Another quick disclaimer: I don't speak Russian or German, so it may not be perfectly used in this story. Apologies for that. I'm consulting as many translation sources as I can.

The first thing they did was rip the Elinium Type 95 from her neck and search her for weapons. There went all of her self-defense. Then Tanya was forced onto a train headed across the border.

She wasn't conscious for the majority of the train ride. She'd been offered some sort of drink, in what looked to be a wine glass. Tanya refused it four times. It had obviously been laced with something. Beria eventually gave up and had two soldiers hold her still while he forced a white pill into her mouth. Then he held her jaw shut until it took its effect. She couldn't just hold it under her tongue - it eventually dissolved.

Tanya felt quiet drowsy just a minute or so later. As much as she didn't want to pass out on a train seat next to Lavrentiy Beria, she had no control over it. Her muscles went slack and her consciousness faded away.

She awoke in an unfamiliar bedroom.

Tanya sat up with a start, then immediately regretted it. Whatever that drug was, it was giving her a headache as it worked to wear off - similar to the hangovers she used to have in her past life.

She inspected her body. Was she still wearing clothes?! Yes. Yes, nothing felt too weird. She wasn't physically sore anywhere, just a little stiff. No marks, no bruises. Nothing had been done to her during her sleep. However, she wasn't wearing her uniform jacket or shoes, and her peaked cap was nowhere to be found either. This meant she was wearing her army green pants, socks, and a white tank top, but that was it.

She didn't like the idea of her body being this exposed in front of a man like Beria...but there was nothing to be done about it. She knew deep down that this wouldn't be the worst to come, anyway.

The pound of footsteps faded into earshot began to reverberate through the hallway. The door opened, and Lavrentiy Beria appeared in the archway. "Oh, good! You've finally woken." He walked approached her slowly, and Tanya leaned backward on the bed until her shoulders hit the panels of the headboard. "Oh, don't be afraid! This is a very special day! You might not understand that now, but you will in time."

"Why did you drug me...?" Her voice came out raw and raspy.

"Please don't be offended, but you have a bit of a reputation." As he spoke, she couldn't help but notice he was holding a black clothing bag. The coat hanger hung from in between his fingers. "A reputation for being a fighter. You don't go down easily, in any situation. It was part of the plan all along to sedate you on the way back, just in case things were to get difficult for us."

He set the clothing bag down on the bed. "Moving on, though. We're going to dinner tonight. I'm excited to show you off to my colleagues. Especially the ones who never believed I'd be able to have you." He snickered at that. "So this is your dress."

Tanya slowly took the coat hanger from him and unzipped the bag. It was a red and white dress. It looked awfully familiar-

"I've worn this exact dress before..." she mumbled, pulling it from the bag. "Did you...do this on purpose?"

"Why, yes! How observant of a little thing you are." He pulled the hat from the bag and turned it over in his hands a few times. "I saw the photos of you from when you earned that badge. The Silver Wings, I believe it was called? Either way, you just looked too beautiful. I wanted to see that look that I loved so much in person."

Tanya furrowed her eyebrows, but she knew it might be better not to fight against him. There would be a way to get out of here. She would find it. But fighting about trivial matters would only invoke punishment upon herself, and make her time in this hellhole even less bearable. So she sucked it up and said nothing.

Suddenly, he had grabbed her by the chin in two of his fingers and forced her to look up at him. "Why the long face, darling? You're going to be the shining star of the whole dinner."

Tanya shook her head slightly. She had nothing to say.

-XXX-

Tanya stared herself down in the mirror. Well, she was wearing it. The red dress. The cap that went with it. The white stockings. The black mary janes. This wasn't the last thing to be done, though. He led her out to a bathroom in the hallway. The house was really extravagant - the bathroom was large and open. There was a chair in front of the mirror. A curling iron was set on the counter.

"Sit."

Tanya hesitantly sat down. "...Do you know how to use a curling iron?"

"You should really be flattered," he smiled. "I learned how to use one specifically so that I could do your beautiful hair for you." He set her hat down on the counter and ran a couple of fingers through her blond hair.

Tanya couldn't help but shudder at the feeling. She hated this. Her shoulders stiffened up and she gripped the sides of the chair.

Dinner was a strange experience.

Lavrentiy Beria may have been evil, and to some extent smart, but he really wasn't socially aware in the slightest. He did exactly as he'd implied he would; he paraded Tanya around the grand military dining hall like a trophy. His spoil of war. It was a celebratory dinner of some sort, probably in recognition of the fall of the Empire. This was simply Tanya's best assumption, though. Everyone was speaking in Russian.

She could tell he was pretty unaware, or at the very least, unconcerned, with others' opinions. People gave him looks of concern and disgust as he dragged Tanya around by the hand. Maybe they could see the discomfort seeping through her poker face.

Eventually, they were stopped by a man in a similar formal officer uniform to Beria. He had more medals and achievements on his uniform, however. Tanya examined his epaulettes. She didn't know too much about the Russian ranking system, but it was fair to say he could have been Beria's boss.

"ты сделал это," he scoffed slightly. Tanya had no idea what to make of that sentence. It was completely lost on her.

"Да, в самом деле!" Beria replied. They went on like this for a few moments. Tanya's eyes wandered the room. There was one particular soldier giving her a concerned look. She began to wonder how popular Beria was among these people. If they knew he was a creep as far away as in the Empire, they must've been aware of it here too, right? Were people feeling sympathy for her?

"She doesn't speak any Russian? I suppose it was wrong of me to assume."

Tanya looked up as soon as she heard German. It was slightly sloppy and heavily accented, but German nonetheless.

The man with many medals was speaking to her. He gave her a smile. "Tanya von Degurechaff, isn't it?"

She could respond to this. "Ja. Das ist richtig." That is correct.

"I already knew that. Beria talks about you all the time. And, of course, you've caused us quite a lot of trouble. You have to understand that you may not be very well liked around here. You've killed many of our men in the past."

She gave him a blank stare. "That doesn't bother me. I'm not here on a pleasantry visit."

"Heh heh heh…" He swirled a wine glass in his hand. "That may be true. If you're interested to know, my name is Major General Mikhailov. I gave Brigadier General Beria here the 'yes' to go ahead and take you from the Empire."

She blinked at him.

"I suppose that doesn't make you appreciate me anymore though, hm?"

Tanya was silent.

"Wow, she's quiet when she doesn't have a gun in her hands," he snickered to Beria. "Well, Degurechaff. Please think about it this way. You very well could have been put on trial for your life if General Beria hadn't come to take you instead. You should be thanking him. You're considered a war criminal, you know."

She scoffed, finally deciding to break her poker face, and gave this major general person a smug look. "At least I'd be getting recognition for my achievements. I must say, death seems better than wearing this damn outfit."

Beria and Mikhailov laughed at that, as if she'd just cracked a lighthearted joke at a neighborhood get-together. It made Tanya's stomach churn, but she didn't let the confidence drop from her expression.

Beria put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, my sweet girl. After dinner the outfit will come off."

That sent ice down Tanya's spine, so cold that she completely froze up.

"Oh, Beria. You've scared her."

Beria just chuckled on. "It's Tanya von Degurechaff. She's fine."