The Rebirth of a Russian Hero

August 24th, 1963

Vorkuta Uranium Mining Facility

"Who was this "Hero of Stalingrad" that I've heard so much about?" Mason asked.

"Dimitri Petrenko was one of the bravest men I had ever known. He fought by my side from the siege of Stalingrad to the fall of Berlin. The wounds he sustained ensuring our victory should have earned him a hero's welcome to Russia. But Stalin had little need for heroes. Dimitri Petrenko was a hero, he deserved a hero's death. Instead of giving his life for the glory of the Motherland, he died for nothing. Like an animal... He should have died in Berlin."

*Flashback*

October 29, 1945

*Dimitri's POV*

"Why do you not trust Dragovich and Kravchenko?" I asked, unsure of why my Captain was feeling so uneasy.

"Back during the Siege of Stalingrad, Dragovich and his lapdog, Kravchenko, left me and my men hopelessly outnumbered, making promises of reinforcements that were never kept. Dragovich and Kravchenko are opportunists, manipulators. That is why we do not trust them, Dimitri." Reznov said, his accent thick with disgust, though he had raised his voice loud enough for Dragovich and Kravchenko to hear, who were on the vehicle adjacent to his.

*47 Minutes Later*

I looked upon a torn German vessel lying dead in the water, wondering what it was we could possibly gain from looking through this fascist piece of work.

"What could the Motherland have to gain from searching this vessel, Reznov? I asked.

"I do not know, Dimitri… Whatever this is, it had better be worth all of the trouble of having to deal with Dragovich and those SS Troops," He said, unsure of their intentions.

I just nodded at his response, following him as we fell closer to the ship, nearing the broken flank where several soldiers were pulling away debris from an opening, thus allowing us entrance. We reached a Rounded door in the hull, where Dragovich ordered Captain Reznov to open the Hatch. Reznov followed his orders with hesitation, hate in his eyes. He opened the door and removed his sidearm from its holster, his flashlight following in succession. I walked behind him with blind anticipation, though fear played a part, not knowing what was around the next corner. The next turn startled me, seeing an SS Soldier, hung frozen from a support beam. After staring at this, we pressed on, having seen many dead in our lives. Reznov opened door after door, before coming onto a larger door, where he strained to open it, but managed after several tries.

What we came upon was an immense room littered with debris, and several other oddities. I looked to my left and right, seeing V-2 Rockets and Holding Tanks with the Nazi emblems embellished on each. Then I heard The Pig, Steiner, start to speak.

"The Nazi's were going to use this as a launch site for Project Nova, A Nerve Gas, which was going to be delivered by use of these V-2 Rockets. The two sights that were to be delivered to was first Washington D.C., and then Moscow. Then the British caught wind of this, and they bombed it straight to oblivion." Steiner said.

I heard several of the Soldiers around me whistle, as if they were impressed. I glowered at them mentally. Well, at least the motherland now controls this deadly weapon, and not those fascist pigs. Suddenly, I felt two hands around both of my arms, whereupon this, I reacted naturally. I thrashed like a drunken boar. "Vhat are you DOING?" I exclaimed in a demanding demeanor.

"I 'vant to see the effects first hand. Throw them in the gas chambers."

"Reznov! Help!He-" I tried to finish before being hit in the gut, effectively silencing me. They threw me and two of my comrades in the chamber and slammed the chamber door shut. I looked through the window to see my captain, Reznov, and two others in the separate chamber adjacent to ours. I looked at him with disbelief. I tried to yell to him, but it looked as if you couldn't hear.

Then, I started to sense something odd entering the small room. I tried to breath, but could not hold my breath any longer, as it was extremely cold. I gasped for air, effectively inhaling the gas. I began to feel nauseas, and after ten more seconds, I started to suffocate. Five more seconds after that, my skin began burning, along with the same feeling inside. I began vomiting. This was the most excruciating paint that I have ever had to endured, as I started to feel as if I was burning from the inside to out, where my eyes felt as if they were about to fall out of their sockets. I could barely hear the screams of my comrades as they began to drop like flies, myself following in sequence as I tried to reach for my Captain…my friend… on the other side of the glass, as I lost the battle for my life.

*Soon After*

All was dark, but then there was complete… well… the only way to describe it was Whiteness. Then I came upon a strange space of many shadows and voices, along with a deathly mysterious Aurora. It was then that I waited for what I thought for Decades…