Terror on Arrival: An Apocalyptic Science Fiction Novel

Jayde hated flying. All the air pockets and turbulence didn’t ease her nervousness. At least the ear popping thing was over for around twelve hours. Then the most dangerous part of flying—landing.

This wasn’t a commercial flight. If the military had resources, they would use them. She remembered the flight she had to take to Okinawa. She was on Air Japan. She was treated like they understood the flight was a long one. They made her comfortable. When she landed to report to the Okinawan Marina, she was well rested.

This wasn’t Air Japan. They wouldn’t even spring for a Luftansa flight. Their excuse was, they had no allied stations near Kiev, Ukraine, and so commercial transport wasn’t feasible. Instead of trying out that new 787 jet, she was sitting in a C-5 Galaxy. She had already seen this movie.

Jayde Farrow was a svelte, taut, female African-American, first lieutenant officer in the United States Air Force. Her choice didn’t seem harmonious, initially. Why would a woman who found flying uncomfortable enlist in the Air Force? That was like being a person who couldn’t walk, in a broken wheelchair, who just slapped a polar bear. The outcome, in either scenario would not be a favorable one.

Jayde’s primary vocation was the Air Force, however, she was never near a plane. The profession she refined was marine biology. That was her passion. She was an aqua-horticulturalist, to put a finer point on how far away from jets she was.

She wanted to study undiscovered plants and aquatic animals. Some rainforests were still categorizing newly discovered fauna biota. She deduced that the Earth is seven-tenths water, thus undiscovered fauna biota would be way more abundant in a scarcely discovered area, covering seven-tenths the area you live in. Jayde was analytical that way.

Jayde wasn’t a jet-setter. There weren’t any trust funds set up for her. She couldn’t travel, at whim, to remote locations. All her extra money was set to pay off student loans for specialty courses, outside of the military. She didn’t have an extra quarter million lying around to pursue her passion of studying exotic reefs. The Air Force backed her in her endeavors. The only trade-off was a little military protocol, and going where they told her to go. In return, she got to go to Belize for free. It was a fair deal in her mind. That was, as long as she didn’t have to fly. The military always modified deals. When she signed up, they owned her. Her personal signature told the Air Force she volunteered, and to do with her what they would. Jayde never read the fine print.

They’re transporting me to Kiev, in a Lockheed C-5 Galaxy. A super-fortress, large enough to accommodate a slew of M-1 Abrams tanks, and they wasted all the money they saved on my commercial flight, just to blow it on this sortie (the flying of an aircraft on a mission) Jayde thought, as the powerful turbines howled in the emptiness of the cavernous fuselage.

She was over the Atlantic, flying away from the Belize Barrier Reef, the origin of the disturbance. All to get her a bodyguard. The Air Force higher-ups knew she taught a rape prevention and self-defense class for the female soldiers. They knew she could take care of herself.

Since all other Rangers, SEALs, Paratroopers, or Green Berets were already tasked for missions, Jayde got a Spetsnaz soldier. Add the sarcastic elation here.

The sun was breaking the horizon once more. That was a short night, she thought—they’d left New York at dusk. It felt like the sun had beat them to tomorrow. Jet lag was the other reason Jayde hated flying. She couldn’t perform with sharpness when jet lag dulled her senses. Without delicate accuracy, mistakes take acuity’s place. She prided herself on her reputation. She thought they chose her for this mission because of her expertise. She was the lynch-pin to this important mission... in her mind.

The real reason for her acquiring this mission was that they considered this mission to be a frivolous one, and no officer would waste his time dealing with a Ruskie. Because of her expertise, she received the short straw.

“Fasten your seat belt, we are landing at Kyiv International Airport,” the pilot announced over the intercom. Jayde was feeling the ear popping already, as they began their descent. Flying wasn’t one of Jayde’s friends.

She felt her stomach drop. The pilot was annoying her, on purpose. She was the only Air Force officer on the flight that had never withstood a negative 3G drop in descent before. Granted, it wasn’t as severe, however, those pilots could take the descent. She almost saw what she had for dinner that evening. She wanted to kick the captain for making that subtle fly boy joke. They would’ve written that one up as unprovoked malice and put her in the brig for fun. She just took the joshing. She had done it all her life. What was another kid?

She finally felt the impact of the rear landing gear, and heard the squeal of the rear tires. A few seconds later, the front tire contacted. The pilot threw the engines in reverse, and the turbines stoically protested their forward motion.

Jayde felt as if the momentum of her body wanted to oppose the turbines, like a bratty child, and kept its relentless push forward. Her seat belt became the regulator. It told her momentum to sit down and shut up! Momentum became obedient, immediately.

They taxied near a terminal. It took several minutes to prepare to depart the C-5. With the size of the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy, arriving at a civilian terminal was like putting a basketball player’s foot into an infant’s shoe. It would fit accordingly. The pilots had to park outside the terminal.

The powerful engines finally relented. They were at their destination. Jayde unhooked her regulator, and grabbed her suitcases and briefcase. The rest of her supplies were in the cargo hold of the plane. Hopefully, the crew chiefs of the airport would get those.

When she walked off the transport, she realized she wasn’t in Kansas anymore. There were no crew chiefs. This wasn’t a military air strip. It was a civilian airport. The C-5 stuck out like a sore thumb. All the commercial aircraft looked nervous, with the football captain arriving. The 787s looked as if they were saying That C-5 ain’t so big! They still had respect for its power, though.

She felt oddly at home when she saw a company of Russian military poised at attention, waiting to greet her.

All right girl, you showed up at the party. Might as well hit the dance floor, she thought, as she walked down the mobile stairs to meet the colonel.

The colonel stood at attention, and saluted Jayde. “Zdravstvuite Lieutenant Farrow.”

Jayde returned the salute. “Good morning Colonel Vakrushev.”

Vakrushev dropped his hand, and began to inform her about her bodyguard retrieval. “We are... cordial to produce a worthy commando for your mission, Lieutenant Farrow.”

Jayde realized, Vakrushev chose his words carefully. He wouldn’t use a cavalier word, like ‘happy’ when dealing with an American. At least he was honest.

“I understand this is a Spetsnaz soldier.” Jayde tried to display her military knowledge.

As they walked towards the terminal, Vakrushev confirmed. “Sergeant Doshmononov is a Special Forces operative. You should have no problems with the pirate element.”

Great. A mindless rent-a-bouncer, Jayde thought, as they opened the terminal doors.

“If you do not mind me asking, Lieutenant Farrow,” Vakrushev began, “what type of disturbance are you investigating in Belize?”

“There has been an ecological anomaly in Central America. We police that part of the continent, so we’re obligated to check it out,” Jayde explained.

“You understand, if the current didn’t run in Russia’s direction, your concern would have been strictly American.” Vakrushev pulled no punches. He made sure Jayde knew the mission Russia was undertaking was a favor to America. She felt right at home with her feet on Russian soil.

They walked into the airport. Vakrushev saw Jayde had a garment bag, an overnight bag, a dry erase board, and a silver briefcase.

“Your items will be transported to our Kiev base. Do you need anything initially, Lieutenant Farrow?” he asked.

“As long as I have my antiperspirant, make-up, and hairspray, I think I can manage, Colonel Vakrushev,” she lightly said.

Her candor was not acknowledged. It turned out the weather wasn’t the only cold thing in Russia.

They began walking through a private tunnel—an area where civilians weren’t allowed. It was a silent shell. All the bustle of the airport was happening upstairs. It sounded like the morning commute at the subway station in New York. Kiev was busy in the morning.

They walked to a private exit. Some of the soldiers grabbed her bags and put them in a military limousine. It was black, with no markings. It had the flags of Russia on the right front fender and of Kiev on the left. Her bags were placed in the trunk.

Jayde got into the back of the limousine. She felt important, like a diplomat. At that point, she didn’t, or couldn’t comprehend the gravitas of her importance. Not just to Belize, but the entire planet.

Colonel Vakrushev leaned by the window, after Jayde closed the door. Jayde lowered the window.

Vakrushev bent down with a salute. “Do svidaniya Lieutenant Farrow. May all your endeavors be victorious.”

Jayde returned a casual salute. “Thank you for all your hospitality, Colonel Vakrushev, and farewell. With the addition of your Spetsnaz soldier, accomplishing my endeavors should be automatic.”

The detail began to drive from the private tunnel. It took a few minutes. They emerged from the tunnel four kilometers away. That was when the sunlight gleamed off of landing aircraft, brightly welcoming Jayde to the fresh Kiev morning.

She looked at her watch, and realized she hadn’t adjusted it for the time zone. She took out her smart-phone. The time had auto-corrected on it.

Six in the morning, Friday!? I left New York at eight in the evening, Wednesday! Where did Thursday go!? she thought, as the jet lag phenomenon was becoming prevalent. She experienced this same anomaly when she traveled to Okinawa, but she was too nervous to notice.

The base was on the opposite outskirts of the city. The right side of BFE. It had its own airstrip. Hind-Cs, and Es littered the air field.

If we’re so friendly, why couldn’t we just land here? Jayde thought, as they went through the check point entrance of the base.

They traveled to Abramovich Airfield. This would be where her military comrade would be stationed. This was when her curiosity began to hound her.

So, his name is Doshmononov. That’s definitely Slavic. He’s probably a Neanderthal brute. He could throw me ten feet, but a calculus problem stumps him. I probably have the Incredible Hulk for a pet, ran through her mind as they arrived at the receiving center.

She grabbed her bags out of the trunk. As she walked to the entrance, a few soldiers took her other bags.

“You have to see the commandant. Your bags will be placed in your quarters, Lieutenant Farrow,” a Liaison said. She opened the facility, and directed Jayde to Commandant Kolosov’s office.

Jayde acknowledged the liaison’s direction, and began to move.

She began walking towards his office, with the liaison following. Jayde adjusted herself, and knocked on the door.

She heard the word “Vvodit!”and curiously looked at the liaison.

“That means ‘enter’,” the liaison said. “Go in, Lieutenant. I’ll wait for you out here.”

Jayde nodded, and opened the door.

When she entered, she closed the door, and stood at attention in front of the commandant’s desk.

“Lieutenant Jayde Farrow reporting for duty, Commandant Kolosov,” she announced with a salute.

Commandant Kolosov returned the salute, and switched to his English language once he saw who was reporting to him.

“Ah, good day Lieutenant Farrow. I take it you are enjoying our beautiful morning,” the Commandant said.

“The morning is stupendous, Commandant, but I seem to have misplaced my Thursday,” Jayde said.

“You left New York around eight in the evening, and flew against the grain of time,” Kolosov said. “Your Thursday just went into fast-forward. You didn’t misplace Thursday, you just blinked as it passed you.”

“My job does require travel. Jet lag comes with the territory, Sir,” Jayde said.

“Let me call for Sergeant Doshmononov. You two need to be acquainted,” Kolosov said.

The commandant pressed the button on his intercom.

His secretary answered. “Commandant?”

“Prizyvayet Sergeant Doshmononov pozhaluysta. (Summon Sergeant Doshmononov, please),” Kolosov spoke into the intercom.

“Srazu Commandant.” His secretary understood.

“The Sergeant will be here, momentarily,” The commandant said.

“The one thing I have to say about the Soviets, Commandant.” Jayde began, “The Soviets are efficient. I haven’t even seen my quarters yet, and I’m meeting my bodyguard. I don’t even have time to freshen up, Sir.”

“Sergeant Doshmononov is your bodyguard, not your date, Lieutenant Farrow,” the Commandant said.

“A woman still wants to look fresh, instead of travel worn when she’s meeting someone new, Commandant,” Jayde said.

“My apologies, Lieutenant Farrow. We don’t accommodate for leisure in our military,” Kolosov said.

“We don’t either, Sir,” Jayde returned. “We can just perform this art of ‘making time’. Maybe I can show it to you, someday, Commandant.”

“Unless you had taught it to me yesterday, the day you weren’t here, you won’t have time to teach me before you leave with Sergeant Doshmononov today, Lieutenant Farrow.” Kolosov displayed his temporal metaphysics.

“Once I show you how the trick is done, you’ll recant that statement, Commandant Kolosov,” Jayde said, with a smile on her face.

That was when she heard a knock on the door.

“Vvodit!” Kolosov yelled at the door.

Sergeant Doshmononov entered the office. He closed the door, didn’t acknowledge Jayde, stood at attention, and addressed Commandant Kolosov.

“Sergeant Doshmononov otchetnost’ Commandant!” Alexi reported.

The commandant motioned to Jayde. “Leytenant Farrow.”

Alexi finally looked at her. She was a svelte, ebony, muscular, young woman.

Jayde gave a salute, and tried to address Sergeant Doshmononov. “Privet Sergeant Doshmononov.”

Alexi saluted. “Dobryy utro Leytenant Farrow. Vy govoryat na Russkom, khorosho. Chto oblegchayet perevod (Good day Lieutenant Farrow. You speak Russian, good. That alleviates translation).”

Jayde tried to be amicable, however, her amicability backfired. “I-I’m sorry, Sergeant Doshmononov, I don’t speak Russian. I just know ‘hello’ and ‘good bye’.”

Alexi looked as if she insulted him. Far be it for an American to study his language. He had studied theirs. That was the difference. A Russian was versatile. An American was too arrogant for versatility. They thought all other cultures were beneath them. They always thought of themselves as ‘Top Dog’.

They had foreign language classes in high school, but it was more so for recreation instead of necessity. They travel to our country, and don’t take the time to learn our language. That aloofness just boiled his borscht.

Alexi had his silent rant, and put a smile on his face. “No worries, Lieutenant Farrow. I know English fluently. We can speak in your language, with ease.”

Alexi offered his hand in a handshake, to show Jayde his congruity with her culture.

Jayde had a strange look on her face. They just saluted. Did she have to touch him? Maybe it was a Slavic thing she didn’t know about. She wouldn’t freak out if an Israeli kissed her on both cheeks. She didn’t want any ripples in the water, so she offered her hand, timidly.

Alexi grabbed her hand, and began to shake vigorously. I do this for the Mother, he thought.

Jayde still had an aberrant look on her face, while Alexi kept his pleasant persona about him.

“I see your meeting is a pleasurable one.” Kolosov tried to smooth over the greeting. “The liaison will show you to your quarters, Lieutenant Farrow. You and Sergeant Doshmononov will report to the briefing room at 0730 hours. The liaison will show you on the way to your quarters.”

Jayde felt like a fish out of water, literally. At least her bodyguardlooked as if he could kick some ass.

Jayde stood back to attention, and saluted. “Instructions acknowledged, Commandant!”

Doshmononov mimicked her actions. They both looked like life-sized army men.

Kolosov perused them both. Jayde looked as if she were just following protocol. Doshmononov looked as if he were in a Cadet competition.

“The both of you are dismissed, soldiers,” Kolosov said.

They both dropped their salutes, and headed towards the door. Once they got there, another puzzle was presented to them.

Who was leaving first?

Alexi was a gentleman. Despite his prejudice, she was still the fairer sex. “After you, Lieutenant.”

Jayde felt as if she were the interloper. It wasn’t her country, her base, or her privilege. That chivalry thing hadn’t entered her mind, since before she was in the military, she acquiesced. “By all means, Sergeant Doshmononov, be my guest.”

“Your graciousness is appreciated, Lieutenant, however, we are gentlemen here. The exit is all yours,” Alexi said.

“All soldiers are equal for their commitment. Don’t let me being a woman tarnish that commitment.” Jayde motioned out the door with a smile.

Kolosov had had enough. If they were fighting about who would leave his office first, it would be World War III before lunch! He had to intervene.

“If you two are so worried about braving that big, new world outside of my office, leave by rank!” Kolosov vociferated.

Alexi felt as if Kolosov was on his side. He mimed the ‘after you’ gesture, with a smile of accomplishment.

Jayde hrumphed under her breath, while she passed Alexi. “0730, bodyguard.”

Jayde joined the liaison, and Alexi watched her storm off to her quarters.

“I see what you were doing, Doshmononov,” Kolosov said to Alexi. “Don’t think I took your side. My office just began to stink of lower rank, and with your out-nice-ing one another, you’d miss your meeting bickering at my door, Doshmononov, 0730 chesov.”

After Alexi feeling as if he were caned, snapped back to attention, and saluted. “Commandant!”

Kolosov knew this wouldn’t go smoothly. He just hoped the fireworks would happen in Belize. “Get out of here, Doshmononov, dismissed.”

Alexi quickly left the office. Kolosov knew the wick had already been lit.

That Doshmononov character is a card, Jayde thought, as she fixed her hair in her bathroom’s mirror. Her quarters were actually spacious. This base consisted mostly of men. Jayde was in the women’s wing. There were just as many female Spetsnaz soldiers as the United States had female Green Berets. The women’s wing was primarily desolate.

She was humming an Isley Brothers song as she freshened up. The Soviets really didn’t allot any time for leisure. Her arrival at the meeting was in fifteen minutes. She was lucky it was right down the hall.

Does he hate me because I’m an officer, I’m a female, I’m black, or American? she questioned herself.

It was a quandary she had to find out quickly. If they were shedding blood in the mud, she wanted to know why he hesitated. Not that it would matter, when a 7.62 round pierced her skull.

He’s a dedicated soldier. It wouldn’t be his duty to let harm come to me, she thought.

That was when her female gene activated.

Men aren’t complicated. He won’t even acknowledge his hesitation when he’s picking up your brains from the sand. He’ll chalk it up as “The black Yankee officer chick walked where she shouldn’t have.”

Her mind was a dastardly trick player. Being all those things, gave her brain carte blanche to make her paranoid.

She spritzed a bit of Shalini Perfums’ on her neck and wrists. That intoxicating scent should halt all dislikes.

It was given to her as a gift from her father. He was proud she had graduated from West Point United States Military Academy. She accomplished her career goals, now her next mission was to get a man.

Jayde went online one day to find out about her gift. Shalini was a floral fragrance. It had fragrance notes. The top note consisted of neroli, while the middle note had tuberose and tiere flower. The base note had sandalwood, and musk. The scent was enchanting. That was when she came across the price. 2.2 ounces cost $900! Daddy must reallywant her to snag a man!

She inhaled the aroma. It was light yet aggressive. Her bouquet accented her persona. It displayed elegant authority. It also mixed with her chemistry well. She put it on unconsciously. She wasn’t going ‘Man Huntin’’, it was just the perfume she wore when she met new people.

She adjusted her dress clothing, checked her make-up, grabbed her briefcase, and began to walk from her quarters. It was a staple for her to be early to any meeting.

She entered the room. There was no one there. She didn’t expect anybody to be there before her, anyway. There was just a TV-Blu-Ray combination set on a boardroom table, with a couple manila folders in front of it. The atmosphere in the room had this strange pressurized feel to it. The florescent lights woke you up with sterile starkness.

The room felt like a data entry room. The walls were an antiseptic white. It had a blood-red crimson carpet from wall to wall. There were several chairs placed at the meeting table. She sat near the video-combo unit, and waited.

She opened her aluminum briefcase, and pulled out her Belize papers. She had that ‘ready, set, go’ feeling about her.

She thought of nothing, other than the tropical disturbance, until Alexi walked in. With their initial meeting, her attention became divided.

Alexi automatically snapped to attention, and saluted Jayde. “Lieutenant Farrow.”

Jayde placed her papers on the table, stood at attention, and answered Alexi’s salute. “Sergeant Doshmononov. You don’t have to salute me every time we meet, Sergeant. I know you’ve acknowledged my rank this morning. I won’t hold it against you, if you don’t salute.”

“Unless we are in a combat theater, procedure states I have to salute you whenever you or I arrive, Lieutenant Farrow,” Alexi recited from his manual.

“I respect your procedure, Sergeant, but we aren’t at war,” Jayde said. “You don’t need to be lock-step with me.”

Alexi dropped his salute. That was when her heavenly scent impinged upon any prejudice he harbored. What was that seducing emanation her being possessed? Do all Americans smell like that? He hadn’t been around other Americans, so the experience was new to him.

Her alluring aroma portrayed her in a different light. All Jayde did was spritz herself with her perfume, her ‘Man Huntin’’ perfume. She didn’t realized how indebted she was to its powerful scope. It made Alexi sign a mental truce in relations to Jayde. There was a reason Shalini costs so much. With an affable female in control, men had no power over its redolence.

Alexi sat on the other side of the video unit. He unconsciously h

ad to distance himself from her euphoric bouquet. He never had to deal with an inadvertent femme fatale before.

They didn’t speak. Jayde immersed herself in her Belize papers, while Alexi absorbed himself in battling her fragrance.

He finally gave in. “What, may I ask, is that perfume you are wearing, Lieutenant Farrow?”

Jayde looked up at Alexi in surprise. She never thought he would volunteer a personal question. “I’m wearing Shalini, Sergeant. My dad gave it to me for graduation.”

“Your father has impeccable tastes, Lieutenant Farrow,” Alexi complemented her father.

“T-thank you, Sergeant Doshmononov. Dad has been my match-maker since I’ve been an officer,” Jayde said.

“Well, to be politically correct, how does your spouse feel about you still baiting your hook?” Alexi asked.

“Your political correctness is not necessary, Sergeant. I like guys, but I haven’t caught a fish yet,” Jayde admitted. “The ocean’s my husband.”

That was when Commandant Kolosov entered the room. “Ah, my team is here.”

They both stood at attention and saluted the commandant.

Kolosov immediately pish-poshed their actions. “Everybody met this morning, stop saluting every time you see me.”

Both the soldiers sat back down awkwardly.

“I guess I do not have to tell you, this mission is top secret. The only people who know of this anomaly are you, me, and your superiors. Your president and our premier aren’t even privy to this information. You have no re-enforcements qualified enough to aid you. Once you have completed this mission, it never happened,” Kolosov recited. This was getting serious.

“Are there going to be any superiors monitoring us today, Commandant Kolosov?” Jayde asked.

“They already have the particulars of the mission, Lieutenant Farrow. They trust your discretion,” Kolosov said. “At this point, this briefing consists of just us.”

Jayde saw where this mission would go. She would be the brains, while Doshmononov would be her acolyte of holy protection.

“The call sign for your team will be Team Veridical. You will answer on frequency whatever degree it is Celsius for the Kremlin’s temperature for the 0630 hours to the sixth power,” Kolosov explained the code.

Jayde knew this briefing was to get them up to speed. She decided to interject some intelligence herself.

“Have you ever visited the Light House Reef, in the Caribbean, Sergeant?” she asked Doshmononov.

“My locations have a bit harsher terrain than a tropical vacation spot, Lieutenant.” Alexi said.

“Don’t get this mission confused with a vacation, Sergeant. This may look desirable, but we have a glaring problem corrupting the tropical ecosystem, in the midst of pirate country. Parasailing and wake-boarding aren’t choices on this operation,” Jayde said.

“Do not get a dedicated Spetsnaz commando confused with a soldier who has the option of leave, Lieutenant. That word was forfeit the day I became a commando. I have no desire to play badminton on the beach. Commandos accomplish their missions. I will protect you, or die trying,” Alexi returned.

Jayde was surprised at Alexi. She knew he couldn’t stand her, yet, he was a loyal soldier. His vocation trumped his personal dislikes.

“We will rendezvous with a French scientist, named Doctor Deveaxun Chalet. He knows the Belize Barrier Reef like the back of his hand. His nick-name is ‘The DarwinWarrior’. He takes natural selection to the nth degree,” Jayde explained about her mentor.

“Doctor Chalet sounds interesting,” Alexi said.

“If the word ‘interesting’ means ‘bat crap crazy’, your assumptions would be correct,” Jayde said. “I respect his barrier reef knowledge, but I’m terrified of his eccentricities.”

“I have dealt with odd cookies before,” Alexi said.

“I am not telling you this with aloofness, Sergeant Doshmononov, Doctor Chalet is the epitome of capriciousness. He only eats sea urchin, seaweed, and bee pollen,” Jayde said.

“I eat borscht, cod fish soup, and tvorog. That is normal for me. He would probably gag,” Alexi told her.

“There is one major difference between both your cuisines; one can be categorized as food, no matter how exotic it is,” she explained, to get her point of his irregularity across.

“Now, you are getting extreme, Lieutenant,” Alexi said. “Seaweed is food.”

“...To a mollusk,” Jayde completed his sentence.

“You would eat seaweed,” Alexi claimed.

“Not on a dare,” Jayde answered him again.

Commandant Kolosov had a poignant question. “Does ‘Mister Unique Diet’ have the proper clearance?”

“He is more secure than we are, Commandant. He messaged me about a disturbance at the reef even before my orders were cut. I would never introduce a leak into this delicate operation, Sir,” Jayde said.

“Regardless, I will wire a request to Belize about the doctor’s background. I, unfortunately, cannot trust yourword with statements,” Kolosov said.

Jayde knew the protocol. She couldn’t say ‘boo’ without proper authorization. She had to get some sleep before they traveled to Belize, anyway. That should give Kolosov enough time to get all his ducks in line.

Kolosov looked over his team. Doshmononov was in white knight shield mode, and Jayde looked like a curious pixie.

“You know exactly what we know. Are there any questions?” Kolosov asked.

“Am I authorized to use deadly force, Commandant?” Alexi asked.

Jayde and the commandant had a strange look on their faces.

“I am not asking to kill anyone,” Alexi explained. “I just want to know what restrictions, if any, I have. That is the basis of my question,” Alexi clarified.

“This operation is considered a krasnyy robin (red robin). Neutralizationis authorized. Just don’t kill anyone because they like the Beach Boys instead of Bulanova,” Kolosov said.

“YA budu khoroshim mal’ chikom,” Alexi spoke in Russian.

“We have an officer from the United States as a guest, Doshmononov, have some respect,” Kolosov admonished Alexi, and then he turned to Jayde. “I am sorry, Lieutenant, he said he would be a good boy.”

Jayde just looked at Alexi. She hoped he would be effective, not ‘good’. “I have a question, Commandant, when do we leave?”

“Your departure from our base is 1800 hours. I know it isn’t a lot of time for you to get familiar with Kiev, but your liaison can give you a tour of our city,” Kolosov said.

“A tour is not necessary, Commandant, I must get sleep. I’ve been living in time’s ‘Outer Limits’. I’ve literally been awake for three days. I need to rest before we add another day,” Jayde explained.

“Yes, I understand time has ravaged your sleep pattern, and you must claim more, before the time zone molests you again. Your liaison will wake you at 1500 hours,” Kolosov said.

Alexi decided it was an opportune time to meditate. The woman needed sleep, he needed relaxation.

“There is nothing else?” Kolosov asked. The team was quiet. “Dismissed.”

Jayde took her files, and presented them to Alexi. “These papers will help you bone up on Belize.”

Alexi took the folder. “Spacibo Lieutenant. Walking into a disturbance blindly is never an advantage.”

“I feel the same way, Sergeant. We need to work as smooth as water off a waxed car,” she said.

They didn’t know they were the key gears to a complex timepiece.