"..." A nine-year-old Zeldri silently watched Peter sleep on the floor surrounded by his plastic army men. Peter was clutching a toy Mig-33 in his hands as the two had ended their battle game with Zeldri's win. All the games he'd played with his dad and his dad's friends made him a force to be reckoned with on the plastic and toy block battlefield. Zeldri gently held a toy Su-35 as he got up and quietly crept toward the door of his room. It was dark outside his window and the clock on his nightstand said it was almost midnight. Yet, he couldn't sleep.

"I don't know when I'll be back." Cracking the door open, Zeldri saw his father trying to comfort his mother. Peter's mother was sitting on the couch with her face in her hands while the father stood near the front door of the house ready to leave; though he looked none too pleased to be. "Be strong, my Sofia."

"You come back," Sofia said through her tears. "Don't you dare do that to our son. You'd better-!"

"Shh, I will." Artyom held Sofia close and kissed her on the forehead. "...I will."

"Artyom," Peter's father spoke in a somber, yet firm tone as he checked his watch. Zeldri heard an SUV pull up outside their house.

"It's time." Reluctantly, Sofia let go of Artyom and stood in the living room watching her husband leave. "With luck," Artyom said as he turned to her one last time, "We should wrap this up in no time. Stay safe."

"..." Zeldri, from the cracked open doorway, watched his father leave with Peter's dad before the front door closed leaving the two wives silently sobbing in the living room. Unfortunately, unlike what Artyom predicted, it would take nearly six years for Zeldri to see his father again. Peter's never came back.

"Hostile confirmed!" one of the Mig pilots said as they brought the nose of their fighter around towards the Su-73D. "Fox Two!" A heat-seeking missile shot off from the Mig and rocketed toward the enemy jet.

"We got incoming!" Skorpion's voice echoed within Makarov's head as the jet's warning system started screaming about an incoming missile. "Scrambling radar's not cutting it."

"A heat seeker?" Makarov looked over her shoulder out the rear of the cockpit and saw the missile racing towards her. "Flares!" Rotating and yanking on the flight stick, Makarov sent the jet into a fast dive. The metal frame of the jet groaned and Makarov was pushed down into her seat because of the 14 G's the turn forced on her.

"Lighting up the sky!" Skorpion declared as the flares arced out of the Su-73D right before the dive. The heat-seeking missile got confused and followed one of the flares.

"No hit," the Mig pilot bitterly muttered as he watched his missile harmlessly explode next to a flare. "Is it a UAV?"

"Negative," the other pilot responded as he formed up with his partner, "I saw a pilot when they almost crashed into me."

"Then what the hell was that dive?" The two Migs raced after the Su-73D as it leveled out and started skimming the tree line of the forest. "Alright then, try this one! Fox Three!" A radar-guided missile rocketed off the Mig.

"Incoming, again!" Skorpion announced. "This one's radar locked."

"Use it!" Makarov gave her order as she started turning the jet back towards the Ural mountains. The electronic warfare module on the back of the jet hummed to life.

"Tiss, begin combat!" OTs-12's voice echoed within Makarov's head. The electronic warfare module on the jet acquired the lock information from the defense system and adjusted itself to focus on the rear of the jet. "Allow this secret weapon to shine!" An invisible pulse erupted from the module and connected with the missile. "Almost... Got it!" Suddenly, the missile reared away from the Su-73D and started heading back toward the Migs.

"What the!?" the Mig pilot cried as he moved to evade his own missile that was now coming back to him. He quickly activated his own jet's radar scrambler causing the missile to lose its lock.

"Damn, I can't see," OTs hissed. "I need vision!"

"On it," Makarov responded and slightly turned the jet to allow her to look over her shoulder and physically look at the missile and enemy Mig. Once she did, the missile corrected its course.

"That didn't work!?" the Mig pilot panicked when he saw the missile was still coming for him even though it didn't have a radar lock.

"Evade!" his partner yelled over comms.

"You won't escape from me!" OTs proudly declared as the high-jacked missile moved to and exploded directly behind the Mig-45's engine. The rear of the Mig erupted in a fireball sending the front half of the wreckage tumbling through the air.

"Блядь (Fuck)!" The final Mig pilot watched his partner fall to the Earth and disappear into the forest below. "Just what the hell!?" This situation infuriated the pilot. How was some punk PMC pilot beating them? He grit his teeth and sent his Mig into afterburn as he raced to close the gap between him and the Su-73D. As he caught up, the two aircraft exited the forests and started weaving through the mountaintops of the Ural's proper. "Alright, if missiles don't work..." The reticle on his helmet's H.U.D. aligned with the Su-73D. "Then I'll just have to tear you apart!" The Mig's autocannon sent a hail of bullets across the sky.

"Блядь!" Makarov cursed as she started snaking through the mountains to avoid the incoming fire. Tufts of snow and showers of rocks exploded off the mountainsides as the Mig's 30mm rounds danced around the Su-73D. "What's left!?" A new window appeared on her H.U.D. showing their current remaining armaments.

"We only had the one missile we used to start this show," MAC-10's voice echoed within Makarov's head. "Since he doesn't seem to want to share anymore, all we got is the autocannon with enough bullets for one good burst."

"Then we'll make it count. Get ready!"

"Well then..." Demented glee poured into MAC-10's voice as Makarov maneuvered into a clearing within the mountains. "Let's prepare for the execution!"

"Ready..." Makarov ascended the jet so it now flew above the mountain peaks and into the clear skies above the Urals.

"Given up, have you?" The Mig pilot followed suit and aligned his reticle. "Then die!"

"Now!" Makarov yanked the flight stick as hard as she could and kicked on the afterburner causing the aircraft to pitch up and turn around in a single second; facing the oncoming Mig-45 while upside-down and slightly above it. The Su-73D's metal body groaned as it threatened to tear apart and Makarov was practically crushed into her seat as she and the aircraft were subjected to 45 G's of force. But, neither of them broke. Makarov's body was a machine that could already withstand forces no human body could. And now that she was linked to the jet, even though Horris had to rush, she could feel the limit the Su-73D could take. The Su-73D and its pilot held and their reticle rested on the Mig-45.

"Go die without worry!" MAC-10 fired the autocannon at now practically point-blank range into the Mig. Their 30mm bullets sliced the Mig's right wing off and punctured the engine.

"Holy-!?" the Mig pilot screamed as his aircraft started spinning without one of its wings. "Shit, gotta-!?" As the pilot tried to eject, an error message appeared on his H.U.D. stating the ejection function was locked. "W-What!?" The Mig crashed into the side of one of the mountain peaks. The wreak tore itself apart as it twisted along the snow-covered peak before coming to a rest with an explosion.

"...All hostile aircraft eliminated," Makarov reported back to the Mountain as the Su-73D rocketed away from the downed Mig. The electronic warfare module on the back of the jet fell silent as it released the system hijack lock it had on the now-downed Mig. "Su-73D, Rosefinch, returning to base."

"Блядь (Fuck)!" Peter cursed as he watched two of his Migs get shot down and the third chase the Su-73D into the Urals. "Everyone, inside!" Soldiers scrambled to the outer lots buildings as four Sangvis Ferri gunships made their way over and hovered above the lot.

"RUN!" Screams rang out as the underslung heavy plasma repeaters on the gunships hummed to life. Plasma rounds hissed and burnt the air as they mulched soldiers and military dolls alike as they fell upon the fleeing KCCO like rain. Some tried to return fire with their service weapons, but their bullets harmlessly bounced off the gunship's armor with barely a scratch to the paint. Those who made it inside found themselves safe as the gunships made no moves against the buildings.

"...We're safe?" one of the soldiers asked as he leaned against a wall inside a bunkhouse to catch his breath. "Блядь! We need rei-" The safety was short-lived, however, as M590 kicked open the door as she and her dummy links stormed the building.

"Annihilate the enemy!" M590 blew a hole through the shoulder of the closest soldier and pushed into the building followed closely by Type 64 and Sten MkII. T-doll breaching teams consisting of a lead shotgun followed by two SMG or pistol t-dolls went from building to building clearing them out. Anyone who dared run out was gunned down by either the circling gunships or t-dolls who were waiting outside.

"Блядь!" Peter again cursed as he and two soldiers slipped out the back of their building. "Блядь! Блядь! Блядь!" The three men wove between the buildings for cover as they headed towards the supply trucks and Tigrs that were with them. If he could just get out and contact Carter then they might be able to salvage this. "When we get to the trucks, just dri-!" An explosion cut off Peter's words and threw him off his feet as the gunships fired unguided rockets into the KCCO's waiting vehicles.

"Peter!" One of his soldiers cried out but his voice was muffled and sounded distant. Peter tried to get up, but the world wouldn't stop spinning. Muffled gunfire and explosions tried to make themselves known, but Peter was too focused on trying to move. He managed to prop himself up against a crate that was nearby allowing him to bring into focus the horror around him. Smoke and fire were all around as the military vehicles burned in small craters from the rockets. The two men he'd come with lay dead a few feet away from him. And, through the smoke, glowing eyes watched him as various t-dolls formed a perimeter. Their forms were obscured and distorted by the heat and smoke, but their eyes pierced into Peter like a dagger.

"...?" Yet, none of them fired. They all stood roughly thirty feet away with their guns raised at him, but they didn't shoot. "...!" Suddenly, they all lowered their guns. A few of them stepped aside as someone new entered the lot and approached Peter. Though, he was fairly slow at doing so due to his bad leg.

"..." Zeldri stood a few feet away and looked down at Peter lying against a crate.

"...You..." Peter tried to claw his way to his feet but fell back down against the crate as he couldn't find his balance. "Fucking traitor!"

"Traitor?" Zeldri tried to keep his voice in check, but anger still bled through. "I'm not the one who fucked over everyone during the operation to capture Mastermind!"

"Right," Peter scoffed with a sarcastic grin, "You were gonna wait until after to show off your new masters!" He gestured to the Sangvis Ferri gunships that were hovering overhead.

"They're only here because of you!" Zeldri countered. His composure was breaking.

"Oh, I'm sure. Didn't have enough Griffin child doll pussy so you sold your soul to Sangvis for some of theirs!?"

"Who the fuck said anything about that!?" Zeldri took a step towards Peter. The t-dolls watching remained motionless and silent. "You and the KCCO backstabbed us! Backstabbed the Union! What the fuck was that about!?"

"We didn't betray the Union!"

"The fuck you didn't!"

"You're only saying that because you don't know!" Peter paused to catch his breath before pushing on with his insanity. "Mastermind's the key, Zeldri!"

"...Key?" Zeldri's words practically caught in his throat as he was having trouble believing what he was hearing. "...She's a key?"

"Yes. With what Carter has planned the Uni-"

"You betrayed the Union and all of us that day for a FUCKING CONSPIRACY THEORY!?" Zeldri screamed in disbelief.

"It's not a conspiracy! It's true!" Peter countered, "The Union was going to come out on top stronger than ever if we'd won that day! I tried to tell you! But you wouldn't listen!"

"Who the fuck would listen to this!?"

"If you'd just listened to me and talked to Carter you-"

"NO!" Zeldri snapped. He pulled out his Makarov pistol and aimed it at Peter. He was beyond done with this situation. "Shut up! Shut the fuck up! All you fucking say is 'Carter' this or 'Carter' that! You're like some dog licking his master's ass to get pets! You wanna know how the Union would've come out on top that day? If you had done your fucking job and supported us in capturing Mastermind! That's how! But, no, you couldn't do that! Because Carter said to fuck it all away with some bullshit conspiracy plan that involves stabbing Griffin in the back for no reason! We were already helping you!"

"Bu-"

"I SAID SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Tears streamed down Zeldri's face as he continued to scream at his former friend. "We were fucking helping you! Mastermind would have gone to the military anyway! You capture her, you interrogate her, then the FSB comes in and picks her neural cloud apart with Persica for everything else! That's how this was supposed to fucking go! Even with those white faction fucks we could have teamed up! You know, as FUCKING allies!? Allies that would have each other's backs against an unknown threat! With our combined might with the KCCO, we could have probably pushed them back! Then, the full Union military could focus on them and crush them instead of chasing after a band of rogue fucking KCCO troops! Day won! Mission over! Good fucking job everyone involved! We all get medals, we go out drinking, and we move on with our lives! We could have moved on!" Zeldri had to stop and catch his breath because the tears and screaming were making it hard to breathe. As he did, the night and following day he'd spent with Helian entered his mind. "...I wanna go home, Peter! Do you think I wanna fucking be here? Stuck in the mountains fighting scavs and rogue dolls for the rest of my fucking life?! I want to go home! That's the whole point of this job! Secure the sector until we dismantle Sangvis then we all go home! Start a family! Grow old with the woman I love and yell at kids to get off our lawn! I wanna do that! But, no! I'm not allowed to have that because you fucked it all up! Now, I'm back in this fucking mountain waiting for orders on how we're gonna deal with the white faction AND the fucking KCCO! Carter didn't end the war, he fucking prolonged it!"

"That's not what Cart-"

"WILL YOU SHUT UP!? Stop saying 'Carter'! Fucking stop! Think for a fucking second with your own brain, Peter! I have literal dolls under my command with more free-thinking minds than yours seems to be! What the fuck are you doing!? Stop making this worse! All you did was extend the war! That's it! That's fucking it! A longer war with more lives lost! Is that what you wanted!? More kids growing up without their fathers like you did!"

"...!"

"Now I want an answer! A real fucking answer for your actions! And I swear on your father's immortal soul that if you talk fucking conspiracies one more time I will fucking send you to him!"

"..." Peter stared up at Zeldri whose face was covered in tears as he shakily pointed his gun at Peter. "Zeldri... Please..." Peter adjusted himself so he could comfortably look at Zeldri. The men locked eyes with one another. "What Cart-"

"!" The t-dolls watching the scene all flinched as a gunshot rang out. The crack of the Makarov seemed to echo longer than normal and hung in the air as an oppressive force on their minds. The crate Peter was leaning against was now stained with fresh blood and brain matter. Peter's corpse slumped fully to the ground. Zeldri didn't move for a long time; just standing there with his gun still pointed at the crate. After a minute of suffocating silence accented by the crackling of flames from the burning military vehicles, Zeldri stumbled backward. He caught himself on a nearby crate. The Makarov in his hand shook as Zeldri broke down.

"БЛЯДЬ (FUCK)!" With a scream, Zeldri threw his pistol as hard as he could into the distance. It pinged off one of the lot's buildings and skid to a stop on the concrete. He sat on the crate he was next to and grabbed his face to try and stop the tears. All the t-dolls watching remained silent. Despite hearing their Commander yelling about not wanting to be here, none of them blamed him. Their purpose, their whole reason to exist, was to put an end to the Sangvis threat with Griffin. Once that was over, they would've been stripped of their firing cores and most likely returned to the civilian sector as a-dolls. They might have their memories, or they might not, but their purpose would have been fulfilled. Zeldri, too, would have had his purpose fulfilled and, as he said, he could have gone home to live his life. Now, though, here they were. Kill authorizations running while surrounded by the corpses of the ones they were supposed to fight alongside. And their Commander who is now forced to remain and kill his fellow man. So, they remained silent out of respect and pity for Zeldri as he'd shown them his conviction to finish this war no matter the turns it took.

"..." The black-cloaked woman sat down behind Zeldri and leaned back against him. She didn't speak. All she did was silently stay with Zeldri and stare up at the sky.

"..." Zeldri eventually got himself under enough control to start thinking properly. The first thing he wanted was a cigarette. As he lit it, the distant roar of a jet brought his attention to the sky. Su-73D, Rosefinch, soared above him in the clear blue sky. The sun shined bright and its light glinted off the pools of blood that stained the outer lot. "...Why the fuck does it have to be so sunny?" Such a beautiful day in the Urals.