The "gray area" where OTMA went after their death in this story is one of the few creative liberties taken. I do not endorse Russian actions in Ukraine.
(Brief)
To the delight of Olga, Tatiana, and Anastasia, the guards respected their modesty and revered them. Upon asking the guards, they discovered that their memories and lives were honored by Russia after decades of vilification by the Soviets. It saddened them to hear of their extended family all scattered and mostly deceased.
The guards were respectable to them despite crawling naked out of their tomb. This, at least, gave them some relief. No harm would come to them… Unlike those that had slaughtered them with a sadistic glee in the cellar over a century ago.
They had been given extra uniforms to wear soon afterward, and as soon as the backup investigators and guards arrived at the St. Peter and Paul's fortress, all hell broke loose. Almost every Russian had seen the photographs taken for the Imperial Family all those years before. It should not have been a dramatic and shocking experience for the three sisters to see the backup officials recoil in fear and awe upon seeing them! Still, it did.
Most of them swore out of amazement, and a few fainted on the spot. The moment seemed like a budget comedy movie scene, but it was not. The awe soon turned into a clamor of what to do… What would they do with the four former Grand Duchesses, now resurrected from death? What would they do about the theological and political implications? And how would they re-integrate into modern Russian society?
While the controversy ignited again, Olga and her two other available sisters huddled together in a corner, whispering with tears in their eyes to each other. She did not understand what had happened. She certainly knew that God had done a miracle. Neither did all three sisters know where His will would take them, but they had to remain calm anyway. Still, it was hard to do so while people argued and shouted near them… Especially arguing about their presence.
Martyrdom did come with a lot of attention and respect. And Olga already could not fathom how the Russian masses would react about her rising. Neither did she want to be treated like an immaculate, almost godlike saint from heaven.
She was not dead, and thus no longer a "Holy Royal Martyr", however. It frustrated and confused her that those who were shouting at each other did not know that. She just wanted to be alone with her sisters to grasp her new reality.
There were questions and arguments thrown around, and the moods of officers and investigators got heated. Only then did Anton and his commander, Pavel, suggest that the resurrection be kept a secret until their identities were confirmed by DNA tests.
The Grand Duchesses would be sent to the forensics facility where their sister Maria waited. Despite their obvious appearances, the scientists still felt astonished upon seeing the DNA match prior samples from their descendants.
July 18, 2022
St. Petersburg, Russia
Forensics Lab 7
"You will be fine, Miss Romanova. Your sisters should arrive within a few minutes."
Maria nodded. She had waited for two and a half hours in the facility lounge room with Doctor Yulia. After giving a sample of her hair to scientists to "verify her ancestry and identity", she idled there.
She still felt lost, confused, and alone despite the few consolations Yulia had for her. Even in this new life, she already missed her sisters. Even in the grayish gloom, not damnation, Maria had not seen her sisters. Only masses of wandering souls asking where they were. At least she would reunite with them soon.
They were all she had left.
Her tears had long since dried, leaving salty streaks on her cheeks. Neither did her reddened eyes and frazzled hair help her appearance so much. She had thought of herself as one of the more striking beauties of her sisters. Now even she had lost that.
She felt like nobody for the first time in her physical life. Nothing to do. Nothing left from her old life persisted. Nothing made sense, and neither did she know where to go.
She was alive again, yet she did not know why God resurrected her or her sisters. Already, living seemed like a burden. Having to eat, drink, and sleep again…
"Someone is at the doors. Probably my stupid friend."
"He seemed… scared."
"Yes, Miss Romanova, you and your sisters have been gone for a century. Any normal person would feel frightened."
The doors to the lounge opened fast, thumping loud against the walls. Maria flinched, yelping. Yulia raised an eyebrow at the same laboratory guard again, as Maria cowered against the couch. To their displeasure, it was the overly skeptical laboratory guard again.
Ivan stood, panting to catch his breath.
"I.. I have news."
"Ivan…"
The new guard, Ivan Dmitrovich Skorokhodov, had not gotten along so well with the news. Neither did his reputation with the scientist and the former Grand Duchess improve so much after the incident. An innocent beauty from the past both feared and socially shunned him, and his scientist accomplice at work disliked him still…
"You should not slam open those doors, considering how scared Maria is of you! She was the one to suffer the most, and you jumped to conclusions only to taze her."
"But I did not know-"
"That's what they all say…"
"But they are here!"
Maria looked up at the guard with her mouth agape. "My… My sisters are here?"
"Yes. And, the test was certain, Yulia. Your coworkers told me."
"You should have listened, buddy," the scientist said, smirking.
"Okay, okay, I understand! Just follow me."
Both of them got up from the couch to quickly follow Ivan through the facility to the meeting room. Through the cold hallways lit with glaring fluorescent lights, Maria felt more and more excited! With each step closer, she almost felt as if there was an energy moving her back to her dear siblings. She knew them not only as close companions, but family too. Even in the terrible cellar all those times ago, she did not pass out alone in the firing squad.
They rounded a corner, seeing a dozen guards near the door. Some of them were talking with three scientists in white and beige lab coats with dark pants. And past the commotion, Maria could hear the voices of her three other sisters.
Yulia patted Maria on the back, as Ivan looked away…
"Go see them. Take your time."
Maria ran a few steps around the guards and scientists. She stopped by the meeting room entrance, and peered inside and gasped. She called her sisters' names…
"Olenka! My sisters!"
Olga, sitting at the table in a simple white dress, turned around. Her other two sisters, Tatiana and Anastasia, stopped talking to a man in a pinstripe suit. They turned around and gasped. The tall, fit, almost balding man raised a blonde eyebrow. He gazed at Maria through a squint as if to read deep into her life and soul…
A quiet moment passed, until the man chuckled. He decided to greet the new coming guest.
"Well, well… Welcome to the meeting, Miss Romanova. I am President Putin of Russia."
"Mashka! We are all happy to see you!" Nastya exclaimed, grinning.
Maria then shook hands with Putin. She found a seat by her youngest sister, sitting down, as Tatiana asked her questions. Oh, the Governess still could not help fussing over the younger two… Things almost appeared normal again. But the man waited without a word, only giving a very slight, tight lipped smile.
Tatiana leaned closer to Maria, eying her up and down.
"Oh, Maria! Did they keep you safe? Or did they hurt you?"
"Yes, they did… They only took a small cut of my hair."
"That is what they did to us to find out our identity," Olga said.
"Well, why do that? Did we not take any photographs on the Standart? Don't people know who we are?" Anastasia blurted, huffing.
"The facts are, Miss Romanova, that no one in Russia expected you and your sisters to return. I almost thought the scientists were joking and wasting my time," Putin stated, looking each of the sisters in the eye.
"But this does bring hope for Russia and its spirit, especially in these challenging times. I have to speak with all of you about arrangements to rejoin Russian society, especially your possible roles in Russia."
"What is in store for us?"
Putin glanced at a bearded man standing tall in a suit along with a blonde woman in a white blouse and blood red skirt.
"Mister Dugin… What do you advise?"
"I believe that Russia needs figures, legends to gain inspiration from. Only then will our countrymen win this war against the meddling West."
"I agree. Russia is the home of the true Orthodox faith, ways of life, and a nation that has been foolishly trampled and reviled for too long. Not anymore," the woman said, giving Putin a sinister grin.
"What do you mean by trampled?" Olga asked quietly, glancing at Tatiana.
"Russia has been at war in Ukraine to regain its rightful land. The West has been aiding them. You all came at the perfect time…" Alexander Dugin said, reaching for a TV remote.
Something unsettled Olga at the tone of the Russian President. He seemed cold and intimidating. Nothing like her warm-hearted father who once was Tsar. Something felt off.
A strange, broad and thin device with wires from it lit up. Moving footage of Olga, Tatiana, and Anastasia being led out from the Peter and Paul's Fortress flashed before them. It seemed strange to Olga, even though she knew this was a form of state media.
"Wait, Mister Putin-"
"President Putin, dear. And yes, the Russian people have seen the footage taken by bystanders with their cameras. Pictures of you all, save Maria Romanova, have been circulated over ten million times already on social media."
"You would all be better off getting help first," Putin added, grinning as he interlocked his hands on the table.