Russell Adler x Reader

Twenty-One

Breathing heavily, you jumped after the two American soldiers who had been dropped down into the village with you.

Your eyes were glued to their backs, making sure the enemy was always in front and not behind you.

Vietnamese soldiers crawled out of every corner, armed like Americans but unfortunately not as skilled as they were.

The bullets that came raining down mostly missed.

The soldiers rushed forward, disappearing in a cloud of dust.

Luckily, Adler and Sims had dropped on the other side of the village, so yon had enough time to disappear, meet whoever you had to meet and return to their sides.

Somewhere, a grenade exploded.

The ground shook.

A huge could of strangely coloured smoke filled the air.

You used the opportunity to hide inside the chaos, pressed your back against a wall and slid inside a house.

But you hadn't made three steps as someone screamed something.

Struck by surprise, you dropped your riffle and raised your arms to show you weren't a threat.

"Comrade!", you screamed in Russian. "Don't shoot. I'm here to serve the Union!"

The steps froze.

Two people whispered with each other.

"You're not fooling us, American.", a man answered in Russian. "Turn around!"

Slowly, you turned on the spot, arms still raised.

"Think of me how you want, but I am not the enemy."

"You're wearing their uniform."

"I'm a spy."

"How can you prove that? Speaking Russian isn't enough."

You swallowed hard.

"I need to see Perseus.", you said in a calm voice and locked eyes with one of the men. "He knows who I am."

The man frowned.

"Perseus is just a myth.", he said but it was obvious he was bluffing.

"Comrade.", you looked at him with a dark expression. "This is important. The American Charlie wants something. Something you don't ask about."

All of a sudden, their faces went blank.

"Blyat...", one hissed. "Fine, we'll take you to him. But you need to leave all your weapons behind."

Immediately, you unarmed yourself.

"Nothing easier than that."

Your heart was beating as if it was trying to escape your chest as the two Soviet soldiers led you towards a door and stopped.

"You go in first.", one of them gave you a push.

Unsure, you glanced at him.

"Do I... do I knock?", you asked.

He exchanged a confused glance with his partner. Then they nodded.

With shaking hands, you knocked on the door, first gently and unsure, then with more persistence.

He wasn't supposed to think you were weak. In fact, you were probably one of the bravest Soviets out there.

The heavy door moved. A clicking sound filled the tense silence.

Then it opened a crack wide and another soldier looked at you.

Confused, he tilted his head.

"Greetings, comrade.", you said in Russian. "I'm here to see Perseus."

He frowned.

"Who are you?", he asked sceptically and eyed the other men.

Steps sounded from out of the rooms inside. A shadow crawled over the floor.

A man appeared, huge and broad, almost like a giant. The deep brown of his hair was already turning grey. Only the moustache he had indicted that he had not always been grey.

At the sight, you let out a shivering breath. Immediately you knew who he was and bowed your head in respect.

His bright blue eyes examined you for a moment.

"Comrade.", he said in English, a thick Russian accent dripping from his tongue. "You're wearing the enemies uniform. You fight with their weapons and kill on their behalft."

Swallowing hard, you nodded, eyes still turned to the floor.

"I even share their nationality, their language.", you replied in English. "But there is only one blood flowing through my veins. The blood of the Union."

Surprised, he tilted his head.

"Can it be? I've never met you before."

"No. I was born and raised American. I've never met my people either."

For a moment, his eyes just dug through the back of your head, into the deepest depths of your soul.

He stepped aside and with him all the others.

"Come in.", he invited you in Russian.

Hesitating, you looked up. That was the first time you've ever looked him directly in the face.

He was handsome, despite the fact that he was visibly getting old. The way he carried himself made clear he was a leader through and through. His eyes were filled with power.

You dared to enter.

The door fell shut.

"So it is true.", Perseus suddenly said.

You frowned.

"What is true?", you asked.

He gifted you a smile, soft, almost proud.

"As someone like you, you probably don't know what Perseus is."

"My father taught me that Perseus is a construct, an idea. Only the Americans believe Perseus is one person."

Satisfied, he nodded.

"I see, Mika raised you well."

"You knew my father?"

"No. Not personally. And you aren't my doing either. My predecessor had the idea to infiltrate the West from within. He send your parents to the States so that they would have a family and spy on the Americans. I've read about it. But I never thought that one day you'd knock on my door."

A slim smile appeared on your lips.

"Well, here I am.", you pulled out a wrinkly piece of paper on which you had written down everything that Adler had said in the past few weeks. "This is what I can give you. They want to go and get assets for Charlie from Ripcord. Be prepared."

Perseus took it.

"Russell Adler...", his eyebrows rose. "You must stick with him. He's important. And incredibly tiresome for our plan. Try to find out everything he knows."

You nodded.

"I'll win his trust."

"I'm sure you will.", he did a gesture. "But first you need to win the trust of the Union."

All of a sudden, the door jumped open again and two soldiers appeared. Each one of them dragged a kidnapped American soldier.

You recognised their faces. They had been send down with you.

A hand lay on your shoulder.

Perseus offered you a pistol.

You knew what to do.

Without skipping a beat, you checked the ammunition, loaded and ended both with a headshot.

Blood splattered all over the floor.

You didn't even flinch.

This was what you had been trained for.

"Very good, indeed.", Perseus said with a smile in his voice. "Now go your way. You know what to do."