Chapter 1
Vasily Kostin was uneasy. Uneasy to the point he felt he might soil himself. First he and his good friend Pavel Morozov were climbing to the surface with the unproven Mikhail watching his back. But worst of all, they were going to meet a suspected informant. And not any informant, but an informant he wasn't sure was on the level, and one who happened to also be a Ranger. Which meant if this wasn't on the up then they were most likely dead men. But with the Reich counter offensive underway the Comrade General said he could not spare the reinforcements
Of course he couldn't justify it, it wasn't his ass that would get blown off. Watch the General Secretary put him on this mission and watch how fast that shit gets "justified". Nepotism; the scourge of the revolution. the only reason they had this bumbling moron for backup was because his uncle was a friend to a member of the Politburo.
Vasily liked to complain to himself, but in his honest moments he knew he would do what was asked of him. Unlike Mikhail and maybe two thirds of their fifteen thousand strong army, Vasily was a true believer in the cause. At forty one years old he had seen the world before this, and knew its beauty. He also knew the world was in the shape it was now is because humanity had allowed itself to stay divided. Divided by race, religion, money, class, any fucking thing you could think of. Vasily knew we had to get rid of all that shit if we were going to have a chance this time.
A roar broke his train of thought and he held out a warning hand to Mikhail on the steps behind him.
"Demon" Pavel hissed. "Shut off your light. We are close now".
For once, he did what he was told without complaint and they waited on the stairs another three minutes before moving again.
"Alright, this door will take us out of the metro. Then we're going to head east to the old RT building. Stay low and right behind me. Don-listen!" Pavel shook the young man by his jacket lapel as his gaze lowered to his boots again. "don't fucking shoot at anything unless I, or Vasily, say so...or its close enough to get a claw on you. Got it?"
"Yes I got it Captain, I got it".
Vasily was unsure of his sincerity but nodded anyway. "Good…let's go".
Even though it was just midday, the darker than normal skies made moving without their head lamps difficult. Even so, they reached the old news building without seeing the demon again, or anything else for that matter.
"Now what do we do?" Mikhail asked from behind him.
Vasily turned around as if the young private had asked him which way is up. "What do you think we do you fucking idiot? We wait!" he hissed.
Mikhail shrugged. "I just hate fucking waiting…especially out here…that's all".
"Oh, well I love it" Pavel joked.
"You do?"
"Stoy de yota" he exclaimed, looking to the hazy sky for relief from this idiot.
Movement on the horizon brought him back to the here and now. He held up his scope to see a large man in the armor of a Ranger moving quickly and lowly behind the back of a ruined bus.
"There!" Vasily hissed.
Mikhail responded with a loud gunshot. For a brief moment Vasily thought him a traitor in the employ of the Order. After realizing the bullet had not entered him he entertained the idea that Mikhail Zaytsez was an agent of one of Korbut's political enemies, attempting to sabotage this mission, and with it Korbut's reputation. But after turning around aghast to see the young man holding a plaintive hand towards his revolver and an uncomprehending look he revised all his former opinions.
"I-I'm s-sorry captain Kostin….I was just cleaning it and then you spoke and, and I don't kn-"
"You really are a fucking idiot aren't you?" he asked, no longer angry…just disgusted. As Mikhail agreed with a nod he saw a oack of nosalises scramble over the horizon behind him….and the possibly napping Demon wake from his slumber and lift off from a nearby tower.