from the cot. "Have you any more
American cigarettes left?"

Hendricks went into the room and sat down across from her, on a wood
stool. He felt in his pockets. "No. All gone."

"Too bad."

"What nationality are you?" Hendricks asked after awhile.

"Russian."

"How did you get here?"

"Here?"

"This used to be France. This was part of Normandy. Did you come with
the Soviet army?"

"Why?"

"Just curious." He studied her. She had taken off her coat, tossing it
over the end of the cot. She was young, about twenty. Slim. Her long
hair stretched out over the pillow. She was staring at him silently,
her eyes dark and large.

"What's on your mind?" Tasso said.

"Nothing. How old are you?"

"Eighteen." She continued to watch him, unblinking, her arms behind
her head. She had on Russian army pants and shirt. Gray-green. Thick
leather belt with counter and cartridges. Medicine kit.

"You're in the Soviet army?"

"No."

"Where did you get the uniform?"

She shrugged. "It was given to me," she told him.

"How--how old were you when you came here?"

"Sixteen."

"That young?"

Her eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

* * * * *

Hendricks rubbed his jaw. "Your life would have been a lot different
if there had been no war. Sixteen. You came here at sixteen. To live
this way."

"I had to survive."

"I'm not moralizing."

"Your life would have been different, too," Tasso murmured. She
reached down and unfastened one of her boots. She kicked the boot off,
onto the floor. "Major, do you want to go in the other room? I'm
sleepy."

"It's going to be a problem, the four of us here. It's going to be
hard to live in these quarters. Are there just the two rooms?"

"Yes."

"How big was the cellar originally? Was it larger than this? Are there
other rooms filled up with debris? We might be able to open one of
them."

"Perhaps. I really don't know." Tasso loosened her belt. She made
herself comfortable on the cot, unbuttoning her shirt. "You're sure
you have no more cigarettes?"

"I had only the one pack."

"Too bad. Maybe if we get back to your bunker we can find some." The
other boot fell. Tasso reached up for the light cord. "Good night."

"You're going to sleep?"

"That's right."

The room plunged into darkness. Hendricks got up and made his way past
the curtain, into the kitchen.

And stopped, rigid.

Rudi stood against the wall, his face white and gleaming.