Matthew Webb didn't say a word, nor did anyone else in the group as they walked silently through the dark drainage tunnel underneath the Moscow streets. This was the perfect way to approach the target without being detected by the police or security. After the attack on the GUM, he knew anything that even remotely resembled the nerve gas canister would instantly be seized and detained, along with anyone unfortunate to be carrying the object.

But they were smarter then that, and they knew how to plan one step ahead of anything, or anyone that tried to stop them. Just follow instructions, that was the game. Follow your orders and you would live to see the light of another day. Or so he had been told.

As the four of them lugged the large canister down the dripping tunnel, Miller paused, holding up his hand to signal everyone to halt.

"Hold on." He said, staring up at the damp ceiling. "Beckett, light."

Clay reached to the side of his M4 and shined his tactical flashlight on the ceiling above. On it, read a series of numbers pertaining to the city's layout and code. To the average person, they were just a jumble of symbols and letters sprawled across the ceiling in Russian. But to Webb and the rest of the team, they were a legend, a key to a map that would led them through the maze of tunnels and wetwork to their destination.

It only took a brief moment before Miller had finish studying the painted letters on the walls before he looked ahead down the dark tunnel.

"We're close, just a few hundred meters." Miller said, looking at his watch. "Beckett, take point. Webb and Williams, take the canister. Protect it at all costs."

Webb silently nodded and griped the handle on the nerve gas canister along with Chloe. Today was trial two. In the first trial, they wanted to see if the gas could kill a select group of people without killing another group in direct contact. The test had succeeded with impressive results, but today was just as adventitious. Now the goal was to see just how precise the gas could be. If it could be released into a building of hundreds of people, coming into contact with all of them, but only killing a single life. A difficult feat, but The Patriot was confident that it would work, and Webb had a feeling that it would too.

"Keep it up." Miller said, urging them along. "Today is going to be the day were we either hold Moscow as a hostage, or they hold us as theirs."

Makarov sat frozen in silent horror at what Ellien had just said. Chess had always been a pleasurable experience for Makarov, but this game was quite the oppisite. He never lost, not to anyone or nobody. But now, for the first time, he actually felt threatened, threatened that he would actually lose.

"What?" Makarov said, staring at the board. "What makes you think that?"

"I wanted you to move there, so I moved my King to lure your bishop there." Ellien explained, still staring at him. "And now that you've done that..."

She moved her knight in front the bishop's path of attack, blocking her king from any harm and taking herself out of the check.

"Now your side will slowly decay. Exponentially." Ellien said. "Every move you make, I'll take a piece, and it will happen whither you want it to or not."

"28 moves." Ellien declared, crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair. "That's approximately 12 and a half minutes of oxygen you have left and counting. I don't care if you stall or not, it's not going to change the final outcome."

"So go ahead." She said finally, relaxing in her chair. "I've got all day."

Makarov narrowed his eyes at the chess board, immediately running moves through his head and their consequences were he moved them. Despite not wanting to believe a word she said, she was absolutely right. No matter where he move, no matter what piece it was, he would always have to sacrifice something. And no matter what it was, it was never a good trade off.

"This is it..." Makarov thought as he moved pieces one by one, each getting taken easily by Ellien. "Theres no way I'll win now, it's-

"Pointless?"

Makarov looked up suddenly at Ellien, her eyes staring at him devilishly. Makarov narrowed his eyes and eased back in his chair, trying to look at the situation as a whole, trying to figure out what had gone wrong. The fact was clear: He had been outsmarted. He, Vladimir Makarov, the one who would eventually kill the President of Russia and lead the country himself, had been outsmarted. It was a disgrace.

"This is not pointless." Makarov declared, stalling and trying to buy time. "This game isn't over yet."

"No, it is." Ellien easily countered with superior confidence. "And it ends in four moves."

Makarov sighed and closed his eyes. He had tried everything against her and it had failed. Was this just a game, or was she trying to send a message? Was she telling him through it all that she was way above him, and that there was no way that he could even remotely try and beat her? Was that it?

Makarov breathed and put his hand on his rook, knowing that no matter where it would move, it would be taken. He took Ellien's rook was his, sacrificing it before she easily took it out with her pawn.

"Three" Ellien said, causing Makarov's frustration to rise. He was being toyed with, like a little child. It was embarrassing.

Makarov took his knight and placed it to take out the bishop threatening a pawn. Ellien then moved her king and took it out easily as soon as he had placed it, making quick work and taking it off the board.

"Two." Ellien said. "Your also in check."

Makarov looked to see another rook at the far end of the board, now indirect line with his king. Makarov calculated the best move to avoid the attack and moved the king out of harms way and behind the cover of a nearby pawn.

Ellien instantly destroyed the protection by moving her queen and taking the pawn, now putting her queen right in line with his king.

"Check." Ellien declared. "This is the final move, Mr. Vasily."

Makarov fists clenched, knowing she was right. This was it. No matter where he moved, the next move she would make would be checkmate. It was impossible to avoid, and Makarov and Ellien both knew it.

"I can allow this..." Makarov thought, going against all urge to show any signs of frustration as he moved his King that would ultimately sealing his fate. "Somehow...I will make you pay for this...I promise you that..."

Silence hung in the air as Ellien reached for her queen and began to move it towards the square that would end the game and crown her the victor. This was all a test, a way to provoke a response, a reaction from him. That was the real objective of this game, and that's all it was. If he had to swallow a loss here, then that was okay by him anyway. He knew that in the end, he would have the ultimate victory over her, and he would silence her once and for all.

Ellien held her queen over the square, and before she set the piece down to secure her victory, she did something that shocked everyone in the entire room, especially Makarov.

"Okay, that's it." Ellien said, placing her queen back to it's original position. "I give up. You win Mr. Vasily."

A bombshell hit Makarov, causing him to go blank and stare in complete utter shock from what he had just heard through his ears. It took him a moment for even him to comprehend what had just happened. It didn't make sense. She had him right where she wanted, and yet she chose to forfeit? Such a move was completely unseen, and even Makarov couldn't process the reasoning behind it.

"W-What?" Makarov finally managed, watching Ellien get out her chair. "Why are you forfeiting now?"

"I already explained it." Ellien replied simply, walking to the large supercomputer and the end of the room. "I just give up, that's it. You win, fair and square. Congratulations."

Makarov nearly lost it there. He had never felt this kind of anger before in his life. He wasn't just being toyed with, or embarrassed. He was being ridiculed, like he was a complete failure and joke. This wasn't a test after all, it was a humiliation, a destroyer of his self esteem. It was one thing to loose a chess match, but a completely different thing to be given a victory by charity. It was insulting, just as Ellien had intended it to be.

"Ellien..." Makarov said quietly, looking down at the ground. "Ellien, just finish your-

Suddenly, the room instantly changed from white to red as a siren began to rang, causing everyone except Ellien to look up in confusion.

"The hell is this?" Sedusky asked, looking around in confusion. "Is this a warning?"

"Hmm...Looks like another attack." Ellien said in a boring tone as she stared up at the flashing red lights without the slightest bit of interest. "At least this means the alert activation systems work..."

"An attack?" Cecile repeated. "You mean from the American terrorists?"

"Mostly likely." Ellien replied, looking at her cell phone. "The communications in this place run on the same network as the police and FSB mainframe. Every call that goes to them also goes through us, meaning will know just as soon as they do."

She clicked her phone and brought it up to her ear. "Jaufrei, are you there?"

There was a momentary pause, Ellien silently nodding her head every few seconds as he conversed on the phone. After a momentary conversation, she click the cell shut and turned back to the rest of the group.

"Jaufrei has Agent Sedusky and Agent Obreiski with him." Ellien explained, heading towards the door. "We'll meet them at the site."

"The site?" Makarov asked, watching Ellien proceed to the elevator.

"The goal of the OSI is to stop these terrorists Mr. Vasily, as well as find their leader." Ellien explained. "And that's what I intend to do."

Alarms were already going off by the time Miller had fired the first shots into the hospital lobby. Many doctors and nurses were scrambling in countless directions, some running for their lives, other running just in fear. Webb didn't even fire a shot from his UMP, or his M9. He had kept himself steady even through the screams. This was no time to make mistakes. Doing so would be deadly.

"Webb and Williams will inject the toxin into the ventilation system." Miller explained, giving one last reminder. "Beckett and I will secure the target. Will regroup back in the lobby once we have confirmation that the target is neutralized. Are we clear?"

"Sir!" Everyone said in crystal unison.

Miller nodded and grabbed his M4. "Then lets get to work."

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