Ravinoff's apartment wasn't far from the central district, separated only by a 15-minute walk. The elder came to a halt in front of the building and, after taking out his keys, unlocked the entrance hall's door. Matt, Will and the Doctor followed him inside the apartment block while the rest stayed on the street to mount guard.
"Welcome to my humble abode, gentlemen." Ravinoff invited them as he opened his house's door.
At first glance, the apartment wasn't a marvel. The room serving as reception was received little sunlight and the wall painting was falling apart in certain spots. However, the initial impression of poverty that the house had given them instantly vanished as they set foot inside the common area. In stark contrast to the foyer, Ravinoff's living room was illuminated, with the orange afternoon light poured into the room through the wide windows, from which one had a great view of the city. The place was presided by a massive library made out from mahogany, which held a vast collection of books and decorative artifacts. In the middle, a grand sofa and two armchairs surrounded a tiny coffee table.
"You've got quite the cozy home, Professor." Thought Matt, watching the lavish room before him.
"I don't think of my home as outstanding, but still thanks for the compliment." After a brief pause, Ravinoff turned to the three boys and invited them to sit on the sofa. "Please, make yourselves comfortable. I'll go prepare some tea for us in the meantime."
The trio left their things on a corner and took seat on the comfy couch. A couple of minutes later, Ravinoff returned from the kitchen carrying a tray with a porcelain kettle and cups for the four of them, which he placed on the table. Once that was done, he sat and leaned on his armchair's back. Now that everyone was present, it was time for the long-awaited conversation to begin.
"Well, Mr. Ravinoff." Spoke Will. "We're grateful for your warm reception, but I believe there's much that we need to discuss."
"It couldn't be helped I guess..." Replied the elder. "Alright then, what do you exactly want to know, my dear guests?"
"For starters, it would be nice if you told us about the relationship between you and our friend." Contested the Doctor while taking a sip of his cup. "Where do you know her from?"
Letting out a small sigh, the professor left his tea cup on the tray and proceeded to deliver his explanation.
"Dr. Petrova and I have been acquaintances for a long time. I first met her back when I was 24 years old, in a conference at the Imperial University. There we had a brief exchange, and I learned that she was organizing an expedition into Sami's northernmost regions. At the time I was an archeologist of little note and eager for an adventure, so I ended up joining her. The journey proved to be very long and arduous... yet int the end it was worth it. The expedition was a complete success; many ancient artifacts were recovered and those who took part in it became famous overnight..."
"And Dr. Petrova? What happened with her?" Matt asked him.
"About that... Not long after we returned from Sami, she vanished into thin air, taking some of the objects we dug up with her. No warnings, not even a note; she just left. "Ravinoff placed his cup back on the tray, and after a brief moment of silence, he continued. "The decade passed without any news of her. I assumed that I wouldn't be seeing her ever again... but then, two weeks ago, someone knocked on my door. I went to open whoever was standing outside... and you can't imagine my surprise when I saw it was none other than her."
"So, that means she was here."
"Yes. Naturally, I invited her to a drink, and we had a nice chat while we drank our coffee inside the house. As we talked, she told me that she'd been immersed in a personal project for quite some time, although she didn't reveal the exact details. Now, the reason why she had come to Svietlapetrovsk was that she was searching for the Rock of Simoch, an extremely ancient stone table kept at the museum which she believed could aid her in her investigation. Using the official channels to get access to the Rock would have taken a long time, time that by the look of things she didn't have, so instead she turned to me. By thins point I had become a well-known personality in the academic world, even managing to strike up a friendship with the museum's director, and as such she asked me to move some strings to get her inside." He leaned back on the armchair and adopted an uncertain expression. "At first, I was quite unsure about this whole ordeal. It wasn't due to the nature of request, that's for sure. She had always been the reserved-type person, even back at Sami... No, what unsettled me was her look. I couldn't tell clearly, but there was something in her eyes that generated a sensation of worry inside my mind. It was a tough decision, yet in the end I agreed to help her, for the sake of old times."
"I see..." Said Will, thoughtful. "That explains quite a few things, yet you still haven't told us yet. Why are we in danger?"
*sigh* "You see, just as Dr. Petrova was about to finish her analysis of the stone, the Russian Army struck the city and the museum was destroyed as result. Fortunately, she came out unharmed from the ensuing chaos, and was able to continue with her research... but, just as we thought the worst was over, it happened."
The elder's words sent a chill down the Doctor's spine.
"Professor, what... exactly are you referring to?"
"Just a few days ago, the FSB appeared seemingly out of nowhere and placed the entire city under martial law. They then started performing sweeps in every neighborhood, searching for God knows what. I feared the possibility of Petrova being on the FSB's sight, so I copped to avoid the patrols and rushed to her house... yet by the time I got there, it was too late." He paused a bit. "From a corner, I spotted dozens of FSB agents carrying stuff, from cardboard boxes full of papers to furniture out from her apartment and loading it onto a truck parked in front of the building. As for my colleague, she was nowhere to be seen."
Upon hearing this, the Doctor's heart was hit by a wave of desperation originating from deep inside his foggy subconsciousness.
"Oh no... Please, d- don't tell me she's been made prisoner."
"For God's sake, of course not!" Ravinoff exclaimed. "Believe me, if she had been caught by the Russians, they would have arrested me long ago."
A deep silence engulfed the room, with the only audible sound being that of their breath. Taking a last sip, Matt finished his tea and, after returning the cup to the tray, spoke.
"Alright, Professor Ravinoff. Thanks for the information, I'm sure it will be very helpful to us in the near future."
"Anything to help a friend in need." He answered kind expression.
With nothing else left to discuss; Will, Matt and the Doctor stood up and prepared to take their leave. However, just as they were about to cross the main door, they heard Ravinoff say out loud.
"Before you leave, please promise me you'll be careful out there. There could be dangers lurking just around the corner."
Will briefly turned to the elder and replied in a reassuring tone.
"Don't worry, professor. We'll keep an eye." And with that said they left.
When the trio got back outside, they found Amiya, Talulah and Mostima awaiting their return at the entrance hall's foot. Almost as soon as she spotted them, Amiya rushed over to them and asked.
"How did it go, Dokutah? Did you get any useful information from him?"
"Yeah, we've learned quite a few things." Answered Matt. "It seems like Priestess, under the pseudonym of Dr. Petrova, was conducting a research of some sorts. Everything was going fine, until the FSB made act of presence and started a city-wide manhunt for her. She managed to escape, but her notes fell in Russian hands."
"Hn, it's a tricky situation indeed..." Thought Talulah to herself.
Noticing his girlfriend's expression, Will glanced at her and said.
"I know that face. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"You know me too well, Valery." The Draco replied with a smirk. She then turned to the others and added. "Very well, if the Russians have Priestess's stuff... then we shall pay them a visit."
X-X
The clock struck midnight. With the fall of night, most people had returned to their homes, leaving the streets of Svietlapetrovsk devoid of life. The only living beings still outside were the Russian soldiers, who went around the city to enforce the curfew. Everything seemed in calm, but, unbeknownst to the patrols, two figures were silently moving among the shadows.
Quick as the cold winter breeze, Matthews and Exusiai made their way through the city's dark alleyways. After making a couple of turns, they took the emergency stairs of the building to the side and climbed all the way up to the rooftop. They set positions near the building's edge.
"Give me the binoculars." Matt requested Exusiai.
The sankta took out the binoculars from her bag and passed them to her companion. The boy then proceeded to take a look at the edification in front in front of them.
"Hehe, there's tonight's target..." Muttered Matt grinningly.
Across the street, the Russian HQ building stood menacingly before the rest of the city, its colossal size dwarfing anyone passing by. The complex was surrounded from all sides by a tall, stone wall topped with barbed wire and cameras installed in every corner. At the main gate, BRT-Ts and BPM-97s had been stationed alongside dozens of soldiers, forming an impassable line. The inner yard was just as heavily guarded, with men positioned across diverse strategic spots around the place.
No matter from where you looked, the HQ was an impenetrable fortress. Matt, however, didn't show any interest in that and instead focused his attention on the furthermost point of the building. There, a guard stood next to a service door, smoking a cigar. Deciding he had seen enough, the boy put the binoculars away and turned to Exusiai.
"Alright, everything seems to be going according to plan... Do you have the flashlight?"
"Yup." Answered the sankta, taking out from her bag. "I have it ready for when the time comes."
"Good." Matthews took out his phone and looked at the time. It was 00:14. "Our opportunity should come when the turn shift begins. At that moment new guards will relieve their mates on watch, and during the brief while between the departure of ones and the arrival of others our friends will have an opening to infiltrate the base, something which, if I'm not wrong, should happen around... now."
Just as he finished talking, the clock marked 00:15. At first, nothing seemed to happen, but then they heard the ringing of a bell coming from the base. Momentarily awakened from their semi-state of slumber, the soldiers began to move, and soon the yard was engulfed by the sound of boots. Matt took another look through the binoculars, and he was glad to see that the guy guarding the service door had left, leaving it unprotected.
"Great, the guard is gone!" He exclaimed. "Exu, send a message to the others!"
Exusiai quickly turned on the flashlight and started to cover and uncover the spotlight intermittently, forming an encoded message. "It's all up to you now", she thought.
/ /
Not far from there, Amiya and her friends were hiding in a lonely alleyway adjacent to the perimeter wall, awaiting confirmation from their teammates. The moment they spotted the shiny light on the neighboring building's rooftop, the Doctor glanced at his companions and exclaimed.
"That's the signal! It's now or never, go!"
Will positioned himself right next to the wall and, flexing his legs a bit, adopted a posture to help his mates to climb it. Texas went first. She rested her foot oh his hands and, using the boy as a human ladder, scaled the wall. Upon getting to the top, the lupo pulled out a piece of cloth from her jacket and extended it over the barbed wire, allowing her to bypass it and land inside the courtyard safely.
Mostima, Redblade and Talulah followed their partner's steps and crossed to the other side, with the latest stopping briefly to help her boyfriend to scale the wall. Once everyone had climbed down, they quickly crossed the short distance separating them from the service door and entered the building.
A deep silence reigned inside the Russian HQ. There was barely any light there and the halls were devoid of any form of live.
"The coast seems to be clear." Whispered Will. "Let's go."
The team silently dashed through the empty corridors, trying their best to not get spotted by the cameras. As they went deeper into the HQ, Will and the others stumbled with a group of soldiers patrolling the area. They were forced to seek refuge inside a tiny cleaning closet, where waited for the patrol to walk past them. Once they were gone, the team went back to the hallway and continued with their path.
After ten minutes of arduous search, they found what they were looking for.
"Stop, I think we've arrived." Said Texas coming to a halt at the corridor's end.
Peeking their heads from behind corner, Will and his friends saw a reinforced steel door a few meters away which had labeled: Warehouse no. 17
"If I'm not wrong, then that should be the place where the FSB stored Priestess's stuff." Whispered the boy.
"In that case, what are we waiting for?" Asked Redblade, visibly anxious. "Let's get inside before anyone...! "The swordsman started walking towards the door, but before he could get into the open Mostima grabbed him by the sleeve and pulled him back."
"Hold on, dude. Don't you see you were about to get us all busted?"
"What the heck are you referring...?"
"Look." Following with his eyes to where the Fallen Sankta was pointing at, he spotted a tiny black box attached to the wall, right above the steel door. "It's a motion detector. Had you made a single step, the alarm would have been triggered."
"Hmn, interesting." Thought Texas. "How will we get to the warehouse now?"
Her fellow Penguin Logistics coworker couldn't help but let out a giggle.
"Leave it to me."
Mostima took a deep breath and, taking ahold of the Lock and Key, she began casting her Arts. The first few seconds didn't see any significant changes, but then, the space around the detector began to twist and bend on itself. Her Arts grew in intensity by the minute, causing the area to be even increasingly distorted... until, with a final flash, time itself froze.
"The issue's been solved. Now we can continue with the mission." Sentenced the blue-haired sankta.
With the detector effectively incapacitated, the team abandoned their hideout and headed towards the warehouse. The reinforced steel door had a robust lock, yet that became irrelevant when Talulah placed her hand over it and melted the mechanism with her Arts. After that she opened the door with ease.
Upon setting foot inside the warehouse, Will and his teammates were met by the sight of rows upon rows of shelves containing all kinds of stuff, from cardboard boxes full of papers to weapons, which extended as far as the eye reached. Stunned by the place's sheer size, Mostima asked.
"Uhh... Where do we begin searching?"
"I believe it would be best to split up." Suggested Talulah, turning to her companions. "Four of us will carry out the search; Will and I take one side and Penguin Logistics go to the other. In the meantime, Redblade will stay outside to watch out for any incoming patrols. Is that good with you?"
"Seems like a good plan." The swordsman replied.
"Alright then, let's do this."
And with that said, they went their separate ways.
X-X
Talulah and Will walked through the warehouse with the uttermost caution. The only thing illuminating the way amidst the enveloping darkness was the flame the Draco had casted in the palm of her hand.
"Tch, where could have the Russians left Priestess's notes?" Talulah asked herself shooting a glance at the jampacked shelves. "This place is in complete disarray."
"I don't know, let's just keep looking." Contested Will. "We'll find her stuff sooner or later."
As the two advanced further into the storehouse's depths, the place became even messier, with remains of boxes and wrapping paper littering the floor. Fortunately for them, amid the chaos, they found a chart of the room to the wall. Thanks to it, the couple was able to locate the shelves containing the most recently stored items.
They were in the good path, but then, just as they were about to reach their objective, Will spotted something out of the corner of his eye. "Huh, what's that?" Looking closer, he immediately realized it was the light of a lantern. Without skipping a second, he turned to his partner and exclaimed.
"Tal, put out the flame! There's someone coming!"
The Draco saw it as well and quickly extinguished her fire, leaving them in complete darkness.
The two remained completely still as the light approach their position, followed by the unmistakable sound of footsteps, until both came to an abrupt halt just a few meters from their hiding spot. Concealed from the newcomers by the shelf, Will and Talulah leaned in a bit to take a peek at them through the gaps between the boxes. They managed to see two people. The one holding the lantern was an Ursus man, a noble judging by his look, while the other was a liberi woman clad in a black dress and red gloves.
Close as they were, the couple was able to hear their conversation.
"Is everything ready for the operation?" Asked the man in a low tone.
"Yeah, it is." Answered the woman. Talulah couldn't pinpoint exactly what, but the woman felt somewhat... familiar. Even so, she continued listening. "Duke Suslov reported to me yesterday that the gun-knights are in position. Now it's only a matter of time; if everything goes as planned, then in few days Gergeiev will have... ceased to live."
Talulah and Will exchanged shocked glares. Were they really conspiring to assassinate Dimitry Gergeiev? They turned their attention back to the strangers to find out more.
"That's great I suppose, but... are we really sure we want to do this?" Said the Ursus noble. "I mean, in the case no problems arise and we manage to kill Gergeiev, there's nothing guaranteeing us that the Russian Goverment won't simply opt to put someone else in charge and continue with the war."
"That's the point of the whole plan." Replied the woman in a very chilling tone. "Gergeiev's death will cause a brief struggle within the Kremlin to fill in the power vacuum. If we play our cards right, we could place someone allied to us in office."
"Wonderful idea, but... who from within the ranks of the Russian Government would be willing to listen to us?"
"Fortunately for us, I have the perfect candidate for the job."
The two watched the liberi woman lean in and whisper something into the man's ear. It must had been very shocking because when they pulled back, his calm expression was gone, replaced by one of complete disbelief.
"You're joking, right? I can understand if it was any other person, but... the Butcher of Lvov?! Are you crazy?!"
"It's not that hare-brained. The leader of the 13th Airborne Division isn't as ruthless as he seems and, in addition to that, the support he enjoys in the Russian Army makes him the perfect candidate to succeed Gergeiev."
"There's no way he'll collaborate with us! Mr. Volkov is, above all, a man loyal to his country, and I have no doubt he would rather shoot us on the spot!"
"Don't worry about that, my dear friend. Leave him to me, I'll persuade him to join our cause; you'll see..."
The Machiavellian laugh the liberi woman let out sent shivers down Will and Talulah's spines. Knowing that their time was almost over, the two began to slowly move away from the shelf and go back in their footsteps without making any sound... but just as they were about to take their leave, Talulah inadvertently passed next to a pile of boxes, and bad luck caused her sword to hit one of them, resulting on it falling to the ground. The couple froze in place.
"Huh? What was that noise?" Asked the woman., turning her head in the direction of the noise.
"I believe it came from behind those shelves."
Will and Talulah held their breaths as they heard them closing in. There was no solution, they were going to be caught. The two gripped their weapons tightly and awaited the inevitable confrontation... but it would never come. Instead, the two strangers stopped mere inches away from their hideout.
"Nah, it must have been the rats of something of the sorts. They always seethe in these kinds of places." Thought the man.
"I don't believe that, but I'll buy it for once." The woman shot a glance at her companion and said. "Now, let's get out of this place. The last thing I want is getting caught here conspiring with you by the Russians."
"R-right! Let's not waste time then!"
Without anything else left to say, the two turned around and walked away, disappearing into the darkness. With them finally gone, Talulah and Will let out a deep sigh of relief.
"Uff, that was a close call..." Muttered the boy. "I had though we were going to get found."
"Good thing they didn't then." Replied Talulah. "But putting that aside, did you hear their conversation?"
"Yeah." He nodded. "I have no idea who those people could be, yet their machinations have shocked me. An attempt to assassinate Gergeiev? That's a very bold move."
"I know, but let's not burn our brains on this matter any further. We still have to locate Priestess's research notes."
"OK then, let's go." Will sentenced heading out from behind the shelf. "We're not far from where the FSB stored Priestess's stuff anyways. It's just a small walk and we'll have..." He wasn't able to finish the sentence. All of sudden, they heard something metallic fall to the ground with a resounding clang! and roll towards them. The moment it stopped in front of the couple, they went pale. It was a grenade without its pin.
"OH SHI...!"
BOOOOMM! – Talulah tried to raise a flame wall to protect Will and her, but the blast was faster and sent them crashing against a shelf on the other end of the storehouse.
After hitting the floor, the two recomposed themselves and got back to their feet. However, a noise coming from behind prompted them to turn around... and there they saw that the shelf was swinging dangerously in their direction due to the force of the impact. Will quickly understood what would happen next, so in an act of pure reflex he grabbed Talulah and pushed her out of harm's way mere seconds before the shelf fell over them. Will tried to get to safety as well, but he got caught by the falling shelf and both fell to the ground with a loud noise.
"Valery!" Talulah rushed over to the fallen shelf to help her boyfriend. She was worried he might be badly hurt, yet it all her fears dissipated upon hearing his voice coming from underneath the pile of boxes.
"Ughh, I'm fine!" He managed to utter. vI've got some bruises, but nothing to be concerned about."
"Oh, thank God you're alright!" Exclaimed the Draco relieved. "Don't move, I'll take you out of there!"
Talulah pressed her hands against the shelf's side and attempted to push it aside, but despite all her efforts, it didn't move a single inch. Seeing it was too heavy, the Draco took a look around her and spotted a lever attached to the wall, which gave her an idea. Without skipping a beat, she removed it from there headed back with the intention of using it to release Will... but she hadn't a single step when, all of a sudden, she heard behind her:
"Where are you going, young miss?"
The Draco froze in place. She slowly turned around to face the mysterious individual... and she had to suppress a gasp of surprise upon seeing her. It was the liberi woman from not so long ago, and she was holding a Makarov handgun pointed directly at her.
"Who are you?" Asked Talulah, adopting a defensive stance.
She expected somewhat of a serious response from the woman, so it surprised her when she giggled at her question.
"Ow, c'mon... Don't you recognize me?"
"No, if I had met you before, I would definitely remember."
The liberi let out a sigh.
"It can't be helped it seems..." She then stared right into the Draco's eyes and said in a malicious tone. "Look at my face. Is there anything familiar to you?"
Talulah took a closer look at the woman. At first glance, there didn't seem to be anything notable about her, but then she paid attention to her malevolent expression... and it was there that it clicked. That smirk... it was a smirk that haunted her in her worst nightmares, one that, no matter what she did, she would never be able to forget... and it could only belong to one person.
Her expression hardened.
"Kashchey..."
"See? It wasn't that hard." After laughing devilishly for a brief while, Koshelna regained her composure and, shooting a piercing glare at the Draco, said. "Long time no see... Talulah."