"Sofiya Pavlovna, am I correct?" The man asked in broken Russian, A calm and pleasant smile on his face as he looked at me, not once ever looking away from my eyes.
I say nothing, Not like I needed to say anything anyways. He knew full well who I was, this was merely a formality.
"Now now, there's no need for that here, Miss Pavlovna! I'm just doing my job! No need to shoot the messenger now, is there?"
"Oh my! That stare of yours is quite fierce indeed, perhaps the tales and rumors do you some credit after all!" He said with an overemphasized shiver, that joyful smile not once ever leaving his lips.
"Oh? Still pouting? Ah! You were probably that kid weren't you?" He asked simply, not a hint of malice in his voice whatsoever. Something that put me off greatly.
"... I have nothing to say to you."
"Oh? Playing the strong unbreakable prisoner? Well I'm sorry, but there will be no need for that here~" He exclaimed in a sing songy voice, nodding his head to one of the men in the room. A second later, a bottle of vodka was set gently on the table by said man, without so much as a single word.
"You see, we're under orders not to hurt you, so there will be no torturing or any roughhousing here, no there won't!~"
"...Who's giving that order?" A shot in the dark, but still a shot nonetheless.
"Now, now, it wouldn't be fair now if I just gave you the answer straight away would it?"
"What...what do you want? If you won't torture me, than whats the point of me being here? This is just illogical. Something that you terrorists would not ever do."
"Hm...what do I want...I don't suppose I want anything really….ah! No, wait there is something I want actually!"
"And what would that be?"
"I...want to know your favorite color!" He exclaimed excitingly, much to my shock and confusion.
"....So it's gonna be like this huh?" I managed to utter out in disbelief as he continued smiling at me, his calm and jovial facade not once ever breaking.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You know Murphy's law? The law that effectively states that anything than can go wrong, will in fact go wrong? Well, that's what we have here.
We weren't expecting much, more of, you know, the standard guys mulling around the base and it bristling with men. But no, we were quite contrary, wrong. Instead of a lively base to dump all of our newly requisitioned ammo into, we found instead a pitiful sight.
The smell of Iron and death was rich as wounded men lie everywhere, groaning in pain and agony as what few guys that were actually capable of first aid were practically running around the goddamn place trying to help anyway they can.
Sigh.
I really cant get a fucking break huh? With a scowl, I lit one of my beloved cancer sticks as I angrily hopped off the back of the truck, looking for those two bastards that had started all of…"this." Sheesh, You take your eyes of the ball for one fucking second, and the whole damn game fucking changes just like that.
As soon as my boots hit the ground, I'm met with even more bad news. That being, that the two main people that…"This" entire operation revolved around could be found quite easily. In fact, the two idiots were seen clear as day, sitting on a pile of sandbags, shirts off, showing their heavily bandaged bodies as they smoked. Not seeming to pay me and the Russians any heed at all.
Tch.
My teeth gritted together at this. I mean, It was only natural after all. Something as big as this, and you fuck it up, only to be found beaten up smoking nonchalantly on a sandbag? That's more than enough to piss anyone off. IE me.
There goes the chance for a quick fix to all of this. If they had her then perhaps the not so distant wouldn't be so grim. You see, Me, Borris, the idiots loyal that that stupid woman? We might have, MIGHT HAVE had a chance, albeit a very small chance, but still a chance to walk away from all of this, alive.
Now that her captors still have her, for god knows what, we're fucked. Dead, up shit creek without so much as a fucking paddle. The fact that we technically mutinied, called in a fucking American plane on "Our" fellow comrades, killed them without so much as a moments hesitation even, Is more then enough to condemn us to a situation in which all of us have our backs to a wall, eyes to the muzzles of Soviet guns.
I should be pissed, no...I am pissed. But for some reason I can't seem to find it in me to act on it...I guess I knew, just knew. That this was gonna happen. I have no right to be pissed, because well? This shit was never going to work in the first place. It was...hopeless.
Yep, we're fucked. There was no getting out of this one. We were all dead. I was dead, The woman? Probably dead soon. Yes, we were all fucking dead. All because my ONE gamble, the best worst decision in a sea of even worser decisions didn't fucking pay off. Sigh. Life was a fucking pain in the ass wasn't it?
Thump.
The two men say nothing as they simply look at me, now joining them as I dumped my ass on the sandpile joining them, Cigarettes still clinging on tightly in their mouths as they nod their heads in acknowledgement.
They say nothing as they smoke in silence with me, My heavy tired eyes drooping and then finally closing gently as I take a drag. Nothing needed to be said, Nothing could be said. Times like these? Best You can do is take a smoke, Nothing else you can do otherwise.
"What's the meaning of this?" A voice soon rang out. Ah yes, there was still Boris, stupid fucking jackass.
"Pipe it down jackass, If I'm gonna die, then I'd rather spend my last moments in silence." I say softly, not even sparing the energy for a growl. I'm just….so tired, you know?
"What? What do you mean?" Boris growled now, his fists clenching up as he stared at me with a fierce scowl.
"What do you think? These guys all look like hell, without the woman so much as being here, They failed, and pretty soon our lives are gonna be up in smoke as well."
"You!-" Boris managed to growl out before something interrupted him. Something that interrupted US from our sorry ass state.
NEIGH!
Dust and sand flew all over the damn place as a horse and it's rider stopped abruptly right next to Boris, presenting themselves to all of us.
"Sir! We did it! That crazy bastard Majhid did it!" The rider said with a heavy pant as he bore a hopeful, excited smile on his face.
"...What?" The Afghani commander was shaken by this, this small fact seemingly enough to shake him out of his stupor of acceptance of his...no, OUR defeat.
"Did he...really do it?" The commander asked once again, his voice filled with the very thing I'm all to familiar with, and the very thing I hated so very fucking much.
"Yes sir! He says he can keep it like it is now for as long as a week, after that, It'll get much harder!"
As soon as that sentence left the riders lips, the commander let out a small smile, a smile that seemed to scream that all of this was not just over. Not yet at least.
Taking yet another drag, I keep my uneasy silence as I glance slowly at the Afghanistan commander, and the US agent next to him, his frown now effectively upside down. On a face where this was once resignation, now flashed hope and joy as he discarded the cigarette and looked at Boris.
"You're just in luck bob?..No, wait, ah! Boris isn't it? Well whatever, we don't have much time, you want to save your Kapitan, don't you?" He asks in fluent Russian, much to Borris's shock.
...Something was wrong...Well, when wasn't it? But this? I have to ask...why? They were much too ecstatic. At this point, with all the losses that they've taken? They should be pretty fucking mopey even with this apparent "Good" news. So why? Why were they so upbeat? That enthusiasm...it seemed so...desperate.
"Come now oh mighty Beast this fight is not just over yet. We have your woman to save after all." The commander said with a renewed smile.
"...The Tiger...was it?"
"Hm?" He asked, quickly losing his smile as he looked at me.
"Oh no, I was just wondering...why..would the Tiger of Badakhshan ever be here?"
He says nothing now, looking at me with a serious face as he tries to read me, to try and figure out just what exactly I'm getting at.
"Sir, If I'm going to die, then I would very much like to know the reason as to why I will die."
"...Whatever do you mean? Come now-" he asks, not even trying to his expression. His question was not feigned ignorance, but a warning. A warning I care jack shit about.
"This is bigger than the woman. I am no fool, I can tell when the winds change. I. WILL. NOT. DIE. IGNORANT." I say, emphasizing what little I knew of the language.
"What could be so important, that you dragged the Tiger of Badakhshan to this sector? A sector quite a ways away from his hunting grounds?" I say in Russian, asking the CIA operative in a very low and calm tone, more tired than angry if anything. I was just so...fed up with this shit.
"Yuri-" Boris starts, only for me to cut the fucker off.
"Not now Boris. Let the adults do the talking, okay?" I say mockingly, my eyes not once leaving the duo as they looked apprehensively, sweat beads falling down their faces as they contemplate on this new recent turn of events.
"...Look. You wouldn't want to know-"
"Like you guys, despite being so obviously battered and beaten from your attempt to save Sofiya, suddenly perk up again when you gain yet another chance to rescue her from her captives? I wouldn't want to know why you guys are so desperate right?"
"..." I was met with heavy silence as they both looked at me, grim expressions on their faces as they stood there, the heavy weight of my words rebounding off of them.
For the briefest of moments, the silence coming from the two was deafening, their silence telling me more than a thousand words ever could. Sigh, I'm getting sick of this shit.
"I know that your other comrades are offering her back to the red army for the literal price of a jet. I know that you have a...disagreement with them, big enough to warrant getting into blows for. But what I don't know is-"
"Stop, please."
"Now why exactly should I stop?"
"This is no little matter, it's quite important actually." He said bluntly, his tone clearly stating that he wanted this topic dropped.
"Oh? stopping the more radical of you lot from getting your grubby hands on a fighter jet is quite important? I never would have known!" I say in mock disbelief, clearly not buying any of his bullshit.
"You don't understand."
"And I'm telling you, I want to know even if I don't. I'd rather die knowing exactly why I died, and why... THIS. This right here? Is so important. You've lost what? Half you're number? many of these men looked quite capable to. You should be absolutely devastated by this, and yet here you are, eagerly going into the fray once again. Now, I'm a pretty trusting guy, but something just doesn't add up, wouldn't you think?" To my question, he bears a concerned, guilty and panicked look. A moment or two passed in silence as he glanced at the commander who in turn slowly nodded his head.
"We'll lose everything."
"Hah? Of course we'll lose everything if we lose her, she's our only chance of making it through this goddamn war."
"No! you don't understand! We really will lose everything!"
I say nothing in response to his answer, merely raising a brow as he looked away in displeasure. The beads of sweat now falling down his face as he takes a moment to compose himself before looking me straight in the eyes.
"This is big...Big enough to impact the entire world as a matter of fact. Bigger than you and me, It's colossal in fact..The only thing that I can say for certain, is that we absolutely must not let the trade of Sofiya Pavlovna go through, If the remnants succeed, then it really is over. For all of us." The American replies grimly, his tone low as well.
A heavy silence sets in once more as I recognize the tone and gravity of his words, not one of them felt insincere or cheap. Whatever it was, it got him spooked, that was for sure.
"...Sigh."
With one last drag from my beloved death stick, I dragged my sorry ass off of that piece of shit sand pile.
"...Out of the fire, into a goddamn firestorm I guess." I utter out quietly in Japanese, not caring anymore.
"...Where is she?" I ask bluntly, ignoring their looks as I snub out my beloved cigarette Chan.
"...Inside the valley, up its highest peak, you shall find a series of caves. It is by far the most defensible thing that we have ever created. It's up high, so far up there in fact, that chances are you will die before you even get halfway. With snipers and machine gunners always on watch. There is one entrance and multiple exits…. They call it the eagles nest." The American said grimly, his eyes furrowing at the thought of the damn thing.
"Hah? Man you guys must really like making my life hell."
"You're the beast aren't you? You bring hell everywhere you go."
"..Eh, I suppose so… Come Boris, let's get to rescuing that damn woman eh?" I say with a fierce scowl as I step towards the truck. My face is forever stuck in an eternal frown and look of irritation and annoyance as I curse my luck for ending up in this fucked up situation.