Interception

Inspired by an original piece of the same name.

Chapter One: Guardian Angel

0200 Hours

January 7 2048

Trifon Kyznetsov's House- Five Miles Outside of Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, Russia

Kestrel and Caesar snuck up the snow covered hill as they made their way towards the complex. The main building, the house, was a two story contemporary style home, with large windows acting as walls to the downstairs living room. Two men, one with a mature beard and one with a cigar were talking, moving around as if the conversation were about someone. Laughing. Caesar fumbled with the frequency of his earpiece.

"I'll try and get a signal." He said to Kestrel, "Make your way around, see if you can find a less guarded entrance."

Kestrel nodded as he checked his pistol. "Will do, and comrade," Kestrel turned towards Caesar, "it's been an honor serving with you."

Caesar nodded, "The same, now," he picked up the signal. "Go."

Kestrel slowly made his way towards the house, keeping his watch on the two men in the living room.

As he made his way towards the house, keeping in the shadows of the building itself and staying close to the shed which was next to him and the greenhouse, which was next to the shed, the briefing played over and over in Kestrel's mind, pounding like a fierce headache.

"Kestrel, infiltrate the structure, find the cure, and get the hell out. Under no circumstances will you engage." His superior, Ethan Harvey, leader of Triton, an American Special Forces Unit told him approximately six hours earlier in a small room with a single overhead lamp that swung periodically.

"What if they engage first?" Kestrel asked.

Harvey circled around him, examining Kestrel to the last detail. His uniform was perfect, his weapons were precise, his record was impressive, his resume was lethal. Ethan looked Kestrel in the eyes, those cold, dead eyes that told years of pain, suffering, and malice that made the devil envious.

"You will not under any circumstances engage the enemy. Do you understand, this is strictly reconnaissance."

Roman Sixma Sabit, Kestrel's partner and long time friend, stood in front of the two men up against the wall just outside the circle of light that was cast on the floor.

"I will be joining you on this mission Mikhail." Roman said, using Kestrel's real name.

Ethan turned towards Roman, slowly and like a beast about to make it's kill, walked towards him. "You will follow orders and get yourself to New York."

Roman smiled, looking at Ethan made him feel devious. He wanted with every nerve in his body to kill the man right there, but he was far too important and protected too much to even try.

"You know very well why I won't do that." Roman said, getting into Ethan's face, his foul breath, vampiric teeth, and reddish glow eyes hit Mr. Harvey's soul. "New York is dead!"

Ethan Harvey smiled, "You will go to New York, you will carry out your mission, and I suggest you do it rather quickly before I call Mr. Chase." Roman nodded and stood down.

Mr. Damien Chase, otherwise known as Fox, was the ultimate American weapon of war. He had never lost a battle, not a single civilian causality. His record was perfect and he belonged solely to Ethan Harvey.

Kestrel checked his weapons, a Five-Seven and a TT-30, both highly lethal pistols, meant for his profession. He loaded the magazines.

"Do you understand the assignment Kestrel?" Harvey said, turning to him once again.

Kestrel nodded, "I do." he placed the TT-30 in a holster on his belt next to his grenades. "However," Kestrel said, aiming his Five-Seven at Ethan Harvey's head. "Caesar goes with me."

"This mission is solo." Ethan said.

"Under who's orders?" Kestrel asked, cocking the pistol and turning off the safety.

"Mine." Ethan replied. Kestrel pressed the barrel of the Five-Seven against Ethan's forehead.

"This mission is suicide then. You're walking down a dangerous road Mr. Harvey." Kestrel said. "I am willing to work with you and your government in stopping the spread of this infection, of yours, but you have to show the same level of willingness. If you don't, then consider my services no longer at your disposal."

Ethan looked up at Kestrel, he saw the Russian's eyes and smile turn from calm and able killer to an insane madman with a gun who deserved to be thrown into prison.

"Caesar." Ethan said with a fearful glance at the weapon against his head.

Roman stepped away from the wall and entered the circle of light that Kestrel and Ethan stood deadlock in. Roman's eyes were war driven, his heart was cold, his fists were always in a rage. At the moment, Roman (Caesar) was the deadliest person in the room. Kestrel was good, very good, at his job, but Caesar beat him by being four years his senior. This meant a war, a prison sentence, and an affair under his already heavy belt. Caesar let Kestrel drive the machine though, understanding that he wasn't born for leadership. He was born to be a weapon, something that Kestrel was always in need of.

"You will assist Kestrel in any way he needs to." Ethan said, keeping all eye contact on Kestrel's bloodthirsty eyes, "But this is the last mission you will have with him. After this is over, you'll be going to New York."

Caesar nodded, "Understood."

Kestrel lowered his weapon and placed it in the holster. "What exactly are we looking for?"

"You're looking for a man named Trifon Kyznetsov, he's the leader of a group called The Marksmen. We have reason to believe that he is harboring the cure."

"So why keep him alive?" Kestrel asked.

"Questioning and interrogation Kestrel." Ethan said. "Questioning and interrogation..."

Kestrel made his way to a back door that was directly across the greenhouse. He pressed his ear against the door. His breathing slowed and his heart rate slowed to a dangerous beat as he listened for any movement. Fading footsteps. A door opening and closing. He waited three more seconds. Nothing. Kestrel reached for the doorknob and opened the door.

Kestrel entered a dark work room. The place smelled like the sweat of a telecommunication worker and an electricians shop. There were three rows of computers. On the far right row at the very end, closest to the door that led into a stairwell, there was a dimly lit computer monitor. It flickered and flashed, as if behaving from a dying blub before going completely black. Kestrel stood and walked as quietly as possible towards the stairwell door. A bluish light filtered under the door. The sound of desperate breathing from a victim of horror. Kestrel turned on his earpiece.

"Caesar, it's Kestrel, what were the two men talking about?"

Dead space.

"Kestrel," Caesar said, "they're not talking about anything, just their wives and beer. What about you, did you find a way in?"

Approaching footsteps.

Kestrel froze, his adrenaline skyrocketed, and his heart rate dangerously increased. A man in a blue coat carrying an AKM assault rifle entered from a side door that lead into a hallway. Kestrel locked his gaze on him as his stood silently and cloaked himself in the massive shadow of the wall. The man walked towards the last row of computers, looking towards the door that led towards outside like a watchful hawk. As he turned to leave, Kestrel grabbed his throat in a death lock. The man kicked and screamed for help. He fought Kestrel's grip and bit his arm. Kestrel let go, giving the blue coated man a chance to stand and ready his weapon.

"Who are you?" He asked.

"Why does that matter?" Kestrel said. "You're just going to die anyway."

"Kestrel!" Caesar yelled reminding Kestrel that he was listening in. "We're not supposed to engage, we're under orders."

Kestrel nodded. "You know what they say about orders." He pulled out his Five-Seven and fired. The blue coated man fell backwards, his body echoed through the room and through the hallway that he came from. For the first time, Kestrel looked down the hallway and saw dead bodies scattered about.

"Kestrel?" Caesar said. "Kestrel are you alright, what's wrong?"

Kestrel didn't answer, instead, he walked towards the door that led into the stairwell and opened it.

The stairwell was comprised of a small set of stairs, which was twenty-six steps, followed by a landing, another set of stairs, which also had twenty-six steps, and a second landing which led to the second floor, this was directly above Kestrel's head. The bluish glow came from a chandelier. "There's a staircase off the side room." Kestrel said into the earpiece.

"It's most likely trapped," Caesar said, "I'd say pressure sensitive to a very specific type of boot." "Thanks for the information." Kestrel replied.

He opened the door and re-entered the dark computer room. He took a deep breath and concentrated. "Please," a voice said. "help me." Kestrel ran towards the wall next to the staircase at a forty-five degree angle, he jumped just as the base of the stairs was about to hit his ankle. He then quickly jumped from the railing, alternating between this and the wall in a zigzag motion upwards toward the landing. To be safe, he didn't land on the landing either, he did a short wall run and using the other wall as leverage, jumped towards the chandelier, grabbed onto the bottom of it and swung towards the second floor. When he got enough momentum, Kestrel let go and grabbed on the railing that lead to second landing. Kestrel pulled himself up and over the rail.

Standing on the second landing, he heard the voice again. "Please sir, won't you help me?" The voice was eerie, almost as if the person was possessed or severely disturbed. Kestrel looked over and saw a girl covered in blood. Tears flowed, mixing with the blood that already stained her face. She was wearing a light blue nightgown. She was barefoot, her feet were bloody, large holes were in the center of each foot, a bullet for each. Kestrel crouched down to her eye level.

"Caesar," he said, "we have an injured civilian. Repeat, an injured civilian."

Dead space.

The girl looked at him, "Who are you?"

"Someone who's getting you out of here." Kestrel said.

Footsteps approached from the other side of the nearby door. Kestrel slowly stood and pressed his ear against the door. A move for a doorknob. Kestrel quickly stood and forced the door open, hitting the person on the other side hard in the face. Kestrel entered the doorway. A man with a now bleeding nose was up against the wall.

"Who the fuck are you!?" He screamed.

Kestrel pulled out his Five-Seven again, cocked it ready. "The devil."

He fired, the shot echoed throughout the hallway and staircase. The girl screamed in fear again. "Please stop!"

Kestrel walked back to her. " How did this happen?"

"Some of daddy's men shot me." She replied.

Kestrel sighed, nodded, and spoke in his earpiece. "Caesar! Do you copy?"

"I'm here Kestrel, did you say something about a civilian?" Caesar asked.

"Affirmative," Kestrel said, "she's injured, send in an evac."

"We can't do anything about it Kestrel, that's not our mission." Caesar said. Kestrel stood up quickly and entered the hallway, closing the door before speaking, he was about to say words that no child should ever hear.

"Listen to me you little fucker, there's a young girl here with a bastard father who shot her twice."

"I understand Kestrel, believe me, I want to help too, but we just can't. We don't have any medical supplies." Caesar insisted. "We were told to get the cure. Now, have you found it?"

"First off," Kestrel said, "fuck you, and second, negative, haven't finished searching the interior." He sighed.

"Honestly," he continued, "the objective has changed." Kestrel loaded his pistol.

"Kestrel," Caesar said, "don't you dare go soft on me!"

"Just because I have a soul makes me soft? You have some fucked up standards Caesar." Kestrel said as he walked down the hallway, making sure that there wasn't going to be anymore hostiles. A few doors that led to rooms but no roaming individuals. Yet anyway. Kestrel turned around and walked back towards the stairwell.

"I'm just making sure you stay on target." Caesar said.

"I am staying on target you sick bastard, now, help me save this girl!" Kestrel raised his voice as he opened the door.

More dead space.

The girl looked up at him. "Sir, I can't feel my legs, and I'm starting to get dizzy."

Very slowly and carefully, Kestrel carried her in his arms and did the only thing he could do. He re-entered the hallway and started yelling for help.

"I have an unarmed civilian who needs medical attention, can anyone assist!?"

He walked up and down the hallway, kicking every door, and each time he was meet with silence. Finally he walked back towards the staircase, giving up, when he heard a door open. "Come quickly in here!" A voice said. Kestrel turned and walked towards the voice. The man who called him was tall, he had a small beard and a smile that would make the most evil person in the word suspicious. Kestrel entered with the young girl still in his arms with the man following him and closing the door.

The room was a bedroom. It was predominately an off-pink color. The bed was a queen size with pink bedding and a matching canopy. Besides Kestrel, there were four men in the room. All of them had on black coats, all of them had a cigar in hand, all of them had Markov PM's with a healthy supply of ammunition, and all of them had that same suspicious smile. Kestrel laid the girl gently on the bed.

"Am I going to die?" She asked him.

"Everything's going to be alright now." Kestrel said.

He stood and looked around at each man, and in turn, each man looked at Kestrel. There was a deadlock stare contest.

"Alright," Kestrel said after moments of silence, "which one of you shot her?"

"I did." One of them answered. He was the man who opened the door. Kestrel pulled out both of his pistols, figuring that he would need them. "How could you cripple your own daughter?"

The father laughed. "Simple comrade, she is no longer human, but one of them."

"What do you mean one of them?" Kestrel asked.

The man stood up, opened his arms as if wanting an embrace and placing both hands on Kestrel's forearms. "Your precious Ethan Harvey didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?" Kestrel said.

"The infection comrade, is nothing like we've ever seen before. It isn't like the first two, remember the epidemics that happened about ten years ago, almost directly on top of each other?"

Kestrel nodded. The man continued.

"This isn't a zombie outbreak or mutants. This time, it's much worse. This time it's the devil's undead. Vampires."

"Trifon?" Kestrel asked. The man nodded, a devious smile on his face.

"How may I be of service?"

Kestrel aimed his TT-30 at Trifon's chest, his voice grew sinister. "My sources tell me that you are harboring a cure, know anything about that?"

"If you mean by cure you mean a wooden stake then yes." Trifon laughed at his humor.

Kestrel placed his finger on the trigger, "Don't fuck with me! Do you have a cure, da or nyet!"

Trifon smiled, "Nyet. There is no cure. I'm sorry but your efforts were for nothing."

The girl wept at this news. "You lied to me father!" She screamed. "You said you could help me!"

Trifon glared at one of his men. The one nearest to the bed stood from where he was and moved towards the bed. "Shut up you bitch!" He said and struck the girl hard in the face, creating a large red mark on her face. Kestrel raised his Five-Seven without letting his eyes off Trifon and fired. The bullet hit its target precisely.

The others began to move.

"Don't," Trifon said, "let's hear what he has to say." They stood down, but their guard was on high alert. Kestrel turned to his earpiece. "Caesar, abort mission, objective is not in area."

"Are you sure?" Caesar replied.

"Affirmative." Kestrel said. "Alright, be careful Kestrel don't do-"

Dead space.

"Caesar?"

Gunshots. Trifon smiled and laughed, "Death is beautiful isn't?"

Kestrel turned towards Trifon's henchmen and shot them with the Five-Seven while they were busy looking at their phones.

"My," Trifon said with an admirable grin, "you are ruthless."

Kestrel smiled, "I'll take that as a compliment, now tell me," he grabbed a hold of Trifon by his collar and stood him up. "just what are you going to do with your daughter?"

"I'm going to find a cure." Trifon answered.

"I thought terrorists were supposed to cause fear." Kestrel said.

"Who said I was going to save her?" Trifon replied, "I have no intention of saving my daughter, but saving myself. For the infection can spread through the air. All we have to do is breathe. Their bodies secrete an odor that spreads the disease. We are both exposed to it right now actually." Kestrel put both pistol barrels on Trifon. The Five-Seven at his stomach, the TT-30 at his forehead. "That might be a good thing," Kestrel said, "I'll get to rip your neck open."

Trifon laughed, "That's not how vampires work anymore! First they'll cut your neck with their claws, then they'll suck your blood from the wound, then you're finished."

"What do you want Trifon, what makes you so damn important?" Kestrel said.

Trifon laughed, "I simply want revenge. My wife was a zombie, my son was a mutant. I used to be an arms dealer for Al Qaeda, but then, everything changed. I went to the Russian government for help but they wouldn't listen to me. They said that I didn't deserve their help. That I was scum."

"You were, still are." Kestrel said interrupting. "So far you're story doesn't impress me."

"The government seemed to cure everyone, everyone except my wife and son. Now, they have no fucking idea how to plan for this. They don't even know what happened. They just know that they can't fix it. I plan to. Once I have the cure, the world will be at my disposal. I will instantly become the world's most powerful human being. Hell, if you spare me, I'll let you in. I can be President while you can be Chief of Staff. We'll be an unstoppable force!"

The girl turned over towards them. "Father, please, save me."

Trifon nodded. "Don't worry sweetheart, I'll save you, if you promise not to hurt me again." The girl cried. "It was an accident! It was an accident!"

Trifon smiled, "If it was an accident, you would've stopped."

"I'm sorry daddy, just please save me!" She cried in desperation. Trifon moved towards the bed, Kestrel stepped in his way. "I don't think so."

"Let me see my daughter." Trifon said.

"You mean the daughter you don't give a fuck about? Yeah, you have great parenting skills." Kestrel said sheathing his pistols. He walked over to the bedside and looked at the girl. "What's your name?" He asked.

"Sofia" the girl said.

"Well Sofia, let's get you out of here and to a hospital alright?" Once again Kestrel carried the girl in his arms. He walked towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Trifon asked, "Put her back!"

"She'll die if she doesn't get treatment soon." Kestrel said. He turned to Trifon, "You may only care about finding a cure for yourself, but you know that she's the only one who can save you."

"Being philosophical are we?" Trifon said as he followed Kestrel out of the room.

"No," Kestrel replied, "just stating the facts." Kestrel looked out the window and saw Caesar, dead in his position. Kestrel turned towards Trifon, "Remind me to kill you later." He said as he walked down the hallway.

"You know the stairway is rigged right?" Trifon said.

"Who said anything about a stairway?" Kestrel turned back towards Trifon and the windows.

"Please don't." Sofia said, sensing on what Kestrel was about to do. Kestrel held her as close as he possibly could. "Just close your eyes, I'll keep you safe, alright?"

"Like a guardian angel?" Sofia asked.

"Yeah," Kestrel said softly as if the words physically hurt him, "just like that."

Kestrel ran at full speed, leaning his head towards the window like a battering ram, keeping Sofia out of the fire as much as possible.

"I will find you." Trifon said as Kestrel ran.

"I plan on it." Kestrel replied as he jumped through the window, the glass shattering into fifty million pieces.

They fell slowly, and appeared to be walking on bits of shattered glass. Kestrel ran through his fall, in hopes that he could balance the impact between his legs instead of having the force go through his entire body in one painful motion. He landed went his knees bent. Sofia screamed. Kestrel looked at her and noticed that there were bits of glass embedded in her skin and that she was bleeding profusely.

"Christ." Kestrel said, as he sat her down in the snow. He exhaled. He could see his breath, an indication that the temperature was dropping.

"Don't worry," Kestrel said, "it's going to be okay."

Sofia rested her head in the snow.

Kestrel stood and looked around for any sort of transportation. Looking left, the downstairs living room was empty, the lights were off. Kestrel passed Caesar's body which was face down in the snow. Blood covered his body, and he was already starting to smell, but it wasn't the smell of the recent dead, but rather the smell of a corpse who has been dead for a few hundred years. "He was one of them?" Kestrel thought, Sofia groaned in pain.

"Make it stop, please make it stop!"

Kestrel turned and noticed that the glass started to disappear and absorb into her body. She screaming a deafening cry for help. "Help me!"

Approaching footsteps with voices. "Hush now!" Kestrel said, trying to be as comforting as possible but still maintaining a stern voice.

"It hurts." Sofia said.

Kestrel quickly walked over and crouched beside her. He pulled out the TT-30 and loaded it, pulling ammunition from his pocket.

"You can't move yes?" Kestrel asked looking around, checking his perimeter. Sofia shook her head.

"Alright," Kestrel said, "let's remedy that."

Two men exited through the back door. One carried a VVS Vintorez sniper rifle, the other an AK-12.

"Uri, take the girl and bring her back to Trifon." The VVS armed man said.

Uri walked towards Kestrel.

"Come on Sofia, let's get you home." Uri said.

Sofia shook her head.

"I said, let's go!" Uri yelled, threatening with his VVS.

"She said no." Kestrel said.

"Well, look who it is," Uri said looking at Kestrel with a sarcastic stare. "It's the big bad wolf himself."

Kestrel smiled, "Yeah, I blew your house down. You like it? Then take the girl, but you will not enter that house. If you do, I will take that sniper rifle, shove it up your ass, and fire it. Do you understand?" He said.

Uri smiled, "I don't think so."

"Oh, then let me elaborate." Kestrel replied as he shot Uri in the knee. Uri fell down on the ground. Kestrel looked at Uri's companion, whose name was Evstrat Kozlov.

"You!" Kestrel screamed, aiming his weapon at Evstrat's head. Evstrat put his weapon on his back, walked over and bent over, putting Sofia in his arms. Kestrel stood as Evstrat stood, Kestrel's weapon was deadlocked on Evstrat's head. Kestrel walked over and picked up Uri's weapon.

"Fuck you!" Uri said, in pain. "Ditto." Kestrel replied as he sheathed his pistol, checked the chamber of the VVS and seeing that it was empty, reached down and searched Uri's body for ammunition. He grabbed all of it and put it in his pocket, leaving one bullet remaining. Kestrel fired, he didn't even have to aim. All of this happened in less than a minute.

Evstrat cried as soon as the ringing in his ears stopped, "Go to hell!"

Kestrel walked back over to him and placed the VVS barrel hard against his back. "Already been there, didn't like it. Now, move!"

"To where?" Evstrat asked.

"The nearest hospital." Kestrel answered.

"That's miles from here!" Evstrat complained.

"Is there a vehicle we can use?" Kestrel asked.

"No." Evstrat said.

"Then start walking."

Evstrat nodded as he walked to the nearest hospital as instructed with Kestrel at his heels.

Trifon stood near the window that Kestrel destroyed, he looked down and watched Kestrel leave with Evstrat and his daughter. He smiled and laughed as he walked back towards the pink bedroom. "So begins the war."