“Comrade General?” The pilot asked, pausing to give Aleks some time to come out of his stupor and respond. The General didn’t, though, and he and his copilot exchanged a look.

  The mans solemn attitude was unnatural- ordinarily, General Petrov was jovial and optimistic, always cracking dumb jokes with his big, deep belly laugh. The genuine care he usually showed his men, too, was absent. His soldiers hadn’t called him the ‘Bear of Belgorod’ for nothing. Now, the silent anger he exuded was giving that nickname a lot more menace. Not that either of them could see him in the hold of their Mi-35, but they knew. From the start of their journey toward Kubinka Air Base nearly two hours ago, General Petrov had only issued swift, curt orders. That, and the silence he now held, gave them little hope that his mood had changed.

  A second, more insistent “Comrade General.” Finally captured the big mans attention. He gave a start, but the Spetsnaz team in the hold with him didn’t notice. They were too busy trying to rest this late at night. Not that he could blame them. He’d be doing the same if he didn’t expect for anything to be wrong. Unfortunately, he knew something was very wrong.

  Instead of dwelling on that like he had been for the entire trip, he flipped on his microphone. “Yes, Sergei?” He asked, with exhaustion lacing his tone. Not that he felt all that tired, however. Maybe he was drained? He supposed that was the better word. Regardless, his pilot caught on.

  “We’re nearing the vicinity of Kubinka, Comrade General. Is the LZ secure?”

  “Have I said anything to the contrary? My concerns aren’t that we’re being invaded.” He quipped, trying to inject some levity into his tone. He wasn’t quite sure it worked.

  “No, Comrade General. It’s just that… have you received word from Kubinka? Or the Ministry of Defence? Are they expecting us, I should say.”

  “Of course, I radioed the base commander. He’s well aware of my intent to visit. Why the sudden concern?”

  “We haven’t been able to get in contact with either the Vnukovo or Sheremetyevo ATCs. Nor from flight controllers in Moscow proper, or anyone in the MoD. What traffic we have been getting from the area is farther south, near Domodedovo and Zhukovsky, but they’re restricting air traffic.”

  Of course. Sergei was worried about being shot down if they were unexpected. Aleks hadn’t actually thought of that. They were, after all, seated neatly in a heavily armed attack helicopter, flying in silence straight toward Moscow from Ukraine. Even in the best of circumstances, it’d be difficult to explain that they weren’t insurgents. Now, without contact from anyone in Moscow, even in the Ministry of Defence, or from any of the airports around Moscow? He was actually a little surprised they hadn’t been intercepted by a missile already. He’d have ordered the shot.

  “Have you tried to establish contact yet with Domodedovo or Zhukovsky?”

  Aleks could almost feel the head shake through the headset. “No, Comrade General. If you wanted us to let them know, I imagine you would have mentioned it.”

  “Correct. I think whatever happened to Moscow has foreign interests greatly invested. And that they’re equally invested in what I’ll do to them in kind, should it come to that. Keep radio silence, but am I correct in assuming that no official no fly order has been issued? It’s simply a directive from the only active ATCs in the area, correct?” Aleks pressed.

  “Correct, yes. Likely, they’re having difficulty coordinating the aircraft in the sky.”

  “Then we keep going. If they want to shoot us down, they’ll contact us first. Our transponders mark this helo as mine. I imagine you’ll give them a hard enough time if they try, Sergei. Kubinka first, then we can figure out the rest.”

  Aleks could feel Sergeis smirk through the headset. He wasn’t really feeling the compliment himself, but appearances were important. His men had to maintain morale for the path ahead. “Of course, Comrade General. I’ll reach out again if they attempt to establish contact. Until then, we only have a few minutes until we enter Odintsovsky District, and then it's a short trip to Kubinka.”

  “Acknowledged.” Aleksandr concluded, before turning off his headset again.

  — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

  The Mi-35 soared into Kubinka airbase with a thunderous roar. Sergei circled for a few moments looking for a landing pad, which gave Aleks time to look over the compound. Shattered glass glittered under the moonlight, spread widely across the pavement. None of the runway lights were on, although a similar starry pattern surrounded where he guessed they’d usually be. Evidently, Kubinka had suffered from some kind of shockwave. Distant fires flickered on the horizon dozens of kilometers away. They were approaching, but not yet dangerous. He was well aware that the speed they were moving at was deceptive, though. He and his men likely wouldn’t be able to stay at the airbase longer than a few hours. Luckily, that’d be more than enough time to accomplish their objectives.

  Down below, Aleks saw flares light up, forming a circle in front of one of the hangars. “See that?” Aleksandr asked, switching his headset back on.

  “Yes, Comrade General. Some of ours, I hope?”

  “Our finest, in fact. Before we left Ukraine, I radioed Captain Vladimir Lukashenko, commander of the presently stationed Spetsnaz brigade. I oversee some projects here, and Vladimir runs protection of the site currently.”

  “Ah, I see. Quite the posting.”

  “Yes, a just reward for a life of service. If you two get a chance to talk, make sure to only mention my good side. The man’s a flawless operator with an eidetic memory, he’d never let me hear the end of it.”

  Sergei chuckled. “Of course, Comrade General. I’ll be sure to take care. We’ll land momentarily, but try to avoid jumping out of a moving helicopter this time, General.”

  The comment got a deep laugh out of Aleks. “Of course, Ivanov would open his mouth about that. Don’t worry, I’ll stay put.”

  Sergei maneuvered the helicopter skillfully over the makeshift helipad, and as he began to lower it Aleks barely began to make out other Hinds filling up the surrounding landing pads. There was other military equipment dotting the airbase, too. Dozens of APCs were spread about the airfield in small packs, with a few tanks interspersed between them in defensive positions. Apparently, Vladimir had been busy since he’d last been to Kubinka. Marshallers on the ground raised their signaling bats, and very, very slowly they descended in the middle of the flares. The heavy jolt that fumbled through his bones told Aleks that they’d landed, and he obliged Sergei's request, keeping still until he felt the familiar thrum of the Hinds engines slow to a restful purr. That was good enough for him. Aleks quickly unbuckled himself, standing while the Spetsnaz began to do the same, and took a few short steps toward the side door. Within seconds he’d unlocked it and slid it open.

  Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

  Now that they were at ground level, it was much easier to make out the bases bustling activity. There had to have been hundreds of men milling about the three kilometer airstrip, servicing weapons, inspecting vehicles, or just chatting. There was plenty of space to do that, anyway; most were clustered around the half dozen hangars scattered about their landing site, guarding the dark silhouettes of jets resting within.

  In the near distance, Aleks noticed the headlights of a T-14 tank patrolling just beyond the perimeter. He ducked reflexively as a small drone swarm buzzed overhead, keeping their many watchful eyes on the ground and skies. Aleks couldn’t help but feel his skin crawl as the hiss of their rotors retreated into the distance. He’d had too many of those damndable machines thrown at him on the battlefield.

  The presence of so much equipment at least gave Aleks the impression that there wasn’t a precaution Vladimir hadn’t taken. Aleks did note that he hadn’t bothered to set up their air defenses or artillery, which made sense. With the approaching firestorm, there wasn’t much of a reason to set them up anyway.

  Speaking of, Aleks thought he could make out a short, slim man stalking toward his helo, flanked by yet more Spetsnaz soldiers. In spite of the circumstances, he threw the man a wave, one that wasn’t returned. Of course, Aleks knew Vlad to be a stickler for protocol. He just liked to tease. Once he was in earshot and the purr of the Hinds engines had dulled to a low whine, Aleks hopped out of the helo. The squad behind him followed suit.

  The roaring bustle of the air bases activity tried to take over with the Hind quieted, but Aleks didn’t give it a chance. “Vladimir, my friend! You’ve been busy, I see?” He shouted out in greeting, while walking quickly toward the smaller man. Vlad and his men halted a few meters distant, and he tried to snap a salute. It was too late, though- Aleks closed the distance in a couple steps and wrapped him up in a big bear hug.

  Vlad Lukashenko was not a man many would trust as a friend. The bald man may have been small- Aleks would have been surprised if he broke sixty kilos- but everything about him was sharp and sly. His features were so angular that at a distance they almost appeared to taper to a point, and while his full brown eyes belied some of his deep-buried heart, the man made sure to appear shifty enough that no one could really trust what they were seeing. Of course, a few strong drinks often got through the sternest barriers, and as a result Aleks had gotten to know him better than most. Even so, he knew when to back off, retreating from his hug to hold the smaller man at arms length.

  Vlad was always tense and stiff, but the Spetsnaz captain was wired like steel tonight. “How bad is it?” Aleks asked pointedly.

  Vlad looked back at him with a cloak of exhaustion across his face. “Whatever your worst fears were, it’s worse. I sent a few Hinds out a while back to perform some recon, but nobody else can get me any worthwhile intel. Satellites can’t even see down there, and with no MoD head responding the wider military is losing their shit. We’ll know better once those gunships get back, but we felt the shockwave, and I’m sure you noticed the debris. That firestorm doesn’t exactly give me any hope, either. There’s only one thing that’d cause something like that.”

  Aleks winced at that, but managed to keep his composure. He’d known his brother likely hadn’t survived the moment he’d reached out to Vlad, but to have it confirmed so cavalierly seemed a special kind of cruelty. Not on Vlads part, though. Aleks could tell for all the mans spirit that he was just barely holding it together. “Who’d you have in the city?”

  “My wife. Daughter. Her infant kids.” He answered, his voice breaking.

  “Ah, shit, I shouldn’t have-“

  “It’s fine, Aleks. As long as we get them back, it’ll be fine. Do you have a plan?”

  Aleks looked back at the Spetsnaz troops around them, and jerked his head in a sharp nod. They dispersed quickly, shocked into silence themselves. “The Gorgon controls. I need them.”

  “Good god Aleks-“

  “It’s the only thing we can get in time. I might be able to get some nukes in the air, but that’s a big might even for the next couple hours. If they have a follow up attack- and they do- it’ll come a lot quicker than that.”

  Vlad glared at him sharply. “Gorgon is a nation killer. You’re not just going to doom their military. Moscow was monstrous enough, but that? Do you have the slightest clue about the simulations I’ve seen?”

  Aleks gave a heavy sigh, and folded his arms. “Those are simulations, Vlad. I’m the director of the project, I’m perfectly aware of its capabilities. Besides, do you have any better ideas? This is the only chance we’ll get. It’s this, or waste minute after minute until another wave of nukes comes down on our heads.”

  Vlad took a moment to consider that. His glare didn’t relent, but he gave a single nod. “Fine. I’ll instruct my men to assist you in whatever way possible, if necessary. But Aleks-” He paused to jab his finger into the mans chest pointedly. “I won’t be complicit in another massacre.”

  “Vlad, you and I both know that Gorgon-“

  “Yes, and I don’t care. The effect will be the same. Command my men as you wish. I’ll guard the base while you work. But I still see those Ukrainians in my nightmares, General. I’m never participating in that again.” Vladimir spat.

  His vehemence took Aleks aback, but he understood. “Of course, Vladimir. Of course. You’ve done plenty.”

  Vlad took a step back, satisfied, then turned and gave Aleks a nod over his shoulder. “Come on, then. Controls are this way.” His voice was still strained, but the anger had edged out almost the same moment it arrived.

  Aleks got the feeling that’d be the only outburst Vladimir allowed himself tonight. He made a mental note of it, then nodded back and followed as Vlad began to lead him towards a distant hangar.

  Still though, something was eating at him. It got louder and louder, and Aleks belatedly realized it was the growl of the patrolling tank sweeping back around. A question prodded at his mind, and he jogged to catch up shoulder to shoulder with Vlad.

  “I noticed you have a T-14 patrolling. Why?”

  Vladimir quirked an eyebrow at him. “Good observation. The locals got restless when the shockwave rolled through. Many of them know of the military force here, and sought answers that we didn’t have. When the firestorm appeared on the horizon, the questions got a little more… insistent.”

  “Ah, so you used a tank as riot control.” Aleks answered, prompting a humorless smirk from Vlad.

  “In a manner of speaking. They’re just scared, Aleks.”

  “I’m aware. Have you sent any soldiers to help them? Surely there are some that need help getting themselves away from the fire.”

  Vlad nodded at that. “Of course. I followed your example on that. A couple hundred troops are patrolling the village for any troublemakers, and I imagine they’re assisting the civilians where possible. Order is the most important thing we can maintain right now.”

  “That’s for sure.” Aleks echoed, shaking his head ruefully. “We’ve lost too many heads.”

  Vlad glanced over his shoulder at Aleks. “I’m sorry?”

  “Nations are like Hydras. You can take out a few heads and it’ll stay standing. All of them at once though, and it either topples, or there are so many competing parts that it tears itself to shreds.”

  Vlad nodded along. “Well, hopefully between us there’s enough heads that the Hydra stays standing.”

  Aleks smirked at that. “Agreed.”

  They were nearing the hangars by now, but something was still nagging at Aleks. His mind caught the thought just as they passed through the hangar doors. “The nukes that struck Moscow. Did you see them on radar?”

  “Hmm?” Vlad asked, confused.

  “I said the nukes, the ones that took out Moscow. Why didn’t we see them on radar?”

  “You know as well as I that American stealth technology is second to none. That’s where I’d put my bets. Does it really matter, though? However they accomplished it, Moscows obviously wiped out. It’s just a matter of getting the report back from my gunship pilots that we find out just how badly. I’d rather strike back against the Americans now than worry about what they’ll hit us with next.”

  Aleks grunted in agreement, even if the thought lingered in his mind. He shook it away, after a moment. In the end, Vladimir was right. It didn’t matter how the Americans accomplished it- all that mattered was that they were the only ones that could. Aleks angled to keep walking on, but paused as he noticed Vladimir halt at the hangar doors.

  “You’re not coming?” He asked.

  Vladimir shook his head. “I told you already, I won’t be complicit. You don’t need my help anyway, and one of us needs to be out here to receive the report from the Hinds. There’s no reason it shouldn’t be me.”

  Aleks nodded at that, then saluted. Vlad returned it without hesitation. “Keep me apprised, Captain.”

  “Comrade General.” Vlad confirmed with a nod. Aleks snapped the salute, and turned, continuing into the hangar. The jets were of little consequence- this far from active combat zones, they didn’t even see use. It was more important to keep them here to disguise the real work done at the base. He sought out a simple, inconspicuous white door at the end of the hangar. It looked like any other supply closet, but the doors color indicated it was nothing of the sort.

  “Aleks?” Vlad called. Aleks turned, his hand already on the handle. Below laid the cold steel of a buried beast, waiting to be unleashed. Here, stood his soldiers. Men he was sworn to protect, lead… and avenge.

  “Give them hell.”

  Aleks smirked at his friend and gave a simple nod he was sure Vlad caught, distant as he was. Then, he turned the handle and stepped through, into the depths of a man-made monster.