Children's Games: A Story of Modern Consequence

Chapter 29

~Anna~

Before the pharmacy opened, Anna spent the morning helping Dominik write up their daily report for Konstantin. He had been distracted and unhelpful as he worried on about Katerina this... Maria that... So, she had been the one to outline their findings, ready to be sent off to the big man.

She even had to tune out his blubbering about Whaleback mine in order to push Calico away. The stupid cat had become comfortable in the house too quickly, and when Katerina wasn't in sight, he chased Anna like he could sense that she hated cats. She smiled as the ugly feline whimpered away after her light nudge that crashed him into a wall. Dominik glared at her until she let him continue.

Once their captain had stopped whining like a baby, he had filled her in on all of the messages that they had received from their superiors. Anna tried not to let it bother her how much political information Dominik had been keeping from the rest of the group, because it was disturbing, but of course it was still a privilege that he was telling her of messages intended just for Dominik's eyes.

The new variant from North Korea had blossomed throughout Russia and was spreading through the Middle East who were still waring as if their conflicts were separate from the world war. It was slightly more domineering than the previous strains, but apparently it left its victims alive but with an inability to breathe independently for the foreseeable future. Cyborg and synthetic lungs were already in the making. Though such wishful thinking was useless until they found a cure.

Dominik outlined the urgency behind Konstantin's request to ensure that both Natasha and Klaus returned with them towards the end. They both had families in the countries of the suspected culprits behind the new devastation, though Anna didn't know what difference two hostages would make compared to a country full of dying bodies would do. But what Konstantin wanted, Konstantin got. Regardless of the impending coup that Dominik described.

Chief of Army, Lieutenant General Konstantin Romanov was a sight that gave her chills. She would never admit it, but he was the scariest person she had ever encountered, and even then, she had only met him in the flesh once.

"'Anna Petrov', you are going to be assigned to Unit 352, as their lead Biological Scientific Officer." The makeshift auditorium echoed with the boom of Konstantin's deep voice. He spoke with conviction, and he spoke with authority. No one ever spoke over him, and no one clapped.

Anna accepted the position with a solute. He reached for her hand to shake in order to informally finalise their agreement. Everyone else on the stage had already accepted with the same courtesies, until the blonde that had stood next to her was sent away when she cracked a smile. It scared Anna's mouth into a tight frown, and her heart pounded out of her chest as she willed her lips to not quiver. When you signed up for something like this, allowances couldn't be made for those who couldn't keep in character.

She had been through years of training, more pain tolerance tests than she could count, and so many hundred hours training to be a chemist in order to exist in this moment. She had been unafraid throughout all of it. Because she was never in any real danger for any consequences; just endless praise for representing her country.

That was until Konstantin squeezed her hand painfully, stopping their handshake in order to whisper the words that would fill her dreams for the rest of her life.

"I've heard about your... humour. This is not an opportunity to slip away. If you do anything to betray this mission, remember what is at stake. You have families, loved ones, and friends out there. I can make sure they suffer just as much as you will if you disobey. You'll watch everything you love crumble to dust, and there won't be a thing you can do about it."