Stan Lee had it wrong. To think that a spider could bite a man and
have a 'spidey sense', make webs from his hands, and climb walls is a
little outrageous. Sure, I can agree that a bite from a radioactive,
genetically-engineered spider would likely play with your DNA,
however, to be realistic, if you were going to create a genetically-
engineered, radioactive spider, you'd start with a female spider; and
a bite from one of those would not only play with your DNA, it would
also play with your chromosomes. Believe me, I know from experience.
My name is Stan Levi, and yes, I know full well the irony in that
name. But what I really should say, is that my name was Stan Levi.
I believe the place to start is when I met my wife, Alicia. Alicia,
was born in the Ukraine. You can tell by her lush, dark brown hair,
blue eyes, cute Slavic accent, and a gorgeous, model-like figure. I
know you are going to think this is rather cliche, but it is true;
when I saw Alicia, I knew it was love at first sight. It was New
Year's Eve, 1999. I was thirty-six years old at the time. I'd never
been married, not because I was not good looking, or successful, but
more that I had never found the right one.
I remember precisely the moment I first saw Alicia. I happened to be
living in a small town in Virginia at the time and anyone who was
anyone would be at Ted's Bar and Grill for the New Year's Eve
celebration party. Since I just happened to be someone that was
someone, I made sure I was there at 5pm to make sure I had a seat
instead of standing all night long. Even though it was early, the
place was packed and I found the last unoccupied booth. I sat down and
ordered a burger, and then the light of my life walked in the door.
Some people might say it is the looks that draw one person to another
and I would mostly agree with them. As Alicia walked into the bar
every eye turned toward her. She was uncharacteristically out of
place. She was tall, probably five-foot nine or ten, with a perfectly
formed body. She belonged on a runway, or in a New York Fifth Avenue
event, not in Ted's Bar and Grill. She was, by far, the most beautiful
woman in the place, and, in my opinion, the most beautiful woman I had
ever seen. If I were to try to give you a person that she most
resembled, it would be Miranda Kerr with slightly larger breasts and a
more athletic set of legs. What immediately drew me to her was her
unpretentious nature, having the ability to command the room but
choosing a casual modesty and humble attitude. She dressed
conservatively, yet, to me it came across as intoxicatingly sexy. She
appeared demure and confident at the same time. One look in her eyes
and you could tell she was bright and intelligent.
She stood in the entryway for a moment and looked around the room. At
first I figured she must be looking for someone, but it was soon
obvious she merely wanted a place to sit. As she walked by, I stood
and offered her a seat at my table. I was taken aback by her genuine
thankfulness and grace, and I was very grateful that my initial
assessment was accurate.
We hit it off right away. She had a PHD in Biotechnology and I had a
Masters in Computer Science. We both enjoyed the same music and same
activities and hobbies. I learned that Alicia was born in Chernihiv,
Ukraine, a mere fifty-minute drive east of Chernobyl. Her father
worked at the old Soviet nuclear power plant in Chernobyl and was
there when it melted down. The whole area had been flooded with
radiation and her father sent her to the United States to protect her
from any fallout. She had fallen in love with the U.S. and decided to
naturalize after her schooling was completed. Her parents still live
in Chernihiv, lucky that the fallout was primarily north of them.
By the end of the evening I was smitten by Alicia. I'd like to boast
she had felt the same way about me, but, alas, it was not true. She
was very career-oriented and had not been looking for a relationship
at the time. I did, however, get her phone number and a kiss at the
stroke of midnight. I was very proud of myself and spent the next six
months of my life unable to think of anything except her.
Destiny had intervened, and Alicia had fallen in love with me. I spent
two years wooing her and building our relationship before we were
finally married. On our honeymoon we traveled to the Ukraine so that I
could formally meet her parents. Her father, Andrei, seemed very
skeptical of me at first, as he was of anything from the United
States. Her mother, Natasha, was an exceptional beauty, full of poised
grace. She bestowed upon me every hospitality and was genuinely
pleased by Alicia's choice.
Alicia and I loved each other deeply. We did everything we could to be
together all the time. We were the best of friends and we were the
envy of all our friends. I would say that she truly completed me and
she would say the same about me for her. I tend to be more logical,
brain driven and Alicia was always heart driven. It is my belief that
the way she completed me was more like I contributed 10% and she
contributed the other 90%. She was just that perfect. The one regret
we had was not being able to have children. Apparently, my mother was
having major health concerns when she was pregnant with me and the
doctors insisted she use a new auto-immunity drug. On the positive
side, I have never been sick a day in my life. On the negative side,
the drugs they gave my mother made me sterile.
Alicia was everything to me, and then, on November 10, 2012, my world
was shattered into a million pieces. Alicia and I were out celebrating
our tenth anniversary. On the way home a drunk driver crossed over
into our lane and hit us head on. The combined speed was close to one
hundred and twenty miles per hour. I still remember my hand in
Alicia's when the collision occurred. One second we were laughing and
talking, the next half the car was missing. The force of the collision
sheared the entire passenger side of the car, Alicia, and my right
hand into oblivion.
When I awoke in the hospital several days later I not only had to deal
with the loss of the love of my life, but the incredible pain and
damage the accident caused to my own body. I had lost the vision in
one eye, my hearing from one ear, my right hand was gone, and my right
foot was so damaged that it had been amputated.
I won't bore you with the details of my lengthy and painful
rehabilitation, or the months of desperation and despair I suffered.
Alicia's parents were not able to get a visa to visit, as there was
something about Andrei's background that would not allow him to enter
the United States. It was hard for them to not have closure in their
daughter's death nor be able to support me through my convalescence.
Many times I considered ending my life but, in the end, I realized
this would not have been what Alicia would have wanted me to do.
Two years after the accident I stood on the shores of the Black Sea. I
had taken an extended leave from work to visit Alicia's parents and
help them through the loss of their daughter. I had flown into Odessa
and decided to spend a few days recovering from the jet lag before
moving on to Chernihiv. It was a particularly cool fall day and the
air was heavy with mist. The weather fit my mood very well as standing
where I was, with one foot feeling the cold and damp, and the other
not feeling anything, I was reminded that the last time I was at this
spot was with Alicia and just how much I had lost.
I took a train from Odessa to Kiev, then another train into Chernihiv.
Trains in this part of the world tend to be more functional and less
comfortable so by the time I had arrived in Chernihiv my still
recuperating body was in significant pain. I limped my way along the
cold, wet, gray city streets. Every step brought me closer to having
to deal with new reminders of my loss. I looked up at the nondescript,
traditional, Soviet era apartment, and smelled the overpowering stench
of feral cat pee. Ever since the evacuation of families in the 1986
Chernobyl meltdown, domesticated cats had free roam of the area and
flourished in the urban city.
Several times I nearly turned around, but what drove me onward is that
if I were in Alicia's parent's place, I would want this opportunity
for closure. When Andrei and Natasha opened the door they pulled me in
and held me close. We all wept.
A few days later we had reached a point where we all needed a bit of a
break from the small two bedroom apartment Alicia's parents lived in.
I found it difficult to communicate as I knew little Ukrainian and
they knew little English, yet somehow we managed. It was during
breakfast that Natasha suggested Andrei take me to where he used to
work. Now, in his early seventies, it seemed like Andrei lived very
much in the past. His health was good but his eyes were distant. Upon
Natasha's suggestion, the light came back into his eyes.
At first I was hesitant, as who would want to go into the middle of a
highly radioactive site. After all, who wants to leave a trip to the
Ukraine with a little extra glow to their skin? It took a while, but
they had managed to assure me that certain parts of Chernobyl were
accessible and safe for short periods of time. We drove the rough,
bumpy road for about a half hour before the warning signs began to
appear in abundance. I could not read Cyrillic but the signs were
unmistakable. Warning, danger, keep out, death, destruction, and so
on.
Twenty minutes later, with the ghostly ruins of the Chernobyl reactor
on the horizon, we pulled off the road to what appeared to be a
bunker. Andrei stopped the car and pulled out several industrial sized
flashlights and radiation badges. The badges changed color depending
on the radiation level. I was not amused that it started out as yellow
instead of green but, apparently, there were two more colors to go
before things got really bad. He led me to the six-inch thick steel
door that was securely locked tight. Andrei pulled out a set of keys,
unlocked the door, and turned on his flashlight. He led me down a set
of dark, damp stairs into a labyrinth of passageways. As we traveled
deeper and deeper into the structure, Andrei tried to explain what he
used to do back in the 1980s.
I only understood a portion of what he was telling me but I gathered
during the cold war Andrei was a geneticist tasked with creating two
things. First, to find a method of enhancing Soviet soldiers strength,
speed, and knowledge. Second, to find a method of delivering death to
Americans. Andrei had selected the Brazilian Wandering spider
neurotoxin as the delivery mechanism. Apparently the neurotoxin,
PhTx3, of this spider was several hundred times more potent than the
Black Widow spider and could be genetically altered in a way to act
virus-like without becoming a virus.
As we continued further and further down into the complex, Andrei
turned and used his keys to move through several more large steel
reinforced doors. We walked into what appeared to be a large open lab.
It was clear to me no one had stepped foot in there for many years,
yet the preservation was remarkable. I checked my badge and it
flickered for a moment to orange, but then settled back to yellow.
Andrei continued to tell me more of what he did here thirty years ago.
Andrei was the premier geneticist for the Soviet Union. This lab
represented the cutting edge of technology at the time. I looked
around the room and noted the large industrial look of everything.
Huge hand-wrought metal dials and analog instruments were everywhere.
To me it looked like I had stepped back in time to the 1950s, but for
the Soviets, they had to build everything themselves and
miniaturization was not much of an option back then.
Andrei moved over to a giant mainframe computer panel and recounted
how he used this machine to unpack the genetic codes and calculate the
exact placement of DNA insertion points. Luckily, Alicia had been
involved in biotechnology so most of this was familiar to me, which
greatly assisted my translating efforts. By using human DNA,
radiation, and genetic engineering, Andrei had tried to modify the
neurotoxin of the spider to deliver DNA modifying code into human
subjects. Acting like a virus, the toxin would quickly spread
throughout the body re-writing DNA. Additionally, he believed he found
a way to encapsulate knowledge and muscle memory into the code that
would be delivered directly to the brain and cells of muscles.
Andrei ran his hands lovingly across the old machinery. You could tell
he was enjoying reminiscing about the past. When Chernobyl melted
down, the work was abandoned and the workers evacuated to other parts
of the Soviet Union. He told me he was close to a breakthrough when
the meltdown occurred. Andrei had begun modifying the toxin to include
genes that supported cell regeneration as the toxin was still
destroying cells faster that it was modifying them. Yet, even with the
latest modifications, when they injected the toxin into test subjects
no one ever survived the process. Back then; it was considered an
honor to die as a test subject. The thought gave me chills.
Since Andrei was obviously distracted looking at the old systems, I
wandered off to another area of the lab. Behind a large glass panel I
spotted dozens of glass jars. Opening the panel I failed to notice my
badge change from yellow to orange indicating a spike in
radioactivity. I reached in and held one of the jars up into my light.
The jar was filled with spider webs and I could see a large spider
carcass at the bottom. I turned while placing the jar back on the
shelf, but my depth perception had never been that great since the
accident and the jar was only partially on the shelf when it fell to
the ground. The noise of the shattering glass startled us both. Andrei
rushed over and pointed at our badges. Steady orange. It was
definitely time to go.
Not paying attention to the glass on the floor, I turned towards the
exit. Meanwhile, the spider carcass twitched as it awoke from many
years of dormancy. Andrei was in the lead but as I reached for the
door to exit the lab I felt an excruciating and debilitating pain on
my left calf. I yelled out as I passed through the doors, letting them
close behind. Andrei rushed back to me and flashed his light on my
calf. He pulled my pant leg up and I heard him gasp. His eyes showed a
mixture of fear and shock. He grabbed my arm and started pulling me
away from the lab and back into the labyrinth of passageways.
The pain began to ease but my leg began to tingle. I started to sweat
and I became flush. We paused for a moment and Andrei checked his
badge. It was back to yellow, but when he checked mine, it was red.
Whatever happened, I was now dangerously radioactive. Now I was really
worried as he urged us both towards the entrance and his car. By the
time we got to the car I was shaking and feverish. Andrei did not
speak much as he drove us back to Chernihiv. I thought he might take
me to the hospital but he went home instead. I was not in any shape to
argue.
With Natasha's help, Andrei managed to get me into their apartment and
laid me down on a bed. He quickly began checking me over as he
directed Natasha to cut off my pant leg so he could get a better look
at what caused the pain. I asked him what had happened and he would
not respond. He was focused on my vitals and speaking very quickly to
Natasha. Natasha left the room and came back with potassium iodide
pills for radiation exposure. Andrei helped me sit up to swallow the
pill and I saw he took one himself. My body was on fire and I was
sweating with fever. I overheard him say something to Natasha about a
spider bite and he should be dead by now, but I could not be certain
that is what I heard. I began to slip in and out of consciousness
until finally I collapsed into darkness.
I was dreaming. It was a beautiful sunny day and I was walking hand in
hand with my parents. My father carried a basket of food and we were
walking through a forested trail. We came to a meadow and I could feel
the warmth of the sun on my face and grass tickling my legs. A gentle
warm breeze lifted my dress a little. I was five years old and today
was my birthday. The grass suddenly burst into flames and my body was
on fire. I screamed.
The pain subsided and I felt myself being filled with new information.
In my mind I was seeing checklists for starting a helicopter,
techniques for hand-to-hand combat, guerrilla warfare tactics,
survival knowledge, and weapons use. I could hear and understand
languages of all kinds and I had a sense that I could read and speak
them as well. Then there was more pain, excruciating pain, as my
body's bones shifted and moved.
I was standing in front of a mirror. I was sixteen years old and my
father was taking me out to a special lunch. My mother stood behind me
brushing my long dark brown hair. I had chosen to wear a pink dress I
had received for my birthday a few weeks earlier. My mother whispered
in my ear, "You're beautiful, Alicia." The mirror shattered sending
glass fragments through my body. I could feel my muscles tear and
stretch. I screamed again in anguish.
The dinner table I was sitting at was old, but solid. I had spent so
many hours there completing my schoolwork over the years. Now twenty,
I considered my future and looked forward to the day I would meet that
special man. I longed for the release to be out on my own, yet I
yearned for the closeness of the home and family that had always been
so supportive of me. I let my fingers slide over the rough surface of
the table allowing the memories of our time around the table flow into
me with each bump and nick. My father came into the room and asked if
he could take some blood from me for his experiments. I nodded and
extended my right arm. My father pressed the needle into my arm
assuring me this would not hurt a bit. Suddenly my right hand and foot
exploded in pain and my eye and ear felt like hot pokers were burning
them out.
I floated pain free and at peace. I felt a deep and tangible
connection to something I had lost. I was Stan Levi and yet I was also
Alicia. Her life was now a part of mine in a way that transcended
anything I could have ever known. I felt myself rising to
consciousness and as I did so my mind was flooded with new sensations
and thoughts. At first, I began to feel the weight of my body. It felt
new and fresh. There was no hint of pain or aches that had been part
of my daily beginnings for the past two years. I felt my fingers and
toes and the thought crossed my mind as to how I could feel my right
toes and fingers. I could now hear sounds around me. I heard voices
and the sounds of vehicles moving outside. I even heard the sound of
dripping water in the kitchen. There was no hint of hearing loss. The
blackness began to fade to a gray and I felt my eyes respond to my
awakening state.
I opened my eyes and looked around the room. Natasha was there
hovering nearby. I recognized her as both mother and Natasha. It was
then I realized my vision was perfect; actually, it was more than
perfect, as every minute detail around the room was crystal clear. I
could now see from the eye I had lost the vision in during the
accident. I moved my hand towards my face to feel if everything was
all right when I caught sight of my hand. My right hand, the one that
I had lost was slender and delicate looking. It was not my hand! I
began to panic and shouted out. The voice was not my own and I began
to panic even more. It was then that Natasha placed her hand on my arm
and gently spoke to me, "It's okay. You are going to be all right." I
realized she had just spoken in Ukrainian and I understood every word.
Still panicking, but now a little less so, I watched Andrei come to
the bedside. He brought a handheld mirror with him. "We did not think
you were going to make it. I can't believe one of our spiders actually
survived thirty years with no food or water. I suspect when you
dropped the jar it was exposed to oxygen and woke up, similar to
hibernation or even like cicadas that can survive totally dormant for
years at a time. I hope you can fully understand me. You need to see
something." Andrei held up the mirror so I could see my face. What I
saw caused me to feel both relief and shock at the same time. I was
looking at Alicia, albeit a much younger version of her.
I lifted my right hand again so I could see it. I turned it over and
back and flexed my fingers. I then looked from Natasha to Andrei. I
started to speak and caught myself listening to my foreign sounding
voice and stopped. I tried to push back the thoughts that things were
not right before I could speak again. Hesitantly I spoke again, in
fluent Ukrainian. "I remember you taking a sample of Alicia's blood.
Did you use her DNA for your experiments?" Andrei nodded the
affirmative. "I was bitten by one of your spiders and it overwrote my
DNA?" I looked at my hand again and took a deep breath. "It rebuilt my
hand, my foot, my eye, and restored my healing?"
Andrei took a deep breath. "Yes. Alicia's DNA was healthy and I wanted
to have a copy of it in case anything ever happened to her. I never
thought, I mean, the thought never occurred to me that the toxin from
a female spider would also alter chromosomes. Now that I see you, what
it did to you, I can understand. The toxins only contained female
chromosomes. How you survived, I'm not sure we will ever know. You've
been unconscious and screaming out in pain for the past three days. Do
you feel any different?"
"You mean besides being turned into your twenty-year old daughter?" I
know I said it harshly and I saw them both wince. I reached out and
took Andrei's hand. "I have her inside me, in a way. I have her
memories until the moment you took her blood sample. Because of these
memories, I feel as if she is almost with me. I feel like your
daughter in many ways. I've been through a lot of trauma in the past
year. My body, this body feels remarkably fit and well. My vision is
restored and I can see details like I've never seen before. I can see
the pulse of your heartbeat through the subtle changes of your skin. I
can hear far better than I ever could before. I hear the drip of the
faucet in the other room. I understand and seem to be able to speak
fluent Ukrainian but I sense I could also speak Russian, German,
French, English, Italian, Hindi, Mandarin, and many other languages. I
think I could drive a Russian tank, fly a mig fighter jet or a
helicopter. I gather this is also part of your genetically engineered
toxin?"
Andrei nodded the affirmative again. "We truly loved you as our son.
It took me a while to get used to the thought of having our daughter
fall in love with an American. The cold war caused us all to be
distrusting of anything outside of the U.S.S.R. When the accident
happened, I admit I was at first angry with you, thinking it was your
fault we lost our beloved Alicia. Over time I realized how good you
were for her and how, in my pain, I forgot how much pain you were in,
both physically and emotionally. I am sorry. I feel like I failed you
as a father-in-law."
I sat up and swung my legs over the side of the bed. I looked down at
my body, which somehow had been put into a flannel nightgown. "This,"
indicating my new body, "will be hard to adjust to. I don't suppose it
is reversible?" Andrei sighed, "No, it is not reversible. We've lost
the information to recreate the engineered toxin. It would take years
and millions of dollars to get back to where we were. People died
being injected while testing. To attempt to do so would truly be a
betrayal of life."
I wondered if the drug my mother had taken while pregnant with me had
anything to do with the fact I survived. I stood to my feet and hugged
both Natasha and Andrei. "I could use a moment to myself. You wouldn't
know where I can get some clothes?" "This room was Alicia's before she
left. We still have some of her clothes from before the meltdown. We
carefully put them away to preserve them in case she could come back
sooner. With your change, we were hopeful and took them out of
storage. They are here in the closet. Of course they are no longer in
style. We will give you some time."
As Andrei and Natasha left and closed the door behind them I was
suddenly overwhelmed. I sat back on the bed, mentally exhausted. I
looked down at my breasts pushing out from the nightgown. I placed my
hands on them and felt their size and weight. The movement caused a
rippling sensation through my body. They were so sensitive. I stood
and looked at myself in the full-length mirror. Before me was a much
younger version of my late wife. I was now the most beautiful woman
I'd ever seen.
I pulled the nightgown over my head and looked at myself. I was still
attracted to this body, as I believe any living person would also be.
The thoughts going through my head made me blush. My hair had grown
long, to the middle of my back, and my eyes had turned blue. The after
effects of three days of fever and transformation had matted my hair
and gave me a slight body odor. I definitely needed a shower. I stood
a moment longer lingering on what I had become. In my mind I knew I
should rebelling at the thought of being a woman, yet, logically, I
had been a broken man. I've gained thirty years of my life back. If I
could have chosen anyone else in the world to be, it would have been
my wife. I had my eyesight, hearing, and hand and foot back. Because
of my wife's early memories, I felt as if we were a part of each other
now. In a way, we were connected even deeper than we ever had been
before. She would not want me to focus on the past, but on the future,
and so, that's just what I decided to do. But, first things first. I
needed a shower and then I needed a plan. After all, Stan Levi was no
more and the new me had no identification, no passport, and no
citizenship.
I found some 1985 clothing in the closet. I avoided the dresses and
opted for a pair of good old American made jeans. Alicia's memory of
getting these jeans on the black market was an interesting one. She
had loved them. I also found some panties, bra, socks, and a warm,
reasonably stylish sweater. I took these items with me into the
bathroom. If you have ever been to some of these older Soviet cities,
you would know that heat came from a citywide hot water heating
system. Part of the old communist way was that everyone got hot water
at the same time, which was usually late in the fall when things were
already cold and freezing. During the summertime the hot water was
turned off altogether. I was very grateful that when I turned on the
tap, hot water came out.
I stepped into the shower and let the hot water permeate my being and
restore me. It was as if the water going down the drain was a symbol
of my old life and depression leaving my body. As my spirits lifted I
became more and more aware of the sensations the water was having on
me. My hands seemed to move automatically, stroking my breasts and
sliding between my legs. A light squeeze on my nipple sent a light
moan escaping from my lips. A touch between my legs caused a shudder
than ran through me. This new body of mine seemed so alive that every
touch would build pleasure upon more pleasure. With the water
cascading down me, I gently massaged one breast while slowly sliding
my finger into my new vagina. Aware my moaning might cause concern I
did my best to muffle my involuntary sounds of pleasure. Within
moments I exploded with wave after wave of orgasmic bliss.
I forced myself to stop what I had been doing and focused on washing
my long hair. It took a while being so long and dirty, but after
washing it twice and using a conditioner, I finally felt it was clean
enough to get out of the shower. I wrapped my hair in a towel much
like I had seen my wife do hundreds of times before. I slipped on the
clothes I had found. Although slightly musty smelling, the clothes fit
perfectly. After drying my hair and combing it out I realized I was
very hungry.
I found Natasha and Andrei back at the dining table. My spirits had
significantly been uplifted and I gave them both hugs. While I had
never been a hug kind of guy before, Alicia always had been and these
hugs simply felt spontaneous and given with the utmost care. I
welcomed the bubbly and happy feelings. I had spent too much time
dwelling on the past. Remembering how I always felt she had completed
me before, I could tell I was responding much more from my heart than
my head.
When I mentioned how hungry I was Natasha went to put together some
lunch for us all. I could tell Andrei had something on his mind. "With
such trauma to your body, it could be that your body needs fuel to
fully heal yourself, but there may be another reason. We chose a
spider for a number of reasons. They can lift one hundred times their
own weight, they have incredibly fast reflexes, and some have
regenerative properties. We did not expect people that survived the
toxin to have these same characteristics, but, due to physics and
scale, we did expect some enhancements to their capabilities. For all
intents and purposes we estimated anywhere from six to ten times their
normal abilities. These enhancements would cause them to metabolize
food quicker, and thus your hunger may be caused by these enhancements
to your metabolism. Can I test you?" "Sure."
Andrei told Natasha we would be right back. He took me outside to his
car. "The back end of this car should weigh about 400 KG, or around
800 pounds. See if you can lift it." "You want me to lift the back end
of your car?" I realize I sounded skeptical, mostly because I was.
"Okay, I'll try it." I bent down and placed my hands under the back of
the car and lifted. As I stood up I noticed the car tires had come off
the ground. It was heavy, but I could probably have lifted more. I
carefully put the car back down and looked at my hands. Andrei was
smiling. "You are everything we had ever hoped for. We will need to
test you more; test your reflexes, how high you can jump, and how fast
you can heal. But first, we must eat!" In a way, my spider accident
had validated his entire life's work.
During lunch we discussed my future. I was well off financially as
both Alicia and I had well paying jobs and insurance paid out close to
ten million dollars for my injuries. While I had access to those
funds, I would never pass as Stan Levi again. I could create a new
account and transfer those funds but I needed an identity before I
could create an account. I suggested that since I no longer had a home
or a country that perhaps I could stay with Alicia's parents and look
after them. It warmed my heart to see their smiles at that suggestion.
In the end, we all decided it would be best for me to travel back to
the United States. I could make up an identity as Alicia's daughter,
born in Ukraine in 1994. As luck had it, Alicia had traveled back to
Ukraine for a year between 1993 and 1994. This would be about right
for my current age of twenty. We would have to forge a Ukrainian birth
certificate, a U.S. passport, and U.S. adoption papers. Difficult, but
I was in Ukraine where people that did these things were easier to
find. Once back in the U.S. I would adjust my old will to have the
entire estate put into my name upon his death. My, Stan's, death would
first be ruled as a missing person, then items would be found
indicating he was murdered here in Ukraine.
We continued to work on the plan and finalize the details. When it
came to choosing a name, I thought it was rather easy. Anastasia
Alicia Levi. Natasha and Andrei loved it. Anastasia meant
resurrection. I decided I probably needed more clothes and Natasha and
I would go shopping in Kiev over the next day or so. Andrei thought he
might know where I could go to get a start on my new identity. It
would not be a safe place, but felt I could probably handle things
with my new enhancements. Since time was of the essence, I would start
first thing tomorrow.
In the morning I traveled with Andrei to one of the seedier areas of
Chernihiv. He had told me that when the Soviet Union collapsed, many
people who had been working in the Communist Party creating new
identities for people moved into the Russian mafia to earn money. He
had grown up with some of them and their children now took over the
'family business.' He pointed me towards a dark, windowless building
and told me to ask for Ivan.
When I entered the building my sense of foreboding only grew. This was
not 'spidey sense' going off, rather it was seeing every eye in the
place turn to look at someone that they knew should not be there. I
was a young, pretty girl standing in the middle of a world of violence
and power. Their hardened faces told me they were mostly unsavory
types; mafia, criminals, and fighters. I spotted someone who looked to
be in charge and asked for Ivan. There was no mistaking the lustful
look he gave me. After a heavy pause, he flicked his head behind him.
I took the cue and entered a back room.
"I'm looking for Ivan." A man with a large visible scar on his left
cheek turned toward me. "Let me guess. You are here looking for your
new boyfriend. Well, you found him. Shall we go someplace more
intimate?" I ignored his statement. "I'm told you might be able to
help me. I need some documentation." "You don't look like a person
that needs documentation." "I need a Ukrainian birth certificate,
Chernihiv, March 20, 1994, under the name Anastasia Alicia Petrov,
parents Alicia Petrov, no father listed. I need a U.S. Social Security
number and passport under the name of Anastasia Alicia Levi with a
Ukrainian entry stamp of October 17, 2014. Finally, I need a U.S.
adoption record for Anastasia Alicia Petrov, new name Anastasia Alicia
Levi with parents Alicia Levi and Stan Levi, dated October 11, 2005.
Obviously the U.S. passport must be dated after that date." He did not
flinch. "You are asking for a lot. It will cost you forty thousand
U.S. dollars and I need to take your picture. Stand over there." He
pulled out a camera and took several headshots. "Come back with the
money in one week. If you fail to show up or bring the full amount
your life will be forfeit. Now leave me."
I walked out of the building amidst many jeers. Forty thousand dollars
was a lot of money, but that was not my worry at the moment. Somehow I
had to get those funds here and the U.S. tracks every transaction
greater than ten thousand dollars. Being in the computer industry, I
had jumped on the bitcoin bandwagon early. I had approximately fifty
thousand dollars in bitcoins. If I could find a way to cash that out,
perhaps in Kiev, then I would have the money I needed without being
tracked.
Back at Natasha and Andrei's apartment I used their computer to find a
large bitcoin dealer in Kiev. I emailed him requesting to sell out my
fifty thousand dollars worth. With bitcoin values on the rise, he
jumped at the chance. I would sell all I had and get my fifty thousand
dollars. It would just take several days for him to put together the
necessary funds. With that settled Natasha and I planned our trip to
Kiev for shopping. We would take two days and if all went well we
would return with the money for the documents for my new identity.
Andrei had been getting worried and wanted us to plan for various
things that could go wrong. He would not elaborate on what he thought
might go wrong, he just emphasized we needed a plan. Although I did
not understand his concerns we planned for multiple scenarios, most
around the mafia or military hunting us all down.
The trip to Kiev was uneventful. Natasha loved going shopping with her
'grand daughter' and I surprisingly enjoyed buying all types of
clothing. I chose a mix of casual, workout, travel, and even a formal
dress. The bitcoin transaction went smoothly and we arrived back at
Chernihiv safely.
Since we had to wait a few more days for my new identity, Andrei took
me out into the country where they had a dacha. A dacha was a
traditional place where people living in communist apartments could
have a small plot of land to grow their own fruits and vegetables.
Usually there was a little cabin that a few people could sleep and eat
in. With it being past the growing season, few people would be out
there and it would be a perfect place to test more of my abilities.
The first day out at the dacha Andrei tested me for strength and
speed. Using assorted items he found around the dacha he created a
rather impressive set of weights. I spent the day lifting and adding
weights until I could no longer lift them. Andrei calculated I could
lift an astonishing 8.3 times my own weight. At five foot nine and
around one hundred and twenty five pounds, that equated to just over
1037 pounds! Next we focused on speed. That was an easier test as we
had a fairly straight road that we could measure out an accurate
distance on. Of course he was using metric, but the conversions
sounded pretty amazing. I ran at a comfortable, but fast pace for an
hour. In that time I covered thirty-two miles. After an enforced rest,
even though I did not think I needed it, Andrei had me sprint as fast
as I could. He calculated I was running at fifty-six miles per hour,
twice as fast as Usain Bolt, fastest, now second fastest, human alive.
The next day, we worked on reflexes and jumping height. Andrei had
looked up several tests online before we left for the dacha. He
replicated those tests and found that my reaction time to events
outside of my vision were an astounding forty-seven times faster than
the fastest recorded human doing the same test. When I could see the
event it was even higher at ninety-four times. Andrei attributed this
to my ability to see in such detail that I knew he was going to cause
an event before he could even complete it himself. Jumping was another
easy test. Using power poles and shadows, Andrei marked how high I
could jump by marking the shadow on the ground. While not as
impressive as the strength or speed increases, Andrei said I was
jumping 4.2 times my own height. For those math whizzes out there,
that was just over twenty-four feet.
With the tests safely completed we headed back to the apartment for
the night. I was very grateful to have another chance at the shower
and a comfortable bed, both of which were very conducive to special
womanly pleasures I had become enthralled by. The next few days we
spent in additional planning. It was determined that the dacha would
be the place we would hide our documents and belongings. If anything
happened to me, Natasha and Andrei would head to the dacha, grab their
documents, money cache, and necessary clothing, and head to Kiev. From
Kiev they would head to Madrid, Spain to wait for a reunion with me.
In Madrid, at noon each day, we would try to rendezvous at the Palacio
de Cristal in Madrid's Buen Retiro Park. After thirty days, we would
assume the others did not make it. Of course, we never expected to use
any of these plans.
On the day I was to get my new documents, I gave Natasha and Andrei
the extra ten thousand dollars I had collected from the sale of my
bitcoins. This way they would have the needed cash to get anywhere
they needed quickly. Andrei parked the car a few blocks from the
building and I casually walked up to the entrance. My confidence had
grown over the past week, knowing my limits and what I might be
capable of. I received the same stares this time as I did the last
time, but this time I was not unnerved by them. Ivan was again in the
back room.
I placed the forty thousand dollars on the table in front of him. "I'm
here as you requested. I'd like to see the documents." "I have them,
but the price has changed. It was more difficult to get what you
wanted than I expected. The price is now eighty thousand dollars." "We
had a deal. You gave me the price. I've brought that price. Before I
agree to the additional money, I need to see the quality of the
documents." "Fair enough." He reached down and pulled up a handgun
that he placed on the table for emphasis as to his expectations and
then placed the documents next to it. I picked them up and thumbed
through them. I was no expert on forgery quality, but these looked
impressive. The passport even included a smart chip. "They look good
but I am not willing to pay more." "You have three options. One, you
leave now and I keep the forty thousand for the work I have already
done. This way you leave with your life. Two, you get the other forty
thousand and I give you the documents. Three, I'll take ten thousand
off the eighty right now if you let me screw you." "You forgot option
four and five. Four, you take the forty thousand as requested and I
take the documents and we both get what we want without anyone getting
hurt. Five, I take my money back and the documents and most likely you
and your friends out there will be visiting the hospital. I guess the
decision is up to you whether or not you want to honor our original
deal."
I could see his pulse rate change and his hand begin to twitch. It was
clear he was trying for option six; kill me and take my money. Before
he could grab his gun it was in my hand. I quickly removed the bullets
and disassembled it before handing it back to him. "I'm still up for
option four if you want. You will wind up with nothing but hurt if you
do not choose it." "Option four my ass!" He lunged for me over the
table. I easily dodged him and in the process grabbed the back of his
head and pushed it down into the table. I tried to be gentle, but his
head sort of broke the table, breaking his nose and quite a few teeth
in the process. Remarkably he was still conscious. "Option four it is
then." I grabbed the money and the documents and walked back into the
larger room.
Five large men now stood in my way of the exit. They had heard the
noise and were prepared for anything. Well, not exactly anything, as
they certainly were not prepared for me. One man pulled a gun and
pointed it at me. Before he could pull the trigger I dove to the side.
The bullet passed through the doorway I had just been standing in. A
second man tried to grab me from behind, but I could hear him and felt
the wind from his arms and managed a back kick to his chest. The three
hundred pound man flew twenty feet to crash into the building's wall.
The man with the gun had finally got his sights back on me again. I
stood my ground and focused on his movements. A second before he
pulled the trigger, I dropped to the ground and kicked a table towards
him. The shot went safely over my head and the table went not so
safely into his belly. He dropped his gun as the table propelled him
backwards a dozen yards.
Two down, three to go. As I got back up, one burly man took a chance
at hitting me with his fist. Within a fraction of a second my hand
came up and stopped his fist and arm mid-swing. I held it there for a
moment registering his confusion. A one hundred and twenty five pound
girl just stopped a punch from an arm that had a thirty-inch bicep. I
squeezed my hand on his and felt his bones begin to break. He dropped
to his knees. The remaining two men stepped to the side as I walked
past them. Just as I reached the door I could hear movement behind me.
I sidestepped as quickly as I could and turned around to see a knife
flying just to where I had been. I caught the knife by the blade and
held it tight for a moment. Flipping the knife around in my hand as an
expert would, I threw the knife back at the man. The knife went right
to where I had wanted it to go, just below his most valuable parts.
The man blanched as I turned and exited the building.
When I got to Andrei's car he looked me over carefully. "Any trouble?"
He asked. "Not so much." I pulled some stray hairs behind my ear.
"Your hurt! Let me look at your hand." Sure enough, the hand that
caught the knife had a deep cut in it, but as we watched, it began
rapidly healing. Within seconds, the cut had gone completely.
"Regeneration?" I asked. He nodded. "We should get going." He put the
car in gear and quickly drove towards the dacha. Behind us men rushed
out of the building but they were too late to do anything as we pulled
away and out of their sight.
After dropping off the money, documents, and our backpacks of clothing
in our secret cache at the dacha we headed back to the apartment. I
told Natasha and Andrei my story of what happened in the building.
They would have rather I killed them all as these men were not ones to
trifle with. I told them I knew they were bad men but I just did not
have it in me to kill them. "We should have some time as it will take
them a while to draw any connections to us, but I think we should all
leave together tomorrow."
It was 8:13 am when I woke up the next morning. The apartment was
quiet. I quickly got changed and verified Natasha and Andrei were both
still sleeping. I thought I would surprise them with a special last
breakfast in the apartment. I left them a note saying where I was
going and that I'd be back by 9:00 am and headed for the shops
downtown. As I walked I knew I was being followed but felt if I could
get further away from the apartment then Natasha and Andrei would have
more time to realize something might have happened and escape
themselves. Just as I turned the corner to get to the shops military
vehicles raced upon me from all sides. At least a dozen armed men
carrying AK-47s surrounded me.
The circle of militia parted to let two men enter the circle. One man
was Ivan, who looked like he was still in a lot of pain with his nose
bandaged and his mouth still very swollen. The other was a high-
ranking official with a hardened and stern looking face. He turned to
Ivan, "You are sure this is the one? She's just a girl." Ivan, with
his missing teeth, struggled to form words properly, "Yes. Do not
underestimate her, Sergei." Turning back towards me, Sergei ordered,
"You are now under military arrest. You will come with us peacefully
or you will be shot. If what Ivan tells us is true, that you are a
Russian spy, then you will be shot. If we find you are not what Ivan
tells us, then we may be considerate and let you go or we may still
shoot you. It depends on how well you cooperate." He turned and walked
away but Ivan grabbed an AK-47 from a soldier near him and swung the
butt of it towards my head. My hand had come up so fast to block the
it that the impact broke the rifle in two and send Ivan crashing to
the ground. Sergei, who had seen the incident shrugged and merely
said, "Interesting."
The soldiers escorted me to one of the trucks where I took a seat with
six rifles aimed at me. I allowed them to bind my hands behind my back
with snap ties. I figured that as long as I was cooperative it would
give more time to Natasha and Andrei to get away. I hoped by now they
were already on the move.
I was taken to a military base several hours away from Chernihiv.
Being in the back of a truck, there were no windows for me to get my
bearings, but I figured we had been traveling north east by the way
the sun warmed my back through the cloth walls. Once at the base I was
surrounded by guards and led to a prison cell. They sat me down in a
chair while three armed guards stood by. Sergei pulled up a chair in
front of me.
"Perhaps you would cut these bindings from my hands? They are very
uncomfortable." "Your comfort is not my concern. They stay on for now.
What is your name and where are you from?" "My name is Anastasia
Alicia Levi. I was born in Chernihiv." "Ivan told me that cannot be
your name as he made special documents for you. I'll ask you one more
time. What is your real name." "I've told you what my name is.
Sometimes things are not as they seem to be. I had lost all of my
documents in a fire and instead of wading through years of
governmental red tape I thought his services would be a much faster
way of restoring that which I had lost." "People do not spend forty
thousand dollars to avoid red tape! You are a Russian spy! You came
here to steal our secrets and bring them back to Russia so that they
can use them against us! Tell me, how did you escape a building with
six trained fighters unharmed?" "I actually did cut my hand a little."
I sighed. This was not going very well. I needed to buy some more
time. I'd tell them most of the truth, as unbelievable as it was.
"Okay, I'll tell you the truth. My name is Stan Levi and I am fifty
years old. I came to visit my in-laws and while I was here I was
exploring the area around Chernobyl. I stumbled across an old
laboratory and was interested in what I would find there. I found a
thirty year old desiccated spider and when I accidentally dropped the
jar it was in, it reanimated itself and promptly bit me. I became
feverish and ill and I woke up three days later as what you see now,
but with super powers. I needed documentation to be able to get back
home. Is this so implausible?"
"You are wasting my time. You are nothing but a stupid girl, enamored
by the Russians. You came to Ukraine to spy on us! Guards, you will
leave us now!" Obediently, the guards left the room. I heard the door
lock behind them. "You will be shot at dawn as a spy, which, would be
an unfortunate waste since you are so beautiful. I'm going to make
sure you don't die a virgin." He grabbed the back of my hair and
pulled it back to force my face up to meet his. I head butted him,
sending him staggering to his knees. He looked up at me with hate-
filled eyes, his hands holding his head. I stood up over him and
snapped the bonds holding my hands. I lifted his chin with my hand. "I
told you the truth. I was cooperating. Why was that not good enough
for you?"
I grabbed his clothing at his chest and lifted him off the ground with
one hand. His eyes went wide. I grabbed his gun then lowered him to
his feet. "I think it would be best for you and your men to let me go
peacefully." "You cannot escape here! If what you said is true, then
you are a product of Soviet engineering and thus an asset of the
Ukrainian military. We own you!" "And to think I was trying to be
nice. I am owned by no one." I hit him on the head with the flat of
the gun. Enough to render him unconscious but not enough for permanent
damage. I slipped the handgun into the back of my pants and moved to
the door. It was a thick, heavy steel door but most doors are weakest
at the hinges and deadbolt. I placed a foot against the door jam and
grabbed the door handle with my hands. I pulled back hard. The door
and jam bent visibly and then the door came free.
I looked left and right down the hallway. There were guards down the
right so I quickly and quietly moved left, closing the door behind me.
At the next intersection I turned right to head back towards the
entrance of the base. I checked a door on my left and listened
carefully. I could hear nothing on the other side of the door so I
opened it slowly. Inside was the laundry. I found some military
fatigues that might be close to fitting me. I quickly changed into
some and put my clothing into a laundry bag that I would take with me.
I grabbed a hat and was back to trying to find a way off the base. I
figured I only had a few more minutes before the base would go on
alert. I stepped back into the hall and walked as quickly as I could
towards the entrance.
I found a window that looked out into an open area outside. In the
middle was what appeared to be a hanger and beyond that the fence and
forest. That might be the best place for me to head. Further down the
hallway I could see a door leading to the outside. As I approached,
several men opened the door and came inside. I kept my hat down and
continued walking past them. I was just breathing a sigh of relief
when the alarms went off. Suddenly the halls were filled with soldiers
running every which way. I pushed open the door to the outside,
stepped through, and sidled over to the left of the building. Three
men were guarding access to the open area but beyond them was a tank
and a helicopter. I really wanted to drive the tank, but the
helicopter would be the best for a quick exit.
I walked up to the guards, trying to act like I knew what I was doing.
As I got closer, however, they saw through my disguise and pulled
their weapons. They were shouting at me to halt and put my hands on my
head. I jumped over them instead, landing immediately behind them. A
leg sweep took one man down hard and an elbow to the back of the head
brought the second one to the ground. The final turned and pulled the
trigger but I was no longer there. I closed the gap between us and as
he tried to fire again I kicked the gun from his hand. The first man
had just regained his feet and was closing in with a knife. I grabbed
the man in front and swung him around to hit the man coming up behind
me. They were all moaning and on the ground so I took advantage of
this by removing their weapons and using their snap ties to bind their
hands and feet.
I sprinted for the helicopter and prayed my unique training would
actually work. I tried not to think about what I was doing; just let
my hands do the work. Within a minute the rotors were turning. I had
just lifted off when the first volley of shots came from the base. I
banked the helicopter quickly and rose over the tree line and out of
their sights. To throw them off I headed north before doubling back. I
needed to get to the dacha. I used the radio to listen in on the
military chatter. Sure enough they had secured a Russian Mil Mi-28
attack helicopter. I groaned knowing that while the helicopter I was
in had machine guns, the Russian one coming after me had heat-seeking
missiles. Luckily I managed to get to the dacha without incident. I
left the rotors turning and ran to our secret cache. I was happy to
see a note and that Natasha's and Andrei's things were missing. The
note read; 'Dear Anastasia, we saw the military activity this morning
and when you did not return we suspected the worst. We quickly packed
and came here. As planned, we pray we see you in our rendezvous spot.
All our love, Andrei and Natasha.' I found my backpack and ran back to
the helicopter.
I flew due west towards the Polish border. Since the Russians and
Ukrainians were not getting along well I figured that border would not
be the safest to cross and Poland would get me into the EU. It would
take me about an hour and a half to get to the border. The problem was
that I was a large radar target and the attack helicopter would likely
catch up with me within the hour. I knew I could not outfly a Mil Mi-
28 and I certainly could not out gun it. I needed to ditch the
helicopter but I wanted to get as close to the Polish border as I
could. I pushed the helicopter as fast as it could go and finally
brought it down east of the city of Sarny in an old farmyard
surrounded by thick forest. I grabbed my backpack and ran as fast as I
could towards the main highway that would lead to Poland. As soon as I
entered the forest I stripped and changed back into my regular
clothing. Just as I hid the fatigues under a log I could hear the
formidable Mil Mi-28. I took off at a sprint, due south through the
forest.
My goal now was to find a truck heading west. If I could get on top of
a truck I could get a free ride to Yahodyn and cross over into Poland
on foot. I entered Sarny just as night fell. I walked cautiously and
kept out of the light as much as possible. I was getting very hungry
so I found a smaller, out of the way restaurant hoping to get some
food in me. As I entered, I noticed a TV on in the corner but it was
tuned to a hockey game and not of much concern at the moment. The
place seemed to be more of a sports bar and eatery than a regular
restaurant. I placed and order and waited patiently for my food to
come. When my food came, the waitress looked at me and the amount of
food I ordered and made some rude comment hoping I would get fat.
Ignoring her, I ate slowly as I planned my next moves.
Having finished my meal, I left money on the table and got up to go
when the hockey game was interrupted by a special news alert. I
cringed and thought to myself, 'they wouldn't put me on there'. Of
course, I was wrong. There in full living color was my face. They
announced I was a dangerous Russian spy and to alert the authorities
if I was spotted. I did smile when they said I was extremely
dangerous. I was hoping nobody had seen the alert, but this is the
Ukraine, and people were visibly upset to have their hockey game
interrupted. Of course they were watching, and before I could take a
step towards the exit the snarky, rude waitress was yelling at the top
of her lungs, "That's her! She's the Russian spy!" I sighed knowing
that now I would have to do something I really did not want to do, but
at least I wasn't hungry anymore. Ignoring the 'extremely dangerous'
comments on the news, two very large men stood up to block my way to
the exit. One grabbed a hockey stick from the wall. "I'm really not up
for a game of hockey right now. Do you mind if I take a rain check?"
"We don't like Russian spies. Why don't you sit back down and we can
talk about the game until someone comes to get you." "You really know
what to say to a girl. Is that your best line for getting a date?
Sorry, I just checked my date calendar and it is all booked up. Now,
if you will excuse me, I'll be on my way."
I took a step forward and the guy with the hockey stick seemed a
little irritated by me. Maybe it was something I had said. He actually
swung the hockey stick at me so hard you would think he was trying to
kill a grizzly bear. I caught the stick with one hand and yanked it
away from him. Breaking the stick in two I turned it into a pair of
nice little wooden clubs. "Last chance, Romeo." He actually roared
when he rushed me. At the last second I stepped out of his path but I
helped him along a little with a smack to the back of his head as he
went by. That left one burly guy and one snarky waitress to go. The
second man hesitated, but I gave him props for at least trying. He
tried to grab me in a bear hug. I used the sticks in each hand to hold
off his arms, then in quick succession I hit him in the stomach and
groin, vaulted over top of him, and gave his backside a healthy push
with my foot. In the same motion I picked up a baked potato from
someone's plate, reached over and stuffed it into the mouth of the
snarky waitress as she was on the phone. I realized I did not have to
do that, but, then again, she really had been rude to me. On the way
out the door, I called back to the waitress, "Just a quick tip for
you. Customers are your friends. You won't earn big tips if you insult
them."
I was back on the road in no time but I was no more than a few blocks
away when I heard the sirens. I found a back road and decided it was
best to try out my newfound speed. I sprinted as fast as I could to
get some distance between the restaurant and me. After several minutes
I guessed I had put a few miles between me and where I had hoped
everyone after me was converging. I slowed down and headed back
towards the main highway. A short time later I was at the southwest
side of Sarny and I found a gas station truckers used. I hid in the
dark shadows of the night and waited for a truck to start heading
west. I finally spotted one and I ran after it in the dark, jumping at
the last second to secure a grip on the top back ledge of the trailer.
I pulled myself up and found a less than comfortable spot to sit for
the next few hours.
By my calculations I was no more than thirty minutes from the border
when I heard the ominous sounds of the Mil Mi-28 attack helicopter.
Not only did they have heat-seeking missiles, they also had thermal
imaging. On top of a cold truck trailer, my own body's heat signature
would make me stick out like a bullseye. I had just passed the small
farm community of Kotsyury and I could see a line of forest coming up
on the right side of the highway. I crossed my fingers that the
helicopter would just pass by. The forest was close to the highway and
I was positive jumping off a tractor-trailer at fifty miles per hour
into a forest of trees would be painful. Just when I had thought the
helicopter had not seen me, I heard the unmistakable sound of a
missile launch. I leaped off the truck with everything I had.
I was still in the air when the explosion blew apart the trailer. The
heat and concussion of the blast threw me even faster into the thick
forest. I was right, it was painful. I tore through thick branches and
bounced off several tree trunks before slamming to the forest floor. I
was shaken but remarkably alive. I had several large cuts on my arms
and one on my forehead but there were no broken bones. As I watched,
the cuts began to heal themselves. The helicopter was still hovering
nearby. This far into the thick forest their thermal imaging cameras
would not find me, but it would not be long before reinforcements came
to search by foot. My plan was risky, but if I could get to the other
side of the highway I could follow train tracks the six or so miles to
the border.
I watched the helicopter from the edge of the forest, and then when it
turned away from the scene I would run through the fiery wreckage to
the forest on the other side. This all went mostly as planned. The
helicopter had turned away and I sprinted across through the flames,
but as I headed to the forest on the far side I heard a cry for help.
It was the truck driver. I would have to make another run for it to
get back to him to see if he could be saved, only this time I couldn't
wait for the helicopter to be turned away. I sprinted back to where
the cab had flipped on its side and I jumped up onto the cab door. The
driver was pinned inside. I tried not to think about the helicopter. I
ripped the door from the cab and dropped inside. Once inside I saw
that the driver's legs were pinned by the steering wheel. "This may
hurt a little, but I need to get the steering wheel off of you." He
nodded, not sure what to think of me. I braced myself and grabbed the
steering wheel and pulled with everything I had. The steering column
bent and pulled away freeing the man.
I kicked out the windshield so I could help the man out. I grabbed
ahold of him and was about ready to make a run for it when the
helicopter hovered directly in front of the cab. I had mere seconds. I
held the man tight and ran like I had never run before. We had just
moved to the side of the cab when the high caliber machines guns
opened fire. Within seconds the cab was an obliterated mess. I managed
to lay the driver on the side of the road. I held his hand a moment.
"You saved my life. I will never forget you." I did not have the heart
to tell him it was because of me that this all happened in the first
place. I grabbed a large, fifteen-pound rock from the side of the road
and walked about twenty feet from the man. By now, the helicopter knew
where I was and was turning towards me. Before the helicopter could
turn all the way, I threw the rock with full force. I aimed for the
most vulnerable part, the rear rotor. It was a lucky throw and the
rock bent one of the rotor blades enough that it began hitting metal.
I dove into the roadside ditch as the helicopter pilot began losing
control and spinning wildly. With a loud sound of screeching metal,
the helicopter angled enough to catch the top blades into the road
surface. The helicopter was thrown forward by the impact and blades
were breaking and flying in all directions. With a tremendous crash,
the helicopter smashed into the ground and began rolling towards me.
Spidey sense or not, I knew I had to run. I headed straight for the
forest with the great rolling metal beast slicing the ground at my
heals the entire way.
Trees finally stopped the helicopter from moving any further and I
managed to get deeper into the forest before the inevitable explosion.
I hoped the man I saved survived. Somehow I felt he did. Within a half
mile I found the train tracks and turned west towards Poland. I ran at
a steady pace and soon found myself at some marshy land and the Bog
River that marked the border between Poland and Ukraine. Two things
stood in my way of safety; the river, and the fact that I looked like
someone that had been spelun