Cold War: Aftermath

Chapter 10: Comerade

Daniel "Bell" Folten
2 miles from Duga-2 Radar Array, Khabarovsk Krai, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic
March 15, 1981

Bell backed out from the smoke as one of his fellow soldiers approached him.

"Here commander." The soviet said, tossing Bell an AK-47u and a comm set.

Bell looked up the straight road to see other reinforcements gunning down Mason and Woods, gunshots firing. His attention was turned when a man put a hand on his shoulder from behind.

"Welcome home Comrade." Perseus said, offering him a hand. He wore a black gas mask, not something he remembered seeing him wear. Bell shook his hand and smiled.

Bell had almost forgotten about the American soldiers Adler had gathered for this mission as they arrived in four jeeps.

"Go Comrade, we will take care of these capitalists. Find the American, kill him."

Bell nodded and as the smoke cleared he headed deep into the forest.

The sound of gunfire became fainter and fainter. Only the sounds of leaves crunching beneath his boots and the small sound of flowing water filled his ears. He began to follow the sound of the water, as he cautiously looked all around him for any sign of Park or Adler. As far as he was concerned the lives of Mason and Woods didn't matter as much to him as Adler's did. Russell Adler. That was a name that would forever be burned into his mind. When he found him, he was going to make sure that he saw Adler's body fall, and go limp, lifeless.

He approached the edge of the forest when he came across a flowing river, just like the one in Havana. He looked down the stream to see that it led to a waterfall a few feet away. By the sound of the crashing water, he assumed it was quite a drop. He began to get an odd feeling. He spun on his heel, scanning the area, trying to listen out for anything that moved. Suddenly a twig snapped as it tumbled down to his feet. Without hesitation he looked up aiming his gun at Adler, who jumped down from a tree branch, tackling Bell to the ground. Adler sprung up first, kicking Bell's AK away from him. Bell got to his feet quickly and charged Adler with a knife. Adler had little time to pull out his own knife when his legs were kicked out from underneath him as he fell on his back. Bell held down Adler's hand with one knee as he restrained the other with his free hand. He slowly brought the knife to Adler's face, reopening his scar. Blood poured from his face, onto Bell's knife and hand. Adler managed to squirm free, throwing Bell off of him. Bell decided to keep his revolver concealed behind his back, underneath his shirt for now. Letting Adler think all he had right now was a knife was going to give him an advantage. Bell circled his way around Adler until his back was longer facing the river.

"Drop the knife Bell!" Adler yelled, holding his own blade in hand now.

"No..." Bell chuckled. "You don't get to make the rules anymore Russ." He hissed. "There's no timeline in which you walk out of this alive."

"You could have actually done something with yourself kid." Adler scoffed.

"Not by siding with you. You would have just tossed my dead body somewhere in the ocean! I was never going to be part of the bigger picture was I?

Adler remained silent.

"Answer me!" Bell's hand began to quiver. He already knew the truth, Adler's silence said it all. "At least working with Perseus, I'll have a much clearer perspective. I'll be fighting for the side that isn't trying to harm the world, but heal it."

"What kind of- Bell! Don't you even recognize what kind of messed up logic Perseus has put into your head!"

"My head?! Your talking about what Perseus has put into my head? He isn't hiding nukes like you Americans are across the globe!"