"If I heard it right, World Beyond Labs is going to expand further the mining operations in Ursus. Is that so?"
"It is indeed, Coronel Orlov." Highstew calmly responded.
Right now, the two men were comfortably sitting in a pair of couches inside Orlov's office, one facing the other. The table in between them was littered with copious amounts documents from various origins, and besides those same reports were a pair of hot coffee cups and a small kettle. Both felt the cold winter breeze blowing from the outside.
Taking a tiny sip of his drink, Michael leaned in to grab one of the documents and passed it over to the Coronel General.
"As you can read here, for this expansion we're decided to allocate more than 1131312000 in the opening of twelve new mines, concretely in the north-western tundra area. With this investment we expect to improve our Originium extraction capabilities."
"Damn, finally." Said Orlov visibly satisfied. "It was already time that someone started to exploit those deposits. I'm glad Gergeiev chose you and your company for this, the guys at Gazprom and Nornickel would have taken twice as long to build the mines."
"Yeah, about that... we've stumbled with a little problem. Last weeks have seen a staggering rise of Reunion raids against our production facilities. Apart from damaging equipment, they also take advantage to release the workers... and to be frank, that's causing us quite significant losses. I would appreciate if you lent us more men, mainly to boost up the security."
After hearing this, Orlov let out a sigh, and leaning on the sofa he answered.
"I'm sorry to tell you this, Mr. Highstew, but I'm afraid that won't be possible."
"Are you kidding me?" He seemed very annoyed. "We need those men, Coronel. I don't know if you got a full grasp on the situation, but for your information these attacks are causing significant delays in our shipments to Russia, and they only worsen by the day...!"
"Mr. Highstew." He silenced him. "I ask you to understand that, right now, we're a bit short on manpower. Even if I wanted, I can't afford to send a few hundred soldiers to guard your factories, especially when we're just a few days away from launching the final offensive on Deity Gypherburg."
"Shit..." In a fit of rage, Michael violently stood from his seat and went away. Orlov rolled his head to the side and looked over the sofa's back.
"Don't get me wrong, Highstew. We're facing the same problems here. They constantly attack our logistics convoys and raid ammo depos. With our forces still tied up with the Ursus, we pretty much can do nothing about it, but believe me that, if it had been for me, the Russian Army would have eradicated them off the map long ago."
"I understand... Fuck their leader. I should have eliminated her when I still had the opportunity..." Cursing under his breath, he shifted closer towards the window and looked outside.
The office's window overlooked a small courtyard surrounded by a tall wall and barbed wire. From his position, Highstew spotted a group of Russian soldiers doing some kind of shooting practice. They were somewhat far away, but despite the distance he could make out parts of what they were saying.
"Давай, Иван, стреляй уже! (C'mon Ivan, shoot already!)"
The guy carefully aimed at the practice dummy with the Ak-47, and then pulled the trigger. All of his shots landed on the target, the force of the impacts shook it violently.
"Хороший выстрел! Теперь моя очередь! (Good shot! Now's my turn.)"
That said the rest began taking turns to fire. Highstew soon lost interest in it, it was just a mere shooting practice... but just as he was drifting his gaze away from the window, something caught his eye. It was the turn of the last one in the line, but strangely enough, he wasn't carrying any weapon whatsoever. "What's he going to do? He's got no weapon." He wondered.
Highstew watched the man out his left leg against the ground and extend his arms towards the dummy... and there, before his astonished look, bolts of electricity began forming around his fists. He remained still for brief instants, and once it had fully charged, he unleashed his power. The lightnings flew towards the target at insane speed, and upon making contact it was engulfed in a terrible explosion. When the smoke cleared, there was nothing left from the dummy.
"Вау, это было потрясающе!"
His partners gathered around the man and started cheering him like crazy. Highstew, however, was left completely frozen in place. His mind was barely able to process what he had just seen.
"I-it can't be... How the hell i-is this even possible?!"
"You're pale. Is something the matter?" He heard Orlov say from behind.
"Ehm, well...I don't know how, but that guy..."
The coronel stood by his side and looked down at the soldiers... it only took a couple of seconds to realize what was Michael talking about. He chuckled.
"Oh, I see. It would seem that you've just met one of the members of our brand-new Arts assault units. They perform quite well in the battlefield."
Highstew looked at him with wide eyes.
"You said "Arts"? That's impossible! As far as I know, only Terrans can use Arts, not us regular humans...!"
"Hmm..." The coronel remained thoughtful. "Tell me, Mr. Highstew. Do you know what makes us different from the inhabitants of Terra? The most common answer would be on the strange features they present... but it couldn't be further from the truth. You see, this is no ordinary place. Unlike us, Terrans have to cope with terrible Catastrophes capable of devastating entire regions and the contamination left brought on by Originium, all in a daily basis." He took some air. "Arts are, at its core, the energies contained within Originium. If Terrans are able to channel them it's because they are adapted to its presence, and the proof of it is the Orignium flowing through their blood. It's a miniscule amount, yes, but it is there." He turned his gaze at Michael. "It wasn't very difficult to figure out that, by injecting Originium into a human's bloodstream, we could give our soldiers the power to cast Arts."
"But Coronel, injecting subjects with Originium... these men will become Infected." Replied Highstew, realizing the implications of what he had just said.
"*Sigh* It's true. This procedure comes at a high cost, but believe me. For these men and women getting Orypathy means nothing more than a small sacrifice they're willing to make for the sake of the Motherland."
Reaching for his pocket, Orlov took out a small metal box. When he opened it, Highstew saw that it contained a syringe filled with a dark liquid. The officer grabbed the vial between his hand and looked closely at it. "Actually, I find it ironic. To just think that a mere cubic inch of this can turn a normal human into a killing machine..."
Without saying anything, Highstew drifted his gaze back to the window. Orlov rested his hand over the man's shoulder and spoke.
"I'll tell you a little secret. These "Arts fighters" are only the tip of the iceberg. Right now, the R&D team is working on a very secret project. I don't have all the details, but I do know that they're working with something called Collapsal. This new weapon they're creating must be very powerful, and it will be finished very soon... When that happens, my friend, we'll become invincible."
A chill came down Highstew's spine as he tried to imagine what this weapon could be.
"What a terrifying thing to think about..."
"Indeed, but for our enemies it will be far worse. With this weapon... we'll wipe everyone standing in our path, including Reunion, of that I promise."
After delivering those final words, Orlov turned and walked away, leaving Highstew alone with his deepest thoughts...
X-X
Hours later, night had set in. Inside his bedroom, an exhausted Highstew laid on the soft mattress of his bed after a hard day of work. The man's breathing was gentle, his chest rose and came down very slowly. Wrapped in the warm blanket, Michael was barely aware of the pleasant silence around him. It was the perfect environment to sleep... but, for some reason, he couldn't. It didn't matter how many times he flipped sides or tucked the sheets, it seemed like sleep wouldn't come to him.
"Dammit...". Frustrated, Highstew opened his eyes and stood up from the bed. His eyes swept the room, until they locked on the coat hanging from the hanger. He thought about going outside for a minute. It was around 10PM, and very probably the weather out there was very cold... but on the other hand, a little bit of fresh air might help him fall asleep, so in the end he opted to leave.
Grabbing his warm coat, he put it on and went to the door. Taking a final look at the room, Michael let out a small sigh and closed the door behind him.
/ /
When he set a foot outside, Highstew felt the frigid air blowing on his face. It was a starless night, darkness loomed behind the corner of every building. Small snowflakes fell around him, signaling the incoming snowfall. Taking a deep breath, Highstew went down the stone stairs of the HQ's entrance and started to walk.
A deep silence engulfed the totality of Novaya Volga, the only sound that could be heard was the crunch of snow under his boots as he went down the lonely streets. The buildings to his sides casted their shadows over the alleys, most had been reduced to skeletal concrete structures, only a handful of them remained whole. It was a lugubrious sight. Highstew directed his steps towards an old apartment block. It stood right at the end of the street, laying in complete ruins. Without thinking too much, the man got a bit closer to the site. Windows and walls had been shattered, and the debris was everywhere. Suddenly, as he looked closer, Michael spotted something sticking out from the rubble, so he leaned in and took it.
To his surprise, it was a little, stuffed bunny. Although it wasn't in very bad shape, the toy was filthy... and upon turning it around, he saw that the back was completely stained with dry blood. Seeing this, he couldn't help but think "War never changes, it seems...". The man watched the plushie in his hand for a while, but just as he was leaning to put it back...
"Good night, Mr. Highstew."
Barely able to suppress gasp, Michael didn't skip a single second and immediately turned around... There, standing just a couple of meters away, he saw the familiar face of a certain liberi woman. The innocent expression on her face made him shiver.
"Koshelna..."
"That's my name. I see you didn't forget out "little" encounter from the day before yesterday..."
"Who couldn't forget something like that?" He hissed between teeth.
"That's good. I guess we can skip the introductions then, if you don't mind." She was met with his silence. "I'll take it as a yes. Anyway, it's quite strange to see a man like you wandering these streets alone at such hours. What can possibly encourage a businessman to go out into the cold night...?"
The liberi slowly started to move closer, but before she could take even a single step Highstew pulled out his M9 and pointed it straight at her head.
"One more step and I burst your brains." He coldly stated. "My reasons for coming here are none of your business, old snake. I don't know what do you want from me, but don't think that your tricks will work on me."
Neither of them made a single move. The tension in the air was maximal, it seemed like the situation was going to explode at any moment... but, fortunately for both, Koshelna backed off at the last minute.
"Let's calm ourselves, alright? It wasn't my intention to cause any harm to you, my intentions are completely honest." She opened her blouse and showed what was underneath. "See? I don't have weapons of any kind on me."
The man pondered whether trust her words or not, but after some instants of intense deliberation, he made his choice and lowered his gun.
"*sigh* Okay, I'll believe you... for now."
"I guess we have to start from something... Well, are you planning to stay there? C'mon, I'll accompany you."
Highstew didn't say anything. Taking on her offer, he joined up with her and together they plunged into the depths of the night.
/ /
While the two walked down the lonely streets, Highstew took the opportunity to speak.
"From what I've seen, you seem to know quite a bit about me."
"Truth to be told, I just know the basic facts." Answered Koshelna. "However, I can tell you're different from those Russians. Unlike them, you're not here searching for glory and power. Tell me, what has really brought you here, Mr. Highstew?"
"Well. I'm not the type of person who cares about power and fame." He explained. "Where the Russian Army only sees conquest and plunder, I see new opportunities, markets and potential profits."
"Heh, it reminds me of the brokers at Wall Street; cunning and always searching for business opportunities."
"It's not exactly like that, but something similar." He closed his eyes for a brief instant. "You know? I wasn't always the tycoon you see now. As a child, my family and I lived in a shack at the edge of one of New York's poorest neighborhoods. The life was tough there; money was scarce at home, and the days where I did not eat anything at all were fairly common. I spent nearly all of my childhood in the slums, and those years taught me that humans don't give a shit about anything, but there's one thing they greatly respect, and that is money." He gazed at the dark sky. "With time, I eventually started to make a living for myself, and after studying very hard I managed to enter university. Not long after I founded my own company, World Beyond Labs." He made a brief pause." As you saw, most of my life has been defined by the hunger and misery. That's why I came here, my friend; not just for the money but to also send a message. The society looked down on me and many others, seeing us as nothing more than lowlife, but now that same beggar has become rich and is laughing right at their smug faces."
"Wow, very inspiring story." Said an impressed Koshelna. "I was wrong about you; you like money, but in the good sense. Believe me, I've known quite a few rich people, and all of them were ruthless assholes who only care about making more bucks."
Upon hearing her words, Highstew couldn't help but let a small laugh.
"What an irony, don't you think? You critic the ways of the elites, but you yourself are known for having committed the vilest acts in Terra."
"It would seem like these accusations keep chasing after me wherever I go." Said the liberi in a tired tone. "In my defense I'll say that yes, my actions are far from good, but they're necessary sacrifices. If Ursus wants to have a chance of surviving in this harsh world, then someone has to do the dirty job, like it or not."
"Good point, my friend, but still. I would understand if you used minions for your dirty job, but with your own hands? There is not many people in the world with the guts to do that... and besides, don't you feel bad for it? You literally spent years tormenting Talulah Artorious, and when her will finally broke you went ahead and straight up possessed her. There's no way you didn't feel her suffering. Doesn't that make you regret your actions, if only for a bit?"
Koshelna's expression became subdued.
"Regret, huh...?" At that moment an image flashed on her mind. A young blond boy stood before an older man inside an office. One could feel the tension between them.
"And well, did you accomplish the task I gave you?" Asked the man to the boy.
"Yeah... Our team encountered some serious setbacks, but in the end we managed to take down Deputy Andronov and his family."
The man nodded.
"Great, that will teach them to do what they're told to..." There he noticed his interlocutor's expression. "You've got a bad face. What's the matter?"
The lowered his gaze.
"Well... I understand that Andronov's actions were doing harm to our country, but to kill his family as well... It has made ask myself wheter this is worth it."
"Huh, what are you...?
"You say that all the things we do are for the sake of our Motherland, that we're saving lives... but the reality is that it's the opposite of that. By carrying your orders we've destroyed towns, invaded several countries, killed hundreds of civilians... Tell me, how I can be fine with murdering innocent people!?"
After hearing these words, the man gave him an understanding look and put a hand over his shoulder.
"Look, I know that you hate me for ordering you these atrocities. I get that, in your eyes, I've become a monster, but let me tell you this. Everything I do has a reason behind it. I love this country, and time has taught me that, sometimes, one has to get his hands dirty to protect what matters to him the most." With that said, he patted his back and walked away. Before leaving, he added. "Think carefully about what I've told you."
The boy was left alone with his thoughts...
"Hey, Koshelna. Are you there?"
The liberi woman came back to her senses. After blinking repeatedly, she quickly turned to Highstew and apologized.
"I got distracted, I'm sorry."
"Nah, no worries. Besides, I lose focus pretty often myself."
"Alright then, let's keep going."
The two continued walking down the snowy streets, their steps headed in the direction of the HQ. Ten minutes later, the duo had returned right to where they had started. Highstew said with a satisfied face.
"I must admit that it was a nice chat to have."
"I'm glad, Highstew. I think we both enjoyed this little walk."
"Totally agreed..." Coming to a halt, Highstew momentarily turned to her and added. "I hope we'll meet again someday, my friend. Until then, good night."
"Yeah, goodbye."
Koshelna watched Highstew climb up the steps of the entrance, until he eventually disappeared through the main door. Seeing that she was alone now, the liberi turned around and started walking away from the building.
It had been quite a while since he had the opportunity to, you know, just talk with someone. In a way, it reminded him of the past, when and his comrades in arms... All of a sudden, Koshelna shook her head, pushing away those introsuve thoughts.
There was no use in remembering the past, it would only bring him pain, he told to himself. No matter what he did, those days weren't coming back...
