and it turned out to be the remains of a C-130 cargo plane after all. The cockpit was mostly intact, but the rear section had been crushed by four towering pine trees, one of which had toppled over.
After a preliminary search, Darby and his men failed to discover any discernable markings, but the skin had been painted the distinctive Afghan pattern of camouflage. The cargo capacity of the C-130 was 45,000 pounds, but the rear cargo door of the C-130 was long gone before the crash and the remaining fuselage sections were peppered, suggesting the airplane had been hit by a missile.
The Ranger found four male bodies; three wearing US Air Force uniforms and one captain in the US Army. They had been killed before impact. Only one corpse was burned, though not badly.
Darby ordered a burial detail. It was the least he could do.
Once the graves were filled and covered, the men took a break.
“I think there might have been survivors, Top,” said Sergeant Stillwell.
Darby was scanning the surrounding hills. “Yes, and they’re probably scoping us out right now.”
“Do you think they’re Americans too?” Specialist Powers wondered.
“Who knows, but I don’t think we should stick around to find out,” offered Sergeant Ramirez. “I feel exposed out here.”
Darby, on the other hand, was wary for a different reason. He felt eyes on them and felt obligated to either investigate further, or give whoever it was a chance to show themselves. After all, his men were dressed in native garb, so any American should be very cautious.
The Rangers didn’t have long to wait, because a bobwhite whistle alerted them of visitors. Darby warned his men to not overreact, as two people emerged from cover and slowly walked down the hill.
As soon as they were close enough to be identified, it was clear that the man was a US Army Colonel and the female was a US Navy Ensign. They were both dressed in the most recent camouflage pattern, but the woman was actually wearing a flight suit. Both had been injured, but not seriously.
“Here, let me take a look at that,” Sergeant Stillwell approached the ensign. He tried to relieve her of her kitbag, but Alvarez pulled it tightly to her chest. Instead he cleaned and bandaged the gash in her left arm. Then he turned his attention to the colonel, who had a nasty bruise on his forehead and thin lacerations to his face. After completing his quick medical examination, Stillwell joined the others.
The Rangers, all dressed in Kazakhstani traditional garb, must have looked dangerous at best. However, their disguises didn’t fool Lupita, because she had the tracking device, which clearly identified these six men as SAD Team Echo.
Colonel Hatch did all the talking. “It’s good to see you men. At first we thought you might be Kazakhstani bandits, but after watching you for a while, we figured out you were Americans.”
The Rangers didn’t say anything, fearing it was a test.
The officer chuckled. “It’s not that big of a deal, but the Taliban don’t usually spread out in patrol formation. We were planning on landing and picking you guys up, but our C-130 was hit by small arms fire, sprung a leak in one of the wing fuel tanks and then we were hit by a Russian SAM. I lost power and hit those trees. Our crew was killed in the initial impact, all except me and the ensign. We observed you reconnoitering the crash site. Once again, if you were rebels or even local tribesmen, you would have scavenged everything to sell as scrap and you wouldn’t have buried the dead, but stripped them clean. You must be First Sergeant Maxwell Darby and this is Team Echo.”
“And just who the fuck are you, sir, if you don’t mind my asking?” Darby demanded, his AK-47 pointed directly at Hatch’s chest.
“Colonel Robert Hatch, US Army,” the officer replied coolly. “Do you normally address a superior officer in such a manner?”
The sergeant carelessly saluted and offered his hand. “No, sir, not normally, but I just recently took up my lack of accepted manners and military protocol, since fighting zombies clear across Afghanistan and then fighting even more unfriendlies through all those other fucking Stans, if that answers your question, sir!”
Hatch couldn’t help it. He grinned and shook the soldier’s hand. “Nice to meet you, Top.”
“That all depends on what you have in mind, sir?” Darby asked with the same unfriendly tone.
The colonel lost his smile, but turned to motion Lupita to come closer.
“This is Ensign Alvarez, Sergeant,” Hatch introduced her. “She’s been tracking your whereabouts since we departed Bagram.”
“A pleasure, Ensign,” Darby said. “You’re a long way from any fleet.”
Lupita merely nodded.
For the time being, she preferred to remain quiet and observe.
“So what is your plan, Sergeant?” the colonel asked.
“To board the Siberian Express and take it all the way to Vladivostok,” the sergeant replied matter-of-factly. “Then we’re going to seize a ship and head for Alaska.”
Both Alvarez and Hatch looked impressed.
Darby shrugged and sighed. “Yes, I know it sounds a bit far-fetched, but it’s the only sensible way to get across Russia and back on American soil.”
“You do realize that once the Russians find out the train has been forcibly seized, they’ll consider it an act of terrorism and blow it off the tracks,” Hatch felt obligated to point out.
“That thought had crossed my mind, Colonel, sir,” Darby said. “I was planning to board the train while it’s still moving and letting it take us to our destination, hopefully without anyone discovering we’re unpaid passengers.”
Hatch grinned and said, “Now that I would like to see.”
First Sergeant Maxwell Darby smiled as well. “I just assumed you would like to join our little adventure, sir.” He looked at Lupita and said, “Ensign Alvarez too, of course.”
“We would be pleased to join your operation, Top,” Hatch said. “The two of us might even come in handy.”
“That would be nice, sir,” Darby said sarcastically. “Come and meet my men.”
Hatch stepped forward, his hand offered. “It’s a pleasure to meet all of you, Specialist Timothy Thomas, Specialist John Powers, Sergeant Bailey Stillwell, Sergeant Pedro Ramirez, and Chief Warrant Officer Mark Collins. My name is Colonel Robert Hatch and this is Ensign Lupita Alvarez.”
The Rangers all stood there with their mouths hanging open, but they did remember to salute. Their salutes were returned with respect.
Darby’s eyes narrowed to mere slits however, as he became immediately suspicious. “And just how did you know all our names, Colonel, sir?”
“The ensign here was kind enough to provide me your identities,” Hatch replied. “She insisted we rescue your sorry asses.”
All the Rangers looked at her with a mix of gratitude and suspicion…and appreciation of her good looks.
“You can stop leering at her now, Powers,” Darby ordered without losing eye contact with Hatch. “You didn’t really answer my question, Colonel.”
Hatch nodded. “No, and I don’t really need to. You’re under orders, Sergeant and I aim to get you back to the proper authorities with your intelligence. Are there any other questions?”
There were none.
“It’s still your show, Sergeant,” Hatch said. “Just consider us additional passengers. We promise you won’t consider us excess baggage.”
“We’ve picked a spot to board the train, sir,” Darby felt obligated to report. “The Trans-Siberian Express has to slow down when entering the nearby tunnel, as well as for the steeper grade. We were planning on jumping down on the rear baggage cars as the train exits the tunnel.”
“It sounds entirely feasible,” Hatch said. “Let’s get into position.”
Once again, the First Sergeant was relieved that there was no push-back or argument from the officer. Perhaps this brass hat realized the importance of listening to an experienced NCO and that would be a nice change.
The group headed out.
Colonel Hatch looked over his shoulder at the wreckage strewn all over the hillside. Indeed, he would miss Captain Jenkins.
“Thank you for burying our dead, Sergeant,” Hatch said quietly, but emotionally.
“It’s the least we could do for them, since they were American,” Darby said.
“What details do you have concerning the Trans-Siberian Express, Top?” Hatch asked.
“Not that much, sir,” Darby lied. “I just know it comes this way.”
Alvarez looked over at the colonel and subtly shook her head. It was a clear signal that the First Sergeant wasn’t being on the level.
Hatch smiled at her and winked.
“SAD operations are based on advanced skill levels, Sergeant,” Hatch said, as if he was an expert, which he most definitely was not. Still, he had plenty of practice bullshitting. “I think it would behoove us to be straight up with each other. You knew exactly where you were headed and you probably memorized the train schedule six months ago.”
Darby stopped in his tracks. Slowly, he turned around and faced the colonel. “Who are you really, sir?”
Hatch grinned. “There’s nothing covert about me, Sergeant. I’m a colonel in the US Army. Until recently, my tour of duty was Afghanistan, but that country has been overrun…how should I say this, with the undead?”
That statement gave all of them pause.
“Yes, contrary to everything you’ve been taught to believe, zombies are real,” Hatch said.
“Whatever,” Darby said. “My only responsibility is to get these bums back to American soil. After that, I don’t really give a shit.”
Hatch realized the First Sergeant was being curt on purpose, just to test him. He could fight the NCO with verbal abuse, which would accomplish nothing, or he could keep focused. “I’ve seen the photos you texted of the undead in Kabul. Your firsthand knowledge of the situation could prove critical.”
Darby sighed. At that moment, he abandoned his hostile approach. “I figured that was a possibility.”
“Let’s get on that train and see how far it takes us,” the colonel said. “If we actually get to Vladivostok, we’ve got a good chance of making it to Alaska, From there, once people know we’ve got vital intelligence, I’m sure they’ll put your knowledge to good use.”
“Okay, sir, I see your point,” Darby said. “Do you speak Russian?”
“No, I don’t,” said Colonel Hatch. “However, it sure would be useful if one of us knew how to read and speak Russian.”
Lupita cleared her throat. “I can help in that regard.”
Robert laughed. “Now why doesn’t that revelation come as a surprise? I imagine meteorology requires translating weather reports in all sorts of different languages.”
Ensign Alvarez nodded, but smiled sweetly. “It does indeed, Colonel. I am fluent in nine different forms of communication, including French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Mandarin, Bulgarian, Icelandic, and Russian. I also have a working knowledge of Greek, Thai, Norwegian, and Latin.”
Hatch looked at her with great regard and respect.
“What?” she asked, uncomfortable under his scrutinizing gaze.
He smiled. “I’m just continuously impressed by you, Ensign.”
“Can we get back to the issue at hand, sir?” Darby asked with a noticeable amount of impatience.
Hatch turned slowly, locking eyes on the First Sergeant. “We’re not going to have a problem here, are we Sergeant?”
Even Maxwell Darby knew when he was out-of-line. He straightened and assumed a more militarily correct posture. “No sir. I apologize for my rudeness.”
It was all that was necessary.
Hatch smiled warmly and gripped the sergeant’s shoulder. “I need you, Top. Only a fool second lieutenant doesn’t realize how important the NCO is. I will always bow to your convictions, as long as you remember our relationship. Now let’s get this show on the road.”
Darby was relieved and immediately regained his perspective. This Colonel Hatch wasn’t your typical useless officer, but had been around the block. It was time to form a cooperative alliance.
After hiking for a few miles, Lupita took hold of Hatch’s hand and said, “I vividly remember the first tour I took of Afghanistan with one of the armed convoys. I hope someday some money will be donated to building a few washrooms for women along the road. Although there were restrooms available to women at the foothills of the mountains, which should not be entered by the faint-hearted or those who cannot switch off their sensory inputs, once the road started climbing through those spectacular sharp peaks and gorges, there were no more washrooms and no privacy of any sort whatsoever.”
