“MC 4 may move quickly once he returns to full size,” said Jane. “We don’t know if he would choose to stay in Moscow or not.”
“The center of the recent explosion in our own time was in Moscow,” Hunter added. “Of course, MC 4 could have moved around a great deal between now and our own time, once he had the advantages of normal human size. For now, we will remain in Moscow and try to learn if anyone of MC 4’s description has been noticed.”
Judy nodded.
“Do we have a plan of action?” Jane asked.
“I do not want to separate the team,” said Hunter. “As you know, we have had reason to regret doing so in each of the previous missions.”
“And without Steve, one of us would be alone,” Jane added, shaking her head.
“Dinnertime,” said Judy, nodding toward the front.
Much of the crowd had lined up to receive meager rations of bread, boiled potatoes, and water from the long table. The remainder were still arranging their personal belongings at various places around the floor. Only a few had already been served.
Hunter stood up. “We must join the line.”
“Time to switch back to Russian,” said Jane.
Hunter led them to the rear of the line, where they waited patiently. They passed through the line, receiving their dinner of thin soup and a hard roll in an odd assortment of dishes. Then they returned to their corner to eat.
Jane and Judy sat in the corner itself. Hunter placed himself where his body would block the view of them from the other occupants of the room. Then he slipped some of their dried meat out of the duffel bag for Jane and Judy to eat while no one else could see them.
Hunter observed that the Russians were still wide awake after dinner. His team’s first two missions had taken place in summer and the most recent in early fall. This was the first one to take place in winter, with early nightfall. Bedtime would not arrive for a few hours yet. Of his team members, Jane had recently completed a full night’s sleep, though Judy had risen very early to make the trip to Mojave Center.
As Jane finished her dinner, chewing on her hard roll, she saw Judy lean to her right to see past Hunter.
“You know,” Judy said quietly. “After years of studying this era, I finally have a chance to see the people of this time for myself. Since most of the people here are women, I’m sure that I can approach them comfortably for a little conversation.”
“Please be careful,” said Hunter.
“I’ll return our dishes when we’re all finished,” said Judy. “Then I’ll see if I can strike up a conversation on my way back through the crowd. Maybe I can learn something.”
“You want to talk to people?” Jane asked, glancing at Hunter.
“Pleasebe very careful,” Hunter repeated.
Judy smiled. “Don’t worry. I have as much fear of the NKVD as anyone here.”
“We do not want to change anyone’s behavior unnecessarily,” Hunter added.
“I don’t think anything I can say here will change the outcome of the battle.”
“I’ll go with you,” said Jane.
They collected their empty dishes and worked their way back to the front of the warehouse. Jane knew that Judy believed Hunter had an exaggerated fear of how much influence any of the team could possibly have on historical events. So Jane wanted to keep tabs on how Judy handled herself.
Judy took her time on the return trip, looking around for someone to approach. Many people were obviously as comfortable as they could get, having grown accustomed to life in these conditions. Others tended babies or small children and were too occupied to make small talk. Jane followed her, also surveying the crowd.
“How about her?” Jane asked quietly, pointing to one side of the room.
A tired, bent, elderly woman fumbled with her blanket, trying to shake it out with stiff, gnarled fingers. She shuffled to one side, still stooped over, and shook it again. No one paid any attention to her.
Judy worked her way toward her in the crowd. The old woman was obviously alone, though others sat nearby with their own families. By the time Judy reached her, the old woman was on her hands and knees, patiently smoothing and straightening the blanket on the hard floor.
Judy squatted down and tugged the wrinkles out of the last corner. The old woman looked up at her, startled. She looked scared.
“I’m only helping,” Judy said gently. “I’m sorry if I surprised you.”
The old woman nodded, still watching Judy cautiously. Then she glanced up at Jane, who had come to stand behind Judy. The woman’s face was sharp-featured and deeply lined. After a moment, she relaxed a little and sat down on the blanket.
“I’m Judy Taub. What’s your name?”
“Ivana Voronov,” she said quietly. She smiled, though, for the first time. “Please sit down.” She patted the blanket and looked up at Jane again. “And your friend, too.”
Judy squatted down on the blanket, keeping her boots off of it. Jane joined her. The old woman looked back and forth between them, waiting for someone to say something.
“We’re new in this shelter,” said Judy.
“Oh? Where have you been?”
“Well…on the move. We’ve been displaced by the war.” Judy shrugged. “We saw everyone getting off the buses. Where were you? In a work brigade?”
“Oh, yes. We’re digging the big ditches to the west.”
“Ditches?” Jane asked, turning to Judy.
“Antitank ditches,” said Judy quietly. “A quarter million Muscovites are digging them with hand shovels. Three-quarters of the workers are women, since the men are either in the army or working in heavy industry. The ditches are to block the advance of German tanks from the west of the city.”
“By hand?” Jane shook her head, impressed. “Hard work. Especially in this weather.”
Ivana grimaced, rubbing her hands. “I can’t do very much at my age. My hands hurt all the time. So does my back. These young girls, now, they work very hard.”
“Thousands of people abandoned their jobs and homes during the past few months to get away from Moscow,” said Judy. “Fleeing the Germans long before the battle. Ivana, why didn’t you go then?”
“Yes, yes, those with money or companions or relatives to see all hurried away to the east. I had no means to travel and nowhere to go.”
“What about your family?” Judy asked gently. “Do you have family members in the army?”
“My sons are in the Red Army,” she said quietly, lowering her gaze to the blanket. “I have heard nothing from them for over a year.”
“Where’s your husband?” Jane asked.
“He was taken.” Ivana’s voice was almost a whisper. She lowered her head, hiding her face.