Chapter 10: "New Normal"

Berezovsky and a relative talk briefly, Ana continues talks with Zielinski, and SVD confides in the commander about her experiences in Moscow.

[In an undisclosed location.]

…

High up in a penthouse, Yuri took to his curtains to close them.

Before doing so, he peered down into the outside world.

The low rumble of traffic emanated from the streets as a sea of vehicles drove by, fulfilling their daily commutes. Meanwhile, the sky above was painted a solid grey.

Nothing out of the ordinary.

Yuri closed the curtains, smothering most of the light that seeped into the room.

The office itself was of an impressive size. Economical and versatile, all under the motif of an angelic white with wood planked floors. The aged man straightened his tie, and sat at his desk. Among other things, a portrait of he and his father lay on it.

The stresses of his late life had taken a toll on him: the wrinkles on his face were much more pronounced, as well as now having an unshaven stubble. Suffice to say, The deal struck with Carter cost more than he'd have liked. Eventually, they'd have to utilize inferior weaponry. But, that was practically irrelevant to his other concerns.

Berezovsky held his father's portrait.

With the direction he wanted to go, the UACT needed better funding, seeing as his own simply wouldn't last forever. Perhaps it was time to continue the family business. As he called it… Selling product.

Right or wrong, it'd get the job done. Without it, he'd have never been in such a position in the first place, right?

He set the portrait down, tapping his fingers against the desk.

"Yuri!" a bearded man called out. He approached the desk with two floral coffee mugs, and set one down. He appeared slightly younger than Yuri, with short hair like salt and pepper. "It's black. So, How's life?"

Yuri nodded. "Thank you again for stopping by, Boris."

Boris took a folding chair, and sat down. "Hah, don't treat me like a stranger. We're still brothers, you know?" He laughed. Boris set down his mug and clasped his hands together. "Now what's it looking like these days?"

"...So-so."

"So-so, eh..? And, the UACT?"

Yuri waved a hand. "Ehh." He took a sip.

"That's no way to go about it, is it? Go big or go home, right?" Boris replied. "...I heard about what's happening in Kiev. Got a forecast for that?"

Berezovsky gradually opened up. "Our chances of victory seem rather even… They wanted to silence us once more, but frankly, I won't take that any longer. Even if we can't establish a base of operations, there will always be another day."

An increasingly concerned expression grew on Boris' face. "I'd tell you not to be so cooped up, but it seems like that's what's necessary. I'm sure you of all people understand the magnitude of the situation, right? If the military has to get involved..."

"Yes, they will." Yuri interrupted. "I haven't contacted Carter in some time, but we've since stopped receiving shipments. Worse, we don't exactly see eye-to-eye with a lot of things." Yuri muttered under his breath.

"Ah, you've been doing business with the KCCO's general? Hmm. Strained on that front." Boris replied. He stood up and paced around the penthouse.

"Understatement." Berezovsky chuckled.

"...Well, I hate to put it bluntly, but we're damn near set for civil war, you know." Boris added.

Yuri nodded, what little positivity which remained fading from his face.

"Should things escalate further... Look after yourself, alright? The last thing we need is another death in the family."

Another nod.

Boris stepped back to the desk, and offered a hand.

Yuri stood up slowly, and took it. "You have my word."

[Earlier. Kiev, Ukraine.]

It seemed truly commonplace… As though it were the norm. Sickening.

The screams, the violence… The dysfunction. Not even the states outside of Russia were spared from the infectious climate— one decades in the making.

In the white night, Maidan's vast streets had once again become the chosen battleground for progression. Naturally, with progression came conflict. However, this occasion was of a different caliber entirely.

"Take cover!" A soldier yelled. Shortly after, a hail of bullets rained upon the jersey barriers which he and his comrades hid behind.

On one side, the UACT.

The other, the National Guard.

The plan was deceptively simple: neutralize UACT forces, advance south toward the city council, and rescue the head of the city. However, the firepower of the UACT proved equal to the NGU. Hundreds of citizens had already fled, but many still found themselves in the crossfire.

Amidst the stench of gunpowder, screeching of tires against asphalt came rolling in as APC's swerved into the scene.

Just how did it come to this? What were the UACT's true motives for these actions? Such thoughts and more plagued the minds of each and every soldier as they gave their all, desperately trying to overcome the enemy's manpower. In the process, the white streets and sidewalks were stained a new red— blood spilled from either side.

"Christ! Will you shut the hell up!?"

A UACT soldier wearing a balaclava commanded, pistol whipping incumbent Visoven in the head. His grumbles and whimpers echoed through the mayor's office, and the halls of the council building by proxy. His office was occupied by several soldiers: some guarding the door, others peeking out of the windows, rifles and binoculars in hand.

Throughout the interior of the establishment, the scene was nearly as chaotic: halls on every story were blocked off by makeshift barricades, along with soldiers occupying each window, supplying gunfire.

Suddenly, a stray bullet sped through the office, nearly striking the masked soldier. Everyone in the room ducked.

"What the—!?" He fell back, dropping the gun. He groaned in anger, and sat up. "Bastards almost got me...! Everyone, keep your heads lowered— this place's damn near a shooting gallery. As for you..."

Balaclava turned to the whimpering mayor, and kicked him slightly. "Will you quit your fuckin' babbling? We probably won't kill you."

Visoven rambled on about his loved ones and his responsibilities... Nothing of importance to Balaclava. To him, It was what anyone would have said. "What... What are you going to do, then?" Visoven asked with a tinge of uncertainty.

Balaclava grinned, and picked the handgun back up. He holstered it, then brandished his AKM toward the incumbent.

"We're gonna use ya. 'Til then, hold on tight."

"What…"

Ana's lips quivered at the revelations regarding Kiev. Her fear had morphed into anger as she bared her teeth, yelling into the phone.

[Malevich] What… What the hell!? When did this first start!?

[Zielinski] Only a day ago. Their motive for doing this isn't yet understood, but it seems like some sort of show of force, nonetheless.

[Malevich] They're giving the NG a hard time… Makes sense. Those bastards..! As long as they have their supporters under their thumb, they have plenty of manpower to go around.

[Zielinski] I share your frustrations and concerns, Ms. Malevich. So that's why we need your help.

[Malevich] ...What do you have in mind?

[Zielinski] Ukraine's National Guard intends to rescue the city's head, but they can't advance with the UACT returning fire. Their resistance is beginning to strengthen, so time is important. We're certain they wouldn't expect you… I trust you, Ana, but are your forces up to the task?

Silence.

[Malevich] ...Yes, Zielinski. They are… I'm willing to cooperate, but I don't think I can do it alone.

[Zielinski] We aren't asking for that much.

[Malevich] I know, but I'd rather have all hands on deck here. We need to drive them all out, here and now. Otherwise…

[Zielinski] ...I see. In that case, I'll see what I can do. I'll follow up with you later. For the time being, please get ready.

[Malevich] Yeah, yeah. I will.

[Zielinski] And, thank you for your understanding. Hopefully we can improve our relations further.

The phone call ended.

Ana exhaled deeply, massaging her forehead. At times like this, she wanted to go to sleep, and wake up hoping everything changed for the better. But, even she knew that was wishful thinking. Would such a day ever come?

Suddenly, she heard a jarring thump against her office door, as though something had been thrown against it.

Then another.

The sound made each hair on her body stand up. Ana arose slowly, and crept toward the door. Without thinking, she grabbed hold of her gun.

Her hand slowly rested on the doorknob. When she heard a low moaning, she stopped.

"...What the hell?" She mumbled. Now less tense, she swung open the door. Looking straight ahead, she saw nothing. Her gaze then wandered to the floor, where she was met with a grisly scene.

M950A laid limp on the bloodied floor, holding her own disembodied leg. Her clothing appeared dirty, and her hair even wilder than usual. If not for her pained cries, she would've appeared dead.

"Fix me… In secret." She pleaded.

Ana fell to her knees. "H— how did you… Calico!" She yelled, scooping her up off the ground.

"Don't… L— let them see me… Comm…" She murmured through deep breaths, wrapping her arms around Malevich. Ana scooped Calico up, and placed her onto her office floor. She kneeled down in front of the doll.

"You never told me you were damaged this badly… Why?" Ana spoke through gritted teeth. Her frustration was apparent, but seeing M950A's pitiful state, she couldn't help but set it aside. She re-tightened the fabric on M950A's leg, causing her to grunt.

"D— didn't want... you to lose faith in me…" She whimpered. She held Ana's hand, squeezing it. "Commander… I'm still..." She trailed off.

Malevich groaned. "Aren't you being too dramatic? I said it was fine, didn't I..?" Judging from M950A's grief-stricken face, her words didn't help much. Then, she noticed the heat of Calico's hand. She snatched it away, yelping. Her body was hot.

Eventually, the doll stopped responding to Ana's words entirely.

"Shit," Ana sucked her teeth. She hauled Calico back up, running out of the room. "Hold on, alright? I'll get you fixed in no time… Okay?" She reassured the absentminded doll. Her body heat was almost too much to handle, but Ana endured it anyway.

As she descended into the basement levels, such painful words stuck with her. Whether it was for her sake or her own, M950A was pushing too hard. Despite her efforts, her own failure surely put a dent in her confidence. "Maybe you took it a bit too hard, huh…" Ana whispered.

But why..?

Was it because of her expectations? Or, was it because of…

Her? The... Other one?

Ana shuddered at the thought of the doll.

Yes… She was becoming like her.

[2 Hours later.]

SVD marched down the base halls, one step at a time. Back from their trip, she now wore her usual attire, and MDR had already ran off elsewhere.

Her mind had already been made up: she was going to let the commander know about what she saw in Moscow.

As she trudged toward his distant office, she heard another pair of footsteps approaching. "Heyy!" The voice shrieked.

SVD glanced behind her to see who's annoying voice it was…

Oh, no. She quickened her pace.

"Wh— why are you running!? It's me, 98!" she yelled, running toward SVD.

"No! I do NOT wanna talk!" She screamed. The halls echoed with their footsteps as the two broke into full sprints. It wasn't long before SVD tired out, letting the blonde doll catch up to her.

"Wow senpai, you're really fat on the inside, aren't you?" SV-98 beamed innocently.

"W— what..? Don't call me senpai!" SVD muttered, still crawling on the hard floor.

SV-98 picked her up off the ground, using a single hand. "Why? You used to call me kouhai all the time! You wanted me to call you that, just like in your Asian anim—" she replied, only to be interrupted by SVD's screams.

Welrod suddenly turned the corner. "...Anime? You mean I'm not the only one? I'm so elated! I was afraid Bar and IDW would make fun of me—"

"Don't you both have somewhere to be!?" SVD screamed, stomping the ground.

SV-98 shook her head. "Nope. I was actually on my way to the commander's room."

The two Russians turned toward Welrod, who had before come out of nowhere.

Welrod stuttered, "Oh, me? I was just. Uhh… Ahaha..!" Welrod trailed off. She waved her hands, and kept quiet. Her smile crumpled into an expression too vague to describe.

"...God, you're strange." SVD sighed, speaking in a more indifferent tone. "Look, I have something important to speak to the commander about. 98, I guess I can't tell you to not come. Welrod… Can you just— go be weird somewhere else? I don't know."

Welrod nodded, skipping away with an odd grin.

"Let's go, rookie." SVD muttered.

Kovac stared the two dolls standing in his office up and down. SVD and 98 stood at his desk, as stiff as statues. They had conversed at length about the events that took place in Moscow, as well as elsewhere.

"...I see my office is free reign now…" He grumbled, eyeing SV-98.

"Yeah, sorry to let her sneak in, but do you see what I'm saying? These riots were happening nonstop! Can't we do something about this? It hurts to see people so... Up in arms..." SVD trailed off.

The commander nodded. "I feel the same as you. Until now, it's been out of my hands. However, it seems like you'll be getting your wish shortly."

SVD and SV-98 squinted, letting out a 'huh?'

"We've been contracted to provide support in a combat zone, placed in Ukraine's capital." He continued. He looked directly into each of their eyes, adopting a more stern tone. "I want to stress that this mission will be different from what you may be used to, SVD."

"Different how..?" SVD echoed.

The commander continued, not breaking eye contact. "...Seeing as we're dealing with a human terrorist organization, it's likely that you will both experience and cause human casualties. On the other hand, you'll be able to deal with the problem directly. Can you handle it?"

SVD trembled slightly at his words. Nonetheless, she nodded vehemently. The commander fixed his gaze upon 98.

"98, you'll be deployed this time around, joining SVD's team. If you want to prove yourself, then now is the time."

SV-98 swallowed. "Yeah... Yeah!" She perked up, and splayed a hand over her chest. "I won't fail you, Shikikan!" She shouted.

Her determination cast the thick atmosphere out, as well as the commander's mood. "I have high hopes for all of you. You'll be deployed tonight, so do what you want until then." He waved, signaling that they take their leave.

The two dolls ambled out of the room, and into the long halls. For a while, both remained silent, pondering their thoughts.

SVD opened a single eye, and stared at the blonde rookie. "...I can't believe you said Shikikan, y'know."

SV-98 stopped in her tracks.

"Hmm? 98?" SVD nudged. She then took notice of SV-98's bowed head, and her idle gaze.

"...Hey. Don't worry about it, aight?" She put a hand on 98's shoulder. "You'll do fine."

"It's.. Not that. I didn't picture that my first real mission would be like this... What about Sangvis? I didn't wanna start out ending human lives."

SVD shrugged. "Welp... Orders are orders, rookie. We're a PMC. This kind of stuff comes with the territory, y'know? Think about it this way: you could be saving a lot more lives than you realize."

SV-98 fixed a hopeful gaze upon SVD.

"It's better when you put it like that, huh? Now c'mon. Let's go tell the others."

"Senpai... You're so wise." 98 whispered.

"...Nevermind, I think I'll catch up with ya."

"W— wait! D!"

END

Author's Note

I've been considering a rebranding of sorts, lately. I'll think about this further. In the meantime, if you've read this far and enjoy it, let me know! It's pretty encouraging and might spur me to write better :)