The Fall of America: Fatal Encounters (Book 2) Read Online Free Page B

hill.”
    Knowing the conversation with his commander was finished, Pankov stood and snapped to attention.
    “Dismissed Colonel; now carry out my orders.”  

    Master Sergeant Dmitry Belonev jumped from the back of the big truck and landed on the wet pavement with a grunt. His back was hurting him again and he thought, I will be a happy man when I retire next year and move back to the country.  I grow tired of moving around the world and living out of my backpack.  I miss my Alena, and a man should have a good woman at his side as he grows older.
    “Senior Sergeant, have the men break down into squads and start gathering people.  If we get all one hundred here, we can return to camp quickly. But, be warned, if all are not gathered here, we will go elsewhere to look for more.” The Master Sergeant ordered.  He found gathering hostages distasteful, but his job was to follow orders.
    “Why are we collecting people in the middle of the night?” A private asked the Senior Sergeant.
    “I do not know, and it does not matter. Our orders are to collect people, and we will do as we have been told to do.”
    “Senior Sergeant, move the men!” Belonev yelled. The Master Sergeant was older than his men, on the high side of his forties, and had entered the Russian army at the tender age of seventeen.  While he had little education, he wasn't an ignorant man, and most of his knowledge was self taught. For his age he was an excellent example of a Russian NCO, but it was his lack of formal education that prevented him from earning a warrant officer promotion. His hair was brown, with a slight suggestion of red, easily seen in sunlight, and cropped close to his skull. He was thin, except for a slight trace of a potbelly starting to form over his belt, and his uniform was always spotless. Not a short man, his frame was close to six feet; his uniform gave the impression he was much taller.
    Warrant Officer Titov walked to the Master Sergeant's side and asked, “You have been in the army many years, so why do you think we are out gathering up civilians in the middle of the night?'
    Titov and Belonev often shared a bottle of vodka and were friends, except when in performance of their duties, then it was all by the book. “Sir, I suspect we are gathering up hostages for a camp or execution.”
    “I think killing civilians would be rather stupid, do not you think?”
    “When I wear this uniform, I do no thinking on my own. I simply follow orders like a good little boy.  I suggest, sir, you do the same.  It will keep your ass out of hot water.”
    Laughing Titov said, “Hell, I know you better than you realize.  You are walking around thinking of your wife, Alena, and your farm.  Once you are drawing a pension, your army days will be over.”
    “You are right, those were my thoughts, but first I have to live long enough to retire, my friend.  Nonetheless, I fully intend to survive and to retire, no matter how many Americans I must gather for the commander. However, once I am home, I will make love to my wife for a solid week, eat like a starving pig, and drink myself self silly for a month. But before my dream can come true, I have to serve this last tour in this God awful country.  A year is a long time to survive in combat.”
    “This was once the land of milk and honey, or do you not know? Just a few short years ago, Americans were the richest people on earth, with all owning big expensive cars, new homes, and making more money in a day than we earn in a month.”
    “That may be so, but I am still earning my money while their whole country has fallen. I just hope I am able to retire before the damned Chinese start warring with us. There are too many of them to fight in this place.”
    “I have heard the Chinese were warned to leave us alone or we will use tactical nuclear weapons against them.”
    Belonev laughed and once quiet again, he said, “So, we use a nuc and kill, let's say a million Chinese; that will not put