Author's Note: Holy crap! Chapter 50! I didn't think the story would go this far, but here we are :) I was considering re-structuring all of the chapters to be more in-line with a traditional book publishing but I think I'll be leaving this story the way its posted here just for the ease of logistical reasons. Also, just to be clear for everyone: Melnik is not Mikhail's biological father. I just like the idea of the Commander also kinda being like everyone's dad; I tried to explore that angle a bit more with Artyom when he was narrating the story but Mikhail needed a paternal guardian more. I've got the next chapter about 90% done, I was working on Chapter 50 and 51 simultaneously, so expect to see it soon!
Disclaimer: The characters and story originally created by Dmitri Glukhovsky in the book and video game series "Metro: 2033" and its sequels do not belong to me. Those properties are owned by Glukhovsky, 4A Games, and Deep Silver. This work of fiction is intended for entertainment purposes and is not meant to be canonical, though I tried very hard to make it fit within the parameters. I do retain my rights for the creation of my own original characters and ideas. I do not make any money from writing this story.
Song Recommendation: "Wrong" – Villain of the Story, "Don't Lose Your Heart" – Dream on Dreamer.
Chapter Fifty: Thanks, Dad
There was an organized knock at the door, firm yet quiet, a familiar pattern. It could only be one person, as the Colonel had ensured his schedule was cleared for the duration of Aleksandrya's surgery. Artyom couldn't keep Mikhail distracted forever, though he'd undoubtedly try out of sheer empathy. And Melnik was raring to hear from his protégé, to see for himself the transformation in the anxious Ranger's demeanor, and enjoy the relief of the confirmations that everything good he was missing had been returned to him.
"Enter!" The Colonel called out clearly.
"Got a minute?" Mikhail asked as he stepped inside and carefully closed the door behind him.
"For you? Of course," Melnik replied warmly and shuffled some random paperwork around to make it look as if he hadn't been eagerly awaiting this visit. He gestured towards the available chairs even knowing that Mikhail wouldn't be able to sit still.
"I take it you know all about the surgery?"
"I figured that's the only reason you're here," Melnik sneered with amusement, trying to read through the concerned uncertainty on Mikhail's face.
"Not the only reason…" Mikhail concentrated on the floor. "I've got a list of people to thank and apologize to, and you're next."
Melnik remained silent, waiting for his soldier to share what was most pressing in his mind, he would get to his own questions in due time. The first few sentences would give the Colonel an idea of what mood Mikhail was currently in, and he hoped that the restless Ranger wasn't already succumbing to the dark voices in the absence of Aleks. Melnik was also worried about the results of this important surgery but recent reports from Artyom and the medical staff continued to trend positively. And of course, he knew that Mikhail hadn't left her side for an instant once he finally surrendered and went to see her. That was the most promising facet of all.
"So, I… uh," Mikhail began slowly, taking hesitant steps into the room and looking as if he was still trying to find the right words.
"You don't have to say it." Melnik quickly tried to avert the whole apology, even though he figured it would be coming. He hadn't needed Artyom's hints on the subject matter of Mikhail's visit, because once the empathetic young man had taken command of the reunion, Melnik knew that the pieces would fall into place naturally. Although, he had been admittedly uneasy for the first few hours, in case Aleksandrya ended up rejecting her former fiancé's affections. The Colonel couldn't even imagine what might have happened if that had been the outcome, but it turned out that 'no news is good news,' and Artyom had swiftly returned to the office to report on the definitive victory.
"No, I need to. It's… therapeutic. Part of the process." Mikhail stated in a deep and serious tone as he finally made eye contact, he was adamant.
"Very well, then." Melnik tried not to smile too much, making another sweeping inviting gesture.
"I apologize, sir. I was out of line and—" The blonde Ranger took another step forwards.
"And after all this you're gonna call me 'sir' today?" The budding grin suddenly evaporated. The formality was actually disappointing. Why couldn't Mikhail accept this pseudo-family dynamic? All the sleepless nights, tearful breakdowns, and hopeful reassurances over five years had only earned Melnik the utterance of his desired title a handful of times. But he knew that Mikhail's reluctance had to do with his underlying feelings of shame and his guarded broken heart, and Melnik had never dared to ask what became of his biological father.
"I... I just..." All the eloquent verses that Mikhail had constructed disappeared into the ether again. Why was the universe forbidding his apologies? Sasha continually denied him, Artyom kept brushing it off, Katya and Ulman had forgiven him before he even went to speak to them, and now Melnik was trying to thwart the subject? Did all these people who deserved infinite recompense really not want to hear the things he was trying to say?
"And you're about to elaborate, arentcha?" Melnik stood up and came around from behind the desk, if Mikhail wouldn't sit down then he wouldn't either. He wanted his protégé to sense his keen investment in this informal dialogue.
"You were right about everything. What else can I say?" The Commander was wrong, Mikhail was unable to elaborate at all, looking up with a weary emptiness.
"That's the good thing about parents. We know when we're right and we don't need to say, 'I told you so' to feel good about ourselves." And before Mikhail could say anything else he was coiled up in the old Stalker's thick arms. These embraces were usually limited to special occasions, the painful anniversaries that is, and other assorted times when Mikhail was feeling the most broken and lost. He bit his lip to keep from getting emotional simply from muscle memory but he wouldn't be able to suppress everything the way he used to. "But I'll say it if you want me to." Melnik released the stranglehold but didn't retreat too far, giving Mikhail a hard pat to help jumpstart his response.
"I think you're allowed to, at least," Mikhail managed to return the humor just a little bit as he thought of everyone's excitement over the forthcoming wedding. "Everybody else already had their fun saying it. Multiple times."
"Was she angry?" Melnik switched gears to hear an update on how the recovery mission was progressing. He had tried to imagine the possible reactions from both parties as the reunion took place but even Artyom had reported how uncomfortable he felt at that moment. No one could truly understand how Mikhail or Aleksandrya felt when they were finally in the same room together.
"No, she... not at all... I don't know why. She has every right to be pissed."
"You really don't know or are you still just surprised?" Melnik raised his eyebrows incredulously, but Mikhail didn't look up to see the teasing look.
"I dunno, both I guess," Mikhail shrugged and wrinkled up his forehead.
"She loves you, you idiot." Melnik gently punched his arm to perk him up, shake him out of this depressing trench of worries before he got too deep in it. Shouldn't he be happy now? "Just because you've been blaming yourself all this time doesn't mean she has."
"Yeah, I know that but still... and I know I have her back again but I held onto that negative shit for so long and it feels... weird not to have it. Like I'm... I've got to be kidding myself living this dream and... how long before everything gets fucked up again? I don't want to get it wrong twice. I can't live with that."
Melnik paused and took a breath, almost surprised that Mikhail was still somehow able to find the downside to absolutely everything. But the tendency was the result of his unfortunate conditioning and that wasn't his fault. He had been making steady progress working through his trauma but even with the happiest of outcomes, he feared history repeating itself. He feared the things that were out of his control. Just because he had Sasha back didn't mean that everything else was magically fixed; both of them still had a long road to recovery and they might never fully escape their fears or resolve their sorrows.
"Things are a lot different now. You're both grown, you aren't stuck in the Reich, and you have all of us here to support you. Neither of you are alone in this, it's not like before." Mikhail seemed to accept everything he had just said with an absentminded nod but of course his mind was never completely devoid of concern, finding something adjacent to bemoan.
"I don't know how you put up with me all this time. I don't understand how I could have been of any use here at all. Why did you even let me join?" Mikhail finally looked up with that bleak vacancy again.
"Because..." Melnik had a multitude of reasons but he had to stop and think about which words would be best for Mikhail to hear right now. "Because you're worth a damn. You're smart, you're dedicated, and you care about people. You're exactly what the Order embodies… and Hunter would be proud of you, too."
"Yeah, somehow I doubt that." Mikhail rolled his eyes and shrunk his shoulders in guardedly.
"I don't. He wouldn't have stuck with you for so long if he thought it was a lost cause. He thought very highly of you, even if he didn't express it. Seems he inadvertently taught you that stonewalling shit he does, as if you needed any more of that," Melnik waited for Mikhail to look at him before he continued. "Listen, no matter what your reasons were, you got up every day and did your best. More than that, you made a difference - in the world, in this force, in people's lives. That's all I ask of anyone."
"I suppose. As long as it wasn't nepotism." Mikhail attempted a half-smile but couldn't even laugh at his own insincere joke and Melnik was still working through his contemplative sermon.
"You earned every bit of your place here. Barely walking on your own two legs but you still didn't give up, did you? You asked for this, and you worked hard to get to where you're at today. And do you think everyone else here has lived without turmoil? Without pain and suffering? We've all got our own shit that we carry around with us." Melnik took a pause because he realized he'd begun a tirade and it wasn't coming out right. This was meant to be inspirational. He changed tactics. "Nobody here is perfect… and that's okay. I understood that fact pretty early on. A successful military in this post-apocalyptic existence could never function the way it did in the old days. We have to work with what we've got, and everybody has been traumatized in some kind of way. So, don't think you're special in that regard."
"Like Katya." Mikhail wasn't sure why she was the first one he thought of but it made sense once the recollections of her story played in the back of his mind again. 'Was I smiling back then?'
"So, you see, you aren't the only one who came to us in broken pieces. And look at you both now..."
Mikhail nodded to agree but was still stuck on the memories. He knew he still had a long way to go before he could take ownership of his pain the way she had, and he was still unsure how to accomplish that. And now, Sasha needed his support for the exact same thing. She had been fighting for so long, she deserved peace and security. If he couldn't figure it out for himself, he would at least do his best to help her overcome her suffering. Speaking of which, had there been any counterstrike from the Reich concerning her? Yevgeniy Petrovich was probably furious that she had slipped out of his hands for a second time.
"Has there been any… fallout? Since the jailbreak?" If there had been, Mikhail was certain he would have heard about it by now. Artyom would have mentioned it along with the rest of his little update on what had been going on around the bunker lately. Then again, Artyom was assuredly keeping some things to himself simply to prevent Mikhail from agonizing about them. And he still wouldn't divulge Sasha's full diagnosis or medications.
"I don't want you to worry about that." All the cheer suddenly drained from Melnik's face; if he hadn't responded with words, his expression would have been enough to discern the answer.
"That means 'yes,' doesn't it?" Mikhail accused assuredly. He'd been too engulfed in his own personal hell to think about the actual hell they had liberated Sasha from. Everyone involved in the operation and strategizing conference was sure that there would be some kind of backlash following the infiltration. Maybe sending Bravo team to Chekhovskaya was a bad idea, maybe it wasn't necessary to show their hand like that. But the abduction of Sasha from the Second Unit alone would have indicated the Order's involvement anyway. She had been wearing a Spartan uniform.
"I took care of it." Melnik crossed his arms as if he didn't intend to expand on the meaning of his statement.
"That sounds…" but Mikhail couldn't describe his fretful ideas.
"Honestly, I'm surprised that Duke and Ulman didn't spread it around already. At least Tatiana is a steel trap, maybe she scared them into silence." Melnik actually chuckled as he let the thoughts out frankly.
"They're smarter than you think," Mikhail was quick to defend them. Apparently, he appreciated the two Rangers more than he thought he did, especially after just seeing them in the mess hall. But his anxious mind desired more details concerning his original question before it would abate. "So?"
"So, I called Petrovich personally," Melnik began but then stopped, trying to edit down his response to eliminate the worrisome bits. "We came to a mutual agreement of non-retaliation."
"How the fuck did you pull that off after we—?" Mikhail looked over at the phone on the Colonel's desk as if a recording of the conversation would begin to play automatically for him.
"Think of it from his point of view; he's not about to publicly admit that there was a breach in their most secure facility. Even the accusations against Aleksandrya are sensitive in nature, not to mention the things she found out about due to her… connections."
"Accusations?" Mikhail asked tentatively, though he could already guess what it regarded.
"Now, don't tell me she withheld that from you, too, because it was news to me." Melnik already suspected the opposite, it was just his sneaky way of asking for the explanation from the person who knew her best.
"She took down a… she killed a friend of mine when she and Ivanovich were on their way out. Nikita Tarasovich Sokolov, from the Guard. But I'd call it self-defense, if anything." Mikhail reported unwillingly even though he was reasonably certain that Melnik wasn't looking to instigate his own prosecution.
"I suspected that might have been the case." Melnik mused with half of a devious smile as he gazed off. He had essentially told Petrovich the same thing even before he knew the truth of the matter. He hazarded repeating the remark for Mikhail if only to give him some kind of macabre comedic relief. "The way I see it, she was simply settling the score. An Honor Guard for an Honor Guard."
"That's what she said," Mikhail smirked too but then it fell away as he thought of something else. Any time his imagination had treaded too close to the details of her capture and treatment he was thankful that everything went blank. He hadn't even dared to read the chart at the end of her bed for fear of the unknown horrors contained within. "Is that why they… dragged it out, rather than…?"
"Possibly, though I suspect that it was all to do with their want of information regarding the bunker. I trust that she didn't have the… wherewithal… to relinquish anything useful, given her critical state when we rescued her." Melnik talked through the facts quickly so Mikhail didn't have time to ruminate on anything specific, and he tried to wrap it up with something more uplifting. "Thankfully, someone was smart enough to get her full diplomatic asylum early on. As you know, and as you said, 'we're responsible for that' and so the operation had our names on it from the beginning. I had to say something before the Council got involved. Although, I don't think that Petrovich was sincerely interested in charging her with anything."
"And?" What would happen if the Council got involved? Would there be an investigation? Would she have to go and testify publicly? Mikhail couldn't stand the thought of her being in the same room with Petrovich or anyone else from the Reich, and certainly not under those circumstances. And he wouldn't be able to accompany her, not even for moral support.
"And, it's over. Done deal." Melnik frowned in his determined way but Mikhail still couldn't trust it.
"How can you be sure?" Mikhail sensed that there was something that the Commander was withholding. Why wouldn't he give a full explanation of this critical discussion with the opposing figurehead?
"Because I… let on that… we had more information about her than he thought we did."
"About…?" Mikhail trailed off to elicit an expansion on the abstract statement but Melnik was still censoring the specifics so he attempted to guess. There were definitely a few items which were completely off-limits; Andrei Ivanovich, or at least his role in the rescue operation, anything remotely related to the Resistance, and it couldn't be about Avtozavodskaya because that would put so many people in harm's way. Even Hunter had intended to keep that secret forever, just like his relationship with Sasha, which was meant to protect her identity and location. The Reich wouldn't care about that particular correlation between her and the Veteran, so it couldn't be that either. "You wouldn't… not about… what? The Red Arrow?"
"Of course not." Melnik looked slightly offended at the notion.
"Her… mother?" Another wild guess but Melnik remained silent this time, staring at him almost apologetically. "Wait, you mean… y-you don't mean? No… Tell me you didn't!" Mikhail looked as pale as a ghost and then tried to cover his face while he was deciding what to feel and how strongly to feel it.
"All I said was that I knew about her fiancé, that's it." Melnik omitted the addendums he had given to Petrovich but Mikhail would probably see through it somehow, and even the admittance of that knowledge to the Führer had been a risk. He shouldn't have let on that Mikhail had survived but his ire had overridden his caution in that moment.
"Fuck. Oh, fuck! How could you—Why would you—?!" Mikhail began to pace across the room anxiously and push his fingers over his eyes to suppress the incoming tidal wave of panicked tears.
"Mischka," Melnik stepped forwards to physically interrupt him before he wound himself up too much, taking hold of both of his shoulders and holding him still. This overwhelmed reaction was eerily similar to when he'd gotten his memories back and Melnik tried not to regret everything he'd said. "It's done. It's over. Case dismissed. They aren't looking for you, they aren't coming for her. You know I would never do that to either of you. Your asylum is still in place along with hers, and it will remain so. I promise you it's over. It's okay."
"Fuck," Mikhail said a bit more calmly but was still processing through the adrenaline rush, the fearful flood escaped through his fingers even as he was counting his breaths.
"If it wasn't for you, Artyom, and Ivanovich, this might have been a whole lot uglier. But we got in and out without disturbing the residential areas or the borders. I strongly suggested that Petrovich be thankful that we went easy on him with a stealth operation rather than calling him out and demanding her extradition. He doesn't have to explain anything to anyone, and if he does raise hell, it will only bite him in the ass."
Mikhail didn't respond at all and Melnik decided to comfort him further, pulling him back into his arms and just standing still until he was quiet. He even hugged back this time. Maybe he was finally accepting his role in this family. Melnik smiled to himself over a further observation of his adopted progenies; he'd now stolen two important figures from the Reich and claimed them as his own. Petrovich had begrudgingly bequeathed his stepdaughter to the Colonel in that same phone call, and she would doubly be so if Mikhail asked her to marry him – again, and finally. That was the plan, right? How could it not be? When the somber Ranger finally pulled back, Melnik somehow expected to see a younger face but his adopted son was aging from stress just as fast as the Colonel himself.
"You want a transcript?" Melnik tried to joke again. He wouldn't allow Mikhail to leave this room in such a horrible mood, neither he nor Aleksandrya deserved that.
"Maybe," Mikhail said breathlessly but he seemed to be letting go of the issue.
"You can ask Duke or Ulman, tell them I gave the okay for the disclosure." Melnik paused again. What else did he need to say to wrap this subject up in a neat package? "If nothing else, I think some kind of double jeopardy applies here. Even if they knew that you were alive, that you were here, they can't kill you twice."
"Then you don't know them like we do." He was implying Sasha again.
"On the contrary, I know them all too well. But as I said, it was a mutual understanding, and non-retaliation means you, too. No revenge killing. I won't ever sanction that." Melnik wanted to be sure that this order was absolutely clear. Especially because Mikhail had threatened to kill Varnayev if he got the chance.
"I only thought about it once. I had to see the listening post for myself, I had to see where it happened. I still don't know why Varnayev was there when she was but I didn't see him when I went."
"Tatiana disabled some of their equipment so we shouldn't have to worry about their outpost for a while. I've got Romanov in charge of Arseniy, they're undercover at Mayakovskaya right now. The evidence that Aleksandrya and Artyom brought in opened up a whole new can of worms but it's manageable. I've got it all under control."
"And regarding said field test, what's your decision? Did she pass?" Melnik thought the verdict was obvious but apparently it wasn't.
"I was going to ask you for her decision," he shared his concern out loud. "Of course she passed the trial, after all that. She brought in a lot of valuable intel and she checks all the boxes and then some. I relayed the news to her the day after she came to, and I instructed her to think carefully before deciding, but that was of course before she saw you."
"She didn't give you an answer?" Mikhail seemed surprised. Had they not discussed her enlistment? Was she further conflicted now that Mikhail had reentered her life?
"She doesn't need to any time soon, her recovery is priority number one and that's going to take a while. But maybe you can help persuade her, talk her through it, since you know what it's like already. That is… you do want her to join us, don't you?"
"I'd be just as happy to get the fuck outta here," Mikhail mumbled his own thoughts and Melnik wanted to hear them. "She asked me to visit Avtozavod with her, see her station, her people. It could be a valuable resource, reliable informants, ties to the Revolutionists. I could propose that the station be a layover or maybe an entire outpost."
"And I assume that whatever she decides will also set your path?"
"Do you really want me to answer that?" Mikhail almost looked remorseful and Melnik thought the power dynamic was interesting, though not entirely surprising. Mikhail was so invested in Aleksandrya that he was going to let her choose their collective occupation.
"No… but I understand. I just don't want to lose any more good men, or women," he quickly corrected himself.
"Speaking of lost men," Mikhail crossed his arms uncomfortably. "Can I ask you about Hunter?"
Melnik leaned his head sideways and squinted curiously, waiting for Mikhail to be more precise. He figured this subject would resurface at some point. Hadn't he explained enough about the futility of hoping for Hunter's return?
"About her and Hunter." Mikhail sat on the arm of one of the chairs and quickly looked around the room guiltily as if either of the absent parties could be listening.
"You, more than anyone, should know that I don't tell on people."
"Except for Barrikadnaya, you mean?" Mikhail raised his eyebrows in a childish criticism of the Colonel's confessions just before the mission but he looped his curiosity back to the present day. "I just can't get past it for some reason. She won't talk about him and… I don't know what it is. I'm not… I'm not angry with her, I'm not jealous or anything like that. But…"
"You think she's still holding a candle?" Melnik leaned on the arm of the opposite chair, but then changed his mind and stepped over to sit on the edge of his desk instead.
"I guess so, something like that. And if he does come back, what's going to happen?" Mikhail looked at the door as if Hunter would walk through it at any moment and he'd have to explain himself.
"Mischka, you can't let a remote impossibility interfere with your life and your relationship that way."
"Maybe it's more like… morbid curiosity? I don't know why she won't talk to me about it."
"Well, first of all, it's her business. Their business, their relationship. I already explained that Hunter never said much about her. I suppose it was to protect her but maybe he was protecting himself, too." Melnik tried not to give in to his own curiosity about it. How was that kind of information supposed to help anything? Why did Mikhail want or need to know the explicit details? What did it matter anymore? The Colonel got back on track when he saw Mikhail staring at him expectantly. "Secondly, this is still fresh for her. We've all been hurting for him but we've been occupied with other tasks as life goes on. But her? She's just starting to accept that he's gone. She held hope all the way to my office and even then, was unwilling to accept the truth right away." Melnik paused, how could he relate this to Mikhail better without sounding too harsh? "Did she get over you so fast?"
"She said she stayed in our bed for six months and didn't talk to anybody except Ivanovich and his wife." Mikhail sighed as he seemed to understand the implication of the question.
"Exactly. And you never got over her. So, maybe it won't be quite the same process for her now as it was back then, and I doubt it'll take her eight years." Why did the Colonel keep trying to joke his way out of the seriousness? Maybe Ulman and Duke had been rubbing off on him, or he was just getting sick of all the negativity and didn't know how else to escape it. "You need to give her time to accept it and deal with it in her own head and heart. You can't force things like that."
"I know… you're right. I can admit that it's not like the doubt consumes me, but it's still there even when I don't want it to be. And you're the one who said all that shit about Quantum Entanglement."
"I don't think that theory applies here, anymore." Melnik hoped that saying it out loud would make it true but there was no way to confirm something like that. If they rescued Aleksandrya from the Second Unit, then what would that mean for Hunter?
"Far as I remember, you can't break that kind of bond, metaphorical or otherwise." Mikhail had tried to find something about it in his science book just to fully understand but the explanation was brief and vague because the phenomenon wasn't well-understood when it was written.
"Well, you were there first. So, why don't you just let yourself believe that she's entangled with you?" It wasn't really a joke but Melnik was tiring of the invisible depressive fog that hung around them.
"I do believe it. And everything happens for a reason, but…"
"He's not coming back, Mischka. That's my official ruling, effective immediately. In fact, I've been planning his memorial service so that everyone can say their peace and move on. Will you—?"
"Yeah, whatever you need," Mikhail pledged his general involvement instantly. Maybe he would be able to put his doubts behind him once the Veteran Stalker was officially laid to rest. "Did you tell her about it?"
"I did. She agreed to say a few words but I'm not going to pressure her for anything specific. And neither should you. Understand?" The Colonel submitted his usual serious inquiry, trying to ensure that his orders and advice were comprehended to the fullest. But that command wasn't really an order in the traditional sense, and it was probable that Mikhail wouldn't obey the firm counsel, anyway.
"I just don't know how else to approach it. She doesn't know that I spent all that time with him, that I owe my life to him, too. I feel like if she just told me then I wouldn't be wondering anymore."
"Think of it this way," Melnik paused and waited for Mikhail to look at him. "If you could go back and comfort her over your own loss, how would you have treated her?"
"Hmm, I… hadn't thought of it like that," Mikhail blinked slowly. How in the hell had Melnik come up with a gem of wisdom like that?
"Now's your chance to prove how much you care. Don't overthink it, and don't pester her, that'll only make it worse."
Mikhail nodded, his dialogue turning inwards as he displayed that pensive concerning logic. Melnik couldn't imagine what else was left to speak about, so he left the silence open and available. He hoped the surgery was going well, and he wondered if visiting Aleksandrya again would upset her or make her feel as if he was compelling her to enlist prematurely. Had Mikhail ever explained his improvised family structure to her? If he did, would that help her to think of the Colonel less as a commanding officer and more of a compassionate elder?
"There's one more thing I wanted to ask you about, while I'm here. It's still a ways off but..." Mikhail rose from his seat and pressed his hands together nervously.
"I have a guess," Melnik hinted with a warm smile but allowed the empty space for the question to emerge without interference.
"I was wondering if you'd be willing to... I haven't asked her yet but, would you do us the honor of officiating our marriage ceremony?" Mikhail was sure to look the Commander in the eyes for this solicitation.
"Not a question at all. The honor is all mine." The original grin returned and lit up the Colonel's face.
"Thank you, it means a lot." Mikhail paused as he was trying to determine what kind of gesture to extend.
"And to me, as well," Melnik instigated a handshake and then patted Mikhail on the opposite shoulder. "I'm so happy for you, both of you. Because I know she won't turn you down."
"So, now you're going to say it?"
"I might save it for a special occasion," The Colonel smiled cunningly.
"Oh, God," but Mikhail couldn't even begin to imagine when the Colonel might let that phrase out. Hopefully not during the wedding ceremony in front of everybody.
"Give me an idea of what you'd like me to say, or not say, and I'll handle the rest in the usual fashion. I take it she's less religious than you are?"
"She's similar to me, of course, why else do you think it worked so well? I know there's something out there. There's more than just this plane of existence. I know I've been here before, and I've been with her before, and I'll be with her again next time. Every time." Mikhail finally smiled at the thought but then he went back to being sarcastic. Apparently, this was a touchy subject. "But the notion of a singular omnipotent God with detailed plans laid out for everyone? Watching over constantly and passing judgement as if he's never done wrong? Having the power to defeat evil yet never doing so? Allowing his 'children' to endure such agony... letting men like Petrovich and Varnayev do what they do without retribution? If he is real, he's no fucking god of mine."
"Understandable. We can worry about the specifics later." Melnik tried not to laugh at the mental image of Mikhail saying all of this to the sectarians at Tulskaya.
"Yes, sir," Mikhail said too quickly, forgetting to be informal. He took a breath and finally gave Melnik his title. "Thank you, отец."
"You're welcome, Mischka." The Colonel smiled broadly, reveling in the two short syllables, and hoping the designation would finally stick this time. After all that had happened in the last few weeks, if this grand sequence of events didn't put things in perspective for Mikhail, then nothing would.
"I've got to get back to the med bay. I'm not going to miss it this time when she wakes up." Mikhail was slowly heading for the door as he explained.
"Stay focused on the here and now." Melnik said encouragingly, it was one of the phrases the psychologists used to parrot to everyone within earshot. What last few parting tidbits of advice could he give? "Take your time and stay calm. There's nothing else for you to worry about. The Reich is handled and I've got all your patrols covered. This is your only mission. Sasha is your only priority, understood?"
"Yes, sir." Was the reply with a contented smile, and that time the 'sir' was allowed.