Cold streets, indifferent people, avoidant gazes, perfect. Vasili rattled his can as another passer-by hurried away from him, making sure to add in an incomprehensible, rambling mutter to anyone else in earshot. The image of a broken man, one that this supposed society would let fall between the cracks, wasn't that hard to achieve. Easier to step on them than help them back on their feet, just like old man Leonov said they would.
New boss, same as the old boss. Nothing laudable about the shiny, shallow life that this society lauds. Their sense of superiority and prestige unearned.
Another pedestrian walking past, making a concerted effort to try and avoid the weathered, rambling man pressed in against the alley opening. At least that one was being honest, not like the others who faltered in their step, indecisiveness because of what Vasili's visage represented to their society.
"... and left! Can you… can you believe that!? Left me… out like a spring's bosom!" Vasili blurted, making the man stumble at the sudden outburst, pace quicker than before.
Like a doe, wouldn't last a day out in the mountains. Vasili grumbled outwardly as he gathered himself and his belongings. With a slow shuffle, he made his way down the street, watching as others turned away or moved from the path of his slow, unerring march.
What a stroke of luck that he hadn't shaved in months, and that when he stripped down to civie garb he looked like a proper vagrant. Well, lucky, but didn't exactly feel good . God, he'd kill for a clean shave and fresh pressed uniform again-
A car slowed as it passed by going the opposite direction of Vasili. From his observations, there weren't many on the road to begin with, and the ones that were tended to be special cases. It pulled around in the middle of the street, cruising slowly beside Vasili as she shuffled along, un-phased. He could feel the eyes on him, ignoring them as best he could. Unmarked police cruiser; a few had passed by him before, but for some reason now they had interest in him.
That thought sweated him a little. He was confident that he didn't look like his public record- not after months in the wilderness, not to mention the busted nose setting the wrong way thanks to the "fun" sessions with the man-with-green-eyes.
The car pulled over ahead of Vasili, two plain-clothes officers stepping out and trying their best to look intimidating; like hares standing tall in front of a wolf. Vasili didn't stop his shuffling pace, his eyes locked forward and glazed over with an unfocused, addled haze.
"...need t'be home by spring… the thaw… won't get the fishies if I don't. Won't lose my shoes if I do…" He ramble-mumbled. The cops exchanged glances, frowning at one another before one moved to block Vasili.
That didn't stop the shuffle, he'd keep going until-
"Excuse us. We'd like to have a word with you." The one in Vasili's way held out a halting hand while his other reached behind his back. What would it be; baton, gun, or cuffs? Vasili complied, barely a meter away, leaving the cop unnerved certainly, but to their credit, they didn't immediately choose to beat Vasili down. Good restraint there, better than most FSB jackboots.
"...tired hard but they wouldn't let me serve. You know what it's like to serve? I want to know? Winter you sleep in the snow. In the summer you eat thawed rats."
The cops glanced back and forth once more, one giving a shrug and a confused shake of the head.
"Your name and identification." The halting cop pressed.
Vasili stared blankly at the cop asking, waiting for that exact moment of impatience to overtake him.
"Your name and identification." They pressed again, the arm behind their back tensing.
Vasili nodded, dropping the near-empty bag he dragged along, fruitlessly fishing through the trash, making a show of it.
"Hey there." The other cop interceded the moment his partner seemed ready to lay hands on Vasili. "We haven't seen you around here. Do you have a name? A home where someone is missing you?"
Ah, so it was good-cop-aggressive-cop routine. That gave Vasili wiggle room. He mumbled something incomprehensible, going through his tin to pull out a single ruble's note and holding it out for the cops.
"My rent, boss. Won't… won't be late again come spring-time."
That got them scratching their heads again, but aggressive-cop snatched the note from his hand, giving it a scrutinizing look.
"We should take him in for processing." Good-cop said, not trying to be subtle anymore.
"Boss'll get pissed off if we book a vagrant."
"Got to check the records on this one. Never seen him in this district-"
"Maybe he's someone's dad who got out. Looks like Alexi's dad. You know, the war vet?"
One of them might be too smart for his own good, but luckily had no idea how close he was on the guess. Vasili did want to case the local station- but not from a holding cell. Even more-so if he risked his target recognizing him.
"Come with us, comrade. We'll head someplace warm and see if anyone is looking for you." The goody-cop spoke softly, like one would to a child as he opened the cruiser door and beckoned for Vasili. There was no going back now, had to lean into the role- the broken war vet who got loose from the group home.
"Going home?" He mumbled.
"Yes, friend, going home."
Vasili looked down into his tin, rattling the contents around before pulling out another ruble note and holding it out for the cops.
"Fair fare?"
The one holding the door for him chortled, taking the note as Vasili climbed into the back seat. Sure, he was now boxed in and on his way to the wolves den, but at least he wasn't in cuffs and they hadn't patted him down. Break in protocol, another gap that Vasili could use to wiggle his way out. As the car took off down the streets, Vasili didn't have to try hard to look amazed and surprised. Eyes wide and swinging about this-way-and-that, taking everything in.
No, less amazement, more scanning, memorizing, and planning. He hadn't found another route out of the residential district that the blondie had left him in, and now he was getting an express trip to his intended destination. Patrols appeared sporadic and inconsistent, most of the manpower focused around checkpoints like the one that they were pulling up to now. The tall barrier, slabs of concrete crowned with razor-wire, spike-strips set out in front of a heavy metal fence… reminded Vasili of some of the forward operating bases they'd overrun during the winter offensives-
Just who exactly did these guys intend to fight though? These barriers wouldn't hold an assault of huskers for very long. They rolled through, the driver flashing a badge to the gate operator, before immediately taking a turn onto a large multi-lane road. Enclosed on both sides by those concrete barriers, it formed a clear dividing line between what Vasili could only assume were other districts. Without a shred of doubt Vasili recognized this as a no-man's land; a place where only authorities traveled, and anyone caught within was most certainly up to no good.
Just like the Divide, the quarantine wall that kept the wilds out of their neat little "civilization." Still the barriers couldn't obscure what lay beyond them completely. Tall buildings, some with balconies, others sheer towers of glass, some festooned with signs bright enough to conflict with the sunlight, and others just skeletons… all the things that "civilized society" pointed to as a sign of their way being right.
Vasili just couldn't help but wonder, just how much was truly alive beyond those walls?
Another checkpoint, turning into a much more compacted street. More movement, more lights, more noise, more life. Compared to the cold stagnation of that outer residential district, this one seemed far more alive. This was more like what Vasili had imagined when hearing about city life from old man Leonov. Man's defiance to nature with all of its wonders and all of its horrors. Shit, this place would have been way easier to simply blend into- damn blondie left him in the wrong place! Well, she hadn't left him exactly… but that was beside the damn point.
The cruiser maneuvered swiftly, pedestrians doing their best to get out of its way as it made for a tall, walled compound. It sent a shiver down Vasili's spine, that shadow of it's sharp angles imposing, the two-headed eagle-crest just as haunting as the one in Perm had been.
Fight or flight response, and Vasili wanted to fight.
He pushed the feeling down as best he could, the impulses coming out as awkward fidgeting and restlessness. One of the cops had noticed, saying something to his partner from behind the glass.
A minor fuck up, but he could still recover.
"Am I going back to service?" He joyously cried out, doing his best to grin wide and wild, tossing his hands up in the air with an excitement that disguised the gnawing dread. The cops had the same expected reaction, a muted laugh, shakes of the head, a roll of the eyes.
And just in time for the car to pull into the gated compound.
"Found him in outer-fourth district."
"And you brought him here? Why?"
"No documentation, needed to run him through the system."
Eyes fell on Vasili again, one pair scrutinizing, the other annoyed. He curled up, laying awkwardly on the bench, making as if he were readying to nap. He gave a rasping cough too, just to really sell it more.
"Put him in holding then and run him through it!" The desk-cop hissed, trying to shoo the bothersome bit of work away. A good sign, Vasili's vagabond exterior clearly wasn't worth the time for some people here.
"Hey, comrade, gonna need you to step over into that room. You can lay down in there." The goody-cop asked politely, even as his partner an the desk-clerk rolled their eyes behind his back. Hell, he couldn't blame them, the guy was clearly naïve, and it made Vasili want to roll his eyes too.
Still, he was being ushered into a holding room. They didn't cuff him yet, letting Vasili curl up on the flat bench there as they went through the things they had Vasili "check in".
Dirty clothes, in particular undergarments, were tossed aside, but the bastards were thorough enough to check the pants pockets. His boots too, they had garnered some attention for being old Soviet surplus, but they hadn't questioned him about it.
They found the pocket knife in the boot- explainable if he weren't playing the rambling madman. He tensed the moment the cop pulled it free, but rather than question Vasili, he simply dropped it in the pile with his other effects. A sigh of relief coming out as babble of nonsense, raising eyebrows but not suspicions.
They cuffed him this time though as they moved him for processing.
"Nice bracelets. Thank you comrade." Vasili grinned wide and wild, getting another chortle from the good-cop. Yes, this man would be his ticket out, keep playing to his sympathies.
"Do you have a name, comrade?" The good-cop asked again.
"Alexander." Vasili plucked the most common name he could think of. He was complying, but it'd take time to search through hundreds of Alexanders.
"Last name?"
Vasili pointed to his chest with his crippled hand, where a name tag would have been on a uniform. It earned a pitied frown- combination of the injury and his perceived madness.
"Nothing there, comrade. Do you have your tags?"
Vasili reached for his neck, making a show of confusion at not having them before melting into a panic.
"Karkov! Karkov that pig! Stole my name! Now I'll never serve again!" Vasili wailed, trying his best to hyperventilate, to feel that adrenaline pumping in his veins.
"Calm yourself, comrade Alexander." The boorish cop seemed to take a page from his partner, though he had taken a particularly aggressive step forward to place a hand on Vasili's shoulders and holding him into the seat.
"How did you get into that nice place we found you?"
Think. Give a purpose and a lead, let them fill in the rest. This wasn't the FSB… yet . They hadn't the need to torture a homeless vagrant.
"Nice man said he'd sign me up to serve again. Tank corp this time. Had to show I could fit in a box! Showed him good!" Vasili rambled, but he could see the cop writing, brow furrowed. The cops had bit. The boorish one took his hands off Vasili, and the two exchanged wordless glances.
"The nice man have you do anything?"
What kind of person would use a addle-minded man for their own purpose? Free labor, an impressionable half-wit that they could cut any time. Unwitting contraband mule, a tiny cog in a criminal's system...
"Had to carry! Had to carry a ruck when I served in the springs! 'Scept he gave me some tiny things in a tiny bag, not even enough to test my ox, hah!" Vasili cackled, "Walked back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. Little bit here, little bit there, pick up drop off pick up drop off-"
The cop held up a hand for him to stop talking, scribbling furiously now.
"The nice man, do you remember what he looked like, comrade Alexander?"
"Green eyes." Was the first thing that snapped to Vasili's mouth, thinking of exactly who he'd love to frame, "wheat hair, like gold . Couldn't sell it though. Never wore his uniform, he did."
"...might have a lead on them…" The nice-cop mumbled. Poor guy was being lead by the nose down dark alley where all the vagabonds took their shits thinking he was heading to providence. The boorish one had stepped out hastily, there was someone else outside in the hall they were addressing. Noise, shouting .
"And this nice man, did he have you stay anywhere?"
"Camped out! Nothing compared to living in a trench, that's sure!" Vasili barked, trying his best to focus on just what the words were from outside. Anger…? No more a frustration, an exasperation.
"... to waste on street trash… prison, not at dacha."
"Understood, lieutenant."
"Send him to the work camp."
"Sir, he might have information on Mikhailov's operation-"
"Drop it. Get. Rid. Of. Him. Tell Nikolay if he does not adhere to patrol standards, he will be stationed on the wall- or worse."
"Yes, Lieutenant Federov."
That hiss, that sharp tongue, one that Vasili swore to never forget. He dared a peek, looking through that tiny square window, waiting for that briefest moment as the officer in charge walked by-
Cold green eyes. Golden blonde hair. Constant smug sneer, a snake's tongue hiss.
Federov.
Just as the last dead-man had screamed at Vasili before a bullet broke his brain-case too-wide open for Vasili to salvage anything else. The green-eyed man was in Kazan. Oh just how he had moved up in the world! Licking the shit-stained bootheel of the cunt above you worked for maggots, now didn't it?
Oh if only they hadn't cuffed him- if only they'd walk Vasili by the bastard when they escorted him out…
But no, revenge was not for today at least, and right now he had to think of a way to avoid getting shipped to a red-zone work camp. Not that he had a whole lot of time for that when the boorish cop came in exasperated and red. He grabbed Vasili roughly by the arm and yanked him to his feet.
"Charcoal for this one. Lieutenant's orders."
"But-"
"Enough, Nikolay, you're already on this shit-list with the lieutenant. Partner or no, you go down I am not going down with you."
"And what if they have family that come lookin, huh?"
"Same as always; we say we found them face down in an alley."
The goody-cop… Nikolay was it? Well, Nikolay sighed at that, pounding a fist onto the desk. No more words, and no more time for Vasili to think as the boorish cop maneuvered him to the door and out into the hall. Federov- the green-eyes torturer was no-where to be seen now, and as they maneuvered Vasili back towards the main entry hall, there still was no openings to make a break for it.
"I am here to, like, report a break-and-entry?" A bright voice pitched out, making everyone stop dead a moment. Too energetic, too bubbly, Vasili couldn't blame the cops for stopping and trying to hold down the bile a moment. He craned his neck to glare at the offender, only to see a familiar buxom woman, blonde hair, bright smile.
"You-" He grunted in surprise.
"You!?" Coach blurted aloud, more shocked than anyone else.
"You know this man?" The clerk-cop at the front frowned, turning to glare at Vasili. Cops smelled weakness, honed in on it like hounds, and when the sharp glares turned back to the blonde woman, her surprise had melted. She knew she was in trouble now for even hinting there was implication.
"Papa! Your son was worried sick about you! Like, where have you even been?"
'Contraband Mule. Two weeks.' Vasili mouthed his cover story.
"We've been looking for him for two weeks now!" Coach brightened at once, a very convincing look of relief plastered all over her pretty little face. Vasili had to give it to her, she was quick on the uptake despite being a bleeding heart sympathetic. "We had put in the missing persons request but received no return notice."
"Do you know how many disappearance notices we get? You don't." The desk cop grunted, motioning for Vasili to be brought up.
"You are aware that this man was caught in a neighboring district without identification?" The boorish cop growled. Vasili could hear it in the cop's voice, that dripping hunger; greed. He had stepped forward in front of Vasili, leaning against the back of the counter, eyes dragging conspicuously slow across the blonde's body.
"Oh, but he had been kidnapped." Coach leaned into Vasili's cover so naturally that he had to begrudgingly give the blondie another unspoken note of approval.
"But he needs to be processed and booked before releasing him officially." The good-cop Nikolay had begun, butting heads with his partner's greed.
"Everyone shut up!" The desk-cop slammed a hand down on counter, "Less paperwork Nikolay." The desk-cop hissed back, motioning for Vasili to be uncuffed and handed over to the blonde. "And you, Mikhail, you blackmail them outside the station." The desk cop grumbled, stamping something rather aggressively before handing it over to Coach. "Fine for no ID, leave."
"But-" The blonde tried to squeak in the face of the desk-cop's fury.
"Unlawful entry cases are to be brought up with your landlord first, then to security forces after they have deemed it a matter of district security."
"The security tape shows-"
"Doll, it is advised that for you owner's benefit, that you return to your original business at once." The desk cop barked, making the blondie go rigid, eyes wide and unblinking. Not from the audacity of how she was spoken to, but something far more… immediate. Was it because this cop had called her doll? An archaic compliment if there was any- wait… owner?
"Come along, papa." The blonde grabbed hold of Vasili, and though she seemed to be patiently escorting him out of the premise, Vasili could feel how her fingers dug into his shoulder to express the displeasure she couldn't show. Out the front door, as stiff as a scarecrow, straight to the gate at the end of this immaculately empty courtyard. He was ready to slip her grasp the moment they reached the street-side, only to feel those fingers dig in harder than any other he had felt of the years. The pressure squeezing down on is collarbone was enough to make him nearly buckle.
"Yes, papa Armen. We have so much we need to catch up on, don't we? "