Chapter 5

Author's Notes: Hey hey! Next chapter up! This one took a little while to write since I had so many ideas I had to organize. I'm really excited though since it's all coming together! Although I said there wasn't going to be so much FLUFF anymore, I couldn't resist in this chapter. Also, there'll be a little cliché story involving Sergei's past so be prepared! Oh, and before I forget, thanks a ton for the reviews. If I hadn't gotten so many I probably would've given up on this story a long time ago! Thanks a ton, I really appreciate it!

Midway through their trip through the sky, Anna finally decided to stop feigning her sleep and rise into a sitting position. She let out a stretch and looked around at the unfamiliar place and faces. There were only four soldiers sitting in the helicopter, not counting the man in the suit, Sergei and who she guessed to be Mikhail Barclay. She turned her eyes to Sergei and whispered frightfully, "Sergei, where am I?" She wrapped her hands around his bicep and stared pleadingly into his eyes.

Sergei could see that she wanted to be comforted, to be told that everything was going to be alright, but he could deliver none of those.

Mikhail looked over his shoulder to find the two of them gazing dreamily into each other's eyes. A smirk crossed his face and he called out over the roar of the wind and engine, "Well, look who's awake!"

The man's rough voice, which Anna heard through her earmuffs, startled the brunette and caused her to clench Sergei's arm even tighter. She normally wasn't afraid of men no matter what appearance they had, but this man was different. She forced her eyes to peel away from him and focused them instead on her lap.

Sergei could feel the unease in her as he felt the grip on his arm become loose. He glanced in the direction of Mikhail while the man continued to speak. "You got yourself a pretty face there, little missy. I wouldn't mind spending some time with you myself."

Aleksander, who was sitting in the seat beside Mikhail, scolded, "Mikhail, that's enough!" Although Mikhail turned back around, his cackling laughter didn't stop. Seeing as how this was the best he could get from the uncouth soldier, Aleksander ignored him and turned back to Sergei and Anna. "How are you feeling, Anna Williams?"

In that sensual, albeit angry tone of hers, she responded back, "How do you think? Should I be happy that I was taken here?"

"You got yourself a quick tongue there missy," Mikhail commented, interrupting Aleksander's conversation. "Let's hope it doesn't fall off, eh?"

Aleksander sighed and continued to speak, "I'm glad that Sergei hasn't harmed you."

In her current position, Anna saw Sergei as the least of her worries. Wherever these men were taking her, she doubted she would be able to escape what with their fighting skills and weapons. She knew it was a mistake to have ever trusted the White Angel of Death, but even now, she didn't regret it.

Once they reached the base, Anna followed Sergei into the SPETSNAZ headquarters and then into a well-furnished luxurious room, clearly someone's office. On their way to the room, they had passed countless doors which held secrets Sergei hoped Anna would never have to see. Anna watched as he walked into the shadows of the room beside the curtains and become motionless once he was completely developed in darkness. She trailed after him but was stopped when she heard another set of footsteps enter the room. Looking over her shoulder, Anna saw that it was the suited man, Aleksander.

Taking no time to acknowledge anyone in the room, people, or guests, he went straight to business. "Miss Anna," he said, walking over to his desk, "if you would, could you take a seat?" He motioned to the leather sofas that surrounded the glass-covered coffee table while at the same time went digging through his drawers for some documents.

In defiance to his orders, the woman remained where she stood, staring at the older man with sharpened eyes. "Quite the man you are," she said, her voice low and holding a tint of anger, "Bossing me around after you kidnapped me."

Glaring up at her, Aleksander calmly responded back, "I just want to ask you a few questions Anna. Now if you would…" He looked back over at the sofa, hoping she would listen to him, but she didn't budge. He let out a sigh then leaned back in his chair, resting his hands in his lap. "Very well, if you prefer to stand, then by all means. But Miss Williams, I prefer you lose that attitude of yours. Like I said, we're only here to ask you questions."

In an act of disgust, Anna tossed her head aside and whispered, "Liar."

This single word caught the attention of both men and they listened on as she continued to speak, "As if I don't know what happens behind those closed doors." She imagined those doors lining each of the halls they walked past. Aside from the "Authorized Personnel" sign sticking to the door's surface, the hospital stench made her feel nauseous and sick as memories of her first experience as a test subject began rushing back to her. Quickly she shook the memories away before anymore began returning.

Knowing she was unable to escape Aleksander now, she slumped into the sofa that he had so badly wanted her to sit in before and gave him a bitter smile. "Go ahead, talk to me."

Sergei stared at her in awe. In one second she appeared sexy, flirtatious, carefree, and immoral but in the next she was an entirely different person of opposite characteristics. Her personality and moods were always going up and down; it was hard to keep up. Looking at her now, he couldn't help but think that perhaps these characters she played were a cover up for her true emotions.

Aleksander on the other hand didn't take the time to notice her personality change, nor would he care if he had. Now that she had decided to cooperate, he wouldn't waste this opportunity and quickly began with his questioning. "Twenty years ago, Ms. Williams, you were put into a cold sleep by Dr. Bosconovitch. Do you have any recollection of that day?" He spoke slowly, careful to pronounce every syllable of every word.

It hadn't even taken a second before Anna had answered him. "I don't," was her simple reply. She began to play with her hair, checking for split ends that didn't exist and twirling it around her finger. In the corner of her eye she could spot the scowl on the older man's face causing her to stop and glance innocently at him. With a gentle smile on her lips, she asked, "Is something wrong?"

"I want an honest answer, Anna," Aleksander snapped.

"And an honest answer I gave you," she retorted, almost giggling.

Aleksander wasn't known to be a patient nor naïve. He knew that Anna was only trying to play him as a fool, knowing that if she didn't give any answers, he wouldn't be able to dispose of her. Or so she thought. If she refused to give answers, she was only going to spare herself a few seconds before he would pry the answers from her through force. Rising to his feet, the superior whispered gravely, "I don't have times for games, Anna. Tell me what you know and I'll spare you whatever punishment I plan to give you."

Giving him a pout, Anna feigned a whimper. "But I really don't remember…" In all honesty, she really didn't. All she could recall was being encased in a cold cell and then drifting into sleep. She didn't know what chemicals were involved or how the process worked. Dr. Bosconovitch didn't see a reason in explaining it to her after all.

"Then your sister, Nina," Aleksander interrupted her thoughts, "clearly you must know about her whereabouts."

Nina was a sensitive topic to the brunette and also one of the few people involved in her life. As if Anna would tell anyone, let alone him, about her sister. Flipping her hair in his direction, she haughtily replied, "I don't have a sister." Once again, she couldn't really call this a lie either. Nina had never treated her as a sister. Ever since they were children, which seemed so long ago, Anna had always been walking the path of her sibling's shadow. She was invisible to her and no matter how hard she tried, Nina never seemed to notice the girl who was always trailing behind her.

While she reminisced, Aleksander had already lost the few fragments of patience he had. Turning around to gaze out at the city below him, he whispered, "You're a stubborn one…If you aren't going to cooperate, I'll just have to tear those memories from you, won't I?" His voice held a cold tone that Sergei, who has been working under him since he was seventeen, found it hard to recognize as belonging to him.

Turning to gaze at the young woman, the man called out, "Mikhail, escort Anna down to the main lab."

Mikhail? The name echoed in both Sergei and Anna's ears. The doorknob began turning and within few seconds, the beastly man Mikhail had entered the room, a smug look on his unshaven face. "Causing trouble eh, little missy?" He approached Anna and brusquely snatched her wrist, hauling her up to her feet.

Anna felt as if her arm was going to be torn from its socket as he began tugging her towards the door he had come from. She strained against him, but her struggling proved to be fruitless as she continued to be dragged behind the soldier. When Mikhail's hand took ahold of the metallic doorknob, both him and Anna heard a sudden shift in the room. Turning to look at the back corner where the noise had come from, Anna noticed that Sergei had stepped out of the shadows and was now staring daggers at Mikhail.

Upon seeing the man, a grin that reached from ear to ear quickly formed on Mikhail's face. "I almost forgot you were in here, Dragunov." He clenched Anna's wrist even tighter, nearly cutting off her blood circulation as his excitement began to rise. "Do you want something from me?"

Aleksander watched as Sergei made his approach towards them, taking note of the clenched fists and anger-filled eyes. He knew Sergei wasn't one to show emotion, which was the reason he found it so odd when he saw how mad he appeared. He didn't want to see the potential his soldier had when this angry so quickly called out, "Sergei, that's enough!"

Upon hearing his orders, Sergei stopped for a brief second before resuming his walk. No orders would stop him now. He wanted nothing more than to have Mikhail's neck in between his hands. The way he had grabbed Anna, he felt as if something had erupted when he saw that happen. Anna…He wanted to protect her…He stopped when that realization hit him and he looked at the face of the helpless woman in Mikhail's grasp.

Anna noticed his eyes on her and stopped her squirming to gaze at him. The way he looked at her made her face heat up and fade to a light shade of pink. "Sergei…" she whispered to herself.

Unable to take the tension in his personal office, Aleksander disrupted the trio by carelessly stepping in between them and ordering, "Enough of this!"

Reluctantly Anna and Sergei peeled their eyes off each other while Mikhail lazily did the same, disappointed that his fight with Sergei was postponed once again. Once he had their attention, he began giving them his new orders. "Sergei," Aleksander addressed, "from now on, I'm putting you in charge of Anna. Out of all of us, she'll most likely listen to you anyways." He turned his eyes to Mikhail and said almost in a sigh, "And as for you Mikhail, I'm placing you under a new assignment tomorrow morning."

Mikhail raised an eyebrow then with a scoff released Anna from his grip and watched as she ran to Sergei, wrapping her arms about his neck and pressing her face into his shirt. As soon as her body made contact with him, Sergei's anger immediately died down and was replaced by what Mikhail guessed to be relief. It was absolutely disgusting. Hoping to keep the fire in his rival burning, Mikhail whispered, "Take care of her for me, Dragunov. I'll be back to get her." With that he turned and left the room.

Fortunately for Anna, Mikhail had decided to postpone putting her through the machine that would literally squeeze the memories from her. He thought perhaps he should try using Sergei first seeing as how closely they got along. He told the soldier to keep her in one of the vacant "patient" rooms for the time being until he decided what would happen to her.

The rooms were located far beneath the SPETSNAZ headquarters but surprisingly they were kept as clean as a hospital. The walls were lined with white tiles just the same as the flooring and countless doors were placed an equal interval away from each other. Judging by the light buzzing that Anna could hear as she walked down the halls, she could tell that an air conditioner was running which would explain the freezing temperatures she felt.

"Sergei," she whined, "I'm cold…" Since the event that took place in Aleksander's office, Anna hadn't left Sergei's side. The way she clung to him almost made her reminisce about her childhood, but it was different. Although he didn't speak to her, as if through some morphogenetic field, Anna could feel the emotions he held for her.

Sergei looked down at the woman who stood right beside him and stripped himself of his jacket to once again wrap it around her. In all his life he had never felt more human before. Strange emotions fluttered in his stomach whenever Anna touched, looked, or said anything to him. The last time he could recall these feelings was during the terrorist bombing of one of Russian's cities.

He, along with the crew he had been given, was in charge of cleaning up the debris as well as clear the city of any bodies and survivors. One of the apartments he had been emptying held the bodies of two people, a man and what Sergei could guess to be his wife. As he carried the cadavers out into the street, he came upon a little girl no more than the age of five. She had bright brown eyes, brown pig-tailed hair, and a face that was covered in dust and scratches. She had looked up at the soldier and asked him innocently, "Are Mommy and Daddy okay?"

In that moment, Sergei's eyes had widened and he nearly dropped the two bodies in his stunned position. Even though he had just recently met her for not even a minute, he immediately reserved a special part in his heart for her. He placed her parents' bodies down on the worn down sidewalk and covered them up with a blanket as he had done to all the other bodies he discovered. The girl wasn't so naïve to not understand the meaning of death and Sergei watched in pity as she broke down to tears.

He had much to do and had no time to console the child so simply cleaned her face of her tears that were turning the dust to grime. One of the other soldiers in charge of gathering the survivors would find her. Leaving her with his handkerchief, Sergei rose to his full height and walked back into the apartment to clean it of anymore bodies, but stopped as he felt two little hands grip his.

Looking down at the girl, Sergei found he was unable to listen to his sense of duty as he met eyes with her. She was just a child but he…cared about her. Lifting her up into his arms, he delivered her to the truck where other survivors were located and deposited her into the embrace of an elderly woman. After that, he turned on his heel and walked off while he heard the little girl whisper into the air, "Goodbye…"

That had been the first time Sergei could recall doing something that his heart had wanted to do other than what his mind told him. He was now reliving that experience with Anna and he didn't feel the slightest bit of regret. Perhaps if he was given the option to live like this, he wouldn't mind all too much either...He suddenly felt Anna's hand squeeze his own, bringing him back to reality. How long had she been doing this? Instead of thinking too hard about it however, Sergei gently curled his fingers around her extremity and continued to lead the way.

Eventually they reached an empty chamber and Dragunov slowly pushed the entrance open to reveal a small white room containing only the basic necessities for living. A small thin bed was set into the far left corner of the room beside a metallic nightstand and on the right side of the room sat a table with drawers on each side. To Anna the room reminded her of an asylum; just the sight of it caused a chill to run down her spine. Thinking back to earlier however, she would much prefer staying in this room than in a tank filled with water possibly missing a limb or organ. No, she was thankful for her current position. After all, she looked down at her and Sergei's joined hands and smile, as long as she was with him, she got to be with him.

Twirling her finger over his chest, drawing light circles, she looked at the taller man and said in that recognizable sensual tone that Sergei found himself beginning to enjoy, "You know, you saved me back there. Is there anything I can do to repay you…?" Teasingly she began shedding his jacket off her shoulders, letting the straps of her dress fall down her arms with it. She looked over at the little bed then turned back to him. His expression remained unchanged causing Anna to let out a giggle. She snaked her arms about his neck and raised herself onto her toes. "Just kidding," she said before she planted a wet kiss to his lips.

As Anna was saying her goodnights to her "savior," unbeknownst to Aleksander and his men, a helicopter was flying towards the SPETSNAZ headquarters. The propellers sliced through the night air arousing any civilians below. The silhouette of a man stuck half his body out the door as he marveled at the sights below him. Suddenly the intercom on his head went off and a man's voice could be heard. "Bryan, do you remember your mission?"

A sinister smile etched itself onto the man's face as he gave his answer. "Receive the notes and kill anyone who gets in my way."