Artyom stood in the center of the FSB command room with a grim expression on his face. His fists were clenched to the point that his knuckles were white. The room was deathly quiet despite all the personnel inside as they did their best not to make any noise. No one wanted to set Artyom off. No one dared make a sound after what they had all just heard from Artyom's call with Zeldri.
"…" Ivan shifted uncomfortably from his place behind Artyom. On one hand, he wanted to congratulate Artyom on becoming a grandfather. On the other, Ivan didn't want to get punched in the face. So, he took a different approach to try and change the mood. "Should I have a team dispatched to keep watch on Mrs. Helianthus?"
"…Yes." Artyom's voice was gruff and almost monotone. He was doing his best to handle his swelling emotions. "They are not to make contact. Their only objective is to observe."
"I'll have them dispatched immediately," Ivan replied and gave a bow before turning to leave.
"…" Artyom kept replaying his conversation with Zeldri over and over in his head. For two months the FSB was completely unable to find a single trace of his missing son. And yet, a group of Griffin members were able to both find and extract Zeldri from a Paradeus facility? Not to mention the fact that Artyom could clearly see Sangvis Ferri troops in the satellite images he was looking at of the facility he'd just pulled up. But, as far as he knew, Zeldri didn't have any Sangvis troops working for him. He had confirmed that fact with his backdoor into the Mountain's systems with the old Soviet OGAS. Unless… "The OGAS lied…" Artyom mumbled to himself as his brain churned through information and theories. He turned his head to one of the agents in the room, "Pull up all the old transcripts we have of our interactions with the Mountain's OGAS system. Preferably before Zeldri took over the facility."
"On it, Sir," the agent replied and quickly got to work. After a few seconds of searching, the main monitor of the room displayed a text log of the FSB's and military's interactions with the Mountain's OGAS.
"…So, that's how it is." The logs showed the OGAS giving only simple responses with little more than a sentence. Compared to the current OGAS which would give entire paragraphs of information when asked, it was clear that something had happened. Artyom remembered Zeldri had said that UMP40 was clean of Parapluie infection and that her systems were normal when he retrieved her. But that, too, now seemed like a lie. "…This is getting dangerous." While Artyom was a Rossartrist, he only liked technology when he was aware of it. This new Mountain OGAS could be a problem. But, it also found and brought his son back. "…" Artyom made a mental note to keep a closer eye on the Mountain, but wouldn't act just yet. After all, he had more pressing matters to attend to; like the coming death of his son, and the news that he would be welcoming a new member into his family. Artyom took out his phone and looked up information about Helian's schedule before muttering, "…I should see when Sofia is free for dinner."
"…Mmm." Zeldri cracked open his eyes as his phone's alarm rang on the nightstand next to him. He tried to reach for it, but his arms wouldn't listen to him. As the days passed by, it was getting harder and harder to move; especially when he first woke up. The phone's alarm continued to blare until a metallic hand reached down and turned it off. Zeldri turned his head and saw Prizrak standing next to the bed. Since she didn't seem to want to leave his side, Annika had allowed them to continue following Zeldri and assist him whenever possible. "…Morning," Zeldri spoke in a weak voice as he tried to rise from bed.
"…" Prizrak gave a silent nod before helping Zeldri up. She also brushed his teeth, combed his hair, and helped him get dressed. The night prior, she had even helped him take a shower. Zeldri could only grit his teeth in frustration at how useless he felt. Was this his fate? To waste away without even being able to do something as simple as brushing his own teeth by himself?
"Good morning, Commander." Outside his bedroom door, A-545 was waiting for him. She always made sure to greet him in the mornings as it was one of the few things she could do to try and ease Zeldri's mind.
"Morning, A-545." Zeldri knew her intentions which put a soft smile on his face. "Any news?"
"No," A-545 replied as she led Zeldri and Prizrak toward the elevator. "Everything's still quiet. Tsaritsa's been keeping an eye on the Paradeus that have been sneaking into the area, but they are still just scouting things out, it seems." Ever since Zeldri's return, Paradeus forces have been probing around the Mountain. They never went on the offensive, and whenever Zeldri sent a squad over to them they instantly backed off.
"They're just trying to find a way to sneak into the Mountain while biding their time," Zeldri dryly stated. Minx wanted the Gavirul sample that he believed was in the Mountain but couldn't risk a full invasion because of the Heart. Whether the bomb was operational or not, a Gavirul sample was too valuable to risk it. But, that only applied so long as Zeldri was alive. While Zeldri was the type of man to use the Heart if all hope seemed lost, both Minx and Zeldri knew that Annika wouldn't have the will to use it; nor would any other human in the Mountain. The Ringleaders would use it, but Zeldri would never give them the authority over the Heart as their definition of 'all hope seems lost' is vastly different from his. The dolls were also a no as their programming would forbid them from using it so long as even a single human was alive within the Mountain. Tsaritsa would use it, but old Soviet sanctions on A.I. made all weapons of mass destruction incompatible with OGAS systems out of fear of rogue A.I. This fear was why Mastermind couldn't nuke humanity back to the stone age.
"…Worthless cowards," A-545 quietly spat.
"They wouldn't have made it this far if they weren't," Zeldri joked.
"They dare do this to my Commander?" A-545 started mumbling dangerous thoughts out loud. "Unforgivable. I'll make sure Tsaritsa helps me track them down. This won't go unpunished."
"…" Zeldri felt both safe and scared of A-545's tone of voice and the look in her eyes.
"You agree with me, too, right Prizrak?" A-545 suddenly turned and addressed the Isomer.
"…" Prizrak silently stared at A-545.
"Good," A-545 said and gave a satisfied nod.
"She didn't say anything," Zeldri pointed out.
"She doesn't have to," A-545 countered as the three of them stepped onto the elevator which brought them up to the first sub-level. "We made an 'unspoken agreement'. I learned about it from MDR."
"…I greatly worry about your future, A-545." Zeldri gave a defeated sigh as they approached the command room. "But, I'm glad to see you're getting along better with Prizrak."
"Of course, I'm getting along with her, Commander," A-545 said as they entered the command room, "She's-"
"Commander!" Annika noticed them enter and quickly approached inadvertently cutting off A-545. "How do you feel?"
"Like shit, so normal."
"That's…" While Zeldri joked to try and lighten the mood, Annika still seemed apprehensive.
"No matter how I feel, I refuse to just sit in bed and waste away." Zeldri, with the help of Prizrak, walked over to the central table. "I'd rather be doing something productive. How are we looking?"
"…Okay, Commander." Annika was obviously reluctant to do so, but she didn't push any further. She pulled up a holographic map of the Mountain as she gave her report, "The hydroponics farm on sub-level three is fully operational and our food situation is completely solved. Since Paradeus is still in the area, we've assigned additional t-doll teams to patrol the road leading to the nearby town; securing our trade route with them. With Scarecrow's help, we've also increased our surveillance net to give live updates across the entire sector." Annika tapped at her tablet and windows appeared on the wall-mounted monitor showing POV feeds of various Dinergates that were wandering the sector. "With this, Paradeus can't set a single foot within the sector without us knowing about it."
"And, our t-doll strength?"
"Since your absence, I've taken the liberty of Neural Upgrading quite a few of the t-dolls." Annika cleared her throat as if a little embarrassed to continue. "…It cost quite a bit of the resources you were saving up, but I believed it was worth it."
"Good." Zeldri's affirmation of her choice caused Annika's shoulders to relax and ease her mind. "I saved those resources for times like this. Any increase in our firepower and overall security is worth the cost. Remember that." Whenever he could, Zeldri made sure to point out his thoughts and reasons for Annika to learn from. She was the future of the Mountain, after all.
"Yes, Commander!" Annika took his words to heart and continued the report, "The vehicle rearmament program also just finished, so now we've reached our full combat-capable state. I've allowed the teams to continue to use the Tigr's, but anything more than that is being kept within the Mountain unless it's for active combat to conserve on fuel costs."
"And our ammunition stores?"
"We've picked the sector clean, at this point, and have begun scavenging from the surrounding areas." Annika pressed a button on the holographic display table causing the map to zoom out and show the area around the Mountain's sector. "We're staying west of the Urals so we don't draw the attention of the ELIDs beyond the mountains, but even still we've secured plenty of ammunition for both our dolls and the vehicles. Though…" Annika hesitated but swallowed a lump in her throat and continued, "Paradeus' presence is only increasing by the day. They're remaining passive, for now, but…"
"They won't be forever," Zeldri finished Annika's thought as he stared at the map. As soon as his death can be confirmed, Paradeus would descend upon the Mountain. Zeldri's fingers tapped against his side as he thought. There had to be a way to take Paradeus' attention off the Mountain. He could reveal that the Gavirul sample is empty, but Minx probably wouldn't believe that. And, if he did, he might just destroy the Mountain out of spite for wasting his time. Or, he might think Zeldri intentionally destroyed the sample which would also end in a raid on the Mountain. If that was the case, then there was also the other option of doing this. "…Tsaritsa."
"Yes, Commander?" Tsaritsa's voice came over the speakers from the wall-mounted monitor as her logo appeared on the screen.
"Send a call to Zeratul Pharmaceuticals asking for Minx."
"Commander!?" Annika couldn't hold back her shock at Zeldri's request and everyone in the command room looked over to Zeldri. A-545 opened her mouth to protest but held her tongue as Prizrak looked back at her and gave her a look to remain silent.
"…Very well." Tsaritsa's logo disappeared as she sent the call.
"What are you-!?" Annika tried to protest, but her words caught in her throat as, surprisingly, the call went through. Minx appeared on the monitor sitting at a desk in a neat-looking office.
"Commander Artyomavich?" Minx seemed just as surprised as everyone else that Zeldri just directly called for him. "…To what do I owe the pleasure?" He did his best to mask his surprise and curiosity with his practiced professional tone.
"I'm calling to make a deal." Zeldri didn't beat around the bush with his words. "If you're open to one?"
"…" Minx leaned forward in his chair. "Considering our…previous engagements, I find your words hard to believe, Commander." His eyes looked over Zeldri's worn-out appearance through the monitor. He didn't seem smug or happy about it but also showed no signs of remorse.
"True, but I don't have the time for grudges." Zeldri did his best to stand tall, but couldn't without Prizrak supporting him.
"So it would seem," Minx said in a neutral tone. His eyes moved to Prizrak. "You also seem to be in strange company, these days."
"I'm weak to orphans."
"Commander." Words appeared on Zeldri's tablet that was sitting in front of him as Tsaritsa opened a blank note page and typed, "A cyber-warfare attack just came in on Prizrak. I stopped it, but they might try again."
"…Orphans whose makers I would like to leave them be."
"…" Minx said nothing and sat in silence. Though, he stopped paying Prizrak any attention. He seemed annoyed that the attack failed but didn't put much energy into it.
"Back to the matter at hand," Zeldri refocused the conversation, "Since both our time is precious, I would like to perform a trade."
"…I'm listening." Minx seemed interested.
"I would like you to pull back Paradeus' forces and leave the Mountain alone even after my death." It took great effort, but Zeldri spoke with confidence and fought back a coughing fit to appear in control. "In return, I will give you the Gavirul sample vial," Zeldri said without revealing the full truth behind his words.
"!?" Annika's eyes widened again, but the situation was too tense for her to make a sound.
"That's…a rather generous offer." Minx's voice lowered, but he still sounded interested. "Almost too generous to be true. Is all you really want for it the guaranteed safety of your base? Even though you won't even be alive to see it?"
"The safety of the Mountain and its people has always been my top priority," Zeldri responded. His words touched those around him and beyond as Tsaritsa was sending a feed of the conversation to all the dolls. "Even if I won't be here any longer, I should at least do what I can to secure their safety. Also, this vial has brought nothing but troubles to the Mountain. You taking it would take a massive target off our backs."
"Passing the buck, are we?" Minx chuckled.
"A buck you actively want."
"…" Minx mulled over his options. While he could just wait for Zeldri to die and raid the Mountain, that would take time and patience. Patience that he was running out of. If Zeldri's words spoke true, then he could get the sample that much sooner without losing a single unit. For that, promising to leave the Mountain was easy since he would no longer have any need to go after it. "I accept your deal," Minx spoke and stared into Zeldri's eyes, "Though, I want you present for the exchange, and we will meet at a place of my choosing."
"That's-!?" Annika tried to protest.
"Deal." But, Zeldri cut her off. "Though, it needs to be a place with rail access as the vial is in an environmentally controlled storage container to keep it safe. I'll need to use the Mountain's train to transport it."
"That's not a problem," Minx said with a very satisfied smile on his face. "We'll meet just outside of my research facility which I'll send you the coordinates to later; there's a rail line leading to the facility."
"That works for me."
"Commander Artyomavich," Minx spoke causing Zeldri to pause before ending the call. "You've made the deal, so please keep your word. This facility is more than equipped to deal with your t-dolls and Sangvis Ferri allies." His smile took on a dangerous air and his eyes narrowed. "Do not trifle with me on this."
"…I won't, since I have nothing to lose by doing this." Zeldri gave his affirmation and ended the call.
"…Are you really going to do this?" Annika finally asked now that Minx was gone. "That vial's empty. Once he realizes-!"
"Annika." Zeldri sounded extremely tired, but his words still held confidence. "Trust me, at least one last time."
"…" Annika opened her mouth to speak but words to refute him failed her. "That's not fair, Commander."
"We can't always play fair to get what we want, Annika," Zeldri said in a soft tone with a smile on his face. "That's probably the best advice I could ever give you as a commander. Play fair only when you know you can win, otherwise do what you must."
"…That's really scummy advice, Commander," Annika said and gave a sad chuckle.
"I never said I wasn't scummy," Zeldri retorted.
"So, then, what will you do?" Annika asked with genuine curiosity.
"Exactly what I said," Zeldri replied as he started typing away at his tablet. "Once he sends the coordinates, we'll load up the train with the storage container and vial."
"Was there something you needed, Commander?" Once Zeldri finished typing at his tablet he connected a call to Scarecrow up in level one.
"I'm hoping I can get the help of you and your dolls to move the storage container in the hangar to the freight elevator and onto the train in sub-level four."
"The large empty one?" Scarecrow asked as she looked over to the massive container the Gavirul vial was kept in.
"Yes, it's quite heavy and I need you and your doll's help to bring it down," Zeldri spoke in half-truths to get Scarecrow and her dolls down to the train yard. He needed her and her dolls for something else down there.
"Very well, we'll be down shortly." While Scarecrow didn't know why he wanted her to help move a box, she figured he had something planned so she went along with it.
"…So," Annika spoke up once Zeldri's call to Scarecrow ended, "You…aren't planning on coming back from this trip, are you?" Her voice was somber, and the mood of the command room became dark.
"…No," Zeldri admitted, "This will be a one-way trip; I'm sure Minx will guarantee it."
"…" Annika bit her lip. "…Then, you'd better prepare yourself for tonight!"
"Tonight?" Zeldri turned to ask Annika what she meant, but she was already heading out of the command room. "Wait, Anni-"
"A-545," Annika said ignoring Zeldri's words, "Make sure he's not late!"
"Yes, Ma'am," A-545 replied and gave a nod.
"Wait!" Zeldri called after Annika, but she quickly left the room.
"…" Prizrak also seemed confused as she looked from the door Annika just left to Zeldri. A-545 stood silently and seemed to not want to reveal anything.
"…What just happened?" Zeldri asked, but he wouldn't get an answer until later that night.
