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A moment before, as Monk had stepped out of the train, Pyotr had stopped screaming. It had cut off abruptly. The silence was even worse, creating a stillness as complete as the darkness. Monk's heart pounded.
Reaching the next ore car, he hiked up over the edge and waved his arm into the open space. Pyotr?
His voice sounded exceptionally loud, echoing down the tu
Monk hopped back down and moved toward the next car. He stretched his right arm out again, sweeping ahead of him
then something grabbed his hand.
Monk yelped in surprise. Warm leathery fingers wrapped around his. He reflexively yanked his arm back, but the fingers held firm. A soft hoot accompanied the grip.
Marta! Monk dropped and gave her a fumbling hug in the dark.
She returned it, nudging her cheek against his, and gave a soft chuff of relief.
Her entire body trembled. He felt the pounding of her heart against his chest.
She broke the embrace but kept hold of his hand. She urged him to follow with a gentle tug.
Monk gained his feet and allowed her to guide him. He knew where she was taking him. To Pyotr. Moving more swiftly, Monk reached the last cab. Unlike the open ore cars in the middle, the last cab was enclosed.
Marta hopped through an open door.
Monk climbed in after her. The old chimpanzee shuffled and herded him to a back corner. He found Pyotr on the floor, flat out on his back.
Monk's hand patted over him, defining his shape out of the darkness. Pyotr?
There was no response.
He felt the boy's chest rise and fall. Fingers checked his small face. Was he injured? Had he taken a fall? His skin was feverish to the touch. Then a tiny hand wandered like a lost bird and discovered Monk's fingers and gripped hard.
Pyotr, thank God. Monk scooped him up and sat with the boy in his lap. I've got you. You're safe.
Small arms wrapped around his neck. Monk felt the burn of the boy's skin, even through his clothes.
Pyotr spoke, at his ear. Go
Monk felt a chill pass through him. The tone sounded deeper than Pyotr's normal tentative falsetto. Maybe it was the dark, maybe it was the boy's raw fear. But
Monk felt no tremble in his thin limbs. The single word had more command than plea.
Still, it was not a bad idea.
He stood and lifted the boy up. Pyotr seemed heavier, though Monk was past the edge of exhaustion into a bone-deep fatigue, near collapse. Marta helped guide him to the door. He jumped out and landed hard. With the boy in his arms, he hurried back toward the front of the train. He had brought one rifle with him, but he'd left the other in the front cab.
Reaching the car, Monk asked, Can you ?
Even before he finished the question, Pyotr clambered out of his arms and gained his own feet.
Stay here. Monk quickly climbed inside, grabbed the second rifle, and slung it over his shoulder.
He returned to Pyotr. The boy took his hand.
Monk expelled one hard breath. Which direction? The train had stopped halfway along the tu
Perhaps Pyotr thought the same thing. The boy set off in that direction. Toward
Chelyabinsk 88.
With two rifles strapped to his back and a boy and chimpanzee in tow, Monk marched down the pitch-black tu
The doctor shook his head. I'm sorry, General-Major. I don't know what's wrong with the children. They've never demonstrated this type of catatonia before.
Savina stared across the room. A pair of nurses and two soldiers had helped spread the ten children on the floor, lined up like felled trees. They'd brought in pillows and blankets from the neighboring bedrooms. Two medical doctors had been summoned: Dr. Petrov specialized in neurology, and Dr. Rostropovich in bioengineering.
In a sheepskin-trimmed jacket, Petrov stood with his fists on his hips. The medical team had been in the process of evacuating when called over here. A large caravan of trucks and vehicles was already lined up for departure.
I'll need a full diagnostic suite to better understand what's happening, he said. And we've already dismantled
Yes. I know. We'll have to wait until we reach the facility in Moscow. Can the children be transported safely?
I believe so.
Savina stared hard at the doctor. She did not like his equivocation.
He nodded his head with more certainty. They're stable. We can move them.
Then make arrangements.
Yes, General-Major.
Savina left further details to the medical staff and headed back down to the control bunker below. While dealing with the matter here, Savina had also been in contact with her resources in the Russian intelligence and military communities. The information gridlock at Chernobyl seemed to finally be loosening. Contradictory reports and rumors swirled around events at the ceremony: everything from a full nuclear meltdown to a foiled terrorist attack by Chechen rebels. The firming consensus was that there had definitely been a radiological leak, though the extent remained unclear.
And why had Nicolas remained silent?
The worry gnawed a ragged edge to her temper and patience.
And now the strangeness with the children.
Savina needed to clamp down on the chaos and focus on the matter at hand. No matter what the circumstances were at Chernobyl, Operation Saturn would proceed.
Even if Nicolas had somehow failed, she would not. Her operation alone would unsettle the world economies, kill millions, and spread a radioactive swath halfway across the globe. It would be harder, but with the savant children still under their control, they would persevere.
With such a focus in mind, she cast aside the confusion and sought the cold dispassion of the resolute. She knew what she must do.
Reaching the bunker, she found the wall screens still dark, except for the grainy view of M. C. 337. She studied the spread of small bodies on the rocky floor. There was still no sign of movement over there.
She turned to the two technicians. Why aren't the other cameras back online?
The chief engineer stood up. The diagnostic reboot finished a few minutes ago.
We were waiting on your orders to power systems back online.
Savina sighed and pressed her fingertips to her forehead. Did everyone have to be dragged by the nose? She motioned to the board. Do it.
Despite her desire to snap at the man, she kept her voice even. While she had ordered the shutdown, she had indeed left no standing order regarding the power situation.
To avoid any further misunderstanding, Savina pointed to the view of M. C. 337.
Keep the power cut off to the other substation. All except its camera. She didn't want any more surprises from that side.
As the two technicians set to work, lights flickered across the board, and the dark screens filled with images of the tu
Everything appeared fine except for one glaring exception.
The train was no longer parked beside the mining site.
Savina pointed to the screens. Bring up the cameras, sequentially down the tu
Fingers punched keys at the master control, and snapshots of the tu
Savina didn't think so.
Continue down the tu