Wayne turned too fast. The tires squealed again and they both were thrown to the right in their seats. He hit the brake and slowed down, belatedly.
“Uh, sorry,” said Wayne. “I’ll need a lot of practice to get this right.” As soon as he had the steering under control again, he pressed the accelerator and sped up.
“Right now, we need to use an evasive pattern,” said Ishihara. “Our hosts are probably telephoning their main office for help right away.”
“Yeah? What are we going to do, then?”
“Once we have put some distance behind us, we can plan where to go. At the moment, however, I suggest you slow down. We do not want to attract attention by going unusually fast.”
“Oh. Yeah, I guess not.” Wayne carefully braked slightly. This time the car slowed down smoothly. “There. That wasn’t too bad.”
Ishihara looked around. The streets of Moscow were empty and scoured by the wintry winds. So far, he could see no one following them.
“I am not certain what to recommend now,” said Ishihara. “The NKVD at large, of course, will have the description and license number of this car as soon as the agents call in a report.”
“Oh, yeah,” said Wayne. “Shouldn’t we stop somewhere and leave it behind, then?”
“We can risk using it for a short time. Then, as you say, we must find a place to hide the car. We shall have to flee on foot again after that.”
“Okay,” said Wayne. He clenched the steering wheel hard in both hands, tense with his crash course in learning to drive this vintage vehicle. “Just tell me what to do.”
Steve remained flat on the floor of the warehouse as Hunter toyed with the NKVD agents. When the agents took Hunter out, Steve cautiously sat up. Then Jane and Judy pushed themselves up, too, and looked around.
Most of the weary Russians around them lay back down again to go back to sleep. Some whispered fearfully to each other. A few people lined up for the rest room.
“They’re used to it,” Judy whispered. “That’s the worst part of it.”
“Is that why they’re just going back to sleep?” Jane asked, looking around.
“Yes,” said Judy. “Everyone has become so used to this sort of treatment that they just hope no one is coming for them or their loved ones.”
“That’s horrible,” said Steve.
“Yes, it certainly is. And beyond their own personal safety, the oppression doesn’t matter that much to them anymore. After the back-breaking work they do all day, going back to sleep is enough.”
“I thought they’d come for us, too,” said Judy. “This doesn’t make any sense. The guards at the front must have told them we came in together.”
“I don’t get it, either.” Steve patted the bulge made by the belt device inside his shirt to make sure it was secure. “I’m using the latrine. Be right back.”
He got to his feet and joined the line at the rest room. While he waited there, he kept one arm over the bulge in his shirt to hide it. Before his turn came, the people at the front table turned off the overhead lights, leaving on only a small lamp at their table. Steve relaxed a little, knowing that no one could any longer see him clearly in the shadows.
When Steve finally got inside, he turned on his lapel pin and began whispering. “Hunter, Steve here.”
“Yes, Steve.”
“What can you tell me? What’s going on?”
“I know very little. At the moment, the agents who arrested me are escorting me down the street on foot. Clearly, they had not come for Judy after all.”
“Why didn’t they take all of us?”
“They only gave my name and description to the guards. The guards merely pointed me out. No one told them that the rest of you were with me.”
“How did they get your description?”
“I believe Wayne Nystrom and R. Ishihara gave it to them.”
“Huh? How do you know that?”
“The agents’ car was stolen just as we left the warehouse. From my glimpse of the thieves in the shadows, I am certain that R. Ishihara and Wayne Nystrom took the car.”
“What do you want me to do?” Steve asked. “While you’re alone with those guys, you could get away and meet us somewhere. Should we slip out the back door again?”
“No,” Hunter said firmly. “I do not want the team on the run in the cold again. Remain sheltered there for the night. For now, remain calm and patient. I shall not risk calling you, so call me when you can.”
“All right.”
“Be warned that I may have to change my appearance before I return.”
“Okay.”
“Hunter out.”
Steve worked his way back to Jane and Judy in the dimly lighted room and sat down. No one else was moving around now. He relayed the conversation with Hunter to them in a whisper.
“I guess Hunter’s right,” Judy whispered back. “We can’t do much to help him anyway.”
Steve nodded. “I guess.”
“Definitely,” said Judy. “Besides, how could we agree on a place to meet? We don’t know the city.”
“That’s true,” said Jane. “And Hunter has so many more abilities than we have. He has a lot more flexibility without us. He won’t have to worry about us this way, since we’re sheltered here.”
“All right, all right,” said Steve. “Suppose we focus on our main target, instead. We’re spending all our time just trying to get along here. But what about MC 4?”
“I’ve been thinking about him,” said Judy. “Originally, I believed that the First Law would induce MC 4 to interfere with the German advance.”
“I remember,” said Jane.
“Well, maybe I was off base about that,” Judy said slowly. “Actually, as I recall, the German military is in very poor shape right now.”
“They’re the real aggressors, though, aren’t they?” Steve asked.
“Well, yes,” said Judy. “They are the aggressors, in that they’re standing on Soviet territory and they’ve been marching on Moscow. But in the coming battle, the Soviets actually conduct a counterattack.”
“I get it,” said Jane. “So now you think MC 4 might try to prevent violence by interfering with the Soviet counterattack.”
“Well, it’s just one idea. But also, MC 4 may learn about the NKVD itself. Their political prisoners are tortured and sent to labor camps where they are worked to death. MC 4 could be drawn to protect the labor camp prisoners from harm.”
“I can see that possibility, too,” said Jane. “Do you have others?”
“Two more. The Soviet army’s German prisoners of war are also treated brutally. Over on the German side, Soviet prisoners die by the thousands.”
“Labor camp prisoners and prisoners of war on both sides,” said Steve. “Plus the Soviet army command. That’s at least three important places MC 4 might pick out-not to mention any specific situations he happens to see.”
“I haven’t narrowed the possibilities very much, I’m afraid,” said Judy.
Jane nodded. “So many humans are being harmed in so many ways near here right now that the First Law might draw MC 4 in almost any direction. And, of course, he will have to begin by putting his energy into learning all of this. Maybe we’re getting ahead of ourselves. He could just be trying to find clothing and a way to fit in at this stage.”
“All right,” said Steve. “I know our sleep schedules aren’t in line with this time zone, but we might as well lie down and relax a little. When morning comes, we’ll see if we can meet Hunter somewhere and plan something.”
“Good idea,” said Jane.
Steve sighed. He was concerned about Hunter, but could not see anything he could do at the moment. This society was much more structured, even in the disruption of wartime, than the earlier ones the team had visited. Operating in it would be much more complicated than he had realized.
A pounding knock on the front door startled him. Feeling a surge of adrenaline, he forced himself to remain prone and simply turned to look toward the front. As one of the guards spoke through the door and then opened it, the thumping continued. People sleeping inside began to stir.
Four men in long, black coats strode inside. One of them switched on the lights. They had the same manner and clothing as the NKVD agents Steve had seen before.
“Everyone up! Immediately! Wake up! Stand against the wall!” The first man barked the orders. He drew a handgun and held it without pointing it at anyone in particular.