The Secret Speech

released!

— That speech might force them to negotiate in earnest. However, we are a long way from Moscow. The Kolyma administration may have decided to deal with this insurrection in secret, to prevent moderate Moscow influences becoming involved.

— They want to kill us?

— This uprising is a threat to their way of life.

On the ground a prisoner shouted:

— They’re calling!

The prisoners hurried to the ladder, bottlenecking in their haste to clamber down. Leo was last to descend, unable to hurry since bending his legs caused a sharp pain in both knees, the damaged skin stretching. By the time he reached the bottom of the ladder, he was sweating, short of breath. The others were already by the radio.

A radio transceiver was the sole means of communication between the various camps and the administrative headquarters in Magadan. One of the prisoners with some rudimentary knowledge of the equipment had taken charge. He was wearing earphones and repeated the words he could hear:

— Regional Director Abel Prezent… He wants to speak to whoever is in charge.

Without discussion the young leader took the microphone, launching into a rhetorical outburst:

— Gulag 57 is in the hands of the prisoners! We have risen up against the guards! They beat us and killed at their whim! No more…

Leo said:

— Mention that the guards are alive.

The man waved Leo aside, swollen on his own importance:

— We embrace our leader Khrushchev’s speech. In his name, we want every prisoner’s sentence reviewed. We want those who should be free, granted freedom. We want those who have done wrong, treated humanely. We demand this in the name of our revolutionary forefathers. That glorious cause has been corrupted by your crimes. We are the true heirs of the revolution! We demand you apologize! And send us food, good food, not convict gruel!

Unable to conceal his disbelief Leo shook his head, commenting:

— If you want to get everyone killed, ask for caviar and prostitutes. If you want to live, tell them the guards are alive.

The man added, peevishly:

— I should tell you that the guards are alive. We are holding them in humane conditions, treating them far better than they treated us. They will remain alive as long as you do not attack us. If you attack, we have taken precautions to ensure every last guard will die!

The voice on the radio crackled in reply, words that the man repeated:

— He requests proof of life. Once that is given he will listen to our demands.

Leo moved close to Lazar, petitioning him as the voice of reason:

— The injured guards should be sent over. Without medical attention they will die.

The vory leader, annoyed at being sidelined, interjected:

— We shouldn’t give them anything. It is a sign of weakness.

Leo countered:

— When those guards die of their injuries they will be worthless to you. This way you gain some value from them.

The vory sneered:

— And no doubt you want to be included in the truck that carries them out?

He’d guessed Leo’s intention exactly. Leo nodded:

— Yes.

Lazar whispered in Georgi’s ear, words that he announced with his own note of surprise:

— … And I want to go with him.

Everyone turned to Lazar. He continued, whispering to Georgi:

— Before I die I would like to see my wife and son. Leo took them from me. He is the only person who can reunite us.

* * *

THE FREIGHT TRUCK WAS LOADED with the most severely injured guards, six in total, none of whom would survive another twenty-four hours without medical attention. They were lifted on planks of wood, improvised stretchers, Leo assisting in the transfer of the final guard from the barracks. Laying him down in the back of the truck, they were ready to go.

As they were about to leave, Leo caught a glimpse of the guard’s watch. It was cheap plate gold, unremarkable except for the fact that it was Timur’s. There was no doubt: he’d seen that watch countless times. He’d listened to Timur’s story of how his father had passed it off as a family heirloom despite it being worthless. Crouching down, Leo ran his fingertip across the cracked glass. He looked at the injured officer. The man’s eyes were nervous. He understood its significance. Leo asked:

— You took this from my friend?

The officer said nothing.

— This belonged to my friend.

Leo felt anger rising through his body:

— This was his watch.

The officer began to shake. Leo tapped the watch, commenting:

— I’m going to have to take it back.

Leo tried to unclip the worthless watch. As he did, he lifted his leg, pressing his knee against the man’s injured, bloody chest, pushing down hard:

— You see… this is a family heirloom… it now belongs to Timur’s wife… and his sons… his two sons… two wonderful sons… two wonderful boys… It belongs to them because you murdered their father… you murdered my friend…

The officer began to bleed from his mouth and nose, his arms feebly patting Leo’s leg, trying to push it away. Leo kept his knee steady, maintaining pressure on the injured torso. The pain from his bruised knee caused his eyes to water. They weren’t tears for Timur. This was hatred, revenge, the force of which made him push down harder and harder. The material of his trousers was soaked with the officer’s blood.

The strap unclipped, coming free from the officer’s limp wrist. Leo put it in his pocket. The remaining five men in the back of the truck were looking at him, terrified. He walked past them, calling out to the prisoners on the ground:

— One of these officers is dead. We have space for another.

While they offloaded the body, an event which none of the prisoners questioned, Leo examined the watch. As the rage began to seep away, he felt weak, not out of regret or shame, but tiredness as the most powerful of stimulants — revenge — flushed out of his system. That depth of anger must be how Fraera felt about him.

Leo peered at the injured guard walking to the truck, the replacement for the officer he’d just killed. His arm was wrapped in bloody bandages. Something was wrong. The man was nervous. Perhaps he’d also been involved in Timur’s murder. Leo reached out, stopping him, taking hold of the bandages and pulling them back, revealing a long, superficial cut stretching from his elbow to his hand, self-inflicted. The same was true for the injuries to his head. The man whispered:

— Please…

If caught he’d be shot. If the prisoners thought the guards were exploiting their kindness, a kindness they’d never been shown, the entire operation would be at risk. After the execution of the other guard, Leo hesitated only briefly before allowing him into the back of the truck.

Lazar, speaking through Georgi, was addressing the other prisoners, explaining to his followers his reasons for wanting to leave:

— I do not expect to live much longer. I am too weak to fight. I thank you for letting me go home.