When Hawk Gawked - Part 1
March 27th,1999 - 02:00,Andravida Air Base,Thessaloniki
On the blood-splattered hills of the Balkans,where over the first half within the last eight years has had entered the Global headlines due to the conflict named Yugoslav Wars,laid a tiny dot near Greece's second largest city of Thessaloniki. That dot was NRDC-GR,a military base directed by NATO and used by its soldiers with intention to launch a land invasion on the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The invasion hasn't been carried out as of now.
NATO,or North Atlantic Treaty Organization and better known as Atlantic Alliance,an anachronistic military alliance which won the Cold War against the fallen Soviet Union in 1991,declared war on Yugoslavia (made of only Serbia and Montenegro) three days ago in response to its President Slobodan Milosevic's refusal to allow 28000 of NATO troops to maintain order in Kosovo,including the unhindered passage and immunity for NATO and its agents by the Yugoslav/Serbian law. The reason behind this was an unclear event that occurred on January 15th in a small Kosovar village called Racak,leading it to accuse Milosevic of the alleged ethnic cleansing against Albanians. The purported 'cleansing' was actually a battle between JSO and KLA,with the latter being an ethnonationalist terrorist organization with mission to liberate that region for Albania.
Alfred Frederick Jones,leader of NATO,was having trouble thinking about his new enemy Vuk Misic while he was inside a private room in NRDC-GR's headquarters. Surrounded by cold howling winds and grey clouds in the night before midnight,Alfred's mind was crumbling with random thoughts occupied by rage and frustration caused by the confrontation against Vuk in Pristina on the exact day when he attacked him. After just coming out of the recent UNSC meeting and the previous failure of Rambouillet talks in February,he couldn't believe that the latter ended up not being a major success like Dayton in 1995. He wasn't able to stop thinking about Vuk even if the war didn't happen.
When they encountered one another on the battlefield in Pristina,Alfred offered Vuk one last chance for the former to end the war overnight by doing what he had demanded in Rambouillet,in addition to remove Milosevic from power,but Vuk rightfully refused because Alfred was on KLA's side.
"OVER MY DEAD BODY,ALFREAK!" he yelled,after punching him in the gut.
"You can resist all you want,genocidal brat!" Alfred snapped at him "You're not going to win! I'll personally ensure your total DEFEAT!"
The memory of this confrontation was way too fresh to comprehend as it was recent. It frustrated yet astounded him how Vuk put up a fight,how defiant,tough and brave that prick is. Despite being younger and weaker than him,he nonetheless fought him and two KLA soldiers off with his AK-47. Alfred ran towards him and tried to snatch the gun from his hands,but he kicked his shin into releasing the grip around it. In following two days,he barely slept.
"That Genocidal Brat has no idea how screwed he'll be for rejecting my ultimatum! I warned him he won't last a fucking WEEK!" Alfred thought angrily,hands covering his face tightly as he shivered in anger "He claims that I want war,while HE'S the one who's asking for it. Why can't he realize this?!"
Alfred believed,and he still does,that the actions he's about to take will be done in an effort to prevent genocide committed by Serbs against Albanians. Ever since the UN's failure to act during the Rwandan Genocide,when Yvonne Uwimana needed an urgent help,Alfred detests the UN and every UNSC member of the year. He swore not to repeat the same mistake again. He didn't care about his president Bill Clinton,and stopped interacting with him after the rape allegations were revealed during the last year's impeachment,nor Democracy whom he always pretends to favor as the main excuse (he's still studying whether or not America was meant to be a Democracy or a Republic).
According to him,in the World where he earned his place in the Sun as the reigning Superpower on Earth and put his archnemesis Arisha in her place,Vuk should've trembled in fear for daring to defy him. But now,it has been proven otherwise. If Vuk can't be subdued by diplomatic means,then he'll bomb him into submission. Or death.
The Leader is currently outside the base,watching jets flying forth whilst releasing the yellow bombing flame as his hands were on his pockets. He smiled with pride,hiding his growing anger and resentment towards his nemesis. Alfred was ready to take off,having dressed up his uniform and his trademark jacket for war after taking shower. Next to him was a large black jet called Nighthawk parked among less powerful planes,two kilometers away from where he's at. It was his most favorite. He never stopped bragging about its sheer power and stealth throughout this decade,regarding it as a cutting-edge symbol of American greatness.
Casually,Alfred walked towards Nighthawk. From there,his mom-sis Emily and four soldiers (James Stone,Andrew Ramirez,Steven Gonzales and Finley Rogers) were waiting for him on an open hangar to show up. He made an appearance before them and once he did,silence enveloped them all.
"Gentlemen!" he exclaimed "Have you gotten yourselves ready?"
Andrew,the smallest out of four,stepped forward. He was in his 30s,with short black hair,tan skin,stubble beard and,like his colleagues,wore an army pattern shirt.
"Yes,sir! The preparations have been made."
"Glad to hear it,Andy!" he winked at him "Punctuality is one of many traits I admire about our military."
Andrew set his eyes at Alfred upclose. It concerned him to see his leader look dizzy,as if he was too tired to participate in warfare,judging by his droppy eyes and messy hair.
"Are you ok?" Andrew asked,worried "This howling wind cuts our skin to the bone and you're not even shaking. You don't seem well."
"I kinda had a headache. But other than that,I've never felt better." he replied with a smile,after sighing "It's just that I was busy with my personal issues."
"That's his usual excuse." Emily added,crossing her arms "Alfred says it whenever he wants to get away with something."
Her son-bro turned to her and gave Emily an annoyed look over her comment. She was a bit angry by the fact that the airborne will start at late night.
"Don't bring this up,Em. I don't want to get reminded of yesterday's stupid UNSC meeting!"
Pause.
"Are we going for a reconnaissance flight?" James,the tallest among his pals,then asked.
Alfred simply shook his head with closed eyes,displaying a silent "No." for an answer because it was too late to do such a thing.
"I've called you outside this military base because of our mission,beginning today." he explained,clasping his hands and placing them behind his back "You volunteered in order to fight a righteous fight to defend freedom of the Albanians in Kosovo against a deviant aggressor. As NATO's first squadron you four have volunteered for,you'll soon become real men and real warriors. Thus,we must defeat the Serbs and their leaders within less than a week. We have to send them the message that we're indeed the most powerful force not to be reckoned with,for they've rejected the Rambouillet negotiations."
"Not sure if it's worth fighting for..." Steven said,showing doubt.
"Of course it is,Steve. Else why are you here in the first place?" Alfred turned to him,frowning "Lest assured,if we win,you'll come back to your home as a hero like I am. There would be some fuck-ups,but we'll at least win."
Steven smiled back,feeling encouraged by Alfred's words.
"Thank you,sir!"
Finley on the other hand was the silent guy among the bunch. He just listened their conversation without replying anything.
"Well then,now that we've cleared things up,perhaps it's time to hop in." Alfred concluded,observing his Nighthawk again "Choose any plane you may find fitting,except this one." he pointed at the Nighthawk "The Nighthawk is mine."
The soldiers nodded and saluted him,after which they went to climb the ladders into entering their cabins. However,Emily halted Alfred by abruptly placing her hand on his left shoulder,as he was five meters away from where he stood on.
"Wait!"
Alfred turned once more.
"What?"
"Have you packed your medicines?"
He touched his jacket's right pocket.
"Diazepam,Chlorpromazine and sleeping pills. Yep,they're all packed inside."
"Phew! I thought you forgot them in the headquarters!"
"I'd never allow it to happen,Emily."
"Do you need a phone or radio to contact me,in case you get downed or lost?" Emily suggested.
"Not at all. The Genocidal Brat doesn't have a sufficient air force to beat mine. His little army is that of a mice against an elephant!"
"Hmm... Much less considering that his failed sister Arisha isn't going to interfere in that conflict with her impoverished army." she added coldly,smirking.
"Correct,yet she still can't shut the fuck up about that genocidal brat nonstop! 'Stop the bombings,Pindo! Stop the bombings!'" he imitated Arisha's voice in irritation "Good thing our Big Bo is keeping her subdued. Her not getting over the fact that she lost the Cold War doesn't bother me!"
Silence followed after he shouted those words. Alfred looked away for some time,letting the winds pet his pale cheeks.
"I wish Dhimiter Luka joined us..." he wondered,disappointed.
"You know he's extremely sick,Al. Dhim is exempt from joining the war for a reason,even if he was healthy!" Emily told him,sounding angry.
Alfred cleared his throat,confirming he forgot about that.
"See you next week,Em!" he waved at her as he rushed for the departure.
"You too,Al! Farewell!" she replied,before heading towards her private bedroom to sleep.
10:15
The combat flight ran more smoothly than usual. So smoothly,it made him reminded of the first time he sat and flew the Wright Model A with Wright Brothers nine decades ago,teaching him how to operate an aircraft properly. Back when WW1 hadn't commenced yet and October Revolution didn't materialize to,in his mind,cause World's permanent ills. Looking back,everything has changed from 1909 till 1999. He was a completely different person in contrast to his current self,with his personality and views shaped by the events of WW2,Cold War,riots,ideological shifts,his people's slow degradation and "peace through strength",as his most favorite president Ronald Reagan's phrase went. The most impactful war through which Alfred became deeply unstable to this day was his defeat in Vietnam War.
His wings,those four soldiers from earlier,formed a formation in the shape of an arrow with him at the center. The first half flew on the left side while the other on the right. Sitting on his seat,Alfred could see villages beneath the grey gloomy sky,appearing to look like ants from a wide distance by tens of hundreds of kilometers. He also saw mosaics of various shades of green and brown,which resembled farm fields. Too bad they'd have to be burned at some point.
Although he and his squadron spent the majority of their time strategically bombing places before the Sun shone its face,Alfred got used to not sleep for days already,unlike his soldiers,as he rides an apache helicopter as his own transport vehicle day and night. He wasn't tired nor stressed out. Noise emitted from plane roars which filled his ears didn't bother him. In fact,he was relaxed and overconfident. He wouldn't have to worry about fuel either,since jets have been refueled before the flight.
"Collect yourself,Al. I just need to wreck enough damage on his lands to make that Genocidal Brat's leader Milosevic wave the white flag and return home victorious." he told himself "Surely,this can't possibly go wrong. My objective is to reach and bomb Belgrade in and around. Genocidal Brat's jets are a joke compared to mine! If he has any,that is."
Passing through Danube,Alfred couldn't tell if he's getting closer to his destination or is moving out of Serbia into Bosnia. He hoped it wasn't the case. Once he did,he moved his body to the left and checked the skies again. Smirking,he clicked on the pickle switch and released dozens of bombs targeting a road in Pecinci with three unfortunate cars driving there. He felt no remorse killing them. Alfred only hoped if he could do the same with Vuk should he spot him.
Suddenly,after three minutes have passed,a Neva missile was fired,flying towards him. He noticed the rocket for a split second. It was too late to dodge it. His overconfidence trumped his awareness. The rocket struck his plane directly,leading to an explosion in the sky. The impact was extremely violent caused the Nighthawk to roll itself leftwards.
"AAAHH! WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING?!" Alfred yelled,agitated and outraged.
Nighthawk's interior sounded its alarm. The buttons activated their lights on and off repeatedly. Alfred tightened his lip with teeth while holding strongly the handle. Everything tumbled all around him. He then unfastened the belt,opened the cockpit glass wide and pressed the eject button. But like his botched action,Alfred did so by the time the plane crashed onto a spot.
Yet despite this,the ejection seat simply dropped him out weakly few meters away from the Nighthawk,falling on his chest. Several seconds later,Alfred opened his eyes and slowly stood up to see the outcome. He was utterly surprised that he came out in one piece,only to realize that his uniform plus jacket was now tainted with dirt,parched grass and soot. His glasses were black from that same dirty substance,so he bitterly took them off and cleaned both lenses with his jacket,albeit incredibly blurry (he absolutely can't see shit without them). After rubbing them clean,he noticed some cracks formed onto glasses' left lense by touching them.
"Perfect..." Alfred spat out with closed mouth,gritting his teeth.
But that didn't anger him the most. Putting his damaged glasses back on,he turned towards what remained of Nighthawk which became a wreckage,placing his hands on hips. Cloudy smokes signaled its crashing site coming out of small incandescent flames. Except cockpit and one of its two wings,every part of Nighthawk vanished. Disbelieved,he moved his trembling hand through his disheveled hair and ripped a tiny chunk of it,then to slam that chunk onto his face.
"GRRRRRR!... WHO DARED TO DOWN THIS MASTERPIECE OF AN AIRCRAFT?! IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE INVISIBLE!" he screamed,stomping the ground and dropping his arms down "FUCKING WHO?! WHY!?"
His enraging voice echoed the place he didn't recognize,in a village called Budjanovci. That village was particularly full of arable land. Forests laid north of where he was at,and the Budjanovci itself was located on the opposite direction. Above Nighthawk showed his squadron retreating,ending up leaderless.
Alfred opted to contact Emily to pick him up immediately,but he was reminded that he declined her offer of taking a phone or radio. He also forgot to bring contacts and a map with him. Alfred grabbed his face and squeezed it,while his glasses were stuck out as though his right hand wore them.
Where's Emily when you need her,indeed.
"OH,ALFRED,YOU STUPID MORON! FUCK ME AND WHOEVER MADE ALFRED!" he continued whining,cursing himself "I'M GONNA FUCKING KILL MYSELF FOR N-"
He cut himself off,spotting a small figure running towards the crash site amidst a sepulchral silence. For a moment,Alfred didn't know who,but he didn't care to run back. Rather,he rushed to find the nearest bush where he won't get caught. As he did,he crouched behind the bush and opened some leafs to see what's this figure up to. To that end,some people from that village have gathered around it.
"ATTENTION,EVERYONE!" the figure announced loudly and eloquently,after climbing onto dead Nighthawk's wing. Vuk was unable to prevent tears of joy from sliding down his cheeks "We've overthrown the pride...OF THE AMERICAN AIR FORCE!"
Everyone present burst into applause and cheers,with two grandmas in particular jumping up and down in celebration. It climbed down the jet scraps,thereby hugging its fellow soldiers. The figure's voice,while relatively far off,came from none other than Vuk Misic,wearing his green "Commander" uniform.
"You savage brat..." Alfred seethed,twitching his eye as he watched.
He was beyond enraged. What was he doing here beforehand? How did he know where the Nighthawk and its squadron flew? These two questions made Alfred tremor uncontrollably in fury. It resulted in him tearing the bush with his teeth and pale hands,and punch the dirt a couple of times until his knuckles were bloody. Alfred wanted to shriek the following words publicly,but instead spat them from inside.
"I HATE THAT GENOCIDAL IMP! I HATE HIM,I HATE HIM,I HATE HIM!"
After another hair rip,Alfred didn't know where and how to escape. He brought no map with him,nor a source of fresh water to drink up Diazepam to at least tranquilize his temper. He has to find his way out as soon as possible. Once he saw Vuk and a group of three soldiers marching south,he sprinted towards Budjanovci instantly whilst trying not to let irresistible tremors affect his moves.
Entering Budjanovci,he was slightly relieved to see that the village was almost empty. The first half of this village was humbler than the other one. The houses were more depressing,their windows more dusty,and the ground was more cracked. As soon as he reached the village's other chaotic half,Alfred encountered a lone little white cat on the road. They starred at one another in curiosity,wondering who were they. Alfred speculated that if black cats on a road represent misfortune,then white cats like this one will grant him luck.
Granted,because he was furious,he tempted to kill the cat. Yet,the cat invited him to engage with him and follow it. Alfred followed the cat,hoping that he'll lead to a safest exit possible for an airport. However,the contrary occurred. The cat led him to a narrow dead-end alley where the Sun barely rose. He growled when that alley turned out to have a strong stench of rotten food coming from two large garbage cans with poorly lifted lids.
But unlike normal people,Alfred encountered worse smells than that.
Is the cat trying to fuck with him? What was he implying? Alfred guessed the cat wanted him to hide somewhere so that Vuk and his group won't find him. He took a deep breath of desperation and thanked the cat,to which he had gone prone into stumbling upon inside a 'cave' made of wooden boxes,which presumably contained fresh fruit,according to their labels. Once inside,he could smell the nasty smells of rotten apples and oranges. There was also one rotten apple standing beside him.
"UGH...It's so embarrassing!..." Alfred moaned,picking up that apple "At least they'll never find me there."
Alfred hoped Vuk's group would avoid approaching that vile alley,thinking that they would be stupid enough to search in an inconvenient and disgusting area. It remained true until that same white cat,ten minutes later,meowed all of the sudden. Shortly afterwards,someone raised a box covering the rest. Vuk poked his head over the hole.
"Making friends,hobo?" he mockingly asked,glaring at him.
He glared at him back and threw out the boxes,getting up. His hand still held the rotten apple and,to make him seem like an inconsistency,bit that apple and spit the bite on the ground. At the same time,the white cat has had slipped away. It told him that the cat was an agent of Vuk after all this time.
Like the people,like the cats.
"Pff! Do I look like I'm making friends,genocidal brat?!" Alfred asked back,angrily.
Vuk crossed his arms and made a smirk,turning his head from behind to see his group of three young soldiers.
"I've shot down your precious Nighthawk,Alfreak."
Alfred threw the whole apple,marched and raised his fist to punch his face hard,but one of the three stepped in front of him and grabbed his fist,yanking it down. Alfred grunted with a grudgeful frown.
"Your army ain't here to protect you." Vuk advised him "I'd be careful if I were you."
"You don't say!" Alfred retorted "NATO will arrive for me,and YOU'LL be the one in trouble."
"Oof,you scarred me really good,for a fucking medal! Hey,look at me,I-I'm shaking!" he said sarcastically,drawing laughter from his group. Then told "You're not in Kosovo,smartass. This is Srem,Vojvodina."
"Is Vojvodina a village in Kosovo?"
Vuk burst his mouth.
"I'd better not tell you. Seems geography doesn't suit you well."
"Yes it fucking does,genocidal brat!"
"Whatever." Vuk dismissed "Well,I hope they're willing to pay your ransom."
"NATO isn't going to pay you anything short of hiring a hitman to hunt your little ass down,Captain Shortie!" he snapped at him,which led Vuk to make an annoyed grimace over the "shortie" comment "The money from NATO will be sent to liberation forces like the KLA,and there's nothing you or your three idiots can do about it." Alfred then moved aside beside them "Now, if you excuse me,I'll find my own w-"
One of the soldiers came from behind another one,didn't let him finish and bonked him with his riffle as the latter just started walking away,causing Alfred to fall unconscious in front of them. Soon after,Vuk and the soldier who bonked him have dragged Alfred back to where the jet was downed,all the while Vuk starred at his knocked-out nemesis as his sidekick was finding his military jeep. When he did,Vuk followed him to carry Alfred and put him inside jeep's truck.
12:20 - Valjevo
Vuk and his seventeen year-old comrade named Zoran Gavrilovic,who was slightly taller than him,with light brown hair and blue eyes,have arrived at a local barracks in Valjevo. Zoran was the one who greeted Vuk first in the battlefield and indicated that the Nighthawk's pilot must've sneaked into Budjanovci where he had plenty of places to hide. Not so coincidentaly,he encountered the Commander (Vuk) in this village due to his grandparents having lived there,being used to come here when he was a child.
Tired as they were,they got Alfred out of the truck and resumed their carryings,this time with their arms holding his own,towards its barrack's entrance. On the pathway stood Zoran's Lieutenant Colonel Milenko Pavlovic,the one who ordered Zoran via phone call to take Alfred to the barracks.
"Welcome back,you two!" Milenko shouted with happiness "I'm glad you returned safe and sound."
"We had a..." Zoran paused as he panted,moving his head at Alfred lowered face,then reverted to look at Milenko in the eyes again. Alfred was quite heavy to be further held "...colorful morning,lieutenant colonel."
"'Colorful' in what sense?"
"On one hand,me and Zoran were at the outskirts of Budjanovci,the place where I met him today,amidst sorrow and death within warfare. On the other hand..." Vuk glanced at unconscious Alfred "Hmph,we captured our very first POW."
"And not just any POW,sir." Zoran pointed out "This pilot is Alfreak Jonster,Vuk's derogatory term for Alfred Jones,leader of our enemy organization NATO. At least,that's what Vuk told me."
"Yes I did,Зоране." Vuk confirmed him.
Milenko,intrigued by their answers,crouched on one knee and lifted Alfred's chin with his thumb and index finger to examine the latter's face. Glasses were missing from his face,because they were in Zoran's hands (didn't give them to Vuk. Vuk wanted to crush them). Milenko also noticed sunken cheeks,fallen bangs,and nasty eyebags vastly huger than Vuk's and Zoran's combined. Once Milenko let his fingers go,he got up and backed off.
"Чекај... Isn't Javier Solana the leader of NATO?"
"Caviar Salt-Who?" Vuk raised his brow.
"You know who I'm referring to,Vuk. It's the Spaniard who has two days ago issued a press statement in which he stated his bullshit propaganda that 'We have no quarrel with the people of Yugoslavia,but Milosevic and his regime.'."
"Не. Never heard of him."
Zoran was uncertain if Alfred and Javier were dual leaders of NATO,or Javier was merely a pawn of Alfred. As the result,he didn't reply.
The Lieutenant Colonel crossed his arms and remained quiet for less than a minute,to which it ended by sighing.
"Never mind..." Milenko concluded,then asked,pointing at Alfred "How did you catch Alfred?"
"Vuk downed the Nighthawk,an alleged 'state-of-the-art' from the American military weaponry."
Milenko's eyes have widened in shock as the word "Nighthawk" was floating around his mind. When he studied at the Military Academy in Belgrade for pilot education,he explicitly informed himself that the Nighthawk was invisible for human eyes whenever it flies. But now,it was debunked. How could an old missile launcher from 60s be decisive at bringing down superior war planes like Nighthawk? Was the cunning and the courage all took to execute such action?
"Unbelievable..." the word escaped his lips. Milenko looked up,and grinned with bliss "I'm so proud of you,boys! Give me a high-five!"
They slapped each other's palms,later to hug one another. As a result,Alfred thumped to the ground. Vuk and Zoran released their grip from Alfred's arms for agreeing to hug Milenko. They hadn't felt so victorious in a lifetime.
"Zoran,transfer Alfred inside the basement. Vuk,bring in a loaf of bread,water gallon and a glass cup,and tell the cadets to bound him on a chair." The lieutenant colonel ordered,after they separated together "A couple of days should be needed for a good interrogation and isolation of NATO's golden goose. Should Alfred provide us key infos,he'll be of great use for us if NATO decides to arrange peace negotiations in exchange for returning him."
"Да,sir!" they saluted simultaneously at him,smiling.
13:00
Valjevo Barracks' basement was dark. Only two sources of light were present: A small light bulb hanging at the center of the ceiling and a small tight window from which the captives could see if it's morning or night. Like its complete darkness,it was practically empty as well,with the exception of three chairs and a rusty table. Bread,water and medications were placed on that table,specifically on Alfred's jacket which got converted into their linen. And the interior walls were made of stones.
For half an hour,Zoran and Vuk have spent them on reviewing Alfred's appearance while he was still unconscious. They amused themselves by playing with his glasses,pulling them on/off and imitating his behavior while wearing them. Apart from that,giggling as they did,Zoran watched Vuk plucking bits of Alfred's unkempt hair for laughs. Although,he warned him not to pull too much if he doesn't want Alfred to wake up.
Both of them were sitting in this dark,silent room,looking at the spot,illuminated by the light bulb where their POW sat,across that room. Except wrists,the cadets have bounded Alfred's limbs and torso with ropes onto the chair,especially his ankles which were connected by chair's legs. Vuk couldn't stop contemplating with scorn and pride,arms on his thighs. He was dying to slap the shit out of him and blurt out "Who were you calling 'Shortie'?!". And then,before he could respond,punch him,for all the damage he was doing to his people. But alas,he chose not to,remaining seated next to Zoran.
However,despite Alfred's senses being disabled and his vision engulfed in total darkness,he overheard their discussions that were mumbled to his ears. But still hearable.
"So,what's the plan? We were supposed to interrogate him for info,not messing with him as our lieutenant colonel didn't order us to do." he asked Vuk,concerned "We can't keep him in the basement forever..."
Vuk turned to him,and sighed.
"I don't know." he answered,sheepishly,clutching both hands. Nonetheless,Vuk's internal temperature rose several tens of degrees higher than the cold one enveloping the interior "Maybe...No,no,no. Nah..."
"What were you saying about the ransom?" Zoran wondered,turning to him,surprised "I think it was a good idea. We need money,after all..."
The Commander moaned with closed mouth. Worries about NATO's reaction has partially made him nervous,for the last thing he wanted was for Kosovo to become a new bloodbath like Bosnia. Besides,he was already unhealthy and his fragile economy was broken by NATO's sanctions. What he needed was relief,not less.
"And if we do,what'll happen next?! Would the NATO retaliate?! If so,how?!" he bursted out with a lump on his throat "How can I defend my people if our enemy has more allies and way more weapons than us?! No! I'm not going to all-...allow it!..." He lowered his head,taking a deep breath to calm himself down "Perhaps... Perhaps the best thing would be...to leave Alfreak at the Macedonian border,in secret,and..."
"You cannot be serious!" Zoran interrupted,astonished. His tone sounded angry "In other words,we just took the leader of NATO prisoner,and now you want us to return him without any payment? Just like that?"
"I-I...I think it's the safest path."
"The safe path is the path of defeat... and of cowards." he added,with the last word pissing Vuk off.
"I'M NOT A COWARD!"
"Then face the goddamn problem,Vuk! We,your people and your army,are with you!" he lectured him "Not dealing with a problem will end up weighing us down all our lives!"
The mumbles within Alfred's brain that was the two's conversation kept filling the void for the next two minutes. After they passed,everything went blank. The overall audio has been turned off,and from there came quiet.
But silence didn't last for a long run. Out of nowhere,footsteps emerged. These footsteps were tapping their sounds every two seconds. Alfred was unable to guess who's making those sounds. At sixth pace,the footsteps have stopped. When they did,an intense flash of light exploded Alfred's inner void,which in actuality was Vuk's punch in his face done with all his might.
That hit crushed his trance,waking him up abruptly. He jerked his head in shock as he yelped. Alfred slowly turned his head left and right,taking time to figure out what had just happened. He couldn't move his arms or legs except forearms,seeing they got blocked by tight ropes. That's when he realized he was bounded by a chair inside basement. Baffled,he wondered how did he end up here.
"What is this place?!" Alfred asked himself,irritated "Where the fuck am I?!"
However,as soon as he saw Vuk,standing angrily in front of him with a glare of hatred,wearing the same green uniform from earlier. Vuk's sudden anger was triggered by Zoran's... tragic story involving the KLA. Alfred made a face of disgust,growling as he did,only to then smirk while chuckling through closed lips.
"Heh...I see what you did here,little brat. You really pulled a Lien on me." Alfred complimented,observing the surroundings.
Vuk didn't respond.
"Am I in your house? Pff! No wonder you're so poor! You should decorate it with what little money you have." he told him,mockingly "I bet you suck your thumb and pee in that basement of yours,sitting,waiting for Arishit to change your diap-"
His nemesis cut him off by punching him hard again,this time across his mouth. He then pulled Alfred by the rope closer to his chin.
"While you're in Valjevo Barrack's basement - NOT MY FUCKING HOUSE - you'll speak only when spoken to! If I do,spare me your bullshit comments concerning anything about my dire situation in Yugoslavia or my private problems as a whole. JEL TO JASNO?!" Vuk yelled.
Alfred let out a snort.
"The midget is getting pissie. Right,genocidal brat?" he tried to intimidate him "Afraid of the fact you're po-"
"I SAID TALK WHEN I SPEAK,ALFREAK!"
"Yeah right. Like that would deter me fr-"
"SHUT UP! Y-YOU...YOU'RE DOING IT!"
"Doing what? Are you going to punch me again?"
"OH I W-"
Vuk squealed also through closed mouth in frustration,facepalming himself while letting out a frustrated sigh which amused Alfred. Trying to teach him who's boss was useless.
"Be smug for all I care,Alfreak! The interrogation will start tomorrow morning,and you shall provide me every single information you hide!" Vuk threatened loudly "YOU WILL KNOW YOUR PLACE!"
His yells echoed the basement,causing a minute-long pause. Vuk turned back again and folded his arms,slowly calming himself down. Zoran remained sitting on a chair whilst watching their new prisoner. While he barely knew him,he noted how equally stubborn the Leader of NATO is,much like Vuk. The difference between them being that the latter isn't cocky like the former.
"Correct me if I'm wrong,but how did you bring me here? I assume you used a sleeping pill from my box you briefly stole after we encountered in that decaying alley."
Vuk didn't reply. Instead,he went towards the door,picked up his Kalashnikov,and bonked Alfred after coming closer to him,knocking him unconscious again.
"Wrong,it was an AK-47." Vuk replied,hanging his rifle onto his back. Then whispered to his ear "This is for your support of the KLA,imperialist freak."
He walked back to where Zoran sat and helped him stand to his feet. They smiled both at each other and exited the basement,though Vuk returned inside for a moment to kick Alfred's shin before definitively leaving. With basement's door locked through Vuk rotating it,he and Zoran have gone upstairs outside. The Sun was hiding behind white,grey and orange clouds,a sighting which they enjoyed viewing it in the middle of Hell on sky that were NATO bombings. And Alfred will never get to see it.
17:30
Alfred woke up,blinking steadily while yawning. He's still inside the relatively dark basement,thinking the previous scene was just a figment of his imagination. He moved his right forearm to pinch the other in order to see if it's real or not. It was real. Alfred took a heavy sigh of embarrassment. He promised Emily that he'll return from instigating bombings against Vuk after a week,only to end up a POW after getting downed by a far weaker enemy compared to himself. It'd be humiliating and ironic to the bone if the captivity lasts for a week,thereby contradicting his expectations.
On the other hand,there was a silver lining: He's now alone,without anyone bothering him. "Finally,some privacy!" were the words Alfred exclaimed from within,relieved. As such,Alfred spotted a glass of water,together with gallon,bread and six pill bottles (two bottles per three medicines),standing on the desk below the small window in front of him. He looked down,thinking how to move while his ankles were cuffed. Before doing so,he took a deep breath and pushed his left leg forward. With a few attempts,he succeeded. One leg after another,Alfred finally reached the desk. But before deciding to eat a small portion of bread,drink water and take meds,he saw some magazines laying there. The theme from one of those magazines were about military. The other two were a "Blic" magazine,and a military manual.
Cadets must've left them out of kindness while he was sleeping against his will.
He,with difficultly,grabbed the bread and ripped its heel,eating it bite after bite. This bread was crusty and fresh. Alfred then left it back onto desk,believing that he could sustain his hunger by taking one portion each day,for he has eaten lesser things than that,such as rice whenever Lien imprisoned him during their past war. After swallowing Diazepam and Chlorpromazine pills with that glass of water,he proceeded with magazines. Alfred took Blic first. The front page showed several images,among which were four facial portraits of four people placed horizontally on top of that page. He recognized the second guy,Boris Yeltsin,the breathing trophy of triumph against global Communism with a human body. He couldn't have reassured himself that he had won the Cold War without him. He repeatedly reminded Yeltsin that he's his puppet in the end,reaffirmed through saving him in the last election of 1996. Alfred hoped Yeltsin would turn Arisha away from Soviet Nostalgia and re-embrace Tsardom,away from the Russian Revolution which,to him,corrupted her permanently. But given Arisha's current suspicious attitude,Alfred wasn't sure if he should keep trusting Yeltsin to continue doing his job.
Most of the front page was filled with big texts typed beside respective images,under a language Alfred had zero knowledge of. Curious,he guessed that the language used on the magazine was either Russian or Czech,instead of Serbian. Some of these texts held few words he was familiar with,most notably "Agresor" and "Raketama",which literally meant exactly as "Aggressor" and "Rockets". "Novi zločini NATO agresora" or "New war crimes from NATO aggressors" was the headline above the larger red subheadline,which read "Na meti i civili" or "Civilians are targetted,too",which irritated him the most.
"Lies! I'm not the aggressor in this war! The genocidal brat is! It isn't my fucking fault that he spat on Rambouillet and preferred war over peace!" Alfred protestedto himself as he slapped his right thigh "What does this stupid newspaper talking about?!"
Next to the that headline was an image showing Vuk's leader Slobodan Milosevic with eight of his ministers assembled around a table discussing something,while Slobodan himself sat on the head chair. The image of an old man with white slicked-back Mao hairstyle wearing a suit disgusted him.
"Slobodan Milosevic,the genocidal brat's puny tyrant..."
Meanwhile,as he was examining each page,Vuk,Scepan and Arisha have already arrived at the barracks. Vuk and his younger brother have invited their oldest sister to show her who was the pilot of Nighthawk,descending downstairs. Before going there,Arisha boasted that she'd pay anything to see the look on her archnemesis' face when he finds out that his 'precious' Nighthawk has been downed. She got her wish of seeing him,looking through the spyhole,and reacted differently. Arisha didn't expect Alfred to be the pilot of that formerly legendary jet,so she closed her eyes,covered her face and mentally counted to ten,remembering that she's in Serbia solely for doing the civil defense work,and not smack that moron.
Two hours later,Alfred decided that that's enough reading for today. Reading Blic soothed him,and has sent him on a great mood. All those images within the newspaper left him contemplating for another full hour,sitting silent while looking at the basement window like a calf. He smiled. Images in his mind displaying the destruction his air force wrecking on enemy soil made him imagine how much would they repeat their actions before Vuk gives up fighting.
After contemplating,he grabbed the sleeping pill bottle and took one pill with glass of water. He awaited it to take effect. Should he successfully survive the interrogation tomorrow,or if he could convince barrack's Lieutenant Colonel to make Vuk sue for peace on his own terms,he'd likely be released by barracks' cadets and let him go back to Thessaloniki,making it seem that Vuk's capture of him was all for nothing. Alfred hoped Vuk would go full crybaby afterwards,as revenge for downing him. That way,he'll pretend the downage never happened.
Once the pill's effect washed over him,he closed his eyes and let his head drop,falling asleep.
March 28th - 08:20
"БУЂЕЊЕ!" Vuk shouted through megaphone at Alfred's ear.
It swiftly ceased Alfred's slumber. He jumped with a tiny scream of shock. And when he saw Vuk holding the megaphone,he barred his teeth in anger. Vuk even repositioned the occupied chair back to its original spot beforehand.
"How did you sleep?" he asked him,smirking.
Alfred growled at him.
"Until you showed up,it was idyllic."
"Not for long,Alfreak." Vuk told him,walking towards the desk to put the headphone onto it "Today's interrogation time."
"Of course,genocidal brat,of course! How can I not forget that!" Alfred replied,rolling his eyes "But before we begin,can you allow me to take meds?"
Vuk raised his eyebrow.
"Meds? You mean,those?" he pointed at Diazepam bottle close to where bread laid.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"I need them."
He looked away and walked towards the desk,taking Diazepam bottle. Vuk rotated it here and there with his hand.
"Really? What disease are you suffering from,then?" Vuk inspected,curious "Are you epileptic?"
"WHAT?! That's none of your fucking concern,brat!" Alfred retorted.
Vuk stopped himself for a second,raising that bottle near his face. He read the "Diazepam" label,then looked at Alfred's eyes.
"Is this how you cope with defeat,Alfreak? Right after you attacked me,you brought these things just in case you don't break your mask of confidence?" Vuk inspected "'Diazepam',heh... Looks like I've found one of your behind-the-scenes weaknesses."
"Cut the crap!" he snapped at him angrily,pushing his bounded body forward "All I'm going to tell you is that I take medications every 8 hours! And the fact you turned me into your POW after downing my Nighthawk makes them more than necessary! Without them,it'll be a possibility for me to grind your tiny skull!"
"Hey,it's not my fault you have to take them,unlike the rest of humanity. Mortal and Earthling alike." he commented,shrugging.
As he growled again at him,Vuk couldn't help but give a mischievous smile to Alfred.
"Furthermore,why can't you just swallow all pills in one go?" he argued "If your meds cause you to shut up for an estimated time period,then emptying this bottle would probably make you silent for a month."
"Meds don't work like that,genocidal brat!" Alfred told him,impatient as he was. Then inhaled,demanding "LET ME TAKE THEM!"
"Ok,ok!... GOD,you're so fucking annoying with your 'meds,meds,meds'! Geez!"
Alfred grunted,and zigzagged his way forward as Vuk backed off one meter away. When he got nearby Vuk,the latter slapped the back of his head,leading the former to turn his head and snarl for getting screwed over. He mentally remarked to Vuk that he should consider himself lucky for bounding him,for he might beat him to the pulp. Vuk responded by laughing softly,which annoyed the captive profusely.
"There,I'm finished." Alfred said,calmer,after doing so and moving back.
"Good. Let's start the interrogation."
"Ugh... Finally!..."
Vuk separated from him two meters away. Alfred starred at him. Both stood there in an absolute quiet. Murmurs from outside the window can be heard.
"From which military base did you fly off?" was his first question.
Alfred didn't hear him coherently. Or rather,he pretended not to hear him.
"Huh?..."
Vuk rolled his eyes.
"What's two plus two?!" Vuk asked sarcastically and angrily,then turned "Are you even listening to what I've just asked,freak?!"
"See for yourself."
"Yeah,my ass." he said,then repeated his original question more loudly.
"Why should I reveal you the location of NATO's headquarters in the Balkans?" Alfred asked back,displaying recalcitrance "The Marines were trained to never talk or submit to an enemy combatant,especially those of weaker rank such as yourself."
Vuk marched towards him and took him by the upper rope,lifting the chair's back legs.
"У јебем ти матер! Resisting me will do you no good,and I don't give a shit if your moronic marines have taught you anything!"
"Not gonna happen,little brat." Alfred said arrogantly "I won't tell you even if you were dying."
He barred his teeth,raised his palm and formed it into a fist,ready to plant him a black eye. However,Vuk changed his mind and snatched Alfred's glasses off of his eyes instead. He went few steps back,leaving Alfred visionless.
"Hey,give me back my glasses!"
"If you continue pestering me,I'll stomp your fucking glasses!" Vuk warned him severely "I'm dead serious!"
"You won't intimida-"
Vuk dropped them. The second its noise reached Alfred's ears,he sighed.
"Touché..."
He snorted and walked forth to put them back on.
"Andravida Air Base,Thessaloniki." Alfred answered,sounding tired "Thessaloniki was the city from where I took off."
"Thessaloniki?" Vuk thought. As far as he recalled,Athene vehemently opposed Alfred's bombings against him despite her being a NATO member. From day one,she rallied protests against it and her president Konstantinos Stephanopoulos,who told her that it's her duty to support NATO because of their membership. She loves him and her younger brother Atreus,and would risk anything to protect them.
Not only that,Athene also regards Vuk as her best cousin. From enemies during the Byzantine times,friends under the Ottomans,to Present Day.
"Strange." he grabbed his chin,and the left hip with his left hand "Has Athene given you permit?"
"Athene isn't the Leader of NATO,but me. Leaders don't need permission. His supporters do." Alfred said,then added "Her president has made sure that Thessaloniki stays being NATO's forward operating base,whether she likes it or not!"
"And what's the purpose of the military base you're speaking of?"
"To deliver supplies and weaponry for Albanians fighting their war for freedom from the Serbian clutches." Alfred answered,annoyed "It's that simple."
He couldn't believe what he was hearing. This and myriad of other similar comments irritate him each time his ears stumble upon any of them. It especially reminded him of his last meeting with Alfred in this diplomatic scam that was Rambouillet. Vuk stopped wishing to continue negotiating when the KLA under Thaci came in by Alfred's allowance,in spite of Adele's objections.
Vuk's right fist was shaking,pouting as he looked away and stood silently for a couple of seconds before turning back. To which his fist ceased shaking.
"Let me guess... All of these things you've mentioned will go straight to the KLA,and not for genuine Albanian civilians." Vuk seethed with a sarcastic smile "Right,Alfreak?"
"Well,YEAH!"
"Oh really?... Here my single,crucial question for you..." Vuk's quiet voice suddenly turned into a loud yell,unleashing bits of saliva right at Alfred's face as he snapped at him "WHO GAVE YOU THE FUCKING RIGHT TO INTERVENE WHEN I NEVER REQUESTED YOU TO!?"
"Resorting to mounting tantrums too early,genocidal brat?" Alfred teased,formulating his arrogant tone back "I arrived to prevent genocide from getting achieved,and rid your people from the Red regime of Milosevic!"
He hit him in the mouth hard,making the chair where Alfred was bounded on tremble because he didn't took him once more by the ropes this time.
"ЗАВЕЖИ,ЂУБРЕ! RACAK WAS NEVER A FUCKING GENOCIDE! BATTLES AND MASS MURDERS AREN'T THE SAME!" Vuk kept screaming at him. He then lowered his voice slightly "I've faced dizziness,sickness,nightmares,stress,sorrow,and I've had enough of further wars. Least of all in KOSOVO!... Waltzing in as though it's me who itched for war,not you!"
"For your information,I wanted to resolve the Kosovo Conflict in fastest ways as possible!" Alfred shouted angrily,leaning the chair forward "You rejected all of my demands!"
"These so-called 'demands' revolved nothing but provocation into making the West denounce me!" Vuk countered,also angrily "You yourself admitted that 'there was a small change of plans' of letting 28000 NATO troops to linger freely into Yugoslavia without my consent! On top of that,the terrorist punks you sided with against me four days ago had been invited as representatives of Kosovo Albanians! Dhimiter was nowhere to be found!"
Alfred moaned in midst of a tense environment developing per each sentence. Warm temperature in the basement didn't help it at all.
"Ugh!... Why didn't you just agree to my demands?..." Alfred groaned,feeling the ropes growing increasingly tighter around his body and limbs "You could've embraced that final chance of hope I offered you,using efforts to establish an independence referendum in Kosovo and let its people decide if they want to secede or not."
"YOU CAN'T HAVE IT BOTH WAYS! THAT'S NOT HOW DIPLOMACY WORKS,DUNDERHEAD!" he retorted,enraged,later to take a deep breath and calm himself and his voice a bit "By what right can you force someone to cede one's sovereignty for some false 'peace'?! You don't get to set rules of war when those exact rules have been applied for many millennia!"
"And you don't get to whine over the war I declared on you after refusing and abstaining from negotiations for weeks!" he added,then confessed with a puff "Then again,you were nothing but a nuisance in that entire ordeal. Publicly frightening me into losing my balance and fall from the chair on Madele's wa-"
"Had you not invited the fucking KLA and substituted them with Dhimiter,I would've considered agreeing with the agreement." Vuk cut him off,crossing his arms again "But since Wednesday,there's no way in HELL you'll EVER convince me or my people beyond your capitulation!"
Alfred trudged the chair in two steps of his bounded legs,one at the time.
"Oh,you will pay dearly,as soon as I figure out how to untie those stiff ropes!..." he said,elbowing the ropes away to no avail.
Vuk kicked the dust softly and smirked,turning around and glancing at Alfred. He was pleased seeing him struggle and him growing more frustrated in the process.
"Don't waste your time trying to free yourself,Alfie. It'd be futile." he told him,tsking "I always lock the basement and even if you do succeed,where would you go if you escaped?"
"I can search for a nearest airport without a map!"
"Yeah. I doubt my army would allow you to take any airplanes out of Yugoslavia. Much less looking like an unwanted enemy with a messed-up blonde hair,cracked glasses and beige uniform." Vuk partially moved his head leftwards "Besides,airports have security guards. You'd get caught again and start from square one."
Alfred growled in disgust whilst lowering his head. As much as he hated him,he was right. Even if there was a knife to be used for cutting ropes,he'd still be trapped. He also didn't like the prospect of getting his plane bombed by his own military jets,a prospect he'd rather not envision.
"Motherfucker..." he uttered silently to himself.
"Can you just get me out of here?" he asked,raising his head "I don't see any point in keeping me stuck inside."
Vuk lowered his eyebrows. "That's what Zoran told me..." he thought. Nonetheless,it didn't make him stop smiling.
"Sure,I'll gladly release you. Under four conditions: Promise you'll never set your foot in Yugoslavia forever,order your forces to cease the bombings and run around the barracks ten times and scream 'I'M THE LOSER!' three times." Vuk offered the terms,hoping that through this method will he earn total victory and humiliate his enemy "May you accept them?"
"Grrr!... NEVER!" Alfred snarled.
Vuk chuckled,turning to him.
"Then nothing will do!" Vuk raised his tone,confidently. He let his arms fall "You'll rot there for as long as I feel like it!"
Alfred let out a heavy sigh of despair. Vuk walked towards him,and lifted his chin with his hand.
"Just face it,Alfreak. I won."
"YOU DIDN'T WIN SHIT,STUPID SAVAGE!"
"Hush now. You wouldn't mind enduring what you'd otherwise do to me if the roles were reversed,would you?" Vuk chaffed him,smiling smugly and tapping Alfred's cheek "The sooner I hear the news of NATO declaring its defeat and you become my own human trophy to be paraded in Belgrade for all the World to see,the merrier. I'll never let you go."
He kissed his check he tapped on and walked towards basement's exit,leaving Alfred confused and dumbfounded by the "genocidal brat's" kiss.
"In the meantime,my friend will visit you shortly." Vuk shouted from opened door,before exiting "The interrogation is far from over."
With the door closed without getting locked,Alfred sat there silent,back to the status quo of lonely silence. He obviously knew that it's indeed unfinished,yet he still held a spark of hope. Hope in getting himself released by the cadets after the inquiry...or maybe not.
A minute later,someone opened the door and entered the basement. It was Vuk's younger brother Scepan Petrovic. At yesterday afternoon,he was looking for Vuk in all places he thought his older brother usually was in times of war. Before this,he closed the Montenegrin airbase against NATO and pressured his president Milo Djukanovic to withdraw their ambassadors out of countries that support America and NATO. Alas,Milo ignored him. To that end,Vuk didn't want Scepan to suffer the war for his usual laziness,but conceded when Scepan told him that he takes risks,and that they'll always in it together no matter what.
Scepan stood in front of Alfred,giving him a cheeky smile. His hair was darker,hair bangs were moved by sides,short in stature and size and wore a red and golden version of Vuk's uniform. While Alfred didn't know what Scepan was up to,Vuk whispered to the latter to perform a special surprise for him. They were amused by Vuk's secret idea.
"Close your eyes."
Alfred blinked.
"Why should I?"
"Close your eyes!" Scepan repeated,louder "Those are Commander's orders!"
He rolled his eyes and closed them shut.
"Open your mouth wide!"
He did so without further ado. Scepan unzipped his pants,released his tiny penis and began pissing into Alfred's mouth.
Alfred felt the pee spilling his tongue and face like a sink,with a beer-esque taste. When Alfred reopened his eyes within seconds,he saw Scepan's dick sticked out of his pants. As he spat out the piss from his mouth and insulted him out of outrage,he laughed at him,unable to stop the sensation. Putting his thing inside,Scepan ran outside while laughing and closed the door. He could hear Scepan and Vuk pushing one another and laughing together behind the closed door.
"WHAT THE FUCK?! Did he drink a fucking barrel of water?!" he yelled at the wind,then said to himself "That chimp is more retarded than I thought the genocidal brat could've been! Luckily,he didn't crapped on my face as well!"
His head and upper ropes were wet with piss,now smelling sour. His experience is getting more comedic. Groaning,he gazed at the drops dripping the ropes all the way down the floor and boots. Alfred was even more embarrassed and angry at the fact that he didn't take shower two nights prior.
Another minute later...
Zoran entered the basement,approaching him.
"Eh...The guy from earlier..." Alfred looked up "Are you also going to pee on me,dork?"
Zoran merely crossed his eyebrows,confused by the POW's question. He may've seen him for the second time throughout his life,but today was his opportunity to interact with him in person for the first time ever. He knew damn well to whom he's about to deal with; Alfred Jones,the one he suspects that he backs the KLA with arms,supplies,money and moral support,as well as instigating the bombings as a whole. Alfred's remark of NATO sending money to the KLA when Vuk commented about ransom during yesterday's confrontation remained intact inside his memories,unable to forget it. Half of Zoran's self told him to punch him for all the pain and suffering Alfred has and will create,but he begged to differ,supressing the urge.
"Jok,Алфреде. I came here to resume the interrogation. The Commander told me you insisted on having both ways,of constantly nagging him about why he should've accepted the Rambouillet demands he told me you authored." Zoran explained,grabbing one of the other two chairs and placing it to sit in front of him.
"That same 'Commander' whose probable younger brother has peed on me seconds ago!"
Zoran smiled.
"Heh... I really didn't know what Sce-...Scepan d-did... Pff!" he burst into giggling "But look on the bright side: At least you tasted something different than mere water! HA,HA,HA!..."
His laughter irritated him predictably. Those blue eyes below Zoran's light brown bangs which fixated at his own were brushed off as he held his stomach.
"ENOUGH!" Alfred screamed with squeezed eyes.
The laughter cut itself abruptly.
"Whoops,sorry! I-I apologize,sir. I don't know what has gotten into me." he excused himself "Anyway,was it true?"
"'True' what?"
"Vuk's aforementioned statements."
Alfred took a deep breath.
"Your assertions are correct. I authored the failed Rambouillet Agreements. And yes,I'm the leader of NATO." he confirmed.
"I see..." Zoran turned his head to the right,placing his arms on the chair's top rail.
"Are you the one who knocked me down in the alley and then brought me in the basement? If yes,why?"
He nodded.
"You got on my nerves with your positive comments about that monstrous terrorist organization you apparently back. That's why."
"Look who's talking! You better swipe your bangs from your fucking forehead before spewing more bullshit!"
Zoran facepalmed and let out a long sigh. He's beginning to vex him.
"Ugh... You're deviating from the subject,Alfred..." he said,sounding pissed off "The peeing incident is over. Jokes were jokes! I'm trying to remain civil with you,yet you can't get over it!"
"Fine! I will!"
The ten-seconds long silence followed,in which Alfred spotted a name tag embroidered on Zoran's uniform.
"Zo-zo...'Zoran'." he tried to pronounce Zoran's name correctly "Is this your name?"
"Да. My full name is Zoran Gavrilović." he answered politely.
"Can I call you 'Zoro',instead?" Alfred suggested "It reminds me of that Disney's great western series called Zorro."
"You can call me whatever you wish,Al."
"Have you watched the series? You know,the swinging sword and all that shit."
"I heard of Zorro,but didn't watch it." he said "I wasn't even born back then."
"Good to know."
Five seconds later...
"Before we go to the main topic,which is the KLA,I need you to answer this question: Whom do you serve?" Zoran inquired,bending his head.
"Me."
Zoran repeated his first question.
"I've just answered you!"
"The answer can't be 'me' because how can a leader serve himself?" he argued "Last time I checked,in the news at least,you serve your president Bill Clinton."
"Don't fucking mention that rapist,Zoro!" he snapped at him "Clinton is an incompetent ratty pervert who stuck on my craw worse with his sexual affair against Monica Lewinsky,among other felonies. I bored myself to death during the January impeachment against him longer than this current detainment! Congress should've tossed him and his wife in the nearest cell!"
He was shocked to hear that the American earthling hates his leader,contrary to Vuk towards Milosevic. He could inform Vuk about that,but the latter would dismiss it as irrelevant.
"I don't pay much attention to the US' politics."
"You ought to. The Genocidal Brat and the UN assumes I suck President's dick whenever I decide to take any heroic action." Alfred explained "In reality,the Capitol serves me,not their President or the other way around. I ordered the bombardment for my own reasons."
"Which are?"
Alfred closed his eyes and took a deep breath,tired of explaining the same reason all over again. He used the same answer he gave to Vuk,adding that he intervened to help the KLA carry out their campaigns for the liberation of Albanians in Kosovo. Zoran's blood boiled inside his veins,no longer able to tolerate these cheap rationalizations when he himself experienced the terrifying burden with the KLA. Moreover,every time the "KLA" word was spoken makes him angrier despite hiding it with a calm facade. And it appears that this emotional curtain would fall in any given time.
"Hold up,I thought your mission was to bring my people 'Freedom and Democracy',as what your government always propagate." Zoran raised his voice,getting annoyed while not sounding like one yet.
"Freedom? Sure. But 'Democracy' is the word the idiotic Capitol and White House use to trick the World populace into making it SEEM compassionate in the eyes of ignorant sheep,to make themselves feel good about war and embarrass myself as the result,losing my luck." Alfred turned his head to the left and reverted after two seconds,smirking "Surprised? That answer is what they'll never tell you. Neither genocidal brat nor his big cow Arishit know about this. From the Vietnam War and onwards,I pretend - and that's what I do,pretend - to stand for Democracy because the US government would be afraid if I got honest about my purpose."
Zoran widened his eyes in shock,grabbing his own chin.
"Intriguing..." he said,then asked angrily "And what about the KLA? What makes you think they're a force for good? Have you any idea what's happening in Kosovo and the atrocities they were committing?"
"Like I've previously told you,the KLA are an elite militia which were created to save their people from Milosevic's tyranny,much like the Minutemen of old during the American Revolution I engaged in against Emily as a child."
"Oh really?! Did the Minutemen also pillaged,terrorized,tortured and trafficked British women,cocaine and organs after rapping them?!"
"Not sure about rape or organs,but it's clear that they regrettably employed immoral methods to defeat the British and bestow independence of the United States of America."
The tone he replied this sentence so casually pissed Zoran off,but not enough to make him slap Alfred hard.
"The ОВК aren't the good guys to be sided with!" he shouted,getting up from the chair swiftly and pointing his finger at him "I don't you about you,but Jana and my parents were murdered by those beasts while sparing me in exchange of being expelled from my razed home into where I am!"
"Who's Jana?"
"My younger sister!" he shouted again,now more angrily due to waning patience. He then breathed deeply to calm himself a bit and glance at him "Look,I'll tell you my story,and I expect you not to interrupt me..."
June 6th,1998 - Lausa,Mitrovica
Zoran's PoV
I'll never forget that day... It was the worst day of my life...
Kosovo used to be a region of harmony between Albanians and Serbs,particularly within food markets where both ate different dishes,Albanians eating Serbian dishes and vice versa,interchangeably in peace. I even had few Albanian friends from our elementary school in Mitrovica,spending time in hangover. Until the KLA showed up.
Since then,Kosovo was slowly covered in blood and fire. Everywhere one may turn,massacres occur. Cities and villages alike have been filled with fear and despair. The two peoples were fed with "inspiring" propaganda which instilled hatred and paranoia within individuals,leading them to sever ties with their former friends based on their nationality and butcher one another,with or without the KLA or JSO to guide them. Thousands of Albanians and Serbian civilians perished,and most of them have risked fleeing their homes before meeting their brutal demise by KLA's destructive wake.
On that unforgettable June day,a group of six KLA terrorists have marched into my home village 20 kilometers away from Kosovska Mitrovica,seeking their next prey. It was midnight when the slaughter happened. A humble lower-middle class family of four,I,Jana and my mother Vidosava were sleeping in our respective beds while my father Predrag remained awaken,fixing one of his friend's screwdriver before going to sleep. Kind but severe,he took care for us,and me for them whenever he was out for work.
What attracted that foul group was the turned-on lights in my house,as opposed to the rest of other houses which had their lights shut for safety sakes. It was a grave error for letting them shine in ours. They didn't bother knocking at the door,so they crashed inside by slamming the door open.
Predrag turned,and saw the six enter the living room one by one. He got instantly angry.
"ALO!" Predrag yelled with visible hostility,slamming the screwdriver onto the desk "HOW DARE YOU BREACH A HOUSE UNINVITED?! CAN'T YOU SEE I'M BUSY RIGHT NOW!"
One of the six walked towards him,and formed a condescending grin as he puffed. These hellish brown eyes starred at Predrag's own.
"'Alo" you say... Hmph! That word doesn't exist in Albanian language. It can only come from the Serbs,from our occupiers."
He then knew that he was visited by none other than the KLA. Seeing the other five standing behind that 'man',my father was at first hesitant to grab the screwdriver and kill those human filth,thereby saving the lives of his wife and daughter. But he didn't,at least not right away.
As Predrag felt chill running down his spine by the feral look of the armed terrorists,with his heart beating in dread,his killer continued.
"We'd like to give you an offer you won't refuse." he smirked,speaking with the thug attitude.
"WHAT OFFER?!"
"Pay us 10000 leke,and we'll let you live."
Predrag was familiar with that term,which was the Albanian currency 'Lek'. He didn't have enough dinars to pay up their impossible ransom,thus biting the bullet and grabbing the tool to kill him. The 'man' quickly grabbed my father's wrist,gripped it firmly,turned his head at the five and ordered them to shoot him. Five bullets were fired against Predrag: One at his left shoulder,one at right knee,two at his guts and one in the heart. Their leader put a bullet through Predrag's head to finish the job. Predrag fell to the floor,flooded with how own blood which slowly painted the carpet red. Bullets have killed him flawlessly.
The gunshots abruptly awoke Jana and Vidosava,raising their backs by the sheer noise (I wasn't forced to wake up by it. I thought my dad watched TV). Their curiosity was their end of them. They rushed to check what was going on,but their presence only increased their bloodlust. Instead of killing them with bullets outright,2/3rds of the six took Jana and Vidosava by their arms and carried them separately. Jana wept as a KLA animal muzzled her mouth to make her screams go away,being forced to watch her mother getting raped with their hands and shotguns. Vidosava had all of her clothes torn off as she hopelessly fought back by slapping the other two,sodomizing her over and over before blowing her brains out. Once they did,Jana bit a KLA's hand in rage,which led to his partner slash her throat with Predrag's friend's screwdriver and behead her minutes later with a cleaver.
Unlike Predrag's screams,the screams of my mother and daughter,who was only 14 at that time,woke me up. I sprinted out of my bedroom to see what's happening,but upon spotting the way they were about to massacre my poor sister,by peeking behind the wall rather than making an appearance,I fled back and proned out as fast as I could underneath my bed. I cried hysterically in fear and outrage,avoiding to confront them lest I end up dead. I could've killed them all,but I dared not to because there were six cunts in my house,and not because I lacked courage. It would've been a different case if there was one terrorist inside,for I'd mutilate his worthless body with everything I could come up!
Alas,they heard my distressed footsteps. Leaving the three to lay down the bloody floor,they entered the bedroom. Closing my tearful eyes,I made sure to pant silently so as to not let them see me,or producing any noise for that matter. I prayed to God,hoping the shadows would prevent them from finding me. That KLA group stayed there searching for thirty full minutes before giving up.
After I saw their boots leaving the room and then my house,everything went silent. I got out of the bed and walked slowly towards the living room. Bodies of my dead parents horrified me,but what traumatized me permanently the most was the severed,decapitated head of Jana. I picked up her head and starred at it. Poor Jana...
I couldn't hold back the tears of rage,nor my hands getting filled with blood from Jana's neck hole. Impotent as I felt,I screamed and cried simultaneously for countless hours while covering my face with my hands until they ran out,blaming myself for letting those... ABOMINATIONS get away with it. The KLA has left me alone to my own devices,now that they've destroyed my innocence. Everything I held dear,everything I've enjoyed in my life,was annihilated.
I broke...
The next day,I dug three holes near my house and buried my family here. None of my neighbors were willing to do it for me. From then on,I refused to take sleep or go to high school,not caring for my principal to expel me. I didn't care anymore. Between committing suicide or spending the rest of my ruined life acting like a beggar,I choose to fight on,but didn't know how.
So,I've packed my necessities into a large cart for my departure,to seek my new destiny for a newfound future the KLA has had stolen from me. The all-encompassing hatred consumed me every day for them,fantasizing about slaying them all in various ways,including those who gave birth to them. I will never forgive them and their scummy leaders,Hashim Thaci and Ramush Haradinaj. Through this experience,the true face of the KLA was revealed,and no amount of KLA-sympathizing propaganda would change my mind.
All the while,I fended for myself. Everyday,I removed my clothes to take a shower in Ibar River and wash myself by using the sole soap I brought,and steal food on several occasions. Kilometers after kilometers have I marched to the north on foot just to reach Belgrade,or anywhere I thought there was a chance of starting from scratch. When I entered Leposavic,the northernmost town in Kosovo,I encountered the Serbian military led by Milenko himself. I explained everything to them and how did I end up here. The Lieutenant Colonel smiled and offered me to enlist in the army. I immediately accepted without hesitation in tears,to the point of hugging Milenko with gratitude.
For months after giving me shelter,shover,food and new clothes,I did my best in the cadet training. Hell,I LABORED my way into reaching the cadet rank,doing extensive pushups more than its necessary limit for others,bled my fists,took orders without complaint,embraced discipline,took punishments for every infraction I committed,and even got the moment to see Serbia's commander in Kosovo days after the Battle of Racak,Arkan. My fellow cadets were my new brothers,and the entire Valjevo Barracks was my new family. I strive to advance my rank into becoming a member of JSO,and soon take revenge on the KLA for killing my family...and Jana...
By the time he finished,his cheeks were already wet with tears. Zoran shivered over those hurtful memories,but Alfred napped halfway over the course of the former's tale.
"Very...dramatic,Zoro." Alfred commented,emotionlessly.
"'Dramatic' doesn't even begin to describe what I've been through,Al..." Zoran said begrudgingly,wiping his tears away with his sleeve "I lost everything I had. My sister,too..."
"Good."
That word made him turn to Alfred,suddenly cutting the sorrowful silence blank like a broken record.
"GOOD?! HAVE I HEARD THAT RIGHT?!"
"Yup."
Zoran advanced towards him and delivered him a hard slap.
"IS IT 'GOOD' HAVING ONE'S LIFE RUINED?! 'GOOD' TO SEE ONE'S SWORN ENEMIES FORCE VICTIMS TO SAY THEY SIDE WITH THEM AT GUNPOINT?! 'GOOD' LETTING THE TERRORISTS COMMIT ATROCITIES WITH INPUNITY UNDER YOUR SANCTION?!" he yelled,enraged "WHAT'S SO 'GOOD' ABOUT MY STORY?!"
"The way you had it coming." Alfred sneered "Aggressors deserve everything they get from their vict-"
He punched Alfred's face harder,cutting him off.
"AND YOU DESERVE NOTHING BUT BULLET,ALFREAK!" he screamed,then lowered his volume after five second of quiet. HiHis face became red "Your twisted logic and propaganda present persecuted Serbs as 'aggressors' or oppressors,while the KLA are the oppressed people who need to be liberated from the oppression of their victims! CORRECT!?"
Alfred chuckled.
"You punch like a grandma,to be honest." he dismissed Zoran's raging speech like a wind.
Zoran spat out "You..." and growled loudly,seeing no point in keeping hitting him. He marched towards the desk and grabbed the bread.
"As someone who should be happy that my cadets have given a loaf of bread for an evil..." Zoran threw the bread at Alfred's face,gritting his teeth "...bastard like you,you've made this war worse with your cowardly bombings against the people you despise!" he then walked near the closed door,and turned once more,ungritting his teeth "You're more concerned about dealing blows at 'the last communist government in Europe' than actually helping the innocents! You didn't come to help,but inflict more suffering in KLA's name!... SHAME ON YOU!"
He spat the floor at Alfred's feet. But just as Zoran was about to open the door and leave the basement for good,having been finally done with Alfred,the latter opened his mouth.
"Shame on you!"
Zoran turned.
"WHAT SHOULD I BE ASHAMED ABOUT?!"
"If you were a man,your dumb mommy Jana would've aborted your a-"
He swiped a massive kick against Alfred's face. Alfred dropped to the ground falling on his right side,and his glasses flew one meter away. Zoran expected him to cry,but got the opposite. Alfred cackled like a sicko.
"БОЛЕСНИК!"
And slammed the door closed with it. Alfred kept laughing for one more minute before eventually calming down and subsequently fall asleep.
"Worth it...He,he,he...Ehh..."
With the interrogation ended,Alfred has now earned a new enemy. He would stay on that fallen position for the rest of morning and afternoon until an unknown cadet repositioned him back to its original place,putting his glasses back on and waking him up. The cadet informed him that although he indeed provided useful info during the interrogation,Milenko has decided that he'll remain bounded for less than a month because he drove Zoran up the wall.
After the cadet left and locked the door,Alfred felt goosebumps surging inside his belly. "Less than a month?" he thought to himself. It worried him. He was able to endure being locked inside for two days,but he doubted if he could survive for at least a week onwards without letting Emily know.
Because all he's now left to do from now on,besides things he did yesterday,is to gawk. Gawk at total nothingness.
Hello. This is Part 1 of the fanfic about Alfred's perspective during his captivity after being turned a PoW by Vuk and his friend Zoran,after getting downed by the middle boy. There will be the second part covering the rest of his days in captivity and slow radicalization plus hatred towards everyone he had set his sights on. The original story from which is based on is Slyth's Kosovo Chronicles Chapter 5: "Night-hunted" - 935479854-las-cr-de-k-cap-5-night-hunted
Thanks for reading.
