(AN: Here is the new chapter, uploaded a.s.a.p. Hope you enjoy it)


The Prophet

Yugoslavia: 1996

Pyotr soon came to enjoy, more or less, life at Outpost Scorpion. On the streets of Zagreb, life hanged in constant doubt for those as poor as he was, and he went for days, weeks even, without food or water. Now he practically lived at the Hand of Nod, a building where the other soldiers of the Brotherhood ate, slept and were given their duties. All he had left of his old life was his name welded onto a pair of dog-tags that hung about his neck: Pyotr Tankian.

His day consisted of a usual routine: up at 0500 hours, ten minutes of break-fast, then the usual training exercise. Though training was strict, his instructors emphasized the need of unity and brotherhood, the two main precepts of the motto of the Brotherhood, on the field of battle. They maintained that their commanders and squad-members were their brothers and deserved protection just the same. Phrases spoken by the mysterious Kane were mentioned at each training exercise, usually to drive a point home that the instructor was making.

The rest of the day was spent in training, with only one ten-minute break in the middle of the day for lunch. Supper heralded the end of the training session, and after supper, there was usually a period of thirty minutes were the green recruits had precious time to themselves, called by their superiors 'a period of brotherhood'. Here connections were made, even encouraged by their superiors, to strengthen their bonds of unity. After the thirty minutes were up, lights out and everyone in bed.

One day out of seven, for typical holidays were not recognized or kept, the training of the day was cut in half. After lunch, they would gather in the 'Council Room' of the Hand of Nod: a large, auditorium-like room that looked like a combination of a church and a computer laboratory. Here they would watch live feeds from the Brotherhood's Virtual Communications channel, or Virt-Com, as it was abbreviated. Most of these feeds were speeches made by generals and favored leaders of the Brotherhood of Nod, who spoke on the need of adherence to the ideals of the Brotherhood and the utmost devotion in their leader, Kane.

Kane. It seemed that no matter where Pyotr went, he always heard something about Kane. There were no paintings in barracks, only the emblem of the Brotherhood of Nod plastered everywhere: a red triangle with the scorpion's tail within. There were some flags scattered about the base that had more than just the emblem of Nod upon them. Some had the blackened silhouette of a man with a bald head super-imposed either near or upon the emblem of Nod. Pyotr never asked who it was, for his fellow recruits didn't know and his officers did not respond when he asked the question.


One weekend, for so the one day out of seven was referred to by the troops, Pyotr and the other recruits were brought into the Council of Room of the Hand of Nod. The lights went down and the projector began to display an image that was first the emblem of Nod on a black screen. The screen then parted, and the next projected image was that of a man, wearing black streaked with small lines of red: he was bald and hair-less, save for a mustache and short beard upon his face.

"Good afternoon, my children," the man said. When he spoke, his voice was calm and calculated, yet stirring in their ears. "I am Kane, I am the leader of the Brotherhood. I am sure you have many questions, about our motives and our goals. Unlike the super-power elite of the UN, I will not withhold secrets from you.

"In 1955, the Soviet Union collapsed at the end of the Great World War. The fighting that occurred afterward left many nations devastated, weak, impoverished, and what did the United Nations do to aid them? Nothing. The World Trade Center in Vienna was established, as a front, to negotiate grain trade with developing nations, but it's true purpose was to push 'third world countries' deeper into poverty, into slavery, while the super-power elite of the United Nations grew fat on their ill-gotten gains.

"Our enemies have laid claim that the Brotherhood of Nod are a terrorist group, and have blamed us for their own mistakes and misdeeds. But what they do not see is that while the United Nations and its so-called Global Defense Initiative hunt down the Brotherhood and its supporters, we are forging a new future!"

Gasps and quiet exclamations were heard from those gathered here at this revelation. The image of Kane pressed a button on an off-screen keyboard, and a small rectangular image appeared, with a small earth-colored pod sprouting green crystals at the top of a ground diorama.

"Tiberium," Kane said. "That is the reason why we fight. The United Nations and the mainstream scientific community see this, at best, an enigma and at worst, a potential ecological threat: I see the future. I have complete control over Tiberium, and am able to unlock its full potential, ending all energy crises and world poverty. With this, Nod shall usher in a new world, and you, my children, are blessed to be at the forefront of a new world order! Peace through Power!"

With that, the projector feed ended. Those who left were chatting among themselves all the way back to their barracks. Pyotr, on the other hand, was paying direct attention to the words of their leader, this Kane. He knew that there could be no going back to his life in Zagreb: there was no way out of that life save for a quick death by the street gangs or a long, drawn-out, painful death, suffering by thirst and starvation. With the Brotherhood of Nod, there was hope, there was a chance to live, to survive, to have a better future.

It was, logically, his only option.


(AN: For those who might not be paying attention, here is the run-down. Red Alert 1's timeline happens, with the pre-RA3 timeline mentioned as the 'fighting that occurred afterward', neither confirming nor denying the existence of Red Alert 2 in this story. The outcome, of course, is that the nations of Eastern Europe, which were under the control of the Reds even in RA1, were horribly debilitated following the USSR's downfall. This explains the need for the Grain Trade Center in Vienna [Tiberian Dawn timeline]. Furthermore, as WWII technically never took place, the nations of Croatia, Bosnia, Czech Republic and Slovakia and others technically don't exist. Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina are still part of Yugoslavia, [where both Zagreb and Sarajevo are located], and Czechoslovakia still exists. I'll try to make mention of such throughout the story, though the conflict in the 1st act will focus mostly in Eastern Europe.)

(What do you think about our character? Should I go into more depth with him so early on, or is this enough as it is?)