Looking For A Legend (Book 1)

Looking For A Legend Chapter 44 - Viktoriya

            Ania Sofiya Sima had always faced adversity in her life.  She was the youngest of seven children, living on a farm owned in community by her father, Luka, her grandfather, Yasha, and Great-Uncle Shashenka.    She had always struggled to find her own identity, lost in the crowd of her siblings  When she was ten, her family was rocked by the murder of her second cousin, Mikhail Shashenka Sima, a high profile officer of the Prizrak Rytsarya and national hero for his capture of many criminals that would persecute Prizrak for natural born abilities.  Mikhail had left a widow and daughter behind in London, the scene of his death, but the pain was felt just as sharply by his extended family back home in Russia.

            The Sima family was never very cosmopolitan either.  No Sima beside Mikhail had ever left their farm for the city, and Mikhail’s fate was used as a warning for the younger members of the family.  This rural reputation plagued Ania her entire life.  She was called “yokel” and “backwater”, and often applauded for “doing the best she can.”  After all, what could you expect from “those Simas”?

            At the age of seventeen, Ania was plagued with headaches and light sensitivity that lead to the revelation of a vlast’.  Ania could bend and manipulate light at her will.  She was accepted by her family, Ania wasn’t the first Prizrak in her family, but the other students in her high school weren’t as tolerant.  Even girls that had been her friends since childhood questioned her friendship, her health and her sanity.

Despite the public outpour of sympathy for the Sima family, a cold snap the next spring wiped out an entire season of crops for the already struggling farm.  While her six siblings worked hard with their father to try to save homestead, Ania decided to save her future.  At seventeen, after writing several letters, and applying for several scholarships, Ania was accepted to Moscow State University.  She completed her degree in military training with the highest GPA of the graduating classes, in spite of mounting negative pressure from the predominantly male classmates.

Upon her graduation, Ania applied to and was passed over by the Prizrak Rytsarya four times.  After the fourth rejection, Ania had two choices before: Return home to the country side, or change her future.  What would Mikhail have done in that situation?  If Mikhail didn’t like his situation, he changed it.  Ania would do the same.  She changed her name to Viktoriya Yaroslava Sima, literally “fierce and glorious victory,” and once again applied to a position in the Prizrak Rytsarya.  This time Viktoriya was accepted, and offered a position in the officer’s training program.  She graduated three years later at the top of her class, with the rank of Junior Lieutenant to Captain Kaminski of the Spetsgruppa Drakon Pushki, a team most active with rescues missions in difficult situations.  She was proud of her position, her team and their work. For her diligence she was promoted to Lieutenant, then to Senior Lieutenant.  She was promoted again, this time to Captain, when Director Isaak Polzin stepped down from his leadership of the Prizrak Rytsarya, and nominating Captain Kaminski as his replacement.

Of course, Viktoriya Sima’s promotion did not come easily, or with much congratulation.  She fought three other Senior Lieutenants for the position, and long with the rumors that she had been sleeping with Kaminski.  The rumors, like many, had a single thread of truth woven through them.  Viktoriya had been sleeping with a soldier, but it had been during their training.  She had found him handsome, and respectful, and funny and smart.  She had loved him, or at least she thought she had.  He died in their twelfth week of training, of hypothermia and pneumonia.  What cut Viktoriya deeper was that only three years later, she couldn’t remember his name.

Viktoriya Sima was often criticized for her handling of the Spetsgruppa Drakon Pushki.  She often looked not to Kaminski, but her late second cousin, Mikhail for procedural guidance.  While Mikhail was a national hero, he was often cited as being unconventional and unfocused.  Many feared the young Viktoriya was going behave the same, or worse was only trying to achieve her own glory on the shoulders of her late cousin.  And like many fears, it was partially grounded.  Viktoriya had adopted a similar uniform to Mikhail’s Spetsgruppa Yaysto black-with-smoke, dressing her team in black with the same stripe down the leg and inside of the arm and side, but in dark blood red.  She retrained her team rigorously, preparing for a mission that no one was briefed on.  Her men were cross trained in tactics, on equipment, with weapons and vehicles they never assumed they would need.  Everyone doubted Viktoriya’s preparations.  She had even begun to doubt herself.

All of Viktoriya’s suspicions had been confirmed for her over the past week.  For reasons neither she, nor any doctor could explain, Viktoriya had slipped into a long three day sleep.  She woke in the hospital, being examined and prodded, and tested on.  She was released with no answer to what had happened.  Her toxicology was clean, as was her cardiologic tests, her respiratory tests, and anything else they could run.  Neurology was concerned though, by her two complete sets of brain waves.  Her entire brain was lit up, as if she was thinking for two.  The event happened again a week later.  And again a week after that.  With each new incident, Viktoriya was filled with a new resolve, and a new training exercise was put on the schedule.  She had her new personal challenge, and requested a meeting with Director Kaminski and his advisors.

Viktoriya was nervous as she waited to be called in to the conference chambers.  She constantly inspected her dress uniform, flattening her lapels and tugging at her white gloves.  She checked her reflection in a mirror, her dark hair pulled back tightly in a braid.  For the occasion she decided to wear makeup, but was start to regret it.  Her full lips had been coated with a neutral pink, but her crystal blue-ringed-with-violet eyes were rimmed in black liner and grey eye shadow.  She was about to wipe it away when Director Kaminski’s assistant called her inside.

“Captain Sima.  Director Kaminski will see you now.” The assistant held the door for her.

Viktoriya straightened up and rushed inside, standing before Kaminski and two of his advisors.  Each was dressed in full dress uniform sitting beside their desks, some of them taking notes.

“Gentlemen, Captain Viktoriya Yaroslava Sima of the Spetsgruppa Drakon Pushki, registered Telo Prizrak.” She saluted Kaminski and his advisors.

“Captain Sima, you have the floor.” Kaminski nodded to her.

“Thank you, sir.  As you may know, I have recently suffered from a series of sleeping spells.  During these spells I visited by a telepath with information, regarding a pair of imprisoned Prizrak.  I believe these Prizrak are Captain Mikhail Shashenka Sima and his man Yuri Josef Utkin.  I would like permission to investigate this information and recover these men.” She stood with her hands behind her back, waiting patiently as Kaminski and the advisors discussed.

“How did you come to the belief that the prisoners are Sima and Utkin?  They have been assumed dead for fifteen years.” One of the advisors asked.

“It was the information in the telepathic communication, sir.  I believe it to be from Yuri Utkin.” Viktoriya explained.

“Captain Sima, you as well anyone knows the pain you felt when you heard the news of Captain Sima and Utkin’s death.  You wouldn’t want to raise the hopes of the Sima and Utkin families, only to dash them again when your investigations come up empty handed.” Another of the advisors asked.  This man she recognized.  Behind his thick beard and thin glasses sat Dr. Anton Utkin, Yuri Utkin’s older brother.  Of course he’d be cautious about an investigation into his brother’s life or death.

“Sirs, I promise with your permission, my men and I can be discreet with our investigation.  No one needs to know what we are doing unless they are directly involved.” Viktoriya pleaded.

“That is what I am concerned about, Captain Sima.  Some parties have gone to great efforts ensure that Captain Sima’s daughter does not get caught up in the net that caught him.” Utkin warned her.

“Dr. Utkin, I do respect Miss Sima’s privacy, and her right to it.  But if Captain Sima and Mister Utkin are alive, it is our duty to bring them home.  Yes, it is terrible to think that I might be misleading your hope, that your brother is alive, and that my cousin is alive.  But if they are, is it better to let them suffer?”  Viktoriya Sima did not know she could make such a passionate speech.

Director Kaminski pondered.  He leaned over to consult with Dr. Utkin.  Viktoriya tried to stay optimistic but the look on Utkin’s face was stern.  Kaminski sat up again, cleared his throat and gave Viktoriya a brief smile. “Captain Sima, I trust in your ability to conduct yourself in a manner befitting of your rank in this prestigious organization.  This investigation will begin on Monday.  You must submit written documentation of permission from each civilian you involve, or anyone from outside of our nation.  With this, I wish you good luck, and look forward to your first progress report.”

“Thank you, Director Kaminski. Thank you, sir!” Viktoriya could barely wait until she was dismissed to run from the room and to her barracks to give her team a briefing.  She was going to bring Mikhail Sima and Yuri Utkin home!