Their thoughts still focused on the basics: survival – their own first and foremost. There were few straws to cling to; thus, they preferred silence while avoiding looking each other in the eye. It was Kaare who finally broke the silence.
‘Thank you… thank you for trying,’ Kaare said, his eyes filled with a glow.
A nascent optimism had replenished his physical strength and survival instincts. The physical pain, hunger and cold concrete floor were forgotten. Escape was the only thing that his mind focused on. After a while, he could redirect his thoughts to the most immediate problem: that he was chained to a heating pipe. Rallying all his energy, Kaare manoeuvred himself into a sitting position and began cutting through the plastic strips.
‘It’s impossible,’ Holger told him and shot him a doubtful glance.
Kaare continued, undeterred by the arduous process of wearing down the plastic strips by sliding them up and down against a rough pipe joint. Not even the annoying sound choked his resolve. Luckily, the pipes were old and had not seen maintenance in years, so a fair amount of rust had accumulated around the joints. The rust chewed its way into the hard plastic strips like the notches on a file, and slowly his efforts began to show visible results. 378
‘It’s working. A bit more, and they’ll break. Come on!’ Tatjana shouted from her huddled position against the wall.
Kaare ripped impatiently at the plastic strips, and suddenly, one strip snapped and then the next. He was free. Immediately, he started vigorously kneading his bruised wrists to restart the blood circulation. At once, the atmosphere in the room was electric, and Kaare clenched his fist as a victory sign to Holger and Tatjana. Then, he untied his legs, and having massaged life back into them, he stood shakily. He was almost toppling over and had to support himself against the damp wall for a few minutes. Once he regained his leg control, he started helping Holger and Tatjana remove their restraints.
‘We mustn’t do anything rash. As Holger and I didn’t return, the Documentation Group know something went wrong, and I’m sure they’ve already sent someone to look for us. They have by now realized that we’ve been moved from the warehouse. And with some luck, they might even have watched us being taken here,’ interjected Tatjana.
Kaare listened attentively and used a concrete shard to make notes on the floor.
‘They also know what enemies Mother Russia has on the illegal market. Enemies just waiting for the right moment to destroy them. In this country, we can’t expect help from the police. But if other factions can destroy Mother Russia under the pretext of bringing a hostage situation to a close, that would be a significant victory for them,’ Tatjana said, her eyes on fire.
Holger and Kaare started preparing amongst them. A plan shaped slowly and instinctively; Kaare divided the tasks between them. Soon there was only one thing left to do, that which every soldier excels at: waiting.