tc.redstormrising-第185章

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y…click　familiar　to　Western　riders；　the　men　of　this　C　division　heard　only　a　series　of　thuds。　It　tested　nerves　already　raw。
The　interval　between　the　jarring　sounds　slowed。　A　few　soldiers　looked　out　to　see　that　their　train　was　stopping　at　Kazan。　The　officers　were　surprised。　They　weren't　supposed　to　stop　until　they　got　to　Moscow。　The　mystery　was　soon　solved。　No　sooner　had　the　twenty…car　train　stopped　than　new　men　filed　into　the　carriages。
〃Attention；〃　called　one　loud　voice。　〃bat　soldiers　arriving！〃
Though　they　had　been　issued　new　uniforms；　their　boots　showed　the　weeks　of　abuse。　Their　swagger　marked　them　as　veterans。　About　twenty　got　onto　each　passenger　car；　and　rapidly　secured　fortable　seating　for　themselves。　Those　displaced　would　have　to　stand。　There　were　officers；　too；　and　they　found　their　counterparts。　The　officers　of　the　77th　began　to　get　firsthand　information　of　NATO　doctrine　and　tactics；　what　worked　and　what　didn't　work；　all　the　lessons　paid　for　in　blood　by　the　soldiers　who　did　not　join　the　division　at　Kazan。　The　enlisted　men　got　no　such　lessons。　They　watched　men　who　were　able　to　sleep　even　as　they　rode　to　the　fighting　front。

FASLANE；　SCOTLAND
Chicago　was　alongside　the　pier；　loading　torpedoes　and　missiles　for　her　next　mission。　Half　her　crew　was　ashore　stretching　their　legs　and　buying　drinks　for　the　crew　of　Torbay。
Their　boat　had　acquired　quite　a　reputation　for　her　work　in　the　Barents　Sea；　enough　so　that　they'd　be　heading　back　as　soon　as　she　was　ready；　to　escort　the　carrier　battle　groups　now　in　the　Norwegian　Sea；　heading　for　the　Soviet　bases　on　the　Kola　Peninsula。
McCafferty　sat　alone　in　his　stateroom；　wondering　why　a　mission　that　had　ended　in　disaster　was　considered　successful；　hoping　that　he　wouldn't　be　sent　out　again…but　knowing　that　he　would　。　。　。

MOSCOW；　R。S。F。S。R。
〃Good　news；　rade　General！〃　A　colonel　stuck　his　head　in　the　office　Alekseyev　had　taken　for　himself。　〃Your　people　were　able　to　join　up　with　the　77th　at　Kazan。〃
〃Thank　you。〃　Alekseyev's　head　went　back　to　his　maps　when　the　colonel　withdrew。
〃It's　amazing。〃
〃What's　that；　Vanya？〃
〃The　men　you　selected　for　the　77th；　the　paperwork；　the　orders…they　went　through　just　like　that！〃
〃A　routine　transfer　of　personnel…why　shouldn't　it　go　through？〃　the　General　asked。　〃The　Politburo　approved　the　procedure。〃
〃But　this　is　the　only　group　of　men　flown　out。〃
〃They　had　the　farthest　to　go。〃　Alekseyev　held　up　a　message　form　he'd　just　filled　out。　Captain…no；　now　he　was　Major　Arkady　Semyonovich　Sorokin　of　the　76th　Guards　Airborne　Division　was　ordered　to　report　to　Moscow　immediately。　He　would　fly　also。　A　pity　he　could　not　have　the　captain　bring　some　of　his　men　along；　but　they　were　where　no　Soviet　general　could　reach。
〃So；　Mikhail　Eduardovich；　what　does　General　Alekseyev　plan？〃
Sergetov　handed　over　some　notes。　Kosov　leafed　through　the　pages　in　a　few　minutes。
〃If　be　succeeds；　at　least　an　Order　of　Lenin　from　us；　yes？〃　That　general　is　overly　smart。　Too　bad　for　him。
〃We　are　far　from　that　point。　What　about　the　timing？　We　depend　on　you　to　set　the　stage。〃
〃I　have　a　colonel　who　specializes　in　this　sort　of　thing。〃
〃I'm　sure。〃
〃One　other　thing　we　should　do；〃　Kosov　said。　He　explained　for　several　minutes　before　taking　his　leave。　Sergetov　shredded　the　notes　he　had　from　Alekseyev　and　had　Vitaly　bum　them。
The　trouble　light　and　buzzer　caught　the　dispatcher's　attention　at　once。　Something　was　wrong　with　the　trackage　on　the　Elektrozavodskaya　Bridge；　three　kilometers　east　of　Kazan　Station。
〃Get　an　inspector　out　there。〃
〃There's　a　train　half　a　kilometer　away；〃　his　assistant　warned。
〃Tell　it　to　stop　at　once！〃　The　dispatcher　flipped　the　switch　controlling　the　tower　signal。
The　deputy　dispatcher　lifted　his　radiotelephone。　〃Train　eleven　ninety…one；　this　is　Kazan　Central　Dispatch。　Trouble　on　the　bridge　ahead；　stop　immediately！〃
〃I　see　the　signal！　Stopping　now；〃　the　engineer　replied。　〃We　won't　make　it！〃
And　he　couldn't。　Eleven　ninety…one　was　a　hundred…car　unit；　flatcars　loaded　with　armored　vehicles　and　boxcars　loaded　with　munitions。　Sparks　flew　in　the　pre…dawn　light　as　the　engineer　applied　the　brakes　on　every　car；　but　he　needed　more　than　a　few　hundred　meters　to　halt　the　train。　He　peered　ahead　looking　for　the　problem…a　bad　signal；　he　hoped。
No！　A　track　was　loose　just　at　the　west　side　of　the　bridge。　The　engineer　shouted　a　warning　to　his　crew　and　cringed。　The　lootive　jumped　the　track　and　ground　sideways　to　a　halt。　This　could　not　prevent　the　three　engines　behind　it　and　eight　flatcars　from　surging　forward。　They　too　jumped　off　the　track；　and　only　the　bridge's　steel　framework　prevented　them　from　spilling　into　the　Yauza　River。　The　track　inspector　arrived　a　minute　later。　He　cursed　all　the　way　to　the　telephone　box。
〃We　need　two　big　wreckers　here！〃
〃How　bad？〃　the　dispatcher　asked。
〃Not　as　bad　as　the　one　last　August。　Twelve　hours；　perhaps　sixteen。〃
〃What　went　wrong？〃
〃All　the　traffic　on　this　bridge…what　do　you　think？〃
〃Anyone　hurt？〃
〃Don't　think　so…they　weren't　going　very　fast。〃
〃I'll　have　a　crew　out　there　in　ten　minutes。〃　The　dispatcher　looked　up　at　the　blackboard　list　of　arriving　trains。
〃Damn！　What　are　we　going　to　do　with　these？〃
〃We　can't　split　them　up；　it's　a　whole　Army　division　traveling　as　a　unit。　They　were　supposed　to　go　around　the　north　side。　We　can't　send　them　around　to　the　south　either。　Novodanilovskiy　Bridge　is　packed　solid　for　hours。〃
〃Reroute　them　into　Kursk　Station。　I'll　call　the　Rzhevskaya　dispatcher　and　see　if　he　can　get　us　a　routing　on　his　track。〃
The　trains　arrived　at　seven…thirty。　One　by　one　they　were　shunted　onto　the　sidings　at　Kursk　Station　and　stopped。　Many　of　the　troops　aboard　had　never　been　to　Moscow　before；　but　except　for　those　on　the　outermost　sidings；　all　they　could　see　were　the　trains　of　their　fellow　soldiers。
〃A　deliberate　attempt　to　sabotage　the　State　railroads！〃　the　KGB　colonel　said。
〃More　probably　it　was　worn　trackage；　rade；〃　the　Kazan　dispatcher　said。　〃But　you　are　correct　to　be　prudent。〃
〃Worn　trackage？〃　the　colonel　snarled。　He　knew　for　certain　that　it　had　been　a　different　cause。　〃I　think　perhaps　you　do　not　take　this　seriously　enough。〃
The　dispatcher's　blood　chilled　at　that　statement。　〃I　have　my　responsibilities；　too。　For　the　moment　that　means　clearing　the　wreckage　off　that　damned　bridge　and　getting　my　trains　rolling　again。　Now；　I　have　a　seven…train　unit　sitting　at　Kursk；　and　unless　I　can　get　them　moving　north〃
〃From　what　I　see　of　your　map；　moving　all　the　traffic　around　the　city's　northern　perimeter　depends　on　a　single　switch。〃
〃Well；　yes；　but　that's　the　responsibility　of　the　Rzhevskaya　dispatcher。〃
〃Has　it　ever　occurred　to　you　that　saboteurs　are　not　assigned　in　the　same　way　as　dispatchers？　Perhaps　the　same　man　could　operate　in　a　different　district！　Has　anyone　checked　that　switch？〃
〃I　don't　know。〃
〃Well；　find　out！　No；　no；　I　will　send　my　own　people　to　check　before　you　railroad　fools　wreck　anything　else。〃
〃But；　my　scheduling　。　。　。〃　The　dispatcher　was　a　proud　man；　but　he　knew　that　he　had　pressed　his　luck　too　far　already。
〃Wele　to　Moscow；〃　Alekseyev　said　genially。
Major　Arkady　Semyonovich　Sorokin　was　short；　like　most　paratroop　officers。　A　handsome　young　man　with　light　brown　hair；　his　blue　eyes　burned　for　a　reason　that　Alekseyev　understood　better　than　the　major　did。　He　limped　slightly　from　two　bullets　he'd　taken　in　the　leg　during　the　initial　assault　on　the　Keflavik　air　base　on　Iceland。　On　his　breast　was　the　ribbon　of　the　Order　of　the　Red　Banner；　earned　for　leading　his　pany　into　enemy　fire。　Sorokin　and　most　of　the　early　casualties　had　been　flown　out　for　medical　treatment。　He　and　they　were　now　awaiting　new　assignment　since　their　division　had　been　captured　on　Iceland。
〃How　may　I　serve　the　General？〃　Sorokin　asked。
〃I　need　a　new　aide；　and　I　prefer　officers　with　bat　experience。　More　than　that；　Arkady　Semyonovich；　I　will　need　you　to　perform　a　delicate　task。　But　before　we　discuss　that；　there　is　something　I　need　to　explain　to　you。　Please　sit　down。　Your　leg？〃
〃The　doctors　advised　me　not　to　run　on　it　for　another　week。　They　were　right。　I　tried　to　do　my　ten　kilometers　yesterday　and　pulled　up　lame　after　only　two。〃　He　didn't　smile。　Alekseyev　imagined　that　the　boy　hadn't　smiled　at　all　since　May。　The　General　explained　to　him　for　the　first　time　why　this　was　true。