it.”
“Whatdo the Roman letters and the word ‘Zippo’ refer to?”
Therewas a terrible pain behind her eyes. She had been taught to resist drugs. These were strange drugs. “Zippo is the manufacturer’s name and the initials identify the lighter more specifically.” To defeat a truth drug, one told the truth as much as possible, she had learned—how long ago?
“Allright. Your guns—why do they have these birds on the barrels? I am told they are American symbols.”
“Theywere given to me by Sam Chambers, who was the President of United States II.”
“Whatis that?”
“Agovernment formed after the death of the American President during the Night of the War or just afterward. It was headquartered near the border between Texas and Louisiana in the United States.” The more truth she could tell, the better.
“Howdid you meet this John Rourke?”
Thankthe Judeo-Christian God Kerenin didn’t know John’s middle name or he would never have believed the business about the lighter, she thought. Was there time for a prayer? A quick one. Help me, she prayed, help me to save this man who is Your best and brightest hope for the world. Amen. “Yes—I met John Rourke after the Night of the War.”
“How?”
“Therewas a war. No one told us who initiated it. There was an ultimatum from the American President to our Premier.”
“ThisChambers person?”
“No—hewas President after the other President died.” She had to cling to the thread. “There was an ultimatum for us to leave Pakistan. We invaded from Afghanistan.
Someoneordered the missiles to be launched. We were never told who first launched, the Americans or ourselves. And after the Night of the War, my uncle, General Varakov, was given command of the Army of Occupation and he headquartered in Chicago, a city in the midsection of the United States. My husband was given command of the KGB for the United States. They never got along.”
Heruncle and her husband had hated one another, her uncle a decent man, a good soldier, a loyal Communist.
“Vladmirhad a list of people he wished killed or incarcerated, among them Sam Chambers, who was the only surviving member of the Presidential cabinet and the next man in line to become the President. My uncle wished him captured alive so that negotiations could get underway to stop the violence, because there was always resistance to us from the first. The American people enjoyed a constitutional right to keep and bear arms for their own defense, and we encountered armed resistance to our regime at every turn.”
“Civilianspossessed arms?”
“Civiliansfought for their country and did themselves proud in the end.”
“Howdid you meet Rourke?” Kerenin’s voice insisted.
Nataliatold him. “I went into the desert with a man named Yuri who was very adept at portraying Americans. We were set upon by men I later came to call Brigands. Outlaws. They killed Yuri and severely injured me. I killed them. John Rourke and his friend Paul Rubenstein were traveling from New Mexico to Georgia—those are states in the United States—by motorcycle, and they found me after my vehicle became disabled. I would have died otherwise.”
“ThisRourke is an American, I know. This Rubenstein?”
“Ohh,a fine American, major.” “How did they travel when you were discovered?” “They traveled by motorcycle. It is like a car and a bicycle. A two-wheeled machine.”
“Whydid they travel during a war?”
“Johnis married to a woman named Sarah and they have two children, Michael and Annie. But they were allowed to grow up when John used the cryogenic chambers.”
“Youare getting ahead of yourself, Major Tiemerovna.”
“Johnwas searching for his wife and children and Paul was helping him. They became friends after the crash of the airplane.”
“Airplane?You said they traveled by means of these motorcycles.”
“Onthe Night of the War, John was in Canada, a country north of the United States. He was
“Whatdo the Roman letters and the word ‘Zippo’ refer to?”
Therewas a terrible pain behind her eyes. She had been taught to resist drugs. These were strange drugs. “Zippo is the manufacturer’s name and the initials identify the lighter more specifically.” To defeat a truth drug, one told the truth as much as possible, she had learned—how long ago?
“Allright. Your guns—why do they have these birds on the barrels? I am told they are American symbols.”
“Theywere given to me by Sam Chambers, who was the President of United States II.”
“Whatis that?”
“Agovernment formed after the death of the American President during the Night of the War or just afterward. It was headquartered near the border between Texas and Louisiana in the United States.” The more truth she could tell, the better.
“Howdid you meet this John Rourke?”
Thankthe Judeo-Christian God Kerenin didn’t know John’s middle name or he would never have believed the business about the lighter, she thought. Was there time for a prayer? A quick one. Help me, she prayed, help me to save this man who is Your best and brightest hope for the world. Amen. “Yes—I met John Rourke after the Night of the War.”
“How?”
“Therewas a war. No one told us who initiated it. There was an ultimatum from the American President to our Premier.”
“ThisChambers person?”
“No—hewas President after the other President died.” She had to cling to the thread. “There was an ultimatum for us to leave Pakistan. We invaded from Afghanistan.
Someoneordered the missiles to be launched. We were never told who first launched, the Americans or ourselves. And after the Night of the War, my uncle, General Varakov, was given command of the Army of Occupation and he headquartered in Chicago, a city in the midsection of the United States. My husband was given command of the KGB for the United States. They never got along.”
Heruncle and her husband had hated one another, her uncle a decent man, a good soldier, a loyal Communist.
“Vladmirhad a list of people he wished killed or incarcerated, among them Sam Chambers, who was the only surviving member of the Presidential cabinet and the next man in line to become the President. My uncle wished him captured alive so that negotiations could get underway to stop the violence, because there was always resistance to us from the first. The American people enjoyed a constitutional right to keep and bear arms for their own defense, and we encountered armed resistance to our regime at every turn.”
“Civilianspossessed arms?”
“Civiliansfought for their country and did themselves proud in the end.”
“Howdid you meet Rourke?” Kerenin’s voice insisted.
Nataliatold him. “I went into the desert with a man named Yuri who was very adept at portraying Americans. We were set upon by men I later came to call Brigands. Outlaws. They killed Yuri and severely injured me. I killed them. John Rourke and his friend Paul Rubenstein were traveling from New Mexico to Georgia—those are states in the United States—by motorcycle, and they found me after my vehicle became disabled. I would have died otherwise.”
“ThisRourke is an American, I know. This Rubenstein?”
“Ohh,a fine American, major.” “How did they travel when you were discovered?” “They traveled by motorcycle. It is like a car and a bicycle. A two-wheeled machine.”
“Whydid they travel during a war?”
“Johnis married to a woman named Sarah and they have two children, Michael and Annie. But they were allowed to grow up when John used the cryogenic chambers.”
“Youare getting ahead of yourself, Major Tiemerovna.”
“Johnwas searching for his wife and children and Paul was helping him. They became friends after the crash of the airplane.”
“Airplane?You said they traveled by means of these motorcycles.”
“Onthe Night of the War, John was in Canada, a country north of the United States. He was
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