28

As the door opened, brilliant light blinded Annja. She heard Bob groan. She blinked furiously, trying to adjust her eyes so she could see who had come in.

“I see you’re both awake.”

Gradually, Annja’s eyes cleared, although the person remained silhouetted in front of the bright lights.

“Who are you?” she asked.

“You don’t recognize me?”

“No. I can’t see.”

The shadow turned and said something to someone behind him. Immediately, the lights dimmed enough for Annja to make him out.

It wasn’t Gregor.

“Father Jakob?”

He bowed low. “You may also refer to me as Dr. Dzerchenko. It is my real name, after all, not some silly concoction dreamed up by my superiors when I came to this wretched outpost.”

“What is this all about?” she asked.

Dzerchenko shook his head. “I’ll tell you, but not yet. I don’t want to ruin the surprise. And I have so few things left in life that grant me some measure of happiness that I will keep the truth from you a little longer. I believe you’ll indulge me this final time, won’t you?”

“What choice do we have?” Annja asked.

“You ought to be showing more gratitude than that,” Dzerchenko said. “After all, I saved your friend’s life.”

“You did this?” Bob asked.

“Of course. And you were in need of help, my dear man. If I’d gotten to you much later, you wouldn’t have had a chance. As it is, you’re still in rough shape.”

“I feel great,” he said weakly.

Annja looked and saw the multiple tubes and wires connected to Bob’s bed. As he’d noted, wide leather straps held him in place.

Dzerchenko pointed. “The straps are for your own protection, I assure you. I couldn’t risk you waking up and trying to move. Any action like that might tear the sutures I used to repair all the damage the bullet caused.”

He turned his attention to Annja. “In your case, however, the bonds are more for our protection than yours.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Annja said.

Dzerchenko laughed. “I’m sure you do, my dear girl. I can’t take a chance that you’d ruin my laboratory here.”

“Laboratory?” Annja asked.

Dzerchenko held up his hand. “I’m sorry, I failed to mention where you are. You are in an underground network that lies beneath the village. I’m sure you already surmised such a thing. You do strike me as much more observant than the majority of people I’ve encountered in life.”

“Gee, thanks,” Annja said.

“Be that as it may, you must still appreciate my position in this. I apologize for the physical restrictions I’ve placed upon you, but I will clarify my work here in just a few more minutes.”

“Let me guess—you’re doing the mad-scientist routine.” Annja leaned back against the board she was strapped to. “Another crazy genius hell-bent on creating something, right?”

“The mad-scientist label has never applied to me, I assure you. What I’m after here is nothing less than revolutionary.”

Annja looked at him. The guise of Father Jakob no longer seemed relevant. Dzerchenko seemed healthy and strong, even if he was older. That would make him more dangerous than before, Annja thought. I’ll have to remember that.

“Does this have anything to do with what you told me and Gregor earlier about the cannibal soldier?” she asked.

“So you were listening,” Dzerchenko said. “Excellent.”

“It’s a crock, though,” Annja said. “It’s impossible, right?”

“Is it? Didn’t you yourself see the results and battle it in the root cellar? The thing you called Khosadam. She was one of my earliest experiments.”

“You did that to her?” Annja asked, horrified.

He smiled. “She tried to escape from the mines. She was found by the KGB and told she would die by firing squad unless she volunteered to be used in my experiments.”

“She volunteered?” Annja couldn’t imagine such a thing.

“Oh, indeed she did. Although I must admit the poor thing probably would have opted for death had she known what awaited her. Regardless, she came to my lab and the rest, as they say, is history.”

“You destroyed her.”

“I gave her a new life,” Dzerchenko said. “Don’t be so presumptuous as to think I robbed that girl of anything. I gave her power and strength beyond her wildest imagination.”

“You turned her into a beast,” Annja said. “And one I would not have killed unless I absolutely had to. You left me no choice.”

“Yes, well, it was a shame, but she was getting a bit out of hand. Her nocturnal forays were becoming troublesome.”

“So, why not just kill her yourself?”

Dzerchenko frowned. “Believe it or not, I found I was unable to do so. I had become fond of her over the years. She was like my own child. And I could never do that to her.”

“So, you went out and found a fool to do your errand for you,” Annja said. “Glad I could oblige.”

“You put her out of her misery,” Dzerchenko said.

“Isn’t that what you claim she was enduring?”

“Metal teeth, metal claws and wearing the brank? I’m sure she was miserable,” Annja said.

“So you did her a favor.” Dzerchenko smiled. “And me, as well. Thank you for that.”

“If you’re looking for a creative way to thank me, I’d suggest letting me and Bob go.”

Dzerchenko shook his head. “And ruin the surprise? Not at all. I wouldn’t hear of it.”

“Is it about Gregor? We already figured out he was a bad guy.”

Dzerchenko laughed. “You really think you know it all, don’t you? You’ve got it all figured out. Well, your theories are full of nothing but hot air.”

“So, what is it, then? You saying Gregor’s not involved?” Annja asked.

“Gregor was a nuisance. Just as you were. When you three came poking around the village and got caught up in the silliness of the Khosadam legend, I was forced to take steps that I would not have otherwise taken.”

Bob shifted in his bed. “So what now?”

Annja glanced at him. “Hang on a second.” She turned back to Dzerchenko. “Where is Gregor? What did you do with him?”

“Not so much with,” Dzerchenko said. “The better question is what did I do to him?”

Annja’s stomach cramped up. This can’t be good, she thought.

Dzerchenko stepped back and Annja could see into the next room. Bright lights illuminated the entire scene. She could see a gurney and on top of that, she saw Gregor’s body. Limp. Lifeless.

“You killed him.” Her voice was quiet.

Dzerchenko shook his head. “Why must everything be about death with you, Miss Creed? Isn’t it possible that I could be redefining life?”

“What have you done to him?”

“Gregor will be the next generation of my experiment. And I will finally see it as a total success. The lessons I learned from my prototypes were invaluable to me. Gregor is giving me a chance to put those lessons into action.”

“You’re turning him into one of those…things?” Annja cried.

Bob groaned next to her. Dzerchenko held up a finger. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. If you rip the sutures, I will not be able to save you again and you will most definitely die.”

Bob stopped struggling. “How long until I’m able to move?”

“A matter of days, I’d think. You took the repairs quite well. Better than I would have expected, actually. But I imagine that’s due to your heightened athletic state. Still, don’t go abusing the repairs just yet.”

“When I’m able to move again, you’d better be dead already, because I’m going to wrap my hands around that scrawny neck of yours and squeeze until brains leak out of your ears,” Bob said.

“Unfortunately, it’ll be too late,” Dzerchenko said.

“By that time, I will have completed my work on Gregor and he will be ready to unleash upon the world.”

“You’re going to set him free?” Annja asked.

Dzerchenko smiled. “Why not? It’s the reason I’ve been in this horrid village for over thirty years, masquerading as a priest, so I can continue my work unabated.”

“But the people who originally set you up…surely they’re not still in power?” Bob said.

Dzerchenko grinned. “Why is it Americans think they know everything? Just because the Cold War is over, don’t think for a moment that there is no animosity between our two countries. And don’t ever make the mistake of believing that the people who grew up hating your country have fallen out of grace.”

“You’re saying they’re still around?” Bob asked.

“Certainly.”

“Great,” Annja said. “So much for world peace.”

“World peace is a fallacy perpetrated by dreamers who know nothing of how the world truly works.”

“I must be an idealist,” Annja replied.

“Most people are. But they fail to realize that everything in this world boils down to one thing—money. And even in war, the ultimate goal is to secure the land, resources or riches of the other country. They want to become more powerful and wealthy than the other.”

“Isn’t that a shortsighted view?” Bob asked.

“It’s pragmatic,” Dzerchenko said. “And the world could use a bit more pragmatism.” He pointed at Gregor’s limp body. “That in there is an example of ultimate pragmatism. A soldier who can subsist on the dead around him. He can keep going for days without needing rest, able to eat on the go, scavenging from corpses. It’s brilliant and cost-effective.”

“So this is all about economics?” Annja said.

Dzerchenko shook his head. “My dear, that is what the Cold War was about. And it’s why the Soviet Union lost. But with a new breed of soldier, we can turn the tables once and for all. Then our government, which has been cheerfully masquerading as a fledgling democracy, can finally revert to its true nature and conquer the West.”

“My god, you really are insane,” Annja said.

Dzerchenko smiled. “The greatest minds have always had to endure ridicule from the mediocre.”

“You’re paraphrasing,” Bob grunted. “Completely unoriginal.”

Dzerchenko frowned. “Very well, you’ll see how it all plays out. Because within the next hour, Gregor there will be reborn as a new man. A fantastic soldier capable of extraordinary feats.”

“Sounds like a pipe dream,” Bob said.

Dzerchenko chuckled. “Yes, well, I suppose you’ll change your mind once you get a look at him.”

Dzerchenko came farther into the room and Annja could see the smile on his face. “You see, when Gregor awakens, he will be quite hungry.”

Annja’s stomach hurt even more.

“And naturally, he’ll want to eat.” Dzerchenko leveled a finger at Bob. “You will be his first meal.”

Annja took a breath. “No!”

Dzerchenko looked at her. “Don’t worry, Annja. I haven’t forgotten about you. Once Gregor is finished eating Bob, we will put him to his first field test. You will face him in combat, Annja Creed. And one of you—most likely you—will die.”