Russia

Mikhail Zaitsev was fuming as he stared at the pictures on his desk. The Kuznetsov was gone, damaged in a state that would be impossible to re-pair, and even be a pain trying to get to a dry dock to scrap what they could. Besides being a huge blow to the pacific theater, this was also a huge blow to their monetary system and their morale...

If it got out that it sunk, he didn't want to think of the world press. America hasn't waved it in their face, so he doesn't think it was them. They use everything they can for propaganda.

A knock on the made him rise from his seat, "Come in," he ordered as he firmed up and straightened his uniform. Before the door opened, he took the pictures off the desk and put them in a folder.

The door opened, revealing another sharply dressed Russian soldier, Zaitsev sighed at the sight of the man, "Daniil, please for the love of it, do you have any news on-"

"We found a person who saw it go down," Daniil cut him off firmly, "We brought him here at once."

Zaitsev rapidly stood up, "Bring him in here at once!"

Daniil nodded his head, "Yes sir," he rapidly turned around and walked back out the door.

Zaitsev sat back down and sighed, This is going to be interesting...

Daniil came back through the door, this time a pale looking man following along.

Zaitsev watched the man in the eyes, noticing they weren't looking around in wonder like so many other guest do. It looked like he was looking off into space as if there was something far more interesting.

Zaitsev waited for a couple moments... he finally cleared his throat, "And you are?"

The man's eyes suddenly shot open as if he finally realized where he was at, he rapidly stood up and gave him a polite nod, holding out his hand, "My name is Lev, sorry for my rudeness."

Zaitsev stood up as well and shook Lev's hand, he sat back down with Lev following his lead. Sitting across from him in a chair across from the desk.

"So... I heard that you saw one of my ships go down?" Zaitsev leaned forwards, "Let's hear about that shall we?" he leaned back and pulled out the few images of the burning reck that he had.

Lev took a deep breath, "Yes, I watched your ship go down... but I also saw a lot more than just the ship..." he shivered as he spoke.

So it wasn't an accident then, "What was it, what did you see?" Zaitsev asked, trying to not sound like he was desperate for answers, "Was it sunk by the Americans?"

He highly doubted they did it, thew would have bragged about it the moment they sunk it.

Lev rapidly shook his head, "I... I don't know what it was." he looked down at the floor as if he was trying to remember the memory, "Me and my whole crew saw some... creature clinging onto the back of the carrier" he looked back into Zaitsev's eyes, his eyes filled with a maddening look, "It was as if Zmei itself attacked the carrier."

Zaitsev's eyes tightened, "A... dragon?"

Lev nodded his head, "It had wings as large as the sails of the old sloops that sailed around the ports, black as coal... we watched as it breathed fire."

Daniil spoke up, "Sir, you don't think that-"

Zaitsev cut him off, holding up his hand and making him pause, "It's not a coincidence, two similar stories..."

Lev gasped, "Your telling me that you've heard of the same story from someone else... then it's true," Lev stood up rapidly, shaking as he did so, "The devil's themself have come up to hunt us down!"

Zaitsev glared, "Daniil, get this man out of here!" Daniil nodded and went to grab the violently shaking man, "No, don't put me back out there, I don't want to die to that thing!"

Zaitsev glared even harder, Can't let word of this get out... nobody can know about this! He looked back to Daniil, "get his crew as well, lock them up somewhere safe!"

Daniil nodded and started dragging out the now screaming man, his screams fading as he went down the halls.

Zaitsev groaned, now leaning back against his chairs. He firmed up and bent back down towards his desk, he pulled out the phone on the table and dialed up the front desk, "Get me everything we have in the libraries about dragons,"

"Sir, is there a reason-"

"Don't ask that question, I don't even have an answer for that yet..."

"Yes sir, right away comrade Zaitsev." the phone rapidly hung up.

Extremely short chapter, but that's because we are entering a new part of the story... the dragons have been found out, the Russians... partially know about them now. What's going to happen?