Chapter III

Johnson woke up in a small room. He had no memory of getting here. The last thing he remembered was when he was walking in the forest with the rest of the squad. He got up and tried to open the door but it was locked.

"Hey, is anyone there?" He shouted and started hitting the door with his fists.

"Yeah, you aren't the only one here, so shut up." Said a voice from the other side.

"Fuck…" he said to himself."I'm trapped here alone. Gotta find a way to escape." But before he could do anything the door opened and Lothar was thrown in by the guards.

"Sir, are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Don't worry about me. We have bigger problems. They had a spy in our group."

"A spy? Who? It was Dmitry wasn't it? That dirty Russian. I knew it all alo…"

"Shut up and listen! It wasn't him. It was Catalin. He had been working for them since the very beginning."

"Catalin? But why him? What could he gain by working for them?"

"I don't know. Different people, different ideals I guess."

At that moment the door opened again and the same guards came and took Johnson, slamming the door as they left. They took him to another room with a table in the middle on which Dmitry and Petrov were sitting and eating beans. He sat beside them and started tucking into his bowl as if he hadn't eaten in ages.

"Listen up. We have a traitor." Johnson said quietly. "Lothar told me that Catalin is woking for these guys and has infiltrated our squad. We can't trust anything he says."

"Catalin? Why Catalin?"

"Beats me, but it has to be true." Johnson added and turned to the door from where Catalin was just pushed into the room and forced to sit next to them.

"Shut up and listen." The Romanian said."I think the commander ratted us out. He's not who you think he is."

"Oh really?"

"I'm positive. Once we get out of here I'll explain everything." He turned to the guard "I'm not hungry. Can you get me back to my cell?"

The guard moaned something to himself and grabbed Catalin's hands, dragging him all the way to his cell.

"Look at him. It's probably all a set-up to make us believe him. So stupid, he's overreacting. It's written all over his face." Everyone agreed. Johnson and Dmitry were then taken to their cells too, leaving Petrov with all the beans. Not that he didn't enjoy eating…he just didn't have anyone to share it with. He was then taken to his cell too, leaving the guard alone in the kitchen to finish what had been left of the food. When Johnson got back to his cell he saw that Lothar was missing.

"What have you done to him?" He shouted at the door. "Captain!" he shouted again and hit the door with his fist. "Crud! I have to try and escape before they learn that I know about Catalin too. God, I told the others! I've put them in danger. I'll talk with them at lunchtime to see if we can figure out a plan."

Martin opened his eyes but was immediately blinded by the bright light that was pointed right at him. He was sitting on a chair in a dark room with his hands tied at the back and could hear two men behind the light arguing. Still feeling dizzy he could overhear only some of the dialogue:

"Why…ou kil…them? They a…our side…were probably sent…act us. "

"You read…report. That mis…had be…mpromised. Ori…about it. We had n…oice"

"He m..ght be just…we need. Shhh, he's…ing up. Give h... ater."

Another man from behind Martin put a glass of water near his mouth and helped him drink it.

"Relax now, you're safe. I'm Ivanov. You can trust me. We…um…we're sorry about your friends. It was a mistake and shouldn't have happened. Are you still listening? Good. I need to ask you a favor. Just accept it and I'll answer all your questions." Ivanov said and opened a map of the region.

"Go on…"

"I'm going to draw a route for you." And he dragged his hand which had a blue pen in it through the map."Take it and when you get far enough from here go to Vraca. A military detachment is there. Being part of the expeditionary force, you should have more authority than most of the stationed personnel. Find Colonel Ivan Stanchev. You can find him at Café Chaika. Tell him we need to move the Katyas and that reinforcements are needed. Understand? Be sure not to wander around. There are pockets of radiation everywhere and if I haven't mentioned yet - an enemy blockade around the base." Ivanov said and looked him in the eyes. Somehow Martin knew that he was telling the truth and agreed.

"Do I have a choice? I'll do it. Now about those questions..."

"Ask away."

"Who the hell are you?"

"Officially I'm First Lieutenant Ivanov of the 5th Shipchenska mechanized brigade, stationed at Vraca. Unofficially…well…it's a long story."

"I see. And what are the Katyas?" Martin asked but one of the soldiers kicked him in the stomach. "*cough* Forget that I asked…*cough*…Another question…*cough*…Who's blocked the base?"

"A group calling themselves Orion. They need what we have."

"Why did you kill everyone else in the helicopter?"

"As I said, it was a mistake. We thought that everyone on board were Orion operatives when in fact it was just one man." Ivanov took out a picture and showed it to Martin."Do you know this guy?"

"I think I saw him on the helicopter…Yeah, he was their squad leader or something…Hmm…That explains the "failed" seatbelt…Don't ask…. Do you know what happened to them?"

"They're probably dead by now."

"Does this Orion group have anything to do with the Kozloduy blowo…" he hadn't finished his sentence when he got hit in the stomach again.

"Listen, most of the things you just heard aren't even known to the President. I hope it stays that way when we let you go. Remember, don't wander off the route. And be careful when you exit the base, it is difficult even for a lone man to pass through the blockade undetected. If you get caught, you know nothing, understand? "

"I hear ya. But how did you get me here if the base's been blocked?"

"Before they surrounded us, we had sent a squad to recon the area. They've been our contact with the outside ever since. It's safest to pass when the guards are changing shifts at night. That's when Vega squad sends a man to contact us and that's when they managed to get you through. And they were the ones who attacked your helicopter. We risked a lot to get you here and I don't want it to have gone to waste. Vega squad is too busy and I can't use them for this task. And I don't want to put any of my men in danger. I hope you understand. After you pass the blockade, go here." Ivanov pointed at the map. "There's a vehicle parked that's still working after the EMP." The Lieutenant stood up. "Release him. You should go soon. They usually change shifts after about 20 minutes. Your…kicker…will escort you to the exit at the back. It's usually not watched and they shouldn't see you. Good luck."

"Come." Said Martin's new friend and lead him through a series of corridors in what seemed to be an old bunker built before 1989. He stopped at a door, said "Farewell. Sorry that I kicked you…twice." and turned off the lights."Go now."