A grey sparrow landed on a branch covered under hay. It chirped frolicky as it jumped up and down, enjoying the warm rays of sunshine on its feathery coat. The careless, little bird had no idea it was being watched. Two hazel eyes were observing its merry play. The sparrow also didn't realise that the branch it was sitting on was actually the barrel of a rifle. But the kind hazel eyes did mean no harm. The man behind those eyes was the famous sniper Slobodan, call sign Danny. He blew gently at the bird to scare it away. He didn't mind his new little friend, but the sparrow distracted him. At first, the bird didn't stir at the sudden draft but the constant, cool breeze soon irritated it. The sparrow spread its wings and flew away. Danny smiled as he watched the bird flutter in the field.
The sparrow was a pleasant distraction after spending four hours in silence, covered under a thick camouflage of hay. Despite the small interruption, he instantly focused back on his surroundings. Over the years, he learned how to be patient. And he didn't mind the silence. As far as he was concerned, carp fishing was harder than being a sniper. His endurance came in handy on the battlefield. The People's Army counted on him.
Danny didn't hesitate for a moment when he heard about the cruelties committed by the Borderland regime against the Coal Miners. He resigned as head of a successful construction company and left for the Coal Mining Region. He knew he had to be there, protecting their women and children, fighting at the side of their men. Because the reasons behind the conflict weren't only disagreements on language, religion, and culture. Basically, it was a war between the United States of Gomora, the Western Alliance, and the Scythe Empire. But the instigator was as usual Gomora. Just like in Yugoslavia fifteen years ago.
He was a young man back then, watching his country being destroyed by a treacherous attack of the Western Alliance. They dropped bombs on their capital, killing thousands of people, including children, leaving them homeless, and wretched. To justify their barbaric massacre, they accused the Yugoslavian government of genocide of the Yugoslavian Musulmans. A part of their territory, with the densest Musulman concentration, got taken away from them and made into an independent state. From that point on, the Yugoslavians were marginalised and discriminated against in every possible way.
The only ally Yugoslavia had was the Scythe Empire, but they had enough problems of their own back then. Scythia was going through the Turbid Times and couldn't prevent the predatory attack by the West on Yugoslavia. The Scythes immediately sent their men to fight for Yugoslavia, and it was because of their presence that Yugoslavia didn't get completely annihilated. Danny never forgot the brave Scythe men who fought by his side for his country. So, when fifteen years later he heard that Scythes were being killed in Borderland, he knew he had to stop that before they did to the Coal Mining Region what they did to his homeland.
He never considered Borderland an independent country. He saw it as territory of the Scythe Empire that had to be returned to them, like the independent territory that belonged to Yugoslavia.
Danny got shot and wounded many times. A few times badly. He even got caught once by the Nazis, but he managed to escape. He had seen many horrors and looked the devil straight in his eyes through the lens of his rifle. And he had enough of it. He was sick and tired of Borderland and Borderlanders. He couldn't wait for the madness to stop. There was even a time he wanted to leave. He wanted to work on his little farm, go fishing with his wife, and see Yugoslavia again. However, after he joined the People's Army, his homeland declared him a mercenary and he risked imprisonment on returning. He couldn't go back. Once the Scythes got rid of the Nazi Borderland regime, maybe then his case would be revised. Thankfully, the Special Military Operation had started. The Coal Miners were strong as ever, supported by the highly professional Scythian Army and their high-tech weapons.
That was why Danny wasn't with his regiment that day. They've already won a lot of territory back and were regrouping. He would join them as soon as he was done with his job. He was taking part in three wars: the war where he defended the Coal Miners, the war within himself, and the war against another sniper he met in Borderland. That sniper, who called himself the God of Zhdanov, was responsible for the death of many civilians and soldiers. Danny felt responsible for the death of every man the sniper had killed. He nicknamed him Zhdun. It was his duty to eliminate him, but Zhdun was quick, almost uncatchable. Danny had been chasing him for the past five years. The Yugoslavian sniper almost had him, he even wounded Zhdun, but the latter managed to get away.
Zhdun found Danny on social media and sent him several offensive mails threatening to kill him and his family. Danny secretly enjoyed trolling Nazis online. They continued to provoke and mock one another until Zhdun challenged Danny to a duel. They agreed on a day, time, and place. But Zhdun never showed up. And that happened every time. Five years they were playing this cat and mouse game. That was why Danny didn't consider Zhdun as his equal. Zhdun wasn't a warrior. He was a coward, like all Borderlanders.
Despite the fact that Zhdun never kept his word, Danny believed one day he would catch him. That was the reason why Danny was there in that field that day. In the beginning, Zhdun actually appeared in the agreed places but long before the agreed times. Danny found signs of someone being present such as cigarette butts and tissues in places only a sniper would choose. That is why Danny kept coming to the appointed spots, hoping that one day Zhdun's curiosity would lead him to his end.
He never took mobile phones or receivers with him on his missions. Everything that made the slightest noise was too dangerous for a sniper to carry around. The only thing he allowed himself to have was a little earpiece. He received signals from it but couldn't send any himself. Someone was trying to reach him. He pressed on a button on the small device inside his ear and heard his commander's voice.
"Danny, we need you at the Steel Factory. And Danny … A sniper is hiding in the mill. We think it's Zhdun."
Danny instantly jumped to his feet, hid his rifle under his hay coat, and ran into the direction of the forest he came through.
***
The battle for the Steel Factory in Zhdanov had raged for weeks. The factory was a huge steel mill construction built during the Union Times. The mill was declining after the independence of Borderland but continued to work up to recent times. It caught the world's attention after the Aces battalion got drawn back from Zhdanov and ensconced themselves in its factory. The bastards took all labourers hostage, including the women and children they'd kidnapped from Zhdanov as they retreated from the city.
The first two days the Scythian Army tried to charge the factory and release the hostages, but the mission failed because of the factory's many shafts and tunnels. A few soldiers were killed attempting to breach the labyrinth of the mill. Vladimir the Lucent said he didn't want to lose any more of his men and ordered to smoke the bastards out by blocking the entire territory around the factory so that not a single fly could pass through.
And so, the Scythian Army did. For over seventy days, at least three thousand people were blocked inside the factory. First, the Aces survived on the food they took away from the hostages. Then, when there was no food left, the Nazis managed to contact their Western owners through Skype, asking them for help. The Westerners couldn't do much and made no plans of getting the Nazis out of there. Zhdanov was completely under control of the Scythian Army. Then the Aces came up with the idea to exchange fifteen hostages for one ton of food. At first the Scythes were reluctant to comply with their demands but knowing the Borderland Nazis wouldn't shy from cannibalism, they agreed. That scheme went on for seventy days until there were no more hostages left. The Aces tried to convince the Scythes they still held some civilians hostage, but the Scythes knew the Nazis were lying and stopped supplying them with food.
A few Aces deliberately surrendered after a couple of days without food and water but when their commander found out about their mutiny, he threatened to kill everyone who tried to escape. He ordered his battalion to keep an eye on each other, but his men knew their days were numbered.
Danny was following the developments at the Steel Factory for the two months of its blockade. He knew the Aces were dead meat. Their capitulation was just a matter of time. The Scythian Army was doing well and it seemed they could handle the situation on their own without the support of the People's Army and volunteers like Danny. That was why the secrecy of his mission intrigued him so much. That and the presence of the uncatchable Zhdun. He was extremely curious to find out what that secret mission was.
Danny's commander met him outside the cordoned territory of the Steel Factory. He was made privy to the presence of an undercover agent from the Scythe Empire who infiltrated the Aces battalion years ago and was now stuck in the factory. The agent was appointed as guard of a few foreign officials. Their presence in Zhdanov was kept secret by Borderlanders.
Mohammed Jihad, the undercover agent, managed to send a message to the Scythes saying that the Borderlanders intended to evacuate the foreigners from the mill. A jeep would come to pick them up. The foreigners had to be prevented from leaving Zhdanov and their agent had to get away from there without being uncovered. The agent possessed crucial information, so his evacuation was the main goal. The Scythes couldn't come any closer to the place where the supposed evacuation would take place because of the presence of a sniper.
The commander showed Danny a bullet his scouts found when trying to find a safe passage into the mill. Danny recognised it. Those were called dum-dum bullets, and they were illegal. They left no exit holes. The tip of that bullet was cut and when entering its target it opened like an umbrella, leaving no chance of survival. Those were the kind of bullets Zhdun used. Danny instantly understood the complexity and importance of his mission. Without hesitation he disappeared inside the cordon.
***
Emin wasn't supposed to be there. His investigation unexpectedly brought him to Zhdanov. Right after the announcement of the Special Military Operation his next mission was to expose the secret science labs in Borderland, sponsored on state level by the United States of Gomora to develop biological weapons. Emin revealed the involvement of Harvey Bydlon, the son of John Bydlon, the Leader of Gomora, in lobbying for those labs. Harvey was a shareholder of BioMeta that owned multiple laboratories throughout the world. Their activity was classified top secret. Thanks to Emin the veil of secrecy was lifted and soon they would put a stop to it. At least in Borderland.
Emin followed Harvey's trail like a bloodhound for months, eventually ending up in Zhdanov. A leaked email correspondence exposed a selected group of people and Gomora's Ministry of Defence discussing further sponsorship of Borderland science labs. All participants were in one way or another connected to each other, through family ties, being colleagues from work, or members of the same political party. One of their investors was the scandalous Gill Bates who suggested for the chairman of BioMeta, Nate Wolferl, to come in contact with someone in the government through Harvey. Harvey negotiated with the Ministry of Defence and got their approval. They agreed upon sending someone from their office to have a look at the main labs in Borderland and see the scientific achievements they've accomplished so far. Nate Wolferl would accompany the assistant of the Secretary of Defence and show him around.
The first place they visited was Zhdanov. There, one more culprit joined them. Transvaal was greatly interested in experiments with psychotropics and mind control, that was why they sent their military attaché to attend the secret gathering. Emin knew all about their movements and the hotel they stayed at. He watched them as they were having supper in a fancy restaurant, discussing their further plans. Despite fierce battles going on not that far away from the city, the streets were quiet, and people acted calm, keeping up with their daily routine.
A distinctive staccato of shots disrupted the silence of sleepy Zhdanov. Emin sat by a large window, behind a frosted glass screen that separated him from the foreigners. As he looked outside, he saw a group of Aces running down the street. He knew the Scythian Army was advancing to liberate Zhdanov from the Nazis, but he didn't expect them to be there so soon. He couldn't wait for the Scythes to massacre the Aces, but their presence forced him to change his plans.
The foreign officials stormed out of the diner and caught one of the retreating Aces. He informed them that Scythes were in Zhdanov and that their battalion was heading to the Steel Factory. The three bastards realised what was awaiting them when the Scythes got them. Not to mention the international scandal their unsanctioned visit to Borderland would cause. Especially, when people found out about the dark reason behind that visit. In the best case, they would get imprisoned. They at once decided to follow the Aces to the Steel Factory.
Emin didn't lose his fugitives out of sight and went after them. Eventually, he had to let the Aces know he was back in Zhdanov. He hadn't shown himself in the Library or the headquarters since the start of the Special Military Operation. He suspected that his sudden disappearance and an even sudden come back would raise suspicions. But he soon found a way to talk himself out of it. He recognised the commander of the Aces battalion in the fleeing group of Nazis. The commander and a few others stayed behind to fend off the approaching Scythes. Their tanks were slowly moving forward over the streets of Zhdanov with the Scythian soldiers taking cover behind the armoured machines. The commander of the Nazi battalion got shot in the leg as he was changing his position. Emin instantly came to his aid and dragged him away from the battlefield. The Ace was surprised to see him.
"Mohammed! Where the hell have you been?"
"I got called back to Gomora. My superiors didn't allow me to return when the Scythes attacked. But then some officials wanted to visit Zhdanov to see the science labs. They asked me to keep them out of trouble as long as they were here," Emin replied coolly as he tied his belt around the commander's leg. That answer seemed to satisfy and instantly relax the Nazi. He knew of the foreign officials who came to visit the labs. His guys led them away to the Steel Factory.
They were the last ones running inside the mill, with Emin supporting the limping commander. His former colleagues were startled to see him, but their commander explained what happened and they seemed to let go of their suspicions. The factory workers demanded for the Nazis to leave. But the latter threatened them with guns and physical violence. The hostages weren't allowed to leave the place and were kept under guard. The bastards caught several women with children. People who managed to escape were shot in the back. There were a few who went with them deliberately, brainwashed into thinking that Scythes were the enemy and came to Zhdanov to kill them. But once they were locked inside the mill, threatened, and pushed around the bitter truth finally reached their brains.
Almost the entire Aces battalion was ensconced inside the mill. And Emin was trapped together with them. That meant that for as long as their siege would continue, he was forced to endure it until the end and make it out alive. Good news was that the foreign officials were placed under his constant supervision. The two Gomorians acted offended with having a babysitter watching over them, but the Nazi commander was unpersuadable.
Wolferl carried around a briefcase he never left unattended. Emin knew it contained important information concerning the science labs in Borderland. Before leaving the mill, he had to get hold of that briefcase no matter the cost. And hopefully, that would happen soon. It drove him mad to be locked up with the Aces again. It reminded him of the torturously claustrophobic atmosphere in the Library. Again, innocent people were kept in captivity, and he couldn't do anything to help them. The Nazis didn't abuse them, but that possibility wasn't excluded in the future. Soon they started to take the little food the people had with them away. When there was almost no water or food supplies left and a few hostages became violent even at the threat of being shot, the Aces reached out to their superiors in Gomora. They had a few iPhones with Internet connection and occasionally made videos of their hard-knock warrior life. They recorded Nazi war songs and uploaded them on streaming platforms asking people to support them and send them help. The Westerners couldn't do much except for showing those recordings in their news reports, talking about the Scythe brutality. But the information of their miserable conditions also reached the Scythes. They attempted to get inside the factory thinking the Aces were too weak to fight but got stopped by the sniper who was hiding somewhere in the mill. Emin had seen him. He was there when the Nazis barricaded all ways out. He was a skinny punk who took too much credit for the legend the Borderlanders created around him. At some point the Nazi commander ordered for the sniper to keep watch outside and shoot everyone who tried to get inside or out of the factory. The sniper's activity made Emin's escape extremely difficult if not impossible.
Another inconvenience was that the Gomorians wanted to evacuate the officials so that the Scythes wouldn't find out about them. No one suspected Emin of being a spy, so they shared that information with him. He couldn't let that happen. He managed to get hold of an iPhone of one the Aces when they were asleep and send a message to the commander of the People's Army informing him of the situation. Right after sending his message, he shattered the phone so no one would discover any clues or trails in its history leading to him. The owner of the phone would be pissed off, but those things happened quite often in situations like theirs. And so, Emin waited for help to come.
***
Danny crawled on his stomach over the roof of the factory. The metal beams the roof was covered with complicated and slowed down his job, but he couldn't risk being noticed. So far, he wasn't spotted. Even the Scythes didn't know he was there except for his commander. The only thing that concerned him was that Zhdun knew the area and the building better than he did or at least he had enough time to get to know it. If it came to an open fight between them, Zhdun would have more chances of hitting him.
Because of the extensive territory and the blockade around the factory there weren't so many places where an unnoticed escape was attainable. Except for one site, hidden behind a bigger block. It was a U-shaped building on all sides protected by the main factory and trees where the Scythes couldn't get passage to because of the sniper. They knew of its existence thanks to the old ground plan they found in the city's administration. Danny hadn't seen that map but found the building as he was exploring the surroundings. He figured out that was also the reason why the sniper didn't let them get any closer to that particular location. Using trees and metal pipes as his supports he managed to get on top of that building. It took him almost an hour to get to the far end of the left side wing. Upon reaching the main building wing he noticed a slight, quick red light sliding over the wall of the bulkhead. The sniper was on the other side. Zhdun was there. Danny was excited and anxious at the same time. He would finally deal with his archenemy, but he had to be careful not to get noticed by Zhdun. He was lucky a solid balustrade kept him out of Zhdun's sight, but that balustrade was partly demolished. He needed a miracle to creep up on him unseen.
That miracle happened. A jeep silently pulled over inside the inlet and turned the engine down. Making use of the sudden distraction Danny advanced further and found a spot where he could see Zhdun and everything that was going on below. Zhdun had chosen a good position that permitted him to control the entire area and eliminate every intruder. No one could spot him from the ground, no one could escape from his attentive eye. He was almost invincible, if it wasn't for that one weak point in his defence; his vulnerability on top of the roof. But then again, he was convinced no one could sneak inside the building, let alone get on top of it. No one except for Danny. Zhdun believed the Yugoslavian was once again waiting for him in the field, hoping he would appear for the duel.
Meanwhile, the driver was getting impatient waiting for his passengers. He couldn't use the claxon, and he was aware of the sniper on the roof who had the orders to shoot everyone who tried to get inside. Finally, he saw people appear from the building. He was told to take a group of three with him but instead there were four. The driver sprung out of the car and snapped at the first guy to reach him.
"I was told to take three people with me!"
"Relax, man! Mohammed is our babysitter. He comes to wave us out and make sure we're boarded safely," replied the guy. He was a tall, broad-shouldered man, with a military haircut. He spoke with a thick Gomorian accent, chewing on a bubble gum. He wore civilian clothes, but the driver knew that one of the people he was ordered to evacuate was from the Ministry of Defence. It had to be bubble gum. The other guy, who came running after him, was a short Judean-looking professor, holding on tightly to his briefcase. The third man was also from the military, judging by his uniform, but he wasn't Gomorian. And there was also Mohammed, who couldn't be mistaken for any other. He kept distance from the group, but he didn't look like he was about to leave and let them drive away. The driver noticed that, and it made him slightly suspicious. He didn't trust Mohammed, and not only because he was a Musulman.
The uniform and the nutty professor jumped in the back of the car. The driver started the engine. Bubble gum was about to mount on the passenger's seat when Mohammed stopped him. He took hold of his elbow.
"What's the problem, Mo? You've done your duty. Get lost!" snarled bubble gum.
"Can I go with you?" asked Mohammed.
"What?! No, pal, you can't go with us! Get back to the Borderlanders. I'm sure they'll repay you for your services!" Bubble gum got in the car and tried to close the door, but Mohammed didn't let him.
"I'll let you leave if Wolferl stays here."
"Who the fuck do you think you are?! Let go of the door, you idiot!" His angry voice resounded loudly inside the cove of the building.
Mohammed knew that the sound most likely reached the sniper on the roof. He felt the sniper's gaze on his back, ready to pull the trigger at a sign from the Gomorian. He couldn't let them leave with the documents concerning the science labs but if he tried to stop them the sniper would shoot. At that precise moment, an owl hooted. There were many owls in Zhdanov, especially in places like the factory where they could hide and build their nests between the warm tubes. But it was strange to hear him hoot right at that moment. And then he remembered. Since Borderland declared war on them, the People's Army used their own secret language whenever they were alone in fields, forests, or any other abandoned places. They imitated animal and bird sounds to let each other know of their presence. Right after the signal, they heard a loud scream coming somewhere from above.
"What the fuck is going on here?!" screamed bubble gum as he exited the car. Mohammed knew he was free to do whatever he thought was right without the threat of being shot. Mohammed quickly slipped a pocket knife from his coat sleeve and stabbed bubble gum through his throat. The Gomorian grabbed his own neck, gurgled a few raspy sounds, and collapsed at the Musulman's feet. Wolferl screamed for the driver to go. The driver hit the accelerator but didn't get far. Mohammed shot him in the back of his head as he drove away. He'd stolen the gun from a Nazi just before they left the factory and kept it hidden under his clothes. The car crashed into the nearby trees. Both the Transvaal military attaché and Wolferl were unharmed save for a few scratches. They hastily crawled out of the car thinking they could escape from Mohammed. He stood at some distance from them and didn't look like he was about to chase them. He wasn't. Mohammed raised his gun and shot the military attaché square in the chest. The man instantly fell face-down into the grass. Meanwhile, Wolferl hid behind the wreckage where Mohammed couldn't see him.
"You can come with me, Mohammed! I won't tell anyone what happened here. I have money! I have lots of money! I'll be very generous, I promise!" He felt his heart beating in his throat as he waited for Mohammed's reply. He tried to look under the car to see what the Musulman was doing. Suddenly he heard a click behind his back.
"How did you earn that money, Wolferl? By using unsuspecting Borderlanders and their children as lab rats, testing deadly viruses on them?" He waited for the Gomorian to look at him before he shot him between the eyes. He bent down to pick up the briefcase he'd been chasing after for so long. His job was done, and it was time to leave that place. He was ordered to prevent the foreign officials from leaving the country, but they never specified to him in what condition they had to stay inside the borders. The Scythes would find their bodies and their IDs. That would be enough to create a good scandal. Emin didn't think they would hear the shots deeper down in the factory, but the Nazis would soon wonder where Mohammed was and come looking for him. Before leaving he walked back to the inlet and looked up. He couldn't see the sniper who covered him, but he knew it must have been the legendary Slobodan. He made a slight gesture with his hand, thanking him for his help, and walked away.
Danny watched Mohammed disappear beyond the trees. He didn't kill Zhdun, although he wouldn't have minded executing him on behalf of all the friends he lost. But Danny had a sense of justice, and he agreed with Vladimir the Lucent concerning prisoners of war. They were to appear before a court and be tried for their crimes against humanity. And although the Borderlanders didn't deserve any mercy, the Scythes were no animals like them. Mohammed, however, seemed to be of a different opinion. Danny was told Mohammed was a special agent of the Scythe Empire and that he had to get away from the mill with the secret information he managed to obtain from the Nazis. That was his job. He could've wounded the foreigners and left them for Danny to take care of. But instead, he chose to eliminate everyone, even the driver who'd done nothing wrong apart from attempting to evacuate people. Mohammed, whoever he was, was a dangerous, reckless man. He had to find out more about him but first he needed to hand over his prisoner to the People's Army.