A Pact with the Devil

Chapter 2

Makarov chuckled slightly and answered
"Straight to the point, I like it. I want you to go back to the 141 and act like nothing happened. Try to find out everything you can. Be as nice as you can to them. And when the time is right, we will hit them when they least expect it. This way I remove a big obstacle and you can get your revenge."

Ravens eyes widened and she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. He wanted her to go back to the people who had treated her like shit and left her to die? But she knew that it was necessary. She slowly nodded and asked
"How do you plan on getting me back? They won't come back to look for me."
"One of my men flies you back. Then you'll get back on base and let those medics check you out. They will see that your wounds weren't fatal and maybe treat you better."

Raven nods and sighs. It would be hard for her to hide her emotions, but she had become good over the past months.

Makarov smiles at her and held out his hand to seal the deal. She still felt weak and a little numb from the painkillers, but her handshake was firm.

She knew that from now on, her life would be different. The people she had called teammates were now her enemies and the people she called enemies were now the people she would get her orders from. She would have to be extremely sneaky, as she didn't have any prior experiences as a spy and she knew that especially Ghost didn't trust her and she would have to be extremely careful, if she didn't want to be killed.

But weirdly enough, she didn't feel an ounce of regret or fear, but rather excitement, that she finally would be seen and could make an impact, even if it went against everything she had once believed in.

She took a deep breath and asked
"For when did you plan your guy to fly me to them?"
"As soon as the doctors say you can safely travel again. I don't want you to collapse on the way there, I need you alive", Makarov replied.

His voice was cold as usual, but Raven could hear a little worry in his voice. If it was because he worried about her or if he worried about his mission, Raven couldn't tell, but she suspected that he worried more about his mission.

She nodded and yawned heartily, feeling her eyelids getting heavier. She was frustrated by it, but she knew that her body needed the sleep to heal, if she wanted to start her mission in a few days.

Makarov nodded at her and left the room, after giving Ivan the order to continue to stay with her. Ivan nodded and gave her a soft smile, before grabbing his pillows and sitting back down in his chair.

Raven yawned again and then asked
"Are you okay with sleeping on the chair? It looks uncomfortable for your back."

Ivan just shrugged and answered
"It okay. Me used to it. Slept worse."

Raven sighed and nodded. She had a feeling, that she wouldn't be able to convince him to ask someone for something more comfortable, so she didn't waste her energy in trying to.
"Okay then. Sleep well Ivan. And thank you for staying with me."

Ivan smiled at her again and nodded, before grabbing the remote and looking back over to her
"It okay, if me watches TV?"

Raven shook her head and answered
"Go ahead. I don't mind."

Raven yawned again and watched Ivan skip through the channels until he found another cartoon. She watched with him for a few minutes, until her eyes became too heavy and she quickly fell asleep.




Raven didn't know how long she had been asleep, before the sun shined through the window. She had always been one of those people, who would wake up, as soon as the sun rose.

She sat up in her bed and scanned the room, which she hadn't done before. It was a simple hospital room, with a small TV in the corner of the room. To her right was a rather big window through which she could see a lake with a forest behind it. The morning sun shining just barely over the tree line.

She suddenly heard light snoring coming from her left, and when she looked over, she couldn't help but chuckle slightly. Ivan was somehow curled up in the small chair, one of his pillows on the verge of falling to the ground, sleeping soundly.

With a big yawn, she laid back on the bed and looked out of the window, watching the birds fly. It was a beautiful landscape from what she could see and it took her mind off of any doubts.

"Beautiful, right?", someone asked from behind her.

She flinched and turned around, to see Makarov standing next to her bed, not meeting her eyes, but rather also looking outside.

After a moment she nodded and answered
"I didn't hear you come in, sorry. Yes it is. When I was a kid, I spent days sitting at lakes like these, doing nothing but side and observe the nature around me. Especially if I was stressed about exams. I just packed my backpack with a sleeping bag, a camping stove and something to eat and drink. If it's possible, I would like to go to the lake before I go back to the Task Force."

Makarov seemed to think about her request to go outside for a moment, until he nodded and said
"If the doctors are okay with it. How are you feeling?"

"Better than yesterday. I'm not dizzy anymore, also I don't feel like my brain is wrapped in cotton anymore. My wounds still feel a little numb."

"You look better than yesterday. You're not that pale anymore. And you don't look like you could fall asleep any second."

Raven chuckled slightly and looked back outside, before her eyes darkened she asked
"Do you think they will trust me enough? I mean I saved their lives multiple times and they still look at me like I'm not good enough."

She felt her bed dip and Makarovs hand on her shoulder. His voice was cold like usual, but she could hear a little hint of sympathy in it.
"I know that you will be able to get their trust. They didn't think you survived, but when you show them that you did, they will respect you. And if they don't, then just remember that you have someone who does respect you. And I don't just mean Ivan."

Raven sighed and nodded
"Thank you for your respect. I will do my best to not disappoint you."

Before Makarov could answer her, the nurse slowly opened the door and walked in. She smiled softly at Raven and asked
"How are you feeling dear?"
"Better than yesterday. I can feel my body again."
"That's good. Your body is healing faster than we expected. Most people with your kind of injuries would still be in a coma. Or dead", the nurse replied

Raven huffed and looked back outside. She didn't want to admit it, but she almost dreaded going back to the Task Force. She knew that Makarov was the villain and that he killed more people than she wanted to count, but Ivan and he had shown her more kindness and respect in a few hours than the Task Force in the three years that she had been with them.

Looking back to the nurse, she asked
"When do you think I can go outside again?"
"Normally I would put people with your extent of injuries at least a month on bedrest. But your blood levels don't show any sign of infection or other things that could slow down your healing process. In my opinion, you should be on bedrest for a week or two, until your body will be strong enough."

Raven looked at Makarov and then back to the nurse, before she took a deep breath and asked
"Would it be possible to continue my healing process somewhere else? Don't get me wrong, I would stay here if possible, I have an important thing I need to do and I wouldn't be able to do it from here."

After a moment the nurse nodded and answered
"I'd have to speak with your doctor, but I don't think it should be a problem. You should be stable enough to transport."

Raven slowly nodded and looked back outside. It felt like someone had put a huge weight on her chest, one that she couldn't show if she didn't want to be killed.

She noticed her hands shaking slightly and clenched them in a fist. She didn't want to seem weak in front of Makarov, but no matter how hard she tried, he saw her hands shaking and send the nurse outside.

A few moments later she could feel one if his hands on her shoulder and he asked
"Are you okay?"

She exhaled shakily and shrugged
"I'm not sure, if I'm honest. I know that you put a lot of trust in me to get information on them, but I've never acted as a spy before. I know that I can do many things and I'm good in the field, otherwise I wouldn't have gotten the chance to join them, but they always made me feel like I'm not good enough, that I'm a failure. They've made me doubt myself. I only got to go with them on this mission, because the General wanted everyone on board."

Makarovs hand left her shoulder and he gently grabbed her chin, making her look at him. His usual cold gaze was replaced by something she couldn't quite make out, but she could see some softness in them.
"From what I've seen and heard, you are one of the best female soldiers I've ever seen. You are tough, smart and not afraid of anyone, which makes you better than some of my men. I know it's a lot that I ask of you, but I know that you can do it. And if they ever make you doubt yourself again, just remember that once this mission is over, I will be waiting for you with open arms and an open spot in my inner circle."

Raven slowly nodded and relaxed a little bit. With Makarovs reassurance, she felt more confident in her abilities and finally felt like she had found somewhere she belonged.

Makarov let go of her chin and stood up
"Sleep a little bit. I'm going to speak with your doctor and tomorrow in the morning, I'll take you to the lake.", he then looked over to Ivan and chuckled, "I'll let him sleep a little more. I'll stay here if it's okay with you."
Raven nodded and laid back on the bed. She hadn't even noticed, that Ivan was still asleep, but smiled softly at the way he was curled up on the chair, even if it still looked uncomfortable.

It took a while until she was settled back comfortably in the bed and even longer until she was tired enough to fall back asleep.



She slept for a few hours until she awoke to someone gently shaking her shoulder. She groaned sleepily, but opened her eyes.

Ivan was standing over her, smiling softly
"Wake up. Makarov waiting for you."

She yawned heartily and nodded, pushing herself up in a sitting position. Now that the painkillers had worn off, her wounds started itching and even though she just woke up, it already annoyed her and she was glad to have a distraction with whatever Makarov wanted to do.

She slowly got out of the bed and tried to stand up, but her legs were shaking and she almost lost balance. Before she could fall, Ivan grabbed her arm and stabilized her.

"Are you good?", he asked, to which she nodded and answered
"Yeah, I need a moment."

Raven closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She felt dizzy from not standing for almost a week and nauseous from the hospital food. After a moment she opened her eyes again and said
"We can go. But slow please."
"We have time. As slow as you need."

Ravens legs were shaking heavily, but they soon made it to the door and out into the hallway. After almost half an hour they made it out of the door, where Makarov was waiting for them.

He softly grabbed Raven's other arm and led her towards the lake. She sat down on a small wooden bench and leaned back
"Ivan, leave us alone please.", Makarov then said.

Ivan nodded
"Me will grab coffee. You want too?", he asked, to which Raven and Makarov shook their heads.

Raven watched Ivan go back to the hospital, where she could see him sit down in the waiting area. Then she let her gaze wander over the lake, which was surrounded by mountains. She could hear frogs in the distance and watched dragonflies fly over the lake.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, taking in all the scents around her.

"It's beautiful here", she then said, looking straight forward to the lake.
"I know, right?", he answered with a small smile, before he sighed and said, "You know, most people see me as this cold, heartless monster. And to some people I am what they say. But I care about those who fight with me. And I can guarantee you that you will have a spot in my inner circle. And you may not realize it now, but you can get your revenge on anyone who ever wronged you and not be held back by any rules. The only thing I will ask of you, is your loyalty."

Raven turned to Makarov, whose eyes already laid on her. She smiled softly and answered
"You have my loyalty."

He smiled back at her and put his hand on her shoulder. He let his gaze wander back over the lake.
"I talked to your doctor and he approved of your travel. My pilot will pick you up tomorrow morning at 0900. He will let you out a few kilometers before the base, so you will have to walk for a while. I'm sorry about that, but it's necessary so they don't get suspicious."

Raven nodded and carefully stretched her legs. They were still sore, but she had walked under worse circumstances, so she would just have to grit her teeth and work through the pain.

They sat like this for a few minutes more, until Raven's stomach growled. She could hear Makarov chuckle slightly and she shrugged and said
"I don't like hospital food. I mean I get it, they can't give me everything I want, because they need to check my blood and everything, but I have a lot more muscles than the average person, so I need more food and more protein."
"I'll let my pilot know to have some snacks on board for your flight."
"Thank you", she softly smiled at him.

He nodded and held out his hand, as he was standing up. She grabbed it and let him help her stand up. Her balance was still off and she almost fell over again, if Makarov hadn't grabbed her shoulder and held her up.

She took a deep breath and tried to regain her balance, when she noticed how close she and Makarov were standing. She was basically pressed against his chest and could smell his perfume. It had almost a calming effect on her and she could feel herself relaxing in his arms.

After a moment, she realized what she was doing and tried removing herself from his arms. He let her go, but kept his hand on her elbow to stabilize her.

Slowly they made their way back to the hospital, stopping a few times, when Raven needed to rest for a minute or two.

When the two arrived at the entrance, Ivan met them and swapped places with Makarov, who said
"I have to take care of some things. I'll try to be there when the pilot picks you up, Raven, but I can't promise it."

Ivan and Raven both nodded and Ivan said
"Я останусь с ней, босс."
("I'll stay with her, boss.")

Makarov nodded and turned around to leave the hospital. But before he walked out of the door, he turned around again and looked at Raven
"If I don't see you tomorrow, remember that you are one of the toughest and strongest person I've ever met. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

Raven wanted to answer, but she couldn't find the right words, so she just smiled softly and watched Makarov leave.