PART 1: Foundation

Chapter 2

Victor and Daniel grabbed everything that wasn't bolted down especially food and made their way downstairs, once outside they both checked their masks after seeing the dead littering the streets because of one of the strategies they had seen in other places: it consisted in older folks who would disfigure corpses of young people and place them in certain points to give covid to any passerby that was young enough to be infected, the virus would do all the work in killing survivors and afterwards you could go and loot the cadavers.

-Yours is still working, right Victor?

-(Victor checked the wetness of his mask to see if he needed to apply another dose of alcohol on it, in truth his ,,mask'' was more of a thick scarf covering his mouth and nose but also most of his head up to his eyes) Yes it's fine.

They weaved and darted across the rotting and fetid bowels of the city, carefully making their way between the insides of a dead nation, and dexterously avoiding any bodies without wrinkles, a tall order given the night had already set in and visibility was low, all gps sistems were offline for months they had to use their memory, and street signs to get back to their A.P.C. their port in the storm that had recently begun to malfunction after heavy use.

-So… how long will it last? Asked Daniel through the mask's hidden microphone it was quite handy when you wanted to keep quiet but still talk.

-Are you referring to the Piranha?, well we've been driving it almost non-stop since December and it has taken a lot of heat… I don't know honestly

-Isn't it an old piece of crap like the Migs? Daniel asked more out of a desire to think about anything else other than the blood splattered apartment blocks. The splatters look so fresh he thought to himself.

-No not quite, the Migs are for one much older and you can only do so much with upgrade packages once their engines break down midflight killing their own pilots, this variant of the Piranha was introduced before the solar flare, on top of this production didn't stop it just slowed down severely, mostly because of russian refugees walking across Ukraine and ending up in the north which could more easily be managed with a firm hand , the Mig 21s we had were the same ones we had over a hundred years ago whilst the Piranha we have is ten years tops.

-Hey are you good ? your kinda quiet-said Victor now somewhat worried.

Daniel ignored him and walked up to some ruined wall, whatever building it was part of was now gone, it laid there alone and forgotten it played an unseen part in the lives of many, perhaps it was part of some school and thousands of students stared at it during difficult tests that would decide their fate or some pharmacy with untold numbers of pills to help other people's ailments kept securely inside concrete walls, but now it was nothing it meant nothing and no one noticed it in this former center of human activity , on it's dusty and gray surface lay a cross drawn in fresh blood, Daniel touched it and looked at his fingers, they were wet.

-Something happened here recently said Victor emphasizing the last word.

-Looters? Asked Daniel.

-Victor began looking around him at the desolation of Braila, the fresh corpses decorating the landscape like macabre flowers and the subtle smell of gunpowder filled his nostrils no this was much bigger, it looks like two armies met here - he concluded.

Daniel looked at him sharply and said ,,What fucking armies? There are no more armies''

Before Victor could respond the sharp noise of an empty can falling could be heard alerting the both of them.

They both turned to the origin of the sound :a ruined bulding barely holding above it a sign labeling it ,,Postal Service'' it was otherwise unidentifiable, and from a human sized hole in one of the many tattered walls a voice began to emanate like unwelcomed heat on your back during the summer months.

-You understand? asked Daniel curiously as he turned to a bewildered Victor clearly showing he couldn't hear from this distance.

And then suddenly a bullet rang out from the hole, Victor's blood ran cold as he shouted ,,CONTACT TAKE COVER" they hid behind pieces of debris mindful of the younger looking cadavers, after a few seconds a quiet blanketed them all, the shooter stepped out, Victor was shocked to see another man in military uniform but he was cautious ( There are many corpses these days, he could have just killed someone else and taken the equipment or alternatively maybe he is another soldier but that doesen't mean he's friendly, in these conditions survival is above former allegiances and so he could be here for the food- thought Victor) but before he could speak to Daniel about being careful he saw him approaching the gunman with his hands in the air. Victor therefore decided to aim his rifle at the new acquaintance just in case, said acquaintance spoke up first on seeing Daniel.

-WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU WITH ? he yelled anger coating every word.

-(Daniel looks at Victor and feels reassured) We aren't with anyone he said slowly trying to calm him down.

-What's your name? I am Daniel and… ( another shot stops him from approaching any further)

-I know your games you PAGAN FUCKS, OR maybe you are with that traitor Marius – he spat the last word

-LOOK I don't know who you think we are but we have food, we can help you – Daniel said hopefully

-NO – he stops talking and starts murmuring

-I don't recognize you I didn't see you when we came down south with general Balaceanu AND if you were with Marius you'd be in Constanta by now, your trying to link up with your pagan buddies in Tulcea aren't you? that way you can resupply and get your hands on all the goodies in that city – his tone was more seething than angry but still furious at every syllable.

-I sincerely have no idea what your talking about… we came here from Bucharest we've been avoiding towns and highways to stay clear of trouble, we DO want to get to Constanta but it's to get parts for our Vehicle, we have seats for you too – Daniel said trying to be honest but not give to much info to anyone listening in the dark.

-BULLSHIT BULSHIT BULSHIT, if I can kill you cunts before you get to Tulcea then im not killing just you but also a bunch of Iconoclast shits waiting for supplies – he screamed in utter rage as he grabbed his rifle aiming it first at Victor's cover.

Victor braced as bullet after bullet impacted the small pile of debris and junk he found himself behind, whilst Daniel was frozen he left his gun on the ground thinking he could reason with a fellow soldier, and now he was stuck, Victor saw him hiding behind a support beam to the soldier's left, he waited until finally ,, click click click'' he was out and Victor leaped at this opportunity to rip round after round in front of him causing the soldier to take cover inside the building he came out of, this gave Daniel the time to run back to his rifle but it was gone ,, WHAT THE FUCK?'' he exclaimed on the two way comm system, but before Victor could react he himself was out, he crouched hastily behind his cover to reload but his heart sank when he heard Daniel scream in pain, he peaked around the corner to see him grasping his left foot blood pouring out and an expression of agony plastered on his face.

,, GAME OVER PAGAN !'' Victor froze, the soldier managed to close the distance and was now staring down at Victor, and he stared directly at the gun's barrel.

Another shot rang out hitting it's target squarely in the head, Victor was crushed by the soldier's body as it fell forwards, when he got back up someone was standing above Daniel who was now silent, Victor assumed the worst and sprinted towards them with his gun fully loaded.

-WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING TO HIM ? – Victor asked more worried than angry

The figure rose up revealing revealing a black robe with red smudges on it's front facing Victor.

-I just gave him a shot of morphine and he quieted down – soft-spoken words arose from behind his mask similar to Victor's and Daniel's

-Who are you and what are you doing here?

-Just another lost lamb searching for it's heard, you ? – he asked inquisitively

Victor didn't like this, he didn't like this at all especially when he saw that the man before him held in his hands a rifle same model as his but with a small dent across it's receiver.

-Why did you take his gun? Don't try to bullshit me it's his for sure. – Victor said as he gripped his own tightly.

But to his surprise the man before him dropped it on the ground ,,sorry, I didn't mean any harm, it's just that when I saw that mad man shooting at you, I needed a sense of security''

Before Victor could speak again the rumble of an engine could be heard nearer and nearer which spooked the thief but calmed Victor as he wouldn't need to carry Daniel all the way to the Piranha, the APC stopped before the three of them and a tall man exited and with a drawn pistol aiming it at the robed man, then another one left the vehicle and began bandaging Daniel as the robe wearing man carefully distanced himself from the wounded person on the ground.

-Victor we asked you to come back some while ago what happened? – Bogdan formerly a lieutenant asked as he stared daggers at the unknown man.

As Victor began to recount the day's events Bogdan kept his eyes glued to the stranger which grew increasingly nervous especially as Victor got to the last part.

-So in conclusion you are a petty thief that stole my man's rifle indirectly harming him and tried to pass himself as some kind do-gooder by trying to fix something you CAUSED am I getting this right? – Bogdan asked not really expecting an answer to his question.

-I could have just taken the gun and a fair bit of your supplies and leave, nothing was stopping me from just running away, oh and my name is Ilie by the way – said Ilie calmly trying to defuse the situation.

-Well why didn't you run away ? what do you want?

-I want a way to Tulcea – Ilie said on a neutral tone, which got Victor's ears to perk up

-Huh what a coincidence we're going through that town also, look I don't trust you at all so this is what's gonna happen ok? Firstly your going to toss that gun towards me (Ilie bends down causing Bogdan to fire a shot in the air) you'll toss it with your FOOT you understand? second we will tie your hands and feet, we'll let your hands free when it's time to eat and, Third whatever you do you'll tell us beforehand no more surprises.

Bogdan then told Victor to loot the dead soldier including his rifle and bring it inside the APC, once Daniel was patched up Victor and Andrei carried him inside the Piranha as Bogdan watched Ilie like a hawk, the they tied his hands lead him inside the vehicle and finally tied his hands with rope. All three then picked up the bags of supplies which had been left on the ground and stored them inside.

The ride was quiet at first mostly just unwrapping their masks and finding a comfortable position to sit, then after a while Daniel woke up shaken but mostly fine, he then began introducing the group to Ilie, Victor was mostly quiet as Andrei and Daniel talked to Ilie whilst Bogdan was staring out through the commander's visor at the outside and Tiberiu Andrei's twin was preoccupied with driving to contribute to the conversation.

-So do you guys actually have a plan or are you just wandering from place to place?

-At first we tried to join some larger group of soldiers or survivors but we had no luck, soldiers quickly lost most of their discipline and turned into little more than bandits, and survivors ran out of food so fast it became easier to scavenge for supplies as a small group, after the third week we decided to carefully head to Constanta, the idea is that we could take a boat and use it for fishing,there's bound to be some fuel reserves for the boats, it's not the best of plans but if we can actually pull it off then we won't starve and we could probably build some defenses from all the ship hulls lying around – Daniel said on a neutral tone

-Ok but why go all the way to Constanta just to fish ? are there no other good places to fish? Asked Ilie intrigued.

-Well yes but in Constanta it's easier to hide amongst the concrete buildings and if all else fails we can get to the other side of the black sea to get away from danger, it's size and the black sea gives us safety not just food – said Andrei

-But why are you so sure that there will be so much fuel and that you won't just be stuck with a bunch of empty ships? – Asked Ilie , his face etched with an all knowing expression betraying his otherwise forced humble demeanor.

-Oh well it acted as a massive naval base for a variety of roles: military vessels, commercial vessels and also a transport hub for… project Neptune.

The atmosphere inside the Piranha otherwise joyous in the small space protected by it's thick bulletproof walls now suddenly turned sour and deeply melancholic, only the rumblings of the engine still pierced the silence threatening to encase this dark and poorly lit vehicle like a mausoleum on wheels.

-They really just fucking left us to rot huh – Daniel said vocalizing the hurt they all felt deep within their beings.

-Even the fucking Moldovans left, but not us – Andrei said emphasizing Daniel's statement.

Victor believing that Ilie's question was just a smidge to intentional in it's effect turned to look at him and saw his face in full detail as the other two were lamenting project Neptune, he didn't look sad or affected by the conversation between Daniel and Andrei, long dark brown hair fell towards his beady green sunken eyes in which reflected the last working light of the APC, they were wide open they looked exited as if he had just won the lottery, locks of his hair fell further down near his mouth Victor couldn't tell what expression it made as his small lips looked almost like tiny line barely visible on his near crooked angular face.

Ilie turned his face towards Victor suddenly and asked accusatively ,,Why are you staring at me like that?''

-Dude when's the last you got a haircut? You'll get lice and ticks

-How thoughtful of you but I can wash – Said Ilie dismissively

-Where and with what exactly? Kufland ran out shampoo a while ago – said Victor sarcastically

-Dude what's your problem? He's tied up , we met him like an hour ago and your shitting on him, Tulcea isn't that far away anyway – said Daniel confused

Victor realized how circumstantial his observations were and decided to keep quiet for now anyway, for a while the vehicle was quiet until Ilie began to speak.

,,I assume that you are all Orthodox yes?'' – Ilie asked expectantly and was met with a few nods ,,But why ? the only reason you have your false faith is because your parents gave it to you, you never questioned the icons as you kissed them in church, you just assumed their divinity, but why is it that us Romanians got left out of god's second Ark, out of the project cast out despite our supposed piety?'' asked Ilie excitedly ,,well I'll tell you, your supposed faith is as false as that of the romans or of the Egyptians or the ancient greeks, they ALL worshipped icons THEY all were pagans, the ten commandments stipulate clearly that you shall have no face set in stone to pray to, and that you should pray to god and god alone not this worldly talismans, like the jews who had build a golden calf Romanians painted icons bringing the wrath of god THAT IS WHY THE ARKS LEFT US – Ilie said with vigor, and continued with his insane ramblings ,, WE HAVE OFFENDE GOD ALMIGHTY AND THAT IS WHY WE ARE HERE FOR AS IT WAS FORETOLD IN THE BOOK OF ARMAGGEDON THE FAITHFULL SHALL BE TAKEN AND THE SINFULL WILL BATHE IN THEIR SIN HERE UPON THE EARH, WHAT ELSE WAS PROJECT NEPTUNE OTHER THAN GOD TAKING HIS LAMBS TO HEAVEN AND LEAVING THE HEATHENS HERE TO ROT !, WE ARE THE SINFULL WE ARE HEATHENS AND ONLY BY ELIMINATING ALL THAT WHICH OFFENDS GOD ALL MIGHTY SHALL WE ACHIEVE RAPTURE, BURN THE ICONS BURN THE ONES WHO DEFEND THEM ON THE PYRE BURN THEM ALL AND GOD IN HIS INFINTE MERCY SHALL BRING BACK THE SHIPS AND TAKE THOSE OF THE TRUE FAITH ON THEM TO HEAVEN, CAN YOU NOT SEE HOW ALL OF THIS WAS PROPHESIZED ? GOD HIMSELF SHALL PART THE SKIES LIKE HE PARTED THE SEA AND YEAY THE SHIPS SHALL RETURN AND BRING THE TRUE FAITHFULL TO HEAVEN, JOIN ME BROTHERS BEFORE THE BATTLE BETWEEN THE FORCES OF HELL AND HEAVEN BEGIN FIGHTING FOR THEN IT SHALL BE TOO LATE''

-Why are you trying to make this about religion? , the earth was broken so everyone left, we remained because we were governed by morons not because god is angry with us – said Victor confidently

Ilie looked around the Piranha, now he was disappointed, Andrei looked offended and as he turned to Daniel he said ,,It's okay if your having and episode and you don't have your meds, my little brother also had schizophrenia'' at this Ilie stared dumbfounded at Daniel who had a kind and understanding look on his face empty of any malice .

-I apologies, I am not right in the head sorry – Ilie tried to fake a sad and confused look and tone but Victor caught on, he will remember this

For a while the ride inside the vehicle was once more quiet, it's lonely form slowly making it's trek up the broken road with intent, it's black paint standing out from the gray dusty remains of what at one time was a reliable highway but now it's desolate state could only be accentuated by the singular shape carefully weaving in between wrecks and corpses whilst being showered in the tired sun of this warm February morning.

After a few more hours Tiberiu the driver noticed an empty village that would be somewhat suitable to rest inside of at least for a few hours, and so after carefully hiding away the piranha by strategically using foliage and debris from nearby broken houses, they settled in, they found a house defiantly still standing against all odds like a child having a tantrum refusing to accept reality not understanding how unchangeable the forces around itself truly were, it had no corpses and no roof ( which was a good thing, a roof at this point would just be a hazard.)

Everyone except Victor slept, he moved a bit from place to place small steps, taking in his world, still trying to process this disaster whilst keeping watch, he contemplated his surroundings, this village this dirge to an already dead and by now rotting world, he kicked a rusty beer can as he thought about all the elections he voted in, they all felt useless even at the time but was there anything he could have done to avoid this… just all of this? he remembered that he should check on the APC one more time, walking at a fast pace he kicked up a small bit of dust as he rounded the corner and saw nothing out of the ordinary.

And so Victor went back to wandering and back to mourning the dead world his world, an already broken stupid world… but a world he grew in, that fed him, clothed him, educated him as little as it could, everything he knew friends, family, dreams, aspirations, ambitions… now mean nothing even to him. Maybe they should have done this sooner? Overthrow the old regime it's not like anyone cared much about it, because maybe that new government would have had the sense to deal with such a small, shitty matter as making some fucking reservation for it's own population, hell even the Moldovans were in their generation ships, but not Romanians living under the roof of the romanian government, instead they got to rot in this coffin called a planet.

Even if it wouldn't have saved it at least there would be something for them at the end of the road, they could rebuild on a different pristine planet with so many untouched resources, there would be a future there, would be a tomorrow but as it stands they don't even have a present, functionally they are all dead just not in the ground yet. No more food for the ground is too polluted and they needed fertilizers that aren't produced anymore, No more technology for there is nothing to build it with, And no children for without modern sanitation which the romanian government could hardly maintain in the latter years (Not because sanitation was a problem but because it was the romanian government, for it every minuscule project is ambitious and hard) Covid-20 would eventually rob every cradle and leave all parents demolished but not immediately, Covid-20 would not kill anyone below 15 no it would leave parents to invest in their progeny, to hope for a bright future for their progeny, they would imagine their dear children helping them in their old age, they would put SO much effort in raising them praying for them hope against all odds it would avoid their home, and then mercilessly and ruthlessly it would strike. This would not have been a problem in the generation ships, artificial lungs and specialized Cryogenic equipment could kill the virus and other harmful bacteria to ensure that the population would remain steady, by the end of their journey very few diseases would survive.

Victor banished that trail of thought form his mind, it is what it is, and in the end what if the government was toppled? Other nations would try to exploit the chaotic state of Romania for their own goals- Victor thought trying to cope with his situation, maybe the new regime would be even worse, and god-forbid the hungarians try their luck in Transylvania again.

The roar of an engine was heard alerting the former soldier, after he checked on the APC the roar of the foreign engine held Victor's undivided attention, he moved across the debris-filled town until he spotted it: Vehicle after vehicle moved across the same road they used, they were a bizarre little assortment of cars, bikes and what appeared to be severely damaged Piranha APCs.

Before not long he woke up everyone except for Ilie and prepared for the confrontation, a small ambush was set up just as the raiders arrived, upon noticing Victor alone in the village the scouts who disembarked their barely functioning vehicles made their move….

To Victor's surprise the group of bandits fell to their knees, they wailed in pain as several of them were bleeding, poorly set bandages covered different parts of their bodies, they were in as good a shape as their vehicles, Victor's crew were still hiding waiting for the few dozen people to make a mistake, but Victor's curiosity forced him to strike up a conversation with one of the healthier looking raiders.

-Who are you ?

-Yu alreaby kno (raider coughs up blood for a few seconds) /you already know

-What happened to you?

-Havmt yu bitem uz enof? Nouw yu belidle uz?/ haven't you beaten us enough? Now you belittle us?

-Look I'm just trying to scavenge some food I don't know who you think I am.

-BUULZIT, yure shimy, yu gob alrr yer leems, ize bed yu steel haf arr yer teef/ BUULSHIT, you're shiny, you got all your limbs, I bet you still have all your teeth.

-Sir I am going to ask you again, who the fuck are you? what happened to you and further more what do you want from me?

-Yu vand tu glod egh? Fime avder de zidzow om de virzd ov disembar ve arr we knu bo to vaz do forrow olders, ve vorrowed ohr ginerel effen az ve beban looding viviez, ve begame aminalz anb ve lud id, mo nor bib ve golb hec, ve knu id vas vong bud… ( he cleared his throat excruciatingly forcing his bruised neck and purple mouth to speak right) we vere going do die anyvay dowm teh line…mike az vell habe vun

/ you want to gloat eh? Fine after de shitshow on the first of December all we knew to do was to follow orders, we followed our general even as we began looting civvies, we became animals and we loved it, no more did we hold back, we knew it was wrong but( ) we were going to die anyway down the line… might as well have fun.

Victor was now not just tense as he would be the first one to die if the raiders opened fire, but he was also disgusted, repulsed by this decrepit visage of a former army – Same on the inside as on the outside ( he thought as the raider in front of him was catching his breath )

-Ve hab zo muci VUN, ve dib pirraged an brog teh negs ov arr odeh varbadz , vood, bruggs, ano, ve hab arr teh shimy dings…Anb den yu FUGERZ, YU VUGERZ, YU BUJERZ, yu rined arr ohr vun, unber teh orberz ov dad GLANY VUG Maris- at this the raider choked as if he had said something wrong accidentally- I meen yu honerabel variorz shud uz teh erorz ov ohr vayz arr undah teh orberz ov dad WONDERFULL MARIUS- He struggled severally to properly pronounce the last of his disgraceful speech .

/We had so much FUN, we did pillage and broke the necks of all other war-bands, food, drugs, ammo, we had all the shiny things… And then you FUCKERS,YOU FUCKERS, YOU FUCKERS, you ruined all our fun, under the orders of that CLAMMY FUCK Marius—I mean you honorable warriors showed us the errors of our ways all under the orders of that WONDERFULL MARIUS

-So what? You want to join Marius's army or something? Is that why you're here?- asked Victor confusion coating his every syllable.

To Victor's shock they did, they were all in the same predicament, none of them knew just who the fuck is Marius, so he stood there unsure of what to do, his mind racked with anxiety as to how the fuck to proceed, does he tell them the truth? If yes well how will they react? Violently Victor thought, and seconds passed as this statue we call Victor gazed silently at the mass of people gathered before him, the warm sun illuminating the cold scene and making the statue sweat.

So you want to join the greater war-band eh? , well i shall enlighten you ! –said Ilie confidently, Victor surprised could not say a word before Ilie whispered to him ,,Don't worry we got the APC running to head further east, I'll distract them for a few minutes whilst you get inside'' Victor did not in fact want to return to the Piranha instead he wanted to ask him who untied him, he was tied up in the house with no roof sleeping. But he figured Daniel probably convinced someone to do it, so he headed back to his armored refuge.

When he reached the APC everyone was inside, once he entered they began waiting until Ilie returned and they all began moving east whilst the raiders drove in the opposite direction, even if the town was now empty of thugs more could very easily come making it unsafe, perhaps they should have never stopped there but at least they got to sleep, well except for Victor, he ate a bit of food and made himself comfortable or at least he was comfortable until he noticed Ilie wasn't tied, instead he was tending to Daniel's leg , Victor had a very limited medical understanding but Daniel seemed to be doing a lot better, Ilie unwrapped the bandage around the wound and applied a blue gel which was familiar to both Daniel and Victor, it was a hyper coagulant which thickened the blood and helped with scaring, Victor himself remembered a few years ago when they were guarding the border with Ukraine, they were told that a massive horde of Russians were nearing Romania and in the process of pacifying them he was shot in the chest, because after the heavy fighting all the plates inside his carrier were useless, it hurt like hell but one of the medics was nearby and managed to apply the hyper coagulant in time, he still lost a lot of blood but he survived after he was rushed to a hospital, he wanted the bullet fragments removed but he was too poor to bribe the Doctor, so he's had to live with them all this time and by the looks of things he's going to live with them forever. Victor nearly dozed off but then Ilie was finished applying the gel.

-You asleep?

-Almost why?

-I just wanted to apologies for… earlier I hope you didn't take it to heart, I have issues and I couldn't control myself back then, I just hope I can make it up to you.

-Don't think about it too much Tulcea is not that far away, within a few days we'll part ways and all of this will just be a distant memory.

Ilie nodded and moved a bit away from Victor giving him space, Victor however had a question, he wanted to ask Ilie just what did he say to the raiders to make them leave, they may have been beaten up but there were dozens of them, a firefight would have been certain death. But he also wanted to sleep much more, therefore Victor began once more to drift away thinking that he can just ask him after he slept.

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

First of all thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading thus far, and I am sorry for taking so long in continuing this story, I had a lot of things to do in summer relating to my education, employment and a bunch of other things, I am not going to delve into details but I honestly hoped that I can write this chapter much earlier, but obviously I didn't.

Just to reiterate: Yes I will continue this story with (I hope) another chapter later this month, also I want a degree of realism to this story so, it's going to take a few chapters for Romania to go from this to an Interstellar Empire, Institutions, Economy, Politics. So expect a few more chapters explaining it going from A to B. this is a good time to also mention that I have uploaded a map of current Romania on my Twitter here : /Craterulx/status/1579478005185150977

I once again would like to thank you for reading my fic thus far and wish you a good morning/afternoon/evening or night.