The entire warehouse was silent, safe for the rustling of Mira, who muttered about in Russian while she worked. She worked on the floor. digging through every vest, every pocket, every pack that had belonged to the Red Death troops. After she and Reaper had returned to the warehouse, Reaper had taken the truck out and collected the bodies. When he'd returned, Mira had finally come back around and set to work, stripping the soldiers of their possessions. Stijn and Mac were working with the soldiers comms, trying to locate the group before they contacted them for the weapons. Duke and Goat prepared their uniforms for the sting. Mira dragged one into one of the weapons box and fitted the explosives around his body. She hadn't bothered to clean the blood from her hands or face, and no one wanted to risk mentioning it to her.
Reaper watched her from a few feet away. He had taken the weapons and pulled every spare and loaded mag from the rifles and secondary weapons. Mira's orders. The Red Death would certainly believe their story with similar weapons. In truth he was only standing by to keep an eye on her. If anyone was going to confront her about what happened on the streets, it would be him. He had been there, he had seen what had happened.
Mira paused in her work. "What?"
Reaper blinked out of his thoughts. "Nothing."
Mira turned her head toward him, but did not look up at him. "You're lying."
"And?" He tossed her a damp rang.
Mira took a deep breath. "And nothing has changed." she answered, finally looking up at him. "We have a mission to complete."
"And you lost a friend."
"And I'm surprised you're still allowing me to keep in command of this op." Mira stated. She took the rag and cleaned the blood from her face. "A civilian was killed under my watched."
"You didn't force her to help us, she volunteered." Reaper reminded. "And you're holding it together...for the moment."
Mira snorted humorlessly. "For the moment. When these bastards are out of the picture, I will mourn her the way Sasha deserved." Mira answered. She stood up and glared at him coldly. "So you can stop watching me like I'll make a bad call."
"Wouldn't think you capable of it." Reaper replied.
"Hey, we got a lock!" Stijn called.
Everyone stopped their work and turned to the communication table. They quickly rallied around the table where Stijn and Mac had dismantled the radio and connected numerous wires to the internal components. Just to the left of the radio sat an electronic map with a red locational dot pinpointing exactly where the transmission of the Red Death radios originated.
"You're sure?" Mira asked.
Mac nodded. "Completely."
"Where are they?" Reaper asked.
"Four miles north of our position, one mile south of the radiation safe zone boarder." Stijn replied.
"Not for long." Mira replied, marking the location of the hardcopy of the map. "That's an old fallout bunker that was used for starage. They must have cleared it out and expanded the tunnels."
"Where are the entry points?" Sarge asked.
"That's hard to say. There's the original entry points, but any of them could have been collapsed or moved when they took over the location." Mira explained.
"Map out what you know of." Stijn replied.
"Incoming transmission." Mac called.
The light on their comm system flicked.
"Showtime." Sarge called, looking over to Mira.
Mira took a deep breath and grabbed the phone. She thought of Sasha's body back in the alley and spat out her words with as much venom as she could manage. "Chto?"
"YA khochu to, chto prichitaytsya mne." Came a deep commanding voice.
"Pochemu vy dumayete, u menya yest' eto? Boleye togo, to, chto zastavlyayet vas dumat, Ya predam ?" she replied.
"Vy by luchshe postavit' ili-"
"Davayate chto-to pryamo , vy ne zakazyvayete menya. Yesli ya schitayu nuzhnym dostavit' to, chti vy "pretenzii" za vami , mne luchshe poluchit' kompensatsiyu. I eto ne budet deshevo." Mira all but spat back into the receiver. She gripped the comm until her knuckles turned white.
"Oplaty byl zeshen za dva milliona rubley." came the reply.
"Plata, ustanovlennaya mezhdu soboy i Liqin do yego zakhvata. Tsena uvelichilas' iz-za oslozhneniy, vyvannykh zaklyucheniyum idiotov." Mira replied.
"A kakaya vasha tsena?"
"Chetrye milliona." Mira answered shortly.
"Poshel na khuy!"
Portman snickered off to the side. "Boy don't like you."
Sarge glared at Portman from across the table.
Mira ignored Portman's comment. "Ya khotel by predlozhit' izmeneniya vashego tona, yesli vy khotite chtoby vashe oruzhiye."
"Ya khochu, chotby moye oruzhiye! Vy postavite ikh , ili ya ub'yu teba." he replied.
Mira arched her brow. "Vy kazhetsya, nuzhdayetsya v napominanii , kto nakhoditsya u komandy iz etoy situatsii."
The man's voice grew tense. "Slushay ty, suka -"
"Vasha baza nakhoditsya v chetyrekh milyakh k serveru ot goroda vsego v mile k yugu ot obluchennykh granitsy. Yadernoye ubezhishche postroyeno srazu posle avarii na Chernobyl'skoy AES v 1982 godu." Mira explained.
The line went silent for a moment. She had them.
"Dayte nam odin chas." came the reply.
"U vas yest' desyat' minut." Mira snapped. She slammed the receiver down, ending the call. "How was that?"
Stijn watched the computer screen zero in on the location, confirming what they had learned. He looked up and nodded. "Perfect. Let's move out."
Goat passed out the under cover coats uniforms. Each soldier, save for Mira, resembled former soldiers or security workers. Mira pulled on her Kevlar vest beneath Sasha's white coat and pulled her hood over her hair. No one would be able to see it beneath her hood. Duke and Destroyer loaded the four weapon cases containing the dead soldiers into the back of their truck. Reaper handed out the stolen weapons as everyone filed into the truck. Sarge and Stijn took the front cab while everyone else filed into the back. Mira and Reaper took the bikes that had been stored in the back of the truck. They mounted the bikes and revved the engines. The truck roared to life behind them. The loading doors opened automatically from the truck, Mac's impute. Mira revved her engine and tore out of the warehouse with Reaper right on her tail. This ended tonight.
The doors of the bunker opened as the team reached the bunker. It had taken them twenty minutes to reach the bunker, giving the Red Death more time. They rolled into the bunker, with Mira in the lead. Her hood and scarf covered her face, but it was fairly easy to assume she was a woman upon first glance. Whether it was good news or bad was yet to be determined. A squad of men surrounded in interior of the bunker. Mira rolled to a stop near the center of the main bunker. reaper rolled up beside her. The truck pulled to a stop ten feet behind them. All engines shut off, throwing the bunker into a tense silence. Mira climbed off her bike and pulled her scarf from her face. She took a few paces around the interior. Reaper followed suit, but took in a view of the positioning of threats. Men stood surrounding all points of access, including behind them. if things went south, there could be a problem for their team. He brought his weapon to the ready, noting how many men were watching his movements. From the truck, the others climbed out, weapons ready, and took positions throughout their small perimeter.
"Ty prines moye oruhie?" came a voice. A man stepped out from behind a steam pillar. He stood a few inches taller than Mira, dressed in a heavy dark brown coat, matching those of his men killed in the alley. A red 'x' marked the left shoulder, the insignia of the regime. The left half of his face was scared, burned by something years ago, molding the edge of his top eyelid to his lower lid.
Mira didn't meet his eyes. Her attention was placed to their surroundings. "Vasha baza vpechatlyayet. Nu skryta, zashchishchena , v komplekt postavki. YA aplodiruyu vashey izobretatel'nosti."
The man's eyes narrowed. His grip on his weapon tightened. "Ty prines oruzhiye?"
"Khotya, yesli by vy byli po-nastoyashchemu genial'nym, vam ne nuzhno budetbunkera vdol' obluchennykh pustoshi dlyabazy, ne tak li?" she replied.
The man had apparently had enough of Mira's talk. He raised his weapon toward her, earning a weapon in his direction from Reaper. The man looked at Reaper, but said nothing. Mira slowly turned her head toward the man, unfazed by his actions.
"Vy prinesli den'gi?" she asked.
X whistled shortly. A soldier scurried out to his side, carrying a small metallic briefcase in his shaking hands. "V sootvetstvii s dogovorennost'yu, dva milliona."
Mira tilt her head. "My dogovorilis' do chetyrekh."
"Vy soglasilis' ." he reminded.
"Vy byli v spros na svoi uslugi , moya tsena do sikh por stoit . Ili ya otrekayus' ot svoyego oruzhiya." Mira stated.
X held his resolve. "Vy ne budete idti protiv zakazov Liqin avtora."
"Liqin byl idiotom , kotoryy poluchil pod arest. Ya sdelayu vse, chtoya khochu yebat' . Yesli vy khotite, chtoby vashe oruzhiye, to dayte mneproklyatyye den'gi . Potomu chto ya ustala zhdat'." Mira snapped.
X held Mira's hard gaze for a tense minute. Not one person moved or bothered to twitch. "Snimi kapotom."
"Zachem mne eto?" Mira asked.
"YA khochu znat', kakaya zhenshchina, kotoruyu ya imeyu delo." X replied.
"Kak budto moi lyudi ne byli dostatochno." she muttered. She glanced toward Reaper and shrugged. Vera drew her hands from her pockets and pushed her hood back. Her hair spilled out from his her hood and fell over her shoulders.
All eyes fell to her, widened in horror. Several men faltered with their aim, lowering their weapons. Others exchanged nervous glance with their partners. A few took a step from her, as if her mere presence was a curse. X stood closest, looking the most stunned. He swallowed nervously, his arrogance and demand had left his stone featured face. "Belaya smert'."
Mira smirked. "Udovletvoreny?"
X nodded slowly. "Poluchit den'gi blyad' !"
"Spasibo." Mira said. She turned to Reaper and motioned toward the truck. "Vygruzit' gruz."
Reaper nodded and turned toward the others. "Vygruzit' gruz!"
Duke and Destroyer lowered their weapons and climbed into the truck. They hauled out all four carbonate steel crates and set them on the floor between Mira and X. Mira stepped toward them and placed her foot on top of it. She watched X step forward and examine the crates. He looked up at her, his bravado had returned.
"Tema zakryta." he said.
Mira smiled. "Khoroshaya rabota." She reached back into her pocket and pulled out a thin key card. "Klyuch-karta aktivirovanna. Odnazhdy ya byl oplachen , vam zaplatyat ."
"Besposhchadnaya i otklonyayushcheyesya ot normy. Neudivitel'no, Liqin ne nanyal as." X replied.
"On ne nanyat' menya dura." Mira chuckled. "On tol'ko dumal, cjto on sdelal."
The shaking soldier returned with a second case.
"Otkroyte yego." she ordered.
The soldier fumbled with the latches in his grasp. But he finally managed to open the cases, revealing the large sums of money inside the cases.
"V poryadke?" X asked.
"Udivitel'no tak." Mira replied. She closed the case and passed both cases to Reaper. "Kyotya rekomendoval by novuyu pravoy rukoy. YA by ne stal doveryat' yemu pistoletom , yesli moya zhizn' zavisela ot etogo."
"K schast'yu dlya vas ,eto ne tak. No ya primu eto svedeniyu." X replied. He held out his hand. "Klyuch?"
"Klyucha." Mira replied, holding out the key card. X took the card from her quickly. Mira smiled at him. "Priyatno imet' delo ." She turned to Reaper. "S"yakhat'."
Reaper turned and motioned his hand. The others filed back into the truck one by one. Reaper walked alongside Mira toward the bikes. "Two minutes till detonation."
"Let's hope they don't open it sooner." Mira replied.
"You did good, Mira." Reaper said.
Mira smirked and mounted her bike. "And I didn't get shot."
Reaper smirked and glanced behind them. His smirk vanished in an instant. "Oh shit."
Mira turned toward the others. They were kneeling over the crates, opening them.
X's head snapped up toward her. "Eto lovushka!"
"Move!" Mira ordered. She withdrew her pistol from her pocket and opened fire. Her first shot hit X in the chest, sending him to the floor.
In an instant, all weapons were drawn and aimed for Unit 6. Reaper and Mira revved the engines and spun around quickly. The truck engine roared to life and quickly started back up. Mira and Reaper fired throughout the bunker, taking out whomever they could. bullets ricocheted off the armored truck. Reaper felt one slice through the air by his neck. Another inch and he would've been killed.
The truck broke through the bunker doors, into the bitter cold. Mira and Reaper were close behind them. The wind licked at their faces viciously. The guard posted on the surface were momentarily stunned by the sudden outburst from the bunker, but they quickly recovered. They opened fire at the retreating vehicles. The truck turned sharply, finally correcting its direction. Mira pulled up alongside the truck, taking cover from the onslaught of bullets.
"Sound off if you're alive." Mira called through her comm.
"That was fun." Portman called.
"Great party Mira." Duke replied.
"Alive." Mac said.
"Alive." Goat replied.
"Cab's in once piece." Stijn stated. "Good work Mira. Intelligence could use you."
"Which is why she's staying with RRTS." Sarge replied.
Mira smirked and turned toward Reaper, riding up alongside her.
Reaper nodded and smirked.
"We're home free!" Duke called.
Mira took a deep breath. It was over. Red Death was as good as dead. Sasha, Sister Yulyia, her friends, all of them were avenged. Every dark secret that kept her grounded and haunted her dreams was finally behind her. There was nothing left to hold her back now.
The explosion rocked the area. The force threw not only Reaper and Mira from their bikes and into the snow, but also tipped the truck onto his side and sent it sliding a good twenty yards before it stopped. Reaper lay in the snow fifteen yards from the truck, between it and Mira. He had rolled on impact several feet from his bike. Mira pushed herself up from the snow, ten yards from her bike. She shook the snow from her body and rose to her feet.
"Brilliant, forget the detonation time." Mira muttered to herself. She jogged toward Reaper, who was already rising to his feet.
"You alright?" Reaper asked.
Mira nodded. "You?"
Reaper shrugged. "Just a little frozen."
Mira glanced around. "Storms moving in fast. We need to take cover before"- Her sentence died when she spotted the green sniper dot on reapers chest. In a movement that was faster than Reaper had ever seen, Mira stepped in front of him and pushed him as hard as she could.
The force sent Reaper back onto the ground, piling snow down his back. He looked up at Mira just as the distinct sound of a gunshot pierced over the winds howl. Mira's left shoulder jerked as the bullet ripped through it easily. Blood splattered his face and covered the snow in front of her. Reaper stared up at Mira, who stared down at him. Her brows furrowed in confusion, unsure if what had happened had truly happened. She looked down at her chest. Blood flowed freely from her chest wound, running down her white coat. She lifted her left hand to her wound, touching the blood. Mira lifted her head and met Reaper's gaze. His eyes widened as Mira's body tilt to the right and collapse in the snow.
"Mira!" he shouted. He bolted to his feet.
A second shot rang out, hitting his bike, causing Reaper to drop to the ground.
"Man down!" he called. "Man down!"
"Reaper the hell's going on?"
Sarge demanded.
"Sniper!" he explained. "Mira's down! She's been hit!"
"Stay down!" Sarge ordered.
Reaper stared ahead of him. Mira lay ten feet from him, bleeding own into the snow. Her face was turned toward him, her eyes one him. Blood slid down her cheek into the snow by her face. He could hear the truck door open near him. he could hear Sarge climb out and return fire. But he couldn't leave Mira lying there. Not like this. Reaper pushed himself up to his feet and raced to Mira's side.
"Reaper get the fuck down!"
Sarge ordered.
Reaper knelt beside Mira. She looked up at him, her eyes fearful for the time he'd ever known her. her left hand covered the bullet wound, but blood continued to slip through her expanded fingers. Acting on instinct alone, Reaper lifted Mira into his arms and rushed her to the back of the truck. Bullets hit the truck in front and behind him, but never hit him. Destroyer emerged from the back of the truck and unloaded his mag toward the bunker. Reaper ran past him. Portman and Goat emerged from the truck and took off into the field. Duke came out last and pulled Reaper into the back.
Even on its side, the truck provided ample protection from the onslaught of bullets. The sound echoed off the sides, but none every made it through. Reaper laid Mira down on the floor and opened her coat. The left half of her coat was already stained and frozen with her blood. Her hand shivered against her chest, her finger tips frozen with her blood. Her vest was already covered in blood with a massive hole in the left side. Her hair clung stiff around her face and coat. her breathing was shallow and short.
"Duke get my kit! Mac get us a medevac to base" Reaper ordered. He pulled off the straps of Mira's vest and slipped it from her body. He gently took Mira's trembling hand. "You hang in there. you hear me?"
Mira opened her mouth, but she could only gasp and choke on her blood. She nodded quickly but started to cough violently. She turned her head, spilling her blood onto the floor. She released her chest wound and clasped onto Reaper's wrist, holding tight.
Duke returned with the kit. "What do you need?"
"Quick Clot and fast." Reaper ordered. "We gotta stop the bleeding now."
Duke opened the pack and rifled through the contents.
"Mira, I gotta see the damage." He said. He gently lifted Mira's hand, The blood seeped out faster, but it gave him the time he needed to inspect the wound. The bullet had ripped through her rib, puncturing her lung. She was choking on her own blood just trying to breath. It as a miracle she was even conscious right now.
"Here." Duke called, tossing Reaper the pack.
Reaper ripped it open and poured it over the wound.
"Oni..idut." Mira gasped. Her hand trembled around his wrist.
Duke frowned and looked up to Reaper. "What's she saying?"
Reaper shook his head.
"Oni..idut." Blood slipped from her lips and rolled down her cheek.
"Who's coming Mira?"
"Mama...papa." she gasped. "Oni...prishli...za mnoy."
Reaper shook his head. "Not today darlin'. Not if I have anything to say about it."
"Medevac can't pick up still the storm clears." Mac explained.
"You fucking kidding me?" Duke asked.
Mira struggled to breathe. Her eyes fluttered closed. Her trembling hands began to slow. Her grip loosened on Reaper's wrist and fell to the floor.
"I'm losing the pulse." Duke called.
"She's not getting any oxygen." Reaper muttered. "Mac, see if you can find a large tube or pen."
"What are you thinking?" Duke asked.
"If I can get a tube into her chest, it should be enough to get breathing again."
Mira's choking breaths suddenly stopped.
"Shit. Mac hurry!" Reaper ordered. He overlapped his hands and started compressions. "Come on Mira, don't you die on me now." He tilt Mira's chin up and gave her two quick breaths. Her chest rose and fell, but she didn't keep breathing. Reaper started compressions again. "Mac!"
Mac climbed back. "Got it!" he held out a small pen.
"Duke, get your knife and the alcohol. Cut off the ends of the pen case. Sterilize the casing inside and out and your knife." Reaper ordered. He gave Mia two more breaths.
Duke worked fast. He pulled out the ink cartridge form the pen ad tossed it aside. He pulled out his boot knife and cut off both tips, equalizing the radius. Mac tossed him the alcohol pads and cleaned the knife and casing. "Reaper, all set."
"Give me the knife." Reaper ordered. He took the knife from Duke and cut into the side Mira's chest. "Pen casing, now!" Reaper carefully wedges the pen casing into the wound. Blood immediately began pouring from the casing, spilling onto the floor around Reaper's knees.
"Shit." Duke muttered.
"Rib punctured her lung, keeping her from breathing" Reaper said. The blood drained from her lungs. Mira's chest rose slowly. Her breaths came in short, staggering intervals, but she was breathing through the casing. Reaper exhaled deeply, watching Mira breathe. She was alive...for the moment. "Mac, get an ETA on that Medevac."
Mac nodded and climbed back into the cab.
Duke reached out and patted Reaper on the shoulder. "You brought her back."
Reaper nodded slowly. "Yeah, but there's still some time before that medevac gets here. And knowing Mira, she'll give us all hell until it does."
dun dun dunnnnnn! mission end! gosh I hope that wasn't as anticlimactic as it seemed. oh and if there are any difference between this and doom my rendition of doom with be updated once this is finished. now for the translations! I hope that was enough for you guys and that it didn't disappoint you.
Did you bring my weapons? Ty prines moye oruzhiye ?
Your base is impressive. Well hidden, protected, supplied. I applaud your ingenuity. Vasha baza vpechatlyayet. Nu skryta, zashchishchena , v komplekt postavki. YA aplodiruyu vashey izobretatel'nosti .
Did you bring the weapons? Ty prines oruzhiye?
Though, if you were truly ingenious, you wouldn't need a bunker along the irradiated wastelands for a base, would you? Khotya, yesli by vy byli po-nastoyashchemu genial'nym, vam ne nuzhno budetbunkera vdol' obluchennykh pustoshi dlyabazy, ne tak li?
Did you bring the money? Vy prinesli den'gi?
As agreed, two million. V sootvetstvii s dogovorennost'yu , dva milliona.
We agreed to four. My dogovorilis' do chetyrekh.
You agreed. Vy soglasilis' .
You were in demand for my services, my price still stands. Or I retract my weapons. Vy byli v spros na svoi uslugi , moya tsena do sikh por stoit . Ili ya otrekayus' ot svoyego oruzhiya.
You won't go against Liqin's orders. Vy ne budete idti protiv zakazov Liqin avtora .
Liqin was an imbecile who got himself arrested. I'll do whatever the fuck I want. If you want your weapons, then give me the damn money. Because I am tired of waiting. Liqin byl idiotom , kotoryy poluchil pod arest. YA sdelayu vse, chtoya khochu yebat' . Yesli vy khotite, chtoby vashe oruzhiye, to dayte mneproklyatyye den'gi . Potomu chto ya ustala zhdat' .
Take off your hood. Snimi kapotom.
Why should I? Zachem mne eto?
I want to know what kind of woman I'm dealing with. YA khochu znat', kakaya zhenshchina, kotoruyu ya imeyu delo.
As if my men weren't enough? Kak budto moi lyudi ne byli dostatochno?
The White Death. Belaya smert' .
Satisfied? Udovletvoreny?
Get the fucking money! Poluchit' den'gi , blyad' !
Thank you. Unload the cargo. Spasibo. Vygruzit' gruz .
Locked. Tema zakryta .
Good work. Key card activated. Once I have been paid, you'll be paid. Khoroshaya rabota. Klyuch-karta aktivirovana. Odnazhdy ya byl oplachen , vam zaplatyat .
Ruthless and deviant. No wonder Liqin hired you. Besposhchadnaya i otklonyayushcheyesya ot normy. Neudivitel'no, Liqin ne nanyal vas .
He didn't hire me you fool. He only thought he did. On ne nanyat' menya dura . On tol'ko dumal, chto on sdelal.
Open it. Otkroyte yego .
In order? V poryadke?
Surprisingly so. Though I would recommend a new right hand man. I wouldn't trust him with a gun if my life depended on it. Udivitel'no tak . Khotya ya rekomendoval by novuyu pravoy rukoy . YA by ne stal doveryat' yemu pistoletom , yesli moya zhizn' zavisela ot etogo.
Luckily for you, it doesn't. But i'll take that under advisement. The key? K schast'yu dlya vas , eto ne tak. No ya primu eto k svedeniyu. Klyuch?
The key. Pleasure doing business. Move out. Klyucha. Priyatno imet' delo . S"yekhat'.
It's a trap! Eto lovushka !
they're coming. Oni idut
they're coming for me. Oni prishli za mnoy.