Chapter Twenty-One: Thread Cutter
"You know, I've been thinking about something and meant to ask you earlier." Artyom said as they exited the lift at the lowest level.
Aleks turned her head towards him, her eyes showing concern.
"Well, when I agreed to leave Novokuznetskaya with Nikolai – he had promised me some books as payment." Artyom grinned lopsidedly, hoping his gesture would lift her spirits.
"Oh?" Aleks said with surprise, seemingly relieved that it was an innocent question on a completely different subject than the depressing one they had just been speaking of. "I'm sorry; I didn't know anything about that."
"It's okay, I don't really mind. I guess I forgot all about it when I saw you standing there." Artyom recalled the image of their first meeting; her imposing figure being revealed to him like a performer from behind a stage curtain. She was his true prize, and having met her was payment enough for walking to Avtozavodskaya with Nikolai and Dmitri.
"I have an old book I could give you, if you want. I don't know if you would like it or not." Aleks grabbed at her other arm awkwardly and stared at the floor. "It's a copy of Ivan Turgenev's most famous novel."
"Maybe I will borrow it, and give it back to you when I'm done." He tried to come up with any excuse he could to see her again at later dates. "Even if you go back to Avtozavodskaya, I'll bring it to you there."
"If I go back…" She mused aloud, still appearing as if she were caught between this plane and the ethereal one. "I don't know what I'll do yet."
"So, you are going to stay?" Artyom said hopefully, and stopped just outside of the armory doors.
"You've been listening to everyone talk." Aleks dropped her head, and then looked straight up at him. "Melnik wants to test me. Hunter wanted me to join the Order, but I told him… I can't just leave my home, my people. And without him here it's just… so empty."
Artyom couldn't quite tell if she was referring to D6 or to life itself but he listened to her anxiously, his heart pounding as he waited for her final decision. It's not that he couldn't agree with her reasoning, it's just that he really wanted her to stay. What would Nikolai say if she returned to Avtozavodskaya without an escort? What would Hunter say if she were not protected, if his final wish was never realized? He could almost see the Ranger's stern face looming over him, and shuddered at the thought.
"I told you about my true mission. I don't want to be stuck living under this dead city forever, and now that D6 has been discovered, there will surely be more conflict. What difference will it make if I am in one station or another? Now that Hunter is—" Aleks bit her lower lip hard, not able to finish the sentence.
"I know but…" Artyom took in a breath, trying to slow his heartbeat and focus on making his words come out right this time. "I wish you would stay."
Aleks had begun to reach out to him and say something, but just then the doors to the armory slid open and Ulman came stumbling out. He had a large crate in his arms; apparently he had become part of the crew that was moving things around upstairs.
"Woah! Sorry to interrupt you kids." Ulman laughed and kept walking away as he talked to them, trying to press the button for the lift with his elbow. "Melnik is waiting for you, Artyom."
"Yes sir." Artyom parroted flatly, not even turning his head to answer his partner who at the moment only annoyed him. It had not been the proper moment for humor, orders, or disruption.
"I haven't told Melnik anything about Emerald City; I don't think it's the right time, yet. And with so many silly stories going around about it, I don't want him to get the wrong idea about me." Aleks continued as if the thirty seconds of Ulman walking by hadn't even occurred. "For now, I'm keeping my promise to Hunter as best as I can."
"I didn't mention it to him, either." Artyom finally caught her gaze as he revealed his loyalty.
"Then my trust in you was well-placed." She smiled back at him weakly and then turned to go inside.
The armory proved to be surprisingly deserted, even though Ulman had just come out with a box at the worst possible moment. Looking around, there was only Melnik speaking with Vladimir who was standing behind a workbench along the right wall. Vladimir had been severely wounded during their search for D6 and had since taken up a stationary role in the armory, helping to outfit Rangers for each mission, repair weaponry, and manufacture ammunition from the spent cartridges. A stack of several more crates was piled in the left corner by the door, and Artyom wondered if Ulman would be coming back soon.
"Artyom, you're just in time." Melnik turned as he had heard footsteps inside the door. "Ah, Aleks you're here too. I've been considering where to send you for your trial. I spoke with Anna." He said ominously.
"I'm sorry—" Aleks began solemnly, but Melnik cut her off. Artyom wondered what she was trying to apologize for.
"She isn't the easiest to get along with." The Colonel admitted reluctantly. "But I have had some trouble deciding who else to send you with. Although I understand your desire is to become a Stalker, Katya and Tatiana are unqualified for the type of assignment I have in mind."
"Send me." Artyom took in a deep breath and puffed up his chest as convincingly as he could. Ordinarily he would find himself wondering why he had spoken without thinking, but on the inside he knew exactly what the reason was – his mind just wouldn't form the exact words for him.
The shocked look on Melnik's bearded face subsided into deep contemplation. Aleks glanced back and forth between both of them, trying to understand why Artyom had volunteered and why Melnik seemed to be considering it.
"Hrm, I will give it some thought." He grumbled, putting a clenched fist to his chin pensively before reaching into his pocket for something. "Bring Aleks to the storage room and take this key. Hunter's things are with my own gear."
Saying nothing more, for fear that the commander begin to change his attitude, Artyom took the key from the stalker's massive palm and turned in the direction of the storage lockers. But Aleks had lingered and so he stopped just within the frame of the corridor, he was out of the way, but still within earshot.
"Has anyone even gone looking for him?" Aleks said quietly, as if trying to keep the conversation between herself and the Colonel. Melnik seemed to understand just what she was talking about.
"I've been sending out reconnaissance teams in shifts every day, combing the area from Prospekt Mira to Sviblovo. We've even gone back to keeping a watch at Medvedkovo. Any leads or tips we get from inside the Metro are dealt with by telephone and radio with local officials." Melnik reported flatly, but then softened and put both his hands on her shoulders, having to lean down to reach them. "I want to find him just as badly as you do. Hunter was my closest comrade, my most trusted friend, my best soldier - but the situation doesn't look good, and there's been no trace of him, so far."
"What if he was still there, in their nest, during the missile strike?" Aleks squeaked in a higher voice.
"No." Melnik shook his head and frowned, horrified at the idea. "Don't you think like that, you hear me? We will find out the truth, and when we do, I promise that I will inform you of the details myself."
"Yes. I'm sorry. Thank you, Colonel." Aleks nodded her head in agreement, and turned to catch up with Artyom with more tears in her eyes. A cursory glance back at Melnik showed that he had become emotional as well, although he did his best to hide it, and Artyom felt that same twang of guilt reverberate through his body.
Finding the proper storage locker after a short search through the moderately-sized room, Artyom unlocked the cover of the metal chest with the key Melnik had given him. Inside was a multitude of equipment pieces, uniforms, old military keepsakes, and ammunition in different calibers. It was difficult to resist the temptation of looking through the random collectibles that Melnik kept stored, but Artyom knew what they were here for and couldn't imagine the punishment for rifling through the commander's personal effects. Half-buried in the middle of everything was a large, polished wooden box. It was inscribed with a tarnished brass nameplate which was unreadable and large hastily-painted letters below it that read: "Хантер."
"This is it." Artyom said flatly as he heaved the impossibly heavy crate from the locker and placed it on a low table in the middle of the room.
"If he is found someday, I'm going to give it all back to him." Aleks placed both hands on the surface of the shiny lacquered wood, flattening out her fingers and caressing the painted name.
"Well for now, it's yours." Artyom encouraged her, watching her face as she flipped open the two metal tabs that held the cover closed.
As she lifted the lid, her eyes lit up with amazement although her forehead had wrinkled with concern. Following her gaze into the crate, he watched as she picked up different items and examined them. Most notably and right at the very top was a silenced assault rifle. Artyom's facial expression now mirrored that of Aleksandrya's as she continued through the items in the box. There were scraps of paper with hand-written notes, a book about someone named Vasily Zaytzev, faded photographs of Moscow landmarks, and leather-skinned journals scattered between random pieces of military equipment. Nothing besides the rifle was all that remarkable and it all turned out to be a rather normal assortment of things he would expect someone like Hunter to have left in reserve: night vision sights, batteries, medical supplies, different calibers of ammunition, and tools for cleaning weaponry. He couldn't help but think that if Hunter had chosen to bring his customized weapon, he might still be here to continue to use it.
Aleks took in a slow deep breath and gave a long sigh, setting everything but the sniper rifle and a box of ammunition for it back into the crate.
"Might as well try it out while we're here." She said quietly and forced a smile, as if trying to convince herself it was okay, pulling the weapon into her lap and running her fingers over the cold metal and carved wooden stock.
"How did you meet him? You never told me." Artyom said after a long silence of watching tears gather in her eyes without falling. Perhaps the real way to help her was to draw out every memory she had stored inside her so they wouldn't be suffocating her with their sentiment.
"It was almost three years ago, in Kitai-Gorod. I had just turned twenty-five when we met, and he was probably ten years older than me." Aleks started, and then shifted uncomfortably and placed both hands firmly on the table. "Listen, I will tell you, all of it… but only if you stay with me."
"Stay with you?" Artyom tried to clarify her meaning by repeating the words.
"Look, don't get any ideas, I just…" She turned her gaze to the floor. "I don't want to be alone here."
"Okay… I will." He said quietly, but was still confused about what exactly she was asking him for. Did she intend them to sleep in the same room? Her room? Or his room? Was that allowed here, where they had the barracks separated by gender?
"Good." She touched his hand for a moment before getting to her feet, once more turning away from him and leaving the room without waiting, the fancy weapon in hand.
Melnik was still standing where they had left him five minutes ago, but Vladimir had set about arranging different types of weapons at the firing range, checking that each one had a small box of ammunition beside it. Artyom wondered if he had been the only one selected to help test the weapons and was curious about the decision; surely there were other Rangers that were more knowledgeable than he was. Then again, how was he supposed to acquire such knowledge about firearms if he didn't practice more with them? Maybe it was Melnik's sneaky way of assisting him?
Aleks stepped up to the last firing lane and set the rifle and its ammo down on the bench. Ejecting the magazine to find that it was empty, she began to load it with cartridges from the box labeled "Снайперские 9mmx39 СП-5."
Artyom was hesitant to follow, but eventually walked over to the range as Melnik did, figuring he was about to receive an order from him about what to do first. Instead, the stalker stopped just behind Aleks and put both hands on his sides authoritatively.
"I see that Hunter left you his Vintorez. I trust you know what's special about it?" Melnik gave that warm smile again. He probably would have told her that it was a weapon only used by Spetsnaz and that was what made it special, or perhaps he was about to tell some story about how Hunter had used it to defend himself bravely on a mission or made some incredible shot with it. But there was no way for anyone to expect the kind of answer she was about to give.
"It's a cousin of the AS VAL suppressed assault rifle - a compact sniper rifle with a PSO telescopic sight. Gas-operated, rotating bolt, utilizing nine millimeter subsonic armor-piercing rounds, built at the Arsenal in Tula." Aleks recited with a straight face, as if from memory like a school child when asked about math or history facts. "Of course now, the only ones who can make that caliber are the weapons specialists at Baumanskaya."
Both Melnik and Artyom's expression was of wide-eyed shock, as they were more than impressed by her recount of knowledge. Artyom almost hoped that Melnik would ask her another question, just to hear her answer so precisely; he didn't even know those kinds of specifications. Hunter had really not spared any of his expertise in mentoring her.
"What's the difference between that rifle and the VSK?" Melnik squinted at her skeptically, too tempted by her impressive display to not test her further. Artyom looked on with delight.
"The VSS Vintorez and VSK-94 were developed from the 9A-91 assault carbine; basically it's just an extended barrel, stock, and scope, but fires the same caliber. The Vintorez is non-modular and is designed with more style in mind, though it can be broken down into three pieces for travel. There used to be a special case for it." Aleks finally turned to face the Colonel with a cold expression, not seeming to grasp how impressive her knowledge was to the men in the room.
"Let's see you fire it, then." Melnik growled his approval of her answers and gestured downrange at a hanging target where a large blue and yellow concentric circle was painted.
Artyom had already witnessed her expertise with handling an automatic weapon during their minor battle with the mutants which forced them to exit the tunnel before Kitai-Gorod station and go up to the surface, although he hadn't really seen how many targets she had actually taken down with her hail of fire. Still, watching Melnik suspiciously studying her movements made things much more interesting, and he was secretly cheering her on in his mind.
Aleks turned back and clipped the last round into place in the magazine, jammed it into the receiver, charged the handle, and took aim. Making a minor adjustment to the focus on the scope, she pressed the stock hard into her shoulder and fired a short burst.
Melnik took one large step forward, so that he was directly to her left and could see down the lane to the target.
"Move it back, Vladimir." Melnik leaned his head back and gestured to Vladimir who had been watching the target zone through a security window.
Fiddling with some hidden switches, a humming noise began and Artyom stood on his toes in order to see the backstop receding further into the room, making the target distance another ten meters away. He decided to stand at the adjacent firing lane in order to be able to see where her next group of shots landed, as his angle didn't afford him a good view.
"Alright, concentrate on a controlled shot now." Melnik spoke softly, leaning over Aleks impatiently.
Aleks ticked the switch to semi-auto, let out her breath, and then fired again. A pause, she fired again, and then made another minor adjustment on the sights, and then a third shot. Melnik was outwardly impressed and gave a satisfied grunt. Artyom, who had been watching the two of them, looked down at the target – not a single shot had landed outside of the innermost circle.
"Well done indeed!" Melnik laughed, giving Aleks a hearty pat on the shoulder. "Maybe you can tell Artyom something about the weapons over here and then I won't have to."
Artyom stared down at the weapon on the bench in front of him; it looked to be a very old bolt-action sniper rifle with a heavy wooden body. Feeling already slightly ashamed by the commander's comment, he only ended up confirming its truth for himself by not recognizing at all what lay before him. He held his breath in hopes that Aleks would not take the invitation.
"This is a Mosin-Nagant 1891, used extensively during the Great War. Five-round internal magazine, bolt action, and it has the extended bent bolt to accommodate a sniper scope." Aleks touched the polished wood of the rifle with one hand.
Artyom backed up and practically pretended that he wasn't there as Melnik led Aleks past him, but looked over at him expecting him to follow and pay attention. Stopping at each lane, Aleks recited what the weapons were and their basic specifications.
"Dragunov SVU automatic sniper rifle, Pecheneg squad support and Degtyaryov light machine guns, all using 7.62x54 rimmed cartridges. And this one is a Simonov SKS-45 carbine with a folding bayonet." Aleks' voice droned, as if she was generally uninterested in the things she was talking about. Melnik, on the other hand, was thoroughly pleased with her.
Artyom stared at his boots, waiting for the humiliation to be over. Inside he truly wished he'd known all the specific attributes and names of the weapons she had listed off. He repeated the words to himself in a vain attempt to memorize all the facts and figures like Aleks apparently did. Although normally he'd be interested to learn everything he could, especially in order to become a more effective soldier, he was finding that he only wanted to leave the room.
As if by some miracle of the heavens, Ulman came in through the armory doors with a clatter and strolled over to the three of them casually, dragging his sleeve across his sweaty forehead. His entrance seemed to disrupt the atmosphere in the armory and it became instantly quiet.
"What's up everyone? Have I earned my break yet, boss?" He threw a wink at Melnik whose exuberant expression changed to one of irritation.
"Yes, Ulman, go get some ear plugs and you can shoot whatever you want." Melnik sighed heavily, his hand still resting on Aleks' shoulder. "For weapons!" He quickly corrected as Ulman darted around the corner, trying to clarify that he had his choice of weapon, not targets.
Aleks hurriedly left the old Stalker's grasp and picked up the Vintorez tenderly, ejecting the magazine and the clearing the chamber, leaving the unspent rounds on the bench. Evidently she remembered the new policy about ammunition.
"I'd like to get some rest, Colonel." She turned and said with an apologetic sigh. "Please excuse me."
"Of course, go and get some sleep. It's very late. I'll send for you sometime tomorrow once I've worked out your assignment." Melnik nodded his head slowly and waved her off with one hand.
"Goodnight, Artyom." Aleks said softly, and he raised his head upon hearing his name, just catching her invasive stare for long enough to understand that he should follow her when he was able. The inflection in her next sentence confirmed his suspicion, "We will speak again soon."