Lost Count

Loyalty

When Pavel returned down into the Metro, he hadn't expected to see such chaos. Sure, chaos was a normal thing there, but this was something entirely new. The Red Line had fallen into disarray after the siege; that was how Pavel found out about their failure. So many high ranking officials had died or gotten ousted; Moskvin admitted to fratricide and was being tried. The rest were on the run.

So Pavel decided to return to the Red Line. Korbut and Lesnitsky were the only ones who knew of his mission, and the secret had died with them. Korbut was gone; Lesnitsky's whereabouts were unknown. And when Pavel returned many of his old friends had flocked to him, updating him on what had happened when he was gone.

It took over a month to begin rebuilding; no one could seem to come together on a decision of leadership. Many of the brass who were left began squabbling amongst themselves, all eager to take position with no thoughts to the others. That was when Leonid strutted up to the outer stations of the Red Line, hand clutching his stomach and a charming smile on his face. It didn't take much to convince the soldiers to let him in; Leonid was always a smooth-talker. He had a bullet wound that had been treated by another doctor, but it would take months of healing for him to recover fully.

Leonid didn't let that stop him though. He asserted leadership responsibilities almost immediately, casting down much of the Red Line's policies and enacting new ones. Secretary General... That title didn't belong to him, to a mere child who had no experience fighting. Pavel wasn't even much older than him (only a few years at most) yet he'd been in more battles for his life than the boy could probably even think of.

Pavel could scarcely believe that the boy was already doing so much and had still survived. Most of the older generation abhorred him and his ideals. Even some of the soldiers like Pavel had a hard time believing that he would deliver what he promised; the goals were just too lofty.

But the general civilians were loving it. Leonid often traveled through the stations of the Red Line (not without a personal guard, of course) and met with the public to speak with them. Not at them. He announced new treaties with Hanza and the Spartan Rangers, promising a chance of peace through the Metro and free travel regardless of party.

He was crazy; an absolute lunatic who knew nothing of government or how to run the Red Line. Pavel couldn't bring himself to actually respect him as a leader, there was no way this boy was going to succeed.

And yet Pavel found himself standing in front of the new leader's office, shifting from foot to foot uneasily. He had been called for a meeting with Leonid; all of the rest of the higher rank soldiers had been asked to meet with him at some time or another. Now it was his turn.

"Come in, Major," Leonid said when he opened the door, smiling at him from the desk where he sat. "I'm sure we have much to talk about."

Pavel didn't know how to react. Half of him wanted to salute and follow orders blindly, but another part of him just didn't know how to treat Leonid. The child who had taken power into his own hands. He had spoken with him before, when the boy was still under the thumb of his father. And he never seemed like he'd be able to handle command well. Yet here he was.

"Sir." That was all Pavel could bring himself to say for the moment.

"I think you already know what I'm going to ask you," Leonid replied, motioning for the chair across from him. He reached under the desk and pulled out a bottle of old, pre-war liquor. "Can I offer you a drink?" Pavel nodded his head silently, still unsure how to address the boy. Leonid seemed to be alright with his quietness, pouring out a drink for both of them and placing Pavel's closer within his reach. "I want to know where your loyalties lie."