War Spirit - Lead Leopard

#5 - Call To Arms

CHAPTER 5

July 4th, 2018
Zernograd Airbase, Russia

It was dark outside. The digital alarm clock displayed 03:58. It was dark outside, only the lights of the base illuminating the airbase's runway and hangars. Evangelica Dragovich, a 22-year-old Spetsnaz operator lied down on her bed, unable to sleep in her new temporary dorm. She sat herself up the side of her bed, rubbing her eyes.

I guess I'll just go for a little workout. She thought to herself,

She got up and dressed into her PT (Physical Training) shirt and shorts. She brushed her teeth, looking at her reflection in the mirror. Blonde hair, green and blue eyes, and a small nose. She had dark bags under her eyes from the low quality sleep. A rare condition called heterochromia meant each of her irises were a different colour, her left was green and her right was blue. She rinsed her face with cold water before heading out of her dorm, walking down the female quarters corridor. Upon reaching the gymnasium, she was immediately met by the smell of old metal and a hint of stale sweat. The black round metal weight plates were rusted at their edges, having been clanged and banged over their long lifespan since the Soviet times.

"Surprised to see you here, Eva." A familiar female voice came from behind her. Eva spun around startled, to find it was Valeria. A 28-year-old Spetsnaz operator in her squad. She smiled as she approached Eva, the two sharing a hug.

"What are you doing up so early?" Valeria wondered,

"I couldn't sleep on that creaky bed. It seems my one hasn't been changed since the Soviet times." Eva replied,

"Me neither. My bed was a new one, though." She chuckled, before she loaded sixty kilograms on the squat rack barbell. The two did four sets of barbell squats, gradually increasing the weight, before moving onto deadlifts.

"Let's not go too hard, we want to be at our peak for the mission." Val stated. After completing four sets of deadlifts, they moved onto hip thrusts for a short moment. They finished up their workout with a five-kilometer jog, before grabbing their gym towels and leaving the gym. They headed over to the female quarters' showers, to rid themselves of the sweat accumulated from their workout. Evangelica kicked off her running shoes and removed her top, revealing a tattoo of a roundel with a two-headed eagle that sat on her left shoulder, the insignia of her Spetsnaz branch. She pulled off her sports bra, before grabbing herself a dry towel.

"You've got a nice rack." Val commented as the two undressed themselves.

"I don't swing that way." Eva replied defensively

"Relax... I'm just giving you a compliment." She giggled. Eva entered the shower stall and pulled the lever, releasing cold water at first, before warming up to a steaming hot temperature, just the way she liked it. Applying shampoo and soap to her hair and body, she let her mind wander. She reminisced of her childhood, thinking back on the events that led to where she was now, a top-secret Spetsnaz operator in the ZASLON unit. She was an only child, her father was an ex-high-ranking official in the KGB before the collapse of the Soviet Union. Her father had high expectations of her, training her himself to be a top-notch killer. Despite her strength being limited by her gender, she used her wits and determination to become a dangerous soldier. With the help of her father through mutual connections, he earned her a spot in the top-secret Russian ZASLON Spetsnaz branch. Eva had been homeschooled and didn't have much of a childhood. She lived a financially comfortable life, her father being a close friend of Vladimir Putin, the President of the Russian Federation. The two had known each other since their KGB days. Back in 2016, two years ago when she had just joined the force, her team was deployed to Syria during the civil war. Her father did not let her attend, fearing her lack of experience would make her a liability in their operation. He was greatly overprotective of her. After all, she was his only daughter and child. However, he allowed her to be deployed on the upcoming mission, having required a great deal of time and convincing from members of her squad.