* * *
That night, as the others lay peacefully asleep; Lara twisted and turned on her cot. She kept dreaming about weird places, names, faces she never had seen before. She must have woken up and fallen asleep at least four times during the night. By the fourth time she woke up, she angrily hit her pillow and wanted nothing more than break something.
She rolled over to look at a clock. Even in Russiya, the numbers were the same. "3:50?" Lara groaned, but not too loudly lest she wake Naomi or Aeryn. "Maybe it was just something I ate." She tried telling herself. "Yeah, I'm sure that's it." She rolled over again and tried going back to sleep. Finally, about an hour later she finally managed to doze off again. But as soon as she did, the images would haunt her again. She felt herself looking at the bombed out ruins of a city, feeling cold, tired, and hungry. "Almost like I'm living someone else's life." She thought to herself. Bodies lay in the street and the stench of death was overwhelming. When Lara looked away from the sight, she saw something odd. She could swear that the building she was next to was EST headquarters.
"But that would mean that I'm on the Floating Island." She said to herself. "Nothing like this ever happened on the Floating Island." She slowly backed away from the ruined building, almost tripping on a body in the process. Lara slowly looked down at what she nearly fell over. It is--or rather, WAS--an echidna. There was something familiar about the face. That's when it hit her: it was her mother. "Mom?! No, god this HAS to be a nightmare of some kind. Please let me wake up, PLEASE!" No such luck. She felt a hot breath on the back of her neck.
"Lara--" A voice whispered. "I've been waiting for you." Lara braced herself and prepared to turn around to face whoever, or whatever, it was. Before she knew it, she felt herself being shaken from her sleep again.
"Get up Lara! Morning!" Naomi said. She seemed well rested and even perky.
"I'm going to kill her." Lara swore to herself. "Let's see how the Perky Princess likes it when I toss her out the window." Aloud she said, "I'm up." Lara felt every bit as tired as she did when she went to bed the night before, even more so. She might as well have stayed up the entire night. With a grumble more suited to a grizzly bear, Lara climbed out of bed and headed to the table.
Breakfast was already on the table when six weary teens arrived, each of them looking like they could use another six hours of sleep. Mira was already at the table, as was a tall human dressed in a military style uniform devoid of any medals or insignia. This apparently, was the famous--or rather, infamous--Nikolai Odezvan.
Lara-Su never had a good look at him, save for the occasional newspaper photo. She obviously saw that they hardly did him justice. For one thing, he was tall; even sitting down he towered over everyone else. He must've been at least two meters tall, about half a head taller than his wife, Mira.
For another he was odd looking, even for an overlander type humanoid. In addition to being without fur or feathers or scales, his pinkish skin was incredibly pale; almost as if he rarely came into contact with sunlight. Then again, considering he must spend a lot of time in offices and cold, sunless locations that wasn't much of a surprise.
What WAS a surprise was his face. In addition to being pale and furless, it seemed as though it was chiseled from stone. His green-brown eyes were cold as ice and his impressively sized nose gave him the profile of a hawk about to dive on its prey. Lara was very glad that Aeryn told them he was a vegetarian or Lara would have started wondering if she was going to be for breakfast.
He wore a razor thin pince-nez that was delicately balanced on his nose and wore his dark brown hair long, tied in a thick braid that he probably could have tucked into the back of his pants if he wanted to. On his left cheek was a small tattoo of a wolf pack symbol.
As soon as he saw his daughter and her friends, his stony expression turned into one of warmth and humor so fast that Lara wasn't sure he was the same man.
"Morning comrades." He said genially. "Have a pleasant stay in Moscow so far?" He received a chorus of "yes" and "thank yous."
"Are there any meetings for today, Comrade General-Secretary?" Mira asked her husband.
"Aren't there always, Comrade Foreign Commissar?" He tossed back. "I need to talk to the Commissar of Defense about the May Day Parade."
"Tell mom I said hi." Christopher said.
"I will." Odezvan said. "Should I also tell her that her son is hanging around my apartment like stalker?" He asked, making Christopher blush. Lara smiled, so she WASN'T the only one who enjoyed humiliating Christopher.
"You'll have to forgive my father Christopher. He may look like an idiot and talk like an idiot, but don't let that fool you. He really is an idiot." Aeryn countered.
"I married your mother because I wanted children. Imagine my disappointment when you came along." Odezvan shot back.
Naomi watched in amusement as she witnessed what was for all intents and purposes, a verbal fencing match.
"Is it too late to by back my introduction from you?" Aeryn asked.
"Go! And never darken my towels again!" Odezvan declared pompously. Both began laughing at each other while Mira just rolled her eyes and massaged her temples.
"Perhaps I should explain something about my husband and my daughter," She told her guests. "In addition to being Marxist-Leninists, they are also Groucho Marxists. This sort of thing happens all the time."
"What can I say? There are more kinds of Marx than just Karl." Odezvan shrugged. "In any event, I have to be going. I'm glad I came, but just the same I must be going. Tra-la!" He said as he left.
"And he runs the country." Mira sighed to herself. "How did you kids like dinner?"
"It was great," Naomi said. "What was it called again?"
"Matzah ball soup." Aeryn supplied.
"Whatever it was, it was really good." Nick said.
"Thank you." Mira said. "Nikolai introduced me to that; he never cared much for it himself, but knew that others did."
"You cook much?" Lara asked.
"Sometimes I cook, sometimes Nikolai does. Aeryn even prepares meals sometimes."
"It's a hobby." Aeryn said. "If you'll excuse me I just want to check the subway schedule."
"Okay Aeryn. I have to leave in a minute, I will be missed at the Foreign Commissariat. Have a nice day!" Aeryn nodded as she went to check the times. As Mira was heading for the door, Naomi walked up to her.
"Excuse me, but do you think you could answer a question of mine?" Naomi asked in a hushed voice.
"Of course. What is it?" Mira replied. Naomi fidgeted for a moment as she worked up the courage to ask.
"What happened to Aeryn's biological parents?" Naomi regretted asking when she saw the sad look on Mira's face.
"I am afraid that they are both dead. Her father died in the war and her mother died shortly after Aeryn's egg was laid. Neither one of them got the chance to see her." Mira sighed. "Nikolai and I adopted her shortly after we were married. We never hid the truth from Aeryn and there have been rough spots along the way, but I love my daughter. So does Nikolai. Make no mistake of that."
"I won't." Naomi assured her. "Sorry I brought up such painful memories."
"Nichevo." Mira shrugged. "It is a useful expression I have learned from Nikolai and other Russians. It means 'It can not be helped,' so why worry about it? Have fun in Moscow, Naomi. And do try to stay out of trouble, if you get into trouble I am going to have to be the one who has to tell your parents."
"There won't be any need for you to go to my parents, Comrade Foreign Commissar. I promise." Naomi said, trying her best to sound like Aeryn would. It worked; Mira smiled.
"I appreciate that. Now if you will excuse me--" Mira said as she walked out the door. A minute later, Aeryn came back from her room.
"Did I miss anything?" She asked Naomi.
"Nope. Not a thing."
* * *
That night, as the others lay peacefully asleep; Lara twisted and turned on her cot. She kept dreaming about weird places, names, faces she never had seen before. She must have woken up and fallen asleep at least four times during the night. By the fourth time she woke up, she angrily hit her pillow and wanted nothing more than break something.
She rolled over to look at a clock. Even in Russiya, the numbers were the same. "3:50?" Lara groaned, but not too loudly lest she wake Naomi or Aeryn. "Maybe it was just something I ate." She tried telling herself. "Yeah, I'm sure that's it." She rolled over again and tried going back to sleep. Finally, about an hour later she finally managed to doze off again. But as soon as she did, the images would haunt her again. She felt herself looking at the bombed out ruins of a city, feeling cold, tired, and hungry. "Almost like I'm living someone else's life." She thought to herself. Bodies lay in the street and the stench of death was overwhelming. When Lara looked away from the sight, she saw something odd. She could swear that the building she was next to was EST headquarters.
"But that would mean that I'm on the Floating Island." She said to herself. "Nothing like this ever happened on the Floating Island." She slowly backed away from the ruined building, almost tripping on a body in the process. Lara slowly looked down at what she nearly fell over. It is--or rather, WAS--an echidna. There was something familiar about the face. That's when it hit her: it was her mother. "Mom?! No, god this HAS to be a nightmare of some kind. Please let me wake up, PLEASE!" No such luck. She felt a hot breath on the back of her neck.
"Lara--" A voice whispered. "I've been waiting for you." Lara braced herself and prepared to turn around to face whoever, or whatever, it was. Before she knew it, she felt herself being shaken from her sleep again.
"Get up Lara! Morning!" Naomi said. She seemed well rested and even perky.
"I'm going to kill her." Lara swore to herself. "Let's see how the Perky Princess likes it when I toss her out the window." Aloud she said, "I'm up." Lara felt every bit as tired as she did when she went to bed the night before, even more so. She might as well have stayed up the entire night. With a grumble more suited to a grizzly bear, Lara climbed out of bed and headed to the table.
Breakfast was already on the table when six weary teens arrived, each of them looking like they could use another six hours of sleep. Mira was already at the table, as was a tall human dressed in a military style uniform devoid of any medals or insignia. This apparently, was the famous--or rather, infamous--Nikolai Odezvan.
Lara-Su never had a good look at him, save for the occasional newspaper photo. She obviously saw that they hardly did him justice. For one thing, he was tall; even sitting down he towered over everyone else. He must've been at least two meters tall, about half a head taller than his wife, Mira.
For another he was odd looking, even for an overlander type humanoid. In addition to being without fur or feathers or scales, his pinkish skin was incredibly pale; almost as if he rarely came into contact with sunlight. Then again, considering he must spend a lot of time in offices and cold, sunless locations that wasn't much of a surprise.
What WAS a surprise was his face. In addition to being pale and furless, it seemed as though it was chiseled from stone. His green-brown eyes were cold as ice and his impressively sized nose gave him the profile of a hawk about to dive on its prey. Lara was very glad that Aeryn told them he was a vegetarian or Lara would have started wondering if she was going to be for breakfast.
He wore a razor thin pince-nez that was delicately balanced on his nose and wore his dark brown hair long, tied in a thick braid that he probably could have tucked into the back of his pants if he wanted to. On his left cheek was a small tattoo of a wolf pack symbol.
As soon as he saw his daughter and her friends, his stony expression turned into one of warmth and humor so fast that Lara wasn't sure he was the same man.
"Morning comrades." He said genially. "Have a pleasant stay in Moscow so far?" He received a chorus of "yes" and "thank yous."
"Are there any meetings for today, Comrade General-Secretary?" Mira asked her husband.
"Aren't there always, Comrade Foreign Commissar?" He tossed back. "I need to talk to the Commissar of Defense about the May Day Parade."
"Tell mom I said hi." Christopher said.
"I will." Odezvan said. "Should I also tell her that her son is hanging around my apartment like stalker?" He asked, making Christopher blush. Lara smiled, so she WASN'T the only one who enjoyed humiliating Christopher.
"You'll have to forgive my father Christopher. He may look like an idiot and talk like an idiot, but don't let that fool you. He really is an idiot." Aeryn countered.
"I married your mother because I wanted children. Imagine my disappointment when you came along." Odezvan shot back.
Naomi watched in amusement as she witnessed what was for all intents and purposes, a verbal fencing match.
"Is it too late to by back my introduction from you?" Aeryn asked.
"Go! And never darken my towels again!" Odezvan declared pompously. Both began laughing at each other while Mira just rolled her eyes and massaged her temples.
"Perhaps I should explain something about my husband and my daughter," She told her guests. "In addition to being Marxist-Leninists, they are also Groucho Marxists. This sort of thing happens all the time."
"What can I say? There are more kinds of Marx than just Karl." Odezvan shrugged. "In any event, I have to be going. I'm glad I came, but just the same I must be going. Tra-la!" He said as he left.
"And he runs the country." Mira sighed to herself. "How did you kids like dinner?"
"It was great," Naomi said. "What was it called again?"
"Matzah ball soup." Aeryn supplied.
"Whatever it was, it was really good." Nick said.
"Thank you." Mira said. "Nikolai introduced me to that; he never cared much for it himself, but knew that others did."
"You cook much?" Lara asked.
"Sometimes I cook, sometimes Nikolai does. Aeryn even prepares meals sometimes."
"It's a hobby." Aeryn said. "If you'll excuse me I just want to check the subway schedule."
"Okay Aeryn. I have to leave in a minute, I will be missed at the Foreign Commissariat. Have a nice day!" Aeryn nodded as she went to check the times. As Mira was heading for the door, Naomi walked up to her.
"Excuse me, but do you think you could answer a question of mine?" Naomi asked in a hushed voice.
"Of course. What is it?" Mira replied. Naomi fidgeted for a moment as she worked up the courage to ask.
"What happened to Aeryn's biological parents?" Naomi regretted asking when she saw the sad look on Mira's face.
"I am afraid that they are both dead. Her father died in the war and her mother died shortly after Aeryn's egg was laid. Neither one of them got the chance to see her." Mira sighed. "Nikolai and I adopted her shortly after we were married. We never hid the truth from Aeryn and there have been rough spots along the way, but I love my daughter. So does Nikolai. Make no mistake of that."
"I won't." Naomi assured her. "Sorry I brought up such painful memories."
"Nichevo." Mira shrugged. "It is a useful expression I have learned from Nikolai and other Russians. It means 'It can not be helped,' so why worry about it? Have fun in Moscow, Naomi. And do try to stay out of trouble, if you get into trouble I am going to have to be the one who has to tell your parents."
"There won't be any need for you to go to my parents, Comrade Foreign Commissar. I promise." Naomi said, trying her best to sound like Aeryn would. It worked; Mira smiled.
"I appreciate that. Now if you will excuse me--" Mira said as she walked out the door. A minute later, Aeryn came back from her room.
"Did I miss anything?" She asked Naomi.
"Nope. Not a thing."
* * *