“Yes? Why are you so sure?” The civilian’s tone was a little more open now.
“What is your name?” Ishihara asked. “So we can all become acquainted.”
“I am Agent Raskov,” said the second man.
The first man, who had refused to introduce them earlier, scowled in resignation. “I am Agent Konev.”
“Why are you so certain that we will win the next battle?” Agent Raskov asked again.
“The German army is dying on its feet,” said Wayne. “They are cold. In fact, their soldiers don’t even have winter clothes to wear.”
“Eh?” Agent Raskov glanced in surprise at his partner. “How can this be?”
“Their generals were overconfident,” said Ishihara. “They expected to have taken Moscow before winter began. Already, the Red Army has stalled their plans.”
“So they are cold.” Agent Raskov turned back to Wayne. “What else?”
“Their morale is low. They are totally dispirited. They really just want to go home.”
“They do?” Agent Konev raised his bushy eyebrows. “Are they ripe for subversion?”
“Uh…” Wayne glanced uncertainly at Ishihara. “What do you think?”
“No,” said Ishihara. “The German soldiers are discouraged but they are not cowards or traitors.”
“Maybe they fear Hitler more than they fear us,” said Agent Konev.
“Yes, that is possible.”
“We were in Panzer Group 3,” said Ishihara. “I can tell you its placement.”
“Excellent.” Agent Raskov turned a page in his notebook. “Go ahead.”
Wayne waited patiently while Ishihara described German placements. He was certain that these were not secrets; the Soviets already knew where the Germans had been. Finally, when Ishihara had finished, their hosts seemed to soften a little. Agent Raskov even smiled very slightly as he put away his notebook.
“Your information about the placement of the enemy matches our own,” said Agent Raskov.
“Why was no previous liaison made with us?” Agent Konev shook his head.
“Yes, we should have heard from you,” said Agent Raskov. “That is true.”
“We apologize,” said Ishihara, with a faint shrug.
13
Agent Konev turned to Wayne. He acted more relaxed now, though he remained reserved. “Since you are traveling without credentials, you should have given us some form of advance notice.”
“We would have if it had been possible,” said Wayne. “We were afraid that the Germans would intercept any radio communication we made too soon.”
“That was a real danger,” said Agent Raskov. “You seem to have handled it well.”
“By the time we did radio you, we were closer to Red Army lines than German lines, so we felt it was safe enough to attempt,” said Wayne.
“We took a considerable risk contacting you when we did,” said Ishihara.
“How did you get across the no-man’s-land?” Agent Raskov asked. “I mean to say, as far across it as you got?”
“It was a long, cold walk,” said Ishihara. “And we only dared use our radio when we realized that we could not make the trip on our own.”
“And where is your radio now?” Agent Konev asked. “Do the soldiers have it?”
“No,” said Ishihara. “It malfunctioned. Since it was heavy, we abandoned it under fire from the Germans as we fled.”
Both Russians nodded.
Ishihara did not know if their hosts completely believed their story. However, he could see that they, like the Germans, were at least undecided about them. He was certain that the fact that he had taken the initiative to contact them lent some positive weight to their story, too.
“What help can you give us?” Ishihara asked. “In our search for the two enemy agents?”
“We must confer further on this,” said Agent Raskov. “However, first we can give you some hot coffee.” He grinned openly for the first time. “Coffee is rare these days, carefully rationed. But we can offer you some.”
“I could use something to eat, too, if that’s possible,” said Wayne.
“Of course.” Agent Raskov glanced at his watch. “We can arrange it. As for the help, however, it is quite late. What help do you want?”
“Where would two strangers find shelter in Moscow?” Ishihara asked. “Traveling individually, with no one to help them, where would they go?”
“Public housing,” said Agent Konev.
“That’s right,” said Agent Raskov. “It would be easier for them now, in wartime, than in peacetime. So many people have been displaced by the war.”
“Then we would like to visit these places,” said Ishihara. “To look for our quarry.”
Agent Raskov looked at his partner. “I think we can do this tonight.”
“Yes. Tonight is good. If we find these enemy infiltrators while they are sleeping, they will be easier to identify and apprehend.”
“I agree,” said Agent Raskov. “First we will feed you. Then we will drive you into the city and see if we can take care of this matter.”
“Thank you.” Wayne relaxed a little. Hot coffee, food, and help finding MC 4 were the best news they had received since arriving in this time. “Can you find us ordinary clothes?”
“Wait here,” said Agent Raskov. “We will send someone with coffee and something for you to eat. If we can find clothes, we shall bring them.”
“Thank you,” said Wayne. The two agents left the tent without saying anything else. In only a few moments, they were out of human hearing. However, Ishihara heard them still talking to each other with his enhanced hearing.
“How much time should we spend looking for these other agents?” Agent Raskov asked quietly.
“We should look tonight, at least, in case we can find them quickly,” said Agent Konev.
“And then?”
“We must have more information about our two guests. At dawn, we must interrogate them thoroughly. We cannot allow ourselves to work with only partial information.”
“Even if we find these two agents? That would back up their story.”
“No matter what we find,” said Agent Konev. “Their story is too thin and they have no documents to back it up. We must interrogate them as we would an enemy.”
Hunter lay motionless in the darkened warehouse. He had not shut himself down, but was conserving energy by not moving. Of course, he pretended to sleep at the same time. When a firm, resounding knock sounded at the main door, he did not move, but instantly magnified his hearing. He checked his internal clock and found that the time was 3:17 A.M.
The knocking was repeated, loudly, as someone from the front went to answer it.
“Who’s there?” One of the guards spoke cautiously from inside the door.
“Agents Raskov and Konev, NKVD.”
As the door was opened, Hunter reached out and gently woke Steve.
“Steve, can you hear me?” Hunter whispered.
“Yeah.”
“I believe the NKVD is looking for Judy. You and Jane move closer to her. Cover her face with something. I will try to create a diversion.”
“What?” Steve opened his eyes, startled. “The NKVD is here after all?”
Hunter slipped his belt unit into Steve’s hand. He knew Steve would not leave for their own time without him except in an extreme emergency. “I have already set the controls. Use it if you must.”
Steve nodded and moved over to wake up Jane and Judy, whispering to them quietly.
Hunter listened to the two NKVD agents ask the guards about Hunter by both his name and his description. The overhead lights came on, causing a number of people in the crowd to stir. Hunter looked up and saw one of the guards pointing directly toward this corner.
The two agents began working their way down the length of the warehouse. Their way was blocked by all the sleeping and newly awakened people on the floor. Hunter had a few seconds to consider what to do.
He was puzzled by their possessing his description but not Judy’s. Still, he expected that these agents would take the entire team if they found the group together. He had to separate himself from the others immediately.
Hunter did not want to return his entire team to their own time in front of so many witnesses. Two such events would definitely be discussed and would influence the local authorities in some way. Having everyone flee out the rear door again might not be as effective this time; the NKVD agents would maintain pursuit, where as the ordinary guards in the previous warehouse had not bothered.