Sam Winchester drank a cup of tea as he calmly sat in a terraced café in Istanbul, Turkey; he watched as the bustling city moved around him, the senses were filed with exotic color, sound and taste, time here was fluid and melodic, but for Sam, time had stood still since his argument with his father, Sam quickly fingered his YPG patch that was on his arm as a nervous habit, his emerald green eyes twitched and he checked his cellphone, it read 10:30 AM and the date read March 23rd 2019, Sam sighed and muttered angrily "The reporter should have been here by now." Then Sam downed a cup of tea, allowing to scald his throat, but he didn't care. The waiter came by and asked in Turkish "Are you ready to order?" Sam nodded and replied in a heavy accent in Turkish "Some Baklava please, and don't forget the Eggplants stuffed with lamb, please." The waiter nodded and left with the new order, and soon Gale Wister, an AP reporter based in Turkey approached Sam and both men embraced briefly and greeted each other, Sam exclaimed "I thought you would never come." Gale apologized in Turkish and soon the waiter brought Sam's food and set it out for him. Gale discreetly turned on his recorder and then asked Sam to tell his story.
Flashback to fifteen years ago.I was arguing about my future against my father John Winchester, he was angry because I wanted to attend Stanford instead of becoming a hunter like him and my brother Dean, I wish he understood how I felt but he was adamant in me becoming a hunter so I left once and for all. And so I was lost, alone and without anyone by my side, even my brother Dean didn't even say anything, it was clear to me that I was the disappointment of the family, no matter how hard I tried, I still would fall short of my dad's expectations. And so I did some research and realized that I could still make a contribution without my dad or my brother ever knowing, I first found out about the plight of the Kurdish and the Yazidi people back when I was in middle school, I was saddened by the fact that they had no representation throughout history and they had been oppressed severely by Saddam Hussein, by the time he had been executed, I was a Freshman in High School, I and my family frequently moved around, but I always managed to find a library and do research on the Kurds and their culture, I realized they were merely oppressed for their religion and how they practiced it, but when I was thrown out of my family, I realized a freedom I never had while living with my father, I first contacted the YPG through a Facebook page and got in touch with the commander, he then gave me a series of questions and I answered them as honestly as I could, then I purchased a ticket and flew out to Italy to throw off the US authorities and then I flew to Turkey, where I was smuggled in the dead of the night into Syria, The next morning, I was given an orientation on their history and their language as well as their religion, and their motives for fighting, they made it very clear from the beginning that they were fighting to liberate their oppressed people from the Assad regime as well as ISIS, they emphasized on the fact that they were not seeking glory in their conquests, but rather freedom from the fear of being executed, then over a series of months, they trained me in martial arts, the use of weaponry and the maintenance of AK-47's, how to use grenades and how to detect bombs as well as how to avoid sniper fire, I was even trained on obstacle courses that were literally on fire, I of course learned Kurdish, Syrian and Turkish in order to communicate, I was tested repeatedly on my language skills and soon I was handed my first assignment after two years of training, I also became stronger physically and mentally.
Back to the interview Gale: Did you ever regret leaving your home?Sam: No I didn't, well I did become homesick after five years, but when I tried to return four years ago, I was deported back here and well I have been stuck here ever since.
Gale: Have you ever established any contact whatsoever with your family members?Sam: I actually never had the time to do so because of all the training and the fighting and not to mention the fact that we tried to limit our contact since the militants had technology to trace phone calls in an area.
Gale: Do you think you made the right decision in leaving for the YPG, even though you can never return?Sam: Are you asking me that I regret joining the YPG? If that is the question, then no, I don't regret my decision, I never regret my decisions.
Gale: If your family knew where you were and what you did, how do you think they would react?Sam: I think my family would be very angry and would demand for me to return, but as you can see, until my attorney straightens things out, I'm stuck here in Turkey, but I am not sure whether they would be proud or disappointed in me.
Gale: Did you suffer any injuries during your service?Sam:…Look, I know you want to know about my past, but this is a bit of a touchy subject, I will try and be brief, I once suffered a grade two concussion and a dislocated shoulder while leaping from a balcony to escape sniper fire, another time in Aleppo, a barrel bomb exploded nearby and sent shrapnel into my left leg, I was lucky there was enough medical supplies to save my left leg or it would have been amputated, I had to be removed from service because of the injuries to the leg that have left me with a permanent limp because of the screwed government forces.
Gale: Do you miss your family at all?Sam: (Takes a deep breath) Yes, yes I do, I would first go to Dean and apologize to him for being such a disappointment, I would tell my father how sorry I was not able to see how he wanted me to be safe, I would then hug Uncle Bobby and Pastor Jim and tell them all how much my life has become meaningless.
Gale: What do you do here, now that your prospects of returning home are diminished?Sam: I work.
Gale: Like what kind of job?Sam: I work as a financial advisor under a very large company that sells electronics.
Gale: Do you wish you had done things differently?Sam: Yes, but even now I still don't see an alternative to the path that I took to be where I am now.
Gale: Take me through your daily life as a solider.Sam: I try and get as much sleep as I can before the gunfire starts, the firing starts at around five or six, I cram a slice of bread in my mouth and get ready for the day, I usually don't take off my Kevlar vest and uniform or the Kalashnikov while I am sleeping, so there is usually no need for changing clothes, I do patrol from six to twelve and if things head south during that time, I usually do what common sense dictates and fire back at the enemy, I often rest from one to two and get back to patrol, sometimes I often participated in assaults and spearhead attacks, but those were rare.
Gale: Would you go back and serve the YPG again if you were given the chance?Sam: Yes, I would, I definitely would serve as a People's protection unit and to represent the United States in the battle against Assad, I would serve without hesitation or second thought to my own safety.
Gale: Thank you for your time to conduct this interview. I wish you the very best in your case and good night.Sam: Good night to you as well.
Samuel Winchester said his farewells to the reporter and he checked his phone, he sighed sadly and realized it was already 1:30 PM, he slapped down fifty Liras and left the Café, Sam then headed to his apartment in downtown, he then flipped on the television and watched as his fellow fighters gain ground when suddenly his phone rung, he answered it and his attorney told him "Samuel Winchester, leave Turkey, NOW, Erdogan wants you out of his country NOW! He has been firing up the deportation process since I tried to get you back to the US, there is no hope of you ever returning to the States, I have fortunately pulled a few strings with Vladimir Putin of Russia to give you political asylum, under the condition you become a citizen and vacate Turkey within 72 hours, I'm truly sorry I can't bring you back to the United States, I really am Samuel." At that moment, Sam was grabbing his things and stuffing them into suitcases as his attorney blared out instructions on which border checkpoint to take and how much cash to carry, and the directions to Russia, he was dashing left and right to grab his true identification papers including his passport, his ID card and his expired visas as well as his driver's license and credit cards, Sam stuffed his suitcases and made several frantic phone calls to the taxi, then to the airline agency to book a ticket to Moscow. After five hours of running around and packing everything and tying up loose ends with his landlord and vacating the property, Sam was in a taxi that was speeding down the highway to the airport, Sam quickly paid the driver and was shoving the suitcases onto a cart and tapped his foot impatiently as he waited in line to check in his baggage, his heart was pounding with fear hoping that he would get out in time. Soon Sam landed in Russia and a man told him to request Putin's presence when he went through customs, as the official asked him for his papers, Sam said in his best Russian "I need Putin." The official laughed and replied "You are insane if you think he has time for foreign scum like you, but I will humor you and call Putin to prove my point." Soon the official said "Bring Putin over to room twenty in the Vnkovo international airport, some American wants to meet with him." The official nodded and confirmed by saying to Sam "Putin is on his way and wants to know why he is needed, I will bring an interpreter, which language do you wish to speak in?" Sam replied and said "Kurdish, I will speak in Kurdish." After twenty minutes, an interpreter sat next to him and Putin strode in calmly, when Sam saw Putin, his world stopped and he felt as though meeting the President of Russia was his life's sole mission, Putin's eyes held a steely, icy blue gaze freezing the warm, goofy natured green eyes that Sam held, his jawline and cheekbones were accented and hardened by a shadowy, bloodstained life as a KGB agent, Putin's sharp suit concealed a heavily toned body which was battle hardened, which starkly contrasted against Sam's hastily dressed form, Putin crisply began "So you are the man I personally gave asylum to?" Sam nodded and Putin continued in English "Everyone who is not Samuel Winchester must leave the room." Everyone soon left and Sam was left alone with the President, Putin then stated "The conditions of you staying in my country includes several things." Putin paused for effect and then continued "One: you will become a Supernatural Hunter here, Two: You can never leave Russia without my permission, Three: don't even think about leaving Russia without my permission, if you do, I will have the KGB hunt you down and kill you, Four: You MUST become a Russian citizen OR I will deport you to Turkey without hesitation, Five: You must serve in the Russian government for at least two years, Six: You must learn Russian." With that, Putin abruptly placed his hand on Sam's shoulder in a comforting gesture and squeezed and then said "Welcome to Russia, you will love our country." And then he was gone, the customs official came back with Sam's passport with a freshly stamped page and then let Sam out, the secret service member said "Putin has told me to bring you to his home at the Kremlin." And so Sam was led into limousine which drove through the empty streets of Moscow, no doubt this was standard protocol for all important visitors, and soon the limo passed the red brick walls and past the Tsar cannon and the Tsar bell, there were countless spires and colorful onion domes from the churches nearby, soon the Grand Kremlin Palace came into view and he was led up the stairs where a young maid greeted him and led him to his room. Sam found his luggage already waiting for him despite not picking it up from the airport, his room contained a king size bed with the finest sheets and stuffed with Egyptian cotton, the curtains were blood red and had gold fringes to keep out the sun and to provide privacy, and in front of the bed was a flat screen television, but when he turned it on, there were news networks like RT and Russia Insider as well as some Russian dramas, soap operas, and cartoons like Masha and the Bear, suddenly there was a knock at the door and when he answered it, it was a tailor for Sam so he could get fitted for a set of suits since casual clothing in the Kremlin would not cut it, as he was led down the hallways and corridors, he stared at the fancy decorations and the gold leaf paneling on the ceiling, chandeliers hung from the ceiling, this was a far cry from the rotten motels John had forced him and Dean to stay in during their journeys, clearly Russians had no tolerance for anything short of the best and he also noticed there were Russian flags everywhere, he loved the beauty of the white, blue and red striped banner and he was beginning to get used to the Russian guards glaring at him wherever he went, and soon he was in the tailor room and the tailor said "Your clothing reminds me of the homeless I see on the television from the American news networks." Sam realized that the tailor was telling him he looked homeless and he violently blushed and suddenly became interested in his worn shoes. Then the tailor introduced himself as Dimitri and quickly proceeded in showing Sam fabrics and colors, Sam chose a cotton black and the tailor continued by putting in needles and measuring him over and over, after an hour of scrutinizing and analyzing, he was allowed to leave and Putin then lead him down to sign up for a government position, within the hour Sam was a manager in the Kremlin archives. Sam then arrived at the dining hall where Putin and Medvedev were sitting and enjoying food, and Sam enjoyed the usual Russian food, but when the Vodka was brought in, all three men indulged in the bitter taste of the alcohol and soon all three men were drunk to St. Petersburg and back. After the Prime Minister left for his room, Putin stared at Sam and felt a strange feeling, a mutual feeling, a forbidden feeling, a feeling that could get him impeached with the Duma if the media caught wind of it and he turned away from the younger man, but Sam was too drunk to walk on his own, so Putin brought it up to himself to bring Sam to the master bedroom in which Putin slept in alone and miserable since the wave of sanctions began, Putin carried him ever so gently as to not jar him awake, Putin cursed and huffed and puffed and finally Putin swung his bedroom door open and lay Sam on the bed, he knew that Sam's room was two floors up and he didn't have the strength to carry him up further.
Vladimir Putin's POV.
I didn't expect to fall in love with my adversary, I promise, but when I saw Sam's photo after it was presented by his attorney, I wanted him in my arms and I wanted to love him with all I had. And so I gave him asylum to hide from Erdogan, I really hated that guy sometimes but it was for the sake of appearances, we were allies, but behind closed doors, I could not stand Erdogan's hissy voice or the way it sounded, I wanted to send a personal plane to Samuel, but I thought that would bring too much Turkish media scrutiny and so I hoped he would make the 72 hour time frame. When I was called that he made it, I was relived and made accommodations for him immediately, but I needed him to remain loyal to Russia, so I practiced my speech in front of a mirror and then I met up with him and had him brought over in a separate limo, and when I saw him in person, I immediately felt sorry for him, he had no sense of luxury all his life and now he was staring at everything including the paintings of Tsar Nicolas II and the Faberge eggs and the gold ceilings and walls, and now he was sleeping on the crisp white sheets and under a red velvet blanket, he looked so peaceful, it was ridiculous as to how he became so youthful in his sleep.
Nobody's POV
