Chapter 31: Artyom On Trial
Artyom was startled from his thoughts as he felt the monorail slow, still feeling unprepared for the chronicle he was about to tell. Looking up, he expected to see the expanse of platforms at D6 but they were not outside the windows. Instead, another barren and crumbling monorail station sprawled out before him. On the right wall were the crooked, rusted metal letters that spelled out this destination: КРЕМЛЬ – 'Kremlin.' Slinging his own weapon over one shoulder and the Vintorez over the other, he gathered himself in both physical and mental form and waited for the doors to slide open. A new chapter would begin at this moment; he had to focus, keep his emotions in check, and remain as matter-of-fact as possible. The Colonel didn't like dealing with emotional reactions and Artyom wanted to be able to project the kind of callous composure that the likes of Melnik, Hunter, and even Aleks projected. It was a kind of self-defense in a way too, to not let anyone see your true feelings or fears.
The doors eased open with a mechanical sigh and Artyom held his breath for a moment before stepping out of the carriage, solidifying the new phase in his mind. A phase without Aleks readily by his side. This was the first time they had truly been separated since they had met. The semi-circular platform here was damp and the sound of water dripping could be heard from all directions. Small sporadic patches of glowing fungus reflected off the puddles on the floor and shimmered in the waves. There were some thin tangled vines growing out of control on the left curve of the wall, and it reminded him of the charcoal vines at Avtozavod.
Only a single central corridor connected to this room and Artyom followed it for a few hundred meters before he began to hear casual conversation from the Rangers ahead. Twelve uniformed bodies lined the walls on either side, a few talked amongst themselves, but down at the opposite end of the lineup was Colonel Melnik. He stood straight and silent as he watched Artyom approach and waited for the young man to speak first.
"Colonel Melnik, sir." Artyom mustered some strength in his voice as he announced himself.
"Anna sent word that you ran into some trouble on the surface," Melnik began in an understanding tone and then tilted his head as if to look behind Artyom even though the hall was narrow and dimly lit. All of the muscles in his face slackened and he almost looked pale. "Why is Aleksandrya not with you?"
"That is what I have come to report so urgently. Aleks and I followed a squad of Nazi soldiers from the tavern and up to the surface. They mentioned that stalker Ivashov but we never saw him. We have evidence that they bought their surface access from some local thug. There was a truck driving along the road, one of theirs, so we pursued. At the square we climbed a few stories into a building that overlooked what seemed to be a listening post; we could hear Alyosha's transmission on the radio. Some of the guards were talking about looking nearby for D6, I think there were at least ten men up there but I couldn't see all of them directly."
Thankfully the facts and figures were coming out smoothly and calmly and Artyom took a pause to ensure that each sentence was fully absorbed in all its detail. Some of the Rangers murmured to each other about the new information; the situation with the Nazis hadn't looked to be so serious as it unfolded, but saying some of these things out loud began to paint a very grim picture of a stirring conflict. Artyom artfully wove the story around the facets that he didn't want to share, such as the death of Boris the sentry and seeing that hooded figure on the roof. Also, Melnik might not understand anything that had to do with Andrei Ivanovich and his connection to Aleks, nor his apparent betrayal. Looking along the perimeter of suspicious and apprehensive faces, who were now all staring right at him, he felt as if he were on trial at a court martial. Perhaps that was just a metaphor for the immense guilt that he felt right now. Would he be punished for allowing her to be captured?
"We were trying to decide our next move when suddenly the floor gave way right under us. I was able to hang on to the wall but Aleks fell three stories, she was trapped in the rubble. She was hurt, her mask broke, then we heard the enemy alarm. She handed me her weapon and told me to run and leave her there. I didn't want to, but I couldn't let us both— I had to get back in order to tell you… the Nazis captured her. It was an Obersturmführer she recognized named Varnayev, and he seemed to know her too."
Melnik adjusted his stance and gave a somber sigh, staring at the ground, "Well… I'm sorry to hear that."
Artyom waited for the end of this agonizing moment of suspended time, expecting the commander to ruminate on the information as he formulated a plan of action for her rescue. What options would be available to them if they couldn't negotiate for her release? Would they have to fight their way in to save her? Would it be a small stealth operation to infiltrate the Reich and recover her as quietly as possible? How could they possibly find her amongst the conglomerate of the three conjoined stations of the Reich territory? Which one did she say was for the military and which for citizens? What would it take before she was safe again? And how long? Melnik turned to face one of the men at the end of the line whom Artyom could recognize as Sam, an American Marine – the commander's personal bodyguard and right-hand man.
"We're going to have to keep a tighter watch on the tunnel to Mayakovskaya, maybe send a few men undercover at the station. Later we'll go and investigate this listening post, sabotage it if we can. Have Hermann check on that officer's name and log the evidence." Melnik clapped Sam's shoulder to indicate he was finished with his orders.
"Yes, sir, on it." Sam nodded his head and stepped away from everyone to use the radio to relay the new mission to another group. Melnik turned back to Artyom and showed his usual gruff frown but no other hint of emotion crossed his face. Was he also trying to remain strong while in the company of the men gathered here?
"When you get back to base, Anna can help you write out the details for the official memo. Katya can take care of anything personal she left behind, then you can contact her home station if you wish."
"What?" Artyom was confused, why did Melnik seem to dismiss his report so easily? He sounded as if he had given up hope, as if he hadn't ever felt excited to meet Hunter's mysterious partner. As if he hadn't promised Aleks that he didn't intend for her to make any contact with the enemy at all. In fact, it sounded as if Melnik had expected her to fail and was disappointed in his own prediction. "I don't understand. Aren't we going to go after her?"
There was a long pause during which Melnik crossed his arms and seemed to replay the testimony in his mind again. Finally, he looked straight back at Artyom and scowled.
"No, Artyom, we're not. She made her choice. We gave her the test and she failed."
Artyom's ears were ringing with disbelief, this couldn't be the commander's true response. Where was the warm smile he had greeted Aleks with when she first arrived? Where was the wide-eyed pride he showed when she was firing the Vintorez in the armory? Where were the mutual tears in his eyes whenever she said Hunter's name out loud? His breath started to hitch as he was trying to come up with something meaningful to say but he didn't even know what to think. His eyes darted around at each of the soldiers at random, their expressions solemn and detached. It seemed none of these men had been the ones who were hanging on Aleks' every word in the mess hall. Or maybe some of them had been there and now they were just upset that she was gone and they wouldn't hear any more of her stories. Wouldn't any of them speak up and come to his aid? Come to her aid?
"Choice? It wasn't a choice, it was an accident. Everything was going fine until the building collapsed. She was stuck, she was scared." Artyom began slowly, trying not to get agitated immediately.
"It's an unfortunate outcome, nothing more." Melnik cut him off coldly as if he had already made up his mind and closed the book on Aleks' situation. He pivoted and walked a few steps away and then came back again. "Maybe she wanted to get captured. With Hunter gone, maybe she thought she had nothing left to stay for. She went back to her family," he sorted through the thoughts out loud. Sam had returned and slowly nodded his head at the ideas, whether he was finding them plausible or just instinctively agreeing with his boss, Artyom couldn't tell.
"Are you… are you serious?" Artyom couldn't believe his ears, "Before we left you said you weren't trying to throw her to the wolves!"
"You mean the lion's den," Melnik said quietly but then gathered his breath again, "We don't know anything about her history within the Reich or otherwise, it could all be made up stories!" He grunted and threw his hands up, taking a few paces and beginning a new theory. "She could have operated under a direct order of infiltration from the very start. Without Hunter here to confirm anything, she could have been anyone! She could have even lied to him in order to gain his trust and learn our secrets. I let my sentimentality get the better of me and I've gone and fucked the whole operation!"
"She isn't a liar or a spy!" Artyom professed sincerely. He wouldn't tell the Colonel that he had considered those very same possibilities just minutes ago. "You let her in because you trusted her. Or at least, you trusted me."
"How do we know that?" Melnik spat back, looking over at Sam momentarily for reinforcement and ignoring Artyom's second statement entirely.
"We don't." Sam replied flatly, with no discernible motive or even an expression on his face.
"If my word means anything to you then believe me when I tell you that's she's for real. Everything she told us is true. She's injured and afraid, and we cannot fail her!" Artyom took a step forward, his countenance pleading.
"She could be giving the Nazis everything she knows about D6 at this very moment!" Melnik seemed to be speaking to everyone present now.
"She won't tell them anything, I know it!" Artyom doubled down even though his throat was dry and constricting. "If you think she's going to tell them how to get to D6 then don't you think it's a better idea to go and get her back before they have the chance to drag it out of her? Even if she refuses to tell them, even if she wants to keep it a secret – they'll torture her! Don't you understand?"
"There's nothing we can do now. It's already too late in that regard. You know the Nazis don't waste time." Melnik actually seemed a little repentant now, or was it guilt?
"Why did she come all the way here to meet you then?! Why would she agree to join The Order and do the mission if she wasn't serious about it? Why would you send her to investigate Reich territory if you suspected she was some kind of sleeper agent? You could have sent her anywhere else." Artyom gestured around for effect. One of the men against the wall seemed to nod their head. The eyes all turned to the commander.
"I… don't have those answers. I wasn't cautious enough to begin with. I thought she—" Melnik admitted quietly.
"You still don't believe her? Well I have even more evidence. Do you still care to know the 'relevant bits' of information you so desperately wanted me to find out? You were hoping she would stay. You were wishing that she had come to us sooner, and so do I." Artyom hollered and then began to ramble, not letting the Colonel or anyone else interject until he laid it all out. Maybe an emotional outburst was the only thing that could change his mind, and Artyom was determined to win this battle. "She promised Hunter that she would come to Polis! She told me everything; how they met, about his lessons, and how they went places together… even about their last meeting. Hunter went to see her before he came to Exhibition. He told her what he knew about the Dark Ones and that he had to go investigate because you wouldn't listen to him about it! She didn't want him to go alone but he wouldn't let her go with him, either. So she told him that when he got back from the Gardens, she would come to meet you. She was already going to join the Order, that's what he trained her for."
"That was then, Artyom—" Melnik began in a low, regretful voice, starting off down the hall again.
"He kissed her goodbye! All the people in her group at Avtozavod knew Hunter, knew about their relationship, there are other witnesses who will tell you the same truth," Artyom nearly screamed it. The Colonel instantly froze in place but did not turn around to face him again. Dropping his voice for maximum effect and to hopefully elicit a real response from the commander, he finished with, "And he asked you, didn't he? Hunter asked you to protect her… if he wasn't able to." Artyom connected the final dots. 'If I do not return, you know what to do.' The note in his own capsule made sense, now. It was about Aleks, it had to be.
Melnik began to turn around but didn't say anything. Every soldier seemed to tense up in anticipation of his reaction to this tirade, even Sam was leaning forward intently. Artyom knew that it was now or never; pulling Aleks' cartridge casing from his pocket he held it up high for everyone to see.
"This one is hers. She gave it to me right before the Nazis came to capture her. Go on and look inside because I know you never asked her for it." Artyom narrowed his eyes, determined, but Melnik still neglected to move or speak. "It's got their names. It was signed by both of them and then it says, 'Quantum Entanglement,' and I think you know exactly what it's supposed to mean."
It was completely and utterly silent in the hallway for a long moment. All of the men seemed to be holding their breath; perhaps in shock from the heated conversation, or perhaps they actually cared about the answer. Melnik hissed through his teeth and then growled loudly. Artyom had made a lucky guess on that last part, but the Colonel's reaction proved him right. He still wondered exactly what the phrase meant, but that wasn't important now.
"Damn it all!" Melnik roared, clenching his fist around the barrel of his Kalash. "I was just… but I'll have to," he said more to himself than to anyone else. "Alright. I'll see what I can do. Sam, you take the squad and move out in my stead. Mikhail, I need you here. Artyom, get back to base and don't go anywhere else! Stay out of sight and don't say a word or else half the Order will be on my ass about this… damned girl."
Sam nodded his head with a quiet grunt and shot a quick look at the men lining the walls. Each of them gathered their weapons and gear and turned to follow the lead Ranger down the corridor, except for Mikhail who lingered in the corner at the ready.
"There's… one more thing I need to tell you first." Artyom said a lot quieter, surprised that anyone could hear him at all.
"And what is left to tell?" Melnik said with cautious but genuine interest.
Reluctant to spill Aleksandrya's dirty secret to everyone within earshot, Artyom's eyes danced around and waited for the hall to be mostly empty. He shifted his weight onto his other foot and pulled the strap of the Vintorez back up his shoulder. Melnik seemed to understand and softened up a bit, striding over calmly but directly he stopped closely in front of the young lad and peered down at him.
"Did she ever tell you—no of course she didn't… well, did Hunter ever tell you why she left the Reich? Why she needed a new passport? Anything?" Artyom probed gently, he didn't want to say the horrible words out loud if he didn't have to.
"All he told me was that she escaped her home several years ago with one of their security guards. He said they were always trying to find her, so we granted her political asylum in order to move her to a neutral station. He never gave any of the specifics, and we've seen plenty of similar cases of refugees before so nothing seemed unusual. But I'm not the one to handle passport paperwork, that would have been between Hunter and the Polis leadership. So, Artyom, what is it you're really trying to tell me?" Melnik placed a heavy hand on Artyom's shoulder in an encouraging manner.
"Before we split up… before I left her, she told me to warn you not to go to the Council." Artyom started, unable to look the Commander in the face.
"Oh, and did she say why not?" Melnik's eyes narrowed to small slits, and he tightened his fingers.
"You won't be able to negotiate for extradition. Because back in Reich… someone very important there is her family and they won't let her go for anything. She said the Führer is directly involved in her situation… and that's why she ran away from them, she hates them." Artyom finally forced himself to bring his gaze up to meet the stern face of the Colonel. He could only hope that Melnik would take the hint directly from his despairing expression and understand what he was trying to imply, even if he didn't get the exact meaning of it. The Colonel had finally started to agree to a rescue operation and Artyom didn't want to jeopardize it by telling him the actual truth about her family.
"I see—" Melnik stated pensively, withdrawing by a few steps and stroking his greying five-o-clock shadow. "That would… explain a lot. Hmm, I see." And with a knowing nod, the Colonel turned his back to Artyom and made a gesture to Mikhail, who walked over promptly.
"Sir!" Mikhail stood firm at attention.
"Artyom, when you get back to base Mikhail will help you get fixed up and gather the people we will need. Understood?" Melnik pivoted at the waist to indicate that he was going to follow the other men shortly.
"Yes sir!" Artyom straightened up and saluted.
"Go to the med bay first, you have your own injuries to tend to. And remember my orders, stay out of sight and don't tell a soul the sordid details. Absolute secrecy must be maintained for this delicate matter, so don't speak to anyone. Not even to Ulman, especially not to Ulman! If anyone asks, you say that Aleks reported straight to me and that you were dismissed." Melnik echoed as he had already begun his exit. "I will return in a few hours and find you so we can begin strategizing."
"Understood!" Artyom shouted proudly, finally complacent with Melnik's orders, knowing that soon they would be formulating the details of the rescue operation.
Mikhail strode over to Artyom as Melnik left the hall; he was a tall and thin man dressed all in black stealth gear with a balaclava obscuring his face and age. Artyom hadn't seen or been introduced to him before and wondered what his rank or specialty was, as the Colonel had selected him specifically from the group. Without any pleasantries, Mikhail handed Artyom a folded cloth which upon inspection was the same type as the red one that Aleks wore but this one was black and grey.
"Wear this over your head when we get back, c'mon." He commanded softly, taking the lead back towards the monorail platform.
Artyom followed the Ranger attentively, as if quickening their pace would also hasten the progression of the mission. With a rescue all but confirmed, his mind instantly switched back to Aleks. He hoped and prayed that she was still alive. He wondered exactly where she might be now; Ivanovich and the other men must have gotten her out of the collapsed building. Did they take her inside the listening post, put her in the truck, or take her straight back underground to their territory? Would they dress her wounds? Imprison her immediately? Take her right to the Führer himself? How would they treat her? Of course he knew that some kind of interrogation would be inevitable – the Nazis were desperate to get into D6 and she had been wearing the uniform of The Order. Perhaps she could lie convincingly enough to say that she had only been in Smolensk or Polis, or had only just joined and didn't know much. At least that part would be true.
"Tell me about this Aleksandrya, if you would." Mikhail broke the silence as they boarded the train carriage. "The more details you can give me now, the more options we might have."
"I uh," Artyom stammered as his thoughts all scrambled away. He still wasn't willing to divulge her family connections, or to give away the details of her hidden home station and clan of compatriots. A lot of things regarding her were secret, and how could he explain everything they had been through since he first saw her? "I met her after ending up in Novokuznetskaya, she had been looking for Hunter for a while, she was his… they were—"
"Yeah, I heard about that part already, the rumor mill never stops grinding. I don't need those details but anything you know about her connection to the Nazis and what you saw and heard just now out there." Mikhail pointed to the ceiling of the rail car but his real indication was the surface. "I've had my fair share of recon and stealth op missions against the fascists, I guess you could call me an expert on their tactics. So, the more you can tell me, the better."
"Oh, I see," Artyom now understood why Melnik had chosen this Ranger. He hesitated for one final moment, weighing the balance of keeping Aleks' secrets versus the necessity of telling them in order to initiate her liberation. "She's had to keep a lot of things about her confidential, she has diplomatic asylum because of her past."
"What you say won't leave this car, and I don't give a shit for rumors, it's purely to help construct our strategy, okay?" Mikhail gave Artyom's arm a strong pat of reassurance.
"She ran away, escaped from the Reich a couple of years back. I don't know every detail; I only met her a few weeks ago," Artyom began.
Mikhail was nodding his head the whole time and Artyom could see the gears turning in his head as he laid out the whole story from Novokuznetskaya and onward. At least speaking out loud kept his thoughts from wandering to dark predictions and kept his stomach from another pit of worry. He sat down on one of the upholstered benches against the windows, the weight of the information almost physically getting to him. With each turn and twist of the tale, his burden seemed to ease, he had never been able to confess everything he knew and felt about her to anyone else. For some reason he felt he could trust this Ranger with everything, and they had the security of seclusion on this monorail car so nobody could eavesdrop either. If it would help get Aleks back, Artyom would try to recall every little detail he could muster. Mikhail quietly let it all soak in until the picture was complete. He seemed the most interested in and suspicious about the news about Ivanovich, especially the chance of seeing him on the surface and back in the company of the enemy.
"Do you think they were using him to lure her out or something?" Mikhail speculated. "Maybe he was feeding information to the Reich behind her back."
"I don't think so, just seemed to be a big coincidence that he was there at all. He was in our company up until a few days ago, nothing seemed off." Artyom shrugged, rethinking the times he had conversed with Andrei Ivanovich. The motive didn't seem to fit, as he had also been on the run from the Reich right along with Aleks, giving her up would also mean his own capture. He suddenly remembered Khan's mention of possibly meeting the very same Ivanovich at Dobrynin, so maybe he had been taken back to Reich against his wishes. "Aleks said his wife had died giving birth, so why would he go back willingly?"
"Well, if he escaped with her originally and was in her company all that time, maybe his return to the Reich was some sort of strategy from their end. Maybe we can get in contact with him somehow. Did you say he had been in the tavern?"
"I don't know, but the squad in there was talking about him. And the officer that was in the building didn't seem very happy with him. It sounds like most of them are still angry about the whole incident, as if it's fresh in their minds. They could have built a whole propaganda against him and Aleks, a campaign to find them and bring them to justice." Artyom shuddered at the thought.
"You said she knew this officer by name?" Mikhail prodded, thinking in a new direction.
"She called him Varnayev, and he seemed to remember her perfectly." Artyom looked up to catch Mikhail's look of horror.
"That's… that's not good, that guy is bad news. He's the third in command of the Second Unit," Mikhail said gravely and then trailed off in private thought.
"What's this Second Unit anyway?" Artyom almost didn't want to know but had been curious about it for a while.
"They're the branch of the military that run the stalags and deal with interrogations and intelligence matters." Mikhail said ominously. "And that man, Obersturmführer Varnayev is all but deranged. My partner was cornered by him once near the Tsvetnoy Bulvar brothel, guy flew off the handle over nothing. You better hope they took her straight to her step-father."
Artyom stared a hole through Mikhail's body armor trying not to envision the circumstance in his mind.
"Anything else?" Mikhail asked after a solemn moment.
"Did—Was anyone else assigned to the surface in that area today?" Artyom suddenly wondered again about the hooded figure who had pushed him into the manhole.
"Not that I know of, as you saw most of the guys are heading to Kremlin to deal with the monstrosity there," Mikhail gestured behind them. "Why?"
"I saw someone up there, and once I left Aleks behind they grabbed me and shoved me into a pipe. It led straight back to Mayakovskaya. It wasn't one of the Nazis."
"Hmm," Mikhail mused, "No idea."
"I think… it might have been Hunter." Artyom said in a hollow voice, finally giving life to his imagination.
"Did you see him? Did he say anything to you?" Mikhail seemed horrified again, "He couldn't have been up there this whole time, he would be dead either way."
"No, I don't know, I just… who else?" Artyom tensed up and his voice simply stopped.
"Well, I'm not going to say anything. I doubt you're right about it but who knows; he's always been a solitary rogue." Mikhail stood up as the monorail passed through the last set of automatic doors before pulling up at D6. "I promised you that I wouldn't repeat anything anyway, and Hunter isn't going to be any help to us now. We have to think of something else."
Artyom silently nodded, but his mind began constructing a new possible scenario. If the hooded figure was Hunter, did he see Aleks get captured? Could he go after her himself? Artyom knew Hunter to be capable of just about anything; this time consumed with the best possible outcome. Maybe in just a few hours, Hunter would come knocking with Aleksandrya in tow. He could only hope his vision would come true, for both of their sakes.