NOTE: This Chapter is aligned with Chapter 9, meaning the events of this chapter and the events of Chapter 9 are happening simultaneously or at the same time

?: *in Russian* Do it! Take the shot!

?: Please, I'm begging you

?: Shut up

?: *in Russian* Do it!

?: DO IT!

Pvt. Sokolov: AAAARRRGH *panting*

Journey: Igor, are you okay?

Pvt. Sokolov: I'm okay *exhaling* I'm okay

Journey: You don't look okay

Pvt. Sokolov: I'm just having bad dreams. Please excuse me

Pvt. Sokolov stands up in a staggered position and walks to the bathroom. He washed his face with the running water, then fades to the mirror, contemplating on what happened in that "dream" of his. He then turns off the sink and grabs his towel to dry his face

Journey: So, what was that dream?

Pvt. Sokolov: Excuse me?

Journey: You said you had a bad dream, can you tell me what it is?

Pvt. Sokolov: I'm afraid I can't. That dream always haunts me, no matter what I do

Journey: Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. I just want to help you, but only if I get to know more of you

Pvt. Sokolov: *sighs* Okay, but it'll be a long story

Journey sits in her bunk, in an Indian sit position, while Pvt. Sokolov sits normally

Pvt. Sokolov: You want to know more of me?

Journey: Yep, sure I am

Pvt. Sokolov: Okay good. Now, this all started a long time ago

Flashbacks

[Al-Raab Military Base, Urzikstan 6 Months Ago 1055 Hours]

It was a hot scorching day in Urzikstan. Everyone was doing their jobs from cleaning barracks, fixing vehicles, managing rifles, organizing crates, and other tasks. Pvt. Sokolov was a new kid back then, as he was a fresh recruit. He was tasked at cleaning the walls outside the base, as it was vandalized by Urzik rebels. It may sound easy at first glance, but Pvt. Sokolov never realized how long the walls are, as the walls are as long as two and a half football fields, and he will clean all of this, meaning no one is coming to help him

Pvt. Sokolov: *in Russian* Stupid sergeants, anything but this

While Pvt. Sokolov is furiously cleaning the walls, another Russian soldier show up. He is Cpl. Anatoli Borkhaev, who is also a new kid, as he and his detachment were deployed in Urzikstan as reinforcements for Barkov

Pvt. Sokolov: If you're an Urzik, just kill me now

Cpl. Borkhaev: *in Russian* Stand down, soldier *chuckles*

Pvt. Sokolov: *in Russian* Who are you?

Cpl. Borkhaev: *in Russian* I'm you, idiot. You and I are the new people here

Pvt. Sokolov: *in Russian* Is that so?

Cpl. Borkhaev: *in Russian* Sure it is, what's your name

Pvt. Sokolov: Igor

Cpl. Borkhaev: Anatoli

Pvt. Sokolov: *in Russian* It was nice seeing you Anatoli, now go, I have walls to clean

Cpl. Borkhaev: *in Russian* C'mon now, don't be such a mean person now

Pvt. Sokolov: *in Russian* I'm serious, the sergeant will kick my ass if I don't get these walls clean by noon

Cpl. Borkhaev: *in Russian* Well, if you want to meet me again, I'm at Room 3-A

Pvt. Sokolov: *in Russian* Room 4-C

Cpl. Borkhaev: *in Russian* No, Room 3-A

Pvt. Sokolov: *in Russian* No, I mean Room 4-C is my room

Cpl. Borkhaev: *in Russian* Oh, sorry

Russian Sergeant: *in Russian* Hey! You two idiots get back to work, and keep cleaning Igor

Pvt. Sokolov: *in Russian* Told you

Cpl. Borkhaev: *in Russian* Okay then, I'll see you again

Pvt. Sokolov: *in Russian* Alright, take care now

Pvt. Sokolov goes back into mopping the walls

1830 Hours

Pvt. Sokolov is cleaning his rifle, as well as his roommates' rifles. As he was about to open the cabinet where the gun oil is being kept at, a door knock was heard

Pvt. Sokolov: *in Russian* Who is it?

When Pvt. Sokolov opened the door, Cpl. Borkhaev appears

Pvt. Sokolov: *in Russian* Anatoli, what is it?

Cpl. Borkhaev: *in Russian* Today is your lucky day

Pvt. Sokolov: *in Russian* What do you mean?

Cpl. Borkhaev: *in Russian* We're going out to patrol,

Pvt. Sokolov: *in Russian* Really?

Cpl. Borkhaev: *in Russian* Yes, now grab your gear, we need to go now

Pvt. Sokolov: *in Russian* Okay then, wait for me

Pvt. Sokolov grabs his gear to head out to a patrol with Cpl. Borkhaev

[Urzik Roadway 2130 Hours]

The two Russians are tasked to patrol the South Urzikstan. Down there was pretty much an empty field in the desert, as it was heavily bombarded by Russian Forces. Destroyed houses and tank wreckages are the only structures remaining in the area. The two use a Tac Rover as their mode of transportation, and are equipped with two AK-15s, eight AK mags, and an HDR rifle in case they needed more firepower

Cpl. Borkhaev: *in Russian* So, what's your plan?

Pvt. Sokolov: *in Russian* What plan?

Cpl. Borkhaev: *in Russian* After you leave the army?

Pvt. Sokolov: *in Russian* Let me think, umm...

Cpl. Borkhaev: *in Russian* Take your time

Pvt. Sokolov: *in Russian* How about we live in the same house?

Cpl. Borkhaev: *in Russian* Like, roommates?

Pvt. Sokolov: *in Russian* Yeah, like roommates

Cpl. Borkhaev: *in Russian* Don't you have a family to live with?

Pvt. Sokolov: *in Russian* Well, mother passed away, Dad left before I can even see his face, and my sister moved to Germany, and we have a tough relationship

Cpl. Borkhaev: *in Russian* Damn, I'm sorry about that

Pvt. Sokolov: *in Russian* Don't mention it

Cpl. Borkhaev: *in Russian* Aren't you concerned about that?

Pvt. Sokolov: *in Russian* I'm fine with it, I can handle myself like many adults out there, I'm not one of those edgy kids that loves death or something

Cpl. Borkhaev: *in Russian* Well, okay I guess

While driving through some destroyed buildings, they here a sound of cans and concrete falling through the ground

Pvt. Sokolov: *in Russian* You hear that?

Cpl. Borkhaev: *in Russian* That's too loud for it to be the wind

After hearing the noise, they see a distant silhouette by one of the houses

Pvt. Sokolov: *in Russian* You see that?

Cpl. Borkhaev: *in Russian* Alright, this is our first day, so let's not die on this one

Pvt. Sokolov: *in Russian* Roger that

The two drive to the house where they see the silhouette. They exit from their Tac Rover and their AKs were loaded and its safety off

Cpl. Borkhaev: *in Russian* You wanna go first?

Pvt. Sokolov: *in Russian* Fine by me

Pvt. Sokolov kicks the door open and the two enter with their rifles pointed center, and their fingers placed firmly by the trigger

Cpl. Borkhaev: *in Russian* Show yourself! Come out and we won't hurt you

Pvt. Sokolov: Come out now, don't make this harder than it looks

Pvt. Sokolov: *in Russian* I'll go upstairs

Cpl. Borkhaev: *in Russian* Affirmative

Pvt. Sokolov goes upstairs to check for rebels hiding in the house. While checking one corner, he hears a faint whisper coming from the other room. Pvt. Sokolov touches the doorknob and slowly turns it to the other way. As it was fully turned, he quickly pulled the door open and two Urzik kids are seen cowering in fear. One kid is a 15 year old girl, the other was a 7 year old boy

Female Urzik Kid: Please don't hurt us, Aamir needs food

Cpl. Borkhaev: *in Russian* What is it?

Pvt. Sokolov tries to decide what to do with the kids. The order was to bring any stragglers in the Southern region and bring them to prison, but Pvt. Sokolov thinks this is too much

Pvt. Sokolov: *in Russian* I can't do it

Cpl. Borkhaev: *in Russian* What are you talking about?

Pvt. Sokolov: *in Russian* They said to bring civilians to prison camps. Look at them Anatoli, they're just kids

Cpl. Borkhaev: *in Russian* We can't just defy Command's orders, we'll get ourselves killed if we do

Pvt. Sokolov and Cpl. Borkhaev goes into a heated argument on whether or not should they take the kids

Pvt. Sokolov: *in Russian* You can be a hero of Russia if you want, but there's no way in hell I'm murdering innocent people that are not even involved in our wars

Cpl. Borkhaev was ready to pull the trigger on the kids, but after a minute, he finally understood Pvt. Sokolov and agrees with him

Cpl. Borkhaev: *in Russian* Okay, you win. The question is, how the hell do we get them out of here?

Pvt. Sokolov: *in Russian* I have an idea

The two Russians drive off with the Urzik kids seating on the back. The plan was to drive them to an undisclosed location further in the South, in which a rebel camp can be found there

Cpl. Borkhaev: *in Russian* Are you sure this is gonna work?

Pvt. Sokolov: *in Russian* Just let me do the talking, while you keep the kids preoccupied

Cpl. Borkhaev: *in Russian* No, I mean, what if they tried to shoot us?

Pvt. Sokolov: *in Russian* They won't

Cpl. Borkhaev: *in Russian* How? You're not even sure

Pvt. Sokolov: *in Russian* They won't shoot us because we have two kids

Pvt. Sokolov: So, what's your name kid?

Female Urzik Kid: Idra, and my brother's name is Aamir

Pvt. Sokolov: Idra, cool name

Idra: Thank you, but why are you rescuing us?

Pvt. Sokolov: Those Russians, we should no longer consider them as Russians. All they do is kill, not fight, which is why we're trying to get you and your brother out of here. We're not like those psychopaths

Idra: I'm glad you help us. Our parents, they, they died

Pvt. Sokolov: I'm sorry for your loss, but I need you to save your tears for later because I have a job for you

Idra: What is it?

Pvt. Sokolov: First, I need you to convince the rebels to not shoot us, because my friend here is being a paranoid about it. Second, when we come across any of the Russians, act scared, pretend that I actually captured you so they won't find anything suspicious, can you do that for me?

Idra: Yes, I can

Pvt. Sokolov: Good, now stay calm and just relax

While driving their way to a rebel camp, they come across a Russian checkpoint, also tasked in finding stragglers in the area

Cpl. Borkhaev: *in Russian* Fuck, what now?

Pvt. Sokolov: *in Russian* Stay calm

They drive slowly to the checkpoint and a Russian soldier meets them

Russian Soldier: *in Russian* Hey there, I see you have some prisoners there

Pvt. Sokolov: *in Russian* Yeah, just need to bring them to the prison camp

Russian Soldier: *in Russian* Good job, but we have a problem

Pvt. Sokolov: *in Russian* What is it?

Russian Soldier: *in Russian* You're going the wrong way, you should turn around because that's the right direction

Cpl. Borkhaev: *in Russian* We can't, there's a roadblock back there, some rebel idiots must've done that

Pvt. Sokolov: *in Russian* We're just taking a scenic route, we told Command about it

Russian Soldier: *in Russian* Okay then, you're good, just watch out for any rebels out there

Pvt. Sokolov: *in Russian* Copy that

Russian Soldier: *in Russian* Stay safe

The Tac Rover then drives off, able to evade the Russians and saving the kids

[ULF Rebel Camp 2245 Hours]

The two Russians and the kids arrive. Cpl. Borkhaev stays behind, still in fear that he might get shot, while Pvt. Sokolov brings the kids with him

ULF Rebel: Russians!

Idra: No! Wait!

The ULF Rebel aims his gun at Pvt. Sokolov, but Idra interfered in time

Idra: Put the gun down, he saved me, please

The ULF Rebel continues to aim his gun at Pvt. Sokolov, but after seconds passed, he manages to put it down, trusting Idra's words

ULF Rebel: Okay, but only the kids can enter

Pvt. Sokolov: Okay, this is where it ends. I hope we can meet each other again

Idra and Aamir hugged Pvt. Sokolov, in happiness

Idra: Thank you, mister

Aamir: A-a-a

Pvt. Sokolov: What is it Aamir?

Aamir: *in Arabic* Daddy

Aamir hands Pvt. Sokolov his action figure toy

Pvt. Sokolov: *chuckles* Yes, thank you

Pvt. Sokolov: Now, go. We can't be here much longer

As Pvt. Sokolov walks away, he takes one final look at the kids, and sees them waving goodbye

Idra: Goodbye, mister

Pvt. Sokolov: *smiles* Goodbye

Cpl. Borkhaev: *in Russian* We good?

Pvt. Sokolov: *in Russian* Yeah, let's go

Pvt. Sokolov and Cpl. Borkhaev drives off to head back to base. Pvt. Sokolov takes a moment to look at the action figure Aamir gave to him

Cpl. Borkhaev: *in Russian* What is that?

Pvt. Sokolov: Joy